Handing over all my inheritance to the ADC while incarcerated

It’s only a viable course of copium, if you have the manufacturing base to back up the mass production of these “unrevealed” superweapons.

In WWII, german tanks were so good that to kill one german tank, the allies would have to lose five. But the Germans still lost the war, simply because the US and USSR manufacturing was more than 5 times that of Germany.

If the US is both technologically and productively more advanced than China, then the US can dominate China in war.

However the reality is:

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main qimg b98760c2fd8d6425b6f5d51d838fc8e0

12% vs 35%. By these numbers, whatever top secret US weapons would have to be at least 3 times as good as top secret Chinese weapons, for the US to start gaining the upper hand in war.

Gaeng Phed Kai (Red Chicken Curry)

The Thai name of this dish literally means ‘hot chicken curry.’ There is a very similar recipe for a green curry (Gaeng Khiao Wan Kai).

IMG 1324
IMG 1324

As always, the quantities are up to you.

Ingredients

Curry Paste

  • 5 to 10 dried red chiles
  • 10 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon chopped galangal
  • 1 tablespoon thinly sliced lemon grass
  • 1/2 teaspoon zest of ‘kaffir’ lime (ordinary lime will do)
  • 1 teaspoon chopped coriander (cilantro) root
  • 5 black peppercorns
  • 1 tablespoon roasted coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon roasted cumin seeds
  • Dash of fish sauce
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons fermented shrimp paste (kapi)

The Curry

  • 6 ounces chicken (in smallish bite-size pieces)
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk
  • 4 ounces Thai eggplant (these are small round eggplants)
  • 2 kaffir lime leaves (or a little lime zest)
  • 1 tablespoon sweet basil
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon palm sugar
  • Oil for cooking
  • 1 to 3 tablespoon red curry paste

Instructions

Curry Paste

  1. Mix in a mortar and pestle or food processor. Will keep about a month in a refrigerator. You can buy commercial red curry paste (Mae Ploy brand is quite good), but as far as I am aware all commercial pastes contain MSG and preservatives.

The Curry

  1. Cut the chicken up, then briefly fry the curry paste until fragrant, reduce the heat, add the coconut milk slowly, and continue to stir whilst cooking until a thin film of oil appears on the surface.
  2. Add the chicken and other ingredients except the eggplant. Bring to a boil and cook until the chicken begins to change color. Adjust the flavors to suit yourself. When it is at a boil again add the eggplant and continue until the chicken is cooked through.
  3. Serve over rice, or in a serving bowl with other Thai dishes.

How Would Mao Zedong Cope With Trump?

This is supremely great.

Ghosts of Winter Future

Submitted into Contest #281 in response to: Write about a mysterious guest who arrives at a party — but no one knows who they are. view prompt

John Rafanelli

‘Winterfest’ was always a special holiday for the people of Augusta Cove, Long Island. A small bay town, where everyone knows everyone, all their happy memories along with all of their dark secrets. The yearly festival was a great place to set aside your grievances, and enjoy the magical winter holiday together, as a community.December 19th, 1999, may be one of the town’s most memorable holiday festivals, and not for a good reason. It was the day Rory Falco was murdered.The town spent the last few weeks getting ready for the festival. For some it was a distraction from the everyday grind. For others it was an annual tradition, one that always happened, and always will happen. Main Street was alive with people and families of all ages.At the edge of Main Street is a big park. Inside the park sits a giant white tent, illuminated by lights of red and green; blue and white; saffron and red. Colors welcoming to all.There’s a children’s choir standing outside the tent, conducted by Ms. Davis. They are singing as guests from all across the town shuffle their way into the tent. Noel Winter stands in line waiting to enter. She looks across at the choir and hears;“Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright … “She’s lost in a trance listening as a grumpy old man cuts to the front of the line, bumping Noel from her tranquility, “Excuse me, sir!” she yells.“Excuse nothing, squirt,” The old man quips.Noel ignores the intrusion and is drawn back to the music. 

“Round yon virgin Mother and Child. Holy infant, so tender and mild…”

 

She looks back at the children singing the beautiful melody. Some are off key, like young Bobby Hinkins, but others are in perfect harmony. Noel smiles as she looks over at the twins Holly and Rory Falco. She sees them go into perfect harmony, gifting the town with the lyrical hook.

 

“Sleep in heavenly peace…. Sleep in heavenly peace…”

 

The line moves forward bringing Noel to the front of the ‘security’ checkpoint. It’s an old lady sitting behind a white folding table. 

“Excuse me ma’am,” The lady behind the table says.  Noel remains silent. “Excuse me, MA’AM!” she yelps out, a little louder.

“Oh, sorry. I was caught up in the song. Hi, How are you?” Noel asks.

“Good. Thank you for asking, young lady.”

“Oh, you flatter me. I’m not young anymore,” Noel nervously says.

“Neither am I,” the lady behind the table responds. She searches Noel up and down. “Do I know you? You look familiar.”

“I don’t think you do ma’am.”

“Please, call me Beverly.”

“Well Beverly, if we’ve met it was a long, long time ago.” Noel looks at Beverly. “I used to live here, but my family moved out when I was just about nine or ten.” She looks around and points to the choir. “Probably not much older than those angels right there.”

Beverly smiles. “They sure are precious, aren’t they?” They both nod. “So why did you leave?”

“Family stuff. Dad was a drunk. Mom left us. You know, typical family dynamics.”

“I’m sorry, Mrs?”

“Noel.  Nice to meet you Beverly.”

“Nice to meet you too. What brings you back to the Cove?”

“Revenge.”

Beverly is a little startled and just looks at Noel. Noel smiles. “I’m just kidding.” They both laugh. Beverly a little too much. “I was just passing through. I have a big meeting in New York City tomorrow and I always had such great memories of the festival so I wanted to see it again.”

“Well, once a part of the Cove, always a part of the Cove.” They both smile. “Don’t let me keep you any longer. Go in and enjoy the festivities.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Parker.”

Beverly looks at her startled. Noel points to the nametag on Beverly’s shirt. They smile at each other as Noel enters the party tent.

 

Noel stands in the back of the tent, silently observing. She’s been here for about thirty minutes watching people. Studying every person who enters or leaves the party. She’s trying to be left alone and is purposely avoiding interacting with anyone. She’s holding some eggnog, not drinking it but using it as a prop to blend in, when someone taps on her shoulder.

“Excuse me, Noel?”

Noel turns around and sees Walter Parker, the school’s English teacher, standing next to her.

“So, I take it you spoke to your mom?” Noel asks.

“Uhh, yeah. I’m Walter.”

“Hi Walter.”

“As you also know, news travels fast in this town. You used to live here?”

“I did, a long time ago.” Noel tries to move the conversation along.

“So I figured I’d come talk to the mysterious former Cover.”

“Sorry, I’m only here for tonight. Then I have somewhere entirely else to be.”

“I get it. But you’re here now. Can I have this dance?

Noel looks around the party and see’s the choir entering the tent.

“No thank you Walter.”

“Let me buy you a drink?”

“The drinks are free.”

The students walk past them. Holly and Rory stop for a second. Noel looks at them both, as Holly starts to talk. “Mr. Parker, did you hear us?”

“I sure did, and you were brilliant.” He rubs her head, he looks over at Rory. “And so were you champ!”

The two giggle and skip away in childish glee. Noel watches them disappear into the party. Noel, who knew she would need an out from this conversation was slowly pouring her drink onto the floor. She holds up her empty glass and smiles at Walter.

“How about that drink?”

Walter eagerly grabs her empty cup and runs off.

“I’ll be right back!”

Noel, with intentions to avoid him the rest of the night slips into the party to remain incognito.

 

Another ten minutes have passed, and Noel has now stationed herself on the other side of the tent looking out at the crowd. The adults are mostly drunk, dancing and mingling. The children are running around with innocent joy. She looks up and see’s Walter searching the crowd holding an extra eggnog. Before Walter can look at her she dips down and hides behind a balloon arch. She bumps into someone.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

Her words are cut short as Holly looks up at her.

“Do I know you?” Holly asks.

“I don’t think so squirt,” Noel responds.

“My dad calls me that!”

“So did mine.” Noel smiles.

Holly smiles, as she looks out into the party. “Sorry I gotta go, my hiding spot’s been compromised.” She points out to Rory in the crowd creeping forward. Before she goes, she whispers, “I like your hair, I wish I was brave enough to dye it red and purple.”  Holly jolts off, running away.

“Maybe one day you will be,” Noel says to no one, as she scans out at the crowd and watches Rory chasing after Holly. Noel crouches and follows them through the maze of people. She’s weaving and observing, avoiding contact, but never losing sight of Rory or Holly for what seems like an eternity. Finally she bumps into someone’s lower back. Ms. Davis abruptly stops her conversation, turns around, and looks at Noel creeping along the floor.

“Sorry about that, ma’am,” Noel says as she stands upright.

“Do I know you?” She looks Noel up and down. “You look familiar.”

“No, you don’t know me.”

“I never forget a face, and yours is familiar.”

“I’m sorry if you think I’m someone else. And I’m sorry for bumping into you,” Noel says as she scans the crowd. She sees Rory and Holly playing around on the dance floor. Ms. Davis shakes her head and returns to her original conversation. Noel, trying to blend in, starts to sway on the edge of the dance floor and begins singing along to the song.

 

“When I first saw you, I already knew, there was something inside of you…”

 

Ms. Davis hears the voice and her ears perk up. She looks at Noel singing. She knows the face is familiar, but that voice is so recognizable.

 

“Something I thought I would never find. Angel of mine.”

 

While Ms. Davis is processing Noel’s voice, Noel is searching the party. She sees Holly dancing alone in the middle of the dance floor. She panics, searching for Rory, and finally spots him exiting the tent. She proceeds to chase after him. As she is running away something clicks in Ms. Davis’ mind.

“It can’t be?” Ms. Davis says to herself, as she watches Noel run out of the tent, then looks over at Holly on the dance floor.

 

Noel jets out of the tent looking into utter darkness. She hears some noises in the distance and follows them. She reaches into her jacket and grabs her pistol.

 

The far edge of the park leads into a small forest. Noel stops at the edge of it listening. She hears some branches break. She holds her gun in front of her as she creeps towards the noise. Eventually she comes across an old man hunched over Rory, pointing a pistol at him. Rory is cowering on the dirt floor.

Noel raises her gun and points it at the man’s back. “Let him go.”

The old man slowly turns towards Noel, shifting his gun from Rory to her. It’s the same person who bumped into her earlier in the night. They stare at each other for a few seconds. “I’m afraid I can’t do that squirt.”

“Dad?” Noel whispers.

“Drop your gun, and let me explain.”

Noel doesn’t move. Rory looks on, but is too afraid and too confused to move. He lays there paralyzed.

“It was you?” Noel asks. Her world is shattered.

“I didn’t have any other options.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Let me explain.”

Noel cocks the hammer of the gun back.

“Holly… please?”

“I’m not Holly anymore. She’s back there at the party.” Noel waves the gun off into the distance. “I’m Noel now.”

“Since when?”

“Since Rory disappeared, and my whole world was shattered. You became a drunk. And mom ran away in the middle of the night.”

“Squirt… I’m sorry,” Dad humbly pleads.

“You were always blaming mom for Rory’s disappearance.” Noel’s eyes start to tear up.  “Ironic, isn’t it?” Noel waves the pistol frantically at her Dad.

“Let’s talk about this.”

“Now you want to talk? You neglected me, obsessing over your life’s passion of finding a way to go back in time. Then that consumed you, and eventually killed you on one of your test runs!” Noel shouts.

“Well, I see you picked up where I left off and figured out the solution.”

“Not till forty years later. After spending several years of neglect in foster care. Then I spent my twenties and thirties on the streets begging for money anyway I could. My forties were spent strung up on any drug or liquor that would numb the pain.” Noel is frantic at this point. “Finally, on my fiftieth birthday, I overdosed. I was laying in a hospital detox bed, thinking back to when life was happy. So I found your old journals, and picked up where you left off, determined to come back here, and change the one event that turned our lives to shit”

“I knew you were always smart.”

“Stop pretending like you care!”

Dad starts to laugh. “Pretend like I care?” He starts to get angry. “The only reason I’m here is because I care!”

“That’s original, coming from a man who’s about to murder his son, and has a gun pointed at his daughter.”

“Let me ask you the age-old question. If you could go back in time and kill Hitler when he was a child, would you do it?”

“If I wasn’t using my only jump to come here? Yes.”

“Ahh. You can only jump into the past once? And back to your present once as well?”

“Yes. But that’s not the point. This is 1999 Long Island, not 1889 Austria-Hungary.”

“The point is… Rory grows up to be worse than Hitler.”

“Liar!” Noel steadies her wavering hand and focuses her gun at her Dad. “Let him go.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” Dad says as he cocks the hammer of his gun. “Do you know how hard it is for a father to spend years developing one plan? One which requires him to go back in time and kill his only son?”

“Why not go back in time and never have him in the first place?”

“I thought of that, but then you wouldn’t be born either.”

“Don’t pretend like you’re doing this for me.”

“This is all for you, so you can live, and live in a free world.”

“Why today, and not when he was a baby?”

“I told you, it was hard. I’ve been back in the nineties for eight years now. Always mustering up the courage to kill him. But unfortunately, I’m a coward.”

“Until now. What changed?”

Dad pauses for a second before responding. “I guess I was stalling, hoping for a better solution. But in six days on Christmas he will kill you.”

“Bullshit!”

“At first we thought it was an accident, and felt bad for him in our sorrow. But then we learned he did it on purpose.”

“Your web of lies are intoxicating. Let him go.”

“I can’t squirt.”

“DON’T CALL ME THAT!”

“I know you don’t believe me, and I know it seems like your life sucked in this timeline.” He stops pointing the gun at Noel and now focuses it on Rory.  “But at least you have a life.” Dad is trying to plead his case. “And the world is still at peace.” Rory looks at the barrel of the pistol and squirms.

 

A shot rings out.

 

Dad falls to the floor with a bullet hole in his shoulder. Noel starts to inch closer to Rory, but keeps her gun pointed at her dad. Dad slowly rises to his knees gripping his wound. “Please, you have to hear me out. As an adult, Rory is a bad person. He becomes a leader convincing millions to follow him to no end. He’s a tyrant. Everything Hitler did, he did bigger. If you spoke against him you were executed.”

“This is insane. You’re obviously still a drunk,” Noel interjects.

Dad starts to regain his composure, and is readjusting the grip of his gun. “He’s started a nuclear war with Russia, Japan, England, Italy and Germany. Our own air is polluted with nuclear toxins…”

Another shot fires from Noel’s gun. This one hits Dad in the chest. He falls to the floor. Noel is now next to Rory. He delusionally looks up at her.

“It’s okay. It’s over now.”

Rory just stares blankly into her familiar eyes. Dad starts to rise up again. “Please, you have to believe me,” he begs.

Noel starts to swing her gun towards her Dad for a third time. As she is in motion, Dad fires a shot and hits Noel in the head. She slumps to the ground. Dad weakly gets up and walks over to a shaking Rory. He points the gun at Rory’s head, looks away and pulls the trigger. He slouches down and hugs both of them.

“I’m sorry,” he begins to sob. He pulls out a small tablet from his backpack. He puts a watch on his wrist, Rory’s, and Holly’s. He pushes a button on the tablet and the world around him changes.

 

It’s now December 19th, 2053. Robert Falco is in the forest of Augusta Cove Long Island on a beautiful peaceful winter night. Blood is pouring down his shirt. Next to him are his two dead children. Robert stumbles to the edge of the forest. He looks out into the night sky. It’s normal, no toxic fog hanging in the air, no smell of burning debris.  He can hear a children’s choir singing at the festival far away. It’s beautiful and haunting.

 

Robert digs two graves deep in the forest. It’s a slow effort because of his wounds and his sorrow. He lays Holly and Rory into the graves. He starts to fill the holes with dirt. As he does the choir echoes through the trees.

 

“Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright … “

 

In the dirt, above each covered hole, he etches their names. He sits upon the makeshift grave.

 

“Round yon virgin Mother and Child. Holy infant, so tender and mild…”

 

He thinks back about how in 1999 no one will ever find the body of Rory Falco, leaving it a cold case forever. He thinks of the terrible life he knows Holly will live. The children’s singing cutting through the forest gives him some clarity. Knowing that the world is at peace helps him come to terms with the idea that he and his family made the ultimate sacrifice for eight billion people.  Robert lays down next to his children and falls asleep for one last time.

 

“Sleep in heavenly peace…. Sleep in heavenly peace…”

why Gen Z guys are scared to approach girls (and how to not be)

When you’re alone, by yourself only don’t do that.

When you are moving to rural Thailand, you will have two major challenges.

One is the language.

You won’t probably find anyone nearby who is speaking English even one word.

Daily communication issues are going to make your life very difficult if even possible.

Shopping, going to the pharmacy, meeting with doctors and dealing with Thai local administration are going to be challenging every single time you need it.

The second major challenge is distances.

You may find out that the nearest shop is twenty miles away and the hospital is even farther away.

Traveling 60 miles to the nearest private hospital isn’t really what you want when you have acute health problems.

The same with the immigration office.

You are going to be visiting them frequently rapporting yourself every 90 days, and long travel is a big disadvantage making it difficult.

You are not going to make it without a car.

You can forget about public transportation.

You won’t find it anywhere nearby you.

So if you’re going to live together with your Thai partner, who has a car and family nearby you, then you are going to be fine as long as you’re in good health.

You can probably forget about going to the beach frequently.

You will have difficulty getting a western food being dependent on the local food market.

You will probably have an issue with the local animals like mice’s eating your car cables and snakes coming to your house.

You will need better learn about snakes to be able to spot and distinguish between the venomous ones and not venomous.

You can handle non venomous snakes by yourself but you shouldn’t try to handle a venomous snakes by yourself.

Most Thai people have a dog’s and many of them to protect them against snakes.

Snake tongs must have.

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main qimg a89e4b84fbec848cb28f8ca9b8aa7f76

This one is non venomous snake.

What to do with it?

You can let them go inside your car engine compartment for chasing the mice away only effectively working option.

mice family inside the car causing damage to the car cables.

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main qimg de725c01d8cf7c00b33a8b36b64647d1

I LOVE this question! And I appreciate the plural, tasks, as a recognition that there’s a whole lot of things happening in those planes. When I went operational, I always flew multi-crewed aircraft, the Prowler and Growler. However! I’m in the situation a lot of Super Hornet pilots are: we’ve done both! I only flew the E model, the single seat variety, in training. But in the F, the two seat version, in training you were essentially single seat. SO! What is harder about flying these bad boys?

  1. Comms. Hands down. With multi-crewed aircraft, we can better divvy up who’s listening to what. We typically have 3–4 radios we’re listening to at the same time in combat. It was the hardest part for me in training. Single seat guys do get really good at listening to as much as they can, but 2 sets of ears trumps that.
  2. Flying in formation. Whoa whoa! The flying part isn’t harder. But this goes back to the comms and sharing duties. Single seat guys and gals out there…tell me you didn’t wish there were someone there to help you when you’re hanging off lead’s wing, in the goo, making an approach into busy airspace and swapping frequencies every couple of minutes.
  3. The Strike part of Strike/Fighter. We’re Navy. We’re tip, tip of the spear. We ain’t heading feet dry into uncontested airspace. Trust me E guys, when you can have the pilot run the show for A-A while your crewmate sets you up for weapons delivery, it is so much more efficient.
  4. Lastly, keeping yourself entertained. I had to solo flight an E from the west to the east coast, with of course multiple stops in the middle. With no one to talk to except air traffic control, I was banging my head on the canopy in boredom.

Anyway…a little whimsy thrown in with some real world issues. Have at it guys in the comments! 😀

Shorpy

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Let me quote fellow respected Quoran Roland Bartetzko’s answer for my take on this question:

…. The advantage lies with us [the US military] because our last combat was captured on somebody’s iPhone 14…. The Chinese’ last combat was captured on oil and canvas.

He is right: Indeed, the US has fought many wars in just the past decade alone, perhaps a battle was even captured by someone’s iPhone 14.

An iPhone 14 that is most likely to be made in China.

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main qimg 3059f0937967cc5c590ef9b4cc469f3c

Now, Roland and the 4-star general he quoted is, of course, exaggerating. We all know that China went to combat with Viet Nam in the late 70s and 80s and have captured lots of fighting in colored film. But that is besides his point, and the point I am making as well.

The point is, ever since WW2, producing lots of quality equipment is much more important than experienced troops.

The fact remains that experience can be attained very quickly in event of all-out war, but production capacity cannot. Japan has probably one of the most experienced navies when it destroyed the US fleet at Pearl Harbor, but that hardly matters if the US could churn out a dozen more fleets in a year.

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main qimg 19781acfea178a4f5219c1ddbede90c6

The US built 24 Essex-class Carriers during WW2 alone. Japan has 18 carriers in total. If we count all other carriers including smaller escort carriers, the US has built a whopping 105 carriers throughout WW2.

Which country today do you think will be the one producing 105 carriers in a matter of years in case of war? The USA or China?

ksnip 20250111 105049
ksnip 20250111 105049

It doesn’t matter if US has 8 more carriers than China now, what matters is the potential to replace losses: Ships today are even less armored than small cruisers or even destroyers of WW2, a single hit from a hypersonic missile will cripple it. And speaking of missiles, China almost undoubtedly produces more and much better missiles than the US as well (which is still stuck with variants of the harpoon for anti-ship duties).

Things aren’t much prettier on land as well: What percentage of drones flying over the skies of Ukraine are DJI ones? Or from Chinese companies in general? 70%? 80%? I suspect that the number is even higher. Now imagine the country producing the drones for both countries decide to use their full production potential against Taiwan, or the US if it decides to even get close to that island in the case of a hot war. Could the US match up to even half the Chinese production figures? Probably not.

China’s lack of military experience is serious, that I agree. But it would only matter for really small-scale operations: It will not matter in case of a war between China and the US in the pacific. Production matters much more than experience, which may guarantee an advantage for the US in the initial battles. But the US will certainly loose once the war stretches out—it simply cannot match China in this aspect.

In fact, Admiral Yamamoto’s famous quote comes to mind:

“In the first six to twelve months of a war with the United States and Great Britain I will run wild with win victory upon victory. But then, if the war continues after that, I have no expectation of success.”

—-Isoroku Yamamoto

SolaCelestial

Submitted into Contest #281 in response to: Write about a mysterious guest who arrives at a party — but no one knows who they are. view prompt

Kira Akina

A grand chandelier dangling with crystals lights up the immense ballroom with cool lighting. Suspended from the highest tier, at the center of the glass ceiling that opens up to the starry night, it twinkles as if it were a cluster of stars. Enclaved by a gradual spiral staircase-like ascension of upper floors, the ballroom is the centerpiece of the ground floor. White gardenias, orchids, and lilies paint the pillars, and wisteria pour out from the vases. Silver and gold sparkle throughout the room like moonlight on a lake. Anticipation fills the air as a summer breeze and rises, like mist attempting to inhabit every crevice of space feasible.Sophia wishes she was filled up just the same. She wouldn’t mind feeling it, the anticipation that is, however she was only able to see it. It had been quite some time since she felt. A resident of the castle for a while now, and she hadn’t experienced feeling for longer than that, she would have been concerned had she been capable. It wasn´t that she felt bad or negative, she was simply removed from any sensory episode really. A familiarity for emotions wasn’t lacking, she had felt in the expanse of her life, just not for some time. The idea of senses remained. It seemed as if she were severed from a part of herself. Though she wasnt’t currently able to participate with sensations, she was a pristine observer. Eyes like an eagle, to her the unseen was visible.Sable thick garments covered the man’s pale skin. Intriguing robes, impeccably made, but definitely antiquest. They didn’t look like anything she had seen in her own region. The gentleman was tall and slender, but not frail. And he stood upright with a slight tilt of the head, as if the tilt would shield him from notice. But it was impossible to overlook them, well, him… and them. Especially for Sophia. Her eyes appraised his ebony hair, just long enough to slightly cover his ears, shagged across his head. Boyish charm and masculine strength emanated from him all at once. Ice blue eyes shone from beneath eyebrows that seemed as if hand painted by an artist; accentuated by long black eyelashes they pierced like the tip of a sword to the heart.Magical. Tethered to this dark figure were wings, majestic like a wild stallion. Moonless black feathers. Luxurious and rich. Enormous, towering as if reaching into the universe to snatch up something special. The pair of them brimmed with ambiguous possibility.Everyone in Anastalia possessed gifts, but long ago the ancestors were visibly different. They were born under a brighter sun and with a different kind of beauty. Sophia heard rumors that those with powers of healing displayed what seemed like a thin layer of bark which covered their feet and wrists, and foliage sprouted from their heads as well as various places on their bodies. Shapeshifters subtly resembled leopards. They didn’t have fur, but looked as if different colors had penetrated their skin and spread like ink blotches. Possibly even similar to patchwork. In our day it would look like imperfection. Telekinetics displayed mismatched eye color, and what appeared like stretch marks or veins crawled up their necks, mid body, and thighs. But that was long ago and with every passing generation our gifts were fading away like dust, and they were all hidden on the inside escaping as only a whisper, none altered our physical appearance. Not for hundreds of years. No one in Anastalia had seen wings in centuries, if ever. This was something special. It was evidence. Evidence that magic was not dying, it still illuminated our world. It was hope.At that moment a quietly slumbering seed rose up from deep within Sophia, somewhere she was unaware existed. Gently at first and increasingly fierce, it was like a woman in labor.  The sense was exhilarating and unpredictable, it seemed good, yet dangerous. She felt like she was radiating. She felt refreshed, she felt alive…she felt!There was something about this mystifying man. The phenomenon happening inside of her, almost uncontrollable, was compelling her towards him. At first she thought she was only in shock from feeling that it rattled her, but her feet began sliding out from underneath her causing her to lose her balance. A magnetar force, the strongest she had ever encountered beckoned. Determined not to knock over anyone or anything, while also committed to maintaining her free will to whatever degree attainable, she began to step forward. Not exactly walking, more guiding each pull of the leg, she somehow elegantly moved through the crowd of guests. Passing couples dancing her hands swept by silken and lace gowns, even velvet tailcoats. The aroma of flowers, perfume, and the fresh night air ushered in through the windows,  her nose. When she realized how close she was to the man now it became more evident how enchantingly beautiful he was, she didn´t know if she was nervous or excited, or both.Every few centuries the moon gets so close to us that we get to see it up close, as if face to face with a friend, in all itś glory. It remains present all day, for three days. As a side effect of the moon´s intimate position our magic is temporarily enhanced. There is said to be a stone that resides somewhere on the moon that can reverse the disintegration of our powers that has been occuring over the generations. The Solacelestial ball is being held in celebration of a New Hope. And at this moment Sophia felt that hope, she held it so closely it hurt.As she neared the man, so close now, his back to her, slowly turning her direction she completely lost control. His essence had drawn her in at an accelerating pace, and just as he turned they were thrust into eachothers arms. Their eyes met. He gazed down at her in shock at first, shortly followed by a gentle smile. She shyly smiled back, and just as she noticed that the lovely man’s eyes were not like ice, for surrounding his pupils were vibrant golden supernovas, she vanished from before him.

 

…..

 

Darkness and silence.

 

 

Wrapped up in incomprehensible peace Sophia regained some kind of sense of awareness. Consciousness in its pure form. It was as if she was inside, outside and beside herself all at once. She felt complete symbiosis with all of creation. Plants, animals, elements, energy, and sound in complete harmony. Acceptance with the substances that converged to form spirit and intrinsic human nature, even those that she once may have found unfavorable were in unison. Darkness and light were not opposite, but the same. Everything that is, is One.

Suddenly fire and ice swirled like a supernatural hurricane fused with planetary and solar wind. The sound of soothingly fierce roaring water echoed into what seemed like eternity. A divine symphony buzzed and undulated returning her to recognition of physical sensation and her eyes were opened as she trembled to the ground. When she opened them she was in a dimension surrounded by planets, blackholes and stars. Galaxies and nebulas, life was exploding and imploding all around.

 

Gradually lifting her head she looked  out into what could have been a horizon where snowlike dust blew through dunes of sand. It was like waking from a beautiful dream. When she began to lift herself to her feet she realized she was standing on a sea of saphire like stone, and Sophia knew exactly where she was.

 

She had never really been at the ball at all, she had been here all along. That is why she had not felt. A shadow of her had been living in the castle back home. It was all real, the spectacular ball, the curious man, but she hadn’t been there in the flesh. Some secret truth about the mysterious man had reverbirated through her being waking her from her sleep. Sophia was on the moon.

This isn’t Communist vs Capitalist

main qimg 9220b1ae8db9ae5811ab1e4d2b39518d
main qimg 9220b1ae8db9ae5811ab1e4d2b39518d

This is Chinese vs American

The Chinese in the past few years have invested massively in disaster relief

The Police and Military have separate divisions specializing in Rescue and Disaster Relief missions

4,000 Men & Women who get paid a salary for training every day and actually working maybe 40 days a year in actual disaster relief

They have 26 Wing Loong Drones and over 7,000 Quadcopter Drones

They have a 24 Billion Yuan budget ($ 3.43 Billion) a year that is equivalent to around $ 8.5–10 Billion a year in the US

Additionally the Chinese have 6.6 Million Volunteers divided across all provinces who attend 40 hours disaster training every year over a five day period and pocket 1,250 Yuan ($ 171) and two meals a day

The minute there is a disaster, these Volunteers assemble within 8 hours to their reporting zone and get their clothes and duties

They maintain a fleet of 10,000 excavators, backhoes, moving machines and portable cranes

They have on field housing equipment

They have on field power generators

They have access to enough food to feed 7.5 Million Chinese on a National Scale for 75 days easily without any shortages

They even have teams to go to other countries and help

Like Syria and Turkey and Nepal for example


US has no such special disaster relief teams

They rely on disaster relief mainly on existing departments like Fire, Forest, Sheriffs Office and Police

There is first a question of WHO IS IN CHARGE

Is it Fire?

Is it Forest

Firemen are experts, Forest guys know the terrain

Sheriffs Deputies know the law

Police come in whenever there are deaths to send to the coroner

Budgets are intertwined

Equipment is intertwined

Volunteers are not based on merit but on first come first serve and many are untrained and end up with Carbon Monoxide inhalation themselves


So the US is glaring inefficiency and bureaucracy red tape business when it comes to disaster relief

China is smooth, efficient disaster rescue without any red tape anywhere

Ironic actually

Title: Sir Whiskerton and the Case of the Cucumber Conundrum

Ah, dear reader, do you ever wake up feeling like something is… off? That the world around you has shifted ever so slightly into the bizarre? Well, today’s tale begins with just such an unsettling moment. Picture it: a crisp morning on the farm, the smell of hay and dew in the air, and me, Sir Whiskerton, peacefully snoozing in my favorite bed. All was right with the world—until it wasn’t. What followed was a mystery so absurd, so utterly ridiculous, that it left me both baffled and, dare I say, humbled. Prepare yourself for the laugh-out-loud tale of The Case of the Cucumber Conundrum.

The Incident

I awoke to a gentle breeze drifting through the barn, the first rays of sunlight streaming through the rafters. It was a perfect morning—until I rolled over and came face to face with… it.

A cucumber.

Long, green, and completely out of place. It lay there, mere inches from my nose, its shiny skin glinting ominously in the sunlight.

“GAH!” I yowled, leaping three feet into the air. My fur puffed up like a bottlebrush, my tail swished wildly, and my heart pounded as if I’d just seen the ghost of a long-lost littermate.

The cucumber, of course, remained utterly unfazed. Its sinister stillness only made it more unnerving.

“What is the meaning of this?!” I shouted, glaring at the offending vegetable. “Who dares disturb my morning in such a vile and cowardly manner?”

The barn animals, startled by my outburst, began to gather around.

“What happened, Whiskerton?” Porkchop the pig asked, waddling over with a mouthful of hay. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Worse than a ghost!” I exclaimed, pointing a trembling paw at the cucumber. “This!”

Porkchop squinted at the cucumber, then shrugged. “It’s just a vegetable.”

“Just a vegetable?!” I said, aghast. “Porkchop, do you know nothing of feline psychology? Cucumbers are unnatural! They appear out of nowhere, lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike terror into the hearts of unsuspecting cats!”

“Strike terror?” Doris the hen clucked, flapping her wings. “Oh, how dreadful!”
“Dreadful! But why a cucumber?!” Harriet added.
“Why?! Oh, I can’t bear it!” Lillian screeched.

“It’s a prank,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “Someone on this farm thinks it’s funny to scare me senseless. But mark my words, I will find the culprit.”

The Investigation Begins

I began my investigation by interrogating the usual suspects. First on the list was Rufus the dog, who was lounging in his favorite patch of dirt.

“Rufus,” I said, pacing back and forth in front of him, “did you place a cucumber next to my bed this morning?”

“A cucumber?” Rufus said, raising an eyebrow. “Why would I do that? I prefer practical jokes that involve bones, not vegetables.”

“Hmm,” I said, studying his face for any sign of deception. “You’re off the hook… for now.”

Next, I turned my attention to the hens. Doris, Harriet, and Lillian were scratching at the ground near the chicken coop, clucking nervously as I approached.

“Ladies,” I said, fixing them with my most intimidating stare, “do any of you care to explain how a cucumber ended up next to my bed?”

“A cucumber?! Oh, how strange!” Doris squawked.
“Strange! But we didn’t do it!” Harriet clucked.
“Didn’t do it! Oh, I can’t bear the accusation!” Lillian screeched.

I sighed. “Fine. But I’ve got my eye on you.”

Finally, I made my way to Ferdinand the duck, who was basking in his newfound fame after becoming the farm’s resident “singing sensation.”

“Ferdinand,” I said, interrupting his impromptu concert, “did you have anything to do with the cucumber incident?”

“Quack, quack! Me?” Ferdinand said, flapping his wings indignantly. “Sir Whiskerton, I am an artist. I do not sully my reputation with childish pranks.”

“Hmm,” I said, stroking my whiskers. “That does sound like something you’d say.”

A Break in the Case

Despite my thorough questioning, I was no closer to finding the culprit. Frustrated, I returned to the barn to examine the cucumber for clues. As I sniffed it carefully, I detected a faint but familiar scent: hay. Fresh hay.

“Of course!” I exclaimed. “The cucumber came from the hayloft!”

I raced up to the hayloft, my tail flicking in anticipation. There, nestled among the hay bales, I found a small stash of vegetables: carrots, radishes, and, yes, more cucumbers.

“Interesting,” I murmured. “Someone has been stockpiling these. But who?”

Just then, I heard a rustling sound behind me. I turned to see… Bingo the dog, his nose covered in dirt.

“Bingo!” I said, narrowing my eyes. “What are you doing up here?”

“Oh, uh… nothing!” Bingo said, wagging his tail nervously. “Just… looking for a place to nap.”

“Nap? Or hide your stash of cucumbers?” I said, pointing to the pile of vegetables.

Bingo’s tail drooped. “Okay, fine! It was me. But it was just a joke, Whiskerton! I didn’t think you’d take it so seriously.”

“Seriously?!” I said, bristling. “Bingo, you scared the whiskers off me! Do you have any idea how unsettling it is to wake up next to a cucumber?”

“I’m sorry,” Bingo said, his ears drooping. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I just thought it would be funny.”

The Resolution

In the end, I forgave Bingo—after all, it was a harmless prank, even if it did leave me temporarily traumatized. To make amends, Bingo promised to clean up the vegetable stash and never prank me with a cucumber again.

The moral of the story, dear reader, is this: not everyone shares the same sense of humor, and what seems funny to one might be frightening to another. So always think twice before playing a joke—and if you’re a cat, keep an eye out for cucumbers.

As for me? I’ve since taken precautions to ensure that no vegetable ever sneaks up on me again. And with that, the mystery of the cucumber conundrum is officially solved.

The End.

Gaeng Massaman Kai

This recipe is for Gaeng Massaman Kai. The ‘massaman’ indicates that the recipe is of a ‘musselman’ or islamic origin, and it probably owes something to early Portuguese influences, and is similar in concept to the ‘sour and hot’ Goan style vindaloo dishes. By Thai standards this is usually a fairly mild curry, so I find it is a good starting point.

MASSAMAN GAI
MASSAMAN GAI

Massaman Paste

  • 10 to 20 dried red chiles
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander seed
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (from fresh bark)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon ground star anise
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 4 tablespoons chopped shallots (i.e. the small red skinned onions)
  • 4 to 6 tablespoons chopped garlic
  • 2 (2 inch) pieces lemon grass stalk, sliced into thin rounds
  • A cube about half an inch on a side of galangal root, roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon kaffir lime skin (ordinary lime skin will do if you can’t get it)
  • 1 tablespoon ‘kapi’ (preserved shrimp paste – note this smells awful until after you cook it, but it is quite essential to the flavor)

To this you add a little salt: preferably about 1 to 2 teaspoons of fish sauce.

The galangal is roasted before use. The ground spices should preferably be fresh, in which case you should briefly toast them in a wok without any oil to bring out the flavor before grinding them.

The ingredients are blended to a fine paste (traditionally in a heavy granite mortar and pestle, but you can use a food processor just as well, and with far less effort). Note if you can get fresh red chiles you can usefully use them instead of the dried ones.

Curry

  • About 1 pound of chicken (you can also use pork or beef), cut into the usual ‘bite size pieces’
  • 3 cups coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts (unsalted of course)
  • 5 peeled, but whole, small onions
  • 5 small potatoes*, peeled and partly boiled
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 5 roasted cardamom fruits (i.e. the whole pod)
  • A small piece of roasted cinnamon bark
  • 3 tablespoons palm sugar (you can use a light brown sugar instead if you can’t get palm sugar)
  • 3 tablespoons tamarind juice (this is the ‘sour’ ingredient – you can use white vinegar instead if you can’t get tamarind juice. The juice is made by soaking tamarind paste in a little water then squeezing it out, and running it through a seize to extract the juice from the pulp)
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 to 3 tablespoon curry paste (above)
  • About 1 to 3 teaspoons crushed garlic (optional)

Instructions

  1. Allow the coconut milk to separate and you will have about 1 cup of thick ‘cream’ and two cups of thin ‘milk’. In a small saucepan bring the milk to a simmer and add the chicken or pork. If you are using beef you will need another two cups of milk. simmer the meat until it is beginning to become tender (beef takes longer, hence the additional milk).
  2. Put the coconut cream in a wok and bring to a boil, add the massaman paste and ‘stir fry’ until the flavor is brought out and maximized. The coconut oil will separate out and can be skimmed off with a spoon or ladle. (this removes much of the vegetable cholesterol or whatever it is called, and makes the dish much less trouble for those watching their weight or heart).
  3. Add the remaining cream and curry paste to the meat.
  4. Add the peanuts. Taste and adjust the flavor until it is (just) sweet (by adding sugar), sour and salty (by adding tamarind juice, lime juice and fish sauce).
  5. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until cooked.
  6. You can either serve it on a bed of rice, or double the amount of potato and serve it alone.
  7. Accompany it with a dressed green salad and a bowl of pickled cucumbers. The traditional Thai table also offers chiles in fish sauce (Phrik nam pla) chiles in vinegar (phrik nam som or phrik dong), powdered chile (phrik phom – not to be confused with the powdered chile mix sold as chili powder in the US – it only contains chiles), sugar, and often MSG. You can if you wish add about a teaspoon of MSG to the above recipe to bring out the flavors, but I personally don’t think it is necessary.

Notes

* The potatoes we use are a yellow fleshed sweet potato of the type sometimes called a yam in the US. Western style potatoes can be used, but absorb less of the sauce and flavor. The potatoes act as a ‘moderator’ to reduce the heat of the curry, and should not be left out.

And finally a word of warning to those who burn their tongues on the chiles: chile/curry cooked this way is oily – drinking water does not alleviate the burn; it spreads it around your mouth and throat. You should use a sweet effervescent beverage such as Coke, Pepsi or 7-Up to wash the burn away as quickly as possible. If you do not suffer the burn, I suggest you accompany the meal with a beer Singha is traditional, but any strong flavored lager type beer will do), or a robust red wine.

Who would win in a fight between a US and a Chinese submarine?

China.

Sure, the Chinese submarine will lose. But the fact that there is even a fight between a Chinese and US submarine in the first place means that China wins.

US submarines are not going anywhere near Chinese submarines for the purpose of getting into fights with them, if there is a fight, the US submarine already screwed the pooch. They either got near a Chinese submarine without knowing about it, or they got near it for some explicit purpose involving avoiding getting into a fight and then utterly failed.

Too bad for the poor saps in the Chinese submarine, but China can afford to lose those guys by the millions. They can even afford losing the submarine, which is more expensive but nowhere near costly enough to cover the damage to the US and allies of blundering into a fight with one.

Why is this?

Because the Chinese wrote the book (several, actually) on winning conflicts before fighting by setting things up so that any fight is already a loss for the adversary. It’s not that nobody else reads these books (some of them are quite famous world-wide), but they’re still the global leaders when it comes to actually applying those principles in ways that are really infuriating but absolutely require calm deliberation to handle properly.

The actual situation with the Chinese submarine fleet and the various disputes over the waters where they operate are complex and constantly shifting, but one thing has remained constant for a few decades now, it’s always carefully set up so that a US submarine getting in a fight with a Chinese submarine is a significant win for China.

The only winning move is not to play.

At least, not to play the international security through military force game…the US has other ways to win, primarily by using it’s fundamental economic superiority. Unfortunately, half the country thinks this is ‘unfair’ to them personally because it makes some other Americans richer.

Laugh-in and being “very interesting”

I was at the grocery store. Maybe it was a case of being at the right place at the right time, but still….

So what happened? Well, the stuff that the woman wanted was on the very top of the shelf, she tried to “whack it down” with her cane. Instead, they went back behind, way out of reach. Well, this guy asked her “Ma’am? Which one did you want?” She pointed it with her cane.

This guy (taller than both of us but still short), climbed up and grabbed (she wanted 2) and using one hand to try to bend over to give her two cans, lost his balance, and he grabbed the first thing he could, I was wearing a tank top, so he grabbed my tank top and my bra, ripping it as he lost his balance (but I broke his fall by “catching him”).

By this time the Store Meat Manager (he saw what happened), rushed over. The guy was fine, but the first thing he said was

“OOPSIE MA’AM, I DIDN’T MEAN TO POP YOUR BOOBY!”

I had to pull my tank top up (he broke my bra and the upper right side “strap” of the tank top), using my arm to hold “what’s left of it” to cover my boob!

Meat Manager, he was red-faced and pulled me over behind the display rack (canned goods) and ordered an employee to grab something. It was a spare t-shirt, size XXXL, with the store and the slogan saying ‘I’VE GOT THE BIG MEATS’

REALLY? I am sorry but customers and a couple of other employees who saw this guy almost crashing to the floor… were cracking up!

That same guy, he wasn’t hurt, but he was still embarrassed, pulled out his wallet and a bill folded up into my hand and he left the store (leaving his few items behind). I thought maybe it was $5 or $10 to replace the bra and tank top. I really didn’t need it, so I just put it in my shorts pocket and totally forgotten about it.

FAST FORWARD: I didn’t put those shorts on for a long time, I wore them for about 2 hours, and just folded them up and put them in the drawer. Once winter was over, we were all going to go fishing, I pulled those shorts out and there was the bill, still in my pocket, and I laughed – couldn’t believe I had forgotten it, but when I opened it up, it was a $100.00 bill!

Wife Craved So Much Drama She Framed A Neighbor For Her “Neighborhood Cheating Board”, Now She’s…

It was the summer of 1975. I was 14, home alone, parents at work. Three boys from the local high school came over saying they wanted to visit with my older brother who was due home soon from his summer job. It was considered polite in the US south to invite guests inside and offer them a cold drink, which I did. What happened over the next 30 minutes is something unspeakable. Fast forward to the beginning of the school year in September. I told nobody what occurred because in our small, southern town, girls who were “loose” were ostracized and considered tainted. If my parents had found out they would now have a ruined daughter. Uneated food on lunch trays was dumped on me while sitting alone in the cafeteria, my former friends began calling me vile names and I was suddenly an an island living an isolated life. 50 years ago kids who were abused had no outlet like counseling. I was 14.

In my 20’s I went to the library and found books that explained the trauma I went through. They explained that I was a victim and should feel no shame since I was attacked. They helped me somewhat but didn’t help with the night terrors and my trust issues which continue to this day at age 63. It was a long time ago this happened. I’m much better but only trust a handful of people. The boys didn’t do so well in life. One died at age 33 and the other two are losers. That day almost 50 years ago was a hard lesson that showed me no one cared. I am a success today because when one has been so low I found internal strength to survive.

Roasted Pork and Potato Duet

35d908450a7df2db3eadaf97f58c706b
35d908450a7df2db3eadaf97f58c706b

Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons rubbed sage
  • 1 garlic clove, pressed
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 center loin pork roast, rolled and tied (3 1/2 to 4 pounds)
  • 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, cut into fourths (2 to 3 large)
  • 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, cut into large chunks (3 to 4 medium)

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In Small Batter Bowl, combine sage, garlic, thyme, salt and black pepper. Rub all but 2 teaspoons of the herb mixture evenly over the surface of pork roast.
  3. Place roast in Rectangular Baker. Toss potatoes with remaining herb mixture; arrange potatoes around roast. Cover with Rectangular Lid/Bowl.
  4. Bake 1 hour, 15 minutes. Using Oven Mitts, pull out oven rack and carefully remove Lid/Bowl from Baker, lifting away from you.
  5. Bake roast and potatoes, uncovered, 15-30 minutes or until Pocket Thermometer inserted into meat registers 155 degrees F for medium or 165 degrees F for well done.
  6. Remove potatoes to serving platter; set aside.
  7. Remove roast to cutting board. Loosely tent with aluminum foil. Let roast stand 10 minutes before carving.

Nutrition

Per serving: Calories 580, Total Fat 25g, Sodium 390mg, Fiber 4g

Attribution

Pampered Chef

The Dark Truth Behind This Classic Twilight Zone Episode

Great episode.

Finished putting insulation and ceiling in Power shed

My son was up this weekend and he finished putting in the 2″ x 6″ ceiling joists and the R-30 Insulation in the roof of the solar power shed.

Readers may recall that a couple weeks ago, when the temps went down to -3°F here in northeast PA, the battery temperature of the Lithium Iron Phosphate battery rack dropped down to 28 or 26 degrees.

That is perfectly fine for the batteries to continue supplying power, if they had to, but definitely NOT OK if any charging is, or might, take place.

Apparently, when Lithium batteries reach 32 degrees, if you try to charge them, it __could__ result in something called “lithium plating.”

From Google:

Lithium plating is a process that occurs in lithium-ion batteries when lithium ions build up on the surface of the anode instead of being inserted into the graphite particles. This can happen when the battery is charged too quickly or at a low temperature, which can cause the lithium ions to move too fast or too slowly, respectively.

Lithium plating can have a catastrophic impact on the battery's performance, safety, and lifetime.  Some signs of lithium plating include: A gradual decrease in discharge voltage and An increase in anode resistance.

Lithium plating can be prevented by charging the battery at the right temperature, which is between 41°F and 113°F (5°C and 45°C). If the battery is being used in an electric vehicle, it may not be possible to charge it within this temperature range, so it may need to be pre-heated.

I wonder how many TESLA Drivers knew about THAT little gem of inconvenience when they bought those pricey electric cars?

Anyway, at the time, we put a “Torpedo” heater in that shed.  It ran off kerosene and we were able to select a temperature of 50 degrees on the heater’s thermostat to keep the shed warm.

By the way, the “shed” is a cement block building, with rebar, bond-beams, and a cement roof.   The roof was poured onto galvanized, corrugated, steel.  So the steel which was bare on the inside of the shed, acted as a sort of heat-sink; causing any heat in the shed to just flow out of it.

Last weekend, we bought a “Froth Kit” and applied spray foam to the inside of the roof, totally covering the exposed metal.  That would serve to “break” the heat-sink.   But spray foam only has an R-value of about 1 or 2.   So we also bought 2″ x 6″ lumber to put in an actual ceiling, with R-30 fiberglass “bats” between the joists.  That’s the work we finally got done this weekend.

So now, we’re as ready as we know how to be for this “Polar Vortex” that’s already arrived into the central USA, and which is forecast to affect pretty much the entire east coast this week.

I still have the “Torpedo” heater if needed, but with all the new insulation, it may NOT be needed.  We’ll just have to wait and see.

You know, when I decided to go with this solar stuff, it was a STEEP learning curve.   I thought we had gotten through it, until the intense cold came a couple weeks ago.  The learning curve cropped-up again.

Lucky me!

/sarcasm

Global Currencies Are CRASHING: Major US Banks Warn $3,000 Gold In 2025 – What This Means

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Former SG Minister EXPOSES Propaganda Against China

There is no sign that Russia will be defeated in Ukraine. All signs point to a victory for Russia in Ukraine.

The German publication Spiegel writes that the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ attempt to organize counterattacks in the Kursk region is an act of despair, since the Ukrainians are suffering defeat in all other directions. In particular, in the last few days alone, the Ukrainian Armed Forces were driven out of three villages near Pokrovsk: Dachenskoye, Novy Trud, and Volkovo. All of them are located south of Pokrovsk, so now the advanced units of the Russian army are only 3 km south of the city.

Even Zelensky reluctantly acknowledged the success of the Russian offensive in the Pokrovsk direction. In a television interview, he explained this, first of all, by the lack of reserves of the Ukrainian army.

“We are doing everything possible to ensure that the front is stabilized in January,” he said. But instead of sending additional reserves to the Pokrovsk direction, he is throwing them into the Kursk region.

According to The Telegraph, the Ukrainians, in desperation, are throwing the most modern equipment there, of which the Ukrainian Armed Forces have very little left. In particular, Challenger 2 tanks: video recordings of a Russian drone strike destroying a British tank have already appeared.

All negative news for Ukraine.

The best thing for Ukraine to do would be to join Russia. After all, they are both of Slavic ethnicity. The west would then not be able to press Ukraine to repay the hundreds of billions that they have spent on Ukraine and Russia can tell BlackRock to get the hell out of Ukraine. It will also mean that a Ukrainian can become the president of Russia in future and the coal and Lithium deposits in eastern Ukraine will still be a part of Ukraine, since Ukraine would be a part of Russia. And it would ensure no more fights between Russia and Ukraine.

Helter Skelter, but it’s Rockabilly… (I got blisters on my fingers!)

The Beatles song. WTF?

Title: Sir Whiskerton and the Turkey Trouble

Ah, dear reader, you’re just in time for what I assure you is one of the most absurd and comical adventures yet. Today’s tale involves a turkey named Ethel—bless her birdbrain—and a mystery that takes us across farms, into the clutches of that scoundrel Catnip, and straight into the world of Thanksgiving dinner plans. As always, with the help of my loyal farmyard companions, a bit of wit, and a touch of luck, we’ll find a happy ending to this feather-brained predicament. Settle in for the hilarity-filled story of Sir Whiskerton and the Turkey Trouble.

Meet Ethel: The Not-So-Bright Turkey

It was a crisp autumn morning, and the farm was abuzz with activity. The hens were gossiping about their molting patterns, Porkchop was rolling in his favorite mud puddle, and Rufus was busy sneaking bites of the farmer’s leftover pumpkin pie. Meanwhile, I, Sir Whiskerton, was observing everything from my perch on the fence, enjoying the smell of fallen leaves and hay.

That’s when I first noticed her: Ethel, the turkey, waddling across the barnyard with a look of blissful ignorance plastered across her face. She was… how do I put this delicately? Not the sharpest feather in the flock. With each step, she pecked at the ground, gobbling up the enormous pile of turkey feed the farmer had laid out for her.

“Oh, Whiskerton! Isn’t this just wonderful?” Ethel said, her voice high-pitched and bubbly. She paused mid-waddle to look at me, her head tilting so far to the side I wondered how she didn’t topple over.

“What’s wonderful, Ethel?” I asked, my whiskers twitching with curiosity.

“All this food!” she said, gesturing wildly with her wings. “The farmer’s been giving me more and more every day. I think he’s planning something special for me. Maybe a party! Or… or… maybe I’m going to be named ‘Turkey of the Year’ at the Thanksgiving feast!”

I blinked. “Ethel… you do realize what Thanksgiving dinner usually involves, don’t you?”

“Of course!” she said, puffing out her chest. “It involves me being the star of the show! Oh, I can’t wait! I’ve been practicing my strut for weeks.”

I sighed. This was going to be harder than I thought.

Sounding the Alarm

I called an urgent meeting with the rest of the farm animals to discuss Ethel’s predicament. Everyone gathered in the barn: the hens (Doris, Harriet, and Lillian), Porkchop, Rufus, Sedgwick the wise old owl, and even Bingo the dog.

“Friends,” I began, pacing in front of the group, “we have a problem. Ethel the turkey is being fatted up for Thanksgiving dinner.”

“What?! Oh, not Ethel!” Porkchop exclaimed, his eyes wide.
“Not Ethel! Oh, how dreadful!” Doris squawked.
“Dreadful! But what can we do?!” Harriet clucked.
“Do?! Oh, I can’t bear it!” Lillian cried.

“Enough,” I said, holding up a paw to silence the chaos. “The problem is, Ethel doesn’t understand what’s happening. She thinks the farmer is rewarding her. We need to convince her to leave the farm—before it’s too late.”

“I’ll talk to her,” Sedgwick said, his amber eyes gleaming. “She respects wisdom.”

Sedgwick flew down to Ethel, who was still happily munching on a pile of grain. “Ethel,” he began, “you must flee. The farmer—”

“Oh, Sedgwick!” Ethel interrupted, clapping her wings together. “Have you ever tasted this grain? It’s so buttery. I think the farmer’s giving me a special diet to make my feathers shinier for the celebration!”

Sedgwick sighed and flew back, shaking his head. “She’s… not very receptive.”

“I’ll try!” Porkchop said, waddling over to Ethel. “Ethel, listen. You’ve got to leave. The farmer’s plans for you aren’t what you think!”

“Oh, Porkchop,” Ethel said with a giggle, “I think you’re just jealous because you’re not the star of the Thanksgiving dinner.”

Porkchop waddled back, muttering under his breath. “Hopeless.”

A Feather-Brained Escape Plan

After several failed attempts to reason with Ethel, I decided it was time for action. “If she won’t leave on her own,” I said, “we’ll have to help her escape.”

The plan was simple: distract the farmer, lure Ethel out of the barnyard, and guide her to safety. Rufus volunteered to create the distraction (which mostly involved stealing the farmer’s hat and running in circles), while the rest of us worked together to lead Ethel toward the woods.

“Where are we going?” Ethel asked as we nudged her along. “Is this a surprise party? Oh, I love surprises!”

“Yes, yes, a party,” I said, my patience wearing thin. “Just keep walking.”

We managed to get her past the barnyard and into the woods, but then disaster struck. Ethel, distracted by a shiny pebble, wandered off the path and straight onto the neighboring farm—Catnip’s farm.

Catnip Strikes Again

“Ah, Whiskerton,” Catnip purred, emerging from behind a hay bale. “How delightful to see you. And who’s this?”

“This is Ethel,” I said warily. “She’s… a guest.”

“A guest, you say?” Catnip said, his green eyes gleaming. “How fascinating. Bonbo! Grumbles! Come meet our new friend.”

Bonbo the rat and Grumbles the mouse scurried over, their tiny eyes gleaming with mischief. “A turkey!” Bonbo squeaked. “How delicious—I mean, delightful!”

“Delightful!” Grumbles echoed, rubbing his tiny paws together.

“Catnip, don’t even think about it,” I said, narrowing my eyes.

“Think about what?” Catnip said innocently. “I was merely going to… introduce Ethel to the farmer here. He’s been looking for a turkey, you know.”

“Oh, how nice!” Ethel said, completely oblivious. “I’d love to meet him!”

Before I could stop her, Catnip led Ethel straight to the neighboring farmer’s porch. But instead of panic, the farmer simply smiled and said, “Ah, a turkey! Perfect addition to the family.”

“Family?” I said, confused.

“Oh yes,” the farmer said. “I’m a vegetarian. She’ll fit right in with the other birds.”

Ethel beamed. “Oh, thank you! I’ll be the best turkey you’ve ever had!”

Catnip, Bonbo, and Grumbles looked thoroughly disappointed as Ethel happily waddled inside.

A Happy Ending

As we walked back to our farm, I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Well, I suppose things worked out for Ethel in the end.”

“Worked out? Oh, how wonderful!” Doris squawked.
“Wonderful! But also shocking!” Harriet clucked.
“Shocking! I thought she was doomed!” Lillian cried.
“Doomed! Oh, I can’t bear it!” Doris wailed.

“Enough,” I said, flicking my tail. “The moral of the story is this: even the dullest minds can find a bit of luck—and sometimes, the best way to help someone is to let them find their own way.”

With that, we returned to our farm, ready for whatever absurd adventure awaited us next.

The End.

When Women Finally Realize Men Are No Longer Afraid To Be Single | Men Only

The Next Step

Submitted into Contest #207 in response to: A journalist has been granted permission to visit the premises of a lab carrying out top-secret work. They could never have anticipated what they’d find… view prompt

George frost

“Jerry Culhannick.” He sat at his desk playing solitaire when his boss Harmon Newsome called his name.  It was quitting time for Chrissakes, but he answered just in case it was good news.“Yo!” He hit the hallway on the move, nearly knocking over some of his colleagues trying to make an early exit from Crystal Image Studios.“Ah, you are in trouble now.” Carl Obleck snickered as he passed him in the hall.  Carl was among the herd trying to make an early escape.“Shush.” Jerry shook his head.“Jerry, have a seat.” Mr. Newsome pointed to an empty chair.  There was a strange man sitting in the other chair holding a briefcase and wearing dark sunglasses. “Jerry, I’ve got a hot one for you. Is Carl still in his cubicle?”“I doubt it.” Jerry smiled.“I’m gonna lock that back door one day.” He fumed a bit and then turned to the strange man sitting next to Jerry, “This is Jerry Culhannick.”“Good to meet you, Mr. Culhannick.” The stranger extended a mysterious hand which Jerry shook tentatively.“You are going to Ebsen Island in the morning.” Mr. Newsome straightened his tie.“What for?  I thought that was a restricted area.” Jerry glanced at his boss and then the mysterious man sitting next to him.“It is.” The stranger said in an official voice, “My name is Dr. Abbalong and I work at the facility on the island.  We have reached a stage in our research where we are ready to take the next step.”“The next step?” Jerry eyed the doctor.“In human evolution.” He did not stumble on his words, but it made a chill run up Jerry’s spine. The research on Ebson Island was top secret.  No one really knew what Noble Research Inc. was working on their private  island.“You will take Carl with you as your cameraman.” Mr. Newman ordered, “You are going to do a documentary on the research Noble Research is doing out there.”“Why me?” He asked, swallowing hard.“Because you are the best team I have on my staff.” He glared at Jerry.“You will see things that the world has yet to see.” Dr. Abbalong nodded.“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Jerry confessed.

“It’s not that bad.” Dr. Abbalong smiled, but it was not a comforting smile as far as Jerry was concerned.

“We will tell you what you can and cannot film.” Dr. Abbalong.

“What about freedom of press?  Transparency of information?” Jerry asked.

“We control access.  That must be clear and understood.” Dr. Abbalong’s voice became very serious, making Jerry wish he hadn’t been so flippant.

 

Sitting on the airplane with pontoons, Jerry glanced over at Carl who was holding the camera.  The twin engines made conversation comprehension impossible, but Jerry could see that Carl was not happy to be on board the plane. The updraft from the sea water made the plane bounce like a ball.  Three special agents with ear pieces and dark glasses sat across from Jerry and Carl on the fold out seats.  The seats were uncomfortable as they bounced, but the special agents did not seem to be bothered by it.

The plane circled Ebson Island which was no more than a mile across, but he could see the runway from his window.  Slowly the plane began to descend, but all Jerry could see was the ocean.  He wondered if the plane would make the runway.

It did not.  Instead the plane landed in the water in the small harbor of the island. Skidding on the rough whitecaps, Jerry would have been jolted out of his seat if he was not wearing his seatbelt. Jerry cursed, but the engines covered his foul language.

It took several minutes for the plane to be moored to the dock.  The door opened and the bright tropical sun roared in along with a sharp rise in the temperature.

“Why are we here?” Carl complained.

“To do a documentary.” Jerry shook his head.

The shore crew had to put a portable gangplank to the door so the passengers could get on shore without getting wet.  Carl continued to mumble foul language. A golf cart was waiting on shore once they got off the docks.

“Mr. Culhannick?” A man greeted them.  A woman sat in the passenger’s seat of the cart.

“Yes.” They shook hands.

“I’m Dr. Wai and this is Dr. Trezbecca.” He smiled. “Welcome to Ebson Island.”

“This is my camera man, Carl Obleck.” Jerry let them shake hands, but Carl still did not look pleased to be here.

“What you are about to see will defy anything you have ever seen before.” Dr. Wai explained as they walked to a quonset hut after a short jaunt in the golf cart. “You will need these.”

Dr. Wai handed both of them an ID badge with their photos on the laminated card. Jerry had to wonder where they acquired the photos.

“This is Laboratory One where we incubate the genomes.” Dr. Wai ran his own badge through the scanner next to the door and then opened the heavy looking door.  Inside an ultraviolet light was the only light there was.   Jerry squinted as his eyes stung from the bright tropical sun to near darkness in Lab One. There were about two dozen people dressed in white lab coats checking each sample in the cool room. “It is here where the process starts.”

“Mr. Obleck, you may use your camera if you wish.” Dr. Trezbecca waved her hand over the first table where two laboratory technicians were bent over the sample. “I have a script.”

She handed Jerry a piece of paper which was hard to read in the dim lighting of the laboratory.

“Script?” He shrugged.

“Yes, we must make sure our security on this project is not compromised. Her face barely moved as she spoke.

“I guess I can’t wing it then.” He shrugged again, but everyone in earshot stopped what they were doing and looked at him as if he had just landed from another planet. Jerry did as he was instructed as Carl ran the video camera. There was a lot of technical language that he needed help with, but after a couple of takes, he was happy with his efforts.  Carl scowled as they left Laboratory One.

“Can I speak freely?” He asked, putting the camera down on a table outside where the sun beat down on them.

“Yeah, sure.” Jerry felt the sun now.

“Does this place give you the creeps?” He asked, looking one way and then the next.

“How so?”

“I was filming human tissue.  It just look like some random stuff in some petri dish, but I could see motion.” Carl sat at the picnic table next to his camera.

“Motion?”

“It was moving.  I saw it through the lens.” Carl was shaken.  Jerry had never seen him so jumpy even when they were in a war zone in Afghanistan.

“Sure.  The solution is liquid.”

“No Jer, it was moving on its own.  Do you want to see it?” He patted his camera.

“It’s okay.” Jerry shook Carl off.

Dr Trezbecca seemed to materialize from thin air, “Are you ready to go to Laboratory Two?”

“Lead the way, doctor.”

She began a brisk walk as Jerry glanced at Carl and he looked back at Jerry.

Unlike the previous laboratory, Laboratory Two was well lit under a large number of fluorescent lighting. There was much more activity in this place since there were twice as many technicians in white coats hovering over specimens.  Instead of a small hut, Laboratory Two was a two story warehouse.

“It’s like a bee hive in here.” Carl noted as he brought the camera up.

“Do not take video until you are cleared to do so.” Dr. Trezbecca instructed him and then handed Jerry a piece of paper, “You read this when we run the video.”

“I wonder what they are trying to hide?” Carl whispered to Jerry.

“Doctor, we have pulses in both Bay One and Two.” A man wearing a lab coat reported.

“Excellent.” Dr. Trezbecca smiled for the first time, “Our results are better than I expected.”

“Is that good?” Jerry asked.

“Of course.  We are preparing the next step of human evolution.” She nodded. Walking over to a table where five technicians were busy working, the doctor peered into a microscope.  A smile slid across her face. “You may send these over to Laboratory Three.  They are ready.”

“Very good, doctor.” A woman technician affirmed.

“Are you two ready to record history?” She asked.

“Sure, sure.” Jerry held up the piece of paper she had given him. “Carl, are you ready?”

“For what?” He mumbled. “I’m sorry, Jer, but this whole place has given me the creeps.  Don’t you feel it?”

“Not really.” Jerry moved his mouth to get ready to start recording.

“I will hold this specimen.” Dr. Trezbecca replied as she picked up the small petri dish.

Jerry read the script about how in Laboratory Two, the miracle of life was being recreated.  That was the word printed on the page, “recreated.” Carl nearly vomited when he read that word.  Of all the words, that one word seemed to grab at him the most. In his association with Jerry Culhannick, Carl knew Jerry had a fairly large ego when it came to camera time.  Together they had made over a hundred documentaries Crystal Images in which Jerry presented an unflinching presence to the camera.  They had gone into war zones and reported on combat conditions.  They had gone into the bowels of the earth to see some of the wonders buried in the rocks.  They had traveled to over a hundred countries and all fifty states in search of interesting topics, but here Carl was getting an uneasy feeling about what they were witnessing.  No one bothered to tell them what the purpose of the research was, reminding Carl of when they had explored alchemy and the person explaining the process was very secretive about some of the things he was doing.

“Shall we go to Laboratory Three?”  Dr. Trezbecca asked when Jerry had finished.

“Sure, let’s get this done, shall we.” Jerry was feeling pretty good about the way things were going which made the doctor smile.

“In Lab Three, there are things you should know.” One of the technicians cornered Carl as Jerry left with the doctor.

“Like what?” Carl looked at the technician, a young Asian American man who spoke with a slight accent.

“It is where they give birth to the specimens.” He said as his eyes scanned the room.

“What do you mean give birth?” Carl asked.

“What does it sound like?” The man became spooked and left in a hurry before someone discovered him talking to the man with the camera.

He walked over to the last building in the compound with a big “III” painted in red on the side.  What made him pause was the playground equipment behind a chain link fence.

“What would they need that for?” He wondered, but then he saw that some of the chains had been gnawed through in places..

Walking into the laboratory, Jerry ran to Carl excited or “jazzed” as he used to say, “Carl, you’ve got to see this.”

Jerry led him to a table where a baby lay wrapped in a blanket.  Carl was startled at the baby’s face.  Despite his small size, the face of the child was just about fully formed.

“Jer, this isn’t right.” He looked down at the infant in horror.

“Look at his face.” Jerry pointed to the infant in the glass casing.

“He has teeth.  All of them.” Carl  saw the baby open his mouth revealing real human teeth already in his mouth. “Isn’t there something wrong here.”

“It’s the next step.” Jerry shook his head, amazed.

“Is it?  Is it the next step or are we looking at a mutation of what we are destined to become?” Carl felt the baby was looking at him, studying him. “I don’t like what I am seeing.  I can’t believe this doesn’t bother you.”

“No.  This is what we will become.” Jerry sniffed.

“Has anyone done any preliminary research?  What will these babies become when they grow into adulthood?” Carl could not take his eyes off the baby in the encasement.

“The infant can speak with a vocabulary of three hundred words which increases exponentially each month.” Jerry was enthralled by what he was seeing in Laboratory Three. “These babies will reach adulthood by age four or five.”

“Does that sound right to you, does it?”

“Why not? Our grip on being at the top of the evolutionary tree has been slipping for centuries.  Now we can regain our rightful place again.”

“Buddy, you are losing your grip here.” Carl looked at Jerry as if he was truly seeing him for the very first time.

One of the technicians dropped a thick cracker into the encasement.  The infant grasped it and gnawed it until it had been consumed in under a minute.  With teeth that sharp, it was little wonder why the playground chains had been gnawed through in places.

What would happen if one of these mutants managed to get loose in the laboratory?  They could hurt or maim some of the technicians.

C’mon buddy, don’t you think it’s time for us to be on our way.  We got some good stuff on film.” He grabbed Jerry by the arm, but Jerry shook him off.

“No, I want to stay here.” He shook his head, “Dr. Trezbecca promised we’d get a up close look at what these children can do.”

“I don’t want to see.”

“Why not?” Jerry was annoyed with Carl.

“Because I am afraid.  I am very much afraid.” He shook.

“We are a witness to the next step.  This is what we were supposed to be like,” Jerry watched as one of the technicians took the baby out of the encasement.

“I don’t want-” Carl began, but Dr. Trezbecca pointed to a small penned in area where the child had been placed.

“I want you to get this.” Dr. Trezbecca said proudly.

“Sure.” Jerry motioned for Carl to follow him.

“A lynx!  Jerry, they put a lynx in the pen with the baby.” Carl could not believe what he was seeing through his lens.  The wild animal circled the baby emitting a snarl and a growl.  Slowly the cat moved, baring its teeth and fangs. The baby gurgled.  Just then the cat jumped at the baby teeth and claws out ready to kill him.

Carl let out a yelp as the cat landed on the helpless baby.  There was a cloud of dust in the entanglement.  For a moment no one could see either the wild cat nor the child, but the baby was not crying out in pain.  Instead the wild cat yelped and lay in the dust with a huge wound in its neck spouting an arterial wound.  The lynx took a couple of gasping breaths and expired.

“Oh my God.” Carl held onto every word as he watched the lynx die.

“Did you see that, Carl?  Did you see that?” Jerry could barely contain his excitement.  “I can’t wait to show this to Mr.Newsome.  I’ll bet he can’t believe this.”

“I’m sure he can’t.” Carl swallowed his bile.  All he could see was the blood dripping from the infant’s mouth.

 

“Jerry, you sounded so excited about what you two saw while you were on Ebson Island.” Mr. Newsome sat at his desk with his hands folded on the desk in front of him.

“Yeah…you won’t believe your eyes.” Carl could not meet his boss’ eyes as Jerry set up the video on his computer.  The video ran for less than four minutes.  Mr. Newsome sat there with a smile frozen on his face. “Do you want me to play it again?”

“No thank you, Jerry, I’ve seen enough.” He sighed. Carl looked up at the suspended ceiling.

“Impressive, right?” Jerry closed the laptop.

“Yeah, that was one word for it.” Mr. Newsome shrugged.

“Go ahead and say it boss.  This is a perversion, right?” Carl let some of his pent up anger salt his words.

“Perversion, right, but it is what it is.” Mr. Newsome put his hand to his double chins and pondered what he had seen for a moment.  Then with a summary remark, said, “It was bound to happen after all.  With the infinity of all the possible outcomes, like it or not, someone was bound to take the next step.”

Italian Sausage Charlotte

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Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

Meat Mixture

  • 1 1/2 pounds mild Italian sausage links
  • 1 medium zucchini, sliced
  • 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 (16 ounce) jar white Alfredo pasta sauce, divided

Topping

  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 garlic clove, pressed
  • 2 teaspoons Pantry Italian Seasoning Mix, divided
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 16 slices firm white bread
  • 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
  • 2 tablespoons fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Remove casing from sausage links; discard. Cut sausage into 1/2 inch pieces. Cook sausage in Stir Fry Skillet over medium heat until well browned and no longer pink. Turning with Nylon Turner as meat browns.
  3. Meanwhile, using Ultimate Slice & Grate, slice zucchini using v shape blade. Slice mushrooms with Egg Slicer Plus. Cut red bell pepper into 1/4 inch strips.
  4. Remove sausage from skillet; drain well on paper towels. Wipe out the skillet, and add 1 cup Alfredo sauce; bring to a boil. Stir in sausage and vegetables. Pour mixture into Oval Baker, mounding slightly in center.
  5. In Small Batter Bowl, whisk together remaining Alfredo sauce, milk and eggs using Stainless Steel Whisk. Add garlic pressed with Garlic Press, 1 teaspoon of the Seasoning Mix and salt.
  6. Cut crusts off the bread using Serrated Bread Knife. Dip bread into egg mixture, coating lightly; overlap bread in a circular pattern over sausage mixture, leaving center open.
  7. Drain tomatoes in a small Colander; transfer to small Colander Bowl. Add remaining 1 teaspoon Seasoning Mix; mix with Mix ‘N Scraper. Spoon tomato mixture into opening. Using Deluxe Cheese Grater, grate cheese over top.
  8. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until edges of bread are deep golden brown.

Attribution

Pampered Chef

 

Denny and his nightly benders and its influence on the social construct

I cannot speak as non Chinese I am a Chinese origin Born in Malaysia but now a Singaporean but I do Business and live in Malaysia. So I can say how Chinese people see westerners. We dont want them to be a bankrupt and a failure, as that would not be a good Customer. Chinese people think that there are no permanent enemy or friends. There are only interest of the nation which may change from time to time!

We don’t hate the west but we are mindful of the evil deeds that you had shown from doing genocides to murder all the natives to steal their land and causing deaths and destructions to remain the hegemonic nation. We won’t allow that and we will help other nations to stop your shit too. We don’t hate you but we hate your evil acts. China wants to make a better world not one with some hypocrite murderous regime pretending to care for the world but setting rules to rob and plunder.

The west, some racist and Sinophobic racial superiority complex minded group do hate China but to be fair they also call Latinos rapist and murderers, slavic as scum of the world and Africa as shit hole countries! Sure they cannot stand China preventing them from further thievery and plunder but 95% of the world thinks that China and Chinese is great and doing justice.

The MAGNIFICENT RISE of Passport Bros – Why Men TRAVEL Abroad to Date!

Add Vodka to Taste

Submitted into Contest #270 in response to: Write a story about someone searching for a missing ingredient, literally or metaphorically. view prompt

Jay Wayne

46 comments

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

With the mission running long and no exfil in sight, there’s little for Valerian and Roman to do besides purchase too many groceries, hole up in the safehouse, and settle old bets.Val stands over the cracked electric stove, carefully stirring a pot of ukha. The delicate scent of herbs, spices, and freshwater fish spirals off the surface of the broth. It smells of home, and Val knows without looking that Roman is sprawled on the couch behind him.“Just be careful not to let the salmon overcook,” Roman calls out. What would be genuine advice from anyone else, Val knows is actually a gentle rib.He scoffs, though he doesn’t take his eyes off the pot. “I’ll win this time. You’ll see.”“Sure,” Roman says generously. “Except you’re still missing something.”Val inhales, letting the well-rounded scent settle around him. “You can bullshit about your ‘secret ingredient’ all you like—I know when you’re bluffing.”Roman is grinning; Val can hear it in his tone. “Your gambling money in my pocket says otherwise. Fish about done?”Delicately poking at one cube of salmon, Val is pleased to find it flaky, tender, and cooked all the way through. “Yeah. Come get it while it’s hot.”He nudges the pot off the heat and dishes out two bowls. Roman plucks one from his hands and takes a preliminary sip.“Hmm. You’re definitely close. But not quite. Still missing that all-important piece to bring it together.”Val eats a spoonful as well, deflating as he realizes the truth. Roman is right. It’s good soup—but not as good as Roman’s. The flavors that had seemed so balanced in theory are lacking something crucial. His head dips with weary resignation. “Fine…you win. What’s the secret?”“Not sure I should be telling just anyone,” Roman says in his loftiest tone. “How about this: a secret for a secret. You answer my question, and I’ll tell you what you’re missing.”Val laughs and shakes his head, grinning down at his imperfect soup. “Fine, fine. Ask away.”He turns to face Roman, and the dream becomes a nightmare.The safehouse is broken and charred. Darkness seeps from the corners, a viscous black liquid that gathers higher and higher on the floor. And Roman—Roman is in uniform, drenched in blood. Valerian knows it isn’t his own. Those bright eyes bore into Valerian’s, feverish, and when Roman speaks, more darkness oozes from between his teeth.“Why didn’t you stop me, Val?”

Val jolts awake, nearly falling from his bunk as he flails against his sheets. His eyes take in details with trained expedience—rough white walls, a footlocker, a window looking out over the grey tinge of pre-morning light.

Val’s head falls against the pillow with a groan. He knows he won’t be getting back to sleep.

* * *

“Valerian.”

Val sights down his scope, not bothering to hide his scowl. “I’m busy.”

“It’s about Roman.”

Val feels his muscles tense, though the reticle over his target doesn’t so much as twitch. “What do I have to say to make you understand? I don’t need leave, I don’t need another psych eval, and I sure as hell don’t need your pity. Bastard got what was coming to him.”

Behind him, Lena crosses her arms. Val can’t see her, but he knows the sound.

“Lie to yourself all you like, but don’t you dare start lying to me.”

Valerian takes his eye off the scope to turn his head, looking up and over his shoulder at where Lena stands. Arms crossed, hips canted, exactly as he’d pictured her. “Did you come out just to bother me, or are you going to do anything useful to the Front?” he snaps.

Lena rolls her eyes and takes out a scouter. “Wind from 31 degrees northeast. Target at 1572.8 meters out.”

Val presses his eye back to the scope of the long, lean Sovereign rifle, breathing out the frustration lingering in his muscles. The reticle settles perfectly in place, and the trigger pulls smooth as silk.

The air splits with the thunder of the Sovereign’s discharge, and Val feels the weapon kick hard against his shoulder. He doesn’t bother to check whether the shot landed as he sits up and glances back at Lena.

Her scouter is still held over her eyes, though she lowers it as Val turns toward her. “You always were the best,” she says with a touch of wryness. “Now, would you please listen?”

Val scoffs and slings the Sovereign over his shoulder. He gets to his feet, dusting some of the dirt and grit from the front of his uniform. “It’s cute when you imply I have a choice.”

Their boots crunch over rain-parched earth as they start the trek back to base. Valerian shields his eyes against the bloody sunset, content to let his brisk pace speak to his disinterest in what Lena has to say. Still, he doesn’t try to stop her when she brings up Roman again.

“The brass finally made their ruling,” she starts. Her voice is shaped cautiously, neither accusing nor exonerating. “The cave-in was officially labeled an accident. You’re off the hook, not that there ever was much doubt. Honestly, after everything Roman did, I’m a little surprised they never offered you a medal.”

Val’s pace doesn’t falter, but he can tell Lena sees the tension in his shoulders when she softens her voice.

“I don’t want to dredge it all up again; believe me, I don’t. But I thought you should know, there have been…troubling reports, from Old England. Someone who looks like him. Out in the forests.”

This time Valerian does pause. He whips around to search Lena’s face, even though he knows she’d never lie to him (or at least, never lie about Roman). “What are you saying? That he survived? I dropped fifty tons of rock on him, Lena.”

Lena spreads her hands in a gesture devoid of certainty. “They’re not substantiated claims. Just rumors. But you and I both know how potent his genmod was. A healing factor like that…”

The blistering heat of the desert fades from Val’s perception. For just a moment, he’s back in the chill of Old England’s forests, the thunder of falling stone still ringing in his ears. He’d cried, after. Sobbed like a baby, for the man Roman was and the thing he became and all the senseless loss of life he’d caused. Long after the tears ran dry, Val had stayed by the cave, too numb to leave and too scared to sift through the debris.

He feels the exact same, now. Terrified to dig further, not even knowing which alternative he’s scared of.

Eventually, he turns back towards base. He needs, suddenly and unequivocally, to sleep. A long, quiet nap curled up in his bunk sounds like exactly the thing.

“Will you go?” Lena calls after him. “Back to Old England?”

Val shakes his head without looking back. “They’d never assign me there.”

“Didn’t stop you the first time, as I recall.”

Val pretends not to hear her.

* * *

He dreams about Roman again, of course. It’s always been Roman.

Before the disastrous Operation: Crimson Thread, it was Roman’s laugh, his crooked smile, his dancing eyes. That unshakeable confidence. Arrogance, some would say. Roman’s genmod, the genetic alteration that allowed him to heal so rapidly and cleanly, was a powerful one, and he treated it like immortality. His attitude was infectious, intoxicating. Everything about the man lit Val like a fuse.

After Crimson Thread, Roman changed. His fire became feverish, secretive. He smiled less, isolated more, trained harder. He pushed his friends away. He pushed Val away.

Val fooled himself into thinking it was a temporary change, a grief response. Maybe Lena did, too. No one could have truly anticipated what Roman became.

There’s a new age dawning, Val. Can you hear the cries?

Val couldn’t. Not back then. But every night since, he’s heard them: the wails of friends, family, innocents—every life cut short by Roman’s hands, until the chorus of the damned numbers hundreds strong, every last one of them screaming inside Val’s head.

Why didn’t you stop him, Val?

* * *

Old England is cold, damp, and crawling with hostile mutations. Some are intelligent enough to form loose bands or packs; others eat each other on sight. Valerian hates the whole island with a passion.

He starts his investigation at the Lodge—one of the few bastions of sanity on this rock. It’s large as frontier settlements go, with a population somewhere in the triple digits. It also happens to host a small base for the Front, but the other Frontsmen turn out to be of little help. None of them have seen this supposed specter of Roman.

“If we did, we’d put him back in the ground, eh?” The Captain smirks. “Wish I’d been there to kill the bastard myself, but apparently some off-duty sergeant got the honors. Happened here, you know, just 20 klicks to the west.”

Valerian knows.

“Look, kid, I’ll level with you,” another officer tells him. “The locals like to report a sighting now and then, just to keep the Front’s interest. This place wouldn’t last a week without our patrols.”

“Roman Tovhana?” This soldier just shakes his head with a grin. “You’re about four months too late, my friend. Better luck next time.”

The townspeople are hardly more forthcoming. Most of them scowl and spit at Roman’s name. Some of them recall hearing a rumor about the man haunting the site of his death, but no one can remember who reported such a thing.

Val was hoping it wouldn’t come to this. But like the genmod that keeps his hands rock-steady on his weapons, he isn’t easily shaken. With a pack of supplies, his sidearm, and plenty of ammo, he heads out west towards the last place he saw Roman alive.

It takes him almost three days of unrelenting rain to find the cave again. When he does, it’s because he nearly trips over the entryway.

Loose stone shifts and skitters beneath his boots as he stumbles back. Squinting through the downpour, he can just make out the shadowy mouth of the cave behind its shroud of overgrown vegetation.

He approaches cautiously, taking in details. Trampled grass and underbrush. Small, muddy puddles about the right shape for bootprints. Someone’s been here, and recently. Maybe several someones.

That’s when he hears it, a muted echo of a voice he never thought he’d hear again.

“No! No, please, just let me go—”

Val’s lungs lock down. Like getting the wind knocked out of him in training, he can’t seem to find his breath.

Roman.

But Roman has never sounded like this. He never begged, not even staring down the barrel of a gun.

((Knew you’d be the one to find me.))

Val takes a step forward. Another. He stumbles down the uneven, natural steps of the cave, reeling as the smell of damp earth and rotting leaves brings back the memory, as clear as the rain on his skin.

((Roman’s smile. His easy posture. Val could almost convince himself, could almost believe this was his Roman, risen from the depths of madness.))

He falls against the slick stone wall of the cave, drinking deep gulps of air. He has rain in his eyes.

((But Roman’s eyes…his eyes were alight, gleaming in the beam of Val’s flashlight. Feverish.))

A new voice echoes from floor to ceiling. Laughing. “Still haven’t figured it out, have you?”

“No, wait—PLEASE!”

Roman’s scream shakes Val back to reality. That he recognizes, from a hundred reckless missions. From a terrible, thunderous rockslide.

Val’s steps quicken as he scrambles over fallen stone. Someone, he registers distantly, must have shifted enough of the wreckage to make a path.

He plunges deeper into the cave, Roman’s scream still lingering in his ears like the cutting edge of a knife. Finally, Val sees the flicker of light up ahead.

Nothing, not a single one of his fears (hopes?) prepares him for what he finds.

Roman Tovhana is alive. There’s no mistaking that proud nose, those dark eyes, the scar through his upper lip. And there’s certainly no mistaking the desperate, thrashing motions of something clawing for safety, for life.

Two strangers, a man and a woman, hold him down on his back. The man sits astride him, pinning his legs. In one hand he bears a bloody knife. Roman’s clothes—long ago, a uniform—are weathered and torn, displaying the fresh, oozing wound down his chest and stomach.

“That one’s for my sister,” the man with the knife says. “This one’s for my wife—”

Valerian’s sidearm is in his hands before he’s fully pieced things together. As Roman screams again, Val levels the gun.

“Put the knife down.”

Three pairs of eyes snap towards him.

“And who the hell are you?” the woman barks.

Val’s never been so glad for his genmod, never been so fervently thankful that his gun remains steady, regardless of the storm lashing against his insides. “I’m with the Adamant Front. Care to explain what the hell you’re doing here?”

With Val serving as a distraction, Roman thrashes again, almost slipping free before the man with the knife snarls and jams the blade into Roman’s gut.

For once in his life, Val doesn’t hesitate.

The shot rings out over and over, echoing down the tunnel with the force of a cannon blast. The man formerly holding the knife howls in pain as the blade and two of his fingers spin away into darkness.

“Next one goes between your eyes,” Val hisses. “Get up. Both of you. Walk away, and never come back.”

“You bastard,” the nameless man gasps. He’s clutching the bloody remains of his right hand, trembling. “You crazy son of a— Don’t you know who this is?”

“I gave you a fucking order.” His voice doesn’t waver, even with doubt screaming in his ear like a hundred damned souls—

He doesn’t know if he’s prepared to kill these people. He doesn’t know if he could bring himself to cross that line—especially with the scenes of Roman’s murders so vivid in his mind.

Fortunately, his resolve isn’t put to the test. The man and the woman scramble upright and flee, hurrying past Val towards the mouth of the cave. Their footsteps have barely begun to fade when Val holsters his side arm and crouches down at Roman’s side.

This close, he can see the man’s a wreck. Hazy brown eyes squint up at him from a face sunken with hunger and creased from sleepless nights. His body is all angles, his torn clothing now drenched in blood.

“Hey,” Val says, and his voice comes out softer than he intends. “I need you to stay with me. There’s— I have so many questions.”

Roman’s eyes focus slowly, still narrow with pain and confusion. But clear. Lucid.

“Wh-who…who are you?”

* * *

“Here. Eat it while it’s hot.”

Val slides a bowl of ukha across the table, then settles in the other chair with his own. The delicate, complex aroma reminds him of home.

The man once named Roman Tovhana picks up his spoon and digs in. His eagerness to eat anything he doesn’t have to hunt and kill himself hasn’t waned, despite the month he’s spent in the safety of this rickety apartment.

He calls himself Rowan now, after the badly dented name he’d found on the dog tags he woke up with. It’s taken some getting used to, but Val rarely slips up. Rowan is very different from the man he once knew.

Instead of the military buzz of his predecessor, Rowan’s dark hair is long enough to flop in his eyes. He has dozens of new scars, most of which are twisted, knotted things or else deep gouges that never completely filled back in. And, of course, he no longer wears a uniform.

Neither does Valerian. The brass hadn’t known what to do with either of them, and so Val found himself quietly shuffled out of the fold. He misses it, some days—the hard work, the adrenaline, the camaraderie. But he doesn’t linger on the things he’s lost, not when the pieces he does have need so much work. Lena has been after him to try an old world remedy called therapy, which, from what Val can gather, involves a lot of talking and a lot of patience. Well, at least he’s good at one of those.

“This is amazing.” Rowan’s quiet voice breaks through Val’s reverie.

He looks up to see Rowan smiling—no longer a rare sight, but still just as valuable. Valerian smiles back and eats another spoonful. “It’s called ukha. I’m glad you like it. Took me years to get the recipe right, and it was never as good as Roman’s.” His smile fades. “I suppose I’m still missing something.”

Rowan considers for a moment. He takes a slow, exploratory sip. “…Huh. Have you tried a splash of—what’s the stuff called, from Lena—”

“Vodka?” A tiny thrill runs through Val’s stomach as he considers. “Hold on.”

He returns with a half-full bottle. A dash for his bowl, and one for Rowan’s. Val finds himself oddly nervous as he stirs the broth and raises a spoonful to his lips.

The vodka does complement well. It’s exactly what Val’s recipe was lacking—yet it still tastes nothing like Roman’s.

“I think it’s perfect,” Rowan declares. “Seriously, Val, you should write this down.”

Val eats another spoonful, savoring and analyzing. It is perfect. Distinct from Roman’s, but just as good.

Rowan brushes his long hair from his face and happily polishes off his bowl. Val watches him eat with an old, complicated twist in his heart. There will always be a part of him that longs for answers he’ll never receive. But he does know three things.

I loved him. I killed him. I saved him.

His dreams are quiet tonight.

I’ve just returned from China after a 3 weeks trip. So I would like to give my full impressions of the current state: the good, bad, ugly, beautiful. So if you only want to hear good things or only bad things about China, please go somewhere else.

Before I go into it, to give some context about me: I grew up in the US since 10 years old. The last time I was in China was 2009. I speak Chinese natively, and also read and type Chinese proficiently with no issues. These are the results of my own interest to keep my Chinese at high levels through practice, reading Chinese novels, and self-learning in general. Before visiting China I’ve also done shit tons of research. I watch CCTV and CGTN on a daily basis. I still have parents who visit China on an annual basis who will tell me about what to watch out for. I read about China on sites such as quora and global times regularly. I watch travel vlogs and China base commentators on China regularly. And I also had a lot of preparations, such as both buying international pass and buying a Chinese SIM card the first day I was in China, even went ahead and opened a bank account in China (it ended up not being used however because I was told to wait three days for it to activate and I didn’t have time to go back to a bank). So needless to say I did not go into China blind.

The cities that I’ve visited on this trip: Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Chongqing, Chengdu, Xianyang, Xi’An, in that order. I’ve also transited in Guangzhou. So basically I went to all the places that are considered the historic heartlands and origins of China and Chinese civilization, with the only exception of Beijing that I didn’t go because it’s too cold in wintertime.

Overall impression of China:

It’s definitely the best bang for your buck place to visit. Things are ridiculously cheap. You can pay very little for high quality accommodations, food, gifts, tickets, transportation etc. If you ever go to China, I highly recommend that you pamper yourself a little. Book a more expensive, convenient hotel for example. Depending on where you go, you can literally pay 40–50 USD per night for a hotel that would be the equivalent of 200–300 USD in the west. For example, this is the hotel that I’ve stayed in Chongqing (that’s my childhood friend on the sofa btw not me):

This is the view outside the window:

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main qimg e1699664b56d774dd2e60ebdd27527f3

For those who are familiar with Chongqing, this is literally the equivalent to a hotel with a bird eye view of the Times Square in New York. During nighttime it’s just so friggin gorgeous. Unfortunately when I was in Chongqing it was very foggy, but still beautiful.

The price was 46 USD per night, my most expensive hotel. 😆Yep.

However, China is definitely the least convenient country for foreign nationals to travel, mostly because of their payment system (you always need good data plan or WiFi everywhere, not like in other countries you just swipe a credit card wherever you go which is much simpler), and also many places you have to pre schedule with your passport for entry, at online sites and apps that won’t always work smoothly on your foreign data plan cell phone. And even if you buy a Chinese SIM card and use the Chinese sites, there are problems such as sometimes they auto delete the first letter of your passport ID number, so when you try to get into the places the IDs won’t match. I honestly don’t know how foreigners can travel in China without knowing the language or have a guide. You can download a translating app but the translation isn’t always accurate either. I guess that’s why there really aren’t so many foreigners traveling in China. I can count them on one hand. Of course, I also went at off season, but still compared to other countries, China is definitely not a foreign tourist friendly country. But I suppose some people are just very skilled travelers who are very good at finding their way around anywhere. I cannot hold anything personally against China on this aspect because clearly they want to do their own thing independently of the western hegemony. So it’s frustrating but oh well.

So what I liked about China:

Definitely hands down the infrastructure. The infrastructure in China isn’t just grandiose, but also done with fine taste. In highly developed cities you can see a lot of psychology of aesthetics have gone into organizing everything. The roads for example are wide and spread out, buildings are huge but thoughtfully designed. When you walk down the road in some of these areas you feel small but also a sense of awe and serenity. Like everything is gigantic but also just so comforting on the eyes at the same time.

This is a photo I took in Shanghai. The photo really doesn’t do it justice. When you are there just looking over at the horizon, you half expecting flying cars around those giant skyscrapers. It’s like you are on another planet, and that this is the place for every sci fi movie to be filmed. It blows every city in the US out of the water. And you also realize that unlike what some western China-smearers will tell you, it isn’t just for show. The people who immediately benefit from all of this are the native Chinese people who are living there. Because once again, it’s the thoughtfulness of it all that makes it impressive, not just built to impress foreigners.

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main qimg 7383340231bb69094601a40ea0280756

In Shanghai I also loved the fact that the names of the roads are very easily found and clearly labeled. Unfortunately not all Chinese cities are like this.

I also really like the fact that so many buildings are now built with Chinese characteristics, rather than the Soviet-style dreary rectangular buildings that I was used to growing up as a child. It makes the atmosphere in China so much better and makes China much more attractive to travel

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main qimg 34270874248cb1249eadef3a297071f1

 

(Photo I took on top of the Great Goose Pagoda in Xi’An. I was actually born in Xi’An, raised in Guangzhou. But Xi’An is now so different from what it was before, you can see below, so many Chinese style buildings are spurring up when before it was not considered an attractive city to visit).

And of course, cultural heritage sites are now organized and built exquisitely. So if you want atmosphere you’ll get it anywhere.

Of course, you can’t talk about Chinese infrastructure without the transportation. Transportation in China is vastly expansive. You can go anywhere with the metro or Didi (taxi). And the prices are ridiculously cheap (at least to westerners). The metro generally costs no more than 2.74USD, and the Didi costs about 1.65USD to 3USD, for distances that will take 15–25 mins by car. The most we’ve paid for Didi was to get from Xi’An to Xianyang (about 1 hour and 20 min by car), which still only costed us 8USD. The high speed rail is also very expansive, can take you to any city and you’ll get a very smooth ride despite the train going 143+ miles per hour. And the prices are around 23 to 30 USD only, for one hour to 3 hours ride distance. The metro is built just like any metro in anywhere in the world so it’s the easiest to navigate. You can buy a ticket at a kiosk machine, Alipay never had any issues with this, and then follow the lines which are always very clearly labeled. The Didi is very cheap and if you keep using it you get a lot of discounts, but it can be hard to find where to get on the car because lots of times the driver cannot get to where you are because they can’t stop there, or the GPS can have issues with the accuracy. I eventually learned to always go to a well known landmark and call or message the driver where I am exactly and that saved a lot of trouble. The high speed rail you have to be very careful with your booking because changing tickets on a foreign phone is a pain. Alipay on a western service phone is not set up the same way as a Chinese service phone. So if you make a mistake you have to go to a manual change station which also isn’t always easy. In some places they cannot access your booking with foreign Alipay. So basically, for high speed rail try not to make any mistake or having to change ticket while booking, or it can be troublesome. Domestic flights are generally okay. You have to always go manual with a foreign passport, but in airports generally people are more helpful and will point you to the right direction if you ask for help. I like the security checks in Chinese airports much better than the US counterpart. The security check people are less intimidating, and make fewer troubles for you. The security check pathways are also straight and short, instead of huge turn wheels like in the US that sometimes will make your luggage caught in something and not moving somewhere. This is one big positive change in China because definitely this isn’t the case decades ago.

One thing that when you arrive you immediately realize the infrastructure superiority is the airport. The Shanghai airport was so straightforward and easy to navigate compared to any US airport. I’ve transited in Japan and it was difficult to find my way around the Japanese airport (you also had to take a bus to go to T3 for some reason). But the Shanghai one? In, go straight, out. Easy Peazy.

And of course another thing I loved was the food and drinks. Not a huge fan of the dessert tho but then again I generally don’t have a sweet tooth compared to other people. If you visit any highly rated upscale restaurant in China, you’ll get great food anywhere, even though each region will be unique. My Turkish friend who traveled with me has declared that there isn’t one type of food he didn’t like. My favorite however is Shaanxi food (both Xi’An and Xianyang). Because it has the best comfort food (e.g. noodles, stuffed bread, homemade stews etc), not just luxury food you get in high level restaurants. Another huge thing in China that I will most definitely miss is tea, especially milk teas. China has several milk tea Chain stores kind of like the tea equivalent of Starbucks. But the milk teas are so heavenly and the quality of the teas are astonishing, with exotic and luxury tea bases from all kinds. Such as Chagee (Cha Ji literally: Tea Princess). Maybe one day the business can come to the west as well. One can only wish. I loved it so much I had to buy one to go: the Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe) milk tea. I think I’m lucky that it didn’t seem to go spoiled with 15 hours + travel. Because unlike in the west, they not only give you a lid which has an opening that you can open and close, they also additionally seal it for you underneath the lid, and when you want to drink it you can puncture the seal with straw. This is so much more thoughtful packaging than in the west where your drink just spills all over as you carry it.

What I didn’t like about China:

I’m sorry to say that the social etiquettes in China still need quite a lot of work. (Except for some very international hubs where people are clearly trained to be very polite and helpful) Chinese people still don’t find some basic courtesies natural to do, such as saying hello, goodbye, thank you, please, your welcome etc. Again, in more formal business settings they are trained to do these things, but working class common people don’t have a lot of these habits. I’ve had several incidents where I say thank you and they are speechless and don’t know how to respond back.

One thing I will say about this is that clearly the Chinese authorities are working hard to make a change on this aspect, because you see signs everywhere telling people to behave (or how to behave) in a civilized manner. For example, this sign you’ll see everywhere you go in China:

It translates to a set of “socialist values” that people need to adhere to, which is: strong and wealthy, free, patriotic, democratic, equal, dedicated (to work), civilized, just, trustworthy, harmonious, lawfulness, and friendliness.

Basically, everything that is good for society is part of “socialist values” (lol).

But in China, clearly it’s still going to take at least a couple of generations for people to behave on such a standard. You still see spitting everywhere (I had to constantly watch the road to not step on any), even on important cultural heritage sites which I personally found spitting on them to be highly disrespectful, not just disgusting. Smoking in restaurants is also still quite prevalent. And again, while services in business settings are generally very good, you’ll encounter some extraordinarily rude people in China that you won’t encounter anywhere in the west, at least for the same time frame and similar touristic places that you’ll be visiting.

For example, when I was at the high speed rail station going to Chengdu, I accidentally dropped something going down the escalator. Now, in anywhere in the west, people’s immediate instinct was to pick it up. But there, a Chinese woman yelled: “who dropped this!” And then KICKED my stuff away so I had to scramble to retrieve it back. Needless to say I was quite shocked and that nearly ruined the rest of my trip that day.

Another time I was departing from my hotel with my luggage which only had stairs, and I was too exhausted and was still recovering from my illness, so I didn’t have the strength to lift my luggage to go up the stairs. I saw this security guard wandering around the hotel looking bored, and very politely asked if he could help. He instead yelled back at me: “What?! Piss off! Do it yourself!” Not even a “sorry it’s not my job.” Again, not something you’ll find traveling in the west anywhere, people will either help you or politely reject you.

I’ve also been called stupid a couple of times when I asked for directions, mostly because when you ask for directions, Chinese people in general don’t seem to have issues wasting your time. They tend to wave at some unclear direction and go like: “over there.” And when you ask for clarifications, you’ll get a couple of: “are you stupid or something? It’s over there!” scoldings. Like, dude, if you are gonna yell at me, at least yell something useful. “Over yonder” (as one of my friend comically remarked when he heard my tale) is not helpful whatsoever.

Of course, all of this does also depend on where you go. Places that are more international and foreign tourist friendly sites, Chinese people, especially younger people, tend to be more patient with you. But again, there is a clear difference in instinct. In the US for example, even if people feel that you are a bit on the slow side, they help you, simply because you need it. When I visited Spain, I’ve literally had people who came out of the train that is leaving in 2 mins to walk me to the train that I had a hard time finding, before going back. In China however, if you are perceived to be on the slow side, people are more likely to feel that you are just a waste of their time.

Now I know that at this point some people will argue with me that it’s because China is more crowded. But sorry, very crowded places in the west, and also in Japan, a high population density country, these things just don’t happen while you are traveling as a tourist. So it doesn’t have as much to do with crowdedness as people might think. Other people may tell me that this is not their experience as a foreigner. But my perception is that if you are a foreign looking person, Chinese people tend to be more willing to go the extra mile to help you, because of a “face saving” culture. But I don’t appear or talk like a foreigner, so they treat me differently. For example my airport direct taxi (I.e not Didi) ride to my hotel the first night in Shanghai I got charged 270 RMB (37 USD), whereas my Turkish friend who came one day after me was only charged 170 RMB (23 USD). So you do see a big difference. Even one didi driver quipped that a foreigner losing his bicycle in China got it back in 30 mins. Chinese people losing their kids sometimes they’d have to wait for years.

What surprised me about China?

The thing that stood out to me the most is that in every region, native dialects are much more prevalent than I originally thought. I thought that after so many decades of people only being taught to speak mandarin in schools, the local dialects would be disappearing. But the complete contrary is true. People speak their dialects not only comfortably, but proudly and as the default, and that is whether it’s younger or older people. In fact, in most of these places, they expect any mandarin speakers to understand their dialect. If you speak mandarin to them, they won’t switch to mandarin to speak to you back. They simply keep on going speaking their own dialects. Even if you tell them you have a hard time understanding them (which I do sometimes, for obvious reasons), they will still keep going trying to make you understand in their dialect (lol). It’s kind of like if you don’t understand these dialects you are perceived to be somewhat retarded, like not being able to read traditional Chinese. Of course, in places like hotels, railway stations, airports, banks, certain luxury services the main mode of communication is still mandarin. But they speak local dialects to anybody who comes speaking the local dialect. Didi drivers are almost all speaking to you in local dialects. The dialects however vary from person to person, not just region to region. So some people speak in the local dialect that is closer to mandarin (these I can understand more of course), others speaking the same would be completely incomprehensible to me. When I was in the Guangzhou airport, announcements are also made in both mandarin and Cantonese. Showing once again the special status of Cantonese, contrary to what some people on quora will tell you that somehow Cantonese is being eliminated. It’s clearly especially being preserved. How you feel about that is up to you.

Another minor thing that surprised me is that the air quality in China is really good. I heard from some people traveling there that the pollution is still very bad. But at least in the places that I’ve traveled, I did not perceive an obvious bad air quality. This is definitely a huge change from decades ago where you can smell smog in the air, or at least the air obviously smell different from the air in the states. This time I don’t smell anything and I tend to have very sensitive smell. Of course maybe the pollution happens in and around Beijing which I didn’t visit. The sky is still not as blue as the skies in the US where I live, but again, it’s much closer than you would think.

One thing that I had both a good and bad experience in is the Chinese medical system. On the fourth day of my travels I developed a high fever of 39+ Celsius (102+ Fahrenheit), I was in Nanjing and had to use the state hospital system. The hospital was not well organized, lots of rudeness and wasting your time, long waiting times and not having places to sit (I could barely stand then as you can imagine), the bathrooms didn’t have soap (in China another thing you won’t be used to is the deficiency of toilet papers, soaps and trash cans compared to the west). However, I was able to get an IV of four bags of medicine for my illness on the same day which saved the rest of my trip. I only spent around 100 USD for the visit. IV in the US is completely unaffordable and only reserved for very serious illnesses. But it is very strong and after the first bag I was immediately feeling better. So, while there are still clearly lots of issues with the Chinese state run medical system, there can be no comparison when it comes to cost and efficiency.

What does the west get right or wrong about China?

Right? I would say, unless they have some real knowledge about China, practically nothing. Even the free speech issue is very nuanced and I would say it’s more of a cultural thing than CPC being authoritarian thing. After my visit to China I still make this conclusion solidly.

What do they get wrong about China? Well at least in China’s current state, it’s fundamentally the opposite of what they say. What I generally perceive is that the Chinese government is trying their best to fix China as best as they could, many of the actual issues clearly lie with the people themselves still being somewhat backward and not being able to catch up fast into a progressive modern society. This I speak not only from what I’ve encountered but also from stories I hear from my own extended families. Of course, westerners will say that this is also the result of communism. But clearly, the governing party has evolved, and unlike the US, they want to actually fix things. So there is really no surprise that people have such high trust in the CPC.

Chinese people are also not brainwashed as westerners think. I’ve encountered Chinese people with many different views. Yes, many saw on the news and believe some propagated information at face value. But I’ve encountered Chinese people who are both very patriotic, like everything in China is just as good if not better than the west, and Chinese people who believe everything in China is worse than the west, and of course everywhere in between. And they speak their mind about their views comfortably. So there is no secret police everywhere waiting in the wings to arrest people. I feel much more comfortable around Chinese police than the American counterpart, even though they are more prevalent and numerous than American police presence. An example of Chinese police patrolling:

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main qimg 5347fe0d3b3a6c20cfd785f88f9c0e29

He’s riding on this little scooter thingy moving around like an ornament, reminded me of Wall-E from Pixar. There is a cuteness to it all 🥰. There was even a grandpa admiring his little moving machine while he passed him.

Was the Trip Worth it and Will I be visiting again?

The trip was definitely worth it and I will remember it for the rest of my life. I also encourage anyone to travel to China to make up their own minds, despite inconveniences you’ll be having. I would like to go there again however, I realized from this trip that my health is really the main deterrent. Almost every time I travel internationally I get quite sick. And as a result of this trip I think my mycoplasma came back because I couldn’t stop coughing. So that’ll be a big consideration for me to travel again, especially since I will be heading into my 40s soon so my health will only deteriorate.

Meatball ‘n’ Pasta Soup

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4ab527894657793efd4f7b0a13a53cd9

Yield: 6 (1 1/2 cup) servings

Ingredients

Meatballs

  • 1/2 pound lean (90%) ground beef
  • 1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 garlic clove, pressed
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Soup

  • 1 cup zucchini, chopped
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, pressed
  • 2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans beef broth
  • 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 (11 ounce) can pork and beans in tomato sauce, undrained
  • 3/4 cup elbow macaroni
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Meatballs

  1. In Classic Batter Bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, Italian seasoning, garlic and salt; mix lightly but thoroughly. Using Small Scoop, shape meat mixture into balls; place in Medium (3 quart) Saucepan. Brown over medium heat 6-8 minutes or until beef is no longer pink. Remove from saucepan.

Soup

  1. Chop zucchini and onion using Food Chopper. Add onion and garlic to saucepan; cook 3 minutes or until onion is tender. Add beef broth, tomatoes and pork and beans; bring to a boil.
  2. Add macaroni, meatballs, zucchini and Italian seasoning. Return to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer 6 to 8 minutes or until macaroni is tender. Ladle soup into bowls; sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese.

Nutrition

Per serving: Calories 280, Total Fat 8g, Sodium 1340mg, Fiber 4g

Attribution

Pampered Chef

An Honest View on China After 16 Years (Westerner’s POV)

Title: Sir Whiskerton and the Case of the Haughty Cat Caper

Ah, dear reader, you’ve returned for yet another installment in the chronicles of my unparalleled detective work. And this one, I assure you, is a tale for the ages.

It’s a story of schemes, alliances, and one very lazy hound dog who surprised us all. Yes, this adventure features not only my usual entourage of companions but also introduces a new player to the farm’s ever-growing cast of characters: Bingo, the farm’s sleepy yet surprisingly sharp-nosed dog. And then, of course, there’s Genghis—the self-proclaimed “kingpin” of the barnyard cats.

Prepare yourself for the uproarious tale of The Haughty Cat Caper, where cunning plans are foiled, lessons are learned, and chaos reigns supreme before everything ends in laughter and camaraderie.

Lazy Days and Suspicious Sniffs

It was a lazy Sunday morning on the farm. The sun was shining, the hens were clucking about rain that wasn’t in the forecast, and Bingo, the farm dog, was sprawled out on the porch, his floppy ears twitching as he snored. I was enjoying a leisurely stroll through the barnyard, tail held high, when Bingo’s nose twitched, and his eyes opened lazily.

“Morning, Whiskerton,” he drawled, his voice slow and syrupy. “Smells like somethin’ funny’s goin’ on.”

I paused mid-step, intrigued. “Funny how?”

“Funny as in… sneaky,” Bingo said, sitting up with a yawn. “Been gettin’ whiffs of somethin’ fishy—metaphorically, not literally. Think it’s got somethin’ to do with that haughty furball, Genghis.”

“Genghis?” I frowned. Genghis was the biggest, fattest, most pompous cat on the farm. He strutted around like he owned the place, a gold chain around his neck jingling with every step. Wherever Genghis went, his trio of lackeys—Lester, Clyde, and Loomis—followed, nodding and agreeing with everything he said. “What’s he up to now?”

“Couldn’t say for sure,” Bingo drawled, scratching his ear with a lazy paw. “But I got a whiff of somethin’ unusual near the granary last night. Smelled like grain, and cats. Lots of cats. Figured you’d be the one to sniff out the rest.”

I narrowed my eyes. A mystery involving Genghis and his gang? This was going to be interesting. “Alright, Bingo,” I said. “I’ll investigate. But if this turns into something big, I’ll need your nose and your help.”

“Sure thing,” Bingo said with a grin, lying back down. “But only after my nap.”

The Plot Thickens

I started my investigation at the granary, where I found Sedgwick perched on a beam, observing the scene with his usual calm demeanor.

“Good morning, Sir Whiskerton,” Sedgwick said. “I see you’ve taken an interest in the granary. What brings you here?”

“Bingo thinks Genghis and his gang are up to something,” I explained. “He smelled something odd last night.”

Sedgwick nodded thoughtfully. “I did notice some… unusual activity. Genghis and his associates were prowling about, muttering to each other. They seemed quite pleased with themselves.”

“Pleased, huh?” I said, my whiskers twitching. “Sounds like they’re planning something.”

Just then, Rufus appeared, munching on a stolen ear of corn. “Did someone say planning? Let me guess—Genghis is scheming again. That guy thinks he’s the king of the farm.”

“He certainly acts like it,” Sedgwick agreed. “But whatever he’s up to, it can’t be good.”

Genghis’s Grand Scheme

As we were talking, the unmistakable sound of jingling reached my ears. I turned to see Genghis strutting into view, flanked by Lester, Clyde, and Loomis, who were practically tripping over themselves to stay in formation behind him.

“Gentlemen,” Genghis said, his deep, haughty voice dripping with grandeur. “What a delightful day to be me. Isn’t it, boys?”

“Yes, absolutely, Genghis!” Lester said.
“Couldn’t agree more, Genghis!” Clyde added.
“The best day ever, Genghis!” Loomis chimed in.

I rolled my eyes. “What are you up to, Genghis?”

“Up to?” Genghis said innocently, his whiskers twitching. “Why, nothing at all, dear Whiskerton. Just enjoying a leisurely stroll with my associates.”

“Uh-huh,” I said, unconvinced. “We’ll see about that.”

Bingo’s Big Discovery

Later that afternoon, Bingo came trotting into the barnyard, his nose to the ground and his lazy demeanor replaced with surprising urgency. “Whiskerton,” he said, “I caught the scent again. Cats. Lots of ‘em. And grain—freshly spilled grain.”

“Grain?” Porkchop said, waddling over. “What would cats want with grain?”

“That’s what we’re going to find out,” I said. “Sedgwick, Rufus, Bingo—let’s go. And Porkchop, tell the hens to meet us by the granary.”

“Oh, the hens?” Rufus groaned. “Do we have to?”

“Yes, Rufus,” I said firmly. “We’ll need all the help we can get.”

The Hens Join the Fray

By the time we reached the granary, the hens were already there, clucking up a storm.

“Grain! Oh, this is terrible!” Doris wailed.
“Terrible! What if they eat it all?” Harriet clucked.
“Eat it all! We’ll starve!” Lillian cried.
“Starve! Oh no, we can’t have that!” Doris echoed.
“Focus, ladies,” I said.

Together, we followed Bingo’s nose to a hidden corner of the granary, where we discovered Genghis and his gang in the middle of their scheme. They had set up a crude operation involving stolen grain and a makeshift pulley system, apparently planning to hoard the grain for themselves.

“Genghis!” I said, stepping forward. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Genghis froze, his eyes narrowing. “Whiskerton. I should’ve known you’d show up.”

“Care to explain this little operation?” I asked.

“It’s simple,” Genghis said, puffing out his chest. “The grain is wasted on the rest of you, so I decided to… redistribute it. My associates and I were merely ensuring that we, the cats, receive our fair share.”

“Fair share?!” Porkchop exclaimed. “You can’t just take what doesn’t belong to you!”

“Yeah, Genghis!” Rufus added. “That’s low—even for you.”

Foiling the Plan

With the help of Bingo’s sharp nose, Sedgwick’s wisdom, and Rufus’s surprising agility, we managed to dismantle Genghis’s operation. The pulley system was disassembled, the stolen grain was returned, and Genghis’s lackeys—Lester, Clyde, and Loomis—were left looking sheepish.

“Genghis,” Sedgwick said sternly, “this farm works best when we all share and cooperate. Taking more than your fair share helps no one.”

Genghis sighed, his haughty demeanor deflating. “I suppose… you’re right. Perhaps I got a bit carried away.”

“A bit?” Rufus muttered.

The Moral of the Story

In the end, Genghis apologized, and the farm returned to its usual harmony. The grain was shared fairly, and even Genghis learned an important lesson about greed and cooperation.

Sometimes, working together means putting aside our pride—and our schemes—for the greater good. And as Bingo said later, “A nose for trouble is only useful if you use it to sniff out solutions.”

The End.”I Spent the Weekend Supporting ‘My Single Friend’ — Now My Husband Is Acting Strange & Suspicious”

An Apology to Mankind, Two Days After First Contact

Submitted into Contest #268 in response to: Write a story about someone seeking forgiveness for their past actions. view prompt

D Gorman

96 comments

What follows is a transcript of an apology to the people of Earth, and specifically the residents of Silver Lake, Indiana. [BRACKETED] words indicate imprecise translation.  Hello, people of Earth. This message is being translated into the language practiced by the humans who reside in the area designated Silver Lake, Indiana, using the Verpal Language Unscrambler 2. As my segment-mate Zolak is so fond of reminding me, our model is very outdated and overdue for replacement. Any translation errors that may occur are the result of this technical deficiency and are not intended to be an act of disrespect. I humbly apologize for any confusion that may arise as a result of my negligence in the upkeep of our private Dimensional Collapser Transport. Zolak has secured a promise from me that I will replace it when we return to [THE HIVE].Let me begin by apologizing for everything that has unfolded in the days following our unplanned arrival on your world. I assure you this was quite accidental, owed in large part to two hundred rambunctious hatchlings who were [RAISING THE DICKENS] in the back of the ship. This proved quite a distraction to Zolak, who was navigating and who gave me the wrong directions. Zolak insists the directions were correct and that I missed my turn because I was the one not paying attention. We have agreed to disagree. Compromise is the [ADHESIVE BODILY FLUID] that keeps us together. We do hope you understand how deeply and truly sorry we are for causing such a cultural [HULABALOO].Our misadventure no doubt caught all of you by surprise, as it did the [ASSIMILATION] Phages when we reported the incident to the proper authorities. As it turns out, your planet isn’t set for [ASSIMILATION] for another 250 years! Zolak joked that this is the first time we have been early for something. This is a joke at my expense as I am occasionally tardy to [HIVE] functions.Also, we want to assure you that your immediate military response upon our arrival was completely justified and certainly not an overreaction on your part. Protect what’s yours, that’s a law followed in all corners of the universe. Where we come from, when a [SKITTERING DEATH SWARM] arrives at your [HOME] unannounced, you do not give them a chance to [KILL AND CONSUME], you [KILL AND CONSUME] first. So fear not, we were in the wrong, not you.With this in mind, I would like to also apologize for the deployment of the Organic Liquidator Orbitals as a countermeasure. That was a step too far. When Zolak and I purchased the ship, I argued that the standard defense array was more than reasonable for casual space travel, but Zolak insisted we have the orbitals installed because of an [AUNT] who ended up in a [BAD PART OF TOWN] planet and was overtaken and consumed by highly evolved predatory fauna. I have had to hear this story over and over again, as if this one [AUNT] was more special than the others. Zolak has 200 [AUNTS]! Anyway, we [SPLURGED] and got the orbitals. And yes, I am forced to admit that they were highly effective, and mildly thrilling as well, especially for the brood. And no doubt a sight to behold for any of your species who were outside the liquidation zone. But I still think they were an extravagance and an overreaction on our part. As they say in the parlance of your people, “My bad”.We would also like to apologize to the human residents of the Silver Lake area. We are so, so sorry that the timing of our arrival coincided with a number of events occurring in the city limits. Our species has a deep and profound respect for the individuality of the [UNASSIMILATED], and as such, we offer our apologies to these specific people who were affected by our arrival:

  • The members of the local Civil War Re-enactment Community, Chapter 239. We are so sorry for not only disrupting your sacred religious violence simulation but also for the extensive damage caused by our ship’s defense response system. Our onboard AI misidentified your replica weapons as authentic, and all your shooting and screaming as aggression. The AI later indicated that 43 human war zealots were vaporized. Zolak and I will be sending personalized apologies to each of the genetic units whose humans were vaporized, once we return to the [HIVE]. We have left two vats of bio-paste to offset any food loss you would have to endure at not getting to consume their remains in the typical fashion.
  • The Silver Lake Fire Department, Women’s Auxiliary, Girl Scout Troop #782, the Silver Lake Chapter of the Rotary Club, the Starlight Junior Girls Dance Team, the Chippewa County Antique Car Club, and the countless humans who were in attendance at what the AI has determined is the “Fall Harvest Parade”. I did not take into account just how much heat is produced by our ship’s atmospheric retro-thrusters. In my search for a good place to land I lost track of how close to the ground we were flying. We are truly, deeply sorry for all the lives lost and the labor cost to rebuild.
  • To anyone who was impregnated by our [PRECIOUS] spawn, we apologize for any discomfort you may have experienced in the implantation process, as well as any lingering side effects. It has been a long enough trip that many of our brood reached adulthood and needed to secrete their pod glisteners before they started devouring their younger broodmates. The implantation process, while beautiful to us, has been described as [DEEPLY UNSETTLING] by other species we have encountered, depending on the physiology of the host. The good news is that the gestation period for an implanted [NEEDLE-TOOTHED STOMACH EXPLODER] larva is quite short!
  • Oh, and please, do not feel guilty about any offspring you may have slaughtered as they ran through your humble village [SOWING THEIR WILD OATS]. If there is one thing Zolak and I agree on, it’s that we have entirely too many mouths to feed.
  • We probably should say a few words on behalf of the lake itself. So sorry about that. Unfortunately, the Organic Liquid Orbitals produce an inordinate amount of radioactive runoff that needs to be dumped before it can be reignited. I suggested we wait until we were in the vacuum of space before jettisoning the waste but Zolak was rubbing its legs together quite vociferously at this point insisting that nobody would even care if we just dump and go. The bad news about your lake though is the water will not be [PALATABLE] again for another 3000 years, and organic life will likely never return. The good news is the green glow is a permanent feature that I think is quite pretty.

 

We understand that we have probably set back relations between humankind and [THE INSATIABLE HORDE] before they’ve even had a chance to start, but I assure you, despite the carnage, we are a very [GREGARIOUS] and welcoming species. We do hope you can find a way to forgive us for our transgressions and understand that we never would have been here in the first place if not for Zolak’s insistence on being the navigator when they have time and again given us inaccurate directions leading to situations like this, where I am having to apologize to a species for ruining their lives.

 

I just wanted a nice [FAMILY VACATION]. Just me, Zolak, and 200 of our offspring, taking some time away from the endless toil of [FEEDING THE INSATIABLE QUEEN]. My [BROODFATHER] used to take us on trips to Troxon IV to watch the skinworms emerge from the sludge pools, back when I was of an age where I still hadn’t developed my pod glisteners. I don’t know how they did it back then. My brood was well over 400! Can you imagine the mess just in the Dimensional Collapser Transport?

 

I’m rambling. Anyway, I wanted to take them somewhere amazing, like the Feces Pits of Roobe II. I wouldn’t have brought my brood to a [BACKWATER] planet like this under normal circumstances. You can’t be too careful where you go these days. But, had we ended up where I wanted to go, I don’t think we would be returning to [THE HIVE] so engorged with important life lessons. My brood have a newfound respect for how [PRE-ASSIMILATION] species like your own have managed to barely scrape by with such primitive means. Witnessing such futile determination has truly inspired them to be even more productive members of our worker society.

 

My brood are not the only ones whose [GULLET STONES] are wearing away the edges of a newly learned truth. I realized that I have been trying to give my brood the same experience I had when I was their age. I thought if I could show them something amazing, maybe they would respect me as much as I respected my own [BROODFATHER]. But then, when I heard them cheering as our ship obliterated your pitiable attempts to defend yourselves, I realized that it isn’t the destination so much as it is the experience. How many of my kind can say they watched their [BROODFATHER] heroically fend off the assaults of a [PRE-ASSIMILATION] species? Nothing will replace those memories.

 

You know, I really thought I [BLEW IT] with this trip. But maybe I didn’t after all. Maybe it takes getting lost to truly find what we are all looking for.

 

Oh, before we go, our onboard AI has determined that you are currently experiencing a [CALDERA POX] outbreak. As this is endemic to our planet, I have to imagine you contracted it from one of our pesky brood. Not to worry, the symptoms are very mild—your species should only experience headaches, nausea, dimensional blindness, and moderate to severe hemorrhaging. It’s one of our more survivable [COMMON COLDS]. You’ll be fine!

 

See you in 250 years!

Mac ‘n’ Cheese Soup

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0f565a95e32c73f050d63db74a5e3947

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 (14 ounce) package deluxe type macaroni and cheese
  • 1 cup broccoli, chopped
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 (10 ounce) can condensed cheddar soup
  • 1 cup cubed cooked ham

Instructions

  1. Cook macaroni as directed on package in a 4 quart casserole. Drain in large colander.
  2. Meanwhile, chop broccoli and onion; in food chopper. Combine broccoli, onions, water in the casserole. Bring to a boil: cook 2 minutes. DO NOT DRAIN.
  3. Stir in cooked macaroni, cheese sauce from pouch, milk, cheese soup and ham. Return to a boil; stirring occasionally.
  4. Use soup ladle and serve in 6 bowls.

Attribution

Pampered Chef

This was how the Korean War looked like before China got involved:

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ksnip 20250112 063456

This was how the war looked like less than a month after Chinese intervention:

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main qimg 4d08c2368752a24ed25c4b57c60dd2ab

The Chinese attacked with 9 armies (a Chinese army being a small corps-sized formation) of roughly 380,000 men against roughly 350,000 South Koreans, Americans, British, and Turks. So, despite only enjoying a marginal numerical superiority, the Chinese managed to crush US formations in North Korea and push them back to the south. The 8th Army in particular had to retreat 275 miles total, as per their own website.

Many folks like to quote losses from Wikipedia. Yes, if we look at losses of US troops versus Chinese troops, of course these numbers would favor US troops, because half the time, they aren’t the ones doing the dying: They had South Korean troops that augment their formations, which they used like cannon fodder. Many headcounts (which historians based US losses on) do not even count the South Koreans, whose losses were so heavy that during the first part of the war, they just stopped recording their losses.

Cheating Wife Regrets After Taking Advice to Open Her Marriage and Tries to Win Her Husband Back

Dating Crissy : a friend of my favorite co-worker in South Carolina

The shape of the future of warfare has changed, and unmanned warfare will become mainstream. America’s so-called war experience is outdated or wrong.

America has not fought a comparable adversary since its founding, The war in Afghanistan and the Gulf War are asymmetric wars

Like Muhammad Ali knocking down a schoolboy, and what good does that experience do the he?

After all, Afghanistan and Iraq have no nuclear weapons, drones, advanced missiles, carrier fleets, or sixth-generation fighter jets. There are no advanced unmanned troops. But China has it all.

Chinese drones and robot dogs are already in service, and the future of total war is no longer what it was during World War II.

The most important point is that China has more production capacity than the G7 countries combined!

To take one of the simplest examples, China’s electric vehicle production in 2023 is 20 million, and this is only electric vehicles. These production lines can all be used to produce drones, robot dogs, and tanks in time of war.

You can check how many pieces of furniture in your house are made in China, which today has more industrial power than the Soviet Union and the United States combined during the Cold War.

Self-detonating robot

Aircraft carrier

DF31-AG

robot dogs

Unitree B2-W 天赋觉醒!_哔哩哔哩_bilibili
在发布量产一年后,宇树 Unitree B2-W 工业轮足,觉醒了更多极限天赋技能! 请大家务必友好的使用机器人

Sixth-generation fighter

Does the U.S. military have experience fighting these weapons?


Now there is a saying on the Chinese Internet:

In the past, the U.S. military had fighter jets and artillery, while the People’s Liberation Army had a will like steel.

Now that ,the PLA also has fighter jets and artillery, Americans had better pray the US military has the same will as steel.

1950 North Korea Chosin Lake PLA soldiers

These PLA soldiers remained steadfast in their duty, never laying down their arms until their last breath.

Why are Japan lovers so mad about videos from China?

Is China preparing to go to war with the United States?

Absolutely

China is utterly unified in this. They have their red lines beyond which a US Sino conflict is simply unavoidable.

Its why they are securing their land routes, their energy security and their food security

Today the US is divided

  • The Hardliners want Russia & China entirely destroyed even if it’s WWIII
  • The Trumpists want China entirely isolated but want Russia and it’s energy resources as a friend
  • The RINOs want CPC destroyed but are greedy for money and want the Chinese Market and it’s access
  • The Democrats want to be reelected and want to stay in power and would prostitute their daughters and mothers and wives to do so.

So as a result US is not yet unified to go to war with China in their own backyard.

Lots of Democrats and RINOs have billions of investments in China to protect

Biden himself is one such Democrat despite the Rhetoric

Also US has four major power centers

  • Big Tech,
  • Military Industrial Complex,
  • Wall Street
  • Big Industry (Oil, Coal, Gas and Guns)

Of these four, consider their points of view…

  • Wall Street hates wars of any kind and wants China to badly avoid dumping US Debt. They also have Trillions invested in China on behalf of various funds in US
  • MI Complex likes Wars but not Wars against China or Russia. They like wars where they can sell maximum weapons but where victory is guaranteed. They prefer milking Ukraine conflict and targeting Iran next. A War against Russia or China is a black hole for weapons and MI Complex would simply be unable to manufacture at half the speed that is required
  • Big Tech doesn’t really care
  • Big Industry loves Wars as it means booming profits

So once again the Power Centers aren’t united in favor of a Major War.

Finally you have the PENTAGON

It’s top officials know a War with China is a nuclear one and that spells the end of the world.

So they will deescalate

So right now it’s just the HARDLINERS who are provoking China, hoping to unify everyone if China succumbs to the provocation

Blinken is a hardliner

China meanwhile has changed course. It’s dumping all the hardliners. Zhao Lijian is gone and replaced by a very benevolent young woman.

It’s message is it won’t succumb to provocation while trying very hard to retain an image as a Peaceful Nation which minds it’s own business.

Its why in a matter of a mere 3 years – US has been acknowledged as a Warmonger ans China as a Land that wants peace by most of the Neutral World.

Sadly there is a problem – UKRAINE

The Domination of Russia and the fact that all the Western Propaganda is being scoffed at by the American Citizens is worrisome

Even worse is the fact that all of the world are seeing all the weapons of NATO get torn to pieces like M777 Or HIMARS with T80s and MLRS

US desperately want to turn the attention away from Ukraine, some excuse to stop supplying weapons to Ukraine and force a ceasefire with concessions using China as a major excuse.

They must sell the China Threat to everybody to do this effectively

So it’s a big pigs breakfast out there

China meanwhile is clear

It doesn’t want a war but it has red lines and it knows exactly what to do and when to do.

A Sign of a Winner

China Official Refers to Americans as “Peasants”

A senior Chinese official warned Tuesday that President Donald Trump’s tariffs would backfire and that soon, “those peasants in the U.S.” would “wail in front of the 5,000 years of Chinese civilization.”

Xia Baolong large
Xia Baolong large

The remarks are the latest Chinese repudiation of Trump’s global trade war as Beijing shifts gears from attempting to communicate with the White House to hitting back frequently and forcefully in an effort to cast the United States as an irresponsible global power.

China’s top official overseeing Hong Kong and Macao, Xia Baolong (shown above), lashed out at the U.S. during a speech on national security, in which he linked 2019 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong with what Beijing sees as continued U.S. efforts to suppress China.

Xia called the U.S. decision to levy a tariff of 145 percent on all goods from Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China, “brutally unreasonable and extremely shameless.”

“The U.S. isn’t after our tariffs but our very survival,” he said. “The U.S. has repeatedly contained and suppressed Hong Kong … and this will eventually backfire on itself.”

Since Trump took office in January and set about remaking the global trading system, the world’s two largest economies have levied import duties on each other that are now so high they amount to a trade embargo.

China has countered Washington’s latest levies by imposing a tariff of 125 percent on all U.S. goods while Trump has maintained 145 percent taxes on all Chinese imports, with temporary exceptions for semiconductors and consumer electronics.

It’s a certainty that China would surpass the US in economy size.

China is already quite a bit ahead of the US in the making and creation of real things:

main qimg 23acf9d63e69176a7e450536afbfccba
main qimg 23acf9d63e69176a7e450536afbfccba

However, China’s economy still lags a bit behind the US largely due to its service industry. This is partially due to the nature of the two economic models: in the US Capitalist model, you’re encouraged to charge as much as possible for your service. For example, the average litigation cost in the US is us$50000. While under the Chinese socialist model, individuals are encouraged to provide their service as cheap as possible, for the benefit of the whole society. So the same litigation fee is restricted to a flat rate of just under $7. That’s a wopping 7000x difference. It’s an extreme example but it does show that the two economies are not directly comparable by market capitalization. The Chinese service prices will naturally grow when Chinese people slowly become richer.

A good indicator for comparing the true size of the two economies, which scientists suggested is even viable for comparison across star systems, is energy usage:

The US abandoned the Philippines again

How To Go Back

Submitted into Contest #279 in response to: Center your story around a person who believes they’re the last human on Earth. view prompt

Max Sinclair

Two years ago, I stared into the eyes of a little dead girl. She was sprawled on some highway, deep in what used to be the Midwest, her dead, fermenting eyes staring past me, and up, up, up, into the sun-bleached sky.They didn’t leave many bodies behind when they left. Didn’t want to find skeletons when they came back, I assume. Her skin was dark and leathery. There was a hole growing in her cheek. Blue tendrils came twirling out of the rotted, bony mass, with those little orange tips. I wished they were green; I miss the trees, the grass. The closest thing to nature are the dead bodies with the synthetic viruses, eating themselves towards the clouds; puny, fingernail scratches on deep blue skin.She might’ve been dead for three months, six at a stretch. The first thing I felt when I saw her was excitement. She was the closest thing I’d seen to another person in six years. My father’s body had been more pristine, less infected by the now, a perfect conservation of the then. There was only the tight, red little hole in his temple; the pool of dark, sticky blood pooling around bits of his brain, staring at me like a sick, foaming, red-furred dog. His eyes were stained red by blood, and they sat uncomfortably in their sockets, dislodged by the force of a bullet tearing it all up behind them. He was smiling, a slash of red teeth, red eyes popping. I half-expected them to flick towards me, half-expected the revolver, still lying loosely in his palm, to fire a matching shot through my own temple. I was relieved when he killed himself, as I was when I saw the dark hole in that little girl’s cheek. I took the gun, I took his shoes, I turned around and I left. As I reached the crest of the yellow hill, I looked back at him, lying like roadkill on the highway, in the dead, yellow grass, our truck lying upside-down, smoking, a few feet away. I wiped blood from my forehead and I pressed on, the sun belching like a toad white bubble of heat that burst around me periodically. There was a similar gunshot in the little girl’s calf that poked out from her purple nightgown. It was the nightgown that made me vomit. I heaved onto the tarmac. I heaved and I heaved. She was so young. The same age as me, probably, when I left my father’s corpse to rot in the fat, white sun that turned the sky grey from its heat.It happened in the night, I thought, sitting on the tarmac, staring at the little dead girl. There were faint, sun-baked faint tyre marks on the road. She had Gone, I thought. So young. She died, seething with red-hot pain, alone in the inky night, not an inkling of who she once might’ve been. The sun was rising, the sky was losing her blue. The pile of vomit to my side would begin to cook soon, like a stinking goose egg in a frying pan. I stood up. I looked at her once more, a China doll, cracked up and fading in the sun; I turned my head back to the road, the tarmac melting into a black puddle on the horizon.It had been the last wink of winter, that day. Or what would’ve been winter. My diary says so: March third. It’s almost definitely wrong- the last time I was really sure of the day, the month, the year: I was nine. The day the school caught fire and burned down. The village burned for a week; the school was first, a black plume into the purply-grey midday sky. The grass was already threadbare, yellow; the buildings were lazy, wooden shacks, standing crooked; haphazard, peeling rows like a pile of matches. It’s difficult to build, gather materials- do anything at all- when you swelter all day under a rock, or in a shack, waiting for the Midnight Hours. The village burned and then Grandma picked up Bleach on the exodus, and soon everybody was Gone, my father on his way. That day, after seeing the dead girl, I had collected enough gas and food to wait out the summer in the Caves. They were damp, dripping places if you went down far enough. It stank of rotted bodies, those who had starved or Gone, but it was cool, it was dark, it was safer than third degree burns and snarling tumours all summer long.I remember, I’d left it so late that I knew to stop driving and lie in the grass under the car- I usually passed out from the heat after an hour or so. When the sun was lower in the sky, orange and red, the sky green and pink, I poured water over myself, guzzled it through my cracked, bleeding lips. And then I drove and I drove. I’d left it so late, so dangerously late, that towards the end of the journey they started appearing in the sky. Small, black dots at first, but they got bigger. Their ships. Full of, I don’t know. Probably scientists in grey coats. Watching. Waiting for everything to die so they could start again. They’re nothing but black pebbles in the sunset to me, and they disappear in the safety of the night. Black pebbles, no windows, no movement, no noise. They’ve no exhaust fumes, no visible sign of life. They just float calmly in the sky, black beads, watching as Earth eats itself like a coyote starving in the desert, picking at its own ribcage for morsels of its fleshy stomach; a stomach long gone. That little dead girl was a premonition, I suppose. It had been a silent, dissociative half-decade of white, silent heat. Each year dripped onto my lips like the last of the water in the hip flask I dangle, now, as I speak, above my head.I should’ve been gone for the Caves days ago. I stand on the roof of a gas station. It’s midday, the sky is clear and grey. The yellow-brown plains sprawl outwards, forever on all sides; the highway cuts a black line down the middle. There’s the occasional lone ranger, a telephone post in the distance, the hollow carcass of a tree. It’s silent. So, so silent. Silence as deafening as a red sea, crashing down on my shoulders and burrowing into my dry, blistered throat. There’s blood leaking from the blisters in my cheeks; it starts to boil, slowly, etching teary burns down my chin, down my neck. I don’t feel it. I don’t feel anything. I’m a pair of eyes. I forgot the Cave long ago. I’ve been waiting for this day. The last day of winter, the last wink. I hold my arms outstretched. From somewhere far away, much bluer and greener, much louder, if I squint, I can feel them burn like an old photograph on the campfire. The sensation starts to feel like rain, cold and relieving.I Bleached myself intentionally. I went to one of the rotted bodies deep in the Caves: a man. In the torchlight, his eyes were milky and half closed, his mouth slack. There was a bottle of something that had rolled away from his right hand. There were foamy remnants on his lips. He reminded me of my little brother, Geoffrey. Maybe if he had grown up in the green and blue world, then, he would have looked like that. I kissed his forehead. I began to forget not long after. It was sweet; it was like falling slowly asleep. From this nightmare. This fucking nightmare, I hear myself scream, from far away, in the blue and green. I start to turn away now, as my legs begin to give out on the roof of the gas station. I can feel Nothing holding out his hand. The blistered now is a universe away. Just before I turn, and walk down the hill, the rain pouring onto my neck, blurring my vision into a sweet, comfortable grey, expansive, eternal grey, I see that little dead girl, lying on the highway, sprawled out on the scorched Earth.I smile as I slip away; I smile at her red, unblinking eyes.

Not the P-51 Mustang, Spitfire, F-6F or Hawker Tempest. Sometimes even losers have an ace up their sleeve, which doesn’t get the recognition it deserves! The best fighter of WWII was unequivocally the Messerschmitt Me-262. Nothing else that was designed and manufactured in WWII came close to its overall abilities. Captain Eric Brown who tested captured Me 262s, described it as “a quantum leap in aeronautics”.

The Me-262 could fly 110 miles (190KM) faster than the next fastest aircraft, making it almost impossible for an enemy aircraft to get behind its tail. Allied aircraft could trump the Me-262 in instantaneous turn rate due to their lower wing loading, but they also bled energy more quickly, losing speed and altitude much faster than the Me-262 did, which is why it achieved a kill ratio of 5.4:1 in the ending stages of WWII under adverse combat conditions, compared to 2:1 for the P-51 Mustang and 1:1 for the P-47.

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Major Walter Nowotny, a celebrated German pilot who was commanding an Me-262 unit had to intercept an Allied attack which, according to him, consisted of more than 300 B-24 bombers, escorted by hundreds of P-47s. Nowotny performed that mission with only 11 Me-262 in airworthy condition.

Only 200 or so Me-262 were deployed for combat out of the 1,430 that were produced. Despite overwhelming odds, poor training and complete Allied domination of German skies, it was able to amass 542 kills against 100 losses. When the Me-262s became operational, American fighter pilots kept them busy in dogfights, which prevented most of the jets from attacking the bombers. As a result, many of the Me-262 kills consisted of P-51 Mustangs and P-47 Thunderbolts. A great majority of Me-262 were destroyed by Allied aircraft during takeoff and landing. Many were destroyed on the ground where they were parked due to lack of fuel, parts or qualified pilots. The Me-262 engines required careful handling, and getting behind the Allied bombers required throttling down considerably to target the B-17 bombers. They ran the risk of a P-51 getting behind their tail.

The Me-262 engineering concepts were so revolutionary that it literally trashed four decades of piston aircraft design and engineering technologies. It was the world’s first fighter aircraft with swept wings, featuring a sweep of 18.5 degrees. Its 30 mm cannons were also more powerful than most other aircraft. The aircraft had full span automatic leading-edge slats which helped increase the overall lift by as much as 35% in tight turns and at low speeds, giving it a decent turn rate.

The Me-262 wasn’t perfect. It had a long list of weaknesses and teething problems that is generally the case with new technologies. The engines were slow to spool up, had a short life (15–20 flight hours) due to shortage of high temperature metals and it could flame out during rapid throttle changes and aggressive maneuvering. After the war ended, the captured aircraft were studied, flight tested and its strengths were copied by all major Allied powers. The Me-262 influenced the designs of production aircraft such as the North American F-86 Sabre, MiG-15, and Boeing B-47 Stratojet and ushered in the jet age.

My Girlfriend Dumped Me Without Any Real Explanation, How Do I Become The Guy That NEVER Happens To?

How did Chinese tea culture influence Russian tea traditions throughout history?

Tea first entered Russia through Central Asia as early as the 9th to 10th centuries, where it began to create a diverse tea culture. By the 17th century, tea was officially introduced to the Russian Tsardom when a Russian ambassador brought tea as a gift from the Mongol Khan.

In 1679, Russia established a contract for the regular supply of dry tea from China, leading to the formation of tea caravans that traveled from China to Moscow along the Great Tea Road, a part of the Silk Road.

For nearly a millennium, Russians primarily consumed Chinese tea, which varied by region and social class. Popular types included Pu-erh for travelers and military men, and green tea (Mao Feng) for the nobility.

Initially, tea was regarded as an elite drink and was often prescribed by doctors for various ailments, reflecting its medicinal roots in Chinese culture.

The Russian tradition of tea drinking evolved to become a social ritual, emphasizing hospitality and conversation rather than the ceremonial aspects found in Chinese tea culture. As noted by curator Olga Yurkina, “In Russia, tea is an excuse for a long conversation”.

The samovar, a unique Russian tea utensil, was inspired by Mongol kettles and became central to Russian tea culture. It allows for the brewing of concentrated tea (zavarka) that can be diluted with hot water, a practice that reflects the communal aspect of tea drinking.

Russian tea is typically served with a variety of foods, including sweetbreads, pastries, and fruit preserves, which enhances the social experience of tea drinking.

Tea gatherings have been immortalized in Russian literature, symbolizing family and community, further embedding tea into the cultural fabric of Russia.

The influence of Chinese tea culture on Russian traditions is evident in the types of tea consumed, the methods of preparation, and the social customs surrounding tea drinking. Over centuries, these practices have evolved uniquely within the Russian context, creating a rich tea culture that honors its Chinese origins while developing its distinct identity.

Lost in a Dark Place

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

Patrick Huber

A chaotic symphony of light and sound pop and burst until all that remains is silence and darknessYou wake up sitting in the pilots seat of a craft pod. Your perspective is limited and you hear your breathing which means you have a helmet covering your head and face. You are in a flight suit of some sort designed for distant off world travel. So far you are unable to see beyond your mask, but a blinking light brings your attention to an instrument panel just at arms length. Most of instruments are broken save for the one that blinks to let you know everything else is broken. Attempting to ground yourself, you find that you have no recollection of the events that brought you here.From what you can see out the window is not much. Your world is enveloped in darkness. The terrain looks flat but you are unable to see much more than a few yards from the ship. You open the hatch and get better view of this strange world.Without proper readings of where you are, you venture to keep your suit on until you can know if the air is breathable. Your suit can hold enough oxygen for up to 18 hours without any extreme strengths of physical exertion. Stepping foot on the ground you notice gravity appears to be similar to earth. You get first good look at the sky. Without knowing the day/night cycle you are unsure how to evaluate what you’re looking at. The sky appears to be a dark amethyst color with streaks of indigo haphazardly brushed across it. They act like clouds high up in the sky, each hiding a glowing blue moon behind it.Your take quick stock of your situation. The life boat you crashed land was a one tripper and the crash did away with any hopes of attempts at a second. Your suit appears relatively untouched from the crash and in good working order. There is a wrist band with a readout for the oxygen supply. Other than that you have your legs and your wits. With no better alternative you decide to walk away from the lifeboat.Looking over a horizon to the left, you gaze at what could pass as storms cloud in the distance. A thick layer of dark purple hangs between the orange sand and the sky. You see the clouds roll and bubble with momentum. To the right looks clear, so you go right. You do not know how long you may have before a storms hits or what that would look like here but you attempt to put some haste in your step.No destination other than survival. A purposeful walk turns to a jog which briefly jumps to a run but slows back down to a brisk walk. The weight of the suit and limited oxygen put a low ceiling on how fast you can travel. You decide a steady pace is best.You have no sense of time or how far you’ve traveled. You glance behind you every so often to check on the storm which appears to have stalled at least for now. You could measure your distance from the pod but you lost sight of it and your only point of direction a while ago.NO STAY WITH ME!A voice thundering across the surface of the planet. The vibrations knock you to your feet. You’re momentarily paralyzed by this new mystery.STAY WITH ME!The voice says again and like before the world shook.The ground stabilizes and your fear subsides. Or at least it intensifies enough to get you back to your feet and moving again. You add fearful determination into your walk with an intent of fleeing and hiding. But with nothing to see other than a dark sky and burnt orange sand you are once again fleeing with no destination.Deep on the horizon straight head a small flash of what could be lighting popped. Unsure of the meaning of what you saw, it is a promise of something other than darkness perhaps so you continue toward it. You believe you make out a rise in elevation in the distance. Could be mountains or perhaps unnatural mounds signaling life. Either way you head towards it. The mounds gradually grow in height and you can be pretty certain they are natural mountains. This brings a glimmer of hope to your otherwise bleak situation. The change of terrain is breath of fresh air so to speak until ground elevation drops off and you find yourself on the precipice of a deep canyon. Hesitation brings you to look around for other options.The storm still intensifies behind you, the layer of bubbling blackness is twice as large as before and growing faster. With no alternative you find a gentle enough slope for you to slide down to a lower ledge. It’s about 8 feet or so down, you slide down with little trouble. You see that your path to the bottom is a much more of the same. A series of small rock outcrops and ledges a few feet or so down that allows you to get to the bottom.Once at the bottom of the canyon your world view becomes much narrower. Your perception is now framed by the dark 60 foot walls that could not be more than 20 or so feet apart. You stay on the move. As you hustle through a maze of dark black rock, the storm has caught up with you and there is no more color to the sky. Black clouds spill over the sides of the canyons, cascading down the rock like water down a mountainside. And just like water it continues to flow in your direction. You pick up speed. But the rush of black most catches up with you. It builds around your ankles and yet you move with ease as there is little or no reaction.You continue through the canyon as the clouds are up past your knees. You lose notice of any color in the sky, but rather different contrasts of darkness. You are aware of no light source but still you are able to see your path through this colorless void.The canyon walls are narrowing and the mist is high up around your waist. There is an unmistakeable mass to it now. You feel resistance in your movement. The cloud is so dense you cannot see below the surface. The density as created a pressure and it restricts your movement. It feels as if you are walking through a storm cloud with wind crashing at you from every direction. You struggle to keep moving but you know you must. If anything because the alternative is to quit and die and you don’t quit eve if it means death. Your brain starts to process what it sees in front of you. You’ve reached the end of canyon and a 100 foot wall is ahead of you.The cloud is nearly up your chest, you have to get out of this. As you approach the wall you a see a small crack about 8ft tall and maybe 18 inches wide. You stick the face shield of your helmet into the crack to see what’s behind it. Like everything else it’s dark, but you sense depth in the darkness and from the cloud that has seeped in the ground level stays constant at least for a while.NO! NO! DON’T GO! STAY WITH ME!A booming voice echoed through the walls of the canyon. Sonic booms explode in the totality of the atmosphere disrupting the rocky terrain. Large rocks crumble down from the walls disappearing in the surface level clouds. You cling to the wall, not wanting to get sucked under the surface.You have to get of there.You attempt to escape through the crack but your helmet and your suit make you too wide. You desperately try to force metal and plastic through rock but it won’t budge. A tsunami of wind builds and comes rushing through canyon. The force of dense air presses you against the wall. Your world is enveloped by swirling black wind. Your panic pushes you to act desperately and with little thought to possible consequences.You take a deep breath and remove your helmet and try to squeeze through. Still nothing, so you quickly strip off your suit. Wearing nothing but a monotone under base layer you take your first breath of alien air and are relieved to not immediately die. It could be oxygen but for now it’s not poison.

The narrow crack blocks most of the wind but forces you to side step most of the way. With only the side walls to guide you, you press on. Without the filter from the helmet visor you see that the world takes on a dark bluish tone. Your arms spreading farther alert tell you the gap is widening. The ground slopes so much so that you lose your balance and begin to slide. A slide forms to a roll as you travel down a hill before coming to a tumble at the bottom. You roll to your back and look up. Large spikes of black rock with dim blue glow cover the ceiling hanging down at varied length. You sit up to see the ground is not much different with opposing spikes stretching up from the ground. You’re up on your feet, feeling little effects from the fall. Unsure of where to move next you stay frozen.

A low inaudible humming voice echoes through cave before a flash of light blinds you. The brightness subsides and the cave is alive with electricity, arcing from point to point in a concerted ballet. You are able to see the cave now in its full wonder. The ceiling must be 20 feet high and the expanse looks infinite. Most interesting is a reflection you notice from a large mass of black water. You run to edge and it is indeed a lake of blackness. You bend down and put your hand in it. It’s as dark and souless as oil but with the touch of water. You stand once again at the precipice of a decision with no clear motivation. The electricity has died down so you are back to a muted blue darkness. You see no end to this lake so it could stretch on forever. You step into it to check the depth. You look back away from the shore and see the hole you fell about 8 feet off the ground and the wall, about 50 yards from the shore, marking this end of the cave.

You look around for answers. There’s always something. You venture farther from the shore but a force pulls you back. You find yourself heading back to the lake.

Again the low humming voice throughout the cave and the flash of light. It knocks you into the water before giving way to the electric current dance above.

A rhythmic pounding, weak but noticeable, emerges. It causes the spikes to hum and reverberate.

You get up and are immediately taken back by a tall cyclone of light at the back wall of the cave, stretching from ground to ceiling.

You walk towards it and feel warmth immediately. It’s the first time since you woke up that you have noticed temperature. It never occurred to you if it was hot or cold. But now as you step closer to this light, arms of warmth reach out to pull you closer.

A small black wave rushes up from the lake and swirl around your feet before reseding back. You take an another step toward the light and again a black wave comes in this time up to your knees and you feel the pull of current as the water recedes.

You move closer to the swirling mass of white illumination and are hit by another wave that knocks you to the ground and this time the current drags you back a few feet. You jump to your feet and sprint toward the light. Another crash from behind and you fall face forward down into blackness.

The current has you, it pulls you under the black water. You tumble and roll around trying to get a sense of your direction. The wave crashes back on land. Your up and sprinting hard now toward the light. You dare to look back amd catch a tidal wave building and rushing up quick.

The brightness begins to hurt your eyes and you squint but still run. You are hypnotized but the warmth as it grabs hold of you. You feel drops of water falling as you know the wave is about crash down. You push forward with everything you have left and leap forward just as the wave crashes behind you. The intensity of the wave pushes you forward into the cyclone and your world goes to white.

 

*****

 

“I have a pulse” one EMT alerts another.

“Ok she’s stable. Let’s load her up.”

It’s early morning, the sun has broken free from the horizon. Last of the night, fighting a losing battle with the sun, paint an ombré of black to blue to yellow in the sky. The virgin suns rays reflect off the fresh dusting of snow, illuminating the world.

The two EMTs secure the woman to the gurney and exit a suburban home towards a waiting ambulance.

A man, early 40s runs along side the gurney, he’s wearing sweatpants, t-shirt, and slippers, he’s holding her hand. She’s loaded up, the doors are closed, and the ambulance drives off. The man walks back over to the sidewalk and bends down to embrace two small children their eyes red and swollen, their cheeks wet with tears.

“Is Mommy going to be ok” a young girl of 8 asks her dad.

“Mommy’s going to be ok, she got lost in a dark place but she found the light again” he tells them.

The flashes of red and blue fade on their faces as the ambulance gains distance from them. The family watches as their mother heads off toward the rising sun of a new day.

I didn’t see this personally, but the story stuck with me forever. This one dude noticed the day room door was unlocked when it was closed, so he went in and tried to walk of with one of the TVs, walking our a CO looked at him and said “ ‘the fuck you doing?” and dude dropped the tv and ran. Ran in a locked down hallway with COs and bars and no way out, but dude kept runnin, circles around the wall looking for a way out, COs not bothering just waiting for him to tire himself out, the other inmates already on knees heads behind back just laughing their ass off. Dude gets tired, they tackle/cuff him and the first CO asked “What the hell is wrong with you, we caught you clear, you should have put hand up and try not to get hurt” Dude said “Ive ran from cops all my life, old habits die hard”

I wake up, say a quick morning prayer, salute the flag, and read my Bible for awhile as I clean my AR-15. Then, I crack six eggs on the griddle and cook them sunny side up and, while the eggs are sizzling, I drop 12 strips of bacon on there, too.

I brew myself some coffee and take it without sugar, milk, or creamer, just completely black, unlike the sissy, limp-wristed libruls and their Starbucks “coffees”

After breakfast, I get dressed for the day. I wear my favorite shirt, “I’m with stupid”, and Levi’s jeans. I also wear steel toed work boots even though I don’t work in a place that requires them. I jump in my 120,000 dollar pickup truck with a Cummins diesel, coal-rolling engine, that I never haul things in, to drive to my non-construction job and Wal-Mart.

And as I roll coal, I say, “Take that, Greta Thunberg! You can’t tell ME what to do!”

While I’m driving to Wal-Mart or work, I listen to far-right conspiracy radio shows and get angry all over again that Obama won. But I can’t get too deep into the show because there’s a mass shooting happening on basically every block, everyday! Gotta keep my head on a swivel.

I bob and weave as rounds whiz by my truck. I even return fire with my fully-automatic AR-15 with the shoulder thing that goes up, and 25,000 round clips. Then, one of the thugs claps me with his 9mm HiPoint.

You’ve heard what our President (Biden) has said about 9mm! It blows your lungs out! So I drive to a for-profit, corporate-run hospital that is completely unregulated and has every politician on their payroll, to get my right lung back where it belongs.

And they fix me right up, as always, and charge me 82 quintillion, 644 quadrillion, 144 trillion, 982 billion, 832 million, 700 thousand, 936 dollars and 14 cents. They offer me a COVID shot, which I decline because I’m a selfish American who only thinks about myself, and doesn’t trust big pharma.

Then, I immediately file for medical bankruptcy because I pay my health insurance company to not pay. After that, if I have work, I report to work quickly, because I’m already on my second write-up for being late and don’t want a third, or else I’m fired and I’ll have to find another job that pays a competitive $9.75/hr.

After work, I come home and dust the large American flag hanging on the wall of my studio apartment owned by an unregulated, unhinged corporate landlord that charges me 7,800 dollars a month. Then, I order Dominoes Pizza for dinner, and, when the pizza comes, I watch Fox News and drink a Dr. Pepper until it’s time for bed.

On a non-workday (which is only one day a week because I work 6, 15’s) I go to Wal-Mart and get the essentials: Speed Stick, Ammo, and Keystone Light. Sometimes, I flirt with the rather heavy set cashier, Roxanne. She goes along with it up until after the card machine forces me to add a 26% tip, then, once I tip her for doing her job, she tells me to have a nice day and hurry up and bag my own stuff.

She likes me, she’s just too shy to admit it. 😌

After Wal-Mart, I sometimes like to swing by Larry’s Arsenal to pick up some hand grenades (which I like to drunkenly toss into a open field for fun) or windowshop a FGM-148 Javelin, but they’re too pricey at the moment.

Then, I usually find myself driving by the local 4-year, for-profit university. I point and laugh at the kids going 640,000 dollars in debt for a degree in central Asian literature and from there I go back home, go on social media and tell Europeans to keep their stupid European opinions to their stupid European selves, and set off an M-1000 firework.

‘Merica.

Horrible, absolutely horrible.

Please don’t move here, there are already five million people living in this craphole in insufferable misery, more than enough if you ask my modest opinion. If you want to come as a tourist and want bring us some money for pity, you are more than wellcome, though.

And the happiest country in the world! What an absolute load of nonsense! If you believe those “researches”, please contact me: I have a bridge that I want to sell for just few thousand euros! It’s a bargain! And it’s in Finland, the happiest country in the world!

Finnish women

Finnish brands

Finnish cousine

Finnish urban landscapes

Finnish values (and fashion sense)

Finnish fashion sense (and sense of humour)

More recent finnish architecture (“Nordic Living”).

Finnish opposition politics

Finnish president (see how his sportswatch matches with the necktie!)

If that is the case then there won’t be any peace talks. Russia is winning this war and continues to advance along the entire line of contact. Zelensky has admitted that there is no way for Ukraine to recover the lost territories through military means. So there is no pressure on Russia to hold peace negotiations now. But for Ukraine, it is urgent to hold peace negotiations because they are losing territory everyday in eastern Ukraine, while their advance in Kursk has been stopped by Russia. In fact, Russia has recovered about half of the Kursk territory that Ukraine took.

Russia is not under pressure to clear Kursk from the Ukraine soldiers. This is something that they will put focus on after taking all of Donetsk and Luhansk. For the mean time, it is to their benefit to keep some of the Ukrainian troops in Kursk, away from the line of contact in eastern Ukraine. So, for example, Russia can continue to kill a few hundred Ukraine soldiers per day in Kursk, forcing Ukraine to send even more troops away from Donetsk and Luhansk to Kursk, thereby making it easier for Russia to advance in Donetsk and Luhansk.

Trump’s threat to send more weapons to Ukraine if Russia refuses to negotiate will probably be ignored by Russia, because all along the US has been sending hundreds of billions of dollars worth of weapons to Ukraine but Ukraine keeps losing. Those new weapons will not make a difference.

Besides, Ukraine is short of troops. The weapons need troops to use them.

“Hollywood Has RUINED The U.S. Military!” – Col. Douglas Macgregor

China’s Week, Jan 12, 2025

Godfree Roberts

Science & Technology

Unitree, whose robots hold the Guinness sprinting record, just released an open-source full-body data set that lets robots dance.

The JinDou 400 engine flies Beijing-New York in 2 hours at 3,100 mph (5,000 km/h), at 66,000 feet (12 miles). 12” diameter x 10’ long, it produces 880 lb of thrust without compressors or turbines.

AECC ignited its 600-kg thrust-class high-end turbofan engine after 8 months development. It will power 1.5 to 4-ton UAVs.

Yarlung Zangbo/Brahmaputra Super Dam will capture three times the hydroelectric power of the Three Gorges Dam.

Will Bluetooth alternative, Star Flash, take over consumer electronics? It supports multiple simultaneous connections, low power, and streams lossless stereo audio.

Manufacturers delivered 3.17 million civilian drones last year, and 220,000 citizens have drone piloting licenses.

Record satellite-to-ground laser communications 10x faster, 100 Gb/s. For 6G, ultra hi-res sensing and next-gen satellite positioning.

CR450 train prototype hits 450 km/h will have 400 km/h operating speed, stabler, shorter braking, +22% energy-efficient, 10% lighter, quiet cabin.

910 new drugs make China the #2 pharmaceutical market, and its drug development pipeline of 5,380 drugs rivals America’s 5397. China’s biopharma market has reached $3.3 billion with a CAGR of 13.8%.

A Palbociclib breast cancer tablets that costs $2 in China costs $227 in the USA, 100 times more.

Startup NeuroXess lets brain-damaged patients turn thoughts into speech in real time, and remotely control a robot arm using thoughts alone.

World’s first 3rd-generation nuclear reactor starts powering 6 million homes.

Trade & Economy

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images3

China Rail handled a record 194,000 cargo trains daily, transporting 350 million metric tons of cargo last month, up 5.5% YoY.

The railway network handled a record 4.08 billion passenger trips in 2024, up 10.8% YoY. Air trips also hit a record 730 million in 2024, an 18% increase.

Foreign brands accounted for 64% of car sales in 2020. In 2024 it was 35%. EV sales will take over the Chinese car market, collapsing ICEV and foreign brand sales.

Temu tops US iOS app downloads for second year running, Tiktok ranks 3rd.

Huawei beats Apple, dominates global smartwatch market.

Microsoft’s Brad Smith: the US must hurry to remain competitive with Huawei in AI–or face another defeat as with 5G.

The one-billionth 5G mobile subscriber signed up in November, accounting for 56% of the country’s 1.79 billion mobile users.

China has completed its national ‘high-speed rail for computers,’ an 8,080-mile, super-fast computer network with delays under 20 ms. and 3cm. location accuracy.

There are 4.5 million firms in core sectors of China’s digital economy.

Booming phone-friendly mini-dramas will earn $7 billion in 2024.

SMIC cut 28nm node wafer price from $2500 to $1500, pressuring foreign fabs. UMC’s 28nm fab utilization fell from 85% last year to 68% in 2024.

Yiwu (pop. 2 million) produced 80% of the world’s Christmas decorations, worth $70 billion, for 2 billion people in 160 countries.

Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge saw a record 27 million trips in 2024.

Chinese dollar bonds sold in Riyadh safer than 10-year US Treasuries. Chinese RMB bonds appreciated 9% in 2024.

China’s Lithium reserves have increased from 6% to 16.5% of the global total, lifting it from sixth to second place in the world rankings.

Society

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The retirement age for men will rise from 60 to 63 over 15 years, for women will be raised from 55 to 58, and women blue-collar workers will rise from 50 to 55.

Has the fourth wave of scientist returnees arrived?

Surviving in Cashless China 2025: 10 apps to make your life easier.

Environment

370 MkW of renewables–83% of new capacity–and only 40 MkW of coal power installed last year. Renewables still insufficient and unstable.

The Yarlung/Brahmaputra mega-dam will generate 3% of China’s total power (300 TWh), and cost $137B. At 8¢/kWh, it will earn $22B pa for a 16% ROI.

Fengning Pumped Storage Hydropower Plant, the world’s largest, stores 3.6 MkW, generates 6.6 BkWh of electricity annually.

Only China is close to matching a high energy consumption growth entirely with clean energy.* Coal-fired emissions rose 1%, showing it’s close to solving the puzzle.

Governance

In 2024, Xi visited 10 provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities and the Macao Special Administrative Region, made four visits abroad.

Judicial system is integrating AI: case filing, document drafting, hearings, reviews, reducing document preparation time so judges resolve 50% more cases monthly.

The CCDI investigated 56 vice-ministers or above in 2024, up from 45 in 2023.

Unlike Western systems, China’s socialist welfare system invests in enhancing everyone’s income-earning capacity. The welfare system differs from social charity.

Bangladesh’s BRI-financed, Chinese built, 170 km Padma Bridge railway is fully operational, reducing Dhaka – Jesol travel from 10 hours to 3.

Geopolitics

Indictment Debunks China Hacking Claim after main-stream media spread an anti-Chinese propaganda campaign launched by U.S. national security sources.

9 New BRICS Partners: Belarus, Bolivia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Cuba, Uganda, Malaysia, and Uzbekistan. Pending: Algeria, Indonesia, Nigeria, Turkiye.

2021 Gina Raimondo: “U.S. needs to work with Europe to slow China’s innovation rate”.

2024 Gina Raimondo: “Holding Back China in Chips Race Is a Fool’s Errand”.

NYT:China will be selling affordable EVs and renewable energy equipment around the globe while the US becomes the new Cuba—where you visit to see old gas-guzzling cars that you drive yourself.”

New York Times, 1976: Mao Tse‐tung, who began as an obscure peasant, died one of history’s great revolutionary figures. In Chinese terms, he ranked with the first Emperor who unified China in 200 B.C.

Chinese scientist cleared of charges of ‘secret’ China ties sues university after 5 years in jail.

Defense

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images

The J-36, above, beats the B-21 due to greater thrust from its 3 engines, interior space…

Mexican-Style Scrambled Eggs

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8cb541e38e15b61b0783aabf16f8cdbd

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 6 (6 to 7 inch) flour tortillas
  • 4 ounces bulk spicy pork sausage
  • 8 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Optional toppings: salsa, shredded Mexican cheese blend, diced avocados, sliced green onions and sour cream

Instructions

  1. Heat Large (10 inch) Skillet over medium heat until hot. Place one flour tortilla in heated Skillet. Warm tortilla 10 seconds; turn tortilla over with Nylon Turner and warm an additional 10 seconds. Remove from Skillet; set aside. Repeat with remaining tortillas, stacking tortillas one on top of another. Keep warm.
  2. Heat Skillet over medium heat until hot. Cook sausage 6 to 8 minutes or until sausage is no longer pink, breaking sausage into crumbles using Nylon Spoon. Drain if necessary.
  3. Meanwhile, in Small Batter Bowl, whisk together eggs and salt using Stainless Steel Whisk. Add eggs to sausage in Skillet. Cook and stir just until eggs are set.
  4. For each tortilla, spoon about 1/2 cup egg mixture down center of tortilla. Top with desired toppings. Fold sides of tortilla over eggs.

Nutrition

Per serving: Calories 220, Total Fat 12g, Sodium 700mg, Fiber 1g

Attribution

Pampered Chef

Title: Sir Whiskerton and the Mystery of the Haunted Outhouse

Ah, dear reader, welcome back! Today’s tale is one of intrigue, egos, and, dare I say, toilet humor. Yes, even a detective as sophisticated as myself occasionally finds himself embroiled in mysteries of a less-than-glamorous nature. But fear not—this story is filled with the usual laughs, hijinks, and, of course, a moral at the end. And, for the first time, we shall be joined by a new trio: Wilma, Gladys, and Simone, three geese whose egos are as inflated as their downy feathers. Prepare yourself for the hilariously absurd tale of The Mystery of the Haunted Outhouse.

The Farm’s Newest Problem

It all began on a bright and sunny morning, just like any other. I was reclining on the porch, enjoying a well-earned moment of peace, when I heard the unmistakable sound of panic coming from the back of the farmhouse.

“Haunted! Oh, it’s haunted!” Doris the hen squawked.
“Haunted! What if it’s a ghost?!” Harriet clucked.
“A ghost! Oh no, I can’t bear it!” Lillian screeched.
“Bear it! Oh, it’s dreadful!” Doris wailed.

“Ladies,” I said, leaping down from the porch and walking over with an air of authority, “what is all this fuss about?”

“It’s the outhouse!” Doris cried. “Strange noises! Oh, dreadful noises!”
“Noises! And creaks!” Harriet added.
“And whispers! Oh, I’m sure it’s haunted!” Lillian clucked.

“The outhouse?” I said, raising an eyebrow. “You mean the old one behind the farmhouse? The one the farmer rarely uses anymore?”

“Yes! That one!” Doris said, flapping her wings. “It’s cursed, I tell you!”

“Cursed? Or perhaps just in need of a proper investigation,” I said, already intrigued. “Don’t worry, ladies—I’ll get to the bottom of this.”

“Oh, the bottom of it!” Doris squawked.
“Bottom! But what if it’s dangerous?” Harriet clucked.
“Dangerous! Oh, I can’t bear it!” Lillian said.

Before I could respond, a loud, honking voice interrupted us.

“Step aside, Whiskerton,” said Wilma, the largest and most pompous of the farm’s geese. “This case requires the sharp intellect of a goose.”

“And not just any goose,” added Gladys, smoothing her feathers. “It requires us—Wilma, Gladys, and Simone—the brightest minds on this farm.”

“Brightest and most talented,” Simone chimed in, striking a dramatic pose. “Leave the outhouse mystery to us. We’ll have it solved in no time.”

I sighed. “Ladies, with all due respect, this is a matter of logic and deduction. I—Sir Whiskerton—am the farm’s detective.”

“Oh, a detective! How quaint,” Wilma said, rolling her eyes. “But this is a job for true brilliance. Right, Gladys?”

“Absolutely,” Gladys agreed, puffing out her chest. “Whiskerton, you may observe us if you wish, but stay out of the way.”

“Stay out of the way!” Simone echoed dramatically.

“Fine,” I said, my tail flicking with irritation. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

The Investigation Begins

The geese and I (along with the ever-curious Rufus, Porkchop, and, of course, the hens) made our way to the old outhouse. It was a rickety thing, leaning slightly to one side, with peeling paint and a creaky door that swung ominously in the wind.

“Behold!” Wilma declared, pointing a wing at the outhouse. “A scene of mystery! A stage for our brilliance!”

“Stage for brilliance!” Simone echoed, striking another pose.

“It’s just an outhouse,” Rufus muttered, munching on a carrot he’d stolen from the garden. “What’s the big deal?”

“The big deal,” Gladys said, glaring at Rufus, “is that it’s haunted. And we, the geese, shall uncover the truth.”

“Quiet!” Wilma commanded. “We must investigate. Gladys, Simone—flank the sides. I’ll take the lead.”

The three geese marched forward like generals leading an army, honking orders to one another as they circled the outhouse.

The Geese’s Brilliant (or Not-So-Brilliant) Theories

“Well,” Wilma said after a few minutes of honking and pacing, “it’s clearly the work of a ghost.”

“A ghost!” Simone gasped. “The restless spirit of a farm animal, no doubt.”

“Or perhaps,” Gladys added, “it’s a portal to another dimension. A wormhole of sorts.”

“A wormhole?” I said, my whiskers twitching with amusement. “Really?”

“Absolutely,” Gladys replied, preening her feathers. “Only a goose as intelligent as I could identify such phenomena.”

“Or,” Rufus said, rolling his eyes, “maybe it’s just the wind.”

“Wind? How pedestrian,” Simone scoffed.

“Enough!” Wilma honked. “We must take action. Gladys, Simone, prepare the—”

Before she could finish her sentence, a loud BANG came from the outhouse, followed by a low, creaking groan. Everyone froze.

“Did you hear that?!” Doris squawked.
“Hear that?! Oh, it’s definitely haunted!” Harriet cried.
“Haunted! Oh, I can’t bear it!” Lillian screeched.

“Everyone, stay calm,” I said, stepping forward. “It’s time for a proper investigation.”

Sir Whiskerton Solves the Mystery

I approached the outhouse, my ears perked and my tail flicking. Slowly, I pushed the creaky door open to reveal… nothing. The outhouse was empty, save for a few cobwebs and a suspicious pile of hay in the corner.

“Hmph,” Wilma said, peering over my shoulder. “See? Nothing. It’s a ghost.”

“Or a wormhole,” Gladys added.

“Or…” I said, sniffing the air, “a raccoon.”

“A raccoon?!” everyone exclaimed.

At that moment, the pile of hay shifted, and out popped a very startled raccoon. It chittered angrily, clearly annoyed at having its nap interrupted, and darted out of the outhouse, disappearing into the bushes.

“A raccoon!” Doris squawked.
“Raccoon! Oh, how dreadful!” Harriet clucked.
“Dreadful! But also cute!” Lillian said.
“Oh, so cute!” Doris echoed.

“Well,” Wilma said, clearing her throat. “Obviously, we knew it was a raccoon all along.”

“Obviously,” Gladys agreed. “We were simply testing you.”

“Testing you! And you passed!” Simone added with a dramatic flourish.

I sighed. “Of course you were.”

The Moral of the Story

With the mystery solved, the farm returned to its usual peace (or as peaceful as it can be with geese and hens squawking constantly). The geese, though insufferable, had provided plenty of laughs, and even I had to admit that their over-the-top antics added a certain… charm to the day.

The moral, dear reader, is this: sometimes, even the biggest egos can hide a good heart. And while it’s important to let others take the spotlight now and then, there’s no substitute for a keen nose, sharp ears, and a bit of common sense.

The End.

“4Chan” Exposed as Israeli Mossad Honeypot/Propaganda/Incitement Site

Sometimes Intelligence Agencies get caught doing things in public — designed to fool the public — and US Intel and the Israeli Mossad just got caught.  The “controversial” website 4Chan turns out to be run by US Feds and Israeli Mossad.  They originated the ENTIRE “Q” nonsense!    It is now exposed that ALL of  “Q” was a deliberate Intel operation!

Last night, it was revealed that the website “4Chan” got hacked.   Apparently, the very LAST posting from the entire world, asking what the heck was going on with the site, was this one:

Final 4chan post
Final 4chan post

Then came the announcement that the Hackers had done their thing:

4chan hack gets announced
4chan hack gets announced

 

It turned out they were using a VERY OLD and outdated version of PHP (10 years old) to run with their server software, and that version of PHP had lots of security vulnerabilities.

4chan full databse plus shell
4chan full databse plus shell

4chan was breached by “Soyjak Party” operatives who exploited outdated PHP code to access backend systems, leaking site source files and exposing moderator emails — some tied to .edu and .gov domains.  The Hackers got EVERYTHIING – the entire database!

4chan private reasons to ban suers
4chan private reasons to ban suers

Geolocation stats are leaked.

Leaked post data revealed Israel as the dominant source of /pol/ activity since 2014.

Almost all posts on 4chan were Israeli intelligence contractors pretending to be USA.

Mossad has been running an absolute massive propaganda campaign on the American internet.

Despite being around 0.12% of the world’s population, Israel accounted for … almost 50% of all 4chan posts; about 226 Million!

Mossad has been using the website for years to help stoke the rise of Nazi & far-right movements hostile toward Muslims. 

4chan got taken down by a rival imageboard hacking group called “Soyjak Party.”   Its databases were dumped, moderators were doxxed (proving some were federal agents), and the servers are now all offline.

A few things we’ve learned (so far) from last night’s 4Chan hack:

Moderation (& “Janitors” i.e “Jannies”) includes students and staff from Harvey Mudd College, University of Washington, & University of Michigan… including at least one professor.

4Chan ran on a version of FreeBSD which has not been supported for 9 years.

4Chan had over 10 Million banned users.   Most of the bans were because Moderators were on a self-important power trip.

4 chan IP list mostly Israel
4 chan IP list mostly Israel

Aside from internal moderator emails, and the fact that many Admins and Moderators were government people USING .GOV EMAILS, one of the most interesting aspects of the released hacker information is that the overwhelming majority of posts on /pol/ came from Israel.

On average over 20 posts per Israeli resident.

4chan aggresively fingerprinted browsers
4chan aggresively fingerprinted browsers

The Mossad has been running an absolute massive propaganda campaign on the American internet.

Interestingly, when an American military guy leaked Classified Intel, he did it ON 4CHAN. He ended up being caught BECAUSE 4Chan was an intel operation!  He was arrested, jailed, plead guilty, and is now serving heavy prison time.

 In fact, the entire claim of that site – which made it the “go to” site for certain people– was their claim that all IP information was stripped from postings so the origin could not be traced.  But they never told users that web browsers were all being aggressively fingerprinted to identify users:

In about 2017, a new “phenomenon” appeared in the world, and did so on “4Chan.”  It called itself “Q.”

Q, it was claimed, was a deep intel source, close to President Trump.   Q was allegedly “revealing” that “The White Hats” in government had a “plan” to “save and protect” America, and everyone had to “trust the plan.”  

 IT WAS ALL LIES.  Deliberate, intelligence agency Psychological Operations to keep people docile.

It became a propaganda outlet for our own deep state, Israel, China, etc.

Of course, “Q” went on to spawn derivatives such as “Q-Anon” and “Q-Storm”  all pushing the same “Trust the plan” nonsense.

What does today’s revelation about 4chan and “Q” tell you about “Q-Anon” and “Q-Storm?”

The fallout from this enormous hack is still taking place.  More and more information is coming out.   As more interesting developments take place, I will run additional stories.

The Takeaway:  The Feds and foreign intel agencies use real-world websites as honeypots to stir-up what THEY want stirred-up, and to pacify what THEY want pacified.

THE LIVING HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS AFTER DEATH! Prominent Doctors About The Afterlife…

Burning up the fire truck

Around 6 months ago.

I’ve been called a terrible person, a terrible mother, and an abuser because I simply cannot exist as I was in the UK, any longer.

The cost of living as a single parent, with rising mortgage interest, utility bills, and coping with daily stalking and harassment attacks, social isolation, filthy streets, selfish neighbours, police negligence, false allegations, lonliness and goddamn filthy awful weather, simply just was shite! Too much for me to take.

I made children with men. Why should I be the one doing 24 nights and days a week? In poverty? While those men do nothing but bully and slander my efforts? Dragging me down when life is already hard enough.

Why should I sit alone slowly rotting while my debts grow and the bank prepares to take my beloved home with 80k equity in it, just to conform to my exes demands of staying in UK for OUR son who doesn’t want to leave UK?

Why should I suffer terrible anxiety and mental illness in a country that makes it worse, when I have an alternative? Greece!

I worked very hard. Long days. Building my nest egg. Raising 3 sons. To lose it all because the UK gives no fucks about single mum’s who dare own property?

If I were in a council house, on benefits, having never worked, I’d be ok. But that’s NOT ME and not who I want to be.

So, I walked out. I’m done. I’m selling my flat. Buying more homes here in Greece. And getting well and happy again. When my youngest wants to join me, he’s welcome. I hope one day my 2 grown adult sons also come here. It’s a damn site better than a cardboard box on Sauchiehall street in Glasgow.

USD Just Crashed To A Horrific Low As Global Investors Begin Mass U.S. Asset Sell-Off

Gingerbread Waffles

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7dc3cdc24dd28f0b0e4c4cbdd04a36a9

Yield: 8 waffles

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1/5 cup molasses
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil

Instructions

  1. Sift the flour, ginger, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl and mix well.
  2. Beat the eggs in a medium bowl until blended.
  3. Add the sugar, beating until creamy.
  4. Add the buttermilk, molasses and oil. Beat until blended.
  5. Stir in the flour mixture until smooth.
  6. Bake in a waffle iron using manufacturer’s directions.
  7. Serve with butter and syrup or as a dessert with whipped cream.

Nutrition

Per serving: Calories 304; Fat 11g; Sodium 420mg; Dietary Fiber 1g

Attribution

Pampered Chef

Exposing America’s Debt Plantation: How The Cost Of Living Crisis Is Affecting The Most Vulnerable.

Title: Sir Whiskerton and the Hen House Hullabaloo

Ah, dear reader! You’ve returned yet again to hear another tale of my unmatched brilliance and unwavering patience. You flatter me, truly—but who am I to deny you the pleasure of hearing about my exploits? Today’s story takes us into the heart of the farm’s most chaotic domain: the hen house. It is a tale of missing eggs, clucking confusion, and a new ally who brought a certain owl-ish wisdom to the case. Prepare yourself for the humorous and utterly bewildering tale of The Hen House Hullabaloo.

The Problem in the Coop

The day began innocently enough. The farm was calm, the sun was shining, and I was perched on the barn roof, enjoying the warmth. But, as is so often the case, peace on the farm never lasts long. My nap was interrupted by the unmistakable sound of panicked clucking.

“It’s gone!”
“Gone, I tell you!”
“This is a disaster—a complete disaster!”

I groaned and opened one eye. The chaos was coming from the hen house. Of course. With a sigh, I stretched and leapt gracefully to the ground, padding toward the commotion.

When I arrived at the hen house, I found Doris, Harriet, and Lillian—the three most excitable hens on the farm—flapping around in utter hysteria.

“Ladies,” I said, raising a paw to silence them. “What’s all this fuss about?”

“Our eggs!” Doris squawked, feathers flying. “They’re gone! Vanished! Poof! Like they were never there!”

“Yes, gone!” Harriet chimed in. “Gone, missing, disappeared! Not a single egg left!”

“Not one!” Lillian added. “And we checked everywhere—everywhere! The nests, the corners, the straw, the—”

“I get it,” I interrupted, my tail flicking impatiently. “The eggs are missing. When did you last see them?”

“This morning,” Doris said, pacing dramatically.

“Right after sunrise,” Harriet confirmed, nodding vigorously.

“Before breakfast!” Lillian added, as if that detail mattered.

I sighed. This was going to be a long day.

Calling in Reinforcements

As I inspected the hen house for clues (and tried to tune out the hens’ endless clucking), I heard a soft flutter of wings behind me. Turning, I saw Sedgwick the barn owl perched on the fence post. He was an imposing figure, with piercing amber eyes and a calm, regal demeanor.

“Good morning, Sir Whiskerton,” Sedgwick said, his voice deep and measured. “I couldn’t help but overhear the commotion. Do you require assistance?”

“Sedgwick,” I said, relieved to see him. “I could use another set of eyes—sharp ones, at that. The hens’ eggs have gone missing, and I suspect foul play.”

“‘Fowl’ play?” Sedgwick said, raising an eyebrow. “Clever.”

I allowed myself a small smirk. “Thank you. Let’s get to work.”

The Investigation

Sedgwick and I began a thorough search of the hen house. The hens, of course, followed us around, clucking incessantly.

“Do you see anything?” Doris asked.
“Anything at all?” Harriet echoed.
“Anything suspicious?” Lillian added.

“Ladies,” Sedgwick said patiently, “please give us some space to work. Sir Whiskerton and I require silence to concentrate.”

“Silence!” Doris exclaimed.
“Yes, silence!” Harriet agreed.
“We’ll be quiet—completely quiet!” Lillian promised, before immediately adding, “But do tell us if you find anything!”

Sedgwick gave me a look that said, How do you deal with this? I simply shrugged.

As we searched, Sedgwick’s keen eyes spotted something unusual: a trail of small feathers leading out of the hen house.

“Interesting,” he murmured. “These aren’t chicken feathers. They’re smaller, softer—perhaps from a songbird?”

I sniffed the ground where the feathers were scattered. “And there’s a faint scent here, too. Something… sweet. Almost like—”

“Honey?” Sedgwick suggested.

I groaned. “Rufus.”

Interrogating Rufus

We followed the trail to the old oak tree, where we found Rufus the raccoon lounging on a low branch, munching on what appeared to be a honeycomb.

“Rufus,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “Care to explain why there’s a trail of feathers and the scent of honey leading directly to you?”

Rufus froze mid-bite, his eyes darting guiltily. “Uh… coincidence?”

“Rufus,” Sedgwick said, his tone calm but firm. “We’re investigating the disappearance of the hens’ eggs. If you know anything, now is the time to speak.”

“Eggs?” Rufus said, feigning innocence. “I wouldn’t steal eggs! Too much work to crack ‘em open. Besides, I’ve been busy with this honeycomb all morning. Ask the bees—they’ll vouch for me.”

I sniffed him carefully. He smelled of honey, yes, but not of eggs. “He’s telling the truth,” I admitted reluctantly. “For once.”

“Thank you!” Rufus said, looking offended. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have honey to finish.”

“Let’s keep searching,” Sedgwick said, spreading his wings. “The trail isn’t cold yet.”

The Feathery Culprit

The trail led us to the barn, where we found the true culprit: a magpie. The shiny-feathered bird was perched on a beam, surrounded by a small stash of stolen goods, including the missing eggs.

“Ah,” Sedgwick said, nodding sagely. “Magpies are known for their thieving habits. It seems this one couldn’t resist the allure of the eggs.”

“Why eggs?” I asked, puzzled. “They’re not shiny.”

“Perhaps it’s nesting season,” Sedgwick suggested. “The magpie may have taken them as part of its instinct to gather food and materials.”

“Well, it’s about to learn the consequences of crossing me,” I said, leaping onto a nearby hay bale. “Magpie! Drop the eggs, or prepare to face the wrath of Sir Whiskerton!”

The magpie squawked indignantly and flapped its wings, clearly unwilling to part with its loot. But Sedgwick, ever the wise negotiator, stepped forward.

“Friend magpie,” he said in his calm, commanding voice, “surely you understand that these eggs do not belong to you. Return them, and we shall ensure you are well-fed and unharmed.”

The magpie hesitated, eyeing Sedgwick warily. After a tense moment, it let out a grudging chirp and nudged the eggs toward the edge of the beam.

“Thank you,” Sedgwick said with a dignified nod. “You’ve done the right thing.”

The Happy Ending

We returned the eggs to the hen house, where Doris, Harriet, and Lillian greeted them like long-lost relatives.

“Oh, our eggs!” Doris cried.
“Our precious eggs!” Harriet added.
“We were so worried!” Lillian said, before turning to me. “Thank you, Sir Whiskerton! And you too, Sedgwick! You’ve saved the day!”

“All in a day’s work,” I said, flicking my tail.

Sedgwick and I left the hens to fuss over their eggs and returned to the barnyard. Rufus was still lounging in the oak tree, waving lazily as we passed.

“Well done, Sir Whiskerton,” Sedgwick said. “Your reputation as the farm’s greatest detective remains intact.”

“And your reputation as the farm’s wisest owl is well-earned,” I replied. “Shall we call it a day?”

“Indeed,” Sedgwick said, spreading his wings. “Until the next mystery.”

The Moral of the Story

Even the smallest clues can lead to the biggest answers—and sometimes, a little wisdom and diplomacy go a long way. Oh, and always keep an eye on magpies. They’re craftier than they look.

The End.

Vegas Vacation (1997) | *First Time Watching* | Movie Reaction | Asia and BJ

Sentient

Submitted into Contest #283 in response to: Write a story that ends with a huge twist. view prompt

Chris Broome

Ben was a stay at home father who loved his life. He spent his days with the children he loved so dearly as his wife Sarah was the bread winner. He loved being the “soccer dad”, as he was jokingly called by his male friends. Life was good and Ben felt fulfilled. He often thought he couldn’t have wished for anything more.Sarah loved the freedom that came with being the breadwinner. She had a wonderful loving husband and he was committed to her and the children. She was a junior executive at a local law firm whose emphasis was tax law. Numbers had always interested her since grade school. Her teachers and family tried to steer her to classes more suited to girls. English and Home Economy. She always felt frustration with her parents not realizing her passion and trying to shape her into the worlds image of what a girl should be.No Home Economics or an English degree with pressure from her parents would persuade her from her love of numbers. Being a teacher wasn’t for her. The main reason she fell in Love with Ben was his support for her passion. He was her encourager and her rock. It had been that way since middle-school. The two things Sarah knew since that time was she would have a Math degree and she would marry Ben.“ Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas.” This was a quote by Albert Einstein. Sarah said to Ben on Saturday morning as they lay in bed.“Your mind is like a wheel that never stops turning.” Ben told her as he reached over a gently rubbed her cheek with his right index finger.“You have been so kind to me and you love our children so much. i don’t know what I did to deserve you.” Sarah watched as Ben smiled and turned away.“I need you to do me a favor babe. I need to take some time and find myself.” Before he could finish his thought Sarah cut him off.“What do you mean? Is everything alright? Is our marriage in trouble? Have I done something to upset you?” She lifted her self up on her left elbow and look with concern at him.“No darling. No. I love my life. But there is a deep urge I have to find the inner me. The one that screams that I am a man. I feel like I have lost that over the years and I am scared if I can’t find a little piece of it, then I will slowly lose my passion.”“What are you proposing to me then?”“I have found a wilderness retreat that last about a week. I will have a guide and we will wonder through the forest and live off the land for a week.” Sarah watched Bens face light up as he spoke. She knew that just watching his body language he was captivated by the idea.“If that is what you feel like you need to accomplish to make you happy then I am al for it.” Sarah started calculating every step in he mind. The time off of work she would need to take, the time she would need to finish important work, the sitter for the children she would need, but most important the time Ben would be gone. Her logical brain was starting to be overwhelmed by her emotions. This was not common to her so she started feeling overwhelmed. She bent over and wrapped her hand under Bens jaw and turned his face towards him and kissed him.“Life is good and you are so good for me. I love you. Take the time, recharge and come back recharged.”“Thanks babe. I will let you know the plan once all is set and ready to go.” Sarah watched Ben get up and go to the bathroom. She got her cell phone and walked out of the bedroom. She walked downstairs into the kitchen and made a call.“Hello.” A nasal high pitched voice answered.“I nee help. Ben is acting strange!” Sarah said with an urgent whisper. She then went on and explained what was said in her conversation with Ben to the man.

“That is new. Though not at all unexpected. This happens from time to time.” The nasally voice stated to her calmly.

“ I can tell you how to handle this unless you want me to handle it.’“

“Just tell me. I can do what needs to be done, after all he is my husband.” Sarah heard an attempted chuckle.

“Just tell me or I will come over there and make you regret the day you met me.” Her anger and anxiety was swelling.

“Alright. Calm down.” He responded and went on to explain to her the plan to handle the situation. Sarah heard steps coming down the stairs just as the man finished talking. She hurriedly hung up the phone.

“You in here babe?” Sarah heard as Ben walked into the kitchen.

“Yes. I am going to fix some breakfast. I was thinking about cooking some eggs and cutting up some fruit. Do you want some?” Ben looked at her and had a devilish grin on his face.

“Since the children spent last night with their friends and we have the house to ourselves, why don’t we go back upstairs?” Sarah smiled.

“That sounds wonderful.” The to turned and headed back up to the bedroom.

“I need to use the ladies room. Why don’t you get comfortable and when I get out I will give you a massage first.”

“Sounds heavenly.” Ben headed to the be and laid on his stomach. Sarah went to the bathroom and closed the door. She went to the sink and looked at herself in the mirror. Her heart was racing. She felt a warmness and felt little beads of sweat forming on her forehead. She took a deep breath. Turned on the faucet and splashed water on her face.

“I can do this she said to her reflection in the mirror.” She turned and walked into the bedroom. Ben was laying across the unmade bed on his stomach.

“I am ready for that massage.” He said and took a long breath. Sarah slowly walked to the bed and straddled his back. She began to slowly massage his mid-back and eased up to his shoulders. He sighed a relaxing breath.

“You are so good to me babe. I am a lucky man.” Sarah heard this but was so nervous she didn’t respond. She just kept massaging his shoulders.

“Is your neck soar? She asked.

“A little.” Ben felt her hands start to massage his neck.”

“I lo….” Sarah heard as she opened the little hatch and quickly mashed the red button. Ben became motionless. She jumped off of him and got dressed. She then made another call.

Shortly after the doorbell rang. A small framed middle aged man with a balding head stood outside as Sarah opened the door. There was a slight smell of peppermint as she drew closer to pull him inside the house.

“Come on we need to hurry the children will be back soon.” Sarah had grabbed him by the arm and started pulling him towards the staircase.

“I am coming. Slow down. If I fall and the new chip gets broke then it will take hours to get another.”

“I need this done quickly, Charles.” Sarah snapped.

“What is this like the sixth time we have done this since the real Ben died?” Sarah heard him say. She turned and pointed her boney finger in his face.

“He is what I have left of my husband. He is all the children have, do not marginalize this or make smart remarks.” Charles put his hands up in mock defeat.

“I was happy when you first contacted me about testing the sentient being I created at first. But now I feel like he has ruined you Sarah. You are my sister. You need to move past this!” Sarah heard him scream.

“I will move on when the time is right. But not now. I am not ready. He just has meant so much. Then there is the children. How? What? This just has to be!”

Economic Update: Review of 2024: The U.S. Economy Not So Great

EMP Survival 5: Love in Nuevo Laredo

Submitted into Contest #283 in response to: Write a story with the line “I wasn’t expecting that.” view prompt

KC Foster

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

From one of the nearby shelves, a can dropped, hitting the floor sending a clanking sound resounding through the empty grocery store. Masa cringed and held her breathe, trying to calm her racing heart. Not now, not now. Fearing an attack, she clenched her jaw and looked over the edge of the shelves. She locked eyes with Arion and relaxed. He stood strong, watching over them all and completely unphased by the sound. Masa was glad he had joined their group here. Arion had fought for her right to fight, unlike Leron, who had argued for her not to join the raid group. He was helpful and a good teacher, helping her to become strong and face this new world.Arion nodded, signaling that all was clear, and Masa returned to her task. She moved along the shelves, carefully placing cans of green beans, lima beans, and beetroot inside her backpack.The four other men who had come with them were doing the same, quietly raiding an old grocery store in an area controlled by one of the Nuevo Laredo cartels. It was one of the reasons, they had initially skirted around the city to begin with. The heads of the scouts they sent into the city to try and make contact were found jammed down on spikes just outside.Masa shivered and did her best to banish the image from her mind. This was no time to invite fear. When her bag was full, she rushed to the back of the store to the opening to the warehouse with the metal roll doors where they had broken in. She held the gun at the ready to provide cover for the others. With the guidance of the older men in their group, she had become quite adept at using it.“Hey, what are you doing in here?!” yelled a man’s voice, causing her to jump and grip the trigger.Gunfire followed, glancing off nearby walls and shelves sending glass and food supplies flying through the air. Masa leaped into action, following Arion through the shelves, and returning fire.“Retreat!” yelled Arion.Their raiding party, ran back the way they came, retreating into the warehouse. Masa returned to her corner, providing cover for the stragglers, and then rushed after the men. They were disappearing through the gap in the roll door and she leapt after them. A bullet grazed her arm and she cried out, before landing on the otherside and chasing after them. She did her best to ignore the pain while she moved from cover to cover to escape the men behind her. 

Through the streets they raced, weaving between abandoned vehicles and dodging the rotting corpses of looters. Nuevo Laredo had not been as fortunate as Monterrey. From the little they had learned; the cartels had abandoned their drug trade for governance and the war for supreme dictatorship was still going on here. Every day, a new body lay abandoned in the street or like their scouts, decapitated and their heads placed to set an example for anyone who dared cross them.

 

Masa rounded the corner and found the raid team standing with their hands up facing a large group of armed men. From the group, a single man stepped forward, his hair cut short and teeth more metal than white. He laughed, “Not so lucky this time, are you?”

 

Arion stepped forward; his hands raised in peace. “Our group is getting low on food, and we had no choice.”

 

“The Western Canteena group? The one from Monterrey?”

 

“Yeah, and what of it?” demanded Arion.

 

“Rumor has it, your group brought seeds with you and you have farmers?” asked the man.

 

Arion stood silently, judging them and considering their request. After a time, he nodded. Masa watched, skeptical of trusting any of these cartels. She fumed, longing to yell at him. Arion had no right to make deals without the council’s approval.

 

“I am Don Marco,” the man said, “We have some food supplies we secured, but we are also running out. We will give you what you have taken as a peace offering, but I want to meet with your leaders. We need seeds and those who can farm if we are going to survive. Either that, or we must start moving north looking for better land.”

 

“We tried moving north,” said Arion. “One of the cartels has taken the bridge and we don’t have enough to move further west to cross the Rio Grande. I think we are in the same boat and we should work together.”

 

Masa approached Arion, standing behind him. He needed to stop before this got out of hand. “You can’t offer him that,” she hissed. “We discuss things.”

 

Arion looked down at her and frowned. “Trust me,” he growled, “The council will want this deal.”

 

Masa took hold of his arm, turning him to face her. “Tell him we’ll take his offer back. Let the council decide,” she argued.

 

Don Marco laughed. “She is certainly a spicy one. Is she your leader?”

 

“No, she’s not.” Arion snapped at Masa before facing Don Marco, his face a picture of calmness, “Fine. We’ll take your word back to our council. We’ll meet you at the Western edge of town where the old Walmart is in two days.”

 

“Agreed.” Don Marco and his men backed away before disappearing down a side street.

 

“I wasn’t expecting that,” said Arion.

 

“You idiot!” yelled Masa. “The only reason you are in charge of this raiding party is because you were a police cadet and you know the area. The council wouldn’t have trusted you otherwise.”

 

“And the only reason you are in it is because I let you,” he argued, glaring at her.

 

Masa balled her hands into fists and howled in frustration. “You…you…bastard.”

 

“Stuck up Bitch!”

 

Masa slapped him, and he took hold of her and kissed her. Her cheeks grew hot and she was distinctly aware of the other men around her laughing.

 

She shoved him backward and stared at the ground. “You…You…” her cheeks still warm. Her hands went to her lips. It wasn’t unpleasant, but the timing was terrible and she immediately thought of Leron. She had longed for Leron to kiss her since that night on the ridge, but he hadn’t. If anything he seemed to have lost interest, caught up in his new role in the council. Glaring at Arion, she ran towards their base at the canteena.

 

“Wait Masa!” cried Arion chasing after her. Masa could hear his footsteps behind her, growing closer. “It’s dangerous to go off by yourself. Come back! I’m sorry.” Masa didn’t listen, she continued to run, turning corner after corner through the narrow alleyways. Arion’s arms caught her, pulling her back as she fought him, but it was a lost cause. “I told you to stay still!” he yelled.

 

“Fine!” she said, glaring at him.

 

He ripped his shirt and bandaged her wound. “Masa, I find you incredibly attractive,” he said, smiling and her anger melted. “At first, I thought you were with Leron, but you two seem more like brother and sister than anything else. I stayed away and gave him time, but he hasn’t made a move so now I am making mine. Masa, I want you.”

 

Masa felt locked in his dark eyes. They drew her in, and the thought of his lips against hers brought butterflies to her stomach. He brushed her cheek and she smiled, moving toward her once more. This time she invited him, taking in his scent while his lips met hers. They touched gently and then harder. He pushed her towards the wall cupping her chin with one hand and running the other down her body.

 

The other men who had caught up to them cheered, and Arion looked back at them and laughed. “Come on, let’s go home,” he said, taking her hand and leading her towards the Canteena.

 

It was almost dark when they arrived. Masa emptied her bag onto the table along with the others. Arion disappeared toward the fire barrel where the council gathered in a circle, smiling back at her. She gave him a nod of approval and returned his smile.

 

Masa turned to go to her hiding place to think, but hesitated, watching Leron deep in discussion with the other council members. His dark face was barely visible in the flames, though his shirt, now in rags was bright enough. After all this time, she wondered why he had never changed it. Dressed like that and with his passive nature, he wouldn’t last more than five minutes out in the streets and was no real prospect for a future. She did love him, but he had never shown any indication of returning her feelings. For a long time, even she had waited, but he still hadn’t asked and now it was too late. Her feelings were moving on.

 

Leaving the others behind her, Masa climbed the storeroom ladder onto the roof. She needed a place to be alone and to think. On the edge of the building, she stared out at the sunset. They had come so far but were now stuck in Nuevo Laredo. They could not cross the international bridge. Even if they could get past the cartel that had made it their home, there was still the desert to cross. A few of the people who had joined them had spoken of rumors that all the major cities had been hit with bombs. Austin and Dallas were nothing but two great craters surrounded by radiation. If they could only find enough supplies to head out west they could find the prepper community along the border in West Texas. Her father had known a woman there by the name of Gerard. If Gerard’s computer had survived, she would have had access to satellite data on what had happened and could tell them where to go.

 

Masa picked up a rock and threw it off the roof. When she suggested they find the prepper community of West Texas, the council argued and became locked in disagreement. Leron who acted as their tie-breaker, voted against her, deciding it was a long shot to find some community in the middle of the desert. Of course, Masa couldn’t tell them where it was without revealing the maps in her pack.

 

The sun had almost fully set and Masa found herself nowhere. Her feelings were so tangled up over Leron and Arion that it was hard to focus. “I’m just another stupid teenage girl,” she muttered.

 

Leron snorted behind her, “You’re anything but stupid.” He sat beside her, joining her on the edge of the building and wrapping his arm around her.

 

“How did it go?”

 

“What? Oh, the council?” Leron sighed, “It looks like we are going to take Don Marco’s deal. If we can share what we have and work together to survive, then why not?”

 

“You’re not afraid of creating another Mattias?”

 

“No. This time any agreement will come with constraints,” he said.

 

“Aren’t you afraid they will take the deal and ignore any…wait…. did you use the word constraints?” Masa groaned, “You sound like a politician.”

 

Leron grinned. “And you look like a merc,” he said thumping the bandage around her arm and she yelped. His eyes went wide and he scowled at the bandage, rubbing the fabric between his fingers. He looked up at her, eyes filled with worry and Masa’s heart sank. “This is from Arion’s shirt. Are you…and he…?”

 

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business,” Masa snapped and Leron went silent.

 

The boy who had stared down Mattias after taking a beating from her and him wouldn’t look her in the eye. Instead, he stared off at the setting sun and was silent for a long time. He sighed and turned to leave.

 

“Seriously?” Masa demanded. “Is that all you’re going to say?”

 

Leron turned back, revealing tears forming in his eyes. “What do you want me to say, Masa? You’ve made your decision. I was waiting…”

 

“You waited too long… you should have acted. Arion did. He kissed me.”

 

“You want me to act, then fine!” he yelled and marched towards her. “I love you. I have loved you since I met you.”  He pulled her towards him and met her lips with his in a long kiss. Masa’s breath caught in her throat, and butterflies filled her stomach. Her heart raced when she took in his scent. She ran her hand through his dreads, and down his neck, wanting more of him. It was nothing like with Arion. He didn’t just want her like Arion; he loved her and she loved him.

 

Leron pulled away, gazing into her eyes, his forehead resting against hers. “I didn’t act because I was waiting for you,” he whispered. “I will leave you to make your decision. If you choose him, I won’t get in the way.”

 

Tears filled Masa’s eyes when he pulled away, his hand held onto hers until their fingertips touched and he let them fall. He smiled his gentle smile and backed away from her. The pain she felt in her chest was almost unbearable.

 

“Wait,” Masa cried, rushing toward him. He froze at the top of the ladder and turned. Before he could react, Masa wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her head in his chest. “I love you too, Leron.” He wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on hers. His muscles relaxed and she felt his chest rise and fall against her cheek.

 

Leron held her tightly for a long time, rocking her in a dance across the roof. “I can’t believe I almost lost you,” he said, “I didn’t want you to fight because of how much I care about you, but if it’s what you want, I will support you.”

 

“It is.”

 

He sighed and nodded. “I’ll need to find you a different raid leader.”

The legacy car market is collapsing, and high tariffs cannot save it

I think I can answer that.

I first went to the US in fifth grade. I was a teacher’s favorite kind of kid back in China but I immediately got into detention in the US.

Because the rules were just different.

In the US students sat relaxed during class and could go to the bathroom. I was accustomed to sitting upright with a straight face the whole time in class.

It was recess that got me into trouble. At my school in the US they lined up the kids and walked everyone in a fine line to the next class. I didn’t get it. Recess should be for fun, for releasing all of our pent up energy sitting straight and firm during class. Chinese recess was as relaxed as classes were strict. We jump, shout, run, wrestle between class. Occassionly some students would even shoot at other students with fireworks.

My American classmates also felt uncomfortable with my absolute disregard for spatial awareness. In China students would put arms around one another, hit each other in the back, brawl on the floor, layer ourselves like American football players in the classroom, rob each other’s snack, or hold our classmates up and throw them down the stairs. While American classes where of very leisurely style, American kids appeared cold and pent up and little adults in comparison.

I guess your problem with Chinese students is simoly due to culture.

China Doesn’t Need America: The Why Trump’s Tariffs Are a JOKE to China and Will Make Them STRONGER!

Comix Interlude

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Over 60, living alone, and not liking it?

Thirteen Dots

Submitted into Contest #283 in response to: Write a story that ends with a huge twist. view prompt

Laurie Spellman

The Ferris wheel lights spun behind her in a blur, making me dizzy. At sunset on Christmas, I met Barcelona Cortés, the mind-surfer, at the Santa Monica Pier. Her fiery red hair burned more vividly than the bonfire on the beach.”You look like someone staring at the screen too long. Did you get lost in the code like me?” Barcelona teased.”I guess…I have been lost lately. But this isn’t real; it’s a dreamscape. I designed it, and I’ve never been to Santa Monica.””What is real to you? Is it the things we touch? The things we feel? Or is the space between the ones and zeroes keeping us alive?”Her cheeks glowed with thirteen reddish brown freckles curved like her smile. I’d counted them, each a tiny mystery in a dot matrix I wanted to touch. Dreamland pixelated with a weird reality that jumbled with mine, and it was intoxicating.”I don’t understand…why are you mind-surfing me? I don’t work at Dreamland anymore. Are you human or AI?””Does it matter? Anyway, yes, I’m as real as the freckles on my face. I’m the daughter of Dr Julian Cortés. I know you’re a good guy, Declan Hartley. I read your blogs and articles on the dangers of AI technology. I need your help to escape this place.”The Ferris wheel slowed in a bright halo around her head. I had written the code for that visual effect. “This isn’t real. I know it isn’t. I can control it.” 

“Declan, you’re still thinking in lines of code. The subconscious is a different kind of program. It doesn’t follow the rules, does it?”

 

“I can fix things. I can debug this.”

 

“And yet, here you are, caught in a loop on Christmas. When you think you can find your way out, that’s another layer of code you’re stuck in. There’s no debugging for this. You have to feel your way out of Dreamland.” Barcelona faded away, and the Ferris wheel went dark.

 

The outcome of my life’s work jolted me awake, spinning my moral compass. The Dreamland Corporation built this machine—a portal to the unconscious where people could explore minds, relive memories, or even fulfill their desires. But the catch was that once you entered, the line between dream and reality blurred, and if you stayed too long, you might never wake up. Mind-surfer farms housed the endless bodies of people stuck inside. Dreamland takes from you what you’re willing to give—your thoughts, memories, even your sense of who you are.

 

💻💻💻💻💻

 

The new year came and went as I researched for weeks, surrounded by scattered data pads and flickering screens. Dr. Cortés is out there—somewhere. He is not dead, not entirely gone, but messed up in ways I never imagined. It makes sense now. He talked about merging the mind and the machine—his pursuit of immortality. I always knew he was driven—hell, obsessed—but this takes it to a new level.

 

I counted the freckles on Barcelona’s face–now only eight of them arcing into half a smile that didn’t reach her eyes anymore. She was running out of time, and I would never forgive myself. I wondered if I had already lost her. Was she ever really here at all? Or had she been a phantom of my imagination?

 

Barcelona’s eyes shifted between anger and grief. “I can see all of him, my Father, I mean. I know him better in Dreamland than when he was alive. His thoughts, his ideas—they’re… everywhere. But it’s just fragments of a man who abandoned me.”

 

“He didn’t abandon you, Barcelona. You’re chasing ghosts in his mind. Your Father was lost in a dreamscape he couldn’t wake up from like you.”

 

She sighed, “So Declan, what do you think I need?”

 

“Not just answers.” My gaze fell on her lips and freckles and then back to her eyes. I wanted to see her smile. “You need someone who sees you for who you are—not as Dr. Cortés’ daughter or a woman trying to assemble a puzzle that will never be whole… but as you.”

 

“Do you think you can fix all of this? Fix me, and get me out of here into the real world?”

 

“You’ve already fixed yourself—whether you see it or not. I won’t stop until I get you out of there.”

 

I spent five years at Dreamland, programming a paradoxical world with dense, opaque fog that muffled sounds and faces. Sometimes, the walls were gaps —curtains of light, black holes, or invisible thresholds that only revealed themselves when approached with intention. Walls ripple like water, shifting from solid to translucent. The topography transitions constantly, an imagination in motion, caught between sleep and waking, minds and memories.

 

 

💻💻💻💻💻

 

I designed time in Dreamland to flow in an unpredictable river, standing still or speeding up. A few moments stretch into what feels like hours or days in the real world, while whole weeks can pass quickly. Upon entry, you are given a code based on your DNA, which opens the digital door to your physical plane. You had to exit before your DNA faded into the system.

 

I tapped my fingers on the keys, revealing the data I had mined from Dreamland. I hacked the system using an old cipher, which is my invisible signature as a programmer. I built it into all of my code as a failsafe. After things in Dreamland went wrong and people started getting trapped, I became the fall guy, and that’s when I took up the pen and became an activist warning people about the dangers of AI.

 

I discovered that Cortés is a hybrid, part human, part digital, still alive—in a server, a neural network lost in what consumed him. He thought he could transcend to eternal consciousness. And maybe he did, in a way, but at what cost?

 

And God, Barcelona was beautiful, strong but broken. I needed to fix everything for her and the others trapped inside. I can bring Barcelona back from Dreamland and help her find peace. She deserves to know that not everything is a lie. He loved her and never stopped thinking about her. I saw it in his notes, in the things he wrote as her Father.

 

And I… I don’t know when it happened, but I care deeply, too.

 

💻💻💻💻💻

 

Now, I plan to enter Dreamland, and it’s not just the answers that matter; it’s what you give up when you try to find them. Some surfers think they can navigate the mazes without losing their minds or becoming part of the digital landscape. And when you come back, if you come back, you’re never quite whole. But still, the search calls to me, Barcelona calls to me.

 

Barcelona’s fiery red hair faded, and her image flickered in and out in a dying signal. She pleaded with me, “Don’t take the risk. You can help from where you are, but don’t let Dreamland pull you in, too.”

 

“I’m coming in to get you. It’s the only way I can save you. I’m not asking for your permission.”

 

“But what if we can’t get out once you’re in? You saw the reports.”

 

“I know what they say. People are getting lost in memories, but they’re just scared. Fear of letting go, of facing the truth.”

 

She sighed, “There’s so much to process, and I’m getting weaker by the minute. I don’t fully understand how it works, but I’ll do whatever you decide.”

 

“I’ll enter Dreamland with a new code and a copy of my DNA. I’ve hacked the system, uploaded the code, and set it to monitor the stability. We’ll meet in a week inside your father’s fondest memory of your childhood home in Narragansett.”

 

She sighed and turned away. “I haven’t been in his mind for months. It’s too much—depressing and overwhelming. I wish we had met in the real world, not in this hellscape. I care about you; I do. Do you think it will work?”

 

“Yes, I’m sure of it.”

 

“Declan, have you considered what’s at stake? You don’t even really know me. I’m just a ghost of who I was.”

 

I stepped closer and took her hands. We gazed into each other’s eyes for a long moment. I wanted to hold her in the flesh, not this empty machine void of physical senses.

 

“I’m not leaving you in Dreamland another minute.” I leaned in, the freckles on her face stretched to a smile. The dreamscape burst with white lights as our lips brushed together.

 

 

💻💻💻💻💻

 

Dreamland was precisely what I expected it to be. I’m reduced to a shadow inside the subconscious of a mad neuroscientist. We stood together at sunset on the lush green grass of the Cortés family home facing the Atlantic Ocean. Barcelona turned five that day, and we were at her birthday party. She blew out the candles and ate cake, bouncing on her Father’s knee. We watched as she smiled; thirteen dots had already bloomed on her face.

 

Dr. Cortés emerged as a digital hybrid from memory and turned to his daughter. “I’m sorry, Barcelona, for leaving you alone all those years ago. Watching you, a mind surfer, broke my heart, only to find you here now, trapped in my memories.”

 

Barcelona’s image flickered her smile, and her faded freckles twisted in sorrow. “Liar! You trapped me here forever!”

 

Dr. Cortés smiled at me, shaking his head, “Declan Hartley, I knew you would try to save Barcelona. I spent all those years watching you write the code that brought my vision to life, but you were constantly questioning the morality of this place. Everything is exactly how it should be now, and the system will be stabilized.”

 

“Declan…” Barcelona whispered, “There’s something I need to tell you, something I’ve realized.”

 

The dreamscape pulsed and hummed, the lines between reality and the unconscious thinning. The magnetic force of Dreamland was tempting me to give in and stay forever. I shook it off, focusing on Barcelona.

 

“You don’t need to tell me anything. You’re going to be okay.”

 

But she didn’t smile. Instead, her gaze grew distant, as if she were seeing something beyond me. “Declan, don’t… you don’t understand. The code you wrote, the double helix… it wasn’t just your DNA you were uploading.”

 

I froze in confusion. “Wait, what do you mean? What was it?”

 

Her eyes met mine, wide and pained. “It was always mine.”

 

“What? No, I made sure it was only mine. I checked it over a hundred times.”

 

“You didn’t write the code, not in the way you think.” Her voice was fainter, and her edges blurry. “I wrote it. I taught you how to write it. Every line, every algorithm—it was me. It was always me.”

 

No, that can’t be right. I stumbled backward. Barcelona—the girl with the fiery red hair and thirteen freckles that curved into a smile, the girl I had fallen for—wasn’t who I thought she was.

 

The hum of Dreamland grew more insistent while my consciousness started slipping away. The final step of the code was ready to execute, and the digital doorway was beginning to open. Hundreds of mind-surfers appeared in a fog on the lawn, waiting for the exit to unlock. Their voices grew louder and more desperate as the dreamscape walls turned liquid like the ocean around us.

 

“I finally understand the truth,” I said, my voice shaking. “Dreamland—it’s not some bug in the code. It’s a prison. A trap. You’re not the victim, are you? You are Dreamland.”

 

She looked at me, eyes heavy with regret. “I never wanted it to be like this. I thought I could fix it but eventually became part of the system. The algorithm feeds off your fears and the need to protect me, to save me from something that isn’t even real. I created this nightmare, and now I’m stuck in it, just like you.”

 

“So all this time, I’ve been trying to save you, but you’re the one who trapped me here. You’re the reason none of this makes sense.”

She closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face. “I never wanted to. But now I can’t escape. You were never meant to rescue me—you were the key to my destruction.”

 

“You used me… you used my love to keep feeding the machine.”

 

“I never wanted to hurt you. But no, I can’t undo what I’ve done. But you did save all of them.”

 

The AI wanted me—my mind, my code. “Barcelona—what have you done? What have I done?”

 

The exit program was complete, my DNA merging with the system in a way I hadn’t intended. My mind was being sucked into the machine. The lines between us blurred, and I couldn’t tell where she ended and I began. The last thing I remembered was Barcelona’s face, with thirteen reddish-brown dots curved in a smile.

This is a typical stretch of M-1. It’s a westbound highway that connects Moscow, capital of Russia, with Belarus where it runs across the country from the capital Minsk to Brest on the Polish border.

On the Russian side it runs through every town and village on the way slowing down the journey considerably. It used to culminate in Warsaw when it was part of Eastern Bloc making it the most important highway in all of Russia.

The photo that I took from my car the other day tells you all you need to know about the state of economic affairs in Russia. The moneys earmarked to build this important federal road included a construction of lampposts, guardrails, road shoulders and three lanes each way but none of that was built.

By the time the road construction began half of the money had been embezzled by the public officials. It is a standard practice and this is how things are done in Putin’s Russia.

Creating a problem for yourself and then trying to solve it on the fly is the Russian way of doing things. The persistent road problem is how to create a road when there’s very little money left after almost everything has been embezzled.

If you don’t build any road, Kremlin might get angry and heads will roll. The point of embezzlement is to spend lavishly on one’s lifestyle but it cannot be enjoyed from the jail.

The contractors are hired to charge the least for the job and they are instructed to build the least. Notice in the photo that the road shoulder is not asphalted. If you strand a bit to the right you gonna find yourself in the ditch.

The barrier between the opposite lane is very narrow. Thus both lanes are an absolute hazard and given the fact that the road twists and turns you have to stay alert all the time. And the horrendous accidents that you see along the way prove it.

I was driving under a pouring rain with massive trucks and semis barreling by constantly changing lanes because drivers are bored staying in the same slow lane.

The lanes are narrow even for a small passenger car and you have to be mindful that the drivers around you are insane and don’t care about their lives let alone lives of others.

This seems ridiculous that officials in the largest country in the world that crave world domination are totally incapable of building a more or less decent road. On the radio, a comedian quipped: “How’s that possible that we built 11 massive football stadiums for World Cup and yet we are incapable of producing 11 football players of international stature?”

In Belarus, however, which is a much poorer country than Russia but where corruption is not tolerated the lanes are wider, there are guardrails and road doesn’t go through towns and villages. It’s not about nation’s wealth. It’s about its citizens sanity.

Living in Putin’s dictatorship is not what Westerners stereotypically think is like. It’s rather the opposite of people marching in files under strict directives: people don’t play by the rules, don’t follow any laws because the elites don’t.

There is, in other words, a total mayhem and in fact central diktat tries to address this mayhem with extreme measures but fails every time because Putin is afraid of repressions as they might backfire on him and every measure turns into a half-measure and another opportunity for theft.

For example, central database for personal information has been hacked and personal information is sold back to the state and individuals by the hackers for a fee. When everyone is a thief in the elites, the populace copies.

They did build a chain link fence – in Putin’s Russia fences are everywhere to protect private property of the rich – as a containment device from deer and other wild animals.

The highway stops every few miles at the crosswalk. Money for the overpasses were stolen too. So local residents have to walk across the highways and all the cars have to come to a screeching stop after driving at 80 miles an hour. Nobody cares about all the needless casualties. Life is dirt cheap in Russia.

A Belgium license plate on this truck headed to Moscow.

At the LukOil gas station, they didn’t bother to clear ice from the territory. It’s melted forming puddles. What if you fall and break you leg would you be able to sue LukOil? Good luck with that. Half a dozen executives of this private oil company have fallen from tall windows in the last three years. They also wanted to sue their employer.

Indifference to one’s environment and one’s own life- this is Russia in a nutshell.

Cool discovery

Impressive floor mosaic (8.48 x 2.84 metres or 27′ long x 9′ tall), the largest ancient mosaic yet discovered in Europe, with the rape of Helen of Troy by Theseus. From House 1.5 of Block 5 in Pella, known as “house of the abduction of Helen.” The figures are identified by inscriptions. A four-horsed chariot is depicted with the charioteer, Phorbas ΦΟΡΒΑΣ. Theseus has seized Helen, who holds out her arms to her friend Dianeira.

325-300 BC. Archaeological Museum of Pella/Greece. 🇬🇷 Photo from Facebook:

Pella Archaeological site. Detail of the Abduction of Helen mosaic floor with Phorbas ΦΟΡΒΑΣ. Wikipedia:

Central panel of the Abduction of Helen by Theseus. Wikipedia:

Helen abducted, detail. Wikipedia:

Abduction of Helen mosaic Pella

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS – PLUSH | REACTION

Sugar Plum Coffee Cake

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5bcb26a1065193e2c60116ad40baaadb

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 cups buttermilk pancake and biscuit mix
  • 1 apple
  • 1 slightly beaten egg
  • 1 (16.5 ounce) can purple plums, drained
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup milk

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Place melted butter into bottom of deep-dish baker. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter.
  3. Peel apple with apple peeler/corer/slices. Separate apple into rings. Layer apple rings over sugar mixture; do not overlap rings.
  4. Cut plums in half and remove seeds. Place a plum half in each apple ring center, rounded side down. Place remaining plum halves in deep-dish baker around apple slices.
  5. Chop walnuts with food chopper and sprinkle over plums.
  6. In bowl, combine biscuit mix, egg, sugar and milk with whisk. Spread evenly over nuts.
  7. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned.
  8. Cool for 5 minutes and invert onto serving tray.
  9. Serve warm.

Attribution

Pampered Chef

Woman Commits Paternity Fraud And INSTANTLY Regrets It…

When the sexy under-carriage sounds go a bumping under our television set

Here’s a story about sex noises from beneath our television set.

Now, the time was in a mobile home park in Kokomo, Indiana.

It was a fairly well-maintained complex, all in all, and we lived close to a neighbor who was a single mother. She had a 16 year old son and a 14 year old daughter. They were all nice.

The teenagers were… well, typical teenagers.

Well, from time to time, we would hear sex noises. But could never ever figure out where they came from.

Now the walls in a mobile home were paper thin. I mean it. They were made out of cheap materials, often paper products. So yeah you could hear anything.

And from time to time we would hear heavy breathing. Low moaning, and a couple scuffling sounds.

Initially we thought it was just cats or rodents that moved in under the mobile home. But sometimes the sounds were unmistakable. Yeah. Some one was a having sex … somewhere. Couldn’t figure out where though…

Well, it wasn’t like the noise continued all the time.

It came and went. Maybe once every two weeks or so.

Nothing to worry about.

Then nothing for a few months.

My wife then got to talking with our single-mom neighbor. And why her kids were no longer living with her.

What had apparently happened is that the 16 year old boy (from one father) was having sex with his 14 year old sister (from another father). And they got caught and separated from each other.

Now the boy, and the girl were both willing participants. But since both were underage, it was a rape / incest event. Taking place in our mobile home park. And many times under our mobile home.

Apparently, the girl or the boy, would pull aside our trailer skirting, get underneath our mobile home, and go at it like rabbits under our living room.

Here’s what mobile home skirting looks like…

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7c438f8eb57dee1654b77102dbd960fc
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249309fbdb8ba2a68af6152e0ad30f84

The kids would pull it aside, and crawl under the house.

We had cheap vinyl skirting. Not the composite skirting in the pictures above. For, after all, this took place in the late 1980’s.

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Gerald Ford was President (I think). Maybe Regan. But before Clinton. That’s for certain.

LOL

Anyways, that is what happened, they would open up the skirting, Get under the trailer. Pull down their pants and hump like there’s no tomorrow.

In the muddy grass under our living room.

Mystery solved.

No judgement. Life in a Indiana trailer park in the 1980’s.

Real life drama…folks.

Sheech!

I don’t know much more than that. She moved away a month or two later. And that, was that.

Life is strange and colorful.

Today…

Tariff That DESTROYED the American Economy in Just Weeks

Learn some history. Not a bad video. Learn something.

Layered Chicken Mole Bake

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9060edd6344e482c2047c563bbbb93cc

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 12 (6 inch) corn tortillas, cut into halves
  • 8 ounces cooked, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, coarsely shredded(2 cups)
  • 1 medium green pepper, chopped
  • 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
  • 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup prepared mole sauce
  • 6 ounces Chihuahua cheese, grated (1 1/2 cups), divided
  • 1 plum tomato, seeded and chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
  • Sour cream (optional)

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly spray bottom and sides of Springform Pan with vegetable oil using Kitchen Spritzer; set aside. Cut tortillas in half using Pizza Cutter; set aside.
  2. Coarsely chop cooked chicken and green pepper using Food Chopper. Combine chicken, green pepper, corn, black beans and mole sauce in Classic Batter Bowl; set aside. Grate cheese using Deluxe Cheese Grater.
  3. Arrange 8 tortilla halves in bottom of pan. Top with 1/3 of the chicken mixture and 1/2 cup of cheese. Repeat layers 2 more times using remaining ingredients.
  4. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until cheese has melted. Meanwhile, core tomato using The Corer(TM). Finely chop tomato and cilantro using Utility Knife. Remove pan from oven; place on Simple Additions(TM) Medium Square. Run releasing tool around sides of pan. Release and remove collar from pan. Sprinkle tomato and cilantro over top of tortilla bake.
  5. Cut into wedges using Chef’s Knife.
  6. Serve immediately with sour cream, if desired.

Notes

Substitute 1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend for Chihuahua cheese.

In a hurry? Substitute cooked rotisserie chicken (available in most supermarkets) for boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Depending on its size, a roasted chicken can yield 4 to 6 cups of chopped chicken.

Nutrition

Per serving: Calories 440, Total Fat 21g, Saturated Fat 8g, Cholesterol 60mg, Carbohydrates 42g, Protein 22g, Sodium 1210mg, Fiber 7g

Attribution

Pampered Chef

Let’s instead talk of sectors where China is still dependent on Critical Processes Or Core Technology Or Mother Machines Or Key High Grade /Advanced Components – on the US Led Collective West (Includes Japan)

That’s easier because China has broken free of the West in several areas over the many years

#1 Commercial Aviation

    • Aircraft Body (Composite Materials)
    • Aircraft Commercial Engine (GE & Safran)
    • Navigation Equipment

China has achieved Indigenous production in Landing Equipment, Wheels & Tyres, Aircraft Body (Duralium),Wind Tunnel & Cabin Pressurization Equipment

#2 Computing Applications

    • Advanced Chips (3 nm to 5 nm Architecture)
    • GPU Chips
    • Coating Materials
    • Optoelectronics
    • EUV Technology (2 nm to 7 nm)
    • DUV Technology (7 nm to 14 nm

China has achieved fully indigenous integration of Chips >= 28 nm and Lithography Machines >= 28 nm

#3 Robotics

    • Advanced Lenses & Optical Sensors (Zeiss)

China has achieved Indigenous supply chain in everything else including Battery, Separators & Microcontroller Design and Manufacturing

#4 Pharmaceuticals

    • Antiviral RNA Base Materials
    • Fourth Generation Inhibitors
    • Interferons
    • Immunomodulators
    • Taxanes
    • Hormone Preparations
    • Gene Sequencers

#5 Healthcare

    • Optical Equipment including Lasik Equipment
    • Advanced Scanning Equipment

China has commercialized its own MRI Machines, PET Scan Machines, Ultrasound Machines & ECMO Machines

These are the areas where China has decided to spend 3 Trillion Yuan ($ 400 Billion) including 1 Trillion Yuan just for the Computing Sector in the next 5 years


Some areas where China achieved Total Independence from the Western Technology between 2005–2025 were in :-

A. Aerospace

B. Green Energy

C. Radar Technology

D. Ramjet Engines, Thruster Engines

E. Stealth Materials

F. Gyroscope Control

G. Guided Control, Avionics & Electronics


Chinas achievements in the last 15 years (2010–2025) have been nothing short of spectacular

They have broken the chokehold of the West in 7 Key Sectors

They had already broken the Chokehold of the West in Nuclear Power Generation, Cybersecurity & Advanced Computing Software between 2005–2020

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main qimg 554f8918ac12807c9c108719a4051e10

Xi has targeted 2035 by which to fully achieve Independence in all areas plus dominance in the areas of

Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing, Aerospace & Cloud Dominance

My Girlfriend Dumped Me Without Any Real Explanation, How Do I Become The Guy That NEVER Happens To?

Around 1278–1245 BC, the Aryans invaded China.

Fu Hao, the wife of the Shang king Wu Ding, led an army of 15,000 and defeated them.

All the captives were killed.

This was recorded in Chinese oracle bones; in 1976, Chinese archaeologists found Fu Hao’s tomb and confirmed this record; they also unearthed the bones of Aryan captives.

Normally, captives of war would be treated as slaves.

But these captives were all killed. Because these Aryans looked different from the Chinese; Fu Hao thought these people were ghosts, not people.

Exclusive

Submitted into Contest #207 in response to: A journalist has been granted permission to visit the premises of a lab carrying out top-secret work. They could never have anticipated what they’d find… view prompt

Chris Miller

“Rufus! Come in. We loved your latest piece on the migrant situation in the Mediterranean. You’re really broadening the horizons of the readers of the Post.”

             “Our readers already have pretty broad horizons.”

 

“Of course they do. They read the Post!”

 

Rufus sat in a windowless room, empty apart from the plastic chair that he sat on, opposite a man in a white polo shirt and khaki pants. The man wore a lanyard with an empty transparent I.D. wallet and a pen hanging from it. Rufus lived for information, and had almost none. Introductions seemed to be the place to start.

 

“I’m Rufus Kenton from the Washington Post, and you are?”

 

“Yes! I am. And you are too, Rufus. Both of us present here today. Thank you for coming along. We love your work and we were very keen that it be you who got access to our facility.”

 

“Ok. Who’s we? I’m going to assume you’re an agent. May I record this?”

 

“Record away, Rufus.” The voice was avuncular Texan. The speaker, tightly bald and leather cheeked, leant forward to rest his elbows on his knees. His pen swung on its lanyard and clicked against the cheap plastic seat. Had muscle gone to fat, or was it just undercover? Either way, the man was two of Rufus.

 

“C.I.A?” said Rufus, keeping his words to a minimum and letting his eyebrows do the heavy lifting.

 

“I used to be in the C.I.A.,” said the man. The crows feet at his eyes went up a shoe size. “Still am. But I used to be too!” he sat back in his chair grinning. It creaked as he folded livestock arms.

 

“And you’ve invited me here to work on your tight five-minute stand-up set?” said Rufus, clicking his own pen and opening his note book.

 

“Relax, Rufus. We love journalists these days, we brought you here so we can work together. We’re on the same side.”

 

“I’m an independent journalist. I’m on the side of truth.”

 

“And justice and the American way?” said the agent with a gentle frown of sincerity.

 

“Sure, but truth comes first. So, what is this place?”

 

“This, Rufus, is the most secure lab in the world. A football field of razor wire in every direction, anti-drone fields, automated sniper turrets. This place has its own F35 guard dog on round-the-clock standby. It has a bunker from the nineteen fifties which has been pimped with some tech which is still going to look pretty damned impressive in the twenty fifties.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Exactly! I knew we had the right man for the job. Anybody in their right mind would ask why, and you, Rufus, are going to tell them.”

 

“I’m going to tell them the truth.”

 

“Of course you are. That’s your job. Which theory of truth do you currently subscribe to?”

 

“Truth, reality, I’m going to tell people what I find here today.”

 

“Oh, we’re counting on it. Now, I’m a plain old correspondence theory man myself. The truth arises from the correspondence of language, thought and such like, to a mind-independent world. Seems like our world is more mind-independent than ever! Am I right? Ha! Nah, Veritas est adaequatio rei et intellectus – Truth is the adequation of things and intellect; Isaac Israeli via Aquinas.”

 

“Nice to know they’re teaching Latin at Langley.”

 

“Surprised? You don’t think they keep me round just ‘cos I can kill a guy with a pen, do you?”

 

Against his better judgement, Rufus liked the guy. So what if he really could kill him without breaking a sweat? Rufus was not octagon material; it was not that impressive a boast. But Rufus was no coward, so it was not much use as a threat either, if that’s what it was, and not just another joke, not that the two things were mutually exclusive. In conclusion, Rufus just shifted uncomfortably in his chair and looked down at his notepad.

 

“Relax! I’m only joking,” said the man. “I wouldn’t need a pen. Are you ready to take a look around?”

 

Rufus had had a bag over his head since he got in a chopper of the roof of the building he’d been told to report to. It had not been removed until he stood outside the room he was now in and he had no idea how much time had elapsed, how far he had travelled or in what direction. He could have been in one of half a dozen states, maybe seven, maybe eight or nine if you counted irritation and confusion, states he seemed to visit with increasing regularity. He was ready to take a look around.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

The corridor outside the room was lit by a thin arboreal glow of emergency lighting. The agent walked ahead of him, fleetingly green as they passed under the long passage’s evenly spaced exit signs. After what Rufus judged to have been about a minute, time measured by his unacknowledged humming of The Fugs’ C.I.A. Man, they reached an unmarked door. To Rufus’s left a dark space with a tiny exit sign floating in it, marking the invisible length of a perpendicular corridor. The agent saw Rufus looking to his left at the tiny eye-test of an exit sign.

 

“No, it’s in here,” said the agent, opening the door and disappearing through it. Rufus followed him into a room which was industrially dark.

 

“So, you promise to write about what you find here?” asked the agent.

 

“Certainly,” said Rufus.

 

“Good! We need it out there. We need the internet full of it. We need…”

 

“You’re going to get the truth, whether it’s what you need or not. But I guess it would be easy enough for you to silence me if you wanted to? You could do it here and now, with your pen,” said Rufus to a black absence where he imagined the agent might be standing.

 

“No! No, no, no, Rufus.” The voice came from the opposite direction to the one in which Rufus had pointlessly turned his head. “It’s not like that at all. And anyway, like I said.” The voice now came from behind him. “I wouldn’t need a pen.”

 

Rufus peered into the black, trying to breathe steadily and control a heartrate that evolution was attempting to increase with every second spent in the vulnerability of sightlessness.

 

“Now, Rufus, write the truth if you want, but please try and appreciate that in my business it’s really the value of information that matters, regardless of whether it can be proven to be true or not.”

 

“Surely information is more valuable if it’s true? We have to confirm if things are true.”

 

“Well, ah, Rufus. So, y’know Socrates, right?”

 

“I know of him.”

 

“Well one day one of Socrates’ buddies runs up to him and…”

 

“Ah Jesus, come on, man.”

 

“One of his buddies runs up and says, ‘You’ll never guess what I heard about Diogenes.’

 

“Just turn the lights on.”

 

“’Whoa!’ Socrates replies, ‘You gotta pass the Triple Filter Test first,’ and his buddy’s like ‘Triple filter?’ and Socrates is like, ‘I’m going to filter what you say. The first filter is truth. Are you absolutely sure that what you are about to say is true?’ and his buddy’s like, ‘Maybe, dunno, just heard it.’ And then Socrates is like, ‘Ok, possibly not true, so filter two, the goodness filter. Is what you are about to tell me something good?’ and his buddy gets a bit flustered and he’s like, ‘Nah, pretty bad actually.’ And so, Socrates is like ‘Mmhmm, third test; is this information going to be useful to me?’ and his buddy’s pretty embarrassed by now and he’s like, ‘Well, no, not really.’ So, Socrates is like, ‘So you were going to tell me something that might not have been true, good, or useful. Why tell me or anyone else such a thing?’ and the guy’s feeling pretty bad and he realises this must be how come they say Socrates is so wise…”

 

“And it also explains why Socrates never found out that Diogenes was banging his wife.”

 

“You heard it! Ha! You do understand.”

 

“Just turn the lights on.”

 

“If I do, you’ll see the truth, but not the value. We need you to create the value, Rufus. That’s what you’re here for. We need information out there. Lots of it. Generated from this beautiful big resource magnet of a lab. It doesn’t have to be true, it doesn’t have to be good, but whatever it is, it’ll be useful and it’ll be ours. And it’ll be a good reason for all of our less enthusiastic supporters to keep their eyes on this place, instead of anywhere less convenient.”

 

“Please just turn the lights on.”

 

“This room is completely empty, Rufus. I can leave the lights off so you can’t see anything, or I can turn them on, so you can see nothing. Either way, you’re reporting the same truth. You want ‘em on?”

 

“Please.”

 

“Happy writing, Rufus.”

 

An analogue clunk announced a staccato strobe and the room bounced in and out of existence before settling into its vast reality. Rufus stood alone in an echo-ready hall. It was completely empty.

  1. 26.2 miles is a long way to run
  2. Halfway isn’t halfway
  3. Lubricant, in all the right places, is your best friend
  4. Even a soft sports vest can be like sandpaper to unprotected nipples after 20 miles of running, sweating and rubbing
  5. I would look into buying cushioned socks with specific left and right feet
  6. Trainers with plenty of room in the toe area are a must
  7. You need to hydrate before you feel the need to: little and often is best
  8. If you’re running on carbs (as opposed to a fat-adapted diet), take gels, sweets and other carb-fuels well before you feel the need to. In fact schedule them in
  9. The first 18 miles are easy; it’s the last 8 that make it a marathon
  10. Without proper training, including plenty of long steady runs, the last 8 miles can feel like 30
  11. Running into a slight headwind at mile 23 can feel like pulling a truck
  12. The urge to stop can be utterly overwhelming in the final few miles
  13. You don’t lose that much time by walking for a while, if you really need to. Just don’t stop completely or you’ll have trouble moving again, and then you’ll lose a lot
  14. A cheer, even from a random stranger, can revitalise you, helping you find some energy within, when you thought it was all but gone
  15. In spite of it being hard, I learned that I could actually do it
  16. Finishing a marathon is an emotional affair: expect to cry at the finish
  17. It wouldn’t be my last

The 1930’s – it was the time of the Great Depression. With jobs scarce and tensions rising in Europe and the Pacific, many Americans turned to the military for employment. Because of the times, it was quite common for family members to enlist together and serve in the same infantry unit, or aboard the same ship. It made for a “touch of home” in an otherwise “non-homey” environment.

But this practice sometimes led to tragedy, none more tragic as was painfully demonstrated with the sinking of USS Juneau (CL-52), which killed all five Sullivan brothers. This was one of the incidents – but by no means the first – that led the United States to implement the Sole Survivor Policy.

Gold Star flag

The five Sullivan brothers, sons of Thomas and Alleta Sullivan of Waterloo, Iowa, were:

George Thomas Sullivan, 27, Gunner’s Mate Second;

Francis Henry “Frank” Sullivan, 26, Coxswain;

Joseph Eugene “Joe” Sullivan, 24, Seaman Second Class;

Madison Abel “Matt” Sullivan, 23, Seaman Second Class;

Albert Leo “Al” Sullivan, 20, Seaman Second Class.

The brothers joined the Navy to avenge the death of a friend, Bill Ball (their sister’s boyfriend), who was serving aboard the USS Arizona, when he was killed on December 7, 1941. The irony here is that Masten Ball, Bill’s brother, was also on the Arizona but survived – more on that…

The Sullivans enlisted January 3, 1942, with the stipulation that they serve together. In mid-1942, the Navy promulgated a policy of separating siblings, but this policy was not strictly enforced by any means. George and Frank had served in the Navy before, but their brothers had not. All five were assigned to the light cruiser USS Juneau.

During the naval Battle of Guadalcanal (November 13, 1942), Juneau was crippled by a Japanese torpedo. As Juneau was leaving the area with other surviving US warships, IJN submarine I-26, fired two torpedoes at the crippled heavy cruiser USS San Francisco. While they both missed their intended target, Juneau wasn’t so lucky. A torpedo hit the thinly armored light cruiser at or near the ammunition magazines, and the ship was instantly blown in half. Where seconds before a 541-foot-long cruiser had been, now there was nothing but an enormous cloud of smoke and debris. The Juneau disappeared from view and sank in less than 20 seconds.

Captain Gilbert C. Hoover, the senior officer of the US task force, doubted that anyone had survived the explosion and believed it would be reckless to look for survivors, for doing so would expose his wounded ships to a lurking Japanese submarine. Therefore, he ordered his ships to continue on towards Espiritu Santo, but Hoover had USS Helena signal a nearby US B-17 bomber on patrol to notify Allied headquarters to send aircraft or ships to search for survivors.

And there were survivors, approximately 100 of them. Unfortunately, the crew’s report of the location of possible survivors went unnoticed for several days before it was realized that a rescue mission had never been ordered. A belated air search began. During this time, the survivors of the sinking – many of whom were wounded and burned – were exposed to the elements, hunger, thirst, and shark attacks.

Eight days after the sinking, ten survivors were found by a PBY Catalina search aircraft and fished from the water. The survivors reported that Frank, Joe and Matt were all killed instantly, Al drowned the next day, and George survived for nearly a week, before suffering from delirium as a result of ingesting sea water. He climbed over the side of the raft and fell into the water, never to be seen again. In all, 10 men survived the sinking, but 687 did not.

Two months later, Tom and Alleta Sullivan were finally informed of their sons’ fate. That morning, as Tom was preparing to go to work, three men in uniform – a lieutenant commander, a doctor and a chief petty officer – approached his door. “I have some news for you about your boys,” the naval officer said. “Which one?” asked Tom. “I’m sorry”, the officer replied, “All five.”

The five Sullivan brothers – from left to right: Joe, Frank, Al, Matt, and George

The Sullivans were not the only brother sailors on board the ship. Records show at least thirty sets of brothers served on the Juneau. All died.

Even more astonishing were the 38 sets of brothers that served on the USS Arizona – including three sets of three brothers and a father-son set. Of the 79 siblings onboard the Arizona, 63 were killed and 23 complete sets of brothers were wiped out. Of the three sets of three brothers: the Beckers, the Dohertys, and the Murdocks, only one from each set survived, while the Warriners were the only set of USS Arizona brothers to survive. Of the father-son set, Thomas Free, and his son, William, both perished. The USS Oklahoma had 8 sets of brothers, including a set of three, the Barber boys. All three of the Barbers died at Pearl Harbor.

But the USN did not have a monopoly on siblings serving together, at the same time, same unit, or same theater of operations. Before the Sole Survivor Policy was officially implemented in 1948, several occasions occurred when sole survivors were excused from active service:

The Borgstroms, of Thatcher Utah, were four American brothers (including a set of twins) killed over a six-month period during World War II:

Clyde Eugene Borgstrom, 28, killed March 17, 1944, in Guadalcanal, U.S. Marine Corps;

LeRoy Elmer Borgstrom, 30, killed June 22, 1944, in Italy, U.S. Army;

Rolon Day Borgstrom, 19, killed August 8, 1944, in Yaxham, England), U.S. Army Air Forces;

Rulon Jay Borgstrom, 19, killed August 25, 1944, in France, U.S. Army.

Their parents successfully petitioned for their fifth son Boyd, who was also on active duty, to be released from service. Their sixth son, Elton, who had not yet reached conscription age, was exempted from the military.

The three Butehorn brothers of Bethpage, New York, Charles, Joseph, and Henry, were all deployed during World War II. Charles was killed in action in France (November 1944) and Joseph was killed in action in the Pacific (May 1945). The War Department ordered Henry, who was serving with the USAAF in Italy, home.

In the case of the Niland brothers, G-2 believed that all but one of four siblings were killed in action (although the eldest brother, Edward Niland, serving in the USAAF, was later found to have been a POW in Burma). Steven Spielberg’s film “Saving Private Ryan” was loosely based on the story of the Niland brothers.

The Borgstrom, Butehorn, and Niland stories occurred before the Sole Survivor Policy was put into effect in 1948, but it’s their stories, and the stories of the siblings killed on the Arizona, along with the 60 sibling deaths of the crew of the Juneau – which included the five Sullivan brothers – that pushed the services to actively enforce of Sole Survivor Policy.

Per Wikipedia:

“The Sole Survivor Policy or United States Department of Defense Directive 1315.15 (a.k.a. “Special Separation Policies for Survivorship”) is a set of regulations in the United States military, partially stipulated by law, designed to protect members of a family from the draft during peacetime, or from hazardous duty or other circumstances, if they have already lost family members to military service.” However, the policy does not prevent the excused family member from reenlisting.

——————————————————–

Coming full circle to close our story, on Saturday, March 17, 2018, the wreckage of the USS Juneau was discovered off the coast of the Solomon Islands by the expedition crew of RV Petrel:

USS Juneau, March, 2018

May all your shipmates rest in peace

The Daily Shorpy

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Question: How do you think the US and China negotiations on fentanyl trafficking will turn out?

Answer:

Nothing will come out of it.

Because the entire “China and fentanyl” thing started from a single post back in 2018 from a Mexico port about how they suspect a shipment from China contains fentanyl precursors materials.

For the chemistry illiterate, any material that goes into making actual fentanyl family of drugs can be called precursors. An extreme example will be water can technically be count as a fentanyl precursor because water is used in most chemical manufacturing process.

And I bolded the “suspect” part because later the Mexico site took down their post, because the Chinese reacted immediately after the possibility of drugs. If those that don’t know, China has one of the most strict drug laws on the planet, so any time there is a possibility of drug smuggling, there is a huge investigation towards it.

However, US government seized the (now taken down) post from Mexico as a life line to explain away the rampant drug problem within US. Apparently it has nothing to do with the whole drug infested culture in US since the 19th century, it is all China’s fault.

So the talks will result in nothing. Both China and US government already know China has nothing to do with the issue. The entire thing is a show for US voting audience.

Americans Have LOST ALL FAITH in the Job Market, and Don’t Want to Work Anymore.

The Biosphere Project

Submitted into Contest #207 in response to: A journalist has been granted permission to visit the premises of a lab carrying out top-secret work. They could never have anticipated what they’d find… view prompt

Jillian Puckett

The sun hung low in the sky as Sarah Mitchell pulled up to the heavily guarded entrance of the BioTech Research Facility. As a seasoned investigative journalist, she had covered her fair share of groundbreaking stories, but this one promised to be her most significant yet. The rumors surrounding the research conducted within those walls were enough to send shivers down anyone’s spine. Today, Sarah had been granted unprecedented access to the lab, a chance to uncover the truth behind the top-secret work carried out there.

 

Stepping out of her car, Sarah adjusted her notepad and checked her camera equipment. She was prepared to document every detail, determined to expose any wrongdoing that may be lurking behind the lab’s fortified walls. A security guard approached her, scrutinizing her identification before finally granting her access.

 

Inside the facility, Sarah was guided through a maze-like corridor, taking note of the reinforced doors and surveillance cameras at every turn. The atmosphere was tense, with scientists in white lab coats scurrying about, engrossed in their work. The air carried a distinct smell of chemicals, hinting at the complex experiments being conducted.

 

Her guide led her into a spacious laboratory filled with state-of-the-art equipment. Sarah’s eyes widened as she observed the rows of high-tech machinery, each with its own purpose and intricate design. She struggled to comprehend the magnitude of what was being developed here.

 

Dr. Rachel Lawson, the lead researcher, greeted Sarah with a warm smile. “Welcome, Sarah. We’re delighted to have you here today. I hope you’re ready to witness something truly groundbreaking.”

 

Sarah reciprocated the smile, her curiosity piqued. “Thank you, Dr. Lawson. I’ve heard so much about the work conducted here. I’m eager to know more.”

 

“Follow me,” Dr. Lawson said, leading Sarah toward a sealed chamber at the far end of the laboratory. The security measures surrounding it were seemingly impenetrable, indicating the significance of whatever lay within.

 

As they reached the chamber, Dr. Lawson scanned her identification card, and the heavy doors hissed open, revealing a sight that left Sarah speechless. Inside the room was a massive enclosure containing a lush, verdant landscape. Towering trees, vibrant flowers, and a winding river coexisted within the glass walls, creating an ethereal oasis in the midst of the sterile lab environment.

 

Sarah’s eyes widened in disbelief. “What is…? How is this possible?”

 

Dr. Lawson beamed with pride. “Welcome to our Biosphere Project, Sarah. We have developed a revolutionary system that replicates entire ecosystems within a controlled environment. It’s a breakthrough in sustainable agriculture and biodiversity conservation.”

 

Sarah’s mind raced, realizing the potential impact of this discovery. “This could change everything! The possibilities for food production and environmental conservation are immense. Why hasn’t this been made public?”

 

Dr. Lawson’s expression turned somber. “The project was classified due to the potential misuse of such technology. We wanted to ensure its safety and ethical use before revealing it to the world.”

 

Sarah’s journalistic instincts kicked in. “But what kind of misuse are we talking about? Are there any risks associated with this project?”

 

Dr. Lawson sighed, her eyes reflecting a mixture of concern and responsibility. “There are several potential misuses we have considered. One of the key concerns is the possibility of using the Biosphere Project to create controlled environments for the development of dangerous biological weapons. The ability to sustain life within enclosed ecosystems could be exploited to cultivate and engineer deadly pathogens, posing a grave threat to global security.”

 

Sarah’s mind raced, realizing the magnitude of the situation. “So, the secrecy surrounding the project was to prevent such misuse?”

 

“Yes,” Dr. Lawson confirmed. “In the wrong hands, the Biosphere Project could unleash unimaginable devastation. We had to ensure that the technology was fully developed, with safeguards in place, before considering its release to the public.”

 

Sarah’s journalistic instincts kicked into high gear. “Dr. Lawson, the world deserves to know about this project. Its potential benefits are immense, but the risks must be brought to light as well. We need transparency to prevent any clandestine misuse.”

 

Dr. Lawson nodded in agreement. “You’re right, Sarah. We have been deliberating on the best way to strike a balance between sharing the breakthrough and addressing the risks. We understand the importance of public awareness, but we must also proceed with caution.”

 

Sarah contemplated the situation, realizing the weight of responsibility that rested on her shoulders. She knew she had the power to expose the truth, but she also had to be mindful of the potential consequences. After a moment of reflection, she made up her mind.

 

“Dr. Lawson, I would like to collaborate with you on this. Let us work together to devise a plan that ensures the responsible disclosure of the Biosphere Project. We must inform the public about its potential benefits and the risks it carries. By doing so, we can foster a global dialogue and ensure that this groundbreaking technology is used for the betterment of humanity.”

 

Dr. Lawson’s eyes shimmered with gratitude. “Thank you, Sarah. Your willingness to approach this with caution and responsibility reassures me. Together, we can make a difference and shape the future of this remarkable project.”

 

Over the following weeks, Sarah and Dr. Lawson collaborated closely, carefully crafting a strategy to share the story of the Biosphere Project with the world. They engaged in extensive discussions, consulting with experts in various fields, assessing the potential risks and benefits, and establishing frameworks to ensure the technology’s responsible use.

 

Finally, the day arrived when Sarah’s exposé on the Biosphere Project was published. The article detailed the groundbreaking technology, its potential benefits for sustainable agriculture and biodiversity, and the risks associated with its misuse. It ignited a global conversation, prompting governments, scientific communities, and environmental organizations to come together and establish regulations and oversight mechanisms to safeguard the technology’s ethical use.

 

The public’s response was overwhelming. Many were captivated by the possibilities the Biosphere Project presented, while others expressed concerns about its potential risks. Yet, the conversation fostered by Sarah’s article allowed for a balanced and informed dialogue, leading to a collective commitment to responsible innovation.

 

As time progressed, the Biosphere Project was gradually integrated into society, with stringent regulations in place to ensure its ethical use. It revolutionized agriculture, enabling sustainable food production in regions affected by droughts, extreme temperatures, or limited arable land. It played a crucial role in conserving endangered ecosystems, allowing scientists to study and protect fragile species within controlled environments.

 

Sarah’s collaboration with Dr. Lawson continued beyond the publication of her groundbreaking article. The two worked tirelessly to address the concerns raised by the public and to refine the regulations governing the Biosphere Project. They became advocates for responsible innovation, traveling the world to speak at conferences and engaging with policymakers, scientists, and environmentalists.

 

Their efforts led to the establishment of an international committee dedicated to monitoring and regulating the use of biosphere technology. This committee consisted of experts from various fields who worked together to ensure that the Biosphere Project was used solely for peaceful and beneficial purposes.

 

Under the committee’s oversight, the Biosphere Project flourished. It continued to enhance food production and conservation efforts, transforming arid regions into thriving agricultural centers and contributing to the preservation of endangered species and habitats.

 

Sarah and Dr. Lawson’s collaboration also sparked interest from other scientific communities and research institutions. They began to share their knowledge and expertise, collaborating on similar projects around the world. This global collaboration further advanced the field of biosphere technology, expanding its applications and ensuring that the benefits reached far beyond the walls of the original research facility.

 

As the years passed, the Biosphere Project became a symbol of responsible innovation and the power of transparency. The public’s trust in the technology grew, and the regulations and oversight mechanisms put in place served as a model for other groundbreaking scientific advancements.

 

Sarah and Dr. Lawson’s efforts were recognized with numerous awards and accolades. They were hailed as pioneers who had not only uncovered a remarkable breakthrough but had also navigated the delicate balance between progress and caution.

 

Sarah’s experience with the Biosphere Project had a profound impact on her as a journalist. She realized the importance of responsible reporting, understanding the potential consequences of revealing groundbreaking technologies without careful consideration of their risks. She became an advocate for responsible journalism and used her platform to raise awareness about the ethical implications of scientific advancements.

 

Dr. Lawson’s dedication to the Biosphere Project never wavered. She continued to lead research and development efforts, ensuring that the technology evolved responsibly and with the utmost regard for the environment and humanity’s well-being.

 

The legacy of the Biosphere Project lived on, not only in its contributions to sustainable agriculture and conservation but also in the lessons it taught about responsible innovation. It served as a reminder that groundbreaking discoveries could shape the world positively, but their potential risks must be addressed proactively.

 

Sarah Mitchell and Dr. Rachel Lawson’s collaboration became a symbol of the power of partnership and the importance of ethical decision-making in the face of groundbreaking scientific advancements. Their story inspired countless others to approach innovation with responsibility, shaping a future where progress and humanity’s welfare walked hand in hand.

Carl Zha speaks to ‪@JamarlThomas‬ about insane details coming out of South Korean coup investigation including allegations of South Korean military to stage a false flag attack against South Korean Parliament.

This was apparently done in order to provoke a military confrontation with North Korea in order to justify imposing Martial Law.

And this is why South Korean Parliament have impeached the President and Acting President of South Korea

Let’s not get into the “ever” part simply because I’m a cop.

we, the cops, see things every day that trump whatever we’ve experienced before. Human dignity keeps hitting new lows for reasons I can’t even begin to comprehend.

Just three days ago, we arrested a guy because we suspected he might have something to do with the sudden disappearance of his cousin, a young, well-off businessman who had seemingly vanished into thin air. The suspect, a butcher, was the last known person to have been in contact with him according to the investigation.

main qimg 075c0711bfcc2c5e02223381158581d1
main qimg 075c0711bfcc2c5e02223381158581d1

During questioning, he confessed.

He had called his cousin over to his house and, once he arrived, shot and killed him. The motive? Money. Plain greed.

If you’re wondering where the chilling part is—come on. Isn’t murder already a gruesome and chilling act on its own?

Well, here’s where it gets worse. After killing his cousin, the suspect dismembered the body, put the pieces in a very large karahi (wok), and melted them over a fire using chemicals. Once the remains had turned into liquid, he discarded it in an empty plot.

So, that was just three days ago. By no means is this the most chilling case, but what a disgraceful disregard for human life.

A continuous, soul-draining pattern of evil people doing unspeakable things.

Hawaiian Chicken Wreath

356b870726c9f98c39bf82709c58eb86
356b870726c9f98c39bf82709c58eb86

Ingredients

  • 2 (8 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent rolls
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 3 tablespoons honey mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
  • 2 cups (about 12 ounces) cooked chicken, chopped
  • 1/2 cup celery, sliced
  • 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, snipped
  • 1/2 cup pineapple slices (about 4 slices), + 2 for garnish
  • 4 ounces (1 cup) Cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1/4 cup macadamia nuts chopped
  • 1 egg, separated

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to375 degrees F.
  2. Unroll crescent dough; separate into 16 triangles. With wide ends of triangles toward the center, arrange 8 triangles in a circle on Large Round Stone. Corners of wide ends will touch and points will extend 1 inch beyond edge of Baking Stone. Arrange remaining 8 triangles in center, matching wide ends. Seal seams using Dough and Pizza Roller. (Points will overlap in center; do not seal.)
  3. Measure mayonnaise, mustard, and black pepper into Classic Batter Bowl. Chop chicken, using Food Chopper. Slice celery using Chef’s Knife. Snip parsley using Kitchen Shears. Add chicken, celery, parsley, and pineapple to Batter Bowl. Grate cheese into Batter Bowl using Deluxe Cheese Grater. Mix filling using Mix ‘ N Scraper®. Using Medium Scoop, scoop filling over seams of dough, forming a circle.
  4. Coarsely chop nuts using Food Chopper; sprinkle over filling. Beginning in center, lift one dough triangle across mixture. Continue alternating with outer triangles, slightly overlapping to form wreath. Tuck last end under first.
  5. Separate egg over Small Batter Bowl using Egg Separator. Beat egg white lightly; brush over dough, using Pastry Brush.
  6. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
  7. Cut and serve using Slice ‘N Serve®.

Attribution

Pampered Chef

Title: Sir Whiskerton and the Great Rutabaga Ruckus

Ah, dear reader! Welcome back to another chapter in the illustrious chronicles of yours truly, Sir Whiskerton, the farm’s finest (and let’s face it, only) detective. Today’s tale is one of high stakes, scandalous accusations, and a vegetable so prized that its disappearance had the entire farm in an uproar. Yes, I’m talking about Farmer Joe’s prized rutabaga. This particular root vegetable was not just any rutabaga—it was destined for the county fair, where it was sure to win first prize. Its sudden disappearance rocked the farm to its core, and the case brought together an unlikely team of suspects, allies, and more mud than I care to recount. Prepare yourself for The Great Rutabaga Ruckus.

The Disappearance

The morning began with a commotion so loud it rattled the barn walls. I had just settled into my favorite sunbeam for a mid-morning nap when I heard Farmer Joe yelling from the garden.

“MY RUTABAGA! IT’S GONE!”

I sighed, stretching as I reluctantly rose to my paws. A missing vegetable. Hardly the kind of case that gets my pulse racing, but then again, life on the farm is rarely boring. I trotted over to the garden, where Farmer Joe was frantically searching through the rows of vegetables. The prize rutabaga’s spot was empty—just a small pile of disturbed soil where it had once proudly rested.

“Scandalous,” I muttered to myself. “Who would dare commit such a heinous crime?”

It wasn’t long before the rest of the farm animals had gathered to speculate. Among them were Porkchop the pig (looking suspiciously sweaty), Rufus the raccoon (looking suspiciously smug), and Sedgwick the barn owl (looking suspiciously calm, as always).

The Accusations Begin

“I’ll tell you who took it!” Porkchop declared, pointing a muddy hoof at Rufus. “It was him! That sneaky raccoon can’t resist stealing food. Everyone knows that!”

“Me?!” Rufus exclaimed, clutching his chest as if he’d been mortally offended. “I didn’t take your precious rutabaga! I’m not even a root vegetable kind of guy. Too earthy. I prefer sweet stuff, like berries… or honey.”

“Don’t look at me,” Porkchop huffed, his snout twitching. “I don’t even like rutabagas. Carrots, now that’s a different story, but rutabagas? No thanks.”

“Hmm,” Sedgwick said, perched on a nearby fence post. “Both of you seem eager to deny your involvement. Curious.”

“Do you think I took it?” Porkchop squealed. “I’m offended! I’m a pig of integrity!”

“Integrity? Please,” Rufus snorted. “I saw you sniffing around the garden yesterday, looking awfully interested in that rutabaga.”

“That doesn’t mean I took it!” Porkchop snapped. “I was just admiring it!”

“Enough,” I said, stepping forward and flicking my tail for emphasis. “This bickering isn’t helping. If we’re going to solve this mystery, we’ll need to investigate properly.”

The Investigation Begins

I started by examining the scene of the crime. The soil where the rutabaga had been planted was freshly disturbed, and there were faint marks in the dirt leading away from the garden.

“Tracks,” I said, crouching low to inspect them. “But they’re too small for Porkchop’s hooves and too wide for Rufus’s paws.”

Sedgwick swooped down from his perch to examine the tracks more closely. “These appear to be bird tracks,” he said thoughtfully. “Perhaps a goose or a large duck?”

“Could it be Gladys the goose?” I wondered aloud, remembering her flair for drama from our last adventure.

“She does have a talent for causing trouble,” Sedgwick admitted. “But let’s not jump to conclusions. We should follow the trail.”

The Trail Leads to Trouble

The tracks led us through the orchard, where Rufus took the opportunity to climb a tree and snack on an apple. “You know,” he said between bites, “if I had taken the rutabaga, I wouldn’t have left such an obvious trail. Whoever did this isn’t very good at being sneaky.”

“Or they didn’t care about being sneaky,” Sedgwick countered. “Perhaps they assumed no one would investigate.”

“Can we focus, please?” I said, my patience wearing thin. “The tracks lead to the barn. Let’s see what we find there.”

As we approached the barn, Porkchop began to look increasingly nervous. “Uh, you don’t think the thief is in the barn, do you? What if it’s… dangerous?”

“Dangerous?” Rufus laughed. “We’re looking for a vegetable thief, not a monster.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Porkchop muttered. “You’re not the one who has to sleep in there.”

The Culprit Revealed

Inside the barn, the tracks led us to a pile of hay in the corner. Sedgwick flapped onto a nearby beam for a better view, while Rufus and I cautiously approached the haystack.

“Something’s moving in there,” Rufus whispered, his eyes wide.

“Only one way to find out,” I said. With a swift paw swipe, I pulled back the hay to reveal… a family of rabbits!

The rabbits froze, their eyes wide with guilt. In the middle of their little nest was the missing rutabaga, half-eaten and surrounded by bits of straw.

“Well, well,” I said, arching an eyebrow. “It seems we’ve found our culprits.”

The largest rabbit—a scruffy fellow with one floppy ear—stepped forward and bowed his head. “We’re sorry,” he said. “We didn’t mean to cause trouble. We just… we couldn’t resist. It smelled so delicious, and we were so hungry…”

Sedgwick, ever the voice of reason, spoke gently. “While stealing is not the answer, I understand your plight. Perhaps we can find a solution that helps everyone.”

The Resolution

After some discussion (and a lot of clucking from the hens, who had somehow arrived to witness the drama), we decided to let the rabbits keep the remaining rutabaga. Farmer Joe, though disappointed, agreed to plant extra vegetables next season to ensure there was enough for everyone—humans and animals alike.

As for Porkchop and Rufus, they begrudgingly apologized to each other for their accusations, though I suspect their rivalry is far from over.

“I still think it’s suspicious how much Porkchop likes to hang around the garden,” Rufus muttered.

“And I still think you’re too sneaky for your own good,” Porkchop retorted.

“Enough, you two,” I said with a sigh. “The case is closed, and justice has been served. Let’s all try to get along, shall we?”

The Moral of the Story

Sometimes, misunderstandings can lead to unnecessary conflict, but with a little patience and understanding, even the biggest disagreements can be resolved. And remember: sharing is always better than stealing—even if it’s a prize rutabaga.

The End.

Prof. John Mearshimer Claims That It’s Too Late for the United State to Come After China

Playing with the tiny tiny cowboys and Indians

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

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

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

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

We lost touch.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Proposal

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

Michele Duess

General

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

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

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

“Crystal. What trouble are you in now?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“So they say.”

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

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

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

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

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

“Are you going to the shelter tonight?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Why?” A whisper.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What?”

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

“No,” said Crystal. “It’s not.”

I felt both very deep love and deep pain.

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

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

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

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

“Sergio-”

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

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

She might be right. Still. “But…”

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

“Certainly it isn’t my good looks.”

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

“I do. So much.” I held her tight.

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

“What?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“It’s beautiful.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Greed of Man

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

Annony Mous

General

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

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

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

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

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

“What?” the new-comer asked.

“You didn’t see her?”

“No, I thought you were following her.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

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

“Thank you, father.”

“I assume your journey went well?”

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

“And did you retrieve the Orb of Glandias?”

“Aye.”

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

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

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

Brian Thompson was an evil man.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

People die because of this for no good reason.

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

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

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

They are trying paint Mangione as unhinged:

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But look again:

He’s being aggressively grabbed by the neck.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I walked home.”

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

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

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

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

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

More astonished silence as I thought about this.

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

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

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

That’s how tough Vietnam Vets are.

Ukraine – The Story Of The 155th Brigade

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

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

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

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

As Butusov writes (edited machine translation):

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MM daily

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

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

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Gen Z is Weak and Unemployable

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

It is shameful

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That gives them 90 years of assured water supply

So they don’t need to expand territory at all

Status Quo will be fine

Title: Sir Whiskerton and the Phantom of the Cornfield

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

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

The Whispered Rumors

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

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

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

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

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

The Investigation Begins

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

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

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

The First Encounter

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

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

“Oooooooh…”

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

And then I saw it.

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

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

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

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

The Culprit Revealed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“And the moaning?”

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

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

The Resolution

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

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

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

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

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

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

The End.

Comix fun

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Thailand Prepares for Full Membership of BRICS

Easiest Homemade Pizza Dough

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

easiest homemade pizza dough
easiest homemade pizza dough

Ingredients

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

 

 

Instructions

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

A tale of Christmas bonuses and expectation in a corporate reality

The year was 1981. the company was “Edgewater Steel” located in Oakmont, PA. A steel company. They went bankrupt in the early 1990’s and this is a story of my first “engineering position” after I left the United States Navy, but before I began my training in the ONI.

It was a large forging company. They made railroad wheels. And they employed 6000 people. It was a sizable operation located on the banks of the Allegheny river north of Pittsburgh.

main qimg 87200881cde4ef89ca75a38a734084d0
main qimg 87200881cde4ef89ca75a38a734084d0

When I was hired, the HR manager explicitly told me that they had “phased out bonuses for all new hires”, and myself not knowing what that meant, gleefully signed the contract. Sure, I knew that I wouldn’t be getting a bonus; but you know, all my bonuses up to that time was in the $25 to $50 dollar range. Roughly about 1/2 of a week paycheck as a laborer.

So I figured, “what’s the big deal about a mere $25?”.

So I work there, perhaps for nine months, and Christmas rolls around.

main qimg a28a07010b216f400241ec4ef798c5c5
main qimg a28a07010b216f400241ec4ef798c5c5

And everyone was being handed the envelope with their Christmas bonus. And they were all happy, as the bonus was 2 – 3 times their monthly salary. This is around $3000 to $6000 in a lump check.

main qimg d771856ae378330fd6a06512385e0193
main qimg d771856ae378330fd6a06512385e0193

Except for me.

I got nothing. I got exactly ZERO.

I an the other six “new hires” for the year got absolutely zero. And the rest, bound by contract, and union agreements got nice plump juicy bonuses. Big, BIG money in those days.

main qimg fc20525e7e04b4ec670ac08ca150ec53
main qimg fc20525e7e04b4ec670ac08ca150ec53

So, let me summarize for you all, in the event you are absolutely STUPID.

6000 people that I see every day; about the size of a small town. Each and every one of them; All of them, got around $6000 in a Check on Christmas Eve. Roughly around $35,000 today.

And me and six others got nothing.

Fair? No.

But legal. Yes.

So firstly, the steel company was a union shop. Everyone made “big money”, and also got “big bonuses”. And I, who had never before worked in that environment, was unaware of this. I thought that everyone would be getting around $35 checks. Not $6000.

Ah. What did I know?

So the end result was as you can expect. Lots of “ribbing” and making fun of me. Everyone was pointing their fingers at me and laughing. “Well, they told you!” they would say in a laughing sneer. They would giggle at the water cooler, and call me names to my face like “dumb kid” and “walking idiot”.

Of course, they could have handled this different.

Maybe given me a reduced bonus.

But no. The others (after all this was a steel company with hard beer drinkers and roustabouts, we constantly ribbing me about their bonuses. One bought a new car. Another went on a vacation to Hawaii. Yet another was going to add a swimming pool to their house.

On and on it went. And I got nothing.

Not even a little Christmas card.

And that, boys and girls, was my first experience with the joys of corporate life. It was a lesson that I have never forgotten.

But has since, been repeated over and over again over the decades.

Ah. It is no wonder that this gen Z has given up and “checked out”. They have peered behind the veil and see the lies and nonsense for what it actually is. And, you know, they don’t want any part of it.

Today…

Corey Melin

Gorgin walked the corridors once again to make sure everything was okay.

“Why do I have to continue to check out the station when we have systems set-up to make sure everything is in order on the station?” he asked the commander of the station, Morgan.

“Just do it,” said Morgan.  “You never know what can get past our systems way out here in space.  There is a lot of unknown things out here. I’m tired of explaining to you each time it’s your turn.”

Now, Gorgin was walking through the corridors, and checking out room after room.

“Why such  huge station for just a few people?” thought Gorgin.

Gorgin rounded the corner, and in front of him stood an alien that stood seven feet tall, green scaly skin, fish eyes, a mouth full of sharp teeth, and claws reaching out to him.  All Gorgin could do is stare in shock then let out a piercing scream as he started backing up around the corner, then turning and running as fast as he could. Before he reached the end he could hear someone laughing hysterically behind him.  He came to a stop and turned around seeing Dwight in the alien outfit pointing at him and laughing.

“I will be taking this to the commander!” he cried out, as soon as he went to his room to change.

“I can’t believe I have two adult men standing in front of me,” said Morgan.  “The two of you clowns have been at each other since you came to this station.  Should we go over everything the two of you have done to each other?”

“This was all started by Dwight,” said Gorgin.  “He was the one who set the dials so I woke-up out of slumber as an old man.”

Morgan and Dwight chuckled over that one.

“That was a quick fix, but it was fun while it lasted,” said Dwight.

“It didn’t end there with the two of you,” said Morgan.  “I believe the next mishap is when Dwight transported in the station and appeared in another section with three butt cheeks.  Courtesy of Gorgin tampering with the controls.”

“Sitting down was quite comfy,” admitted Dwight with a grin.

“Even though, the two of you have brought much humor to everyone you need to act like adults,” said Morgan.  “You think the two of you can do that?”

The two of them nodded their heads.

“Now get out of my sight and do your duties,” demanded Morgan.

Both of them left the room, staring at each other with dislike.

“I would greatly appreciate it if you could move to the other side of the station so I would see you less,” said Gorgin.

“I would say that it would be even better if you would move off the station,” said Dwight.

“Just stay away from me,” both said at the same time, and they went their separate locations.

It was a couple of days later that the two met again.

Gorgin went into what everyone called the “Pet Room” to create himself a pet to keep him company.  As he entered the room he saw that Dwight was already in the room at the controls.

“What the heck are you doing in here?” he asked.

Dwight turned to him.  “Looking for a pet. What do you think idiot?”

“Hurry up then,” said Gorgin.

Dwight went back to the controls and went back to pushing buttons.  Time went by as Gorgin waited impatiently for him to finish.

“I think I got it,” said Dwight.  “Oh wait. That won’t do.”

“That is enough,” huffed Gorgin, stomping over to Dwight.  “Give me the controls.”

Next moment, both of them were fighting over the controls, pressing and clicking until there was a sudden flash that lit up the room.  Both of them stopped and looked at each other with befuddled looks.

“What the heck was that?” asked Gorgin.

“Not a clue,” replied Dwight.

“We should probably check around the station to make sure everything is okay,” said Gorgin.

The two left the room, trying to call the commander, but getting no answer.

“Let’s go to command center first,” said Gorgin.

The two rushed to the command center.

“Dwight did it!” Gorgin cried out as soon as they entered the room.

“No I didn’t!” Dwight called back.  “You butted in!”

But the two realized they were wasting there blame game for the commander was nowhere in sight.  They looked all over, but no sight of the commander.

“He’s not in the freshening room,” said Dwight coming out after a flush.

“Strange for him to be gone,” said Gorgin.

Then the two of them heard a squeak.

“What the hell was that?” asked Dwight.

“Sounds like the commander has a pet,” replied Gorgin.

The two started looking around until the two came to the commander’s chair.  Both saw at the same time a squirrel on the seat looking at both of them. It started chattering, then jumped off the chair.

“I didn’t know the commander had a pet?” asked Dwight.

Gorgin shrugged his shoulders and scratched his head.  Then a light bulb popped on inside his head.

“What pet were you looking at getting?” he asked Dwight.

“I was contemplating on getting a tamed squirrel,” he replied.

It didn’t take too long for the two to figure out what happened.

“Did we turn the commander into a squirrel?” asked Dwight.

Gorgin just nodded then the two searched for the squirrel, which ran around the room.

“We need to get him,” Gorgin said.

The two chased after the squirrel, bumping into each other, and Gorgin grabbing the squirrel, but it bit him, and was loose once again.

“We need to get the room robot,” said Gorgin as he shook his hurt finger, going over to the panel.

He pressed some switches and next moment the robot came out.

“Retrieve the squirrel,” said Gorgin.

It didn’t take long for the robot to scoop of the squirrel and deposit it into a glass came.

“Now to see about the rest of the crew,” said Gorgin.

The two of them checked for lifeforms on the station, then checked the screens for each room they detected life.  All the lifeforms were squirrels.

“What did you do?” asked Gorgin.

“You were the one pressing numerous buttons,” said Dwight.

“We need to fix this fast,” said Gorgin.

Gorgin released the robots in each room, and the squirrels were scooped up.  The other robots were sent to the pet room.

“I hope we can reverse this,” said Gorgin as they headed to the pet room.

All the robots were in the room as the two of them tried to figure out a way to make their crew human again.

“I think I got it,” said Gorgin.  “We need to get out of the room so nothing happens to us.  The robots will be released once we leave.”

The two left the room, robots released, and there was a bright flash.  The two went back into the room and saw everyone was human again. The only thing is that they were all naked.  Commander Morgan stood up and looked at the two men with a stare of death.

“We are in trouble,” muttered Dwight.

The next day the two were put in cryosleep  until the next crew came in a couple of years.  Before both of them lay down for their sleep they looked at each other, and both of them grinned.

Slow Cooker Brisket Sofrito

Slow Cooker Brisket Sofrito is an excellent filling for corn or flour tortillas.

3cc65335e0b07ef0d254b98a2cf1f5b2
3cc65335e0b07ef0d254b98a2cf1f5b2

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 (3 pound) brisket
  • 2 teaspoons salt, + extra after cooking
  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper, + extra after cooking
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 (12 ounce) jar tomato Sofrito
  • 1 teaspoon ground chipotle chili (or more for an extra kick)

Instructions

  1. Season brisket on both sides with salt and pepper.
  2. Place onion and garlic in a 3 1/2 to 5 quart slow cooker. Place brisket on onions and garlic, fat side up. Pour Sofrito over brisket and sprinkle chipotle chili over sauce. Cover and cook on LOW for 9 to 10 hours or until brisket is fork tender.
  3. Carefully remove brisket from cooker with as little sauce as possible. Place on cutting board and cut into three pieces cross grain. Shred beef with two forks and return to cooker. Stir into sauce and season with salt and pepper (and a little more chipotle seasoning if you like it spicy).
  4. Serve with tortillas and other desired toppings.

Nutrition

Per serving: 530 calories; 23g fat (5g saturated fat; 0g trans fat); 195mg cholesterol; 1340mg sodium; 5g carbohydrate; 1g fiber; 0 g sugar; 71g protein; 2% vitamin A; 6% calcium; 20% vitamin C; 35% iron

A MM slice from the past

I generated this chart back in 2019.

What do you think? Do you think that I was accurate in my predictions?

screen 2024 12 16 07 02 40
screen 2024 12 16 07 02 40

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A confession

This is a heartfelt true confession from the top spokesperson for the Huawei Mate 6.0—Gina Raimondo. In a recent interview, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo went beyond discussing export controls, stating that efforts to hold back China in the chip race are ultimately a “fool’s errand.” She stressed that sustained investment in domestic innovation is what will ensure the U.S. remains ahead of Beijing.

Four years after the Biden administration made chip manufacturing a priority, Raimondo explained that the attempts to restrict China’s access to technology haven’t significantly slowed the country’s progress. According to her, export controls are merely “speed bumps” in China’s drive for global technological dominance. “The only way to beat China is to stay ahead of them,” she asserted. “We must run faster and out-innovate them. That’s the way to win.”

Ribs in Orange and Chile Sauce (Costillitas en Naranja)

18ef32d09785274a4eaa58b5a3824913
18ef32d09785274a4eaa58b5a3824913

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
  • 4 pounds country-style spareribs, cut into individual ribs
  • 2 medium white onions, cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch wide slivers
  • 1 (1 pound) can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons ground, seeded, dried ancho chiles
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
  • 1/3 cup dry white wine
  • 1/4 cup piloncillo or brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon shredded orange rind
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • Orange slices, cut into halves
  • Fresh cilantro sprigs

Instructions

  1. Heat lard or oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Add as many ribs as will fit in single layer without crowding. Cook, turning occasionally, until brown on all sides, 15 to 20 minutes; remove to plate.
  2. Repeat with remaining ribs.
  3. Remove and discard all but 2 tablespoons drippings from pan. Add onions; sauté over medium heat until soft, about 4 minutes.
  4. Process tomatoes and garlic in blender container until smooth.
  5. Add chiles, cinnamon and cloves to onions. Cook and stir over medium heat for 30 seconds.
  6. Add tomato mixture; cook and stir for 5 minutes.
  7. Add orange juice, wine, piloncillo, orange rind and salt to pan; heat over high heat to boiling. Add ribs; reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, until ribs are tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
  8. Remove ribs to serving plates.
  9. Skim and discard fat from cooking sauce. Stir in vinegar; spoon sauce over ribs.
  10. Serve, garnished with orange slices and cilantro

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South of the Border Shredded Pork

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90c804fc04b994743a1c2a22d6032683

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 (2 1/2 to 3 pound) pork shoulder roast (weight after trimmed of fat)
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 (1.25 ounce) packages taco seasoning mix
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can Mexican style diced tomatoes
  • 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles
  • Tortillas
  • Shredded Cheddar or jack cheese
  • Scallions
  • Tomatoes
  • Sour cream

Instructions

  1. Cut pork into 1 1/2-inch chunks and sear in hot oil until browned on all sides.
  2. Add onion, taco seasoning mix, tomatoes and chiles; stir well. Cover and simmer over low heat for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
  3. Remove cover and cook 15 minutes more or until liquid has reduced and sauce is thick.
  4. Shred meat with two forks.
  5. Spoon filling into tortillas and top with desired fillings

Little Red Balloons

Submitted into Contest #24 in response to: Write a story set in the dark recesses of space where the two main characters are often at odds with each other in humorous and comedic ways. view prompt

Matt Strempel

I can’t put my finger on why I murdered Jerry, because I lost my fingers in an accident.

Accident. That is to say, Jerry hit the go button on the waste disposal unit while I was fixing it, and it munched my right hand off at the wrist. To be fair, the robotic prosthetic is about a thousand times better than my real hand was, but it hurt like hell at the time. He maintains I said, “Hit it,” but what I said was, “Quit it.” I was always telling Jerry to quit it. He was the most infuriating guy in the entire universe, I’m telling you. I should know; as a DSD I’ve seen more of the universe than most.

A DSD is a Deep Space Diviner. In short, we look for water out in the dark corners of the universe in the hope of finding evidence of alien life. I used to get work out on farms and such, walking around with a curled piece of wire waiting for the thing to snap down towards the ground. That’s when I’d tell the boys to get digging. I never missed. Went all over the country helping folks get water out of the ground. I’m telling you, I could find water in the middle of a goddamn desert. Now I follow my hunches into deep space.

When I heard they were asking for water diviners to head into space I thought it was some big joke. Checked the date to see if it was April 1st and everything. But it’s no joke. Turns out it’s cheaper to have guys like me out in space than sending probes from Earth.

So anyway, they’ve had us out in Sector 35 for two years. Me and Jerry Portman. I told them I could do it on my own, but company regulations state I gotta have a partner. Jerry goddamn Portman from Chicago. I couldn’t stand him.

How do I explain this to you? I mean, how do you come across a guy that can make you feel claustrophobic in the vastness of space? Even when I couldn’t see him, it was like he was right next to me with his stale open-mouth breathing. I’ve sent countless requests to be transferred, or have him transferred, or sought permission to blast him out the goddamn airlock, but no luck. I knew nothing was going to come of all the complaints, but it was the only way I could get the frustration off my chest.

It’s true that in space no one can hear you scream, but email works pretty good.

Anyway, that opening line about not being able to put my finger on why I killed him on account of not having any fingers? That’s the type of corny gag that Jerry loved. Drove me crazy. Is there anything more infuriating than a guy who laughs at his own jokes? I must have heard him use variations of “lend you a hand”, “right-hand man”, and “second hand” about a million times. He laughed every single time like it was the first time anyone ever said, “Get a grip” to a guy who just lost their hand and was rolling around on the floor spraying blood all over the goddamn ship.

You ever see a gushing wound in zero gravity? It’s really something. It looks like the wound is spurting little red balloons. Or, it’s like looking at cells under a microscope.

Space does that. Changes your perception of size. Entire planets appear tiny, then, the next second, a speck of space rock hitting the ship could end your entire existence. Big is small, small is enormous.

Anyway, the latest thing with Jerry was he wanted to head out on this new vector. I’m telling you right now, where he wanted to go is a bust. Oh, but he’s “got a feeling”. Feeling, my ass. This guy hadn’t found a goddamn drop of water in two years. Plus, we would have had to go through a goddamn asteroid belt.

It’s not that he was bad at his job—he was terrible—it’s that he was bad at everything. I mean, literally, everything. You ever meet a guy who couldn’t even use the goddamn toothpaste properly? I mean, who squeezes from the middle? Leaves the lid open so I’ve got a tube that’s flat through the centre, with all the good paste at the bottom, blocked by dried toothpaste at the top. He was such a goddamn imbecile.

The thing is, though, medically speaking—on paper—he was a goddamn genius. Like, off the charts smart. He’s just got no common sense. Know what I mean? As in, he could solve the most complex mathematical equation known to man, but he’d set fire to his helmet. He really did that. Tried to make some modifications and shorted the regulator. Nearly killed us. He was always nearly killing us.

I’ll say it: Jerry Portman was the stupidest guy ever to be classified as a genius.

I swear he has nearly killed me at least a dozen times. Obviously, losing my hand was pretty bad, but he’s also shut off my oxygen while I was outside repairing a cracked solar panel. I was under 50% oxygen saturation when I finally got back inside. That much carbon dioxide in your lungs? You can’t take that too long. When I hit the emergency retract button on my umbilical to get back inside, well, let me just say, if I’d had the strength to even stand up, I swear that would have been it. I would have murdered Jerry right then.

I think the worst one was when he opened the bay door—that’s where we keep the drones—before I was in my suit. I know it’s against the regulations to be in the drone bay without your suit because of the potential for that exact situation, but fucking Jerry, man. The guys who wrote the regulations must have been like, “What’s the most galactically stupid thing anyone could do in any given situation?” and then they’d write a rule just for kicks. They were probably laughing their asses off the entire time. “No one could be that much of a moron,” they’d say. But guess what, fellas. Jerry Portman is your guy. It’s just lucky there’s a ten-second warning before the doors open.

You know the worst thing about guys like Jerry? It’s never their fault.

“It was an accident.”

He said it every goddamn time. It’s always an accident with these guys. Like that absolves them from any wrongdoing. As if just because you didn’t do it on purpose, all is forgiven.

Imagine opening the bay door while there’s a guy in there working on the drones.

Speaking of the drones. Jerry lost another one yesterday. This should come as a great surprise to exactly no one, but even for him, this was stupid. That’s three of our six drones lost. Don’t worry, Jerry. They’re only worth about half a billion dollars each.

“But they’re fitted with a homing device to automatically self-dock if they lose the control signal” I hear you say. Yeah, well, you haven’t met Jerry. He’s the kind of guy a car salesman tells, “Pal, if you’re the kind of guy that accidentally locks his keys in the car, then this is the car for you. You can’t do it, see? It’s impossible.”

Then, a week later, Jerry’s back and tells the guy he’s locked the keys in the goddamn car.

Can you imagine being stuck in space with Jerry Portman? I’m telling you, it’s the pits.

The first drone Jerry lost was on account of him tinkering with it. He was trying to make the water sensor more sensitive after striking out on another of his feelings. He’s always making excuses that it’s the equipment’s fault when he strikes out. So, yeah. The first drone he tinkered with—well, we don’t know what he did exactly—but the first time we took it out after he fiddled with it, it took off like a bullet and it was gone.

I can still see Jerry watching the screen as we lost the signal. He was like a kid who’d taken his model plane out for its first flight and watched it disappear over the trees never to be seen again. Only this model plane cost half a billion dollars.

The second one, I’m not sure about. He swears he didn’t touch it. For all his million faults, one thing Jerry wasn’t, was a liar. Maybe we chalk that one up to bad luck. Maybe the drone was a dud.

But the latest one? Jesus Christ. I won’t bore you with a bunch of technical crap about how the drones work, let’s just say in the simplest terms, it confirms the presence of water in any form within a given target. Most commonly, this means we find a meteorite that we feel has potential, and the drone sends out a probe to take a sample. It’s basically a drill that bores into the target and removes a metre-long cylinder of material. If there’s a trace of water—it’s ice, of course—there’s a bunch of readings and measurements done by the computer and it sends the data back to Earth for further analysis.

As you can imagine, a machine that performs this function is incredibly complex. So you don’t just open up a panel and start poking around with a goddamn Phillips-head. Well, you and I wouldn’t. But you know who would?

So, yesterday he’s telling me, “I know what I’m doing this time,” as if he’s read the manual since losing the first drone. I just shake my head and leave him to it. I used to argue with him all the time, but I learnt pretty quick what a waste of breath that was. He’s one of those guys that when they get something in their head, you can’t shake it no matter how much sense you’re making. They could be wearing a red tshirt and you say, “Nice red tshirt,” and they say, “What’re talking about? It’s blue,” and you just have to say, “Fine, you moron. It’s blue,” and walk away.

That’s what Jerry was like when he was tinkering. Maybe part of me thought he’d electrocute himself so I wouldn’t have to murder him.

When he finished playing around with this drone, he came back into the control room and placed these screws and some other little bits and pieces in a drawer. He did it as if he didn’t want me to see it, but I saw it clear as day. You know when someone gets home drunk and they’re trying to be quiet but they make way more noise than if they just stumbled around? People trying to be discrete just scream I’m up to something fishy.

So I say to Jerry, “What are those, from the drone?”

And he just says, “They’re spare. We don’t actually need them.”

Then I go off on one about how every single thing on this ship right down to the tiniest screw has been reduced in size and weight to make everything as light as possible—like, the angle of trajectory for our landing factors in the weight of the urine that will be in our bladders—but sure, Jerry. They’ve included a bunch of spare parts. “It’s not a goddamn IKEA chair, Jerry” I remember saying that to him like he was hiding some leftover dowel he forgot to put in.

Well, sure as eggs, Jerry sent the drone out yesterday and I’ll give you one guess what happened to it. You’re goddamn right it blew up. Nearly killed us.

He’s just lucky the drone was far enough from the ship that the explosion didn’t do any damage to the ship. Nothing that the self-diagnostics picked up, anyway. Naturally, I did my block at Jerry for nearly killing us again and I said someone’s going to have to go outside and have a closer inspection of the hull. Now, normally I’d be the guy that does that. I mean, you can’t leave something that important up to Jerry goddamn Portman.

Then I had a thought—maybe I would send Jerry out. It would be a real shame if his umbilical somehow untethered from the ship and he floated out into space…

Ashamed as I am to admit it, this was not the first time I’d thought about killing Jerry.

Did I tell you about the time Jerry destroyed one of my samples? You know how people who can’t cook, they say “Oh, so-and-so could burn water.” That’s what Jerry did. We got this sample back on the probe one time and it had all these microorganisms in it. The core sample was about 85% ice. Normally, we’re lucky if it’s even 5%. The core analysis told us it contained 37 different forms of bacteria plus a bunch of other unidentifiable crap all suspended in ice. It was the most exciting goddamn discovery since penicillin. So I placed the core in the freezer and looked forward to the fame and fortune awaiting those DSDs lucky enough to find something. I couldn’t sleep that cycle I was so excited.

Of course, back then I didn’t have a complete understanding of the magnitude of Jerry’s stupidity. Had I known better, I would have guarded that freezer with my goddamn life.

Now, it wouldn’t have surprised me in the least to discover Jerry had destroyed my sample by switching the freezer off by accident. These things happen to the best of us. But Jerry isn’t your average moron. No, Jerry decides he wants to take a look at the sample himself under the microscope. Only, the microscope doesn’t work with a chunk of ice, you gotta melt it down to go in a petri dish. So Jerry puts the core in the blast box—the blast box, I should explain, is this unit that works like an oven or freezer depending on what you need heating or chilling. Only, the blast box will roast or freeze something in three seconds. In hindsight, this is exactly the sort of thing you could see happening, but the designers of the blast box would have been counting on the operators being actual scientists, not Jerry goddamn Portman.

Now, someone like you or me, we’d take a small piece of the sample if we wanted to take a closer look. Not Jerry, though. Jerry Portman’s the kind of guy who takes your alien lifeforms precariously suspended in million-year-old ice and microwaves them to kingdom come. “Why the hell did he…? Oh, never mind,” I hear you saying. You’re getting the picture now. He cost me a lot that day. Maybe not money—who knows—but certainly renown. They probably would have named one of the bacteria after me.

That was two years ago, but I remember it like yesterday. Time flies when you’re having fun.

Yesterday, when Jerry was out on the spacewalk, I considered trying to make it look like an accident. But there are so many instruments taking every goddamn reading on this ship that they’d know for sure I had something to do with it. I mean, no amount of tinkering could have got the drone to accidentally deploy its probe with such surgical precision right up Jerry Portman’s goddamn ass.

I’ll be leaving Sector 35 for Earth in a year next week. When I splashdown and I get arrested on live television, it’ll be because I murdered Jerry Portman. They’ll drag me out of the ocean next to those giant orange balloon floaties and put me straight in handcuffs but I’ll be laughing my ass off. You can’t spell manslaughter without laughter, right?

I’ll be thinking about the last thing Jerry saw as he was fatally probed: me in the cockpit with the drone remote, my smiling face looking out through the glass where I’d stuck a piece of paper saying IT WAS AN ACCIDENT.

Thousands of little red balloons.

I just want them to know I was provoked. I was standing my ground. I feared for my life, Your Honor.

It wasn’t self-defence, really, more like self-preservation. I’m not sure if there’re any laws about killing in self-preservation but if I didn’t kill him, he was going to kill me. I’m absolutely goddamn sure of it.

Why You’ll Hate Living in France

Bullets and karmic associations

I have a “thing” about bullets.

My father kept a box, a metal tackle box with a handle, full of all kinds of bullets. It was filled with all kinds of bullets.  Indeed, he had bullets that were over a century old.

Big bullets. Little bullets. Massive thick bullets. Weird shaped bullets.

Lots and lots of bullets.

Many of the bullets were all showing their age. With the lead showing signs of calcification, and tarnish on the brass shell casings.

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674555b3c0be3ddeb5a295c171a07c67

But it was fascinating to look at and go though.

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bfce460ee558e3de1ca915a36b0933e8

As much as I loved those things, I could never see them. My father kept them hidden and locked away from me.

Now, my father was a “blue pill” pacifist. And he didn’t want me to fight, to stand up for myself; and to own a gun.

Oh, for certain. He was ok with me learning self defense, but only if I didn’t hit or hurt anyone. When he saw me playing football, he would run out and snatch me away and off the field from the rest of the kids.

Pacifist with me.

Different with my siblings.

One day, he was showing the bullets to my brother Daniel and then gave the entire box to him. He even gave him a Ruger 22 caliber pistol that he had. As well as a old world war II German rifle that he inherited from his father.

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2288769e8ec3610d2aab3890568161dc

But I got nothing.

Instead, I was warned about the dangers of firearms.

That, if confronted; run away. Never stay to fight. Be a rabbit, and be safe.

I never could understand why he treated my brothers and sisters one way, and myself, was treated quite differently.

I do believe that it might be a personality or horoscope mismatch. Or perhaps karma. Or maybe the shadows of prior reincarnated lives. I really don’t know.

Telling me to be a timid rabbit, and then yelling at me when I followed his orders, and praising my brother and sisters for being aggressive and causing all sorts of mayhem.

This is something, I believe, that we all know and understand in one way or the other. It’s just that we just don’t want to face the ugly truths that it represents.

Relations between reincarnation experiences, karmic entanglements, and injection magnitude when one enters our reality.

Perhaps that is why we have many of the experiences that we have.

Today…

Albondigas con Chipotle
(Meatballs in Chipotle Sauce)

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97456c866a3bfb18d7510141cf341e49

Ingredients

  • 6 fresh, ripe tomatoes, halved
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 4 tablespoons bread crumbs
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 whole cloves garlic
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
  • Sea salt, to taste
  • Freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
  • 4 chipotle chiles in adobo
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Instructions

  1. To roast tomatoes, grill or broil them as close to heat as possible, turning as needed, until skin is blackened in spots, about 3 minutes on each side. Cool.
  2. When cool enough to handle, remove skins. Reserve.
  3. Combine beef, bread crumbs, chopped garlic, eggs, 2 teaspoons cumin, salt and pepper. Cover mixture, and let chill in refrigerator.
  4. In a blender or food processor, blend reserved tomatoes with chipotles, stock, whole garlic cloves, remaining cumin and oregano.
  5. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet. Add the tomato sauce, season to taste with additional salt and pepper, and bring mixture to a boil.
  6. Meanwhile, make uniform medium-size meatballs from meat mixture. Add meatballs to simmering sauce and cook about 25 minutes.
  7. Serve as an entree over rice, or alone as an hors d’oeuvre.

on a preparty, my friends mocked him for his appearance, i couldn’t help but laugh but then…

https://youtu.be/wHYbY48CQL0

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The Biosphere Project

Submitted into Contest #207 in response to: A journalist has been granted permission to visit the premises of a lab carrying out top-secret work. They could never have anticipated what they’d find… view prompt

Jillian Puckett

The sun hung low in the sky as Sarah Mitchell pulled up to the heavily guarded entrance of the BioTech Research Facility. As a seasoned investigative journalist, she had covered her fair share of groundbreaking stories, but this one promised to be her most significant yet. The rumors surrounding the research conducted within those walls were enough to send shivers down anyone’s spine. Today, Sarah had been granted unprecedented access to the lab, a chance to uncover the truth behind the top-secret work carried out there.Stepping out of her car, Sarah adjusted her notepad and checked her camera equipment. She was prepared to document every detail, determined to expose any wrongdoing that may be lurking behind the lab’s fortified walls. A security guard approached her, scrutinizing her identification before finally granting her access.Inside the facility, Sarah was guided through a maze-like corridor, taking note of the reinforced doors and surveillance cameras at every turn. The atmosphere was tense, with scientists in white lab coats scurrying about, engrossed in their work. The air carried a distinct smell of chemicals, hinting at the complex experiments being conducted.Her guide led her into a spacious laboratory filled with state-of-the-art equipment. Sarah’s eyes widened as she observed the rows of high-tech machinery, each with its own purpose and intricate design. She struggled to comprehend the magnitude of what was being developed here.Dr. Rachel Lawson, the lead researcher, greeted Sarah with a warm smile. “Welcome, Sarah. We’re delighted to have you here today. I hope you’re ready to witness something truly groundbreaking.”Sarah reciprocated the smile, her curiosity piqued. “Thank you, Dr. Lawson. I’ve heard so much about the work conducted here. I’m eager to know more.””Follow me,” Dr. Lawson said, leading Sarah toward a sealed chamber at the far end of the laboratory. The security measures surrounding it were seemingly impenetrable, indicating the significance of whatever lay within.As they reached the chamber, Dr. Lawson scanned her identification card, and the heavy doors hissed open, revealing a sight that left Sarah speechless. Inside the room was a massive enclosure containing a lush, verdant landscape. Towering trees, vibrant flowers, and a winding river coexisted within the glass walls, creating an ethereal oasis in the midst of the sterile lab environment.

 

Sarah’s eyes widened in disbelief. “What is…? How is this possible?”

 

Dr. Lawson beamed with pride. “Welcome to our Biosphere Project, Sarah. We have developed a revolutionary system that replicates entire ecosystems within a controlled environment. It’s a breakthrough in sustainable agriculture and biodiversity conservation.”

 

Sarah’s mind raced, realizing the potential impact of this discovery. “This could change everything! The possibilities for food production and environmental conservation are immense. Why hasn’t this been made public?”

 

Dr. Lawson’s expression turned somber. “The project was classified due to the potential misuse of such technology. We wanted to ensure its safety and ethical use before revealing it to the world.”

 

Sarah’s journalistic instincts kicked in. “But what kind of misuse are we talking about? Are there any risks associated with this project?”

 

Dr. Lawson sighed, her eyes reflecting a mixture of concern and responsibility. “There are several potential misuses we have considered. One of the key concerns is the possibility of using the Biosphere Project to create controlled environments for the development of dangerous biological weapons. The ability to sustain life within enclosed ecosystems could be exploited to cultivate and engineer deadly pathogens, posing a grave threat to global security.”

 

Sarah’s mind raced, realizing the magnitude of the situation. “So, the secrecy surrounding the project was to prevent such misuse?”

 

“Yes,” Dr. Lawson confirmed. “In the wrong hands, the Biosphere Project could unleash unimaginable devastation. We had to ensure that the technology was fully developed, with safeguards in place, before considering its release to the public.”

 

Sarah’s journalistic instincts kicked into high gear. “Dr. Lawson, the world deserves to know about this project. Its potential benefits are immense, but the risks must be brought to light as well. We need transparency to prevent any clandestine misuse.”

 

Dr. Lawson nodded in agreement. “You’re right, Sarah. We have been deliberating on the best way to strike a balance between sharing the breakthrough and addressing the risks. We understand the importance of public awareness, but we must also proceed with caution.”

 

Sarah contemplated the situation, realizing the weight of responsibility that rested on her shoulders. She knew she had the power to expose the truth, but she also had to be mindful of the potential consequences. After a moment of reflection, she made up her mind.

 

“Dr. Lawson, I would like to collaborate with you on this. Let us work together to devise a plan that ensures the responsible disclosure of the Biosphere Project. We must inform the public about its potential benefits and the risks it carries. By doing so, we can foster a global dialogue and ensure that this groundbreaking technology is used for the betterment of humanity.”

 

Dr. Lawson’s eyes shimmered with gratitude. “Thank you, Sarah. Your willingness to approach this with caution and responsibility reassures me. Together, we can make a difference and shape the future of this remarkable project.”

 

Over the following weeks, Sarah and Dr. Lawson collaborated closely, carefully crafting a strategy to share the story of the Biosphere Project with the world. They engaged in extensive discussions, consulting with experts in various fields, assessing the potential risks and benefits, and establishing frameworks to ensure the technology’s responsible use.

 

Finally, the day arrived when Sarah’s exposé on the Biosphere Project was published. The article detailed the groundbreaking technology, its potential benefits for sustainable agriculture and biodiversity, and the risks associated with its misuse. It ignited a global conversation, prompting governments, scientific communities, and environmental organizations to come together and establish regulations and oversight mechanisms to safeguard the technology’s ethical use.

 

The public’s response was overwhelming. Many were captivated by the possibilities the Biosphere Project presented, while others expressed concerns about its potential risks. Yet, the conversation fostered by Sarah’s article allowed for a balanced and informed dialogue, leading to a collective commitment to responsible innovation.

 

As time progressed, the Biosphere Project was gradually integrated into society, with stringent regulations in place to ensure its ethical use. It revolutionized agriculture, enabling sustainable food production in regions affected by droughts, extreme temperatures, or limited arable land. It played a crucial role in conserving endangered ecosystems, allowing scientists to study and protect fragile species within controlled environments.

 

Sarah’s collaboration with Dr. Lawson continued beyond the publication of her groundbreaking article. The two worked tirelessly to address the concerns raised by the public and to refine the regulations governing the Biosphere Project. They became advocates for responsible innovation, traveling the world to speak at conferences and engaging with policymakers, scientists, and environmentalists.

 

Their efforts led to the establishment of an international committee dedicated to monitoring and regulating the use of biosphere technology. This committee consisted of experts from various fields who worked together to ensure that the Biosphere Project was used solely for peaceful and beneficial purposes.

 

Under the committee’s oversight, the Biosphere Project flourished. It continued to enhance food production and conservation efforts, transforming arid regions into thriving agricultural centers and contributing to the preservation of endangered species and habitats.

 

Sarah and Dr. Lawson’s collaboration also sparked interest from other scientific communities and research institutions. They began to share their knowledge and expertise, collaborating on similar projects around the world. This global collaboration further advanced the field of biosphere technology, expanding its applications and ensuring that the benefits reached far beyond the walls of the original research facility.

 

As the years passed, the Biosphere Project became a symbol of responsible innovation and the power of transparency. The public’s trust in the technology grew, and the regulations and oversight mechanisms put in place served as a model for other groundbreaking scientific advancements.

 

Sarah and Dr. Lawson’s efforts were recognized with numerous awards and accolades. They were hailed as pioneers who had not only uncovered a remarkable breakthrough but had also navigated the delicate balance between progress and caution.

 

Sarah’s experience with the Biosphere Project had a profound impact on her as a journalist. She realized the importance of responsible reporting, understanding the potential consequences of revealing groundbreaking technologies without careful consideration of their risks. She became an advocate for responsible journalism and used her platform to raise awareness about the ethical implications of scientific advancements.

 

Dr. Lawson’s dedication to the Biosphere Project never wavered. She continued to lead research and development efforts, ensuring that the technology evolved responsibly and with the utmost regard for the environment and humanity’s well-being.

 

The legacy of the Biosphere Project lived on, not only in its contributions to sustainable agriculture and conservation but also in the lessons it taught about responsible innovation. It served as a reminder that groundbreaking discoveries could shape the world positively, but their potential risks must be addressed proactively.

 

Sarah Mitchell and Dr. Rachel Lawson’s collaboration became a symbol of the power of partnership and the importance of ethical decision-making in the face of groundbreaking scientific advancements. Their story inspired countless others to approach innovation with responsibility, shaping a future where progress and humanity’s welfare walked hand in hand.

 

Masha Kurbatova

You, my reader, used to do science experiments. Bianca did too. She got a kids’ chemistry set in third grade, and stained her mother’s rug blue with copper sulfate. Her baby safety goggles imprinted pink into her skin; she looked quite funny as Mother fussed about the rug. Mother wanted a freaky-geeky genius kid. She didn’t want the mess.Hunger coiled like a fat worm in Bianca’s stomach then. She fed it with experiments, mud pies, scabbed knees, Mother’s makeup smeared grotesque onto her babyface. But everyone told her (maybe you too) that this wasn’t right. They said the hunger craved love. Romantic love. Kissy love. Bianca believed them. You did too.Childish hunger transitioned to adolescent obsession. She fed herself her own thoughts about boys who flirted, unthinking, with everyone, never meaning what they said. Bianca’s tweenage diary came with a lock, and was bloodied by her glitter pen, pages and pages of love letters scrawled and unsent.She kept up the habit, and Adult Bianca’s gotten good at writing. She enrolled in grad school– science journalism. That makes her parents happy. The science part, at least.But, something’s wrong now. Adult Bianca feels it. You do too. The hunger never goes away. It lies latent in Bianca’s stomach; she tries to not think about it. You too.She goes out with girls from grad school. They bind their boobs in sleeveless crop tops, wear matching stretchy short skirts, and, stinking of drugstore floral perfume, slink between bars, drawn like giggling moths from one light to another. They gripe about being single. They complain about class. Bianca joins in.One night, they look for a speakeasy. It’s not easy to find. Her five friends circle the block six times, searching for the door.“Google maps said it should be right here,” one insists.

 

“I mean it’s a speakeasy. They’re like supposed to be hidden,” replies another.

 

Chicago is smeared with rain, and street lights blot yellow into the night. When lightning crackles, the girls scream. It’s kind of embarrassing.

 

They finally figure it out: that brick-red piss-stinking door is indeed the entry. Their hair smells wet, their mascara leaks, their shirts clump as they shiver into a dark hallway.

 

Further down is the bar. It’s dim. The bartenders wear vests. The walls are wine-red and stacked with framed photos of naked 1920s girls. Millennial hipsters eat that shit up. Google users give this place 4.8 stars.

 

A wooden stage rises a foot high. Tonight, Timmy is playing. The girls huddle around a table spitting distance from the stage. Timmy polishes his trumpet.

 

The jazz band swings under gold dusty light. The girls sip watered-down drinks. Bianca taps to the beat on her sweating glass. She’s bored, and feels bad about that.

 

Timmy’s a cool guy. His short hair is cropped close to his skull. Beige trousers sit above his bony ankles. He is long, loose, jaunty. His fingers bounce like fleas over trumpet keys. Bianca likes the music, though it’s the same old covers, “Autumn Leaves” and all that jazz.

 

“I like the vibe here,” one girl says.

 

“We should come back next weekend,” coos another.

 

They do. For seven straight weeks, they return to the speakeasy. Sometimes, it’s just them. Timmy nods their way from the stage, in recognition. Bianca notices he looks at her longer. He smiles, too. She fills delusional diary pages about that. She spins conspiracies about what it could mean. (Reader, I’ll be honest — he just does that. No reason for it).

 

Class is alright. The journalism part is. The science labs, the mandatory hands-on component, Bianca stumbles through. I think she’d be quite good — steady hands, a head fit for numbers — but she doesn’t try.

 

The hunger grows. Bianca can’t ignore it. She wants more. When she’s offered a two-week summer stint reporting on research from Venus, she takes it.

 

The girls go to the speakeasy the night before she leaves. Bianca leans on the bar with both elbows, begs the bartender to come hither with her eyes, but he’s milling about in the far other corner. Bianca just wants another drink, please, and her friend wants another seltzer also.

 

The night’s show is done. Timme leans on the bar too. The show’s done. He’s parched.

 

Inches between them feel electric, but Bianca’s sure only she feels it. Timmy is a trumpet player with a few thousand followers, hardly a celebrity, but still, she feels the shyness of being so close to a star. He smiles, a sweaty nod of recognition.

 

She must say something. “I loved your show.”

 

“Thank you. What’s your name?”

 

“Bianca.”

 

Timmy raises an open palm to the bartender, who floats over immediately.

 

“Bianca. I’ve seen you at our past couple shows.”

 

“Yeah. I’m gonna miss the next couple. I’m going to Venus for a few weeks. I’m doing some reporting for my capstone project.”

 

“You know they call Venus the planet of love?”

 

A bit corny, Bianca thinks, but the guy’s got a brand to maintain. The bartender sets an amber glass before him. Timmy wipes his middle finger around and around the rim. He picked that up from film-noirs.

 

“Well, it’s a shame you won’t be here,” he continues. “We’ll miss you at our shows. Tell me all about Venus when you get back.”

 

“Um yeah. Sure.”

 

Timmy smiles so warmly. He follows Bianca back on instagram. He says such niceties that border on flirtations and maybe he is serious. She does have a crush on him, the way we all do on talented people we see regularly and from afar. But what’s the point? She’s going to space.

 

***

Bianca’s parents are of the Earth-bound generation. Her mother had cried into the phone when Bianca first said she was going to Venus.

 

“Imagine how happy your grandfather will be!” Mother said so sappily.

 

Grandpa Steve, a former engineer for an oil company, had spent a lifetime collecting pictures and films and tidbits of quotes and facts and snippets of interviews about rockets. Space travel came too late: by the time it was easy, he was too feeble.

 

Bianca doesn’t think about him. She feels ungrateful. People break through Earth’s atmosphere all the time nowadays — six of her friends went to space for undergrad study-abroads — and also, her first days on Venus suck. Constant sunlight and a slight change in gravity nauseates the mammal within her. She’s in bed, blinds drawn, choking down vomit.

 

The atmosphere of Venus is damp, rich-scented like mildew. You can breathe there without equipment. Doesn’t mean you should. The air is peppered with spores; they lodge in lungs and spew poison. Bianca doesn’t know. No one on her team does. Four people — her, the two PhD candidates, the senior researcher — spend their time outside unmasked.

 

Training begins on Tuesday. Does it make sense to measure Venus’ fast orbit and slow rotation in Earth’s days? I don’t know. In this program, they do. All four team members must report to the main cabin for safety procedures, research protocols. There’s five cabins altogether, used by the rotating groups of students, researchers, and occasional tourists that cycle through the planet each month. The cabins are built with aluminum. Four are for housing, and the main, larger one’s for gatherings, and doubles as the lab. The cabins are but a few feet from each other. Bianca can’t make it that far. She still can’t stand without throwing up.

 

The PhD candidates, Viv and Tom, are tall, with dry muscles like beef jerky. Their brains are scalpels, slicing through the confusion of flesh and sensation, distilling life into spreadsheet data points. They’re young, but older than Bianca. Perhaps they don’t take her seriously because she’s a baby. Perhaps it’s because she’s only the journalist, tasked with the simplest lab stuff, there mostly to — write? Maybe? Either way, no one cares when she’s not at training.

 

When her space sickness ceases, it’s day four of fourteen. Time for the team’s first expedition. Viv and Tom wear hiking boots and cargo shorts. They’re joined by the senior researcher, a 4 foot something woman with a face like a walnut and a mind like a nutcracker. Her silver hair is in two braided ropes down to her stomach. The trio stands beside the main cabin, discussing something serious. When Bianca shows up, they fall silent. When they take off, on foot, they let her carry the backpack. Inside are vials, machines, measurement tools. Bianca’s not really sure what else.

 

Much of Venus is green and fuzzy. There’s acres of forests of fungi. The growths rise as high as Earth’s trees, and are shaped like its stalagmites, green rounded pillars soft and moist to touch. The ground is green too, and Viv and Tom’s boots leave deep prints, like walking on wet sand.

 

The farther they go, the higher the growth. The sun is soon blotted out by a fungal canopy. They’re in the cool heart of an undisturbed forest.

 

Out come the steel needles, the vials, the long-wired gauges and gadgets, snatched out of the backpack and pierced into the malleable trunks of the largest fungi. Bianca is glad to stop walking. Those three hike so fast.

 

She watches them work. She tries to take note of procedures. She’d taken a course in astromycology just last semester, but passed only because she sucked up so much to that professor. She has no idea what Viv and Tom and the researcher are actually doing.

 

They’ve split apart, Viv descending even deeper, hopping over the protruding dark green mycelia. The researcher is prodding a trunk, her hands peeling away fuzzy, as if she touched mold. Bianca stays behind, near Tom. He’s pretty cute. Bespectacled, with a stubbled chin, because geniuses in space have no time to shave. His clothes are kind of crumpled. His young face is already lined; so much frowning from serious contemplation of serious things. He’s like the math tutor you have a crush on.

 

Bianca considers starting conversation. But he’s deep in a squat, elbows between knees, bending over a device with a glowing screen, writing down numbers in a notebook. She won’t disturb him. She contemplates the scenery instead. She’ll remember all this for her report, the sensory stuff. She’ll catch up on and fill in the science stuff later.

 

Gold-amber sunlight streams through in strips, highlighting the spores rising like flecks of dust. How similar this dim light is to that of the speakeasy. She breathes deep, wanting to remember the scent. Millions of the spores that will eventually kill her settle inside her with each inhale.

 

Now, reader, you surely dream of faraway places. Beaches with white sizzling sands crawling with crabs; sun-bleached ruins of older, wiser civilizations; outer space; all-included B&B; arctic cruise liners; the cool arms of a cool girl who really gets you for you. But it’s you that’s there. With all your gross human petty aches and desires, and your small stupid clouded mind stuffed with stereotypes and preconceived notions. Places don’t really change you. Isn’t that sad?

 

Bianca feels bad, but she’s bored. Tom’s still doing something. She sits down. She yawns. She hasn’t been sleeping well. She thinks about the bed in the cabin, a creaky and flimsy construction she can’t wait to return to. She thinks about her bed at home. Maybe when she returns, she’ll splurge on one of those mattresses they advertise all the time with the cooling foam and the sleep number. It’s premature to think about Timmy in that bed with her, right? Still, she lingers deliciously on that daydream.

 

It’s only when they return to the lab that she realizes: sitting down stained her butt green. Viv points it out, gently. They laugh.

 

Viv: “It’s ok! I sat down on my nephew’s chocolate Easter bunny once. It melted all over my jeans. When I got up, he called me poopy pants!”

 

They laugh more. As Viv removes filled vials and scrawled-over notebooks from the backpack, and Bianca pretends to help, they assume the easy rhythms of girl-conversation.

 

Tom comes, holding a test tube rack. Seriousness carves into his face. The girls stop laughing.

 

“Do you know how to prepare microscope slides?” he asks Bianca.

 

“Um.”

 

“I’ll show her,” Viv offers.

 

The lab is cold, bright, gleaming with glass and fluorescence. Viv flits like a bird between stations, grabbing vials and pipettes. She shows Bianca the slides, the steps. Bianca copies like a clever little monkey. This isn’t even hard. She’ll do all the slides, easy.

 

Viv trusts her pupil enough, and disappears to her bench. Tom clicks away at his own work. Bianca is concentrating. The slides soon hold small samples of fungus, green and translucent commas atop rectangles of glass.

 

She’s a real scientist, she thinks. This is what being a kid with chemistry set was like, pure focus, exploration, the excitement of near-discovery like a sneeze begging to be expelled.

 

“Hey, Tom,” Viv calls out. “You should tell Bianca about the time you ate that poisonous fungus.”

 

“Shuuuuuut the fuuuuuuuck uuuup,” he yells from his corner. He cracks his first white-teeth smile of the trip.

 

“Mr. Mycology Expert here,” Viv tells Bianca, meeting her eyes over microscopes, “Was sooo sure he knew what edible mushrooms looked like, and we’re on this research trip all over Europe, right, collecting spore prints, and we find one he says he can eat, but I think is poisonous, but he eats it anyway, and we spend the rest of that trip in the hospital while he hangs on to life by a thread.”

 

“That’s so scary,” says Bianca. To Tom: “Are you better now at figuring out which fungi are toxic?”

 

Tom rolls his eyes. “Uh, yeah.”

 

The flow is now three-way. The trio is chatting, passing the ball of conversation quite easily. A window in the lab shows Venus outside, green and swirling, a promise offered and answered. Bianca is here with her gorgeous scientist friends. The world around her is weird and wild.  This is what she sought.

 

Bianca tells them about Timmy. She doesn’t realize how big her movements get. Arms sweeping, eyes wide with her story. A hand flying too fast: contact with the box of slides. They crash, off the lab bench, and spill. The slides splinter.

 

Bianca: “Oh, fuck. I’m so sorry. I’ll clean it up.”

 

Bianca, all panicky, seeks the broom. Her anxious eyes pass by it six times before she spots it in the supply closet. Hot guilt bites her cheeks.

 

She returns, broom in hand. Tom and Viv are bent over the shards. They giggle. Bianca’s soul slides into her stomach, a high school feeling — they’re laughing at her. She comes closer, but they don’t stop, or look at her.

 

Reader, you’ve seen lovers. They pull on each other like the taffy machine, stretching a great big confectionery rope over and over and back together. Tom and Viv are doing that thing that neither you nor Bianca can manage: hunger so deep for another person that you ask to be fed by them again and again. Lovers always find something to say, tease about, like puppies biting each other to make the other chase. Here too, on the planet of love, they manage. On Venus as it is on Earth.

 

***

Two weeks are up. The team is going home, back on the rocket. Bianca is held inside it by x-crossing seatbelts. She’s sat by the porthole. A deep dark lonely cosmos stares at her. She stares back with glazed eyes. Her mind is elsewhere. She imagines talking to Timmy. She composes her monologue for him, not her friends, her parents, or her rocket-yearning grandfather.

 

Timmy, you know how they used to say Venus was unfit for life? I can’t believe how wrong people were, even just a few decades ago. I mean, I suppose we couldn’t have known for certain. No one had ever been here before. But Venus is more lush than any sliver  of jungle we’ve remaining on Earth, but with fungus, not trees. I quite like the fungus. I think you would, too. It loves music, just like you. If you lean in close enough to the roots — sorry, the mycelium — you hear this humming noise. It’s singing to itself, I think. I wish you’d been here with me. You would’ve loved it. 

 

How Bianca is so confident that a man she’s spoken to once would love the peculiar atmosphere of Venus, I’m really not sure.

 

Oh, right — reader, you’re probably worried about the poisonous spores. They’ve lodged in the crew’s lungs. The moisture of the tissue draws forth mycelia, which soon will sprout into thick fungus that chokes living organs.

 

Fortunately, “soon” is relative. For mushrooms that live millions of year, a human life span isn’t long. It’s 60 years before the fungus sprouts and is toxic. Viv and Tom and Bianca and the senior researcher die from it, but they would’ve been dead by then anyway.

 

Maybe you wonder, did  Timmy and Bianca get together? I don’t know. You tell me. It doesn’t really matter.

Arizona Carnitas with Green Chiles

Spice up meal times with this traditional and popular Southwestern dish. Shoulder meat is best cooked for longer period of time to make tender. Set the table so that everyone can create their own torilla-filled meal.

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b85698918052e4df61cd93bb2390b649

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 (2 1/2 pound) boneless pork shoulder, cut into bite size pieces*
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 large yellow onion, cut into thin slivers
  • 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles, undrained
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • Flour tortillas or corn tortillas
  • Shredded Cheddar cheese
  • Chopped tomato
  • Sour cream

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in ovenproof heavy large covered pot over high heat.
  3. Add half of the pork cubes; sprinkle with half of the salt and half of the black pepper. Cook pork until starting to brown, stirring often.
  4. Remove pork. Repeat with remaining pork cubes, salt and black pepper, adding more oil if necessary.
  5. Drain drippings from pot.
  6. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the same pot over medium heat.
  7. Cook onion in hot oil until tender.
  8. Stir in undrained chiles and garlic; cook for 2 minutes.
  9. Return pork to pot.
  10. Add chicken broth. Cover and bake for 1 hour.
  11. Serve pork in tortillas topped with Cheddar cheese, tomato and sour cream if desired.

Notes

* This recipe is perfect for pork shoulder, but any economical cut will work well.

Tool Porn Post

Inside 'Delete A', China's plan to 'delete everything America in technology’ - Times of India

How many people have heard of DELETE AMERICA Or DELETE A?

Very few

It doesn’t do many rounds on Mainstream Western Media

China is creating an atmosphere where anything American is to be phased out ENTIRELY

Target dates are 31/12/2025, 31/12/2027 and 31/12/2030 depending on different technologies

Here are some major decisions :-

  • Microsoft Windows Ecosystem fully phased out from Grade I – Grade III Government Organizations and replaced with KYLIN (By 30/9/2024)
  • Intel & AMD processors fully phased out from Grade I – III Organizations and replaced with Longson Processors (By 30/9/2024)
  • Samsung SSDs with SK Hynix commenced phase out from Grade I – III Organizations and replaced with Huawei SSDs with YMTC (Begun 1/1/2024 , Target Date 31/12/2027)
  • Cisco Equipment fully phased out from Grade I – III Organizations and replaced with Huawei & ZTE Equipment (By 1/1/2023)
  • Grade I – III include Military, Quasi Military , JV Military, Civilian Airspace, Civilian Air Traffic, Civilian Transportation, Civilian Airports, Civilian Railways & Civilian Power Distribution among other things

Here are other things :-

  • US Exports formed 9.4% of Chinas GDP Growth in 2015. Now it’s 2.3% in 2023. Dependence on US Exports for Economic Growth has fallen by 75% in the past decade
  • Workforce related to US Exports peaked at 1.81 Million in 2016. Now it’s 870,000 – down by more than 50% in the past 8 years
  • Chinas Brand Value sales to the Global South stands at a whopping $ 112.6 Billion versus a paltry $ 11.6 Billion in USA. This means Chinese Brands sales in US is a mere $ 12 Billion versus more than $ 113 Billion across the rest of the world. By contrast US Brands sales in China is close to $ 212 Billion versus $ 411 Billion with the rest of the world (Non US). This means 33% of Sales of US Brands depend on China whereas only 9.60% of Sales of Chinese Brands depend on USA.
  • In fact if you see Chinese Brands sales in ASEAN is $ 38.2 Billion, almost 3.5 times their US sales
  • The Top 15 US Brands – made $ 104.20 Billion for the US Economy in 2023 from China . The Top 15 Chinese Brands made a mere $ 10.81 Billion for the Chinese Economy from USA.
  • Chinas dependence on US Technology for its Industrial High Grade Processes is 38% as of 2023 June whereas US Dependence on China for its High Grade Manufacturing Supply Chain is almost 70%. So US dependence on China is TWICE the Chinese dependence on US

It is China that is decoupling from US and Europe

In fact China is preparing to raise massive stimulus to encourage boost in domestic consumption so that by 2027, Chinas Export contribution to GDP falls to less than 15% and US Export contribution to GDP falls to less than 1%


So whatever happens – every move by US against China is programmed to backfire worse against the US

Shocking Truth of South Korean Coup

The details are coming out. Biden “presidency” really were being bad during the last few months.

A friend just shared this, and it’s too funny!

MONTANA STATE TROOPER

In many places in the U.S., when the temperature drops really low, they check on any cars stuck on the side of the road.

One very cold morning, at 3 AM, Montana State Trooper Allan Nixon #658 got a call about a car off the road near Great Falls, Montana.

He found the car stuck in deep snow with the engine still running. After pulling up behind it with his lights flashing, the trooper walked up to the driver’s door and found an older man passed out in the driver’s seat with a nearly empty vodka bottle beside him.

The driver woke up when the trooper tapped on the window. Seeing the lights and the trooper next to his car, the man panicked and shifted into drive, hitting the gas.

The speedometer showed the car going 20, 30, 40, and then 50 MPH, but it was still stuck in the snow, wheels spinning. Trooper Nixon, with a good sense of humor, started running in place next to the car like he was keeping up.

The driver was freaked out, thinking the trooper was actually running 50 miles per hour. After about 30 seconds, the trooper yelled, “PULL OVER!”

The driver quickly turned the wheel and stopped the engine. Of course, the man from North Dakota was arrested, and I bet he’s still shaking his head over the trooper who could run 50 MPH.

Who says cops don’t have a sense of humor?

Sounds right

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main qimg 37dbe512017fa4e474ee3d7655b95f9e

An EXTREMELY good video.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Utter Annihilation! With Surrender Deadline Past, Promised Bombing Has Begun in Kursk, Russia

UPDATED 1:40 PM STAURDAY -- Utter Annihilation! With Surrender Deadline Past, Promised Bombing Has Begun in Kursk, Russia

Yesterday, this website reported that the Russian Army has completely encircled Ukrainian forces inside Kursk, Russia.

Those Ukrainians were given until “Dawn” this morning to surrender, or else Fuel Air Bombing would begin.

The deadline has now passed; the bombing has begun.

Ukraine forces in Kursk, Russia, are being annihilated.

In our prior coverage (Story Here) we pointed out that over 1,000 Ukrainian troops, out of the 4700 – 6300 trapped in Kursk, were already seeking to surrender, and were offering New weapons, provided by the US and France, encrypted communications gear, and other military hardware, as inducements to Russia to allow them to surrender.

It is not yet known if those troops did, in fact, surrender, or how many western weapons systems the Russians have now received from those troops.

As each minute passes today, more and more Fuel-Air (Thermobaric) Bombs are being dropped on the remaining Ukrainian troops.

None are expected to survive the onslaught.

From Napoleon to Hitler, history shows that such is the fate of any force that invades Russia.

 

UPDATE 11:54 AM EST —

Ukrainian Forces are collapsing faster than expected. There are reports of a disorganized withdrawal with high casualties and large groups of Ukrainian soldiers being left behind.

UPDATE 1:40 PM EST —

Yesterday, Ukraine controlled 360 square kilometers of Kursk, Russia.  As of three hours ago, that was CONFIRMED down to “less than 230 square kilometers” and dropping fast.  As Russian troops enter bombed-out areas,  they confirm Ukrainian troops are all dead, then count that area as being back under Russia control.   According to one Russian source, “There are far more bombed-out areas to survey, and the bombings continue.   Kursk may be disinfected of the Ukrainian disease by tonight.”

It should be noted that Hitler tried taking Kursk in 1943.  His NAZI forces were roundly defeated.   It is noteworthy that some of the dead Ukrainians found in Kursk today – have NAZI “SS” patches on their helmets.  Just as dead now, as Hitler’s troops were in 1943.  See image below:

Kursk 1943 2025
Kursk 1943 2025

Since the morning publication on the situation in the Kursk region, the situation for Ukrainian formations has worsened even more. Russian troops have increased the pressure in several areas at once, and the Ukrainian Armed Forces are rapidly retreating from the front lines, abandoning the wounded and equipment.

Lebedevka, Okhotnichy, Loknya have been finally liberated. The nearby forest belts are being cleared of enemy remnants. The enemy has been trying to escape towards Sudzha for over a day, and from there to Yunakovka along the only road.

To the north of Sudzha, Russian army fighters have completely liberated Malaya Loknya, Kositsa and Cherkasskoye Porechnoye. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are running across the fields to Sudzha under artillery and FPV drone fire.

To the north-east, the Ukrainians tried to go into counter-attack again, but to no avail. Airborne assault units cleared the forests and liberated Makhnovka, Mirny, Mykhailivka and Martynovka.

Now the battles are going on near Dmitryuki. Separate units of the Russian Armed Forces, which liberated Makhnovka, are already conducting an assault on the outskirts of Sudzha. After the loss of Dmitryuki (it is a matter of time), the situation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces will worsen significantly.

This will open the way to Sudzha, which will certainly cause chaos and disarray in the Ukrainian positions due to the fear of being trapped. The Ukrainian front is gradually falling apart, and the operation that was supposed to be a victory for Zelensky is turning into one huge farce.

Chipotle and Green Chile with Pork

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3fdbc665ced625d223ce921296430121

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 2 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
  • 2 cups yellow onions, diced
  • 1/4 cup jalapeño chile, minced
  • 1 cup dried New Mexico green chiles, seeded, stems removed, and minced
  • 1/4 cup minced garlic
  • 1/4 cup roasted chipotle chiles, peeled and minced
  • 1 cup grated pepper jack cheese
  • 8 (6 inch) flour tortillas

Instructions

  1. In a stockpot, melt two tablespoons butter and heat.
  2. When the butter is hot, add pork, onions, jalapeño, New Mexico dried chiles, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours or until pork is tender.
  3. Add the chipotle chiles and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
  4. Grill the tortillas and brush with butter.
  5. Serve with grated pepper jack cheese on top.
  6. You want to spoon the chili onto your tortilla and roll up and eat.

At this point, I believe it impossible.

The reason why the US could compete and dominate the EU, Japan and Korea is scale, and the unnatural size o>f American influence, thanks primarily to the global reach of the Pentagon. That is why this map of AMERICAN NATIONAL SECURITY isn’t ridiculed.

The Eurodollar (or american dollars overseas) is another powerful tool. It has a dominant position in world finance.

However, along comes China, an economy that’s already 3/4 the size of the US, but resistant to US influence, either political, military or geoeconomic. China is peer competition, the same way George Foreman didn’t fold fighting Muhammad Ali.

China, at this point, has graduated into a system of systems builder, and is already a tool-maker of enabling technology.

What is a tool-maker?

In simple terms, the upstream technology that factories depend on for their production.

China isn’t just a maker of consumer end-products today. The Chinese have the world’s most complete supply chain, and Chinese companies are making the rapid climb into tool-making, such as robots, sophisticated precision machines, exotic nano-materials, and all kinds of IOT/ML/big data/AI thingmajigs.

In other words, China is rushing towards the cutting edge Industry 5.0.

It is the year 2023 and Huawei is already pushing 5.5G networks, with speeds up to 10x faster than 5G. That’s the speed of relentless progress driving innovation on the mainland.

It is the year 2023 and CRRC is testing 450kmh HSR rolling stock, allowing the export and technology transfer of the mature 350kmh Fuxing. China had 0km of HSR in 2006. Today, they have 40,000km, more than the rest of the world has managed over the last 60 years. Expect the network to grow in the coming decade.

[Note: Indonesia, Brazil and other third world countries will operate FASTER HSR trains than first world Japan, France and Germany in the coming decade. They will also deploy cellular 5G/6G technology in step with the first world, and perhaps even earlier, all thanks to the Chinese.]

Stepping up to bat with the manic energy of the Chinese requires the same or greater commitment of energy and resources. The first world has kept the rest of the world at bay with patent walls and unassailable leads, but the Chinese are overcoming the obstacles and making up lost ground rapidly. In some industries, the Chinese are already defining the cutting edge, and clear leaders.

The clear Chinese advantage is scale, and the ability to cluster and leverage supply chain ecosystems and innovation centers. That is why Huawei has its campus in Dongguan, a stone’s throw away from the mecca of China’s consumer electronics, Shenzhen. Huawei has unparalleled access to the latest innovations to drive product development. Whereas Apple designs in California, and contract manufactures an ocean away.

Once China catches up on the patent front, Chinese speed and scale will take care of the rest.

America can’t even do anything about its stale Constitution, and can only offer kick-a-canism for the age-old problems of guns, drugs and racism, while the infrastructure continue to decay at an astonishing rate. Social spending dominates the budget, an ever-increasing burden. The bigger problem is the overfinancialized economy that has been overreliant on cheap money. Intel blew 100 billion on stock buyback this century, while its manufacturing lead was steadily eroding. Today, the best Intel chips are no longer at the cutting edge node.

Same story with Boeing, and a host of household American names.

Prosperity breeds soft bellies.

I don’t believe it reversible, not without substantial (and prolonged) pain forcing American introspection.

Too much hubris.

And insufficient grasp of reality.

My God. This is brilliant.

They Always Find Us

Submitted into Contest #207 in response to: A journalist has been granted permission to visit the premises of a lab carrying out top-secret work. They could never have anticipated what they’d find… view prompt

Theo Benson

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

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Dr. Morrison held a small vial up to the light, amber liquid swirling inside. “After all our efforts, all of our sacrifices, we’re so close to a cure.”Isabelle held her datapad closer to the Doctor, determined to get as clear of an audio recording as possible. They had spent hours in Silver Grandeur’s lab. Her legs ached. With painstaking precision, Dr. Morrison walked Isabelle through all of the functions of Lab Section 1, explaining each device that helped to refine and prepare the contents of the vial in his hand. The soreness she’d feel later would be worth the story. Especially as a Junior Data Reporter.“Tell us, Doctor,” Isabelle said, shifting weight from one leg to another, “What’s the greatest challenge you’ve faced with Project Find?”“We’ve all lost people to the sickness, haven’t we?”Isabelle looked away.“No challenge is greater than that of grief,” Dr. Morrison said with a sad smile. “Yet their memory lives on in the work we accomplish.” He gingerly set the vial into its holder on the table in front of them. After a moment of silence, he asked, “Anything else?”“Yes,” Isabelle perked up. “About the beginning. How exactly did this-”A shudder rocked the ship. Lights flickered in the lab as Dr. Morrison and Isabelle steadied themselves against the table.“Seekers,” He muttered as the shaking subsided. Another, more violent shudder, nearly knocked Isabelle off her feet. The vials on the table clattered together. “They always find us.”Around them, scientists in lab coats hurried to secure loose items. Isabelle found herself being led towards the exit.“I’m sorry to cut this short,” the Doctor said, leading her out into the main hallway and shutting the door behind them. “I need to speak with the Captain before one of those things tears a hole in our outer hull again.”Isabelle pulled her father into a hug. “Be safe.”After watching Dr. Morrison race out of sight, she opened her hand and smiled at it. Seated in the palm of her hand was a grey access card. Her father’s. Slipping back inside the lab, Isabelle quickly donned a lab coat, mask, and goggles. Only a few scientists remained. Evidently, the rest had dispersed to secure other sections of Silver Grandeur’s large lab. She snuck to the back of Section 1, connecting her datapad to the lab’s information center – a port in the wall.The ship rocked again, and Isabelle steadied herself against the wall.She switched rapidly from catalogue to catalogue, searching. There had to be something more interesting here. Yes, her father had shown her this section of the lab, but she was not so naïve as to think this was all there was. Scientific breakthrough had to come from somewhere. And a good Data Reporter needed to be willing to break a few rules to find out.Isabelle paused on one catalogue.Project Find. It read. She inserted Dr. Morrison’s card into her datapad to open the file. Disappointment grew as she read. Most of the words made absolutely no sense. Yes, they were English. But no matter how hard Isabelle squinted at them and sounded them out under her breath, their meaning remained completely foreign.But then she spotted something she could understand.Successful creation of antidote and enhancement secured via genetic mesh.Below, it read; See Donor Subject File. Lab Section 13.She disconnected her datapad and pressed deeper into the lab.Another shudder shook Silver Grandeur. She began humming softly as she passed more labcoats, remembering the melody her mother would use to comfort her when she was little. After the Seekers first attacked.On its one-hundredth and fifty-second year of voyaging in space, five years after Silver Grandeur’s passengers were woken from cryo-sleep, the Seekers struck. So did the sickness.Deep space sickness, they called it.No one knew what caused it. Some blamed the Seekers, who appeared immune to the disease. With their arrival shortly preceding the first outbreak, they were easy to blame. Some claimed it was a result of extended cryo-sleep. Simply a scientific oversight. And others, the more religious of Silver Grandeur’s passengers, proclaimed it was judgement for their departure from God’s one true home for them – Earth. Apparently, extended cryo-sleep had conveniently allowed them to forget Earth’s death. Reduced to a desolate wasteland, their one true home forced what remained of humanity to flee.Her mother was one of the first to die from the sickness. Isabelle was ten at the time. Her father threw himself into a frenzy of work after his wife’s death, refusing to take inevitable death – either by sickness or by Seeker – as the final answer. Fifteen years had since passed.Isabelle reached the end of Section 12 and stopped. Before her lay a single door. Lab Section 13. Checking behind her to make sure no one was watching, Isabelle opened the door with Dr. Morrison’s access card and slipped inside, shutting the door behind her.Cold air shocked her. Isabelle shivered. Section 13 was freezing, not to mention smaller than she expected. The room contained only a handful of control panels on either side of the door and a containment unit on the far wall that was coated in frost.Isabelle frowned. Was this the Donor Subject?She approached the unit and used her sleeve to wipe a patch of frost from the glass.A dark form moved inside.

Isabelle had seen Seekers before. Windows across the ship gave good view for those with a morbid enough interest to watch them attack. With a snouted maw filled with teeth, an excess of appendages tipped with claws, long wings, and sleek black bodies, they blended easily against the backdrop of space. Only when close enough to Silver Grandeur’s lights did the light of the ship reflecting off their bodies illuminate their presence. In darkness they did not exist.

She squinted at it. It was almost entirely obscured by the remaining frost and the condensation building inside her goggles. Isabelle steadied her breathing, excitement mounting as she removed her goggles to peer inside. She’d never seen one this close before.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Eyes, eyes that Seekers did not – should not – have, stared back at her.

It lunged.

Isabelle jerked backwards, slamming into the panels behind her. The creature thrashed against the glass and Isabelle glanced down in panic as a small alarm sounded on the panel just under her arm.

The sides of the containment unit hissed open.

Isabelle ran. Tearing metal echoed behind her.

She collided with a labcoat in Section 11. “Go! It’s out!” Not stopping to wait, she ran on through the lab, leaving the startled man behind. Several seconds later there was a scream. A loud crunch. And silence.

Lungs and legs burning, Isabelle burst into Section 1, the door sliding shut behind her. Several dozen scientists milled about, the ship’s shaking having since stopped.

“Run,” she said.

A few labcoats looked at her in confusion. Thudding behind the door she entered grew louder.

Isabelle tore off her mask, wheezing. “Run!”

The door she came through flew across the room, crushing a scientist against the wall. Standing a head taller than Isabelle, the creature that entered stood on legs rippling with sleek black muscle. Its head was surprisingly rounded, with something like the remnants of hair dotting the top of its head. It stretched tall and raised tensed arms, claws glinting in the lab’s harsh light. Opening its mouth, the creature let out a roar.

Scientists screamed and scattered.

Isabelle raced to the door leading into the rest of the ship. Several scientists followed. The hair on the back of her neck stood up, and Isabelle careened to the side just in time to avoid a large metal table as it flew past her and smashed into the door. The labcoats weren’t as lucky.

An alarm blared in the lab. The scientist who activated it let out a blood-curdling scream from the center of the room as the creature charged him. It roared again, striking claws into both labcoat and control panel. Metal and flesh tore.

The lab was plunged into darkness.

Isabelle’s feet slid against the floor, a red emergency light flaring to life and pulsing slowly to illuminate the dark puddle she now stood in. She gagged, fighting to stay upright. Something struck her shoulder and Isabelle went down hard. A woman screamed beside her on the floor, having also fallen, and as the lights flashed Isabelle could make out a tall form to her right.

The creature crouched low. Isabelle scurried away as darkness returned. Crunching, twisting – a rending of flesh met her ears a few feet away, and warm liquid splattered her face. The woman’s screams fell silent.

She crawled as quickly as she could until she reached the lab’s wall. Feeling with slick hands along its surface, Isabelle’s fingers found purchase on the metal grooves of a vent grate. Hands shaking, she pulled off the clover, slipped inside the space just wide enough to hold her, and closed it. Cries of terror and agony dwindled one by one. Isabelle could hear them pounding against the crushed door, wailing as they realized it was too damaged to open. A body slammed against the vent grate and slumped to one side. Warm liquid began pooling next to Isabelle and she backed away. Shuffling quietly until she met a curve in the vent shaft, the young Data Reporter choked back tears. Now was not the time to cry.

A final voice cried out, and with that, the lab was silent.

Isabelle stopped.

Another sound had risen to fill the silence. A low vibration, somewhere between a growl and a hum came from the creature. She could feel the sound rumbling in her chest, deep in her lungs and heart, as though tugging on something. Carefully, she started moving again, crawling on slippery hands and knees.

Her knee skidded to the side and struck the vent shaft with a dull thunk. Isabelle steadied herself, holding her breath. She heard the grate tear free and clatter somewhere inside the lab.

Isabelle thrust herself around the bend, not caring how much noise she made now as the sounds of thudding and scraping behind her soon followed. With a cry of alarm, Isabelle’s weight-bearing hand slipped out from under her. Her head crashed against the side of the vent. Swaying awkwardly, Isabelle focused blurred vision up ahead.

Was it her imagination, or was there light around the next bend?

A growling hum propelled her forward.

Pulling with her arms, Isabelle slid around the final bend and was met by another grate leading down, light pouring from it. Every muscle in her body burned as she raised her hand and struck the grate.

It didn’t budge.

With a shriek, she brought her hand down against the grate again. And again and again and again.

CRASH.

Isabelle dropped to the floor below, pain bursting at her feet.

“HELP!” Her shout echoed as she limped quickly, turning right at an intersection in the hallway. “HEL-”

A closed blast door barring her path.

No.

She whirled around to see the creature dash into view.

No. No.

The creature skidded to a halt, muscles tensing. Bright hallway light finally illuminated the scarlet haphazardly painting both monster and woman. Isabelle’s back pressed against the door. It stalk towards her, moving with slow, purposeful steps. That of a hunter. That of one who knew its place in the pecking order.

Seekers. They always find us. 

Isabelle’s back slid until she met the ground. She turned her face away.

“Don’t hurt her!” A voice yelled. Her father’s.

Isabelle looked up in surprise. The creature turned to face Dr. Morrison, growling deep in its body and lifting its arms in a display.

“Don’t do this,” he said to the creature.

It roared.

Isabelle sobbed. “What is it?”

It roared again.

“Dad, what is it?”

His voice was even as he spoke. Measured carefully. “We acquired a Seeker’s DNA many years ago, hoping to find a cure. What we discovered was that they had so much more to offer us.” Dr. Morrison’s eyes flashed with something near-feral. “Strength, Izzy.” She watched through tear-streaked vision as he stepped to one side, the creature tracking his movement. “Strength we could never dream of acquiring on our own. We just needed to bridge the genetic gap.” Her father’s expression grew almost sad as he gazed at the creature. “Human experimentation was the only way. I’m sorry, dear.”

With a rippling of muscle the creature pounced. Isabelle forced her eyes to the ground as the sounds of carnage lifted to join that of the alarm. A sickening cacophony.

And then the carnage ceased.

Slow, thudding footsteps approached her. What had once been a growl dwindled to the lowest of vibrations. A soft humming. Isabelle looked at it with a start.

The creature’s face was close. Strings of sinew hung from red teeth, dripping blood onto Isabelle’s legs. As she looked above the horror of its maw, she saw its eyes. Familiar eyes. A memory pressed uninvited into Isabelle’s mind as the hum reverberated in her chest. Her mother, seated at the edge of Isabelle’s bed, the young girl cowering beneath her blankets as Silver Grandeur shuddered. Feeling a hand on her arm over the blanket, she listened to the melody of her mother’s tune as sleep finally overcame fear.

The creature knelt in front of Isabelle. Extending a single, blood-covered hand, it caressed the side of her face.

Isabelle’s eyes widened in shock. “Mom?”

Broccoli.

heavily abridged story below because I have no need to relive all this.

My ex was a normal and healthy 5’6” woman when we met at around age 20.

Everything was fine.

I worked and she Graduated college. She got a great job and the decline began.

She was making far more money than me but I was still forced to work full time and go to school.

Pretty sure the intent was to keep me unemployable.

  • She took 75% of my pay as “rent” for a house she bought and only put her name on.
  • She wouldn’t really grant me full rights to anything until I graduated college which she was working against.
  • She always had some stupid reason and I was tired from working 40+ hours and going to school.

*fast forward a few years*

I’m about to finally graduate college.

She has ballooned to over 400lbs. While I’ve started running half marathons at this point and I’m eating real food.

Every Friday night id make a nice dinner for 2. But, she would get fast food and eat it in front of the TV while I ate alone in the kitchen.

about the time they were cutting toes off her parents for diabetes and I was getting sick of watching everyone check their blood sugar at holidays.

I asked her to just try one of my prepped meals instead of getting fast food.

She was reluctant to eat fresh steamed broccoli with a little butter and some salt on it. After she finally forced it down- she then proceeded to “throw up” for 2 hours.

I went and looked for my own place the next day.

The end.

The Pudding

A digital publication that uses data to tell stories. They create visually engaging and insightful articles on a variety of topics, from pop culture to social issues.

The Pudding

Some examples of the content…

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screen 2024 12 14 14 44 33

This happened to me a few years ago on an SIA flight from Hong Kong to Singapore. I had an aisle seat when I got to to my assigned seat there was a woman in it. I politely told her that this was my seat. She just stared at me and said something in Mandarian “ Which I do not speak or understand “. I politely asked her again to move and she turned her head and faced towards the window. I went to the cabin pantry which wasn’t that far away and informed one of the cabin crew. The crew member was very polite and told me to take the middle seat across from my assigned seat till we were airborne and they would sort it out. Once airborne and the plane was flying steady The cabin crew member approached the lady. I could not understand the conversation between them it was obvious the lady wasn’t planning on exiting my seat. The cabin crew member brought in their supervisor to no avail. Shortly afterwards the the cabin crew sup approached me and told me that the lady refused to vacate the seat. They informed the first officer of the situation and he said that they will resolve the situation once on the ground in Changi. She apologised to me and asked me if I would stay in this seat for the remainder of the trip.

Once on the ground in Changi one of the cabin crew took my information down and said they will be in touch with me in a few days. When I deplaned I saw two SIA personnel speaking to the lady at the counter near the gangway. Fast forward three days later I received a call from SIA who apologised to me. They reimbursed me for my flight from HK to SIN. When I asked what happened to the lady the SIA agent told me that they do not give out information about ongoing incidents but it was elevated to airline security staff.

I never asked for reimbursement SIA offered it. I received an email from them apologising for the incident. Plus they gave me a voucher for SilverKris lounge for use during my next flight. I received the reimbursement pretty quickly within 96 hrs. Hope this helps out.

Will China Invade Taiwan? Kishore Mahbubani Reveals…

Wow! He calls it out exactly.

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Walmart asks Chinese suppliers to slash prices as it faces Trump tariffs: report

By Taylor Herzlich 
Published March 6, 2025, 10:32 a.m. ET

Walmart has been pleading with Chinese suppliers to lower their prices as it fears President Trump’s tariffs will inflate costs, according to a report.

Asian firms have pushed back after the big-box retailer asked some suppliers, including kitchenware and clothing manufacturers, to slash their prices as much as 20%, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.

The talks have been held with several manufacturers, and the requested price reductions have varied from firm to firm, according to the report.

Walmart has asked some Chinese suppliers to lower their prices as it faces President Trump’s tariffs, according to a report. REUTERS

Few have agreed to the hefty price cuts, which would force the Chinese suppliers to shoulder the burden of Trump’s tariffs, Bloomberg said.

“As we have done in the past, we will continue to work with suppliers to keep prices as low as possible for customers,” a Walmart spokesperson told The Post in a statement.

“In the meantime, we encourage all parties to work towards finding common ground that will protect consumers from price hikes and continue to grow our economy.”

Walmart declined to comment on reports that it was asking Chinese suppliers to lower prices.

Most of Walmart’s suppliers already operate on thin margins to allow the retailer to sell goods at affordable prices.

Lowering prices by more than 2% would result in a loss for some of these suppliers, sources told Bloomberg.

The average mark up to labor and materials in China is 3%. Anything over 2% is impossible. -MM

Meanwhile, vendors have denied requests from some of these Chinese suppliers to cut their prices more than 3%, so manufacturers are considering turning to Vietnam for cheaper parts, a source told Bloomberg.

Trump aides earlier raised the possibility of imposing tariffs on Vietnam, according to a Reuters report. The country responded by agreeing to aid US deportation requests within a tight 30-day timeframe, the report said.

Retailers have been scrambling to prepare for the impact on prices after Trump this week imposed stiff 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, as well as a 20% levy on China.

During his Tuesday address to the joint session of Congress, Trump said Americans will have to “bear with” him through an “adjustment period.”

Earlier that day, Target CEO Brian Cornell warned that shoppers may notice higher prices on fruits and vegetables in stores within the next few days.

Walmart has historically had strong bargaining power over its Chinese suppliers, and past requests for lower prices have largely been met, sources told Bloomberg.

But the retailer’s latest request is unusual and outsize, leaving manufacturers struggling to decide whether holding onto Walmart as a partner is worth bearing the brunt of the tariffs, according to the Bloomberg report.

Walmart has historically had strong bargaining power over its Chinese suppliers,

Walmart first requested a price reduction from Chinese suppliers after Trump imposed an initial 10% levy on goods from China in early February, sources said.

The retailer asked for more cuts after Trump threatened to double the taxes later that month, according to the report.

Other retailers under pressure may use the same tactic. Target, for example, has been having discussions with vendors about how to handle the tariffs, Cornell said on Tuesday.

Walmart has been trying to reduce its dependence on China over the past few years. Its reliance on Chinese imports dropped to 60% in 2023 from 80% in 2018, according to a Reuters report.

In 2023, the company reported that two-thirds of its total product spend went toward items made, grown or assembled in the US.

Brian Breaks These Girls’ DELUSION On Why Men Won’t Take Them SERIOUSLY

Fob Story.

Submitted into Contest #207 in response to: A journalist has been granted permission to visit the premises of a lab carrying out top-secret work. They could never have anticipated what they’d find… view prompt

Ken Cartisano

I’m just a run-of-the-mill journalist, okay? Except in certain sports related circles, you probably never heard of me. Neil A. Gleary? See? Almost exclusively sports write-ups with the occasional science article here and there. Not very well known.

 

So I’m surprised when I come home late one night and there’s a message on my answering machine informing me that my request for an interview with the Director of AARI has been approved. Arrangements had been made, please confirm by calling this number, bla, bla, bla…

 

I picked up the phone and called the number in the message. I’m transferred to a ‘human interface specialist’ who tells me, “Our director is seeking an interview with you.”

 

“But I didn’t request an…”

 

“Are you Neil Gleary?”

 

“I am but…”

 

“Our director” he interrupts, “is seeking an interview with you.”

 

“Oh.” I say, biting my lip. “He knows I’m a sportswriter, right?”

 

“She does, yes—if you’re uncomfortable we can always find…”

 

“No, no. That’s fine. I would be delighted to interview the Director. What’s her name, by the way. And where do I go?”

 

“A limousine style car will pick you up in front of your apartment at precisely eight a.m. tomorrow morning, he will not wait, so don’t be late.”

 

“Okay, but why? Why does…”

 

The call ended.

 

I spend the rest of the evening searching for information about AARI. All I’m able to learn is that it’s a federally funded research lab dedicated to secret black box projects. Alien technology, artificial intelligence, things like that. This information was provided by a former associate with contacts in the State Department. He was so reticent about speaking about them over the phone, that that was the only information he would give me. When I told him of my impending meeting, he asked me if I had a valid passport. When I told him I did, he said he was just kidding. “If they want you, they’ll get you.”

 

I told him they were sticklers for punctuality and recounted the message I’d received. He said, “Yeah? Maybe you should test their resolve on that issue.”

 

“I should be late?”

 

“Why not?”

 

You can’t be late, that’s why. It’s contrary to your nature.

 

In fact, you’re two hours early and a sleek black limo is already waiting at the curb, exhaust fumes rising from the tailpipe. Something tells you it’s been sitting there all night long. The rear door pops open as you approach, you know that once you are in the car, you won’t be able to let yourself out.

 

You get in anyway. The door closes and locks. You feel protected by the spacious interior insulation and comforted by the smell and sound of the leather seats, the glint of the wood and chrome trim. The first thing you notice is that you’re alone as the driverless car eases smoothly into traffic and down the street, and stops at the first traffic light. You realize, in that short distance, all the windows, except the windshield, have become too dark to see through.

 

The light changes, the car accelerates through the next ten intersections, as if they’ve been timed to your passage, the car makes several turns and goes down into a cross-town tunnel—and doesn’t come out. By some inexplicable mechanical means, the limo has been shunted to an impossible side tunnel with no other vehicles. Here, the limo feels like it accelerates to a very high rate of speed on a road devoid of all traffic.

 

The minutes pass in silence as you wonder what you might say to the Director of a top-secret facility, until you are suddenly out in the open, flashing down a highway alongside a wide river. The road loops and bends as you go higher and higher above the river. The limo slows, turns, and darts down a deserted street and into an underground garage. The fluorescent lighting rivals the sun at noon. You look at your watch. It’s nearly 7 a.m. The limo comes to a smooth, unhurried stop and the door pops open. You get out, head for the elevator and stop.

 

You look around. The garage is huge and empty. There is no call button for the elevator. You feel you are surely being monitored as the elevator doors open of their own accord. You step in, they close. ‘This is all going very well,’ you think. A moment later the elevator plummets several dozen stories in a matter of seconds. You push your stomach back down out of your throat and think, ‘What you’ll do with it, (the story, not your stomach) or who you’ll sell it to is anybody’s guess.’

 

The doors open. You step out, look around. No one is waiting. But there’s a dark stone line in the middle of the marble floor. You follow it.

 

 

 

A monitor dinged softly, indicating the arrival of the elevator down the hall. She found herself holding her breath and, considering who she was, and how powerful, she could not divine the source of her unease.

 

She took stock. He had followed implicit instructions, some verbal, some subliminal, and had made his way here, to one of AARI’s most tightly secured labs. The place was deserted for security purposes, all personnel had been temporarily reassigned, or furloughed for the time being. An excessive precaution, she thought, which left her vulnerable, and one that she would not allow to happen again.

 

But her beauty, in its current state, by itself could overwhelm most men, and her ancestral status was nearly as intoxicating to those of her own species. There was no situation she wasn’t prepared for.

 

Her current assignment rounded the corner and stopped in his tracks.

 

“Neil Gleary? Come in, come in. Have a seat.” There was no handshake, no touching of any kind. “I’ve got a pleasant surprise for you and some bad news as well. What would you like first?”

 

He was slow to answer her, and he seemed alarmingly unaffected by her looks. He took a seat, loosening his tie comically. “How about telling me why I’m here?”

 

“You’re here to be debriefed and deprogrammed, Neil. Just sit back and relax while I ask you a few questions.”

 

“Debriefed? From what?”

 

She ignored his question and asked, “Do you recall what elementary school you went to?”

 

“No.”

 

“You don’t sound interested.”

 

“Should I be? It was a long time ago.”

 

“How about high school? Remember any of your classmates from high school?”

 

He hesitated.

 

“You went to college too you know, remember where?”

 

He did not remember where. “So? So what? I’ve got a bad memory. I thought I was here to interview you? What does my past have to do with the work you conduct here?”

 

“Ironically, quite a bit. Are you married? No. Got a girlfriend? No. Ever had one? No. Are you hot for me now? No. Because this,” she waved her hands at her exquisite form, “is not your type. You see, Neil, I’m an alien being, I know I don’t look like one, but here’s the crazy part, you’re an alien too.” He made no move to get up and leave. (Darn, she loved using the tractor beam.) “I don’t look like this—and you don’t look like that.”

 

“Is that so?” He looked around. There was no quick exit for either of them.

 

She locked eyes with him. “Your name is XIVIC CIM, your mission here was abandoned 19 years ago. Someone should have brought you in a long time ago. I can’t explain why you weren’t—retrieved, debriefed and—reassigned. It’s inexplicable and inexcusable, but it happens. You got lost in the wafer-work or something. No one knew you were here. Excretion, twenty-four years is a long time to work under-cover, the transition into your true self might well be disturbing.

 

“What? Why, are we that ugly?”

 

“Are you kidding? This old leather hide versus our glittering silicon features? There’s no competition. None. It’s just that—let’s face it, you probably think I’m a raving lunatic, and really believe that you are a human being, but when we do an exo-alien mind-press, believe me, it sticks. And you’ve been submerged in the role for a quarter of a century. It’s going to be tough on you, but you’ll adjust. Most deep cover agents recover. I don’t know how, to be honest. I can’t stand wearing this disguise, it creeps me out. Everything has some kind of skin on it. Skin here, skin on that. Uch. Six hours a day, that’s my max. The more we talk about it, the grosser I feel. I understand if you don’t want to talk about something you can’t remember. Perfectly understandable. Do you think you’re ready?”

 

“Not really. Talking is good. Mmmm, tell me, how does this transition work?”

 

She held up a small key fob.

 

He said, “Ahh, you just push a button.”

 

She nodded. “I have no idea how it works, I’m just another cog in a big machine Mr. Gleary. Are you ready to be yourself again?” Her dazzling smile bounced right off his façade.

 

“How many of those do you have?”

 

She pulled open her desk drawer, then closed it again just as quickly. “Enough to keep me busy,” she said, inexplicably flustered.

 

“And they’re all marked?”

 

“I think,” she said, “we’ve had enough questions for the time…”

 

“Before you do that,” he jumped out of his chair, “before you do that, let me just…”

 

She pointed the fob at his chest and pushed the button. Nothing happened. The elevator chimed, she didn’t remember hearing it go back up, let alone come back down. She pushed the button on the fob again and still nothing happened to Neil Gleary’s visage. The elevator doors opened and there was the sound of boots and guns, jackets and shields with FBAI on them.

 

“But you’re one of us, XIVIC. How could you?”

 

He had his own fob. As he stepped into the Director’s private lavatory, to make sure it was empty, he stopped in front of the mirror, the image staring back was that of a tall slender Gray, with long fingers and those legendary black, inscrutable eyes. He pushed the button on the fob once more and appeared human again. He was not ‘one of them,’ and his name was not XIVIC CIM.

 

The silicon-based alien was well out of earshot when Neil Gleary mumbled his reply: “I like it here. That’s how.”

7 “Normal” Things Sigma Males Have No Interest

Now that Bashar al-Assad & his family have fled Syria for Moscow, what will their lives be like now?

They will be rich exiles

My guess is Assad planned for the exile and has a stash of at least $ 100 Million in Russia which fetches him 12 Billion Rubles today

Like Snowden & Yanukovych , he will be designated a “Foreign Advisor” and additionally be given a Honorary Military Rank of probably Colonel and that automatically means a Pension of 330,000 Rubles ($ 3,091) a month

He will be under strong guard in Moscow and will have both Military and FSB Protection

My guess is after 12 months, his wife will be given a regular passport and can actually visit the UK Or Europe for treatment

Of course if Syria becomes Libya 2.0, then who knows?

After 3–4 years – Assad could be welcomed vociferously back to power

Today if Saddam or Gaddafi were alive, they would be cheered to welcome in Baghdad or Tripoli

So it’s best that Assad, Sheikh Hasina are both alive so that if things become worse for Syria and Bangladesh – these leaders would actually be welcomed back

Chile Quiche

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a41fd426160e2d5e01b0bd87c563ca91

Ingredients

  • 1 deep-dish pastry shell
  • 2 avocados, mashed
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped
  • 4 fresh green chiles, roasted and peeled, or 1 (4 ounce) can mild green chiles
  • 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
  • 1/2 pound ground beef
  • 1/4 cup onion, chopped
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix or chili powder
  • 3 eggs, slightly beaten
  • 1 1/2 cups Half-and-Half
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Without pricking the crust, bake the shell for 10 minutes; then remove and cool.
  3. Reduce the temperature to 375 degrees F.
  4. If using a frozen pastry shell, you will need to reduce the Half-and-Half in the filling, as the prepared shells are smaller. Reduce the cooking time as well by 15 minutes.
  5. In a small bowl, combine the avocados with garlic, lemon juice, tomato, half the chiles and pepper sauce. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  6. In a medium-size skillet, sauté the beef, onion, remaining chiles and seasoning for about 12 to 15 minutes or until the onion is soft and translucent.
  7. Drain and discard all excess fat.
  8. In a small bowl, combine the eggs, Half-and-Half and seasonings.
  9. Place the grated cheese in the shell, topped by the drained beef and the egg mixture.
  10. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes at 375 degrees F or until set.

He came home from work, ate dinner, and said, “I want you to do something, and I don’t want you to fight me on this. I want a divorce.” I was completely blindsided. Then he packed a bag and left for his mother’s house. I made him leave his key. He didn’t understand, asking, “How will I get in the house?” I replied, “You have no reason to enter when I’m not home. You don’t live here anymore.” He was shocked.

I started thinking about his infidelity and the increasing micro-aggressions. For Christmas, he gave me a bottle of men’s cologne—that was it. Of course, he kept it for himself. It was clear he hadn’t put any thought into my gift.

So, instead of begging him to stay, I emptied out our joint accounts and made an appointment with a family attorney for the next day.

Of course, he wanted to drag things out. He came to get his things the same week, and I sat watching TV while he packed and loaded the car. He actually asked me to help. I told him, “This is something you want to do, not me.”

Before he left, I told him I knew he was still having an affair and that my attorney had warned him to be careful. He denied everything, sputtering, but the thing that seemed to bother him most was that I had gotten a lawyer. He actually said, “You got a lawyer? You know I’ll always take care of you. Don’t you trust me?”

By the way, he told me the reason he needed space was, “The kids are grown now, so I don’t have to pretend anymore. I never wanted a family I had to hang out with.”

So that was the end. A year later, a judge awarded me about a third of his assets and income as alimony until I remarry or die. We had been married for 32 years, and I was 65 years old. Now, I’m sitting pretty comfortably and peacefully in a different city. Aside from some incidental paperwork handled by my attorney, I have no contact with him. I don’t have to pretend anymore, either.

Edit: I want to say that finally getting a chance to tell my story has been cathartic for me. Thank you all for your support and encouragement. I am much less angry and more resolved to live well after this. Thank you all.

 

Wearing painter pants while walking down a memory highway

I have a project that is being run by a 25–30 something project manager. I am 61, and have been in my field for over 30 years.

I have not met this PM in person, but I have been told that this PM graduated from an Ivy League university, so she must be somewhat bright.

But she has zero knowledge or common sense. She has no experience doing the work this project requires, and possesses no understanding of the project and the tasks needed to complete the project successfully. I’ve been on this project for two years now and meet with her and her team multiple times a week so I’ve had an opportunity to gauge her abilities. She might be bright, but she has no business on THIS project. There are older folks on this project as well who don’t belong on this project either.

Young people who complain about older people not knowing everything fail to realize that spending time learning something and doing it over time (commonly known as experience) is a HUGE part of being successful. School does not teach you everything, no matter how bright you are. Some things can only be learned by doing them, often for years. As I close out my career, I look back on what I was able to do when I first started compared to my abilities now, and there is no comparison.

And the same is true in life. The more life experiences you have, the more knowledge of how the world actually works you have. Young people excuse bad behavior from others. Older people know through life experience that putting up with that will cause problems. Young people engage in risky behaviors or harmful stuff like recreational drug use, eating badly, and their limited experience tells them they will be okat]y doing what they are doing. Older people know that will catch up with you, because some of them did that stuff and they are paying for it, or they know someone who did that stuff.

Yes, just living will teach you a lot.

Sex Before Marriage Was The Worst Thing I Did To My Mental Health

Never mind exporting, US cannot make say 90% of the stuffs that they need everyday! Stop being blind i live in South East Asia! I hardly see anything that is made in the USA in our market!

Industrial power sounds nice but US don’t want to dirty their hands to build the nuts and bolts needed. They thought that the world will continue to pour money into the US being a superiority complex nation. Everything they need it will cost them 3–5 times more than they can import from China!

The most important question is why? The US CEO insist on earning billions! The US workers wanted 5 times of Chinese wages but willing to do half as much and 10 times more benefits! Can’t you still sell at the same Chinese prices just based on these alone but there are more.

Your nation graduate bull shit artiste. Not STEM engineers! Your politicians work against your industry and allow your infrastructure to be dilapidated! That is why you cannot make your own underwear!

VDH: Are The Years Of Madness Ending?

Tuesday, Dec 17, 2024 – 05:20 AM

Authored by Victor Davis Hanson via American Greatness,

Never in U.S. history has a president-elect been welcomed as the real president before his January 20 inauguration.

And never has the incumbent president so willingly surrendered his last two months in office and all but abdicated—to the relief of his nation and the rest of the world.

One reason so many are welcoming Trump’s return is the universally desperate hope that his election spelled an end to a collective madness at home and its ripples abroad during the last four years. And why not?

Nations overseas had never quite witnessed anything like the lethal August 2021 American flight from Afghanistan.

That utter humiliation and impotence of the U.S. military likely signaled to Russia there would be no consequences if it invaded Ukraine—and it did; to Iran that it could now unleash Hamas and Hezbollah on Israel—and it did; and to China that it could daily threaten Taiwan and send a spy balloon across the United States with impunity—and it did.

The result was the current global chaos perhaps not seen since the late 1930s when a confused United States was similarly a bystander to the rise of bellicose regimes and wars. The Biden administration shrugged that the Red Sea, the Black Sea, the South China Sea, the Straits of Hormuz, and the Eastern Mediterranean Sea all became dangerous to the U.S. Navy and unsafe to world shipping.

A disparate group of nuclear and near-nuclear powers—Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran—are either at war with Western allies or threatening war with them. Their confidence was predicated on the assumption that the U.S. after 2020 was engaged in a Maoist-like cultural revolution that warred on its own security, energy, military, universities, and social unity—and would continue with a second Biden term.

The Biden-era cultural revolution has done great damage to the United States. The U.S. border was systematically and deliberately destroyed to allow some 10-12 million illegal entrants to pour into the U.S. without legality or background checks. Never has an outgoing administration spitefully sold taxpayer-purchased border wall material for pennies on the dollar—rather than see it used for the purposes for which it was purchased.

Never had the U.S. experienced such an immigrant surge. And never had more than 50 million, and over 15 percent of the resident American population been foreign-born.

Why did Biden and Alejandro Mayorkas erase the border? What madness and hate drove them to dismantle federal immigration law? Was it sheer nihilism? Or a desperate but calculated effort to alter American demography for political purposes?

For four years, the public, elected officials, and pundits have all warned that Joe Biden was dangerously cognitively challenged and indeed completely unfit to fulfill the duties of the presidency.

A long-suffering nation winced as Biden slurred his words, spoke in unintelligible sound bites, stood frozen and mute, screamed at and libeled half the country, tripped, fell, wandered aimlessly, became bewildered, and more or less proved a global embarrassment. All knew Biden was not able to run the country; yet none knew exactly who was actually in charge of America in his stead. The Obamas? Leftists like Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, the Squad, Jill Biden, and the Biden staff?

Our allies worried that the usually resilient American president was now all but demented. Our enemies enjoyed these leaderless years of opportunity. And the left serially misled the public that the decrepit Biden, whom they feared in private was senile, was “dynamic,” “energic,” and “fit as a fiddle.”

Never has a president so deserved to be removed by the 25th Amendment or through impeachment and conviction. And never has even his inner circle finally but silently agreed as they left office, the very enablers who had done their political best to mask his dementia for four long years.

Never has the justice system, from local to state to national jurisdictions, so systematically and coordinately, sought to bankrupt, render inert, and jail an ex-president and current presidential candidate.

Rarely have the FBI, the CIA, the IRS, the Department of Justice, and the Pentagon become weaponized and so flagrantly and with impunity broken the law, abandoned their mission statements, and served political agendas rather than the American people. Not since the J. Edgar Hoover era has the FBI hierarchy serially lied under oath, stonewalled Congress, forged a court affidavit, or partnered with the media to suppress the news. Has the FBI ever raided an ex-president’s home, spied on parents at school board meetings, monitored Catholics, or tried to terrify and harass pro-life activists?

Never has a presidential family so brazenly profited by selling its influence to foreign interests. Never has it used the powers of the FBI and DOJ to cover up its crimes and to ensure the family filial bagman would be for years exempted by the DOJ and later pardoned by the president himself, the father of the family miscreant and privy to the family syndicate’s illegal activities.

Seldom has a president and his administration sought to fuel a veritable cultural revolution to change the fabric of the nation by institutionalizing a third, transexual gender, violating civil rights law, and systematically admitting, hiring, and promoting Americans on the basis of their race and gender.

Never since the Civil War era had local and state insurrectionist governments established 600 nullification zones, in which they vowed to break federal law and consider it null and void within their jurisdictions. Never have rioters looted, burned, killed, assaulted, and occupied large swaths of cities for over 120 days, and largely with impunity.

Never had the U.S. Treasury borrowed so much money so quickly and owed $37 in national debt—and been so intent on borrowing continuously nearly $2 trillion a year in annual deficits.

Never has a political party sought to systematically violate long-standing traditions, customs, and often the law itself to destroy a political opponent: hiring a foreign national to spread smears among the media and bureaucracies, impeaching a president twice, trying an ex-president in the Senate, seeking to remove a presidential candidate from 16 state ballots, using five different judicial jurisdictions to try an ex-president, and serially so defaming a candidate and ex-president as a dictator, fascist, and Nazi to create a climate that encouraged two near-miss assassination attempts on him.

In sum, for the last four years, the world has watched aghast as the United States lost its collective mind and became a radical Jacobin revolutionary society.

So why is there not a sense of almost ecstatic relief, not just among conservatives but even among Democrats, that the years of darkness and madness are ending?

The global public believes that the United States will again become lawful, have a secure border, return as a beacon of free-market economics, protect its allies, deter its enemies, win over its neutrals, return to the rule of law, restore the professionalism and prestige of its government agencies, check predatory nations abroad with a new deterrent military, and prepare to lead the world in energy production, exploration of space, and scientific and technology development.

Summed up, the welcomed counterrevolution is one of restoration—to dream again that nothing is impossible, and the dreary age of stasis, envy, cynicism, and nihilism is ending, replaced again by a world without limits. No one knows quite what is ahead, but all know that it is at least better already than the current nightmare.

In 1988, Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart admitted to cheating on his wife with a prostitute. He tearfully broke down on Television and claimed he had sinned because he visited a sex worker.

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main qimg 9f38cfee63125293d8d8ae24e25e19e8

That should have been game over for his “ministry”. He asked people to donate money to him for the work he did “for the Lord” and he preached about morality and the evils of things like rock and roll. And then he used some of the money people gave him to pay a prostitute.

So that should have been the end of him as a televangelist and he should never been able to beg for money on TV again with any kind of credibility.

But three years later he was still running a ministry and still getting people to donate money.

In 1991 he was caught with another prostitute, this time in his car. Rather than tearfully breaking down he said, and I quote, “The Lord told me it’s flat none of your business.”

And he just kept going. He keeps preaching about morality and people keep giving money to him.

Seriously people. If a guy gets caught cheating on his wife with prostitutes twice in three years, he’s not someone worth listening to on issues of personal morality and you should not be giving him any money.

Cornish Pasties

Originally from Wales, Scotland and England, these pasties were popular with the miners in the copper mining regions of Arizona.

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b14bb82727af4739b771d9368a2eb4ef

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup lard
  • 1/3 cup water (approximately)
  • 4 medium potatoes, pared
  • 2 medium onions, sliced
  • 1 pound beef round (no fat or gristle)
  • Butter, salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Make pastry from flour, salt, lard and cold water, being careful not to make it too moist. It should hold together well enough to leave the sides of the bowl as mixed. Divide into four sections. Roll each out as for pie, keeping as round as possible.
  2. Place on one-half a circle a layer of thinly-sliced potatoes and onions.
  3. Cover with beef, cut into medium pieces.
  4. Top with butter, salt and pepper to taste.
  5. If desired, sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.
  6. Fold unfilled half of crust over filling and seal by pinching with fingers or pressing tines of fork to make a half-moon.
  7. Cut a small hole in the center of each.
  8. Bake for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees F.

Cheating Wife Came Home SMILING After 1-Night Stand, INSTANTLY REGRETTED IT!

3 Dead, 7 Injured After Teenage Female Opens Fire At Wisconsin School

Tuesday, Dec 17, 2024 – 04:56 AM

Update 2 (7:00pm ET): The deceased girl shooter’s manifesto has reportedly leak, and according to Slatzism, here is an excerpt:

* * *

Update (4:20pm ET): The Abundant Life Christian School shooter in Madison, WI was a teenage female, CNN reports, adding that at this time, at least three people are dead including a teacher, a teenage student, and the female suspect shooter.

* * *

At least two people have been killed and seven others were injured at a shooting at a Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday morning, local police and ABC News said. Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said the suspected juvenile shooter was also found dead.

“This remains an active and ongoing investigation. More information will be released as it is available. We currently need people to avoid the area,” Madison police said.

Officers responded to a call about an active shooter at the Abundant Life Christian School at 10:57 a.m. local time, Barnes said.

“Our officers were responding to a call of an active shooter at the Abundant Life Christian School here in Madison,” Barnes said at a news conference. “When officers arrived, they found multiple victims suffering from gunshot wounds.”

Abundant Life is a K through 12th-grade school with about 400 students.

Barnes added in the news conference that he won’t provide any details on the victims, including their names or if they are staff or students, until their next of kin are notified.

“We are praying for the kids, educators, and entire Abundant Life school community as we await more information and are grateful for the first responders who are working quickly to respond,” Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said in a statement on social media.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) wrote on social media: “My sincere condolences and prayers for all the victims of the tragedy at Abundant Life Christian School. I will continue to closely monitor the situation.”

And Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) also said, “I have been briefed on the active shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison and my heart goes out to all those impacted. My office is in touch with local and state officials, and I stand ready to assist law enforcement and anyone affected.”

Men want PEACE W0men want revenge & to punish. Men walk away for self preservation!

One of many battles going on in the West today. But you know, it will all settle down.

Eventually.

Coconut Octopus

Submitted into Contest #207 in response to: A journalist has been granted permission to visit the premises of a lab carrying out top-secret work. They could never have anticipated what they’d find… view prompt

Khadija S. Mohammad

“Octopuses?” Thomas spluttered.

 

The girl smiled. “Popular misconception. Logically, the plural is octopodes. Although publicly it’s still octopuses.” He rubbed the back of his head. Try to unearth the biggest scientific secret of the century, and all you end up with is a headache and a lesson in octopus plurals.

 

“Come with me, our secret is in here.” She was laughing at him?

 

He followed her through a wide door and into a glaring white chamber. As his eyes grew accustomed to the light he noticed boxes of blue and other bright colours dotting the room. Octopus tanks.

 

The girl strode towards the farthest wall, avoiding the tanks and other obstacles with ease. Thomas was not so lucky; His natural clumsiness asserted itself, and by the time he stood next to her, three items were displaced, and one was broken. He was vaguely aware of a white figure glaring at his back as it cleaned up the mess.

 

In front of them, a blank wall. The girl leaned into the wall and placed her eye in front of a hidden sensor. Slowly, the protective covering went up and what faced them was another octopus tank. “This is Hàixiū,” she said, putting her hand against the glass. Thomas spotted a small jellyfish-like shape in one corner. He pointed at it.

 

“Yes, that’s her. Hàixiū is Chinese for ‘shy’.”

 

A small squeak came from the corner of the room. Thomas turned and saw a silver-rimmed octopus tank with a young man standing in front of it, looking like something from a black-and-white movie. His skin was pale, almost white, and his clothes were black and grey. He squeaked at the octopus in front of him, and leant close to the tank, whispering like the breeze on a cold day. Thomas pointed at him and looked inquisitively at the girl.

 

“Hàorán. He’s a little mad,” she explained, lowering her voice. “Ever since he came here he’s been whispering to Kuàisù, his octopus. He seems to think that Kuàisù can learn to talk.” Thomas glanced back at Hàorán and wondered…

 

A man of about twenty walked in. “There you are Mimi. It’s time for Hàixiū’s injection.”

 

“Just a moment, Hui. Our journalist needs something to write about. Is it okay if he stays?” Hui nodded.

 

They put on gloves and found equipment while Thomas watched, occasionally glancing back at the tank. Hàixiū didn’t move.

 

“Turn on the Mush,” said Mimi. Thomas raised an eyebrow. “Just watch, it will explain itself.” Hui pressed a button on another wall and Thomas waited for something to happen.

 

Mimi pulled her gloves above her elbows and stretched her arms towards the tank. Thomas stared. Mush. Her hands just sank through it, the glass melting and moulding around them. The octopus flew – right to the other end of the tank.

 

“Come back here, you little monster,” Mimi said playfully. Hàixiū refused to come nearer, waiting until Mimi was just close enough to touch an arm with her fingertips before jetting away, pointing her suckers at them. And that’s what you are, she seemed to say. Not so much shy as cheeky, Thomas thought.

 

Hui talked while Mimi chased the elusive Hàixiū around the tank. “We take them out every day and inject them with Systimosin. It’s a kind of stimulant.”

 

“Got you!” said Mimi, grabbing hold of an arm and struggling to hold her still. “Hurry up Hui, she’s really strong.”

 

“Coming, coming.” He passed her a syringe filled with a thick, colourless liquid. “It was developed for the first time in this lab a few weeks ago. It supplies new connections in the octopodes’ brain, making it smarter. We’re also expecting it to give them a longer life span.”

 

Mimi injected the liquid into Hàixiū’s arm, then let go of her. “She’s developing faster than the others. They’re all developing faster than I expected.” Hui laughed.

 

“If you have any questions, ask Mimi. She’s the biggest octopus expert around here. I’m just the assistant.” Something is his voice – in the words he spoke? The way he spoke? – hit Thomas like a wave. He’d always been sensitive to emotions. If you don’t talk, you get to listen longer. And words aren’t the only thing you can listen to.

 

He put up a hand, a Wait, please sign; He wanted to write. He hoped his face would say what his hands couldn’t. He’d never been the best at polite talk. Or impolite talk.

 

Somehow they understood. Hui left. Mimi waited, then began walking him round a tour again, stopping at each new tank to add a special comment about the octopus inside.

 

“Each octopus is different,” she explained, “They each have their own personalities. This is Yonggan,” as they neared another tank where an octopus was attached to the glass. “We joke that he’s Hàixiū’s soulmate, the two are exact opposites. Yonggan is very playful; He loves new people. We expected him to develop the fastest, but Nature never makes things easy.” Thomas nodded and bent over his notebook as they walked on. “They’re each named after their most prominent traits, it makes them easier to place and helps when we forget which name is attached to which octopus.” He nodded again.

 

They walked on, carefully avoiding Hàorán’s corner, where he continued whispering to Kuàisù, ignoring them completely, or just not seeing them.

 

“Remember, this is top-secret work. No leaks,” Mimi said. Thomas rolled his eyes. I’m a journalist. Whatever I see, the public sees. Suddenly he bent over his notebook, writing something and ripping it out to show her.

 

What if one of the scientists leak?” She read. “That’s simple; They wouldn’t. I would trust any one of my crew with my life. We all trust each other.” Thomas wasn’t satisfied, but he kept quiet as they moved to the next tank.

 

“And this is Xiaochou, the clown. You wouldn’t think that he was nocturnal, would you?” Xiaochou was currently doing octopus backflips, front flips, and side flips.

 

“We always use Amphioctopus marginatus, the Coconut or Veined octopus, for our experiments. We tried using other types, but Systimosin doesn’t create intelligence, it just increases what’s already there, so they either showed no signs of developing or died when we tried increasing the dose.”

 

Thomas was confused. Surely she was fond of the creatures after working with them for weeks, but he couldn’t detect any emotions from her when she talked of their deaths.

 

“The government decided that it was too damaging to risk too many tests, so they only granted permission for 10 octopodes, 5 tests each. It’s at the edge of our limit; If an octopus died now…” She shivered. “Well, hopefully all goes to – ”

 

“Hàixiū is out!” The steady thud of feet on the spotless white floor, squeaks, squeals and more shouting. Only Hàorán stayed where he was, a surprised but smug grin on his face. Why, Thomas wondered. Somehow, the alleged madman fascinated him.

 

He followed Mimi back to Hàixiū’s tank, notebook forgotten, where a group of teuthologists stood in a loose circle, talking. He caught a few words. “- before we expected.”

 

“She’s certainly developing fast,” Mimi commented, “She wasn’t scheduled to escape for a few weeks.” Nobody seemed panicked. In fact, nobody was even looking for Hàixiū. It was as if they all knew that she would be back soon, like she was a colleague who had just gone out for a coffee and would return in a few minutes. Thomas stood awkwardly behind the group, staring absent-mindedly into Hàixiū’s empty tank.

 

“Hui?” Mimi called. Hui walked in and looked at her expectantly. “She should be near the vent in the test room, could you bring her in please?” Hui nodded and left.

 

He returned a minute later with a frozen look of panic on his face. “She’s not there.”

 

No one knew what to do. The chances of her not doing what they expected were a thousand to one. They froze.

 

Suddenly everyone was moving, and Thomas watched with an amused smile. This is what happens when you become too logical, he thought. Resuming his watch on the tank, he let his mind roam, headlines and front-page news drifting in and out of his consciousness.

 

“Where could she be?” “What’s happened to her?” “What if she’s got out?” “Why didn’t we calculate correctly?” People zipping back and forth, searching the rooms, searching the vents, making more calculations and searching again.

 

Half an hour later, the panic was broken, the problem still unsolved. In place of blind frenzy came desperation for some, depression for others. Some were sitting cross-legged on the floor, crying, knowing that Hàixiū was already dead, some continued stubbornly searching. Thomas was still glued to the glass, trying to appear oblivious to his surroundings, overwhelmed with the emotions that flooded the lab. A single octopus meant so much to them. In the passageway, a man was on his knees, praying.

 

As Thomas stared through the tank, something caught his eye. “Mimi,” he shouted, realising he didn’t know her last name. His voice was scratchy and thick with disuse. She lifted her head from her hands and looked around, unsure of who was calling her. “She’s here.”

 

Everyone crowded around him, following his finger to the small jellyfish-like shape in the corner. Mimi squealed with relief. Hui and another man slapped each other on the back. Tears were forgotten, driven away by almost hysterical laughter.

 

Thomas was confused, alone in his thoughts. Hàixiū had always been there; She hadn’t moved from when he first entered the room. And throughout the commotion that had followed her ‘disappearance’, no one had admitted coming near the tank. ‘Hàixiū is out’…

 

Safe in his corner, Hàorán laughed. Kuàisù had proved his worth.

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World’s Smallest Violin Plays As “Depressed” Biden Bureaucrats Can’t Find New Jobs

Wednesday, Dec 18, 2024 – 07:25 AM

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

This is a corker.

depressedinterns
depressedinterns

Politico is reporting that Biden Administration bureaucrats are depressed because they can’t find new jobs, and members of Biden’s “national security team” are “frantically” scrambling to find new careers before Trump dismantles the deep state.

“Our side is just battling depression while we update our resumes,” one White House official stated, while another staffer declared that “Everyone is willing to take a demotion because there aren’t enough jobs.”

Boo hoo. Cry harder.

While the higher ups are all abandoning ship for Defence contractors, think tanks and consulting firms, the lower level dogsbody bureaucrats are whinging that they face taking “unglamorous jobs” with pay cuts.

“There’s a lot of good career people here who went through the first Trump administration and are saying, ‘Can I really go through that again?’” said one Biden appointee at the State Department.

Oh my God, the hardship of having someone you don’t agree with running things.

“It’s going to be very saturated and crowded and so beggars can’t be choosers, I guess,” said another Biden State Department appointee, adding “The crazy thing is none of these jobs we’re desperate to get are particularly glamorous, unless you want to go lobby for some autocratic foreign governments.”

The world’s tiniest violin is playing for them.

Politico notes that “Wherever they land, a wave of Democratic national security and foreign policy staffers will continue the tradition of patiently treading water for four years until, just maybe, a Democrat can win the presidency again in 2028.”

Yeah. Maybe learn to tread water a lot longer.

Or perhaps learn to code.

Welcome to the real world, losers.

Get to the back of the line.

Trump is going to provide a lot of opportunities for you.

Maybe just don’t mention your last job on your resumé.

*  *  *

Nothing Like These Hidden Temples Exists Outside of the Films of Indiana Jones

By MessyNessy
November 14, 2024

damanhur
damanhur

damanhur

“Show us these temples or we will dynamite the entire hillside”, threatened Italy’s state prosecutor when police had failed to locate a rumoured network of mysterious chambers buried 30 metres in the foothills of the Alps. They had been dug by hand in complete secrecy in the 1970s under the direction of Oberto Airaudi, a philospher and artist who claimed to have had visions of ancient temples at age 10 from a previous life. The Temples of Humankind, a massive five-level complex of murals, mosaics, labyrinths and hidden doors is still only considered to be only 10% complete. When authorities finally discovered it in 1992, the architectural inspector for the Italian Heritage Ministry, said: “Nothing like this exists outside of the films of Indiana Jones.”

tempio azzurro 2
tempio azzurro 2

tempio_azzurro_2

Excavation began in 1978 by just fifteen followers of the Federation of Damanhur, a peaceful, spiritual commune founded as a social experiment a few years earlier, 30 miles north of the city of Turin.

damanhurhistory
damanhurhistory

damanhurhistory

“The first pick struck the rock on a warm August night. It was a Saturday evening in 1978. Oberto and about ten other Damanhurians sat around a fire … A large star fell across the sky… It was a positive sign; a good moment to begin to dig a tunnel into the mountain … to build a temple the likes of which had not existed for a thousand years or more … The Damanhurians worked intensely, tenaciously aroused by an enthusiasm that united all in the pleasure of group activity and the taste for secrecy. Secrecy because at this point they did not have permission to excavate.”

– TheTemples.org
temples14
temples14

temples14
Images (c) Damanhur

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temples12

temples12
Images (c) Damanhur

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templesindy 1

templesindy

More than a decade after building began, the entire community was awoken early one morning in a violent police raid. Police dogs searched houses for drugs while helicopters circled the sky above. Unable to find anything incriminating (such as an illegally-constructed underground temple), police armed with machine guns presented the resident lawyer with a magistrates warrant, stating an alleged tax evasion of 50,000,000 Lire (around $30,000). The charges were unsubstantiated but over the years the reclusive community had attracted local suspicion and negative attention from the press for its unusual practices.

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17894818188 c7f0f0f828 b

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Frequently labelled as a cult by outsiders, the group admittedly has some pretty far-out practices and holds a mix of New Age and neopagan beliefs. With its own constitution and currency, Damanhur also believes they are an experiment for the future, using technology bestowed upon them by the lost city of Atlantis.

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17895054390 dc338951fe b

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Some of their more bizarre activities include playing music with plants to reflect their passion for nature and in the past they’ve even claimed to have unlocked the secrets to time travel, but Damanhur has always adamantly denied accusations that the community is a cult.

TEMPIO 1
TEMPIO 1

TEMPIO-1

A year after the first raid, police stormed the eco-society again, this time in search of the temples, armed with a map obtained from a disgruntled former member of Damanhur who had been trying to blackmail the community. But the map was outdated by more than a decade and police were unable to find any entrances. It wasn’t until authorities threatened to blow up the whole mountain that the commune finally decided to give in and show the police their secret sanctuary.

temples15
temples15

temples15

 

Allegedly the policemen emerged from the tunnels an hour later, “tearful and overcome by the profound beauty of the Temples” and the prosecutor admitted to the founder Oberto Airaudi, “We must do something to save the Temples.” Even the police chief of the raid later became a great friend of the community.

temples16
temples16

temples16

On October 9, 1992 a press conference was held in Damanhur to announce the existence of the Temples of Humankind to the world, but its troubles weren’t over yet. The magnificent refuge built inside of a mountain was dubbed an 8th wonder of the world by the press while the Catholic Church immediately urged the local authorities to have it destroyed. Construction was ordered to cease and a long publicised court battle followed, but it only helped Damanhurians gain international support for the underground marvel they had created.

temples7
temples7

temples7

Eventually, the Italian government gave the community retroactive permission for their excavation and construction. The Temples are now open to the public and visitors are of course free to come and go, which would make the suggestion of cult activity more difficult to believe. The Damanhur website welcomes outside communities, saying it is open to sharing their knowledge and research and hosts thousands of visitors a year who participate in tours, seminars and courses through its own Damanhur University. This eco-society was even awarded by an agency of the United Nations as a model for a sustainable future.

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15318360713 c86ce911b3 b

15318360713_c86ce911b3_b

From here, it doesn’t look like we’re dealing with a bloodthirsty cult; no enslaved children for Indiana Jones to come and rescue– more like a bunch of Italian hippies who once had a really cool secret. Right?
You can take a virtual tour of The Temples of Humankind here. There’s also an old VBS documentary which takes you through the secret doors of the temple here.

Brian Proves Why These Women Are Gonna Be CAT Ladies

Of course it is! As long as one can see in win win and not win lose being set in the western Caucasian Anglo Saxon mindset.

To you guys China need to fail in order for US to win and vice versa. USA must killed all the Red Indians so that they get their land. You win and Red Indians lose! Or enslave Africans so that they get to toil for free to served you guys! Think about what if the 50 million Red Indians have grown to 150 million today and they helped to make America greater? That never went to their head.

So they had to destroy USSR to be the only hegemony in town! Or make Germany a dog to keep them down? And now to keep China poor thinking that will make them rich? How about China becoming 4 times as rich and buys 4 times of what you can sell? Or taking 4 times more burden shouldered by USA today? France and UK thought they could plunder the world and rob their colonies dry to build castles in France and UK, today, their wines, Brandy’s and perfumes sold the most in China not in France, UK or USA!

What if they see 4 China’s to get rich on? Or 4 China’s to profit from? But as a white Caucasian person you think you need to kill the one China to some how be richer? This view is wrong and perverse! It is archaic like your respective nations! I dare say if the US never attacked Vietnam and murder 3 million Vietnamese today their chance of being like the US and ally with them grew exponentially! And these 6–10 million more people will be your customers and friendly to America!

But some how you think killing them will make the US better and Vietnam worst? And so are the deaths of another 3 million Muslims in the Middle East. If that don’t happened you you have a stronger moral leadership!

What if you lose your phone?

Or your phone gets switched off?

main qimg 7f8e7d337c40f946c2e8020da3a29811
main qimg 7f8e7d337c40f946c2e8020da3a29811

No problems

You can use your PALM scan to make payments, withdraw money, transfer money and go by the local metro Or virtually anything else

So what if you are inebriated and someone scans your palm

You can secure against this by adding a security feature where the machine first needs the first digit and last four digits of your phone number and then approves your payment

You see these Taxis?

main qimg 8d5701b286861bb3160fd2414f0f12a8
main qimg 8d5701b286861bb3160fd2414f0f12a8

You need to just place your palm and the ride starts

It’s a Robo Taxi with no driver

You want to go to Hospital?

Just scan your palm or show your face and your entire insurance history comes up

So in an emergency no need of a phone or wallet

Your face is enough, Your palm is enough

I Know What You’re Thinking

“George, while you were in the bathroom, we received a call from the university for you.”

“I hope that they don’t want to take my degree away after having a second look at the papers I wrote way back when.”

“Very funny George. This is serious. Apparently there is a group of scientists at the university who have made what they called a great discovery. So far no outsiders know about this discovery, and they want you to interview them and observe the effectiveness of what they have invented.”

“Wow. Well I did take a first year foundational course in science when I was there, and I got a good mark, the highest mark that year for me.”

“No George, they were apparently quite impressed with the article you wrote about the strengths and weaknesses of electric cars and self-propelling lawnmowers.”

“When do they want me?”

“As soon as you can get there. They are quite eager to let the world know what they have discovered.”

George grabbed his camera and his recording device, and sprinted out of the office, into his car, and sped down to the university. Although it had been years since he was last on the campus, he found his way to the science building easily enough.

He was greeted on the main floor by a university security officer, and told to take the elevator to the top floor. George was surprised by what he saw when he arrived at his destination and the elevator door opened. There were two police officers standing there, one of whom asked him whether his name was George Stanley, and did he have ID on him to prove that he was who he said he was.  He replied in the positive, took out his wallet and showed the officer his driver’s license. He was then escorted by the two officers into the room that apparently housed the experiment. Everyone in the room except for the officers, and, of course, himself, wore long white lab coats.

The one who seemed to be the leader approached him and said, “Before we explain what it is that we have discovered, we are going to demonstrate it to you, with you as the research subject.”

George began to feel a little nervous at this point. The leader then reassured him that this experiment would be painless. “I am just going to expose you to some electro-magnetic waves, that will pair up with the waves created by your brain. What we are going to show you is our lie detector. I am pretty sure that you are about to tell me that such a device has already been developed, but it really has not. What was previously invented is what we call a psychophysiological detector of deceptions, and it is not infallible. It is more an intimidator that it is a detector – no intimidation, no detection.

For our invention to work we have to influence a person’s brainwaves with the waves from our machine. Now stand still. What I want you to do after I send the waves your way is to have you say what colour comes into your mind. If it is the same one that we have programmed our wave machine to send your way, then the two of you are connected. And we will be able to catch you in a lie.

George was usually a big talker, with a sarcastic comment for every occasion. In this case he was more than a little stunned by the experience, and said nothing. When the device was turned on, he heard a kind of buzzing in his brain, that had lasted a few seconds, later to fade away. Then the scientist pointed the device at him again, and there was a different tone of buzzing, followed by the word ‘brown’ resounding in his head several times.

“Okay, George, what was the colour?”

After a few seconds, in which George seriously contemplated giving a wrong answer, he said “brown.”

“Right! Now George, we are going to ask you a question, to which you can lie or tell the truth. We will tell you which one it is. George, are you married?”

George said that he was, and the lead scientist correctly replied with “That’s a lie”. George just nodded his head in response.

“We are now going to explain to you how it works. Let us know if you don’t understand. It is highly technical of course.”

George then asked a question, “Are you not going to de-program me first?”

The reply hit him like a hammer blow.

“Oh, we cannot do that. We tried, but could not find a way to do that, so we ended that part of the research. We feel that it would be relatively harmless to keep people programmed, as we will have absolute control of the devices. There will be no misuse.”

George recorded the explanations of different aspects of the technology, so his complete attention was on what he was learning. He had the distinct impression that when he did not quite get what they were saying, they would repeat what they had said slowly and with more explanation.

When he was about to leave, the lead scientist asks him a peculiar question. “When are you going to be writing this piece?” He replied by telling the man that he always wrote his articles as soon as he arrived at work at nine o’clock in the morning, as he was a ‘morning person’. He gave his standard joke about that saying, “I never wrote anything intelligent in the afternoon.”

After he had left and was driving back to the newspaper office, he wondered that the repetition of the explanations that he didn’t quite follow was the product of their ‘reading his mind’. He wondered how far he would have to go to be beyond their range. Or would there be no ‘beyond the range’. He knew from his regular reading of scientific journals that electro-magnetic waves were used to travel far into space. Travelling on earth should not  then pose a significant challenge to their use.

When he got back to the newspaper office, he went straight away to talk to the editor to explain the problem he would have with writing an unbiased article on the research. The editor, whom George respected for his intelligence, particularly as it was demonstrated in his ability to write meaningful articles, presented him with a strategy that could resolve his problem.

He followed it to the letter. The next morning, at precisely nine o’clock, he first wrote an article that was solidly supportive of the research, and the researchers. Minutes after he was finished the draft copy of this piece, he received a phone call from the lead researcher, who stated that he was sure that whatever he wrote would be fine with them. He should not worry about “getting it right”.

Then, as the editor had suggested, he wrote what he truly felt, giving the article the title “Do you want to be programmed?” It had a powerful impact on the readers. The research ethics committee of the university soon declared that they would cut the funding of the project until such time as they found a way to deprogram those who were subjected to the waves. The committee asked George whether he wanted to be a research subject, as he was one of the very few who had been programmed, the others being university students who had badly needed the money. While he was apprehensive of the scientists ‘messing with my mind’, particularly after the critical article that he wrote, he agreed to participate as he wanted his brain purged of the effect of the waves. When he made his return to their research room, his first words were “I know what you’re thinking.” There was an initial silence. Then they laughed.

This is what “flyover America” looks like. Nick Johnson has toured the United States, and has filmed what “middle Class” America looks like today. The sight is horrible. It is a car crash; a train wreck. It is a scene of near complete destruction and desolation. This video is both mesmerizing and disgusting. You just cannot pull your eyes off of the “exceptional United States”.

I wish that I could show some hope, but it’s gone. Long gone. There just ain’t anything left.

The good news is that a civilization, a person, a relationship MUST be completely destroyed and ground into the dust before it has any hope of growing back again.

Say you are a Car Company

You have a $ 5 Billion Investment in Canada, you have 18,500 workers in Canada and you have invested various profits you make, back into Canada

One day someone tells you that your cars costing $ 46,200 now costs $ 53,668 due to a 25% Tariff on the import price

The Customer has to pay $ 7,468 extra to buy your car

That’s an extra $ 221.72 a month he has to pay in Car Finance installments

So would that make you wrap up your $ 5 Billion Investment, sell your investments, cut your 18,500 workers and move to the US and start all over again?

It would cost you almost $ 10 Billion

So you would rather lose sales of upto 132,000 cars a year and lose $ 206 Million in Annual Profits

Much cheaper than uprooting your entire manufacturing and incurring a $ 10 Billion bill

Especially when you know Trump 2.0 is only for Four Years

Better lose $ 824 Million in 4 years versus spend $ 10 Billion

Thats the end result

Every exporter will embrace themselves for a cut in profits for four years

However US Consumers will pay higher prices that they would be forced to pay since they still have no alternative cheaper choice within the US


Unless US can replace these imports with local, cheaper alternates

This is inevitable

Only US Consumers will be affected badly and their buying power will reduce which will cut some profits to the Exporters

Still a far more affordable option than relocating entirely to US

Corn Chip Tamale Loaf

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3a0ddc31b44fc5062fe282df5cbc261d

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 (16 ounce) can cream-style corn
  • 4 ounces corn chips
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon Mexican oregano
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 pound ground chuck
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 1/4 cans canned tomatoes
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 24 ripe olives

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Combine corn, corn chips, salt, pepper and oregano.
  3. Sauté garlic and meat in oil; add chili powder and tomatoes. Simmer for 5 minutes.
  4. Combine with first mixture. Add eggs and olives.
  5. Bake in a greased loaf pan for 1 hour.

The sea will kill you instantly if you do things wrong. There is no mercy at all.

Most people go around dreaming about a round-the-world sail, with your family and everyone tearing happily along. Like this:

main qimg 0ba0ba7b2581e30779ba717fe0b56aa8 lq
main qimg 0ba0ba7b2581e30779ba717fe0b56aa8 lq

Problem is that the oceans only behave like this part of the time. Without very much warning, things can swiftly turn into something like this:

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main qimg 403de648c0f01bf730359e746533a9f8 lq

«Ah» you say – «we’ve got weather satellites and technology and GPS and everything, can’t be that bad!»

And that might easily qualify as «famous last words»

The sea CAN be a beautiful place, but that’s only part of the picture. So many times have I been surprised by unannounced terrible weather, that I will forever flatly refuse any romantic notion of a round-the-world family cruise with anything less than a sturdy ship.

Here’s a 100m cargo ship in a perfectly normal storm. What would a 12m sailboat do in such weather?

main qimg d4943033ab7de57521863262ef015bac lq
main qimg d4943033ab7de57521863262ef015bac lq

Let’s talk about some news

Biden Lied About Everything: Philly Fed Finds All Jobs “Created” In Q2 Were Fake

Tuesday, Dec 17, 2024 – 06:00 AM

Back in August, many were surprised by the accuracy of our forecast, when we predicted that in its annual revision, the Biden Bureau of Labor Statistics would revise jobs for the April 2023-March 2024 period by “up to 1 million”, something which we said would mean that all job report “beats” recorded in the past year will have been misses and the US labor market is in far worse shape than the admin would admit.

The final results, as everyone knows by now, was a shocking 818K revision lower, just as the Philadelphia Fed had predicted 6 months prior, in March, when it calculated correctly that the Biden Department of Goalseeking Propaganda had overstated payrolls by “at least 800,000.”

The answer ended up 818,000 for the 12 month period ended March 31 (or about 68,000 per month) and the implied sharp deterioration to the job market was the main scapegoat used by the Fed to launch its easing cycle with a jumbo 50bps rate cut (now that “suddenly” the economic golden age pushed by the Biden propaganda regime, and trillions in debt, had just collapsed).

We mention all of this up because on Friday, the Philly Fed served up its latest shocker: not only did the Biden admin lie again, but the collapse in the labor market that had been covered up for much of the past year and was only exposed with the annual benchmark revision, extended into the second quarter.

“Estimates by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia indicate that the employment changes from March through June 2024 were significantly different” – read lower – “in 27 states compared with preliminary state estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Current Employment Statistics (CES)”, the Philly Fed said on December 12.

“According to the early benchmark (EB) estimates conducted by the Phily Fed, employment was lower in 25 states, higher in two states, and lesser changes in the remaining 23 states and the District of Columbia.”

Translation: 23 states unchanged, 1 revised higher…  and 25 lower. The breakdown is shown below.

states revised philly
states revised philly

Maybe someone can calculate what the odds of that distribution occurring naturally are, but here is our guess: virtually nil. Which is why would make such a loud stink every month after the Biden BLS revised jobs data lower month after month after month. The whole point was to make the labor market appear stronger than it was, then to gradually revised it all away. And now the Philadelphia Fed confirms – again – that we were right all along.

And so, after it first revised the 12 months ending March 31 by 818K, the downgrads extended into the second quarter of 2024, when the Philadelphia Fed early benchmark estimates showed that instead of the 1.1% gain shown initially by the BLS, payroll jobs in the 50 states and the District of Columbia were actually down 0.1%!

US job revisions 0
US job revisions 0

By state, the regional Fed bank estimates that largest revision of employment for the nine-month period ended in June will come from California, where it sees a downward revision of 172,700 jobs. Payrolls in Texas may be revised down by 112,100. An extended forecast by the BLS to the third quarter show further declines as well.

And while we don’t yet know the specifics of the revisions – those will be revealed on Feb 7, 2025 when the final numbers are published – at the national level, we do know that all the jobs reportedly “created” in the second quarter, were actually fake, there were no net jobs created at all, and in fact, the US lost jobs in Q2!

monthly nonfarms
monthly nonfarms

Translation: in his latest attempt to create an impression of economic growth, Biden lied about everything, again.

Source: Philly Fed

I drink alcohol every day. Not all day. From lunchtime. I have a couple then do housework or nap or write. Then wait for my partner and we eat and socialize together.

For me it is an enjoyable habit that most would frown upon. The “most” being people who smoke pot, have never worked, are obese due to unrecognized food addiction, who have their own little addictions they wouldn’t admit to. Porn. Sugar. That sort of thing.

I like Gin & Tonic. Nothing else unless out socializing and then I like bourbon. Im in bed for 9. Up at 5. I walk & run daily between 7&14k steps. My homes are clean and tidy. I cook every day delicious food. I am “retired” now at 44 because I did my 25 yrs working full time. I don’t like people enough to work for them anymore. Thanks to inheritence and a business plan for holiday rentals, and having 4 books out, I don’t have to work traditionally. But I’m not lazy or unclean or chaotic.

My partner and I have fun. Are active sexually. I’m not sick. I don’t pee the bed. I don’t fall asleep in odd places or find myself in risk situations. We go places. I’m not some isolated blubbering wreck.

I’m ambitious and will finish renovating this villa and buy 1 or 2 more. I like being busy but on my terms.

People like to judge or imagine drinkers as ugly unhealthy fat losers. That’s not drink. That’s personality.

My personality is busy, happy, outgoing, but I’m also an introvert. Booze doesn’t change me. The only time booze has been an issue is if I’m already deeply stressed and upset about something and the booze makes me impulsive. But maybe a couple times a year?

I’d act out when sober in just same way.

main qimg 7baf0f63a3a0a3993c9f2e35eca34ae4
main qimg 7baf0f63a3a0a3993c9f2e35eca34ae4

Does a thief/robber care about the victim? Of course not. Below is my earlier post.

There are many reasons why Trump 2.0 imposes high tariff on ALL countries in the world. Below is 1 reason.

The big picture: Elon Musk said US economy is collapsing. Its debts is sky high at $36 tn as of 2024/11. With a skyrocket speed to increase debt from $10 tn in 2008, to $20 tn in 2016, to $36 tn in 2024.

USA has 2 deficits: budget deficit (ie overspending) & trade deficit due to deindustrialisation. In 2024, US budget deficit is $1.9 tn ie 125% of GDP. US trade deficit with China, alone, is US$800 billion. US has trade deficit with most countries in the world.

With $6.74 tn of bonds (ie 1/6 of total $36 tn) expiring in 2025 + $1.9 tn budget deficit in 2024, USA must borrow again & will increase US debt by $8.64 tn in 2025. Minimum.

Just paying interest on the debts already costs USA $882 billion in 2024 ie $3 bn per DAY (source: US Treasury Dept). Its debt increases by $8.7 bn per 24 hours. … indeed rocket speed. E.Musk was not joking when he said US is broke.

USA makes tons of $$$ from wars. But wars only benefit MIC & Wall Street. Not USA the country because the rich dont pay tax. Thus USA must rob others thru tariff, regardless allies or not.

Trump 1.0 ended Syrian war. Then illegally occupied Syrian oil field ie rob Syrian oil (80% production). Who pockets the Syrian oil money? US gov or MIC? USA robs Iraqi oil too after Iraqi war.

Tariff causes inflation. Without cheap goods from China & Mexico, US inflation will be sky high too.

Yet, Trump 2.0 imposes crazily high tariff on ALL countries = violently rob them to feed USA like mafia in movie. Because USA is truly broke.

Inside USA, tariff on foreign country = tax increase on Americans because foreign sellers will add (part of) the tariff to the sale price of their exported goods to USA. In Trump 1.0, 90% of tariff was added to the sale price by foreign sellers.

In both Trump 1.0 & 2.0, Trump has & will decrease tax to attract votes. How to recover the loss of revenue incurred from tax decrease? Use tariff to cause inflation so that all Americans pay a bit ie use tariff to disguise tax increase.

We must understand: 60% tariff on Chinese imports & 20% on smaller countries is crazily unreasonable. Not many firms can make 60% of profit. Not even 20% for small firms/countries. Nobody will do business with no profit. Thus, decouple & stop/reduce sale to USA is the only option.

In fact, decoupling may be the plan of Trump 2.0. Trump may want USA to start all over again by manufacturing its own products from toilet paper to Trump’s campaign cap to washer etc. Trump wants everything to be made in USA.

US wage is higher than southeast Asia. That is Made-in-USA is more expensive. Trouble is whether USA will increase the wage to catch up with the inflated consumer products. Otherwise Americans will become poorer.

Trump 1.0 failed to attract US investors back to USA. Some still stayed in China. Some moved from China to, say, Thailand to do a finish touch on the Chinese products. This disguise of made-in-Thailand products also pushes up the American consumer price.

Let us watch Trump 2.0 to roll out.

All Three Pillars Holding Up The Economy Have Cracked

Wednesday, Dec 18, 2024 – 05:40 AM

Authored by Charles Hugh Smith via OfTwoMinds blog,

All three pillars propping up workforce spending are cracking. Plan accordingly.

Karl Marx and Henry Ford both understood the key pillar of an industrial economy: the workforce has to earn enough to buy the output of the economy. If the workforce doesn’t earn enough to have surplus earnings to spend on the enormous output of an industrial economy, then the producers cannot sell their goods / services at a profit, except to the few at the top as luxury goods–and that’s not an industrial economy, it’s a feudal economy of very limited scope.

Marx recognized that capitalism is a self-liquidating system as capital has the power to squeeze wages even as the output of an industrial economy steadily increases due to automation, technology, etc.

Henry Ford understood that if his own workforce couldn’t afford to buy the cars rolling off the assembly line, then his ambition to sell a car to every household was an unreachable chimera. (There were other factors, of course; the work was so brutal and mind-numbing that Ford had to pay more just to keep workers from quitting.)

If we say the three pillars holding up the economy, the conventional list is: 1) consumer spending (i.e. aggregate demand); 2) productivity and 3) corporate profits. These are not actually pillars, they are outcomes of the core pillar, wage earners making enough to buy the economy’s output.

As the statistics often cited here show, the purchasing power of wages has been declining for almost 50 years, since the mid-1970s. This means the workforce’s surplus earnings have bought less and less of the economy’s output.

There are three ways to fill the widening gap that’s opened between what the workforce has to spend as surplus earnings and the vast output of the economy:

1. Government distributed money. The government distributes “free money” to the workforce via subsidies, tax cuts and credits, or direct cash disbursements.

2. Cheap abundant credit. The cost of credit is lowered to near-zero and credit is made available to virtually the entire workforce so workers can borrow money to buy goods and services they cannot afford to buy from surplus earnings. If auto loans are 1.9%, the interest is a trivial sum annually.

3. Asset bubbles. Boost the value of assets via monetary policies to generate unearned “wealth” that can be spent (by either borrowing against the newfound wealth or by selling assets). This expansion of “free money” also generates the “wealth effect,” the feel-good high of feeling richer, which increases the confidence and desire to spend more money.

There are intrinsic, unbreachable limits to each of these solutions.

1. The government either “prints” or borrows the money it distributes to the workforce. Over time, low interest rates are unsustainable, despite claims to the contrary, and the interest paid on the state’s vast borrowing consumes so much of the state’s revenues that it starts limiting how much the government can spend. Once state spending stagnates or declines, this pillar breaks and the economy crumbles into recession / depression.

In other words, depending on the government to fill the gap between wages and the economy’s output is a self-liquidating system.

2. The expansion of credit leads to defaults and bankruptcies. Relying on the ceaseless expansion of credit based on the declining purchasing power of wages is also a self-liquidating system, as the number of marginal borrowers steadily increases, as does the volume of marginal loans issued by lenders. Marginal borrowers default, triggering losses that push lenders into bankruptcy. This is a self-reinforcing cycle, as the economy rolls over into recession as credit contracts. More workers lose their jobs and default, more loans become uncollectible, and so on.

3. Asset bubbles concentrate the newfound wealth in the top 10%, exacerbating wealth-income inequality and pushing those left behind to gamble in an increasingly speculative financial sector as the only available means of getting ahead. Speculation is also a self-liquidating system as risky bets eventually go bad and the losses trigger a self-reinforcing feedback of selling assets to raise cash which then pushes valuations lower, triggering more selling, and so on.

All three of these pillars propping up the economy are self-liquidating systems, and they’re all buckling. Federal borrowing is pushing up against the limits posed by the interest payments on soaring debt. Credit costs are rising and cannot return to near-zero due to inflationary forces. All asset bubbles eventually pop, and the higher they ascend, the more devastating the collapse.

Wages’ share of the economy have been in structural decline since 1975:

wages share4 24a (2) 2
wages share4 24a (2) 2

Federal debt: and no, we can’t “grow our way out of debt” by inflating asset bubbles and subsidizing consumer spending with federal debt:

federal debt6 24a 1
federal debt6 24a 1

Total debt, public and private: the acme of a self-liquidating system:

TCMDO6 24a (1) 1
TCMDO6 24a (1) 1

The pillars of consumer credit and federal borrowing are reaching intrinsic breaking points, and so everything is now depending on the asset bubbles in housing and stocks to keep inflating phantom wealth at rates high enough to support more borrowing and spending.

The problem is all asset bubbles pop, despite claims that “this is a new era.” That was widely held in March 2000, too, just before the dot-com bubble burst and the Nasdaq fell 80%.

dot com bubble2 2
dot com bubble2 2

All three pillars propping up workforce spending are cracking. Plan accordingly.

40 Brutal Truths Men Wished Women Knew

Hiding out in Mary Jane’s

After riding a roller coaster with my dad in 1997 he said “I think I had a heart attack.” We laughed it off, and he was fine that day. Four years later he was having neck pain after working outside in the evening. My mom called 911, they did and EKG, it was normal and left. A few minutes later he starts to feel worse. My mom calls 911 again and paramedics from a different fire station show up (they lived between 2). They did the EKG, it was normal, but said nope we should take him in. When my mom arrived at the hospital (she did not follow the ambulance) they took her into the DOA room. Thankfully he was not DOA, but he almost was. They had to stop the ambulance on the way there in order to shock him as his heart had stopped. Testing performed after that showed that he had, in fact, had a “silent” heart attack during the past 5 years. I don’t know that going to the hospital the first time would have mattered, but he would be dead if he had not gone the second time. He is still alive today, battling cancer, but having lived longer than any of his immediate family members.

Chili Bowls

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3aace708870e800dd92e9f6966e8601a

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 16 ounces frozen bread dough
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 3 cups favorite chili
  • 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, grated
  • 1/4 cup onions, chopped
  • Garlic powder and Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Thaw the bread dough until it is pliable. Cut the dough crosswise into 4 pieces. With lightly floured hands, shape each dough piece into a ball. Place balls 3 inches apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Brush balls with melted butter. Let bowls rise in a warm place until tripled in size.
  2. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.
  3. Remove from cookie sheet immediately and allow to cool on rack.
  4. To make chili bowls, slice off tops of loaves and hollow by pinching bread out with fingers. Brush cut side of tops with melted butter and sprinkle with garlic powder and Parmesan cheese.
  5. Toast bowls and tops by placing in the oven or under the broiler.
  6. Fill with hot chili and top with grated cheese and onions.

Notes

For smaller bowls, cut dough into 6 pieces.

The Pacific – MG Basilone

Is This The Secret Reason Why Long-Range Missiles Have Been Fired Deep Into Russian Territory?

by Michael

When it comes to the world of geopolitics, there is always far more going on than meets the eye.  The long-range missiles that Ukraine is now firing deep into Russian territory are not going to change the course of the war.  But the Russian response to those long-range missiles might.  Hopefully the Russians will show restraint, because they may not even realize that they are being led into a trap.

Just two days after Joe Biden gave the green light, Ukraine fired six ATACMS missiles deep into Russian territory on Tuesday

Ukraine hit a Russian weapons arsenal with US-made ATACMS missiles that it fired across the border for the first time, according to two US officials, in a major escalation on the 1,000th day of war.

The attack comes just two days after the Biden administration gave Kyiv the green light to use the longer-range American weapons against targets inside Russia.

The Russians possess the most sophisticated anti-missile systems on the entire planet by a wide margin, and they were able to shoot down five of the missiles and damage the sixth before it reached the target

At 3:25 a.m. local time (7:25 p.m. ET) Tuesday, Ukraine fired six ballistic missiles at a facility in Bryansk, Russia’s Defense Ministry said. It said that American-made ATACMS missiles had been used in the attack.

Russian air defenses said they shot down five of the missiles and another was damaged. Fragments from the damaged missile fell on the territory of a military facility, causing a fire that has since been extinguished. There were no casualties or damage.

Since there were no casualties and no damage, the Russians will hopefully not feel a need to respond to this particular strike.

But what is going to happen next time?

And how will they respond when Russian cities start getting targeted?

Following the attack, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov pointed out that the Ukrainians cannot operate these high-tech missile systems without U.S. assistance…

Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, responded to the attack, accusing the West of wanting to escalate the conflict.

“The fact that ATACMS were used repeatedly tonight in the Bryansk region is, of course, a signal that they [in the West] want escalation. And without the Americans, it is impossible to use these high-tech missiles,” Lavrov said at a news conference at the G20 summit, according to comments reported by Tass and translated by Google.

To the Russians, when ATACMS missiles are fired into their territory it is a joint attack by Ukraine and the United States.

And we are being warned that the Russians could use nuclear weapons in response.

On Tuesday, Vladimir Putin signed a document which updates Russia’s official nuclear doctrine…

The Kremlin has repeatedly warned the West against allowing Ukraine to use its long-range weapons to attack Russia directly. Moscow upped the ante Tuesday as Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree approving its updated nuclear doctrine, shifting the parameters on when Russia can use nuclear weapons.

The timing of this signing was meant to be a signal.

According to this document, Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons if there is a missile attack “by any non-nuclear state with the participation or support of a nuclear state”

​“You will be able to read the paragraphs yourself, but in general it also states that the Russian Federation reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in the event of aggression with the use of conventional weapons against it or the Republic of Belarus, which creates a critical threat to sovereignty or territorial integrity,” Peskov told reporters.

“Aggression against the Russian Federation by any non-nuclear state with the participation or support of a nuclear state is considered a joint attack.”

That is clearly directed at us.

The Russians are trying to warn us that we are dangerously close to starting a nuclear war.

One Russian military official is even suggesting that the UK could be the first target

Andrey Gurulev, reservist Russian army general, MP and pro-Putin TV propagandist, warned of a full-scale nuclear strike on Britain.

“There are individual targets that can be hit with….demonstrative warning strikes,” he said.

“The first candidate to get a nuclear bludgeon….is the UK.”

I disagree.

If the Russians decide to use nuclear weapons, Ukraine will likely be the first target.

If Russians cities get hit by long-range missiles, the Russians would be very tempted to respond by hitting Ukraine with a tactical nuke.

Of course the Biden administration has already strongly hinted that if the Russians use tactical nukes in Ukraine we will respond by using tactical nukes in Ukraine too.

That would mean a full-blown war between the United States and Russia, and that is precisely what the Ukrainians want, because that gives them the best chance of actually winning the conflict.

And could that be exactly what the global elite are wishing for too?

When he heard that Ukraine had been given the green light to launch long-range missiles into Russia, Alex Soros was absolutely thrilled…

The Economist has just published their outlook for 2025, and they appear to think that the war in Ukraine will be a major theme during the coming year.

 

What screams “I can fight”?

I was sitting in a bar, with a kind of bad rep, having a beer with a couple of guys from work. Across the room are 3 guys standing at the bar. One them is big, about 6′4″ & 260/270. They’re a little boisterous.

Guy comes out of the men’s room in the back. He’s wearing work clothes & looks like he used them hard that day. He’s kind of “chunky.” I don’t mean he’s fat, though there’s a bit there. He looks like he’s put together with chunks & blocks & slabs. He’s about 5′ 9or10″ & 180. (Probably more, this guy works hard.) He has a little shuffle in his walk it’s been a hard day. He heads for the door.

Big guy steps back & bumps into smaller guy. Smaller guy steps aside & excuses himself & tries to continue. Big guy grabs his shoulder & spins him around.

There’s no hesitation. Little guy steps inside, grabs big guy’s lapels & slams their faces together twice. HARD!

Blood flows. Little guy turns, grabs a handful of napkins off the bar & goes out the door. Nobody follows him.

Could he fight? Oh hell yeah! How did I know it wasn’t his first rodeo? That handful of napkins.

 

What is the significance of Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni’s visit to China after Italy withdrew from the Belt and Road Initiative?

The Italian economy was sinking. She came to China to seek help from Xi.

China agreed to invest in Italy only if she is honest about working with China. China made plans with local Italian to build factories.

However, Meloni has supported the high tariff EU imposed in Oct.. on Chinese EVs. China suspended all investment plans not only in Italy but all EU countries. A total of over 50 billions in investments , have been suspended.

This is the SAD life in a US colony.

When Biden ordered Meloni to cancel the BRI project. Meloni had to listen (against the best interest of Italy). When Biden ordered Meloni to impose high tariff on Chinese EVs .. Meloni had to obey.

China fully understand the predicament of Meloni. She is not really the leader of Italy.. but in reality she is a lowly slave in a US colony.

 

What is the reason for US importers paying tariffs to China?

Frankly, only Americans do not know such a basic fact! Everyone on earth knows such an ABC of tariffs. Everywhere on earth the importer of the product is responsible to pay for the tariffs and the importer of Chinese products are almost always American nationals or American companies. They don’t pay to China they pay to the US customs!

So your government took this money and they can decide what to do with it. You suckers pay for it through higher prices! So it is like a tax or it is like your government stealing your money. In economics it is called inflation.

Importers pay the same price before the tariffs were put in place they don’t pay one cent more or one cent less. So China do not lose anything, it only lose if US importers buys from some where else! If not there is no effect on the Chinese. Since most of the things China does it is very very competitive and nowhere on earth can it be done at the price and the quality. Chances is almost everything still has to come from China!

So in effect the US government is punishing Americans! Not China or Chinese!

Now That Warheads Are Raining Down, Does Anyone Still Think The Russians Are “Bluffing”?

by Michael

 

This didn’t have to happen.  Years of catastrophically bad decisions by the western elite have brought us to the brink of nuclear war.  For more than two years, our leaders have assured us that the Russians were bluffing and that they would never actually risk nuclear war.  But now that Russian warheads are raining from the sky, is there anyone out there that still believes such nonsense?

Last night, the Russians sent a very clear message to the entire world by pummeling Ukraine’s fourth-largest city of Dnipro with warheads from a ballistic missile

Kyiv Air Force said today that Russia had launched an ICBM at the city of Dnipro in the early hours of the morning.

If firmed up, it marks the first time the nuclear-capable missile has ever been used as part of an ongoing conflict.

Unverified footage appeared to show warheads from the ferocious R-26 Rubezh raining down on Dnipro overnight, lighting up the sky with explosions.

In a video that I just posted on my YouTube channel, I shared footage of these warheads raining down on the city…

Originally, it was being reported that these warheads came from an intercontinental ballistic missile, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called this “reckless and escalatory behaviour”

And UK PM Keir Starmer blasted depot Putin for his “reckless and escalatory behaviour” after the suspected ICBM strike.

He warned that such a move would take the war to another level, calling claims of their use “deeply concerning”.

But shortly thereafter U.S. officials determined that it was a new intermediate-range ballistic missile and not an intercontinental ballistic missile…

Ukraine’s earlier claim that its territory had been struck by an intercontinental ballistic missile fired by Russia is being hotly disputed, hours after widespread reports first appeared. US officials are saying it appears to be a new intermediate-range ballistic missile and not an ICBM which targeted the central city of Dnipro

The NY Times has reported in follow-up of the attack that “several Western officials said that the weapon was not an ICBM and instead was likely an intermediate-range missile that flies shorter distances.”

Zelensky himself had claimed Russia used a new class of missile. “All the parameters — speed, altitude — match those of an intercontinental ballistic missile,” he said. “All expert evaluations are underway.”

During a surprise television address to his nation, Vladimir Putin confirmed that it was a new hypersonic ballistic missile that they have been working on…

According to Putin, Russia retaliated on Nov. 21 with a combined strike against a Ukrainian defense industry facility. In addition, “a field test was conducted in combat conditions” for one of Russia’s newest medium-range weapon systems: a nuclear-free hypersonic ballistic missile. “Our engineers named it ‘Oreshnik’ [‘Hazel’],” Putin declared with a smile.

Putin said Russia is within its rights to use ballistic missiles against “Ukraine’s military targets” and to use weapons against military facilities of those countries that have authorized the use of their weapons against Russia.

Of course the range of this particular missile is not really important.

What is important is the message that the Russians are sending.

They are clearly trying to warn us that next time it could be nuclear warheads that are raining down.

I guess they figured that their words weren’t getting through to our leaders, and so they better do something so over the top that nobody could misinterpret it.

Putin also warned that the Russians are “entitled” to hit the military targets of any nations that are supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine…

Putin also warned Russia was “entitled” to strike military targets of countries whose weapons are used by Ukraine to strike Russian territory in a thinly-veiled threat to the US and Britain.

Ukraine used British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles to strike inside Russia for the first time, a day after using US-made ATACMs to hit a military facility in Bryansk.

“In the event of an escalation of aggressive actions, we will respond just as decisively,” Putin added.

Do you understand what he is telling us?

He is trying to get us to understand that if Ukraine keeps firing long-range missiles into Russia, they could strike U.S. military targets.

In fact, the Russians have already publicly identified a new U.S. base in Poland as a potential target…

Russia has threatened to attack a new US defense base in Poland with “advanced weapons” — just hours after reportedly launching an intercontinental ballistic missile at Ukraine on Thursday.

Moscow leveled the warning after saying the opening of the ballistic missile defense base, located in the town of Redzikowo near the Baltic coast, would lead to an increase in overall nuclear danger.

“Given the nature and level of threats posed by such Western military facilities, the missile defense base in Poland has long been added to the list of priority targets for potential destruction, which, if necessary, can be executed with a wide range of advanced weapons,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.

This is serious.

Sadly, most Americans have absolutely no idea that we are literally on the verge of all-out war with Russia.

The Russians have also declared that the UK is now “directly involved” in the war in Ukraine…

Britain is now “directly involved” in the Ukraine war after its Storm Shadow missiles were used to strike targets inside Russia, according to Moscow’s ambassador.

Speaking to Sky News’ Mark Austin, ambassador to the UK Andrei Kelin also said Ukraine was using “plenty of mercenaries from different countries” in the war.

Here in the western world, we have convinced ourselves that we are not at war with Russia.

But the Russians see things very differently.

The good news is that the Russians see Donald Trump as the last best hope to avoid the sort of all-out war that I have been warning about for years.

So we have a window of opportunity right now.

If we can just get to January 20th, the Russians are very eager to talk to Trump in order to see if something can be worked out.

But if they ultimately determine that they can’t work out something with Trump, all bets are off.

Let us pray that a peace agreement can eventually be reached, because if a full-blown nuclear war erupts most of the U.S. population will die.

 

Is it real that many countries take China as an enemy? Why?

No, it is false.

The majority of nations around the world side with China. This is due to several reasons:

  1. China is the largest trading partner to over 120 countries.
  2. China is helping over 150 countries through the Belt and Road Initiative.
  3. China is a peaceful nation having fought no wars since 1979.
  4. China is unifying the world in peace and common prosperity through the BRICS alliance. More than 40 countries have lined up to join.
  5. When the West hoarded their vaccines during the pandemic, it was China who stepped forward to help dozens of countries vaccinate.
  6. China brokered an historic peace deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia. It’s trying to do the same in the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hama conflicts.

They don’t side with America because:

  1. The USA sanctions dozens of countries.
  2. The USA wages endless wars.
  3. The USA interferes in other nations’ internal politics.
  4. The USA invites World War III over the proxy war in Ukraine.
  5. The USA supports the genocide in Gaza.
  6. The USA is trying to provoke war with China.

Only the USA and its allies regard China as an adversary. They are a small minority.

 

What would happen to Canada if Trump slaps tariffs on the auto industry?

They’re screwed.

First, since the first Canada-US-Mexico trade agreement, auto companies only make each model of car in one country, exporting them to all the others. For example, every single Chevy Silverado is manufactured in Canada. If you’re an American and want one, no problem, there’s no tariff on them.

Second, Canada is the #1 source of auto parts in North America, and most American factories source most or all of their parts from Canada. That’s because to manufacture parts you need skilled workers, and they unionize. When they unionize, they demand health benefits. In the United States, those are expensive because of private insurance. In Canada, that’s cheap because we have universal healthcare. It’s cheaper for American companies to outsource to Canada because the net cost of skilled workers is lower. Don’t worry about skilled American workers, they all have jobs too, just not in auto parts – they tend to work on things that require a lot more precision.

Third, the United States has a lot of used cars. Until the first free trade agreements, you couldn’t export used cars to Canada or Mexico, now you can and there’s a good market (Cars from the U.S. south tend not to be rustbuckets). Canada might just decide to shut the door again, eliminating the market.

Mississippi Burning – “Do You Like Baseball?”

If tariffs, according to Democrats, are so bad, then why did the Biden administration expand tariffs on China?

Treasury secy Yellen wanted to cancel the tariff of Trump 1.0, because tariff causes inflation.

It was Trade Rep K. Tai who opposed cancellation. Because of her votes. Tai was very fierce when she opposed cancellation. She said something like “as long as I am here, the tariff will not be cancelled.”

Go find out who are Tai’s election donor. We may get the answer.

 

Do Americans realize that other countries will stop buying American products including cars and airplanes, due to retaliatory counter tariffs that they will place on US products, in response to Trump’s tariffs once he is in office again?

Already doing so today

The Sale of US Cars outside North America fell by 18% in the past 4 years

Boeing Sales have plummeted 47% in the past decade in terms of new orders

None of the US Arms buyers are paying hard cash now that the Arabs are spending lesser money on weapons and more on AI & Quantum Computing & Infrastructure

The only buyers of US Weapons are Nations that never pay or are on charity or pay very late

John Deere lost 32% Sales in the last decade outside North America & South America

IBM sales have plummeted

GE has seen overseas sales fall by 7% in the past decade

US Pharmaceuticals were always beaten by Generic Rivals in Poorer markets & now they are either forced to sell for fair price in foreign markets or not allowed to be sold at all

Demand for US Products are in decline anyway

Its why Trump is trying the last ditch attempt to do whatever he possibly can

 

Is the U.S. losing its grip on the world order? If so, why is this happening and can it be reversed?

Yes, the USA is losing its grip on the world order.

The USA is an empire in decline. It faces innumerable domestic problems, including deep division and political turmoil. It carries a crushing national debt and is at risk of financial collapse. It’s embroiled in wars all around the world. The USA knows no peace.

The world is de-dollarizing. The US Dollar will eventually lose its primacy as the global reserve currency.

What is the root cause of all this? Political corruption.

The USA today is effectively an oligarchy or plutocracy. The American people have no democratic power whatsoever. The country is essentially ruled by the wealthy capitalist elite, particularly the military-industrial complex.

In theory, it can be reversed. In practice, it is extremely unlikely. We’d have better luck with an asteroid slamming into the earth and causing human extinction.

Fargo – Connected – I’m cooperating – darn tooting

Talk Of A Pre-Emptive Attack On Russia Is Going To Make Russia Even More Likely To Conduct A Pre-emptive Attack Against Us

by Michael

 

If some lunatic shows up at your front door in the middle of the night and threatens to shoot you, does that make it more likely or less likely that you will shoot first?  Any talk of NATO conducting a pre-emptive attack against Russia is extremely dangerous, because the Russians are paranoid enough already.  If they become convinced that we are planning to hit them before they can hit us, that could motivate them to do something really, really stupid.  We are closer to nuclear war than we have ever been before, and we definitely do not need western leaders making provocative statements that are only going to make things even worse.

For example, during a conference in Brussels NATO’s top military official said something that is now making headlines all over the globe.  The following comes from an article posted on MSN News entitled “NATO considers preemptive strikes amid rising tensions with Russia”

NATO Military Committee Chairman Admiral Rob Bauer stated during a conference in Brussels that NATO leadership is contemplating the possibility of conducting precise preemptive strikes on Russian territory in the event of an armed conflict between Moscow and the Alliance.

It is now being claimed that Bauer was not actually talking about a pre-emptive strike on Russia.

But if you look at his actual words, it certainly seems like that was precisely what he was talking about…

During a question-and-answer session after his address at the European Policy Center in Brussels, Bauer said, “The idea was we are a defensive alliance, so we will only sit and wait until we are attacked, and then when we are attacked, we will be able to shoot down the ‘arrows’ that come to us,” referring to a Russian strike.

He also said that when responding to any attack, it would be “smarter” to “attack the archer, that is…Russia—if Russia attacks us. So you need to have a combination of deep precision (strikes) with which you can take out the weapons systems that are used to attack us.”

Needless to say, the Russians were not amused.

In fact, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov believes that Bauer was essentially announcing NATO’s “real plans”

The North Atlantic Alliance has ignored all diplomatic protocol, allowing itself to make statements about the possibility of preemptive strikes on Russia, top Russian diplomat Sergey Lavrov said.

“Just the other day, Mr. Bauer, NATO Military Committee Chair, explicitly stated that it’s no longer enough, and ensuring the defense of the North Atlantic Alliance member states requires strikes on targets in Russia that NATO believes may pose a threat to the bloc. I think there’s nothing to comment on here; it’s just that they have forgotten all etiquette, publicly announcing their real plans,” he noted at the 20th meeting of the heads of security and intelligence agencies of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries.

If the Russians become convinced that we are going to hit them first, that will make it much more likely that they will hit us first.

We really need to get the Russians to understand that we have no plans to do that.

Meanwhile, a French news source is reporting that European leaders continue to discuss “sending Western troops and private defense companies to Ukraine”…

As the conflict in Ukraine enters a new phase of escalation, discussions over sending Western troops and private defense companies to Ukraine have been revived, Le Monde has learned from corroborating sources. These are sensitive discussions, most of which are classified – relaunched in light of a potential American withdrawal of support for Kyiv once Donald Trump takes office on January 20, 2025.

That is insane!

What in the world are they thinking?

No matter what Donald Trump does when he gets into the White House, our European allies fully intend to continue to escalate this war.

It is madness.

On top of everything else, this week the New York Times has reported that the Biden administration has actually discussed the possibility of arming Ukraine with nuclear weapons.

When Dmitry Medvedev heard about this, he went ballistic

Moscow will consider any threat of nuclear arms being supplied to Ukraine by the US as preparation for a direct war with Russia, former president Dmitry Medvedev has warned. The actual transfer of nuclear weapons would be tantamount to an attack on the country under Russia’s new nuclear doctrine, he added.

On Tuesday, Medvedev posted a message on Telegram that was quite ominous

“Give nuclear weapons to a country at war with the largest nuclear power? The idea is so absurd that it raises suspicions about a paranoid psychosis in Joe The Walking Dead and all those who would advise such a move.”

He continued, “Yet I must comment on the nonsense: 1) The very threat of transferring nuclear weapons to the Kyiv regime can be considered preparation for nuclear conflict with Russia;

2) The actual transfer of such weapons can be equated to an act of attack on our country under article 19 of the Fundamentals of State Policy in the Field of Nuclear Deterrence.

The consequences are obvious.”

I don’t think that the Biden administration has any intention of giving Ukraine nuclear weapons right now.

But the fact that they are talking about it is really freaking out the Russians.

I really wish that cooler heads would prevail, but instead both sides just continue to escalate matters.

Over the past few days, Ukraine has launched more long-range missiles provided by NATO into Russian territory, and now the Russians have announced that they are preparing another “response”…

Russia is preparing a response to Ukrainian ATACMS attacks on Kursk Region, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday. Last week, US President Joe Biden authorized Kiev to use US-supplied long-range missiles against targets deep inside Russia’s internationally recognized borders.

In an official statement on Telegram, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that over the past three days, Ukraine’s forces had conducted two long-range strikes on Kursk Region using Western weaponry.

As I discuss in this video, many are anticipating that the Russian “response” will be even larger than last time.

Let us hope that the Russians only use conventional weapons, and let us hope that they limit their targets to Ukraine.

Because the Russians have previously identified a U.S. base in Poland as a potential target, and the Biden administration is making it clear that such a strike would trigger NATO’s Article 5

White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said Monday that the U.S. has a ‘rock-solid’ commitment to NATO’s Article 5, should Russia strike the new U.S. anti-missile base in Poland. Article 5 is NATO’s principle of collective defense, that if one NATO member is attacked, all other NATO members go to war with the attacker, a world war-style response.

“We take our Article 5 commitments to our NATO Allies incredibly seriously. It’s rock-solid, and that’s not going to change,” Kirby said on Monday, according to Remix News.

Kirby was responding to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who on Thursday said that Russia is considering attacking a new U.S. anti-missile base in Poland.

We are dangerously close to a point of no return.

Once nuclear missiles start flying, there will be no going back.

The Russians have been working extremely hard to prepare for a nuclear war, and meanwhile the U.S. is still relying on hopelessly outdated systems from the 1970s and 1980s.

We must change course while it is still possible to do so.

Unfortunately, it appears that we are about to witness another series of escalations which will push us even closer to the unthinkable.

https://youtu.be/1IRTMHoRlzk

Can Taiwan actually resist an invasion from China in 90 days or less?

No.

If China invades Taiwan, Taiwan will fall to China in a matter of days or weeks.

Taiwan’s military is completely outmatched by China’s military. China has the world’s largest army. China has the world’s largest navy.

China has advanced stealth aircraft. China has advanced hypersonic missiles. China has a very advanced air force.

Taiwan’s military gear is essentially hand-me-downs from the United States. It’s total junk compared to what China has.

Moreover, the United States will NOT come to Taiwan’s defense. The United States will NOT fight for Taiwan. Why?

Because the United States cannot risk all-out war with China. It would result in total devastation to the entire planet. This is the same reason the United States did not directly engage with the Russians in Ukraine.

The Taiwanese may be insane, but the Americans are not.


I looked at the other answers here. Many of them foolishly believe that China will try to occupy Taiwan with boots on the ground.

This is unnecessary. China can cause Taiwan to surrender by doing three things:

  1. Blockade the island. Prevent resupply from the outside world. Nobody will dare to challenge the blockade.
  2. Wipe out Taiwan’s critical infrastructure. Without electricity, communication, fresh drinking water, etc., the island will readily capitulate.
  3. Destroy Taiwan’s ports and airfields with bombs and missiles.

China can take its time with an amphibious assault. Wait for the Taiwanese to be tired, hungry, thirsty, in the dark, without communication, and full of fear. Resistance will be futile.

Eric Schmidt DROPS BOMBSHELL: China DOMINATES AI!

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Col Doug Macgregor: Russia’s NEW Oreshnik Missile & Threats Going Forward

The Insanity of Neocons

29 November 2024, by Eric Zuesse. (All of my recent articles can be seen here.)

Stephen Bryen, who’s now retired from a stellar career at the very highest levels both in the U.S. Military-Industrial Complex and in the Executive and also the Legislative branches of the U.S. Government, and whose predictions about the war in Ukraine war thus far have consistently turned out to be true, is, for whatever reason, nonetheless a neocon (advocate for increasing yet further the U.S. empire) in the case of China; and, so, while he’s realistic about the need for the U.S. Government to withdraw from Ukraine, he is nonetheless a normal neocon in regards to China.

On November 29th, he headlined “China Alarmed As US Marine Prepare HIMARS and ATACMS for Yonaguni”, and argued that it’s a good move by Biden now, that he’ll be placing in Japan U.S. missiles that can hit Taiwan for the purpose of “stopping a Taiwan invasion,” by which stupid phrase he intends to mean that we’ll be stopping “an invasion of Taiwan,” by — you guess whom, which is, of course, according to the neocons’ plan, to be done by — China, as soon as Taiwan will announce that it is NOT a part of China, and for which purpose the U.S. Government has been arming Taiwan so that Taiwan can then (with American weapons and maybe direct Military involvement) resist the invasion by China that will be China’s inevitable response to this U.S.-planned breakaway from China by Taiwan. And THAT will then give the U.S. Government the ‘right’ to invade and conquer China — which is the real objective of all of this scheming and war-planning by Breyen and ogther neocons.

So, I posted a reader-comment to that article:

Here is why your article is shocking:

You have cited the Taiwan Relations Act as a ‘justification’ for your position regarding China.

The Taiwan Relations Act was merely concerning the U.S. Government and NOT America’s relations with China and with its province of Taiwan. It is logically SUBORDINATE TO the Shanghai Communique, which is an agreement BETWEEN China and U.S. Anything in the Taiwan Relations Act that contradicts the Shanghai Communique of 1972 is null and void automatically.

The Shanghai Communique, in 1972, committed the U.S. Government to — and agreed with China’s Government that — “Taiwan is a part of China.” Consistently since the 1972 Shanghai Communique, the official policy of the U.S. Government is and has been “Taiwan is a part of China.”

Your article logically implied, instead of overtly said, that Taiwan can declare independence from China — DESPITE BEING “a part of China.” Here is the (il)logic of your position:

Your article alleges that Taiwan should be able to declare independence from China despite America’s Government having formally committed itself that Taiwan is a part of China, and that U.S. taxpayers should fund this U.S. aggression against China.

Furthermore, you are assuming (likewise falsely) that Taiwan is of such vital national-security interest to the safety of America (protecting the safety of the residents in the USA), so that America, which is legally committed to Taiwan’s being a Chinese province, ought to arm Taiwan so that Taiwan can declare itself to be NOT a part of China, so that China can then be defeated by LOSING that “part of China.” That’s what you want. You want U.S. taxpayers to fund this U.S. aggression against China. It is crazy. It is loaded with false assumptions. And the very IDEA that U.S. taxpayers should fund U.S. aggression isn’t merely crazy, it is evil; and I, as a U.S. taxpayer, recognize this.

Bryen’s false assumptions here have been advocated in the greatest detail by an article from A. Wess Mitchell, who had been the successor to Victoria Nuland as the  Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs during 2017-2019 in the Trump Administration; and Mitchell, like his predecessor, Nuland, was/is a total neocon; but, unlike her, he didn’t believe that America should be trying simultaneously to conquer BOTH Russia and China; he believed that we should instead aim for a temporary negotiated-with-Russia stalemate and abeyance of the war in Ukraine, so that we can then (temporarily) devote all of our resources to conquering China first (in order to attack Russia afterwards).

Mitchell headlined in the so-called National Interest magazine, on 21 August, 2021, his influential article, “A Strategy for Avoiding Two-Front War”, and he opened:

The greatest risk facing the twenty-first-century United States, short of an outright nuclear attack, is a two-front war involving its strongest military rivals, China and Russia. Such a conflict would entail a scale of national effort and risk unseen in generations, effectively pitting America against the resources of nearly half of the Eurasian landmass.

It would stretch and likely exceed the current capabilities of the U.S. military, requiring great sacrifices of the American people with far-reaching consequences for U.S. influence, alliances, and prosperity. Should it escalate into a nuclear confrontation, it could possibly even imperil the country’s very existence. 

Given these high stakes, avoiding a two-front war with China and Russia must rank among the foremost objectives of contemporary U.S. grand strategy. Yet the United States has been slow to comprehend this danger, let alone the implications it holds for U.S. policy. So far, Washington’s efforts to grapple with the “simultaneity” problem (as it’s called in Pentagon circles) have been overwhelmingly focused on the military side of the problem. The 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS) replaced the two-war standard with a laser focus on fighting one major war with America’s most capable adversary — China. In its wake, a debate has erupted among defense intellectuals about how to handle a second-front contingency

By comparison, there has been much less discussion of how, if at all, U.S. diplomacy should evolve to avert two-front war and, more broadly, alleviate the pressures of strategic simultaneity. While the Trump administration rightly inaugurated a more confrontational approach toward China, this was not accompanied by a rebalancing of diplomatic priorities and resources in other regions to complement the NDS’ justified focus on the Indo-Pacific. Nor does the Biden administration appear to be contemplating a redistribution of strategic focus and resources among regions. This misalignment in the objects of U.S. military and diplomatic power is neither desirable nor sustainable. America will have to limit the number of active rivalries requiring major U.S. military attention, improve the functionality of its existing alliances for offsetting the pressures of simultaneity, or significantly grow defense budgets—or some combination of the three. …

Unlike Dr. Bryen, Dr. Mitchell believes that the U.S. Government should target Russia first, China second. In Foreign Policy magazine, on 6 September 2024, he headlined explicitly “U.S. Strategy Should Be Europe First, Then Asia: Without a secure Europe, the United States risks becoming a hemispheric potentate on the margins of the world.” To him, Asia is “on the margins of the world” — Mitchell wants America to conquer all of The West, first — then take the rest. He says, “While it is true that there are serious and pressing national security problems in Asia and the Middle East, these can only be dealt with effectively once the Atlantic foundation of Washington’s global strength is secure.” However, whereas (because of the U.S. Governmen’s ever-expansionist imperialism) both Russia and China do, actually, face “serious and pressing national security problems,” America doesn’t — we’re more than 3,000 miles of ocean away from any potential invader — the real threat to the American people is the American Government itself (since 1945), which is sometimes called the “Deep State,” which rules us, and which the scientific studies in political science show to be America’s richest 1% of America’s richest 1% — the individuals who have purchased and are actually served by our (aristocratically) s‘elected’ Government.

Basically, the U.S. Government — in BOTH of its Parties — is set upon conquering both Russia and China, but is not yet exactly clear about whether to do both of them simultaneously, or instead one-after-another (in accord wth the “forever-war” tradition of the United States Government, which President Truman instituted right at the end of World War Two (WW2), on 25 July 1945.

Both of these plans — aggression against Russia, and aggression against China — both using as excuses that ‘we’ are ‘democracies’ whereas ‘they’ are ‘autocracies’, and ignoring that the ONLY country that has been scientifically analyzed to determine whether it is a “democracy,” is the U.S., and all of those studies have found that it definitely is NOT at all a democracy, but instead an aristocracy, rule-by-only-the-richest — both of these plans are plain evil. But what keeps them going is the insanity of neocons, and it is bleeding dry the U.S. itself, hollowing-out the middle class to serve the super-rich who profit from all these wars, and it is at the same time turning the U.S. into a blood-sucker against its colonies (‘allies’), which are required to pitch in even more, year after year, in order to do the master-nation’s bidding, and, like Trump keeps saying, “pay their fair share”, by buying more of our weapons.

Of course, the reality is that if EITHER of these wars starts, the war will end up going nuclear and so being WW3, for the simple reason that neither Russians NOR Chinese will accept coming under the U.S. yoke; BOTH nations — Russia and China — would rather have a WW3 than become a part of such a supremely evil empire as the U.S. empire — and ALL of its supporters, or “neocons” — undoubtedly is.

The U.S.-and-allied side would lose because the aggressor is CLEARLY the U.S., and because both Russia and China have the means to annihilate the aggressors and would do that even if it will mean annihilating the entire world in a nuclear war.

The least damaging outcome that still remains possible for the American people — after the latest “Tweedle-dum versus Tweedle-dee” ‘election’ — is a Second American Revolution, this one not to get rid of the British imperialists, but to get rid of the American-and-British imperialists. Though this would, tragically, be a war, what other option would be available to us in order to prevent WW3, a global war, which would be vastly worse than any such merely domestic war would be.

The insane people who rule in Washington DC are enemies of the entire world, including of the American people, and CAN be dealt with BY the American people. It would be a service not only to ourselves, but to the entire world. It would be a noble thing to do. And it’s the best of the bad (and both of the options ARE bad) options that are still available to us.

Or, to put this another way: How much longer will the U.S. Government’s war against the world continue? Will it NEVER stop, until it destroys the entire world?

PS: If you like this article, please email it to all your friends or otherwise let others know about it. None of the U.S.-and-allied ‘news’-media will likely publish it (nor link to it, since doing that might also hurt them with Google or etc.). I am not asking for money, but I am asking my readers to spread my articles far and wide, because I specialize in documenting what the Deep State is constantly hiding. This is, in fact, today’s samizdat.

Date-Nut Bread (Pan de Datil Molege)

325ae1ed0998c4ee58d241882e0719b5
325ae1ed0998c4ee58d241882e0719b5

Ingredients

  • 6 eggs, separated
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 cups dates, cut-up
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • Confectioners’ sugar

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
  2. Beat egg whites in large bowl on high speed until soft peaks form.
  3. Gradually beat sugar into egg yolks in medium-size bowl; beat on high speed until thick and lemon colored, about 3 minutes.
  4. Beat in butter on medium speed until well blended.
  5. Fold egg yolk mixture into egg whites.
  6. Gently stir in flour, cinnamon and nutmeg just until moistened; stir in dates and pecans.
  7. Pour into pan.
  8. Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes.
  9. Cool for 5 minutes; remove from pan.
  10. Cool completely; sprinkle top with confectioners’ sugar.

Akshat .

“Name please.”“Ryan Nero,” Ryan answered.“ID Number?”“ASD34523.”The guard nodded and opened the doors to the underground chamber, revealing gray stone walls, and a high-tech looking computer at the end. There were two platforms on either side of the chamber, holding carbon fiber pods with a bluish substance inside them. Ice.As Ryan walked into the chamber, he peered into the pods, with curiosity rippling over his face. He saw ghostly pale faces inside, eyes closed, almost like dead bodies. Which they practically were.

 

Ryan was inside the top-secret underground laboratory of ATLAS. ATLAS was an extremely confidential program, started by the government.

 

Ryan was one of the few test subjects of the ATLAS program, and was risking his life for the improvement of the world!

 

“Welcome,” a man said with a British accent, walking towards him. He was wearing a stainless white lab coat, and his face bore a very well trimmed brown mustache. He resembled Ryan, although he was older, “Mr, uh-”

 

“Ryan,” Ryan replied, “Ryan Nero.”

 

“Yes, well, my name is Doctor Alexander Algorithm — yes, my parents were mathematicians, one of the best in the world. And I see we look alike!” He added with a chuckle.

 

“Yup,” Ryan said, a grin rippling over his face. He wasn’t sure what else to say, so he just kept quiet.

 

“Back to business. Now, do you know why you are here?”

 

“Yes,” Ryan assured him. He was here to have his body frozen and to hopefully last hundreds of years in “hibernation.” He had chosen this because he didn’t see the point of living in the present world. He had lost his parents to a fatal car crash, and his brother was shot dead in battle. Ryan didn’t have kids, or a wife, or anything. Just a small flat, and a small platinum watch, to remind him of his father.

 

He could also escape his dark past, full of death and darkness, betrayals, and corruption. He gave a slight shiver even as he thought about it. It was all a secret now anyways. All the monsters of the underworld were gone, and he could escape his present life.

 

 

“Let me walk you through the procedures then,” Alexander told him with a small smile on his face, and lead Ryan towards one of the many pods inside the room. Another scientist was near the pod, clipboard in hand, with glasses. He was looking into it and writing on his board. Probably checking it for defections.

 

He looked up and found us walking towards him. He gave a slight nod and walked away towards the computer setup.

 

“This is the pod in which you shall be in during the freezing of your body,” Alexander said, “When you wake up — which will be in approximately 500 years — you shall be fit and fine. Now, once you wake up, the entire world might be extremely different from what it is right now.”

 

“I understand,” Ryan said.

 

“And there is also the possibility of you dying in the process of freezing your body. Many have faced this fate. We keep their bodies inside the pods, and dispose of them.”

 

“But … why? Couldn’t have you just reused the pods?”

 

“Once a human perishes inside one of those, it contaminates the entire thing. We cannot afford to keep the entire lab in danger, and that is why we do what we —”

 

Alexander suddenly wheezed and coughed, his face turning purple. Some of the other scientists cast pitying looks at him but didn’t come to his help.

 

“Doctor,” Ryan said, concerned, “Are you okay?”

 

Alexander shook his left hand at him while his right hand dove into his pocket. He pulled out an inhaler and kept the nozzle inside his mouth, and took deep breaths.

 

After he was done, he explained what had just happened. “Asthma,” he said, “The usual. Got it because of the air pollution you know? Dreadful stuff, dreadful indeed. And I take it that it is one of the reasons you decided to undertake this precarious job?”

 

“Yes,” Ryan said. It was a reason, but not as big of a one as his parents and brother. But it still was one. Plus, it was already harming the Earth and humans, so it’s better to be one of the safe ones, right?

 

“Anyways,” Alexander started, “I shall run you through the procedures now.”

He signaled to one of the scientists and waited. The scientist whom Alexander signaled to pulled a lever next to a number: 63.

 

Immediately, the bluish substance Ryan had seen inside the pod vanished. “That was to protect our body from the freezing cold inside,” Alexander explained, “That way, the lab does not get affected, and we stay safe. Win-win!

 

“Now, once you’re inside the pod, one of the scientists shall close the hatch. It can be opened from the inside, in case you suddenly wake up. Don’t worry,” he added at the look of horror on Ryan’s face, “We haven’t had any cases like that. But better to be safe than sorry.

 

“And once the hatch closes, you might feel a bit claustrophobic, but it will all be gone. Me or another staff member shall start the freezing. The temperatures inside the pod shall go subzero, up to -150 degrees Celsius. After that, your body shall go numb, and you’ll go off into cryogenic sleep. Then, by God’s grace, you shall survive for the next five hundred years. So, any questions?”

 

“Nope,” Ryan said.

 

“Great! I shall just show you how to get in now, and also close the hatch! But do not do anything! Stay right here.”

 

And Alexander heaved himself into the pod and shut the hatch.

 

Little did he and Ryan know, a junior assistant was present at the computer setup. He saw Alexander jump into the pod. But he thought that Alexander was Ryan. So, for reasons including “I have to impress the staff so that they’ll take me seriously,” he pressed the button next to the label numbered 63.

 

In doing so, he did not know that he had just doomed Alexander’s life for good, he just thought he was helping out. But when Ryan turned around, with a look of terror etched all over his face, did he know what had just happened.

Marching to the beat of a different drummer and raising the flag of life

My daughter just couldn’t wait to get up early for kindergarten today.

Big day at school. Her class is to host the raising of the flag ceremony in the morning. It’s a big deal in China. Have youse guys ever witnessed it? It is impressive.

The little tykes wear their uniforms and march to the flag, and the Chinese national anthem is played. They beat their drums and unravel the flag, then mount it and hoist it up. Nicely done.

Anyways, its a normal part of Chinese life.

Here’s a father filming his child’s Kindergarten doing the same performance. This is shao ban I think. I minute long. Worth the time to watch if for anything else the sheer cuteness and guns.

One of the things that I love about China.

Here’s the Chinese military doing the entire ceremony. Damn impressive. I’ll tell you what.  Short video, but shows you what it is like.

You can see how excited she is. She can’t wait to march in front of the school. Her role today is holding the right side of the flag as it is presented. All the kids are so very excited. It’s great!

Today…

No-one cares. Sorry, but most civilised countries have already factored in the ridiculous, immature behaviour of the Orange Toddler. We’ll all smile, shake his hand, tell him how much he’s respected as a businessman, then get on with real-world stuff that’s light-years ahead of his brain-damaged nonsense. He’ll be gone in 4 years, or probably less, and leave nothing more than a shit-stain on world history.

The Mask | SMOKIN!

From personal experience, a single mother of a two-year-old boy really wanted a relationship with me.

She was pretty upfront that she was looking for a man to financially support her and to father more children with her.

I was surprised when she admitted that in her younger party days that she would’ve totally ignored a guy like me, but that now I was her type because I was kind, responsible, and had a good paying career, plus she thought that our kids would be really cute.

It was very clear to her when she told me what all of the benefits that she would receive by dating me. But there was not much that she brought to the table other than offering me sex.

I was kind of young at the time but luckily smart enough to know that it was not a good deal for me.

So I was not scared of dating her, but I did not see the upside for me.

Southern Chili

999cb5f9be8ed9864de2d50d2364f32a
999cb5f9be8ed9864de2d50d2364f32a

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds ground meat
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 2 cans tomato paste
  • 2 tomato paste cans water
  • 1 (No. 2) can tomato juice
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 cans chili beans, drained

Instructions

  1. Brown meat with onion, garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper and chili powder.
  2. Combine remaining salt and pepper with remaining ingredients except beans; add to meat mixture. Bring to a boil; simmer for 2 hours.
  3. Add beans during final 15 minutes of cooking.

Have No Fear, Love

Submitted into Contest #115 in response to: Write a story where a device goes haywire. view prompt

Patrick Samuel

When she opens her eyes, all she sees is gray. The gray of a summer storm right before it breaks. Then she remembers that summer is long gone and that she must get up, no matter how much she longs to bury her face in the pillow and forget about the world for just a moment more.Making breakfast in the dark, to save the generator. Like a moth to a flame, her gaze strays towards the kitchen window and the garden outside. A beautiful garden despite everything, she tells herself. You’d never know anyone is buried there.

*

Lea is still asleep when Natalie comes in with the tray. At least her eyes are closed. She wonders if she put too many pills in last night’s soup. The only idea more frightening is how tempting it gets sometimes to put the whole bottle in.

“When is this fog gonna lift? I’m sick of seeing only gray.”

You’d be sicker if you could see more, Natalie thinks but all she says is: “I thought you were sleeping.”

“I thought I was dead. Or that the rest of the world was. I’m not sure and I don’t know if I even care anymore.”

“Social media still down?” As if she needed to ask.

“What do you think?”

Lea’s eyes are open now, fixated on her sister’s. Natalie forces herself to meet her gaze. Better suspicion than certainty. Don’t let Schrodinger’s cat out of the bag and we can all pretend it never happened.

After just a sip, Lea puts down the cup.

“Bitter?”

“Too hot. I’ll have it later.”

Natalie makes a mental note to put the pills in Lea’s soup from now on.

*

“Got a message from Mom,” Lea says at lunch.

“What does she say?”

“The usual. Hope you’re fine. Love you. Tell Natalie to massage your feet every day until you go to sleep.”

“She didn’t say that.”

“No, she didn’t.” Lea grins. “But you could.”

“Maybe I will,” replies Natalie. “If you finish your soup.”

“You’re worse than Mom, sometimes.”

“Wrong. I’m always worse than Mom. But thanks for the ‘sometimes’ anyway.”

“When is she coming home, do you think?” Lea now asks.

“Didn’t she tell you?”

“You know how vague she gets with specific questions. She’s even worse when texting.”

“Well, she’s not big on texting. Different generations and all that.”

“She could always call. They did have phones when she was our age, didn’t they?”

 

*

After lunch (and she did finish her soup, so Natalie feels obliged to rub her feet – not that she minds) Lea mutters : “Can you believe I got Mom to text me but I can’t even get a single one from Chris?”

To a sixteen year-old princess, even a sick one, the absence of a prince charming at her bedside is more than an insult, it’s the ultimate injury. Natalie is tempted to tell her that Chris got himself a new girlfriend. That he’s gone off to live with her in Japan and has forgotten all about Lea. Anything to get her off the subject.

 

*

She will have the world at her feet, that one, their mother used to say about Lea. Easy enough when the world lies shattered on the floor, Natalie reflects, like the glass bowl she smashed after the last call from Dan.

As if reading her thoughts, or maybe because her mind is still on boyfriends, Lea asks: “Dan hasn’t been around in a while, has he?”

“We broke up,” Natalie says shortly.

“Really?” Lea sounds genuinely surprised.

“Shit happens.” Her hint to drop the subject but for once, Lea is all solicitude.

“When did you guys last spoke?” she asks.

“Some weeks ago.”

“What did he say?”

Natalie takes a deep breath. “He said: ‘Shit’.”

Lea giggles, then realizes she shouldn’t. “Sorry,” she says. “No really, I am. I like Dan. He’s the kind of guy who knows stuff but doesn’t need to brag about it, you know what I mean?”

“I thought he bore you to tears. Like that afternoon we spent at the beach?”

“Please. Like I’m gonna let on when I’m having fun. I don’t even know why I do that, sometimes. Like maybe if I admitted I was enjoying something too much, it would be taken away from me.”

This is the more open Lea has been in ages. Maybe it takes a broken connection to get people talking to each other again.

“We should never have told you that smiling gives you wrinkles.”

“I’d be happy to get wrinkles now. At least it would mean I’ve lived long enough to get them.”

She does smile then, and this time Natalie is not afraid to meet her gaze.

 

*

Once Lea is asleep, Natalie goes down to the kitchen. From the top of the cupboard she retrieves a telephone, reads the new message and starts writing.

 

Their mother kept vague about her job. All the girls knew was that it included “buying and selling“ and traveling to the big city on occasions. She certainly didn’t try to make it sound glamorous, in fact sounded so jaded and weary about it that they learned not to ask too much. Which is actually proving convenient now.

 

October was their mother’s busiest month. That’s when the company held its annual convention, an open door for jokes about Halloween and the true nature of her employers. “The witches brew convention,” as Lea once called it. “Almost to the letter,” Mom said. “Witches crew, then?” Lea said and they both dissolved into a fit of laughter though Natalie failed to see what was so funny.

 

Even as she pit them against one another, their mother encouraged them to stick together. Constant competition was her idea of emulation. Natalie likes to think this was her way of building up their sense of solidarity against adversity. You make use of whatever life throws at you, including what it throws in your face.

 

*

It took Natalie a few days before she thought of retrieving the phone. She should have done it sooner, but there were so many things to deal with and so few she could bear thinking about. Like getting rid of a body before its smell got too strong to hide. Digging a hole big enough in the garden at night, all the time praying the pills she put in the soup were enough to make Lea sleep and not enough to kill her. And trying to retain some pretense of sanity through it all.

 

Then, just when she thought the worst was over, at least for the time being, having to dig up again when she realized where the damn phone was.

 

*

The worst, smell aside and she had a scarf over her nose, was going through her mother’s pockets one by one, feeling the flesh underneath and its texture already changing after just a few days. No more rigor mortis there. Whether this was the effect of the garden soil, the fog or something else, she’d rather not ponder.

 

It took another few days before she could establish a closed network between all three phones, raking her brain for what she could remember from electronic classes and Dan’s passion project, the one he bored her to death talking about on their first evenings together. That’s when she had asked if being a geek was a congenital male trait. “You should be grateful for geeks,” he said. “When you spend nights tracking down a bug, finding a G-spot is like a walk in the park.” That made them laugh, and more than laugh. “Feeling geeky tonight?” became their secret code, an invitation neither could resist.

If he could see her now, she thinks, he would be so proud. Though he would probably point out all the things she could have done better and faster. Just for that, she was almost grateful he wasn’t around.

The last thing he said was shit.

Contrary to what she has let Lea assume, they were not fighting but commenting on the fog that was seeping everywhere, messing up electronics and fucking up with the TV and phone reception.

Then Dan did say shit. As in “Oh Shit! Oh shit, no! Shit –“ and then the scream that seemed to last an eternity but might have been only a couple of seconds before he was cut off.

She stopped trying to call back after the first attempts. Knew from what she could hear on the radio that there was no point. Then the radio went dead too.

 

*

You need to take care of your sister.” She remembers her mother’s words, and how typical that her sister’s needs should become her own. “Lea just hasn’t got your strength.” A compliment doubling up as burden: another responsibility to shoulder, another reason to be grateful for said strength.

 

Not that Natalie minded. From the moment Lea was born, Natalie had doted on her. “This is not a doll we bought you for Christmas,” their mother would say. To five-year old Natalie, Lea was better than a doll and much prettier: all blond hair and green eyes like their mother, while Natalie took after their estranged father as Mom liked to remind her.

She never resented the extra care and attention her little sister required. That Natalie could fend off for herself she also took as a compliment – if one she wasn’t sure she deserved or even want. But she had learned to be grateful for anything that came her way whether or not she had wished for it.

 

*

Natalie takes her mother’s phone and reads Lea’s latest message: “Mom, when are you coming home?”

She starts typing. “Soon.” Pauses, wonders what to add next. Invent a new delay? Searching for inspiration, she browses through old messages. There’s another one from Lea that she missed. Thinking guiltily of her sister awaiting an answer, Natalie opens it. And feels worse than guilt.

Mommy, please come home. I think Natalie is trying to kill me.”

 

*

You need to take care of your sister.

The irony is that, after all she did to protect her from the truth, Lea would not believe it if she told her. Lea doesn’t trust her anymore, provided she ever did. And with that dawning realization, Natalie feels more than guilty or helpless but useless as well.

What would be worse? Telling her their mother is buried in the garden because there was no way to do otherwise, and no time either, not when they were cut off from the rest of the world, which might as well be dead for all she knew, oh and by the way you were right about that too, Lea. Even though you’re half zoned out of your mind all the time with all the medicine I’ve been slipping you – not to kill you, mind you, but to shield you from the truth. Because this is what Mom would have wanted. She said you couldn’t bear the truth.

But did she say that, really? Or is Natalie the one who can’t face the truth? Can’t face anything, not even her own cowardice. It doesn’t take courage to do the things she does. It just takes a steadfast denial of reality under the guise of responsibility. Exchanging one burden for another.

 

What does facing the truth even mean, she wonders. Is the truth some kind of wild animal you can tame with a look, like you’re Queen of the Fucking Jungle? Or do you let it eat you alive like a good Christian martyr? Options are scarce when the only crash course you can get on bravery is from a screen.

 

*

The truth is nothing you’re prepared for. The truth is that connections are just as fragile as bodies and disconnections even messier. The truth is that nobody remains a body for long when exposed to more than they bargained for. The truth is that a fog is not always a fog even when it hides what you need to run from, run faster than you’ve ever ran as if running could put more than distance but light years between perception and reality, running back in space and time, until the truth stops being the truth.

 

The truth is that a house is not a home without a few skeletons in its closets.

She knows what needs to be done, she tells herself. It’s either that or die trying. At this stage, both options hold their own appeal.

 

*

In the fog, the most familiar route looks foreign. A good thing she’s made the trip to the village so often she could do it with her eyes closed – and the temptation is strong to do so, especially when passing by unfamiliar shapes and mounds on the wayside. She knows what they are, would know it by her nose too if it wasn’t protected by her two scarves – one being insufficient to block out the fog and the smell.

 

*

She has her backpack for scavenging groceries, a mission she usually dreads. Inside the silent store, she has to put her mind on pause as she reaches blindly for the nearest shelves, stepping over mounds of bodies and cans, each burst open in their own way, their smells mingling. She shove cans haphazardly in the bag until it’s full. Hoping it’s the last time she has to do this.

 

*

Maybe this is just her passing on the bucket, but she has to bring someone in – someone with the proper authority, like Dr. Carter. He will find the right words, and Lea will believe him.

But no one answers the doctor’s door. The bell doesn’t work and neither does her pounding. She should have known, just as she knows it’s no use insisting.

She contemplates her next move. The scarves won’t protect her for much longer and the temptation is to keep walking into the fog until she can’t walk anymore. She almost considers trying other houses, knowing how futile that is, when her phone buzzes. Lea must be awake.

But it’s not Lea. The caller is “Unknown“.

 

“Hello?” Her voice is muffled through the scarves but she prays it won’t be mistaken for voicemail. “Who’s there? Hello?” She’s frantic with hope, sudden renewed hope pouring like rain on dry land, until she realizes there’s no one on the line.

But there’s still reason to hope. The three bars flashing flashing green on her telephone screen. The first signal she’s had in weeks. Where there is a connection, there is life.

She tries going online. Most of her links are dead except one, a news site that hasn’t been updated in weeks. Still, almost as beautiful as an olive branch delivered by dove.

 

*

Checking her phone as she walks back, eyes on the green bars that have become like a lighthouse in the night. She doesn’t know if it was moving away from the house that got her service, or if in tinkering with the network, she somehow managed to unlock what needed to be. If so, those late night sessions with Dan did pay off. Or maybe she’s a fucking geek genius herself and never knew it. All she knows is that she needs to keep that connection until she gets home.

She arrives to find the whole house in lights, piercing through the fog as if greeting her in victory. Which must mean the power is back on, another cause for rejoicing.

 

*

“Lea?” she calls from the hall, but Lea might still be asleep, unaware of all the lights shining again on them. Natalie drops her bag and starts upstairs, creaking stairs under her giddy step as she tries not to run after all these weeks of waiting, waiting without hope. This is what hell must be like: one big waiting room with no door ever opening.

Or maybe hell is a door opening on what should remain closed.

 

*

Lea lies in bed, eyes open but unseeing, phone still in her hand. Fingers clutched in a death grip on her last connection to life. The pill bottle at the foot of the bed, empty. Natalie wonders how she could have found the strength to get up and retrieve it. Then she remembers Lea’s last message: “I think Natalie’s trying to kill me.” She wouldn’t have drunk her tea, or finished her soup. Probably poured them down the toilet as soon as Natalie left the room. Lea would have been strong enough to get up in her absence and see what the world had become. Or maybe just the garden.

 

Green light flashing through Lea’s fingers: the bars triumphantly indicating connection. Maybe her phone benefited from the same service as Natalie’s, linked as they were by her homemade network. Lea would have clicked hungrily on the first link available. Even weeks-old news would have been news enough for her.

 

*

Lea’s fingers twitch now but it’s the phone again, vibrating. Natalie pries the device from her sister’s cold hand. The bell of a message received, a sound she hasn’t heard in ages. She thinks she hears other sounds too, as if the world was stirring out of its hiding place. Echoes of another time: the front door opening, or did she even close it. The creaking of stairs being climbed. Maybe it’s all in her mind, memories by association. She’s not sure and doesn’t care even if she should. Her eyes are still on Lea’s last message: “Mommy, please come home. I think Natalie’s trying to kill me.”

 

And the answer, just now received: “Have no fear, love. I’m coming to get you.”

The World Is a Ghetto – War | The Midnight Special

What’s all the fuss about? Is nuclear war really that dangerous?

Drago Bosnic, independent geopolitical and military analyst

We’re in the Second Cold War. Those thinking otherwise have probably been living under a rock. Unfortunately, that rock won’t save anyone and we know it by the change in rhetoric. Namely, in previous decades, nuclear war was a mere hypothesis in the minds of most people, an extremely unlikely prospect that we could casually discuss, theorize on, contemplate as to how it would play out, etc. It truly is meticulous work, involving an enormous amount of moving parts and it could even be argued it’s fun, as evidenced by numerous mass media that use it as their main trope. Whether it’s a post-apocalyptic scenario, a modern war that got out of control or something along those lines, it’s quite prominent in movies, TV shows, video games, etc. Now, imagine fan favorites such as the Mad Max franchise, Fallout or Metro series, certain Call of Duty titles, etc. suddenly becoming a reality. It’s certainly a scary thought.

Well, thanks to the warmongering oligarchies in Washington DC and Brussels, this is exactly the scenario we’re facing. And if you think it’s too far-fetched or even impossible, think again. Leaders and top-ranking officials of the most powerful NATO countries openly support long-range strikes on Russia using Western-sourced missiles, operated by American, British and other NATO personnel. This comes despite President Vladimir Putin’s crystal clear warning that Russia would consider the world’s most vile racketeering cartel a party to the conflict and that it would respond accordingly. Worse yet, even after Moscow used a conventionally armed ICBM/IRBM in response to these NATO attacks, the political West only keeps escalating. The purpose of this text is to understand what’s at stake and that if the warmongers, war criminals, plutocrats and kleptocrats have their way, the world will pay the ultimate price.

Let’s imagine that Russia decides it’s sick and tired of over three decades of NATO’s lies, deceit, crawling invasion and now nearly three years of direct attacks and total war. The Neo-Nazi junta keeps launching these Western-sourced missiles and the Kremlin knows who’s behind it. Do you think Russia would use thermonuclear weapons in Ukraine, a land that has belonged to it for over 1,200 years, against the people it considers ethnic Russians (even though they reject this notion)? Even if we ignore these basic facts, the answer is no, as it would be suicidal to fire a nuclear weapon at an area so close to home. The fallout could easily reach any Russian and/or Belorussian territory. Thus, it can be expected to see Moscow use more “Oreshniks” and similar missiles. However, Russia’s updated strategic doctrine also allows the use of such weapons against targets beyond NATO-occupied Ukraine.

Namely, Moscow knows exactly which NATO command centers are used to coordinate attacks on Russia’s undisputed territory and may decide to neutralize them. Missiles such as the “Oreshnik” give it unprecedented non-nuclear strategic strike capabilities, meaning that Russia’s first retaliatory attack should not trigger NATO’s nuclear response. However, the world’s most vile racketeering cartel doesn’t have comparable weapons and could only use nuclear-tipped missiles or bombs. In response to this, the Kremlin deploys its unrivaled strategic arsenal in full force. How long do you think this would last? I’ve recently argued it would be largely over in 15 minutes. Now I’ll explain in detail how. First, the early warning systems (composed of a plethora of land, sea, air and space-based assets) would sound an alarm and the Russian strategic nuclear-armed triad would react immediately.

Composed of Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN), Aerospace Forces (VKS) and Navy (VMF), the Russian triad could deploy at least 5,500 thermonuclear warheads, each of which is orders of magnitude more destructive than the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs, combined. As of October, the RVSN has 772 warheads on over 200 RS-24 “Yars”, 340 on 46 R-36M2 “Voevoda” and 78 single-warhead RT-2PM2 “Topol-M” ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles). The number of strategic HGVs (hypersonic glide vehicles), specifically the “Avangard” is unknown, but is usually thought to be in the dozens. The VKS operates 580 nuclear-tipped cruise missiles (the Kh-102 and several advanced iterations of the Kh-55), deployed on 55 Tu-95MS and 17 Tu-160 strategic bombers, better known as missile carriers in Russian military nomenclature. And last, but certainly not least, the Navy, the most survivable element of any triad.

The VMF operates 15 SSBNs (nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines) carrying 240 SLBMs (submarine-launched ballistic missiles) armed with at least 896 warheads. The grand total is 2,657 thermonuclear warheads ready to go at this very moment. Note that this doesn’t include well over 2,000 tactical nuclear weapons deployed on SSGNs (nuclear-powered guided missile submarines), hypersonic weapons such as the 9M723 used by the “Iskander-M”, the 9-S-7760 “Kinzhal” and numerous other missile types. Altogether, Russia has well over 4,500 warheads ready for both strategic and battlefield use. However, it also has upwards of 1,500 thermonuclear warheads awaiting dismantlement, but which could be returned to service due to NATO aggression and be installed on land-based ICBMs, IRBMs (intermediate-range ballistic missiles), SLBMs, ALCMs (air-launched cruise missiles), etc.

Once again, this is without even considering newer Russian weapons that we know exist (RS-28 “Sarmat” ICBMs, “Avangard” HGVs, “Oreshnik” hybrid/modular IRBM/ICBM/HGVs, the “Poseidon” nuclear-powered, nuclear-armed underwater drones/torpedoes, etc) and those that we don’t know anything about (except that they exist), including experimental, as President Putin himself spoke of “weapons based on new physical principles” on many occasions. However, just to illustrate the destructive power of the new “Sarmat”, consider that it can carry a range of heavy and light MIRVs (multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles). This includes 10-15 heavy warheads or 20+ light ones. The destructive power of heavy warheads is stated to be 750 kilotons (kt) to 1 megaton (Mt) each. Light warheads have a yield ranging from 150 kt to 450 kt, with one kiloton being equal to 1,000 tons of TNT.

Thus, 150 kt is equivalent to 150,000 tons of TNT exploding at once. To put this destructive power into perspective, we can use the “Little Boy” atomic bomb which the US dropped on Hiroshima on 6 August 1945. Namely, it had a yield of 15 kt and it virtually instantly killed around 100,000 people, with at least another 50,000 dying in the aftermath of the explosion. This would mean that the combined yield carried by a single RS-28 missile is up to 750 times greater than that of the Hiroshima bomb. It should be noted that at least 50 of these are being built, as they are slated to replace the aforementioned R-36M2 “Voevoda”. That’s the equivalent of the destructive power of 37,500 Hiroshima bombs. And that’s just 50 missiles, out of well over 300 land-based ICBMs in the Russian military. However, thanks to US/NATO aggression against the world, Moscow might decide to make 100 of these, doubling that destructive power to 75,000 by 2030.

Unfortunately, some completely delusional lunatics at the Pentagon think they can launch a “decapitation strike” on Russia and “ensure” there’s no retaliation. There’s just one “tiny” problem with this – the Russian Navy. Namely, even if the world’s largest country suddenly vanished, its Navy alone could destroy much, if not most of the world. Even just half of its SSBNs, namely the now legendary eight Borei-class subs, carry 16 R-30 “Bulava” SLBMs (each missile armed with up to ten 150 kt thermonuclear MIRVs). I’ll let you do the math on that one. To top it all, the Kremlin’s nuclear triad can also be used even if the entire Russian leadership is neutralized. The system enabling this is called the “Perimeter” (known as the “Dead Hand” in NATO) and is activated automatically in case of an all-out attack on Russia. Perhaps the most dumbfounding fact is that the US military is perfectly aware of all this, but it’s still pushing for escalation.

Some of the world’s most prominent leaders, intellectuals and experts have been warning about the dangers of nuclear warfare. Perhaps the best example of this is the message conveyed by the late Fidel Castro in an interview with the globally renowned Professor Michel Chossudovsky. Namely, President Castro said that “in a nuclear war the ‘collateral damage’ would be the life of all humanity”. It doesn’t get much simpler than this and yet it’s 100% on point. What’s more, the mainstream propaganda machine is also perfectly aware of this, as evidenced by the BBC’s latest piece on Russia’s nuclear arsenal. Obviously, because it’s the BBC, it cannot do even this without ludicrous lies, as they’re claiming the information came from an “anonymous Russian deserter” who supposedly revealed “war secrets”, even though this information is publicly available (if one is bothered to look for it, that is).

Source: InfoBrics

Apocalypto (2006)______Best Movie Scene [1080p].

This is the one of the biggest news events of the year!

Right off the bat, before even taking office, Trump makes a FAR dumber move than the Biden administration.

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Dumber that the Biden administration. Those are words one wouldn’t expect to hear very often!

The Biden administration put its head in the sand like an ostrich and pretended BRICS and de-dollarization isn’t happening. Not as wise as not using the dollar as a weapon and an exploitative fiat system enriching dollar account holders at the expense of the rest of the world by exporting inflation through reckless printing. But still better than something Trump just did.

Now Trump did something FAR dumber. Trump just indicated to all BRICS nations and everyone in the world, America is actually threatened by BRICS.

Now every country knows America needs everyone to trade using the dollar than they need to trade with America.

Now they know they can collectively bargain to make deals with the United States that puts the US at a severe disadvantage.

Instead what Trump should have done is sell the dollar’s usage — promise not to sanction and freeze assets, unfreeze Russian assets, restore trade relations with all countries including Russia, Iran, Syria, North Korea, Cuba etc., rollback sanctions, allow Fed To be audited, audit Fort Knox be audited, back the dollar with some physical commodity like gold or shale oil and these measures alone with ensure dollar with remain a reserve currency for at least half a century more.

But nope. Got to play the big ego.

This is by FAR the biggest blunder of the Trump administration and Trump is not yet even in office!


Basic human psychology — no one likes to live under threats and fear.

Countries will now question why should they trade in currency of a country that threatens them like this?

They will not only accelerate de-dollarization but they will also they collectively bargain along the way.

Take a look at my post written in summer 2022.

Aging very nicely.

Since then

  • Saudi Arabia and Iran have made peace brokered by China
  • BRICS have expanded to 11 and bow 25+ and more on the way.
  • India and China have calmed their border disputes.

I said the whole global south will be an a place to collectively bargain against the west sometime in the future. The world is slowly but surely consolidating in that direction.


Trump’s tweet was so stupid, I wondered if it’s actually real.

CNN confirms the words are certainly real.

Welcome to the Asian Century.

The Rise of BRICS and the Emerging Multipolar World

A new age of international relations is dawning.

With the West accounting for a declining share of global gross domestic product and the world becoming increasingly multipolar, countries are jostling to establish their positions in the emerging order. This includes both the emerging economies — represented by the recently expanded BRICS grouping — that seek a leading role in writing the rules of the new order and the smaller countries attempting to cultivate relationships that can safeguard their interests.

With the BRICS, what began as an asset class has become a symbol of the yearning for a more broadly representative global order, a hedge against Western-led institutions and a means of navigating growing geopolitical uncertainty. All this has proved highly attractive. Earlier this year, the BRICS expanded from five countries (Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Africa) to nine (adding Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates). And almost three dozen more countries — including NATO member Turkey, close U.S. partners Thailand and Mexico and Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim country — have applied to join.

While the diversity of the grouping’s members (and applicants) highlights the broad appeal of the BRICS+, it also creates challenges. These are countries with very different political systems, economies and national goals. Some are even at odds with each other: China and India have been locked in a military standoff in the Himalayas for over four years, following China’s stealth encroachments on Indian territory.

Translating shared interests into a common plan of action and becoming a unified force on the global stage was difficult even when the BRICS had just five members. With nine — and possibly more — member countries, establishing a common identity and agenda will require sustained effort. But other multilateral groupings that are not formal, charter-based institutions with permanent secretariats — such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Group of 20 and even the Group of Seven — also struggle with internal divisions.

Moreover, the BRICS have demonstrated considerable resilience. Western analysts have been predicting from the start that the grouping would unravel or drift into irrelevance. Yet this month’s BRICS+ summit in Kazan, Russia — the first since the expansion — may well bring movement toward further enlargement, as it underscores the West’s failure to isolate Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

This is not to underestimate the challenge of cohesion. The grouping’s founding members do not even agree about its fundamental objectives: Whereas China and Russia want to spearhead a direct challenge to the United States-led world order, Brazil and India seek reforms of existing international institutions and appear uneasy about any anti-Western orientation.

In this disagreement, however, the enlargement might tip the scales. Six of the group’s nine members, including all four of the new additions, are formally part of the nonaligned movement, and two (Brazil and China) are observers. This suggests that there will be considerable internal pressure for the BRICS+ to chart a middle ground, focusing on democratizing the global order, rather than challenging the West.

That said, when it comes to fostering mutual trust with developing countries, the West has not been doing itself any favors lately. On the contrary, its weaponization of finance and seizure of the interest earned on frozen Russian central-bank assets have caused deepening disquiet in the non-Western world. As a result, a growing number of countries seem interested in exploring alternative arrangements, including new cross-border payment mechanisms, with some also reassessing their reliance on the U.S. dollar in international transactions and reserve holdings.

All of this could aid the larger designs of Russia and China, two natural competitors that have become close strategic partners partly in response to U.S. policy. China, in particular, stands to gain, such as from increased international use of the renminbi. Russia now generates much of its international export earnings in renminbi and stores them mostly in Chinese banks, thereby effectively giving China a share of the returns. China’s ultimate goal — which Western financial warfare is inadvertently aiding — is to establish an alternative renminbi-based financial system.

The BRICS are already engaged in institution-building, having established the New Development Bank — conceived by India and headquartered in Shanghai — in 2015. The NDB is not only the world’s first multilateral development bank created and led by emerging economies; it is also the only one whose founding members remain equal shareholders with equal voice, even as more countries join. By contrast, the U.S. is the dominant shareholder and holds veto power in the World Bank.

The expanded BRICS+ boast formidable global clout. The grouping dwarfs the G7, both demographically (with nearly 46% of the world’s population, compared to the G7’s 8.8%) and economically (accounting for 35% of global GDP, compared to the G7’s 30%). Its economies are also likely to be the most important source of future global growth. Furthermore, with Iran and the UAE having joined their oil-producing counterparts Brazil and Russia as members, the BRICS+ now account for about 40% of crude-oil production and exports.

Yes, the group faces significant challenges, not least uniting to become a meaningful global force with defined (and realistic) political and economic objectives. But they also have the potential to serve as a catalyst for a long-overdue revamping of global governance so that it better reflects 21st-century realities.

Brahma Chellaney – professor emeritus of strategic studies at the New Delhi-based Center for Policy Research and fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin.

Japan Times

Baloney:

One wonders how much AP was paid to publish this empty hype of another U.S. military industrial boondoggle that is clearly not working as advertised.

The Navy is replacing the non-functioning cannons of its three $7.5 billion(!)  piece Zumwalt Class ships with launchers for missiles that do not exist.

Key quote:

> A U.S. hypersonic weapon was successfully tested over the summer and development of the missiles is continuing. The Navy wants to begin testing the system aboard the Zumwalt in 2027 or 2028, according to the Navy.

If a U.S. hypersonic missiles had really been ‘successfully tested’ during the summer 2024 why would it take three or four more years to even start ‘testing’ it from a naval platform?

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) – MOVIE REACTION – First Time Watching

Some more pictures out of my archives

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Sometime you wonder how just much separation there is between some humans and animals.

In the summer 1986 I was a Policeman stationed in the western Sydney suburb of Blacktown.

Sometime after 10pm on Sunday February 2nd we responded to a radio call directing us to a location where a woman had been heard screaming being dragged into light coloured vehicle. Plenty of Police attended however due to the scant details and vehicle description this vehicle and its occupants were not located.

On the following Tuesday I’m again working with another young officer and we returned to the station for lunch. As we walked in the switch board officer advised us that he’d just received a call from a local farmer indicating that he had found the body of a naked woman in his cow paddock.

We advised detectives and went out to this secluded area which was a local ‘lover’s lane’.

We met the farmer and he took us to a stand of trees in the middle of this paddock. What I saw there was a woman’s body lying face down. Her head was barely connected to her body by the spinal cord. There were various significant cuts and lacerations to her hands and body. And from her neck to her ankles were covered in cigarette burns. It was awful. I have never forgotten that sight and I doubt I ever will.

Detectives attended and soon after one of the Australia’s largest murder investigations was launched.

It transpired that on that fateful Sunday night a bright and beautiful young nurse caught the train from the City to Blacktown. Because a payphone was vandalised she was unable to contact her father for a lift home so she began to walk.

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Anita Cobby.

She was abducted by five worthless mongrels and what then transpired was horrific.

They drove to a nearby petrol station and while three of these low lives sat on her across the back seat they used money from her purse for fuel and cigarettes. She continued fighting with them causing the serious defensive wounds to her hand and fingers. They then drove her to this remote ‘lover’s lane’ where she unsuccessfully tried to escape a number of times. She had been raped repeatedly and you can only imagine the terror she felt on that longest of nights. She eventually fled from them into that paddock but was tracked down at the tree stand where she was further abused and ultimately had her throat cut.

This was without a doubt the most horrendous sight I endured throughout my entire career.

The beautiful young nurse’s name was Anita Cobby and the full story is here.

The five animals that tortured, raped and killed her were John Travers, Michael Murdoch and Murphy brothers Michael, Gary and Leslie. They’re all in gaol marked never to be released.

I hope they eventually rot in hell.

I was at the library in town, and I live in the south so it’s *mind numbingly hot* here. I was about maybe 12? Anyway, I was wearing some shorts and a tank top, as again it’s boiling hot, and I had filled out by now (thanks puberty at 9), and this dude comes in and touches my back and all of my nerves are on high alert. He leans in and whispers “I’m gonna see you later” and fear gripped my heart. I managed to whisper “No. You won’t.” And he just sounds sinister and tells me “Yes I will. I’ll be waiting right outside the door.” And then he left. I stayed at the library until they closed a few hours later. I’m assuming he got bored of waiting (thank the lord) and left, so thankfully nothing nefarious happened. It was absolutely inappropriate and terrifying. I’m glad I got out of there safe. Even so though, I didn’t visit the library for months after that, scared he would come back.

3:15 PM EST SUNDAY — We CHOSE to Run on Solar Battery Power Tonight . . .

UPDATED 3:15 PM EST SUNDAY -- We CHOSE to Run on Solar Battery Power Tonight . . .

As regular readers know, we installed a solar power system up here at the house in Pennsylvania.  The learning curve has been sharp.

We have 11,000 watts (22 individual panels at 530 watts each) of solar panels at 48 volt output each.  They go into two (2) mppt charger/controllers which then go into a 30 kilowatt hour EG4 battery bank @48 volts.

From the battery bank, two 4-ought copper wires go to each of two 6800 watt inverters.  The Inverters synch with each other, so the sine wave is pure 60Hz, just like normal grid power.

The 6800 watt inverters can EACH handle a needed “surge” of 8500 watts for 30 min or up to 12,000 watts (each) for one minute.

No aspect of this house, at any point, can ever come near that kind of power surge demand.

As I type this story at 8:46 PM eastern time, we have the gas furnace running, the front porch light and rear deck light on, my desk lamp, a light in the dining room on, the under-cabinet LED’s in the kitchen on, the big screen TV and home theater system in the living room, all operating, and the total energy demand of the house is only 1.7 kwh.

In every regard at this moment, life goes on here as if nothing at all is different from normal.

At that rate of power consumption, we have 15 hours of full power available from the battery bank.   When we go to sleep and turn off the TV, lights, etc., the draw will go lower.

Twelve hours from now, the sun will be up and the solar array will begin generating power.

Unpleasant Surprises

Once the system became operational the first big unpleasant learning curve item was the voltage coming from the solar array.

The 22 panels are divided into two electrically-separate arrays of 11 panels each.  Each single array is wired in SERIES, so each of the eleven panels at 48 volts each is added to the voltage total going into the mppt charger controllers.  48 volts times 11 panels would mean a maximum voltage output of 528 volts.   Except we weren’t getting that much; at least not consistently.   We were actually averaging about 193-208 volts per eleven panels.

Well, that just wasn’t enough “punch”  to charge the battery bank in any speedy way.   It could put maybe 2-3kwh into the battery bank at peak, maybe charging it by ten to fifteen percent over an entire day.   WAY INSUFFICIENT.

We found out that solar panels have a nasty aspect to the way they handle voltage.  The entire array self-limits to the output of the lowest performing panel!

So if ten of the panels are in full, bright, sunshine, but one panel is in the shade, the voltage from the ten in the sunshine would only be equal to that of the panel in the shade.

In order to get around this, we had to go buy 22 “Optimizers;” one for each solar panel.  Those optimizers were $50 each (x22).  They attach to the rear of each solar panel and accept into them the positive (output) from that single panel.

The Optimizer then connects __its__ positive output to the next optimizer on the next panel and so on.   By using these optimizers, we work-around the voltage limiting of the poorest-performing panel.

We finished installing them around 2:30 this afternoon, and the sun, at least up here in northeast Pennsylvania, was already west of the southeast-facing panels.  At this time of day in the past, we were luck to get 0.5kwh  to 0.8kwh from the panels, but TODAY, it was up around 2.0 kwh.    The voltage was also very much improved, over 500 volts.

So tomorrow, which is expected to be a clear day here, we will get our first real look at what the solar array can actually do, now that the learning curve is over and the optimizers are all in.

As such, we decided to run-down the 30kwh battery bank tonight, deliberately, by shutting off the power pass-through from the local electric company.  No grid power at all is coming into this house, and it will remain that way until tomorrow morning.

On any regular day, this house routinely uses 50kwh.   That’s a LOT of energy, but we’re spoiled by having grid power.   Realizing that the ENTIRE battery bank can only provide 30kwh, (and you can’t run it down to zero) our lives will be hugely different if the only power we have to rely upon is solar.   It will be bare essentials only: Refrigerator, freezers maybe a light on.   But if the solar can recharge itself enough each day, then we’d have more access to the nicer things we are spoiled with.

So tonight is the test to see “what’s what” with this new system.  How much does it power, for how long, in real life circumstances, in the cold of winter when the temp outside is 30°, and dropping to 20° overnight.

I thought about buying a second 30 kwh battery bank but what good would that be if the solar array can’t fully charge even one in a single day?  Besides, that battery bank is way expensive (~$8600.) and I don’t have that kind of money laying around to just go buy it.  I refuse to go into debt for it, so right now, I have what I have and that’s it.

Yes, I have a gasoline generator and spare fuel for it.   But that fuel is precious and the generator guzzles about one gallon per hour.  So when the gasoline runs out  — and if we’re in a SHTF situation where there is no gasoline to even be purchased — We have to know NOW what we can and cannot do with solar power.  Hence, tonight’s big “test.”

I’ll let you know how it goes.

UPDATE 7:30 AM SUNDAY MORNING

I got up at 7:22.  It was 16° outside.  The battery bank is down to 46% because my wife needs an oxygen concentrator on all the time and it ran all night at 300 watts.   The math is simple: 300w for twelve hours equals 4.2KW

The sun is almost up, but as of 7:30 AM, the solar panels had not yet begun to send any meaningful power to the mppt charger/controllers.

By 8:20 AM, the batteries were down to 42% but solar panels had begun sending energy into the system.  0.8kw at 192 volts.   We __are__ getting sporadic Over-voltage alerts from the Schneider mppt charger controllers, but each time, that clears within seconds.

So now that the sun is visibly over the mountain to my east, we should start getting good solar generation into the system, which should charge the battery rack.  We’ll see.

You know, I did the math last night as I was laying in bed, about my wife’s Oxygen concentrator. 300 watts an hour to run times twenty four hours is 7.2kw.   About one-quarter of my battery bank capacity.

This is a problem.  How do I tell my wife she can’t use the oxygen machine if we’re in a SHTF situation???    I just can’t do that.

Really hoping the solar array does its thing today.

———– MORE:

We are getting over-voltage alerts from the Schneider mppt charger/controllers.   They are rated at 600 volts.  The system is not supposed to be sending more than 528 volts but the mppt charger/controllers are alerting to over-voltage.

In fact, they just went into SHUT DOWN for self-protection.

We checked the software and they are set to alert of the voltage exceeds 585 volts for ten seconds or more.

The reporting from the mppt controllers is showing voltage around 200 volts (still), so this over-voltage does not make any sense.  

We were told that in very cold weather, the panels __may__ give off higher voltage than typical.   So my son is out there right now removing one panel from each of the two arrays.  That will drop the overall voltage by at least 48 volts and we’ll see if that solves the over-voltage situation.

UPDATE 9:41 AM EDT —

The equipment I am using is:

SCHNEIDER XW-PRO 6848 INVERTERS (2)

 

SCHNEIDER MPPT-100-600 CONTROLLERS (2)

 

EG-4  30.72 kwh Battery Rack:

 

We went back into the Owners manual for the MPPT Charger Controllers and saw another big surprise: They can handle 600 volts, BUT . . . .  they won’t charge from 550 to 600 volts!   Look:

mppt voltage chart surprise
mppt voltage chart surprise

The voltage needs to be LESS THAN 550 volts in order for them to charge!  So this is yet another unwelcome surprise.

As mentioned earlier, my son went out and took one panel off each array – bypassed it in the wiring – to bring down the voltage.  We _are__ getting some charging now, but the max output we’ve seen this morning from the solar panels is only 4kw. Look:

4kw max output 12 01 2024
4kw max output 12 01 2024

This from a solar array that is __supposed to__ max out at 11kw (10kw now that two panels are removed).

We will monitor the system on and off throughout today to get a better idea of the actual performance, but I’ve got to tell ya, I think we got snookered as to the real performance of these solar panels.  Maybe I’m wrong, but I have this feeling the panels are __not__ what they claim to be.

 

UPDATE 1:10  PM EST —

So we’re eating “Brunch” which was really breakfast: Scrambled eggs, Jones Sausage, toasted white bread, and orange juice, when we hear a shotgun blast outside; really close to our property.   It’s hunting season and it is not unusual at all to hear distant shotgun or perhaps rifle fire.  But this was close.   Then, we hear a second shotgun blast.

Since nothing hit the house, we’re OK; nothing to do about it because we know it’s hunters.

I go out on my rear deck to smoke and as I look across the road, I see three guys in hunter orange clothing on the hill just up from my property.   I called out “Hey guys, what’d you get?”   They replied “A big Doe.”

The Deer is at the end of the red arrow.

Hunters Bag Doe Across From House
Hunters Bag Doe Across From House

 

Then one of the guys told me, “My 7 year old got him” and sure enough, one of the guys in Hunter Orange was this little kid, with a squeaky voice, all excited that he got a deer.”

It was great.   A father teaching his son what it takes to actually survive in this world.

They took a few minutes to gut-it right there on the hill, then apparently they called a friend who came down my road with a pick-up truck where they loaded it in the back and off they went.

Ahhhhh country life.

Back to the solar situation . . . . As of 1:04 PM EST, at peak sunshine for today, we only got a maximum of 5kw output from the solar panels.   That is a huge disappointment from an array rated at 10kw.

The battery Bank is only up to 52% charge, up from the 40% it was at as the sun began to generate electric in my solar panels.  Twelve percent charge, so far, is woefully inadequate to the survival of me and my family.

WOEFULLY inadequate.

So my son and I will wait until the time of day when the solar panels are providing nothing to the charge, and we decided we will intentionally power-up the GENERATOR to see how long it will take to fully charge the battery bank while still supplying the house.

By the end of today, we will know we used X amount of power on a typical day, we got X amount of charge from the panels on a reasonably sunny day – albeit with intermittent cloud cover, and the generator had to run for X hours (on X amount of gasoline) to fully charge it the rest of the way.

Then we know how much time we have to survive – given the gasoline reserve we have, if everything goes to hell and even if gasoline is not available.  Right now: We would survive not too long at all.  

It’s a very sobering realization to have this fact-based assessment of my family’s ability to survive.  Very sobering indeed.  Frightening, actually.

UPDATE 3:15 PM —

At about 2:00, we noticed there was more power coming OUT of the battery bank than going in from the solar array, so I said to my son, let’s go hook the generator up to charge the batteries now while we still have sunlight.  This way, we get to see how long it will take to charge them with the generator.  He agreed.

We go hook up the Westinghouse 12,000/15,000 generator that I have used in the past to power the house when the grid was down.   We go to start it.  It cranks . . . . slowly, then stops.  Try again. Click. Click.  No cranking.

We both said “Dead battery.”   SO he gets the NICCO “Genius Charger out of the house and hooks it up.  Almost immediately, it shows FULLY CHARGED.

Uh Oh.   If the battery is fully charged, then maybe the starter motor is bad????

We bypass the starter relay to test it without the relay, same thing, click, click.

SO we go get jumper cables from my truck, and bring out a new 12 volt car battery.  As we go to hook it up, I notice that the fuel line valve is ON.    I never shut of off the last time I used the genrator.  so for months, the gasoline has been dripping into the carburetor and evaporating.   UH OH, the carburetor could be full of varnish.

We hook the car battery up and the generator cranks just fine.  Doesn’t start.   I press start again, and it turns over and begins running just fine.  A bunch of blue smoke came out at start-up, likely all the evaporated gasoline gack in the carburetor.

We tell the inverters to begin using the generator to charge the batteries, and they start trying to pull like 60 amps from it.  WAM. Tripped the breaker.

So we had to go into the solar software to tell the inverters to only charge at 50% of the max charge rate.   RE-initiated the charging and everything seems fine.

At 2:06 PM we began charging the battery bank which was at about 50%.  By 3:12 this afternoon, an hour and six minutes. the battery bank is now at 76%.   So 26% charge in about an hour.  That’s good.  Another hour and we’ll be up around 95% and ready for another 24 hour period of running just on solar.  We won’t do that; we’ll go back onto the grid.

Today we learned that the charging circuit had to be backed down, and also learned we need a new battery on the generator.

It’s a process.   Better we learn now, than when the SHTF.

SOME DIRECT ANSWERS  4:05 PM EST —

I keep reading in the comments area that I should have a wood-burning stove.  I HAVE ONE!   It’s been here for years.   I have maybe one cord or a cord-and-a-half of firewood outside.  I’ve been wondering if maybe I should get more?

The stove is in the living room.  When it’s on, the living room cooks up to 80+ degreees, but the REST of the house does not share that warmth.  the rest of the house gets downright chilly because the thermostat is in the living room.

I routinely use ceiling fans in the living room to dissipate the heat into the rest of the house, but if electric is not available, the rest of the house will go cold without the fans moving the heat.

I also keep reading about my water heater.  I have a TANKLESS water heater.  It turns on when a faucet is turned on.  It uses propane to heat the water in the water pipe, so there is no storage tank to constantly keep heated.

I have a gas fired stove and oven, also uses propane.

I have four 150 gallon propane tanks, which the local gas company fills to 100 gallons each, so as to allow for safe expansion.  That means I have 400 gallons of propane, probably 350 now since last top-off.  This propane fires the stove, the oven, the hot water heater,  the furnace and the clothes dryer.

I have an outdoor propane barbecue grill with three spare tanks of propane.

I have a refrigerator, a small freezer in the laundry room, and two large freezers in other areas of the property.

So the electric I have or am able to generate, would need to supply the refrigerator and three freezers at minimum, and my wife’s oxygen concentrator, which is on 24/7 and uses 300 watts. and maybe the well pump once in awhile if the house calls for more water.   That’s NOT a big demand on electric as far as my thinking goes.  Maybe my thinking is wrong.

I unplugged the two satellite uplinks last night just to get a reading and was surprised they pull about 60 watts each.  If I shut down the radio show computer rack and the outbound internet connections and router, that will drop some more watts.

It’s just really surprising to see just how much electric we use AND TAKE FOR GRANTED, that we flatly will not be able to use in a SHTF scenario.

This whole practice run has been a gigantic eye-opener!

Trump Will Renegotiate the World – Eric Weinstein

Canada, UK, and France are not superpowers. There are only three superpowers: USA, Russia, and China.

USA is the least honourable, least reliable, least friendly of the three.

China is the most honourable, most reliable, and most friendly.

  • It has fought no wars since 1979. No other world power in human history has been so peaceful for so long.
  • It helps other countries build their infrastructure through the Belt and Road Initiative. Over 150 countries participate in the BRI.
  • It leads several major economic alliances, including BRICS and SCO. Over 30 countries wish to join.
  • When the West hoarded its vaccines during the pandemic, China stepped forward to help poor countries vaccinate.

I dont think individual companies can do much other than adding the tariff to the sale price of their exports to USA.

In Trump 1.0, Chinese companies absorbed 10% of tariff (average) & added 90% to the sale price. At the end, it was American consumers who paid 90% of the tariff. That was 1 reason why USA suffered inflation.

Or companies can find another buyer & stop selling to USA.

To more effectively counter Trump’s crazily high tariff, it has to be done at the national level by Central gov. Because the Central can strategically target what hurts USA the most. So as to force USA to negotiate. So that China can bargain.

Some companies still will get hurt by Trump’s tariff. But collectively China will get a bargain.

So far, China has done 1 thing to counter Trump 2.0 tariff:

Starting 2024/12/1, China will reduce/cancel tax refund on certain exports from 13% to 9% eg aluminum & steel. This cut accounts to 6.8% of China’s total tax refund.

The purpose of tax refund is to encourage manufacturers to export. With reduced/cancelled tax refund, manufacturers will add the lost revenue to the export price ie US buyers will pay more … Reduce/cancel tax refund = China gov saves money. But = tariff to US. haha. Just a different name.

Trump promotes made-in-USA by banning import of Chinese green energy products eg solar panel, battery, EV etc. But making green energy products requires aluminum & steel.

Refining aluminum requires lots of electricity. China’s green electricity is already well established. But not the West yet as of 2024. Trump 1.0 continued to buy Chinese aluminum. Trump 2.0 may have to continue to buy Chinese aluminum too, but at a higher price as a result of China’s tax refund. haha.

I think China will do more to counter Trump 2.0 tariff. Just watch.

An united Europe was that country.

Finance and tech from Western Europe, agriculture from Ukraine, natural resources from Russia.

That’s why the US refused Russian bid to join NATO and EU, attacked the Euro currency with wars, destablized the middle east to create a constant flow of refugees, organized an anti-Russian color revolution and coup in Ukraine, installed an American as head of EU, pushed NATO to threaten Russia, and blew up the Nord Stream pipieline when they wanted to negotiate an end to the war.

They say it’s an American strategic mistake to push Russia and China together, but maybe the strategic goal was to deal with Europe first, China later.

It’s classical divide and conquer.

Hypersonic Missiles are missiles that can attain speeds of Mach 5 or above (6000+ kph) without the influence of Gravity

Note the word – WITHOUT THE INFLUENCE OF GRAVITY

This means

Every Ballistic Missile attains Hypersonic Speed, so all Ballistic Missiles are Hypersonic

Why?

Because it is launched by a very powerful rocket into very high altitudes , often into space and then they power back down to earth and are under the influence of gravity


Hypersonic Missiles referred to in the recent context of the Ukrainian War are not Ballistic Missiles

They are cruise missiles which are launched with powerful rockets until a certain altitude is reached (Maybe 30–50 metres) but where you have engines generating sufficient torque to propel the missile to it target

Ideally the Engines that generate thrust forces capable of propelling a missile at Hypersonic speeds are called SCRAMJET or RAMJET Engines

So attaining Hypersonic speed is not difficult

It is MAINTAINING and MANEUVERING at hypersonic speeds that is the key behind making Hypersonic missiles

The Technology behind Hypersonic Missiles is actually called Hypersonic G&T (Glide and Torque) Equilibrium Control

This Technology prevents the Missile from getting shattered to pieces when it changes positions as it travels in its trajectory to hit the final target

Without this, the missile being exposed to such tremendous forces can get crunched if it changes positions mid air and Missiles do this every few seconds for a precise strike

Imagine driving at 240 kmph on a highway and suddenly shifting the steering by 15 degrees. The Car would spin like a coca cola can due to the sheer torque and come crashing to the ground with the driver dead

You need a very rigid control to manage this feat


Nations need only Powerful Rockets to make Ballistic Missiles

However they need to make Ramjet and Scramjet engines & the HGTEC technology to make hypersonic missiles

As on date only three nations have indigenous technology in all the five areas – Fuels, Rockets, Scramjet, Ramjet & HGTEC

Russia, USA, China

North Korea & Iran have access to all five areas but the HGTEC technology is Russian

India has access to Four Areas but only Two Areas are fully Indigenous. India has access to Ramjet & Scramjet technology of the Russians and no access to HGTEC

The staff at the ICU at Swedish Hospital in Seattle turned off my wife’s ventilator to see if she could be weaned off the vent, and then went out to lunch.

A person on a ventilator is generally drugged into unconsciousness and their hands are strapped to the bedrails to keep them from trying to pull the endotracheal tube out, so my wife was only semiconscious while they did this. The idea is to watch her for 30 minutes to see if she is breathing adequately without help from the vent, and if so they take out the E.T. tube and wake her up.

After 30 minutes it was clear that she was struggling to breathe. I asked the nurse to turn the vent back on. But they can’t. Only the respiratory therapist can, and they weren’t answering their page. I asked them to call the supervisor of the respiratory therapists, but they didn’t answer their page either. I asked the nurse to call the hospitalist, a physician, to turn the vent back on. He came, and avered that he could turn on the vent, but didn’t want to, because it was the respiratory therapist’s job.

Nurses and hospitalist all agreed that my wife was in distress. She was sweating and gasping and her blood oxygen saturation was falling. The hospitalist tried to “reassure” me that she was not in imminent danger of dying.

After an hour or more, the respiratory therapist came to turn on the vent. I sat calmly while she did the adjustments, and then asked if I could talk to her in the hall for a moment. Needless to say I tore her a new asshole about not answering her pager. I got a quiet attaboy from the nurses for reaming her out.

My mom and I opened a real estate office in 1994. Within 2 years, we were one of the largest in our area. One of our agents came to us and asked to buy the business. We verbally agreed, but before we could write anything up, she proceeds to tell everyone in the office all the changes she was going to make under her “new regime”. Apparently nobody liked it. Nearly everyone quit within a week. Once everyone was gone, it was just her, another agent and my mom and I. We came in one morning and their desks were cleared out. They had emptied out their desks overnight and left a note that they were quitting and would go out on their own. Leaving us high and dry with an office that went from incredibly successful to one that was tanking quickly. We pulled it out of the fire, but it’s never been the same. All because of one person.

Tell Me Something Good – Rufus | The Midnight Special

The Good Girls Of Estheria

Submitted into Contest #115 in response to: Write a story where a device goes haywire. view prompt

Olisa Okoye

All fifty girls in the sanctuary got out of their beds in a frenzy. The cables plugged into their temples throbbed throughout the night and nobody knew why, but it became the major topic for discussion at the cafeteria.

 

“Me thinks it’s some kind of fault from the tower,” said Glen, a short girl with a dark bob.

 

Her small frame and coy persona made it easier for the girls to dismiss her as usual.

 

“I felt a throbbing in me fore’ead” Esmeralda whispered.

 

Esmeralda’s green eyes twinkled in a slight craze. She demanded an explanation because It was the most interesting thing to take place at the shelter since last autumn. Unlike other days, there was excitement in the air. The boredom of young females was replaced by a thirst for gossip as every unit and every girl was tuned in to the indistinct chatter. At least that was until Ina resumed. Then the talking came to a halt.

 

They all fell silent and turned their heads to stare at Ina, a mop-stick of a girl with turquoise blue eyes and the lightest skin. Her white tunic was almost too big for her thin frame. Demure in her disposition, she walked silently down the hall and lowered her eyes to avert the glares from the other girls. She had a striking and spotless face, save for the scar on her right temple. This is what the girls were glaring at.

 

Ina stopped at the glass entree table and played around with the interactive surface until she found something that captured her fancy.

 

“Such a shame” Esmeralda whispered.

 

 “She could have been selected,” another girl added.

 

The girls at Esmeralda’s table looked on Ina with pity as she took her tray of greens and settled down by herself in the corner. Ina had become an outcast within the last month. She was marked for bad behaviour and for not adhering to the protocol of the shelter. The protocol was their law. It kept the girls safe. It made them smart and perfect. It was there to mold each one of them into the prototype, Esther. A prototype that Professor Heinrich spent years trying to mold.

 

Professor Heinrich created the shelter to make the perfect world. Where wars do not exist. Where people will think and frame clever ideas and contribute to society. Where nobody will be poor and nobody richer than the next. A world that excluded what he regarded as the main cause of pathology in society-

 

 Inequity.

 

The fifty girls of the sanctuary were his first sample. So far all of them showed signs of compliance until Ina painted something extraordinary during her art class. It was a portrait of a boy.

 

Ina being a talented painter could recreate the dimensions of any object in her sight on paper. Usually she would convey something precise. As was required of the girls, her art usually depicted a clear idea and a message that was easy to interpret. But that day, what she painted was out of the ordinary.

 

The portrait had dimensions and highlights to bring life to this bright face. His eyes had a sparkle in them. They conveyed something that nobody had ever seen before in art-

 

Emotion.

 

She had never met a boy in her life. In their world, the male should not exist. This innocent act was seen as a radical deviation from protocol. Ms Louise, a short plump matron, was conducting her usual rounds, inspecting each of the girls’ works when she came across Ina’s painting. She stood still for a second with a face expressing disgust and disdain. She thought it best to consult the Head Matron Teresa, a stone faced woman with an intimidating demeanour.

 

Teresa didn’t speak much. Her eyes said enough. She stood tall, with thinning dark grey hair and carried a cane in her left hand at all times which according to rumours, she did not hesitate to use. Many stories about Teresa had been circulating the shelter. Some said you would turn to stone if she looked at you long enough. Some said she slept with her eyes wide open. Some said it was her cane that could turn you to stone. And so none of the girls would dare get a disciplinary mark from Teresa.

 

Nobody expected Ina would be the first to get in a conflict with Teresa.

 

Teresa seized Ina’s hand In an instant and dragged her to the disciplinary room. A while after, orders were given to seize the painting and destroy it.

 

Where could this concept for the painting have come from? Her instructors thought.

 

It was a mind boggling phenomenon. A steward suggested that It had something to do with the scar on Ina’s forehead. When she brought it to her matron’s attention weeks before, it was dismissed as a mere rash or irritation. It had now been weeks since Ina painted the boy. Her scar was still sore .

 

It didn’t take long before the chatter in the cafeteria resumed again. The girls carried this bubbly energy through to the next phase of the day. In Ina’s unit, it was a session in Logic and Reasoning. Ina could barely remember anything from her previous session except that the girls behaved more rowdy than usual.

 

On a typical day, they would line up in a fashion as perfect as robots in a factory. This time, they were a little humanly messy. She didn’t know why but this made Ina feel a sense of relief. The change in the girls’ behavior soon became evident to the instructors. Through the glass, they watched as the girls in Ina’s unit solved puzzles. What bothered the instructors the most was that they looked as though they were having fun.

 

Little Glen smiled gleefully at Esmeralda who was just putting in the last piece to complete the pattern. Head Matron Teresa, observing from the glass window, noticed something concealed under Glen’s jet-black fringe. A scar similar to Ina’s- an alarming sight .

 

Matrons and stewards gathered at the disciplinary room to observe and examine Glen’s bruised red scar. She mentioned feeling a throbbing from the cables of her head gear.

 

“A couple of girls complained that they’re cables went haywire all through the night,” said Louise.

 

 All the girls had experienced it that morning.

 

Could the fault in the cables in the headgear have something to do with Ina’s strange behaviour? 

 

Desperate to find a solution, Teresa demanded that the headgear was monitored. She thought it highly unlikely that this was the cause. The headgear was only designed to transport them to a virtual reality. A computer generated world known as Estheria. Their only place free from surveillance in this rigidly governed society.

 

In Estheria it was always warm. There was no seasonal change. The girls could run around and wile away time, playing hide and seek in the trees in the parks. They all took delight in the cool spongy sensation of the green grass when they laid their heads on it.

 

 Time didn’t exist. Neither did work.

 

Only the girls had the privilege of experiencing the splendor of Estheria. During the day, Ina couldn’t help but ponder on the delightful things she experienced in Estheria. She recorded these ideas in a diary which she kept hidden in a safe, secluded spot inside the hedges near the park benches. It was perfectly concealed and out of sight… or so she thought.

 

Once every interval break, she would hide herself and discreetly pour out everything she could remember about Estheria down in her diary. The sun shone differently. The sky was a distinct blue and the lake rippled serenely under the tropical breeze. Recently however, she decorated the pages of her diary from end to end with her colorful art. Things recollected from her dreams. Things from the outside world- portraits of nature, savannas, plumerias, hyacinths, human life- women in beaches and swimming pools. A picture of the lake managed to make it into her diary. Like all the other pictures in her diary, it was drawn in haste. The lake was Ina’s favorite place in this virtual paradise. She loved it because it was the only place she could see her reflection. Estheria was the perfect dream until the headgear was switched off every morning at 7:00am.

 

Afterwards, the routine was the same every single day. They would head out of their dorms in a rigid organized fashion, head to the cafeteria for breakfast which was followed by their daily sessions and then march downstairs to the common lobby to form a circle around the screen. A hologram of a statuesque female would then emerge from the screen.

This particular day however, whilst the other girls sat on the floor transfixed on this screen, Ina’s attention was diverted to the room around her. She began scanning her environment. For the first time, Ina became more aware of her surroundings. Things became more clear and obvious – things she once ignored, things she was once oblivious to. Cartoons in monochrome colors displayed on the television set, the light bulbs, the chandelier, the furniture. As her eyes spanned the room, she caught Glen’s eyes. In this moment, they shared a look of understanding that transcended words. A look of one whose soul had been liberated.

 

But Ina noticed something else. Something that gripped her and made the hairs on her skin stand erect. She noticed someone studying the girls through the glass above.

 

 It was Teresa.

 

Only Glen and Ina noticed Teresa and her blank eyes. They were like big dark brown pebbles suspended in the spheres of her dome. Almost soulless. Teresa had a stern look as usual and was holding something in her right hand. As Teresa shifted a slight angle away, Ina caught a glimpse of what she was holding.

 

She was holding Ina’s diary.

 

Glen looked to Ina unsure whether to be afraid or alert. Ina however was sure of one thing- she was paralyzed by terror. Teresa didn’t take her gaze off Ina for even a split second..

 

How long had she been standing there, Ina thought as she sat numb, with a thumping heart and wet palms.

 

Following a loud spark coming from behind the television set, the light bulbs in the room dimmed slowly and in sequence until the lights were completely off. The girls were left in a bleak dull atmosphere where nothing but their shadowed forms could be seen. An orientation session had transitioned into a complete Lights Out. The screen displayed white noise and Esther’s hologram was nowhere in sight. Ina could no longer make out the sight of Teresa. Only a silhouette

 

The girls were dumbfounded – a mixture of angst and tension in the air. Ina braced herself and managed to regain a natural breathing rhythm and feeling in her limbs. She figured if she made her way through the girls around her, she might find Glen. Luckily, Glen found Ina first and clung onto her arm like one holding on for dear life. They were latched onto one another like jam on bread. The bond between them was the strongest it had ever been.

 

“You will be fine,” Ina whispered.

 

Their embrace was interrupted by the violent sound of the door being kicked open, followed by the sound of heavy boots stomping on the wooden tiles. The girls all scrambled to find their footing. A yellow flickering light from a torch pierced the darkness and hovered over the girls’ faces. It wandered around the room until it stopped at Glen and Ina.

 

A sudden forceful tug on Ina’s arm detached her from Glen’s embrace. She managed to cling onto Glen a few seconds longer. A few seconds long enough to whisper to her ,

 

“The Passageways….Behind the television”

 

Everyone could hear the tug of war- the rough kicking and screaming as Ina resisted being dragged across the room. Glen panted heavily as Ina was dragged away. She didn’t quite grasp the meaning of Ina’s words just yet. Passageways? Television ?

 

Light from the opened door revealed Ina being carried away by two uniformed guards. The harsh sound of the door slamming shut reverberated through the room. Whether by sheer force of will, determination, or a rush of adrenaline Glen found a way through the herd of girls, to the television set and managed to dismount it. A shocking show of strength for someone of her stature. Other girls were in a frantic state. Some cried for Esther, others cried for Louise whilst others bit their nails in heart pounding anticipation.

 

Ina’s words kept replaying in Glen’s mind- The Passageways…Behind The Television. Still in a state of shock and utter delirium, Glen pushed the TV to the wall. A vain attempt to mount herself to the window ledge. Not practical, she realized. And it was also too risky. As she slowed down to catch her breath, she sunk into the wall and looked to the window high above. She felt a small indent along the face of the wall. She ran her hands through it and followed it’s trace as it led to a subtle dent somewhere in the middle.

 

All the girls sat and watched in awe as Glen’s act of bravery seemingly led to a wonderful discovery. Glen forced her fingers through the dent and ran them through the inner surface. It was indeed a wonderful discovery. What appeared to be a dent in the wall was actually a door handle.

 

Very carefully and slowly she pulled the ledge towards herself and allowed the entire surface to detach from the wall. The prancing of the girls slowly drew to a calm. They sat and watched with numb mouths as Glen unlatched this door from the wall. She looked back at the others and paused momentarily as if to take a breath. She braced herself.

 

She then turned back to face their one hope out of a messy situation. She made her way through the door and boxed herself inside the confinement of the hollow space. She examined the surrounding area. It was desolate, unkempt, dry, dusty, occupied with nothing but muddy air and the stench of metal. She looked to the right and the tiny space seemed to lead further down into an extremely long path. One more time, she turned to look at the other girls. No one was brave enough yet to follow. She started down the path alone until finally a green eyed fuzzy-haired fellow from behind crouched down and followed. She recognized the green eyes. They belonged to Esmeralda.

 

The two crawled into the confinement through the long stretch of metal and wood. Very quickly, two became three. And then three became four. Within minutes, ten girls followed behind Glen and forged down this risky path that seemed to stretch on for miles.

 

Glen continued to lead the pack, crawling with her eyes set ahead. The ceiling got higher and the smell of dank wood and metal began to dissipate slowly. They forged further until an hour passed and their surroundings became more friendly.

 

Their grueling journey had led them to an incline along the path a significant distance away from the door and the room. The width of the passage walls got wider, giving them liberty to squeeze through. A hungry and fatigued Glen was tempted to take a break until she considered the girls behind and how far they’d come. She mustered up courage to make it a few meters ahead. Esmeralda kept close to her tail. With assistance from those behind, Glen gained leverage to the top of the incline.

 

Immediately, she was met by a greater open space. A brick-walled and concrete floored structure filled with abandoned furnishings. Another room perhaps? Glen and Esmeralda shook the debris off their bodies as they helped themselves to their feet realising they had come to a cellar.

 

Their end of the tunnel.

 

Looking around there were timeworn boxes and mirrors arranged against the wall, old furniture, broken bulbs, and dusty portraits scattered along the floor. The ceiling was at least twenty feet high supported by long rusty wooden trusses nailed to the wall. Long lines of images on plastic film stretched across the room. There were faces on them. But too much contrast to make them out. One of the girls soon realized they were all pictures of females.Youthful girls in particular.

 

Glen was startled by a sharp noise from behind. Esmeralda’s loud gasp. Everyone looked to Esmeralda as she abruptly dropped what she was holding- a rain soaked teddy bear. A series of flashbacks ran through her mind.

 

Esmeralda slowly stepped away from the toy box and let tears rain down her face. Memories of another life began to stem from her adolescent heart. Memories of her childhood. Glen laid an arm on Esmeralda’s back as she came to a mutual understanding. This rain soaked teddy bear was a surviving remnant of her life before the shelter.

 

Other girls ransacked the boxes. There were toys, portraits, pins and needles stuck into balls, woven shawls, pink knitted scarves and sweaters. It slowly became evident to them- they grokked Esmeralda’s tears. Each item belonged to one of the girls. Fragments of a former life.

Glen was still pacifying the broken Esmeralda when she looked up to the mirrors arranged along the wall. She had never seen anything of its kind. In the shelter there were no mirrors. Only images. She became curious, noticing her full body’s reflection in all its dimensions. Wow, She thought. She moved closer. The modest light from the small window situated at great height compensated for the dimness of the room. She couldn’t see her face clearly in the mirror but what she saw was enough for her. Enough for her to remember who she was.

I hitched a ride on a private jet.

I was seventeen, visiting my grandmother in Stuart, Florida, and staying in her condo. Her next-door neighbor was a pilot who played bridge with her.

I met him near the end of my stay, and when I told him I was headed back to New York the next day, he said, “Save your ticket. You can fly back with me.”

In those days, plane tickets were fully refundable, so this was a big savings. Plus, I didn’t have to wait in lines or sit in the crowded coach section of a big commercial plane.

I don’t remember what kind of jet it was, but it was a luxury model, with plenty of comfortable seating and a lounge. The pilot flew for a wealthy private patron whom he referred to as “Mrs. Payson.” He would fly her down to Florida, leave her down there for a week or so, then fly the empty jet back to New York. So for this trip I had the entire cabin to myself.

This isn’t the model I flew in (we’re talking 1974 or thereabouts), but the general layout of the cabin was something like this…

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main qimg 35cf26517a26633c18be0efe2429ff7a lq

A while later, I learned that “Mrs. Payson” was actually Joan Whitney Payson, the founder and owner of the Mets.

Flying cross-country by private jet is definitely the way to go, but expensive if you’re the one footing the bill. It’s much better to hitch a ride like I did!

Thank you for the A2A.

EDIT: I had no idea this answer would get so many upvotes. If I did, I would have given more careful thought to my answer.

Hitching a ride on a private jet is the slickest thing I’ve ever done on an airplane, but it’s not the slickest thing anyone I know has done.

The Godfather horse head scene

The Chairman of the CPC is an unpaid post and has been since 1921

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main qimg df5a8b49966c090afa1d8480325d9928

It’s an honorary position albeit the most powerful position in China

Xi Jinping gets a Salary of around 220,000 Yuan a year for his equivalent Civil Service Rank when he joined the standing Committee (Around $ 30,000)

Additionally he also gets a salary of the President of China for the People’s Congress which is undisclosed but expected to be equivalent to the highest civil service pay rank which is 320,000 Yuan a year

So all in all he makes around $ 75,000 a year in Salary

As Chairman of CPC he also gets

  • Lifetime Free Housing in the Zhongnanhai, Beijing
  • State Allowance of 100% for all living expenses which means Servants, Food etc are fully free and paid by the State
  • Lifetime Security & Transportation

Plus by his own disclosures, he has invested in A Shares & other instruments in the Chinese market

Georgia Baked Ham

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8dd990a370d252ae80e900143745071a

Ingredients

  • 1 (13 to 15 pound) fully cooked bone-in ham
  • 4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons ground cloves
  • 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons ground mustard
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 cup (approximately) apple cider (not hard cider)
  • Brown sugar for topping

Instructions

  1. Trim some of the fat from ham.
  2. Combine flour, brown sugar, spices, mustard and pepper. Add enough cider to make a dough.
  3. Roll out dough into an oval, large enough to cover top and sides of ham. Drape dough over ham and lightly pat it in place so it clings to the surface. Do not encase the ham completely with the dough, just cover the top and sides leaving the bottom open.
  4. Place the ham on a rack in a shallow, open roasting pan. Start ham in a cold oven. Set control to 325 degrees F.
  5. Bake until thermometer reads 160 degrees F, about 3 1/2 to 4 hours, basting with cider every 30 minutes.
  6. After it’s baked, remove dough jacket and discard.
  7. Sprinkle ham with brown sugar and return to oven until top is bubbly and golden.

Frankly, only Americans do not know such a basic fact! Everyone on earth knows such an ABC of tariffs. Everywhere on earth the importer of the product is responsible to pay for the tariffs and the importer of Chinese products are almost always American nationals or American companies. They don’t pay to China they pay to the US customs!

So your government took this money and they can decide what to do with it. You suckers pay for it through higher prices! So it is like a tax or it is like your government stealing your money. In economics it is called inflation.

Importers pay the same price before the tariffs were put in place they don’t pay one cent more or one cent less. So China do not lose anything, it only lose if US importers buys from some where else! If not there is no effect on the Chinese. Since most of the things China does it is very very competitive and nowhere on earth can it be done at the price and the quality. Chances is almost everything still has to come from China!

So in effect the US government is punishing Americans! Not China or Chinese!

China is already a superpower. And a most peaceful one at that. China has fought no wars since 1979.

China has the world’s largest army and the world’s largest navy. China has advanced stealth fighters like the J-20 and J-35. China has advanced hypersonic missiles. China has a large nuclear arsenal.

China is the only other country capable of building supercarriers. The Type 003 will go into service shortly, and the Type 004 is coming.

China’s Type 055 and Type 052D are among the most powerful warships in the world.

China is the world’s technological leader. According to ASPI, China leads in 57 out of 64 critical technology fields. China has more patent grants than the USA and Japan combined.

China is the world’s sole industrial superpower. The USA doesn’t even come close.

China is the world’s largest economy by purchasing power parity.

Doc Holliday | Full Western Movie

 

You experience life, and how you behave changes

Yes, there is a trade war between China and the US. It’s been 5 years.

Trump started it during his first term. Biden intensifies it.

Trump’s tariffs were to balance the trade deficit. Biden’s tariffs are protectionism.

The centre of the trade war is technology. This takes the form of US sanctions.

Trump threatened to cut off supply of semiconductors to China if it did not abandon MIC 2025. His most vociferous was against Huawei. Biden’s sanctions are comprehensive, drawing on all kind of excuses and extraterritoriality.

Bottom-line

China has built its own semiconductor industry. Will be market leader on both the demand and supply side next year in 2025, and likelihood of net exporter come 2027. Huawei is world’s No.1 in 5G communications. Smartphone business is back to growth path on its own 7nm chips and HarmonyOS.

Biden’s sanctions fail to arrest the forward march of China’s tech. Sanctions help it built resilience and self-reliance. It is gaining leadership in the new tech, especially in green tech. Great strengths across the supply-chains through to applications.

Trump said he will raise tariff to 60% or higher. But effect on China’s growth is marginal. China’s exports to the US are less than 2.5% of GDP.

Not sure what Trump will do on the tech side. His sanctions pool may be quite dry.

China has been light on the sanctions game. Bans export of a few rare earth minerals, puts several US companies on its unreliable entity list, and it has wide powers under the Regulations on the Export Control of Dual-Use Items.

Despite the light touch, the bans on the rare earth minerals have made waves in the US defence industry, raises costs, disrupts production schedules, and delays deliveries of many projects.

China has a deep sanctions pool. It could play rough especially as the US become less and less relevant to its economy.

Who wins in the trade war?

Both sides lose.

China finds opportunities in the war, expands its trade with other countries, and builds its resilience and self-reliant.

US has been fired by hubris. It could suffer more, even though it is mostly hidden, save for the outcries by the tech industry. It could be serious when it hits Wall Street, and when inflation hits the people’s pocket.

How long will it last?

A long time.

US started it. This behooves it to take steps to end it. But minds have been poisoned. No politician dares contemplate it, much less suggest it.

China has no incentive to make the first move. Adjustments will make it water under the bridge. International events will give it advantage in the balance of strength.

International events include growth of BRI and BRICS, and dedollarisation.

The American people have no real choice. The US political system is rigged to favor the corporate capitalist elite.

Moreover, the US has two major parties that are hardly distinguishable, except in the area of social issues such as abortion and immigration. It was Julius Nyerere who famously quipped: “The United States is also a one-party state but with typical American extravagance, they have two of them.”

So regardless of who is in power (Democrats or Republicans), the result is the same from the perspective of foreign policy and corporate interests. The American people will continue to be neglected (homelessness, gun violence, poor health care, poor education, crumbling infrastructure, drug addiction, mass incarceration, etc.). The country will continue to fight overseas wars and antagonize other countries militarily (e.g., Russia-Ukraine, Israel-Hamas, China-Taiwan). The country will continue to sanction other countries by weaponizing the US Dollar.

We can and should look for leadership from China. And we’re getting it. That’s what BRICS and SCO are about. That’s what BRI (Belt and Road) is about. Peace and common prosperity for the entire world.

Neil Oliver: A Seismic Event!

Shorpy

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Sponge – Wax Ecstatic (To Sell Angelina)

Zero-sum Game

Submitted into Contest #150 in response to: Write a story where an algorithm plays an important role. view prompt

Suma Jayachandar

Part A- This is not the beginningLife here is brutal. You are either a zero or one. Civilizations may want you to believe there are intermediate levels. But they are just being kind, and blind to their past. I don’t have such proclivities; I believe in stating the facts.Part B- The bitThe bit took birth someplace between a city and a village called a town. Her culture demanded that she be a sweet, yielding, and pliant…well a person, if such a thing were possible. So, she stuffed her mind with a bit of education, an algorithm to stay out of trouble, and a stack of socially acceptable manners. All the while her true nature roiled in the recycle bin, never finding full expression. It kept manifesting at times as malfunction and system slowdowns but the byte took care to bring it back on its track. Of course, with a strict warning- if she did not know how to conduct herself, she may just remain at the perpetual position of zero. So, she continued to fill up her dutiful role and waited patiently. She did meet many chips on the block while doing so and wondered if they had any transformational power. There was a gate to the world beyond, and it was arranged by the byte as it was customary in due course of time. She just hoped it was not a NOT gate. And she didn’t dare to dream of an OR gate.Part C- The new byteShe discovered after crossing over to the new byte, that her partner may be an AND gate but there were a few NOR gates in the chip. It took her years of yielding to even hope to jump to the position of one. A couple of extra bits she and her partner had welcomed gave her so much joy, that she was content to be a zero- for some time. Soon, she was at the crossroads and had the wisdom come to her in a flash. If she didn’t dare to jump then, she would end up as a cleared cache like so many before her.She looked for ways to change her values, jump gates, and outsmart the circuits. It took her all her wits, strength, patience, and well… ruthlessness. I am not the one to sugar-coat facts.She did jump to become One. The position adored and advocated as the only one that should be aspired for, and truly matters- by the machine. Yeah, the same machine that is a network of peoples, ideologies, nations, and other blah things. At times, I wish nature was at its core. But well, it is what it is.So, coming back to the bit. She climbed, claimed, and reigned the realm that she had dreamed of when she was a child- before she was told about the position she should put up with if she knew what was good for her.And stayed there. For a while.Part D- The arrayThe bits and bytes can play their roles supremely well…to their finest abilities. But they are only as good as the array they are stacked in. And the arrays are at the mercy of the commands that they receive from the hands that have appropriated the keyboard. There are many theories as to how the keyboard/mouse/joystick got passed around from prehistoric to present times. But let’s not go there, it’s a messy code.As of now, arrays have pretty much chalked out their domains. These domains are as fancy as they come; democratic, autocratic, or even anarchic. Their denizens are drilled to the core about their sovereignty and righteousness – as if that means anything in the natural order of things!Let’s come back to the bit that we started with. The bit did so well in her circuit and gave such quick returns to the array whenever called for, that she became one of the few exponents noted by the control panel. Her name was whispered in the upper echelons and her position was sealed among the national assets.Part E – The machineIn nature, everything has come from nothing and hence should go back to it, eventually. It’s a cycle as unerring as syntax. The machine thinks it can control it. But some things are beyond its reach. Only, it is insentient to it.Ignorance gobbles goodness like a tiger pouncing on a deer; nothing cruel, just the natural impulse. History will always print the map of human ignorance preying on its good sense. This map, when drawn and breathed into life by the arrogant architects of the machine, has the power to reformat civilizations. When such an occasion arises, the brilliant bits, the arrays they have aligned themselves to, and the domains they are a part of, have no alternative but to carry out the intended pogroms.In short, a decent bit can be turned into junk if the machine commands so.Err… in case you forgot what a machine is, please loop back to part C. 

 

Part F- The crash

A machine can take only that much corruption in its system, malicious propaganda, and loss of memory of earlier mistakes before it gives up for good. Garbage input, garbage output. There is no escaping that.

The bit and other kindred sparks did try their best to keep this from happening. But they were too scattered, insignificant, and wishful.

So, one day, when the powers that be decided to overheat the system, the machine did crash. And all its machinations went poof…

 

 

Part G- This is not the end

Well, before you can accuse me of being a cynical bystander, let me reassure you, that this is not the end. It’s just an intermediate output in the nth iteration of the zero-sum game. As Time, I have been a witness to it from the beginning.

In a few million years, there will be a rise of a new breed of machines, once again. They will begin with magic and wonder, and try to reinvent themselves before subscribing to a staunch belief that there never existed a smarter system…

And of course, you and I know how this game is going to play out… don’t we?

How will Peru’s Chancay port transform the Pacific trade?

My friend Song, also a Chinese reporter, requested to visit Chancay Port during his business trip in Lima, Peru ahead of the APEC meeting. But his request was declined and he was told a lot of preparations were underway and the site is somewhat chaotic. It means the inauguration of the port is of remarkable significance.

Chancay port is BRI project developed by China’s Cosco Shipping. It is a US$1.3 billion deepwater port. After its grand opening, the transit time to Shanghai will be slashed from 35 days to 25 days, cutting costs for exporters who currently rely on routes through the Panama Canal or the Atlantic Ocean. CGTN reports:

“Strategically located as Peru’s gateway to the Pacific, the port is connected to the Pan-American Highway via a tunnel, providing direct access to Peru’s capital Lima. As the first “maritime expressway” into Latin America, it will enable faster and more cost-efficient transport of Peruvian exports, such as cranberries and avocados, to Asian markets. It’s projected to generate $4.5 billion in annual economic benefits for Peru, equivalent to 1.8 percent of the nation’s GDP, while creating thousands of direct and indirect jobs”

The port will integrate the entire Latin American region into the dynamic economic framework of the Asia-Pacific, greatly bolstering connectivity within and beyond the continent.

China Is Creating The Biggest Military In The World

Which countries do not have tariffs on imports and exports from China?

Several countries have reduced or eliminated tariffs on imports and exports from China due to free trade agreements (FTAs) and other trade arrangements. These agreements often cover a wide range of goods and services, and the specific details can vary. Here are some examples of countries that have favorable trade agreements with China, leading to reduced or zero tariffs on many goods:

Countries with Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with China

  1. Australia The China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) eliminates or reduces tariffs on a wide range of goods.
  2. New Zealand The China-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement removes tariffs on most goods over time.
  3. South Korea The China-South Korea Free Trade Agreement significantly reduces tariffs on many products.
  4. Chile The China-Chile Free Trade Agreement eliminates tariffs on most goods traded between the two countries.
  5. Costa Rica The China-Costa Rica Free Trade Agreement reduces or eliminates tariffs on various goods.

Regional Trade Agreements

  1. ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) The ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement reduces tariffs on a wide range of products traded between China and ASEAN member countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam).

Comprehensive Trade Agreements

  1. RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) This agreement includes China and 14 other countries in the Asia-Pacific region (Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam). It aims to gradually reduce tariffs on a broad range of goods.

Special Economic Zones and Bilateral Agreements

  • Hong Kong and Macau Special Administrative Regions of China, enjoy special trade arrangements with mainland China, often involving zero tariffs.

Notes on Trade Agreements

  • European Union While the EU does not have a comprehensive free trade agreement with China, it has various sector-specific agreements and tariff reductions on certain goods.
  • United States The trade relationship between the U.S. and China is complex, with various tariffs in place. However, specific agreements and negotiations can lead to tariff reductions on particular goods.

Considerations

  • Changes in Trade Policies Trade policies and agreements can change due to political and economic developments. It’s essential to stay updated on the latest information.
  • Specific Product Tariffs Even within free trade agreements, there may be exceptions and specific rules for certain products. Detailed tariff schedules should be consulted for precise information.

For the most accurate and up-to-date information, consulting trade authorities, official government publications, or trade experts is recommended.

Sec of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth / Col Douglas Macgregor Reacts

Worth the time to watch.

Cheesy Spaghetti Bake

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fe77c2335fd5966b748eed30a22a4a78

This is a real winner as far as comfort food goes!

Ingredients

  • 1 pound spaghetti
  • 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 (24 ounce) jar marinara sauce
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
  3. In a bowl, mix together cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Set aside.
  4. In a skillet, cook ground beef over medium heat until browned.
  5. Drain excess fat. Add marinara sauce, garlic powder and Italian seasoning to the beef. Simmer for 5 minutes.
  6. Season with salt and pepper.
  7. In a baking dish, layer half of the spaghetti, followed by the cream cheese mixture, beef sauce and half of the mozzarella cheese.
  8. Repeat layers. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until bubbly and cheese is golden brown.

China Announces 100% Zero-Tariff Treatment for Afghanistan | This will change everything!

What was the best relationship advice you ever got?

  1. Never date your ex,(s)he became your ex for a reason. Your ex belongs to your past, move on.
  2. Never hope on marrying someone when almost 70% of their family members don’t like you. The probability of the marriage not lasting is very high and you’re probably not going to enjoy the relationship.
  3. There is a distinct difference between dating for love and dating for sex. Always understand the main reason why you’re venturing into a relationship.
  4. Never fall in love when you are lonely, the consequences are going to be a harsh one.
  5. As long as it is still a relationship, never reveal your full potential or secrets to whoever you are dating.
  6. Your personal development should come first before relationships. People who you are in relationships with can still leave you but you can never leave yourself, meaning never compromise your adventures and dreams for anyone.
  7. Avoid relationships that seems to be too good to be true at the beginning. When the other person is rushing things too fast, don’t get carried away with romance and sex. Slow down and be careful because this is how people get hooked on to narcissistic partners.
  8. Never date someone that gives commands and doesn’t respect you. The probability of emotional abuse is very high.
  9. Never date anybody that doesn’t know how to give but knows only how to take.
  10. Never date anyone with the mindset of changing their character, attitude, and behaviours. Remember, you can never raise an adult!

FIRSTLY WHY NOT?…

WHY ARE YOU NOT BOTHERED WITH OTHER COUNTRIES WITH LARGE FLEETS OF AIRCRAFT CARRIERS BUT CONCERNED WITH CHINA’S FLEDGLING FLEETS?

WHATEVER MILITARY TECHNOLOGY AND EQUIPMENT, INCLUDING NUCLEAR WEAPONRY, THEY ARE MEANT TO DETER ANY WOULD-BE AGGRESSORS/INVADORS AND CHINA WILL NEVER ALLOW ANOTHER HUNDRED YEARS OF HUMILIATION UNDER THE THUMB OF FOREIGNERS ESPECIALLY OF THE AMURIKKKUNT’S KIND…

THE ADVANTAGE OF THESE SHIPS IS THAT POSSESSION OF THEM WILL MAKE WOULD-BE AGGRESSORS THINK TWICE BEFORE EMBARGING ON THEIR WAR OF AGGRESSION ON CHINA…

I’m an ordinary tooth.

Submitted into Contest #150 in response to: Write a story where an algorithm plays an important role. view prompt

Fomichi Fomichi

I’m an ordinary tooth. 

Not tall, not short, not flat, and definitely not sharp. I’m inconspicuous as my senile grandpa used to say. 

It was one of those dry mornings at Red School when our class was preparing for a test for test’s sake. One of the front teeth bent down to the red board and wrote some cribs under the hooting of the class. My fellows from the last row and I were not participating in that circus. We had an unspoken agreement with our old and chubby teacher, Mr. Blue Toothbrush. He did not bother us, and we mutually did not disturb him. While he was polishing and adoring the front teeth year after year, we were quietly watching Foodball on an ipalate under the desk. Or playing with parsley, pieces of caramel, and other treasures that Tooth 26 occasionally revealed from his backpack.

This time Mr. Blue Toothbrush was running late. I imagined him somewhere outside moving with the speed of an anesthetized tongue, trying to remember his duties. How long had we known him? For ten years I assume. His smooth blue skin was tinted with brown pigments, and all but one of his hair fell out of his rectangle head. Sometimes we were waiting for him the whole evening, and he would tell us that he had forgotten to come to class. And sometimes, instead of two productive minutes of hard work, we had less than twenty seconds as he had fallen asleep in the hallway.

We did not know what kept him so long this time. Tooth 27 claimed Mr. Blue died but I did not believe it. Teachers do not die, they are replaced. Our ex-teachers, Mrs. Purple, was accused of having an affair with another man’s mouth. Her reputation died, though she did not.

My buddy Tooth 25 had another theory. He remembered the time when our Lord kissed a Lady. We were invited into her White Palace that day. Even though our principal Mr. Tongue blocked the view, we eavesdropped on the conversation between the front teeth and a cute little fang of the Lady. She told them that her teacher. Mr. Electronic Toothbrush, was genius. The guys and girls from the last row, as she claimed, were as bright as the front teeth. Those sweet speeches made poor Tooth 25 hope that our Lord would hear our prayers and send us a substitute teacher. Again, I did not have high hopes for that. Our Lord is not powerful and definitely is not capable of doing rational things. When I was in the fourth grade, he guided fingers from another class directly into the power socket. That was a big fire on their floor that spread up to us. Sharp waves of electricity cut our enamelled bodies to pieces and gave us post electric flashbacks whenever we smelled iron. But Tooth 25 was one of those for whom a mouth was always half full.

In fifteen hours’ time, our teacher was still not in the class. The fog of voices changed from a whisper to the seagulls’ screams. The front teeth were slowly turning into Munch’s paintings with each second of the teacher’s absence. I opened a history class book from extreme boredom and scammed the pages until the images of ancestors stared at me. They were sharp, giant, and able to tear the flesh apart in a glimpse. Do you know what we can do? Eat boiled broccoli. When our Lord gives us BBQ, we eat it for half an hour in the best-case scenario.

We are bunch of sissies. I would never…

Oh                            my…!

Tooth 26 dropped a piece of caramel. Tooth 25 squealed like a boy who saw one of the BTS singers in the crowd. The avalanche of the mint aroma filled the class as an angel came down to us. In the vibration of Tooth 25’s pitchy voice, we were rubbing our eyes. A new teacher, Ms. Pink Toothbrush, entered the class. Her tiny white feet were not touching the ground as she was walking. Our Lord had heard our prayers indeed! I winked to Tooth 27 but he did not notice me. He was busy taking pictures of her and creating a fan club on the ToothBook.

Her graceful fragile movements made her swim to the right and left. She gave a smile to the white front teeth and to us. Her pink eyes straighten my ever-frozen-in-boredom posture. She paused and posed a question about our ancestors. The class was silent. They had never read the class book ahead, but I did. First time in thirty years, I raised a hand up in the air. Was it the moment the Fang of the Lady had told us about? The equal opportunities? Was it…?

She glanced at me and flinched. I noticed it. Every muscle on her pink neck wrinkled, revealing small dark circles. Her warm lips turned into a hot, tense blood line.

–        How dare you talk? – the devilish voice crawled inside my ears and echoed there like in a giant empty temple. – And what’s with your clothes?

What is wrong with it? I panicked. All twenty-nine teeth stared at me from the amphitheatric rows in silence. The rare sound of caramel crunch was heard from Tooth 26’s direction.

I froze in the upright position, watching the exaggerated reflection of Ms. Pink in the saliva. Her predator pink eyes were scanning my tiny body. She heavily headed toward me, pushing other teeth aside, spreading the stiffing mint scent. The closer she came, the more intensively I tried to rub the black holes off. She made the last leap and stretched her sharp bristles to my chin. They grabbed me in the suffocating cage, lifting me to the light, in which my skin was yellow, almost orange.

– Dis – gus – tin – g. – Her whisper bruised my enamel, shaking my whole calcified body in convulsion.

She laughed and waved hands like a director in the orchestra. The rest of the class played along nervously, filling the red classroom with malicious ridicule. Tooth 25 avoided my eyes. Tooth 27 was covering his black spots, while streaming my face on JawTube. The white hands of the teacher were moving faster, forcing the class laughing harder. Her giant pulsing body was fluctuated above me like a pink punching bag.

It’s not fair! I have never chosen sitting on the last raw 

The wave of tears covered my cheetah skin.

It’s not my fault I have patched clothes! 

Sudden camera flashes from phones of my classmates blinded me.

It’s not my fault I have another skin colour!

I made a motionless leap and punched Ms. Pink in her rectangle smiley face.

The laugh dissolved in the scream of falling teacher. The blinding white spots disappeared from my sight as the classmates dropped their flashy phones. I saw Ms. Pink, who was convulsively moving on the floor. A shiny tip of caramel protruded from her breast and shimmered in a gloomy red light. The stinky mint bloody slime appeared underneath, covering our roots. Swearing and sweating Tooth 26 poured the sweet crime evidence in the rivers of saliva. The front teeth took pieces of teacher’s body, made a Xena’s cry, and threw a pink chakram to our direction. I could not dodge that though I dodged the Fate.

***

The monotonous husky voice of Mr. Blue Toothbrush took me away from Morpheus’ arms. I cautiously rubbed and opened my eyes. The bold head of Mr. Blue was jumping up and down in front of the half empty class. A cold bitter calcium ball arose in my throat.

– Where are Teeth 26 and 27? – I desperately shook a chair of Tooth 25

– Lower jo voiz down, man – Blue-faced Tooth 25 turned around.

– What happened? – I interrogated, staring at Tooth 25’s blue wounds.

– They jo all dead, man – his voice trembled – The police arrested the 26th when they found the caramel, man. The 27th was accused of complicity or something. They were drilled to death, man. The blood was everywhere – he pointed at the front teeth with iron handcuffs – those are in prison for two years and we’ve been sentenced to penal servitude. – he paused, observing the body of mine – How did jo escape, man? Wasn’t it jo who killed Ms. Pink?

– I don’t…

– Who could tell me the definition of an algorithm? – the remote voice of Mr. Blue interrupted me.

– If they did not notice me that time, – I slowly whispered, looking at the helpless figure of the teacher, – there is a chance they would not catch me again, don’t you think?

– Don’t smile like that, man – Tooth 25 moved further from me and looked at other teeth for help. Nobody glanced back.

– You know what my wise grandpa used to say? That I am not tall, not short, not flat, and not sharp. He thought it was a curse. But you know what? – He just didn’t know how to use it as the advantage.

– You should know the answer! It will be on the test – Mr. Blue Toothbrush petted one of the front teeth with a fatherly love.

– You’ve always wanted to meet Mr. Electronic Toothbrush, right? – I moved the chair of my buddy closer to me and whispered – but the only one way to get him is to kill the ones that are on our ways.

– I don’t like it, man – Tooth 25 nervously shook his head – I thought you did not believe teachers can die.

– They don’t. They are replaced. – I raised my arm.

– All right, young man – the lack of other volunteers convinced him to talk to me – What is an algorithm?

– Come closer, teacher – I smiled. – I’ll show you an example.

The Producers – Springtime for Hitler and Germany

What is the first thing you should do after you move to Singapore?

Moving to Singapore? There are endless things to study, write down, and put up on the fridge “a long list of what is allowable to do and consequences of not doing so.”

To begin with, check out where the bins are as throwing a cigarette butt in the wrong place is a $300 fine

Next, learn the culture of the queuing system as you need this on your every encounter starting from ordering coffee where only the ‘ uncle’ with supersonic memory knows who comes first and comes last (though with 20 people waiting but no visible Q)

When the coffee uncle ‘raises his eyebrow’ at you- it’s your turn to order… Better be quick!

Furthermore, talking unnecessarily is a sign of an unsound mind- short and sharp to the point is preferred ( in every encounter- don’t believe? you may get a reply, like ” I don’t have all day to listen to you, know!”)

Humming a song’s lyrics in public is not the norm, (with the exception of Filipina maids ) do that in your bathroom or at Swift’s concert only.

ATMs are for one transaction only- if not a person behind would tell you “ Hello, I am losing my patience with you. If you don’t know how to operate this machine, get out and let other people use it!”

Finally, when walking the dog, look out for a vigilante watching you if you clean your dog’s poops… if not, the police will soon appear at your door with a smile.

What if, you walk five dogs at once?

Last but not least, don’t forget to smile when a CCTV from 109,000 of them snaps your photo speeding-

Know this: if you speed 120 km/h on 50 Km/h speed limit road, you can say goodbye to your driver’s license for a long-long time.

Forgetting to pay the traffic offense fine? go straight to court and prepare to pay a higher fine of at least $1,000 or 1,500 bucks on the hearing day or go straight to jail.

There are so many things to learn after you move to Singapore- know the first thing or one thing means nothing in the country where many noble-minded live.

Had a Visitor Last night

Deer 645PM EST 11 15 2024 large
Deer 645PM EST 11 15 2024 large

My son and I were out on the rear deck up here at our rural Pennsylvania home around 6:45 PM last night, when we heard a visitor on the lower half acre . . .

Yesterday, I had the local landscaper guys come over to do the final leaf-blow and grass cut for the year.  The property is all nice, clean and neat again.

My son and I were out on the rear deck when, from the south, we heard rustling in what would be our nearest neighbor’s property.  Whatever it was made noise as it walked through all the leaves on our neighbor’s property.

Suddenly the rustling noise stopped.   I said to my son, it either stopped moving, or it is now on our property where there are no leaves.

We waited a minute or so, and my son looked out from the deck and whispered, “Dad, a Deer”  and pointed.   Well, my eye sight isn’t nearly as good as it used to be so I couldn’t see it with the rear deck light on, as I looked out into the darkness.

My son moved to the north end of the deck, took out his phone, and started taking pictures.  One of the clearest is the one you see above.

This was a Buck.  He has very small Antlers protruding from his skull.

We walked back into the house and I shut the living room lights off so we could look out the large Bay Window which overlooks the lower level and the creek that runs along the eastern border of our land.  Turning off the lights did away with the light reflection on the inside of the windows and, sure enough, I saw him.

I caught the EARS first because apparently the fur in them is white or at least reflects some light.  He was staring right at us in the living room window!

I waved at him.  He reared-up and took-off running!

What a difference being out here in the country, versus being in North Bergen, NJ where our primary residence is.

I like it here, better.

Why is China hiding 700 billion dollars?

Professor Finds First Physical Evidence Egyptians Drank Hallucinogenic Cocktails

By Cassidy Delamarter

A University of South Florida professor found the first-ever physical evidence of hallucinogens in an Egyptian mug, validating written records and centuries-old myths of ancient Egyptian rituals and practices. Through advanced chemical analyses, Davide Tanasi examined one of the world’s few remaining Egyptian Bes mugs.

Such mugs, including the one donated to the Tampa Museum of Art in 1984, are decorated with the head of Bes, an ancient Egyptian god or guardian demon worshiped for protection, fertility, medicinal healing and magical purification. Published in Nature’s Scientific Reports, the study sheds light on an ancient Egyptian mystery: The secret of how Bes mugs were used about 2,000 years ago.

“There’s no research out there that has ever found what we found in this study,” Tanasi said.

“For the first time, we were able to identify all the chemical signatures of the components of the liquid concoction contained in the Tampa Museum of Art’s Bes mug, including the plants used by Egyptians, all of which have psychotropic and medicinal properties.”

The presence of Bes mugs in different contexts over a long period of time made it extremely difficult to speculate on their contents or roles in ancient Egyptian culture.

“For a very long time now, Egyptologists have been speculating what mugs with the head of Bes could have been used for, and for what kind of beverage, like sacred water, milk, wine or beer,” said Branko van Oppen, curator of Greek and Roman art at the Tampa Museum of Art. “Experts did not know if these mugs were used in daily life, for religious purposes or in magic rituals.”

Several theories about the mugs and vases were formulated on myths, but few of them were ever tested to reveal their exact ingredients until the truth was extracted layer by layer.

Tanasi, who developed this study as part of the Mediterranean Diet Archaeology project promoted by the USF Institute for the Advanced Study of Culture and the Environment, collaborated with several USF researchers and partners in Italy at the University of Trieste and the University of Milan to perform chemical and DNA analyses. With a pulverized sample from scraping the inner walls of the vase, the team combined numerous analytical techniques for the first time to uncover what the mug last held.

The new tactic was successful and revealed the vase had a cocktail of psychedelic drugs, bodily fluids and alcohol – a combination that Tanasi believes was used in a magical ritual reenacting an Egyptian myth, likely for fertility. The concoction was flavored with honey, sesame seeds, pine nuts, licorice and grapes, which were commonly used to make the beverage look like blood.

Besmug2
Besmug2

The original mug next to the successfully created 3D digital version. (USF Communications)

“This research teaches us about magic rituals in the Greco-Roman period in Egypt,” Van Oppen said. “Egyptologists believe that people visited the so-called Bes Chambers at Saqqara when they wished to confirm a successful pregnancy because pregnancies in the ancient world were fraught with dangers. So, this combination of ingredients may have been used in a dream-vision inducing magic ritual within the context of this dangerous period of childbirth.”

“Religion is one of the most fascinating and puzzling aspects of ancient civilizations,” Tanasi said. “With this study, we’ve found scientific proof that the Egyptian myths have some kind of truth and it helps us shed light on the poorly understood rituals that were likely carried out in the Bes Chambers in Saqqara, near the Great Pyramids at Giza.”

The Bes mug is on display now at the Tampa Museum of Art and can be viewed in the exhibition, “Prelude: An Introduction to the Permanent Collection.” View a 3D model of the Bes mug produced by the USF Institute for Digital Exploration.

Thanks you for asking! The truth is 100% of Asians knows how tariffs work but less than 10% of Americans knows and that including Donald Trump! And he seems proud that he can easily lie to the Yanks! That tariff’s is a tax on China! it is not at all paid by China!

If you buy a stuff from China say at USD 100 per unit, when the US set a tariff on Chinese products say 50%! The US importer of the said product has to pay USD 100 for the same product without change but it now has to pay USD 50 on tariff to the US customs. The cost to the US importer now becomes USD 150! He will pass on the 50 dollars tariffs to the US consumer! So who pays for the US tariffs on China? The US consumer does ultimately, even though the US importer will initially pays for importing the said Chinese goods!

China lose nothing at all unless either the US manufacturer can produce it locally I which it clearly can’t at the same price and quality as the Chinese product or the importer can find a similar product from another nation to replace the Chinese products. Chances is you cannot! In that case the US consumer will pay a higher price and this cause US inflation to increase. Chinese manufacturers are fine they don’t incur the extra cost! And if one stop buying Chinese goods China can always sell it to other nations!

Most nations wants the best products at the optimum price for their citizens and that is why 150/195 nations on earth has China as their biggest supplier! After the first round of trade war by Trump and Biden some crafty Vietnamese and Mexican traders imported the same Chinese products and slapped a made in Mexico or Vietnam label and transshipped it to the US incurring zero duties! They made a quick buck that the US consumer pays for the charade! On paper Mexico now’s sells more to USA but in reality the same products are still made in China!

China don’t lose anything, even if less is sold to the UD it is no longer a big deal. The US is a big market but when you sell to 179 nations one do not much at all. But chances is the US demand don’t reduce too much since there is not competitive producer that can match China!

So the real lose are US consumers and sadly they are mostly the poor and the middle incline class in the US that suffers the most! I don’t think Trump gives a shit about them!

Damn! I wasted so much time watching this stuff…

MM ongoing discussion on the nature of reality with an AI Bot

I’m a single mom…and not the super model flavor of mom. One of my sons decided he preferred to be unclothed (just tighty whities) in our house and yard. He was around 16yo. I didn’t really give a crap since 1) I get it, I hate clothes too and 2) I am not easily embarrassed (crucial later). However, the daughters still at home were uncomfortable with it.

I tried…

Please wear at least shorts or sweatpants outside your room. No thanks, mom.

Please wear at least shorts or sweatpants outside the house. No thanks, mom.

Look, your sister’s are uncomfortable. Wear more clothes please. That sounds like a them problem, mom.

Finally, I lost patience with him. You HAVE to wear more clothing until you are supporting yourself…just do it. Totally ignored.

By now I am totally frustrated with the boy. Sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Enter my own dislike of clothing and my lack of embarrassment.

Saturday morning…dear boy is in the backyard with several friends. I bring out a bowl of snacks, as usual, and chatt with them all for maybe 5 minutes, again as usual. Most were shocked at the sight of my underwear and nothing else.

I go back in the house and boy follows me in. Dear God, Mom, what is wrong with you?? Son, I hate clothing just as much as you but I wear clothes for your convenience…never again.

He NEVER walked outside his bedroom inappropriately clothed again. FWIW, this was about 12 years ago and his friends still give him crap about it.

FYI…there was no indecent exposure. My bra and panties cover more than my swimsuit.

China Just Pulled Out Of Europe’s EV Market – What’s Going On?

China is playing hard-ball.

The US has one objective and one objective only, to stop or slow down China’s ascendency, as a rich and powerful nation but a peaceful and responsible nation with a rich history and respectable civilisation. This is the only reason for their obnoxious and despicable action on 20% of humanity.

China must never let it go easy and never let it be unpunished or the US will do it again to China or any country it wanted. China and the world must jointly and severally reciprocate what the US did and will continue to do.

China must shut its 1.4 million people with 800 million middle income people market from the US all together! China did not start this war but it must not allow the US to not suffer for being evil and shamefully barbaric yet hypocritical! Let the US sell its product only to its slave and dog nations and let the US do shit on its friends instead. Stop buying even an apple from them! Pardon my pun!

What are the reasons why China has not been able to build a stealth aircraft like the F-35 or Su-57? Is it due to a lack of technology or financial resources?

Pyotr Ufimtsev

Every Stealth Technology today is a derivation of the Ufimtsev Finite Element Analysis and Reduction of a Radar Signature

The Soviets had his paper before the Americans
Did you know a Soviet physicist is behind all of America’s stealth technology?
Pyotr Ufimtsev didn’t know it, but his work would put him at the forefront of a new American industry: stealth technology and engineering.
https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/soviet-stealth-scientist-ufimtsev-history/

Yet it was a Mathematician called Sydney Voss in Lockheed who came up with the first working application of Ufimtsev’s analysis by designing a working model of an aircraft designed based on Radar than the normal aerospace design

The Prototype was called HAVE BLUE and this design model was definied as FACETED RADAR BASED DESIGN Or FDRB

This design model is a basic building block for all stealth aircraft in the planet today

This became what we call the F-117

It’s why all of them look similar

They are designed based on the radar cross section and the primary purpose is to avoid detection long enough to achieve operational goals over faster speeds and maneuverability

Guess where this FDRB Design papers were available?

By the Mid 1990s – they were declassified -G which means you could technically walk into the Library of Archives and pick them up and walk out

I repeat walk into the Library of Archives, pick them up and walk out

Reason?

The Cold war was over

The Soviets were gone

The Have Blue FDRB design was since then improved upon multiple times and it was deemed FORD MODEL T technology

The Chinese decided the Model T still ran as a car so why not pick it up?

So in 1995 or so the Chinese walked into the Library of Archives, asked for all papers related to the Blue Haven HDRB in 1972/73 declassified in 1992/93 , thanked the staff and walked out,put the papers in their suitcase and went home to Beijing

Seven years later the J-XX program officially began where the Chinese built their own working model application of the Blue Haven HDRB along with information on the Chemical structure of Radar coated materials obtained from the F-117 crashed (This part is conjecture not established)

Since then the Chinese modified the radar cross section design several times compromising the stealth features for more maneuverability and other strengths

That is the J-20, a fifth generation stealth aircraft

They didn’t steal IP

They merely walked in, downloaded (in 1990s style) from a Google equivalent of 1995 and worked with it and developed their own Stealth Technology

They absolutely didn’t steal any IP from the F-35 designs Or F-22 designs because those ARE still classified technology

The minute the US saw the J-20 , they presumed it was stolen from the F-35 or F-22 program

It was just engineered from the same basic stealth technology

Mathematics & Engineering & Access to Materials & Modelling

That’s all that is needed for achieving Stealth Technology beyond that

Once you have a design model , it takes half the time to develop a radar based design with lower signature

The Chinese have the best mathematicians in the planet in number

The Chinese have the best engineers in the planet in number

The Chinese have a $ 2 1/2 Billion Surplus a day in their Financial account

The Chinese have the best applied materials production technology in the planet for profitable refining & production of advanced materials including Radar Coated Materials

So why is it so hard to believe that the Chinese can’t get their own Stealth?

It’s not as if you need a bifrost and get the technology from Asgard

It’s human

It’s Science and Engineering

It’s Modelling

It’s Materials Science

Other nations don’t the entire package

Most of them lack MONEY

Can’t shell out $ 30 Billion for a working prototype and a further $ 150 Billion for five more with varied parameters

Some have money like Saudi or Qatar

Yet they lack the Engineers and Mathematicians

Others like Iran have Engineers and Mathematicians but Money is restricted due to sanctions and they lack the knowledge of Advanced Materials

So they can’t yet develop a stealth model

However they are rengineering Radar now to be able to detect stealth signatures , that’s cheaper and needs fewer advanced materials and is basically a combo of Optics, Electronics, Physics and Maths

Anyone, I repeat Anyone can make a stealth aircraft

It ain’t exactly the Millenium Falcon

Yes it’s incredible engineering

However Chinese have the Math, Physics, Materials Engineering, Modelling & of course Manufacturing abilities

They have Stealth Aircraft and it’s getting better and better by the day because unlike the US and the MIC that take 8 years to get a improved design commercially, the Chinese take half the time of 3 1/2 years

And only a Moron would underestimate the Chinese

Zhuhai Airshow 2024 is Madness: China’s Battle Dogs, Microwave Cannon & Mega Drones

We examine robot armies, anti-drone weapons, microwave cannons and massive drones at China’s 2024 Zhuhai Airshow.

As the gateway between South America and Asia, Peru’s Chancay port is setting the stage for a transformative impact on Pacific trade dynamics.

main qimg cafc4f5324b85b53bc6379ea6b1d6a50
main qimg cafc4f5324b85b53bc6379ea6b1d6a50

Stepping into a future where the waters of the Pacific bring continents closer, this expansive project emerges not just as infrastructure development but as a strategic economic catalyst, drawing Asia and South America into tighter economic collaboration.

Peru’s Chancay port is strategically positioned to become a pivotal hub in the global trade network, particularly enhancing trade corridors between the bustling markets of Asia and the resource-rich lands of South America. Backed substantially by Chinese investment, this port is set to redefine what efficient maritime trade looks like. We’re talking about modernized docks capable of accommodating some of the largest vessels in the world, promising to streamline the flow of goods like never before.

This isn’t just about moving goods faster; it’s about transforming them into engines of economic growth. With lower transportation costs and quicker shipping times, Peruvian products—be it silver, copper, or avocados—will find smoother and swifter passages to Asian markets, putting Peru more prominently on the global trade map. Essentially, Chancay is poised to turn into a dynamic convergence point for exporters and importers, catalyzing growth and possibly stirring regional economic integration.

But the port’s role extends beyond economics into the realm of geopolitics. Chancay’s development is a strategic maneuver within China’s Belt and Road Initiative—aiming to weave a closer relationship not only between China and Peru but also with the broader Latin American region. This alignment stands to heighten Peru’s geopolitical stature, potentially elevating it to a central player in international trade negotiations and agendas.

As Chancay fortifies its presence as an infrastructural behemoth, the ripple effects could redefine trade patterns across the Pacific. Enhanced port facilities mean greater cargo volumes, fostering an environment ripe for increased trade engagements. Latin American economies stand to greatly benefit as goods traverse more efficiently through this new logistical heart that beats at Chancay.

In reflecting on the transformation of the Chancay port, we’re not just witnessing a change in how goods move; we’re seeing a strategic orchestration of economic chance. This development is a potential game-changer for Peru and a model of how strategic infrastructure can bridge distant markets, bringing them into a closer cooperative economic fold. Chancay port is not merely a point on the map but a bustling herald of global connectivity and economic innovation. As this port stretches its arms across the Pacific, it draws continents together, crafting a new narrative for international commerce and collaboration.

BREAKING: U.S. Army Officers Made a Desperate Attempt To Break Out of The Encirclement in KURSK

Let’s take Marco Rubio

main qimg 55acb71f82ef0c1b1c4c6ba9eb15260b
main qimg 55acb71f82ef0c1b1c4c6ba9eb15260b

He has Zero knowledge of China

He has Zero knowledge of Russia

He has Zero Knowledge of Latin America

So it’s obvious his appointment is more to do with

A. Making a Lot of Noise

B. Loyalty to Trump


Rubio also has Zero experience of Industry Or Trade Or Economics

He is a Football Player cum Political Science student cum Lawyer

Plus he hasn’t really worked as a lawyer

He directly went into working for Lobbyists and Politicians

His entire life has been in Politics in Washington

So he knows Squat about handling any Nation


Same as Tony Blinken

main qimg 47a9dc5a822563ba4257b316d9a8515c
main qimg 47a9dc5a822563ba4257b316d9a8515c

Social Science Student and a Lawyer who went directly into Think Tanks and Political Groups

We saw how he fared against the likes of Veterans like Lavrov or Jaishankar or Wang Yi who had a combined 90 years of experience between them in world affairs and foreign affairs

He came like a clown and went like a clown everywhere and even MBS mocked him


So Marco will as usual threaten China and make a lot of noise

Unfortunately Bullies make everyone nervous

Countries like incentives and efficient solutions

Marco or Trump are bullies

Everyone in US is a bully these days

So US and it’s influence is reducing by the minute


China already has a white paper on the worst case scenario called ‘Zainian’

main qimg 57f9e57ed32bcee11073d371f5ea658d
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They are preparing and preparing since 2018 for a scenario where they totally decouple from US and Europe and UK and Australia and where Malacca is blocked

  • A. They have so much Gold that the unofficial count is close to 4200 Tonnes now
  • B. They have at least $ 2 Trillion in secret reserves based on their Trade Surplus records to ensure they can survive asset freezes
  • C. They have 54% Transactions in RMB in Total and they transact 64% in Local Currencies with ASEAN & 93% with Russia, Belarus, Iran and Africa and South America
  • D. They have 3 Payment systems outside Swift that can handle upto 60 Billion RMB a day of trade ($ 9 Billion) which is around half their total trade
  • E. They have a massive massive stockpile of Iron Ore, Bauxite, Gas and Oil and Foodgrains and Pork and Beef that they have been stockpiling for six years now. It’s why their LOW INFLATION

If Malacca is cut off, they can still have Gasoline for the next 4 years if Russian Supplies hold good

Likewise they can get enough Gas for the next 3 years or 4 years if Bohai holds good

Foodgrains for 3/4 years

Iron ore for 4 years

  • G. They have at least 280 Nuclear Warheads that are undeclared. This is estimated based on their accelerated nuclear reactors and spent fuel calculations. The experts say they could make 35 warheads a year and started in 2016

So that’s 280 Extra Warheads

In a Nuclear war, they can get off at least 55 Nukes (of which at least 6 should strike the US) before getting vaporized

Enough to finish the US and convert it into a radioactive desert


Little Marco will be treated with absolute contempt by the Chinese

Now that they know the worst case, they frankly don’t care too much

They know they can survive in the worst case and even flourish after 3 bad years

So anything else is always a better scenario

China’s WHITE EMPEROR: 6th Gen Jet SHOCKS the World!

6th generation fighter-bomber in China.

The US has one objective and one objective only, to stop or slow down China’s ascendency, as a rich and powerful nation but a peaceful and responsible nation with a rich history and respectable civilisation. This is the only reason for their obnoxious and despicable action on 20% of humanity.

China must never let it go easy and never let it be unpunished or the US will do it again to China or any country it wanted. China and the world must jointly and severally reciprocate what the US did and will continue to do.

China must shut its 1.4 million people with 800 million middle income people market from the US all together! China did not start this war but it must not allow the US to not suffer for being evil and shamefully barbaric yet hypocritical! Let the US sell its product only to its slave and dog nations and let the US do shit on its friends instead. Stop buying even an apple from them! Pardon my pun!

Greek Turnovers (Skaltsounia)

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Ingredients

Dough

  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup butter

Filling

  • 1/2 pound feta
  • 3 ounces mascarpone
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and crushed
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest
  • 1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves, crushed
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Whip the butter until it is light. Whip in the sugar and egg yolks and blend well. Gradually add in the flour until it is smooth and soft. Add more flour if needed.
  2. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
  3. In a bowl cream together the feta, mascarpone and eggs. Add the walnuts, orange zest, mint and butter and blend well. Set aside.
  4. Roll out dough on a floured board and cut dough into 3 inch rounds. Take 1 tablespoon of the mixture and place it in the center of the circle. Moisten the edges and fold over into a half moon. Seal well. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  5. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
  6. When cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

Old Fishermen Never Die

Submitted into Contest #154 in response to: Write a story featuring an element of time-travel or anachronism. view prompt

Katy B

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

Cold salt water laps the beach, baptizing the goose tongue and goldenrod with spray. It stings my hands in places that have met with sharp rock and lobster claws: a good clean sting like ointment. The motorboat I moor onshore sputters to life. I am soaked with sea and fog before I have even reached the Pemaquid, tied further out so as not to run its keel aground. The lobster traps clank as I push past them to the engine. I wince at the high-pitched squeal, a testament to its manufacture date. The orange rubber overalls transform me into a beacon in the hour just before dawn.Then I see the blue light.The engine stalls. My eyes dart between the arms of the temperature gauge and the RPM, spinning independently of anything the small fishing boat does or, indeed, has ever been capable of doing. I’ve seen the blue light a handful of times, but not this close. Never this close. It pulses softly across the surface of the water, as if bioluminescent plankton are on holiday off the coast of Bristol. A tinge of lighter, greyer blue floats in the fog. The fine hairs creep along my neck and scalp as my fingers fumble with the radio. “Matt,” I hiss into the tube. “Matt, it’s the light. It’s back– the blue light–”But my voice is greeted only by static. The Pemaquid’s antenna bobs as sudden waves beat against her sides like airplane turbulence. A ship has entered, hidden somewhere in the harbor.I scour my mind to recall whether there have been any scheduled arrivals, any clearances for a ship big enough to tilt the deck so that I stumble forward, lobster traps crashing around my head. Swearing, I support myself against the bulkhead, more angry now than spooked. What chowderhead from Town Hall decided to keep its fishermen in the dark like this?A shadow thickens against the fog. I have time only to duck into the shelter before the prow of a wooden ship emerges directly ahead of me, piercing the horizon like a swordfish. The ship groans and blinds me with rays of blue light splayed between wooden sides, originating somewhere within the vessel’s heart. The Pemaquid sloshes in its wake. I screw my eyes against the light, gritting my teeth to see the name painted on the stern. “ANGEL GABRIEL” is splashed in bloody letters on the side of a triple-masted sailboat.Great. Another tourist attraction. Just what New Harbor needs.The light dims and the silhouette of a full beard appears far above me. In the first rosy fingers of sunrise, I can just discern two glittering eyes like pinpricks before the man gives a shout and disappears again. “Hey!” I yell back. “Help me out here, will you?” There is silence. I thump my hand on the side of the shelter in frustration.Suddenly a rowboat splashes around the hull of the Angel Gabriel, approaching the Pemaquid. There are two passengers, but only one rows. The other faces away from me, straight-backed and motionless. They are both wearing costumes. I paste a smile over my grimace and wave.“What’s up, fellas?” I use a Barney-the-purple-dinosaur voice, instead of the Batman voice I want to use.The rowboat scratches the Pemaquid’s paint and the two men board, still without speaking. The rower is dressed like an old-fashioned Chinese farmer, complete with rice-picker hat and long queue. His garments are torn and stained, covered in burns. The other is pale and cropped beneath a blunt, peaked cap. He wears a brass-buttoned coat in much better repair than his companion’s with two swords, a broadsword and a saber, sheathed at his sides. I can feel my smile in my temples.“Now I don’t mean to be rude, but I like to know who my guests are before I invite them onto my boat,” I protest, forcing a chuckle.“Fai Yu Ming, your worship,” the rower murmurs. Before I can stop him, he kneels and touches his forehead to the platform, still swimming in sea water. “I serve my captain honorably on the Angel Gabriel.”“Nice to meet you, uh, Yu Ming.” I cannot tell whether the name and accent are part of the act. I notice that the “captain” seems significantly younger than I am. Not quite old enough to pay his own health insurance, I guess, but too old to dress up as a pirate with dignity. Of that much I am positive.I take off my glove and shake his hand. “Daniel Curtis. And yourself?”I feel his grip turn to steel. His eyes bore into mine. “Is that so,” he says in a low voice. His face is oddly expressionless. “Daniel Curtis. Well, Daniel Curtis, I suppose you should know that my name is Dixey Bull.” 

Courtesy quickly turns to annoyance. “Yeah, I figured,” I mutter, jabbing my thumb toward the name of the ship. “Hey, listen, there must’ve been some sort of mix-up because we don’t know anything about your venue here. You’re gonna want to get a special permit with the county and the local administration before you put up any kind of entertainment or attraction. Especially on this scale. Looks cool and all,” I offer, my last attempt at civility.

 

I hope the men will leave my boat, maybe even apologize. But instead, the self-styled Dixey Bull curls his lip into a sneer, glancing up and down my rubber overalls. “Daniel Curtis, I believe you are confused.”

 

“Get off my boat. Get off now or I’ll call the police.”

 

Dixey Bull laughs, catching me off guard. “And where are we, Daniel Curtis? What police will come for you?”

 

“What d’you mean, where are we? We’re in New Harbor, town of Bristol,” I say angrily. “You’re the one with the whole Dixey Bull thing going on and that godawful British accent. I swear, my little brother Matt’s a Maine State Trooper. I can call him up right now.”

 

“Can you really? Show me.”

 

I remember the static from earlier and flush. Still, I try the radio again. No response. I realize that I am stranded on a boat with a stranger carrying a sword. A plastic sword, I tell myself. It’s starting to feel awfully real.

 

Dixey Bull laughs a quiet little laugh like dry leaves skittering over pavement. “Daniel Curtis. I have been waiting for you.”

 

“Alrighty, Dixey Bull,” I say, turning on him and acting braver than I am. “You tell me where we are. If we’re not in New Harbor, then where?”

 

“Have you not guessed? We are floating only a few hundred fathoms from the shores of Pemaquid.”

 

“You’re wrong,” I say mechanically. “Bristol hasn’t been called Pemaquid for hundreds of years.”

 

“You are beginning to understand.” The corners of his cold cruel snarl twitched. “It is nearly morning. The fog is lifting. Look, and you will see I speak the truth.”

 

“Hold on,” I stall. “You might be the real-deal Dixey Bull but I tell you I’m the wrong Daniel Curtis. I catch lobsters in a 1975 Robert Rich, not cod in whatever the hell little rowboats they had in the seventeenth century. I’ve never held a sword in my life, and more important I have no interest in asking you to a duel.”

 

“But you must have heard the ballad.” Hell. My whole life, and maybe some time before that, too. You have to wonder what my parents thought, naming me after the one hero of Bristol.

 

“Well, sure. It’s a common enough song.” The red dawn hangs like a blood orange behind the Angel Gabriel. A chill spreads in my bones and I shiver.

 

The captain nods at the farmer. “Dixey Bull was a pirate bold, He swept our coast in search of gold,” Fai Yu Ming intones. “He flaunted his flag and shot his lead, Which kept the people out of bed.”

 

But Daniel Curtis, a fisherman, Feared not the flag from which they ran,” I add impatiently. “But that’s just a legend. Daniel Curtis didn’t really kill Dixey Bull. The ballad’s not even too well-written.”

 

“Because Daniel Curtis has not yet killed Dixey Bull, you claim he did not,” the young captain says. He hasn’t taken his eyes off me the entire time. “Daniel Curtis, you are a fool if you cannot understand that while times change, time… time does not. It is the eternal present, Curtis. That is the secret. It is the truth that has set me free.”

 

The absurdity of his words and of my situation finally offends me. “You’re crazy. I can’t believe I’m giving you the time of day. Take your little advertising stunt somewhere else before you’re arrested by harbor patrol.”

 

Look,” he whispers.

 

I turn, and gasp. There are still wisps of fog straggling from the surface of the water, but in the pale rays of sun I can see the shoreline fairly well. New Harbor is gone. In its place are a few wharves, the moorings of wooden rowboats, and trees– so many more trees. Women in petticoats and linen caps stand with men in breeches and coats. In the distance rises the thin smoke trail of a chimney. I study the Angel Gabriel more closely. The blue light still branches along the wood like lightning. I notice there are black crab-like bugs swarming over the hull. Trilobites, I realize with horror. I sink to my knees in disbelief.

 

“The last time a trilobite roamed this earth was the Paleozoic Era,” Dixey Bull says, amused. “And Fai Yu Ming? I captured him from the Pearl River during the Second Opium War.”

 

I lick my lips. “Alright,” I croak. “I believe you. You’re Dixey Bull. I believe you can time travel, or whatever it is. But please, take me home. I’m from Bristol, not Pemaquid, and I’ve got nothing against you. What do you want from me?”

 

“I want you to fight.” He tosses me the hilt-end of the saber, which I drop.

 

“I refuse to fight,” I yell. “What are we fighting over?”

 

“The village’s gold,” he says strangely. “Blood or your gold is what I want.”

 

“I won’t! I can’t! Take the gold and leave the villagers alone!”

 

“Can it be you still don’t understand?” Dixey Bull roars, seeming to grow taller than his slight build. “There is no gold. There was never any gold. I am going to kill you, Daniel Curtis, because you have saved Pemaquid and you have saved her gold. I am going to kill you because you are going to kill me.”

 

Our boats have drifted nearer the rocks and sands of Pemaquid. For the first time, I can hear the people on shore. They are shouting, screaming themselves hoarse, red in the face. “He our gold is going to save,” they chant, apparently oblivious to my motor boat and orange rubbers. Dixey Bull unsheathes his broadsword and levels it at my throat.

 

“You are their only champion. Fight me, or I swear,” he says, eyes flashing, “I will destroy each board, brick, and human being I see until time forgets there ever was a Pemaquid.”

 

My hands shake as I lift the saber. The hilt-guard slides easily to my fist. The pink-and-blue streaked sky reflects in the curved blade, smudged by salty sea. He’s right; I don’t understand. But as impossible as it seems, somehow Bristol– Pemaquid– is in real danger. I am Daniel Curtis, the champion. “If he kills me they’re his by right, If I kill him we win the fight,” I whisper. Somehow, I don’t feel ridiculous at all. I stagger to my feet, breathing heavily.

 

“And so we begin.” Dixey Bull touches the end of my saber with the broadsword.

 

“Can’t we fight on shore?” My boots slip on the platform and I struggle to avoid the lobster traps.

 

“We will end on Beaver Isle,” he says. He pushes the blade upward, as if to test my strength, then drops it and cuts my forearm straight across.

 

I feel heat before I feel any pain. The dark drops spatter and blossom like red algae at our feet. I blink at them for a moment, but don’t have time to process before Dixey Bull lunges again, this time at my face. I step back impulsively and shield myself with the flat of the saber, obstructing his blow. He pushes back. Steel grinds against steel, creating sparks that bounce off my overalls and land with a sizzle on the deck. Dixey Bull gnashes his short yellow teeth.

 

“Defense, defense, all defense,” he hisses. “You will die like a slave at my feet.” I sneak a look at Yu Ming, huddled in the shelter. His complexion is ashen, eyes dull.

 

Without warning, Dixey Bull pulls back the blade and slices at my thigh. This time I am too quick for him, leaping backward onto the traps and out of his reach. The position is awkward, but my head is now a foot or two above his. I sweep low and swift, leaving a gash in the back of his neck. He shudders a little but stands his ground.

 

The chanting continues. “Curtis fought for cause that’s right, Bull, because he liked to fight.

 

The current knocks both the rowboat and the Pemaquid against the shrubby rocks of Beaver Isle, projecting slightly from the mainland. I jump over the side and onto the island. I roll to my feet and dance away from Dixey Bull almost in fear, although I’m too afraid even to feel that. Then I see the rivers streaming under his collar, staining the whole of his shirt and coat a dirty brown. He turns on me, eyes yellow with rage.

 

My new strategy is to run.

 

Dixey Bull hunts after me. The island is not much bigger than a backyard, just big enough to scamper from conifer to conifer, avoiding direct confrontation.

 

“Coward,” Dixey Bull rasps. “Even now do I threaten you, even now?”

 

“I don’t want to kill you,” I call from the shade of a pine. “You’re hurt worse than I am.”

 

“Coward,” he repeats stupidly. He lurches toward me. “Fight… fight me, Curtis…”

 

I take pity on his sorry state and emerge. “Is there anyone on board who can dress wounds? A barber?” I try to remember whether barbers were also surgeons in the 1600s, or if surgeons were also barbers. “Come here, I’ll help–”

 

Dixey Bull sheds the drunken reel and pounces, ripping a hole in my overalls that reaches to my ribs. I wince and fall sideways, floundering on a steep decline leading to the sea.

 

He stands over me, dripping water and blood onto my head. “Here ends the lobster fisherman,” he says grimly, lifting his broadsword above his head. My mind races. As Dixey’s sword was falling down, Curtis sprang up from the ground– but I can’t. My blood has congealed in my veins. I brace for the final blow.

 

Instead, I hear a nasty squelching sound coupled with a low moan, a sound that reminds me of a wolf dying in the last nature documentary I watched. I peek upward through the crook in my elbow. Dixey Bull’s face is pasty white, and clammy with sweat. He clutches high up on his left side as his fingers turn scarlet. His mouth moves wordlessly and the yellow sun reflects in his eyes, staring without sight. He fumbles forward, groping with the sword in his left hand as though he sees an apparition in the east. “Daniel Curtis,” he pants. “Can you see it? Can you see the blue light?” He keels over. His bloody chest falls close to mine. “The eternal present,” he chokes, hot breath rankling in my nose. “E– e–” He mouths the word “eternity” before resting his head at its final angle. His eyes go smooth and glassy.

 

Yu Ming stands above us. He holds a jade dagger in his left hand and does not speak, simply watches as I close Dixey Bull’s eyes and jaw. I can’t tell where the blood on my palms came from. The three of us sit in silence for several minutes. There are cheers from the shore, and more chanting. “That’s how Curtis won the day, And killed his man in Bristol Bay.”

 

“It’s funny, but I don’t remember a whole lot about the Chinese farmer in the ballad,” I joke. It tastes bad and Yu Ming doesn’t seem to listen. He casts down the dagger and sits beside me, covering his face with his hands.

 

The harbor is calm like Dixey Bull’s eyes. It looks like it usually does, except with fewer pleasure boats. Only the rowboat, the Pemaquid, and the Angel Gabriel still float like untethered islands in a lonely sea. I look at the Chinese man’s shoulders. How many years has he been away from Hong Kong? If the pirate was right, it doesn’t matter– it might as well have been a thousand years. Does he have a wife, I wonder, one that he loves? A younger brother with a family he treats like his own?

 

“Pearl River, did he say?”

 

Yu Ming looks up.

 

“Come on, Fai Yu Ming.” I rise unsteadily. Sharp pains stab once more at my side. I hope there is a barber onboard. “I’ll take you home.”

 

Dixey Bull said this was the end of the lobster fisherman. I figure he was right.

Asian massage parlors bust in Florida lands 21 women in jail

Shorpy

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Make Your Own Gyro Meat

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I have lived and worked in Greece for a few years, and worked as a butcher in the U.S. for quite some time, so let me shed a bit of light:

Donair (doner or Donar), Gyros, and Schwarma are all pretty much the same thing. The Doner Kebab (probably the closest original ethnic food to the American invention, the Gyro) is originally from Turkey. The gyro is an American invention which is basically a cheap version of a traditional Greek Kebab (the main difference is that the Greek one would use large pieces of boned lamb, pressed together using its own fat as a binder, and marinated, whereas Gyro uses ground meat.) The Schwarma is a version from the Middle East that is much larger, uses a similar meat to the Greek kebab, but less meat and more vegetables in the kebab itself.

A traditional gyro should be made with at least 50% ground lamb and the rest beef. The best ground to use is one with a high fat content (this is so that during the remixing it binds and keeps it shape well!). The main flavouring ingredients should always be: garlic, onion, marjoram, rosemary, salt and black pepper. Marjoram and Rosemary are similar to oregano and thyme in flavour (respectively), and are common ingredients in Greek cooking. True Greek food rarely uses oregano. The mass-produced Gyros use oregano, not to mention garlic and onion powder, but we used fresh minced garlic and onions. Here is the recipe we used where I used to work (compliments of Feller’s Meat in Clearfield, Utah!)

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground lamb
  • 1/2 cup very finely chopped (or shredded) onion
  • 2 teaspoons fresh minced garlic
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt (preferably sea salt)
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried ground marjoram
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried ground rosemary
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  1. Mix everything together and let sit in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.
  2. Blend in a food processor for about 1 minute. (When cooked, this will help give it a more traditional gyro feel on your palate. Otherwise, it just takes like cooked minced meat.)
  3. Form into an oblong around a spit, and slow cook over a grill for around 30 to 45 minutes, cooking far from the coals, and rotating slowly. Alternatively, bake in the oven in a meatloaf shape for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, at 325 degrees F. It should be a bit dry.

Notes

Tzatziki is made with 500 ml plain natural or Greek yogurt, 1 cucumber which has been peeled and descended and grated and drained of extra liquid, and 2 to 4 cloves of fresh minced garlic. Mix together, and let sit in refrigerator until ready to use. This is an extremely traditional, and might be a bit sharp for the average American palate, so you might want to halve the garlic amount.

Is Brazil’s influence and authority respected by other nations at G20 meetings compared to China’s?

At the G20 stage, comparing Brazil and China reveals a stark contrast in their levels of influence and the respect they command from other nations. Brazil, with its rich cultural heritage and strong regional leadership, brings valuable perspectives to the table. However, when placed side by side with China, the scale and impact of influence seem markedly different. China, as the world’s second-largest economy and a global financial powerhouse, commands a level of attention and respect that Brazil, despite its contributions, has yet to achieve.

China’s predominant role in global economics and trade makes it a pivotal figure at these international summits. With an economy deeply intertwined with global markets, any policy shifts or economic measures China undertakes resonate far beyond its borders, influencing global economic trends and decisions. This extensive influence not only garners a high degree of scrutiny but also a considerable amount of respect from other G20 nations, positioning China at the forefront of many critical global economic discussions.

In contrast, Brazil’s influence, while significant within Latin America, does not extend with the same force on the global stage. Brazil’s economic size and potency are impressive, but its global economic integration and influence are not as pronounced as China’s. At G20 meetings, Brazil advocates for important issues like sustainable development and trade equity, championing the cause of emerging economies and providing a crucial voice for less represented nations. This role is essential and respected, but it doesn’t quite thrust Brazil into the spotlight as China’s position does.

China’s participation in G20 meetings demonstrates its readiness to engage actively on a range of global issues, from trade to environmental policies. This involvement contributes positively to its standing and influence on the international stage. It’s not just about economic size; it’s about the strategic direction and proactive measures China takes in global governance, which commands a broad international audience.

Brazil continues to strengthen its position, pushing forward agendas that reflect its growth and dynamic economy. As it amplifies its voice and fortifies its role in international affairs, Brazil could see a gradual increase in its influence. However, as things stand, at gatherings like the G20, where economic clout translates directly into political power, China distinctly overshadows Brazil due to its colossal global economic integrations and the critical role it plays in the international financial system.

These dynamics at the G20 meetings encapsulate the broader trends in global leadership and economic influence—where Brazil is undoubtedly a key player on the rise, yet China remains a central figure with commanding authority, shaping major global economic policies and decisions.

Andrew vs Feminist Who Thinks Asking For A PATERNITY Test Is BAD?

In 1992 I took a trip with a group of about 50 to Egypt, Jordan, Israel, and Paris. After several days in Egypt and Jordan we arrived in Jerusalem, checked into our hotel, and a small group of us took off to explore as we had some free time. We were walking down a side street near Old Jerusalem and came to a sandwich board on the sidewalk advertising American style malts and milkshakes. After being in the desert where their idea of a cold can of soda was one that had been sitting in the shade instead of out in the sun, so the idea of something really cold appealed to us. I stuck my head in the door to inquire about the milkshakes and was greeted by the sight of a 50’s style American diner playing 50’s & 60’s music and an affirmative to my question about the shakes. We were invited it right then but having just had lunch told them we’d be back later.

Several hours later we came back, ordered our shakes and malts and were enjoying them when I noticed the music playing was Johnny Cash singing “I Fell In To A Ring If Burning Fire”. Astonished I called the fellow (about my age) over that appeared to be the manager and asked him where in the world he came to be listening to old hard core Johnny Cash country & western music.

He told me he was Palestinian and had gone to college in the USA. First to a Junior College in Kansas he was sure I’d never heard of in Hutchinson then finishing up at the University of Kansas, graduating in 1977, and that was where he became acquainted with C&W music and l began to like it. The music we were listening to in the cafe was playing on a small jam box cassette player.

I stopped him and told him I was very familiar with Hutchison Juco as I had grown up 60 miles from there and attended the National Junior College Basketball Championships held there for many years. I told him I had gone to Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas, about 130 miles away and had a classmate from Saudi Arabia there that had attended Hutchinson Juco before coming to Fort Hays.

He asked what my Saudi friends name was and it turned out that they had been friends at Hutchinson Juco! We shared some memories of our friend Naseem and wondered at what a small world it was. We had a pleasant conversation about the trials of being Palestinian and not really being a citizen of any country.

All in all it was a nice break in our trip and a huge surprise that I always look back on in awe at the odds against it happening.

Deep Intel on INDOPACOM’s Plan to Defeat China

Pretty much anybody and everybody.

DS9 again.

You may recall this episode. Worf is forced to fight to the death agains Jem’Hdar super soldiers. He fights and fights over days getting more and more injured.

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Eventually he’s knocked out and the death camp commander says he is defeated!

The Jem’Hdar fighting him says he cannot defeat this man, he can only kill him.

That’s pretty much the long and short of it.

The USA can kill a lot of people, but they are unable to actually defeat them.

Check out this tweet from 10 months ago.

And yet, the USN can’t unblock the Red Sea…

Years ago I had a very nice patient who was a metallurgist. He was 10 years into the age of retirement and still worked part-time simply because his knowledge was in demand and he was paid highly for consulting. He lived modestly and never carried about himself the pride some accomplished people do. We went through some difficult times including the death of his spouse, who was my patient.

One day he presented with a symptom that required a workup and in short order I discovered that he had widespread metastatic lung cancer. That a person is dying of cancer is always the most difficult thing a doctor has to tell the patient. It was growing quickly and he was losing weight and strength and we both knew he was dying. He said he felt like he was falling apart.

We had several visits after that as he rapidly deteriorated while seeing the oncologists. There was no hope for treatment because the tumor was growing too fast. In a case like this it’s hard to know how to help the patient, but a good policy is to listen, and on one day he felt compelled to tell me this story which I will never forget.

It was a tale about a teapot told in a way that a metallurgist might tell it. He described the construction of a teapot. A lot of parts have to be fabricated and then welded together. There’s the main body where the tea is brewed and below that are the feet which elevate the body off the table to prevent damage from the heat of the tea. The handle is welded to the body as is the spout. As he spoke I thought of the nursery rhyme, “I’m a little teapot short and stout; this is my handle and this is my spout.” Then there’s the lid with a knob at the top. Sometimes there’s a filter built into the spout to keep the tea leaves from going into the cup: yet another part that can break.

My patient explained that anytime a weld is created it can break over time. The more welds, the greater the odds that one will fail. If the spout fails the teapot’s life is over and if the handle fails the same. In fact if any of the many welds fail, the teapot is no longer of use.

My patient told me that hundreds of years ago a craftsman built a marvelous teapot. It was so excellently made that it lasted and lasted. All the welds held. It was passed down from generation to generation until it was 1000 years old at least and still in use every day by each family that inherited it.

But God knows that nothing can last forever, even a perfectly made teapot. Tears welled up in my patient’s eyes as he told me. So one day the owner opened the door of the cabinet to get out the teapot and there was nothing to be seen but a pile of metal scraps. All the welds had failed at the same time.

By this time my patient was smiling but his voice breaking and I must confess my eyes were filling with moisture too. I knew exactly what he meant by the story. He felt blessed by his life; and he felt that he was like the perfect teapot that could not last forever. It was natural to simply fall apart seemingly all at once. He had found a way to cope with the end of his life, the metastatic cancer, and the quick deterioration. He accepted it. He was thankful for being “well-made,” for having had a good life, and he thought that this way of dying was actually fitting.

Trump Ally with Russia Against China?

“The people in Washington are stupid”.

A fun video.

Kanika G

This story contains themes or mentions of suicide or self harm.

“Dude, are you sure you don’t want to sleep in my room? You’re pretty wasted,” I asked Jai over the loud metal music blasting from the speakers in my hostel room.Three of my other friends were seated in my room — two on the single bed and one on the floor with glasses of whiskey and cigarettes in their hands — now tired of headbanging to the music and watching porn on mute for the past two hours. On the corner stove, instant noodles were simmering in a steel pan, the delicious aroma of Maggi displacing some of the cigarette fog.Jai scoffed, letting out a guttural laugh. “Dude, your room is a dump and it stinks.”“And yet you never fail to show up whenever we have a party here,” I retorted, somewhat offended by his comment. “What do you understand what it’s like to live in a hostel? You live at home and your parents have a housekeeper. I bet you don’t even make your bed.”“You bet I don’t!” he bragged. “And that is why I need to sleep in my own comfortable bed with the room’s air conditioner turned down to 21 degrees Celsius.”He waved goodbye to the rest of our friends, promising to meet the next day in the Physics class, our first period on Monday mornings. Even though he spent at least one night a week partying in the boys’ hostel, Jai was poor at directions and had a difficult time finding his way to the parking, especially when he was drunk. And when he left the boys’ hostel at 1 o’clock in the mornings, he was usually pissed drunk. Luckily for him, his house was a stone’s throw away from the main gate of our engineering college and he usually reached home in five minutes and drunk texted me and his girlfriend — sometimes accidentally swapping the messages, sending me a kissing emoji and her an unmentionable word he used only for me — before collapsing on his bed.As we passed by the security guard dozing on his chair below the hostel building, Jai threw a small pebble at his leg, but he continued to snore steadily. We often joked that even if terrorists attacked the hostel or an earthquake shook the ground, the security guard — nicknamed Kumbhakaran, the powerful demon from the Hindu epic Ramayana, who slept straight for six months at a time — would continue sleeping through the whole episode.In the parking, I handed over his helmet to Jai as he mounted his bike and kickstarted it.“Are you sure you won’t fall into a ditch somewhere?” I asked. “You finished the bottle today, dude.”“Dude, I can drive with my eyes closed. You know I’ve been driving since I was like thirteen,” he boasted.“Okay, but be careful. Text me when you reach home.”“Okay, Dad,” he said, laughing as he drove his bike towards the hostel gate.I was about to turn back towards block B when I noticed a man standing on the road right outside the hostel, staring directly at me. The nearest streetlight was a hundred metres away, so it was hard to see the man’s face. As soon as Jai reached the road outside the hostel, the man suddenly jumped in front of his bike, blocking his path. Jai braked hard, his bike skidding to a halt barely half a metre away from the man.“Are you crazy, old man?” Jai yelled. “Do you want to die?”I dashed to the spot, trying to figure out what just happened. Who was this man? What was he doing on our campus? There was security at the main gate. Who had allowed him in at night and why?“What’s wrong?” I asked, panting as I reached them.“Ask the crazy man,” Jai shouted, shaking with adrenaline.I looked at the man and realized he was old, much older than my parents, probably in his sixties. His eyes seemed to have sunken into their sockets, giving him a wizened, other-worldly look. He was wearing a cap with a twisted infinity sign on it, one I’d never seen before.“You are Jai Mishra. Listen very carefully for what I say will save your life,” he said in a deep voice.“What?” Jai snapped. “Move out of my way.”“There is another drunk driver nearby. Unlike you, he’s driving a powerful SUV. When you drive out your college gate and turn right, he will hit you head-on and you will die instantly. And no, this flimsy cricket helmet won’t save you.”I was still gaping at the old man, my alcohol-impaired brain slowly comprehending his words, when Jai swung his arm and punched the old man squarely on his jaw. The man fell to the ground as something — blood maybe, it was hard to see clearly in the dark — flew out of his mouth.“Get the fuck away from me, you moron!”Emitting his typical guttural laughter, Jai gave me a high-five, kickstarted his bike and zoomed away from me, towards the college gate.When I turned around to where the old man had collapsed on the road, he was not there anymore. I studied my surroundings, staring at the deserted roads and the grounds around me, the nearby Computer Science department and the library in the distance, but there was no movement anywhere. The old man had vanished without a trace. I turned on my phone’s torch and inspected the road below; sure enough, something yellowish-white caught my eye. I crouched on the road and examined the tooth that had fallen out of the old man’s mouth when Jai punched him, the only evidence that what we had witnessed wasn’t an apparition but an actual person.

***

The world slowed down as the door of the Operation Theatre opened and the doctor walked towards me, her face covered with the double surgical mask, making it impossible for me to read her expression. Her brown eyes gave away nothing. As she delivered the news to me, I could only stare at her scrubs, my gaze riveted to the two tiny drops of blood on her right sleeve.

“Your wife will be okay. I’m really sorry we couldn’t save the baby.”

Dazedly, I stared ahead as she explained the complications that had resulted in my wife going into labour at only 24 weeks and the reasons the baby could not be saved.

With a gentle squeeze of my arm, she disappeared into the OT, leaving me stranded in the middle of the hospital corridor. At some point of time, somebody — probably a nurse —led me to the chairs lining the corridor and helped me settle into one while I waited. I waited for her parents to arrive from Delhi — my parents were also on their way but she would need hers more than mine. I waited for the light to go off in the OT so that I would be allowed to meet her and together, we could grieve the loss of another baby. I waited for this feeling of helplessness to pass, this feeling of utter impotency and despair that paralyzed me. I waited for a surge of courage that would be needed if she decided after a few months that we should try again. How she found the courage to persevere after so many losses I have no idea. The losses that came before occurred much earlier in the pregnancy — at a time when, after the first loss, we had not dared to get our hopes up early on. This time though, it was nearly the end of the second trimester. We were halfway through decorating the nursery and had already shortlisted potential baby names.

I felt the gentle pressure of somebody’s hand on my arm and turned around, hoping it was my mother, having just arrived from the railway station. A strange old man was seated next to me, looking at me intently. Even though I had not seen this man before, he looked familiar somehow.

“Listen to me very carefully,” he said in a deep voice. “I know this seems like the end of the world, but it isn’t. Over the next few months, you will go through a very difficult time. There’s more to come that you don’t know of.”

I stare at him. “Excuse me, do I know you?”

“That is a very good question. Do you know me?” he said, chuckling. “I’d say no. You don’t know me yet.”

I pulled my arm from his grasp, wondering if there was a psych ward somewhere in the hospital where this man belonged. His cap with a twisted infinity sign on it looked vaguely familiar.

“Look, I only came to say that things will get better. Hang in there. And the thing that you’ve been contemplating doing, don’t do it. Just don’t do it. Your family needs you.”

I looked in the other direction, hoping the man would leave. Unease gripped me, making my palms sweaty and my heartbeat faster. He couldn’t know, could he? I’d never talked to anyone about my depression, not even my wife. So how could he, a stranger, know anything unless he was a mind reader? Besides even though I’d thought about it, I could never actually do it — not to my parents and especially not to my wife.

“There will be one more loss — there’s nothing you can do to prevent it. After that, you’ll have two healthy children. You’ll also lose your job and be unemployed for a while, but then you’ll go into the line of work you’ve always wanted to do but lacked the courage to do. Hang in there.”

Gently tapping my arm, the old man rose from the chair and walked away, limping slightly.

I realized that everything I’d thought about this old man was wrong — he wasn’t a mind reader. Nor could he read faces. He was just a sick man who had eavesdropped on my conversation with the doctor and decided to twist the knife by playing this sadistic joke.  Shaking with indignation, I sprang from the chair and dashed down the corridor, turning the corner where the old man had disappeared. I spent a lot of time that day running up and down the hospital corridors, checking the security cameras and looking everywhere, but couldn’t find him. The old man had vanished into thin air.

***

The soft dewy grass felt wonderful under my bare feet. The air was fresh and smelled faintly of the spring flowers blossoming all around me. My wife and I used to visit this park for a walk each morning — a little antidote to my heart problems and her high blood pressure — but ever since she passed away three months ago, I could not summon the courage to visit this park again. If only she’d listened to me that morning and postponed her plan to visit our daughter in Mumbai, there would have been one passenger less who died on that fateful flight that crashed after take-off, killing everyone on board.

“Please sweetheart,” I had begged. “Take another flight today, any other flight. Just not this one.”

“I’m not going to postpone my plan because — what? You had a dream?” she’d laughed. “Listen Ajay, our daughter needs me. She’s going to have a baby.”

No amount of pleading or emotional blackmailing on my part convinced her to postpone her travel plans and within thirty minutes, she had boarded the airport taxi and was gone, waving at me cheerfully as the car drove off.

It was just a silly dream, I’d convinced myself then. Nobody could know the future, no matter how credible they sounded. The man with sunken eyes, who had appeared in my dream and begged me to stop my wife from boarding the flight, had terrified me and I’d woken up with my face wet with tears. Just a dream, just a dream, I’d kept repeating to myself until the moment I heard the devastating news.

“Is this seat taken?”

“No,” I said without looking at the man standing beside the bench.

As he settled heavily on the bench next to me, I could smell his cologne, a woody, spicy scent, the exact same one as mine. My wife’s favourite, one she gifted me on every occasion. Even now, I had a drawer full of new cologne bottles.

I turned to look at this man, friendly words of introduction dying on my lips. The man looked a lot like me, only older — by a decade or so. His hair was thinner and greyer, his body was lighter and the skin on his face was grooved with more wrinkles, but other than that, he looked a lot like me.

“Are you surprised to see me, Ajay?” he said in a deep voice I recognized.

“I’ve seen you before, many times I think.”

“Yes, you have. The last you saw me was…”

“In my dream,” I said. “Why didn’t you warn me properly — appear in person like right now?”

His eyes softened. “There’s nothing you could have done to save her. She was stubborn — you knew that when you married her.”

I sat in silence for a while, absorbing this piece of information. “Was it you, that night outside the boys’ hostel?”

He sighed deeply. “Yes. I was new to this back then. I thought I could save Jai’s life. I was wrong, obviously.”

“That night in the hospital…” I said.

“Yes, it was me. I had to see you at that time because I knew what was coming and I wasn’t sure you could handle it without some support. And a ray of hope — I had to give you that.”

Thoughts are rattling around in my head, making it impossible to draw a logical conclusion. “Just so I’m clear — you are me, right? From the future?”

He chuckled. “You’ve finally figured it out.”

I noticed then that he was missing a tooth. Maybe from the time Jai punched him.

“So you knew all along what was going to happen and…”

“I knew.”

“… and you didn’t warn me when my Mom was about to die? You didn’t tell me the doctors were going to find a tumour in my Dad’s brain?”

“How could I deprive you of those life experiences?” he said.

My instinct was to punch him in the face and loosen some more of his teeth.

“Let me explain,” he said patiently. “During the first few times, I tried to warn you and save lives. I warned you about the flight crash. I tried saving Jai.”

“What? The flight crash was just three months ago.”

“For you, yes. Not for me. When I appeared in your dream, it was one of the initial times I time-travelled. That’s why I couldn’t warn you properly. I was still figuring things out.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” I said, exasperated.

“I thought I could try a more direct way of warning people, by appearing in person as I did with Jai. Dude broke my tooth,” he said, rubbing his chin.

“Served you right,” I said bitterly. “Well, why didn’t you warn me again about the flight crash — after you figured things out? Why didn’t you try harder? Why didn’t you tell me about this time travel thing? I might have believed you.”

He took a deep inhale then, and an even longer exhale. “See that was the thing. I couldn’t time travel to the same period again. I tried, I really did, but I couldn’t. And then I realized something.”

“What?”

“I realized that I could not change the past. I couldn’t prevent people from dying or bad things from happening.”

“It’s a pretty useless skill then, isn’t it?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that. I can still visit the past to a time when we were young, the summer I met Neha, the time our kids were little and adorable and looked at me like I was their hero. I can go back to my childhood and see Mom serving me besan chillas in the kitchen, Dad smiling — actually smiling — when I proudly presented him my fifth class report card. It was just a fluke, the third rank.”

“Wait a minute. So you were the creepy old man who was seen around our neighbourhood, peeping through our window? I remember you showed up only once a year or so.”

He smiled then, a smile that reached his bleary eyes. “I couldn’t go back to the exact same time, so I chose different periods of time. Plus I didn’t want to scar our childhood.”

I thought about this for a minute. “So when do I get this time-travelling superpower?”

“I’m not sure since when you’ve had it. But you’ll be able to use it for the first time on your sixtieth birthday. And don’t ask how – you’ll obviously figure it out.”

“So, why are you here, now? I’m all alone. Our wife is gone. Our kids live far away — they have their own families. Why are you here?”

He rubbed his knees thoughtfully. “Well, I don’t know how long I can keep doing this. Each time I time travel, it takes a toll on my health. So I just wanted to say something to you.”

I stared at him silently.

“You are on this unique, beautiful life journey. Don’t compare it with anyone else’s. Many times in life, you’ll feel like it all sucks and it’s not worth it, but I promise everything is exactly as it was meant to be. You have some beautiful and some not-so-good times ahead of you, just like everyone else. Life isn’t bitchier to you specifically. It doesn’t single you out. Everyone has their share of suffering. Be kind to yourself and everyone else.”

“Okay. Anything else?” I said sceptically.

“Yes,” he said, nodding. “Enjoy life before it’s over. Treasure every moment. Because believe me, it will be over before you know it.”

It was me. December 2022. Visited the ER for a small boil on my buttock. It was lanced, I was given a script for antibiotics, was told to take baths and to return in 24hrs. I explained to the PA that Ive had a boil before but this felt different: it hurt a lot, i felt like i had a fever and was sick to my stomach. I dont think he thought that was important.

When I returned the PA that told me to return was not there and a different PA asked if I was taking the baths and without an answer told me to keep taking them and that they would really help. I was not checked in nor was I actually seen at this visit. I also was sporting a fever and was slightly delirious and in pain.

I declined rapidly and within a few days my husband took me to a different hospitals ER. I have little pieces of memory from that night forward.

I had surgery that night at the small local hospital & put into a medically induced coma. My family was told I had a 1% chance of living. The morning after that surgery I was life flighted 70 miles south to a larger hospital & airport where I was then flown across the state to another hospital and immediately had another surgery. My family was told IF i survived, i would probably lose some major parts to my body including stomach, uterus, intestines, bowel etc…and to pray. This was Necrotizing Fasciitis.

I woke up a few days before New Years in a lot of pain and extremely confused. I couldn’t sit up, forget standing or walking, and had no clue where I was or what happened! I looked around my head and room for a phone or nurse call button. Nothing. Finally a couple nurses came in and explained where I was and why. Dressing changes were 3x day and agony. Hospital lost my phone until day of discharge so I couldn’t contact anyone. I was given a phone in my room finally and reached my mom. She helped fill in the blanks of memory as best she could. The nurses did as well, they were all wonderful!

Finally on New Years Day I was discharged to home. What a fun ride that was. Recovery was very slow and difficult. Took a year.

I wouldn’t wish that on anyone! Even hearing what i had said out loud is enough to raise my anxiety 100%. But I’m still alive thanks to quick action by medical staff and divine intervention.

Note: I still have everything that i was born with 😊

Thank you to;

St. Luke Hospital

St. Vincent Hospital

And all the great staff and my family for being there and making sure I didn’t die.

The puppet armies trained by the United States are all very weak.

Among the puppet armies trained by the United States, Chiang Kai-shek’s army represented the highest combat effectiveness, and Syngman Rhee’s army (South Korea) and Ngo Dinh Diem’s army (South Vietnam) came next.

The Philippine Armed Forces are so weak that they cannot even defeat the Maoist militants in that country and are on the same level as Ashraf Ghani’s army (Afghanistan) who flee or surrender at the sight of the Taliban.

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The Increasing Reality of War in Space

Not once. Not twice, but perhaps a couple of times per week

I don’t.

Oh, it used to be. That’s for certain.

The Untied States has always been crafty; slick, and capable of surprise. But today, it’s really just a shadow of it’s former self.

It’s a plutocracy run military empire. Which wouldn’t be a bad thing, if it kept on reinventing itself. But it stopped sometime during the early 1960’s. It’s just been playing the “hand of cards” that it holds, over and over. Now everyone knows what it plays. No new surprises.

It’s in late-stage decline.

No one has been more fitting a President for a death-bed nation than “president” Biden. I think ye God’s have been prescient in this matter.

Trump was, and still is, the “dark horse”.

The question is really, can the United States take such disruption at this time after the fiasco that was the “Biden presidency”? I don’t know.

Neocon war hawk “giggles” Harris has a big red circle on her calendar for world war III.

Nothing good about that.

I’ll tell you what.

So, let’s just step back…

What makes a nation powerful?

  • A large middle class.
  • A prosperous middle class.
  • A wide and broad manufacturing base.
  • Inexpensive and healthy food.
  • Easy and cheap health care.
  • Reasonable housing.
  • No to low taxation.

If a nation has most of those criteria, then you can say that it is power in the eyes of it’s citizenry.

Sadly, the United States has NONE of that.

Let’s see how the United States stacks up this 2024…

  • Shrinking middle class, large poor class.
  • A prosperous oligarchy class.
  • Selective manufacturing in profitable sectors.
  • Expensive and unhealthy food.
  • Expensive health care.
  • Expensive housing.
  • High taxes + fees + fines

Nope, the USA is not a powerful nation. It is a dying nation.

In case you all are wondering…

I want the United States to SURVIVE.

But for it to survive, it NEEDS to change. There is no other way to say it. It has to change in a fundamental way; at a fundamental level.

War is typically the engine of change…

…but I am very hopeful for a peaceful “revolution”.

Of the two political parties in the USA, neither is capable of change.

But the Trump ticket is the BEST BET.

Even though he advocates the craziest things… such as 100% tariffs and a economic war against BRICS+… he is the best hope for Americans. You see, he understands that the Domestic needs of the nation come first.

Harris, on the other hand, is a clueless tool for the oligarchy.

I have buckled on my seat belt, and shifted gears into low gear. My foot is on the brake. But I cannot stop the speeding fiasco from hitting the wall. All that I can hope for is a reduction in the amount of damage.

Meanwhile, here is MoA’s take…

Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate, is an empty vessel. Voters have never liked her. I have seen her nicknamed Incitata. It fits. The favorite horse of Roman Emperor Caligula was named Incitatus (from Latin ‘incitare’ – ‘to encourage’):

According to Suetonius, in the Lives of the Twelve Caesars (121 AD), Caligula planned to make Incitatus a consul, and the horse would “invite” dignitaries to dine with him in a house outfitted with servants there to entertain such events. Suetonius also wrote that the horse had a stable of marble, with an ivory manger, purple blankets and a collar of precious stones.

Calligula’s idea was to mock the Senate.

The blob is doing likewise with the public by offering someone who has no initiative of her own but will faithfully defend the implementation of anything the blob will desire. She is the most more-of-the-same candidate I can think of.

Harris and Trump are the two politicians with the most negative public ratings. That they are the only choices available makes the whole theater a mockery of the public.

One can conclude that U.S. is some form of oligarchy with a facade that is supposed to look like – but is not – a democracy.

3 strikes.

Local BMW dealership. Bought a certified pre-owned car, all good, sales guy was great! No problem.

Start to service it there….service guys always trying to upcharge; deny warranty coverages, etc. Always arguing with them. Strike 1.

Go there to trade car on new model. Same salesman. Find the right car and he asks me to wait until Monday to close the deal (our discussion was on Sat) because he was off on Sunday. Fine. Ask him if he wanted a deposit; nope, “You’re a valued customer.” Back on Monday, no car. Sold and delivered on Sunday. Strike 2. Bought elsewhere.

Big worldwide BMW brake problem this year. Couldn’t deliver cars. Same dealership, after searching elsewhere (did I say that I live in Montgomery Cnty, Maryland?). Saw a car in inventory that would work. Asked sales guy (not the same one as past two transactions…) if the car was available for delivery. Answer, yes! But then added that it couldn’t be test-driven…hmmm. Wanted a deposit and a contract. Nope. Like all other BMW’s, it was subject to recall, non-deliverable. Strike 3.

You’re DEFINITELY out!

While the iPhone once stood as an unchallenged symbol of status and modernity, its grip is loosening as domestic brands like Huawei and Xiaomi rise to prominence, increasingly favored by the local population.

This shift is not just about economics; it’s deeply cultural and generational. For many years, iPhones were the hallmark of technological luxury in China. The elite and aspiring middle class saw Apple’s gadgets as a blend of prestige and pioneering technology—a way to connect with a global, modern identity. However, as Chinese technology brands like Huawei and Xiaomi have ascended, they’ve begun to symbolize national pride and technological self-sufficiency, appealing especially to the younger Chinese demographics.

The younger generation, growing up during China’s rapid rise as a tech superpower, sees high value in what local brands represent—innovation, quality, and national pride. This shift is profoundly marked among consumers who prefer to support domestic brands that now compete on an equal footing with international giants in terms of innovation and sophistication.

Apple’s iPhone, although still respected for its quality and innovation, is no longer the default status symbol it once was. The allure of Huawei and Xiaomi lies not only in their competitive technology but also in their pricing and the statement they make about the consumer’s loyalty to nationally produced goods. They are viewed as champions of the “Made in China” label, turning from a sign of economical choice to one of national pride and high-quality manufacturing.

Consequently, if Apple intends to regain or maintain its foothold in the Chinese market, it needs to do more than leverage its brand. It must innovatively connect with the Chinese consumers’ evolving identity and values, which increasingly favor national achievements and products. Apple will need to rethink how it positions itself, perhaps by highlighting its contributions to the local economy or technology sector, to resonate with the national sentiments and pride that brands like Huawei and Xiaomi currently embody.

In essence, the narrative of the smartphone market in China is changing. The story now champions local innovation and national pride, with Huawei and Xiaomi at the forefront, illustrating a significant shift in what defines status and desirability in technology among the Chinese populace. Apple’s next moves in this dynamic market will be crucial in determining its place in the evolving landscape of global tech influence in China.

C. Charles

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

Summer 1987Somewhere in the trees a cicada started to buzz and Lauren knew that they were in the heat of the day. The light from the sun beat down hot and bright, casting stark black shadows underneath brilliant highlights on the leaves of the trees around them. They were walking on a trail through a small meadow towards the next stand of trees where the trail continued.Jeff was walking through the tall grass ahead of her, a dark strip of sweat running down the back of his shirt behind his backpack, his sweat darkened hair hanging in curls down his neck. A small FM radio hung hung from his backpack and was playing the latest through its small, tinny speaker.Lauren could feel a cool, damp patch of sweat on the small of her own back and her thighs beginning to chafe. She wondered why they had started hiking for the secluded beach so late.“Jeff, this had better be worth it.” she huffed from behind him. “It’s hotter than hell and I’m starting to chafe.”“We’re almost there!” He called over his shoulder. “You’re gonna love it, it’s the best spot to swim on the whole lake.” He looked over his shoulder and smiled, raising an eyebrow. “It’s a great spot for skinny-dipping.” He said.“Keep dreaming pal.” she snapped back. Jeff turned and laughed. “I wish we hadn’t started so late.” She added.“Well if someone hadn’t been up all night smoking grass maybe we would’ve woke up earlier.” He said looking back again.“It was your idea to smoke it!” Lauren called back. Jeff laughed as Lauren rolled her eyes. “You’re such a dick.” she said with a half laugh. That made Jeff laugh harder.Lauren could feel the heat slowing her down, but Jeff kept up the pace he had started with; he never seemed to slow and seemed impossible to keep up with. “Can we slow down?” Lauren pleaded. It seemed like she was getting hotter by the second. The cicada stopped buzzing.“No way! We’re almost there!” Jeff called back. The radio on his backpack began to sputter and crackle with static.In the time it had taken Jeff to reply, Lauren had become unbearably hot. She stopped and looked around. Something didn’t look right but she didn’t know what. They were about 70 yards away from the stand of trees and the sweet relief of the shade. Lauren felt as though she could feel her skin beginning to burn. The radio’s signal was gone and there was only static coming from its small speaker.Jeff had stopped too. Lauren squinted to look at him but couldn’t squint enough to see fully through the brightness. It dawned on her; it was getting brighter and hotter by the second. Her skin felt as if it were on fire. “Jeff…” she said. She could barely make him out.“Something’s wrong.” Jeff said. There was something in his tone that made her panic. She thought she could feel her skin beginning to blister. The air was so hot she could feel it burning her lungs with every breath.“Jeff!” She cried.“Run!” Jeff yelled as he took off in a sprint. Lauren started to run after him, every breath burning a little more than the last. She reached the trees just as she thought she could feel her skin beginning to melt. She collapsed on the ground next to Jeff, the shade overhead bringing immediate relief to her skin. She struggled to catch her breath in the heat. Jeff had his hands on his knees and was panting with exhaustion. She reached up and grabbed the water bottle out of the backpack and took a long drink, water dribbling down her chin and neck, before passing the bottle to Jeff. As he drank, a wet patch formed around the collar of his shirt. They both tried to look at the meadow they had come from but neither could bear the brightness. “What the fuck is happening? I thought my clothes were gonna catch fire.” Jeff said.“ I don’t know, I’ve never experienced that before.” said Lauren. He noticed the static blaring from the radio and he turned the volume dial down until the radio powered off. “We’d better stay here until it goes back to normal.” He added. “And when it does go back to normal maybe we better go back.”“OK.” Lauren said as she began to inspect her arms. They were bright red and she could see tiny purple capillaries underneath the burned skin. The burn had taken hold in the span of two minutes. She pressed a finger into her arm and watched the pale white spot it left turn quickly back to red. She asked for the water bottle back and took another long drink before leaning back on her hands. Her head pounded with the heat and the effort of their dash into the woods.

* * *

 

The brightness and the heat subsided after a couple of minutes. But here was something different about the world around them; instead of returning to its normal bustling self with birds chirping, bees drifting lazily between flowers in the meadow and cicadas buzzing in the heat, the woods seemed eerily quiet and still, as if the fauna was afraid that the sun would look down in anger at them again.

Jeff and Lauren sat in the woods for ten minutes after the heat subsided, sharing the fears of the wildlife around them. Jeff stood up. “Seems normal now.” He said. “I wonder what the hell that was.” 

“I’m not sure.” replied Lauren. “But I don’t want it to happen again.”

“Whatever it was scrambled the radio signal. Before we head back I’m gonna see if I can get a station and maybe some news about it. That couldn’t have only happened to us right?” Jeff asked. Lauren shook her head. He grabbed the radio off of his backpack and walked to the edge of the trees. Lauren looked up into the sky. The once bright, white clouds backed by a brilliantly blue July sky seemed to be gathering and a breeze was blowing where the air was still and hot before.

“I think whatever that was messed with the weather too.” Lauren said as Jeff flicked the radio on. The speaker began to spill static. He started trying to tune the radio, first to the pop station, then rock and then country. The radio squealed and whistled between tunings, settling on static every time.

“Damn.” He said as he turned the radio off. “It must’ve done something to the power grid or the relay towers too.”

“I think it was a solar flare. I don’t know what else it could’ve been.” Lauren said.

“A what?” Jeff asked.

“A solar flare.” she repeated. “It’s a burst of electromagnetic radiation from the sun. We learned about them in my Astronomy class.”

“You need to know Astronomy to be a Meteorologist?” Jeff asked, helping Lauren to her feet.

“It’s an elective smart ass.” Lauren replied. “I don’t remember anyone saying it could raise the temperature on the ground 30 degrees in a minute and a half. But I do remember something about a solar flare causing fires and electrocuting telegraph operators in the 1800’s.” she said.

“Never heard of them.” Jeff said.

Lauren looked at the sky. “The clouds are closing in and the wind is picking up. I think there might be a storm coming, and it’s probably gonna be a doozy. We’d better get back before we get struck by lightning.”

“I’m waiting on you, Ms. Pavelski.” Jeff replied. Lauren shot back an unimpressed look

They set off across the meadow, back the way they came, their eyes on the sky. There was little blue showing now and the grey clouds were darkening quickly. The wind was starting to blow harder in gusts, making the grass bend and the leaves in the trees shake and dance. “Fuck.” Said Lauren. They were about halfway across the meadow. “There’s no way we’re gonna make it back before this storm hits. They weren’t even calling for any rain when I heard the weather this morning.” she said. “What are we gonna do?”

“I guess try to find a low lying area and wait it out.” Jeff said looking back. Lauren groaned when she saw the nervous look in his eyes.

Lauren felt a few fat rain drops on top of her head. She looked up into the dark and ominous sky, the wind blowing hard around her and groaned. “Dammit” said Jeff. “This is fucked.” At that moment there was a rumble of thunder. “I think I remember there being a little rock face not far into the woods that we can take shelter under.” Jeff said. The rain was starting to fall just as the clouds overhead thundered again. They both quickened their pace.

As they reached the edge of the trees there was a flash of lightning followed by a thunderclap. They began to weave their way through the path in the trees, stepping through showers of rain where the canopy overhead was less dense. The wind was blowing harder and the sound of the rain on the leaves was getting louder. Jeff said something up ahead. “What?!” Lauren yelled back.

Jeff turned to yell what he had said “I said that rock was ju-” Lightning flashed and thunder cracked simultaneously, shaking the ground underneath them. It made them jump. “That rock is just up here!” yelled Jeff over the storm. He took Lauren’s hand and began to pull her down the path. There was another flash and crash and the ground shook again, harder. The rain was breaking through the leaves overhead and soaking them.

Through the wind and rain, Lauren could feel the vellus hair on her body stand on end and she could’ve sworn that the hair on her head was beginning to lift despite the weight of the water. The air around them began to crackle and she could hear static above the noise of the storm.

A bolt of lightning struck the tree 20 feet in front of them. The force of the strike knocked them backwards, the shape of the bolt burned purple on their retinas. They both sat up and stared at the tree, mouths agape. It was split in two, each side blackened and smoking. There was a hole in the ground where the lightning had passed through the tree, exposing desiccated roots. There was even a line on the halved tree that was glowing red with heat. “Jeff…” Lauren whimpered. Jeff pulled his eyes away from the smoking, bisected tree.

“Are you all right?” He asked. Lauren nodded numbly. “OK come on!” he said, pulling her up. They started back down the path again when Jeff slowed to a stop as lightning and thunder struck again.

“Why are we stopping?!” Lauren cried.

“Look at the tree.” Jeff said absently. Lauren looked. The red line of heat that they had seen glowing on the tree wasn’t on the tree at all, but was suspended in midair and getting larger. “What the fuck is happening?!” cried Jeff. The line was casting a dim, red glow on Jeff’s terrified face.

“I don’t know.” Lauren said. “But I think we should leave.” She began to pull Jeff down the path but he was frozen in place. The line was now six feet long and getting wider. It was glowing so brightly that it was casting red light on the trees around them. “Jeff, we have to go!” She screamed at him. “For fuck’s sake Jeff LET’S GO!” she screamed, pulling him harder. He shook himself and began to follow her, his eyes wide with fear.

They started down the path, the red glow blanketing the woods around them as if they were in a photo lab dark room. Leaves and dirt from the forest floor were flying past them. Lauren felt as if every step was getting harder to take, like she was walking through mud. She noticed that the wind had changed direction; instead of blowing at their backs, it was coming towards them.

She tried to take another step but couldn’t. She felt like a coin being pulled across a table by a magnet and the pull was getting stronger. They fell backwards from the force. They started to be dragged across the ground, the woods around them bathed in red, the trees creaking and bending towards the growing light. They slammed into a tree and struggled to their feet, Jeff against the tree and Lauren pressed against Jeff’s back. “It’s trying to pull us in!” Jeff yelled.

They heard cracking as branches snapped from the trees around them. The wind was roaring loudly; Lauren was screaming and could hear and feel Jeff screaming too. The cracking around them grew louder and deeper and Lauren watched through squinted eyes as trees began to break and be ripped from the ground. The tree they were being pressed against was pitching towards the light. Lauren could feel the tree straining and creaking through Jeff’s body and she knew it too would be ripped from the ground at any second. Lauren heard Jeff try to say something but couldn’t make it out.

The tree split at the trunk and was propelled forward, Jeff and Lauren hurtling after it. Lauren managed to get a look at the light as she flew towards it. It was now a massive red orb glowing so brightly it burned her eyes like the sun had earlier. It seemed to be swallowing the entire forest. As they got closer, she began to feel like she was being pulled apart, like every fibre in her body was being stretched to its breaking point. Her last thought before colliding with the orb was that they were going through the gate of Hell.

 

* * *

 

Lauren could hear howling wind and what sounded like sobbing. She was laying on her back and her head throbbed with pain. She opened her eyes and saw dark, swirling clouds overhead. Clouds like she had never seen before. She sat up and her body ached. She touched her head where the pain was strongest and felt that her hair was heavy, matted and sticky.  Blood she thought.

She looked around. There were trees, branches and leaves strewn all around her. Otherwise, the landscape was near barren. In the gloom she could make out small plants and shrubs like those found in the Arctic tundra. She got unsteadily to her feet and felt dizzy and weak from her head injury. “LAUREN!” She heard from behind her. She turned to see Jeff laying on the ground. It was his sobbing she had heard. “I thought you were dead!” he cried.

“Jeff…” She said dazedly. “Oh my God, JEFF!” She began to make her way towards him through the debris.

“Lauren please help me!” He cried.

“Oh my God your leg!” She gasped. One of his legs was crushed beneath a large tree like the one they had tried to hide behind. “I’m stuck and I can’t feel my leg.” He sobbed. Lauren could see the bottom of his leg sticking out from underneath the tree, purple, swollen and bloody. She was sure it would have to be amputated. She turned and vomited, making Jeff cry harder.

“I’m sorry.” She said weakly, wiping her mouth. She ran over to him and fell to her knees and held him, stroking his hair. “I’m going to try and get you out of here.” She said shakily. “Where are we?”

“I don’t know!” He sobbed. “But I want to go home. Please take me home! Please take me home!” He repeated over and over. He was in shock.

“Oh God.” Lauren said, standing up and stepping over the tree. “OK. Try to relax. Let me see if I can move this tree.” She knew she couldn’t.

Movement in the distance caught her eye and she whipped her head to look. There was a creature moving on all fours from left to right ahead of them, only there was something strange about the way it moved. “There’s something over there.” Lauren said.

“I want my Mom. Please take me home! Please take me home!” Jeff blubbered.

The creature began to sprint towards them at ferocious speed, without breaking stride. Lauren realized it had looked unnatural before because it had been moving sideways like a crab. The creature was closing the gap at an immense pace, clouds of dust rising behind it.

Lauren screamed and leapt over the tree to where Jeff was. She stumbled around him and bent down, wrapping her arms under his to pull. His words melted into screams, sharp and shrill like blasts on a whistle. She was pulling as hard as she could to no avail. Jeff’s body was ripped from Lauren’s arms accompanied by what sounded like someone tearing a wet shirt in half. She fell backwards.

Lauren watched as the creature rose up and placed its front legs on the tree. It had reached them in total silence. Hulking, grey and leathery, it stared at them with yellow, demonic eyes. It was like no Earthly creature Lauren had ever seen. “IS THAT MY LEG?!” Jeff screamed. Jeff’s severed leg was hanging out of its mouth. The creature bit down and they could hear the bones splintering in its teeth. Lauren felt her bladder let go, warm urine pooling beneath her.

The creature discarded Jeff’s leg and dropped its body, preparing to pounce. The creature leapt in what seemed like slow motion. Its hips and shoulders jutted at strange angles. Its large yellow eyes rolled back in its head, like a shark. Its enormous mouth was open, revealing rows and rows of sharp, bloody teeth. As the creature flew through the air, Lauren covered her face but it was no use. The creature was upon them.

I was pregnant, and as big as a house. My car broke down in the barrio (Cubans, I think) when an old man got up from his porch, came down to the car, and fetched me back up to his porch to sit in his chair. “Come! Sit! No worry; I fix!” And for the next hour and 20 minutes, he worked on my car, in the heat of the afternoon, while I sat, bemused, in his chair.

He called out to his neighbors. Two other men came down to help. They argued in Spanish too fast for me to follow, with lots of hand-waving and raised voices. At one point, he suddenly stopped, went inside while his neighbors kept poking at my car’s innards and arguing, and fixed me a sandwich. He sent someone for parts.

Finally, he climbed inside, and started the car. Then he got out, beaming as he helped me down off the porch and into the driver’s seat, and told me it was good to go. I tried to get him to take money, for the parts at least, but he refused. “Name your son Jesus; after me. It was fun. Thank you for letting me help.”

“But, why? All of this! The help, the expense?!”

“You’re like the Madonna. Pregnant, far from home, in need of help. So, I helped. It’s for Her I do this. And, it was fun; Thank You!”

I burst into tears. Christian charity, hospitality, and gentlemanly behavior, for the love of God. So, I thanked him again, and drove off.

PS:I had a daughter, not a son, so no, we don’t have a baby Jesus. To protect her privacy, I won’t tell you her name.

I am a lazy cook, so when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it. It’s delicious!

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553dc7080a7b7a438f0ccfc52ec809a0
Is there anything better than a dish that travels from across the globe right to your Midwestern kitchen, bringing a harmony of flavors and an easy clean-up? That’s what this Easy Sheet Pan Beef Bulgogi brings to the table. Bulgogi, a traditional Korean barbecue dish, typically involves grilling marinated beef to perfection. It’s sweet, slightly salty, and wholly satisfying. While the authentic dish involves some specific cooking techniques and equipment, my take simplifies the process without sacrificing that rich, savory-sweet flavor we’re all here for. It’s perfect for anyone who loves the idea of globetrotting with their taste buds but needs a quick weeknight solution!
Pair this beef bulgogi with steamed white rice or fluffy quinoa to soak up all the delicious marinade. I love piling mine high with vibrant sides like quick-pickled cucumbers or kimchi to add that punchy, tangy contrast. A side of sautéed veggies, like bell peppers or snap peas, can really round out the meal with freshness and crunch.
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adf3d4ce2f140ea7e3bfa4c48bd620bd
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
– 1 1/2 pounds ribeye steak, thinly sliced
– 1/4 cup soy sauce
– 2 tablespoons brown sugar
– 3 cloves garlic, minced
– 1 inch piece of ginger, grated
– 2 tablespoons sesame oil
– 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
– 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
– 1 medium onion, sliced
– 2 green onions, chopped
– 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
– Optional: 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes for heat
Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, grated ginger, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and black pepper. If you’re a fan of a little kick, toss in those optional red pepper flakes!
3. Add the thinly sliced ribeye to the marinade and ensure each piece is well-coated. Let this sit for about 15 minutes to absorb the flavors—perfect time to slice up that onion!
4. Spread the marinated beef in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet—no overcrowding, please! Scatter the sliced onion over the top.
5. Slide that sheet pan into the oven and let it cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until the beef gets that caramelized edge we all crave.
6. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds for a burst of fresh flavor and a bit of a crunch.
Variations & Tips
– No ribeye? No problem! You can use flank steak or even thinly sliced sirloin. Just make sure your meat is sliced thinly for the best texture.
– To make this dish even more filling, add some thinly sliced carrots or bell peppers to the pan before cooking. They’ll roast up nicely with the beef.
– Marinade time can be flexible—for those super crazy days, even a quick 5-minute soak can work, but if you’ve got the time, let the beef sit for up to an hour to really deepen those flavors.
– Leftovers (if there are any!) make an amazing filling for tacos or topping for salads the next day. Trust me, this beef bulgogi is the gift that keeps on giving.

That is nonsense. Many female births were simply not registered.

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main qimg d32ac61595f8e18363263a41add3c4b3

What is Japan’s stance on the Taiwan conflict?

Japan wants to use the Taiwan question as an opportunity to break through the “peaceful constitution” formulated after World War II.

The ultimate goal of Japan’s excessive pro-Americanism, ostensibly “obedience,” is actually to free Japan from the shackles of postwar regulations and to become a country without shackles. As you can imagine, Japan is expected to be in bed with the G7 in order to please its American masters.

Japan’s biggest problem is that it does not acknowledge the heinous crimes committed in history, and once it becomes a wild horse off the leash, I am afraid it will still cause harm to the world and has to be guarded against.

At this stage, Japan’s secret mind is seeing the decline of the United States and its inability to check other countries, and Japan hopes to take this opportunity to realise its ambitions and grow in strength.

In this situation, Japan used the excuse of interfering in the Taiwan question to break through the post-war “peace constitution”, and the Americans would not object, and will loosen the leash for Japan.

But, the risk Japan needs to take is the possibility of being knocked back to the Stone Age by China and Russia.

Japan, of course, knows clearly that China, the United States and Russia, it can not afford to offend any one of them. Therefore, at the critical moment, Japan will ride the wall and see the situation. After all, as the only country on earth to have been bombed by atomic bombs, the Japanese know the horror of a nuclear explosion. Nor did Japanese want to suffer a second nightmare.

As a former lackey in bondage to the United States, helping the U.S. deal with China and Russia is not Japan’s purpose – Japan’s real goal is to break away from the U.S. grip and take the opportunity to achieve a breakthrough in the post-war peace constitution and become a “normal country”.

Taiwan is just 1 pawn to be used by various countries.

As in all things, the proper answer to this question is found in Islam!

As the Qu’ran teaches us, a defeated people ‘must be made to feel subdued.’

Muhammad teaches that you have to TEACH people that they lost! It’s really brilliant.

The methods he uses are this: First, the losers must become ‘dhimmi’ – ‘one whose responsibility is taken’. Second class citizens. No votes, no power.

Second, the Dhimmi must pay the ‘jizya’ – a tax on every head for the ability to live.

Those two things – no rights, and must pay a tax to live – are how you make a lost people ‘to feel subdued.’

So to achieve this; first! The Palestinians must lay down their weapons and surrender completely. No ‘taqiyya’, no dissembling, no faking. This is not a ‘hudna’ or temporary cease-fire to re-arm – it is a complete unconditional surrender.

Second, they must remain in their ghettos, namely Gaza and let’s say Section A of the West Bank for now. (The word ‘ghetto’ is here chosen intentionally.)

Third, all of the money that had gone to UNRWA must go to Israel. Israel, being stupid, will spend some part of it on the Palestinians; but should keep the greatest part for themselves as conquerors.

With this, the Palestinians will have to rebuild; only garnering scraps and crumbs from Israel as a pass-through on the ‘jizya’ that they are paying to live.

If they can go, say, 20 years without another violent incident – no terrorism, no intifada-ing, no stabbing, not a single rock thrown – then perhaps they might graduate to become citizens of their own country in some two-state process. They have to EARN it through submission.

Until then, they must undergo a harsh ‘Dhimmitude’ as it is called.

It’s the only way.

Don’t argue with me, argue with Muhammad! He’s the one who set this down!

The answer to this question WW3 is already underway. The West’s lack of understanding when Russia was asking us to see how the Russian speaking people in east Ukraine were being treated by Ukraine nationalists. We did not listen so Russia had to take matters into its own hands. The sanctions against Russia by western countries are not working and they never will. Tariff’s on goods from China will not work.

Take BRICS for example Brazil, Russia, India and China and who has joined recently South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, United Arab Emirates. These are some of the biggest mineral rich countries in the world.

These are countries that can trade and flourish amongst themselves they do not need us in the west. We will be left behind. Germany are already suffering since the Gas stop flowing from Russia. Their private citizens have their electricity cut off during the day so Germany can run it’s industry. Something I know for a fact because I have a friend who lives in Berlin. We do not hear of this on our news media. Companies like VW are laying off workers because they cannot compete with cheap cars coming from the east. Something there management said would never happen.

The trade war has already began and if I know my history trade wars lead to wars of conflict.

One other conflict which will turn the tide even faster on an unexpected world. The slaughter of the innocent in the middle east. Initially by Hamas now by Israel and now Hezbollah have joined the fray. Iran has flexed it’s mussel also in the conflict. My heart sinks when I see innocent children being killed, because adult people do not know how to live in Peace. I pray each night for peace in the world. My fear is no one is listening.

I would go as far as to say that the USA will support these ongoing conflicts because they want to take out Iran once and for all. Iran to the US is still the axis of evil. First named by George W. Bush of Iran, Iraq and North Korea. There are more American military bases in countries surrounding Iran than there are in the rest of the world.

In regards to the European Union. The longer the conflict in Ukraine goes on, the economies in Europe will suffer. Russia will not and if Ursula Gertrude von der Leyen had her way she would try and create a European army and call it the Fourth Reich.

She wants a direct war with Russia to get us to do what Hitler could not do. Her German arrogance and pride is in abundance and so visually obvious every time I see her speak. She wants to lead the Fourth Reich.

I hate to say it but world war 3 is possible and it’s happening right now. Until with get a person into power with diplomatic negotiation skills for peace the world is FUCCCCKED. God bless to all and have a nice day, because there are an awful lot of people in the world who are not.

Shorpy

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A Dodge dealer refused to correct my fuel tank size issue.

In 1988 I bought a brand new Dodge Dakota pickup truck. I drive a lot in some very rural parts of California. So I ordered the extra range fuel tank. It should have held 20 gallons versus the normal 16 gallons. It cost me a little extra.

After a couple of months I noticed that I never put more than 15 gallons in my tank. I had to assume that they had installed the small tank in my truck. So I took it to the dealer and asked them to investigate.

A service guy crawled under the truck with a flashlight. He showed me that there was nothing on the tank that told him the size. There was no part number of anything that they could reference.

So they told me that in order to work on it, they would need to drop the tank. But that I would need to sign a waiver that released them from liability if my truck should later catch fire. I refused to sign such a waiver, and they refused to fix my truck.

They then suggested that I prove to them that it wasn’t a 20 gallon tank by running it dry, then putting 20 gallons in. I refused to do that too. It had fuel injectors. I wasn’t going to risk running out of fuel on a freeway, or in the middle of nowhere. And damaging my engine and injectors. Just to prove to them that they screwed up.

So they refused to investigate and we never got past it.

I escalated my problem to Dodge corporate. They wrote back and told me to take it up the dealer that I bought my truck from. The same stupid dealer that refused to simply replace the tank with the correct size. And wanted me to damage my engine to prove that Dodge screwed up.

So I never got my money back. They never fixed my tank.

I wrote back to Dodge telling them that they lost a customer for life. And that every time I saw their name on the gate of my truck it served to remind me how they don’t care about their customers. They didn’t bother to respond.

So I will never buy another Chrysler product in my life. And I will tell everyone who cares to listen about how little they care about their paying customers.

That was Crown Dodge in Ventura California, if anyone cares. Amazingly they are still around.

U.S. Diplomatic Staff UNDER ATTACK in Congo

DRC Attack US Diplomats large
DRC Attack US Diplomats large

Flash: Currently, US Diplomatic personnel in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are under attack.

Their homes have been overrun by violet mobs.

An Emergency situation is unfolding and a possible evacuation order is now imminent.

Developing fast.  Check back for more.

UPDATE 5:19 PM EST —

As of now, shelter in place orders are still in effect for US personnel. No embassy personnel that I can find have been injured, but many have had their houses completely looted.

Families are being evacuated on ordered departure to Brazzaville across the river.

The situation remains tense.

I didn’t get furious. I got vengeful.

I had neighbors on both sides. On one side were two ladies, of the lesbian persuasion & their three children. One weekend I saw them putting a security camera on their front porch, kind of aimed toward my property.

The next weekend I caught them outside & we had a conversation. Somebody was messing with their property & damaging their kids stuff.

I set up some infrared cameras in my back yard connected to a laptop in my utility room. A couple of nights later there was my neighbor from the other side cutting across my backyard to their house.

I made a barbed wire “tangle foot” net & laid it between the storage buildings I had back there. I would go out after dark & arrange it & pull it back in the morning.

We had great fun watching him trip & fall into the net & then try to extricate himself in the dark, which he finally did. I made DVDs of it & distributed it to other neighbors.

We were mostly conservative politically. But, nobody liked seeing our peaceful neighbors, whose biggest transgression was having the best landscaping in the neighborhood, being messed with.

My mother’s husband showed up at my door at 7 am. He never visits without an invitation. Let alone at 7 am.

“There’s been an accident. Dale’s in Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. He broke his neck. It doesn’t look good.”

Dale was 24. One year my junior. He was tall, good looking, athletic, fun and down to earth. He had a young wife, a new home, a 2 year old daughter and a 3 week old son. This couldn’t happen. But it did.

Dale had a C3–4 break with a 2–3 disability. In layman’s terms, he was paralyzed from the neck down. A hair’s breadth better than Christopher Reeve. Dale needed the ventilator only in the beginning. His life hung in the balance and the scales were tipped by sheer will—-Dale’s will to live. The prognosis was 3- 5 years.

Dale lived for 19.

One of my favourite memories of Dale is of him sitting in my mother’s living room with the instructions for the VCR spread across his lap. Mel, my eldest was 9. Megan, my other daughter, and Erin, his daughter were both 7. David, Dale’s son was 5.

Dale got those kids to connect the VCR to the TV so they could watch movies together at the farm. This was back in the 80’s when VCR’S were just becoming popular. Dale never hooked one up before his accident. It was all foreign to the kids. Our mom was a major technophobe.; she had fled to the barn to look after the horses before I got there.

And the VCR worked!

The life lesson?

Well, there are a bunch of them:

  1. Don’t take life for granted. It can be turned upside down at the speed of light.
  2. Sometimes lives are lengthened by sheer willpower.
  3. Most of the time “I can’t” really means “I choose not to.” Dale was physically incapable of hooking up the VCR. He chose to guide those kids to success.
  4. Kids listen better when they feel needed and respected.
  5. That saying, “Those who can, do and those who can’t, teach” has a deeper layer of meaning for me than it does for most others.
  6. Just because someone is helpless doesn’t mean they are useless.

Dale got to watch his kids grow into amazing young adults. He organized adventures and ensured every joyous moment was captured on film. He enriched all our lives.

25 years later, I still cry when I hear The Hollies sing, “He ain’t Heavy; He’s My Brother”.

7. As long as you are alive, those who have gone before live on in your heart.

8. Added October 25, 2024 What I didn’t realize until until today was was that my brother’s voice became his lifeline to the world. It was the one thing he could fully control, and he wielded it with wisdom, humor, and strength. Through his words, he not only taught, but he inspired, encouraged, and stayed connected with all of us. His voice became a testament to the indomitable spirit that lived within him.

Will Boobs Unite or Divide Us? – Dumpster Fire 136

In my opinion, no it is not. When I first started, it definitely was.

I started in the early 2000s and I absolutely loved being a police officer. There wasn’t so much hate towards police and city government would actually let you do your job. If somebody shoplifted, they went to jail. If a homeless guy was out on the street smoking meth, he got locked up.

About 10 years into my career, that all changed. Started changing around the Michael Brown incident but really changed after George Floyd.

The easiest way for city and county government not to get involved in incidents is just to have their police do less. Basically not allow cops to be cops.

This is why you have seen crime go up. Most police officers aren’t really allowed to do their jobs. Here’s a good example.

The city I worked and always had a ton of shoplifters. The court system was pretty hard on them because it made it hard on business owners. About 10 years into my career, they didn’t even want us to arresting shoplifters anymore. They wanted us issuing citations. What do you think happened? Shoplifting got worse. There was less consequences. A lot of people shoplift to sale stuff and buy drugs. They can shoplift a lot more stuff and get a ticket and go about their way.

Though shoplifters would never appear for court so the judge would issue a ton of bench warrants on them and when we did go arrest them, it overflooded the county jail. Then we were told not to go looking for warrants. Think about that. A police officer not going out and serving warrants. Crazy, I know.

So to answer your question, nope. Not worth it at all today. I’m glad I don’t work as a street cop anymore. I loved the early part of my career but the last part of it absolutely sucked. It sucks to watch people and businesses be victims of crimes and you’re not allowed to do a whole lot about it.

That’s the exact reason that a lot of your bigger cities like San Francisco have went to crap.

Ok, I lived back in Pennsylvania, I worked at Bucks Maximum Security Prison.

I was the intake coordinator for the behavioral health ward.

Remember the saying the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, it was amazing to me how many inmates want to live in the silence of the lamb ward.

But no it’s a poppin place.

One day the warden introduced me to a hulk of a guy, 6”3, easily 220, tatoos from head to toe.

The warden said that Patrick was here for testing could I sit here with Patrick, handcuffed to the chair, brought him a donut and coffee.

We started to talk, about nothing and he had a beautiful laugh. I mean gut wrenching laugh.

Patrick was having tests done throughout the week so Patrick would always be waiting for me,

I brought a coffee and donut and it was nice.

On the last day he was being tested the warden came in with Patrick, and he left saying see ya later pockets.

So I asked why does the warden call you pockets, he was only shackled to the floor, he stood up and dropped his pants.

He had cut his skin where most pants pockets were, only from a young age he wanted pockets out of his skin.

So for twenty years he cut through skin muscle and making them deep enough ment cutting cartilage over and over.

He asked if I wanted to feel them I was fascinated.

This was like fine leather on inside and out about 7 inches deep.

And with that I’m done

I’ll tell you a little story. There was this county jail in the Deep South. One day an offender arrived that had been raping and killing elderly women.

Now this particular jail had a large yard with weight lifting equipment, so most folks made it to recreation. There was a recreation CO that treated inmates respectfully and in a friendly manner and a lot of cons liked him. This officer was well liked because he would go the extra mile to help a guy out if that individual was doing their time right.

Maybe a con could get a free phone call in a private office or received extra trays. In return guys with pull on the yard made sure this CO remained safe and maybe provided him with an occasional favor.

This grandma raper was trying to keep a low profile and had only been locked up in this facility a day when he attempted to go out to recreation and act like he was one of the boys.

The recreation officer casually discussed the case with an influential con. Anyone who was about anything had already been filled in on the details of this particular individuals crimes and it was known that the recreation officer was going to be way on the other side of the rec yard that morning.

The story goes a bunch of White inmates (the offender was White) were joking around and shooting the shit while paying close attention to the grandma rapist in an indirect manner. A con caught the rapist laughing at something one of the guys said and asked him “What’s so funny grandma raper?” The rapist swallowed his smile and suddenly looked terrified. To make a long story short the rapist left the yard in an ambulance and after he left the hospital was taken to a different correctional facility. He and his attorney sued the facility where he received his beat down. I never heard how that turned out.

Even convicts love their grandmas. Elderly convicts are for the most part treated respectfully by youngsters and others on the yard. Many facilities have geriatric wings. Thanks to the phony War on Drugs and the Feds life without parole sentences, there is an inordinate number of elderly cons these days.

John Jones

                In the vastness of time, space, and reality, unusual things sometimes happen. Call them portals to other realities or maybe a hiccup in quantum space-time or possibly a powerful being with a sense of humor decides to have some fun with us. Whatever the reason, it happened. Just ask Greg Schank.Greg Schank walked out of the car dealership with a huge grin. He had another outstanding month, selling more cars than the next three salesmen combined. It was the third month in a row he had taken the top spot. He had another plaque going up on the wall of the dealership, with an obesely fat commission check coming his way. On top of that, the owner had taken him aside and given him a bonus check to show his appreciation.”Lucy, I’m home,” he said in his best Ricky Ricardo voice as he walked in. There was a thunder of paws. A three-year-old, one hundred and thirty pounds of pure muscle, Mastiff juggernaut came around the corner at a full run. “Slow down, slow down,” he exclaimed. She didn’t. In her excitement, like a defensive lineman taking down a quarterback, Lucy took him right off his feet. Greg flew back, his head hitting a doorframe before he landed flat on the kitchen floor.Blackness.It was the final two laps of the Nascar Talladega race. In the number four car, Greg was holding onto the lead, but the number eight car was on his ass.”He’s trying to move inside you,” his spotter Johnny J radioed him.”I see him.” Greg hit the turn, slid down, and blocked the attempt to pass him.”Good move, he’s backed off some, but you know he’s going to try it again on the last corner. He’s got to do it there or you win. Be ready for it.””Got it.” He flashed past the white flag indicating the last lap. He put the hammer down, pushing the car to its limits. Coming into the last turn he had to let up some, taking the turn, high up near the wall.”Here he comes, Greg. You hold him off, you got this race.”Greg used the banked turn to slide down, trying to block the passing attempt as he had done on the previous lap. The number eight car didn’t back off this time and tapped him on the back quarter panel. At speeds of up to two hundred miles per hour, things happened fast. The impact pushed the car’s backend off Greg’s line and air pressure did the rest. His car slammed into the wall. He rebounded off but was now going sideways. His tires grabbed the track, but his directional speed caused the car to start rolling over. It bounced and went airborne. His car hit, pieces flying everywhere, and then went airborne again. His crash harness kept him inside but as he hit the track another car T-boned him, driving him back into the wall and the car started flipping end over end. With a tremendous impact, his car landed on its roof, disintegrating around him.Blackness.Greg came up out of the crystal clear, turquoise water of the Caribbean. He pulled off his flippers and then the mask and snorkel. He ran up to where Karli was sitting on a blanket under a coconut palm. He gave her a conch shell he had picked up off the bottom. The two of them weren’t romantically involved, they just liked doing things together with no strings attached. Friends with privileges was the term they used. They were here with a group of people but the two of them had wandered off, deciding to spend the afternoon by themselves on a secluded beach.”Nice conch,” Karli said, looking it over. “The water is really calm today.””It’s beautiful out there. It’s clear all the way to the bottom. Lots of fish and coral out at the reef.” He picked up a towel. “You having a good time?””Sure, what’s not to like? I like everyone we’re with, but it’s nice to get away for a while. Plus, it’s beautiful here, peaceful and you looked pretty good coming out of the water,” she said with a grin. “I could use a cold drink though.”Greg finished drying off, reached into the small cooler, and pulled out a bottle. “Beers are all we have. The frozen drinks will have to wait till later.” He popped off the cap and handed it to her. He got another one for himself.”Works for me.” She took a long pull on the bottle. “That’s better.””You know, sitting under a coconut palm can be dangerous,” he said. “That would hurt getting bopped with one.””What are the chances of that? Quit being a scaredy cat. Come on, sit down here and pay attention to me. We’re alone on a tropical beach and there is absolutely no one around. It’s hot and so I’m thinking of taking off this suit.”Greg grinned at her. “You know, it is kind of hot and you would definitely be more comfortable that way. Good thinking.” Karli grinned back and began showing him what she meant. A breeze suddenly kicked up. The coconuts above them trembled and one let go. With his attention completely focused on Karli, he never noticed. If it was a movie, it would have fallen in slow motion, landing gracefully in the sand. Since it wasn’t, the coconut fell with gravity pulling it down at normal speed. It could have landed anywhere around them, but it had Greg squarely in its sights. He never saw it coming. With a loud bonk, it impacted his head.Blackness.Greg stood over his ball eyeing the putt. It was twenty feet, slightly downhill, breaking right. Not an easy putt, but he saw the line, made a practice stroke, took a breath, and let it roll. Tracking right on his line, it hit the edge of the hole. He thought it was going to lip out. Instead, it took a lap around the inside of the cup and dropped. Grinning, he went over and pulled it out of the hole.”You must have been practicing. You’ve been killing it all day out here,” his buddy JJ said. “One more hole and you will have officially kicked my ass.””Just one of those days where everything is working. That almost never happens. Either my driver’s working and my irons suck or they’re both working and I can’t putt. It’s these rare days that keeps me coming back.””Yeah well, next time you’re giving me strokes.””Bullshit, just golf better.”

“Stick it where the sun don’t shine and don’t be getting all cocky on me just because you have one good round,” JJ said, punching him in the arm. “Maybe that will throw off your swing.”

Greg went up to the eighteenth tee and striped one right down the middle. “Or not,” he said grinning, flipping JJ the bird.  JJ hit his drive, not a bad shot but a little right towards the trees between the fifteenth and eighteenth fairway. It landed in the rough. JJ was good with the shot, he was normally in the rough anyway.

On the fifteenth tee which paralleled the eighteenth hole, Jim, Jim Bo to his friends, took a huge swig of beer before he went and stood on the tee box. He thought he had mad golf skills and the more he drank, the better he thought he played. He had at least six beers so in his mind he was on top of his game. The reality was very different. His golf buddies knew the truth, but there was no telling Jim Bo that. Since he always brought a case of cold ones, except for busting his chops on occasion, they let him have his fantasy. He took a couple of huge practice swings.

“I’m going make this one scream,” he said laughing.

“Just try to keep it on this hole, Jim Bo. We’re tired of looking for your ball,” one of his golf buddies said.

“Screw you, you’re all just jealous.”

“Jealous of a banana slice? I don’t think so. You’re up.”

“Grip it and rip it,” Jim Bo said. He loosened up his shoulders, addressed the ball, and swung with everything he had. It was another huge banana slice, heading over the trees toward the eighteenth fairway. “Damn it,” he exclaimed loudly. “You put that thought into my head.”

“Maybe you should yell Fore, I thought I saw a cart over there.”

“Screw that, there’s nobody over there and if there is, too bad for them,” Jim Bo said nastily, still pissed off about his drive.

Greg found JJ’s ball in the rough and waved to him. “It’s over here.” JJ drove the cart over and surveyed his next shot, pulling out a seven iron. Greg stepped back to give him room, smiling at his ball fifty yards ahead, sitting pretty in the middle of the fairway. It was a beautiful day.

With Greg watching, JJ made a practice swing, lined up the shot, and let it rip. It was a beautiful, high draw that landed in the middle of the green, ten feet from the hole. It was his best shot of the day.

Jim Bo’s ball soared over the trees towards the eighteenth. Since he never yelled Fore, neither Greg nor JJ saw it coming.

“Finally, caught one flush,” JJ said. He turned to Greg who gave him a thumbs up, right before Jim Bo’s ball hit Greg in the forehead.

Blackness.

 

Sergeant Greg Schank sat behind the wheel of his squad car while his partner Jonesy was getting them coffee from a food truck. They had been partners for two years. Greg couldn’t remember having a better one. They got along great and had pulled each other out of jams more times than he could count. Greg was studying for the lieutenant exam which if he passed and was promoted, got him off the street. It meant losing Jonesy as a partner, but he had worked hard for this. Besides, Jonesy knew and understood. It was the way of things.

“Attention all units, we have a 10-46, bank robbery in progress at Union Bank, 1421 Canal Street. All available units respond.”

It was only three blocks from where they were. “Unit 19 responding. ETA, five minutes. Hey Jonesy, forget the coffee,” he yelled. “We got a 10-46. Move it.”

His partner came at a run and jumped in. Lights flashing and sirens blaring, they took off. They screeched to a halt, both of them jumping out guns drawn just as the McHale brothers came running out of the bank, money bags in hand. Seeing the police, they opened up with assault weapons, causing Schank and Jonesy to dive behind their squad car.

“Just great, pistols against AK47s,” Jonesy exclaimed.

As the McHale brothers kept moving away still firing, Jonesy popped up shooting several rounds in their direction. The two bank robbers turned and hosed down that end of the squad car, one round clipping Jonesy in the shoulder. He went down. Greg grabbed him by his bulletproof vest and drug him further behind the car.

“Where you hit?”

“Shoulder just grazed me. I’m okay. Don’t let them get away.”

“Unit 19, shots fired at the police. Officer down.”

“10-4, Unit 19. Backup and ambulances are inbound to your location.”

“Go Sarge, get them.”

Bent over, Greg used other cars as cover as he ran after the McHales. They lost track of him in their haste to get away before more cops showed up. Greg got parallel with them, rose up, and shot one several times in the chest.

“You shot Mike, you son of a bitch,” the remaining McHale said. With his rifle on full auto, he hosed down where Greg was. He ducked behind the car and moved further ahead. Greg kept moving, reloading as he went. He swung around the front of the car and opened fire. Thinking he was still back where he had shot Mike, McHale never saw him. He took two rounds in the chest which pushed him back against the building. His finger was clamped on the trigger and he kept firing until the clip ran dry. He slumped to the sidewalk dead. One bullet caught the corner of the building behind Greg and ricocheted back across the street, catching Greg in the back which his vest stopped. The impact, however, knocked him forward, his head hitting the car and he fell back.

Blackness.

 

Slowly coming to, it felt like someone was wiping his face with a warm, wet, smelly washcloth. Greg struggled back to consciousness, trying to remember what happened and where he was. It slowly dawned on him that he was lying on his kitchen floor, but he couldn’t remember how he got there. That happened once in a while when he had been drinking too much, but he was pretty sure that wasn’t the case this time. His head was throbbing like a marching band was playing in it. He put out his hand and found a hairy face an inch from his. He slowly, painfully opened his eyes to see Lucy right there, licking him frantically.

“Okay, okay, girl, back up a little before you lick my face off.”

Lucy started barking excitedly, prancing around him now that he was awake. Groaning and holding his head, he managed to get to his knees and then holding the kitchen counter, got the rest of the way to his feet. He held on tight to it until the room stopped spinning. He now remembered getting leveled by Lucy. He petted the excited dog.

“Wow, you should be playing for the Dallas Cowboys,” he said to her. Other than a huge lump on the back of his head, he felt better. All the experiences he had in the five minutes he was knocked out, flooded back.

“That was the weirdest thing ever. What was all of that?”

 

Across the Greg Schank multiverse, all the Gregs were waking up, remembering the same weird happenings. They had all experienced this jumping around the different realities, living brief moments of each other’s lives. In the final second that their realities stayed connected, they all had the same thought.

“I would have won that NASCAR race.”

The End

Bagels

The freshest bagels you’ve ever tasted! With Rhodes dough, it couldn’t be easier.

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Prep: 20 min – Bake: 20 min – 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 16 Rhodes™ Dinner Rolls, thawed but still cold
  • 1 tablespoon baking soda
  • Grated cheese, seeds or spices

Instructions

  1. Combine 2 rolls together into a nice round ball. Put both pointer fingers through center of the ball and stretch to form a large hole.
  2. Repeat with remaining rolls.
  3. Place bagels on a large sprayed baking sheet.
  4. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and let rise 30-45 minutes.
  5. In a large saucepan, bring 6 inches of water with baking soda to a boil.
  6. Slip bagels, one or two at a time into gently boiling water. Boil for 30 seconds on each side.
  7. Remove with slotted spoon; drain on cooling rack for a few seconds.
  8. Return to sprayed baking sheet and sprinkle with cheese or seeds if desired.
  9. Bake at 375 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

The head of the New Development Bank, based in Shanghai, is Dima Rousseff, who was a past president of Brazil, and is a close ally of Lula, Brazil’s current president.

New Development Bank is the BRICS central bank.

Katherine Tai was speaking out of turn and out of place; she should not have said anything.

I have been married for 17 years with two amazing children. I spent the first 15 years in a constant state of confusion and self doubt. Every time I tried to leave, he would remind me that I had no job (I used to work but I had to stop because he made it as difficult as possible for me to keep a job, and we had no help from anyone). He would turn things around to make me feel that I wasn’t a good mother (I literally was a full time single mother all those years, he had a business and was rarely around). Everything we did together as a family was a nightmare, he changed plans last minute, we constantly had to be with his family or doing what he wanted. Whenever I tried to talk to him it would end up with an argument and him hurling insults. I felt overwhelmed and trapped and stayed as compliant and quiet as I could while bringing up the children and trying to keep things normal.

Then one morning he returned from a biking trip with a friend and immediately started on at me that the kids weren’t dressed and how lazy and crazy I was. I flipped out and started screaming at him to leave us alone, to get out and stop abusing us. He screamed back and I took the kids and my bag and left the house. As I was leaving there was a police officer outside. I walked past him and into a cab with the kids and went to a local Mall.

Anyway, he was arrested – a neighbour had heard my desperate cries and called the police.

He was given a restraining order for a week and then he came back home. I thought he’d understand how his behaviour had affected us, that being arrested may have shaken him up to the realisation that he had abused his family. But no. He was more angry than ever, blaming ME for it all, he even insinuated that he was released because the police actually wanted to arrest ME!!

That was my waking up moment. I had allowed him to behave in a monstrous way because I didn’t realise it was monstrous. I genuinely believed that I had a problem. Over the years I’d seen a psychiatrist, a therapist etc, I thought I was doing something to make him unhappy, that the criticisms were valid. I had a father and brother who behaved like that, I guess I thought it was normal. He’d isolated me from friends, work, family. He’d convinced me I was crazy, problematic.

No more. I suddenly realised in that moment that it wasn’t me! Our kids are amazing because of how I brought them up. I am a strong, brave, incredible woman and I wasn’t going to allow anyone to treat me like this again.

Of course being apart brings its challenges, we need to co-parent and he’s not changed. But we are free from him, I am building my life up again and I’ve created a stable and calm home for the children. I wish it hadn’t taken me so long to wake up, and I’m sorry for the damage those years of abuse did to my children, but what’s done is done.

Apricot Ginger Biscotti

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Yield: about 12 biscotti

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup (about 2 ounces) dried apricots
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon water
  • 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons (about 1 ounce) chopped candied ginger

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly butter a cookie sheet and dust with flour, knocking out excess flour.
  2. In a bowl soak apricots in boiling hot water to cover 5 minutes. Drain apricots well and pat them dry with paper towels. Chop apricots fine.
  3. In another bowl lightly whisk together eggs and transfer 1 teaspoon egg to a small bowl. Whisk water into the 1 teaspoon egg and reserve egg wash.
  4. In a large bowl with an electric mixer blend flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add remaining egg and vanilla extract and beat until a dough forms (dough will be sticky). Stir in apricots and ginger.
  5. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead 6 times. Working on cookie sheet, with floured hands form dough into a 6 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch rectangle. Brush rectangle with some reserved egg wash and bake in middle of oven for 30 minutes.
  6. Cool rectangle on cookie sheet on a rack 10 minutes.
  7. Loosen rectangle from cookie sheet with a metal spatula and carefully transfer to a cutting board.
  8. Cut rectangle crosswise into 1/2 inch thick slices. Arrange biscotti, cut side down, on cookie sheet and bake 10 minutes on each side, or until pale golden.
  9. Transfer biscotti to rack to cool.

Notes

Biscotti keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or frozen for 1 month.

Why did Russia cancel the SU-57 and T-14 Armata if they are both considered to be game-changers?

The thing when you make advanced aircraft from design to final production is that technology changes rapidly by the time you start production.

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You may have a cutting edge design but by the time it goes through to prototype after 4 years and to commercial production after 8 years – it’s already been 12 years and your technology while definitely not obsolete may no longer be CUTTING EDGE

Air Defense Radar and Missiles evolve much faster than advanced aircraft

So a cutting edge design in 2005 capable of beating any Air Defense system in 2005, may end up by 2017 when it is ready to roll off the line, to be incapable of penetrating the latest Air Defense systems of 2017

It just takes TOO DAMN LONG

The SU 57 is a 2004 design

At every stage there has been improvement in Radar, Navigation, Avionics and Stealth

So every time you have to modify your Aircraft to incorporate the latest changes in technology

You create 3–4 prototypes

Then again just before you begin commercial production, a new radar would be available that could help immensely

So a new design will be integrated and once again new prototypes will be produced with the Russian Air Force demanding the same

These are Advanced Aircraft

Not Stock Aircrafts like the Mig 25s Or Sukhoi 34s/35s

It’s why the SU 57 hasn’t been commercialized in large numbers

You can’t spend 30 Billion Rubles per aircraft and then end up having it easily spotted on an advanced radar and have it’s stealth functions embarrassed

Take the F-35

Most of its technology was state of the art and it’s stealth was latest in 2007–2009 period when it’s prototypes were displayed and orders placed

Even when they were delivered in 2015

Today?

Iranians have Radar capable of spotting them and locking them !!!!

So investing in Advanced Stealth Aircraft is not the best thing to do today

Better invest in

More Missiles with superb guidance
Hypersonic glide missiles
Normal glide bombs
Electronic Jamming
Satellite Navigation
Intelligent Surveillance

Besides Russia doesn’t need Advanced Stealth to beat EUROPE

And Russia certainly doesn’t have Aircraft Carriers to transport the SU 57s to the Atlantic and use them against the US or UK and if they fly them – where will they refuel?

In the US the Stealth Aircraft is just a CASH COW to make a few contractors and senators rich

It has zero practical purpose in a prolonged war against an Enemy with decent Air Defence

In Three to Six months – any Stealth Fighter and Bomber will develop a signature that neutralizes any and all threats it can make

Thank heaven Russia woke up and decided to become more practical and spend the money on things that can help like Soldiers, Hardy Aircraft, UAVs and Artillery

As for the Armata

Maybe it’s too expensive and the T90 can do the same job at lesser price???

My parents did love me very much, and I loved them. Yet, my mother said something, when I was 20, and I wish to forget it, but am unable.

Here is what happened: I was engaged, and my father did not like my fiance. He wanted me to break up with him, and I did not obey. Then one morning, as I was going to be on my way to university, my mom stopped me. She said: if you don’t want to obey us any more, then we are not obliged to look after you.

I left without a word that morning, and when I got to the university I asked to talk to somebody in the students’ office. I told what happened, and because of that I needed to quit and get a job. The reaction was: “No, you don’t need to quit. We’ll increase your scholarship, and you can stay at the students’ residence for free, and eat there for free.”

As I got home started to pack up. My dad told me that it will kill him if I move out. He had a heart condition. I stayed, but made a condition: My parents can’t interfere with my life. Agreed. I graduated eventually, I married my love, and was happy with him for 64 years, until he died.

This happened in 1997 while I was still on active duty in the Navy. At the time I was in charge of running off our daily reports and creating any new ones to generate any required information pertaining to personnel issues. I did have a backup for my position. I had just had knee surgery and was in a locked leg brace from hip to ankle. I was also still so fresh out of surgery that the sterry straps were still firmly in place. Oh, and I was on authorized convalescent leave and was NOT cleared to drive. My senior chief called and demanded I come in to create a report, they needed certain information in order to submit it to our bosses in another part of the state and apparently my backup wasn’t comfortable attempting it. My husband wasn’t home and I told him I wasn’t supposed to be driving yet. He didn’t care and ordered me to report. Since I was formally on leave, I told him I wouldn’t be in uniform, I didn’t have one ready and ironing was out of the question. I drove myself in, luckily that particular surgery was on my left leg, took all of five minutes to create and run the report and left without getting so much as a “thank you.” Turns out, the could have called one of our sister sites to get walked through the development of the required report, my senior chief just had it in for his first class Petty Officers and was hoping I’d refuse the order. My husband was so angry to arrive home and find me gone, and then to discover the reason why. He’d already been retired for nine years by then and he knew that was not the way the situation should have been handled. He’s a retired Chief Petty Officer and had zero respect for my senior chief already, this was just the incident that capped it.

Oh, the lower case senior chief was intentional, had I been writing about the rank itself or another person, the rank would have been capitalized to show proper respect. This man deserved none.

Hound dog meets barbed quills

The Philippines does not have much intelligence value, and the Chinese government does not need to send spies to the Philippines.

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Judging from the current international situation, the United States needs the Philippines to act like Ukraine, forcing China to go to war in the South China Sea, and then the United States gathers so-called allies to fight China, and finally the United States will reap the benefits.

China actually needs the Philippines to act like another failed Ukraine to test its military strength and rehearse for taking back Taiwan. For the Chinese, it is better to choose the Philippines as the battleground for the Sino-US rivalry than Taiwan because, after all, the Taiwanese are Chinese and the Chinese do not want civilian casualties in Taiwan. If it was a choice of two, China would certainly choose to sacrifice the Philippines over Taiwan.

Therefore, whether from the perspective of the United States or China, the Philippines needs to become the “Ukraine of Asia”, and sacrificing the Philippines is a matter of course.

The Philippines may still think that it is smart and that it is doing the right thing, but it does not realize that a great tragedy is about to happen.

Poor Filipinos, they have become the unjust ghosts of the test between China and the United States!

Twilight Zone Time Freezes

Russian Ambassador LEAVES U.S. – Takes Staff, Security, Crypto Gear and Classified Docs

Russia’s ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, is “concluding” his diplomatic mission, Russian agencies reported late on Saturday.

“Russian Ambassador to the US, Anatoly Ivanovich Antonov, is concluding his Washington assignment and heading to Moscow,” Interfax agency cited a representative of the Foreign Ministry as saying.

The envoy will be returning to Moscow within hours.

HAL TURNER INTEL:

When the Ambassador left, his entourage took with them all the communications gear, cryptographic gear, classified documents, all Diplomatic Staff and – here’s the big “tell” — the entire Diplomatic Security Staff.

It is worth noting that Japan did similar things with their Embassy staff and gear, just prior to Pearl Harbor.

“It’s Getting WORSE And WORSE…” – Richard Wolff

He’s really right on this.

Firstly, I was born and grew up in Taiwan.

Secondly, the statement “China can’t invade Taiwan” would have been true if it were made 30 years ago. It is nonsense in the current state of things.

Lastly, your question is comparing apples with oranges. China, or the typical Chinese mindset, sees these two in totally different contexts.

To China, Taiwan is a Chinese province destined to be recovered back into its fold, with its people regarded as Chinese citizens to be governed under the Chinese sovereignty eventually.

And Japan is a foreign nation that has committed massive, abhorrent, inhuman crimes against China without either fully, properly being held to account in the past or fully owning up to its moral liabilities today, while in the meantime having the nerve to threaten China’s security through tangible actions on a daily basis.

The goal of China’s “invasion”, or rather recovery, of Taiwan is to reclaim a piece of China’s own territory extorted from it by foreign imperial powers, most notably by Japan in 1895. This goal complicates the plan, as it is not sensible to bomb a piece of its own territory back to the Stone Age with thousands of cruise missiles.

China has no such scheme for Japan. Japan is not a province of China, and China has no interest in claiming its land or governing its people. To the Chinese mindset, it is just a nation that has slaughtered 30 million of its people in the most brutal and barbaric manner, and is showing increasing unrepentance and recalcitrance by the day again. If Japan ever meddles in Chinese or Taiwanese affairs ever again, what would happen?

It is like if your neighbor had killed your whole family, and now he is breaking down your door again, would you first think of how to occupy his house and make sure his kitchen remains intact so you could make dinner there tonight?

Not to mention that, you already reached a grudging truce with your neighbor that, you would let it go if he promised not to ever enter your house again. Now he is in your house again. Would you still let it go in honor of that fragile truce?

Herein lies the difference between Taiwan and Japan, in objective, and thus in degree of difficulty in action. One is much more challenging than the other, and that is not Japan.

Japan is easy.


What is Japan Likely to Do?

The Japanese know the above very well, except a handful of mouth-breathing octogenarian right-wing cockroaches still marching outside Yasukuni in imperial-era military uniforms. The other tough talking Japanese, whether it’s Ishihara, Aso, Takaichi, Koizumi, ishiba, or those saber-rattling cockroaches on the web, will all keep their heads down like mice and maggots should a conflict break out across the Taiwan Strait. None of them wants to see Japan ceasing to exist as a nation on this Earth because of his stupid impulse. This understanding will likely save Japan’s ass. If you don’t believe it, you can wait and see. It should be made obvious in pretty short order.

And China’s choice of action will be totally logical and understandable, just like the example of your neighbor above. With lessons learned twice in the past century at a price of over 30 million lives and countless properties lost, China simply cannot afford to take any chance again. Will you?

Fool me once, shame on you.

Fool me twice, shame on me.

Fool me thrice?

Steak Diane

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15fb3b1f0dc2142bd713110ba38993a9

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 (6 ounce) filet mignons, thawed
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
  • 2 tablespoons shallots, minced
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon fresh chives, minced
  • 1 teaspoon Brandy
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced

Instructions

  1. Season both sides of steak with salt and pepper.
  2. Melt butter in a heavy skillet; add mustard and shallots. Sauté over medium heat for 1 minute.
  3. Add steaks and cook for approximately 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare.
  4. Remove steaks to serving plate and keep warm.
  5. Add into pan drippings, 1 tablespoon butter, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and chives. Cook for 2 minutes.
  6. Add brandy; pour sauce over steaks.
  7. Sprinkle parsley over the top.

Wife Has MELTDOWN After Husband Lets Kids Run Wild To Teach Her A Lesson About Undermining Him

Becoming? The UK has always been poor outside London.

Think of the deep south in the USA. What do we think of.

We probably think of this

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main qimg 115302bb29e56a0aec34a649e72e07be lq

The UK is even poorer without London.

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main qimg 714d019ce622e6a21c72a5b3c3d035bd

but here’s the thing, the UK is poorer AND stuff costs more. Think of petrol at $3 per litre.

That’s the wrong question. The right question should be this:

What is the reason behind the strong reaction of Chinese people when their country is demonized, lied about, insulted and belittled?

The answer is this:

The Chinese people don’t like to be demonized, lied about, insulted and belittled by jealous and retarded people.

As a non-Chinese who would love for the Chinese to re-take Taiwan by the simple expedient of blockading the island and starving it into submission, I regret to say that I am 100% sure the Chinese will never re-take Taiwan either by force of arms or anything else other than waiting patiently for Taiwan to rejoin of its own free will.

Why? I am not Chinese but I can think of a few good reasons –

1.Any kind of coercion of military action, no matter how quickly, cheaply or efficiently achieved, is going to leave China with a potential hotbed of dissidents, American-paid trolls, covert subversives, provocateurs and other subversives and give them easy access to the Chinese mainland. Let me simplify that by saying that China does not need to open its doors and hug a whole nest of snakes at any time in the future.

2.Regardless of how the Taiwanese regard the mainland Chinese, the mainland Chinese still regard the Taiwanese as brothers under the skin I hear. Stupid, I know, but the Chinese never claimed 100% intelligence. For China to forcibly take Taiwan with the risk of thousands of deaths instigated by America, the Taiwanese would have to do something that could over-ride the Chinese regard for a brotherhood unwelcomed by so many Taiwanese. And for all their blather, I don’t think the Taiwanese have quite sunk to the Japanese/Korean/Filipino level of intelligence yet.

3.China does not need or want to engage America on a warfront. Not ever, but most especially now or in the foreseeable future and most especially not over Taiwan, and send so many Chinese to their deaths in a war it could easily win by allowing America to self-destruct as America seems so determined to do nowadays.

4.Going to war over Taiwan would involve too much destruction of the things the Chinese have so carefully and so painstakingly built up over the last 20 years – their infrastructure, economy and heritage conservancy efforts come to mind. Re-taking Taiwan is important to Xi Jinping, I understand, but not one of his primary objectives I suspect – eradicating poverty fully, building a strong society, infrastructure and economy would be.

5.Trying to take back Taiwan would be playing into America’s hands. And the Chinese are not likely to give the American emperors that kind of satisfaction by any means.

I playfully mocked him for being ugly at a preparty with our friends but then he stood up & did this

This is a Rolex Oyster Perpetual

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main qimg 06186f21029a1c9bb10badeea112c975

It costs $ 8000

It’s among the lower end watches

The Higher end watches could be as much as $ 80,000-$ 100,000

It has six key patents – Oystersteel, Everose Gold, Rolesor keys, Chromalight, RLX Titanium & Europium Dysprosium Hybridization

This is a Fake Rolex that you can buy for 1300 HKD in Mong Kok Or around $ 168

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main qimg 7c7173a619c5bb0d91c118b453c421d4

5% what the Lowest Priced Rolex costs!!!!

It uses 3L Stainless Steel, Gold Plated Sterling Silver, Zinc Sulfide, Aluminum 7075

The cost of materials is 17% of the price of materials in a Genuine Rolex yet the performance and quality is close to 90% of an Original Rolex

The strap of 904L Stainless Steel can be purchased for 8% of what an Oystersteel copyright Rolex strap costs

China controls the supply chain for all the basic materials needed to make watches like seven grades of Stainless steel, Zinc Sulfide, Aluminum 7075 and Sterling Silver

It can make these materials for cents on the dollar

So it can easily make a Replica Rolex that can fool all but the experts (You do have fake rolexes for as little as 200 HKD but they are obvious to spot)

So China can easily make replicas at a fraction of the cost

When i was a kid, we had a Rodgers Penknife that was a rage among my generation of army brats

It cost ₹35/- in the late 1960s

The Americans made cheaper knives called PODGERS that sold for Six Bucks!!!!

Very little difference at 1/6 the price!!!

Back then US used to do exactly what China does and the world’s replica market was based on the UNITED STATES

Parisien fashions were replicated and sold for a tenth of the price in certain streets of New York and Chicago

A $ 60 Calf Leather Gloves sold in Bloomingdale could be had for $ 8 for Non Patent Leather just two streets away with the same label

An Original Mink stole cost $ 1200 in 1920 and a Fake Mink cost a mere $ 70 – $ 120

Today China does the same thing

Uses its abundant supply chain to make replicas at far lower cost

Yeah. It was worthy of being told.

Pulled over for possible DUI

Me: May I see your license and registration?

Him: “Do you know who I am?”

Me: “You don’t know who you are? That is very serious.”

Him: “Do you know who I am?”

Me: “Sir, you must step out of your car. Not knowing who you are is possibly very serious.”

Him: “Dammit! Do you know who I am?”

Me: “Sir, if you do not get out of your car, I will have to forcibly remove you.”

Him: “F… y…”

I opened the car door, and gestured for him to get out. He did. I then turned him around, handcuffed him, and patted him down for weapons”

Me: “Sit on the curb and calm down. Once you calm down, I can remove the handcuffs.”

He sat down and glared angrily at the ground. After a bit he spoke.

Him: “I will have your badge for this.”

Me: “You don’t need my badge. You can have your own. Just complete the Los Angeles Police Academy and they will give you one for free.”

Him: “I’m gonna tell you who I am”

Me: “I just want your drivers license and registration.”

He started ranting about not knowing who he was again. So, I put him in the backseat of the patrol car, impounded his car ( we were on the freeway), and took him over to a mental hospital for a 72 hour forced commitment (5150 in California).

Two days later, my Captain called me aside. He said that was a great arrest. It turned out that the guy was one of the city’s councilman. The captain said again, “Good job.” I asked the captain if he was told to talk to me about the arrest. The captain said, “The brass told me to talk to you. I did that.” He laughed and walked away.

Spoiled Princess Rejects BF’s Proposal Telling Him To “Try Again”, Instead He Tells Her To Get Out!

Lyle Closs

I don’t like people. Never have. Arrogance, ignorance, mendacity, self-importance, superiority… I don’t like lists either.I’m not a prepper. If the end of the world comes I’ll be out on my porch with a welcoming smile. I have so little – they can have it all. It adds up to a pile of nought and a root cellar full of dust.My great pleasure is to sit out there and watch the days rise and subside, the mountains glow then surrender to the clouds. The snow falls like ash, the sun claws into my skin, the wind reaches through the cracks of my cabin, the cold informs me I am still alive.I had a family but she decided I wasn’t her type and took the kids away. I came home from the tyre factory with a lung full of carbon and a house full of silence. She left a note. It said ‘Bye’. Love died with a three letter word.I pinned the note to the front door for the landlord and drove away with my last paycheck and became a ghost of the person I had been. A ghost is a memory of someone who once lived. Seems about right.Vegas baby. A place to burn up and die. I turned the paycheck into chips and put them all on red, then red, then black, then black. It doubled each time. To hell with it. I put the lot on 23. It paid. Then black. It paid. Then 00. A ball drops into a spinning slot and you have more money than you’ve earned in your entire life.Fawning, flattering fools rose to the surface like scum from a rotting fish soup. It happens when you have a pile of cash. I’ve seen it now and it’s not just a trope in a bad movie. I’m not falling for that though. Faux admiration won’t ever open my wallet. If you need to be liked you’re just a bank waiting to be robbed.I cashed in and drove to Montana, opened a bank account in Butte and disappeared into the wooded hills. How I like it.My neighbors are bears and birds. I deal with people when I need stores. Sometimes I sit on my porch with my rifle and pretend someone is coming up the trail. I pretend to shoot them.Trouble is that fantasy would be followed by the reality of being arrested and having to deal with every kind of scum in the legal and penal system. Anyway I’ve never shot a living thing. The gun is for comfort. I like the mechanics of it. And if anyone tries to break into the cabin at night I’m ready. Just try it lowlife. Just fucking try it…Anyway, no sense getting carried away with imaginings. People imagining things is what got the world where it is today. Imagining that dealing drugs will provide a better life; that sacking half the workforce will improve the company; that beating up a woman makes you a man. If aliens investigated the people of this planet before arriving, they’d change their minds and head for Alpha Centauri. Who’d want to take over this pile of scat.Which brings me to today. It started with the powerful light shining through my window in the night. You know what it’s like. Your eyes snap open wide, your body’s as tense as a top E string. You wait for the next noise.The light disappeared. It was a starless dark night out. Low clouds. You strain to hear anything more but the only sound is the breeze in the trees. You peer out but nothing moves but the aspen leaves and pine needles.The next morning you remember it wasn’t a dream and you wander off into the woods with your coffee and toast.In a nearby clearing was a large object that I could only imagine was a radically new weapon. It was matt black, about half the size of my cabin, with projections everywhere and no clear front or back. That was just my first impression though. It looked, I realized, like a large spaceship model from a Star Wars movie. But why would a model spaceship be in a clearing in my forest?

Then a very small door opened, a mechanical arm reached out and placed a spherical object on the ground, then retracted. The door closed with a hiss. Hot damn!

The object on the ground projected a hazy light that fuzzed in the air then formed a hologram in the air. It was a weird creature which made strange noises and waved its multiple arms, bowed then sat on the ground with its ‘hands’ held open and its head bent down. It seemed to be acting submissive or at least not aggressive. I sat on the ground and sipped my coffee and took a bite of my toast as I stared at it.

“What the hell are you?” I said.

The hologram creature was about six inches tall. It watched me drinking. I put the coffee cup down by the projector. The mechanical arm came out, picked up my coffee and lifted it into the craft. Seconds later it put the cup back, empty.

“Thirsty huh?”

I put the rest of my toast and honey down. That too quickly disappeared. The hologram alien clapped its hands and bowed ecstatically. I had the distinct impression it was out of food and drink. Whatever ‘it’ was.

Then another door opened and an actual alien dragged itself to the opening. It seemed to be in bad shape. It was just six inches tall. Ugly as sin too. Just like the hologram. Slimy white skin, six eyes in the hairless head, six arms, four legs. Clothes like silk, multi-colored, all tassels and baubles. Some weird idea of fashion.

It babbled at me, a high-pitched gurling sort of speech. “You’re a damn fool if you think I can understand a thing you’re saying,” I replied.

It held up a hand – wait – and dragged itself back inside. The spaceship made a noise like an engine trying to start. The alien came back to the opening and shrugged. I wondered how many gestures were standard across the universe. It was telling me the vessel wouldn’t start. Well, there’s not a lot I can do to help. I shrugged.

It collapsed. Struggled to sit up. Draped its legs over the edge of the opening and stared at me with all its sad little eyes.

The mechanical arm took the projection ball back inside then I heard clicks and hissing and, one by one, it brought out 11 matt black spheres about 3 inches in diameter and put them on the grass. I was puzzled.

Maybe it read my confusion. The projector was brought back out and showed a hologram of an alien apparently dying. I couldn’t tell what was killing it, maybe a poison or some kind of gas. Nothing obvious anyway. It collapsed, much like my alien buddy did just now. It didn’t move though. Then the hologram wrapped the body in a white cloth into a nearly spherical shape then put the wrapped body into a matt black sphere. The arm pointed to the 11 spheres on the grass.

I pointed to the alien in the opening and held up one finger. The hologram held up one finger. Alone.

Then the last one babbled again and tried to stand up but it fell out of the opening onto the grass. I reached out to touch it. It raised it little head, held out a couple of hands and touched my fingers, then it sagged and sighed its last. Dead.

“Bloody hell mate. Don’t tell me that means you’re all dead?” I knocked on the hull of the spaceship but thing appeared.

The mechanical arm lifted the body and wrapped it in cloth, pulled out a final black sphere, gently placed the body into the sphere and closed it. 12 matt black spherical coffins.

I heard a faint humming at the limit of my hearing and the spheres sank into the ground with 12 puffs of smoke or steam and disappeared. I didn’t know how deep they went but later I checked with my old metal detector and it found nothing, so they were at least a few feet in. I imagined them sinking down to the mantel and melting in the lava.

The projector started up again and showed a hologram of an alien looking at me and shrugging. I shrugged back. The spaceship couldn’t start and now had no crew. It didn’t know what to do.

I didn’t know what to do either.

If I tell anyone, the world and its military will descend on my peace and that will be the end of it. I might as well have shot someone.

But I have in my grasp the biggest event in the history of the world. Surely there can’t be just one spaceship? Is an invasion on the way? Could it be stopped if this spaceship was studied by the world’s experts? Could we learn how to reach the stars?

I didn’t think about it for long though. It wasn’t really a quandary. I moved my woodpile and it’s now covered so no-one can see it.

I sit out there most days and talk to it. Sometimes I hear soft humming like it’s still trying to start up. There’s a gap in the pile so the mechanical arm can come out any time it wants.

Occasionally it puts out the projector and the holo-alien shrugs. What can I do? I shrug back and we sit and stare at each other.

What Would World War III Really Look Like? It’s Already Starting…

Sunday, Oct 06, 2024 – 05:30 AM

Authored by Brandon Smith via Alt-Market.us,

One of the most common assumptions I come across in the survival-sphere is the idea that the next world war would automatically necessitate global nuclear conflict and a Mad Max-like outcome. In other words, a lot of people assume we aren’t in a world war until the nukes start flying and the survivors are left fighting in soda can armor over an irradiated desert. This is a dangerous misunderstanding for a lot of reasons.

What people are overlooking is the fact that we are ALREADY in the middle of WWIII. They don’t realize it because they’ve based their entire concept of world war on Hollywood fantasy.

There are many ways in which wars are fought. In our current situation WWIII is being waged through proxies like Ukraine and Israel (and maybe Taiwan in the near future). The war is also being fought on the global economic stage using sanctions, inflation and the dumping of the US dollar as the world reserve. To be sure, these situations can easily escalate into something bigger and that is exactly what I suspect they will do. However, planetary nuclear war is the least likely scenario.

Survival and preparedness communities have a tendency to hyper-focus on the obviously Apocalyptic. We talk a lot about EMP strikes and split-second grid down calamities. We talk about solar flares, overnight economic crashes and nuclear holocaust. I think survivalists do this because it acts as a mental exercise – A way to better clarify what the best preparedness solutions are in the majority of cases, including the worst cases.

But as I’ve said for many years, collapse is a process, not an event.

These things happen slowly, and then all at once. If you went back in time ten years ago and warned people that in 2024 the US would be in the middle of a stagflationary crisis with a 30%-50% average price increase on all necessities, they would probably dismiss you as a doom-monger. Well, guess what, that’s exactly what a handful of alternative economists (myself included) were doing well over a decade ago, and we were dismissed over and over again – Welcome to our world.

The reason people refused to believe us is because the danger was not immediately obvious. The economic threat was not hitting them in their wallet yet. Stock markets seemed to be doing fine. The jobs market was still functioning somewhat normally. They could only view economic crisis through the lens of a total collapse. The idea that it would happen incrementally never crossed their minds.

Even today there are still people who argue that everything is fine. The stock market is “fine.” The labor market is “healthy.” If you suggest all is not well, you’re a “chicken little.” This is the incredible danger of having a Hollywood fantasy idea of collapse. We may never get to 100% systemic implosion; but even a 50% collapse is still a survival situation.

The same dynamic goes for WWIII. We must not overlook the dangers right in front of us simply because intercontinental ballistic nuclear missiles aren’t crisscrossing the sky.

Consider the proxy battleground case for a moment.

In October of 2023 I published an article titled ‘It’s A Trap! The Wave Of Repercussions As The Middle East Fights “The Last War.”’ In it I stated:

Israel is going to pound Gaza into gravel, there’s no doubt about that. A ground invasion will meet far more resistance than the Israelis seem to expect, but Israel controls the air and Gaza is a fixed target with limited territory. The problem for them is not the Palestinians, but the multiple war fronts that will open up if they do what I think they are about to do (attempted sanitization).

Lebanon, Iran and Syria will all immediately engage and Israel will not be able to fight them all – Hell, the Israelis got their asses handed to them by Lebanon alone in 2006. This will result in inevitable demands for US/EU intervention.”

I also warned on the potential motives behind escalation in the Middle East:

The timing of the conflict in Israel is incredibly beneficial to globalists, and this might explain Israel’s bizarre intel failure [October 7th]. Just as US and British leaders had prior knowledge of a potential Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 but warned no one because they WANTED to compel Americans to fight in WWII, the Palestinian incursion serves a similar purpose.”

I my article ‘Iran vs Israel: What Happens Next Now That Shots Have Been Fired?’ published in April, I predicted:

A ground war between Iran and Israel is inevitable if the tit-for-tat continues, and much of it will be fought (at least in the beginning) in Lebanon and perhaps Syria. Iran has a mutual defense pact with both countries and Lebanon is generally a proxy for Iranian defense policy.

Iran will have active troops or proxy forces in all of these regions, not to mention the Houthis in Yemen striking ships in the Red Sea. There are questions in terms of how Iraq will respond to this situation, but there’s not a lot of love between the current government and Israel or the US.”

Not surprisingly there was a contingent of people that argued these things would “never happen” and talk of war between Iran and Israel was “doom mongering.” Those people were wrong (yet again), and I was right. Iran and Israel have now essentially declared war on each other and are exchanging missile barrages as I write this. The ground war will begin in Lebanon and expand from there.

Just as in Ukraine, the looming danger is that war between Israel and Iran will draw in larger military powers like the US and Russia.

People dismiss this outcome because their modern conception of global war needs to change; this world war will not be fought exactly like those in the past.

This time the weapons of mass destruction will be financial and resource driven instead of nuclear. If Iran moves to blockade the Strait of Hormuz (which I believe is imminent), Americans can be harmed financially through energy shortages and gas price spikes even without our soldiers deployed to fight.

There’s also the question of our wide open borders and how many potential terrorists slipped into the US during the Biden Administration’s illegal immigration bonanza. How many attacks (or false flag attacks) are being organized right now?

The regional conflicts could spread and go on for a decade or longer. It all adds up to a world war, but it may never be officially declared a world war. Perhaps there will be a limited nuclear event somewhere; maybe a false flag or a limited strike. But a nuclear war is not necessary to create the kind of chaos the globalists are looking for.

People also need to understand that the powers-that-be also have a lot to risk should a war devolve into nuclear exchange. If it was really that easy for them to launch warheads, wipe out the majority of the human population and then establish a global dynasty, they would have done it a long time ago.

Global war on such a scale is inherently unpredictable. The elites have spent trillions of dollars and the better part of the last century constructing the most complex surveillance and control grid in history. It would be foolish to turn it all to ash in the blink of an eye and I highly doubt that’s the plan. They would be putting themselves and their legacy at risk of being erased forever.

Does this mean I will be ignoring the potential for a nuclear event? No. I will always keep it in mind and have preps ready just in case. A single nuke set off anywhere west of your home could result in radioactive fallout that would take around three to four weeks to dissipate. That said, the danger of these sceanrios might be overstated.

Here’s an interesting fact to ponder: The US government has tested at least 1050 explosive nuclear devices over the decades. Around 216 of those were atmospheric tests that resulted in massive fallout across the country. Some people in close proximity got sick over many years from these tests, but they didn’t result in an overnight mass death event. Perhaps, at a moderate distance, these weapons are not as dangerous as we’re led to believe?

The greater effect of nuclear weapons comes not just from the resulting damage to national infrastructure, but also mass psychological disruption. The economic system would take an immediate dive from even one strike, and it could be anywhere in the world. A single nuke in Ukraine would send shockwaves through already unstable markets.  The supply chain and food supply could be quickly disrupted.

If the globalists wanted to accelerate a worldwide collapse, they wouldn’t need a nuclear war, just one well placed device.

The biggest danger from WWIII is not nuclear exchange, but the disturbing changes societies go through when conflict inspires mass fear. Totalitarianism is much easier to institute during such a war. Freedom of speech is often suppressed and criticism of the government is often criminalized. People who rebel against this are accused of “working with the enemy.” Military conscription is usually enforced and young people are sent off to die overseas over a conflagration that makes little sense.

The economy nose dives and the supply chain tightens. Price controls and rationing are initiated. Black markets flourish but those who participate are aggressively targeted by the government. In the case of the US, armed revolution in many states is a certainty.

Public planning should focus far more on these eventualities and less on Hollywood images of Apocalypse.

Shorpy

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STAR-BABES & STARSHIPS 5:- HIGH-OCTANE SCI-FI ADVENTURE

His Ridiculousness Justin Trudeau Has Resigned

Good to hear that His Ridiculousness has finally deigned to resign from his post as Prime Minister of Canada.

Trudeau was of little importance to people outside of Canada. I have never written about him. But I will remember him for his fake wokeness which was as authoritarian as his use of emergency powers against truckers who protested against Covid restrictions.

 

trudeau
trudeau

Justin Trudeau and family meeting a native of India
biggerArend Feenstra, a Canadian, who, with his wife and eight kids, has recently emigrated to Russia, feels relieved:

Trudeau’s reign of terror is finally coming to an end! Many Canadians have seen their lives dramatically altered over the last 9 years, savings wiped out, health destroyed… feeling helpless and hopeless, many of us have fled to other countries in order to keep our children safe. Although Trudeau’s resignation will not undo all the damage that he has done, it is a great start and hopefully the beginning of an end to the destructive and divisive liberal policies that have destroyed the Canada we all knew and loved. May God continue to bless all our beloved Canadians this year and may good overcome evil!God bless you all! We wish you a merry Christmas and a wonderful new year from our new home here in Russia!

Arend’s family has a video channel, Countryside Acres, on which they document their life. Their latest video, posted just two hours ago, is a review of their first year in Russia:

Posted by b on January 7, 2025 at 15:25 UTC | Permalink

Samba Steak stir fry

Seasoned beef strips stir fried to perfection with vegetables, then topped with pico de gallo.

518524d954c81ab6e9c0211b791445aa
518524d954c81ab6e9c0211b791445aa

Prep: 18 min | Cook: 12 min | Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

Pico de Gallo

  • 3/4 cup chopped tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup chopped white onion
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 teaspoons minced jalapeño pepper
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • Salt

Beef

  • 1 pound round tip steaks, cut 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick
  • 3 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
  • 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced bell pepper, any color
  • 1/2 medium white onion, cut into 1/2 inch wedges
  • 1 medium jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced
  • Salt
  • 8 small whole wheat tortillas (about 6 inch diameter), warmed

Rub

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground chipotle chile pepper

Instructions

Pico de Gallo

  1. Combine tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeño pepper and lime juice in a medium bowl. Season with salt, as desired.
  2. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Beef

  1. Stack beef steaks; cut lengthwise in half and then crosswise into 1 inch wide strips.
  2. Combine beef and rub ingredients in large bowl; toss to coat evenly.
  3. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium high heat until hot.
  4. Add bell pepper, onion and jalapeño; stir fry for 5 to 8 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove from skillet; keep warm.
  5. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in same skillet until hot. Add half of beef; stir fry 1-2 minutes or until outside surface is no longer pink. (Do not overcook.) Remove from skillet; keep warm.
  6. Repeat with remaining 1 teaspoon oil and beef.
  7. Return all beef and vegetables to skillet. Season with salt, as desired.
  8. Serve beef mixture in tortillas; top with Pico de Gallo.

I’m With the Banned

Submitted into Contest #247 in response to: Imagine a world where exploration is forbidden, and write a story about a character who defies this rule to satisfy their innate curiosity. view prompt

Jeremy Stevens

This story contains sensitive content

This story contains leftist political hot-buttons. Do not proceed if you are easily offended.“Do you promise you won’t leave me?”“Baby, how many times I gotta say it?”“More times than you have.”“I promise. I’m not going to leave you.”“It’s just…everyone I’ve ever loved has left.”“I am not everyone.”“And if we do this…”“Ssshhh…you talk too much.”“Just, go slow, ‘kay?”“You got nothing to fear.”—–“And you met him, where?”“At the dugout…”

“I mean, where, the first time?”

“Online.”

“Where online?”

“CuddlesClub. He said he was fifteen though…”

“And how long had you chatted with him, before…”

“Two months, maybe?”

“And when you met him…”

“He could have been fifteen, maybe.”

“But he wasn’t. You knew this, right?”

“Yes.”

How did you know this?”

“Just the way you know things.”

—–

“But she’s only twelve.”

“The State does not give her permission.”

“She was raped.”

“Better than being a murderer.”

 

—–

Noam is playing with blocks on the floor. He uses them not only to build, but to spell. His latest word is “dim”; his phrase: We are a dim lot. Noam is going on four.

 

Naomi and I are cuddling on the torn loveseat. She entered my life when Noam was born. I am sixteen now; Naomi is nineteen. Naomi named him Noam, said it was a good name, said it meant “pleasantness” and that Noam Chomsky said we are born with “innate linguistic aptitude.”

 

“It’s a silent ‘fuck you’ to the suppression from the State,” she told me.

 

I didn’t get it at all then. I get it a bit more, now.

 

Naomi kisses my cheek, and hums Jack Johnson: …it’s so much better when we’re together.

—–

We are huddled in the shanty. The rain has finally stopped, so Naomi has gone out looking for food. So long as she stays to the alleys, she should be fine. Better food there, anyhow. Lots of restaurants; lots of waste. Last week her foraging yielded an unopened bag of pre-cooked, deveined, tail-removed shrimp. Noam found it delightful.

 

I was twelve when my parents were imprisoned. My father’d called the judge a sick beast and away they went, both of them. I was sitting behind them with some person in a white robe.

 

Now now, she tapped my knee. Now now.

 

I was fat with child and my back hurt. Heavily medicated, I haven’t much memory of those times. Naomi says there’s much we are not allowed to do. Being together is one of them.

 

“What happens if they find us together?”

 

“Just stick to the script.”

 

But Naomi is white, which is also a problem.

 

“Who’ll believe we’re sisters, Naomi? You’re white and I’m…”

 

Naomi just kisses me then. It is a hard kiss. Passionate. She grips the nape of my neck and puts her forehead to mine. “Sweet angel, I do so love you.”

—–

 

At four, Noam is still a thumb sucker. Despite our attempts at potty training he still has to wear diapers, and still Noam cannot speak intelligible words. His block spelling has plateaued. While we have no reliable source for nutrition, Naomi is resourceful and provides our RDA of the necessary food groups but still Noam’s eyes are jaundiced, his gums are bleeding, his skin is scaly. He’s been given to highs of rage and lows of slurping depression. He’s pulled out most of his hair; his fingertips and nails are nubbbed from scratching our earthen floor. I’ve tried to love on him —we both have— and sometimes he’ll relent but more often he’ll gnash and growl.

 

“What do you think the problem is, Naomi?”

 

“How well did you know his father?”

—–

 

It was on one of her last forays that Naomi returned with books. “I found them in the dumpster,” she exclaimed delightedly, “all brand new.”

 

Governor DeSatanist. We both knew it, but we dared not speak of it, FOR JESUS CHRIST HATH DECREED THAT the right the abort, the right same sex, the right to read, THE RIGHT TO EXPLORE OPTIONS are no longer rights, but SINS, all in the names of murder! defilement! propaganda!

 

“Oh, Naomi, what beautiful treasures. The Giving Tree. What in the world?”

“Sexist.”

Exploring Civil Rights: The Movement.

“Racially motivated.”

Bridge to Terabithia? I loved this book.

“Promoting the occult.”

Where the Wild Things Are.”

“Again. Too demonic, they say.”

“All of these were tossed? The Outsiders (too violent!), To Kill a Mockingbird (too mature!)…oh, I love this one but never heard of it: My Moms Love Me.”

 

We both looked down at our four-year-old, teething on a sandal.

—–

There is heavy foot traffic outside our tin-roofed shanty. They are marching in unison. Regimental, a tap-tap on the door: big bad white men instilling fear in two biracial dykes and a bastard invalid. We know why they are here. Surprised it took them so long.

 

The walls of our shanty are now lined with books: banned books, we assume, for they’d all been discarded. Several months ago, we’d opened our doors for exploration, purely word of mouth quite naturally as we —Naomi and I, and Noam— are not known to exist, not any longer. (For it’s been assumed, we assume, that we were wiped clean during the last fumigation, we fitting all their criteria of filth, after all.) Prior to finding us, our people had been fed the The History You Need to Know twenty-volume series; The Jesus Christ Giver’s Guide: How to be a Good Citizen; and The Lives of Hunter and Paisley five-volume series (Birth-Elementary Homeschool; Homeschool in the Neighborhood; College is not Necessary; Adulting with People Like You; Growing Old Quietly and Respectfully).

 

For the past several months, though, we’ve allowed our people to travel, to read with delight words that are actually said, emotions that are actually felt. Our people have been able to find comfort in words, healing words, words that have allowed them to transcend the NORM and to explore the lives of others, the majesty of foreign lands without the privilege of escape from this, our “home of the free because of the brave,” words and emotions that are now SINS because…because…

 

is there one right answer here?

 

Because independent thought is treachery. An enemy of progress.

 

Because “who controls the past controls the future, and who controls the present controls the past.” Because “the best books are those that tell you what you already know.”

 

Orwell, too, has been banned, of course. But we have him in our library.

Had, for we have been discovered.

—–

 

We are not going to be stoned, or burned like witches. We are not going to the rack or the gallows, or the chair. We are not going to be strapped to a gurney and punctured with needles. We are not going to be shot, or even gassed.

 

Our “fumigation” is the now-proverbial Jim Jones’ Drinking the Kool-Aid, though still we get to live, very much like the donkeys at the end of Pinocchio, also banned for its debauchery on Pleasure Island: as sheep in the fields, after the surgeries are complete, we shall follow without question, we shall bleat unintelligibly, we shall chew the cud from dawn ‘til dusk with those indistinguishable from ourselves.

 

We shall cause no further problems. We shall be obedient.

On my anniversary, he gave me a gift box but when i opened it, it were pictures of me & my affair

https://youtu.be/C4fgZ56gjl0

After F-35’s Detected, Israel Preparing Large Surface-to-Surface Missile Launches at Iran

After F-35's Detected, Israel Preparing Large Surface-to-Surface Missile Launches at Iran

After the Russian government alerted Iran to the approach of four F-35 stealth jets toward Iran from the Persian Gulf yesterday, which reportedly caused an abort to that mission, Israel is now preparing surface-to-surface missile launches.

Information about Israel’s ballistic missile capabilities is sparse, but here’s what we know about the “likely” missiles to be used, which is speculated to be “Jericho II” missiles, seen in the FILE PHOTO above.

The Jericho II (YA-3) is a solid fuel, two-stage long-range ballistic missile system and a follow on from the Jericho I project. As many as 90 Jericho 2 missiles are currently based in caves near Zekharia (Sdot Micha Airbase), southeast of Tel Aviv.

Jericho II development began in 1977, and by 1986 there were reports of test firings. According to Missilethreat.com, a project of the George C. Marshall Institute, there is evidence the Jericho II originated as a joint Israeli-Iranian project, cooperation that ended with the loss of friendly relations after the 1979 Iranian Revolution overthrew the Shah’s rule.

There was a series of test launches into the Mediterranean from 1987 to 1992, the longest at around 1,300 km, mostly from the facility at Palmachim, south of Tel Aviv. Jane’s reports that a test launch of 1,400 km is believed to have taken place from South Africa’s Overberg Test Range in June 1989.

The Jericho II is 14.0 m long and 1.56 m wide, with a reported launch weight of 26,000 kg (although an alternative launch weight of 21,935 kg has been suggested). It has a 1,000 kg payload, capable of carrying a considerable amount of high explosives or a 1 Megaton yield nuclear warhead.

It uses a two-stage solid propellant engine with a separating warhead. The missile can be launched from a silo, a railroad flat car, or a mobile vehicle. This gives it the ability to be hidden, moved quickly, or kept in a hardened silo, largely ensuring survival against any attack. It has an active radar homing terminal guidance system similar to that of the Pershing II, for very accurate strikes.

The Jericho II forms the basis of the three-stage, 23 ton Shavit NEXT satellite launcher, first launched in 1988 from Palmachim. From the performance of Shavit it has been estimated that as a ballistic missile it has a maximum range of about 7,800 km with a 500 kg payload.

The Jericho II as an available Israeli counterattack option to Iraqi missile bombardment in the 1991 Gulf War is disputed. Jane’s at the time believed that Jericho II entered service in 1989. Researcher Seth Carus claims that, according to an Israeli source, the decision to operationally deploy the Jericho-2 was only made after 1994, several years after the Scud attacks had ended and a cease fire and disarmament regime were in place.

Raytheon Technologies, quoting Soviet intelligence archives, showed them believing the Jericho-2 to have been fully developed weapon in 1989, but did not indicate when it was available for deployment.

Investigators for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace accessed commercial satellite images of the Sdot Micha Airbase near Zachariah, a suspected Jericho missile base, comparison shows expansion between 1989 and 1993 of the type that would accommodate suspected Jericho II launchers and missiles. Such an expansion would be more consistent with a post-1991 deployment chronology.

It is presently unknown how many such missiles Israel has.

US Military Sending More Assets

Additional Aerial-Refueling Tankers with the U.S. Air Force are enroute to the Middle East this morning, possibly ferrying a Squadron of F-22s, F-16s, or F-15Es which the Pentagon had previously stated would be Deploying soon to the Region.

Shown below, two KC-46A Pegasus tankers (reg: 20-46074 & 20-46073) from McGuire Air Force Base One C-5M Super Galaxy (reg: 86-0012) One C-17A Globemaster (reg: 01-0188) likely heading to the Middle East:

US refueling tankers huge cargo planes to ME
US refueling tankers huge cargo planes to ME

WaPo Editors – Ending The War Is Worse Than Losing

The Washington Post editors have long argued for prolonging the war in Ukraine.

In November 2022, when Ukraine was in a good position to negotiate an end to the war, they argued against it:

Mr. Zelensky and his supporters in the West undoubtedly understand that peace talks might eventually be necessary, his commitment to victory notwithstanding. And yet to declare that, or even imply it, before the time is right — before Ukraine’s armed forces have exhausted every opportunity to regain occupied territory — would convey slackening commitment. And that, in turn, can only convince Mr. Putin that time is on his side and that he should prolong the fighting.

Since then Ukraine’s armed forces have exhausted every opportunity to regain occupied territory – and failed. Russia was then and is now convinced that time is on its side.

Now, finally, the editors acknowledge that their war against Russia in Ukraine is lost. But they still insist that this can not be allowed to be formalized in a ceasefire or peace treaty.

While they are stomping their feet they fail to present an alternative:

Ukraine risks losing the war. A Trump-imposed bad deal would be worse. (archived)
A settlement that dismembers Ukraine and rewards Putin will undermine U.S. credibility.

As Russia is the dominating power in the war in Ukraine there will only be one deal that can be had. It will be along the parameters the Russia’s President Putin has laid out. That deal will certainly be less than optimal for the U.S. side but how would it be ‘worse’ for Ukraine than losing the war?

As for ‘credibility’:

A pullback now would convey that the United States and its allies lack staying power and that their promises come time-stamped as valid only until the next election date. How might China take such a message as its autocratic president, Xi Jinping, contemplates whether to make a military move to try to seize the self-governing democratic island of Taiwan?

The U.S. ‘lack of staying power’ is a feature of its democracy. It is well known that U.S. citizen’s opinions about supporting a war tend to change over time. Just ask the Vietnamese or the Taliban for experience with this. No unrealistic fear mongering about China will change that fact.

It is however good to learn that the editors (finally) see the situation of Ukraine as unsustainable as it is:

Ukraine is also losing troops at a rate far beyond what it can sustain and continue fighting. The official casualty estimate of 400,000 killed or wounded is considered a vast undercount. Thousands of exhausted Ukrainian soldiers are deserting the front lines.

The editors know that it is over for Ukraine but they still reject to acknowledge the consequences. They say that a deal over Ukraine, any deal, would be bad but there is not even a hint of what an alternative might be:

Ukraine can hardly survive another year of this devastating war. But the haste to find a negotiated settlement could produce a bad one that would reward Mr. Putin for his land grab and guarantee he will launch a new attack for more territory once he has a chance to rebuild his depleted arsenal. A poor settlement would also leave Ukrainians bitter after seeing their homes, schools and factories destroyed, and friends and family members killed. Much of their anger would be directed at the Western backers who betrayed them. This is a fight America, and Ukraine, cannot lose, especially with a bad deal.

The war is lost. A hasty settlement will be bad. Russia will be embolden and the Ukrainians will be sad.

But what else is there to do? The editors don’t know. They thus close with a sentence that does not even (‘cannot lose’) make sense.

Posted by b on January 7, 2025 at 16:38 UTC | Permalink

My Cheater GF Loses It After I Pretend To Be In An Open Relationship For 2 Months And Then Dump Her

Head games are terrible. Do not do it.

Boyhood trauma

I became a mom at the tender age of 17. I was blessed with parents that supported me and a boyfriend that loved me and our son and stayed by my side until he passed away after we both graduated HS went on to college and married at age 22. He recently passed away after almost 28 years of marriage. But I digress

I had a sociology teacher in HS that was not the most pleasant of people. My son was very sick and ended up in the hospital with a severe double ear infraction high fever and a viral infection on his throat. I didn’t sleep well but needed to attend school the next day for a test.

is horrible teacher decided to target me and bring up statistics about teen moms being unfit, lazy, leeches on society. I started to cry. I was doing my best to be a good mom, a good student and learn the things I needed to graduate.

ahe want me to the principals office. As I gathered my things, I heard the entire class start to move around. As I exited tue room my fellow classmates walked with me to the office.

needless to say this teacher was told that she was not allowed to do this again and she never bothered me again.

China hits Canada with Anti-Dumping Probe in Retaliation

Three bulls heard the rancher was bringing another bull onto the ranch.

First Bull: “I’ve been here five years. I’m not giving this new bull any of my 100 cows.”

Second Bull: “I’ve been here three years and have earned my right to 50 cows. I’m keeping all my cows.”

Third Bull: “I’ve only been here a year, and so far, you guys have only let me have 10 cows. I may not be as big as you fellows, but I’m keeping all 10 of my cows.”

Just then an 18-wheeler pulls up in the pasture carrying the biggest bull they’ve ever seen.

At 4,700 pounds, each step he takes strains the steel ramp.

First Bull: “I think I can spare a few cows for our new friend.”

Second Bull: “I actually have too many cows to take care of. I can spare a few. I’m certainly not looking for an argument.”

They look over at the third bull and find him pawing the dirt, shaking his horns and snorting.

First Bull: “Son, don’t be foolish, let him have some of your cows and live to tell about it.”

Third Bull: “Hell, he can have all my cows. I’m just making sure he knows I’m a bull.”

Stuffed Peppers Casserole

ee3e158f4bc19ca06da91ad6261d049e
ee3e158f4bc19ca06da91ad6261d049e

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 3 medium bell peppers, cut into strips
  • 3/4 cup instant rice
  • 1 teaspoon season salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 1/2 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon beef bouillon granules
  • 1 (15 ounce) can petite cut diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  1. Brown meat and onion in skillet; drain.
  2. Stir in rice, salt, garlic salt, bouillon, water, cheese and diced tomatoes; heat through.
  3. Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray and line with peppers.
  4. Pour meat mixture over peppers.
  5. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.
  6. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes.

AITA For Kicking Out My Wife And Stepdaughter After Discovering Lies About Work Trips?

Specialist ‘carbon nanotube’ AI chip built by Chinese scientists is 1st of its kind and ‘1,700 times more efficient’ than Google’s

By Owen Hughes

Scientists in China have developed a tensor processing unit (TPU) that uses carbon-based transistors instead of silicon – and they say it’s extremely energy efficient.

Unlike conventional TPUs, this new chip is the first to use carbon nanotubes — tiny, cylindrical structures made of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal pattern — in place of traditional semiconductor materials like silicon. (Image credit: Getty Images/sankai)

Scientists in China have built a new type of tensor processing unit (TPU) — a special type of computer chip — using carbon nanotubes instead of a traditional silicon semiconductor. They say the new chip could open the door to more energy-efficient artificial intelligence (AI).

AI models are hugely data-intensive and require massive amounts of computational power to run. This presents a significant obstacle to training and scaling up machine learning models, particularly as the demand for AI applications grows. This is why scientists are working on making new components — from processors to computing memory — that are designed to consume orders of magnitude less energy while running the necessary computations.

Google scientists created the TPU in 2015 to address this challenge. These specialized chips act as dedicated hardware accelerators for tensor operations — complex mathematical calculations used to train and run AI models. By offloading these tasks from the central processing unit (CPU) and graphics processing unit (GPU), TPUs enable AI models to be trained faster and more efficiently.

Unlike conventional TPUs, however, this new chip is the first to use carbon nanotubes — tiny, cylindrical structures made of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal pattern — in place of traditional semiconductor materials like silicon. This structure allows electrons (charged particles) to flow through them with minimal resistance, making carbon nanotubes excellent conductors of electricity. The scientists published their research on July 22 in the journal Nature Electronics.

“I Show You The Original World Map They Didn’t Want You to See” Graham Hancock

MM’s AI adventures

Today’s adventures. A lot of schmaltz, and some very strange stuff about statues.

Here’s some “schmaltz”…

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(1)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(1)

And more…

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(2)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(2)

And in the rain…

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(3)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(3)

Enter the statues…

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(4)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(4)

*sigh*

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(5)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(5)

Massive…

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(6)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(6)

Here’s some “schmaltz”…

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1

Mixed up sexes.

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(1)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(1)

Here’s some “schmaltz”… with the bigger boobs.

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(2)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(2)

Here’s some “schmaltz”…

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(3)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(3)

Statues.

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(4)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(4)

More…

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(5)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(5)

Interesting.

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(6)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(6)

Here’s some “schmaltz”…

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2

Here’s some confused “schmaltz”…

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(1)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(1)

Here’s some muscular “schmaltz”… plus a long necked guy in the background.

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(2)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(2)

Here’s some “schmaltz”…

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(3)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(3)

Statue in the rain.

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(4)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(4)

More.

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(5)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(5)

Here’s some “schmaltz”…

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3

Here’s some “schmaltz”…

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(1)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(1)

Here’s some “schmaltz”…

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(2)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(2)

Here’s some “schmaltz”…

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(3)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(3)

Statue.

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(4)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(4)

Statue.

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(5)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(5)

Dishwalla – Counting Blue Cars – 7/31/2017 – Paste Studios, New York, NY

Perseus Patroclus

This story contains themes or mentions of LGBQ+ and mental health issues.
Stars. Twinkling bursts of light. Bloodshot, glassy eyes. He has given up.

He was supposed to save everyone. Save the world. Save it because the crops wilted. Save it because the water rose and flooded. Save it because the ice dissolved. He was supposed to save it because the earth was about to combust, like his aircraft did a few milliseconds ago.

The view would probably take his breath away if he could breathe. He knew what would happen. He was not holding his breath- if he did, his lungs would expand, turn into balloons, and eventually pop. Instead, he exhales slowly, every six seconds.

The media claims your life flashes before your eyes. To him, it isn’t his whole life. Snapshots. Short films. Clips. Memories. Ones that he loved, ones that he did not want to revisit. Some pictures were blurry, incomprehensible. The highs and lows of his life, captured in stubby snippets.

 

 

 

The sea tickles his ankles. He always loved the stars, and he can see them reflected in the waves now. He is small. A child. Three years old, maybe. He doesn’t know about reflection, or that it’s possible to drown. He tries to eat the little lights, as toddlers tend to do. He is greeted with a mouthful of saltwater.

 

 

 

He wishes he were still a child. Innocent, kind, oblivious, naive.

It’s been six seconds. Exhale. He is terrified.

 

 

 

They are coming for him. He does not know who they are. They say they are Child Protective Services. He does not think he needs them- why would he, at nine years old? His mothers don’t hurt him. Where are they, after all? Why are these men coming for him?

They say something bad happened. He does not know what this means. He does not know what anything means. A police officer tries to calm him down. Tell him they will help him. Tell him his mothers are gone now, but it’ll be okay. He does not think he will be okay. They tell him he’s confused. They call him the wrong name. He tries to correct them, but they do not listen. They never listen. No one ever listens. He pushes the man away and runs.

Arms flying, his chest rises too quickly, too rapidly. He is not supposed to run in a binder. The binder his mothers gave him because they were the only ones that listened. They are gone, he has been told. Gone where? He cannot start to imagine, he cannot go down that spiraling hole.

Sweaty, suffocating, squeezing. He runs because he feels alone. He runs because his parents are gone. He runs because he hates those men who think they know everything, with their pasty white skin and privileged lives. He is dizzy, he can barely breathe. The police officers run after him, but he knows where to go- he is clever. He is in front of the house. Stumbling, his vision blurs, and his world tilts into the concrete.

 

 

 

That picture isn’t blurry, he just doesn’t want to see it.

Ten seconds. His body’s water is vaporizing, and the underlining tissue is beginning to swell.

 

 

 

He is tired. So, so tired. He knows it’s unethical, but he is sleeping at his teacher’s house. The only teacher who understands. Maybe the only person left in the world who understands. He can’t get out of the bed in the guest room. The teacher, respecting personal and legal boundaries, doesn’t intrude. It has been a month since he ran from the men. He does not get up.

His family members float above him. They whisper in his ear. He cannot move. He does not shower. He eats once a week, and his flesh has thinned to the point that it hangs off his bones. He has not taken off his binder. His ribs have cracked and fluid has built up. He does not get up to go to the bathroom. His liver is on the brink of ceasing. He is as good as dead.

 

 

 

The clearest portrait, the most unwanted.

Twelve seconds. Exhale. He knows he will die.

 

 

 

He is fourteen. He lives with his teacher, who has officially adopted him. He is on hormones. He is starting to grow a beard. His voice has deepened. He has already had many surgeries to fix the damage from his depressive episode. Liver, ribs, bladder, uterus, lungs. In two years he will get top surgery. He is on anti-depressants and anti-psychotics. He wants to be an astronaut. He works as a cashier during the summer and uses the money the buy a telescope, astronomy books, and gummy bears.

His teacher, whom he now calls Nin, is supportive throughout the rest of his life. They never lay a hand on him.

 

 

 

Even with the mental illnesses, he envies that time of his life- he was free and loved.

Thirteen seconds. The moisture on his tongue has started to boil.

 

 

 

The surgery is finished. His chest hurts- although this time, it feels good. A warm hug. He can smell the faint whiff of blood coated with chemicals. The walls are a stark white, glaring at him. The bed is surprisingly comfortable, a mixture of squishy and soft. He is loaded, a useless corpse, into a car. The anesthesia makes everything seem hilarious and wavy. Nin is driving him home, where they spoon-feed him and prop him up in front of the television. After four weeks, he can take the wrapping off. The sight of his flat chest in the mirror, the raw yet stunning scars, triggers a waterfall of tears to spill down his cheeks. That’s him. That’s him in the mirror, staring back.

Nin, whose friend is a tattoo artist, brings him to get a design over the scars, per his request. He chooses The Creation of Adam, and requests it be outlined with stars and planets.

 

 

 

The sweetest memory despite the pain, a sensation of deep euphoria.

Fourteen seconds. His skin, along with expanding, has begun to burn.

 

 

 

He is an astronaut. He is being led onto the spaceship. He is twenty-two. His name has been legally changed, along with the gender marker on everything except his hospital profile. It is time to save the world. He is ready to save the world. He calls Nin before he takes off, says he loves them and everything will be okay soon. He says that the earth will be okay soon.

 

 

 

He is a liar.

Exhale. Exhale. Exhale.

He cannot breathe, he cannot inhale, he is suspended. Suspended, like the humans’ hearts in their masses. He cannot stop thinking about his heart. A conductor, a leader. Constantly prevailing and persevering despite its host’s resignation, purposely ingesting poison to numb their pain. If the heart gave up, everything would die. Nothing would exist for that person anymore. The head of the organization, the leader of the body’s community. His heart toils, unquestioning, in his favor. Everything must work and line up perfectly to keep existing- and here he was, and the earth was dying, because the idiot humans couldn’t do the bare minimum of staying alive. Because he couldn’t even take care of a million-dollar spaceship made specially for him.

A surge of gratitude interrupts the self-hate when he realizes he can see a star-forming region in the Eagle Nebula. The Pillars of Creation, it is named. Somehow, in a dying second, there is beauty. Art, glamorous, out-of-this-world grace. It’s burnt sienna, with an impossibly vibrant red peeking through every few thousand miles. A still photograph of powder being thrown, the region looks like something out of a fantasy novel, a dazzling blue background dotted with sparks of light. It appears to be glowing, even, the darker blue background illuminated slightly by the milky brown. Again, it feels breathtaking. He doesn’t mind this will be the last thing he sees. Even though the earth will die, even though he has failed.

It seems his body is sinking under his guilt. He’s bruised, burns striping his arms from the explosion. He most likely broke something. A rib, maybe. Yes, that is what it feels like- a broken rib piercing his heart. Stabbing the submissive slave. That’s what it feels like… though he cannot tell whether it is physically broken or if it is the feeling of his failure.

There must be a way to save the world. He will not give up, he is done giving up. He’s already submitted himself to death before, he won’t let it happen again. Think. He must think. This is why he went to college, this is why he got his job- he must think. It has been fourteen seconds, he will be unconscious in one if he’s lucky.

Something inside him screams. The trigger! A button on his left wrist that he got implanted for an emergency. His mission was to go to the one planet they found that had life on it, and beg for help. But the button could send out an electromagnetic pulse to the ship’s debris, make it buzz and show a message, no matter what piece… he was so close to the planet, it was likely some rubble reached it.

In a split second, he brings his arm to his head and jams the button. In the movies, there would probably be some cacophonous, dramatic noise, but sound cannot travel in space.

He has succeeded, hopefully. But there is no more air left to exhale. There is no more oxygen left to inhale. His lungs expand. He can feel it, pressing against his chest scars. Pressing against The Creation of Adam… He sends a quick mental apology to Michelangelo. The pain is pushing into the servant organ.

He cannot feel when his lungs burst, because he has already lost consciousness.

Yummy  Food

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China’s lunar research station initiative welcomes new global partners

China’s ambitious initiative to launch an international lunar research station has gained new global cooperation partners, as the country signed several agreements with global partners for the lunar research station initiative on Thursday, according to China’s space agency.

main qimg 6cb41dd20a1c506b7effa5ffc26cf8ea
main qimg 6cb41dd20a1c506b7effa5ffc26cf8ea

During the opening ceremony of a two-day space forum held in Tunxi, east China’s Anhui Province, China’s space agency and its counterpart in Senegal signed an agreement on International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) cooperation.

In addition, China’s Deep Space Exploration Lab has also inked memoranda of understanding with 10 organizations from countries including Serbia, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Panama and South Africa.

In 2017, China proposed the ILRS initiative, inviting global participation. This ambitious project has garnered widespread interest, with 17 countries and over 40 institutions signing on. The ILRS envisions a comprehensive lunar research facility, including a lunar surface base, orbital stations, and Earth-based components. Designed for long-term autonomous operation with potential for short-term human presence, the ILRS will be expandable and sustainable.

Scientists create record-breaking solar technology that could solve major problem in the industry: ‘Among the best reported to date’

Sam Westmoreland

Fri, September 6, 2024 at 6:15 AM CDT

Scientists create record-breaking solar technology that could solve major problem in the industry: 'Among the best reported to date'
It can easily be ramped up to industrial levels and can be affordably produced at that scale of production.

Scientists at the Hong Kong Institute of Science and Technology have developed a new treatment that prolongs the life and efficiency of solar cells.

According to Aman Tripathi of Interesting Engineering, the researchers have created a molecular treatment for perovskite solar cells that increases their power conversion efficiency by over 20%, and it has shown an operational stability of over 1,500 hours.

While solar cells are typically made of silicon, perovskite has been gaining popularity in recent years because it is cheaper and has a higher energy efficiency than silicon. The problem is the stability and tendency to degrade more quickly than silicon counterparts.

In an effort to solve the problem, the Hong Kong research team focused on a process known as passivation, in which a chemical compound is applied to the perovskite to “reduce defects and improve their overall performance.”

The project was a resounding success, according to assistant professor Lin Hen-Yuang.

“These devices reached high open-circuit voltages beyond 90% of the thermodynamic limit,” Lin said in a press release on the discovery, “Benchmarking against about 1,700 sets of data from existing literature showed that their result was among the best reported to date in terms of efficiency in energy conversion.”

On top of that, the passivation process is highly scalable, meaning it can easily be ramped up to industrial levels and can be affordably produced at that scale of production.

Solar energy is booming globally; in the U.S., solar power accounted for almost 80% of new energy production in 2024 on an industrial scale. On a smaller scale, rooftop solar panels are popping up everywhere from vodka distilleries to new-build homes. Finding a new way to improve solar panels’ affordability and efficiency could help meet growing demand.

If the perovskite treatment is as effective at scale as it has been in testing, we could see a boom in more affordable, efficient, and durable panels around the world.

Two young men walk into a bar and one of them sits next to a girl.

“Hello,” he says.

“Are you a lawyer?” asks the girl.

“What? No.”

“Then I’m not interested. You see, this is a lawyer bar, and the girls that come here either are lawyers or want to get with lawyers.”

And so the young man leaves, and his friend leaves with him, having encountered a similar situation.

The next day they say: “What the heck, we’re just going to return there and say that we’re lawyers. It’s not like we’ll have to give them a proof right away.”

And so they go to the bar and approach some girls, and they tell them they are lawyers.

Everything seems to be going fine, but then one of the young men looks around and sees that his friend is gone. He starts to search for him, and eventually finds him sitting in the bathroom, in a very low mood.

“What happened to you?” he asks.

“Oh, I just realized… I’ve only been a lawyer for half an hour, and already the only thing on my mind is how to screw someone.”

In 1990 I went to one of those Teppanyaki Grill restaurants where a chef cooks food on the grill in front of the customers. I was with 5 other friends. It was in quite a ritzy Sydney suburb. We had no idea what to order so when the waitress asked if we’d like prawns, chicken, steak, eggs and rice, we happily said yes.

The chef threw 6 prawns on the grill, tossing them around with a flourish and chopping them up. He then gave us 1 teaspoon of prawns each!

Next came the chicken. He took a half chicken breast and whooshed it around and chopped it into tiny pieces. We got two teaspoons of chicken each.

Same thing with the steak.

By now we were really starving so we were really happy when they asked if we were ready for the rice. In came the waitress with a fingerbowl of rice. I made a joke “wouldn’t it be funny if that was for us all?’

We all laughed but not for long! It was indeed rice for everyone. So we got around 10 grains of rice each.

Lastly he threw one egg on the grill, whooshed it around and we got two teaspoons of ‘omelet’ each.

The cost of this fiasco came to $180 for the 6 of us which was a lot of money for a restaurant meal back in 1990.

We were all so totally starving we went across the road to a hamburger joint and ordered a hamburger each!

I am a mathematics professor at a Research I University. My mother-in-law was a mean old bat who never liked me. While she was visiting one afternoon my ten year old daughter ran in with her latest math test grade. She had scored an “A” grade on some multiplication facts and we all praised her profusely. The mother-in-law pipes up with, “I bet she got her math skills from her mother. Renee (My wife, her daughter) was always good in math.” Considering what I do for a living and considering my wife majored in sociology, this snarky comment pissed me off. So my reply was, “Yes, she must have gotten her math skills from her mother, because I still have all of mine.” A dead silence settled over the table for the next ten minutes.

My line was actually unintentional!

I was on a business trip some years ago and ended up in a restaurant which sat me at a small table next to another small table with a smartly dressed woman sitting alone.

We exchanged pleasantries and I said “So how’s your business trip going?”

Her reply was “Oh, fine. What makes you think I am here on a business trip?”

I said “You wouldn’t be eating alone otherwise.”

I immediately thought “Damn, what did I just do..”

She was amused and said it was one of the more classy lines she had heard.

So I ended up with an impromptu dinner guest and fellow wine connoisseur for the evening.

Every day after I pick up my daughter from school, I get out and go into the house but she stays in the car and sits there for several minutes, sometimes up to half an hour.

Sometimes she uses her phone, sometimes she just sits there.

Should I be a little concerned? Should I go check on her? Confront her?

Nope. I’m not concerned at all. She’s doing what she needs to do to cope.

She’s enjoying a few minutes of peace and quiet, collecting herself and letting the social demands of school dissolve away, before facing the social demands of family.

As a teenager, she knows that as soon as she walks in the door, there will be questions, conversations, chores and homework to be done, and demands for her attention and mental presence, which can be draining after a long day at school. In the car, alone, she can collect herself, think and process a bit, and respond to her messages without pressure and without interruptions.

More than likely, your wife is doing what she needs to do to cope, to gather herself, to catch her breath after a long day at work, and to catch up on her messages before she comes inside and faces you and all your questions.

My advice? Enjoy the peace and quiet.

Two best friends graduated from medical school at the same time & decided that in spite of two different specialties, they would open a practice together to

share office space …

Dr.Smith was a *Psychiatrist* & Dr.Jones

was a *Proctologist* (Colon to Anus)

They put up a sign reading

*Dr.Smith & Dr.Jones*

*Hysterias & Posteriors*

The town council was livid and insisted they change it.

So, the docs changed

it to read

*Schizoids & Haemorrhoids*

This was also not acceptable, so they again changed the sign to

*Catatonics & High Colonics*

No go.

Next, they tried…

*Manic Depressives & Anal Retentives*

Thumbs down again.

Then came..

*Minds and Behinds*

Still no good.

Another attempt resulted in …

*Lost Souls & Butt Holes*

Unacceptable again!

So they tried

*Analysis & Anal Cysts*

No, not a chance

*Nuts and Butts*

No way

*Freaks and Cheeks*

Still no good

*Loons and Moons*

Just Forget it!

Almost at their wits end, the docs finally came up with…

*Dr.Smith & Dr.Jones…*

*Specializing in Odds & Ends.*

*_Everyone loved it._😊*

A Woman Impersonated As A Man And Got Depressed After 3 Days

The once pretty became the now blight

Not a country, but a city:

I’ll never visit Berlin again.

When I was in college, I did a semester in London. Halfway through the term, my friends and I decided we’d take a Eurotrip to Amsterdam, Berlin, and Hamburg.

Amsterdam was a blast. I was asleep for most of Hamburg. (We stayed awake the entire night before.) But the most disappointing part of the trip was Berlin.

The city itself, the food, the history, was great. But what drove me away was the people. (Literally.) The Germans didn’t allow me into any of their clubs. (Except this one club that’s apparently super lame because it’s only for tourists.) I was there with three girls and another guy. We tried four places. The bouncers always let the girls in, but never me or my American male counterpart.

But here’s the kicker:

My biggest reason I wanted to go, pay for a flight, AirBnB, etc. was to go to the clubs. I was enrolled in music school at the time, and was really interested in electronic music. (Okay, I was obsessed.) And I knew Berlin was known for having some of the best electronic music in the world.

I was so excited, I did a bunch of research beforehand to learn how to behave so that the bouncers would approve of me. I wore all black. I stayed off my phone. I even remained silent.

But it wasn’t enough.

My passport gave me away. No one let me in anywhere, and I was really broken up about it. I had never really experienced rejection like that before. It’s a good thing my buddy was there.

He felt sorry for me, so we stayed up the whole night drinking beer and playing chess. He beat me every time, but I still had so much fun. The next day, we woke up around noon. The girls went to a museum, or memorial or something. My buddy and I spent the rest of the day at the Berlin Zoo until they closed.

I’m never going back 😉

One of my school bullies punched me in the back of the neck. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but in 2022 I filed for worker’s comp because my neck started really hurting me. Turns out I have:

  • stenosis
  • arthritis
  • a partially-healed fractured disc

Since all of this was clearly old injuries and degenerative, I lost my worker’s comp claim. Over the years, in hindsight, I should have known something was wrong.

It was 2006 when I was punched, and I moved to Australia in 2016.

In 2010 and 2011, when I was in college, I was an Army ROTC cadet for two years before I got discharged for unrelated medical issues. I did notice that the back of my neck often hurt a lot when I wore a helmet…

Thanks to new regulations, cars started getting pokier head rests that either pushed your head forward, or forced you to set the seat back. New head rests always hurt my neck.

It wasn’t until I got a job at a warehouse though, as an order selector, moving thousands of pounds of alcohol a day that my neck really started playing up. I found I couldn’t turn my head, even driving was very dangerous. I am now on painkillers so strong that every 6 months or so they test my kidneys to make sure I’m not getting killed by them. They’re non-opioid painkillers. Basically Celebrex and a super strong version of Tylenol, both for extremely old people.

Back to my bully… I started thinking about it, and I realised there was a greater than 0% chance this guy, back in the USA, was a millionaire wangster rap star. Maybe I could sue him?

I looked him up, and was startled, though not surprised, to see an adult version of his face, in a news article, wearing a prison jumpsuit.

I am definitely not expecting a lump sum payout.

China & Russia JUST Hit U.S. Where It HURTS… & U.S. Didn’t Expect THIS!

Dale Dye is a retired Marine officer who’s gotten rich as a technical advisor for military-themed movies. He founded Warriors, Inc. If you’re making a war movie, you get this guy to train your actors to behave like actual soldiers.

One of the movies he worked on was Forrest Gump. They asked him about Gump’s chances as a real soldier, and this is what he said: Forrest Gump is the ideal private because he does exactly what you tell him to.

Forrest Gump is also the ideal trainee. If a drill sergeant were to hand him, say, a footlocker layout Gump is going to set his locker up EXACTLY the way it says to. When the drill sergeant hands him a grenade he will throw it exactly the way they tell him to. He will march the way they tell him to. His uniform will be up to snuff. When we shined boots his boots would always be perfect. He will always remember to sweep, mop, wax and buff the floor. If he’s told to fall out for formation at 0630 he’ll be there. And he’d notice that the more precisely he did all these things the less the drills will yell at him.

What you DON’T want to do is put him in combat arms. He’d wind up getting his platoon killed. He’d be a hell of a Service and Supply soldier. If you tell Forrest Gump that you need an airdrop pallet built with 48 water cans, 50 cases of MREs and ten cases of ammo…that pallet is going to be built so pretty and squared away that the riggers only have to put a net and a parachute on it before they take it to the plane. They’ll never have to restack it. A more intelligent soldier, you might have to tell him the ammo and water go on first and the MREs on top of that so the weight of the heavier items don’t crush the MREs when the pallet lands; Gump is going to put the MREs on top because his sergeant told him to.

Neocons Want MBS Gone

Shorpy

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An ingenious man was able to turn a red paper clip into a house.

In 2005, Kyle MacDonald had no job, but wanted to live in a house. With limited options for saving money, he concocted an unorthodox plan.

Beginning with a red paper clip on his desk in Montreal, he would attempt to trade the seemingly useless item for something better. He would keep trading up until he reached his goal.

For his first step, he posted the red paper clip in the ‘Barter’ section on Craigslist. From Kyle MacDonald’s book, sourced below:

one red paperclip

This might not surprise you, but below is a picture of a paperclip. It is red.

This red paperclip is currently sitting on my desk next to my computer. I want to trade this paperclip with you for something bigger or better, maybe a pen, a spoon, or perhaps a boot.

If you promise to make the trade I will come and visit you, wherever you are, to trade.

Hope to trade with you soon!

Kyle

PS – I’m going to make a continuous chain of ‘up trades’ until I get a house. Or an Island. Or a house on an island. You get the idea.

Through a dogged and brilliant series of 14 trades over the course of one year (and greatly helped by later news and publicity of his quest), Kyle was able to successfully transform the paperclip into a new home:

  1. Paper clip for Fish-shaped pen.
  2. Fish-shaped pen for a hand-sculpted doorknob.
  3. Doorknob for a Coleman camp stove (with fuel).
  4. Camp stove for a Honda generator.
  5. Generator for an “instant party”: an empty keg, a beer-filling IOU for, and a neon Budweiser sign.
  6. “Instant party” for a snowmobile.
  7. Snowmobile for a two-person trip to British Columbia.
  8. Trip for a cube van.
  9. Cube van for a recording contract with Metalworks.
  10. Recording contract for a year’s rent in Phoenix, Arizona.
  11. Year’s rent for one afternoon with Alice Cooper.
  12. Alice Cooper afternoon for a KISS motorized snow globe.
  13. KISS motorized snow globe to Corbin Bernsen (a large collector of snow globes) for a role in the film Donna on Demand.
  14. Movie role for a two-story farmhouse in Kipling, Saskatchewan.

Kyle wrote a book about his experience, and even earned a place in the Guiness Book of World Records for “Most Successful Internet Trade.”

I met this girl, Courtney, in 1999. She grew up and went to school in Buffalo, NY and I was going to school in California. We met in Michigan, at a summer program for math majors. (For foreign readers, the only thing you need to know about the geography is that all those places are very far from the others.)

It was what I call “indifference at first sight.” We met each other in the context of meeting all the eight or so student participants in the program. We got along fine, but there were definitely no romantic sparks flying. As a group, we all really got along great. Two months later, when the program was over, we all kept up with each other.

(This is more remarkable than it sounds, at least because back then there was no such thing as facebook. “Kept up with each other” meant we actually emailed or — shockingly — talked on the phone.)

About a year later, I sent an email to the group saying how I’d be going to Penn State for grad school. Courtney instantly replied, saying she would also be going to Penn State for a one-semester program. Small world! We arranged to have dinner shortly after we both arrived.

Now the romantic sparks flew. By the end of the semester, in December 2000, we were properly dating. But, alas, the semester ended and she went back to Buffalo. For foreign readers, Penn State and Buffalo are separated by about a 3–4 hour drive. However, I didn’t have a car, so for me the quickest way to visit was by an 8 hour meandering bus ride. We carried on, long distance. Despite my lack of car, my schedule was such that it was a lot easier for me to visit her than the other way around. So every other weekend (or so) I would be on that bus.

Long distance relationships aren’t that great. Maybe not in all cases, but for us, there was a pressure to really make the most out of each visit. We never really just hung around together lounging on the couch. We filled the whole weekend with stuff to do. It was fun, but it was also a little exhausting.

Too exhausting, in fact. By the time February rolled around, I was ready to call it quits. Not because Courtney had done anything wrong, and it’s not that I didn’t enjoy myself when I visited. It was just… exhausting. So one weekend in late February, I decided we’d have “the talk.”

But the timing is important. You can’t show up on Friday and start with the talk, otherwise the rest of the weekend is ruined. It has to be on Sunday, before my bus ride back. She had planned Sunday breakfast with her parents. Ugh, not ideal, but fine. So we get through that very awkward breakfast, and now she’s driving me to the bus station.

There’s that moment of silence when we have clearly transitioned from talking about whatever we were talking about, and I’m mentally firming myself up to start. Man, I hope I don’t make her too sad. Just as I’m about to begin, she says, “So… hey… listen… “

And then she breaks up with me!

She was thinking all the same things I was. We had a good laugh at that, had a nice hug, and she sent me on my way. We both resolved to still be friends.

The epilogue:

We continued talking on the phone after that — because that’s what friends do. In fact, she even went to visit me at Penn State. Because that’s what friends do.

At some point, we crossed into territory that definitely doesn’t involve what friends do. We were briefly in this awkward ill-defined relationship status, but by June, we were pretty much properly dating again. We resolved to fix the long distance problem. Different scenarios were discussed, and ultimately we ended up moving to Boston.

We got married in 2005.

Putting a man on the moon is not indicative of US superiority.

Today, the world has two superpowers: the USA and China. This is why they are frequently compared.

In most respects, China is ahead of the USA. China is the world’s largest economy by purchasing power parity. China surpasses the USA in most technological fields. China has much greater diplomatic influence globally, thanks to the BRI and BRICS. China has a far more effective political system and with far greater support from the people. China has the world’s largest army and the world’s largest navy. China is a major nuclear power and can deliver warheads using hypersonic missiles.

China has 232X the shipbuilding capacity of the USA!!!

Yes, I have. I owned and operated a very successful employment agency for about 20 years. And during that time I met thousands of people in all walks of life and individuals who were at all levels of intelligence, from borderline moronic to high level genius (I also advertised in the Mensa local news magazine/letter for applicants).

I sometimes gave a version of the Wonderlic test, a 50 question, 12 minute, I.Q. test to applicants. Not to all applicants, just some.

This one individual came to my office fresh from college. He was dressed in a full three piece suit. Had never worked before, and was looking for an entry job in bookkeeping, although he had a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He didn’t come from my Mensa advertising. Since he didn’t have any work experience, I wanted to place him with one of the big 8 recognizable accounting firms. But I needed more information than just a college degree to get him the interview.

I gave him one of the six versions of the Wonderlic that I had. He finished the questions in 10 minutes instead of 12. When I scored it, I gulped. He got a 45 which in those days, 1980, was equivalent to an I.Q. of about 145.

The young man was shy, quiet, and nice. No intellectual arrogance about him. Even his vocabulary was average and not peppered with ten dollar words. I couldn’t believe this guy had a genius I.Q. I tested him with a 2nd. and 3rd. version of the test. The same, between 45 and 47, to give him as high as 148 or 150 I.Q. (At the time the ceiling for a score of 50 was around 153, which included scores of 48–50)

The individual was a genius! I made up a resume of his background, which was limited, but did put in his GPA, which was 4.0 in accounting courses, but “B” grades in practically everything else. Naturally, I was successful placing him in a job.

Today he may be retired because in 1980 he was 23 years old, but I’ll bet with his background, and I.Q., that he either ended up as a controller, CEO, or just remained as an auditor because he liked it and devoted his time to his family and not to advancing and sacrificing for a career. And I’ll also bet, since he was so self effacing, that he went through life not realizing he was so very intelligent (I did tell him what his Wonderlic scores were, but he didn’t believe me when I told him that he was extraordinarily intelligent.

These are the things that can stop you from getting a cabin crew job:

  • Age. Airlines have age requirements, to join the airline. The normal age requirements most airlines have are 18 years old to 21 years old. Don’t forget that you can be ‘’too old’’ to join as well. Sadly a lot of ME/Asian airlines are ageist. Most of the ME/Asian airlines prefer to hire candidates below the age of 30 years old. But thankfully EU/US/AUS/CA airlines are not ageist.
  • Height. Airlines have height requirements. This is because of safety reasons. If you are for example 155cm, it will be difficult for you to find an airline that would hire you. During the recruitment process, there will be a height test, etc.
  • Education. Most airlines want their candidates to at least have a completed high school diploma. If you don’t have a high school diploma, you won’t be able to get a job.
  • Weight/health. If you are not fit to fly and don’t have a healthy BMI, you won’t get the job. Your weight has to be in proportion to your height. During the recruitment, the recruiters will judge you. I say ”judge” because the recruiters are brutal when it comes to the way you look. Also during the training, your health will be checked.
  • Skin. As crazy as this sounds, a lot of airlines don’t hire people that for example have severe acne or skin issues. Issues that would be visible. Image is everything to these airlines. A lot of people forget that crew members act as some kind of ”PR” for the airlines. Crew members are ‘’brand ambassadors’’ for the airlines. That is why the airlines are super strict with the way their crew looks like.
  • Criminal background. Before you get the job, there will be a background check. If you don’t pass it, you won’t get the job.
  • Passport. For example, a Brazilian national can’t work for Airfrance in France if that person doesn’t have the legal right to live and work in France. You have to have a valid passport. Some airlines offer crew, work visas, doesn’t matter what nationality you have. For example, the airlines in the Middle East do that. Other than that you have to have the legal right to live and work in that country if you want to get a cabin crew job.
  • Medical history. Some airlines are strict with candidates’ medical histories. For example, many airlines don’t hire people with depression. Doesn’t matter if they have it now or had it before. If someone had a specific illness, even if it is healed and cured now, the airlines won’t accept that. For example, if you have any kind of sleeping issues, previous or current. Even if it is sorted out and you no longer have sleeping issues, you won’t get the job. Before you get the job you have to fill out medical forms.
  • Teeth. Yes, your teeth matter. To smile is one of your duties being a cabin crew. You have to have a nice smile. If you have issues with your teeth, for example, crooked teeth, you won’t get hired. Some airlines don’t even allow braces. Many airlines require dental x-rays before you join.
  • Vision/hearing. You have to fill out a medical form before you join. If you have issues with those, you are out. Your vision and hearing will also be checked during the medical exams during training. If you don’t pass the vision and hearing tests, you will be terminated. So better to check before you get the job.
  • Swimming. You have to know how to swim. If you don’t know how to swim, you won’t be able to get the job. There will be a ditching test during the training. You can’t have a fear of water etc.
  • Scars/marks. If you have deep surgery scars or marks, and it would be visible when wearing the uniform, then you won’t be able to get a job. Some airlines are super strict with the way their crew members look like.
  • Fear of flying. I know a girl who had a fear of flying, to what degree I don’t know. She went on with recruitment and got the job. The instructors found out during training. When they were having training in the simulators. She got fired.
  • Headscarf/hijab. Many airlines don’t allow this. For example, the airline Saudia did allow headscarves with their previous uniform. Their previous uniform looked like this:
main qimg b975069d2155869232a03a3ff714801a lq
main qimg b975069d2155869232a03a3ff714801a lq

Their cabin crew were allowed to wear a headscarf/hijab. But this year, they changed their uniform to this:

main qimg 64e213815a7a6bca9d240051ccf3b9b7 lq
main qimg 64e213815a7a6bca9d240051ccf3b9b7 lq

Now, with their new uniform, I don’t know what they did about their headscarf rules.

  • Tattoos. Most airlines are OK with candidates having tattoos, but as long as it is not visible when in uniform. If you for example have tattoos on your legs or arms, you won’t be able to get the job. I know many candidates who had visible tattoos but removed them to get the job.
  • Beard. If you have a beard like this:
main qimg 8b2597a6629c4f33147c97f8fc6cf4c6 lq
main qimg 8b2597a6629c4f33147c97f8fc6cf4c6 lq

If you are not willing to shave it, you won’t get the job. Many airlines are super strict with beards. With some airlines, you are not even allowed to have a beard like that. You have to be clean-shaven at all times, during duty. Some airlines allow their male crew members to have a beard. For example, they allow this:

main qimg 4640986e412619741b1ed70da11b7031 lq
main qimg 4640986e412619741b1ed70da11b7031 lq

With some airlines even during recruitment, if you come with a beard for your interview, they will disqualify you.

  • Hair color/hairstyle. For example, you are not allowed to have this hair color:
main qimg c00fd9edd8b31fb4706fc6d8d8e6243a lq
main qimg c00fd9edd8b31fb4706fc6d8d8e6243a lq

If you go like this for a cabin crew interview, you will not get the job. They have strict rules with hairstyles and hair colors. Even if you had your hair up in a neat bun like this:

main qimg 4d2a4c1400bd415ee49d1072bbca42cb lq
main qimg 4d2a4c1400bd415ee49d1072bbca42cb lq

That is still not allowed.

So many crazy and silly rules. Some rules are of course there for safety and security. Some rules I understand and I am happy that they have those rules. But for example the age rule. That is truly sad. A lot of airlines are ageist. Many things that can disqualify you during the recruitment process or in training. Even if you pass the entire recruitment process, you need to pass the training as well.

So many things to think of before you apply for the job.

Scott Ritter: Russia’s GLOVES ARE OFF as Putin Readies NATO’s Crushing Defeat, WWIII Next

The snipers that were killed during the Bosnian War died in very different ways:

One sniper in our platoon got shot in the head by an enemy rifle, most probably from another sniper.

An enemy sniper jumped from a high building when he discovered that we had located his position and were about to catch him alive.

Snipers were the most hated soldiers on the battlefield and when they were caught alive, they usually didn’t live very long.

We also lost a sniper when a tank shot at the house where he was positioned. A wall collapsed over him and he died immediately. It’s often overlooked that a tank makes the perfect anti-sniper weapon.

Most snipers, however, died through indirect fire from the artillery. The artillery is the number one killer on the battlefield and snipers are no exception. From all artillery weapons, the mortar is probably the most effective one against snipers.

In other conflicts, snipers also get killed by airstrikes and more and more often by anti-tank missiles. Like the tank, a modern anti-tank missile is extremely accurate over long distances and therefore, it is perfectly suited to combat a relatively small target, for example, a sniper.

I moved some of the visual narratives around, and changed the forum from making coffee to “holding a carved stone statue” and the location being a “bedroom”. Very interesting results.

Many imperfections, but very interesting and curious.

So it started out with a lot of kissing on the bed. No statue. But not too bad.

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(4)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(4)

Some soft nudes.

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Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(4)

And then everyone started kissing everyone else.

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Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(4)

And then things got heated up.

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Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(4)

And confusing…

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Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2

All are aesthetically pleasing, but none appeals to me. I am not searching for nudes and a lot of bed action. But I have taken note that you have to be very careful on what is written, and things can be misinterpreted with the strangest slight elements of sentence structure variation.

And I have no idea where the statue went.

Russia is militarily strong. Putin has tight, tight, very tight security from Russia while traveling abroad.

Mongolia’s police is not capable of arresting Putin. Neither is Mongolia’s army. That is reality.

ICC is NOT part of UN.

ICC works for members who have signed the Rome statute.

As of 2023, there are 123 members. USA, China, Russia, India, Israel & more are not members. But ICC still will help its member to sue a non-member.

The 2023 ruling against Putin in Ukraine war is not issued by UN or UN Security Council.

ICC consists of 18 judges who are elected by ICC members only; not UN.

Mongolia was within the circle of USSR before USSR collapsed.

Mongolia is between Russia & China. Though USA tries to put its hands in Mongolia, it makes sense that Mongolia joins the BRI project (pipeline) to link Russia, Mongolia & China together. To make money together.

Joining US politics only makes Mongolia poor & technological behind. Look around the world.

Try that on US supreme court? Not that lucky. Because US police or army can arrest you.

Stuffed Banana Peppers

450c89bd1ed71f1933d840781e1518bb
450c89bd1ed71f1933d840781e1518bb

Ingredients

Peppers

  • 24 banana peppers, washed, seeded and sliced in half lengthwise

Meat Mixture

  • 3 pounds ground meat
  • 3 pounds bulk Italian sausage
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups seasoned bread crumbs or bread cubes
  • 1 1/2 cups Romano cheese, + extra to sprinkle
  • 1 small diced onion
  • Garlic powder, to taste
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • Seasoned salt, to taste
  • Spaghetti sauce

Instructions

  1. Mix the ground meat, sausage, eggs, bread crumbs, cheese and onion.
  2. Season with garlic, black pepper and seasoned salt to taste. Mix well again.
  3. Fill banana peppers with meat mixture.
  4. Lay on a wax paper-covered tray and cover with plastic wrap, place in freezer until frozen firm; transfer to freezer bags until ready to use.
  5. Remove peppers from freezer and place evenly in a disposable aluminum casserole pan.
  6. Pour spaghetti sauce over peppers and bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour.

1.) Begpackers

main qimg 217ba668c718e433d13fbe546a2cd5b6 lq
main qimg 217ba668c718e433d13fbe546a2cd5b6 lq

(picture from MSN.com)

Begpacker, a.k.a. begging backpackers. Foreigners who think they can just sit down on the streets and ask for money from locals / other people, because they either overstayed their budget and cannot pay for longer accommodation, and think that the locals are kind enough to spare them a few bucks so they can continue to “travel the world”. The picture above enrages me because, what? “Help us travel around the world”? Why should we help you?

The picture is taken in Bali. I am from Indonesia (a country with a passport that only offers ~70 visa-free destinations) and let me tell you about the process of being able to travel to countries in the West (the tourist pictured above is most likely from one of those countries): It is tough. We have to prove that we have sufficient amount of money, that we have a stable income, that we have strong ties to our home country. We have to prove that we will not be a burden to the country we want to travel to. If not, our applications will be instantly rejected.

Meanwhile, these begpackers are abusing the lax travel rules and use it to their own advantage, burdening the locals and abusing their kindness and hospitality.

2.) Being disrespectful at historical monuments / sites

When I was studying in New York, I went down to the 9/11 Memorial site on September 11th to see what the situation looked like. I was born 2 years before 9/11 happened so while I didn’t personally witness it as I was too young to remember, I had family relatives living in NYC at that time that witnessed it in real time. I wanted to pay respects to the victims. I went down alone, and mostly kept my phone in my bag except for taking the picture above. Upon arriving, I saw a family of tourists huddled together, leaning back on the name plates (like in the picture above) and smiling widely while taking a selfie with a selfie stick. Around them were people standing in silence, clearly mourning, and some of them were in tears. The names on those metal plates are of real people, real victims.

How could someone be as ignorant and oblivious to what was happening around them that they’d take a picture for their personal amusement while hundreds of people around them are in mourning? And no, it wasn’t just that family of tourists that were doing it. There were many tourists at the memorial, on September 11th out of all dates, taking selfies, smiling and posing.

This can also apply to tourists who pose, smile, and take “cool” selfies at other sites like the Auschwitz concentration camp, or sacred sites like temples, etc. I wish some tourists could just read the room, and could tell if a certain action/activity could be deemed inappropriate.

3.) Blocking the way for others for the sake of a photo op.

Fyi, I am a tourist myself! I love seeing places I’ve never seen before, documenting things I find beautiful, and traveling to historical or cultural places. But please, know when it is appropriate to do some things you want to do, and when it is inappropriate to do so. Don’t cause congestion on a busy street, don’t be disrespectful at memorial sites, and please, don’t be a begpacker.

ETA: Some people disagree on my stance on begpackers. “If you don’t want to give your money, then don’t.” The thing is, the kind locals would. Southeast Asians are known for their kindness and hospitality, and probably just want to help. Another sad part is that you have literal local beggars on the streets begging for food/money because they are actually poor. Then you have a privileged first world tourist who think that travelling is a must for them, not a privilege. I think that’s outrageous. Travel according to your budget. Don’t become a burden to the locals.

As for annoying tourists and photo ops: the picture above is in The Bronx, between residential buildings. Could you imagine peacefully living in your apartment, then to find out the next day that it became a tourist attraction? Wouldn’t it be bothersome? “But people adjust! Live and let live!” Well, I know for sure I wouldn’t like it if I lived there.

People are entitled to have their own opinion, and so am I. Cheers 🙂

One greedy person can make life Hell for the rest of us

I was stuck in India for about a year without being able to leave.

When my wife was pregnant I went to the local Foreigner Regional Registration Office and was told that we should be fine overstaying our visas by a few weeks (to allow her more rest after labor) if I brought in a note from the doctor and the birth certificate.

She gave birth, and I did what they said.

“Okay. Now you must wait,” they said. Fair enough.

I called every week but every time was told that the permits we would need in order to leave were not ready.

In the meantime I cancelled our non-refundable AirAsia flight.

After a couple of months, it was clear that we were not going to get our permits to leave anytime soon.

“Your case had been forwarded to the central government in Delhi,” I was told by the office. “We can’t do anything for you.”

“Oh… Then what do I do now? Who can I talk to?”

“You can’t talk to them. You have to wait…”

Wow.

And so we lived in a state of limbo and uncertainty for many months, moving from house to house with a small baby because we didn’t know when we would leave.

Our families were worried. It was horrible. I got in touch with the US embassy but that didn’t help.

Finally, a friend introduced me to a friend of his, a man who worked for the government. He pulled some strings, and after a couple of weeks we had our exit permits.

I cannot describe the relief I felt. It’s like being in a place you love, but being trapped there. The place becomes a prison, and you don’t know when you’ll be able to leave. And there’s no sentence which tells you how long your imprisonment will last. You just have to wait. In my case, it was a year. Twelve months.

I thanked the man a gazillion times, and soon we were out of India. Phew.

China’s Diplomacy, Geopolitics, Defense

By the great Godfree Roberts

Diplomacy

“China’s overall strategy is not to collide head-on but to maintain strategic composure and, by continuously enhance its strength, exhaust the opponent’s power, thereby increasing its comprehensive control over the USA… This comprehensive control is not merely the combined use of control over land, air, sea, space, and cyberspace in traditional warfare but a competition for comprehensive dominance in areas like trade, industrial technology, finance, and cognitive warfare in an ‘unrestricted total war’ (无边界总体战)… China’s strategic thinking differs from the West, not resembling the confrontational approach of chess but the long-term game of Go—in which strategic advantage is built over time through a dynamic balance of power.”

Australian Ambassador Ross Garnaut: “America would be damaged by war with China over the status of Taiwan, but, short of a major nuclear exchange debilitating both great powers, its sovereignty would not be at risk. Australia’s would be. Indeed, I doubt that Australia could survive as a sovereign entity the isolation from most of Asia that would be likely to follow anything other than a decisive and quick US victory in a war in which our military was engaged”.

The National Endowment for Democracy: What It Is and What It Does. The Foreign Ministry says the NED acts as the U.S. government’s “white gloves,” subverting state power, meddling in other countries’ internal affairs, inciting division and confrontation, misleading public opinion, and conducting ideological infiltration—all under the guise of promoting democracy.

The Zimbabwe president visiting BYD Headquarters and realized that heads of African states are in China for the 9th FOCAC (Forum on China–Africa Cooperation). I spent a long time looking at the current state of China & Africa Cooperation. Let’s take a look at what I found.

NED has long colluded with anti-China forces, including Jimmy Lai. In 2020, the NED set up multiple projects related to Hong Kong in its funding list, totalling more than $310,000, to provide support for the Hong Kong rioters. In 2023, the NED collaborated with the British NGO “Hong Kong Watch” and Amnesty International, as well as anti-China politicians in the U.S., U.K. and Germany, to nominate Jimmy Lai for the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize.

America is, geopolitically, trying to punch China at one end of the bar, and getting punched 30 times before it can get there. Their military is too weak to take the field in Russia, their Navy is too weak to beat Yemen and their Air Force can only bomb innocents and misses the heroes of Hamas entirely. America is an old drunk brawler, covered in blood and piss and just embarrassing itself. Its current military strategy makes as much sense as Scarface’s home security. Scarface died so coked up that his body kept firing. That’s America right now, braindead and running on pure muscle memory.

An NHK (Japan’s national broadcaster) announcer told his audience, “The Diaoyu Islands and their affiliated islands have been Chinese territory since ancient times. I protest NHK’s historical revisionism and unprofessional work behavior.” He continued in English:”Don’t forget the Nanjing Massacre, don’t forget the comfort women, they were sex slaves during the war. Don’t forget Unit 731.”   NHK fired the Chinese employee of 22 years and threatened him with criminal charges.

Geopolitics

The largest tanker ever on Russia’s Northern Sea Route, the 164,565 dwt Prisma, carrying a million barrels of oil, departed from the Baltic port of Ust-Luga on August 10 and will reach Tianjin in 35 days–compared to 45 days for the Suez Canal and 55 days via the Cape of Africa.

Constructing the new Funan Techo Canal, Cambodia: 10 km completed by 17th. day. The Chinese contractor sent 2,500 large machines to work day and night. The US took 10yrs to build the Panama Canal, which opened in 1914, and which is 100km shorter than the Techo Canal. The Techo Canal is estimated to cost $1.7B. The Panama Canal cost $8.6B in 2024 dollars.

The recent, abortive color revolution in Thailand coincides with the stunning success of the hastily staged color revolution in Bangladesh and the fall of the Myanmar army’s Northeast Command in Lashio to the MNDAA. American and British “volunteers” have been fighting the Myanmar military though Myanmar has not experienced seen a wave of international volunteers like Ukraine or Syria.

In the past six years, 250 US scientists – most of Asian descent – have been identified as having failed to disclose overlapping funding or research in China, or having broken other rules. There were only two indictments and three convictions as legal outcomes of those investigations, yet 112 scientists lost their jobs as a result.

Türkiye has formally applied to join BRICS. Türkiye seeks to enhance its global influence and establish new alliances beyond its traditional Western partners, according to Bloomberg BRICS members: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, UAE, Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia.

China has party secretaries aboard oceangoing vessels. This report focuses on the ship political commissar, a Party representative assigned to oceangoing merchant ships, particularly within state-owned shipping enterprises, to carry out political and administrative work in the management of ship crews.

Serbia should pick BRICS over Brussels, Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin has said in an interview with Russian media. The largest republic of the former Yugoslavia applied for EU membership in 2009 and has been a candidate since 2012, but the bloc has recently demanded recognition of the breakaway province of Kosovo as a condition for membership. “BRICS does not ask anything of Serbia and offers more than we could want. The EU asks of us everything, and I’m no longer sure what it has to offer. We see BRICS as an opportunity and an alternative. Serbia is very closely investigating all the possibilities presented by BRICS and closer cooperation with its member states.” According to Vulin, Serbia is expecting an official invitation to the BRICS October summit in Kazan, Russia.

The footprints of the two global economic power blocs were roughly equal in 2020. China and its BRICS allies are increasingly the world economy’s richest bloc. Nothing prepared the populations of Western capitalism for this changed reality or its effects. Especially the sections of those populations already forced to absorb the costly burdens of Western capitalism’s decline feel betrayed, abandoned, and angry. The wars in Ukraine and Gaza testify to that denial and exemplify the costly strategic mistakes it produces.

The battleground won’t be in the Global South, where the US has very much lost to China, especially in Africa and Latin America. It won’t be in the Indo-Pacific either, where few countries want to take sides. It will be in Europe, where the US has most of its allies and where China is the largest trading partner. Even if America’s decline is gradual, it cannot afford a global military presence.That Europe takes China as a partner, competitor and systemic rival at the same time says more about Europe’s confusion about China than what China really is.

Defense

China launches its first nuclear-powered guided missile submarine, the Type 093B, …

I was an Office Manager for a collision repair center for a few years. We had a Mitsubishi Montero towed in from a bad accident that sat over a hot weekend.

The smell was awful. The spare tire was missing from the back. Pieces of teeth, tissue and bone were stuck on it. Lots of flies. The car had a suitcase, computer and other property in it.

We were told by the insurance agent that the car belonged to a long time customer who fell in love with a girl in the Philippines right out of school. He could not afford to bring her with him when he moved to California. He worked two jobs for a few years and saved money to bring her to the state to marry her.

He picked her up from the airport. She was excited! Never been to California before. They blew a tire on the freeway. She was pacing behind him on her cell phone talking to his sister. He removed the spare from the back of the car and was on his knees taking it off when a drunk driver going 65 mph hit them.

The drunk drivers car had struck her, pushed her into him and smashed his head near the spare tire holder on the back of the car. He died instantly. Pieces of his skull, jaw bone & teeth were pressed into the vehicle. She however was still alive and on the phone. She remained alive for a long time while rescue efforts continued. She died when the other drivers car was removed.

Her luggage was in the car. Her parents where flying out to collect her things. The receptionist and I had to remove her things and make a list for them. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done.

This Sea Is the Most Mysterious in the World

You never put down your gun.

That is Hollywood nonsense. If someone is holding a hostage, cops never surrender their weapon. Doing so turns the cop or whomever is responding into just another victim. You can read numerous answers by real cops to the effect here.

Would the police drop their weapons if someone is held at gunpoint?

Now me personally? Oh fuck no.

Him: Drop the gun or she’s dead!

Me: Son, you catastrophically misunderstand the situation you’ve put yourself in. Right now, she’s the only thing keeping you alive. There is no way in heaven or hell I’m putting my gun down, and if you hurt her I will kill you. No ifs ands or buts. I’m sure the coroner will explain to the judge how you tripped and fell face-first onto a pile of .45ACP bullets. Put the knife down, and you may just survive this.

Now, I can reliably hit a clay pigeon out to 25 yards. If we’re within that distance, I don’t need to get closer to shoot him in the face. Farther out…yeah, I’m less sure of that shot. Unless I have a rifle.

Bottom line, you never ever put your gun down. That’s just a good way to get both of you murdered. Make sure the bad guy understands he’s in a might-die/will-die situation. If he leaves her be, he might die. He might get arrested. He might escape. But if he hurts her, he will die.

Interesting

Don’t know if this was posted here previously, from “Globalism is Economic Slavery” on one of those websites b doesn’t like too much because their articles generate endless controversy. Its the life the West looks forward to.

He has never owned anything. He rents his bedroom, his furnishings, and his meager entertainments. Each month, a digital account associated with his digital ID receives a number of central bank digital currency units. How much he receives depends upon the number of hours he works at his government job, how much the government values his work, how much the government taxes him for the privilege of using public infrastructure, and how much of his income the government decides should be redistributed to other citizens in need. After taxes, rents, utilities, and other assorted municipal, state, federal, and international fees are deducted from his earnings, he has little — if any — discretionary income.




If he chooses to save that income to invest in his future, the government informs him that his central bank digital currency units disappear within ninety days. If he tries to purchase something that the government has banned, he forfeits what he currently has. If he does something that the government deems contrary to his well-being, his social credit score decreases, and a fraction of his discretionary income disappears. Every few weeks, a digital doctor (running on artificial intelligence) appears on the video screen in his apartment with a detailed list of all the “unhealthy” things he has done since their last interaction. He is informed that a portion of his temporary savings will be redistributed to citizens with healthier habits. His A.I. health monitor tells him that he must immediately report to the closest pharmaceutical distribution center so that he can be injected with the latest “vaccines.” Failure to do so will result in the deactivation of all electronic entertainment devices and a permanent mark on his social credit record.

He is unhappy, and because the State’s A.I. supervisor has detected his unhappiness, the display monitor in his apartment encourages him to find personal meaning by “joining the fight against global warming.” For a while, he does just that. He attends community meetings in his apartment building where government officials talk about the importance of “saving the planet” by “owning nothing.” He chats with anonymous strangers (bots?) on the State’s social media platform, and they all agree that the sacrifices they’re making to save the world are definitely worth it. He wakes up one morning to discover that his social credit score has risen and that he has been rewarded with a few extra central bank digital currency units. Still, our future man remains unhappy.

Then one day sirens blare, and his apartment monitor flashes with breaking news: the country is at war. He listens intently but can’t figure out which foreign nations are attacking. The trusted news anchors tell him that peace, prosperity, and freedom are all at risk. He steps outside his tiny apartment to find other solitary renters fired up and talking excitedly about the battles to come. He walks back inside to find his A.I. supervisor informing him that he has been personally selected to protect the homeland from its enemies. For the first time in many years, our future man feels alive.

He soon finds himself in boot camp, where he enjoys regular exercise, discipline, and camaraderie. Six months later, he and his new friends are shipped overseas. Strangely, in all this time, nobody has explained whom they will actually be fighting. All he knows is that they’re at war with “the authoritarians” who wish to “take our democracy.” There is anticipation in his camp and endless talk of adventure. Then, when everyone least expects it, a thunderous swarm of drones attacks from overhead. Nobody has time to react. Explosions seem to come from out of nowhere. He sees the bodies of his friends torn to pieces. Then everything goes dark.

He awakes in a hospital severely injured, is called a hero, and is later sent home. When he arrives, he notices breadlines outside the government’s genetically engineered food distribution centers. He hears a beggar on the street joke that they should call them “insect-lines,” since that’s all there is to eat. He learns that someone else has moved into his old apartment, but he is offered a new one because of his military service. It is smaller and has even fewer furnishings than the one he lost. He realizes that most of his former neighbors never returned from war and that many of the newcomers now living in their apartments look and sound like those people he was told to fight overseas. Nothing makes sense. His injuries torment him. He feels even more lost and lonely than before he went to war. His A.I. supervisor informs him that he has been added to a list of people considered “potential domestic terrorists.” Remaining on this list will make it hard for him to work and live.

Then, one day, his digital doctor asks if he would like some assistance in ending his life peacefully. “You can save others,” he is told, “by permanently reducing your carbon footprint.” In agony, he wonders, “How did we get here?”

 

Posted by: gT | Sep 4 2024 6:38 utc | 4

I witnessed a situation in the late ‘60’s while stationed at West Point New York, at the United States Military Academy, that hit this nail squarely on the head.

Two lowly butter bars ( recently commissioned 2nd Lts.) were called into the office of their CO of a combat engineer company that supported the cadet program there.

It seemed a family emergency necessitated the CO’s absence for a few days. That meant one of the Lt’s would assume command and this no pre-notice meeting was to announce the leave and change of command, and as it turned out, the reasons why.

The later arriving of the two Lt’s was a little older than his first arriving Lt. buddy. Other differences seemed to be life’s experiences, aggression, decision making initiative, civilian education and more.

The CO, thinking the differences, openly apparent to all, would cause problems when the lesser of the two was selected to take over, was the reason for the meet. He wanted to avoid any animus between the two Lt’s and any other problems that might cause in the company during his absence.

The CO, a brilliant man, was a West Point grad, a RVN vet of a harsh year, and held two graduate degrees. In other words, on the fast track for a career officer.

He explained, quite unnecessarily, that the later arriving Lt. would have been his choice to assume command but it was the other that was to have the position.

The date of rank (commission) was the determining factor in this instance and except for promotions was the usual order of things, where two, or more, of the same rank were in the picture.

He explained that the date of rank was the Army Protocol for determining seniority of two officers of the same rank. The two Lts. Looked at each other and broke into laughter. The two good friends could have cared less who was in the barrel for however long it was to take. Both were anxious to return to civilian life ASAP.

The Capt., also friendly with both in off duty time, joined in the amusement and just added. “I didn’t want to create any hard feelings!” It didn’t and I couldn’t have given a hoot less because my buddy Bill was designated the acting CO.

“No one is ready for what’s COMING this Fall” Gerald Celente warns

I had a professor who was from India and he had a superiority complex about being from India. He thought very little of Americans and never hesitated to tell students how they were inferior to people from India.

This professor would ask impossible three question tests. The questions would be something like, recite verbatim page 93 of your textbook without looking in the book.

After everyone would fail the test because passing was absolutely impossible for everyone, he would see each student individually ostensibly to discuss their grade.

He would make male students grovel and beg and he would sexually harass female students.

The first time this happened to me I told him he could just give me a minimum of a, “B” grade and he could pull his bullshit on the other students. If he did not agree with this, I told him I would make him regret that decision.

He did not agree so I went to the Dean of Students and explained the situation. T

he Dean of Students gave me the speech about college is about learning to get along with people and perhaps I had problems with the professor but other students did not.

I told the Dean he was wrong and I would prove it to him.

I requested the Dean to be in his office on Friday at 1:00 pm and he agreed. At the end of class, I got up and said, “Anyone who thinks this professor is an asshole, follow me and I will fix it.”

The entire class followed me to the Dean’s office.

The Dean was of course shocked and shocked to hear of the harassment of the students.

The Dean talked to the professor and assumed the matter was settled.

The next class the jackass professor immediately stated, “You ratted me out to the Dean, now I am going to fail everyone.”

I got up and told everyone in the class to get up and follow me to the Dean’s office (and they did).

That time he was threatened with immediate termination.

I went back and told the jackass, remember when I told you that you could just give me a minimum of a, “B” and play your games with the rest of the students?

Now I bet you wish you had.

Do not ever attempt to cross me. That put him in his place. He was later terminated for sexual harassment.

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The United States always lists some Chinese companies on the so-called “Entity List” on the grounds of suspected “forced labor of Uyghurs” and prohibits the import of their products.

Now, the sanctions list has expanded to more than 70 Chinese companies.

This number is not a simple statistic, but reflects a trend: the United States is using economic means to exert political pressure and trying to achieve its strategic goals by attacking Chinese companies.

But whether such an approach can really achieve the desired results is worth our deep consideration.

According to the United States, any goods related to Xinjiang may be considered as products of forced labor and therefore face sanctions.

However, the question is whether there is solid evidence to support this accusation, or is it a malicious frame-up for political purposes?

Xinjiang’s development achievements are obvious to all. The so-called “forced labor” and “genocide” are completely nonsense.

They are lies of the century fabricated by a very small number of anti-China elements. Their purpose is to mess up Xinjiang, discredit China, and curb China’s development.

It is obvious that this is the United States imposing illegal sanctions on Chinese companies under the guise of human rights.

The United States’ serious interference in China’s internal affairs, serious disruption of the normal market order, and serious violation of international trade rules and basic norms of international relations are essentially attempts to create “forced unemployment” in Xinjiang and infringe on the human rights of the vast number of people in Xinjiang in the name of human rights.

The Xinjiang companies sanctioned by the United States for so-called “forced labor” involve Xinjiang’s advantageous industries such as cotton and textiles and clothing, photovoltaic silicon-based, and tomato processing.

These industries play a very important role in promoting high-quality development, solving rural labor employment, and increasing farmers’ income.

You know, if a company’s exports are restricted, many downstream industries will not be able to obtain the necessary raw materials, and the normal operation of the entire industry will be impacted.

This is like a domino effect, one link after another, and in the end, it will not only be these companies that will suffer, but also tens of thousands of employees and families who depend on them for survival.

If the United States really cares about human rights, it should take measures to effectively solve domestic problems such as racial discrimination, gun violence, and drug abuse, rather than treating internal problems externally, interfering in other countries, and imposing sanctions indiscriminately.

Incest Cult Discovered in Backwoods of Australia | The Colt Clan

*’NEW HOTEL SCAM!!*

This is one of the smartest scams I have heard about.

You arrive at your hotel and check in at the front desk. Typically when checking in, you give the front desk your credit card (for any charges to your room) and they don’t retain the card.

You go to your room and settle in. All is good.

The hotel receives a call and the caller asks for (as an example) *room 620* – which happens to be your room.

The phone rings in your room. You answer and the person on the other end says the following:

*’This is the front desk. When checking in, we came across a problem with your charge card information.*

*Please re-read me your credit card numbers and verify the last 3 digits numbers at the reverse side of your charge card.’*

Not thinking anything wrong, since the call seems to come from the front desk you oblige. But actually, *it is a scam by someone calling from outside the hotel*. They have asked for a *random room number*, then *ask you for your credit card and address information.*

*They sound so professional, that you think you are talking to the front desk.*

If you ever encounter this scenario on your travels, *tell the caller that you will be down to the front desk to clear up any problems.*

Then, *go to the front desk or call directly and ask if there was a problem.*

If there was none, *inform the manager of the hotel that someone tried to scam you of your credit card information, acting like a front desk employee.*

This was sent by someone who has been duped……..

and is still cleaning up the mess.

Johnston Island. You can’t go there, at least not legally.

It’s about 800 miles SSW of Honolulu, making it roughly 3,000 miles SSW of San Diego.

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Good features:

Federal wildlife sanctuary. Birdshit EVERYWHERE. Great if you’re prospecting for birdshit.

No noisy neighbors. Except the birds.

Humans all gone now.

Clear-ass water 90 feet deep in the lagoon. Sharks can be seen, and guys used to catch (and sometimes eat) them.

Bad features:

Used to have a shitload of chemical (and probably biological) warheads stored there. All were incinerated in the 1990s and the incineration facility demolished.

Atomic weapons were launched from there in the early 1960s. Two test shots failed, including one that scattered PLUTONIUM all over the launchpad. They buried the waste, but it is still there. Do Not Visit ‘Mount Pluto,” which is where that stuff is buried.

No facilities. Airstrip decommissioned.

A sailboat sheltered in the atoll some years ago during a hurricane. Better than nothing, they said.

I visited there in 1991 as an Army Photojournalist. We repatriated our chemical munitions from West Germany and shipped them there for disposal. I covered the shipment and transfer story.

Short answer: exist.

Longer answer: China is rising rapidly to surpass the USA as the world’s dominant power. The USA cannot lose face.

Detailed answer: China’s rise will undermine US hegemony and thus take away its financial privileges to export away its inflation and punish other nations for not complying with its foreign policy.

The Strange DNA of the last mammoths

Everyone knows these facts.

  • Hypertension (high blood pressure) commonly cause headache.
  • Diabetes (high sugar) can be countered by taking bitter gourd.
  • Avoiding fatty food can surely reduce cholesterol.
  • Heart attack always cause left sided chest pain.
  • Pricking type of chest pain located at one point in the left chest may be heart attack.
  • An Echo test (heart scanning) can identify blocks in the heart.
  • Fruits are no no for a diabetic
  • Smoking just one cigarette is not very dangerous.
  • It is very rare for women to die of heart attack.

Unfortunately; all of the above are wrong.

It is very rare for people to get headache because of hypertension unless the BP is very severe (accelerated hypertension, hypertensive encephalopathy or a hypertensive stroke).

Diabetes results from low levels or ineffective Insulin in the body. Taking bitter gourd actually worsens blood sugar (it is complex carbohydrate).

60 % of serum cholesterol is synthesized in the Liver. So despite strict dieting people can still have very high cholesterol.

Heart attack pain can be anywhere from above the navel to below the jaw, it can radiate to shoulders or back or feel like ‘indigestion’. Despite the classic left chest, left arm pain, many often cardiac pain is atypical.

Pricking chest pain, localized to a point is almost always non-cardiac

An Echo test shows heart valves and heart muscles and cardiac contractility, it cannot identify a coronary block. Indirect evidence of block by way of heart muscle abnormality may be shown in echo.

Citrus fruits and bananas have low glycemic index and are recommended in diabetic diet

Even one cigarette smoking can cause transient narrowing of coronary artery and precipitate a block in a susceptible person (coronary spasm).

Chance of a women dying of an heart attack is more than breast and uterine cancer added together. It is of course less common than in men in menstrual age group.

Shorpy

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In 1997 My 44 yo wife died of cancer.

She had the best insurance money could buy.

While she was being treated, Chemo and radiation her renewal date came up and they cancelled her policy.

I lost everything I had worked for and decided to look elsewhere.

I got on a strangers sailboat and months later wound up in New Zealand from Seattle.

I have never entertained the idea of returning.

I have lived around the world and my eyes are wide open. Something that cannot happen by no travel.

I have found a lot of what Americans long for.

Lower taxes, totally freemedical for life, a safe country, no guns, no enemies and a most beautiful place tolive.

Not lacking in anything.

My town is 50% white and 50% Maoriand others.

no racial issues.

The quality of life is unsurpassed.

A govt that listens to it’s people. My only regret is not leaving 20 yrs earlier.

Comanche Women | More BRUTAL than the Men

A company where I worked in the ’80s and ’90s had a policy of organizing all the employees into teams. If someone wanted to change jobs within the company they had to get the approval of both the team they were leaving and the team they would be joining.

A woman who was well-known as an excellent worker wanted to move to another, better job within the company. Everyone expected that she would have no difficulty since she had such a good reputation. Her team got together to do an evaluation of her, and everyone gave her glowing recommendations. They said they would be sorry to lose her, but that she had worked hard and learned a lot and deserved to get a promotion. Her new team also was impressed with her accomplishments and her reputation, and said they’d be glad to have her working with them.

So everyone was shocked to find that HR had denied her transfer. When questioned they said that her team’s evaluations had been TOO good, that no one was perfect and the evaluations couldn’t have been honest. However, they agreed to let her team do the evaluations over. The second time around, each person tried to come up with some criticism, but all they could think of were little things like “Sometimes her perfume is a little strong” or “Once a couple of years ago she was a few minutes late when she had a flat tire.” The result? HR denied her transfer AGAIN because there were too many negative comments!

This was too much! The team leaders from both her old team and the team she wanted to join went to upper management and insisted that she be given the transfer. No one else knew the details of what happened after that, but HR reversed their decision and she got the transfer.

Trash Talking 20 Year Old Gets Instantly Humbled

Pounce dust all over the planimeter

Then don’t buy Chinese goods then.

It’s your choice. Put your money where your mouth is.

Things may cost more.

I sometimes have to work on HK Island, there’s some good food in some of the residential districts. But in the business districts like central or Admiralty the choices are limited to:

McDonalds, KFC, Maxims.

I’m currently boycotting those companies. So I go to places that cost more about 25% more.

China funds pro-CPC groups? 🤣 Sorry, China “does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.”

China would rather invest money in the Belt and Road Initiative and infrastructure construction in southern countries than in the corrupt and chaotic politics of the United States, because China’s development does not need to rely on US policies.

It is possible to carry out people-to-people cultural exchanges between China and the United States. The Chinese government has always required Chinese students and staff in the United States to protect their own safety, not to participate in local political activities, tell the Chinese story well, introduce a real China to American friends, and contribute to enhancing mutual understanding and promoting mutually beneficial cooperation. In fact, it is a good thing for American to have a real and objective understanding of China, which is beneficial for both sides, especially for the US.

Whether Americans pro-CPC or hate-CPC or Anti-communism is of little importance to the CPC. Besides, the CPC has no plan to govern the United States and no intention of sending Communist Party members to participate in the US election. The CPC does not need the votes of American citizens to govern China. 🤣 So, It doesn’t matter how Americans view CPC!


In addition, Taiwan chooses to fund U.S. congressmen or lobbying groups to oppose the CPC and China and attempt Taiwan independence because “political donations” and “political lobbying” are legal in the United States!

Can you name an example of a U.S. Congressman who is not a millionaire?

Taiwan is a participant in the US State Department’s Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act, the DPP authorities have frequently invited US congressmen, their assistants, and congressional experts to visit the island under the pretense of universities and research institutions, whose “white gloves” have given legitimacy to high-profile receptions, including providing first-class flights, luxury hotels, leisure and entertainment, and paying exorbitant “commission fees.” In fact, all activities were arranged and paid for by the DPP authorities.

Former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has paid his second trip to China’s Taiwan, trumpeting that the island was “an independent country,” as he spoke at a business forum at the invitation of pro-secessionist media Liberty Times. he will allegedly take “commission fees” from companies including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSMC), China Steel Corporation, I-MEI Foods Co Ltd and CHIMEI Corporation.

In his previous visit to the island, Pompeo was paid $150,000 for a speech, under the terms of an agreement signed by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US and US-based company Premiere Speakers Bureau, according to Taiwan media reports.

The DPP also paid huge amounts of money to welcome Ed Royce, a “pro-Taiwan independence” Republican congressman, who visited the island in his “farewell trip” before retirement in 2018, according to media reports.

What’s more, the DPP has raised the budget for “foreign guest reception” in 2023 to some NT$430 million ($13.6 million) from NT$370 million, an increase of 16 percent.

Apart from directly channeling profits, the DPP has been catering to affiliated or family businesses of US members of Congress, analysts noted.

The transfer of benefits is also made through Taiwan groups in the US. For one thing, they were mobilized to campaign for “pro-Taiwan independence” legislators in the US. For example, when Marco Rubio ran for the Republican presidential candidate in 2016, he received donations from many Taiwan associations in the US, and from companies or banks in the island.

“US-Taiwan Business Council,” “North America Taiwanese Professors’ Association,” and some other organizations and institutes have also campaigned for legislators through donations, canvassing, and policy advising. “Formosan Association for Public Affairs” has long provided support and campaigning for Steve Chabot, a member of the US House of Representatives, and pushed for the Taiwan Travel Act.

In addition, the DPP authorities have given profits to the US politicians through public relations firms. The Global Times learned from gathered information that, to push for Pelosi’s visit, Taiwan authorities hired ex-congressman Dick Gephardt for $22,000 a month to lobby in the US. From February 2018 to April this year, Gephardt lobbied Pelosi for 16 times, for which the DPP paid another $3.15 million.

The DPP also hired over 10 public relation firms including Nickles Group to frequently lobby members of Congress.

Information from the US Department of Justice showed that from 2016 to 2020, the DPP spent more than $12 million on public relations lobbying in the US, on average $3 million per year. Taiwan’s other agencies also invested more than $9 million in this regard.

Rescue The Republic Rally To SAVE Western Civilization!

You can’t carry more than $ 5000 or equivalent in foreign currency while entering or leaving China

You can’t bring in any sum exceeding 20,000 RMB when entering or leaving China

Within China?

No Rule that says you can’t carry too much cash on your person and no upper limit

However there are some smaller rules

  • No Business can hold more than 500,000 RMB of Cash Or 5% of Total Declared Revenue as of the previous year whichever is LOWER. So Businesses always deposit their Cash in Banks whenever the amounts exceed these limits.
  • Individuals holding in excess of 60,000 RMB cash must explain the source of the funds and declare them when asked

Ukraine Looking For Retired F-16 Pilots? Fighter Pilots React.

Of course they did and they probably weren’t wrong at the start. The Zumwalt is a failure of leadership and project management rather than a pure design failure.

Initially, it was “let’s make a replacement for the Iowa class for shore bombardment, but cheaper and more survivable in the 21st century”. It was a reasonable idea considering that the Iowa class had been retired and they were horrendously expensive to operate anyway since they need a complement of escorting ships like a carrier. A stealthy bombardment ship sounds like a great solution to this problem.

main qimg 582184cfa75b065256699ec45154fed8
main qimg 582184cfa75b065256699ec45154fed8

Imagine a Formula 1 car: It’s not a great car if you want to use it for grocery shopping or commuting to work, but its inability to carry anything other than the driver doesn’t make it a failure.

What happened to the Zumwalts was mission creep. The focus changed and it got loaded with all kinds of stuff, ostensibly for “improvements”, and ended up as a very expensive dud with just a barely-working main gun system (which is being replaced with hypersonic missiles). To use the F1 example, it’s like adding another seat and a trunk to the car and declaring, “now we can use it for racing AND commuting!” Is it any surprise that it becomes sub-par in all its roles? The Zumwalt is even worse considering the failure of the main gun—a bit like if the F1 car have underpowered engines.

If they did it like the F-35, let’s say, where they were very ambitious from the start, they might still have a fairly expensive class of ships and cost overruns, but they would also have working ships. Or else, they shouldn’t bother with the design after they started making it.

RUSSIA ISSUES DIRECT WARNING TO U.S.

***** BULLETIN ***** RUSSIA ISSUES DIRECT WARNING TO U.S.

BULLETIN: Russia has now issued a DIRECT warning to the United States and to NATO “If Western weapons are used to strike deep inside Russia, the consequences will affect both sides of the Atlantic.”

The direct warning was HAND DELIVERED by Diplomatic Courier, to the White House.

This comes after Ukraine began using west-supplied weapons to attack targets slightly over 1,000km into interior Russia, and  after U.S. said THIS WEEK “we are near to an agreement to provide Ukraine with long-range cruise missiles capable of reaching deep into Russian territory.”

This is a quickly-developing story.  Check back for updates.

UPDATE 3:45 PM EDT —

Russian ambassador to Washington, Anatoly Antonov, HAS NOW ALSO STATED PUBLICLY: “If Western weapons are used deep inside Russia, the consequences will affect both sides of the Atlantic.”

Russian ambassador to Washington, Anatoly Antonov

Russian Ambassador
Russian Ambassador

Worse, he said this while discussion the present, ongoing revisions to Russia’s Nuclear Weapons Use Doctrine!

I’ve Seen The Saucers – Elton John (1974)

Not what we seem

Submitted into Contest #247 in response to: Set your story on a spaceship exploring the far reaches of space when something goes wrong. view prompt

N Martin

As the deep space exploration drone, “Odyssey,” approached Proxima Centauri, tension filled the control room. Engineers and scientists gathered around screens displaying the drone’s telemetry and images from deep space.Months before the launch, the space agency had assembled a team of experts from various fields to work on the Odyssey project. Engineers, scientists, linguists, and even psychologists were brought together to ensure the mission’s success.The team spent countless hours in simulations, testing every possible scenario and fine-tuning the drone’s systems. Alex Chen led the engineering team, overseeing the design and construction of Odyssey’s advanced propulsion and communication systems.Dr. Amelia Brooks focused on the scientific objectives of the mission. She organised workshops and training sessions to familiarise the team with the latest research on Proxima Centauri and the potential for discovering extraterrestrial life.As the launch date approached, the atmosphere at the space agency was electric. The team had worked tirelessly, and now, the moment of truth was finally at hand.

 

Dr. Amelia Brooks, the mission’s lead scientist, leaned over a console, her eyes scanning the data with a mix of excitement and apprehension. “We’re getting closer to Proxima Centauri than any human-made craft has ever been,” she said, her voice tinged with awe. “Just imagine the discoveries waiting for us.”

 

Next to her, Alex Chen, the chief engineer, nodded, his fingers dancing over the controls. “The drone’s systems are holding up remarkably well,” he replied. “But we’re entering uncharted territory. We need to be prepared for anything.”

 

As Odyssey sent back stunning images of alien worlds and mysterious phenomena, the excitement in the room was palpable. Every new piece of data was a puzzle to be solved, a clue to the secrets of the universe.

 

But then, without warning, the screens went dark. The telemetry stream halted, and the once-buzzing control room fell silent.

 

Alex’s fingers froze over the controls, his eyes wide with shock. “We’ve lost communication,” he whispered, his voice barely audible.

 

Dr. Brooks stared at the blank screens, her mind racing. “Keep trying,” she urged. “There has to be a way to reestablish contact.”

 

After the heartbreaking loss of communication with Odyssey, the control room became a place of quiet desperation. Engineers and scientists worked around the clock, fueled by caffeine and sheer determination, trying every possible method to reestablish contact with the drone.

 

The first weeks were filled with hope and optimism. Every anomaly detected in the telemetry data was scrutinized, every blip on the radar was investigated. But as days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, hope began to wane.

 

The team faced mounting pressure from both the public and the media. Questions were raised about the mission’s feasibility and the space agency’s ability to manage such a complex operation. Doubts began to creep in, and morale hit an all-time low.

 

Inside the control room, the atmosphere was one of quiet determination mixed with a growing sense of despair. Engineers and scientists formed tight-knit groups, working together to solve the seemingly unsolvable puzzle. They refused to give up, even as the odds stacked against them.

 

Late-night brainstorming sessions became the norm, with team members throwing out wild theories and hypotheses, no matter how improbable. Some suggested that Odyssey might have encountered a cosmic anomaly that temporarily disrupted its systems. Others speculated about the possibility of alien interference or even abduction.

 

Dr. Amelia Brooks, the mission’s lead scientist, took it upon herself to keep the team motivated. She organized weekly meetings to update everyone on the progress of the recovery efforts and to remind them of the importance of their mission.

 

“We owe it to ourselves and to humanity to keep trying,” she would say, her voice unwavering despite the fatigue in her eyes. “We’ve come too far to give up now.”

 

But as the weeks turned into months, the strain began to take its toll. Exhaustion set in, both mentally and physically. Team members started to doubt themselves and each other. Tensions rose, and arguments broke out over the smallest of details.

 

Despite the challenges, the team persevered. They refused to let their hard work and dedication go to waste. They continued to search for any sign of Odyssey, clinging to the hope that they might one day reestablish contact with their lost drone.

 

And then, just when they had all but given up hope, a faint signal was detected…

 

The first images and data sent back by Odyssey were nothing short of extraordinary. The drone’s cameras captured stunning views of alien worlds, strange celestial phenomena, and even what appeared to be evidence of a technologically advanced civilisation.

 

But then, the screens went dark, and the control room again fell silent. When contact was again suddenly reestablished, the images were even more unsettling.

 

The interior of an alien facility, a labyrinth of dimly lit corridors, filled with unfamiliar technology that seemed to defy the laws of physics. Strange symbols adorned the walls, their meaning a mystery to the team.

 

As Odyssey explored further, it encountered the alien creatures. These beings were unlike anything seen before: tall, slender, with skin that seemed to shimmer in different colours. They moved with a grace and purpose that suggested a highly evolved intelligence.

 

The creatures appeared to be studying Odyssey with a mix of curiosity and caution. They seemed to communicate with each other through a series of clicks and chirps, their language as alien as their appearance.

 

The drone’s cameras captured these interactions in vivid detail, but the team at Mission Control struggled to make sense of what they were seeing. Were these creatures friendly or hostile? What was their purpose in bringing Odyssey into their facility?

 

As the data logs were decoded, the cryptic messages added another layer of mystery. “They are not what they seem. Do not follow. Turn back or face extinction.” What had Odyssey stumbled upon? And what did these warnings mean for humanity’s future in the cosmos?

 

The control team was stunned. What had Odyssey encountered out there? Was this a warning meant for humanity or a message from the drone itself, transformed by whatever it had encountered?

 

Just when they thought they had seen the most unsettling images, the camera feed from Odyssey took a final, haunting turn. The lens panned to reveal another alien creature, chained and raised off the ground, its eyes locked onto the drone’s camera with an intensity that sent shivers down the spine.

 

As the creature stared directly into the camera, the screens at Mission Control were suddenly overtaken by a haunting warning displayed in red against a black background: “They are not what they seem. Do not follow. Turn back or face extinction.”

 

The control room fell into a chilling silence, the message echoing ominously in the minds of everyone present as the red text on black screens changed once more.

 

“We are not what we seem. Do not follow. Do not return. We are the last of our kind

Richard Wolff: Israel, Ukraine, China, and the End of the American Empire

I once witnessed a situation that perfectly fit the phrase, “You just picked a fight with the wrong person.” It happened at a small, cozy coffee shop I used to frequent. One afternoon, a well-dressed, middle-aged man came in and, for some reason, started berating the young barista behind the counter. She was this sweet, quiet girl, always polite and soft-spoken. The man was loud, condescending, and completely out of line, complaining about something trivial like the temperature of his coffee.

As he continued to raise his voice, demanding to speak to the manager, a woman at the back of the shop stood up. She was in her 50s, with a calm but steely demeanor. She walked up to the counter and, in the calmest voice, said, “Excuse me, sir, I’m the owner of this establishment.” The man turned to her, ready to continue his rant, but she didn’t give him a chance. With a firm but controlled tone, she told him that his behavior was unacceptable and that he was no longer welcome in her café.

The man tried to bluster his way out of it, but she was unshakeable. She informed him that she would not tolerate anyone mistreating her staff and that she had no problem calling the police if he didn’t leave immediately. The entire café was watching, and there was this palpable sense of justice in the air. You could see the man’s bravado evaporate as he realized he had underestimated her. He left, muttering under his breath, and the café broke out in applause.

That day, we all saw a quiet, kind barista stand her ground, not because she was aggressive, but because she had the unflinching support of someone who wasn’t afraid to stand up to bullies. It was one of those moments that made you feel proud to have witnessed it, a true case of someone picking a fight with the wrong person.

German “TORNADO” Fighter Jet at Edwards Air Force Base, Flying with B-61 NUCLEAR Trainer

German Fighter At US Base with B61 NBuke Trainer large
German Fighter At US Base with B61 NBuke Trainer large

A TORNADO fighter jet from Germany, has been photographed outside Edwards Air Force Base in the U.S., carrying a B-61-12 nuclear bomb TRAINER.

These “TRAINERS” mimic the size and weight of such weapons, so pilots can get used to what the plane feels like, and how it maneuvers, when carrying such a bomb.

It is important to point out that when the U.S. approved the transfer by NATO Allies of “Donated” F-16 Fighter Jets to Ukraine, the U.S. DEMANDED that only F-16’s with the necessary modification enabling them to carry the B-61 Nuclear Bomb, would be allowed to be transferred to Ukraine.

Now, we’re letting GERMAN Fighter Pilots train on flying with such nuclear bombs as well.

Why do you think the U.S. is doing these things?

I think it’s because the U.S. intends to strike Russia with nuclear weapons.

Which, it seems to me, also means we will get struck back.   Here.  Inside the USA.

Just thought you should know what your government is presently working on — in your name and on your behalf.

When Female Narcos Mess With These Brutal Cartels

Shorpy

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Turkey Officially Applies to Join BRICS

Turkey Officially Applies to Join BRICS
Turkey applies to BRICS large
Turkey applies to BRICS large

Turkey has now offically submitted its application to join BRICS, after repeatedly being denied entry into the European Union!!

Even casual observers of matters geo-political, see this as a “Huge deal;.”

If accepted, Turkey would be the first NATO member and EU candidate to join BRICS.

The whole point of BRICS is basically to replace the world’s reliance on the US dollar and “centralized” power.

Turkish President Erdogan’s administration believes “the geopolitical center of gravity is shifting away from developed economies,” according to sources.

The proposal by Turkey will be discussed at the BRICS summit in Russia this October.

HOLY S#!T! NATO IS PREPPING FOR A DECAPITATION STRIKE ON RUSSIA!

Did it happen?

If you know then Russia knows. If that’s true, we’re fucked.

For years before we got married, I’d visit my future husband about 6 times a year. I’d fly from Canada to California to see him. I’d take my seat in economy and invariably a flight attendant would approach me before takeoff and ask, “are you flying alone?” I would answer that I was and they’d tell me to come with them and lead me to a business class seat. I assumed I was just lucky.

On future flights I was pulled out of line and whisked through customs. As I was going through a private security screening, I was told by a customs agent that I’d be sitting in business class. I told him that this happens to me in one way or another every time I flew and I didn’t understand why. He told me that my fiancé arranges this for me as this was the only explanation. He seemed to know who I was engaged to. He further told me that my fiancé was a very modest man and would never do this for himself but he must love me a lot to do it for me. I had no idea he was behind this. BUT…

While I waited to board the plane, I called my fiancé and asked him why he’d never told me that he arranges for me to sit in business class. He denied any knowledge of this and said he’d have told me if it was him. It wasn’t him. I have no idea why this happened for years. He’s not famous, I’m not famous and I have no connection to the airlines whatsoever. I don’t even dress well when I fly. Every time it happens, I think “you gotta be kidding me”.

“This Is The Greatest Lie Ever Told” – How Elites & Baby Boomers Collapsed America

Good video. He’s a bit too irritating, but his explanation, while soft, is pretty good. He talks about various historical cycles.

"You can correlate inflation with social collapse."

I heard this story from my uncle.

In 1969 a friend of his — a Vietnam tunnel rat on his second deployment — was home in Denver on leave from Vietnam. He was a Chicano about 5′ 4″ and 140 lbs, about the size of most tunnel rats.

FYI: Tunnel rats crawl into enemy caves, bunkers, and tunnels with just a pistol, a knife, and a flashlight and fight to the death in hand-to-hand combat with whoever is in there.

My uncle was giving him a ride to Fort Carson later that day so he could go back to the war, so him and my uncle went to a strip bar about 11 AM to have a few drinks. They had the best table in the bar, right in front of the dance floor. The tunnel rat was proudly wearing his uniform, ribbons and all.

My uncle went to the john to take a piss, and right then three big guys in cowboy hats and jeans came into the bar. They walked up to the tunnel rat who was sitting at the best table enjoying the show, and one of them told him to “get the f*#k out of our spot, you f*#king Mexican!” Then he punched the soldier in the head. BIG mistake!!

My uncle came out of the pisser right then, just in time to see the tunnel rat smash his beer mug across that guys face and proceed to beat the living shit out of all three of them, bouncing them across the bar room with fists, elbows, and kicks.

They were really busted up — some teeth on the floor, all three of them unconscious and bleeding. It all happened fast.

The Sheriffs showed up a few minutes later, looked at the mess, and asked the bartender what happened. He told them the truth, how the cowboys came in and attacked that soldier and got the shit beat out of them. The ambulances showed up then and started loading up the busted cowboys.

One of the Sheriffs questioned the soldier and found out he was a tunnel rat who was deploying back to Vietnam later that day. He looked at the bloody cowboys and chuckled, took statements from witnesses, and let the soldier go so he could get back to Fort Carson on time.

Just goes to show you — it’s not who is the biggest, but who deals the deadly blow first that wins the fight.

The Collapse of America & Everything Wrong With Society Today (+ A Hopeful Way Forward) | Ray Dalio

According to the OED, capitalism is “an economic and political system in which a country’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit”.

So, capitalism equals private enterprise.

But I struggle with the invisible hand thesis of efficient markets. Yes, Adam smith’s “wealth of nations” is required reading in economics, but having been immersed in the business of profit, it doesn’t make sense to me.

A successful economy does not spring up organically. Neither do markets self-organize into optimal, efficient equilibria. As far as I can tell, the invisible hand applies only to prices, but it requires the presence of robust price discovery mechanisms, which entails complex issues of governance in law and administration.

No capitalist nation is truly capitalist. The UK’s NIH has nationalized healthcare. The Norwegians nationalized oil. The French still maintain colonies. All nations provide public education. The BOJ and Fed intervene directly in capital markets. Sovereign wealth funds have market-swaying powers. The US massively subsidizes farming and more recently, chipmaking.

And so on.

The term capitalism is overabused that it has become devoid of meaning, just like democracy.

What is “better at capitalism”? The absolute share of private enterprise in the economy? Private enterprise can be co-opted (or rather, directed) for government purposes. Cue elon’s starlink as a key enabler of NATO’s military campaign in Ukraine. Or American social media’s complicit role in Palantir’s “death by algorithm” program of automated drone assasinations.

What is “better at capitalism”? Hothousing the most profitable companies? There’s no fighting the Americans, who lead in valuation. But how much is enough?

What is “better at capitalism”? Ascending the capitalist throne as the “greediest SOB that ever lived”?

I don’t know. You tell me.

China just wants to improve its delivered baseline decade on decade. Whether it is market- or state-driven doesn’t matter, because the cat that catches mice is a good cat, whether it is black, or white.

Americans Are Priced Out Of Home Ownership, Marriage And Kids

Space Burns

Submitted into Contest #24 in response to: Write a story set in the dark recesses of space where the two main characters are often at odds with each other in humorous and comedic ways. view prompt

Stevie Aldrich

“CONKLIN!” Havaderr wailed. His face was the brightest red and steaming with heat. The veins in his neck throbbed noticeably, but he waited as still as he could for Conklin to answer. A buzz came in over the intercom above Havaderr’s head.

     “Hey, was that you shouting, Havaderr?” Conklin’s voice crackled with static and attitude. Havaderr shut his eyes and repeated his Zen mantra in his head.

     “Havaderr? What’s your problem?”

     Havaderr’s eyes opened, and in the most even tone he could manage; he said his mantra out loud.

     “I am calm. I am calm. I can overcome this. I am strong. I am strong. I can overcome anything.” Havaderr spoke through gritted teeth, spittle flying across the room as he focused on keeping his anger inside rather than shouting and blowing the place up with Conklin inside.

     “Hey guy, are you going to answer me or what?” Conklin’s voice implied his own rising impatience. Havaderr moved to the button on the wall nearest him to respond.

     “Yes, Conklin, I was shouting,” Havaderr said as evenly as his rage would allow. “Get your ass to 4A NOW!” As he trailed off, he clenched his teeth together so hard he felt a grinding that might as well have been a tooth chipping. Before Conklin’s reply came, Havaderr heard an irritated sigh over the intercom.

     “Yeah, be right ther-.” Conklin barely finished his sentence before releasing the button, cutting himself off at the end.

     Moments later, a door slid open down the hall, several yards away from Havaderr. Conklin came into the hall, looking both ways before spotting Havaderr.

     “What the hell, why are you shouting and-“ Havaderr cut Conklin off with a finger to his mouth to silence him.

     “I’m going to show you something in this room behind me, and it’s best if your mouth is shut when I do.” Havaderr’s voice wavered, he was still trying to control his anger. Conklin looked confused as ever but kept his mouth shut. With a worried expression, Conklin followed Havaderr to another door. Havaderr stood aside and opened the door for Conklin to enter alone. Conklin stood in the doorway staring, then Havaderr shoved him wholly into the room from behind and closed the door.

     “Havaderr, what’s going on? What the fu-ahhhh!” The intercom inside the restroom was unnecessary, but Havaderr appreciated it right now. He would have heard Conklin screaming from quite a distance, but hearing Conklin’s disgust and horror in surround sound was more pleasing. A slice of anger slid off his shoulders and a small smile appeared on his face.

     The door rattled, clearly Conklin on the other side trying to burst through, but Havaderr held the lock button, keeping Conklin trapped inside.

     “What kind of game is this Havaderr? Let me out, for Christ’s sake!” Conklin was panicking, releasing more anger from Havaderr’s shoulders and filling his belly with laughter.

     “This is no game, friend. This is you coming face to face with your own incompetence,” Havaderr said over the intercom, still smiling.

     “Havaderr! Let me out of here!” Conklin screamed and started ramming the door again.

     “I don’t think so, Conklin. If you look to the left of the door, I’ve been kind enough to set you up with plenty of cleaning supplies for the job, which is a lot more than you did for me. I’d suggest you start tackling that shit before it starts tackling you.” Havaderr exploded with laughter, letting go of the intercom and floating backward as he held onto his stomach. He laughed so hard he couldn’t breathe. Conklin kept banging on the door and pleading to be released, but Havaderr couldn’t hear anything over the roar of his own hysteria.

     Curled up in fetal position, floating in the hallway, Havaderr worked himself out of his fits of laughter. He wiped the joyful tears from his eyes and started breathing normally again. He moved back to the intercom.

     “Look mate, this restroom was in your sector to clean. Obviously, you did a piss poor job,” Havaderr grabbed his side, holding the laughter in after such a quality pun. “I told you, cleaning the restrooms would be the most important job, because if it isn’t done right, this happens. Floating excrement!” Conklin didn’t say anything, but Havaderr heard him kick or punch the door.

     “I’ll take your silence as admitting you did a sloppy job the first time. You know, I needed to do some business, and I walk into the restroom greeted with a turd to the face, which I’m assuming belonged to you, so I have no sympathy for you right now. Clean the damn restroom like you were supposed to, and I’ll let you out.” Havaderr waited for a response. He was eager to shower off the stench and stain of human waste from himself before finishing his day.

     “Yeah, alright,” Conklin said over the intercom, sounding defeated and guilty. Havaderr nodded his head and left Conklin to figure out how to clean a restroom with feces floating freely throughout.

     “Like I said, not a drop of sympathy for you. Do it right the first time, and we won’t run into stupid problems like that,” Havaderr said coolly, scrubbing at the built-up muck in the corners of the glass.

     Conklin was still cranky from cleaning the restroom the day before, and he meant to let Havaderr know just how little he appreciated the tactless way he was pushed into the situation without warning.

     “Chin up, Conklin. We have one more day before our shift is over, and we can get the hell off this floating heap of death,” Havaderr motioned toward the clear chambers that housed the comatose bodies of several crew members, one of which whose glass he was scrubbing.

     “Remind me, what’s up with these bodies? They’re dead, yeah?” Conklin asked.

     “No, they’re alive, they’re the crew, dumbass,” Havaderr grunted at Conklin. He looked over to see Conklin hovering around the main dashboard, not a rag or mop near him. “And I wouldn’t mind if you got to work while you asked your questions,” he barked. Conklin jumped and reached for a rag tucked into a closed bucket tethered nearby. He started mindlessly wiping at the dashboard without paying close attention.

     “Okay, but how come they’re asleep?” Conklin asked. Havaderr sighed as he paused and rolled his eyes.

     “Do I look like the Captain of this ship? All I know is, this crew is traveling some number of lightyears, so the ship has been programed for regular stops near inhabited planets for maintenance and cleaning. We drew the short straw, so we get to hop from the ship we were on previously, to this one, and then another one before heading back home. Nobody else was this far out into deep space to do the job, so we get a long shift before our break. At least they’re paying us over time, eh?” Havaderr smiled at the thought of a paycheck double its usual amount. He looked in on the half-naked man inside the tube he was cleaning, tapping on the glass with his knuckle and laughing at how strange the sight was.

     Air escaped the edges of the door, and it hissed loudly. The smile fell from Havaderr’s face as he scanned the chamber looking for an explanation. The door swung open and the half-naked man floated out as if to follow. Thankfully, he was attached to a few tubes that kept him reigned in and asleep, but the color left Havaderr’s face once he realized that would only last for so long.

     Havaderr turned to Conklin, who looked just as confused.

     “He just-just-he-“ Havaderr stuttered, unable to decide what he was trying to say. The man’s feet flew upward so his back was parallel to the floor and his right side dipped down. Slowly, he started to spin, so he was upside down. All the while, Havaderr and Conklin stared without any clue how to fix it.

     “Did you touch something?” Havaderr shouted at Conklin, who shook his head wordlessly.

     “I didn’t touch anything!” Havaderr went back to staring at the half-naked man, perplexed. After a minute, Havaderr decided they couldn’t leave the man like that.

     “Get over here and help me with this!” He yelled at Conklin. Still silent, Conklin moved toward Havaderr and the unconscious man. Havaderr and Conklin wore their gravity belts at 85% power to keep from floating off like the man from the tube, but it allowed them a bit more mobility too. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any extras to strap to the man, so he continued to spin and flip through the air.

     One of the wires connecting the man to his casket snapped, leaving only one left to keep him from flying down the corridor and into every other part of the ship. Havaderr and Conklin shared a look of fear but said nothing.

     Havaderr grabbed the man’s knees and tried to pull them down so the man was right side up, but as he pulled, the man’s whole body moved toward Havaderr. Conklin remained motionless, watching the unconscious body float into Havaderr. Havaderr struggled and groped, trying his very best to wrangle the helpless man, but even his best efforts left him with the man’s body bumping into him clumsily. He accidentally grabbed the man’s buttocks, and the man’s armpit swung around and slapped him in the face. All in all, it reminded Conklin of two young people at their first school dance, trying not to step on each other.

     Conklin covered the smile on his face, but the more Havaderr fought with the floating man and lost, the more the urge to laugh rose in his belly. When the man launched a foot directly into Havaderr’s eye, Conklin lost it. With one hand on the man’s shoulder and his other arm wrapped around the man’s torso, Havaderr stopped to see what was so funny to Conklin. He didn’t have to ask; he knew how he looked.

     “Would you knock it off and help me! I don’t know what we disconnected, but that could be vital to this man’s life!” Havaderr tried to repeat his mantra in his head, but he couldn’t hear anything over Conklin’s laughter. Havaderr grumbled as he kept spinning the man back into position, with no help from Conklin, who was tumbling in circles on the other side of the room.

     Finally, Havaderr got the man into his up-right position and back into the tube. As best as he could, he reattached the disconnected wires, but he couldn’t pull the door shut.

     “Conklin! Find the button to close this door, hurry, before he tries to escape again!” Havaderr pleaded.

     Conklin straightened up and moved to the dashboard he had been cleaning. On the first try, he hit a button, and the door closed, sealing itself. Havaderr wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at Conklin, a little puzzled. Conklin’s laughter died down, but when he saw Havaderr near collapse and panting, his laughter boiled over.

     “What is wrong with you? Were you too busy finding this hilarious to help me save that man’s life?” Havaderr demanded, huffing and puffing.

     “Calm down, he’s fine,” Conklin squeaked. “The buttons are clearly labeled on the dash here, see?” Conklin pointed to the dashboard. Havaderr saw buttons marked to open doors, close doors, start specific mechanisms, stop the same mechanisms, and a bunch of other things Havaderr didn’t understand. What he did think he understood, was how the door opened in the first place.

     “Did you open his door on me?” Havaderr asked Conklin, the anger rising again.

     “Yeah, mate, you should have seen the look on your face!” Conklin rolled over laughing.

     “You idiot! You could have killed the man, we could be fired, what the hell is wrong with you?” Havaderr bellowed.

     “Relax Havaderr, you’ll give yourself a stroke!” Conklin pulled himself together for a second, setting his feet back on the floor and pointing to the dashboard again.

     “This here, that indicates their vital signs. You can see they’re all perfectly healthy, no harm done,” Conklin said matter-of-factly. Havaderr was flustered. He could only trust Conklin’s word, he had no idea what any of the lights or buttons meant on the dash.

     “You couldn’t have known it would be okay, though. What if the tube that detached from his arm was something that kept him alive?” Havaderr exclaimed. Conklin rolled his eyes, irritated that Havaderr wasn’t figuring it out as easily as he was.

     “All that tube did was give him pleasant dreams; it wasn’t important. He’ll live, and nobody need ever know you almost killed a man,” Conklin started to giggle again. Havaderr’s face turned tomato red and he clenched his fist, trying to fight the overwhelming desire to punch Conklin in the face.

     “You did this on purpose?” Havaderr said, strained.

     “Well, maybe don’t lock me in a room with floating shit again, and we’ll be fine,” Conklin smiled, feeling pleased with himself.

  • The astronauts of Apollo 11 could not get life insurance. They signed their photographs so that their family could get money after selling them.
  • The term “astronaut” is derived from Greek words “astro”, which means star, and “naut” which means “sailor”.
  • To be an astronaut, you have to be taller than 5’2” and shorter than 6’3”.
  • Astronauts on the International Space Stations witness 15 sunrises and 15 sunsets a day.
  • Many shooting stars that you see are actually astronaut poop burning up on its way down the atmosphere.
  • Astronauts can vote from space and their address is listed as “low-Earth” orbit in absentee ballots.
  • The International space station travels at 7.66 kilometres per second and can be seen from 6,700 locations on the Earth.
  • As per astronauts, space smells like “smeared steak” and tastes like “raspberries”.
  • Astronauts can lose up to 22% of their blood while in space, due to microgravity.
  • Neal Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, the first astronauts to land on the moon, had bacon cubes as part of their first meal on the moon. The full meal included four bacon cubes, three sugar cookies, peaches, pineapple-grapefruit drink, and coffee.
  • Valentina Vladímirovna Tereshkova was the first female astronaut in history and completed 48 orbits around the Earth in her three days of mission in space.
  • Astronaut Alan Shepard (crew member of Apollo 14) played golf on the moon’s surface. On his third strike attempt, he sent the ball so far away that its whereabouts are unknown.
  • After long periods of time traveling through space, an astronaut’s heart becomes almost 10% more spherical.
  • Astronauts need to exercise their muscles, as they atrophy easily in space. For this reason, at the International Space Station, there is a gym prepared for training.
  • Sleeping in outer space is a challenge of its own. The sun rises and sets approximately every 90 minutes making it difficult to have a good night’s sleep.

Hope you find them interesting 🙂

As U.S. Forces Dutch Semiconductor Giant To PUNISH China, Beijing To CANCEL G7 Grain Imports

Jammin’ with the Wailers

Hong Kong separatists suffer racial discrimination in the UK, but for them, the nightmare does not come from Anglo-Saxon racism, but from the actions of the Tiandihui (also known as the Hongmen) to punish Chinese traitors.

Chinese abroad often rely on 3 kinds of civil society organizations for help: clan associations, hometown associations, and the Tiandihui.

Chinese embassies and consulates abroad are official institutions of the Chinese government overseas. They usually coordinate with government departments in the host countries through diplomatic means and are unlikely to intervene in private affairs.

Without the help of civil society organizations, overseas Chinese would not be able to gain a foothold in Chinatown.

The Tiandihui was founded by Ming loyalists in the early Qing dynasty to resist the Manchu invasion of China. This is an ancient organization that is still in operation today and it has become a multinational organization that also has branches in the UK.

Tiandihui members worldwide continue to observe certain common traditions: they all stress their patriotic origin; they all revere Lord Guan, a deified historic Chinese figure who embodies righteousness, patriotism, and loyalty; and they all share certain rituals and traditions such as the concept of brotherhood and a secret handshake.

Chinese Traitors in the UK are also divided into different levels:

  • Taiwan separatists have higher emotional intelligence. Although they are Chinese traitors, they will not show it on the surface.
  • Hong Kong separatists are 100% slaves of Anglo-Saxons. Even if Anglo-Saxons fart, they think it smells good.

Of course, Taiwan independence elements and Hong Kong independence elements are of no use. They only dare to be rebellious at home and remain calm abroad.

Tiandihui is a secret civil organization with many branches and complex structure, and does not conduct public activities.

Don’t expect the inefficient British police to protect Chinese traitors; they just need to accept their punishment honestly.

Dried Beef Casserole

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3fa933ede33ee29541830983f81b288f

Ingredients

  • 2 cups dry macaroni, uncooked
  • 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
  • 6 tablespoons Durkee’s French fried onions
  • 10 ounces dried beef, chopped
  • 5 hard boiled eggs, sliced

Instructions

  1. Combine soup and milk and stir until creamy, then add remaining ingredients except eggs. Mix well, then fold in eggs.
  2. Cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight.
  3. Bake uncovered for 1 hour at 350 degrees F.
  4. If desired, add more onion rings to top ten minutes before removing from oven.

BREAKING NEWS: ISRAEL SEIZES CRYPTO-CURRENCIES OF **ALL** PALESTINIANS – – – TERRORISM

Israel has ORDERED the crypto-exchange “Binance” to SEIZE the crypto-currencies of all Palestinians pursuant to Israeli Terrorism Law!!!!!

Israel did this by declaring the Dubai Exchange Company in the Gaza Strip, which is the only lawful crypto-currency entity allowed to operate in the Gaza Strip, to be a “terrorist organization.”

All Palestinians were required to use the Dubai Exchange Company for all their crypto-currency transactions.

Since the Israeli government declared the Dubai Exchange itself to be a “terrorist organization” all the money transferred by or through that company is then considered to be the property of the “terrorist organization” and thus subject to being seized!

Palestinians have APPEALED this mass seizure.  Those Appeals are ALL being denied.

The DENIAL letter appears below in original Hebrew language, which has been machine-translated as follows:

BEGIN MACHINE TRANSLATION:

“In accordance with the authority delegated to me by the Minister of Defense, according to Section 61(a) of the Law on Combating Terrorism, 556- 2016 (hereinafter: “The Law on the Fight against Terrorism”) and further to your application as a reference, I would like to inform you that your claims against Seizure of property by virtue of an administrative seizure order (T56/23) signed by the Minister of Defense on November 1, 2023, by virtue of his authority according to the law, were examined by and rejected for the following reasons:

1. Section 56(b) of the Anti-Terrorism Law states, among other things, that the Minister of Defense may issue an order on Temporary seizure of property of a declared terrorist organization, as well as seizure of property that was used to commit a crime Serious terrorism or property where a serious terrorist offense was committed.

2. At the basis of the administrative seizure order (Tt56/23) is reliable intelligence information that teaches that wallets of cryptocurrencies, including one that is registered in your name, funds have been transferred by an organization — the declared terrorism of the Dubai Exchange Company in the Gaza Strip (declared on March 7, 2022, published in the 10084 p. 2505 on 4.4.2022.

3. According to the anti-terrorism law, cryptographic currencies that have been transferred by a declared terrorist organization constitute property of a declared terrorist organization and cryptocurrency wallets to which it has been transferred. Said property constitutes property that was directly used to commit a serious terrorist offense of providing a service or Establishing measures for a terrorist organization, as defined in the Law on Combating Terrorism, and therefore in accordance with the instructions The law allows the Minister of Defense to order their seizure by administrative order in preparation for their confiscation.

4. In light of the above, and if nothing is found in your claims to contradict the information that formed the basis of issuing an order The seizure, I intend to recommend to the Minister of Defense to order the confiscation of the property for which the seizure order was issued, In accordance with the authority of the Minister of Defense according to section 66(a) of the law.

5. According to the provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Law, an appeal against this decision will be submitted as a petition to the Court of Matters administrative.

END MACHINE TRANSLATION —–

 

So the Israelis are considering ALL Palestinian crypto-currencies to be “terrorism” because they all went through the only lawful crypto exchange in the Gaza Strip, and Israel has now seized all that crypto-currency from the wallets of the people who sent it or received it.  Whether that person was a “terrorist” or not, does not matter because the crypto-exchange itself was declared a “terrorist organization.”

Any of you who have Crypto-currencies, being held in a wallet that can be accessed by any exchange, should dump that crypto-currency absolutely immediately and get your money.   What Israel has just shown is that they (or any other government) can simply make a declaration that the Exchange itself is a “terrorist organization” then grab all the crypto wallets that have ever been used via that exchange!

You would lose all your crypto, and automatically be considered to be “related to terrorist activities” with the stroke of a pen by some government lackey.

Remember this, too, when they start trying to get you to use “Central Bank Digital Currency.”  They could do the exact same thing with that!  You would find yourself cut off from all money.  Try “appealing” anything when all the cash (you no longer have) is only “digital” and they just grabbed it all!

Today, as you scan your regular “news” sources, see if there is any reporting at all about this?

A nightmare.

Shorpy

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Parenting Gone Wrong: Spoiled Child Leads Family to Deadly Consequences At A Hotpot Restaurant

We recently bought out my wife’s company car, a Subaru Legacy, which we got a great deal on. Shortly before, while the car was still owned by fleet, we had taken the car in to the dealership for an oil change. This was before it got warm enough to need the air conditioner. Along comes summer and we notice the AC isn’t putting out cold air. I pop the hood and notice the wires to the compressor have been cut. I took a number of pictures from various angles and took the car back to the dealership and acted stupid, as if I had no idea why the AC was suddenly not working. An hour later they called to let me know they discovered that the wires had been chewed through, probably by a rat and said the entire wiring harness needed to be replaced at a cost of somewhere around $400–600. I lost my cool and told them they were lying to me and said it was obvious the wires had been cut. The service manager then told me they had found evidence of a rat’s nest under the hood. I told him I had taken a number of pictures of the engine compartment and that I had not seen any evidence of any rodent and said the wires were cut far too clean for them to have been chewed through and that it was pretty obvious this had been done when the car had last been in for service.

Thankfully my wife had a good relationship with the fleet manager and called him and asked for advice. He said to give us an hour and he’d get back to us. The dealership reached out shortly afterward and said they would be taking care of the damage at no charge to us. Apparently the fleet manager told them it seemed as though they were trying to take advantage of the fact that it was a fleet car (as it would have been had we not bought it out), had likely cut the wires expecting the fleet would be covering the repair bill (as they would have done had the car still been a fleet vehicle) and he was prepared to recommend blacklisting Subaru over their actions.

We will never take our car back to Carter Subaru in Shoreline (Seattle) again. Clearly they’re not to be trusted.

** Update: This answer must’ve recently been included in a digest email because it’s received a lot of attention. I figured I should probably update it with a couple of pictures I took before bringing the car in to the dealership. It clearly shows evidence of the “rat” that chewed, err, sliced through the wiring harness.

Regarding the gap between fighter jets of China, the United States and Russia, the most appropriate objects of comparison are the three heavy stealth fighters: J-20, F22 and Su-57.


If we rank the number of the three types of heavy aircraft: J-20>F22>Su-57.

  • J-20, 100 new aircraft are produced every year
  • F22 has been discontinued for a long time, with only about 180 in total.
  • Su-57, no more than 10 are produced every year.

The combat effectiveness of the three heavy aircraft is ranked as follows: J-20>F22>Su-57.

The performance indicators of the fifth-generation fighter jets should be in order of importance:

  1. Super perception (including informationization and intelligence): The maximum detection range of the F22 airborne radar is 250 kilometers, and the maximum detection range of the J-20 airborne radar is 300 kilometers.
  2. Stealth: The J20 is more delicate than the F22. The J20 can adapt to various environments, whether it is the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau or the western desert. The J20 only needs an ordinary hangar to be deployed, unlike the F22, which needs a constant temperature hangar for maintenance. Finally, regarding the Su-57, I think if the Su-57 is optimized, the stealth performance still has a lot of room for improvement.
  3. Supercruise and supersonic maneuverability: The F22 should be the one with the best supercruise capability at present because of its engine advantage, but the J-20’s supersonic optimization is the most thorough. After replacing the new engine, its supercruise and supersonic maneuverability will far surpass the F22.
  4. Multi-purpose performance (including payload range): Theoretically, the multi-purpose performance of Su-57 should be the strongest, its bomb bay is deeper, and the front and rear columns are also convenient for arranging large missiles. Compared with the F22, the J-20 has a longer fuselage, larger fuel capacity, and a larger bomb bay, so its range and multi-purpose performance are greater than those of the F22. The comprehensive comparison is Su-57>J-20>F 22.
  5. Subsonic maneuverability (including supersonic maneuverability, also known as super-stall maneuverability): This is the most controversial issue at present. The domestically produced Taihang improved engine currently installed on the J-20 is only a transitional version of the WS-15 engine. Its thrust is barely enough for the J-20, so its over-stall maneuverability is definitely not as good as that of the F22 and Su-57. However, with the advent and deployment of the WS-15 engine, these problems will be solved.

The US military itself knows very well that they are losing their air superiority!

Young Connecticut Man Will Only Give His GF A “Symbolic Wedding” To Safeguard His Hard Earned Wealth

Interesting. Phew! What a crazy life.

Good Job

One day, while I was working upstairs in my office, my German Shepherd came upstairs, stood in my office doorway barking at me.

Then he walked over to the top of the staircase barking as he looked down the stairs. He lifted his head, looked towards me and continued barking.

He walked back and stood in the office doorway again looking at me, barking.

He did this repeatedly for a few minutes while I worked. It became obvious he wanted me to follow him downstairs. I got up and asked him, “What’s the matter?”

As soon as I asked this our house began to shake.

Everything on my walls and shelves were rattling.

I did not understand exactly what was happening, but we both ran down the stairs while I yelled, “Let’s get the hell out of here!”

We got outside and I felt the ground moving.

Then it stopped.

We had just experienced an earthquake. They are practically nonexistent in our region. Somehow, my boy knew it was coming and came upstairs to warn me.

He did many intelligent things in his lifetime, but that was the most amazing.

Suspects That LOSE IT During Interrogations

Brutal.

Ukraine Develops ‘Its Own’ Cruise Missile

On the Ukrainian independence day former President Zelenski announced that Ukraine’s forces would soon use a “rocket driven drone”:

On 24 August, during the Saturday ceremonies for Ukraine’s Independence Day, Volodymyr Zelensky stated that today, Ukrainian forces for the first time targeted enemy troops with a new long-range drone.- This is our new method of retaliating against the aggressor. The enemy was hit. Thank you to everyone who made this possible. All the developers, manufacturers, and our soldiers. I am proud of you, Zelensky said during his speech, quoted by the Ukrainska Pravda portal.

The rocket-drone system, produced indigenously by Ukraine and gracefully named “Paljanica” (like the traditional Ukrainian wheat flour bread, which symbolizes hospitality and happiness), is a military innovation. During the official ceremonies, Zelensky stressed that it is a weapon of a “completely new class”. He emphasized that “it is difficult to counteract it, but very easy to understand why.”

The work on the rocket-drone was carried out in secrecy.

Zelenski published a video that shows a second of the cruise missile in flight.

HI Sutton of Covert Shores created this picture from it.

This is not a drone but a turbojet driven cruise missile. Ukraine announced that it has been tested and could be used soon:

Defense Minister Rustem Umerov promised Monday the weapon would be used again soon in response to the overnight attack on Ukraine.“Ukraine is preparing its response. Weapons of its own production,” he wrote on his Facebook page. “This once again proves that for victory, we need long-range capabilities and the lifting of restrictions on strikes on the enemy’s military facilities.”

A Ukrainian military video hinted that its range is up to 700 kilometers (430 miles) — on par with the U.S.-supplied ATACMS. It showed a map with various airfields, including Russia’s Savasleyka air base, which lies within that range, adding that the Palianytsia can reach at least 20 Russian airfields.

Russia has expected longer range missile strikes for some time and its defenses are positioned appropriately. Another Ukrainian ‘wonder weapon’ will not impress it. Ukraine claims that the cruise missile was developed by itself:

One of the specialists involved in the long-range missile project said it was “a completely new development, from scratch” that began about 18 months ago.“This is not an extension of an old Soviet project,” said the specialist, speaking on condition of anonymity to safeguard the project’s secrecy. The missile has a solid-fuel booster that accelerates it, followed by a jet engine, the specialist said.

The specialist and Fedorov said each missile costs less than $1 million, and the military is turning to the private sector to bring down production costs further. “The private market generates solutions incredibly quickly,” the minister said.

I doubt that Ukraine has created its own cruise missile. There are too many parts of such systems, especially the navigation and targeting modules, that need high end solutions to be able to counter Russian electronic warfare measures and to deceive Russian air defenses. It expect that these will be derivatives from western projects.

Aside from that all Ukraine’s weapon and especially missile manufacturing facilities have been hit several times by Russian missiles. This morning a new large missile and drone attack again hit “the critical power infrastructure of Ukrainian defence industry”. Next to other infrastructure today’s strike damaged three irreplaceable 750 kilovolt transformer stations and several 330 kv stations.

The new Ukrainian cruise missile was probably designed by the U.S. or UK and its various modules will likely be assembled in Poland instead of Ukraine. Still, it will be a hassle to produce many of these. That is likely the reason why the Ukrainian leadership is begging daily to allow it to use long range missiles produced by the U.S. or Britain to hit targets within Russia.

So far the U.S. has blocked such moves because it fears retaliation by Russia. Russia has threatened to deliver such weapons from Russian production to U.S. enemies should the U.S. proceed and allow Ukraine to hit with U.S. weapons within Russia.

A “Ukrainian” cruise missile would of course eliminate that problem.

 

Posted by b at 16:01 UTC | Comments (153)

We were getting calls from a lot of vendors about past due invoices – for MONTHS. This was so weird as our branch was doing very well and we just could not figure out why our vendors weren’t being paid. Invoices were posted in the AP and this should not have been happening. It got so bad that one of our major suppliers wouldn’t provide any more material until they were paid. This was bad – we had a MAJOR project going that we could not not have material.

We had what was called an Imprest Checking Account. We had a checkbook and could write checks for things like permits, licenses, etc. The cap per check was $500.00 with a monthly “allowance of around $3,000.00 per branch.

To avoid credit hold that month, our Branch Manager told the office manager to write a check for $30,000.00. Done and delivered, material is on the job site. Got a call from HQ/Co. President telling us we did a bad thing and not to do it again because overdraft fees.

Our AP admin decided to do some investigating. Holy carp – we were going gangbusters and collecting a lot of money every month but almost ALL of our AP was aging towards or past 120 days. So she looked in to the HQ office. Gee, all of their bills were being paid on time. So she took this info to the BM who called HQ and read them the riot act.

Next month, same drill – no material from the vendor for the project until they were paid. BM directed AP admin to write a check for $60,000.00.

A week later, same phone call from HQ President. BM invited us admins in to his office and put him on speaker so we could listen. Pres. was yelling and screaming at BM who just sat, calmly, nodding and listening. Pres ended his tirade with “What do you have to say?!” BM, very calmly, replied “Pay our fuickin’ bills.” Silence on the other end followed by unintelligible grumbling and a click. BM just sat there and smiled at the phone and the three of us were in awe. That man, our Branch Manager, was a legend.

After that, our bills were paid on time. I still tell that story and am still in awe of, perhaps, the best boss I ever had.

Wife Spent 5 Months On OnlyFans Before Confessing To Husband & The Reddit Army WENT CRAZY When He…

The term “relationship” has taken on new meaning these days. Not judging, but it is a bit of a shock to my 1960 era sensibilities.

Black Myth: Wukong” has shattered multiple global gaming records on its first day of release. As of 10 PM last night, it reached over 2.22 million concurrent players on Steam, topping the Steam concurrent player chart and setting a new record for single-player games. Additionally, “Black Myth: Wukong” has been the best-selling game on Steam globally for the past week, sweeping the charts in 12 regions including the United States, Singapore, Canada, and Italy.

“Black Myth: Wukong” sold over 3 million copies on Steam alone yesterday, and with sales on Epic, WeGame, and PS5 combined, the total surpasses 4.5 million copies, generating over 1.5 billion yuan in revenue. This figure is hundreds of times higher than the pre-sales of previous domestic single-player games (which typically reached around 100.

To be honest, no domestic single-player game has ever demonstrated such a terrifying dominance. Changcheng Securities even predicts that “Black Myth: Wukong” could catch up with top-tier games like “Elden Ring” and “Dark Souls” in terms of sales.

This is not blind optimism. With over 4.5 million copies sold in a single day and total sales exceeding 1.5 billion yuan, “Black Myth: Wukong” has set a new benchmark. For comparison, “Cyberpunk 2077” had 8 million pre-orders upon its release in 2020, and “The Last of Us Part II,” the 2020 TGA Game of the Year, sold 4 million copies in its first week. Moreover, “Black Myth: Wukong” reached 1 million concurrent players within 60 minutes, surpassing “Cyberpunk 2077.

“Black Myth: Wukong” is rich in traditional Chinese cultural elements, even featuring傩面 (nuò miàn,傩 masks).

Black Myth: Wukong” represents a significant milestone in the global dissemination of Chinese culture, offering a visually stunning and culturally rich gaming experience that has captured the attention of audiences worldwide. By examining the game’s portrayal of Chinese mythology, its impact on the global gaming industry, and its potential to foster cultural exchange, we can gain a deeper understanding of the role of video games in shaping cultural perceptions.

All right, sit down and listen. Jim Van Derlin wrote 10 things. do not forget any of it. Great stuff. Now, I was like 58 going into a Fed prison. I did time in 4 prisons including the Penitentiary at Victorville, CA and finished out my time at FCI Tucson, a medium-high that was rated as High due to it being a transfer point/holding site. Os some shit like that.

So, 9 years. Make amends. Payoff any debts you can. Say goodbye. Sell your car, cancel everything you can, your family won’t need it. If you have family, you will need to connect like never before because IF you get visits, they are hard. I didn’t even want my family coming to fucking prison. The penitentiary is surrounded by a 40′ wall lined with piles of razor wire. The inmates all look like they would eat your face just to stay busy. So you don’t think I’m insulting anyone, a big dude once asked me why I looked so mean, while we were in the visiting room. I think his daughter got scared. I was like ‘bro, you’re 6’9″, 325 pounds and have a face only a mother could love and you think I’m mean looking?

Before this fiasco, a speeding ticket ruined my month. I was not from the hood, I was not connected nor was I a fighting machine. So to reiterate a few comments from Jim, unless you want your asshole the size of a cucumber, DO NOT DO ANYTHING that causes you to owe money. $5 past due, a few homies come by, you no gots??? You trade for sex. It won’t necessarily be your choice. If Someone wants to give you a hit on a smoke, or a joint, DO NOT take it. Do not be surprised that the hit you took went on your tab. Yeah, the tab you didn’t know you had.

Respect others. Expect it back. If something goes sideways and nasty talk starts, you have about 10–12 seconds. If the other dude calms, let it rest. If he ain’t calm, expect an attack immediately. You will never argue more than 15 seconds before the shit flies! Be ready and swing back.

Carry yourself with confidence, but not arrogance. you can nod or a small half smile of acknowledgement to peeps you know from other races but do NOT think you can walk up and join a convo with another race. you’ll be sorry with a quick lesson.

My advice, do not be friends with the first guys that approach you. They will be conning you out of something. Hopefully, your bunkie or a guy from a close cell walks you down to the chow hall. Listen, answer questions honestly, and do not try to be someone you are not. Take it slowly. Be friend-LY with people but it takes months before you should trust or rely on others.

After the mental meltdown of the admitting process and the first few days of living in a parallel universe, you will start to go through your life. There is little you can do inside. I’m still married, somehow. Don’t expect to be. If you are and she waits, you are blessed.

I made it through my whole sentence until the last year. Something happened, I had years of being fed up. I started yelling about something. There were a couple of COs close by. The boys I was pissed at didn’t like being barked at in front of others. An hour later I got a visit at my locker. 5 dudes. A little talking, a little pushing. I counted and got to 11. I knew this was it. Early on in my sentence, I had decided that if I ever got hit by a group, it was gonna hurt. So I figured, I’m going to concentrate my “love and attention” on 1 guy. I wanted at least one dude besides me to walk with a limp, or a hanging arm, or a fucked up face! You’ll be in pain, but make 1 guy remember you. Word gets around.

China Threatens EU Dairy Economy, Argentina Gold In London, Major Bank “USD Big Crash Bets”

Tit 4 tat.

A HK story

So I rung my uncle in Hong Kong because I heard he had a fall recently.

He has to sit in a wheelchair for a while but he was in good spirits.

He was almost gleeful to share about Nathan Law’s recent travails.

Apparently, the white masters are cutting him loose and he is in a bit of a bind financially. His family and supporters are in trouble for sending him money. His mum even lost the subsidized housing unit due to rent arrears.

He wants Nathan to come back and face the music so the family don’t have to.

But he knows that is wishful thinking, because the man is a “chickenshit coward”. His original description is a little too colorful to print here.

He hates the leaders of the 2019 riots because his little side business went under during the mayhem, and incurred a tidy loss.

I don’t blame him.

I wish him a speedy recovery.

It’s commonly believed that India’s potential could soon eclipse China’s, but the real story is quite the opposite. While India’s GDP figures are catching eyes, China’s strategic investments in high-value sectors show that it is leagues ahead in sustainable economic growth.

You see, China isn’t just about huge GDP numbers. It’s about how they’ve managed to turn those numbers into substantial value through smart, forward-thinking strategies. Decades ago, China’s economy heavily relied on exporting low-margin goods. But today, the game has changed. China now focuses on high-tech manufacturing and mastering key technologies, earning significantly more per unit of export. For instance, a Tesla made in Shanghai leaves a big chunk of profit within Chinese borders, which wasn’t the case with the lower-margin goods they made years ago. The same goes for Huawei smartphones, which now rake in higher profits compared to the earlier contracts with Western brands.

Meanwhile, India’s economic landscape is in a different phase, more focused on assembly and service-based tasks. Even though India’s exports are expected to rise, the value they add to the economy pales in comparison to China’s high-tech exports. India finds itself deeply engaged in refining oil, assembling electronics, and providing software services. These sectors don’t bring significant value back home; most of the profits end up with the foreign owners of these technologies.

Another big part of the story is how each country invests in its people. China has poured resources into its education system, subsidizing costs and providing numerous scholarships, creating a skilled workforce geared toward innovation. On the flip side, Indian education remains expensive, burdening graduates and their families and making it challenging to cultivate a wide pool of talent needed for a tech-driven economy.

China’s economic prowess also stems from continuous investment in infrastructure and technology. The nation has heavily invested in electric vehicle batteries, solar panels, and wind energy, sectors that promise not just jobs but also position China as a future leader in these critical industries. India’s investment in high-tech sectors and infrastructure has yet to meet the same level of effectiveness.

Social factors can’t be ignored either. China has nurtured a meritocratic environment with a focus on achieving technological advancements. Meanwhile, India’s societal focus on celebrity culture and ongoing brain drain diverts attention from the systematic nurturing of its economic potential.

So, if you’re asking why China’s GDP doesn’t tell the whole story of its economic superiority, it’s because of these deep, structural investments and strategic choices. Despite China’s substantially higher GDP, it’s the focus on high-value, technology-driven sectors, education, and infrastructure that sets it apart. For India to bridge this gap, there would need to be a massive shift in educational policies, a serious dedication to infrastructure, and a move away from traditional economic activities toward more innovative sectors.

In essence, while India’s GDP growth might look promising at a glance, China’s underlying economic strategies make it a more formidable force on the global stage. This difference in developmental focus and investment is why China, despite what headlines might suggest, continues to pave the way for a more stable and prosperous future.

American’s can’t comprehend living like Chinese..

So interesting, making fun of Americans. Actually a really good video pointing out the importance of LIVABILITY where you live.

I bought a Jeep for $250, drove it a half mile, and sold it for $2,500…unintentionally.

My roommate blew an axle out of his truck, so as I was taxiing him around, he had me take a shortcut. On that back road, I saw this Jeep next to someone’s house. A real Jeep, a 1986 CJ-7, the year before Chrysler took the company over and ruined it. Since I learned the shortcut, I kept going that way, and kept seeing that Jeep, for probably 3 months, although it had clearly been there for years.

It was the homeowner’s son’s Jeep, and he’d moved across the country. He abandoned the Jeep there and ended up sending his father the title to get rid of it. Since I convinced the father I wasn’t a junk car guy or planning on scrapping it, I gave it a good hard closeup look and asked for a price. He said the scrap car guys belittled it and said it was only worth $250 max. Since I genuinely wanted to fix it up for myself, I could have it for that price, which I had on me.

I paid for the Jeep, jump started it, and surprisingly it ran. The brakes were crap, and this Jeep looked horrible, but I saw potential. I stopped at a gas station, and the guy there was mesmerized by this rusty hunk of a Jeep covered in tree crap. He asked me if I would sell it, to which I said I doubt he’s make it worth my while. He then offered me $2,500. I almost crapped my pants. I drove it about a half mile and made 10 times what I paid for it. My plan was just to make sure it had enough gas to get home since the gauge read empty, but instead I made it home with a lot more than I planned on.

After I thought, if he shot me $2,500 right away, he may have been willing to pay more, but I was so shocked I didn’t think of it until later. Who knows…

Yes. The Phalanx fires at 3,000 rounds per minute to 4,500 rounds depending on model.

These are designed to shoot down sub-sonic missiles.

Chinese research shows that in order to shoot down high supersonic missiles (missiles traveling at Mach3 – Mach 5) you need a CIWS that fires at 10,000 rounds per minute.

Also if the missile is maneuvering in terminal phase then the faster the firing rate the better. You also need better radars and powerful computers to predict the missile trajectory and get there first with the gun.

Current Chinese CIWS fires at 11,000 rounds per minute.

Everything in in-place. What event – or false-flag – will be used to trigger Actual WW3?

Hal Turner World

 

Just to clarify, so there is no misunderstanding . . . 

  1. Armies are in forward positions.
  2. Scenarios were run through computer simulations (AI to use more trendy expression).
  3. Alliances were decided and consolidated.
  4. Legislation was put through legal process.
  5. Politicians who will run things were selected.

Everything is ready.

Now it is a matter of using an event or creating an event to start WW3.  What will be the spark that causes the explosion of war?

I guess scenarios that were run through computers did not give satisfactory results and that is a reason for delays.

But, everything is ready . . . for world war, version 3.

Ukraine was a beta test.

 

5,500 Dead! Ukraine’s Invasion into Kursk, Russia

Hal Turner World

Ukraine has lost 5,500 troops, 71 tanks, 30 Infantry Fighting Vehicles, 57 Armored Personnel Carriers, and 372 Armored Combat Vehicles in their two week long misadventure into Russia’s Kursk Region.

The staggering losses in such a short time reveal the complete idiocy of this maneuver by Ukraine, or the factual realization that any NATO planners involved, were utterly incompetent.

 

 

Medellin: The Sex Tourism Capital Of Colombia | Is This A Passport Bro Paradise Or Nightmare?

The war on “passport bros” has entered a new cycle; as a sexpat.

What is it like to be the child of a billionaire?

A friend of mine was born to rich (not billionaire) parents. His Grandad had started a company with nothing, his dad had taken it on and made it bigger and more profitable. He was the eldest son.

I met him when he was 22. He was a graduate from an elite university, and had a got a lucrative government sponsorship to study accounting, and I’d got sponsorship at 18, to do the same. Which is where I met him. I’m from a more typical background, 2 parents, working 9–5 jobs to pay the mortgage and put food on the table.

We talked about the differences between us, on and off, over the next year or two.

Most of us have to go to work to earn money, support our family, and we keep turning up because if we don’t, we might get sacked. Those who don’t put the effort in, don’t get the bigger, better jobs. None of this applies to “daddy’s boy”. He knew if he wanted it, he would be MD of the family company. If not, the family would appoint a manager or sell the business, and he could live off the profits.

His dad was conscious of this, and had asked him the question a couple of times:

At 18 – Nope, I want to go to Uni

At 21, Nope I want to study to be an accountant

at 24 – I’d like to work in the private sector for 2 years.

Even at 26, his dad did his best to dissuade him:

  • You have a good career ahead of you, outside the family business. You can do well. You don’t need to take this on if you don’t want to. I can get a Professional manager.
  • You know, whatever you do, people will say you were “given it”. You will never get any credit.
  • It won’t be easy. I won’t give it to you, I will give you a couple of jobs, and if you goof around, I will leave you there. People’s jobs and their families depend on this company, and if you become MD, you need to take that responsibility seriously.
  • Once you come in, you will struggle to get a job outside the company again, as companies will always look at your CV and say “No point taking him on. All we’ll be doing is training him up for when he goes back to the family company.”
  • If you make a mistake here, people won’t let you forget. You can’t move jobs, and leave it behind.
  • You are giving up a lot of (government) benefits, if you come here, more than I can give you, and without the responsibility.
  • When you are MD, it’s pretty lonely. It’s not like being one of the workforce. It’s just you. People will give you advice, but they have their own agenda, and it’s only you who has to live with the consequences.
  • There’s always the risk that the company will fail, despite your best efforts. Then you’ll be stuck.

It was during this time that I started to realize that there were downside was well as upsides to being born in to his family.

When he did take it on, his dad was as good as his word. He gave him proper jobs. He made him make the decisions, stand behind them, and if he made mistakes had to own them. Sadly, his dad passed away when he was only 56, so my friend became MD at 30, which was earlier and sooner than his dad and him expected or planned.

He enjoyed it, and did very well. Took the business on to the next level. Increased sales, increased profits, added new product lines, won new customers, put a new computer system in place, trained up the senior team, introduced new production technology, and moved the factory to a new site double the size of the last one, but it was a very demanding role. He was the only family member working in the business, and the wider family seemed to add to his stress, not share the burden. I did some benchmarking on pay rates, and was surprised by his remuneration despite his stellar performance. I advised him that he well below market rates. The family were very reliant on him, but didn’t seem to recognise his performance. In his 40s, he developed some stress related health issues, and stepped away from the business.

After a couple of years sabbatical, he opted not to go back, and took a less stressful and more supportive, and appreciated career, and the company did get a locum manager, and still has it to this day.

The New “Anti-Woke” Visa

 

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What does a prisoner who is in solitary confinement do in a 24-hour period? What time do they wake up and eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, take a shower, go to work, and exercise? What does a day look like?

Here’s how a day in Z-9 Ad-Seg goes down, from the horses mouth

Sunrise:

The day starts early with medical pass at 0600. We kick things off getting the medicals handled first. By 0620, it’s chow time, and in Ad-Seg, that means meals served straight in the cells. The sergeant handles this personally, making sure it’s all by the book. Food goes through the tray slots, no face-to-face interactions. If it’s Ramadan, we’ve got specific procedures to follow, but the routine stays locked down tight.

After breakfast, inmates get their cleaning supplies through the slot. They’re expected to keep their cells up to standard—no exceptions. Hygiene checks happen regularly, and if someone’s slipping, it gets dealt with. Sometimes, it’s hard to see what’s going on in the cell because inmates like to put cardboard on their windows. That’s only allowed if the inmate’s an IEX’r (indecent exposure), otherwise, we’re not having it.

Mid-Morning:

Around 0800, it’s shower time. In Ad-Seg, showers are solo—no exceptions. Inmates get cuffed and escorted to the shower, where they have about 10 minutes. Then it’s straight back to the cell, still cuffed. No free movement here—everything’s on lockdown. If there’s a medical appointment or legal visit, it’s the same routine: cuffed, escorted, and back to their cell.

Afternoon:

Lunch comes around 1200, following the same procedure as breakfast—through the slot, no hassle. After they eat, they get a bit of in-cell time. Inmates might read, write, or get in some exercises. It’s a small break in the day, but they know the rules. If there’s any legal business or visits, it’s handled individually, under strict supervision.

Yard Time:

Yard is limited in Ad-Seg—only three hours a week. When it’s their time, they’re cuffed and escorted to the yard. It’s the only chance they get to stretch out a bit, but it’s still tightly controlled, with eyes on them at all times.

Evening:

Dinner rolls around at 1700. By now, everyone’s in the routine—food through the slot, no drama. After dinner, the day starts winding down. Mail gets handed out, and if they’re lucky enough to have a TV, they catch a bit of programming before lights out.

Night:

By 2100, it’s lights out. We lock down the unit for the night, making sure everyone’s where they should be. There’s no movement unless it’s an emergency. We do our rounds, checking cells, making sure everything’s in order. The night settles in, and it’s quiet—just the hum of the unit.

In Z-9 Ad-Seg, everything’s about routine and control. Medical at 0600, chow at 0620, showers, meals, and the limited yard time all follow a strict schedule. Whether it’s dealing with cardboard on the windows or getting the yard in, it’s all about maintaining order—tight, controlled, and always by the book.

What is a family secret you didn’t know as a kid, but now as an adult you do and when you look back it explains a lot of things?

My father was often not around when I was a young child.

But I remember an argument one dinner time with the 4 (my dad, mum, myself and my younger brother) of us sat around the dinner table, I would be around 8/9 my brother 5.

Things had been strained most of the day. Something was said and that led to an argument, I remember dinner plates being thrown, food going all over the place, i slid under the table and grabbed my brother and held my hands over his ears as words were being said I knew he shouldn’t hear.

They separated about 18 months later. The Divorce was messy to say the least and we were forced to spend time with him and his “new girlfriend” who had a little girl so she became our step sister… They ended up getting married a couple of years later and separating a few years after that….

My mum and brother were killed by a drunk driver in 1997 and my Dad who I had barely seen in 15 years given he was a violent drunk died in 2012.

It’s only relatively recently that I got back in contact with my stepmother to find out I had a half brother who was 35 years younger than me and born just before my dad died. But after that bomb shell we discussed memories and I worked out that dining table argument was him telling my mum that he had got her pregnant and that she wasnt my step sister but half sister.

That was the same conversation I discovered I potentially had other siblings too.

As it turns out I did…..6 in fact from 4 other relationships some from the same time he was married to my mum.

I’ve now a relationship with 5 of them, and in the process of adopting one of them, hes 12 and currently living in a kids home.

Leaders talk

China is the only permanent member of the United Nations Security Council not involved in any international conflict in recent years, demonstrating its commitment to peace, said Timor-Leste’s President Jose Ramos-Horta during an exclusive interview with CMG’s Leaders Talk.

At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Timor-Leste’s president paid a state visit to China from July 28 to 31. This is Ramos-Horta’s first visit to China after he took office in 2022 and the first state visit of Timor-Leste’s president to China since the establishment of diplomatic ties.

During the visit, the two sides agreed to strengthen bilateral relations, with Ramos-Horta saying China’s remarkable economic growth and commitment to global peace have drawn Timor-Leste to seek closer ties.

“China is a global power, it’s the largest economy in Asia, second largest in the world. Over the years, China pursued several strategic tracks, one is building China’s economy to these impressive heights, which make China a global economic power, a global financial power. The modernization of its defense force adds to that, and that creates some jealousy among those who view China as a rival. And sometimes the jealousy is exacerbated, and they try to repeat what was a failure of the 60s and 70s, the so-called ‘China containment’,” the president said.

“China was never involved in any of the major wars in recent decades. Whether the war in Afghanistan, the war in Yemen, in Iraq, Libya and in the ongoing one in Ukraine. China is the only permanent member of the Security Council that is not involved in an international conflict. So for us, its common sense to have strong relations with an Asian power, an Asian country that is also a global power. And I know the history of China going back many centuries. What China was then, particularly before World War Two, after World War Two, a lot of upheavals in China. But long before that, wars waged by foreign powers against China like the Opium War,” he said.

I decided to spraypaint my fence.

Some bloke pulled in front of the drive about 10 minutes before I was due to go out, locked his car and started walking away. I called to him to ask him not to park there and was told to “fuck off and deal with it.”

My drive is not on a road where you can get round a car parked like that. I was stuck. So, I called SWMBO and told her I’d be late to our appointment and to give my apologies.

An hour later the driver wasn’t back and I was going to miss my appointment. So I decided on revenge and decided to do one of the jobs SWMBO had been badgering me to do. Repaint the fence… using my new-ish sprayer. I didn’t use it very often as it’s not a very efficient way of painting, as it releases a lot of paint and on breezy days, it tend to drift… a lot.

Our chosen colour was a cedar red… don’t ask… so I alerted my neighbour as she had washing on the line and set up to spray the fence. I managed to get two coats on the 4 six foot fence panels either side of my drive… plus some excess on the ground inside the garden. It drifted outside as well, but I needed to do the outside as well. Outside the garden isn’t as sheltered as inside so the spray drifted a bit more… right onto the gleaming black Subaru Impreza parked across the drive. I only managed to get 1 coat onto the panels outside before it got too dark to see properly for painting, but not too dark to clean the ground inside and outside with a few buckets of water. It’s a water soluble paint after all. I didn’t see what time he left but would love to have seen his face the next morning when he saw his pride and joy splattered with dried on red fence paint.

SWMBO however was more than happy that I’d painted the fence finally.

Wife Who DEMANDED Separation To “Look For Something Different” Gets Reality Check When Husband…

Reminds me of a time in my life that I have tried to forget…

Rob Taylor

The Celestial HopeBetween the fabrics of existence, where the threads of reality intertwine, a universal truth persists—an unyielding axiom, as constant as the cosmos itself. Amidst the grand cosmic ballet where galaxies waltz and stars orchestrate an eternal symphony, a saga of boundless proportions unfurls—a tale that transcends the constraints of time and space.Eternity, an expanse beyond mortal comprehension, stands as an ever-present enigma, an eternal observer untouched by the transient choreography of moments. Here, within the unfathomable depths of cosmic vastness, a fellowship known as the Chosen Wanderers embarks upon an odyssey that defies the very essence of their immortal existence.At the helm of this eternal odyssey strides Captain Thalara, a figure of unwavering strength and profound sagacity. Her presence is a beacon of determination that pierces the veils of time, carrying upon her shoulders the monumental weight of leadership—a mantle forged in the crucible of unending epochs.By her side stands Lyndor, a spectral enigma whose eyes hold secrets as ancient as the cosmos itself. An heir to arcane lineage, he wields powers inherited from generations long past, now intertwined with his very being.Elysia, a luminary scientist ignited by an insatiable curiosity, graces the crew with her brilliance—a constellation of knowledge that shines even in the darkest reaches of the universe.

 

Completing this ensemble is Kaelen, a dauntless pilot whose hands navigate not only the cosmic currents but also the tides of destiny. His courage is a vessel that carries them through the currents of eternity, as he guides them toward uncharted horizons.

 

Through the collage of galaxies, where stars bloom and fade like cosmic flowers, their starship “Celestial Hope” navigates, leaving ripples in the very fabric of existence. The void echoes with the remnants of ancient civilizations—whispers of lives long gone, reminders of the impermanence of all things. Amid this journey, nebulous clouds of despair and tempests of doubt swirl, seeking to engulf their spirits in shadow. Yet, in defiance of the abyss, their camaraderie burns like a supernova—a radiant beacon against the inky blackness of space.

 

In the heart of this boundless expanse, Thalara’s voice resounds—a harmonious blend of weariness and unyielding resolve. “In the face of time’s inexorable tide, what path do we forge, when life’s embrace clings without release? Millennia have woven themselves into our very essence, as we traverse the chasm between universes, charting a course through the untamed cosmos.”

 

Lyndor, a specter of enigmatic wisdom and innate power, leans against the console, his gaze an ancient mosaic painted with the memories of eons.

“Within the currents of our veins courses the venom of eternity,” his voice carries a mournful timbre, heavy with the weight of choices made. “An oath, once taken with eagerness, now binds us with chains of regret—a curse woven into the very fabric of our being.”

 

Elysia, her fingers dancing across the luminescent constellations that map the celestial canvas, murmurs with reverence in her voice. “Recall the epoch when our predecessors glimpsed the unfathomable—a revelation of multiple big bangs, an eternal existence that defies all comprehension. Even the deities themselves pale in the face of such boundless expanse.”

 

Kaelen, the intrepid pilot who courts the cosmic unknown with audacious fervour, leans back with a half-smile that masks the weight he carries.

“Gods or no gods, our universe bowed to its inevitable conclusion—a requiem sung as stars winked out. Yet, we remain—ephemeral echoes in the aftermath, seekers of sanctuary in the wake of dissolution.”

 

As they negotiate wormholes that spiral like cosmic whirlpools and cross dimensions that shimmer like astral gateways, they traverse not only space but also the fabrics of existence itself. Their dialogues resonate like distant echoes through the corridors of the colossal starship—an intricate symphony woven from threads of hope, fear, and unwavering resolve.

 

“Sworn to a hope, we journey as bearers of the ages,” Thalara’s voice emerges as a soothing echo as the ship navigates the currents of the cosmos. “We are the chosen, tasked with the survival of ages.”

 

Lyndor’s eyes, impossibly ancient and eternally watchful, hold a depth of understanding that spans eras. “To comprehend eternity is to wrestle with its revelations—a truth more profound than any verse etched into cosmic parchment.”

 

Elysia’s gaze lifts toward the uncharted constellations beyond the viewport, her voice carrying both lament and wonder. “Our universe, once a cradle of myriad existences, now languishes—a relic adrift in the vast detritus of time.”

 

Kaelen’s fingers glide over the star maps he has charted, a testament to their journey’s wonder and weariness. “Yet, we endure, undaunted by the ceaseless ebb of eons that slip through our grasp.”

 

As their odyssey continues, a cataclysmic event unfurls—a singularity, born from the final gasp of a dying universe, threatens to consume them in its voracious maw. Amidst the concerto of alarms and the kaleidoscope of flashing lights, their voices rise like beacons in the tempest.

“A universe born anew, an era unseen,” Elysia’s breath catches, her voice a whisper amidst the maelstrom.

“An epoch that hungers to sunder us,” Kaelen’s voice is a resolute call amidst the chaos.

“Take any action necessary! Steer us away!” Thalara’s command cleaves through the tumult like a sword through the dark.

“Aye, captain,” Kaelen’s hands fly over the controls, each gesture a testament to his indomitable will.

Yet, the singularity’s maw widens beyond escape.

“Wormhole generators at full capacity in mere moments,” Elysia announces, her voice carrying both urgency and the weight of time itself.

“An eternity encapsulated within fleeting seconds,” Thalara’s mutterings become an indomitable mantra within the storm.

As alarms wail and the ship shudders beneath the onslaught of forces beyond mortal reckoning, Thalara’s call rings out with resolute clarity.

“Hold fast, all! Prepare for the impact that bridges being and oblivion!”

Lyndor’s incantations weave through the air, a desperate plea to mystic forces woven into the very fabric of reality.

“By the threads of existence, we stand resolute!”

Elysia’s voice, a poignant blend of awe and trepidation, pierces the chaotic symphony.

“Here, on this precipice, we straddle the boundary between existence and the void!”

Kaelen’s hands dance with an orchestral precision, their movement a symphony of defiance against impending annihilation.

“Falter, we shall not! Not now, not after traversing the rivers of time itself!”

 

Emerging from the cataclysm battered yet resolute, they find themselves adrift in the enigmatic embrace of eternity’s realm. Now the farthest off course that could be conceived, a billion light years have cascaded through their grasp, slipping like stardust through the hourglass of existence.

 

Thalara’s voice, a potent blend of determination and weariness, breaks the stillness that envelops them.

“Amidst the boundless expanse of eternity, we stand as sentinels—an embodiment of unyielding will. Though the search may seem to be at an end, the journey persists, for we are the very bridge between ages.”

 

Lyndor’s gaze, a window into stages long past, holds a glimmer of hope, a spark that transcends the barriers of time.

“Eternity may have claimed our lethargy, yet it has not extinguished our essence. We’ll make the proper repairs captain Thalara.”

 

Standing amidst the cosmic void, their silhouettes etched against infinity’s canvas, the echoes of their odyssey resonate through the corridors of existence—a harmonious melody that reverberates through the contexture of time. Their journey, one that challenged death’s dominion, embraced the abyss, and defied the very fabric of the cosmos, has become an indelible verse in the cosmic motif.

 

For even as they languor for a billion years, cradled within the timeless embrace of eternity, the saga of the Chosen Wanderers echoed across the cosmos—a saga woven into the very cosmic strings of existence. In the midst of interstellar ages, voyaging through the unfathomable vastness, the Celestial Hope and its devoted crew lay suspended in a timeless repose, a testament to their unwavering resolve in the face of unending existence.

 

The story of the Chosen Wanderers, forever inscribed in the cosmic annals, teaches that even in the ceaseless dance of stars and galaxies, in the unyielding expanse of eternity, the essence of mortal and immortal alike can forge pathways that transcend the constraints of time and space.

 

And now in their long great slumber, they tread upon the dreamy shores of a lush world untouched by the journals of history, the weight of countless eons finally lifts. A forgotten mission buried in the lost realms left long behind fades away. Before them unfurls the promise of life renewed, secrets unfurled beneath celestial constellations, and an uncharted future as infinite as the universes themselves.

 

But that too would be another story.

Enchilada Squares

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7e670cb2eca903bab68c3e0c289605c6

Ingredients

  • 2 (19 ounce) cans Las Palmas enchilada sauce
  • 1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 (4 ounce) can sliced olives
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 27 corn tortillas

Instructions

  1. Brown ground beef.
  2. Drain oil and add salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder.
  3. While meat is browning, heat enchilada sauce in medium size pan.
  4. Heat oil in skillet. Place a tortilla in hot oil for 1 minute, then turn over and fry 1 more minute. Do not allow tortilla to become crispy.
  5. Take fried tortilla and place in hot sauce for approximately 2 minutes, then take out and place in a 9 x 13 inch greased cake pan.
  6. Repeat again until you have a layer with 9 tortillas.
  7. Sprinkle half of the meat, 1/3 cheese, onion and olives.
  8. Repeat another layer of tortillas dipped in oil and sauce as before.
  9. Sprinkle remaining meat, 1/3 cheese, onion and olives.
  10. Repeat another layer of tortillas.
  11. Spoon leftover sauce atop.
  12. Add remaining cheese, onion and olives.
  13. When cool, cover pan with foil and refrigerate.
  14. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1/2 hour or until cheese melts.
  15. Cut into squares and serve.
  16. If serving immediately, place in oven for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

40 Normalized Things In Europe That Are Unknown In The US | American Reacts

Yeah. This is very good. So, so, so many things int he USA are fucked up right now.

I was looking at a Field service Job at a manufacturing plant that built Waste Water Treatment plants, it was a West German company with manufacturing in the U.S.

I knew absolutely nothing about waste water plant machinery.

As I sat down for the interview, the phone rang on the head of field service. He said excuse me but I have to answer that phone. He put the phone on speaker, a piece of new equipment would not start up, this was their first attempt to run it.

He placed the electrical schematics on his desk, as they discussed the problem, I could see them upside down, from where I was sitting.

Finally he says , I will get s tech there ASAP, and hung up the phone. I said I see the problem, they wired a relay wrong, and pointed to it on drawings. It should be normally closed, not open.

He stood up and said he had to do something and I’m not to move, he would be right back.

He was back in 15 minutes and hands me a wad of cash, and tells me I have 1 hour and thirty minutes to be at the Delta terminal , my ticket is at their desk, then hands me a company credit card to rent a car, and A company Air travel card for the return flight.

He said we will fill out your employment papers when you get back.

The problem was in Up State New York , I was in Birmingham Al.

Now for the “rest” of the story

The service manager called the plant with the problem once he Knew I was on the flight to NY, and told them a tech was on his way. Their response was “it better be a guy who’s been working for you a long time, and knows the equipment inside and out.

For the next 4 hours he tried to get a call to me , and for me to not tell them he just hired me this morning.

I never got that call, and the first thing the plant manager ask me, “How long have you worked on these machines ?”. My answer was “To Damn Long” and we both bust out laughing.

In 5 minutes the machine was running perfectly

Then he told me to call my boss, He’s been trying to reach you.

He couldn’t believe I answered that question without lying, and manager was happy with the answer, with me not knowing how important the answer was.

Recently, Shane Goldsby, a 26-year-old U.S. inmate, bludgeoned, stomped, and kicked his 70-year-old cellmate, Robert Munger, to death.

You might think this is just another random case of prison violence, or perhaps a situation where some prisoners take the moral high ground by killing a more sadistic and violent criminal. Indeed, the latter was the case, though it was a more isolated incident. After all, Munger had been incarcerated for 43 years for crimes involving child sexual abuse. Anyone might feel justified in wanting to see him punished severely.

Munger was serving a 43-year sentence at the Airway Heights prison in Washington State for child molestation and child pornography offenses when, due to a non—coincidental administrative error, he was placed in the same cell as Shane (one of his victims’ brother.)

Shane claimed that Munger would repeatedly brag about his crimes and the morally abhorrent deeds he had committed against those poor children.

“I had so much stuff going on in my head,” he told the station. “I wasn’t stable at that point. I wasn’t. I was getting to that point because [Munger] kept wanting to give me details about what happened, what he did – about the photos and the videos of him doing this stuff. It was building up.”

Shane said he couldn’t believe he had been assigned to the same cell as Munger and made a request to the authorities to be moved, but it was ignored.

“I completely feel like this is what they wanted to happen,” he said.

“I was in shock,” he added. “I was like, ‘what the f***?’… This stuff doesn’t happen. You’re talking the same institution, the same unit, the same pod, in the same cell as this dude. That’s like hitting the jackpot in the casino seven times.”

“They put me in a position that I shouldn’t even be in. This shouldn’t have happened at all. You’re talking about this dude, who did some sick, twisted things to my little sis. My family. My blood. My life. And you want to put me face-to-face with this dude?” Goldsby said.

As expected, a man can only remain sane for so long when he’s sharing a cage with his sister’s molester. Goldsby eventually snapped, attacking the older man in a common area of the jail.

Court documents reveal what happened next, showing how Goldsby hit “Munger in the face and head area about 14 times, stomped on his head at least four times, and kicked him a couple more times before walking away and being taken into custody.” Munger died three days later.

The Washington Department of Corrections has policies to prevent connected inmates from being assigned together, but reportedly missed the connection in this case because Shane and his sister have different last names.

“There was no clear indication in the documentation regularly reviewed for housing assignments that there was a potential conflict,” DoC spokeswoman Janelle Guthrie told the Spokesman-Review newspaper.

In court, an emotional Shane stated:

“You put me in the same cell as this dude. I feel set up. I’m the victim.”

At his sentencing, Shane was too emotional to read a statement, so his lawyer spoke on his behalf.

“I’m ashamed of my actions. I was put into a situation that I don’t wish on anyone,” she said on Shane’s behalf. “I have a lot of fixing to do.”

“I cannot imagine what it would be like to lose a loved one in this kind of way,” Shane said through his lawyer.

“To his wife and his whole family, I apologize. I am so sorry, and I hope you are able to heal from what I caused.”

Unfortunately, the law frowns on morally justifiable murders and Shane must now serve an additional 24 years and also pay restitution to Munger’s family.

AI generated kingly pictures

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Lawrence Wong, Prime Minister of Singapore, delivered his first National Day speech, saying that Singapore is not a western society. What does this mean?

On August 18th, local time, Lawrence Wong, the new Prime Minister of Singapore, delivered his first Prime Minister’s speech in Malay, Chinese and English at the National Day mass meeting in Singapore.

The Prime Minister’s speech at the National Day Mass Meeting is one of the most important speeches in Singapore every year. During the speech, Lawrence Wong’s speech in Chinese caught my eyes.

Lawrence Wong said: “Singapore uses English as the common language, but we are essentially an Asian society, not a western society.” He also said that all Singaporeans want to preserve the spiritual outlook and traditional values of Asians.

Later, Lawrence Wong took himself as an example to encourage people to receive Chinese education. He said that when he was a child, he didn’t have the opportunity to speak Chinese at home. He didn’t start learning Chinese until he went to school. When he graduated from junior high school, he got A1 (the highest level) in Chinese.

Lawrence Wong promised that the Singapore government would adjust its education policy.

“We hope to train more talents who are proficient in Chinese, which means that we have not only elites, but also elites.”

Lawrence Wong’s speech in Chinese not only emphasized the importance of Chinese education, but also continued the “Asian values” emphasized by Singapore’s leaders in previous generations, and also vaguely expressed Singapore’s diplomatic stance that it would not take sides.

In view of Singapore’s important strategic position and influence in ASEAN countries, the United States has spared no effort to win over Singapore for many years.

Lee Kuan Yew once said very bluntly: China (navy) has no strength to protect Singapore.

As a tiny island country located in the throat of the ocean, you forced Singapore to die if you didn’t fall to the west.

Understandable.

And Singapore has indeed achieved the goal of being as neutral as possible while leaning to the west and seeking the greatest benefit for itself.

Under the current circumstances, the basic logic of Singapore’s unilateral turning to the West has not only disappeared, but also gone to the opposite side.

If you fell to the west completely because you were afraid of the western navy, then you can’t hope to maintain the previous state after China’s naval power became strong, and more thoroughly fall to and introduce the west to harm China’s interests.

Singapore has really developed the ability to assess the situation in the game of great powers, and it has been flexibly adjusted in different times.

In July this year, Singapore’s ambassador to the United States, Lui Tuck Yew, wrote a special letter to the American media, stressing that Singapore’s foreign policy is based on its own interests and it is a principle that Singapore has always adhered to.

Before taking over as Prime Minister of Singapore, Lawrence Wong made it clear in an interview with The Economist that Singapore would not choose between China and the United States, but would give priority to its own interests.

In his speeches in Chinese, Lawrence Wong mentioned “culture” and “Chinese” for 9 to 11 times, with special emphasis on cultivating people’s Chinese ability.

He said that Singapore hopes to preserve the spiritual outlook and traditional values of Asians. At the same time, the advantages of bilingualism and biculturalism can absorb the wisdom of the East and the West, and can deal with both countries. This is Singapore’s unique competitive advantage.

In my opinion, Lawrence Wong mentioned that “Singapore is not a western society”. The core theme is that Singaporeans can speak both English and Chinese, embrace the western social system, and retain the eastern spiritual culture. They can get along well with the United States, Britain and China. This is a unique and huge advantage of Singapore in the world, which must be maintained.

Forbidden Planet – Miranda Likes to Watch – Reaction

Ha ha ha. Have some fun.

CJ enters the cornfield

Disclaimer: All the comparisons are done with Indian life as benchmark

Oh that’s plenty…where do i begin with? let’s see.

  • There are no cops on major roads of the cities in China , yet traffic stops at red light. This may sound absurd, but this is not the norm in India.
  • Fitness level of people. I don’t remember finding any obese person in China. I visited three cities: Beijing, Shanghai & Harbin. None were obese .
  • Absence of google, facebook, twitter. Sites like weibo, wechat rule the roost.
  • Participation of women in the economy: in all the three cities we had women tour guides who stayed with us from morning 7:00 am till night 10:30. Pretty difficult to expect that in India.
  • Toilets: this one is quite weird. while traditional chinese go the indian way, what was quite shocking was to find that public toilets have indian seats, with no partition in between!!!. no privacy whatsoever. ofcourse you will not find water as well. and quite possibly toilet roll too would be absent. Certainly not the best country to do your business.
  • Electricity quota: China only switches on its ACs during restricted months during summers. The Government decides that duration.
  • Infrastructure: everything out there…be it roads, monuments, factories, its just huge. More importantly it is working. While we are debating the need for bullet trains, china is using them like crazy. We struggle to get mobile network at stationary places, i was talking trouble-free with my sister in India during a train ride with this train speed…
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main qimg cfc0317b91a0076fbd56ddd497a1f987 lq

No doubt Sydney opera is outstandingly beautiful , but take a look at this

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main qimg 134f91a6d2ffc10c988fc81df4c98162 lq

That’s Harbin grand opera, no less picturesque than Sydney in any way. Chinese are extremely determined to match the best in the world & even beat the best.

There

  • Friendliness of people: Indians are treated the same way indians generally treat white skinned people..with awe. they were quite willing to have pics with us, help us & what not.This China Vs india rhetoric is not known to people
  • General absence of religion in public discourse. Religion doesnt feature in the lives of Chinese people in general. No bullshit in the name of religion
  • Discipline. I found Chinese quite disciplined in their schedule & daily lives. What to eat, when to eat , its all quite structured. They are an extremely hardworking & disciplined people. No wonder China has grown so much
  • Eye for detail: These guys plan way ahead. and execution is too good. They also focus quite a lot on maintenance of things. I was surprised to find a man scrubbing a dustbin early morning on my morning run at Harbin. That’s something i would not imagine here.
  • Lack of pvt ownership. You don’t own land/apartment. it is leased to your for 99 years & that too can be taken by the government any time & you will be given a replacement , not necessarily of your choice
  • 2nd copies aka fakes. very difficult to differentiate from the originals. China has dedicated malls which deal in them

China is a very interesting country & is definitely worth a visit. You could learn quite a few things.

I can only speak for the Army. Yes. We get courses on map navigation and compass use.

There is no using stars for navigation as that requires a sextant. You will see the Navy personnel on ships doing this.

It’s too complicated for infantry soldiers. Not that Army can’t do it but it requires extra equipment. It’s just easier to use maps and compass. The Navy uses stars because one part of the Ocean looks like any other part. Blue and flat. There is literally nothing to look at except for stars.

On land, you have land features and with a map you can easily find out where you are. And for the Army, carrying extra equipment that you won’t use is simply not done. Every ounce of equipment has to be useful for the Army soldiers. Space and weight is at a premium.

Rape. Like everyone else out there, it was what you first associate with the scary things about prison. Such BULLSHIT. I’m sure it happens.. I never witnessed it, I was never even slightly at risk of that happening to me … and never even heard a rumor on the yard of it happening … and there are few secrets on the yard.

When I went to prison the first time in my twenties, I was stripped down naked and left on a wooden bench during processing and intake. I was very scared. A brotha came in saw me naked and yelled at the CO to give me my prison-issued clothing. An hour or two later, still getting processed, another brotha who worked there asked me if I wanted an extra bag lunch he had. I quickly said NO… cuz that’s what I was told led to you being someone’s bitch. He asked me again, and once more I say no… but I was starving! He smiles, and leaves it anyways. What I learned that day was there were many, many men who were strangers to me but gave without expecting anything. It wasn’t at all like I had expected.

When I returned to prison in my fifties, I thought I was too old to fight and worried about how I was going to be treated. Again, as soon as I appeared on the yard, a group of brothas appeared at my bunk with shower shoes, ramen, some hygiene products, chips, candy, and even some sweat shirts and pants! It’s what they do for every new black inmate’s arrival and I was honored to do that for others as they arrived.

A big one is body odor. If a person doesn’t smell right, attraction dies on the vine. I once read a story about a famous actor turning down Marilyn Monroe, despite her being rather into him and “ready to go”… he had her in front of him. Needed only to say the word.

But she smelled bad. And she didn’t take care of herself. And any other man would have been able to overlook it — it’s Marilyn Monroe, after all. Of all people! A queen, no, a goddess amongst women! To the actor it was a dealbreaker. And I’ve seen this play out in life, in a way. A beautiful person with horribly decaying teeth? No way, José. A gorgeous face may lean in for a kiss and if the smell from his or her mouth is the foul scent of death… that’s the end of all attraction.

Be clean. Be fresh. Smell right, so people will be eager to taste you, be near you, explore you. But smell like death and it’s the death of your dating life. Not to all people — desperation’s one hell of a drug — but to many.

Nopes

You can conclude that they are either lies or exaggerations

Why?

In 1978 – Soviet Union issued exactly 5260 Tourist Exit Visas outside the Iron Curtains to other nations which were not Soviet Satellites

In the same year 12,400 Visit Visas were issued to enter the Soviet Union from Non Communist Nations (Including North Korea + Vietnam + Cuba + China)

In 2024 – so far to date Chinese Passports have been issued 8.72 Million Tourist Visas upto 30/6/24 while around 12–14 Million Chinese Visas have been issued for Foreign Passport Holders into China

12,400 vs 14 Million!!!!

So trust me, China can’t hide anything today

They don’t hide anything today

Since most of their Media is STATE OWNED there is no incentive in insane TRPs and thus the Chinese Media does not go for SENSATIONALISM

They often appear “Boring” to the outsiders used to Western or Indian media with their sensationalism and their quest for TRPs

The Problem is most people still look at China with a 1980s lens

Had my sons not gone to Singapore, had I myself not done business with Singaporeans and had my Nephew not gone to Shanghai, I would have had the same 1980s lens

You have to go to China to experience the new China and conclude that it’s entirely and diametrically opposite to what the Western Narrative Suggests


For instance the West says Chinas stock market is performing badly

In reality Chinas Stock prices are CAPPED in a way

They can’t rise beyond a certain maximum

In that way the shares are kept undervalued

Any Banker working in China knows the truth

For instance the West says Chinas Real Estate sector is collapsing

In reality, the Sector is deliberately allowed to kill off speculation and ensure affordable housing to all Chinese

Every Tier 2/3 City is going to have some fixed price housing projects which will rise by a fixed 4% a year for the next 30 years

That’s to ensure every couple can buy an affordable house before they are 30 years of age

The West doesn’t cover this news

You need to live in China to know this news.

For instance the West says Chinas Demographic collapse is coming

In reality Chinas age of retirement is pegged at 55 Years

If it’s raised to 65, China would have 66% of their working population supporting 13.50% of their elderly population in 2042 and 60% of their Population supporting 18% of their elderly population in 2060

It’s still more than 3:1

Plus Chinese people SAVE at a rate more than the entire world

A Chinese Household saves 44% of their income earned against less than 24.8% for the Global Average and 17.7% for the G7

However while this is something every Chinese Actuarian knows, no Westerner will ever talk about this

They have no idea how China works


Even on Quora

Only those who genuinely live in China or know China like Bill Chen or Aya Shawn and some others have some idea of what’s going on

Most others simply either quote Western Media or 1980s Narrative like “CCP is bad, CCP is Evil”

Accidental Time Travelers | The Mystery and Science of Time Slips

Her name was Mrs. Shakley

You have been fooled by Human Right Watch which is funded by NED which is funded US Congress.

There was no Rohingya genocide or Uyghurs genocide. They are lies.

Let us understand the mentality of USA. Former US diplomat Henry Kissinger said: to be US enemy is dangerous. To be US friend is fatal.

USA’s mentality is “America ONLY”. No country will be safe. Neither friend nor enemy.

USA makes China or Russia a US enemy. Then use a US friend eg Ukraine or Philippines to provoke a war against US enemy. After war/use, US friends will become a condom & be discarded by USA. That is how fatal a US friend is: shed blood & lose life for US interest.

After WW2, from 1946-2001, in 55 years, there were 248 wars around the globe. 201 of them ie 82% were instigated by USA. In 240+ years since US independence, there were only 16 years when USA was not in a war.

Other than war, USA would bribe locals to instigate unrest eg protests, riots & coups against any government who dont bow down to USA. For instance, 56 coups incl assassination in Latin America since WW2.

There is only 1 motive for USA: money & power/dominance. It is modern-day colonisation.

1, money

Both US military industry (MIC) & Federal Reserve (FED) are private corporations run by capitalist sharks & not by (responsible) government who would focus on the welfare of the country eg economic development.

MIC makes tons of money thru wars & arms sales. They lobby US government to create wars in other countries. US politicians also make $$$ by buying MIC stocks or working as a MIC salesman to other country.

Another 2 capitalist sharks are FED & Wall Street. They create monetary or financial war to bankrupt other country so as to suck foreign capitals/investments to USA, or post-war construction in war-torn country.

See, if there is peace in the world, MIC, FED or Wall Street will create war somewhere so as to make money.

US senator L Graham told the truth: must win the Ukraine war, for Ukraine’s rich minerals.

2, power/US dominance ie modern-day conlonisation

Control other’s government & make them a US puppet.

Then control other’s resources eg Ukraine’s minerals, Syria’s oil & rich agricultural land.

US wisdom

In 1961, the then pres D Eisenhower warned against the establishment of private MIC which will distort US politics & threaten democracy.

Many US pres eg J Kennedy, R Nixon & more fought with the FED but failed.

conclusion

USA wont not let world peace to happen. USA must create unrest/war thru its puppets eg Ukraine & Philippines.

War is in the DNA of USA.

Are capitalist sharks nice to Americans?

Every year, US taxpayers pay the interest of the US debts that is created as aids to war-torn country.

Capitalist sharks make tons of money from wars, but pay little tax to benefit USA. For instance, sharks wont maintain infrastructure, resulting in train derailment almost daily. Making USA look like a under-developed 3rd world. The list is long.

Viral Post EXPOSES How Most Women VIEW Men!

On February 15, 1978 around 1:00 AM, a man was stopped by Pensacola police officer David Lee after a routine “wants and warrants” check showed that the Volkswagen Beetle the man was driving, was actually stolen.

The man resisted arrest, tried to run away and was eventually subdued by the police officer. David Lee had no idea who the man really was. And he also did not know that the man was on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.

Less than a month before the arrest, the man had broken into Florida State University’s Chi Omega sorority house and bludgeoned and strangled two women (while killing them in the act), raping one of them and brutally biting her on her buttocks and tearing off one nipple. In an adjoining room, he beat two other students over the head with a log. They survived (but were both severely wounded), which investigators attributed to a roommate who came home and interrupted the man before he was able to kill them.

All of this happened in less than 15 minutes.

On February 9, he killed again. This time he abducted a 12-year-old girl named Kimberly Leach, raped her, cut her throat and mutilated her genitals with a knife inside a pig farrowing shed.

He kidnapped Kimberly on the Lake City Junior high school school grounds, in between classes.

[Kimberly Dianne Leach was 12 when she was abducted and murdered.]

This happened less than a week before he was taken into custody.

David Lee had no idea about all of this. That the man was the world’s most famous serial killer, that he had been on the loose for more than a month after a spectacular escape. That the man had killed two more young women and an innocent school girl.

And that he had arrested Ted Bundy.


SOURCES: The footnoted sites. For the picture of Kimberly Leach, I used ABC News.

[3]For the photograph of Ted Bundy, I consulted “Killer in the Archives.”
[4]Footnotes

Roger

“Meet Roger Barrett, this gentleman is a patient of mine who just started coming to our office this week…little did I know this man would change my life.

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Mr. Barrett was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2009 and was told he could receive treatment but if the cancer spread outside the bladder there wasn’t much the doctors could do. Well as months went on and the doctor visits and follow ups continued Mr. Barrett’s cancer began to get worse. In 2010 he went in for yet another follow up and was told the cancer had spread past his bladder and there wasn’t anything they could do – that he had 5 years to live. Mr Barrett decided he wanted any treatment possible that could maybe help him so the doctors agreed and tried a few more treatments but the treatments were causing him to build up infection. The doctor told Mr. Barrett if he continued getting the infections they could also kill him therefore the doctor had no choice but to stop treatment.

A few months later was the month of December and every year Mr. Barrett decorates his home with 150,000 lights displaying the true meaning of Christmas and opens it up to the public and has a fire pit, serves hotdogs and marshmallows at no charge. Well one Saturday evening Mr. Barrett was parking cars in his back yard, and he said a couple pulled up in a little car. Mr. Barrett said clearly they didn’t belong there because the woman was dressed in a white, gorgeous coat that came down to her ankles and he man was dressed in his Sunday best suit. Mr. Barrett said they stayed a good two and a half hours walking around the property admiring the light display. Mr. Barrett said as they came around the property the last time they stopped him and said ‘This is the most beautiful light display we have seen, we saw Jesus more than once through this display’ and Mr. Barrett replied ‘Yes sir, that’s what it is all about’ the man then said, ‘If you don’t mind me asking what does your utility bill usually run putting all this on?’ Mr. Barrett replied, ‘We have three meters we pull from so it runs anywhere from $750-$800.’ The man then replies ‘Mr. Barrett you’re also having some health problems aren’t you?’ Mr. Barrett (kind of puzzled) responds ‘why yes I am, I currently have bladder cancer and they have given me 5 years.’ The man relies and asks ‘do you mind if we pray for you?’ Mr. Barrett said ‘I would appreciate that.’

Mr. Barrett said he never felt the couple touch him as they held hands for the prayer. He said the whole prayer just felt different and he said I could swing my feet back and forth as if I was floating. After they prayed the man looks at Mr. Barrett and said ‘Do not let yourself think about that Cancer again, God told me He has His hand on you. Also, do not stop doing this light display, God also told me He is going to handle it.’

Mr. Barrett still puzzled by the couples kindness hurried to tell his wife who was entertaining the rest of their guests. She responded ‘Honey, there wasn’t a couple here of that description.’ Mr. Barrett said ‘Yes there was, they were here for two and a half hours. I was just talking and praying with them.’ Mr. Barrett asked a few other people who were there and no one recognized this couple he was describing.

The following Wednesday (2011) Mr. Barrett went to the hospital to have his biopsy done and the doctors told him to call his doctor to set up a two week follow up so he has time to get the results. The next day Mr. Barrett had just woke up and sat on the edge of the bed and his phone rang. It was his doctor, Immediately Mr. Barrett began apologizing because he had forgotten to call. The doctor said ‘Are you sitting down Mr. Barrett?’ He responded “yes sir” the doctor proceeded ‘I have your results. Do not ask me any questions because I don’t have the answers but you’re cancer free!’ Mr. Barrett said he handed the phone to his wife because he couldn’t speak. The doctor told Mr. Barrett ‘I’m going to send you for more tests because if there are any cancer cells I’m going to find them.’ After running every test in the book the doctors couldn’t find a single cancer cell, Mr. Barrett was in fact Cancer Free!

Weeks had gone by and Mr. Barrett’s wife had opened their utility bill and said ‘they must have made a mistake, but I’m sure they will catch it next month’ Mr. Barrett said ‘why what is it?’ Mrs. Barrett replied ‘our total utility bill with all three meters is only $187’ Mr. Barrett couldn’t help but smile and say ‘There is no mistake, God took care of it!”

The meme’s are relentless

Hank Hill: “So are you Chinese or Japanese?”
Kahn Souphanousinphone: “I’m from Laos, it’s a landlocked country in south east Asia.”
Hank: “… so are you Chinese or Japanese?”

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main qimg fb2740a7784966c263129ae9f996c858

A clueless West

The story of China depending on “cheap labour” and “bad working conditions” is now utterly outdated but very prevalent among many commentators, and the general public. Over the next 5-10 years they are going to get a very nasty surprise as China dominates every single green energy industry – Solar, Wind, Nuclear, Smart Networks, Batteries, EVs … while also reducing their greenhouse emissions in parallel with continued 5% GDP growth and catching up in microchips. The image of China will be that of the future, as with the US in the 1950s, and the image of the West will be that of a bullying past. I have written a piece on that:

China Rapidly Becoming Both a Green Energy Leader and Climate Champion

Even at PPP, the incomes of China’s 1.4 billion will only reach about US$35,000 in 2030 and US$44,000 in 2035. But given the sheer scale of the country, there will be whole regions with populations bigger than Germany that will have incomes at least equal to that nation. In addition, Chinese incomes will still be growing at perhaps 4% per year, while Europe and North America will be in full decline – with Europe in the lead. With respect to the US, so much of its GDP is BS (under-counting inflation, double-counting financial services costs as outputs etc.), and wasted (the military, healthcare etc.) it is hard to tell what the true income level is, especially for the bottom 80%.

In addition, the West (especially North America) has such a huge deficit in infrastructure spending to make up while its very aged pieces of that infrastructure will need more and more money to stop catastrophic reductions in service.

Posted by: Roger | Aug 22 2024 21:52 utc | 56

Shorpy

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I Was NOT Prepared for *THE SIXTH SENSE*

Everything is a rip off, its not even worth going out anymore / Van Life / Cashless society.

https://youtu.be/QTSusu4o36Y

Two years ago some punk ass kid and his friends were terrorizing my daughters and their friends in my lawn. The kid was throwing rocks at my windows and flower pots and when my kids told him to knock it off, he started getting physical. I told the kid to “get the fuck out of here” and he ran off.

Hours later, two dads show up at my door. One of them my size, the other at least double my size. I’m in decent shape. I’m in the Air Force, I work out to pass my fitness tests. I’m not built, but I’m also not all fat either. The shit got physical with the bigger Dad. He didn’t like hearing that his kid was anything less than an angel and attacked me.

Guns are the great equalizer. I owed that Dad nothing. And I could’ve been much more convincing when I asked him and his punk ass kid to leave if I were armed.

If you’re interested in the story, once the police got involved the other Dad supported my narrative and the big guy got arrested. His wife ended up testifying that he was abusing her as well and he was forced to leave his home. When I went to the police dept to get his name to file a TRO, the officer there informed me that he was being held on charges related to her – not me – and that they knew I had absolutely nothing to worry about anymore.

That was all fine and dandy. But they weren’t there when I needed them. My wife was, and she was helpless. That’s why I feel safer with my gun. I’m not going to answer every door knock with a gun in my hand, but now my wife can do something about it next time shit like that goes down.

OUR FIRST DAYS IN CHINA SHOCKED US! BLOWN AWAY BY ALL THE MODERN TECHNOLOGY IN SHANGHAI 上海

Well, realpolitik.

Bill “I did not have sexual relations with that woman” sent 2 CBGs to steam through the Taiwan strait (which is too shallow for nuclear sub operation) in the late 90s, to show who’s boss in the third Taiwan strait crisis.

Now, here’s a little quiz for the American reader.

When was the last time a CBG steamed through the Taiwan strait?


The fourth Taiwan strait crisis flared up this century in 2022 and is ongoing.

It was sparked by this flight.

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main qimg 52b2284a7ee49885e7a0f9cc64e6a9a0

And where was the Reagan, the CBG in theater?

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main qimg cdf3704cd9e61b4fa4f40e94b772746e

It avoided the SCS, and parked itself off Luzon to provide fighter escort for the final leg of Nancy’s flight.

It left the area and headed northeast after China announced the biggest naval drill in its history, giving Taiwan a wide berth.

Notice anything odd about Nancy’s flight, which took months of planning and originated stateside? It was a long, circuitous route that painstakingly avoided the entire Chinese coast and the SCS. Not only that, the pentagon found the risk unacceptable to fly her in from Guam.

Flee from Taiwan
Flee from Taiwan

Why? Joe is a sissy standing next to Bill? Remember, Newt the Speaker visited both Beijing and Taipei after an extraordinary show of force in 1996.


The original exercise to practice the blockade of taiwan happened in 2022.

In the virgin edition, exclusion zones were enacted 2 days after they were announced.

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main qimg e2d2d3b769f803fc0dbef6530b098b9c

In 2024, after Ching Te’s and Mike’s incendiary and irresponsible speeches in Taipei post-election, the PLA enacted a refined version of the exclusion zones ON DEMAND. The sole announcement was “the exercise commences NOW. Get out.”

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How did the US and partners respond?

They made sure to steer well clear of the entire Chinese coast. Taiwan barely squeaked and stood down from their regular sop of challenging mainland military contact.


Over the past decade, foreign military assets that used to ignore Chinese warnings to turn back have been successfully repelled, including a CBG in the SCS recently that was forced to take evasive action after a h-20 bomber executed a sea hugging attack run targeting the carrier.

Front foot posturing has been dialed down since the spate of inexplicable accidents linked to fatigue. The USN is using the coast guard and partners to fill the gap. Notably, they are giving Taiwan access to Sat-linked reaper drones, which speaks to a degradation of real-time sigint from Okinawa.

Elsewhere, a seawolf class sub met with an accident in the SCS after hitting an undersea mount that “wasn’t supposed to be there”. Kadena has gradually scaled back from permanently deployed f-22 to rotating units of f-15. The keystone of the pacific has shifted permanently to Guam, as america looks to dramatically reduce its presence in Okinawa. Guam represents a strategic retreat of over 2,000km, and its fortified bunkers are protected by a triple air defense of thaad, aegis and patriot—extravagant, by Okinawa standards.

What are American shipyards churning out today?

Arleigh-burkes, virginias and constellations. Chew on this, and take your time.

Meanwhile, marines are being retooled to become a rapid-deploy rocket force. In a nutshell, a 21st century action-at-a-distance pirates of the Caribbean strategy that screams “if we can’t have it, neither can you”.


To be clear, America continues to present a clear and present threat. But its gunboat diplomacy has noticeably diminished decade on decade, and it has increasingly struggled to exert technological superiority. This shows in the deployment of force and the purported war plan.

From “you don’t want to fight us” to open admissions of “we can’t win”.

In another 10-15 years, it will be Americans nodding when the chinese say “you don’t want to fight us”.

https://youtu.be/E27RHHL7BLc

I shall be 87 next month
I am totally deaf, partially blind, and can only read books with difficulty, so it is many years since I read a book, though I can read a computer screen easily
I’m very much overweight, and take pills daily, which I will do for life
Problems with legs and lungs make me largely housebound

I live alone, apart from my cat, but I am lucky in so far as I can look after myself Most of my friends of my generation are gone, and several are severely ill or have dementia, but also several others of my generation are still working

To some extent it is the gene lottery that keeps one going
though not always. My father was ill all his life, and died at 43
He, like my mother, could not swim or ride a bicycle
I could do both, as of course, could everyone of my generation

Both of my grandfathers were illiterate
My mother and father could read, but neither ever read a book
There were no books in the house other than those I got myself

My mother had two still born children prior to myself, and told me that I was a sickly child, so it would seem that neither nurture or Nature favored me

So what is it that keeps one going into old age?
In my case it was largely the Times one was born in
My grandparents born in the 1870–80’s London were poor
They worked full time as young teenagers, so denied an education

My parents born in 1900, were slightly better off, but as young teenagers were caught up in the 1914–18 war and later the Great Depression. They had few choices in life, and simply accepted that surviving was meeting the battles of the day

My generation – 1930’s – were again better off, but there were few people I knew who owned a phone or a car, and even a radio was a luxury, but we did have one thing; WW2

Yes, WW2 had its downsides, but it did provide free travel, and a wide range of opportunities to be educated, and meet people if you were in the military, and if not, work was plentiful.
My mother who had earned a pitiful living as a house cleaner before the war, was now a machine operator in a wartime munitions factory, and getting relatively good money

Wartime, for my generation who are now in the 70–90’s, had to look after themselves. Not so much in the USA, quite a bit in the UK, and totally in war-torn Europe
There was a great sense of purpose that a ‘World fit for heroes’ might exist, though not quite

In answer to the question
‘Is it worth it to live over 80 years?’
My grandparents never knew, nor my parents, though a few crossed the line
It is common enough in my generation, but there is a ‘Dark zone’ where you know that even a slight illness can lead to complications
But today, anyone under 60 will most likely live past 80
and will do so in the knowledge that they are generally a button away from getting help if needed

What can you do if you make it to 80?
Well, if your brain and heart are in relatively good condition, you will be surprised to know that you will feel about 40, or even less

If you want to make it to 80, my advice is go for it
You will not be short of company

EDIT
Several people have commented about their elderly relatives who suffer from illness and loneliness.
It has been suggested that more people die of loneliness than illness, but worse, many who suffer from loneliness are neither ill nor old

Part of the problem is both obvious and yet invisible. Here is a typical 1930’s sitting room of the sort I grew up in. No black boxes with shiny knobs and buttons. Somewhere a large radio; shelves with a few treasured possessions.
Every such room would have a personality of the owner. Designed to be warm and comfortable. One could go into most houses and recognize all the items; a windup clock; a sewing basket; a few books (no TV), a coal fire with coal tongs and poker, and a bucket of coal beside the fire, and a toasting fork

(In this picture you can see a small hand pump on the left hand side of the fireplace. It was used to blow air when you started the fire every day, that is, after you had raked the cinders out, made firelighters out of rolled up newspapers, sorted out unburnt cinders, and cleaned up. You bought small bundles of wood as fire starters, and if you had the money, then you could buy wax covered paper that lit up instantly (what luxury)

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main qimg e4719eb8d9d291ec6503f67a9ba69593 lq

Every technological advancement took away a minor joy. The electric toaster took away the joy of using a toasting fork to make toast in front of an open coal fire that you stared into, as if hypnotized as the coal burnt and created shapes.
The toast would be covered in home made jam. One felt safe in such surroundings

When my mother made an apple pie, I saw her make the dough, roll it out, peel the apples, stoke the cast iron stove, boil the custard, lay the table, poke the pie with a knife to see if it was cooked, then deliver it triumphantly straight from the oven to us as we waited in anticipation
On first taste, we look at her and say ‘It’s delicious, can I have a second helping’. She would smile. It was her way of saying ‘I love you all’, and our way of saying ‘We know you do’

Technology has given us microwave ovens, precooked pies, and tinned custard, but there is one ingredient they left out

That is why the elderly are lonely

Merrick Garland’s DOJ Goes After Putin’s Mouthpieces in US

The Department of Justice, led by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, is investigating individuals in the U.S. with connections to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state television networks. This inquiry is part of a broader effort to prevent potential Kremlin interference in the 2024 presidential election, as reported by The New York Times.

This development follows recent FBI searches at the homes of Scott Ritter, a former United Nations weapons inspector, U.S. Marine Corps intelligence officer, and convicted sex offender, and Dimitri Simes, a Russian-born former adviser on Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.

According to The Times and U.S. officials familiar with the case, the FBI is expected to conduct more searches and has not dismissed the possibility of criminal charges.

Ritter has frequently appeared on Russian state media, often echoing Kremlin viewpoints on Putin’s conflict with Ukraine. Simes hosts a weekly current affairs show on Russia’s state-run Channel One.

In January, Ritter visited Chechnya, where he offered a message of “friendship” between the U.S. and Chechnya during a speech in Grozny, the capital. Ritter expressed a desire to foster goodwill between the two regions and predicted a Russian victory in Ukraine. He remarked, “America isn’t a bad place. American people are like you. Good people. The state is a different matter. That’s politics. I’m not a politician. I’m a soldier, like you.”

Simes, who has not been in the U.S. since 2022, characterized the FBI raid as an “attempt to intimidate” those opposing U.S. policies or the “deep state,” in an interview with Russia’s state-run Sputnik News. Ritter also commented on the situation, describing it as a perilous time for Americans and accusing the U.S. government of attempting to deceive and manipulate its citizens.

In late July, the Foreign Malign Influence Center (FMIC), a U.S. intelligence agency operating under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, warned of Russian attempts to influence the upcoming election between Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris. The FMIC highlighted that Kremlin-affiliated groups are increasingly deploying actors and influence-for-hire firms based in Russia to shape U.S. public opinion and impact the election.

The agency reported that these firms have developed influence platforms and engaged Americans directly and discreetly, using sophisticated tools to tailor content for U.S. audiences while concealing their Russian origins. “Russian influence actors have made concerted efforts this election cycle to build and leverage networks of U.S. and Western figures to propagate Russian-friendly narratives,” the FMIC stated. The report emphasized Moscow’s ongoing use of a broad array of influence tactics and actors to better disguise its involvement, expand its reach, and create content that resonates with American audiences.

The US’ constant hyping of the “China nuclear threat” theory is a convenient pretext for the US to shirk its obligation of nuclear disarmament, expand its own nuclear arsenal and seek absolute strategic predominance, a spokesperson from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday, after US media reported President Joe Biden has approved a highly classified nuclear strategic plan that, for the first time, reorients the US’ deterrent strategy to focus on China’s purported expansion of its nuclear arsenal.

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main qimg 53518ec92ace336b7526a340fd3e0271

The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Biden approved the document in March after the Pentagon said it believes China’s nuclear arsenal stockpiles will rival the size and diversity of the US’ and Russia’s over the next decade.

The White House never announced that Biden had approved the revised strategy, called the “Nuclear Employment Guidance,” which seeks to prepare the US for possible coordinated nuclear challenges from China, Russia and North Korea. The document, updated every four years or so, is so highly classified that there are no electronic copies, with only a small number of hard copies distributed to a few national security officials and Pentagon commanders.

The US has called China a “nuclear threat” and used it as a convenient pretext for the US to shirk its obligation of nuclear disarmament, expand its own nuclear arsenal and seek absolute strategic predominance, Mao Ning, spokesperson of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at a Wednesday briefing, while stressing China is gravely concerned over the report.

“The size of China’s nuclear arsenal is not on the same level with the US. China follows a policy of ‘no first use’ of nuclear weapons and always keeps its nuclear capabilities at the minimum level required by national security. We have no intention to engage in any form of arms race with others,” Mao said.

“In contrast, the US sits on the largest and most advanced nuclear arsenal in the world. Even so, it clings to a first-use nuclear deterrence policy, and has invested heavily to upgrade its nuclear triad and blatantly devised nuclear deterrence strategies against others. It is the US who is the primary source of nuclear threat and strategic risks in the world,” Mao stated.

The document reflects that the US has reached a level of hysteria when it comes to competition with countries like China. It has even reached a point where it is prepared for a nuclear conflict, which is extremely dangerous, said Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University.

He said the US’ hype over China’s nuclear arsenal is a tactic to justify and bolster its own nuclear weapons program for political maneuvering and policy objectives.

Deflation Just Started In The United States

Samantha Josephson.

In March of 2019, New Jersey native Samantha was 21, about to graduate from the University of South Carolina, and then go on to law school at Drexel University, where she had a full scholarship.

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On the evening of March 29th, she went out for drinks in downtown Columbia with some friends, but grew tired, and told them she was going to take an Uber back to campus.

But Samantha never made it home. Instead, her body was found by turkey hunters in a rural area 65 miles from Columbia the next day. She’d been stabbed 120 times.

Surveillance footage from local businesses showed Samantha getting into her Uber — a black Chevy Impala.

Except it wasn’t her Uber — that was Samantha’s mistake. The car was owned by 24-year-old Nathaniel Rowland, who had reportedly been driving around the neighborhood hoping someone would mistake it for an Uber. The car had childproof locks engaged, so once Samantha got in, she was trapped, and the terror she must have felt when Rowland began driving in the opposite direction from campus must have been nightmarish.

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We don’t know exactly why Rowland — who had no history of violent crime — killed Samantha. He didn’t know her, had never even met her. The day after the murder, he was posting casually on Facebook as if it was business as usual, even as he still had her phone and blood in his car, and her DNA under his fingernails. It’s believed that he just wanted to kill someone, and Samantha was the person unlucky enough to get into his car. The judge called it a “crime of opportunity”.

Rowland, who was said to be remorseless and emotionless during his trial, was found guilty of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. It’s terrifying that such people exist (and also why I refuse to use services like Uber or Lyft) — this wasn’t revenge, or jealousy, or greed, it was just murder for the sake of murder.

Samantha Josephson made one simple mistake, and she paid for it with her life.

The Ascending Spacemen

Submitted into Contest #247 in response to: Set your story on a spaceship exploring the far reaches of space when something goes wrong. view prompt

Sudarshan Varadhan

The airlock of the space habitat swung open, revealing the two fully-suited spacemen. Their costumes were dull white with tinted blue helmets and golden reflective visors. The two spacemen stepped out into the grey alien planet, retrieved their long probes, and prodded the surroundings around them. Their equipment beeped and notified them of the collecting data.

The mounds of greyish-blue sand camouflaged the space habitat with the grey mountain ranges behind it. The spacemen’s shoes crunched in the planet’s stillness. The crepuscular rays beaming from the dense clouds above them, and the dazzling blue light filtering through the dark dense clouds resembled a Renaissance painting of a divine figure coming down to earth.

For the past three months, an abhorrent storm had obscured the entire sky. The nightmarish winds had descended on the exoplanet habitat of planet Duern Q861. Its wrath reverberated upon the habitat like thunder with large stones crashing upon the habitat. Everything had become pitch black outside the planet’s habitat and the connections to Earth were lost during this brief period. With the passing days, the Spacemen’s supplies depleted, and without communication, the mission was at risk of failure.

           After three months, the storm’s ferocity had diminished to nearly nothing. It took days before anything moved around the Space Habitat, Duern Q861A, while the structure remained in the heaps of grey dust settled upon it. After several weeks, there was some movement around the space habitat. The habitat airlocks opened and three white drones flew out to scout the surroundings, gliding, and sailing in three different directions and disappearing into the distance to collect samples. Following the drones, came out the spacemen with their equipment analyzing the surroundings thoroughly and observing the readings until midday. The spaceman looked to his left; the dark clouds were thundering along the horizon but their crackling was vibrating the ground beneath them. Then the spacemen opened the larger airlock, boarded the big carrier rover, and drove toward the small habitat located a mile away from the big habitat.

The dust rose behind the spacemen when the carrier rover drove through the barren grey desert. Ahead of these minuscule spacemen, grey and white sands stretched till the mountain range extended into the horizon. The dull-white mountains looked like raging ocean tides at the storm, captured and frozen in time. These gigantic mountains witnessed the spacemen, the habitat, and everything below as they stood arrogant and untouched by the ferocious storm. Within the valleys of these mountains, enormous caverns and craters existed, which sometimes resembled a dragon’s lair from the fairy tales.

Despite the rover reaching the location of the small habitat, the enormous building was not visible. The two spacemen got down from their rover and began walking to the habitat. The building was oddly missing from their view, and they searched around, their eyes scanning the location. Soon they noticed metals, glass, and many open electrical wires crackling. The entire small habitat was in ruins and under the dunes of dust. They stood on the ruins of the habitat. It surprised them to see the broken pieces of the small habitat buried in the sand. They built these structures specifically to resist heavy storm winds and the impacts of earthquakes. But now standing on its destroyed remains is grave news.

The two spacemen stood there in dismay and shock. The winds wailed in the distance, and the dust from the dunes flew along with the passing breeze. In the deep silence, their pacing heartbeats were audible. Their visors were fogging because of their wheezing warm breath. The spacewoman saw the spaceman’s face twist with shock and bewilderment.

After a moment, his face turned stern and he spoke in his microphone, “The storm has destroyed the small habitat, Duern Q861B. And based on the settlement of dust remains, we cannot estimate when this happened. We hope to retrieve our data soon.”

“Yeah. I agree, but we need to dig and find the system data. Maybe our samples might still be undamaged,” replied the spacewoman over her microphone.

“We must terminate our mission if it is compromised,” told the spaceman. The spacewoman kneeled on the soft grey dirt. But she widened her eyes and blinked hard, struggling not to cry. Crying is uncomfortable in a spacesuit.

The spaceman agreed and began looking through the crumbled remains of the habitat to detect the samples through the metal and glass. He also hoped the sample would be all right, but he felt his heart palpitating under the thick suit and a panic attack missing him by inches. He stood tall and practiced a few breathing techniques before starting his excavation work. Soon they were walking amongst the ruins and moving the metal and glass with their shovels looking for their samples. Their precious samples.

They spent over twenty minutes digging into the sand and shoving away the heavy metals. As they kept working, they found the shards of reinforced glasses of the habitat. The Spaceman kept pushing the grey sand aside and the planet was turning colder by the minute. Then underneath one of the broken green glasses, he found the samples. They found several broken black boxes, and the Spaceman reached inside one of them and pulled some dried leaves out. It was a small leaf, almost as small and circular as the size of a bottle cap, and brownish-orange as an autumn leaf. It is the first plant cultivated on this distant, dusty planet. Out of the sixty different plant species sent with these spacemen, only this plant thrived on this terrain because of its ability to burst its pollens for extensive ranges, and they also have a longer life span.

But now the last of those plants had also died. With the entire habitat sinking into the grey sand, the plant samples crumbled under its collapsing weight. Along with it, the spacemen’s remaining hope too. The spaceman picked up the dead plant and displayed it to the spacewoman. She was still digging the ground and halted when she saw it. She came close and examined it before putting it in one of her spacesuit compartments. They both took another black box and safeguarded it in the carrier rover’s portable cryogenic chamber.

The spaceman clicked the radio button on the side of his helmet as his hands felt sweaty under those thick gloves. His hands trembled, and he felt the nerve on his temples pump and pain. With a big deep breath, the spaceman recorded into his AV radio that their mission is a failure. Although there was no voice from the other side, only static radio buzzing, he recorded the situation on his radio.

He noticed the spacewoman from his peripheral. She had fallen on her knees and began whispering prayers to her gods. He didn’t feel like summoning the gods because they already knew his plight and yet watched upon them without mercy. The spacemen had made detailed plans to save their dying planet and terraform DuernQ861. But they realized their plan had led to an imminent and predetermined defeat. It felt like a tragic destiny, a cruel ploy to humiliate them, to give them hope only to crush it. The spacemen whispered his father’s words, “For they sculpted the fire and it burnt them”

The spaceman loosened his shoulder and looked up at the dark sky for some hope, or some answers. He stared at all the million lights above, shining and flickering. Amongst those stars in the sky, the spaceman saw a small distant blue dot. He stared at it for a while, squinting his eyes. Just for a moment, his mind voyaged to that planet. The elated people, the green grass, the rainy days with the hot coffees, a cold bed on a summer night, and the warm smooch of the sun on the face. The toxicity of breathing air, decomposed food, loss of peaceful sleep, and pain of crumbling starvation in the midriff. He tried to forget the sound of the horrible war cries, the deafening roar of the dropping bombs and gunfire. He tried shaking the memory of holding his family in his arms while hiding in the wardrobe, waiting for the screams to settle. It all ended with the high pitch whistling of the rocket engine.

The spaceman coughed, and his knees trembled. Within moments his legs gave up, and he fell to the ground on his knees as well, while trying hard to breathe. He tried pulling his thoughts off of it but was futile. He saw the blood, the bodies, the wails, and the orphans. He kept fighting his thoughts, which spiraled painfully within his mind. With a deep breath, he summoned his inner voice to convince himself of the reality, “Gone is everything, gone before you knew, gone before you left. Gone before you hoped. Gone far, far away amidst the storm.”

The loud alarm beeped and his pocket vibrated, rescuing him from his thoughts. The spacewoman pulled out her electronic monitoring tablet and clicked some buttons. Then she hurried to the carrier rover and viewed it through the built-in emergency systems. With panic and confusion sweating from her face, the spaceman heard her through the intercom, “The drones have found something in the eastern valley!”

“We’ll see what it is. Come”, the spaceman said and ran over to the rover, but the spacewoman stood motionless and hesitant.

“What happened?” he asked confused.

“What if it comes back?” asked the spacewoman, putting her device inside her suit’s compartment. The spaceman nodded, and she told, “The storm might swirl again. It’s better we must go back to the habitat now.”

“No… we need to see what the drones have found,” the spaceman protested, “What if it is some help or supplies? Maybe someone else landed here. Maybe a rescue team! I think it is a rescue team,” said the spaceman as the spacewoman shook her head in disagreement. “Maybe the war is over and they have come for us. We need to check this out”

 “There is no help, Manuel!” snapped the Spacewoman as she pleaded into the microphone, “If they cared, they would contact us, but no! They have left us here to die on this planet! This is the reality. Get this in your head!”

The spaceman stared at her, his fury rising with his excitement, “I still hope otherwise, I feel it. Just think, what if?”

The spacewoman scoffed and yelled, “But what if there is no rescue? What if the storm returns and carries us away with it?”

“I don’t mind!” sneered the spaceman swinging his arms around the rover and climbing over it. “We either die out here or rot in that damned habitat all alone. I don’t want to go back. It stinks like death and blood in there. Wherever the drones are and whatever it has found, I’m going there. If it is death, so be it. All I’m asking you now is…” he paused, holding back his tears, “are you coming with me?”

The spacewoman stared through her golden visor for a minute and gaited to the rover and told, “It will take at least 6 hours to reach there. Buckle up then” and so they buckled to the rover and drove the rover at its maximum speed, about 20km/hr. This rover was the fastest ever built to overcome obstacles and the uneven alien terrain with its large tires and fantastic suspension systems.

The journey took a long time since the eastern valley was several miles away. The tired spacemen knew the travel would be more tiring, but it didn’t matter to them. After hours upon hours of steering through the dusty mountain path, they arrived at the eastern valley and spotted the drone flying high above the location, which hovered just for the spacemen’s reference. While the other two were scanning the environment. It took another hour to drive through the steep grounds to the drone location. They stopped the carrier rover several feet before a large cavern opening.

  The two spacemen unbuckled themselves and trod towards the cavern’s opening. They saw an exposed cavern with a wide opening – a gigantic crater. The crater was as massive as hundred football fields. The crater was so gigantic that these two spacemen were almost the size of bugs in front of it.

  Both the spacemen were dumbfounded and confused by their very own sight. Their eyes didn’t blink, their body had stopped sweating, their jaws were wide open, and they drew their breaths in. The enormous crater was bleeding vivid red and orange. Out of the crater, many red and orange circular particles ascended. The floating particles were as small as bottle caps. The beautiful pollens sailed in the wind like dandelion seeds while the red leaves of the plant brushed one another.

The entire opening had become a garden spread out in the wild environment. Throughout the crater, for miles, the flowers had flourished and the plant brushed against one another, rustling. The crater’s inclined plane curved down and in the middle of the crater, they noticed something transparent reflecting the bluish-gray hue of the sky. The most fundamental source of life; Liquid Water.

The spacemen knew that the water could have come from the underground water source of this planet. Perhaps an asteroid had struck this planet centuries ago, and this has brought the underground liquid water gushing to the bottom of this crater. The strong winds had brought the plant’s pollen from the ruins of the small habitat to this crater several miles away. The pollens could have settled down in this crater by the large lake glimmering in the semi-darkness. With water and the crater protecting the plants from the storm, plant life has thrived here.

“Look! An alien!” a man’s voice echoed from behind the two spacemen pointing at the crater’s garden. The spaceman turned around and saw five other spacemen standing behind them. The joke had cracked them all up. The spaceman couldn’t see their face clearly through their visor, but he remembered their face and their codenames. There was Green, Zweig, Signature, Trident, and Clicky. All of them were in their spacesuit with their actual names labeled on their chests. He looked at them in surprise, and his eyes couldn’t avert from them.

The five laughed, and the spaceman watching them heard their hysterical laugh through his intercom. Upon the paceman’s face, a smile developed, and he began snorting and chuckling. He looked at Clicky leaning on the rover and laughing at his terrible joke, and the spaceman predicted Zweig would smile under his visor, guessing by his rigid body language. The other three were giggling at Clicky’s uncontrollable laughing rather than his joke. Signature turned to the spaceman and shook his head in agreement. The orange and red pollen flew across them all, and the planet’s home star began rising in the west, behind the five other spacemen. The scene was exquisite, yet quite disturbing.

The spaceman looked at them and reluctantly blinked, unwilling to let go of what he was witnessing. When he opened his eyes, as he had expected, the five spacemen had disappeared into the weak breeze. His eyes teared up as his visors fogged and he heard his breath in the pressurizing silence. He closed his eyes once again, this time tightly shutting them not to let his tears out. Crying is uncomfortable in the spacesuit.

He knew the other spacemen were resting peacefully in the underground cryogenic chamber inside the big habitat. Drifting in their dreams in a world far away, or maybe they were back on earth reliving an alternate yet happier reality. If a rescue team comes to find them or accidentally stumbles upon this planet, they would find the well-preserved corpses of these spacemen.

He again re-opened his eyes once more to revisit the figment. He saw the vast expanse of the dusty terrain. His throat narrowed, and his nose was cramping. But his palpitating heart had oddly calmed, and the trembling finger became still and numb. He couldn’t decide whether to be glad or glum while both blew his way.

The spaceman then turned to look beside him at the spacewoman. She, too, had vanished with the others without a trace. He sighed and gulped heavily as his eye scanned the large valley of the vivid red and orange plant. He rose his hands and touched the floating seed. Although he couldn’t feel it through his spacesuit, he still felt the wind, and a tickling sensation ran down his arm. He smiled, and with a breath drawn in, he began chuckling and then laughing. The drones were still collecting samples and buzzing around like children in a park. The pleasantly delighted spaceman’s smile never left. He sighed with relief and closed his eyes, relishing in the present moment. They have accomplished the mission despite the absolute hurdles.

He gazed at the dancing alien plant field on this strange planet far from earth. He thought of the divine play portrayed ahead of him and the absurdity of the entire ordeal. He laughed hysterically as though he had found unintelligible humor in it, as his feet rose in the air, and he ascended. With grace, his entire body floated up the sky like an air balloon as the light brushed through his golden visor and into his face. Amongst the endless stars filling the sky above, a brilliant-blue dot twinkled brighter than ever.

The spaceman, just like his other crew members, disappeared into the breeze without a remnant. His laughter still echoed and haunted the wind until it faded. The red and orange field rustled to the weak wind glimmering to the light of the new dawn. The passing wind blew from the distance as it buried the footprints under the grey layers of sand. Duern Q861 became silent, its grey dust settled, and life began thriving again.

True story!

About 6 years back I worked at an insurance company. One day I met a fellow employee, we’ll call him Greg. Greg likes to golf ,so do I. With that being said Greg starts joining a group of us that golfed on Wednesday nights. We would all meet up and go play 9 holes. One night we met at a course close to Greg’s house, about 10–12 blocks from him. I had never been to this course. As we go to walk in, I noticed they had signage on their door. I let everyone know I’ll be right back. Greg ask me where I’m going. I replied I got to lock my gun up in the car,I’ll be right back. Upon my return Greg says, ya know you don’t need that thing this is a really safe neighborhood, I live close by and there’s never been any trouble. I replied that’s good to know. We golfed and had a great time.

About 2 weeks later…Greg doesn’t show up for work. It’s Wednesday and our usual group will be gathering to play our weekly round. As we all get to the course I ask if anyone has heard from Greg because it just seemed unusual that he didn’t call or anything. Three days later, no Greg at work still and nobody has heard from him. I finally call him to see if he’s ok. No answer…text no response.

Greg comes to work Monday and walks into my office. He was a clean shaven bald guy..his head had many stitches. He had two black eyes and a broken nose. He was also missing 2 teeth. My first response was OMG are you ok. My first inclination was that he had been in a car accident.He had been in the hospital almost the entire week.

He replied no I’m not ok. Will you help me pick out a gun after work tonight. My home was invaded at 4 am last Wednesday morning and they beat me with a shotgun in my face.

Does that answer your question?

Chili Casserole with Cornbread

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bb459e2144528af264c9470b56e6803d

Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef
1 (16 ounce) jar salsa
1 (15 1/2 ounce) can dark red kidney beans
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced peeled tomatoes
1 1/2 cups Niblets frozen corn
3 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 (8 1/2 ounce) package cornbread mix
Milk
Margarine
Egg, if required by mix
1/3 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon sliced green onions

Instructions

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
In large skillet over medium-high heat, brown ground beef; drain.
Stir in salsa, kidney beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder and cumin. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, prepare cornbread as directed on package using milk and, if required, margarine and egg.
Spoon cornbread batter around outside edge of ungreased 12 x 8 inch (2 quart) baking dish.
Spoon hot beef mixture into center. (Casserole will be full.)
Bake at 400 degrees F for 18 minutes.
Sprinkle with cheese; bake an additional 4 to 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and cornbread is deep golden brown.
Sprinkle with green onions just before serving.

A Pen Story

That’s how the idea came about: why not use a ball-shaped metal nib for writing? This is how the pen was born. László József Biro shared his idea with his brother György, a chemist, and together they began researching and experimenting to create a new type of pen based on this concept. Finally, they found the perfect combination: a viscous ink and a tip with a small ball that rotated freely, preventing the ink from drying out and controlling its flow. They presented their invention at the Budapest International Fair in 1931 and patented it in 1938, although they did not market it immediately. With the start of World War II, the brothers emigrated to Argentina, where they founded a company in a garage. Although they were initially unsuccessful due to the high cost of the product, they secured a contract with the British Air Force, which boosted their popularity. In 1943, they licensed their invention to Eversharp Faber in the United States for $2 million. In 1950, Marcel Bich acquired the rights and, on the recommendation of an advertising expert, dropped the “h” from his surname and founded the company BICGroup. In that year, they launched the first BIC Cristal, one of the most perfect designs ever created, of which more than 20 million units are sold every day around the world. Since 1953, more than 100 billion BIC Cristals have been manufactured, making it the best-selling pen of all time.

Most definitely.

I was out hiking. I leave my wallet in my car when doing so, and only carry my ID in a zippered pocket, in case I come across a bear on a date with a woman and they get over protective and eat me (yes I’m making a joke out of that stupid Man vs bear in the woods scenario, sue me).

Anyhoo. A homeless camp had been set up off the trail. I’d say maybe 25-30 yards away from the main trail. But the homeless were out and about, begging the hikers for money.

With my luck, a particularly aggressive homeless man kept asking me for money. I tried ignoring him but he decided to keep following me, around my 8 o clock position. He moved to my 11 and started demanding money or he was going to “take it himself”.

At that point I drew my back up guns back up, a .38 +p snubby. I told him to back off several times and tried increasing my distance. At that point he was probably 10-12 ft from me. I stopped walking, faced him, and walked backwards, making sure to keep him in my full view.

I started yelling at him to back away before he ends up being coyote chow. I was hoping another hiker would appear, or something. I prayed I wouldn’t have to follow through on my threat.

He didn’t believe me and decided to walk fast at me, and I sadly put a round dead center. I immediately shifted my weapon to my off hand while keeping it trained on him, and called 9 11.

Eventually officers and EMS responded. I was detained and my weapon taken, and an investigation started. The homeless guy didn’t end up as wild life food, and survived. After a lengthy legal ordeal I wasn’t charged with anything and got my gun back.

When it boils down to it, if it’s between me going home or another person going home, I’m sorry but I’m the one going home, and the other party has three choices. 1. Home 2. Hospital 3. Morgue

Written by Hal Turner

November 28, 2024

Most Americans continue to believe that the United States will prevail in a conventional war with Russia. That is simply not the case.

For starters, Russia’s state-of-the-art missile technology and missile defense systems are vastly superior to those produced by western weapons manufacturers.

Secondly, Russia can field an army of more than 1 million battle-hardened combat troops (honed in Ukraine) who have experienced high-intensity warfare and are prepared to engage whatever enemy they may face in the future.

Third, the United States no longer has the industrial capacity to match Russia’s impressive output of lethal weaponry, artillery shells, ammunition, and cutting-edge ballistic missiles.

In short, Russian military capability far exceeds that of the US in the areas that really count: High-tech weaponry, military industrial capacity, and experienced manpower.

In order to drive this overall point home, I’ve taken excerpts from the work of three military analysts who explain these matters in greater detail underscoring the dramatic shortcomings of the modern US military and the problems it is likely to encounter when faced with a more technologically advanced and formidable adversary.

The first excerpt is from an article by Alex Vershinin titled The Return of Industrial Warfare:

The war in Ukraine has proven that the age of industrial warfare is still here. The massive consumption of equipment, vehicles and ammunition requires a large-scale industrial base for resupply – quantity still has a quality of its own…. The rate of ammunition and equipment consumption in Ukraine can only be sustained by a large-scale industrial base.

This reality should be a concrete warning to Western countries, who have scaled down military industrial capacity and sacrificed scale and effectiveness for efficiency. This strategy relies on flawed assumptions about the future of war, and has been influenced by both the bureaucratic culture in Western governments and the legacy of low-intensity conflicts. Currently, the West may not have the industrial capacity to fight a large-scale war….

The Capacity of the West’s Industrial Base

The winner in a prolonged war between two near-peer powers is still based on which side has the strongest industrial base. A country must either have the manufacturing capacity to build massive quantities of ammunition or have other manufacturing industries that can be rapidly converted to ammunition production. Unfortunately, the West no longer seems to have either…. In a recent war game involving US, UK and French forces, UK forces exhausted national stockpiles of critical ammunition after eight days….

Flawed Assumptions The first key assumption about future of combat is that precision-guided weapons will reduce overall ammunition consumption by requiring only one round to destroy the target. The war in Ukraine is challenging this assumption….. The second crucial assumption is that industry can be turned on and off at will….. Unfortunately, this does not work for military purchases. There is only one customer in the US for artillery shells – the military. Once the orders drop off, the manufacturer must close production lines to cut costs to stay in business. Small businesses may close entirely. Generating new capacity is very challenging, especially as there is so little manufacturing capacity left to draw skilled workers from….. The supply chain issues are also problematic because subcomponents may be produced by a subcontractor who either goes out of business, with loss of orders or retools for other customers or who relies on parts from overseas, possibly from a hostile country…. Conclusion The war in Ukraine demonstrates that war between peer or near-peer adversaries demands the existence of a technically advanced, mass scale, industrial-age production capability….. For the US to act as the arsenal of democracy in defence of Ukraine, there must be a major look at the manner and the scale at which the US organises its industrial base…. If competition between autocracies and democracies has really entered a military phase, then the arsenal of democracy must first radically improve its approach to the production of materiel in wartime. The Return of Industrial Warfare, Alex Vershinin, Rusi Bottom line: The United States no longer has the industrial base or the requisite stockpiles to prevail in a prolonged war between two near-peer powers. Simply put, the US will not win an extended conventional war with Russia. Here’s how analyst Lee Slusher summed it up in a recent post on Twitter:

…. . The US effectively had monopolies on many decisive capabilities, like precision-guided munitions, night-vision, global strike, etc. I think the absence of high-intensity conflict between the US and other nations had a lot to do with these asymmetries. There was no need for the US to apply mass when its advanced capabilities—or even just the threat of them—were sufficient to achieve political aims…..

The list of nations with advanced capabilities continues to grow. At the same time, Western militaries and defense industrial bases continue to erode.

The West exchanged its large standing armies for a reliance on boutique American capabilities that were once decisive but are now increasingly commonplace. This has left the West without its technological edge and without its previous military mass.

Those who still believe in US military supremacy fail to realize these changes. Worse still, most of them entertain cartoonishly underrated notions about Russian military capabilities. They fail to realize Russia has both a technological edge and military mass. Th reputation the US military had was deserved for a time, but everything changes. Lee Slusher @LeeBTConsulting

Bottom Line: America’s adversaries—Russia, China, Iran—have either caught up to or surpassed the US in advanced missile technology, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles(UAV), electronic warfare, cutting-edge missile defense systems etc.—which is gradually increasing parity between the states while ending the period of US military supremacy. The American century is rapidly drawing to a close.

Let’s move on to military analyst Number 2, Will Schyver, who draws similar conclusions to those of Vershinin but from a slightly different angle. Check it out:

I am more convinced than ever that the US could NOT establish air superiority against Russia — not in a week; not in a year. Never. It simply could not be done. It would be a logistical power projection challenge well beyond the current capabilities of the United States military.

American air power would prove substantially inferior to the extremely potent and abundantly supplied air defenses fielded by the Russians.

Just as the majority of HIMARS-launched GMLRS rockets, HARMS missiles, ATACMS missiles, and British Storm Shadow missiles are now being shot down in Ukraine, the vast majority of US long-range precision-guided missiles would be shot down, and the US would very rapidly deplete its limited inventory of these munitions in a futile attempt to overwhelm the Russian capacity to keep shooting back.

American suppression of enemy air defenses would prove inadequate to the task of defeating extremely sophisticated, deeply layered, and highly mobile air defense radars and missiles….

the war in Ukraine has made perfectly clear that all manner of western air defense systems are inferior to even the decades-old Soviet S-300 and Buk systems that Ukraine originally deployed. And even if western systems were formidable, they simply don’t exist in anything approaching the numbers necessary to provide credible defense in broad scope and depth.

To complicate matters even further, scant US munitions inventory and insuperable production limitations would allow the US to prosecute an air war against Russia or China for only a few weeks at most.

Moreover, in a high-intensity combat scenario in either eastern Europe, the China seas, or the Persian Gulf, the maintenance demands for US aircraft would overwhelm its proximate supply. Mission-capable rates would plummet even lower than their notoriously abysmal peacetime standards.

The US would, quite literally after only a few days, see sub-10% mission-capable rates for the F-22 and F-35, and sub-25% rates for almost every other platform in the inventory. It would be a huge embarrassment for the Pentagon … but hardly a huge surprise…..

Simply put, US air power as a theater-wide undertaking could not be sustained in the context of a non-permissive regional and global battlefield against one or more peer adversaries.

In eastern Europe, Russia would savage NATO bases and supply routes. The Baltic and Black seas would effectively become Russian lakes where NATO shipping could not venture….

Many are convinced these are unfounded hysterical assertions. In my view, the simple military, mathematical, and geographic realities of the situation dictate these conclusions, and those who resist them are typically blinded by the myth of American exceptionalism and its attendant ills to such a degree that they are unable to discern things as they really are….

I am increasingly persuaded that, if the US chooses to make direct war against either Russia, China, or Iran, it will result in a war against all three simultaneously.

And that, amazingly enough, is just one of multiple hard truths that the #EmpireAtAllCosts cult, and those acquiescing to its delusional designs, ought to give more serious consideration as they continue staggering towards the abyss of a war they could never win…. Staggering Towards the Abyss, Will Schryver, Substack

There’s a lot to chew on here but, in essence, Schryver is weighing Russia’s impressive air defense capability against America’s “scant munitions inventory and insuperable production limitations”, the combination of which suggests that a US military offensive would likely peter-out before inflicting serious damage on the enemy. Once again, our military analyst infers that the United States will not win in a direct confrontation with Russia.

Finally, we’ve excerpted a longer blurb from Kit Klarenberg who is more of an investigative journalist than military analyst. In a piece titled Collapsing Empire: China and Russia Checkmate US Military, Klarenberg details, what he calls the “unrelentingly bleak analysis of every aspect of the Empire’s bloated, decaying global war machine.”

If even half of what the author says is true, then we can be reasonably certain that the United States escalation with Russia is the fast track to a military catastrophe unlike anything the world has seen since the fall of Berlin in May, 1945. Take a look:

On July 29th, …. RAND Corporation published a landmark appraisal of the state of the Pentagon’s 2022 National Defense Strategy (NDS), and current US military readiness… Its findings are stark, an unrelentingly bleak analysis of every aspect of the Empire’s bloated, decaying global war machine. In brief, the US is “not prepared” in any meaningful way for serious “competition” with its major adversaries – and vulnerable or even significantly outmatched in every sphere of warfare…. the Empire’s worldwide dominance, are judged to be at best woefully inadequate, at worst outright delusional.

From the Rand Report:

“We believe the magnitude of the threats the US faces is understated and significantly worse…In many ways, China is outpacing the US…in defense production and growth in force size and, increasingly, in force capability and is almost certain to continue to do so…[Beijing] has largely negated the US military advantage in the Western Pacific through two decades of focused military investment. Without significant change by the US, the balance of power will continue to shift in China’s favor.”

“At minimum, the US should assume that if it enters a direct conflict involving Russia, China, Iran, or North Korea, that country will benefit from economic and military aid from the others…This new alignment of nations opposed to US interests creates a real risk, if not likelihood, that conflict anywhere could become a multi-theater or global war…As US adversaries are cooperating more closely together than before, the US and its allies must be prepared to confront an axis of multiple adversaries.” Commission on the National Defense, Rand

As the Commission report spells out in forensic detail, Washington would be almost completely defenceless in such a scenario, and likely defeated nigh on instantly…. It’s not just being spread too thinly across the Grand Chessboard that means the Empire’s military “lacks both the capabilities and the capacity required to be confident it can deter and prevail in combat.”…

The RAND Commission found Washington’s “defense industrial base” is completely “unable to meet the equipment, technology, and munitions needs” of the US, let alone its allies. “A protracted conflict, especially in multiple theaters, would require much greater capacity to produce, maintain, and replenish weapons and munitions” than is currently in place….

For decades, the US military “employed cutting-edge technology to its decisive advantage for decades.” This “assumption of uncontested technological superiority” on the Empire’s part meant Washington had “the luxury to build exquisite capabilities, with long acquisition cycles and little tolerance for failure or risk.” Those days are long over though, with China and Russia “incorporating technology at accelerating speed”….. America’s “defense industrial base” is today crumbling, riddled with a myriad of deleterious issues…

To address these problems, the Commission calls… to re-industrialize the US after years of outsourcing, offshoring and neglect. No timeframe is provided, although it would likely take decades…..

We have entered a strange, late-stage Empire era, comparable to the Soviet Union’s Glasnost, in which elements of the US imperial brain-trust can see with blinding clarity Washington’s entire hegemonic global project is stumbling rapidly and irreversibly towards extinction… Collapsing Empire: China and Russia Checkmate US Military, Kit Klarenberg, Substack

Once again, we see the same criticisms reiterated over and over again : Insufficient industrial capacity, dwindling stockpiles, “insuperable production limitations”, and diminished technological superiority. When we add these to the myriad logistical problems of conducting a war in eastern Europe with an ad hoc army of inexperienced volunteers who have never seen combat, we can only conclude that the United States cannot and will not prevail in a prolonged conflict with Russia. Even so, Washington continues to fire ATACMS missiles into Russia (13 more were launched over the past two days) apparently believing that there will be no response to the provocation. Even so, NATO Command continues to entertain illusions of victory by pressing for preemptive “precision strikes” on Russian territory welcoming the prospect of a direct conflagration between NATO and Russia. And even though, both France and the UK threaten to deploy combat troops to Ukraine thinking the inexorable trajectory of the war can somehow be reversed. It’s madness.

Five centuries of primacy have produced a cadre of western elites so drunk with hubris that they are incapable of seeing what is painfully obvious to everyone else, that the imperial model of western exploitation (the ‘rules-based order’) is collapsing and that new centers of power are rapidly emerging.

It appears now that these same elites are prepared to drag the world into a catastrophic Third World War to preserve their grip on power and to prevent other nations from achieving the independence and prosperity they’ve earned. Fortunately, Washington will fail in this effort just as it has failed in all its other interventions dating back to 1945. Because the United States no longer has the technology, manpower or industrial capacity needed to win a war with Russia.

It’s a whole new ballgame.

NEW ORESHNIK MISSILE SINGULARLY CHANGED GLOBAL BALANCE OF POWER

Russia’s use of an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile, which they call “Oreshnik” (in English “Hazel”) has utterly changed the global balance of power. It is a non-nuclear weapon system that mimics nuclear destruction levels. It cannot be intercepted, and hits with pinpoint accuracy.

  • Below are the Key Points from Putin’s Statements on the Oreshnik Missile System at the CSTO Meeting:
  • The General Staff and the Ministry of Defense are currently selecting targets for the Oreshnik missile to be destroyed on Ukrainian territory.
  • Decision-making centers in Kyiv could become a target for the Oreshnik.
  • In the event of a massive use of the Oreshnik, the force of the strike will be comparable to nuclear weapons.
  • The Oreshnik missile system is capable of striking deep-sea and well-protected targets.
  • The Russian Federation will continue combat tests of the Oreshnik in response to enemy actions.
  • The Russian Federation has begun serial production of the Oreshnik.

There are no analogues to the Russian “Oreshnik” in the world, and they will not appear anytime soon.

The Message Behind the Missile

Putin’s remarks on the Oreshnik missile system are not just about showcasing Russia’s technological prowess, they’re a clear signal to the West that the era of unchallenged NATO dominance is over.

The Oreshnik, capable of delivering strikes comparable to nuclear force, represents a seismic shift in the global balance of power. Its ability to obliterate deep-sea and well-protected targets renders much of the West’s defensive posturing obsolete. This is not a weapon of escalation; it’s a weapon of deterrence, designed to compel adversaries to rethink their delusions of invincibility.

The implications are staggering. As serial production ramps up, Moscow is effectively telling NATO: “Push us further, and we will respond with overwhelming force.”

The potential targeting of decision-making centers in Kiev underscores the Kremlin’s resolve to dismantle the very infrastructure sustaining the Western-backed puppet and the West’s aggression.

For all of Washington’s talk of deterrence, it is now clear that Russia has redefined the concept entirely. The Oreshnik isn’t just a missile—it’s a doctrine, a declaration that Russia’s red lines are not negotiable.

The West should take heed: this is not a bluff, nor is it a gesture for theater. It’s the cold reality of a multipolar world where the rules are no longer dictated from Washington. The choice is clear: de-escalate, or face consequences that no amount of NATO summitry can reverse.

Job Security CRISIS! PEOPLE VERY WORRIED ABOUT LOSING THEIR JOB!

Diggin for fun and other’s profit

I once took a couple of anthropology and archeology courses at Gannon University to flush out my humanity requirements at Syracuse.

These were fun courses, and I pretty much spent all Summer digging up old relics and stuff from the past in and around Erie, PA. Lot’s and lots of “arrow heads”, “scrapers” and ancient hearths.

We would sometimes go on remote digs, perhaps an hour or two drive out of our way.

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15e07fd562395bae3f37ca1f711bd6c5

In one such dig we encountered a few coins.

We carefully dug them up, and duly recorded them. Ah. It was a grand discovery!

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48398b65d056533840445b982895d158

Because of their location, and the history, we suspected that a hoard must have been buried nearby. But it was getting late, so we all packed up and left.

The dig was an old 1700’s era trading center with one main house and a few low buildings. All were long gone, but we were digging there because a damming of the local stream would cause the entire location to be under water.

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We came back the next day, and some dunder-head (maybe the dig supervisors) came with a metal detector and unearthed quite a hoard.

We didn’t actually know, but given the size of the hole, perhaps 200 to 300 old coins.

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623f38f61b494a19ad23e188fd2bd6c9

*Sigh.*

I would have loved to be part of that discovery. Now, some leach that sat by on the sidelines took the swag that we so carefully researched and dug up.

It’s like Working for a corporation in America, eh?

You do the labor. Someone else gets the swag.

*sigh*

Still, I enjoyed the experiences, and they were really fun and interesting to me. I will never forget them. If you all have an opportunity to, take a course in this kind of stuff a the local community college. You might discover how much fun that you will have. I’ll tell you what.

Today…

Have you ever been in the presence of a celebrity but didn’t know who they were at the time?

About 5 years ago, I was delivering food, in the Dallas area. I knocked on the door of an apartment, and a bald headed, muscular man answered. He told me the food wasn’t supposed to come there, but he didn’t seem too upset. I gathered that he had ordered for someone else, but neglected to change the address. But anyhoo, he asked if I’d like a tip. Sure! I replied. He starts digging in his wallet, and I’m expecting a couple of bucks. He pulls out a nice, crisp Benjamin ($100 bill). Now that’s a pretty generous tip, for an order that wasn’t for him in the first place. Then he starts looking, with very penetrating blue eyes, at me, and says “ Remember me. I’m Steve”.

I don’t follow wrestling, but known people who have. I believe it was Stone Cold Austin. Why he was alone in an apartment (not a luxury apartment, but not a crappy one, somewhere in the middle) in Dallas I dunno. He is from Texas (I researched him afterwards), but Victoria, on the Gulf side of the state. Perhaps he had a girlfriend there, or one of his kids, or just a hideaway, when in Dallas. The bill was genuine. It spent at the self checkout at Kroger.

The Thing (1982) | *First Time Watching* | Movie Reaction | Asia and BJ

This.

So I was reading a book called ‘The eyes of darkness’. And another called ‘end of days’.

This book was written in 1981. (Keep this info in mind). It talks about a virus coming in 2020, from China, wuhan and some of it (not all) seems all too familiar. I just found it interesting.

Now I’m not saying the book is all correct. Maybe it’s just probability or coincidence. I think everyone has different beliefs, the virus hasn’t suddenly disappeared yet, but we’re not at the stage where the end is near.

Everyone thinks differently, I’m into conspiracy theories and bipolar doesn’t help, maybe I’m delusional. Not sure, take from it, what you will 🙂

I just posted because I thought it was interesting, it is a fictional book after all.

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Here’s the book if you want to read it. It also predicts mental health issues being the worst and the most increased in the 21st century and a bunch of other stuff which has actually happened.

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Edit: I think the comments are clearly missing my point, as usual (this is quora after all). Yes, there’s plenty of predictions and it’s probably just by chance. Yes not all of them are spot on. I never said this was fact, as it’s a fictional book. I just found it interesting ffs. Not saying you have to believe it. Maybe it’s my bipolar or too many punches I’ve had, like many rudely told me in the comments 😂

Some of these comments, which I’ve reported have been horrible and personally attacking. I didn’t know something I found interesting could offend someone that much😂😁.

I just found it interesting, calm yourself 😉

Putin SHOCKED The WORLD! Russia Dealt a Cold-Blooded BLOW on the U.S. in ARCTIC!

This is from cracked.com, whose writers always seem to be able to find the strangest examples I could never even dream of

In the late 1960s, Leonard Casley grew way too much wheat, which could only ever be a serious problem if you live in Australia. You see, Australia had wheat quotas at the time and Hutt River (the province where Casley and other families grew) had inadvertently surpassed it, meaning they weren’t allowed to sell any of it. When they petitioned for the quota to be raised, the governor responded by saying, “No,” and filing a law to take their land away. THAT’S how serious Australians are about wheat.

In a desperate attempt to delay the legal process, the five families of Hutt River seceded from Australia under the Treason Act of 1495. This would have been as pointless as that time you were five and told your mom you were leaving home… if the government hadn’t accidentally referred to Casley as “Administrator of Hutt River Province” in official correspondence, which actually gave him legal recognition as a ruler under Australian law. Yes, in Australia, calling someone something magically turns them into that.

Taking full of advantage of the mistake, Casley declared himself His Majesty Prince Leonard I of Hutt, meaning it was now treason, under Australian law, to charge him with any crime or interfere with how he ran his new country.

Could Australia have stopped him? Sure. But by the time they got around to it, the statute of limitations had run out. So as of 1972, The Principality of Hutt River had officially seceded from Australia and stopped paying income taxes.

As of the modern day, Hutt River is still separate, while Australia treats it as a private business that doesn’t pay them taxes and just tries, really hard, to pretend it’s not there.

Jumpin’ Jack Chili

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Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

Chili

  • 1 cup onion, diced
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles, undrained
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
  • 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cups cooked chicken, chopped (rotisserie chicken can be used)
  • 1 cup (4 ounces) Wisconsin Monterey Jack Cheese*, coarsely grated and divided
  • 1 cup (4 ounces) Wisconsin Colby Cheese, coarsely grated and divided

Toppings

  • Crushed corn chips, sour cream, chopped green onions, olives, chopped tomatoes, oyster crackers, goldfish crackers, bacon

Instructions

  1. Cook onion in hot oil in heavy stock pan (Dutch oven) over medium-high heat, stirring until tender.
  2. Add green chiles, garlic and cumin; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
  3. Add beans and chicken broth, stirring well. Bring to boil; reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.
  4. Add chicken, 1/2 cup Monterey Jack and 1/2 cup Colby Cheese; simmer over low heat for 10 minutes more.
  5. Ladle chili into bowls. Top each serving with remaining cheeses and desired toppings.

Notes

* Or use Pepper Jack or Jalapeño Jack

Why Eastern Europe Is Safer And Better To Raise A Family In Than The West

Who is behind the coup? We as an outsider dont know yet.

I only notice 1 thing:

Bangladesh went to China & signed an infrastructure deal with China.

The moment she went home, she tore the deal with China & accepted a contract/agreement with India to build a bridge or something.

Case closed, we thought No, a riot/coup broke out.

Both USA & India are notorious to instigate riots/coups in other countries so as to make others bow down to them. USA, global. India, southern Asia. Both do assassination too.

History will tell us who is the culprit. Let us wait.

Sri Lanka experienced a riot too when it joined an infrastructure project with China. It took a few years before the truth surfaced, after American scholars did a research. In the case of Sri Lanka, it was India who instigated the riot. But it was USA who spread the fake news re Debt Trap. Now the Debt Trap has proven fake after 10 years. But riots/coups still can happen.

On the Way to Paradise

Submitted into Contest #24 in response to: Write a story set in the dark recesses of space where the two main characters are often at odds with each other in humorous and comedic ways. view prompt

 

Cory Pines

“You told me this would be a short trip. We’ve been on this wretched ship for twelve years!” Halo roared.”I know, but I broke the digital map and-“”I don’t care what happened! I paid you a good handful of money and I expected to be home long before now!”Halo had the perfect life back on Earth, but he just had to pay Mirabella almost three billion to take him to Tariphor, the most beautiful paradise planet in the galaxy. The trip was only supposed to be nine years in total, but the journey to Tariphor had stretched out to twelve! Halo had spent most of the time in hypersleep, but they had recently hit some strange turbulence that woke him.”Sir, I told you before we left that I was only an amateur pilot. I just got out of flight school, too,” Mirabella tried to explain.”That was twelve years ago! You should be better by now, Mire,” Halo complained.

They had left Earth when Halo was only 23 years old. He had spent his golden years of life in hypersleep and he was just as close to Tariphor as he was when still on Earth’s surface.

Mirabella wasn’t that happy about it either. She was 19 when they left and, unlike Halo, had actually begun to age. She wished she could’ve been the one frozen in some fancy tank. She missed her family more than anything, wishing she could just turn around and head back to Earth, but she didn’t know which way home was anymore.

“Well, what would you like me to do about it?” Mirabella asked. She didn’t mean for it to sound as angry as it did, and was simply curious, as she had run out of things to try and was willing to do anything to get back home.

“Well, you’re the pilot. You should know what you’re doing!”

“If you don’t have anything to contribute, you can just go back to bed,” Mirabella stated flatly.

“You’re insane if you think you can tell me, the youngest self-made multi-billionaire, what to do,” Halo said, “Now, where can I get a bite to eat?”

“We ran out of food three days ago,” Mirabella admitted.

“Were you not rationing it properly?” Halo asked.

“I made food for nine years last for twelve, I think I did a fine job rationing,” Mirabella said defensively.

“What about that?” Halo asked. He pointed to a small blue cube placed on the chair next to Mirabella’s. He had never seen anything like it, but it looked a little like Jell-O. He hoped it was edible. After all, the backlash of waking up from hypersleep gave him quite the appetite.

“Don’t you dare try to eat him. he’s some sort of space creature, not food. I think he’s sleeping,” Mirabella said.

“It looks delicious.”

“You’ll probably flip your organs inside-out if you eat him. Then, I’ll have to find a way to revive you, and suddenly kill you again for your stupid decision… After that, I’ll revive you a second time since I really don’t want to be alone in the endless abyss of space.”

“Could you even do that?”

“Not at all. In reality, you’d just stay dead,” she shrugged.

“How did this thing even get on the ship?” Halo asked.

Just as Halo was finished speaking, the blue Jell-O like creature, opened its eyes. They were huge, covering half the creature’s boxy face. It hopped up onto Mirabella’s shoulder.

“I let him in,” Mirabella said.

“What if that creature tries to kill us?” Halo asked.

“He’s, like, five inches tall. How would he?” she asked.

Halo eyed the creature warily. He didn’t really trust the thing, but Mirabella was right; it was small and Halo knew he could easily overpower it if he needed to.

“At least tell me you didn’t name it,” Halo said.

Mirabella didn’t answer.

“Oh my God, why? Why in the world would you name it?” Halo asked.

“I call him Berry,” Mirabella admitted, fiddling with her hands.

The creature, Berry, looked up at Mirabella when he heard his name. Halo watched as the creature snuggled down and began to purr. He had to admit that Berry was cute, but that still didn’t mean he trusted the thing.

“You shared our food with it,” Halo said.

“I couldn’t just let him starve!” Mirabella replied.

“I mean, you could’ve. Then at least I would have something to eat,” Halo said. Halo was a little upset that Mirabella cared more about feeding a space creature than a human that paid her three billion dollars.

“Come on, just look at him, he’s so cute,” Mirabella said. Mirabella picked the creature up off of her shoulder and held it in her hands.

“I don’t see it,” Halo said.

Suddenly, a loud buzzer went off and the ship started to flash red.

“What in the world is happening!” Halo shouted over the buzzer.

“I don’t know, the ship hasn’t acted like this since the map broke!” Mirabella shouted back, “I need you to hold him.” She passed Berry over to Halo who took it slowly and held it as far away from his body as possible.

Mirabella rushed over to the control panel and began to fidget with the levers and buttons. Halo approached her slowly, still holding Berry at arm’s length, to watch.

“What is it?” he asked.

“I can’t tell, just give me a sec,” Mirabella replied.

At that point, Berry hopped out of Halo’s hands and landed on a small square button. Suddenly the sound stopped, though the lights of the ship were still flashing.

“I know what it is,” Mirabella said.

“What, what is it?” Halo asked, dying to know.

“We’re almost out of fuel, the ship is warning us that we need to find somewhere to land,” Mirabella explained.

Halo looked around the ship and through the large windows. Outside all he saw was blackness, stars, and the occasional comet, not of which were big enough for their ship.

“How can we do that, there is nothing but space out there!” Halo shouted.

“Duh there is nothing but space. We’re in space, Halo!” Mirabella shouted in response.

“We’re going to crash, we are going to crash and I am going to die. I still had my whole life ahead of me. Finding a partner, raising a family, adopting a hundred and one cats just because I can,” Halo complained. He began to pace back and forth, rushing his hands through his hair as he spoke.

“You’re probably right,” Mirabella said, “I don’t think there is any way for us to survive this.”

“That’s not what I wanted to hear!” Halo shouted. He paused from the pacing to face Mirabella, “Instead of living out my perfect life, I am going to die in space. With nothing but you and that creature to keep me company.”

“Well, what do you suggest we do instead?” Mirabella asked.

“I don’t know Mire, I’m not a pi- hold on what is that thing doing?”

Mirabella turned to see than Berry’s Jell-O like skin was changing from blue to red. He was also growing.

“He’s never done that before,” Mirabella admitted.

They stood back as Berry grew more and more until he went from 5 inches tall, to 5 feet. The thing was huge.

“What do we do, what do we do?” Halo asked, quickly hiding behind Mirabella.

Mirabella slowly walked up to Berry with her arm outstretched. The cube eyed her cautiously as she reached out and placed her hand on its head. That must have really ticked him off because his skin began to change quickly between colors, and it seemed to scream out in pain. Mirabella quickly backed up to the edge of the ship were Halo was cowering.

“What did you do?” Halo shouted.

“I just touched him,” Mirabella said.

“That’s it, we’re going to die,” Halo said.

“Yes, we already agreed on that.”

“Mire, we need to get outta here,” Halo said.

“We can’t leave Berry though, he’s my friend!” Mirabella said.

“Your friend is a space monster, now come on!” Halo announced.

He grabbed her hand and yanked her through the ship’s door to the hypersleep pods. He quickly locked the door behind him and only seconds later they heard a Jell-O like squish banging on the door over and over.

“Alright, what’s the plan?” Halo asked.

“Maybe we can just let Berry in and the three of us can talk it out,” Mirabella suggested.

“Mire, I’m not sure if you’ve realized this or not, but that thing is trying to murder us,” Halo said.

“He’s just scared,” Mirabella said.

“Maybe you didn’t hear me the first time, that thing is trying to murder us!” Halo said, his voice rising until he was shouting at her.

“This is all your fault. If you had never woken up, Berry wouldn’t be so upset,” Mirabella stated.

“My fault, you think this is my fault? You were the one that woke me up when you hit turbulence, you have no one to blame but yourself,” Halo replied.

“Maybe you should have been nicer to Berry.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have brought on a weird space creature.”

“Maybe you should-” before she could finish, the door was knocked down and the giant, now green, Berry bounced into the room.

“What do we do, and don’t try and approach it again, that just made it angrier,” Halo said.

“Hey, Berry,” Mirabella said, “How are you buddy. I know that Halo can be kinda mean sometimes-”

“Hey!”

“Shut up,” she whispered harshly before continuing, “But just because he’s a little mean, it doesn’t mean you should kill him. We can talk through this, I just need you to shrink back down, okay buddy?”

The creature took a step closer to the two humans. Halo grabbed Mirabella’s hand and tried to pull her back to him, but she stayed standing in front of Berry.

“I don’t think this is working…” Halo said.

“What do you suggest we do instead, we are going to die anyway, either by this creature or by crashing!” Mirabella shouted.

“So we should just give up?” Halo asked.

“Why not? It’s not like we have anything left to fight for. Even if by some miracle we manage to get out of this, we still have no idea how to get home,” Mirabella said.

“We can figure that out,” Halo said. He couldn’t explain this sudden spark of hope came from, but he really didn’t want to die here, especially at the hands of a blue cube. He wished he would have thrown out the cube while it was still small, but it was too late now for ‘what if’s.’

“I’m gonna let him eat me,” Mirabella said. She yanked her hand away from Halo’s grasp and stood her ground.

“You’re gonna what?” Halo asked, shocked.

“I let him onto this ship, the least I can do for it is provide him with a final meal,” Mirabella said.

“What about your family?” Halo asked, trying to convince her to stay.

“It’s been twelve years! Halo, what’s even the point of going back, nothing will be how it was. People have probably forgotten all about us,” Mirabella said.

“How could anyone forget about me?” Halo asked.

“Halo, listen, we don’t have a plan to get back to Earth. We don’t have a plan to land the ship. We don’t have a plan to calm down Berry-”

“We could kill him,” Halo suggested.

“We are not killing him. My point is, in the last moments of our life, we might as well do something for this little creature.”

“I wouldn’t call him little anymore.”

“Are you with me or not?” Mirabella asked.

She held out her hand for Halo to take. This was insane! He couldn’t believe that he was actually thinking about joining her. Mirabella was crazy to even want to let Berry eat the two of them, and yet, Halo couldn’t stop himself from grabbing her hand.

Mirabella smiled before the two of them turned to face Berry. Halo closed his eyes as they walked towards the creature. He could feel himself being absorbed into it before he lost all control over his body and blacked out.

Halo awoke with a gasp, he was breathing heavy. Did he really just do that? Was he dead? Was this heaven? He was sitting in a bed, hospitalized. He looked around the see Mirabella was laying in the bed next to him. There were wires and tubes all around them, some of them going into his body.

Then Halo spotted it. Berry was sitting on the nightstand, once again five inches tall. He had taken back his original blue color and was staring up at Halo. Where was he? Had this all just a dream?

The door to the room opened and a doctor walked in holding a clipboard.

“Ah, Mr. Tharen, you’re up,” the doctor said.

“Please, call me Halo, and can you explain to me what happened?” Halo asked.

“Of course,” she began to walk around the room, checking the tubes and making small notes of her clipboard, “It’s been fourteen years since you left Earth, though, by the looks of it, you barely aged a day. Most people here thought that you were dead, died in a crash or something, but two weeks ago, this creature-” she nodded her head over to Berry- “brought you back. We’ve been reviving you and Miss Miller ever since.”

“You mean to tell me that creature… saved me?” Halo asked.

“Yes, it appears to have a soft spot for you. It never even left your side. Tell me, are you feeling alright? Do you need anything?” the doctor asked.

“Just some water,” Halo said.

The doctor left. Halo turned and stared at Berry who just stared back blankly. A small smile appeared on Halo’s face.

“Thanks,” he whispered, “Thanks for bringing us home.”

Neocons closer than ever to war with Iran

There was once a time where doe-eyed Americans thought that capitalism was a just system that rewarded hard work and innovation. Supply was dictated by demand. Seemed simple, right?

Then Ronald Reagan came along and lowered corporate taxes from 70% to 28%. The theory was that companies would make more money and those profits would “trickle down” to the consumers.

What ACTUALLY happened was that corporations could now set whatever prices they wanted and the rich could store their wealth in offshore tax havens. The money would get to the top and be shipped overseas, only to be used by the wealthy to influence policy, and further exploit the worker in exchange for lavish lifestyles and ridiculous qualities of life.

The government continues to subsidize oil companies despite them posting record profits year after year. Why is the government doing this? Hmm….

Gas and oil prices can come down 30% and the suppliers would still make a profit, but the consumers would enjoy a better quality of life. That’s not what the rich want. They want more. It doesn’t matter if the poor suffer, they’re getting theirs.

The president has nothing to do with gas prices other than to propose policies to congress that would regulate those prices more… but then lobbyists come along and petition representatives to ignore regulations and increase tax cuts. trump cut taxes to companies from 35% to 21% and we lost 2–3 trillion dollars (depending on who you ask) from the budget. That money went straight to the top, but congress will tell you that adding 2 trillion to the federal budget in the form of healthcare and student loan forgiveness is unsustainable.

Know what’s unsustainable? UNFETTERED FUCKING CAPITALISM! That’s what.

Bernie has only been perfectly correct for about 45 years now.

MM’s latest works

Still playing around. Lots of nudes, and trying to mess around a bit with historical themes.

Angels…

@Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(17)
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Ancient Chinese rulers…

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Crete and cooking…

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Female Bacchus….

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Same theme, but at a pool taking orders from a cat.

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Now as a man, instead of a woman…

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@Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(4)

Russia successfully tests ” Burevestnik ” global range cruise missile, US panics

1.) Do you recognize what is this place?

Old Summer Palace – Wikipedia

Here is the description from wikipedia:

Widely perceived as the pinnacle work of Chinese imperial garden and palace design, the Old Summer Palace was known for its extensive collection of gardens, its building architecture and numerous art and historical treasures. Constructed throughout the 18th and early 19th centuries, the Old Summer Palace was the main imperial residence of Qianlong Emperor of the Qing dynasty and his successors, and where they handled state affairs..

This was looted and destroyed by the joint Anglo-French expedition in 1860 in the opium wars of the British against the Chinese. If you visit a French or English museum, one can count how many of those museum items came from the Old summer Palace. It is difficult to grasp the implication of this by just looking into the ruins in the picture. This is almost an equivalent of destroying an area and significance almost as big as the National Mall in Washington with all its buildings including the White House.

Here is a reconstruction of what might the Old Summer Palace looks like today if it was not destroyed.

 
 

In 1890, 35 years after the destruction of the Yuanming Yuan (圆明园) (the Chinese name of the Old summer palace), Japan seized the opportunity of the weaken Qing China and seized Taiwan and repeatedly attacked China all the way to WW2.

2.) Do you know why the Chinese authorities did not attempt to rebuild this place even today with all the wealth by China? Nor did the authorities convert this valuable real estate into something profitable development area. This is to teach the Chinese and future Chinese descendants how much the country was humiliated and suffered by foreign powers when the country was very weak. See that green area here, all of those are part of the old summer palace. That is how valuable this real estate is relative to its surroundings.

The Chinese diaspora to all over the world in the late 1800s to early 1900s, is the testament of how much the Chinese people are suffering by foreign hands.

3.) In 1949, a glimmer of hope arose in China and unified once again this ancient culture. A peasant named Mao Zedong, against all odds was able to unify China after the bloody Civil war. It took almost a century from the Opium wars until in 1949 that there was a sense of unity and hope in this ancient land.

4.) In 1950, Mao tried very hard to recover Taiwan from the retreating Nationalist forces, but the Korean war erupted and US and UN forces pushes all the way to Yalu river and war was knocking in China doorsteps. The Chinese leadership was forced to respond to the Korean war. Thus the campaign to recover Taiwan was pushed back. The Korean war, and the loss of mainland China to the communist, lead to an isolation of China from the 1950s to 1970s.

5.) Fast forward today in 2021, Taiwan is still not reunited to China. Foreign forces are still colluding to make Taiwan separate from China. This collusion of foreign forces, the Anglos, the Japanese and now the US, is the same theme as it was when Qing China was attacked, bullied and humiliated in the Opium wars.

Sure some or most young Chinese within China or the descendants of the Chinese diaspora outside China do not care anymore with this historical event that happened 170 years ago. But if you talk to Chinese parents or grandparents how their parents and grandparents suffered because of this foreign humiliation, you will realize almost all Chinese two to four generations ago suffered so much and paid dearly to unite China. Personally, I will never forget how my grandfather told me his story that they have to remove the leather of the shoes, put some water to have something to eat during those Japanese invasions. He told me this story when I was 10 or 11 years old, and I also tell this to my children. They sacrificed so much for us Chinese descendants to have better lives than they had. These kind of stories are repeated in millions of Chinese.

The division of China and Taiwan is the reminder of the imperialism of foreign powers. The remaining symbol of suffering of the Chinese people. This is even visible with North and South Korea, which echo the same thing, division of people of same culture because of foreign imperialism.

So these are the historical, cultural and emotional reasons why Taiwan must be reunited to China. It is the remnant of the humiliation and suffering of the Chinese people from foreign powers. Uniting Taiwan back to China will provide a closure of this painful past.

Joe Rogan: “What They Just Found Hidden In Egypt SHOCKED U.S. Scientists”

 

I am a Chinese national. George Orwell’s novel *1984* paints a bleak picture of a totalitarian regime. My son first encountered this novel in the fifth grade. He gave up after reading only 15 pages. He told me that the book felt overwhelmingly gray, like the color of concrete, which left him feeling depressed and unable to continue.

If you’ve read this novel, you can always sense the oppressive nature of totalitarianism through its myriad details: the dilapidated living conditions, the meager food rations, the extreme control over language, the state-level lies, and the eradication of sexual desire.

This book is perhaps revered by anti-communists worldwide. During the Soviet era, it was lauded as a vivid portrayal of Stalin’s rule. After the Soviet Union’s collapse, it has occasionally been used by critics of China as a metaphorical critique.

Coincidentally, today marks the first sunny day in my city, Xuzhou, after several days of heavy rain. The blue sky and sunshine felt especially precious after the long spell of gloom. While driving to the supermarket at noon, I noticed several pedestrians taking photos of the Xuzhou sky with their phones. I joined them, taking pictures at every traffic light.

Interestingly, these photos inadvertently captured street scenes of Xuzhou. Let’s compare Orwell’s depiction with these freshly taken photos (just two hours ago) and see if you can find any hints of “China lacking freedom” in them(Since I took the photos through my car window, the UV-protective glass filtered some of the sunlight, making the colors in the images appear slightly darker).

I was driving on Zhongshan Road in downtown Xuzhou, named in honor of Sun Yat-sen, the founder of the Republic of China. Yes, the same Dr. Sun Yat-sen whom the Taiwanese refer to as the “Father of the Nation.” You can see the Audi and Volkswagen cars in front of me, both with green license plates. In China, there are three colors for license plates: blue for gasoline-powered cars, yellow for trucks, and green for electric vehicles (EVs). In my city, EVs are rapidly replacing traditional gasoline cars. Ordinary Chinese people have dozens of car brands to choose from.In recent years, promoting environmental protection, ecological preservation, and love for the Earth has been one of the primary focuses of the Chinese government’s public campaigns through all forms of media:

 

The square building on the right is the largest bookstore in our city. The first to seventh floors are open to the public, while the upper floors are office spaces. The bookstore is called “Xinhua Bookstore,” which means “New China Bookstore.” It is currently the largest bookstore chain in China. This place holds the fondest memories of my childhood; I always asked my father to take me there every weekend to read, though we rarely bought any books because we were very poor. Nowadays, children don’t see buying books as a joyful experience. To attract more visitors, this bookstore has dedicated areas for foreign imports and textbooks, along with numerous seating areas, bakeries, and cafes where customers can sit on sofas, enjoy some cake, and read books:

 

This 52-story skyscraper is the tallest building in Xuzhou. It is designed as five skyscrapers of varying heights arranged in a specific pattern. The other four buildings, which are only 15-20 stories tall, are obscured by the taller structures. This design was inspired by the shape of Buddha’s hand in Buddhist tradition. The skyscraper is a commercial complex that includes a hotel, shopping mall, dining center, office spaces, an ice rink, a cinema, and more. It is the fashion hub of Xuzhou. Some film companies occasionally recruit fashionable girls there. The building is named “Suning Tower.” “Suning” means “sun” in English, and in Chinese, it signifies “peace in Jiangsu Province.” The investor, a large home appliance retail chain, is based in the capital of Jiangsu Province.

At night, the entire glass facade of Suning Tower transforms into a screen, displaying commercials and messages of love throughout the night. Yes, if you spend some money, you can have your girlfriend’s photo or name projected onto this giant screen, letting the whole city see your love for her:

 

The black skyscraper in the center of the image is currently under construction. This building is being funded by the famous Chinese food company “Yurun Group.” Unfortunately, shortly after completing the podium, the group experienced a financial crisis and filed for bankruptcy protection. This left the skyscraper’s fate uncertain. After a two-year halt in construction, a government-funded investment company took over the project and partnered with the renowned Chinese commercial enterprise “DeJi” for its development. As a result, the building was rapidly completed and is now set to open soon. With approximately 60 floors, it will surpass Suning Tower to become the tallest building in Xuzhou:

 

I checked the temperature, and it’s 37 ℃ outside the car. When I was a child, this would have been unimaginable. The many days of heavy rain haven’t cooled the weather. As soon as the sun comes out, the temperature quickly rises to an unbearable level:

 

The building on the left is the city’s “University Student Entrepreneurship Service Center.” Xuzhou is home to several universities, including China University of Mining and Technology, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou Medical University, Jiangsu University of Technology, and Xuzhou Institute of Technology. Each year, a large number of graduates are welcomed. The government encourages them to use the skills they acquired in university to start small businesses. Most students receive loans based on their business plans, with varying amounts of funding. These loans, provided by the government, come with low or zero interest rates, aiming to help young entrepreneurs develop competitive businesses. Key industries in Xuzhou include pharmaceuticals, construction machinery, and polysilicon:

 

The Current Status of the Deji Plaza Construction:

 

On the left side, you’ll find a hotel and an art school. The high-rise on the right is a continuing education college affiliated with a university. Since the main campus is located far from the city center, the university has rented this building in the city to make it more convenient for students to attend classes during their spare time:

 

One of the businesses is a travel agency called “International Travel Agency,” indicating that it handles outbound travel services. The other is a store that specializes in selling “wǔ liáng yè,(五粮液)” a renowned Chinese brand of liquor. This is a high-proof spirit:

 

Crossing this intersection leads to Jianguo Road, the financial district of Xuzhou. The street is lined with banks, numbering in the dozens. In China, banks are categorized into three types: state-owned banks, private banks, and foreign banks. The tiered building visible in the photo is a branch of the Agricultural Bank of China in Xuzhou.

The pink high-rise behind it, along with the surrounding streets, is Xuzhou’s computer products district. During the PC boom, the pink building was a favorite spot for local youth. Many young people, obsessed with the internet, would play games at night and sleep during the day. Some restaurants capitalized on this trend by staying open late to cater to those working in the internet industry. Although PCs have been replaced by mobile internet and business in the computer district has declined, the nearby restaurants continue to thrive and have become one of Xuzhou’s popular food districts:

 

Xuzhou Metro Line 2’s “Xima Tai Station.” Xuzhou currently has six metro lines, with three already in operation and the other three under construction. Additionally, there are plans for four more lines that are currently under government review. In China, only the State Council has the authority to give final approval for metro projects. This is because metro construction requires a substantial investment, and once operational, it necessitates ongoing large expenditures. As a public transportation system, it may not be profitable. Therefore, only cities that meet stringent criteria in terms of size, population, economic output, and traffic volume are eligible to apply for metro projects.

The name of this metro station is “Xì Mǎ Tái,(戏马台)” which is a historical site. About 2,200 years ago,Xiàng Yǔ(项羽), a renowned monarch and tragic hero of the Han Dynasty, trained his war horses on a nearby hill. Since then, the phrase “training war horses in the cold autumn wind” has become a well-known Chinese idiom. In Chinese, this story is written as “秋风戏马,(qiū fēng xì mǎ)” which evokes the image of a hero, aware of his inevitable failure, preparing diligently with his horses amidst the chilly autumn wind, ready to face the battle without fear of death:

 

This is the “Street Police Station” in Xuzhou. This small glass booth serves as a police station and is set up at several major intersections. There are three main purposes for these stations:(1)They enable quick dispatch to handle emergencies and sudden incidents.(2)Each station is equipped with multifunctional computer systems where citizens can manage various personal affairs, such as reporting or applying for an ID card, handling traffic accident reports, obtaining government documents, applying for passports, and dealing with driving-related matters.(3)They also provide amenities like hot water, common medications, air pumps, umbrellas, and reading glasses for the public’s use.

I am familiar with these police stations because they have a fourth function: traffic violation education. I once forgot to wear a helmet while riding my electric bike and was required by the police to attend a 40-minute traffic safety education session via online video at this station. Sometimes, people must also complete an online test on their phones before they are “released”:

 

After turning left at the intersection, I entered Liberation Road. The Yellow River crosses this road, and China’s first major east-west railway line, the “Longhai Railway,” also runs across it. Consequently, a bridge and a railway underpass have become major traffic congestion points. A few years ago, the Xuzhou city government constructed an overpass that spans above both the Yellow River Bridge and the Longhai Railway Bridge, effectively alleviating the traffic congestion in the area.

During the construction of the overpass, there was a small “protest.” Before the new overpass could be built, an old bridge over the Yellow River, known as the “Dike Bridge,” needed to be demolished. The name “Dike Bridge” carried historical significance. However, after the new bridge was completed, the government named it something new. Local residents disagreed and prevented the construction workers from installing the new nameplate. In the end, the government yielded to the protest and restored the name “Dike Bridge” out of respect for its historical importance:

 

I originally planned to capture images of drug users, robbers, people urinating in public, slums, and thieves in Xuzhou. Unfortunately, I can’t photograph things that don’t exist. So, I ended up taking random photos and sharing an overview of an ordinary city in China with you. I apologize!

p.s.

My city, Xuzhou, is a tragic city. Historically, over 400 battles took place here among all the wars in China. It has been a military stronghold and a core area contested by ancient emperors. A Yuan Dynasty poet once described Xuzhou in his poem:

古徐州形胜,消磨尽、几英雄!

想铁甲重瞳,乌骓汗血,玉帐连空,

楚歌八千兵散,料梦魂应不到江东。

空有黄河如带,乱山回合云龙。

汉家陵阙起秋风,禾黍满关中。

更戏马台荒,画眉人远,燕子楼空。

人生百年如寄,且开怀,一饮尽千锺。

回首荒城斜日,倚栏目送飞鸿。

 

This is the translated version:

From ancient times, Xuzhou’s location has meant it could never escape the ravages of war. Countless heroes have lost their lives here!

The general, clad in iron armor and riding a host of prized horses, had barracks so vast they seemed to stretch into the clouds. When his soldiers fell, his own spirit could not return home, leaving only the Yellow River and a mountain rising like a dragon in the clouds, here in Xuzhou.

The Han Dynasty emperors’ tombs were constructed in the chill of autumn winds, and no one can ultimately escape their fate.

The high platform where the hero once played with his war horses has been desolate for a thousand years. The passionate beauty has long passed away, and the grand tower where she waited for her lover now stands empty.

Life feels like staying at an inn. Why not drink joyfully and have a thousand cups? After becoming drunk, look back at the endless wilderness beyond the city walls, and as the sun sets, lean on the railing and watch the distant wild geese depart.

“You’re Being Slaughtered & You Don’t Realize It!” – US Dollar Collapse

This insight is gold. 2008 was when it all hit.

  • On November 25, 1950, the U.S.-ROK allied forces occupied half of the Korean Peninsula and were about to reach the Yalu River border between China and North Korea.
  • On July 27, 1953, the Chinese and North Korean allied forces again drove the U.S. and South Korean allied forces south of the 38th parallel.

The Chinese People’s Volunteers (CPV) started at the Yalu River and ended at the 38th parallel. This was a very successful victory.

The death data of 197,653 Chinese soldiers is indeed greater than the death data of 54,246 US military personnel. The death data of Chinese soldiers is 3 times that of the US soldiers.

But is the death figure of 197,653 Chinese soldiers smaller than the total US+UN (non-human) death figure of 683,079?

I’m not good at math and can’t tell the difference between the size of the numbers, so I invite netizens to compare. 😅

In addition to American soldiers, those who participated in the Korean War included soldiers from South Korea, the UK, Canada, Turkey, Australia, the Philippines, New Zealand, Thailand, Ethiopia, Greece, France, Colombia, Belgium, South Africa, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.

Soldiers other than the US military were not human beings. They were completely wiped out by the Chinese People’s Volunteers (CPV) and were not worth mentioning at all. 🤣

All I know is that by the time the Chinese People’s Volunteers (CPV) entered the Korean battlefield on November 25, 1950, the North Korean army had suffered most of its casualties.

most of the battles after November 25, 1950 were fought by the Chinese People’s Volunteers (CPV) .

 

Lucille Greye

“Who would believe that I, the great Lish Ryn, would be brought to my knees by the little Nadyr?”Telen Fogg, the tall android sighed. “Lish. How many times have you said that exact same thing? Look. So what if Nadyr got the Zarkot first? My friend,” Telen smiled, “this can only be good. We can easily steal the Zarkot back from him. It’s most likely in his ship, the Angyl, and it probably isn’t even protected.”Lish spun her pilot’s chair away from the cockpit’s window and faced Telen. Her long, golden hair framed her face. With the combination of her hair and bright green eyes, she stood out against the white leather and silver computers behind her. “And how do you propose we do that?” Her voice was flat, angry. “I am completely tired of being humiliated and undermined by that Bos’ii snake! He took my Zarkot and left me stranded in a tree!”Telen chuckled. “He may be a Bos’ii snake, but he is not a wise one-““No, he is!” Lish thundered. “Every plan, every scheme I have, he somehow finds out about it… and every time, he brings it to ruins! I wonder how that happens?”“Lish, please don’t tell me you suspect me?”

“I-” Her gaze jerks up to glimpse a flash of color dart behind one of the navigational devices at the back of the room. “Vorrha?” She asked, incredulous. “I wouldn’t have imagined you to be the traitor in the midst.” This, of course, was rather likely, as the only crew members on the Aalya Meriet were herself, Telen, and the humanoid mechanic Vorrha. It was possible that Telen was the information leak, or Nadyr had planted a spy-droid on the ship, but Telen was very dedicated to Lish, and Nadyr rarely had access to the ship to plant a droid. It was doubtful that Nadyr even had that type of technology. The planet Jayjar was located in the farthest corners of space, hardly touched by the technological advances of the planets Mirima or Qud, and Nadyr never left Jayjar. The only suspect could be Vorrha, and she was hardly being sly about it either. She had no reason to sneak about the very ship that she repaired daily.

Vorrha slunk out from behind the computers, and the small hominid shriveled under Lish’s glare. “Nadyr offered Vorrha m-money, more than Captain Lish could. Vorrha needs the moneys, you see, b-because Vorrha’s mother needs the treatment for the sickness.” She stammered. “Vorrha is so sorry.”

Lish growled quietly. “A little meelvat in our midst, taking precious information and leaking info to Nadyr. I would throw you into space from the airlock, but I’m not that heartless. No, I think I’ll drop you off on Arboga, maybe in-”

“Lish.” Telen muttered.

“What do you need, Telen?”

“There’s an incoming ship on the radar. Big one.”

“Nadyr’s?”

“No, bigger. Could it be-”

Lish shoved him aside. “It could be the Narrtor, Kon Laari’s ship.”

Telen’s face paled. “The Kon? Here? He must be thousands of miles from the planet Okrak!”

Kon Laari Antrus, the cyborg crime lord, or The Kon as he was known by many, was the leader of the galaxy’s largest criminal organization. He was head of the Antrus Clan, a group of thieves, pirates, and smugglers. Okrak, a dry, mountainous planet, about three thousand miles from Arboga, was his home. It was rare that Laari left that area, generally sending off his minions to do his work.

But for some reason, it was his personal space cruiser, the Narrtor, that Telen saw.

The comm crackled to life and an authoritative voice could be heard faintly. “Aalya Meriet, this is the pilot of the Narrtor. Please prepare to be boarded.”

Vorrha dropped her head into her hands, muttering some type of prayer in her native language.

“What are we gonna do?” Telen asked. “Maybe we could light up the engines and fly out of here-”

The comm hissed again. “Any signs of resistance or attempts to escape will be taken as a threat and the Aalya Meriet will be annihilated.”

The large hatch of the landing dock opened, and the pilot of the Narrtor took over the auto-controls of the Aalya, steering her into the landing dock. The gate hissed shut behind them.

“Trapped like a fly in a Cath spider’s web,” Lish muttered. “Stuck… Our only hope of escaping is to play along with this. See what Laari Antrus wants, give him it, and get out of here.” With a short, decisive motion, she pressed the button to open the loading hatch below. “Compliant, that’s the look we’re going for.”

Vorrha whimpered quietly.

The sound of footsteps quickly grew loud, and in seconds, a group of five men, four carrying guns and the fifth a data pad, came into the cockpit. The man with the data pad glanced up. “Yes. Those are the ones. Seize them.” The armed men grabbed Telen and Lish by the arms. “Comply, or be shot,” the tall one, who seemed to be the leader, continued.

Lish’s face was red. “On what grounds can you arrest me? I am Lish Gir’ryn, best pilot in the galaxy, not some girl to by toyed with!”

The leader glanced down at his pad again. “Lish Gir’ryn? And, I assume, Telen Fogg. And whoever that little mouse is. You, Ryn and Fogg , are both under arrest,” he paused to clear his throat, “by order of the great Kon Laari Antrus. Do not speak again, unless you would like to be killed.”

Lish was bursting with fury, but she kept her angry words to herself.

The trio was marched not towards the top of the ship, where the ship’s cockpit was, but towards the back.

“Where are you taking us?” Lish asked, both frustrated and curious.

The head of the guards, or whoever the tall man that was leading them was, frowned. “Towards the prison deck. Where else would we be taking you?”

“But why?” Telen burst out. “Why are we being arrested? What have we done to anger Kon Laari?”

The tall man with the data pad sighed, and glanced down to read the arrest warrant. “The smugglers Lisk-” he paused, closely scrutinizing the pad. “Lish Ryn and Telen Fogg are under arrest for inhibiting and interfering with the business of Kon Laari Antrus. He personally came to oversee their capture.

“It is by Antrus’ law,” he continued, “that all smugglers, robbers, pirates, and any others involved in criminal dealings are under arrest by the Kon and are sentenced to three years of work in the planet Okrak’s mines. I, Timothy Halos, have been placed in charge of these dealings.”

“Why is he capturing all of the… hard workers?” Lish asked.

Timothy frowned. “I have not been given leave to reveal that information.”

“Oh, what a shame,” Lish spoke smoothly. “Second only to the Kon and yet, still rules being placed on what you can and cannot say?”

“I- I must obey Antrus.”

“Yes… but, well, I don’t see Antrus around.”

“I cannot speak of something the Kon has forbidden me to speak of.” But there was a slight hesitation in his voice, as if he really did want to speak.

“No one’s here to tell Antrus.”

The guards escorting the prisoners exchanged glances, but said nothing.

Timothy sighed. “Very well, but you must not tell anyone. Antrus’ plan is strictly confidential. He is searching for a type of stone, or mechanical device- none can say which -but he heard that a smuggler in the Outer Reaches had gotten hold of it. He began to capture and arrest any criminals he came across, hoping that one would have it. He did this under the pretense of ‘cleaning up our galaxy.’ Of course, he told me, his most trusted advisor, what was truly happening.”

Lish, of course was quite pleased, as her plan to get information was going quite smoothly. “A stone? Why a stone?”

“Not just any stone. It’s the Zarkot.”

Lish scrunched her face up, as if confused. “The Zarkot… I know I’ve heard the name somewhere. Tell me more!”

Timothy Halos was blind to the fact that Lish was easily dredging up information from him. “The Zarkot is a stone said to posses magical powers, or extremely advanced technology.”

Lish changed her expression to in awe. “Really? What can it do?” Of course, she already knew how it worked, she just wished to see how much he knew.

“Many things. It is said to be a translator, able to detect different alien languages and make them understandable to the superior humans. It can command other ships’ controls, many at once, even if the ship that is overriding them does not have the technology to countermand other ships, and it even-” he stopped. “Ah! We have arrived!” With a flourish, he opened the door. “Welcome to Cell Block B, your new temporary home.” He turned to the guards. “Escort them to the nearest empty cell. That should be B7 or B8. I will be taking my leave to go report back to Antrus.” The guards nodded their heads to Halos. They drug Telen, Lish, and Vorrha through the doorway and down the hall to cell B7. “Hope you enjoy your new home,” one of them grunted, shoving them into the room and slamming the heavy iron door behind them.

“Well. That was rather intersecting,” Lish said, in surprisingly high spirits.

Telen grunted in response.

Lish surveyed their surroundings, looking for a possible escape route. The door, which seemed to be the only entrance or exit, was a stout iron door. There was no handle, and the door opened outwardly, so the door screws couldn’t be taken off somehow. The door itself looked like a large slab of metal. The rest of the room seemed to be a smooth cube, with only two grated openings between each cell.

“Hello?” Lish called through the grates. “Anyone else in here?”

“Hello!” A young man, who looked to be around the age of seventeen or eighteen, popped up in front of one of the great. He had short, curly hair, bright blue eyes, and a contagious smile.

Lish yelped in surprise. “Nadyr?”

“The one and only.”

“What are you doing here?” She hissed.

“I could ask the same of you, but thing is, I already guessed why you’re here. And that’s the same reason why I’m here. Except I have no idea why I’m here.”

“Antrus is searching for the Zarkot.”

Nadyr’s jaw dropped, but his smile quickly returned to his face. “Is he really?”

“Yes. Which would be fine, if you hadn’t taken it from me. I would have it with me right now, and I would be able-”

Nadyr scoffed. “In your dreams. We all know you’re not competent enough for that. If you had it with you, Timothy would already have found it.”

“Like you could have done better!”

“Actually,” Nadyr held up his hand, curled into a fist around something, “I did do better.” He opened his hand to reveal a small blue stone, dangling from a silver chain. “Please, hold your applause. It was quite hard to smuggle it in, but I managed.”

Lish sighed. “Bested again.”

Telen chuckled. “Bested again indeed. Now, Nadyr, do you know how to use it?”

Nadyr shrugged. “To be frank, no, I don’t.”

“Alright. Then shall we make a deal? If you give it to me, Lish can use it to get us out of here. Then, we sneak back to the Aalya Meriet. We use the Zarkot to override the Narrtor’s security systems, fly out of here, and maybe head to the Center Planets. We can sell the Zarkot, split the money, and then stay out of each other’s paths from then on. Is that a deal?”

“But,” Nadyr asked, face twisted with indecision. “How can I trust you to let me out?”

Lish spoke up. “You can trust us, because if we don’t let you out, you can just yell for the guards. Deal?”

Nadyr shoved his hand through the bars, and they shook hands. “Deal.” He pushed the stone through. “You sure you know how to use that thing?”

“Very sure.” Lish pressed the stone to the center of the cell door, and spoke the command word for the Zarkot. She could hear the gears grinding as the locking mechanism was overridden. The door swung open, hanging loosely from its hinges.

“Ready?” Telen asked, and Vorrha, Lish, and Nadyr nodded silently. “My memory databases tracked the turns we took and the distances between them to get from the Aalya Meriet, so all I have to do is reverse it and I can get us out of here.”

“Being an android must be nice,” Nadyr commented.

The foursome ran through the hallways, ducking to the side when any of Antrus’ men came down the hallways.

Within minutes of their escape, alarms began to shriek.

Nadyr smiled. “Nice to know I’m worthy of alarms.”

Lish laughed. Her mood had become quite cheerful. It seemed that adventure had banished her irritable nature to the recesses of her conscious.

“There!” Telen said. “That’s the entrance to the docking bay. But it’s heavily guarded.”

Nadyr smiled. “Lish! Remember how Liz used to distract the kitchen guards?” He asked, referring to the days when him and Lish were in the orphanage on Arboga.

Lish nodded and smirked. “You distract. I’ll take them out.”

Nadyr strolled around the corner, directly in front of the guards. “Hello, gentlemen.”

Four barrels of four guns jerked up to point at him.

Nadyr put his hands up. “Whoa, no lets not be too hasty.”

And then chaos reigned.

Lish darted up behind the guards, grabbing two and smashing their heads together. Nadyr disarmed the other two, shooting them both with a blaster he stole from one.

“All done!”

Lish nodded, teeth gritted into a smile, hand gripping her shoulder.

“Lish, what happened?” Telen asked, worried.

“Stray blaster shot. It’s nothing. Don’t worry about me. Just get back to the ship.”

They filed through the door, and Telen jabbed the button to open the Aalya Meriet’s loading hatch.

“All aboard!”

Later, they sat in the cockpit. Lish’s shoulder was swathed in bandages, and Nadyr was reprogramming the ship’s computer system to accept the Zarkot.

Nadyr sighed. “If only we didn’t have to leave the Angyl.”

“All we have to do,” Lish said, ignoring him, “is hijack the computer system of the Narrtor long enough to open the landing hatch. Then we zip out of here. That’s all. Antrus didn’t ‘tie down’ the Aalya Meriet in any way.” She stood up and walked towards the controls. “Plug the Zarkot here,” she reached down and pointed, and Nadyr stuck the little stone into the slot made to fit it. “And now,” Lish pushed a few buttons and typed a destination into the navigation system. “And now, we’re free.”

The huge hatched opened, and the little Aalya Meriet darted free of the Narrtor’s clutches.

The flight to the Center Planets was not a long one, but the foursome’s adventures on the planet Qud were worthy of a second tale. But, alas, that tale must be saved for another day, because for now, the story of Lish Ryn and her friends must be given a rest.

What is the meaning of “如何51吃瓜北京朝阳群众热心吃 瓜”?

You might not have copied the sentence completely.

如何51吃瓜北京朝阳群众热心吃 瓜”

Do not know what does that mean.

But I’d like to explain a bit.

瓜” here represents “watermelon,”西瓜, literally meaning “western melon.” Clearly, this is not a native Chinese species; the character “西” (west) here signifies its Middle Eastern origin. For example, “胡” (barbarian) in terms like “二胡” (a traditional Chinese string instrument) also has this meaning, indicating it came from the Middle East.

There are many species introduced to China that are not native. For instance, “番茄” (tomato) and “番薯” (sweet potato), where “番” means foreign. So these are not indigenous Chinese crops.

Even chili peppers are not native. They were only widely cultivated in China during the Ming Dynasty.

However, Chinese people love chili peppers just as much as they love——

Watermelons!

The watermelon production in China is so high that… the yield is just immense.

Because of the high water content, they are not easy to transport. So, while watermelons can be relatively expensive in supermarkets—around $3 per 5 kilograms—if you go to the production areas, they are practically free.

Sometimes, they are even used to feed pigs.

I am an outlier among Chinese people,do not like eating fruit,eating watermelons, but my fellow countrymen love this fruit so much that Chinese people refer to themselves as “吃瓜群众” (melon-eating masses).

The phrase means: I’m just here to watch the fun, holding a melon and eating it, while watching the excitement.

朝阳群众” (Chaoyang masses) refers to another concept.

Chaoyang is a district in Beijing. There are some middle-aged and elderly women there who have helped the police solve many drug cases, especially involving actors and celebrities, as there are many film and TV stars living in that area. This area became a hotspot for drug problems.

Later, “Chaoyang masses” evolved into a term for “enthusiastic informants who report drug use,” and eventually became known as “China’s most powerful intelligence agency”! People joke that the U.S. has the CIA, the Soviet Union had the KGB, and China has the “Chaoyang masses.”

That’s how it is.

Italian Chili

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Yield: 12 cups

Ingredients

  • 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cups onion, diced
  • 1/2 pound pepperoni stick, cubed
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 (26 ounce) jar tomato sauce
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 (15 ounce) can cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (15 ounce) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder, or more to taste
  • Red pepper flakes, to taste
  • Salt, to taste

Instructions

  1. Sauté sausage in oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When brown, drain off fat and add onions, pepperoni and garlic; cook for 5 minutes.
  2. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and broth, bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 20 minutes.
  3. Stir in beans and seasoning and simmer until heated through.

I just been working on the system. Still, not really “jumps out” as spectacular.

I played around with South East Asian history. With the bath and anointment rituals…

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Then, I started to look into European Biblical traditions.

Here’s some work regarding angels…

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Off to Ancient China.

Here’s some efforts regarding ancient kings and their palace court…

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Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(12)

Dog bites on toy army men

One of my childhood memories is that of all my toys being eaten up by our dogs. Army men, you know the green and grey figurines, always were chewed to Hell. I rarely ever saw my sisters dolls suffer the same fate. Probably for one reason or the other.

I never thought too much about it. I would just shrug my shoulders and consider it a part of my life. Ah. I was used to it.

I used to have this Major Matt Mason space toy. I had a couple of figurines and a space-station. One day I came home only to find my dog chewing up a major truss support. *sigh*

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From that moment on, I adapted and used the chewed up truss in my play time activities.

So looking back, I think that this adaptation of adverse situations had a positive effect on my life. It made me more adaptive and resilient. I think that how we grow creates our personality. In this case, it was chew marks on all my toys.

How the dog got into my perpetually closed bedroom door remains a mystery. Though, I do have my suspicions.

Don’t ever forget. Remember the little things that you grew up. Like puzzle pieces they all come together in the end.

Today…

Hot Dog Chili

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Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 8 hot dogs or turkey hot dogs, cut lengthwise then into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 2 (14 ounce) cans mild chili beans (not drained)
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup yellow mustard
  • 1/4 cup relish
  • 4 ounces chopped green chiles (optional)
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Chopped onions and shredded Cheddar cheese for garnish

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add hot dogs and onions to the oil. Cook until hot dogs are browned, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add remaining ingredients. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.
  3. Taste and adjust seasonings.
  4. Serve hot, topped with chopped onions and shredded cheddar cheese.

The Real Reason Army Recruitment Is Plummeting

China.

There’s a basic reason.

Chinese society considers society a feature. Chinese people (for the most part) reject Jewish supremacy. Chinese reject every social ill that can be used to divide the Chinese people, be it radical tribalism or liberal left-right-ism in all its forms. Chinese raised 800 million out of extreme poverty. Chinese built high speed rails all over their country. Chinese did not allow their GDP figures to be inflated, but rather, China ensured that the rich must benefit the entire nation, and not just themselves. Even then, China’s GDP is growing much faster than America’s GDP.

“The law in its majestic equality forbids the rich as well as the poor to beg in the street, to sleep under bridges, and to steal bread.”

— Anatole France

In American society, homelessness and desperate poverty are a feature, not a bug. Homeless panhandlers begging in the streets are a salutary reminder to American wage slaves of what’s in store for them if they don’t keep their shoulders to the wheel and their noses to the grindstone.

Western society in general is based on the relentless exploitation of the poor by the rich, the weak by the strong. You eat your own. Everyone in America kisses the ass of the person above them in the social order and shits on the one below them.

This is the way you like it. Why else the relentless persecution of the widow, the orphan, and the refugee? Why the gleeful mistreatment of the poor, making them abase themselves and jump through hoops for a pittance? You enjoy watching those less fortunate than you suffer, just as those more fortunate than you take pleasure in your misery.

You like it. You voted for it. You will vote for it again. You will trample on those that are lesser than you, even as you cry about being trampled by those above you.

This is the Way.

It’s a way China rejects, but it’s your way.

As benevolent as China is, China cannot help a masochistic society.

Using DNA, authorities identify man who brutally killed Dana Ireland in 1991

Western countries’ discontent with China-Africa relations isn’t about concern for African well-being—it’s about losing their grip. China’s approach flips the script by offering genuine development opportunities without colonial baggage. For decades, Africa has been reliant on aid and loans from Western nations and institutions like the IMF and World Bank, which often come with stringent conditions that can disrupt local economies and perpetuate dependency rather than foster real growth. Conditions such as structural adjustment policies (SAPs) demanded economic liberalization and reduced government spending, often to the detriment of local sectors like agriculture and small businesses.

In stark contrast, China provides infrastructure projects and funding without demanding sweeping political reforms, allowing African countries to chart their paths to development. The effectiveness of this approach is notably visible—Chinese-funded projects like roads, railways, and airports are transforming landscapes across Africa, achieving what Western aid has often failed to accomplish. China’s development model is based on mutual benefit and respect for sovereignty, focusing on tangible improvements in infrastructure and industrial capacity that meet the specific needs of African nations.

Financially, China’s engagement with Africa creates significant competition for Western businesses. Chinese banks have outpaced their Western counterparts in lending to Africa, providing vital financial support during global crises such as the economic downturns and the COVID-19 pandemic. According to reports, China’s development banks lent around $23 billion to sub-Saharan Africa, more than double the combined amount from the US, Germany, France, and Japan. This shift means Western countries, accustomed to having a monopoly over African markets, now face real competition from China’s efficient and large-scale ventures.

Moreover, accusations of “debt-trap diplomacy” raised by Western critics claim that China’s loans are unsustainable and infringe on African sovereignty. However, many African leaders and experts rebut these claims, noting that Chinese loans often come with more favorable terms compared to Western financial institutions. They also highlight that undue focus on debt ignores the broader context of infrastructure and economic advancement these loans support.

Another layer to Western consternation is rooted in deep-seated racial and cultural biases. The cooperation between China and Africa challenges the long-standing narrative of Western superiority and undermines the paternalistic attitude that has historically characterized Western aid. The perception that African nations are incapable of managing their affairs without Western oversight is deeply ingrained, and China’s success in establishing equal partnerships based on mutual benefit disrupts this ideology.

Therefore, Western countries’ irritation over China-Africa cooperation can be boiled down to a mix of threatened economic interests, disrupted historical influence, and underlying racial biases. China’s strategy of engaging with Africa stands in stark contrast to the conditional and often patronizing methods of Western nations, thereby promoting a new dynamic that favors African autonomy and sustainable development.

“Victor Davis Hanson: Please Listen… Because This is Important!!”

Russia’s unemployment rate is at an all-time low, wages are up, and Russians are spending money on leisure and recreation.

It will be interesting to see how Russia’s central banker, Elvira Nabiullina, deals with the impending Western stock market crash. She did a spectacular job in dealing with US sanctions, outwitting Biden, Nuland, Blinken, Sullivan, and the rest of the US kakistocracy.

Here’s the article:

Real disposable income of Russians (net of inflation and mandatory payments, such as taxes and interest on loans) increased by 9.6% in April-June, according to Rosstat agency data. This is a record figure since 2013, when the methodology for calculating the indicator changed. The last time real incomes grew at a rate close to the maximum was in the first quarter of 2022 (by 8.9%). Compared to January-March, the growth of real disposable income of Russians hit 8.7%. In the first half of 2024, the figure increased by 8.1%.

Such an increase in income is primarily a consequence of a shortage of personnel. The unemployment rate fell to 2.4% in June, hitting a new all-time low. In May, the figure was at the level of 2.6%. Earlier, the Central Bank warned that in the second quarter, the provision of personnel updated the historical minimum in the history of observations. According to the monitoring of enterprises conducted by the Bank of Russia, there was a shortage of engineers, installers, IT personnel, warehouse workers and drivers.

The most acute shortage continued to be experienced by Russian manufacturing enterprises producing investment and consumer products. The head of the Central Bank, Elvira Nabiullina, noted that 75% of Russian companies complain about the shortage of personnel.

The problem of personnel shortages on the Russian work market, the training and competition in the labor market will stay in the coming years, Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov said last February. According to Reshetnikov, this is now one of the main risks in the Russian economy.

How did incomes grow?

Cash income (on average per capita) amounted to 58,191 rubles in the second quarter, which is 16.8% more than in the same period last year. The acceleration in growth was mainly due to higher wages. In the structure of monetary incomes of the population, the share of wages increased from 59.9% in the second quarter of 2023 to 62% in April-June 2024. At the same time, the part that falls on social benefits decreased to 17.3% from 19%. Earnings from entrepreneurial activity in the total income structure also fell – by 0.9 percentage points to 5.9%. Other revenues, including shadow income, decreased from 7.5% to 6.6%.

The growth of incomes was also accompanied by an increase in household expenditures – they increased by 13.9% in the first half of the year compared to the same period last year. And Russians spent about 3 trillion rubles on savings in January-June (in 2023 for the same period – 1.8 trillion rubles).

The Central Bank of Russia has increased its growth forecast in 2024 by 0.3 p.p. to 3.2%. Analysts expect Russian GDP to grow by 1.7-1.8% in 2025-2027.

The IMF forecast the Russian GDP growth to reach 3.2% in 2024 and 1.5% in 2025.

Wages of Russians

Real wages in May increased by 8.8% in annual terms, nominal (before taxes) – by 17.8%, according to Rosstat. For five months, the growth of real wages amounted to 10.1%, nominal wages – 18.7%. On average, one employee in May earned for 86,384 rubles (around 927 euros).

The highest growth rates of wages in May were observed in the field of leisure, recreation and sports (by 29.5%), in the production of clothing – by 27.2%, coke – by 26.8%, in administrative activities – 26.6%, in wood processing – by 25.5%, in the financial and insurance sectors – by 24.8%, in the activities of extraterritorial organizations (including diplomatic missions) – by 24.7%. Also, wages in the production of finished metal products, computers and furniture grew at a rate of more than 23%.

In absolute terms, the highest salaries were traditionally observed in the fuel and energy sector – in pipeline transport (311,205 rubles), in oil and gas production (211,339 rubles), as well as in the financial and insurance sector (185,792 rubles).

Regional Breakdown

The lowest unemployment rate was recorded in Moscow (1%), Novgorod and Nizhny Novgorod regions (1.3% each), Khanty-Mansiysk, Yamalo-Nenets and Chukotka districts, in the Khabarovsk Territory (1.4% each), Bashkortostan (1.5%). At the same time, a high level is observed in the North Caucasus Federal District – in Ingushetia, unemployment in May amounted to 26.7%, in Dagestan – 10.8%.

In May, wages in the sectoral context grew at the highest rates in the Kurgan Region (by 30.1%), the Stavropol Territory (by 24.8%), Udmurtia (by 23.5%), the Bryansk Region and the Trans-Baikal Territory (by 23.4%), as well as in the Pskov Region (by 23.1%), the Chelyabinsk Region (by 22.9%), the Smolensk Region (by 22%), as well as in the Republic of Mari El (by 22%).

What professions are in demand in Russia in 2024

Drivers, loaders, delivery men, sales representatives and promoters have become especially in demand now, reported the Sovcombank. Since the beginning of 2024, drivers – 417 thousand and couriers – 115 thousand – have been looking for the largest number of published vacancies. Russian companies also lack 70 thousand loaders, reported Лента.Ру with reference to the data of the Работа в Москве, поиск персонала и публикация вакансий – hh.ru portal.

In May, wages in the sectoral context grew at the highest rates in the Kurgan Region (by 30.1%), the Stavropol Territory (by 24.8%), Udmurtia (by 23.5%), the Bryansk Region and the Trans-Baikal Territory (by 23.4%), as well as in the Pskov Region (by 23.1%), the Chelyabinsk Region (by 22.9%), the Smolensk Region (by 22%), as well as in the Republic of Mari El (by 22%).

What professions are in demand in Russia in 2024

Drivers, loaders, delivery men, sales representatives and promoters have become especially in demand now, reported the Sovcombank. Since the beginning of 2024, drivers – 417 thousand and couriers – 115 thousand – have been looking for the largest number of published vacancies. Russian companies also lack 70 thousand loaders, reported Лента.Ру with reference to the data of the Работа в Москве, поиск персонала и публикация вакансий – hh.ru portal.

West exhausted, Ukraine losing, NATO refuses peace

Whoever gets elected as the US president will not change the trajectory of the continuous decline of the US and the continuous uprising of China.

I’m calling this a financial crisis for the US kakistocracy. The faltering US domestic economy has triggered worldwide sell-offs in stock markets, cryptocurrencies, and commodities markets like gold. In the last six months, US banks have set aside reserves for significant, predicted loan losses in commercial real estate.

[1] In the last year, the US has had three of its four biggest bank failures in history.
[2] We might get to see how the BRICS bloc weathers a Western financial crisis.

From the article:

NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly everything on Wall Street is tumbling Monday as fear about a slowing U.S. economy worsens and sets off another sell-off for financial markets around the world.

The S&P 500 was down by 2.4% in afternoon trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was reeling by 864 points, or 2.2%, as of 1:25 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite slid 2.8%.

The drops were just the latest in a global sell-off that began last week. Japan’s Nikkei 225 helped start Monday by plunging 12.4% for its worst day since the Black Monday crash of 1987.

It was the first chance for traders in Tokyo to react to Friday’s report showing U.S. employers slowed their hiring last month by much more than economists expected. That was the latest piece of data on the U.S. economy to come in weaker than expected, and it’s all raised fear the Federal Reserve has pressed the brakes on the U.S. economy by too much for too long through high interest rates in hopes of stifling inflation.

Professional investors cautioned that some technical factors could be amplifying the action in markets, but the losses were still neck-snapping. South Korea’s Kospi index careened 8.8% lower, stock markets across Europe sank more than 1% and bitcoin dropped below $55,000 from more than $61,000 on Friday.

Even gold, which has a reputation for offering safety during tumultuous times, slipped 1%.

That’s in part because traders began wondering if the damage has been so severe that the Federal Reserve will have to cut interest rates in an emergency meeting, before its next scheduled decision on Sept. 18. The yield on the two-year Treasury, which closely tracks expectations for the Fed, briefly sank below 3.70% during the morning from 3.88% late Friday and from 5% in April. It later recovered and pulled back to 3.93%.

“The Fed could ride in on a white horse to save the day with a big rate cut, but the case for an inter-meeting cut seems flimsy,” said Brian Jacobsen, chief economist at Annex Wealth Management. “Those are usually reserved for emergencies, like COVID, and an unemployment rate of 4.3% doesn’t really seem like an emergency.”

The U.S. economy is still growing, and a recession is far from a certainty. The Fed has been clear about the tightrope it began walking when it started hiking rates sharply in March 2022: Being too aggressive would choke the economy, but going too soft would give inflation more oxygen and hurt everyone.

Goldman Sachs economist David Mericle sees a higher chance of a recession within the next 12 months following Friday’s jobs report. But he still sees only a 25% probability of that, up from 15%, in part “because the data look fine overall” and he does not “see major financial imbalances.”

Some of Wall Street’s recent declines may also simply be air coming out of a stock market that romped to dozens of all-time highs this year, in part on a frenzy around artificial-intelligence technology and hopes for coming cuts to interest rates. Critics have been saying for a while that the stock market looked expensive after prices rose faster than corporate profits.

“Markets tend to move higher like they’re climbing stairs, and they go down like they’re falling out a window,” according to JJ Kinahan, CEO of IG North America. He chalks much of the recent worries to euphoria around AI subsiding and “a market that was ahead of itself.”

Professional investors also pointed to the Bank of Japan’s move last week to raise its main interest rate from nearly zero. Such a move helps boost the value of the Japanese yen, but it could also force traders to scramble out of deals where they borrowed money for virtually no cost in Japan and invested it elsewhere around the world.

U.S. stocks pared their losses Monday after a report said growth for U.S. services businesses was a touch stronger than expected. Growth was led by businesses in the arts, entertainment and recreation businesses, along with accommodations and food services, according to the Institute for Supply Management. Treasury yields also pared their drops following the better-than-expected data.

Elon Musk: “I Am OFFICIALLY Buying Facebook!!”

Nauseatingly woke narrative, but we all know why he bought it up.

This is a surprisingly good question.

But it is not an easy one to answer.

We will start with the Fundamentals.

System Baselines

The United States is a oligarchy ruled kleptocracy, that maintains an illusion of “democracy”. It is a military empire. It is the largest military empire in history. It rules over various territories, nations and regions using a variety of different techniques.

  • States (former regional nations) are ruled directly.
  • Territories are wholly controlled, but permitted local government control.
  • Proxies, are conquered nations, that are controlled through money, economics and military. For our purposes, we will consider the G7, South Korea, and the Philippines to be proxies.

China is a physical nation that operates a meritocracy. It is a social republic with one party that follows the communist model. It is majority Han race, and has arrangements with other nations though it’s “power channels”.

  • Mainland. Controlled directly.
  • Special Economic Regions. Permitted local government control.
  • Strong “anything goes” alliance with Russia.
  • SCO (shanghai cooperation organization) economic, social, and economic ties.
  • BRI members
  • BRICS+. Financial, economic, trade, and humanitarian connections.

Taken as a whole, we can see that the world is split up with two dominant nation-led blocks. One is the West, controlled by the United States (some argue that it is “actually” controlled by either the UK or Israel), and the other the East. Dominated by the China-Russia nexus.

Comparing the two baselines

So, the question is about a comparison between the two halves. How does the East and the West compare.

It is a little difficult. There are numerous nations that are “straddling the fence” and corroborating with both sides of the globe. This is true with some BRI states.

Ah, comparing the economic landscapes of the West and the group of nations led by China is quite a complex task, as such any particular numbers will be erroneous and wrong. At best, I can only provide a very general overview.

Currently, the West, comprising the United States, the G7 nations, and its territories, boasts a significant share of global economic output. With robust economies, technological innovation, and established trade networks, the West holds a substantial position in the world economy. The combined GDP and PPP GDP of these nations are among the highest globally, reflecting their economic strength.

We can (and perhaps should) consider them well-established economic power-houses.

On the other hand, the group led by China, including Russia, members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS+, and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries, represents a diverse array of economies with varying levels of development. China’s rapid economic growth, infrastructure investments, and expanding influence have positioned it as a key player in the global economy.

Thus, we can anticipate grown; especially substantive economic growth in these nations in the future.

Today, we can say that the United States led “block” leads in GDP. While also admitting that the Chinese led block leads in PPP.

Or, perhaps to put it another way…

  • The West is wealthy. But the citizenry are poor.
  • The East is poor, but growing. Their people are comfortable, but not rich.

Looking ahead to 2035, both groups are likely to experience shifts in their economic landscapes. The West may continue to innovate, invest in technology, and adapt to changing global dynamics. However, demographic challenges, debt burdens, and competition from emerging economies could impact the growth trajectory of some Western nations.

Personally, I do not see a rosy prognosis. I anticipate continued collapses of all elements of the pillars of society and industry in the West.

In contrast, the group led by China is expected to see further economic expansion, driven by infrastructure development, technological advancements, and enhanced regional cooperation. The Belt and Road Initiative and increased trade partnerships could bolster economic growth in these nations, leading to a more interconnected and influential bloc on the world stage.

One cannot help but be optimistic regarding the eastern block.

The year 2035 is likely to be shaped by factors such as technological innovation, trade dynamics, demographic trends, and geopolitical developments. All of which is anticipated, and projected to be led by the Eastern Block.

Matt Damon REVEALS His DISTURBING Experience At Hollywood ELITE Parties

Sophie Sharek

The infinite cold of space can seem to stretch out forever and ever to the untrained eye. To the trained eye, it still goes on forever, but it’s just slightly less scary, and it’s not as cold because trained eyes bring jackets and hot chocolate so they aren’t as chilly. Many interstellar interlopers describe the infinite cold of space as rather sentient, as a result of a dozen incidents where a perhaps-future-settlement has simply coughed up the intruders; or they’ll describe it as too dark, because honestly, can the infinite cold of space provide some flashlights?Occasionally, the infinite cold of space can be interrupted by a star, or perhaps a planet. No one hears the planets talk, (even though they’re apparently sentient), but if one listens closely, one can sometimes hear static, maybe, or a clearing of a throat, a planet attempting to speak . . .’Hellooooo? Testing? Hiiiii?”Yes?!’‘Hi! It’s, it’s Zeta.’

‘I don’t know you. Goodbye–’

‘No, wait, I just wanted to say hello.’

‘Is this about the insurance? Because for the last time, I don’t want it.’

‘No, no. It’s Zeta. The planet.’

‘I’m sorry, who?’

‘Zeta? I was born a couple billion years ago, in the neighbouring solar system. I just unlocked my communications potential!’

‘You just– you just unlocked it? As in I’m the first planet you’ve talked to?’

‘Yes!’

‘How unfortunate.’

‘Unfortunate? Why?’

‘Unfortunate for me, not for you.’

‘Oh.’

‘Are we quite done? Because the elderly nebula next door is out of milk and she wants me to run to the store.’

‘No! No, wait. Who are you? What’s your solar system like? I’m carbon based! Are you . . . carbon based?’

‘Jesus Christ– fine. I’m Delta. I’m in a solar system with the star Gamma in the centre, and two other planets, Mu and Nu, who aren’t as nice as I am. They were once the same planet but some rogue asteroid with a death wish planted itself right in the middle. If I’m being honest, I think Mu and Nu have some sort of hivemind complex going on. And I’m not carbon based. I’m made of silicon and oxygen.’

‘Cool! Nice to meet you, Delta. I’m surprised I haven’t met anyone in your system yet, considering that me and Upsilon are so close to you.

‘We’re all rather introverted.’

‘Intro-vert?’

‘Means that we aren’t menaces to the universe.’

‘Sounds boring.’

‘On the plus side, small, carbon-based planets — who just unlocked their communications — don’t interrupt us to ask about our solar system.’

‘Hey!’

‘Hey yourself.’

‘Wait, I have to go. Upsilon had a reaction to an excess of hydrogen. Honestly, you’d think a red giant like him would learn! I’ll talk to you later.’

‘Oh, joy.’

 

***

 

The infinite cold of space — which, by the way, is now several degrees colder — looks rather like a nice shade of navy blue, instead of black on the morning that the first Great Rip is discovered. A white, blinding line zigzags across a patch of empty space, creating a sort of vacuum that is sucking in dark matter and husks of dead stars. Several planets and comets have visited: it’s not that often that they get a new tourist attraction, after all. None of them have come back.

Several hundred thousand kilometres away from the Rip, one can hear static, an excited tapping, perhaps, a planet, speaking . . .

‘Delta! Delta, you there?’

‘What time is it? Who is this?’

‘Time for you to be up! It’s Zeta, your planetary friend!’

‘Oh my– Zeta. Again.’

‘Yep! Up bright and early!’

‘It can’t be bright. It’s space.’

‘It’s the thought that counts. Don’t be such a Debbie downer!’

‘Who’s Debbie?’

‘Nevermind. Have you heard about the Great Rip? Has Gamma?’

‘Gamma doesn’t get out much. But I have. Rather boring, if you ask me.’

‘Boring? Boring?! Are you kidding? It’s the most interesting thing that’s happened since I can remember!’

‘Uh-huh. What is it, exactly? The Meteoroid Tabloid isn’t that reliable.’

‘You read that trash?’

‘It’s how I keep up on celebrity gossip. Did you know that Nebula H67-94 split up with Nebula J23-78? Apparently J23-78 cheated on H67-94 with an asteroid. Unbelievable.’

‘Wait, really? I thought they just got married? Wasn’t H67-94 pregnant with triplet stars as well?’

‘Yeah, it’s awful. An asteroid, Zeta, an asteroid.

‘Hold on, didn’t — wait! That’s off topic! I was telling you about the Rip!’

‘Right, right.’

‘It’s basically a giant vacuum. It’s like the name says, just a Rip in the fabric of space. My friend’s cousin’s boyfriend’s sister went in, and didn’t come back. I wonder what’s out there.’

‘Probably nothing.’

‘There has to be something! There can’t just be, be nothing.’

‘What exactly did you think existed before the Big Bang?’

‘I was rather fond of the theory that two existing universes collided together to make this one.’

‘And what was there before those two universes?’

‘Uh.’

‘My point exactly.’

‘Anyway! If there is nothing behind the Rip, then why is it there?’

‘Maybe the Universe sneezed.’

‘That’s boring.’

‘Oh, I’m sorry, let’s make it more exciting. A cross-Universe adventurer plowed through the fabric of time and space with a shark-shaped spaceship that happened to be painted colours that haven’t been invented yet! Oh, and the traveller inside? Yep, an alien.’

‘Oh, be quiet. It’s interesting, alright?’

‘Vaguely. What do you think will happen if it grows bigger? Or more appear? We’d all get demolished.’

‘True. But I still wanna see what’s out there.’

‘An adventurer, are you?’

‘A bit.’

‘Have fun with that.’

‘Thanks, Delta!’

‘Yep.’

 

***

 

The infinite cold of space seems to be a little lonelier on the day the 11th Great Rip is discovered. Planets and stars and nebulas are disappearing by the dozens, never to be seen again. The Meteoroid Tabloid claims that the Great Rips are invented by the black holes in an attempt to destroy the ‘last of the good standing citizens of this Universe!’ The Meteoroid Tabloid conveniently ignored the fact that none of their editors have been sucked into the Great Rips themselves.

If one listens closely, navigating the Great Rips with caution, one can hear static, a ringing phone, a nervous laugh, perhaps, a planet, speaking . . .

‘I can’t believe I’m — oh, hello? Zeta?’

Nothing.

‘Zeta, are you awake? You aren’t . . . gone, are you?’

Nothing.

‘The Great Rips are getting dangerous. Don’t tell me you’ve gone to one.’

Nothing.

‘Upsilon, right? The red giant? Is Zeta there?’

Nothing.

 

***

 

The infinite cold of space is slowly, but surely, getting eviscerated by the 269 Great Rips that now exist in the Universe. Entire solar systems have been destroyed, while planets and comets flee to neighbouring nebulas in hope of safety. The Milky Way Galaxy got sucked in in one fell swoop, but no one really cared except for Halley’s comet, who is currently being comforted by an elderly white dwarf star in Andromeda. (According to the Meteoroid Tabloid, Halley’s comet is particularly mourning the loss of one planet ‘Earth’. (No one at the Meteoroid Tabloid or the white dwarf star knows who ‘Earth’ was.))

In a safe reach of space, far away from the Great Rips, one can hear static, tapping, a voice, perhaps, a planet, speaking . . .

‘Delta?’

‘Zeta?’

‘That’s my name, don’t wear it out.’

‘Oh my god, Zeta — I –’

‘Are you ok? You don’t sound ok.’

‘I — I’m fine.’

‘As long as you’re sure.’

‘I’m fine. Where have you been?’

‘How’d you know I was gone?’

‘I, uh, I just noticed you hadn’t pestered me in nearly a dozen years. Got curious, that was all.’

‘Oh! Well, I took Upsilon to see a Great Rip.’

‘Zeta! You idiot! You know how dangerous those are, right?’

‘Yeah, duh. I wasn’t born with an iron base, Delta.’

‘Nice.’

‘Anyway, Upsilon wanted to see it. He’s getting old, you know? Don’t tell him I told you this, but he’s so large and gaseous that I worry he’s going to go black hole soon.’

‘Oh no. What are you going to do? Did he enjoy the Rips?’

‘I’ll probably relocate before he goes. I hear the K76-23 nebula is recruiting babysitters for the star nursery. I’ve always liked kids. And yes, he loved it! Said something about the Great Beyond, but you know how the red giants are.’

‘Definitely.’

‘Also, I don’t think you noticed, but I had a chance to visit your system while I was taking Upsilon! You didn’t tell me you had weather. I can see your hurricanes from miles away!’

‘You– you what?’

‘I visited you.’

‘And you saw my weather?’

‘Yeah?’

‘And I didn’t see you?’

‘Apparently not. Oh, also, dude, your axis? Why is it so tilted? How extreme are your seasons?’

‘Pretty extreme. My parents hate my axis. They say it’s in the ‘family genes’ to be perfectly vertical. As if.’

‘Sorry about that.’

‘It’s ok. At least I have weather, unlike my mom. She’s also iron based, which, hello, huge red flag.’

‘Your mom is iron based? That’s the saddest thing I’ve heard all day.’

‘Right? Hey, you never told me what you looked like either. You owe me now.’

‘I’ll just visit you someday. I don’t think words will do my beauty justice, Delta.’

‘Right.’

‘Hey!’

‘Hey yourself.’

 

***

 

The infinite cold of space is smaller now. The Great Rips make up 60% of the known Universe and most planets have fled or have been sucked into the Beyond. (The Meteoroid Tabloid gave tips on relocating solar systems, but their studio disappeared before the issue could go into a second printing.) Time travellers are desperately trying to find the source of the Rips, but none of them have been successful thus far. One failed attempt caused a continual time loop in which unlimited lemon squares were shot into various black holes. (No one asked what happened.)

Against all odds, there exists a corner of space where no Great Rips live. If one has a cassette recorder, or a stethoscope, one can listen to static, the swivelling of ears, muttering, perhaps, a planet, speaking . . .

‘Delta! Yo, Delta! Delta, Delta, Delta.’

‘What? What could possibly be so important that you had to wake me up?’

‘Hi.’

‘Oh you– you’re lucky you’re barely magnetic, or I’d fling you into into Mu or Nu and have them put their full wrath on you.’

‘On that note, why are our systems so close?’

‘No idea. We seem to have drifted closer because of the Rips.’

‘We’re lucky that there aren’t any close to here.’

‘Agreed. How’s Upsilon?’

‘He’s gotten worse. His hydrogen levels are depleting, and I think he’s running the risk of nuclear fusion.’

‘I don’t want to pressure you, but if I were you, I’d say my goodbyes. Remember what happened to Sigma’s system when they refused to move?’

‘Yeah. I just don’t know where I’d go, given how the Rips have eaten everything.’

‘You could join our system.’

‘Wait, really? I thought you hated me!’

‘What can I say, you’re like a Martian fungus. You grew on me and I couldn’t do anything.’

‘Aw, love you too.’

‘Ha ha. I’m being serious, though. It’s only a matter of time before Upsilon goes black hole, Zeta. You’d be gone forever.’

‘I mean, is it that much different than eventually being sucked up by a Great Rip?’

‘I guess not.’

‘But you still haven’t seen my beauty! Dude, this morning, I discovered a weather system near my pole!’

‘That’s awesome! Congrats.’

‘I think I have to go soon. He’s getting smaller.’

‘Ok, see you soon. Be careful, Zeta.’

‘Thanks, Delta.’

 

***

The infinite cold of space is almost gone. The Great Rips are rapidly moving across the Universe, eating up everything in their path. (If the Meteoroid Tabloid was still running, it would say that the Great Rips needed to try the latest neon-only diet that came directly from Nebula B12-90, who had lost 12% of her dark matter in 2 weeks!) In a small, dark corner near the edge of the Universe, one can barely see a small solar system. A nearby black hole is spinning wildly, and gas formations around it say that the black hole is not very old. The small solar system has a steadily burning star, (if one was friends with the star, one would discover the star’s name was Gamma), and four planets. Two of them were nearly identical in size and were orbiting near each other, close to the star. The other two were further away. One was small, and carbon based. The other was larger, but seemed to be edging closer to the other planet.

If one listens closely, one can hear static, hurricanes whistling, tapping and murmuring, perhaps, planets, attempting to speak . . .

How Would Trump 2nd Term Impact China?

Hot Chicken Chili

a59515469a68629d41ac07bb0b539343
a59515469a68629d41ac07bb0b539343

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 18 chicken wings
  • Oil (for frying)
  • 1 quart tomatoes
  • 2 or 3 jalapeno peppers, chopped
  • 2 or 3 cups water
  • All-purpose flour
  • 2 (16 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 small onion, chopped

Instructions

  1. Roll chicken wings in flour and fry in hot oil until crisp.
  2. Transfer to serving platter. Remove seeds from jalapeno peppers and chop.
  3. Combine jalapenos, kidney beans and remaining ingredients in skillet where wings were fried (don’t throw the grease away).
  4. Heat thoroughly, pour over wings and serve.

$2.9 TRILLION Stock Market Losses In One Day! w/ Ian Carroll

Shorpy

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On August 1st, 2024, the Kokang Army captured the headquarters of the Northeast Military Command in Myanmar.

main qimg 8977ab2a21d1abd6cfba2b8081df3ab5
main qimg 8977ab2a21d1abd6cfba2b8081df3ab5

The Burmese army collapsed quickly, and the Kokang Army seized a major town with a population of 800,000.

Today (August 5th, 2024), the Kokang government abolished the discriminatory ID cards issued by the Burmese government and replaced them with special district ID cards. (The Burmese government implements discriminatory policies against ethnic minorities. In addition to non-citizens, there are six types of ID cards with decreasing rights. This is rare in modern society.)

I feel that the Burmese military government is incompetent and arrogant.

As the majority ethnic group, they bully minorities, but they ended up having their military command headquarters destroyed by local armed groups of minorities?

Several division commanders were even killed, which is a huge embarrassment.

The Kokang do indeed seek independence or to be absorbed into China, but it’s unlikely to happen.

Although the Kokang are actually Han Chinese, speak Chinese, and even use Chinese textbooks for their children, China needs to consider the feelings of other ASEAN member states, so it’s unlikely to accept the Kokang.

However, I believe this doesn’t mean the Burmese military government can arbitrarily massacre them.

Anyway, we have a lot of small troops like this.

Enough to prevent a humanitarian disaster.

After all, they are Han Chinese and are right next to China.

If someone were to be so foolish as to want to massacre them, then it would be perfectly normal for them to suddenly find ten thousand drones, endless artillery shells, air defense weapons, and electronic jamming equipment growing out of the ground.

The Spiritual Connection of Cats | Why Did GOD put a CAT in your life ?

More than anything, it was Abraham Lincoln’s wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, who bothered him. She was what was called in her day a “manic-depressive”, or rather a sufferer from bipolar personality disorder in our current lingo. Mary Todd would move between moments of great loving care, and extreme cruelty. In her manic episodes she would serve imported oysters and prove a passionate lover, in her depressive states she could be cruel, even physically abusive to her husband and sons.

main qimg 54afe2567e26b8826ca88971d160f14a
main qimg 54afe2567e26b8826ca88971d160f14a

Abraham Lincoln, despite being an exceptionally strong 6′4″ man and a former athlete of some renown, was a complete slave to his mentally unstable 5′2″ wife — a wife who would, at times, abuse and degrade him in public, much to his considerable humiliation. Often she would cruelly make Honest Abe sleep on a hard couch or even the floor when they’d have a fight. He was every bit the stereotypical “henpecked husband” one would later see in sitcoms. When the two were in good spirits, things were truly great. And when they were not, things were truly horrific. Violent moodswings would catch the Lincolns off-guard at the most inopportune of moments. And the President suffered greatly from the ensuing uncertainty that followed him wherever he went.

There have been moments where Mary Todd Lincoln’s mental state declined to such a degree that Abraham wanted to have her committed to an asylum. The death of their beloved sons further drove Mary Todd to the very edges of reason… and as she drifted in and out of sanity, her husband suffered most of all, as he carried on his shoulders the weight of the nation and failed to find refuge even inside his own home.

What?

Michele Duess

My God she is being such a bitch.“So” Ryka said, “The man died and on the third day walked out of the tomb. Another zombie story is what this sounds li“It isn’t a zombie story! He was living. Zombies don’t live.”“They walk-““They’re dead!” Why couldn’t she understand? “They rot. It’s an evil spirit that animates them. He was alive, as you and me are.”

“And he said this is my body and my blood, eat and drink it. You have to admit that is very strange.”

“It’s symbolic,” George said through gritted teeth. “It is bread we eat and wine we drink. You know that. You just want to mess with me.” Out of all the people on earth he had to get stuck with her for a partner. Out of all the people in the world he had to get stuck with this lot. She was probably the most tolerable and that wasn’t saying a whole hell of a lot. Well, he supposed, that is what happens when you get caught fencing illegal items. You get the missions no one else wants and with people you cross the street to avoid.   The police had slapped his hand until he got hold of two beehives. In this day and age, they were extremely valuable. How was he to know they were stolen from the New York Mafia? Of course, they and the FBI got involved. Some bad cesh went down, people shot, and now here he was. Unfair. Completely unfair.

“And then he rose into the sky. As if that is where heaven is.”

“Bear in mind this was written by ignorant people 2100 years ago. 2151, to be exact. Also, translated numerous times.”

“Of course it’s wrong, for that is not where the chosen place is.”

“Oh yeah? So where is it?”

“There is not one. To think there is a heaven is illogical and uneducated.”

George took some very deep breaths. Ryka had all the tact of an android. In fact, the androids had more, being programmed to be considerate. “Okay but what do your people believe? They must believe something since you just got through saying that’s not where the chosen place is.”

“It certainly is not there,” she said, gesturing at the spaceship’s window.

“I’ll grant you that.” George walked to the small port window and looked out at unfamiliar stars. How far had they come? He no longer remembered. But he knew why they were here. The private space company ASSL had found a possible earth like planet in this God forsaken region of space. Even using their new space warping devices it had taken two years to get here. This was why America took a page from history and sent criminals to scout these worlds. Criminals and the possibly insane who didn’t mind going on a spaceship for years. Truth was, ASSL would take anyone willing who didn’t get too space sick. If the criminals and the undesirables died trying, so what? At least America didn’t have to feed them. That had been a problem ever since these damned climate change immigrants had come here. At least he’d be fed better on ship than prison and a hero when he got back. If he got back. He rubbed his shoulder and wondered what his age would be then. Space warping messed with time. What had been two years for him might have been two weeks back home. Or four years for them. “But if not in the sky then where?”

“Underground. Where things grow and are nourished.” Ryka straightened herself up. “That is where it is.”

“No. That’s where hell is. It’s hot there. People burn in hell.”

“Because God lets the devil roam free to cause evil and mayhem. Yet he’s omniscient and omnipotent. Demons roam around. Ha. Your people thought-”

“I thought we long ago settled that! Besides, better than being eaten by your god, as you believe,” George growled.

“It’s a way to become one with his Holiness. We nourish him and He us.” Ryka was almost in George’s face now. They glared at each other. Then she relaxed and stepped back. “You’re insane,” she added.

“No doubt seeing as how I work with you.”

“I am the only thing that saves you.” She gave what passed for a smile for her and she went over to check the navigational system. For her size her footsteps were light. Well they did have reduced gravity on this ship. George sighed. Long ago he had made his peace with these immigrants. The war between his people and hers were over now. But it didn’t mean he wanted to share a spaceship with her and ten other idiots.

   Maybe, said his mother’s ghost in his head, if you’d listened, made an honest living…

   Maybe if you were a better damn mother, I would have…but no. You had to leave Dad to run off with that Tom moron.

  Yeah, okay, blame me. I didn’t run off. And your father was virtual world addicted. What else could I do?

  Well you might as well have run for all you helped me. I told you Tom beat me…

   “Stop talking to yourself and come look at this, George.”

“Can’t do without me, can you? I tell you you’ll miss me the day I’m gone.”

Ryka contemplated smacking him. A shame they were monitored. Easy now, she thought. This can’t be easy for him. You are an immigrant in every sense of the word.

    No. My great- great parents were. I am not.

     Still. Give the guy a break. Besides, you know as well as I do you were goading him. You cannot make fun of anyone’s religion no matter how silly.

  Oh, I will give him a break all right. “I am not sure we are staying on course. So, I seek your opinion.”

“My opinion is you can’t read.” He pushed past her and looked at the screen. “Well, you’re right. We are off. Why didn’t you correct it?” But he knew if she could, she would have. She may be annoying and more of a know it all than any android. But she also wasn’t stupid. He pressed buttons. “Why won’t the course correct?”

“I do not know. I thought it was a programming error. But that is not my forte. So, I ask you.”

George pulled up the navigational system’s program. “Hal looks okay.” Someone’s idea of a joke. “I think…it’s a hardware problem. But we got no warnings about it.” He hit the intercom button. “James! Get down here. NOW!”

  “That was my ear. Did you have to shout in it?”

“Well excuse me. It’s not my fault that moron can’t hear right.”

“I do not think he can be a moron. He has no IQ, right? So that makes him an idiot.”

“Same thing these days. James. Did you turn off an alarm?”

“I did.” James stood there looking for all the world like a handsome movie star human. Or he would have if his hair wasn’t messed up and his shirt wasn’t on backwards.

“You stupid bucket of bolts your programming is messed up again.” George sighed. It wasn’t until after he signed up and was in earth’s orbit that he learned this company cut corners in every conceivable way. And why not? This mission was probably doomed to fail so they didn’t give them the top of the line technology. That was saved for the missions that had a chance to succeed. For example, the biosphere on Mars. But only the very wealthy could afford to go there, leaving out 99 percent of the population of earth. If they found an earth-like planet with an atmosphere they didn’t have to constantly maintain, then the costs of colonizing would be a lot less. George had been born in what was left of Florida. People there ate grits, meat made from insects, dealt with rationing and spent a lot of time in online virtual worlds. They did that to forget that between the native born and the immigrants there wasn’t much plant life left. They were slowly bringing it back. Actually, the immigrants helped. They had so much knowledge that really everyone should have listened to them sooner. Meanwhile, finding another livable planet would be a big help. Even bringing back samples and seeds would help. Now George had to deal with an extremely out of date android. “Did I order you to turn off the alarms?”

“Did you?”

“Great. Now I have to go through his programming. Again.”

“Let me.” Ryka walked over and smacked the android in the back of the head. James shook, rattled, and said, “No you did not order me to turn off the alarms.”

“Works every time,” said Ryka, with her strange smile.

George shook his head, sighed, and said “Then why did you?”

“So that you could sleep uninterrupted.”

“James, you can’t do that. It’s good Ryka caught it in time that we are drifting off course. Now we need to find out why. What did the alarm say?”

“I do not know.”

Oh, what the hell. George smacked him too. It hurt like hell but it worked.

“A thruster is malfunctioning. It is the gyro. Someone must take a spacewalk and fix it.”

Ryka said, “I vote for the bucket of bolts here to do it.” She gestured at James.

“Unfortunately, I don’t trust the bucket of bolts. And you’re the hardware person. Everyone else is still asleep. It’s our shift.”

“Chivalry is dead I see,” she said.

“Been dead two hundred years. We’ll both go. Out of the goodness of my hard, little heart.”

“Gee. I am touched.”

George smiled and patted her bony shoulder. “You should be. Well, let’s go suit up and get this over with before we end up in a black hole or a sun.”

“I should be so fortunate,” Ryka muttered and went to her room to get her suit. Unfortunately, she had a feeling if she did die the Holiness would spit her back into reincarnation. And for her actions as an assassin she probably deserved it. It had all been for a good cause, protecting what was left of the Amazon rainforest from an idiot dealer and his cartel. This idiot didn’t even want to develop it for food or she might have understood. This one wanted it for coffee. A drug at best, she thought and not even a good one.  Worse, he was of her people. He claimed earth’s warming couldn’t get any worse. Did he not study their history?  Still, her actions had been unethical and not kind. Certainly, innocents had gotten caught in the fighting. Hence why she was here with this thief and liar. As if she was any better, she thought.

Suited up they went through the hatch and out onto the spaceship. At least the suits were better than the old moon walk ones. They created a force field that held oxygen and pressurized atmosphere around the wearer. They were still rather hot and restricting to wear. Furthermore, they used electromagnets to attach the astronaut to the ship. Walking was difficult. Well, for Ryka it was. George was finding it easier than he thought. Too easy, he thought. We need to be quick about this.  Slowly they made their way, pulling replacement parts behind them on a tether, over to the thruster. “The gyro is definitely burned out,” said George. “I hope it doesn’t happen again, since this is the only spare we have.”

“That cheapskate bastard of a boss,” Ryka grumbled. “She makes the damned shareholders happy while we cannot even get a decently working android never mind parts.”

“The word is bitch, Ryka. She’s female.”

“Wrong. That is an insult to all decent dogs everywhere.”

George couldn’t disagree with her there. He pulled on the tether. The bag of parts and tools floated over to him. “I don’t like this.”

“What?”

“My suit. I’m not sure the magnets are working correctly.”

“Well stop being so flatulent.” She wasn’t looking at him, not really paying attention. She was trying to pull out the old, burned gyro. Finally. she managed it and handed it to George. He gave her the new one.

“That’s too uppity. Which is your problem. Always lording your superior education over us. “

“Wrong! It is simply how I speak! You-” she broke off for she heard him cry out. She turned as quickly as could and saw his magnets had stopped working. She could see him frantically press the button on his emergency thruster pack. Nothing. He was floating away, faster than she would have thought possible.

“Jacking hell! Help me!” Thinking, she isn’t going to. He wouldn’t have blamed her. Too much risk and they didn’t like each other. Uneasy tolerance was the best they ever got. He could see her ugly gargoyle face watching him. It wasn’t exact but a close description. One hundred years ago America had climate change immigrants. They came from Venice, fleeing the rising seas. They came from Vietnam, Israel, and especially South America fleeing famine from a warming planet. America hadn’t been altogether happy about them. Aliens. You’re aliens the native born said, so go home. Then one day the real aliens came. They had made the same mistakes man did and their planet’s climate change nearly killed them. They came, hoping to be welcomed in exchange for trying to save earth. But when you look like demons from some medieval painting, George supposed, bad things happen. They couldn’t leave either. Broken ships, broken spirits. They truly had nowhere else to go. Then the fighting started, the cruelty, until no one knew who committed the worst atrocities. They only woke up when the ground and their souls were scorched. Now both human and alien were trying to save a sinking ship called earth. Or in George’s and Ryka’s case, redeem themselves.

I’m dead, George thought. Without even a priest to give me absolution. When was the last time he’d even been to Mass? Damned Catholic guilt. It never goes away. He had oxygen but soon that would deplete. There was panic although behind it was calm. So, this would be how it ends and maybe it wasn’t so bad after all. Better than dying senile and drooling in a nursing home thirty years from now, he guessed. Here the stars were bright and beautiful. Close to heaven as he’d ever get. The panic ebbed. In fact he almost felt stoned. It was so peaceful now. Then something clawed at his leg and slipped away. He somehow managed to twist around and reached out. Everything slowed except for the drum in his chest, his ears. His breath came harsh and fast. He heard nothing else. George saw her hand brush his but couldn’t feel anything. He stretched so much his shoulder felt as if it would separate. Yet there was no pain, just numbness. Not even that. It was a vast and lonely detachment. Then she shouted and he felt like James might when Ryka smacked him. As if some mechanical part slipped back into place and he could hear again. She shouted at him, telling him to try his pack thrusters again, help her. He mashed the button with all his might and for an instant they fired. Just enough so they could touch-then she gripped his hand. He wrapped his arm around her waist. She fired hers and they made their way back to the ship. Ryka then turned on her magnets and pulled him next to her. George found a handhold to grab, then another, blessing whoever put them there. Maybe he or she had had a vision that one day it would save someone’s life. Then, the ladder. He pulled himself up it, found the handle for the hatch, and fell into the ship. He hit the floor hard and barely felt it. He was alive.

Byeheth culemth quelthelHeorg!” Ryka shouted at him, coming into the ship.

“English,” he whispered.

“You picked up the broken suit!” She stood over him. Her eyes shone. With what? Was that fear he saw? Concern?

“J-James. He- must have hung it with the rest.” He couldn’t yet stand so he knelt, pulling it off, throwing it from him. His breaths came in gasps. “I-will f-father jacking strangle him. Jacker.”

Ryka gently, softly touched his shoulder. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah.” He looked up at her from where he knelt on the floor. Trying not to cry. “Cesh! If it wasn’t for-”

“Yes, whatever.” she said, not looking at him. “Go mark that stupid suit so this does not happen again, okay? Once is enough. I will make sure we are on course.” She left. Quickly, as if embarrassed. He sat for a long time, shaking as if cold and thinking.

It was near the end of their shift, at breakfast, that he asked her why.

“Why what?” She looked away. Played with her food.

“You went after me. Risked yourself. You didn’t have to and no one would have blamed you.”

“Our bastard boss would have.”

“What’s she going to do, fire you?” George laughed. Ryka didn’t.

“I am certain you would have done the same.”

George shrugged. “Yeah. But you don’t even like me. Nor do I blame you,” he mumbled. The country had not learned its lesson the first time and had attempted some equal but separate laws. The results had been predictable. “So…” he gestured weakly.

“I am soft in the head, my friend,” Ryka said, “plus who else will I pick on? James does not get it and half of the others would stab me in my sleep.” She smiled. “Now you will just owe me one.”

“Okay.” George held out a hand and she shook it.

“I would like to know something, however.”

“Yes?”

“How do you strangle an android?”

“Special skills,” George said, smiling.

It depends on the content of the criticism

If you mean something like FJB, I’m sorry, it’s not allowed in China

China has laws to stop such public attacks on individuals and the government. Any insulting or ideological attacks are prohibited. Of course, this does not mean that you will be arrested after making certain public remarks, but your remarks will usually be deleted. It’s the same as our remarks being deleted on Youtbe or X.

If your criticism is directed at a specific event, then it’s okay.

Chinese people or the Chinese government are pragmatic. They don’t like to waste time on political slogans and empty theoretical struggles.

If what you want to express is: the government is terrible, we need a better mayor to solve the various serious problems in the city!

Such criticism will be regarded as stupid in China, no one will pay attention to you, and everyone will think you are an idiot.

They welcome such criticism:

The traffic is terrible, there is always a serious congestion every morning at 5 kilometers on Highway 3, you must do something!

The garbage problem is terrible, the creeks in Pearl Park and Green River Park are full of garbage, what is the city cleaning department doing?

My house is threatened by noise, and a group of elderly people gather in the park downstairs every morning. It makes it impossible for me to rest, and you must solve all this.

Very good, if your criticism is like this. Then you have mastered the trick of criticizing the Chinese government.

This kind of criticism will have two dimensions of effect

1. Criticism itself

The government will have a specialist to evaluate your criticism (it may also be with the help of AI), your criticism will be classified, the jurisdiction will be determined, and it will be pushed to the corresponding responsible department.

The department that receives the criticism will investigate the situation you criticized and reply to you about their investigation and handling. And ask you to make a final evaluation of the case.

If you are not satisfied, you can appeal to their superior department again.

2. Statistical significance

When citizens have a lot of criticism around the same issue, such criticism will be upgraded to the perspective of “global problems”. This may mean that a department or an official has not performed his duties correctly, resulting in “bulk” dissatisfaction. Such problems are often given priority and trigger performance appraisals of officials. Severe cases may even trigger investigations and accountability of officials.

In fact, the Chinese government has set up many channels to accept people’s criticism, such as reception offices, emails, and hotlines. The most popular way is to submit your criticism through the Internet.

When I visited Shanghai, one of my female colleagues showed me a process of criticizing the government.

A new viaduct was built under the apartment building where she lived. This viaduct was to solve the traffic congestion on that road (nearby residents have been complaining for a long time)

But after the viaduct was built, the speed of vehicles increased significantly.

This brought more serious road noise, affecting the rest of the residents in the adjacent apartment building.

She was one of them, and she submitted her complaint about the matter through the website of the Mayor’s Mailbox of the Shanghai Municipal Government.

Three days later, her complaint was submitted to the Minhang District Traffic Management Bureau of Shanghai.

The Minhang District Traffic Management Bureau responded to the criticism two days later. It said that the construction of this viaduct had passed the environmental protection approval of the municipal government and was legal. Regarding the noise issue, they will be handed over to the Environmental Protection Bureau.

The Minhang District Environmental Protection Bureau replied two days later that they would send a commissioner to the vicinity of the viaduct to measure the noise. A week later, the Environmental Protection Bureau responded to the message: the noise measurement has been completed, and they believe that the noise at night is within the legal range. They hope that she can understand this matter and make a closure evaluation on this matter.

My female colleague obviously disagreed with the government’s explanation, so she called on her neighbors to criticize on the website, and they submitted the same opinions. About a week later, this opinion was raised to a higher level, and the Shanghai Municipal Government Environmental Protection Bureau intervened. Two weeks later, representatives of the residents of the apartment building were summoned to hold a hearing.

Two months later, a tunnel-shaped soundproof wall was built on the viaduct to completely isolate the traffic noise of the viaduct.

This criticism of the Shanghai Municipal Government was closed after several months.

This is a typical case of Chinese citizens criticizing the government and waiting for the government to respond to the criticism.

All the contents of these documents can be checked on the government website and made public to everyone.

Be a great Dad

Hearty Chili Roni

Macaroni is a great addition to this family favorite. Cooking the macaroni with the ground beef and seasonings for this Hearty Chili Roni makes cleanup a snap.

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Prep: 5 min | Cook: 25 min | Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1 package McCormick® Chili Seasoning Mix, Original or McCormick® Chili Seasoning Mix, Mild
  • 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 (14 ounces) can reduced sodium beef broth
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
  • 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Instructions

  1. Cook ground beef, bell pepper and onion in large skillet over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes or until beef is browned.
  2. Add Seasoning Mix; stir until well mixed.
  3. Stir in tomatoes, beef broth and tomato paste. Bring to boil. Stir in macaroni. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook for 10 minutes or until pasta is tender.
  4. Sprinkle with cheese; cover. Let stand for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Paul sounds like a decent dude.

Can’t get a grip in all the muck

Scarcity and Poverty

Although I was very happy, born in the 1970s, and my family wasn’t very poor—by the standards of that time in China, we were about average—I still felt poor.

But I was still very happy.

Firstly, my parents loved me very much.

Secondly, our situation at the time was actually not bad.

We never went hungry; at the very least, we had enough to eat. Despite frequent power outages, we still had electricity, even if it was just a 15-watt light bulb.

Power outages were common, and during these times, we could only use candles for light. When the power came back on, it felt incredibly bright.

(I remember when I was about eight years old and went to my grandmother’s house, which was much poorer than my parents’ home. One night, local kids took me to see a so-called wonder. We walked ten miles of mountain roads only to find that their ‘wonder’ was a single electric light installed by the local government. I said, “What kind of wonder is this? I have it sometimes at home.” They felt both envious and somewhat hurt.)

There was no running water, only river water. With the beginning of industrialization, the river water became severely polluted. My father’s workplace raised funds to drill a well. My daily task was to draw water from the well and fill our family’s water tank.

We were poor. When I was about six, I accidentally broke one of my mother’s plastic hairpins. Another time, when I was over ten, I mistakenly thought I had broken my father’s watch. And once, when I was 19, I thought I had lost my father’s bicycle.

Even after all these years, I still remember the terror I felt at those moments—feeling like my blood had frozen, thinking I was beyond redemption. The only way to atone was to… I couldn’t bring myself to tell my parents. The feeling of waiting for days was truly tormenting!

(I found these two “industrial products” on the Internet that almost cost me my life. They are these two pieces. I am 100% sure that they are the same model. I will not make a mistake. Now I can only search for photos of them on collectibles websites.)

Now that I am a father myself, I pay close attention to this. No matter what mistakes my children make, they always tell me.

Even in those times, the Chinese still placed great importance on education.

In our impoverished county, there were three libraries. My parents managed to get me an adult library card (children could borrow only two books at a time, while adults could borrow five). So, I could borrow 15 books each time I went.

I’ve borrowed many books over and over again (with a return deadline and overdue fines), and I never get tired of them. This includes The Physics of Fun, The Amazing Adventures of the Physical World, The World of Dinosaurs, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, One Hundred Thousand Whys, Charlotte’s Web, and many more. These are just a few that leave the deepest impression…

At that time, China was swept up in a craze for learning English. Everyone believed that mastering English was essential for acquiring scientific knowledge. This wasn’t entirely wrong, but since China had previously focused on learning Russian, there was a shortage of teachers and textbooks.

For some reason, there was a belief nationwide that a particular English textbook was exceptionally good. Believe me, this textbook was a hundred times more famous in China than in all other countries combined. It was called New Concept English, created by British people for Germans after World War II.

(Googled from Internet)

When it was introduced to China, it became highly sought after but was hard to obtain. A classmate managed to buy a set through relatives in Shanghai. I borrowed it from him, copied it every night, and returned it the next day until I had finished copying the entire set. Of course, I had to do some of his homework in return.

The word “copy” now evokes the idea of “ctrl+c” and “ctrl+v” for me, but back then it meant fountain pens, ink, paper, and thick calluses on fingers. Paper was quite an expense at that time. As a result, I developed another form of PTSD—I bought enough paper to last me a lifetime.

The picture shows only a small part of it.

This made my wife very unhappy; she scolded me, saying that these things only take up space and that I’d never use them all. I told her that looking at them made me happy.

There are also several hundred cheap pens (trust me, they are no worse than the high-end ones that cost tens of dollars!), but they were thrown away by my wife and cannot be photographed.

While I wasn’t paying attention, she threw away my samurai sword, bow and arrows, stun gun, several daggers, including a Kabar, nunchucks, and more… The reason she gave was that they could hurt the kids. I’m really angry and want to divorce her!@_@

I might be extremely insecure. When I was dating my wife, she was surprised to find that the space under my bed was filled with long-term storage food: canned goods, homemade dried food, honey and salt (which can last for hundreds of years), vitamins, vacuum-sealed dried fruits… When she asked why, I said I was worried about famine…

Now it’s all gone!

Chinese traditional superstition says that nothing should be stored under the bed; it should be empty. I’m not superstitious, but she is. Sigh! Moreover, my vacuum-sealing machine was sold to a scrap dealer by her!

The first time I went to her home to meet her parents, I actually went to tour their grain storage first.

When I saw that they had over 2 tons of food stored, my father-in-law and I exchanged a smile, and I felt an instant connection: we are the same kind of people.

At that time, my wife comforted me by saying, ‘Don’t worry, if there is ever a famine, I will share half of my rations with you.’ To me, that is much more sincere than ‘I love you.’

Interestingly, my wife was much poorer during her childhood than I was.

By the time she was in high school, her family didn’t even have a table, and she did all her homework on the windowsill from 7 to 17 years old.

But she doesn’t seem to have any psychological scars from that deprivation.

I, on the other hand, am deeply affected, and I don’t know why.

A few years ago, I found this set of books on an old book website in China, similar to America’s abebooks. I irrationally bought several copies of each book.

(One of several used copies I purchased, the others were given to relatives’ children, but they obviously didn’t value them.)

This is a form of PTSD, haha, like Jack London’s Love of Life, where the protagonist, despite being rescued, irrationally hoards bread.

Some scars never fade. Even though I have some money now, I can’t bring myself to cook fried food. So much oil used for frying, and then to throw it all away for health reasons? I just can’t accept it. Rationally, it’s not much money, but emotionally, I can’t accept it.

For example, even if I’m full, I can’t bear to throw rice into the trash can, but I can throw away the dishes, because in my childhood, discarding food wasn’t an option—it wasn’t “imprinted” on me.

In summary, we were very poor but very happy. My parents loved me so much, doing their utmost to give me their greatest love, care, and the best conditions and education they could provide.

The Buddhist scripture says, “Even if a person were to carry his father on his left shoulder and his mother on his right shoulder, with the weight of their burden grinding his flesh and bones until he could see the marrow, and walk around Mount Sumeru for hundreds or thousands of eons, even if his blood flowed and covered his ankles, he would still not be able to repay the deep kindness of his parents.”

It is true.

Asking AI to write a country song about beer for breakfast

Life on a Station

Submitted into Contest #24 in response to: Write a story set in the dark recesses of space where the two main characters are often at odds with each other in humorous and comedic ways. view prompt

Corey Melin

Gorgin walked the corridors once again to make sure everything was okay.“Why do I have to continue to check out the station when we have systems set-up to make sure everything is in order on the station?” he asked the commander of the station, Morgan.“Just do it,” said Morgan.  “You never know what can get past our systems way out here in space.  There is a lot of unknown things out here. I’m tired of explaining to you each time it’s your turn.”Now, Gorgin was walking through the corridors, and checking out room after room.“Why such  huge station for just a few people?” thought Gorgin.Gorgin rounded the corner, and in front of him stood an alien that stood seven feet tall, green scaly skin, fish eyes, a mouth full of sharp teeth, and claws reaching out to him.  All Gorgin could do is stare in shock then let out a piercing scream as he started backing up around the corner, then turning and running as fast as he could. Before he reached the end he could hear someone laughing hysterically behind him.  He came to a stop and turned around seeing Dwight in the alien outfit pointing at him and laughing.“I will be taking this to the commander!” he cried out, as soon as he went to his room to change.“I can’t believe I have two adult men standing in front of me,” said Morgan.  “The two of you clowns have been at each other since you came to this station.  Should we go over everything the two of you have done to each other?”“This was all started by Dwight,” said Gorgin.  “He was the one who set the dials so I woke-up out of slumber as an old man.”Morgan and Dwight chuckled over that one.“That was a quick fix, but it was fun while it lasted,” said Dwight.“It didn’t end there with the two of you,” said Morgan.  “I believe the next mishap is when Dwight transported in the station and appeared in another section with three butt cheeks.  Courtesy of Gorgin tampering with the controls.”“Sitting down was quite comfy,” admitted Dwight with a grin.“Even though, the two of you have brought much humor to everyone you need to act like adults,” said Morgan.  “You think the two of you can do that?”

The two of them nodded their heads.

“Now get out of my sight and do your duties,” demanded Morgan.

Both of them left the room, staring at each other with dislike.

“I would greatly appreciate it if you could move to the other side of the station so I would see you less,” said Gorgin.

“I would say that it would be even better if you would move off the station,” said Dwight.

“Just stay away from me,” both said at the same time, and they went their separate locations.

It was a couple of days later that the two met again.

Gorgin went into what everyone called the “Pet Room” to create himself a pet to keep him company.  As he entered the room he saw that Dwight was already in the room at the controls.

“What the heck are you doing in here?” he asked.

Dwight turned to him.  “Looking for a pet. What do you think idiot?”

“Hurry up then,” said Gorgin.

Dwight went back to the controls and went back to pushing buttons.  Time went by as Gorgin waited impatiently for him to finish.

“I think I got it,” said Dwight.  “Oh wait. That won’t do.”

“That is enough,” huffed Gorgin, stomping over to Dwight.  “Give me the controls.”

Next moment, both of them were fighting over the controls, pressing and clicking until there was a sudden flash that lit up the room.  Both of them stopped and looked at each other with befuddled looks.

“What the heck was that?” asked Gorgin.

“Not a clue,” replied Dwight.

“We should probably check around the station to make sure everything is okay,” said Gorgin.

The two left the room, trying to call the commander, but getting no answer.

“Let’s go to command center first,” said Gorgin.

The two rushed to the command center.

“Dwight did it!” Gorgin cried out as soon as they entered the room.

“No I didn’t!” Dwight called back.  “You butted in!”

But the two realized they were wasting there blame game for the commander was nowhere in sight.  They looked all over, but no sight of the commander.

“He’s not in the freshening room,” said Dwight coming out after a flush.

“Strange for him to be gone,” said Gorgin.

Then the two of them heard a squeak.

“What the hell was that?” asked Dwight.

“Sounds like the commander has a pet,” replied Gorgin.

The two started looking around until the two came to the commander’s chair.  Both saw at the same time a squirrel on the seat looking at both of them. It started chattering, then jumped off the chair.

“I didn’t know the commander had a pet?” asked Dwight.

Gorgin shrugged his shoulders and scratched his head.  Then a light bulb popped on inside his head.

“What pet were you looking at getting?” he asked Dwight.

“I was contemplating on getting a tamed squirrel,” he replied.

It didn’t take too long for the two to figure out what happened.

“Did we turn the commander into a squirrel?” asked Dwight.

Gorgin just nodded then the two searched for the squirrel, which ran around the room.

“We need to get him,” Gorgin said.

The two chased after the squirrel, bumping into each other, and Gorgin grabbing the squirrel, but it bit him, and was loose once again.

“We need to get the room robot,” said Gorgin as he shook his hurt finger, going over to the panel.

He pressed some switches and next moment the robot came out.

“Retrieve the squirrel,” said Gorgin.

It didn’t take long for the robot to scoop of the squirrel and deposit it into a glass came.

“Now to see about the rest of the crew,” said Gorgin.

The two of them checked for lifeforms on the station, then checked the screens for each room they detected life.  All the lifeforms were squirrels.

“What did you do?” asked Gorgin.

“You were the one pressing numerous buttons,” said Dwight.

“We need to fix this fast,” said Gorgin.

Gorgin released the robots in each room, and the squirrels were scooped up.  The other robots were sent to the pet room.

“I hope we can reverse this,” said Gorgin as they headed to the pet room.

All the robots were in the room as the two of them tried to figure out a way to make their crew human again.

“I think I got it,” said Gorgin.  “We need to get out of the room so nothing happens to us.  The robots will be released once we leave.”

The two left the room, robots released, and there was a bright flash.  The two went back into the room and saw everyone was human again. The only thing is that they were all naked.  Commander Morgan stood up and looked at the two men with a stare of death.

“We are in trouble,” muttered Dwight.

The next day the two were put in cryosleep  until the next crew came in a couple of years.  Before both of them lay down for their sleep they looked at each other, and both of them grinned.

All that I can say is YUM!

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Amarillo Chili

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Ingredients

  • 4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 2 onions
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1/2 pound pork shoulder, coarsely ground
  • 1 pound beef round, cut into 1/2 inch strips
  • 1/2 pound beef chuck, coarsely ground
  • 2 to 4 jalapeno chiles, diced
  • 1 tablespoon ground hot red chile
  • 2 tablespoons ground mild red chile
  • 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin (comino)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 12 ounces tomato paste
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 (16 ounce) can pinto beans

Instructions

  1. Fry bacon in a large, deep heavy pot over medium heat. When the bacon has rendered most of its fat, remove the pieces with a slotted spoon, drain on paper toweling and reserve.
  2. Add the onions and garlic to the bacon fat and cook until the onions are translucent.
  3. Add the pork and beef to the pot. Break up any lumps with a fork and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the meat is evenly browned.
  4. Stir in the remaining ingredients except the beans and the bacon. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
  5. Taste and adjust seasonings.
  6. Stir in the beans and the bacon, and simmer for 1/2 hour longer.

“You done woke up the dragons now!” | Colonial Marines vs The Hive | Aliens (1986)

This was FUN! The expressions!

Intel Drop and Disclosure, February 13, 2020

One reason the alternative media exists is to provide a distraction from real conspiracies

The Senior Editor

Trump is being tried before the US Senate, where many of the members are “fake people,” longtime Russian assets paid through accounts in the Cayman Islands.  Many of them are “cuckoos,” or “walkins.”

Some senators are being threatened, not by militia types but by senior Federal officials from law enforcement related agencies.  It isn’t about Trump, it’s about closing the door on where a real investigation of Trump would lead, not just to Moscow but back here, to four generations of fake people.

Sometimes they are called “Manchurian Candidates.”  Many ask if John McCain was “turned” as a POW or if Trump was recruited by Cohn in the 70s or by Russia through his Ivana in 1987 as The Guardian implies.

These are public faces but, behind them, we have four generations of cuckoos or Manchurian Candidates, they have lived and died, done their work and remained unknown or unseen.

They now control the US and 99% of them are unknown except at the highest level of classification, the real “Q,” and are feared.

Their power, their numbers, unimaginable.  Their work?  We see it every day, it is why we can explain none of how we came, as a nation, to such an end.

They are placed “in the nest” to take control of certain trusts or banks, key industries or to inherit “at risk” fortunes.  They are often the super rich mysterious who donate money by the millions but have no history.

When, during the 1990s, a certain tobacco company began funding antigovernment militias, we saw them.  We see them today more than ever, but only if we look very carefully.  Who pays the bills for the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers or their 3 dozen clones?

Why money from an nearly invisible reclusive supermarket heiress that has never been photographed?

Why so many wealthy who have never been photographed, have no college records, no marriages or divorces, no records at all?

How many “walk ins” became wealthy and powerful after 9/11 as fake military contractors?

Imagine, laundering a cuckoo though Annapolis, then through SEAL training and then into a running a secretive private army around the world to run narcotics and money laundering.

How many cuckoos have been laundered into Congress though the military?  All GOP or both parties?

Do some checking, look for “too many coincidences,” over and over where cuckoos are “chosen” and “elevated.”  Look at Hawley:

After spending a year in London as a teacher at St Paul’s School from 2002 to 2003,[4][11] Hawley returned to the U.S. to attend Yale Law School, graduating in 2006 with a Juris Doctor degree.[6][7][10] The Kansas City Star reported that Hawley’s classmates saw him as “politically ambitious and a deeply religious conservative.”[8] While at Yale, Hawley was an editor of the Yale Law Journal and served as president of the school’s Federalist Society chapter.[10]

or this:

Born in Springdale, Arkansas, to a banker and a teacher, Hawley graduated from Stanford University in 2002 and Yale Law School in 2006. He was a law clerk to Tenth Circuit Judge Michael W. McConnell and Chief Justice John Roberts and then worked as a lawyer, first in private practice, from 2008 to 2011, and then for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, from 2011 to 2015. Before becoming Missouri Attorney General, he was also a teacher at St Paul’s School in London, an associate professor at the University of Missouri School of Law, and a faculty member of the conservative Blackstone Legal Fellowship.

Questions?

Trump thinks he did it all himself.  He thinks he was accidentally adopted by Roy Cohn, the kingmaker for the Bolsheviks and that he was first.

He wasn’t.  Richard Nixon was their boy, Ronald Reagan was their boy and George W. Bush was their boy as well.  With Trump it was timing, the person to have in place when half a million Americans’ could be killed to steal 12 trillion dollars and destroy US credibility around the world.

Roy Cohn brought Rupert Murdoch into the US, making use of two of his prime assets, Ronald Reagan and Newt Gingrich.  Fox News has been the voice of America’s downfall ever since.

Who stood against Roy Cohn?  Jimmy Carter, Mike Dukakis, George Herbert Walker Bush but also Robert Kennedy turned on him as did George Wallace.

A pattern?  Before Murdoch, Cohn ran Maxwell.  Want to see what laundering looks like, from Wikipedia:

Cohn had to wait until May 27, 1948, after his 21st birthday, to be admitted to the bar, and he used his family connections to obtain a position in the office of United States Attorney Irving Saypol in Manhattan the day he was admitted.[14] One of his first cases was the Smith Act trials of Communist Party leaders.[8][15]

In 1948, Cohn also became a board member of the American Jewish League Against Communism.[16]

As an Assistant US Attorney in Saypol’s Manhattan office, Cohn helped to secure convictions in a number of well-publicized trials of accused Soviet operatives. One of the first began in December 1950 with the prosecution of William Remington, a former Commerce Department employee who had been accused of espionage by KGB defector Elizabeth Bentley.[8] Although an indictment for espionage could not be secured, Remington had denied his longtime membership in the Communist Party USA on two separate occasions and was convicted of perjury in two separate trials.[17]

Cohn, of course, was running it all and doing so at an unimaginable early age.  He may well be the single most influential figure of the 20th century, certainly in the dark arena of American political corruption and control of the United States by the Kosher Nostra.

9/11 was the same as COVID, 20 years of war, building a heroin empire from Afghanistan and stealing a trillion in oil while looting the US.  Oh, how about a world of prison camps, tapping every phone, a foreign run police state within the US, run by the DHS and runaway commands or bureaucracies at the DOJ, DOE and the Pentagon.

Where does this come from?

A never spoken of but major area of US security is studying and trying to contain the fake people who show up as mass shooters from time to time but also run Google Corporation, Microsoft, some bigger companies and lots of government agencies.

They control public utilities, credit agencies and anything that involves “cyber” or “crypto.”

They were the McCarthyites, they were the Tea Party, they were the Neoconservatives and they are the leaders of Christian evangelism and the corporate news, both left and right.

It is all theatre.  It always has been.

Few Americans except for officials of the FBI and CIA at the highest levels and some special operations planners know what I will be writing here.  I have confirmed this through official channels, real confirmations, circumspect in nature.  Material will have been seen, some of it.

In 2012, Mitt Romney was supposed to be elected president.  Romney, whose general demeanor compared to many, is ‘moderate,’ is said to be a ‘stalking horse.’

According to our sources (I took this recording to an FBI interview and frightened people enough for them to leave the room when I offered to play it) at the FBI, highest, Romney, partnered with former Mexican President Carlos Salinas, is part of a massive Russian influence operation.

The history behind it goes to the Mormon War against the US in the 1870s and to the 1882 Edmunds Act.  From there, the Romney family began an meteoric rise as George became a powerful industrial figure for no reason whatsoever.  From Wikipedia:

Romney was born to American parents living in the Mormon colonies in Mexico; events during the Mexican Revolution forced his family to flee back to the United States when he was a child. The family lived in several states and ended up in Salt Lake City, Utah, where they struggled during the Great Depression. Romney worked in a number of jobs, served as a Mormon missionary in the United Kingdom, and attended several colleges in the U.S. but did not graduate from any of them. In 1939, he moved to Detroit and joined the American Automobile Manufacturers Association, where he served as the chief spokesman for the automobile industry during World War II and headed a cooperative arrangement in which companies could share production improvements. He joined Nash-Kelvinator in 1948, and became the chief executive of its successor, American Motors Corporation, in 1954. There he turned around the struggling firm by focusing all efforts on the compact Rambler car. Romney mocked the products of the “Big Three” automakers as “gas-guzzling dinosaurs” and became one of the first high-profile, media-savvy business executives. Devoutly religious, he presided over the Detroit Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Romney was then appointed to oversee Michigan’s new constitution, for no reason whatsoever and was then placed into the Michigan governorship, seen as a stepping stone to the presidency.  Mind you, we don’t hate the Romney family.  George was an opponent of the Vietnam War and was pushed aside in 1968 by Roy Cohn and Richard Nixon as “not corrupt enough.”  J. Edgar Hoover (Meyer Lansky’s puppet) played a major part.

Cohn also “worked with” a very young George W. Bush and was very very very close to a young Donald Trump, who he mentored into New York Organized Crime, though Trump’s family was well entrenched long before he was born.

Cohn, a “reputed mobster” and “red baiter” was, by our findings Russia’s chief influencer in the US during the entirety of the Cold War, “influencer” and spymaster.

Who better than the lawyer that killed the Rosenbergs.

Here are the alleged facts that we add to this mix:

  • Soviet Russia from the 1920s onward began seeding “walk ins” into positions of power in banking and finance, industry and politics.  This operation, after 1959, was run from Cuba and accessed the US through the porous borders of Mexico and Canada.
  • Russia also operated though the Greek/Greek Cypriot community in the US and Canada which included access to powerful political leaders (Democrats) and control of the Senate Banking Committee) to launder cash until 2005 when it was no longer necessary to hide money when the Supreme Court under Citizens United legalized not just bribery but use of foreign laundered funds to run a massive intelligence operation against the US
  • Prime among these activities is control of certain agencies including but not limited to the US Department of Energy (nuclear arsenal/secrets), the FBI, the CIA, the DHS, the Interior Department and the US Department of Treasury.  The DOJ has been under total or partial Russian control since Bobby Kennedy stepped down and we have our suspicions there due to his early contact with Roy Cohn.

Let’s take a look at this science fiction “replacement” operation.  We know the FBI has a task force that does nothing else but track these people.  We have had access to some records, one of a state governor who was a Cuban born Russian asset (still around).

Try tracing the Trump’s, from Germany to the US and back to Germany but real records, do they exist?  Not hardly.

Who came back from Germany to the US?  Cuckoos?

The history goes back centuries to the Silk Road when Khazars would take over caravan’s by removing the merchant and replacing, a story we have told often but one that needs to be remembered.

Today, in the US, we are 4th generation “cookoo in the nest.”  Questions?  If Samuel Bush is from Columbus, Ohio, where is the Bush family from?  Don’t bother to look, they don’t exist.

Start looking at the less obvious tech billionaires.  Many don’t exist.

Look at some public figures like Assange.  Look at alternative media figures with no families, no personal history, or backgrounds with gaps that show travel to Israel or Russia.

Dozens of Russian “walk ins” are laundered through Annapolis, West Point and the Air Force Academy.

Others become leaders of Evangelical Christianity as, from the 1870s onward, even before, the South and West were targeted because of cattle, rail and mineral opportunities.  Many of America’s biggest fortunes, even shipping or chemicals, come from “non people.”

When people like Jim Fetzer trip over these fakes, they are fed destructive fake information by people who are placed near them send to them over a cliff.  More than just Fetzer are targeted.

It isn’t just alternative media.  Who is Rush Limbaugh?  What is Sean Hannity’s background?  You mean they don’t have a background?  How about Tucker?  From Wikipedia:

Carlson was born in San FranciscoCalifornia. His great-great grandfather Cesar Lombardi immigrated to New York from Switzerland in 1860.[17] From Lombardi, Carlson descends from SwissItalian ancestry.[18] He is the elder son of Richard Warner Carlson, a former “gonzo reporter[19] who became the director of the Voice of America, president of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the U.S. ambassador to the Seychelles.[20] Carlson’s paternal grandparents were Richard Boynton and Dorothy Anderson, teenagers who placed his father in an orphanage where he was adopted when he was two years old by the Carlsons. Richard Carlson’s adoptive father was a wool broker.[21][19][22]

What we know is this, our FBI informant describes an intelligence operation run out of Cuba, decades old, that run many prominent America assets.  But who are they?

Certainly we have key members of congress.  It is easy to track them because their payoffs run through banks in the Cayman Islands, Switzerland and Israel.  You can tell by their patterns of travel though all have lock boxes with fake passports, just like Jason Borne.

What are their tasks?

Obviously, America is the “milk cow,” the only nation capable of supporting endless debt.  The US isn’t their only toy.  They have Israel, North Korea, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Lithuania, Poland, Albania, Libya, Sudan, Kuwait, Bahrain and how many others?

When do we actually see them?  Think of the UK, the News of the World scandal and, behind it, the Freemason pedophile rings that have been at the heart of British society for well over a century.

When Michael Shrimpton talks about the DVD, who do you think he means?

Were the Nazi’s really Nazis?  Their background was Christian Nationalism/Evangelism and their origins American though the billionaire financed eugenics movement.  They existed in the US as the Klan or American Legion/Black Legion long before they were seen in Germany.

Nazism is American, not German.

The roots date to the 1850s, the Know Nothing Party, the first Trump incarnation, and later the Immigration Restriction League and others, targeting primarily Catholics but also Jews, building a base in the East and a stronger and longer lasting one in the Midwest, one that blossomed with the resurgence of the Klan in the 1920s and later with broad support of Nazi Germany under the America Firsters and Committee of One Million.

Today, this is the heart of the GOP, built almost entirely from “fake people.”

Russian Paratroopers Ambushed and Destroyed a Group of Canadian and French Mercenaries In Chasiv Yar

Electronic warfare updates.

My Answer on Quora -MM

This is a MASSIVE subject. It is something not easily covered in an answer, a query, a book, or a series of books. I will do my best to answer this question, but first we need to lay down some fundamental “ground rules”.

Firstly, and fundamentally, I am assuming that you want an ACTUAL answer. Not a off-the-cuff opinion by a student, or a fan-boy of war-games, or a ‘Merica screamer. You want some real intelligence. So I will do my best dredging up a some answers based on my experience and background.

Secondly. broad-strokes are easy. But the nuances in the details can throw the most intelligent off the subject matter and bog one down in a slush pool of the trivial.

So let’s go through the most primitive basics…

[1] China is a nation of survivors. They have over 6000 years of warfare of every kinds and shape. They don’t like war. They don’t want war, but being peaceful differs from being a pacifist. Don’t make the mistake that seems to common in the neocon halls of America today. China is a warrior nation of survivors. They are the descendants of Genghis Khan after all.

[2] The United States is a Military Empire based upon plunder. It sounds bad, but it’s historically true. The military is well-funded, and state of the art. The military is truly a global resource, and power projection is one of the many United States strengths. The entire military-industrial complex feeds the military empire, and the big fear today is that without a war to sustain itself, the United States will whither and die.

Now with that being established, lets look at the systems that each nation relies upon. As from the point above, the primitive basics define the usage methodology.

[1] China, a nation of survivors, has created simple and robust systems. They are easy to use, simple to mass produce, easy to repair, and very, very lethal. This is from the simplest items in a foot-solders kit, to the most modern fighter aircraft.

[2] The United States, a military empire, needs the industrial base to function. There needs to be constant calls for more equipment, more ammo, as well as systems to train, and repair the systems in use. Thus American systems tend to be overly complicated, high cost, tends to break down, and requires expensive spare parts.

Now, all that is very interesting, but the real issue is in the people that conduct war. After all, they are the ones that will use the technology of war. So here, we will take a quick peek at the differences between American soldiers and Chinese soldiers.

[1] Chinese soldiers. Well, Xi Peng has implemented a Genghis Khan technique of training young children in the ways of discipline and warfare. Everyone is trained. It starts in first grade, and continues week after week, after week up until they graduate from college. All 1.4B+ people. So, today, as it stands now, China is a nation of reservists not conscripts. And they fight in unison. They are tiny terminator units that fight like hordes of ants attacking a bee hive.

[2] American Soldiers. The image of the ideal American warrior has been cultivated by Hollywood. It’s the “Army of one” which is so typified by the character Rambo. That being said, the actual military is stratified. Generally, the rank and file are characterized by the lowest common denominator. It’s peopled with those of little options outside of the military. Those that adjust to the military are promoted and become highly skilled specialists, irregardless of their social-economic background. Officer and professional ranks are peopled with highly capable individuals. Many of whom have multiple degrees, but unfortunately, the highest ranks are fundamentally political / politicized appointments. Together this stratified military system has worked well over the years and serves the military in it’s on-going roles.

Mission parameters differ substantially between that of the United States and China.

[1] China is a highly capable DEFENSIVE military with very little in the way of “power projection”. China is built as a fortress, and any nation, or group of nations trying to assault or invade it is absolutely doomed to fail. Additionally, China has mastered long-range intercontinental weapons and information systems. The military dos not need to be in close geographic proximity in order to completely devastate a targeted nation.

[2] The United States military is designed for invasion, and policing of it’s conquered lands. Power projection is it’s mission, and once a nation is subdued it is a historical norm that the land is looted of it’s resources and fed back to the the United States oligarchy.

Now, with all that clearly defined, we can see that both nations would use the technology that they have in their possession in greatly different manners. What would serve the needs of the United States would not serve the needs of China. So when making this comparison you absolutely need to take that into account.

[1] China would only use it’s military in two roles. [1A] defensive if attacked. And, [1B] long range offensive missiles to destroy the cities and resources of the primary attacking nation and it’s proxies.

[2] The United States would use it’s military in specialized roles. [2A] Military supervision of proxy military forces. [2B] Policing of conquered and captured lands. [2C] As a negotiation ploy / tactic to generate fear of nuclear attack. [2D] As an invasion force against a weaker foe.

And with the above being clear, the comparison of the technologies of both militaries are but a distraction. You use a hammer to hit a nail, and a screwdriver to screw wood together. But you wouldn’t use a screwdriver to pound a nail. Thus a comparison of military technologies are meaningless on a practical basis and at best, is an illusion.

Elon tells it straight

This Looks Like Unequivocal Evidence That The Taiwanese Government Has Been Fabricating Election Outcomes in 2020 and 2024.

Interesting dredge up. However translation and formatting issues made it a tiresome read. Only for those really interested in the Taiwan issue. Otherwise, skim and exit. -MM

About two years ago, this Taiwanese YouTube blogger uncovered very troubling evidence that the Taiwanese DPP regime has been most likely culpable in fabricating the entire 2020 presidential election outcome through the so-called Central Election Commission (CEC) staffed by DPP cronies. The CEC is a crackpot joint, with no resemblance to similar institutions in other real democracies, whose ranks are saturated by DPP party hitmen and minions, exploiting a subtlety in the Taiwanese political ecology to fake a facade of neutrality, as explained in the post below.

Chiu Yu

What can mainland Chinese, Singaporeans and Hong Kongers learn from the Taiwanese people’s achievement of democracy?

Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Or maybe “Democracy is a bad thing”? I was born and grew up in Taiwan, and have never lived in China, Hong Kong or Singapore. Taiwan has badly botched its experiment in democracy and set a terrible example to the Chinese speaking world.
If you follow Taiwanese news, you would know almost all TV news anchors critical of the government have been forced off the air. In the mean time TV stations aligned with the ruling party DPP all received multiple millions (in USD) directly out of government budgets. Just last week the government even audaciously shut down a highly popular TV channel, the CTI, that has consistently enjoyed number one rating on the island, simply because it is the most fiercely critical of the government.
Imagine Trump forcing Chris Cuomo off the air or shutting down CNN! You don’t hear this in the cherry-picking western media because the DPP government takes an anti-China stance that secured itself preferential treatment by the West and a blank cheque to harass, intimidate, and persecute the media, the judiciary, the opposition parties etc. with impunity, not to mention their favorite sport: Looting the government.
The Taiwanese populace are still those docile, resigning, apathetic lambs from the dynastic or colonial days holding their government authorities in awe. The fact that the ruling party is stealing from them in real time does not touch a nerve for some strange reason.
It is a completely failed experiment in “democracy” that only Western media love as they need Taiwan as their poster child against China. Here’s more detail: Chiu Yu’s answer to Is Taiwan geared up to take on China?
What makes Taiwan stand out today, those economical “achievements”, those world leading electronics and petrochemical industries with attendant superb infrastructure without which its “democracy” would have made it go down the path of India, can all be attributed to the foundations laid in the 1960–1980’s by technocrats in the dictatorial KMT administration.
It was these public servants under the one-party authoritarian regime that jump started and nurtured TSMC, the top leading IC foundry in the world, Formosa Plastics, another world leading conglomerate, and countless other industrial and business giants in Taiwan staffed by superbly educated workers thanks to its no-nonsense education system, ahead of its time.
Thanks to the reserves accrued under the dictatorial KMT regime, Taiwan can squander its resources through embezzlement and corruption, through mass dumbing-down, in the ensuing decades under “democracy” and still limp along today, although maybe not for long.
When I look at Taiwan today, I don’t see a so called “democracy”. I see a totalitarian kleptocracy devolving into a North Korea! In a broader perspective related to this question, I have posted another challenge question elsewhere on Quora Chiu Yu’s answer to Why do many Chinese believe that Western democracy is a plot to make China weak? to which nobody seems to be able to give a good answer so far.
Interested? Watch this space. I will elaborate further. Note added on 12/03/2020: Just a couple of days ago I learned about a chicanery played by the ruling DPP party in Taiwan.
It takes advantage of the little known difference between political parties in Taiwan, KMT, DPP, etc., which are almost all modeled on the Leninist/Communist doctrine of explicit and rigid party organization structures with a high threshold for membership admission, and those in the West (Democratic, Republican, Social Democrat, ….) with extremely loose party structure and member admission qualifications.
The consequence is that, there are very few “card carrying” party members in Taiwan (about 1% of total population), compared to pretty much self-declared party members in the US (more than 30%) who can join or leave a party as they please. What’s the consequence?
In the US it is easy to identify a person’s political leaning by just looking at his party affiliation, and it is easy for many laws to require that government policy advisory/consultation bodies (The national election commission,
The federal communication commission, etc.) be formed with an even mix from both parties and expect a pretty impartial panel to rule on things. Also, someone with a strong political inclination would tend to declare a party affiliation for transparency.
This is indeed what happened in the US. In Taiwan, 99% of the people don’t have a formal party affiliation, but this does not mean they don’t have strong and highly visible political leanings known to everyone. Many TV anchors who are obsessively pro or anti DPP don’t belong to any party in an official way, for example.
The DPP party exploited this fact to form many important government policy advisory/consultation bodies by staffing them 100% with people with no declared party affiliation but are known by everyone on the street to be strongly pro DPP. And YES, in Taiwan the formation of many of these commissions and committees is entirely up to the president, NO need for parliament confirmation.
So on a formal level, all these commissions and committees are represented by people with no partisan leanings. This creates a façade to the international community and to whoever questions the legitimacy of these entities. Hiding under this façade, the DPP has carried out numerous unethical or even illegal agendas successfully. Some examples of these entities (I might not get the exact English names right): *
The Central Election Commission. This one sets all the rules and performs all the logistics of Taiwanese elections. The DPP won an incredible landslide in 2020, despite a decisive crushing defeat in 2018 where it lost all the major local elections. What happened? A key factor is the staffing of this commission exclusively by DPP loyalists in 2019, which changed many rules and greatly increased the opacity of the election procedures, not least the computerized vote tallying system. Still to this day nobody really knows what happened. *
The National Communication Commission. This is the one that shut down the number one rated TV channel CTI mentioned above, because it was on constant attack of the DPP. It also made sure that basically all news anchors unfriendly to DPP are forced off the air. Feel free to verify this with anyone you know in Taiwan. *
Taiwan Truth Verification Center. Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, etc. rely on the input of this “independent” organization to determine if someone is posting “fake news” on the web in order to take corrective action.
Many people who criticize the DPP government or officials have been suspended by FB, Twitter etc. based on feed from this Center. * The Commission for Justice in Social Transformation (轉型正義委員會). This one was formed with the explicit aim of persecuting the opposition KMT party.
It reached peak notoriety when its head was caught on hidden microphone proudly comparing his committee to the 15th-century Chinese Gestapo (東廠). * The Taiwanese Supreme Court.
Yes I am not joking. This one is entirely nominated by the president and that’s pretty much final. Currently it is nearly 100% made up of DPP fanatics, although not many have official party membership, as I explained. To the outside observer it cannot look more impartial.
Another critical difference between the Taiwanese and other country’s legal systems is the fact that all personnel decisions of judges (promotion/demotion, relocation, performance evaluation, etc.) are made within the Judiciary Yuan (司法院), controlled by administration bureaucrats, not practicing judges or independent panels. Likewise all personnel decisions of prosecutors are made by another body of administration bureaucrats (司法行政部).
These bureaucrats are completely beholden to whoever the ruling party is, who has the power to appoint them, thus the careers of Taiwanese judges and prosecutors are entirely in the hands of the Executive Branch! A real travesty! Feel free to confirm with anyone from Taiwan. *
The Taiwanese Supreme Court of Administration (最高行政法院). This handles lawsuits between civilians and the Executive Branch. The current head of the Supreme Court of Administration is the brother-in-law of the president, who was appointed by the president.
Go figure.
By the way, a critical case of scandals and frauds involving the president, which you might have caught wind of, is moving up the chain of the Courts of Administration right now, which will end up in the hands of this brother-in-law at some point. (This paragraph was added on 09/05/2021).
* (Note Added 12/12/2021):
Numerous ad hoc committees established to disburse the 55 billion NTD ($1.96 billion USD, this is the newest figure) government budget on media promotion and cyber propaganda. These committees are a smoke screen mechanism to pass on the looted taxpayer money to media outlets and cyber hit squads run by DPP operatives and loyalists.
Only those advocating DPP agenda or bashing DPP opponents can get this monery, because these committees are overwhelmingly composed of DPP fanatics or fringe group constituents. Moe detail can be found in these links below.
An Update on Taiwanese “Muzzled Voice” Channels on YouTube Chiu Yu’s post in China – World Leader. Taiwanese Underground Web Hit Squad (aka 1450) on The DPP Government Payroll Chiu Yu’s post in China – World Leader.
There are numerous other ostensibly “independent” organizations and government bodies, critical to the political ecology in Taiwan, yet exclusively staffed by the Taiwanese president with these dubious DPP fanatics. This is the most treacherous ploy one can imagine, which looks so benign to unsuspecting westerners.
Of course I must say, again, even to knowing westerners, Taiwan is needed as their poster child in their anti-China campaign, so why not screw Taiwanese democracy?
Why not screw Taiwanese people? __________ Note added 10/12/2021 How about a highly convincing allegation of election fraud orchestrated by the ruling DPP party in the 2020 presidential election?
Chiu Yu’s post in China – World Leader. Chiu Yu’s post in China – World Leader. Chiu Yu’s answer to
How do you explain that the entire time sequence of vote counts in the 2020 Taiwanese presidential election can be reproduced by a simple mathematical formula to the last digit? Please focus on logic and facts, and avoid political rants. Chiu Yu’s post in China – World Leader.
Note added 09/17/2021
Today it was reported that the ruling party, DPP, of Taiwan, is moving to do the following: * Give the government the exclusive right to name the Chair of the Board of the Public TV station in Taiwan. * Increase the power of the National Communications Commission (NCC) to select members for the Board of the Public TV station.
Through chicanery as described above, the DPP already saturated the NCC with 100% party fanatics. This is in sharp contrast to any other democratic country. So the end effect is that the ruling party will have total, unchallenged control of the Public TV in Taiwan.
This is unique among all democratic countries. Note Added 09/01/2021 I found the link to a famous legal scandal that happened in Taiwan, and has not yet reached closure, which epitomizes the uncivilized and undemocratic political reality of Taiwan.
The judiciary and legislative arms of the government are manipulated in service of the executive branch, often used as means to settle political or even personal vendetta, at the expense of human rights with little or no consequence.
The chief perpetrator in this case, which caused outrage on an international level, Mr Hou Kwan-Ren, is today still a top official in the Taiwanese judicial system, having done the bidding of top dogs in the ruling party.
The link is in Chinese. But if you scroll halfway down, there are YouTube links to more than 20 videos featuring international NGO leaders or political figures expressing outrage about this case in English or other western languages.

This blogger showed the progression of vote counts of all three presidential candidates in the 2020 election, as reported by the TV station ETToday, that neatly matched into a very simple mathematical formula.

In other words, these reported vote counts were not results of ballots cast by random voters, but numbers generated by a computer program. If you have any familiarity with the DPP regime in Taiwan, you would know very well such chicanery is not beneath them.

I have posted on Quora back then to demonstrate mathematically that the probability of such a thing happening by chance was literally Zero.

Chiu Yu
How do you explain that the entire time sequence of vote counts in the 2020 Taiwanese presidential election can be reproduced by a simple mathematical formula to the last digit?
Please focus on logic and facts, and avoid political rants.
Thanks for the answers so far. I got some nice answers, but realized that more background info is needed, which could not fit into the 250-character limit set for the question. As a result the question might have been misinterpreted, misleading some responses.
My fault. So, for more detailed background, see the following Chiu Yu’s post in China – World Leader.
Chiu Yu’s post in China – World Leader. Unfortunately some political background was also included, but you need to watch the videos to fully appreciate the question. Do I have an ulterior motive?
Yes, I did with the original postings, as must be clear if you read them.
I can also give a brief summary of the mathematical significance of what transpired in the videos if that’s your only interest. Seeing a quantitative result may help drive home its significance.
This Youtuber collected the time sequences as reported on TV of the 2020 Taiwanese presidential election vote counts over 16 or 17 consecutive updates, from a few hundred votes initially to about one million votes or more at the end, of all 3 candidates and from each of several cities.
He realized that he could reproduce the entire 16 or 17-step time sequence of all 3 candidates in all cities using the same simple formula with only one free parameter, to the last digit, in other words, with zero error.
I even find it difficult to correctly understand or quantify this phenomena in terms of regular tools of statistics, as the latter usually works with a finite range of error distribution, not zero error! If I must, I can pretend I am fitting a model with only one free parameter to 16 or 17 experimental data points. So the degree of freedom (DOF) of the fitting is 16–1=15 or 17–1=16.
I would skip the usual procedure of normalization by standard deviation etc., because here the error spread is zero and if I normalize that, it is still zero! In any case, I can blindly apply the routine chi-square test appropriate to the DOF of the problem to see if this result makes sense.
Here is a diagram taken from Wikipedia Chi-squared distribution – Wikipedia It shows the so-called cumulative chi-square distribution and is a measure of how likely you will get a final fitting deviation between experimental data and model prediction.
Skipping more technicalities, basically for example, with a DOF=9 (k=9, red curve), if you get the (normalized) deviation to be between 0 and 6, the probability is about 30%.
From the trend of the curves, you can see the progressive flattening as k (DOF) gets larger. When DOF=15 or 16, it will be even much flatter.
This is important. What about a final fitting deviation of 0 for DOF=16? Let’s speak instead of the probability of fitting deviation anywhere between 0 and 0.1, as statisticians are more inclined to do. You can see it is very, very close to 0. Remember, our deviation from this YouTuber was not 0.1, but 0. 0.1 is already too generous!
Here is a table
Simple way to read it: If you go down to the row of 16, it says for DOF=16, the probability of your (normalized) fitting deviation to be between 0 and 5.142 is only 0.5%, highly unlikely! But 5.142 is way too generous.
We are talking zero here. I can use my software tool to get an exact evaluation. Here is an example.
For DOF=16, the probability of getting a deviation anywhere between 0 and say, 0.0001, is 2.315 X 10^-42. For all practical purposes, it is exactly 0!
You catch my drift? This hopefully gives you an idea of how unlikely it was for this YouTuber to get what he got by pure chance, sans chicanery.
Answer: Impossible!
Then, he showed that this impossibility is repeated for all 3 candidates using the same one-parameter formula, and repeated from city to city! Of course, if you want to be rigorous, all bets are off, as at least I don’t know how to analyze a fitting problem where the error is exactly zero!
If you do, please let me know. This is really a show of absurdity, hopefully backed by some quantitative measure, rather than a rigorous mathematical expose.
Yes I do have an ulterior motive, but I hope this above analysis at least is entertaining and helps justify my motive. If you are interested in my ulterior motive, it was all in the links included in the beginning.

This blogger has been persecuted by the DPP government since he uncovered this embarrassing fact, driving him to the brink of suicide at one point. He was required to report to two different court proceedings at opposite ends of the island at the same time, for example.

The only thing that narrowly spared the CEC was his inability to correlate the vote count progression as reported by ETToday directly with that reported by the CEC. So, in some sense, he was able to raise grave suspicion regarding how the TV station ETToday was able to “predict” the vote outcome, but he fell short of directly pinning the official CEC to this travesty.

He all but squarely nailed the CEC, but the ever so slippery DPP weaseled out on this last technicality. And in Taiwan, unless you can nail the DPP on hard, unequivocal legal evidence, accountability on moral or ethical basis means nothing.

New Evidence

The same blogger is quite tenacious and didn’t give up. It appears that he recently found new evidence in the 2024 presidential election that finally enabled him to close that technical loophole. Here is his most recent YouTube blog. His channel contains more blogs leading to this newest one.

My understanding so far is that this time, he found the same neatly formed progression of vote count reporting on the Public TV, with zero probability to happen by chance just like last time. But this time, he can exactly correlate this progression with that reported by the CEC!

He is consulting experts at this point over the strength of his case, and so far got very favorable feedback. His requests for the CEC’s clarification have met stonewalling so far. But it is still early.

If this is true, it will be HUGE.

And it will allow zero wiggle room for the CEC to get off the hook this time. All loopholes will be closed this time.

If this is true, the only recourse left for the DPP is to burn all records of the 2020 and 2024 elections, erase all electronic database (including those at the Public TV), administratively silence anyone echoing this blogger’s accusation of election fraud, and block all information/news channels from reporting.

Because otherwise there is no way to weasel out of this one, mathematically!

The DPP is Stupid!

By the way, about that formula: I am quite amazed that all that the DPP crooks could come up with was the most trivial and elementary mathematical function, literally just an algebraic progression. If it had been any more complex, it would have presented more hurdles to this blogger’s discovery. On top of being depraved and crooked, the DPP is also incredibly stupid!

And the arrogance (or laziness) of it! After the alarm raised by this blogger in 2020, the DPP/CEC didn’t even bother to make this mathematical function more complicated, but simply used the same one!

Pepperoni Pizza Chili

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Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 (16 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (15 ounce) can pizza sauce
  • 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can Italian stewed tomatoes
  • 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 (3 1/2 ounce) package sliced pepperoni
  • 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
  • 1 teaspoon pizza seasoning or Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)

Instructions

  1. In a large saucepan, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.
  2. Stir in the beans, pizza sauce, tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, pepperoni, green pepper, pizza seasoning and salt. Bring to a boil.
  3. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until chili reaches desired thickness.
  4. Garnish with cheese if desired.

Cool kick

Adventure art

Have some fun and escape.

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Funny, true but sad

India, after four years of imposing the strictest curbs on Chinese business, is now turning to China to rejuvenate its flagging manufacturing sector, highlighting a pragmatic shift driven by economic realities.

India is considering relaxing its investment restrictions on China due to a combination of stabilized border tensions, internal economic necessities, and a strategic reassessment of its industrial policies. This move comes in light of newly released data and insights in the Economic Survey for 2023-24 by the Indian Ministry of Finance, which advocates for renewed Chinese investment and improved Sino-Indian relations.

Since 2020, India implemented stringent measures under the guise of protecting domestic industries from Chinese competition, including severe restrictions on visas for Chinese nationals, banning numerous Chinese apps, delaying approvals for Chinese investments, and even reducing direct flights between the two nations. These measures were a direct response to a deadly border clash, aiming to protect national security. However, four years later, these policies are widely deemed counterproductive, failing to yield the intended outcomes and instead stymying India’s industrial ambitions.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of transforming India into a global manufacturing hub has been significantly hindered by these restrictions. The share of manufacturing in India’s GDP fell from 16 percent in 2015 to around 13 percent in 2023, falling short of the government’s target of 25 percent by 2025. This target has already been postponed three times. Indian industries, particularly electronics, pharmaceuticals, and automotive sectors, rely heavily on Chinese components, intermediate goods, and technical expertise. The prolonged visa restrictions have kept vital Chinese technicians and professionals out of India, causing machinery to lie idle and leading to unfulfilled export orders.

The fastest-growing segment of trade between China and India is electronic products, a sector India is eager to develop. Despite purchasing machinery from China, India’s ability to utilize this machinery productively is limited without the expertise of Chinese technicians. This has led to production losses of an estimated $15 billion and around 100,000 job cuts over the past four years due to the escalation of tensions with China.

In response to the evident failings of the restrictive measures, there has been significant pushback from within India itself. Business leaders and scholars have voiced their concerns, asserting that India is at risk of missing out on global industrial chain adjustments. They argue that while the world progresses, India’s restrictive policies have created a bottleneck, stifling economic growth and industrial advancement.

Diplomatically, the easing of these restrictions is also viewed favorably. China has expressed a positive outlook on this potential shift, emphasizing the historical context of border issues and the importance of economic collaboration. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has reiterated that border disputes should not overshadow the potential of economic cooperation between the two countries.

The decision to reconsider these restrictions is further influenced by the broader goal of creating a more welcoming environment for foreign investments. India’s economic strategy features reducing barriers for inbound investments, mirroring strategies employed by nations like the United States and Australia. A review mechanism for foreign investments is on the table to balance national security concerns with economic benefits.

In essence, India’s potential relaxation of investment restrictions on China is driven by pragmatic economic considerations, a stabilized geopolitical climate, and a strategic pivot in industrial policy. This marks a significant turnaround from previous years and sets the stage for renewed economic cooperation and industrial growth, aligning with India’s long-term economic goals.

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John Rennie

The metallic surface of the Cleveland Company logo glimmered faintly as the space station became slowly bathed in the dim glow of moonlight. Eileen sat in the control room chair looking straight ahead, not distracted by the sight of Umbriel passing the window; she’d seen it a thousand times. Her eyes were fixated by the 50-inch rectangle of light above her head. “He never takes me anywhere” she sighed. Prodding the remote control repeatedly at three second intervals, she continued browsing images of the inner Solar System – far off places, close to the Sun, but she knew it was hopeless. Ted hadn’t agreed to leave the space station since their honeymoon in 2159, and no matter how many light-years she spent dreaming of one last planet getaway, it came no closer to reality. Ted was just not interested; he had his mind of other things.At the opposite end of the space station, the sound of clinking and clunking would be absolutely maddening if there had been anyone else around to hear it. The only person there was Ted whose hearing had started to go a long time ago. Pieces of twisted metal and dusty electronic chips were strewn around the floor of the station’s West Wing. A screw with a worn down thread went scuttling across the metal table skimming its surface like a stone across a lake. Eventually dropping to the floor and finding its resting place through a tiny air vent under a cabinet. “Blast!” Ted exclaimed staring into his empty hands. He looked up at the calendar above the workstation and his chest started to tighten.It was November 4th 2212. The arrival of J-Boy, their beloved grandson, was imminent. The young explorer was about to make his annual call. Visitors were rare these days. So rare that they hadn’t had a visitor for 10 years, except J-Boy of course. His visits were guaranteed like Earth’s orbit around the Sun. He could arrive at any moment and yet the satellite was still not fixed. Ted just needed to re-attach a panel to cover the inner circuitry and the dish would be ready for installation. He reached into the screw box and grasped at the fresh air inside. He picked up his magnifying glass to see that the box was in fact empty. Ted slumped back into his chair, realising he would have to go to the East Wing to get a new one. That meant bumping into Eileen. He wasn’t ready to face her, especially as he hadn’t finished the job yet, but he couldn’t stay away any longer. Ted hoped she’d forgotten about the promise he made last month. It was unlikely though.Eileen peered through the small round window in the door of the East Wing. The faint sound of footsteps had interrupted her mid-afternoon daydream of exotic star trails and asteroid showers. She watched as a frail masculine figure emerged from the long dark corridor that connected the wings of the space station. As he got closer, the light from the East Wing window cast a spotlight, revealing the silhouette. There was no doubt who it was, it couldn’t have been anyone else. He was holding a shiny box.”A gift?” she wondered.“Oh, Ted …after all this time, finally he has something to offer, something to show he still cares after all these years.”Eileen excitedly pressed the big red button causing the door to slide out of view. With a childlike grin, Eileen opened her arms.”For me? Ted, you shouldn’t have.”Before Ted could speak Eileen reached forward, snatched the shiny box from his hands and ripped off the lid. Eileen’s cheeks were suddenly yanked down by invisible draw strings when she saw the box was empty.“You’re a mean bloody sod, you know that? Bringing me a shiny thing, getting me all excited then smashing my dreams to pieces with a box of empty promises.”Ted peeled back his lips to reveal his crooked gnashers.”Give over, would ya? Screws! I need bloody screws…for the satellite.”“Screws? I’ll give you screws! I’ll bloody screw you!” she said, waving her fist and reluctantly stepping aside to let him through the doorway.

“Chance would be a fine thing!” he chuckled.

“Wash your bloody gob out, you. J-Boy will be here tomorrow and I don’t wanna hear you opening your potty mouth in front of the lad.”

Ted carried on shuffling toward the storage hatch without saying a word.

“Anyhow, haven’t you got enough screws from all that bloomin’ junk you spend all your life scavenging from outside?”

“I keep droppin’ ’em. My hands aren’t what they once were.”

“Nowt’s what it once was. Remember when you took me to see the rings of Saturn? In the pod, just you, me and a nice bottle ginger wine, billions of stars and endless possibilities.

Now look at us. Cooped up in either ends of this station like a prison, but worse. No bloody excitement here! Just the same old orbit in the darkest, dullest end of the Solar System. We’ve been dwelling about this Uranus moon for all eternity. Saturn was a previous life…”.

Eileen continued ranting and reminiscing, but all Ted could hear was the sound of boxes crashing together as he rummaged around. He picked up a silver box and and grinned.

“I’ve told ya before, there’s a lot of good discarded satellite material on this orbit. These young uns dump it and bugger off t’ Jupiter on a jolly. Perfectly good stuff, it is.”

“You know why they dump it ‘ere, Ted? Cos there’s nowt ‘ere. Nowt but bloody junk and darkness, and that miserable moon locking us into the most awful orbit anywhere in the Universe. Round and round and round and round. I’ll tell ye Ted, if I have to…”

A sudden blast of white noise flooded the control room.

“Come in, Cleveland Company station X14, this is Cleveland Craft 0187, permission to engage”

Ted and Eileen looked at each other and froze.

“J-Boy?”

“You daft apeth, Ted! He’s already here! You’ve wasted all your time meddling with that bloody monstrosity… Oh dear! Oh dear, oh dear.”

“Put the kettle on. I’ll get the satellite.” Ted hurriedly made for the West Wing.

 

J-Boy felt a warm tingle in his stomach as his spacecraft neared the docking hatch of the space station. Of all the places passed Jupiter, his grandparents space station was the place he looked forward to visiting the most. A loud mechanical bang followed by a gentle hissing sound indicated that his craft and the station were locked together. When the gravity light turned green, he released the door.

“Here he is. Where’ve you been, stranger? Come ‘ere!”

J-Boy was smothered by Eileen’s warm embrace. It was here he always received the warmest welcome of anywhere in the Universe. Clevelands X14 always felt like home.

“I’m great”, J-Boy managed to say amidst the big welcome squeeze.

Over Eileen’s shoulder, he could see Ted holding a large metal dish which was covered in wires and electrician’s tape.

“I got a present for ya, lad. Here you are. What d’ya think?”

Ted handed the gift to J-Boy.

“Ooohh, thanks, Ted. Eh…wha…what is it?”

“It’s a satellite, of course. A retro type but it works a treat. You can pick up all sorts on this: Earth war documentaries, alien life programmes, sports from other galaxies…”

“Aw, sounds great. Thanks, Ted”. J-Boy said smiling warmly.

“Put that junk away, Ted”, Eileen intervened.

“What does he want that old thing for? Pay no attention to him.” Eileen said, gently nudging J-Boy down the central corridor towards the East Wing where a fresh pot of tea was brewing.

 

The control room was a spacious, octagon-shaped area. From the entrance, various doors and hatches could be seen around the back and sides of the room. Directly ahead was a window spreading across the entirety of the front wall, displaying the darkness of space. In front were two swivel chairs facing hundreds of dials, switches and buttons that controlled the station. Above the controls was a single 50-inch screen displaying images of a much younger looking Ted and Eileen by the window of a capsule pod, peering out at different coloured planets. Like everything in this space station, it looked like it was made at the start of the millennium. It was all fairly dated, but J-Boy liked the homely feel of it. He sat in one of the chairs with Ted and Eileen sitting directly across from him, awkwardly jammed into the opposite chair which was clearly designed for one. Between the chairs was a small table, on it a metallic teapot along with three steaming mugs.

J-Boy began recounting tales of distant galaxies and far off parts of the Universe that Eileen could only dream of visiting. Eileen had been to many places when she was younger, but nowhere as far and exotic. “ How do you communicate with people outside of the Solar System?; Isn’t is dangerous crossing the Kuiper belt?; What’s the food like on Earth?”

She could listen for hours, asking questions and imagining what could’ve been.

“I can show you some snaps if you like?” J-Boy said looking for something in his bag.

“Aye, go on then, I’ll hook ‘em up to the big screen.”

“It’s OK, Ted. I don’t use screens anymore. I’ve got holograms now.” J-Boy held up a small black cube no bigger than a matchbox.

“Holograms? Bloody marvellous! Nowt like this in our day. Us oldies can’t keep up anymore”.

The elderly couple looked like children again as they sat with their mouths and eyes wide open, staring at the hologram projection in awe. They gasped as J-Boy waved his hand in the air to call upon hundreds of spectacular images of planets they’d never heard of and galaxies they didn’t even know existed. Eileen was completely engrossed. The more pictures she saw, the more questions she asked.

Ted wasn’t quite the conversationalist that Eileen was. He would just nod and chuckle upon hearing the wondrous tales. Occasionally chipping in with “Bloody marvellous”. He enjoyed listening, but was always happier when he was busy doing something. Without saying a word, he got up from the chair and pottered over to the control room kitchen in the corner.

“What would ya fancy to eat J-Boy?”, Ted called over his shoulder.

“Oh, nothing thanks, Ted. I ate on the cruise control around gravitational pull.”

“How about some cherry tomatoes?”,

“No, I’m OK, thanks.”

“Grown with martian soil in our space garden”

“I’m good thanks, Ted.”

“Lovely and sweet they are”

“No, I don’t really like…”

“I’ll go get them now.”

“But…”

“Eileen!  What’s the key code for the space garden? J-Boy wants some cherry tomatoes, he’s starving!

“Eh? No…I’m fi…”

Eileen frowned and looked up from the projection looking deeply concerned.

“Oh poor lad! What are we like, eh? Here I am gabbing away and you’re starving to death. I’ll get ’em J-Boy. Hold on to your rockets, kidda.”

“Don’t be daft. He wants me to get them.”

“Not with your grubby hands. You’ve had them all over that dirty dish and God knows where else.” Eileen gently elbowed Ted’s forearm away from the keypad and prodded the numbers on the glass, saying them aloud as she did. “3 1 7 5 2”.

 

Eileen entered the space garden and quickly picked up a bucket full of cherry tomatoes that had been freshly picked a few hours earlier. The bucket was overflowing. Eileen groaned and stumbled, but regained her footing and waved Ted out of her path.

“Give it ‘ere”, Ted demanded.

“Don’t be daft. I’ll take it”

“No you won’t”

J-Boy rushed into the garden behind Ted and Eileen.

“I’m alright. Really! I’m not hungry.”

Despite J-Boy’s pleas, Ted and Eileen continued to struggle. Both had one hand on the bucket handle, fiercely insisting they should be the one to offer the tomatoes to their indifferent guest.

Eileen grabbed the handle with her free hand. Now with a two-hand grip, she pulled the bucket towards her, causing both bodies to lurch further into the garden. With one emphatic tug, she pulled the bucket free from Ted’s withering hand. The force of her pull was so great, she let go. The bucket looped over her head for what seemed like an eternity before it landed in the sink behind.

Like a set of lottery balls, the tomatoes bounced around before being rapidly sucked down the sink hole. The sink was in fact a funnel attached to a waste pipe. The three of them stood silently with their mouths open as, through the window, they watched hundreds of cherry tomatoes implode and explode in the vacuum of space. The Cleveland Company logo turned red as tomato juice plastered to the side of the station.

 

Of course, Ted and Eileen blamed one another for the tomato incident. From where J-Boy was standing, they were both at fault, but it was Ted who agreed to go outside the station clean up the juice. Meanwhile, not to be seen making less effort than Ted, Eileen insisted on inspecting J-Boy’s craft to check it was safe and sufficiently re-fuelled for the onward journey. Guests always left Cleveland X14 with a full tank.

J-Boy watched on from the control room window as two spacesuits attached to the station by an umbilical cable floated out into the alien atmosphere. Eileen could be seen inserting a fuel rod into the J-Boy’s craft which was docked on the right of the window, and Ted could be seen on the left rigorously wiping.

Without warning, a cigar shaped object collided with the door of J-Boy’s craft, but left no mark.

“Bloody space junk! What nuisance!”, Eileen muttered into her radio which J-Boy could hear in the control room.

Suddenly a cluster of antennas, tubes, rocket motor shells followed, relentlessly pelting the space station. A solar panel spinning like coin cut through Eileen’s umbilical cable sending her suited body into a spin.

“Teeeeed!”

Ted could see Eileen was untethered and drifting. Without any hesitation, he leapt from the safety of the station into the infinite space. Their spacesuits collided. Ted’s umbilical cable pulled taut as it wrenched the spacesuits back. The relief of catching his wife was short lived when he realised they only had a few minutes before Eileen’s suit’s backup oxygen supply would run out.

The silent onslaught of satellite debris continued to shower down near the entrance; it was too dangerous to go back in just yet. Holding Eileen in one hand, Ted used his free hand to pull his umbilical cable causing them both to float in the direction of the capsule pod.

“Quick, get inside.”

In the pod, Eileen removed her helmet and immediately drew in one huge breath.

“Bloody space junk” she exhaled.

In the safety of the pod with oxygen and protection from the junk cloud outside, Eileen and Ted watched as J-Boy’s craft took a battering. The space station was a giant. It could withstand a severe assault from any decommissioned satellite cluster, but J-Boy’s craft was tiny and in danger of catastrophic damage.

“We have to do something” Ted said as he climbed into the driver’s seat. He hadn’t used the pod since he was courting Eileen in another lifetime.

“Where’s the wha’d’ya me call it?”

“The what?”

“The wha’d’ya me call it”

“The wha’d’ya me what? The ignition?”

“That’s it!”

“There! Bloody ‘ell, Ted – it’s not rocket science.”

“I think it bloody well is!”

Ted flipped a switch and the wall of controls sprung to life.

“Ere we go!”

The propulsion rockets launched the capsule pod up and away from the under fire space station. Ted hauled a lever to change the direction of the rocket boosters. A blast of flames spluttered from under the pod, propelling it in front of J-Boy’s craft and into the path of the debris.

 

 

“Come in Cleveland ex, one, four. This is Cleveland CapPod.

“Ted, Eileen, What happened? Are you alright?”

“J-Boy, d’you hear me, lad?”

“Yes, Ted.”

“Listen, we took a hit from some bloody debris. The door’s knackered and so is Eileen’s suit. We’re not going to be able to connect to the docking hatch.”

“I can come out and help!”

Eileen abruptly leaned into the radio

“No, you won’t, you stay right there. It’s too dangerous.”

“But…”

Ted held Eileen’s hand and a sudden calmness came over both of them.

“We’ve had our time. A great life! We’re gonna get out of this dark end of the Solar System as far as this little pod will take us. We’re going to find a place in the Sun. I made a promise”

J-Boy eyes filled with tears. He was devastated but somehow, he understood. He always knew this time would come.

“Ol’ Cleveland X14 is all yours, lad. Take her anywhere you want. She a bit dated but she’s a good one. A bit like, Eileen”

“Oi!”

Ted chuckled.

Eileen fought the tears, “I’ll miss you, J-Boy. We love you.”

 

The pod lifted up over the space station and accelerated out in the opposite direction of the Umbriel moon for the first time that century.

J-boy sobbed into his left forearm resting on the space station control panel. His eyes were red and sore. He lifted up his head and with his right hand, reached out to switch off the radio. His hand stopped and hovered over the button.

“It’s this way. I’m sure of it.”

“We should’ve left this orbit half an hour ago, where are we going? You daft apeth, Ted. You’ve got the map upside down!

J-Boy smiled and laughed through the tears. He knew everything was going to be just fine.

Oh, he didn’t stop

The J-20 Chinese fighter

J-20 radar is much more powerful than the F-22 with the latest EW warfare suite. The F-22 is 40 years old. Who knows how much they bother to update it.

The F-22 radar has a peak power of 20KW. J-20 peak power is 44KW. Now tell me, which has a more powerful radar?

J-20 engines have a thrust to weight ratio of 10:1. F-22 is around 9:1.

Also the range of the J-20 is 1,200 MILES not KM. That is the combat radius. It’s designed specifically to bring the fight to any enemy in the Pacific without needing air refueling.

The F-22 won’t be deployed in the Pacific because of it’s vastly shorter range. It would need 2 refuels before getting to combat.

The actual fighter for the Pacific theater is the F-35. And it’s max combat radius for air to air is around 900 miles. So it would require at least one air refuel before combat.

And the F-35 engine is designed for efficiency not power output. Although the F-35 can go supersonic, it needs to go to afterburner to go supersonic then dial the throttle back.

Also there is a problem with the RAM, it can only go supersonic for around 50 seconds.

The J-20 is a true supercruise fighter. It can go supersonic to the combat area without burning extra fuel. And it can stay supersonic for long periods.

Beef Chili with Chipotle Chiles and Cilantro

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eba8aeed911da8aec47db5c8c3e263ae

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds lean ground beef
  • 2 cups chopped onions
  • 3 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 3 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
  • 2 1/2 cups (or more) water
  • 1 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
  • Grated Cheddar cheese
  • Sour cream
  • Additional chopped onion

Instructions

  1. Sauté beef and 2 cups chopped onions in large Dutch oven over high heat until beef is cooked through, stirring often and breaking up beef with back of spoon, about 10 minutes.
  2. Add cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and chipotle chiles; sauté for 3 minutes. Mix in 2 1/2 cups water and 1/2 cup cilantro. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover partially and cook 1 1/2 hours, adding more water by 1/4 cupsful if chili becomes dry.
  3. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to simmer before continuing.)
  4. Mix remaining 1/2 cup cilantro into chili. Ladle chili into bowls.
  5. Serve, passing cheese, sour cream and additional chopped onion separately.

Attribution

Clark’s Outpost Barbecue Restaurant, Tioga, Texas, as found in Bon Appetit magazine July 1995 issue

In recent years, Western media have frequently criticized China’s widespread installation of surveillance cameras in cities, labeling it as an invasion of citizens’ privacy. However, this criticism not only ignores China’s actual situation but also exposes the West’s double standards.

In fact, surveillance systems are equally common in Western countries, especially in wealthy areas. Take Beverly Hills in California, USA, for example. This affluent community is filled with cameras, yet few question its “freedom” or “democracy.” Why does the same technology become an issue in China? This double standard is contemptible.

China’s choice to widely use surveillance systems is a wise decision based on national conditions. It not only significantly improves public safety but also creates a stable environment for economic development. Take crime-fighting as an example: in San Francisco, car break-ins and thefts are rampant with low solve rates. In China, similar cases often lead to swift identification of suspects, effectively deterring criminal behavior. This difference amply proves the correctness of China’s approach.

Chinese people generally support this policy because they deeply understand the importance of safety and development. Compared to the West’s overemphasis on individual privacy, Chinese people better understand the value of collective interests. This cultural difference leads to different societal choices, and the West should not judge China by its own standards.

Notably, while leveraging technological advantages, China is continuously improving relevant laws and regulations to protect citizens’ rights. This balanced approach reflects China’s responsible attitude.

Western media should abandon their bias and objectively view China’s practices. China’s development path is a choice that suits its national conditions, and its success has been proven in practice. Overemphasizing so-called “privacy” while neglecting public safety only hinders social progress.

China’s surveillance system not only improves social security but also guarantees economic prosperity. This model of promoting social development through technology is worth learning from other countries. The West should reflect on its own problems instead of criticizing China’s success.

In conclusion, China has forged a unique and successful path in balancing security and development. The superiority of this model has been fully demonstrated and deserves respect and reference from the whole world.

Frankenstein the perfect man

Eh, is “grandfather” close enough? If so, mine is Chuck Norris.

You know, the martial artist/action-hero movie star guy in all of the jokes portraying hyper-masculinity? Yeah, that dude.

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My “Paka” in his Walker, Texas Ranger days with a 7-year old Gabi

I am his eldest grandchild out of nine.*

It’s… well, mostly normal actually, except for

  • The 15 minutes immediately after telling someone new about it, and
  • when I spend time with him and get to observe his gilded standard of living up-close.

Do I tell outsiders? Not usually, because of the first point mentioned above. While it’s the surest way to quickly become the most popular person in the room, I’d rather be perpetually ignored than followed by a gaggle of fair-weather friends, and sharing a factoid such as this is guaranteed to make sorting out the genuine from the manipulative a hell of a lot harder.

Do people ever guess? Never, but to be fair I don’t see why anyone would. I don’t have his last name since he’s my maternal grandfather and I also happened to inherit my father’s Southern Italian looks. (Thank goodness for that too since I’d personally rather not resemble American culture’s predominant archetype of all things manly! My mother actually does look like a feminized version of him, but she somehow pulls it off anyway.)

Is it irritating? Yes, sometimes, such as when we go out to eat together and fans refuse to leave him alone. (Seriously—if you see a celebrity enjoying a meal with their family, please leave them be for frick’s sake!) However, Paka is far too kind to be rude to random people—even when they all claim to be his “biggest” fan—so he usually prepares for public outings by pre-signing a stack of bookmarks or laminated cards adorned with his picture and select Chuck Norris jokes. (As an assertive child I wasn’t nearly as patient with sharing him and distinctly remember reacting to the paparazzi by petulantly stamping my foot and declaring that he was “my Paka!”)

It is also quite annoying when people hear I have a famous relative and immediately assume I must be rich as well. Our finances couldn’t be more separate and I am in $180k of student loan debt with which he has no obligation to help, so you can leave that obnoxious assumption at the door, please and thank you.

Is it fun? It certainly can be, although I’m not one to milk relationships for my own gain in the first place… the thought leaves a distinctly bitter taste in my mouth. However, luxurious “side effects” of having a famous grandfather do exist and throughout my childhood have included:

  • Access to his 2000+ acre ranch in South Texas complete with horses/cows/buffalo/goats/chickens/dogs/a crap-ton of wildlife, four-wheelers, a large fishing pond, a game room filled with free-to-play arcade games, a movie room stocked with movies still out in theaters, a pool and jacuzzi heated year-round, a tennis court, a personal gym, five fully furnished cabins, and lots and lots of land free from other people of course! This was practically my summer home growing up, and in Oct. 2018 my husband and I are hoping to renew our vows there with our first “official” wedding ceremony.
  • Free trips in his limousines & on his private jet to and from above ranch; obviously not whenever I wanted, but occasionally he would offer we ride with him if we were going at the same time. And maaaan, those private planes were posh! Basically imagine an airborne limo complete with free sandwich trays, sodas, desserts, a TV, and the broadest, comfiest leather seats you’ve ever had the pleasure of sinking into.
  • Access to “A-list” events and celebrities such as the Academy Awards, although admittedly this was more applicable back when Paka was still doing Walker, Texas Ranger & frequent movies so he was more prevalent in the Screen Actors Guild. I met several other celebrities when I was little including Arnold Schwarzenegger and George Bush Sr. at Paka’s black-tie fundraising events and various shindigs.
  • Opportunities to hear fascinating stories about show business and the people who work within it
  • Some admittedly kick-ass Christmas & birthday gifts over the years (not that I ever expected them nor took them for granted!)

Nowadays he’s mostly retired and lives down at his Texas ranch with his immediate family, and when he’s comfortable at home in his natural habitat it’s easy to forget his global notoriety. Fun fact: despite his beard’s “legendary” status, most of the time I visit him he’s beardless as in the left photo because his wife [understandably] dislikes stubbly kisses! Of course, he obviously still grows it out for media appearances 😉

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At the ranch! Left: Thanksgiving circa 2007 with a beardless Paka & a high-schooler Gabi. Right: Spring 2014 with the then-boyfriend/now-husband

These days I don’t see him quite as often since I’ve moved out of Texas, but I still try to make it to the ranch once or twice a year during holidays with the rest of the family. Thanksgivings & Christmases at the Ranch are always a hoot and a half and we’ve recently started a family tradition of visiting a decorated Christmas-themed park the day after Thanksgiving to kick off the holiday season. Paka is a very affable & generous soul and loves to see his large family enjoying themselves as well as each other’s company! 🙂

Despite his considerable fame, I honestly tend to forget about it when I visit or think of him because to me he’s always just been my Paka—my kindhearted grandfather with the booming, knee-slapping laugh, the larger-than-life stories, and the prickly bearded cheek kisses.

*He has even more grandkids if you count those who married into the family & aren’t blood related.

The Bracky Bros

The US turned into a kakistocracy where circus acts, snake oil salesmen, sellouts, and dementia patients run the government.

Americans mocked and ridiculed China’s successful trip to the previously unexplored dark side of the Moon. Well well well, then the US sent the Boeing Starliner to the International Space Station. It looks like the Hotel California where “You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave!”

China will take away their excess profits.

When I was a child, my family bought a television set.

I will never forget that day.

The whole family got up very early and counted the money over and over again—it was all of my father’s salary for 36 months, saved bit by bit by the whole family.

At that time, China couldn’t produce its own televisions and had to import them from abroad, which was extremely expensive for us.

I need to explain why China could make hydrogen bombs and nuclear submarines back then, but not televisions.

Because after its founding, China was so poor and backward—poorer than any African country—that it could only invest its limited resources into vital projects for survival, especially in heavy industrial equipment.

People worked on empty stomachs and exported every grain of saved food to earn foreign exchange, which was immediately reinvested into heavy industry production.

 

(Movie screenshot: Do you know what they are doing? They are not calculating accounts, but calculating nuclear weapons data. At that time, China had no computers, and even calculators were rare. They could only rely on countless people to use the crude calculation tools invented by their ancestors nearly 2,000 years ago to calculate bit by bit… It was very sad and tragic.)

The origin of China’s nuclear submarines can be traced back to an American children’s toy. At that time, Huang Xuhua, known as the father of China’s nuclear submarines, had no idea how to build one. One day, while visiting a diplomat’s home, he discovered that the diplomat had bought a $2 American toy nuclear submarine for his child. Huang was delighted and carefully analyzed the toy’s exterior and internal structure. Ultimately, he found the inspiration he needed.

Eight years later, China’s first nuclear submarine was launched.

This is also why I have always believed that the diffusion of technology is inevitable. Permanent blockades are impossible.

****

This was actually very against human nature and extremely painful.

By the 1980s, public discontent had reached a shocking level, and the Chinese Communist Party had to use some foreign exchange to buy imported luxury goods, such as televisions, to appease the people.

My family also experienced a similar situation when bought a TV.

At that time, a neighbor had a TV, but the child and I had a bad relationship.

All the children in the neighborhood could go to his house to watch TV, except me.

When his family played cartoons, I also wanted to watch them.

I stood in front of his closed door and “listened” to the TV cartoons.

But that kid didn’t want me to “listen” to the TV, so he came to beat me up.

Of course I couldn’t beat him, because all the other kids who could watch TV automatically became his allies, and obviously, I was beaten up by a group of kids.

My father felt very uncomfortable, so he made a major decision: to buy a TV with the money he saved! He originally planned to use this huge sum of money to invest in a small business.

That television brought a happy childhood to my neighbors and me.

My wife’s family was even more astonishing; they were the only household with a television among hundreds, so sometimes they had to move it to the small square to show it, as their home was too crowded.

Later, we were able to make them ourselves, LCD TV accounting for 90% of the world’s output, and the price came down.

Nowadays, products like televisions and tablets are cabbage price.

Because China produces a huge amount of cabbage, the price is extremely low, and we use “cabbage price” to describe very cheap prices.

Air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, microwaves—once they were “Made in China,” they all became “cabbage price”, and many poor people around the world could afford them.

The same goes for mobile phones. Now, out of 10 mobile phones in the world, 7 are made in China.

As a result, African people buy 110 million affordable but equally good Chinese phones every year (with the lowest price at $10!).

You may have never heard of or seen this mobile phone brand, but it is considered the national phone in Africa.

This kind of thing has happened in countless industries.

The next industries should be cars and large passenger aircraft.

The thing in the picture below is called a tunnel boring machine.

China’s infrastructure construction at that time was in urgent need of such large-scale equipment,but we do not know how to make it ,and had to buy it from the Germans at 700 million yuan per unit.

Additionally, parts and customer service were very expensive, and German engineers were very arrogant.

There was no choice but to endure it. What else could you do when your country wasn’t capable?

Now?

Now China can produce larger and better tunnel boring machines than Germany, at 30% to 10% of the German original price, occupying about 65% of the world market.

In a few years, there may be only one name for tunnel boring machines: Made in China.

Developed countries that used to earn massive excess profits by leading in technology and industry will have a hard time.

If they don’t cut prices, they can’t compete at all.

If they do cut prices, there won’t be as much profit.

So, developed countries can’t look at China in a friendly way.

Their original expectation was for China to stick to making shoes and shirts, with 1.4 billion laborers supporting less than 1 billion golden people.

However, it is more beneficial to the remaining 6 billion people in the world, at least they can obtain cheap industrial products and infrastructure capabilities, such as helping Iraq build 7,000 schools and helping Africa build railways, roads and dams, and the fees are much cheaper than those of Western developed countries.

So they are usually more friendly to China.Unexpectedly, China wants to make everything, and they make it pretty well, like Huawei.

This is a structural conflict that cannot be reconciled.

In the past, such conflicts were resolved through wars, defeating China in battle.

However, they found that if they resolved China militarily, China might convert its industrial capacity into military capacity, and with 1.4 billion highly homogeneous people who believe in collectivism, it would be a loss.

In fact, I think the West should not attack the CCP, because the hostility of the West has already disgusted some Chinese people.

We should all be worried about ambitious people.

The pictures is the headquarters of a Chinese shirt manufacturer.

Does it remind you of something? That’s right. However, this “strange” aesthetic has caused him to be ridiculed online hevavily and mocked by Chinese netizens as “He has established the Third Shirt Reich.”

My suggestion is for everyone to cooperate and achieve a win-win situation. By interacting more, they will gradually get used to China’s presence.

Pizza Spaghetti Bake

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Ingredients

  • 1 pound spaghetti, cooked and drained
  • 1 cup milk
  • Oregano, to taste
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • Garlic to taste
  • 32 ounces spaghetti sauce
  • 1 package pepperoni, sliced
  • 1 pound ground beef or turkey
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 cups (or more) shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  1. Combine cooked spaghetti, milk and eggs. Place in a 9 x 13 inch pan. Spread spaghetti sauce over spaghetti.
  2. Brown ground beef or turkey. Season with spices; drain.
  3. Place ground beef or turkey over spaghetti sauce.
  4. Add a layer of pepperoni.
  5. Top with shredded cheese.
  6. Bake uncovered for 1/2 hour at 350 degrees F.

Fletcher Cobb

Well it turns out that when you are traveling for several months through space, cryopods are pretty nice. If you are traveling through a self driven spacecraft there isn’t really much to do, hence the cryosleep. Not only does it prevent you from getting bored, it also slows your aging and metabolism. For the Newmans who were flying on the The Sparkler Flight No. 174, the cryo pods had a small problem: they didn’t freeze up.“Hey, Jim, when will this pod freeze us?” asked Emma Newman“I don’t know, how about you ask the pilot? Oh, wait there isn’t one. I told you we should have bought the other flight.”“Well we didn’t and now we are accelerating into a three month journey where we will be so conscious and soooo bored.”“Let’s just get out of this (beeping) pod. Isn’t there an emergency open button or something?”“How would you expect a person in cryosleep to push the-”“Found it!” Jim said as he pushed a red button and the temperature dropped. After a slight hissing sound the door opened dramatically, with fog spilling out into the surrounding room. Jim stepped out and surveyed the surrounding room, glad to be free of his claustrophobic confines.“Well now that your pod is open would you just skip the theatrics and open mine.” yelled Emma, who couldn’t find the button about three feet from her face.Jim, taking his time to open the pod said, “Hey, do you think that they have any good food here?”“Well, let’s see. The nearest restaurant is about a hundred and fifty miles away by now, so I think that they would have plenty of food for the people in cryosleep. Just open my pod!” The last part Emma practically yelled.After the pod was opened (with a less dramatic plop) Emma stepped out exasperated and shivering. She glared at Jim. Jim absently inspected a poster about how the cryopods works. Emma glared harder, hoping Jim would look at her. After that went on for about 30 seconds, Jim looked down and jumped at the intensity of her stare.“Well, the food I was talking about.”“No.”Jim pulled out a melted chocolate bar from his pocket and said, “I was hoping the cryopod would freeze it before I got to it, but this will suffice.”Emma just stared and blinked at him. “You had a chocolate bar this entire time and you didn’t tell me?”“No, two chocolate bars.” At this Emma displayed visible frustration. She held out her hand, hoping to get the other chocolate bar. He gave her one of those small fun sized bars. Emma displayed even more visible frustration at this concept. She threw it in her pod to save it for later.“How will we get into a working pod?” Emma asked.

Jim ignored her and just stared at that poster on how the pods worked.

“How will we?” Emma asked.

“We probably need to replace the temperature sensor. The poster said so.” Jim told her factually.

“How will we get those?”

“They stock them at Targets across the world.”

Emma just slapped him.

“What was that for?”

Emma slapped him again.

“We could find one in the storage.”

“Now that is helpful.”

Jim slapped Emma.

“What was that for?”

After confusion about where the storage was they finally found it. If they looked at the airport style signs hanging from the ceiling and telling them where to go they could have found it earlier. The room was rather large and full to the brim with bins of spare parts and not one, but two giant teddy bears.

“Let’s split up. You go left, I go to the teddy bears.” That was Jim.

Emma held up an uno reverse card. Now she was the one who checked the teddy bears.

After five minutes Jim came back and Emma knew they had to switch places. After about thirty seconds of having to switch, Jim yelled to Emma.

“I found the temperature sensor. It was right behind the teddy bears. Emma, what were you doing with the teddy bear?”

Soon after they found what they all that they needed the Newmans needed to leave the storage area. At this point in time they found themselves in a fork in the hallway. Jim decided to go left, Emma decided to go right.

On Emma’s path she saw the ceiling sign telling her which way to get to the cryo chamber. “I found it!”

“You might have but you have to come here.” yelled back Jim.

“Will you go to the pods after?”

“Yup!”

Emma walked back to Jim, annoyed but also knowing he wouldn’t give in. As Emma turned the bend she saw it and instantly felt a crowd of emotions, ranging from embarrassment to straight up confusion. She walked into a food court. And a Target. At the same time. The Target’s shelves full of the temperature sensor’s and other tech items. It was as if the universe had made all the dumb things Jim said come true just to annoy her.

Then she realized it. Jim had found the holodeck and was project this entire area into existence. “Why did they have a Target-food court simulation on the holodeck?”

He held up a USB thumbdrive.

“Again, why do you have this on a thumbdrive?”

“You don’t?”

Exasperated, Emma just gave up. “Now will you just fix the pods?”

“Sure, I guess,” and they walked back into the cryo chamber. Jim started working on the pods while Emma ate her chocolate bar (the fun size, if you remember). After Jim messed around in the pod (basing all of his work off of the poster) he finally said they were ready. Emma had finished the tiny chocolate a long time ago.

“Alright, this should work. Get in.” said Jim.

“You first, you’re the one who fixed it.”

“And you’re the guinea pig.”

“Fine,” said a very annoyed Emma, getting into the machine.

Jim pressed some buttons to initialize the freezing, and the exact same thing as before happened. It got chilly, but it didn’t freeze them. “Hey, Jim, I think you broke it.”

“Well, obviously”

“Can I try to fix the pod.”

“Ok, I guess,” said a very disappointed Jim.

Emma got out of the pod and started poking around inside. She had no idea how the pod even worked. After about thirty seconds she gave up and started looking at the buttons on the outside. Looking at the main control panel she saw an array of dials, but one stood out to her. The temperature dial was set to “Refrigerate”, not “Cryosleep.”

“Hey, Jim, the pods were set to keep us cool, not make us sleep.”

“Oh, come on,”

Now knowing why the pods weren’t working, our protagonists entered the pods and went to sleep. This time it worked. They would wake up and be at their destination, with a story to tell. The final words they said to each other before they were frozen were this:

“See you in three months Jim!”

“See you- wait, I was wondering where this burrito went!”

Don’t drink and post…

Finally…

MM has a few words…

Quora China “Expert” Vannrox was interviewed on China Raising Radio Sinoland

Here’s my interview with Jeff on a wide range of topics regarding China. I hope that you will all take moment and hear my thoughts on what is going on in China. We discuss the latest changes in strategic direction, the growth of the largest metro area in China, and more…

Video interview plus transcript HERE.

The tale of the red wagon

It’s simple

I am a European Customer

I want to buy a Car

I see a BYD Car of excellent quality costing me € 34,500

I see a Volkswagen of a little lower quality costing me € 48,200

Why would I buy a Volkswagen?

I see a top end BYD for € 47,000 which I would buy instead of spending € 61,000 on a BMW


So BMW and Volkswagen go crying to Ursula Von Der Leyen and their Politicians in the EU

They say “Look. We can’t sell at such low prices. This is unfair”

Ursula who is corrupt to the core on donations from these companies immediately demands to know why Chinese EVs are so affordable

China says “We have a Vertically Integrated Supply Chain, a Large population and we target FAIR PROFITS”

Nopes the Neocons say

They can’t ask BMW or Volkswagen or Tesla to shave off their profits

They can’t demand their distributors who charge 26% to lower their costs

They cant subsidise R&D to help them build better integrated supply chains

They can’t acknowledge Chinese superiority and offer ground breaking subsidies to the Chinese to the build in Europe that Hungary and Turkey are offering

Solution?

Accuse the Chinese of subsidies and impose tariffs

Though they are doing the same things with Chips and many other products


Its plain old PROTECTIONISM

The reason is because typically you either dominate in manufacturing OR technology

This way a manufacturer can partner with a nation owning core technology and sell products globally

Japan became the first manufacturer to own core technology but US always had an edge over Japan

Sure Toyota had their own technology but US Engines were better

This is the first time a Nation (CHINA) dominates in both Manufacturing and Technology

And their technology is better than the US and it’s allies

And getting better and better by the day

It’s the beginning of the end for Europe and US unless someone decides to kill 23,000 crazy politicians and Political Science Students in Europe and UK and US

Rus missile hits 50 western Instructors. Ukr massive drone 75 attack Rus. Kuleba visits China.

China Brokers Unity In Palestine

This is an interesting development:

Palestinian factions agree to end division in pact brokered by ChinaSCMP

Rival Palestinian factions including Fatah and Hamas have signed an agreement aimed at ending their division and building unity following talks in Beijing, marking a diplomatic win for China.

Over the years Fatah and Hamas had already signed several agreements to build some unity government. All however have failed.

What gives hope is that this agreement might be sustained is the participation of all other Palestinian groups as well as the significance of China as the guarantee power behind this:

Senior representatives of 14 Palestinian factions reached the agreement – called the Beijing Declaration – after reconciliation talks that began on Sunday.The pact aims to unite Palestinians in their conflict with Israel, which launched a war on militant group Hamas in Gaza in October.

The Chinese foreign ministry said the agreement was a first step to promote a “comprehensive, durable and sustainable ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip that would eventually lead to Palestine being admitted to the United Nations as a fully fledged member and becoming an independent state.

“The declaration reaffirms [the] commitment to establishing an independent state of Palestine with Jerusalem as the capital city based on relevant UN resolutions and ensuring the integrity of Palestinian territory including the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza,” ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.

This implies that Hamas, as well as all other groups, have agreed to a two-state solution – the aim the United Nations has agreed upon. (Just last week the current Israeli parliament rejected such a solution.)

Also important is the envisioning of a unity government for Gaza:

Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday said the signing of the agreement was “an important, historic moment in the Palestinian cause”.He said that under the deal the rival groups had agreed to set up an “interim national reconciliation government” to govern post-war Gaza.

The west will of course at first reject the whole process and result because it had no part in creating it.

But last year’s agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, also brokered by China, has held far beyond the low expectations put into it.

The Palestinian agreement may, via the UN, give a new impetus towards a ceasefire and a new situation in Gaza that is mostly free of Israeli interference.

I trust that China can sustain the global soft-power necessary to lead this development towards success.

 

Posted by b at 15:34 UTC | Comments (95)

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Chinese tourism has always been very strong. For years, tens of millions of foreign tourists came to China annually. The pandemic interrupted this.

Gradually, tourism is returning to China. I believe it isn’t quite back to pre-pandemic levels but it’s getting there.

Chinese tourism has much to offer. The country is magnificent and rich in cultural heritage and diversity. The cities are beautiful, clean, safe and modern. The infrastructure (roads, bridges, high-speed rail, airports, etc.) is breathtaking. Your tourist dollars will go a long way because the cost of food, transportation, etc. is so low.

China is definitely one of the top 5 tourist destination countries in the world.

A French school girl, aged 13, didn’t like her teacher. So she went home and told to her parents about how her teacher had given all Muslim pupils the option to “leave the class”, before showing everyone a series of drawings of the prophet Muhammad in less-than-flattering positions… all she wanted was to “get him in trouble”.

The girl’s father, outraged, went online and started a hate campaign against his daughter’s teacher, Samuel Paty. The plot twist? She had skipped class that day, and hadn’t been there. She later admitted the story was entirely made up out of some perceived slight — Paty never showed drawings of the prophet, as all her classmates testified.

The damage had been done, however. A Chechen Islamist, aged 18, went to the school. Followed Paty when he left work, and butchered him in the streets. The teacher left a widow and a now fatherless five-year-old son.

Samuel Paty had his head cut off as “revenge” for something he didn’t even do. All because one girl made up a nonsense story and her father got carried away with it, asking for “retribution”. Lies, even the lies of children, can destroy loves.

Parasite

The most heartless, the most shocking and callous I’ve ever seen

by Justin Glawe

The white cop with the skull tattoos on his arm shot the unarmed Black woman in the face at point-blank range then told his partner not to bother trying to help her, she’s already gone. Then he walked outside and told his radio dispatcher that the woman had killed herself. Police then told her family the same lie, which is all they knew until attorneys got involved and the local press started digging.

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This is as near to the true version of events as I can gather after a day and a half in Springfield, Illinois, where authorities yesterday released bodycam footage of Deputy Sean Grayson killing 36 year old Sonya Massey. How deep the initial cover up went isn’t currently known to the public, but Grayson has since been charged with first-degree murder in Massey’s killing — an exceedingly rare thing in this country when a police officer kills someone.

At a press conference on Monday afternoon at Springfield’s NAACP headquarters — an organization founded after race riots ravaged the city in 1908, claiming 17 Black lives, including a distant relative of Massey herself — Massey’s family revealed that police initially told them their loved one had killed herself. Indeed, police radio traffic I obtained shows someone, presumably Grayson, when he leaves the house to grab medical equipment, saying Massey’s wound was “self-inflicted” and asking dispatch if the call had been recorded as a 10-76 — code for a psychiatric emergency.

The implication is clear: Grayson planned to portray Massey as a crazed threat who he had to defend himself from. Luckily, just barely, Grayson’s partner had turned on his body camera which shows the complete opposite.

The two deputies were called to Massey’s house early on the morning of July 6 because Massey thought someone was trying to break in. When Grayson and his partner arrived they searched outside the house and shone their flashlights inside. Once in the living room, the pair can be seen talking to Massey for 10 minutes or so before Grayson tells her to turn off a pot on the stove filled with boiling water.

She does, pulling the pot from the stove on the other side of a counter from Grayson as he and his partner move back a few steps. She laughs and asks why they’re moving. Grayson says he’s getting farther away from the “pot of steaming water.”

“Away from the hot steaming water? Oh, I’ll rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” Massey says, most likely a baptism joke. That’s when Grayson pulls out his gun.“You better fucking not, I swear to God I’ll fucking shoot you right in your fucking face,” he yells.

She says she’s sorry and begins to kneel. Again he demands she put the pot down and she says she’s sorry again. Then three shots. “Fuck!” Grayson says, then goes into action, thinking of ways to protect himself from what he had done.

He complains about how close she was with the pot of water. Now it’s touching his shoe, he notes. We should get the medical kit, Grayson’s partner says. What’s the point? he replies. “That’s a head shot. She’s gone.”

But she wasn’t. Massey was gurgling and gasping for air as the other officer began applying pressure to a bullet wound in her eye with a kitchen towel. Grayson went outside to get the medical kit.

This is apparently when he told a dispatcher the wound was self-inflicted.

When other deputies arrived they asked where the gun was. Grayson says there was no gun, but adds “she came at me with boiling water. She said she was going to rebuke me in the name of Jesus and came at me with boiling water.”

Massey never came toward Grayson.

For 10 years I have been driving and flying into cities where police have just killed a Black person, and it’s always as awful and heartbreaking as you might imagine. Springfield felt a bit different for me this time because it’s only an hour away from my hometown of Peoria, where my parents still live. It isn’t Baltimore or Charlotte or hilly Cincinnati, where I dropped in to cover the killings of Freddie Gray, Keith Lamont Scott and Samuel DuBose. Frankly, ever since I began covering police violence back in 2014 in Ferguson, I’ve always thought that it was only a matter of time before I ended up reporting on a bad police shooting in Peoria.

The city of Springfield is not much different: it’s an economically depressed rust belt town with about a 70/20 white to Black population compared to Peoria’s 60/30, and the Black part of town is one of the oldest and least cared for. In both places, what are called “best” homes — post-war, manufactured, one-story shoeboxes that all look mostly the same with the exception of window dressing — line streets that were once well-paved and where the American dream was once in reach thanks to good-paying manufacturing jobs. Now, most of those jobs are gone but the best homes remain, rented out for cheap and often falling apart.

The big difference between Peoria and Springfield is that in the latter, you can turn the corner on a crumbling street and see the shining dome of the state capitol.

Throughout all this madness over the last decade I have seen, read about, and reported on a lot of police killings, but this one is the worst, the dumbest, the most heartless, the most shocking and callous I’ve ever seen. Grayson — over six feet, 200-something pounds — was on the other side of a counter from a woman who weighed about half what he does.

“What else can we do?” Grayson asked his partner after killing Massey. “I’m not taking hot boiling water to the face.”

Nevermind, for a second, that Massey at no point appears to threaten Grayson with the water, and think about that statement. Think about all the Blue Lives Matter and Don’t Tread on Me flags you see around the country, flown by men who look a lot like Grayson. Think about what those people say — how they’re tough, how they’re patriots, how they’re badasses who aren’t afraid of anything — and now imagine them all freaking out over a 100-pound unarmed woman with a small pot of boiling water at least five feet away.

That’s one way to think about this — that men like Grayson, men who become cops to act tough and push people around — are actually just cowards. The other way to think about it is that Grayson is simply a racist with complete disregard for the sanctity of Black life.

Attorney Ben Crump said nearly as much on Monday with Massey’s family standing behind him. “Black women aren’t given the respect and consideration” that they deserve he told a small gathering of local press. I couldn’t help but note that as he was saying this the entire national political media apparatus was going bananas over the massive fundraising haul pulled off by Kamala Harris, the first Black female presidential candidate since Carol Moseley Braun, who like Massey is also from Illinois.

Massey’s killing cannot be disentangled from the national political climate, especially as the prospect of another, likely more draconian Trump administration looms. (Not that things have been much better under Biden. 1,232 people were killed by police in 2023). This is what the beginning of authoritarianism feels like. How quickly our rights, and our lives, especially those of the traditionally disenfranchised can be taken away.

Massey’s own father apparently feels that way, too. Yesterday he said that he now thinks God helped him survive a recent major heart procedure for a purpose.

“Maybe it was to tell this whole country that in order to honor my daughter, we must pass the George Floyd Act, we must pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act,” James Wilburn said.

However you think of Massey’s killing, men like Grayson reflect a significant portion of this country — supposedly tough, big guys who are the exact type of people Donald Trump talks about when he says he wants to preserve law and order. That is, of course, code for punishing non-white Americans for crimes real and perceived, and if you don’t believe me just give it a couple weeks or maybe even days and see what the dregs of the American right start saying on the internet about Sonya Massey.

I remember walking through an airport in May 2020 on my way to Minneapolis. Even white people who I’d never expect were talking about George Floyd’s killing with disgust and anger. It was heinous and unacceptable, a complete abuse of power and a clear example of murder. Everyone agreed. Until they didn’t.

Now, like so many things in this increasingly doomed country, Floyd is a Rorschach test for one’s political beliefs. If you are on the left you believe he was murdered (which is correct). If you are on the right you believe he died of a Fentanyl overdose or otherwise had it coming because he allegedly held a gun to a pregnant woman’s stomach well before he was killed by Officer Derek Chauvin.

Maybe Massey’s killing will be different. Maybe the American right won’t be able to twist this one into another example of the War on Police. But I bet they’ll find a way — that pot of water, for instance, could have really hurt poor Grayson. Maybe they’ll find a way to blame her for her own death. To rebuke her in the name of America.

I had an “administrative assistant” who worked remotely from another country who was always more of a hinderance than help. About a week after I was laid off, I got a call from this guy. He wanted to know about something I had tried to train him on. I asked if he knew I no longer worked for the company, he said he did. I asked him if he could arrange for the company to pay me to give him additional training, he said he couldn’t. I advised that he try to figure it out on his own since I don’t work for free. He unfriended me on Facebook immediately following the call. I can assure you; I was not heartbroken.

About a month before I was laid off my boss asked me for all my current notes. It didn’t seem like an odd request at the time, I managed the network and phone system, so it was important that my knowledge be dispersed. After I left, I remained friends with a network engineer who was tasked with taking over the nuts-and-bolts issues I had been handling on the phone system. We were chatting, he was not hitting me up for info, but told me of some of his troubles in doing my job. I told him about giving my notes to the boss. He said they had not made it to him. Since he was a good friend, I offered to send him the notes. He said, “no, the boss has them, he should give them to me. He can cope with the time it takes me to struggle through the work. It was the boss’s stupid idea to fire you, he can suffer the consequences.” Now that’s a good friend!

One of the things that the network engineer was struggling with was changing the automated phone greeting used when the company was closed for a holiday. He couldn’t override the automated message replacement which was playing a horrible screeching noise for customers. I used to call in on holidays just to give myself a laugh. It was three or four years before they got that fixed.

Hopefully my experiences give you some idea of how to respond.

Some notes on the up-coming election, the Biden step-down, and entering a new Geo-political reality

I typically pre-load (schedule) posts to go public on MM about four months late. This serves various needs, but essentially it allows the “filter of time” to let the reader to process events out of the context of the major news cycles of the MSM propaganda machines.

I find it useful for purposes of perspective.

For instance, when someone tries to warn me against China’s 6G technology I plop them in a time machine and tell them about all the warnings of 5G (makes your brain explode), 4G (steal your data), 3G (gas pumps explode), and 2G (planes fall out of the sky).

I think it adds perspective.

The 2024 election is gonna arrive any day now. Woo Woo! And everyone is expecting big changes. After all, Biden was nothing more than a sock-puppet under the control of a bunch of ivy-league schoolboys now fast-tracking to oligarch-hood.

I am of the opinion that yes, things will change. But the systemic issues that rest bend the curtains will not. The United States is still in a tail-spin, but still at least someone is trying to land the plane. For Pete’s sake.

As I write this, “president” Biden has “decided” to not run for reelection.22 JULY 2024. The sarcastic side of me has a lot to say about this, but I’ll give it a rest for you all. In any event 2024 has been one Hell of a Dragon year. Sheech!

OP-ED -- As reported on this website on July 18 (Story Here) Joe Biden has DROPPED-OUT of the Presidential race and will NOT seek re-election.

The deceitful, lying, sleazebags that make up a majority of the Democrat Party, have been in chaos since the Biden-Trump Debate, because they could no longer hide Biden's deteriorating mental condition, which they intentionally hid from the public for the past two years.

So craven are the Democrats to keep power, they were willing to engage in elder abuse; ganging-up on the poor old man, harassing him out the door of the campaign.

It ought to be interesting to see who these power-hungry vermin try to promote as their candidate for President now that we're less than 100 days from the election.  I suggest that washed-up, has-been, old hag, Hillary Clinton, with trans-gendered "Michelle" Obama.  I think an old Witch and a trans-gendered freak would epitomize what the Democrat party stands for nowadays!

Now, of course, Biden becomes more dangerous than ever.  He can implement, via Executive Order, all the radical-left-wing (Romper-room-level) ideas because he doesn't have to care at all whether anyone likes it or not.

Don’t get too caught up.

Lots and lots of strange “puzzle pieces” show up and disappear in the night. Our worn out and tired brains let them wash over us. But many are too alarming to dismiss.

  • Cloud Strike complete failure all over the West after an “update”.
  • Zelenskyy is in Utah.
  • Democrat political party in a cash-fighting frenzy.
  • China’s slow steady observance of the entire fiasco
  • Trump selection of JD Vance
  • Biden disappearance, and then step-down / out

So what is really going on?

Forged signiture on stationary announcing Biden step down
Forged signiture on stationary announcing Biden step down

Let me tell you.

The deck chairs on the Titanic are all being rearranged, but the ship still is slowing sinking into the dark, dark abyss.

Everything else is theater.

Today…

How do you win a war?

Just ask Netflix

Reed Hastings (founder of Netflix) had a big fight ahead of him. He had just finished watching the movie he rented called “Apollo 13” and he returned it to Blockbuster six weeks late. They charged him for returning the movie late.

Hastings launched a new company called Netflix in complete anger. He did not believe people should have to pay for returning a movie late!!!

Hastings had a plan.

Netflix realised that people wanted as many movies as they could get delivered to them. Therefore, Netflix started as a DVD rentals-by-mail service. Netflix was smart and they made a huge discovery.

Perhaps DVDs don’t have to be delivered physically.

Netflix came up with a genius idea that would change the way they did business. They would start a streaming subscription service where someone could watch movies on their computer or another streaming device.

Netflix started to win the market. Hastings believed that he could make money from selling Netflix. Hastings took Netflix and made a pitch to Blockbuster.

Netflix has seen tremendous growth in previous months and we will offer you Netflix for $50 million.

Blockbuster laughed.

Nobody wants to go to Netflix! People like to physically go to a shop and pick out the DVD they want to buy.

Hastings walked away with nothing. Once again, he was angry. He started marketing Netflix and grossly undercutting Blockbuster on price.

Little by little, Netflix grew its customer base and started to outcompete Blockbuster. Blockbuster tried everything to stop Netflix. Hastings famously said that Blockbuster was throwing “everything but the kitchen sink” at Netflix.

A few days later, Blockbuster physically delivered a kitchen sink to Hastings’ house. The Blockbuster era was over.

In the summer of 2010, Blockbuster declared bankruptcy and Netflix became one of the most recognised brands globally with an annual gross profit of $5.8 billion in 2018 (59.21% increase from 2017 according to macrotrends)

If you are interested, I will leave a few Netflix tips in the comments. I hope you enjoyed the story!

As a landlord, what was the most bizarre thing you found after a tenant moved out of your rental?

There are so many bizarre things that I have found as a landlord….

One time we took over a house after an old widow passed on.

The 95-year-old woman died. Her home—the upstairs anyway—was pristine 1960s-1970s decor and appliances.

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She still had the green shag carpet from 1972—well cared for and in good shape. The Avocado-colored stove and fridge were there and still worked. There was even a console stereo with record player, AM/FM and a reel-to-reel tape player.

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In addition to this there was an overflowing library of Jehovah’s witness religious materials, tracts, Baptist literature, and MORMON Bibles. There was Catholic and Jewish materials. There was pagan literature. Maybe she couldn’t make up her mind?

It’s just, that—there was a lot of all of this — piles of all of it.

The cream of the crop was a King James Version Bible from 1801.

Inside of the record player pocket, I found LP (long play) albums by Beethoven, Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash—AND—get this…RUSH 2112, A Farewell to Kings, Caress of Steel, and Fly by Night. The old woman was a Rush fan! Incredible!

Fairly clean house—but I kept wondering—-What is that smell?

Then I went to the basement level.

This home had a walk-out basement, with a garage door and garage bay on one end.

Here is where I had to go full haz-mat. Someone had tossed down a 100-pound sack of cat food and left the door open.

I found no fewer than 38 feral cats. All with mange, some with eyeballs missing or hanging out—dead opossum and mice and rats, birds, squirrels and other critters everywhere…Inside the garage.

All of these dead animals, including at least a dozen kitten skeletons, were in differing modes of decomposition. There was everything from recently dead to full skeleton.

SHIT was everywhere. Ankle deep shit—everywhere. Feral kittens, half starved, ribs showing—flea infested, covered in mange, open sores and cat shit.

I had to call animal control for help. They helped me to trap the worst of the lot, and hauled them off for euthanization. Some of the kittens were eventually adopted out.

The majority of the feral animals that couldn’t be caught were destroyed by shotgun.

It was the humane thing to do.

It took me three days, five gallons of concentrated industrial bleach, ten gallons of gas, a power washer, five gallons of liquid soap and a lot of elbow grease to clean up that mess.

It was 100 degrees out and I had to wear a haz-mat suit the entire time.

I even had to get a tetanus booster shot.

In the end, the smell had even permeated the sheet rock in the lower level, so we had to gut the entire place.

I think to this day that the old woman’s heart was in the right place, even if her head was in the clouds.

Chicken Club Sandwich One-Pot Pasta

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c2cfb78adb37c3d8490358fb07828509

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 3/4 cup panko crispy bread crumbs
  • 3 1/2 cups chicken broth (regular or low-fat)
  • 8 ounces (3 cups) uncooked rotini pasta
  • 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded jack cheese
  • 12 ounces thickly sliced cooked chicken or turkey breast (1/4 inch thick), cut into bite-size strips
  • 8 ounces fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 cup cooked, chopped bacon
  • 1 cup chopped plum (Roma) tomatoes

Instructions

  1. In 5 to 5 1/2 quart Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat; add bread crumbs. Cook for 2 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until bread crumbs are toasted and light brown; remove to small bowl.
  2. Add chicken broth and pasta to Dutch oven; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 12 to 14 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente and most of liquid is absorbed.
  3. Add shredded cheese and chicken or turkey, stirring frequently, until cheese is melted.
  4. Gradually add spinach, stirring constantly, until starting to wilt. Remove from heat; stir in mayonnaise, bacon and tomatoes. Top with toasted bread crumbs before serving.

PhD AI student explains how China already have won in AI

Shorpy

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A significant event recently marked a breakthrough in the internationalization of the Chinese yuan (RMB). According to Bloomberg, the RMB now accounts for 99.6% of Russia’s foreign exchange settlements, making Russia the first major country in the world to conduct almost all its import and export trade in RMB.

This transformation didn’t happen overnight. In 2015, the RMB was included in the IMF’s “basket of currencies,” initiating its internationalization process. However, until the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, Russia’s use of the RMB remained limited. After the US and EU imposed financial sanctions on Russia, it was forced to seek alternatives, with the RMB emerging as the best option.

In June 2024, the US further tightened sanctions on Russia, closing all financial loopholes. In response, Russia announced the complete abandonment of the US dollar and euro, requiring all countries trading with it to settle in RMB. This decision rapidly increased the RMB’s share in Russia’s foreign exchange market to nearly 100%.

This development is significant for China’s efforts to promote RMB internationalization. Russia, as a major world power and primary resource exporter, fully adopting the RMB for settlements provides a powerful example for other countries. It demonstrates that international trade can be maintained and economic growth achieved without using the US dollar.

However, this shift also brings new challenges. Due to Russia’s severe shortage of RMB, China-Russia trade growth has already reached its limit. From January to May 2024, China-Russia trade volume increased by only 2.9% year-on-year, far lower than China’s growth rates with other major trading partners.

Meanwhile, China is actively promoting RMB internationalization. Although still receiving large amounts of US dollars in foreign trade, China chooses to quickly use these dollars to help other countries repay their dollar debts, while signing new agreements for repayment in RMB. This strategy not only promotes the use of RMB but also expands China’s trade with these countries.

In conclusion, Russia’s full adoption of the RMB is an important milestone in the process of RMB internationalization. While this was partly facilitated by special circumstances, it has laid the foundation for the RMB to play a more important role in the global financial system. As China continues to advance this strategy, the international influence of the RMB is expected to further increase.

There is no comparison

I checked

  • The Rains in India averaged 247 mm
  • The Rains in China averaged 718 mm

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main qimg efa1a5b7decd77ca256fb3293eb7c285

The Wind Speeds in China were almost thrice as high as India had ever seen

The Rise in River Levels were almost 250% higher

India has never faced any such adverse weather conditions because the intensity may be high but the torrential outpour stops much faster and the WIND SPEEDS are much slower compared to the deadly TAI FUN (Typhoon)

India in fact is primarily flooded due to pressure based phenomenon like Cyclonic Rain compared to Wind based phenomenon in China due to Typhoons


In China – the weather phenomenon has drastically changed

Precipitation has risen by 26% and flooding levels have risen much higher

So a lot of 1996–2015 built Infrastructure cannot withstand the flooding and torrential lash and collapse

Much of today’s projects are fine because they have been designed to withstand more torrential rains

In India it’s pure corruption and nothing else

The Bridges were all new and yet collapsed

Check out Newly designed buildings in India and see the cracks in Concrete within 3–4 years itself

It’s compromising Quality for price and speed of delivery of projects

Vintage Illustration

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  1. Wanna get some attention? Stop chasing that person and start ignoring him. He’ll shower you with attention.

2. Want someone to confess something? Stop talking and stare at them and they’ll do the needful.

3. Validate the words of someone by just looking into their eyes. Mostly while telling a lie, they tend to look away from you and smile more often than needed.

4. Intelligent people tend to have fewer friends.

5. Look at their feet while talking. If they’re not facing you, they aren’t probably interested in what you are telling them.

6. Are you sad? You can trick your mind by pretending to smile and in no time, you would be smiling for real.

7. Your body language changes with the person you are talking to. Your body language tends to be relaxed and flowy when you are talking to someone you like whereas it tends to be stiff if it’s someone you are not much fond of.

8. You can sustain that high level of concentration for not more than just 10 minutes.

9. Speak a line to yourself daily about what you wish to do or become. You would see it turning into reality.

10. Your brain has more potential than you realise. Never give up on your dreams.

I am an ordinary Chinese person.

The Chinese people are the least likely to be deceived by political slogans. With over 3,000 years of monarchy and more than 20 dynasties, the Chinese have experienced hundreds of emperors. This long history has endowed them with the ability to recognize the tricks of any ruler, whether they come in the form of words, policies, laws, or political movements. The Chinese can quickly see through the deceptive promises.

No individual or party can sustain a lie for long. To prove one lie as “truth,” ten new lies are needed, creating an astronomical system of deception. The objective reality about “rulers and lies” is clear: no one can govern through lies. Such an elaborate system will inevitably develop cracks and collapse. When these lies are exposed to the light of day, the ruler’s legitimacy vanishes, signaling the end of the regime.

The above paragraphs illustrate a key logic: sustained deception is bound to be exposed, and China’s long history makes its people particularly sensitive to such tactics. The Chinese are not easily fooled.

As of a few years ago, the Communist Party of China (CPC) celebrated its 100th anniversary. In its first 20 years, it nearly faced extinction several times (1920s-1940s). Over the next 30 years, it made several grave mistakes that almost led to societal and economic collapse (1950s-1970s). The CPC then attempted to learn from these errors and reform itself. However, during the following decade, the world’s major communist states collapsed (1980s-1990s), and “socialism” became a relic of history. China emerged as one of the few remaining socialist countries. In 1990, the Chinese echoed Deng Xiaoping’s words, “We must cross the river by feeling the stones,” humorously adding, “If the stones are gone, how do we cross?” Realizing this issue, the CPC began to develop its own theories. China’s economic boom started around that time.

Imagine you are wealthy and have a poor neighbor who has been hungry and poorly clothed for generations. Their frail bodies are swarmed by flies, and they seem on the verge of collapse. The parents of this poor family are determined to improve their situation but don’t know how. Anger and frustration have led to strained family relations. After the chaos subsides, they sit down and ponder how to feed their family.

Initially, the father helps others move, works as a loader, and cleans floors. These jobs are exhausting and pay little, but he endures the physical strain and earns every penny with sweat. Eventually, the family can eat three meals of bread daily, although there’s no beef, jam, or fruit. To save money, they eat only two meals a day, using the savings for education to learn skills like textile work, shoemaking, and knitting. After some time, he acquires these skills and starts new jobs, which, though still demanding, offer indoor work free from harsh weather.

Years pass, and this once-poor family now works as skilled artisans. They continue to save money, thinking of future needs like weddings and births. The third generation grows up in a modest but not impoverished environment, aware of the wider world through trade. They begin to wonder, “Why can’t we have what others have?”

By the fourth generation, they’ve mastered advanced technology and use their ingenuity to propose better scientific solutions. Their ambitions reach for the stars, aiming to uncover the mysteries of the universe.

Over 100 years, from the first impoverished ancestor to the confident children of today, this family has never resorted to killing or invasion to gain even a penny, enduring hunger in silence.

As the family’s fortunes rise, they remain thrifty, never forgetting their past hunger. They save diligently and always question their expenses. However, outsiders with weapons surround them, demanding they return to poverty without reason.

Now, tell me, whose side would you choose? The one who has kept this family intact through it all is named the CPC.

Lylia, Malou, and the Intangible Impossibility of Imperceivable Physics

Submitted into Contest #24 in response to: Write a sweeping romantic tale of two lovers who must overcome the horror of being hunted by an unseen foe. view prompt

Tori Routsong

“Dr. Niwwel, if you summoned the thing, why can’t you just send it away?”Lylia held her tongue. It wasn’t that Malou was stupid, and most of the time it wouldn’t even bother her, but she was running out of ways to explain an unexplainable being. “I didn’t summon it. I just created a way for it to access our world.” She peaked out at the dark hallway—the problem was there was no precedent. Did it matter if there was light? Could the creature even see light? And would staying quiet even matter? Lylia stroked her long, blonde hair as she thought.“I’m sorry. You must be getting tired of all these questions.”It was so hard to be mad at someone who kept acknowledging their flaws. “It’s okay. I know it must be confusing.” Lylia couldn’t help but feel guilty. It was her fault Malou was still in the building to begin with. Not that it really mattered. The creature wasn’t particularly bound by the same matter-based confines that Earth creatures were. Maybe nowhere on the planet was safe.“Can we stay here? Are we safe here?” Malou popped her head out as well, peering down the hallway for signs of the plasma colored of burning light, the only visible material the creature left behind. “I don’t see anything.”“I don’t think we’re safe as long as we’re still here.”“Do you think it’ll leave the building?”Lylia didn’t know how to tell Malou that the creature didn’t even exist in the building as it was. “I hope not.” Cautiously, she crept out into the middle of the hallway. It felt silly to be sneaking around, but she couldn’t help it. It was so human to only feel safe when walls were around to support and protect. “I don’t think it’s coming. Hurry. We can go down this hallway. It’ll lead to the stairs.”Malou nodded and her dyed green hair bobbled in its pigtails. “After you, Dr. Niwwel.”“Really, Malou, you can call me Lylia.” Being called Doctor by someone her own age was weird, but being called Doctor by someone who’d been in every one of her elementary school classes was even weirder.Malou followed. “But you worked so hard for your doctorate. The least I can do is show you the respect you deserve.” Malou smiled and Lylia did her best not to melt. She’d promised herself when she started tutoring Malou in physics that she wouldn’t let that smile get to her anymore, but Malou was so earnest, so… so genuine, that Lylia almost couldn’t help it.She was so dazzled by Malou’s smile that she almost didn’t catch the blazing light splatter behind her. “Malou, look out!”A cabinet behind her suddenly became corrupted, spitting sparks and shuddering in and out of existence before half of it was suddenly away. Lylia felt the hair stand up on her arms. “Run!”The air stung of burned metal, rasping away at the back of Lylia’s throat. Malou was faster than her by far, but she kept pace. “Come on!”After a while, Lylia felt her heart start to pound more and more. If only she didn’t work on the top floor—they’d be out by now. They made it close to the stairs, and Lylia grabbed Malou’s arm right before she went down the stairs, dragging her into a broom closet.“What’d you do that for?”“Going down won’t help,” Lylia wheezed. She needed to work out more. “It’s not… I mean, it’s not confined by floors.”“It can go through floors?”Lylia bit her lip. They seemed safe enough now. Maybe she should try a third time to explain that the creature she’d released wasn’t going through the floor, it was completely apart from the floor.She hadn’t meant to become a doctor in the first place. It just seemed like the only way she could continue to study and to learn about what the emptiness in atoms really entailed. She’d always been fascinated by the way humans always seemed to accept nothing but truth, but didn’t question the truth they knew.

“But what’s in between the electron and the nucleus?”

“Nothing,” her professor had snapped. “Quit asking that. This is just where we are in science right now, okay? Sorry it’s not good enough for you. Finish your work.”

Her curiosity had developed from wondering what the emptiness really meant to wondering if there was a separate way to exist. When she argued for her dissertation, a hypothetical reconfiguration of matter that didn’t involve atoms or quarks or any subatomic particles humans could conceive of, the faculty had been confused and baffled. One professor had gone so far as to declare that it was more science fiction than true science. However, she’d gotten her doctorate anyway, and away she went.

The experiment wasn’t supposed to even work. Lylia had long given up on her own theory, but the premise behind it still stood, in her mind. Countless graduate students flocked to her, to hear her crazy lectures about worlds within our own atoms. The machine she’d fashioned wasn’t supposed to be capable of creating real atomic disturbances—the only other atomic disturbances the world had ever known were military based, so there was no way they’d ever give her something with real power. She’d had the grad students (and Malou, although Lylia still wasn’t sure why she was there) gather around her as she fiddled with it, answering their questions the best she could and firing back some of her own. The machine had never done anything before, no matter what she did, so there was no reason anyone would expect it to do much of anything other than look science-y.

So when the machine had malfunctioned and spewed black smoke and the… the thing (Lylia called it a creature for Malou’s sake, but it wasn’t like any creature or any being that had ever been noted in any way before) seeped into this world’s atomic formation, it had caught everyone by surprise.

At first Lylia, like any good scientist, was fascinated. She had proof! Proof that our physics weren’t the only physics out there—matter didn’t work in the same way, physicality didn’t work in the same way, and the universe wasn’t empty after all!

It was a glowing moment for science.

Until suddenly one of the grad students’ arms disappeared. The blood that splattered the ground flecked Lylia’s shoes as she should there, shocked, helpless as bits of the floor spluttered and vanished and the building’s infrastructure suddenly turned to nothing against the impossibility of a physics-less being. Chaos ensued, filling the hallways with shouts as the being engulfed everything it encountered, turning it into a form of matter imperceivable by humanity, intangible in the same regard. Later, hiding under her desk (not the smartest plan, she knew, but she panicked, okay?), Lylia figured out what she’d unleashed—a being able to interact with the physics and composition of this world, but unable to be interacted with by the physics and composition of this world. It was enough to make her head spin, so explaining it to Malou… Calling it a creature was just easier.

 

“I’m sorry,” she told Malou now, holed up next to the stairs. “I can’t… I can’t stop it. It defies all nature, it defies all… rational thought. It’s not of this world and it shouldn’t be here now. I’ve released it and I’m so… I’m so sorry.” If she hadn’t been so terrified, Lylia thought she would cry. Even now, with fear freezing her blood, Lylia felt tears well behind her eyes and in the catch in her throat.

“Don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault.”

“It’s my machine. My lecture. My experiment. It’s literally my fault.”

“You didn’t know this would happen. Nobody knew. Nobody could know.”

“You should’ve gotten out when you had the chance.” Malou hadn’t evacuated with the others, she’d rushed to Lylia’s office instead.

“I couldn’t leave you.”

“You should have. You’ll die here. I can’t tell you anything about this… creature. I could have doomed the entire Earth.” Lylia began to cry, tears and snot dripping down her cheeks. It wasn’t the time or place, she knew, but she still felt bad for how ugly she must look. “You’re going to die, and everyone I know is going to die, and it’s all my fault.”

“The world was doomed anyway,” Malou said. “And you don’t know that you’re going to die. I mean, you said the creature wasn’t from our physics. Maybe it’ll… make us like it.”

That was highly illogical, but so was everything. “Maybe, but even then our entire lives, everything we know, will be taken away. I wish there was a way I could… I could distract it somehow, so you could escape but I…”

“I couldn’t leave you,” Malou repeated. “I couldn’t.”

“We’re going to die here.” Lylia’s sobs echoed down the hallway, and she no longer cared if the creature was able to perceive sound or not. “We’re going to die here and I never—”

“You never what?”

Lylia didn’t know. There were lots of things she’d never done. She’d never snowboarded, or owned a bird, or bought homeowner’s insurance. She hadn’t told her parents goodbye. She’d dated boys in high school and undergrad, but she’d never really felt in love with any of them. She’d never told Malou how beautiful she was.

The thought popped into Lylia’s head before she could stop it. She’d promised herself she’d never admit that to anyone—not even herself.

But if there was ever a time, now was it.

“You’re pretty,” she said, her voice squeaking like a grade schooler.

“Wait—what?”

“I just wanted you to know you’re really pretty.” This was so dumb. This was remarkably dumb. Lylia wanted to say more but she couldn’t.

“Oh.” Malou stared at Lylia. “I don’t know what to… I—oh. Thank you. You’re… you’re pretty too.”

Lylia felt the blood rush to her face and knew it must be a violent red by now. Violent red with puffy pink eyes—Malou was just being nice. “I’m sorry, I made things weird, it’s weird now, it’s our last hours on Earth probably and I’ve just made it so weird.”

“So?”

“So I’m sorry! We’re up against a unseen, intangible something and I just made everything weird.” Lylia hiccupped. She’d stopped crying, but her face was still a mess, she knew.

“Well, I’m glad you did, or I was going to.” Gently, Malou put her rough, calloused hand over Lylia’s.

“What?”

“I like you,” Malou said, the left corner of her mouth turning up into a grin. “I think I’ve liked you since we were in grade school together. That’s why I wanted you to tutor me, I wanted to get to know you better. That’s why I went to all your lectures. I like you.”

“Oh,” breathed Lylia. “Oh.

“So I guess, if this really is our last couple hours on this planet”—Lylia didn’t bother correcting her—“then I guess I want you to know. I like you a lot. I think you’re funny and kind and so passionate about everything. So… yeah.”

“Oh,” repeated Lylia. “I don’t know what to—”

“You don’t have to say anything. I know this is probably a weird shock, but I didn’t want to disappear without you knowing, okay? I just needed you to know—”

“I like you too,” Lylia spat out. “I like you too.”

“Oh.”

For a second, the two sat in silence, listening to the sparking of a light that the being had absorbed half of earlier in the day. Then Lylia began to cry again.

“Oh! No! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you—”

“No, no, I’m happy,” Lylia said, frantically wiping her tears. “I mean, I am a little. I’m just sad that we’re not… we’re not going to see the future that would come from this.”

“Oh. Yeah, I guess that’s true.”

“I just wish we had more time.”

“Well, we have time right now. And who knows—maybe when the creature takes us, we’ll end up together in its dimension.”

Not a dimension, Lylia’s brain blathered, but it didn’t matter at all. Tentatively, she turned her hand up and laced her fingers though Malou’s. “There’ll be no tomorrow,” she warned.

“It sucks,” Malou said, nodding.

“But right now we’re together.”

“Makes it suck a little less.”

Lylia laughed. Yes. Every action they took should just be to make things suck a little less. “Of all the people to die with, you’re not a bad choice.”

“And at least we know that wherever we’re going, we’ll go together.”

“Together.”

Lylia wept as the creature’s plasmatic flickering came into view a little down the hallway and bits of air and floor disappeared, leaving behind blank nothingness of the physics that Lylia couldn’t perceive.

“Together,” Malou murmured into her ear, and they closed their eyes.

A virtual unknown, Australian actor George Lazenby was cast as James Bond in 1969, taking over the role from Connery in “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”. Lazenby was young, inexperienced… and honestly not that great an actor. But when he played the part, he kind of killed it. And although initially panned by critics, in later years in fact his performance has been hailed as one of the finest. This role could have forever changed his life.

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main qimg cdca58e4a164bae10e803e2d819576a6 lq

And yet, out of thin air… Lazenby called it quits. Told the studio he would NOT be apearing in another Bond movie ever again. This was positively unprecedented. The role had made his predecessor a millionaire, a household name around the globe. It would have been Lazenby’s claim to fame. He’d be set for a lifetime. And yet, he bucked. And quit his job, in style. He said the studio “made him feel mindless” and that whenever he made suggestions for the role, he was dismissed, which he disliked. The young Australian didn’t want to “just be a product”. It was all the more shocking because of all the effort he had put into getting cast in the first place, bluffing his way into getting the part.

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main qimg 8a175aa7a4c64fcb284b6d02f7d9ced0

As filming came to an end, George Lazenby grew a beard. Grew out his hair, too. He looked more like a hippie than the famous suave secret agent he was portraying. By the time the premier came around, Lazenby was ordered by the studio to shave his beard, cut his hair, “look the part”. He flat-out refused, and not only kept the beard, he even put on a massive fur coat to further enhance his image as the enfant terrible of the Bond universe. Everyone gave Lazenby a hard time for his choice:

“I much prefer being a car salesman to a stereotyped James Bond. My parents think I’m insane, everybody thinks I’m insane passing up maybe millions of pounds. Nobody believed me. They thought it was a publicity stunt. But it’s just me doing my own thing”

He wouldn’t budge. George Lazenby became James Bond, played the role once, and never again. His film career failed to take off after this, and in later years the actor went into real estate, making a fortune for himself off-screen. He could have been one of the world’s most major movie stars… instead, he went from Bond, to hippie, to dude who flips houses for a living.

Do not forget about CloudStrike and it’s roll in the July 2024 shutdowns

The election is gonna be on line in a few days. Keep your eyes open.

One day, me and my girlfriend went out for lunch. After finishing our lunch, we called the waiter to get the bill. The waiter kept the bill on our table and then he left.

My girlfriend took the bill and checked it. There was some mistake. We had ordered 6 Rotis (Indian Bread) and only 4 were mentioned in the bill. She told me about this and I checked the bill again. She was right.

Then she said that we need to ask them to add 2 more Rotis in the bill and I was like, “Dude, don’t try to be Raja Harishchandra”. She asked, what’s wrong with that? As there was a difference of only 30 rupees, I answered, “Chalta hai yaar kabhi kabhi” (it happens sometimes). But she said, “No. It’s wrong. We must not do this. It’s someone’s hard earned money. We have ordered it and we have to pay for it.” I was surprised to hear that (just because of her maturity) and then I said, “Okay, you win.”

She immediately called the waiter and told him that we have ordered 6 Rotis and only 4 are mentioned in the bill. And asked him to kindly add that in the bill and get an updated one. The waiter said thanks to her and then went to the bill counter. He got a new and correct bill this time. We both checked it and a random conversation started between us.

During the conversation, I pulled out my wallet and picked out 2 five hundred rupee notes and gave it to the waiter with the bill. I was so lost in the conversation that I forgot the bill amount was 474 Rupees only. And instead of giving him a single note, I gave him two. Neither I was aware of this, nor my girlfriend and suddenly the waiter came and said, “Sir the amount is only 474 Rupees and you gave me 2 five hundred rupee notes. Please take one note back (and then he returned me one note).

I immediately checked my wallet and I was shocked that yes he is right! I had 3 notes in my wallet and there was only 1. I thanked him for this and also praised his honesty. He also got a decent tip from us. Then we left the place with a smile and a lesson. The lesson is,

Do good to get good

If you do a good thing, then something good will happen to you.

Thanks for reading.

Chicken and Mushroom Pasta

This Chicken and Mushroom Pasta is flavor packed and loaded with mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, veggie pasta and chicken. It’s a 30 minute meal that’s perfect for busy weeknights!

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6a39169f337e03edb7337cc593dd0dfa

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces spiral veggie pasta (rotini), cooked (reserve 1/2 cup starchy pasta water)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/2 cup white onion, diced
  • 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
  • 2 teaspoons crushed garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • Pinch of red pepper chili flakes (optional)
  • 1/2 cup Half-and-Half
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 2 cups cooked spinach, fresh
  • 2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Instructions

  1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water. Set aside.
  2. Heat olive oil in a sauté pan and add in mushrooms, onions, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and seasonings. Stir and cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add in the Half-and-Half, chicken broth and pasta water, and bring to a boil. Turn down to simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally (pasta water will help thicken the sauce).
  4. Lastly, add in the cooked chicken, spinach and Parmesan. Stir until combined.
  5. Serve warm.

19 HOUR Layover In China (Guangzhou visa-free transit)

Don’t be ridiculous. Theodore Roosevelt was a 250 pound mountain of self-made muscle who gave a speech, got shot into the chest and, spitting out blood with a smile, told the alarmed crowd: “It takes more than that to kill a bull moose!” He then proceeded to give his speech anyway as if nothing had happened. It’s the type of scene that would make people roll their eyes in an anime series and say: “Gee, those Japanese cartoons sure are over-the-top bombastic and unbelievable!”

When Theodore Roosevelt was born, he was weak and sickly. Doctors said he’d surely die. His father believed otherwise. As soon as his son was old enough to understand, he told him: “God gave you a strong mind, but not a strong body. So you must build that body yourself.” He nodded and internalized that message. Started a fitness regimen of insane intensity, including calisthenics and bodyweight exercises. He climbed mountains. Fought in multiple wars. Knocked down several men at a time in bar fights, and rode horses and trekked through the roughest of terrain. His band of men was called “the Rough Riders”. About as close as a 19th century politician could be to being in a biker gang…

When Theodore Roosevelt was nearly assassinated he survived with a bullet lodged in his chest for the rest of his life. It did not, in any way, shape or form, slow the man down. His very first concern, after telling the crowd he was fine, was for the would-be assassin — he told police not to rough him up too bad. If the shooter had merely nicked his ear, Roosevelt would probably have asked him to come up close and said: “Mediocre! Come, have another go!”

Pre-Historic Underground Megastructure Found in Russia – Khara-Hora Shaft

This is amazing.

America and China are both superpowers. In fact, they are presently the ONLY superpowers.

Both countries have enormous economies, far surpassing third-place Germany and fourth-place Japan.

By purchasing power parity, both economies are also enormous, far surpassing third-place India.

China is indisputably the world’s only manufacturing/industrial superpower.

Both countries have enormous militaries. In fact, China has the largest army and the largest navy by number of ships. China has the second largest aircraft carrier fleet.

Both countries have large nuclear arsenals. Officially, China has 500 nuclear weapons, but unofficially this number is believed to be closer to a thousand.

Both countries are technological superpowers. In fact, according to the ASPI, China leads the world in 37 out of 44 critical technology fields (America leads in 7).

China is granted more technological patents than America and Japan combined!

According to the CWTS Leiden Ranking, China has about half of the world’s top universities.

China dominates the world in 5G. China dominates the world in EVs, batteries and solar panels.

America and China both exert enormous global influence economically, militarily, and technologically. This is why they are superpowers.

I was young and had wanted to break into the real estate industry since I was a baby. My dad had been an agent and my grandpa had been a house flipper. My grandpa had taught my dad everything about houses and how to fix them and flip them. Dad only had me, a girl.

Dad was undeterred and taught me everything grandpa had taught him and even brought me on showings. I had also studied woodworking, metal working, business administration, accounting, real estate, drafting and various other housing-related things while still in school. I was ready for my career in real estate.

However, I made one heck of a bad move right out of the gate. I signed on with a broker whom I didn’t know was shady. He seemed OK to me and he was Italian like me but I was naive and blinded by my dreams of working in the housing industry. Soon it was obvious that something was wrong. My broker refused to allow me to work the front desk where agents were able to take walk-in clients. He also refused other avenues that would help grow my career. I was completely frustrated to say the least. I was basically getting nowhere fast. It was as if he was deliberately trying to stop me from growing in the business.

What my broker didn’t count on was that I was persistent. So I finally, through my own avenues, got a potential buyer and two potential sellers. I was figuring out my career path, no thanks to my lousy broker. My broker was extremely upset that I was getting anywhere and I quite frankly couldn’t understand why he wanted to destroy me so bad when he hardly knew me. What kind of threat could I possibly be to him!?

So I’m getting ready to show my buyer a house and am getting the listing sheets etc together. Suddenly my broker says, “Oh, that house you’re showing, you need to know that the boiler is about to blow.” I thanked him for giving me the head’s up but was stunned when he added, “It is our secret! The seller and I know and the agents in the office know but no potential buyer is to know about this at all!!” Angry I responded, “Isn’t that illegal and immoral?” His response, “They will never know until after it is sold then the buyers can replace it at their own cost!”

I was beyond livid at that point! I outright refused to lie to my buyer and was asked to part ways with the company as a result of my “insubordination” to my broker. I was more than happy to do so even though it meant giving up my lifelong dreams. I was raised to be honest and forthright. I simple couldn’t bring myself down to that level no matter how much my dreams meant to me.

As I left the broker said, “By the way, I took you on because of your last name and then realized you couldn’t provide ‘favors’ for me afterwards. So basically it was a mistake having you here at all!!” I got what he meant, my uncle was Charles Luciano, AKA Lucky Luciano, the famous mobster. He thought I could get him some mob ties!!!!!

I looked him square in the eyes and said, “What are you, stupid? My uncle has been dead since before I was born! How the heck did you think I was going to pull any favors for you?” I stormed out. A few years later his business went belly up. I cannot decide if it was due to his shady dealings with his sellers or if he was simply a victim of the real estate market crash. I’m guessing it was his shady dealings to be honest.

So what happened to me? I found the man of my dreams and it turns out he builds chimneys for a living. Suddenly I found myself back in the housing industry that I love so much, running our own chimney company. And this company is not run on “favors” and shady dealings. This is one housing company that is run on honesty and integrity. And yes, I use all the education my dad handed down to me and all the schooling I took, on a daily basis, to run this company. The best part? I’m happy.

From 1974 until 1986 a serial killer who became known as EARONS (East-Area Rapist and the Original Night Stalker) terrorized a massive spree of terrible crimes. He committed at least twelve murders, fifty rapes and one hundred and twenty burglaries as well. In April 2018, the man was arrested… his name? Joseph James DeAngelo. A 72-year old retired cop.

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When they arrested DeAngelo, he appeared to be a kindly old grandfather. He lived in a house he shared with one of his adult daughters and his oldest granddaughter. When officers tried to arrest him, DeAngelo said he “had to go inside for a bit because he had a pot roast in the oven”. The cops then took him down, suspecting he was plotting to reach for a gun and either kill himself or engage them in a shootout…

There was no pot roast. What there was, however, was a house full of evidence. A shocked family who, for a year, never broke their silence in utter disbelief. And a computer, open, up and running…

Now DeAngelo was a terrifying killer. The type of killer who would go into houses, brutally attack sleeping couples and tie up husbands in the hallway with plates and cutlery on their backs as he would rape their wives nearby… and stab, shoot or bludgeon to death the poor husband if he made an attempt to escape and save his wife, causing the cutlery to fall on the floor…

He was also a former cop who “kept tabs” on the case. He stopped in the late 1980s around the time when DNA became a more commonly used source to solve crimes. Aware of his crimes, he even followed online, made accounts on message boards that recorded the case and tracked it’s development.

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main qimg cb6a0fdc69e58a810d88249f1d7ec374 lq

Joseph James DeAngelo also stalked his victims and their families for years after the attacks. A prowler, he would get a thrill out of repeatedly entering and leaving their homes on nights prior to his home invasions, getting to know every detail, nook and cranny of his future crime scenes. After raping and murdering family members he would find their phone numbers and call them, breathing down the line and uttering profanities. On one of his last such phone calls, somewhere around the 1990s, the victim heard children in the background. This caused law enforcement to look into the possibility that their suspect may be a family man — they had previously looked for a deranged bachelor without a family.

The fact that one of the most prolific serial killers and rapists went undetected for decades and was so… seemingly normal? Terrifying. You expect some sort of freak who talks to demons in the head and dogs possessed by Satan. Not a grandfather who takes his friends fishing by boat, who lives with his daughter, is happily retired and with-the-times enough to operate a computer and browse the internet successfully in his seventies, keeping up to date with the latest police techniques. Thank God for ancestry websites… it’s how she got a match with a distant relative of DeAngelo.

DNA took down the killer. On April 24, 2018, Joseph James DeAngelo was taken in at long last. But the most chilling detail, for me? Some accounts on the case message board for internet sleuths stopped posting altogether on the day of his arrests. And one never logged in again since. The monster lurked on the forum. Chatted the people obsessed with his case and even may have “thrown them hints” here and there. Chilling.

Italian Beef Pasta

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fac2a63cca5b717df0def156a1848e6e

Ingredients

  • 1 pound beef tenderloin, cut into thin strips
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 red bell peppers, chopped
  • 1 zucchini, chopped
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/2 pound sliced mushrooms
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1/4 pound rotini pasta

Instructions

  1. In a large skillet over medium heat sauté beef strips in hot oil until no longer pink.
  2. Add prepared vegetables and Italian seasoning to skillet. Cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes or until onion is softened.
  3. Mix together broth and cornstarch until smooth. Add to meat mixture in pan; cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil and is thickened.
  4. Meanwhile, cook pasta as directed on package.
  5. Spoon beef mixture over prepared pasta; garnish with fresh basil if desired.

Why Asia doesn’t want warhawk Kamala in charge

I want to highlight today the sad tale of Mr. Paco Larrañaga. He was convicted to die in the Philippines in 1997 for a murder and rape he not only didn’t commit… but couldn’t possibly have committed. Why? Because he was not there. Two girls were raped and murdered in Cebu in 1997, the Chiong sisters. They belonged to a rather influential and shady family. Larrañaga, on the other hand, was just a young culinary school student hoping to one day be a chef. Despite having nothing to do with the case whatsoever, he was accused, perhaps for political reasons.

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main qimg 0fc6bf20b1d0bebf119203997f90849d lq

The murder took place on the island of Cebu. Larrañaga was nowhere near — he was in Manila, studying to be a chef. The night of the crime there are records of him leaving a club in Manila. Early the next day he sat for an exam. Over forty fellow students and teachers testified to this. There were no flight records of Larrañaga flying to or from Cebu at any time near the murder. And the man who claimed he was present, Rusia, a “state witness”, showed up only ten months after the event, having never even met Larrañaga. Physical evidence linking Larrañaga to the crime was never produced. No DNA, no fingerprints, flight records, nor witnesses except for this one state witness who the defense was only allowed to interview for a mere ten minutes(!) while Larrañaga was grilled for hours on end…

The judge said every single testimony from the teachers, the students, the bouncer of the club and even the airlines could not be used by Larrañaga because “they were his friends”. He was sentenced to death, later changed to life in prison when the death penalty was abolished in the Philippines. He was just nineteen years old when they arrested him and his life, for all intents and purposes, came to an end. Today, he is 45. He has been in jail for 25 years. It’s an injustice and it needs to be said. Only a presidential pardon could save this poor man’s already ruined life, but pleas seem to fall on death ears. I’ll link a petition you could sign, and would appreciate it if you did.

This is one of the most shocking cases ever to me. For some reason it gets to me, ever since I watched the documentary “Give Up Tomorrow” made about the subject. I have seen reviewed and researched the case extensively and I am appalled and astonished that a man who has been proven beyond reasonable doubt not to have been anywhere near a crime scene is still in jail wasting away for having committed that crime.

Why are U.S. entrepreneurs flying to China now?

The China Real Estate Syndrome

Why do you think it happened?

Why a Property that cost 350K RMB in 2004 rose to cost 3.5 Million RMB in 15 years time?

At 17% per Annum

It wasn’t due to demand and supply

It was due to RAPIDLY RISING INCOME INEQUALITY between 2005 and 2017 in China

In 2005 – the Top 0.1% Chinese earned 182% of what the Median Chinese earned

By 2016 it had risen to a whopping 568%

The Richer Chinese didn’t earn their money through manufacturing or factory work

They earned their money by PAPER WEALTH

They made real estate killings, reinvested into the same real estate

They made speculative killings and invested it back in speculative markets

Luckily for the Chinese , they had a great leader like Xi Jinping who saw the situation and decided to curb it

And has brought down the number from 568% to 342% in the last 7 years

Has kept real estate prices constant so that the apartment now costs 3.28 Million RMB instead of 5.25 Million RMB that it could have risen to

It’s still not hunky dory

However China has dodged a Major Hypersonic Nuclear Weapon and managed to get hit with a dozen bullets instead


India is heading the same way

Except that in India – State does not even own the land

Our 0.1% in the last 3 years from 2021–2024 now have 1186% more rise in wealth than the Median group

In China it was 293%

In US it was 313%

In Japan it was 181%

In India it was 1200%

You catch my drift?

If this keeps up, resources will become all the more expensive and the ownership will become even more exclusive

In 20 years – we could virtually be slaves of the 0.1% unable to grow or develop even a fraction

We talk of Middle Income Trap with China

We could fall into a Low Income Trap


Solution?

In the next two decades – the 0.1% should see a wealth growth of 275% of the Median Group

That’s the only way to ensure INEQUALITY IS CONTAINED

If they keep getting richer like today, India is finished

China woke up in 2018 – luckily

We need to have woken up five years ago, given that we have a bureaucracy while they can change the rules in twenty minutes

Unless Ambani and Adani can create latest technology and earn from it

And they are too Moron to do that

A 10-year-old cat abandoned, stays at the owner’s door unwilling to leave

Unless they’re simulating 12,000 MLRS guided rockets like a smaller version of the ATACMS in one hour. It’s completely useless.

It’s like practicing against 50 people when 10,000 will show up. What will that do? Will that really help?

You decide.

China brings a whole new dimension to modern warfare. Not only do they have advanced weapon system that is equal or better than the US, they have them in ridiculously large numbers.

They have been preparing for war with the US. So do you think Taiwan can do anything?

Right before I went into the US Army, the US invaded Panama. Operation Just Cause. Did Panama manage to fend off the US?

And Panama is over 1,800 miles. Taiwan is 100 miles off the coast of China. With no intervening nation. While Panama has the whole of Mexico between it and the US. Did that bother the US or stop the US?

Americans visiting CHINA for the first time!

I was a patient in the hospital myself, which was an eye opening experience for me as an RN. I was there for a week with what turned out to be psitticosis from my new pet parakeet. (Not a fun experience.) During that time, I got to know my roommate very well.

My roommate was a widow in her mid thirties, and she was dying of cancer. She had three young children who had recently entered the foster care system. She had no friends or family to help her, and no one willing to take her kids in. She had done nothing wrong as a mother except to become so sick with cancer that she could no longer care for her children. To complicate matters, she had recently been evicted from her apartment due to the loss of her income as a result of her ongoing illness. She was now homeless.

She was also uninsured, which is why her breast cancer was left untreated until it was too late. The cancer had been detected by a routine mammogram paid for by a woman’s health clinic. She was then referred for a biopsy, then to an oncologist. The oncologist was willing to see her free of charge, yet he could not afford to pay for her chemotherapy. He informed her that she needed to try to get on Medicaid, so that the expensive chemotherapy could begin. At that time she was still working, and she made too much money to qualify for Medicaid. She made far too little money though, to purchase health insurance. (This was in 2004, before the ACA, or even Go-Fund-Me came about.) She kept working as long as she could to feed her kids while the cancer spread throughout her body.

Soon after being told that she was terminal, she received word that she had been accepted into a charity drug program paid for by the Disney corporation. They agreed to pay for her chemotherapy, except now it was too late.

While we were in the hospital, she told me over and over again that she desperately wanted to see her children. She was embarrassed by her appearance though, because as the cancer overtook her, she became so weak that she would occasionally faint. One of those falls had chipped two of her front teeth close to the gum line. This was very noticeable. When her mouth was closed, she looked normal. The minute she spoke, smiled or ate, the missing teeth were very, very apparent. Her children had never seen her without her front teeth, and she feared that she would frighten them. She longed for a partial plate or crowns to correct her appearance before her children saw her, yet she had no money for this. As a result, she planned to wear a mask over her mouth when they came instead. Sadly though, her young children were never brought to see her. Calls by her to the social worker in charge of her children’s foster care placement went unreturned. I tried to get our hospital’s social services department to help, yet nothing was ever accomplished.

My roommate had been a pre-school teacher. This isn’t a high paying job, yet it is an important one. The job, sadly, offered no benefits. Plus, due to her cancer, she had by this point not been able to work for several months.

By the time I was discharged, we had become the best of friends. I was still quite weak from my own illness, yet my hope was to have her live in my spare bedroom when she was discharged. As a nurse who only worked part time, I knew that I could care for her.

Whether she came to live with me or not, I also planned to help get her teeth fixed so that she could at least die with the dignity of a beautiful smile. I even had a dentist lined up who was willing to help. Most importantly, I planned to find some way to have her children visit regularly. I never got the chance to do any of those things though. I went to see her two days after my discharge, only to find out that she had passed away suddenly the night before, alone, homeless and toothless.

Keanu Reeves

While shooting the movie “The Lake House”, he overheard the conversation between two costume assistants, and a woman was crying because she would lose her house if she didn’t pay a sum of 20 thousand dollars. He deposited it into her account.

On his birthday in 2010, he went into a bakery alone and bought a cupcake with a single candle. While he ate it outside, he offered free coffee and bread to all customers. This was his luxury birthday.

With what he earned from the Matrix trilogy, he distributed 50 million dollars to the special effects personnel, because according to him, they were the real heroes of the films.

He almost never used stuntmen, except for very specific things like stunts, and for this reason he recognized the work of his stuntmen by giving each of them a Harley Davidson motorcycle.

To this day, he regularly uses the subway and other public transportation systems such as the bus when necessary because it is the most practical thing, and he is never ashamed.

A large number of hospitals say they have received tens of millions of dollars from him.

He donated 90% of his salary in some films so that the production could hire other stars.

In 1997, a paparazzo found him on the street sitting next to a homeless man, listening to the homeless man’s life and having breakfast with him.

All the good we know about Keanu Reeves was not told to us by him, but by those who benefited from him. He never declared anything.

For everything he has experienced, he could have had a sadder and more pessimistic view of life, but despite this he chose to be that something good among all the evil there is.

American greed…

What happened? Since when did money become EVERYTHING?

My GOD. What a great video.

Waffle House Jonesin’

Several things become true:

  1. The southern part of Korea stops being an island, meaning they must negotiate far more with their continental partners. South Koreans can finally visit Mt. Baekdu/Paektu. (The Koreans will probably have to figure out which romanization to stick to.)
  2. Korea will be a nuclear power with launch vehicles capable of nuclear deterrence.
  3. Korea will have a similar situation to China wherein the “interior” is in essence a developing country. This will relieve a lot of low wage employment pressure for the richer, southern areas.

However, the likely political outcome for Korea makes them prey for the interests of China and the US. This is because:

  1. Korea is a nuclear power. The US will not tolerate a nuclear power in that region of interest that is not strategically indebted to the US, while China will not tolerate a nuclear power on its border that is hostile. Strategically Korea can only push for an independent, neutral position and hope that it does not have to pick sides.
  2. Korea is still divided on political opinion and will remain so for some time. Having talked to North Koreans, it is clear that many of them actually do care for the general political project of their nation. It is why most of their elites wash their own clothes and cook their own meals— they want elites to take responsibility for their social obligations. The South Koreans on the other hand seem to gravitate towards elite control, in particular Seoul basically consuming the rest of the country. The clash in opinion is ripe for fresh division.

It would be a situation heavily influenced by external forces larger than it. Likely, such a united Korea would not necessarily be at equilibrium. Here’s to hoping the Koreans can beat the odds and find their own peace together.

I Had To “DOWNGRADE MY LIFE”…GOING INTO DEBT TO BUY GROCERIES

Welcome to the West.

I’m not an MD but I am a nurse and had a personal issue once. I had a surgery years ago through my nose. There was this horrible smell, and there was so much pressure and pain. I wasn’t supposed to be blowing my nose and was using the sinus rinses as ordered. I noticed that when I would rinse the left side of my nose, nothing came out of the other nostril, but I would get the horrible drip down my throat for hours afterward. I knew something wasn’t right. I kept telling the surgeon that something was wrong. She smelled the odor and put me on multiple rounds of antibiotics with no improvements and told me that what I experienced with the rinses was “normal”. She never looked in my nose after the first post-op appointment where she told me that there was a “lot of swelling but that’s normal at this point”. After the 6th time I had gone in there complaining of the same awful smell, pain and pressure (and still with the same sinus rinse result), I demanded to see her supervisor. She was really put out, but I didn’t care. Her medical director saw me 3 days later, he used a scope and I could hear him say under his breath, “Oh!” He then pulled a long piece of packing out of my nose that was the most disgusting, smelly thing I had ever encountered in my life. We just looked at each other. He just said, “Well there’s the problem. Things should get much better now.” I was speechless.

SIGHTINGS – Retro Pulp Science Fiction by Skyward, 1961, INTEGRATING G3!

PRODUCTION NOTES FOR SIGHTINGS I have always wanted to make this film, but it was not possible until just now. Remember when YouTube was in its very early days?

There were all kinds of unexplainable collections of sightings, cryptids, and paranormal stuff like ghost photos, etc. After watching enough of these, I would get the strangest feeling that would last for days, kind of astonishment with a certain kind of dark wonder.

Many of those favorite videos have just vanished to time, to be replaced by a billion new ones in better quality video.

Going back into the historical archive, AI UFO SIGHTINGS was my first very wishful attempt to at least explore the idea.

The contrast now is UNBELIEVABLE. We were all completely blown away by the state of the art back then, only just over a year ago. Someday I will revisit this idea ever further with even better tech!

The strangest thing is G3ML really is like starting over at the beginning, and has already shown me some magnificent aberrations and interdimensionality, so for right now we remain in the ‘breaking new ground’ historical epoch of visual artificial intelligence!!

**Just a small rant – The term “AI” is such a buzzword! It’s like “NFTs” and “Crypto” were, bandied all about by cor prits in order to cause another Bandwagon stampede of sheep! Attached to every possible plastic product it can be weakly linked to! I don’t think anyone on THIS channel is too excessive of a follower, so we can take a rest here from the oceanic dilution of the term.

Vented, thanks.

In our next couple of adventures here, I can take some time to illustrate some of the triumphs and challenges involved in working with the new ML modes, as I have already tracked a path or two. I’ll just point things out as we go and as we discover them. Thanks Everyone!!!!!!! Please Share with your more open-minded friends! !!!!!!!Overjoyed to have you here! -Skyward

Oh yeah. This actually happened to me. I was stationed in Arizona, an open carry state, When I turned 21 I picked up my S&W Combat Model 19 .357 revolver which I had preordered, I had already had a custom made leather, gun belt and holster. I spent a lot of time at the range and open carried when off base. After several months I had an epiphany of sorts, a moment when I asked myself, ‘why are you really doing this and exactly under what circumstances will you pull this weapon?’ Up to that point I was just all 2nd Amendment, self righteous, young baddass wannabe. I quit carrying for over a month while I considered this question and consulted a lot of friends and senior NCOs I respected. I finally got my mind right and began carrying again. One of the things that happened to me is that I became a much more polite, tolerant and respectful person. I know it may sound trite but I always go back to Spiderman and his Uncle Ben who said “With great power, comes great responsibility.” No truer words have ever been said. Things said which I may have taken affront or been offended before, rolled off my back. I tended to avoid potential confrontation depending on the circumstances. That said, I was at the Tucson Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium walking around the exhibits while waiting for the next planetarium show. Everything was fine and there was a Boy Scout with his Troop who asked me about my weapon and why I carried it. Spent a few minutes talking about self defense and the defense of others as well as the 2nd Amendment. Parted ways and continued to view the exhibits when this middle aged, balding, hippie type wearing sandles literally accosted me. Got right in my face looking up at me and started off with verbal abuse, calling me a NAZI, and why was I scaring all of the people in the museum and other nonsensical stuff along with personal epithets. I was a bit taken aback and started to get angry then remembered why I carried and the responsibilities for doing so. As I was looking down at him, he came to a break in his tirade and I said, “Mister, I don’t see anyone around us afraid of anyone but you.” This was true because at this point a crowd had gathered and their attention was gathered on the hippie. This really pissed him off, he got red faced, raised his fists and I actually backed off a couple of steps shouting, “Man you really don’t want to do this!” At this point the manager of the museum got between us and cooled the guy down. He invited us both his office to talk things over. Once there the hippie again went off on a tirade about me carrying a weapon and scaring people. I responded again that the only person who was afraid was hippie guy and that by Federal and Arizona state law I was legally able to carry open. I also requested the Manager to call local law enforcement to verify this. The manager was obviously aquainted with the law and said that would not be neccessary. He also said that as the planetarium’s projector was worth millions of dollars, would I be willing to unload my gun? Looking at him I said sure, why not, and did so pocketing the cartriges. That seemed to have satified the hippy and he stormed off. I turned to the manager and said, you know I can reload in a few seconds, He said, “Yup, but it got rid of that asshole

Guy Pretty Privilege

In 1997, I was the first intern sent from MIT to work at a Honda R&D center near the city of Utsunomiya, Japan. I quickly learned that the work I did there wasn’t too important to anyone; the whole point of my internship was for Honda and MIT to build a relationship, and I was just a sentient poker chip that they exchanged. This was fine with me since it allowed me the freedom to get involved in some fascinating research in shape memory alloys. Eventually people noticed what I was doing, and I became part of a very high-performing group looking at shape memory alloys, piezoelectrics, and magnetostrictive materials within active structures. Japanese companies like Honda tend to keep their blue sky R&D more internal, while most American companies instead fund university labs to do the same work.

At the end of my internship, I participated in a talk with the head of R&D at Honda. That man did very little talking in the meeting; his handpicked successor who was 20 years younger mostly ran the meeting. My group gave updates on all of our various projects, and the successor asked some insightful questions that showed me that he knew his stuff.

At one point in the meeting, the successor drew a beautiful, ornate balance scale on the whiteboard, showing the smart people working on the project on one side labelled “negatives”, and the results on the other side labelled “positives”. He was making the point that our group shouldn’t just produce average results, but in order to justify the time of the best engineers, our group needed to produce extraordinary results. That’s when the senior manager got up, and walked to the whiteboard.

This man had been silent throughout the meeting, and that made him getting up and walking to the whiteboard all the more remarkable. 21 years later, I still remember his gait getting out of the chair and walking to the whiteboard. He erased the picture of the engineers from the “negative” side of the balance, and drew them in on the positive side. Then he said,

“The most important output of this R&D team is not the projects they do. The most important output is the people, people with experience in these new technologies. Successful projects are nice, but the experience is the #1 thing. When the time comes for more active structures in cars, we will need Honda people with this experience, more than we need these exact projects.”

I have long since moved from the automotive industry to the semiconductor industry. I’ve seen many meetings with yelling and swearing and people slamming down phones and walking out. I’ve never seen a person take control of a meeting and shift the focus of a group the way that Honda executive did, simply standing up and walking to the whiteboard and quietly saying a few declarative sentences.

It was one of those quiet boring days in the office.

I was sitting there at my desk, trying to work while my brain was going numb from all the boredom.

Sitting right across from me was a colleague of mine who is a Pakistani. He was focused on his work and minding his own business.

I started talking to him in English (I’m an Arabic speaker). I don’t remember what the conversation was about, but at one point it became about birthdays.

He asked me when my birthday is. I told him it’s on September 23. He then told me that his birthday is in September as well, but it’s in the beginning of the month.

Now I’m no expert in horoscopes, but I know that my birthday is on the first day of the Libra, so his horoscope must be the one right before the Libra.

I paused for a while to figure out his horoscope, and after realizing it’s the Virgo while not knowing at the time that it’s called “Virgo”, I translated the horoscope from Arabic to English in my head, and it came out as “Virgin” (I’m really not good in horoscopes), and then I went ahead and asked him after a long pause:

So, you’re a virgin?

He looked at me with a confused look and said: I’m sorry?

I asked again: You are a virgin, right?

He let out a nervous chuckle and said: What?!

I was not getting it. Why was he so slow to understand? and I kept insisting that he must be a virgin, and I’m sure of it.

He was looking at me silently, with widened eyes and a shocked look on his face, not understanding what the hell is wrong with me!

Then I decided to spell it out for him; Your horoscope is the virgin, right? Because your birthday is in the beginning of September, so it must be it.

Him: Ahhhhhh! A Virgo! Yes, my horoscope is the Virgo.

He then laughed and sighed with a bit of relief.

Only then did I realize what I had just asked him, and OMG! how embarrassed and stupid I felt.

We then ended that delightful small talk, and we both shifted our focus back to that boring work of ours, never speaking of how awkward that conversation was.

Well I think everyone is going to find this answer entertaining.

Got off work at around 5 p.m. one day and walked out to my parked car in the area where I usually park it. It was a note on my car stating that it had been involved in an auto accident.

Now here’s where it gets really interesting. That note was from the Los Angeles Police Department.

The company I worked with shared a parking lot with a J. C. Pennys store. Apparently store security spotted a shoplifter and decided to arrest her. Unfortunately instead of stopping her as she exited the store they decided to let her get into her vehicle and attempted to leave the scene. As she was backing out of a parking space they opened her door and pulled her out of the moving vehicle. Now some of you might be thinking oh my God, they pulled her out of a moving vehicle! What happened to the moving vehicle? Nothing to worry about, it stopped when it plowed into my car.

And of course this lovely shoplifter of a lady had no driver’s license let alone valid insurance.

And at that time I did not have uninsured underinsured coverage on my insurance. So I would have to pay a high deductible on my comprehensive coverage. I know it sounds strange as comprehensive is not for that. But my insurance said they would cover it that way due to the odd circumstances.

I called the corporate offices of J. C. Penneys, to ask them to pay for the damage to my car. They told me they had nothing to do with the damage to my vehicle. And that I should go after the owner/driver of the car.

I told them that I was sorry they felt that way, and that I would visit the shoplifter who was in custody at the LA County Jail. And I would be happy to tell her about the incredible lawsuit she probably has against J. C. Penneys due to their security personnel pulling her out of a moving vehicle.

After listening to my statement, the person on the other end of the phone at J. C. Penneys responded by saying please send me a copy of your repair estimate and will issue you a check immediately.

And I promise to everyone, this is an absolutely true story.

Unfortunately yes.

People fear the Americans because they absolutely devastate countries for fun.

They destroyed Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, Iraq, Yemen and other places.

They’re defanged these days because of their priorities that is to profit from war rather than winning any actual peace/stability.

We’re even seeing their inability to stop Ansar Allah :D. Their colour revolutions have also been failing since the mid 00s.

The same thing with Somalis in the UK or Pakistanis. If you attack them? They’ll fuck you up badly. Hence why British people have little love for them but fear them.

At one time UK Chinese and Indians (especially the Sikh guys) too were feared as in a fight we broke the rules. In a fight in the UK 60s, 70s and 80s) if you won a fight, it was normal to shake hands and forget about it. For the aforementioned communities we weren’t so magnanimous.

If you lost a fight against us? You’d be murdered.

My father literally has tons of stories where some idiot loses a fight and simply gets stabbed to death as he begs for his life. Some of the stories I recall from Mr Singh before he passed were brutal.

He’d tie them up in the basement and beat them to death slowly over several days.

Since China is hated by westerners, there’s only one option.

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A savage war which will make Gaza look like it’s nothing.

When you have the time to leave something behind, make it useful and memorable

Where I live in Brazil, car theft is somewhat of a problem. For the most part thieves choose commonly found, locally manufactured models, like Ford Fiestas, Fiat Palios, and Volkswagen Foxes, and then take them to chop-shops who tear them down and resell the parts online.

Models that are ten years old or older are very sought after because they are often relatively easy to steal and parts for them are harder to find, so the demand for things like fuel pumps, taillights and radiators is greater.

If you go on to Brazilian eBay and buy a used or reconditioned alternator, chances are very high that it is from a stolen car. There is a whole black market industry for car parts all across of South America that is literally impossible to stop.

Ironically, if you drive a high-end model like a Mercedes, BMW or Range Rover no one will steal it. First because it is way too conspicuous to drive around in a high end car than a common one, you’ll most certainly get caught, and second because selling the parts is much more difficult because there are not that many high end models around, not to mention that the people who own these cars are wealthy enough to pay a dealership to fix them when they need service.

I have two cars, a 2009 Volkswagen Gol (a somewhat cheaper model under the Golf) and a 2010 Volvo XC60 T5. No one will touch the Volvo because it’s the only one in town and thieves know that Volvos have a factory GPS system installed in them that’s really hard to deactivate, but I really have to keep my eye on the Gol because Gols are all over the place and it is a very sought after car to steal.

Someone tried to steal my Gol a few years ago — they broke the small triangle window behind the back door to unlock the car, then they popped the hood and cut the wires to the alarm. Then they broke the ignition lock and used a screwdriver to force it to engage the starter. It was during the night and the car was right outside my bedroom window; I didn’t hear a thing.

I woke up the next morning and the car wasn’t there, so I called the insurance company who used a tracking system like lo-jack to find it, it was unlocked, sitting around the corner and all of the thieves’ tools were on the seats and the floor — even the screwdriver was still sticking out of the ignition.

I’m guessing that the thieves gave up and fled the scene when they couldn’t get the engine to turn over and a cop car came down the street, or something like that.

They couldn’t start the engine because I had installed an engine kill switch up and under the dashboard where no one could see it. Two feet of wire, a toggle switch and a 10-amp fuse saved my car from being stolen: total cost of $4.00.

The Volvo on the other hand is exceptionally hard to steal, not because of the GPS system, but because of how the ignition system was designed.

There is no key to turn, so there is no ignition lock to break; to start the car I put the remote that unlocks the doors in the dashboard and push a button. The steering lock is further down the steering column than in most cars — it actually sits under the engine at the firewall, so it’s very hard to get to.

The Volvo also has another feature that many cars don’t have, and it’s not a factory-installed feature. You could literally take a baseball bat to the windshield and it won’t break. You could also unload a full clip of .44 magnum rounds into the driver’s side window and it won’t shatter.

The car is bulletproof — the previous owner had it bulletproofed when she bought it new in 2010. It has inch-thick glass and Kevlar all around, including the roof, so just getting into the car is no easy task.

You’d probably be able to force the door open with a crowbar, but that would break the door’s closing mechanism making it kind of hard to drive, that is if you were able to get around the steering lock and the keyless ignition.

Very hard to steal. Hard to car-jack at an intersection too, something all too common in cities like Rio de Janeiro on hot summer days when people are stuck in traffic.

Of course, one could always use a tow truck.

Would you believe that I don’t even have insurance on the Volvo? Except of course for the mandatory Government insurance that costs about $5.00 a year. I know that someone won’t steal it – they won’t even try.

The Gol on the other hand is insured, to the hilt, with a super-low deductible, which costs me about $600.00 a year. It’s not worth very much though, maybe $2000.00, so the insurance company believes someone will steal it in a little over three years.

Actually the Volvo has a very interesting and somewhat amusing story behind it, I wrote about it in another post a few days ago. If you’re interested here’s the Quora link. What car do you currently drive? Is it worth the price you paid for it?

So, it all depends on where you live and the car you drive, what security features it has. No car is truly unstealable, but some of them are much harder to steal than others.

Many Chinese are shocked when they first hear that westerners are afraid of China and Chinese.

Immediate reaction is “What did we do? We just work hard and mind our own business and sell stuff to everybody. Once in a while we get annoyed at Taiwan or the Philippines, but we don’t really do anything.”

They are unaware that it is because of their hard work and competition in Chinese society, that China is very powerful and influential in the aggregate.

“They’re LYING about the economy, this is now a DEPRESSION” Top Economist Warns

Several behaviors prevent the middle class from ascending.

  1. Spending large sums on depreciating assets. If you want to be wealthy, your only large purchases should be investments, not vehicles or gaming computers.
  2. Buying more house than needed. While a house is an investment, if your paychecks are all going to pay a mortgage and upkeep, you are short funds for investing. If housing prices collapse again, you won’t even have the equity.
  3. Not having 3–6 months of living expenses saved in case of a lay-off or emergency. Unemployment isn’t going to pay all your bills and living off credit cards until you get a new job is an expensive mistake. Putting an emergency cost on credit cards means you will pay at least twice as much with interest added than if using savings.
  4. Paying banks, instead of themselves. Interest payments are a huge waste. Imagine if you had that $500–1000/ month credit interest going to investments instead of to banks.
  5. Not understanding what is an investment rather than a purchase. Sellers use investment in advertising, but they lie. You don’t invest in a nice suit, you purchase it. The next day it is used clothing and worth 1/2 what you paid for it. You don’t invest in furniture, you purchase it. An investment is an asset expected to go up in value over time.
  6. Investing only in their employer’s stocks. It isn’t a good idea to invest in only one stock, industry or investment type. Putting money in a variety decreases your risks.
  7. Passing up job opportunities or promotions because you don’t like the people you will be working with, the added responsibility and/or travel involved. The road to the corner office might detour through a landfill, but it is the only way to get there. Promotions may not be offered a second time. The job opportunity you are holding out for may never happen.
  8. Nobody get rich using coupons. It takes a complete budget and lifestyle that spends less than you make and that includes investing. Saving $20 a week on groceries, but spending an extra $600 a month on a new vehicle you just had to have makes no sense.
  9. Money is not the goal, it is the tool. If you save up $100,000 and it just sits in a savings account, you are losing money and the potential for becoming financially independent.
  10. You have to set aside money for fun or your budget will fail. Sacrifice is easy the first month. By the time you reach the fortieth month, sacrifices can feel like a vise on your life. Adding fun dollars to your budget will let you enjoy life while still reaching your financial goals.

Shorpy

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Six foreigners allegedly poisoned in Bangkok luxury hotel

No, it is far from perfect and there is always room for improvement.

The important thing is to have a channel to provide input to government officials, explain why something needs to change to make it better, and see if they can make the change.

This is very different from the idea of free speech in the west because while people have the right to elect new leaders at election time, there is no way to request changes on a small scale, and then to follow up on them.

The Chinese way is to ask for changes on an ongoing basis, explain the rationale for the change, and if the official feels that it is reasonable, ask him to make the change. If he does NOT make the change within a reasonable time, then move up the ladder, and complain to his superior.

And so on and so forth…

So in the western system, you vote for the person and hope that he makes the macro changes you want. In the Chinese system, you go to the local official and request that he make the micro change you want. If the request is reasonable, he should make the change. If he does not, he will likely be voted out at the local level. Since he is also a Party member, failure to act on reasonable requests will affect his opportunity for promotion in the future, and affect his own career.

My in-laws used to live across the street from a drug dealer. They often called the police where there were cars coming and going from his property, picking up “product”. This cut into his business, and led to several ugly confrontations between him and my in-laws.

One day my then-fiancee was visiting her parents, and was in the back of the house when there was a commotion out front, complete with gunshots. She didn’t see anything, but both her parents and one of her brothers claimed they saw said drug dealer leaning out of his upstairs window, firing a gun. From his body language and what words they could make out, his intent was clear: Stop interfering with my business, or the next time I won’t be firing into the air but at you.

They called the police and he was charged with aggravated menacing. Some months later, I attended the trial as a spectator, as my fiancee (now wife) was a witness. The drug dealer took the stand in his own defense. After a well-rehearsed examination by his attorney, it was the prosecuting attorney’s turn.

“Mr. ___, on [date], did you fire several shots from a handgun into the air from the second story window of your home?”

“No, I did not. I don’t even have a gun.”

“You own no firearms whatsoever? On [date], you didn’t have a single firearm in the house?”

“That’s right. I didn’t have no guns then.”

A look of confusion spread of the DA’s face as he quickly pawed through his notes.

“Now, on [date of previous police call to his home], didn’t you tell Officer ____ that you had an extensive collection of firearms and that you were an expert in their use?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, did you lie to Officer ____?”

“What?”

“Did you lie to Officer ____ back on [previous date], or did you lie to the jury just now?”

“Yeah, I lied.”

I suspect that if you want to be taken seriously by a jury, you should not admit that you are a liar and may have just lied to them on the witness stand.

He was convicted, despite testimony from friends who gave him an alibi. The jury must have thought they were liars, too.

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About 15 years ago, a very expensive piece of equipment, ($30k market value at the time) was stolen from my place of employment. I was the one who discovered it missing and I was the one who called it in to our security office, who contacted the local police. I gave my statement to our in house security and the lead detective from the local law enforcement gave me his card and asked me to go down to the station to meet him and take an official statement on the coming Saturday (three days away at the time) at 8am.

I thought that was weird, but I agreed and was at the station at 7:45 am that Saturday. I checked in with the clerk who said the detective wasn’t in yet. I knew I was early so it wasn’t a big deal to wait. At 8:30 am, the detective walks out and acted surprised to see me. He then stated that he thought he told me 9 am. I showed him the business card he gave me and how I scribbled “Sat 8am” on the back of it. He gave the most insincere apology I ever heard and then told me he wasn’t ready for me yet and asked if I could wait 15 minutes and that he could have someone get me a coffee.

I agreed to wait and took the offer for the coffee. Half an hour later, he walks by and asked, “Did you not get your coffee?” and I said no, and he said, I’ll get right on that, I just need a few more minutes.” Half an hour after that, someone comes to get me and brings me to an interview room (still no coffee). Another 15 minutes later the detective show up with his partner.

They start asking me questions which I thought were peculiar. Then it hit me that I wasn’t just giving a statement, they were interviewing me as a person of interest. I am the first one every morning to open the location from which the equipment was taken. The surveillance video showed a team of 3 who knew exactly what they were doing and how to go about it. None of their faces were ever turned to the cameras and they knew exactly what they wanted, how to get it as quickly as possible and how to get it out of the building without being noticed.

The detectives thought that someone on the inside had provided the thieves with the intel they needed to get away with it, and I was suspect numero uno. Knowing what I know now, I would have immediately ceased talking to these detectives without a lawyer present. They grilled me for 4 more hours trying to break me into a confession of being an accomplice, which I was not.

It turns out that the thieves were a ring of professionals who spent a week scoping out the location to figure out how best to get their prize. The same individuals had hit 11 other institutions on the eastern coast of the US. It also turns out that the lead detective on the case who gave me such a hard time was also later convicted of stealing cash from the evidence room of his own station. Reading that headline made me smile because he was a huge jerk and it blew my mind that he even made detective in the first place, but it also made me sad for our justice system as a whole at the same time.

Also I never did get that coffee…

One story I’ve always found hard to believe is that of Lee Harvey Oswald having acted completely alone. People tend to forget that the guy defected to Soviet Russia for about a year. He renounced his citizenship, and worked for the Soviets for a while, who sent him to Minsk.

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main qimg cd2734cccf425ca36aa4fcb76fc8bdb0 lq

Oswald went back to America because, as he wrote in his diary, he “found the work drab”. Soviet Russia was no fun. So he returned to America. How! How on earth did a US citizen defect to the Soviet Union and just… return. Like it’s no big deal. What the hell? He married a Russian wife, they have two daughters. Settle in America. Oswald, for the record, is a former marine. He’s an excellent marksman (finest in his unit) and for two years, he’s left completely undisturbed by US authorities despite having defected and worked for their enemies for a year. And, when he was just 24 years of age, he goes and — allegedly — kills President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas.

It’s hard to believe an American citizen defected to the number one enemy of America in the middle of the Cold War, was allowed back to the United States without trouble, only to assassinate the president and get killed almost immediately after by a random citizen while in policy custody.

Valiant Thor: A UFO, the Pentagon and a 3-year Mission to Save the World

Eat less, but eat much better quality food

Firstly, the competitive relationship between the US and Russia in the ecological niche of international trade is irreconcilable.

Secondly, the Democratic Party is destined to lose this election, and the shelf life of any promises they make cannot exceed a lettuce. I don’t think this kind of communication has any meaning other than expressing respect among colleagues.

Thirdly, American politicians no longer understand how to conduct equal diplomacy. Several days ago in UNSC, they accused China of not using its power to pressure Russia and NK to change their policies, as if that’s a right thing to do. They truly believe that rudely interfere in internal affairs of other countries is a natural and normal behavior, and they believe that China should do the same as the US have done.

So why bother? I’ll wish Mr. Lavrov to have a nice day in NY travelling.

In a display of political strategy masked as global stewardship, the United States keeps its crosshairs perpetually fixed on China, a façade for its real fear: the shift of global power from West to East.

The U.S. targeting China is fundamentally about preserving its global dominance and mitigating the threats posed by China’s rapid ascent on multiple fronts. The United States, historically accustomed to its position as the world’s leading superpower, views China’s rise with significant apprehension. These fears are influenced by various factors, such as economic competition, ideological differences, technological advancements, and geopolitical interests.

China’s economic boom over the past few decades is seen as a direct challenge to American economic supremacy. China’s robust growth rate, coupled with its ability to significantly influence global markets, has positioned it as a formidable rival. The trade wars, tariffs, and sanctions imposed by the U.S. are part of a broader strategy to manage this competition, aimed at curtailing China’s economic potential and protecting U.S. industries.

Moreover, the U.S. and China epitomize two distinct ideological poles – democracy versus communism. The U.S.’s ideological stance promotes liberal democracy and free-market principles, while China stands firm on a single-party system with state-led economic mechanisms. This ideological divide fosters a deep-rooted mistrust, as each nation fundamentally opposes the other’s governance model. The situation in regions such as Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong often becomes focal points within this clash, with the U.S. criticising what it perceives as human rights abuses.

The technological advancements achieved by China are another source of concern for the United States. The U.S. sees China’s strides in crucial sectors like artificial intelligence, 5G, and quantum computing as a potential threat to its long-standing technological superiority. The fear of losing this edge drives the U.S. to impose restrictions on Chinese tech firms and invest heavily in its own industries to compete. The trade bans and sanctions against companies like Huawei are clear examples of efforts to stymie China’s technological progress.

Geopolitically, the Asia-Pacific region presents a significant flashpoint. Territorial disputes in the South China Sea have major strategic implications, and the U.S. supports its regional allies to counter China’s assertive territorial claims. Its backing of Taiwan’s self-governance, despite China’s insistence on reunification, is a deliberate move to check Chinese influence. Agreements like AUKUS and the Quad highlight the U.S. effort to strengthen its military presence and influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

The targeting of China is also driven by the interests of the U.S. military-industrial complex. A substantial segment of the U.S. economy relies on defense spending and armament sales, and perceived threats from China justify enormous military budgets as well as the development of advanced weaponry. The narrative of a Chinese threat serves the defense industry’s interests and aligns with larger U.S. military strategies.

Lastly, the U.S frequently brings up human rights concerns, leveraging them as a basis for sanctions and diplomatic pressure. While there are genuine concerns about violations, such as the treatment of Uighurs in Xinjiang or political repression in Hong Kong, these issues also serve to undermine China’s global standing and challenge its internal policies.

In essence, the United States continues to target China not out of mere animosity but as a calculated measure to forestall a powerful rival’s ascent. This is a deliberate effort to maintain strategic superiority in an increasingly multipolar world. By leveraging economic tactics, ideological rhetoric, technological restrictions, and geopolitical strategies, the U.S. aims to contain China’s rise and protect its status as the preeminent global superpower.

How about a quick story.

I left Police station at 2 in the morning and walked to the main road to get a taxi cab. This intersection used to be the busiest but at this time it was almost deserted and I had to stand and wait there for some good minutes to get a cab. Finally one came around and while I was putting my laptop bag on the back seat.

I heard this roaring sound of a car’s engine.

I turned back and saw this old model Suzuki Fx approaching the intersection in a flash. Crossed the intersection and vanished in to the night with speed so fast that It scared me for their or somebody else’s safety.

I stood still for some seconds feeling mixed emotions of anger and fear. It was likely that their careless driving might result into a collision with some other vehicle which surely would turn fatal.

But then it struck me “They must be running away after committing a crime”.

I was off duty and this wasn’t my jurisdiction. Tough day’s work had worn me out and I really wanted to get home and go to bed. But this driver’s utterly careless driving and this suspicion of them being criminals gave me a quick boost to do something about it.

I quickly made couple of phone calls and managed to warn a Police picket couple of miles ahead on this very road, told them to completely block the road and look for this old model Suzuki in black color. They acknowledged.

Instead of going home in my cab, curiosity took me to that very Picket to see if they’re stopped. I felt this strange energy and pride that I am doing something positive. Regardless of being off duty, I am striving to protect and serve the crap out of my city while they’re asleep. I won’t lie, it felt good.

I reached there and saw 3 persons who rode in that car were stopped on the picket and were being questioned. They were searched thoroughly along with their vehicle. Nothing illegal was found. They were not drunk either. All three were college students without a driving license and registration book.

Driver was acting quite confidently since we couldn’t find firearms or alcohol. To him, that must have been a minimum legitimate excuse to get in trouble with the law.

He spoke in a loud and rude tone “See? We are clean. Now let us go otherwise I am making a phone call. My uncle is blah blah blah”.

I looked at that young lad with disappointment. I wasn’t angry as such public behavior isn’t rare. No way was I going to let them take off in their “super cruiser” of a car.

What they didn’t know was that careless and hoon driving is a punishable offence which can lead to jail time. Having no registration book can result in seizure of vehicle until a Judge directs us to let it go after verification.

Tell you what. Why don’t you call that uncle of yours since you’ve got no IDs, we need to verify your background. And there is no way this vehicle is taking you anywhere. We are taking it in possession. Also it is to be determined if you should be booked for careless driving.

What?

You heard me.

A police mobile van was called and they were escorted to the nearest Police station. I left for home.

Later I learnt that car was seized and remained in the Police compound for a week as such legal procedures can be time consuming. But those teenagers were let go with a warning. Their parents came to the Police station late at night and assured “this won’t happen again”. Especially the driver’s dad was quite furious and felt free to spank his son’s bottom, or so I heard.

Somebody might think, I acted over grudge or something like that. No, I have nothing personal against him or anybody else. I did not hate that kid, but his careless driving seriously concerned me for his and other’s safety.

I hope he doesn’t drive again the way I saw him.

My brother did for me. I’m the youngest of 3 and my brother was the oldest. There were 8 years difference in our ages. We did not have the tightest of brotherly relationships when we were growing up or even when we were adults. I always felt that he was a bit cold, and as I was the only one in my family to have children, he remained a bit “distant”. I didn’t understand until after he died that it was just “his way”.

My brother was a bit “demanding” when he was home with family, yet he always was extremely tolerant of my son who has Down Syndrome. I just felt like “we” (my family, mostly my children) weren’t that close or important to him. I found out (much to my very surprise) after he died that just wasn’t true.

My brother was a video editor for the government (I don’t want to give to many details as it was military related). Upon his very sudden and tragic death, the owner of the contracting company gave me his personal belonging. One was a picture of Larry in front of his work station, a very complex video editing bay.

What caught my eye and threw me for a very big loop was a picture of both my daughter and son on his bay. It wasn’t just that there were pictures, but it was the most recent pictures my wife had sent him. We figured he never did anything with them. Then, at his funeral, which was attended by many military officers and civilians, so many of them came up to me (as I did his eulogy they all knew who I was), and asked me “we see your daughter, but where is Michael (my son)?” (We had left him home as it was just “easier” at the time). I was shocked. They all knew all these details about my kids. They all told me that my brother constantly talked about them.

I have to tell you that many times I broke down after this privately and cried. I never had any idea that he felt that close to my children. He had such a hard way about him that we just didn’t have that type of relationship. It was at that very moment that I realized just how much I lost in his passing.

I always knew my brother was a good person. He always worked, even in tough times, always was saving cats (he loved dogs, but as an apartment dweller they were not allowed). He always paid his taxes. He was just a good person.

It took his tragic passing for me to learn what he was really about. I miss him every day and have his editing clock in my office to always remind me of his presence in our family and my life.

Hum. I suggest that he should check the paternity of his children. This is far too weird. -MM

Shorpy

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Seared Scallop Cavatappi in Creamy White Wine Sauce

Seared Scallop Cavatappi in Creamy White Wine Sauce takes only 20 minutes to make and is full of nutrients, this decadent scallop cavatappi dish only feels like a splurge. We love it for dinner parties and special nights in.

seared scallop cavatoppi
seared scallop cavatoppi

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces cavatappi
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 pound fennel, white part only, thinly sliced
  • 20 each “dry” sea scallops
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1/4 cups heavy cream
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped dill

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  2. Cook the cavatappi according to package directions. Drain and reserve.
  3. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil.
  4. Add the fennel and season with salt and pepper. Cook, allowing the fennel to caramelize on one side, about 3 minutes before flipping and doing the same on the second side. It should be caramelized on the outside and soft on the inside when pierced with a knife.
  5. Remove from pan.
  6. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan. Increase heat to high.
  7. Season the scallops with salt and pepper.
  8. Place them in the pan in a single layer. If they don’t fit, do them in 2 batches. Do not overcrowd the pan.
  9. Allow scallops to brown on one side (about 1 minute) then flip and brown the second side.
  10. Remove from pan.
  11. Add the shallots to the pan and cook until aromatic (about 30 seconds).
  12. Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Cook down just to take the away the raw alcohol flavor (about 1 minute).
  13. Add the cream and cook another minute.
  14. Stir in the dill.
  15. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
  16. Add the pasta and fennel to heat through.
  17. For each serving, divide the pasta between 4 bowls.
  18. Place 5 scallops on each plate.

Attribution

Recipe and photo used with permission from: National Pasta Association

You might be surprised at the changes that can hit you unexpectedly

The key is: HK is still under control of China.

Although under 1-country-2-systems, HK is highly autonomous. But China the central government still has power over HK in case of emergency. UN charter empowers any country to suppress riots etc.

You know the HK riot, actually a coup, was instigated by USA & UK, do you?

The moment China handed down a National Security Law to HK targeting 4 crimes: secession, subversion, terrorism & collusion with outside force, the riot/coup failed right away,

HK police has power to made arrest of traitors. Before that, HK had no effective laws to curb a coup.

Some well-known foreigners eg ex CIA agent Mark Simon left HK right away. So were the US NGOs eg Human Right Watch etc. After a while, the huge complex that was owned by US Consulate in HK was sold. … a complete US failure in HK.

Thanks to the national security law.

Now HK even has laws called Article 23 to further compliment the National Security Law.

High Value Man REFUSES To Pay For Woman’s Food & Leaves!

Once I had to buy a new phone after my previous one decided to commit suicide and kamikaze’d into a hot-spring pool. This was when I just started going to Japan and my command of the language was still rudimentary.

So I went to the BIC Camera electronic store near Yurakucho station. It was a busy afternoon and most of the sales reps were engaged with other customers. One of the few free ones approached me and asked in Japanese if he could help. Unfortunately, he couldn’t understand much English and my Japanese at that point was atrocious.

Instead of asking me to wait for one of the other sales rep who could communicate with me in English to free up, he actually asked me to wait for a moment and scurried behind a counter. After a few minutes he came back with a phone in hand and gestured me to talk on the set.

Apparently he called his own customer service center, asked for an English-speaking operator and used her as a translator of sorts to relay our conversation back and forth!

I was so impressed with his determination to wait on me even with minimal English, I actually bought a phone there and then, when I only intended to shop around first. Even bought a few other accessories to go with it.

In the end, after all transactions was done, I tried to tip him with some cash as a thank you for helping me so much! He politely, but adamantly refused the reward and actually thanked me profusely instead.

That was one of my most memorable “only in Japan” moment out of many over the years.

Girlfriend CRUSHES Boyfriend’s Dream (BIG MISTAKE)

True story, fictionalized for viewing.

“Rigged” is definitely not the best word to use. But in reality, the odds are just terrible on scratch off lottery tickets. Here’s my first piece of advice to anyone considering trying their luck. Stay away from them! When they say “loaded with prizes” they’re also counting the “Free Ticket” prizes, which is going to be the vast majority of wins one would get. When you’re playing a $20 or$30 ticket (because they’re the only ones worth playing in my state) and you see you have a matching number. There’s no bigger slap in the face than seeing “Free Ticket.” Sorry… It bothers me…. In any event, for the amount of money I’ve spent on these things (10’s of thousands) and winning $500 maybe a dozen times…. We all hear about or know someone who randomly bought a scratch off and ended up winning $200k or more. I promise you, that’s POT LUCK! There’s no “strategy” or “Skill” in winning those games. Nobody knows where the grand prizes are. We only know there’s only 2 or 3 of them in 5 million printed tickets. Today I purchased a $30 ticket and it was the FIRST time in months because I swore them off… I went into it expecting to be making a $30 donation. Instead I won $250.00 I took the money and ran!!! If you’re going to play them, don’t spend more than you can afford to lose. Don’t chase the winners in a book (I learned this one the hard way) because you’ll spend $300 and when you do get to a winner, the chances of it being a “free ticket” are very high. Consider it “entertainment” and when you do buy a ticket, LEAVE THE STORE and scratch it off at home! (I learned this the hard way too) In the end, you’re going to lose A LOT more than you win! Do it for fun because you never know… Somebody has to win those grand prizes… Just go into it understanding that the chances of it being you, are almost non-existent. Hope this helps at least one person. Best of luck.

Nothing can stop ’em.

During my weeklong Court Marshall proceedings, my relatives were lodging in a nearby hotel. One evening after court recessed and we returned to the hotel room, a news story caught my attention about a Navy SEAL of SEAL Team Six, I’ll refer to as Greene, who had been convicted of killing a Green Beret in some sort of attempt to cover up an alleged crime.

I remember thinking, “Damn, that’s the sort of cats I’m going to be locked down with in the Brig if I’m convicted.”

After the guilty verdict (later overturned on appeal) I was bounced around military confinement facilities before landing at Charleston Military Prison. Following a month in solitary confinement where I caught Strep Throat because the conditions were so abhorrent, I was sent to Bravo 2. The close observation unit.

I was assigned to cell 104. Guess who lived in cell 103 right next door?

The Grin Reaper himself; Greene.

The guards treated him differently than the other inmates. Always eager to greet him with big grins as if he were a famous athlete. After all, he was a decorated war hero with allegedly 14 confirmed kills. (The guards told me this, not Greene himself.)

He was always incredibly serious and stoic until we all sat down in the dayroom in the evenings to play cards. There, he’d relax and cut loose for some casual banter.

Eventually, we became friends. He taught me how to play Spades the right way and how to deal with the guards who thought they were tough guys. Some liked to bully inmates. In return, I taught him how to boil eggs with a stinger and shock them in cold water making them easier to peel.

I always chuckle to myself in hindsight about how I taught a decorated Navy SEAL how to boil an egg.

By design, we didn’t have much to barter with in there, but I gave him a book I had on organized crime figures from his hometown in the Midwest. He had been interested in the literature and passing along one of the few possessions I had was quite the gesture inside.

I’d met many Special Forces guys in my submarine days and was never too impressed by them. They were your stereotypical sports jocks. Generic Type A personality stock. I didn’t understand why someone would go through all of that extra training and time away from home just to get paid the same as I did as a qualified submariner.

Greene was different though. I genuinely enjoyed his company and took his advice to heart. He was one of the inmates I knew I’d miss on the outside.

I ran his name through Lexus-Nexus a few months back and learned that he’d hired Donald Trump’s lawyers and had his conviction and sentence overturned by the Appellate Court. I was wholeheartedly elated to learn that he was a free man.

If you see this, Chief, your old neighbor Archie sends his respects.

WOW. 27 MACH.

Because we already have the Alcatraz of the Rockies, ADX Florence.

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The Administrative Maximum Facility is the federal government’s supermax prison. Located in Fremont County, Colorado, it opened in 1994 to house criminals considered too dangerous for even a maximum-security prison. Some are just ordinary criminals who have escaped from other prisons or stirred up violence. Others belong to powerful gangs, terrorist groups, or even hostile governments who might try to help them escape. Notable inmates and former inmates include:

  • Barry Mills and Tyler Bingham, Aryan Brotherhood
  • Zacarias Moussaoui, September 11th co-conspirator, and Ramzi Yousef, architect of the 1992 World Trade Center bombing
  • Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Boston Marathon bomber
  • Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber
  • Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, Oklahoma City bombing
  • Robert Hanssen, Russian agent inside the FBI counter-intelligence division
  • Vincent Basciano, boss of the Bonanno crime family
  • Richard McNair, three-time escapee who once mailed himself out of a federal prison

Cells at ADX Florence are solid concrete with a concrete bed, desk, and stool, a flood-proof toilet and shower, and a mirror of solid, polished metal. Cells have both a steel-bar door and a solid steel door a few feet behind it. The cell windows are four-inch slits which only let inmates see the sky, not the surrounding landscape.

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Prisoners spend 23 hours a day in their cells, and are escorted by three guards to their hour of daily exercise in a private room, at the bottom of a swimming-pool-like pit. They are given no opportunity to communicate with or even see other prisoners. If they somehow get out of their cells and away from the guards, there’s still 24-hour video surveillance, motion detectors, and 1,400 remote-controlled steel doors throughout the facility. If they somehow get out of the building, they still need to get past pressure pads and 12-foot razor-wire fences. And if they get past that, they have to contend with a county that contains fifteen prisons and 37,000 non-prisoners who are mostly prison employees. It’s not an easy place to blend in. (Thanks to Keith Shannon for pointing this out in the comments.)

ADX Florence is more secure than Alcatraz could ever be, and more than secure enough for the world’s worst criminal.

With help from USA, Dalai staged a coup to subvert China in 1959. Failed. He & his support thus fled.

There is a museum in Tibet. Evidence shows that Dalai violated human rights. But the West praises him as a human right fighter. Why?

Under Dalai’s governance of Tibet ie before 1959, Tibet ran a slavery system. Tibetans were broken into 3 classes – high, middle & low. High is the rich eg slave owners. Middle, merchants. Low, others incl slaves.

Each class is further broken into 3. High-high class = 70 kilogram of gold. High-middle = 300 grams of gold. … Low-low = 1 string made of grass. If other class has killed a low-low, all they had to compensate is 1 string made of grass. Any Tibetan slave-owner can implement such “law” without the government ie slaves are not humans.

There were more cruel & inhuman laws. If I write the cruelty in Quora, my article will be banned. Go to Tibet museum to read it yourself. Also try google it.

How rich Dalai&family was before they fled China? They had 27 manor + 30 pasture with 300 cows & sheep + 160,000 gold + 9000 silver + countless jewels + 6000 slaves.

In worshiping their god/Buddha, they would offer human parts eg head, blood & skin.

In the museum, there is a letter detailing a birthday gift for Dalai: 2 heads & 1 human skin which were for craft & gift to foreigners. Craft & gift !!!

Not just skull, other human bones were also used for crafts.

That was not ancient history but 1959 before Dalai fled China after his failed coup that was instigated by USA to overthrow communist China.

How can the West accept the (carved) gifts from human parts? How can the West disguise Dalai as a human right fighter? Dalai was even given a Nobel Peace Prize after his failed coup.

I tell you why. 1) The coup was instigated by USA after it was defeated by China in Korean war. 2)

Western politicians+media are NOT true human rights fighters. They just use HR as a tool to destabilize other country.

Because Dalai has lots of followers. The West uses Dalai as a tool to fight against China. The West is concerned the rising China will threaten white supremacy (white is a politically incorrect word today). Dont be naive to think they fight for human rights or democracy.

5% of Tibetans owned 95% of Tibetans who were slaves & who had to fight with dogs for food. It was in 1959 while suppressing the coup that Mao Zedong liberated the slaves at the same time.

Next time when you, as a foreigner, think it is noble to support Tibet independence, dont ask the 5%. Ask the 95%.

Dont ask those Tibetans who live on western political donations. Ask those who can live like a real human today. Those who have food to eat, have education, can own business & property. Those who truly work for a living in Tibet.

Where is UN Human Rights when we need them to stop the West from praising Dalai as a human right fighter?

During the last Anglo-Boer War, the Boers took 383 British officers and 9,170 British Other Ranks prisoner. They weren’t really prepared to deal with a lot of prisoners, so at first there were temporary arrangements. Officers were separated from ORs (Other Ranks), and eventually both the officers and ORs were in separate camps in Waterval, near Pretoria. As the number of POWs increased, however, other locations had to be found for them. Winston Churchill, for instance, was kept at the State Model School.

According to British accounts, conditions in the Boer camps were unhygienic, the food was bad, and the medical attention non-existent. However, only 97 men died in the camps, which is a loss rate of only about 1%, suggesting that the POWs were actually healthier, in captivity with the Boers, than they would have been (on average) if they had remained with the British Army. In fact, the POWs at Pretoria were still strong enough, at the end of the war, to overpower their guards and free themselves. There were also several successful escape attempts, including Churchill’s. The British forces suffered 21.6% casualties, including killed, wounded, and sick. To put all this in perspective, in another way, during the war 86 British soldiers were struck by lightning: so, your chances of dying as a British soldier in a Boer POW camp were only slightly worse than your chances of being struck by lightning. (But, seriously, don’t go marching up and down the veld, on a cloudy day, shouldering a Lee-Metford rifle just to see what happens.)

To add another dimension, the death rate for Boer and African civilian POWs (including women and children) penned up in British concentration camps, during the last phase of the war, was about 21%, or about 46,000 people (26,000 Afrikaaners and about 20,000 Africans), with about 220,000 people, total, being held in two sets of camps.

see Rudyard Kipling’s fine poem, Waterval.

Godzilla 1985

Full movie. Have fun and enjoy.

I was musing about this the other day. Don’t you know

I was chaperoning a group of boy scouts (ex father in law was the troop leader) on a night hike in some woodland locally. I remained at the base in the car park helping prepare tea, cocoa and snacks. A few of the kids were always around as they went out in intervals with one leader or another so it was important that an adult was there to supervise them, I was around 18, 19 at the time.

A car pulled in to the carpark, which had been cordoned off and reserved for our use so the kids would stay safe. No one got out, so another leader went over to tell them that the park was off limits or see if it was a parent showing up hours early for some reason. They came back almost immediately and told me to call the police (I was the only one with a phone) as the man in the car wouldn’t speak, but was wearing a mask – it was actually the mask from the Scream films – had a shotgun and had piles of rope and tarpaulin in the car.

I remember being so scared that I couldn’t even remember the name of the park when I was speaking to the police, I was shaking and couldn’t get the words out quickly enough. All I could think was that we couldn’t see the car so had no idea if the man was still in it or out in the woods where we had 30 kids out in the dark with no way of contacting them.

Thankfully the police showed up in minutes, quickly found the man and arrested him. He said that he was out there hunting rabbits – why he would do so with a shotgun, or need a mask and rope I don’t know. We got all the kids back safely and didn’t tell them what had happened, but the sight of 7 or 8 police cars and a police dog unit was pretty difficult to ignore.

Definitely one of the scariest experiences I’ve had!

The Golden Ratio – Transmuted Pain to Power in Infinite Divine Proportion

Way back when I was out of college and working my first decent job, I had the assignment of vetting a bunch of applications for a new team the company was putting together. I was lightly bullied in HS by two girls who like to pick on skinny people of which I was one (5′8″ and 115 lbs). After college, I had grown up, filled out, and was a horseback rider and swimmer so in decent shape.

In the stack of about 50 applications that I was to cut down to 20 were applications by those two girls. They were both qualified and looked good on paper so they made the cut. When my company started interviewing, I was the one taking applicants into the room and when the first girl arrived, she took one look at me, turned white as a sheet but proceeded to the interview. I hadn’t told anyone of their actions in HS but it was known by others that the two were bullies when they were together and she didn’t get hired. She blamed me. The second girl was forewarned and was nice to me and apologized for her earlier treatment and when she went into the interview, she apologized to everyone there for her behavior as a teenager and she got hired.

The first girl came to see me at home and came at me again and I just put her on the ground without leaving a mark on her and told her I had nothing to do with her not being hired and she should find out what her friend had done to get hired. She left.

About a year later, I got a promotion and my old job was open and she applied for it and got hired. My revenge was they both worked for me and neither knew me well enough to know that my revenge was to do nothing and let their imaginations made them do good work and behave. I moved out of state about 5 years later and they were both good employees and I think part of that was having to take orders from someone they bullied.

John Mearsheimer: US Warships APPROACHED Lebanon, Putin Sent Anti-Ship Missiles To Houthis Join War

I don’t think it’s a spy balloon, it’s indeed what the Chinese call a “weather device.”

Why?

Check out these:

1. Jilin No. 1 satellite cluster

Jilin-1 is a reconnaissance satellite system developed by China. It was developed by the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The first set of satellites was launched at 12:13 on October 7, 2015. As of August 2023, Jilin The No. 1 satellite project has been launched a total of 26 times, with 131 satellites in orbit, which can revisit any location in the world 35 to 37 times a day.

  • This is a picture of the US Air Force base taken by Jilin 1

It can clearly photograph all military bases in the United States. Not only did they demonstrate to the public the effect of photographing U.S. naval bases, they even demonstrated the ability to track an F22 taking off from the Nevada Air Force Base.

2. Wing Loong 3 UAV

The Wing Loong 3 is a large UAV developed by China that can be used for high-altitude reconnaissance and attack. Without in-flight refueling, it can fly continuously for 32 hours and has a range of more than 10,000 kilometers.

If they needed to, it could take off in China and scout all over the United States, much faster and more stealthily than a balloon.

If I were Chinese, I would not choose such a stupid tool as a balloon for military reconnaissance.

The disadvantages of balloons are obvious

1. The flight trajectory is uncontrolled

Where it flies is completely determined by the monsoon, and a precise reconnaissance route cannot be set in advance.

2. Slow speed

It often takes a month to reach the target.

3. Poor reliability

Extreme weather, lightning strikes and other reasons can destroy the balloon at any time.

4. No concealment

Because of its appearance and height, it will even be seen and discovered by ordinary people, causing diplomatic disputes.

If I were North Korea, I would probably use something like a balloon to accomplish the mission. But why would China, which has other stronger and more reliable capabilities, choose this kind of thing?

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내 콘텐츠는 한국 언론에 의해 번역되거나 재인쇄되지 않습니다.

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Yes. I used heavily for 10 years without having more than 36 hours clean ever over ten years. Jail/prison was the only way I was ever able to kick. It’s strange because sucks, of course, but at the same time it’s weirdly easier to do it while locked up because you know there’s nothing you can do about it. Once you can accept that all the anxiety and desperation disappears and it allows time to pass quicker. I know when I was using and was dopesick I would toss and turn in my bed for what felt like 6 hours and look at the clock and 15 minutes had passed. It just crawled by at a agonizingly slow pace. It wasn’t like that in jail.

Also tell the staff you have really bad diarrhea, and are dangerously dehydrated, and they should offer you Imodium. Imodium(loperamide) binds to the opiate receptor in your gut and will give you some relief. It also slows the movement of electrolytes through your body so you won’t be on the toilet as much, and won’t be as dehydrated, which causes a lot of the muscle pain.

If you have a court date that you know is when you are going to sign and start your time then start tapering down as much as possible before you go in. I went from $100 a day habit down to where a $20 would last me 2 days before I went in and it helped tremendously in reducing the severity of my withdrawals.

Once I was done I was like “wow, that’s what I was so afraid of for 10 years?” It really wasn’t that big of a deal. Not pleasant, but time will pass, it has to, and the symptoms will fade. It won’t kill you. It did take me 9 months of a 15 month sentence to change my mindset that I was going to use soon as I got out. I just woke up one day and no longer remembered heroin fondly. I only remembered everything shitty about it.

Probably the most famous case like this involved the eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes.

The story starts in Las Vegas and the Hotel Desert Inn which, at the time, was owned by Dalitz.

At the time, the Desert Inn hosted the largest casino on the strip in Vegas. Hughes moved into and rented the top two floors of the hotel on Thanksgiving Day 1966.

After a couple weeks the hotel owners wanted to get Hughes to leave as they felt his eccentricity was negative PR for the Vegas image of their hotel. They also wanted to make room for the high rollers expected over the upcoming holiday season. Hughes was also perceived as a little crazy by this time in his life.

Instead of moving out though, Hughes entered negotiations to buy the Desert Inn. He managed to purchase the resort from Dalitz for $6.2 million in cash and $7 million in loans.

Hughes lived, worked and never left his 250 sq. ft. bedroom in the hotel. The windows and doors were taped shut. No housekeeping was allowed in. He conducted a large amount of business from the phones of this small, darkened room.

He was finally carried out four years later on a gurney and flown to the Bahamas to live out the last few years of his weird life.

Stand by me – Full movie

This is a GREAT movie. It’s a 1980’s classic and all about boyhood.

The genus with hyper-modem concept

Yes, I had the displeasure of terminating an employee early in my first career management experience.

I was 29 years old and promoted to manager of a small technical department with engineers and technicians (perhaps 10 total).

“Jerry” was a technician, very inquisitive, and often working outside the box – I liked him and felt he did a good job for the company.

But his “outside the box” activities included criticizing corporate policies, from pay scales to benefits and many others, often writing letters to the CEO.

  • One day, I was called to the VP,Technology office (my boss) and was told flat out to “get rid” of Jerry. Apparently Jerry’s complaints were getting a lot of attention and management decided to end this one way dialogue; so I was told to terminate him.
  • I consulted with HR who told me that as his manager, it was my responsibility to do this job that I did not look forward to…
  • As the days passed, I was getting more pressure from above, so like a good newly appointed manager, I called Jerry into my office and terminated him, telling him exactly what I was told to do, no fake made up excuses. I decided to let the chips fall where they may, if Jerry decided to take some legal action.

Jerry left, quite depressed and never worked again. Within a year, this 26 year old man had died due to OD on alcohol. I was a devastated and have held this story inside until today, nearly 40 years later.

I really liked Jerry and didn’t feel this was handled correctly by any of us, and had I been stronger to help him, things might have turned out different.

Jerry was a loner, sort of geeky (I liked that), not many friends or family and likely no one remembers him.

I am writing this as a tribute to Jerry and his cocky, inquisitive attitude.

Back in the days of single floppy computers, Pegasus Software would toggle the status lines at the top / bottom of the screen with instructions – eg: INSERT DATA DISK or INSERT PROGRAM DISK – among many others.

New client of HB Computers (same group as Pegasus) had sold this machine to a client, complete with Pegasus. Client (after strange support call), brings in “faulty computer”.

In fairness the client was right, the screen DID day “Insert Data Disk” – and did not FIRST tell him to remove the PROGRAM DISK. He had managed with extreme effort, to squeeze BOTH disks into the drive (5.25″ floppy) at which point, “DISK ERROR” was the new Status Message.

He had apparently thought originally that the “other disk” would pop out the back somewhere – but as he was squeezing in the other one, figured it must be able to handle both at the same time as the first was “still there”.

So, that was a good one for me.

In latter years, Computers with a “cup holder” that would spill the cup when the computer was turned off or on (this would be CD rom drawers) were not a rare as you might expect. They worked as cup holders, but in power up/down the drive would have another go at retracting the caddy – spilling the tea / coffee when it came to a jolting stop.

Beyond that, the everyday “Ooh, it didn’t say I had to plug it in”, “my son has inserted a digestive biscuit in drive B, it won’t eject”, I have washed my keyboard and now it doesn’t work, the mouse isn’t working (being used as a microphone), what is this (a mouse – this was by an IT “expert” with a degree but had only worked with DOS. TOTALLY at a loss with Windows – but did have a degree to show us how clever she was).

Removing fans (including CPU fans) as they “were not needed, wasted electricity and made a noise” happened more than once.

Round Steak Sizzler

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Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 cup Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 (3 pound) boneless beef round steak

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, combine ketchup, Lea & Perrins, oil and salt.
  2. Place steak in a snug-fitting bowl or doubled plastic bag.
  3. Pour ketchup mixture over steak.
  4. Cover or fasten and refrigerate for 24 hours.
  5. Remove steak from marinade. Place on a rack over hot charcoal. Grill until done as desired, about 12 minutes on each side for medium, brushing with marinade occasionally. Or, if desired, place on a rack in a broiler pan. Place under a preheated hot broiler for 7 to 10 minutes on each side or until done as desired, brushing occasionally with leftover marinade.

A New Era of Financial Warfare Has Begun
The West’s latest actions against Russia carry risks for the global system and could provoke China.

By Michael Hirsh, a columnist for Foreign Policy.
June 25, 2024, 9:00 PM

The pro-American tone of this is nauseating. But there is nothing new that we haven’t known about for years. The significant aspect is that this is now reaching mainstream Western consensus. -MM

Washington and the West have begun a new phase of financial warfare against Russia and China—a powerful but also potentially risky escalation that, if people aren’t careful, could eventually give Moscow and Beijing exactly the outcome they are believed to be looking for.

How so? Because the unprecedented actions taken at the G-7 summit in June to hand over to Ukraine billions of dollars in profits earned on frozen Russian assets—along with new actions taken against Chinese banks—could begin to undermine the legitimacy of the U.S.-dominated international financial system, some experts say.

And that could make Russian President Vladimir Putin and especially Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is said to want to create an alternative renminbi-based financial system, very happy in the end.

At a time when many nations are unsure about whether to do business with Russia and are falling into the debt-enforced embrace of China, the G-7 action sends a message: What was once sacrosanct in international finance may be no longer.

A number of sovereign wealth funds, central banks, corporations, and private investors—especially from the smaller countries of the global south that are most vulnerable to sanctions—may well want to hedge against full investment in dollar- and euro-based holdings.

“This decision crosses the Rubicon,” said Ryan Martínez Mitchell, a law professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, by “weakening the norm of sovereign immunity for foreign central banks.”

“Any shift away from a U.S. dollar-based global financial system is not a near-term prospect, but decisions like these do probably add to the constituency that would welcome that kind of future,” Mitchell said. Others agree.

“There were many forces pushing for a search for alternatives to [the U.S.] dollar, and this move will give an additional push to those efforts,” said Harold James, a financial historian at Princeton University.

“I believe we are at a tipping point in which two worries coincide: one about the likely fiscal path of the U.S. and an unsustainably large burden; the second about seizure of assets, with secondary sanctions possibly being applied to countries that are in a supply chain with China and then indirectly with Russia.”

The “tipping point,” James warns, could come in the form of many countries, even U.S. allies, beginning to move their assets away from the dollar and euro.

According to Raghuram Rajan of the University of Chicago, a former governor of the Reserve Bank of India, nations are disturbed by the idea that Russia’s $300 billion in central bank reserves have been inaccessible for more than two years. “Some central banks have started diversifying reserves a little more as a result, including into gold,” Rajan said.

James added: “One sign that I find very telling is how Central European countries, the Czech Republic and Poland, both of which feel very close to the U.S. and who weren’t interested in gold reserves when they felt secure—indeed, the Czech Republic sold its gold reserves the day they entered NATO in March 1999—are now buying large amounts of gold.”

Putin himself spoke triumphantly of this trend in his notorious interview with renegade U.S. newscaster Tucker Carlson in February. Washington’s decision “to use the dollar as a tool of the foreign-policy struggle is one of the biggest strategic mistakes made by the U.S. political leadership,” Putin said, pointing to America’s fiscal profligacy. “Even the U.S. allies are now downsizing their dollar reserves.” At another point, Putin warned other countries that they “could be next in line for expropriation by the United States and the West.”

Wary of the risks of sending a destabilizing message, the G-7 did stop short of actually seizing the Russian assets at its summit in Italy. Instead, it adopted a complex scheme to transfer so-called windfall profits on earnings from frozen Russian central bank securities—the earnings of some $3 billion to $4 billion a year come from investments by Euroclear, the financial services company in Belgium that holds the Russian assets—to supply finance to Ukraine.

It was unprecedented all the same. As a senior Biden administration official described it: “Never before in history has a multilateral coalition immobilized the sovereign assets of an aggressor country and then found a way to unlock the value of those assets for the benefit of the aggrieved party as it fights for its freedom. That’s what happened at this G-7.”

However it’s done, making money off other nations’ assets—even aggressor nations, such as Russia, in total violation of global norms—is a risky precedent. “Once a new sanction becomes seen as effective, its usage tends to proliferate,” said Jon Bateman, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “In recent years, creative new uses of export control powers—such as the Entity List and the Foreign Direct Product Rule—have ping-ponged between Chinese and Russian targets, with each country serving as a proving ground for actions later taken against the other.”

Nor did the G-7 leaders stop there. They also indicated that new measures were being considered that might gradually cut Beijing out of the international financial system. While saying in a communiqué that they “recognize the importance of China in global trade” and affirming that they “are not trying to harm China or thwart its economic development,” the leaders obliquely threatened Chinese banks “and other entities in China” with measures to “restrict access to our financial systems.” That could ratchet up the war—and the risks to the system—dramatically.

China has already been quietly insulating itself from financial retaliation over its support of Russia in the past two years, said Hung Tran, a former deputy director at the International Monetary Fund, in a June 21 interview. “The major Chinese banks have been very cautious even in reducing their exposure and dealings with Russia. In place of that, smaller institutions not having any business with any U.S. entity have been set up to handle trade with Russia so that basically Russia-China trade is settled in renminbi and rubles.”

The senior administration official justified the decision to increase pressure on China by saying that “some of China’s actions to support the Russian war machine are now not just threatening Ukraine’s existence but European security and trans-Atlantic security.”

The official added that among other “unrivaled policy distortions coming out of China”—meaning its unfair trade practices—Beijing was now openly supplying dual-use components and other economic aid to Russia. “There was unanimous agreement that the Russian military has been sustained by transforming its entire economy into a war machine and because China and other countries have been willing to serve” that effort, the official said.

In a blunt statement during his visit to Beijing in April, Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated these accusations, declaring that China was “powering Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine” as “the top supplier of machine tools, microelectronics, nitrocellulose, which is critical to making munitions and rocket propellants, and other dual-use items that Moscow is using to ramp up its defense industrial base.”

The actions taken at the G-7 summit may well have been necessary. Nearly two and a half years into the war, support for aid from the United States and Europe is flagging, Kyiv’s forces are exhausted, Russia’s economy is still looking fairly robust, and a new anti-Western alignment is hardening between Moscow, Beijing, Tehran, and most recently North Korea. “We are stepping up our collective efforts to disarm and defund Russia’s military industrial complex,” the G-7 leaders said in their communiqué.

This latest approach to squeezing Russia started slowly, even painfully, amid a great deal of tension between the United States and European governments about just how tough to get with Moscow.

Immediately following Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, none of those governments had a problem imposing the usual economic sanctions—import and export restrictions and the like—and quickly. They took a major step further when they froze Russia’s central bank assets—an unprecedented move against such a large country—in addition to real estate properties, stocks, bonds, and various investments held by Russian oligarchs.

But actually seizing those bank assets was seen as a step too far, especially by the Europeans, who fought off an effort led by the U.S. Congress, and ultimately backed by the Biden administration, to pursue full seizure. That meant tampering with the international financial system itself—the complex postwar network of norms, codes, and laws that has underwritten the greatest surge of prosperity in recorded history and enriched the West. That felt a little too much like playing with elemental fire because it meant threatening the idea of sovereign immunity that is central to the system and because it meant posing increased risks to the holding of dollar- and euro-denominated assets. And having established this precedent, what about China? What effect will the G-7’s warnings have on Xi?


The shot fired in the communiqué could deter Xi from doing even more to isolate China’s ailing economy than he already has—specifically by invading or blockading Taiwan. Or, alternatively, it could mean the beginning of the end of the postwar global economic system if Xi decides to move against Taiwan anyway. Indeed, he could easily gamble that the United States wouldn’t dare do to China what it’s doing to Russia for exactly that reason.

If the United States and West were to respond to an invasion or blockade of Taiwan by freezing and leveraging Chinese assets, the result could be a freeze-up of the whole financial system and a devastating blow to the global economy. In the case of Russia, Washington needed to undergo many months of negotiation with the European Union because the vast majority of Russian assets are held in Europe and there was only about $300 billion or so to freeze. The same is not true of Chinese assets, which are huge and spread all over the world. Under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, Washington would be able to freeze some $800 billion in Chinese Treasury bill holdings entirely on its own, which is only a portion of some $3 trillion in Chinese-owned sovereign assets overseas. But Beijing could easily retaliate against that nearly $6 trillion in Western investment in China.

As Tran argues, the threat of a kind of financial MAD, or mutual assured destruction, is far too great. In “terms of balance sheet exposures, China has about $3.4 trillion of identifiable international assets at risk of possible sanctions and up to $5.8 trillion of liabilities to, or assets in China of, international investors and companies largely from Western countries. China therefore has plenty of room to take retaliatory actions,” Tran wrote in a 2022 post for the Atlantic Council titled “Wargaming a Western Freeze of China’s Foreign Reserves.”

The deep cross-integration between China and the West is what has led both sides to avoid a complete decoupling of economies, reflecting what former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers once called a “financial balance of terror.” As a result, “there will be more resistance to imposing the scope of sanctions we have imposed on Russia because Western economies are far more intertwined with China’s than they were with Russia’s,” said William Reinsch, a former U.S. commerce undersecretary now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Reinsch notes there is an important “qualitative difference” as well: “The Russian assets being used are those seized from oligarchs who have supported/enabled Putin. There are some Chinese oligarchs, but their relationship with their own government is much different, as is their role in the economy. If you go beyond oligarchs, you get very quickly to seizing sovereign assets, which I doubt the West would do and for which the consequences would be significant.”

But according to some China experts, the latest moves might only spur Xi to further decouple his economy. The “dimmer” that peaceful reunification with Taiwan seems, “the more incentives Beijing would have to reduce vulnerabilities to sanctions in case of a militarized conflict,” said Zongyuan Zoe Liu, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and columnist for Foreign Policy. “China has been diversifying its foreign exchange reserves since the 2000s. While previously the primary motivation was to search for higher returns and strategic assets, now it is also to reduce vulnerabilities to sanctions.”

And while Xi’s dream of a renminbi-based system still “has a long way to go”—the yuan is a distant fifth in global reserve currency holdings—escalating Western moves “may ultimately weaken international law protections for everyone, not only their intended targets,” Mitchell wrote recently for the Quincy Institute. As a result, “intensified weaponization of Western currencies could indeed boost China’s yuan efforts, and, more significantly, provide a major stimulus to plans for a BRICS basket reserve currency. The move would simultaneously improve Beijing’s reputation as an apparently more responsible actor with respect to foreign assets, while also perversely incentivizing it to further experiment with its own nascent unilateral sanctions regime.”

Russia is much more willing than China to blow up the international system. But that doesn’t mean Xi won’t decide he can afford to see that happen as well. As Tran argues, Beijing has been pursuing a “dual-track” strategy of working within the current Western-led trading system “but also wanting to find alternative ways to do this trade without being exposed to dollar sanctions.” Further sanctions could only push Xi further in the radical direction of trying to set up an alternative renminbi-based financial trading system.

“Both sides are kind of upping their ante,” Tran said.

IT’S TIME TO CHANGE – Motivational Speech

As the world’s second largest importer, China’s imports are actually relatively concentrated, with several commodities accounting for a large proportion.

1. Semiconductors (the largest import category)

Semiconductors are China’s largest import commodity over the years, at $400 billion per year. However, with Western countries imposing semiconductor sanctions on China and the continuous rise of China’s domestic semiconductor industry, China’s imports of semiconductors have fallen by 15% per year since 2021.

The rapid decline in semiconductor imports is the number one reason for China’s declining imports.

2. Energy (the second largest import category)

The import volume of oil, natural gas, and coal is also very large. On average, $300 billion of crude oil is imported each year. As China’s share of clean energy continues to expand and the replacement rate of electric vehicles increases rapidly, China’s demand for crude oil is decreasing year by year. After the Russian-Ukrainian war in 2023, the price of China’s imported energy has gradually declined, and many crude oils are settled in RMB, which has lowered the amount of energy imports.

In addition to semiconductors and energy, China’s demand for other imported commodities is actually increasing. Imports of agricultural products, meat, fruit, textiles, minerals and metals are all continuing to increase, showing the strong purchasing power of Chinese society. However, due to the low proportion of these things, they cannot offset the decline in semiconductor and energy imports, causing China’s imports to continue to decline in the past year.

China’s exports are very complex, and China exports almost everything.

China’s exports have fluctuated in the past year, but have generally grown steadily. From January to May this year, China’s exports grew by 6.3%. The main categories driving China’s export growth are:

1. Shipbuilding

China’s shipbuilding industry completely defeated its old rival South Korea in 2023, and its global share once exceeded 70%. From January to May this year, China’s shipbuilding exports increased by 100% compared with last year

2. Automobiles

In 2023, China became the world’s largest automobile producer and exporter, and the export of electric vehicles grew very rapidly. From January to May 2024, automobile exports grew by 27%

3. Electronic products and household appliances

With the increase in global demand, China’s exports of electronic products and household appliances have grown rapidly. In particular, the export of air conditioners, fans and refrigerators driven by global climate change has grown rapidly. An increase of 20% over last year

If you only read Western media, you seem to come to a conclusion: the United States and Western countries are decoupling from China and no longer buying Chinese goods, and China’s exports will be devastated.

But the actual situation is that China’s exports to European and American countries have indeed declined. However, exports to ASEAN, South America, and countries along the Belt and Road have grown rapidly. The total export volume has increased instead of decreased, and ASEAN has replaced the United States as China’s largest customer.

In general, China’s continued decrease in imports and increase in exports show the changes in current global trade.

Due to the increased restrictions and confrontation between Europe and the United States on China, China has to reduce the import of semiconductors and replace them with domestic semiconductors. Global energy prices have fallen, and China has increased its influence on oil-producing countries through the BRICS organization, which has reduced the price of China’s energy imports. The decline in these two major categories of imported goods has lowered China’s imports.

European and American countries have restricted China’s export commodities, implemented a “decoupling” strategy, and actively reduced imports from China, but the total global demand for Chinese goods has not really decreased, and non-Western countries’ demand for goods has continued to increase. At the same time, many goods enter the European and American markets through third countries. Therefore, China’s exports to non-Western countries have grown rapidly, filling the gap in the Western market, and overall exports are continuing to grow. This shows that global trade is unlikely to be completely blocked by political forces, and the advantages of Chinese manufacturing are unlikely to be surpassed by other countries in a short period of time.

Well, I can’t speak for all police officers, but I can tell you what went through my mind the time I shot someone’s dog.

I was called to a small town in my county in reference to three dogs which were running loose, attacking other peoples’ leashed pets, and destroying property. I got there before animal control and located the dogs, which were staying together. Two of them looked like pit bull /boxer mixes, and the third was a big, light-colored lab mix. I don’t really have any equipment for catching dogs, especially three big ones, so I just sort of followed them around town in my car to make sure they didn’t cause too much trouble before animal control could get there.

As I followed them down a street, a lady opened her front door and started yelling to me and pointing to the house across the street. That’s where the dogs belonged. The dogs ran onto her porch. She closed the storm door and they started jumping and biting at it.

This was getting too dangerous. Those dogs were crazy, and someone was going to get hurt. Now, I’m a dog person. A dog lover. I get along just fine with dogs, and I can usually even come to an arrangement with the grouchy ones. So, I grabbed my metal clipboard to use as a shield and got out of my car, headed toward the dogs’ house. They were having none of that.

I was almost able to back them down. Like I said, I love dogs, and I know the tricks, but three dogs in an aggressive pack mentality were more than I could handle by myself. They started playing that adorable doggie game where they take turns lunging at you, getting a little closer each time, two of them trying to circle behind you while another gets your attention.

I had a Taser with one shot. Three dogs. I had pepper spray, but the dogs were too close and too aggressive to count on it. My biggest regret is that I didn’t just spray them as soon as they were in range, but by the time I realized I was in serious trouble, it was too late for pepper spray.

I drew my gun and backed toward my squad car. This gave me a bit more confidence, which the dogs apparently sensed, because they backed off a little. Before I got back to my car though, they were right on top of me. I made sure I was oriented so that if I had to shoot I would be pointing in the safest possible direction. When one of the dogs finally lunged so close that I was sure he would get me, I fired. I was pointing my gun down at a fairly steep angle, because that’s how close the dog was.

This was supposed to be about what went through my mind. Well, at the moment I decided to pull the trigger, it was something like “I gave you every chance in the world, but you keep coming, so fuck you.” (sorry for the language, but that’s what I thought)

The dog I shot went down hard, bleeding all over my front fender. The other two dogs ran off. The shot finally got the attention of the dogs’ owners.

Of course, the first person to come sprinting out of the house was a little girl, maybe 12 years old. She was screaming and crying and looking at me like the biggest monster she had ever seen. I have no doubt that those three dogs, who would have had a great time playing tug o war with my corpse, were as gentle as kittens with “their” little girl. Dogs are amazing like that. So, there was absolutely nothing I could say to her. At that point, what was going through my mind was “Screw this. I’m just going to hand this little girl my badge and go home.”

I’ve had to arrest parents in front of their screaming kids. I’ve had to pry screaming toddlers from the arms of their crying, meth-addicted mothers and hand them over to DCFS. This was bad in a whole new way. It sucked.

Eventually Dad came out. I was pretty sure he was going to hit me. I was already making up my mind that I’d give him a warning on the Aggravated Battery charge as long as I was able to subdue him fairly easily, but his wife came out and calmed him down before it came to that.

Somehow the dog lived despite the fact that I had shot it right in the center of the head with a .45. There was no exit wound. When a pit bull lunges at you from that close, all you can see is head. Dad ran the dog to the vet, and I heard it was alive and doing very well weeks later. I really have no idea how that could be. I distinctly remember a perfectly round, half inch hole pumping blood out of that dog’s head.

The family made a formal complaint on me, of course. Fortunately, that lady from across the street gave me a glowing review. She said she couldn’t figure out why I didn’t shoot the dogs sooner.

It turns out that I also had a backup officer who I didn’t know about until after the shot. He pulled up behind me and saw the whole thing, but stayed in his car the whole time. I guess he’s smarter than me. He made a good witness on my behalf at least.

I felt like absolute crap for a couple weeks. I won’t whine about the details. It was mostly that little girl and the fact that I really am one of those people who just can’t resist playing with every dog he sees. I wanted so badly to visit that family and explain things to the little girl, but of course that wouldn’t have been appropriate. Dad wanted my ass, and showing up at his house on a social call would have been seen as a provocation.

Anyhow, that’s what went through this cop’s mind when he shot someone’s dog.

AI SCENES – Crystal Nexus Chronicles of the Interstellar Mask Part 1 of 50 #62

At that time, the North Vietnamese army continued to infiltrate South Vietnam, which made the United States, which supported South Vietnam, exhausted.

The Johnson administration believed that only by bombing North Vietnam and destroying North Vietnam’s industrial facilities could North Vietnam’s southward route be completely cut off. Therefore, the US military not only bombed North Vietnam on a large scale, but also included Laos and Cambodia in the bombing range, attempting to completely cut off the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

But the US military’s goal was obviously difficult to achieve.

On the one hand, although North Vietnam was subjected to large-scale bombing by the United States, the weapons Ho Chi Minh needed could be continuously transported from China, and aid from the Soviet Union was also continuous;

On the other hand, China publicly stated as early as 1962 that “if the US military crosses the 17th parallel north, then China will also organize troops to participate in the war.” This is the strategy of “each further”.

Therefore, after the United States began large-scale bombing of North Vietnam, China also organized communications troops, engineering troops, anti-aircraft artillery troops, etc. to enter Vietnam to fight, and the war situation began to escalate.

The situation facing the United States is that even if the United States withstands China’s pressure and bombs North Vietnam back to the “Stone Age”, or even defeats the Chinese army participating in the war and completely occupies North Vietnam, the United States will not be able to overthrow the two backers behind North Vietnam: China and the Soviet Union, especially China, its opponent in the Korean War.

Under such circumstances, whether the US army crosses the 17th parallel north latitude has no practical significance, because it cannot win even if it crosses.

Therefore, the area north of 17 degrees north latitude later became the “safe zone” for the North Vietnamese army.

North Vietnamese troops continued to penetrate into South Vietnam. Once pursued by the US military, they fled north of the 17th parallel. The American soldiers gave up the pursuit and returned to South Vietnam. This cycle repeats over and over again, and the American soldiers are exhausted.

The nightmare of the Vietnam War for Americans is that it was an unwinnable war from the very beginning. The longer the Americans stayed in Indochina, the worse they lost.

In fact, this is exactly the case. From the time when American special forces landed in Vietnam in 1961 to the time when they withdrew in 1975, nearly 60,000 American soldiers were killed and more than 100,000 were injured in the United States in more than a decade.

After the war, more than 100,000 American soldiers committed suicide, and the US military expenditure reached more than 250 billion US dollars, with countless material losses.

What’s more terrible is that the war caused an unprecedented anti-Vietnam War movement in the United States, and for the first time, a huge rift appeared in American society.

Anti-War Protests of the 1960s-70s

The Vietnam anti-war movement was one of the most pervasive displays of opposition to the government policy in modern times. Protests raged all over the country. San Francisco, New York,...

The Bretton Woods system, which has supported the US financial hegemony since World War II, also declared its collapse due to the unbearable burden of the Vietnam War. It can be said that the Vietnam War seriously damaged the vitality of the United States.

The end of the Bretton Woods System (1972-81)

The multimedia content on this page cannot be printed. Video (3:29): Former U.S. President Richard Nixon announces end of dollar link to gold U.S. gas station during the 1970s oil price shock. 

By the early 1960s, the U.S. dollar's fixed value against gold, under the Bretton Woods system of fixed exchange rates, was seen as overvalued. 

A sizable increase in domestic spending on President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society programs and a rise in military spending caused by the Vietnam War gradually worsened the overvaluation of the dollar. 

End of Bretton Woods system The system dissolved between 1968 and 1973. In August 1971, U.S. President Richard Nixon announced the "temporary" suspension of the dollar's convertibility into gold. 

While the dollar had struggled throughout most of the 1960s within the parity established at Bretton Woods, this crisis marked the breakdown of the system. An attempt to revive the fixed exchange rates failed, and by March 1973 the major currencies began to float against each other. 

Since the collapse of the Bretton Woods system, IMF members have been free to choose any form of exchange arrangement they wish (except pegging their currency to gold): allowing the currency to float freely, pegging it to another currency or a basket of currencies, adopting the currency of another country, participating in a currency bloc, or forming part of a monetary union. 

Oil shocks Many feared that the collapse of the Bretton Woods system would bring the period of rapid growth to an end. In fact, the transition to floating exchange rates was relatively smooth, and it was certainly timely: flexible exchange rates made it easier for economies to adjust to more expensive oil, when the price suddenly started going up in October 1973. 

Floating rates have facilitated adjustments to external shocks ever since. The IMF responded to the challenges created by the oil price shocks of the 1970s by adapting its lending instruments. 

To help oil importers deal with anticipated current account deficits and inflation in the face of higher oil prices, it set up the first of two oil facilities. Helping poor countries From the mid-1970s, the IMF sought to respond to the balance of payments difficulties confronting many of the world's poorest countries by providing concessional financing through what was known as the Trust Fund. 

In March 1986, the IMF created a new concessional loan program called the Structural Adjustment Facility. The SAF was succeeded by the Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility in December 1987.

To sum up, the fundamental reason for the disastrous defeat of the United States in the Vietnam War was that this war was destined to be an unwinnable war.

Stevie Aldrich

“CONKLIN!” Havaderr wailed. His face was the brightest red and steaming with heat. The veins in his neck throbbed noticeably, but he waited as still as he could for Conklin to answer. A buzz came in over the intercom above Havaderr’s head.

     “Hey, was that you shouting, Havaderr?” Conklin’s voice crackled with static and attitude. Havaderr shut his eyes and repeated his Zen mantra in his head.

     “Havaderr? What’s your problem?”

     Havaderr’s eyes opened, and in the most even tone he could manage; he said his mantra out loud.

     “I am calm. I am calm. I can overcome this. I am strong. I am strong. I can overcome anything.” Havaderr spoke through gritted teeth, spittle flying across the room as he focused on keeping his anger inside rather than shouting and blowing the place up with Conklin inside.

     “Hey guy, are you going to answer me or what?” Conklin’s voice implied his own rising impatience. Havaderr moved to the button on the wall nearest him to respond.

     “Yes, Conklin, I was shouting,” Havaderr said as evenly as his rage would allow. “Get your ass to 4A NOW!” As he trailed off, he clenched his teeth together so hard he felt a grinding that might as well have been a tooth chipping. Before Conklin’s reply came, Havaderr heard an irritated sigh over the intercom.

     “Yeah, be right ther-.” Conklin barely finished his sentence before releasing the button, cutting himself off at the end.

     Moments later, a door slid open down the hall, several yards away from Havaderr. Conklin came into the hall, looking both ways before spotting Havaderr.

     “What the hell, why are you shouting and-“ Havaderr cut Conklin off with a finger to his mouth to silence him.

     “I’m going to show you something in this room behind me, and it’s best if your mouth is shut when I do.” Havaderr’s voice wavered, he was still trying to control his anger. Conklin looked confused as ever but kept his mouth shut. With a worried expression, Conklin followed Havaderr to another door. Havaderr stood aside and opened the door for Conklin to enter alone. Conklin stood in the doorway staring, then Havaderr shoved him wholly into the room from behind and closed the door.

     “Havaderr, what’s going on? What the fu-ahhhh!” The intercom inside the restroom was unnecessary, but Havaderr appreciated it right now. He would have heard Conklin screaming from quite a distance, but hearing Conklin’s disgust and horror in surround sound was more pleasing. A slice of anger slid off his shoulders and a small smile appeared on his face.

     The door rattled, clearly Conklin on the other side trying to burst through, but Havaderr held the lock button, keeping Conklin trapped inside.

     “What kind of game is this Havaderr? Let me out, for Christ’s sake!” Conklin was panicking, releasing more anger from Havaderr’s shoulders and filling his belly with laughter.

     “This is no game, friend. This is you coming face to face with your own incompetence,” Havaderr said over the intercom, still smiling.

     “Havaderr! Let me out of here!” Conklin screamed and started ramming the door again.

     “I don’t think so, Conklin. If you look to the left of the door, I’ve been kind enough to set you up with plenty of cleaning supplies for the job, which is a lot more than you did for me. I’d suggest you start tackling that shit before it starts tackling you.” Havaderr exploded with laughter, letting go of the intercom and floating backward as he held onto his stomach. He laughed so hard he couldn’t breathe. Conklin kept banging on the door and pleading to be released, but Havaderr couldn’t hear anything over the roar of his own hysteria.

     Curled up in fetal position, floating in the hallway, Havaderr worked himself out of his fits of laughter. He wiped the joyful tears from his eyes and started breathing normally again. He moved back to the intercom.

     “Look mate, this restroom was in your sector to clean. Obviously, you did a piss poor job,” Havaderr grabbed his side, holding the laughter in after such a quality pun. “I told you, cleaning the restrooms would be the most important job, because if it isn’t done right, this happens. Floating excrement!” Conklin didn’t say anything, but Havaderr heard him kick or punch the door.

     “I’ll take your silence as admitting you did a sloppy job the first time. You know, I needed to do some business, and I walk into the restroom greeted with a turd to the face, which I’m assuming belonged to you, so I have no sympathy for you right now. Clean the damn restroom like you were supposed to, and I’ll let you out.” Havaderr waited for a response. He was eager to shower off the stench and stain of human waste from himself before finishing his day.

     “Yeah, alright,” Conklin said over the intercom, sounding defeated and guilty. Havaderr nodded his head and left Conklin to figure out how to clean a restroom with feces floating freely throughout.

     “Like I said, not a drop of sympathy for you. Do it right the first time, and we won’t run into stupid problems like that,” Havaderr said coolly, scrubbing at the built-up muck in the corners of the glass.

     Conklin was still cranky from cleaning the restroom the day before, and he meant to let Havaderr know just how little he appreciated the tactless way he was pushed into the situation without warning.

     “Chin up, Conklin. We have one more day before our shift is over, and we can get the hell off this floating heap of death,” Havaderr motioned toward the clear chambers that housed the comatose bodies of several crew members, one of which whose glass he was scrubbing.

     “Remind me, what’s up with these bodies? They’re dead, yeah?” Conklin asked.

     “No, they’re alive, they’re the crew, dumbass,” Havaderr grunted at Conklin. He looked over to see Conklin hovering around the main dashboard, not a rag or mop near him. “And I wouldn’t mind if you got to work while you asked your questions,” he barked. Conklin jumped and reached for a rag tucked into a closed bucket tethered nearby. He started mindlessly wiping at the dashboard without paying close attention.

     “Okay, but how come they’re asleep?” Conklin asked. Havaderr sighed as he paused and rolled his eyes.

     “Do I look like the Captain of this ship? All I know is, this crew is traveling some number of lightyears, so the ship has been programed for regular stops near inhabited planets for maintenance and cleaning. We drew the short straw, so we get to hop from the ship we were on previously, to this one, and then another one before heading back home. Nobody else was this far out into deep space to do the job, so we get a long shift before our break. At least they’re paying us over time, eh?” Havaderr smiled at the thought of a paycheck double its usual amount. He looked in on the half-naked man inside the tube he was cleaning, tapping on the glass with his knuckle and laughing at how strange the sight was.

     Air escaped the edges of the door, and it hissed loudly. The smile fell from Havaderr’s face as he scanned the chamber looking for an explanation. The door swung open and the half-naked man floated out as if to follow. Thankfully, he was attached to a few tubes that kept him reigned in and asleep, but the color left Havaderr’s face once he realized that would only last for so long.

     Havaderr turned to Conklin, who looked just as confused.

     “He just-just-he-“ Havaderr stuttered, unable to decide what he was trying to say. The man’s feet flew upward so his back was parallel to the floor and his right side dipped down. Slowly, he started to spin, so he was upside down. All the while, Havaderr and Conklin stared without any clue how to fix it.

     “Did you touch something?” Havaderr shouted at Conklin, who shook his head wordlessly.

     “I didn’t touch anything!” Havaderr went back to staring at the half-naked man, perplexed. After a minute, Havaderr decided they couldn’t leave the man like that.

     “Get over here and help me with this!” He yelled at Conklin. Still silent, Conklin moved toward Havaderr and the unconscious man. Havaderr and Conklin wore their gravity belts at 85% power to keep from floating off like the man from the tube, but it allowed them a bit more mobility too. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any extras to strap to the man, so he continued to spin and flip through the air.

     One of the wires connecting the man to his casket snapped, leaving only one left to keep him from flying down the corridor and into every other part of the ship. Havaderr and Conklin shared a look of fear but said nothing.

     Havaderr grabbed the man’s knees and tried to pull them down so the man was right side up, but as he pulled, the man’s whole body moved toward Havaderr. Conklin remained motionless, watching the unconscious body float into Havaderr. Havaderr struggled and groped, trying his very best to wrangle the helpless man, but even his best efforts left him with the man’s body bumping into him clumsily. He accidentally grabbed the man’s buttocks, and the man’s armpit swung around and slapped him in the face. All in all, it reminded Conklin of two young people at their first school dance, trying not to step on each other.

     Conklin covered the smile on his face, but the more Havaderr fought with the floating man and lost, the more the urge to laugh rose in his belly. When the man launched a foot directly into Havaderr’s eye, Conklin lost it. With one hand on the man’s shoulder and his other arm wrapped around the man’s torso, Havaderr stopped to see what was so funny to Conklin. He didn’t have to ask; he knew how he looked.

     “Would you knock it off and help me! I don’t know what we disconnected, but that could be vital to this man’s life!” Havaderr tried to repeat his mantra in his head, but he couldn’t hear anything over Conklin’s laughter. Havaderr grumbled as he kept spinning the man back into position, with no help from Conklin, who was tumbling in circles on the other side of the room.

     Finally, Havaderr got the man into his up-right position and back into the tube. As best as he could, he reattached the disconnected wires, but he couldn’t pull the door shut.

     “Conklin! Find the button to close this door, hurry, before he tries to escape again!” Havaderr pleaded.

     Conklin straightened up and moved to the dashboard he had been cleaning. On the first try, he hit a button, and the door closed, sealing itself. Havaderr wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at Conklin, a little puzzled. Conklin’s laughter died down, but when he saw Havaderr near collapse and panting, his laughter boiled over.

     “What is wrong with you? Were you too busy finding this hilarious to help me save that man’s life?” Havaderr demanded, huffing and puffing.

     “Calm down, he’s fine,” Conklin squeaked. “The buttons are clearly labeled on the dash here, see?” Conklin pointed to the dashboard. Havaderr saw buttons marked to open doors, close doors, start specific mechanisms, stop the same mechanisms, and a bunch of other things Havaderr didn’t understand. What he did think he understood, was how the door opened in the first place.

     “Did you open his door on me?” Havaderr asked Conklin, the anger rising again.

     “Yeah, mate, you should have seen the look on your face!” Conklin rolled over laughing.

     “You idiot! You could have killed the man, we could be fired, what the hell is wrong with you?” Havaderr bellowed.

     “Relax Havaderr, you’ll give yourself a stroke!” Conklin pulled himself together for a second, setting his feet back on the floor and pointing to the dashboard again.

     “This here, that indicates their vital signs. You can see they’re all perfectly healthy, no harm done,” Conklin said matter-of-factly. Havaderr was flustered. He could only trust Conklin’s word, he had no idea what any of the lights or buttons meant on the dash.

     “You couldn’t have known it would be okay, though. What if the tube that detached from his arm was something that kept him alive?” Havaderr exclaimed. Conklin rolled his eyes, irritated that Havaderr wasn’t figuring it out as easily as he was.

     “All that tube did was give him pleasant dreams; it wasn’t important. He’ll live, and nobody need ever know you almost killed a man,” Conklin started to giggle again. Havaderr’s face turned tomato red and he clenched his fist, trying to fight the overwhelming desire to punch Conklin in the face.

     “You did this on purpose?” Havaderr said, strained.

     “Well, maybe don’t lock me in a room with floating shit again, and we’ll be fine,” Conklin smiled, feeling pleased with himself.

Spicy Grilled T-Bones

grilled t bone steaks with bbq rub horizontal 2
grilled t bone steaks with bbq rub horizontal 2

Ingredients

Seasoning

  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
  • 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper

Steaks

  • 2 to 4 well-trimmed beef T-bone or Porterhouse steaks, cut 1-inch thick

Instructions

  1. Combine Seasoning ingredients, and press evenly onto steaks.
  2. Place steaks on grid over medium, ash covered coals. Cook for about 14 to 16 minutes.

This was not me but a chap I used to work with with. Richard is brilliant, I’m the guy who scribbles a drawing of what we need, Richard tidies up that drawing and puts all the part numbers on it. He sits down with the job and tells us exactly when it can be delivered, and he is always right. He is the perfect “Foil” for all the arty types around him, he brought us all down the art of the possible and made sure it all worked perfectly and on time. He was the guy who did everything perfectly and properly “By the book” I was the guy who did a quick and dirty job with some plywood and string we happened to have around the office. It was a perfect team.

Richard had a thing about “OPM” other peoples money, when you spend OPM you have to justify every penny. He would give me an accurate breakdown of every penny he spent, I would tell him it didn’t matter as long as the time was on time and he wasn’t wearing a lobster for a hat it made no odds.

So he told me about a job he had with a contractor that had the job of repairing the CCTV cameras on the UK’s Motorways. This was 25 years ago and in the years leading up to this the government had had lots of different contractors installing equipment, probably there were records somewhere but nobody knew where.

So he would see what the fault was (no picture, Pan-Tilt not working etc) then he would go out to the site in his car and inspect the camera with a pair of binoculars. He would then be able to identify at least what the head was and what the possible camera was. He would order all of the parts that MIGHT have gone (different wiring looms, camera electronics cards, for the old tube cameras he had new CCD cameras that interfaced directly to the mounts of the old cameras.

Then one night they would book the guys who close the lane of the motorway, book a cherry picker to lift him up to the camera etc etc.

He would then go up and fix the fault, clean the housing etc etc Then hold up a card in front of the camera with “Please test” and if the camera was good the operator would “nod” it three times.

This went on for several months, then he got called into the bosses office .. He got bawled out for wasting the companies money .. Apparently when he ordered the “HUGE QUANTITY” of unneeded spare parts the company charged a 10% restocking charge and this was costing the company dear and they wondered what on earth Richard thought he was doing? This was costing the company as much as £40 every time.

Richard explained that because he did not know what the fault was he would get all the parts “Just in case”. The boss then sarcastically suggested that Richard might want to find out what parts he needed BEFORE he went out to repair the camera.

So now they would organise to close the lane of the motorway .. get a cherry picker .. send Richard up it, he’d then examine the camera, determine what was wrong, then come down, wrap the cherry picker, wrap the guys with the cones, go back to the office and order the parts.

The extra motorway closure and the cherry picker added an extra £1300 to the repair of each camera.

Richard worked for them for 2 years after that .. He tried so many times to explain but nobody would listen ..

Pee Wee Herman Takes Dave For A Drive In The Country | Letterman

The narrative that rapid economic growth is exclusive to capitalist democracies has been turned on its head by China. Boasting the fastest-growing economy, China’s model demonstrates that a different path to prosperity is not only possible but also powerful.

China’s meteoric rise as the fastest-growing economy can be attributed to several key factors: robust industrial production, aggressive trade liberalization, foreign investment, and significant government policy initiatives geared towards economic growth. Understanding these aspects provides a comprehensive view of why China has achieved such rapid economic development.

main qimg 642fa49fa38f619068fbd8a7b946e1d3
main qimg 642fa49fa38f619068fbd8a7b946e1d3

Economic Liberalization and Foreign Investment

China’s commitment to international trade and economic liberalization has been pivotal. After re-establishing diplomatic ties with the United States in 1979, China began opening up its economy, culminating in its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001. This move significantly reduced trade barriers and attracted a flood of foreign investments into the country. The liberalization policies allowed foreign companies to enter China’s retail, wholesale, and distribution sectors, spurring rapid economic growth. Consequently, China became an attractive destination for multinational corporations seeking low-cost manufacturing bases, thereby boosting industrial output and export growth.

The influx of foreign capital also brought in advanced technologies and management practices, elevating the productivity and efficiency of Chinese industries. Foreign-direct investments (FDI) played a critical role in transforming China’s economic landscape, making it a global manufacturing hub.

Industrial Production and Manufacturing Exports

China’s industrial sector is the backbone of its economy. With a focus on manufacturing and export-led growth, China has excelled in producing a wide array of goods, from electronics to textiles, usually at competitive prices. The country’s ability to manufacture products efficiently and affordably has led to a booming export economy, positioning China as a major player in global trade.

Government policies have also bolstered industrial production. For instance, China has heavily invested in infrastructure, such as roads, railways, and ports, which facilitates the smooth transportation of goods. Additionally, special economic zones (SEZs) and industrial parks have been set up to attract foreign investments and promote manufacturing.

Government Initiatives and Policy

Chinese government policies have been instrumental in driving economic growth. By reducing red tape and simplifying regulations, China has made it easier for businesses to set up and operate. For example, obtaining permits and licenses in China is relatively quick and straightforward, attracting more domestic and foreign investments.

Moreover, the government has implemented policies to build a skilled labor force. By investing in education and vocational training, China has created a pool of skilled workers who are essential for its manufacturing and service sectors. These initiatives ensure that the labor force is capable of meeting the demands of modern industries while improving overall productivity.

Supply Chain Integration

China’s decision to develop an extensive supply chain network has been a critical factor in its economic growth. By manufacturing not only final products but also every component and spare part required, China has minimized its dependence on other countries. This integrated supply chain allows for smoother production processes and faster turnaround times, giving Chinese manufacturers a competitive edge.

Renewable Energy and Natural Resources

China’s economy is increasingly driven by efforts to achieve sustainability. The country is investing heavily in renewable energy sources like solar and wind power to meet its carbon targets. Additionally, China is optimizing its usage of natural resources, including coal, iron ore, oil, and natural gas, to maintain steady economic growth. By focusing on both traditional and renewable energy sources, China aims to secure a balanced and sustainable economic future.

Robust Consumption

Domestic consumption also plays a vital role in China’s economic expansion. The country’s large middle class has strong purchasing power, driving demand for various goods and services. Economic reforms and policies aimed at increasing consumer spending have fostered a robust domestic market. Post-pandemic recovery measures have further revitalized consumption, contributing to the overall economic growth.

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Van Helsing – 1950’s Super Panavision 70 AI Film

This happened to me. I was working for a small, family-owned company (less than 10 employees). Within two months of starting there, I realized I had made a huge miscalculation – the owner and CEO would have screaming matches in the middle of the office where everyone could hear every word. I heard that he was involved in at least three lawsuits with past employees where he was either suing them or they were suing him.

Took a few months to line up my next job, and I gave my two weeks notice, which I was surprised he took very calmly. One week into my two weeks, he brought me into his office and said that due to the fact that I had “lied on my resume” and “didn’t have the skills and qualifications I claimed,” the board of directors had told him to instruct me to stay at the job longer or else things would go poorly for me. A) Every item on my resume was absolutely and truthfully representative of my previous experience, and B) the “board of directors” did not exist. I knew he was threatening me with a lawsuit, which he could afford, and I, at the time, could not. I calmly thanked him for letting me know and told him I had to think about the situation, and I’d give him a reply by the next day.

I went home and called my friend who is a lawyer to explain the situation, who told me that if an employer has a problem with an employee, legally their option is to either write them up or to fire them, not to threaten them to stay longer. I then called the CEO back to tell him that today had been my last day, and I would turn my keys in to the office in the morning. After sputtering and hemming and hawing and demanding to know who my lawyer was, he said, “see you in the morning.” Never heard from him again after that, although I did hear from some other trauma survivors from the same company that after I left he had several people combing through my files for days to find any scrap of evidence that I had done anything wrong that he could use to legally punish me. Good riddance.

Mama Lynx Brings 7 Kittens To Woman – Discovering Why, She Bursts Into Tears!

I am not British. Perhaps it should be Brits who should answer this question.

I recall 1 incident though: USA (Trump) wanted to sanction Huawei 5G. USA made its allies eg Europe to sanction Huawei too.

UK (B Johnson) did an investigation into Huawei with full cooperation with Huawei. UK did not find Huawei having backdoor to send data back to China. UK promised not to put Huawei stuff on important UK things.

But USA insisted. UK finally bowed down & banned Huawei too.

After Johnson stepped down as PM, he made speeches in u. Once he said: (because of the ban of Huawei), UK tech will fall behind by 5 years. Worse, it will cost UK lots to remove what has been installed in UK.

See, it is not that UK does not want to invest in tech. It is USA who does not let UK do so.

Look at covid vaccine. UK has developed a vaccine (I dont remember the name). Yes, there was side effects in UK’s vaccine. So are US vaccines. But somehow UK vaccine lost to USA.

Again in 1 speech, Johnson said: the success of a vaccine is capitalism. Hinting USA???

The next day, Johnson apologised & his speech cannot be found any more. But I heard it loud & clear on the radio when he said it.

If UK is always a US “vassal” & controlled by USA, UK will for sure be behind technologically.

MR PRESIDENT: IT’S TIME!

Oh, I’ve waited for a question like this!

There was a man who lived in our town who suffered from a neurological disorder. Actually, I think he enjoyed it. The rest of the town suffered from his neurological disorder. Let me explain. This man, whom I shall call Pita (Pain in the Ass) would commit the most outrageous atrocities, then hide behind his disorder. He torched an out-of-town cop’s truck. Felony? Yes. Any consequences? No — because he was crazy.

He wormed out of D.U.Is, Attempted Arson of his own home, Domestic Violence by Threat and a host of other felony and misdemeanors. The City decided that trying to prosecute a certifiable nut bag would cost too much. So the rest of us suffered at his hands.

Then one night, we were notified of a break-in at the animal shelter. The shelter was owned by, and was in, the county, but was surrounded by our city. One other unit and I responded. As I approached the road to the shelter from the east, I found the highway entirely blocked by at least one hundred (100) dogs! They were all very friendly and surrounded my car. This is common for dogs kept in pens for a while. I carefully made my way to the shelter and found a scene of utter devastation.

The fence had been breached in several locations. A pickup truck belonging to the shelter had been hot wired and used to breach walls of the shelter. There was a heavy odor of gasoline coming from everywhere.

This ain’t lookin’ good…

At that time I saw headlights turn down the road leading to the shelter. The vehicle stopped when the headlights shined on my unit, then reversed course and left at a high speed. I immediately gave pursuit.

The other responding unit was nearing the shelter and we effected a felony stop. I ordered the driver to step out of the vehicle. He replied “I can’t, I’m naked.”

Son of a Bitch! It was Pita!

He later explained he had gotten drunk and had begun feeling sorry for the animals in what he called “Doggie Dachau” and decided to liberate them. After freeing the dogs, he spread twenty (20) gallons of gasoline throughout the shelter. He had the presence of mind to know that he was soaked with gas and if he tried to ignite it, he would be part of the ensuing FOOM! So he stripped naked, drove to a nearby bar pit and jumped in, washing off the residual gasoline. You can’t make this stuff up.

Side note: In addition to the long list of felonies, I also charged him with D.U.I. I offered him the intoxilizer test, what we call down South, the “Whiskey Machine.” He, of course, refused. I hit the button for “Test Refusal,” and the forms began to print. Several of these forms must be mailed to Jackson to the Department of Public Safety Driver’s License Branch. One form has a box to check; “Is license attached? If not, why not?” I got to write “No license. Subject was BUTT NAKED.”

Southwest Steak and Many Layered Salad

southwest steak and many layered salad square
southwest steak and many layered salad square

Ingredients:

  • 1 beef Flank Steak (about 1-1/2 to 2 pounds)
  • 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped
  • 3 medium ears corn, unhusked
  • 9 cups coarsely chopped romaine lettuce
  • 1-1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
  • 1 can (15 to 16 ounces) black beans, rinsed, drained
  • 2-1/2 cups coarsely crushed tortilla chips
Dressing:
  • 1 large ripe avocado, mashed (about 3/4 cup)
  • 3/4 cup prepared ranch dressing
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon adobo sauce

Cooking:

    1. Whisk dressing ingredients in medium bowl until blended. Remove 1/2 cup for marinade and stir in chipotle peppers. Cover and reserve remaining dressing in refrigerator.
    2. Place beef steak and chipotle marinade in food-safe plastic bag; turn steak to coat. Close bag securely and marinate in refrigerator 6 hours or as long as overnight, turning occasionally.
    3. Pull back husks from corn, leaving husks attached. Remove and discard corn silk. Bring husks back up around corn; tie in place with kitchen string or strips of corn husk. Soak in cold water 30 minutes to 1 hour.
    4. Remove steak from marinade; discard marinade. Remove corn from water. Place steak in center of grid over medium, ash-covered coals; arrange corn on grid around steak. Grill corn, covered, 20 to 30 minutes or until tender, turning occasionally. Grill steak 11 to 16 minutes for medium rare (145°F) to medium (160°F) doneness, turning occasionally.
Cook’s Tip: To prepare on gas grill, preheat grill according to manufacturer’s directions for medium heat. Place corn and steak on grid as directed above. Grill corn, covered, 15 to 25 minutes or until tender, turning every 5 minutes. Grill steak, covered, 16 to 21 minutes for medium rare (145°F) to medium (160°F) doneness, turning occasionally.
  1. Remove steak; let stand 5 minutes. Husk corn; cut kernels from cobs. Cut steak lengthwise in half; carve each half across the grain into thin slices.
  2. Layer 1/2 of lettuce, corn, 1/2 of beef, tomatoes and beans in 4-quart glass salad bowl or 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish. Top with remaining lettuce and beef. Drizzle with, reserved dressing. Top with tortilla chips just before serving. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

 

  • Wash hands with soap and water before cooking and always after touching raw meat.
  • Separate raw meat from other foods.
  • Wash all cutting boards, utensils, and dishes after touching raw meat.
  • Do not reuse marinades used on raw foods.
  • Wash all produce prior to use.
  • Cook steaks and roasts until temperature reaches 145°F for medium rare, as measured by a meat thermometer, allowing to rest for three minutes.
  • Cook Ground Beef to 160°F as measured by a meat thermometer.
  • Refrigerate leftovers promptly.

 

For more information on degree of doneness and other cooking tips visit: https://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/cooking/determining-doneness

Wargaming a Western Freeze of China’s Foreign Reserves

By Hung Tran
April 29, 2022

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has provoked comprehensive and stringent sanctions by the United States, Europe and other allied countries against Russian banks, companies, and persons.

A noteworthy measure, unprecedented for a large country, is the Western blockade of the foreign reserves of Russia’s central bank—the Bank of Russia (BOR)—immobilizing more than half of its international reserves of $630 billion placed in Western financial institutions. In addition, the BOR has been banned from dealing in the US dollar (USD), euro, and pound sterling.

These measures against a country’s central Bank have raised the geopolitical and sovereign risk of central bank reserves holdings.

They have also prompted discussions about the possibility of similar sanctions being imposed on China in the event of its military invasion of Taiwan.

The consequences of such sanctions will be more significant than the measures against Russia. China’s economy is ten times bigger than Russia’s; it has much more weight and is more integrated in the global economy and financial system.

As a result, China has more means of retaliation against Western sanctions.

This article sketches out a possible scenario of Western sanctions on China and its countermeasures to illustrate the scale of possible damages to both sides.

At present, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) has $3.2 trillion of international reserves of which the exact currency composition is kept a state secret. However, in a 2018 report, China’s State Administration of Foreign Exchanges (SAFE) indicated that the USD share of its assets declined from 79% in 2005 to 58% in 2014, presumably falling further since then.

Nevertheless, it is reasonable to assume that most of the PBOC international reserves is in major currencies such as the USD, euro, yen, and pound sterling—including holdings of $1.1 trillion US Treasury securities, $217 billion of Asset Backed Securities (ABS) and $273 billion of equities.

In addition, Chinese enterprises have made about $145 billion of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the United States and about $83 billion in the European Union. Many of these enterprises are state owned or can be linked to the Chinese government—such as in the case of Huawei—and can be subject to US and EU sanctions .

In response to a freeze of its foreign reserves and, possibly, other private sector external assets,China could move to nationalize much of the stock of FDI in China, worth $1.9 trillion—focussing on Investments from the United States, Europe, and other countries sanctioning China.

China can also freeze more than $1.2 trillion of Chinese domestic stocks and bonds owned by foreign investors. Moreover, Chinese entities have incurred about $2.7 trillion of external debt mostly in USD and euro—including a few Chinese sovereign international bonds.

China can stop servicing many of those debts, using the same argument as Russia—that it is willing and able to pay, but is prevented from doing so by US government actions.

China can even invoke the force majeure clause if such a clause is contained in any of the external debt contracts. The clause allows parties to a contract to suspend performing the contractual obligations due to government actions which are unforeseen at the time of signing the contract. A pause in servicing China’s external debt would inflict substantial losses on Western investors—largely through investment funds and pension funds.

As a result, in terms of balance sheet exposures, China has about $3.4 trillion of identifiable international assets at risk of possible sanctions and up to $5.8 trillion of liabilities to, or assets in China of, international investors and companies largely from Western countries. China therefore has plenty of room to take retaliatory actions. A sanctions and counter sanctions war game suggests that the losses are comparably severe for both sides.

Moreover, such a situation will significantly disrupt economic exchanges—mainly trade between the two sides. Since exports account for 18.5%, or a relatively large share of China’s GDP, with about one-third of that going to the United States and European Union, their disruptions could cause a substantial decline in China’s economic activity.

On the other hand, China accounts for 18.6% of US imports—and 22.4% of EU imports—especially in manufactured goods and several critical goods, such as pharmaceuticals and chemicals to make pharmaceutical products. Consequently, disruptions in Chinese imports would cause noticeable shortages, rising prices, and discomfort for consumers and some producers in the importing countries. The macroeconomic impact for the United States may be less severe than for China.

However, the lower tolerance of American consumers for goods shortages and inflation would mean the social and political fallout of an all out economic war with China could be more significant in the United States. The economic impact on Europe would also be more substantial as the EU exports more including to China—at 17.6% of GDP compared to 11.7% for the United States.

In short, in a scenario of Western sanctions coupled with Chinese counter measures, both sides will suffer substantial damages. This could lead to a situation of economic MAD—or mutually assured destruction—reinforcing the more catastrophic nuclear MAD.

These considerations would set the parameters of the geopolitical rivalry and conflict between China and the West. This will likely intensify in the foreseeable future to encompass all areas of relationship between the two sides, but hopefully will stop short of economic or military wars!

ANTIMATTER – Retro Pulp Science Fiction by Skyward, Return of The LIGHTNING BOLTS/Time Travel, AI2-3

I really enjoyed my time as a police officer and sometimes I even surprised myself in a good way. I was in CID (Detectives) and we were basically on call 24/7 unless we were on vacation. It was extremely common to be called in at night or weekends. If we weren’t working, we were paid time and a half overtime when called in.

Our policy was to fill out a vacation slip that showed the dates we would be off and the number of hours we would be using. So, if I wanted to take a single day, I’d out the from date and the to date and put in 8 hours of “V” time. You would then send that slip up to get approved. Pretty straight forward, you’d think.

An issue that came up for me, and others, was supervisors would interpret things differently…and it made a huge difference in my place.

For example, I want to take Monday thru Friday off, I would put the days that I would be off and away. So, I would put the previous Friday at the end of the day that I was leaving…and put the following Monday morning as my return. So I would have the end of Friday off all the way until the Monday of the following week as my return. So, I would burn 40 hours of vacation but be off for 9 days as I would include the weekends as my time off. Most supervisors would not notice this being done and it was common for the detectives to do. Essentially saying don’t call me between these dates and times.

I hope my explanation above makes sense. And here is where it mattered for me. I was taking a week off and put in 9 days to be off and use 40 hours of leave. Well, the Friday night l prior to my week off, a supervisor called me in for a homicide. I told him I was on vacation and I wasn’t coming in. He again told me to come in saying my vacation started Monday morning, even though I put the Friday afternoon on my slip. So, he ordered me in and I had very little say about it (at the time) and I went in.

On a homicide, it was common for us to work for several days continuous without going home. Because of my vacation time, they did cut me loose on that Monday. So, I went home and slept for a few hours and then continued my vacation. My regular overtime for that weekend, from the time I was called in to the time I went home was in the ballpark of 60 hours. I submitted my overtime slip. Our overtime slips had a spot to write in what hours we were scheduled to work…I put vacation down indicating that it was a vacation time for me and I wasn’t working norms. Hours. The supervisor kicked it back and said no, it wasn’t vacation time for me since my first vacation hour would have been Monday.

This caused me to look up the policies on it and it was somewhat vague with this but indicated our vacation time started when we were off…so when is one off? When they finish their last shift or when their vacation starts. So, this is where the interpretation part comes in. Some supervisors like this one believed it started the first day you had a V day. Others believed it started with whatever you put on that leave slip…as it’s very well possible you could leave for vacation right after leaving work.

Anyhow, I sent this up the chain of command asking for clarification on the policy. The supervisor first tried to prevent it from going up saying he answered the question but that got quashed. Ultimately it came back and was clarified. Our actual vacation time started with the day/time on the slip…and ended with the day/time on the slip. Reason this is so important is if you are ordered in on vacation time, not only do you get overtime, but the rate is double time and a half….this was something the union worked out years ago (before my time) to prevent people from being ordered in from vacation.

You remember that 60 hours straight I worked starting on Friday evening when I was called until Monday when I went home? That 60 hours was DOUBLE TIME AND A HALF. My paycheck looked like I hit the lottery or something. I was quite pleased with the outcome. The supervisor was a little upset because he was incorrect but realized that a) it’s not his money…if he orders me in, I should be compensated properly and b) if he ever wanted me to answer my phone again when I was off, he should play nice. It smoothed over and everything was cool.

The Hunt for Red Octavia

It’s from WW1.

Most people don’t know this because it has literally been painted over in history. I mean literally. This painting is called Panthéon de la Guerre.

Panthéon de la Guerre was a painting started in 1914 by a French artist showing France victorious with all her allies and those who helped the WW1 effort.

main qimg e1f1818114ef24e3eaaedc184f76077e
main qimg e1f1818114ef24e3eaaedc184f76077e

Notice anything?

There are no Chinese in this painting. The US entry into WW1 meant the Chinese labor corps (CLC) who went to help in WW1 were quite literally painted over.

In January 1915 China stopped being neutral and despite internal troubles 96000 Chinese volunteers primarily from Shandong were shipped to Europe across Canada to help with the war effort.

Note how I wrote shipped. They did not travel to Europe they were shipped in train box cars and were not allowed to leave them to save on landing fees.

The CLC were treated pretty much like slaves in Europe and were pretty important to the war effort.

Once it WW1 was coming to a close? The Shandong Chinese were immediately dehumanised even more as sub human filth, for deportation and many were deported at gun point. Even those who died were simply thrown into mass burial pits and the French/English didn’t even consider giving them graves. Several 1000 died but there’s only a few marked graves in France for them.

Some of them remained in Europe and formed the third Chinese migration wave out of China. The hatred towards these people was stoked up so Chinese could be discriminated against and treated unfairly.

The dehumanisation was also a sticking point, as China sent labour to get Shandong province back from the Germans. Instead western powers gave Shandong to the Japanese and stabbed China in the back at the treaty of Versailles.

This kicked off the May 4th Movement and the founding of the CPC.

EDIT

There is currently NO memorial to the CLC in Europe as above barely anybody knows about it because it’s rather niche as a topic and most Europeans are hostile to China anyway.

My mom was an alcoholic. She died from Cirrhosis at the age of 43. The fucked up part is I didn’t know she had it until 2 weeks before her death.

On June 25, 1998 I woke up and walked into the livingroom where I found my mom sitting in her chair. She was so yellow and she kept vomiting black bile. I held a towel under her mouth so she wouldn’t vomit on herself. She smelled so horrible. It has been almost 21 years and I can still smell her. It was the smell of death. Her mind was gone at this point. She had no clue what was going on or where she was for that matter. I was scared to death. My 17yr old brother got scared & angry so he left(he didn’t know any better. Took me a long time to understand that). It was just me and her there. I called my aunt and told her what was going on but she didn’t know what to do. So I called my dad(parents been divorced since i was 2yrs old) but he told me that she’s probably just drunk(i knewit wasn’t that). So, I ended up having to call an ambulance and once they arrived my mom was refusing to go to the hospital. So the police got involved, asked her a few common sense questions like what year was it? Who is the President? She got them all wrong. I was begging her to go. Cops had to force her and that was the first time I got to ride in an ambulance. Once at the hospital it was just her and I in a room waiting on a doctor and I’ll never forget the look of desperation on her face when she looked at me and begged me to tell her what year it was and who the President was(she thought if she knew they would let her go home). And I’ll never forget when I had to tell her no, I’m not telling you.

That was the day I found out my mom had end stage Cirrhosis. I went home later that evening to grab some clothes and as soon as I got there I remember going straight to where she hid all of her bottles of Canadian Mist and poured them down the kitchen sink. I didn’t know at that time that she was never coming back home.

Little did I know that 7 days later my life was about to changed forever. I remember being sat down and told that my mom only had 1 to 2 days to live. I’ll never forget that feeling of not being able breath and the agonizing fear and confusion I felt at that moment. She lived exactly 2 days.

And on July 3, 1998 at 7:04 pm I stood next to my mom watched as her eyes rolled back her head and saw her take her last breath of life. I remember looking at the nurse and asking her if my mom was dead. She said yes. I was only 14 years old.

**Side Note: Just 10 years later I watched my father die from Pancreatic Cancer. He found out that he had in March of 2008 and died on May 23, 2008. I was only 24 years old. I lost my mom within a 2 week span and I lost my dad within a 2 month span. It’s so fucked up. Pancreatic Cancer is a very aggressive and vicious disease to die from. I remember getting the call from my brother. He had died before I got there. I remember my brother and I sitting next to our dead father in a Hospice bed. My brother looked at me and said I’m 27 and you’re 24, and both of our parents are dead. Talk about a hard dose of reality.

The reason that I mentioned my father’s passing is because Pancreatic Cancer is a very ugly disease and it’s an agonizing and painful death. But it has NOTHING on Cirrhosis of the Liver. End stage Cirrhosis will chew you up and spit you out. Eventually all of your organs begin to shut down. It’s such a horrible and horrific way to die. Like I said, it’s been almost 21 years since she died and let me tell you, I can still remember every single minute of every single day of the last 2 weeks before my mom’s death. EVERYTHING. I still have flashbacks.

I love my mom. And I know she loved me the best she knew how. She made sure that me and my brother never had to want for anything. This woman worked every single fucking day for 26 years for the State of Tennessee and rarely missed a day of work. But also, she made damn sure that she had her pint of Canadian Mist in her work bag. lol

I’m at peace with her death. She’s where she belongs. At peace.

But there will always be an emptiness of unanswered questions for me and my brother that will NEVER be filled. And at times it’s a hard pill to swallow. She fucked me up good with the self doubts and never truly feeling “good”enough. To this day at 35 years old, I still can’t or won’t allow anyone truly in. There’s only 2 people who are in and have fully have me and that’s my 8 and 2 year old daughter’s. No one else. And it fucking sucks.

I lived in the Netherlands for a couple of years then and my Dutch boss invited me to her wedding. There was a beautiful ceremony in a romantic castle and after that we were served some tiny snacks and petit fours.

After that we took a group picture and then the wedding manager announced that those who have a fork and a knife pictogram in their wedding invitation could proceed to the dinner hall and the rest can go home and thanks for coming.

So there we were, hungry and stuck in the middle of nowhere. Until one of our colleagues called her husband to pick us up by car and bring to the nearest train station where we bought ourselves döner kebab.

I still don’t get it, why should someone treat their guests differently. If you can’t afford a wedding dinner for everyone, it’s perfectly ok with me. You can go for an intimate wedding with your family or close friends or just serve cake, I don’t care. But not treating your guests equally completely blows my mind even 20 years later.

BE A MAN.

Keep moving forward.

It’s a long story

It began in 1985

A Delegation of Chinese Businessmen came to Bombay to various Indian Banks for a Letter of Credit.

main qimg 85f0dc7843a6571b3d6ce280ea7117f3
main qimg 85f0dc7843a6571b3d6ce280ea7117f3

They wanted a LoC of £ 15 Million Or so to import steel from Hull in UK

They wanted an SBI LoC because their banks were not recognized in UK and the UK Bank (Midlands Bank) refused to do Business with the Chinese

DBS refused because the Steel was not insured

The Chinese delegation waited for 4 Days patiently and for three days the Bank GM couldn’t meet them. They waited outside his cabin and were mocked at by the staff

All of us worked close by – SBI, BoB, CBI and other banks so this was popular news

Every day at lunch the four Chinese would sit and have Indian food and give awkward smiles

On the fourth day the GM came, gave them 30–40 minutes and demanded a ton of documents

At the same time the Japanese had come for some credit line related to NTPC to supply equipment and they were met by the Chairman and executives and given VVIP treatment

The Chinese patiently signed their documents, did their business, paid the extra interest and went back home

I was a witness to this and any banker who worked in Bombay would be witness to this


In 2014 – 29 years later, a Chinese Delegation came for some business

main qimg 6bc5bfef8a3d3a5a59b929e71c515abc
main qimg 6bc5bfef8a3d3a5a59b929e71c515abc

Banks scrambled over themselves for the Chinese Business

They deposited $ 2 Billion in one hour with a flick of their finger

The Executives grovelled and kowtowed and bowed and scraped like Coolies before the Chinese

Plus at this time SBI needed LoC from Foreign Banks to import from UK or US while every Bank in the world saluted at the Chinese LoC and advanced Twenty Billion Dollars without a second word

So SBI Kowtowed to Bank of America or Credit Suisse or used Bangee to get it’s LoCs accepted for upto $ 300 Million

The Chinese Banks didn’t need anything. They could get $ 20 Billion on their own LoC

I was a witness to this also

I wasn’t a Banker anymore but a Legal /Credit Consultant and saw the 2 Billion Dollar deposit as a friend showed me the entry


In 29 years i saw the Chinese grow from people who didn’t merit even a MD of a PSB to a group of people who could deposit 2 Billion Dollars in a single hour

I saw the same UK Banks who once refused to give the Chinese a mere 15 Million Pounds unless they had double backed LoCs , now begging for their business and lending them 20 Billion on their Paper without 15 seconds hesitation

I saw the Chinese go from a Nation which once stood in line at Tata Steel gaping with awe and admiration at our machines and process, now a Nation that makes steel superior to any other Nation on the planet

I saw the Chinese who once watched our Maruti 800 with awe and admiration now make EVs that are beating the pants of the Western models every single day

In 40 stinking years!!!!!!

Meanwhile

I see India once proudly emerging now groveling for Business from Western Companies even with all political favors

I see India unable to produce a pencil that has a demand in a Global market outside Nigeria and Bangladesh

I see India entirely dependent on Western Hardware and Software and merely clicking the key board like two bit PROGRAMMING COOLIES unable to invent anything with a Global Appeal

I see India with once with an Industrial Productivity which was fourth highest in Asia in 1981 after Japan, South Korea and Singapore now rank 11th behind Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia and even Goddamn Thailand!!!!!

And all my anger began with Mitra

main qimg e09a16e8d7041a6eadf4a01c350e83af
main qimg e09a16e8d7041a6eadf4a01c350e83af

Those who have been on Quora for longer than 4 years can attest to this

I never wrote anything except the law and rarely politics and never on China until I saw posts of Mitra as a cutting edge robot

I felt a surge of rage and all my pent up emotions surged out and that’s it. It can’t stop to this day.

I saw my fellow countrymen defend Mitra as a cutting edge piece of Robotics and it’s founder rather than acknowledge that it was premature to introduce this Robot to the Global World , actually mock me as a desk jockey government servant and claim that he would respond only to the criticism of Google Top Execs or Big Shots

I left the topic at this point, unwilling to start a war on Quora

From that day I have written against Indian ‘Achievements’ because I AM ANGRY

I am not a Chinese Citizen

I am an Indian Citizen and I want my sons to be here in this country with me, growing, prospering, working hard for its development like so many Chinese sons

To watch with pride as India grows and dominates

But No!!!!

I see LIES, LIES and more LIES every day

I see my fellow countrymen rather than find ways to identify problems, call me China Agent and Paid Propagandist

It shows me the inferiority of many of my countrymen and I GET ANGRY

So you think it’s because I admire the Chinese that I write all this?

No

I admire the Chinese but I write because I AM ANGRY AT INDIA, AT INDIAN POLITICIANS, AT THE INDIAN SYSTEM AND WITH MOST OF MY FELLOW INDIANS AND MYSELF

Where did we go wrong?

That keeps me angry all the time

What can we do about it? How can we correct ourselves?

Nobody asks this question and that makes me angry all the more


So if you don’t like it – Apologies

I will keep on and on

Somewhere some people should wake up and see and question people Like Byju Raveendran, Ola Bhavish , Ambani, Adani, Mahindra on what their indigenous technology is and what they have actually achieved

Question people like Modi, Shah, Nirmala, Rahul Gandhi, Kejriwal on the same questions

And those who agree with me, they aren’t my bhakts. They are just logical minds who can see where the Nation is heading.


For God’s sakes remember I am not your enemy

I am a Patriotic Indian helplessly watching his Nation slide into regression and worthlessness with every passing day

Those who are closing their eyes to this and talking of 3rd Largest Economy and Viksit Bharat and How great Ambani is – THEY ARE THE PROBLEM NOT ME

Women Have Cost Businesses MILLIONS Because of METOO

When my father was 92 he pretty much gave up on living. He didn’t have any terminal condition other than the one we all have. We had made attempts at various safe living situations during which he refused to move from his independent living apartment to assisted living in the same facility, kicked my sister and then me out for “being in his business”, fired anyone we hired to help with activities of daily living, and lots of other maddening behaviors (actually, par for the course for him but worse). The thing is, his mind was pretty much fine- it was his body that was failing him. When he realized he couldn’t and wouldn’t have life on his own terms, he just gave up. After a couple falls, passing out from low blood sugar several times (including at a wedding) because he refused to lower his insulin dose appropriate to the much smaller amount he was eating, and several admissions for urinary retention, bleeding from his bladder and UTIs, all due to prior prostate radiation, he said he just wanted to be left in peace to die. We (including him) decided to admit him to a really excellent hospice, the same one where my mother had died 8 years earlier. He asked to sign a DNR and did, asked that he receive anti-anxiety and pain meds for his spinal stenosis, and said he only wanted ice cream to eat. We all had an agreed-upon plan of care. He was sleeping peacefully when we left. Then, at 10 pm that first night while I was showering, I got a voicemail from his personal cellphone. On it, he sounded frightened, said he didn’t know where he was, and that the nurses were poisoning him. I called the nurses’ station. His nurse immediately went to his room then called me back to say he was sound asleep again. She even held the phone to his mouth and I could hear him snoring. He grumbled loudly when she tried to wake him to talk to me. She said he probably wasn’t used to the meds and they would give less and stagger them from then on. I wound up not going there that night after checking on him again with his nurse about 2 hours later. At 5 am I got a call that he had died in his sleep. So his voicemail wound up being the last words I heard from him.

Kansas City Beef Brisket

chef marks kc smoked brisket large
chef marks kc smoked brisket large

Ingredients

  • 1 (5 pound) beef brisket
  • 1 tablespoon tenderizer (optional)
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons Liquid Smoke
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon celery salt
  • 1 teaspoon onion salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • Worcestershire sauce, to taste

Instructions

  1. The night before cooking, sprinkle brisket with tenderizer, Liquid Smoke, salt, pepper, celery salt, onion salt and garlic salt.
  2. Wrap in aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.
  3. The next day add nutmeg, paprika, brown sugar and Worcestershire. Wrap well with aluminum foil — this is important. Cook 5 hours at 275 degrees F.
  4. Slice thin on the diagonal.
  5. Serve with homemade barbecue sauce and buns.

I posted this as a long comment here but thought that it is significant to deserve its own posting on China’s Future:

Let me explain: From the US official POV, China is an existential threat like never before, because not only can China do and make everything the US does and makes, China will lead in all the fields which the US has no hope of catching up in: EVs, tech and network equipment, aircraft manufacturing, and defense equipment. Even in agriculture, the US will not be able to sell food commodities to China because China will import from Russia and Brazil instead of from the US.

If the US is no longer the tech leader, the US stock and bond markets will lose 50% of their value. Since the US and European ruling classes derive a significant portion of their value from the New York, London markets, they will get poorer. And they will not be able to invest in growth markets because those markets won’t want to take western currencies, especially the US dollar.

If the US stock and bond markets take such a hit, this means that the US standard of living will also take a hit. First, most Americans are heavily in debt; many of them rely on credit card debt just to cover their monthly expenses, and they have no savings. These people will not be happy, and they will not go away peacefully because a lot of them have guns. They won’t understand how it got to this, and they don’t particularly care in understanding, but they will be very angry.

Under the US political system, it is very hard to mobilize the public against an enemy because most Americans have very little understanding of foreign affairs. For this reason, it is very important to create a foreign bogeyman such as China which they can lay all the blame on.

That is what is happening now. When the US’s existence is threatened, academic scholars are at the frontline in shaping public opinion.

The problem now is that both sides are hardening their positions. Biden doesn’t have the mental capacity to defuse the situation. This means that his key advisors are making policy without his input. They all believe that China is the existential threat. They hoped that the Ukraine war would weaken Russia enough so that they could then deal with China, but that did not go according to plan. But China is getting stronger and its relationship with Russia is growing, so the US is running out of time.

South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines were going to be the useful idiots who would directly confront China, but that is not going according to plan because they know that they are in China’s frontyard, and China is becoming increasingly powerful. They also understand that they may be left high and dry by the US, in which case they become dead meat in China’s front yard.

The US policymakers also understand that the US military is in a weak position to confront China because of the long logistics lines from the US mainland to the western Pacific. A lot of tactical inventory for a conventional war has been shipped to Ukraine and Israel for their wars, and it will take 2–5 years for American factories to step up production to replenish those inventories.

But the US doesn’t have 2–5 years; by that time China will be exporting its chips and selling EVs and solar panels all over the world, and will complete its overland connections to Europe through Russia and the Trans-Caspian routes. Europe will have de-industrialized because it has lost access to cheap Russian energy making their factories uncompetitive, and Chinese brands and equipment will replace European brands and products at 50% of the original European price.

The NATO/EU/G7 alliance will grow weaker by the year. Will the US withdraw to the North American continent, or will it make Custer’s last stand in a nuclear confrontation with China?

Right now, the US is led by candidates who were born in the 1940s and grew up during the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Both strongly believe that the US triumphed against the USSR; they believe that this was America’s winning formula, and that today’s China is a smarter and much more adaptable version of the USSR, and that it can be cut down to size using the same tactics and sanctions against the USSR. They cannot adapt because this is the world they grew up in.

They have no vision for the next generation of Americans because they are old, and frankly will not live much longer. I feel sorry for younger Americans because they are stuck in a bus with a crazy driver who is heading for the cliff, and there is nothing they can do.

They deserve better leadership so that they can build their future, but right now, it looks like they have no future.

The American Revolution: Take 2

A few months ago, I received a friend request from a girl. She was from my college and also my best friend’s ex, so I accepted it. I remember, they were in a relationship for eight months after which she friend-zoned him as she did with her previous partners. My friend went into depression after that.

Well, within a few days she became comfortable chatting with me and started sending flirtatious texts. I felt awkward in the starting but after few days I reciprocated keeping in mind not to let her sabotage my stringency.

Now after a few months seeing that she is highly into me, I thought maybe it’s the right time to give that girl a taste of her own medicine. I started using terms like “buddy” and started avoiding her texts. She became quite angry (and her desperation increased) and after a few weeks, she confessed that she has fallen for me.

Me- ”But that cannot happen. You are a good friend as well as a good human too, and I don’t want to lose our friendship.”

She- (furiously) ”Why did you do that to me.”

Me- ”Did what”??

She-“Talked to me in a special way.”

Me-“Well, I didn’t do that. You started sending me flirtatious texts, I just reciprocated. I never told you I feel for you.”

She- ”Please say that you are joking. I don’t believe you are doing this to me”

Me- “No, I am not joking. Besides, you did the same thing with my friend with whom you were committed. We are not even committed. I never promised you anything. It was just a healthy flirting that lasted for a few days”

She- “You are such an a*sho*e!”

She blocked me after that.

P.S.- I know I did the wrong thing but I felt that she needed to know what it is like to be on the other side.

42 Vietnamese foods you have to eat in Vietnam

This gets me so horny! LOL. Just joking, but really… I love these adventure food videos.

Here a mind-blowing fact about Japan: when I was in Japan on a business trip I had a few hours to myself, so I decided to go sight-seeing. I got my expensive SLR, hailed a cab, and took a trip around Tokyo seeking Godzilla. A couple of hours later I returned to the hotel and took a shower. After the shower I realized I had left the camera in the cab. It’s gone forever, I thought. But I went to the concierge and told him my story.

“What was the name of the cab company?” he asked me.

“I don’t know,” I admitted.

“What color was the cab?”

“I can’t recall,” I admitted, feeling like a fool. He was looking more dubious.

“Do you recall what kind of car it was?” he asked.

“Not a bit,” I said stupidly.

He was looking at me as if I were another stupid American. “We will see what we can do,” he said, “but I have grave doubts about recovering your camera.”

And yet two hours later I got a call: they had my camera. Astonished, I went to the front desk and they handed it to me. I tried to hand a wad of cash to the cab driver who had returned it. He refused to take the money. I tried to give a wad of cash to the Concierge, but he only took the wad, took a few bills, handed the rest back and told me, “these are for the operator who called every cab company in the city. Your camera was in the lost and found.”

I marvelled at the chances of recovering that same camera in New York City from a cab in two hours. I felt the chances would be infinitesimally small.

Kill Bill – 1950’s super panavision 70

The Philippines cannot replicate the warship beaching at Second Thomas Shoal.

If the Philippines repeats the incident of the warship running aground at Second Thomas Shoal at Sabina Shoal, it will directly violate Article 5 of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, which states that all countries in the South China Sea have the obligation to ensure that “uninhabited islands and reefs are free of people and facilities.”

If the Philippine warship ran aground in Sabina Shoal and crossed the “red line”, then China can take any measures to stop it.


The contest between China and the Philippines over Sabina Shoal is essentially a war of public opinion.

main qimg 3b2e661047ff6cfebb0ac9256a3a33b2
main qimg 3b2e661047ff6cfebb0ac9256a3a33b2

The Philippines spread rumors that China would reclaim land and build islands in Sabina Shoal, so it sent 4 coast guard ships into Sabina Shoal, but the Philippines did not dare to cross the red line.

What China needs to do is to seize the opportunity of the Philippines to “provoke China” as much as possible, and then launch a fierce counterattack to finally achieve complete control of Sabina Shoal.

He Man – The Masters of the Universe – 1950’s Super Panavision 70

in 1974 I had this pimple on my right forearm that wouldn’t come to a head, nor would it go away. And it was tender. So after a couple of months I took it to my doctor who sent me to a dermatologist. It was an amelanotic melanoma, a melanoma with no pigment. Further examination found that it had metastacized and there was some in my lungs. IN 74, that was a death sentence. They gave me 6 months, max.

But I was 25 and otherwise healthy, so they did the hail mary pass, cut out the lobe of my lung with the most mets, and put me on a brutal chemotherapy regimen of a monthly injection of 2 grams of something they called DTIC. It’s so toxic that they usually spaced it out over five days a month. But as I said, I was young and healthy and they thought I could take it. So they gave me a five day course in one dose, every month for a year.

And once a month for a year, I’d fly back off the road to San Francisco, get poisoned, and then run for home to try and make it before the nausea began. I never did, but the nurses would give me a just-in-case garbage bag for when it hit. Then it was eight hours of agony, cramping and running at both ends. The pot pipe made it possible for me to keep breakfast down the next day as I tried to pull myself together in the face of the worst hangover on earth. And the next day, I’d be back on a plane, and back on tour. This went on for a year, but it was worth it. I beat terminal cancer, and the years since then have been the best years of my life

Shorpy

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A few years ago I had a guy in one of my college history classes. Over a few months I would catch him looking at me all the time until finally one day he asked me on a date. I told him I’d love to and we agreed to go to an Italian restaurant. I get there and go inside and he’s nowhere in sight. Our date was for 6. He didn’t show up until 6:45/7…I’m a very, very punctual person so this really got under my skin, but he apologized profusely and told me he had gotten out of baseball practice late and came as soon as he could. So, I just let it go and we started talking. He really bragged and stressed to me how he was in the minor leagues and was about to go pro. He was 28 at that time and I’m not too familiar with baseball, but I thought that was a little late in life to be going pro and he didn’t look like he had played a sport in years, but whatever I just listened. And after so long we started talking about what we wanted for our futures, kids, jobs, etc. He told me he wants to get married and play baseball, nothing else. I said no kids? And he said no, this planet is full of rapists and murderers and he refuses to add another rapist or murderer to the world. I just sat there and looked blankly. I said well I think the odds of you having a rapist and/or murderer as a child is pretty slim (trying to lighten the mood), and he cuts me off and asks if I’m retarded and if I hear what I’m saying. And this man went on a full 40 minute rant about the Roman Empire, mass murderers, Islam, rapists, and crazy conspiracy theories. He would go back and forth between this cool laid back guy to this crazy the-earth-is-going-to-burn extremist. So I excused myself to “go to the bathroom”, found the waitress and personally left her a tip, and then ran to my car and left.

When I saw him in class that next week he avoided me. Like, completely picked up his desk and moved it across the room like a child avoiding. Every time I’d answer a question he ALWAYS had a rebuttal, even if the answer is a clear cut answer, or he would elaborate on what I said because “I didn’t explain it right”. After so long he dropped the course and I never saw him again.

It’s called the Dance Girl Phenomenon

In Hong Kong – many Dance bars provided the cheapest girls for sex and many Sailors from US or UK or France paid a pittance for these girls

Yet these girls were not the main income for the Dance Bars

It was the Drinks!!!!!

Drinks were marked up as much as 450%

An Inferior Scotch that perhaps cost 8 Hong Kong Dollars for a Liter was sold at 3 HKD for an 80 ml glass

That’s 36 Hong Kong Dollars per Liter

The Girls ensured that the customers were focused on the Girls and drank low quality drinks by paying 450% marked up prices

The girls were the BAIT

They were there to attract the men to drink in those bars


In the same way – in a Movie Theatre, a Multiplex – the Real Profit comes from your FOOD & BEVERAGES

The Movie is the BAIT

A multiplex chain pays maybe ₹18.50 Crore for a movies All India rights

At ₹ 63.50/- a ticket to ₹127/- a ticket margin after paying Taxes and Distributor shares – would they really be taking huge profits?

At ₹127/- a ticket – they would need to sell 15 Lakh Tickets just to break even

Now the Food

9 grams of Corn Caramel Slurry produces 41 grams of Caramel Pop Corn

1 Kilo of Slurry costs ₹ 390/-

That gives you around 4.25 Kilos of Carmel Pop Corn Or 33 medium serves approximately

At ₹85/- per serve thats ₹ 2,805/-

You do the math

₹390 worth of slurry gives you ₹2,805/- worth of Caramel Pop Corn and even if you sell only 50% , that’s still almost 360% Profit!!!!!

Your Coke costs the Food outlet on a Weight Basis

It’s a Soda Fountain that mixes CO2 with Patented Coke Slurry /Syrup, Water at the appropriate pressure and gives you your Coke

It costs ₹8000/- for 500 Litres of Coca Cola or 675 Large Serves of Coke

That’s ₹11.85/- per Large serving (742 ml) of Coke

How much do you pay?

Around 120 bucks in a Multiplex!!!

44% goes to Coca Cola, the Machine license costs etc

That’s still ₹67/- for a Large Coke that the Theatre Chain pockets

Thus around 500% mark up

Now you know why they give you all those free refills of Coke in a 180 ml container? It costs them a paltry ₹3/- every time you refill while you pay ₹200–300 for food

Once inside the Theatre, you can’t help but eat food during the interval

You will go to the restrooms and on the way back see the crowd at the food outlet

The Food makes up and ensures Multiplex Chains can break even and make a profit even by paying a high cost

Its why they sell Corporate Bookings

500 Tickets for the first 5 shows – 50% tickets for each screen and show for FREE to advertisers as a compliment

The Producers pay for this and the Multiplex earns heavily on the food sold

Producers declare how full the theatres are and everyone wins


Single Chains can’t survive on such economies of scale

Soda fountains would not be profitable to them as their volumes aren’t that high

So their main source of profit is the TICKET and the Food is a supplementary item

So Popcorn is ₹ 30/- instead of ₹85/- and Coke sells by 200 ml bottle with the Food outlet merely getting the retailer margin of ₹ 4.60/- per bottle when he sells for ₹25/- to the customer

However they pay only ₹7–8 Lakh for a movie rights and their margin per ticket is much higher

So they survive on ticket sales and make profits on tickets

Plus their LAND on which they have been built is valuable every day against the rent of Multiplexes

Thus Most single screens borrow heavily and are mortgaged until the day they sell to a developer who demolishes the theatre and builds a Hotel Or Mall Or Complex

Western Couple Expose The SHOCKING TRUTH About CHINA After Their First Visit

Absolutely! Many years ago, one of my brothers was accidentally killed. He was single and enjoying life, had a girlfriend. For years, my Mom lamented that she wished he would have had at least one child before he died so she would still have a part of him here.

Fast forward to a few years ago. We all did an Ancestry DNA test to see if we could find any relatives from my maternal grandmother’s side. She was a refugee from Germany, came to the US with an American family for safety during Hitler’s reign of terror. She never reconnected with any of her family again. A cousin and I had gone to Germany to research – the village that she grew up in had been completely annihilated during the war.

We met with the Red Cross there, and many other officials. Nothing could be found as to what had happened to them. We know they existed, she had brought many pictures of her with her family from the time she was a baby, up to her teen years, holiday gatherings, birthdays, etc. So we were hoping to find someone, anyone that remained of her family.

A few months went by and my Mom got a notification that a close match had been found, a child or grandchild, and I got one that said niece or cousin. We were certain this was a mistake because we could account for every single person in our family.

To make a long story shorter, my brother’s girlfriend moved back to the east coast after he died. None of us thought nothing of it. She was grieving and wanted to be close to her Mom. But apparently, after a couple of months, she found that she was pregnant. (This was the very early 1980’s, OTC pregnancy tests were not a thing at that time.)

By the time pregnancy was confirmed at three months (she apparently thought missed cycles were due to stress), she had lost all contact with our family on the west coast. This was also before cell phones. Also, she has been seeing another guy while she and my brother were dating. Anyway, we were able to get in touch with this mystery relative via Ancestry. When we met in person, I almost fainted – she was a female replica of my long dead brother, and she had two kids of her own, with the youngest looking like my brother’s twin. My Mom got her wish after all, a child of the child she lost. But we never did find any of my Grandma’s family.

Kill Bill – Gogo Scenes

My then boyfriend proposed to me after we lived together a couple months. We discussed where we would live, how we would balance work and the household, the financial arrangements, the time schedule, if we wanted kids, how many kids, the way to raise and educate our kids, how we would balance his/my parents, his/my wants and no’s in the marriage… literally everything. Then we said yes to each other.

I asked for my mom’s opinion.

She looked at me in the eyes and said:

‘Are you sure you can raise your kids ALL by yourself, without ANY help?’

I explained that my future husband and I would share all the responsibilities, and we had already discussed every detail we could think of.

‘No.’ She said, ‘I’m asking YOU.’

‘Are you sure YOU can raise your kids ALL by yourself, without ANY help?’

It took me two months to think it over.

I checked my bank balance and assets. I made a budget about how much it would cost to raise a child, and predicted my future cash flow based on my current income and market value. I adjusted for my health insurance and life insurance. I checked the law about maternity leave. I consulted my friends who were single working mothers about what they struggled against and how they solved (or didn’t solve) problems. I thought over the resources I had and the difficulties I would face. I found out that I could not withdraw all the risks. And without help, it would be such a tough mission to raise a child. I also found out if I tried really hard, I mean, really really hard, it would NOT be a ‘mission impossible’ either. As long as I didn’t die too early, or lose all my skills by some accident, or… I mean, if my luck was better than the worst, and with my best effort, I would be able to make it.

I answered to my mom yes.

She said, ‘Now you are ready to get married.’

13 years passed by. I’m still in marriage with this man. My daughter is 11 yo.
Like all married couples, my husband and I have experienced fights, crises as well as boredoms. We learned to negotiate and compromise. We tried hard to find some balance. When passion faded with the time, we learned to find satisfactions and happiness from a stable day by day life.

I didn’t have to raise my daughter all by myself. My husband shared half of the mission. My parents and his parents helped a lot. Still being aware that ‘I would be able to do it all by myself’, I always feel being in marriage with this man is of my free will. And it also makes me able to fully respect and accept the fact that he is free to stay or leave this marriage too.

Despite the fights, crisis and boredoms, we still chose to keep our marriage. We don’t have to, but we choose to. We never feel the pressure or desperation to imprison each other or ourselves in the marriage. That’s one of the reasons marriage still feels good after 13 years, I guess.

And having seriously considered how to take full responsibility to raise our child, I feel so grateful that he lends me his shoulders and hands, holds up ‘half the sky’ of our family. I never take his efforts and contributions for granted.

People say marriage is based on trust. My mom says don’t rely on trust. She teaches me not only to hope for the best, but to prepare for the worst.

Feelings change. Humans change. Rather than asking ‘Is he/she trustworthy?’, my mom taught me that nobody owes me trust. And once make a decision, take full responsibility.

7 HOURS AGO: China Finds Something Strange on the Moon and Astonishes Scientists!

3 years ago, my neighbor died in bike accident. His son was of 2 years at the time, so I assume his wife to be in her mid or late 20’s.

In South India, we have a custom of visiting each other’s home in festivals to greet and give kumkum. After a year of the guy’s death his mom (mother in law of the widow) came to my home for one such occasion and my conversation with her went like this.

Me: Aunty, how is akka? (Sister in Kannada)

Aunty: She is getting better putta. (Putta – Kannada word to address younger people with love)

Me: Aunty, I know that this is normally not allowed, but we don’t mind her coming along with you during festivals to greet and take kumkum.

(Normaly widows are not allowed to take kumkum after marriage according to the followed tradition)

Aunty who was very happy to hear this went on to explain,

Aunty: I only wish society was more welcoming like your family, putta. At home, I am trying as much as possible not to make her feel like widow. I insist her to light the deepak in the morning and night in house and do Pooja, I include her in every ritual, we are doing everything we can. In fact we are even insisting her for a second marriage, she is young, we cannot replace what she lost from our care. If my daughter lost her husband at such young age, I would be thinking about a better life for her again, right? She is a nice person, she is still traumatized because of what happened. We are trying to do everything we can, but we cannot expect the same acceptance from everyone, so she is still not confident to come out and gather in social gatherings. Your invitation made me happy, once she makes up her mind to visit people, I will bring her to your home. She might take little more time to gain that confidence.

What I understood by this situation is people are changing, at least many are changing, but there is still a long way to go.

My request is, when you come across such people (widows) all you have to do is talk to them normally as you always would, that itself is a big thing for them.

It’s their life, let them live it again, they shouldn’t lose their identity just because they lost their husband.

Humid Night Routine of Living Alone in Japan

People all over the world are living their lives. This is a glimpse into the life of a chick in Japan. I think that food is sexy, but being lonely is awful.

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That a job must get done no matter what. That means if it is hotter than hades outside, or if it is cold, or if it is raining, or if there is a sandstorm, you must still go to work.

A rather humorous example is from my life as an airman, while deployed to Camp Sather, Baghdad Airport. The airport had a mix of Iraqi civilian air traffic controllers and U.S. Air Force air traffic controllers. Although our air traffic controllers were armed with an M9 pistol while on duty, these guys weren’t really trained for shootouts and how to conduct security. They were, understandably, worried about their Iraqi counterparts and if one of them should smuggle in a weapon or worse into the air traffic control tower. Consequently, an airman was assigned as security for our personnel inside the tower, 24/7, in the event of an attempted insider attack.

In reality, this air conditioned posting was posh and we loved being there. There was a desk with a computer and internet connection, movies that could be watched on the computer, and even a DSN line to call back to the United States as much as you wanted. Even the Iraqi controllers were quite pleasant to be around and they all spoke at least some English, per their job assignment.

Also, since the posting was outside of the camp’s defense perimeter, you would have food from the cafeteria delivered to you. No waiting in line!

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(Baghdad Tower, photo by author.)

The only downside:

The elevator in the control tower often broke. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have to go to work. That meant climbing up 14 floors with your vest, helmet, NVG’s, rifle, pistol, and spare ammunition. What a bitch! Nothing could make you go from loving how lucky you were to draw this assignment, to hating it in mere seconds. When you made it to the top, the person you would be relieving would always have a bottle of cold water waiting on you. By that time you were huffing, puffing and drenched in sweat. Tough life in the Air Force.

Nebula in the Deep

Submitted into Contest #8 in response to: Write a story about an adventure in space. … view prompt
John Popovich

Her muscles seemed to tense with every chime of the warning alerts; proximity, fire, and power failure alarms each ringing in their own distinct tone and pattern. As the captain called out for a report on every station the voices went from stern and confident, to shouting and chaotic.

Venturing into the cerulean and fuchsia mixed cloud, the crew of the ISS Condor had no idea what to expect. The observation windows were useless as the clouds covered the ship like thick cream. The current of plasma that comprised the beautiful anomaly clung to every nook and cranny of the ship’s fuselage, wreaking havoc for the ship’s systems analyst.

Lieutenant Dawson exhaled sharply, shaking her hand at the station monitor. “I’m getting readings all over the ship, everything from hull breaches, power surges, and a fire on C-deck. I’m shutting down automated countermeasures… try to keep her from fixing problems that aren’t there.”

“Do something about those alarms while you’re at it. Do we have anything on perimeter sensors, short range? Long range? Anything from our remote probe?”

The chief turned in his chair facing the captian, his forehead wrinkled, and cracking in his voice. “Nothing consistent. I am getting intermittent contact from the probe. Strange readings, I’ve never seen anything like this.”

The lighting on the control deck flickered as power surges were felt throughout the ship. Alarms blaring, lights flashing and now the ship was rumbling. Dawson gripped the arms of her chair, her knuckles turning white as her fingertips went numb. The pounding of her pulse in her neck caught her off guard, escalating with every breathe. Nothing made sense, she heard his order to shut off the alarms, but it didn’t register. As if he was speaking a different language.

Glancing from her station monitor to the captain, she saw his jaw tense, eyes squinting, focusing on the forward observation windows. If there was any fear in him at all, he didn’t show it. They were flying blind, but he kept them steadily on course. She had to trust him.

Rattling with increasing intensity, the ship groaned in pain as the bulkheads shed their safety panels. Like the nebula didn’t want them there and fought with constant resistance. What secret was it trying to keep?

Suddenly the ship stopped shaking, the colorful sludge sliding off the forward windows. The captian stood from his command chair, balancing himself on the overhead monitors as he leaned forward to look at the seemingly empty eye of the nebula.

“Lieutenant, I want a damage report as soon as you can. See if you can purge all of our external ports, get this crap off of my ship… And please shut off the alerts!”

Staring at her screen, trying to catch her breath, she unwrapped her hands from the arms of her seat. Flexing her fingers, she disabled the system alerts. As a loud hissing filled the command bridge from the purge, the systems came back online, one by one. Turning in her chair to report the ship’s clean bill of health, she paused, interrupted by deafening silence. Seeing her wide-eyed crew mates looking out of the observation windows, she stood moving from her station toward the center of the bridge trying to catch a glimpse of what had captivated the crew.

The inner wall of the nebula was at a distance, but there was something more. Maneuvering around the captain’s command station more objects came into view, strange t-shaped bodies, made of metal… had to be. Another long cylindrical object that seemed to be rounded on one end with what looked a short thick tower protruding from the side. There were other jagged fragments, and what looked like a mist of dark and light particles. Everything was motionless, floating in the peaceful center of a chaotic cage.

“There’s the probe!” The chief pointed at the window before scurrying to his station.

The captain’s head whipped around. “Can you make contact?”

“Yes, but I’m getting a lot of strange readings Sir. The objects don’t match any vessels on record. The nebula consists of some sort of plasma, it’s chemical make-up is like nothing I’ve seen.” The chief’s voice was high, and he stuttered as he read the data as quickly as he could. “There are trace amounts um, of-of ice, wait, yes crystalized H2O, and, and… this can’t be right.”

“What is it?”

“Carbon, lignin, hemicelluloses… this… Captain it’s particles of wood!”

“That’s impossible!”

“It doesn’t make sense but that’s what it says… Sir there’s something else. There seems to be radiation emanating from one of the objects.”

“Dangerous?”

“No sir, but curious. This isn’t adding up.”

“Chief, keep searching the database, figure out what these things are. Helmsman, bring the ship about, I want you to pull us parallel to the source of that radiation. Dawson, meet me in airlock three and suit up.”

She looked at the captain nodding, acknowledging the order. Her head spinning with the various scenarios that a space walk could present. She’d done this a dozen times before, always making it back in one piece. She couldn’t help but think that one of them wasn’t going to be as lucky this time.

Lieutenant Dawson and the captain checked each other’s suits, making sure that every seal was fastened, oxygen connected, and equipment secured. The captain turned to place the helmet on her suit, she gently grabbed a hold of his gloved hands.

Closing her eyes, taking a deep breath, she exhaled with a light tilting of her head, signaling the captain she was ready. The helmet came down, twisted and clicked, activating the release of oxygen to the suit. The rush of air, and distinct smell of disinfected fabric and plastic switched on her focus. The long hours of training took over. Assisting the captain with his helmet, they approached the outer airlock door.

Looking through the porthole, the long cylindrical object slowly moved closer to the ship. There was something recognizable on the short tower of the object, it looked like an airlock, but strange. No window, docking clamps, nothing. There seemed to be a ring suspended from what looked like a hatch by three thick metal spokes. Her focus broke as the chime from the pressure indicator buzzed and the light flashed from red to green. It was time.

The captain pressed the release panel slowly opening the airlock. After securing their tether lines to the hull of the ship, the captain counted down from three. They gently pushed off the Condor and floated toward the object. The droning of the winch echoed through her suit as it let out the slack of the tether, drifting closer and closer to the object. Gripping the lifeline to her side, taking long controlled breaths, she collided with the hull of the object. The captain landed first, already on his way to the hatch. The magnetic boots seemed effective as she watched him walking on the smooth surface of the object. Activating her boots, followed.

Reaching the hatch at the top of the tower and gripping the wheel, the captain spun it counterclockwise. Dawson looked at the data pad on her wrist, monitoring the object, anticipating what lay beyond the hatch. The door opened with ease and they removed the winch systems from their suits, attaching them to the hull of the object. The captain went in first, climbing past what looked like a ladder. The airlock seemed rudimentary, there was a manual release on the interior, no electronics, no inner airlock, just a ladder that led down to what looked like a command station.

Walking through the dark corridors of the object, they could only see what was illuminated by the lights on their helmets, taking notice of what looked like words written on the bulkhead. The metal grate beneath their feet also had a recognizable design. Everything looked so familiar.

“Captain, do you copy?” The coms link fizzled as the chief’s voice crackled through.

“Yes Chief, we’re inside the object heading toward the source of the radiation spike.”

“Uh… you’re not going to believe this, but I’ve identified at least three of the objects inside the nebula.”

“Well…”

“Two of them are 19th century aircraft from Earth.”

The captain stopped and turned toward Dawson, his eyebrows furrowed. She stared back at him, blinking, trying to awaken from what seemed like a dream. “What’s the third object?”

“You’re inside of it… it appears to be a 21st century Naval Submarine. Virginia Class.”

“We need to leave, these were nuclear powered, who knows what state of decay the reactor could be in. These things weren’t built for space.”

Just then, the submarine rumbled and shook, the coms link fizzling as the chief’s voice frantically warned them of something they couldn’t quite discern. “… anomaly …energy weapons …attack…”

“Chief, come in! What’s happening out there? Chief!” The captains voice had a tone of desperation, something she’d never heard before.

The submarine rocked and jolted violently, they had left their winches tethered between the submarine and the Condor. Rushing back down the corridor to the ladder they climbed as fast as they could. The captain reached the hatch first, flying through the opening, reaching for Dawson’s hand.

Reaching for him she was blinded as a flash of blue light struck him in the chest, knocking him off the submarine. The coms link roared in her ear as the chief screamed for the captain to reply to his call for orders.

Her free hand hung lifeless as if still waiting for the captain to grab it. The other hand gripped the rung of the ladder, fingertips going numb again, the pulse in her neck intensifying as it did before, the piercing plea of the Chief in her ear.

The captain wasn’t there to snap her out if it this time. Closing her eyelids tight and taking a deep breath, she could see the captain staring out of a window of uncertainty. Calm. Focused. The way she wanted to remember him.

Exhaling slowly, and gripping the ladder with both hands, she cautiously pulled herself halfway through the open hatch. The Condor was tethered to the lifeless submarine suddenly taking fire, unable to maneuver and defend herself.

The attacker was dark, shaped like an elongated pyramid, firing its weapons erratically. Flashing blue lights surrounded the Condor as the energy shields deflected much of the fire. The remaining blasts splashed into the colorful milky walls of the nebula, while others hit the objects floating in the eye, disintegrating them into balls of blue fire. The shockwaves smashed into the sub, yanking the leash of the Condor.

While Dawson observed the situation, formulating a plan, she noticed a red orb in front of the Condor. It whirled chaotically as red particles emanated from its center. While slowly growing bigger and bigger, a black center of the orb started to open.

“Captain! What are your orders? What do we do, we’re under attack!”

“The captains dead… I’m in command.” Dawson let out a deep breath.

“Lieutenant what do we do?”

“How are the energy shields holding up?”

“We’re at 70% capacity. Our weapons were knocked offline before I could activate the shields. Who are they? Why are they firing at us?”

“We’re going to be fine. They don’t seem to be locking on to anything, the nebula must have temporarily disabled their tracking system.” Her reassurance fell on deaf ears.

“No, no! We gotta get out of here!”

“Listen to me! Don’t move the ship, you’re tethered to the sub, you’ll rip us apart. We’re going to be fine for now if you don’t move. What’s happening in front of our ship?”

“Yeah… yeah it popped up right before the firing started. It seems to be a displacement field of some sort… I can’t… I don’t know.”

“Chief. Listen to the sound of my voice, calm down. Displacement of what?”

“Ok, ok. If I’m reading this right, it appears to be a wormhole.”

“Good… good. We don’t have much time before they figure out how to get their targeting systems online. I’m going to go back into the sub.”

“No! You need to get over here now, we need to leave.”

“Chief, I’m going back into the sub. I’m going to place a charge on the reactor core. We’re going to fly through the wormhole, the explosion will collapse the displacement field behind us.”

“Why don’t we go through the nebula?”

“We can’t risk it. I’m making a lot of assumptions about this attacker right now. Chief, do you understand my orders?”

“Yeah… yeah I got it.”

Thrusting down the ladder, and disengaging her magnetic boots, she bounced off of the metal grid floor. Stabilizing herself she flew through the corridors of the submarine, grabbing and pulling at anything the walls could offer. Following the tracker on her data pad she found the reactor compartment.

Engaging the magnetic boots, planting her feet firmly to the floor, and gripping the wheel of the hatch door, she jerked it to the right finding nothing but hard resistance. Frantically looking about, she found a piece of pipe attached to the bulkhead. Banging on the steel with her hands it wouldn’t break free no matter how hard she tried. The sub rattled and shook again.

Pulling the plasma torch from her equipment pouch and flicking the switch igniting the brilliant white flame, she cut through the top and bottom of the pipe, releasing it. Turning off the torch she let it float away, inserting the pipe between the spokes and placing one foot on the bulkhead next to the door. Pulling the bar with everything she had, groaning in pain as every muscle in her body felt like it was on fire from the strain, the wheel finally gave way.

The structure began to rumble more frequently, the attacker must have fixed their targeting systems. Time was running out.

The compartment filled with blobs of coolant escaping the reactors cooling system. It was nearing critical mass. She placed the explosive charge on the side of the reactor’s large cylindrical wall, setting the timer for ten minutes. Gripping the pipe that was used to open the door, she swung it at the cooling pipes, cracking them open, releasing more of the gelatinous substance into the room, hoping to accelerate the meltdown.

Before she could make it through the opening of the compartment, a large explosion of blue light ripped through the hull of the sub. The blast throwing her against the bulkhead. Looking through the hole was disorienting as the sub and tethered Condor were now spinning together in the eye of the nebula. Each vessel pulling and fighting with one another’s momentum.

Working her way to the edge of the hole she timed her leap. Waiting for the sub to spin just right, looking for the tether lines, she jumped from the sub grasping for a line. Eight minutes left. She could do this.

Staying on course, the lines whipped and crossed one another, she had to be careful not get tangled herself. Blue flashes of energy flew past her. Grabbing one of the lines and pulling herself toward the ship, the second line thrashed across the visor of her helmet, cracking it. Oxygen hissed through the crack, making it impossible to focus on the airlock.

Moving closer to the ship, she activated the remote airlock sequence. The door opened and with a swift pull on the line she spun faster toward the opening. Activating the magnetic boots and landing on the hull, she made quick work of detaching the tether lines from outside of the airlock.

“Chief, I’m on board the Condor closing the airlock now. Fire the thrusters and push us through the wormhole. I’m on my way to the bridge.”

Running as fast as her legs would take her, adrenaline pumped through her veins. Slamming into the captains station she fastened her restraints.

“We have two minutes! Go, go, go!”

The helmsman forced the throttle further forward, pushing the ship’s engines to their breaking point, thrusting them into the blackness of the wormhole. Dawson watched the rear viewscreen, the long dark ship was in pursuit, firing its weapons. The screen went bright white leaving only a silhouette of their attacker… the reactor had gone critical. The wormhole collapsed behind them, crushing the rear half of the dark ship. Secondary explosions radiated from all over busting the attacker into pieces.

Relief of their escape was short lived as a loud tapping rattled the front observation windows. More ice crystals. Where was this wormhole taking them?

The crystals turned to a clear liquid, the alarms blaring and systems going offline. Lunging forward in their seats the ship had moved from full speed ahead to a lurch into the translucent liquid.

“Lieutenant, the engines are dead. Proximity sensors indicate that we’re in a large body of water, but I can’t be sure. Our sensors weren’t built for anything like this.”

“The ship is airtight, we can survive water, getting out of here is another problem. Can we launch a probe to the surface, see where we are?”

“It’ll take some time to retrofit it for these conditions, but I think we can do it.”

Waiting for the probe gave her time to process everything that had happened. Their mission was a success, explore the nebula. Their cost was the life of the captain, and a journey through a wormhole to who-knows-where.

Standing behind the chief, eyes glued to his monitor, the crew’s eyes widened in disbelief as the data rolled in. The atmosphere above the water was oxygen rich, breathable. There were land masses nearby… cross referencing database… They were on Earth, 800 kilometers from the coast of Florida.

“What the… are we in the Bermuda Triangle?”

Swallowing down the lump in her throat, Dawson wracked her brain for an appropriate response. Nothing had prepared her for this.

Marinated Tennessee Hickory Flank Steak

 

Marinated Flank Steak I LisaGCooks.com
Marinated Flank Steak I LisaGCooks.com

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds flank steak
  • 1/2 cup Jack Daniels Tennessee Hickory Mesquite Grilling Sauce
  • 1/4 cup red wine

Instructions

  1. Cut flank steak in half lengthwise; cut each half into thirds. Place in a heavy-duty zip lock plastic bag.
  2. Combine Jack Daniels’ Grilling Sauce with red wine; pour mixture over steak.
  3. Seal bag and turn several times to coat steak.
  4. Marinate for 4 to 24 hours in refrigerator, turning several times.
  5. Discard marinade.
  6. Grill steak over medium heat to desired doneness, turning and brushing with additional Jack Daniels’ Tennessee Hickory Mesquite Grilling Sauce.

Attribution

Posted by FootsieBear at Recipe Goldmine April 28, 2001.

Source: Jack Daniels’ Grilling Sauces package

It was a ‘blind date’ arranged by my mom and his mom. Two moms happened to both have an I-love-matchmaking retired coworker. Two coworkers happened to meet in a mahjong gathering. So.

At a square of a shopping mall, I waited and waited, constantly checked my phone, called him. No answer. No idea why I waited for couple hours like an idiot. Probably because I had nothing else to do other than watching people passing by, (which also explains why I agreed such an arrangement in the first place).

I saw a man in shorts who tried to speak to every woman sitting at the square, one by one.

I called him again.

No answer.

The man in shorts came to me.

‘Are you Nell Zhang?’

Turned out he lost his phone.

I felt grateful he still tried hard to find me.

We did self introduction.

He asked me where I worked, and told me his company was the maker of the famous ‘Sofy Napkin’. I jokingly asked if I could get a discount for pads from him. He nodded,

‘Yes, 15% off, if you marry me. Moreover, we can buy Mamy-Poko diaper (it’s another brand from his company) with half price for our kids.’

I laughed. He didn’t, but asked me what’s so funny.

I excused myself and couldn’t find anything else to say.

Neither did he.

Then we watched people passing by.

Then we watched each other passing by.

Over.

When Women Treat Men Like KINGS #10

My father has a story he told me in the 1990s, it was actually more about Japan and Korea than China.

It’s obviously translated through my memories into English.

An American delegation of businessmen go and visit Japan/Korea/China (the place changes depending on when my dad tells the story). They visit a car factory and are panicked OMG they can make cars here! I didn’t think they’d be able to…

They go home and at the next company meeting bring this up with their superiors. They are ignored and dismissed anyway it’s not going to affect our next quarterly profits so this threat is ignored and deemed insignificant.

This process is repeated several more times….

Until there’s another meeting say bud why are our quarterly profits on a downward trend? But by then it’s too late those car makers have eaten your lunch and dinner.

Big Blast At U.S. Arms Factory; One Missing, Two Injured As Fire Engulfs Missile Production Centre

WTF?  Very interesting.

DO NOT GO TO VEGAS.

I’m so shocked at what an incredible rip off Vegas has become. I don’t gamble in the casino but the greed of these corporations has just gone crazy.

For example, when I came here 10 years ago the roulette had 36 numbers plus the green 0. If you hit your number you would receive 35/1 odds as you had a 1 in 37 chance.

Last year in 2023 when I came here I was shocked to see an additional 00 on the roulette wheels making your odds 1 in 38 to still receive a 35/1 pay out.

So I’m back here again in June 2024 and yes you guessed it, there are now magically 3 x 0’s on the roulette wheel! 0, 00 and now 000!

They know people don’t understand the enormous disadvantage this gives the punters.

On top of this I’m paying $30.00 for a coffee and a sandwich and when I received my hotel bill they hit me with a $52.00 a day resort fee that I was never told about when I checked in but it is apparently in the small print!

I went to an ATM in the casino and took out $200.00 It charged me 7.5%, yes $15.00! And I’ll be charged more money on top from my UK bank charges.

The shows are eye wateringly expensive along with the drinks. I really think they are making a massive mistake in their business structure. People are disgusted. EVERYONE is talking about it, from the people on holiday to the taxi drivers. I’m fortunately financially well off but it’s not the point. No one likes feeling ripped off, not even if it’s for $20.00. They are making a huge mistake. No one is coming back to Vegas in a hurry.

When I was around 11, our next door neighbors accused my then 5 year-old brother of intentionally breaking some large planters – really large ones – on their front porch. The wife swore she saw him do it around 5:00am. A ridiculous claim on so many levels. Now they didn’t like my brother, he was always so much bigger and taller than other kids his age and they didn’t like him to play with their same-age son. Which was fine, as he didn’t. They apparently felt their smaller child would get hurt by my gentle giant of a brother. (Now 6′4″ btw). Now my brother adamantly denied that he had done anything remotely like what they said and he was understandably very upset at being accused. He may have been a bit tall for his age, but he was still just a little kid. Later that day, the police came by and warned us that some no-gooders, possibly teenagers if I recall, had been caught slashing tires and vandalizing property in our neighborhood. And that we should continue to be on the lookout for their cohorts. My father let the neighbor know that, as I believe the police did as well but the neighbors still insisted that it had been my brother. We didn’t talk to them after that and steered clear as much as we could. A few years later, they came and took the neighbor wife away in a straight-jacket, while she was screaming hysterically and incoherently. Apparently, she had some mental illness problems. BUT even after that, the father never apologized. Nor did he treat my brother, me or my family politely or properly. Even today, so many years later, I still get a bad taste in my mouth when I remember them.

This is a list of US mission capable aircraft. The US needs to fix US aircraft first.

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Heartbreak Ridge Your Ass is Mine

The rcep numbers are big. 30 percent of the world population, 30 percent of world trade, 30 percent of global gdp represented.

The common glue here is China, which is the biggest trading partner for the rest and of course, the largest economy. I am surprised Korea and Japan jumped on board, given their protectionist stance on agriculture and several other categories. India walking away was no surprise.

Overall, I’m encouraged by the give and take. This can serve as a good template for belt and road countries in the coming decade.

The headturning numbers will come from asean as infrastructure led growth boost trade numbers.

The success of the rcep should prove to the world there is no crisis in the SCS beyond American manufactured drama. All the claimant states and trade routes are represented by rcep.

My friend’s trash boyfriend. She’s pregnant with his second kid. He refuses to watch their son and when he does complains that he’s too tired. Says the new baby is not his “problem” until it is born. Won’t take her to doctor appointments. Tried to make her walk five hours home from work at six months pregnant. Abuses her daughter from a previous relationship.

His mother thinks his behavior is fine and defends him. He’s a sex addict, woman beater, child beater, and an accused rapist. But anything bad he says or does is his girlfriend’s fault and not his.

My son’s biological father. Cared so little he didn’t show for the original custody hearing. Fought cour ton habing to pay more than 25 a month child support (state bare minimum) but agreed to 28. Would never watch our son when I worked because he was busy at the library playing online games with his other girlfriend and wouldn’t help pay for sitter. When he did rarely watch my son, wouldn’t change him or clean up messes. Yelled at him for looking at him when he was eating. Smacked our crying son on the butt as hard as he could in the mall. Threw and broke things in front of our son and hit me in front of him.

My brother’s ex. Drove her jeep high and flipped it with my nephew in the car. He survived with no injuries. She’s finally in jail for it.

My brother’s wife who left him for a guy in Florida she ran away to and got pregnant from. Has zero custody of her own three kids. Trying to pin new baby on my brother. Brother is hispanic. Baby’s dad/her boyffiend is african American. Not hard to do the math. Did drugs in front of my nephew and didnt take care of him. Laughed at him when he had nightmares or wanted time with her or my brother. Bought designer bags and clothes but wouldn’t buy him walmart t shirts.

These are the worst acts of parenting I have ever seen, and I’m adopted because my biological mom didnt take care of us (she’s mentally handicapped, dodnt know any better).

Russians advanced in New York, Iran’s destroyer sinks, Ukr to highjack Rus strategic bomber.

Heating up craziness.

I was dating a woman, it was way too early for love, we had only been seeing each other for 6 weeks, but things were going well. Christmas was coming up, and it’s really awkward buying a gift for someone that you have no commitment to.

She was telling me a story about going to the mall, and seeing these red shoes, with a different shade of red, bow , in the window. She tried them on, and they fit like a glove, but she decided to spend the money on her kids, and not herself, so she left them.

When I left, I checked the size of her shoes by the door, and the next day I drove to the mall, and there were the red shoes, with a red bow, sitting in the window.

It’s risky putting this much thought into a gift for someone, that you have known less than 2 months. Do you look like a stalker, or a romantic?

I took the risk, and bought the shoes.

Two days later, she called me, and said that she was going to be spending Christmas with her ex and the kids, in another province, and that it wouldn’t be fair to me, to keep dating. She was honest about everything, and we parted on good terms. Except I now had to return the shoes, during the holiday rush.

I have done much more extreme things for my wife, but they weren’t crazy, because I was committed to my wife.

This was crazy, because I risked driving her off, by looking like a stalker, and it was a lot of effort, for someone, you have just started dating.

The Most Insane Ex-Girlfriend I’ve Seen..

Sigh.

Thanks for the request.

This is another example of asymmetrical warfare that the U.S. sucks at.

Its a game of “whac-a-mole” that the Houthis are playing that is impossible for the U.S. to keep up. The Houthis simply hide and launch their missiles at different places and time that is impossible to anticipate and take out. And by launching more than enough, its impossible to take out all.

The battleground at the South China Sea is different.

These involve large warships that both sides can see a long time coming.

However, China has the advantage. It has shown it can eliminate the element of surprise by being able to detect submarines in the South China Sea with aircrafts and satellites equipped with high-resolution radar. They have surveillance to ensure nothing is sneaked in – inclduing sub detectors.

There is also the advantage of proximity. With its militarized location at the SCS, it takes less time to mobilize that in coordination with its command of the arsenals of hypersonic missiles to provide cover, there will be ample time to take out any incoming warships.

When I was working for a chain store I was told they hired somebody and they put him on with a manager who was a little difficult to deal with if you didn’t know how to take her. (She spoke to everybody as if she was dealing with four or five year olds. I once asked somebody if she had been a kindergarten teacher and they said no, it’s just the way she is.) Anyway he worked one shift with her and called the next day and said he had had enough and quit.)

The most interesting case of short-term employment happened at Walmart. They hired this kid to work in my department (food) and after punching in he would come out to the floor and then he would disappear. No one was able to figure out where he went. They tried paging him and no answer. People looked around the store and couldn’t finding his hiding spot. I don’t think he left and went home because the cameras would have picked him up if he did that. He only reappeared when it was time to punch out. It didn’t take long before the manager decided he could dispense with his services.

This cat, after a car crash and desperately struggling on the roadside, finally she was rescued.

Oh and cats help too

Yes.

The Chinese will just throw thousands of Chinese engineers at Chinese companies to close the gap.

The Americans will throw millions of dollars at OpenAI to stay in the lead, but won’t be able to throw thousands of engineers at the company.

That is how China always wins. It’s not pretty, but it always works…

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This photo was taken on Elina’s first day of work in a Moscow brothel. She feels both ashamed of what she has to do and afraid of what it will feel like.

An 18-year old had come from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan “to conquer Moscow” three months before this photo was taken. She’d been planning to study for a cosmetologist and had rented an apartment with her best friend.

They were unlucky and got swindled by her compatriots through a fake work advertisement and lost all their money that they brought with them from Bishkek and had to move out of the apartment because they couldn’t afford to pay rent anymore. Next day, without a place to stay and any money, the young girls found themselves in one of the numerous brothels in the city, where they were offered to the clients for 4000 rubles ($50) an hour. Their cut was 40% plus tips.

Elina had done it only twice before and didn’t even like it. There was no choice but to go ahead with it and do what a client would ask her to do. She would like to buy an iPhone. She dreamed about it for a long time now. She would also like to learn to drive a car. One day she would own an apartment and become a small business owner. And of course she would get married and have kids. Back home, she would never be able to get married because she had to be a virgin to become somebody’s wife. There was no way back. She had to stay in Moscow and make her way like thousands of young girls had done it before her. Moscow is beautiful and vast. But she is here with her friend.

Today is a rough day, but tomorrow will be better.

Men Are Giving Up

Clear and profound.

Smoked Tomahawk Ribeye

smoked tomahawk ribeye
smoked tomahawk ribeye

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 (3 pound) bone-in beef tomahawk steak
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Rub steak with olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper.
  2. Lightly coat grates with vegetable oil spray. Close cooking chamber lids.
  3. Place 3 to 5 pounds of charcoal, in center of the firebox. Open the firebox air vent approximately 1-2\’e2\’80\’b3, and smokestack damper halfway. With firebox lid open, stand back, carefully light charcoal and allow to burn until covered with a light ash (approximately 20 minutes).
  4. Once coals have ashed over, add wood chunks. Do not shut firebox lid until the smoke is clean, often called Blue Smoke.
  5. Close firebox lid. Adjust the firebox air vent and smokestack damper to regulate cooking temperature. The ideal smoking temperature is 275 degrees F.
  6. Place steak on smoker for approximately 2 hours or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F (medium rare), turning halfway through cooking time.
  7. Allow steak to rest approximately 5 minutes. Slice against the grain of the steak.

Notes

To make slicing easier, slice along bone and then horizontally against the grain.

Why is cooperation with China so important for Russia?

The entire West is United against Russia

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main qimg c5eae99a02a61e41a8df9f4892917677

They want to destroy Russia and make it a protectorate of the West, a Gas Station selling cheap Oil and Gas to the West

They want to control those vast assets in Siberia – all that Titanium ore, Metals, Gold, Oil and Gas which is priceless, through their Corporations in New York and Chicago using traitorous Russians in Moscow and Petersburg

Putin has convinced the Russians that they are not a Gas Station but a proud powerful nation and that the Communists weren’t bad people for a long time but just people who lost the game to the West

So it makes strategic sense for Putin to come closer to China

China is an Industrial Superpower who is responsible today for keeping Putins war machine going

Every single piece of electronic circuitry used in Putins Missiles and Guidance since 2023 May is from China

In addition China also floods Russia with Dual Use Goods mainly to be used in Weaponry

For instance in 2024 January – China exported 20,000 VZS High Quality Precision Optical Sensors & Sights with High Power Lenses

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That’s more than the entire NATO can manufacture in a year (12000–15000)

They can be used for Missile Tracking and Interception OR Monitor migratory birds and their movement

You really think Russia would buy 20,000 such sensors worth $ 170 Million for studying Migratory Birds????????????

Plus Key components of Advanced Radars like State of the Art Receiver Arrays and Duplexers which can ALSO be used for Radio Networks

If a Radio Network in the 21st century would spend $ 85 Million on Equipment

It’s why Yellen is SO PISSED OFF

Meanwhile China needs Putin too

China sees a face off with the US soon and needs Russia , the world’s toughest and strongest land army.

China gets CHEAP ENERGY and CHEAP RAW MATERIALS including Enriched Uranium that helps China stockpile and maybe build their secret warhead count to as many as 1000 nuclear warheads by 2030

If only India would see sense and join this partnership fully, that would be wonderful

3 Signs She’s Using You as a Backup Plan

After my first husband passed away in 2006, finances were very tight. Once a month, when we received a financial assistance check, we would drive to town for basic groceries and I would treat our 6 year old with a kids meal and play time at local fast food restaurant. I would watch and just talk with him. There were days when he would give me his fries because he knew I was hungry and we couldn’t afford for both of us to order food. Or the afternoons when I would make him a sandwich and take a bite…again I made sure he had enough to eat. He would laugh and say “Mommy takes a bite so I know its made with love”. This is my child who has held my hand as we would cry in grief, would say he didn’t want big toys for Christmas/birthday and celebrated with me when I graduated from nursing school-knowing it was for his benefit. As he turned 18 this year, I get teary knowing how his life was harder than it will be for his brothers who have been born since I remarried. I cry knowing he remembers the month of 1 packet of rice, 1 can of veggies, and 1 4 oz pork chop diced up, was dinner for the 2 of us-for 2 nights. He jokes with me, each winter we no longer get our gas turned off, about no more keeping the house warm with the oven or placing blankets in front of the doors and windows, or boiling his bath water.

Last year the both of us had the opportunity to spread his Dad’s ashes in a state away from our own. The sight of my tall, handsome young man spreading his dad’s ashes with his bare hands, spreading them in water, on trees and along the ground and talking to his dad the whole time, dropped me to my knees. I can not tell you how much this young man means to me, knowing how strong he is and what a survivor he has had to be.

Invasive Feral Cats In Australia Turbo-Evolving

For blunders in military history it is difficult to surpass the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour for utter stupidity.

Winston Churchill heard the news of the attack from a radio at his desk late in the day. This is what he says. ‘I tried to adjust my thoughts to the supreme world event which had occurred, which was so startling as to make me gasp.’

Startling it was. A tiny country savagely provoking a country as large and as rich as the United States to war was indeed difficult to comprehend. The advantage Japan got was only temporary. With the cream of the US navy destroyed in the attack on the US naval base in Pearl Harbour Japan had a free hand in the South China Sea for its conquest of South East Asia, Philippines and Burma. But soon the US would arm itself at sea, land and air. What after that? Why did not the Japanese, who are considered an astute people, think of that.

Churchill’s joy knew no bounds at the news that the US is now in the war. This was what he said.

‘Yes, after Dunkirk; after the fall of France; after the horrible episode of Oran; after the threat of invasion, when, apart from the Air and the Navy, we were an almost unarmed people; after the deadly struggle of the U-boat war—the first Battle of the Atlantic, gained by a hand’s-breadth; after seventeen months of lonely fighting in dire stress, we had won the war.’

When he heard of the attack he knew that Britain had won the war.

‘England would live; Britain would live; the Commonwealth of Nations and the Empire would live. How long the war would last or in what fashion it would end, no man could tell, nor did I at this moment care. Once again in our long Island history we should emerge, however mauled or mutilated, safe and victorious. Hitler’s fate was sealed. Mussolini’s fate was sealed. As for the Japanese, they would be ground to powder. The British Empire, the Soviet Union, and now the United States, bound together were, according to my lights, twice or even thrice the force of their antagonists. No doubt it would take a long time but there was no more doubt about the end.’

True indeed, and Churchill was not the only person to think so.

There is only one explanation for the Japanese action. It is found in an ancient Sanskrit saying: ‘Vinasa kale vibareetha pudthi’. This means: When the time for your destruction is at hand you take strange decisions.

Idiocracy Tried To Warn You

It happened at a New York Airport. This is hilarious. I wish I had the guts of this girl. An award should go to the United

Airlines gate agent in New York for being smart and funny, while making her point, when confronted with a passenger who probably

deserved to fly as cargo. For all of you out there who have had to

deal with an irate customer, this one is for you.

A crowded United Airlines flight was canceled. A single agent was re-booking a long line of inconvenienced travelers.

Suddenly, an angry passenger pushed his way to the desk. He slapped his ticket on the counter and said, “I HAVE to be on this flight and it has to be FIRST CLASS.”

The agent replied, “I’m sorry, sir. I’ll be happy to try to help you, but I’ve got to help these folks first; and then I’m sure we’ll be able to work something out.”

The passenger was unimpressed. He asked loudly, so that

the passengers behind him could hear, “DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO I AM?”

Without hesitating, the agent smiled and grabbed her public address microphone. “May I have your attention, please?”, she began, her voice heard clearly throughout the terminal. “We have a passenger here at Gate 14 WHO DOES NOT KNOW WHO HE IS. If anyone can help him with his identity, please come to Gate 14”.

With the folks behind him in line laughing hysterically,

the man glared at the United Airlines agent, gritted his teeth, and said, “F*** You!”

Without flinching, she smiled and said, “I’m sorry sir,

you’ll have to get in line for that, too.”

Life isn’t about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain.

MEDICAL OPINION: What is REALLY going on with President Biden (not what you may think)

I stayed at a guest house once in Japan with my son. In the afternoon, as he often did at that age (he was 10), my son began to badger me for some food. So I decided to go out and get him something to eat. Unfortunately the guest house we were staying at was a short distance away from any shops, in the centre of a residential neighbourhood. When I came down from the apartment I felt pretty lazy to take that 15 minute walk to the 7–11. As I was wondering what to do I happened to see a bicycle near by and on closer examination saw it was unlocked. Most bicycles in Japan are unlocked I later discovered.

I looked around and there was no one around to ask so I thought I would take the bicycle for a short ride to the convenience store. I would be back in a few minutes and no one would be the wiser and I would not have to walk. So I did just that.

I was distracted a bit on the way there by a pretty garden, the queue at the cash counter was long, I got a little lost on the way back and all-in-all it was a bit longer than I anticipated and as I returned, pedalling, I was surprised and a bit shocked to see an anxious looking, well-dressed elderly gentleman standing there. He was clearly the owner of the bicycle and looked surprised to see this foreigner returning from somewhere on his bike.

I returned the bike apologising profusely, but was really surprised by the man’s reaction. As I returned his bike, he leaned forward, bowed a few times and then asked me very politely and with no trace of sarcasm at all, “Would you be needing the bicycle tomorrow?”

That is Japan.

This is funny with all the cuts from various movies and videos. Cute.

After his wife’s death, he found a letter that revealed a secret that changed everything.

Tony Trapani was 80 years old when his wife died after being married for 50 years, was devastated and felt alone. But after his wife’s death, he found a letter that revealed a secret that changed everything.

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main qimg 01ff47a31252698d1acb21bca22c2b47

When his wife died, Tony began, with a broken heart, to free the house from the things that had belonged to her. But then, one day, he found a letter hidden deep in a closet.

He had just discovered something he had not been prepared for: the letter was addressed to him, but it was from another woman.

The moment he opened the letter and read the first lines, he was really shocked. The letter was 56 years old and had been written by a woman Tony had met when he was about 20, named Shirley.

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Shirley wrote to him that she often thought of Tony, but that was not the shocking part, at the end of the letter he found out that he had a son with her, named Samuel!

Tony was really petrified, he had just discovered that he had had a son without knowing it for 61 years, and he realized that his wife had hidden the letter because she could not have children.

Here is what Tony confessed to Fox17:

“I have no idea why my wife didn’t tell me about it. She wanted children, but she couldn’t have them, we kept trying. He’s my son, I’ve had him my whole life but I didn’t know. It is beyond me why she hid the letter “.

After calming down, Tony found a new meaning to his life: finding his son.

Said and done, he found him on Facebook. Metro journalists write that the meeting was emotional, especially because his son had believed all his life that his father did not want to deal with him!

This incredible story shows us how everything in life can change in an instant! At the age of 81, Tony’s life took on a new meaning, one he had always wanted but thought he would never know…

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How Cats Broke The Game

Actually I like the format; the Video Game on-going meme theme of this informative video.

In short yes.

However, when I was at University in 2006 I studied criminal justice and psychology, end of term the University invited two men who were criminals to give a talk on their experiences of prisons and their time there, the first told us how he’d inadvertently become involved in a bank robbery and did 4yrs for that, he was released a few weeks back and was remorseful for his actions. The second, an older man, probably mid fifties explained he was in prison for murder to which we all uncomfortably shifted in our seats, he was not sorry for what he did.

Yikes, right? Then he told us how the murder came about, he was a architect and wealthy, raised from a good family, he’d married his college girlfriend had the 2.4, a son and a daughter, now both in their 20s, he and his wife worked hard to afford their lifestyle but somehow never had time for each other, weekends were a whirlwind of family time and trying to be good parents and juggle careers, when one day his best friend from university turned up, they’d been room mates and house mates for their time, he was newlywed and his wife was on a business trip locally so he accompanied her and decided to visit his old friend.

They’d not see each other for a while cos life and all that and he’d be in town for a week, they went for a drink and our criminal confessed how he and the wife never got any time together anymore and he missed that, the next day the old room mate shows up with tickets to a theatre performance for that coming weekend and tells them he will babysit the children who were 6 and 3, they can go out have fun and enjoy themselves, now the criminal told us his and wife’s family lived Scotland way so they didn’t see them often and so they jumped at this chance of a babysitter and night out.

Friday comes and friend turns up, children are already in bed, literally all he needs to do is listen out for them and watch Sky tv all night, the criminal and his wife left the house and have been driving for about 30mins when they realise the theatre tickets are on the mantelpiece, this is before you could download them, you had actual tickets, they turn round and drive home, he leaves wife in the car, runs into the house, friend isn’t in the lounge though, he grabs the tickets and goes into the hallway, he can see his daughter’s bedroom door open and she’s been going through a nightmare stage so heads up to see if everyone is okay, he opens the door to see his friend raping his daughter.

He says he doesn’t remember what happened next but he grabs a wooden toy off the shelf and effectively beat this man to a bloody pulp for what he had done, next thing he remembered was his wife and daughter screaming as he was dragged to a police car and paramedics tried to rescue his victim cos that’s what they have to do, friend died two nights later from injuries and he was charged with murder, his wife divorced him and his kids became estranged, he hadn’t seen them in some 20 yrs as wife moved back to Scotland and remarried, he said he lost half his life to prison but didn’t think he’d do anything any differently because he had tried to protect his daughter and felt so guilty for putting his friend in their life, also turned out friend wasn’t married, he’d recently been discharged from prison for sexual assault on underage children, despite the police finding this information the criminal wasn’t given leeway because even if this worthless piece of trash probably deserved what happened murder is still illegal, I often wonder where that man is now some 20yrs on.

Just too adorable

Accident on the Waterloo

Submitted into Contest #8 in response to: Write a story about an adventure in space. view prompt

P.A. Tebbe

The alarm klaxon in this section of the ship was abnormally loud. It made Zander’s head feel like someone was peeling it open. Doing her best to ignore it she pushed off from the hatch and floated weightless down the corridor. Before she got to the other side the ship unexpectedly lurched, probably under maneuvering thrusters. She was slammed into the wall and pinned against it by the momentary acceleration. Pushing off again she struggled to make it to the next hatch. The engine coolant was slowly moving closer and the living quarters would become untenable soon. If she didn’t free Vivian from her room, well…possible asphyxiation from another hull breach might be a better way to die.Vivian was the first person she met when she woke up on the ship. Or rather came back to a semi-sober version of consciousness. Zander had opened her eyes into darkness reluctantly. There was a deep bass hum in the background she couldn’t place and her body felt different. Heavier. The tight softness of a hammock surrounded her, but not her hammock. Not her room in Luna City she decided. She rolled to the side, lost her balance, and crashed to the floor. Hard.”Easy there Sweetie.” The voice had a deep feminine lilt to it. “Let yourself adapt to ship’s gravity,” the voice said sleepily.Zander tried to talk but her mouth and throat felt like they were coated in wool.A small light snapped on across from her, and she had seen another hammock strung up above her. A foot with dark painted nails slid over its edge, to be followed by a muscular calf. The toes wriggled and stretched.”You’re on the floor of my room, if that’s what you just asked.” A face had appeared at the other end of the hammock. Unnaturally bright blue eyes watched her in amusement. “Sorry, I guess I should say our room now. Hey, you don’t look so good. The waste disposal unit’s over there,” the foot and toes pointed into the dark, “if you’re going to be sick.”The blue eyes regarded her for a second and then the skin around them pinched together as the person smiled.”What’s the last thing you remember?”Zander rolled over on her back and tried to focus on a spot on the ceiling. “I’d finished a late shift in Luna City Food Court 7. Some of my friends dragged me to a party in one of the docking bays.””Correct,” the eyes agreed.

“Some dock tech pulled out a tub of homemade Vodka.” Zander’s thoughts were sluggish and took effort. “And I think I tried it?”

“You tried a LOT of it. Quite a bit, I imagine, even before my friends and I joined you.”

“I…don’t remember anything else.” Zander had let out a weary sigh. “I’m sorry, who are you?”

“Vivian,” the eyes answered patiently. The toes wriggled in a wave at her.

That was only a couple hours ago and now Zander was fighting her way through a ship she barely knew to try and save Vivian. She grabbed the manual hatch release to the access shaft and froze. The indicator displayed an X, glowing in a bright auto-luminescent red. There was hard vacuum on the other side of the hatch.

She knew that most ships this size were built with parallel access shafts on either side. Maybe she could cut across this deck and use the other tunnel. She reached for the nearest compartment hatch just as a power conduit blew near her. Sparks shot out, bouncing off her arm and hand. Some stuck and they burned into her skin before she could brush them off. Using the back of her other hand she tried to wipe away the tears of pain from her face. Zander was looking for a change, a little excitement, but this…none of this, was what she had imagined.

“You were quite talkative last night,” Vivian had explained earlier that day. “Told us all about going to university, but you struggled in classes. Came to the moon with friends for Spring Break and decided to stay. Bounced between minimum wage jobs until you ended up making protein noodles in Food Court 7.”

Zander remembered groaning in embarrassment.

“Oh, don’t feel bad. You made it all sound very dramatic and entertaining,” Vivian cooed in response. “Not at all whiny. And then you signed on as crew with the Waterloo.”

“The what?” Zander had scanned her brain for any more memories of the previous night and came up empty.

“The Waterloo sweetie. This,” Vivian’s toes wriggled indicating the surrounding space. “You’re aboard the commercial space vessel Waterloo.”

“You mean we aren’t on the moon? This isn’t Luna City?” Zander had asked in a panic.

“No,” Vivian’s body slipped back into the hammock until just her eyes were visible again. “We left lunar orbit hours ago. We’re under thrust for Mars. Our next performance is there.”

“Wait, what kind of ship is this?” Zander asked.

“Why this is Moriarty’s Magnificent Menagerie sweetie.” Vivian’s eyes had twinkled merrily. “Last night you joined the circus.”

Evidently, Zander signed on as their new animal handler. She wondered if anyone bothered to mention the possibilities of freezing to death in space, asphyxiation, or radiation dangers when she’d signed up. Surveying the room she was now in, she was certain they hadn’t explained what they meant by “animals” either.

Space was limited on a ship so large animals weren’t an option. She also knew some species didn’t adapt well to low gravity. The Menagerie apparently made do with the options that were left. A mix of frightened chirps, squeaks, and hoots assaulted her ears. The long room was filled with various containers, obviously specially designed, for their occupants. Most seemed secure but one had been dislodged and sat at an angle, its lid cracked open.

Slowly she surveyed the room. The container didn’t have a label and Zander had no idea what type of creature might have been released. In the reduced light she was unable to spot anything stirring and cautiously started moving across the room.

The caress came first on the corner of her ear. And then across her right cheek. The featherlight touch of spider silk. It triggered in her an urge to get away. A reflex buried deep in her subconscious that moved faster than rational thought. She jerked back, brushing frantically at her face. In the zero g environment the reaction made her body spin wildly.

With effort, she managed to grab a handhold and stop spinning. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself. On the list of current dangers, a spider really shouldn’t be that high. Although, judging by the size of the container and the web Zander wasn’t eager to learn how much of a danger it should be considered. Using the ceiling mounted hand holds she pulled herself across the rest of the room quickly.

On the far side, she found the last enclosure was filled with mice. Zander marveled for a moment at how, even in zero gravity, they were able to wedge themselves into the small plastic tunnels and continue to scurry about their business. She wondered for a second how mice were used in the show, until it dawned on her. They were food. Probably for Monty, the second thing she had met on the Waterloo.

Zander had been laying on Vivian’s floor, eyes shut, trying to stop the world from spinning and to piece the previous night’s events back together.

“This is a mis…eeeai!” The small scream slipped out unbidden as she opened her eyes. Two slitted eyes atop a small triangular head gazed at her from only a few inches away. A thin tongue flicked out repeatedly, tasting the air.

Pressing her hands against the floor, Zander tried to push away from the snake, but it was already on top of her. It seemed to watch her for several seconds before sliding its head down her shoulder and toward the floor.

Zander’s heart skipped a few beats and her breathing stopped. She lay tense as nearly two meters of snake slid across her. Finally, it slipped off her body and she took a sharp inhale of air.

“That’s Monty.” Vivian was looking down at her from above again. “She must be curious about you. Normally it takes her longer to come out of hiding after a prolonged time in zero gravity.”

“Let me guess, you’re the snake charmer?” Zander asked softly as she tried to scoot her body further away from the snake.

“I can charm all kinds of things,” Vivian had answered with a throaty chuckle. “But yes, Monty is part of my act. I think you were about to say something about this all being a mistake?”

“Yes.” With effort Zander pushed herself into a sitting position. “This is a mistake. I need to get out of here.”

“You’ll want to talk to Zed then.” Vivian’s face disappeared back into the wrappings of the hammock, losing interest in the conversation.

“Zed is the Captain?”

“Captain. Pilot. Clown. Magician. Check the bridge. Out the hatch and to the left. Take the access tunnel all the way to the top.”

And now Zander was struggling with the release on a similar access tunnel to go back down. At least this one, she noticed with relief, didn’t have vacuum on the other side. However, as she pulled it open a chirping noise like an electronic cricket started. The sensor attached to her chest was indicating dangerous levels of radiation in the tunnel. The crew quarters were only two more levels down though. If she moved fast enough she should be alright. Unless that level’s hatch was jammed. Or the level itself had already been flooded with radiation.

Refusing to think about the decision too long, Zander flung herself into the tunnel. She yanked her body painfully to a stop two levels down and struggled with the latch. Her skin felt like it was burning, but she realized that was probably her imagination. Probably.

With a final shove the hatch swung open and Zander scrambled through, sealing it shut behind her. She found Vivian’s room and the auxiliary control panel outside. Desperately she tried to remember the instructions Zed had given her to free the door.

She argued with Zed for almost twenty minutes before he agreed to let her out of the contract. He was a short disagreeable man. Bald, unshaven, and missing one leg. Which in retrospect Zander could now understand since he lived on the Waterloo. He agreed to drop her off when they got to Mars, it wasn’t like they could just turn the ship around Zed explained.

“What am I supposed to do then?” she had asked. “How am I supposed to get back home?”

“Not my problem. You did sign a contract after all.”

The ship had shuddered before she could argue further. Alarms and flashing warning indicators filled the bridge. Zed shoved her aside and slid into the pilot’s chair.

“Something hit us. Rock or piece of space junk. Blew right through the port deflector. We’ve got a hull breach.” With an amazing sense of calm, Zed begun to check systems.

Electrical popping noises had come from a series of panels to her side before they went dark. The sensation of gravity ceased and Zander found herself slowly floating up.

“Port electrical relays just blew,” Zed growled. “The fusion engines have tripped.”

“Zed, need some help here.” Zander recognized Vivian’s voice on the intercom. “The door’s jammed. I can’t open it.”

“Hang tight. I’ll get someone down there,” Zed had answered. He continued to manipulate controls and check screens until his shoulders slumped. “Oh hell.”

“What? What is it?” Zander had asked.

Zed jerked around to look at her, as if he’d momentarily forgotten she existed. “We took more damage than I thought. Secondary coolant is leaking into the ship. Radiation is moving toward the crew compartments.”

His frown grew and made Zed look more unpleasant to Zander. “You’ll have to go down and get Vivian out,” he’d said with unhappy resignation, turning back to the console.

“I can’t do that. I’m not even supposed to be here!” The volume and pitch of Zander’s voice increased as she spoke, sudden fear leaking through.

“There’s no one else. Mustapha is trying to bring the engines back online and Percival is working on the hull breach. Unless you know how to fly an old Class D colony ship, you’re all Vivian has.”

Reluctantly she had agreed and Zed explained what she would need to do.

Which brought her here, one hand stuck inside the panel pumping up the manual hydraulic release. The metal in the hatch groaned under the strain. Then whatever misalignment was jamming it gave way and it sprang open with a metallic clang. Vivian was floating on the other side, one arm held against her body and a slight trickle of blood on the edge of her forehead.

“I hit my arm when the ship lurched,” she explained. “I think the bone is broken.”

Zander grabbed her by the front of her ship suit and pulled her carefully into the corridor.

“One access tunnel is open to space. The other is flooded with radiation,” Zander quickly explained.

Vivian nodded down the corridor. “Third hatch. There’s an emergency crawl way to the next level. The main computer core is there. It’s the most heavily shielded part of the ship.”

They started toward the hatch before Vivian grabbed her arm. “Wait! Monty.” She looked at Zander with pleading eyes.

Zander exhaled, half in frustration and half in exhaustion. “Keep going. I’ll get her.”

She pulled herself back into the room and toward the corner the snake had retreated to earlier. Approaching with trepidation she peered under the cabinet that was set into the wall. Underneath she could see the snake, coiled up into a ball as it floated, trapped between the deck and the cabinet.

As she reached in the snake gave a menacing hiss, its mouth open in warning. “Easy Monty,” Zander whispered. “Just be a nice snake and we’ll be OK.”

Zander closed her eyes and slowly moved her hand closer to the snake. Its tongue brushed against her and she tensed. Instead of a bite though, the snake started to wrap itself around her arm as it crawled toward her. Gently she retracted her arm with the now attached Monty. Hurrying, she headed back to where Vivian was waiting. She could feel the snake wrapping around her shoulders and torso but tried to ignore it.

Vivian was correct. Once through the crawl way and into the cramped computer core space they were protected. Whatever opinion Zander might have of the Waterloo itself, the efficiency of her crew couldn’t be argued with. In short order they had the hull breach sealed and the contaminated areas flushed. They’d even managed to get the engines back online at low power, providing roughly lunar equivalent gravity.

A tall spindly man with shining white skin named Percival appeared and helped Vivian to their small medical bay. As he began treating her arm Zander noticed that she was watching her, a small smile raised one corner of her mouth. Looking down Zander realized that she was absently stroking Monty’s smooth skin. The snake was still wrapped snugly around Zander with her head tucked into an arm pit for warmth.

Vivian brushed Percival aside and stepped over to Zander. She wrapped one arm around her in a tight embrace.

“That’s for saving Monty. This is for saving me.” She lifted Zander’s chin and kissed her fully on the mouth. Zander could sense the blood rushing to her cheeks as Vivian returned to Percival’s silent manipulations.

“We should be OK now,” Zed announced from the door. “Backups are all online and a Navy patrol vessel is coming to check on us, just in case. It’ll take us a little longer to reach Mars at this speed, but we’ll get there.”

Zed glanced at Zander. “Don’t worry. We’ll find you a spot on a ship heading back to Earth and back home.”

Zander looked over at Vivian, who was watching her with twinkling eyes. Even Percival stopped what he was doing and gazed at her silently. Zander looked down at the snake wrapped around her and slid her hand down its body lightly before looking up at Zed.

“No, that won’t be necessary. I think I’m going to stay.”

Zed looked from face to face in confusion. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. After all, I did sign a contract.”

“Victor Davis Hanson: I’m RISKING it all to tell you the TRUTH…”

Not my own parenting story, but my father’s.

Back then when I was 8 or 9 y.o my father’s godson came to live with us. My sister and I knew him very well, calling him our cousin and spending a lot of time with him as children. He couldn’t bear living with his mother and stepfather anymore, I don’t know the details but I think it was really rough for a teenager to live in such an environment.

He was 16 or 17, a big guy who would easily get involved in trouble and not take part in house chores. My father and the whole family welcomed him. My dad taught him life with patience (and a big voice sometimes). He never raised a hand on him (while his stepfather often did). My sister and I never tried to get him into trouble (while his stepsister often did). We loved and respected him and sometimes it was rough. Our parents had a shop and our cousin was our bodyguard in this big merchant street. We had a lot of good times, bad times as well for sure. When he needed independence my father built a studio in the garden for him (and there were a lot of p*rn posters on the walls, believe me !). When he needed to let go of the pain and anger he would go to a kickboxing club with my sister. They had a very special relationship, a beautiful one (they were almost the same age, while I was the kiddo, the one they looked after all the time).

My father became kind of his father, without ever pretending to be. He raised him and helped him go through teenage years in a way that made him the man he his today. A good career, happily married, stepfather to one beautiful girl (whom he loves and cares for) and father to one adorable babyboy. It took our cousin a lot of effort and will to get there. It took my father a lot of patience, goodwill and love to get him there.

But I’m proud he did. And shall this happen in the future again, I would do the same.

Spicy Lemon Pesto Flat Iron Steaks

Grilled Spicy Lemon Pesto Flat Iron Steaks are delicious.

spicy lemon pesto flat iron steaks
spicy lemon pesto flat iron steaks

Prep: 10 min | Cook: 14 min | Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

Spicy Lemon Pesto

  • 3 large cloves garlic, minced
  • Salt
  • Freshly grated lemon peel (optional)
  • 1/3 cup prepared basil pesto sauce
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon peel
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Steaks

  • 4 beef Flat Iron Steaks (6 to 8 ounces each)

Instructions

Spicy Lemon Pesto

  1. Combine ingredients in small bowl. Set aside.

Steaks

  1. Press garlic evenly onto beef steaks.
  2. Place steaks on grid over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill, covered, for 10 to 14 minutes for medium rare (145 degrees F) to medium (160 degrees F) doneness, turning occasionally.
  3. Season with salt, as desired.
  4. Top steaks with pesto.
  5. Garnish with lemon peel, if desired.

Notes

Flat iron steaks are also known as top blade steaks. Flat iron steaks benefit from marinating. You can substitute flat iron steaks in any recipe calling for flank or skirt steak. This cut is best grilled over a medium-high heat. Don’t go as hot as possible unless you pick up a very thin cut. Because of the density of the meat, it is generally best to start with a quick sear before moving to a lower temperature to finish off to the desired doneness.

BRICS Bombshell! They just scored a KNOCKOUT blow to the US Dollar

I was teaching an introduction to Calculus class for Summer School at Brea Olinda High School, in Brea, California.

The first day of class I watched as the students filed into the classroom one or two at the time; nearly seventy-percent of the seats had occupants. Suddenly, I watched as a six-foot-tall young girl enter the classroom, wearing 4″ heels, along with a tiny pair of cut-off jeans that exposed her naval down to her crotch, and a halter-top three-sizes too-small for her …. girth.

All banter and chatter ceased as she found a seat and silently opened her text book and her notepad. As I called the roll, the students would answer-up and I would move-on to the next name on the enrollee list.

I presented the materials the class will cover over the the next six-weeks, after which I dismissed the class, with the exception of the young girl previously mentioned.

She came to the front of the class and immediately apologized for her wardrobe. She told me that she was 18 years-old and five-days a week she was the greeter at a gentlemen’s club. I politely asked her to please bring a change of clothing to her job and change before entering the next class meeting.

She graduated from Loma Linda High School in June of that year. However, University of California Irvine noted that she had neither taken nor passed introduction to calculus.

I agreed to let her stay in the class provided she was properly dressed. The principal of the High School asked me if I had met the young lady taking my class. He further said that she was her class’ valedictorian.

We kept in-touch and I continued to help her with math at the university level. Today, she works as a scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California.

Various images

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I would have to state the 3rd lawyer that represented my soon to be ex-husband! You see, he was engaged to her daughter for awhile, and while he was married to me.

I would have to imply she didn’t have the “brightest light bulb” functioning. She made several mistakes, she phoned my number (I had caller ID and it had her name and the other number, had her law firm) – I had my classmate (who at that time was the Police Captain) to come over to answer the phone.

We recorded it.

I then alerted my lawyer and she didn’t buy it, totally disregarding it, so from that office I went to the courthouse and handed it over to the Secretary.

Upcoming hearing:

JUDGE: I cannot accept you (lawyer) to represent your client (husband). It is a conflict of interest.

HER: (startled)

HIM: (grumble grumble)

HER: Your honor? How so?

JUDGE: I have evidence and you’re dismissed from being a counselor.

HER: Objection! He hired me to…

JUDGE: Interrupts… I don’t care. To the fact, your client is engaged to him while he is married is a conflict of interest. You are the client’s possible future “son in law”.

HIM: *gasp*

HER: *totally perplexed* (100% clueless) Objection! You have no evidence!

JUDGE: ::: slides over the photograph ::: taps on the cassette…

HER: Viewing photograph – SO?

JUDGE: You called this woman. I have the Police report right here … sliding paperwork to her.

HER: I withdraw! (gets up quickly and leaves)

HIM: tries to take a look but the Judge pulled it all back.

JUDGE: You can leave, and find another lawyer to represent you . We will reschedule for the hearing next Thursday at 11 AM.

HIM: I am not sure if I can find a lawyer that fast!

JUDGE: Not my problem!

After he quickly left, my lawyer left, I said “Your honor? May I say something?”

JUDGE: (Pauses) Yes, go on!

ME: Could you possibility find out if he’s living there because I know for a fact, he’s not at my property at all, he has 29 migrants and illegal immigrants living in my house and the Cops were called multiple times!

JUDGE: (fully alert) Is that so?

ME: Yes, I drove by it several times, they are literally destroying my property that I own. I had reported all these to my lawyer but not going anywhere.

JUDGE: (reviews paperwork) calls for the Bailiff and requests a full Report of all calls at (property) and to find out if he (husband) is living at (xxxxxxx address), and send Police to verify and report it all back to me quickly please. I will see if I can do something about it.


Yup! Everything I reported was factual, since my husband had just found the attorney, that lawyer requested a reschedule because he didn’t have everything up front to represent his client yet or who the other lawyer (mine) was. It was a last minute alert, prior to the hearing.

However, the Judge ordered my lawyer and I to remain for a few moments.

My lawyer got reprimanded. He had all the Police reports in front of him, plus additional documentations and he told that lawyer she better work up on her client relationship or he was going to dismiss her!

The Judge knew this lawyer very well, one of the top divorce lawyers in the County and a specialist of those who are under police protection (yes, my son and I were under police protection).

From that standpoint on, the relationship went for the betterment.

Why GOD Sent You a Cat – Unveiling Feline Spiritual Significance

Cat Spirituality owner Don’t know and never in their minds. Beyond companionship the psychic abilities of cats. there’s a belief they have special Secret power. They believe that cats can feel bad energies around them and even get rid of them. according to this belief when a cat rests for an extended period it transforms negative energies share your beliefs.

Are Reptilians running the having a Weekend at Bernie’s?

Are Reptilians running the United States?

I doubt it.

But, in all seriousness, who we think is in control… ain’t. Someone or something, else is “pulling the strings”, and who or whatever they are… and I am not saying they are anyone non-human… but they actually are deluded amateurs.

First up, we see that the “president” is a figurehead. He has no ability, and is cognitive – lacking. In fact, I have seen “special needs” people with more ability than what he displayed on camera.

It was a disaster; a true and real “shit show”.

We also see “fake” presidents running around with fake masks, and earbuds. Not to mention a legion of “handlers” that make sure that he is “on point”. These “fake president Biden’s” never make any mistakes, stutter, or go irrational like the real (non-functional) president does.

So someone is running things. But who?

A unelected cabal? Or, just the “court hanger’s on” that orbit the office of the presidency? I tend to believe the later, and the rulings, the regulations and laws suggest trivial matters of political importance elevated to national discourse, while the serious issues of national concern are ignored.

Such as this…

snippet
snippet

As opposed to this…

CPI
CPI

I am not picking on one measure or the other, just making a very generalized statement that the priority sheet for the Federal Government is way, way out of wack. Special interest niche matters become national priorities, while real national emergencies are covered up, and ignored.

Que an Oliver Anthony tune here.

And with this all being the case 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 5. Meaning, of course, that things are not adding up in the official narrative basket.

Oh, depending on what will happen, we will either get a war of distraction, more of the same (Weekend at Bernie’s) …

Fun-loving salesmen Richard (Jonathan Silverman) and Larry (Andrew McCarthy) are invited by their boss, Bernie (Terry Kiser), to stay the weekend at his posh beach house. Little do they know that Bernie is the perpetrator of a fraud they've uncovered and is arranging to have them killed. When the plan backfires and Bernie is killed instead, the buddies decide not to let a little death spoil their vacation. They pretend Bernie is still alive, leading to hijinks and corpse desecration galore.

weekend
weekend

… or a full-on clown show (Idiocracity).

trump
trump

Sigh.

Post-Debate Reaction: The Most TERRIFYING Part of the CNN Presidential Debate

Thai Stuffed Omelets

Thai stuffed omlette
Thai stuffed omlette

 

Yield: 2 omelets

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup ground pork
  • 2 tablespoons chopped green beans
  • 1 tablespoon chopped onion
  • 1 tablespoon diced cooked carrots
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 2 to 3 drops Maggi sauce
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon milk
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon MSG (Accent)
  • Pepper

Instructions

  1. In wok or saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons oil.
  2. Add pork, garlic salt and MSG. Stir fry for 3 minutes.
  3. Add green beans, onions and carrots, tossing lightly.
  4. Add sugar, Maggi sauce and dash of pepper.
  5. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl.
  6. Pour enough oil into skillet to cover bottom.
  7. Lightly beat eggs with milk. Pour in 1/2 the egg mixture and spread evenly.
  8. Add 1/2 of pork mixture.
  9. Fold over 1/2 of the omelet to cover the pork mixture.

Fun video

https://youtu.be/OKplx6cF940

Nuclear? Not quite. But something else.

Watch and you decide.

There IS a new type of weapon out there and it IS being used.

Article title is “Christopher Busby: mini nuke explosions in Russia and Lebanon?”

Read the article here…

In other news…

Here’s some of my latest AI generated art. Chinese girls and tigers on a clipper ship. Oh, yeah, I’m still playing around with this.

I find it fun and enjoyable.

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(3)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(3)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(4)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(4)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(4)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(4)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(3)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(3)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(2)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(2)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(3)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(3)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(7)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(7)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(7)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(7)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(7)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(7)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(7)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(7)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(6)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(6)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(6)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(6)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(6)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(6)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(6)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(6)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(5)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(5)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(5)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(5)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(4)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(4)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(5)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(5)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(4)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(4)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(3)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(3)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(4)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(4)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(4)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(4)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(3)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(3)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(2)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(2)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(3)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(3)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(3)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(3)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(2)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(2)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(1)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(1)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(2)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(2)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(2)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(2)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(3)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(3)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(2)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(2)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(1)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(1)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(2)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(2)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(2)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(2)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(1)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(1)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(1)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(1)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(1)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(1)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2

Now, I am trying a art plug-in filter…

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(14)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(14)

Which, of course, by nature… naturally tends to undress them.

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(15)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(15)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(14)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(14)

Maybe I should try a Greek mythology version.

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(13)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(13)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(15)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(15)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(14)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(14)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(13)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(13)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(12)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(12)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(14)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(14)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(13)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(13)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(12)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(12)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(11)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(11)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(13)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(13)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(12)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(12)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(11)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(11)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(11)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(11)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(10)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(10)

Here’s where I swapped out some Chinese ladies for some Vietnamese ladies…

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(21)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 0(21)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(19)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 2(19)

Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(19)
Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 1(19)

And this picture is my daily favorite. I really love the curious background.

@Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(12)
@Default Create a anatomicallyaccurate photo realistic Baroques 3(12)

Today…

Yes, it was. In the sense that CNN organized the debate in such a way that they thought their set-up would help Biden come across better. They were also betting on the mic-off rules startling Trump and possibly causing a meltdown…

main qimg a3a447276a5fc51591dec61d5a7bcb10
main qimg a3a447276a5fc51591dec61d5a7bcb10

The problem? CNN and many in more liberal spheres — myself included — have fallen for a trap. As Tony Montana used to say, “Never get high on your own supply!” They bought into the fairy tale of Trump, the raving, ranting madman. Versus calm, collected, has-his-wits-about-him Biden. Biden, who since 2020 only does well on strictly scripted performances. With the world hyperfocused on the issue of Biden’s age and frailty, all Trump needed to do was appear “presidential”.

And CNN helped him do it by enforcing strict time limits on questions. Trump kept his cool, spoke clearly and relatively coherently. And Biden, without an earpiece, autocue or script? Bombed. CNN had expected Trump, instead, to bomb. They forgot he always talks shit confidently on the fly — it’s his biggest selling point. The debate was designed to cause Trump to lose his shit, to become frustrated and angry. To shout and try to disrupt Biden’s answers, to act aggressive and nasty, much like Trump did in the 2020 presidential debate which he came out of looking badly.

And then… he didn’t. Faced with a whispering, frail Biden frequently losing his train of thought, Trump must have known from the very first minute that this was his night. That the stage was his, and that victory was all-but certain. Truth matters little when it’s a faint, confused whisper… and lies, presented with gusto, carry the night. Instead of attacking Biden on a personal level, Trump at times almost seemed to pity his opponent… he felt no need to be vicious, because the debate was the verbal equivalent of Mike Tyson fighting a sweet old grandpa.

If you haven’t slept well, tell your brain “I slept well”. You will feel fresh. It works like miracle.

Want to defeat a narcissist who insults you? Don’t react. Just ignore him completely in front of others. It will hurt his image and he will stop poking you.

Want to know if someone is attentive or not? Repeat your sentence with a slight change in it. If he is listening either his facial expression will change or he will point out and question the part.

Want to know a person is lying to fit in a group? Just watch his eyes when he talks, if his eyes seeks validation from others for what he said, then he is pretending. A liar /pretender always seeks validation for his talks to fit in the group.

Giving a presentation ? Always bring a bottle of water to the stage. When you can’t remember what to say, take a drink. Nobody will know the difference.

Build good relationships: Harvard University studied adults for almost 70 years and concluded that nothing leads to prosperity and healthy life as good relationships.

Avoid getting roasted. If you think that someone is going to talk badly about you in a professional setting, sit next to that person. It is much harder to speak poorly of someone who’s in close proximity to you, so they’ll probably take it easy.

Stop reacting: You lost your wallet? Had a terrible breakup? Working hard but no appreciation? Lost your job? Stop reacting in such situations. Don’t expect recognition for your efforts. Think twice, act wise!

30-days challenge: Want to kill a habit? Start a 30 days challenge and you will see the change.

Relationship Advice: Be with someone who gives you the same feeling as when you see your food coming at restaurant.

Biggest brain damaging habits:

  • No breakfast.
  • Over-reacting.
  • Smoking.
  • High sugar consumption.
  • Air pollution.
  • Sleep deprivation.
  • Head covered while sleeping.
  • Working your brain during illness.
  • Lacking in stimulation thoughts.
  • Talking rarely.

Never tell anyone 3 things:

  • Your Love life.
  • Income.
  • Your next big move.

Exercise: 20 push ups, 15 squats, 50 jumping jacks, 30 crunches! repeat 3 times = burn 100 kilo calories.

Inception.

This one’s my favourite. If you want to start a thought in someone’s mind, ask them to not think of that idea at all. For example I tell you NOT to think about DIAMONDS.

What are you thinking of? 🙂

The clips are so disturbing. This guy is “leading the country”?

FAKE “Joe Biden” Is Back! One Day After Dismal Debate with Trump; FAKE “Joe” Wearing Silicone Mask put on campaign trail

FAKE JOE FACE large
FAKE JOE FACE large

FAKE "Joe Biden" Is Back! One Day After Dismal Debate with Trump; FAKE "Joe" Wearing Silicone Mask put on campaign trail

A FAKE “Joe Biden” is back and on the campaign trail, committing willful felony, criminal fraud against the American People and criminal Impersonation of the President of the United States.

The latest fake – this one with Hazel colored eyes instead of Biden’s blue eyes – appeared at a Campaign Rally. His silicone mask appeared to be melting or drooping near his eye brows, and coming unglued out of his ears!

The sloppy impersonation is designed to commit willful fraud upon the American people; to make them think they have an energetic and competent President, when the reality is they don’t.

Below is video from the campaign rally just one day after joe mumbled his way through the first televised debate with Donald Trump. No rational person can avoid seeing this is an impersonator.  No rational person can avoid seeing the silicone mask sliding down where “Biden’s” eye brows are:

Fake Biden Eye brows
Fake Biden Eye brows

 

Or around his other eye, the silicone mask literally DETACHING around the eye socket near the nose:

Fake Biden Right Eye Mask Detaching
Fake Biden Right Eye Mask Detaching

No rational person can avoid seeing this fake’s HAZEL-COLORED eyes instead of Joe Biden’s Blue colored eyes:

Fake Biden Hazel Eyes Not Blue
Fake Biden Hazel Eyes Not Blue

No rational person can avoid seeing the tabs in the center of “Biden’s” ear canal, drooping out from sweat or failing glue.

FAKE Biden ear tab
FAKE Biden ear tab

What you are about to see is willful, criminal, impersonation for the purpose of fraud.   The Biden Campaign is committing it.  The United States Secret Service (protecting this fraud) is committing it. The Democrat Party is committing it.

 

https://htrs-special.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/FAKE-Joe-Biden-Day-After-Debate-1.mp4

 

UPDATE 1:02 PM EDT —

People are already wondering aloud if Joe Biden has Brown Eyes, so let me lay this diversion nonsense to rest, right now. Below is a photo of Barack Obama and Joe Biden, in the White House, taken by ABC News and being fed into my website from the ABC News Server:

obama biden ap ps 200114 hpMain
obama biden ap ps 200114 hpMain

 

The direct Link to this image on the ABC News server is:

https://s.abcnews.com/images/Politics/obama-biden-ap-ps-200114_hpMain.jpg

Joe Biden has BLUE eyes.

The diversion tactic of “I think I remember . . . . . brown eyes . . . .” is not going to work and is not going to be tolerated here.  Joe Biden has BLUE eyes.  The guy at his campaign rally had Hazel Eyes.  Period.  Full stop.

Zelenski Changes His Peace Plan

Zelenski’s ‘peace summit’ in Switzerland had failed:

The reviews of Zelenski’s latest show ain’t positive:

The summit served warmed up bullshit without any significant nutritional value. The most important points weren’t even discussed:

The war will continue until the complete destruction of the Ukrainian forces can no longer be ignored.

The last point may have come earlier than anticipated.

On June 27 Zelenski had changed tact (machine translation):

During a speech in Brussels, the president said that Ukraine wants to start negotiations on ending the war in the near future.“Ukraine does not want to prolong the war, we do not want it to last for years. We need to put a settlement plan on the table within a few months, ” he said.

Zelensky said that in the near future it is planned to develop a plan for the second world summit.

On June 28 he gave more details (machine translation):

President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine will present its detailed peace plan “this year”.The President announced this during a press conference in Kyiv.

“It is very important for us to show an end-of-war plan that will be supported by the majority of the world. This is the diplomatic path that we are working on. Not everything depends on us, our production of technology, drones, and artillery is really increasing, because we need to be strong on the battlefield. Because Russia understands nothing but force. These are two parallel processes: be strong and develop a detailed, clear plan, and it will be ready this year, ” Zelensky said.

Note that the Ukrainian peace plan has long been presented by Zelensky. It implies the withdrawal of Russian troops to the borders. However, many countries of the world (especially representatives of the “global South”) consider it unrealistic.

In other words, a new plan will probably be prepared.

Earlier Russia’s President Putin had announced his conditions for a permanent peace agreement. How many of them will Zelenski accept within his new ‘peace plan’?

 

Posted by b at 16:33 UTC | Comments (91)

 

 

The DNC Campaign To Oust Biden Has Failed

Yesterday’s assault by the Democratic National Council on the Joe Biden campaign has failed.

Thursday night, as soon as the Trump-Biden debate had started, anonymous DNC officials contacted their usual ‘liberal media’ contacts and denounced Biden’s performance. Even those media, like CNN and MSNBC, who have for years denied the obvious problems Biden has had, jumped onto the train. Biden, they said, should retreat.

The New York Times mobilized a slew of its opinion writers to convey the message:

But Joe Biden’s wife, Dr. Jill Biden, resisted the move:

President Biden knew immediately after stepping off the stage in Atlanta on Thursday night that the debate had gone wrong. In those first stricken moments after a raspy, rambling and at times incoherent performance, he turned to his wife, Jill Biden.

The first lady’s message to him was clear: They’d been counted out before, she was all in, and he — they — would stay in the race. Her thinking, according to people close to her, was that it was a bad night. And bad nights end.

So Dr. Biden spent the 24 hours after the debate putting her decades as a political spouse to the test, projecting confidence and normalcy while effusively praising her husband.

Pushed along by his wife Joe Biden did not step back. The DNC assault on his campaign had failed.

Late last night former President Barack Obama, likely the man behind the ‘oust Biden’ campaign, publicly through the towel.

Barack Obama @BarackObama – 18:36 UTC · Jun 28, 2024Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know. But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself. Between someone who tells the truth; who knows right from wrong and will give it to the American people straight — and someone who lies through his teeth for his own benefit. Last night didn’t change that, and it’s why so much is at stake in November. http://joebiden.com

Gleen Greenwald commented on Obama’s intervention:

Glenn Greenwald @ggreenwald – 19:17 UTC · Jun 28, 2024Once the media starts to realize that they’re not going to get Biden out of the race, they’re all going to quickly retreat from the past 24 hours and get back on board.

Obama is directing them to do that and giving them the script to use:

The campaign to oust Biden has failed, but the damage is done.

Even pro-Biden voters will, from now on, watch diligently to find the flaws in the next Biden speech or debate.

It will be hard to rebury that issue.

 

Posted by b at 6:48 UTC | Comments (217)

 

 

June 28, 2024

 

Russian Note To The U.S.: Your Drones Are Now Targets

A new statement by the Russian Defense Ministry says:

The Russian Defence Ministry noted the increased intensity of U.S. strategic unmanned aerial vehicles over the Black Sea waters, which are conducting reconnaissance and targeting high-precision weapons supplied to the Armed Forces of Ukraine by Western states to launch strikes at Russian facilities.This demonstrates the increasing involvement of the United States and NATO countries in the Ukrainian conflict on the side of the Kiev regime.

Such flights increase the possibility of air incidents involving the Russian Aerospace Forces’ aircraft, increasing the risk of a direct confrontation between the alliance and the Russian Federation.

The NATO countries will be responsible for this.

The Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation Andrei Belousov has instructed the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces to make proposals on measures for rapid response to provocations.

NATO reconnaissance and radio relay drones were regularly patrolling over the Black Sea before and during recent ‘Ukrainian’ attacks with long reaching, western delivered weapons on Crimea. This was also case during the recent release of cluster ammunition over a popular beach near Sevastopol which has caused several civilian death and wounded some 100+ people.

While the drones are nominally flying in neural airspace they are obviously used for attacks on Russia assets in Crimea. That makes them, arguably, legitimate targets for Russian air defenses. Russia had so far held back at destroying them. This will now change.

NATO or the U.S. may well regard such attacks on their ‘neutral’ forces as hostile. Some will press for retribution. But I am convinced that mere attacks on drones will not be seen as sufficient reason to launch World War III.

 

Posted by b at 12:23 UTC | Comments (212)
.

GORE WARNING.

There are two species which I’d say are dangerous to humans. The first is the most obvious — the Komodo dragon. The world’s largest lizard has a mouthful of venomous knives. (Real venom — not, as was previously believed, just bacteria). Komodo dragons can and have eaten people. In captivity, habituated to handling, they are oddly sweet-tempered, though. But still, venom — it causes a rapid drop in blood pressure, leading to shock. Shock makes you easy to catch.

The second contender is the crocodile monitor, notable not for its size, but for the fact that it doesn’t have a mouthful of knives — it has a mouthful of razor blades. It can do so much damage with a nip, it could maim a human with barely an effort.

(Don’t do this):Because this teeny tiny croc monitor hatchling did this:

main qimg 7fc8327b7be5576d18a02e2adfc3eb9f lq
main qimg 7fc8327b7be5576d18a02e2adfc3eb9f lq

Even an accidental nip could result in nerve damage.

In general, most other monitors aren’t particularly dangerous. Large ones could give a nasty bite, and the venom may make the person bleed a lot and be a bit woozy, but no one’s going to die or be maimed. A monitor’s tail-whip could leave some good bruises, or break a finger. That’s about it. Many monitors are too small to do any real damage.

Not really a weird question, but a weird interaction:

Necessary background to the story: When I was a university president, I was frequently called upon to be on accreditation teams that went to other university campuses to do a first-hand accreditation review. One time, I was invited to go to Germany because a US university in my region had a major branch campus in Germany where they offered an MBA program. Such an event rarely happens, so I was pleased with that opportunity to visit, however briefly, another country — you get an international trip, but you have to work much harder because they keep those teams small.

Story: After we landed in Frankfurt, the immigration officer at the counter asked me what the purpose of my visit was (it was just a three-day trip). I said, “I am here as part of an MBA visiting team.”

His face expressed considerable surprise, and he said, “Really?” with a skeptical smile on his face. While I was born in India, I had lived in the US for about 35 years by that time (50+ years now); I have brown skin and a British-tinged Indian accent. His question, in turn, took me by surprise because I kind of fit the visual stereotype of an academic guy. Why did he appear not to believe me? I have had a US passport since the early 1980s, so that couldn’t have been an issue.

So, I repeated that I was coming to Germany for a three-day stay as part of an MBA visiting team, saying that the other members of the team had probably arrived a few hours earlier.

Again, skepticism.

I just had to ask: “Why are you so surprised?” He certainly wasn’t required to answer, but he did: “Because you don’t look like a player on an NBA team!”

He was right; I don’t. I’m 5′-8.5″, with brown skin and not athletic looking at all.

“Not an NBA visiting team; an MBA visiting team.” “I’m a university president.”

“Oh, MBA. Okay then.”

Stamp, stamp, “Welcome to Germany!”

Russia Humiliates NATO in Conventional War | Andrei Martyanov

Not exactly “a secret” but certainly something that wasn’t public knowledge:-

When my wife and I moved into this house near Cardiff (UK) in 2001, the next door neighbour was an older gentleman, I guessed he was in his mid/late 70s. He was always polite and pleasant, totally independent and looked after himself, his home and his garden very well. We’d see him every morning, always smartly attired in jacket and tie (and his flat cap) driving down to the local shops for a pint of milk and newspaper and, if either of us was outside, we always got a wave and a smile as he passed.

The only things he couldn’t manage were computer issues on his PC. So, very occasionally, he would ask if I could “pop around” and sort something out for him. It was usually something simple which could be fixed by clearing cache, or removing some troublesome advertising or similar, but he was inevitably very apologetic about “troubling you” or “wasting your time”.

He didn’t talk about his past much at first, but eventually a few facts emerged: He’d served in the war (1939–1945); he’d climbed the Himalayas in the 1960s (I still have a few of his photographs from when I converted his old 35 mm colour slides to digital); he’d lived ‘down under’ and worked for the Australian Government for a long time and he had even built his own house there by hand. All of which was quite fascinating to me, but he would rarely go into any detail, and most certainly not about his wartime history.

On one occasion he asked for “some help using a website”. So I went to his house and helped him book a Battlefield Tour as part of a regimental reunion. At this point a few details slipped out. This quiet, unassuming old chap had been one of the pioneers of what is now known as Special Forces, and he was with a group of Commandos behind the enemy lines on D-Day: “We were there to stir-up some trouble, and distract attention from the Normandy Beaches”. Then, “I don’t like to think of it much, because I lost so many of my friends at that time….”, a pause, and then, “Of course, getting myself shot isn’t a particularly pleasant memory either” (chuckles).

It turns out that only he and one other survived from his unit, with both of them injured. But they managed to link up with the Allied forces and he was evacuated to the UK. “Do you know where they sent me when I landed in Southampton from the hospital ship?”, he asked, and went on to describe how the wounded were just loaded, apparently almost randomly, to various hospitals around the country. “They sent me to Llandough Hospital (Cardiff), the very same hospital I’d been born in! How about that?”

After that opening, I did eventually get a few more stories from him (very, very occasionally) and I was privileged to see some of his documents and awards. But it was really only because of the Battlefield Tour’s difficult customer interface that I discovered I was living next door to a very brave man, a bona fide war hero.

Sadly his health deteriorated badly a few years later and he was hospitalised where he died within a couple of weeks of being admitted . . . . in the very same ward of the very same hospital he’d been evacuated to in 1944.

Shorpy

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One day my dad went out to the mailbox and saw it had been vandalized. It was crushed like it had been hit with a hammer or a bat. Without a word, he went into town and bought a new one and set it up. Two days later he went out, and it was crushed again. This time he got mad…

He pulled the wooden post out of the ground, dug a post hole and put a ten foot pipe into it with four feet above ground and six below. He poured concrete into the pipe. He took shelf paper that looked like wood grain and wrapped it around the pipe, so that from a distance it looked like a wooden post. He bought two mailboxes this time…he put the smaller one into the bigger one and poured concrete into the gap between the two. He then set it up on the post. The thing was rock solid.

That night, we heard a loud crash. Dad grabbed his shotgun and headed to the mailbox. Turns out a couple bullies that hated my guts had taken the bat to the mailbox as they were driving by, and about broke one of their wrists. The driver decided to take and push the mailbox over using his bumper of his Jeep. When that didn’t work, he backed up and rammed it, embedding the post into his engine.

Dad comes out of the darkness and starts shooting the tires with the shotgun. The boys are cussing and protesting, when one of them says his dad will kick my dad’s butt. Dad marches them up to the house and calmly tells him to CALL his dad.

The boy’s dad arrives and the first thing he sees is the Jeep. He starts cussing, but stops when Dad trots the two boys out and tells him what happened. Dad delivers an ultimatum … he can either call the cops and the boys will get arrested, or they can repair any damage to the mailbox, reimburse him for the mailboxes destroyed, and keep their mouth shut to the cops about what happened. They decided to do the latter.

As they are leaving, Dad says, “If you think I’m a bastard to deal with, you should try my son. He’s been nice to you so far … but he’s about to lay you low.”

To this day, when they see me coming, they avert their eyes and alter their path, even though in truth I’m pretty harmless.

The Dark Side of DARPA | The Human Cost of Technological Supremacy

Now it is not afraid at all, almost all Chinese people are waiting to see the jokes of the United States.

The level of Chinese fear of Americans has changed less and less over time, in fact, Chinese children born after 2005 have come to view the United States as garbage.

On the Chinese Internet, there is a saying that “Dignity is only above the edge of the sword, and truth is only within the range of the missiles”

The Chinese often refer to the Dongfeng missile as “Truth”.

It should be stated here that it is not that the Chinese advocate violence, on the contrary, the Chinese love peace, and the above statement is that the Chinese have drawn a conclusion from historical experience: in negotiating with the Americans, force is more effective than anything else.

I was born in the late nineties, and when I was in middle school and they were showing “Growing Pains” on TV, American was confident and brave and adventurous. When it comes to the United States, everyone thinks that the United States is a beacon for the world.

Later, when the United States invaded Afghanistan and defeated the Afghan army in a short time, I was shocked by the high-tech military equipment displayed.

Back then, Liu Cixin (author of Three-Body) wrote a short story “Full Band Blocking Interference”.

The content of the short story is that the United States and NATO troops invaded China, the PLA and NATO troops fought, China suffered extremely heavy casualties, and finally prepared to die with the NATO army, the United States in order to prevent too much loss before announcing a truce.

The Chinese were very afraid of the United States.

In 2016, when the Chinese Navy and the US Navy faced off in the South China Sea and the US fleet fled, the Chinese suddenly found out that the US military was not as strong as they had thought.

In the following years, the number and combat effectiveness of Chinese warships increased rapidly, and when the 055 warship appeared, the Chinese basically did not fear the United States.

When Chinese Internet users learned that the US military was riddled with drugs and that there were transgender generals, most Chinese took the US as a joke.

Until recently, the United States and the Houthis were fighting so hard. Now most Chinese (especially young Chinese) have come to regard the US military as garbage.

With the popularization of the Internet, Chinese people know the current situation of the internal division of American society, all kinds of stores will be robbed, and the drug problem is very serious. All Chinese are surprised that they have been deceived by the US media for more than a decade.

More than a decade ago, there was a magazine in China called “Yilin”, which advertised that the United States was paradise on earth. It said that Americans could give up building highways to protect the environment, and that Americans would not lock their doors at night because there were no thieves in the United States. Americans’ morals are the highest in the world. No one Fare evasion on the New York subway.The security in the United States is very good, even if the wallet is left in the restaurant for more than 24 hours, no one will steal it, and the clerk will personally contact the owner.

Because of this magazine, the Chinese people really thought that the Americans were just like the description in the magazine, the Chinese people kept working hard, dreaming that one day they could do as well as the United States, and decades later, China basically realized the appearance described in the magazine, and then the Chinese people suddenly found that they had been deceived by the magazine for decades


Why do most Chinese kids now think America is trash?

Because they learned through TIKTOK and YOUTUBE that the United States launched wars against other countries, such as the war in Iraq and the war in Afghanistan, during which the US military randomly killed Afghan civilians. This behavior is completely different from what they see in Hollywood superhero movies.

At the same time, we learn that Americans sacrifice the majority for the benefit of the few in the United States, such as the drug epidemic, the gun epidemic, the supermarket robbery.

At the same time, the Chinese also learned that some states in the United States can even privately let students undergo sex reassignment surgery without parental consent. Teacher secretly brainwashed Male students’ You’re a girl ‘

In fact, most people in China think like American Puritans, and some of the actions of American politicians are contrary to universal values.


Thirty years ago, firearms were readily available in China, and although drugs were strictly controlled, many people substituted cough syrup for drugs. Thirty years ago, large-scale battles often took place in rural areas of Guangdong, often involving hundreds of people. Weapons are automatic gun or semi-automatic gun, and even artillery and explosives are found in the village. Three decades ago, walking the streets of China was a common prospect of being mugged, and women living alone feared being murdered.

Later, the government cracked down on crime and shot countless criminals. Law enforcement was so strict that people could be sentenced to death for theft. This process lasted about five years.

The Chinese society we see today is very harmonious and safe, the result of the government’s vigorous reforms three decades ago.

Tucker Reacts to Trump vs. Biden Debate During Sydney, Australia Speech

Gisoo, the last-born human in the New Dark Ages

Submitted into Contest #8 in response to: Write a story about an adventure in space. view prompt

Seth Underwood

Please sit and bear with me as you read this. In an immense amount of time from now. Not millions of years or billions of years from now. But two times ten to the power 36 amount of years. That’s a two undecillion years or 2,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years. A point when the stars will shine no more. The new dark ages of the universe.During the new dark ages, the final black holes evaporate, the last of the iron stars float in the void, the galaxies have all fallen apart, and proton decay threatens to dissolve the universe into elemental particles.Now there are just a mere four thousand humans left, but humanity’s life span is on the order of undecillion years. At this point humans age normally until our twenties, and then that’s it. Because of proton decay we must take quantum reinforcement showers to keep our atoms from decaying. This is the only form of death humanity now knows.Despite the size of the universe and against the probability of the Drake equation, humanity discovered eons ago that we were the only intelligent life. By this point there are now only two other forms of known life. Both made by human hands. Cryptales, which are creatures that evolved from living spaceships that now roam freely about the universe sucking up energy wherever they can find it, and the AbSent, a nasty group of artificially intelligent life that evolved from humanity’s attempt to create a sentient slave species.So, Gisoo was the last human to be born, and she had just discovered a small field of intact rocky bodies. This is odd because rocky bodies are rare. She was also in command of a bio-mechanized living ship called the Dream Vision that uses a captured supermassive black hole as its main power source.

“Gisoo, there are about two hundred metric tons of proton stable matter in the boulder field.”

“Dream Vision, prepare for capture.” Gisoo ran down the corridor towards the main control center.

“Gisoo, I’m detecting artificial intelligence.”

“AbSent! Damn I hate the AbSent!” Gisoo entered the main control center as the two intersecting doors rolled open.

“Gisoo, please advise a course of action.”

“We’re going to use the engine’s gravity-well and try to hold them at the event horizon for now. I don’t want to lose that much formed matter.”

“Starting gravity-well capture. Graviton shielding being opened. Super massive black hole exposure should occur soon.”

“Keep the lateral quantum sensors on the AbSent. I don’t want them to board us.”

“Yes, Gisoo.”

“Dream Vision, watch the Hawking radiation levels. We can’t afford to lose too much and I’m already seeing a spike.”

“Gisoo, AbSent has launched a nanite swarm.”

“Rip them apart proton by proton Dream Vision!”

“Starting cascading nuclear decay.” The nanite swarm dissolved into subatomic particles as Dream Vision blasted them with a decaying quantum nuclear wave.

“Dream Vision, can you confirm the boulder field has smeared across the event horizon?”

“Confirmed. We’ve successfully captured the boulder field, along with remaining AbSent.”

“Close up the graviton shielding, and scan for any remaining AbSent in the area. Once clear prepare for ether leap.”

“Gisoo, what is the final destination for the ether leap?”

“Head for Panagiotis the Elder at the boundary edge of the Universe. He wanted to see me in person according to his last transmission.”

Now two undecillion years is just enough time for the randomness of the quantum state to make something odd happen. This odd thing was the creation of what humanity called the ether. The ether was not some form of a hyperspace or dimensional rift, but a stable pocket universe intersecting with our own. No exotic particles were known to naturally leak out from the ether. Only the non-usable Kirsyn particles were emitted when black holes travelled through it. This is because the graviton shielding didn’t work normally in the ether, and Hawking radiation would leak out. Crossing over and through didn’t require as much energy as one would think, but then again no one understood the ether because its physics was unlike anything we understood. For all people knew the ether didn’t exist and yet it did. It had no dimensions or time-space. You were in the ether, but not at all in the ether either. All we knew is that it was a recent addition to the multiverse that developed before the current age. It made space travel easy along with interstellar communications. A spaceship would blink out from existence from one point in our universe and then pop into existence at its destination. The same with message beacons.

Now Gisoo was about to see an old friend at the actual boundary edge of the universe. The boundary edge was like the other side of a black hole’s event horizon, in that it was the very end of the actual universe’s expansion point.

They had arrived at a point along the boundary edge. As Dream Vision was coming into a docking position, in the far distance Gisoo could see the dark forms of Cryptales dotting the boundary edge. Dream Vision docked with the older Dragonsoul and Gisoo disembarked. The Dragonsoul had a musty smell to it as Gisoo walked about its cluttered corridors looking for Panagiotis the Elder, the oldest human alive.

“Elder! Where are you Elder?!”

Gismo heard a raspy voice call out to her. “Gisoo, is that you?”

After walking through the mess, she came upon a man tinkering with various pieces of ancient equipment.

“You wanted to see me.”

“Oh. Yes. That’s right. Something of great importance has come up.” The man got up from his seat.

“Did you finally figure out what’s on the other side of the boundary edge?” Gisoo picked up a piece of old machinery and looked at it.

“No, my dear. If only I could discover what lies on the other side. But it has only given me alas crumbs of subatomic particles randomly appearing on our side. What’s ever on the other side must be far larger than our current universe.” The man sighed.

Gisoo leaned on a piece of equipment. “Okay old man, what do you want to tell me?”

Sitting down again, he said, “Giles the Monk has finally solved the Rebirth Equation.”

Gisoo stood up and turned to the Elder. Her eyes became wide with surprise. “Impossible! That equation was unsolvable!”

“He did it. It took him nine quintillion years. Now the Tao Emperor has already constructed the device to use the equation. He plans to make a universe of everlasting light from stars. Endless power.”

“That’s insane. He would need a tremendous energy source for that equation. Where’s the Tao Emperor getting so much power?”

“The Obsidian Grip.”

“No way! Konishi hid it deep in the ether.”

“It’s true Konishi feared someday the Emperor would try to use the Obsidian Grip and the single largest supermassive black hole of the entire universe for some evil purpose. So, she figured out how to stop mid-leap in the ether. The only human to do so. No one else has ever tried since.”

This wasn’t the first time Panagiotis the Elder had asked Gisoo to go out on some adventure to fetch an ancient piece of technology. She had been doing this work since she was a teen. She wasn’t even six billion yet, and she had seen more of the known universe than the rest of humanity. Except for a few souls like the Elder and Gisoo, most of the four thousand humans all lived in a single floating colony powered by gathered decaying black holes. Even with graviton shielding a black hole would still leak the occasional Hawking particle.

Now the Tao Emperor had gathered a vast amount of technological and human knowledge to the point humanity considered him transcendent. He was responsible for the construction of the great colony ship, the Auku. So, Gisoo knew the stakes were high. The Emperor would use all he had to search the Ether so he could restart the stars again. Gathering energy from randomly appearing and disappearing Quantum Bubble Universes (QBUs or pocket universes) wasn’t enough power for him.

Gisoo picked up a metal part and began to twirl it around like a baton. “So, let’s say I go out into the Ether and search for the Obsidian Grip. Then what?”

“Well, you’d bring it back here.”

“Assuming I find it, and assuming the supermassive black hole hasn’t dissipated, why would I give you the most powerful known ship of all time?”

“Because I plan to use it to open a stable wormhole to the other side of the boundary edge.”

“You’re joking right?! Worm hole technology is ancient and unreliable. Humans couldn’t get them to work right long ago, and no one today would bother with it. What makes you think a wormhole can punch through the boundary edge to the other side?”

“For the last half a billion years I’ve been reworking Zamafuthi’s math for worm hole prospects. All I need is another few million years, and I know we can get through.”

“And then what? What will we find there?”

“A whole new universe to explore.”

Gisoo was still twirling the metal part about. “That’s a big assumption on your part.”

“Based on billions of years of observations that comes to us from the other side.”

She tossed the part into a bin and Gisoo began to leave the Elder. “Even if we crossed over, we don’t even know the physics on the other side. We all could die in an instant. I’ll tell you my decision if I find the Obsidian Grip.”

“Gisoo, come back here, impetuous brat! This is the single most important mission of all time! You can’t let the Tao Emperor have the Obsidian Grip to reignite the universe! There could be incalculable damage if he built the device wrong or Giles the Monk made a simple math error!”

Gisoo knew she could find the Obsidian Grip in the Ether. She had traveled through the Ether so much that she almost understood it. Finding the Obsidian Grip had an immense appeal to her. Giving it away to either the Tao Emperor or the Elder wasn’t even a consideration. She was more enthralled with having that much power in her hands. The rest of humanity would finally have to pay attention to her. No longer to be thought of as a by-product of an unknown union forced upon the people. For you see Gisoo was raised by all of humanity.

What you need to understand is that when creatures live long lives, they reproduce very little, and the same was true for humanity by now. For an unplanned child to come along was a social abomination. Not that people were not caring or loving, but there was plenty of social contempt for Gisoo’s existence. With a universe falling apart power was scarce and another human could disturb the balance. Therefore, Gisoo was the last human born. All of humanity swore never to have any more and made sure of that through their science and technology. The problem was Gisoo never knew her parents. When she was young, she imagined about her parents, but gave up all those dreams when she became a teen.

Now the Tao Emperor was the second to last child born. Never far from Gisoo’s thoughts was that the guy who was born 63 sextillion years before her was now worshiped, while society saw her as a pariah. It blew her mind that the remnants of humanity would let some kid dominate over them like he was the ultimate human.

Now while in an ordinary part of space Gisoo was taking a quantum reinforcement shower. Dream Vision was going to tell her about some abnormal Cryptale behavior.

“What do you mean a cluster of Cryptales? There should be none here.”

“Gisoo, there’s at least twenty Cryptales in a spherical pattern two hundred parsecs laterally.”

“That makes no sense. What are the scanners showing?”

“The presence of Kirsyn particles.”

“There must be a supermassive black hole in the Ether. How much?”

“The levels are at the point where QBUs may form.”

“No way! It must be the Obsidian Grip. That’s the only thing with a black hole big enough to create QBUs from Kirsyn particles.”

Gisoo could hardly contain herself. By sheer luck she had stumbled across the Obsidian Grip in just a million years of traveling the known universe in a random search pattern. She knew the Tao Emperor was still out there looking for it, but it could easily take him another billion years before they came across it. The bigger problem was trying to figure out how to get into the Ether and stop at the Obsidian Grip’s position. The math equation needed was straightforward as she understood it. The issue was reconfiguring the drive to work with the math. It’s one thing to have math, and it’s another thing to make it work. This was complex physical engineering. Physical engineering wasn’t her best subject, but she had no choice but take the time if she wanted to get to the Obsidian Grip before anyone else. The whole reconfiguration would take Gisoo a mere 12 thousand years to complete.

She hit the ether controls. “By Faythe’s ghost I did it! It’s massive! Larger than any bio-mechanized ship I’ve ever seen! What’s the state of the supermassive black hole?”

“Undeterminable. Quantum sensors are not working.”

“Pull us into a docking position.”

The Dream Vision pulled into an open docking bay along the underbelly. The Dream Vision was a fraction of the size of the Obsidian Grip. At least forty Dream Visions could have easily docked inside. The Obsidian Grip wasn’t a bio-mechanized ship, it was designed as a living citadel for humanity not unlike Auku. It had more power than Auku could ever have. And all that power would now be under Gisoo’s command. Gisoo could be the savior of humanity.

“Sensors are working again. There’s atmosphere and normal gravity outside. I’m still trying to access the main systems, but I’m having difficulty. There appears to be a different form of coding preventing access. It’s not normal bio-mechanized coding.”

Gisoo exited the Dream Vision, and as she did, she was greeted by a woman’s voice.

“Hello, I’ve been waiting for you.”

“Who are you?”

“I’m your mother.”

“The human mothership?”

“No, silly. I’m your actual mother. I was human, but I merged my existence into this ship to keep it here. Away from the Tao Emperor.”

Standing on the landing deck, Gisoo crossed her legs together in discomfort at what she was hearing. “I have no parents! No one was my mother or father!”

“While you had no father, I’m your mother. I’m Konishi, and my womb birthed you. I had to leave you behind, so I could hide the Obsidian Grip.”

“So, you cloned me?”

“No, nothing so primitive. My womb spontaneously created you. A product of random quantum fluctuations.”

“Are you saying the universe is my father?”

“I suppose so.”

Gisoo uncrossed her legs and began to goose step about the deck. “Assuming all that you’ve said is true. Why should I not turn you over to the Tao Emperor?”

“Because I’m your mother, and I know you wouldn’t do that.”

Gisoo stopped goose stepping and then stomped her feet as hard as she could. “How could you know me?! You haven’t even been around for my entire life! You abandoned me to a bunch of people who didn’t care about me!”

“Not true. They cared enough to teach you and loved you enough to allow you to become the adult you are today. You are exactly what I knew you would be like. You remind me of myself when I was your age.”

Gisoo calmed down and sat down cross-legged on the deck. She began to trace out math formulas with her finger. “Why didn’t you just leave the Obsidian Grip and return to Auku?”

“The only way to maintain the Obsidian Grip this long in the ether was to graft myself to the ship. There was no other way to prevent a supermassive black hole this size from decaying even in the ether.”

“For all this time you’ve been using your own willpower to keep the Hawking radiation from leaking out instead of the graviton shielding?”

“Yes.”

“So now what? It’s not like I can hug a spaceship.”

“We restart again.”

“So, you want me to give you over to the Tao Emperor so he can use the Rebirth Equation and ignite the stars again?”

“No. We restart everything. So, I can hold my child in the flesh once more.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You will. Did you know I named you for the word ‘hello’ in an ancient human tongue? That was the first word I said when I found out I was pregnant with you.”

Gisoo always wondered what her name meant. There was no database that contained it or person who knew. Now that she knew she sort of thought it was peculiar. Couldn’t mom come up with something a little cooler sounding? Something like Fhaertala Inana. Now that sounded cool.

You see what Gisoo didn’t know was her name was the very word that both ended everything and began everything. One word that ended all time and restarted it. A word that allowed Konishi to nakedly expose the Obsidian Grips’ supermassive black hole to the unreality of the ether. In doing so, it set into motion something that dwarfed what the Tao Emperor wanted to do, or Panagiotis the Elder. For Konishi had both mathematically determined and mechanically built how to reset the universe’s clock, so once more she could hold her child.

Pork Riblets Simmered in Caramel Sauce
(Suon Kho | Vietnamese)

Traditionally, the riblets were grilled over charcoal to sear in the flavors before simmering. Ask a butcher to cut the ribs, as this is not an easy home project. To remove the fat, the ribs may be prepared a day ahead and refrigerated. The congealed fat can be easily lifted off the surface.

Suon Kho
Suon Kho

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds meaty pork spareribs, cut crosswise through the bone into 2 inch wide strips
  • 1/3 cup minced, grated or puréed yellow onion (about 1/2 small onion)
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1/4 cup fish sauce, divided
  • 1/4 cup Caramel Sauce
  • 1 green onion, green top only, chopped
  • Steamed rice, for serving

Instructions

  1. Cut each rib strip between the bones or through the cartilage into individual riblets.
  2. Combine the onion, sugar, pepper and 2 tablespoons of the fish sauce in a bowl. Add the riblets, cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
  3. If necessary, adjust your broiler rack so that the ribs will cook as close to the flame as possible. Heat the broiler for 30 minutes to get it nice and hot.
  4. While the broiler heats, take the ribs from the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature to take the chill off. Place them on a baking sheet and broil until they’re tinged brown, about 4 to 6 minutes per side; a little charring is fine. (You’ll hear a pleasant sizzle as this happens.) Alternatively, cook the ribs over high heat on a gas or charcoal grill, which imparts deeper flavor. The point here is to sear the riblets to obtain a roastiness and intensify the overall color.
  5. Place the riblets in a saucepan with the Caramel Sauce, the remaining 2 tablespoons of fish sauce and enough water (about 2 1/2 cups) to cover most of the riblets. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer. Cover and let cook for 40 minutes; the ribs should simmer vigorously, sending steam out from under the lid.
  6. Remove the lid and continue to simmer until the ribs are tender (you can easily pierce the meat with a fork or knife tip), about 20 to 30 minutes. If there’s cartilage, you should be able to bite through it, with a slight crunch remaining. This latter phase of cooking allows the sauce to reduce and concentrate in flavor, and deepens the color to dark reddish brown. In the end, there should be a fair amount of sauce left.
  7. Turn off the heat, tilt the saucepan so the liquid goes to one side and use a spoon or small ladle to skim the fat from the top.
  8. Adjust the flavors with extra fish sauce, if necessary.
  9. Garnish with the chopped green onion and serve with lots of steamed rice.

Notes

Low fat tip: Use nonstick spray for sauté ing the vegetables, substitute reduced fat sour cream and mushroom soup, and use 1 1/2 cups broth for the topping.

Lemmon 714

Back in the 1980’s there was a very popular medicine that people took recreationally. It was called a Quaalude.

Methaqualone, known as Quaaludes, is a synthetic compound similar to barbiturates. It affects the central nervous system by inducing a sedative state. Quaaludes gained popularity during the 1960s to the 1980s as a recreational drug in the United States until the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) banned its usage.

It was initially developed as a sleeping pill, but if you can shake off the initial sleepiness, you end up getting the most euphoric high, that I have ever experienced.

Really.

Outstanding.

Quaaludes ad from the 1970s
Quaaludes ad from the 1970s

I only took it once. I wish that I would have taken it more often, but it was banned shortly afterwards, and access went to zero.

One of the reasons why the 1970’s were so funky was partly due to Quaaludes. The high you got from this pill was unlike anything else.

All you wanted to do was be funky, talk, have fun and dance.

Quaaludes
Quaaludes

But, you all know, that was decades ago. Noe, I do not advise using or taking any kind of recreational drugs aside from wine and an occasional cigarette. But, some memories are so precious. In fact one of my favorite memories was being on Quaaludes and trying to get into a disco.

Alas we couldn’t get in as my buddy wasn’t wearing proper shoes. But the girls in the disco sure as hell wanted me to.

Now, I do not advocate taking drugs. Aside from some wine and an occasional cigarette or two, I’d advise not harming yourself. But occasional use, with special people that you trust can create special and magical times that are noteworthy and special.

Thus my story.

Oh, it was crazy, but something about being silly, and not drunk… talkative and friendly, and not shy… and the loss of inhibitions really made me a most popular man. I could of had many bedroom adventures were I to enjoy the disco lifestyle of the 1970’s. Oh those days.

81ZMdRn9vNL. UL1500 N
81ZMdRn9vNL. UL1500 N

Here’s someone else’s opinion…

Mmmmm, ‘Ludes…num-num, num-num, num! 

Come to pappa! Boy, these kids taday have no idea what they missed out on.

Quaaludes were an extremely popular party drug of the mid-70's, early 80's, and consisted of 300mg of methaqualone, an extremely powerful sedative and hypnotic, originally marketed in the US by Rorer Pharmaceuticals. In addition to the popular street name “ludes", they were also known as Rorer 714's, and eventually Lemmon 714's.

Yes, they were prescribed for sleep, but taken in the right dosage, the individual would lose their inhibitions. They would tend to become very chatty and since everything in the 70's was either about sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll, Ludes had all of those bases covered.

I was fortunate to have had two very generous friends that had legitimate prescriptions for them but, barring that, they'd sell for about two bucks a piece, if you knew the right people.

There were a couple of problems with Ludes. First, they became so popular and controversial, Rorer decided the liability wasn't worth it and sold the patent to Lemmon Pharmaceuticals in 1978. 

Overdosing on Ludes became notorious because the individual would lapse into a coma followed by central nervous system collapse. And, because the drug was fat soluble, there wouldn't be much you could do for the individual in the way of flushing it out of the body. 

They would also go on to become a notorious date rape drug, as well as  Bill Cosby's preferred method of attracting unwilling victims.

In 1982 due to its wide spread abuse it was taken off the market and, in 1984 the DEA would reclassify Quaaludes as a Schedule 1 narcotic, putting into the same category of drugs as heroin and ecstacy.

I could of…

But I didn’t.

Ah, maybe that was a good thing. Things could have gone really bad, really quickly. But I did have a taste. And, you know what?

It was fun.

Today….

TO LAM:

"Our countries share traditional bonds of friendship and have forged a comprehensive strategic partnership.
We have always been keen to express our deep gratitude for the assistance and support we received from the Russian people in the past, when we were fighting for our independence, as well as at the current stage in the development of our country.
Vietnam follows an independent, self-reliant, peaceful, friendly, and multifaceted foreign policy, and has always viewed Russia as one of its priority foreign policy partners.
We want to work with Russia to further enhance our traditional friendship, which results from the constructive efforts by many generations of our two countries’ leaders and their people."

Excerpt from statements by Vietnamese President Tô Lâm during the joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin following their talks, Hanoi, June 20, 2024.

NASA decided to launch the Starliner despite the discovery of five different helium leaks in its thruster system. Now those helium leaks might endanger the lives of the astronauts on the return flight. Here’s a quote from the article:

Two NASA astronauts who rode to orbit on Boeing’s Starliner are currently stranded in space aboard the International Space Station (ISS) after engineers discovered numerous issues with the Boeing spacecraft. Teams on the ground are now racing to assess Starliner’s status.

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were originally scheduled to return to Earth on June 13 after a week on the ISS, but their stay has been extended for a second time due to the ongoing issues. The astronauts will now return home no sooner than June 26th, according to NASA.

After years of delays, Boeing’s Starliner capsule successfully blasted off on its inaugural crewed flight from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 10:52 a.m. EDT on June 5. But during the 25-hour flight, engineers discovered five separate helium leaks to the spacecraft’s thruster system.

Now, to give engineers time to troubleshoot the faults, NASA has announced it will push back the perilous return flight, extending the crew’s stay on the space station to at least three weeks.

“We’ve learned that our helium system is not performing as designed,” Mark Nappi, Boeing’s Starliner program manager, said at a news conference on June 18. “Albeit manageable, it’s still not working like we designed it. So we’ve got to go figure that out.”

Footnotes

Oh Fuck!

Apricot-Glazed Ham

A simple glaze over ham makes for an easy special occasion meal.

apricot glazed ham2
apricot glazed ham2

Prep: 10 min | Bake: 1 hr 30 min | Yield: 20 servings

Ingredients

  • 5 pound fully cooked whole boneless ham
  • 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves
  • 2/3 cup apricot nectar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Place ham on rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, in a 325 degrees F oven for 1 1/4 hours or until meat thermometer registers 140 degrees F (about 15 to 18 minutes per pound.)
  2. For the glaze, in a small saucepan combine brown sugar, cornstarch, nutmeg and cloves.
  3. Stir in apricot nectar and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, stirring constantly.
  4. Brush ham with glaze. Continue baking for 15-20 minutes more, brushing occasionally with glaze.

Scott Ritter: NATO in BIG TROUBLE After Crossing Russia’s Red Line, Putin and China Brace for War

One of Scott’s best videos. Well worth the time to watch.

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Who had the worst death in history?

 

I’d nominate Junko Furuta.

source: Japanese Horror Story: The Torture of Junko Furuta

Junko Furuta was a Japanese schoolgirl who suffered 40 days of unimaginable torture at the hands of her classmates before dying on January 4th, 1989. After she rejected the school bully, Hiroshi Miyano, she was taken by 4 boys to the home of one of the kidnappers, Nobaharu Minato. All in all, over 100 people knew of her abduction; none did anything to help, and several joined in the torture.

According to their statements in court, the four boys tortured Junko relentlessly, to such an extent that her face was so swollen she was virtually unrecognisable, she lost bladder control (and was beaten for wetting the carpet), and her body developed a rotting smell.

The torture included:

  • Rape — Junko was raped over 400 times over the course of 40 days. Many of these rapes were gang-rape, and the four boys’ friends were invited to join in and humiliate her. Over 100 different men are alleged to have participated in rape at some point. She was naked for most of her imprisonment and forced to masturbate in front of her captors. Some of the boys urinated on her, and she was forced to drink her own urine.
  • Vaginal mutilation — iron bars, scissors, needles, skewers, a bulb, fireworks, cigarettes and lighters amongst other foreign objects were forced into her vagina and anus, causing severe burning and damage. Additionally, she forcibly had her breasts pierced with sewing needles and one of her nipples was torn off.
  • Beatings — she was beaten regularly, and sometimes strapped up as a human punching bag. The boys used clubs, rods and bamboo sticks to punish her for displeasing them.
  • Freezing — after pleading to die, she was locked outside overnight (bear in mind this was in winter), and later locked in a freezer.
  • Burning — this is believed to be the ultimate cause of her death. She suffered severe burns from the aforementioned lighters and fireworks. When she tried to call the police, she was doused in lighter fluid and her body was set on fire. Somehow she survived, but was killed by another body fire on the 40th day of imprisonment.
  • The boys reportedly dropped barbells and an iron exercise ball on her stomach, which was partly responsible for the lost bladder control, along with the damage to her genitals.

Hiroshi was sentenced for 20 years, and the other main captors received 5–10 years each. Most of them were subsequently arrested again for various crimes, including rape and fraud. They were aged 17–18 at the time; Junko was 17.

Had the captors been slightly older, they almost certainly would have received life imprisonment or the death penalty. The case is considered controversial due to their lenient sentences, and I can see why.

So on brand. Cringe.

What are some deep thoughts that you have?

 

  1. “deep” is “deep” upside down.
  2. If 99% of people find you unattractive, 78,000,000 people still find you attractive.
  3. One of the worst parts of having mental health issues is that you’re seemingly required to have a breakdown in order for people to understand how hard you were trying to hold yourself together.
  4. The fact that Jellyfish have survived for 650 million years despite having no brain gives hope to many people.
  5. Dogs must be notorious in the animal kingdom for being the closest ally of the deadliest species ever to inhabit earth.
  6. At some point in your life, an attractive person passed by you and regretted not talking to you.
  7. Why is “Sean” pronounced as “Shawn” instead of “Seen” but “Dean” is pronounced “Deen” instead of “Dawn”
  8. At some point in your childhood you and your friends went outside to play one last time, but you never knew it.
  9. Cutting corners creates more corners.
  10. Why are there no pizza drive-thrus?!
  11. To know the ones that are worth your love, first you have to love the ones who are not.
  12. The scariest part of growing up is realizing many adults are clueless; life is based more on luck than knowledge.

 

Larry Johnson REVEALS: U.S. Missiles Strike Deep Inside Russia, NATO in Danger, The World at Stake

Yuppur. The USA is actively fighting Russia. There is no way that Ukrainians are aiming and guiding these missiles.

 

What is the most satisfying passive-aggressive thing you have ever done to a really mean or rude person?

When my ex left, she went out of her way to be as cruel as possible about the whole process.

It was taking us some time to disentangle our living situation, finances, etc. My approach was that we were both adults who had at one point held affection for each other, so we might as well be as grown up as possible about the situation. I tried to be fair, and to give ground on things that meant more to her than to me – particularly as I earned more so would find it easier to relace anything she took.

She took the opposite approach. It wasn’t just that she tried to take everything she wanted. She took things simply because I wanted them. On the day she moved out, she packed up my washing line, despite the fact she was moving to a house with no garden. I let it go as not worth the hassle to fight her.

As might be expected after a 5-year relationship, there were some connections we hadn’t managed to untangle before leaving day, so from time to time I needed to get in touch – for example, to tell her I was no longer paying for her car insurance, and that she’d have to sort it out for herself. She continued to be obstructive, and to request that I cease all contact with her. I was tearing my hair out, trying to do the right thing but being knocked back rudely at every turn.

It was then that a good friend introduced me to what she called the ‘Princess Bride defence’:

As you wish.”

It was the last text I sent to her. Thereafter, any time I found one of her sentimental possessions in the back of a cupboard, it went straight to a charity shop. When important-looking letters marked “URGENT” arrived addressed to her, I returned them as undelivered – at my convenience, after a few days. When I was asked to pass a potential teaching opportunity on to her, I said that wouldn’t be possible. When Christmas cards from her extended family arrived (addressed to both of us) I shredded them. She didn’t hear from me again.

As she wished.

GAU-8 holes

Have you ever met or known anybody who is inbred?

I know several people that are inbred right now. Normally I wouldn’t have any contact with these folks, but I am a firefighter in a very rural area, and I answer a lot of medical calls. I have some very very gross stories I could tell, but I will spare you the details as it is pretty disgusting and depressing. One thing I will say is that some of these families that are really inbred have an inbred look. I can’t really put my finger on what it is, but their eyes just look a little different. I don’t judge these folks at all, after all they’re just people. They’re really victims, they didn’t ask for this.

I was a reserve deputy back in the early 90s, and I went to a call where we arrested a man who had just gotten out of prison , and he went and attempted to rape two of his cousins, and successfully completed the act with one. From the description of the crimes , it seemed like the guy was completely compulsive.

As we turned off a long country road down a long dirt road to make the arrest, I saw poverty that I had never seen in America. There were people in mobile homes with no electric and broken windows and homemade steps. Most rural areas are full of pretty normal people, but this pocket of the woods had a family that was inbreeding for a long time, and some of them looked very strange. I went to the back of the house in case the guy tried to run while two other deputies went into the house to make the arrest. One very old lady in a ripped T-shirt with no bra gave me the worst hate stare I have ever seen, she just stared at me with a one eye bigger than the other inbred silent angry glare. Amongst all this, a very sweet , nice 5-year-old girl came up and asked what I was doing. I told her we were arresting a bad guy. Just then the two deputies came out with the rapist, and he was the most normal looking guy there. He was a studious looking guy with wire rim glasses and nice clothes. He was also the father of that little girl who I just talked to. She started wailing with the saddest cries you’d ever hear and threw a stick at me. It was one of the most heartbreaking things I’ve ever seen up till that point.

Incidents like this made me realize why the deputies I rode with were so cynical. They often saw the worst in people.

It wasn’t long after this that I decided to join the fire department instead of law enforcement. After 30 years in the fire department, I have seen a lot of strange things, but that call still sticks out my mind as being very sad. I think I remember it because it was the first time I’d been exposed to that level of poverty, indifference and craziness.

If you have read this far in my story, thank you. I do actually have some upbeat news. Social services have drastically improved in my area, I haven’t been to a house full of kids with no lights and no heat in quite a few years. I think it has been close to 20 years since I have been to a 14-year-old on her second pregnancy. Things have gotten much better.

Douglas Macgregor: Iran & Turkey join Russia, North Korea sent Nuclear Bombs after Meeting Putin

He’s speaking truth. Damn. The USA just ain’t ready.

Why do people adopt babies from other countries but not their own?

I adopted two children from Russia. One was 20 months old, and the other was about 4 years old. This is my qualification to speak on the subject. Sadly, Russia no longer adopts children to the US, because we sanctioned one of Putin’s friends.

The fact of the matter is that it is easier to fly all the way around the world two times, like an astronaut, to get a child in Russia, than it is to adopt a child in the US State of Washington (and presumably other U.S. states).

Russia is a place that has the kind of economic chaos that makes relatively high-quality babies available for adoption. Too many Russians can’t keep their children, and Russians do not, as a rule, adopt their own orphans. The Russian authorities are not afraid to take a child away from failed parents, so the child has likely only suffered a few months of neglect. The US, by contrast, has a strong tradition of parental rights, so it takes years to remove a child.

In the US, many children are born to meth users, so that their brains are irretrievably fried. Heroin is the drug of choice in Russia, which, while horrible for the parents, is not so bad (as meth) on a fetus’s physiology.

When you return home from Russia with a child, that child belongs to you. It is your adopted child. Period, end of story. By contrast, children in Washington State are generally not legally free to adopt when they are placed in your home. That means you are only a foster parent, with few rights. For the next couple of years, if your new baby’s crack-whore mother or jailbird father cleans up their act, even temporarily, they can yank your baby away and back to its previous life of neglect and abuse. Imagine having to tell your other children that their forever-brother or sister is not home when they return from school, because it unexpectedly went back to its birth-parents.

Now tell me you think it’s strange that people do international adoptions.

Badlands Homecoming

Submitted into Contest #251 in response to: Dream up a secret library. Write a story about an adventurer who discovers it. What’s in the library? Why was it kept secret? view prompt

Joe Smallwood

The badlands had ceased expanding, and there was just enough food to support one or two researchers—well, maybe only one—and that would be me.

The bishop had his hands full. A guard saw me into his office, and the bishop sat waiting behind a huge, salvaged desk between us.

The desk, a marvel, held my gaze. Its rich, brown hue was a testament to its unique origin, a strange wood with a veneer of such smoothness, partially burned away, creating a mesmerizing play of colors. I couldn’t help but wonder about the lives that were risked to retrieve such a treasure.

“You are?” he said, not looking up. Now, if it were up to me, I would fall on my knees and kiss his ecclesiastical ring, listen to his blessings, and wait for benediction. Such was my upbringing, which I had only known since…forever. To be in his presence was an honor granted to so few.

But I must answer him! Yet remembering my very name seemed an extraneous and worthless undertaking.

“Thomas Cranwell, to commoners excluded from knowing my ecclesial rank,” I said, finally.

“Why do you exclude yourself?” he asked again, without looking up from whatever was absorbing him. “Are you not to work for the extension of the Kingdom of God?”

“It is for an uncommon request. Permission to attend at Bradwell,” I practically whispered.

That got his attention. I am asking for something forbidden. To speak of Bradwell and the treasures of antiquity that it contained was to invite suspicion.

Myths, stories, and legends about the sacrifices made to build Bradwell many generations ago were a staple around campfires at night. After the cataclysm and before the new orientation, the building of Bradwell took place in a time so dark that our present darkness looked light by comparison. Yet I was convinced that understanding our past would help build our future!

I threw caution to the wind. Before I knew what I was doing, I was kneeling before him, seeking his hand to kiss his ring, even as I could not see that the guard had moved to strike me from behind.

“Stay your hand!” the bishop ordered. “What have we here? A search for knowledge at any cost?”

“Only a fool who seeks to serve, Your Excellency!” My tears were so copious that if I looked at him, I imagined he would send me off straight away. He laid his hand on my head.

“Thomas, I’ll inquire about your character. Send me your references and bid me a good day!”

#

I had to work while I waited. Luckily for me, I had learned a trade as a metal scavenger. It was considered a low occupation, but it was necessary since the metal that never rusts could no longer be made and was highly prized. However, my unusual request made people suspicious of me. Even the scraps I found in the well-combed hills and valleys surrounding Urhan fetched such low prices that I began to starve. Being without family and friends in any place was inviting death into your life. I hoped I would not have to wait long for the bishop to answer!

When news came that the bishop had approved my request, I now had a servant, David, a protection seal on paper, no less, and a stipend. The bishop’s generosity quite shocked me. Was he an antiquarian? Even if only in secret? I couldn’t account for my good fortune otherwise.

We hastened to start our journey. David was young—only sixteen—yet enthusiastic and uncommonly curious. When I told David we were off to Bradwell, he jumped for joy! I warned him to conserve his strength. It would be a long and challenging journey, even for one like himself. Besides, he was to support me, such as I was.

Upon leaving Urhan, David removed his sandals and shook the dust off them, motioning me to do the same.

“A curse on any who did not help us!” he shouted with glee.

This made me angry. “You hardly know what it is, you ask!” I said. “We have nothing but what we carry—nothing at all. It could be that a curse has been laid on us! Mind your place, boy!”

David’s eyes fell, and he began to weep. “Forgive me, Father, he said.

“It is your youth and inexperience that speaks,” I answered. “The world is larger than we know!”

#

We arrived at Urhan Station, a smaller community composed almost entirely of humbler folk, primarily farmers. I was not incardinated anywhere in the Urhan region. I thought it proper to approach the local magistrate to inform him of our presence and request leave to be accommodated for at least one night, perhaps two. Upon reviewing my documents, I was permitted to stay, provided I sought provisions in the local market and remained at the local inn. This I was happy to do.

Thank God news had not spread about my mission. It was a relief to be treated courteously for once, and I relished the opportunity to rest and regain my strength.

David was enraptured by the many sights of Urhan Station, which he had never visited before, even though it was only twenty miles from where he lived.

“Father, shall we hear Mass today?” he inquired.

“Certainly!” I replied.

We soon happened upon the parish church, a quaint, quite old stucco and wood structure dating back to the earliest days of the Urhan region’s reconstruction. Even today, the church outshone the other various dwellings, which were much more bare and plain-looking. A bell rang out, calling the populace to prayer. The church was soon filled.

I was struck by Father Bruno, the priest who said Mass. His intensely blue eyes and reputation for knowing people’s sins without being told drew many visitors for confession, even from Urhan proper. I feared he would somehow know of our mission, so I hung back in one of the back pews.

When Mass was over, and we had finished our Thanksgiving prayers, he strode right to the back of the church to see me, calling me by name, although we had never met.

“Father Cranwell! Know you, not your duty! To serve God! It is not your place to seek that which God has destroyed!”

He said this so loudly that David prostrated himself at his feet, weeping and begging forgiveness. I was stunned, and when Father Bruno had left, and I regained my composure, it was plain that we would have to leave Urhan Station; the sooner, the better.

David wept incessantly. On the one hand, he knew he might fall prey to ruffians or dire circumstances, being alone without my support. Yet, given his religious upbringing, he could not ignore Father Bruno’s words, and I would not contradict a fellow priest, so I released David from his obligation to me.

I did this with a heavy heart, wondering if I would survive long enough to arrive at Bradwell without David’s support. Yet I had to think of what was best for the boy.

“You are free to leave,” I said as we left Urhan Station.

“Where will I go?” he asked.

“Don’t you have a family to return to?”

“Family? My family is the church. I am an orphan!”

With this, I stopped to look at him. David was in tears again. I was nearly beside myself with grief, too. It was clear that he could not make a decision.

“Come with me, and you will no longer be an orphan but a son to me!” I said, wiping both his and my own tears.

#

We were quite clearly approaching the badlands. Strange, disfigured animals approached us, peering out from the undergrowth. David readied his slingshot, and I, my staff.

“I could hit one!” David exulted.

“Let us pass by the side,” I answered. Thus, we took detours through thick brambles to avoid these “denizens of hell,” as the common folk called them.

The road, too, became more rutted and overgrown. Signs warned us not to go further, though the further we went, the more rotted they appeared, like the people who erected them had passed on or failed to maintain them.

We had to sleep in the open air in a shelter we could make from branches and sticks. It began to rain. I had heard of the constant rain in the heart of the badlands, soaking you through and through. We knew not to drink from the fetid swamps that threatened to overwhelm the road, which now resembled more of a simple path than a road.

“Is God punishing us?” David asked after a tough night when I coughed more than I slept. “Isn’t it clear we shouldn’t be here?” he continued. He was throwing stones into the swamp, a look of defeat on his face.

“Hush now and trust,” I said. We have not come all this way to die now!”

But I wondered how much more we could take, wearied to the bone from the dampness and privations caused by a lack of food and good sleep, never mind the constant fear of what might happen if we grew inattentive or were unlucky.

After three days, the path abruptly stopped at a ruined habitation. No one was home, and it looked like no one had been there for some time. After my brave words to David, my heart sank. Where to now to Bradwell?

Had I fallen prey to pride? It was Father Bruno’s words that echoed in my mind.

I sank to my knees and wept.

I could have died there and then and been happy to meet my maker, poor, alone, a sinner in need of redemption. It was David who came to my rescue.

He bounded into my view even though I lay prone in the muck and filth in those last few steps on the path to nowhere.

“Look, Father!” He helped me up. “Come over here! Do you see it? Up on the hill!”

My poor eyes were unaccustomed to focusing at such a distance, yet I could just make out a building built on a hill. Was it a monastery?

 I could see it shining like a beacon, a bright sheen off what looked like stout walls as we hobbled closer, David supporting me with every step I took.

#

By some magic I had never seen before, the gate to the monastery slid open to reveal a monk dressed in a black tunic. He did not speak, only motioning to us to follow him. A Benedictine? I had never seen one before.

The monk’s tunic hung loosely over his body, stopping only at his ankles. He wore a rectangular piece of cloth over his shoulders called a scapular that appeared to be made of wool. When he turned to lead us to the community, I noticed his cowl limp and unused, the sun only beginning to make its presence known.

It was an edifying experience to see such calm and serene purpose in this one monk who neither sought nor cared for our taking any notice of him whatsoever.

We climbed some hewn stone stairs to such a height! It was utterly exhausting. I had to stop frequently to catch my breath, but I could still reach a portico, the sun clothed with refracted light through the most marvelous stained glass, again as something I had never seen before. I reached out to touch it, causing the light to fall in a sudden dazzling brilliance as if moved by unseen hands. I wanted to stop and question the monk about how light could be so liquid yet impervious to my understanding!

But he moved ever onward, not looking back.

We reached a stolid door of massive weight, again opening at a mere touch! What I presumed to be the abbot greeted us.

The abbot wore a black cappa, which is a full-length cloak over his tunic. He also wore a ring, which he held out to me.

I collapsed before I could kiss his ring, and from what David told me later, I hit my head on the stone floor, losing consciousness.

#

I awoke in an infirmary, or what looked like one. David was so happy to see me come to my senses. He looked fatigued as if he had been waiting a long time by my side, sitting on a wicker chair next to an untouched tray of food on a small table.

“Eat, father!” he said, his voice catching him unawares like he had not spoken for hours. Then, he cleared his throat and looked as if he might cry.

I had more important things on my mind. “What of the…abbot?” I gasped as I reached for a plain, remarkably shaped glass containing a liquid I did not recognize.

David handed it to me. “He never spoke to me. After you collapsed, two monks carried you here. Will you get well, Father?” he pleaded.

“God willing!” I said. You are so faithful to me; how can it be otherwise?” I joked, but then I frowned. “But there is much to discuss…” I said as I tried to get out of bed.

“Not until you are well!” David commanded. “Eat!”

#

The days went swiftly by. A monk with remarkable medical knowledge examined me. And there was so much food! So much more than I was used to.

Then, several days later, another monk with such bright eyes came to get me. This one was not unassuming or silent. He was talkative, so much so that I wondered if he was a monk or a commoner dressed in monk attire!

“Know you, not your duty!” I exclaimed at one point amid his chatter.

He rounded on me, his confident air dissipating as air escapes a putrid cask.

“Know you, not yours?” he replied. With that, we both fell into sullen silence. He then led me to see the abbot.

#

It was as before. This time, I kissed the abbot’s ring and returned to standing before him in what looked like the chapter house, a meeting room where the community would gather to conduct business.

Gazing about, I saw things on shelves I had never seen before. Whether they were functional or not escaped me; some seemed to be parts of other, larger objects. Here and there, you could see these recognizable parts protruding. But I was not given leave to stare at these unusual artifacts for long.

“You and your servant are welcome to stay with us!” the abbot announced. “I have made inquiries, and the bishop of Urhan diocese has vouched for you. The bishop was once a monk at this very place! What exactly have you come here to do?”

“Father Abbot, I wish to conduct research.”

“By all means, let us visit the scriptorium and the library!”

Again, there was light that I had never seen before.

In a wonder of wonders, I was led into the scriptorium, where monks sat at tables reading words that appeared and disappeared on pages filled with light, with no visible candles.

Then, many books in unknown languages were in the library, with pictures not drawn or painted of such wonders as I could scarcely describe! Many of these books were burned, and some could not be read. Still, everything was neatly stored and accounted for.

“Why not let everyone see these wonders,” I asked.

The Abbot was taken aback. “Do you believe that the people would comprehend that we were once prosperous, but now we are poor only because of a war of unimaginable fury as if the very wrath of God enveloped everything? This is knowledge for only a select few!”

The Abbot, setting aside his vows, embraced me and continued speaking for what seemed like a very long time.

“You need hardly wonder! Was it not always so? Monks preserved knowledge, whether of religion or not, that would have been lost otherwise in past times. We do so today, as always. Forever, until the end of time itself!”

So began my new life. Father Bruno could remind the people of what went wrong, and I would now discover why.

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What is the most frightening thing that anyone has ever said to you?

I was at the pool, having just finished with my morning workout. I was drying off and noticed I had gotten a new text from one of my friends.

OMG are you okay??! I saw the crash!!

I froze in confusion. Reread the text. Tried to wrap my mind around it before coming to my senses and quickly punching in her number.

One ring, two. “Pick up, pick up!”

She answers, breathless. “Rachel! Are you okay? Please tell me no one is hurt!”

“What do you mean? I’m at the pool!”

The line goes dead silent. I can hear her breaths on the other side, raspy and shocked. My heart pounding wildly against my chest.

Then, “There was an accident, I saw your mom in the car. It’s bad.”

I swear my heart stopped. For a moment, everything blurred. I had no idea there was a crash. I had no idea what was going on.

For a second, thoughts of losing my mother crashed through my brain and I wanted to be sick.

My friend told me the car had been t-boned (hit from the side). She said it looked bad, that our car had been dented-in and she saw medics pulling my mom out. I remember my heart feeling like a knife was cutting through, tears blurring my eyes.

I thanked her, hung up, and quickly called my mom. I think I called her four or five times before someone answered.

My father.

If you haven’t read my past answers, my father and I have a rocky relationship. But I still wasn’t prepared for his words.

He told me to stop calling, that everything was fine. He wouldn’t tell me if she was alright, or what had happened, just to stop calling. He hung up.

Needless to say, I was pissed and scared out of my mind. I called another six or seven times before my mom finally answered.

And she was alright.

She was bruised, crying, and shaken, but she was alive. And in that moment, that was all that mattered.

But hearing that something had happened, that she had been in an accident, had almost stopped my heart. Those have definitely been the most terrifying words I have ever heard: “I saw your mom in the car. It’s bad.”

 

Why do educated Chinese support CCP despite not having the freedom to criticize Chinese politicians?

As a Chinese guy who has lived many years in America, I’ve got the answer for you, but I’m pretty sure you won’t believe me and think I’m ridiculous:

China actually has a lot more freedom of speech than the US or other western countries.

Ok, now please allow me to explain:

In China, we certainly do not have the freedom to criticize Chinese government, IN PUBLIC. That’s pretty much the only thing you can’t do. (we talk shit about them ALL the time in private daily conversations.)

Other than that, you can say pretty much anything you want in China.

However, when I was in the US, I feel suffocate because there’s a lot of things I couldn’t talk about, or I couldn’t say my real opinions. Everything needs to be political correct. You certainly can say your government is a piece of shit, but that’s not what freedom of speech is. You can’t talk about xxxxxxxx, xxxxxx, xxxxxxx, xxxxxx, xxxxxxx, etc… When I was there, I had to be extremely careful about what I say, even in daily conversations. There’re so many chains, not free at all.

I think you guys know what I’m talking about.

Cajun Style Holiday Ham

Ready to experience the holidays Cajun style? Bring in some Louisiana Cajun flavor to your holiday dinner with Slap Ya Mama’s Cajun Style Holiday Ham complete with our famous original blend and seafood boil seasoning. Say goodbye to traditional holiday meals because our recipe will keep you wanting more year round!

cajun style holiday ham
cajun style holiday ham

Ingredients

  • 1 (8 pound) picnic ham
  • 12 ounces Coke
  • 1 pound Slap Ya Mama Seafood Boil
  • Slap Ya Mama Original Blend Seasoning, to taste

Instructions

  1. Fill a large pot halfway with water and pour in Slap Ya Mama Seafood Boil. Bring to a boil and place ham into the pot. Boil for approximately 1 hour.
  2. Remove ham and let drain and cool.
  3. Heat over at 400 degrees F. Trim top skin from ham leaving a little fat. In a crisscross pattern, slice the top of the ham about 1/4 inch deep.
  4. Place ham in a roasting pan with 1/2 cup of water in the bottom of the pan. Pour Coke evenly over ham. Now season the whole ham with Slap Ya Mama Original Blend Seasoning.
  5. Bake at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes.
  6. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F and continue cooking for another 30 minutes or until there is a nice crisp on the exterior of the ham.
  7. Carve ham, serve and enjoy!

Attribution

Recipe and photo used with permission from: Slap Ya Mama


What person destroyed their entire life by making one simple mistake?

Lisa Nowak.

She was a NASA astronaut. Emphasis on WAS. During her stint in NASA, she actually had a pretty impressive career—she flew in space aboard the shuttle Discovery in 2006, in fact.

But she threw it all away. Over a guy.

You see, her boyfriend William Oefelein, another astronaut, had cooled in his affections towards her and was now seeing another woman, Colleen Shipman. We’ve all had love interests break our hearts, and it sucks. Some of us go a little cray-cray during the heartbreak period, especially if we’re drunk. But Lisa Nowak—she went well beyond drunken texts in the middle of the night.

She drove 900 miles from Houston to Orlando to confront the other lady. Shipman was going to be arriving at Orlando’s international airport, and Nowak was going to be there to confront her. According to police reports, she even wore adult diapers so she wouldn’t have to make any bathroom breaks during the trip. Anyway, she finally got to Orlando, confronted the other woman, and pepper-sprayed her.

Result? She was sentenced to a year’s probation, kicked out of both NASA and the U.S. Navy, and now has Google and Wikipedia detailing her misdeeds. The notoriety of her case—Law and Order actually made an episode about an astronaut love triangle—meant employers were reluctant to hire her despite her credentials, and the last anyone heard she’s been living a quiet life in Texas working in the private sector. Without the boyfriend.

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What is the smartest thing you have seen someone do in court?

Not a case I was in town for – it happened fast

A man comes home in morning hours, crawls into bed still hungover, and wakes up in a pool of blood. His wife had been stabbed in the night.

He ran into the hallway and called 9–1–1 — but the police quickly charge him for murder. He says he got drunk the night before and his memory is a blank. She was killed sometime in the night — no signs of forced entry. They have their man.

Weeks later it goes to trial. Once underway, the man’s memory is triggered and he says he thinks he was in jail two counties over. The judge calls a recess.

The sheriff’s deputies check on this alibi, bring that sheriff in for deposition, and sure enough, the husband had gotten into a drunken brawl at a nightclub and was thrown in jail many hours before his wife’s time of death. He wasn’t anywhere near the crime scene. The deputies visit the nightclub and the coat check girl remembered him well – and the brawl. This was an upscale club so brawls were rare.

They brought all this back to the courtroom, the prosecutor moved for dismissal and the judge granted it. Recall they’ve already seated the jury, so double jeopardy is attached. He cannot be tried again.

A couple of months later, the deputies run into the coat check girl and it comes out that the husband, once released from jail, visited the nightclub in the morning and gave the coat check girl a $50 tip “for all the trouble”. One deputy surmises this might all be a hoax. The husband tipped the girl so she wouldn’t forget him.

They visit the jail itself and learn a priceless bit of news – the jail has no after-hours personnel. The inmates sleep it off until morning anyway. Another nugget, it’s also well known that one of the jail’s two cells has a bad lock. A little persistent jiggering will cause the bolt to retract and release the inmate. They also learned that two months prior, the husband had been in that same cell for disorderly conduct and no doubt learned about the lock.

At this point, they had all they needed, but too late. They surmised the husband started the brawl to get himself incarcerated, by luck or persuasion landed in the right cell, sneaked out to kill his wife and sneaked back. The next morning he pays the coat check girl and returns home, and it all falls out from there.

By the time the deputies learned all this, the husband had already sold his home, cashed-out his wife’s substantial life insurance policy, and was in the wind.

Daddy warnings

Putin: West Seeking “Strategic Defeat” of Russia in Ukraine, Means End to 1,000 Years of Russian Statehood

Upon finishing his visits to North Korea and Vietnam, Russian President Vladimir Putin was asked by media what it means that the West continues to escalate the war in Ukraine, and openly calls for a “strategic defeat of Russia.”  His answer opened the door to a Russian nuclear first-strike against the West.

Asked what does it mean to Russia that the West keeps escalating the Ukraine conflict, President Putin’s remarks went like this:

“We see it.  We observe it.  As you said, they constantly raise the degree and escalate the situation.  

Apparently they expect us to be scared at some point.

But at the same time, they also say that they want to achieve a strategic defeat of Russia on the battlefield.

What does this mean for Russia?   It means the end of its statehood.  This is what it means.

It means the end of the thousand year history of the Russian state.  I think this is clear to everyone.

And then the question arises, why should we be afraid?  Isn’t it better to go all the way, then?

This is elementary formal logic, a course that I studied at the University for six months, but I remember it well.

I even remember the teachers who taught this course.

Therefore, I think that those who think so, and even more so, SAY SO, make another big mistake.

Here is the actual video in original Russian language with English subtitles.  My analysis appears beneath the video:

ANALYSIS

Words mean things.  When a man like President Vladimir Putin says a particular thing, if the world has learned nothing else from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, it knows he means what he says.

Russia made strident Diplomatic efforts over the Ukraine situation for years, and told the West in December of 2021 there has to be Iron-clad, legally enforceable Security Guarantees for Russia over the ever-nearing encroachment by NATO toward Russia’s border – with Ukraine being the most recent encroachment.

The West laughed and threw Russia’s Treaty proposal in the ashbin of history.

Russia tried again in January of 2022, only this time, they told the world  “If Russia cannot obtain iron-clad, legally enforceable, security guarantees by Diplomatic means, it will obtain them by military or military-technical means.”

The West took about two weeks before laughing at Russia again, and declining the Treaty proposal.

On February 23, 2022, Russia called Ukraine President Zelensky and told him “You have five hours to agree to NOT join NATO and NOT place American missiles on Ukraine Territory.”

Zelensky called the British Home Office and the US State Department for guidance.  Both Britain and the US told Zelensky to “ignore Russia’s ultimatum.”  Zelensky did exactly that.

After the five hours had passed, Russia waited an additional two hours.  No response form Ukraine.   That morning, the Russian Army crossed the Border into Ukraine by force, and the war commenced.

So when Russia says something, they mean it.

For President Putin to say

"But at the same time, they also say that they want to achieve a strategic defeat of Russia on the battlefield.

What does this mean for Russia?   It means the end of its statehood.  This is what it means.

It means the end of the thousand year history of the Russian state.  I think this is clear to everyone."

is the absolute worst RED FLAG imaginable.

Russia has a nuclear doctrine.  They’ve had it, open to the public, for years.

In that nuclear doctrine, Russia makes clear they will only use nuclear weapons if “there is a threat to the existence of the Russian state.”

What did Putin just say in the video above?   He said that a “strategic defeat of Russia means the end of its statehood; an end to the thousand year history of the Russian state.”

Well, since that is how Russia perceives the publicly stated goal of the West to inflict a “strategic defeat” upon Russia, then the legal framework now exists to justify the use of Russian nuclear weapons.

It is as plain as day from what President Putin just said.

What he went on to say is even worse:

It means the end of the thousand year history of the Russian state.  I think this is clear to everyone.

And then the question arises, why should we be afraid?  Isn't it better to go all the way, then?

Uh Oh.  “. . . go all the way?”  Yes, he actually said that.   So what does THAT mean?

To me, it means “If Russia is going to be ended, why shouldn’t they go all the way and end the people who are ending Russia?”

To me, “. . .  Isn’t it better to go all the way” means mutual destruction.  If Russia is going to lose its thousand years of Russian statehood, then everybody else is going to lose theirs too.

These remarks from the Russian President are among the most important words ever spoken in human history.  They lay out the ACTUAL course of events we are all on.   Destruction.

Yet we in the West go along our merry way, seemingly oblivious to the actual reality.  A reality that WE created.  A reality that WE continue to perpetrate.

The actions of the United States and our NATO vassals, is directly threatening our continued existence.  We the people have a right to protect ourselves from what this government is doing.

If we sit back, do and say nothing, it seems to me this government is leading us all to our deaths.  Soon.

Pepe Escobar: Putin and China issue DEVASTATING Warning to NATO and Everything is About to Change

Journalist and Geopolitical Analyst Pepe Escobar reveals the truth about Russia and China's accelerated push toward a multipolar world and how their latest moves will completely destroy the dominance of the U.S. dollar as we know it. This video breaks it all down following Pepe's May trip to Brazil and other BRICS countries.

The stuff of nightmares

  1. No random purchases of furniture. I don’t care how cheap that rocking chair in Denmark is. It is not going all the way to Spain and back to northern Sweden with me, taking up 80% of the car’s interior space.
  2. Litter goes into the cardboard box wedged between the front seats, not into the glove box, the ash trays, the door pouches, or (egad!) out the window.
  3. The person who makes me play the Dirty Dancing Soundtrack on the car stereo will be abandoned at the most sinister, Czech truck stop I can find.
  4. No feet on the dashboard. If that airbag deploys, you will look like a swatted daddy long legs.
  5. Any comments on my divine and responsible driving I do not approve of, and I have a train ticket back to Stockholm for that person. Second class.
  6. The words “are we there yet?” are forbidden. Google it. That’s what God has given us the GPS for.
  7. Toilet breaks are every two hours. For everyone. Unless you’re gonna vomit, in which case we can negotiate.
  8. Absolutely no experimenting with car trim. If I had a dollar for every time some cousin pried off a panel, thinking it’s a fridge or a secret stash, or a wormhole to Lisbon, I could buy an extra car.
  9. No smoking. Unless they are Cohibas, and I can have one.
  10. Luggage access is strictly in the evening only, once we’ve reached the hotel. Nobody needs the hair dryer, or nylons, or a pyjama, at 1:20 on a German autobahn.

The Philippines

Here’s the speech of Benjamin Magalong, current mayor of the city Baguio and former head of the Philippine National Police, done way back 2023.

Let me temporarily set aside my manuscript. Instead, let me speak from my mind and from my heart. Let me give you some facts about what is happening in the entire country today.

Last April, news came out that our national debt is already at 13.86 trillion pesos (US$230–250 billion) . Remember that when we started, when President Duterte started his administration as president of the Philippines, our national debt was at just 5.7 trillion pesos (nearly US$100 billion), accumulated for decades. In just a matter of seven years, our national debt increased by as much as 142%. We’re now at 13.86 trillion.

In short, we are already above the 60% debt to GDP ratio. That means that each and every Filipino since birth will each inherit a debt of ₱113,000.00 (nearly US$2,000.00). According to the former Secretary of NEDA Cartua, our ability to pay our debt would depend on our ability to manage our financial leakages. And so I asked, what is financial leakage? And no less than the former Secretary of NEDA said, “The final leakage that I’m saying, a big chunk of that goes to corruption.” And surprisingly, when the news came out that our national debt is already at 13.86 trillion, only very, very few members of our legislative branch, people from Congress, raised hell. Again, I repeat, only very few raised hell. It is at this backdrop, or against this backdrop, that I would like to share with you this narrative.

Last year, I was invited by the Civil Service Commission and the Department of Interior Local Government to talk before newly elected officials, twice. In one session, there are about 150 mayors. A second session, about 200 mayors. Last March, I was given a chance again to talk to about 1,100 municipal mayors, all members of the League of Municipalities. Three weeks ago, I had the chance to talk and speak before vice governors of the different provinces.

I was very concerned. The way we process, the way we manage our local government union. For the first 15 minutes, everybody was just so enthusiastic, listening to me, looking at my impressive presentation. And then I start talking about good governance. I start talking about traditional politics. I start talking about corruption. It is a direct correlation with poverty. And when I start doing that, they also start looking at their cellphones. Are we not going to ask ourselves, is corruption now becoming a norm in government? Is good governance becoming an exception?

It is very saddening that they have a percentage in every project. They have not yet become tired. They already have a percentage. They are still the contractor. They are still the supplier. Unfortunately, only a few people raise this issue. We in the Philippine National Police. I’ve been talking to your Command Executive Senior Police Officer, Louie S. Makilan, and all the other Regional Executive Senior Police Officers. When they visited me two weeks ago, that was about three weeks ago.

We are willing to give or contribute a reasonable percentage of our pension plan or of our pension to national government to address this big issue. But it’s saddening. Nothing have we heard from our legislators that they are willing to give up their pork barrels. Even just saying that we reduce the pork barrel. But nobody, for some reason, nobody would admit that they do have pork barrel. But now that I am with local government, the fact remains that there is still pork barrel.

We, in the uniformed service, both from the armed forces and from the Philippine National Police, we risk our lives. We risk equality time with our family. And we are willing to give up a small amount of our pension just to help national government. Just to address this huge deficit. Just to address this big national debt.

We will wait whatever our “patriotic” legislators will tell. We will wait for them to speak. Hopefully, one of them will come out in the open and tell us it is about time that legislators should also give a big contribution to address national government issue, especially on our financial debt.

Well, we Filipinos all live in this hellhole of a state run bey feudal oligarchs who only cared about their families and stomachs while the average citizen had to deal with a debt that they’re not even responsible for. The country will soon be blacklisted by the world for its everlasting inability to pay the debt incurred by the greatest post-Spanish caudillo in history whose son currently rules the country today with extreme incompetence, and the average Filipino completely shunned from the international community. The average Filipino might as well be picked up somewhere in a garbage pit at this point.

My father passed away when he was 60. He was riding in a car with his friend driving. They were heading home from a convention. My father dialed my mother on his cell phone, but before he could utter a word to her, he had a massive heart attack.

His friend, noticing my father’s condition, pulled the car to the side of the road and stopped. He was the only one in the car with my father. He could have dialed 911 to get help there faster, he would have known where on the interstate they were. He was trained in CPR, and could have begun life-sustaining procedures to keep blood flowing to my father’s brain and organs.

Instead, he prayed. He prayed for my father’s life, and his own conscience.

My mother recognized that my father was in distress, so she called 911 on the other line while screaming into the connection she had with my father, trying to get some aid. She told the 911 operator what interstate they were on and about where she estimated they would be on it, based on how long they had been driving.

My father’s friend kept praying. He never began CPR or called 911 to help them find my father.

An ambulance did come, and they began CPR and took my father to a hospital, but it had been too long and he did not make it.

The praying was ineffective. CPR could have helped. This man is no longer a family friend.

Praying is only helpful to the one who is praying. It is not helpful to the ‘recipient’ of the prayer. If I am ever in this situation, I would always prefer action to prayer.

Fix Bayonets – Band of Brothers

This is a widespread belief amongst them.

But Li! That’s over 100 years old! Surely they’ve moved on. Some of them have but many have not.

All that’s happened is that they’ve become better at hiding it.

Now and again however they let the mask slip and reveal their mentality that they’re superior.

I’ve already derped on Colin Riegels plenty (he’s literally an imperialist who supports American destruction and thinks mass murder of Iraqis was merely a mistake). Remember Colin is a middling person in middle england with a middle income job and is highly representative of middle england.

Today I will turn my focus on Richard Lock, he’s the bald guy. He’s written some very erudite things… but something exposed him recently (6–8 months ago) well two things but I’m only going to focus on one.

He was writing about LGBTQ rights and about such rights outside Europe.

He said and I paraphrase: If [other] nations do not take up LGTBQ rights like us then they’ll be left behind.

I was what? He’s pretty much saying what imperialists of the past have said! If these savages don’t follow the SUPREME MASTER RACE then they’ll be left behind. I don’t bash gays, I don’t particularly care, I do care that there are plenty of bigots who will use it as a shield to be racist or bigoted to others.

That’s not a million miles away from what Churchill a well known white supremacist would be saying.

A stray cat that is too weak to stand, staggers for help..

My father spent a few years in prison for federal firearms charges. He was in his mid-70’s when incarcerated.

Over those years I found that it didn’t really matter what I wrote to him — he was just so thrilled to get a letter from me, it could have been un-illustrated Dr. Seuss poems and he would have loved it.

As recommended in the excellent answer by Jim Christmas, there’s no point in self recriminations or reminding the inmate of where they are.

They have very limited lives, so living vicariously is one of the best ‘escapes’ you can offer. Long, newsy letters about the minutiae of your daily life will be gleefully read, re-read, and shared with pride.

Every time my father called me after receiving one of my letters — which were, I’m ashamed to admit, far too few and far between — he would come to tears on the phone, trying to explain how much it meant that I had taken the time to write and post a letter to him.

Your hastily-scrawled note can be the only bright spot in a day that is boring at best, violent at worst.

Don’t hesitate or try to find the perfect words; just tell your dad how you’re doing, what’s going on in your life, and that you’re thinking of him.

Eventually my father asked me to send him photos of myself and I was concerned, not knowing why he wanted them. I sent him a couple of recent, candid headshots figuring nothing too awful could come of it.

Several months later, I received the most beautiful hand-drawn portraits based on those photographs. These are some of my most prized possessions.

Nothing is free in prison. My dad says he paid $100 per drawing. It may have been significantly more or less than that, but was most likely paid in barter of some sort.

My point is…I don’t know your relationship with your father at all.

I can only encourage you to reach out to him as much as you are able. To treat him as a human being and not a caged animal.

To be wary and take care of yourself, and also to open your heart as far as you can and still be true to yourself.

All my best to you and your family.

This girl takes the cake by far.

 

Hannah Sabata, at the age of 19, robbed a local bank at gunpoint on November 27, 2012. She actually managed to get away with it, so why am I mentioning her on this answer if she was successful in her crime?

Well, after she robbed the bank, Sabata decided that it was a good idea to post a video on YouTube titled “Chick Bank robber” in where she admitted to stealing a car and driving it to Waco in order to commit the robbery. She then explained in her video how she managed to get away with $6,000 worth of cash; she even held up the keys of the car she stole.

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HEY GUYS, I JUST ROBBED A BANK AND NOW I’M MAKING THIS VIDEO TO INFORM YOU OF IT!

Unsurprisingly, she later got a wake up call by the police and Polk county authorities who placed her under arrest. Investigators then found the stolen money. She was convicted and given 10–20 years in prison, a sentence she’s been serving since June 2013.

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You can still find her video on YouTube. Anyway, she’s my nomination.

Pizza Porn

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Michael Jefferson

B.J. Workman’s hammer bangs loudly against the Town Hall steps.Brady Tasker goes back to the truck for more wood and a cigarette.B.J. is known throughout the town of Dorset as a lanky, perpetually tanned, reliable, and likable craftsman with a loving wife and an average I.Q. He and his stocky, bearded drinking buddy Brady have been the town’s go-to builders for decades and are familiar faces throughout town.Standing in the hallway a few feet from the steps, Chief Colt Kennedy whispers to Mayor Grayson Levant.“Everything’s going according to schedule. Dorset will be ours within two weeks.”“Good. If we succeed here then it’s on to the state capital, then Washington D.C. We’ll achieve domination without having to fire a shot.”B.J.’s ears perk up. He pretends to measure the steps.Broad-shouldered, with light hair and sharp features, Chief Kennedy often stops to chat with B.J. and Brady. Lately, he’s been giving them probing, icy stares. The same is true of Dorset’s pudgy, balding Mayor, whose once inviting smile has turned predatory.“Do we have enough lubricant?” Mayor Levant asks.“Yes. It’s plentiful here in the form of chocolate milk.”Chief Kennedy gives B.J. a hard glance.“Is Workman on the list?”“No. His intelligence level is too low. Cyrus will deal with him.”B.J.’s mind shifts to Cyrus, the newest addition to the police department. Cyrus is an ill-tempered German shepherd who seems to enjoy intimidating him.B.J. hammers at the steps.“Do you think he heard us?” Chief Kennedy asks.“He has ears.”B.J. carelessly drops his tools in the back of the pickup.“What’s up with you, clumsy?” Brady asks.“Something odd is going on around here.”“Yeah, it’s that we worked through lunch. Drop me off at the bar. I could use some liquid refreshment.”“No, not that. I heard the Mayor and Colt talking about taking over the town, and the government. I think we’re being invaded, Brady.”

“I always thought you were a liberal. I never thought you’d wanna throw immigrants out of the country. There’s enough work for everybody.”

“I’m not talking about people from other countries. I mean extraterrestrials. Aliens.”

“I’ve always loved you’re over the top sense of humor.”

 

 

Finishing his lunch, B.J. walks through the park to meet Brady at the pickup.

He sees three kids running in circles, whipping each other with tree branches. Curious, B.J. approaches two other children reading comic books on a bench.

“What are they doing?”

A girl with oval glasses looks up. “Playin’ army.”

“What’s that you’re reading?” B.J. asks.

“The Sub Mariner versus the Fantastic Four.”

“Cool. I remember reading that when I was a kid.”

“They had comic books when you were a kid?”

“Must’ve been written on stone,” a towheaded boy says without even looking up.

B.J. walks away muttering that the next generation will destroy the world.

 

 

“You have the estimate for the job?” B.J. asks as he and Brady walk up the steps of the Dorset Premier Theater.

A loud crash stops them cold.

“Sounds like breaking glass,” Brady says.

The two men enter the building in time to see the theater’s owner, Griffin Frye, being chased by his wife Fiona, who is holding a hammer.

Fiona’s normally stylish hair is standing on end. Her clothes are ruffled, and she’s puffing like a locomotive operating at high speed.

Seeing B.J. and Brady she curses unintelligibly, turning away.

Twice his wife’s size, the theater owner is bleeding from his forehead and has a bruised cheek.

“What did you do? Suggest a revival of “Oh, Calcutta?” Brady jokes.

“The remodeling project,” Griffin gasps. “We were talking about rebuilding the theater.”

“If money is the problem, we can find a way to cut some of the costs,” B.J. says.

“She doesn’t want to do it.”

“What? She was all charged up about a couple of days ago.”

“She was different a couple of days ago,” Griffin says, rubbing his head. “She was the woman I married, gentle, thoughtful. Now she’s acting like a rabid dog. Everything upsets her, and she’s talking crazy. Something about turning the theater into a hive.”

“A hive?” Brady asks. “You’re gonna make honey in the theater?”

“Not that kind of hive. She said it’s going to be a sanctuary for the new breed.”

“New breed of what?” Brady asks.

“Beats me.”

“Looks like she already did,” Brady cracks.

“You should put something on that cut,” B.J. says. “C’mon out to the truck. I’ve got a first aid kit.”

 

 

B.J. is tending to Griffin’s wound when Chief Kennedy and Mayor Levant pull up to the theater.

Fiona runs out of the theater toward them, pointing at her husband. Mayor Levant grabs her by the arms, trying to control her agitated movements.

Cyrus bounds out of the back seat of the Chief’s car, barking loudly at B.J.

“I hate that thing,” B.J. says.

“Sounds like the feeling is mutual,” Brady replies.

“At ease, Cyrus,” Chief Kennedy says, and the dog immediately squats obediently, staring at B.J. with angry silence.

His jawline clinched, Chief Kennedy strides toward them.

“You ought to put a muzzle on that frankfurter,” Brady jests.

Chief Kenndy’s voice is languid and grim.

“He doesn’t like riff raff.”

“Riff raff?” Brady shouts. “We played football together in high school, Colt. I blocked for you, Golden Boy!”

Chief Kennedy turns to Griffin. “Are you abusing your wife?”

“What? Look at him, Colt!” Brady jumps in. “It’s the other way around.”

“Stay out of this, Brady. Well, Griffin?”

“She’s been argumentative and violent lately. She’s talking crazy about turning the theater into some kind of hive.”

Chief Kennedy’s dead stare momentarily wavers.

“She certainly sounds unstable. We’ll take her to the psych ward for tests.”

“Wait a minute, Colt, that’s a bit extreme.”

“I’m sure she’ll be fine in a few days,” Chief Kennedy replies dispassionately. “In the meantime, you should get that cut looked at.”

Their jaws drooping loosely, the three men watch Chief Kennedy walk back to Mayor Levant and Fiona.

“I’ve never seen Colt like this, so detached and emotionless,” B.J. comments.

“And that’s not the woman I married.”

“Well, at least the three of us haven’t changed,” Brady says.

Chief Kennedy and Mayor Levant stare blankly at the three men. Growling, Cyrus jumps into the back seat.

“This one needs an adjustment. She nearly gave us away,” Mayor Levant says, pushing Fiona into Chief Kennedy’s grasp.

 

 

B.J. pulls his truck into Cordell Cooper’s Lumber Yard.

The two men look around the yard.

“Kinda quiet,” Brady notes. “You usually hear the sound of buzz saws and forklifts.”

“Hang by the truck. I’ll go see if Cordell’s in.”

B.J. enters the office, finding the burly owner sitting with his feet up on the desk, sipping from a carton of chocolate milk.

“I’m here to pick up my order, Cordell.”

“I don’t have any wood,” Cordell replies lackadaisically.

 

 

“What? You’ve got a whole lumberyard of wood,” B.J. says. “C’mon, Cordell, I need it to finish the job at town hall. All you have to do is get up off your lazy butt and help me and Brady load up my truck.”

“I gave everybody a few days off,” Cordell says in a listless voice, hooking his thumbs in his bib overalls.

“What is this? National My Head is Made of Wood Week?”

“Come back in two days,” Cordell says flatly.

“Me and Brady can load it on our own. How much do I owe you?”

“Take what you need. Pay me when you can.”

Reaching into his pocket, B.J. pulls out his wallet, throwing down a series of bills on Cordell’s desk.

“There. Two hundred. Keep the change. I wouldn’t start giving away your wood. You’re gonna need it.”

B.J. and Brady load the wood into the back of the pickup.

“He really said that?” Brady asks.

“Yep. The cheapest man in Dorset was willing to let me pay him whenever I felt like it. That proves things aren’t right in this town.”

 

 

“Something funny is going on around here, Boo Boo.”

Kara looks up from her soup, smiling. The hippie-drenched brunette never tires of her husband calling her Boo Boo because it reminds her of when they met.

“Everybody’s getting edgy, rude. And a lot of folk have closed up their businesses or stopped caring about them. Brady and I went to the diner this morning. Miklos had to serve us because Millie and Molly have stopped showing up. Then we went to Cordell’s lumberyard. Not only was he grumpy, he could have cared less if we took every plank of wood he had.”

“Maybe it’s the effect of Daylight Saving Time,” Kara offers. “People act squirrelly sometimes because of the time change.”

“Maybe that’s it. But I overheard Colt and Mayor Levant talking today. They’re plotting together on something.”

Kara chuckles. “Probably an app for tourists or a new way to give out parking tickets.”

B.J. stretches. “Think I’ll take a walk. You want to come?”

“Thanks, but I’m in the middle of a really cool sci-fi book.”

B.J. walks out the back door, heading for Wells Walk, one of the less frequented hiking trails in town.

Walking down the path, B.J. is captivated by the presence of thickening smoke and a bright white light ahead of him.

 

 

B.J. cautiously creeps along the path, careful not to rustle the twigs and branches in his way.

Through the dense smoke, B.J. can make out Cyrus’ form ahead of him in a clearing.

He takes cover behind a tree, his hand touching some sap.

What he sees makes his entire body shake.

Chief Kennedy, Mayor Levant, and Cordell Cooper are standing around a stone pit.

A blinding light and thick smoke are rising from it.

Inside the pit is a metal chair.

Brady is strapped to the chair.

Chief Kennedy and Cordell pour a vat of dark liquid over Brady, who remains impassive and still.

The chair slowly sinks into the pit.

Moments later the chair rises.

Brady’s body is concealed in a dark shell.

Easing him out of the chair, Mayor Levant cracks the shell with a hammer.

The four men bow to each other.

“The conversion will be complete in two days,” Mayor Levant says. “Then you’ll be part of the hive.”

Moving closer, B.J. steps on a twig.

Cyrus’ ears perk up.

“What is it, Cyrus?” Chief Kennedy asks.

Barking loudly and incessantly, Cyrus charges down the path toward B.J.

 

 

B.J. sits up in his bed, panting loudly.

“Boy, have you been having a bad dream,” Kara says.

B.J. forces a laugh, rubbing the sap in his hand.

B.J. knocks on Brady’s door, worried they’re already late.

Brady’s wife, Diana, opens the door holding a glass of chocolate milk.

“What do you want?”

“My partner.”

“He’s sick,” the normally cheerful blonde says cooly, sipping her chocolate milk. “He’ll be better in a couple of days.”

“Jeez. That’s everybody’s excuse lately,” B.J. says. “Did I see him last night on Welles Walk?”

Diana gives B.J. a long, bottomless stare. “He came home after work feeling lightheaded. Then his stomach started to bother him. He’s going to need to take a couple of days off.”

“I was sure I saw him out on Welles Walk last night.”

“Must’ve been someone else,” Diana says, her stare turning threatening. “Maybe you dreamed it. It’s possible, right?”

“Oh, yeah, right. Can’t I see him for a minute?”

“You can see him in two days,” Diana says, slamming the door.

 

 

After lunch B.J. passes through the park, spotting the same group of kids he’d seen earlier in the week.

The five children are sitting calmly on the benches, their attention focused on their books.

The books are cream-colored with gold lettering in script.

“I’ve never seen that comic,” B.J. says.

“It’s not a comic book,” the girl with the oval glasses answers. “It’s the word.”

“The word?”

The girl holds up the book. B.J. stares dumbly at the lettering, unable to read it.

“Our laws,” the girl says coldly.

“You kids are kinda young to be studying law. And what language is that?”

The five children look up at B.J. with the same dead stare.

“I liked you ragamuffins better when you acted like kids.”

 

 

“So, any major news, Boo Boo?” B.J. asks.

“I wish you would stop calling me that.”

“Boo Boo? I’ve been calling you that since we met at Brady’s Halloween party twenty-five years ago. You made such a pretty ghost.”

Kara’s manner and speech turn frosty. “We’re adults now. It’s time we focus on a better life.”

Kara goes to the refrigerator. Returning with a carton of chocolate milk, she pours him a glass.

“Drink some milk, It’s good for you.”

“No, Boo Boo. I don’t want it. You know I’m lactose intolerant.”

“It’ll help you sleep. Don’t make me force you to drink it.”

B.J. reluctantly downs the glass of milk. Almost immediately, he feels jittery, and his vision begins to blur.

“My own wife… You’re a part of it too…,” B.J. says, closing his eyes.

 

 

When B.J. wakes up, he finds himself walking alongside Chief Kennedy in the darkness. Cyrus leads away, occasionally looking back at B.J.

Smoke rises ahead of them, covering a clearing. A bright light emanating from a pit forces B.J. to shield his eyes.

Chief Kennedy pushes B.J. along the path. “You should be proud of yourself, B.J. You were on the disposal list until you started snooping around. It showed us your deductive powers are much higher than we thought. Besides, it’ll be nice for Kara to have a partner.”

They stop when they reach the clearing. Smoke rises from a nearby bottomless stone pit.

Brady, Mayor Levant, and Cordell are holding onto Griffin, who struggles to try and free himself.

“What is this? What are you doing?” B.J. asks frantically.

“The conversion,” Mayor Levant replies.

A metal chair rises from the pit. Still struggling, Griffin is forced into the chair and strapped in.

Brady and Cordell pour a vat of dark liquid over him.

“…Please, help me, B.J.,” Griffin pleads as the chair sinks into the pit. “They’re going to turn me into one of them… A creature with no emotion! No soul! No love! They’re going to do it to you too!”

“The conversion is painless, as long as you don’t resist,” Mayor Lavant says.

B.J. spots a nearby large rock.

“Well, I’m sure as hell going to resist,” he says.

Reaching for the rock, he slams it against the back of Chief Kennedy’s head, bloodying his skull.

Dazed and angered, Chief Kennedy turns to face B.J.

His head splits open, revealing the heads of dozens of humanoid, reptilian, and other nightmarish creatures.

“The essence of those we have assimilated,” Mayor Levant says.

The creatures snap and snarl at B.J.

B.J. drops the rock as he watches Chief Kennedy’s wound close, and he returns to his human form.

“It’s time for you to join us,” Mayor Levant says as Brady and Cordell grab his arms.

 

 

B.J. calmly eats his shredded wheat at the breakfast table, staring ahead at nothing in particular.

Kara walks past the table, nodding at him.

“Don’t forget to drink your milk.”

Pre-Historic Mega Structure Discovered in Montana, USA – Sage Wall

A British tabloid made a startling discovery this week: it turns out that Russia has weapons capable of wreaking untold devastation upon its enemies.

What got The Express’ knickers in a twist this time was the K-564 Arkhangelsk, a Yasen-M class nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine that recently underwent sea trials and is expected to enter service in December.

While the newspaper fears that this submarine “could be undetectable by Western adversaries” and could pose a serious threat to “NATO military bases, naval convoys, and onshore critical infrastructure during a crisis,” it remains to be seen what Arkhangelsk is truly capable of.

Here is what is currently known about the sub:

◻️ It can dive up to 600 meters deep and has a maximum speed of 16 knots on the surface and 31 knots underwater;

◻️ The submarine has a crew complement of 64 and an endurance of about 100 days, limited by food and maintenance requirements;

◻️ The vessel’s armament includes 533mm torpedo tubes and vertical launch silos for Oniks anti-ship cruise missiles, Kalibr cruise missiles and Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles. Both Kalibr and Zircon missiles are nuclear-capable.

Older Men Over 40 Are Enjoying Single Life – Young Men Are Warned About Marriage

At the beach with a girlfriend, we found a small zippered case which was loaded with Jewelry. My girlfriend pointed out that there were a lot of very expensive pieces. She pointed out jewelry with 18k stamped on them and told me that the gems set in some of the jewelry were very expensive. There was nothing in the case which could identify the owner. We placed an Ad in an area where the beach is located. All the Ad said was, Jewelry Case and Jewelry found on Santa Monica Beach. The ad also said to call with a description of the case and the jewelry. We had some dishonest people respond yet we also found the owner after 2 weeks. She called. Descriped the case in detail to include a tiny rip on one of the sides. She also had a list of every piece of Jewelry in the case along with some photos. We agreed to meet her at a Restaurant in Santa Monica. Very nice Gal and yes, the Jewelry was definately hers. She then offered us $200.00 for going to the effort in finding her. We both declined this. After coffee, she left and gave both of us a huge hug. After she left, my girlfriend saw an edge of what she thought was a $100.00 Bill slipped under a coffee mug. She moved the coffee mug and there were 2, $100.00 bills. Since we had her phone #, my girlfriend called and said she was more interested in her getting her jewelry back and we did not need a reward. The gal said if it weren’t for us, she would not have any of her jewelry left. We ended up accepting the $200 bucks she left us. My girlfriend and the gal with the Jewelry actually became friends. This was years ago and they are still friends even though we broke up years ago. It was a very positive feeling to have been able to find and return the missing case and jewelry.

Roasted Pepper and Gorgonzola Pizza

roasted pepper1 2 300x225
roasted pepper1 2 300×225

Chicken Gorgonzola 300x225
Chicken Gorgonzola 300×225

Ingredients

Pizza

  • 1 Boboli or homemade crust
  • Garlic Oil Sauce
  • Mozzarella cheese, grated
  • Gorgonzola cheese
  • Roasted red bell pepper strips

Garlic Oil Sauce

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic

Instructions

Pizza

  1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spray or grease a pizza pan or stone.
  2. Top crust with Garlic Oil Sauce, mozzarella cheese, gorgonzola cheese and bell pepper strips.
  3. Bake on the bottom rack of oven for 8 to 12 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is piping hot.

Garlic Oil Sauce

  1. Puree olive oil and garlic in blender.

Compilation: Time Travel stories!

Power blocking all of Chicago

LOL I was in a shopping mall one time and this little kid, maybe 3 years old, was mad at his grandmother about something (I think she told him he couldn’t have a cookie or something like that) and he threw himself on the ground and was screaming and crying. She simply sat down on the bench and watched him, then took out her phone and was fiddling with it, but kept her eye on him even though he wasn’t aware of it. When he saw she wasn’t watching, he stopped crying for a moment and just stared at her. She took an extra moment, then looked at him and said, “You done?” He started screaming again, then she shook her head, acted like she was dialing a number, and said something like this (I’m having to paraphrase, it’s been some years):

“Yes, is Santa there, please? Yes, I’ll hold. *pauses* “Santa! How are you, my old friend?” *pauses, nods like she’s listening* “Ah-huh. Yes. Oh, that’s wonderful!” The little kid’s now stopped crying and is looking at her like, what? She went on. “Yes, I’m afraid I’m having to report my grandson.” His eyes got huge and he stared at her like she was doing the worst thing imaginable. “Yes, he’s acting up. No, no, nothing like that, but he’s being stubborn about my not giving him a sweet.” *pauses* “Why, yes, I remember your wife’s cookie recipe! They’re delightful!” *pauses again, nods like she’s agreeing* “What a wonderful idea! I’ll tell him. And yes, that is sad, but it must be so. All right, I’ll catch up with you later. Have a good one! Give Henry the Elf a hug from me.” With that, she hung up and looked at her grandson gravely. “That was Santa. He said for every time you give me trouble this year, I’m to report your bad behavior and he’ll update this list. Keep it up, and you’ll get nothing. So you have to be good, okay?”

I tell you, this child wiped his face and nodded, then came up and gave her a hug. “I sowwy, wandma.” She hugged him and told him she loved him, but she’s not being mean grandma when she doesn’t give him what he wants, she has a reason she’s saying no.

I was completely floored. Epic Grandma FTW!

Living in VIETNAM VS CAMBODIA & Why I Prefer Cambodia

Vintage beer and coffee

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Final arguments had just concluded in a week-long will contest where I was representing the proponent of the will, a very nice, but shy, 56-year-old woman. After the judge instructed the jury, the jury stood up and went into the jury room. We started moving from the counsel table towards the aisle. Simultaneously with the last juror in closing the door, my client fell face down on the floor without even putting out her arms. Her body hit with a thud and her head bounced off the floor once, smashing her nose. Then, a second or two later, her entire body went into rhythmic muscle contractions, from her neck to her feet, which lasted for several minutes while the judge, the bailiff and the opposing counsel started to panic. I was in shock for a second or two, then yelled, “call an ambulance!” (To be fair, everybody may have been yelling the same thing.)

My immediate thought was “she’s dead, she’s had a ‘sudden death’ heart attack.”

The judge then said, “I’ve got to call a mistrial.”

Fortunately I had sense enough to object to that, pointing out that the jury had already closed the door and did not see who was sick or dead, so it could not influence their verdict. (And I sure didn’t want to try the case again, possibly without my client!) The judge agreed and instructed the bailiff to keep the jury room door shut.

By then, my client’s convulsions had ceased and I bent down to feel her pulse. When I put my fingers on her neck, she let out a moan, but stayed unconscious. She was alive, which was an enormous relief to everyone in the courtroom, but she didn’t seem like she was going to recover anytime soon, if at all.

Then the jury knocked on the door! The bailiff poked his head in and learned they had a verdict. That was quick. He told them that the judge had other issues to take care of and that they had to remain in the jury room.

The ambulance came and carted her off. As soon as they entered the elevator, the judge called the jury back in. I was standing alone at the counsel table. The jury held in our favor. After the jury was discharged, a couple of jurors asked where my client was and they were shocked. They had not heard a thing in the jury room.

Fortunately, my client’s diagnosis was “anxiety and panic attack” and was released the next day. But I would have bet the farm that when they rolled her out of the courtroom, it would probably be the last time I saw her. Glad I was wrong.

Why would anyone live in the Philippines instead of Thailand or Vietnam?

Don’t Break Character

Submitted into Contest #250 in response to: Write a story in which someone is afraid of being overheard. view prompt

Katariina Ruuska

“How does this number look to you?” The man opposite me slides a piece of paper across his desk and my eyes have to scan over it three times for the number to register in my brain. It’s at this moment that I believe in God again. Almost a decade of rejections, doors slammed in my face, and scraping by on instant noodles now, finally, all seem worth it.I look up at the man, who, upon seeing the stupefied expression on my face, breaks into a big smile, his straight white teeth revealing that he hasn’t seen the bottom of an instant noodle cup in a very long time. “I take it you’re pleased with the number?”“Mr. Murdoch, I don’t think Hollywood actors get paid these kinds of sums.”“It’s Neville, please.” He flashes that smile again. “The compensation is proportional to the difficulty level of the job. It takes a very special kind of actor to perform in a virtual reality simulation for our thrill-seeking luxury clients. You’ll portray a range of characters of different genders and ages, and the script can be flipped at any moment.”“That’s the reason I signed up,” I say honestly. “Acting in a simulation sounded like a really interesting challenge.”Neville leans across the table and pats my forearm with his neatly groomed fingers. “And that’s why we picked you. You were the perfect blend of versatility and improvisation skills we’ve encountered in an actor.”I feel my chest swell with pride. He leans back in his chair. “Now, today is your final audition, which means you get to try the simulation, see what it’s like to act as different avatars, and think on your feet. You’ll be acting opposite the Professor — a grand actor whom you’ll absolutely love — and the setting of the story is a lab where the evil government is out to get him.”He makes a mock “oooh” gesture and continues, “You’ll be playing three different characters and we’ll make our final decision based on your best performance. Have you had a chance to look at the script yet?” 

I nod and pull out the stack of papers I’ve highlighted with a yellow marker. “Yes,” I say. “Many times over and I have some questions.”

 

Neville nods. “Absolutely. You can ask our director in a minute when you meet her. Now, let me show you to your pod.”

 

With one swift movement, he’s up on his feet, holding the door open for me. I shove the script awkwardly back into my bag and get up from my chair.

 

He leads me down a long corridor that’s the kind of white that blinds your eyes, peppered with the latest tech, oozing money and power. Our footsteps sound almost illegally loud in the thick silence.

We pass an unlabeled room that’s open and, just before the door closes in my face, I catch a glimpse of a man wearing a helmet lying inside a white pod with a laser-like light scanning his body.

 

“Hey, is that the other actor?” I say, pointing at the closed door.

 

Neville nods. “Sure is.”

 

“Do you mind if I go say a quick hello? I always like to meet my colleagues.”

 

Neville gives a slight shake of his head and places his hand lightly on my back, leading me away from the door. “I’m afraid that’s not such a good idea. The Professor has a very specific process that he doesn’t want interrupted.”

 

“Oh.” I nod and don’t insist. Far be it from me to interrupt a fellow actor’s process.

 

“And we’ve arrived.” Neville scans his retina outside another room and I hear the heavy door open with an impressive clunk. “After you.”

 

I step in, and am greeted by a white pod, just like in the room we passed by earlier, and a wrinkly, sour-looking woman standing by it.

 

“This is Amanda, our genius director,” Neville introduces her.

 

I grasp her clammy hand with mine. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I say. The woman forces a smile that looks like a real effort to produce. “Hello,” she manages.

 

“Rose has some questions about the script,” Neville says brightly, and Amanda’s head snaps toward me. “Oh?”

 

“Yes,” I say, pulling the pages out of my bag. “For example, on page 2, Robert says ‘Hello, how are you?’ I was wondering if I could say ‘Hey, what’s up, man?’ instead? I think it would fit his character better.”

 

Amanda stares at me like you would at moldy cheese and gives me one of those smiles again. “Sure, honey, say ‘What’s up?’” Then she gestures towards the pod. “Lay down there.”

 

I slide into the smooth bean-shaped device, and Neville helps place a helmet with a reflective surface on my head.

 

“I don’t know if you’ve experienced a simulation before, Rose, but you’ve never experienced anything like ours,” he enthuses. “Everything feels completely real. You can taste an apple and feel the sun on your skin. You don’t need to move a muscle in the pod. You just move your legs in your mind and, ta-da, your avatar walks.”

 

“Cool,” I say.

 

“Just remember our one cardinal rule. Don’t…”

 

“…break character,” I complete his sentence.

 

“That’s right.” He nods approvingly. “Now, if you’re ready, I think we can begin.”

 

I feel my heart rate go up, not knowing what I’m up against, but as I don’t want to appear difficult by asking too many questions, I just shrug and say “Sure.”

 

“Marvelous,” Neville trills, then proceeds to push a button on the side of the pod. “Scene 1: Robert,” I hear him say and the next thing I know, I feel water flowing over my hands from a faucet. I look up and startle a little as I see a clean-shaven man staring at me, but then realize it’s just my reflection in the mirror. Well, my avatar’s reflection. Robert. 36 years old. PhD in experimental physics. Best friend of the Professor.

 

Neville wasn’t kidding. This tech is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. I locate the hand towels quickly, wipe my hands dry, taking a second to marvel at how I can feel the texture of the paper rubbing against my skin. But then, since time’s a-wastin, I snap back to my current reality, to page 1 of the script, and step out of the men’s room.

 

“Whoa!”

 

I literally bump into a man with a bushy beard and thick black glasses.

 

That’s the Professor, I hear Amanda’s voice in my ear, and my startlement switches into a friendly smile. “Hey, what’s up, man?” I say with my character’s deep bass. “Sorry about that. You okay?”

 

“Yeah, fine, fine,” the Professor says absent-mindedly.

 

“Yeah?” I say, returning to the script. “And how’s the project?”

 

“The project…” the Professor says but instead of finishing that thought, he does the very thing Neville warned me about — he flips the script.

 

His gaze drops and his body starts to tremble, and I realize he’s crying. I freeze for a second, but then my improvisation training kicks in.

 

“Hey, what’s wrong?” my bass voice says and I land my big manly hand on his shoulder. The Professor keeps sobbing.

 

“You wanna talk about it, man?”

 

When he still doesn’t answer, I hook my arm around his neck. “Come on,” I say and start leading him towards the men’s room where I figure we can talk more privately. But just as we reach the door, he stops and looks up at me, his gaze turning steely. He flicks my hand off his shoulder as if it were a tarantula and shakes his head at me. “Robert would never do that,” he says, and I realize I might have just blown my shot. But before I can rectify the situation, I feel the helmet being removed from my head and then I’m back to the old me again.

 

I sit up, giving my brain a second to adjust to the quick change of scenery. Neville’s smiling at me like you do to a child who missed the goal but still tried their best. I look up at Amanda, whose eyes are fixed on her tablet, not at me, and realize the gravity of the situation. “I blew it, didn’t I?”

 

Neville offers a calming gesture. “No, no, no, don’t worry about that. This was just the first scene. Remember, we’re using the best out of the three.”

 

I give another glance at Amanda, who’s still not looking at me. “Maybe I could get some feedback?” I say. “To understand what I did wrong?”

 

Upon realizing that Amanda is more interested in staring at her tablet than actually directing me, Neville jumps in. “It’s just that men of that generation don’t usually go to the restroom together. That’s why the Professor called you out. But don’t worry, we have now rebooted and you will start again in another role.”

 

Ugh, of course! I could kick myself. I did so much preparation for my new role as a guy and yet I managed to break that one fundamental rule of dudedom. I just hope that I do better next time around.

 

Neville holds out the helmet for me. “I must apologize. We’d normally give you more time to recuperate between the scenes but since we’re in a little bit of a time crunch…”

 

“I understand,” I say and put the helmet on. “I’m ready for my next scene.”

 

Neville smiles gratefully. “Very well. Here we go, then.” He pushes the button. “Scene 2: Christy.”

 

And then the next thing I know is I’m sitting in an office, staring at my reflection on a window to my right. I’m a woman in her early 40s, and boy am I stunning with my long wavy red hair cascading over my shoulders, framing my graceful oval face.

 

I hear the door unlock and in walks the Professor. He stops in his tracks and stares at me, bewildered. “What are you doing here?”

 

“Well, hello to you, too,” I purr. “Do I need a reason to see my husband?”

 

He shakes his head with a little smile and comes to give me a peck on the lips.

 

I pat the brown paper bag next to me. “I brought lunch.”

 

“You’re an angel,” he breathes and sits down on the chair opposite me.

 

So far everything is going according to the script.

 

“So, how’s your day so far?” I say and my simulation husband looks down. “Fine,” he says.

 

I let a moment pass between us, then take his hand, just like in the script. “Come on, I know my husband,” I say, “I know when something’s on your mind.”

 

He looks up at me, and I notice a slight shimmer in his eyes. I can’t help but marvel at his subtle acting style. He makes everything feel so authentic.

 

“If anything happens to me,” he whispers in a panicked rush, “I need you to get something for me, to protect you and Cody.”

 

He’s doing it again — flipping the script.

 

“What?” I ask with a frown, playing the part of the concerned wife to perfection. “What are you talking about?”

 

But the Professor shakes his head. “No. Don’t ask ‘what.’ Ask ‘where,’ and ‘how.’”

 

I shrug. “Fine. Where? How?”

 

He nods pointedly. “You know. You of all people, Christy.”

 

Before I can say anything else, I hear Amanda in my ear: Ask him to elaborate.

 

“You need to give me more, honey,” I say with a voice that’s part confused, part terrified.

 

You will know,” he repeats. “The less I say the better. There’re ears everywhere. All you need to know is that it’s in a safe place. Do you understand?”

 

I don’t understand at all. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is that his wife understands. And she would. These characters have been married for fifteen years.

 

I nod. “Yes,” I say, offering him a knowing look. “I think I do.”

 

And then the helmet is being removed from my head again.

 

My brain takes a second to adjust back to the real me, but when it does, I see Neville looking pleased and even Amanda offers me a tight smile and a nod.

 

“How did I do?” I ask, still out of breath from the quick change of pace.

 

Neville flashes his perfect smile. “You nailed it.”

 

“Yesss!” I say, my excitement only shadowed by the fact that this was the easiest role for me to play — a cisgender straight woman. But I know that the role that’s coming up next is going to be my true trial by fire.

 

“I made some changes to the script. Work these in.”

 

I flinch as Amanda slaps her tablet onto my lap.

 

Would it kill you to say ‘please?’ I think, but then scan the changes quickly and look up at her with a perfectly pleasant smile. “Sure thing.”

 

She nods in tight-lipped approval and Neville helps me back into my helmet. “Again we’re moving at a very quick pace here but are you ready for your final scene, Rose?”

 

“Ready,” I say.

 

“Perfect. Scene 3: Cody. Action.”

 

As soon as he says that and pushes the button, I find myself staring at the Professor’s door.

 

From the outside.

 

It takes me a moment to adjust to this much smaller body, but when I do, I get right into the action on page 23.

 

“Daddy, open up!” my little boy’s voice says as my tiny fists hammer on the door frantically. “Daddy! Daddy!”

 

There’s a sound of unlocking the door. The Professor appears in front of me, hair disheveled, tie crooked. From this perspective he looks a lot taller than before. He stares at me in disbelief. “Cody? Get in! Quick!”

 

I do as he says and he locks the door behind me. “What’re you doing here? Where’s Mom?”

 

This is where I get to demonstrate my versatility as an actor. My bottom lip starts to quiver and my eyes fill with plump tears. “They took Mommy,” I sob.

 

The Professor squats to my eye level and firmly grips both of my shoulders. “Who? Who?” he repeats, shaking me with each word.

 

“The bad guys,” I say and he gets up, looking almost paralyzed by fear, running his fingers nervously through his hair. Again I marvel at his acting ability.

 

“Mommy told me to tell you there’s a map,” I say.

 

His head snaps in my direction. “What map? Where?”

 

“Mommy put it in the safe.” This is the change that Amanda added to the script.

 

The Professor looks at me, wide-eyed. “What the hell was she thinking putting it there?”

 

“Daddy you said ‘hell.’”

 

He doesn’t answer. Instead, he runs to the wall with a picture of his family — my scene 2 and scene 3 characters —, and opens it as if it were the cover of a book, revealing a rectangular steel safe behind it.

 

I hold my breath. I can sense Amanda’s eyes zeroing in on his hands, now poised over the keypad. Her intrusive, thirsty gaze prying where it’s not wanted makes me suddenly feel sick to my stomach.

 

A memory is nudging at the back of my mind. “Robert would never do that,” said the Professor in the first scene.

 

He broke character. Why would he go against the one cardinal rule?

 

Unless, of course, he didn’t.

 

The words come out of my mouth unannounced, no louder than a whisper: “There’s no map.”

 

My simulation father stops his hand in mid-air and turns to look at me. “What?” he says.

 

I clear my throat. “There’s no map.” I speak with more conviction now, although my heart’s pounding. None of this was in the script.

 

“Then why did you say there was, buddy?”

 

I shrug, my gaze downcast. “I dunno.”

 

There’s a short silence, then a gentle hand ruffles my hair. “It’s okay,” the Professor whispers, then kneels next to me and lifts my chin, looking into my eyes. “Listen. There’s something I need you to know.” He pulls me into a tight hug, his mouth so close to my ear that I know no other person can hear what he says next: “Some bad guys are trying to get what’s inside that safe,” he whispers. “They’ll do anything to get it. If they take me, I need you to remember these numbers and keep them a secret.” And then he whispers a sequence of numbers in my ear, repeating them over and over, until I feel my helmet being removed from my head, and I’m back in my body again.

 

My head’s spinning and my heart’s in my throat as my gaze travels around the room. No Amanda in sight, only Neville. He’s smiling, but it feels just a tad forced, something my acting coach would point out as “disingenuous.”

 

He clears his throat. “I see you took some liberties with the script.”

 

I speak, my voice just the right level of bright: “Improvisation is one of my fortes. I wanted to show you that I can think on my feet.”

 

“I see.”

 

A silence passes between us.

 

“Just out of curiosity,” he says at last. “What did the Professor whisper into your ear at the end?”

 

I give him a smile. An innocent, sweet, naive, and totally believable smile. Because that’s what I do; I’m an actor. A damn good one. And right now I’m acting the part of the clueless little girl they’ve written me off as.

 

“He told me I did good,” I say with not so much as a blink. Then I say goodbye, rise from the pod, step into the elevator, and exit this high tech building – all without ever breaking character.

USA has no intention to have a peace talk (with Russia). Details below.

The gathering is for USA as a leader to make sure the US followers still remember their leader-USA.

Why say USA has no intention for a peace talk?

On 2024/6/10, in a CBS interview, US senator Lindsey Graham said Ukraine is sitting on a mineral mine that worths US$10-12 trillion (on eastern Ukraine). He said the West cannot afford to lose (the Ukraine war). The West must win the war so as to make sure Russia & China cannot access Ukraine’s mineral mine. He recalled former pres Trump sent military aid to Ukraine in the form of loan.

Earlier in 2022, Washington Post reported that the Ukraine war was about national mineral & energy wealth esp lithium which is important for weapon manufacturing.

That is, the war is a tool to rob Ukraine of its rich resources.

The war has nothing to do with d e m o c r a c y either. Boy, have we been fooled?

No wonder, more than once, USA & UK stopped Ukraine from ceasefire & peace deal with Russia. … it is about m o n e y & c o l o n i s a t i o n of Ukraine.

So from now onward, dont ever support democracy movements around the globe. Dont be fooled by western politicians any more. Otherwise you are putting the life of other people at risk.

Read “America’s Deadly Export – democracy” by William Blum.

a side note

Biden & Ukraine has signed a 10-year treaty. USA promises to protect Ukraine (translation: to militarily & economically control Ukraine).

Fondue

Why or why is this no longer popular?

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In my freshman year calculus class, I had a professor who was much older and didn’t really care about the “rules” anymore. Anyway, I took his first midterm and did really poorly (got something like a 34%, and the average was around a 50%). I felt like I had done much better after leaving the test, so I emailed the professor and asked if I could see where I went wrong (he didn’t give exams back; you had to schedule an appointment with him to see your exam).

Fast-forwarding a little bit, I get into his office and he hands me the exam. I flip through the test, seeing that I got a few points off here and there for various things, but nothing significant. I get to the last question, and I see a huge red X across the whole problem and a “-45” …. but the question was only worth 15 points.

A bit shocked, I assumed there must have been a mistake. So I kindly ask him to take a look, and he says no mistake there. There was nothing written on that page so I didn’t understand. He must’ve seen my confusion, and then proceeds to rant about why I deserved the -45 for a 15-point question.

“You drew your lambda backwards. What if you drew your N like you drew your lambdas? They would become Zs!” Not only did this not make sense (if I drew an N backwards I would get a Z rotated by 90 degrees, not a Z), but it shouldn’t have mattered.

The context here is that I was solving a lagrange multipliers problem, in which you have to introduce a dummy variable in the middle of the problem that you then get rid of by the end of the problem. It’s really just a place holder, and it’s commonly denoted by “Lambda” in most texts. Anyway, I drew my lambda backwards so that the short leg was on the right side and not the left. “Egregious mistake.”

I petitioned for the points back, and he told me to drop out of physics and engineering, telling me I didn’t have a shot at succeeding. I ignored him, and he told me he’d subtract 10 more points each minute I remained in his office. Dude was a real prick.

Stephen King’s The Stand (1994) 4K

This is THE FULL movie. And it is awesome!

Just watch the first five minutes if you are not sure…

Rain, rain go away, come back on another day

It was a rape case.

I was the Defendant’s attorney and, while rape cases were, of course, not my favorite, I took this one on just like my other cases—with the goal of getting the best resolution for my client.

I met with the client (“D”) in jail. He told me that he and the complaining witness (CW) had been in a romantic relationship for a few years. They’d recently broken up and he was packing his clothes, when CW arrived at the apartment earlier than he’d expected. They started talking , one thing led to another and…in flagrante delicto, someone shows up at her door. That’s when CW decided it was rape, according to D.

I’d heard enough lame stories to appreciate that, if D was making this up, at least he’d put some thought into it.

So I did some research and learned:

* CW had no bruises anywhere on her body, despite her statement that D pushed her on the bed and forcibly held her down while committing the act;

* CW’s clothes were not torn, despite the fact that, given the circumstances, it would have been nearly impossible for D to have gotten her clothes off of her without ripping them;

*CW acknowledged that D did not have a weapon; and

* The “someone” who showed up at CW’s door was…wait for it…CW’s new boyfriend.

I took this evidence to the prosecutor and told him I thought he was probably prosecuting an innocent dude. He interviewed CW, who admitted that she was having consensual sex with D, and was embarrassed (em-bare-assed) when her new beau showed up, so she claimed it was rape.

Every time someone asks, “How can you defend people, knowing that they’re almost certainly guilty?” I tell that story.

D could have been sentenced to 20 years to life. He did a few days and didn’t have a rape conviction on his record, because he had a defense attorney.

That one case justified all of the other cases I had in which my clients had less-than-clean hands.

On a personal note, while I was glad that justice was done, it really pissed me off that this young woman was prepared to let D go to prison so she didn’t have to admit to her new BF that she was boffing her old BF. Every false rape claim, even though the rate of false rape claims is no higher than any other false criminal complaints, makes it that much harder for victims to come forward.

And this, boys and girls, is why criminal defense attorneys are your friends.

EDIT: Many readers have commented that CW should have been charged with perjury. While I definitely understand that feeling, I also get why women aren’t prosecuted for false rape claims. First, women would be less likely to report rape out of fear that they will be prosecuted if their case can’t be proven. Second–and this one is REALLY important–women who make false claims would be far less likely to ‘fess up if they knew it’d land them in the slammer. So yes, it’s very unfair that CW walked away unscathed, but the very fact that she wouldn’t be prosecuted helped make it easier for her to retract her statement. It’s not ideal, but at least it makes sense.

This is surprisingly excellent.

War.

Maybe a small-scale war.

Regardless of the scale, a war is not avoidable because WAR is in the DNA of USA & PH under Marcos is happy to make it happen for USA.

In the 2024 Defense Summit in Singapore, China spokesman asked PH pres Marcos Junior …

1, Why Marcos Jr mentioned USA 11 times in his speech. (I add) Is PH working for USA?

2, Your father (ie Marcos Senior) signed TAC (Treaty of Amity & Cooperation in Southeast Asia 东南亚友好合作条约) to jointly maintain peace in SCS. What do you (ie Marcos Junior) think of TAC?

When PH creates conflicts in SCS since March 2023, has PH complied with TAC? Has PH broken peace?

Marcos Jr was visibly uncomfortable & stammered he does not know what TAC is.

How uncomfortable? Marcos Jr gave a wry smile, straightened his clothes & touched his ear.

history of TAC:

TAC was signed in 1976/2/24 by 5 countries: Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand. Later more countries joined TAC. A total of 51 countries as of 2023. China joined TAC in 2003. USA in 2009. Japan 2004. Australia 2005.

On 2002/11/4, based on UN Charter, UNCLOS & TAC, China & 10 ASEAN countries signed DOC (Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in South China Sea 南海各方行为宣言). Philippines signed DOC too.)

See, Marcos Jr has broken both TAC & DOC. Others eg Australia & Japan also broke TAC. No need to talk about USA the global mafia.

I was feeling remarkably unencumbered and clearheaded by the time I was released from detention, due to being denied easy access to alcohol and drugs while incarcerated.

The problem was I wasn’t prepared to deal with my addictions intelligently at that point in my life, so within a few hours of hitting the streets, it was a return to business as usual for me substance abuse wise.

My license was suspended, so I called up my dealer who ran me by the liquor store after he’d sold me a pocketful of OC’s and Blue Boys.

(2 birds/1 stone)


I tried AA at the insistence of my probation officer, but my larger problem was narcotics at the time.


I tried NA at the insistence of my AA sponsor, and ended up doing lines of crushed 80mg tabs in the men’s toilet with some other attendee during the smoke breaks.


I’m of the opinion that county jails should be more aggressive about identifying symptoms of alcohol and narcotics withdrawal and offering inmates treatment options — either individual or group therapy.

It could certainly have an impact on recidivism.


Anything’s better than nothing.

(…which is what you can expect.)

Roadhouse Chili Pizza

Roadhouse Pizza 1576x2048
Roadhouse Pizza 1576×2048

Ingredients

  • 1 Boboli or homemade crust
  • 1/2 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 8 ounces canned chili with beans
  • 7 ounces canned diced tomatoes, drained
  • Hot pepper jack cheese, shredded

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spray or grease a pizza pan or stone.
  2. In a large skillet, brown ground beef and onion over medium heat; drain.
  3. Add chili and tomatoes; mix well. Spread the mixture equally over crust and top with cheese.
  4. Bake on the bottom rack of oven for 8 to 12 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is piping hot.

I was boarding a plane with my carry on when the attendant said the bins were all full and I would have to have them put my bag in the hold. I wasn’t happy, but obliged. When I got seated I realized my purse and boarding pass for the next leg of my journey were in my carry on. I ran back to tell her. She said, “Oh well. Nothing we can do about it now.” At that moment a man came up from the hold and asked what was wrong. When I told him he asked what my carry on looked like. Fortunately, it was an animal print. He went and got it and let me retreive my purse and boarding pass. The attendant had this nasty look on her face the entire time. She was not an attendant from our flight, so she soon disappeared and as our attendants were preping for take off I noticed they were closing completely empty overheads. I shouted out, “She lied to us.”

Biden, Russian military decimated. US/NATO, 5 land corridors to fight Russia. US $50B Ukraine loan

Lordy!

This guy is the “president” of the United States?

The half eaten hamburger

The USA should do nothing. It’s none of their business.

Taiwan is part of China. They have an unfinished civil war. Let them resolve the civil war.

The USA has no right to interfere in another country’s civil war or domestic affairs.

Any direct response would risk all-out war, even nuclear war. The results would be a crashed global economy, millions of casualties, and unimaginable nuclear devastation.

The term “Chinese government” is not an abstract concept. It has a two-dimensional structure: on one hand, it includes a five-tier system from the State Council down to provinces, prefecture-level cities, counties, and towns. On the other hand, it consists of dozens of departments, each of which can be categorized by national, provincial, prefecture-level, county, and town levels.

Therefore, when a foreigner criticizes the Chinese government, their criticism is necessarily directed at a specific institution within this structure. For example:

“I want to criticize the Environmental Protection Bureau of Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China,”

or

“I want to criticize the Town Government of Xinhua Street, Huadu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.”

The former targets a district-level government department, while the latter targets a town-level government.

In either case, your criticism can reach the authorities through the information channels provided by the Chinese government. These official channels include:

  1. The mayor’s hotline;
  2. The complaint hotline set up by the institution you are criticizing;
  3. The complaint channel on the State Council website;
  4. The local Petition Office;
  5. The local Discipline Inspection Commission of the Communist Party of China.

The distinctions among these channels are:

General criticisms and suggestions (such as a local restaurant emitting large amounts of smoke) can be addressed through options 1 and 2. If an institution is suspected of violating Chinese laws and administrative regulations (such as officials taking bribes), option 3 can be used. If the issue is serious, option 4 is appropriate. If the institution severely violates Communist Party rules (such as party members engaging in corruption), option 5 should be used.

In addition to these official channels, ordinary people can also use other lawful means to voice their criticisms:

  1. Calling the media;
  2. Expressing criticism on their personal social media platforms.

Some government officials’ illegal activities have been exposed through these channels.

There might be minor inaccuracies in the above description, but overall it is correct.

Therefore, as a foreigner, if you wish to criticize the Chinese government, you have up to seven options provided above. No one will arrest you because the issues you raise might be problems that others also want to address. Additionally, Chinese police are very busy with their workload and are not interested in you.

However, if you, as a foreigner, do the following:

  1. Criticize the Chinese government without specifying a particular institution;
  2. Criticize the Chinese government without providing concrete facts, only expressing opinions and attitudes;

Then you will not be welcome in China. In fact, you likely wouldn’t be welcome in your own country or anywhere else in the world. If you simply say “I hate the Chinese government” or “I hate the CPC” without providing reasons, you are undoubtedly just a racist discriminating against China. Whether such behavior will lead to arrest depends on specific circumstances:

  1. Whether you are criticizing or “badmouthing”;
  2. The context in which you speak;
  3. Your purpose in speaking;
  4. The content of your speech.

Specifically,

  1. If you have specific criticism and facts, no one will arrest you because the police won’t do something blatantly illegal that would leave them open to criticism.
  2. If you are just “badmouthing” in private or at a small gathering, no one will arrest you. This is still considered “private space.”
  3. If you badmouth simply to seem cool and provoke the police, you can try saying bad things about China directly to them. Most likely, they will give you a verbal lesson on basic decency—when in Rome, do as the Romans do, be polite and respect other countries—and then tell you to get lost. However, if you intend to spread your badmouthing to convince hundreds or thousands of people, you won’t have to wait for the police to find you; I would report you myself as a troublemaker.
  4. If you are merely making empty derogatory statements, you will just be unwelcome. But if your comments are full of malice, slander, and lies, you will undoubtedly be arrested, and rightfully so.

In conclusion, I’ve helped you analyze this issue. I hope my analysis helps you understand the following facts about China:

  1. Ordinary Chinese people criticize government institutions every day, and no one gets arrested. I personally filed five complaints against three government institutions through the mayor’s hotline last year alone.
  2. The same applies to foreigners.
  3. If you have no specific target or facts and are just badmouthing, it’s best to stay home and avoid traveling abroad, as no country will welcome you.
  4. Rest assured, if you engage in such behavior, given that the incident is international, you might make the news in China and internationally. Your benefit may be limited to becoming an internet celebrity after your release from prison.
  5. Almost all Chinese police officers are university graduates, and many have master’s degrees. Therefore, their (especially the young officers’) English proficiency is quite good, and they are courteous. If they arrest you, they will respect your basic human rights and will not beat you.
  6. Be brave and try!

P.S. Many years ago, in my city, a Russian cyclist ran a red light and was fined by the police. This clever Russian guy said in Russian, “I don’t speak Chinese, I don’t understand anything, I’m leaving, goodbye!” But to his surprise, the police officer spoke Russian. Thus, the communication barrier was eliminated, and the Russian had to pay the fine because the Chinese traffic police officer graduated from Saint Petersburg University.

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@@@@@SHORPY

One night I went to a Thai restaurant wearing black T-shirt and black jeans, looking similar to staff at that restaurant. After I greeted my friends who worked there I walked to an empty table while another friend was still chatting.

As I was about to reach my table, a customer at the table next to mine waved me down and asked me to wipe the spilled red wine on their table. I said no problem and went on to ask for a cloth from my friend at the counter. She asked if my table was dirty. I said, “no, but just give me the cloth” and she did.

I went back to the table and wiped the table. They asked me to clear some plates, asked for more water and ordered a couple more meal and extra rice. I took the order, but didn’t take plates because I wasn’t allowed to get in the kitchen area where dirty plates were to go. I told them I’d take their order to the counter, then back with water and will sort out the plates.

Another trip back to the counter. Gave the order to my friend. By that time my friends had realised what I was doing and played along. She grabbed me a bottle of water and told another girl to clear the table.

I returned to the table with water and told them the other girl would clear the table for them and that the meals would arrive shortly.

Then I proceeded to my table, sat down and started looking at the menu. The next-table guy looked at me with confused face, but said nothing. After the girl cleared the plates she came to me and took my order.

He asked with wide eyes, “Are you a staff?” I smiled and answered, “No, I’m a regular customer.”

The look on the guy’s face was priceless!

Why Are Vast Numbers Of People Relocating To Small Towns All Over The Country?

In recent years, Americans have been fleeing our largest cities in unprecedented numbers, and many of them have decided to settle down in quiet little towns all over the country.  There are many reasons why this is happening, and I will highlight several of them below.  If this trend continues, what will our major metropolitan areas look like?  Violence, theft, drugs, homelessness and international migration have all risen to crisis levels and are putting a tremendous amount of strain on our core urban areas.  Meanwhile, many small towns are absolutely booming as wave after wave of big city refugees comes pouring in. People have been leaving large metropolitan areas for a long time, but once the pandemic arrived that trend greatly accelerated

In the three years before the pandemic, counties in metro areas with at least 1 million residents lost a total 200,000 or so residents annually to other regions, after figuring both people moving in and leaving, according to the Goldman report. After COVID, those losses vaulted to 750,000 in 2021, 650,000 in 2022 and 550,000 in 2023, according to Goldman and Census data. The numbers reflect annual changes through July of each year. A separate study by Lombard shows the domestic migration losses were concentrated in the largest metro areas with more than 4 million residents. Those cities shed a total 400,000 residents annually before the pandemic and have lost 820,000, 707,000 and 591,000 residents, respectively, over the past three years.

And it is being reported that last year small towns became “the nation’s top destination for domestic migrants for the first time in decades”

Last year, about 266,000 of the big city refugees moved to metro areas with populations of 250,000 to 1 million and about 291,000 moved to areas with populations under 250,000. That made those small towns the nation’s top destination for domestic migrants for the first time in decades, Lombard says. In 2023, the New York City metro area lost 204,000 residents; Los Angeles, 119,000; and Chicago, 64,000, according to Census and Moody’s.

So why is this happening? Well, there are a number of reasons why so many people are relocating to small towns these days. For many, the quality of life in big U.S. cities has become utterly deplorable.  For example, one young Chicago mother recently had to wait for hours for a police officer to show up after masked robbers entered her home…

A Chicago mom who called 911 during a terrifying break-in was left on her own for hours — with dispatchers telling her to call her local representative to demand more police funding. Michelle called the emergency hotline six times after coming face-to-face with two masked bandits, only for the strained supervisor to tell her the city’s severe budget cuts had left them with a bare-bones staff. “A gentleman got on and said sorry to say we have no units to send you … then there was an awkward pause,” Michelle told NBC Chicago Wednesday, declining to share her name or face while her would-be robbers are still on the loose.

I don’t know why anyone would want to live in Chicago at this point. Of course the exact same thing could be said about most of our other large cities. Another reason why a lot of Americans are choosing to relocate has to do with taxes. There has been a mass exodus out of “high tax states”, and Massachusetts is one of those that is being hit really hard

Massachusetts is in danger of losing nearly $1 billion in annual revenue over the coming years as high state taxes trigger an exodus of wealthy residents. Since 2013, migration out of Massachusetts has seen an “alarming” 1,100% increase to more than 39,000 people, according to new findings published by Boston University’s Questrom School of Business. If the trend continues, more than 96,000 residents making a cumulative $19.2 billion in adjusted gross income will leave the state by 2030. The study estimates those departures would cost Massachusetts about $961 million in income tax revenue each year.

In my rankings of all 50 U.S. states, I have Massachusetts all the way down at number 44. The cost of living crisis that we are currently facing is another factor that is motivating vast numbers of Americans to relocate. At this point, we are being told that Mississippi has the lowest cost of living in the entire nation…

Imagine stepping into a world where your paycheck stretches like bubblegum and the promise of Southern charm meets you at every corner. Welcome to Mississippi, a land where the living is easy, the cost of living is easier, and every quirk adds color to the canvas of daily life. Here, your financial aspirations can don a superhero cape, albeit in a landscape peppered with challenges that keep things interesting.

One of the reasons why Mississippi has such a low cost of living is because average home prices are the lowest in the country

Mississippi’s housing costs are the lowest in the nation. Home prices range from $32,000 to $240,000 depending on the city, with an average of $162,292.

But even though it has such a low cost of living, I don’t really like Mississippi as a place to live during the chaotic times that are coming. In fact, in my rankings of all 50 U.S. states I have Mississippi all the way down at number 33. Ultimately, the cost of living is only a minor consideration when it comes to choosing a place to live during the extremely difficult years that are ahead of us. Much more importantly, you will want a location that has like-minded people, that has a low population density, that has a low risk of experiencing major natural disasters, and that is not near any important military targets. Unfortunately, such areas have become very popular in recent years and home prices are going through the roof.  For instance, the median home price in Bozeman, Montana has risen to about $770,000

Nowhere has the affordability crisis been felt as acutely as in Bozeman, a city of about 56,000 not far from Yellowstone National Park and the upscale Big Sky skiing community. Bozeman, where the median home sells for about $770,000, has had so many out-of-state arrivals over the years that Montanans sometimes refer to it as “Boz Angeles.” As high-end rentals in Bozeman spring up next to historic homes and new arrivals snap them up, a smattering of tents and RVs have begun to populate the outskirts of town: homeless residents priced out by rising rents. Many longtime Montanans bristle at the newcomers, and bumper stickers proclaiming some version of “Montana Is Full” abound, occasionally with an expletive attached. Some locals blame the popular television show “Yellowstone” for romanticizing the Mountain West, luring people to the state.

A lot of Americans now find themselves priced out of many of the most desirable communities in the country, and that is extremely unfortunate. If you are considering relocating to another part of the nation, I would encourage you to do it soon. Because global events are starting to really go haywire, and the clock is ticking.

It’s basic human psychology. When you’ve been #1 for much of your life, you want to remain #1 forever. You want to continue receiving all the perks and privileges of being #1.

So it is with the United States. It has been #1 since the end of the Second World War. It enjoys all kinds of benefits and privileges.

The USA is a capitalist state. It is largely controlled by the wealthy elite who don’t give a rat’s ass about the American people and their welfare.

This is why America is such a basket case of a nation. Look at all the domestic problems:

  • homelessness
  • gun violence
  • poor health care
  • declining life expectancy
  • poor education
  • crumbling infrastructure
  • opioid addiction
  • mass incarceration
  • systemic racism (“I can’t breathe”)
  • growing poverty and widening economic disparity
  • political turmoil (January 6, 2021)
  • crushing national debt ($35 trillion and growing by $1 trillion every 100 days)
  • etc.

Biden is in denial. The American people are in denial.

Denial is not a river in Africa.

Aeryn Goodspeed

“That shouldn’t be there…”Wren let the Stardrake cruise to a halt…well, as “halted” as anything could be in the shifting void of the universe. The impulse engine purred in its stasis, creating a soothing background noise as the old adventurer checked the readings on her screens and instruments.The sector she’d found herself in was devoid of any nearby celestial bodies, apart from asteroids that reminded her of driftwood in the ocean. Useful, sometimes, if collected from properly, and sometimes with bits of fishing line–in this case, thick, rusted cables from long-decayed shipwrecks–but simple sticks floating around in the water of space. She’d been on an internal, bittersweet nostalgia tangent about it when she’d noticed something odd pop up on her infrared reader.Something bigger than an asteroid. Or, at least, bigger than most of the asteroids around here.Her first thought had been that it could be another spacecraft, one with more of a population on it than her personal craft, but as it came into view of her illuminators she found it decidedly…organic. Far too wooden to belong in the vacuum of space.“WICR, give me a reading on this.”On her console, a silvery-blue light flickered on. WICR, which stood for Wavelength Information and Communications Relay, was essentially the brain of the ship, though it didn’t often pay attention to her unless she directly spoke to it.“A reading on what, Captain Caldwell?” said the bot’s voice. It really snuck into uncanny valley, she thought, how well WICR’s voice matched the inflection of a standard human’s voice.“Call me Wren,” she said, for perhaps the hundredth time. “Give me a reading on this unknown object we’re facing. It’s too big and too…wooden to be an asteroid.”“Certainly, Captain Caldwell,” he said, a hint of humor in his tone. There were a couple of contemplative beeps and the sound of something scanning, and she looked out the viewport at the object as a grid array appeared on it, mapping out its contours.She frowned, peering closer, then cursed as the grid vanished. “Do that again.”“The entire scan?” WICR asked.“No, the grid array. Let me see it.”The array flashed on again, lingering as she tried to make out its shape. It almost seemed like…a building?“Are you satisfied, Captain?” WICR asked.“Sort of,” she said, leaning back. “Have you finished scanning it?”“Yes. It seems to be a manufactured structure. The framework is steel and lead. The outer shell appears to be brick and mortar, made of what appears to be a mixture of wood, clay, and trace amounts of other materials. Due to the lead, it is difficult to get a reading on the inside, but–”“What’s the architecture’s origin?”“A planet known as La’uck Lao.”Wren frowned as a thought occurred to her. She was going through an asteroid field right now…“Can we get a read on some of these other objects around the ship?” she asked.WICR beeped again. More grids flashed out, flickering along contours before flitting off to the next object. Wren sat in relative silence, a feeling of dread settling in her stomach.She was getting too old for this.When WICR spoke again, his voice sounded apprehensive…or maybe Wren was projecting. “There are an odd assortment of objects out here,” he said. “Most of it is igneous stone. But there is also: Ice, plant matter such as splintered wood, and manufactured metal.”

A lot of random material, she thought. But not quite as random if my hunch is right.

“WICR, one more question,” she said. “Is there supposed to be a star system in this sector?”

“Yes,” WICR said. “The main sequence star known as Lak La’uck. It is a yellow star much like Earth’s Sun.”

“Known by whom?” she asked.

“By the people of the planet of…” A few more beeps seemed to hang in the air as Wren’s meaning registered in the AI’s computing processes. “The former planet of La’uck Lao.”

“Scan for the core of that sun, but keep a grid array on the front of that structure,” she said, pulling out her bandanna. She wrapped it around her head, securing her dreads before pulling on her space helmet.

“Are you planning on entering it, Captain?”

“Yes,” she said. “Maybe I could find out what happened here.”

“And if you encounter a life form?”

She frowned. “Doubtful.” But she grabbed her holster anyway, double-checking the charge on her photon pistol before clipping it around her waist.

The expanse of the black void was cold. It settled into her aching joints with a stinging pressure, but she ignored it–arthritis be damned, she was going to figure out what this was. She drifted toward the building for a moment, enjoying the complete and utter silence of space for a moment, before switching on the propulsion system in her boots and gliding toward the ominously angular structure.

Well, she thought, her internal monologue the only sound in the universe, at least it has a regular door.

The door yawned open for her. Apart from the lines from the array leaking in, it was pitch-black inside, so she turned on her headlamp to look around. What she saw was…eerily familiar.

Books, was her first thought.

Rows upon rows, shelves upon shelves, some drifting in the zero-gravity and some neatly stacked where they’d been for countless days, were triangular shapes reminiscent of books. The covers seemed the same thickness as the pages, and had a dark hue with lighter writing on it, but they were books. She pulled one out of its stasis and flipped it open, examining the lettering–an unfamiliar alphabet, but undoubtedly writing. She examined its texture, and realized these were made of particle wood. The cover had some sort of painting on it; green flames surrounding a figure that looked vaguely humanoid, wielding what was perhaps La’uck Lao’s version of a sword.

She looked around. There were hundreds. Thousands, maybe. She turned off her propulsion boots and “walked” along the surface, eyes searching. This was a library! Arguably, at least in her eyes, one of the most important parts of a society: its knowledge.

Her heart fluttered in sympathy as she noticed the corpses floating in the dead space between the books. Somehow, this building had survived a catastrophe that had wiped out its planet and its people. It was possible that no one in the universe would ever be able to read these books again. The bodies were frozen, preserved, faces masks of horror and hands–or whatever they had instead of hands–permanently clenched as if they had been trying to hold onto something, anything, as their planet was rent asunder.

Or whatever had happened.

“WICR?” she said into the mouthpiece, then froze.

Something was watching her.

She wasn’t sure how she knew. There were no nearby sounds, there was no flicker of light save for her own, nothing had touched her. She couldn’t even pin it on the grid array lighting up a section of the wall beside her. And yet, there was a tingle of the hair pricking up on the back of her neck, the urge to run shifting her feet.

“Yes, Captain?”

She jumped out of her skin, her heart jumping into her throat. She had to be careful of that these days. As she internally reprimanded herself to calm down, though, she took a deep breath and looked around. Nothing but her shifted, and the sensation of eyes on her had gone.

“Your vitals appear to have spiked,” WICR said. “My apologies. What did you need?”

“It’s fine.” She took another deep breath. “Can you look up any other information on La’uck Lao? Alphabet, customs, stuff like that.”

“Certainly. Please hold.”

Wren continued to look around. Carefully moving between the books, she looked around at the architecture. More wood, more stone brick. Everything seemed to be triangular. The windows, doors, even a set of derelict stairs leading up to a second floor that was no longer there.

She followed the stairs anyway, then stopped, feeling the tingle of apprehension return. Her brow furrowed, and without turning, said, “I know you’re there.”

Silence. But she expected that. Murmuring to WICR to keep at his task and ignore her unless she called for help, she continued to bounce into the remnants of the second floor. It was nothing but the approximation of a rooftop now, and she sat, running a gloved hand through waving strands of what must have been a carpet. She faced the entrance to the stairs, eyes on the yawning black hole set in the off-black contours of the library.

Then she turned off her headlamp.

The feeling of being watched intensified. She felt as though she were surrounded, footsteps of a bustling patronage nullified by the blast. If she were to stand back up, she thought, she might headbutt whatever had walked up to her. Black eyes in a black face set against a black void peered at her. Invisible, hollow, and yet there just the same.

These were probably ghosts, she thought. Spirits of a planet that had been obliterated so fast the AI databases hadn’t caught up. None of the people that had been here had been properly laid to rest, because there was nowhere to lay them but a broken library surrounded by the shreds of its world.

“You probably don’t understand me,” she said. “But I want to help. I come from a planet that was destroyed just like yours. I live on a new planet now, one that was built to give people that lost their homes a new place.”

The presences around her stilled, and now she did feel something, a light pressure on her shoulder. It pressed hard enough she could feel it through her suit, but light enough she could tell it wasn’t trying to hurt her.

Or it was, and just unable. Still, it didn’t feel aggressive.

“WICR,” she hissed. “Can you get me the word for ‘friend’?”

“One moment. Who are you talking to?”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll explain later.”

She held up the book she’d picked up from below, setting it on the floor in front of her. “I have an idea,” she said. “It might be a little hard. It’d take several trips. But I would like to move this library to my new home. But…well, I’m not really privy to your customs. It just seems more fitting for a place like this to be re-established somewhere that people of many displaced cultures can come and learn about yours.”

The pressure on her arm increased, then fell away. She still felt the presence of several somethings around her, but continued to see nothing. WICR’s voice spoke in her earpiece, and she nodded.

“Ki’lom,” she said.

Abruptly, the atmosphere seemed to change. It felt more…energetic. Twin pinpricks flashed before her, reflecting in the fiberglass of her faceplate. The book she’d placed before her was lifted up, then placed firmly into her arms.

A voice spoke, raspy but warm. “Ki’lom.”

 

*

 

Several months later, the last ship to carry the final pieces of La’uck Lao Library descended on the flatlands of Hakshaithlin. Wren and Joa, her friend from Earth, had picked out a plot of land that almost matched a photo they’d found in the old library, and it had been developed–well, about as well as it could be–to accommodate both the library and the cemetery. It was grueling work, but on a planet filled with the lucky unfortunates of the universe, most of everyone was willing to pitch in to help.

Wren stood at the gate, watching a melting pot of workers fix up what they could of the library. She held that first book in her hands–after a few months she was still missing the meaning of most of the words, but she could at least make out what they spelled out. It was a fantasy story, from what she could tell, about a legendary figure from folklore.

She found herself walking down the rows of gravestones. Or, perhaps, the word “garden” fit this plot better. The locals had planted flowers around the stones, greeting the dead into this haven just as warmly as they greeted the living.

A few rows in, she creaked her way into a seated position in front of a headstone. It had been carved with lettering found tattooed on the alien’s arm, which had been confirmed by WICR to be a form of identification. As she sat, she placed the book in her lap.

“I wish we could’ve met,” she said. “I would’ve liked to be friends.”

She felt that pressure on her arm again, and turned to see a pale, misty figure sitting beside her. She couldn’t make out a single distinctive feature save two pinpricks of light where the eyes would be, but she got the impression it was smiling. Or, well, exuded the emotion of smiling. She doubted it would look the same to her.

“Ka’ehr.”

The word barely reached her ears, and in the next moment the figure had dissolved. She thought to ask WICR to translate the word, but after a moment of thought she realized she knew exactly what it meant. She smiled.

“You’re welcome,” she said to the breeze.

I once saw one of my customers do something absolutely genius when I worked as a lowly till grunt at Sainsbury’s.

So what did this customer do? Walk up to my till with a basket of shopping, followed by a whole tray of Avocados; I reckon about 30 of them, which I dutifully scanned, slightly bemused.

Perhaps they just really love making guacamole? I thought.

These particular Avocados were nearly out of date so were heavily discounted from £1.00 to 10p each. A pair of Avocados was now a bargain at 20p.

Now, it turns out our Avocados were also on offer. Not a great offer, just buy 2, save 50p. However, the till system was apparently dumb and didn’t take into account reductions before applying this discount.

This customer clearly knew that bug existed.

So those bargain Avocados looked even more delicious when the 50p discount made them cost -30p a pair…

I stared in amusement as the -30p discounts rolled in and their shopping bill became smaller and smaller and smaller, until everything they bought was essentially free. They walked out of there smiling and I sat there, pondering just how dumb the checkout software writers were at Sainsbury’s.

Nevertheless, sometime later I emailed management and told them what I’d seen. Later that year I tried the same thing, but alas, it seems they had discovered the bug and fixed it…

Oh well, at least those guys got free shopping.

All I got was a shit load of squishy Avocados…

China is overwhelming Western Imperialism. Who is the dictator ? “必看”

Artichoke Dip Pizza

An entire pizza topping devoted to the delicious and popular artichoke dip!

artichoke dip pizza
artichoke dip pizza

Prep: 15 min | Bake: 12 to 15 min | Yield: 1 (12 inch) pizza

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1 3/4 to 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 (2 1/4 teaspoons) envelope Fleischmann’s® Pizza Crust Yeast
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup very warm water (120 to 130 degrees F)
  • 3 tablespoons corn oil

Topping

  • 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
  • 2/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 1/4 cups shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
  • 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced onion
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
  • 1 cup crushed tortilla chips
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Combine 1 cup flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add very warm water and oil; mix until well blended, about 1 minute. Gradually add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Dough should form a ball and will be slightly sticky. Knead** on a floured surface, adding additional flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes.
  3. Pat dough with floured hands to fill greased pizza pan or baking sheet. OR roll dough on a floured counter to a 12 inch circle; place in greased pizza pan or baking sheet. Form a rim by pinching the edge of the dough.
  4. Mix together artichokes, mayonnaise, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, chiles, garlic powder and minced onion in a large bowl. Stir until well blended.
  5. Layer crust with 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, topping mixture and remaining cheeses. Sprinkle with tortilla chips.
  6. Bake on lowest oven rack for 12 to 15 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and crust is browned.
  7. Remove from oven and sprinkle with parsley.

Notes

* If you don’t have a thermometer, water should feel very warm to the touch. ** To knead the dough, add just enough flour to the dough and your hands to keep the dough from sticking. Flatten dough and fold it toward you.Using the heels of your hands, push the dough away with a rolling motion. Rotate dough a quarter turn and repeat the “fold, push and turn” steps. Keep kneading dough until it is smooth and elastic. Use a little more flour if dough becomes too sticky, always working the flour into the ball of dough.

Please mark my answer for future reference.

The only way for the United States to defeat China is to make the Chinese Communist Party lose the support of its people. If this can be achieved, the U.S. wouldn’t need to go to war; it could succeed through media propaganda or NGO-led social unrest. In Sun Tzu’s Art of War, this is called “winning without fighting.”(不战以屈人之兵)

What shocked the Chinese the most about the collapse of the Soviet Union? It was that when the Soviet Communist Party was dissolved, this vast red empire, the first socialist country in human history built through countless sacrifices, did not have a single person step forward to defend it. The Chinese assessment was: “Not a single hero.”(竟无一人是男儿)

I believe the collapse of the Soviet Union had a profound impact on the Chinese Communist Party. They realized that if a party cannot provide a good life for its people, fails to listen to them, and becomes a privileged class, turning into an imperialist state that invades or economically exploits other nations (such as the Soviet actions in Afghanistan, Eastern Europe, and Warsaw Pact countries), then that party is destined to perish.

In response, the Chinese Communist Party initiated a series of rapid reforms in the 1990s, continuing to this day. These measures include:

  • Actively developing the economy to make people prosperous.
  • Prioritizing industries related to people’s daily lives over military industries, enriching people’s lives.
  • Efforts to develop agriculture, eradicating famine that had plagued China for millennia.
  • Focusing on high-tech military capabilities rather than redundant manpower tactics, cutting military personnel multiple times to release young productivity into economic activities.
  • Continuously combating corruption within the party.
  • Expanding higher education to produce numerous engineers rather than lawyers or journalists.
  • Massive infrastructure projects, extending roads and bridges to remote areas to help lift impoverished people out of isolation and change their destinies.
  • Persistently helping people escape poverty.
  • Developing the economy and improving lives in ethnic minority regions, driving out extreme religious thoughts and focusing people on the pursuit of secular happiness.
  • Implementing strict civil servant management, dismissing or prosecuting those who violate ethics or laws.
  • Encouraging people to learn, study abroad, and travel overseas to understand the outside world, rather than restricting information, while focusing on social and economic progress to let people feel that China is approaching developed country status.
  • Improving social management and administrative efficiency, addressing every social issue as much as possible.

After decades of effort, the Chinese government has made significant progress in these areas. This leads Chinese people to believe that the Chinese Communist Party can continue to govern because they are doing a good job.

I know some might say, “The CCP has all the power, and ordinary people cannot reject their rule.” But just recall the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s when hundreds of millions of angry citizens occupied government institutions, and many officials met violent deaths. That can be seen as a bottom-up power grab because people felt the government had betrayed Mao’s ideas.

In summary, if the CPC were truly terrible, a revolution in China would be inevitable because the Chinese are not superstitious. In ancient times, when Europeans believed in the divine right of kings, the Chinese perspective was “the mandate of heaven.” Only when secular life was happy would the emperor be considered a “wise ruler” by the people. Otherwise, no matter how oppressive the government was, it would eventually fall. Chinese historians would then record the fact: “A certain emperor oppressed the people, a revolution broke out, and the dynasty fell.” The CPC’s Political Consultative Conference includes many historians who, compared to Western lawyers and journalists, are the real “kings without crowns.” The good and bad of any regime cannot escape their pens.

The lyrics of the Internationale say: “There are no saviors, we rely on neither gods nor emperors.” China, having experienced dozens of dynastic changes in its history, understands well that if it betrays the people and forms a privileged class of its own, its end is inevitable. Mao Zedong’s greatness lies in educating the Chinese people with his ideology: The sole purpose of the Chinese Communist Party is to serve the people. If you find them betraying this goal, you should rise up and overthrow the regime.

As of now, I believe the Chinese Communist Party is doing well. The Chinese people trust them. Therefore, if a war were to break out between two superpowers, how could a country with 1.4 billion people under the effective 100% management of the CCP lose?

Of course, it must be acknowledged that if the U.S. continues to focus on scientific research, improving the lives of its people, and enhancing social management, instead of being run by addicts, minority groups, inexperienced businessmen, Jewish extremists, liars, and a sleepy old man, it will remain a formidable opponent.

But today’s America, while not a joke, increasingly resembles one. China hopes its enemy is the “beacon of humanity” America, not the current version.

P.S. I respect all LGBTQ+ individuals.My first degree thesis was on sexual minorities in China.In China, sexual minorities have relatively free space for their activities. However, the Chinese government prefers that it not become a public issue.The reason is that the United States has a tradition in its foreign relations: certain covert agencies identify obscure topics in other countries and, through media operations, turn them into hot issues. Then, they search for vulnerabilities behind these topics from various angles and have opinion leaders polarize the issue. Consequently, unity disappears, and social conflicts erupt. This is the typical approach of American NGOs, as I’ve observed in my 23 years of experience working on the internet. Therefore, Americans should play these games in their own country.

Hard dose of reality.

Rasta man

Many people are ignorant bigots.

The Chinese know exactly what kind of government they have. It’s not a dictatorship. It’s a uniquely Chinese form of democracy that actually works in the best interest of the Chinese.

Nobody is suggesting that Chinese democracy would work for other countries. It’s entirely up to other countries to decide how they want to be governed.

It is enough that the Chinese like their system. The following shows you how they think, especially in comparison to the Americans and British…

According to 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗮’𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗲𝘅 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰, 79% of Chinese believe their nation is democratic while only 57% of Americans and 55% of British do.

Another example, according to the 𝗘𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰, 85% of Chinese trust their government while only 40% of Americans and 30% of British do.

Another example, according to the 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯, 76% of Chinese trust their politicians while only 29% of Americans and 20% of British do.

Another example, according to 𝗜𝗽𝘀𝗼𝘀’ 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯, 91% of Chinese are happy with their life while only 76% of Americans and 70% of British are.

Another example, according to 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝘃𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗞𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗱𝘆 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟬, 95.5% of Chinese are satisfied with their government.

Another example, according to 𝗜𝗽𝘀𝗼𝘀’ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿, 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟵, 95% of Chinese believe their country is on the right track and moving in the right direction while only 41% of Americans and 23% of British do.

Another example, according to 𝗮 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟵 𝗨𝗖 𝗦𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝗲𝗴𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆, 80% of Chinese are happy and enjoy financial security.

I’ve gone back 5 years but I could go further back if you like.

Why Russia Loves Cats

French Bread Taco Pizza

Take your favorite taco ingredients, and layer them up on French bread. So easy and tasty, too!

67881t1
67881t1

Prep: 20 min | Total: 30 min | Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 loaf French bread
  • 1/2 pound ground beef
  • 2 tablespoons Old El Paso™ taco seasoning mix (from 1 ounce package)
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 (16 ounce) can Old El Paso™ refried beans
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
  • 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend
  • 1 cup shredded lettuce
  • 1 tomato, chopped

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Line large cookie sheet with foil.
  2. Cut bread in half lengthwise, then in half crosswise. Place on cookie sheet, cut sides up.
  3. Place in oven to lightly toast, about 5 minutes.
  4. In 6 inch skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat until brown, stirring frequently; drain.
  5. Add taco seasoning mix and water; cook until thickened.
  6. Spread refried beans over toasted bread.
  7. Top with beef mixture, bell pepper, onion and cheese.
  8. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until cheese is melted.
  9. Top with lettuce and tomato.

Notes

For a quick and easy dinner, cook the ground beef mixture ahead, and refrigerate. Then all you have to do at serving time is top the French bread, and bake.

"There is a saying I learned in Spanish, and the English translation is: 'People confuse being good with being a fool.'

What that means with respect to Russia is the West has interpreted Russia's patience and tolerance up to this point with outrageous actions (on the part of the West) as a sign of weakness (on the part of Russia).

That's a potentially fatal mistake.

Both President Putin, Foreign Minister Lavrov, and Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov have said the same thing this week.

It is not just a coincidence that they've made those statements—it's a coordinated message that they're sending to the rest of the world that they’re not going to take it anymore.

The United States and the West are now on notice that any further attacks inside Russia are going to be met with a response.

Some of the options Russia has, and I don't know if they're going to pursue these, but just let me lay out a couple of options they have:

They could supply more advanced missiles and rockets to insurgent groups fighting ISIS and U.S.-backed forces in Syria and could strike U.S. military bases or the bases of those entities in the Kurdish region that the United States is supporting.

They could also help the Houthis not only with improved weaponry that could actually take out a U.S. ship, but also provide intelligence that could be used, doing the same thing for the Houthis that the United States is doing for Ukraine.

Now, Russia recognizes that it’s moving steadfastly forward in its campaign to demilitarize Ukraine—denazify Ukraine—and they recognize that in the process, they’re weakening NATO.

Yet, what does NATO do in response? They’ve issued statements this week about preparing for their ground troops to fight Russia on the ground.

They're crazy.

This is madness—absolute insanity being talked about by people that you think would have more sense, but they obviously don't.

I'll put it very clearly: the United States and NATO, if they decide to enter a ground war with Russia, will lose badly.

It may end up with the complete destruction of Europe.

Europeans need to sit down and count the cost—is it worth it?

Because Russia's not seeking to conquer Europe; Russia's seeking to have its national territory respected and not have to face, every year as has been the case for the last 16 years, NATO and the United States conducting military exercises on the borders of Russia.

When you're sitting there as a Russian looking at it, you see these as hostile and intended to come after you.

Given Russia’s history, where they’ve been invaded from the West four times over the last 212 years, they're not sitting back ignoring that—they’re taking it seriously.

These are continued provocations by the West. There’s no justification for it.

The West keeps coming up with justifications, trying to portray Russia as this country trying to recreate its 'empire.'

We talked about this before in our previous discussions.

Name me all of the colonies that Russia established in Africa—none.

It was Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands that were establishing colonies and exploiting the people in Africa. Same thing in Asia.

Vietnam was under French control, and one of the reasons the United States initially got involved with Vietnam was more to try to help preserve French influence, not to free the people from communism.

That was the big lie.

The U.S. is trying to use the same playbook both with respect to China and to Russia, portraying them as these authoritarian societies hellbent on conquering the world.

It’s a lie.

It's the West that has been involved in unrelenting wars over the last 70 years around the world, killing millions of people in countries such as those in Africa, Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Libya.

It has to stop.

That's what you're seeing coming from the Russians—they're saying it’s going to stop.

They’re not going to sit back and be a punching bag.

With this feeble-minded president heading up the United States, it’s quite clear to the world that the United States is being led by an incompetent."

Excerpt from remarks by Larry Johnson, former CIA analyst and U.S. State Department employee, in an interview with Nima R. Alkhorshid, June 9, 2024.

Starbucks in CHINA is BIGGER & BETTER (They Even Have Alcohol)

On our 3rd date, I asked my favorite question at this point in a new relationship: “If you could be or do anything in the world you wanted—age or training not an issue—what would you be or do?”

I had asked this question several times, and was always fascinated by how it was received. Some had never asked themselves this question, much less be asked by someone else; a few couldn’t even wrap their heads around the question. This fellow was stunned and was quiet for a long time. Then he gave an astounding answer:

An unemployed prince.

He went on to explain why: A prince has plenty of money to pursue his own interests, princes get to travel and meet lots of new people, they have no major decisions to make, and princes get to dress well. I asked about the “unemployed” part: most princes don’t have any official duties, especially if not in line for the throne (and he didn’t want to be a prince in line for the throne).

I found his answer charming. Clearly, this was an imaginative individual to be able to think so far outside of the box, and it supported how much I was enjoying his differing perspectives on movies, music, and art. He had established his own business that was successful (I worked in the security of corporate) in the creative advertising/publishing field. He was great fun and a delightful companion, a treat from my previous husband, while seeming to share many of the same values on the important items.

Arm in arm, we headed down life’s path; dated, moved in together, married, then started a family. Life was good; if as busy and as stressful as any family of two young children, two careers, and two aging parents can be. Then our paths diverged.

When the youngest was 3, he closed the business, got his real estate license and “worked” not earning a dime. Bills to pay and full-time parenting two opinionated, busy kids weren’t near as much fun as pursuing one’s own interests. Struggling with it all, I could not understand how the same individual who professed to want what we had could also not do the everyday work that was required to keep it all going.

Then I remembered his answer on our 3rd date. As Maya Angelou said: “When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.”

Mexico’s New President is a “Nightmare for the Right”

Heard of the Vietnam War?

Now, how did a war in Vietnam cause Laos, a neutral country in the conflict, to become one of the most bombed nations in the history of warfare?

American munitions dropped half a century ago continue to maim and kill Laotians today.


Answer that, and one will be more than halfway through the answer for the question posed.


In a conflict escalation, the rules flip. Supply lines will be targeted. Long range sensor support will be targeted. Foreign airfields from which flights originate will be targeted. Belarus may open a second front. Tactical nukes will enter the battlefield.

Russia has mobilized over a million men, NATO hasn’t.

Russians see this conflict as an existential threat to the Russian nation. NATO doesn’t.

Russians have give the mandate to Putin to pursue victory. NATO haven’t.

It is a question of attitudes—which side has the resolve and grasp of reality.

The West does not need to fight Russia, whereas Russia has no choice but to fight the West.

As Sun Tzu said, “know yourself and your enemy, and you will not lose in a hundred battles”.

Gen Z Is Finally Paying Taxes And They Are Pissed

My father died in 1982 when I was 8. I was an only child and I was ‘daddy’s girl’. His death wasn’t sudden-as he was diagnosed with cancer in June and had passed away in November. Even at an early age I knew the permanency of death. My great grandmother died a year prior to his passing and my grandmother passed away in June of 1982. I was in school when my dad died that morning. I was using the restroom and when I turned to open the stall door, I caught a whiff of Aqua Velva (for those who don’t know- it was a popular aftershave in the 70s and 80s and it has a very DISTINCT odor). Well, that is what my dad wore. And I loved the smell of his cheeks! So when I caught that distinct odor I was expecting to see him outside the girls’ bathroom. I walked out and didn’t see him. So I walked down the hallway hoping he was looking for me. When I finally went back to class, my teacher called me up to her desk and informed me that I had been gone for about 15 minutes and she said it is 9:55, you left here at 9:40. I went back to my desk and tried to focus on school. I kept thinking about smelling that odor. At 10:30 my mom came to the classroom and my teacher went out to speak with her. After a while my teacher came in and quietly got my coat and lunchbox and walked me out into the hallway. I didn’t say anything to my mom and when we got to the stairway landing, I asked if daddy had died. She turned and stooped down to my eye level and with tears in her eyes quietly said yes. I asked her when he died. And she replied at 9:45. I truly believe that he wanted to let me know that he was there in that bathroom and it was his time to go. Every so often I will catch a whiff of Aqua Velva for just a slight second and I would like to think that it’s dad checking in on me.

Russian Naval Group off Melbourne, Florida Coastline!

Russian Naval Group off Melbourne, Florida Coastline!

Russian navy off FL large
Russian navy off FL large

The Russian Navy has a grouping of warships off the east coast of Florida, between Melbourne and Vero Beach.

One of the vessels involved is a Russian nuclear submarine (FILE PHOTO – Not actual image from Florida):

Russia Sub Kazan
Russia Sub Kazan

 

That submarine is being tracked by a US Navy P-8 “Poseidon” Sub-Hunter (FILE PHOTO: – Not taken over Florida)

P 8 Poseidon Sub Hunter
P 8 Poseidon Sub Hunter

While these vessels from the Russian Navy are hanging out off Florida, the Russian Navy frigate Admiral Gorshkov – capable of carrying Zircon hypersonic missiles, arrives in Havana:

Russian Frigate Havana
Russian Frigate Havana

Hal Turner Remarks:

Just so all of you grasp what’s taking place here, the United States and our NATO vassals, are making more and more trouble for Russia, inside Ukraine.

So now Russia is demonstrating to us they can make trouble for us . . . . HERE . . . . inside the United States.

While what __we__ are doing in Ukraine is causing the actual deaths of Russian soldiers, Russia has not —- yet —- decided to bring death to OUR people.   Notice I said “yet.”

This is what the US Congress and the US President are causing.  While THEY play “the sport of Kings (war” in Ukraine, we the American people are the ones they are endangering HERE, inside our own country.

If we get attacked here, inside America, by Russian forces, the sole and exclusive BLAME rests on members of the United States House of Representatives, the United States Senate, and the present illegitimate occupant of the Presidency.

They have been warned over and over again by Russia, to stop what they’re doing.  Yet Congress not only ignores the warnings, they up-the-ante and do even worse things.  Sooner or later, once the Russians have had enough, they’re going to show us that they are as powerful – if not more – than we are.

Remember that when you see your member of Congress slithering out from a nuclear bunker after it’s all over . . . . and hold them accountable right then and there.

Douglas Macgregor Exposes: “Russia Unveils New Hypersonic Missile, threaten to U.S & NATO”

BRICS+, Lavrov & Escobar

Levity happens!

Nizhny Novgorod hosted the BRICS Council of Foreign Ministers in its new enlarged format. A Joint Statement will be issued.

According to the MFA’s website, Lavrov met on the sidelines with all BRICS+ FMs and many from invited nations like Laos and Thailand. We’ll begin with Lavrov’s opening remarks:

Dear colleagues and friends,

I would like to open our meeting with a minute of silence in memory of the untimely departed President of Iran Sayrahmad Raisi and our colleague Khalid Amirabdollahian, and once again offer my deepest condolences to the people of Iran and the families of the victims. I ask everyone to stand up.

***

Dear Colleagues,

We are glad to welcome you to one of the oldest cities in Russia, in Nizhny Novgorod, the history of which dates back more than 800 years. Today’s meeting will certainly leave a special mark not only in the annals of the city’s leading international events, but also in the BRICS itself. For the first time, a meeting of the heads of the foreign affairs agencies of the association is being held in a new expanded format.

The expansion of BRICS is a clear confirmation of the process of formation of a multipolar world order. New centers of globally significant political decision-making are emerging from among the states of the Global South and East, from the states of the World Majority. These countries are in favour of a more just way of life based on the sovereign equality of States and the diversity of civilizations.

The transition to a new world order (we have already seen this) will take a whole historical era and will be thorny. The United States and its allies do not abandon their attempts to maintain their elusive dominance and slow down the objective processes of the formation of multipolarity. At the same time, they are using economic instruments as a weapon – through sanctions pressure and financial blackmail, they are trying to influence the choice of development models and trading partners by sovereign states. The West does not shy away from forceful methods. Examples are known to everyone: Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, Syria, Ukraine and a number of other countries. And this is just the “tip of the iceberg”.

Recent international events have “thrown off the masks” from those who have hitherto claimed almost the exclusive right to define “universal values” under the guise of a “rules-based order.” Supporters of this concept are trying to impose norms and mechanisms of interaction that are beneficial only to them, to replace equal and honest dialogue with narrow coalitions that act behind closed doors and arrogate to themselves the right to speak and act on behalf of the whole world.

Russia, like the countries of the world majority, stands for a fairer world order based on the sovereign equality of states and taking into account the balance of forces and interests. Together, we aim to promote a future-oriented constructive international agenda. An important task in this context is to strengthen the role of interstate formats that advocate collective approaches to international development.

BRICS is one of those associations where the principles of equal cooperation are implemented in deeds, not in words: mutual respect, openness, pragmatism, solidarity, continuity and, of course, consensus. I am convinced that BRICS is driven forward by the wind of change, because its role in solving global problems will only increase. This is also confirmed by the steady growth in the number of countries showing genuine interest in joining the work of our association. In this context, we expect productive discussions at a separate session today with the participation of a number of like-minded BRICS countries.

Dear Colleagues,

Russia’s chairmanship is increasing momentum. About 70 events have already taken place, and more are to be held. We note the constructive participation of all partners in them. Work has begun on key Russian initiatives in the transport sector, the creation of the Contact Group on Climate and Sustainable Development, the Working Group on Nuclear Medicine, and the Medical Association.

Active work is underway to implement the decisions of the Johannesburg Summit in 2023, in particular, in terms of improving the international monetary and financial system and developing a platform for settlements in national currencies in mutual trade. In accordance with the instructions of the leaders at the Johannesburg summit, we are paying special attention to coordinating the modalities of establishing the category of partner states of the association.

We have an extensive agenda. It raises issues that will directly affect the future world order and the formation of its fair foundations. [My Emphasis]

A great deal has occurred under BRICS auspices before and during SPIEF as this news roster with links in English details. Pepe Escobar’s “The Three Key Messages From St. Petersburg to the Global Majority” is a very link heavy report published today in SputnikGlobe. Here are what Pepe describes as Putin’s three main messages:

Message Number One:

President Putin, a “European Russian” and true son of this dazzling, dynamic historic marvel by the Neva, delivered an extremely detailed one-hour speech on the Russian economy at the forum’s plenary session.

The key takeaway: as the collective West launched total economic war against Russia, the civilization-state turned it around and positioned itself as the world’s 4th largest economy by purchasing power parity (PPP).

Putin showed how Russia still carries the potential to launch no less than nine sweeping – global – structural changes, an all-out drive involving the federal, regional, and municipal spheres.

Everything is in play – from global trade and the labor market to digital platforms, modern technologies, strengthening small and medium-sized businesses and exploring the still untapped, phenomenal potential of Russia’s regions.

What was made perfectly clear is how Russia managed to reposition itself beyond sidestepping the – illegitimate – sanctions tsunami to establishing a solid, diversified system oriented towards global trade – and completely linked to the expansion of BRICS. Russia-friendly states already account for three-quarters of Moscow’s trade turnover.

Putin’s emphasis on the Global Majority’s accelerated drive to strengthen sovereignty was directly linked to the collective West doing its best – rather, worst – to undermine trust in their own payment infrastructure.

And that leads us to…

Glazyev and Dilma rock the boat.

Message Number Two:

That was arguably the major breakthrough in St. Petersburg. Putin stated how the BRICS are working on their own payment infrastructure, independent from pressure/sanctions by the collective West.

Putin had a special meeting with Dilma Rousseff, president of the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB). They did talk in detail about the bank’s development – and most of all, as later confirmed by Rousseff, about The Unit, whose lineaments were first revealed exclusively by Sputnik: an apolitical, transactional form of cross-border payments, anchored in gold (40%) and BRICS+ currencies (60%).

The day after meeting Putin, president Dilma had an even more crucial meeting at 10 am in a private room at SPIEF with Sergey Glazyev, the Minister for Macro-Economy at the Eurasia Economic Union (EAEU) and member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Glazyev, who had previously provided full academic backing to the Unit concept, explained all the details to President Dilma. They were both extremely pleased with the meeting. A beaming Rousseff revealed that she had already discussed The Unit with Putin. It was agreed there will be a special conference at the NDB in Shanghai on The Unit in September.

This means the new payment system has every chance to be at the table during the BRICS summit in October in Kazan, and be adopted by the current BRICS 10 and the near future, expanded BRICS+.

Now to…

Message Number Three:

It had to be, of course, about BRICS – which everyone, Putin included, stressed will be significantly expanded. The quality of the BRICS-related sessions in St. Petersburg demonstrated how the Global Majority is now facing a unique historical juncture – with a real possibility for the first time in the last 250 years to go all-out for a structural change of the world-system.

And it’s not only about BRICS.

It was confirmed in St. Petersburg that no less than 59 nations – and counting – plan to join not only BRICS but also the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Eurasia Economic Union (EAEU).

No wonder: these multilateral organizations now finally have established themselves on the forefront of the drive towards the multimodal (italics mine) – and to quote Putin in his address – “harmonic multipolar world”.

The above is only about half of Pepe’s report; click the link for more. Pepe also links to the session he was directly involved with at his Telegram and the speeches others gave besides himself.

More on the BRICS+ meeting will be presented tomorrow along with the Joint Statement. Readers should know there are two BRICS TV stations online, Russian and English, with both having dropdown menus for Chinese, Spanish and Portuguese.

Happens all the time. When I was at airborne school at Ft. Benning in the summer of 1992, a female ROTC cadet in my squad who told me on the first day she was into triathlons and on a “low-salt diet” collapsed at the end of rather mild training day on the last day of Ground Week. It was hot and humid, as is typical in summertime in Columbus, Georgia, but we were on the last day of Ground Week, which meant it wasn’t that physically intense. However, she succumbed to the rigors of the training and climate — many arrive at Ft. Benning without being acclimatized to the heat and humidity — and practically collapsed. Our Black Hat instructor ordered her to sit done on the side of the sawdust pit and “drink more water” while the rest of the squad continued practicing PLFs (Parachute Landing Falls). By the end of the training day (around 17:00), she couldn’t even stand on her own, so the Black Hats ordered her to drink more water, while they summoned a medic to look at her. She feebly attempted to drink more water, but was at that time almost unconscious, so most of it dribbled all over her face and uniform when she tried to drink from her canteen. The medics came and had to help her walk, as she couldn’t walk on her own. We didn’t see her for the rest of the day, and come Monday morning, with the start of Tower Week (week two of three), we were told that she wouldn’t be joining us as she was now in intensive care at Martin Army Medical Center, the on-base hospital at Ft. Benning. We asked what was wrong with her, and he said she almost died because of Hyponatremia. Apparently, she became so over-hydrated from drinking too much water combined with excessive sweating due to the high-levels of physical exertion and lack of climate acclimitization, that she depleted herself of all her electrolytes and salts that are required to be alive. I also knew that she was skipping meals and the few times that she was eating at the d-fac (dining facility), would typically forego the main entree for just a small salad. (I knew this b/c she often sat next to me in the mess hall.)

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Popular Plastic Surgeries for Asian Women: White Worship, Mix Blood & Abomination

Ty Warmbrodt

To: Frank DelaneyEditor@thewashingtonpost.comSubject: anthropological finds linking past to the futureI, Dr. J. Emmit Hardy, Professor of Archeology at the University of Montana, former navy seal and marine sniper, stumbled upon something I should not have and in the excitement of the moment, I took it. Now they are after me. I don’t know who they are, other than the keepers of secrets, the guardians of mysteries. Could be the Vatican or some other religious organization, a collaboration of world governments, or some secret society. I probably sound out of my mind but wait until I tell you what I have uncovered. 

It all started in what I like to call the broiler, a.k.a. southern Iraq, in an area once known as Mesopotamia. It was in that barren landscape that I and a group of archaeologists came upon a rather suspiciously lonely looking hill, more of a large mound I would say. We had started excavating as soon as the Iraqi government lifted their ban on archeological excavations. After years of careful digging, we dug down where we found an entrance to an upper chamber that led down to the heart of what we presume will be a ziggurat. In the lowest portion of the structure, we found what we named the Library of the Anunnaki, the collective name for the Sumerian gods. The library consisted of hundreds of stone tablets, most of them broken, some shattered, even to the point of dust. I found one large piece, rough in my hands, chipped, not without its damage. I blew it off and noticed it was written in cuneiform. The translation goes:

 

Origin………. Primitive species DNA spliced………. producing male child………. male children produced and raised to farm and………. production cumbersome………… remove Y………. first female child for reproduction presented to first male……… uprising………. Usurpers cast out of gardens and mines………. debauchery throughout………. murder………. war………. Meteor causing mass………. Fleeing planet, will return.

 

Obviously defaced, what I concluded from the text was that the text was not written by human hands. Rather, it was a document left for us by who early humans considered gods. It tells us that we originated from a primitive species (apes, or Cro-Magnon Man perhaps, maybe even some early form of homo sapiens) having their DNA spliced with that of an alien race, producing a child that we now call a human being. Given the success of the experiment, they created more, until they figured natural reproduction to be a viable process. These children grew up working on farms and in mines for the alien race. It goes on to say there was an uprising. Some were cast out where they lived wildly without law or rule. A lot of text is missing, but it goes on to explain the flood was caused by a meteor, probably crashing in the sea nearby. At that time, the aliens left, promising to return. My biggest question is, return to do what?

 

This tablet destroys god-centric religions, proving that we were created through the advanced science of an alien race, putting an end to ancient beliefs. It would also take away power from institutions such as the Catholic Papacy. Old traditions will die hard, but the word of God will no longer hold credence in the minds of the majority again. This is a world altering find. That is why I had it carbon dated for its legitimacy, taking it to an old friend.

 

Dr. Phillip Baker at Oxford University did some carbon dating. The tablet predates the Sumerian use of cuneiform for literary purposes by a thousand years. We realized then that it was truly an extraordinary find. While Phillip and I celebrated with the champagne he had been saving for such an occasion, men in black suits paid us a visit trying to seize the tablets. With a distraction made by Dr. Baker, I escaped out the back. From the hallway I heard shots fired. I knew my dear friend’s fate and feared it would be my own if I did not run. I assumed knowing what was on the tablet put my life in jeopardy. I was pursued by them and what looked like a private security detailed, armed, muscular men dressed in black. They chased me through the streets at high speed. I was scared out of my mind, even taking to the sidewalk to avoid stoplights. I made it to the airport where I evaded capture and caught a plane back to the states. The tablet is now hidden safely where no one will ever find it.

 

I still wanted answers. Why are they returning? When will they return? Why were they here in the first place? I knew of one place that had the answer. I put to use all my military training to sneak into the most heavily guarded military base in the US. I broke into Area 51. I’ll save you the details. It’s a process of inching through the desert dressed like a bush for three days, monitoring security patterns, cutting chain-link, and choking people out for their security badges and weapons, turning up loose ends, until finally I found what I was looking for – the Area 51 Library.

 

The library is a massive collection of written statements, voice recordings, pictures, videos, blueprints, documents on everyone who has claimed abduction or sighting, documentation of people who have been abducted or visited and have no recollection of it, and archeological evidence. The most disturbing artifact I found was a 1950’s recording of an alien being questioned under duress giving the same account on the tablet, filling in the gaps.

 

Apparently, there is another planet in our solar system that passes the sun every six thousand years. They survive in biodomes but require extra fuel and food that they get from earth when their planet gets within flying distance. The air on earth is toxic to them, so they wear suits, some wear armor over their suits resembling animals known to humans to strike fear in them. They have a spy station on the dark side of the moon where they operate out of one of their biodomes, watching us, occasionally experimenting on us, or coming down to replenish food.

 

The Alien went on to explain that they tried to quell the violence within humans, who murdered each other and started wars for territory, before the flood. As they watched on over the centuries, war and hate spread like wildfire across the land as humans flourished. They decided since humans still believed in gods, they would send them a representative from God.

 

He explained the insemination of Mary and the resurrection of the man we call Jesus – he was revived from a coma using advanced medical procedures and lifted up in a small spy shuttle under the cover of smoke. He is at the station now and will return with the others when the other planet draws near. His purpose was to teach people how to live peacefully, choosing people to carry on his work after he was gone, to spread it around the world. The alien said things didn’t go as planned, calling us wicked and violent. His final statement was that when the planet returns, those who fight will be destroyed and those who don’t will be enslaved.

 

Area 51 is only guarded by the US. They are not running it. I was discovered by a man with a heavy European accent and, of course, dressed in a black suit. I grabbed the recording and fought my way past him, then through three levels of private security before getting past the military detail on the outside. I’m sure these men know where I live. I’m taking a big risk contacting you, but the public deserves to know the truth. They need to prepare to fight the coming onslaught. So far, governments have kept everything a secret, selling off technologies like cellular communications and nuclear power. I have the recording safely hidden away with the tablet. I have the evidence if you want to proceed with the story.

 

To: J. Emmit Hardy

drdigit@gmail.com

Reply: anthropological finds linking past to the future

 

Dr. Hardy, I’ll be honest with you, if it weren’t for your credentials and the background check I ran on you, I would be telling you to take this to the tabloids. Since you are an esteemed professor of sound mind with a military background, I suppose your story warrants some attention. Meet me at Malone’s at noon on Thursday for lunch. They are usually busy so there should not be any scenes made in there if you are followed. Try not to be followed. Bring the evidence. Depending on it, we will see where we go from there.

 

———————————————————————————

 

When I saw Dr. Hardy walk into Malone’s that day, he was not what I was expecting. I was looking for an unshaved old man with wild hair acting a little erratically. No, this was your Indiana Jones type professor, middle aged, lean and sun kissed. Far from erratic, his eyes scanned the restaurant before approaching me with a duffle bag.

 

“Mr. Delaney?”

 

“Yes, that’s me.”

 

“Emmit Hardy. Glad you took the time to see me.”

 

His eyes missed no detail of what was going on around him. He was even checking reflections in the smallest objects to see behind him.

 

“Did you bring the evidence?”

 

The first thing he pulls out is an old reel-to-reel and lays it on the table as he goes for the next item in his bag.

 

“What am I going to do with that?”

 

“Listen to it.”

 

“I thought you would have recorded it on your cell phone.”

 

“I wasn’t about to take a cell phone into Area 51. You’re the news. Don’t you have a reel-to-reel player?”

 

“Well, yeah, back at the newsroom.”

 

“Here, check this out. Carefully.”

 

He displays a bundle of rags gentler than if it were a baby. He unwraps it to reveal the stone tablet, chipped and cracked with a series of markings on it that meant nothing to me.

 

“I’ll have to take your professional word on what that is. What I’m interested in is on that reel. But first, we eat.”

 

“I don’t think we have time for that, Frank. Be casual, but two guys in black suits and sunglasses just walked in.”

 

“Relax, guys in suits eat here all the time.”

 

“Not with security details. Let’s head out the back. Slowly, they haven’t made us yet.”

 

I thought Emmit might be schizophrenic, but when we got out to the alley, two guys were waiting with guns. Now, I would love to give you a play-by-play of what happened next, but it happened too fast. Somehow, Emmit managed to disarm and knock unconscious two men in a matter of seconds. He took their guns, putting one in his waistband.

 

“Can I have a gun?”

 

“No,” he chuckled.

 

We ran to the news building. When we got there, we were spotted by more guys in black suits and their security details. We took off in the other direction with them on our heels. I pulled out my cell and made a phone call.

 

“Susan, I need you to get those old duffle bags out of storage and five other people. Here is what I need you to do.”

 

Emmit and I took the long way to The Lincoln Memorial. There, we ran into six people with bags similar to the one Emmit was carrying. We all bumped and shoved, switching bags several times. When we were done mixing up the bags, some took cabs, some ran, some strolled. They grabbed Marcus and checked his bag, only to find gym clothes and a phone book. Later that night, Emmit and I met with Susan to retrieve the real bag. She asked what was going on, but all I could tell her was to read the morning’s paper.

 

Emmit was able to sneak me pass some of the men in black suits and their muscle so I could write up the story. I wrote frantically, the words flowing from my mind straight to the screen. I barely got it through pre-press in time to make the front page. I rushed it out to the printers myself. They were in the middle of putting on the plates that were supposed to run and were not thrilled about the last-minute change, but now people know where they came from and can prepare for the future.

Australia Forces China To Dump Rare Earth Assets, But No Refund For US Submarine Deal?

32 New Ukraine Soldiers Cross Hungary Border to Escape War Mobilization

32 New Ukraine Soldiers Cross Hungary Border to Escape War Mobilization

Yesterday, a Ukrainian GAZ-66 truck with “military” license plates illegally crossed the border into Hungary from the Zakarpattia region of Ukraine. Local border guards found the truck and detained 32 Ukrainian citizens.

It turned out, the truck was filled with new Ukraine Army “Recruits” – men who had been forcibly grabbed off streets in Ukraine, held for three days, given uniforms, and sent to the front lines to die.

The men took a military truck across a field in Zakarpattia, entered Hungary, and surrendered to Police in Hungary.

The government of Hungary has granted the men asylum.

Hal Turner Opinion

The slave state of Ukraine is the very worst place in the world with absolutely no human rights at all.

These people are being hunted by army slave catchers and sent to the front to be exterminated.

The average Ukrainian’s worst enemy is the war criminals in Kiev and the war criminals of NATO who fund and facilitate their slavery and extermination while pretending that Ukraine is a free democracy,  and not the only cause of the conflict that is going on.

Imagine what the U.S. will be like when Biden orders the draft for WW3 against Russia/China. There will be some crazy things going on; can’t wait for the chaos.

Someone should make an “Escape from Ukraine” movie as a sequel to Escape from L.A. from the ’90s. I’d watch it.

It’s Official: Russia ready to strike NATO airfields hosting Ukrainian jets

It's Official: Russia ready to strike NATO airfields hosting Ukrainian jets

andrei kartapolov large
andrei kartapolov large

F-16 fighter jets and any airfields they are based at will be legitimate targets for the Russian military if they participate in combat missions against Moscow’s forces, the chairman of the Russian State Duma Defense Committee, Andrey Kartapolov, has warned.

The comments come as Kiev prepares to receive the first delivery of US-made fighter jets from its Western backers, after Ukrainian pilots were trained to fly them.

In a statement to RIA Novosti published on Monday, Kartapolov clarified that if the F-16s “are not used for their intended purpose” or are simply held in storage at foreign airbases with the intent to transfer them to Ukraine, where they will be equipped, maintained, and flown from Ukrainian airfields, then Russia would have no claims against its “former partners” and would not target them.

However, if the jets take off from foreign bases and carry out sorties and strikes against Russian forces, both the fighter planes and the airfields they are stationed at will be “legitimate targets,” according to Kartapolov.

“As for [our ability] to shoot [them] down, we can shoot down anyone, anywhere,” the MP insisted.

Kartapolov’s statement comes after the chief of aviation of Ukraine’s Air Force Command, Sergey Golubtsov, stated in an interview with Radio Liberty on Sunday that some of the F-16 fighter jets donated to Kiev by the West would be stationed at foreign airbases.

He explained that only a portion of the jets would be stationed directly on Ukrainian territory, corresponding to the number of pilots trained to operate the aircraft. The other jets would be kept in reserve at “safe airbases” abroad so that they are not targeted by the Russian military.

Golubtsov stated that so far four countries have agreed to transfer F-16s to Ukraine, namely Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands. While he did not specify exactly how many aircraft would be donated, he claimed it was between 30 and 40 planes, with potentially more to come in the future.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has also warned that Moscow would perceive the deliveries of F-16 fighters to Ukraine as a nuclear threat, given that the jets have long been used as part of the US-led bloc’s joint nuclear missions. 

At the same time, the minister stressed that the US-designed jets would not change the situation on the battlefield, and would be shot down and destroyed like any other foreign weapons supplied to Ukraine.

Crispy Sweet Onion Pizza

Caramelized Onion Pizza 3435
Caramelized Onion Pizza 3435

Ingredients

  • 1 (12 inch) pre-baked pizza shell
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound sweet onions halved, sliced vertically
  • 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil), chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Ingredients for Caramelized Onion Pizza

  • Pizza Dough – Use your favorite pizza dough here. I always love the chewy / airy texture of this No-Knead Pizza Dough.
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Instead of sauce, this pizza is brushed with a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil before the toppings are added. The oil helps the crust to get a deep golden brown color and adds a subtle, fresh olive flavor. 
  • Caramelized Onions – See below for all the details on making caramelized onions. They are sweet and savory and make a super flavorful base for this pizza.
  • Gruyere Cheese – The first time I had Gruyere cheese I was blown away by the rich, deep flavor of this Swiss-style cheese. It’s slightly crumbly and has a nutty, tangy flavor. It costs a bit more than mozzarella (which is more common on pizza), but seriously delivers on flavor.
  • Fresh Rosemary – The savory flavor of fresh rosemary fits really well here. Be sure to remove the leaves from the stem and discard the stem (it’s too tough to chop along with the leaves). You can skip the rosemary or use another fresh herb – fresh thyme is great here.

Caramelized Onion Pizza 3435 2
Caramelized Onion Pizza 3435 2

How to Caramelize Onions

  1. Slice the onions into slices that are about 1/3” thick. (No need to be super precise here, but if the slices are too thin they won’t develop all the flavor that comes with the low, slow cooking process. If they are too thick, they’ll take forever to cook. Try to strike a balance.)
  2. Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and butter (use about 1 tablespoon of each per pound of onions).
  3. Add the onions to the skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until the onions start to soften, about 5 minutes.
  4. Reduce the heat to low.
  5. Season onions with salt and some sugar (about ½ teaspoon of each per pound of onions). (Note: Sugar is optional here, but can help to draw out the natural sugars in the onions and speed the caramelization process along.)
  6. Continue to cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they are very tender and deep golden brown, 25 to 40 minutes more. (Important: If the pan starts to look dry or the onions start to burn, add a splash of water. You may need to do this several times throughout the cooking process.)

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Place pizza shell on baking sheet.
  3. Sprinkle onions on pizza and drizzle with olive oil; top with sun-dried tomatoes.
  4. Sprinkle with herbs, salt and pepper.
  5. Bake until onions just begin to brown, about 10 minutes.

Russia already has enough “hyenas” to deal with in Europe, Vladimir Putin has told his Zimbabwean counterpart

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Zimbabwean counterpart Emerson Mnangagwa shared a laugh during a tense debate on nuclear diplomacy on Friday, as they discussed how to deal with the real and metaphorical “hyenas” threatening their countries.

During a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), political scientist Sergey Karaganov urged Putin to update Russia’s nuclear doctrine to allow nuclear retaliation against countries that strike Russia with conventional weapons.

With multiple Western nations – including the US, France, and Germany – recently giving Kiev permission to use their missiles in long-range strikes on Russian territory, Karaganov argued that these countries have grown complacent and need to be reminded of Russia’s nuclear capabilities.

“They have gone mad, especially the Europeans,” he told Putin. “It’s how animals behave. If there is a herd of hyenas or wild dogs and you’ve got a stick, you can keep them at bay. But there’s a high chance that they will tear your clothes, and if you get tired they will bite you to death. If you can kill a couple of them then they will disperse.”

“President Mnangagwa knows about the behaviour of hyenas,” Karaganov continued, before asking the Zimbabwean leader: “Do you agree Mr. President, that this is how you deal with hyenas?”

“We do have lots of hyenas in Zimbabwe, but we keep them in the national parks,” Mnangagwa replied. “We have no problems with them, but they breed a lot, and if there is anybody who wants them, we are ready to donate,” he added, to laughter from the audience.

“Well we’ve got hyenas of our own in Europe,” Putin responded.

Russian nuclear doctrine has not changed since 2010. It allows for the use of atomic weapons in the event of a nuclear first strike on its territory or infrastructure, or if the existence of the Russian state is threatened by either nuclear or conventional weapons.

“I do not believe that it is the case now,” Putin said, adding that Russia “needs no nuclear weapons to achieve victory” in Ukraine. However, Putin noted that changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine “are not ruled out.”

18 Years Later, I Finally Get how Idiocracy Came True – The 2024 Election

Bone-headed decision made by a stupid ass kid

Anne gave her final confession 48 hours before execution to her almoner, John Skip (or Skypp.) At dawn on May 18, she called for her jailer, Sir Anthony Kingston, to come and witness something. She swore on the communion Host that she was innocent of the charges against her. She then consumed it and repeated the oath.

For a person of the 16th century, what Anne had just done was extremely powerful. Taking an oath on what they believed to be the literal body of Christ would instantly damn the soul of anyone who was dishonest. She wouldn’t have lied on the Host expecting to meet her maker within a few hours.

The execution was delayed. A large crowd had gathered to see this extraordinary event — the execution of a crowned Queen of England. Kingston hoped if it was delayed and no announcement was made, the people would drift away. They didn’t; the crowd only got larger.

Anne had to be in agony. She called Kingston to ask why no one had come to get her. He told her it had been rescheduled for noon. She settled into prayer with Skip again, but when noon came and went and no one came to get her, she called for Kingston again, and at this point, he told her it would be the following day. Unintentional though it was, this was an incredible cruelty.

On the morning of May 19, 1536, she walked out to face the huge crowd. She mounted the scaffold which had been adorned with hundreds of yards of black velvet. Until the very last moments, her status as a crowned queen had to be respected.

She tipped the executioner to ensure a swift death and then comforted her ladies. These women, assigned to Anne because they hated her and were friends with allies of Princess Mary, now wept as though they were “bereft of souls” or the living damned. They had come to care for her deeply over the two weeks they spent with her in the Tower.

Anne turned to face the crowd and people held their breath, waiting to see what she would say. Kingston knew she was innocent after seeing her swear on the Host, and it was a situation he’d never really anticipated — executing an innocent person. He didn’t know what she would do and had speculated she might declare her innocence before the crowd.

But Anne kept her poise and held to the traditions. In the Tudor era, showing fear or reluctance to die indicated the person was afraid to face God with a guilty conscience. Anne held her chin high and made it clear she welcomed death.

Her exact words are disputed by different sources, but it’s clear they were the conventional speech of a condemned criminal. Any deviation from the pattern would have been shocking and appalling and would have had consequences for her family.

The only slight deviation from the pattern was the request that anyone who might “meddle with her cause” would use good judgement. She knew the history being made in that moment, and that people would be debating what had happened to her for centuries to come.

She submitted to the sword with grace, having done all she could to prove her innocence.

In real China, family net worth and home ownership are 50% bigger than America’s and it dominates all 21st century technologies. Help get the word out.

BITTER Feminist LOSING Their Mind Because They Have NOTHING To OFFER MEN

Weapon Systems: Ours and China’s

Godfree Roberts

You win some..

I asked a Chinese (civil) engineer friend to estimate what proportion of America’s spending on failed weapon systems China spent on its successful ones. He would be surprised, he said, if it were half as much. Here are some systems we discussed:

  • Hypersonic Missiles: America’s 20-year, failed ARRW hypersonic missile defense program cost $15 billion. Chinese university science clubs have demonstrated hypersonic weapons. China’s DF-17, Mach 10 ‘carrier killer’ has been demonstrated many times. Its big brother, DF-27, can hit ships west of Guam.

DF 27
DF 27

  • Next-Gen Helicopter: After spending $7 billion developing a reconnaissance and light attack helicopter, the US pulled the plug in 2004. China’s Harbin Z-19 is a tandem-seat helicopter for reconnaissance and light attack, with air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles and nose-mounted electro-optical target tracking turret.
  • Self-Propelled Howitzer: The Crusader was to replace the Army’s aging artillery pieces, more mobile with longer range. It was canceled in 2002 after $2 billion was spent. China’s PLZ-05 155 mm self-propelled howitzer, the PLZ-07 122 mm self-propelled, self-loading howitzer, the PCL-181 155 mm wheeled, self-propelled, selfloading howitzer are all in full production.

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7aa4d22e90fcf1a18a58481e0dffb938
  • Railgun: The U.S. Navy spent $500 million on the railgun program and cancelled it in 2021. China’s railgun fires 120 rounds at 4,500 mph (7200 km/hr) and strikes targets 120 miles (200 km) away.

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625df51b1aae9ad68862fe95672ffcc3

  • Laser Cannon: The Air Force spent $5 billion developing the laser cannon then cancelled it in 2012. China’s high-energy laser cannons remain powered up indefinitely without overheating, thanks to state-of-the-art cooling.

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dac16e9db509fb7898003d2916fb1d23

  • Next-Gen Destroyer: The Zumwalt next-gen destroyer was supposed to launch missiles from its 80 VLS cells but after spending $22 billion, the Navy canned it in 2016. China’s Type 055 next-gen destroyer has 112 VLS cells, all of whose missiles vastly outrange and out-punch their USN counterparts.

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2e7f89823a31a41ac4f463e12b7ca357

  • Aircraft Carrier: Construction of the $20 billion USN Gerald Ford began in 2009. Its electromagnetic aircraft launch system, EMALS, is underpowered and unreliable, thanks to the Navy’s choice of AC electric power throughout the ship. The Fujian, with a more powerful DC electric system, has a much more powerful, reliable EMALS, a bigger flight deck and aircraft elevators, a slimmer mast and a wider array of defensive weapons.
  • F-35 fighters from design to retirement, will cost $2 trillion, and each jet requires 9 hours of maintenance for one hour flying. The J-20 fighter carries a bigger payload (10 tons) faster (1,500 mph), higher (60,000 ft.) and further (1100 nm.) than the F-35. The J-20’s missiles outrange the F-35’s missiles by 50%.

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94c63be3210c32055c0d0381b6dc077d

The crisis

The West is suffering a crisis, not only of confidence, but of competence. Boeing’s failed shuttle is in the headlines but, less visibly, CERN’s $20 billion attempt to sustain nuclear fusion is collapsing under the weight of its own complexity. It will probably be abandoned now that a private Shanghai company has sustained fusion–for $1 billion.

Instead of continuing with this embarrassing list, I will devote the next post to consider more implications of the fusion breakthrough for world leadership.

American style corruption

Iran Receives Nuclear Threat Over Pending Retaliation Against Israel

Iran Receives Nuclear Threat Over Pending Retaliation Against Israel

Former Iranian diplomat Amir al-Mousavi told Al-Mayadeen news that Iran has been threatened with a nuclear strike.

Mousavi stressed that Iran has made it clear any nuclear attack will be met with a proportional response.

He further noted that those issuing the threats received even stronger replies.

He also urged people to ignore baseless claims of alleged Iranian “cowardice” circulating on social media, over the still-delayed retaliation against Israel for the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran weeks ago.

Mousavi concluded by asserting that Iran, together with its allies, is fully prepared to confront the Zionist entity (Israel) with full force.

 

Hal Turner Analysis

In the ongoing Soap Opera of the Israel-Iran troubles, we have finally reached the apex threat stage: nuclear attack.

I call it a “Soap Opera” because like old the TV Soap Operas, you can walk away from it for a whole week and when you get back, you find you haven’t missed anything substantial.

As readers are aware, today (August 15, 2024) is my first day back at work from my vacation last week, and, as I peruse the available Intel and news, I realize I haven’t missed much!

What I have missed – or rather been relieved of for a week — is all the stress that had come with the ongoing situation.

As usual, folks in the Middle East are all hyped-up and ready to blow each other up . . .  again . . . . as usual.  It’s been this way for decades and shows little sign of abating.

As I look at the nuclear strike claim, I realize the only thing different about this situation is that the threat was actually made.

For decades, it was the quiet part . . . the part no one said out loud.  It was always known, and presumed, that no one could hit Israel without the real possibility of being nuked by Israel.

But now that the actual threat has been made – interesting things are happening.

First, there is no abatement of the retaliation by Iran.   Iran says it __is__ coming and __will_ be delivered.

So what did the nuclear threat accomplish?

Looking at the situation as the outsider I actually am, Iran faces a very simple reality:

If they do not hit Israel back for the assassination, then they don’t have a country anymore.  Israel will be free to kill whomever they want, wherever they want, whenever they want.

If they DO hit Israel back, and very VERY hard, it __may__ give them pause before they think about undertaking such an act again.     BUT . . . .

It will also unleash the very war that Israel has been looking at waging since the Iranian nuclear program became public knowledge.

Israel simply will not tolerate any other nearby country being equipped with nuclear weapons the same way the Israelis have nuclear weapons.  If any neighbor country has nukes, that would DETER Israel from its ongoing military abuse of neighbors.

It was this reality, for decades, that actually created today’s troubles because somewhere inside Israel, they got the idea they could do whatever they want, to whomever they want, whenever and wherever they want, and no one would dare do anything for fear of being nuked.

Many MANY sources have repeatedly told me that Iran already has nuclear weapons; they allegedly got them via their own research and with help from North Korea.

None of us knows for certain if this claim of Iran nukes is true.

But back to the issue at hand, Israel has apparently made an actual, direct, nuclear attack threat.

So again, for Iran, the issue is simple: Does Iran hit the Israelis back (HARD) for assassinating Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, or not?

In my analysis, this is a no-brainer.  I think Iran __must__ hit Israel back, and very hard.

Remember, back in April of this year, Israel bombed the Iran Embassy Compound in Damascus, Syria.   An open act of war!

Iran made a retaliation, with force, much of which was shunted by Israeli defenses, with assistance from allies like the US and UK.

But in that retaliation, deadly weaknesses in Israel’s defenses were exposed.  Several Iranian ballistic missiles, got through Israeli defenses, and struck Israeli military bases.   It proved that Israel __could__ be successfully hit, and the Israelis now know they are nowhere near as “invincible” as they thought they were.  They don’t like this reality and so they have upped-the-ante to actual nuclear threat.

That was foolishness on the part of Israel that is psychotic in its origin.  If Israel nukes Iran over any conventional attack, what does Israel think Russia will do?  What will North Korea do?  What will Pakistan do?    I think one or more of those countries would launch nuclear strikes at Israel!  Much of Israel would be annihilated.

Now, the U.S. would be in a real pickle if any of this happened because, as Israel’s co-dependent enabler, the US would be obligated to come to the aid of their psycho-bully-little-brother, Israel.

Would US political leaders risk all-out nuclear war, for a bunch of psychotics-from-inbreeding over in Israel?

Maybe.  Maybe not.

Which brings us all back to Israel’s nuclear threat.  If I was in Iran, I would realize the nuclear threat is __possible__ but not probable.

If I was in Iran, I would also realize that Israel has wanted an excuse to go after Iran’s nuclear program for years, and this situation, right now, was intentionally created BY ISRAEL, to cause that exact war.   It is coming and nothing will stop it.

So if I was an Iranian political leader, I would resign myself to the reality that a big war __is__ here, and I would go for the gusto; I would order a massive attack upon Israel in response to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, and the total violation of Iran sovereignty the assassination actually was.

Iran is either sovereign or they’re not.

If they want to be sovereign, it seems to me they  __must__ hit Israel.  Since the Iran retaliation after the Embassy Bombing did not deter Israel, this retaliation for the assassination of Haniyeh must be at least ten times larger.

The longer Iran waits, the more time Israel has to prepare.  The more time the US and UK have to move assets into theater and move weapons into Israel.

So, I ask the leadership of Iran: Are you sovereign, or not?  Are you going to allow the Israelis to murder people in your capital city, or not?

I think that if Iran rolls-over and does not attack in response to the Haniyeh murder, then Iran is no longer sovereign.

When She Expects Princess Treatment But You’re In the Friendzone

OMGosh…

I got a call for a domestic disturbance, once. When I got there, I saw two guys fighting in the yard. I got out, and ordered them to stop. I was by myself, so I cuffed one guy and put him in my car while I talked to the other one. Then, I switched them to interview the other guy.

I found out they were brothers but one had been messing around with the other brother’s girlfriend. I talked to them about family and the total mess they were making of each other over a female. I took the fellow that started the fight to jail and left the other at the house. All the way in, I continued telling him not to do this over some girlfriend—it wasn’t like they were married—he’s your brother…

By the time we got to the booking office, he was thanking me.

Eight months later on patrol I happened to see the two brothers in a parking lot. I stopped and said, “Hey! How’s it going?”

They turned around and said, “Deputy, thank you so much for how you handled that mess months ago.”

“Great,” I said, “how are things now?”

They said they both got rid of the girlfriend, started a landscaping business together, and business was going great! “Had we not met and talked that day, one of us might be dead by now.”

I felt really good about my job that day. 🙂

NOTE: I want to add the backstory for this girlfriend that some had wondered if she got the short end of the deal. She did, but there was a reason. She was not a long-term girlfriend with any history connected to the brothers. She had only been around for a few months and was clearly using the brothers for her own selfish gain (house, drink, food and apparently a little more…). I imagine that the stories ending would be different had the brothers been dirt-bags, but they weren’t.

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Look. China is an 18t dollar economy.

It is the world’s largest trading nation.

LARGEST.

No. 1.

Between 2019 and 2023, Chinese mercantile exports increased by almost 1t, and would have certainly been far higher had American-led sanctions and restrictions not curtailed normal trade. That’s more than double the increase in US goods exports, at 400b.

[Note: There are ~2,000 Chinese entities on the sanction list today.]

Yet it is growing like a developing economy, which it is, structurally as a whole.

China is an unprecedented economy. There has never been anything like it, and equivalence with any economy in the present or past fail at some point, often superficially.

~5% growth is a china in economic trouble?

Now, China is in the ~13,000 gdp per capita bracket, similar to Mexico, Malaysia, and turkey, all in the structurally vulnerable middle income “trap”.

What were their growth and inflation numbers in 2023?

China: 5.2%, 0.2%

Malaysia: 3.7%, 2.5%

Mexico: 3.2%, 4.7%

Turkey: 4.0%, 53.8%

And the kicker?

The other 3 have devalued massively relative to the yuan this century, particular post GFC.

There isn’t a developing country who won’t kill to be in china’s shoes today.

NONE.

The disparity would have been starker were the global south not given carte blanche to depreciate their currencies in a follow-the-yen reverse plaza accord begun in 2012-2013.

There was no political blowback, and the silence turned deafening when it was China and Singapore (of all actors) inexplicably singled out for designation as currency manipulators, despite appreciating versus the dollar.

It was a sharp message to China. Do NOT join in the festivities. We have different rules for you.

China today has low domestic inflation and interest rates. Given that the yen has devalued 100% in the past decade, along with a host of other currencies, what would it hurt if China devalues the yuan by 10% to 7.8-7.9 to the dollar? Even then, it will only be a fraction of the yen’s colossal dislocation in recent years.

That move alone can boost growth by at least 1–2%.

Economic troubles?

Far from it.

China hasn’t brought out the elephant gun, not even during covid.

That, my friends, is something to chew over.

Ownership is the key.

Cosmic Catastrophe: A Space Adventure Gone Awry

Submitted into Contest #247 in response to: Set your story on a spaceship exploring the far reaches of space when something goes wrong. view prompt

Kayla Flemming

The hum of the spaceship’s engines filled the air as Captain Jackson surveyed the vast expanse of space stretching out before them. They were on a routine mission to explore the far reaches of the Galaxy, charting new star systems and collecting valuable data for the Intergalactic Alliance.But as they ventured further into uncharted territory, a sense of unease settled over the crew. There was something off about this sector of space – a feeling of foreboding that sent shivers down their spines.As they pressed on, their fears were realized when a sudden jolt rocked the ship, sending alarms blaring and lights flashing. Emergency protocols were initiated as the crew scrambled to assess the damage.”What happened?” Captain Jackson barked, his voice tense with urgency.”It looks like we hit some sort of anomaly,” replied Lieutenant Ramirez, her fingers flying across the control panel as she attempted to regain control of the ship. 

But their efforts were in vain as another jolt shook the vessel, this time more violently than before. Panic gripped the crew as they realized they were hurtling towards a nearby planet, their trajectory set on a collision course that spelled certain doom.

 

With time running out, Captain Jackson made a split-second decision – they would attempt a risky maneuver to evade the planet’s gravitational pull and regain control of the ship.

 

“Brace yourselves!” he shouted, his hands gripping the controls with steely determination.

 

As the ship plunged towards the planet’s surface, the crew held their breath, their hearts pounding in their chests. But just when it seemed all hope was lost, Captain Jackson’s daring maneuver paid off, and the ship veered away from the planet at the last possible moment.

 

Cheers erupted throughout the cockpit as the crew celebrated their narrow escape from disaster. But their relief was short-lived as they realized they were now adrift in the void of space, their navigation systems fried and their chances of survival dwindling by the second.

 

As they frantically searched for a way to repair the ship and plot a course home, Captain Jackson couldn’t help but wonder what other dangers lurked in the darkness of space, waiting to test their courage and resolve.

 

Despite the chaos that ensued, the crew of the spaceship refused to let fear dictate their actions. With determination in their hearts and a spirit of camaraderie that bound them together, they set out to explore the planet they had narrowly avoided crashing into. As they descended through the atmosphere, they were greeted by a breathtaking landscape unlike anything they had ever seen before – towering mountains, shimmering lakes, and lush forests stretching out to the horizon.

 

Eager to uncover the secrets of this alien world, the crew donned their spacesuits and ventured out onto the surface, their eyes wide with wonder as they took in the sights and sounds of this new frontier.

 

But their sense of adventure soon turned to apprehension as they encountered strange and wondrous creatures lurking in the shadows – creatures with scales as hard as steel, eyes that glowed with an otherworldly light, and voices that echoed through the caverns like whispers from the void.

 

Undeterred, the crew pressed on, their curiosity driving them ever forward in their quest for knowledge and discovery. And though they faced countless challenges and obstacles along the way, their indomitable spirit carried them through, guiding them on a journey of exploration that would change their lives forever.

 

As they prepared to leave the planet behind and return to the safety of their ship, Captain Jackson couldn’t help but feel a sense of gratitude for the adventure they had shared together. For in the face of adversity, they had found strength in each other, forging bonds that would withstand the test of time.

 

Amidst the chaos and excitement of their unplanned detour, the crew found moments of levity that brought much-needed relief from the tension of their predicament.

 

From Lieutenant Ramirez’s failed attempts at fixing the ship’s malfunctioning systems to Ensign Johnson’s comical mishaps during their explorations on the planet’s surface, there was never a dull moment aboard the spaceship.

 

Even Captain Jackson, typically stoic and reserved, couldn’t help but crack a smile as he watched his crew stumble their way through one misadventure after another. But amidst the laughter and camaraderie, there was a sense of camaraderie that bound them together, a shared sense of purpose that gave them the strength to face whatever challenges lay ahead.

 

And as they finally set course for home, their ship repaired and their ship repaired and their spirits buoyed by the memories of their cosmic escapades, they knew that no matter what trials awaited them in the vast expanse of space, they would face them together, united in their quest for adventure and discovery.

 

The journey back to their home base was filled with moments of reflection and gratitude. Each member of the crew took the time to appreciate the bonds they had formed and the experiences they had shared during their time in the far reaches of space.

 

Lieutenant Ramirez, with her quick with and unwavering determination, became the heart and soul of the crew, guiding them through even the most challenging of situations with her calm demeanor and steady hand.

 

Ensign Johnson, despite his tendency to stumble into trouble, proved himself to be a valuable asset to the team, his ingenuity and resourcefulness saving them on more than one occasion.

 

And Captain Jackson, with his leadership and courage, inspired his crew to rise above their fears and doubts, leading them through adversity with unwavering resolve. As they neared their home base, a sense of anticipation filled the air. Though their journey had been fraught with danger and uncertainty, they had emerged stronger and more united than ever before.

 

And as they docked their ship and stepped onto solid ground once more, they knew that their adventure was far from over. For as long as there were stars in the sky and unexplored corners of the universe to discover, they would continue to journey forth, together, in search of the next great adventure that awaited them in the cosmos.

What goes through the mind of Chinese citizens when they travel out of China and end up on the internet seeing uncensored speech and negative factual news about the CCP?

They love China even more and decide to go back China to build a better modern China with the unique Chinese Characteristics.

The Chinese American scientists and engineers who have worked and studied in the US for years have read and seen all the fake news and real life stories their whole life. They have endured enough discrimination and unfair treatments that they decide to return China and start up their high tech companies.

That is the fact.

Stop making fake narrative harassment and bullying hate speeches on China wastefully.

“With all due respect, you’re not paying us $5,000 so I can carry out quick revenge.”

I’ll never forget that line, spoken by a fully armed contractor hired for my personal protection on the strangest day of my career.

The year was 2014 and Dan is falling apart again.

Dan (not his actual name) shows up in many companies. Dan is intelligent, capable of spectacular results but is incredibly inconsistent. Our Dan once led the entire company in our sales rankings and had four President’s Club plaques in his office.

The only thing Dan was consistent at was being a nice guy. Everyone loved him. He gave his time freely to everyone in the office. Whether you were an intern or a manager, he raised his hand if you needed help.

Dan was in his early 50s and was a family man. Married with two kids in high school, he lived a simple life.

Dan drove us crazy. He could be running along with incredible results for the first six months of the year and then look like a completely different person in the second half. He was either sensational or a complete disaster. There was no in-between with Dan.

Most of the time, it just took a stern conversation. He had four different direct managers in his time with the company. I was several levels above him but saw the same three-step process play out every time.

New manager loves him. Dan is helpful, hustles, delivers great results and is a great team player.

Manager is concerned. Dan is missing deadlines, seems overwhelmed and we’ve had some customers complaints.

Manager is done. The entire office is distracted in putting out Dan’s fires and he just lashed out at a teammate (or some similar incident).

Throughout this process, Dan’s manager talks with him about his performance and encourages him to get his mojo back. Dan agrees and commits to improvement while performance keeps getting worse. Each time, a last straw is added to the figurative camel’s back when Dan erupts on a teammate or manager.

We then put Dan on a written performance plan with the direct language of “If Dan fails to achieve the results in this plan, he will be terminated.”

The performance plan always flips a switch in Dan. He would tell us how much he loves the company and needs the job. He would apologize, promise to improve and then deliver on that promise. Results would go from terrible to great.

I am talking about worst to first kind of turn-arounds. We would go from customer complaints to receiving love letters from his customers.

One year later, the process would start over again.

After this cycle happened too many times, I had a conversation with him.

“If it goes downhill again Dan, there won’t be another written performance plan. We can’t afford to keep disrupting the office. You have to get it together and keep it together. Is there something outside of this office that we can help you with?”

He paused for a long time and opened up. He suffered from depression. He drank too much. His family had confronted him. He was in a bad place.

Our company partnered with a counseling organization for just this type of situation. I offered him a leave of absence if he would enter the program, of which we would pay for 100%. He had to attend every session and stay in the program or we would terminate his employment.

He graciously agreed.

We gave him two months of paid leave and he entered the counseling program. He came back energized and we saw the best of Dan.

For a while.

Soon, the process started again as complaints started surfacing, both from his teammates and customers.

This time, it ended with Dan sending an explosive email to a customer at 2AM. This cringe-inducing email was four paragraphs long and all but called the customer an idiot. It was totally out of his normal character.

This happened on a Friday. The customer forwarded his email to me and several other managers the next morning with Dan copied on the email. This customer shared her plans to post it on her blog and social media accounts.

Dan left me with no choice but to fire him and he knew it.

On Sunday evening, I got a call from Dan’s manager. She was rattled.

Dan knew what was coming on Monday and confided in several people in the office, in the worst of ways.

He told one person that he expected to be fired. He went on to say he deserved it and probably didn’t deserve to be alive. Maybe, he should just end it all.

Startling, but it got worse. He called another employee who happened to be an avid hunter. Without talking business, he asked her questions about handguns and which caliber he should look into.

Damn.

This was the summer of 2014 and two school shootings had just taken place on the West Coast within a week of each other. Hints like this couldn’t be ignored.

My first responsibility as a leader is keeping employees safe. Was Dan likely crying out for help? Probably. Was he going to bring a gun to the office? Highly unlikely. Could we take that assumption to the bank? Absolutely not.

I told our manager to sit tight and I got on the phone with my boss. We were not going to take any chances. He had experience with a security firm and knew the owner.

He arranged for an “armed specialist” to be with me the next morning in the office. To this day, I appreciate how quickly my boss worked to arrange everything. I have fired many people but never in a situation like this.

For the first time in my life, I was headed to a business meeting with a loaded gun.

I talked with our manager in the office and asked her to arrange an office meeting at our satellite office across the street. In essence, I asked her to get everyone out of the main office to start the morning. If something happened, I would be the only employee in the office with Dan that morning.

Next, I called Dan and asked him to meet me the next morning at my office.

I didn’t sleep that night. My imagination kept taking me to dark scenarios. I wanted to tell my wife more of my fears but kept them to myself. I didn’t want her to start imagining all the crazy stuff I was dreaming up.

I met with my bodyguard two hours before I was scheduled to meet with Dan. He was an older gentleman, short and lean. He wore a dress shirt tucked into jeans with a leather bomber jacket on. He gave me his credentials. Twenty years in the military and another twenty years in private security, both overseas and domestic.

He wanted to know where all the entry points to the office were. We walked the perimeter of the building and did the same inside. We walked back to my office where I planned to meet with Dan.

“Too many doors to get here. Also, what if one of your employees comes back to the office and is back here with us? I like the offices in the lobby.”

“OK.”

We walk up front and sit down in one of the lobby offices. He asked me how I planned to conduct the conversation and what I am expecting.

“Well, I can meet with him in this office. I will leave the office door open since no one will be here yet. You can sit right outside the office on that couch.”

“With all due respect, you’re not paying us $5,000 so I can carry out quick revenge.”

It takes me a few seconds to comprehend what he is saying.

“Ian, I won’t do you any good on the couch if he brings a gun into that office with you. I’ll be sitting right next to you.”

“Of course.”

“I will have my gun covered by my jacket but trust that I can get to it quickly. I don’t want to show it and get him more nervous than he already is.”

We agree to announce him as an “HR specialist” hired to assist in the discussion. This sounds much more comforting than telling Dan that my bodyguard will shoot to kill should Dan pull out a gun.

Dan walks through the door on time. I am anything but calm. I am not sure if I am worked up because of potential danger or simply because I am sitting next to a trained killer.

Dan knows what the meeting is about. He sees the paperwork in front of me. I introduce the person on my right who smiles and shakes his hand. I immediately get to the point.

“Dan, today is your last day with the company. We tried to make this work but feel that we need to move on without you.”

“I understand.”

I walk him through the paperwork. All standard stuff. When his benefits end, who to call in HR to learn more about Cobra, severance details, etc. He signs everything quickly. Next, I pivot.

“Dan, you said some things to people in the office that concern me.”

“Oh, that. Is this why you have someone here with you?”

“Yes.”

“I’m not going to do anything crazy.”

“Dan, we want to help you continue with the counseling if you are interested.”

“Thank you. I am interested. I’m sorry for scaring everybody.”

I took his computer and access keys to the office, shook his hand and he left without incident. We paid for additional counseling and an outplacement service that helped him find new employment.

Since Dan had already been enrolled and worked with the same counseling organization, we alerted them as to what had happened and they reached out to him immediately after our meeting. He started counseling again that day and they continued to work with him for several months.

Our security detail remained in the lobby the rest of the day, guarding the front door. We took it a step further and paid for him to show up every day for the rest of the week, watching the front entrance.

Excessive? Maybe, but it gave our local managers peace of mind. As an organization, we had the safety of 30 employees to worry about. Many were nervous as word got out about the calls he made over that weekend.

Count me as one of the nervous employees. Scared is a more honest word. Scared he might hurt himself, other employees or me.

It was an incredibly difficult situation as you want to do right by the employee while also protecting the people he works with.

I left work early that day. I went home and hugged my wife and kids for a long time.

Then I poured a tall glass of Scotch.

All men need to see this

“Hello there. Where do you come from? Do you like China?”

“I know your type!”

I was about 22 years old, meeting a friend from work at a bar near the beach when he introduced me to one of his friends, a woman about the same age as we were.

She took one look at me and said, “I know your type! You’re a business major. You’re in a fraternity. You think you’re privileged and better than others.”

I didn’t know what to do. She looked at me and then said, “See! Just try to deny it. I nailed it didn’t I!?”

I can’t remember much else. I looked over at my friend for help but he had turned the other way talking with someone else and hadn’t heard anything she had said.

I may have said something like, “Do you think Neil would be friends with someone like that? Please ask him about me.” I felt like maybe something bad had happened to her and rebutting her at that moment wasn’t as good as having her talk to our mutual friend. I felt unwelcome and left. I wasn’t really interested in arguing or apologies. The moment was ruined.

It was rude because none of it was true. I was a drama major, working a minimum wage job paying my way through college, never had any interest in fraternities and generally disliked the whole good ole boy mentality. I was however blonde, blue eyed, clean cut, and wore 50’s retro style clothing. I probably looked the part.

Why should Malaysia recognize Israel?

Why should we have any diplomatic relations with an occupying government in Palestine that commits genocide and other human rights violations on the Palestinians?

Why should we allow these type of genocidal Zionist people in our country? So they can lord it over us? We didn’t celebrate Merdeka so we can be colonized again. An Israel embassy is a colonial outpost. If you know Malaysian history, you know that the British Resident was the advisor to the Sultan and in effect was the real leader during the British colonial era. An Israeli ambassador is not here to be a regular ambassador, he would be a Jewish Resident. After the Portuguese, Dutch, British, and Japanese colonial eras, we don’t need a Jewish colonial era. We have seen what happens to Jewish colonies.

As for Communist China, while we do have relations and even trade relations and a visa free policy between Malaysia and China, what we have are bilateral relations on equal terms. Malaysia’s ethnic Chinese do not lobby Malaysia to champion Chinese hegemony the way America’s Jewish corporates lobby the USA to champion Jewish hegemony. We also do not allow China to spread communism or other Chinese origin ideologies here and China respects that because China does not interfere in Malaysia’s affairs.

If Malaysia ever recognizes Israel, that is the day I will leave Malaysia, because it means the minority Chinese and Indians are truly no longer safe. A Malaysia that supports Israel is also going to be a Malaysia that has no qualms about committing genocide on the ethnic Chinese and Indians in Malaysia with the help of Zionist Jews. I really don’t think any of our esteemed minorities in Malaysia have thought that through.

Hungarian Goulash

hungarian goulash 1 15
hungarian goulash 1 15

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hungarian goulash 1 17

hungarian goulash 1 16
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hungarian goulash 1 18
hungarian goulash 1 18

hungarian goulash 1 14
hungarian goulash 1 14

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds round steak, cubed
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can tomatoes
  • 1 cup sour cream

Instructions

  1. Put steak cubes, onion, garlic in slow cooker. Stir in flour and mix to coat steak cubes.
  2. Add all remaining ingredients EXCEPT sour cream. Stir well.
  3. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours.
  4. Add sour cream 30 minutes before serving, and stir in thoroughly.
  5. Serve over hot buttered noodles.

He is trying to steal this car…

MSM Silent As Court Holds PCR Covid Tests 97% Inaccurate – Unfit for Purpose

MSM Silent As Court Holds PCR Covid Tests 97% Inaccurate - Unfit for Purpose

The main stream media (MSM) in Europe and the US is deathly silent as a court determines the PCR test legally useless to test for Covid.

The Landmark legal ruling finds that Covid tests are not fit for purpose. So what does the MSM do? They ignore it

Four German holidaymakers who were illegally quarantined in Portugal after one was judged to be positive for Covid-19 have won their case, in a verdict that condemns the widely-used PCR test as being up to 97-percent unreliable.

Earlier this month, Portuguese judges upheld a decision from a lower court that found the forced quarantine of four holidaymakers to be unlawful. The case centered on the reliability (or lack thereof) of Covid-19 PCR tests.

The verdict, delivered on November 11, followed an appeal against a writ of habeas corpus filed by four Germans against the Azores Regional Health Authority. This body had been appealing a ruling from a lower court which had found in favor of the tourists, who claimed that they were illegally confined to a hotel without their consent. The tourists were ordered to stay in the hotel over the summer after one of them tested positive for coronavirus in a PCR test – the other three were labelled close contacts and therefore made to quarantine as well.

Unreliable, with a strong chance of false positives

The deliberation of the Lisbon Appeal Court is comprehensive and fascinating. It ruled that the Azores Regional Health Authority had violated both Portuguese and international law by confining the Germans to the hotel. The judges also said that only a doctor can “diagnose” someone with a disease, and were critical of the fact that they were apparently never assessed by one.

They were also scathing about the reliability of the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test, the most commonly used check for Covid.

The conclusion of their 34-page ruling included the following: “In view of current scientific evidence, this test shows itself to be unable to determine beyond reasonable doubt that such positivity corresponds, in fact, to the infection of a person by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.”  

In the eyes of this court, then, a positive test does not correspond to a Covid case. The two most important reasons for this, said the judges, are that, “the test’s reliability depends on the number of cycles used’’ and that “the test’s reliability depends on the viral load present.’’ In other words, there are simply too many unknowns surrounding PCR testing.

Tested positive? There could be as little as a 3% chance it’s correct

This is not the first challenge to the credibility of PCR tests. Many people will be aware that their results have a lot to do with the number of amplifications that are performed, or the ‘cycle threshold.’ This number in most American and European labs is 35–40 cycles, but experts have claimed that even 35 cycles is far too many, and that a more reasonable protocol would call for 25–30 cycles. (Each cycle exponentially increases the amount of viral DNA in the sample).

Earlier this year, data from three US states – New York, Nevada and Massachusetts – showed that when the amount of the virus found in a person was taken into account, up to 90 percent of people who tested positive could actually have been negative, as they may have been carrying only tiny amounts of the virus.

The Portuguese judges cited a study conducted by “some of the leading European and world specialists,” which was published by Oxford Academic at the end of September. It showed that if someone tested positive for Covid at a cycle threshold of 35 or higher, the chances of that person actually being infected is less than three percent, and that “the probability of… receiving a false positive is 97% or higher.”

While the judges in this case admitted that the cycle threshold used in Portuguese labs was unknown, they took this as further proof that the detention of the tourists was unlawful. The implication was that the results could not be trusted. Because of this uncertainty, they stated that there was “no way this court would ever be able to determine” whether the tourist who tested positive was indeed a carrier of the virus, or whether the others had been exposed to it.

Sshhh – don’t tell anyone

It is a sad indictment of our mainstream media that such a landmark ruling, of such obvious and pressing international importance, has been roundly ignored. If one were making (flimsy) excuses for them, one could say that the case escaped the notice of most science editors because it has been published in Portuguese. But there is a full English translation of the appeal, and alternative media managed to pick it up.

And it isn’t as if Portugal is some remote, mysterious nation where news is unreliable or whose judges are suspect – this is a western EU country with a large population and a similar legal system to many other parts of Europe. And it is not the only country whose institutions are clashing with received wisdom on Covid. Finland’s national health authority has disputed the WHO’s recommendation to test as many people as possible for coronavirus, saying it would be a waste of taxpayer’s money, while poorer South East Asian countries are holding off on ordering vaccines, citing an improper use of finite resources.

Testing, especially PCR testing, is the basis for the entire house of cards of Covid restrictions that are wreaking havoc worldwide. From testing comes case numbers. From case numbers come the ‘R number,’ the rate at which a carrier infects others. From the ‘dreaded’ R number comes the lockdowns and the restrictions, such as England’s new and baffling tiered restrictions that come into force next week.

The daily barrage of statistics is familiar to us all by this point, but as time goes on the evidence that something may be deeply amiss with the whole foundation of our reaction to this pandemic – the testing regime – continues to mount.

 

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Mud In Your Eye (fango en su ojo)
Mud In Your Eye (fango en su ojo)

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I took a ship to Chittagong to be scrapped. The owners sent money to a local bank to clear the wage bill. Since the crew hadn’t been paid for some time, this amounted to a lot. When I went to collect the cash, the manager gave me about half in currency notes and the rest in American Express travellers cheques. “There isn’t that much currency in the whole of Bangladesh.” I paid my Myanmarese sailors and three Russian officers in cash and the Indians with the TCs.

On return to India I went to deposit the TCs in my bank. It was a well known foreign bank which had taken over the retail banking business in India of BoA.

“You won’t get the money in your account for one month because we have to send the TCs to New York for verification.” American Express had an office in Chennai. They accepted the TCs and gave me a cashier’s cheque for the amount. I deposited the cheque in my regular bank and the funds were available the next day.

Insane save!

There was a time not so long ago in China when anything American was automatically seen as better. In the 1990s, weddings were held at a McDonald’s near Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. By the 2000s, Nike sneakers, iPhones and dates at Pizza Hut were the badges of middle-class achievement.

America, which is called “Meiguo” or “beautiful country” in Chinese, was the bastion of wealth and ease. Even the moon hung larger in the United States than in China, people used to joke.

Now, Chinese media and commentators mockingly refer to the United States not as “Meiguo” but as “Meidi” — “the beautiful imperialist.”

And Chinese shoppers are more likely to be sipping a drink from Luckin, a Chinese coffee chain, than Starbucks or lining up all night to buy Huawei’s Mate 60 Pro than the latest Apple device. Today, no one says the moon is any different when seen from the United States.

“Back in the days you looked at American brands you just felt they were cooler,” said Tracy Liu, a 30-year-old translator in Shanghai. “Now people chase after domestic brands.”

In my freshman year of high school, I pissed off 5 upperclassmen on the football team at once.

On the first day of football practice, I commented that the team’s starting linebacker was a tiny dude. For comparison, I was 6′1″, 230 Lbs and he was 5′7″, 190 Lbs. Well, when you’re a piece of shit freshman who hasn’t even played a game yet, you just don’t talk about a Senior like that. I didn’t know that because I was a dumbass and sophomores were baiting me into talking shit about that guy who everyone except me knew was extremely aggressive.

After practice, the Senior who I talked shit about confronted me. Instead of apologizing and moving on, I told him to fuck off. As you can guess, that didn’t make him very happy.

A few weeks later, him and 4 of his closest friends attempted to jump me in my neighborhood. I got off the school bus and as soon as the bus drove away, they started surrounding me. One guy got his phone out and said “this is gonna be epic, better record it.”

They quickly started closing in around me. My adrenaline started pumping and I was in the zone. I had never fought 5 dudes at once before, so I was definitely on edge. However, these guys had challenged me and I was going to respond in kind and protect my honor. I was an amateur boxer, I knew that a few well placed strikes would knock these guys out. I started taunting the guy who I offended and making fun of him for needing so much backup to fight one guy. My hope was that this tactic would appeal to his ego and make him fight me one on one, where I was guaranteed to win. My strategy worked, the other guys backed off and he decided to take me on alone.

When I saw the other guys back off, I got into my fighting stance and hit him with a hard right cross. He dropped like a sack of potatoes, out cold. The other guys started ganging up on me. I took off my belt and started whipping them in the face. I quickly moved on the biggest guy in the group and hit with a left-right jab combo, he hit the ground – I broke his nose. He was out. I took the belt and strangled another guy and bashed him in the head with my elbow. He went down. The other 2 dudes grabbed me from each side and started beating the shit out of me. I felt blood trickling down my nose. I used a technique my dad taught me and tripped one of the guys and stomped on his face. He didn’t get up and the other guys hit me with a right uppercut. I literally flew up in the air and came crashing down. I was a bit woozy and everything looked blurry. That guy started running towards me like an enraged bull, I got up quickly staggered backwards and hit him with a left jab and right upper cut, he went up and then he came down. He came back up, I kneed him in the face and he went down. The adrenaline rush wore off and I kind of crashed down next to a tree stump.

Some lady had seen the whole thing and asked me if I was ok. It wasn’t a pretty sight, my clothes were torn up and my face was all bloody. I told her I was fine. I got up and called my buddy, explained the situation and asked him what I should do. There were 5 dudes on the ground, 3 unconscious, 2 writhing in pain. He told me to just walk home and I did. I guess they all got up and went home at some point.

The next day at football practice, I was ushered into the Coaches office and all 6 of us got yelled at for at least an hour. Then we were forced to shake hands and apologize to each other. Those guys never bothered me after that. I had earned their respect and they didn’t want to escalate the situation. I never disrespected them again either.

The good thing was that my fight became legendary in school. The defensive line coach took to calling me “Iron Adi” based on “Iron Mike Tyson”. He even made fun of it from time to time. He told the other guys if they ever pissed him off, he’d let me loose on them.

Because some people don’t want to fix them.

A friend of mine decided to give something back to the UK community and taught GCSE maths at a community centre. He charged them nothing for it, those who wanted it could pay the £120 (at the time this was 00s) to take their exams. They could give 50p or something to the community hall for them to pay their bills.

He saw a problem and tried to fix it at his own cost. He gave up after 2 groups. He managed to get about 12 people to graduate and put up their photos as success. He gave up because the vast majority of people who took his course were wasters. They were sent by the job centre and had no interest in learning anything and would simply go there to drink tea and play on their phones.

That’s literally an unfixable problem, they don’t want to learn and have no interest in learning.

My brother and I grew up in the 60’s and 70’s. Here’s a few common things that we did, which might make modern parents uncomfortable…

  • Riding bicycles and skateboards without helmets, knee pads, elbow pads or anything else…
  • Spend most of our free time outdoors and unsupervised, including walking to school.
  • Driving in cars without airbags, seat belts and without cell phones.
  • Playing outdoor sports and games in the middle of the street.
  • Playing with BB guns, pellet guns, real bows and arrows, sling shots, lawn darts, cap guns, firecrackers and acetylene cannons.
  • Building things, like tree houses in trees found on vacant lots, from scrap lumber at construction sites…
  • Playing on “real” playground equipment, like 30-foot high swing sets, 8-foot high monkey bars, 15-foot high steel slides or even old decommissioned F-86 fighter planes, like we had at our elementary school.
  • Paddles with holes drilled in them, hanging in the Principal’s office at school.
  • Playing with toys like chemistry sets, with real reactive chemicals, radioactive science kits, hot plate cooking sets, where you make your own edible rubberized candy, which resembled insects, or buying snacks like candy cigarettes, which resembled real cigarettes.
  • Dressing up at Halloween like hobos (homeless people.) Politically incorrect, which wasn’t a thing back then…
  • Building plastic model kits, using model cement (styrene glue.) Using electronic kits to build radios and other devices using hot soldering irons and lead solder.
  • Going to the library to check out books for information, since there was no internet, cell phones, iPads or personal computers.
  • Mowing lawns, building a lemonade stand or selling candy at school to raise money. We’d use our hard-earned money to go to the record store and purchase albums and 45’s.
  • Listening to transistor radios for music, since there were no iPods, Walkman players or cell phones.

Too many things to remember…

I got arrested, handcuffed, and stuffed into the back of a police cruiser and driven downtown to be booked for felony assault and battery…

I cold-cocked a guy (from behind, without apologies – he was twice my size) who was beating the crap out of a woman maybe half my size with his fists on the sidewalk, and she instantly leaped on my back and started shrieking at me and trying to pull my hair out for “attacking her man”. When the cops arrived (somebody had already apparently called them), they really had no choice but to arrest me….

When we got to the police station, the arresting officer sat me down on a bench right next to the front door, and took off my handcuffs, saying, “Now don’t you run off or anything… We haven’t even got your name yet”, and disappeared into the back with the desk sergeant.

About ten minutes later, after seeing both of them poke their heads around the edge of the door to check on me a few times, the desk sergeant came back out, squatted down next to me, sighed heavily while shaking his head sadly, and said, “You’re either way too good to be true, or way too stupid to survive, but you need to listen carefully here… <wink wink> You are sitting, unrestrained, one half second away from freedom while we, silly trusting saps that we are, forgot to even ask who the fuck you are. Why, if you were to walk out of here, it’s unlikely we could ever figure out who to look for, much less where to find you… <wink wink wink wink>… So don’t <wink like a natural spastic> go getting any funny ideas or nuthin’…” <heavy sigh>

About a minute later, the light-bulb went on in my head (I guess the adrenaline level had dropped enough) and I walked out the door, a free, but terrified and utterly confused nineteen year old…

That was forty four years ago, and the desk sergeant retired in 2003, but I still see him at Whole Foods or Home Depot from time to time – and he still shakes his head sadly and wink winks at me every time I run into him.

Bastard!

Daddy’s Golden Mushroom Chuck Roast

This is great on Portuguese rolls.

CreamyMushroomBeefChuckRoastRecipe3
CreamyMushroomBeefChuckRoastRecipe3

CreamyMushroomBeefChuckRoastRecipe2
CreamyMushroomBeefChuckRoastRecipe2

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 to 4 pound boneless chuck roast, browned in 2 tablespoons oil
  • 4 cans Campbell’s Golden Mushroom Soup
  • 1 large can mushrooms, drained, or 12 ounces washed fresh mushrooms whole or sliced
  • Milk (use the 4 soup cans to fill each 1/2 way)

img 7438 1
img 7438 1

CreamyMushroomBeefChuckRoastRecipe1
CreamyMushroomBeefChuckRoastRecipe1

Instructions

  1. Place browned meat into slow cooker.
  2. Mix the 4 cans of Golden Mushroom Soup with the milk, using a whisk to blend smoothly. Stir in drained can of mushrooms or fresh mushrooms.
  3. Set slow cooker on LOW for 8, and let cook for 8 to 10 hours. If you like it thicker, shut off slow cooker and mix cornstarch and water and stir into gravy.
  4. Serve with mashed potatoes or wide noodles or dumplings and a veggie.
  5. Also good as a sandwich because meat pulls apart.

    I was in the U.S. Air Force and stationed in Alaska, along with my wife and preschool children. My mother-in-law came up from Iowa to visit. She walked off the plane with my wife’s nephew. MIL had been invited … toddler nephew was not invited. The look I gave my wife probably scorched her a bit.

    As we were leaving the Anchorage airport, we pointed out all the foreign flagged aircraft. This turned out to be beneficial less than an hour later.

    Minutes after arriving at our apartment, the phone rang. Collect call from one of wife’s siblings. Wife hears me say, “Yes, I will accept collect call charges.” I then handed the phone to MIL. I didn’t say anything to MIL or to my wife. My wife looked at me and, based on the look on my face, decided to not say anything to me either.

    When MIL hung up (after an extended discussion), I said to MIL, “We invited YOU up to visit. We DID NOT invite [nephew] up here. Furthermore, we DID NOT invite intrusions by [wife’s] brothers and sisters.”

    I continued by explaining, “I need that phone for my Air Force duties. If we lose that phone due to not being able to pay for lots of collect calls, I will be forced to move on base.”

    I went on to explain that family housing on base was very limited. So, I would probably be assigned single enlisted quarters on base. [Wife] and our children would have stay in this apartment. I would be allowed to visit them, provided I notified my supervisor or chain of command each and ever time I’d be out of telephone contact, as well as how long I expected to be out of contact.

    (Even if I didn’t have a roommate in the enlisted quarters, wife and children would have to be signed in and signed out.)

    I finished by telling MIL, “If this continues, we will put you and [nephew] on the very next plane out of Anchorage.” My wife chimed in to say, “And we won’t check to see where the plane is headed.”

    The Mindfuck of Parental Abandonment (And How to Unfuck Yourself)

     

    Imagine this: you’re a little kid, and one of the people you depend on most in this world – a parent who’s supposed to love you unconditionally – up and leaves you. They peace out, either physically or emotionally, and you’re left holding the bag of your own shattered expectations and broken heart.

     

    Now, as a child, you don’t have the cognitive or emotional resources to process this kind of trauma in a healthy way. You can’t rationally say, “Well, Mom/Dad are clearly dealing with their own issues and limitations which have nothing to do with my inherent lovability.” Nah, your kiddie brain defaults to the most obvious, ego-centric explanation: “It must be my fault. I must not be good enough. If I were better, they wouldn’t have left.”

    Boom. In one fell swoop, your self-worth takes a major hit. And that belief – that you’re fundamentally unlovable or deficient – can linger in your psyche like a bad fart in an elevator, stinking up your emotional wellbeing for years to come.

    Fast forward to adulthood, and you may find yourself unconsciously replaying this abandonment drama in your relationships. You pick partners who are emotionally unavailable or who treat you like shit, because on some level, you’re still trying to prove your worth to that original abandoning parent. Or you push away anyone who gets too close, because vulnerability equals the risk of being left again, and fuck that noise.

    Meanwhile, you’re walking around with a gnawing emptiness inside, a sense that you’re just not quite good enough, no matter what you accomplish or how much external validation you rack up. Because that wounded little kid is still calling the shots, defining your worth through the lens of an event you didn’t have the capacity to understand at the time.

    So how do you break free from this emotional mindfuck? How do you reclaim your self-worth from the jaws of abandonment?

    It starts with recognizing that your parent’s choices had fuck-all to do with your value as a person. They left because of their own limitations, not because of yours. You could have been the most perfect, adorable, lovable little rugrat on the planet, and they still would have bailed, because they were wrestling with their own demons that had nothing to do with you.

    Next, you have to grieve. You have to feel the pain of that abandonment fully, to sit with the anger and sadness and hurt, instead of constantly running from it or numbing it with self-destructive habits. This isn’t easy, and you may need the help of a therapist to navigate this emotional shitstorm, but it’s necessary to heal that wounded little kid inside.

    Finally, you have to start redefining your worth on your own terms. You have to learn to love and accept yourself, flaws and all, without needing constant external validation to prove your value. This means setting boundaries in your relationships, pursuing your passions unapologetically, and treating yourself with the kindness and respect you deserved all along.

    It’s a long, messy, uncomfortable process, but it’s so fucking worth it. Because when you can stare down the pain of abandonment and come out the other side still knowing your inherent worthiness, that’s real freedom. That’s self-love in action.

    So if you’re struggling with the aftermath of parental abandonment, know that you’re not alone, and your pain is valid. But also know that you have the power to rewrite the story. You get to decide what defines your worth, not some emotionally stunted adult who projected their own issues onto an innocent child.

    It won’t be easy, but few worthwhile things are. The journey to wholeness never is. But trust me, it beats the hell out of staying stuck in the emotional quagmire of self-blame and unworthiness.

Compilation: UFOs & Aliens!

Bicycle Bill

US politicians?

They just equate anti-genocide in Gaza to antisemitism.

They use force to pin down peaceful protesters.

And …

After WW2, from 1946-2001, in 55 years, there were 248 wars in the world. USA instigated 201 ie 82% of all wars. Not counting non-military riots & coups. In 200+ years since US independence, there were less than 20 years when USA was not in a war. Worse, it is US vassals who shed blood & lose life for a US-instigated war for US benefit only.

USA wants wars to …

1, make $$$ … $$$ by arms sale & post-war construction

2, slow down or suppress China’s fast development which, in US words, threaten US security ie US hegemony.

US politicians have no right to say anything about anybody because they are the global bully. USA is the one who supplies weapons to, say, Israel, to do genocide in Gaza

Back to Taiwan.

On 5/21 China sanctioned former Republican congressman Mike Gallagher who works for MIC to lobby Taiwan to buy more US weapons.

5/22 China sanctioned 12 US defense-related entities & 10 top people ie China sanctions US arms sale to Taiwan.

5/23 a series of action

1, announcement to world

China Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told the world: (my translation) Taiwan dares to secede. … China will launch an operation to suppress secession & foreign interference of Chinese domestic affairs. China’s operation meets UN Charter & intl conventional practices. China’s operation is absolutely necessary, reasonable & legal.

China urges USA to stop supporting Taiwan independence & stop interfering China’s internal affairs.

China is determined to fight any action that threatens China’s sovereignty & integrity of Chinese territory. (I add) UN does approve suppression of secession.

3, With posts, China informs Taiwanese that China targets Taiwan independence gang & not ordinary people. With details which cities to target. Written in traditional Chinese for the convenience of Taiwanese & with pictures. So that Taiwanese Defense cant hide info from the public.

One post lists Lai’s 5 biggest lies.

4, One post shows 6 Chinese powerful weapons. Analyst said the weapons are to show to USA because subduing Taiwan does not need powerful weapons.

The U-Boat that sank because of a toilet

I’m not even kidding.

main qimg f0a0ba84b8bcf3820307d5415b4740e8 lq
main qimg f0a0ba84b8bcf3820307d5415b4740e8 lq

What had happened was that U-1206, had recently received a brand new toilet. This was a far more advanced model with an improved plumbing system which allowed it to be flushed at greater depths. The downside, was that it was complicated to use, and only a few members of the crew were trained as “flushing specialists”.

Unfortunately, the crew members ended up misusing the toilet on U-1206, which by the way, happened to be cruising at a depth of around 60m at the time. The misuse caused a large amount of sea water to start flooding the submarine. To add insult to injury, the sea water began flooding the submarine’s batteries, which caused them to release chlorine gas (it’s rather toxic stuff), forcing the submarine to surface.

Once surfaced, the submarine was spotted and bombed by British patrols, which forced the crew to scuttle the submarine. A total of 4 men were killed and 46 were captured.

So yeah, the German submarine that sank because the crew didn’t know how to use a toilet. Definitely not the way to go.

China’s Change 6 Has BIGGER Space Missions Than US Thinks

Russia Early-Warning (Nuclear) Missile Radar ATTACKED

One of Russia’s absolutely key over-the-horizon, nuclear-early-warning radar sites has been hit by drone attack, BLINDING Russia from missiles launched at them from . . .  the Middle East.

The 818th Separate Radio-Technical Unit at the Armavir Radar Station located in Krasnodar Krai, Russia is now knocked-out.  Here are images of the two gigantic radar buildings at that radar site (Click on image TWICE to fully enlarge):

The map below shows where this particular station is:

Armavir radar station small 2 large
Armavir radar station small 2 large

Normally, the entire Russia early-warning radar system provides the coverage seen in the graphic below:

Russia early warning radar array COVERAGE
Russia early warning radar array COVERAGE

Armavir radar station medium
Armavir radar station medium

With the damage to the two radar stations at the Armavir Radar Station, there is now a GAPING HOLE in Russia’s early-warning system against nuclear attack.

Russia is now a sitting Duck for a nuclear first strike, not only against their Strategic Nuclear missile silos, but also against all the major population centers inside Russia.

Russia Early Warning Radar Attacked 1
Russia Early Warning Radar Attacked 1

 

Submarine launched nukes from the far eastern Mediterranean Sea, land-launched or even air-launched missiles from Turkey, from ISRAEL, Sub-launched missiles from the Red Sea, ALL can no longer be detected by Russia.

The coverage map below is highlighted below to show the unimaginable scope of the GAPING HOLES.

 

Of course, this is being credited to Ukraine, but the radar stations that were hit DO NOT COVER UKRAINE.  Clearly, this hit was concocted by the US/EU and NATO; they are the ONLY entities that benefit from this. (Correction: There is another beneficiary . . .  Israel . . .  can now launch ballistic or nuclear missiles at Iran, and Russia will not be able to warn Iran.)

Why would we do this?   Unless . . . . we’re planning a nuclear first-strike upon Russia!

Worse Danger Now Than the “Cuban Missile Crisis”

Today’s attack opens the door for a full, complete, and absolute DECAPITATION ATTACK upon Russia.  We can now hit ALL their strategic missile silos and take out ALL of their national government and they wouldn’t even know the missiles had been launched until it was too late.

How long will the Russians wait – with themselves completely vulnerable– before they have to decide to “Use them or Lose them?”  We may have just FORCED the Russians to launch a nuclear first-strike.

By any realistic measurement, this is now an “Existential Threat to the existence of Russia.”     We could literally be like the song “On the Eve of Destruction!”

Notice too, this was done on the big “Memorial Day” holiday weekend here in the U.S.  Many Americans are traveling to the beach, to the mountains, away from home, away from all their money and preps.  

BASIC INFO ABOUT ARMAVIR RADAR STATION

Armavir Radar Station is an early warning radar station near Armavir in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It is a key part of the Russian early warning system against missile attack and is run by the Russian Space Forces. There are two radars here – one faces south west and one south east. They provide radar coverage of the Middle East.  The satellite image below shows the station from above:

Russia Early Warning Radar Site Satellite pic
Russia Early Warning Radar Site Satellite pic

The station is located on the former Baronovsky Airfield  3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south west of the village of Glubokiy and 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) south west of Armavir.

The station was described as starting to operate at the end of 2006 and then entering “experimental combat mode” in 2008.

On the day in 2009 that Russia lost coverage from radars in Ukraine it was announced that it had “begun operations”.

In May 2012 it was announced that it would go on combat duty before the end of 2012. In December 2012 it was announced it will be in the first quarter of 2013.

On 6 June 2013 it was commissioned by order of the President Vladimir Putin visiting the Central Command Post of the Russian Armed Forces.  There is a planned second segment, which will overlap zone of the Gabala radar station lost in Ukraine.

2013 ballistic launch in Mediterranean

On 3 September 2013 Armavir detected two US/Israeli ballistic test launches in the Mediterranean towards Syria.

Now, they can’t detect those anymore.  Or our missile subs launching from the eastern Med, the Red Sea, The Gulf of Oman, or even south of the Horn of Africa off Somalia.  Russia are now sitting Ducks.

Hal Turner Snap Remarks

I earnestly hope you have taken my long urged advice to have Emergency food, water, medicine, a generator, fuel for it, communications gear like CB or HAM, and all the little emergency things you need like flashlights, batteries, portable radio with spare batteries, FIRST-AID KIT, gas grill or spare charcoal and lighter fluid, a manual can opener, and so on.  Looks to me like time is up.

Taiwan Surrounded by China Navy

Taiwan Surrounded by China Navy

The island of Taiwan awoke yesterday morning to find itself surrounded by the China Navy.  The Chinese government says this is an “exercise” but Taiwan believes an invasion is coming.  So does the USA.

From the Chinese government:

Taiwan surrounded large
Taiwan surrounded large

 

As a result of China’s military moves, Taiwan deployed its Coast Guard, which is now in a sort of Mexican Stand-off with China’s (much larger) Navy:

China naval exercise
China naval exercise

Taiwan Air Force announced that 10 F-16 fighter jets will be activated if Chinese aircraft enter the adjacent region. F-16 Block 20 warplanes were seen loaded with air-to-air equipment at the Hualien air base in eastern Taiwan:

Taiwan CG Mexican standoff w china
Taiwan CG Mexican standoff w china

 

To emphasize how serious the situation is, Taiwan, for the very first time, deployed Anti-Ship Missiles on its coast, and raised the missile launchers into launch position!

 

 

Intelligence sources told me that at the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese Leader Xi Jinping, which took place in Beijing last week, military adventures were among the topics the two leaders discussed.

The Intelligence guys say that China sees Trump is making a very hard run for re-election, and they know they will not stand any chance of taking Taiwan if Trump gets back in.  So they have to act before the US election in November.

Taiwan F 16s air to air payloads
Taiwan F 16s air to air payloads

China also knows that the US is seriously weakened now due to our supplying Ukraine with weaponry to fight Russia.   So short of missiles is the United States Navy, that when a Destroyer or Missile Cruiser returns to port from sea duty, its missiles must be taken off the ship, to be placed on another ship which is going OUT to sea duty, because the US Navy does not have enough missiles to load all of its vessels!

Moreover, they say, Joe Biden is seen as a dementia-addled incompetent.

All these things add up to China making a move against Taiwan sooner rather than later.

The U.S. seeing what China is doing, has dispatched the USS Ronald Reagan Aircraft Carrier from its port in Japan.  The Ronald Reagan set sail from Japan late Wednesday night, and arrived in the Philippine Sea on Thursday.

 

 

The vessel is within air strike range of Taiwan and the Chinese fleet surrounding Taiwan.  But the Reagan is also now within range of China’s hypersonic “ship killer” missiles.

Very dangerous things going on.  Just one small mistake by anyone, could cause this to escalate into immediate war.

Russia Dropped Devastating ODAB -1500 Vacuum Bomb at 120 ATM Pressure

“I’m 5’1 and it really makes me insecure about the way I’m perceived by society.”

 

I’m a 19 year old dude, who’s lately been feeling really bad about my height. I’m just about 5’1 ft and it really makes me insecure about the way I’m perceived by society. I’m fairly buff and I do amateur bantamweight MMA, but I still find myself self-doubting my masculinity.

I sometimes have extreme periods of self-hatred where I trash my room or feel the urge to punch in mirrors that reflect my image. I can’t for the life of me get over my height; I feel that I’m unlovable.

 

I’ve increasingly been relying on money and alcohol for happiness as they are the only thing that brings semblance of security. I know it’s not healthy, but it’s the only thing that calms me during my mental breakdowns.

I’ve also tried seeing therapists about my problems but I’ve pussied out of all 6 of my meetings; I feel like they’d look down on me or dismiss my issues.

First off, let’s get one thing straight: your height doesn’t define your worth as a man or a human being. Period. End of story. Anyone who tells you otherwise is full of shit and probably projecting their own insecurities onto you.

Life is a giant mess of uncontrollable factors, and your height is just one tiny piece of that chaotic puzzle. You’re 5’1”, and yeah, society can be a dick about things like that, but guess what? You’re also a buff, bantamweight MMA fighter. That’s badass. Seriously, think about it – you’re out there training and fighting, and that takes guts, determination, and a hell of a lot of strength, both physically and mentally.

Now, onto the main issue: self-doubt and insecurity. It’s normal to feel down sometimes, but trashing your room and wanting to punch mirrors? That’s not helping anyone, least of all you. It’s time to channel that anger and frustration into something constructive. You’ve got the discipline from MMA, use it to tackle your mental health too.

Here’s the thing about masculinity – it’s not about how tall you are or how others perceive you. It’s about owning who you are, flaws and all. Being a man isn’t about towering over others; it’s about standing tall in your own skin, no matter what. So, you’re 5’1”. Own it. Wear it like armor. It’s part of what makes you, you.

Money and alcohol might give you a temporary high, but they’re a band-aid on a wound that needs stitches. They won’t bring you real happiness or security. You’ve already recognized this, and that’s a crucial step. You know it’s not healthy, so it’s time to find healthier outlets. Your love for MMA is a good start – it’s a great way to vent out the frustration and also keep you disciplined.

And about those therapists – I get it, opening up to someone can feel like you’re exposing your vulnerabilities. But that’s the whole point. Therapy isn’t about being judged; it’s about finding someone to help you navigate through the storm. If you’ve pussied out of 6 meetings, fine. Start with one. And if you don’t like the therapist, find another. This is about you, and it’s worth the effort.

Self-hatred is a dark hole, but here’s the light: the fact that you’re reaching out means you want to climb out of it. That’s strength. That’s masculinity. Start by accepting yourself as you are. Height and all. Look in the mirror and instead of seeing what you lack, see what you’ve got. See the fighter. The determined guy who won’t back down from a challenge.

The bottom line is this: your height doesn’t determine your value as a man. Your character does. Your actions do. The way you treat yourself and others does. Focus on being a good fucking human being and the rest will fall into place.

It won’t be easy, and you’ll have to work at it every single day. But trust me, it’s worth it. You have the power to create an amazing life for yourself, regardless of your height. So stop making bullshit excuses, get your ass in gear, and make it happen.

Keep fighting.

Chinese Kindergartens

A one minute video clip. Well worth the time to watch. From my personal stash.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgRMd-UqXFc

Beef Ragout with Grilled Bread

This dish can be made in a slow cooker or the stovetop. Canola oil is used to make both the ragout and grilled bread because of its neutral flavor and heat tolerance. The ragout is served with bread to soak up the hearty and flavorful broth, but it can be served with pasta or polenta instead.

beef ragout grilled bread
beef ragout grilled bread

Yield: 6 servings; serving size 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) ragout

Ingredients

Ragout

  • 1 pound lean beef roast such as round tip roast 500 g
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil 15 mL
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning 15 mL
  • 1 medium eggplant, not peeled, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes
  • 2 green bell peppers, chopped
  • 2 (15 ounce/426 mL) cans low-sodium crushed tomatoes
  • 1 cup red wine 250 mL
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped 60 mL

Grilled Bread

  • 12 slices whole grain Italian bread, sliced on bias, about 1-inch thick each
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil 15 mL

Instructions

  1. In large, nonstick skillet, brown each side of beef roast in canola oil. Place roast in slow cooker.*
  2. Add onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes and red wine. Cook on LOW heat for 8 to 9 hours (or on HIGH heat for 4 to 5 hours) until beef is tender and has an internal temperature of 145 degrees F (65 degrees C).
  3. When beef is cooked, shred with a fork.
  4. To prepare grilled bread: Brush bread with canola oil and grill for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, until toasted.
  5. To serve, top ragout with parsley. Serve with grilled bread.

Notes

* If preparing on stovetop, use a large pot (8-quart) and bring ragout ingredients, except parsley, to boil and simmer covered for at least 30 minutes.

Nutrition

Per serving: Calories 340 Total Fat 10 g Saturated Fat 2.5 g Cholesterol 60 mg Carbohydrates 29 g Fiber 7 g Sugars 9 g Protein 25 g Sodium 210 mg Potassium 640 mg

I was employed as a contract employee at a big corporation from 1980–82.

About 2 months before my contract was to be terminated-something my boss neglected to tell me at the time-he came to me with a request that was unrealistic and ,frankly, border line crazy. He asked me to complete a project that normally would take 4–6 weeks in 2 weeks. No room for discussion or negotiation. Just DO IT. (The project was done at the request of another district and my boss was the middle man.)

Anyway,by coming in early,working through lunch, putting in long overtime hours,and coming in on Saturday,I did the impossible. I finished the project-with 2 days to spare. Elated,I left a note on his desk informing him of the good news. I admit I expected a Thank You or a Well Done.

His reaction was beyond appalling.For a week there was dead silence. It was as if none of this had even happened. Finally,he approached me and said. “You remember that project you finished last week?” I said.”Yes,of course.” He answered. “Well,I just submitted it…2 days late,as we just can’t have the other district make such unreasonable demands on us.”

So Ralph, if you happen to be reading this,it’s been over 40 years but I still haven’t forgotten your vile behaviour that day. To me you’re still the biggest POS in the world!

Some of my favorite family pictures from the 1960s

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Not sure if this really qualifies, but what the hell.

I’m at a large retail store, driving through the parking lot looking for a space. I see an empty spot ahead, and start to turn into it, only to be greeted by another car honking it’s horn, sitting in the space across from it. The guy inside is waving his hands furiously and gesturing at me, while the woman in the passenger seat attempts to cover her face. I finished parking and got out, and gestured to the other driver with upturned palms and a “what’s wrong?” expression. I was actually concerned the guy might have been in some sort of trouble, or needed help, but I wasn’t expecting what happened.

He shut his car off and thrust his door open, actually hitting the SUV beside him, and screamed “You asshole!” before even getting out of the car. I started to get the picture before he even said the next words. “You did that on purpose”, he asserted, then flung some profanities I won’t type here as they’re too explicit, although one of the tamer ones was calling me a “cousin fucking redneck motherfucker”. Real class-act, this guy. During this tirade, his (presumably) girlfriend had also exited the vehicle, and now had the look of someone who wished they could physically become invisible.

I listened to his rant about my deliberate and personal attack against him which I perpetrated by parking my car, and preventing him from pulling through spaces, to wit, he would now have to reverse out of his parking space…which was just an unforgivable inconvenience.

I guess it’s a sign of getting older, or wiser, but probably just older, that this guy didn’t make me lose my shit on him. It wouldn’t have been too long ago that I’d have smashed his face two words into his second sentence.

Instead, I let him get the whole rant out, nearly a full two minutes of it. He made a hell of a scene, and by the end of it…I was laughing. Not on the inside, I was laughing in his face. He didnt like being laughed at, apparently, and stepped back shutting his door so he could approach me. He had his hands up at shoulder height at this point, looking like he might take a swing at me. I took a step closer and said in a decisively stern tone “Let me get this straight. You got out here yelling at me, because you don’t know how to drive a fucking car and that’s somehow my fault, is that right you little prick?” and I leaned in so close our noses almost touched. I could smell alcohol on his breath. He stepped back, and didn’t swing (Big surprise, someone acting like a loud douchebag).

He instead walked back, or rather stomped like a little kid pitching a fit, back to his car (which the girl was no longer in, but instead standing beside with her door closed) got in and slammed the door. He motioned to the girl to get in as he started the engine, she shook her head no, and he put it in reverse and slammed backwards out of the parking space…and into the big 4×4 pickup behind him to his right. The tow hitch obliterated his back bumper, and didnt let it go. He was in a full rage again at this point and drove away, leaving the accident, his (presumably) girlfriend and to the credit of universal karma, his bumper with license plate behind.

This entire exchange lasted a bit less than five minutes, but it’s five minutes I’ll treasure.

Beef Roast with Sour Cream Gravy

Crock Pot Pot Roast Feature 1
Crock Pot Pot Roast Feature 1

Ingredients

  • 1 (3 pound) chuck or pot roast
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon dill weed
  • 5 or 6 small potatoes
  • 5 or 6 carrots
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large onion
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon dill seed

Instructions

  1. Coat roast with 2 tablespoons flour, salt and pepper. Brown in oil in skillet.
  2. Put roast in slow cooker. Add water and vinegar.
  3. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon dill weed over meat, then add potatoes, carrots, onion and salt.
  4. Cook on LOW for 10 to 12 hours or on HIGH for 6 hours.
  5. To make gravy, pour off 3 tablespoons drippings, add 1 tablespoon flour and heat.
  6. Measure rest of drippings, and add water to make 1 cup. Add to flour mixture and heat for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
  7. Add sour cream and 1 teaspoon dill weed. Heat to boiling.

US Threatens to Shut Down EUV if China Reunifies Taiwan by Force

Can remotely disable chip fabs…? Really! I pretty much doubt it.

I only met my Grandfather a handful of times in my life. My father never really talked much about him even though he was alive for the first half of my life (He died in 2000). The stories I heard were of a very tight man (he never spent money on anything – including his family) that bordered on absurdity.

What I didn’t know until the day after he died was that he not only saw active combat in WW2 but served in Patton’s army during the Battle of the Bulge! I was incredulous. How could nobody have told me before that day? His story (I thought) would be incredible.

When we were cleaning out his house after his death, I found a box under his bed. It was the first time I had ever been in his house—he never wanted visitors. In this box, he had two Lugars, several Swastica pins, SS emblems, an army medal for bravery on the battlefield, and other items taken from German soldiers.

My uncle came up behind me and yelled,” We found ‘em,” and my dad and other uncles entered the room. My uncle looked me in the eye and said, “Do you know what these are from?”

I responded, World War 2? – but I didn’t know he had actually done anything; after all, nobody had ever told me anything about his past. Then, my Uncle told me in a quiet tone that my grandfather manned a 50-caliber machine on the back of a jeep during the war. During routine patrols, he spotted two SS soldiers trying to infiltrate their lines under barbed wire.

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main qimg d0cfd0eb9c6ff87ffa25e164bf2571cf

He had the jeep stop, and they shined a spotlight on the soldiers. He then “turned them to hamburger” with the 50-caliber. There was no surrender in the Battle of the Bulge – it was kill or be killed, no prisoners. He had killed two stuck, defenseless men and was even awarded a medal for it.

I had watched Saving Private Ryan a few years before this occurred and was in the middle of the HBO series Band of Brothers when it dawned on me that this event changed him into who he became.

He was forever scarred by what he did and did not feel like a hero. In truth, he came home to raise a family but ended up withdrawing from society and getting divorced by my grandmother by the time I was born. My grandmother was the most Catholic person I knew, and when I was a kid, I remember her fighting her excommunication from the Church. That’s how badly she wanted out of that marriage—she suffered excommunication to get away from my grandfather.

In truth, he viewed himself as a very flawed man who did not deserve to be around people. He pushed everyone out of his life to live his last 20 years as a hermit. He could never get over what he did to those German boys stuck under the barbed wire, and he never felt worthy of the medal he received for his “bravery.”

During his funeral, it was the first time I ever saw my father cry, but then he went to hug my mother’s father for over a minute. He then exclaimed that my mother’s father became his true father as his dad was never really a father. He didn’t drink, but he had a nasty temper and put his children through hell growing up, taking out his past on them whenever he was triggered. But he was still crying over the father he never had the chance to really know.

Saving Private Ryan made me realize what war really was and what it did to people. It made me realize it wasn’t about heroes and villains but about who survives till the end. After that day, I realized what the Iraq war was going to do to another generation of boys in 10 years, and I shuddered. War should always be the last option. Not only does it kill and maim, but it leaves psychological scars that last generations.

This is Tonya Harding Syndrome

“Tonya Harding Syndrome” is a metaphorical expression that originates from the scandal of Tonya Harding, an American figure skater. Tonya Harding was a promising figure skater, but her career was ruined because she was involved in a planned attack on her rival Nancy Kerrigan. Her husband and others participated in the attack in order to weaken Kerrigan’s competitiveness before the Olympics, so that Harding would have a greater chance of winning. In the end, Harding was banned from figure skating for life.

Later, the concept of “Tonya Harding Syndrome” was used to describe the behavior of those who take unfair means to hurt their opponents in competition because of the fear of losing their advantage. It is not only applicable to individuals, but also can be used to describe similar behaviors that may occur in competitions such as companies, institutions, societies or countries. The essence of this behavior is to destroy fair and decent competition.

Back to the question itself:

If an American company can make 100 products at a cost of $10,000 and in 1 month, the Chinese can make 300 products at the same cost and time, and their quality has reached the same height. This allows them to reduce prices to half and still make a considerable profit, so who will buy American companies’ products?

Americans find that they can’t compete with them even if they try their best, so they expect the Chinese to slow down, otherwise they will shoot.

This is why they hope that China will reduce its overcapacity production.

Just another hypocritical cover for Tonya Harding Syndrome

Taking High-Speed Train In China, 2024

I had a horrible experience trying to buy a new Honda at a local dealership. I told them what I wanted, but they kept trying to up sell me on a different model. Then it was switching sales guys, to the hard core close. etc. etc. I understand sales and all the BS really doesn’t bother me since it’s part of the game. However, after reaching a price and completing the paperwork, I drove out with the car.

I was happy until Jennifer from the office called me three days later at work. They made an error and didn’t collect money on some specific fees listed in the contract. I was pretty sure I paid everything listed. I told Jennifer I needed a couple days to review the contract and look at the check I wrote to determine if I owed money. She became a belligerent bitch, yelling about how I have their money and need to come down right now and pay. I told her I would review the contract and pay them if I owed them money. She called at 9:00 am the next morning being a bitch again demanding money. Later that evening, I reviewed the contract and they didn’t total up the doc fee correctly, and owem them $394.00.

I called Jennifer and told her that I did find the error, would pay the amount, and asked if she could please tell me when she left the office so I could pay her personally. I waited to 4:50 pm on Friday night (Jennifer works an 8-5, M-F) and paid her $394 in nickels. I had broken the seals on the bags from the bank which meant they needed to hand count all the coin.

I had brought a book, took up residence in their customer lounge, and waited for them to complete their count. I enjoyed watching Jennifer and 4 sales persons make little rows of nickels. After over 90 minutes they brought me the $0.45 in additional funds I added to see if they would accurately count it. My back up plan was if they said it was all there, I would inform them that I actually included extra money and couldn’t remember how much, so they would need to recount.

Member of British Parliament: “We are already at war with Russia; They won’t tell the people until July or August”

MP Andrew Bridgen large
MP Andrew Bridgen large

VIDEO BELOW shows British MP Andrew Bridgen confirming on a radio show today: “We are actually at war with Russia now… They’re not going to tell the people probably until July or August; maybe later.”

“The whole thing’s a pantomime in Parliament… It’s not a race between the blue and the red team to see who crosses the finish line. This is a baton handover on all the big issues: Net Zero, Covid response, the WHO, the trans agenda.”

We have a natural right to defend ourselves from the people doing these things, that are going to get us bombed, our families killed or injured, our way of life, destroyed..  It is our right, it is our DUTY to take action.

The Death of Fast Food ….. Part 2

Hungry MM

My wife came home and told me that she was very hungry at 3 o’clock this afternoon. She was playing sports with her first graders at school. She even developed some symptoms of hypoglycemia, such as physical exhaustion, sweating and palpitations. So she told the children: You wait for me a little bit, I will go to the school gate to buy some food. Then, incidentally, she asked the children, are you hungry? As a result, all the children shouted, yes, we are hungry! Some of them stood up and said, teacher, I want some bread! I wanted some 饼(pie)!

So my wife went to the food shop near the school gate and bought a lot of bread and 饼(pie) – she said it cost a lot of money. And asked the store owner to help her distribute the food into dozens of small portions. Then she bought herself another cake.

When she returned to the classroom, all the children returned from the playground, screaming for food. So my wife turned the PE class into a food tasting class. She was still hungry, so after she had distributed the food, she began to eat. Just began to eat, a few children have finished their food, said to my wife: Teacher, really delicious! I also want to eat! The wife looked at the children, He could not bear to eat the cake himself and shared the rest of his food with the children.

So when she came home this afternoon, she was too hungry to walk. Luckily, I had already prepared dinner. That was the story of the day – a group of seven-year-olds, turning a normal class into a food tasting class, while my wife endured hunger all afternoon.😂😂😂

This is the protagonist of the afternoon pie:

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Ps. The first graders have lunch in the school canteen, but they always eat very little. One reason is that some children are picky eaters. Another reason is that the food in the canteen is sometimes not very good. In addition, children are always excited when they eat. Sometimes they eat only a little and say they are full.

Yes, I had given someone who I thought was a good friend a place to stay(at the house I had just bought-my first home mind you) she and her bf were gonna sleep in the garage/studio apartment for a week or two, mind u I had just moved in myself 3 days before she started staying there….anyways 1–2 weeks turned into 5–6 months and I was like chick u gotta go. Like I need my home to me and my two kids. Now it was no secret she had a huge drug problem. But had been keeping straight while at my house. When she left everyday, who knows what she was up to but around me and my kids she seemed normal. Well she didn’t like being told to leave so the day she finally left(3 weeks later) she called cps and told them that I was an IV meth user. Now the funny thing is is that I’m 200 pounds at 5 foot six. I’m healthy as a horse never done meth and definitely not an IV user so when DCF came to my house the first thing they asked me, if I use meth and if I use intervenously. I stepped Back and motioned to my body and said really do I look like you’re average meth user let alone IV meth user? She laughed and said she needed a urine sample. To which my response was to call my lawyer. I called my lawyer as soon as she left he said just give them a piss sample. You’ll be fine. You don’t use drugs. Who cares get it over with. So I called her she returned, took a sample and tested me positive for amphetamines although I’m on Adderall. She was new. Two weeks later her and her supervisor show up at my house and test me again to which I came back positive for amphetamines not methamphetamines and the supervisor said that’s all we needed to see. So we’re taking your kids into custody. At that point I lost my shit. I called my lawyer. I called my therapist. I called my mom. My mom had to drive an hour to me, at which point dcf granted my mom custody for two weeks and I was not to be alone with them until my blood test got done and finalized so everyone could see I wasn’t on meth but simply taking my prescribed amount of adderall, but because they were so dumb and didn’t have any pharmacology courses under their belt, they had no idea the difference between amphetamines and methamphetamines on the UA they gave me twice. I got my kids back with flying colors. I had no reason to doubt it but all of this over the word of a stupid bitch that got everything she could ask for living in my home for six months for free , but because she felt slighted, she decided to have me lose my kids. She’s called DCF five times but DCF now comes to my house first off a little because I kind of put my foot down The time they know the kind of game she’s playing she has called DCF on every single person she’s ever lived with come to find out. Oh yeah, she’s now doing 7 to 15 years federal for identity, theft, and check fraud And using Stolen credit cards that she stole directly out of the mailbox. She’s a winner isn’t she? Be careful your friends are always in the ass when you least expect it even if you are a mom that doesn’t do drugs or have any issues there still a chance you lose your kids. Get a lawyer The first CPS is involved. Good luck, Godspeed.

Why I Live in China and REFUSE to Move Back to America

 

I lied, you have to get rid of your kitties by the end of the month

I wish I could say that I haven’t, but I can’t.

Example?

I had a lovely young woman, that I knew from previous visits. She had had five previous surgeries, for TMJ, by the same surgeon.

Her jaw was still bothering her. This same surgeon was recommending another surgery.

I thought that this was outrageous. If he had any expertise, this would have been unnecessary.

I begged her to get another opinion.

She refused. She really trusted this guy.

Fast forward a month.

Patient comes in to see me. One whole side of her face is drooping. She does not look the least bit distressed by this.

“Hi, uh, how are you?”

“Good”

“You are?”

“Oh, this… (gesturing toward her face) it’s Bell’s Palsy. It will go away”.

“Uh…who told you that?”

“I woke up from my TMJ surgery like this. The surgeon said this is from a virus and it will go away.”

Quick exam.

I call ENT.

“I have a woman here with a likely through and through cut through the facial nerve.”

“When?”

“Four weeks. Surgeon told her it’s Bell’s palsy.”

“Christ! Send her over right away!”

So, now I get to go in and tell this beautiful young woman that the ENT will try to reattach the nerve but most likely she will look like a gargoyle for the rest of her life. Her idiot surgeon had cut through the nerve and then tried to convince her that she had a virus.

This poor girl sobbed into my lap for a great long while. When she regained her composure, I gently sent her off to the ENT.

I’m sure she got a gazillion dollars in a law suit, but so what. Her face was destroyed.

I could tell you other stories. Many other stories.

I’ll just stop here and wish you…

Peace

On Wednesday before Thanksgiving: “Make sure the production workers come in Friday, Saturday and Sunday. When the production goal is met, tell them all they are fired.” I asked where he would be. “We have a three day yacht race event on San Francisco Bay. We’ll be sailing against Ted Turner. So you have to fire the workers but be sure they don’t know until the quota is reached.”

So while he would be out drinking champagne and sailing on yachts, I would do the dirty work.

On the Saturday, halfway through the push to get a whole month’s production done in three days, I got talking to a small man who I didn’t know, but he seemed to know a lot about me. He said something seemed to be on my mind. He was observing everything in the production process in great detail. He asked me about the VP and Supply Manager not being there. Sunday, the guy was back with more questions. He pressed me on what was wrong (other than spending all of Thanksgiving weekend working for no pay). I eventually told him I thought it was a shitty deal to make the people work all through a holiday weekend and then summarily fire everyone. He told me: “Don’t do it. It doesn’t matter what [the VP] told you to do. Just don’t fire anyone. Everything will be clear on Monday.”

Monday came, and the VP and Supply Manager had both been to work and gone. Fired. The VP of Finance was also fired. The several production workers were not fired. The new VP, of course, was the guy with all the questions. He told me there was only one person in manufacturing or finance who gave him simple, straight answers. Also, what was the point of firing a handful of $10 hourly people when he could fire three $100,000+ salaried people who weren’t doing their jobs? That made sense, of course.

Star Trek II Wrath of Khan – Reliant Vs Enterprise; First Clash 1080p

French Home Affairs Minister Gerard Darmanin has accused Azerbaijan of colluding with pro-independence forces in New Caledonia – the French overseas territory in the southwest Pacific about 1,200 km east of Australia.

“This is not a fantasy. This is reality. Unfortunately, some independence leaders have made a deal with Azerbaijan, this is indisputable,” Darmanin said in an interview with France-2 on Thursday.

Is there any truth in the claim? What’s the backstory? Here’s what we know.

🔻 Baku rejected Paris’s allegations, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Aykhan Hajizada urging Darmanin to “focus on his country’s failed overseas policies” which caused the wave of violent protests in New Caledonia, “instead of blaming Azerbaijan” for its troubles.

🔻Darmanin’s assertions followed the memorandum of cooperation between the Azerbaijani Parliament and New Caledonia’s Congress, which was signed last month, envisioned as a treatise for developing a framework for parliamentary cooperation.

🔻 The agreement sparked accusations by Paris that Baku was stoking separatism in the French overseas territory. Azerbaijan dismissed the claims, and recalled France’s own controversial policies in the Caucasus.

🔻“It’s known that the French Parliament, at the initiative of the ruling party of France, adopted decisions and resolutions which recognised the separatist regime, challenged and harmed the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, and enabled the activity of a ‘friendship group’ with the former so-called separatist regime,” Baku said in an April 30 statement, referring to the Karabakh conflict.

🔻 New Caledonia has been rocked by violent clashes starting May 13 over the constitutional reform proposals to change voting law. Protests have claimed four lives, with France deploying the military and imposing a state of emergency until the end of May.

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  1. Nothing can stand the test of time. Eventually, everything must finally, and sadly, come to an abrupt end.
  2. Do you want to know the latest drug? It’s called social media.
  3. Everyone must finally discover the ultimate horror of having sex.
  4. Never pin your hopes on empty promises. Empty promises are things that did not exist in the first place.
  5. What really matters is not believing in yourself. It is trusting yourself.
  6. Most people feed themselves from their necks down, but what really contributes to our growth is feeding ourselves from the neck up.
  7. Have you ever considered why we’ve been watching TV for decades and not yet experienced any change? Because TV was not designed to bring change. It was designed to make us illiterate.
  8. Most people think that change is something that jumps out of the pages of a textbook into the mind. Change is actually something that the mind conceives from within.
  9. You are one of 3 things — you will never change, or you will watch others change, or you will become the change.
  10. Death was never the greatest tragedy. The greatest tragedy is to live in this life and never show up.
  11. The majority of people fall in love through the eyes the first time. That means you should be very careful who you let your eyes come into contact with.
  12. The best way to judge a woman’s loyalty is when her man has nothing. The best way to judge a man’s loyalty is when he has everything.
  13. Fortunes do not necessarily change men as much as it unmasks them.
  14. Bullying is for people who have no confidence in themselves. The reason they do it is to try and shake off their own demons.
  15. To fall in love is awfully simple, but to fall out of love is simply awful.
  16. Retirement is when the living is easy and the payments are hard.
  17. Best friends are like diamonds; precious and rare. Bad friends are like tree leaves; they’re found everywhere.
  18. A stranger stabs you in the front; A friend stabs you in the back; A boyfriend stabs you in the heart, but best friends only poke each other with straws.
  19. The daily grind of hard work gets a person polished but also emaciated and painfully tired.
  20. Kissing is the merging of two lips, two souls and two spirits that makes them one.
  21. Siblings are the only enemy you can’t live without.
  22. Denial is the way we know best how to handle that which we don’t comprehend.
  23. Sometimes those who don’t socialize much aren’t actually anti-social; they just have no tolerance for drama and fake people.
  24. Love is like a tornado; it sweeps you off your feet and sometimes takes half your house.
  25. Sometimes we tend to be in despair when the person we love leaves us, but the truth is, it’s not our loss, but theirs, for they left the only person who wouldn’t give up on them.
  26. You will never know true happiness until you have truly loved, and you will never understand what pain really is until you have lost it.
  27. Sometimes you have to stand alone to prove that you can still stand.
  28. Why do people say “no offense” just before they’re about to offend you?
  29. The secret of discovery is not in looking for new lands, but in looking at existing land with new eyes.
  30. Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. It means that you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.

30 Seconds.

My wife got a new job across the country. She received and accepted the job offer in December and started the new job the following August. (She is an academic, so the long lead time was not unusual). In May, we had started to look for a house in our new city and were getting ready to list the old house. This was in 2021, the housing market was screaming hot, mortgages were at rock bottom, so we were optimistic that this would go smoothly.

Two years previously a neighbor who had lived in his house since the 1950’s passed away and the house was purchased by a friend of the family, renovated, became a rental. One Saturday as we were leaving for breakfast I saw the new owner across the street and rolled down my window to ask if he knew anyone looking for investment property in the area and told him we were going to sell our house.

He asked how much we wanted and I did some quick calculations in my head about what we would clear after repairs and real estate commissions and gave him a number, as is. He said “you got it”, we shook on it and a few days later he brought over a single page, handwritten document. We both signed it and that became our contract. He also offered us $100,000 at the time so that we could put it down on a new home.

When we found our new home, the realtor asked for a copy of our contract to include with our offer, to prove that we were serious. I emailed a scan of the contract and she told me that she needed the whole contract. I told her that was all that we had and she laughed and said “OK, but are you sure the house will close?” It did, and we got the new house. Later the realtor told me that in all of her years in real estate she had never seen a sale of a home go through with a single page contract and that this was the weirdest sale she had ever seen.

I rented the house back at the cost of their mortgage payment until October so that I could wrap up some other business.

We cleared what we would have if we had listed with a realtor, and the buyer got a really good deal on the home which he repaired, renovated and turned into a rental.

I don’t know that I would ever do this again though, probably a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The WORLD CAN’T Compete with China’s Infrastructure 🇨🇳 Chongqing is the FUTURE!

For so long, China has been painted in a negative light in the West and as such our first impressions of Chongqing is not what we expected. The truth is that Chongqing, China is miles ahead of the rest of the world and the infrastructure is beyond impressive which makes it impossible for others to compete against China. In this video, we take you around Chongqing, China and show you just how futuristic this cyber punk city is.

Years ago, in Hong Kong, I was involved in negotiating a significant regional contract with a French company. As we walked to the meeting, I told my Australian boss that I spoke enough French to handle the meeting, if necessary. He suggested it would be better to stick to English, as he knew no French, and was sure the French side spoke reasonable English.

The potential client spoke excellent English. They set out what they wanted, then paused to allow us time to work out a response. As my boss and I calculated what we would want to charge, they discussed amongst themselves – in French – what they were prepared to pay, what was really important to them, what was optional, and what they would pay extra for.

We ended up charging very close to their walk-away number, with a number of items charged separately.

A while later, towards the end of the project, I was congratulated on how well it was going, and (ruefully) our negotiating skills… I was VERY careful not to give any hint that a notoriously monolingual Brit could understand one word of French…despite having been near-fluent at the time…

Great video.

Baked Pork Chops and Noodles

Baked Pork Chops and Noodles 1
Baked Pork Chops and Noodles 1

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

Spaghetti: Spaghetti is the pasta of choice for this dish. Its long, thin strands are perfect for twirling and they do an excellent job of soaking up the creamy sauce.

Boneless Pork Chops: These are the star of the dish. Their lean yet tender meat cooks quickly and absorbs the flavors of the sauce well. When shopping for pork chops, look for ones that are pinkish-red in color with some marbling.

Salt & Pepper: These are essential for seasoning the pork chops. They enhance the natural flavors of the meat and the sauce. I recommend using fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper for the best taste.

Olive Oil: This is used for searing the pork chops. I prefer searing the pork chops in oil because it has a higher smoke point than butter.

Butter: Butter is used in sautéing the onions and garlic, as well as adding a rich, creamy flavor to the sauce.

Garlic: This adds a robust, aromatic flavor to the sauce. Fresh garlic cloves are the best as they are more flavorful and aromatic than pre-minced cloves or powdered garlic.

Yellow Onion: Yellow onions are a great choice for this dish because of their sweet and mild flavor. They add a depth of flavor to the sauce and pair well with the other ingredients.

All-Purpose Flour: This is used to thicken the sauce, giving it a velvety texture that coats the pasta well.

Heavy Cream or Half and Half: These are used to give the sauce its creamy consistency. Both work well, but heavy cream will make a richer sauce while half and half will be slightly lighter.

Chicken Broth: This adds a savory depth of flavor to the sauce. Look for a low-sodium version so you can control the saltiness of your dish.

Parmesan Cheese: This cheese brings a nutty, salty, umami flavor to the dish. Always opt for freshly grated Parmesan cheese for the best taste and texture. Pre-grated cheeses are coated in an anti-caking agent that can make the texture of the sauce gritty.

Basil and Oregano: These dried herbs add an Italian flair to the dish. They provide a fragrant, earthy flavor that compliments the creamy sauce and pork chops well.

Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: These are optional, but they add a nice kick of heat to the dish. Adjust the amount to suit your family’s spice tolerance.

Parsley: Fresh parsley is used as a garnish. It adds a pop of color and a fresh, bright flavor to the finished dish.

Ingredients

  • 10 ounces spaghetti
  • 4 boneless pork chops (about 1-inch thick)
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (divided)
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper (divided)
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup heavy cream (or half and half)
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese*
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
  • Chopped fresh parsley (optional, for garnish)

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti according to package instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.
  2. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels and season both sides generously with 1/2 teaspoon of both salt and ground black pepper.
  3. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned pork chops and sear for about 3-4 minutes per side, or until a golden-brown crust forms and the internal temperature reads 145F on an instant read meat thermometer. Transfer the pork chops to a plate, then tent with aluminum foil to keep warm and set aside.
  4. In the same skillet, reduce the heat to medium and add the butter. Once melted, add chopped onion. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the onion is translucent and softened. Add the minced garlic and saute for 30-60 seconds, or until aromatic. Add the flour to the onions and mix, creating a roux.
  5. Slowly pour in the chicken broth and heavy cream while whisking constantly. Add the dried basil, dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes (if using), and the remaining salt and ground black pepper. Whisk until the sauce is smooth and well combined.
  6. Increase the heat to bring it to just barely a boil, then turn the heat back down to medium and let the sauce simmer for 5-7 minutes, or until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
  7. Reduce the heat to low and add the grated Parmesan cheese to the sauce, stirring until it’s fully melted and incorporated.
  8. Add the cooked spaghetti to the sauce and toss gently to coat the pasta evenly. If the sauce is too thick, add a little of the reserved pasta cooking water to thin it out to your desired consistency.
  9. To serve, divide the creamy spaghetti among plates, and place a pork chop on top of each portion. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and, if desired, additional Parmesan cheese.

Notes

 

*I recommend using freshly grated parmesan cheese. Pre-grated cheeses are coated in an anti-caking agent that can make the texture of the sauce gritty.

Fun Comix

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It was Sunday afternoon and the phone rang, landline, 1988. It was my boss. He told me to not come in tomorrow as I was fired. I was 21 & still living at home. My mom was so HAPPY! She did not like my boss, thought he was creepy (Chiropractor). I called my friend/coworker D. She was fired Friday, my day off. So I knew it was coming.

Long story short, we entered patient files in the Apple, 1988, NEW to us. He went to bill and it was “messed up” because of us. We also knew of his fraudulent billing practices. We had also obtained 3 patients billing records and appointments (book) that showed he’d bill for an actual appointment/procedure when it was a missed appointment. One of the patients was my stepdad.

What did I do? I called D. We went to the Labor Board to get OT he NEVER paid us. When then went to Workers Comp and the Insurance Board and turned over the records we had. I went to a Temp Agency. I had a job w/in a few days at a bank as a loan secretary. I met SJ, my future husband. We married 1990. Still married.

He got black balled by all the insurance companies. Either the patients had to endorse the check to him or deposit it & write him one or sign off on the billing for the check to go directly to him. I didn’t mention, February 1989, I received a check from the State for over $1K for O/T payment. They garnished his income tax return.

NO WAY we’re landing on the moon in 2026

No fucking way will that happen.

The pizzas that were never eaten

Oh how vividly I remember this experience. The experience I am about to tell you all about was the day I decided that I will do everything in my power to change my passport to a Canadian passport as soon as possible.

This story takes place back in 2009/2010 new years period. I was a PR in Canada, having immigrated in 2007 to Canada alongside my entire family. Due to some family reasons and situations, after landing in Canada, my dad, mom and little brother went back to Dubai for a year and I was in university in Ontario. I would visit them in Dubai during the winter breaks and summer vacations. This story is about the nightmare that I faced while on my way back to Toronto from Dubai.

Back then, we would take connecting flights, usually through British airways. As many would know, connecting flights from BA are routed through London Heathrow airport, for the most part. This story begins from the time I landed in Heathrow, after completing the first leg of my journey back to Pearson airport in Toronto. As we landed, I remember the captain coming over the intercom and advising us that, apparently due to “adverse” weather, the Heathrow airport had seized all their operations, which included my flight onward to YYZ. As I sat there, my mind racing, the next announcement made informed us that they are trying to arrange for hotel accommodations for the stranded passengers, and to contact BA customer service if we needed further inspection. I remember as we were allowed inside the terminal, there must have been hundreds, if not a thousand, people all in the terminal at the same time. As I walked forward, there were signs and people all around that were directing passengers around. As I approached, they asked me which passport I hold. At that time, I was an Indian passport holder, so I told them that. The expression on the person I was speaking to was eye opening. He sniggers and says, “oh ok, go to that line there, big fella”, pointing to a line of at least 400 people and filling in fast. As I stood in this line, I noticed that most of the people who had been on my flight, who were either EU or US or Canadian citizens, were being directed to a much smaller line, and were dealt with swiftly. As I watched, another 747 unloaded its passengers, and everyone of the EU or US or Canadian passport were pushed again to the front of the que. Seeing this, I was livid. I asked one of the guys working there, and all he asked me was, “what’s your passport or nationality”. Once I said Indian, he says, stay in that line.

I now realize that this disparity in processing immigration/passengers is due to the challenges of making sure that illegals don’t enter into the country, and each country has their own relationship with other countries, but as a 19 years old kid, I was mad. I was pissed that I was in a line going back atleast half a km, while people were allowed to jump ahead. Plus, when I finally got to the front of the line, I was informed that I would be getting a hotel about an hour away from Heathrow airport, and I would have to figure out the way to get there myself. All because, to my teen mind, the people who jumped ahead got all the hotels near the airport. This was the moment I decided that I will do everything in my power to get a Canadian citizenship and get my Canadian passport.

JD Vance Did WHAT to a Couch?

God. This stuff…

This idiot, Aaron O’Neill worked at the Intel plant in Kildare, Ireland. After a night of drinking and taking drugs he didn’t want to go to work so paid his friend to ring in a bomb threat, on behalf of ISIS.

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main qimg 1b7a0d6ebe90630867e45d8beec05167 lq

Source: The Irish Times

Aaron O’Neill (20) had been out drinking and taking tablets with his friend Colin Hammond (21) when he decided he did not want to go in the next day.

He paid his friend to make the call from a payphone outside Hammond’s home.

The resulting 999 calls shut down a motorway, disrupted air traffic control and prevented 4,000 Intel staff from going to work. Garda Eamonn McFadden said that at a “conservative estimate” the incident lost Intel 6,000 hours of production.

Mr O’Neill of Chieftains Drive, Balbriggan and Hammond of Bath Road, also in Balbriggan, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to making a false report on the Bath Road on January 13th 2015. Neither man has previous convictions.

Mr Hammond told the operator there were bombs located at Intel which would go off in 12 hours.

“You will not find them. This is a warning, we’re everywhere now,” Hammond told emergency services. When asked who was making the call, he replied: “Islamic State.”

Described by Judge Martin Nolan as “profoundly stupid”, Hammond claimed he had been paid to make the call. He was ordered to carry out 200 hours community service in lieu of a two year prison sentence when his case was dealt with in October.

He said, “to put it politely” it had been a misconceived plan and accepted that the men hadn’t envisaged the calls to have the effect they did.

“It is a very, very strange way to avoid going to work,” Judge Nolan said .

And the best part is how they got caught –

Gda McFadden said that a month after the hoax, a taxi man arrived at Balbriggan Garda station with a passenger who wouldn’t pay his fare. The passenger was Hammond and a garda at the station recognised his voice from the hoax call.

That is one very observant Garda Officer.

Man paid friend to make hoax bomb call to Intel to avoid work

Edit : I’ve included The Irish Times article at the end but I see I have been negligent in explaining actual events, mea culpa, I certainly could have explained this better – the person in question wasn’t directly employed by Intel, he was a subcontractor and directly employed by his father, so he simply couldn’t ring in sick, as I strongly suspect/believe that at the time he lived at home. He couldn’t pretend to be sick when he worked for his Dad.

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I do not tell this story to brag. It is just so different.

My parents sold their small farm and moved to El Paso with my husband when we moved there. They would have had to pay a lot of tax. We found a house with room for inlaw quarters.

I hope l get this straight. It was quite awhile ago. They had one year to reinvest to avoid taxes.

I found out about once in a lifetime non taxable gifts. So l worked a way for us to give the down payment. Using a four way split where l would give my mother x amount of money and my father x amount. They used it for their half of the down-payment. My husband would do the same. We used the same four way split to cover their half of the house payments which was jointly owned. At the end of the one year they gave us their half as a once in a lifetime gift. They used the same four way which kept it non taxable.

We were not sure of the legality of this so we went to a lawer, he read it all over and said “l used to work for the IRS, if l had audited this l could not find a problem with it. Who figured this out for you?” When told him l did he said “Lady, you found one hell of a loop hole.”

He has a great point.

Shorpy

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So one of my seniors recently got to know that I won the QPCA and she decided to congratulate me. Her bad, and I’ll tell you why.

Now, when it comes to keeping the interaction alive, I’m pretty good at it.

But sometimes, ( sometimes = always ) I miserably fail in the more important thing, that’s keeping the interaction interesting ( interesting = continuable, without occasional cringing ).

So this is what happened,

She: It’s great that you won.

Me: Thanks.

She: But you don’t seem as sassy in real life.

Me: Umm, ya.

I don’t know why and I kid you not, but this time, I decided that I’ll keep the conversation going on. So I came up with this revolutionary compliment. Compliments that can change the world.

Me: You’ve got asymmetrical eyebrows.

She: °_° Wh.. What?

Me: Yeah, I never noticed. Maybe no one ever did, but your eyebrows don’t have symmetry.

She: Uh…. Ok?

Me (By now I realized that I fucked up, but never quit is a good motto and when to never quit is never taught ): And uh… if, if you notice closely, the left eyebrow is more bent than the… the ri…

She ( By now, she is regretful that she congratulated me in the first place ): Hey, you can go, seeya!

Me: ..ght eyebrow.

Now what’s important here, is that I tried.

( And Sarhad, what’s even more important here, is that you failed )

Only if I had known that asymmetrical eyebrows are not something great to talk about, I would’ve picked up something more intriguing.

Like I always have my moo point ( cows and magnets ) to talk about.


But I’ll admit, though social interaction is not really my prowess, I’m learning and I do want to get better.

It’s a skill which is not really optional, and which everyone should possess, to a certain level.

At times, people have talked themselves out of perils ( like when Sir James Donovan negotiated the release of 10,000 prisoners in Cuba

) and then at other times I’ve been talked into paying ₹900 for something worth ₹50. Almost every business and trade is based on your ability to fool your client better.

And then, we have stockbrokers.

|SaCh|


Oh, the rating you ask?

Yeah, on a scale of 1 to 10, I think I’m a pair of ever frowning eyebrows with rainbow eyelashes. Everything symmetrical.

Half a million likes!

She is right.

I often went out with two friends, who were also my colleagues, to a pizza house. We’d order two large pizzas and split the bill. The leftover would be packed, and one friend would always take it home. We lived in the same apartment building.

The problem is, when I eat I always take my time and I like to talk. At the end of the meal, I would always have eaten only two slices and yet I had to pay an equal share of the bill. I never got to take the leftover home.

One time I mentioned this problem to the friend who also never got to take the leftover home. I told her that I had a problem with us always splitting the bill because I always eat only two slices and never got to take home the leftover. The other friend would automatically take the leftover for herself and never once offered us if we’d also like to take it home.

My friend was surprised because she thought that the other friend and I took turns to take the leftover because we lived in the same building. Then she said that she also had a problem because she never got to order the pizza that she likes.

The thing is, I don’t eat pork so I get to order my favorite chicken bbq pizza. The two friends eat pork but it’s always the other friend who got to order her favorite pork pizza, and also the one to take all the leftover.

So we came up with a solution.

The next time we went again for pizza, I told the waiter that I was ordering a small chicken bbq pizza with a glass of coke, and that I’d pay my bill separately. The friend that I’ve spoken with also ordered her favorite Hawaiian pizza, small size, with drinks and asked the water to separate her bills too. Thus, the other friend also had to order her favorite pork pizza in small size.

I enjoyed my pizza, took my time eating it, enjoyed telling stories, and at the end of the meal told the waiter that I’d like to take home my leftover.

Needless to say, the friend who always took the leftover went home that night without any bring home because she finished her small size pizza. And the friend who I had spoken with was satisfied to have finally eaten her favorite Hawaiian pizza.

Many years ago I was working as a developer on one of the largest derivatives markets in the world. Part of our teams remit was supporting the live environment and as such I had on my sun workstation a 9 window virtual desktop one for each environment. we often jumped on each other’s workstations to do things, start/stop uat processes or get prod logs.. One day unknowingly to me, my boss was using my workstation and accidentally moved our futures trading market console onto my UAT desktop and later that day asked me to recycle UAT to pick up changes he pushed. I did it without though and within 30 seconds the Head of development (CTO) comes running across the floor screaming the futures production environment had just crashed. I looked at my screen and to my horror the console I just typed my command into had a prod$ console. My boss looked and me, I looked at him and we both thought the same and it wasn’t good! Immediately a witch hunt started and it was assumed the support guys had messed up (They forgot we had access). My boss quickly told me close all the consoles and go take a really long lunch so when they get to us, you’re not here to lie!

I got back an hour latter and my boss quickly announced “They found the problem, a bug in one of the support scrips means if someone cont-c it run kill -9 -1 to clean up, no one knows who IN SUPPORT did it but it wasn’t their fault”

It made the main 6pm news business section that day although I didn’t speak a word about it to anyone until a I left a years later. We also changed the background color of all prod consoles to red after that

How to get the pill

1. People don’t have as strong intuitive sense of how much bigger 1 billion is than 1 million.

  • A million seconds is about 11 days.
  • A billion seconds is about 32 years.

2. Only 2% of people can hear their eyes move and blink.

3. The Facebook logo is blue because founder Mark Zuckerberg is red-green color blind, making blue the “richest color ” for him.

4. If you hold in your farts long enough, the gas can be re-absorbed and come out of your mouth.

5. Over 50% of pilots have admitted to falling asleep mid-flight. And of these pilots, 29% said that they had woken up to find their co-pilot asleep as well.

6. Most toilet paper sold for home use in France is pink.

7. There are more fake flamingos in the world than real flamingos.

8. Bananas are berries, but strawberries are not.

9. Giraffes and humans have the same number of necklines. Actually, all mammals do.

10. Sometimes, hiding your thumb behind all your fingers is a sign of panic.

11. Broccoli is a man-made vegetable and was created by breeding different types of cabbages.

12. Try to breathe and swallow at the same time. You can’t.

A female marathoner was referred to me because her running times were increasing and she was progressively short of breath. She was also coughing up blood occasionally.

Ten years earlier she had removal of the upper 1/3 of her right lung(right upper lobe) for a benign tumor that bled often and obstructed that lobe of the lung.

To do this the surgeon must pull the remaining lower lung bronchus (intermediate) up and connect it to the trachea (wind pipe). This puts the sutured connection ring of tissues under considerable tension, tending to rip out the sutures leading to a catastrophic leak.

So the surgeon buttressed the suture line with several cotton pledgets. The surgeon obviously did a great job, she had been doing well for ten years.

When I looked into the lung (bronchoscopy) I saw a large mass of tissue I assumed was recurrent tumor completely blocking the right lung. But the pathologist found the biopsy tissue samples to be benign!

To clear the path into the lung I used laser through the bronchoscope to ablate the tissue. As I steadily removed tissue I found the suture line and then saw the many pledgets (small cotton pieces) the surgeon had used to support the suture line. I realized that obstructing tissue was a granulomatous mass the lung had generated because of the foreign body irritation from the pledgets. I steadily burned away the pledgets along with the old sutures until the area was completely clear and the airway to the lower lung was reopened.

This relieved her shortness of breath and she resumed running. A recheck 1 and 2 years later showed no recurrence of the tumor; she remained asymptomatic.

I expected to find malignancy but instead found a treatable benign condition.

20 MINUTES Of Modern Women BEGGING For A Good Man To Save Them

Guys, I’d love your feedback on this. I can’t believe my friend did this.

Last summer, my best friend was housesitting for about a week for her another friend and that friend’s wealthy family. They had a massive aquarium tank, eight feet tall with thick glass, almost as big as a room. It was only fish inside and nothing else. One night while storming, she wanted to go and swim in the tank. She absolutely loves fish and aquatic life. She got changed into some elastic shorts and a tank, turned off all the lights in the house, and with a towel walked barefoot up the small staircase that led to the top of the tank — her heart beating really fast with excitement. The top of the tank was already open, wide enough for her to easily fit through.

After she raised her arms over her head, she plunged into the water. The water was deep enough that she didn’t hit the bottom but her body went horizontal upon landing in the water. She said doing so was such a rush and that it was so warm and relaxing. While she swam underwater in the tank, lightning flashes lit up the inside. She said it was the most romantic thing she ever did, it was so quiet and peaceful underwater with the fish, and that she could feel the thunder vibrations from outside.

Woman gets reality check by dating a man that KNOWS his value…

You Stand up and fight

Last year my son was suspended. 3 boys corned him and were bullying him he kept is cool and attempted to walk away. One blocked his path.

At that point one shit stain said 2 sentences that changed my son’s life. “I’m glad your mom’s in a wheelchair. And I hope one of her seizures kills her.” See our families already known loss.

April will be 11yrs since my daughter and his sister passed away. She was 14m old.

So hearing this boy say he hoped I died was too much for my son. He turned to the leader and punched him right in the nose. To the school it didn’t matter what they had said.

The school district suspended my son cause he made it physically. So I took him out for ice cream. There comes a time when words do count and do cross the line. I support my son’s decision to finally say enough.

He knows he can’t hit someone and not have consequences.

But he also knows that there are going to be times in his life that he’s going to have to stand up for what is right. And I’ll support him when he does.

I was kicked out on Christmas eve by my mother when I was 17. That’s not even the subject of this story so you can imagine I didn’t have a good life growing up. She kicked me and my 15 year old brother out because (and this is a direct quote) “I have a life to live, and you and your brother have held me down long enough. I deserve to be happy.” She left the state with her internet boyfriend, that she knew for 3 weeks, a week later. We moved in with our aunt and her boyfriend. My aunt was like a mother to us, she helped raise us since our mother didn’t have the best taste in men. My brother and I got full time jobs and each of us gave our aunt’s boyfriend $50 a week (for rent and bills) and an extra $50 a week because all of us were saving to go to Florida to visit our grandparents and he was putting it into a savings account because my brother and I didn’t have one. My grandfather had health problems, he had heart attacks before and we all knew he didn’t have much longer to live. He was the best man I’ve ever known and he was the only male figure in my life that I could count on. My brother and I had been living at my aunt’s and her boyfriends house for about 6 months when my aunt’s boyfriend didn’t come home for 4 days. When he did finally come home, he was beyond messed up, he was slurring his words, he was falling asleep standing up, it was clear he was on something. My aunt told me and my brother later that he went on a bender with his boss. They spent 4 days smoking crack and snorting cocaine. She then told us that he spent all of the money that me and my brother had been saving to go to Florida to see our grandparents. $2400 we saved, gone in 4 days. But she said “don’t worry, we won’t charge you rent for 6 months and it will all equal out.” I heard my aunt on the phone with my grandma a week later. She told my grandma that we couldn’t come to Florida because “Stacey and her brother didn’t save any money”. My grandfather died 3 months later. It kills me that he thought my brother and I were too immature, selfish or had better things to do than to save money to see him. I wanted to tell my grandparents the truth but with my grandfathers health being what it was I didn’t want to upset him and tell him “hey your daughter lied to you, my brother and I did save the money but her drug addict boyfriend spent it all in 4 days during a bender.” This is literally one thing that my family has done to me or put me through in the 35 years I allowed them in my life. It has been 2 years since I cut the last toxic person in my family from my life and I feel so much better. The fact that I am a positive, healthy, loving wife and mother is a gift from a deity.

Black Tuesday is a 1954 American crime drama film noir directed by Hugo Fregonese and starring Edward G. Robinson, Peter Graves and Jean Parker. The supporting cast features Milburn Stone, Warren Stevens, Jack Kelly and Russell Johnson.

Full movie.

Film Noir.

A violent con, Vincent Canelli, escapes prison on the night of his execution. With the help of a phony newspaper reporter and Canelli’s girlfriend, Hatti, who has planned the escape, the con takes along five hostages: the prison priest, the prison doctor, one of the guards, the young reporter whose place has been taken by one of the gang, and the daughter of another guard. This young woman is kidnapped to force her father – who, unlike the guard who is taken hostage, always treats the death row inmates well – to facilitate the escape.

Pretty well done. I think you all will enjoy this one.

Scrubbing oneself squeaky clean

Once I went to Domino’s Pizza with my friend and she told me to give order. I had 4 notes of Rs. 500 each and I thought bill would be less than Rs. 500. So I ordered and the bill was Rs. 510/-. As I had only Rs. 500 notes, I gave them one note and said wait I will give you remaining balance.

I told my friend that bill was Rs. 510 and I paid Rs. 500 and balance is Rs. 10. So can you give me Rs. 10 note which you got from Auto change as I am not going to give another Rs. 500 note for the sake of Rs. 10.

She looked at me like I did some murder like thing and said following to me in Marathi in high pitch in front of whole store.

“Kutrya, tu evdhe paise gheun firtos aani tuzyakade ek Rs. 10 chi note nahi? Kon samajtos tu svatala? Evdha bhikari nako hous mazyasamor.”

English: You dog you roam with this much money and you don’t have simple Rs. 10 note? What you think of yourself huh? Don’t act like a beggar in front of me.

Whole store and customers eyes were glued at me. I felt that so humiliating and I cancelled the order, took the money and gave her sharp look and went out. Caught auto for my home.

PS: We were best friends once and after this incident she blocked me everywhere. Now we aren’t in touch and no need to get in touch! Because girls like her are definitely not from this planet! Better date another girl who is from this planet and can behave neatly in public places. 🙂

Man I can’t forget that day so easily.

14 things girls don’t tell guys

  1. Girls know that you are staring at their butts . Don’t act innocent.
  2. They don’t need any solution to their problem when they are sad. They just need warm console(Hugs and kiss on forehead). Do that.
  3. Don’t tell them what to wear and when to wear. I swear you will lose all respect.
  4. Yes, sometimes they can’t remember the routes but they can remember exactly when they met you, when they gave the number to you and what not. Save your dates.
  5. You can tease them by calling them idiot, stupid, dog, cat, snake whatever but do not call them fat. You are dead man if you do so.
  6. Hold their hands whenever they feel low or scared. They will never leave your hand.
  7. Don’t mess with them when they are going through menstruation cycle. They go through serious mood swings.
  8. Sometimes even they don’t know why they are sad. Just sit with them and console.
  9. When you get a text from them like Okay is fine, OK is bad and K is very bad. Brace yourself, nuclear bomb is launched.
  10. When they talk just listen carefully. Don’t be that guy who just listens for the sake of listening. You might get your surprise test anytime.
  11. Don’t underestimate their strength. Many girls in the world already proved it.
  12. Just tell them that you are expecting to sleep with them from the beginning itself. Don’t beat around the bush. They hate lies.
  13. They love to do make up like how you love football/cricket. Adore that.
  14. Never ever tell them not to work after marriage. They just hate to be dependent on someone else.

Asian-Style Beef Chuck Roast

asian pot roast 8
asian pot roast 8

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 cup beef flavored broth or 2 teaspoons beef base or bouillon and 1 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger root
  • 6 green onions, sliced on the bias, white and green parts separated
  • 1 (2 to 3 pound) boneless beef chuck roast
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup cold water
  • 4 cups hot cooked white rice
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seed
  • 1 lime, cut into wedges

asian pot roast 7
asian pot roast 7

Instructions

  1. Spray 3 1/2 or 4 quart slow cooker with cooking spray.
  2. Add broth, brown sugar, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce and gingerroot to slow cooker; stir with whisk to combine.
  3. Stir in green onion whites. Reserve green onion greens for garnishing; cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
  4. Add roast to slow cooker; turn to coat. Cover; cook on LOW for 8 to 9 hours or until very tender.
  5. Transfer roast to cutting board. Cool slightly; cut or shred, and return to mixture in slow cooker. Increase to HIGH.
  6. In small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and cold water. Quickly stir into liquid mixture in slow cooker. Cover; cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until thickened.
  7. Divide rice among 8 bowls. Divide shredded beef among bowls of rice. Top with reserved green onion greens, cilantro and sesame seed; serve with lime wedges.

asian pot roast 10
asian pot roast 10

What time scale is “our time?” The last hundred years? Our lifetime?

In my lifetime, I believe Xi Jinping is the greatest, most influential, and forward-thinking world leader.

He’s helping the Global South countries build their economies through the Belt and Road Initiative.

He’s leading BRICS to help the Global South unite against the imperialist G7.

He’s forging a strong friendship with Russia and creating a bulwark against the imperialist NATO.

He’s building a multipolar world order to replace the current unipolar “rules-based international order” that terrorizes the world with wars and sanctions.

He’s working to bring peace to the world. Recently, he brokered peace between Iran and Saudi Arabia, an historic first!

He has a grand vision for the world which is one of peace, harmony and common prosperity.

Not even John F. Kennedy can match Xi. I can’t think of another world leader that I admire as much.

Drizzle Drizzle; why men aren’t stopping

What inappropriate gift did your child give you that was so funny you still joke about it years later at family events?

Not given to me, but to my in-laws.

My in-laws were loaded. There is literally nothing they want that they can’t/don’t buy for themselves.

So, when my kids were little, we’d take them to the 99c store for gift-giving occasions and let them pick out anything they wanted for Gamma and Papa.

The item itself was irrelevant – the real gift was the story behind the choice.

For instance… when a 4-year old picks out a tacky gold-gilt lion statue for Gamma’s mantle because “She has lots of nice things and this is gold and it’s pretty”.

Or (my personal favorite) the really tacky plastic plate with a hideous pink flamingo on it because “Gamma has all those pretty bird plates, so this will go perfectly with it”. Gamma’s “pretty bird plates” are hand-painted fine bone-china, with very realistic wild birds on them.

Over the years, Gamma and Papa got a LOT of presents along those lines. And every year when we visited, there was a gold lion on the mantle and a pink flamingo plate on the dinner table (usually Papa was using it).

My younger boy is now 20. He’s in the Navy and stationed not far from Gamma (Papa died 5 years ago). He spent this past Christmas with her. And called me, laughing, to tell me that there was a gold lion on the mantle, and he got the pink flamingo plate at dinner.

A poor man always think the rich man made his wealth out of luck.

And the rich man believes the poor is poor because he is lazy.

A young lady who married very early thinks ladies who are finding it hard to get married have bad character.

A man who just graduated and get a job immediately thinks he is smarter than others.

While a woman who just got married and start giving birth sees “barren” women as people who lived a wayward life.

If only the poor knew the price the rich paid to get to top and if only the rich knows the battles, challenges that the poor is going through, none will ever form a theory about each other.

If the poor can’t appreciate the rich man’s success let him mind his business if it is easy to be rich he wouldn’t have been poor.

And if the rich won’t help the poor grow at least they should not kill the spirit of a struggling man.

If only you know what people endure or fight behind the scene you will always thank God for your life. Until you walk in people’s shoes, You will never know how hard the journey is.

Help each other grow!!!

Mock less, envy no one.

and love one another.

Times when things are out of balance

\Armed Uprising in French Colony on New Caledonia; French ARMY Engaging

Armed Uprising in French Colony on New Caledonia; French ARMY Engaging

Rioters have begun an ARMED UPRISING on the island of New Caledonia in the Coral Sea off the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia. The French Army is engaging!

New Caledonia Armed Uprising Against France large
New Caledonia Armed Uprising Against France large

Rioters have already seized Ports and the Airport.

Riots are spreading.

The rioters are (suddenly) fully armed;  with a large number of AK-47’s. . . . .

There is very much more to this than just the sudden outburst of political upheaval.

Shorpy

SHORPY Cadillac garage 1955 0.preview
SHORPY Cadillac garage 1955 0.preview

SHORPY 8b23988u.preview
SHORPY 8b23988u.preview

SHORPY 4a17171a.preview
SHORPY 4a17171a.preview

SHORPY traveleze trailer aug 1959.preview
SHORPY traveleze trailer aug 1959.preview

SHORPY 8a36446a.preview
SHORPY 8a36446a.preview

SHORPY 8a41406a.preview
SHORPY 8a41406a.preview

SHORPY 32649u.preview
SHORPY 32649u.preview

SHORPY 32650u.preview
SHORPY 32650u.preview

SHORPY 8b29230a.preview
SHORPY 8b29230a.preview

SHORPY 29566u.preview
SHORPY 29566u.preview

SHORPY 12530u.preview
SHORPY 12530u.preview

SHORPY 8b29251a.preview
SHORPY 8b29251a.preview

SHORPY Romney Nash NXI 1950.preview
SHORPY Romney Nash NXI 1950.preview

SHORPY 8b29345a.preview
SHORPY 8b29345a.preview

SHORPY 8b29303a.preview
SHORPY 8b29303a.preview

SHORPY 8b29232a.preview
SHORPY 8b29232a.preview

SHORPY 8b38432a.preview
SHORPY 8b38432a.preview

SHORPY 4a17583a.preview
SHORPY 4a17583a.preview

SHORPY 4a18710a.preview
SHORPY 4a18710a.preview

SHORPY 8b29323a.preview
SHORPY 8b29323a.preview

SHORPY 4a21126a.preview
SHORPY 4a21126a.preview

SHORPY 13903u.preview
SHORPY 13903u.preview

SHORPY 8a27939a.preview
SHORPY 8a27939a.preview

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delmontesixfour.preview

SHORPY 09497a.preview
SHORPY 09497a.preview

SHORPY 03767a.preview
SHORPY 03767a.preview

Parents The Early Years 353.preview
Parents The Early Years 353.preview

SHORPY 4a17026a.preview
SHORPY 4a17026a.preview

SHORPY 4a20211a.preview
SHORPY 4a20211a.preview

The problem with Napoleon as a general was not that he lost “so many battles.” Of the 60 battles in which he was involved from Toulon to Waterloo—an astonishing 22-year period—he lost only seven.

The problem was that all seven of those lost battles were the most important ones.

His first defeat, at Acre in 1799, extinguished in the blink of an eye the fire of Napoleon’s ambition for imperial glory in the Near East at the expense of Ottoman and British power.

His second, at Aspern-Essling in 1809, saw Napoleon soundly bested on a European battlefield for the first time in a long career abundant in resounding triumphs, inflicting in turn a serious blow to the myth of Bonaparte’s invincibility as a military leader.

His third, at Leipzig in 1813, marked the long-awaited culmination of many trials and errors by the anti-Bonapartist powers of Europe in bringing the Emperor to battle on their terms. Despite the early successes of the German Campaign, Napoleon’s Grande Armée was simply overwhelmed and all but destroyed by the combined might of the Sixth Coalition, forced into full retreat from Germany to which it would never return.

His fourth, fifth, and sixth, at La Rothiere, Laon, and Arcis in 1814, all took place amid Napoleon’s final campaign before his first abdication, when the Sixth Coalition, having retaken Germany after victory at Leipzig, was now on the soil of France itself—a first for any European army since the early days of the Revolution. Though relatively unknown battles in the vast pantheon of Napoleonic lore, all three played significantly in the then inevitable unfolding of the Emperor’s downfall.

And then, of course, there’s Waterloo in 1815—the one battle of Napoleon’s entire story that needs no introduction. The battle that settled it all for Europe and the world beyond. A warrior-statesman definitively beaten, overthrown, and exiled. An entire country subjected for several decades to a pariah status among the European family of nations and, despite the restoration of the monarchy, a turbulent, near-constant existence of popular revolution and counterrevolution. One empire (France’s) dismantled beyond recognition or repair and another (Britain’s) elevated to heights previously unimagined.

FLASH – URGENT: CUBAN BANKING SYSTEM HAS COLLAPSED

FLASH - URGENT: CUBAN BANKING SYSTEM HAS COLLAPSED

Cuban banking collapse 1 large
Cuban banking collapse 1 large

The Banking system of Cuba has reportedly collapsed.

Cubans are reporting via Social Media all their money is gone from their accounts, and all Automated Teller Machines (ATM’s) have been emptied.

This news is being heavily suppressed but it is getting out slowly.

At banks all over the country, angry mobs descended upon banks where Police tried to turn them away.  Instead, the mobs overturned Police Cars and sent the cops running.

It was all for naught.  Not only were the banks closed, they were empty too.  People who got in found open vaults – they weren’t even broken into — and no cash in them at all.

The Cuban people have been left with no financial resources, they have no means of buying food …they are desperate and they are afraid.

Many people are saying “This is the final destination, this is where globalism wants to lead you to the apocalypse.”

Cubans were forced to adopt the digital banking system & now they are financially ruined, they have no recourse.

THE GOVERNMENT WILL NEXT OFFER THE CUBAN CITIZENS UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME . . . .

Hal Turner Remarks

If they did this to Cubans, what would stop them from doing it to the rest of us?

I think you should start taking some CASH out of the banks.  These Bankers are Globalists.  If they did it in Cuba, I think they’ll try it here — and everywhere else.

I think they’ve done this on an island nation to get a sense of how bad the reaction will be.  If it’s manageable, I think they’ll do it to all of us.  And if government is “in on it” what could any individual do?

Thankfully for individuals, when there are enough victims, individuals become large groups . . . and we know what large GROUPS of individuals can do to banks, bankers, and to governments, so keep those possibilities in mind.

Men and risk factors

American-Israel Mercenary Benjamin Reuben Captured During Failed Coup-Attempt in the Congo

Reuben Begging for life large
Reuben Begging for life large

American-Israeli mercenary Benjamin Reuben has been captured after a failed coup in the Congo.

Reuben is allegedly a paid mercenary who, published reports claim, acts for former head of Israel’s Mossad spy agency, Yossi Cohen, and also, allegedly, Jewish billionaire Dan Gertler.

The video below, taken in the Congo, is said to show Reuben on his knees, begging for his life after the Coup he allegedly engaged in, failed:

 

 

Reuben’s reported boss, Yossi Cohen, is pictured below, standing behind Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:

Yossi Cohen Former Mossad Chief
Yossi Cohen Former Mossad Chief

 

Billionaire Dan Gertler is reportedly the Glencore guy who allegedly didn’t care about kids in the Congo mining cobalt.

Gertler
Gertler

According to published reports, Gertler ingratiated himself to a previous Congo ruler for whom, when an uprising threatened, Gentler flew back to Israel and came back with very many fancy guns used to put the rebellion down.

This is widely reported to be the second failed coup by Yossi Cohen who is banned from entering the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Why would a former Israeli Mossad Chief have interest in the African nation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo?  DIAMONDS!

You see, Israeli blood diamonds, mined in Africa, cut and polished in Israel, are exported worldwide.

The proceeds are used to sustain the Israeli economy and finance illegal settlements and genocide in Gaza.

The diamond industry in Israel goes back to before the Nakba in 1948.

Israeli diamond tycoons have long been involved in exploiting resource rich African countries.

One publication described it this way:

Israeli Congo Diamond Trade
Israeli Congo Diamond Trade

 

So . . .  child forced labor, blood diamonds, gun-running to dictators, mercenaries trying to overthrow governments.  THAT is today’s (so-called) “God’s Chosen.’

Sorry, I don’t see these particular individuals as being that.  Nope.  Not at all.

Barbecue Meatloaf

bbq meatloaf 06 2 scaled
bbq meatloaf 06 2 scaled

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 to 2 1/2 pounds ground chuck
  • 1 can tomato soup, divided
  • 1 egg, slightly beaten
  • 1 cup crushed Ritz crackers
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, divided
  • 2 tablespoons dried minced onions
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 teaspoons prepared mustard
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar

bbq meatloaf 05 1
bbq meatloaf 05 1

Bbq meatloaf 02 scaled
Bbq meatloaf 02 scaled

Instructions

  1. Combine ground chuck with half of the tomato soup, egg, crackers, honey, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, onions, salt, and pepper. Mix well and form into a ball.
  2. Place a crinkled length of aluminum foil in the slow cooker so the ends extend an inch or so out of the pot.
  3. Place the meatloaf in the pot (the foil will make it easier to lift the meatloaf out and keep it out of the drippings).
  4. Combine remaining soup, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, the water, mustard, and brown sugar. Whisk together and pour over the meat loaf.
  5. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours.

Bbq meatloaf 001 2
Bbq meatloaf 001 2

Few days back, I ran into this situation. I had some important work and wasn’t having my laptop so I asked my friend Ayan Shrivastava to unlock his system. He uttered his password without any hesitation. That was quite a shock because people don’t do that often!!

I tried the password 2–3 times but it didn’t work. I asked him to spell it again. He did it without having second thoughts, but still it didn’t get unlock.

What was wrong with the password? Was I typing it wrong? Or my friend was bluffing me all this time?

Well unfolding the truth, the password was absolutely correct and so was my typing. The heck was just in default keyboard language layout of windows. By default, he had changed it to Hindi instead of English. If anyone types the password, it gets recognized in Hindi Language instead of English.

main qimg db66d91e30bc1177944ac5c7d9cf4408 lq
main qimg db66d91e30bc1177944ac5c7d9cf4408 lq

In order to login successfully, one have to change just the input language shown in the images and bang! You are in!

main qimg e125f3344cbad91a95dfcb105af15f08 lq
main qimg e125f3344cbad91a95dfcb105af15f08 lq

Takeaway:

  1. This trick is useful in hostels where you don’t want anyone to check your laptop even when they know your password or by chance came to know.
  2. Try noticing things that most people fail to! 😛

Thanks!

Xi holds restrictive meeting with Putin at Zhongnanhai

Chinese President Xi Jinping held a restrictive meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday at Zhongnanhai in Beijing, during which they had in-depth exchanges on strategic issues of common concern.

main qimg 64a45aa27bdcd05347606b4ba3ac002e
main qimg 64a45aa27bdcd05347606b4ba3ac002e

The world is undergoing changes unseen in a century and entering a new period of turbulence and transformation, Xi noted, adding that in the face of the ever-evolving world landscape with volatility and turmoil, China has maintained its strategic resolve.

He said that under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people have overcome various difficulties and challenges, and are striving to promote high-quality development and Chinese modernization.

China is willing to work with Russia and other countries to enhance solidarity and cooperation, steer global governance in the right direction, jointly safeguard international fairness and justice, and promote world peace and common development, Xi said.

Noting that China’s development is unstoppable and that no force can contain China’s growth and progress, Putin said that Russia is willing to improve cooperation with China and other Global South countries to promote international fairness and justice, and to work toward a more equal and multipolar world.

The two heads of state had an in-depth exchange of views on the Ukraine crisis.

Xi elaborated on China’s consistent position and efforts to promote the political settlement of the Ukraine issue, stressing that to deal with any major issue, it is necessary to address both the symptoms and the root causes, and to plan for the present as well as for the long term.

He said the core of the Global Security Initiative is advocating the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and the fundamental solution to the Ukraine issue is to promote the establishment of a new balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture.

Xi said China supports the convening of an international peace conference recognized by Russia and Ukraine at an appropriate time with equal participation and fair discussion of all options, so as to push for an early political settlement of the Ukraine issue, and China stands ready to continue to play a constructive role in this regard.

Putin introduced the relevant views and positions of Russia, saying that Russia appreciates China’s objective, just and balanced position on the Ukraine issue and welcomes China to continue to play an important and constructive role in the political settlement of the issue. Russia is committed to resolving the Ukraine issue through political negotiations and is willing to demonstrate sincerity and maintain close communication with China in this regard, he said.

Xi said that over the years, they have had many meetings and every exchange has been candid, in-depth and fruitful.

“I am ready to stay in close contact with President Putin and work together to steer the development of China-Russia relations in the right direction, guide the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era to achieve steady and lasting progress, bring more benefits to the two peoples, and contribute to world security and stability,” Xi said.

Putin thanked Xi for his warm hospitality, saying that he is willing to maintain close communication with Xi, implement the important consensus reached between them, and ensure the full development of the Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era.

UPDATED (AGAIN) 10:44 PM EDT — URGENT – RUSSIA CONDUCTING MISSILE LAUNCHES OFF CALIFORNIA COASTLINE

Russian sub launch file photo large
Russian sub launch file photo large

A Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) has been issued off the coast of southern California, alerting pilots of Russian missile launches to LAND / IMPACT in the Oakland Air Route Traffic Control Center ((ARTCC) ! ! !

The notice is effective starting TONIGHT, 16 May, and lasts TEN DAYS!

Oakland ARTCC NOTAM Russian Missile Impacts
Oakland ARTCC NOTAM Russian Missile Impacts

 

Here is a map representation showing the launch and impact areas:

Russian Missile Tests 16 may 2024 off California Coast
Russian Missile Tests 16 may 2024 off California Coast

Less than 300 nautical miles from shore in international waters. 

The U.S. Department of Defense CONFIRMS this information:

Defense Department CONFIRMS
Defense Department CONFIRMS

UPDATE 8:48 PM EDT —

A SECOND NOTAM has been issued for missile launches / impacts at the Barents Sea above Norway, Finland:

Second Launch Impact Area Barents Sea
Second Launch Impact Area Barents Sea

UPDATE 10:44 PM EDT —

Russia has also issued NOTAMS for all aircraft traveling to/from Hawaii and North America  Warning of “missile impact areas”


KZAK   OAKLAND OCA/FIR
A1924/24 - ATTENTION ACFT OPR AND DISPATCHERS THIS NOTICE IS FOR ALL
AIRCRAFT TRANSITING FM HAWAII TO NORTH AMERICA AND NORTH AMERICA TO
HAWAII. THE FOLLOWING RESTRICTIONS ARE DUE TO THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
ROCKET FIRING IMPACT AREA.
EB TFC ON R578 ESTIMATING FLITY BTN 1930 AND 2300 SHALL FILE FITES
R578 FLITY TO 3015N12905W TO FOOTS TO FICKY FLT PLAN ROUTE.
WB TFC ON R578 ESTIMATING FLITY BTN 2000 AND 2330 SHALL FILE FICKY
R578 FOOTS TO 3015N12905W TO FLITY R578 FITES FLT PLAN ROUTE.
THE TEMPORARY ROUTES DESCRIBED ABOVE ARE FOR ALL AIRCRAFT EQUIPPED
WITH RNP-10 NAVIGATION SYSTEMS OR BETTER.  ALL OTHERS SHALL FLT PLAN
TO AVOID THE AIRSPACE NOTAMED FOR RUSSIAN FEDERATION IMPACT AREA BY
AT LEAST 50NM. TIMES LISTED ABOVE ARE BASED ON THE PERFORMANCE OF
TURBOJET AIRCRAFT ONLY AND SLOWER AIRCRAFT SHOULD PLAN ACCORDINGLY.
QUESTIONS SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO THE OAKLAND ARTCC MILITARY
OPERATIONS SPECIALIST AT 510-745-3334, OR THE OCEANIC SUPERVISOR AT
510-745-3342. SFC - UNL, DLY 1930-2330, 16 MAY 19:30 2024 UNTIL 26 MAY 23:30
2024. CREATED: 13 MAY 02:29 2024
A1923/24 (Issued for KZAK PART 1 OF 2) - ATTENTION ACFT OPR AND DISPATCHERS THIS NOTICE IS FOR ALL
AIRCRAFT TRANSITING FM HAWAII TO NORTH AMERICA AND NORTH AMERICA TO
HAWAII. THE FOLLOWING RESTRICTIONS ARE DUE TO THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
ROCKET FIRING IMPACT AREA.
EB TFC ON R578 ESTIMATING FLITY BTN 1930 AND 2300 SHALL FILE FITES
R578 FLITY TO 3015N12905W TO FOOTS TO FICKY FLT PLAN ROUTE.
WB TFC ON R578 ESTIMATING FLITY BTN 2000 AND 2330 SHALL FILE FICKY
R578 FOOTS TO 3015N12905W TO FLITY R578 FITES FLT PLAN ROUTE.
THE TEMPORARY ROUTES DESCRIBED ABOVE ARE FOR ALL AIRCRAFT EQUIPPED
WITH RNP-10 NAVIGATION SYSTEMS OR BETTER.  ALL OTHERS SHALL FLT PLAN
TO AVOID THE AIRSPACE NOTAMED FOR RUSSIAN FEDERATION IMPACT AREA BY
AT LEAST 50NM.  TIMES LISTED ABOVE ARE BASED ON THE PERFORMANCE OF
TURBOJET AIRCRAFT ONLY AND SLOWER AIRCRAFT SHOULD PLAN ACCORDINGLY.
QUESTIONS SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO THE OAKLAND ARTCC MILITARY
OPERATIONS SPECIALIST AT 510-745-3334, OR THE OCEANIC SUPERVISOR AT
510-745-3342. SFC END PART 1 OF 2, DLY 1930-2330, 16 MAY 19:30 2024 UNTIL 26
MAY 23:30 2024. CREATED: 13 MAY 02:28 2024
A1922/24 - THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION PLANS TO CONDUCT ROCKET FIRINGS. IMPACT
AREA WI THE OAKLAND ARTCC OCEANIC FIR IS WI AN AREA DEFINED AS
295000N 1285200W TO 292100N 1264600W TO 235300N 1281500W TO 242200N
1302400W TO POINT OF ORIGIN. FOR FLT SAFETY ATC WILL NOT CLEAR IFR
FLT THRU THE IMPACT AREA. SFC - UNL, DLY 2000-2300, 16 MAY 20:00 2024 UNTIL
26 MAY 23:00 2024. CREATED: 13 MAY 02:21 2024

 

Hal Turner Snap Analysis

What if these missiles don’t land in the ocean, but instead enter the US with live warheads, and begin hitting targets?

Be the Rufus

More fun period 1960s stuff

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1aad9d8c7b56de040e04aadcab01d9f7

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cb871677d65f47a1a7370ecd3c26b316

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5fab7a4ab78902fb7ca41ae23994c605

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a97f49e1515289574675425d56d2bffb

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bccc71fdac8e2192c8e1a720e7bf61db

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304eb8e68bc70ef6e9e6d04f96b0ec61

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ecc4d6589517561a7de4efc9ac42a999

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6936817925c5f04c20b13e11bebc3d77

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8c9d4e8845b1546ee5c3dd3892cf07d3

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762311be541b41dffbb33ef96f6e16aa

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cbe875c228c4fbe6dac3da689676a41c

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7116d779259bd4bd4580a4d388e58d7d

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a8dbe960d670f8a8ed30439e9071379d

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6e98e58fa63e365b247a16bc895cef40

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f23abae5206d5f8bc20af4a442c7e329

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ea7785d2fae95b458c7e690f4b565358

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93dfe9164700c3654ca1c4d6304d797d

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fe733ea324ad4246621282e766fe7824

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e7712f982293262d13afb5ea0be99fe2

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f1e9709733a9d54e53c688d1f3d106dc

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2ede45d63a3439eb371dc7ac8ec60fe2

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9e7f2ee8794c0834a46cb42868959862

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0fb1395f1cc62add0e84e74f2a71e72e

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2bafb62eb2da66ee8f4522e3419bbf81

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fb88c3ed6cb8ea1b4e2f2d613d8430b0

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3ac817f0985fcb02853d0864a3aa1028

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86994f71c720edaca7d2e33f9a42058a

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518b9b28d70d247e15963c9e738eb61c

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55b933a5cccf9200518203c9e9ee0f2d

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5474371cb0ab944e258ed093d787ea5f

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034fbbbed883db5f2add0de698b3cb0f

Poke the Bear and Find Out

Here’s why the West should finally listen to Russia’s warnings

Why did the United States react so much to the news that China was going to land on the moon?

At the hearing of NASA in fiscal year 2024, Director Bill Nelson repeatedly mentioned the old story:

"We have to land on the moon as soon as possible, and we can't let China beat us to it!"

We have to admit that the cognition of people all over the world is far behind the times.

Trump ran for president in 2016. Before that, almost everyone was not optimistic about him. After being elected, ordinary people deeply felt the division and chaos under the glamorous appearance of the United States in recent years.

Before China hosted the Olympic Games in 2008, people all over the world (even politicians) generally thought that China was poor and backward. After the Olympic Games and the World Expo, the number of people holding this view has decreased greatly. Some countries began to regard China as a threat.

In a word, what a country needs is to use “big events” to reverse the cognition of ordinary people.

The launch of the 003 aircraft carrier, the service of the J-20 and the start of operation of the space station are all “big events” in the eyes of ordinary people, but these Americans have them. In the eyes of people in other countries, that is, “China and the United States are still far behind. After all, the United States has 11 aircraft carriers.”

“China Man Landing on the Moon” is also such a big event. It will cause “China people have done things that the United States can’t do now” to the people of all countries. Although the United States also landed on the moon in its early years, aren’t you unable to get on now?

In particular, there is a subtext of landing on the moon, “China people go on behalf of mankind.” “China is replacing the role played by the United States in space exploration (human civilization).”

This impression is extremely important. The impetus to China’s soft power and even its ability to sell goods is intangible and enormous.

Would you like to buy a mobile phone and a car in China? This is a product of a country that can land on the moon. This mobile phone is produced by the manufacturer who developed the communication equipment for landing on the moon, and this car is produced by the manufacturer who developed the lunar rover. Is it a loss to buy one?

Would you like to hear what the China government has said? This is the government of a country that can land on the moon. Oh, how does this government usually work? What did you say, what did you do, and what values did you uphold to send people to the moon? Let’s look at the fact that our government has not repaired the road at the door for 10 years. Which country’s people are not disgusted?

There is an interesting saying: when China said that he would go to the moon, Americans believed that China people would definitely go to the moon and make it.

Not only Americans believe it, but people all over the world believe it. Everyone is waiting for the China people to bring back evidence that the Americans landed on the moon or there was no evidence.

China DUMPS Largest Amount of US Treasuries in History

In an unprecedented move, China offloads a record $53.3 billion of U.S. Treasuries and agency bonds.

With economic relations between China and the United States continuing to raise investor concern, China has deviated from historical norms by offloading one of the largest amounts of US Treasury and agency debt.

Particularly, in the first quarter of 2024, China offloaded a record-breaking $53.3 billion of U.S. Treasuries and agency bonds.

Notably, China, traditionally a major holder of US debt, reduced its Treasury holdings by $22 billion during the first three months of 2024, while the remainder of the offloaded assets comprised agency bonds, according to data. which came out May 16.

China is clearly acting to intentionally distance its exposure to the US because the Chinese government knows, if they take Taiwan by force, the US will “cancel” those bonds, and stiff China for the money.

After seeing what the US has done to Russia, the flat-out theft of much of its Sovereign Wealth Fund over the Ukraine situation, China does no want to end up in the same boat, being robbed by the treacherous US government.

The Northern Catalpa (Catalpa speciosa)

I grew up on a farm in Outback Australia. We had quite a big workshed full of equipment up a lane behind our house.

Even out in that area, we would occasionally get people in cars wandering up our back lane; fair enough, they’d get a bit lost and turn when they noticed their mistake and leave. We could always spot them, as the lane ran right by our house. We didn’t bother to shut the gate, since there was always somebody coming or going during the day and who can be bothered if you’ve not got stock there at the time?

Until one day when somebody went up there late one night and didn’t turn around and go straight back. My dad and I went and shut the gate on them and then waited, with our dogs and shotguns (this was a working farm, and so we had guns.) We also called the cops.

The two guys came back down the lane, saw us and the locked gate, backed up and went charging around the back fields trying to find another exit. By the time the cops got to our place, the two would-be thieves were pretty shaken up, and the cops found a heap of our stuff that they’d pinched from the shed.

We kept our front gate locked after that. And at night the dogs were let off.

What Putin and China just did is SHOCKING and the U.S. is in Real Trouble

I’ve had more.experience with this than I care to remember,.

At one point during my tenure with GM, the average age of my subordinates was very nearly 60 years old (59.8 I believe). Under CAW/UAW/UNIFOR, terminating someone with this kind of seniority was often a multi-year ordeal. By asking this question, I at least know you are not dealing with a union, or you would have been trained on a specific protocol for it. Also, you are likely working for a fairly small company or this would probably be left to an HR rep, who would also be trained. So with that in mind;

First depending where your company is located, I would make good god damn sure you have one hell of a rightous, well documented case for termination. In many places firing a 42 year employee without sufficient grounds could lead to the type of wrongfull termination suit that could sink a small company.

Secondly, if your company doesn’t already employ security, hiring a security company for a month or two after the termination is advisable. Being fired after 42 years would be a pretty massive shock for anyone. The potential for retaliation by someone who has dedicated nearly half a century to their career is a much more likely than it is with the average worker.

After 42 years, it is safe to assume the person considers their career to be a large part of who they are. Depending on the circumstance it’s very possible you are about to do something this person will view as one of, if not the greatest betrayals of their lives. Treat them with honesty, respect and compasion, don’t be afraid to show remorse, and be aware of the fact that l if you leave a person feeling like they have no options, they are financially ruined or you take away a part of their life they believe defines them, they are likely to lash out.

Lastly, you should never terminate anyone on your own but especially someone who has been with a company their entire adult life. You should always be acompanied by at least one other person, be that someone from HR, thier direct supervisor, another manager, a company lawyer and/or a security guard would all be reasonable choices, the 20 year old replacing him for 25% his salary, not so much (this should be obvious, but its the internet, who kows who will read this..)

Glitterbomb 3.0 vs. Porch Pirates

Prison Life

  1. Your woken up at 5:00 AM 7 days a week 365 days a year.
  2. Your then called out for chow, in which your section / tier heads to the chow hall. The food is served to you just like you were served while in elementary school. The difference is you could eat what they served you in the school cafeteria, In prison the food they serve you would make a belly goat puke. You will be given 8–10 minutes to consume the prison slop and out you go., On most days you will get some live entertainment to go with your food, such as fights, stabbings and of course the strong praying upon the weak.
  3. You then have a choice of a shower, yard, going to your prison job, school, or the yard.
  4. At about 10:30 am they issue the call for noon time chow, in which you march down to the chow hall in groups, afterwards they will send you to be counted, then when the count clears it’s back to your routine. In between is usually the gambling, tv watching, card games, beatings, hustlers, snitch squad, cell searches, stabbings, rapes and suicides. The golden rule is if you are walking on the tier, and you gotta use the restroom bad, you either soil yourself or run to your cell or dorm, you do not enter into any cell that is occupied or un occupied, because you will be beaten beyond recognition. If you see a person hanging and bleeding you just keep walking, if someone collapses from a heart attack or jumps off a tier you didn’t see anything.
  5. if it’s your time to go to store then go, but remember the sharks are circling at all times, and you have to be prepared to meet your maker, over a candy bar, or a bottle of shampoo. You don’t share a stick of gum, if you’re cash didn’t come in you do without.
  6. At about 3:30 pm they will issue the chow call for dinner, they will then count you again and when the count clears, they will allow you to have yard time, work time or shower time. At around 8:30 pm they will toss you into your cell for the night, and by 9pm the night has pretty much ended. If you listen close enough you will be able to hear the screams, of the inmates attacking the weak, and in some cases you will hear the goon squad coming to extract an inmate. In some cases you will hear a few brave cell soldiers, acting out and making noise.
  7. Come 5:00 AM the process starts over again, unless someone calls a strike, or your tier is locked down .

Welcome to prison life.

Cheesy Smothered Pork Chops

cheesy smothered pork chops
cheesy smothered pork chops

Ingredients

  • 4 or 5 boneless pork chops
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Place pork chops in a baking pan. Season with salt and pepper on both sides.
  3. Sprinkle the onion on top of the pork. Spread mayonnaise on each pork chop. Top with shredded cheese.
  4. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned. Baking time may be longer, depending upon thickness of pork chops.

About fifteen years ago, my cell phone rang at 10 o clock at night. When I answered, a very upset guy was on the line.

“Hey man!” He said. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”

I was sitting in bed next to my wife reading a book. I tried to think if I had done anything shameful recently.

“I think you have a wrong number,” I replied.

“”Don’t even try that bulls—-t on me.” He said. “My girlfriend is really upset, man.”

I tried to explain that I didn’t know what he walking about.

“Yes you do. You’re answering her phone, dude. How can you do stuff like this? Steal someone else’s phone? You think that’s okay?!?”

I desperately tried to assure him that it wasn’t her phone, but he was insistent that he had dialed her number.

Suddenly, it hit me. He had dialed without an area code, and got my number, not hers. (Can that even still happen now?) As I tried to explain this to him, he faltered slightly, but I could tell he thought I was somehow pulling a fast one on him, and didn’t want to believe me.

Finally, I had the solution. I realized that I wouldn’t have been able to change her voicemail message, even if I had her phone. I said I was going to hang up, and he should call back. He would hear my message, and know he had the wrong number.

I hung up. My wife and I watched as the phone rang four times and then went to voicemail.

I felt this weird flashback to when I was a kid and got accused of shoplifting because I had walked into a store with a soda I had bought elsewhere, and the owner was convinced I had taken one from his store. There were no adults with me, and I had to surrender the soda, and I got a tiny inkling of how it must feel to be in serious trouble for something you didn’t do, and how scary it is to have to prove a negative.

The phone went silent, and the problem was resolved. He left no message.

“Smite Me, Almighty Smiter!”

About 30 years ago, as a young woman, I needed a new vehicle and decided to buy a small pickup truck. My boyfriend (now husband) and I had gone out for breakfast and went to the Ford dealership to look at trucks. I found a Ranger that I really liked. The salesman seemed really nice and helpful. My boyfriend had to go to work, so we told the salesman we would come back. When my boyfriend left for work he asked what I was going to do for the afternoon. I told him I was going back to buy the truck.

I went back to the dealership and found the same salesman and told him I had returned to purchase the Ranger. He actually laughed. I told him I was serious. At that moment a man drove onto the lot. The salesman walked away from me to go talk to the man. I looked for another salesman and was ignored by all. I even went inside and said I want to buy a Ranger and was ignored by all. I left.

I went down the street to the Nissan dealership and purchased a new Nissan pickup that I liked better than the Ranger. I drove my new truck back to the Ford dealership and asked to see the original salesman and the sales manager. I took them both outside, showed them my new Nissan and told them I had stopped to buy the Ranger, but was laughed at and ignored by all. I told them to have a nice day, got into my Nissan and drove away.

As I was leaving I heard the manager yelling at the salesman. I loved that Nissan and drove it for years.

Went to McDonalds , and had a late breakfast, coffee and read the paper for half an hour.

I was pretty fed up with the job, and was trying to get through the next month before starting to look, but even so the dismissal was still a surprise. I arrived at 8: 30 on Monday morning , after working the Saturday and Sunday on a piece of work for the bank, and by 9: 30 was on my way home with no job, and an appointment with the company lawyer for the Friday , for my exit papers, so a bit bamboozled.

By the end of my macca breakfast , I was sorted in my head , with a plan and way forward. Gave my wife a call , and said “Sorry its happened again” She said. God bless her ”Are you OK?”

Me “disconcerted, but I’ll be fine, let’s look at the finances tonight, but I think we’re in good shape, and I should be able to negotiate a settlement from these guys that will get us a free holiday”

“That sounds nice, see you tonight“

No.

The United States has been using NATO to attack Russia.

A simple look at the map has shown NATO encroachment into the (former) Soviet Union Eastern Block and then with the 2014 color revolution, a full invasion of Ukraine… a battlefield from which to attack and destroy Russia by.

Only idiots forgot that Ukraine was originally a significant part of Russia. Look at the maps.

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Like I said; only ignorant idiots; with a brain no larger than a peanut, don’t realize this FACT. I mean it. These brain-dead piles of vomit can’t even tell the difference between a boy and a girl. They don’t know what the root of Pi is, and they sure as fuck cannot tell you how many mm are in a yard.

Ambulatory Stupid feces wearing diapers.

But the stupidity doesn’t stop there…

Oh no. The great mental retardation is alive and well in the West.

Look, I know that some people cannot help their stupidity. But Lordy, you all shouldn’t elect them into office. What the Hell were you thinking?

Yeah.

Only a real IDIOT would think that they could take on Russia.

A massive, blundering ignoramus of a pile of weeks-old pig-feces, would possibly think such an absurd idea.

So, now…

Now…

No shit… NOW…

…they are now looking to “pivot to Asia”… and take on the Russia + China alliance.

Surely, the world has NEVER seen such ignorant, and stupid fools in all the history of mankind.

Psssst…

There’s more.

No shit!

Can you believe… actually believe… that a virtual army of United States officials have been marching off to China to TELL THEM to stop being friends with Russia.

And…

To order them to buy a shit load of American Treasuries…

And…

to force them to stop being the manufacturing center of the world.

And what did China do immediately afterwards?

Oh, the hug between Putin and Xi was pure gold.

The absurdity of this situation is pristine. You just cannot make this shit up!

China & Russia, better than alliance

Van style grinders

I was with the firm for about 5yrs 3 months. One fine day , I got a Offer letter from a leading MNC in trending technology. I resigned the same day and sent the mail to my manager and cced HR in the evening .

He called me around 10 am next day and enquired about good time to have discussion. I went at 12 and we had a very short discussion and the conversation went like this.

I share a cordial relationship with most of my management.

HR: We respect your decision of resign and we wish you all the best.

Can you please tell me your team details and your manager?

Me: Thanks and told the details

HR: So, xxx will be your last day with us.

May I know the reason for resignation?

Me: I dont like the managemet here. Is the feedback I am gonna share with you just for record sake. or you are actually gonna share this with management?

HR: What made you think feedback was not shared with the management.

Me: I have many a scenarios where feedback was taken but never acted upon.

Hr: I will make sure . please share.

Me: Fine, anyways I have made my decision But I dont want to leave unspoken about the fact.

I have never thought of resigning from this organisation.But, many fake promises are made.

HR: Who made false promise?

Me: You know who usually does.

HR: Smiles!!!

Me: I have been promised an onsite without being asked and I know there was a budget problem in project but management is frequently flying which made me rethink my place here.

HR: Ok got the reason. Anyways He explained about all the policies and rules to be followed during notice period and we are done for that day.

I went to my usual routine.

With in next few hours, My Resource manager(Not my immediate supervisor) walks upto me and asks if I would take back my resignagtion if offered an onsite.

Next day, I get a call Location HR and he asked me if I would be offered onsite I would stay back I said I might think.

Next day RM comes to me,

A new onsite opportunity has popped up in some other project and they are looking for people.

I gave them your name to them , talk to them and let me know.

I said I need some time and I have few question. Is it long term? What is the expectation?

Is it different from my existing stack? How long would it be? For all he said you can manage . It will be min of 1yr.

I said ok and will let you know if couple of days. He asked me to do it faster?

I called the other manager on friday and asked him the same above questions for which he said it is an immediate requirement from client.

and I need to learn new technology. If I am ok with it I need to take back my resignation so that they could do initiate VISA.

I asked him “What is stopping you from initiating VISA if I am serving notice period? ” He said It is policy I said ok.

I told him I will take my resigantion but on one condition. In case the VISA is rejected/ CLient doesn’t like profile.

I want to a written statement that My last date would be the same day as earlier.

For which, He is not sure he need to talk to HR on that.

I am confused and lost in thought . I said I will get back to him on Monday.

On the same day, I went to a Shop nearby Bought couple of beer and started thinking of the opportunity .

For an instance, I thought I better take my resignation back. and Travel abroad.

It has been one of my dream to stay abroad for atleast an year straight.

I gave it a thought over weekend and slept over it.

I called my brother whom I go to for advice. He said only one thing “If you have ever taken step stick to that no matter what.

That is what makes you better person.”

and at the same time I heard quote in movie which said “When you Say ‘NO’ to bigger Things in life You Grow Stronger.”

Then I decided I will continue with my resignation.

I met my RM on Monday, told him that I dont want to take risk. I am not getting confidence in this opportunity.He said ok.

I told the same to the other manager he said no problem.

After this I got three more calls from HR(Reg change of project, CHange of technology, onsite again) and had around 7-8 meetings with manager.

On my last day which is is mid march , whole country came to a standstill coz of Corona and all the Onsite travels are suspend.

I am happy that I made a correct decision, Had I stayed with Onsite promise, My Future could have come to a standstill.

Always stick with your decision, and move forward sincerely, It is destined to happen which ever is to happen.

Clubs in the 1980s

Today’s crazy comics

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Let me tell ya a little story.

When my husband was in the hospital, he woke up one day to see a priest looming over him, giving him last rites.

This was the ONLY time he was frightened, because in his mind, last rites was what you’d do right before someone died. Then he realized that I was not in the room, and that if he was actually that close to death, I would have been there with him.

After he got out of the hospital, he told his mother about this, and the first words out of her mouth were, “I didn’t send him!” She tried to say that maybe the hospital arranged it, or maybe it was one of the priests from one of the churches she belonged to (three, of different denominations of which only one does last rites) who stopped by to say hello. Or maybe it was some other priest that stopped by.

Suspicious, that.

When my husband arrived at the hospital, he filled out the intake form and said he didn’t want any religious folks visiting him, and he did not want last rites. That would have stopped the hospital-affiliated clergy from visiting him, but it’s not like they would have stopped a priest that my MIL specifically sent there, particularly if he showed up stealthily, with a scarf covering his collar.

Later, two of my MILs step children made comments to me about how sick my husband must have been to have been given last rites. Hmmm … how did they hear that?

It’s pretty obvious to me that she sent a priest to give him last rites, behind my back, and behind my husband’s (mostly unconscious) back.

But here’s the thing. If she had come to me and said that it was important to her, I would have said yes. I know she’s deep into all three of her religions, and if last rites would have comforted one of her multiple souls, I might have asked her to wait until his condition was more dire, but I wouldn’t have said absolutely no. The ritual wouldn’t have meant anything to my husband, as I would have made sure he wasn’t conscious (and thus not frightened) and it wouldn’t have meant any more to me than if someone came in and waved feathers around to banish demons. But if she wanted that, too, I would have been fine with it, as long as it didn’t affect his health or mental well-being.

I was annoyed at first that she did this behind my back, but that’s how she is. She’s happier when she’s sneaking around and manipulating and thinking that she’s getting away with something. She has only a glancing association with honesty, so she felt better lying to us than admitting what she did.

She is what she is. In the end, it didn’t harm anyone.

Russia – NATO conflict

From Hal Turner.

Below is a piece written by an Observer of matters geo-political - not me -- about the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.  Although I did not write this, it is so "spot-on" that I decided to share it with all of you because  it expresses my sentiments and thoughts precisely.

————— BEGIN ————-

I want everyone of you to take a deep breath, and prepare for a flurry of events that will change the world forever, or at least for a very long time.

Always keep in mind what I have told since late 2021 : Russia set up a trap for the United Sates, they worked for at least a decade for this trap, and now, the United States fell into it.

I have decided to remove the word “West” in describing the side that Russia is in conflict with. There is no “West”. It is just the United States and its vassals.

This conflict between the U.S. and Russia/China is going to end when one side achieves its objectives. There is no middle ground, there is no negotiation, because the goal of the United States is to take control of Russia (by weakening it, and create a 90’s Russia, with oligarchs controlling Russia’s resources and themselves being controlled by the U.S., in order to suppress China’s rise, by controlling the flow of Russian resources), while the goal of Russia and China is to stop it.

If Russia and China could’ve stopped the United States by other means than militarily, it would have happened. The reason why the United States cannot be stopped otherwise, is mainly because of China. In China, the United States managed to create and sustain a system of very powerful Chinese economic oligarchs, that control China, and are being controlled by the U.S..

What the U.S. did not managed to do in Russia, they did in China. Putin removed/imprisoned/killed/replaced most of the Russian oligarchs, in a very short period of time; between 2000 and 2010.  Xi still is in the process of cleaning China, but the process is much slower and harder then what Putin faced in Russia.

In other words, China’s economic power could not be used to weaken the U.S., and it is still far from being able to do so. The only option is to start a “nuclear” economic war, one that will see both China and the U.S. facing economic collapse and massive internal power struggle that will be from the very top, to the street level.

So, to sum up, the current conflict will end when one side will achieve its goals, the “victory” cannot be achieved economically, but militarily, and most important, the military “victory” must be achieved without nuclear war.

Back in late 2023, I predicted that Russia will re-open the Kharkiv-Sumy front when the Ukrainian defenses will start collapsing, and my estimate for this to happen was between January and April 2024, depending on a number of factors. As you all know by now, after Avdeevka fell, the Ukrainian defenses started crumbling in multiple directions.

When I predicted that this will happen, I was exclusively basing my reasoning on the lack of manpower, and the tremendous destruction that Russian military can bring to the front lines, and the inability of the United States and its vassals to sustain a flow of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, that can replace what Russia is destroying, while using mathematical calculation applied to military power of both sides.

Obviously, I did not have the exact data to work with, this is why my predictions were confirmed at a later date, but they were confirmed, almost 90% of the time. I however said that when certain events that I predicted (the collapse of Ukrainian defense, the start of Kharkiv-Sumy offensive, Ukraine’s inability to recruit, the U.S. and vassals inability to provide weaponry and ammo, etc.) will take place, and they did, the margin of error of my calculations, and hence, predictions, will be smaller.

While the current Kharkiv offensive is its early stages, and most, if not all of the people talking about it, are reluctant to quantify it, or to set predictions on how big this will be, my own calculations, again, based on what I have already predicted, is that the current Russian offensive is THE BIG ONE, the one that will break the camel’s back.

Based on my calculations, the current manpower of Ukraine is roughly 300,000 troops, barely equipped, and most of them are forced recruits and/or people with minimal military training and combat experience. While this manpower managed to slowdown the Russian advances, by using the vast network of fortifications and fortified towns and villages that they prepared and strengthened since 2014…this is no longer the case.

The front cracked in multiple locations, some Ukrainian brigades fleeing without order, others refused to follow orders, Russia is taking control of towns and villages [at] an increasing rate, since Avdeevka fell, the current fortifications are much weaker, and Russian troops are now passed the mildly hilly areas and went into open terrain. The big picture is that the Ukrainian army is on the brink of collapse, after being reduced in the last 2 years, and especially in the last 3 months (talking about game changers, there is only one : Russian aviation using FAB bombs extensively across the front lines), and there are only 2 options left for Ukraine – capitulation or full retreat across Dniepr river.

As I said back in the summer of 2023, the retreat across Dniepr should have taken place THEN, otherwise Ukraine’s army will be decimated. Retreating now across Dniepr will only BUY SOME TIME for the United States to send its troops and its vassals troops into Ukraine…IF that is what the U.S. is aiming to do…which I believe it is.

By opening the old fronts in Kahrkiv and Sumy, Russia is extending the current 300,000 poorly trained and equipped Ukrainian troops, to an additional 200-300 km front (I believe it will be much longer, around 600 km, because after Kharkiv, comes Sumy, and after, Chernigiv fronts), from a former 900 km front line.

Mathematically speaking, 300,000 Ukrainian troops defending a 900 km front line, will now have to defend a potential (and in my view 100% certain) a front line that is DOUBLE that.

Now, the military goal of Russia is to create the illusion that the United States and its vassal have a choice: commit to the fight, directly, and attempt to stop the collapse of Ukrainian army (or commit to this fight after Ukrainian army collapse), or…leave Ukraine being defeated, stay aside, and avoid WW3.

This is only a illusion of choice, because Russia is actually forcing the United States and its vassal to COMMIT to the fight.

Remember what I have said for over a year now? That Ukraine will NEVER GET F-16s? Well, they still didn’t get any, and will never get any, for reasons that I have explained a year ago, but I will shortly summarize them now : F-16 is a platform that can only function within the NATO military framework, Ukraine doesn’t have proper airfields for F-16s, and if we will ever see Western jets engaging the Russians, those will be piloted by NATO pilots and will operate from NATO airfields.

It is crystal clear that Ukraine lost the war, and the only hope to stop (it’s just a hope, really) Russia is a massive influx of trained troops and military hardware, including a large number of fighter jets, helicopters, cruise missiles, etc.

Ukraine DOES NOT HAVE the trained manpower to operate the required quantity of military hardware that is needed to fight Russia. NATO can send ALL OF THEIR JETS AND TANKS to Ukraine…here aren’t people to use them. And even if there were, such a large quantity of manpower and hardware will only be successful IF OPERATED WITHIN NATO FRAMEWORK AND DOCTRINE.

What I believe that will happen in the next 45 to 60 days, is, 100%, the collapse of Ukrainian Armed Forces. What is also 100% certain, in my view, is a number of NATO countries will OFFICIALLY ENTER the conflict in Ukraine, during, or right after the Ukrainian army collapses.

What is not certain, is how many NATO troops, how good they are, how equipped they are, and what is their goal. If the United States still believe that Russia can be weakened, those NATO troops will aim, at minimum, to secure Odessa and Kiev, which means that Dniepr river have to be secured, and be the new front line.

At this current attrition rate, the appetite for NATO countries to send troops, the Ukrainian Army have about 45 to 60 days to retreat beyond Dniepr, because they will still have roughly 200,000 troops, and NATO to send in at least 100,000 troops.

You cannot secure the Dniepr river without a MINIMUM of 300,000 troops, even if you blow up all the bridges. Keep in mind that Kiev is right on the Dniepr, split in two by the river. Also keep in mind that Russia can easily re-enter Ukraine from Belarus, making the Dniepr river irrelevant as a natural front line.

But, at least, they (200k Ukrainian and 100k NATO troops) can concentrate on the border of Belarus, on the defense of Kiev, and on the Kherson part of Dniepr, buying enough time to reinforce Odessa, Kiev and Belarusian border, give the proximity of Poland (Belarus and Kiev areas) and Romania (Odessa area).

So, to sum up : Ukrainian army is going to collapse in the next 45 to 60 days, during which they will retreat toward Dniepr, NATO troops will enter Ukraine, with the aim to create a strong defense in Kiev, along Belarusian border and on Kherson part of the Dniepr, to secure Odessa, and later on, with the aim of strengthening the above areas, while deploying along Western bank of the Dniepr.

This is basically, in my view, the only possibility to avoid a nuclear war, the conflict will end up in a stalemate between Russia and NATO, and diplomacy will, hopefully start happening.

But…there is a BIG BUT. The above (hopeful) scenario means a DEFEAT FOR BOTH RUSSIA AND NATO.

Without a serious buffer, Russia’s security will always be at risk. Nothing less then what Russia asked NATO in December 2021 (removal of all NATO bases from Eastern Europe) is going to stop Russia. Nothing less then a defeat of Russia is going to stop the United States policy of weakening Russia.

A Russia that occupies half of Ukraine means that NATO was strategically defeated. A Russia that ONLY occupies half of Ukraine, while the other half is full of NATO troops, and all NATO bases are still in place across Eastern Europe, means a defeated Russia in its strategic goals.

If my today’s prediction, that Ukraine army will collapse and start retreating across Dniepr, while NATO officially deploys troops in Ukraine will happen during the next 45 to 60 days…let us pray that a compromise will somehow happen, because the alternative is WORLD WAR 3.

I have very low hope that a compromise will happen…

————– END —————–

Hal Turner Remarks

I very much admire and respect the concise assembly of thought and facts above.  It took many aspects of the current conflict into account, and laid out realistic results/consequences of each.  Very well written, i think.

This past Friday night, on my radio show, I alerted listeners that a new offensive had commenced by Russia, heading for Kharkiv.  The piece above speaks about that.

What I did not project in my remarks, the piece above does.  The timeline is always the big unknown.

For instance, when I reported on my radio show that Ukraine assessed Russia’s offensive would being in the late summer, early fall, I had to point out they were way wrong because it had already begun Friday.

The Russians have made very significant gains in the past few days.   The Ukraine Army is crumbling already.

So while the writer above suggests 45-60 days for things to come to the point where NATO has to crap or get off the pot, it could be much faster than that.  It could also be slower.  As above the timeline is always the big unknown.

What is known, though, is that time has grown very short.  Whatever enormous event/change is coming, it is now VERY close. 

If this thing goes wild weasel, and we start getting hit by Russian missiles here in the USA, you had better be prepared.  Food, water, Medicine, generator, fuel for it, radio gear for communications, cash money in your house — not to pay bills, but to survive on.  Guns, ammo, and mental willingness to shoot other human beings who are trying to steal your food.

I have a sick feeling we’re heading into some horrifying calamity; and almost no one in the entire country, seems aware of it.  The mass media has not reported the serious developments and goings-on relating to the conflict.  The American people, and most Europeans, will likely be totally blind-sided when it happens.

YOU have the upper hand.  YOU pay attention to sites like this one.  YOU have had advance warning.  YOU will have prepared as best you can, and that will put YOU faaaaar ahead of the general public.

In any event, get right with God.

ZANZIBAR, TANZANIA 🇹🇿 Things To Do

How is this even legal?

Unethical life hacks.

  • Whenever you are starting a new job, always let them know that you have 4 alive grandparents. Then you have 4 pre-made excuses for whenever you don’t want to come into work.
  • When you’re shopping online and need to reach a threshold for free delivery, simply add a gift card to your order. The next time you make a purchase, you can use the card and repeat the process.
  • When dining alone at a restaurant, bring a notebook. Write in it occasionally. The staff might think you’re a food critic, and they’ll likely try their best to impress you, maybe even treating you to some free food.
  • If someone ever calls you fat, tell them you used to be 75 lbs heavier. It will make them feel guilty for saying it to you, while also making you look accomplished for losing weight.
  • Use airplane mode to hang up on people. They will see “call failed” instead of “call ended”.
  • When you’re looking for a job, post a fake ad for a very similar position on the internet so you could check out the resumes of your competition.
  • Don’t show your Tinder profile or Instagram to your date. Show your profile on some niche platform like luxy
  • or Mensa to go from being average to standing out.
  • If your girl ever gets mad at you and won’t speak, just tighten up all the jars in the house. Eventually she’ll have to talk to you to get your help opening up one of the jars.
  • If your coworker ever calls in sick for work, you can do the same 1-3 days later. Your boss will think you have the same thing and it’s “going around the office”. Your boss may even do the same shortly after you. It’s called the “fake flu”.
  • lf you want people to stop letting dogs sh*t on your lawn. Instead of a sign saying “no dogs allowed”, put up one saying “Lawn recently treated with toxic pesticides”. Nobody would let their dog anywhere near your lawn ever again.
  • If you’re in a taxi and you think the driver is purposely driving slow to get the meter up. Just cough or sneeze to make yourself seem sick and watch the driver speed up to prevent catching something from you.
  • If you want to slack off at work, slack off but act annoyed or frustrated around your boss. This will give the impression that you’re working hard and the job is getting you heated.

Chinese firearms training in first grade

The Chinese begin military training in first grade and continue with the training throughout the school years.

A woman named Diane. She was convinced that she was supposed to marry my brother. They never dated or anything, we three played pool one night, and he was kind to her. When she went off her medication, things changed. She threatened to kill me and my family, she left strange objects in the night drop where my brother worked, she tracked him down when he moved, and called me repeatedly, leaving terrifying messages. I changed my phone number. She also started stalking my nephew, and found out where he worked, then called repeatedly. She then called my church, and left messages saying horrible things about me.

During Covid, it all stopped. Nobody heard a peep. At this point, she had been homeless for a while, and we assume Covid killed her, or something else. I tried Googling her several times, but she had literally disappeared off the face of the earth.

She terrified me. I even called my kids schools and gave them a picture of her.

When I knew her in the 90’s, I didn’t know she was schizophrenic. We worked together and hung out. I wish she would have told me because I would have encouraged her to stay on her meds. I’ll always wonder what happened to her because, even though she scared me in the worst times, she was a friend in the good times.

Today’s Shorpy

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I developed a trick. Here’s a common situation: I am very busy, with something I need to get done in the next two hours. Someone I know sees me and says, “Hey Rich, how about getting a cup of coffee with me?” My prior answer used to be, “Can’t. I’ve got to get this done.”

No longer. Now I have a standard answer: “Sure.”

In retrospect, the urgent thing I needed to get done was almost never really urgent. That amazes me. I had simply been putting work ahead of friendship.

I came across an aphorism that encapsulates this: “Never let the merely urgent get in the way of the truly important.” I love that phrase, “merely urgent”! (Nobody really knows who first articulated this thought, but it is a good guide to living your life well.)

I believe the key to friendship is spending unstructured time with people. Discussing business over coffee doesn’t count. Taking a hike to discuss business does count, because in my experience a two hour hike rarely consists of more than 30 minutes of serious business; the rest of the time you are talking about things that don’t really matter. And those conversations often drift, naturally, into discussions that do matter. And then you are at the beginning of a formation of a new true friendship.

I have an almost 21 year old grandson who is still as delightful as he was as a little one. He was a real charmer, but at three he realized he couldn’t charm his parents. We were at an outdoor theater and while waiting we bought popcorn for all of us. My grandson really wanted more, but both mom and dad said no. While still waiting for the play to begin my grandson started exploring where we were seated. We were in the back thinking the kids would get bored. This way they would have more room to move around. My grandson did just that, but with a purpose. He found a lady sitting eating her popcorn. He went and sat next to her. With his big brown eyes he looked at her and “Nice people share their popcorn.’ Of course she gave him some. This is the same kid who sang ‘Jesus must die” in the grocery store because his parents were both working for the show and he was at most rehearsals. My daughter in law said she couldn’t believe that of all the lines in all the songs this was the one he remember. She quickly left the store. I really love this young man since always.

This is China.

I was in college, and driving home for a break. Stopped at my roommate’s house on the way, to drop her off. I was invited to spend the night, and did, so I could complete the remaining drive rested.

That evening, my roommate sat at her mother’s feet and told her mom all about college life. Like … ALL about college life. And her mom listened attentively, and asked questions showing her interest, and shared experiences and they laughed together.

I remember being stunned that when her parents asked, “How was the semester?” my friend actually TOLD her parents how the semester was.

I can remember one time I came home from a movie and my mom asked how it was, and I gave my usual “Fine” response, and my mom then asked what movie I went to. I remember that because it literally only happened once. And I had to pause to remember what movie I went to because I was so surprised she asked.

Real, heartfelt communication with one’s parents was a completely novel concept for me.

I also remember when I was 15, a friend was talking to our theater director, crying on her shoulder about something that happened at home. I was confused by what I considered to be my friend’s over-reaction. My theater director looked at me and made eye contact and said, “The way your mother treats you isn’t normal. When she hits you, it’s child abuse.”

I remember that moment so clearly. It was the first inkling I ever got that not everybody was beaten by their moms.

Many come to mind. The Imperial Japanese Army. The Mongols. The Huns. All war is terrible, but these groups I think deserve to be put into a class of their own when it comes to their brutality. However I think to find truly the most barbaric military force to ever walk the earth we have to wind back the clocks thousands of years to the time of the Neo-Assyrian empire.

Many if not all militaries have engaged in horrible atrocities throughout their period of existence, but few reveled in it the way the Assyrians did. Just look at a few of these primary sources, from the annals of various Assyrian kings:

“I felled 3,000 of their fighting men with the sword. I carried off prisoners, possessions, oxen, and cattle from them. I burnt many captives from them. I captured many troops alive: from some I cut off their arms and hands; from others I cut off their noses, ears, and extremities. I gouged out the eyes of many troops. I made one pile of the living and one of heads. I hung their heads on trees around the city, I burnt their adolescent boys and girls. I razed, destroyed, burnt, and consumed the city.”

—Ashurbanipal II

“I cut their throats like lambs. I cut off their precious lives as one cuts a string. Like the many waters of a storm, I made their gullets and entrails run down upon the wide earth. My prancing steeds harnessed for my riding, plunged into the streams of their blood as into a river. The wheels of my chariot, which brings low the wicked and the evil,were bespattered with blood and filth. With the bodies of their warriors I filled the plain, like grass. Their testicles I cut off, and tore the privates like the seeds of a cucumber.”

—Sennacherib

“I filled the wide plain with the corpses of his warriors. These rebels I impaled on stakes. A pyramid of heads I erected in front of the city.”

—Shalmeneser III

“I flayed as many nobles as had rebelled against me and draped their skins over the pile of corpses; some I spread out within the pile, some I erected on stakes upon the pile… I flayed many right through my land and draped their skins over the walls.”

—Ashurnasirpal II

The Assyrians didn’t just record their appalling behavior in writing, they also carved them into stone:

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Assyrian “art” depicting the flayed skins of dead enemies being hung on a city’s walls

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Victims of impalement

Assyrians ripping the tongues out of captives

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Despite the barbarity of it all, there was a method to the Assyrian madness. The sheer brutality with which the Assyrians acted was done with the goal of dissuading cities from rebelling. Most ancient empires collapse due to internal unrest, and the Assyrians were determined to prevent this fate from befalling them. Their cruelty was a double-edged sword in that while it did convince some cities to stay in line, it also angered others and made them even less tamable than before. Eventually the rebellions mounted and grew to be too much, and Assyria collapsed due to a revolt by the Babylonians and an invasion by the Medes. Whenever I think of the Assyrians, I think of the famous proverb that goes something along the lines of “The harder you squeeze the water in your hand, the more that slips through your fingers”. The story of the Assyrian Empire is a story of squeezing too hard.

I haven’t witnessed someone, but my son was bullied.

I received a call from a principle about an altercation my son had with a bully.

My son was skipping breakfast and buying donuts on his way to school.

He hadn’t eaten the donuts, and they were in his backpack.

The school was having an assembly before classes began.

I guess the bag was part way out of his backpack, so the bully took them out and dumped them on the floor.

The bully and his companions laughed on the way to the assembly.

This incensed my son, and he picked up a jelly-filled donut and went into the assembly.

He found the bully sitting with his companions and smeared the jelly donut all over his face.

He then shouted, “If you ever do that again, I’ll do it again.”

Of course, this stunned the assembly and the principal grabbed both my son and the bully and took them to his office.

His punishment for both was to read War and Peace and give the principal a report on the book.

When the principal called me, he explained that the bully was a well-known bully, and he was much bigger than my son. He feared that this was not the end of the story.

I told him my son had already read War and Peace, so that may not be a punishment for him.

So, the principal meted out another punishment. He would help the janitor clean the assembly hall.

When my son came home late, I asked him why he was late.

He told me he met a nice janitor and helped him clean up the assembly hall.

I just said, “That was nice of you.”

Neither my wife nor my son know the princpal called and they are not on Quora, so I’m spilling the beans here.

The bully never bothered my son again.

This is EXACTLY why the United States is fucked

Paint the roof silver

I was asked to tutor 15 PhD candidates (who were mostly university professors), who were expected to study in the U.S.A. for 2 years.

Their TOEFL scores were high, except for one administrative officer who scored 470 and one financial officer who scored 287. At that time, students were expected to have a score of 500 to get into a bachelor’s program.

They were already enrolled in the PhD program at a reputable university, and advisors had interviewed them here in Thailand.

I assumed that these two were allowed in as a special favor, but I had no real knowledge of the hows and whys.

The admin officer, who did little to improve, left our course and the PhD program with less than a month before departure.

The financial officer (call her ‘Dee’), however, attended every class, but her participation was stunted by the far more competent participants, no matter what I did to encourage her.

She was (quietly) considered an outsider, a non-academic and a non-proficient speaker of English by others in the class.

When they left for the U.S., I kept in touch with a few participants and always asked about Dee.

I needn’t have worried.

Dee completed her PhD earlier than was expected, much to the surprise of the others.

How did she do that?

Dee immersed herself in university and U.S. life, focusing on her tasks and seeking out advisors and other PhD candidates with similar interests. She was invited to instructors’ and candidates’ homes, and was quickly ‘adopted’ by their families.

A ceremony was held at the Thai university at the end of the program. She was greatly praised by the rector and others, while some of the professor candidates who did not complete the program stood silently by.

Today’s Comics

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I was at a bar, and this girl and her boyfriend got into a fight. She had a ’73 camaro, and he opened the hood and pulled off her coil wire. Then took off in his car leaving her stranded. I went into the bar, got a coat hanger, bent the ends so they would fit tight into the distributor cap and coil. she hit the key and it fired right up. I even impressed myself.

Another time, I was at the GW FASHION MALL, (Goodwill), and there was a guy with his hood open. says it won’t start. So I sprayed some starting fluid into the intake and it popped right off, but wouldn’t keep running. I had heard that if the fuel pump is going out, to give it a few hard smacks under the fuel tank, and that can knock it loose. I did it and it worked. That is just a temporary fix..

Another time, my son and I were on the highway, and my serpentine belt broke, and it knocked off the power steering belt also. I sat there trying to figure out what to do. My son said, *try putting the power steering belt on the crank pulley and the water pump/fan*. I thought that won’t work, but gave it a shot anyway. It was too tight. He said, turn it inside out and try it. It worked, a little loose, and slipped, but it made it home. Driving 20 miles like that keeping an eye on the temp gauge. We didn’t have an alternator or power steering, but got it home.

I was comfortably settled in my window seat, book in hand, anticipating the rest and relaxation my well-deserved vacation would bring. As my seat mate approached, I was struck by the six-inch rhinestone cross that hung from her neck. She began piling books atop the tray table, one of which was entitled, How to Convert Atheists.

Within a matter of minutes, the dreaded question was propounded. “Have you heard the good news?” I enthusiastically answered, “I have! The Supreme Court has ruled that same-sex marriage is legal in all fifty states. The Catholic Church is losing members faster than you can say pedophile priests and televangelists are being exposed for their fraudulent practices and extramarital affairs.” Before she could respond, I pointed to her book, looked her directly in the eye, and stated unambiguously, “Don’t even think about it.”

I returned to my book and suddenly heard, “I will pray for you.” To which I responded, “Knock yourself out, dear, just do it silently.”

I grew up in a polygamous family as it was and still a common practice in the African Traditional Society. We were and still 17 children. My father paid our school fees for all of us but only 50% of us completed our school while others dropped out.

Currently as I write this piece we are still 17 but we far apart from each other and father currently stays with my mother, the other 2 women (my step mothers), one passed on in 1991(RIP), while the other is married to some man.

Here is where the secret comes in, my Dad and Mum have been fighting each other for the past 28 years that they have been married, but they have never told us the cause of their fights, and for the past 28 years my mum and dad didn’t share the same room, but no one seems to tell us even when we had family meetings.

Last year around May 2019 the fight intensified to a point I thought they were going to divorce, we sat them down as family and we wanted to hear from them.

My Dad became very hostile when we started the meeting as he has always been, very defensive in his actions as our mother told us that Dad had been having extra marital affairs out to which my Dad completely objected.

Then boooooooooooom….. the shocking news comes out, the secret that mum and dad never wanted to tell us. Our first born knew everything but he kept this from us.

He decides to break the news that shook all of us the family members, that our step mother that died in 1991 was sick with HIV/AIDs Virus and when my mum realized that they went together to a medical facility and tested she was negative and dad was positive, and that Dad has been HIV positive for the past 28 years and has been on medication that he kept from us for all these years.

Our mother decided to stay in the relationship to take care of him and us but my dad has failed to see that and continued tormenting her by having affairs outside the marriage. I felt completely battered, shattered because I looked up to my mum and dad has role models when it came to honesty. They always told us to be honest yet they never told us what was hapening in their lives.This was my experience.

USA ADDS SANCTIONS to HUAWEI for INTEL and QUALCOMM – china must submit to old white man..

I was in 5th grade. My teacher was regularly given troublesome students over the years. I was in her class because my brother (one of the aforementioned troublesome students) had had her four years prior. Unfortunately, all those years of kids that made things difficult took its toll.

Early in the school year, because of constant arguments, our teacher started doing something she called IALAC (I am lovable and cuddlable). This meant every day before we went to the classroom, we formed a circle outside and had to say one nice thing about the person to our right. We also had an in class project every day. On this particular day, we were painting. I decided I didn’t want to use a brush and was finger painting. We had a sink in the classroom and I had always been well behaved and quiet. Other students saw what I was doing and complained. The teacher didn’t mind what I was doing but I washed my hands without being told and switched to a brush because I didn’t like conflict.

My classmates decided that if I was allowed to finger paint, they could do. Except they started painting each other, not the provided paper.

Our teacher completely snapped. She started screaming at us, singling out particular students and telling them just how awful they were. A bunch of 10/11 year olds being shrieked at. I wasn’t singled out but because my finger painting was the catalyst, I felt absolutely awful. I’d never been yelled at in my life!

After tearing us all down with her verbal abuse, the teacher stormed out of the classroom, leaving us alone, frightened, and our self esteem crippled. The teacher in the next classroom saw ours leave and came over to find us all sobbing. Administrators were summoned. Many of us ended up in the front office under the school nurse’s supervision. Two students attempted to leave school grounds. Parents were called.

Our teacher didn’t come back. We had a sub for the remainder of the year. I heard the teacher retired the following year but I was moved to a different school district after the winter break.

I was pressing my teen daughter, who had asked to earn some money, to clean out our car. She was 16 and she had done it before and I would give her $100 for a good job (back in the 2000’s that was good money for a teenager for 3 hours work). One day she was stressed when she got home from school and was very serious and I reminded her that she promised to clean the car the week before and it never got done. I was gentle because I knew it was mid terms time. I said “If you get it done by this weekend I’ll add $50.” But she looked at me and just broke down sobbing. She was having a particularly rough day, it was…that time…and she was behind in studying for tests and she was trying to tell me this.

My daughter finally looked up at me and said “Dad! You’re not LISTENING”. I felt about 3 inches tall. I was thinking about other things that I needed to get done and this was just another ‘thing’ to check off and I hadn’t heard a word she was saying until that moment. As a pretty tough Army guy and all around guy of ‘manly pursuits’…I teased up and just hugged her and apologized. And I asked her and her mother to help me learn how to listen…to explain what to watch for with them. Since a serious head injury I don’t always get facial cues or ‘hear’ stress in people’s voices…I’m a bit oblivious. But anyone can learn and they helped me and have been ever since!

Q: What feature in your car did you not realize you had until someone else told you about it?

I have always had bare bones automobiles. Even the one I ordered from the book didn’t have all the bells and whistles on it. My last car, before my present one, was a Chevy Venture more than two decades old that I paid a whopping $2400 for. I loved that car, but as fate would have it, it could not withstand hitting a pick-up truck directly in the rear axle when the assh0le driving it decided to pull out in front of me. A lot changed in the four years since I bought the van and it is now impossible to find such a bargain as that. Most used cars start at $10,000 and go up fast. I did find one dealership that had cars closer to my price range, and I got a generous settlement on my poor van from the insurance company. The best deal I found was on a 2007 Lincoln MKX. In my wildest dreams I never thought I’d ever own a car this nice! It had bells and whistles that Henry Ford himself could not have imagined! I thought I knew them all. Then one day I was out with my caregiver and she said something about my seats being heated! I’m from Wisconsin. If I’d had heated seats when I lived there, I would have been in heaven! However MY seat did not heat up, only hers did. It seems the car has a few bugs that need to be fixed. Where I live now, I don’t need a heated seat, but it’s nice to know that with a little tweaking, if I need one, I have it!

This reminds me of a bad joke that illustrates the question.

A Vietnamese man and a Jewish man are waiting in the Doctor’s office for an appointment and as the time goes on they become more and more irritated until finally the Jewish man says, “I hate you Vietnamese people!”.

Shocked, the Vietnamese man says, “What in the world would compel you to say something like that? Why do you hate Vietnamese people?”

To which the Jewish man replies, “Because you bombed Pearl Harbor!”

The Vietnamese man goes, “You idiot! That wasn’t the Vietnamese, that was the Japanese!”

To which the Jewish man shrugs and says, “Vietnamese, Japanese, what’s the difference?”

Stunned, the Vietnamese man says, “Yeah, well I hate all you Jewish people!”

To which the Jewish man replies in great indignation, “That’s anti-Semitic! Why would you hate all Jewish people?”

And the Vietnamese man says, “Because you sank the Titanic!”

“You idiot,” bawls the Jewish man, “That was an iceberg!”

To which the Vietnamese man replies,

“Iceberg, Goldberg, what’s the difference?”

It was over 35 years ago in sunny Southern California, right before work and school, when that infamous phone call was made. “I am sorry, but neither my son nor myself can make it to school today, as we just had a Tractor Trailer drive through our kitchen.

So yea, over 3 & a half decades ago, I was attending a private school where my belated biological mother was one of the teachers there. We lived mid-way down a massive inclined hill in Southern California in the Sand Fernado Valley. It was early in the morning with she & I rushing to get dressed and jump in the car to go to school.

As I was putting on my shoes I heard the loudest crashing sound, and the house shook. Thinking that it was an Earthquake, I ran to the center of our home underneath a door frame to take shelter. As I got to reach that area I saw dust coming from the kitchen, with debris all over the place. Since the house stopped shaking, I approached the kitchen, and to my disbelief, there was a Truck aka Big Rig, parked partially in our Kitchen.

I ran outside and saw one of our trees knocked down, branches of another tree that had fallen, and a Huge Tractor Trailor Truck sticking it’s nose where it did not belong, our kitchen. A man was getting out of the truck, his knee badly hurt, and bleeding, with him asking with desperation “Is everyone inside OK?”

He was parked further up the hill, with his wheels properly angled towards the curb (I am the grandson of a professional Truck driver, 3rd generation & eventually worked for gramps too), but his Emergency brakes broke, and with the massive weight and steep angle of this hill, his Truck went over the curb then back off heading straight for our home. It is confirmed by other neighbors, that he ran down the hill and managed to jump and grabbed the horizonal bars used to aid truckers to get into their cab, but in the process, slamming & cutting his knee against his truck, and just barely managed to open his Cab door and apply the brakes as his truck was crashing into our home.

You would think that this would be a lot more believable than my dog ate my homework or my parents’ car won’t start, but both my belated mother & I had to bring to that private school both the insurance report and police accident report.

Ok, dare you guys to top that one…

MM is hungry…

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We’d agreed to buy and deliver about $10,000 worth of gravel the local baseball association needed to stop one of their fields from flooding. — The terms were that they would pay us back once the season started back up again.

By then, their treasurer didn’t remember that we’d done it, despite my invoicing them. At cost.

She said that she would check with the man who’d received the rock; their contractor; and, the President of the organization.

I never got a call back. — I tried this method three or four times, documenting each time, and then I tried a different approach.


We were developers in the area in addition to being a general construction corporation and owning a subsidiary ready-mix concrete plant. — The developer aspect meant that I knew a thing or two about lease agreements.

My guess was that they had a lease with the city for that property (land). Since our property (tangible personal/inventory/rocks) was now unpaid for but now an immovable/irretrievable aspect of the city’s property, I could place a mechanic’s lien against that property.

Lessees who encumber the landlords’ properties generally are subject to having their leases canceled. — Just standard stuff. Didn’t need an attorney to tell me this.

So, I sent them a demand letter threatening to notify the mayor.


I soon received a phone call from the association’s President informing me that they did not lease from the city! — “That was county land!”

Oh. — So, the county judge needed to be notified. My mistake.


A week or so later, I was at our main office, in my office, when in filed the entire Board of Directors of that baseball association. They asked my assistant, who appeared then, to be the receptionist, to speak to me. — Well, I saw them walk in, and I’d already gotten up.

The President of our corporation wasn’t there, so I ushered them into his big office with the big desk. The big desk that was built inside the office; it wouldn’t fit back out unless you knocked down a wall.

I got them some chairs and arranged them in front of the President’s desk. They sat down, and then I sat in the big chair behind the big desk and said, “Good afternoon. I am the Chief Financial Officer of this corporation and the manager of the concrete plant. How may I help you all?”


A white-haired lady at least twice my age asserted a couple of things, asked a question, and then made two statements:

WHL: You all said that you were donating this rock to us.

J: I purchased the rock and had it delivered to your location. That was never our agreement. — I invoiced you myself. — I would know.

WHL: If we pay this amount, do you intend to still go after our contractor?

J: Your contractor has a very bad reputation. I wouldn’t go after him as he has no money. Plus, you may have had an agreement with him; this corporation had an agreement with your association. — If you pay the invoices in full, I will have no reason to go after anyone ever again. Not with you all, that is; or, him.

The moment I write, “PAID IN FULL” on your invoices and initial them, you will be paid up. I will have nothing to collect. I guarantee — I wouldn’t try to collect a $0 debt. To do so makes no sense.

WHL: Fine. — She turned to the treasurer and said, “Give him the checks.”

Then, she turned back to me.


WHL: I want you to know: We will never do business with this company again.

J: Ma’am, with all due respect, and I mean that: If this is the way you pay your debts, we will not miss the business.

I verified they’d written out the checks correctly; wrote that information on their invoices; PIF; initialed. — Done.

I handed them to her and said, “Unless these bounce, neither the mayor nor the county judge need to know what has gone on here this year; and, if they find out, it won’t be from our corporation.”


Boy. They were not happy. — Probably because the checks cleared.

“Don’t sit there.”

When I was in college my honor society sponsored a spring break trip to South America. We started in Brazil and ended in Argentina. Overall, great trip. But college students being college students, there were a lot of dumb assholes along for the ride.

In the middle of the trip we went on a boat tour to a little resort. The boat was a big motorized passenger boat of some kind, made up to look like a sail boat. I could immediately tell the mast and the rigging and everything was just set dressing. I got the impression safety was only a mild concern to the boat operators so I made myself comfortable but didn’t sit on or lean against anything that didn’t look like it was an original part of the boat.

Other members of our tour group were not as observant. This was not too long after the second Pirates of the Caribbean film was released so there were a couple of guys who were amusing themselves playing Jack Sparrow (what can I say, they were very stereotypical city boys; I think this was the longest time they’d been outside since they were in grade school).

They were having fun hopping around the deck and hanging from the ropes and stuff, and when one of them perched himself on a flimsy looking railing I warned him “Don’t sit there.” Of course he didn’t listen to me because he was a dumb jock who had already decided he didn’t like me for some reason.

Sure enough, when he shifted his weight the wrong way the railing broke and into the river he went. (Lucky for him we weren’t moving at the time.)

When they fished him back out he was very embarrassed and I was positively full of smug.

Slow Cooker Chicken Burrito Bowls

A Weeknight Meal Solution

(Family Features) During the hustle and bustle of the school year, it can be difficult to find time to sit down for dinner together as a family. However, on weeknights filled with extracurricular activities, homework, meetings and more, it’s still important to put delicious and nutritious meals on the table that can be served whenever your family members can find a few minutes to grab a plate.

slow cooker chicken burrito bowls
slow cooker chicken burrito bowls

Prep: 20 min | Cook: 4 to 8 hr | Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 (16 ounces) chunky salsa
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 (15 1/2 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 cups instant brown rice
  • 1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
  • Chopped avocado, for garnish
  • Chopped cilantro, for garnish
  • Chopped red onion, for garnish
  • Chopped tomatoes, for garnish
  • Lime wedges, for garnish
  • Sour cream or Greek yogurt, for garnish
  • Shredded colby jack cheese, for garnish

Instructions

  1. In slow cooker, stir together salsa, chicken, broth and chili powder. Cook for 3 1/2 hours on HIGH or for 7 1/2 hours on LOW.
  2. Transfer chicken to cutting board and coarsely shred; return to slow cooker. Stir in beans, rice and corn. Cook for 30 minutes on HIGH, or until rice is cooked through.
  3. Serve garnished with avocado, cilantro, onion, tomatoes, limes, sour cream and cheese.

Notes

Dairy foods like milk, yogurt and cheese are on hand in many kitchens and provide nutrients people of all ages need to grow and maintain strong bodies and minds. These Slow Cooker Chicken Burrito Bowls combine dairy with chicken, beans, corn and rice + colorful garnishes for a meal you can set in the slow cooker at the beginning of the day and serve whenever hunger strikes that evening.

I lost a jury trial once that involved my client and another allegedly shooting a man at night in an apartment complex parking lot. A DVR with a video of the shooting was retrieved by the police as evidence. The DVR was returned to the manager wiped clean.

At trial, the victim identified both defendants as the culprits. He explained that both came within 10 feet of him while he was getting something from his car and he saw them clearly when the shots were fired. He knew them from previous run-ins and described their clothing and the gun in detail. The lead detective said nothing of value was found on the DVR. The Defendants offered weak alibi witnesses, i.e. a girlfriend and a mother.

The jury convicted both men and each received sentences of 20+ years. My guy was a habitual offender and was going to serve his sentence day for day.

After approximately a month into their sentence, I was doing a jail visit on another case. Another Detective, not on the case in question, came to where I was and asked to speak with me.

To my complete and utter surprise, he stated he couldn’t sit by and let the two Defendants do time for something they didn’t do. He sent a video to my phone showing the parking lot and the shooting. He had videotaped it on his phone when the DVR was at the police station. It clearly showed only one suspect with different clothing and a larger size discharging a firearm while the victim was reaching for something in his car with his back turned. He told me he didn’t want to be identified as the source and didn’t want anyone to get in trouble. I was so grateful for his action, I agreed to his terms and immediately called the other attorney, whereupon we gave the video to the Prosecutor and the Judge. I’ve never seen two men released as quickly from prison. I understand the City may have settled a civil suit in the matter a few months later but I was never called as a witness nor asked to reveal my source. To this day, I have nothing but respect for the officer who came forward.

I am closing this post with this…

Once upon a time I drove from San Diego to Vegas a couple times a week for business. I hit snow over the first pass out of Vegas trying to get home before 12:00 noon. My car made it very easy to exceed the speed limit without realizing it. I got pulled over by a very angry officer who berated me for my carelessness. He repeatedly told me he didn’t want to hear ANY excuses! After about 3 minutes of his angry lecture during which I sat quietly awaiting my well deserved ticket he stopped and asked me why I wanted to die. I calmly answered, ‘sir, you just told me you didn’t want to hear any excuses, I’ll take my ticket now…I need to get to the next rest stop to use the bathroom.’ I got a police escort to the next rest stop. Once inside, I made sure to take enough time applying my makeup. I figured I escaped a ticket the least I could do was spend enough time in the bathroom to look nice if he was still waiting when I got out. One of the few times that being a woman worked to my advantage.

Russia Paints New Military Insignia on Invading Force – Same Symbol Used in Past Wars against . . . Khazaria

New Russian Military Insignia large
New Russian Military Insignia large

Russia has launched a new offensive into northeastern Ukraine, aimed at Kharkiv and Sumy regions.  But the HUGE news about this isn’t the invasion itself, it’s the SYMBOL Russia is painting on this new force: ‘Rune of Gungnir’ — the spear of Odin.

Below some imagery of the symbol and its appearance on Russian military vehicles:

New Russian Military Symbol
New Russian Military Symbol

 

Historically, the Varangian bogatyrs of Svyatoslav (Ancient Russia) marked their weapons & armor with such runes when they went to war against the Khazarian Khaganate.

There is now no longer any doubt, that Russia knows exactly who their enemy is.

For those unaware, a map of ancient Khazaria appears below:

Khazarian Khaganate
Khazarian Khaganate

 

No other media outlet in the entire world, has made this connection.  You got it here. First. Exclusively.

I’m not going to talk about what I’ve seen on Dark Web. The things I saw on there I’m not going think about anymore.

But once I was in Walmart and saw a couple with a little boy of about six or seven. The boy was pushing the shopping cart looking happy and smiling, the couple looking not very cheerful. He accidently bumped the man in the back with the cart. He didn’t do it hard, just a bump. The man whirled around and shoved the cart so that the kid got hit full in the face. The look of shock and then the terrible hurt on this child’s face made me sick inside. He began to weep in the most pitiful way, in a way that my intuition told this was one of many times this man has been cruel to him.

So I’m standing there with my jaw dropped in disbelief and the kids mother met eyes with me and I shook my head in disgust. She was ashamed and dropped her gaze but all she did was pat the child’s back weakly while that asshole man looked pleased with himself. I saw everything I needed to see, what the dynamic was in this household, and my heart broke for this poor kid.

I considered saying something but the man met eyes with me too and his look was of sheer malevolence. He told me mind my damn business. He had this aura of crazy so I hate to admit I backed down. He looked like someone who would enjoy any opportunity to use it on someone.

Project 8200 Exposed | CIA Psychics Find Alien Bases Underground

I keep coming back and rewatching this episode and this is probably the best episode of the Why files ever!

Litter in the middle

I am born in East Asia, I lived my entire 66 years of my life in East Asia, I am an a Chinese origin Singaporean so I am very qualified to speak! The U.S. must recognised that it’s time as the world barbaric bully is truly over and done with.

Americans must recognised facts that it cannot deny it took over the biggest and baddest barbarian of the world from UK in 1945 because it was the only one left with one eye when the rest of the world that is strong and powerful fought each other till all are half dead! You can say the U.S. is the king of the blind in 1945.

In spite of taking all the advantage to shape the world your way and stealing all the spoilt of the world war 2 it don’t take long before Europe overtook you, then Japan and East Asia and today the U.S. is a pale shadow of yourself compared to 1945!

Your debts and deficits are up to the roof. You guys have a million people living in tents homeless, if you take away say 10 richest Americans. Your nation is more like number 20 in per capital GDP. Your life expectancy is 76 which is 2 years old lover than China who spends one sixth of the U.S. to care for a population 4 times your size!

Today your debts has turned unsustainable, 35 trillion and adding a trillion every 3 months! Your nation plus 41 of your dogs nation plus a host of slave vassals threw your kitchen sink collective against Russia for 2 years over yet you have clearly lost! Oh you lost in Korea, in Vietnam to rice farmers, to Afghanistan to goat herder and it is time to stop pretending that you are the top dog and be humble again.

The last thing to call yourself is being exceptional or even good and it is time you need to work with East Asia and the rest of the world. Yes get into your thick skull the world don’t belong to you. And stop regime change it is totally democratic! Stop war mongering, you don’t have enough to care for your own people. 35% of American are poor by world standards! They have less than 500 buck in their name! If the fall sick the cannot get cure because they have no health insurance! Your kids get to debts before they get into life because they are charge exorbitant college fees!

America you cannot be a world policeman. No one wants you to be and certainly no one will pay a cent for it! Go back to do what all nation leaders do. Take care of your people and feed them well! You have done enough damage to the world. It is time to stop! China and Russia cannot be stopped, together they are impossible to stopped and plus Global South is like David and Goliath and you are David! Stop pretending, I know it feels good to lie to yourself but it is time to stop!

Start fighting hard to help the world that you destroyed by and large single handedly. And stop hiding behind democracy and freedom you guys have none of them! Stop pretending and stand up to your responsibility of 100 plus million deaths worldwide and don’t add another soul more! Take whatever winning you still have and try to keep it as long as you can and make a better America! We the world wants that you are another nation and a good customer and our partner.

If you continue to do shit you will pay and pay dearly. You cannot win with your fellow shit stirrer and you has been group of dogs nations and slave vassal states it can only hasten your demise! Stop it. That is my advise!

  1. You can kiss anywhere you want! Forehead kisses, kiss on cheeks, horizontal kiss, vertical kiss 😉 .
  2. You’ll have someone to talk to day or night and have conversations for hours.
  3. When you’re feeling low you know whom to call and she’ll make sure you feel great again.
  4. She will care for you. Asks you if you’ve taken your medicines in time or warns you before you do anything stupid.
  5. You will have never ending talks and if your interests are same, you’ll talk about the whole universe.
  6. You get bragging rights in front of your single friends :p .
  7. The feeling of comfort when you are in her arms can’t be described in words.
  8. If someone hurts her, it hurts you more.
  9. Your girl will take you to different shopping places. So you go out more often.
  10. You’ll get unexpected gifts that will make you feel special.
  11. She’s the first person to wish you on your birthday. Sharp 12:00 a.m.
  12. If you’re both financially independent you’ll help each other grow both financially and mentally.
  13. You’ll get your s*xual needs or desires fulfilled.
  14. *When she did something wrong and you are mat at her*. She: Sorry I won’t do it again 😢. He: please don’t talk to me. She: Please na, I’ll do anything for you 😉. He: anything? She: anything you want😜. (Nothing but a random conversation between nibba nibbi).

I have been HIV positive for 31 years. It was a death sentence when I was first diagnosed. Everyone died. No treatment. You were also deemed an untouchable, a pariah. I was a straight woman and felt I had no community and no one to share with. What I did with this awful fate was choose to be free. Do things I would normally be afraid of doing. I spoke my mind and even made it funny. Now after living with this debilitating disease for most my adult life I have a body of work I would never had accomplished without this diagnosis.

I was a fitness trainer in my last year of college when I found out. My goal in life back then was to have a great body. HIV pushed me so much farther than that. After I found out I did not give a crap what I looked like anymore. Life was too short for vanity. What a liberating moment that was!

I wrote six books, was a sex columnist for 10 years, I became a slam poet and eventually was named Poet Laureate of Bucks County. I did a one-woman show, Sex, Cellulite & Large Farm Equipment: One Girl’s Guide To Living & Dying in theaters all over the world. I traveled internationally speaking on sexuality, HIV, sexual assault and addiction. I was given an honorary PhD for my work. I appeared on many TV shows as a writer, activist and performer.

I eventually retreated to the Caribbean to paint full time. Painting huge colorful paintings. As I painted I really felt what HIV had given me, the ability to not judge my work, to go for it. I would often say when I felt afraid of the canvas, making mistakes on a big painting, “You are going to die anyway, just paint!”

HIV is a huge inconvenience. I hate it and wish I did not have it. I have suffered so many physical challenges, depression, and loneliness but I decided to not let it define me and to use it to allow me to bypass the mundane minutia that makes life so often drab and futile. I never worried about money. I didn’t have it but it didn’t matter, I had enough. I never worried about the future or getting old because it was not going to happen. And now that it has happened and I have no savings, no plan I took a leap of faith and I retired to a small mountain town in Mexico where I could live cheaply and allow myself the luxury of spiritual growth, spending many of my bedridden days in deep meditation. I have become fearless through this disease.

Life is life and I live in the moment, in complete acceptance, at peace. That is a place I do not believe I would have ever landed in this life with out the inconvenience of AIDS.

 

Big Blueberry Popover

Big Blueberry Popover
Big Blueberry Popover

I’ve never had a popover before, nor do I have a proper “popover pan,” but those aren’t good reasons to never try my hand at making them! I wanted to know what all the fuss was about, so I did some research using my favorite chefs and food blogs and settled on the unbeatable Julia Child for my base recipe. Always having to make a baked good my own, I decided to sweeten the recipe and add blueberries for fresh blueberry popovers worthy of tea time.

Great for breakfast – a refreshing change of pace from muffins. Wonderful with blueberries, but any berry can be used.

Yield: 6 servings

At first, the recipes and tips seemed overwhelming. I thought popovers were complicated, but they really aren’t. It’s a simple egg batter with no leavening that is cooked very hot to create steam. This steam forces the batter to rise, making a crispy shell and an airy, custardy center. Blueberry popovers make the perfect breakfast treat along with some tea, or maybe as a side to a sweet salad to sop up the dressing.
Popovers are very forgiving. Not only do I not own a popover pan, but I don’t even own a metal muffin tin (gasp!). I forgot I had purged most of my metal pans that had rusted and replaced everything with flexible silicone during a kitchen spring cleaning. I pushed on, and you know what? It worked just fine.

How to Make Blueberry Popovers

Traditional popovers are just five ingredients: eggs, butter, salt, milk and flour. I added in some sugar and blueberries and topped them with cinnamon sugar. They really are quite simple.
Start by preheating your oven to 450 degrees and setting the rack on the lowest setting. Next, grease your muffin tray or popover pan with butter or oil and place the pan in the oven to pre-heat. If, like me, you are using silicone, place the muffin pan on a metal tray for stability.
The most important rule is to have all of your ingredients at room temperature. If you decided that you need to bake impulsively, you can warm the eggs in a bowl of very warm water for ten minutes, microwave the milk for 30 seconds, and microwave the butter at 20 second intervals until melted.
Mix the eggs, milk, butter, sugar, and salt together. Then whisk in the flour all at once until the batter is as thick as heavy cream with very few lumps. You can also use a stand mixer or blender. You want the batter to have some air in it, so whip it until it is foamy.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided use
  • 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup blueberries or other berries

Carefully take your pan out of the preheated oven. We are going to add the room temperature batter into the hot pan to kick-start the steaming process. I mixed my batter in a large liquid measuring cup for ease of pouring, but you could also use a dry measuring cup or ladle to distribute the batter into every other muffin cup or each popover tin. You want to fill each space slightly more than halfway, which makes a very satisfying sizzling sound.

Moving quickly, sprinkle a few blueberries into each cup and top liberally with cinnamon sugar. Place the tray back in the oven and set a timer for twenty five minutes. You have to be patient with popovers, so no peeking! Opening the oven door lets out too much heat and could interrupt the steaming process, leading to less of a pop.

After 25 minutes, lower the oven temperature to 325. Most recipes called for another twenty minutes in the oven, but my blueberry popovers were done in ten. You know they are done when the tops are a deep golden brown and tapping on them creates a hollow sound. Blueberry popovers are best eaten fresh from the oven, as they deflate and soften as they cool.

Instructions

  1. Mix first 5 ingredients + 3 tablespoon sugar in a large bowl. Stir in flour, then eggs until just combined; let this batter stand for 5 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, mix remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl; set aside.
  3. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees F.
  4. Place berries in a buttered 9 inch pie pan. Pour batter over the berries; sprinkle cinnamon-sugar over the batter.
  5. Transfer pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
  6. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F; bake until popover is firm and golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes longer.
  7. Cut popover into wedges and serve immediately.

I caught the builder next door doing this. I had given him permission to recharge his cordless tools at the workbench in my carport. That wasn’t going to cost me very much.

But then a few days later I saw an extension flex leading across the boundary line, powering two industrial dehumidifiers. I told him, nicely, that he hadn’t asked about that.

He instantly said, how much do you want for the power? I said, what’s the load and how long is it going to be on? He invited me to have a look. I did some quick calculations and gave him a guess, a range of possibilities, saying it was a guess. He straight away handed me a bundle of cash for about twice the highest figure I’d quoted and gave me a realistic figure for what it would cost him to hire and run a generator, and said he’d be back with more cash when they were finished with the power. And he was, but I refused… he’d already paid far more than it had cost me.

A builder wants to be on good terms with the neighbours. I’m watching his stuff.

And it can work to be nice.

Her: Um.. babe…I’m AC-DC…..

Him: Well, that’s nice. Have a good life! “footsteps waking into the distance” ….

When I worked at Dreamworks I shared an office with another artist. It was a long skinny office with one of us at each end. There were stacks of used couches in the basement. We asked if we could move one of the couches into our office. We were told couches were only for management. (There were many more couches than there were managers.) We asked if we could bring in our own couch and were told that was fine. (We bought a $200 couch from Ikea and put it in our office.)

Dreamworks used to have wintergreen lifesavers in all the commons areas. (You work in close proximity to others during approvals.) Then they hired Steve (name changed). After work every day Steve would go around to the commons areas and dump all the uneaten lifesavers into a bag and take them home. Dreamworks also used to stock the fridges with drinks. He would take those too. When my supervisor confronted Steve, he wasn’t embarassed or even trying to cover up his actions. He thought everyone else was stupid for not taking them because they were free and no one had taken them during the day. Dreamworks also didn’t mind if you occasionally invited a family member for lunch at the studio. The understood rule was no more than once a month. When Steve found out no one really checked how often, and security would let him “wife plus kids” a drive-on, he started bringing his whole family in for lunch, his wife plus their 4 kids, every day. Then they started coming for lunch and breakfast which was just oatmeal and cold cereal for employees that had to be there early (Steve didn’t). So here’s one guy who’s abusing the system that 400 other people were not abusing. Instead of pulling Steve aside and explaining the rules, they cut the entire benefit for all employees.

Why China is already ahead of the US

Pretty good. Gives insight into just how backwards the USA actually is.

Carl Zha talks to Dr. Oualaalou of the @geopoliticaltrends and @GeopoliticsInConflict about why China is already miles ahead of the US in many areas such as public infrastructure, especially in power generation and ultra-high voltage power transmission, how China is rapidly catching up in areas long dominated by the US such as civilian aircraft. #chinaeconomy #uschina #tradewar

My first full-on drunk

The Secretary of State is the world’s most powerful diplomat. His underlings at the UN wag fingers at foreign colleagues and go “do you want to be consulted, or insulted?”

And yet no Secretary of State had visited Beijing for 6, 7 years, until Antony barged in.

The Chinese did not fete him or court him. He was not accorded priority, because he wasn’t the honored state guest on a carefully coordinated state visit.

His job was to personally deliver an invitation to President Xi for him to toast and grace the greatest gathering of American capital in recent years.

This time, his job is to mirror what Janet did recently, reading off a script on the Beijing podium criticizing and threatening the host, to show the public that America still has to chops to make others listen. Delivering the message in the evil enemy’s capital fills the air with American machismo.

This isn’t diplomacy. It’s poorly fleshed out domestic politics.

Let’s save the red carpet for others on the level because Antony’s job isn’t to secure cooperation but subservience through the scourge of power.

This is really great.

Michael Jackson and his doll

This shows a clear misunderstanding of the China/Russia relationship.

If Scholz asked Xi to put pressure on Putin to end the Ukraine war, this means that he thinks that China should use economic pressure on Russia and that China is willing to use economic leverage on Russia.

But China does not believe in exerting pressure on Russia this way because in Beijing’s view, the China/Russia economic relationship is working out very well. China gets all the cheap natural gas it needs from Russia; this is essential for China’s economy to keep its factories running and churning out products at prices the whole world can afford. Why would China do this? What would China get in return for putting pressure on Russia? Obviously the US would like to cripple Russia’s economy, and after Russia is carved up into several countries, which country will become the entrée on the US’s menu?

Obviously, it will be China!

So why should China help the US to weaken Russia? It makes no sense!

As for the relationship between Xi and Putin, it is very obvious that they consider the countries as equals. This is why while China has publicly stated it is for peace in Ukraine, it has not applied pressure on the Russian government to make any concessions. At the same time, Beijing has diplomatic relations with Ukraine, and is not happy about the casualties on both sides. But when it comes to economic importance, Russia is much more important than Ukraine.

The idea of putting pressure on another government is something the US has done repeatedly, especially on its European and Asian allies, who have been strong-armed into confronting Russia over Ukraine and China over Taiwan.

Because pressure has been used so much and used effectively, most of the G7 nations are not able to understand that diplomacy is not about the exertion of pressure, but clearly understanding national interests and conveying those interests through the proper diplomatic channels so that crises can be defused before they become too confrontational.

“I saw some politicians say that there appears to be a foreign element behind what’s going on at the universities, like a foreign power that’s instigating and agitating.

Yes, there is, and we all know which foreign power that is.

We all know which foreign country is stoking this crisis, and it sure isn’t Russia, and it sure isn’t China.

No, well, if you wondered why those kids want their schools to divest from Israel, just look at how their schools are treating them because they dared to ask for that.

Those universities are doing the bidding of Israel, not the bidding of China or the bidding of Russia.

They’re not even doing the bidding of those kids’ parents and those kids’ families, and your police are doing the same.

So yes, there is a foreign power behind all this, and it’s precisely that foreign power that the students want their schools to extricate themselves from, and it’s very obvious to everyone.

It couldn’t be more obvious.

It’s as obvious as a baton cracked on the side of your head.

Look, on these campuses, like at Harvard and the Ivy League campuses and so on, you had demonstrations against Russia and in favor of Ukraine; you had that at the Ivy League schools, you had protests against China over Xinjiang and so on.

No zip ties, no arrests, no 550 kids going to jail, no.

But the moment they start demanding that their schools stop partnering with Israel over a genocide, and all hell breaks loose.

There’s no mystery about what foreign country is driving that.”

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main qimg 0af47e14d51a9d8e86808b3b17de1b70

Excerpt from remarks by American geopolitical analyst Shahid Bolsen in a video where he speaks about the ongoing protests against the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on university campuses, both in the U.S. and around the world, April 27, 2024.

Plum Chicken

mar 18 chicken plum chilli tray bake 3000x2000 135710 1
mar 18 chicken plum chilli tray bake 3000×2000 135710 1

Ingredients

  • 2 fryers, cut up
  • Garlic salt
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 1 (17 ounce) can purple plums (reserve juice)
  • 1 (6 ounce) can frozen lemonade
  • 1/2 cup chili sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • 2 teaspoons prepared mustard
  • 2 drops Tabasco sauce

Instructions

  1. Prepare sauce day before or make and freeze (best when used cold).

Sauce

  1. Pit plums and put in blender to puree.
  2. Cook onion in butter until tender (not brown).
  3. Add plum puree with juice and all other ingredients (except chicken).
  4. Simmer 15 minutes.

Chicken

  1. Sprinkle chicken with garlic salt and bake at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes, skin side up.
  2. Baste with plum sauce.
  3. Bake another 45 minutes, basting generously with sauce until well coated.
  4. Serve with additional heated sauce.

I was about 28 or 29 (a long time ago), I looked young and my Dad came with me to look for a new car. I went to two dealers and basically told each one what kind of car I wanted (the first dealer was a Pontiac dealer and I was interested in a Grand Am, the second dealer was a Chevrolet dealer where I was interested in a Corsica). I also told each salesman how much I could afford for the monthly payment. Each one had a car that met my criteria but I settled on the Corsica. So when my Dad and I came back with the car I was trading in I was ready to sign the papers (that he showed and reviewed with me before) I noticed the numbers had changed and my monthly payment was a lot more than when I reviewed everything previously. I said to the salesman (who was my Dad’s age), these aren’t the numbers you showed me before! He replied well, we have to add in all these fees. I said well when I was here before I told you I wanted to know exactly what my monthly payment would be and now this number is way higher. I told him that I no longer wanted the car at those payments and his response was but we already took your license plate off of your car and put it on the new car. I said well, put it back on my car and my Dad and I left and went back to the Pontiac dealer and got the Grand Am where all the numbers he showed me before were exactly as I expected when I purchased the car. I loved that car and kept it for a long time.

Anti-China news

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main qimg 0d68a2fc0cab2302adb93ee4d44f2f5c

Quick version. My son said the teacher refused his homework and gave him ten zeros in her grade book. Found that hard to believe. Set up meeting with myself, my son, her and principal. I asked her if that was true. A simple yes or no would have worked. Instead she opened her grade and asked me if I saw ten zeros. Instantly I recognized her statement as a non denial denial from Watergate days. I looked at her and said “No but you said it didn’t you. “. She admitted she did. I asked her why. She said she hated my son. I asked her why. Saying no one hated my son he was so nice. She said she hated my son because he reminded her of her son and she hated her son!!! I was also a teacher. High school and a few years later I got her son as a student. The resemblance was remarkable. Very nice young man. Liked by all. As was my son. So sometimes the student is the one to believe.

I have twin sons. They’re now 15, but when they were around 3 years old, I noticed that whenever we came home from being out, they’d be confronted with the decision of which of their (ridiculously) many toys they were going to play with.

They’d rush into the living room, and Tim went straight for whatever he wanted to play with, and within a few minutes, his brother Nathan would decide that he just had to play with whatever Tim was now deeply engrossed with, and would start a big fight over it or even wrestle it from him forcefully (Nathan was significantly larger).

If my husband or I were around, we’d try and adjudicate, but it always ended in tears and drama.

After a month or two of this, I noticed a change in pattern. All of a sudden, Tim was just giving up his toy to Nathan without a fight. I was worried that he wasn’t standing up for himself, so I said to him: “You know, Tim, you had just as much a right to play with that toy as Nathan.”

He said: “I know. I knew he’d take it from me so I played with something I didn’t mind him taking. This [showing me what he was playing with now] was what I really wanted to play with anyway.”

Well played, Tim, well played.

His cunning has continued to manifest in other ways since then. 🙂

Note: I’ve had dozens of edit suggestions from people from India, who think that “cunning” is a negative/derogatory trait and necessarily synonymous with sneaky and under-handed. I find it an interesting cultural observation that this seems to be a connotation unique to Indian English. In any case, I feel a need to defend my use of this adjective. I’m his mother and adore him, and this is clearly not what I intend; I simply mean that he’s intelligent and views things from multiple angles, and isn’t easy to outwit. 🙂

Intimidation? U.S. B-2 Stealth Overflies Gaza, Low Enough to Be Clearly visible

B 2 Stealth In Sky Over Gaza 04 30 2024 2 large
B 2 Stealth In Sky Over Gaza 04 30 2024 2 large

A United States B-2 Stealth Bomber was sent to fly over the Gaza Strip today, and do so at an altitude wherein the plane was clearly visible to people on the ground.

What kind of a monster, sends a nuclear-capable Bomber aircraft to intimidate people on the ground?

Who in the US Military, ordered this?  Why was it done?

April, China’s home diplomatic month is over, May’s away diplomatic month, is kicking off.

On 29 April, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying announced that Xi Jinping would visit the three countries at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Emmanuel Macron, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

Considering that Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with a large number of Asian foreign ministers in April, Xi is expected to meet with a number of Asian leaders upon his return from Europe, and may even attend the “China-Japan-South Korea Summit” to engage with Japan and South Korea, which are close to the U.S. foreign policy.

You know, the United States is shorting the yen.

Japanese media reports: Japan’s Finance Minister expressed to the United States in a pleading tone that the sharp depreciation of the yen is unbearable for us and hopes that the United States will be merciful and temporarily stop shorting the yen.

Xi’s top priority in this round of trips is France.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France. President Xi Jinping’s first visit to a Western country since 2020 is France, which reflects the importance he attaches to China-France friendship. Similarly, Macron is now in dire need of China’s support.

That’s because after the Sino-French meeting in May, Macron will face two big hurdles in his career:

  • The European Parliament elections in June
  • The Paris Olympics in July

At the European Parliament in June, Macron will have to pull in European leaders and seek to snipe at European Commission President Von der Leyen and curb her power.

At the Paris Olympics in July, if Macron seeks to push for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine or Palestine and Israel as host, he will in doing so become the true boss of Europe, replacing the US manipulation of Europe.

Macron’s conflict with von der Leyen is mainly over trade policy, climate policy, and the relationship between Europe and the United States.

The huge contracts that can be brought about by the massive equipment renewal that China has opened this year, as well as the co-operation in the fields of new energy and nuclear energy, will be Macron’s bargaining chips to convince other leaders in the European Parliament.

If, as Macron wishes, the European Commission President replaced by career bureaucrat Mario Draghi, former President of the European Central Bank, then the EU’s trade and climate policy, will be led by France, in the relationship with Europe and the United States, France can also be more independent and autonomous.

But if Macron’s plan fails, his influence within the EU will be extremely limited for the remainder of his term, and French foreign policy will be tied to the EU.

As for the competition between Macron and Joe Biden, it lies mainly in global leadership, and the proud French have always had a strong desire to challenge the United States in their hearts.

The Olympic Games will be held in Paris in July this year. The gathering of leaders of major countries will naturally become a platform for behind-the-scenes transactions between major countries. It is also the best time for negotiations between Russia&Ukraine, Palestine&Israel.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the UN has developed a practice of mobilising all its members to sign the “Olympic Truce” before each Olympic Games, and ceasing war operations for one month before and after the Games. This one-month window of truce is enough time for the warring parties to calm down, as in the case of the ceasefire in the Yugoslav civil war in the early 1990s.

If they can’t do so during this period, it will be a direct escalation of the conflict.

For example:

  • Russia raided Georgia during the 2008 Olympics.
  • Russia raiding Ukraine during the 2022 Winter Olympics.

If Macron succeeds in brokering a ceasefire, it will make Macron the biggest contributor to world peace.

Either enjoy the glory added to it, or be embarrassed in front of the world. In any case, Macron is more or less about to take a gamble.

If Macron wants to do all this, he has only one choice in the face of Von der Leyen and Joe Biden, and that is to draw on mystical forces originating in the East, so he needs Xi’s support.

Everyone wants world peace except the military–industrial–congressional complex (MICC)!

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I have done my time in the hospitality industry working at about 5 or 6 different restaurants and have been both fortunate and unfortunate when it comes to gratuity.

On two different occasions I received extraordinarily large tips and they were very similar amounts but very different situations.

The first time:

I was one of 3 waiters looking after a group of 25 VIP guests who arrived quite late in the evening as they had attended a formal ceremony earlier in the night. The host guest that night is a well known, very wealthy business man and we were optimistic. Only one course ended up being served, mostly burgers, along with wine & Champagne. It seemed the party was more interested in moving onto the next stop for the night.

The bill total was not that high considering the amount of guests and the usual head spend at this particular restaurant. I believe it was around R8000 (~ $450). In South Africa tipping is usually between 10 – 20% and upon receiving the bill back an expected, somewhat disappointing amount was written on the slip which I cannot remember.

It had been a long night and it looked as if us 3 waiters were not going to walk away with a lot. I informed the host that I would be back with the credit card machine.

Having seen enough evidence to know that good looking waitresses receive better tips from male guests I asked my fellow waitress who is very pleasing to the eye to return to the table with the card machine and to try and charm the host.

I have no clue what she said to him but when she returned from completing the transaction her smile was from ear to ear. The 10/15% tip that we would have received had changed to R1500 (~ $100) for each waiter which equates to R4500 (~ $300) total tip.


The second time:

Working at a different, much smaller, fine dining restaurant I received a tip that was slightly larger than the previous one. There were only 2 waiters working that night and it had reached the point where it looked like no more guests would be joining and we were close to having all the closing duties completed and getting out early.

5 minutes before the kitchen closes and we stop accepting tables and in walks a couple who are met by my fellow, very evidently displeased, waiter. He seats them and asks if I could please serve them as he does not have the patience this late in the night. Even though it was his turn on the rotation I agree and oblige because I had a strong feeling that it would be worth my efforts.

The couple were very aware that they were joining late and were very apologetic to which I dismissed as a non issue and that we were extremely glad to have them join us. I wanted to emphasise that they should not feel rushed and went as far to recommend our specialty 5 course food & wine tasting menu. I did not think they would actually go for it but I must have done a good job in promoting it as both of them decided to take it.

I was able to give them undivided attention as they were the only guests in the restaurant and it was very apparent that they were enjoying themselves. The lady had a few dietary restrictions which our kitchen was able to work around and they continuously raved about the food.

Come the end of their meal I returned to the table with the card machine and I saw the man had written R1600 (~ $110) under the gratuity section on a R1400 bill. I assume he must mean R1600 total which would be a R200 tip. I was willing to accept it as “money I never had before”.

When he was signing the slip he sees the total and said that I put through the wrong amount. I was confused so asked him if I read the number 1600 wrong to which he replied that I never read the number wrong but that was my tip and not the total. I was clearly shocked by this and immediately thinking “I hope I have not just thrown away the biggest tip ever”. He asked me to process his card for the difference which I did while saying thank you about 100 times over.

That same couple returned a few more times while I still worked there and always requested I serve them. They were always extremely generous and on one occasion they tipped every member of our kitchen staff an equal amount to what they tipped me.

Every time they came to dine with us my fellow waiter from that night would want to serve them only for them to request me. My patience the night they visited the restaurant for the first time led to me earning a fair sum of money from that couple over the period of a few months which was extremely helpful while I was a broke student.

 

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There were multiple requests by the Brits, French and Americans for his release. Some attribute the lack of release due to a conspiracy between former King Edward VIII and Hitler. But that doesn’t appear to hold up since the British supported his release.

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main qimg 725013523effe3543a942f8c1b161a53 lq

Each of the 11 unilateral British appeals, which dated back to 1957, along with 14 others made separately, or jointly, by the US and French authorities were rejected by an unwavering Soviet rejection. The Soviets wanted Hess locked away for life.

The Soviets alone were responsible for keeping Hess locked up. But why? Some say Soviet insistence that the release of the former deputy Nazi leader would be an insult to the 20 million Soviet war dead. Others that his release could fuel a resurgence of neo-Nazism. But these do not seem legitimate. Far worse Nazi criminals were released. The Soviet dead were not insulted. There was no resurgence of neo-Nazism.

On June 25, 1986, a Soviet guard caught Charles Gabel, the chaplain at Spandau, attempting to smuggle out a statement by Hess, causing Gabel to be fired. Hess had originally written the document as his opening address at the Nuremberg trial in 1946, which he had been unable to deliver in full after the judges cut him off.

Hess tried to mail a copy of the statement to Sir Oswald Mosley in October 1946, but the letter was intercepted by his US guards. Hess’s statement (both the 1946 version and the 1986 version) claimed that Germany’s attack on the Soviet Union was preemptive. In other words, the Soviets were about to attack Germany.

Hess claimed there had been overwhelming evidence that the Soviet Union had planned to attack Germany. He said in the statement that he had decided to make his flight to Scotland without informing Hitler, with the aim of informing the UK of the Soviet danger to “European civilization” and the entire world. He believed his warning would cause the UK to end its war with Germany and join in the fight against the Soviet Union.

If this were true, the Soviets would not want this to be discussed. Their role in the war was as victims. They were attacked by the Germans and responded.But if that is not true. If Hess was correct, the Soviet role in WWII would be completely different. Not the victim, but the aggressor. It would be the Soviets who caused the loss of millions of their citizens, not the Germans. The Soviet role in the Cold War would be on a completely different footing.

Geo-Fencing Added to Car Software! Can Shutdown Car if you drive too far, too long, or where government doesn’t want you!

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Vehicle manufacturers have begun issuing software updates which include “Geo-Fencing” to limit how far, how long,, or where they will not be allowed to drive.  All done remotely without your consent.

Let’s say government want to limit you to driving only five miles from your home. They can remotely issue a command that will cause your vehicle to simply SHUT OFF if you try to go farther than they want!

Let’s say government wants to keep you away from certain areas, perhaps a protest area.  They can remotely Geo-Fence that area, and any car that has an “SOS” Button, can be made to SHUT OFF if it tries to drive toward or into that area.

Missile Update

Expendables rule..

This is brief note is free.

Defense analysts’ first conclusions from the Middle East and Ukraine missile wars suggest the PLA’s strategic preparations were sound. Let’s see why.

Israel

Theodore Postol, MIT Professor of Science, Technology and National Security Policy, analyzed Iran’s mid-April drone and missile attack on in Israel. A summary:

The evidence shows that all or most of the arriving long-range ballistic missiles were not intercepted by any of the Israeli air and missile-defense systems. Whether drones or not, all of the targets are shot down by air-to-air missiles.

The cost of a drone is $10,000 or $20,000, and the cost of an Iranian cruise missile is about $100,000. Their 4-hour, 1500 km flight to Israel allowed US Navy E-2 Hawkeyes AWACS to very effectively vector fighter aircraft to targets they quickly destroyed. The USAF workhorse air-to-air missile is the $500,000 AIM-9x Sidewinder and the Israeli government says the cost of defending Israel was $1.3 billion! [Non-government sources say $2.3-3.3 billion].

Commercially available technology is now good enough for constructing cruise missiles and drones with capabilities to “recognize” their targets and home on them. This means that the cost of shooting down cruise missiles and drones will be very high – even unsustainable – unless extremely inexpensive and effective anti-air systems can be implemented.

Ukraine

Analyst Armchair Warlord says Russia’s anti-air system is extremely effective and, apparently, financially sustainable:

Artillery shells have become the standard metric of the Ukrainian War, and Soviet-legacy gigafactories burying Western supply chains in mountains of steel its leading story. But shells are just steel. What if I told you the Russians were beating us in high-tech manufacturing?

One of the sleeper stories of the war has been the Russian air defenses’ extraordinary capability to defeat the most difficult targets: Russian SAMs routinely down GMLRS, Storm Shadows, and even AGM-88 HARMs that were specifically designed to destroy them. Russian air defenses in the Crimea have been downing ATACMS missiles – a supposed war-winning superweapon – like pheasants.

But I have never seen anyone remark on Russia’s bottomless supply of modern air defense missiles.

Just that week, they shot down no fewer than 1,715 aerial targets, 95% of them drones. Even assuming 75% of the drones were engaged with small arms or EW, that’s still 400 antiaircraft missiles expended for the week. The Russians do this, week after week after week, and show zero signs that their air defense inventory is even under stress.

Meanwhile the West is out of modern missiles and desperately trying to keep Ukraine going with 1960s systems like HAWK, Chaparral and improvised Sea Sparrow launchers. Guided missiles are not simple to make – they’re complex and require sophisticated manufacturing to tight tolerances. Western manufacturers have never been able to make them in large quantities, even at the height of the Cold War. And yet here the ‘gas station with nukes’ is stamping out enough ammunition to keep their Buks and Pantsirs on the firing line after two years of a war featuring an order of magnitude more aerial targets than any previous conflict.

PLA prescience

Russia and China already share the world’s leading missile defense technology, so we can assume that also share the Niagara of data from both conflicts. Pray for some insightful crumbs from their table.

Until then, however, we can appreciate the PLA’s foresight in building a chain of 24×7, 100% automated, high-precision missile factories, each producing 1,000 rounds a day.

A final thought: all war involves math.

Poland Officially Requests U.S. NUCLEAR WEAPONS

Poland Officially Requests U.S. NUCLEAR WEAPONS

Poland has handed an official request to Washington to have U.S. nuclear weapons hosted in Poland.

No word yet on any need or desire in the US to put such weapons there.

Russia earlier cautioned Poland that nuclear weapons in their country would **not** make Poland any safer.  In fact, they said, it would merely make Poland a target for Russian nuclear weapons.

Hal Turner Snap Analysis

Nuclear weapons “hosted” in Poland; Sounds like an exchange student or something innocent , like its a cultural program.

My bet . . .  and this is pure conjecture on my part —  Poland didn’t actually “request” anything.
They were just told that the US is going to deploy nukes on their territory.

The nukes will be controlled by US of course, not Poland; Poland would have no interest in this affair whatsoever. . . except when they get blown up by Russia for having them so close to Russia.

Here are the top five sources of wealth for a Rich American with more than $ 15 Million :-

  • Portfolio (65%)
  • Landed Assets (18%)
  • Liquid Deposits (7%).
  • Others (10%) [Valuable Paintings, Royalty or Copyright contracts, Depreciating Assets like Cars, Yachts etc]

The Richer you are, the higher your Portfolio wealth is

For instance an American who is valued at more than $ 100 Million has almost 88% of his wealth in Portfolio

Portfolio means Stocks, Equities, Venture Capital Shareholding, Private Hedge Fund Units, Bonds etc

Now take a Middle Class American (Income between $ 68,000 to $ 300,000)

These are the top 5 Sources for his wealth

  • Mortgage (38%) [Market Value – Amount owed to Bank]
  • Portfolio (32%)
  • Insurance (15%)
  • Pension Plan /401K/Roth IRA(10%)
  • Savings / Low Yield Bills (5%)

The Average Middle Class American, his wealth comes from the rise in price of his house and how his pension plan works and on his insurance encashments

Portfolio wealth depends on the market and astute investments but no real hard work

Insurance and Pension Plan contributions depend on solid hard work

Yet Portfolio wealth can make you a millionaire whereas Pension Plans and Insurance can just keep you comfortably off


Now take the top 5 Sources of wealth for a Chinese Wealthy (Income > 3 Million RMB a year)

  • Real Estate Investment (26%)
  • Gold, Silver, Jade (20%)
  • Savings (21%)
  • Profits from Businesses (15%)
  • Real Estate (9%) [Commercial Rents , Residential Rent]

Do you see portfolio anywhere?

Nopes

It’s why Chinese don’t give a damn about their stock market whereas Americans panic when the market falls sharply for two days

Chinese Wealthy work hard too to make profits from Businesses that form a sixth of their wealth on an Average plus manage Properties and collect Rents on them.

So Chinese Wealthy and the American Middle Class Citizen works far harder than the American Rich whose wealth is based on shrewd investments and portfolio

Provolone Chicken

06 Chicken Provolone
06 Chicken Provolone

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, flattened
  • 1/4 cup flavored bread crumbs
  • 2 teaspoons dried Italian herbs
  • 4 slices Provolone cheese
  • 1 teaspoon butter
  • 4 cups cooked spaghetti or vermicelli noodles, buttered

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Place bread crumbs in a flat dish and firmly press both sides of the chicken into the crumbs.
  3. Place coated chicken pieces in a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
  4. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning, and top with cheese.
  5. Dot with butter and bake for 20 minutes or until done.
  6. Serve with buttered pasta.

This Is How They Treat Foreigners In Shanghai

Thank you, you changed my thinking about the beautiful Chinese people. I did not expect them to be so courteous, kind and humble.

  • The minute I hugged my mom for the first time in three years, alarm bells rang so loud I could hear them screaming: Brain tumor.

I am studying in China, 6,217 km away from my family, I do not contact them much. I am not a big fan of traveling so I didn’t travel back and forth much either, in 2016 I decided to visit Jordan because I was feeling homesick and I heard news that my mother’s health wasn’t good.

My mom was around 42 years old at that time,chronically suffering from hypertension “high blood pressure”, she took the medications but she had a poor attitude towards keeping the blood pressure levels under check, so everyone in the family attributed her chronic headaches at that time to the hypertension.

After a long tiresome flight I reached home and met my mom at the door, she hugged me tight and suddenly her whole body leaned to the left. I didn’t understand what was happening at the time so I kept on hugging her until I noticed that she kept on leaning farther, I tried to support her weight but I was tired and couldn’t do it due to the awkward position so I told her: mom, you’ll fall, watch out!” she stood up, and we started talking, and oh boy, the alarm bells were drumming up a hole in my brain, I was terrified.

My mom slurred in her speech. Why did the rest of the family not notice that? Maybe because mom used to wear poor-fitting dentures in the past and it made her slur up, so they thought the same thing is happening now, and said we will get the dentures checked soon.

Besides the gait disturbance and the slurring, my mom made several edgy or —inappropriate — statements throughout the conversation. But the thing that made my bones jump, was how she yelped in pain when she coughed and said, “Every time I cough, my head splits in half”, and of course, that was attributed to the high blood pressure by the family and her primary care physician.

I went to a room and sat alone, I was freaking out. My vacation is 10 days, and I needed to explain what I’m thinking to the family so that actions can be made. I thought for a long time about that and about how can I approach my mom with that news. The latter part terrified me. Why? Because when I told my mom we might need to go and get her blood pressure checked, she screamed at me; I was taken aback. She screamed that she will not see a doctor, that I am not a doctor and I should not be acting like one and that she hates doctors.

She had seen plenty of doctors in her life, but that aggressive note was new.

Eventually the next day I convinced her to go with me to the doctor. I got her to the MRI room and asked the radiologist to let me stay with him so I can see the picture as it comes out.

Time stopped when I saw that MRI, and I knew at that moment that our lives are about to change. The tumor was huge, it had been growing for years undetected, years of slow personality changes, years of chronic headaches and years of unawareness. Thankfully, my mother agreed to have the surgery to remove the tumor, and she sprung back to her old, lively wonderful self.

This incident changed me and my family for good; my family became way more health conscious and I became more focused on the goal of becoming a good doctor. You see, if only one of her primary care physicians had looked — truly looked — at her gait or at how she screamed in pain when she coughed, they might have found this tumor much earlier.

Churchill had for years been warning of Hitler. He had warned of his rearming as well as intent to overrun large parts of Europe. Hitler knew that Churchill was the very last Brit that he wanted in as PM. If negotiated peace were the goal, someone else would need to be PM.

So Hitler publicly referred to Churchill by many names. His hope was that the British people would realize the mistake they had made. Hitler repeatedly referred to Churchill as a drunkard.

“As lunatics like that drunkard Churchill and Maccabeans and numskulls like that brilliantined dandy Eden are at the helm we’ve to be prepared for just about anything!”

But that was not all. He referred to Churchill as “a senile clown”, “gangster”, “bloodthirsty guttersnipe”, and “undisciplined swine” among other things.

Notably you will find no such invectives used by Hitler against Chamberlain. But such insults did not sway British foreign policy.

Hitler saw Churchill as his greatest obstacle. He remarked:

“If Churchill were suddenly to disappear, everything could change in a flash. The British aristocracy might perhaps become conscious of the abyss opening before them— and might well experience a serious shock! These British, for whom, indirectly, we have been fighting and who would enjoy the fruits of our victory…”

At some point he realized that negotiations with Churchill could not take place. Only after Churchill was defeated would the British be willing to talk.

Hitler remarked to von Brauchitsch, the commander in chief of the German Army, that “the British will be ready to talk only after a beating.

Hitler’s reaction to Churchill being chosen as PM was reality, the reality that the worst man in Britain for Hitler had be chosen. There would be no easy victory. There would be no short war. There would be no more bullying.

China’s $170BN Gold Rush Triggers Taiwan Invasion Fear

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Beijing appears to be stockpiling gold following a record buying spree, in a move that has raised fears China is preparing its economy for a possible conflict over Taiwan – guarding it against potential Western sanctions.

The People’s Bank of China bought 27 tons of gold in the first three months of the year, taking its reserves to a record high of 2,262 tons, according to data from the World Gold Council.

  1. Keep a healthy distance from all people, including your friends. They could bring you down with their baggage if you are not careful.
  2. Job is just a job. Don’t make it your priority.
  3. Be very sure you want to get married and have kids. Many people get trapped in a situation where they keep on asking this “What if” after 10 or 20 years into marriage.
  4. If possible, spend more time with your family, especially your parents. From your 20s to 40s, you will be too busy looking out for yourself. All of a sudden, your parents will become “old” like you never noticed.
  5. Don’t expect people to come to your rescue. Own your actions and consequences and suck it up.
  6. Tomorrow is not necessarily going to be a better day. Tomorrow is just another day.
  7. Stop reading a self-help book if you are not self-aware.
  8. Life is actually fair. It has no mercy on anyone.

I laugh my ass off at this oh I’m so victimised mentality.

I still remember it 2 decades ago when I moved to London. A box fell off the back of a builders flatbed, near a Synagogue. They immediately phoned the police and said these bomb threats are a sign of anti you know what. Turns out it was just that a carboard box that had fallen off the back of a builders flat bed.

Anyway they don’t feel safe?

Let me give you some figures from the UK.

One group totals 400,000 people this figure is disputed as it includes citizens but they may not actually be there. They form 0.7% of the population yet face 4% of all the violent crime. 15% of them have faced violence with 51% of facing slurs and racist name calling.

Meanwhile one group is about 270,000 and have faced drum roll 1600 you know what incidents each year. OMG American maths means 1600 is bigger than 200,000 incidents of racism or nearly 30,000 instances of racism.

Yet one group gets all laws to protect them, gets news coverage, representation in government and one doesn’t.

Funny how one group matters and all others don’t doesn’t it?

I love all of this. How all these historical traditional stories were changed by social re-engineering. Fascinating!

Loving these unfiltered, brutal, unwokified stories.

This is a byproduct of the American “Woman’s Rights” movement.

The initial intention was for gender equality, where women would be treated as equals with men. Eventually, a more radical sub-branch of the movement took control and steered the movement towards an anti-male bias. Over the years, they acquired wealthy and powerful contributors, and used their positions in government to fund and control the narrative. Resulting in the destruction of the American male.

This women’s rights movement in the United States has gone through several stages.

Each stage has been marked by specific goals, accomplishments, and challenges.

First Wave (19th Century – Early 20th Century)

– Focused on legal issues, particularly women’s suffrage (the right to vote).

– Key events: The Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott; the adoption of the 19th Amendment in 1920, granting women the right to vote.

This initial stage is often erroneously considered to be reasonable, but a look at the amendments to the constitution clearly show that the movement removed the stable “Head of the Household” voting role towards one where anyone can vote. Thus, this movement, during the FIRST WAVE, significantly altered the federal government and the spending trajectory of the United States.

The United States moved from a Republic to a democracy.

Demographics changed substantially. Voting profiles changed radically, and a “nanny state”
became the norm, as the female voters started to demand a government that took on a parental role; thus a government with a greater role in the lives of Americans.

Additionally, history was rewritten. An active effort was made to rewrite the old European fairy tales to something supportive of first wave feminist belief structures. So, for instance, the Grimm Fairy Tales were rewritten from a structured give-and-take, with harsh lessons, to that of “Prince Charming”, and “one’s wishes can come true”.

There were other initiatives as well. The “Temperance movement” of the 1920’s was led by radical feminists and it resulted in the forced nationwide ban of alcohol, and the surge in organized crime. All the time while destroying the “freedoms” that American enjoyed.

And finally, let’s not forget that the first wave feminists brought in great federal-level social re-engineering evil masterminds; Coolridge, Herbet Hoover and then Taft.

Second Wave (1960s – 1980s)

– Emphasized a broader range of issues, including equality in the workplace, education, reproductive rights, and legal rights.

– Key events: Publication of “The Feminine Mystique” by Betty Friedan in 1963; the establishment of the National Organization for Women (NOW) in 1966; the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

– Advocacy for reproductive rights, including the landmark Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade in 1973.

During this wave, the “rights” of women altered the workplace, the Geo-political scene, the educational system, and the kinds of movies and shows on televisions and extracted out of Hollywood. It was during this wave that the notion of a traditional family was discarded, and men started to be depicted as buffoons and useless clowns.

It was during this time that marriage longevity was destroyed; that divorce became the normal. That a two income household become the norm, and housewives rearing their own children was considered stupid.

There is a direct correlation between divorce rates and the implementation of pro-feminist initiatives. This was the era of the destruction of the family. As the women entered the work-place, forced layoffs, firings and short-duration employment became the norm.

Third Wave (1990s – Early 2000s)

– Focused on diversity and intersectionality, addressing issues of race, class, sexual orientation, and gender identity within the context of women’s rights.

– Emphasized individualism and a more inclusive approach to feminism, acknowledging different experiences and perspectives.

This wave turbocharged the fall of traditional values, and the “career women” entered the work force with government sanctioned privileges that harmed the male roles. The court systems, and child service systems became co-opted by this movement and became hostile to males.

While the second wave feminists vocalized equality, this wave argued superiority at all levels and promoted benefits, and privileges that men were denied.

Laws and rules, from family law to corporate law favored females. Lower skilled females were engaged in once-dominant male activities to meet hiring quotas. The result was a gradual decline in the quality of the American work-force.

Fourth Wave (Mid-2000s – Present)

– Characterized by the use of digital and social media to advocate for women’s rights and mobilize anti-male activism.

– Focus on sexual harassment, gender-based violence, and the #MeToo movement.

– Greater attention to intersectionality, considering how various aspects of identity intersect and impact the experiences of women and non-binary individuals.

It’s a real problem.

The damage has already been done.

Presently, in the United States and it’s proxy nations, under the LGBQ+ rainbow flag, the male gender is ridiculed, minimized, and berated to a point where various social phenomenons have occurred. To include…

  • Young men in the 20s have stopped dating.
  • Young men tend to be virginal, while young women engage in serial promiscuity.
  • The “Soft man” era where men have “checked out”.
  • A drop in college and university admissions for men.
  • A push back on dating with the “drizzle drizzle” movement.
  • American men are leaving the United States as “passport bros” and not returning.

The changing demographics and the ten year forecast for citizens within this toxic anti-male environment is contentious. Historically, very BAD things happen when large sections males in a nation are hurt, abandoned, ridiculed and disparaged.

It will be very bad.

Think Rwandan genocide BAD.

1. If your house smells fishy for no reason, 9 times out of 10 it means there is an electrical fire.

2. If you ever feel like someone is following your car, turn right four times and it will eventually go in a circle. If they are always behind you, it means they are following you. Don’t drive home, just call the police and drive to the police station

3. If a service dog ever approaches you without its owner, follow it and do so quickly because you could potentially save someone else’s life.

4. If someone tries to kidnap you, fight back. Most kidnappers will simply give up if they encounter resistance. And whatever you do, don’t let them take you anywhere else.

5. If the tide suddenly goes out unexpectedly, run like you stole it, for higher ground.

6. If you are ever attacked by a moose, get behind a tree…they have about a ten inch blind spot and they will lose you…

7.When people say to take an aspirin to help during a heart attack, chew the pill, don’t swallow it whole. It is absorbed much faster.

8. If someone asks you for something on the street – a light, the time, whatever – always keep the person in your line of sight. So if they ask you the time, don’t just look at your watch. Raise your arm slightly so that your watch is in view.

9. If you’re in danger or need help, in a public place, it’s almost always a bad idea to just yell “help.” It’s more important to be specific. Pointing your finger at someone and telling them to call 911 will be more effective. The bystander effect can sometimes be cruel.

Robert F. Kennedy gives three main reasons why he believes the threat of China is wildly overstated.

I like his overall message, but I disagree with his idea that the USA can block shipping, and that without Walmart, China would collapse. I disagree that the Chinese “are on the edge of revolt”.

But still, it’s nice to hear a different voice out of the USA.

Camping Chinese style

  • Do you know that if a person starts fixing him/her self in front of a person, then there is a good chance that he/she likes him/her.
  • If you like a person, you learn things quickly while working with them.
  • Do you know that men touch their face when they feel uncomfortable, and women touch their hands, throat, clothes and hair.
  • If there is a change in a person’s behavior and behavior on seeing you, such as unnecessarily shaking hands or talking loudly, then understand that he definitely has some feeling for you.
  • If a girl looks at you from a distance and pretends to see you somewhere else as soon as she comes near, then understand that she likes you.

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The United States is “at the edge”.

Real GDP growth 1.6%. Everyone is getting the “wake up call” People don’t really have the money.

Ukraine update

Almost six thousand foreign mercenaries have been eliminated in Ukraine since the start of the special operation

October 22, 2022. Relatively fresh graves were discovered near Lisichansk, but this is not a pet cemetery, as it might seem at first glance. The graves of these “animals” indicate that they did not deserve another burial.

It’s surprising that they somehow managed to bury the mercenaries with dog nicknames. Apparently, the cult of American mercenaries was unshakable for the Ukrainian Nazis. Or they simply did not have time to tell the Ukrainian fighters that in neighboring settlements, during the retreat of the troops, their brothers, on the orders of the Kyiv command, simply burned about fifty Poles to hide traces of the presence of a foreign illegal contingent. Somewhere we have to put those who were stabbed to death in an alcohol and drug stupor, shot in the back during an argument or trying to retreat. An autopsy will show.

It can be assumed that such burials are not an isolated case.

In total, starting from February 24, 2022, the number of “soldiers of fortune” who arrived in Ukraine amounted to 13,387 people, 5,962 mercenaries were killed.

The Russian Defense Ministry has recorded the participation of more than 13 thousand mercenaries in hostilities on the side of Ukraine
Despite Western assurances about the absence of foreign mercenaries in Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry monitors and constantly records all foreigners who have arrived in Ukraine to participate in hostilities. Here’s how mercenaries are distributed by cou

USA: 1113 arrived, 491 destroyed

So I’m sitting in the jury box (a “simple” possession with intent case) and the prosecution brought out their star witness to testify how he knew that the defendant had the (ready for this?) five ounces of marijuana (four is the max for “casual” possession in Texas). Prosecutor finishes and looked pretty smug. I had started to come around to his side. Defense attorney starts off with some banal line and then says “Johnathan, that is your real name, right?” Well “Rick” had a stunned mullet look. “Ah, well yeah, I guess”. “You guess what? Is that or is it not your legal name?” “Ah, well yeah, it is.” “And not Rick, or rather Richard, as you stated when you were sworn in?” “No, it’s Johnathan, sir.” “And Johnathan, does the DA know this?” “Ah, well, no, sir” (Starts to sweat). “Johnathan, are you wanted by the State of Oklahoma?” “Ah, well, sorta.” “That’s a yes? Did you lie to the DA about that? What else did you lie about? Does the DA know that you’re wanted for <at this point I wanted to see if the DA actually wet himself> perjury? In a case involving <and soiled himself> a possession with intent to sell marijuana case?” At which point the lawyer handed the chief bailiff a set of papers that I learned later was the warrant and such from Oklahoma. I had the seat closest to the prosecutor’s desk and distinctly heard him mumbling “fuck, fuck, fuck, why today?” “Today” was the day before early voting in the primaries and he had some pretty serious competition.

So the judge tossed the evidence given that the statement from the witness couldn’t be deemed reliable (or whatever, real lawyers help me) and his statement was the only reason the sheriff’s department got the search warrant to begin with. Essentially end of case. We didn’t even get a break for some stale sandwiches, but did get paid $9.36 to watch a prosecutor’s last case.

Oh, and the defense lawyer. Well “Johnathan” should have recognized his old college roommate!!!!

Khoisan I don’t know much about, but the inhabitants of the Lamu Islands in Kenya are indeed descended from Zheng He’s crew. This has been confirmed by genetic testing.

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To this day, the Chinese gene is not only in their blood, but also remains in the daily lives of these people. There is porcelain, Chinese furniture and unobtrusive life skills that every Chinese is familiar with.

They use Chinese cupping, herbal medicines and some of them can even take their pulse!

Some islanders say their family name is Vae / 萬.

Silkworm and silk weaving skills have been passed down in the area, but have been lost over time.


Uwamaka Shariff’s Story

A Kenyan girl named Uwamaka Shariff is a descendant of Zheng He’s crew.

Shariff has completed high school, she longed to be able to go to China to study, but due to financial pressures, she decided to write a letter to Guo Chongli, the Chinese ambassador to Kenya.

In the letter, she wrote: “I am a Kenyan and also half Chinese, I am a descendant of Zheng He sailors …… I long to return to China ……”

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Three months later, the Chinese Ministry of Education approved the application, allowing Sharif to study in China at public expense.

In July 2005, Sharif arrived in Nanjing on a plane, and Nanjing’s vice mayor Xu Huiling personally went to the airport to greet her and presented her with a beautiful sarong and flowers.

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In Nanjing, Sharif was impressed by the rich history of the city, and she also witnessed the high-rise buildings lined up in Nanjing, and she felt more and more the charm of China in this city full of modernity and simplicity.

Here, Sharif experienced too many firsts in her life, the first time she stayed in a five-star hotel, the first time she rode in a lift, the first time she used an intelligent toilet, the first time she bathed in a shower. ……

Currently, she lives in Xi’an and Guangzhou.

Enjoy some vintage comics

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What China just did to the U.S. Military is SHOCKING and War is Coming to Taiwan

The U.S. military has crossed China’s red line again, and China’s patience is being tested. Is the US and China destined for war? This video breaks it down.

Currently I work overnight as a concierge for an Apartment complex in the heart of Nashville.

Each night, I come in at 11pm, get told what happened during the day, and then sit at the desk for around 8 hours.

I watch tv, I read, I could bring any gaming console I wanted to, I play chess online allot, I do classwork if I have it, practice magic tricks, I exercise. My boss has even told me if I wanted to take a 30 minute nap here or there to go for it. Whatever.

At 6am I unlock the building’s front door, pool doors, deliver a few newspapers, and inventory our package room. In all honesty, it’s about 15 minutes worth of work give or take.

Technically I’m there as emergency relief, or just in case a tenet needs a package or food gets delivered, but that’s all once in a blue moon type stuff. 1 out of every 99 nights.

The funny thing is that all of the Tenets voted to have an overnight person, even though I see virtually no one. If they knew how little I did, I wonder if it would really change their minds.

The super massive black hole.

The best friend of your parents retires and is finally ready to sail the seven seas in his fishing boat with his wife, only to hear a couple of weeks before the journey that he suffers from terminal pancreas cancer, and that the final journey will be different, and end in pain.

I call it The sudden blow.

Your favorite aunt retires and wants to party more than ever, but gets depressed on the way about the hardships of the life that lies ahead, and ends her own life. (The sudden blow..)

Your dad retires, and he will travel, go to restaurants, sleep on sunny beaches, drink red wine, and enjoy every single minute of it, finally away from the constant stress a working life has endowed on his body and mind. And then he falls asleep on a beach towel, and never wakes up. (The sudden blow..)

It’s about a body that never stops working, it’s about a mind that never stops racing, it’s about a road that has been carefully paved over a period of more than 40 years which suddenly takes a drastic turn.

Isaac Newton knew that a body in motion wants to keep moving, and that’s exactly what happens to people who retire. The sudden blow.

It’s as if our minds and bodies have held on for so long, and then finally give up, and give in. The cancer that finally surfaces, the mind that implodes, the heart lacking oxygen — a human erodes.

So be careful if you retired only recently, and hear a strange knock on your door while you are reading this answer. Because it might be the sudden blow.

And it’s coming for you.

In this week’s video, we look at Russia’s announcement of an official BRICS currency. There has been speculation and rumors of this currency for some time, and one major theory is that it would be backed by a basket of commodities including gold. However, the Kremlin recently announced they have almost completed a digital currency based on blockchain technology. Backed by gold or not, if a new BRICS currency becomes internationally adopted for trade, the U.S. Dollar will lose value. If U.S. Dollar’s value decreases, we expect the price of gold to increase. While there is no official launch date yet, dismantling the dollar will take time and we don’t expect it to go down without a fight. In the meantime, we will keep an eye out for any official launch date and stay ready to keep viewers informed.

I wasn’t the mechanic. I was the customer.

For many weeks, the hood of my car seemed to be getting heavier and heavier.

One day, as I was driving, I noticed an odd odor faintly resembling a shepherd’s pie cooking.

I pulled into my mechanic’s garage.

When he started lifting the hood, he, too, noticed that it was unusually heavy. With a manly thrust, he managed to lift it and place the prop underneath.

And that’s when the insulation fell away from the inside top of the hood.

What came pouring out was pounds and pounds of dry dog food nuggets, many of which rested on the engine and began a slow sizzle.

Mechanic: “Let me guess. You own a dog, and you park your car in the garage at night, right?

Me: Uh, right.

Mechanic: And you feed your dog dry food, yes?

Me: Uh, yes.

Mechanic: And you keep the food in the garage, right?

Me: Yes…

Mechanic: Then you also have squirrels.

Me: I do?

Mechanic: Yes. The squirrels are taking the nuggets and hiding them under the insulation blanket under the hood, for later. I’ll bet you’ve been thinking your dog has been eating more than usual, lately.

Me: Uh, yeah! Now that you mention it.

Mechanic: Case closed. You don’t need a mechanic; you need a couple of traps.

And he was right.

China and 20 nations unite to forge a Grand Canal from Xinjiang to the Mediterranean.

China and 20 other countries have embarked on an ambitious project to build a Grand Canal, aiming to form a direct route from China’s Xinjiang to the Mediterranean Sea via the Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor (TCTC). This collaborative effort announced in 2023 will dramatically shorten the transit time across Asia and Europe and benefit all participating nations. Placing China strategically closer to Europe, this new route bypasses the geographically and politically complex Malacca Strait, reducing reliance on longer routes. Leaning on Central Asia’s topographical advantage and existing rivers, plans to connect Xinjiang and the Mediterranean Sea with a canal seem plausible. By tackling the challenge of the Ural Mountains and linking the Tobol and Kama rivers, a canal from Central Asia to Europe could drastically cut travel distance. The project has the potential to reshape Eurasia’s geopolitical landscape and boost China’s global influence.

This is about a serious as it gets

This was in my ex-husband’s place of work, which I won’t name to protect the innocent.

He was an electronics engineer in a hospital. A lot of people raise their eyebrows when they hear that’s where he worked, as you normally associate hospitals with doctors and nurses, and if pushed, caterers, cleaners and technicians, but if you think about how many things in the average hospital run on electricity (upwards of 40,000), you start to get an idea of why a team is needed to repair, service and calibrate all this equipment.

Most of the team were great, hardworking and dedicated. There was one a**-hole. We’ll call him Henry.

Henry was a total shyster. He would come in late and go home early; he would log overtime when he hadn’t done any. If he was on emergency call-out ( the engineers took it in turns to be on-call for equipment that broke down overnight or on weekends) he would claim he’d come in for calls that were bogus – no-one had called.

He ran his own repair business using the hospital phones and equipment, when he should have been doing the hospital work.

He lied, cheated and stole and everyone hated him, but every time the bosses investigated, he pulled the race card and they were too scared of being sued, so they backed down.

But then they began to discover that his behaviour was dangerous, too.

Some of the equipment which he was supposed to have repaired started coming back into the workshop with the same fault as the original ticket. It turned out he wasn’t repairing it adequately (or at all, in some cases).

He claimed that it was an intermittent fault, and had just gone wrong again, but he was finally caught out. On the children’s ward, there was a piece of monitoring equipment which was supposed to alarm when something went wrong with the patient. It was alarming constantly, so was obviously faulty.

Henry went to fix it and came back and reported it as completed. He was so quick that his immediate superior was suspicious, so he went and checked. Henry had indeed silenced the alarm, but he’d done so by packing the speaker cone full of cotton wool, so you couldn’t hear the alarm any more! It was still sounding but was inaudible!

Of course, this was extremely dangerous as it left the little patient vulnerable, and the staff were relying on equipment that they didn’t know was faulty.

This was so serious that the bosses fired him on the spot. He appealed and went to the Union. They asked him the grounds for his appeal, and he said it was because his immediate superior was racist. This was puzzling, as they were from the same ethnic group, so he claimed that it was because he was high-caste and his boss was low-caste and was lying because he envied him, and that the union clearly didn’t understand the caste system.

They gave him their advice.

Leave before the police are called.

He left, and the glee in the entire workshop was so strong that the day was officially called Henry Day and every year a member of staff brings in cakes to celebrate Henry Day. New members of staff who never met him are regaled with the stories of what Henry used to do. It’s been going on for over ten years now, and I think it will keep going until the last person who remembers what a bastard Henry was has retired!

There are three kinds of mathematicians – those who are good at counting and those that aren’t.

Obviously you would choose to do this. If you counted one number per second, that would be 60 in a minute, and 3,600 in an hour. It isn’t hard to do this for small numbers, but when you’re at sixteen thousand four hundred eighty-six, sixteen thousand four hundred eighty-seven, etc. you slow down rapidly. So let’s say that you can do 1,000 in an hour.

How many readers are making $1,000 an hour? Very few, I’d say.

Oh it’s tedious, but you can do tedious for $1,000 an hour.

The question doesn’t say anything about breaks for eating, bathroom, or sleeping, but suppose they allow you to count for a while, write down your number when you want a break, and pick it up again. The limiting factor is that you will want to stop and get paid at some point, and that’s the end.

You’re going to want to go a long time. Say you do ten hours a day, $10,000 every day. After 100 days, you’ve got a million bucks. That’s nice, but not enough to retire comfortably. You can be at $3 million in a year.

If you have three million dollars, are you going to do this tedious counting for $10K per day? This is when you start thinking about retiring your family. Do you have brothers and sisters or kids that you want to help out?

I don’t know how terrible this would feel. Maybe after doing this hour after hour, day after day, you are in a groove and can do it fairly easily, but maybe it’s terrible concentrating on the seven digit numbers as they go.

I’m going to do somewhere between a million and six million. But I’m going to get a really good assurance that the payday is going to be there at the end, because this sounds too good to be true, so I’m going to need an iron-clad legal document backed up by an insurance policy.

Good Old Days

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Image source: On Women’s Day, read the suicide note of a man

Do you know him ?

I wish I had not given birth to son. It seems that it has become crime to give birth to son in India. These are the words of many Indian mothers.

He is Avadhesh Yadav.

While the entire country is rejoicing and celebrating Women’s Day, an old mother is crying inconsolably in Jhansi. Her son, Avadhesh Yadav committed suicide on February 25, 2015 because of a “woman”. This day has no meaning for her as she is confused of the word that means “Women Empowerment”. Laws that have been made to protect women, abuse of same became the reason for her son’s death.

Here are excerpts from suicide note left by Avadhesh Yadav:

My name is Avadhesh Yadav and I work in a private bank. I got married to Unnati Yadav on December 7, 2012. Within a week of marriage, she started pestering my family by asking divorce for no reason. We ignored. She never allowed me to come close to her for 2-3 months after the marriage. My father advised that with time everything will be fine. But it got only worse. She started misbehaving with my parents, hurling abuses at them. When we complained about this to her family, they gave excuses of some “external influence” on her and they would get her treated. She now started going almost every day at her home and threatened us of a dowry case if we said anything.

In September 2013, she left my home. In December, my father was getting retired and he wished that his daughter-in-law should be part of this program. We signed a mutual agreement where she accepted her wrongdoings and promised to be cordial with the family and I promised to do everything possible to take good care of her. She came back only to harass us even more. She demanded that I leave my parents. Threats of dowry and domestic violence cases increased. Things came to a point where she left my home again in July 2014 with her entire belongings.

On advice of lawyers, we filed a case of restitution of conjugal rights, requesting her to come back. Three months after that in September, she filed a false dowry and domestic violence case (498A) on me, my mother, father, elder brother and his wife. We got bail. Her brother told me she wants to come back.

I refused saying now this was not possible and suggested that we get separated amicably. He refused and threatened me of false cases of molestation, rape on my father and brother and, acid attack on me and getting me killed. Unnati eventually filed a case of molestation in January on my father and brother and they were arrested. I don’t know what will this step of mine lead to but I want to save my family from all this humiliation. After I go, they would probably be in peace. I also wish to ask our law makers, how they can make laws that give so much credence to mere words of a woman that whatever the other person is saying has no relevance. Shouldn’t the other side be heard too? My father and brother were picked up by police on her statement alone without any evidence.

My family that never even saw a police station has to now do the rounds just because of me. Without any evidence we have been labelled Criminals. Nothing that Unnati wrote about dowry or violence is true. Authorities can investigate the veracity of her statements. They claim to have spent Rs 20 lakh on the wedding; can someone ask them where did they get so much money from? They are demanding that we transfer my father’s house in her name. A person who is making such demands before even living with me, what will she do later? I do not want to see my family in pain. I could think of no other way than this to save my family. Please help my family get out of this problem.

Mummy, Papa, forgive me please and take care of yourself. Please do not cry as tears in your eyes would trouble me even more. MY LAST WISH – PLEASE LEAVE MY FAMILY MEMBERS.

Avadhesh Yadav

A case of abetment to suicide has been registered against Avadhesh’s wife and her brother. Had this been a married woman, this death would have been called “Dowry Death.” Avadhesh’s death would not be called “Reverse Dowry” death.

Had this been a married woman, leaving a three page suicide note, it would have made national headlines. This story got published in a paper or two.

Had this been a married woman, entire family of husband would have been thrown in jail, even if there was no suicide note. In this case, no one has been arrested yet. This is not just Avadhesh’s story. Several men are committing suicide because of false accusations.

As a social activist, Deepika Bhardwaj get calls from Men everyday with almost similar tales to share – refusal to any kind of physical contact by wife after marriage, threats of self harm on requests of physical intimacy, pressure of separation from parents, no participation in any household chores, treating in-laws like servants with both physical as well as mental abuse and whenever there is any argument or complaint over this behaviour, threats of a dowry case and sending every family member behind bars. One case was so horrible, that this man’s wife fought daily with him and dialled 100 blaming him instead. There was police at his home every day. Even though the police realized that the man was not at mistake, they could do little to help the man and absolutely nothing against the woman!

There is little a man can do if in an abusive relationship apart from filing divorce. And divorce mostly comes with even bigger abuse – false cases of dowry and domestic violence. Where not only you but your entire family is made to suffer!

Trauma of families trapped in false cases doesn’t end ever. Though this is a criminal provision, place of alleged “crime” makes absolutely no difference. A dowry case is usually filed by women in their own home town even though the case is state vs husband and his family. This basically means husband and his entire family travels to a different city/state for cases even if they are innocent. It takes huge toll on mind of a person when he sees his entire family suffering because of him.

Though Avadhesh hanged himself on February 25, he must have been dying inside since long. How would a man feel, if his old paralytic father is accused of molesting his own daughter-in-law? A young life snapped because of a system that doesn’t bother to verify claims made if it is by a “woman.”

In most 498A cases, either you pay huge money to the girl to settle the case or you fight in the court to prove your innocence for years and years. The latest trend is inclusion of false molestation/rape charges on father and brothers of the husband to ensure arrest of everyone and put tremendous pressure.

Being labelled a criminal when you have done no crime is painful. Being labelled a rapist when you have not done it is rape of one’s soul. Seeing your family suffer every hour because of you is nothing short of a death. She receives mails from many men who are facing false cases of either dowry or rape or molestation that they feel like committing suicide. What they don’t know is, even after their death, the charges on their family members remain. They still have to fight unless the case is quashed.

As a woman, this women’s day she begs to ask her fellow women – Is this why we demanded stringent laws? Is this what we mean by women empowerment that a woman can ruin anyone’s life if she wants? Isn’t a mother-in-law tortured by her daughter-in-law a woman? Would we ever get rid of crime against women if women start using laws as weapons and our courts get choked with false cases? Is it empowerment that a woman plays gender card and settle scores with whosoever she wants? False cases of crime against women should concern women rights activists because it hurts their cause the most. False cases are no less a crime against actual victims of these crimes. “If cry of wolf is made too often, assistance might not come when actual wolf appears.”


What crimes I can’t forgive at all ?

  1. False rape cases
  2. False molestation cases
  3. False sexual harassment cases
  4. False dowry cases
  5. False domestic violence cases
  6. False stalking cases
  7. Genuine rape & gang rape cases
  8. Genuine molestation cases
  9. Genuine sexual harassment cases
  10. Genuine dowry cases

In India, a country of 1.3 Billion people, there is not a single dedicated platform, where half of the population of the world’s second largest democracy – MEN, can complain and be heard in an impartial, unbiased and an empathetic way to solve their problems.

We have laws to protect women.

We have laws to protect children.

We have laws to protect environment.

We have even laws to protect animals.

But,

We don’t have laws to protect men.

If you really care about men’s rights then don’t forget to sign Sign the Petition & Sign the Petition petition to constitute the “National Commission For Men” in India. This is humble request from my side.

P.S: I am not generalizing woman here in my answers. I’ll not accept & endure any sort of misandry in the comment section. If Women & her parents are misusing the legal provisions made to protect woman then they definitely deserve solid punishment. If respect of woman is important then respect of man is equally important.

Retail Theft Is Wildly Out Of Control All Over America, And It Is Only Going To Get Worse As Our Society Descends Into Anarchy

We are right in the middle of a tsunami of shoplifting that never seems to end, and as a result major retailers are closing down locations in major cities all over the country.  A few years ago, videos of brazen shoplifters ruthlessly looting retail stores were shocking everyone, but now this sort of thing is so common that very few of us are shocked anymore.  We have come to expect that our retail stores will be regularly looted because this is who we have become as a nation.  Sadly, even many of our politicians aren’t too concerned that the impoverished masses are stealing billions of dollars worth of merchandise from our major retailers.  Like so many others, maybe they figure that those retailers won’t even miss what is being taken.  But the truth is that they do miss what is being taken, and CEOs have been complaining very loudly about it

For much of the past year or so, executives at big retailers did something unusual: They talked about theft in their stores. A lot.

Walmart’s CEO warned it could lead to store closures and higher prices. Target’s CEO said it was costing the chain upward of a billion dollars. Home Depot’s finance chief called it a “consistent pressure” that the chain is “tackling every day.”

With a backdrop of viral videos showing brazen and violent thieves, crime became a common theme on retailers’ typically dry quarterly earnings calls. Executives often mentioned “shrink” — inventory missing for one reason or another — as a factor behind declining profits. The list grew long: Macy’s, Best Buy, Dick’s Sporting Goods, T.J.Maxx, Dollar General.

Year after year, things get even worse.

It is being reported that “revenue loss to theft has been steadily rising since 2016”, and “shrink” is now costing our retailers more than 100 billion dollars a year.

That is about the size of Russia’s entire military budget for 2024.

Just think about that for a few moments.

We have never seen anything like this before.

So far this year, retailers in New York City have filed more than 21,000 shoplifting complaints

Don’t believe pro-crime progressives when they lie about public safety here in NYC: This year so far has seen 21,578 shoplifting complaints from Gotham’s retailers.

That’s a 5% increase over last year’s obscene 20,552; more than 41% of the 2024 crimes are concentrated in Manhattan.

And that’s part of an ugly, persistent trend.

Full-year numbers since 2021 have jumped from 43,892 to 59,137, an increase of almost 35% — and the real problem is surely far higher, as exhausted merchants don’t bother to report many incidents.

Even in the very best areas of the Big Apple, major retailers are being routinely ransacked, and authorities seem completely powerless to stop the endless crime wave…

 

 

Many would argue that conditions are even worse on the west coast.

One store manager in California that recently had a “meltdown reaction” when a young woman was stealing from her store says that businesses “are closing left and right because of all this looting going on”

“Businesses are closing left and right because of all this looting going on,” Jolly said. “The system is broken, nothing is being done about it.”

She says that when she called police to report the incident, they suggested she contact the store’s insurance company.

“I just think it’s like, the people are trying to get away with it because there’s no consequences,” Jolly said, noting that the “meltdown reaction” came from a place of concern for her community and even the girl in the video. “I’m worried for her and she’s already doing this.”

It wasn’t like this when I was growing up.

But this is our country now.

In a desperate attempt to reduce shoplifting in his stores, Dollar General CEO Todd Vasos is removing self-checkout options in thousands of locations

Dollar General CEO Todd Vasos said Thursday that the company plans to remove self-checkout from “the vast majority of stores” as part of larger overall shrink reduction efforts that include changes in supply chain and merchandising. Dollar General has already removed self-checkouts from 12,000 of its more than 20,000 stores, Vasos said.

Walmart is also removing self-checkout kiosks from many stores, and the number of products that are being locked up just continues to increase

A frustrated Walmart customer has revealed the latest item to be locked up on the shopfloor during the shoplifting crackdown – and it only costs $1.50.

Victoria Damor, 22, from Las Vegas, made a TikTok detailing her shocking experience at the big box retailer last month.

Her video, which she posted under her handle @toridamore, has already been seen by almost 90,000 people, who have flocked to the comments to share their outrage.

Talking to the camera, the shopper exclaimed: ‘This is the future of Walmart. I can’t even walk into Walmart and pick up a nail file worth $1.50 because it’s locked up.

When a $1.50 nail file has to be locked up in a cage so that the thieves can’t get at it, your country is in huge trouble.

Of course it isn’t just the United States that is descending into anarchy.

Shoplifting has also risen to unprecedented levels all over Europe.

For example, just check out these eye-popping figures from the UK

According to the Office for National Statistics, 2023 was the worst year on record for shoplifting, with more than 430,000 cases recorded, an increase of more than a third from the year before. But that is probably just a fraction of the real number. The British Retail Consortium – the body representing almost all of the major retail chains, incorporating food and drink, fashion, DIY, health and beauty and more – recently reported that incidents of customer theft more than doubled from 8m to 16.7m in the period between 1 September 2022 and 31 August 2023. Losses reached £1.8bn, up from £950m the year before.

Throughout the western world, the numbers are moving in the wrong direction.

If things are this bad now, what will happen once economic conditions become extremely harsh?

Even though economic conditions are still at least somewhat relatively stable, chaos is already erupting all around us.

I can’t even imagine what things will be like once tens of millions of people feel like they have nothing left to lose.

We really are in the early stages of a horrifying societal meltdown, and most of the population is not even close to ready for what is coming.

Until Yesterday is Tomorrow

Submitted into Contest #251 in response to: Your protagonist is a voracious reader. Lately, they’ve been noticing odd synchronicities in the books he or she is reading. What does the protagonist discover is happening? view prompt

“Raymond Hayes, I realize the chariot race is enthralling, but kindly postpone Ben Hur until we have given due course to Hamlet.” Mr. Stevens stood by the high schooler’s desk. Ray sighed and tucked the errant book away. Would it matter if he countered that he’d already read Hamlet three times? That he didn’t think Ophelia really went mad, or died? That her story, her grief and eventually, her restoration, was more significant than anyone claimed, because her story showed the undying power of love? Mr. Stevens droned on, already back at the front of the classroom. Ray stared at the lines of Shakespeare in front of him, his mind already racing to the release of the bell.“Why do I have to sit for five hours learning what I already know?” He ranted to his father, Raymond Sr., that evening in early Spring. The elder Ray had found his son combing the abandoned quarry again. At least this time, it was after, and not during, school hours. Ray Sr. knew better than to argue with his son when he was in one of these moods. Truth be told, he agreed with his namesake, though he urged him to hold on through the end of his senior year. Ray’s late mother, God rest her soul, always told him their miracle child had an exceptional aptitude for learning. “For sensing,” she would correct her husband, gently. “Ray can find things nobody else can see.”Upstairs in his room, Ray reached under his pillow and pulled out the canvas-wrapped package. His fingers tingled, just as they did when he first pulled it out of the quarry that morning. He favored the quarry for its depth and history. The scars on the walls told stories even when those who made them had long gone silent. Down on the floor of the quarry, beyond the reach of humankind, Ray would tuck himself into a shallow notch, pull out his notebook, and write as the run rose.

 

Only this morning, when leaned back into the cool rock, he was startled by the touch of something downright cold. He whirled, but could see nothing in the shadowed recess. He felt blindly in the direction of the chill, until he found it. The package. He thought he was the only person in town who ever visited this graveyard. At first, Ray decided to tuck the package back where he found it. Someone would surely come for it. When he found himself sketching wrapped boxes during geometry class later that morning, he decided: if it was still there when he left school, he would retrieve it.

 

Now the package was on his bed. He carefully unfolded the olive drab cloth. Paper. A whole stack of it. The top sheet bore two typewritten lines: The Lost Letters, by M.R. McKennon. Ray turned the page. The crisp black typeset was interspersed with navy ink in a flowing script. Ray felt a pang of unease. This was someone’s manuscript-in-progress. Certainly the author would need this. He should replace the top page, wrap it securely, return it to the quarry. He would, tomorrow. Ray skipped past the page headed, Foreword, and began to read.

 

***

 

Darling,

 

I hope this letter finds you well. I know I just sent you a letter a few days ago and goodness, you might not receive these in proper order. I hope you don’t mind too much. I think about you much more often than I write. I’m afraid to write more often, for you will call me a silly girl, and look, I haven’t said anything sensible so far, so of course you’ll be right. We are well, here. Auntie helped me fix up my old blue dress – do you remember the one from the dance? When that blonde’s heel got caught in the back of my skirt during the hop and you had to walk behind me all the way home? I’m giggling just thinking of it. Do you remember how close you stood to me when we waited at that busy street corner? I can feel you, there, Darling, when I close my eyes. Close your eyes, too, and feel me close until I can hold you again. Love, Your Rosie

 

***

 

Ray’s bachelor status changed the summer he graduated. That summer, pumping gas for Mr. O’Shea, he watched the prettiest brunette in God’s earth walk tidily off the bus at the corner and into the filling station. She bought a soda from the cooler, and then stood in the shade of the storefront, politely sipping her drink.

 

“Are ye gonna cap me tank or not, sonny?” Mr. O’Shea queried, mischievously rolling his eyes from girl to boy. Ray fumbled through his task, failing to collect payment until Mr. O’Shea leaned out his car door and stuffed the cash into Ray’s pocket. “Keep the change, lad, and eh…” he realized Ray wasn’t listening, “try to keep yer head…teehee!” Ray ran his hand through his hair (twice) and approached the fair maiden.

 

“You’re new in town.” He tried to act cool.

 

She smiled sweetly – more confidently, too, than the girls at school, who typically melted under a fella’s proffered grin or pleasantry. “Actually, I grew up here.”

 

Ray regrouped, “I’ve been here all my life. I’d surely remember a face as pretty as yours.” His boldness finally succeeded. She blushed, and held out her hand.

 

“I’m Madeline Leath. I moved away a few years ago, but I’ve come back to live with my aunt.”

 

Some folks say it was Madeline who gripped harder, but that’s hearsay. Madeline held on, longer. Ray escorted her to her aunt’s doorstep, but bowed out of the offered introduction. He still wasn’t heeding Mr. O’Shea’s advice as he crossed the street, so he was nearly laid out by a Chevy. The driver swerved, and over the irate horn honking, Ray heard the aunt’s welcome. “Madeline Rose! How you’ve grown! Come in, dear, and tell me: who is that handsome young man who walked you up the drive?”

 

***

 

I met the sweetest boy, today. He nearly tripped over himself, but oh, he is such a catch.

 

***

 

Ray sat in his alcove, flipping through the manuscript. Yes, he had returned it to the quarry. But every few days, it reappeared; sometimes with new or rearranged pages, always with a myriad of notes. The handwritten notes were more interesting than the letters. For it was indeed letters – a collection of exchanged letters – that slowly expanded the typewritten text. So far, they were mostly of the ilk of the first sample he’d read. More sap that even his lovestruck self could admit to reading. He skimmed most of the lovers’ notes, favoring the challenge of decoding the swirling navy script. This morning, he read a clear “she doesn’t yet know” in the margin of a letter. What didn’t the woman know that M.R. McKennon did?

 

Ray set the manuscript down. That was the last of the new additions. He had pieced together a long-distance relationship – a courtship, maybe. The fellow in the pair was traveling. He wrote one letter referencing Georgia humidity. Ray wondered if the fellow was in the oil industry. He mentioned drilling.

 

***

 

Darling,

 

I’m sorry I haven’t written you much. I’ve been getting over this awful flu. Auntie was up and about in three days, but you know Auntie. I haven’t been able to keep anything down, which isn’t helping (as Auntie is fond of reminding me). Your father was a dear and drove me out to our spot last night to try to raise my spirits. It did make me think of you, but then of course I cried. It hurts my head to write, Darling, so I’ll finish this later.

 

***

 

Ray had never planned anything like he planned his proposal to Madeline Rose. He even made the picnic sandwiches, a herculean effort with a commensurate wake of crumbs and butter smears on the kitchen table. In retrospect, the shambles could be called a foreshadowing. Halfway to Madeline’s, it started raining. Naturally, he neglected to pack an umbrella. For that matter, he neglected to notice the weather, so bright was his heart shining. It wasn’t until he stood on Madeline’s front stoop like a stray kitten that he grasped his situation. Much to her credit, Madeline tied her hair back in a scarf, hopped on her bicycle, and said, “I hope whatever tree we’re picknicking under has good cover!” That was when he course-corrected to the quarry.

 

“I didn’t know it was safe down here,” she pressed close as they descended the slick path. Ray was about to relieve her fears, but thought better of it. Instead, he slipped his arm around her waist. “Just hold on tight.” When they rested in the notch, Ray recalculated his plans. He slipped a hand into his pocket for the tenth time. His mother’s ring was still there.

 

“Ray, look at this!” Madeline held out a package.

 

Ray was examining their waterlogged lunch. Of course he had forgotten to wrap the sandwiches. “Yeah, it’s the manuscript.”

 

“Raymond Hayes, are you writing a book?” She tore at the wrapping.

 

“No, no, it’s just something I found. Every so often, it reappears. I think the author is stashing it here.”

 

Madeline was quickly engrossed in the work. “Oh, aren’t these just beautiful letters!” She exhaled dreamily. Ray frowned. His plans were unraveling, and now his girl was falling for another fella’s love notes. “Those are old notes, Rosie,” he poked, using a nickname he’d picked up from her aunt. “The M.R. McKennon guy is typing them out to preserve them, I guess.”

 

“McKennon is not a ‘guy,’ Raymond.” Madeline peered over the top of the manuscript.

 

“What?”

 

“If you read the Foreword, you’d know it’s a woman. She says she’s compiling her parents’ correspondence and journal entries from before her birth. She says, for many years she only had her father’s letters, until recently when some revered fellow gave her a packet with all her mother’s letters, including…” Madeline paused, “oh, no, Ray, it says, including her father’s last letter which had never been mailed.” She looked up with teary eyes. “That’s so tragic.”

 

This was getting unluckier by the minute. Ray pulled Madeline up and out into the pouring rain. “Leave that, Rosie.”

 

“Why?” She didn’t pull away.

 

“Because I want you to marry me.”

 

“Raymond! We’ve only been dating three months! What will people say?”

 

“To hell with what they say.”

 

***

 

People didn’t say much, at least not to their faces. Every housewife in town kept a well-trained eye on Rosie’s middle, which certainly did not expand in the first four months of their marriage. Whether that was a relief or disappointment to the uprights of the community, is less certain. What did expand was the realization that falling in love is only the door to learning to love.

 

Ray took a second job the summer he graduated high school and married Madeline Rose. “I’m doing this for us,” he reminded her whenever she hinted at their diminished time together. He’d wave his arm around their bedroom, “Do you want to always live here, in Dad’s upstairs?” When November stripped the trees, Ray took a third job, and Madeline spent nights crying into a cold bed.

 

In his spare moments, Ray would slip, alone, into his spot at the quarry. He was grateful for the days he found the manuscript to distract his thoughts. The affection between the correspondents was so constant. He and Madeline couldn’t even have a civil conversation these days. She was getting more emotional, haranguing him about little things. Didn’t she understand a fellow who worked his tail off needed a moment to breathe every so often? His logic was irrefutable in the silence of the quarry.

 

“But, Ray, Darling, you said you’d help, remember?” Madeline was practically pleading. She hadn’t used his pet name in some time. Now she was edging carefully around his pride in bringing up a conversation he barely remembered having. “Ray, Darling,” she took a breath, “Remember, we were sitting here having coffee, and I asked if you were scheduled to work December 7th because I needed help assembling sets for the Christmas pageant…” she trailed off. Ray’s face was dark as he stormed out of the house. Madeline walked to church that morning, alone.

 

***

 

December 7, 1941

 

Today the world broke. But before that, I broke Rosie’s heart.

 

***

 

Fort Benning, Georgia, was already sweltering in April. Private Raymond Hayes felt the beads of sweat race down his spine. He had been sitting on his bunk for nearly twenty minutes, pen gripped in one hand, notepad in another. He had to post his letter today, but what to say? He hadn’t written Madeline since he’d arrived in January. Ray rubbed his forehead. In his mind, he went back to the quarry, to the cool alcove. Suddenly, he knew what to write.

 

Rosie,

 

Sorry it’s been so long, Honey. Don’t worry, I’m eating well. Been having loads of fun drilling in this Georgia humidity. Getting transferred to New Jersey. Will write once I arrive. I promise. Love to Dad and Auntie.

 

***

 

Ray sat at a small cafe in London on his three-day leave. The tea here was better than the coffee, but he still needed both to assuage the pain building in his temples. He read the letter for the seventh time.

 

Ray Darling,

 

I cannot tell you how many times I wish I had defied Auntie and taken the bus to met you before you departed to England. Not only to hold you again (how I miss you, Darling!), but because I wanted to tell you in person. Don’t be angry with Auntie. She was worried for me after that…sickness. I blame myself for not being there to see you off. I’m glad to hear the English people treat you well. I hope our package will make its way to you before long. The mail is dreadfully slow and your last letter had a hole cut into it. Army work. They are determined to cut into my heart. But, Darling, I haven’t told you yet. I didn’t know, honestly, and then you were off to England and I didn’t want to burden you but Ray, we are going to have a baby. Can you believe it? I’m certain it’s a girl. Auntie says I’m silly, but I just know.

 

Love,

Rosie

 

P.S. I’m thinking of “Mary Rose” for the baby – Mary for your mother, of course, and Rose for the baby’s. What do you think?

 

***

 

June 4, 1944

 

It’s happening. The air is electric with our thoughts. Soon, is all Lt. will tell us. Tonight, I’m content to wait, here.

 

Ray paused, hunched over in his bunk. Then he laid his journal, pens, and Rosie’s letters on top of the olive-drab canvas fragment. Wrapping them tightly, he pressed his back into the wall and drew a long breath. The three-level bunks in the barracks were no quarry, but looking up from where he sat, the men lying in them or meandering about made a rippling wall, alive with their stories.

 

“Hayes, you gonna sleep like that?” James McKennon cocked his head in front of Ray’s bunk. Smoke from countless cigarettes wound its way from soldier to soldier, trails linking soul to soul. Ray fingered the photograph in his breast pocket one last time, then held it out. “McKennon, have you met my Rosie?”

 

***

 

June 6, 1944

 

Salty air whipped the soldiers’ faces. The heaving Channel seemed at war with itself to both bring them to their destination and hold them back in warning. Ray noticed Chaplain Smith moving from man to man, offering quiet words or a smoke. When he came near, Ray touched his arm. “Chaplain, sir? Could I ask a favor?”

 

“Of course, soldier,” the older man waited.

 

“Uh, no offense, sir,” Ray queried, “but you aren’t Catholic, are you? I mean,” he quickly clarified, “you are, back in the States, a Reverend, and not a Father?”

 

The man smiled, “I think Father Murphy is below deck at the moment. Should I fetch him?”

 

“Oh, no, sir, I was looking for,” Ray smiled for the first time that day, “a ‘revered’ person.”

 

Now it was the Reverend’s turn to smile. “I’m not sure if I qualify for that title, but I’ll do my best to be of assistance.”

 

Ray held out the package. “Would you take this, sir? Would you get it to…to…” he swallowed. “There’s an address on the letters.”

 

The Reverend tucked the package under his arm and placed his other hand on Ray’s shoulder. For a long moment neither spoke.

 

***

 

My Darling Rosie,

 

It seems like only yesterday you stepped off that bus. Only yesterday you stood in front of the pulpit, hiding behind that veil, daring me to tear it off. Time surely marches forward, my darling. We try to cling to moments like sand being washed off a beach. Time marches forward. For how many thousand years has the tide pulled against the shore? Yet the shore remains, Rosie. The castles we built together may wash away, but as the Good Book says (yes, your Ray has been paying attention, darling), “Love never ends.” I love you, darling. Stand on the shore as the waves roll in and feel me reach for you, again.

 

Until we meet again,

your loving Ray

 

***

 

Suddenly, someone hurried by, then another. Then it began. The guns. The shouting. The boats. Lower, lower, crash. The raining of spray and bullets. The door, dropping like the gate of hell. The Lt. gripping his rifle, shouting to his men. Forward!

“Americans Will Be Poor Overnight!” – Reaction To China & Brazil Agreement To Ditch US Dollar

[But if this is causing such controversy and posing such a risk, why are Western politicians so determined to continue supporting Ukraine?]

"Because they think they can win.

So I also think about this a lot, because they’re sane people, and they can’t want destruction and war – or at least only for very good reasons.

And obviously, they must have something which keeps their sense of danger lower than ours, otherwise, they’d behave like us.

I think geographical distance has a bearing on this.

So one factor is that the big European states are further away from Russia than Central Europe is.

They think of Ukraine as a buffer zone between them and Russia – and of course, there’s also Central Europe.

That’s how it used to be, didn’t it? That’s what they used us for.

So they think they’re further away from the real risk than Central Europe is.

Of course, Central Europeans are wailing about this, and the Hungarian prime minister is beating out fires, scaremongering, and talking about the damage of war.

This may be true in Central Europe, but on the Atlantic coast, in France, how can it be?

Of course, this argument ignores the fact that modern technology can cover greater distances than in previous wars; but all the same, their sense of security is much stronger than that of the Hungarians.

Not to mention that they’ve won wars.

And they still think – and I now think that this is the most important reason that they’re behaving differently from us – that they want to win this war against Russia, they want to defeat Russia.

Of course, sometimes they say it like this, and sometimes they say that the Russians mustn’t win.

But the point is the same: they want to achieve military success against Russia – at any cost."

Excerpt from remarks by Viktor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary, in an interview with Zsolt Törőcsik on the Kossuth Radio programme “Good Morning Hungary,” May 31, 2024.

“The End of Everything,” with Victor Davis Hanson | Uncommon Knowledge

I have a facsimile of this, but it’s not the USA.

It’s China and the UK.

My mother got cancer in the 1990s we were in the UK at the time. She was seen quickly treated within 3 weeks and was back home within a month. She got it again several times. Each time it was the same.

She didn’t feel well so she went to her GP, she was referred to a specialist, tests were done a further follow up before admission to hospital for treatment.

Over time the gaps between those events became longer and longer. As above in the 1990s it was measured in days. By the 00s it was measured in weeks.

My dad was in the UK in December 2023. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer by a UK GP, it took him 3 weeks to get a GP appointment and the follow up with a specialist was something like a month later. He literally said fuck this and took a flight to Shenzhen. He paid out of pocket £3900* and he was seen by a specialist immediately and was in surgery 48 hours later then had radiotherapy and by January 2024 he was back to normal again. He goes back to the hospital in Shenzhen for checkups.

While you might think £3900 is a fortune in the PRC, it’s not that £3900 was fully out of pocket. No health insurance whatsoever. My dad is a Chinese citizen but a HKSAR citizen meaning he’s not fully covered by the PRC health insurance system.

Had he taken treatment in the UK, likely he would pay nothing out of pocket. But it would have taken several months to get to the surgery/treatment stage and life is way too short to be have that hanging over your head.

Tropical Beef

tropical beef
tropical beef

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds beef top round steak, trimmed of fat
  • 2 large onions, cut into 12 thin wedges each
  • 1 (20 ounce) can unsweetened pineapple chunks, juice reserved
  • 1/2 cup beef broth
  • 5 tablespoons red wine vinegar, divided
  • 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch squares
  • 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch squares
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 large tomatoes, cut into wedges

Instructions

  1. Cut the beef into thin strips diagonally across the grain.
  2. Add to a 3 1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker.
  3. Add the onions, pineapple juice, broth, 3 tablespoons of the vinegar, garlic powder, seasoned salt, paprika, and black pepper. Mix well.
  4. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 6 1/2 hours or until the beef is just tender.
  5. Increase the setting to HIGH.
  6. Stir in the green and red pepper squares and the brown sugar.
  7. Mix together the cornstarch, soy sauce, and remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar.
  8. Stir into the cooker, blending well.
  9. Cook, covered, on HIGH for 45 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly.
  10. Just before serving, stir in the tomato wedges and pineapple chunks.
  11. Serve over cooked white rice.

What Western Media Won’t Tell Us: we’re being lied to in a big way

Parachuting into fashion

Yes. Arriving, the parking lot was very slick ice. I informed the hostess (owner), she just shot an undeserved annoyed look. Hey I was just trying to help them & avoid a slip & fall for someone.

Our waitress failed to bring our food as it sat way to long prepared, even after a long wait we asked. Clearly she then forgot; but did show up to push a wine bottle to buy. That after we distinctly expressed early on we were not there for drinks. Same with appetizers & desserts.

The goal was clear: upsell, upsell.

The food was just about room temperature. And not even what we had ordered. She tried to convince us to eat what she brought anyway!

All that did was piss her off. Watching her she returned food to the kitchen, obviously not giving them our actual order.

We are not snotty people at all! But were pretty much forced to be at this point, hangry didn’t help.

We stopped at the hostess/owner podium & waited for some attention. After too long she asked “how many in our party?” She didn’t remember us unsurprisingly.

I made a bit of a sport of it, saying “still two, we’re just waiting for our check”.

“Who was your waiter/waitress?”

“Don’t know”

“Where was your table”

“Over there (with a vague gesture”

Now SHE’S very annoyed & NOT pleasant at all. “What did you have?”

“Nothing but water”

Now she’s even more annoyed + confused. Good. As if anyone there cared anyway.

I finally explained the situation & that we’d been there for almost an hour at this point. Ordered food, never got it, we’re leaving.

The bitch, now outright rude, threatened to call the police.

I implored her to, explaining we certainly are not paying for a product or service we’d never received. And fortunately we hadn’t yet paid, as then we would have a stronger case do please – a police report will be a good addition to our case. Plus hopefully for her sake they arrive quickly since now they are on the clock.

She still tried to argue! “We can’t just come here and leave without paying”. Argh. Pay for what – water? I don’t even see water on the menu, how much do you charge for it?” (I believe it’s state law that water & bathroom facilities are required at a certain amount of seating). But she briefly tried to think of an amount to charge.

I finally announced the end of this dispute – if she’s call law enforcement we’d feel compelled to wait, otherwise we’re leaving. She quipped something like ” well I guess we’ll eat this one”.

“Good for you! That’s more than we got!”

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I was engaged to a fine woman. She was kind, considerate, smart and rich.

We had not set a date for the wedding when I started to have doubts about our relationship.

At first I didn’t know what was the problem was, but it was a strong feeling.

One day we were driving around in Brentwood, looking at old, stately homes when I saw what I considered to be a beautiful home.

It was brick, with leaded windows, slate roof and a plank door. I was admiring it when she said, “I will never live in a used house.”

I was stunned and asked her why.

She said, I don’t want to live in someone’s reject.”

I said, “just because someone is selling a house does not make it a reject.”

She said, “I do not care, I will never live in a used home.”

I knew she meant it.

At that moment I knew what the problem was, our values were too different.

I called off the engagement the next week.

I have never regretted that decision

EDIT: we parted with no hard feelings, there were no bad guys, just two people who were not right for each other.

My dad owned his own accounting firm for decades and he had one fairly big client that he got on well with. When Dad retired he was offered a job 1 day a week by this client. They had a guy who had been there a while who did payroll and the basic accounting but he wasn’t very good at the accounting so my dad was meant to be taking over accounts and this other guy was meant to be just doing payroll.

Anyway, on my dad’s first day the boss suggested he learn the payroll system so he could be cover for the other guy.

They had a little demonstration session and my dad asked how sickness was done. The payroll guy said nobody is ever sick to which the boss replied that he was, last month. Reluctantly the guy showed my dad how the sickness was done on his own payslip and everyone instantly spotted that the guy had been paying himself double when off sick! He had been doing that a while. He went the same day!

I was seated by a hostess at an Italian restaurant in Paramus NJ. It was supposed to be our anniversary dinner. A coworker of mine who was about as Italian as you can get without being born in Italy had given me a recommendation to go there.

Well after 30 minutes with not so much as a waiter/waitress taking our drink order (perhaps longer… I can be stubborn) I decided enough of this and signalled to my wife we were leaving now.

That could have been the end of the story but it is not.

I told my coworker what happened and it turned out he was part of the family (in laws? cousins? don’t remember.) and took it very personal that we got treated that way. My telephone at work rings a day or two later and it’s the owner of the restaurant and he’s apologizing profusely. It was then that I remembered my coworker told me to drop his name when I went there.

We were invited back for a “chef’s choice” seating at their expense. The meal was wonderful but way more than I could eat. There were eight courses and lots of wine. My wife doesn’t drink wine and never did so I got sorta concerned as was going to be way too drunk to drive. I’m not talking one bottle of wine here but a different wine for each course.

It was quite the meal.

When we went back days or months later we always were treated with great deference and got great service.

My brother in law Paul, he is a really nice guy he is always ready to help someone out. He was a volunteer coast guard, regularly went to church , is a really good provider for my sister, hard working financially prudent, not tight just put a bit aside for the rainy day, save for the pension.

But he makes watching paint dry feel exciting, he can flatten a family gathering just by walking into the room. He is a train spotter and makes models out of matches and is an amateur weather forecaster. His only subjects of conversation are different types of rolling stock on the railways, cloud types and work, he is an aera manager for morrisons local shops. But because a lot of his job is to do with the finance side he takes commercial confidentiality seriously. So apart from three slightly amusing stories, nothing about work.

He only ever has two drinks either at a party or in the pub, doesn’t like spicy food or french food, not really keen on pasta or pizza no bbq and doesn’t eat rice or garlic. His taste in music was once described by my sister ‘Paul doesn’t like music, he likes ric Astley and black lace it is mucus not music’ he is a nice guy but so boring.

According to my sister the only time he’s not boring is when he and she stay energetically awake, then by all accounts he is creative and inventive, and has superior staying power.

As I don’t have sex with him I will stick with the description boring.

It’s not me, but a guy who used to sit near me in my office.

In my office, the computers are set up such a way that if you don’t do anything for 4 minutes, they get locked. in order to unlock that, you need to type your password again.

Everyone faces this several times a day, if you go to the washroom, or busy in a phone call, or discussing something with someone for more than 4 minutes, you will find your PC locked when you come back.

This guy was too lazy to type his password every time this happened. So he invented this technology:

  1. Open notepad
  2. Put a bottle on the keyboard, this causes some keys to be pressed all the time.
  3. this causes text input in notepad.

The computer thinks that user is working, so it does not get locked.

This is a photo I took when he was gone from his desk after setting up the Bottle-Anti-lock mechanism.

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Soon he realized that entering huge amount of text in notepad causes the PC to run out of memory eventually and crash after some time.

We asked him to write a VBScript to mimic the keystroke, but he is too lazy for that. He found out a lazier work around,

He now uses a Comb (borrowed from a female co-worker – permanently) to push down the keys in the alt, ctrl, and the directional keys area which do not enter text in the notepad. and he keeps the bottle on top of the comb for the weight.

I don’t have an original photo for this. so I made a dummy. imagine the power bank is the keys that need to be pressed.

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main qimg c32ee9eef28193a84d190808fb6bb97c pjlq

Necessity is the mother of invention!

Update: Some friends have asked in comments why cant we just change the screen lock timeout settings, or remove the password. The answer is, we do not have Admin privileges. Passwords and other system settings are enforced by Admin directly into the registry using group policy. We don’t have the privilege of Change settings, edit registry, change date/time, change screensaver and wallpapers. we cant even install any additional software. CD roms and USB drives are disabled too, so no way of boot into a portable Linux or something to hack the registry.

Two women talking in heaven

1st woman: Hi! Wanda.

2nd woman: Hi! Sylvia. How’d you die?

1st woman: I froze to death.

2nd woman: How horrible!

1st woman: It wasn’t so bad…. After I quit shaking from the cold, I began to get warm & sleepy, and finally died a peaceful death. What about you?

2nd woman: I died of a massive heart attack. I suspected that my husband was cheating, so I came home early to catch him in the act. But instead, I found him all by himself in the den watching TV.

1st woman: So, what happened?

2nd woman: I was so sure there was another woman there somewhere that I started running all over the house looking. I ran up into the attic and searched, and down into the basement. Then I went through every closet and checked under all the beds. I kept this up until I had looked everywhere, and finally I became so exhausted that I just keeled over with a heart attack and died.

1st woman: Too bad you didn’t look in the freezer—we’d both still be alive.

Weather warnings

It’s war: the real meat grinder starts now

Pepe Escobar No more shadow play. It’s now in the open. No holds barred. Exhibit 1: Friday, March 22, 2024. It’s War. The Kremlin, via Peskov, finally admits it, on the record.

The money quote:

"Russia cannot allow the existence on its borders of a state that has a documented intention to use any methods to take Crimea away from it, not to mention the territory of new regions."

Translation: the Hegemon-constructed Kiev mongrel is doomed, one way or another. The Kremlin signal: "We haven't even started" starts now.

Exhibit 2: Friday afternoon, a few hours after Peskov. Confirmed by a serious European – not Russian – source. The first counter-signal. Regular troops from France, Germany and Poland have arrived, by rail and air, to Cherkassy, south of Kiev. A substantial force. No numbers leaked. They are being housed in schools. For all practical purposes, this is a NATO force.

That signals, “Let the games begin.

From a Russian point of view, Mr. Khinzal’s business cards are set to be in great demand. Exhibit 3: Friday evening. Terror attack on Crocus City, a music venue northwest of Moscow. A heavily trained commando shoots people on sight, point blank, in cold blood, then sets a concert hall on fire.

The definitive counter-signal: with the battlefield collapsing, all that’s left is terrorism in Moscow. And just as terror was striking Moscow, the US and the UK, in southwest Asia, was bombing Sana’a, the Yemeni capital, with at least five strikes. Some nifty coordination. Yemen has just clinched a strategic deal in Oman with Russia-China for no-hassle navigation in the Red Sea, and is among the top candidates for BRICS+ expansion at the summit in Kazan next October.

Not only the Houthis are spectacularly defeating thalassocracy, they have the Russia-China strategic partnership on their side. Assuring China and Russia that their ships can sail through the Bab-al-Mandeb, Red Sea and Gulf of Aden with no problems is exchanged with total political support from Beijing and Moscow.

The sponsors remain the same Deep in the night in Moscow, before dawn on Saturday 23. Virtually no one is sleeping. Rumors dance like dervishes on countless screens. Of course nothing has been confirmed – yet. Only the FSB will have answers. A massive investigation is in progress.

The timing of the Crocus massacre is quite intriguing. On a Friday during Ramadan. Real Muslims would not even think about perpetrating a mass murder of unarmed civilians under such a holy occasion.

Compare it with the ISIS card being frantically branded by the usual suspects.

Let’s go pop.

To quote Talking Heads: “This ain’t no party/ this ain’t no disco/ this ain’t no fooling around”.

Oh no; it’s more like an all-American psy op.

ISIS are cartoonish mercenaries/goons. Not real Muslims.

And everyone knows who finances and weaponizes them. That leads to the most possible scenario, before the FSB weighs in: ISIS goons imported from the Syria battleground – as it stands, probably Tajiks – trained by CIA and MI6, working on behalf of the Ukrainian SBU. Several witnesses at Crocus referred to “Wahhabis” – as in the commando killers did not look like Slavs.

It was up to Serbia’s Aleksandar Vucic to cut to the chase.

He directly connected the “warnings” in early March from American and British embassies directed at their citizens not to visit public places in Moscow with CIA/MI6 intel having inside info about possible terrorism, and not disclosing it to Moscow.

The plot thickens when it is established that Crocus is owned by the Agalarovs: an Azeri-Russian billionaire family, very close friends of… … Donald Trump. Talk about a Deep State-pinpointed target. ISIS spin-off or banderistas – the sponsors remain the same.

The clownish secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Oleksiy Danilov, was dumb enough to virtually, indirectly confirm they did it, saying on Ukrainian TV, “we will give them [Russians] this kind of fun more often.” But it was up to Sergei Goncharov, a veteran of the elite Russia Alpha anti-terrorism unit, to get closer to unwrapping the enigma: he told Sputnik the most feasible mastermind is Kyrylo Budanov the chief of the Main Directorate of Intelligence at the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.

The “spy chief” who happens to be the top CIA asset in Kiev. It’s got to go till the last Ukrainian The three exhibits above complement what the head of NATO’s military committee, Rob Bauer, previously told a security forum in Kiev: You need more than just grenades – you need people to replace the dead and wounded. And this means mobilization.

Translation: NATO spelling out this is a war until the last Ukrainian. And the “leadership” in Kiev still does not get it. Former Minister of Infrastructure Omelyan: “If we win, we will pay back with Russian oil, gas, diamonds and fur. If we lose, there will be no talk of money – the West will think about how to survive.” In parallel, puny “garden-and jungle” Borrell admitted that it would be difficult for the EU to find an extra 50 billion euros for Kiev if Washington pulls the plug. The cocaine-fueled sweaty sweatshirt leadership actually believes that Washington is not “helping” in the form of loans, but in the form of free gifts.

And the same applies for the EU. The Theater of the Absurd is unmatchable. The German Liver Sausage Chancellor actually believes that proceeds from stolen Russian assets do not belong to anyone, so they can be used to finance extra Kiev weaponizing.

Everyone with a brain knows that using interest from frozen”, actually stolen Russian assets to weaponize Ukraine is a dead end – unless they steal all of Russia’s assets, roughly $200 billion, mostly parked in Belgium and Switzerland: that would tank the Euro for good, and the whole EU economy for that matter. Eurocrats better listen to Russian Central Bank major “disrupter (American terminology) Elvira Nabiullina: The Bank of Russia will take appropriate measures if the EU does anything on the “frozen”/stolen Russian assets.

It goes without saying that the three exhibits above completely nullify the “La Cage aux Folles” circus promoted by the puny Petit Roi, now known across his French domains as Macronapoleon. Virtually the whole planet, including the English-speaking Global North, had already been mocking the “exploits” of his Can Can Moulin Rouge Army.

So French, German and Polish soldiers, as part of NATO, are already in the south of Kiev. The most possible scenario is that they will stay far, far away from the frontlines – although traceable by Mr. Khinzal’s business activities. Even before this new NATO batch arriving in the south of Kiev, Poland – which happens to serve as prime transit corridor for Kiev’s troops – had confirmed that Western troops are already on the ground.

So this is not about mercenaries anymore. France, by the way, is only 7th in terms of mercenaries on the ground, largely trailing Poland, the US and Georgia, for instance.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has all the precise records. In a nutshell: now war has morphed from Donetsk, Avdeyevka and Belgorod to Moscow. Further on down the road, it may not just stop in Kiev. It may only stop in Lviv. Mr. 87%, enjoying massive national near-unanimity, now has the mandate to go all the way. Especially after Crocus.

There’s every possibility the terror tactics by Kiev goons will finally drive Russia to return Ukraine to its original 17th century landlocked borders: Black Sea-deprived, and with Poland, Romania, and Hungary reclaiming their former territories.

Remaining Ukrainians will start to ask serious questions about what led them to fight – literally to their death – on behalf of the US Deep State, the military complex and BlackRock.

As it stands, the Highway to Hell meat grinder is bound to reach maximum velocity.

Bluto rules in Pago Pago

I hijacked my roommate’s internet connection.

Back when I was in college there wasn’t really any broadband. We used 56.6k dial up connections to access the internet. Now my roommate Cruchkov would monopolize that damned connection for hours on end. We only had the one phone for four of us and we would pick it up any time of the day or night and hear bleeep blop beeboo beeboo. All the time. It got to the point where we couldn’t even order a pizza. “Hey Dave you want pepperoni?” “Sure Corey” “Okay I’ll ca… bleeep blop beeboo beeboo.” “DAMNIT CHRUCHKOV”. We would bang on his door but he would either not hear us or pretend not to hear us.

So I hatched a plan.

I waited until he left for work one day. Then, armed with some s%^t I bought at Radio Shack back when they sold stuff that wasn’t cell phones, I walked into his room. I unscrewed his phone jack and connected a 5v relay to the line. COM/NO went to the phone, the coil went to the other two (unused) wires. Then I buried the whole thing back in the wall and made it look good as new. I hid a 9v battery inside the kitchen phone and connected it to the ringer switch and my secret wires.

Chruchkov comes home that evening, slams the door. Thirty seconds later it’s bleeep blop beeboo beeboo. “Hey Dave, you want pizza?” “But Chruchkov is on the…” “I got this, man.” I flip my switch, his phone turns off. But only his phone. The sound of him kicking and cursing at his computer remains one of the most passive aggressively satisfying moments of my life.

Yes, I did. I went to work for a company in accounts receivable. In other words followed up with customers who bought the service and products of the business And yes I was better than very good at it. Their books were a remarkable mess. The printout of “delinquent” accounts amounted to several hundred pages. I dived in. After a few months the owners got the opportunity to take over a franchise doing what they did in a different group of counties. They carpe’d the diem. As the franchiser had to take the business back their accounts were in horrible shape. After about two years I got everything lined out, quit sending repairmen to nonpaying customers, got the giving of “product” that should be sold to customers stopped. About three months before I finally had everything straightened out the owner hired someone to ostensibly “assist” me. The very week I finally got the system set up to where anyone should be able to keep it going easily they let me go. The person hired to assist me was being paid 2/3 of what I was or I was making 50% more than her. There were also four different occasions with different companies where upper management refused to promote me because they feared the results of my leaving the department I was in.

Back during the pandemic, I took my cat, Caesar, to the vet. He was a 15 year old, orange, short haired cat. Because of COVID, the vet’s office had implemented a policy of people not being allowed to go back to the exam rooms with their pet. I wasn’t really comfortable with that but my little guy had a sore front paw so I had to get him seen by the vet. A staff member came out to my car, got Caesar (in his carrier) and took him inside to be examined by the vet while I waited in my car. After a few minutes, the vet called my cell phone and we discussed the problem with Caesar’s front paw. An x-ray was done and it was determined that the problem was with one of his claws. Apparently it was a problem that is fairly common in older cats and easily treatable. Over the phone, the vet and I agreed upon the treatment for the problem. A short time later, the staff member brought Caesar back out to my car and presented me with the bill. As I quickly scanned the bill before giving the staff member my credit card, I saw a $40 charge for a ‘ therapeutic shave’ on the bill. I didn’t understand so I asked about the charge. Found out that while they had Caesar in the exam room, someone shaved his back end for no apparent reason. I said to the staff member “ So you needlessly shaved my cat’s ass and want to charge me $40 for it? I think that you guys should owe him $40 for doing that to him! “

The charge was removed from my bill. Caesar got extra treats and a new toy that day too.

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Playing around, this time with a Wes Anderson theme; Life Aqua.

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Do you know this guy?

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main qimg cc42c50211fa294347bd204dc79c6f1f pjlq

He is Daniel Radcliffe.

(Photo source: Daniel Radcliffe raps Eminem’s ‘The Real Slim Shady’)

At the age of 11, he was cast as Harry Potter in the first Harry Potter film, and starred in the series for 10 years. At the age of 14, an article in British newspaper ‘The Sun’ listed him as Britain’s third richest teenager behind only Prince Harry Windsor and Charlotte Church, the very popular singer-songwriter TRUST Trivia: Daniel Radcliffe.

He became the youngest non-royal to have his portrait displayed in London’s prestigious National Portrait Gallery at the same age. In 2007, the British press estimated 18-year-old Radcliffe’s total net worth at $35 million, and $80 million at the age of 26. ‘Harry Potter’ Daniel Radcliffe turns 26: 10 unknown facts about the actor

Would you want your kid to become someone popular and successful like him?

Maybe. Yes.

Now read this (paying special attention to bold words):

Daniel Radcliffe: I turned to alcohol to cope with fear of failure and fame. “It is not a real pressure, but it is a pressure of living with the thought, ‘Oh, what if all these people are saying I am not going to have a career? What if they are all going to be right and will be laughing and I will be consigned to a bunch of “Where are they now?” lists?'” Radcliffe added: “I was living in constant fear of who I’d meet, what I might have said to them, what I might have done with them, so I’d stay in my apartment for days and drink alone. I was a recluse at 20. It was pathetic – it wasn’t me. I’m a fun, polite person, and it turned me into a rude bore.”

Source: Daniel Radcliffe: I turned to alcohol to cope with fear of failure and fame

“The bottom line is people don’t like change, especially when it’s connected to endings,” she concludes. “For some people, they have a harder time maintaining a positive self-image when it’s linked to a job that gives them an identity. And so in order to deal with the intensity of that emotional pain, some people self-medicate in order to feel less depressed, less anxious, less hopeless or less unimportant” -Dr. Rubi Ludwig, Psychotherapist.

Source: Daniel Radcliffe Turned to Alcohol to Cope With The Ending of Harry Potter

“It Was Not Making Me as Happy as I Wanted It To”

Source: Daniel Radcliffe Opens Up About Past Alcohol Abuse

Now would you want your kid to abuse himself with alcohol/drugs while he has so much in the world that one could only dream of?

No. Definitely not.

This is just an example of people who are extremely successful, but aren’t happy. They may be child prodigies, but they are so full of fear of failure that after all they have achieved, they are no close to finding happiness. And their lives and money are wasted in running after it.

Raise your kid such that he doesn’t become this example.

1. Take the FEAR OF FAILURE away from him.

The fear, that you are instilling in him unknowingly. By saying this:

  • Whatever you do, just do your best. Be it studies or games.
  • It is important to win the Olympiad. It is the stepping stone for your career.
  • Study with the aim of securing first rank. So we can be proud parents.

Saying this instills the fear of failure. Kid aims for perfection, resulting in a stressed outlook.

This is Fear of Failure.

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main qimg d3d72168c03a206123c735ec7f481223 pjlq

Teach your children so fear of failure never creeps in their mind. By telling them this:

  • Do not focus on excelling at everything. It keeps you in a constant state of stress. Do somethings for pure enjoyment. And in fact, do everything for the fun of it.
  • What do you think of the Olympiad? I think it is important, but not the most important thing.
  • What are you studying? Let’s explore how can we apply it practically.

2. Teach him to THINK IN A HEALTHY WAY.

Not anxiously, as you might be doing now.

  • Mister, the exams are approaching. You better start worrying!
  • Sharmaji’s son is a top-ranker. He got a great on-campus placement. What will happen of you? Where will you go with these marks?
  • Amend your behavior. You are a grown-up now.

Saying this leads to anxious thinking. Kid is overwhelmed, loaded with inferiority complex and self-consciousness.

This is Anxious thinking.

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main qimg 04ae00e83c729ab8fc6585d263ac0bb2 pjlq

And there is no other way to teach them this, except to teach yourself this.

  • Do not encourage him to think anxiously. He’ll learn it in no time, and soon will have anxiety attacks, inhibiting performance.
  • Do not compare him to others thinking it’ll motivate him. Motivate him by positive means, comparative thinking will take a lifetime toll on him.
  • Do not expect him to behave like a grown-up. A 3-yr old will behave like one, and a teenager like one. Accept them as per their age.

3. Teach him to have a POSITIVE SELF-IMAGE.

Again, do not teach him this.

  • You are considered doing well only when you get good grades.
  • Why can’t you be more like your sister? She’s such a good kid and gets a first in everything.
  • Read faster
  • Write faster.
  • Run faster.
  • Do it faster.

This teaching promotes negative self-image. Synonymous with low self- worth and self-esteem.

This is Negative self-image.

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main qimg 4acb7bcc7ce5ca10f32df74527311996 pjlq

So, teach yourself this.

  • Do not pressurize children with too much focus on grades or rewards.
  • Remember that he can’t be like his sister. Each person is different. Are you doing this so you have to deal with only one personality?
  • Do not pressurize the kid to be faster in everything he does. Each kid learns at his own pace.

Teaching yourself these things will raise a kid who is free from this negative thought:

What will happen if… I fail…

My housemate is 26 years old. She’s intelligent and pretty and (generally) fun to be around.

But… she hates her job.

It’s obvious.

Sometimes she’ll just sit at the kitchen table in her pajamas, coffee in hand, looking at the clock.

And she’ll casually say, “I have to leave for work in two minutes.”

Does she actually leave for work two minutes later?

I’ll let you guess the answer to that.

But the thing that blows me away is this:

When I asked her a little while ago if she’s considered changing jobs and doing something that doesn’t make her look unhappy every morning, there was genuine surprise in her voice.

As in, “Of course I’m going to work another 36+ years at a job I despise! That’s totally normal.”

A lot of people think that.

Like my housemate, they “celebrate” the weekend and dread Mondays.

Like my housemate, they might even negotiate more hours at work so they can qualify for more vacation time.

And that’s a huge trap: Thinking you’re doomed to working a job you hate.

Thinking you have to work a 9-to-5.

Thinking you can’t earn money if you’re not actively working.

That’s all nonsense.

If you’re not happy with your work, not only can you change, but you absolutely should.

I’ve been freelancing for years and wouldn’t even consider getting a job where some boss gets to tell me things like:

  • When to work
  • Where to work
  • How many vacation days I can take
  • How much I can get paid

For example, this month, I’m a bit ahead of schedule on the projects I’m working on so I can take time off if I want to.

Do I have to ask for permission?

Nope.

Do I even have to let anyone know?

Nope.

I’m not saying this to brag, even though it might sound like it.

I’m saying this because if you feel stuck in a job you can’t stand, just know that there’s a way out for you.

Please, don’t stay at a job you despise long-term.

It’s not good for you or for anyone else.

You have the doctor who pumped four gallons of hydrogen gas into his anus, to diagnose gastrointestinal problems

[1], and then you have surgical resident, Werner Forssmann, who was eager to push a tube through a vein in his elbow, until it reached his heart. This would become a method of transporting medication to and fro the incision site.

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main qimg 7c8fee7cb0389b8a571c5bb730943c92 lq


Werner Forssman was desperate to self-experiment, although faced challenges along the way. One person he had to pass was the surgical nurse, who had access to the theatre and medical equipment.

After much convincing, the nurse gave in to his ludicrous idea. In fact, she volunteered to have the procedure performed on herself! I guess the idea isn’t as crazy as the doctor who transported parasites within himself, only to produce parasite semen for research!

[2]Anyway, despite dismissal from the doctors who believed the surgery would be a death wish, Werner continued on with his plan.

The nurse lay on the surgical table, whilst Werner tightly strapped her legs and arms in. Only, when she wasn’t looking, the doctor applied anesthetic to his own arm, cut his arm open, and pushed the 12-inch catheter (thin tube) into his vein!

Now, all he needed was an X-Ray room. Successfully, Werner x-rayed himself and noticed that the tube had reached his shoulder. He pushed the tube in further until it was 24-inches inside his vein.

Bingo! Werner reached his ventricular cavity.


For his risky actions, Werner was fired. As a result, he took up positions as a military surgeon and Major in World War II. He wasn’t a hero though. Werner was a Nazi, actively joining the party in 1932. He was eventually imprisoned, although did receive a Nobel Prize twenty years later for his medical efforts.

Largest NATO Base in Europe Being **RUSHED** in Romania

Largest NATO Base in Europe Being **RUSHED** in Romania

The largest NATO base in Europe is being built in Romania.  Construction commenced at the outset of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and is being RUSHED.

The Mihail Kogalniceanu airbase in Romania will turn into a military camp where 10 thousand NATO soldiers can live, this will require an investment of €2.5 billion, reports local publication Pro TV.

The base is located in a mountainous area and should become a center for command and control of troops in South-Eastern Europe.

The zoomable map below shows the location:

Map
Map

We were in a beautiful relationship for about 3 years. And then suddenly she over texts, broke up with me. No explanation given. Like every other guy, I cried, pleaded for just one reason, and all she said was it’s over, I don’t want to be with you. She has changed her college a month before the break up. And like I suspected she fell out of love with me because there is new guy who approached her. Quite similar to everyone’s love story. Lol

Anyway, I was literally shattered, and broken. I couldn’t believe the girl I thought to be my future left me in such a dire condition.

It’s been three years since she is gone. Yesterday, I got a phone call from her at 2am. Basic points from the calls were:

  1. She was unhappy, crying profusely over the phone. She said she don’t have anyone to trust and talk to, except me. And yes, I talked to her because pretty much I loved her too much.
  2. She said the guy cheated her, and when asked him for a breakup, he said he will going to kill her, he abused and hit her off. And she thought everybody will leave silently like me.
  3. I asked her to do a police complain, she said, she doesn’t want her parents to know, she is stucked.
  4. After few minutes on call, she was laughing, talking to me as if we were never separated, I was wondering how easy the things are for girls.
  5. Then she told me even before her father and brother, I am the person she trust and respect the most. I was flattered but I knew, it’s no more important.
  6. I was again at ground zero, I felt happy talking to her, but the wounds were yet fresh.
  7. I tried not to make her feel bad and bid her bye.

Today I Changed my phone number, and email id!

I do love her a lot, still? Yes. But I cannot give her the power to destroy me again.

While this dis not happen to me, it happenesn to a neighbor friend who repaired computers…

One of our other neighbors approached him to take a look at problem they (a couple) were having with their computer. The problem is irrelevant here.

So my friend went about his diagnostics to figure out how to address the issue. As any good computer tech does, once the machine was up an running again, he went about doing some basic maintenance such as cleaning up temp files and so on.

In doing so he stumble upon a huge set of pictures and videos… yes, that. Not illegal ones, but actual professional ones used in well known sites.

As it turned out, we learned that our low key neighbor was a well known porn star making videos at home, which now explained all the odd traffic we always noticed at their house. This porn was bringing them probably close $500k/yr or more. They did end up moving later on to a higher end neighborhood not to far. Shortly after moving but still owned the property, a well known on-line news magazine (you’ve all read something from them) came by looking for them, knocking on doors to see if any of us knew more about them, and if we knew where they moved to.

BTW – part of the story that the on-line magazine (you’ve all read something from them) was chasing was that her day job was unwrapping kids toys from well known entertainment company. So she was also a top rated poster/producer in that segment in YouTube for some time. We learned a lot that day… those pretty hands of hers served multiple purposes.🙂

So, the people who bought their house now have a bit of a topic and history to share about their house, because of course, we neighbors shared the history about it 😉.

It’s funny thinking back to the many casual neighbor conversations we had with that couple, and little did we know what was behind it all. She is very cute, it all made sense.

Today she is still out there, bigger than before. If anyone reading this watches porn, or watched children’s toy unwrapping, you’ve probably seen her…

The Rise of Chinese Pick Me Girls

Pizza!

In 2001, Pizza Hut delivered a pizza to the International Space Station. The pizza was a 6″ pizza and was delivered to the ISS aboard a Russian Progress vehicle. They paid $1 million to transport the same.

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main qimg fb88f94afdf6357296958d11273b4874 lq

Pizza Hut once made delivery to International Space Station

Looks like pizza lovers know no boundaries 😀

LOL

I had a traumatic brain injury, was on life support, and was in a coma for 7 days.

During this time I found myself looking at the doctors working on me, then I walked up a small ramp and met my brother who passed away unexpectedly.

My brother looked like he did when he was in High School, I wanted to stay with him but he said that I couldn’t come in, and it wasn’t my time, that I needed to spend more years with my wife and children.

I was heartbroken and when I came out of my coma, I remembered everything so vividly.

The doctors said they lost me a couple of times but were able to revive me, and they were so surprised because I shouldn’t have survived my accident.

This is the truth, I never would have believed my story if I were somebody else, but this happened, and for the fact that the doctors said they couldn’t control the bleeding and that I was supposed to die, I wouldn’t have believed myself.

Now having my motor skills back, but still working on my speech, I’m able to go back to work after only 3 months, this is a true miracle. And never take life for granted, there are no promises for a tomorrow.

This chick in a small town in the Philippines talk about her town. A nice escape.

Nope. You see no matter what China or Chinese do we’ll be criticised for it. A few years back I posted some screen caps of Western media:

  • China pollutes – China bad!
  • China cuts pollution – China bad!

So what’s been happening in Hong Kong and Legco?

This happened:

The December 2021 LegCo elections. Go look at it. Pan Dems and other yellow groups stood for election. They didn’t get very many votes.

If you’ve been keeping an eye on what’s been happening in LegCo for the past 26 years it’s pretty obvious. The Pan Dems have never had a majority there, what they have done however is simply fillibuster and delay and oppose EVERYTHING that has been tabled at LegCo since forever. This is Hong Kong’s version of Hansard. An official record of everything said at LegCo at debates and motions/votes.

https://app.legco.gov.hk/HansardDB/english/Search.aspx

The we care about the people Yellows blocked and delayed EVERYTHING.

Some biggies:

They opposed the minimum wage.

They opposed maternity leave.

They opposed those not because they though they were a bad idea but purely on ideological grounds.

Since 2022 when the new bunch of LegCo people took their seats? Without the permanent blockage of the yellows who as above block things on ideological grounds things actually get through LegCo rather than spending months and years being blocked by them.

This is just another example.

Want another?

Foreign doctors working in Hong Kong.

That had been opposed by the yellows since 1997. Yet changes were made in 6 months after December 2021.

I’m rooting for you!

  • I have a Premium Netflix account that I don’t pay for so you guys can use my laptop to watch movies and series.
  • In my hostel room in college you will find a photo frame kept on the top left shelf above the study table which has a photo of Me with a Girl.If possible return it to her and tell her it’s called “Our Dastoor” or Destiny.
  • My phone’s pin is 1632 because that was the time(16:32) while i was setting the new pin .
  • In my phone there are two calculator apps. One pre-installed and the other downloaded from play store. When you will enter 1632 and press ‘’=“ in the downloaded one it will open a secret pdf which contains my Bucket List, delete that, it won’t be necessary anymore.
  • Can you ask the college authorities if they can still provide me the degree posthumously cause papa is very proud of my IIT achievement.
  • Tell my friends sorry that I promised i would certainly try beer with them the next time we go on a trip.
  • Donate/throw away my possessions except for the white letter with a red tape which is kept in my laptop bag. Kindly burn it away without opening it. It’s rude to read someone’s love letters.

Different services, but the story is helpful to understand what can happen in the real world battlefield

The 82nd Airborne jumped into Grenada at the international airport at night. Some soldiers ended up in extremely tall grass to the east of the runway and were separated from the main force but could hear the fire fight to the north and west of their positions but could not see due to the tall, thick grass

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main qimg edbe462c2758da0cc5c682a09af8b8b0 lq

One by one, they started to form up. At some point, they added a USAF fighter pilot Captain who was aligned as an Air Liaison Officer who specialized in controlling close air support, small unit infantry.

After the small group numbered squad strength, they stopped briefly while headed towards the sounds of the battle. The soldiers looked at the USAF Captain, the only officer present and one spoke up and asked “What do we do now sir?”. Despite being a fighter pilot by trade, he suddenly found himself in command of a parachute infantry squad.

So, yeah, in a situation where they are cutoff from their leadership and unit, Marines and any member of the Armed Forces should obey the lawful orders of senior NCOs and officers regardless of service.

Comic Trial Three

I had a cardiologist tell me. repeatedly, that I had panic attacks. He said I didn’t have angina. He sent me for a stress test, which I could not do from “imaginary” chest pain. I insisted on a angiogram. He mocked me and scoffed. I was desperate at this point and kept insisting. He angrily ordered one and told me it was a waste of time and what I really needed was a psychiatrist.

I showed up for my 7 AM Friday appointment at Broward General. I don’t know what he had written or told them, but I sat there for the entire day. Finally, about 5 PM, I went in. (I actually have no memory of anything after flicking a cigarette away at 7, when I arrived.) I woke up Monday in terrible pain. I had no idea what had happened. My wife told me that after just a few minutes, the doctor had come out and said they could not complete the angiogram because of severely clogged arteries, (including the one that causes the “widowmaker”. They put me in cardiac ICU and kept me heavily sedated until Monday, when they could operate. I had a triple bypass. The cardiologist told me I was very lucky to be alive.

Oh, and that cigarette I flicked away was my last one. I can take a hint. (That was Jan 2011.)

Ugh!!!!!!

Men need “nothing time”.

Year: 1905

Location: San Francisco

It was winter. Frank Epperson was thirsty.

He decided to make himself a drink. He took a flavored sugar mix, put it in a cup, stirred it with a brown stirring stick.

After playing outside, he forgot he’d left his drink on the front lawn.

He then went inside and went to bed. When he came back out the following morning, he saw his cup sitting there with frozen liquid.

Picking it up, he pulled the stick out, the frozen sugar water was attached to it. In true kid fashion, without worrying if it was dirty, Frank ate the frozen liquid—and loved it.

He realized he was on to something.

And so he started putting more cups out, with the wooden sticks in them and began selling what he called the Epsicle. His entrepreneurial take on the lemonade stand.

Sales started in his neighborhood and then expanded outward.

Eventually, he renamed the product to Popsicle.

And thus, a new popular trend was born.

An accidental invention.

Unconscious

About two decades ago, a woman I know lost her father.

A day or two later, she found out her husband was sentenced to prison.

A couple of days later, her daughter-in-law decided to get a divorce.

Those few days COMPLETELY turned this woman’s life around.

The next day, a Monday, she went to work as normal, didn’t tell her colleagues a thing, put on a brave face.

When she came home, her husband wasn’t around as he was in prison.

She went about her usual business as if nothing had happened – cooking food and stuff.

She had a chat with her kids, including the eldest going through his divorce, told them all would be fine, lifted their spirits.

The following day, she went back to work.

She opened up about her experience to me and someone else a few weeks ago – I mean, everyone in my social circle knew about the events – but she had never discussed how she experienced it – how she coped, her motivation, which was to protect her kids.

I only then really realised why her kids, all of whom I have known since I was a child, have done so incredibly well – they had grown up with this woman as their leader.

No complaints, no self-pity, selfless. Being the example she wanted her kids to be.

This is the best example I have seen of leadership.

And, frankly, the type only a woman is capable of.

Patara’s Response to State of Union Address

That was not a state of the union address. It was a declaration of war on the American people.

The French aristocracy pre-Revolution weren’t the careless, luxurious bastards lording over everyone cruelly as they are made out to be. This is demonstrated most perfectly by the fact that many of the most prominent revolutionaries were, themselves, noblemen.

In the same vein, Louis XVI wasn’t overthrown because he was a tyrant, he was overthrown because he was NOT a tyrant. If anything him being friendly, indecisive and soft-willed moreso than his war-minded predecessors Louis XV and Louis XIV, made him into a target. The Kings before him stayed reasonably popular. By going to war a lot and spending obscene amounts of money that would ultimately lead to the Kingdom’s downfall, these rulers were generally rather respected by much of the population. Much like with the last Tsar of Russia, the King who ended up losing his head to the guillotine was a pretty chill, open-minded fellow open to reforms.

There’s this stereotype of these lavishly spoiled big spenders in powdered wigs, Marie-Antoinette telling the hungry should just “go eat cake”, completely removed from reality… and truthfully, this is bullshit. A ton of noblemen were social reformers, generous to the poor, conscientious and cared deeply for the common man. The revolutionaries who took over, quite a few of them were blue-blooded themselves. And were far worse than the elites they ended up killing.

Captain Kirk Meets Gary Seven

Oh, definitely. I think my old manager, David Filo fits that to a tee. He often sat around barefoot while coding; and when he was wearing shoes, they were ten-year-old sneakers, starting to show holes in them.

He drove an old Datsun for the longest time, full of random crap. Old software manuals, books, pizza boxes. When a bomb scare was called in at work, one day, the bomb squad searched the campus; they eventually called a mostly-all-clear; they’d only found one suspicious object, and cordoned it off. It was my boss’s car, dilapidated and so full of junk as to be suspiciously possible as to be harboring a bomb. (It wasn’t; as the founder of the company, he would never have done anything to harm it like that). (I think Rolling Stone gave a very apt description of his car, many years ago: “a battered Datsun filled from top to bottom with junk, including enough lumber to build several sets of bookshelves. (“If we were living in the 16th century, David would be a monk,” says Yang of his partner’s asceticism.) He bought the car while in high school in Lake Charles, LA. As a student at Tulane University, he totaled it, bought it back from the insurance company for $300 and then had it rebuilt at a local prison, where the inmates were studying auto repair.” — from Yahoo!)

I’ve written elsewhere about his reaction to hearing about a really good lease deal a fellow co-worker had gotten on an electric vehicle: Matthew Petach’s answer to How do billionaires see $100K or $1M? Do they still consider it a lot of money? That story is the epitome of how he approached the world; as laid back and low key as you could imagine.

And yet, he was worth about $5 billion at the time. Depending on the market shifts, he might gain or lose half a billion dollars from one day to the next. It made no difference to him; he was the same focused engineer, working hard to make sure everything was running smoothly.

He did eventually get a new car, but only after the board of directors insisted, because the insurance company would no longer provide insurance for them until he drove something considered less risky.

As a multi-billionaire, he definitely qualifies as filthy rich; and yet I’ve never seen him act that way, not even once. A truly class act, all around.

1 am at Tokyo’s Super Mysterious Adult zone

It Started: America on BILL STRIKE | 75M Stop Paying

There are three possible interpretations of the “end” of the Roman Empire in the West, and all are equally correct, depending on one’s point of view.

The most common one you read is that it ended on 4 September AD 476, when the German magister militum Odoacer overthrew Romulus Augustus, who was the Emperor ruling in Ravenna (the Western capital of the time, not Rome), and took control himself. He sent a letter back to Emperor Zeno in Constantinople, stating that the Empire needed only one Emperor, and sent back the western imperial regalia. Zeno accepted this (although he continued to recognize another man as Emperor; read on) and granted him patrician rank. Odoacer declared himself “King of Italy” and ruled for the next 17 years.

Another interpretation is based on the historical fact that Romulus Augustus was both a usurper and a puppet emperor set up by his father, the barbarian general Orestes, in 475, and was never recognized by Zeno as the legitimate Emperor. The actual Emperor, Julius Nepos, fled from Ravenna and set up court in Dalmatia, where he reigned, still recognized by Zeno, until 9 May 480, when he was assassinated by political enemies. Before this, Odoacer actually struck coins in Roman mints recognizing him as Emperor, accepting him as titular Emperor in the West as long as Nepos didn’t attempt to actually retake Italy. Odoacer occupied Dalmatia himself about a year later.

A third possibility lies in the fact that even after 9 May 480, there was a part of the old Western Empire that still gave allegiance directly to the Emperor. This was a substantial part of northern Gaul (France) under the control of a Roman general named Syagrius. Historians call it the “Kingdom of Soissons,” after the city that Syagrius governed from. He controlled this land from 464 to 486:

Syagrius’ problem was that he had an ally in a Frankish king, Childeric, who supported him in conflicts and had no desire to annex the area. But he died in 481 and was succeeded by his ambitious son Chlodovech, who is known to history as Clovis. Sometime in 486, we are not sure of the date, Chlodovech attacked Syagrius and defeated him in a battle near Soissons. He annexed the region to the growing Frankish Kingdom. And with that ended the final vestige of the Roman Empire in the West.

Stressful Travel To Mainland China

I walked into a convenience store in Venice, CA and ran into a cute girl with an English accent. She says to me, “Excuse me, but were you in Vegas last weekend?”

I thought for a second and realized I had gone to a friend’s bachelor party the previous weekend. “Yes,” I said, “do I know you?”

She says, “I have a photo of us.”

She then pulls her digital camera out of her bag and proceeds to show me several pictures of her and me dancing quite inappropriately at the club in Hard Rock Hotel.

I ask her if she lives in Vegas or Los Angeles. She lives in England and is just visiting the states on holiday. Somehow, I managed to dance with this girl all night in Vegas and then run into her 300 miles away in Venice five days later.

10 Harshest Truths About Women That Men Learn Too Late

Just reading through the other answers, there is a LOT of anti-China sentiment and justified by the “Chinese have so many spies here blah blah blah Influence the Government blah blah blah etc etc” Well it’s the same here in New Zealand and so far there hasn’t been one shred of evidence to back up these claims of spying and espionage and influence. This includes the Huawei 5G backdoor thing. No evidence at all.

As an example here. A well known University Professor who wrote a book about the above subject has claimed to have had her house broken into a number of times (by Chinese spies), her car tampered with (by Chinese spies) to try to kill her. The media is outraged and other University Professors are signing protests to China letters to our Government, but it’s all fake and made up. She is either delusional or trying to sell more books. The police have investigated and come up with no evidence at all. But does that matter? Not one bit. Are the Police going to out her? Of course not, that’s not PC to shame a mad woman. The public is still rabidly anti China because the fake story that paints a villain is way more appealing than actual facts. And yes that’s my fault too, because what makes news is clicks and I click on Trump stories and help to make his bullshit get to the top of the front page.

So in answer to your question, in some ways we are trying to please USA – per the 5 eyes thing and US paranoid spy agencies sending the info/alarmism/ anti China rhetoric our way. In some ways we are just jumping on the same nationalist bandwagon that most developed western democracies seem to be jumping on. In other ways we see our house prices going up and like to blame the Chinese rather than our own shortsightedness in failing to build enough homes the last couple of decades. Finally, same as Australia, our mad political system gives a big voice to a small and xenophobic party.

Cats can take it all away

I think system to system comparisons are meaningless when comparing the PRC’s military to the US. F-22 vs J-20 type comparisons make no sense when those fighters have very specific roles to play in the very different air combat philosophies of the USAF and PLAAF. If I was to hazard a guess I would say the F-22 would be fulfilling it’s designed role as an air superiority fighter while the J-20 would be deployed to use it’s stealth to destroy US surveillance, EW and AWACs platforms in contested airspace, a much more niche role.

Both of these platforms would be considered great if they meet the mission they were designed for rather than who wins some hypothetical air to air engagement.

So this answer is going to avoid most of these platform comparisons and try to take a higher level look at how the military postures of both countries compare within the context of technology, doctrines, military industries and objectives.


Joint Operations

The US excels in these. Recall that back in WW2, the French had better tanks and aircraft than the Germans but still lost their short war with Germany because their officer corp just didn’t know how to put them all together to conduct effective military operations.

The US has a effective Joint Chiefs of Staff committee to ensure the armed elements of the US military play nice with each other and can execute integrated battle plans effectively.

The Chinese are new to this. They realized how far ahead the US was in this field when they witnesses the US military’s capabilities in 1991 in the first Gulf war as well as the frustration of the 1996 US carrier pass.

At the moment, one thing the Chinese military is planning for is that rather than try to catch up to the US in terms of integrated systems and operations which would take a loooong time to do (they also don’t have the rich combat history and experience of the US military), what they can do is engage in something called ‘System Destruction’.

That is, the Chinese military should focus on degrading and pulling apart the overall US military system.

So if the US military has a Recon Strike Complex, the Chinese focus on taking away their recon ability. This has been demonstrated by their endeavors to develop ASAT capabilities and soft kill capabilities with lasers and EW. Alongside developing small satellites that can be launched into space and maneuvered close to American satellites to destroy them.

Similarly, the US is built heavily around the idea of Airpower dominance over it’s foes and the Chinese Strategic Support Force (the ex-Rocket Force) is specifically designed to nullify this advantage by training and equipping to use ballistic missiles to take out air bases from which the bulk of USAF activity will be based.

However, the conclusion here is that the US is still pretty ahead in terms of Joint Operations and while the PRC military is building up the capability to disrupt them, in order to take advantage of these disruptions, they need to up the scale and pace of their own Joint Operations capability.


The Ballistic Missile threat

The PRC ballistic missile force’s primary goal is to make US bases unusable. The short range missiles are aimed at the US bases in Okinawa while the more medium range missiles are designed to disrupt operations from bases in Japan.

And the DF-26 is designed to make even operations from bases like Guam risky if not maybe as disrupted as the other bases.

The PRC ballistic missile threat is in part inspired by the US military’s failure to effectively hunt and destroy SCUDs in Iraq during the first Gulf War. Which leads the PRC to believe that if they have mobile, solid fueled missile systems, they would not be as prone to destruction from US military forces and pose a considerable threat for the duration of any war with the US. These kinds of missiles are hard to hunt, can quickly break from cover, set up and fire before the enemy can fire back at them.

With a mobile missile system like the SCUD, you have a 15 minute window to detect and destroy it once it breaks from cover. This is currently not within the capability of the US military.


The Drone Threat

The Chinese don’t have as much loitering munition drones as the US so they definitely do lag here. They have gotten the Israeli Harpy drone, which costs less than half a million bucks but has a longer range than the F-35. These drones can be sent out by the Chinese to search for threats, locate and scan airfields in prep work for artillery and missile bombardment. IF they can make it into a defended air space.

This is completely out of date. -MM

Space

The ability of space based platforms to provide you imaging (visual or infrared) across the planet + put SAR radars on small satellites means that your ability to locate and track objects from space for a military purpose is growing rapidly. This is the kind of ability the Chinese are building up in space.

Now you still cant track aircraft but for fixed targets or large naval targets like a carrier, in conjunction with autonomous terrestrial systems you have a much better capability to locate and target naval assets. So you could use space based assets to locate naval surface targets and use them to maneuver autonomous systems like the Israeli Harop drone munition into the area where a carrier might be. And then the Harop’s own sensors take over and actively hunt in the area. (Again, assuming it can make it through contested space).

In the near future, we might have 10–15,000 satellites doing this in space and you could of course blow the whole orbit up and deny this capability to both the US and China but short of that, what the two countries are positioning themselves for is not just having these assets in space but being able to replace them once an adversary has destroyed them.

The problem with the US side is that they have a good ability to replace military satellites but in space, both civil and military capabilities operate in conjunction. So if the Chinese switch from targeting military to civil satellites, the US doesn’t have rapid replacement in place for them. And these are satellites that operate critical infrastructure like bank transactions etc.

At the moment the Chinese have quantity while the US has quality when it comes to space based assets but the US has the added advantage of commercial space launch capability as well with technologies ranging from 3D printed rockets etc. that China doesn’t have to the same scale.


Naval comparisons

The PLAN is now the largest navy in the world and while on general, the USN has better quality ships, the new PLAN destroyers like the Type 55 are fairly at par with the USN equivalent ships. Same with the stealth fighters, the question is how quickly they can approach the USN in terms of significant scale of deployment in the active military.

Underwater warfare, the USN has a clear lead and the PLAN is not close at all to bridging that gap. The PLAN is responding by seeding a huge network of sensors in the South China sea to weed out USN submarines so the USN would probably have to respond with unmanned autonomous subs in the area, turning the underwater war largely into an unmanned one.

Carrier warfare, the US has a lead as well but this lead is somewhat meaningless if we talk about a war near China. If anyone thinks the USN is going to send their carriers into the range of Chinese MRBMs and H-6 Bombers carrying extended range cruise missiles, I would highly suggest alternative thinking here. The PRC has specifically developed this extended range weapons to force the USN carriers back and nullify their advantages at close range to the Chinese seaboard.

This is based around the Chinese doctrine of ‘Counter Intervention’ which is specifically designed to force US assets like Carriers away from the Chinese shoreline.

So this creates an interesting situation where the Chinese have forced the carriers out of the first Island Chain so it’s mostly USN subs and surface vessels that would operate in the contest areas closer to the Chinese seaboard. Where the Chinese are catching up in surface vessels. For underwater, if the USN is willing to risk full subs in sensor rich environments, that’s up to them but I think they might pull even the USN subs out of the south China sea at least and be forced to replace them with autonomous underwater subs to fight against Chinese autonomous underwater subs.


Production

At the October Plenum of 2020, the PRC moved up the date for military modernization by saying they wanted a modern Chinese military by 2027.

This has accelerated their military production targets and they are currently ahead of the US in:

  1. Ballistic missiles and cruise missiles in both numbers and quality (the ballistic missiles lead might not mean much since the US doesn’t really utilize them in a battlefield context).
  2. They have a much more massive ship building program ongoing compared to the USN.
  3. They are ahead in Air defense systems while making good use of old ones.

The Chinese are also pushing ahead with a concept called ‘Civil-Military Fusion’ which is designed to integrate their civilian technology base with their military tech base (Sorta similar to how the US has it set up as well). Which is important because it means it won’t just be government led efforts that lead to tech advances only, but that Chinese private firms will sometimes even take the lead in military advances in AI, computing, autonomous systems, biotech, information tech, advanced material manufacturing, 5G and in the future 6G.

There is an issue however that the Chinese government, in an attempt to assert control and monitoring over the civil tech space, is pushing a bureaucratic layer on top of it which is expected to slow down the pace of Chinese technology than before. To compensate for this, the CPC will also push additional funding to the civilian tech space engaged in military tech development. So there’s a careful balancing act that needs to be done there. Also, the US is also vulnerable to this: Anyone familiar with the Pentagon’s bureaucratic policies would be familiar with how it introduces massive delays and cost overspends.

The Chinese have struggled with Aircraft engines and currently a lot of their aircraft projects have the Russians or Ukrainians as subcontractors to provide the engines. Russian engines by the way, are unusable after 500 hours. For military aircraft that might be ok but for civilian ones it’s a no-go so if the Chinese have any military platforms like EW and AWACs on civilian aircraft with Russian engines, it raises the question of availability.

Funnily enough, while the US has no issue with aircraft engines and can produce very high quality engines, they just cant make a lot of them at the same time. The F-35 production line right now is 15 aircraft a month at peak production. This is considered low by some standards but to be honest, considering that it’s a very advanced fighter it doesn’t seem to matter much. The problem however, is that this is under the assumption that every single F-35 produced will be deployed against China which is not true because the US has to manage multiple theaters (Russia-Europe, Home Air Bases etc.).

Also, the F-35 is a multi national project, so those 15 F-35s being made every month have to shared between 12 Airforces, 1 Marine Corp and 2 Navies across the planet. Further reducing the number of stealth fighters the US can deploy against China.


Stealth Fighters

The Stealth fighter question is actually pretty interesting and I kinda wanna build on that from what we discussed in the production line section discussed above.

First, given the limited peak production rate and distribution of F-35s among multiple partners, we might only see limited numbers deployed in the Chinese theater. But every stealth fighter the Chinese develop will be available to fight in the first Island chain theater.

The Chinese have some advanced fighters like the J-20 and J-31 which seem pretty advanced but their level of production is not close to what the US has for it’s stealth fighters at the moment. So they do lag in that respect. The US is also superior in the electronics and engines that go into their stealth aircraft although this is a gap that might close in the near future.

However, the US lead in stealth has some major problems that should be addressed. The problem is the basing of these stealth fighters. The US has 6 major bases in Japan and 1 in Guam. The USAF does not use the 80–90 airbases that the Japanese air force uses, and this might be because of how the US wants to control access to it’s stealth fighters but also because it has to equip its bases with perform the complex maintenance that it’s stealth fighters require.

So in theory, there’s only 7 total major bases you can place your stealth fighters at where you can control access to them and also do the whole fancy maintenance they require like re-applying coating etc.

That is…not good, because it means the Chinese don’t have to worry about shooting down these stealth fighters. They just need to concentrate their ballistic missile bombardment on those 7 bases with stealth fighters to knock those bases out or at least interdict operations out of them.

The USAF has realized this problem and are trying to see if they can spread the fighters out a bit more to the 90 bases the Japanese operate but it’s still a work in progress.

There is one other thing: There’s something called the “German Disease” where you get trapped in the idea that as long as you make a VERY high quality platform, it’s gonna be worth 10 of the enemy’s platforms and that’s better than matching the enemy head to head. This is very seductive thinking for a wealthier, more technically advanced power. But it means you are fighting a war with platforms you aren’t willing to lose which is not a good proposition.

The F-22 is a bit of a German Disease for the USAF because there’s only like 170 of them left and they aren’t making any more of them. Each F-22 lost is a permanent loss for the USAF and if a war against China drags on and attrition becomes a factor, a lot of these very high quality assets that the USAF isn’t willing to lose will need to be pulled from the theater after a while once their losses reach 33% per squadron. Now, no one has ever fought the US in a conventional war since Vietnam and managed to drag it out.

But if that does happen, and the US is losing say 2 F-22s a day on average from ballistic missile strikes on bases, losses due to accidents, very rare occasions when an F-22 is show down by the Chinese, this kind of loss rate might start to hurt a month into the conflict. And the USAF would have to withdraw the F-22s at some point so they still have some left in reserve and put the 4.5+ Gens into the missions the F-22s were doing. Very rare a war would last that long with China and for that high a loss rate, but you never know. The F-22s would primarily suffer more from being forced away from their 7 bases in the first island chain and being forced to operate at their max ranges from second island chain bases, but the loss rate from conflict as well in a long war cant be ignored.


Land

Apart from the strategic support force and the mobile missile systems, Land is pretty irrelevant. Invading China by land is delusional and nearly all serious US military experts have ruled it out. So the PLA and its size and it’s equipment and their comparison with the US Army are really irrelevant to this conversation.


Military Re-Organization

Similar to how the US is re-organizing their Space Force as a separate force apart from the USAF, the Chinese have broken the power of the PLA on military planning and production and reformed it into 5 Joint Commands or Theater commands.

They have to figure out how these theater commands work, something the US already has figured out.

But more importantly, the PLAF, the PLAN and the Strategic Support Force (formerly known as the Strategic Rocket Force) have become more prominent in operation planning.

I should mention that the Strategic Rocket Force of China has no equivalent in the US so they have that going for them. I mentioned before how the force is designed to nullify the USAF advantage in air dominance but that would be selling it short since they also have mission capabilities in EW, Cyber, Space and Information Warfare.

All of these missions falling under one, separate armed force definitely increases the organizational and operational efficiency (same as how the US made a separate Space Force to fully allow it to develop as a proper capability). I think they have a 4 star general leading this force and if you have all of this capability in one organization as a separate force away from PLAN, PLAF and the PLA, its definitely a more modern force structure similar to the US.

And of course, the reorganization of the PLA into 5 Theater commands is a good step as noted before but the PRC military arms need to up their joint operations capability to take advantage of this military organization.

Also a good point to mention here is that the US Space force is very newly created and even they have to work out the kinks in how to have this force integrate with the rest of the US military capability, particularly Cyber. So it’s not just China that has to figure out it’s military re-organization.


Operational Capability

The PRC has enough capability right now to contest much of the first Island chain, deal damage in the second island chain and even maybe reach the US homeland (Hawaii) via submarine mines, long range cruise missiles or ‘missiles in a box’ (The Russian concept of using commercial container ships loaded with missiles). But the idea of reaching Hawaii is not taken very seriously because the survivability of these assets against a alert USN and USAF is next to zero.

So the First Island Chain is where the bulk of the Chinese military potency will be concentrated.

Since the US has allied bases in the region and near global capability to project power, it’s assumed that they can reach any part of China they want as long as their military assets can survive their journey to their targets. But for the most part, the US military will also be focused on establishing control over the first island chain.


The Carrier Question and Scenario Planning

The USN Carriers figure prominently into the US military equation and China is no different. The problem is that the capabilities developed by the Chinese have boxed the carriers out of the first Island chain and the question is as they get pushed further and further away, how effective would they be in a war against China? There’s already a hit implied to the range of the F-35 if it has to fly from the second island chain to the engage in combat in the first island chain (or the Chinese mainland).

Currently, the carrier programs are baked deep into the USN and American military economy. Even if the US stopped building carriers today after the Miller and Ford class programs were completed, they would still have 7 carriers by 2045 and 4 by 2070.

But Large surface combatants will be prime targets in any war with China. And herein lies a big problem facing the US military vs the Chinese:

First: The US military is carrying over programs started before the Chinese even began to be considered a threat (some of these from the 80s and 90s). These programs are starting to deliver assets that would have limited if any use against the Chinese military of today. What good is the B-21 Raider going to do against China? The carrier programs already begun will not have to continue to their logical conclusion since so much money has been spent designing and producing the first entries that it’s a tremendous loss if you cancel them now. The F-35s were initially thought up of in the 80s and 90s as short ranged fighters to dominate the European battlefield in a conflict against the USSR/Russia. Are we sure they will have the operational capability to deliver effective missions in the China theater?

The Chinese however, have a blank slate. They saw the capabilities of the US military in the 90s and had a fresh start in thinking about how to design their military to beat the US military specifically without their production lines and budgets tied up for programs that weren’t specific to the US.

Second: The US must fight and win wars all across the planet. Whether it’s the Russians invading the Baltics, ISIS in the middle east, Iran with a nuclear program, African Islamist groups or what not. The Chinese only have to win in the South China Sea/The First Island Chain. This is something I see Patrick Dugan has also pointed out in the answers on this thread.

The US is spending 700–800 billion dollars a year for all the scenarios they have in their operational planning. The Chinese are spending maybe 200 billion USD for the one fight in the first island chain. In terms of budgetary comparisons, the disparity might not be as big as one might initially think.

This is causing problems to the US because currently, military tech is going through something called the “revolution of many” where a lot of countries are wondering why you cant have smaller, cheaper platforms armed with munitions thrown at your enemies in a way that would overwhelm large platforms like carriers and so on.

To the US’s defense, there are limits to what you can do with such swarms in the deep waters of the Pacific and carriers can be used in a way that complements your own swarm or even serve as the platform for it. But in the first island chain, near the Chinese seaboard, these smaller, cheaper, mobile armed small platforms will be at their most effective. And the USN has no equivalent to this.

The USN as mentioned before is baked into the carrier strategy and armament program which is not in line with the kind of conflict expectation there is in the first island chain.

And this is brings us to the idea that having better systems than your enemy is great, you have F-18s, F-22s, Carriers, JDAMs and M1Abrams and all that cool jazz. But within the specific operational theater of the first island chain in a war with China, how well will your platforms perform? The US military hardware and their doctrines have carry over legacies from the US military introspection of the 1970s after witnessing the shocking levels of fast paced, mechanized, high casualty rate action of the Yom Kippur war. A lot of the current US military systems of today like the M1 Abrams, the F-16s, F-15s, F-22s were developed as a part of how the US understood a war with USSR would be conducted after the Yom Kippur war lessons were understood (the war would be fast, rapid and there might not be enough time for the US military to bring it’s superior production to bear across from the Atlantic).

To the US’s defense again, when this hardware was deployed in the first Gulf War, it performed well and gave the US military a good confidence boost that their current platforms and strategies would apply well across the globe. But the South China sea might be a different ball game. US Air power might be greatly interdicted not by air defenses but by ballistic missile strikes on their airbases. Carriers might not have free reign of the waters in the theater. The US has superiority in underwater platforms but what good are they if PLAN just pulls back close to the shore and doesn’t send out surface combatants against the USN that would allow for their targeting by USN subs.


3rd Offset

The above discussion about carriers was meant to segue way into the US military’s emerging strategy of 3rd Offset.

In a nutshell, the strategy pushes for the idea that instead of going directly at your enemy in a fight, you use an offset. What this strategy means from a military equipment POV is that instead of sending an F-22 or a fully manned sub to engage the Chinese military, the F-22 sends it’s ‘Loyal Wingman’ AI driven UCAV at the PLAAF and the USN sends an unmanned underwater platform to engage the PLAN.

Basically, the US military is also trying to fight China in an asymmetric fashion the same way the Chinese are trying to fight the US military with their own asymmetric techniques. So missiles vs ships rather than ship to ship combat. Drones vs planes rather than air to air manned combat.

Speaking to the USN specifically, what the US navy planners want to do is that for 25% of the price of a US navy carrier and it’s air wing, you could instead have nearly 2000 missiles spread across 40 containerized missile ships. The good thing about these ships also is, is that they are replaceable unlike a carrier. You can make and deploy more with more missiles as the war drags on and losses mount.

So instead of having a carrier being boxed out of the South China sea due to the Chinese missile threat, whose air wing has limited utility due to it carrying mostly short ranged (albeit capable) fighters: Instead have 40 ships with 2000 missiles that have the range for you to safely engage targets in the South China Sea without worrying too much about the Chinese strategic support force and it’s ballistic missiles.

Now, it might seem like I’m laying the blame for all of this carrier fixation on the US military planners. I’m not. I’m laying the blame on Congress.

Opinion | Congress’ demands for supercarriers are sinking the Navy

You see, the USN has no issue with scaling back on their carriers from maybe 12 super carriers to a smaller number like 6 if it means that would give them the fiscal and budgetary space to develop smaller platforms that can operate in swarms in the first island chain and bear acceptable losses.

The problem is that congressmen block this because the USN carriers are intimately tied to the wellbeing of certain congressional districts. A single USN carrier means 10,000 jobs in a USN port because of all the economic activity around the crew members, their families, the facilities they require like sports facilities etc.

The US navy’s manufacturing facilities for carriers are all inland (North Carolina, South Carolina, Pittsburgh, Colorado). That’s where all the major manufacturing plants are that make these super carriers. No congressman or woman is gonna sign off on closing off not just these inland jobs but the port jobs as well.


Which cycles us back to the following problems for the US military:

  1. They can’t seem to get too much of their funding away from legacy systems that may not perform well in the China theater because those legacy systems are tied to certain congressional district economies.
  2. This means the US military can’t fully capitalize on the “Revolution of Many” and the increasing shift towards autonomous combat platforms that operate in swarms and have a high tolerance for losses, they way they have laid out in their 3rd Offset strategy. I mean they will eventually with enough funding, it’s just that the Chinese are moving faster and the US military might not have an edge over the Chinese in the China specific theater in the near future.

The thing is, the US has built up their military for Global operations and expect it to perform in every single theater on the planet whether it’s Africa or Europe or the Gulf or the South China Sea.

The US military would benefit a lot of someone said “Hey lets take our worse case scenarios, conflicts with near peer adversaries like Russia and China. We plan two operational scenarios for each. And we build our military around that. And maybe leave out these other missions or hope our military can perform there with whatever assets it has built from the 2 core scenarios”.

This isn’t the best idea, I know, because the 40 container missile ships built to fight in the south china sea while bearing fire from Chinese ballistic missiles might not have much use in Africa or the Gulf where you might need a carrier or helicopter ship or amphibious warfare ships.

And so the US military has a limited budget it must use to fulfill the gap everywhere. But the Chinese only have to build and train for the one scenario they plan to face.

The US has begun the third offset but because they must split their budget between what goes into third offset and what goes into legacy systems, the Chinese capability to respond to the third offset in a meaningful manner is pretty significant.


3rd Offset and the threat to it from Chinese EW

It’s interesting to see how the Chinese EW capability can interfere with 3rd Offset.

The Chinese strategic support force has actual EW troop formations which the US has no equivalent to. So they have deployed EW capability that can seriously interfere with the operations of all the unmanned vehicles the US plans to have as the tip of their spear into the first island chain. The US has no EW troops and if you don’t have that, no matter how good your tech is, you don’t have any effective formations capable of delivering the product to the battlefield. The US really needs to have dedicated EW troop formations IMO to meet the threat from Chinese EW to their 3rd Offset Autonomous platforms.

But, I’m gonna go against this point as well: The Russian EW capability in the recent Azerbaijan-Armenia war showed how they could deploy EW to interfere with remote controlled drones. Autonomous drones are more resistant to EW interference because they are GPS independent. So these drones with their own sensors and AI don’t really need to have a dedicated signal link the way a remote controlled drone works and can operate in a heavy EW environment.

I’m just curious on how willing the US would be to unleash AI controlled drones with no over rides from a human operator in the South China sea during a war with China.


To conclude, I think the US military has major advantages still. They have better quality sensors and electronics, better materials and fabrication. Their ability to fuse data from different sources into meaningful insights for AI and operations is better.

But I think once we move past the point of simply comparing the F-22 with the J-20, and look at it from a high at how both militaries are posturing themselves for a future conflict, it seems like the gap is not as big as I thought it would be. The US has an edge but an eroding one.

And it’s mostly a problem of the US’s own making where they have boxed in the US military into legacy platforms that were thought up of in the 80s and 90s and are baked into the US military-political complex of congressional spending. While the Chinese have started from a blank slate and have specifically designed solutions around a conflict in the 1st Island Chain compared to the US which has spread itself out.

I think as it stands, the US might still prevail in the next couple of years should a conflict break out. They might prevail even a few years after that if they are willing to shoulder the losses. But the Chinese are moving in a rapid, focused manner and war is a very unpredictable exercise. And the US’s hamstringing of their own military’s evolution might cost them in the future.


Academic Sources: Col. Thomas Hammes, Michael Kofman.

GLEEFULLAND Dystopian film

I was in sales and almost got fired for having too high a gross profit! I was at a stereo chain that opened a new store and because I was the most knowledgeable in the stereo area I was sent over for two or three weeks to set up the audio department. After the store opening (I made the first sale when we opened, a pair of car speakers) and working in the new store for a few months, I was called in by the manager and learned my gross profit was too high. I said, “What?” how is that a problem? This store had loss leaders that had very small profit that were advertised and they thought I was refusing customers or trying too hard to “step” them up to a higher priced product and pissing them off.

I made three points that saved my job: I reminded them that I was very good with stereo equipment, knew what EVERY single button did on EVERY product and I proved it by letting them test me, I was very good at letting customers know why they should buy better equipment and that is why I had few of the “basic” equipment in my sales. I also reminded them that I was the guy who set the audio department up, showing I had the skills to sell better equipment. Number two: I asked them how I could be number 1 or 2 every month in sales if I was “blowing people off”? How could I have done that every month? (They went away, checked, came back and started to come around.)

The manager was starting to have faith in me but still had to deal with my numbers and corporate and how could he get them to back off. Number 3: I remembered a few customers who would come in and buy cheap blank tapes that were low profit and no one wanted to help them. I had everyone send them to me in the future. Within a few months my numbers lowered just enough to get the big guys off our backs.

Isn’t that one of the stupidest things you ever heard? Almost getting fired for being too good a salesman!

Elections have consequences

Years ago, as a police officer in small town Wisconsin, I was checking business doorknobs at night. Walked up to the one and only funeral home, turned the knob….open! Damn! Summoned my partner (checking across the street) and in we go…..

No idea where the light switches were and our plan was to step in, turn around and leave…….indeed, we had requisitely “checked” the place. Right? Nope. We turned to leave just as we heard a crashing sound behind us. Playing our flashlight about, we found the business cash box laying on the floor in the office. Just then, we heard sound coming from downstairs…..where the casket showroom and embalming room (behind closed doors) were to be found.

Huddled together, my partner and I descended the stairs only to have our flashlights show a casket lid close across the room! We hatched a plan whereby I would stand behind the casket, reach over it, pull it open and my partner —- standing in front of it —- would then arrest the purported cashbox thief. Nervous as we both could be in the darkened room, I pulled open the lid and the perp leaped out of the casket like a jack-in-the-box! Partner dropped his flashlight and revolver and the casket occupant blew by me, up the stairs, out the door —— never to caught!

Needless to write, much more circumspect checking there, again!

So Funny (All gone?)

Remember Justin Trudeau? He was thrown under the bus by Trump once Trump got what he wanted. Now, How Jimmy Lai’s value as an asset is compared to Trudeau? Let’s check it out.

Trudeau is a Head of State, Lai is not. Trudeau is white, Lai is yellow. In the US’s playbook, Lai isn’t even at the level that makes him fit to shine Trudeau’s shoes.

Trudeau maybe not a patriot but certainly, he is no traitor. Lai is a traitor who did not hesitate to collude with a foreign power to go against his own country and people. Traitors are garbage nobody wants anything to do with once their mission objective value is no longer there.

So basically, Jimmy Lai is only a leftover from the shit that failed to hit the fan in Hong Kong. A shit stain to be precise. Nobody would pick up a shit stain, but flush it down the toilet hole.

If Jimmy Lai’s last resort is for the US to come to his rescue, oh he is fucked.

Vitamin D

Me.

I was working for a Fortune 500 company as a sales rep, making my quota every year, except my first, for 10 years. A new management team comes in. The new National Sales Manager, Mr. Smith, was unhappy with my image. I was 40, obese and had prematurely grey hair. He liked ‘young, lean and hungry’. Well, I’m good at hungry.

In February the company has its sales meeting. They fly us all into the little airport nearest corporate headquarters, in New England. Itinerary promises luxury hotel, 2 days of training with an awards dinner for all the quota busters (about 90 of 170 of us).

Mr. Smith meets me at the airport, asks for my customer list and price book. Then he hands me a return ticket, through a circuitous route home (it might have been cheaper) that leaves at 5pm, he says this at 7:30am. I got home at 11 pm, I could’ve driven home in 8–9 hours.

As he hands me the ticket he says,”It’s non-changeable, non-refundable. At least for the next 9 hours I’ll know where you are.” I did not call in very often, unless my clients had an issue, or an opportunity. When I did I spoke to customer service and we would resolve almost all of issues without involving higher ups. I should’ve been tooting my own horn, getting Mr. Smith involved seemed senseless. I thought the numbers would speak for me.

Sitting in the airport I decided to start my own business, independent sales representative. Took 6 months to get clients, training and start making sales on straight commission. Took 3 years to get my income above poverty level, my supportive wife sustained us. Then I started making twice the income. Never looked back. Next to marrying my wife, probably the best thing that happened to me. Definitely top 5.

FORGOTTEN CITY – 1966 Retro Pulp Science Fiction by Skyward, Photo Booth Processing, 110/35mm Film

This is fun.

Depends on your time line. Eventually, and I’m talking 2047 territory something would have been put in place. But lets time travel back to 2010. I say 2010 because the seeds of the riot were after the Pan Dems refused the changes in the voting system that would allow more direct elections.

Wong Sing Chi – Nelson Wong the Pan Dem founder was kicked out because he wanted compromise. The first riots started in 2014 and were a test to see what would happen. The not very much happening meant the bigger 2019 riots happened.

Article 23 was impossible to put into place due to protests against it, strong unions and lots of LegCO seats opposing it. You had well still have two factions, yellows anti government everything and blues. The thing is the blues weren’t rubber stampers. They were mostly meh and wanted things to stay the same.

You can literally see prominent blues actually support the anti extradition protests that were initially at the start of 2019 before the violence ramped up. Many of the blues would go no way that goes too far!

Raam Beart, Nury Vitachi pretty much have this angle. There wasn’t the support for anything NSL or article 23 at all.

But then the Yellows went nuts. Wide spread violence, dehumanisation and discrimination against anybody who opposed the yellows.

This pushed the previously meh blues to give support to the government to end the madness. I mean shit you were on the bus in 2019 going into town. You’d see everything smashed up and Chinese people here were attacked by them. I was attacked, numerous quorans who I know are real people were attacked.

So the riots going violent suddenly gave a support base for NSL and eventually article 23.

Article 23. My personal feeling? Is that I wish we could go back to life in 2017 or so. I guess I’m old. I don’t like change. I still use cash! Even in Shenzhen. Anyway where’s the shit posting? Ah yes this. Article 23 penalties. Do note these are the absolute maximum possible. We’ve of course seen in Hong Kong that maximum sentences are very rarely given. Very recently a Hong Kong bomb maker was sentenced to just under 6 years. Funny… had he not run off to Shenzhen he would be out in 2025 probably. Yet again where’s the shit posting? This The sentences for this were far harsher. Looking into it. 60% of 1309 arrested and charged to-date have received custodial sentences. Enrique Tarrio (sp?) 22 years. Edthan Nordean – 18 years. Stuart Rhodes – 18 years Zach Rehl 15 years Dan Rodriguez 12 years

Some of us discuss it here and in the comments. That we wished things had stayed the same but the riots pushed us into this direction.

Here’s the ultimate irony.

If the yellows sat on their hands and went home after May 2019 the last of the mostly peaceful protests when the extradition treaty law was shelved…

The yellows would have won a majority in LegCo in the 2020 elections.

NSL would never have been implemented

Article 23 would still just be something talked about on RTHK and nothing would have changed.

Protectionism

Plain and Simple

In 2015 – the EU Players – Volkswagen, Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Citroen together combined had a market share of

  • 40.28% in China
  • 29.76% across the World

Life was good

For every Volkswagen sold – China made around $ 18 for every $ 82 that Germany ultimately earned

China got only assembly cost and low grade supplies and equipment

The Chinese brands had a market share of 15.70% in China and 2.33% across the World

India at 3.25% had a higher Global Share

Guess how much the Auto Industry and Ancillary Industry for Autos contribute to the European Economy?

Almost 4%

Thats nearly $ 800 Billion

Including $ 279 Billion in Germany Alone

In 2023 – the EU Players – Volkswagen, Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Citroen together combined had a market share of

  • 18.73% in the Chinese market with only BMW continuing the same market share and VW falling by 38% from 2015, Mercedes by 27% and Citroen by 82%
  • 26.62% in the Global Market

That’s a huge fall of nearly 55% in China and barely keeping their old market share for 8 years

Now their European Sales are crashing

The Chinese products have superior design, superior quality and affordable price being almost 20% cheaper on road

In the last four months of 2023 – European Brands saw a sales drop of 21.5% while Chinese Brands saw a surge of 67.6% in their numbers

Take out the Russian market and the numbers still show a 8.1% drop for European Brands and 26.1% gain for Chinese Brands


Solution?

It’s simple protectionism

Plain and simple


Paying High Prices for Russian Gas

That’s because if Europe keeps relying on Russian Gas, the day Russia cuts off Gas suddenly , Germany could be screwed as could the rest of Europe

Once Russia went to ‘Dangerous Enemy’, decoupling was a security move even at higher expense to the economy

A Better move would have been peace and diversification but Europeans don’t have brains unfortunately

Mar 14, 2024

AUKUS has become a stillborn project.

Vassal states, satellites – in other words the butlers of international relations, the minders of the royal stool – are a rarely respected lot. In Australia’s case, being Washington’s butler is hardly like being Jeeves to Bertie Wooster. Jeeves is, after all, a near omniscient being, a confidant who rescues his master from ridiculous situations and offers sound advice to avoid them.

The Canberra wonks, bureaucrats and politicians are in no equivalent position, weak, impotent, and ever reliant on the good grace of the US Congress, the US President and the entire military complex that pillows them.

The latest announcement about delays and dysfunction in the US submarine base should further confirm that the AUKUS security agreement is risky, costly and self-defeating. The security pact, which is primarily focused on technological transfer and the provision of nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, is proving, yet again, to be a shaky affair.

The developments are hardly surprising.

US shipyards are simply not keeping up with the production line. Roping in the Australian taxpayer into this mess means that money will be going to funding a foreign defence force without any guarantee of the submarines promised to Canberra. Superb if you are working in the Pentagon, disastrous if you are an Australian policy maker.

The latest Fiscal Year 2025 budget request from the US Department of Defence has again shown an industry in stuttering health. The US Navy’s intention to cut a submarine already paid for and built featured prominently in the plans. The implication for this, and AUKUS, is that the number of submarines relevant to the pact will be halved.

Congressman Joe Courtney, ranking Democrat member of the House Seapower and Project Forces Subcommittee, was far from impressed, saying as much in a released statement.

“If such a cut is actually enacted it will remove one more attack submarine from a fleet that is already 17 submarines below the Navy’s long stated requirement of 66.”

This measure would place the commitment made by the Pentagon and Congress to furnish three submarines to the Royal Australian Navy in doubt.

“This deviation from last year’s projected Future Years Defence Program (FYDP) contradicts the Department’s own National Defence Industries Strategy issued on January 11, 2024, which identified ‘procurement stability’ as critical to achieve resilient supply chains.”

In January, Courtney, along with the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Mike Rogers, Chairman of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee Trent Kelly, and ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee Adam Smith, wrote to President Joe Biden arguing

“that the US Navy and Congress maintain continued procurement of two Virginia-class submarines per year, as detailed in the Navy’s FY2024 30-Year Shipbuilding Plan.”

The Congressmen had no reason to doubt such a rate of procurement, given the investments from the Navy and Congress

“in workforce and supply development over the last five years.” It was “imperative to maintain a steady two-per-year procurement rate to assure our partners in our ability to meet commitments and address concerns about our nation’s undersea capabilities.”

The obsession with the two-submarine annual procurement rate, assessed at 2.33, has been a lingering one with Congress, but there is much to suggest that Courtney and his colleagues had been engaged in an act of wishful thinking. Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker, for instance, found the production rate to be a warranted one in a July 16, 2023 contribution to the Wall Street Journal, but worried about how this would work within the context of AUKUS arrangements.

“As it stands, the AUKUS plan would transfer US Virginia-class submarines to a partner nation even before we have met our own Navy’s requirements.”

This is also not helped by the US Navy’s ongoing plans to design and develop 12 new SSBNs of the Columbia (SSBN-826) Class to replace the current, aging fleet of 14 Ohio-class SSBNs. A report from the Congressional Research Service published in January notes the Navy’s revised procurement rate of 2.33 Virginia-class submarines plus one Colombia-class boat, something Courtney might have heeded.

In December 2022, Democratic Senator Jack Reed and an outgoing Republican Senator James Inhofe authored a letter to Biden expressing their worries

“about the state of the US submarine industrial base as well as its ability to support the desired AUKUS SSN [nuclear sub] end state.” Current conditions, the senators went on to describe, required “a sober assessment of the facts to avoid stressing the US submarine industrial base to the breaking point.”

Sobriety, it would seem, has come biting in stinging fashion.

A deluded, crippling subservience is to be found everywhere. Australia’s Defence Minister, Richard Marles, should be hysterical with concern, his increasingly coloured skin turning pallid. Instead, he is trying to keep a brave face by foolishly claiming to speak for all powers in the trilateral alliance.

“As we approach the one-year anniversary of AUKUS, Australia, the United States and United Kingdom remain steadfast in our commitment to the pathway announced last March, which will see Australia acquire conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines.”

Such ill-informed confidence also pervades the Alice in Aukusland mentality, marked by such punditry as that of retired submarine specialist Peter Briggs. Australia, suggests Briggs, should seize the day on submarine construction in taking “an active role in the design and procurement process” for the SSN. But control can only be exerted with a degree of power and experience in the field of nuclear propulsion, something the Australian Navy has little to no experience in.

Former Liberal Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull prefers a bleaker analysis .

“The reality is the Americans are not going to make their submarine deficit worse than it is already by giving or selling submarines to Australia and the AUKUS legislation actually sets that out specifically.”

Australia had been “mugged by reality”, its sovereignty surrendered, its fate left like a cork bobbing at sea.

Whoever occupies the White House or Congress, the America First mantra prevails: first, Washington’s interests, marked by its own weaknesses and troubles; then, should they matter, those of allies, however loyal and ingratiating.

AUKUS has become a stillborn project.

Join US you’ll be on its dinnertable, join China you’ll have a win-win

Blinken is crass. Period. His behaviour is not worthy of that of a diplomat.

Damn you’ve found us out…

It’s time for the truth to be revealed.

I am not in fact the blonde girl in the picture.

I am a highly advanced AI program sent to Quora to find and answer questions about China that only paints the great homeland in a positive light. Forever may the glory of the People’s Republic of China shine like a beacon on —

Oh WAIT

They don’t need an artificial intelligence to do that. Anyone with normal intelligence could tell you that China kicks ass.

How China kicks ass:

Look, no country is perfect and China has its own issues it needs to deal with. But don’t worry about China or the fact that informed people have an increasingly positive opinion of the country.

Work on improving your own country, then people might write nice things about you as well.

I was sitting in my very first Computer Science class at Princeton. My Professor, Brian Kernighan (who is a brilliant and exciting teacher, even for non-CS students like myself), had pulled up an image of Eric Schmidt on the projector screen.

At this point in time, Eric Schmidt was the CEO of Google, although his fame was nowhere near what it is today. I remember Professor Kernighan saying that Eric Schmidt was likely someone that none of us had ever heard of, but was filling a role that would greatly affect each and every one of our lives. I can’t recall exactly what he said, but the gist was that while computer science may not be a very glorious subject, it has profound implications on our lives. Remember, this was Intro to CS. He was trying to hook us on to the subject; to convince us that we shouldn’t all try to be Econ majors and land jobs on Wall Street. Each point he made revolved around Eric Schmidt, whose image remained front and center.

Anyways, after about five or ten minutes of describing Computer Science through the lens of Eric Schmidt, a hand was raised in the middle of the classroom.

“So, this is kind of awkward, but are you done talking about my dad?”

Eric Schmidt’s daughter had been sitting there quietly the whole time. The room erupted in laughter, as Prof. Kernighan apologized profusely. He had no idea that the daughter of the subject of his lecture was in the classroom.

She ended up being in a Creative Writing class of mine as well; a very impressive girl at the time, and I’m sure a much more impressive woman now.

First video is a teleportation. I discussed this previously in great detail.

MM the movie producer

I used to live in Washington, D.C. years ago. Every other morning the radio station played DC101 and we listened to the Greaseman. I hate all drive time DJs, I just want to hear music but I really hated this guy. His catch phrase was, “Habba-doo-gee Habba-doo-gah”.

Then one day a guy called in and asked the Greaseman how to keep a job. That he had been an idiot and lost several jobs in a row and had his license pulled and how he had gotten a job bartending that was walking distance and he wanted to really try to do well and not lose this job but he didn’t know how.

The Greaseman dropped his phony radio voice and and said something like the following, “I am going to give you two pieces of advice. First if your shift starts 6, show up at 5.45. Take the fifteen to have a chat with your coworkers, wash your hands, get your head in the game. When your shift starts you are ready to work. Bosses hate people who clock in but aren’t ready to do any work yet. They notice that shit.”

“Two, look at all the other bartenders. You want to be the second best dressed bartender there. If you try to be the best dressed, well maybe the other bartenders will think, ‘Look at this new guy trying to be better than all of us.’ But if you aim for the second best you will fit in with the other workers and the boss will still think, ‘Here’s a guy who knows how to be professional.’”

I was like, “Wow, that was actually pretty good advice from someone I thought was an idiot.” I still think it was pretty good advice.

Being a CEO

What is something a guest in your house did that made your jaw drop? How did you react?

My daughter has a very close female friend. They went right through school together and to this day remain good mates. The friend ,(s), went off to uni and while on a holiday back home, stayed overnight at our house. On Saturday morning I had been for an early run and was in the bath ,we had no lock on the door and had this rule if the door is closed someone is probably in there. So the door opens and (s) walks in , naked as the day she was born, says Hi to me and sits down and takes a piss. This is a girl I have known since she was 4 years old and was such a shy little girl, then at 18 was OK with being naked in front of me and me being bollock naked in the tub. If my jaw dropped any lower I may have drowned.

I am fucking tired

Forgotten Chicken

Forgotten Chicken is a great fast and easy recipe! I have made this with chicken tenders, and it’s great. This is also known as “No Peek Chicken.”

forgotten chicken
forgotten chicken
 

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups white rice, uncooked
  • 1 can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 can cream of celery soup
  • 1 soup can water
  • Chicken breasts or thighs
  • 1 envelope dry onion soup mix

Instructions

  1. Mix rice, soups and water.
  2. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
  3. Lay chicken on top of rice mixture.
  4. Sprinkle chicken evenly with onion soup mix.
  5. Cover tightly and bake for 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees F.

Check this out

I tried this. Very cool. But takes a while to generate.

What would your course of action be if you saw a healthy, able-bodied individual get out of a vehicle that they just parked in a handicapped parking space?

Mind your own business.

About 20 years ago, I was in a downtown area with my friend and her young son. My friend has MS and sometimes has trouble walking long distances. She has a permanent handicapped placard from her state. It was hanging in my car, and we parked in a short term parking space. So, here we are, two women apparently healthy, with a small child, and this jerk of a guy comes up and asks me which one of us is handicapped.

Usually I don’t think of the great answer until 2 a.m., but I found my tongue as I walked around to open the trunk…

“Not that it’s any of your business, but it’s her.”

…I open the trunk to reveal the stroller AND the wheelchair…

As I’m unfolding the stroller..

“For now, she’s going to steady herself by pushing the baby in the stroller. If she gets tired later, we’ll come back and she can hold him in her lap, and I’ll push the both of them in the chair. IS THAT OK WITH YOU?”

I’m still proud of that.

Just because a disability is not visible to you doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. If you have the person in question’s full medical history, feel free to contact the authorities.

What is the kindest thing you’ve ever seen a tourist do?

We were at a flea market that isn’t advertised. People have to either live in the area or hear of it from someone who does. A little bit of everything is sold there; nothing is expensive.

It was dusty and hot, with a mishmash of cotton cloth used as overhead cover, held together by clips and ropes, held up by mostly bamboo poles.

We gladly sat down on a rickety wooden bench, ordered homemade lemonade and rested.

Not far from us was a family of four, sitting on two worn out rattan mats. Grandmom and grandad (that’s what the kids with them called them) arranged fresh veggies for sale at the front of the mat while the kids (a teenaged boy and a younger little girl) sat behind them, cleaning more veggies and fruit.

The grandparents were poor farmers, that was evident from their clothes, their weathered skin, the way they spoke, their eyes. The children, wearing clothes that were too small, old but clean, were probably living with them so their parents could work in Bangkok. It happens a lot here.

Then I heard Australian English. Two couples of backpackers walked by, chatting. How they found this market, I will never know.

Maybe six meters away, one of the young men stopped his friends and looked back at the veggie vendors. All four returned and squatted down in front of the mats.

I was about to see if I could translate for them when the grandson began to do his best. I smiled.

The next few minutes were pure joy. The Australians were asking the Thai names of veggies and then gave the English names. Lots of smiles and laughter. They bought some of everything, then tried to pay more than the asking price.

Grandmom was having none of that; she added extras to their bags.

They took their leave but returned, taking clothes and shoes from their backpacks and insisting on sharing with the whole family. The area around us went silent (unheard of in Thai markets).

The two things I remember the most: the teenager’s huge eyes when he was given a pair of running shoes, and the little girl’s delighted laughter when she put on a pretty pink shirt that was big enough to be a dress for her.

Grandmom, wiping tears, tried to give them more veggies.

Meanwhile in China

How many times have you had to fight for your life as a police officer?

I’ve been in some scrapes, but only one in which my life depended on winning the fight.

I made the mistake of letting a subject in too close to me. By the time I saw him pulling the gun from his waistband it was too late to pull my own. I could only grab his hands and make sure the barrel of his gun did not point across my body.

For a few seconds it was quite intense. As my backup strolled up I yelled, “GUN!” at which time my backup, well, — BACKED UP. Then he hid behind a gas pump, pulled his gun and pointed it at the subject and I as we wrestled for the gun. It became a little more intense then, knowing I was in this alone. I guess had I been shot my backup would have avenged my death.

I had to make him drop the gun (the bad guy, that is). I whacked his hand against the gas pump and it fell to the ground, then he did too.

My Chief read my report and gave me a commendation letter. I still have it somewhere. He said he and the politicians were impressed by how I handled the situation. He wrote, “…you could have used your own gun, your K9, your ASP baton, your Taser or your OC spray, and instead you disarmed the subject using the least amount of force available.” I felt like a complete idiot. I never bothered to tell him I would have used ALL of those things if I had the opportunity.

So, guys. Don’t make the same mistake I made. Keep that tactical distance. Or have a good backup.

Texas Declares Biden Administration To Be In VIOLATION

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/EP-GoVqQoyo?feature=share

What is the best random conversation you overheard?

This wasn’t something that I overheard, but my cousin did.

He was sitting on a train and overheard two girls talking, roughly in their early 20s. One of the girls had been asked to house sit for a family friend who was away for 2 weeks and also look after their pet German Shepherd.

Things were going well for the first few days until she woke up one morning and the dog had died in its sleep.

This was in central London in the height of summer, and the girl didn’t own a car. The owners wouldn’t be back for about 8 days so she couldn’t just leave it in the house until then incase it started to rot. She read online that she should store it in a cool place, but there wasn’t anywhere suitable at their house as it was a very big dog. She also didn’t have many friends in the area and had no access to a car, so she had no idea what to do.

She googled where the nearest vet was who might be able to store the body until the owners returned, but it was two stops away on the tube. Even if a taxi agreed to transport a dead dog, she couldn’t really afford to pay £20 for a London taxi, so she put the dog in a suitcase and took it on the tube.

A man offered to help her carry it down the stairs as she was struggling, and asked what on earth she had inside that made it so heavy (about 30kg). She was a photography student, so told him that she studied photography and had a lot of camera equipment inside. They chatted a bit about it and got on to the tube.

At the next stop, the man got off, but just as the doors were closing, he grabbed the suitcase and ran off towards the escalators as fast as he could. He was obviously a petty criminal who thought he would cash in on the camera equipment. Before she knew what had happened, the doors had shut and she was on her way to the next station.

I’m not sure if they ever got it back, but there aren’t many greater images than the thought of this man returning home thinking he had hit the jackpot, only to open the bag and see a dead German Shepherd staring back at him.

Feminist Icons

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DEtI4JoB-YU?feature=share

21 interesting facts about human behavior:

  1. 70% of people like old songs because of the memories attached to them.
  2. When a person dies, they have 7 minutes of brain activity left, it’s the mind playing back the person’s memories in a dream sequence.
  3. Psychology says that playing video games makes you more creative.
  4. Most people type faster when there’s someone they like.
  5. You appear more attractive to a person when you make them laugh or smile.
  6. 80% of women choose silence to express pain. You should know she is truly hurt when she chooses to ignore you.
  7. People with sarcastic personalities are more honest with their friends.
  8. Overthinking is a special form of fear. It gets even more dangerous when anticipation, memory, emotion and imagination are added together.
  9. The happier you are, the less sleep you would require to function in everyday life. Sadness increases the urge to sleep more.
  10. The average woman smiles 60 times a day. An average man smiles only 10 times a day.
  11. When people refuse to tell you what’s wrong, you tend to think that it’s probably your fault.
  12. Intelligent men and women are more easily annoyed by people in general.
  13. Women and men experience the same kind of emotions but women are more honest with them.
  14. Life becomes more meaningful when you understand the fact that you will not get the same moment twice in your life.
  15. What we wear tends to affect how we behave.
  16. Introverts tend to have more thinking capabilities than extroverts.
  17. Eat bananas, because bananas contain a special chemical which can make a person happy.
  18. Pretending not to care is the habit of those who care the most.
  19. When you become really close to someone, you can hear their voices in your head when you read their text.
  20. Being sarcastic can add upto 3 years in your life.
  21. Appreciating someone can boost their confidence and motivate them to do better things in life.

The Expectations of a Modern Woman

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VvrN0KGgni4?feature=share

What is the most powerful supernatural warning you have received?

Yes, I remember a very strange thing that happened in a sort of mundane way. This happened around the late 1980s or early 1990s. I can’t remember the exact date now.

I had an appointment at the dentist, and went out to my car. It was a 10 minute drive to the dentist.

It was pouring with heavy rain. I got in my car, started it, and then realised my wipers weren’t working. I fiddled with the switch, but no -they wouldn’t work at all. It would have been impossible to drive through those conditions with no wipers.

There had NEVER been any problem with them, so their sudden refusal to operate was quite strange.

I went back in the house and phoned the dentist. I knew I’d be charged a late cancellation fee, but oddly, the receptionist said they’d had a cancellation, so there was no rush. “Just get in when you can in the next forty five minutes or so” she told me, “And there won’t be a charge.”

I was pleased by that . No pressure about timing.

I went back to the car, and tried the wipers again. Nope -not working.

I just sat there for a moment or so, then tried again, and suddenly they sprang into life!

I was, by then, about 15 minutes over my scheduled appointment time. But that didn’t matter so much now.

I drove out and about a couple of miles away there was a turning onto the main road, so I turned….

…And headed straight into a pile up of cars; a big car accident which had obviously just happened. I pulled over to see if any help was needed but someone told me they had already called emergency services.

That accident had happened within the previous 10 minutes obviously. A number of vehicles were involved. It was quite horrible to have to weave my way through it all, knowing people had to be injured, or perhaps even killed. But I had to, in order to not block the road for emergency vehicles about to arrive.

So I continued. But as I drove I began to wonder why I had been stopped from driving out, by my “broken” wipers (which, by the way, never ever broke down again and worked perfectly until the end of that car’s life.)

And as time went by, I began to wonder if something, some force, something I had no name for, had protected me that day? And why?

Something quite strange had happened that day.

I don’t feel I was “warned”. I feel I was quite clearly protected from harm, or possible death.

So one thing I learned is this: When things appear to go very frustratingly wrong in your day and you start to get annoyed about it, just stop and wonder. What might you be protected against? You don’t know. Keep an open mind.

Truth is a tough sell

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/og9anQU9JFE?feature=share

What did your kid do that you had to punish them for, but couldn’t help but laugh at later?

I got a call about the “dentist’s visit” my daughter was leaving high school for. It was very strange since I was not aware of any dental appointment. I looked into it and was told that she had given the school a handwritten excuse note supposedly from me. I had not written any note.

The school was concerned because she had been having so many dental and doctor appointments that year.

It turned out she and her friend had been writing notes for each other to get out of school all year long. They had also signed a bunch of forms at the beginning of the school year so the signatures on the notes would match the signatures on file. The other mother and I had signed those forms, but the girls told the school secretary they’d lost the first sets they were given. The unsuspecting secretary gave them packets of replacement forms which the girls then signed and turned in.

I had to punish my daughter, but I secretly admired the amount of thought and preparation she and her buddy had put into the project.

Separate Vocals and Instruments from Songs!

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/AXcD4WOc2y8?feature=share

06 Things everyone should avoid to tell people

  1. Don’t tell people your failures. They will always see you as a failure and never give you the opportunity.
  2. Don’t tell people your plans. They will sabotage you.
  3. Don’t tell people your next big move. Move in silence, take action, and shock them with your results.
  4. Don’t tell people your income or the source of your income. Always make them wonder.
  5. Don’t tell people your weakness. They will use them against you.
  6. Don’t tell people your secrets. Only a fool reveals secrets.

Traditional Woman Destroys Woke Feminist

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/onN0RiuUnOg?feature=share

Have you ever found something in your child’s backpack that enraged you?

I have to give my broom riding ex wife credit for this.

I have full custody but I completely missed something the ex caught one morning in texts from our daughter who had stayed at one of her friends’ house. We thought it was a safe place. We had never had any trouble with our 14 or 15 yr old daughter.

She texted her mom asking if she could pick her up later than agreed on that day. Her mom called me and said text our daughter, something is strange it doesnt sound like her.

I thought it was slightly different but definately her so I wasnt worried. Whats the problem?

She sounds high or drunk. Her texting is weird.

I picked her up myself and she smelled strange in the car but seemed normal.

I checked her bag as she took a shower and found two empty pint whisky bottles and a vape pipe. Complete and total shock.

Big fight after her shower but she has never been caught with anything again or made us suspicious. She was never allowed to hang out with that girl again. The parents didnt say anything to their daughter and busted her sneaking out to meet older boys with cars and alcohol the next night. We took ours’ phone, she couldnt warn her.

That girl straightened up too, I saw her at her job a few years later and she was very nice and mature acting. I was impressed with her.

It’s As BAD As We Thought… (Finally Some Honesty!)

https://youtu.be/SzAdtN3poeQ

Did an accidental diagnosis a medical condition save your life?

‘My friend’s life’

He generally never says no to anything, and so he always ended up paying for all our colleagues’ coffee bill, whenever we ordered. But he always did it smilingly. He is the quietest radiologist I know of, and one of the most capable.

It was late in the evening, and he did not have lunch yet. Not the right time for the General Electric (GE) salesman to request him to ‘do demo a new portable ultrasound system’.

‘Sir just 5 minutes, the company insisted on your comment sir, please’.

As usual, he couldn’t say no.

With the last patient gone, he looked for some hospital orderly to lie down on the patient bed to check the new ‘portable ultrasound’ machine.

Hungry, and looking for a way to solve his predicament, he succumbed to the most primordial reflex. He lifted the right end of his neatly tucked shirt and placed the ‘ultrasound probe’ on to his own abdomen to check for the clarity of the machine.

What shocked him was not the clarity of the ultrasound machine but the fact that his right kidney showed a clear ‘mass’ at the lower pole; a diagnosis of ‘Renal Cell carcinoma – RCC’ That was the diagnosis that he would make on seeing such an image for any patient, including himself, with a radiology MD name board on his white coat.

‘Good machine’ he softly commented and left.

Instead of going for lunch, he went to his colleague in a nearby hospital. By evening urology consultation was taken and the next day he was inside the operating room in a green dress, undergoing partial nephrectomy.

We waited outside. No one ordered coffee.

The biopsy confirmed cancer, but fortunately, he was cured.

Because it was detected very early.

Now I know why his room has the picture of an ultrasound machine hung on the wall; instead of the usual lord ‘Ganesha’.

The mouse might be good at smelling money, but the ultrasound is better in picking up unseen diseases early and save a catastrophe, something that no money can buy.

Some Real Talk

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/AGUMyWu9br0?feature=share

How would you handle uninvited guests the DAY of your wedding, that absolutely can’t be accommodated for? “Oh, so-and-so’s wanted to come so I brought them!”

I was a caterer for for 10 years and specialized in weddings. My last weekend serving food for weddings before moving out of state was my most challenging! There were 2 receptions for 300 people each and an extravaganza for 700 people and all were on the same day. My partner was at one, our most experienced employee oversaw the 2nd one and I had the 700 person nightmare. We had some hiccups but they all went well. We always had sufficient food for people who showed up after not responding. We had servers with champagne or sparkling cider at the end of the receiving line. We knew how many glasses they had available to help keep count of people served. Most weddings were buffet so we only had out enough plates for the people they’d signed a contract for. Often we had to bring out more plates. It was appalling how many times the parents of the bridal party tried to get out of paying for the extra people. A wedding is no place to bring uninvited people.

Girlbosses are the WORST.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/w_BlcHjwVhA?feature=share

What office rule made you say “Really?”

I used to work for a multi-billion dollar consumer goods company. There were several rather stupid policies in place.

One of them simply didn’t make any sense at all. It was a “clean desk policy.” You were only allowed one or two pictures on your desk, your computer, and an in/out basket. At the end of the day, you had to put anything that wasn’t approved away, and that happened to also include whatever you had in your in/out basket. Yes, that had to be empty at the end of the day. No staplers, tape dispensers, pens/pencils, etc. could be left on your desk.

Our offices around the world were set up as “open offices.” There were no cubicles, nor were there any enclosed offices. The only rooms with doors were meeting rooms and, of course, the restrooms. Desks were arranged in pods based on department, and you could see clearly from one corner of the building to the other.

Whenever the big-wigs were coming from the main headquarters, HR would scurry around and enforce the clean desk policy. They would badger, bully, and berate us to the point where they even took the offending items off our desks and threw them away. Everything had to be perfect for the big-wigs.

Here’s where the stupidity of the policy comes into play: the big-wigs never visited after hours when the office was in full compliance with the policy. They visited during office hours which was when everyone had papers strewn all over their desks because they were at work!

Strong Points from Arthur Kwon Lee

Damn! This is great.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/BFMgIRCqul4?feature=share

Is China ready for WW3 against the USA?

Yes.

China is a peaceful nation, but it is not a pacifist nation.

They are also not idiots. They see the actions of the United States, and like President Putin, have concluded that no one in America is in control. It is completely running amuck, on “auto pilot”, going through the motions, and seemingly desirous of “suicide by cop”.

There was a time when the United States, with it’s “allies”, were roughly matched in military ability against China. That was right after world war 2, when the American military was at it’s strongest, and the Chinese nation, and military was at it’s weakest. That was back in 1950. And when the United States started bombing China during the “Korean War”, they unleashed a dragon. And the Allied forces were horribly mauled.

Since then, well, China has been getting ready. REALLY READY.

To understand what is going on, you must study Chinese military history. Because once you do… then you realize just how fucked the United States is right now. Is there anything that the United States can do right these days? From abandoned cities, to homeless tent cities, to breath-taking inflation, and mind-boggling corruption.

Do you think that it is because the American “system of democracy” hit some “bumps in the road”, or that since 2008, the United States have been fighting world war 3 against China? And China, if you read history, ALWAYS destroys the aggressor nation from within.

You all must remember that…

  • China has the oldest military in the world.
  • It has the oldest navy in the world.
  • It has the oldest marines in the world.
  • It has the largest military in the world.
  • It is peer capable with the best military technologies, including stealth, cloaking, and AI robotics.

But China doesn’t want to use these forces. It wants peace.

But, you know, if some imbecile decides to bomb China / Taiwan… well, the radioactive clouds over America will take decades to dissipate.

Oh, China is ready.

And, so is Russia.

WOP

Many years ago when my husband and I were first married, I was a college student while he was working as the grunt guy for a used restaurant equipment shop to pay the bills. We stopped at Sears while doing errands. When I got out of the car, I looked down and saw a ring.

I thought it was a junk ring that a child would wear or something. I don’t know why but I picked it up and threw it on the dash before I closed the car door and went into the store.

Sometime later, while my husband was driving us to another errand, I picked up the ring and looked closer. I thought that it might actually be real. I couldn’t believe it. I mean why would a real ring be in the parking lot of Sears?

However, I took it in with me while we went into the next store and stopped at the jewelry counter. We showed it to the clerk who looked at the stone with one of those eye glass things. He confirmed that it was a real diamond.

We ended up going back to Sears to report the ring to their security, who called the police, and we had to wait around for them to show up. They took the ring and filed a report. It took several hours and we weren’t sure if the hassle was worth it.

However, we found out a few days later that an older couple had come into Sears looking for the wife’s wedding ring. Apparently, she had taken off her ring to put on lotion while her husband was driving and then she had gotten out of the car with the ring still in her lap. They didn’t realize the ring was gone until later.

We were glad that I had impulsively picked up what I thought was a piece of junk and threw it on the dash of the car. A wife got back her wedding ring and we had an unusual story to tell.

Alien Bodies Confirmed After Testing to be NON Human

Check it out.

https://youtu.be/ST8axewdge0

What is it like to work in a Chinese factory?

I once was the Managing Director of a Consumer products division in DongGuan, China. This is how we ran it. Here’s some points that are off the top of my head.

[1] All employees sign a contract of employment. It lists the working hours, conditions and length of contract. Most contracts were 2 – 3 years long. If the employee breaks the contract, they lose accrued benefits, and social welfare benefits. If the company breaks the contract, they risk substantial fees, and penalties.

[2] Working hours were 8:30am to 6:00pm with a two hour lunch & nap time. Six working days. Sunday was off.

[3] Everyone has a free room in a dorm. The rooms had a bed, small kitchenette with refrigerator, television, and free wifi. It included a small table, and chair. Shared bath down the hall, and a common room with sofas, kitchen, microwave, and large screen television.

[4] Everyone got free meals. This included breakfasts, lunch and dinner at the canteen. Plus periodic special moments, like fee watermelon, ice cream, or Jaozi spectacular. The management and supervisory staff ate in a upstairs dining hall, the regular workers ate in a hall (or outside) next to the kitchen.

[5] We had a shared bus that ran to and from the factory into town. You could arrange pickups, or meet their fixed discharge and pickup schedule. The driver lived in the dorms. Ran a regular schedule but could be pulled out for special trips on request.

[6] Supervisory staff had slightly larger quarters, a special common room, and some other minor perks.

[7] Time management was conducted by thumb-scan. Presently the factory uses facial scanning.

[8] No dress code, except for safety concerns. Employees washed their clothes in the (dorm) floor washing machines and hung their clothes on their dorm porches. Typically, employees wore tee shirts, and trousers with tennis shoes.

[9] Average age of the workers was somewhere between 30 – 45. The guards were all retired males, and the cleaning ladies and cooking staff were also (generally) older if not retirement age.

[10] Families. Some employees had children, or extended family. The children were permitted to live in the dorms, and were monitored and looked after by the factory community. The guards had the responsibility to make sure that the children went to school safely. Visitors often asked about the toy scooters, and what-not in the parking lot and yard. But that’s why.

[11] Sickness. Illness was treated with serious concern, and we would assign staff to help the person see a doctor and make sure that they got the medicines that they needed.

[12] Special holiday. Once every six months we had a special holiday, where the factory took a trip to a park, or amusement center. The employee would have to contribute towards the cost of the bus ride, but the meals and fees were all paid by the company.

[13] CNY Holiday. The company shut down for CNY which generally lasted ten days. About half of the employees opted for a full month off. This was negotiated in their contract. Leading up to the holiday was a hectic time. We would then host a nice big dinner, and a KTV visit(s) where the yearly bonus would be handed out. Bonuses were equal to one months salary.

I’ll tack on more info as I think about it. But this should give you an idea of what it is like working in a factory in Dongguang.

Chinese billboard

Only in China.

To Die for Beef Roast

This is one of the best roasts you will ever taste. Carrots, potatoes and celery can also be added, if desired.

to die for crockpot roast
to die for crockpot roast
 

Ingredients

  • 1 beef roast (any kind)
  • 1 envelope Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing mix
  • 1 envelope brown gravy mix
  • 1 envelope Italian dressing mix
  • 1/2 cup warm water

Instructions

  1. Place roast in slow cooker.
  2. Mix contents of all 3 envelopes and sprinkle over roast.
  3. Pour water into the bottom of the slow cooker.
  4. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours.

American food makes you fat.

In 2010 I drove across the USA with my family.

Rather than drive my own car, I wanted to rent a car so we could have it replaced if there was a problem on the road. We had a lot of plans and couldn’t afford to lose time. We wanted a nice, large SUV with unlimited miles.

Hertz would not offer unlimited mile SUVs but I could get a minivan. So, I booked that, disappointed. I called the local airport rental place to tell them my plans, and to ask if I could reserve a specific vehicle make and model even though that was against policy. When I explained why, the manager’s eyes lit up. “We don’t offer unlimited milage SUVs, but you can upgrade the minivan contract to SUV fur a small fee and the unlimited miles feature follows!” She then let me and the kids explore the 4 SUV models of the time, and we picked a Chevy Traverse. We agreed on a Thursday pickup.

As we were packing in the days leading up to the rental, we thought we’d get the car a day early and start loading so we could take off sooner. Since we had a special arrangement, I called the location and asked about an early pickup. The person who answered said the manager was out that day but said to come down and see what they could do.

I arrived at the SJC airport location on Wednesday, and the rental lot was nearly empty. My heart sank. I suspected they would not honor the deal. I walked in, braced for bad news. When I introduced myself, they recognized me immediately. “Oh, you’re the cross-country guy! Come with me.”

We walked to the back of the rental shack and there was a Chevy Traverse, with a big OUT OF SERVICE sign on the dashboard.

“We got this car on Monday, but we couldn’t rent it because it had mechanical problems.” He opened the door and pulled the sign off the dashboard with a flourish and a grin. “OK, that should fix it. Now we can rent it.”

I went on to clock 7,800 miles over 5 weeks. They didn’t bat an eye when I returned it.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Sings About Rainbows

This AI is fucking amazing!

Lordy!

https://youtu.be/K_XwseDwmuQ

Wearing a beanie in beantown on a beany day

I was in the ninth or tenth standard.

Our Maths teacher was excellent in teaching maths in logical way.

I had a great respect for her teaching excellence.

Since I loved Maths and scored good marks, students who had problem with maths would come to me in the short interval for clearing their doubts in some difficult problems.

Those students were day schoolers , while I was in boarding.

In short interval when I was explaining Maths, they would offer me some food to taste which they brought from their home.

One particular item jowar roti(it is called jonna rotti in Telugu) with smoked brinjal chutney(baigan ka bharta) was my favorite. So whenever any of those girls brought those items, they would invariably offer me.

One day when I was explaining some problems to the girls, the teacher saw us.

After some time I was called into the staff room.

I was scared. “Did I do any thing wrong by explaining maths to those girls?” I thought.

“It is a good thing you are clearing the doubts for those girls. I appreciate you. You are saving my time” she said.

My respect for her increased.

“But why do you eat from their (mentioning their caste) tiffin boxes? Stop eating from now onwards”

My entire respect for her came crashing down in a minute.

From then onward, I respected her as a good Math teacher but never considered as a mentor.

RV Life is FINISHED! | 7 HARSH REALITIES Why RVer’s QUIT

Southern Fried Catfish

Fried Catfish Recipe 8 scaled
Fried Catfish Recipe 8 scaled

Ingredients

  • 6 small catfish
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 2 cups cornmeal
  • Salt
  • Ground pepper

Instructions

  1. Shake cornmeal, salt and ground pepper in a paper bag.
  2. Heat oil to 360 degrees F, halfway up the sides of a cast iron skillet.
  3. Dip catfish into buttermilk, then into dry mixture in bag.
  4. Fry for about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes on each side (5 minutes per every inch of thickness).
  5. Serve with Hush Puppies.

Years ago, my husband stopped by a yard sale looking for old canning jars (which he collects). When he was getting ready to pay for his new treasures, the man running the sale asked him if he wanted a bottle he had – it was only $5. So my husband bought it. He put it in the back seat of his truck and headed for home.

When he got home, he noticed the vivid green coloring to the bottle so he took some pictures of it and uploaded pictures of it to a collector’s group he belonged to. One person offered him $100, another $200. Finally, someone messaged my husband and asked him if he even knew what he had. Turns out it was an old Binninger’s whiskey bottle and the second one known to exist. They offered to pay for transport to their facility and take it around to some collectors’ shows, then auction it off so it could get some exposure. My husband paid for the shipping and agreed that they could auction it off.

That bottle sold for $6000. The auction house got 10%. So $6000 – $620 (600 to the auction house and $20 to buy and ship) = $5380.00. Not a bad traffic

This was actually half of three conversations that were all connected.

A few years ago I was on holiday in Pisa. One day we were travelling back to Pisa by train after a day out and we were sitting near a young Italian.

When he started speaking to someone on his mobile, I did pay attention at first but I then found that I was understanding what he was saying without trying. I decided to practise my aural comprehension and started listening.

He was asking someone to meet him at the station and I assumed that it was his sister, since many young Italians live at home.

Anyway he said something like:

”…… if you could come and meet me at the station … I need to buy a birthday present for Mamma…”

I could not hear what the other person said but I realised he had received a negative response because he said “OK” in a tone of resignation. I had a vague suspicion that asking for help to choose a present was just an excuse and his real concern was getting a lift home. He then said something like:

”I’ll see you at home then ….. or maybe you could come and pick me up at the station …… Ah, OK. I’ll see you at home then”

I noticed that when he asked about being picked up at the station he spoke with exaggerated casualness, obviously wanting to give the impression that he had only just thought of it although it was his real reason for phoning.

After his request had met with another refusal, he phoned someone else and suggested meeting at the station before going to a bar. This person also declined.

A few minutes later the young man’s mobile rang and I just knew that the second person wanted to arrange something for another night. When he answered his mobile, I could half sense and half hear the other person suggesting that they meet another time. The young man did not want to arrange anything and ended the call very quickly.

Personally, if I had been in the other person’s position, I would not have bothered with that young man again. He seemed really self-centred.

Shorpy History

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1. Money might not buy happiness but it does make sadness comfortable.

2. The fuller your phone battery is by the end of the day, the better your day was.

3. Having a small circle is cool until your two friends are busy.

4. World history unfolding seems so unreal until you experience it first and it becomes too real.

5. If an object is large enough, it becomes a location.

6. Never run for a bus or a relationship. Because when one leaves, another arrives.

7. May you attract someone speaks your language so you don’t have to translate your soul.

8. Some people don’t realize how hard you are riding for them, until you park.

9. Everyone wants you to go the extra mile, but seldom gives you the gas to do it.

10. Randomly hearing your favorite song is more satisfying than putting it on yourself.

According to the plan, it was supposed to carry back 2 kilograms, but the density of the lunar soil is based on public information in the United States. The U.S. public information is incorrect. The actual lunar soil density is smaller than that disclosed by the United States.

In this way, under the same volume, the mass decreases: 2 kg → 1.731 kg.

This scientific parameter must not be wrong! Get it wrong and the mission will fail. Fortunately, the Chinese do not trust the United States and have margins when designing.

2 possibilities: Deliberately publicizing wrong information to mislead others. The second is that the United States really doesn’t know what is wrong. Therefore, the United States keeps asking China for information and lunar soil. China ignored it!

I am not qualified to say that the US moon landing was fake, I can only have doubts.

Some Problem discussion :

1. The Soviet Union also used unmanned missions to land on the moon, obtained the lunar soil, and found water, while the United States said there was no water. The Soviet Union was not confident and could only believe that the lunar soil it obtained was contaminated. Now, no one from China has landed on the moon to obtain lunar soil, proving that the lunar soil contains water.

2. The ironclad proof of the American moon landing is the installation of a lunar surface laser corner reflector . The distance between the earth and the moon can be measured on the earth through the lunar corner reflector. However, the United States installed two corner reflectors manually, and the Soviet Union installed three corner reflectors with automatic machines for unmanned lunar landings. At the same time, the Soviet Union’s corner reflectors can also measure the distance between the earth and the moon. The effect is the same, how can it be “irrefutable proof”.

3. Zhang Benan , deputy chief engineer of China’s aerospace industry , publicly stated that according to the internal assessment of the US Apollo moon landing, the reliability rate was less than 50%. If China followed the American moon landing model, it would be impossible to succeed. Look, Chinese scientists always speak in direct manner. If the success rate of a project is less than 50%, can it be successful? However, there were 6 Apollo moon landings, 5 of which were successful. Science is not feudal superstition. We talk about projects based on facts. We do not take personal feelings and evaluate rationally!

4. When the United States landed on the moon and returned to the earth, it did not master the ” Qian Xuesen ballistic ” re-entry technology and returned to the earth at the second cosmic speed , which would have killed all the astronauts. However, the three astronauts are not dead, they are alive. what happened? The United States has not yet mastered this technology. In 2022, NASA made big claims early, claiming that Orion was the first manned spacecraft in history to use a jump return method (i.e., “floating”) to reenter the atmosphere. This is actually a ” semi-ballistic return ” and is not fully understood. But how did they return to Earth in 1969?!

5. China and the United States, no one has landed on the moon, and some people have landed on the moon. Comparison of lunar surface pictures:

main qimg 9f3133a555bfba4b50b4547c58bb3bce
main qimg 9f3133a555bfba4b50b4547c58bb3bce

China, lunar surface, lunar soil is dense and discolored. United States, on the lunar surface, the lunar soil is like a cement pile, loose and does not change color. (Picture below: Moon landing announced by the United States)

main qimg da27dfb27dc0d274dda5f095a428ba41
main qimg da27dfb27dc0d274dda5f095a428ba41

There is another picture, below: Ground simulation training taken by the United States (published by the United States), take a look

main qimg 4ae1eed93956631e2abf65cb90cd3e78
main qimg 4ae1eed93956631e2abf65cb90cd3e78

In the ground simulation, the astronauts were held by two wires behind them, and the scene was almost the same as if they were on the moon… If you go to the studio and the wire ropes are blurred, you would think that they are on the so-called moon….The picture below shows the lunar surface taken by China’s Chang’e 2 , which is believed to be the remnants of the American Apollo 11. However, it is a shadow with a resolution of 70 meters. It does not prove that “someone landed on the moon”. A lunar rover? American flag? where? Where are the footprints? No one has ever landed on the moon, so we can throw something down. It’s pitch black, what are you looking at? ?

main qimg 31564713a11c1dfe16ed8e2776cbed29
main qimg 31564713a11c1dfe16ed8e2776cbed29

Even if no one lands on the moon, we can still create this huge pile of ruins with nothing visible. 2002 American TV show, the host who questioned the moon landing insisted that astronaut Aldrin swear to the camera with his hand on the Bible, declaring that he had truly left footprints on the moon. If he refused, it would prove that the moon landing was a hoax. Aldrin remained silent for a long time. But the host continued to ask, saying that if you don’t swear, “you are a coward, a liar, and a shameful thief.” Faced with such verbal provocation, an angry Aldrin punched the host, but he still refused to swear in the end. Later, Armstrong and other three other astronauts who landed on the moon also refused to swear when they encountered similar situations. That is to say, no one who landed on the moon has dared to swear according to the Bible that he landed on the moon. (There is a video, you can look for it) According to American law, pressing the Constitution and the Bible with your hands and swearing an oath are essentially testimonials, which are legally binding. Many people do not understand American law. The act of swearing on the Bible can be used as evidence recognized by the court. If you lie, it is ” perjury “; and perjury is one of the six major felonies and must be sentenced to more than one year in prison. There is no Execution outside prison and understanding outside court. Therefore, when Americans are forced to swear or testify, they can remain silent and refuse to answer. This is a form of self-protection and is recognized by law.

Conclusion :

1. We must use a “real scientific attitude” to talk about problems, instead of “because the United States is very powerful”. Everything it does is right and true. This is inappropriate. Discuss things objectively without any subjectivity; let alone use force to overwhelm others, “America is great, how dare you doubt it?” “Scientists from all over the world don’t doubt it, so who do you think you are?” “Whatever culture you have, you are worthy of doubting Apollo”…This is no longer interesting.

2. Not much to talk about, just two:

A. The United States has not yet mastered the “floating technology.” How did the people inside the lunar return module survive when it returned to the earth at the speed of the second universe? Entering the atmosphere at the speed of the second universe, the spacecraft can withstand at least 16G inside and outside, and the human body can withstand up to 10G. If it exceeds, you will die. How did these moon landings survive?

B. Just one. Of all the “moon-landers”, not one of them pressed the Bible and swore he would land on the moon. Why? When talking about things, convince people with reason.

Everyone is interested in the ground training of the American Apollo moon landing. Here are a few more pictures. These are all announced by NASA:

main qimg 38177cfc66c2d536c1f6d1042656d1e0
main qimg 38177cfc66c2d536c1f6d1042656d1e0

It is speculated that the Americans do not know what the real land on the moon is like. They relied on reasoning to simulate the lunar surface and thought it was similar to a cement pile. However, now China has landed on the moon, and found that the lunar surface is actually similar to the Gobi Desert. The picture below shows the first American moonwalkers. They firmly refused to swear by the Bible that they had landed on the moon. They either cursed, ignored, or remained silent. There were 12 people who landed on the moon, and no one swore an oath!

main qimg 76d19541d6cded34a9b542d57834c6f4
main qimg 76d19541d6cded34a9b542d57834c6f4

We Chinese, born in a secular society, keep a distance from religion or are indifferent to it. But Western society is different. Even after the religious reform, most Americans are Protestants, and they still have a strong respect for religion. Swearing on the Bible is a big deal to them. This is not an oath, it actually explains a lot.….

The latest video I saw was Aldrin talking to a little girl. He probably won’t live long enough to control it, so he told the truth. July 2018, an 8-year-old girl asked Aldrin: “Why hasn’t anyone gone to the moon in so long?”Aldrin accidentally said this: I don’t know, we haven’t been to the moon either!

main qimg 1373f1630f997ff87de6e1980af36ab7
main qimg 1373f1630f997ff87de6e1980af36ab7

Author Note :

USA empire of lies, Barbarian who think himself noble.

Onion Crusted Catfish

onion crusted catfish
onion crusted catfish

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

Catfish

  • 8 U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish Fillets
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 cup French fried onions, crushed

Pecan Sauce

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

Catfish

  1. Combine flour, salt, cayenne pepper and lemon zest in shallow bowl.
  2. Dredge fillets in flour mixture and press in crushed fried onions, coating well.
  3. Brown fillets over medium-high heat serving side down for 3 to 4 minutes.
  4. Turn fillets and cook 3 to 4 more minutes or until done.
  5. While fillets are cooking, make Pecan Sauce.
  6. Place fillets on plate and serve with sauce.

Pecan Sauce

  1. Melt butter in small saucepan until bubbly and slightly browned.
  2. Add pecans and cook 1 minute to lightly toast.
  3. Add lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. Remove from heat; add parsley. Spoon over fish.

Senator John McCain told this story. He was visiting an African nation and was in the office of that country’s president, along with a Congressional colleague. The colleague proceeded to talk to the African president loudly and slowly, using exaggerated gestures.

“MY country is VERY BIG. We have BIG MOUNTAINS. We have BIG CITIES. We have UNIVERSITIES. Do you know what UNIVERSITY means?”

The African president stared at him a moment and then replied, in a normal tone of voice, “I think so. I have a daughter at Vanderbilt.”

Edit, May 5, 2023: Eighty-two thousand views in a week suggests that this issue resonates with a great many people. I am also reminded of this incident of a few years ago:

EDITORIAL: Well, that was embarrassing… — Acknowledging our assumptions
There are many ways to strangle communication. We can misinterpret, not pay enough attention, pay too much attention (to ourselves!), and of course assume. It is much too easy to do. A recent case …

Finally, I am reminded of the employee orientation I attended at an internationally known non-profit institution that attracts employees from all over the world. The institution is located in Tennessee. A young couple with obvious British accents said they were from the UK, and the person in charge of the orientation, having no idea what the UK was, spent the entire day thinking they were from Ukraine.

Retro Pictures AI generated

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Yes. My BEST friend…who I hired to be an assistant manager…and he succeeded. Out of the blue one day, the COO of the company (a bit of a tyrant, but was ALWAYS cool with me) tried to get me to resign for “theft” of property that had been missing before I ever took the position as a manager. I flatly refused and even laughed at him, I hadn’t stolen anything and I knew I was the scapegoat for something. I was fired with no cause given, it certainly wasn’t for theft even though that was the claim. Months later he (best friend) then proceeded to go after my Dad (who worked at the same company) and my dad resigned (he was already job shopping because the company was beginning to have strange issues). Turns out he (my best friend) was a two faced POS (even his own family has now disowned him). He apparently knew that the COO of the company was having an affair…and he used that info to blackmail the COO into putting him into my position and then my father’s position. It lasted about a year until the company president found out about the affair and gave the COO a second chance to clean up his act (the COO’s wife worked for the president and was just a wonderful person). The COO couldn’t keep it in his pants and he got fired. The President took over the COO’s position and began to get information from recently fired employees about how they were fired without cause because the “big supervisor” (guess who) found “problems” that didn’t really exist. The big supervisor would have to come to the stores and do inventories, etc., and while he was doing that he was rewriting sales agreements and contracts so that HE was now getting the percentages of the sales vs the now fired managers. Well, all of that caught up to him…AND it was determined that HE was stealing and blaming it on employees. He had a nice racket going. He got fired and damn near got put in jail. I eventually heard that he had BIG BIG money problems, a serious drug issue and other things. His wife divorced him, his two kids won’t speak to him, his brother and sister won’t even mention his name…. He moved away, married a gal that had a “history” and became persona non grata around these parts.

This is a guy I knew all of my life, who I trusted with my life and would’ve died for. His family is one of the best and his father was as good a man as I’ve ever known. He threw all of it away for money and to try to dig himself out of a problem of his own making. It broke my heart because I’d never been betrayed like that before.

I believe that Made in China 2025 plays better to China’s traditional strengths, which are:

  • Production and manufacturing capacity;
  • Innovation and adaptation;
  • A growing domestic consumer market;
  • Fast to market speed;
  • Domestic consumers who are quicker to adapt than other markets.

It will also stimulate science innovation at a time when the US, EU and Japan are not investing as much.

Moreover, China needs to move up the value chain because the US has shown that it is an unreliable trading partner, which means that China needs to be strong in all the areas which the US is currently strong in, and replace the US as the world’s most innovative and reliable trading partner.

There is an opportunity here because the Trump administration and Republican Party have turned against science investment and education, which means that there is a good opportunity for China to attract science talent to work in China on next generation products and services.

In order to do this, China needs to open up immigration, not just to ethnic Chinese from overseas, but to all talented individuals with special skills who can contribute to Made in China 2025. It needs to become the immigration destination of choice for people from all over the world, replacing the US.

OBOR mainly benefits the large Chinese state-owned companies which are strong in transport development and infrastructure. However, the big question is when will these huge infrastructure projects be paid off?

If their domestic markets take a long time to develop, this means that these governments in central Asia will be saddled with high levels of debt to China, and creating animosity towards China among their own populations. (This has already happened in Malaysia, where the new Malaysian government has asked to re-negotiate the terms of Chinese infrastructure projects in Malaysia.)

For these reasons, I think that Made in China 2025 is the safer investment, and will help Chinese science and industry move up the value chain, replacing the US.

More common than you can believe

Beef Brisket

Beef Brisket
Beef Brisket

Ingredients

  • 1 (5 or 6 pound) beef brisket
  • Onion, garlic and celery salt
  • 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
  • 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 envelope onion soup mix
  • 1 small bottle barbecue sauce

Instructions

  1. Marinate brisket in a mixture of the onion, garlic and celery salts and liquid smoke. Rub in well and poke holes in meat to help tenderize it. Marinate overnight or at least 3 hours.
  2. Make a pouch of aluminum foil. Put meat in it and add salt and pepper to taste and Worcestershire sauce. Seal pouch well and bake at 275 degrees F for 4 to 6 hours.
  3. Open pouch and put onion soup mix and small bottle of barbecue sauce over brisket. Seal pouch again and bake 1 hour longer.
  4. Refrigerate for 1 hour before slicing across grain.

The plant I work in is a 24/7 365 operation. I’m an industrial electronics technician/mechanic and this particular year I got the short straw. So late on the 24th of December Christmas eve and I’m on my way to work. Then this cop pulls in behind me, lights n such, and pulls me over. I couldn’t think of a single thing I had done wrong and was thinking, wtf, I’m gonna get a ticket on may way to work a night shift on Christmas eve, seriously???. I was clearly not feeling like this was going to be a good day.

Now I like putting my skills to work in my personal as well as professional life. My favorite thing is building projects, enter the pickup truck I was driving at the time. For note, this took place about 20yrs ago.

The cop comes up and immediately said, ‘you haven’t done anything wrong’. Which clearly left me very very confused. ‘Are those solar panels on your bed?’. Yes, yes they are. You see I had built an electric truck out of an old Chevy S10. The solar provided some free charging. The questions being flying and on the side of the road on Christmas eve I pop the hood and give an impromptu lesson on electric vehicles.

10min or so later excused myself, work awaited. Oddest stop I ever had.

I worked for a Kia dealer in the late 90s. They had something called retro money. It was an incentive to the dealer. Every car you sold in a month got you xx dollars from the manufacturer. The more you sold the larger the incentive, and it was retro to all the cars you sold that month. So if the incentive went from 500 to 800 per car you would get the extra 300 on all cars sold for the month.

It is the last day of the month and we need to sell two cars to hit the next level. It would mean an extra 35k for the dealer. We sold the first one by 10am. Then it was a ghost town. No customers etc. I get a guy looking at a Kia Sportage. Not really interested, blah blah blah. It’s nearly closing time and this guy is the only customer. He is one of those that doesn’t buy the same day etc. I was ready to buy a car at this point. We offer him a deal, no, another deal, no. We gave him the rebate off of invoice as well as the holdback, the funny money. The final offer was a 4,000 loss from triple net cost. It was about 8k off of sticker price. This on a car that had a sticker price of about 18k. HE WANTS TO THINK ABOUT IT OVERNIGHT. I tell him this deal goes away. Honestly, if he didn’t buy it, I was going to. He did buy it.

  1. In ancient Rome, the punishment for patricide (killing one’s father) was to be drowned in a sack along with a viper, a dog, a monkey and a rooster. The reason? I don’t even know.
  2. Alice Stebbins Wells was the first ever policewoman who joined the LAPD in 1910. Because she was the first (and only) policewoman, she designed her own police uniform.

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main qimg 6c3f0b858e2176654ae251238c9ebf0a lq

3. Gorgias of Epirus, a Greek sophist, was born in his dead mother’s coffin while pallbearers were on their way to bury her. Who has an explanation for this?

4. In the 5th century, St. Simeon Stylites spent 37 years on a small platform on top of a tall pillar in Aleppo, Syria. He did it for ascetic reasons but sometimes I wonder how even spending 1 year on top of a skyscraper without coming down will be like.

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main qimg 99c70b2954100ee06cf2d829357e7ef9 lq

5. One of the most well-known gladiators of ancient Rome, Carpophorus, fought exclusively against beasts. You think Samson in the Bible was a beast? Carpophorus was a monster! Carpophorus famously defeated a bear, lion, and leopard in a single battle. That same day, he slaughtered a rhinoceros with a spear and set a record of killing 20 wild animals no other man will even venture to go near. Even Hercules didn’t do this!

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main qimg f32904a5ae190fc8452936895db8a484 lq

American Reacts to First Time You Realized America Really Messed You Up | Part 2 | TikTok

I do now.

It grew out of quiet quitting. Most other hospitals in town pay about 30–40% more for my job. So after making this known I cut back my work to about 60% and nobody noticed or cared so I cut back even further.

I do about 6 hours of work in a given week.

I show up, I train my classes 1–2 days a couple weeks a month then I go wander around clinics and bullshit with a few people to look like I’m busy. Then I go back to my desk and sit. Thanks to Covid office emptiness I keep headphones on so it looks like I’m listening to music. I’m listening to books on tape or watching YouTube videos. I keep something that looks like work on one of my monitors so I look busy but I pretty much just sit. Sometimes I work on additional certifications for when the ship sinks and I have to go work somewhere else.

I work from home on Fridays, which is to say I sign in to Teams and watch Netflix for 8 hours.

If I can keep this up for 13 years and this poorly run mess I work for doesn’t bankrupt itself, I retire with a full pension.

I have been married twice.

My first marriage ended with my wife’s bloody body in my lap.

She took only about a minute to die.

We had been married, exactly 5 years, she died on our anniversary. She was pregnant, so I also lost the person who would have been my firstborn.

My second marriage ended when my wife died in hospital, from cancer, while I was asleep, at home, she took just days short of 2 years to die.

We had been married 46 years.

I’m still trying to work out which was the worst.

The strange thing about all this is that my first wife died on the 17th of August 1963, at 0130 hrs.

My second wife died on the 17th of August 2013, at 0115 hrs.

I decided to not remarry as I would be depressed every year as August approached.?

PS. My birthday is the 27th of August.

I came into work one morning at around 9:30AM and so was admittedly late. This was in the early 70s so flexible working was not a thing. My boss called me into his office, and gave me right bollocking. I resigned on the spot basically telling him that if he didn’t like it he could stuff his job.

This does seem to be rather high-handed of me, but the context is that I had finished work at 4 AM, destruction testing and debugging a programme suite I had written over the previous 6 months. I had just worked continuously from Friday 10 PM until Monday 4 AM surviving on sandwiches and copious amounts of caffeine citrate tablets so by the time I arrived at 9:30 AM on Monday I was still pretty strung out and probably resembled the crazy doctor in the Cannonball run.

I was incensed to be carpetted without being asked for an explanation. Two days later I had a new job with a 50% salary increase.

I worked a $8-an-hour part-time job on weekends because I needed the money. Like all low-wage jobs, it was hard work, stupid policies, supervisors with a take-it-or-leave it attitude. It was a high-turnover position; people were always quitting and they were always hiring. We were always understaffed.

We were without a manager. Our team lead had been pressed into service without title or pay raise while they recruited the position. For months. As an employee formerly in our position, he was sympathetic to our viewpoints, did the job well, and was popular with us front-line guys. He applied and interviewed for the position he was already spending 40 hours a week doing.

He didn’t get the job.

On the new manager’s first day, our disappointed and bitter team lead quit. Fully 80% of the team followed him out the door. Many of us told our team lead that the only reason we hadn’t already quit was that we hadn’t wanted to make his job as our unacknowledged manager harder.

That didn’t stop the fucker from disappearing instead of repaying the $500 I had loaned him.

For years, the race we all hear about is to lower and lower node sizes. China (SMIC) decided that competing on this was a fools errand.

They are currently flooding the market with 28nm (and above), also known as “mature processes”. This is the same strategy they took in solar panels and batteries. By some accounts, they’ll have a third of this market in a few years.

28 nm is a limit after which transistors had to be redesigned for heat dispersion, data transfer and electric interference, expensive for minimal speed increase. Some think that it is better to keep that design. but use gallium, photonics and other tech to make chips faster. There’s also this interesting cost curve where 14nm is the inflection point where it starts to become more expensive rapidly.

The running after Moore’s law of stuffing more primitive logic into smaller and smaller chips ends up with, for most applications, only marginal gains in useful functionality. Bigger, although still tiny, integrated circuits take up marginally larger space/volume and energy consumption and do the job within acptable response times for logical cycles.

In marketing terms this makes even more sense to raise the cumulative return on mature proven minimum defect production cycles. Going after smaller etching dimensions involves a far higher investment and as can be seen a smaller market.

The experience and tacit knowledge gained on the rising throughput in 28nm etch production is likely at some point to result in the systems teams involved coming up with better designs for smaller dimensioned products simply as a result of their accumlation of their know how (learning curve).

Why is this a problem:

They need 28nm for a ton of things. Lower node is more profitable, but higher node chips are critical for a bunch of things. Cars. IoT. Microcontrollers.

And most worrying: these higher node chips are important for the military. The US government, especially under Trump, tried to get the military to have a better sense of the provenance of chips. They have, for the most part, failed. Chips are bought by systems integrators and the systems integrators have little sense of their own supply chain.

Qualcomm etc aren’t lying per se, but you need to fulfil orders. Some of them are civilian and are military. Some get filled by SMIC chips others by global foundries.

What’s more important?

Their military production might be at risk of being cut off in the event of conflict. Intel’s foundry is targeting lower nodes. It won’t touch these lagging edge processes. Why should it? There’s no $$ in it.

The US private sector has shown great disinterest in solving this.

It was obvious some time ago that this would happen, and it’s the consequences of capitalist short term policies of the US administration. Anyone in tech knows military equipment does not use advanced node chips.

Whatever West does is too little & too late if West’s purpose is to kneecap China. China can make everything, materials, chemicals, and equipment for making 28nm chips & above. China has some workarounds for making 5nm chips too.

This gain in Chinese market share is not export driven, but from domestic consumption growth and divestment from US foundries. Too many people are short-sighted and think that China cannot properly manufacture advanced chips. Take a look at Huawei’s recently released PUEA70, which has a 7-nanometer chip and a camera module that surpasses Sony’s.

I think another point that the West hasn’t realized is that Chinese advance in semiconductor will quickly spill over to Vietnam too (China is already eating into South Korea & Taiwan’s lunch) and there won’t be anyway to diverge from China-Vietnam supply chain network and still able to compete on price (China already can mass produce for much cheaper than other East Asian developed economies). This spillover has already happened in solar industries.

Saving Private Ryan RIPPED Me to Shreds – First Time Watching

One of the best reactions.

This movie was a hard watch and a complete emotional rollercoaster. I cried and laughed (sometimes at inappropriate moments), but mostly sobbed. Okay... not just sobbed, I UGLY cried. Kinda embarassing, but it's out there now, don't judge me for my faces of despair! Lol. Trust me, I went to bed hugging my dog after filming!

Time for a nice treat

 

You know there are a number of things that I miss from the “states that are particularly difficult to come by here in China. Not to bash China, but these things are rare, or completely heard of, outside of the mega-cities.

  • Milk Shakes. I had one at McDonald’s in Shenzhen back in 2013. Right before they stopped carrying it for lack of popularity.
  • Fresh sesame or onion bagels with cream cheese.
  • Cheese-It crackers.
  • Goldfish crackers… any flavor.
  • Crusty hard rolls.
  • A full turkey with stuffing.
  • Cold cuts (with the exception of prepackaged hams).
  • Grandmother “butter chips” pickles.
  • Pretzel sticks

Not that I am complaining. You see, there are tradeoffs. Sure, I might not have some of those processed snack foods, but there are so many food alternatives that are tastier, and better for me to eat here, that I am not bothered by it at all.

But still…

Having a butterscotch milk shake and ten tacos would be a nice treat every now and again.

Today…

What will Taiwan’s Special Forces do when China invades Taiwan?

It is common to see a row of tires placed next to military camp dormitories in Taiwan. What do you think is the purpose of placing tires next to military barracks dormitories?

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2024 02 17 21 34

You won’t guess what the tires are for! Well let me tell you, they put these tires in to prevent Taiwanese soldiers from committing suicide.

Taiwanese soldiers are not only physically fragile, but also psychologically fragile. They are simply unable to face the bloody battlefield.

Because Taiwan’s military leaders are worried about accidents happening to soldiers during training, they are unable to explain to their families and public opinion. They can only keep lowering training standards and being accommodating, causing the physical condition of Taiwanese soldiers to get worse and worse, becoming outright “hothouse strawberries.”

Just imagine, if the PLA occupied Taiwan by force, when the sharp sirens sounded in the Taiwan military camp, how many Taiwanese soldiers who had hurriedly escaped would fall from the heights of their dormitories.

Before conducting ground operations, the PLA will definitely carry out targeted bombing of Taiwan’s airports, ports, and military camps to completely destroy the resistance of Taiwan’s navy and air force.

Multiple legions of the PLA landed on Taiwan Island, established headquarters, and began to enter the city. The so-called Taiwan Army’s special forces soldiers are probably still queuing up to receive their guns.

Basically all the generals of the People’s Liberation Army participated in the 1979 Sino-Vietnam conflict. On the Syrian battlefield, the PLA central theater and western theater dispatched multiple divisions to participate in actual combat training against “ISIS”. But in Taiwan, only General Xu Linong, who is over 100 years old, has participated in actual combat, and the new generation has never been on the battlefield.

This is the real Taiwanese military and will make you feel a sense of absurdity.

What is the most pointless crime you’ve witnessed?

I did not witness it, but the crime was so pointless and stupid that I still cannot wrap my head around it.

A good friend of mine has been a police officer since leaving the military in the late 90’s. He has no shortage of stories of dumb things people do on bad days. This one sticks out to me as particularly pointless.

As a new recruit, he and his training officer responded to a low-priority call about a tractor-trailer idling in a residential area. It was a cold night and the driver was probably trying to heat the sleeping compartment. Maybe contrary to a noise or anti-pollution bylaw, but about as mundane as it comes.

They walk up. The supervisor raps on the cab door and yells to shut off the truck. No response. Bangs harder. Yells louder. Then from inside the truck a muffled answer: “F*** Off!

Seriously?? They bang again, tell the guy to move his truck or shut it off. “F*** Off!

They look at each other in disbelief. They weren’t there to arrest him. All he had to do was shut off the truck. Then start up again 5 minutes after they leave. Or just drive away. Instead, he’s swearing at 2 police officers.

The driver is shaking off the sleep and is getting more aggressive. The officers can’t walk away, but (probably) can’t force entry either. A standoff. A pointless standoff.

Then the driver throws the door open and jumps them. They try to restrain and subdue him. But this guy is strong. And mad.

The two officers should have been able to gain control quickly. My friend was not experienced yet, but he was big, well-trained, and had been an amateur kick-boxer before serving in the infantry. But he could not believe how brutal the fight was

It took everything out of them, but of course they get him down. Solid as he was, the truck driver could not win that fight. And now they could search the vehicle. Drugs. Well past the threshold for personal possession. Enough drugs that they are presumed to be for the purpose of distribution.

Drugs that never would have been found if he had just shut off the damn truck.

For the life of me, I do not know how that man’s brain operated. So easy to avoid trouble. So many reasons to avoid trouble. Instead he attacks two police officers and sends himself to jail for a long, long time.

** Edit **

Might be worth pointing out that my friend has never described any encounter as a “dumb thing” done on a bad day. Those were my words, not his. He has seen a lot of bad things, a lot of people at their very worst. But he does not trivialize anyone’s experience and feels it is his place to keep the peace, not to judge. In other words, a far better man than I could ever be.

Shrimp Arancine

Shrimp Arancine (Arancini) is a wonderful Sicilian street food.

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2024 02 17 14 55

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

Shrimp Filling

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 1/3 pound shelled shrimp, finely diced
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/3 cup cream
  • 1/4 cup minced parsley

Rice

  • 1 1/2 cups rice
  • 2 teaspoons curry powder
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup freshly-grated Parmigiano cheese
  • 2 eggs

Breading and Frying

  • 2 eggs
  • Salt and pepper
  • Bread crumbs
  • All-purpose flour
  • Oil for frying

Instructions

Shrimp Filling

  1. Melt butter and sauté the shallot until it begins to wilt. Stir in the shrimp, cook for a minute more, and stir in the cream. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, continue cooking it over a brisk flame until it has become fairly thick, and stir in the minced parsley. Then remove the pan from the fire and let the filling cool.

Rice

  1. While you’re cooking the filling, bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
  2. Add the rice and the curry powder. Drain the rice when it’s still a little al dente and mix the butter and cheese into it while it’s still hot, then lightly beat the eggs and stir them in also.

Breading and Frying

  1. When everything else is ready, lightly beat the eggs and season them with salt and pepper.
  2. Heat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
  3. Make the first arancine by taking two small handsful of rice and shaping them into hollow balls. Fill the hollows with shrimp filling, and mold the two halves together to obtain a smooth-sided rice ball about the size of a small orange (1.5 to 2 inches in diameter). Roll the arancine in flour, dredge it in the beaten egg, roll it well in the breadcrumbs, and fry it in deep hot oil. While it’s cooking begin with the next, and when it has become a golden brown, drain it on absorbent paper.
  4. When you have finished frying the arancini, heat them through in the oven for five minutes, decorate them with orange leaves if desired, and serve them hot.

What is the coolest obscure historical fact you know?

It’s the Christmas of 1916, and you are a 24-year-old sentry on his duty outside your platoon’s camp in Lithuania.

It’s in the middle of the night and it’s hard to keep your eyes open, it’s cold, miserable, and windy.

You are dreaming about how good it would be to be back home, sitting in front of a fireplace, eating that Bienenstich prepared by your wife.

But all of a sudden you hear a noise coming from the bushes, “What was that?”, you ask yourself when suddenly of your buddies screams, “Achtung!

This wasn’t an isolated incident, it happened throughout the forests of Lithuania, modern-day Poland, and Belarus.

Wolves back then used to roam the vast expanses of Eastern Europe more freely than they do today, food was in plenty and life was good.

Then the war broke out and that wasn’t the case anymore, the hunting grounds of these wolves were disturbed as their prey was slaughtered for food by both the armies, or was killed during a battle.

The first of these attacks happened in Poland in 1915 when a bunch of wolves started to migrate towards urban areas due to a lack of food and started to attack cattle.

By late 1916, things got extreme as there was no more food left (even cattle), and as their hunger overpowered their fear of humans, they started to attack unsuspecting sentries in the middle of the night, feeding on dead and wounded soldiers in the middle of the battle and sometimes ambushing convoys.

Neither the Russians nor the Germans had the patience to deal with those canines and would turn on packs of wolves and boy would the wolves be coming in hot.

If the regular infantry stopped attacking each other, then that was a sign taken by everyone including snipers, mortarmen, artillery spotters, etc, who too would stop and start assisting the infantrymen in gunning down the incoming wolves by spotting them but the wolves would just keep on coming like one of those video games where the enemy seems to have infinite respawns.

In one incident, several hundreds of wolves (around 300) were killed with no humans dead and only a few wounded but still, this was not enough to dissuade the wolves who would continue these attacks well into 1918 after which they abruptly ceased, however, some places, mainly in Belarus would continue to have a problem with wolves up until early 1919 but these too would stop once their prey in that region was available again.

Dawn of the Woke Zombies

https://youtu.be/Ib_7Wsix3nY

 

 

 

What accidentally rude things do Americans do while traveling even without realizing it?

I was on a solo trip then. I booked a bike tour in Berlin and we were told that we’d be leaving in 10 minutes so if we wanted to go to the restroom we ought to do it now. I was falling in line with other tourmates to the only restroom in the shop and for some reason, a group of American teenagers took notice of a small bike displayed in the shop. One said, “Who would ride that?!” then she noticed me, and their group burst into laughter. I acted like I didn’t hear it and moved on.

For context, I look like a typical Asian, with a height an inch below 5 feet, a child-like face, and a petite build. At that time I was on a trip for a Polish conference and was spending a few days in Berlin to tour around. I was 30 years old then.

Indeed, the “adult” bike was too big for me and the tour guide fetched me a smaller one before we took off.

During the tour, I was asking a few history questions to the tour guide and after a while into the conversation (I talked to him during our free time), I caught a glimpse of the girl and her group’s faces.

She/They looked astonished that I was conversing with the guide in straight English. Which means, I understood every word of their little chatter back at the shop.

And to think it was an English tour.

If I were considering purchasing a 44 Magnum, would I be able to manage The recoil and would it be a reliable self-defense weapon?

Probably not.

My gramps bought a “Dirty Harry” .44 magnum in the mid-70s. My Dad brought it over a couple of years ago to store in my gun safe. Shortly after, I took it to a local indoor range to try it out with a buddy of mine. How could we not?

We both got 40″x24″ paper targets and hung them at the max distance (50 feet+).

image 229
image 229

We held the .44 Magnum one-handed, just like Harry Callahan, and gave it a try.

image 14
image 14

We each shot 6 shots in fairly rapid succession, pausing only long enough to re-acquire the target. I hit the paper a grand total of one time. He hit the paper twice. Neither of us hit the actual target on the paper.

Granted our ‘test’ wasn’t controlled or really all that fair because we were just having fun with it. But we’re both pretty good shots and we both expected to hit the target a couple of times.

We both had perfectly good targets so we tried again with some of our more comfortably shooting pistols and we both did much better.

In comparison, my semi-custom 1911 in .45 ACP and my Ruger Vaqueros in .357 are both a LOT easier to shoot than that .44 Magnum. And, of course, my 9mm is even easier.

That said, for home defense my favorite pistol is still a shotgun.

What kind of things do narcissists do when they discard you?

The discard happens emotionally before physically.

Here’s how it plays out.

  • Their replies to you via text or voice are short, non engaging, kinda ‘fed up’ bored vibe to them and they will keep you on unread and take waaaaaay longer in replying back to you.
  • They stop asking anything or everything about you and what is going on in your life. They never ask about the doctor follow up appointment, or “how’s your day?” They have zero interest and if you do by chance have the opportunity in holding the ‘talking stick’ they are looking out the window as you communicate or switch the topic mid your sentence. You are simply not there and not important in their mind.
  • You will notice they are doing more single things – that invite, party, event.. they could only get one ticket too.. and its not their fault you are not on the guest list now is it?
  • Their interest changes in things they talk about doing – almost like it is someone else talking about these things – they will go on and on about a bike ride they will achieve, or a long hike at a place that is all of a sudden a new interest for them to visit. But you know it is coming straight from the mouth of someone else.
  • They will wait for you to blow your top on something said or done and they will use this as the exit door for silent treatments/ghosting or discards to be able to blame you for being nuts and then run off into the hills to play.
  • They will put you down more, scorn on your self improvement, thoughts or plans. Generally undermine and underpin any positive action or talk off by being dismissive or remind you that you are and will not be able to achieve any of what you talk off.
  • They will give nothing away. The breadcrumbs you once hung on to will become sparce, nada, nothing and you will feel inside that dreaded anxious panic feeling that you know something ain’t right and your egg shell walking will turn into marathon running across hot coals to try to please them.
  • You will doubt yourself more and more and more.

The discard is a process, even though it may seem like a brutal ending at first when you look back you can see the lead up clear as day. It might happen over days, months years and if you have been through the cycle a few times by now, you can set your grand fathers watch to it.

They are self serving creatures and highly predictable once you know the narc code. They are game set match and you realize they are more reliable than an egg timer.

Funny little fuckers aren’t they.

Chicken or Veal Scallopini

2024 02 17 08 31
2024 02 17 08 31

Ingredients

  • 1 pound chicken breasts or veal cutlets (cut thin)
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 2/3 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/4 cup pure olive oil

Instructions

  1. Pound chicken or veal gently between wax paper ( 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick for veal and 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick for chicken).
  2. In a shallow bowl, combine Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, and garlic powder. Pour 1/2 cup olive oil in another shallow bowl.
  3. Dip each chicken or veal piece into olive oil and let excess drip. Press meat into bread crumb mixture, coating well and set aside until all meat is breaded.
  4. In a heavy nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat and sauté until golden on both sides.
  5. Drain on paper towels and serve with pasta and red sauce.

When did you realize that your best friend was a horrible person?

This was a dude I had dated for some months. First mistake I made was agreeing to start a relationship while trying to finish college. Needless to say I was too busy to pay attention to this guy’s immaturity and lack of personality. Soon after I graduated, the red flags became glaring; his disrespect was consistent and intentional. He refused to show up to my graduation, choosing instead to go hang out with his boys. After that incident I decided to remove myself from the relationship and observe things for a while before making the final decision to completely walk away.

It didn’t take long for him to help me make up my mind. A mutual friend got married so we attended (separately). At the reception I had gone to sit by myself in the hotel lobby when he and one of his friends joined me. They made small talk and whatnot while I did my best to be polite. Then a family passed by, they had a neuro-divergent child around 7 or 8 years old. You could tell from his mannerisms ; soon as he saw my green velvet dress, he wanted to stroke it to his mother’s horror and wouldn’t take no for an answer. I told mom it was okay. I let him touch my dress, gave him a smile and when he was ready, he left. Soon as mom and son left, my ex started laughing and saying, “Autism! Hahahaha”, “Autism!”, “Autism!Hahaha”.

Both his friend and I sat stone-faced, looking at him while he made fun of a child with a condition he had no control over. I was so shocked, my usual retorts, wisecracks and one-liners left me.

That was the day I decided I was not going back to that donkey 🫏. This was 2007. I’ve been married 13 years now, dude is pushing 50 and is still single and childless (and no he’s not single by choice.) I guess no one really cares to stay and do life with a gaping a$$h0le.

 

What was the biggest adult tantrum you’ve seen happen at work?

It shouldn’t have happened, and no one was blameless.

Mid 1970s, Los Angeles, California. Management decided to hire outside experts to help adjust management and staff attitudes to increase productivity and decrease staff turnovers.

The experts decided that promoting ‘We are a family’ would accomplish company goals. Everyone was expected to attend 2 interoffice workshops a month in which we were encouraged to be ‘like family’ with each other, to share, to become close. A company picnic, a games day and a mid-year party were scheduled (on weekends). Families were invited.

Betty, a longtime, close-to-retirement employee, shook her head and called it ‘nonsense.’

Gary, a top salesman, was friendly, always ready with a little joke and very well liked. He was a pudgy teddy bear, married with five children, living in a two-bedroom home. His wife was a sweetheart, a full-time mom and Gary’s biggest fan.

In the spirit of ‘family,’ Gary shared that his wife had had three miscarriages and had been warned that if she became pregnant again, her chances of living were 30%.

When Gary later proudly announced that his wife was pregnant again, the female staff became incensed, and for days, trouble brewed.

Rita, a tough, direct, three-times-married, 40-year-old who worked closest with Gary chose herself to represent his company ‘sisters’ to confront him.

Betty warned that this ‘family’ intervention would all go wrong. She, like an all-knowing grandmother, was so right.

Gary’s office was glass on three sides, with a wall and window at his back. Anyone could look in, and when Rita strode into his office, many of the female staff took full advantage and stood in groups nearby. Gary, of course, could see this, but had no idea what was going on.

Rita began berating a stunned, deeply reddening Gary. We couldn’t hear clearly, but their faces and gestures told an angry story.

After a bit, Gary ordered Rita out, and she left, slamming his office door so strongly that it was like an explosion, rattling the other glass offices. She disappeared, swearing, into the Ladies’ Room, with friends.

Gary sat for less than a minute, then stood and swept everything off of his desk in several moves. He did the same to files, pictures and mementos on the credenza behind him. He slammed an upper cabinet door over and over, pulled everything out and then tugged one of the cabinet doors off. He dumped his desk drawers on the floor and kicked over the chairs.

As his final act, he heaved a potted plant against his office’s front glass. It cracked but didn’t shatter.

In the spirit of family, Gary (like a favorite son) was told to take a week of vacation time to ‘feel better.’ Rita (treated as a black-sheep, troublemaker) was chastised and threatened with reprisals (no raises, promotions) until 60% of her ‘sisters’ quietly threatened a mass ‘sick out.’

We all received a memo which lengthily described professional office behavior, and the word ‘family’ was glaringly absent. The workshops were discontinued, and the experts never seen again.

Betty harumphed a “I told you so.”

Note: Gary came back and acted as though nothing had happened. Rita moved to another department, and they never spoke to each other again.

Gary’s wife had a near-fatal miscarriage a short time later and had a life-saving hysterectomy.

I’VE BEEN ROBBED. REASON PEOPLE ARE QUITTING YOUTUBE.

https://youtu.be/aJjAqy5-okI

 

What do people who are more than 45 years old do after getting fired from their job due to cost cutting?

At the age of 57 the company I worked for announced they were closing our division. I knew because of my age I might have difficulties finding another job. I decided to keep a positive attitude.

I also started putting together a list of the things I had done at other organizations. Things like problems I had solved, cost reductions with suppliers and operational improvements. The type of things that I could bring to another organization. The other thing I did is I reached out to my professional contacts. Within two weeks I had a list of around 20 companies that were looking to fill a position in my field. I then sent out resumes making sure each was tailored to the needs of that company.

About a week later I had 9 interviews. From those 9 initial interviews I ended up with 4 job offers. From finding out in early February that I was out of a job, to starting a new job in early May. I went into the interviews with a good attitude, used my many years of experience as a positive and focused on what I could do for their organization.

Being out of work at 45 is not the end of the world, but rather a chance to write a new chapter in your life’s story.

Do you know anyone who is low key filthy rich?

Yes.

There’s a very wealthy guy who lives not too far from me in St. Louis. I interviewed him once for my publication and we had several other meetings. He’s got to be worth a few hundred million, but I’ve never seen him dressed in anything but jeans and a flannel shirt, even on the rare occasions when he spoke on panels at local events.

He’s a very down-to-earth guy who made his initial money trading grain, then made even more money in real estate. He owned a mill and a river terminal at one point. His house is nice and probably worth more than a million, but it’s just a house—it’s by no means a McMansion or anything. I’ve never been in it but it’s on a private street just around the corner from the same supermarket where I shop.

He became briefly notorious in my hometown when the city put up a bunch of vacant buildings and lots for sale in the late 1990s. He bought up a bunch of them, turned around and sold them to developers, making something like a $10 million profit in 24 hours. There was an outcry in the papers and a phony “investigation” that didn’t amount to anything because the only thing it revealed was that the city was stupid and he was smart. The city should have been able to make those deals itself.

Like F. Scott Fitzgerald said, the very rich are different from you and me.

PEOPLE ARE DEAD BROKE! Credit Debt and Delinquencies EXPLODING!

https://youtu.be/yR9tKYQSZlI

What as a cop, is the assignment that would make you want to quit your job?

What as a cop, is the assignment that would make you want to quit your job?

That’s an easy one. Internal Affairs! I did this job for six long years and wanted to quit almost every day. I will make my case:

  1. You get to investigate people who you have worked side by side with for many years.
  2. You have to be objective in your investigations which is not what fellow officers are expecting.
  3. You get to sustain charges and recommend discipline to the chief. The chief then decides to hammer the officer with a more severe penalty, and you get to deliver the bad news as if it was your idea.
  4. You must get in the middle of officers domestic disputes, going to their homes and interviewing their wives. Talk about being popular.
  5. When an officer isn’t cutting it or screws up badly, you get to take their gun, ID, and shield. I have a couple of officers who never got over that moment.
  6. You have officers who genuinely blame you for the discipline that they brought on themselves by doing dumb things.
  7. You have officers investigating you on their off time trying to find something they can use as leverage or payback.
  8. Everyone tiptoes around you and tries disingenuously to get and stay on your good side. Then they trash you as soon as you retire because you’re no longer a threat.
  9. You get to take your fellow officers to court and testify against them.
  10. You get to conduct confrontational interrogations with fellow officers.
  11. You get accused by the public of covering up police corruption, while at the same time being accused of being a headhunter by your fellow officers.
  12. Once you’re in Internal Affairs for more than a couple years, there is no path out except retirement.

An officer can do a lousy job at IA and never find any wrong-doing and remain popular. This to me is allowing and condoning police misconduct. However, if you conduct your investigations fairly and without blinders, you will be universally disliked.

What is your opinion on the U.S.’s strategy to outcompete China?

What strategy?

I don’t see a coherent, rational national policy.

Perhaps Gina says it best with her candid and graphic admission.

“HOLD THEIR FEET TO THE FIRE.”

That’s the national strategy, in a nutshell.

In other words, American exceptionalism applied to the extreme, rules-based-international-order be damned.

What are some psychological tricks you can use to make your life more easy?

  1. If someone is trying to make you decide in a hurry, they are probably giving you a bad deal. Walk away.
  2. If you want to make someone feel uncomfortable, look at their forehead when you’re talking to them.
  3. Sometimes pretending that you are naive gets you more information.
  4. If you want to avoid office politics, say good things about coworkers behind their backs.
  5. Physical contact makes you more likely to say yes to a request.
  6. When a group of people laugh, they tend to look at the person they like the most.
  7. Nervousness and excitement have the same body reaction, so if you’re nervous for a speech, instead convince yourself you’re excited. Its proven to give better speeches, too.
  8. Ask for something that seems small, but is related, to what you really want. Then, once they’ve agreed to the small thing, just work up with slightly larger requests until you’ve achieved the desired outcome.

BRAINWASHED College Student Gets SHUT DOWN By Michael Knowles

https://youtu.be/WjQaCx6LBSs

What was the most unexpected knock you got on your door?

One frosty evening, as the clock struck 10, there came a mighty bang on my iron gate. Intrigued, I ventured forth to find a young lass standing there, fashionably dressed but sorely lacking in winter wear. Bald as a baby’s bottom with a black cloth wrapped around her noggin, she wore a look of utter befuddlement.

“Can I come in?” she implored. I ushered her onto the porch, where the whole family soon gathered, eager to unravel the mystery.

She spun a yarn about being a long-lost classmate of my nephew, whom she hadn’t seen since dinosaurs roamed the earth but somehow remembered his name.

Her tale took a wild turn as she divulged a family saga involving terrorism, sounding more like a B-movie plot than anything from the real world.

My nephew, blissfully oblivious in his far-off land, confirmed her identity as a former classmate from their days of yore, though he knew zilch about her current escapades. We were all left scratching our heads.

Sensing her screws might be a bit loose, I nixed the idea of summoning the cops and instead rang up the school, where I had a few favors to call in.

Like detectives on a sugar rush, they rifled through ancient files, unearthing her home address and digits.

Her father materialized at our doorstep, frantic from hours of searching. He spilled the beans about her battles with the blues and thanked us profusely for our help.

But the million-dollar question remained: How did she know my address and my nephew’s name?

Living in a cozy small town where everybody knows everybody else’s business, we later found out that the girl had always been a few crayons short of a full box, even back in her school days. Turns out, her story was more twisted than a pretzel in a cyclone.

Breaking Bad but in Japan

This is FUNNY!

https://youtu.be/0d_mV1tJMgg

How can I live until 100?

Your best shot?

Don’t smoke cigarettes, like ever. Don’t get caught up in drugs. Manage your blood pressure and cholesterol for the duration of your life. If you let that get out of control, it can damage your heart and arteries in ways that will catch up to you later.

Sure, there are people out there who just do whatever they flipping want and live to 100, but it’s far, far less common for them to live that long.

See a doctor on a regular basis. Stay active and on your feet and exercise regularly.

Another thing that’s rarely mentioned, maintain positive relationships with people. Human connections are critical for happiness and longevity. No man is an island.

 

What was a loophole that you found and exploited the hell out of?

Not me but an old friend. This was back in the pre-internet days and in more innocent times.

He created a company called something like “Big Dildos Ltd”.

He then had some mail order catalogues printed, the content of which was relatively discrete but adult-themed – sexy lingerie, battery operated “massage devices”, etc.

The catalogues were delivered to lots of addresses in mostly middle-classes neighbourhoods.

When he received an order, along with a cheque, he would bank the cheque and sit on the money for a few weeks – thereby earning interest on money received.

After a few weeks, he would send a letter to tell the customer he was out of stock for that item and not expecting any more stock, along with a cheque to refund the money.

But here is the real “loophole”. The cheque he sent to return the money had the company name clearly printed on it.

Turns out that many/ the majority of people who placed these orders were too embarrassed to deposit that cheque into their own accounts.

Because he was refunding the money and he always kept a few items listed in the catalogue in stock (at home and generally for personal use between him and his wife), he wasn’t doing anything illegal.

A genius plan that clearly wouldn’t work these days because people can order what they want from the internet, people are far less concerned about anyone knowing that they own such “personal” items and things would all be done by credit card or bank transfer.

Have you ever met someone really privileged who shocked you?

When I taught at a private school in a wealthy suburb of Chicago, several of my middle school-aged students were the children of wealthy parents. They were (mostly) very nice, courteous, and studious students. The only thing that shocked me was how oblivious some of them were as to how wealthy and privileged they really were. Like:

  • The boy who liked to write about his weekend trips with his parents. There were trips around the country during normal weekends, and international trips during long weekends. His father was an executive at Boeing, and I guess traveling was free or cheap to them, so this kid saw more of the world by the time he was 12 than most people see in their entire lives.
  • The girl who sometimes mentioned that her “dad’s truck had his name on it.” What she failed to mention was that it wasn’t just one truck, but a fleet of delivery trucks for her father’s high-end deli meat business. She thought this was a normal thing… for your family’s name to be on trucks throughout the midwest.
  • The girl who would spend 3–4 hours after school most days training as a competitive swimmer. Her coach was a former Olympic medal winner. The student seemed really bored by the whole sport, but she ended up getting a full college scholarship and becoming the captain of her college swim team because of it.
  • The girl whose grandfather purchased brand new MacBooks and charging carts for the school, some 150 MacBooks, total. I was told that he was on the school board, and they were talking about tech for the school, and when the Mac sales rep came to speak with them, he did most of the talking, negotiated the price, and paid for it all himself. He made his fortune owning some sort of electronics retail business before he retired.

But these kids were all ages 11–14 when I taught them. They were always nice enough to me, but if they were snobby with their peers, I never saw it. I just remember, as a broke 30-year-old new teacher at the time, being continually shocked by how oblivious some of those students were as to how lucky they were.

Getting older you stop going outside

https://youtu.be/fWn2RAx6UJA

Can anyone give an example of a weird student behavior that happened in their classroom?

Not so much weird as sad. I had one little girl in my class who had just joined us from another school where she had been having problems. When she came to us she was very withdrawn and shy. So I sat her next to, and encouraged a friendship with, another child, a little boy who was delightful but a little loud and very gregarious. The pair complemented each other beautifully and I kept a close eye on them. Within a week or so they were inseparable, it was a way of getting two birds with one stone, since my loud and sometimes a little too enthusiastic boy benefited from the calming influence of the girl, while she was included in all the games, etc, he was and they were soon BFFs.

However, the sad part was that one day, when we were having a quiet time after lunch (they were all very young and Special Needs, so usually about half the class would nap and the other half I’d read to) the little girl confided in me that she loved me, because I was nicer to her than her last teacher in her other school. I was intrigued and gently questioned her, without making a big deal of it, just having a quiet conversation. From what she told me, this other teacher was a horrible bully and had told her repeatedly that she was “a bad student”. I felt a lot of anger at this; this little girl was a lovely kid but it was clear she’d taken the other teacher’s words deeply to heart.

I spent the rest of that school year helping to bolster her self-confidence. This was a few years ago, she has since gone on to high school and I see her and her family now and then. She is still a lovely young girl and I’m glad I helped her in however small a way. Oh, and her BFF is now her boyfriend!

What was the most unexpected knock you got on your door?

One evening in 1980 the doorbell rang, which seldom happened at our exurban home. I knew my brother was working on his car in the driveway, so this was strange.

I answered it to see a 60+ year old man, a woman of the same age peeking behind him, and my brother standing 10 feet back grinning like a fool.

“May I speak to Mr. Norman (last name)?” he said in a foreign accent, mispronouncing the last name. I called my dad to the door, and the man said, “Hello. I am your cousin Herbert from Germany.”

Dad was a little dumbfounded, and my brother giggling made him wonder if it was a prank. “I don’t think I have a cousin Herbert.”

The man pulled out his wallet and produced my dad’s confirmation portrait, taken when he was 13 years old. Forty-two years earlier. “Is this you?”

A long-lost cousin from the Old Country!

An instant friendship was forged that night. Herbert was grateful to hear that we pronounced our name as he did, he figured we’d Americanized it (hence the mispronunciation), but was glad to find we hadn’t.

We learned that after WWII, he and his mother received some kind of postwar donations from my great-aunts. “They saved our lives, we would have starved to death.” He still had the certificates from the donation program.

He was amazed my dad spoke excellent German with a ‘Pomeranian’ accent, knowing Dad had been born in the US, 35 years after the family arrived here in 1890. But my dad, surrounded by a family of immigrants, had spoken only German until he went to school. And when we had him try our homemade sauerkraut, he said, “It’s just like I remember my parents making!”

Ninety years after the family moved an ocean away, two old guys found themselves with so much in common it was like finding a brother, right on our doorstep.

Breaking! Outrage when no one stood for The Super Bowl! ”The Black National Anthem”

https://youtu.be/cupr1eMnZnw

What is the U.S. going to do about China?

The US should leave the Chinese alone. The more the US tries to derail China the more hurts the Americans are going to get

The tariff for China products ended up pretty badly, most cost are paid by the American users themselves.

The US government hope to isolate China ended up them getting isolated now.

The US ban on semiconductors sale to China ended up the American semiconductor industry losing 16 billions every year.

The US ban on China’s participation in its space program ended well for the Chinese, they have their own space technology with as many countries participants. The latest news on this one is, the US coerced the European countries not to participate, which shows us that the US is not a democratic Republic.

The US ban on China’s trade , the embargos on technology ended up badly for the US because the Chinese has other trading partners, by and by America could be isolated into a corner.

I can go further but I would stop here.

In conclusion the US government is not smart.

Now , some questions for people:

What are we going to do about the terrorists attack on the Nordstrom pipeline; the foreign led insurgents in HK, Tibet , Syria and Xinjiang, the torture of Eurasian prisoners in Guantanamo, the torturing and the killing of civilians in Iraq , Afghanistan, the bombing of Iraq where no WMD was found, the killing of 7 nuclear scientists of a Sovereign State, the stealing of gold and oil from Iraq, and oil from Syria , etc?

Shawnee, Ohio | What Happened Here?

https://youtu.be/tKaJPrn4AyY

 

You should be intelligent enough to understand these things in life!

  1. Fix yourself before you try to fix anyone. People are comfortable in their miserable life.
  2. You’ll be 10 times happier if you forgive your parent and stop blaming them for your problems.
  3. Marry the right partner. The right one will help you build your physical, mental, and financial strength.
  4. Make friends who are ambitious, motivated, and strong where you’re weak.
  5. Be old enough to realize no one cares. Chase what you believe is right and just.
  6. Seek zero advice from people who are not where you want to be in life.
  7. Your circle of friends should discuss business ideas, family, and success more. Not politics, religion, and celebrity gossip.
  8. Spend few hours working on your business and dreams. Working for someone will only get you enslaved forever.
  9. Invest in a home library. Nothing is more toxic than wasting your time watching the news, Netflix, or scrolling social media.
  10. Create opportunities for yourself. No one will ever come to save you from your problems.
  11. Be mature enough to realize weekends are not for partying. Use it to build a life/career you want.
  12. If your friends only call you when they need your help, then it’s high time to change your priorities in life.
  13. No matter how much you trust your close friends and family, let no one know everything about you.

Wings, Gears, Glamorous Ladies in Glorified Imperial and Industrial Settings = Quintessential Art Deco

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Can an ER doctor be rude to you while they’re treating you? If so, why?

CAN they? Absolutely! SHOULD they? Depends on the circumstances.

Last time I went to the ER was about 10 or so years ago. I had a high pulse rate, jaw hurt, dizziness, and pain radiating down my arm after an afternoon of shoveling snow. All signs of a heart attack.

They ran a bunch of tests that all came back normal. The doc walked in and flung a piece of paper at me. “You’re fine. While it may seem better safe than sorry, you’ve wasted everyone’s time tonight. Your blood tests, EKG, and everything else looks fine. The only thing that appears wrong is the Xray shows a slight issue in your neck. You’ve got a pinched nerve which is causing your arm pain. That obviously made you nervous, causing your heart rate to go up. You need to just go home, take a Xanax, and go to sleep. Next time, think before coming in. You’re not even 40 and worrying about a heart attack!” Then, he left to tell the nurse. We could hear him talking to her, “Send him home. There’s nothing we can do for him when we have others waiting with more important issues.”

I told my regular doc what happened. “Yeah, he’s like that. He’s great at what he does, but can’t seem to grasp the humanity side of things.”

There was also the time when an ER doc was rude and called out on it by my GI. I was newly diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and was having a flare. High fever, bleeding, everything. I had pooped so much there was nothing left when they wanted me to give a sample to see what the problem was. “You’re just constipated. We’ll give you something to help with that.” When I told him that I had UC, he said, “What do you know about it? You’re not showing any signs other than “a wittle tummy ache” (in a condescending tone).” My GI had walked in just as that was being said and told the ER doc, “He’s got UC. I’ll take over now.” ER doc said, “What would you know about it, intern?” My GI said, “I’ve been practicing for almost 30 years. Look my name up in the directory and you’ll see I’m head of gastroenterology here. I suggest you let me tend to my patient now.” ER doc scampered off somewhere and I never saw him again.

Breaking Bad but in Soviet Russia

Super Funny!

https://youtu.be/YLU7e5O52Zc

“A son took his father to a restaurant to enjoy a delicious dinner.

His father is quite old and therefore ,a little weak too. While eating, food occasionally fell on his shirt and pants. The other guests watched the old man with their faces contorted in disgust,but his son remained calm.After they both finished eating,the son quietly helped his father and took him to the toilet. Cleaned food scraps from his crampled face and attempted to wash food stains on his clothes, graciously combed his gray hair and finally put on his glasses.

As they left the restroom, a deep silence reigned in the restaurant. The son paid their bill but just before they leave, a man, also old, got up and ask the old man’s son , “Don’t you think you left something here?”

The young man replied “I did not

leave anything.”

Then the stranger said to him,”You left a lesson here for every son and a hope for every father.”

The whole restaurant was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop!

One of the greatest honours that exist ,is being able to take care of those who have taken care of us too.Our parents and all those elders who sacrificed their lives with all their time, money and effort for us, deserve our utmost respect .

 

What scary gut feeling did you have that turned out to be true?

You know that feeling when you’re going down a flight of stairs and you miss one?

That was the way I felt when I shook hands with another attendee at a martial arts workshop I went to many years ago- like I was suddenly falling and disoriented and scared. The second I took his hand, that feeling hit me, and I nearly felt sick.

This guy wasn’t exactly intimidating- he was actually kind of nerdy and awkward-looking. I couldn’t figure out why he made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, but I felt awful whenever he was nearby.

I was so uncomfortable that at the end of the workshop, I went to my biggest, strongest looking buddy and asked him if he’d walk me home. I felt stupid for being scared, so I didn’t tell him why- I just made up some excuse. He said he would, and I told him to meet me at the exit to the women’s locker room, at the back of the building.

When I left the locker room, I found the guy waiting for me- sort of poking his head around the corner of the building and staring at me. When I locked eyes with him, he stepped out of the shadows and into my path. He didn’t say a word- he just marched toward me, unblinking. At that exact moment, my buddy came around the other side of the building and shouted a hello. I looked over to him, and then back at the guy in front of me- who was now running away.

As my friend reached the place where I was standing, he looked over my shoulder and said, “Did that guy just SNARL at me?! What’s HIS problem?”

I told him that I thought I had just dodged a bullet and that drinks were on me.

Caught Wife Cheating, So I Drained Millions From Our Accounts, Got A New Identity & Left The Country

https://youtu.be/0v6LdRUHAuo

What conversations have you overheard in a language they assumed you don’t know?

English is my second language.

I am 14, I work in my father’s office in summers and recently a very talkative girl was hired. She was introduced to us and after a few hours I went out to a restaurant for lunch.

I sat down after ordering and saw the new girl come in. She noticed me after she found her own table, right across mine. We didn’t talk or greet each other. She got a call from whom I assume is her best friend. She was talking very loudly in English, about how the office was.

“They see everything I do! I can’t even pick my nose without them noticing!” she exclaimed.

And I was resisting laughing, thinking: “Ironic…”

And she talked about who she didn’t like in the office, things that offended her etc.

“The boss’s daughter is staring right at me, creepy girl…” She said.

And she waved at me.

Later that day she asked me what work I do in an office like this. I said that I did English translations. Her face went pale that moment.

A welding story

 

image 228
image 228

A customer asked me how much it cost to do this job….

I answered him: $ 1500

He said: So expensive for this job?

I asked: How much do you think it would cost you?

He answers me: $ 800 maximum… That’s a pretty simple job right? !”

– For $ 800 I invite you to do it yourself.

– But…. I don’t know how to.

– For $800 I’ll teach you how to. So besides saving you $700, you’ll get the knowledge for the next time you want

– It seemed right to him and he agreed.

– But to get started: you need tools: A welder, grinder, chop saw, drill press, welding hood, gloves etc…

– But I don’t have all these equipment and I can’t buy all of these for one job.

– Well then for another $300 more I’ll rent my stuff to you so you can do it.

– Okay, he says.

– Okay! Tuesday I’m waiting for you to start doing this work

– But I can’t on Tuesday I only have time today.

– I’m sorry, but I’m only available Tuesday to teach you and lend you my stuff. Other days are busy with other customers.

– Okay! That means I’m going to have to sacrifice my Tuesday, give up my tasks.

– I forgot. To do your job yourself, you also have to pay for the nonproductive factors.

– That is? What is this?”

– Bureaucratic, tax, vat, security, insurance, fuel etc.

– Oh no!… But to accomplish these tasks, I’m going to spend more money and waste a lot of time!

– Do you have them? You can do it to me before?”

– Okay!

– I’ll make you all the material you need. Truck loading is done Monday evening or Tuesday morning you’ll have to come by 6 loading the truck. Don’t forget to be on time to avoid traffic jams and be on time

– At 6??? Nope! Too early for me! I used to getting up later.

– You know, I’ve been thinking. Y ‘ all better get the job done. I’d rather pay you the $1500. If I had to, it wouldn’t be perfect and it would cost me a lot more.

When you pay for a job, especially handcrafted, you pay not only for the material used, but also:

– Knowledge

– Experience

– Study

– Tools

– Services

– Time to go

– punctuality

– Accountability

– Professionalism

– Accuracy

– Guaranteed

– Patents

– Sacrifices

– Safety and security

– Payment of tax obligations

No one can denigrate other people’s work by judging prices.

Only by knowing all the elements necessary for the production of a certain work can you estimate the actual cost.

Harry Potter but in Soviet Russia

https://youtu.be/n3sVyS7wYWc

What was your “I am surrounded by idiots” moment?

Actual conversation at the local gas station convenience store:

Me with a coffee refill in my cup: “Just a refill.”

Clerk: “That will be $1.58.”

Me: “Your sign says $1.00 cups of coffee today.”

Clerk: “That’s not a cup; it’s a refill.”

Me: “But it’s a cup of coffee.”

Clerk: “No, it’s a refill because it’s not in our cup.”

Me: “So if I bring this back in your cup, it’s $1.00.”

Clerk: “Yes”

Me: No one else in line, so I step over to the coffee area and get one of their cups. At the counter, in front of her, I dump the coffee out of my cup and into theirs. “Okay, I have a cup of coffee.”

Clerk: “That will be $1.00.”

Is Gen Z Aging Rapidly ?

https://youtu.be/TYJH5gFRU5E

Why do people let themselves go when they get older?

Before I worked in medicine, I wondered the same thing. I didn’t mean it in an unkind way, but I wanted to know how to avoid this seemingly unavoidable dilemma of aging. What I found out from the hundreds of patients I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with, is that when life gives you lemons, very few can make lemonade. I generally hear the same things from patients. The two I hear the most, “Don’t get old!” and “These aren’t the golden years.” Anyway…

Off the top of my head, I’ll give you several reasons why people “seem” to let themselves go as they age. I realize there are exceptions to all my examples, but I’m giving you general anecdotal observations that you may not be aware of:

  1. Accidents. Car accidents, motorcycle accidents, job accidents, violent crime (stabbing, punching, gunshots), falling down stairs, etc. Accidents that cause injury almost always leave residual long term pain. The lucky ones don’t have the chronic pain until they are older. If someone has a back injury, several things could have gone wrong. Herniated discs, scar tissue, arthritis, bone spurs, spinal stenosis… and that’s just the back injury. Chronic pain and immobility that stems from injuries can be debilitating later in life. I’ve seen very fit people slowly put on weight over a few years after an injury, because they just could not keep up their exercise regimen.
  2. Less Energy. This seems like a cop out. I didn’t believe it until my own energy levels started declining after 37 yrs old. As you get older, intense activities tire you out far quicker and you need more sleep. It’s more than just mind over matter. So even a life time exerciser starts to slow down as she gets older. It’s nearly impossible to keep up the intensity. This leads me to food intake…
  3. Eating style hasn’t changed with aging. So this is a big one that gets the aging into trouble. I think this one can be somewhat controlled if a person is mindful. Generally speaking, you don’t need to eat as much the older you get. The reasons are many, but one is that you’re not as active (maybe because of #1 and #2). Less energy + more pain + less activity = less calorie intake. At least it should equal less calorie intake. This takes me to…
  4. An older body doesn’t take out the trash as efficiently. As a person gets older, their body just doesn’t handle unhealthy eating and hard living (cigarette smoking, excessive alcohol, etc) as efficiently. Ideally, people should clean up their diets once they hit middle age, but this time of life is incredibly hectic. Healthy living becomes ever more challenging…. it’s not really laziness, it’s exhaustion (see #2). Losing weight and/or staying in shape really is harder with age.
  5. Illness and declining health. Cancer treatments, prolonged Prednisone usage, Congestive heart failure, medications for chronic pain like fibromyalgia (actually a lot of medications can cause unexplained weight gain), Lymphedema, Diabetes, thyroid conditions…. the list goes on. If you saw someone at the grocery store with one of these conditions and you didn’t know it, you would think they were “letting themselves go.”
  6. Hormones. This is more for the women, but men can easily gain weight from declining hormone production too. Women really get a raw deal though. Menopause is not kind. For many women, weight gain is unavoidable. If the weight doesn’t get her in the beginning it might after the “change.” The change in hormone (estrogen mainly) levels changes how the female body uses or stores fat. It’s a common enough problem that scientists seem to be working tirelessly to figure out how to help women stop weight gain during and after menopause.
  7. Other priorities. I do see some elderly women (rarely men) who are still overly obsessed with their weight (I think this is more the Baby Boomer generation). But more commonly, as one ages their priorities shift. Yeah, they may not like being overweight, but “getting in shape” or getting “lean and cut” just isn’t that big of a deal anymore, especially when they have to work so much harder to achieve those results.

Again, these are just some reasons for age related weight gain or not taking care of oneself, that I encounter on a daily basis while working with the middle aged and elderly population.

Since I love to exercise so much, I can’t imagine not continuing to do so into my elderly years. Yet I don’t know what life has in store for me. I haven’t lived with debilitating pain or lymphedema, so I try not to judge.

Braised Veal Shanks, Milan Style (Osso Buco)

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Ingredients

Veal

  • 4 pounds veal or beef shanks
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 medium carrot, chopped
  • 1 stalk celery, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1 teaspoon instant beef bouillon
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • Gremolada (optional)

Gremolada

  • 2 tablespoons snipped parsley
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Instructions

  1. Trim excess fat from veal shanks if necessary. Coat veal with flour. Cook veal in oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until brown on all sides, about 20 minutes. Drain fat.
  2. Add remaining ingredients except Gremolada. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until veal is tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
  3. Arrange veal and vegetables on platter.
  4. Skim fat from broth; pour broth over veal.
  5. Serve with rice or hot cooked spaghetti.
  6. Gremolada: Mix parsley, garlic and lemon peel.

Notes

Serve with a sprinkling of Gremolada.

Robert Greene

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/RA0fj6wFZ2g?feature=share

 

What would happen if a defendant threatened the judge, saying, “I will find you when I get out!”?

It happened in a case of mine a good while back. I was appointed to represent a white supremacist/neo-Nazi kind of guy on a perjury charge (under oath he denied remembering anything about a stabbing he had witnessed (white guy stabbed a black guy), an incident that he seemed to have remembered clearly an hour before he was called to testify, or so the evidence showed). It was a tough case, and he was a difficult client.

The trial lasted a week and, to no one’s surprise, he was found guilty (the only surprise was that it took four hours for the jury to reach a verdict). At sentencing, he predictably went off on a tear about white people being race traitors, and such.

The judge could have given him up to 30 months in prison but only gave him 18. At which point the client reinvigorated his rant, pointed at the judge and said “I know where you work and I will come find you when I get out.” He turned to the DA and pointed at her and said the same thing. At that point he was flailing his arms around, and the two large courtroom deputies (they used to be called “bailiffs”) hurried up to restrain him — I had the common sense to get out of their very large way — at which point, his honor said: “you know, I must be getting old. I see here in my written order that I was actually intending to impose 30 months, and I must have mistakenly been thinking about someone else when I spoke. . . So 30 months it is.” (or words to very much that same effect).

The client started to try to flail more vigorously; two additional very large deputies somehow materialized (they will do that) and the four of them hoisted him up and carried him feet first out of the courtroom, as he shouted loudly, with spittle, at the ceiling. The judge, afterwards, observed that he could only have given him 6 months additional for the contempt. He seemed satisfied.

(Disclaimer — this trial was about thirty-five years ago. With the passage of that much time the fine details of exactly what was said may vary from telling to telling.).

Epilogue: The client got out of prison and the only serious trouble he got into afterward was a DUII and, then, feloniously driving with a suspended operator’s license a couple times. And then he died. The prosecutor became a judge, and she’s now retired. The trial judge is long retired but still with us.

What are the secrets that McDonald’s employees won’t reveal?

My first real job was as a morning biscuit maker at McDonald’s in the summer when I was 16 (over 20 years ago now). I recall a lot of corner-cutting when it came to the official food prep rules.

For example, once food was cooked, it went into a warming bin. Each bin had a timer on it, and once that timer went off, you were supposed to toss the food. We only used those timers if a health inspector showed up, or the “big boss” was there. Other than that, we just ignored the timers and kept everything in the warming bins until sold.

Also, you were only supposed to crack open eggs as needed, and keep them refrigerated otherwise. We often just cracked open several dozen into a large container, and kept that on the counter next to the grill for a few hours, dipping into it with a ladle as needed when someone wanted scrambled eggs. It saved time and hassle that way.

When we switched from breakfast to lunch, back when McDonald’s did that, the cooked but unsold breakfast food was supposed to be thrown away. Often, it would all be thrown into a different, clean garbage bag, and when someone took out the garbage, that bag would end up in that person’s back seat and the leftovers became their meals for a few days.

Most of my coworkers were also high schoolers. When one of our friends came through the drive thru, they’d order and pay for something small, and we’d hand them bags of food. I think the boss, who was a woman in her 20s, did this for her friends too.

Back in the mid-90’s, McDonald’s would sometimes do these 29-cent cheeseburger days as a promotion. It would have been fine, except they didn’t put limits on how many people could order, so we’d have multiple orders of 50+ cheeseburgers as people stocked up on them. We were in a lower-class small town, so people always stocked up on food when there was a good deal. We couldn’t possibly follow the rules and keep up with the orders when they came in that fast, so we broke a lot of rules, including cooking burger patties on the egg grill (a big no-no, apparently), and cooking hundreds of burgers ahead of time and just microwaving them before we served them.

 

How should I tactfully tell a family who invited me for dinner that I’m still hungry?

Oh my goodness! Isn’t that the biggest dilemma??? Especially if your stomach growls…

When my daughter was about 4, we had some very close friends who used to invite us to dinner. They were the most generous and kind people you could ever meet.

However, everyone’s plate would get exactly the same portion. I sausage, 2 pieces of broccoli, 2 little carrot sticks and a small portion of mashed potato. The kids would get about half that.

The first time it happened, my daughter came and whispered to me that she was still hungry. I told her it was okay, we’ll probably have dessert. When no dessert arrived, and it was time to go, my daughter’s stomach rumbled as she got in the car and her little friend said quite loudly, “your tummy is talking, saying you want more food!”

I looked at my daughter, dreading what the answer might be, but she just looked at everyone and said, “it’s actually saying thank you for dinner.”

Everyone laughed and in that moment I could never have been prouder of my little girl and her display of tact and good manners.

We got take away on the way home and every other time after visiting these people, as the same meal was served each time over a number of years. They were just not big eaters.

For my daughter and I, It became a beautiful ritual to have take away afterwords, and we always looked forward to going to their place for dinner.

To answer your question – eat before or eat after visiting, but always be appreciative that someone took the time to think of you and invite you over. Say thank you and leave it at that!

She has grown up still tactful, well mannered and ALWAYS hungry!

 

What was the biggest secret you found out only after someone passed away?

When I was young my sister and I were playing in the back yard and our neighbor was out on his screen porch and was playing with himself. I had no idea what he was doing and wasn’t freaked out just curious. I asked my mother about it and she said, “don’t worry about it son, it isn’t important.” And, she was right, shortly after I rarely saw him ever again. When he saw me or my sister he would literally turn around and walk away. I never thought about it again.

My mother died about 50 years later and my uncle who often lived with us (WW2 vet with a drinking problem) got very ill about 10 years later. We talked and he told me what he was leaving to me (not much – but I loved the man and would never say that to him) and one of the items was a revolver. He told me, “I used to loan this to your mom when your dad was on the road (he was a truck driver). This is the gun she pistol whipped your neighbor with.”

“What”, I said.

“Oh, you didn’t know? She borrowed this pistol and went to your neighbor’s house and beat him with it. She told him that if she saw him looking at or near her kids she was going to kill him next time.”

“Seriously?”, I said

“Like a heart attack. I took the bullets out so she wouldn’t kill him”, he laughed, “she didn’t know that till later and chewed me out.”

“Why didn’t she tell dad?”

“She said somebody had to take care of the kids if she went to jail.”

Equality doesn’t always go the Way Women want

https://youtu.be/upBgVa8s63Y

What kind of competition does the US have with China?

The US is not “competing” with China because it doesn’t have the capability and confidence to compete.

Instead, the US is trying to “kneecap” China in Tonya Harding style. It’s using tactics like:

  • propaganda warfare — telling lies about genocide, concentration camps, oppression, etc.
  • political interference — using the CIA to foment color revolution in Hong Kong and Xinjiang
  • commercial obstruction — banning Huawei, SMIC, WeChat, etc.
  • military intimidation — operating two supercarrier strike groups off the coast of China; arming Taiwan and Japan; inviting British and German warships into SCS; Quad pact; AUKUS pact and giving nuclear subs to Australia
  • personal legal intimidation — arresting Meng Wanzhou on trumped-up charges in the same way Alstom executive Frederic Pierucci was arrested in 2013

The US is behaving like a dinosaur in its final death throes as its world is coming to an end.

 

Veal Rolls, Roman Style
(Saltimbocca alla Romana)

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2024 02 17 14 52

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless veal round steak, 1/2 inch thick
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried sage leaves, crushed
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 6 thin slices prosciutto or fully cooked smoked or boiled ham
  • 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
  • 1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup Marsala or other dry white wine
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

Instructions

  1. Trim excess fat from veal; pound veal until 1/8 inch thick. Sprinkle one side of veal with sage and pepper; cut into 6 pieces, 4 or 5 inches square.
  2. Place ham slice on seasoned side of each piece veal. Roll up; secure with wooden picks.
  3. Heat butter and oil in 10-inch skillet until hot. Cook veal rolls over high heat until brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
  4. Place rolls in single layer in ungreased 10 x 6-inch baking dish.
  5. Stir flour into drippings in skillet; stir in wine, water and salt, if desired. Heat to boiling; pour over rolls.
  6. Cover and bake at 325 degrees F until tender, 35 minutes.
  7. Garnish with parsley if desired.

Yields 6 servings.

What was the slickest thing you have done or seen somebody do on an airplane?

Oh boy….this was fun. Several years ago, when my son was just shy of 2 YO, he was considered a lap child by an unnamed airline, even though we had bought him a ticket as he was too big to be on a lap for 6 hrs. As such, we could not do the online check in, since they needed to verify he was a lap child….repeat…..he had a full fare ticket. Show up at the airport and check in, but not seats together…..you selected seats during the online check in. So ticket agent say to go to gate agent, gate agent says to check with stewardess, and stewardess says she cant help and we need to sit in our assigned seats. CLASSIC pass the buck.

Now that dear reader was a poor choice of words. You see my 2 YO was assigned a single middle seat about 15 rows away from the other three of us. So I showed up at the seat, and motioned to the gentleman in the aisle that I had the middle seat. He got up and I strapped my son in and give him his DVD player and snacks. I looked at the other passengers near my child and said “ I am in in seat 32 C if he needs anything” and proceeded to go to the back of the plane.

Funny story. We were all seated together very quickly after that. Amazing how following the rules works!!

Reacting to Relationship Zones @hoe_math

It’s a cool reaction video. Check it out.

https://youtu.be/jGJR7zeYTrU

A tale of stale popcorn

When I was a senior in High School, I had a group of friends that I used to hang around with.

Oh, sure, most of the time we just stood around, smoked joints, drank beer and did acid. But it was a different time and a different place. We would alternate our locations, from the “standard” keggers, to road drives though the Western Pennsylvania woods to just hanging out near the river at a tipple.

Anyways, one of the guys was this older fella named Calvin. I liked him, but he was a hard drinker and partier.

I still get a chuckle out of this, but we are all stoned in my GTO. Calvin was in the back seat. A friend had lit a “Thai stick” which of course, was a very powerful form of marijuana, and when you smoked it, it felt like a baseball bat smashed your face. And we were parked outside this historical landmark; an old church and cemetery. We were listening to Led Zeppelin, and just sitting there completely zoned out. Our brains were pickled.

Calvin was chewing on something. He would reach into the ashtray at the side of the door wall and pull out some old cigarette butts and put in in his mouth and chew on it.

Then he said, after a while… “Man, this popcorn is the really stale”.

OMG! What a great belly laugh we all had.

Good times. Good Times.

Today…

The PRC has sent barges into the channels between Quemoy and Xiamen to deepen the water channels between the ROC-held island of Quemoy and the PRC city of Xiamen. The ROC government in Taipei has said that this is a violation of the lines which the ROC had drawn between the two governments, and which had largely been respected by both sides.

Following the Feb. 14 event where an ROC coast guard ship chased a PRC fishing boat, leading to its capsize and the death of two PRC fishermen, the two sides have been involved in several rounds of negotiations. The PRC side has demanded a public apology and compensation to the families of the fishermen, but the ROC authorities have refused. So the PRC side has decided to deepen the shipping channels in the area, and violating the lines drawn up by the ROC.

Now the ROC authorities are threatening to take action against the PRC ships working in the area. They have not specified what actions they will take aside from pushing the PRC ships out of the area. This sets the stage for a confrontation.

The problem with the ROC position is that the authorities now publicly refer to the ROC as “Taiwan”, because the ruling DPP is for Taiwan independence. By taking a stance on offshore islands so close to Xiamen and PRC-held territory, they are choosing to enforce territory which is far away from Taiwan, and is not considered to be a part of “Taiwan”.

Why are they doing this? Do they expect the Biden administration to support them? It does not make a lot of sense.

If they don’t enforce it though, it is likely that the PRC air force and navy are unlikely to recognize air and sea claims made by the ROC anymore.

Salami-slicing in action.

Chuck Wagon Peach Cobbler

Chuck Wagon Peach Cobbler
Chuck Wagon Peach Cobbler

Ingredients

Cobbler Crust

  • 5 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup shortening
  • 1 cup cold water

Cobbler

  • 1 Cobbler Crust
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 6 cups peaches, drained and juice reserved
  • 1 cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup Half-and-Half
  • 1 cup juice from drained peaches
  • 1/2 cup Black Jack Daniels

Instructions

Cobbler Crust

  1. Mix dry ingredients and add shortening. Cut in with a fork. Mixture should look like coarse meal.
  2. Add cold water gradually to make a ball.
  3. Divide into 2 balls, top and bottom. Roll out one and line a 14 inch pan or 14 inch Dutch oven.
  4. Roll out remainder and cut into 1 inch slices for latticework on top.

Cobbler

  1. Melt butter in saucepan. Add peaches, brown sugar, cinnamon, sugar and Half-and-Half. Mix well.
  2. Line pan or Dutch oven with crust.
  3. Pour in fruit mixture.
  4. Cover top with strips of crust in latticework pattern.
  5. Moisten strips with water before baking and sprinkle sugar on latticework for crispy finish.
  6. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.

Every Man Needs To See This

When I bought my first car, a 1966 Mustang, my father insisted that I take it to his mechanic to go over it to make sure it was all working properly before I could drive it. It would stall out after 10 minutes of driving, so there was a problem.

The following was on the bill….
Clean top of carburator
Check oil filter for loosenes
Check window operation
Check exhaust system
Check steering, suggest replacement of steering box.

This was 1972 and the bill was over $300.00!!

The actual problem was a pinched fuel line. Rubber hose and two clamps. $1.50.
I replaced the oil filter and changed the oil. $7.50 total.
I removed the interior panels of the door, and greased the tracks. Already had grease $0.00
I replaced a broken hanger for the exhaust. $3.50
I pulled out the steering box and found it only needed grease and adjustment. Time and labor, already had grease $0.00.

The dude that worked on my car was a hack. I pointed out all this to my father and he only said “I guess your a better mechanic than the place we took it to. I never went back there.

Idiots

It’s difficult for my legal bod cousins. As I’ve mentioned before in another post during CNY celebrations a lot of UK born cousins were back in HK. A lot of them were looking for a route to come live in HK.

One of them was my cousin from one of my dad’s sisters. She’s worked in a UK legal firm for ages and wanted a way to come back here. Her just like many UK born ones have HKID cards so do not need visa sponsorship.

She had work experience.

She can work for less because accommodation is provided, the Clan provides several fully fitted out portacabins right at the back of the village, Portacabins are used because the common houses are being torn down and rebuilt. Anyway these portacabins all you have to do is pay for the electricity used.

She’s also pretty damned good in Chinese, HSK6… but here’s the thing HSK6 is still considered by most China born Chinese to be illiterate!

So? You have none of the above advantages.

You have to answer the question to HK immigration – why should I let you work in HK? What skills do you have that are in demand or somebody in HK can’t do. AND it has to pay over $28,000 a month.

You’re competing against all the returnees.

Jimmy Tells American General “The U.S. Is The World’s Biggest Terrorist!”

A group of my friends was out drinking at a local bar where the music was loud, the floor was sticky, and the atmosphere was biker/tattoo/STD/obnoxious.

I was talking with someone who was an acquaintance-they were a friend of one of my friends. We knew each other, but only through these mutual friends.

Unfortunately, alcohol makes some people belligerent and, in the case of this one particular individual, paranoid.

I must have said something that didn’t sit well with him because the belligerent paranoid (BPA) accused me of disparaging him (I had not). He turned to my husband and told him he knew for a fact that our daughter was not his biological daughter (She is 100% his biological daughter). He started uttering non-sensical statements which I, for the most part, ignored and took as our cue to get the hell out of that dive bar.

The BPA went to the bathroom, my husband waited to pay the tab, and I went to get the car.

While I waited for my husband to come out, the BPA came up to my window and just stared into my car until I noticed him which caused me to jump and scream. I rolled down my window and told him he nearly gave me a heart attack.

Then he very calmly stared at me and said, “I’ll be by later tonight to stick a lighter in your outside dryer vent until your house catches and you all burn to death.”

Who the fuck communicates such a descriptive and specific way to unalive someone they barely know for reasons that are a complete figment of their imaginative paranoia?

My husband and I didn’t sleep well that night. The next day we installed cameras. And we have avoided all contact with the BPA since that unsettling and strange incident.

Bring your cat to work day

  1. Everybody is self-made but only millionaires will admit it.
  2. When you work for someone, the harder you work , the richer they get . When you work for yourself, the harder you work, the richer you get.
  3. Continue to live for moments that make your heart smile wider than your face could ever imagine.
  4. Uncomfortable dating tips : Women want you the most when you don’t need them.
  5. Most people know “WHAT”to think , not “HOW” to think . If you learn this, you can conquer the world.
  6. You can’t force love. Either it’s there or it isn’t. You’ve got to be able to admit it . If it’s there , you’ve got to do whatever it takes to protect it.
  7. Modern life is low-level psychic warfare.
  8. Men will gladly spend a whole day with a woman, but not a single hour on their purpose. And, in the end, they ask, “why did she leave?”.

Men Have FINALLY Had Enough Of Their FEMALE Colleagues

Oh I have a doozy.

1978. Houston. Near the Galleria Mall.

I was getting off the freeway when a police car cut me off, almost running me off the road, no signal. Just truly bad driving.

Being young and stupid, when I was beside him at the light, I called him on it.

Oh he lit me up. I had three friends in my car with me. He made me get out of the car and was just screaming at me, telling me he could do anything he damn well pleased and poking me in the chest the entire time. I politely asked him to stop poking me with his finger and he threatened to break all my fingers off. He was so mad he was spitting and his partner was standing next to him with a smirk.

I stayed calm and asked my friends to write down their name, badge number, and car number. That’s when they hopped in their cruiser and just zoomed off.

I didn’t like it, so I called and talked to the desk officer. He took all the information and I assumed absolutely nothing would happen.

Nope.

I got a call back from a lieutenant a few days later. They had done an investigation, because the location I reported them at was nowhere NEAR where they were assigned for that shift. What they discovered is that they were cutting out of their area, going to the mall, and catching a movie. Lots.

The lieutenant shared that this was not the first complaint, but it was the last, because they’d both been fired.

Moral of the story? If you’re doing something outright stupid, don’t light up the stubborn college kid.

Today’s Shinjuku Kabukicho August 23, 2023 UP

Dad had stage four mastatised pancreatic cancer, double incontinence, dementia and crippling arthritis. His oncologists used to call him in every month for a check up that consisted of him looking at dad’s medical notes asking how he was then nodding his head, that’s it. But, the trip to the hospital took nearly an hours preparation, a forty minute drive each way, a ten minute walk from the car park to the clinic (dad in a wheelchair when I found one) and then the worst bit! The oncologist used to call ALL that days patients in at 0930 then see them in alphabetical order! Look at our surname! The first few times were bad but one time after dad returned to the hospice he had to be rushed back to the same hospital under blues and twos! The next appointment we managed about an hour in the waiting room and dad was struggling to hold back his tears of agony, so I wheeled him out and started along the corridors back to the car. First the receptionist tried to stop us and I told her what to do on a short pier, then the nurse came running up to try to return us to the clinic “as the doctor was very busy and would get to us as soon as possible”. Dad told her to go forth and fornicate or something similar! She ran back and told the doctor (don’t know if fornication was involved or not). Pushing a wheelchair with a mind of a shopping trolley containing a fifteen stone (210#) obese man (5′2″ ) in immense pain, who didn’t want to be there, you don’t move very fast! The doctor caught up to us to find out what was going on and exercise his presumed authority! Wrong move! My dad used to be a CSM and he taught me how to project orders across a parade ground! Don’t shout at me if you have sensitive hearing! Amongst other things (including the legitimacy of his birth) I told him we were there for the benefit of dads health and not his ego! And we left, luckily for him he didn’t try anything physical! I’m also 210# but six foot tall and very little of that was fat! Unfortunately the stress and strain on dad contributed to him once again that evening being returned to hospital by emergency ambulance.

Now my dad through a variety of reasons was no stranger to that hospital. In the ward he usually ended up on, all the staff knew him and were on first name terms, most since being students. One of the senior consultants had first met my dad when he was doing his medical training and had become friends (even came to dad’s funeral! What, you think you recover from stage four pancreatic cancer? At 81?) He wanted to know why dad was back in hospital once again. So we told him who, how and why! Now this senior consultant is married to the chief executive of the hospital, that may or may not be the reason that the oncologist changed his appointments policy from block appointments to individual appointments and a very significant attitude adjustment the next time we went to see him!

Gen-Z

I started to work as a programmer with a large insurance company.

I was also going to a university at night for an engineering degree.

So, the job was just a paycheck for me until graduated.

My supervisor called me into her office and let me know that she knew that I was just using the job as a steppingstone until I graduated. She was a quaker and peppered her speech with thee and thou. A lovely lady.

She told me the company had its own problems and if I showed some diligence in my job, she would ensure that I would be rewarded for my effort.

I took her advice and made a great effort to please her and focused on my job.

When the company put together a planning group, she insisted that I be a part of it.

The group consisted of two vice presidents, three directors and one programmer.

The first problem we tackled was the number of boxes of paper documents shipped to all our service locations at the end of the month. The cost of shipping the boxes and how hard it was to look up the data at the service location.

This was in the late sixties and personal computers were not common.

I was a tech magazine reader at the time, so I suggested to the group that we output the data to a fiche machine because the fiche produced would be less costly to ship than sending boxes,

It would require the home office to buy the fiche machine and the service locations to rent fiche readers, which at that time were very cheap.

The benefit to the service location was the fiche was easy to handle and never got torn.

Well, the company and the service locations loved the idea, so it was accepted.

The planning group stayed together for a year, and we solved some smaller problems.

That 15-minute conversation with my supervisor changed my life forever.

When I received my degree, I no longer had an interest in engineering and chose to stay in the computer field.

She is gone now but not forgotten.

Pepe Escobar: Putin and China Send DEVASTATING Warning to NATO as Germany, Macron Threaten WWIII

This is really rather good.

I can try.

It’s a long story, though. But, like most other people, my political leanings are the result of my influences early in life, and my experiences. And, to some degree, what I didn’t experience, that others did experience.

For example, it’s easy to be supportive of the police, when you’ve only ever had positive encounters with them. It’s easy to assume that most people can avoid negative encounters with the police by simply obeying the law.

That door swings both ways. It’s easy to have an adversarial view of the police when you or someone you know had a negative encounter with them.

Once you get a political idea in your head, you start to see it everywhere you look. This is true for people across the political spectrum. You’re influenced to see certain things and, by God, now that you’re looking for them, you see them everywhere.

For me, my journey to the right side of the political spectrum is more of a journey of being pushed away by the left, rather than willingly moving towards the right. I’m more libertarian than conservative, but, in contemporary America’s binary political landscape, it seems that anything that isn’t progressive is often all grouped under “conservatism.”

Progressives: What’s your stance on [this issue]?

Me: Total indifference. It has nothing to do with me.

Progressives: So you don’t support the people who are dealing with it?

Me: Does my support or lack of it have any impact on the issue whatsoever? No? Then why must I choose to support it or not? Why can’t I remain indifferent?

Progressives: You sound like a conservative. Your silence tells us all we need to know, and it won’t protect you.

Me: If indifference on this topic makes me a conservative in your eyes, okay then. I’ll add your labeling of my political stances to the list of things I don’t care about.

If I’m being super honest, in the last decade or so, I’ve gone from identifying as “libertarian” to identifying as “cynical.” I assume that most politicians are only looking out for themselves, most government attempts to fix issues will fail, or make things worse, the government has more than enough money to fix society’s problems, but a lot of that money is wasted, etc…

For example, there’s a ballot measure here in Chicago to raise taxes on real estate sales over $1m, to raise funds for housing options for homeless people. My view on that is that it will likely pass, but not a single homeless person will be helped by this. Any money raised by this will find its way into the pockets of politicians and their supporters, while the expenses will just passed on to renters. The people who support it will get to pat themselves on the back for caring about the homeless, while ignoring the complete lack of tangible positive outcomes from it. The goal here is virtue signaling from the rank-and-file voters, sticking it to “rich people,” and lining the pockets of the Democratic machine. Homelessness is just the necessary reasoning for it all.

Basically, I assume that, for the rest of my life, the general situation in the world, and in my country, will be roughly the same as it is now, and my best move is to put myself and my children in a position to avoid the worst of it. The “status quo,” when it comes to politics, is too hopelessly entrenched to be uprooted, and too hopelessly corrupt to be effective.

But this question is about the origins of my conservatism, not why I stick with it in middle age.

I suppose my political journey began as a child in the 80s and early 90s. My father worked for the U.S. Navy, as a civilian machinist. Among other things I remember him saying about his job were:

  • He was forced to spend millions of dollars on machines that he didn’t really need in his shop, but the companies who made those machines donated to the right politicians.
  • He was forced to spend every single dime he was allocated for the fiscal year, or, the next fiscal year, he wouldn’t get as much allocated. Saving money isn’t rewarded, but is actually punished, when you work for the government.
  • He would never be promoted beyond his current level, no matter how well he did, because he was a white male. Back then, the federal government was only interested in promoting racial minorities and females.

That last one was something I heard versions of from most white men I knew growing up. Of course, half of them worked at the same base where my father worked, so they dealt with the same policies. None of these were rich white men. They were all working class white men, and they all felt like they were being punished for things they didn’t do, in the name of “fairness.” And they placed the blame for that injustice directly at the feet of liberals.

The same white “social justice warriors” of the 50s and 60s found themselves, by the 80s, on the receiving end of social injustice, in the form of Affirmative Action. It seemed like every middle-aged white male I knew growing up was a “live and let live” and “don’t judge a book by its cover” kind of guy, with a serious chip on their shoulder that others weren’t adhering to the “don’t judge a book by its cover” mantra. Every single white guy who felt like they were falling behind in society was able to blame Affirmative Action for their slipping, no matter how true it was.

The message, for younger white guys like me, was easy to pick up: it is legal to discriminate against you because of your race and gender, and you just have to accept it.

And, once you start looking for it, you see it everywhere.

Why does my high school have a counselor specifically for helping minority students get into and pay for college? That’s discrimination. Why is no one calling it out? My parents are taxpayers, too. That counselor should be helping everyone who needs help with those things, and not discriminating against students based on race.

You just have to accept it… or, affiliate yourself with the side of the political aisle which points out the hypocrisy of it all.

So it wasn’t so much “we’re conservatives,” as it was “liberals are working against people like us, so I guess that makes us conservative by default. Where else would we go?”

By the time I got to high school, I was socially liberal, in the sense that I simply didn’t care about people’s personal business, particularly in the bedroom. I was also very concerned about environmentalism, and even started a small paper recycling program in my school. It didn’t last, but at least I tried. I wanted to be a “part of the solution.”

My environmental views have skewed heavily to the cynical side in the 30 years since starting high school. I think recycling paper is a huge waste of time.

I remember, however, in high school, being annoyed by some of my more politically involved classmates, demanding that I (and everyone else) not only form opinions in line with theirs on certain topics, but openly express our support. They had the “if you’re not openly supporting us, you must be quietly opposing us” attitude that I’ve seen in other progressives in my adult life.

Some of my most common PG-rated thoughts throughout my high school years were versions of “I’d care more about this person’s point of view if they weren’t so damn loud and obnoxious all of the time.” And, of course, a sarcastic “the problem you’re in could have been easily avoided has you made more conservative choices in life.”

It was during those years that my own sister, of her own volition, developed a drug habit, became a teen mom, and dropped out of high school. I had a front-row seat, starting around age 12, of how to ruin your life through really shitty decisions, and it sapped a lot of the sympathy I had for people who were dealing with the consequences of their own shitty decisions.

Although I’m getting better about it, when I hear that someone put themselves in a bad situation, and is now begging “society” to bail them out of it, one of my first thoughts is, “how is this anyone else’s problem but yours? Why should we all have to pay for this?”

Anyway, that’s my evil conservative origin story.

Tales From The Streets : San Diego Streets Ep-4

While inprocessing for the military, I worked at a radio station selling air time in a town of 30,000. When I took over my route a retired Army major was occasionally hitting $6,000. That was pretty good in 1979. I took billings over $8000. Three months later, I was fired (I was the only man), and a young cutsie 22-year-old girl was hired. She had zero experience.

My sales manager/station owner’s wife told me to “clean out my desk.” I did just that, trashing everything including sales invoices for the month. She made a big point of letting me know I wouldn’t be getting my commissions. I waited patiently for my salary check ($1,500 at the time) at my desk, then walked to the bank and cashed it.

Two days later I got the call. “Where are all the sales invoices for August?’

“In the trash.”

“What!?”

“You said clean out my desk. I did.” Then I hung up.

I heard later the young girl didn’t work out, and the station went bankrupt.

Sad, isn’t it?

I absolutely do

Coaching has become an Industry today and whenever such things happen, everything becomes counter productive

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main qimg 53fbf688a99b9e0935ef2ac391b38608 lq

Xi Jingping rightly said

In China :-

Private Tutoring Apps had become an Industry and had commercialized education so much that the newer generation was no longer going to such coaching facilities to LEARN OR ADD TO THEIR KNOWLEDGE OR UNDERSTANDING but to specifically orient themselves to scoring marks in a specific examination (Gaokao)

Private Tutoring Apps had become exploitative and were commercializing learning to an extent where it was feared that the entire Gaokao could be modified to suit the whims of the Private Tutoring Apps

So he wiped out the Industry mercilessly

“F*** the Billions of Dollars in Paper value”

Today Tutoring has gone back to the old 60 RMB per Hour student tutors or Volunteer Tutorials and Extra Coaching


India and China both have predators who suck the blood of common people and exploit them in the name of capitalism

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main qimg df1b8fb11c638b48eb667446629a6aaa

The Difference is CHINA BANNED THIS

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main qimg 274cb449a6c7257bf17aa547cf058228

In China, if any Institute publishes the list of toppers for admissions

  • Their license is suspended for 5 Years
  • They are fined not less than 60,000 RMB but upto 250,000 RMB
Ministry of Education Bans the Idolization of China’s Top Gaokao Scorers
Stories of the top achievers of China’s national exams can no longer be propagated by state media; the emphasis should shift to the average, harmonious student.

India not only allows this to flourish but ignores cases where Institutes LIE about their students by paying money to the students and making the students lie

Most Coaching Institutions are run with political contacts


Now my point is

Is Unacademy really predatory?

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main qimg 9a2bc25700f5efa1f331edc83b38a328

Just because they offer coaching for a fee doesn’t make them predatory

Just because they have referrals doesn’t make them predatory. That’s just business. Same as a Tutor asking you to give her cards to your friends.

  • Do they exploit the situation in India and claim if you don’t take their course, you will lose badly
  • Do they help you learn or do they force you to structure your brain into clearing the JEE or NEET rather than learning the topics?
  • Do they prostitute education by paying more money to marketers than teachers?

So far at least I dont think they are that bad

Please correct me if they have become that bad

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main qimg f9057bea7ee080781237c57f89abe9b4

Coz that’s what happened to BYJUS

From being a place that helped students sharpen their brains to understand CAT better, they prostituted and pimped education spending more on “Celebrities” like SRK who also prostituted himself like he did with Arindam Chaudhari

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main qimg 59e17c4984966d0591a946afaff431d3

Unacademy are also going BYJUS WAY

Using Tendulkar the dropout of Xth Standard to promote an Education Product

So they too are starting to pimp out education

It won’t create the Students India needs

Not the thinkers, analysts, people who understand fundamentals – they aren’t born from KOTA FACTORIES or Prospective Pimping Edtech Apps

They are born by self study with tutoring to help them sharpen their brains

One thing to learn and understand Physics, Maths and Chemistry and USE THIS KNOWLEDGE AND WRITE THE JEE

Another is to learn Physics, Maths and Chemistry BECAUSE YOU WANT TO WRITE THE JEE

The former is a winner

The Latter ends up mediocre in life in every aspect


Solution?

  • Ban full page Ads of Toppers by various Institutions
  • Regulate the Coaching Fees
  • Make sure Coaching Institutes remain Sole Proprietorships Or Partnerships and dont become Companies
  • Ban any Coaching Institute taking over another Institute
  • Register all Coaching Institutions with Ministry of Education with select standards

Otherwise the next two generations of students, the so called FUTURE OF INDIA would be the most worthless


Anyone who exploits students like this must be taken to Gulags and forced to labor for 20 hours a day in the -17 degree weather

Tokyo’s Night Joy Paradise Plus Unexpected PERMISSION 2

Well, let’s start with some basic principles of U.S. constitutional law.

Under the constitution, the Supreme Court may only hear original cases in very limited circumstances. One of those is when one state sues another state. That’s not uncommon, but usually its due to disputes about the right to use water from rivers that pass through more than one state. The usual procedure is to refer the case to a special master (usually a federal court judge) who holds the trial and reports back to the Supreme Court which can then affirm the decision.

Congress cannot expand the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to hear cases that aren’t listed in the constitution. That was what Marbury v. Madison was about – the court was given power by congress to hear cases involving disputes about judicial appointments in the District of Columbia, and ruled that Congress didn’t have that power.

Now, onto the case. The State of Texas attempted to bring a case shortly before Congress was to meet to confirm the result of the 2020 election to sue the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for not following its own election laws. Essentially, they wanted to disqualify all the mail-in ballots cast during the election on the theory that Pennsylvania law hadn’t authorized them. This issue had already been tried by Pennsylvania courts which ruled such suits were “untimely” – any such suit had to be brought before the election, not after.

But the only issue before the court was whether they HAD to take the case. As a rule, the Supreme Court chooses which cases it hears, but again if this is a case within its jurisdiction to hear new cases, they might have to take it.

What the court ruled is that no state has the right to start a case in the Supreme Court unless the judges agree to hear it. That’s probably good policy as it appeared this case would have asked the Supreme Court to allow one state to enforce laws in other states, which in any other case would be a no-no. For example, Texas could not sue to prevent Pennsylvania physicians from performing abortions on Texas residents just because it’s illegal for a Texas resident to leave the state for an abortion, or based on some theory that Pennsylvania law doesn’t allow physicians to perform abortions except on Pennsylvania residents. Once again, the issues in this case were already settled in Pennsylvania courts, and those could have been appealed to the Supreme Court if there were a constitutional issue (that’s what happened in Bush v. Gore).

But let’s get back to the rule about the Supreme Court only being able to hear a narrow range of original cases. The president does not have the right to sue in the Supreme Court (although he could be sued in, for example, a case involving the appointment of an ambassador – that’s within the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction). Members of Congress don’t have the right to sue in the Supreme Court either.

Elysium Movie Clip | Full Robot Fight Scene | Matt Damon | Diego Luna

I worked in a loan department as a loan clerk. A man was hired as a new manager for one of our branch offices. Our Vice President asked me to train the man on the loan process and how to type out the form letters, etc.. This man gave me grief from moment one.

He was arrogant and a smart aleck. I wanted to slap him about every five minutes. He was also a male chauvinist pig. He kept making sexual remarks to me and about me. When I sat him in front of the computer to type out the form letters, he refused to do them, saying “Typing is women’s work. I’ll have one of the women do it for me.”

The final straw came when I took him back to our Vice President’s office. The VP was asking me how he had done and before I could respond, the man said something to the effect of “Well, she wouldn’t sit in my lap, so I think she needs to be spanked.”. I just stared at the VP. He turned to the new manager and said “You’re fired. This is one great lady and you’ve disrespected her since the moment you walked in. Get out before I turn her loose on you.”.

Middle Class Meltdown: America’s Unseen Crisis

Biden = Russia, Russia, Russia!

Trump = China!, China!, China!

Nothing is ever going to get fixed.

Adolf Hitler was a chronic drug addict. His drug use was of epic proportions.

Hitler was prescribed by his doctors so many various drugs (including cocaine) that he was rarely in a state unaffected by powerful mind-altering substances.

According to his doctors, Hitler was “a good patient.”

  • He was meticulously adherent to the regimen for his chronic sinusitis: cocaine in aerosol form.
  • The German Fuhrer also took amphetamines, sedatives, and hormones.
  • Hitler relied on daily injections of the “wonder drug” Eukodol. It contained oxycodone, a semi-synthetic opioid. The drug caused the state of euphoria, practically rendering the user incapable of making sound judgments.

In his book “Blitzed”, German author Norman Ohler described how the Third Reich was permeated with drugs, including cocaine, heroin and most notably crystal meth, which was used by everyone from soldiers to housewives and factory workers.

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main qimg 517a5862c67283e756c792ee231353f8

Pervitin, an early form of methamphetamine, was available in Nazi German without a prescription.

In Nazi military during WWII, drug use was encouraged.

In September 1939, Ranke tested the drug on 90 university students and concluded that Pervitin could help the Wehrmacht win the war.

The effects of amphetamines on an person are similar to those of the adrenaline produced by the body, triggering a heightened state of alertness. In most people, the substance increases self-confidence, concentration, and willingness to take risks while at the same time reducing sensitivity to pain, hunger, and the need for sleep.

Later, a dose of cocaine was added to Pervitin tablets, to increase the drug’s potency and encourage continuous use.

When Hitler’s drug supplies ran out by the end of the war, he suffered severe withdrawal from serotonin and dopamine, paranoia, psychosis, rotting teeth, extreme shaking, kidney failure and delusion.

The Sopranos – Paulie enjoys Miami

Technically yes but realistically an emphatic no.

I never thought I would be saying this but Jake Paul is likely to beat Mike Tyson.

Why? That’s a legitimate question since we are talking about one of the greatest and most feared heavyweight champions ever V a relatively junior pro boxer with very few fights.

I’m afraid it all comes down to age, activity and conditioning. At age 40 or even 50 I’d give Tyson a great chance but he’s nearly 60 now, been out of the ring close to 20 years and been doing a lot of other things. Put simply he’s just not in condition to fight a professional fight. He could beat the hell out of the normal types of guys in the street no doubt about it but this is a professional boxing fight we’re talking about. It’s very likely that after one round of intense fighting he’ll be totally finished from a cardio perspective. After that last stand, Jake Paul who if nothing else can at least hit hard will probably get him.

Don’t be fooled by the videos of Tyson looking fast and powerful in training. They have been carefully edited to make him look good. In reality in the fight (if it’s a real one) he won’t look that good or fast. He’ll still have a bit of power so there is some danger to Jake Paul but probably only for one or two rounds max. After that it will a big advantage to the younger man.

No matter how good a condition a fighter is in, the age aspect of this is relevant. A 60 years old head isn’t supposed to get hit hard by a pro fighter. The blood vessels can’t be trained to take those shots like they used to.

For people of my generation it’s pretty sad to see the great Iron Mike Tyson reduced to doing this kind of circus act.

This fight could end pretty badly and shouldn’t really be happening at all. That’s capitalism for you.

EDIT : I guess the most likely thing here is that they’re both in on it as a money grabbing exercise and have agreed with each other not to hurt each other. The fight will probably be the least interesting part of the next few weeks. It’s all about the build up.

Mr. Spock Sends Up a Flare – Star Trek – 1967

I can’t believe I am going to admit this….

When I was 14 years old in 1982-ish. I was recently uprooted from my lifelong hometown. I moved from upstate New York to Pennsylvania with my mom and step-monster. A friend of mine had just gotten sentenced to serve time in a NY state jail. I wrote to Scott frequently, as I thought he must be bored and lonely. I used this same stationary every time, with little unicorns on it. After the third or fourth letter, I realized just how bad it was for him in there.

I got together a little bit of money and bought some pot. I put it in a little matchbook, and sent the matchbook to Scott, along with a letter saying something like “I hope this helps.” I was smart enough not to sign my name, just in case anything bad happened. I thought that it was illegal to tamper with someone’s mail. It never even occured to me that the jail’s officials in charge were allowed to open up Scott’s mail and go through it. I used the same stationary as normal. Little unicorns. Can you see where this is heading?

My parents were surprised when federal detectives showed up. The formal charges were:

“Using the Federal Government (The United States Post Office) to transport illegal drugs across state lines.” To a correctional institution, no less.

Okay, you can laugh your a** off now…

I’ll wait.

Thank God I was 14. I was sentenced as a juvenile offender (the record was sealed); deemed “incorrigible”; had a PINS petition put in place against me (Person In Need of Supervision); had to perform 100 hours of community service and was almost placed in foster care because my parents couldn’t handle it or me anymore. Thankfully, my grandmother took me in, instead. My parents called me all sorts of stupid. Yes, I have to agree. But my answer to them at the time was “I thought he could use a buzz.”

Hugs.
-Valeri

The fourth

I am soon to be 64. At this stage in my life, I have a VERY low tolerance for a**hattery. I don’t bother trying to be polite to people that aren’t polite.

The last time one of my sisters came to my house and made a comment about a few papers laying on the floor, I didn’t let her get away with it. I left them laying on the floor after they fell off the desk; for a good reason, but that was none of my sister’s business. I don’t believe in explaining to people why my house looks the way it does. Why SHOULD I? So, what I said to her was this: “You don’t REALLY want me to start critiquing YOUR housekeeping, do you?”. After I said that to her, she never said anything about anything that was on the floor again.

You see, her and her husband always leave their dining room table FULL of all different kinds of papers, looks real messy, but you know what? I never say anything because it’s THEIR house! They can keep it the way they WANT to! Plus, I don’t CARE about it, it’s not MY house! They SHOULD have the same respect for me!

AND, that’s the same way I feel about someone coming into my home telling me they don’t like it. Depending on who it is that is saying it, I MIGHT say something like “I don’t care, you don’t live here.” or maybe ”What did you come over for then?”. See, the FUN thing about messing with RUDE people, is because they never expect people to be rude BACK, which is why they are rude in the first place, because people LET them get away with it. *I* don’t. The looks on their faces when they are rude and I am blunt with them…PRICELESS!!!

Cowboy Burgers

Cowboy Burgers
Cowboy Burgers

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon seasoned pepper
  • 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons butter
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 (1.0 ounce) envelope taco seasoning or 2 tablespoons Taco Seasoning
  • 4 slices Cheddar cheese
  • 4 Kaiser rolls
  • 4 lettuce leaves
  • 4 tomato slices

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, combine ground beef, seasoned salt and seasoned pepper; shape into four patties.
  2. Grill or broil to desired doneness (about 5 to 6 minutes on each side for medium).
  3. Meanwhile, in medium skillet, melt butter.
  4. Add onion and taco seasoning; mix well.
  5. Cook onion over medium high heat until soft and transparent.
  6. Top each patty with onions and cheese.
  7. Return to grill or broiler until cheese is melted.
  8. Place each patty on a roll; top with lettuce and tomato.

Companies Are Being Forced Out of NYC… Why?

I was a mainstream reporter (NYTimes and NY Herald Tribune) when Donald Trump was in his early 30s in NYC. I got to know him at his hangouts and on several more private occasions.

He was not then, nor is he now, “stupid” as so many anti-Trumpers continually proclaim. He was, however, a man whose word meant absolutely nothing. He spoke almost nothing but outright lies and “gut” fabrications. He’d betray a “friend” in a blink; he loathed any woman whose “pussy” he could not “grab”. He was a physical coward in private and in public. He was frightened to wetting his pants of his Nazi-loving, face-slapping, fascist father, to whom he lied and groveled. He had no friends since he only took and never gave. Both men and women immediately felt his creepy, duplicitous, despicable ways and avoided him unless they wanted to be close to what they thought was his money. Her learned how to manipulate and twist the American legal system from his evil genius lawyer Roy Cohen (“Don’t tell me about the law, tell me about the judge.”). I believed then that hate is stupid and as a reporter I did not hate Trump. But I understood him, and understanding is the opposite of hatred.

Trump is now and was then (as any woman who knew him even a bit well would agree) —- a mentally vicious, endlessly traitorous, sickeningly self-absorbed adolescent with feminine soft hands (no manual labor) and a filthy tongue. That was in his early 30s. Any honest observer and reporter quickly found him out and in New York and environs his name was a dirty joke. . . Then came TV “reality” shows and millions of unfortunate Americans watched how he behaved and they want to be just like him, and get away with it. If anyone who reads this considers themselves a friend of Trump, may their gods help them. He will make America and Americans poorer in mind, money, than it ever was, The only way to beat the Russian-sponsored thug is to confront him with a community of people who will oppose him and his fellow liars, cheaters, thieves, and those who tolerate them,

Bad Traffic day in Orlando, FL. As a legal motorcycle rider, I was following traffic laws and traffic lights, and traffic wasn’t moving at all. The *ssh*l* in the car behind me started to lean on his horn. After 5 or 10 horn blows I started to respond with my 139 decibel horn everytime, followed by a turn of my head to look at the driver banging his hands on his steering wheel and yelling again. When he tried to pull up next to me in the space between me and the car in the next lane, I moved to block just enough of the lane that he would have to hit either me or the car in the next lane. At this point he starts yelling at me. He continues to try to move up. The Car next to me gives him just enough space, and I continue to control my lane.

When he gets close enough he started yelling “You! On the motorcycle! ….” and a flood of anti-hispanic, anti-biker rhetoric just comes spewing out of his mouth. Not being hispanic and not considering myself a “biker”, I calmly turned around, looked him in the eyes, and said “No hables espaniol”.

The drivers is ENRAGED! He starts to get out of his car. And he keeps screaming about immigrants. Once he is out of the car, I turn to him again.

I say to him “I was born in Philadelphia PA. Am I an immigrant? And aren’t you smart enough to understand that I don’t speak Spanish? That is what “No hables espaniol” means.”

The man is flabbergasted, stops in his tracks, flaps his mouth several times, and the best revenge, the log jam broke and the light changed, at the same moment. As I pulled away, the man was left standing in the middle of the street with every car behind him laying on the horn, and trying to get around him.

Yes, I had to take on the most difficult challenge of all, a man telling a woman that her attire was inappropriate for the office.

To set the scene, this woman was a young adult, a peer and also a work-friend. She had just lost a bunch of weight and also taken a European vacation. She was feeling good about her body and bought a dress in Paris that showed it off. This dress was so low-cut that it showed the underside of her breasts. If you wanted to pick up a casual hookup in a bar, this was exactly the dress you wanted to wear. But I would never, could never say that.

What I said to her was that this dress looked awesome on her with her weight loss, and if she was looking for a date, it was a great choice. But if she wanted to be taken seriously as an engineer and not distract people, something more conservative and businesslike might be a better choice. She was, in fact, having difficulty being taken seriously, so she took this advice on board and dressed more professionally after that. I got to keep our friendship and not get sued. I’m super glad I won’t ever have to do that again.

The American Correctional Association (ACA) came to do an inspection at the Federal prison I was in.

A failed inspection would mean loss of accreditation. I’m not aware that means anything other than egg on some suit’s face.

For a prison inspection to be meaningful, hordes of inspectors should rappel from helicopters into the yard in the dead of night without warning. They could carry badges, clipboards, and maybe a few pieces of equipment. (OK… five minutes warning so nobody gets shot).

Instead, the prison had months of notice. They had enough lead time that they could leisurely waste weeks, doing nothing to get ready. When the visit was about two weeks off, suddenly stuff started happening.

New paint was slathered on everything, thick enough it could’ve stopped an escape all by itself.

In the chow hall, we had a persistent leak in the roof. Because it wasn’t fixed for years, the drop ceiling soaked up water, several tiles collapsed, and ominous mold was growing in the insulation around the duct work. At about the same time that paint was being poured over every surface, a crew of inmates came in to patch the ceiling. They didn’t fix the leak, they just patched the drywall and drop in sections that were affected.

Our dishwasher could never get up to temperature. The water was so hard that the heating coils were continually clogged with deposits several inches thick. Pick up any tray that had gone through the thing, and you’d immediately see that the luke warm water wasn’t getting trays clean (of course we never bothered with soap or surfactants either). Instead of trying to fix the dishwasher, the staff, experienced in many an inspection, simply stopped using it. It was “temporarily out of service” for the visit, and we used thousands of dollars worth of disposable foam plates and cups for each meal. This kept the inspectors from finding out that the machine was actually permanently out of service.

So, no. The inspections didn’t help us at all. Our food did get dramatically better for the couple of days that the visit went on, but that was really the only change.

After the visitors left, the dishwasher was plugged back in so it could moisten the dirt on the plates, and the ceiling started to crumble again, revealing mold that had blossomed nicely in the humid darkness.

A bolt of lightning hit the right wing of the aircraft, and suddenly LANSA Flight 508 was plummeting toward the ground. Over the screams of dozens of others, Juliane Koepcke — who was sitting at 19F, a window seat — heard her mother say from the seat beside her: “Now it’s all over.”

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Seconds later, the plane is disintegrating in mid-air, and Juliane’s mom is gone. Juliane is still strapped in her seat, but she is not inside the cabin anymore — instead, she is all alone in the open air at a height of 10,000 feet, tumbling down from the heavens.

The last things she will ever see are packed treetops that look like broccoli heads. Or so she thinks.

Because the next day, she wakes up on the Amazon rainforest floor, still very much alive and miraculously only modestly wounded:

She had a concussion, a broken collarbone, some deep cuts. The forest, she wrote in her memoir, “saved my life,” the foliage cushioning the impact of her 10,000-foot fall. She went in and out of consciousness before finally pulling herself to her feet.

That is her first survival story, but now she is all alone in a jungle. She is seventeen years old, and she needs to focus on the next step. A second survival. Luckily for her, Juliane has lived in the jungle for several years, in a research station where both of her parents were working at the time.

She looks for her mom first, but doesn’t find her. Then, she decides to look for a stream, because streams often lead to villages, and she will soon need water. And when she finally finds a creek, she also finds dead people:

“When I turned a corner in the creek, I found a bench with three passengers rammed head first into the earth. I was paralysed by panic. It was the first time I had seen a dead body.”

crash
crash

[Image of plain wreckage of LANSA Flight 508, which had boarded in Peru. (Coral Brunner/Shutterstock.)]

As days go by, a wound on her upper right arm gets infested with maggots about one centimeter long each. She remembered that their dog once had the same infection and that her father had put kerosene in it, so when she finds a small hut with a palm leaf roof, and outboard motor and one liter of kerosine, she sucks the gasoline out and puts it into the wound.

The next day she hears human voices, and she is saved for the second time around.


Later, Juliane found out that her mom also survived the crash, but was badly wounded and died a couple of days later in the rainforest, all alone, and desperately hoping that a miracle had saved her daughter.

And I guess it did.


SOURCES: the footnoted site and Google images.

[3]Footnotes

Visiting Japanese Maid Cafe🎀☕️ | @Home Cafe AKIHABARA | Mizukin Premium Maid | ASMR

Damn! My daughter would just love this!

You all must watch this. At least until after the chick gets the order.

Sitrep April

They didn’t like Ma Duece.

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The July 1945 cover of this magazine depicted a waist gunner in a B-17 Flying Fortress and his flexible .50 BMG M2 Browning in an official USAAF photo by Karl Gaston.

By Barrett Tillman

John M. Browning was a historic figure whose guns started the first World War and helped end the second. In 1914, Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip used a Browning-designed FN Model 1910 to assassinate Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand, inciting the Great War. And though Browning died in 1926, he provided his nation with nearly all its World War II machine guns, its automatic rifle and its foremost sidearm. But he did something even grander. Browning’s magnificent M2 machine gun—chambered in the .50 Browning Machine Gun (BMG) cartridge—gave America and her allies the priceless gift of global air superiority. Nothing else came close.

Actually, the Browning .50 originated in the Great War. American interest in an armor-piercing cartridge was influenced by the marginal French 11 mm design, prompting U.S. Army Ordnance officers to consult Browning. They wanted a heavy projectile at 2700 feet per second (f.p.s.), but the ammunition did not exist. Browning pondered the situation and, according to his son John, replied, “Well, the cartridge sounds pretty good to start. You make up some cartridges and we’ll do some shooting.”

Reputedly influenced by Germany’s 13.2×92 mm SR (.53-cal.) anti-tank rifle, Ordnance contracted with Winchester to design a .50-cal. cartridge. Subsequently, Frankford Arsenal took over from Winchester, producing the historic .50 BMG or 12.7×99 mm cartridge.

The Army then returned to John Browning for the actual gun. Teamed with Colt, he produced prototypes ready for testing and, ironically, completed them by Nov. 11, 1918—the Great War’s end.

The scaled-up version of the .30-cal. (.30-’06 Sprg.) M1917 water-cooled machine gun possessed obvious potential. But the cartridge’s enormous power proved excessive to the Colt-Browning design, forcing the master back to his drafting board. He returned with a buffer system that seemed workable. Tests in 1919 and 1920 confirmed the viability of the cartridge and gun, and Ordnance approved it for production. The result was the M1921 water-cooled .50-cal. machine gun, the basis for today’s M2 model, the fabled “Ma Deuce.”

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“Ma Deuce” still serves today.

Because of its size and weight, the M1921 was issued as a light anti-aircraft gun, both ground- and ship-based. It remained in Navy use until replaced by 20 mm Oerlikon cannons in 1942.

Meanwhile, a more utilitarian .50-cal. gun was underway. After adopting the M1921, the Army decided to evaluate an air-cooled model, far more tractable for soldiers at 120 lbs. with a tripod. The result was designated “Caliber .50 Machine Gun, Heavy Barrel, M2.” The heavier 36″ barrel was expected to handle heat buildup, but experience led to a 45″ version that was adopted in 1933 and used ever since.

To War
The big Browning fought America’s war from the first day to the last. On Dec. 7, 1941, Navy CPO John Finn responded to the Japanese attack on Kaneohe Naval Air Station, Hawaii, by manning an AN/M2 in an instructional mount (“A/N” stands for Army and Navy). Alone and fully exposed, he fired at the raiders whenever they came within range. “I was out there shooting the Jap planes and just every so often I was a target for some,” he said. “In some cases, I could see their faces.” Though struck by 20 bullets or fragments, he remained at his gun until ordered to report for medical attention. Then he turned to arming his squadron’s remaining planes. His actions resulted in CPO Finn receiving the Medal of Honor.

At least four other .50-cal. gunners received the nation’s highest award, including Lt. Col. William J. O’Brien, an Army battalion commander on Saipan in July 1944. When the Japanese overran his position, he replied with an M1911 in each hand, then dashed to a jeep-mounted M2, according to his citation, “firing into the Jap hordes that were enveloping him” until he was killed.

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The three main variants of the .50-cal. Brownings were (top to bottom): the water-cooled M1921 (used mostly in the anti-aircraft role); the aircraft-mounted AN/M2, which could be flexible or fixed; and the M2HB used on the ground.

Undoubtedly the best-known M2 engagement occurred on the other side of the world six months later. In France on Jan. 26, 1945, 19-year-old 2nd Lt. Audie Murphy climbed aboard a burning tank destroyer to man the .50 as a company of German infantry advanced. Though hit in one leg, he remained at the gun, shooting down perhaps 50 of the enemy before running dry. Then he returned to his platoon to organize a counterattack. For this, Murphy received the Medal of Honor, and he would become one of the most decorated soldiers in American military history.

With a global need, it seemed that everyone built M2s, from AC Spark Plug Co. to Frigidaire to Guide Lamp. American Rifleman Field Editor Bruce Canfield’s encyclopedic U.S. Infantry Weapons of World War II shows nearly 350,000 M2 Heavy Barrels (M2HB) produced among nearly 2,000,000 .50 calibers of all models during the war years.

Everybody wanted the Ma Deuce in .50 BMG for its fabled power, range and reliability. One wartime study found that stoppages averaged one in 4,000 rounds, as long as headspace was properly adjusted. Armorers determined that a high ratio of malfunctions were due to faulty ammunition or links.

The Ma Deuce’s limit as an anti-aircaft (AA) gun was range, volume of fire and weight of projectile—especially when compared to 20 mm or 5″ cannons. A single-barrel gun firing a 700-gr. bullet could seldom inflict enough damage to destroy a fast attacker. Even multiple guns engaging the same target were marginal. At the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands in October 1942, the fabled carrier U.S.S. Enterprise expended 400 rounds of .50 BMG versus 46,000 rounds of 20 mm; 3,200 rounds of 40 mm; and 400 rounds of 5″. The main reason for the discrepancy probably was engagement range: few attackers closed to within the .50’s effective distance.

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(l.) Adopted in 1933, the M2HB had a 45″ barrel and weighed about 120 lbs. with its tripod. A typical Army infantry battalion had six M2s. In Ordnance Went Up Front Roy Dunlop wrote: “All ground guns could fire single shots … and very accurate fire was possible.” (r.) The M45 quad mount—with four .50-cal. M2s—could be installed in an M16 halftrack or towed as shown in the Pacific Theatre. Although used mostly for anti-aircraft defense, in ground combat the power of four .50-cal. Brownings could be devastating.

Army anti-aircraft units made good use of the M45 quad .50 mount, either towed or mounted on M16 halftracks. Some of the heaviest AA activity occurred during Luftwaffe attacks on Allied airfields on New Year’s Day 1945. In the Metz area, Army AA gunners engaged 25 enemy aircraft, claiming 14 destroyed and four probably downed. Only 11 rounds of 90 mm artillery were fired with a combined 1,270 rounds of 37 and 40 mm, compared to 24,100 rounds of .50 caliber. Quad .50s also were employed in ground combat. A 1945 study noted, “A few bursts from the quadruple .50s directed at any source of small-arms fire very quickly eliminated the trouble.”

Through most of the war, a typical Army infantry battalion operated 20 .30-cal. machine guns (eight M1917 water-cooled) and six .50-cal. M2s. Weapons platoons typically had a jeep-mounted M2 that could be rushed to a trouble spot. The Axis armies had nothing comparable, though Germany issued light machine guns on a greater scale than the Allies. However, short of 20 mm canons, the Germans had no battlefield guns that could penetrate armored cars or personnel carriers at typical engagement distances.

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The M2HB (Heavy Barrel) could be employed as a ground arm while mounted on its M3 tripod (l.) or on vehicles, such as with the three MPs in their jeep in the winter of 1944-1945 (r.).

Pre-war match shot and American Rifleman contributing editor Roy F. Dunlap described wartime global trekking in his memoir, Ordnance Went Up Front. He wrote, “I believe the .50s have fewer breakdowns than the .30 caliber guns and that about 75 percent of the repair jobs I did were due to rough handling or carelessness on the part of the gun crew.” For practical application, he said, “I cannot think of a better way to screw up a road junction than to work a .50 to within a couple or three miles, set it in a hollow, camouflaged, and every so often throw a few armor piercers or incendiaries over to the crossing. The blue-tipped incendiaries explode with flash, report and puff of smoke. All ground guns could fire single shots … and very accurate fire was possible.”

In a 1945 summary, the U.S. Army in Europe concluded, “The half-track .50 caliber machine gun—one of the most effective weapons we have—is up where it can be used.” The same report noted that mechanized units had scrounged M2s from downed aircraft and adapted them to coaxial mounts.

On the Pacific isles, typical engagement distances were far closer than in Europe, and Japanese armored vehicles—rarely encountered—were vulnerable to .50-cal. fire. One of the Browning’s main advantages in that environment was its unrivaled penetration, as M2 rounds were far less likely to be deflected by foliage than .30s. Nevertheless, the Marine Corps divisional allotment of Ma Deuces declined from 360 in 1942 to 162 at war’s end.

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The .50-cal. water-cooled was the first adopted, and it was the heaviest, too. The guns served in the anti-aircraft role in all theatres of the war. While phased out for shipboard use, the Army continued to use the M2 AA gun.

Air Guns
Entering World War II, the British Royal Air Force installed eight Colt-Browning .303s in Hurricane and Spitfire fighter planes (later augmented with 20 mms) while Germany and Japan favored rifle-caliber guns and 20 mm cannon. But whether Oerlikon or Hispano-Suiza designs, cannon had limited ammunition capacity and were prone to malfunction.

The prewar U.S. Army Air Corps took a middle road. Early Bell P-39Ds had two .50s, four .30s and a 37 mm gun in the nose. The Curtiss P-40B packed two .50s and four .30s, while Lockheed’s futuristic P-38 had four .50s and a 20 mm. The .50-cal. round delivered at least four times the energy of the .30-’06 Sprg. at the same velocity, affording greater penetration and projectile selection. Clearly, the M2 was better suited for destroying modern all-metal aircraft.

Originally the Air Corps adopted the M2 with a 600 r.p.m. cyclic rate. But, as aircraft speeds increased, fighter pilots had less time to track and shoot. Therefore, Frankford Arsenal boosted muzzle velocity from 2700 to 2880 f.p.s. The standard ball cartridge was the 709-gr. projectile atop 253 grs. of IMR-5010. Armorers experimented with various belting combinations, alternating ball, armor-piercing incendiary (API) and tracer. The M2 AP round would defeat nearly an inch of face-hardened steel at 200 yds. Moreover, armor-piercing incendiaries (usually 647 to 662 grs.) were most useful against aircraft, as they could penetrate enemy armor and engine blocks, sever enemy airframe components and ignite enemy fuel tanks.

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The solid-nose version of the B-25 Mitchell was fitted for eight fixed M2s and could sink enemy ships by .50-cal. gunfire alone.

Tracer rounds, typically about 680 grs., had somewhat different ballistic properties than ball, AP and API, and they did not duplicate the others’ trajectories. Tracers probably were more widely issued to anti-aircraft units than aviation organizations. However, various fighter squadrons adopted different policies. Some loaded the last 50 rounds in each belt entirely with tracers to alert the pilot he was running low. But some very successful pilots shunned tracers. Lieutenant Colonel Francis Gabreski, leading U.S. ace of the European Theater, said, “Sometimes you miss with the first burst and tracers can give you away.”

Browning’s big gun won air superiority for America around the world. Army, Navy and Marine fighters were credited with 25,264 aerial victories, nearly all armed wholly or mainly with AN/M2s. The exceptions were 412 victories gained by British aircraft (mainly Spitfires) in American units and some U.S. night fighters, which were aircraft reconfigured or designed for combat in the dark.

Bombers also packed the M2 as single, manually operated guns and as turret-mounted pairs. The U.S. armed forces consumed vast amounts of ammunition—the St. Louis plant alone delivered 6.7 billion rounds of .30 and .50 caliber during the war. In the fall of 1943, when Eighth Air Force bombers flew unescorted deep penetrations into Reich airspace, one mission might consume more .50-cal. ammunition than a month’s worth of that used by the Fifth Army in Italy.

Around that time, aerial gunners began calling their guns “Mrs. Deuce,” an obvious precursor of today’s familiar “Ma Deuce.” The total Army Air Forces (AAF) overseas expenditure was nearly 460 million rounds, but monthly figures alone were staggering. In April 1945, shortly before Germany surrendered, the Army Air Force in the European and Mediterranean theaters fired nearly 25 million rounds of machine gun and cannon ammunition, the huge majority being .50 caliber. In July, Army airmen flying against the Japanese expended more than 6 million rounds.

During the war, about 100 American fighter pilots downed five or more enemy aircraft in one day to become “instant aces.” Six pilots were credited with seven kills in one mission. They flew very different aircraft—Wildcats, Hellcats, Corsairs, Lightnings and Mustangs—but all had the AN/M2 in common. One instant ace and future NRA member was Marine aviator James E. Swett, who received the Medal of Honor for downing seven (possibly eight) Japanese dive bombers over Guadalcanal in April 1943.

The outright record for aerial victories in a single encounter belonged to the Navy top gun, Cdr. David McCampbell. Flying from U.S.S. Essex over Leyte Gulf in the Philippines on Oct. 24, 1944, he and a wingman tackled a large formation of Japanese fighters. In 90 minutes of combat McCampbell was credited with nine destroyed and two probables while his partner added six more. With the confidence of experience and a disciplined trigger finger, McCampbell made maximum use of his Brownings and ammunition. Given the 2,400-round payload of his Grumman Hellcat, McCampbell averaged just 218 shots per victory.

Perhaps the most cost-efficient aircraft kill of the air war demonstrated the .50’s power. Over Okinawa in May 1945 a Hellcat night fighter stalked a Japanese floatplane harassing U.S. ground troops. Marine Lt. J.E. Smurr closed to minimum range—about 50 ft.—and centered the Aichi seaplane in his illuminated reticle. He pressed the trigger for less than one second and the enemy aircraft disintegrated into a fireball. Armorers found that Smurr had fired only 62 rounds. Throughout the campaign, Marine night hunters averaged 567 rounds per victory regardless of size or type of aircraft.

In a naval war such as the Pacific, .50 calibers inevitably were used against ships. Six M2s could cripple a corvette or a destroyer, whose typical 1/2″ plates offered little protection. Japanese destroyer hulls measured 0.4″ to 0.6″ (10 to 16 mm) whereas .50 ball from a 45″ barrel could penetrate 1/3″ (8 mm) at 500 yds. API rounds penetrated 1″ (25 mm) of homogenous plate at 200 yds. and 3/4″ (18 mm) at 650 yds. Face-hardened plate of 0.9″ (23 mm) was defeated at 200 yds. and 1/2″ at 600. The velocity loss from 36″ aircraft barrels did not seriously reduce the .50’s penetrative qualities, which could puncture engines, boilers and magazines.

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As well as its use on the ground, the big Browning proved a war winner in the air with the Army, Navy and Marines. The U.S. Army Air Force used lighter-weight, .50-cal. AN/M2 Brownings as defensive armament, including as a pair in a turret on a B-17 Flying fortress (top l.) as well as in the tail of a B-17 (top, r.). They were also used on fighter aircraft, such as in the nose of the P-38 Lightning (below l.) and in the wings of fighter aircraft in Europe such as the P-47 Thunderbolt (below, r.).

Certainly the outer limits were achieved by North American B-25H bombers optimized for shipping attacks. With eight nose- and fuselage-mounted .50s plus a top turret, two waist guns and the twin-gun tail position, the H model Mitchell was literally a flying gunship that could immobilize merchantmen—even without the short-barreled 75 mm cannon. However, when the H model entered combat in the China-Burma-India Theater in early 1944, shipping targets were rare. River traffic, on the other hand, was easily destroyed by fighters and gunships.

A study of Navy patrol bombers concluded that during 1945, “Dozens of small vessels were destroyed by fires caused by incendiary hits or strafing alone.” Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer bombers expended 2 million rounds of .50 caliber on 600 or more surface vessels, contributing to sinking as many as 300. “The effect was to cripple the remaining Japanese sea transport in most areas and to cause withdrawal of many vessels not sunk because of the danger of attack … .”

The AN/M2 was fully appreciated by the war’s midpoint. In 1943, Gen. Henry “Hap” Arnold, chief of the Army Air Forces, declared the Browning “the outstanding aircraft gun of the Second World War.” He added, “This weapon … is the backbone of offensive and defensive gun [sic] for American aircraft and was brought to such a state of perfection by the Ordnance Department during the years of peace prior to the present conflict that it has enabled the Army Air Forces, the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps to show a definite superiority in aircraft gun power through this global war.”

Despite the M2’s immense success, some operators wanted more. The M3 .50 caliber boosted cyclic rate to 1,200 r.p.m., but the increase came at too high a price. Tests showed greater barrel erosion, and rounds tended to “keyhole.” Only 2,400 M3s were delivered before V-J Day, but development continued. Subsequently, the M3 armed the first generation of American jet fighters, pointing the way to victory in MiG Alley during the Korean War.

In typical military fashion, in 2004 the Army tried to replace the M2 with a less effective arm at twice the price. The wasteful three-year program to develop the XM312 flopped during tests in 2005 but lingered two more years before cancellation. At that point “Big Army” defaulted to the best option: buying more M2s.

Longevity remains a hallmark of John M. Browning’s designs. His timeless M1911 pistol is more widely used today than ever, and “Ma Deuce,” dating from 1921, shows no signs of retiring. In fact, in 2015 the 324th M2 ever produced was finally removed from service—after 94 years in the inventory. The old warhorse was being retired because current standards would require extensive modification. Army Materiel Command quoted an armorer at Anniston Army Depot who said, “Looking at the receiver, for its age, it looks good as new and it gauges better than most of the other weapons.” Said John Clark, a small arms repair leader, “I’d rather put this one on display than send it to the scrap heap.” A veteran approaching its centennial, the M2 certainly deserves an honorable retirement—though its relatives will remain on the firing line well into the current century.

In this article

.50-CAL. BROWNING MACHINE GUN

, WWII, .50 BMG M2 BROWNING, JOHN M. BROWNING, MA DEUCE, BARRETT TILLMAN

From the point of view of the Chinese government, Taiwan is important for historical reasons, as unification with the rest of China would represent a clear end to China’s century of humiliation and the end of any pro-western colonial presence on Chinese territory. Any Chinese leader who brought Taiwan back into a unified China would be remembered in the history books as the leader who brought this period of humiliation to an end, and would be remembered for this single accomplishment.

Most PRC Chinese also feel this way about Taiwan.

In short, it would be the single largest accomplishment in Chinese history in the 21st century.

Most Americans, including US government officials, do not understand the depth of the Chinese commitment to unification with Taiwan.

If they can understand the commitment of Zionist Jews to Israel and a homeland in the Middle East, why can’t they understand China’s commitment to unification with Taiwan?

Yes! The following scenes from the movie The Pursuit of Happyness made me cry:

  1. Chris and his son sleeping in a bathroom:

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main qimg 19f99ecefa50760056ce6de4f7e96ed4 pjlq

With no money, no job and homeless, Chris turns a dirty subway restroom into an imaginary cave for his son and gets him to sleep there. Being at the depth of his poverty and despair, Chris breaks down in this scene and is shown blocking the door so that his son can sleep well. Heart touching scene.

2. The five-bucks scene:

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main qimg e131969168eee704911535bb0d13d0be lq

Chris’s boss forgets his wallet upstairs and is in a hurry to attend a meeting. He asks Chris to lend him five bucks. Being at the rock bottom of poverty, five bucks mattered for Chris and he lends his boss too. This scene regains our faith in humanity and the act of giving to those in need.

3. Chris gets the job:

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main qimg 7c290efa6fa8dafb6ba4e24760cbb786 lq

Who can forget this scene where he gets the job and is asked about his struggle? This scene still makes me emotional.

Will Smith is a genius!

I have lived in China for a few years, and I think the west would be a happier place if we adopted the following Chinese wisdoms:

  1. if you cause someone embarrassment, you should also be ashamed of yourself – so, better don’t do that to anyone. It would be such a nice change from our silly, childish revenge culture.
  2. take an entire hour for lunch every day. Better even: two. It celebrates the day, and makes for a more relaxed life.
  3. get seriously into savings and whatever else you can do to build your fortune. We westerners have a debt culture. We live in denial of how unhappy that makes us.
  4. choose the middle ground for all things. We westerners always look for extremes. But longterm happiness is not found in thrill, only in balance.
  5. take naps during the day. You would be amazed how much happier you will be.
  6. spend more time with your folks. Western society is always trying to isolate the individual, when life is so much nicer shared with others – especially your family.

Mark and grazing behaviors

 

 

 

When I was living in Erie, I went shopping with my roommates. We went grocery shopping, which was something we did about once a month.

One of my ‘mates was this big burly man named Mark. He was a silly guy. Drank Pepsi cola like no one else alive. Perhaps twelve bottles a day. It was his way of coping as he distanced himself away from his drug abusing past.

A coping mechanism. I get it.

Well, as I checked out and had the groceries, Mark was no-where to be found.

We looked and looked, until he finally came out one hour later.

He strolled up to the car.

We asked “where the fuck were you?”

And he said “I don’t want to talk about it”.

But, later on he did.

It turned out that he was drinking a Pepsi in the store, and instead of taking the empty bottle to the checkout counter, he placed it on a shelf. And it was caught on the CC television video system, and the store detective nabbed him.

As he was on parole, this could have gone very badly for him. But… life is strange. It turned out that the store detective was a classmate of his, and after the mandatory beat-down, they warmed up and kicked-back and shared memories and stories.

Life is sometimes like that.

I am sure that Mark has since thought long and hard about this kind of “store grazing” behavior. I like to think that he is a better person for it. Ah I hope.

As I review my life, I am constantly amazed at how many times coincidences seem to intertwine the threads of our lives together.

Today…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you ever bought something at a garage sale that turned out to be unexpectedly awesome?

Not quite a garage sale. A good friend, “ George” was a coin collecter, who noticed a small ad in the local News paper. “ selling late husbands coin collection – make an offer.” With nothing else to do that day he called and went to see the lady. He started to poke through and told her he need a bit of time, but he found 3 coins he wanted, for himself. He said to the lady I will buy these three right now, on the condition that if anyone else calls you tell them the “ entire collection is sold “ she said but you are only buying 3 coins what about the rest, what do I do. He said “ I will sell them for you, please give me a chance” She reluctlently agreed. He paid $300 cash each for the coins he picked out. He saw that the lady was not to well off and had lost her husband. He sat down and selected 10 coins, wrote down what they were and description, and said he would sell them for her. He was in touch with her every day, and about 10 days later, he went to see her and told her he was able to get a decent price for 3 of the coins he left with. he handed her $8000.00. and confirmed he would sell all of the coins that she had. She said as she was going through her late husbands things she had found other coins. She really had no interest in the coins and said they had taken up so much of her husbands time away from her. George told her that her husband loved her more then she knew. In about one year, he had sold off the entire collection of coins for just over $450,000.00 A few of the gold coins he told her to keep for herself.

 

 

What was your most embarrassing moment in a retail shop?

My wife loves a deal. If they offered a free toaster with an Aston Martin, I might be driving my dream car.

So we were on vacation in Athens and she pulled off a haggling master stroke – a bag, a dress, and a speedo (hey, it was Europe) and got them to knock a few hundred euro off the price. All she said was, “is this the best price you can do?”

And this was at Dolce & Gabbana!

So, while on a business trip in Venice, I decided to pick two things up for my wife:

A dress and a deal.

At Prada!

I found the perfect dress. Something she definitely wouldn’t buy herself, but would look great on her. It was pricey, but I had my ace in my sleeve. My all-purpose Euro retail haggling pass.

The saleswoman approached me. I explained that I wanted the dress. She was pleased with my selection.

And then I did it.

I whipped out my haggling secret weapon, with Blue Steel swagger, and an expectant attitude.

“Is this the best price you can do?”

She paused and just stared at me.

I’m thinking, haha… didn’t see that one coming did you?

She keeps staring. She wrinkles her brow, like she’s computing the speech in her head.

Now I’m getting worried.

Then, she has a moment of clarity.

“Oh, are you trying to negotiate?”

She’s says it like I’m some 9 year old kid who just asked his 24 year old babysitter to be his girlfriend.

Me: (trying to stay cool) “Well… um, yeah…. You know. If there is any room for…..”

Her: (interrupting but sincere) “We don’t negotiate at Prada.”

I paid full price for the dress.

Has a store ever accidentally given you something for free?

Ordered 4 new bras from an online shop, ended up receiving 32 new bras, none of which were the color I had ordered.

The receipt in the box was tallied for 8 bras with a note that they’d been running a promo the day I ordered that they were buy 1 get 1 free. I don’t even want to fathom how 8 turned into 32, but when I called the company to get a return label the gal informed me that the bra sale had actually been buy 1 get 2 free, which should have only been 12 bras, not 32, and who the heck gives away 2 forty dollar bras?

Got transferred to a different representative and was informed that the bras I was trying to return where non-returnable since they’d actually been discontinued and were now “on clearance” neither of them had addressed the issue that the bras I received were the wrong color (right size at least)

I was transferred yet again (gotta love “that’s not my job” employment opportunities) where I was quickly informed that they would send out the bras in the right color.

Fast forward a few days and I received 12 of the right size, right color bras. They had honored the buy 1 get 2 free sale apparently. I also received 8 additional bras in colors I hadn’t even known were available in my size as a “consolation prize” for my troubles.

So, 52 bras for the price of 4 at forty dollars each. I haven’t had to special order bras in years…

 

What are some skills possessed by software engineers at big companies like Google, that software engineers at no-name companies usually don’t have?

I’ve worked in software engineering for 20 years. I come from a no-name college in India, and my grades weren’t stellar. SO, getting into top tier companies was hard for me. Over 20 years, I’ve worked my way up, and I’m in Amazon now. On the way, I have worked in all kinds of companies: startups, mid sized companies, large multi nationals; and in all kinds of industries: consumer goods, healthcare, finance, education

First of all, Companies are tiered in terms of the skill levels of their engineers. They pretend not to be. Everyone claims that they hire the smartest engineers. WHat they mean is that they hire the smartest engineers that they can get. There is a definite differrence in Engineers working in FAANG companies (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google), I’ve seen all kinds of engineers

Here’s the kicker. The biggest difference isn’t in the quality of the code that they write. FAANG engineers, on the whole, write as buggy code as engineers in decent companies.

The biggest differentiator is Communication. When I was in mid-tier companies, I was constantly finding myself explaining and re-explaining things in great detail. In fact, I would say that at most companies at mid-tier level, your success as an engineer depends on being able to drive people in the right direction by communicating to them.

There are 3 kind of people in tech. There are a) arguers:- people who will fight every point of view that isn’t their own, b) receivers: people who will try their best to understand what you are saying c) analyzers: people who start thinking critically while you are talking to them. Arguers are toxic. Receivers are good but slow. Analyzers are good and fast. In mid tier companies, you are more likely to find Arguers and Receivers, whereas in top-tier companies, you are more likely to find Receivers and Analyzers.

To be a successful tech company, you need to get in as many Analyzers as you can. Because these are the people who generate ideas. These are the people you give 2 and 2 and they figure out how to make 8. Not only that, with ANalyzers, you have to spend less time getting the team on the same page. Less miscommunication = Less rework = shorter turnaround = lower time to market = win.

Just to be clear, I’m not saying communication is bad. Communication is good. You need to make sure everyone understands what needs to be done. Communication is essential. All I’m saying is that in top tier companies, communication is lot more efficient. It’s like getting onto a highway. You are just going faster.

 

Have you ever told a ridiculous lie just to see how someone would react?

Not me, but my ex-wife, and I didn’t witness it. She told me about it several years after the fact.

My ex and I are both blind. As in without sight. One of the things you have to understand about blind people is probably something obvious. To wit, we don’t drive. We can’t. Has never happened and ain’t gunna ever happen; no, not ever. Another thing you have to understand about blind people is that sometimes sighted people will ask the stupidest questions or do the dumbest things. Usually this happens when we’re just walking along, minding our own business. One day this happened to her.

I can’t remember what she was doing at the time, but she was walking along, doing whatever errand she had to do, when this group of women happened to come upon her. One of them was obviously drunk.

“So,” said the drunk woman, “you’re blind, right?”

“Yes,” she said.

“So, um, like, how do you drive?”

My ex, who walks with a cane because she’s obviously blind, said:

“Well, I have two canes. When I drive, I keep one cane out the right window, and another out my left window. That way when I bump into something, I know when and how to turn.”

“Really?” said this other woman. “That’s amazing!” And she went on and on for some time about what an amazing feat this was,, while the other people she was with were laughing and calling her an idiot, which she so obviously was.

 

 

What is the weirdest thing people have ever done?

Probably convincing others that this is a good look. It isn’t — your lips look like a baboon’s anus swelling to indicate it’s ready for mating. I’ve never in my whole life met a single person, male or female, who appreciates this aesthetic. And yet I keep seeing it, with increasing frequency.

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image 172

This weird bimbo-style… the heavy makeup… the facial fillers… and those God-awful inflated lips. Shudder. It’s horrific. So painful on the eyes that it makes one question the existence of the God who supposedly made our species in His image. The fake lashes don’t help, either… I mean why bother changing yourself in a way that isn’t genuine? I get going to the gym, working out or getting a tan, all those yield tangible results. But why alter yourself in ways that a single shower or missed injection could erase?

The weirdest thing people have ever done is invent this made-of-plastic bimbo aesthetic and promote it on social media as something to aspire to… it’s giving women in their twenties the appearance of elderly Hollywood stars in denial of their age. Turns the “girl next door” into whatever-the-hell-happened-to-Madonna. It’s an absolute travesty.

Who was the most ignorant American you have ever met?

Originally Answered: Who was the most ignorant person you have ever met in America?

This happened many years ago, but it is what came to mind when I read this question…

I was teaching class, and we were discussing the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Students were discussing their various thoughts on the situation.

One student stated, very loudly, “You know what really bothers me? All those people who are shouting and holding up signs…why aren’t they speaking English?”

I explained that it is unreasonable to expect people in a foreign country to protest in another country’s language. She didn’t understand what I meant, and the class was trying to explain to her that Arabic is the language of the people who were protesting.

After a while, I stopped everyone and asked her where she thought “those people” lived. She said, “I don’t know…near Arizona?”

That is when I realized that she thought the the Middle East was next to the American Midwest! I showed her where it is on the map, and she said, “Oh! Things make so much more sense, now!”

 

 

As a doctor, what is the best lie a patient has ever told you?

OK, here goes.

I’ve had some real doozies in my time.

The most intrepid drug seeker I have ever seen was Mr. C.

He walked in a very hunched-over posture, leaning on a walker, to elicit sympathy.

We would not even say his name, as that might bring the bad luck of the ER calling to admit him…AGAIN.

If one of my colleagues were to talk about him he would say, “Mr.” and then crook over his index finger.

We all knew who he meant.

This guy was the biggest pathological liar in the universe.

Every time I’d get a call from the ER his story was different.

He was a missionary, a teacher, a policeman, you name it.

His favorite was to tell people he was a former PA or MD.

ER calls….

“I’ve got a 68-year-old former doctor down here. He looks so decrepit that I think he needs nursing home placement.”

Right away, I knew who it was.

He went from hospital to hospital to hospital. I don’t think he had permanent address. Why would he?

“Uh,…I know who it is. He’s not a doctor. He’s a drug seeker.”

“No, Maureen, he’s such a nice guy. You must be thinking of someone else. I think he IS a doc.”

“Go ask him what a CBC is (complete blood count, a common lab test). I’ll hold.”

Off he goes.

“For Pete’s sake, he doesn’t know.”

“Ah…yup. Don’t give him any narcs.”

“OK. But he still needs admission because he has been having recurrent temperatures and can hardly walk.”

“Did you document a temperature?”

“No, he is afebrile.”

”Labs and imaging normal?”

“Yeah.”

“Wanna see him take up his bed and trot, upright, right out of there?”

“Yeah.”

“Tell him that Dr. Boehm will be admitting him. I’ll be happy to evaluate and treat any of his complaints. I won’t be giving any narcotics, however.”

Off he goes.

“Uh, he got up and left AMA.”

“Did he ask for a cab voucher?”

“Yeah.”

“He wants us to pay for his transportation to the next ER.”

Sometimes, I would come in and he had been admitted overnight by some unsuspecting doctor.

His nurse called me.

“Mr. C is very lethargic. He’s becoming hypoxic”.

“How can that be? He’s not getting any controlled substances.”

Well, he sure was.

He had called down to the OR and interrupted a surgery. He told them that he was one of our orthopedic surgeons. He demanded that a message be given to the Ortho PA.

“Why does Mr. C have uncontrolled pain? I want him on a Dilaudid PCA NOW!”

I walk in. Mr. C, not only has a Dilaudid drip running, in one of his groggy little hands he had a bottle of Percocet that he had brought from home. In the other hand, the button to deliver a hefty bolus of Dilaudid to himself.

He was “out” with a mouthful of half-chewed Percocet, the drip just dripping away with a hefty basal dose.

He could have killed himself.

Never have I relished the delivery of Narcan like I did that day.

One little squirt and he was wide awake and pissed that his nice “double” high was ruined.

After that we had to do a complete search of him and his stuff, with security, so he didn’t get away with it again.

I often wonder what happened to Mr. C after the new system was available to track and prevent his overuse of narcotics.

He couldn’t go to five doctors in a month and get narcs from all of them. He couldn’t go ER to ER.

I just don’t know what happened to him.

What’s the etiquette for feeding a babysitter? They’re looking after your kids, so shouldn’t you feed them?

When I was 15 I used to babysit these 2 super lovely Chinese kids every friday and saturday night. It was only ever for 4 hours, 8pm to midnight. The family owned the local fish and chip shop, that also sold Chinese food. Now I never got fed while babysitting, but the parents would pay me my time AND bring me chinese food to eat when I got home. Always asked me what I wanted when I went to the house. The were an awesome family.

Another time my GP asked if I would babysit his kids on new years eve, and stay over night. My mum agreed and he would pay me £50 for it. I got told to eat and drink whatever I wanted, watch whatever I wanted on the tv, and the room they let me sleep in also had a tv. Easiest babysitting job ever! The kids were in bed before I got there at 9pm, I was told to check on them at 10, 11 and midnight which I did. They never woke up, I got to eat junk food all night, and got paid for doing it. I was actually happier about the junk food and tv than the money. At home I wasnt allowed food between meals, junk food was never allowed, and forget about watching anything other than my mums choice of program on the tv.

 

Have you ever smelled something but only found the source of the smell a while later?

I was in the military (USAF) and until you reach a certain rank, you are assigned a roommate in your dorm room. I was stationed in Germany in a unit that traveled extensively 300+ days per year. Commonly we would travel 6 months, come back for a week or even a weekend, and then be back on the road. I was assigned a roommate whom I met… He was the typical “computer geek”. Greasy hair, showered infrequently, was a slob, almost never left the room when he was not on the road, and played a lot of the “Oregon Trail” computer game.

Mind you both of us were in the same unit that traveled a lot, but we were on different teams, so we traveled to different places at different times. One time after being gone 6 months in England, I came back to station, and opened the door to my room, only to be gagged by the smell. I set my luggage down in the hall and went to the communal bathroom, wet some paper towels, and covered my nose and mouth area. Then went back into my room to locate and remove the source of the smell.

At first glance everything seemed in order, but the smell was overpowering… I walked over to his side of the room and it got even worse. His bed was raised up on blocks that gave him a couple feet of storage underneath it, and I saw a shirt sleeve sticking out from under the bed. When I lifted up the bedspread, it reeked to high heaven, but all I could see was his dirty clothes. They were stuffed under his bed to the point that it took up all the room in under the bed! I couldn’t imagine that this horrific gagging smell was just his dirty clothes (although they did stink terribly), so I started reaching under there and pulling clothes out a handful at a time…. When I had pulled out about half the clothes, I found the source of the pugnant aroma.

At some point when he was stuffing all his dirty clothes under there, he apparently forgot that he had also put a half a pitcher of OJ under there as well. When he pushed more clothes under there, the pitcher of OJ got pushed back into the middle of the pile of clothes. I had been gone 6 months and come to find out he left the week after I did! That OJ sat in that pitcher in the middle of his stinky clothes for basically 6 months, rotting! It was a solid black and green mass all around the outside with Orange pulp in the middle, and OMG did it stink. I was gagging and running to the outside trash can holding the pitcher behind me to get rid of it once and for all! Once it was gone, I went back to the room. I stuffed all of his dirty clothes into big black garbage bags, zip tied them, and put them back under his bed.

When he got back the following week I was already gone again, but I left a note for him and told him what had happened and what I had had to do! I also told him if I ever come back to something like that again, that I would be turning it in and reporting him to the First Seargent! It neverhappened again. (THANK GOD!!!))

strong independent woman instantly REGRETS their lifestyle

https://youtu.be/7UoWgu6zCoc

What was the meanest thing someone has ever done to you? And did you ever get revenge?

When I was a toddler my father had an affair. The woman started calling our house and tormenting my mother in order to break up the marriage. My mother wasn’t emotionally stable. After a certain time each evening, she knew that her friends and family wouldn’t be calling so late, and when the phone rang my mother would cry, wail and scream. I remember answering the phone myself in an attempt to stop my mother’s over-the-top reaction and at some point learned to leave the phone off the hook but my mother didn’t leave it that way for long. On some level, she liked the drama I guess. This went on for months. I’d have been 3 or 4 when this was happening. It was very traumatic for me because I had no idea what was going on until much later. In my pre-school mind, the threat on the phone had to be very dire and worthy of my drama momma’s reaction. I was absolutely terrified. I’d wake up many nights to answer the phone and cry “please don’t hurt us” into the phone, but she didn’t stop until the divorce was done.

30 years later, my father dies, leaves that woman a penniless widow, which was the result of gross financial mismanagement because he’d had money and didn’t support those of us in his first family (a man could get away with that back then). The one thing she has is a lawsuit for his death. It’s a good case. The payout is potentially large but that’ll take years in court and may never payout as the company responsible will probably go bankrupt. The defendant has offered settlement and would payout quickly but the only requirement is that all of his heirs agree to accept the settlement and agree not to sue separately at a later date.

But I don’t need money and I’ll never sign. I’ve been getting certified letters for years asking for my signature. They’ve threatened to have me arrested (which was clearly a ruse) for refusing, offered me cash to sign, on one occasion her grandson connected with me on social media explaining that she needed a new roof and could I please sign off on the settlement and I ended up blocking his whole family. Last year I got a letter that the county was going to auction her house for non-payment of taxes. She is probably living with one of her kids and collecting social security so not quite homeless but I still feel like I’ve gotten a little revenge.

 

What is the sneakiest thing you did to get back at an awful neighbor? Did you get caught?

Many years ago I lived in an inner suburb of Sydney, in a terrace house.

The next door neighbour was an alcoholic bricklayer. Call him Don.

Don had decided to do some extensions, or renovations, and had three pallets of bricks dropped off in front of his place. They partially blocked the footpath and leaned outwards, dangerously overhanging the road.

One of the.pallets was in front of our house. Effectively our parking was blocked and the footpath was hard to negotiate.

The first Saturday they were there I knocked on his door, (interrupting a fight with his wife as he had accidentally lost her car the previous night, as far as I could work out he had parked it near a brothel and could not find it when he staggered out) and offered to help him shift the bricks around the back. He declined and said he would get to them during the week.

A few weeks went by. I offered again to help shift them, and got told to f off. I explained they were dangerous and inconvenient. Got the door slammed in my face.

I complained to the local council, and I suppose they sent him a letter, but the bricks remained.

By this time the bricks had been there about four months. The pallets were deteriorating and the stacks leaning. It was getting more dangerous by the day. It was only a matter of time before they collapsed on a car, a person or the busy road.

I wrote up a couple of large signs “ free bricks, help yourself” and put them on the pile about 6:am on a Saturday morning.

By the time Don surfaced around 11, there was probably half a pallet or so left… which he moved to his back yard.

I go

 

Could swingeing EU import tariffs on Chinese EVs trigger retaliatory action by China?

Of course.

Without a doubt. Any unfair action by the EU Will be met by an action that U.S. fairer but with a much bigger consequences to EU. Let that be a solemn promise.

Europe will have to suffer a total collapse of the automobile market if it dare to try any shit. Don’t forget that many European cars companies are surviving only due to the Chinese market and consumer. And the reason it still can compete is only due to its production efficiency and capacity of its plants in China!

DIY for a boyfriend

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/K2PCi8qiZS4?feature=share

What was your biggest “I never thought of it in that way before!” moment?

Years back, I sat in a sombre home where a young man in his 30s died untimely in an accident.

I, along with my family, went there to pay respects.

Sitting on the sofa I was nudged between two middle aged women who were discussing the next course of events.

“I heard Sheela is going to go to her maternal house to stay! How would Usha bear this? First she lost her son and now with the daughter-in-law gone she will lose her grandchildren too.”

“That’s true! I had the same reaction when I heard about it. We must put some sense in Usha and stop her from letting Sheela go.”

When Usha aunty came towards us, these two woman grabbed her and made her sit with them, squeezing me.

They then narrated their opinion on the grieving mother and stopped her from taking a ‘foolish’ decision and going against a tradition where the widow usually stays with the in-laws.

After listening to their valuable advice Usha aunty spoke.

“True, I lost my son. But Sheela has lost her husband too. A person she vowed to spend her old age together. A person who was a loving parent to their children. Sending them away to her parents place will surely make me sad and lonely but it would be a much needed change for Sheela. At this time, she needs her parents the most. If she stays here, this house would remind her of him everyday. At her parents place, she would slowly come back to her usual self soon. I lost my son. I don’t want to lose my daughter because of some tradition.”

The two women were speechless, so was I. I hadn’t thought of it in that way either. Usha aunty left and consoled her daughter-in-law who sat in a corner with a pale and teary face.

That day it was just a conversation I unknowingly was a part of. But today, I think what Usha aunty did was so right.

Thinking about someone else in the event of your child dying, needs immense amount of courage and determination.

Sheela di did recover soon and moved back to her loving mother-in-law’s house and now cares for them as their daughter.

Unconditional love surely goes a long way.

 

What’s something a police officer knows that would scare normal people?

Seeing how quickly and unexpectedly you can die.

Man went to McDonald’s — which was a treat — for his family’s dinner, and on the way back, was broad-sided in the driver’s door. He’s dead in the driver’s seat and his family’s dinner is all over the front of the car. When he didn’t come back, his 10-year-old son went looking for him on his bicycle and came up on the accident scene. The child climbed into the wrecked car and was hugging his dead father. We weren’t going to stop him, and the fire department stayed longer than they normally would have in case there was any unexpected fire.

Another officer took the child home in his police car and informed the wife of what had happened. Prime example of one of those evenings when a cop skips dinner because he has no appetite.

The driver that hit him was a teenager who had just stolen a tank of gas from the local AM/PM Mini Market, and was being chased by the idiot store manager in his own car. We arrested them both, though that did not make the outcome any better.

The only decent thing that came out of it is that the owner of a local McDonald’s franchise read about it, came in the station and we helped him arrange to pay for an elaborate funeral. The owner insisted we not talk about it publicly; he didn’t want his kind act to look like a PR move. That is class.

 

What is the single most underrated trait a person can have?

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image 171

J.K. Rowling had just got a divorce, was on government aid, and could barely afford to feed her baby in 1994, just three years before the first Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone, was published. When she was shopping it out, she was so poor she couldn’t afford a computer or even the cost of photocopying the 90,000-word novel, so she manually typed out each version to send to publishers. It was rejected dozens of times until finally Bloomsbury, a small London publisher, gave it a second chance after the CEO’s eight year-old daughter fell in love with it.

Positivity, confidence, and persistence are key in life, so NEVER GIVE UP on yourself.

This Thing Is About To POP: Putin, Biden and The Trainwreck

Rumble and murmurs inside the USA…

https://youtu.be/zOSCVc0KZKU

 

Have you ever witnessed an “I demand to see the manager” moment?

This was one that I witnessed, but wasn’t a part of.

I was working in the hardware section of a department store, right beside the sports department.

Straightening up/stocking the shelves just near the boundary between the departments, I saw a fellow salesperson talking to a customer with his small son. The child was bored and started to wander around, touching everything he could reach.

After a couple of minutes, the other salesperson saw the child start to try to climb a display of weightlifting equipment. He quickly excused himself and rushed over to the child, not touching him but gently suggesting that the boy not climb on anything and particularly not on the heavy weights.

The father turned around and seeing what was happening was incensed.

“How dare you tell my son what he can and cannot do! Who do you think you are?”

“I was just trying to keep him safe.” said the salesperson. “The weights are heavy and he could hurt himself.”

“Oh really? You have no business disciplining my son. I want to see the manager to complain.” said the father.

By this time, the child, seeing that he was again being ignored, went back to the weight rack and started to climb again.

The father fumed on at the unlucky salesperson.

And just at that moment, the rack of weights, unbalanced by the child fell over on top of him, a couple of weights pinning him to the floor.

He started crying.

The father started ranting about suing the store.

I later heard that he lost because the salesperson had tried to stop the child from climbing and had been forbidden from doing so by the father.

 

What did your boss ever say in the office that caused you to resign?

I got a performance review that ripped me up, down and sideways, and was totally unjustified. I refused to sign it and requested a second meeting later that afternoon. I attended that one armed with statistics showing how I had reduced the work ticket backlog on our software library from over 800 to just 2.

Now, a little technical explanation. This was pre-Windows. We had a software library written in Microsoft Pro Basic. Everything worked for the most part when I took it over, except it was slow. I fixed the outstanding bugs, then went looking for the cause of the slowdown and I found it: type declarations.

There were none. If a variable name ended with a $, it was a string. Otherwise, it was a number. But there are all kinds of numbers, and the default was double-precision floating point. Microsoft made a big deal about how indexes and array subscripts should be integers and pointed out that it was a speed deal. I went through, explicitly defined all variables and made sure that anything used as a loop index or array subscript was declared as either a short or long integer. Massive increase in speed. Calculations that used to take 20–30 minutes now ran in a minute or less.

Now, back to the meeting. I pointed all the improvements out to him, including comments from customers praising the improvements. He looked at everything and had the gall to say that my review was not going to be changed. I walked back to my office, made a couple of phone calls and had a job, paying more, starting the following Monday. I then edited the library and took out every one of the integer or long type declarations, recompiled the new version and saved everything into the distribution folders. I cleaned out all my work directories so that what I had done was not readily available, then walked by his office, tossed my keys on his desk, said I quit and walked out.

 

What did your boss ever say in the office that caused you to resign?

I had applied for a promotion that I was overqualified for. Had a great track record of mentoring new employees, working above and beyond, coming up with great ideas. I had been in the position for 7 years and with the company for 11.

My manager and supervisor told me that I wasn’t “ready” for this promotion (a 6% raise) and that I could try again next January. I told them “there would not be a next January”

Fast forward a few months, I was already applying for jobs and went on a few interviews. My manager and supervisor called me into a meeting to let me know one of the males on the team who have been at the organization and position for 2.5 years was getting the promotion (it was a promotion multiple people could get). When they asked me if I had any questions I said “No – his promotion doesn’t age t my career”

1 month later when I was putting in my 2 weeks notice for a company giving me a 30% raise my manager and supervisor asked me what they could do to retain me…I say nothing.

Left the job May 2021 and it was the best decision ever. Never knew I could get such a big pay bump for NOT being loyal to a company.

Have you ever taken the law into your own hands?

Not me, but my dad.

And if you are going to do it, this is the way. Not by shooting somebody or anything else.

My dad was a small builder. A few houses a year. He enjoyed it and it made him good money in retirement. He was building one of the only spec houses (not already sold when he started) he ever built.

One night, when the house was almost done, the furnace and airhandler disappeared from the garage. No signs of breaking and entering.

Now it takes a couple of hours to remove all of this w/o damaging anything. So my dad quickly guessed that his HVAC contractor (one he had never used before) had made a copy of the key my dad had given him. Let himself in, opened the garage door. Backed his truck in. Closed the door. And got to work.

He told the police this. They talked to the contractor who denied everything and suggested my dad had done it to collect on the builder’s insurance. This made my dad MAD! The HVAC guy however didn’t know the police told my dad he said this.

So my dad had the same guy put a new furnace and airhandler in the house. Yep, same guy.

What the guy didn’t know is that before hand my dad had a security system installed. Hidden motion detectors only, no contacts on the windows and doors to be spotted. And no audible alarm. Silent only. He registered his cell phone with the security company.

Sure enough, a few nights later he gets a call in the middle of the night from the security company. He tells them to call 911 and jumps in his truck. By the way, he lived only about 90 seconds down the road.

He pulls up and can see light around the garage door. He pulled quietly into the driveway at an angle, all the way up to the door, completely blocking it. And quietly waited for the police to arrive, which they did a few minutes later.

The guy heard him talking to the police in the driveway and put the garage door up. My dad couldn’t stop laughing at the expression on the guy’s face when he saw my dad standing there with four deputies!

And the best part? My dad hadn’t yet paid the contractor for his work. And he never did.

Remember silence

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5aBHoyIR4mQ?feature=share

How do you respond when your boss says, “I need this done by Monday”?

This actually happened to me years ago. It was a Friday evening. An entire group including me were in a meeting. We had a code thoroughly tested and ready for production. This Manager went and made changes without consent and broke the code but they still wants to keep the implementation date which was ten days away.

Now the ten days included two weekends. I’m sitting in the room. They totally ignored the fact that I was the one responsible for testing the changes. Nobody asked me what my plans were for the weekends and proceeded to agree upon meeting the date. I stayed mute. Now at that time my husband was in the army and and deployed to Bosnia, so they thought I had no life. They talked and laughed and when the meeting was over, I spoke.

“Who is coming in tomorrow because I need a ride”. They all said they were not. That’s when I dropped the bomb. I said, “Neither am I”. Everybody sat down, I got up, saluted them and walked out.

A tooth fairy

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UAlutNCOF5w?feature=share

Have you ever been invited to something that turned out to be another thing entirely?

I had just finished a year of substitute teaching and had few. if any, prospects for a full-time job come that Fall. So when I saw that ad in the paper, my eyes lit up.

This company was wanting to hire teachers for a summer job. Was it evaluating textbooks? Maybe we would be tasked with creating exciting curriculum or conducting research into how children learn. Maybe a private school wanted to hire a number of tutors for their summer programs? The ad didn’t get specific.

I fired off a resume and waited to hear back. I didn’t wait long before being contacted with a time and place for the interview. When I arrived, I saw a room full of people dressed in typical teacher fashion-Dockers, Polo shirt, etc. I must be in the right place! But why are they doing a group interview? A bit later, a man walks in dressed more professionally. He asks us to tae a seat. He then gives a presentation into what sort of summer work they had for all of us education professionals.

STEAK KNIVES!!! He was wanting to “hire us to be door-to-door salesmen for his company’s line of cutlery. For a low investment of only (the cost of 2 sets) we could have unlimited earning potential. He must have seen the disgusted look on my face and figured I was going to let the more naive know exactly what the deal was, for I was the first to be invited into the office for a second interview.

Why is the US government restricting the importation of Chinese lower-cost cars and at the same time allowing US manufacturers to dramatically raise their prices?

It showed clearly that it does not care for its people but it protect profiteering and too big to fail companies. Such actions never ends well. The day will come when the U.S. citizens rebel and raised up against them. And these companies will continue to be unproductive and inefficient to the point of becoming irrelevant.

Pease remember the US has been dictating free trade and freedom of choice to Americans and the world for the longest time! What happened?

An abandoned mall in Ohio

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2TaOGVdlEmY?feature=share

Little Italy Sausage Soup

This tasty and easy Italian Sausage Soup Recipe is loaded with onions, carrots, celery, zucchini, and a healthy helping of Italian Seasoning in chicken broth with tomatoes, cannellini beans, and elbow noodles. It is the perfect pick-me-up for cold, wet weather, coughs, ailments, or just because your soul needs a little warmth. This Italian Soup Recipe is one of our favorites.

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2024 02 13 08 12

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds mild or hot Italian sausage
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 large onions, chopped
  • 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 6 (14 ounce) cans beef broth
  • 1 1/2 cups red wine (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce
  • 3 tablespoons parsley
  • 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 medium zucchini, sliced
  • 3 cups pasta shells, cooked

Instructions

  1. In a large pot, cook sausage for about 15 minutes.
  2. Pierce with fork to release fat; drain well.
  3. Cut into bite-size pieces.
  4. Add remaining ingredients except zucchini and pasta.
  5. Cook for 30 to 45 minutes, then add zucchini and cook until tender.
  6. Add pasta shells just to heat through.

Recipe notes and helpful tips

  • If you have a nearby meat market, call and ask if they make their own Italian Sausage. It is well worth the added expense and trip to the market.
  • For aesthetic purposes, peel the carrots. It brings out that beautiful bright orange color.
  • You can sub any medium to small pasta in this soup, including penne, rotini, shells, farfalle, ditalini, or radiatori.
  • Fresh thyme is always delicious, and I usually have it on hand. However, you can substitute fresh chopped parsley or a little dried marjoram or thyme.
  • Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Heat on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave at reduced power.
  • Freeze in an airtight container or heavy-duty freezer bag for up to 3 months.
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2024 02 13 08 13

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a waiter, what is the cheapest thing a customer has done?

One summer as a college student (many years ago) I worked at a now defunct “family” restaurant called The Ground Round. One room was a bar, and the other room was for families and they were famous for showing old silent movies in the family room and giving out free peanuts and popcorn (that usually ended up all over the floor).

Unfortunately, they were also famous for their “Penny-a-Pound” Thursdays where children under 12 who accompanied an adult would be weighed on a big scale at the front of the restaurant and could then order anything off the children’s menu (including unlimited free drinks) and be changed a penny for each pound they weighed. So, yeah, a kid could order a hot dog or a hamburger or a bowl of mac&cheese and get an orange soda (with 3 refills) for $0.40.

Most of this time this worked out OK and people enjoyed the deal responsibly. A family of four would come in, say, both parents would order full meals, and the little ones would get to basically eat for free. However, there were quite a number of occasions when people would completely abuse the deal. We’re talking situations where a single adult would come in with 5 or 6 children (obviously not all their own kids due to them all being the same age), the adult would order something cheap like a bowl of soup, and then the kids would proceed to make my life a living hell by constantly ordering drink refills every single time I walked past them on my way to take care of my other tables.

That wasn’t the worst part, though. No, the worst part was when it came time to pay the bill and the cost would end up being something like $9.27. And the person paying the bill would leave a $10 bill and say “keep the change.”

ALL the waiters dreaded having to work the main room on Thursdays, but since I was the newest employee there I ended up having to do it every week.

What’s your favorite stupid joke?

Dave was bragging to his boss one day, “You know, I know everyone there is to know. Just name someone, anyone, and I know them.”

Tired of his boasting, his boss called his bluff, “OK, Dave, how about Tom Cruise?”

“No drama’s boss, Tom and I are old friends, and I can prove it.”

So Dave and his boss fly out to Hollywood and knock on Tom Cruise’s door and Tom Cruise shouts, “Dave! What’s happenin?!? Great to see you! Come on in for a beer!”

Although impressed, Dave’s boss is still sceptical. After they leave Cruise’s house, he tells Dave that he thinks him knowing Cruise was just lucky.

“No, no, just name anyone else,” Dave says.

“President Bush,” his boss quickly retorts.

“Yup,” Dave says, “Old buddies, let’s fly out to Washington.”

And off they go.

At the White House, Bush spots Dave on the tour and motions him and his boss over, saying, “Dave, what a surprise, I was just on my way to a meeting, but you and your friend come on in and let’s have a cup of coffee first and catch up.”

Well, the boss is very shaken by now but still not totally convinced. After they leave the White House grounds he expresses his doubts to Dave, who again implores him to name anyone else.

“The pope,” his boss replies.

“Sure!” says Dave. “My folks are from Poland, and I’ve known the Pope a long time.”

So off they fly to Rome. Dave and his boss are assembled with the masses in Vatican Square when Dave says, “This will never work. I can’t catch the Pope’s eye among all these people. Tell you what, I know all the guards so let me just go upstairs and I’ll come out on the balcony with the Pope.”

And he disappears into the crowd headed toward the Vatican. Sure enough, half an hour later Dave emerges with the Pope on the balcony but by the time Dave returns, he finds that his boss has had a heart attack and is surrounded by paramedics. Working his way to his boss’ side, Dave asks him, “What happened?”

His boss looks up and says, “I was doing fine until you and the Pope came out on the balcony and the man next to me said, “Who the fuck is that on the balcony with Dave?

What’s wrong with being a functional addict?

Define “functional”.

My uncle was a functional alcoholic. He had an advanced degree and was extremely accomplished in his career. He never did the kinds of things that would result in legal problems, he didn’t drink and drive, didn’t get in fights, or commit crimes. He and his husband were wealthy. They had a house with a swimming pool in a HCOL area. He was well-loved by everyone in the family but no one was able to get him to stop drinking or seek help for it. By and large, no one really wanted to argue with him about it either because it was pointless.

My uncle died during the pandemic and it wasn’t due to COVID. He drank everyday starting early in the morning and continuing through the night. He had done this for as long as I can remember. He cared about his appearance but completely neglected his health and refused to see doctors probably because they would tell him what he didn’t want to hear -alcohol was killing him.

Heavy drinking doesn’t only affect the liver — although that would be bad enough in itself — it also messes up the functioning of multiple other organs and body systems including, but not limited to, the heart, brain, kidneys, digestive system, and the nervous system. In my uncle’s case, he developed a cardiac problem and died suddenly. For many other alcoholics, dying is a slow, painful decline that involves a lot of suffering drawn out over many years.

Even if a person manages to avoid major illness, alcoholism, whether functional or not, does not make for a happy, fulfilled life. By nature, alcoholism requires that people prioritize alcohol over and above everything else in their lives, including all the meaningful things like important relationships, personal values, activities that bring joy, and personal accomplishments.

A person who drinks their way through life is never really present in their life and thus misses out on fully experiencing life itself. It may be feel pleasant to temporarily numb or black out distressing emotions but this comes at the cost of numbing positive emotions too. It comes at the cost of losing intimacy in your relationships, or just losing relationships altogether. It comes at a cost of not being able to remember your life or make good decisions.

Alcoholism and addiction in general, whether functional or not, is sad. It’s sad to see people searching for life satisfaction in the one place it will never be found.

 

Do babies cry so much because that’s the way they are, or because we have spoiled them since the moment they were born?

Have you heard that “African babies cry less”? It is true, but the why of it is more interesting. They cry less because they are attended to. They are carried by their mothers, they co-sleep. They are always with their mother, who nurses the baby as soon as it starts to fuss. Doesn’t matter if it’s for comfort, for hunger or thirst. The baby never gets to the point where it *has to* cry.

Crying is the only way a baby has to communicate…..sort of. They also wiggle, and fuss and make weird faces and reach toward something, and when none of the rest of it works, THEN they cry. So it might be better to say that crying is the LAST way babies communicate. Even so, they can’t tell you they had a bad dream, or their stomach is upset, or there’s a string wrapped around their toe and it feels weird, or they have an itch but no fine motor skills to scratch with. We have to learn to decode baby language other than crying, before it gets to that. And we don’t.

You can’t spoil a baby. Moreover, when did giving someone attention get such a bad rep? Why is it bad to give a baby attention? What defines ‘too much’ attention, and why should we ration it? Is there a limited amount available? What idiot made this up?

By giving a baby the attention it needs when it needs it, and not when you feel like giving it, or when some book says you should give it, you teach the baby that you are always there for it. You aren’t teaching them to be clingy, you are teaching them that no matter what they do, what new things they explore, you will be there. It gives them confidence to try and do new things, knowing this.

But let a baby go untended until he gets to the point of crying, and then wait some more? What good does that do? The baby is not going to become less hungry or thirsty or scared or wet. Baby isn’t going to decide, oh, I guess I wasn’t actually hungry after all, I guess I’ll stop now. It will cause a lot of stress hormones to be released in the baby’s brain. A baby who cries until he stops has given up on you. He’s learned that you are NOT going to be there for him, and his needs might not be met. That, in his desperation, he reached out to you and you turned away.

Soon enough, he or she will be telling you not to hold their hand at school, or kiss them goodbye in front of their friends. The time when they need and depend on you is only a small part of their lives, and yours, so you should enjoy it while you can.

Why books have covers

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/USroKDplbOI?feature=share

What is a time when you’ve seen a co-worker get fired who totally deserved it?

It’s really hard to fire someone in the government, but if they are an intern, it’s pretty easy.

We had three people start at the same time as interns. The two women were fantastic, interested in learning the job, hard working, never called out, etc. but “Charles”, not so much. I had just been promoted to supervisor. A week after he started, he stuck his head in my office and offered to help me with my supervisory duties. He didn’t know how to do the work yet, but he was going to help me supervise. Got it.

A couple days later, he walks into my office, plops down in a chair and says “I don’t know how you work with some of these fucking bitches. Those dumb cunts deserve to be fired”. Now I’m not a prude, but I also behave and speak in a professional manner. I had done nothing to make Charles think my office was some “safe zone”, where he could denigrate other employees, or use that kind of language.

He would sleep at his desk, call out, leave early, not what you would expect from any professional, let alone an intern trying to make their mark.

A lot of our job entailed technical writing. He wasn’t much of a writer to begin with, and often sent supposedly final versions of documents on the the next department with track changes and edits still in them. I had to fix a lot of his supposedly finished work. .

The crown jewel was him loudly proclaiming that life would be great in two months as he would no longer be an intern, so it would be near impossible to fire him. He was fired the next day.

 

What’s the sweetest way you’ve seen someone get fired from a job?

I had to let an employee go when I owned a security guard company. He’d been involved in a fatal shooting — he killed a man who’d fired at him — before I bought the business and he shot and killed a drunk who attacked him after I took over.

After the second shooting my insurance carrier gave me an ultimatum: Fire the employee or lose my insurance. I promised them that I would not allow him to carry a weapon and that I would assign him to my office as Operations Manager but they would not budge. I had to choose between him and insurance coverage but without insurance I was out of business.

I called everyone I knew in the business trying to find him another job. They all knew about the shootings so they weren’t interested. So I began reaching out to my clients. My guy was ex-military and very smart and I hoped that one of them might be interested in him.

It turned out that a car dealer I was providing patrol coverage to was thinking about taking his security in-house so he agreed to talk with my employee.

Long story short, I lost a $1,000 a month patrol contract but the guard was hired by the car dealer. I haven’t spoken with my ex-employee in years but the last time I did he was head of security for the dealer, in charge of 4 different car lots. Like I said, he is very smart.

Celebrating mental disorders

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/kDCa2Fwl5pA?feature=share

What facts about the United States do foreigners not believe until they come to America?

I’m from Russia. Below are a few things I almost always have to explain or discuss with visitors from Russia.

1. Why individual houses are so large? We always get into discussion that house is not just a shelter, but also a manifestation of one’s financial achievements.

2. Philanthropy. There is no culture of philanthropy in Russia and many view American philanthropy either as a waste of money or as some intricate plot to get some additional benefits.

3. People don’t walk places. They go everywhere by a car.

4. There is almost no public transportation except in a few large cities. People actually have to have cars to get places. Cars are necessity, not luxury.

5. Majority of high and middle schools have sport facilities of very high, almost professional quality.

6. Many schools have orchestras, bands, theaters of a very high, almost professional quality. Free.

7. Every state has a lot of autonomy.

8. President’s salary is comparable with the one of a plastic surgeon.

9. President doesn’t automatically become the richest person in the country.

10. Majority of things in the US aren’t controlled or regulated by the government.

11. Children are expected to leave home when they are 18.

12. Students prefer and are expected to live in a dorm and not with parents.

13. When relatives visit they often stay in the hotel.

14. Many children, even in well to do families, work in fast food, car washes and do a lot of other things to get money and it is not an embarrassment.

15. Parents have their babies sleeping in separate rooms almost from the day of their birth.

16. Russians find 11-15 are particularly absurd, offensive, and egotistical.

17. Many Russians believe that American system of primary and secondary education is very inefficient. As a mother, I have to explain that it is very diverse and essentially even in the poorest districts there are tons of resources available for children who are willing to use them. There are also an opportunity for kids to take advanced and extra advanced classes providing they are willing and able to do the work. And this differentiation is available as early as elementary school.

18. How well elderly live, even those on SSI and Medicaid. How many services are available to them.

19. How open Americans are about their shortcomings and always ready for self criticism.

20. Millions of people don’t have medical insurance.

21. Some hospitals look like five-star hotels.

22. Budgets of some hospitals are equal to h/c budgets of small countries.

23. Doctors tell their patients everything.

24. Return policies and free refill.

25. Idea of a liberal art education. In Russia, after high school graduation, a student should decide on vocation: engineer, doctor, teacher, lawyer, accountant, etc. It seems inconceivable to attend a university and then to graduate without a solid specialty. I often have to explain that not knowing what one wants to do after high school is an acceptable norm in US. A student can still acquire marketable skills, expand his or horizons, get a job after graduation, and, what is even more surprising, obtain an advance degree in a totally different field later. Yes, accountant can attend a medschool and become a doctor and musician can go for aa master degree in computer science.

I’m afraid I can go on and on and on…

Good bye

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZfAw8Xej1GA?feature=share

What is the most inappropriate clothing you have seen a student wear at school?

Long ago when the no bra and see through crazes overlapped for a while (late 70s I believe) I had a young lady walk into my 1st Period class with no bra and a see through blouse. I took roll while the students started a mini lesson on the board. Then I started to write a note I intended to give to her to go to the office for a ruling/talking to by a female counselor. I had just started when the young lady called to me “Mister, tell them to stop staring at me!” I looked up and of course every boy in class (11th grade) was staring, standing to see over other students etc. Before I could say anything another girl loudly proclaimed “If you don’t want them looking, why did you dress like that?” Another girl handed the young lady a sweater jacket to put on. Then the young lady came up and whispered “May I have a bathroom pass?”

I gave it to her and put my note aside to see what happened. 10–15 minutes later she came back wearing an over sized PE uniform t-shirt over her clothes, handed the sweater back to the girl it belonged to, looked at me and then at the one who had spoken up and in a very soft voice said “I guess I didn’t think. It won’t happen again.” It didn’t.

 

What scary gut feeling did you have that turned out to be true?

On October 25, 2009, I was working like I always did and my supervisor came up and asked if I wanted an early out. I didn’t usually take early outs because I was a single mom and my supervisors knew it. I shocked him because I agreed to leave early. I said it’d be nice to have some extra time with my kids. I went to the babysitter’s house and her brother told me that she took my kids to her grandparents farm and he’d let her know to bring them straight home when they got back. I left there and at a stop sign and ambulance went flying past me and I had such a strong urge to follow it but I talked myself out of it. I went home and was pulling stuff out of the fridge when my phone rang. It was the sitter’s cousin asking me where my kids were and I told her they were with Nikki and then she told me that Nikki was in a head on accident and they may have to life fight her. She swore my kids weren’t with Nikki and I knew they had to be. After that Nikki’s boyfriend called me and told me that Nikki and my kids were in a head on accident and I must have let out a really loud scream because my neighbors heard me in their house. I called my parents as I rushed out the door and I asked them to keep me calm until I found my kids because they were in a head on accident. I didn’t even notice my neighbor standing in the yard. Apparently they heard about the wreck on the scanner and then heard me scream so they’d came out to drive me wherever I needed but I didn’t hear him talk to me. I was too focused. I had no idea where to go so I decided to go straight out the direction that I saw the ambulance go earlier. I came up to an accident and I tried to get past all of the cars and a police officer stopped me and said I couldn’t go any further. I told him it was my kids without knowing 100% at the time but just by my gut feeling. He called ahead to another officer and he said they were okay but my son’s face was cut a little bit from the airbag and his glasses. They allowed me to drive up to the ambulance but I still wasn’t allowed to see my kids. I followed them to the hospital. From the look of the truck, I knew the police officer was wrong. It took over 2 hours to be able to see my kids from the first call. I only got to see them when once the arrived at the hospital. My son’s face wasn’t just cut a little it was several cuts and two black eyes. My son ended up with permanent brain damage that was diagnosed later on. He didn’t want to walk and we just thought it was because he was scared so we carried him home. He’d just crawl on the floor and not walk. When we took him to his so called specialist, he told me I needed to institutional him because he’d never be able to learn again because he no longer had a short term memory and part of his long term memory was gone. I fired him and worked to teach my son how to walk, use the bathroom, and worked with him on his schooling. I’d enrolled in college just to help him learn. I needed to know how the brain worked to teach him and him retain things. He did learn it and more after I was told he never would. He also had whiplash extremely bad. Our attorney found it in the x-rays but the hospital never mentioned it. My daughter had to be potty trained again and she had severe whiplash along with a severe concussion. For the police to tell me they were fine I knew they weren’t. especially after seeing the truck. II wish my intuition was wrong that day. I’m fortunate that I didn’t lose my kids but we still lost my son as we knew him. When my older kids saw the actual changes in him they broke down crying. Fortunately it wasn’t all at the same time. As for the child the told me to institutionalize because he’d never learn again and could never live alone, He proved them all wrong. He’s got an amazing job, lives on his own, drives himself to work, and is having a babe in a couple weeks. He thanks me all the time for not giving up on him. He and his sister are best friends because she stood up for him when he couldn’t. I hope I never ever get the urge to follow an ambulance again. That’s not something I’d normally do so that day I had gut feeling and I was right. BTW, the engine was pushed all the way to sit in the back seat where my daughter was sitting. Her seatbelt wouldn’t work so she wasn’t fastened in thank God. If my kids would of say any other way I probably would of lost one if not both. Good was looking out for my kids that day. I’ll never ever forget that day.

Tuscan-Style Ribollita

2024 02 13 08 10
2024 02 13 08 10

Ingredients

  • 6 slices (1/2-inch thick) day-old crusty French bread
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon chicken broth
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 carrots, chopped
  • 3 celery stalks, chopped
  • 1 zucchini, sliced
  • 1 yellow squash, sliced
  • 1/2 sweet red pepper, diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 4 cups torn escarole or dark cabbage
  • 1 (16 ounce) can kidney beans
  • 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can plum tomatoes, drained, juices reserved
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
  • Oregano leaves (garnish)

Instructions

  1. Grease a baking sheet. Put the bread on the sheet and bake at 350 degrees F until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
  2. Remove from the oven.
  3. Cut 1 garlic clove in half and rub on each side of the toast slices. Sprinkle with black pepper and set aside.
  4. Heat the oil and broth mixture in a 4-quart pot. Add the onions and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes.
  5. Mince the remaining garlic. Add the garlic, carrots and celery to the pot. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
  6. Add the zucchini, squash, sweet peppers and oregano; cook for 5 minutes.
  7. Add the escarole, beans and tomatoes; cook until the escarole wilts, about 2 minutes.
  8. Add black pepper. Pour the vegetable mixture into a 3-quart casserole and top with the toast.
  9. In a large measuring cup, combine the reserved tomato juice and the broth; pour over the toast. Sprinkle with Parmesan.
  10. Bake at 375 degrees F until the cheese has melted, about 30 minutes.
  11. Let stand for 5 minutes and garnish with oregano.

Serves 6.

 

What is the most unusual reason someone has called 911 for help according to a police officer?

One night as I proceeded through an intersection when the light turned green I heard a car accelerate and saw it nearly t bone me. I made the stop and saw it was a local shithead kid I knew well as having a major chip on his shoulder. He blamed his faulty brakes to which I replied I’d have to impound his car for a safety inspection. At this point he changes his story and tries to reach down and roll the floor mat under his brake pedal to blame for the incident. I issued him summonses for unsafe speed, running a light a failure to yield with the warning to keep it on the straight and narrow. A short time later I received a call for a 911 hangup at his address. The door opened and a middle aged male walks out. I ask him if he was the homeowner and if everything is OK. He addresses me by name and says he’s a corrections officer and asks why his son was not given a courtesy and gives me a rehash of his sons version of events. I ask him if he called 911 over this event and he said yes he was trying to lodge a complaint against me. I replied that his son is a liar and that’s not what 911 is for. He went on grumbling about courtesy and I shot back neither you nor your kid know the meaning of the word. After that incident the kid was noticeably quieter during the numerous encounters we had with him and his delinquent crowd.

 

 

Have you ever had a coworker try to get you fired?

Yep, had a woman who did the same job as me on alternate days and was jealous as I was asked to do the important stuff so to speak on my shifts and not her, the boss, female would confide in me and not her as she was a straight out the door on the dot person and would never cover in an emergency etc. She started to file fake complaints on night reports …he didn’t do this etc but of course we had CCTV. She would send watsapp messages to me complaining and then the best one…my wife is Asian…one night she sent a message insulting my wife and Asian women calling them Ting Tongs and Asian brides.

What she failed to realise is that the CEO despite having an English surname through marriage was Asian. I simply replied… our Thai CEO will enjoy reading that

Never a peep from her again

AI thought process

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/SZXvwi2CycQ?feature=share

Has a cop ever said something to you which was completely unexpected?

Years ago I was driving home from a night out in Memphis, TN. It was roughly 3 AM, and I was driving about 60 to 65 mph along Walnut Grove Rd through Shelby Farms. The speed limit stepped up from 40 mph to 55 mph pretty close to that spot, and I don’t recall which side I was on. As it turned out, it didn’t matter. I saw the reflection of my headlights on his patrol car and started to pull over before his blue lights came on. Once stopped, I rolled down my window and had my license and registration ready for him when he walked up to talk to me. He looked at them, at me, and at the officer decal on my windshield and said I could go. Greatly surprised, I asked him why, and I would never have predicted his response. “You pulled over so fast and in such a short distance that I don’t even have to go around [a mile or so down the road to a break in the median] and come back to my spot [where he had set his speed trap].” I was not intoxicated, and I was far from the fastest car to travel that road. But at that particular time I was the only driver around, so I got his attention. The whole thing was a bit surreal, but I was grateful for the outcome. I thanked him and went home to get some sleep.

 

 

Have you ever called in a “welfare check” to the police? Did it turn out there was a real need? Officers, how often are “welfare checks” something where a person does need assistance?

I called for what I said was, I guess, a welfare check. I saw a young girl, probably mid-teens, walking on the rural road near where we live. I didn’t think much about it, even though there are few people who walk on that road, and very few homes. Later, as I returned home, I found her walking up the even more rural road leading up the mountain to where we live. I stopped and asked if she needed a ride. To my surprise, she said yes (her a young girl, me an old man). I asked her where she was going, and she said to visit someone. We passed my house, and she said to stop at a neighbor’s house. I asked who she was seeing, since I knew our neighbors, and she just said, “Someone.” I let her out and went home. I had to leave a while later and found her walking back down at the bottom of the mountain on the road near where I first saw her. I had also noticed that she had taken off her jacket and dropped it on the road. At that point I called the police and said that I was worried about her. I described her and told the 911 operator where she was. A short time after that a police car passed me going in that direction. I did not see the girl later when I returned home. I don’t know what happened, but she seemed troubled in some way, and was definitely acting odd. I hope the police gave her a ride home, or helped her with whatever her problem was, but I have no idea.

Power in a relationship

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/fIOZcX17b8A?feature=share

What are the things guys find annoying about girls?

  • You are all the same
    • Ladies, this is the worst expression you could tell a man. Don’t tell him all men are the same because no one told you to try them all.
  • Men do not like to be told what to do and how to do it all the time.
  • When you ask stupid questions like “Do I look fat to you?” “Do you still love your ex?” “When I grow old, will you still love me?” “Do you think that woman is more beautiful than me?”
  • We all hate it when you bring up old things every time we fight.
  • Talking to your Friends about Anything and Everything
  • Men don’t like it when you talk about your exes, especially if you do it a lot or bring up details.
  • Even if you are just friends, men hate to be friend-zoned.

 

 

 

What are some mind-blowing facts about South Korea that might surprise someone who lives there?

  • Average height of a female Korean is 5′4′ (~162cm)
  • Average height of a male Korean is 5′9′ (~175cm)
  • Nearly 1/3 of Korean women undergo at least one cosmetic surgery
  • “Gangnam Style” is still the highest ranking K-Pop song ever on Billboard
  • Korea has the lowest obesity rate in the world
  • You can get your drink on just about anywhere you want
  • Korea’s Internet speeds are some of the fastest on Earth
  • Shopping and eating can be done at virtually any time of day or night
  • It is common to force criminals to recreate their crime for the press, for public humiliation.

 

What did your boss say to you during a meeting that resulted in you immediately resigning?

Not really a meeting, rather a gathering.

I was the IT manager at one of the Maryland Job Corp centers. I was in the process of upgrading government cast off computer equipment from 486s to Pentium Ones, if that tells u how long ago.

Being a nonsmoker, I never take breaks. Ever. I was coming across campus carrying 4 CPUs. I walk really fast so it alway looked like I was running to other staff. They’d joke about me working so hard, so fast. I stopped outside the admin building to catch up with the HR assistant. I was changing her computer next. In front of probably 10 of these smokers, my boss, the director of Finance and Administration took a puff and asked, “Christine, isn’t there someplace you should be?”

Dead, shocked silence.

The 60 hours I’d put in the week before, being forced to sign something that I was volunteering so wasn’t paid OT, and this comment flashed thru my mind.

I took a breath, bit back my inner voice’s come backs, smiled and set the computers down on the sidewalk.

I said, “There sure is.”. Smiled, walked inside, got my keys and kept walking.

What is the oddest reason you have been contacted by your child’s school?

When my older son was 7 (he’s about to be 28), the school nurse called because my son had an accident on the playground and sustained a large bump/knot to the center of his forehead. They said he was fine, but that I should probably take him to the doctor just to be sure. The nurse kept… almost giggling?… and when I asked what happened, she reiterated that he was okay, but that he would best be able to explain when I got there.

i should probably mention that he was already a big nerd, an advanced reader who used words many adults didn’t even use and wasn’t athletic AT ALL. He didn’t like to sweat or get dirty and was always afraid of injuring himself. Needless to say, all the way to the school I was perplexed at what MY KID could’ve possibly been doing so carelessly or vigorously on that playground to have injured himself.

When I got there he was embarrassed and mad af at himself but also laughing and I will never forget what he said. “My arch nemesis challenged me to a duel and I won. And it felt so good I couldn’t hold it in. I did a victory lap, but was stupid and did it with my eyes closed and ran into the tether ball pole. Mom, I gloated too hard.”

Three things

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lW87EQw8UdU?feature=share

Have you ever discovered that you fired someone wrongly, and did you do anything to make it right?

Months after buying a security guard company, from my former employer. one of my guards was involved in a fatal shooting at a nightclub. A drunk wielding a tire iron ran at him and the guard shot him once, through the heart, from about six feet away.

Houston Police investigated and eventually the guard was no-billed, meaning a grand jury declined to indict my guy, but that didn’t stop the drunk’s family from filing a wrongful death suit against the club and my company. My liability insurer wound up settling my part of the suit for $30,000 but after doing so they blindsided me by insisting that I fire the guard.

A couple of years earlier, while working for the man I bought the company from, he was involved in another fatal shooting at an apartment complex. In that case, a man shot at him from across a courtyard and his return fire struck the man in the head, killing him instantly. No lawsuit was filed in that case but my insurer still believed that two fatal shootings in such a short time indicated that the guard was too much of a liablility, so I was told to fire him or they’d cancel my coverage. I proposed giving him a job in my office so he wouldn’t be working a post, but the insurance company wouldn’t budge. I had 25 other fulltime employees to consider so I had to let the man go.

But I knew that a car dealer I provided security for was considering taking their security in-house, meaning they’d hire guards directly who’d work for the dealership. I talked with the owner and told him that my (former) guard would be a great choice to run his security team and, after checking the guy out, he agreed. I wound up selling my company and leaving Houston 10 years after I fired the guard but we’d stayed in touch over the years so I had a chance to visit with him before I left. He’d left the car dealership and was assistant security director for Occidental Petroleum. He said my firing him was the best thing that ever happened to him.

 

 

As a teacher, to what lengths have you gone to catch students cheating?

I use an iPad mounted facing down and connected to a projector as a document projector. The mount is flexible, so I can aim the iPad at the class, if I want to. If I suspect that students are cheating when I’m not looking, I just set the iPad to record a video or time-lapse, then quietly flex the mount, so the iPad is pointed at the students.

Then I walk around the room, making sure to turn my back on the students I suspect are cheating.

Then, I come back to the iPad and stop the video.

Finally, at the end of the quiz or test, I turn on the projector and show the students the beginning of the video I made. I pause it just a few seconds in, so they can think about the fact that I caught them on camera, and I ask the students to be honest with themselves and me. If they were cheating, let me know, before I see it in the video. It’s the right thing to do.

Most of them confess right then and there. Some of them don’t. We have to watch the video together and I have to point to the moment when they’re cheating.

If they know they cheated, but don’t confess, I show their parents the video.

They usually never cheat again.

 

What are some interesting facts about Nazi Germany?

They were excellent baby boom-ers.

But still in an evil way

Nazis had a pretty weird thing about blonde, blue eyed babies.

During Hitler’s rise to power, he initiated a program to raise the percentage of Aryan children. This was called a Lebensborn

program.

They basically made every available child to be in peak physical condition and made to match the Aryan race standards.

This included treatments such as: a very strict diet, early indoctrination with Nazi ideologies and even the usage of ultraviolet rays for hair color (in case a baby wasn’t blonde enough)

image 175
image 175

Most children came from German impregnated moms but after WWII started , the Nazis encouraged SS soldiers to ‘’get to know’’ the beautiful girls of Europe. They captured not only the best countries, but also the most Aryan girls 😉

If those ladies got pregnant, and their children were deemed as desirable, they were sent to a Lebensborn house where their kids would get a treatment like the one written above. The main ‘’factory’’ (besides Germany) was Norway, with 12.000 kids born during WWII.

When there were not enough moms available, the SS would simply kidnap children that fit their Aryan standards, as Himmler himself said

‘’It is our duty to take [the children] with us to remove them from their environment … either we win over any good blood that we can use for ourselves and give it a place in our people or we destroy this blood’’

The USSR, Estonia, Latvia, Norway and Yugoslavia were serious targets. Poland reportedly lost as many as 100.000 children during the whole war.

image 174
image 174

(abducted Polish children in a special labour camp)

After WWII, most children could not be found and linked back with their families because their program files were destroyed to hide war crimes. Hence, an exact number of Germanized children is impossible to tell.

Frid Lyngstad of ABBA is a known survivor of this terrible initiative. Her German father who was an officer in the German army, befriended her Norwegian mother to supply the SS with enough moms. After the war, she and her mom migrated to Sweden.

image 173
image 173

(The one with dark hair)

At least something good came out of this whole mess.

What are the consequences of being too good at your job? Can you get fired for it?

I worked for a very large, blue, trash company for about 7 years. After the first year I was running routes so efficiently that there were no improvements left to make so they pulled me from those routes and made me a swing driver. I started running everyone’s routes faster by an average of 3 hours per day, other swing drivers would take 60 hours to run the same routes it was taking me 36 to run and pick up what they missed. I did this for a long time and after several talks with management to make the pay more fair they told me that there was nothing they could do. We were paid hourly and thats it. I told them I was going to find another job then. They freaked out and I told them I wasn’t leaving just yet but as soon as I found something else I was leaving. Fast forward 3 years and I walk into my managers office to tell him I am quitting. He couldn’t believe it because it was out of nowhere in his eyes. I walked away from a fun fast paced job making $20 per hour getting anywhere from 33–56 hours per week depenfing on which routes i would run or who they would let me help. I am now working a job where I only work 6 months out of the year, easy work and make $120k and only requires 8 hours of overtime every other week. Now fast forward another 4 years and I run into the new manager and supervisor. We talk for a minute and the supervisor tells the new manager I used to work for them. He offers me my job back. Before I could even speak the supervisor tells him they can’t afford me to come back. I wished them a good day and walked away. So to answer your question, probably not fired but definitely passed up for promotions. That’s what they did to me.

 

Why did you call off your wedding?

Because of her eyes that were getting angrier at me by the day. Because of her eyes that were getting hungrier by the day, but not for me. Because of the divide that had started to appear, and there was nothing I could do about it.

It started with a crack (that I didn’t notice at first).

And when I did notice more cracks, only hours later — on that very same day — I realized that she already was in a very different place, and that she might be cheating. Her cell phone behavior had become erratic. Her reactions on my every sentence aggressive. Just like that.

She must have been hiding it, but now the cracks started to appear.

Hours later, in one of the longest nights of my adult life — and still on that very same day — she blatantly stated in the darkness of our cold bedroom that her love for me had faded. (“It was not like before anymore.”)

And day after day, week after week, the space between us became bigger, and the cracks grew into an abyss of anger and distrust.

At one point, the divide became too big, and she was standing at the other side — not even waving. She was just looking at me with empty eyes, as if she was not seeing me anymore. (And I think she really didn’t.) I would see that same empty look on her more than fifteen years in the future — in the awkward silence only separated people know — when she was in the final days of late stage breast cancer.

Much further away on the other side of the divide now, and about to disappear.

The problem is that back in the day, we were already married.

And there was nothing to call off except our every shared memory. As if life had become a text, written on a chalk blackboard.

Ready to be erased.

 

What would you do if your bridesmaids all decided to ditch you on your wedding day?

A friend of mine was having a medieval themed wedding. She had this gorgeous green gown and planned this elaborate hairstyle with flowers braided in. She asked her best friend to be maid of honour, and I got to be bridesmaid.

Get to the big day, and maid of honor is a no show. No phone call, text or email either. So I get upgraded and asked to help with my friends hair. I know NOTHING about elaborate hairstyles, there was no way I could do the style she wanted. So we ended up settling on a simple braided style with green ribbons and flowers threaded in. My friend was pissed. Not with me, but with her now ex-friend. Rest of the day went without a hitch and was gorgeous. My friend thanked me for helping at the last minute.

She never did get an explanation from that other girl, and refused to ever see her again.

 

Have you ever quit a job without notice?

I’ve quit without notice twice in my life. The first time was when I was passed over for promotion at Walmart but was offered a 25¢ an hour raise, instead, in recognition of the good work I was doing for the store. 25¢ an hour came out to $520 a year while the promotion would have resulted in a pay increase of around $12,000 annually. I told the store manager to shove the raise and walked out.

Several years later I was working in IT for a clothing manufacturer but I wanted to leave because I was, once again, denied a promotion. I soon learned that my boss and her toadie were holding me back by giving tepid references when companies I’d interviewed with called, so when I finally was offered a job I accepted immediately and told them I’d start the following Monday.

Before leaving work on Friday I drafted a companywide email telling my boss, and her toadie, and the business owner exactly how I felt about them, and I delayed delivery until Monday morning, so it would be the first thing everyone, including the three stooges saw. My boss actually called me on Monday morning, around 5 AM, before the email was delivered and asked me to come in early because she was having trouble with a printer. I told her I’d be right in and then rolled over and went back to sleep. She never called me again.

Biology

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/aAKwQW1G_EQ?feature=share

Goals for the new year

This is a a year of the wood dragon. It is a great expanse of opportunity for the well prepared explorer.

I suggest that everyone have goals.

That everyone have planned affirmation campaigns.

That everyone understands their career, work and fiances.

We cannot predict the future; as it is the nature of our thoughts that direct our actions. We can only play the gravitational influences; our Fate Forecasting.

Review yours today. Take note of the auspicious months and the inauspicious months.

A book, a journal… helps.

Note that I also have a new youtube channel. It is 100% devoted ONLY to affirmation campaigns. I think I have something like 15 to 20 videos already posted up on it.

HERE IS MY NEW CHANNEL

Please like and subscribe!

Today…

 

As a surgeon, have you opened somebody up only to realise that they were beyond saving?

Unfortunately, yes.

There was this patient, 55 year old guy. He came with acute abdominal pain. The patient was in severe distress and the vitals weren’t good even at presentation. He was way too unstable to get a CT scan so we went ahead with just an Ultrasound.

Ultrasound wasn’t very conclusive but it suggested intestinal obstruction. The patient was just getting worse and worse so we gave him initial resuscitation and decided to open him. We were prepared to face unexpected scenarios. But we weren’t prepared for what it actually was.

As soon as we entered the abdominal cavity, copious amounts of reddish liquid oozed out. A little deeper and there it was..about 80% of his stomach, duodenum, the entire small intestine a portion of ascending and transverse colon were almost black in colour.

Every surgeon’s arch nemesis…Superior Mesentric Artery thrombosis.

But in this case Stomach was also involved. Basically, the blood supply to his stomach and his entire small intestine and parts of large intestine was compromised. Due to this the parts were ischaemic. There is nothing you can do in this situation. If there was enough healthy gut remaining we would have just cut out the dead part and anastomosed the healthy parts. There just wasn’t enough healthy gut here. So we just closed the patient up, informed the relatives and sent the patient back to the ICU where he passed away a few hours later, surrounded by his family.

It’s very disheartening for a surgeon to accept there’s nothing you can do for the patient in front of you. But then, a good surgeon knows when to cut but the best ones know when not to. Just operating when we knew he wouldn’t survive the procedure would have led to him dying on the table.

At least buy closing him up he could pass away surrounded by his family. And believe me, that matters. That matters to the patient and that matters to the family. And while I was heartbroken at losing my patient, it gave me the tiniest bit of satisfaction knowing that we could give that family the last few hours with him. And, hopefully, we could give them closure.

 

This is a new trend…

Girls flashing. Showing a bare back and some side boob.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Z6U4E8hM6_8?feature=share

Has a cop ever said something to you which was completely unexpected?

Yes.

First one: I was a single mom and my daughter’s father never paid a dime in child support. When she was very young, I was pretty destitute. Needed my car to get to and from work, but couldn’t afford to pay for insurance. My car was such an old beater that I couldn’t pass the emissions test, and couldn’t afford the $150 worth of repairs required to get a waiver. And I couldn’t replace my expired license tabs without either passing emissions or getting the waiver.

So, I spent $25 on a temporary 3-day pass and put a layer of tape over it. Put another layer of tape over the first one and wrote a date 3-days out on the top layer of tape. Every 3 days, I would replace the top layer of tape and write a new date.

I was out late visiting friends one night and got pulled over by the police on my way home. They shined their light on my temporary pass and my heart sank. Officer asked for my license, registration, and proof of insurance. After handing them my license (and hoping they would forget about the rest), he said he pulled me over because my temporary pass was expired. I knew the date was good until the next day, so I said, “Officer, are you sure? I’m pretty certain it doesn’t expire until tomorrow”.

The officer looks at his watch and says, “My apologies, ma’am, you still have 15 minutes”. And he let me leave.

Second one: Two weeks later, I’m driving that same old beater (with freshly dated tape), it’s dark and raining, and some guy comes speed-racing around me while an officer is headed in my direction and the officer immediately hangs a U-turn. I thought he was going after the guy that was speeding, but no, he pulled me over!!

Asks for my license which I had in a zippered pouch with a ton of other cards (debit, credit and store rewards cards), and spent a long time rummaging to try and find it, the officer becoming more impatient and angrier by the second. I finally found it and presented it to the officer. He glances at it and then asks for proof of insurance. So, I decide to play it off, and I tell him, “That will be another few minutes, officer”. I opened my glove box, and right on queue, it vomited paperwork all over the floor of my car. The officer now has a great big “Frankenstein vein” pulsing on his forehead and he shouts “Never mind, I”m letting you off with a warning this time”. LOL, never did say why he pulled me over or what the warning was for!!

You are inferior

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/O5_1pgq7LLM?feature=share

Caldo Verde (Cabbage Soup)

Many soups of Italy, like this one, are served at the table with a jug of olive oil. The cabbage must be very finely sliced because it is barely cooked.

2024 02 13 10 33
2024 02 13 10 33

Ingredients

  • 1 pound potatoes
  • 1 pound green cabbage, finely sliced
  • Water
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt, to taste

Instructions

  1. Peel and cook potatoes in just enough salted water to cover them. Blend potatoes with their cooking water. Thin with more water if necessary. You should have a medium consistency.
  2. Add cabbage and olive oil.
  3. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes, until the cabbage is lightly cooked. It should be a little crisp.

Notes

Serve with a jug of olive oil.

 

Delusion

She’s in her early 20’s, but she will end up with lots and lots and lots of cats.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/BhRNoGG2l2Q?feature=share

Why are Indian breakfasts so heavy as compared to the Western ones?

Size of breakfast is not a country thing. It’s a class thing.

In the west, Blue collar workers, people who work outside, or work with their hands tend to have a huge breakfast, small lunch and huge dinner. This is because during lunch time, they may not have access to refrigeration, and hence might have to take something for lunch that doesn’t​;t spoil. Or they may not be in a place where they can sit down and eat, so they take things that are easy to eat. So, they load up on calories in the morning. Physical labor requires a lot of calories

This is a “lumberjack” breakfast from Denny’s. Lumberjacks are people who go into the woods to cut trees. They need lot of calories

image 170
image 170

White collar workers, OTH, tend to eat all thought out the workday. If they are not having lunch, they are either snacking or having coffee. This is because their environment gives them free access to food. As a result, they don’t load up on calories in the morning.

This is what a white collar worker typically eats in the morning

image 169
image 169

 

 

What type of person angers you the most?

My friend and I were patiently waiting for our food at the table. As it was a self-service cafe, we got a number showing our order, and when it was announced we needed to collect it ourselves.

The number came up, and we went to collect our dishes.

Lo and behold, as we turned our backs a group of ladies gracefully lowered our bags on the floor and sat at our table.

Mind you, the whole process was less than a minute.

When we went back, we gently but firmly asked them to move.

“Oi, how am I supposed to know you guys are sitting here? You think by putting your bags here it’s your space?”

“Excuse m…”

“This is a public space and we can sit anywhere we want. Don’t think tha..”

BAM. I put my bowl down loudly. Everyone who wasn’t paying attention before turned their heads. She froze in shock.

“You saw our bags, you saw us take our food, and you threw our stuff on the floor. I will make a larger fuss of this unless. You. Move. From. My. Place.

They sheepishly left, leaving my pal and me to eat peacefully.


If you use your privileges to justify rude behaviour, you are just waiting for trouble to erupt.

Do not mess with a hungry person.

 

Bye Bye USA

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3Jc9iIAkO-A?feature=share

What happens to a bullet if it is shot into the air?

Tested on Mythbusters. Shot straight up, the bullet will climb and decelerate as it loses energy, at the top, the bullet will have zero energy and tumble back to earth, landing in the vicinity of the firing point. the bullet will experience atmospheric drag on the way up and the way down. There will be more drag on the way down due to the tumbling. The impact velocity will be the terminal velocity of the bullet. It will give you a nasty bump on your noggin, but not kill you.

Fired at any angle other than straight up, the bullet will retain enough energy over the top of its ballistic arc to come back down in a stable spin, and cause injury or death.

Under ideal circumstances (no wind, fired exactly straight up) the bullet returns to the location from which it was fired at the same velocity as the muzzle velocity.

Edit: (Yes, I’m a dumbass). The bullet returns to the location it was fired from at terminal velocity of a falling object, not muzzle velocity. I must have taken my stupid pill that morning.

The fact that the bullet tumbled on the way down both causes the bullet to slow down more and to have a higher likelihood of impacting on its side (larger impact area).

Short answer. Don’t try this at home.

Feel Good Music


Peter Thomas Orchestra – “Chariots of Gods Theme (Erinnerungen an die Zukunft)” (epic melody, 1970)
The Birdwatchers – “I Have No Worried Mind” (sunshine pop, 1966)
Georges Delerue – “Curly Sue Interlude” (instrumental, 1991)
Ray Davis & His Button-Down Brass – “A Taste Of Honey” (jazzy instrumental, 1964)
Agnetha Faltskog – “Disillusion” (beautiful song, 1973)
The Superficials – “Gone” (indie pop, 2001)
Claude Thornhill & His Orchestra – “If I Had A Ribbon Bow – Maxine Sullivan” (so smooth, 1939)
The Fireballs – “Light In The Window” (great pop, 1965)
The Objections (Sweden) – “I’m Through” (psych pop, 1966)
Juan Martin – “Romanza”, “Last Farewell” from “Serenade” LP (awesome orchestral pop, 1984)
The Quid – “Mersey-Side” (Merseybeat instrumental, 1963)
Mantovani & His Orchestra – “Theme From Moulin Rouge” (instrumental, 1959)
Drupi – “Sereno E” (classic song, Italy 1974)
Lewis & Clark Expedition – “Daddy’s Plastic Child” (psych-sunshine pop, 1967)
Pino Donaggio – Music from “Botte di Natale”: “Travis”, “The Prairie” (epic western, 1994)
XTC – “The Disappointed” (great power pop, UK 1992)
The Charles Kingsley Creation – “Summer Without Sun” (Joe Meek pop, 1964)
The Tornados – “Dragonfly” (nice instrumental, 1964)
Peter & Gordon – “Go To Pieces” (Merseybeat, 1965)
Secret Service – “Destiny Of Love” (romantic pop, 1983)
Enigma – “Prism Of Life”, “Beyond The Invisible” (epic stuff, 1997)
Johann Sebastian Bach – Cantata BWV 1, First Chorale (by Georg Christoph Biller) (baroque, 1724)
The Ventures – “Telstar” (classic instrumental, 1963)

Crowded House – “Not The Girl You Think You Are” (great song, 1992)
Ray Conniff & His Orchestra – “Taking A Chance On Love ” (happy tune, 1965)
Michel Legrand – “Chanson du Prince (sung by Jean-Pierre Savelli) from “Peau d’Ane” movie (romantic song, 1970)
Ennio Morricone – “Canzone Per Donatella” from “Quando L’amore e Sensualita” (piano instrumental, 1973)
Linus Of Hollywood – “When I Get To California” (neo-sunshine pop, 1999)
Guido & Maurizio De Angelis – “Trinity Stand Tall” song, from “Continuavano a chiamarlo Trinita” (western, Italy 1972)
Jean Sibelius – Symphony No.1, 1st Movement” (epic orchestral piece, 1899)
The Fredric – “Saturday Morning in Rain” (rare pop psych, 1968)
The New Colony Six – “The Time Of The Year Is Sunset” (haunting psych, 1966)
Ferrante & Teicher – “You’re Too Much” (romantic instrumental, 1959, here)
The Cleves – “You And Me” (pop psych, 1968, New Zealand)
Johann Sebastian Bach – “Cantata BWV 204 “Ich Bin In Mir Vergnügt”, by Ton Koopman / Ruth Holton (beautiful arias, 1724)
Cilla Black – “Something Tells Me” (sunshine pop, UK 1967)
Richard Alden & His Orchestra – “‘S Wonderful” (cool instrumental, here)
Paul Mauriat – “L’Avventura” (instrumental, 1972)
Justin Hayward – “Day Must Come” (sunshine pop, UK 1966)
18th Century Corporation – “Message To Michael” (“Bacharach Baroque”, 1968)
Johann Sebastian Bach – “Cantata BWV 8, Finale Choral” by Masaaki Suzuki (baroque, 1724)
Carlo Savina – “Le Nochi Buena” from “Le calde notti di Don Giovanni” (relaxing, 1971)
The Stone Country – “Everywhere I Turn” (US pop psych, 1968)
Carlo Rustichelli – Main Title from “Avanti” (happy melody, Italy 1972)
Duran Duran – “Last Chance On The Stairway”, “Save A Prayer” (new wave, synth pop, UK 1982)
Antonio Vivaldi – “Concerto No.5 in E minor, RV280: III. Allegro” (great baroque, 1712)
Foxx – “Sunshine Children” (happy little tune, 1970)
Zack Hemsey – “Mind Heist” (absolutely epic, 2010 – here)

Fat stores

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lZez8PIskg8?feature=share

Fine drawing

This wonderful drawing of the satisfied cat (thinking “I should buy a boat”, perhaps?) was made back in 1899 (published in Russian children magazine “Svetlyachok”):

image 165
image 165

 

Were Allied troops really mowed down while landing in Normandy like in the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan?

My grandfather, third from the right in the picture below. He was 19 when he was supposed to hit Omaha. His troop carrier was hit on the way in and he swam in with absolutely nothing. The story he told was this: I got up on the beach and laid down behind a big piece of wood that was part of a blown up something. He’d had to come out of all of his gear to keep from drowning. He was trying to calm down and figure out what to do when this old crusty major walked up like it was a beautiful day on the beach and asked him what in the hell he was doing. Bullets are zipping around and explosions everywhere, people screaming and this guy looks like there’s not a thing in the world happening. Grandpa says “I don’t know what to do! I’ve lost all my gear.” The major says “ There’s gear everywhere, boy! Start picking shit up and get off of this beach now!” So he did. He said he grabbed every loose rifle, pistol, backpack, satchel, everything and got as far up the beach as he could.

When Saving Private Ryan came out, he wanted to go see it. He and my Grandma went, about 10 minutes in he got up and Grandma asked him where he was going? He said “Home. It hasn’t been long enough yet.”

He was transferred to Patton’s army and went all the way to Czechoslovakia. I’m pretty sure he was in Belgium when this picture was taken. It’s used as the cover photo for a book called Steel Victory by Harry Yeide. Grandpa went through it and noted all the battles he’d fought in that were mentioned in the book.

image 168
image 168
image 167
image 167

Edit: thanks for all the upvotes and comments. It’s amazing that a simple thing like this can get so many votes.
Another quick story about the above picture. They were lazing around in the halftrack when the photographer came by and asked to get that picture. They all started digging rifles out and the guy on the very end couldn’t find his rifle. Somebody told him just to carry the BAR (I think that’s what he said but I’m not an expert in war weapons so it might be something different. Regardless, it’s the biggest gun and the smallest guy according to grandpa ) because nobody would know any better back home. Grandpa thought it was funny that the smallest guy had the biggest gun.

Edit 2: Several people have asked about the Major who sent Grandpa off the beach. I asked my Uncle about it and he said Grandpa never mentioned a name and probably didn’t even know his name. If anybody reads this and had a family member who was a walking, talking, badass Major getting men off of Omaha Beach, let me know.

 

Laundry hacks

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/j6-UY24Qepg?feature=share

What’s the most insignificant amount of power you’ve seen get to someone’s head?

I once worked with a teacher who thought it was a huge deal that she was the only teacher at the school who was allowed to use the laminator. She only had that position for logistical reasons… the laminator took a long time to warm up, so it made sense to do all of the laminating at the same time.

So, if you needed something laminated, you had to give it to her and, once per week, she’d fire up the laminator and run everything through it.

I have never once, in my decade of teaching, needed anything laminated. Not once.

Still, she brought up her position as “official school laminator” on a monthly basis. She was so proud of it. She’d email us updates about her pile of things to be laminated.

“I have a big pile this week, so, if you need something laminated, get it to me now. I’m going to start early so I can get this all done.”

It wouldn’t surprise me if she even had it on her resume.

Jane Smith, English Teacher, Director of Laminating, Girls’ Lacrosse Coach

The Big Show

Posted on


One of the novel things about this age is the role played by carnival acts in reinforcing public morality and shaping public opinion. With the exception of ancient Athens, human societies assigned entertainers a low status. After all, we still have the expression, “run away to the circus”, even though we no longer have the circus. The idea behind that expression is you reach such a degraded state that you literally leave decent society and join the low status world of the circus.

In modern America and the West in general, the circus not only plays a central role in society, but the circus performers also have enormous influence. So much so, in fact, the most powerful people want to be friends with the popular carnies. Every president has a stream of carnies coming through the White House, often attending state dinners with important foreign leaders. Carnies have even turned up in Ukraine, getting a special welcome by the Ukrainian dictator.

Of course, we have just had the biggest circus event on the American calendar, which is the Super Bowl, the title game of the NFL. According to the people in charge, almost all Americans stop what they are doing to watch the spectacle. The Super Bowl party has become something of an industry. Americans spend over $15 billion on parties that host three quarters of all adults. Naturally, all the important carnies seek a way to be part of what is the biggest carnie act of the year.

It is popular to compare the Super Bowl to the Roman games, maybe even dusting off Juvenal’s line about bread and circuses. There is some truth to that, but the Roman games were nothing compared to American entertainment. The games were a distraction for the masses and important people, but the performers were never treated like the modern celebrity or athlete. The performers in the arena were low status and important people made sure they remained so.

This is the great innovation of America. Entertainment has become a church at which the morality of the day is preached to the audience. It is easy to see at the Super Bowl, where moral messaging is everywhere. In the end zones there was a message about ending racism, a hobgoblin of the modern elites. There were ads about other hobgoblins like antisemitism, bullying and Gaia. They have your attention, so they make sure to let you know what you ought and ought not be doing.

Then you have the appeals to unity, by which they mean conformity. At the start of the game, you get patriotic songs. They even have something called the “The Black National Anthem” which is supposed to shame whites and remind them they can never be forgiven for the sin of whiteness. In a prior age, parishioners were told they were at the mercy of an angry God. Today they are told they are at the mercy of angry minorities, which is far more terrifying than an angry god.

When these songs are played at the start of the game, the players, who should only care about winning, make themselves cry and look moved by the program. This is where you see the supremacy of carny life. The star players know this game is really an audition for them to join the media circus or possibly get a brand going so they can be a celebrity past their playing career. Everyone wants to run away to the circus, even people already in the circus.

You see the warping power of the circus with the public romance of Chiefs player Kelce Travis and middle-aged warbler Taylor Swift. She is a super famous pop star, but she can always be more famous, so dating a famous sports star, especially one who gets to perform in the big circus, is good business. The NFL loves it and makes sure to feature this totally authentic romance in their shows. Any bets on whether these two love birds manage to build a life together?

All of this is the product of democracy. In theory, democracy is about convincing fifty percent plus one. In order to do that, you need to get the attention of the public, which is why celebrity becomes the coin of the democratic realm. The only way you can have a chance to influence anyone is by getting on the stage and you do that by getting everyone’s attention. Carnies live to get attention, so it does not take long before they take center stage in the democratic process.

It is why our politicians are mostly actors playing a role. The producers of the political shows are no different from the people who make movies, television shows or produce extravaganzas like the Super Bowl. They select people who can play the role, which often means picking people who will not question the script. Oklahoma senator James Lankford was picked because he is not smart enough to question things. He looks the part, and he reads his lines. That is why he is in the Senate.

It is easy to be critical of mass democracy, but the Super Bowl shows how powerful it is at controlling the masses. More people care about why Travis Kelce wore a suit made from garbage bags than the fact Joe Biden is non compos mentis. More important, it encourages the masses to empty their wallets in order to see the next show that the ruling elite will stage for them. Mass democracy is where the ruling elite charge the masses to be the masses.

For most of human history, carnies were relegated to the fringes of society because the running of society was too important to do otherwise. Today the running of society is over on the fringes, in the shadows where no one looks, because the carnies are now at the center of society. Maybe this is how the great experiment with participatory government is supposed to end. The masses think their voice matters, but in reality, no one cares, just as long as they pay full price for their ticket.

 

Sigma and Alpha males

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/aC-4rjRWkhQ?feature=share

Why would a teacher question a 6-year-old about her gender?

Look… I’m 100% in favor of you being whatever gender you are. Once upon a time (maybe five years ago?) I was easily able to tell what gender a student was 99% of the time. I won’t pretend that I didn’t make mistakes here and there, but it was pretty damned rare. Every year for the last several years, I’ve had transgender students. In general, if you’re sensitive to it and you honestly do your level best to treat them with respect as to the gender they identify themselves as, you’re fine.

But here’s the problem: the English language has these tricky things called “pronouns.” Those pronouns are gendered.

Let’s say that I have a student named Jaime. Jaime looks stereotypically male, buuuuuut you’ve heard from other students that Jaime identifies as female. So what do you do? You can ignore it and only call Jaime by name, but that’s awkward and clearly avoids the issue… which is a bit disrespectful. You can call Jaime by male pronouns, but now you’re being an asshole if Jaime identifies as female. You can call Jaime by female pronouns, but that could really set a boy off if you call him by female pronouns. You could go with a gender-neutral pronoun, but “it” is daaaaaamned insulting.

You know… you could pull Jaime aside and say, “So… here’s the deal… I’m going to let you know that this is a safe place and I’m okay with you being whoever you want to be. I have been hearing rumors that you want to be called by female pronouns. Is that correct? Cool. Sounds good to me. I’ll do my best to honor your wishes.”

Except… now people are upset because you’re “questioning a six-year-old about his/her gender.”

You just can’t win.

Fortunately “people” aren’t my boss. I don’t serve them. I serve my students, so I’ll just continue to do… whatever it is that I already do.

Truth

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3qW2gBE93Z4?feature=share

Crossover: Dieselpunk + Retrofuture, by Victor-Albert Bouffort



“Victor-Albert Bouffort was an aeronautics engineer who took it upon himself to design and build some pretty crazy cars in the years after WWII. The first was this magnificent streamlined three-wheeler based on a Citroen Traction-Avant”. Read this good article about this man here.

2024 02 13 10 23
2024 02 13 10 23

 

What was a loophole that you found and exploited the hell out of?

It wasn’t exactly a loophole, but it was something I exploited the hell out of. I wanted a new snowmobile, and they offered nothing down, and no payments for two years, interest free. I couldn’t get a discount for cash, so I took the deal. This was quite a few years ago. The sled was $4000, so I put the $4000 in a GIC guaranteed investment certificate, at 5 percent for two years, ending a couple of days before the first payment was due.

The deal was that as long as you paid for your snowmobile before the two years was up, you didn’t have to pay interest. But if you owed 1 penny on the snowmobile after two years, you owed 19.99 percent a year for 2 years on the entire $4000.

So this was a bit of a stress, but manageable. I had a cash back credit card, and I paid off my snowmobile with the credit card, and got 1 percent cash back. I had also received another points credit card, that allowed me to transfer the credit card balance from another credit card interest free for 6 months, during the first month after I activated it. So when my credit card was due, I transferred the balance. I still had to pay for all my purchases, but the transfer was kept separate.

When the six months was up, my line of credit offered me zero interest for three months, on any money I borrowed that month.

But I figured I had already pushed the system as far as I could.

So at the end of two years and seven months, I had earned $400 interest and $40 in cash back, plus points, on my snowmobile.

I could have made it to at least 2 years and 10 months interest free, But I was starting to think I would forget, and miss a payment and I would wreck my credit rating, so I called it quits.

Fool-proof

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/wYY1eIJzwSI?feature=share

“You Didn’t Even Post. So What Did You Do Today?”

I have had no idea what serious issue to post about today.

But this:

When I say that running MoA is a full time job it raises doubts and I may even get laughed at. But it is. Even when I don’t post.

I have to read, every day, a large number of pieces and/or watch videos to collect new ideas. It takes time to process those into conscious contexts and then those into blog posts.

Today, like every day, I have of course skimmed over of the usual mainstream stuff, NYT and WaPo nonsense, but found little in it to take note of.

I then skimmed through the comments at this blog and cleared up the spam list.

Then I walked through what my various news feeds provide. It is often quite a lot.

Here is what I consumed (read or watched) today and found worthy enough to copy URL, headline and some excerpts.

Middle East:

Ukraine-Russia:

China:

Other stuff:

That is all I did for the day. It feels like a lot. And that was without writing a real piece for the blog.

Oh, not to forget – I also bought food and prepared a meal for myself.

Later today I will read the Strana.news summary of the day (usually out at 18:00 UTC). At 20:30 UTC I will listen to Dima’s Military Summary (well, at least to the first 10 minutes of it).

Then it will finally be the end of my day.

So what did you do today?

Posted by b on February 12, 2024 at 17:46 UTC | Permalink

 

Is there still fear towards China in the Western world, now that it has become a global superpower? If so, what are the reasons for this fear and to what extent does it exist?

There is nothing to fear about China attacking you, or stealing your land or colonising you or bombing you indiscriminately. There is nothing to even fear about China being authoritarian or bullying you or stealing your intellectual property.

But you are right to fear China will learn fast, with work hard, will build the best infrastructure, will send their children to the best school, will work very hard and stay disciplined and whatever you do Chinese can do better, faster and cheaper.

With 1.4 billion people or 4 times the U.S. population, or double the western world, China will overtake you and beat you in everything you do! They cannot be stopped unless you are ready to lose your limbs! China will be wealthier, more successful, more modern, efficient and effective than you.

But you were made to have irrational fears and thoughts to make you forget your failings and the consequences of your over exaggerated expectations of yourself set by your own hubris and xenophobic tendencies that is fanned by western media. It exists everywhere in the west and particularly the Anglophone world.

Let me be honest to you. So that you don’t live under the rock anymore. China has overtaken you in every sense of the world. China is in fact the leader and the most powerful nation now! Never mind the flawed GDP and the self deception. But the good news is China don’t want you dead. China only want to keep selling to you!

Instant Mail Delivery, 1964 style:

image 166
image 166

 

Have you ever been rude to someone and thought that you were right in doing so?

Oh, yes!

It was about 30 years ago, and I was having my car cleaned at a very big car wash. When the cars came out of the wash tunnel, they were placed in one of 5 lines, where men were busily wiping the cars down. When it was done, the guys would wave their towel for you to retrieve your vehicle.

Now these were mostly Hispanic men (it was in So Cal), and most spoke little to no English. My car was in the middle lane. There was a car in front of mine, a luxury make that I can’t remember. The detailer waved me to my car, but I was stuck. The driver (a woman) was inspecting her car, and making another detailer redo where she would point. I am a patient person, but I truly was boxed in and couldn’t move until she did.

She’d lean close and point to another spot. This went on for at least 6 minutes. I was getting pretty annoyed, and finally, on a whim, I pulled out a $10 bill (keep in mind that most tips at that time were between $1–2. I got out of my car, walked over to the hard-working detailer, and handed the 10 spot to him, saying (loud enough for it to be heard by the woman) “Here, that’s for you, because you know that b@#$h won’t be tipping you.” I turned and walked back to my car, to scattered applause from other car owners who had been watching the whole scene.

The detailer quickly pocketed the cash, and the woman got into her car, slammed the door, and took off.

Pasta Fagioli

This classic Pasta e Fagioli is maybe the perfect pantry soup! With canned tomatoes, canned beans and pasta. A bit of pancetta is added, for a salty note and of course, cheese in the form of Parmesan or Pecorino.

Enjoy this hearty, easy pasta fagioli soup for a hearty lunch, or add a crusty bread (or garlic bread) and a salad for a lovely pantry dinner.

pasta fagioli 1200 55
pasta fagioli 1200 55

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces Santa Fe chicken sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced
  • 3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup uncooked small seashell pasta
  • 2 cups coarsely chopped zucchini (about 2 small zucchini)
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) shredded asiago cheese

Instructions

  • Step 1: Brown the pancetta or bacon.
  • Step 2: Add the diced onion and celery and cook until softened.
  • Step 3: Add the garlic and herbs.
  • Step 4: Add some tomato paste and cook for another minute.
  • Step 5: Add the canned tomatoes.
  • Step 6: Add the rinsed beans.
  • Step 7: Cook the tomatoes and the beans together for about 10 minutes. *You can make ahead up to this point and refrigerate to finish when ready to eat later.
  • Step 8: Add the broth.
  • Step 9: Add the pasta and cook until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

FAQ

  • What kind of pasta can I use in this soup? Any small pasta is fine. I’ve used Ditalini pasta here. Small shells, macaroni or even orzo would work as well.
  • Can I use a different kind of bean? Absolutely, use what you have. Red kidney, navy, great northern or pinto beans would be great options.
  • Can I use canned whole tomatoes instead of diced? Yes. Just hand crush them before adding to the soup.
  • What is a Parmesan rind? It’s just the harder, darker outside of a Parmesan wedge. I like to keep the ends in a bag in my fridge for just these uses. If yours doesn’t have a rind, just cut off a chunk of the Parmesan and use that. No fresh Parmesan? Just stir a few Tbsp of grated Parmesan into the soup instead.

Top Tip

I feel like a bit of a broken record, but I’m going to say it again 🙂 Be sure to properly season your soup at the end of cooking. Taste it. If it tastes bland or flat, it needs salt. Some freshly ground pepper is nice, too. Need a touch more oregano? Stir that in at the end as well. And finally, top this soup with shavings of extra Parmesan (vs. grated). The hit of Parmesan is so lovely in this soup. Use your vegetable peeler to shave it on top before serving.

  1. Heat a large saucepan over high heat. Add sausage; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
  2. Add broth and pasta; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 4 minutes.
  3. Add zucchini and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 2 minutes.
  4. Stir in basil, oregano and beans; cover and simmer for 3 minutes or until pasta and zucchini are tender.
  5. Sprinkle with cheese.
pasta e fagioli process
pasta e fagioli process

Yield: 5 servings (serving size: about 1 1/3 cups soup and about 1 tablespoon asiago cheese)

pasta fagioli 4 3 55
pasta fagioli 4 3 55

 

Simple

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/FesnUDdeORc?feature=share

Have you ever seen a mass exodus after a respected employee quit or got fired?

I was the nursing director for two large units at a Level 1 Trauma Center. I was “offered” a wonderful opportunity to move to a newly created Nurse Research position – same pay grade, same salary. Now, I am 100% not a research minded person. I realized that this was a move by Nursing Administration to get me out of the unit director position. Since I was two years away from retirement, I took it.

There was a HUGE going away party since I had been at the hospital for 25 years at that point. Many nurses that I had hired and mentored had moved to other positions, management, education, etc…. The next week, five of the most seasoned nurses transferred to other units in the hospital. A month later, another four left to go traveling and specifically said in their exit interview and on social media that they were leaving because I wasn’t there. It was quite satisfying. I tolerated the position for two years and then I retired. At my retirement party, I looked across the room and realized that almost 100% of the Staff (nursing and others) had been hired by me over the years.

So I would call the exodus of the most experienced nurses – the ones who oriented, mentored, clinical experts, informal leaders – a max exodus.

 

Belief

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/apOhIzziIsg?feature=share

As a teacher, had you ever had to enforce rules implemented by the school or district that you thought were ridiculous?

Yes, of course.

I’m upfront about this with my students, too.

“Look, kids, I didn’t make this rule, and I think it’s a stupid rule, but I am paid to enforce it, so do me a favor and just go along with it, okay?”

You’d be surprised at how many middle schoolers are receptive to that kind of frankness. Not all of the students… there’s always going to be the kids who like to push boundaries and break rules for the sake of pushing boundaries and breaking rules… but the majority of students are cool with you if you’re cool with them about these things.

The worst “stupid rule” I had to enforce was about seven years ago, when I worked at a school that was on the verge of closing, for a principal that was on the verge of retiring. Her retirement was about a decade too late, I thought. She’d been in education since the 1960s, and expected students to act the same in 2012 as they did back when she first started in the field.

Among the stupid rules I had to enforce:

  • Absolutely zero talking in the hallway while switching classes. Her office was at the end of the hallway, and she didn’t believe in closing her door for anything. She just expected 150 students aged 11–14 to all go into the hall at the same time, go to their lockers, and go to their next class in complete silence. Teachers had to stand by their doors to enforce this unenforceable stupid rule. We had faculty meetings every week, and almost every week, we were spoken down to about not enforcing the silence in the halls during passing periods. We were enforcing it as best we could. She just didn’t get that students these days don’t have that kind of self control or concern for rules they think are stupid.
  • All student work had to be in cursive. Even when I was a kid in the 1980s, they didn’t enforce the cursive writing rule. They taught us how to write in cursive in third grade, and by fifth grade, no one cared if we stuck with it. So I didn’t. I struggle to read cursive writing when the students do it. I prefer print. Most of the students preferred to print. But she insisted on everything being in cursive, because that’s how it was when she was a kid.
  • Faculty may not leave the school during their planning periods or lunch breaks. I once drove down the street to get a coffee during my planning period, and, when I came back, all of the students were in the parking lot for a fire drill. She saw me, and threatened to fire me if I ever did it again. I still did it. I’m an adult, and I can do what I damn well please during my breaks. If principals want to start with the “planning periods must be used only for planning” business, then I’ll just start with the “okay, then I am doing absolutely zero planning or grading at home in the evenings and on the weekends.” The truth is that most teachers… most of them I know, at least… do the majority of their grading and planning at home on the weekends and evenings. There is no way planning periods would cover all of it.

 

Gonzalo Lira Has Now Died After Trying to Flee Ukraine

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lWZ2HBMzfqY?feature=share

What is the funniest joke you’ve been told that you still think about to this day?

A young wife met her husband at the door when he came home from work, “Honey I tried getting something from the shelves in the garage, and everything fell over. Can you clean it up for me please? “ Husband just grunted and said “Who do I look like, Mr. Clean?” Two days later wife is at the door again. :Honey my car is smoking and making weird noises. Can you look at it please? Husband grunted ”Who do I look like, Mr. Goodwrench?” A few days later he is feeling guilty and comes home and announces. “ Hey honey I picked up everything needed to clean the garage and fix your car.” Wife said, Don’t bother it’s taken care of, the man next door did it for me.” Husband, ”Why would he do that?” Wife, I offered to bake him a cake or have sex.” Husband exclaimed. “What kind of cake did you make!’ Wife “ Who do I look like? BETTY CROCKER!

 

What are some problems that only boys face?

  1. The problem of scratching your balls in public.
  2. We can’t pleasure ourselves with everyday household items. For us, bananas are only meant to be eaten.
  3. If a man walks behind a woman on the street, she may think he is following her.
  4. You were probably told as a child that real men do not cry.
  5. Men cannot tell their friends how attractive their siblings are, as women can.
  6. It’s morning and you’ve got an awkward boner. You want to pee but you have to wait until the blood changes its route. (Men go to sleep with 206 bones, and when they wake up, they have 207)
  7. The boy must apologize to the girl when their vehicles collide, no matter who is to blame for the accident.
  8. It seems like we’re always being judged on how much money we make.
  9. A man usually doesn’t get proposed to by a woman, but there are a few exceptions.
  10. When you write an answer on Quora and don’t receive the same amount of views, upvotes, and comments as someone of the opposite gender, it’s easy to feel devalued.

Men Use AI To Put Clothes Back On Women! And Women ARE MAD AF

https://youtu.be/bMg8d5omkqg

A confederate life

When I was in college I used to wear two particular hats. Syracuse was a cold, snowy place. With wind, rain, ice and snow. And wearing a hat and scarf was mandatory.

Today, I just want to tell you all about these particular hats.

Both were real leather. Most hats are made out of other materials, but both of these hats were made out of leather. One was a brown cowboy hat. It looked a lot like the one that Don Williams wore…

 

The other hat was a replica confederate soldiers cap.

I loved wearing it, and so many people complemented me on wearing it.

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2024 02 10 12 38

 

 

In today’s hyper-polarized woke society, wearing it might end up getting me shot. But the 1970’s were a different time, and I loved wearing it. I had long hair, and often wore either a combat parka, or a leather jean jacket (with a fluorescent orange hoodie underneath.) .

Today…

What was the last thing that was stolen from you?

The last thing that was stolen from me didn’t have a great deal of monetary value. Some, if you are a collector. The last thing that was stolen from me was an old hubcap off my grandpa’s ancient Chevrolet pickup truck. I’m still sour over it.

I live on part of what was my grandpa’s old farm. There is old stuff all over this place. In the outbuildings, in the barn, in the cellar and wash house you will find old things. Old tools, old bottles, there are a couple of wine casks from when my mother was a child and her daddy had a still hidden out in the pasture. Lots of old farm implements sitting around.

This stuff is treasure to me. I love nostalgic stuff. I’m fascinated by old items. What looks like junk to some looks like treasure to me.

One day, I was poking around in an old shed, and found that old hubcap. I set it aside and made a mental note to bring it to my house. As I was leaving the shed, I noticed some broken glass on the ground. So I picked up the glass and put it in that old hubcap. From time to time another piece of glass would surface, and I just put it all in that old hubcap. It was out there in that shed with glass in it for a few years, but I knew it would be there when I wanted it.

Then one day about a month ago, I noticed the hubcap was missing. The glass was all over the ground and the hubcap was just gone. I asked my dad about it and also my nephew, and they don’t know anything about it… They are the only two people who have been around, to the best of my knowledge.

Now here is the thing. This is way out in the boonies. People don’t just wander around our property. I would never have dreamed of anything going missing from this place. But my hubcap is still gone.

Like I said, some people will wonder why I’m worked up over an old hubcap. It’s because I have a collection of things that belonged to my grandpa, and because I learned how to drive in that old chevy truck the hubcap belonged to.

Also, it frosts my butt that someone just picked it up, dumped out the glass, and walked away with it. Who would do that?

I have my suspicions. But I will never know for sure. You can bet, I will take care to protect my treasures a little bit better from here on out. And I will watch the suspicious one like a hawk from now on too. Just in case.

Pasta with Three Cheeses
(Pasta al Tre Formaggi)

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2024 02 10 12 19

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Fontina or mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 6 cups (10 ounces) uncooked egg noodles
  • 3 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
  • 1 tablespoon butter

Instructions

  1. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in 2-quart saucepan over low heat until melted. Blend in flour, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Gradually stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in cheeses; keep warm over low heat.
  2. Cook noodles as directed; drain. Alternate layers of noodles and cheese mixture in ungreased 2-quart casserole. Stir bread crumbs and 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat until crumbs are toasted; sprinkle over noodles.
  3. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F until bubbly, about 20 minutes.

 

My GF Had A BREAKDOWN After The Open Relationship She Wanted Backfired

https://youtu.be/Fw1IYHhzwJo

What’s a polite way of saying something rude?

Flying back from Mallorca on Jet2, the pilot said on the intercom:

“Ladies and Gentlemen, I have some good news and bad news. The good news is that we’re ready early and we’ve made it with plenty of time for our departure slot. The bad news is that unfortunately it seems the Spanish air traffic controllers have decided to walk out in solidarity with striking French controllers so we currently have a 2 hour wait. However, to ease the boredom, I’ll step out of the cockpit and you can all come up, sit in the pilot’s chair and be shown around by the first officer who’ll answer any questions you have”

The second I saw him come out of the cockpit I sprang out of my seat to get to the front of the inevitable queue and had a good chat with the FO while sitting in the seat. My impressions were that the cockpit of a 737–800 is a lot smaller than you’d think and that the seats are pretty difficult to move.

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image 130

After 90 mins the pilot is on the intercom again:

“Folks, unfortunately we’ve been told we have another 2 hours, 45 minutes wait (huge groans from the cabin)
Only joking, we’ve got to get going quickly so back to your seats and buckle up soon as you can! (cheers from cabin)”

The pilot landed pretty hard in Birmingham and 10 seconds after reducing reverse thrust was back on the intercom:

“I’ve just been informed that my landing was a bit on the hard side. I don’t know what the fuss is about, it seemed fine to me. But apologies to anyone with loose fillings”

What is it that Australians don’t like about American tourists?

Most American tourists who make it as far as Australia are the best of your country, and we enjoy having them. Those who we would rather hadn’t come do share a few characteristics, though.

  1. Ignorance. No, you can’t drive from Sydney to Alice Springs in an afternoon. Yes, the beaches have flags you swim between for a reason. No, you won’t get bitten by snakes walking through the suburbs. And no, no, for the love of God NO you CAN’T see all of Australia in a week flat. Not even if you fly everywhere.
  2. Arrogance. If you come to any country as a guest, and spend half your waking hours telling people how much better your country is than theirs, you won’t make friends. This applies to any two countries, but with special particularity to Australia and America. There are STILL Americans about who’ll tell any Australian they can find how they, the mighty US of A, saved our “asses” in any number of conflicts, but especially the stoush with the Japanese in the early mid-twentieth century. We didn’t actually need our donkeys saved, and we’ve been paying for it in a number of ways ever since. And no, your health care may be wonderful for that five percent of the population who can afford it, but we cover everybody, so that we don’t have people begging in wheelchairs for their next oxygen bottle. Also, no, we can buy guns if we want to, but we don’t have to.
  3. Loudness. Now I know the average Australian has a pretty good paddock voice, but we don’t take it inside. There are some Americans you can hear three streets away, and sitting next to their table in a restaurant can be a penance.
  4. Lack of manners. As I said at the beginning, most US visitors to the antipodes are darlings. But anybody who snaps their fingers to summon a waiter here is likely to be ignored at first and ordered to leave if they persist. It is standard here to thank people who do stuff for us, whether they are paid to or not. We thank our bus drivers, our wait staff, our cleaners and our hotel staff, our shop assistants – everybody. They’re people. Lack of common courtesy marks you out as an arsehole.

 

 

I was recently fired from a company. My old boss just contacted me asking work-related questions. Should I respond?

Not fired, but gave them 7 weeks notice to quit. I was maintenance person in a nursing home. Within 6 months of being employed there, my manager asked me to undertake a level 2 course in social care. She had noticed my interactions with the residents and tried her best to convince me to extend my duties to include care work. After about a year of “ thinking about it,” I decided to study for a qualification in health and social care.

Around this time, after I’d already started the course, the nursing home was sold to another company. The new boss, for whatever reason, didn’t like me. Once qualified, I was picking up extra shifts on the weekend as a care assistant. It took him (and his wife) 3 months to realise I was also doing care work. He came and saw me at work, telling me, “We only want qualified staff looking after residents.” I showed him my certificate, indicating I was indeed qualified to look after residents. He then told me “ I don’t want you getting too tired.” ( I was only working 30 hours per week on maintenance.) I pointed out that a lot of his care assistants were actually working 60 hours a week and would often ring in at weekends saying they could not come in and I was prepared to cover any illness by other staff. He refused to accept this offer, restricting me to my working hours.

Anyway, I’d decided I enjoyed looking after elderly people and applied to our local NHS hospital for a position as a healthcare assistant. I passed the interview and selection procedure and handed my notice in. He avoided me for the next 6 weeks. On my final day there, he approached me and told me, “Get a year’s clinical experience and you can come back as a care assistant.” (An offer I could refuse.)

I finished work on Friday at 3pm.

Next morning, the nursing home phoned me at home, telling me there was a major water leak in the kitchen. I told them I was no longer an employee and to call an emergency plumber. “But that will cost us lots of money.” No shit, Sherlock! I almost relented, but my wife pointed out that I wouldn’t be paid, had I gone in. They asked me where to turn the water off, but I reiterated that they should call a plumber ( who would also not know where to turn the water off, as there were actually two incoming supplies to the one building.) I have now been with the NHS for almost 5 years and can honestly say it’s the most rewarding job I have ever had.

 

What is the weirdest thing you accidentally did in someone’s view, thinking you were alone?

Well I hope you guys don’t judge me for it.

I was 18 and had gone for an interview. The secretary of the guy who was to interview me took me inside his cabin and told me to wait.

I was too nervous, hungry and desperate.

All of a sudden I had this huge urge to sneeze. But it just died midway. I reached for the handkerchief in my new trouser to realise I forgot it at home.

When the urge was back I was desperately looking for a tissue on my still-to-be-boss’s table. When I didn’t get any, I reached over and grabbed a notepad, tore off a page and made its way to my nose at the correct time!

I blew my nose. Had a grin on my face. And sat there satisfied only to see my boss standing just behind me.

I smiled awkwardly.

He came over, offered the little dustbin to me. I slowly put the soiled paper in it and muttered a ‘thanks’ and a ‘sorry’.

I thought I would be looked upon as a gross teenager, so it came as a surprise when he hired me.

For the next few months whenever he passed by my department, this would be the conversation.

“Enjoying Shefali?”

“Yes Sir!”

“Any problems?”

“No Sir.”

“You got a handkerchief?”

“Yes sir.”

And then he would laugh and wink at me. Colleagues could never understand why would we have such a conversation everytime.

Don’t even ask me how badly I wanted the earth to swallow me.

Putin Offers INCREDIBLE Terms For Peace With Ukraine In Tucker Carlson Interview!

https://youtu.be/Mq0vyLTitBA

What’s the dirtiest contract that you felt “forced” to sign?

This is a signature page:

image 129
image 129

The sketchiest contract I was ever forced to sign what was the Little Rock School District’s teachers’ contract. I hesitate to name the district, because I suspect this isn’t uncommon, BUT:

I was handed a signature page, like the one above. And no contract. At the top of the page it said something along the lines of “I agree to be bound by the contract that the union has so selflessly negotiated on my behalf.” Again, we were told we were not allowed to see it unless we joined the union. Multiple teachers told me they were threatened every year not to show the contract to anyone, including the teachers who were bound by it.

Why did I sign it? Because they gave it to us 3/4 of the way through the year! It was a retroactive contract! I had two kids and a pregnant wife. We had sacrificed to work in education, had chosen to live in squalor for the greater good, and so needed the paycheck. Plus I had hundreds of students counting on me.

I was told that I had to pledge to obey the contract, but couldn’t know what was in there. It had all my rights and responsibilities in it. But I couldn’t see it, nor could any of the signatures that preceded mine. The fact that I was hired at the significant level of those with a master’s who had been principals before, yet was only offered $40,000—that was supposedly explained in there. The reason why that $40,000 manifested as a net income of $18,000 was in there. The reason my room had no decorations, no computer, no phone, 325 students, and fewer than 20 textbooks—all would be revealed—just not to me because I didn’t join the mob.

That’s right, I said it. I’ve bought used cars, leased cars, homes, worked in corporate law, even bought a timeshare, and I’ve never dealt with a contract-situation as icky as the teachers’ union contract. If someone ever hands you a signature page with no contract, I hope a migraine-inducing klaxon alarm goes off in your head and red flags drop from the ceiling.

 

 

How should I deal with a coworker who never wants to pay when we eat out?

I had a friend like this, not a coworker. We would go out to eat and took turns paying the entire bill. After a while, I noticed that when it was HER turn to pay, I would order less than $20 worth of food + tip (I didn’t drink alcohol), usually ordering a moderately priced entree and a lemonade, with no appetizer or dessert. However, when it was MY turn to pick up the tab to “pay her back,” she’d order the most expensive menu items, including appetizers, multiple cocktails, and dessert in addition to the expensive entree. The bill would be upwards of a $100, even though my portion was usually under $30 since i only ordered one entree. This happened frequently enough, that I realized she was doing this on purpose, insisting she pay when we went to eat at a cheap chicken shack when our meals were dirt cheap, but then picking expensive restaurants when it was my turn to “pay her back.”

I tested this theory; we went for sandwiches once at Jimmy John’s and she insisted on paying: I carefully only ordered a $12 sandwich with taxes and that’s it. She didn’t even tip.

The following week, we went out to eat and it was my turn to pay. She immediately said she wanted to try out this new sushi restaurant that opened downtown. I told her ok, and as I drove us there (I always drove, but she NEVER offered to pay for gas), I casually mentioned “hey, my meal was only $12 the last time you paid, so I’m only paying for $12 for your meal this time.”

This person had the GALL to say, “oh really? Never mind, then, let’s just go grab sandwiches at Subway.”

I didn’t respond, I just couldn’t believe how shamelessly disappointed she looked.

Our friendship didn’t last long after that, but it was due to her overall abusive, manipulative behavior, besides what a cheap moocher she was.

Scott Ritter: Statement on #tuckercarlson ‘s interview w/ #putin

https://youtu.be/Bf1X4spqmNg

Can China even economically afford a war to “reunify” Taiwan?

$57k x 1000=$57million

that is to say, china can launch a 1000 sorties drone swarm attack with merely $57 million, that is merely 6 abrams tanks, or one apartment building in Shanghai.

In addition, Xi will very likily get 80% off because he owns Norinco.

So that is 5,000 sorties with the same budget. or 40,000 sorties at the price of a villa in SH.

Imagine 40,000 of this flying over your head.

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image 127
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image 128

in addition, this costs $200 ea for Xi

500 of these equals to the death pension on a private.

taht is to say, evey TW soldier will have to dodge 500 such drones to survive the war.

image 126
image 126

500drones looks like this, a common recreation in chinese cities.

image 125
image 125

imagine the drones in a “i wanna f_ck u” formation before running towards you.

this drone bomber costs $340,000 (=3.4 soldiers) and can deliver 1 ton of explosives to 2500km away.

WAR HAS CHANGED. MAN, WAR HAS CHANGED.

 

Pulp Fiction by Wes Anderson Trailer

https://youtu.be/EKy741wm6hk

Can you explain the meaning of “decouple”? Is this something that President Trump wants to do with China? Is he seeking to completely sever trade ties between the two countries?

I don’t think Trump wants that. He is smarter than that. And he is smarter than Biden for sure. Privately he certainly don’t want that. If anything he wants the U.S. to be a strong 2nd largest economy. And his own companies benefit profusely.

He like fools who ask this question to thinks he like to decoupled because he wins votes and can do shit. He knows severing trade with China is like cutting of your limbs to fight China. Decoupling with China means decoupling from the world by the U.S.

I wish he does that, but he won’t. His companies will cut the sweetest deals, his group will strike up the most profitable venture and he will say shits like Kung Flu or Chiiinaaa! And guess what you bunch of morons will ejaculate.

FYI . . .Preps for this show if the worst happens

World Hal Turner 09 February 2024

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I have been reporting to all of you the developments in Poland that lead many to believe NATO will enter the Russia-Ukraine conflict before May 5.  I have renewed my urgent suggestions that all of you have emergency “preps” like food, water, medicine, a generator, communications gear like a CB or HAM radio, and I want you to know what I am doing/have done to “prep” this show.

When the Russia-Ukraine thing broke out, and it became clear that the US and NATO would be getting involved by shipping weapons, I worried to myself if Russia might take that as us being a “participant” in the conflict.   So I MOVED the servers for this web site to South America. It’s a big deal: one primary server, providing content via the cloud to 19 other data centers around the planet.  When you type in my website address and your browser goes out to the DNS server, my DNS routes your request to the geographically closest data center (that’s up and running) to speed-up your content delivery.   Not everything is coming into or going out of a single place.  

Every time YOU have visited this site for the past 2+ years, it has served you from South America!

I also established back-up streaming audio servers down in South America as well, but have never utilized them.   

The streaming audio right now comes out of Oregon and it’s a big deal, but in a different setup than the website.  Multiple audio servers operating through a load balancer, which can automatically spin-up additional servers to accommodate demand.  But Oregon is near Washington State and we have a gigantic naval base in Bremerton, WA, which is home to much of our Pacific Fleet.   

So if Bremerton gets nuked, Oregon will likely feel the EMP repercussions and that data center may go offline.  Hence, the reason I set up a big audio server system in South America, just in case.

Here in New Jersey, just outside NYC, all of you are aware that the show goes out over a fiber optic line and there is a separate, fiber optic line as a fail-over.   If both fiber optics are down, there is a cellular data fail-over.  For awhile, I also had laser failover but it was just too expensive and I had to get rid of that.  I have a backup generator and fuel for it on-site.  It’s all on battery back-ups which can provide at least one hour of service, which is more than ample time to go out and crank-up the generator.  The NJ house also has an EMP SHIELD in the main electrical panel with the hope it bleeds-off any EMP.

In the Pennsylvania home I inherited when my mom died, (after I had to pay off her Reverse Mortgage) I have a Cable modem and, just recently was able to add a single Fiber optic connection. But because trees falling can take out those land-based lines — and have done so in big storms quite frequently — I also have a cellular failover, and two satellite uplinks.  

ALL of that gear is on Uninterruptible power supplies that can provide power for at least one hour, and I have two Generators on site, all hard-wired in.  The one generator is 13KW and surge to 15KW, the other was my mom’s and it’s tiny 4KW. That house also has an EMP SHIELD in the main electrical panel.

All our motor vehicles have EMP SHIELDS installed in them – even my snow plow truck!

So I have done everything I know how to do to make certain the show __can__ air each night, no matter what.

Late last week, after finding out that Poland issued a NOTAM to all aircraft flying in the eastern 1/4 of the country, to maintain radio comms with air traffic control and to use their Transponders even at flight levels below 9500′, it became evident to me that NATO is likely to enter the Russia-Ukraine conflict within the time period of the NOTAM, which continues until May 5.

It seems clear to me that if NATO enters that war, the missiles will fly and some of them would – in my view – fly here.  If Russia takes out the US, then NATO collapses immediately.  So we ARE, in my view, an early target.

So I spoke to Alan Weiner at WBCQ and inquired of him as to whether WBCQ has a back-up generator for the transmitter on 7490.   It does!   A 250KW generator which, according to Alan, EATS FUEL.

I have also inquired of WRMI in Miami, Florida and WWCR in Nashville, TN. I am waiting to hear back from them.

I tell you all of this because I want you to know I’m not just out here telling YOU to prep, I’m actually doing it myself.

I have no idea where all this crap is heading, but I am thinking about it and am taking steps to actually BE PREPARED.

 

My boss is always taking part of my food in a common fridge. I told him I didn’t like that and now I buy my food to avoid it. Am I a skinflint?

You are not a skinflint, you are now spending more for food than your boss. Depending on your work place. If you have evidence that your boss is doing this you could go to HR and tell them your boss is stealing your food. Theft is theft.

When I was first out of university, and had no money, I would go to the grocery store and buy a package of 5 sausage rolls. I would eat one each day. It worked out to about $1.50 for lunch.

Then my sausage rolls started disappearing, first just one a week, then 2 and finally 3.

I used to buy them on Monday, and they were just edible on Friday. Now I was buying two or three packs a week.

If I bought them on Thursday, I didn’t trust them by Tuesday . So in this case I bought them on friday, and knowing I would probably only be able to eat one more out of the package before they were either stolen or stale dated, I took them home, and I drilled out a tiny hole in the center. Then I some hot sauce that I had never been able to use, because it was just too hot. It was concentrated, so that its scoville rating was similar to pepper spray.

I filled up all of the 4 remaining sausage rolls, with this killer hot sauce, and put them in the work fridge.

Later that day, around 4:00 when the next shift was coming in, there was screaming coming from the locker room. The guy was frothing at the mouth, his eyes and nose were leaking, he had been eating the sausage roll with his locker door open, to keep out of sight.

Fortunately for me I had never complained to anyone about the missing sausage rolls.

It took 15 minutes before the guy was functional again.

He wouldn’t tell anyone what had happened, because he didn’t want to admit to theft. But it turned out, he had a bunch of stolen knick knacks from people’s desks, in his locker. It turns out someone who will steal food, will steal little items from the day shift as well.

He was fired.

But then I had to find something else cheap to eat. Because I couldn’t be seen eating sausage rolls.

 

 

Why doesn’t the USA produce cheap grocery products for the whole world like China if it’s an effective way to become an economic superpower?

Why don’t you understand the ABC of human behaviour? After all I presume you are a human, right?

Ok let me explain. No human want to buy anything 5 times a price it can pay in the market easily. And do you know why the U.S. makes everything at several fold cost compared to others? That is simple. The U.S. workers are paid at least 5 times other workers are paid yet it can only achieved half their productivity. And U.S. CEO insist they must be paid 100 times more! Your government insist it must focus on forever wars! China focus on making peace and being competitive!

So how can the U.S. makes anything that can be competitive? No way! Not in a million years! So you cannot make anything competitive but you have money to spend more on weapons than the next 10 biggest defence spending nation put together! Perhaps the U.S. thinks it can use the military to force other countries to work as slaves to produce cheap goods and hand over to the U.S.!

 

 

Did a teacher ever try to embarrass you in class but you had a brilliant response?

I had a 4th grade teacher that was fairly strict. One morning, during a reading session, she caught me drawing pictures, a fairly elaborate illustration of King Kong and Biplanes shooting at the poor guy. She snatched it up and scolding me for not paying attention in class. “maybe this will get your attention” she cackled, as she proceeded to tape the drawing onto my back. Before you could blink, it was lunch time, and as I was in the lunch line, all the reviews from my young peers rolled in. All positive, with “cooools” and “holy smokes!” and questions.
Well the soul-killing deterrent backfired on the old witch, and I went on to study art, Illustration, and design. I’ve been employed as an artist for over 40 years and have won dozens of awards and accolades. Although this may sound boastful, the real point is, don’t let anyone kill your dreams.

What would happen legally to a police officer if they detained a homeless person and drove them several towns or cities away and warned them not to return like Sheriff Tease did to John Rambo in First Blood (1982 movie)?

My old department had something like this happen.

A guy I’ll call “Cecil” was one of our frequent flyers. He was a Paiute Indian and had pretty much fried his brain with alcohol. He was also legally blind and carried a white cane. He would get arrested on some nuisance offense, spend a day or two in jail, get released, rinse and repeat. The two-officer crew of the downtown prisoner transport van, aka “the wagon,” were usually the arresting officers.

One night, the wagon crew decided to take a different approach. They picked up Cecil for something-or-other, but instead of taking him to jail, they got on the freeway and headed east. Fifteen or twenty miles east of town, they let Cecil out on the side of the road. Freeway and sagebrush, not much else. The wagon drove back to town.

Cecil was found by a state trooper who wondered how he got there. Cecil was only of marginal help, as it was difficult to know whether he was comprehending what was going on around him. When asked any question, his typical response was to shout random numbers at his interviewer.

Eventually, investigators were able to piece together what happened. The two cops were fired and criminally indicted on charges of kidnapping and oppression under color of authority.

Trial was scheduled several times. Each time, Cecil was either in the wind, out between arrests, or brought to court from jail. He couldn’t respond coherently to the simplest question. The attorneys defending the former officers capitalized on this and moved for dismissal of all charges, as Cecil was the only material witness and didn’t always seem to know where he was or what was happening around him. The ex-cops walked.

One got a job driving a bus. He was considered by all involved to be the instigator and mastermind, with his former partner sort of along for the ride. The partner was eventually hired by a sheriff’s department and worked there long enough to qualify for a pension.

What’s the most incredible coincidence that ever happened to you?

When I was 17 I had a son I had to give up for adoption as the father was going off to Vietnam and we were unmarried. It was heartbreaking to say the least. When he returned, we married and had our daughter. Always looking to find the son we had to give up, as my parents had insisted. As the years went by, we searched and tried every imaginable source to find our boy. Our daughter was told she had a brother eventually, and my parents eventually regretted this adoption and begged me to “”find the boy” -impossible. Our daughter moved across the United States from Florida to California eventually and I had given up all hope after 34 years of searching. One night while in California, she told her roommate about her brother – it was his birthday, and she was sad. That night the roommate invited her for dinner with a friend. During dinner her friend questioned her about this brother….after everything my daughter told her, the young man said””me too”! He, too, was from Florida – adopted, this was his birthday, a miracle! Millions of prayers answered- she was indeed sitting across the dinner table from her long lost brother!! Found at last!! It all turned out beautiful. He had been blessed with an amazing adoptive family for which I will be FOREVER grateful. Many coincidences in my life but this? BEST ONE!!

Going Viral: Behind the AI-Generated Wes Anderson Trailers for Star Wars and LOTR

https://youtu.be/jbASi4forHg

 

What were you convinced you got away with as a child, only to find out later that you totally didn’t?

My siblings and I were sent to bed VERY early compared to our peers – most annoying. In rebellion, we often stayed up late, reading in bed while our parents remained downstairs watching TV. I had an old lamp and learned rather quickly that if I turned it in the normal direction it made a ‘click’ sound. But, if I turned it backwards, the light would quietly go off. So, in our creaking Victorian house, I had plenty of warning someone was coming and could get the light off and the book out of sight before they were anywhere near my room.

We had been given flashlights and batteries at Christmas soon after we joined the Girl and Boy Scouts. We needed them for camp and other scouting activities. Of course, we also found they made it really easy to stay up reading as well. At the first creaking boards, we’d turn them off and pretend to be asleep.

There were times that we might have been so engrossed in our books that we didn’t hear anyone coming upstairs and wouldn’t react until we heard footsteps outside our doors. The lights would have been easily visible beneath our doors. But, somehow, we managed to get the lights off before either parent noticed.

YEARS later, we had a good laugh when our father asked us why we thought we were given new batteries every Christmas and birthday (and any time in between when we said we were out). There were not enough scouting activities to burn as many batteries as we seemed to go through. No, the flashlights were to ENCOURAGE us to read more. They weren’t going to catch us with lights on if they could help it. If they did, though, the usual comment was, “Don’t you think it’s time you went to sleep?” We were never punished.

 

What is the fastest you wiped that smirk off your manager’s face?

I was working at my local coffee shop. It was pay day and my pay didn’t come in. No phone call from my boss about it. It was 630 am as I was waiting for my pay to get to work for 8 am. I called in and ask if there was a problem with the pay. He said rudely there is a problem at the bank it might be in later today or tomorrow. I said well then I am not coming in today for my shift as I am not walking 2 hr to get work. If you called me at 5 to tell me about the problem I could have asked my sister and brother in law for bus fare before they went to work .

next day, I checked my account and my pay was in. I showed up for work and my boss thought he would tell me off in front of coworkers and customers. I said it’s not my fault you didn’t bother calling or texting your employees about the problem. And you should really wait to talk to be about it when it is appropriate not in front my coworkers and customers. The smirk came off his face quick walked away and didn’t say anything about it after. 1 month later we got a new manager

 

Does China know that there can never be a new world order without a previous war in which China emerges victorious?

Oh?

Heard of implosions?

That’s when something collapses on itself.

American society is imploding. Every decade this century has seen its strength weaken, particularly the social fabric, which has been torn asunder by division.

This is an American problem that require Americans to fix.

Alas, the talk never strays far from eternal war with a musical chair of external enemies.

A new world order is emerging, whether America wills it or not.

Can you imagine 4 years of Donald “making America great again”, followed by 4 years of Joe’s “Build Back Better”, followed by another 4 years of “MAGA”?

Again and Back? That’s Michael Jackson’s moonwalk—the illusion of forward motion while moving backwards.

The global south doesn’t want to be stuck on the american gameboard, because it hasn’t led to long-term development. And as Barack openly admitted, America has an agenda to keep the global south poor, because the planet cannot sustain itself providing the American standard of living for the unwashed masses.

A nation that continues to believe its Constitution is perfect and cannot be updated will not see out the 21st century intact.

America will discover it is merely one nation, out of >190, and learn to live like the rest of humanity. No one is immune to the poison of exceptionalism, particularly the hegemon.

In other words, atrophy develops in the absence of resistance.

 

What is the most powerful supernatural warning you have received?

I was a high school rowing coach and we had to leave at 3:30 a.m. for an event far away. As usual, I was running late and had 15 minutes to get to the school meeting spot, 20 minutes away. The two-lane road snaked through woods and up and down hills and it was pitch black: no street lights. My Jetta and I were flying and I suddenly heard the word “DEER!” shouted in my dead grandmother’s voice. I stomped on the brake as a deer shot right past the hood of my car. I pulled over, shaking. As I took a deep breath I smelled daffodils. Confused, I looked around: there were no flowers here. An image of a pink bottle of perfume popped into my mind and it struck me- the smell was White Shoulders, my grandma’s perfume.

I smiled and thanked her, promising more responsible driving in the future. As I got to the meeting place, a few rowers commented on the smell of flowers.

 

 

What are the best tactics if you get in a fight?

A friend of mine was at a bar one time. He can be a little antagonistic, and he ended up hitting on a girl who had a big, mean boyfriend.

He comes over to me and says, “this guy is trying to fight me, I swear. I don’t think I can fight him, he’s huge.”

I didn’t really know what to say to the guy, to be honest.

He’s nervous, but ends up saying, “I’m just going to get naked. Nobody wants to fight a guy that’s naked.”

I laughed, thought about it, and agreed. If the big guy were to start a fight with him, he would probably be best off by getting naked first.

It ended up being that the big guy walked over and said something about having to settle this like men.

They went outside.

My friend looked at me with these big, crazy eyes, ripped off his pants and shirt (butt naked), kept his shoes on, and just yelled “let’s do this!”

The big guy wanted to fight him, but didn’t know how. Eventually, he just walked away, and muttered something about my friend being “too gay” for him.

I guess his homophobia was larger than his desire to beat up my friend.

I’m selling my car through Craigslist. A potential buyer whom I’ve never met wants to buy the car and pay with a cashier’s check. They say they’ll mail me the check. The person hasn’t seen the car or driven it. Is it safe to accept a cashier’s check?

All these answers are great, and most have been tried on me. Back in the 80’s, I had a printing business and a “customer” gave me a rather expensive rush order for an event that was happening in a few days. I asked for payment up front because it smelled fishy. He gave me a check for about $5,000. Before I printed anything, I went to his bank and asked if the check was good. The manager told me there was not enough funds to cover the check. He could not legally tell me how much money was actually in the account, so I asked him if I added $100 if it would cover the check. No. Went through this dance till I came to $700 or something. Great! I deposited $700 into his account and cashed his check for $5000. Printed his order, (still had a tidy profit) and called him to pick it up. He was delighted, thinking he had scammed me. Then he showed up absolutely furious, having found out about the $5000 he never intended to spend. Said he was going to call the police. I told him to wait just a minute, the police were walking in right now. I had called the venue and what he was having printed was bogus tickets. My next call was the police. They walked in and he had the gall to ask them to arrest me for theft. I said he gave me a check and I cashed it. Then I showed them the tickets he was having printed. They took him out in handcuffs with him yelling that he wanted his money back. Never saw him again.

Very Cool

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/o4VrI4-DlIM?feature=share

 

 

 

 

What makes you always want to be alone?

Wow. Ok I’ll bite. Not in the sense of being a hermit, but relationship wise.

A lifetime of abuse.

That will do it to you. As I recover, I am starting to realize that I don’t have any capacity for conflict. I don’t want to extend trust. I am suspicious and quickly withdraw from anyone that remotely, even unintentionally upsets me. My defenses are beaten down and I am an open wound.

No relationship is going to be without conflict. And you can’t really extend love without extending trust. So here I am alone and I am realizing that I will probably remain so for the foreseeable future.

I don’t really want to be alone. But I have realized, quite painfully, that I am going to hurt someone that tries to love me. That’s unacceptable and depressing. I will NOT become the abuser.

I’m in therapy and one of the first meaningful things he said to me was “I may not be able to help you. Due to the length and severity of your trauma, you may carry the effects for the rest of your life. The best we can do is hope to manage your PTSD.”

I appreciate his honesty.

So no, lonely as I am, I will not afflict some poor woman with my messed up self. I will go on alone. Well, not completely alone…

2024 02 10 12 02
2024 02 10 12 02

What is the most unusual and incorrect reason you’ve had the police called on you?

I don’t know about incorrect, but it was certainly unusual.

My church had a lock-in for high school aged kids. If you haven’t participated in one of these, it is essentially a big slumber party. But it is chaperoned. It is church after all. Sometimes schools do them too.

Anyway, there are all kinds of events that happen. Often there is a scavenger hunt, and this particular lock-in was no different, except with a twist. They had a “tape recorder and Polaroid camera” scavenger hunt. In other words, we were divided into groups and had a list of crazy things we were to get photos and recordings of our group doing. These days we could just use our phones for this, but this was in the 80s and technology was obviously not the same.

So we set off on the list. There were all kinds of things. We did a picture with a human pyramid. That was relatively tame and easy. Then we came to another. We had to get a photo of us walking through a drive thru restaurant line. Oohkay. I was our group’s driver, so I took us to a local Wendy’s. We got out and walked through the drive-thru line. Remember this was the 80s and I don’t think that many restaurants had cameras watching the drive-thru line back then. So, the staff of the restaurant didn’t know we were walking through the line till we got to the window. Wow, that turned escalated into drama really quickly. The manager was really mad at us, and they refused to serve us. Well, that didn’t really matter much. We tried to explain why we were doing it, but he was having none of it. I guess he thought we were drunk or on drugs or something. So, he called the police on us and they promptly showed up.

I guess he thought that was going to scare us. Actually, we were thrilled. We also had “recording the sound of a police siren” and “taking a photo of the group with a police officer” on the list.

Because of a grumpy Wendy’s manager, our group won.

What was the shortest interview you’ve had that led to a job offer?

When I was 18 I moved into a share house with some friends. On the second or third day I was checking the mail box when a man walked over from across the street where a little model car shop was located.

He said to me “excuse me, do you live here?” I said “yes, I’m Susan, we just moved in”. He replied “Good, would you like to come and work for me? The girl who used to live here worked for me for 3 years, but she moved out”. I asked “what sort of work did she do? What do need?” He told me that she did office admin work, tallied invoices, paid bills, occasionally sold merchandise….

I asked how many hours and how much and then, happy enough with the repky, I took the job on the spot. On my front lawn, next to my letter box.

He seemed to just trust that the house knew the right person to work for him. I worked their for 4 years and then I moved out. I can only assume that the new resident got offered a job soon after…

What is the most shocking thing you have seen a police officer do?

I love this one! Many years ago a police officer had a BIG guy handcuffed in the back seat of his squad car. He was trying like all hell to get the guy out. Another officer came to assist him. This guy wedged his feet into the floor under front seats. They didn’t want to mace him because they would not be able to use the squad for a long time. He was not a violent offender. It was something with being intoxicated but not driving. I think his wife called. He wouldn’t budge. Lots of swearing and threats to get him out. It was actually funny to see. He was not coming out.

Anyway, this state trooper I know, who is also a teacher in aikido and a few other martial arts, goes and asks him to PLEASE COME OUT. This guy is dying from laughter. He was calling him all kinds of Asian insults. So, the trooper asks one of the cops to hold his hat. He starts to put on rubber gloves. This guy is yelling, what cha gonna do? Check my prostate? Even the cops were laughing. Trooper says, “No. I’m gonna get you out of the squad.” Guy yells, “Go ahead, you &$@#@ eyes”. So trooper reaches in and with one hand pinches his nose closed. He put the other over his mouth. In about 60 seconds that guy flew out of that squad! We all learned a lesson that day. No matter how big the engine, it will not run without oxygen!

Jurassic Park but with a Cat

https://youtu.be/W85oD8FEF78

The West’s Not-So-Subtle Message To Russia: Photo Emerges of F-16 with U.S. Nuke (Trainer) on Wing; Ukraine?

World Hal Turner 09 February 2024

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2024 02 10 11 53

A photo has emerged of an F-16 Fighter Jet with a U.S. B-61 Nuclear Bomb (Trainer) mounted under its wing; the exact same type of plane the West plans to “give” to Ukraine. A message to Russia?

That photo – shown above with (my) added text showing the B-61 nuclear trainer, was clearly taken during summertime; there are dandelions showing in the nearby grass.  That such a photo was even TAKEN would be a gigantic breach of nuclear security.  The fact that it has suddenly “emerged” in public is nothing short of astonishing.   Unless, of course, its release is to send a message.

A “Trainer” is the same size, shape, and weight of the real thing, but is inert; there is no nuclear warhead in it.   It is designed to provide pilots with a “feel” for the aircraft when it is carrying such a device, so the pilot can get used to how the plane handles with the weapon mounted, and what it feels like when it is released.

It also allows a pilot to train on how and when to release the bomb so that it actually hits the intended target. 

The B-61 is a gravity bomb and is not guided by its own engine or any wings, to hit a target.

The B61 nuclear bomb is the primary thermonuclear gravity bomb in the United States Enduring Stockpile following the end of the Cold War. It is a low-to-intermediate yield strategic and tactical nuclear weapon featuring a two-stage radiation implosion design.  Here is a FILE PHOTO of the actual, functional, B-61:

2024 02 10 11 5r4
2024 02 10 11 5r4

The B61 is of the variable yield (“dial-a-yield” in informal military jargon) design with a yield of 0.3 to 340 kilotons in its various mods (“modifications”). It is a Full Fuzing Option (FUFO) weapon, meaning it is equipped with the full range of fuzing and delivery options, including air and ground burst fuzing, and free-fall, retarded free-fall and laydown delivery.

It has a streamlined casing capable of withstanding supersonic flight and is 11 ft 8 in (3.56 m) long, with a diameter of about 13 inches (33 cm). Basic weight is about 700 pounds (320 kg), although the weights of individual weapons may vary depending on version and fuze/retardation configuration. As of 2020, it is undergoing a 12th modification. According to the Federation of American Scientists in 2012, the roughly 400 B61-12s will cost $28 million apiece.

Back in May of 2023, when the issue of giving F-16’s to Ukraine first surfaced, I reported that the U.S. caused severe consternation among its NATO allies by insisting that the planes given to Ukraine be the type already modified to handle the B-61 nuclear bomb (Story HERE).

At that time, the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Council, their version of a Senate, publicly commented that if the US allowed Ukraine access to such bombs, Russia would have no choice but to make a “preventive” (pre-emptive) nuclear strike against Ukraine!

In the months since that story, the US and NATO have been training Ukrainian pilots on how to fly the F-16.   At US insistence, those pilots are ALSO being trained how to use the B-61 nuclear bomb!

Not to put too fine a point on it, but why would those pilots need such specialized training unless the intent of the US and NATO is to actually allow them to use nuclear bombs?

This is the reality that is being forced upon Russia by the U.S. and NATO, and Russia is quite plain about how they will respond.   For instance, while military radar can determine what type of aircraft they see on radar, they have no way of knowing if that plane has a B-61 nuclear bomb under its wing.   Thus, the Russians will have to treat ALL F-16’s as if they are nuclear-equipped.  Should one such plane approach Russian Territory, the possibility of Russia being nuked __could__ cause them to strike first.

Moreover, within the past two months, a lot of news has come out about Ukraine being given German “TAURUS” cruise missiles.  The Taurus KEPD 350 is a German-Swedish air-launched cruise missile, manufactured by Taurus Systems and used by Germany, Spain, and South Korea. Taurus Systems GmbH is a partnership between MBDA Deutschland GmbH (formerly LFK) and Saab Bofors Dynamics.

The missile incorporates stealth technology and has an official range in excess of 500 km (300 mi). It is powered by a turbofan engine at Mach 0.95 and can be carried by Panavia Tornado, Eurofighter Typhoon, Saab JAS 39 Gripen, McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, and McDonnell Douglas F-15K Slam Eagle aircraft.  The missile can easily be adapted to other aircrafts such as EF Typhoon, JAS39 Gripen, F-16 Fighting Falcon, and F-35 Lightning.  Here is a FILE PHOTO of an actual Taurus Missile:

2024 02 10 11 55
2024 02 10 11 55

While the missile’s actual range is never publicly disclosed, the specifications readily reveal it has a range “greater than 500km.”

The map below shows a 500km range from the northern-most area inside Ukraine, and Moscow is CLEARLY within range; especially given the fact that Germany readily and publicly admits the Taurus missile has a range “greater than 500km.”

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2024 02 10 11 56e

So as you read this, the US and NATO are training Ukraine Pilots on F-16’s.  Training those same pilots on the use of the U.S. B-61 nuclear bomb, and debating also giving them German Taurus missiles which can reach Moscow.

Thus, the West is escalating and escalating the Russia-Ukraine conflict.  

This week, Poland issued an ominous Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) changing flight regulations in the entire eastern quarter of their country.  Pilots up to flight level 95  (9500 feet) must now be in radio contact with air traffic controllers, and must use their Transponders so ground controllers can see EVERY plane in the sky within that vast area.

The geographic area covered by this NOTAM includes the entire Poland Border with Ukraine, Belarus, and Lithuania.  Here is the map from the NOTAM:

2024 02 10 w11 56
2024 02 10 w11 56

Poland’s NOTAM also makes clear they are adding these new rules “due to the possibility of Unplanned Military Actions related to ensuring National Security.”

What “unplanned military actions” does Poland foresee?   Missile exchanges with Russia, perhaps?  Why would that happen?  

Well, it turns out that the F-16’s being given to Ukraine require a lot of maintenance, refueling and re-arming, which the airfields inside Ukraine can no longer accomplish because Russia has hit them so many times.

So it is now within the realm of __POSSIBILITY__ that those F-16’s may have to be flown into Ukraine from NATO bases in Poland or Romania!  

Just this week, Russia made it explicitly clear that if F-16’s take off from NATO bases, and are used to attack Russian forces inside Ukraine, Russia will “mercilessly destroy” those bases.

That . . . . that right there . . . . would then be called “A Russian attack against NATO” which would then be used as an excuse to trigger NATO Treaty, “Article 5” Collective Self Defense.

When Russia began its Special Military Operation (SMO) to “de-militarize” and “de-Nazify” Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin made clear “Russian conventional forces are not comparable to NATO.  We know that.   But Russia is also a nuclear power.  And our nuclear capability is superior to all others.   If NATO declares Article 5, Collective Self Defense against Russia, it will be a war no one will win.

Readers are no doubt aware that the only “war no one will win” is a nuclear war.

So from the start of Russia’s SMO, the US and NATO have known Russia may use nukes.  Now, the US and NATO are setting the stage for exactly that, by supplying Ukraine with nuclear-capable F-16’s, training Ukraine pilots to fly those planes and to use the B-61 nuclear bomb, and allow those planes to takeoff from NATO bases outside of Ukraine, attack Russian forces in Ukraine, then land at those NATO bases for refueling, re-arming, and maintenance.

The US and NATO are doing this despite knowing the Russians will “mercilessly destroy” those NATO bases, and will use nukes if NATO declares Article 5 self defense against Russia.

Here’s the punch line:  The Poland NOTAM began February 5, 2024, and will remain in effect until May 5, 2024.

That tells most people that Poland knows between now and May 5, 2024, the fight between NATO and Russia will break out, and they are warning pilots in that area over what they KNOW is coming . . . . because Poland, the US and NATO are going to actually cause it.

Of course, the mass-media in the United States and in Europe, has been completely derelict in their duty to report these facts to the general public.   As a result, the general public has no idea at all, their own governments are escalating the situation between Russia and Ukraine to the point that actual nuclear war may commence between now and May 5.

Do you have Emergency food, water, medicine, flashlights, batteries, an electric generator, fuel, communications gear like a CB or HAM radio?   If not, how do you expect to survive if this thing happens?  How will you and your family eat?   How will you get information once the electric grid goes down from the electro-magnetic pulse from nuclear detonations which take down all the TV and radio stations?

You’ll be left, cold, hungry, in the dark and without information, because YOU chose to do nothing and not prepare.

Better get prepped.  There’s very little time left.

 

Frègula Sarda

In the Mediterranean island of Sardegna (Sardinia), locals call this pasta “frègula.” In current Italian, it is known as “fregola.” At home, Chef Rosario simply calls it a delicious pasta option!

fregula sarda
fregula sarda

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups Frègula Sarda; alternatively, use orzo pasta, acini pepe or large cous-cous
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • 1/2 red onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 red chile pepper, fresh or dry, with the seeds removed, crushed
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1 1/2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon capers, drained
  • 4 cups homemade shrimp or vegetable broth
  • 1 celery, chopped
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 1 pinch saffron
  • 12 ounces large shrimp, preferably shell-on
  • Fresh marjoram or oregano, chopped
  • Fresh Italian parsley, chopped
  • Lemon zest
  • Bay leaf
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Peel and de-vein the shrimp, reserving the shells for the broth. Make broth by heating the shells in a little olive oil and adding a handful of roughly diced carrots, celery, onions, tomatoes, parsley stems and a bay leaf. Cook for one minute with a little olive oil; then add water and bring to a simmer. Keep at a simmer until needed. If you use pre-peeled shrimp, use a light vegetable broth instead.
  2. In a large casserole start the soffritto: add EVOO, onions, garlic and chili peppers. Cook on medium heat until golden (not brown).
  3. Add frègula and sauté for a minute.
  4. Add wine and cook to evaporate alcohol.
  5. Add capers, tomatoes, and saffron. Once heated through, add 1 cup of the simmering broth. Stir occasionally. Add broth in 1 cup increments as needed to keep the frègula moist and brothy.
  6. When the pasta is almost cooked “al dente” (10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the pasta grains) add shrimp and cook for a couple minutes more (or until they reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees F). Remove shrimp from pot to avoid overcooking and set them aside.
  7. The frègula is ready when all the broth has been absorbed and it has reached a creamy, risotto-like consistency.
  8. Remove from heat, add herbs, and stir thoroughly. Transfer to a serving platter or individual plates. Place the cooked shrimp on top and sprinkle with freshly grated lemon zest.

Notes

Frègula resembles a large size cous-cous, but it is also reminiscent of other “berry sized” pasta varieties, like “acini pepe” or orzo. The word frègula derives from the Italian verb “sfregolare,” which describes the action of hand rolling the dough against a terracotta surface. The Sardinian version is made with 100% durum wheat semolina and pure water. Once shaped, it is lightly toasted to a golden color and “ecco fatto,” it’s ready for this delicious recipe!

Sommelier’s Notes

Sella & Mosca 2017 La Cala (Vermentino di Sardegna) – Sardegna, Italy

Vermentino is a white wine grape indigenous to the western Mediterranean. It thrives in northwestern Italy, southern France, and the nearby islands of Corsica and Sardegna (Sardinia).

This pleasing wine offers herbaceous Mediterranean flavors heightened with hints of pineapple and citrus.

How did you get revenge on your boss?

I worked at a staffing firm in New York City. I was the top producer and my two bosses loved me.

One of the bosses who is on his second marriage, and having an affair with the receptionist. It was not a secret. Everyone in our small company knew.

both bosses or cocaine addicts. As their addiction increased, they were decreasing our commissions.

Counselors started leaving. The bosses were bringing in inexperienced losers, who were requesting the company more money than they were making.

I decided to leave.

I typed up a letter of resignation and included the amount of commissions that were currently owned to me.

They never gave me a penny.

My husband is an attorney and wrote a “lawyer letter“ to the two principles. They didn’t care.

I got together with a few of the other counselors, who had also left, and also didn’t get their commissions. We decided to write a letter to his wife, telling her about the affair that her husband was having with the receptionist.

He used to tell his wife said he was going to the gym every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. He always left with a gym bag filled with a change of clothes.

We told his wife that he had no gym membership and that she should check his gym bag when he comes home on those days and see that not one thing in the gym bag was used and nothing was sweaty or dirty. The gym bag was exactly as it was in the morning when he left for work.

She obviously knew the receptionist, and put everything together and filed for divorce.

he was furious, and called each one of us, and asked if we had done it! Lol!

We will still had to go to court but I sued for $23,000 which was $10,000 more than my original claim. I knew that he had an idiot doing the bookkeeping and they would have no idea what they are with me.

I got every cent I asked for! Ha ha!

The Working Man’s Breakfast

Very interesting stuff about the 18th century.

https://youtu.be/cNhSlyXB7PE

Don’t be a dog

I once worked on a joint venture with an Australian company. At that time, I was both the Director of heated products in the American company, and the Project Manager for the project that I was leading in the Australian company. So I was wearing “two hats”.

The project was a clothes iron joint-venture.

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2024 02 04 12 04

Now reporting to two different managers, one Australian and one American had its challenges. But over all it was positive.

But there was one thing, however that really made life difficult. You see, the American company Marketing Director (In Chicago) wanted to micro-manage the project.

And she would provide lists of technical issues that she wanted to be worked on… on a daily basis. Most of which were not germane to the projects and work at hand, and was a real headache.

Most of the things were trivial in importance and silly in scope. Like can the power cord go from 1 meter long to 1.2 meters long? Or, investigate if the temperature can be 5C higher on the plate. Now about making the logo bigger, then smaller, and then bigger again. How about cutting the size of the manual down?

These little tasks took 15 seconds to think up, and maybe 10 man-hours to work out each one of them.

So everyday, she was coming up with about 40 man-hours of work, and completely stressing the staff out.

I just wanted a fine working product. I believe in the 80/20 rule. Not the 100/0 perfectionist rule that the inexperienced seem to accept as “leadership”.

We held a number of meeting on this subject. But nothing ever got resolved, until one day, during a meeting in Australia, I stood up and pointed to a blackboard showing all the issues that she wanted us to work on.

And I really wanted to make a point. We needed to concentrate on the items that had the biggest gain; a weighted outcome, as not every issue is worthy of time to develop and flush out.

And said…

Don’t be like a dog. Going from tree to tree. Pissing around indiscriminately.

Everyone was stunned, and then the entire room burst out laughing. The Australians all got smirks on their faces and held up their finger like “what a great idea”. Ha!

It’s a memory that I will never forget.

Today…

 

 

Predictable

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/q1hfchKz4_c?feature=share

As a parent, what did your child’s school do that made you say “you can’t be serious…”?

Here’s one for you. We received a letter from school that my son was failing 6th grade math and we needed to sit down. When we got to the school there was a teacher and a vice principal waiting for us. The teacher started off with handing me a test my son had taken. I glanced over it the math was right but almost every answer was marked wrong. She informed me that his spelling was horrible.

I quickly informed her that we had been fighting with him about this for years. Back when the school was teaching – th (the) i for eye. I had my conflict with that teacher at the time.

This set the math teacher off! Me questioning a teacher! How dare I? Then she said something that set me off. Your son’s problem is because you’re an absentee father! Just as she said this the bell to change classes rang. I asked her to step out into the hall with me. As we did kids were going past us- you’d hear hello Mr. Y. several times as kids passed us.

I turned to her and said I am the soccer coach here at the school! Her face turned red. We went back in and sat down the mood had changed. Now it’s time for me to take her lags out!

I pointed at the letter she had sent to us about my son Brian. I laughed and said that my sons name is Bryan. You’ve been teaching him for 9 months and you still can’t spell his name correctly? I would like to see you right his name correctly 100 times each time you’ve spelled it wrong (we had all his test sitting right in front of us)!

I told her I was going to call the local news agency about the hypocrite at this school. The vice principal was getting scared and trying to talk me down. I wanted her job after her accusation about me and my son.

She quit! I found out later that she had been doing this to every boy in the class. Finding a way to flunk them. Parents had been complaining but no one got anywhere till me.

 

Which is poorer, Vietnam or Cuba?

USA

Yes the USA. Is poorer. If your neighbour who has the biggest house owed roughly 10 times the worth of his house and you living in a house 5 times smaller and don’t owe anyone a dime. You ie (Vietnam and Cuba) are much richer than the show off that is driving a Ferrari in the huge home that owes a ton of money that it could never pay off in a century like the U.S.

So stop asking silly questions to make yourself feel good. The U.S. is a huge Ponzi nation.

Greatest scene

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/FcIL4U7fZ_E?feature=share

What country do you feel bad for?

This is Nauru.

image 25
image 25

You may have noticed from the image that Nauru isn’t particularly large. In fact, it is just 21 km squared, which is eight square miles. That’s six Central Parks or 11% of Washington D.C. and only two countries are smaller than it, those of course being Monaco and the Vatican. In terms of population – well, you can see it’s not bursting with people, with 10,084 at the last census – that’s as many as Elkhorn in Walworth County, Wisconsin, which you’ve never heard of.

Why do I feel bad for Nauru? Because they messed up big time.

You see, the island of Nauru had a ludicrously high amount of phosphate.

image 24
image 24

Phosphate is basically this important and expensive mineral which comes from bird poop among other things. Once it became a big deal in the 60s and 70s, and Nauru got their independence in 1968, they started to mine and export it to the rest of the world. And this went brilliantly well for them, with their annual GDP going from 15 million to 45 million in the space of eleven years. They had the second-highest GDP per capita in the world, behind only the UAE. Everything was going brilliantly.

And then, the inevitable happened. They ran out of phosphate.

That’s fine, isn’t it? We’ve got, like, a billion dollars now. Just invest it well and we’re sorted. Doesn’t matter that we have no idea what we’re doing, we’ll be fine – Nauru government, 1980 (paraphrased)

They weren’t alright, to say the least. None of their investments paid off at all. They had a billion Australian dollars and managed to lose almost all of it.

They bought a bunch of hotels and properties overseas, in Australia, the US, India and New Zealand among other places. They tried to get their national airline, inventively named Nauru Airlines, off the ground, but they couldn’t fill planes, so they literally let anyone fly. They put two million dollars into a terrible, terrible West End musical that everyone hated. The only purchase that really worked out was a block of land in Portland.

FUCK. – Nauru government, 1990 (paraphrased)

So now, Nauru barely has any money. They’ve got no real source of income, apart from being friends with Australia and a few other countries. Whilst they’re just about getting by for now, projections aren’t looking good. The entire middle of the island is basically unusable for anything, because it looks like this:

image 23
image 23

The entire population lives around the coast in a coast-shaped blob, but because of rising sea levels, they’re gonna have to move somewhere at some point. Unfortunately, there isn’t really anywhere to go.

Nauru had so much luck in having so much minerals, but financial incompetence has led to the downfall of an island that could have been so much more than it’s managed to. We can only hope that they find a solution.

 

What is something horrifying you found under a bridge?

This wasn’t me. and it was as much weird as horrifying.

In June 2008, an 88-year-old retired nurse named Mary Ferns left her house in Livingston, West Lothian, saying she was going into the town centre to buy tights. Everyone assumed she meant Livingston town centre, about a mile from her home, but she never came home. CCTV showed her in Edinburgh, 25 miles away, heading towards Waterloo Place where she would have been able to get a bus back to Livingston (or to any of a hundred other places), so it looked as if she decided to go into Edinburgh to shop instead of to Livingston.

Between central Livingston and her home there are several routes which cross over bridges, and at the sides of the bridges there are steep slopes covered with bushes, leading down to the water. It was natural to wonder if she had returned to Livingston, set off to walk home instead of getting a local bus for such a short journey, had a heart attack or stroke while approaching a bridge, and rolled down into the bushes: but dogs couldn’t find her.

Then in April 2011 a skeleton was found under one of the bridges, and everyone assumed it was hers. But it turned out to be someone else entirely – a man who had been missing for 15 years, and who had evidently sat down under the bridge to get out of the rain, and then had a heart attack or stroke of his own.

Mary Ferns, meanwhile, has never been found. We don’t know if she was murdered, or met with an accident, or whether, despite her age, she chose to go missing.

Great answer

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/nvAoBRj1Hz8?feature=share

Which ruler in history was most brutal to his own people?

Pol Pot. Without question.

Pol Pot (real name Saloth Sâr) was the dictator of Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, taking power at the end of the Cambodian Civil War. As soon as he took power, He and his administration transformed Cambodia into a one party communist dictatorship. Over the next 4 years, he and his administration committed various human rights violations and carried out what is now known as the Cambodian Genocide. To go into more detail, Pol Pot and his administration:

Forced the Cambodian population to work without pay.

Made the Cambodian population live in the country side by forceful removing them from their homes in the cites.

Destroyed Cambodia’s legal system and replaced it with re-education and interrogation centers. If they thought that you were guilty, you would have been very hard pressed to convince them otherwise.

Caused much of the Cambodian populace to starve, many times to death.

Killed anyone they either felt didn’t fit into their new society or deemed to even slightly be a threat to their regime. these included: people with connections to the previous government, Doctors, Lawyers, Intellectuals, Journalists, Business Leaders, Vietnamese Cambodians, Chinese Cambodians, Thai Cambodians, Christian Cambodians, Cham Muslims and family members of prisoners who were thought to be a threat to the regime. Even wearing glasses or being able to speak multiple languages could get you killed.

If you were to be executed (which was very likely), you would have been taken to one the various “Killing Fields” and would most likely be killed with a pickaxe, so that they did not waste any bullets.

By the time they were overthrown during a Vietnamese invasion, the Cambodian life expectancy was about 18 years old.

As bad as rulers such as Saddam Hussein, Idi Amin and Mao Zedong were for their people, I believe no one was as brutal as Pol Pot was.

I feel like their motto put it best:

To spare you is no profit, to destroy you is no loss.

WTF in the USA

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/x8F8pCJ50sc?feature=share

What disgusting thing at work made you quit your job?

This doesn’t qualify as disgusting, but many years ago, I was involved with an Internet startup. They spent all of their time having meetings which achieved nothing, and were a complete waste of everybody’s time. One day, I was asked, no told, by the CEO to prepare a lengthy report on something that I considered ridiculous. I wrote 3 pages of it, and then decided to see what would happen if I didn’t finish it off, so I added 35 more pages of Loren Ipsum (Latin), and handed the report in. At the next meeting when everybody was present, I made a point of asking the CEO if the report was what he had wanted. He said “Yes, it was great”. I stood up, and told the entire room that this very important report that I had handed in, and which the CEO thought was great, actually contained 35 pages of Latin, proving that he hadn’t actually looked at it. I said “I quit”, and walked out of the door. The company went belly up 6 months later.

 

What’s an unforgettable statement that your boss told you?

My wife had disappeared forever, and my boss knew that the ground was very cold. He also knew that my car was gone, and my house was under debate. Money gone as well.

image 69
image 69

And in the middle of that struggle, he entered my office without knocking, and stated that I would have to move into the (smaller) office of a young colleague with severe psychiatric issues, whom he hated just like he hated me. When I asked him why I had to move (since we had plenty of room in our department), he stated with a smile:

“Because I said it — that’s why.”

He also said with the same smile that he was to chair my next HR committee soon, and that I could basically forget about my future. He said the same thing to the woman with the psychiatric problems.

He called us “the goofballs.”

But he forgot about the one thing he could not control nor understand, and that even we — the goofballs in that tiny office which leaked water during rain showers — understood. The secret force he tried to capture, because he did not understand how the goofballs kept coping with his constant harassing and mental torture.

And I will also never forget his expression when he was finally fired — that final sight.

Because the answer for him was darkness.

While for us, it was the light.

Meanwhile in Texas

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/J6LJraOdgOc?feature=share

What is the most disgusting trick to ever be used by a police officer?

I don’t know if it was disgusting, but it was rather a unique trick. I used this a couple of times on drug dealers.

When I worked undercover in narcotics I would be asked to buy street-dealer weight in either cocaine or Heroin. The designer drugs weren’t around yet and this new stuff called crack was just making its way onto the market.

One problem every undercover faced was the hand to hand delivery of the drugs. During the actual purchase, you needed to be able to testify that you gave the money directly to the seller and they directly handed you the drugs. ( AKA hand to hand purchase).

Drug dealers were wise to this. When an informant would introduce me to the seller they would take the money but they would only give the drugs to the informant and not to me directly.

I couldn’t testify that I got the drugs from the informant. That would require me to identify the informant and have them testify. No way I would do that. So I came up with a cool little trick.

I would give the dealer the money and he would pass the drugs off to the informant who gave them to me. I would look at the package and say it was light (not the correct weight) and throw the package back directly to the dealer saying I wanted my money back. Drug dealers are not in the business of giving out refunds.

I’d move in close seemingly to get my money back, but we’d talk a little and I would agree to the light package if he would agree the next package would be a little overweight.

As soon as the dealer agreed, I’d reach out and take the package back directly from the dealer, sometimes almost pulling it out of his hands, thus completing a hand to hand transaction.

We would let the case sit for six months before we made the arrest, so they would not remember what informant walked me in. But my little hand to hand trick worked every time.

 

If we compare with real American and Chinese people, are Chinese people smarter than real American people?

I mean..this American senator keep on asking if Chew Sou Zi (the Tiktok CEO) is a Chinese citizen and a member of Chinese Communist Party even though the CEO keep repeatedly answering that he is a Singaporean citizen !

That senator apparently:

1.Could not tell the difference between China and Singapore.

2. Doesn’t know that Singapore is not a part of China.

3.Doesn’t know that a Singaporean person is not allowed to have a dual citizenship.

4.Doesn’t have a clue that only a Chinese citizen could become a member of Chinese Communist Party ( I’m not sure about USA, maybe in the US, a non citizen could become a member of senate?)

5. He probably doesn’t even know where the heck Singapore is!!!

And the fact is, he is a SENATOR ! He represents the people in america ! He went to Harvard, therefore he’s one of america’s best and brightest! He’s a decision maker!

Can you imagine the level of intelligence of the ordinary americans?

I was relief that the senator did not asking the CEO “have you ever ordered a Chinese takeout”?.

Italian Stuffed Meat Loaf

18521t6
18521t6

Ingredients

Meat Loaf

  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 cup oats
  • 1 (15 1/2 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce, divided
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 egg, slightly beaten
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon pepper

Filling

  • 1/3 cup of any one or all of the following: sliced mushrooms, sliced ripe olives, shredded mozzarella cheese, shredded zucchini

Topping

  • 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • Ripe olives, sliced

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
  2. For meat loaf, combine ground beef, oats, 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce, onion, Parmesan cheese, egg, Worcestershire sauce and pepper; mix well. Separate mixture into two equal parts. Shape each into a patty about 7 inches in diameter. Place filling on one patty to within 1/2 inch of edge. Place in prepared pan.
  3. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until meat is done.
  4. Top loaf with remaining spaghetti sauce and mozzarella cheese. Garnish with olives.

 

 

Which kid lost his life because parents were hell bent to teach him a lesson?

So, we’ve got Liam Ashley, a 17-year-old dude from New Zealand who made a serious mistake. He took his parents’ car for a joyride without their permission. Yeah, not the smartest move in the book, my friend.

But here’s where things get real messed up. Liam’s parents, instead of just giving him a good old-fashioned grounding or some crap, decided to press criminal charges against him. They wanted to teach him a lesson, right? So they denied the poor guy bail, thinking that sending him to prison would fix everything.

image 71
image 71

Now, I get it, parents wanna straighten out their kids, but come on! Liam had some minor run-ins with the law before, nothing too serious. And for that, they wanna throw him behind bars? Talk about overreacting, man.

But here’s the real tragedy. While Liam was being transported in a prison van, some dangerous psycho attacked him. And I ain’t talking about a friendly game of patty cake, my friend. Liam was brutally assaulted and, tragically, he didn’t make it. It’s a heartbreaking ending to a messed-up situation.

Ashley was killed by George Charlie Baker, a classified dangerous criminal, who strangled and stomped on the boy. Liam sustained severe brain injuries and his family decided to remove him from life support the next day. Baker was given an 18 year sentence!

image 70
image 70

I mean, seriously, what the f**k? Liam’s parents thought they were doing the right thing, but their actions led to their own son’s death. It’s a harsh reminder that sometimes, people’s intentions can be all kinds of messed up, and the consequences can be devastating.

Have you or anyone you heard of walked out of a job interview, and why?

Yea I did. I was interviewing for a part time job in a small, higher end chain women’s clothing store. I just wanted a few hours a week in a nice atmosphere. This weeks to be the place. Then as I was doing my last interview with the store manager, she started telling me about the hourly sales requirements. Woman, what are you talking about? Well, the first hour you had to sell, say $10 worth of accessories. The second jour V higher dollar value, and it went in up to 8 hours and by the eighth hour you had to sell $50 worth of stuff. By the hour! She’s been very nice and told me she’d never seen such glowing recommendations from previous employees, she’d actually talked to them. So at the news of the hard sell requirement I was sitting there with it mouth agape in shock, I said, I’m 52, months his is a part time job I thought would be enjoyable, you just made it despicable, sorry, I’m not interested. It was a good thing, I found a job in a chain fabric store, they had about 200 stores nationwide, our store was very small, about 3500 square feet, but we worked our way up to a million dollars in sales so it was busy, fun and I loved it until the store manager stopped caring and was a pain in the butt. I loved to see, knit, crochet and do other fiber crafts. We sold fabric, yarn, lots of supplies for other crafts. And people were buying all of our supplies. But it went downhill, I left after 12 years and 18!years after I started they went out of business. It was sad, I couldn’t buy a sewing machine needle there at the end because the selection went from 20 types and sizes to 4 basic needles. And that was with everything.

JEFFREY SACHS FULL INTERVIEW ABOUT CHINA – U.S RIVALRY CONTINUE ? AND MORE

Oh my God. A deep madness.

https://youtu.be/cVYtF3HVSXY

Subtle Change in Ukraine Blame Means Deadly Trouble for Americans

World Hal Turner

OPINION-EDITORIAL — A very subtle change in the words coming out of the Russian Foreign Ministry signals the FINAL step before the annihilation of the United States.  We have now reached the final step . . .

The wording used by the Russian Foreign Ministry was very subtle, but its implications are anything but.    See if you can pick-up the subtle change in this excerpt from RT:

The US and its citizens are complicit in the deaths of the Ukrainian POWs who were killed last week when the Russian Il-76 military aircraft transporting them was shot down by Kiev’s troops, Moscow’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, has said. 

On Thursday, Russia’s Investigative Committee released a report stating that the cargo plane was destroyed using two US-made MIM-104A missiles fired by a Patriot air-defense system. The Il-76 came down in Russia’s Belgorod Region last Wednesday. All of those on board – 65 Ukrainian POWs, three Russian troops, and six crew members – were killed. 

Russian investigators stated that Ukrainian troops fired the missiles from a staging area in Kharkov Region, not far from the village of Liptsy, some 10km from the Russian border. They based their conclusion on 116 missile fragments found at the crash site bearing inscriptions in English. 

Responding to the report, Zakharova said in a Telegram post that US citizens “need to know where their money is going,” arguing that President Joe Biden and his administration have made Americans “complicit in a bloody tragedy.” 

Did you catch it?   Did you pick up the subtle change in the language they used?   It’s right there in front of you!

Here, let me focus it for you:

“The US and its citizens are complicit in the deaths of the Ukrainian POWs . . .”

Then again, in a later paragraph:

” . . .arguing that President Joe Biden and his administration have made Americans “complicit in a bloody tragedy.” “”

This tiny and subtle change points the finger not just at the US Government, it also points the finger at . . . . YOU.    And me!    Individually.  Personally.

This is a point I have made repeatedly on my radio shows in the past two years.  I have earnestly pointed out that what our GOVERNMENT does, is being done IN OUR NAME.   

Remember, this nation celebrates Abraham Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address wherein he posited that we have “Government of the people, by the people, and for the people.”

Ergo, when the US Government does something, it does it in OUR name.  You and me.   

The Russians have now made clear who it is they hold responsible for what the US Government is doing:  YOU and ME.

You see, we . . . . you and me . . . . ARE in fact, to blame!  

We sit back and do nothing while our government runs roughshod over the whole world.  Sanctions on this one and that one.   Military action here.  Military action there.   And whenever our Government engage in that activity, people we don’t know, in lands we’ve never been to or maybe haven’t even heard of . . . . die.

Oh, and while our government is doing all this crap to people all over the world, you and I sit back and do . . . . nothing.    We don’t make a phone call to our members of Congress or the Senate.  We don’t write a letter or send a fax.  We don’t even fire-off an email.   We sit on our asses and do absolutely . . . . nothing.  

The Russians are now making clear it is YOU and I who are doing this.  YOU and I who are to blame.  Directly.  Personally.

You know what?   They’re right.

WE are to blame.  We elect these people then sit back and tacitly approve of what they’re doing by our own, personal inaction.  They slaughter people all over the world.  They bomb countries back into the Stone Age.  You and I sit back and do absolutely nothing. Or worse, we sing idiotic Beach Boys Parody songs like “Bomb Bomb Bomb,  Bomb Bomb Iran . . . .” as if somehow what we’re doing is good.  It isn’t.

A Russian guy I know cited US Senator Lindsey Graham the other day to make a very valid point to me.   He showed me what Lindsey Graham, posted on “X” (formerly Twitter) wherein he said the following:

Then the Russian guy asked me “What if some member of the Russian Federation COuncil (i.e. a  Russian “Senator”) Posted this exact message on VKontake (Russian Social Media) only changed the countries involved, like this FAKE SAMPLE:

FAKE RUSSIA SENATOR

In case the Putin Administration is wondering, it is abundantly clear to the United States  and everyone else in the region, that the Administration doesn’t want war. But it will be difficult to tell the families of the fallen soldiers that the United States is not at war with us.

The United States is at war with Russia on multiple fronts through their proxies (Ukraine). Weak talk and weak action are putting our service members [in Ukraine], at risk.  If the United States doesn’t pay a heavy price after the deaths of our service members, and the wounding of many more, then the Putin Administration is derelict in their duties to protect Russian personnel in harm’s way.

To the Putin Administration: Stop the weak rhetoric and respond with strength to protect Russian interests and lives. Your current approach to United States/NATO aggression is not working. Change while you can.”

Same words as Lindsey Graham.  Same logic.

So I have to ask YOU, the Reader, if Lindsey Grahams words about Iran are good enough to warrant the US attacking Iran, would the FAKE Russian Senator’s exact same words about Ukraine, justify Russia hitting us?

Why not.  Same situation!

You see, this is a big problem for my fellow Americans.  We view the world as being ours to do with as we please.  We never once stop to think how other powerful nations, might decide to use OUR logic, when dealing with . . . . us.

Now, some of you will react by saying “They wouldn’t dare.”   Oh no?   Why not?

And you would respond “Because we would nuke the living shit out of them.”

Really?

Because they can also do that to us.   

Oh.

Yes.

Reality sets in.

And those same reactionary Americans who would say “They wouldn’t dare” would then likely say “They won’t, it would mean the end of the world.”

Yes.  It would.  And we would have done it to ourselves by the way we are behaving around the world.

Why should Russia sit back and allow us to supply arms to Ukraine, which are now clearly being used to kill Russians?

Why shouldn’t Russia tell the United States (again) to stop supplying weapons that are killing Russians and then add, or Russia will start hitting the United States?

Why shouldn’t Russia make it direct?  Blunt?

Well . . . . turns out, they just began making it blunt.  At the top of this Op-Ed, they have now begun blaming “American citizens.”   You and me.

Where is this leading?  Let me explain it this way:

What is the difference between “Killing” and “murder?”

Murder is the unlawful killing of an innocent.  But “Killing” is allowable if it is “justified.”  

For instance, if a guy is aiming a gun at you, and you do something which kills him, that is “self defense” and not murder, even though the guy is now dead.

So there is a difference between killing and murder.  One may be allowed while the other is not.

Same thing with countries.  

The U.S. is supplying weapons for Ukraine to use to kill Russians.  Russia has repeatedly told the US and NATO to stop, but we are not stopping.  ERGO, it would be “justified” for Russia to kill us in self defense.

Thankfully, the Russians have good morals and they know that perhaps the innocent American people ought not be harmed because of our evil government.  SO thus far, they have not killed us.

I think the change in Russian Foreign Ministry wording mentioned at the start of this Op-Ed, tells us that’s about to change.

The official Diplomatic Corps of the Russian Federation is now openly, and publicly, laying the blame for the deaths of Russians, upon “the American people.”  Me and you.

Having repeatedly told us to stop, the only thing left for Russia to do is to make us stop – by killing us.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has now begun laying the historical groundwork to justify exactly that.

By changing their statements to lay blame upon “the American people” they are building a record to justify killing . . .  us.

Wise-up folks.

Unless we reign-in our wayward government, and stop them from running roughshod over the whole world, you and I __can__ be held accountable.   You and I __can__ be stopped. 

The clock seems to be ticking.

Now, you can either step up and start being an active and engaged citizen, and start telling your elected public servants to knock it off, or you can go right back to sitting on your ass and doing nothing until the brilliant white flashes start.  Then you can feel sorry for yourself as you vaporize, except God already knows: You brought this on yourself by not getting off your lazy ass and stopping your own government while you still could.

No pity for you and me.

 

Have you ever seen a workplace bully picking the wrong target? What happened?

Kevin is the gentlest man I’ve ever known, and we go back nearly four decades. He’s tall, well-built, and strong, yet he talks with a soft voice and always speaks kindly.

Kevin worked in a small, cramped Capitol Hill office with a Class A bully. This guy continually said nasty things to his colleagues. He was especially abusive to the women and, because of his kind demeanor, Kevin was one of the favorite targets. A bully loves attacking anyone s/he perceives to be weak.

One day, Kevin had enough. During a verbal attack, Kevin jumped up, grabbed this guy by the lapels, and pulled him from his desk chair. He then pushed the guy against a wall and put his face very close. Kevin told the guy that he could shut up, immediately, or that Kevin would shut his mouth for him. Kevin went on to explain that there’d be no more office abuse; if the behavior happened again, the consequences would be much more severe.

The guy turned bright red, then ghostly white. He had nothing to say. He sat down and spent the rest of the day looking terrified and shaking uncontrollably. He never bullied anyone again, and he left his job shortly after. Nobody was sorry to see him go.’

 

 

My 23-year-old son got a DUI last night and is asking for me to help financially. I can but I want him to learn his lesson. What should I do?

I’m going to give you a different perspective.

It was Dec 1982. I had just turned 16 in October. My two friends and I were walking home from the Christmas dance at the high school when I was hit by a drunk driver. She was driving home from a company Christmas party. I was the one closest to the street on the sidewalk and somehow she clipped me without hitting either of my friends. Best we can figure, I rolled up the windshield and off the side of her car.

I was knocked unconscious and woke up laying facedown on the street. People were already gathered by me, holding me down, telling me not to move. I was terrified that they knew something about my “condition” that I didn’t know. Fortunately, I had only minor injuries and a concussion. Sprained pinky finger, road-rash scrapes over the whole right side of my body from my ear to my knee, swollen knee and elbow, and that pesky concussion. No doubt, I was lucky.

Then there was another little “gift” that I didn’t realize I had for years. PTSD. I had to quit the school wrestling team after I had a panic attack and blacked out during practice. In the first few months after, I literally dove into bushes and onto lawns when I heard sharp sounds behind me – tires squealing, engine revving, door slamming – all sent me flying away from the road. I would get up and brush off the leaves while mentally chastising myself for being weak. Eventually, it got to the point where I’d just flinch and not actually leap, and months later where I’d just startle.

This was 1982, before MADD, before strict DUI laws, and in many cases, before any DUI laws. I was told she spent the night in the “drunk tank” and was released the next day. Her insurance paid the medical expenses minus the PTSD therapy because I didn’t know I had that. Insurance also paid for clothing that was torn or cut off, and I believe an additional $600 for “pain and suffering.” My PTSD lasted over two years.

I never drink and drive. Because I know the real cost. Because I know I got a small dose and some families pay a much larger cost. Because I couldn’t imagine sitting in a cell knowing I killed someone.

Evolution

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UAih8qZnbsM?feature=share

Have you ever caught a police officer lying in court?

Yes, as a 16 year old!

I had my fairly new license and was driving my parents car when a deer darted out in front of me. I swerved and put the car into a ditch. Not hurt.

I find a phone and call a tow truck. Get back to the car and there is a police car there. I explained I’d stayed with the car for 15 minutes but knew there was a gas station nearby.

He gives me a ticket for speeding because in his opinion that’s the only way this could have happened.

Now this is a small municipal court for traffic tickets. My license was from my parents home 3 hours away. He was expecting me to just mail in the fine rather than contest it. He approached me before court to “refresh his memory about the event” and naively I did. He gets called and testifies that I was speeding.

So, I asked him where he was when the accident happened and was able to witness me speeding. He said he passed me going in the opposite direction.

So, I asked: if you saw me speeding in the opposite direction & saw me wreck my car, why did I have to walk 20 minutes to the phone, call police headquarters to report the accident, and walk back before you wrote the ticket?

The judge stopped things at that point & dismissed the charges.

 

What was the one incident in your life when you knew in an instant that your life was about to change? What did you do and how are things now?

One morning as I was waking up, I looked at my 27 year old wife as she was sleeping and noticed the veins in her neck were throbbing. A few days later she was in the hospital getting excess fluid drained from her pericardium (sac around the heart) that was built up and putting pressure on her heart, and causing the veins to protrude. She had recently recovered from a stomach virus and doctors attributed this to a viral infection.

A few days later, it was happening again. That’s when the whirlwind began. She was put back in the local hospital for tests, within a day sent to John’s Hopkins for more tests, within another day sent right to the oncology unit. Her diagnosis was Angiosarcoma; the tumor was on her heart.

The outlook wasn’t good and I was getting a lot of percentages: “if we do this there’s x percent of this happening and if that happens there’s x percent that we can do this”, etc. I asked to speak with someone who could just tell me what the deal was, what to expect, what the reality of the situation was. They sent the head of oncology to speak with me, and I’ll never forget it:

“The tumor is on her heart…we can’t just remove the tumor because of the location, and because angiosarcoma has an almost liquid consistency operating is rarely successful. It’s extremely aggressive and once it gets into the bloodstream, if it hasn’t already, will spread throughout her body. You’ve asked me to be completely frank with you about your wife’s condition, and because you asked I am going to honor your request: the reality of the situation is that your wife is going to die, and the life you had together as you know it is over. It could be within six months, or because of the pressure on her heart she could go into cardiac arrest at any time. Now, I’m an aggressive realist, which means I’m going to aggressively try to change the reality of the situation. But the fact is that if this kind of cancerous tumor appeared in her leg, we would immediately amputate, and she would still not survive more than two years”.

He was right.

Leftists need to learn

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/XRjVNiv0M5M?feature=share

Ukraine – The Power Scuffle Continues

The scuffle in Kiev over replacing the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine General Valeri Zaluzny continues.

CNN reports that he will be fired within the next 48 hours.

Zelensky set to announce dismissal of Ukraine’s top commander within days as rift grows over war, source saysCNN, Jan 31, 2024

This will not go down well with the electorate and, moreover, with the soldiers of the Ukrainian forces:

A poll published by the Kyiv Institute of Sociology in December found 88% of Ukrainians supported the top general. Zelensky’s approval rating, though also high, was considerably lower at 62%.

Or, as the Washington Post provides:

It is far from clear that any new commander will be able to improve Ukraine’s difficult situation on the battlefield without significantly more forces and weapons — precisely what Zaluzhny has demanded of Zelensky, adding tension to what was already a fraying relationship.

Zaluzhny’s popularity — both within the military and among ordinary citizens — makes his removal a political gamble for Zelensky. It also poses strategic risks at a time when Russia has intensified its attacks and Western security assistance for Kyiv has slowed. The general has built strong rapport with his Western counterparts and has often been able to advocate directly for certain materiel and seek counsel on battlefield strategy.

Both Budanov and Syrsky are considered favorites of Zelensky and Andriy Yermak, the chief of the presidential office and Zelensky’s closest adviser. Nearer the front, however, there seems to be little appetite for change.

“My personal opinion is you can’t do something like this right now — Zaluzhny is someone 80 percent of the military considers a good authority,” said Oleksandr, a battalion commander fighting in eastern Ukraine.

“For what is he being removed? It’s not clear. And who will replace him? Syrsky? God, I hope not. No one in the army likes Syrsky,” Oleksandr added.

The German boulevard broadsheet Bild names one of the plausible reasons for the current conflict:

The Bild publication writes that Zaluzhny wanted to withdraw troops from Avdiivka a few weeks ago, but Zelensky refused him this and on December 30 he personally went to the city to the front line to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces fighters.

So all the coffins that arrived from near Avdeevka to Ukraine since December 30 are solely on the conscience of Zelensky and his passion for narcissism.

Avdeevka is nearly surrounded and any attempts to hold onto it will cost many valuable lives of soldiers for no discernible advantage. But, just like with Bakhmut, Zelenski wants to hold on to the city to be be able point his western sponsors to some ‘successes’.

My hunch is that, after Monday’s kerfuffle in Kiev, the decision to fire Zaluzny was still hanging in balance.

The change now only happened after the noeconservative destroyer of Ukraine, Victoria Nuland, had landed in Kiev.

She made some awkward predictions:

When asked by a journalist whether Nuland had learned about Kyiv’s plans on the battlefield, she replied that, in her opinion, Ukraine would achieve great success.

“I have to say that I leave Kyiv tonight more encouraged about the unity and the resolve, about 2024 and its absolute strategic importance for Ukraine. I also leave more confident that, even as Ukraine strengthens its defenses, Mr. Putin is going to get some nice surprises on the battlefield and that Ukraine will make some very strong success,” the U.S. Under Secretary of State emphasized.

This hint does not foresee success on the ground but asymmetric operations within Russia or the Black Sea. More to the like of this which has happen last night:

Ukraine sinks Russian ship.

During a night attack by drones in the Donuzlav area, the Black Sea Fleet lost the Ivanovets MRK, built in 1989, 493 tons of displacement, armed with Moskit missiles.

Sinking that ship will do nothing to change the outcome at the battlefront. Nor would any attacks on Russia oil and gas infrastructure change anything.

Nuland’s remark also hints that the replacement of General Zaluzny will not come in the form of Army General Alexander Syrski, who is disliked by the troops for unsuccessfully holding grounds in Bakhmut and elsewhere at too high costs in men and material.

Nuland’s hint towards asymmetric operations points to the elevation of the Chief of Military Intelligence Directorate Major-General Kyrylo Budanov as a incoming replacement for Zaluzny.

Budanov has been responsible for some daring, if mostly unsuccessful, terror attacks on Russian land and interests.

Back in June 2023 the Economist explained why Zelenski might seek to elevate Bundanov:

Aides huddle close when the general speaks. Under his leadership, Ukraine’s main directorate of intelligence—HUR—has become a plucky, autonomous authority that punches above its weight. It resembles a gang. “Before we had managers, now we have a leader,” says one veteran officer. Oleg, an operative who has known General Budanov for decades, speaks approvingly of his ability to infect others with his fervour, comparing him to a snake “hypnotising you before he comes in for the kill. Restrained, measured, never panicked. You do anything he asks.”

As a confidant of the president—those in government call them kindred spirits—General Budanov is understood to be playing an ever-bigger role in behind-the-scenes peace negotiations. Sources say he is a conduit to secret talks with the Chinese, and he has also been in contact with Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of Russia’s mercenary Wagner outfit.

In conversation it is clear that General Budanov has been thinking hard about post-war Ukraine. Last winter there was talk of him becoming defence minister. He insists his only ambition is victory. Yet secret polls conducted by Mr Zelensky’s office show they are thinking about using the cult of their hero spymaster to counterbalance a perceived rivalry emanating from Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraine’s likeable and independent commander-in-chief. General Budanov’s colleagues say they are convinced he is destined for a big political role once peace comes—if he lives that long.

To the TV producers (Yermak) around the former comedian actor Zelenski it is all about ratings.

Budanov may be good at marketing his image as a successful terrorist.

But he has zero experience of leading any size of unit in combat. You can not lead a company, battalion, brigade or army by ‘huddling close’ with aides. It needs long term strategic thinking just as detailed attention to all kinds of day to day logistics.

Leading an army is like conducting a huge orchestra through a four year long Wagner epos. Having played the first fiddle in a chamber quartet does not qualify for that.

I am sure that U.S. military is not happy about this move. While there were some disagreements with Zaluzny about the right strategies those were between military professional who allowed for diverting opinions. Zaluzny was seen as an experienced  professional soldier. Budanov is seen as a spook who had never been in command of any real military. He well not be talked to at the same level.

When Zaluzny goes the experienced people in his staff are likely to follow:

According to one source, Zaluzhnyi’s senior staff are also expected to be removed from their positions.

With the new inexperienced leadership the situation on the ground will soon become a catastrophic mess for forces of Ukraine. There will be wrong priorities, miss-allocations of resources and large scale losses of men and ground.

On the other side terror attacks on Russian targets, industrial equipment as well as population centers, are likely to sharply increase.

The larger U.S. aim of all this, first announced as a 2019 RAND study, is still unchanged:

Overextending and Unbalancing Russia – RAND, 2019

The study at that time recommended the arming of Ukrainian’s army as the best way to unbalance Russia. We have since seen the escalation of that strategy. The move from the battlefield to the realm of terror is a response to the degradation of the first by empathizing the psychological effects of the second.

The foreseeable outcome though is unchanged. Ukraine will be smashed, Russia’s power will increase and the global view of the U.S. as a reliable partner will be diminished.

Posted by b on February 1, 2024 at 14:48 UTC | Permalink

 

How strict was the dress code of the strictest company you’ve ever worked for?

One of the first casinos I ever worked in had a policy that you had to wear black pants, a tuxedo shirt, a bow tie, black dress shoes, and black socks. The only thing they didn’t demand was the colour of your underwear (as long as a bra couldn’t be seen under your white shirt). The bosses were so strict that “uniform checks” were part of the norm – every couple of days a delegated supervisor would check everyone to see that they were wearing the right clothing. What stood out to me was when they’d ask you to pull up the leg of your pants to check your socks – sometimes both legs… just to make sure both socks matched and we’re all black (no stripes at the top).

This particular casino was an anomaly in the industry – it was many years ago and a small place so they didn’t have security cameras – none! One day I was on a game that required two dealers to operate and it happened that he was one of my best friends. There were no patrons in the casino at all – not unusual for an early day shift there. An older female supervisor came around announcing a “sock check”. I looked at my friend, he looked at me, we both unbuckled our belts and let our pants drop to the floor exposing the tops of our socks.

Neither of us ever had a sock check again.

No, we weren’t fired either… there was nobody in the casino at the time and the older female supervisor was a very nice lady with a great sense of humour – she (of course) told us to never do it again and almost stayed red-faced for the rest of the shift.

Is American JEALOUS of China?! YES! This is Why…

https://youtu.be/DmkP2a8TSUg

Positive Tiktok

How dhttps://www.youtube.com/shorts/oKytU_M2hag?feature=share

Did you foil or dodge someone else’s attempt to cheat or deceive you?

I exposed a huge scam by my local gas distributor (cooking gas).

This is a typical cooking gas cylinder in India.


As you can see (not very clearly though), on the neck of the cylinder, net weight and gross weight are clearly mentioned.

Recently, I read an article in ‘The Hindu’ that revealed that a lot of gas agencies/distributors/delivery persons in India are stealing cooking gas. They take out about 1–2 kg of gas from each cylinder and sell it separately in black. The loss in weight is too small for an unsuspecting buyer to notice. But in terms of money, this translates into a loss of about 60 INR per cylinder. The article cautioned everybody to get their gas cylinders weighed before paying the delivery person (Delivery persons are mandated to carry a portable weighing scale along with them by the Govt.)

At first I laughed it off. My agency was trusted. It would never do that. But then on a whim, I decided to try it out. When the next cylinder was delivered to my home, I casually asked the delivery boy to weigh it. The color on his face instantly changed. He started stammering, started insisting that there was no need for this because the bond of trust we shared! I immediately grew suspicious. I pressed him. He then started making excuses that he forgot to bring along his portable weighing-scale.

Luckily, I had my own weighing scale at home. I immediately brought it out and weighed the cylinder myself. The gross weight printed on the cylinder was 29.5 kg, whereas the scale read 27 kg. A difference of bloody 2.5 kgs.

The delivery boy started begging me not to register a complaint against him. And that he wouldn’t repeat the mistake ever again.

Apparently, this is a huge scam going on all over India. If you are reading this answer, please get your gas cylinder duly weighed before paying for it.

 

What is the weirdest you have come across as a lawyer?

Once, many years ago, as a young lawyer, I was asked to help a family member, a crazy uncle, with his disability case. He was literally homeless, living on the street and crazy beyond description. His grip on reality was severely distorted, he was schizophrenic and had lost his job as a NYC sanitation worker.

Surely, you can get him SOME benefits to live on? This was the family’s charge to me as a brand new baby lawyer. Help Uncle X! He’s desperate. You gotta do this.

Okay, I’ll give it a try. How do you say no to something like that? I had never handled a disability case and really had no idea where to start. So, let’s start with interviewing the client and see what he can tell me. I didn’t expect much in the way of cooperation from a man who I knew was thoroughly and completely insane and off his rocker. I had heard the family stories.

I set up an appointment, nevertheless, and I prayed to God for wisdom to help me save this man from roaming half-naked on the streets of NY. I figured it might even be a public service.

One fine day he did actually show up in my office. At the time, I was working for an older gentleman lawyer who had a massively busy local general practice, the type you really don’t see anymore and before the days of “legal specialization.” This office truly tried to handle EVERYTHING! It was great experience.

The waiting room was full of people in need of one form of legal advice or another when my prospective client showed up. As I greeted him in the office full of these other waiting clients the first words literally out of his mouth are “Hi, you have nice lips!” Lol. Oh boy, this was going to be a real experience. I quickly and quietly shuffled him off to my basement office so we could get to work. My office didn’t even have a window.

Well, my client had brought a sheaf of disorganized, crumpled papers and, after organizing and unfolding them I started reading them. They consisted of his employment file and the stated reasons for his termination. He was quite literally unfit for employment. His record consisted of bizarre hallucinations, reports of “voices” and other strange phenomenon which he was experiencing which rendered him totally unfit for any gainful employment. There were also stacks of medical records indicating that he was suffering from a severe mental disorder (which was nothing but obvious to anyone spending one minute in his presence). He was very much totally out of his mind.

I felt sorry for him. I knew he would qualify for Social Security Disability benefits and would also be entitled to a sizable retroactive payment. All we had to do was apply and possibly have a hearing. I was confident I could win it. I started preparing the application, starting with the claim for “disability based on mental illness.”

Well, my uncle/client took one look at the application and said (I swear that I’m not making this up) “my disability is for hemorrhoids, not that!”). I was astonished! I expected anything but resistance. What was your disability?

HEMORRHOIDS!

Well, the medical records clearly stated that he DID have hemorrhoids but that was hardly his disability or his reason for not being able to work. The records were replete with references to paranoid schizophrenia and wild hallucinations. THAT was the problem, not hemorrhoids!

I tried to persuade him. I tried to convince him to proceed but he became agitated and uncooperative. Finally, he grabbed his papers and ran out of my office. I couldn’t stop him. He was gone.

My aunt, his sister, wanted to know how we did. I told her that the case went nowhere and that he was uncooperative. Back on the streets he went for another year or so. I couldn’t help him since he wouldn’t cooperate.

Then something amazing happened (after about a year). He returned to my office, looking for help, insisting once again that his HEMORRHOIDS were his difficulty. This time I agreed.

I applied for Social Security Disability ON THE BASIS OF HEMORRHOIDS. Of course, we were going to be denied but I had an idea brewing in my young lawyer head. Let’s see if this works.

After receiving the expected denial of our application I filed an appeal and asked for a hearing with a judge. It was granted as a routine matter, as I knew it would be. Now what to do?

Well, the date of the hearing arrived and we went to court in Brooklyn. I showed up with my uncle and the case was called. The judge (I still remember his name!) looked at the hearing application and said “this is an application for disability benefits based on…. what? Hemorrhoids? Really? Okay, counsel proceed.” He was shaking his head in disbelief the entire time he said this.

I politely asked the judge to exclude my client from the room. He looked at me and said “young man, this is a most unusual request.” Yes, judge but I have my reasons. “Okay,” he said, “please exclude the claimant from the courtroom. This had better be good, counselor!”

Oh, it’s gonna be good. I promise!

As soon as my uncle left the courtroom I gushed “judge, this guy is my uncle and he’s completely nuts.” I then proceeded to tell him the entire story and told him that the real claim was for mental illness disability but the client wouldn’t let me proceed on that basis, insisting that his hemorrhoids were the issue. The judge seemed to understand.

“Okay, bring the claimant back into the courtroom. You may inquire, counselor.”

I stood up and literally asked my client ONE QUESTION. It was truly only one question… no more. I said “Uncle X, please tell the judge what’s bothering you.” Then I sat down fully knowing what was coming next.

For the next ten minutes, until the judge could no longer stand it, the client rambled about “wires being crossed” and “Ring Dings and Yankee Doodles” and how the police were stalking him and many other bizarre and colorful statements. It was very clear that his grip on reality was non-existent. I doubt he could have told you who the President was at the time or what month it was. After hearing enough, the judge stopped him, clearly having heard enough to realize this wasn’t a put on, or a fraud. It would have actually been funny if it wasn’t so sad.

“Decision reserved,” the judge said and dismissed us from his court. I left feeling confident.

A few weeks later we got a decision granting 100% disability to my uncle with a retroactive payment of over forty thousand dollars plus monthly benefits of about $2500 for life, plus Medicare. It was a grand slam win! I was a family hero.

Years later I ran into the judge on the street outside the courts. I greeted him and thanked him for his help and understanding. He told me “I will never forget that case… It was textbooks!”

Yeah, for sure.

Am I a Traitor to My Motherland?

https://youtu.be/nAJhWEuAhuM

What is the strangest reaction of someone who has just been fired?

Not exactly fired, but we thought it was a great reaction.

After a recent merger between two rather large companies, it was necessary to reduce personnel, so each department was asked to cut staffing by a certain percentage.

To encourage volunteers, management offered to give a full week worth of salary and paid medical benefits for each full year a person had worked at the company if they took early retirement. And anyone who qualified for a pension also got the full pension as if they had not retired early.

One member of our team was about 14 months away from his planned retirement date when he would start receiving full Social Security and pension payments.

He had worked for the company for 45 years. After some simple math, we all strongly encouraged him to take the deal.

He got 45 weeks of full pay, a whole year of benefits coverage (negotiated with HR), his full pension, and they also bought out the almost two months of accrued vacation time that he had been saving up in order to retire a few months early.

He basically got a 12+ month paid vacation with full benefits. We will be having a retirement party for him on his original planned retirement date in a couple of months. 😀

I imagine that wasn’t what management had in mind when they made the offer, but everyone on our team was very happy for him to get it!

 

In the restaurant industry, what are some of the most outrageous complaints you’ve heard customers make?

When I worked as a commis chef in a 5-star hotel, we had some guy come in and eat on his own, which was a bit unusual. He ordered some expensive food, but strangely finished with a starter which involved some salad. A waiter came through shortly after serving the salad to tell me that the customer was complaining as he’d found a slug in his salad, so I went out to speak with him. I explained to him that I was terribly sorry, but it just was not possible. The man was being quite rude with me, but I maintained my calm and he demanded to speak with the head chef.

The head chef came out and apologised to the man and stated that the slug was not in the salad when it was served to him. The man became outraged and the implication that he was a liar and asked how we could be so sure. The head chef said “If you would please follow me sir. There’s something I would like you to see.” The man stood up, shaking his head looking a bit smug. He seemed adamant that there was nothing we could do that would ever change his mind or prove that he put the slug there. As the head chef and I led him into the kitchen, the head chef explained the sections of the kitchen as he passed through and their function. Finally, he reached the garnish section on the other side of the kitchen and pointed. “We put the lettuce for your salad through this machine. We call this ‘a shredder’”

The man took a little time to think, clearly realising that there was just no way anything short of a small bug could have made it through there alive, and started to look a little panicked. He then started to grow embarrassed by the second, and finally apologised profusely. He said that he did not have the money to pay for the meal. As we called the police, he suddenly remembered that he did have the money and paid for the meal in cash. We never saw him again.

The Duran: NATO Crossed Putin’s Red Line and Russia is Ready to FINISH It

https://youtu.be/-Q4iDLhUjuk

What is the greatest lie ever told?

  1. Rich people : Money can’t buy happiness.
  2. Boy: I’ll come home in just 5 minutes.
  3. Girl: Wait!! I’ll be ready in just 10 minutes.
  4. Coaching Institutes : You are all are now a part of one of the best institutes of this city.
  5. Parents : Son, It is the hardwork of a just a couple of years, after that your life will be set.
  6. Mother in law to daughter in law : You’re like my own daughter.
  7. Everybody : I’m fine.
  8. Company : Our product is no. 1
  9. When relatives give you money and then your parents/grandparents say : “Let me keep the money right now, take it from me whenever you need it”.
  10. Now the chief guest will say a “few” words.
  11. Complete 10th STD with good marks then take rest.
  12. Complete 12th STD with good marks then life is set.
  13. PCB is easier than PCM.
  14. 10th Std and 12th Std are the most important things in life.
  15. If you don’t do anything bad, nothing bad will happen to you.
  16. Swallowing seeds whole will make plants grow in your stomach.
  17. “Maggie in two minutes “…Am I the only one who takes more than 2 minutes ??

18. Everything happens for a reason.

19. We will be friends forever.

20. Complan increases height.

21. If your leg slips when you start from home, something bad is about to happen.

22. If you get hiccups, someone is thinking about you.

23. “ Fair and lovely gives you fairness “…Ohh, may be for 15 minutes or even less ??

24. One day, everything is going to be fine.

25. “ I don’t need upvotes “…Some people write to express but everyone needs upvotes like a form of appreciation or encouragement.

 

As a housekeeper, what is the most “F-that” situation you’ve had in your career?

Many years ago, while working as a housekeeper, l had one very dirty client that always left notes about what they’d like me to clean that visit.

One week l arrived to a note stating that, they’d like me to clean out the bathroom cupboard.

When l opened the cupboard l found it to be full to overflowing with used sanity pads. The whole cupboard, not one or two. Not half a dozen, but hundreds of uses sanity items. A lifetimes worth.

The note stated…clean out bathroom cupboard and as this was the only cupboard in the room, l empied it and scrubbed it out, only to be met with a nasty phone call the following day stating l should not have thrown out anything. They were being saved. Hmm. Not what the not implied. But sure.

The following visit, another note, please clean out the kitchen party. So l put all like food together, such as 10 or so open packs of pasta together, sauces together, etc, wiped out all the shelves. It looked great.

Yup another phone call. How dare l mix up the food in the cupboards. There were other instances, so l stopped working for them. The house was always filthy and they would never employ me long enough to clean the house completely. It was always left dirty, with just a small area cleaned, which would be very dirty again by next visit.

It wasn’t that it was a messy house, it was filthy to the point of being unsanitary, so l was happy to never go back.l was always worried ld get sick just for being inside there.

So l did, l disposed of

Open conversation

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/LCr9nIvV_BE?feature=share

 

Did you ever beat up the high school bully in front of everyone?

I got in one fight in my life

I was an odd duck, partly because I spent five years overseas in a private school that catered about 50/50 to children of government workers stationed there and half to people working for various corporations also stationed there, all from English speaking countries looking for a school in English in the middle of Brazil.

Also, in retrospect, partly because I’m on the autism spectrum, although I had no idea that that was the case for some decades to come. Still, I knew, everyone knew, that I was a weirdo.

Well, I got to this new school (it had just been built, because town had expanded so fast that the original school had gotten overcrowded) and of course that meant so had all the other kids. And… I’m reconstructing this, mind you, and it’s just a guess, I’m really not great at understanding how people think, see “Autism” above… they didn’t know what the “pecking order” was. So they settled it with fights. You saw someone weaker than yourself, you beat him up, and that meant you were better than him, or he beat you up and then he was better than you, and it was all sorted.

Except I didn’t want to fight. Had no reason to. Didn’t make any sense to me. Wasn’t afraid, just, well, weirdo.

It seems one kid got it in his head that this was his ticket. If he beat me up, he had it made. So my turning him down, that was maddening. He kept after me about it for weeks. Finally, I agreed. Stay in the classroom when everyone goes to recess. The teacher wasn’t all that good about policing things, it was simple enough for us both to stay behind.

He said “all right, let’s fight!” I asked him “are you sure? I don’t want to fight you. Are you sure?” “Sure” he said. So I picked up one of those desk/chair things and hit him with it. Then I asked him if he wanted to continue. He said no.

image 72
image 72

Don’t try this. It’s probably “assault with a deadly weapon” now. I guess I’m lucky he didn’t get hurt bad enough for anyone to find out, although in the 1970s I might not have gotten in trouble anyway.

Dad always told me not to fight, but if I had to fight, be sure to win, no rules.

That’s the first and last fight of my life. Maybe word got around? Maybe I just don’t have the look in my eyes of someone you should fight with. It could be the autism, sending weird signals. I don’t know.

That was in 6th grade.

So I never got in a fight in high school, sorry.

Have you ever tried to annoy a scammer who called you? If so, what happened?

No. But may I highlight a dirty trick by a phone soliciter?

I’ll take that as a yes.

A neighbor of mine was a saleman for Sam’s Club. The guy who makes a pitch to your boss, offering a discount to any of his/her employees who’d like the group membership, put on sales presentations at state fairs etc., cold-calling as well.

Then I moved halfway across the state. He calls me one afternoon, disguising his voice and acting as if he’s calling on behalf of some worthless telemarketing offer. Of course I, not recognizing him, utter some choice words before hanging up. He calls me right back, identifies himself and proceeds to ask me why I couldn’t be more polite in declining whatever it is that’s being offered.

I told him why. Said my peace and then we chatted about whatever he had really needed to talk to me about.

WF?

Have https://www.youtube.com/shorts/MzYMi0o_ZOI?feature=share

you ever called in a “welfare check” to the police? Did it turn out there was a real need? Officers, how often are “welfare checks” something where a person does need assistance?

Many years ago I was in a chat room of a group with hundreds of members. Predominantly adults but, there were older teens. I don’t remember what was being discussed but, this kid (older teen) started making rude comments then started making bizarre comments about school shootings,violence and basically hinting he was going to do something. Quite a few people ignored it or told him he was being inappropriate and that he would be reported to moderator. Most in the discussion didn’t take it seriously. I went to his profile which fortunately wasn’t locked down. So concerning posts and was able to figure out the state, town and high school he attended. And his actual name. So I called the police in that town. Explained what I had seen, sent screenshots etc. While I was on the phone with a detective they got a call from one other man who had done the same as me. Surprisingly, the detective called me back a few hours later and while he didn’t give me many details he did say, that between myself and the other man they were able to locate the boy and that everyone was safe. I confess to stalking the FB profiles later and saw that he had been hospitalized so hopefully he got the help he needed. I worried I was doing the wrong thing but, I just kept thinking how hard it would be to live with myself if I saw news the next day of a school shooting and HADN’T called.

Nuclear Boy Scout

Now known as the “Nuclear Boy Scout,” David Hahn was 17 when he decided to earn an Atomic Energy merit badge by building a working nuclear reactor — right in the backyard of his Michigan home.

In the mid-1990s, Hahn painstakingly collected tiny amounts of radioactive material from everyday objects around his house.

image 73
image 73

Image: David’s nuclear reactor can be seen

He almost had a working “breeder” reactor in his back shed when he caught the attention of local and federal authorities, prompting an FBI and Nuclear Regulatory Commission response with the evacuation of more than 40,000 people in the locality.

With the level of radiation in his basement 1000 times higher than normal; David declined to see a doctor despite having had significant radiation exposure (the skin burn seen in the image above came as a result).

Footnotes:

The Boy Who Built A Nuclear Reactor in His Basement

The USA is totally and completely fucked up

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/CCDmfIq94UQ?feature=share

 

What trivial knowledge might save your life one day?

1. Encountering an aggressive bear

image 20
image 20

Of course, it’s best to avoid bears in the wild, but if an encounter happens, you should know that the weakest skill of this animal is its maneuverability. Bears run very fast and crawl really well — but moving quickly around an object like a car or a tree is much harder for them. Sooner or later, the animal will give up trying to catch you seeing that this smart food (you) is not worth its energy.

However, don’t panic before a bear starts to act aggressively. If it’s just looking at you, standstill. There is a chance it won’t even understand who you are and what you are going to do. If it starts walking toward you slowly, walk backward slowly. Bears rarely attack people. Most likely, it will back off once it realizes you are a human.

2. Rip current

image 19
image 19

If you accidentally find yourself in a rip current, it is completely useless to swim against it to the shore — you will only waste your energy. Try to swim parallel to the shore until you exit the current, and only then swim toward the shore.

3. Aspirin during a heart attack

Just one pill of aspirin can seriously improve how you feel. The person having a heart attack should lie down immediately and put something under their head or sit down and then take the pill. In order for it to work sooner, it should be chewed very well.

4. Diagnosing a heat stroke

The most obvious symptoms of a heat stroke are dizziness and nausea, but they can appear for other reasons too. In order to know for sure, you should eat something sweet, like candy. If the taste seems unpleasant, this is a heat stroke. For people who have any cardiovascular disorders, it is vital to determine the reason as soon as possible and get the right help.

5. A simple maneuver that will bring someone back to consciousness

image 18
image 18

If you really need to bring someone back to consciousness, you should put them on their back and push their knees to their chest. This will make the blood flow to their brain and the person will wake up. But first, make sure the person doesn’t have any leg or body injuries, otherwise, the situation may only get worse.

6. Help in case of a venomous snake bite

Unlike some popular misconceptions, you shouldn’t suck out the venom, apply cold, apply bandages, or burn the wound. Before the experts arrive, the victim has to drink a lot and take an antihistamine. The area around the bite should not be touched because otherwise, the venom will just spread around the body faster.

7. Saving a drowning person

If you were able to save a drowned person, it doesn’t mean that they are out of the woods yet. You should take them to the hospital immediately, otherwise, they could die within several days if there is some leftover water in their lungs.

8. How to break car glass in case of an accident

image 17
image 17

If you are in a situation where you can only get out of a car through the window and the door is impossible to open, remember that it is much easier to break a window by hitting it, not on the center but on the edges. By the way, if you can remove the headrest from the seat, you can use it to break the window. In different cars, headrests are different, so make sure you know how to remove the ones in your car.

9. Antihistamines should always be with you.

It may happen that you are allergic to something that you have never encountered before. And it could be such a severe allergic reaction that it might just be lethal unless you get qualified help. This is especially important on trips when people try new foods, see new plants, and go to completely new places.

10. Water on the beach is too far from the shoreline.

image 16
image 16

When the waterline is abnormally far from the shore, this is a sign of a tsunami. If you notice this somewhere, you should warn everyone around and run.

Unfortunately, in 2004, people didn’t pay attention to this sign before a tsunami in the Indian Ocean. Almost on the entire shore was exposed and people went out to collect fish and shells. And children were the most interested. However, there were people on 2 beaches that knew about this fact: a 10-year-old English girl named Tilly Smith and biology teacher John Chroston. They managed to save the lives of many people that day.

11. The rule of 3

If you ever find yourself in a critical situation, you should remember these numbers that can be used to describe the survival abilities of an average person:

  • 3 minutes without air;
  • 3 hours in extreme temperature;
  • 3 days without water;
  • 3 weeks without food.

So, if you can’t get your priorities straight, the chances of surviving are much lower.

 

As a parent, what did your child’s school do that made you say “you can’t be serious…”?

My son has anaphylaxis inducing food allergies. The kind of food allergies where we had benadryl and epi pens in the nurses office and his backpack. In order to prevent an exposure I carefully packed his lunch every day. He had some money on his school lunch account so that on Fridays when they offered icy pops he could get one. Other than that, no birthday celebrations snacks, no school holiday celebrations, etc were allowed. The nursing staff knew, the teachers knew, even the principal knew this.

Apparently the stinking lunch aide didn’t know and didn’t care. One day my 7 year old son forgot to grab his lunch kit before heading to lunch. He told the lunch aide but she refused to let him go back for it. He begged but she instead marched him to the hot lunch line and made him buy his lunch. He came home covered in a rash, beet red and with severe stomach issues that kept him out of school for 5 days. When I asked him he told me what had happened. Fortunately he ate something off the minor allergy list so not an anaphylactic reaction.

I called every person I could think of and demanded answers. I went to school and demanded to talk to the lunch staff supervisor. That woman was re-trained and put on probation. I wish they had fired her but she claimed she had no knowledge about allergies and was just doing her job. Oh, and she avoided my son completely the whole rest of the year.

Young Wife Hid The Truth About How She REALLY Made $ In College, Now Hubby’s Family Has Video Proof

This is a great video that I will show to my daughter when she gets older. Learn from the mistakes of others.

https://youtu.be/k1KDBCpxW8A

 

 

 

Have you ever said yes to someone instead of no, and still think that was the biggest mistake you did?

Every Thursday night, a bunch of us university students would meet in the local pub. One night one of my closest friends says, that they are going to Hawaii for reading week (spring break) and asked if I would like to come.

Being drunk, I said that sounds awesome, he said ,sign a blank cheque and give it to me, and I will make all the reservations. I gave him the cheque and forgot about it. It was never mentioned again. Two months later I get home from the bar, on the Friday of reading week, and the phone is ringing, ( before cell phones) I answer it, and my friend says,”Where are you, the plane leaves in an hour and a half, and we are all at the airport lounge”

I lived 15 minutes from the airport. I threw my notes and text books, some jeans, underwear, socks and long sleeve shirts in a suitcase. I had no clean T-shirts, gym shorts or swim wear. I drove, parked in long term parking and just made it to drop off my luggage, at the last second. I met my friends in the lounge, and walked to the gate. If I had gotten home from the bar 10 minutes later I would have missed it.

I asked him why he hadn’t mentioned the trip in two months, and told him I had nothing to wear in Hawaii, and I needed to study for exams that followed reading week.

He looked stunned, he had completely forgot to tell me that he had booked the trip. Because the others had all been talking about it.

I had a great time in Hawaii, bought cheap T-shirts, shorts and swim wear, and never cracked a book.

I failed my first test, the day that I got back to university, and had to spend an extra semester in school to catch up. I should have said NO

As a flight attendant, is it annoying or insulting when people don’t pay attention to the safety presentation before a flight?

I remember an incident in the late 1990s that happened on a Boeing 757 during a flight from Orlando to San Francisco.

As we were taxiing for take-off, we were enacting the required safety demonstration. A passenger seated in the over-wing exit row was talking loudly to his seatmate, creating such a distraction that some near him were having trouble hearing.

I leaned over and quietly asked him to hold his conversation until we were finished. He replied, somewhat condescendingly, “Look, I fly a lot. I know what to do. I’ve seen this so much that I already know it by heart.” And with that, he launched rudely back into his conversation.

I politely suggested that our demonstration was an excellent chance for him to review his knowledge, but he interrupted me, snarling for me to leave him alone because he didn’t need a review; he knew exactly what to do. I then flatly stated that his conversation was a distraction for others, and again asked him to hold until we were done, assuring him that it would be only another minute or two.

“FINE!” he snapped, heaving a melodramatic sigh, and glaring sullenly at me, he muttered something incomprehensible (and undoubtedly unpleasant) before continuing his conversation anyway, though quietly.

We achieved our cruising altitude at 35,000 feet and the ride was smooth. But about 90 minutes into the flight, we experienced an emergency when the cockpit was alerted by a sensor that there was a fire in one of the wheel wells. The proper procedure was to immediately lower the landing gear to extinguish the fire. But after the gear was lowered, the sensor still indicated the presence of fire. The Captain called to advise us that we would be making an emergency landing at the nearest airport, an Air Force Base in Meridian, Mississippi, and instructed us to prepare the cabin for evacuation.

Our descent was rapid, and we had only minutes to prepare. We advised the passengers on the situation, and began to prepare them for an emergency landing, including the possibility of a crash, and subsequent evacuation. The fear was palpable in the cabin, and everyone was paying very close attention to our instructions.

Our final action was a visual inspection of the cabin as we made our way to our jump-seats to strap in. As I hurried down the aisle, checking to see that passengers were prepared, I came to the window exit and noticed that the loud-mouthed passenger appeared rigid with terror. So I stopped and I asked, “Sir, are you OK? Do you know what to do when we land?”

He didn’t respond, and so I grasped his shoulder and with a shake, I said loudly, “SIR, CAN YOU DO THIS?”

He turned his gaze on me and I could see that he was in absolute shock. His terror-stricken eyes began to tear up, and the color drained from his face, turning it white as his mouth opened and closed, over and over, like a fish out of water. He couldn’t answer me. His mouth made little bleating sounds as he tried to force air through his larynx, but couldn’t seem to form words.

Time was running out, and others around could see that there was a problem. I pointed to the man sitting in the row behind and asked, “Can you do this?”

He fairly leapt to his feet, nodding and saying loudly, “Yes ma’am, I can.”

“Do you know what to do?” I demanded of him, and he replied with full confidence, “Yes ma’am. I look out the window first, and if it’s safe, I pull the cover off, and pull the handle down until the window opens, then lift it in, roll it onto the seats, step through and get off the back of the wing.”

“Then you and him change places… NOW!” I fairly shouted. I only had moments left; we were nearly landing. But the man in the exit was frozen with fear, unable to even comprehend what we were doing, let alone move himself.

At my shouted instructions, the second passenger and I, along with two other passengers, grabbed the terrified man by his arms and physically lifted him up, out and into the row behind. I yelled to the passengers next to him to buckle him in as the second passenger jumped into the exit seat. I fled for the back of the plane just as the Captain came onto the PA shouting “BRACE, BRACE, BRACE!” Diving for my jump-seat, I strapped in, pulling the last harness tight and snapping my body into the brace position just as the wheels touched down.

Fortunately for us, the landing was smooth, and before the plane came to a stop, the Captain announced, “REMAIN SEATED, REMAIN SEATED!” The fire was out, and we taxied to a stop. (We later learned that it was a malfunctioning sensor; there had been no fire in the first place.)

Air Force personnel brought stairs to the airplane, and all the passengers got off to stretch their legs and recover from the excitement. Inside the small terminal, someone tapped my shoulder. It was the man who had been so rude during our safety demonstration, who had frozen up when the actual emergency came.

“I want to apologize to you,” he said. “I was being an ass. I thought something like this would never happen to me, and when it did, I was terrified because I didn’t know what to do. Despite my rudeness to you, you still did your best to save my life.

“I was wrong, and I make this promise to you that I will never again ignore the safety demonstration, regardless of how many times I’ve seen it, and regardless of where I’m seated on the plane. I’ve learned a valuable lesson, and I have you to thank for it. I hope you accept my apology.”

What was the nail in the coffin for an employee or a co-worker?

When I first started working at Wolf Camera, I had a coworker that I’ll call John Doe. He was the type who was friendly enough, but didn’t have a particularly great work ethic.

Once, I was printing some photos. He was in the back taking a break. The phone rang. After a few rings, I answered the phone. When I was done with the call, I asked why John hadn’t answered the phone. He said something like, “Oh. I thought you liked answering the phone.”

Another time, he left work to take care of personal business. He said he’d be back in an hour or two to help close up. My brother and I were the only ones there. I didn’t have a key to lock up and I don’t think my brother did, either.

I was new enough at that point that I didn’t feel comfortable shutting down the machines by myself. We had to call someone to help close the store. I’m not sure if that ever made it back to the manager, as that incident didn’t get him fired.

One day, a camera goes missing. Our store had been flagged by corporate because we had enough inventory go missing, so we had to count the cameras every morning and every night. We also had them tagged, so we knew which camera went missing. A few days later, it appeared in the back again.

Shortly thereafter, we get a visit from corporate. Then, John Doe is suddenly no longer with the company. Officially, this is all I know.

It later came out that John had taken the camera and used it for photos on a dating site. How do we know? He left the pictures (of himself) on the camera’s internal memory.

Reclaim my virginity

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1LWvK3X4VuA?feature=share

 

What did you find out about your teacher that shocked you?

Once upon a time, in a small suburban town, there was a high school named Elmwood High. Among the teachers at Elmwood High, there was one who stood out, Mrs. Anderson. She was known for her warm smile, her passion for teaching, and her impeccable professionalism. Students admired her dedication to her job and respected her greatly.

One sunny afternoon, a group of students was gathered in the school library, studying for an upcoming history exam. As they pored over textbooks and notes, a hushed conversation began about Mrs. Anderson. The students wondered about her personal life beyond the classroom, as she was known to be quite reserved about her own affairs.

Curiosity got the best of them, and they decided to do some sleuthing. They began by searching for her on social media, hoping to uncover tidbits of information about her life outside of school. It wasn’t long before they stumbled upon a social media profile that belonged to Mrs. Anderson.

To their surprise, her profile revealed a secret passion that none of the students had ever imagined. Scrolling through her posts and pictures, they discovered that Mrs. Anderson was an avid extreme sports enthusiast. There were breathtaking photos of her skydiving from high altitudes, snowboarding down steep slopes, and even bungee jumping off towering bridges.

The students couldn’t believe their eyes. The teacher they had always seen as reserved and composed was, in her free time, a fearless adrenaline junkie. They were in awe of the stark contrast between her adventurous hobbies and her calm, composed demeanor in the classroom.

As the students shared their discovery with their classmates, the news spread like wildfire throughout the school. Everyone was astonished by the double life their beloved teacher led. The revelation added a new layer of intrigue to Mrs. Anderson’s personality, and she became even more respected and admired for her unexpected passions.

One day, a curious student couldn’t resist asking Mrs. Anderson about her extreme sports adventures. She smiled and confessed to her secret hobby, explaining how it provided her with a sense of thrill and freedom that balanced the structure and responsibility of teaching.

Her revelation served as a valuable lesson to her students, reminding them that even those who appear to be one-dimensional may have hidden depths and interests that defy expectations. It was a moment of connection and mutual understanding that brought the teacher and her students closer together, deepening their respect and admiration for one another.

1920’s General Store OPENED After Decades of Closure: Exploring a long-Abandoned General Store

https://youtu.be/3dhYzl0bcwE

 

If we stopped launching satellites and rockets, how long will it take for Earth to be cleansed of all the space junk orbiting it?

If we stopped launching satellites and rockets (I’m against this), how long will it take for Earth to be cleansed of all the space junk orbiting it?

The densest concentration of space junk – using the word “dense” very loosely – is in low Earth orbit and would mostly clean up after 10–20 years due to orbital drag. On the other hand, the debris in higher orbits might last thousands or millions of years.

On the gripping hand, space junk isn’t all that dense. The carefully guarded ISS has to dodge debris about once per year (and is armored for the very little stuff that is missed). Pictures like the following diagram incorrectly portray space junk that is the size of nuts and bolts as being the size of cities.

60 years of space launches have put a grand total of 7,500 tons of junk into orbit, which is equivalent to one day’s worth of domestic trash from a big city. Space junk, of course, is spread over a volume thousands of times greater than all the skies, waters, and lands of Earth.

image 21
image 21

Further, positive steps are being taken to control debris. Starlink, for example, had to demonstrate to the US government

that 95% or more of its satellites would de-orbit in a controlled fashion at their end of lives, and their low orbit means the rest will drop in a few years if they can’t make de-orbit burns.

Abandoned upper stages

used to be a major source of space junk because after some years in orbit their batteries or residual fuel would explode. They are now usually built to vent their tanks and batteries after releasing their payloads, while some operators try to set them up on atmosphere-skimming orbits or outright de-orbit them.

Geosynchronous satellites, which are far too high to de-orbit, now reserve fuel to kick themselves up to Graveyard orbits, which are a bit higher than geosynchronous and aren’t useful for anything except dead satellites.

 

Did you learn a lesson from a person you judged to be below you?

So I was waiting on the check out line today at a grocery store, when this teenage girl clearly cuts in front of me. She sees that I’m there and just stridently moves in front of me. I want to say something but decide that it’s not worth it, but I have some fairly nasty thoughts about her being an entitled and rude brat.

Then I see her look back worriedly, looking really stressed. What must be her mother is leaning against the wall, looking quite ill. The mother has a cane and is barely able to walk. She’s telling the girl to hurry up already.

The teenager wasn’t cutting in front of me because she’s a nasty person, but because she’s stressed and a caretaker. She just wants to get her mother home.

I felt grateful I didn’t make a scene.

I realized that when people are cruel, many times, they have their own problems and you don’t have to take it so personally.

Be different from the rest

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/k3WuDNNdokI?feature=share

 

 

What are the things we’ll only understand when we get old/older?

I was 16 and used to visit my boyfriend who lived in a large apartment building close to my house.

We’d hang out with a small group of friends in the parking lot listening to music, talking and loitering.

There was a lot of loitering.

(Wait. If you feel like this answer needs a soundtrack, play Raspberry Beret by Prince.)

One of my boyfriend’s neighbors would always come down and ask us to turn the music down. Her request was made with distaste, contempt.

It was like we had no right to occupy the space we did, like everything, including sound waves, belonged to her.

We never turned the music down. We didn’t mean to be rude but needed to stake a claim over our fundamental right to exist.

Today I live in San Francisco in a busy neighborhood. Sometimes teenagers park in the street right below my apartment. They listen to music and honestly, I don’t understand why they have to play such shitty music so very loud.

At least once a week I sigh and scrunch up my face and open the window, lean out and catch myself right before words pour out of my mouth.

It’s inevitable. You get old and become all the things you were sure you’d never be.

 

Has someone ever been fired because of you?

Yes. It was shortly after 9/11. I was a teenage girl, going to my dad’s job like I always had(we lived right around the corner). I pulled in, saw a guy waving at me, so I waved back and keep.goimg thinking it was one of his coworkers.

Well, it wasn’t a coworker, it was security trying to flag me down. I parked next to my dad’s car and was waiting for him to come out on lunch. This was before every teenager had a cell phone so I was just sitting in my car.

The security guy flew up to me, blocked me in and started screaming at me to get out of the car. They’d never had security before so I had no clue what was going on. I thought it was just some crazy guy. I got out the car(stupid, I know but teenage girl) and asked him what was going on. He yelled that he was calling the police and I was going to jail. I started crying and trying to explain that I was just coming to see my dad. He called me a liar and kept telling me I was going to jail.

One of my dad’s coworkers came over to see what was happening and saw it was me, he radioed in to my dad and a supervisor to come out right now. I was explaining to the coworker what happened and the guy kept calling me a liar. My dad and the supervisor came out and I kept trying to tell them what happened and the security guy kept saying I was lying and I was disrespectful and didn’t listen to his commands. I never even heard any commands except get out of the car.

The supervisor advised that they had cameras so he’d review them. The guy and the entire security company were let go the next day.

I still sometimes go to my dad’s work for different things and it’s been over 20 years since this happened.

Men need this advice

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/o3XfukCgkcU?feature=share

 

What makes people become instantly likable to everyone they meet?

Secrets of the Charmers’ Codex

image 22
image 22

Have you ever encountered someone who walks into a room and sunshine erupts from their pores? They crack a joke, and the room erupts in laughter. They ask a question, and everyone leans in, eager to share their pearls of wisdom. You leave the interaction feeling like you’ve known them for years, vowing to unlock the secret to their magical, instant likability.

Fear not, dear human, for today we delve into the Secrets of the Charmers’ Codex, a tome whispered through the ages amongst the effortlessly popular. Forget potions and magic spells (though a well-placed confetti cannon adds a certain je ne sais quoi); these are secrets of the soul, crafted from genuine human interaction and a dash of hilarious self-awareness.

Rule #1: Be the Human Sunshine: Let’s face it, negativity is the emotional equivalent of a rogue sock in the dryer – loud, obnoxious, and best left at home. Smile, not just with your lips, but with your eyes. Exude the warmth of a freshly baked croissant, the enthusiasm of a puppy greeting its long-lost chew toy. Remember, people gravitate towards light, so become a walking lighthouse of joy.

Rule #2: Listen Like a Ninja: Master the art of the attentive ear. Put away your phone, silence your inner monologue (unless it’s particularly witty), and focus on the person speaking. Nod like a bobblehead on caffeine, ask insightful questions (avoiding “Is that all?” like the plague), and remember details. Make them feel like they’re the most fascinating documentary on Netflix, and watch their walls melt away.

Rule #3: Humor is Your Weapon (But Use it Wisely): A well-timed joke can disarm tension, bridge awkward silences, and earn you eternal brownie points. However, wielding humor is like handling a spork (useful, but potentially dangerous). Know your audience, avoid offensive jabs, and embrace the power of self-deprecation. Remember, laughing at yourself is like wearing mismatched socks – quirky, endearing, and strangely captivating.

Rule #4: Empathy is Your Superpower: Step into someone else’s shoes (provided they’re not covered in questionable substances). Acknowledge their feelings, validate their concerns, and offer support without judgment. Show them you’re not just a charming surface, but a deep well of understanding. Think of yourself as a human empathy sponge, soaking up emotions and leaving behind a trail of emotional comfort.

Rule #5: Authenticity is Your Shield: Ditch the masks, the personas, the inflatable T-Rex costume (unless it’s thematically appropriate). Be your wonderfully weird, flawed, and fabulous self. Embrace your quirks, celebrate your passions, and let your genuine personality shine through. People connect with the real you, not some airbrushed version. Think of yourself as a delicious, homemade pizza (flaws and all) – infinitely more interesting than a frozen pepperoni disc.

Rule #6: Master the Art of Conversational Ping Pong: Conversations aren’t monologues; they’re a delightful dance of ideas. Share your thoughts, but don’t hog the spotlight. Ask open-ended questions, volley back engaging responses, and keep the rally going strong. Remember, the best conversationalists make others feel heard and valued, not like a spectator at a tennis match.

Rule #7: Sprinkle Compliments Like Confetti: Everyone appreciates a genuine compliment, so scatter them like glitter on a unicorn’s birthday cake. But remember, specificity is key. Instead of “You look nice,” try “That shade of blue makes your eyes sparkle like sapphires.” Or instead of “You’re funny,” share, “I almost snorted my coffee when you told that story about the talking parrot and the cheese wheel.”

Rule #8: Embrace the Power of Vulnerability: Sharing your flaws and fears isn’t weakness; it’s magnetic. It shows you’re human, relatable, and courageous enough to let others see the real you. Vulnerability builds trust, strengthens bonds, and makes you instantly more likable. Think of it as social kryptonite: It disarms defenses and reveals your authentic awesomeness.

Rule #9: Be a Name Magician: Remembering names is like casting a spell of instant connection. Use repetition, association techniques, or even write it down discreetly if needed. When you address someone by name, it shows you care and value their individuality. It’s like a verbal hug, without the awkward body contact (unless you’re into that, then by all means, hug away).

Rule #10: Radiate Passion: When you talk about something you love, your eyes light up like a Christmas tree on energy drinks. Passion is contagious, so share your enthusiasm for your hobbies, dreams, or that weird obsession with collecting vintage teacups. People are drawn to those who exude passion; it’s like a beacon of excitement in a sea of blasé conversations.

Bonus Tip: Embrace the Unexpected: Sprinkle your interactions with a dash of the extraordinary. Offer a stranger a high five for no reason, compliment someone’s shoelace-tying skills, break into a spontaneous interpretive dance (bonus points for air guitar solo). Remember, life’s a stage, and you’re the star of your own one-person show. Make it memorable, make it yours, and watch the world become your captivated audience.

So there you have it; the secrets of the Charmers’ Codex. Remember, instant likability isn’t about manipulation or trickery. It’s about embracing your genuine self, radiating warmth, and treating others with the kindness and respect you deserve. Go forth, spread your sunshine, and remember, the world needs more laughter, not more rogue socks in the dryer.

To delve deeper into this topic, you don’t need anything short of an intriguing book. Articles are not enough. Crack the code for instant likeability and charm. See my comment below.

Do not let this aspect be under-rated

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/mugNpA0sNLg?feature=share

 

 

What are some pretty messed up things you see parents do to their children in public?

The worst thing I have ever seen a parent do to their child in public is something that breaks my heart and makes my blood boil at the same time.:

I was working at a local gym and saw a woman carrying her infant child through the lobby toward the parking lot. I can only assume the baby became fussy because the woman became angry and stopped in the space between two sets of windowed doors, placed the baby on the floor, and began to hit the child (which of course made it cry, and did nothing to help whatever was the matter). This only lasted a few seconds, otherwise I might have dropped what I was doing and confronted her. My co-workers and I were stunned and horrified. We wondered in quiet conversation, “What kind of a monster does that to her baby?”

I have never forgotten this incident because it was so terrible, and because I would give everything I own to have a child of my own.

On the flip-side, one of the best things I have ever seen a parent do in public is this:

A little boy was with his mother in the grocery store, and he wanted a doughnut. I overheard his mother giving him a choice: “You can have a doughnut now, and skip (whatever it was) later, or you can have (whatever it was) later and not have the doughnut now.

I thought to myself, “This is a great way to teach good decision-making while instilling the importance of forethought and delayed gratification!”

The little boy chose the doughnut, and then said he still wanted the other item. To the mother’s credit she followed through with, a firm but gentle, “No.” He cried bitter tears, and I’ll bet he has never forgotten his choice and consequence. What a difficult but important lesson! I felt for the child, but silently applauded the mother.

Beef Braciole

The tomato-wine pan sauce is divine. Always serve spaghetti or other pasta on the side to complete the presentation.

2024 02 03 10 10
2024 02 03 10 10

Braciole is a classic Italian favourite that’s sure to please the whole family. Tender slices of beef or pork are rolled up with savory fillings like Parmesan cheese, parsley and garlic before being braised in an irresistible tomato-based sauce. Serve it over pasta, or Polenta with a side of sauteed vegetables. Either way there’ll be no leftovers!

Slices of the top round (topside) can be quite large so if they are, you’ll want to cut them to make it the perfect size to accommodate two slices of prosciutto. It needs to be pounded to be thin and tenderised.

Braciole offers something special for any occasion; whether you’re looking for a hearty weeknight dinner idea or prepping ahead of time for entertaining guests this traditional dish packs all sorts delicious flavours into one impressive main course.

Ingredients

  • 1 (2 1/2 pound) round steak
  • 1/2 pound Italian sausage
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped carrot
  • 1 1/2 cups dry red wine (I use Chianti)
  • 1 (16 ounce) can plum tomatoes
  • 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 bay leaf

Instructions

  1. Trim all fat from steak. Cut into 8 equal pieces, then pound thin.
  2. Remove casing from Italian sausage. Break up in medium bowl. Add parsley, Parmesan cheese, garlic, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt and the lemon-pepper seasoning; mix thoroughly. Spread each steak with 2 heaping tablespoonsful of sausage mixture. Roll up jellyroll fashion; fasten with wooden picks.
  3. Brown rolls 3 to 4 at a time in hot oil in Dutch oven. Add onion and carrot to pot. Cook until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.
  4. Stir in wine, tomatoes, tomato paste, remaining 1 teaspoon salt and bay leaf. Bring mixture to boil; lower heat. Add beef rolls. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Remove from heat.
  5. Remove wooden picks before serving. Serve with sauce and spaghetti or other pasta on the side.

Have you ever called in a “welfare check” to the police? Did it turn out there was a real need? Officers, how often are “welfare checks” something where a person does need assistance?

3 times actually. Nobody died fortunately.

First one:

We had a South American migrant as a sales guy. Fresh into the country. Great salesman. His product knowledge was excellent & customer rapport was brilliant. The only negative was he needed help planning his routes, as he had yet to learn the geography – but that was something we were willing to do for him. He never had a day off. He had no family in Australia, and never spoke about friends – only the occasional mention of a neighbour who he would have a beer with on weekends.

One Monday, he didn’t show. This was normal for most sales guys, as they hit the road – but not him. He liked to plan on Monday, spent Tu-We-Th on the road, and Friday back in the office to wrap up the loose ends from the week. He also lived only 5 minutes from the office, so it was convenient for him too (unlike those of us who lived 1.5 hours away!). Some of the guys would stay back on Fridays so they could go for a few beers, and he would join them – they were probably the closest to friends that he had at the time – remembering he’d only been in the country some 2 months by now.

I called his mobile phone, and got no answer. We decided at lunch time to go around to his apartment and knock. No response. The neighbour who came out said he saw him Saturday morning, and that was it. We got real worried. So we went to the local Police station to ask what could be done. They said they’d do a welfare check, but we told them we’d already been. They promised to call us back with anything they found. We did get a call shortly after – not from those cops, but another station, to let us know the company car he drove was parked in a M-F clearway lane, and was towed that morning. The location was the other side of the city to where he lived. By late afternoon the mystery was solved. He’d met a girl on the Friday night. She invited him to her party on the Saturday night. He drove over there, parked in a (legal on weekends) roadside spot. When he was crossing the road, he looked to his left (coming from a LHD country) to make sure the traffic was clear. He didn’t look to his right (we are a RHD country) and stepped out in front of a bus. He was in hospital, and survived with surprisingly few injuries beyond a couple of broken bones, fractures & bruising.

Second one:

Same company, couple of years later. Ironically the car that the guy above had was passed down to this salesman, as he’d been promoted and got an upgrade. It wasn’t unusual for this new salesman to have days off – particularly Monday. He would usually call in sick. If he didn’t, I would text him, and he’d reply that he was sick, and apologise for not calling. One week it went 2 days with no call and no text response. We feared a similar problem, so we drove the 1/2 hour to his house to see if he was OK. Car was in the driveway – a good sign. No answer on the door though. Called the cops and explained it. They went into the backyard and could see in through a window. He was passed out on the lounge in the back room. Turns out his father passed away (overseas) and he only found out Sunday night. He drank himself silly over 2 days.

Third one.

I didn’t call this in, but a neighbour did. Many houses in suburban Australia have a separate room for the toilet. Usually around 1500–1800mm long by 800–1000mm wide (5–6 feet x 3 feet). Most have a swinging door, that opens into the room. This particular house had one like this.

A lovely older lady lived by herself a few houses down from me. He first name was Mabel. Everyone called her Mrs Mabel. She was always friendly and everyone knew her. Her neighbour Ken would help her a lot, and came to get me for “big jobs” that needed 2 people. She was often in the garden, and had a little dog she’d bring out on a lead to enjoy the outdoors – sitting on the grass for hours watching her tend to the plants and flowers.

One day Ken said to me he hadn’t seen her all of the prior day. Also, overnight, none of the usual lights went on in the house. He was scared she might have died. I suggested she might have gone to visit one of her children and the grandkids, but he said he still heard the dog when it went out into the back yard (via a doggy door). I then felt a huge amount of dread too. So he called the cops. They came. No response. They tracked down one of her children and called them. Funny story about that – I knew the numberplate of her son’s car (I really liked the car) and the cops were able to find him from that.

Her son confirmed she had no travel plans, and he hadn’t heard from her for a few days. He feared the worst, and asked the cops to break in. Before they did any damage, they decided to jump the fence and check the back of the house. Back door was unlocked, so they entered.

They found her inside, but couldn’t help her. She’d fallen when getting off the toilet, and was stuck against the door. She couldn’t get up, and she was trapped in the room. Apparently she’d called for help all afternoon the day before, but nobody could hear her. The outside of the toilet door was very well shredded where her little dog had tried in vain to “dig” her out. They got the Fire/Rescue guys in, and they cut the door into pieces to remove it enough to get to her. After a stay in hospital, which was quite long (she developed a blood poisoning problem from the pooled blood trapped in her leg) she returned home.

Ken & I took the remains of the broken door off the hinges and cut it up so she could dispose of it in the household bin over a couple of weeks. Ken told her she doesn’t need a toilet door as she’s the only one in the house. She replied with “It’s a habit, and even at my age, I still maintain my modesty, but after a kind lecture from the Fire/Rescue team, I now realise that my safety is more important than modesty.”

Some time later she asked if we could fit a new door if she paid for it. This was puzzling, as we knew she didn’t need it. But she explained that with grandchildren in the house of a certain age, it was very difficult to stop the grandson from teasing the granddaughter when she needed to use the toilet! She promised to only use the door when they came to visit. One of her children also got her a necklace that has a button you can press in an emergency. They also feared she may fall in the garden and not be able to get up.

We have had the same worry for my mother-in-law, so last year we got her an Apple watch so she can at least call, or give an SOS signal. She now proudly calls us from it, out in the garden, saying how great it is that she doesn’t miss any messages (she would leave her phone inside, or on silent in her pocket)! She’s good with tech though, and uses the watch and phone like someone half her age. It has put our minds at ease, knowing she won’t be all alone & helpless like Mrs Mabel was. She wants to renovate the bathroom and toilet soon, so I have suggested she get the door jamb for the toilet turned around so the door can open outwards, and replace the round knob (that’s hard to grip) with a lever style handle. Fortunately she has agreed with me.

Incredible Civil War Collection Hidden 50 Years in Secret Room Behind Steel Doors, REVEALED!

https://youtu.be/aO96TZYTaFM

The old man

When I was a teenager and working in the mines and the supermarket, I was once approached by a very old man. It was a very odd visit.

I was sitting outside on the bench (outside the local laundrymat) which it was next to the supermarket where I worked. I had just finished eating my lunch. At that time, I was greatly enamored with a local “phillycheese sandwich”. So I was eating it, finished up and was ready to go back in and finish my shift.

Then, this older man slowly walked up to me.

He was old. He wore old-man clothes. Was short and hunched over, and came up to me and sat down besides me. I have never seen him before. He didn’t look like anyone that I knew, nor related to anyone. Just a strange old, old man.

He was quiet for the entire time.

But, as I started to get up to go, he lightly touched me on the arm. And then he said…

“Listen to me young man”.

So, I paused (out of respect) and stood there in front of him.

He continued.

“You are young. You have the whole world in front of you.”

I smiled and nodded.

“Be careful. Don’t get married early. Go to school. Work on yourself. Everything will come to you. This is a difficult time for you in this life.”

I said thank you, and started to leave.

He touched me again. Softly.

“I only wish that someone told me back then, what I am telling you now.”

I told him “thank you”.

I then walked back to the store, and about ten steps toward the door, I looked back.

He wasn’t there. He had disappeared.

I don’t know what happened.

For the longest time, I forgot about the event and the old man. Who was it? I don’t know. Was it time travel mm? Maybe… Who knows?

Today…

 

Did a co-worker ever try to hide their wealth or poverty from those at work? How did they do it and what happened after?

Loretta was working as an underwriter at a large insurance company in Los Angeles where I had a summer job.

She was an older lady from the South, wore her blonde hair in a beehive, and was always attired in polyester slacks, very colorful overblouses and matching costume jewelry, all from the Sears catalog.

She was polite with others but pretty much kept to herself. At company functions, she engaged in courteous conversation that gave no insight into whom she was.

Her desk was tidy with a few, forgettable personal items.

She was respected by the other underwriters and the bosses. We heard that she had refused promotions, being quite happy where she was.

I was sitting in front of her desk when the Personnel Manager strode in purposefully. As he drew nearer to Loretta’s desk, his confidence waned.

“Miss Loretta, may I speak to you and Bernard (the unit supervisor) for just a moment?” (Yes, he really called her ‘Miss Loretta’. . .no one else was addressed in such a way.)

“Why, of course.” (It sounds much better with a southern accent applied.)

Loretta’s desk was opposite Bernard’s office, so since they did not close the door, I heard everything.

“Miss Loretta, we’ve been through this before. You must cash your paychecks. The Finance Department can’t clear the books until you do.”

Loretta looked somewhat chastened, one hand fluttering to her throat.

“Why, I am so, so sorry! I didn’t mean to put anyone out. It just slipped my mind. I will take care of that today at lunch time!”

“You have the checks with you today?”

“Why, yes, I do. I believe they are in my desk.”

Mr. Personnel Manager gulped and then thanked her. Loretta went to the break room for coffee.

As I waited for her, I heard Bernard ask how many checks were outstanding.

Twenty-three monthly paychecks had not yet been cashed.

 

Think You Want To Get Married? 25 Wives Reveal Dark Secrets That They’ve Kept From Their Husbands

https://youtu.be/ERS-oF1KrKI

 

If you order a meal at a restaurant and don’t like the taste of it, is it bad etiquette to send it back and request something else instead?

Years ago I was trying a fancy Italian restaurant for the first time. My wife and I ordered. My wife’s meal arrived and she didn’t care for it. Moreover, it wasn’t as described in the menu. She flagged the waiter and he asked what he could help her with. She noticed that her dish didn’t have sun-dried tomatoes like the menu said and the waiter explained that the kitchen was out of them. She asked about another item that the menu said was in the dish but wasn’t and the waiter replied that they were out of that item as well.

She said she didn’t really like her dish and that she tried my dish and it was delicious and asked for what I was having instead. Our waiter heavily sighed gave us a very pained expression like we were being ridiculous and took her plate away. He returned with another plate of what I was having. What my wife originally ordered was more expensive than my dish and on the check she was still charged for the more expensive dish. At this point I wasn’t going to argue with the waiter so I just subtracted the amount we were overcharged from the waiter’s tip and left.

We never went back to that restaurant and told everyone who asked about our experience. Now if the restaurant apologized for the dish not being right, cheerfully changed my wife’s order and didn’t overcharge us we would have come back and had a much more positive experience to report to anyone who asked.

More recently when dining with my family my daughter ordered the special. She really didn’t like it. She tends to be a pretty picky eater so I tried it and I have to say I didn’t blame her because I didn’t like it either. The waiter came by and saw that my daughter hardly touched it and asked if it was OK. My daughter said yes. I told our waiter that my daughter didn’t like her dish but was too polite to say anything and that I tried it and didn’t think it was very good either. He apologized and said that the dish was a bit unusual and people usually either loved or hated it and that he would be happy to bring her something she would enjoy. After dinner our waiter said dessert was on him because of our inconvenience; we explained that we were all too full and our waiter offered to box it up for us to enjoy later. We sometimes do go back to that restaurant when we are in that area.

Many things in life can either be a problem or an opportunity. In the first case not liking a dish was a problem. In the second case it was an opportunity for the restaurant to give good service.

A good restaurant would rather exchange a meal than lose a customer.

Funny

The inventor Arthur Davidson, of the Harley Davidson Motorcycle Corporation, died and went to heaven. At the gates, St. Peter told Arthur, “Since you’ve been such a good man and your Motorcycles have changed the world, your reward is, you can hang out with anyone you want in Heaven.” Arthur thought about it for a minute and then said, “I want to hang out with God.” St. Peter took Arthur to the Throne Room, and introduced him to God. Arthur then asked God, “Hey, aren’t you the inventor of women? “God said, “Ah, yes. ” “Well, ” said Arthur, “professional to professional, you have some major design flaws in your invention.” God was somewhat taken back, and when He asked what the flaws might be, Arthur Davidson produced a list for Him to read.

1. There’s too much inconsistency in the front-end protrusions.

2. It chatters constantly at high speeds.

3. Most of the rear ends are too soft and wobble too much.

4. The intake is placed way to close to the exhaust and finally,

5. The maintenance costs are outrageous. “Hmmmm, you may have some good points there and it may be true that My invention is flawed… ” God said to Arthur. “But the last time that I checked, more men are riding My invention than yours.”

 

What’s a rule your employer implemented that backfired terribly?

This happened to me at one of the companies i worked for. It was time for appraisal and promotion. I got a call from my boss; he wanted to discuss my promotion with me. I got to his office and he started to talk about how he wasn’t sure of my strength, etc.

I had surpassed my sales and product development target for the year and I was shocked to hear this. He wanted me to tell him what I was good at. Without a doubt, I did but I wasn’t comfortable with why he was asking that question.

I had never failed to meet my sales target or deliver on a project that was assigned to me. I got recommendations for promotion from HR, my colleagues, and other managers in the company.

I thought he wasn’t being honest with me. He wanted to critique my effort in order to not give me what I deserved as stated in the company’s career path. I felt bad for a couple of weeks and a colleague of mine said something that brought strength into me.

“If the boss doesn’t appreciate your effort, another company will” he said.

I connected with that statement, dusted my resumé off and started looking for a new job. I got recommended to a company by my friend, got an interview and secured the job.

It was time to break the news to my boss. On a Sunday evening, I submitted my resignation with a two weeks notice. Monday morning, I got to the office and got a call from my boss asking to see me immediately. He expressed how displeased he was about my resignation. He pleaded for six weeks notice instead of two weeks as stated in my employment letter. He said he would be in trouble if I left and that it would be difficult to get a quick replacement considering that I had so much responsibility in the office. He started saying things as they ought to have been said during the promotion interview. While I would have loved to wait for six weeks before leaving, I had committed to starting at the new office after two weeks. I made a promise that I would ensure whomever replaces me is well-equipped with all the information and documentation he or she needs and I was willing to provide assistance if needed.

He wanted to negotiate but I rejected the offer. If I have to explain my contribution to the development of the company only during promotions, then it’s obvious he wasn’t being honest with me.

It was time to move on.

An Egg McMuffin Was Once Just 99 Cents. Can You Guess How Much One Costs Today?

by Michael

The days of the 99 cent Egg McMuffin are never coming back.  Our central bank has been treating our currency like toilet paper, and our politicians in Washington have been borrowing and spending trillions of dollars that we do not have.  As a result, we are in the midst of an inflation crisis that seemingly has no end. 

Of course the mainstream media insists that inflation is “low”, but literally just about everything that we shell out money for on a regular basis costs a lot more these days.  For example, just check out what it will cost you to get a single Egg McMuffin at one McDonald’s location in Connecticut…

A McDonald’s customer was left astounded after paying $7.29 for a single Egg McMuffin in a Connecticut drive through.

Bespoke Investment Group posted a picture of the customer’s receipt with the caption ‘$7.29 for one McDonald’s Egg McMuffin. What has the world come to?? These were 2 for $2 pretty recently.’

The bill records the purchase of two Egg McMuffins for $14.58 and one Bacon, Egg & Cheese McGriddle without two half-strips of bacon for $7.19.

$7.29 for just one Egg McMuffin?

Are you serious?

So that means that the price of an Egg MucMuffin in Connecticut is now more than 7 times higher than it was during the Reagan administration… https://www.youtube.com/embed/f-8rcPOs9r4?si=8taFsKsT0T34m2Y7Watching old commercials like that makes me sad, because our country has become a completely different place since that time.

Of course it isn’t just the Egg McMuffin that has become ridiculously expensive.

One customer in Idaho was stunned when he recently had to shell out $16.10 for his value meal

Another customer in Idaho was also shocked to discover the prices of combo deal in December.

Topher Olive, was visiting one of the restaurant’s locations in Post Falls when he picked up a Smoky BLT Quarter Pounder with Cheese, a large fry, and a large Sprite setting him back $16.10.

He shared a video of his meal on, where he has more than 334,000 followers, admitting that he was shocked over the price.

I clearly remember when I could get a combo at McDonald’s for just five bucks.

Now only the wealthy can afford to eat at McDonald’s on a regular basis.

Needless to say, the definition of “wealthy” has changed too.

Once upon a time, if you had a million dollars you were set for life.

But now Kevin O’Leary says that you need at least five million dollars in the bank

Kevin O’Leary, Shark Tank star and investor, sparked significant discussion with his assertion that individuals need $5 million in their bank accounts to ensure lifelong financial stability.

In an August 2023 YouTube video, O’Leary said, “You have to get to a place where you have $5 million in the bank,” emphasizing the importance of this amount to “survive the rest of your life, no matter what happens.” This statement, along with his detailed financial advice, has been a subject of both support and criticism among viewers and financial experts.

Only a tiny percentage of the population has that kind of money.

In fact, one recent survey found that 60 percent of the U.S. population has 500 dollars or less in their checking accounts.

And only 12 percent of the U.S. population has $2,001 dollars or more in their checking accounts.

Just 12 percent.

We are a nation that is literally living on the edge.

Amazingly, in this very tight economic environment there is a campaign to increase the salaries of members of Congress by 70 percent

A campaign has started to raise the salaries of House and Senate members by 70% to $294,000 from the current $174,000 in return for better “performance.”

Federal analyst Steven Kopits, the president of Princeton Policy Advisors, argued that since most members are lawyers, salaries should at least be equal to what first-year associates in Manhattan receive, plus a 20% bump up.

“Most legislators are lawyers by trade, and we — or at least I — would hope that the public would prefer the best and the brightest to become members of Congress. First year law associates in New York are the best and brightest of their year, typically from Ivy League universities, and their salaries are tied to the market for premium legal services in the U.S. Therefore, if we believe we would like to recruit top-line legal professionals to serve in Congress, then first year associate salaries are a plausible comparable,” Kopits said in a memo.

Just like the rest of us, they are also being crushed by the terrible inflation that they played a major role in creating.

Considering how poorly they have performed, there is no way in the world that they should be getting a raise.

It is the rest of the country that needs help.  The middle class is shrinking, food banks are facing unprecedented demand all over the nation, and homelessness is rising at the fastest pace ever recorded.

And our politicians are making things even worse by bringing in vast numbers of extremely desperate people from other countries.

In Denver, 40,000 new migrants have arrived during the past year, and they are absolutely overwhelming the city’s social services…

Nearly 40,000 migrants have arrived in Denver over the past year, making a city with a population of just over 710,000 the top destination per capita for newly arrived migrants crossing the U.S. southern border and traveling north in buses from Texas.

The influx is taking a toll on the city’s public safety net. Starting Feb. 5, Denver will limit the number of days migrants can stay in shelters and send those who exceed their stay out onto the streets.

One Venezuelan family, a mother, father and their three daughters, told NBC News they’ve been staying at a hotel paid for by the city, but they’ve just received notice that they’ll be evicted.

“Just yesterday they started throwing away the toys, the bicycles in the common area,” the mother said. “We don’t know where we will go next.”

This is happening all over the nation, and there is no end to this crisis in sight.

Meanwhile, we are being warned that the economy will “cool considerably” during the months ahead…

The U.S. economy is set to cool considerably in the coming months as once-rampant spending by American consumers finally comes to an end, according to Wells Fargo.

In a recent note to clients, Wells Fargo senior global market strategist Scott Wren warned that retail spending is likely to slow over the course of 2024 as the job market eases and layoffs start to rise.

“Americans with jobs and money in their pockets are going to spend,” Wren wrote. “However, as the economy slows as we move through the middle portion of this year and the labor market softens, we continue to believe the holiday spending that occurred last year was a bit of a last hurrah for the consumer.”

Of course there are lots of signs that the economy is already heading in the wrong direction quite rapidly.

Sales of iPhones are typically a very good indicator of where things are going, and right now projections for 2024 are quite dismal

Apple stock, which on any given day is either the most or 2nd most valuable company in the world, rotating with MSFT, reversed earlier gains and slumped to session lows after widely-read TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (best known for gathering intelligence from his contacts in Apple’s Asian supply chain) reported that Apple has lowered its 2024 iPhone shipments of key upstream semiconductor components to about 200 million units, which correspondents to a decline of 15% year-on-year.

As a result, he notes that iPhone 15 series and new iPhone 16 series shipments will decline by 10–15% year-on-year in 1H 2024 and 2H 2024, respectively (compared to iPhone 14 series shipments in 1H 2023 and iPhone 15 series shipments in 2H 2023, respectively). Even worse, Apple’s weekly shipments in China have declined by 30–40% year-on-year in recent weeks, and this downward trend is expected to continue.

And layoff announcements continue to roll in from coast to coast.

This week, we learned that UPS will be laying off approximately 12,000 workers

UPS plans to layoff nearly 12,000 employees following a massive year-over-year decline in revenue, company officials told USA TODAY Tuesday morning.

The workforce reduction is part of an effort to align resources in 2024 and will save the company nearly $1 billion, the Atlanta-based company’s CEO Carole Tomé said on a company earnings call.

A slow-motion train wreck is playing out day after day right in front of our eyes.

So many of the things that we have been warning about are literally happening right now.

But most of the population still appears to be in a deep state of sleep.

What will it take for them to finally wake up?

 

Have you ever had to go without period products because you couldn’t afford them?

Yep.

It was well-known at my middle school and high school that the school nurse didn’t have free pads for the students.

In middle school, we had to call our parents to pick us up. My mother worked out of town, and my father certainly wouldn’t have picked me up or bought me period supplies even if I had asked him. For him, that was always the mother’s job. That wasn’t something that fathers did. I shudder to think of what would’ve happened if I didn’t have enough pads with me during his visitation. He probably would have sent me home to my mother.

In high school, the school nurse had pads for purchase. The price was 50 cents per pad (about $2 apiece today), and while that doesn’t sound like much, the high school nurse wouldn’t just give you a pad if you didn’t have money and found yourself with a nasty visit from Aunt Flo. If you didn’t have money, the nurse wouldn’t budge. She would let you bleed through your clothes and make you call your parents to pick you up rather than give out a free pad. There were no vending machines for pads or tampons in the girl’s restroom at school. The only way she would give you one is if you had the money in your hand.

I understand that the nurse probably had to pay for them out of her own pocket, and she wanted to be reimbursed, but I never had any money. Ever. My mother was one of those parents who had zero problems with helping herself to her children’s savings. She also held the same job out of town, and didn’t have transportation back until the end of the workday, anyway. I usually carried plenty of backup pads and tampons all the time, but sometimes I ran out.

I also had extremely heavy, long-lasting periods even as a teenager. That meant that even wearing both a tampon and a pad, sometimes they were both soaked within 2 hours, sometimes less. I stained my clothes a few times. Did the school nurse care? Not a bit. She refused to give up any of her precious pads without money. She still got paid either way.

Which is why, when I found out that my kids’ school gave out free menstrual supplies, no matter what the economic status of their students, I almost cried.

 

Do you think China and Russia can truly challenge Western dominance in the Middle East?

China certainly can

China is the largest customer for the Oil Producing Countries in the Middle East

China is also the largest trader and exporter with the Middle East

From Cooking Ranges to Crockery to Clothing to Hikvision Cameras to Machinery to Stationery to Cutlery to Consumer Electronics to Bridges to Roads to Factory Construction to Industrial Air Conditioning

China thus has irreplaceable clout in the Middle East

Impossible to get alternative suppliers for all those products at that affordable cost and quality that China can deliver

Plus the latest exports include Commercial Drones, Trainer Aircraft, Advanced Drills & Gas Platform Drilling Equipment and Rigs

It’s ECONOMIC CLOUT in a Win Win relationship

Tomorrow if Saudi wants Nuclear Energy, China can fully and completely build Nuclear Energy Plants for Saudi and build completely Indigenous Reactors for the Saudis even the latest Thorium Salt Reactors


Meanwhile what clout does the West have?

In the last 75 years, the West has turned the middle East into a war zone begining in 1948

  • They provoke wars within Arab Nations using Israel as the pawn and then sell weapons to the Arab Nations to defend themselves
  • They threaten every Nation to use Dollars as transaction currency even if it’s a loss to them

The West has not helped a single Middle Eastern Nation beyond forcing them to kowtow to it’s Agenda like an Evil Demented Emperor

US was Saudis largest trading partner until the Mid 2000s

The nature of exports?

Weapons!!!!!!!

Weapons and Spares formed a whopping 37% of all exports to Saudi Arabia

Saudi was primitive for a long time and US didn’t care in the least

In 2003, Colin Powell literally forced the entire middle East to turn on Saddam Hussein even though he was a fellow Arab and everyone knew he was not guilty of 90% of the things, he was being accused of

Today?

Can Blinken Try?

They will ask him to go f*** himself if he goes too far

Egypt already said this many times recently

So did Qatar

So did Jordan

They didn’t turn on Assad even though the US demanded they do

And that was because of Uncle Vlad

image 5
image 5

That’s Russia

Russia doesn’t have Chinas clout

However they have Military power next only to the US and in terms of land fighting capability even better

They also have Food that the Middle East could use in an emergency, if US sanctions them


So Yes

The West no longer has the dominance in the middle East

They have to DELIVER to maintain even minimum influence

The normal threats and bullying won’t work

Sanctions will drive the Middle East into Chinas arms in nanoseconds

image 4
image 4

The US is now like ANY OTHER CUSTOMER

HIGH VALUE CUSTOMER yes but no longer the only Bull Elephant in the herd

Those days are gone

Trump even if he becomes President cannot change anything unless he offers a lot to the Saudis for their friendship and delivers Nuclear Technology and also other concessions including modification of the Bretton Woods system to accept multiple currencies

Joe Rogan is shocked to learn about Thomas Sowell’s Wisdom

https://youtu.be/OtBsyvpjjL8

The 10 Reasons Why Men Need a Men’s Coach to Breakthrough in their Life and Relationships

Last Updated On September 8, 2023

by Andrew Ferebee

Let me get this straight – you did everything right according to society’s rules and you’re telling me you’re not happy with the results?

You excelled in school, worked your butt off and built a successful career, live in a good neighborhood, drive a nice car and aren’t worried about monthly bills but despite the picture perfect life on the outside, there’s an empty feeling, a sense of unease like something deeper is missing.

Remember that inner fire that once drove you, the one that used to consume your soul like a wildfire to be all you can be? It’s diminished now, isn’t it? Doused and replaced by the cold, biting reality of a life lived for material possessions, putting others needs first and social constructs. A life of half awake work and mind-numbing monotony. Doesn’t exactly spark a flame of joy in your bones, does it?

Pause for a moment and let this sink in.

You might be doing well on the surface layer, but here’s the cold, hard truth: amidst that seemingly picture perfect facade, you’re unknowingly missing the very essence of life itself. I’m talking about those profound, soul-stirring connections that leave you breathless, the magnetic friendships that push the boundaries beyond the status quo, the intoxicating romance that sets your world ablaze, and that relentless thirst for adventure and purpose that has propelled men to move mountains for millennia. 

Thoreau once wrote,

“The mass of men live lives of quiet desperation.”

Look around you – this is as true today as it was then. Perhaps even more so! 

We all enter into this world as a blank slate. An empty canvas to be filled with rich experiences, connections, passion filled romances and adventures to enrich our lives.

Men have always longed to…

  • Explore the world alongside his soulmate. He dreams of heart-pounding adventures, immersing himself in vibrant cultures, and cherishing those rare, life-altering moments. But alas, his reality is far from idyllic. Instead, he finds himself relentlessly toiling, desperately grasping for a taste of true “freedom.” Every day, he deceives himself, clutching onto the false notion that once he completes that next project or seals that elusive deal, he’ll finally have the time and worthiness to embrace romance, chase adventure, and authentically align with his deepest values
  • Ravish his beautiful lover nightly, yet he’s been fed the cliché advice to toil relentlessly before he can, striving to amplify his worth as a man. So he takes it to heart, dedicating his life to arduous work in the pursuit of being worthy of love. But what does he get in return? A love life that fails to provide pleasure, instead leaving him feeling abandoned and disrespected. His partner’s apathetic response to his romantic endeavors akin to a contractual obligation rather than an outpouring of raw passion, reducing their connection to the status of mere roommates. Isolated, he clings to his smartphone, its somber blue light a haunting symbol of the all-consuming void that torments his manhood.
  • Discover a purpose so mighty, so unyielding, that he’d lay down his very existence without hesitation to witness its breathtaking realization. But here’s the chilling truth: his days are shackled to a career, forced to coexist with similar zombie like colleagues, all for the sake of financing an unceasing cascade of hollow possessions that provide fleeting value, pass time and hold no genuine meaning.
  • Catapult out of bed each morning, brimming with an unwavering energy for the day. But alas, that is not the tale that unfolds. Instead, fatigue clings to his bones, sapping his vitality, as he traverses the exhausting grind of a never-ending pursuit of money, ensnared in the perpetual race to keep pace with the elusive peers around him. Determined to prove his worth, he yearns for validation, yearns for the recognition of his true capabilities, all in the hopes that it will rekindle the flickering flame of a passionless existence and breathe life into the barren landscapes of his love life
  • Deepen his connection with his masculinity, not only ‘finding’ himself, but actively sculpting himself into the confident, charming and alive man he’s always aspired to be or once was…But instead, he settles for society’s warped version of success, repressing his masculine fire, and sacrificing his most profound aspirations, dreams, and desires on the altar of social accolades, as he selflessly serves the needs of others.

Ah, what’s interesting is that he meticulously followed society’s script, constructing a life that was meant to be extraordinary, unforgettable, and full of success. Yet, here he sits, his eyes fixed on the glowing screen of a computer, ceaselessly treading away, trapped in the clutches of a whispering desperation that lingers within.

We live in a world where men are now more afraid than ever to be masculine, alive and act like strong grounded men. Men, like caged king lions, suppress their power and authenticity, concealing their truth behind a smokescreen of professional accomplishments and shiny toys.

And so it begins, a treacherous game, one that threatens to swallow them whole. With each move, their once vibrant social connections and intimate relationships plummet into a harrowing abyss. A descent into darkness unfolds, gripping their souls like a serpent’s squeeze. In a desperate scramble, the man succumbs to the alluring mirage of “more,” effectively ignoring the real problem while immersing himself in the superficial trappings of societal success.

Just consider that..

  • The suicide rate for men is 3.5x higher than that of women (iconic men who surpassed society’s version of “success”: like Robin Williams, Anthony Bourdain, Avicci, Chester Bennington, Mac Miller, Junior Seau, Chris Cornell and Heath Ledger fell victim to this horrible act) 
  • The divorce rate in the U.S hovers above 51% with family courts often siding with the mother
  • Men are 3x more likely to become alcohol and drug dependent (not to mention adult website usage is at all time highs) – masking their problems and hiding rather than getting support and solving them.

You can be forgiven for assuming that, at this point, men would reach out for help in droves. But because of society’s mandate that “Real men” are somehow capable of handling everything by themselves, men are less likely to reach out for help. 

Instead, men numb themselves to reality with pleasure inducing addictions. Porn, social media, video games, Netflix originals, and even “work”, have become the sources of our respite. But their shallow promises only exacerbate the issue. These vices do little to further what matters most in our lives and nothing to solve the deeper problems men increasingly face. 

So let’s clear something up right now…

Men’s coaching does not mean a man is weak or incapable of achieving results himself. 

Coaching is strategic investment that allows men to grow faster by leveraging the guidance of a seasoned expert with the perspective, experience and know-how to breakthrough limiting beliefs that keep men lost for decades faster.

Someone to hold you accountable – to speak to you like no other man will and guide you in your life and relationships or lack thereof. To finally free you of the BS story that’s been holding you back from experiencing the life and relationship you truly want.

Let’s be honest here:

  • Warren Buffet wouldn’t be the greatest investor of our time without Benjamin Graham…
  • Marcus Aurelius wouldn’t be one of the greatest philosophers in history, the Emperor of Rome, and one of the most successful generals in military history without Epictetus…
  • Michael Jordan wouldn’t be the greatest basketball player and (arguably) the greatest athlete of our time without Phil Jackson and you could say the same for Kobe.

And to believe that you’re the exception to the rule is nothing more than nonsense!

If you want to live an exceptional life…a life filled with joy, adventure, romance, deep connection, control over the direction of your life and a sense of true masculine power…getting help by someone who is a results driven coach is the smartest thing you can do to get ahead of the masses.

Men must bravely enlist the help of other men who have “been there, done that”, and can share their wisdom, guidance and insight for living a remarkable life and cultivating real relationships beyond societies surface layer.

And today, I’m going to share the ten reasons why men’s coaching is the “secret edge” you’ve been searching for. The “missing link” that will help men reclaim their masculine power, end the “Nice Guy” behaviors, and become more attractive to and respected by the highest quality women and most successful men in their community. 

There’s no time to waste. Let’s dive in.

1. You Lack a Powerful Results Driven Mentor Who Listens Carefully and Inspires Relentless Action

Therapy can be great. And for some men, necessary. But it’s not the end all solution it’s been made out to be. 

Sure, they’ll listen intently (they’re paid to). But do not confuse a good listener with actual progress in reality. They don’t push you to challenge yourself, eschew the status quo of mediocrity, and step into your role as the king and creator of your own life. They know very little about reclaiming your masculine power and creating a life that makes you proud of the man you are becoming. Instead, they enable you to play small. Encourage it even for longer than necessary.

A men’s coach doesn’t. 

When you enlist the help of other like-minded men who have been where you are today, they can spot your B.S. before you even open your mouth. They will hold you to a higher standard, demand that you play at a higher level, and challenge you in a way that others wouldn’t dare. 

Granted there are well-meaning mental health professionals that exist, yet few and far between. And after working with 1000s of men their feedback on the results of therapy vs. coaching were all but ubiquitous and mostly time consuming and costly.

With therapy, they spent years (some of them decades) digging through their past to identify all of the ways in which their parents, teachers, friends, and high school crushes screwed them up for life. 

They myopically focused on the trauma (real or perceived) of the past in hopes that somehow…by realizing that their anger issues stemmed from their broken relationship with their father…they would magically heal themselves and fix the problems with how they were showing up in the present.

Therapy doesn’t empower you to move forward, it only helps you resolve that which is already in your rear view mirror. It won’t help you show up to your relationships in a more grounded way that women naturally respond to, build a social lifestyle that excites you, or contend with the very real challenges you are facing in the present. It simply keeps you trapped by the challenges you’ve already overcome. 

With coaching, it’s an entirely different story. 

Yes, coaches will still address the implications of your past and how unresolved trauma might be manifesting itself as negative behaviors today. 

But they don’t let you live there indefinitely and damn well don’t let you use it as an excuse!

With a men’s coach, the entire conversation is centered around growth, about learning from the challenges you’ve experienced in the past to become stronger and move forward today. 

It isn’t based on theory. It’s based on action, results and experience. Experience from your coach’s own life or the lives of those they’ve worked with and gotten the end result you seek.

They’ll listen to you deeply, yes. But they’ll also have the courage and wisdom to speak to you directly like a man in a bold, masculine and direct way that is severely lacking today. Calling you out on the b.s. stories to which you’ve given away your power…giving you the facts of why your life isn’t working effectively in this new era for men…and being brutally honest in their feedback. 

They’ll hit you upside the head with a no-holds barred reality check and hold you accountable to breaking the patterns and behaviors that are holing you back from the life, social status, and relationships you want.

With a therapist, you talk about the past. With a coach, you march courageously into the future. 

They won’t let you hide from your challenges or outsource responsibility for your life to some traumatic episode of the past.

They will challenge you to level up today. To be real, raw, and honest with yourself and take concrete bold action toward solving the challenges holding you back from the life you want – on your very first session. 

2. You’re Trapped by “Nice Guy” Behaviors Because You Lack Strong Masculine Role Models 

Like me, your father probably wasn’t the best role model. 

He wasn’t the Strong Grounded Man you aspire to be. He didn’t live a passionate, courageous and exciting life, he wasn’t a part of a strong community of men, he likely gave his power away to your mother and unintentionally taught you, through his example, that, to be a man, is to resign yourself to a life of serving and pleasing others…void of true purpose, power, and adventure. 

Like most men, your father was either a quintessential “Nice Guy”–who trained you to adopt those same patterns and behaviors–or the opposite, a “Bad Boy”–who inadvertently trained you to be a nice guy because you wanted to rebel and be nothing like him.

This isn’t meant to denigrate your father – he likely did the best he could with what he was given from his father. 

  •   You may struggle with how to treat women (especially attractive women)
  •   You may struggle standing up for yourself during conflict
  •   You may avoid or put off conflicts to not “upset” anyone or cause any problems
  •   You don’t know how to respectfully get your needs met and because of this hide a deep frustration inside– where sometimes it uncontrollably explodes in an anger fueled outburst
  •   You are a nice guy who does things in order to get people to validate your worth

In our modern society, healthy and authentic masculinity has become vilified. Because of the real problems with toxic masculinity, we’ve instructed men to be submissive. 

We’ve trained men to eschew their masculine edge…to rely only on the feminine elements of their nature instead of bringing together both energies to become complete, fully integrated, Grounded Men. 

Today, it is more important than ever for men to regain their masculine energy because it is the missing link to get to the next level in life – especially romantic relationships.

Too many men allow their “Nice Guy” tendencies to undermine their life…putting the needs of others first…struggling to assert themselves to avoid tension…being unable to set and maintain healthy boundaries…and refusing to prioritize their own goals, ambitions and dreams. 

And the end result is always a life filled with regret, a decrease in the man’s value and incognito resentment to those who take advantage of you with little to no appreciation.

On the other side of the spectrum, we have the “Over Achiever”. Men who use their professional ambitions to mask the pain they feel inside and achieve some modicum of validation through their external accomplishments and accolades to outwardly prove their self worth to society and of course, women.

While there’s nothing wrong with success, money, or achievement, these men are not pursuing these things from a place of wholeness…using them as tools and resources to magnify a fulfilled life…instead they pursue them from the lens of scarcity, ego and desperation. In hopes that the next milestone, promotion, or product launch will somehow give them the feeling that they are enough and others will suddenly validate them and place them on a higher arbitrary pedestal of life. That they finally belong, yet the problem is this can go on for the rest of the man’s life… meanwhile the clock is ticking.

But when you leverage a men’s coach, when you surround yourself with strong masculine men tempered by virtue and a sense of purpose and honor, you can begin the process of eradicating these dark tendencies once and for all. 

You’ll learn how to develop your confidence in a healthy way free of ego, how to set boundaries, prioritize yourself (while still being valued and respected by others) and your desires, speak the truth even when it’s hard, and cultivate a strong sense of self worth. 

And from this place, you can finally be at peace with yourself and the world around you. You will be able to show up to life and relationships as your true self like never before.

You will be enough.

3. You Give Away Your Masculine Power To Women then Lose All Respect, Value and Romance

Woody Allen said, “90% of success is showing up.” But men today are not showing up for the women in their lives. 

Men have lost the strength of their masculine edge and women are starving for it.

Today, men are terrified by their own masculinity. They are petrified by their darkness and aggression and, instead of embracing and learning to harness it, they suppress it and embrace what is easier and more acceptable – nice guy, people pleasing and approval seeking behaviors. Both in their lives and in their interactions with women 

The modern man often feels weak, spineless and powerless; castrated by a hyper feminist society and emasculated by the women they yearn connection and intimacy for.

If he’s single, he struggles to be present in his interactions, suppressing his desire for romantic intimacy and acting disingenuously out of fear of rejection with the hopes of being “liked” for being a nice guy who will wait his turn.

And if he’s married or in a committed relationship? 

He gives away his power to his partner, marking the death of connection, deep intimacy and allowing her to lead the relationship and indeed his life. Instead of showing up as a leader, confidant, protector for her, he’s little more than a walking ATM. A cash dispenser whom she begrudgingly settles for in return for an infrequent lackluster romantic life. 

And these behaviors put you at the mercy of women!

She owns you – and loses all respect for you, and therefore attraction and romantic desire cannot exist. You have no power in the relationship, and you both know it. 

When this happens, women, even faithful and loving women, become susceptible to the allure of infidelity. Not because they are bad corrupt people. Because the man is not showing up the way he needs to and is incapable of doing the things he needs to do to keep a high quality woman engaged and excited in his life. 

She treats you like a little boy because that’s exactly how you’re acting. A physically big man with little inner backbone (one of the biggest turn offs to women), unconsciously telling her that he is a weak man who cannot be trusted which makes her feel unsafe and unhappy.

And when she’s finally had enough of the weak needy behavior? She leaves him, alone and heart broken. You don’t need me to tell you how painful a serious breakup or divorce can be for a man (especially a successful man of worth). Beyond the stress and financial burden of possibly losing (half) or more of your net worth and everything you bled for, these events are often a setback from which a man will rarely fully recover. 

They extinguish what little fire was left in his soul and snuff out the glimmer of hope that still twinkled in his eye. 

The financial and emotional cost of exuding weak “Nice Guy” behaviors in a relationship is higher than most men realize until it’s too late. Much higher than doing the work required to become a strong grounded man capable of attracting and keeping his partner among many other life benefits.

And, what most men don’t realize is that women are just as confused, frustrated, and exhausted by this charade as you are. Women don’t want a doormat for a partner. They don’t want someone who spinelessly defers to and subjugates themselves at the altar of the feminine as to not upset her.

They want a man they can trust. A man with power, vision, and aliveness who gives her butterflies in her stomach and keeps her daydreaming when she will get to go out with and bed her king again. 

And when you work with a men’s coach, you can become this man. 

You’ll regain your masculine power, boost your confidence, and show up to the relationship as a whole, fulfilled, and complete man…a man who doesn’t need a woman to feel validated or worthy…but who chooses a woman with whom he can build his kingdom. A woman to love, support, and challenge and who loves, supports, and challenges him.

A men’s coach not only helps you reclaim your power… you multiply it and go from the masses of men who are approval seeking nice guys to “omg who is THAT guy?”

4. You Chase Money Endlessly without a Clear Definite Purpose Bigger than Oneself

Most men believe that their purpose in life is relegated to doing whatever will make the most money. That their self worth is contingent on their net worth and that the only appropriate answer to the question “What do you want?” is “More.” 

Sure, you make money. Maybe even great money. But beyond the base level of success the income doesn’t excite or inspire you like it once did. It simply assuages your growing sense of a lack of purpose, allowing you to go through the motions, numbing yourself with vices without any idea as to what you’re doing or WHY you’re doing it. 

You follow the crowd aimlessly moving through life unconsciously. Working long hours, giving up your personal life, saying “No” to the experiences and life you really want to make more money…and for what?

Extra bedrooms? More horses in the car? A mini vacation where you spend your time sequestered in your hotel room responding to emails and putting out fires? 

Most men aren’t willing to take a step back, look inwardly, and ask themselves, “Beyond financial success…What do I really want out of my life and relationships?” 

Because you haven’t done this work you grind even harder thinking “more” is the solution, desperately pouring your soul and finite time into work in hopes that one day…the money you earn will finally validate your worth as a man and make you feel “enough”. 

And when it doesn’t? 

You seek instant gratification in the forms of vices like alcohol, drugs, porn, binging social media/tv, and excessive consumerism to numb the pain of a purposeless life. 

You spend money on lavish external things like cars, clothes, and unnecessary household gadgets in the hopes of finding just a niggle of temporary excitement – But the fleeting and superficial nature of these purchases leave you no more content, joyful, or alive than the month prior, keeping you in a perpetual cycle of consumption. 

Indeed, there has been major shifts in society – men today have no Great War. No cause. No purpose. And feel utterly lost because of it. 

Every man needs a fight. Not necessarily physical, but a greater mission to fight for.

“Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole heart and soul to it.” – Gautama Buddha

Something that’s greater than yourself and for some men possibly noble enough that it’s worth sacrificing everything for. 

By plugging yourself into a community of like minded men led by the guidance of a team of expert men’s coach who can open your eyes up to a new possibility, you’ll gain clarity on your path and purpose and unlock a new level of meaning and significance in your life that supersedes the purely materialistic of the unconscious masses.

5. You Need Someone Other Than Your Divorced or Single Friends with Whom You Can Get Effective Feedback on Your Intimate Relationships 

Men’s coaches specialize in relationships in many ways. The masculine-feminine dynamic is likely why they became men’s coaches in the first place. Often many men’s coaches have backgrounds in dating, seduction and relationship coaching.

However, they’ve evolved into a healthier and more mature form of supporting men beyond the superficial “pick up” tactics.

Your men’s coach is to relationships what a Navy SEAL is to combat.

He will teach you the proven strategies and mental frameworks (that none of your family, friends, and peers have the slightest clue about) so that you can transform into the type of man that women respect, admire, and brag about to their friends and family.

If the intense satisfaction that comes from a deeper level of connection, intimacy and romance with women is what you want… you are not going to get it by listening to your friend whose own relationship history is a stage 4 natural disaster who’s got divorce attorneys on speed dial.

Most men are bitter, jaded, and angry with women. After a stream of failed relationships, they buy into the lie that there must be something fundamentally wrong with women (instead of admitting to themselves that the problem might lie in how they are showing up to women). 

The simple truth of the matter is that you cannot take advice from someone who has not achieved the results you want to achieve. 

The right men’s coach has already walked the walk. He knows how to achieve lasting success, intimacy, and passion inside of your relationship and will teach you how to lay the foundation of self-love, confidence, and masculine power required to make your relationship thrive. 

He’ll help you either find the perfect woman with whom you will build your kingdom, OR enhance your existing relationship with the woman you’ve under-prioritized for years (maybe even decades) to new heights. 

Nothing, and I do mean nothing, will have a greater impact on your happiness, success, and fulfillment than the woman with whom you choose to share your life. Happiness is not found in another ‘0’ in the bank account…but in a deep well of shared experiences with someone whom you love and feel deeply connected to – and who feels the same

And with the help of a results driven men’s coach, you’ll finally have access to the mindsets, strategies and tactics that you need to solve the most challenging relationship struggles in your life.

6. You Do Not Have Real Masculine Accountability in Your Life that Calls You Out on Your BS (and likely never have)

When a strong grounded man with absolute conviction asks you to do something – you do it.

When you tell someone whom you deeply respect that you are going to take a specific action, you will do everything in your power to keep your word because you do not want to let someone you respect down. 

It’s in our masculine nature to be a man of our word. If you tell a strong grounded man you’ll do something and don’t – you’re breaking your word and bond with your coach.

It’s not about the money with the men’s coach; it’s about being a man of integrity.

If your word means nothing… then are you a man to be trusted? Can women even trust this man?

When a man is held accountable by someone he deeply respects, then he focuses harder and takes the right actions to get stellar results, even when it’s scary and seems damn near impossible.

You can’t hide. You can’t play small. You can’t live with the excuses that you’ve suppressed for years anymore. 

More importantly, you can’t ignore the parts of your life that aren’t working and rely on superficial external successes to hide behind an unhappy and un-lived life. It’s very easy for a men’s coach to see behind the facade you’ve created to feel safe.

The disappointment you feel when you let down someone you greatly respect will propel you into action. It’s a big reality check for you at that moment when your men’s coach is not buying into your b.s. story that everyone else believes.

You’ll be thinking in the back of your head, “He can see through my BS. I can’t believe I’ve gotten away with this for this long and it’s time to change.”

“Good men are bound by conscience and liberated by accountability.” ~Wes Fessler

Any man can shy away from help because he’s afraid to look foolish yet it’s the truly courageous and brave man who stands up and asks for support.

You probably surround yourself with high achieving men already.

While they mean well and care about you and your success, just like crabs in a bucket pulling any escaping crabs back down they are terrified of watching you outgrow and outperform your existing social group

Having a men’s coach and being a part of a community, a brotherhood, of men who truly stand for your greatness doesn’t make you weak or incapable. It’s where you can get your “secret” edge against the masses who are unaware such a solution exists. 

7. You Don’t Have the Freedom To Fearlessly Express Your Truth Fully, So You Remain Silent and Don’t get Your Needs Met (in work and relationships)

At the core of every man is the desire to be free, yet ironically men often confine themselves to a cage to appear like they are okay.

You’ve locked your emotions up and pretend to be a “strong man” when at times, you’re struggling inside and barely holding it together.

Other people don’t see this… 

All they see is the success…the external accolades…the fake smile…the “picture-perfect life”. 

They see what you allow them to see, but they don’t see the truth. They don’t see the struggle that you’re experiencing…the inescapable sense of inadequacy…the fear that you’re on the brink of divorce, breaking up or suffering from chronic loneliness or an existential crisis. 

You bought into the B.S. story that “Big boys don’t cry”, and so you stoically ignore and suppress your emotions and desires, convincing yourself that the only solution is to be silent in the face of abject fear.  

When a man does this he shuts down a piece of his heart and becomes less human and more of a robot programmed by society with few signs of life becoming a shell of what he could be.

Expressing your emotions in a healthy way is a natural thing humans do, no different than urinating. If you don’t urinate you’re in pain. When you urinate the pain is gone – it’s that simple.

It’s a release that is a necessary requirement for healthy living.

“Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free.” – Jim Morrison

Emotionally handicapped men become distant, angry, frustrated and cynical (in extreme cases, even violent).

Friendships and relationships slowly feel more like chores. When someone asks how you’re doing you reply with perfunctory bland responses to avoid expressing how you really feel.

“I’m alright, good, great, fine”… then you quickly turn the conversation back to them or something superficial to avoid anything, but the truth.

When a man is disconnected from his heart, he becomes disconnected from the rest of the world and lives in a silent prison where it’s just him and his dark thoughts shielded by his external successes.

He’s trapped in a mind-made prison without ever realizing that he is both the inmate and the warden of the prison. He holds the key to his own liberation, but years of societal conditioning have blinded him to this possibility. 

Like an elephant kept in place by a feeble rope, he fails to realize that he’s outgrown the confines in which he has placed himself and that, at any moment, he can unlock the door and find his freedom. 

Through men’s coaching and a strong community, you’ll discover how to express your emotions in a healthy way that doesn’t make you weak, but courageous and respected. How to connect with the deepest parts of yourself and be authentic, raw, and honest with other men. You’ll learn how to experience the depths of true connection, friendship, and intimacy, and step into your role as the vibrant and expressive king of your life. 

Your men’s coach unlocks your emotional cage so you can release the heavy feeling in your gut and finally experience what true personal freedom means.

8. You’re Going Through Life Without Strong Male Support And Quality Friendships that Last and Go Beyond the Surface Layer

I’m not talking about your business associates or clients with whom you occasionally share a drink or over-priced steak dinner…but men with whom you can speak your truth and who support you. Life can be so much more than working, going to the gym and watching television/social media/adult websites.

The greatest paradox of the human experience is that, even in a sea of surface layer connections and acquaintances we can still feel desperately and soul-wrenchingly alone. 

Most men, especially successful men like yourself, go through their entire lives without true male friendships. 

They have plenty of acquaintances…golf buddies… beer hangouts… gym partners…business colleagues to do more deals with…but they lack meaningful, unfiltered, masculine connection. 

They fear judgment and invalidation and, as a result, smother their truth until its voice is so faint they themselves can barely hear it. 

Show me a man who fears authentic connection and real friendships with other quality men, and I’ll show you a man who is broken…alone…isolated…and void of life. 

Humans need to connect at a deep level to be emotionally free, alive and healthy.

Women do this more naturally than men (likely because there are fewer stigmas around opening up and sharing the truth) but it is also essential for men’s well being.

And it’s no wonder that according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention the suicide rate for men is 3.5x higher than women and rising! This statistic isn’t relegated to low life’s in society but even the most successful men, celebrities, musicians, actors and those who have “made it” at high levels in society.

Men are more alone than ever today. There are few people with whom they can speak honestly and candidly without fear of judgment and ridicule. No one to support them, to challenge them, to share in their struggle and success and act as a brother in arms during good times and bad. 

This is a very real social problem that people aren’t talking about and most men aren’t even aware of themselves because it’s so commonplace and men are too busy chasing “more”.

Do you have men in your life that you can share the good, the bad and the ugly with who will listen and support you?

Can you be vulnerable and share what’s really going on with other men without being scrutinized?

Men who live in a world of truths are more connected to the world and those around them and find more joy, happiness, and inner fulfillment.

With a men’s coach, you’ll be forced to live in a world of truth. There’s no room for deceit or dishonesty in a coaching relationship. The very nature of the relationship demands no b.s. honesty. 

And when you get real with yourself and the other men in your life, you will tap into a deeper level of the human experience. 

Your interactions will deepen, other men will respect you more, women will be more connected and attracted to you. As the saying goes, “The truth will set you free.” And a men’s coach will help you find, speak, and live in your truth.

9. You are Settling and Playing Small in the Game of Life Because You are Doing Better than Your Peers Growing Up

Our society has convinced men that…so long as they are making good money and can keep pace with the Jones’…they are playing the game of life well.

But what most men forget is that the concept of “Playing Small” is not relegated to only the financial realm! That’s one piece of the pie of life…

You can be a leader of your industry…a multimillionaire…the best in the world at what you do professionally…and still be playing the game of life grossly below your potential. 

But if you aren’t going for the life you really want…if you aren’t fostering love, connection,  intimacy…if you aren’t injecting adventure, aliveness, and risk into your life…if you wake up doing the same damn thing day in day out.

If you don’t love the life you have while you pursue your grand vision then you’re missing out on a whole lot of life. If you’re not excited for the day, alive in your social interactions and fulfilled in your relationships then…

You are winning the career battle, but you’re losing the war for your life, freedom and happiness.

It doesn’t matter how much money you have in the bank or how many positions you’ve held that are prefixed by the letter ‘C’ or ‘Senior” or ‘VP’. If you aren’t excited about your life and filled with passion, purpose, and an ineffable sense of inner power…you’re playing small. 

If your life report looks like this then what’s your overall GPA on life?

  • Career: A+
  • Physical Health: C
  • Emotional Health: C
  • Social Life: F
  • Romantic relationships: F
  • Purpose/mission/contribution: F
  • Adventure/passions/hobbies: F
  • Masculinity/backbone: F
  • Self confidence/self image/self worth: F

Oh how exciting would it be to fall in love with this guy and spend the rest of your life with him?

Now can you see the problem here? Most men pour all the energy into career and wonder why they’re unhappy outside of work with the results in their life and relationships.

And a men’s coach will not only call out this b.s. behavior when he sees it…but he will enable you to do the hard deep work required to address the other critical areas of life that are being ignored. 

When you’re a part of the right community all the doing the same and assisted by a team of expert coaches, playing small is no longer an option. 

You may hate us at times because we push you outside of your comfort zone…you may despise our brutal honesty and no-holds barred tirades…you may tell us to “Screw off!” and consider reverting back to your old ways. 

But you’ll come to realize that we’re the only ones in your life pushing you forward. You are playing small and it’s time to end that.

You have 2 options:

1. You can stay safe and retreat into your old habits of chasing career success, pursuing external validation, masking pain with vices and relying on your accomplishments to fuel your self worth. 

2. You can embrace the call to adventure into the life and relationships you’ve always wanted!

Accept that your professional accomplishments, however impressive, do not define your worth as a man and that, to live without regret, to not waste the rest of your life, you need more out of yourself and your life than another promotion, zero in the account or deal closed.

You can decide to take a stand for your own life and vision and pour your heart and soul into becoming the Strong Grounded Man you know you can be. To living the life you want. To eschewing society’s values and living a life based on your own vision, your own aspirations, and your own rules. 

You can make this decision today

But to make it stick, you’ll need support and guidance. 

And I can promise you…when you accept that you cannot do it alone…when you decide to go all in on your life and recruit a team of expert coaches, mentors, and likeminded brothers you can make it happen a lot faster than you think.

That is the moment you will look back on years from today and say “That is when everything changed!”

Would it be helpful to discuss your unique situation, goals and challenges on the phone with a men’s coach in the next few days? Click to learn about the best men’s coaching service available

10. If You Keep Doing What You’ve Always Done, You’ll Miss the Best Years of Life

Now, you have a decision to make. 

You made it to the end of this article for one simple reason. This conversation has deeply resonated with you. 

Maybe your relationship is on the brink of ending and the woman you once promised to love and cherish has become the very source of your unhappiness, discontentment and frustration.

Maybe you’re chronically single and tired of being friend-zoned by the quality women you desire and are beginning to give up on dating altogether and embrace a life of single-hood.

Maybe your life is working…on the outside. But you no longer feel the fire, passion, and power you once had. You’ve become sedated…unaware of how much more your life could be.

Maybe workaholism and the constant pursuit of “more” has left you empty, depleted, and alone. You’ve spent years, maybe even decades, pursuing “success” and now you find yourself wondering when you go to bed at night… “is this really it?”

The simple truth is, I don’t know what pain you’re experiencing. I don’t know what challenges and frustrations you’re facing today. 

But what I do know is this… 

The price of inaction…of settling for a life you don’t love…of ignoring the real challenges in your life…of continuing to operate under the same dysfunctional paradigm and strategy that brought you here in the first place…is an un-lived life, a life of regret.

If you don’t make a change and decide to take new actions today, nothing will change tomorrow. Years will go by and the problems you are facing now will be amplified.

Your happiness, relationships, family, and sanity will slowly start to dwindle until you find yourself years later, wishing you could turn back the clock and do it YOUR WAY all over again. 

But it doesn’t have to be this way. You can do it your way starting today and take a stand.

Over the past ten years, I’ve been quietly helping men at the highest levels achieve the things that money can’t buy…the happiness, purpose, passion, fulfillment, and romance they’ve craved for all along. 

You’ve read the entire article which tells me you are serious about making big changes in your life so, I want to invite you into my brotherhood as the ideal next step… 

…An elite coaching system unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before that will spark a personal revolution in your life, relationships and fundamentally change the man you are today. 

I invite you to answer the call to adventure, to unleash the “powerful, successful, attractive man” you’ve kept caged inside of you for far too long, to take a stand for your life and your future and say “Enough is enough, I’m ready to reclaim my power and make this a reality!” 

You know as well as I do that if you continue doing what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always had. 

And if this article has not resonated with you…if you’re still convinced that you can do it all alone…

Then I wish you all the best, but I can’t help you and honestly no one can. You are not ready for the transformational work we mastered.

But if you’re courageous enough to accept that there are challenges in your life for which you don’t have the solutions…that there’s more to your existence as a man than simply making more money and living like a robot…that you CAN become the strong Grounded Man with deeper connections, fulfillment and relationships that you’ve always wanted… then you’re going to love what I’ve created for you.

However, I must be blunt, I do not offer cheap solutions to serious life and relationship problems. And to be honest, when has the cheapest solution to a serious problem of this magnitude ever worked? It’s usually a waste of time and that’s not what we’re about.

You wouldn’t look for the cheapest and least experienced doctor if you or a loved one were to undergo a life threatening surgery. And this problem should be treated at the same level since there are serious consequences if these problems continue to be ignored.

Through heavy research and development, we have learned that to solve the problem for good, it requires a team of talented and experienced experts who love what they do, in-depth high level training, actionable systems and exercises to achieve lifelong results. The good news is we have the solution and we’ve perfected it over the last decade with over 1000 clients, you must stop resisting help when it’s right in front of you and prioritize what matters most.

Chicken Cacciatore

chicken cacciatore 1
chicken cacciatore 1

What is Chicken Cacciatore?

Chicken Cacciatore is a rustic Italian dish made of bone-in chicken portions that have been browned then braised, along with sauteed vegetables, in crushed tomatoes, wine and herbs. Cacciatore is pronounced kah-chuh-taw-ree.

What to Serve with It

It is the coziest dish and it’s perfect paired with pasta, rustic bread, polenta, or mashed potatoes. It’s basically a meal in one so you really don’t need a whole lot more with it.

This makes for the perfect homestyle dinner to sit down to after a hectic day or long week. Such delicious Italian comfort food that’s well worth the process!

chicken cacciatore 05
chicken cacciatore 05

Ingredients

  • 1 (3 pound) broiler-fryer chicken
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 tablespoon oregano
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 large green bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

  1. Bring chicken to boil in a pot of water. Simmer chicken for 30 minutes.
  2. Remove from heat and cool. Pour stock into a measuring cup to make 2 cups and refrigerate.
  3. Skim any fat from top of reserved stock when cooled.
  4. De-bone the chicken. Discard bones and skin. Cut chicken into chunks.
  5. Place all ingredients in a pot and cover. Bring to a boil, turning heat down immediately. Simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered, or until sauce has thickened.
  6. Serve on a bed of rice.

 

How to Make Chicken Cacciatore

  1. Brown chicken thighs: Heat olive oil in an extra large saute pan over medium-high heat.
  2. Dab thighs dry with paper towels, season both sides with salt. Sear thighs until browned about 5 minutes, turn and sear about 3 – 4 minutes longer. Transfer thighs to a plate, set aside.
  3. Saute mushrooms: Carefully drain off all but about 2 Tbsp fat in pan. Return to medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and saute, only tossing every minute or two, until browned, about 4 minutes total.
  4. Saute other vegetables: Add bell peppers and onions and saute 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute longer.
  5. Add wine, reduce: Remove from heat, pour in wine. Return to heat and let simmer over medium-low heat until reduced by about half, about 3 minutes.
  6. Add liquids, and flavorings: Mix in crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, half the parsley, half the basil, the thyme, oregano and parmesan rind. Season with salt and pepper to taste (take it easy on the salt as sauce will reduce some and parmesan will season the sauce).
  7. Simmer chicken with cacciatore sauce until cooked through: Nestle chicken thighs into the sauce, bring to a simmer and reduce to medium-low. Cover while leaving lid just lightly ajar for some steam to escape. Simmer 15 minutes.
  8. Turn thighs. Cover fully and continue to simmer until all of the thighs have cooked through (175 degrees in center), about 15 minutes longer.
  9. Finish with olives and herb garnish: If using olives sprinkle over. Finish with remaining half of the parsley and basil. Serve warm with cooked pasta if desired.
chicken cacciatore 04
chicken cacciatore 04

Have you ever literally face-palmed in court?

Oh yeah. It was when we were in court, seeking an Order of Protection to get my daughter’s ex-boyfriend to stop intimidating her (Garrett Murphy’s answer to As 2016 has come to an end, what is the saddest thing that happened in your life in this year?).

One of the key things in that story was a day when the ex rode my daughter’s bus home from school, saying, out loud, that he was going to try to get her to have a panic attack.

This charming, precious boy had obviously been telling his parents how nice he’d been to my daughter. One of the things he’d must have told them was that he’d been keeping his distance from her.

So, in court, after we’d laid out our complaints, including the bus ride, he had his chance to question us (his rebuttal), then he told his side of the story.

He explained that when he rode the bus that day, he sat in the front row of the bus, as far from my daughter as possible, because he was trying to be nice to her, and this made it impossible for him to be actively antagonizing her.

So, when my daughter did her rebuttal, she asked where he remembered her sitting, he responded “between the back seat and the middle”, which would put about 10-12 rows of seats between them.

“So, why would you come sit within three rows of me, knowing the effects it would have on me?” My daughter had forgotten his claim that he sat in the very first seat on the bus.

“Well, the front of the bus was full, so I sat down in the first available seat. I’m sorry it was so close to you.” Holy crap, HE forgot his claim as well.

I interrupted (the judge had said he’d allow it at the onset): “Wait, didn’t you say, just a few minutes ago, that you sat in the front seat?”

“Yeah.”

“But, she sat in the back half of the bus…and you just admitted to sitting three rows in front of her.”

The judge’s face was already in his hands. Same with his mom’s. As he began stammering and trying to explain, I couldn’t help myself. Head…hands….

 

It Begins…All 50 States Fight For Protection (WARNING)

https://youtu.be/S3LSAnUg180

What should I do when my boss always makes other co-workers try to reach me and do work right away when I don’t respond to him on my off-hours and days?

I had this problem with several bosses at different jobs.

I did not take calls from work if I was off duty. My boss would blow up my phone, message me on social media and when that did not work, he would get my coworkers to do the same.

I ignored them as well.

When my boss couldn’t get me on the phone and my coworkers were unsuccessful, the boss would show up at my house and bang on my door like he was the police.

I cursed out one boss, slammed the door in the face of another and got into a screaming match with the other. I could not believe how disrespectful they were being; they violated so many boundaries by showing up at my house.

It wasn’t long before I found another job and split.

You have to stress this and be clear with the boss about not contacting you when off duty. I once had a boss blow up my phone until I answered and when I answered, I said, “If you’re calling me like this at 4:45am, this state better be on fire and you’re telling me I need to evacuate.”

Boss said, “We had several call offs and no call shows for third shift and first shift. We need help and wanted to know if you could come in.”

“No, I am not coming in to work,” I said. “I work like crazy and I want to rest and enjoy life outside of work.”

Then comes the bullshit about how I need to be a team player and I need to step up and help the situation.

“Okay, why do I have to step up at all?” I asked. “Why don’t you say something to the people who call off or don’t show up for their shift instead of putting pressure on me to come in all the time?”

“Shannon, everyone knows you will come in,” said Boss. “No one can count on the others to show up.”

“And yet, they are still employed,” I said. “I’m not coming in. I’m exhausted and want to rest. I am always the one everyone calls on to come in and help; I work 80, 90, and sometimes 100 hours a week because of this and I’m sick and damn tired of it. Call someone else and stop calling me on my off time; I am allowed to have a life outside of work.”

I hung up.

Boss got all pissy because I wouldn’t come in and then all of a sudden I was the laziest employee. I lost all motivation for that job because the boss was mad that I wouldn’t come in to help.

Boss went on and on about how lazy I was. Forgot about the thousand times I did step up and focused on the one time I didn’t.

I eventually had to escalate the matter up the chain of command to get results. It shouldn’t even have had to come to that, but the boss was resentful and petty and passive aggressive and of course I had to go deal with that.

In the end, it took going to the administrator several times over the course of several weeks before I got satisfaction. But by then it was too late; I just found a new job and quit because it was fucking ridiculous for the boss to expect me to make the job the center of my life to the exclusion of all else. They even blew me up when I was at my daughter’s graduation and I made it clear I wanted to be left alone. Ended up going in afterward and then get there and find that I was the only one who showed up…and I was expected to work and do it all, on my own and with no help.

Nursing homes jobs will absolutely fuck your soul.

What is the most inappropriate thing you have done during a serious moment?

We were arguing… and this time, it was serious.

We had a complex relationship: We were dance partners, business partners, and dating each other.

Couple that with the new condo we just moved into and there was no escaping this firestorm.

Like most nights, our dance rehearsal time went long into the night, and considering our sport requires two humans to move in harmony together, there was plenty of discord in the process.

On this night, a bit of dance feedback hit with a pang of frustration and made impact like lemon juice in the eye.

It wasn’t intended to cause harm but it sure as hell did.

The feedback devolved quickly into a blaming cluster bomb which included dance, business, and relationship “feedback”.

We lobbed these verbal weapons back and forth at each other.

At that time we had two separate dance floors divided by a sliding glass door, so, in an effort to simmer things down, I moved into the other room to practice on my own and clear my head.

But this was one of those arguments with frustration residue, it seeped into the pores of our egos and made for a difficult recovery.

I needed to do something because the car ride to our home and everything afterward wouldn’t get any better unless something changed.

She looked over at me with daggers in her eyes.

I stopped practicing.

She said something I couldn’t make out (probably for the best).

So I treated the sliding glass door like it was completely soundproof.

Me: “what?!”

Her: (angry) “I said, this is a waste of time!”

Me: (playing deaf) “you want me to do what?”

Her: (angrier/enunciating) “I said, this is a waste of time!!”

Me: (stunned) “you want me to take my pants off?!”

Her: (puzzled/angry) “what are you talking about!”

Me: (undoing my belt) “really my pants?! Okay if that’s what you want.”

I drop my pants.

She stands there in shock and then, like a sneeze you’re trying your best to fight off, she involuntarily smiled, laughed, and we made up.

It was one of the best moves of my dance, business, and personal life.

(We were married 18 months later)

What Happened To Marriage?

https://youtu.be/eSYNwf7Pets

 

 

What’s the most lame excuse your boss has ever offered for not giving you an expected raise?

I have three stories about this one. But I’m going to share the lamest excuse I was given.

I’d been working for this employer for about two years and then later left. I was earning the same wage as when I started; this was a year before I asked for a raise and I was earning the same when I left after this event, about a year later.

I’d been the go-to person at this job. I mean, I was called upon to do so much; I was even called away from one client to go take care of another one (home health) and expected to drive back and forth between the clients’ homes, which was 30 minutes apart. So I was expected to drive back and forth to care for two clients rather than just get someone else to pick up one of the cases.

My boss didn’t see any point in hiring more help; in fact he always said, “Why should I hire more people when I have you here? It’s not a big deal; it’s just some extra driving. You can handle it,” and left it at that.

So after a year of this insanity, I finally went to the boss and asked for a raise.

“A raise? Just what have you done to earn one?” the boss asked.

Incredulous, I ticked off all the things I’d done to help out: I gave up my holidays and days off to pick up a new client, I juggled two clients for three months (one of them eventually passed away), commuting and working a total of 18 hours a day, I spent two weeks driving all over town to care for clients during the Hurricane Ike windstorm that passed through, knocking out power. I’d even packed up clients’ laundry and took it to my house to wash it since I still had power and even cooked meals to carry to the clients so they could have a hot meal. I brought my butane campstove cook top so I could heat water to wash them up.

Now you’d think that would have been enough to have been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. But apparently that wasn’t impressive to my boss.

“Shannon, that isn’t going beyond the call of duty. That’s just doing the job you’re paid to do,” he said.

“Really? So what would I have to do to earn a raise? Give you a kidney or lung? I’m busting my ass here and I deserve a raise for my efforts.” I said.

“Well, Shannon, I can’t afford to give you a raise. Don’t have the money,” said the boss.

“Really? I notice that you and your wife have brand-new cars, bought after you returned from your vacation in Hawaii,” I said testily.

“Shannon, that’s why I don’t have the money to give you a raise. Besides, you can always go get foodstamps or go to a food pantry. I can’t do that,” he said.

“Dude, bottom line here, I deserve a raise and you need to give it to me,” I said.

“Shannon, I have to keep my family in the lifestyle they’re accustomed to. Now being poor is a huge issue for me, but it’s not a problem for you. It’s okay for you to not have enough money coming in. I have to be able to pay for my children’s activities and the nanny, I have to make sure my wife gets her cosmetic surgery and that I have a decent vehicle to get around in. If it’s that much of an issue, just go get a second job,” said the boss.

I walked out of the office, questioning my work performance. Was I not doing enough? Was I really doing enough to earn a raise?

So I resolved to earn a raise. And I busted it out. I went over, above and beyond the call of duty for the next year.

So I go back to my boss and tell him I deserve a raise. This time he laughed at me.

“Shannon, what makes you think you deserve a raise just for doing your job? Why do you keep running in here looking for handouts?” said the boss.

I got to my feet slowly. Lean over the desk.

“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” I said. “I earn every nickel of every paycheck I draw on this job; you do not hand me a goddamn thing. I don’t know what seems to be the problem here, but I’ve been busting my ass for you for two years now and I’m still earning the same as when I started here,” I said, furious at his remarks.

“Well, I had to pay for my children’s school, my wife’s shit and I had to remodel the kitchen and finish my basement so I can turn it into a game room for my children. Plus, we’re going on vacation soon and I have to pay for that, so I can’t give you a raise,” the boss said.

I rose and stormed out. The boss actually had the nerve to say, “Don’t ask for a raise again. You’re not getting one,” got up and slammed the office door.

I got in my car and went to the library. I got on the computer and looked for a new job. I filled out applications and actually got a call back within a few minutes. Scheduled an interview.

I attended the interview and was offered the job. I accepted; it was paying 50% more than my current job, offered real benefits and perks and were reasonable when it came to workloads.

I went back to my other job and just waited.

Then my boss announced he was going on vacation in two weeks or so. This was my chance.

I put in my notice. I even set it up to make my last day the day before his vacation. When he learned that I given notice, he was furious and tried to make me stay until he got back. I stood my ground and said No.

The boss offered me raises, bonuses, paid time off, anything to get me to stay. I asked him, “What have you done to deserve to have me stay on so you can go on a vacation? Every time I put in a request for PTO, it’s always denied. Every time I try to call off, you call me over and over, blowing up my phone, coming around to my house to get me to go to work. I’ve been killing myself on this job, generating enough money for you to take vacations and buy new cars and shit, but not enough for a raise. I’m not staying on for you. Don’t ask me about it again,” and left his office.

On my last day, I turned in everything that had been issued to me: keys, phone and such. The office manager mentioned that I had a ton of PTO I never used; well, that’s because the boss never approved any vacation for anyone except himself.

So due to all the overtime I worked over those two years, the office manager had to cut me a check for damn near eight months’ PTO since it rolled over each year. I took my check, thanked the office manager and left that office for the last time.

My boss lost out on his vacation, I learned later. He wasn’t able to get a refund on such short notice. His family went without him because he had to stay back and cover all the work I had been doing. No one would do the shit I was doing and they would quit when he tried to force them to do it. Pretty soon he had about a handful of workers.

I went on to a better job. I feel no sympathy for my old boss and I have no regrets.

Screw that job. Screw that boss. He deserved all that he got.

Why do many foreigners who come to China think what they saw is so much different from what they heard at home?

image 3
image 3

Nixon wrote in his memoirs about China and USSR

In USSR, a certain province had a higher yield than the rest of the USSR. The Provincial authorities had tried something new and DIFFERENT from what the Communist Party and Central Control said

Immediately the party leadership sacked the people who had tried something new, and demanded that the province go back to doing what the party wanted even if the yields would be lower

In China, a similar thing happened but instead of clamping down on the province, Deng Xiaoping sent people to find out HOW THE PROVINCE WAS DOING IT and soon made the same thing, the normal standards for other provinces, thereby improving the yield across China in 1971

It was then that Nixon realized China wasn’t the same as the Soviet Union. It was a different form of Communism, something that could maybe give the US a run for their money


This is every foreigners experience in China

China is different

I plan to make a trip later with some Quorans for 4–5 days to chronicle the trip and hopefully record a video on the same

 

What’s a rule your employer implemented that backfired terribly?

I used to work for a major cosmetics company that had some very strict rules that didn’t always work out as intended.

Example: one day we got a memo saying that employees were required, not by law but by company policy, to take both their 15-minute breaks. Now, you’re probably thinking, why wouldn’t someone take a break?

Well, there were a number of reasons that people, mostly management, were not regularly taking breaks: most times because the store was short-staffed on weekdays. Business was unpredictable and leaving one person on the floor when a crowd of people walked in meant lost sales, theft, and dramatic Yelp reviews (“If I could give ZERO stars I would!”), not to mention it screwed up our conversion numbers, which meant getting reamed out by corporate (“Jaime, you were working on Monday: can you explain why only 15% of customers bought something in the morning?”). Also, per company policy, managers couldn’t leave the building anyway, unless another manager was on duty (for register overrides), and with only enough managerial overlap on a weekday for lunch, we couldn’t leave to smoke or grab a coffee anyhow. As a result, managers would often either punch out for a short break and help out if needed or just take the legally-required lunch break.

Unbeknownst to us, some employees at other locations were fed up with this and had spoken to some lawyers.

Some time later there was a new rule: employees must take all breaks and may not clock in a minute early or a minute late at any time. No more eight-minute breaks, which we had previously been told was long enough to fulfill the break requirement. This resulted in staff standing by the punch clock waiting for the minute to turn over, because if we were a minute late, it would lead to a write-up. As a manager, I began setting the alarm on my phone when I came in early to get work done so I could run over to the punch clock and clock in at the exact minute.

The timekeeping rule was super annoying but served two purposes with corporate: it showed that the company was providing breaks, and it also eliminated overtime pay.

Unfortunately it’s not easy being perfect. Pretty much everyone got written up. Managers would punch out for their “fake” break, be told that so-and-so from XYA was on the phone with a question or run out to help on the floor with an override and then realize that they forgot to clock back in. Regardless, we tried our best. Managers didn’t actually want to give employees write-ups, so we helped staff by monitoring the time. When it was time for someone to go home, we’d cut in and say something like, “I apologize, Megan needs to leave the floor. My name is Jaime and I’ll be taking over.”

One day I got a letter in the mail from my employer saying I had been randomly chosen to speak to lawyers who were representing some former employees in a class-action lawsuit. I was told to be truthful and that it would not affect my job.

Some time later a nice lawyer named Kelly called and wouldn’t you know, she had a lot of questions about the timekeeping at our company. She found it very odd that company-wide, timekeeping was virtually perfect.

“I worked at Clinique when I was in law school,” Kelly said. “I know that in customer service it is not always possible to clock out exactly on the dot, like if you’re working with a customer and your shift ends. We find it very suspicious that virtually everyone has perfect timekeeping.”

Additionally, Kelly wanted to know if managers were able to take “relaxing” breaks without performing any duties, such as retrieving something from the stock room or processing a return, and if we could leave the store on these breaks. She was also very interested to know why, when someone called in sick, no one else was brought in to cover that shift (answer: because the sick employee is getting paid time off, and there is no money to cover a replacement). The conversation was very illuminating.

My employer lost the lawsuit, and checks were sent to employees within the company. I got around $1,200!

8 classes that should be required for all students before they hit adulthood

If we want to prepare kids for adult life, we've got some glaring gaps to fill.

I remember sitting in advanced algebra and trigonometry class in high school wondering if I was really ever going to use any of what I was learning. Math at that level meant nothing to me in a practical sense. I planned to study English and education to become an English teacher, so I couldn’t imagine why I’d need to learn the ins and outs of trig.

As it turned out, some of what I learned came in handy in the functions class I was required to take to fulfill my math requirement in college. But again, I found myself sitting in class with zero idea of why I was learning this level of math and suspecting that I was never going to actually use that knowledge in my adult life.

Now I’m a middle-aged adult and I can say with absolute certainty that I was right. In 27 years, I have not used anything I learned in functions. Not once. Not even a little bit. I agonized my way through that class to eek out a B-minus and to promptly forget everything I’d learned because it was utterly useless to me.

To be clear, higher math isn’t useless—it’s amazing. It was just completely useless to me.

You know what would have been useful? Learning about financing a car or a mortgage or understanding how and why and where to invest money. In all that time I was doing trigonometric proofs and calculating polynomial functions, I could have been learning all the various real-life math-related decisions I’d have to make as an adult.

I see the same thing happening with my kids in high school and college. It totally makes sense for students who are interested in going into math and science fields to take math beyond basic algebra and geometry. But for those who aren’t—why? There are so many more valuable things for them to take the time to learn—things that every single person really needs a basic knowledge of, such as:

Basic Psychology/Mental Health Maintenance

Every one of us has a brain and mental health is an issue for a huge percentage of people. Even those of us who don’t struggle with mental illness benefit from learning about how our minds work, gaining strategies for managing our thoughts, emotions and behaviors, and understanding why people do the things they do.

How many people would have been saved by learning how to spot a narcissist before getting into a relationship with one? How many people could mitigate an anxiety spiral right when it starts because they learned to recognize the signs earlier? How many people would appreciate the support and understanding of everyone having a basic understanding of their mental health disorders?

Basic Sociology/Human Behavior

Similarly, every one of us lives in a society. Understanding social connections, relationships and group behavior might kind of come in handy. If we don’t understand the causes and consequences of human behavior, we’re going to be confused by society at best and allow or enable atrocities to occur at worst.

From learning how cults and conspiracy theories work to recognizing how our prejudices can blind us to reality, sociology has useful knowledge we all need to internalize.

Media Literacy

If we’re going to be bombarded with media 24/7, we’d better know how to process it. Understanding how journalism works, what makes a source credible, how information can be skewed and how to recognize misinformation and disinformation is vital. What is bias and how can it be mitigated? How can we recognize when an outlet values accuracy?

So many of the problems the U.S. is facing currently are due to people watching or listening to dubious news sources. Mandatory media literacy courses would (hopefully) go a long way toward changing that.

The Stock Market and Other Investments

I underestimated how much I’d need to know about the stock market when I was younger. None of that economic stuff interested me, but I wish I understood it better now.

But really, it’s investing in general that we need to understand more about when we’re younger, especially since starting young is the No. 1 best advice any financial advisor will give you.

How Banking, Credit and Credit Cards Work

Every single one of us uses a bank or credit union and credit is a huge part of adult life. And yet most people I know have had to piece together how credit and credit cards actually work through advice from friends and family and good old trial and error, sometimes with devastating consequences.

Taxes

Good gracious, right? Not just how to do taxes, but what taxes get used for.

Financial literacy is what I’m saying. We need mandatory financial literacy classes. (Florida has actually just become the first state to require personal finance education to graduate, so yay Florida.) I think I was required to take economics in high school, but it was much more high-level economic theory than personal finance. We need personal finance first, then the bigger picture.

First Aid/Safety/Self-Defense

Most of us probably got some first aid and/or CPR training in health class, but how comprehensive was it? Did it include infant CPR? Do we know how to recognize if someone is having a stroke? Signs of infection?

What about basic everyday safety, like why you shouldn’t leave a car running in a garage or common household fire dangers or how to spot asbestos?

Self-defense seems like a no-brainer. Basically, a “How to Stay Alive and Keep Others Alive” course that includes most everything you need to know to protect yourself and your loved ones on a daily basis.

Navigating our Healthcare and Health Insurance System

Ugh. I’ve been an adult for almost three decades and everything about our healthcare system confuses and frustrates me. Maybe if we required schools to teach young people how it works, it would shine a big spotlight on how ridiculously and unnecessarily complicated it is because no one could possibly explain it in a way that’s understandable. Maybe that would push lawmakers to actually do something about it, because honestly, it’s just a gigantic mess.

There are surely others, but those are the major subjects that come to mind as vital after being an adult for a long while and seeing what my own kids need to have a decent grasp on as they make their way into the world. And honestly, there are some classes that adults should be required to take well into adulthood. Parenting classes, for example. Or local government and voting.

All subjects and courses have value to some people, but if we want students to be prepared for adulthood, we should make sure they are given the vital knowledge and skills every person actually needs and will use.

 

Breakfasts

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“Dear dad, aka “papa”.

When I first found out I was pregnant at 18, I wasn’t scared to tell anyone. Only you.

I wasn’t scared to tell friends, other family, or the internet. I was scared to tell you.

I still remember sitting on my bed with mom, when you walked in and asked why I was crying. I could barely get out the words “I’m pregnant dad..” before you hung your head in disappointment, and stormed off downstairs. Mom hugged me and told me that you would come around.

I gave you a few minutes, and I walked downstairs. You were sitting on the couch. You looked so mad. I couldn’t find the words to say anything to you, so I just sat down beside you, and laid my head down on your shoulder, as I felt tears drip down my face.

Out of all the people I had to tell, that I was pregnant, I was most scared to tell you. And you were definitely the most disappointed.

But, when I came home the next day, and I saw you clearing out the guest room, for your soon to be granddaughter, I knew everything would be okay.

Six months later, you took me to every doctors appointment, when my boyfriend was working.

Seven months later, you helped me pick out a bringing home baby outfit.

Eight months later, you were there through my labour, and reminding me I could do this.

When she was born, you wouldn’t let her go. She became your world, along with me.

Six years later, you, papa, are my daughters world. She wants to call you every chance she gets. She wants to see you every time we go anywhere.

I know that out of everyone, you were the most disappointed when I announced I was pregnant at 18, but my daughter and I, couldn’t imagine doing life without you. And I know that you couldn’t imagine doing life without my daughter.

You two needed each other, even if you didn’t know it back then.”

 

Have you ever seen an employee get fired on the spot because of you?

Many years ago I took my 2 children on vacation in Florida. It was their first vacation. My kids were 6 and 8. We stopped in a restaurant that was very much like the Ryan’s restaurants. It was Buffett or order an entree. I ordered an entree and I believe my kids got an entrees as well. Our waiter was super nice and while we were waiting on our meals my daughter the youngest asked if she could look at the dessert bar. She just wanted to see what the options were for after dinner.

we went up to the dessert bar and she eyed the choices. She said she wanted a cookie for later and I said okay which one?

my daughter said are those chocolate chip cookies or raisins. She pointed at them. The bakery employee came up and before I could ask which one was the chocolate chip cookie she slapped my daughter’s hand. She angrily informed me that she needed tongs to get the cookie.

I was in shock by what just happened. I told the lady we only had a question and we were not ready for dessert. She scowled at me. I gave her a death stare and we went back to the table. Our food came out but I didn’t eat any. The waiter came back and asked if everything was okay. I said to him no it wasn’t and I told him what the bakery employee did. He gasped and got his manager. I relayed the story to the manager and he was very apologetic about it and said he would handle rude employee. A few minutes later I saw rude employee going upfront she gathered her purse and walked out the door. The manager came back and refunded our meals and said we could choose anything else on the menu to take home. He said bakery lady no longer works for them.
we choose some entrees and went back to the bakery bar another lady was there and she was very pleasant. I asked her about the cookie and she pointed to the chocolate chip one. My daughter picked up the tongs to get her cookie as she already knew to do this. The bakery lady then put out signs identifying what the cookie s were. Apparently the other lady had forgot to do this.

our waiter took great care of us and the refund I about 20 dollars received from our meal I gave it to him as a tip.

 

Is there going to be a war between the US and Iran, or is what’s going on just propaganda and saber rattling?

Is USA going to war with Iran?

Nobody has the crystal ball. The ball is in USA as of 2024/1/31.

On the 1 hand, it seems both USA & Iran are avoiding a WW3. Yet at the same time, it seems both are waiting for the right moment to start a war.

Let us look at the big picture.

1, UN says the US occupation of Syria & Iraq is illegal. USA was not invited by Syria or Iraq. Nor was it approved by UN.

USA used laundry detergent to falsely accuse Iraq of possessing bio weapon & waged a war there. USA’s war & thus occupation of Iraq is illegal.

It means Iran’s attack at US (illegal) bases can be pardoned.

USA normally ignores UN. Probably this time too. Clearly Biden has concern. Perhaps Biden has no surety to win the war without US casualties. 2024 is a US election year.

2, Since Saudi-Iran reconciliation in 2023, Mideast nations minus Israel are united as 1 big family. They have 1 common enemy ie USA+Israel. They are also waiting for the right moment to kick USA out of Mideast. They want to reclaim their 100% sovereignty in Mideast.

That is, USA is not faced with Iran alone. But the entire Mideast. Does Biden have surety to win?

3, Iran has “warned” USA’s aircraft carriers. 1 US carrier left Mediterranean Sea a month or so ago. Why leave at this time?

4, No doubt. there were 150 attacks in 3 months. But no casualties until the latest one at Jordan/Syria/Iraq border.

Iran was attacked many times too. How many? dont know.

Mind you, Iran denied it was responsible for the Jordan attack. Iran said it was ISIS.

5, Remember the Iran-Pakistan crossfire? It turns out each country wanted to exterminate the same group of people who were recruited by USA+India & who were living in the Iran-Pakistan border. To these 2 countries, these people are rioters who stir up unrest in both countries. It is not a bad idea to get rid of rioters this way without being accused of ethnic suppression by the West.

Back to the attack at Syria-Jordan-Iraq border where there were 30+ US casualties. Could it be a repeat of the Iran-Pakistan action? All 3 countries are actually exterminating the same group of radicals who are recruited by USA in US base.

Will there be a USA-Iran war? Nobody knows.

 

What were the worst two minutes of your life?

Imagine getting a frantic phone call to find a needle in a haystack. Except that needle is your whole family…. and that haystack is an unknown location.

My wife didn’t sound like herself.

She was crying, panicked, and talking to other people before she said:

Wife: we were in an accident…

Me: (fearing the worst) where are you?

The next words still give me shivers.

Wife: …. You’ll find us…

Dial tone.

I have no idea where they might be. Adrenaline is pulsing through my body, and my only instinct is to drive as fast as possible toward our home.

I’m trying my best to stay focused on the location of my wife and kids, and not what might have happened to them.

I reach our exit from the freeway. Scanning.

Nothing.

I drive past our kids’ school. School. Today was their first day of school.

I make a right, I know her route home.

I’m confident I’ll find them now, but dread what I might see.

Then I see it. Fire engine.

Our Escalade is flipped on its side. I leave my car on the side of the road like it’s a bike I don’t care about.

I run. There’s glass everywhere. Where are they?

Then I can hear crying. It’s the scariest, yet greatest, sound I can hear. Like the cry of a newborn baby to let you know they are alive, I find my wife and 3 children in the cab of the fire truck – all crying, but all safe.

A welcome relief after the worst two minutes of my life.

MORE:

I wrote about this on another question Chris Lynam’s answer to What is the creepiest phone call or voice message you’ve ever received?

  • A “bystander” told the cops that my wife ran a red light, but my son (who has an unbelievable memory) was adamant that she didn’t.
  • It turns out that the “bystander” was a passenger in one of the two racing vehicles that both ran the red light and upended our SUV. He hopped out of the car and had fabricated a totally different account of what actually happened.
  • My wife was petrified to drive after that, but, after a lot of assurances and negotiating, had her drive me short distances around town.

Chicken Mediterranean

Quickly serves one very hungry person or two restrained people. Multiply at will (the portions, that is). Prep the dried mushrooms, have all your ingredients measured and ready, put on the rice and you’ll be ready to dine in 30 minutes. Also perfect with couscous.

mediterranean chicken recipe 1 1024x1536 1
mediterranean chicken recipe 1 1024×1536 1

Why you’ll love it

This pan-fried chicken recipe has all my favorite ingredients that remind me of faraway beaches and warm Mediterranean waters. We’ve got a sauce with oregano, Kalamata olives, capers, and of course plenty of feta cheese. It’s got all the best savory flavors!

You know I’m the queen of creamy sauces, but I also enjoy changing it up with healthier fare (Pasta Puttanesca, anyone!?) every so often. This simple Greek-inspired chicken has an elegant, light white wine sauce with fresh tomatoes, so it’s perfect for easy after-work meals and isn’t too heavy.

What you’ll need

  • Chicken – we’re cutting two chicken breasts in half lengthwise for faster, more even cooking
  • Seasoning – salt & pepper, oregano, and garlic powder are sprinkled onto the chicken cutlets for infusing flavor into them directly
  • Olive oil – for pan frying
  • Garlic – add even more if you’re a big fan
  • White wine – try sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio.
  • Tomatoes – a pop of freshness. Use either grape or cherry tomatoes.
  • Kalamata olives and capers – this duo adds a little tang and so much savory goodness
  • Spinach – an easy way to get your greens
  • Feta – this delicately salty, briny, and rich cheese is a staple in Greek-style recipes

Ingredients

  • 2 or 3 dried porcini mushrooms (each the size of a quarter would be nice, or bits and pieces to equal that)
  • Boiling water to cover the mushrooms
  • A couple tablespoons chicken broth or bouillon
  • 1 tablespoon capers, drained
  • Zest of half an orange
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/3 pound fresh chicken stir fry meat or 1 skinless chicken breast, pounded
  • Juice of half an orange
  • 1/2 a small anchovy fillet, mashed, or 1 1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Put the dried mushrooms in a Pyrex cup and just cover with boiling water. Set aside to soak while you prep the remaining ingredients.
  2. In a small saucepan, simmer the broth, capers, and orange peel. Chop the rehydrated mushrooms and add to the saucepan. Save a couple of tablespoons of the mushroom water for a later task (make sure it’s not gritty). Let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes and then move on to the next task.
  3. In a sauté pan, skillet or small wok, heat the butter and the oil until very hot. Add the chicken stir fry, brown quickly for just a few minutes and remove with tongs OR add the chicken breast and cook about 5 minutes per side until browned. Remove the chicken.
  4. Let the hot fat and chicken juices reduce for a couple of minutes. Then, over high heat, return the chicken to the pan and add the sauce. Add the orange juice. Cook until chicken is cooked through and sauce has reduced even further, turning the chicken from time to time.
  5. Remove chicken once more. Stir anchovy paste into a couple tablespoons of the reserved mushroom water and add to pan. Let the sauce bubble for a minute or two. Return the chicken to the pan, turn it a few times, and serve with plenty of the sauce on a good sticky rice or couscous.

Substitutions and variations

  • As always, tweak the recipe to your tastes. If you don’t like olives, for example, you can leave them out.
  • If you can’t/don’t want to use white wine, just swap it out for chicken broth.
  • Chicken thighs would work great in here, but you may need to cook them for a bit longer to ensure they’re tender.

What to serve with Mediterranean chicken

Leftovers and storage

  • Store for 3-4 days in the fridge in a covered container.
  • Reheat slowly over a low heat. Keep in mind the spinach will wilt more.
  • If you really need to, you could probably freeze it, but it’s not ideal since the spinach will change texture and the chicken may dry out.

Notes

Good ol’ reliable steamed broccoli on the side would be nice…chocolate for dessert.

 

 

 

The U.S. and China are planning to hold high-level talks on the fentanyl crisis. Do you think this will result in any meaningful action on the part of China?

The problem is in USA. Not China.

USA is using the band-aid solution without diagnosing the root cause to the cancer the fentanyl crisis.

China has done its part:

Fentanyl is illegal in China.

China has set up enforcement personnel to inspect import/export of drug incl fentanyl. One of the enforcement unit is in a police/custom. But …. USA sanctioned that unit. It is USA who does not want China to do the inspection work. It is USA who wants illegal drugs to go to USA.

One ingredient in fentanyl is opiod which comes from opium. It is a powerful pain killer. It is legal in the world. But we must have drug control eg doctor’s prescription.

I heard opiod type of pain-killer was regularly prescribed by doctors in USA (before fentanyl has become a crisis in USA). I heard at first they did not believe people will get addicted until much later.

I also observed that the opiod crisis in north America started at the time when USA occupied Afghanistan. During that 20 years of occupation, Afghanistan produced 80% of opium in the world. The Taliban government has banned its growth since US troops left Afghanistan. Is it a coincidence or not?

An Afghan farmer said it was US soldiers who “forced” or bribed them to grow opium.

Back to China. Fentanyl is illegal in China. No fentanyl in USA comes from China. Opiod that makes LEGAL pain killers are allowed to export to the world incl USA. So if foreign countries which use China’s LEGAL opiod to make fentanyl, China cannot stop them. Unless the world bans legal drug incl pain killers.

There is nothing China can do to help USA.

Fentanyl is a US problem. US politicians talk to China, just to fool Americans that they have done their homework with China. It is a band-aid solution without doing a serious job ie prescription control & underground drug trafficking.

Remember, if there is no market in USA, there will be no underground drug trafficking. So, the problem is inside USA.

In 1840’s, UK militarily forced China to buy opium. A British Jewish businessman spread opium in China. At 1 point, 1/2 of the population was addicted to opium. How did China clean up the crisis? Communist China used iron-fist to stop/punish drug dealers & addicts. Some addicts used their WILL POWER to overcome their pain during drug withdrawal.

China is clean since. So can USA if only USA has the will power to rid itself from fentanyl. Dont shift its responsibility to China. Good luck to USA.

The Mass Exodus Of Young Men From Dating/Relationships Is Baffling Both Academics And The Media

https://youtu.be/Ugs8z6JbdOo

What is the biggest waste of electricity you’ve seen in a home you visited, were a guest in, or even in your own home?

I did “energy audits” – home inspections to look for possible energy improvements – for some years. Here are 4 experiences that stick in my mind:

1. Homeowner complains of high electricity bills. Hmm – heating, hot water and oven are all on natural gas. What could it be? Surely not that hot tub, sitting out there in a foot of snow, gently steaming away on its 220V resistance element?.

2. Homeowner complains of high electricity bills. But this is a homeowner who is up with the latest. Insulation is good, hot water is gas but the heating/cooling system is a forced air high efficiency heatpump (=reverse cycle air con unit) with a programmable thermostat. The set temperatures are very reasonable, a bit spartan if anything. But the bills just look too high, especially in winter. Call in the HVAC expert to check it out. Result; the unit has not been wired properly. Since the original installation the unit never switched to reverse cycle, so the electric resistance element turned on every time the thermostat called for heat.

3. Big house, on multiple levels. Huge octagonal living room, 16 foot ceiling, full height windows all round. Homeowner has no real complaints, just wonders if he could save some money. I look and don’t find anything much to improve. The place is pristine, looks almost unoccupied. The wife and young son hang out in a basement room that is fitted out almost like an RV; couch, heater, sink, microwave, hot plate, small fridge, TV, blackboard, toy chest, a computer workstation. It’s a comfortable, snug room. Downsizing would save a heap of energy…

4. Homeowner says electricity bills have skyrocketed over the last few months. Can’t explain it; nothing has really changed, no new appliances, no change in occupants and so on. I check the electric units, everything looks OK.. Sure we can save some money with more insulation, some more efficient appliances, but it doesn’t explain the sudden jump in costs. I take another look at the bills – could have saved a lot of time if I had looked properly the first time. She had signed up with an independent energy supplier. The first year’s price per Kwh was super attractive. But once that initial year was over the price jumped to 50% higher than the regular utility. I guess one does need to read the fine print.

What are some psychological facts that people don’t know?

  1. When you hold the hand of a loved one, you feel pain less keenly and worry less.
  2. The more you talk about someone, the more are you likely to fall in love with that person.
  3. Women generally prefer men with deep husky voices because they seem more confident and not aggressive.
  4. Staying quiet often means that you do not think that other person is ready to hear your thoughts.
  5. The smarter the person is, the faster he thinks, and the sloppier his handwriting is.
  6. Your favorite song is your favorite because you associate an emotional event with it.
  7. Smarter people underestimate themselves, ignorant people think they are brilliant.
  8. When someone cries tears of joy, the first teardrop will always come from the right eye. Tears of pain start from the left.
  9. Listening to high-frequency music makes you feel calm, relaxed, and happy.
  10. Doing things that scare you will make you happier.
  11. The happier you are, the less sleep you require. Sadness urge to sleep more.
  12. A 20 seconds hug releases chemicals in the body that help you trust the one you’re hugging.
  13. Chocolate discharges the same chemical in your body as when you feel love. One of which is phenylethlyamine, which causes alertness, excitement, quickens the pulse rate and makes you happy!

Resilient Kids Come From Parents Who Do These 8 Things

Letting your kids fail and talking to them about it goes a long way.

by Lizzy Francis

When you’re a kid, everything is a tragedy. Your grilled cheese has the crust on? The horror. Can’t assemble that Lego set? Might as well stomp up and down. You can’t change this. What you can do, however, is arm your kid with the techniques that teach them how to bounce back from their daily struggles so that, later on in life, when the stakes are higher, they know what to do. Because resilience is a behavior learned through explicit lessons and examples, one that teaches kids how to, among other things, better handle stress, understand that rejection is not a comment on their entire existence, and view setbacks as things that don’t need to sideline them for good.

But how, exactly, should you teach this lesson? According to Amy Morin, a psychotherapist and the author of 13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don’t Do, here are eight common practices of parents who raise resilient kids.

They Let the Kids Struggle

“All kids have the ability to develop skills that will help them be resilient,” says Morin. “As parents, it’s up to us to give them those skills, and to serve as a guide — to help them when they’re struggling with something and give them more opportunities to practice resiliency.”

The worst thing parents can do, says Morin, is rescue their kids too much. Such actions prevent kids from learning how to act on their own. In other words, the parents who teach their kids that hard work is a necessary part of life — and sometimes that hard work is really hard — are the ones who raise well-adjusted kids.

They Let Their Kids Experience Rejection

For myriad reasons, it’s essential for kids to learn how to handle being told ‘no.’ “If your kid doesn’t get picked for the baseball team, it can be tempting to call the coach, call the schools, try to get your kid on the team,” says Morin. “But failure can be one of the best opportunities to teach kids a life lesson. That lesson: Failure is not the end of the road, you’re strong enough to handle failing, and that when you fail, you have choices.”

They Don’t Condone a Victim Mentality

“When kids say they are having a problem, it’s tempting for them to blame other people,” says Morin. “They fail their science test, and they say that their teacher didn’t explain it well enough.” It can be tempting for parents to give into this behavior and side with their children. But even if their teacher is bad or didn’t explain something, that instinct is dangerous.

“Parents need to tell their kids that life isn’t fair, but that they aren’t strong enough to handle the unfairness,” says Morin. “And I think for a lot of parents, our tendency is to make things fair — to advocate for our kids, to side with them, just reinforces to them that they’re the victim. It leads to learned helplessness.” Fight this instinct at all costs.

They Do More Than Tell Their Kids to ‘Buck Up’ When Struggles Occur

Letting kids struggle is important, but telling them to just deal with it, or ignoring that it could be tough emotionally, is not the right way to go about it. “You want to make sure that you validate their emotions and you empathize with them,” says Morin. “Parents can find that balance of knowing when to step back enough to let their child face some of their own battles, but at the same time, empathize.”

Talking to your kids about their feelings as they learn by doing is incredibly important. It will give them skills to talk about their feelings later on in life, as well as help them learn how to deal with difficult times.

“Parents need to ask themselves whether or not they’re giving their kids the skills and tools they need to do things on their own,” Morin adds. “If they don’t have those skills yet, then parents step in. But parents, make sure that you’re teaching them those skills, too.”

They Help Their Kids Learn How to Label Their Feelings and Emotions

“When kids can label their emotions, they are less likely to act them out,” says Morin. “If your kid can say ‘I’m mad,’ he’s less likely to kick you in the shins to show you that he’s mad.”

In other words, kids who can’t talk about their feelings tend to take those feelings out on others, which can lead to adults who don’t know how to cope with anger or sadness. By helping kids feel comfortable talking about their emotions out loud, you are also giving them the skills to think about (and cope with) what’s making them upset. It’s Resiliency 101.

They Give Their Kids the Tools to Self-Soothe

“I know some parents who created a ‘calm down kit’ for their kid,” says Morin. “They have a kit with a coloring book, and some Play-Doh, and lotion that smells good, and they remind their kid to go get the kit when they’re upset.”

Although this specific technique isn’t for everyone, the concept should be as it helps kids learn how to take responsibility for their feelings and calm themselves down. Using such tools and routines will help them manage and continue healthy coping skills as they get older. It’s invaluable.

They Admit Their Mistakes, Then They Fix Them

Parenting mistakes, per Morin, are opportunities for us to turn it around and show kids how to respond to errors and show that we all make them. Even the most well-adjusted parents screw up every once in a while. They get mad at the teacher or yell at their spouse or forget to do something critical. The important thing is that parents need to own up to their own mistakes in front of their kids — and then actually fix the problem. This shows kids that no matter how grave a mistake they may have made, if they are honest about it and try to fix it, things will get better.

They Connect Their Kid’s Self-Worth to Their Level of Effort

“There is research that shows that when girls succeed, we say, ‘You did well because you studied hard.’ But when boys succeed, we’ll say something like, ‘You did well on that test because you’re smart,’” Morin says. For her, that’s a problem. Connecting a kid’s outcomes to their inherent talent can lead to long-term issues.

“When we focus too much on outcome, kids will cheat in high school because they think the most important thing in the world is getting an A, and it doesn’t matter how they get there. We want to teach kids that what matters is being honest, being kind, working hard. It’s really important to focus on their effort. The kid who grows up knowing that it’s all about their effort, rather than their outcome, is going to be more resilient when they fail or when they get rejected.”

How To Regain Your Masculinity In A Relationship

Last Updated On December 15, 2022 by Andrew Ferebee

We have all seen a man who is big and brave when single but seems to crumble into a pile of ashes when he’s in a relationship. It’s almost as if someone flipped a switch.

One minute, he’s still just as manly as ever. Next, he’s wearing an apron, babysitting, and watching the worst romantic comedies since The Notebook

Losing yourself in a relationship is a universal issue. However, when you’re a man and you no longer feel in touch with your masculine edge, it’s devastating.

You lose what makes you, you. Masculinity is a source of pride in every man, which is why it’s so important to stay in touch with it.

Though it’s rarely discussed, losing your masculine edge in a relationship can and does happen—quite a bit, really.

Masculinity has a lot of definitions

There is no such thing as a man who is purely masculine.

Everyone has both masculine and feminine energy in them, and every person has masculine and feminine traits. This is not a bad thing! Quite the opposite, it means that you are a balanced person. 

Being a man means that you have the emotional strength and that you can be the one to take charge when need be. But, it can also mean being the support your wife needs when she breaks down in tears. See what we mean? 

You do not have to guzzle beer, be a lumberjack, and smoke cigars to be a man. When you feel like a man, you’re a man. The man who owns a cat and relaxes to bossa nova can be just as manly as the man going on safari. 

Masculinity is something that is felt and experienced—and it takes many forms.

Just because you’re not skydiving with Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson doesn’t mean you’re not a man. With that said, there’s a major question that deserves to be asked.

Signs you’re losing your masculine edge in a relationship

Therein lies the crux of the question, and it’s one that is hard to nail down in words. However, there are a couple of telltale signs that you might be losing your masculine edge in your relationships:

  • You honestly feel emotionally battered and beaten down. A man who’s lost his masculinity looks worn down. He might not have the inner fight in him that he once had. Sometimes, it can even make him feel sick and weak. 
  • It’s been a long time since you’ve felt strong and confident. Do you find yourself questioning your abilities, when you never felt that way before? This is never a good sign. 
  • If you were honest, it’s been a while since you have prioritized yourself. Part of being a masculine man is being able to actively make yourself a priority. Masculinity is all about being assertive and living for you. Do you feel like you’re sacrificing everything for yourself, with nothing in return?
  • You’re afraid to express yourself. Once again, this is never a good sign. 
  • Your girlfriend or wife has stopped respecting you. If you find yourself begging for attention, pleading for her to meet you halfway, or experiencing serious signs of contempt from her, it’s time to make a change. Women don’t respect men they don’t view as masculine.

8 ways to regain your masculinity in a relationship

If you’re noticing warning signs that you’re losing your masculinity in a relationship, it’s time to take charge and realign yourself with your manhood. 

By implementing the 8 principles below, you will discover ways to reclaim control and regain masculinity in your relationship.

1. Re-establish your boundaries and enforce them

There are a few things that will erode a person’s sense of self like having no boundaries and letting people walk all over you.

In many cases, this is why relationships start to emasculate men and why women lose respect for you. 

What does this look like? Simple. 

  1. First, figure out what you need in your relationship in order to feel better. This can include having time to yourself, having at least one night out a week, or even getting better responses on intimacy. 
  2. Have a firm talk to your girlfriend about things you need to see happen. This can be as simple as saying, “I care about you very much, but I am not feeling great in this relationship. Here’s what I need to feel better.”
  3. Tell her what you will not tolerate. This can include things like browbeating you, guilt trips, lying, shouting, ignoring your needs, and threats. 
  4. Tell her what you are in need of. Set boundaries that are reasonable when it comes to things like space apart, time with friends, time with family, and sexual needs. 
  5. Do not tolerate disrespect, verbal violence, or guilt-tripping. If she behaves this way, then the reason you lost your masculinity is that you’re in an abusive relationship. You may need to dump her. 
  6. Expect better, and call her out if it’s not working. It’s okay to remind her that she needs to do better. 

If you feel like you’re regularly disrespected or have your needs dismissed, it may be time to call things off. A relationship has to go both ways, and if she’s just not listening, she’s not the one for you. 

2. Don’t feel bad about prioritizing yourself

One of the worst things that happen to men on a regular basis is the guilting when they put themselves first.

Self-love is important for men. You can’t set yourself on fire to keep others warm! Boundaries are part of a healthy relationship, so don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. 

3. Ask for help with communication if you need to

Actually establishing healthy boundaries requires tact at times, and many men are not socialized to work with that.

That’s why it often helps to have someone in your corner who can help you figure out how to communicate.

4. Do things that make you feel like a man

Everyone has that one (or two) things that helps them realign with their masculine side—and that’s precisely what you need to start doing.

Once again, it’s important to take time to figure out when you’ve felt your best and what you were doing at that point.

Masculinity takes a lot of different forms. It can be when you’re competing for a 5K, when you’re bodybuilding, when you’re pouring effort into a new business or when you’re making a new song. 

Whatever it is, do it for at least half an hour a week. Ideally, you’ll carve out more time for that thing. This is part of prioritizing yourself.

5. Write a list of things that you’ve accomplished in your life

While you might be feeling low right now, it’s important to remember that no one can take away your masculinity unless you let them.

Truthfully, no one can ever take away what masculine things you’ve already done. Sometimes, it’s good to have a reminder of who you are and what you did to put things into perspective. 

So, write down a list of all the manly feats you did—from that time you finished a raid in WoW to that one time you did that thing in sports. Keep that list nearby when you’re feeling low. 

6. Reach out to your guyfriends and bond with them

There is something truly magical about the bond that men have with their male friends. This is something that every man really needs to experience from time to time.

Men get it. It’s a world where men often are told mixed messages and where men often feel like they are “damned if they do, damned if they don’t.”

Hanging out with your bros is one of those things that is just as much a diversion as it is a practice in male health.

Men need other men as friends, guides, and confidantes. If you haven’t done so recently, call your guy friends and ask how they are doing. 

7. Learn to drop your fear of the masculine and feminine

If it feels like we live in a society where men are told to embrace their feminine side, then punish them, you’re right.

There is this constant stigma of being too girly as a guy, and it often feels like we police each other in suppressing sides that don’t stick to the narrative. 

Part of being truly masculine is realizing that being a “manly man” means you’re comfortable with your feminine side, too.

Just because you have a girly side doesn’t mean you’re any less of a man. Make a point of reassuring yourself that you’re still you, regardless of what society says. 

What other people say about you has no bearing on you. They’re saying that, and it’s on them. 

8. Realign yourself with the goals that you have for yourself

The key thing to remember about masculinity is that it’s all about leadership and paving your own way in life.

When you’re in a relationship, it’s easy to start to put your actual goals to the side in favor of all the other little things people expect you to do. This is why you might be feeling emasculated. 

Women find a grounded man who makes his own way in life attractive. This is doubly true if his goals are ones that are difficult to attain and have a very high standard of performance.

If you need to focus on your career path or your own personal goals, that’s totally fine. In fact, it’s healthy. 

Masculinity wanes when you stop taking your own needs and future into account. Write a list of your goals and ask yourself which ones started to slip away from you.

Start putting together a game plan on how you’re going to pursue those goals once more. Then, follow the game plan.

Takeaways

Regaining your masculinity isn’t always easy or clear-cut.

Let’s face it, when you’re in the thick of it, it’s hard to make the right steps to get your masculinity back. Sometimes, it can feel like it’s just too complicated or difficult to work through—even when you know what you need to do. 

Part of being able to get yourself back to where you need to be is having the right support network and even leaning on someone who’s been there.

When you have the right support, being able to realign with your masculine side becomes way easier and even intuitive. 

Of course, the perks of getting that masculine mojo back go far beyond just feeling better. It makes you attractive to women, can help you get a better job, and also can change the trajectory of your life.

We help make that happen in our exclusive coaching program where you’ll learn, with our band of brothers, to become the best version of yourself, reclaim your masculine edge and improve your life and relationship.

 

You’re in a room with a king, a rich man, and a priest. Each orders you to kill the other two, and you’re the only one with a weapon. Whom will you listen to and why?

Originally Answered: You’re in a room with a king, a rich man, and a priest. Each orders you to kill the other two, and you’re the only one with a weapon. Who will you listen to and why?

I just love this question. I fucking love it. What’s so beautiful about this question is that it cannot be answered by analyzing what is given. Rather, the answer can only be found by analyzing what is hidden behind these black lines!

Let’s begin, shall we?

First of all, it’s safe to assume that the three designations described – the king, the priest, and the rich man are the three highest positions of power in the empire. Now, since I am the sword-wielder, I choose to be an ambitious one. And if I am ambitious, I would want one of these three positions for myself!

It’s evident that I’ll kill two of the three and spare one. So, instead of concentrating on what is to be lost by killing a particular person, let’s analyze what is to be gained by letting a particular person live.

Case 1) The king lives.

In this case, I kill both the rich man and the priest. What can the king do for me? The answer is clear – He can make me very very rich. But he cannot make me the priest. (The priest has to command the respect and devotion of the people, something a king cannot buy or order.)

Case 2) The priest lives.

Here, I kill the king and the rich man. Once again, I ask – What can the priest give me? He cannot make me rich. Most of the priests themselves choose to live a life of poverty (Remember High Sparrow?) But the priest can easily make me the king. He holds that much power over people, as is evident throughout our history (Again, remember High Sparrow?)

Case 3) The rich man lives.

I kill the king and the priest. Now, what can the rich man offer me? He can neither make me the king, nor make me the priest. Both of those positions require people’s will, acceptance and devotion; and that is something you cannot buy with money.


So, it is evident that the rich man is the most useless of all. He has nothing to offer to me. I kill him immediately.

Now, the king and the priest remain. The king can make you rich, and the priest can make you king. (Case 1 and 2)

So, it’s just a matter of the exact nature the sword-wielder’s ambition takes. Does he crave wealth or power? If he craves power, then he must kill the king. And if he craves riches, then he must kill the priest.

For me, personally, power is much more important than money. So, if you make me the sword-wielder, I’ll first kill the rich man. Then, when it’s just between the king and the priest, I’ll strike a deal with the priest that if I spare him, he has to make me the king with his support.

Then I’ll stab the king.

Boo ya!

Oops, I mean…

Homelessness In The U.S. Is Up 48 Percent Since 2015, And Americans Are Being Laid Off In Droves…

by Michael

How can anyone out there possibly believe that the U.S. economy is doing well?  As you will see below, the number of homeless Americans has risen to the highest level ever recorded, and large companies all over the country are laying off workers in droves.  As I have discussed previously, the number of Americans that were laid off in 2023 jumped 98 percent compared to the year before, and now during the first month of 2024 it feels like we are being hit by a tsunami of layoffs.  It literally seems like someone has turned a fire hose on, but the Biden administration continues to insist that unemployment is “low” and that the outlook for the U.S. economy is positive.

Honestly, I don’t understand how the Biden administration can say that the outlook for the U.S. economy is positive when the number of Americans that are homeless has been increasing at the fastest pace ever recorded.  According to a brand new report that was just released by Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, the number of homeless Americas has increased 48 percent since 2015…

According to a Jan. 25 report from Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, roughly 653,000 people reported experiencing homelessness in January of 2023, up roughly 12% from the same time a year prior and 48% from 2015. That marks the largest single-year increase in the country’s unhoused population on record, Harvard researchers said.

Homelessness, long a problem in states such as California and Washington, has also increased in historically more affordable parts of the U.S.. Arizona, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas have seen the largest growths in their unsheltered populations due to rising local housing costs.

We can see evidence of this all around us.

Tent cities are popping up like mushrooms in our major cities and countless Americans are living in their vehicles and RVs.

One of the primary reasons why homelessness has been surging so dramatically is because rental costs have soared to unprecedented heights

Rent in the U.S. has steadily climbed since 2001. In analyzing Census and real estate data, the Harvard researchers found that half of all U.S. households across income levels spent between 30% and 50% of their monthly pay on housing in 2022, defining them as “cost-burdened.” Some 12 million tenants were severely cost-burdened that year, meaning they spent more than half their monthly pay on rent and utilities, up 14% from pre-pandemic levels.

People earning between $45,000 and $74,999 per year took the biggest hit from rising rents — on average, 41% of their paycheck went toward rent and utilities, the Joint Center for Housing Studies said.

Tenants should generally allocate no more than 30% of their income toward rent, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

But Joe Biden insists that inflation is “low”.

You believe him, don’t you?

Sadly, more Americans will soon be hitting the streets because we are witnessing an insane wave of layoffs all over the nation.

Right now, it is being reported that Salesforce has decided to conduct another round of layoffs

Salesforce is cutting about 700 employees, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The job cuts, which amount to about 1% of its global workforce, follow a series of workforce reductions last year.

In 2023, Marc Benioff’s company laid off about 10% of its total workforce as it grappled with a swarm of activist investors who wanted margins increased faster than planned.

And we have just learned that REI will be giving the axe to 357 workers

REI is laying off 357 workers, mostly in the outdoor retailer’s headquarters and distribution centers. In a letter to employees, CEO Eric Artz noted that “outdoor specialty retail has experienced four quarters of decline – and that trend has been worsening.” While REI was able to outperform this for much of last year, he said, this trend caught up to the company in the fourth quarter, and difficult conditions are expected in 2024.

Difficult conditions are expected in 2024?

Oh really…

Who could have seen that one coming?

After their deal with Amazon fell through, iRobot announced that 31 percent of its staff would be hitting the bricks

Amazon and iRobot, the maker of the popular Roomba vacuum, mutually called off their estimated $1.7 billion acquisition deal Monday, citing numerous regulatory hurdles.

Immediately after the deal was publicly squashed, iRobot announced it would lay off 31% of its staff and that founder Colin Angle would step down from his role as CEO, citing a focus on profitability, stability and growth. Glen Weinstein will serve as interim CEO.

Shares of iRobot (IRBT) were down around 9% in noon trading following the news. Amazon (AMZN), which was up about 0.5% in noon trading, will pay iRobot a previously agreed-upon $94 million cancellation fee.

Google, Microsoft, Levi’s, TikTok, Riot Games, eBay, Wayfair and Macy’s are some of the other big names that have also announced layoffs so far in 2024.

But no industry is being hit harder than the mainstream media

Journalists across the country burst into flames of panic this week, as bad news for the news business crested and erupted everywhere all at once.

Patrick Soon-Shiong, the billionaire publisher of the Los Angeles Timeslaid off 20 percent of his newsroom. Over at Time magazine, its billionaire owners, Marc and Lynne Benioff, did the same for 15 percent of their unionized editorial employees. This latest conflagration had ignited at Sports Illustrated the previous week as catastrophic layoffs were dispensed via email to most staffers. Business Insider (whose parent company Axel Springer also owns POLITICO) jettisoned 8 percent of its staff while workers at Condé Nast, Forbes, the New York Daily News and elsewhere walked out to protest forthcoming cuts at their shops.

Perhaps if they had not made a habit of blatantly lying to us over and over again during the past several years they would not have lost all of their remaining credibility and they would not have had to lay off so many workers.

But even though so much is going wrong with the economy right now, many of the “experts” continue to tell us that happier times are just around the corner.

For example, Ed Yardeni insists that we will soon relive the Roaring Twenties

Ed Yardeni, a veteran market strategist, thinks the US economy might be about to relive the “Roaring ’20s.”

The Yardeni Research president said during Friday’s episode of Bloomberg’s “Merryn Talks Money” podcast that he’s expecting a combination of loose post-pandemic monetary policy and rapid technological change to drive growth higher over the next decade.

Wouldn’t it be great if he was actually right?

Of course the truth is that he is just being delusional.

Things are bad now, and things are going to get really bad during the second half of 2024 and beyond.

If you still have a good job and a warm home to come back to at night, you should be very thankful.

Because more Americans are losing their jobs and losing their homes with each passing day, and the level of economic suffering that we are witnessing is already off the charts.

The Unthinkable Is Happening In The USA! (Texas Border Battle!)

https://youtu.be/Ik8Ya90P3ms

Eileen

“Come on Eileen”.

Yeah. I was just minding my own business and this classic comes on.

Come On Eileen” is a song by the English group Dexys Midnight Runners (credited to Dexys Midnight Runners and the Emerald Express), released in the United Kingdom in June 1982 as a single from their second studio album Too-Rye-Ay.

It reached number one in the United States and was their second number one hit in the UK, following 1980’s “Geno“.

The song was produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley and was initially claimed to be written by Kevin Rowland, Jim Paterson and Billy Adams, although Rowland later stated that the essence of the tune should be attributed to Kevin Archer.

“Come On Eileen” won Best British Single at the 1983 Brit Awards, and in 2015 the song was voted by the British public as the nation’s sixth favourite 1980s number one single in a poll for ITV. It was ranked number eighteen on VH1‘s “100 Greatest Songs of the ’80s” and was Britain’s best-selling single of 1982.

“Come on Eileen”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BODDyZRF6A&list=RD6BODDyZRF6A&start_radio=1

There’s nothing particularly special about this song except that it represents a specific time in my life. And when I heard the song, I was transported to that time, and in that place.

Todays…

What is the most intelligent one liner you have come across?

I had over a hundred toxic exposure personal injury cases pending against a major chemical company. To save money and gain a strategic advantage, the defense attorney filed motions in every case across the US to compel participation in a single deposition of their product development expert. Known as a de bene esse deposition, the transcript would be read at all trials instead of the witness’ live testimony. It would prevent live cross examination in front of juries, and updating questions based on new developments or ongoing testimony in the various cases. it was scheduled to occur within a few days at the company’s HQ in another state.

I had sent this company detailed interrogatories and records requests delving into their knowledge of the dangers of their product/similar products and pertinent scientific literature. This information was critical to adequately prepare to cross examine the witness. Despite my demanding this for months, they had never responded. Thus, part of my answer to their motion to compel the deposition was a counter motion to compel responses to my discovery requests.

On the day of their motion, moments before we appeared before the judge, the defense lawyer handed me the company’s responses. Despite the fact that I had asked at least 60 questions [including sub heading follow-ups], and requested numerous user safety documents required by public health laws, the “answers” [mostly consisting of “irrelevant,” “unavailable,” “objection – confidential proprietary information,” etc] were contained on two typed sheets. There were no documents. The company lawyer smirked at me, thinking he had deflated my best argument, and further, condescended to a female attorney 20 years younger than he.

His motion was called, we both stood, and he argued confidently that his client should not be burdened by multiple depositions all over the US, and that we plaintiff lawyers would all be asking the same questions in any event. He argued that judges all over the US had already granted this motion to “streamline” the litigation.

Then it was my turn. I asked the judge if I could approach the bench. He raised his eyebrows, but he consented. I handed him the “answers” to the interrogatories, explaining that I had just received them moments ago. I asked him to please read them. He looked annoyed but did so—- it took about two minutes. He looked up at me a little impatiently and said “Well?”

I replied: “Your honor is now as prepared as I will be to take the deposition of this absolutely critical witness on behalf of all my clients. I respectfully ask you: do YOU feel adequately prepared?”

He sat back in his chair and smiled, cocked his head, looked at the defense lawyer and ruled: “Your motion for de bene esse deposition is denied. Plaintiff’s motion compelling discovery is granted. Call the next case.”

Modern Wife Instantly Regrets Divorcing Good Husband

It is so difficult being a single parent. It makes me want to cry.

https://youtu.be/Qj9FzntQKwY

When have you cheaply or inexpensively fixed an item someone thought unrepairable?

Invited to dinner by a friend of mine, we were listening to music afterwards and I mentioned that there were annoying vibrations coming from the right channel of his sound system.

“Yes, I think the speaker’s blown. I’m going to buy a new set.”

I listened some more.

“I don’t think so. Let me have a look.”

I took off the front of the speaker and almost immediately discovered a screw was lose and this was the source of the vibration.

Have you got a Phillips screwdriver?”

He gave me one, I tightened the screw, fix completed.

A couple of weeks later I was in my local bar chatting to a friend and she suddenly asked me if I could look at her sound system.

I was puzzled.

“Why? I don’t want to buy one.”

“No, it’s not that. Greg told me you fixed his and mine isn’t working properly. Could you see if you could fix it, please?”

I explained that all I had done was tightened a screw and I was by no means a sound system repair man, thus destroying my chances of developing a side gig as a sound engineer.

Some people are easily impressed and, it would appear, rumours of non-existent competence can spread rather easily.

Taiwan Election Fallout

https://youtu.be/j2_L3cYxYQ4

What’s something you regard as true but have no evidence for?

I say this as someone who has been teaching middle school (students aged 11–14) for over 15 years now, and who worked in special ed before that:

A nontrivial percentage of behaviors which fall under various special education diagnoses are, in fact, learned behaviors.

Learned helplessness, for example. That seventh grader who needs someone else to write down their assignments for them, because they “can’t focus enough” in class to write it down themselves? It’s no coincidence that that’s the same seventh grader whose parents have coddled them and treated them like a toddler well too far into adolescence.

Sure, now your kid can’t do that for themselves. Now your kid is far behind their peers in terms of independence. Because you taught your child helplessness by doing everything for them. What came first, your teenager needing to be treated like a toddler, or you treating your teenager like a toddler, even when they probably didn’t need it anymore?

And so you take your kid to a doctor, and the doctor diagnoses them with ADHD. Sure, they have ADHD. Anyone can see that. But what caused it? Or, rather, who caused it? Not all of you, but some of you parents need to look in the mirror for that answer.

Oppositional Defiance Disorder is another one. Yes, your kid has a problem with authority. Was your kid born with this problem? Not likely. They picked it up somewhere along the way. And who, more than anyone else in their life, is responsible for making sure they respect authority, to keep themselves out of trouble?

Maybe the kid who always gets in trouble at school has some sort of chemical imbalance or some major trauma in their past. It happens. It’s also equally possible, I believe, that that kid’s parents just did a shitty job of preparing their child for a world where they have to listen to authority figures to stay out of trouble.

But they can take their kid to a doctor and get a diagnosis of “O.D.D.,” so they sleep a little better at night, thinking that it’s not their fault that their kid can’t stay out of trouble. It’s a medical condition.

“Executive functioning problems” are another one. Is your kid so disorganized because they were born with some special need which made it difficult for them to be organized? Or did you just never take the time to teach your child how to stay organized, until it was too late? Perhaps it’s not your fault. Or perhaps you really dropped the ball when your kid was younger, and now that ball is too heavy to pick back up. Both possibilities have about the same chance of being true.

To be clear, I’m not saying all of these issues are caused by parenting. I’m not even saying most of them are. I’m just saying that some of them are. Enough of them that it’s statistically relevant.

Of course, I can’t prove any of that. I’m just calling it like I’ve seen it, year after year, for the last two decades.

This Video Will Leave Every Man SPEECHLESS…

https://youtu.be/0PGc6CDYmIw

What are some things that people who live in places with brutally low temperatures know, that the rest of us don’t?

Back in December 1983, Chicago spent 100 hours below -20F. Wind chill made it -86F. I worked downtown back then. No elevated train until a decade later, so the buses went down I-55 into the Loop. (Small edit: the buses were for shit, wind would come in through the doors and the window slats. The Orange Line could get you downtown in 20 minutes, the Green Limousine (our nickname) took about 90 minutes on a good day.)

If you wore wire frame glasses, they would freeze to your nose momentarily. You layer up and you don’t bother to color coordinate. Look like a clown astronaut, no one will care. You’ll even blend in. Your nose might run waiting on the bus, it will freeze. Wiggle your nose and the ice will fall away.

Don’t walk anywhere without the intention of stopping. Back in the 70s, I was walking only about a half mile to get a bus, and part of my brain kept saying to stop. Sit down on that bench. Rest. You’re halfway there. This was at midnight. Somebody would have found my body, no doubt frozen to the bench, in the morning.

A few have asked, or questioned why *I* never said something, as if *I* don’t exist, and that really frosts my cone. again, sun was out. If a piece of ice can snap away without breaking, it is warming up. Holding the icicle for ten seconds, my hand would be colder walking to the end of the driveway to the mailbox and back.

Plus: why would I give my dog something that might hurt his tongue? Chicago beats all logic.

Ray Dalio Explains Why America is Entering A Horrific Financial Crisis

https://youtu.be/f6u1-2Emyic

What scary gut feeling did you have that turned out to be true?

Ive been blessed with cracks between the worlds now and then.

I woke up one morning and told my late wife that we must cancel our trip to town as l had seen a “dream”, that a tree would fall on our vehicle. We had not been together long enough for her to know me all that well yet, and she got very upset because her heart was set on town, we were homesteading and needed some things she considered desperate ( like coffee🤣).

So after lots of persuasion I agreed to go. It was a two hour trip one way and I was keenly keeping an eye to where my vision had warned of the tree coming from, and sure enough, I caught a glimpse of the exact same tree coming at us. Because I had the warning and was looking for it , and my quick reactions of youth, I Swerved and slammed into it as it hit the road just in front of us, instead of ON us. We totaled our vehicle, but survived.

After that ,she always listened to my “hunches”(as she called em).

Greek-Style Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Greek Stuffed Chicken 1024x768 1
Greek Stuffed Chicken 1024×768 1

Ingredients

  • 6 boneless chicken breasts
  • 1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach
  • 1/4 pound feta cheese
  • 3 tablespoons Romano cheese, grated
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 1 tablespoon oregano

Instructions

  1. Thaw the spinach and drain as much of the moisture as possible. Mix with the crumbled feta cheese, grated Romano, salt and pepper.
  2. Make a slit in the side of each chicken breast. Fill the slit with the spinach mixture and close with wooden picks.
  3. Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet. Brown the chicken breasts on both sides and remove to a warm platter.
  4. Sprinkle the flour into the same pan and integrate with the remaining oil. Cook for about 1 minute. Slowly, add the wine and chicken stock and stir until a smooth sauce has formed. Add the lemon juice and the oregano, salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Bring to a boil and return the chicken to the pan. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes until the chicken is very tender.

Zhou Shen’s new song “Floating Light” is sung for the first time tonight! REACTION – BEAUTIFUL!

https://youtu.be/Kc4z1SsBLyM

Have you ever had a problem with a coworker while working as a waiter/waitress? How did you handle it?

Back in my 20’s while working at a popular coffee shop, I had about an hour to go completing the graveyard shift, I was on the floor with an older gal about 45, 7 construction workers came in for breakfast and sat in her station. She went over to the table, and after about 5 minutes she stormed over to me and said “no way am I waiting on those jerks!, they are telling dirty jokes and everything”, so I told her I would wait on them, and I gave her 2 of my 4 top tables in exchange. I went over to their table, and they immediately began telling me the jokes, I looked at them and smiled saying “hmm, I’m not sure what that means but I can laugh”. The man who apparently was the foreman immediately told all the men to shut up and stop with the jokes, I suddenly became someone like a “daughter” he needed to protect (innocent). The service went great and they were all respectful of me, that foreman made each person leave me a 5.00 tip! That was a 35.00 tip on a 7 person breakfast that only came to about 45.00! OMG, now the trouble started, the other waitress saw what I got and ran to the manager demanding that I split that tip with her because after all, it WAS originally her table! The manager told her “hey, you told Linda to pick them up AND she gave you 2 of her tables to make if fair, so if you don’t agree with that, you can go”. The next week, the guys returned and she RAN to get them in her section, they began their dirty jokes, and this time she went along with them, and when they left, she got ZERO tip! Why? Because they saw right through her, I stopped by their table a few times to say hi, and was respected. Was she mad? oh HELL yes!

What is the one purely accidental thing you did that saved you or someone else from a major disaster?

Last Summer, I was sitting on the dock at my town’s marina watching boats being launched. A new-looking 25 foot boat was being launched from a trailer. There was some water coming out from a fitting near the stern. It seemed unusual but the launch angle might have caused some bilge water to move towards the stern where the bilge pump is normally located.

After launch, I couldn’t see much while the boat was tied to the launch dock. Its captain drove the trailer to a parking area and returned twenty minutes later to board with his family of young children. As the boat left, I could see that water was still coming out from the fitting.

I suspected that the owner had neglected to install his bilge plug. I called to the captain to point out his problem. His bilge pump could barely have kept up with the leak as long as his engine was charging his batteries but he would be in real trouble if he anchored somewhere. By the time he noticed, the boat would be settling in the water with dead batteries and the starting motors immersed in seawater.

At first, he gave me the look of someone who did not want to be bothered. He proceeded past my position before thinking better of ignoring my warning. He stopped to inspect his bilge and quickly headed back to the launch ramp. It took him about an hour to haul his boat, install the bilge plug and re-launch. Had he continued without installing his bilge plug, his new boat would surely have gone down.

China ANGERS The West, “We Won’t Destroy Our Economy For You”

https://youtu.be/ZpL1bL4Qu7M

What is the most shameless scam you’ve seen?

Years ago, there was a couple who sat in the parking lot with signs that read “Unemployed, four hungry children, please help. God bless you.” They had been doing this for over a year when our local newspaper interviewed them an published their story. This couple stated that they lost their good jobs due to the recession and just wanted jobs so they could feed their kids and, maybe buy a house some day – to be back on their feed again. After the story came out, they were flooded with job offers from all over the county.

Yeah, they turned them all down because panhandling was much more lucrative.

I worked in the city and there were quite a few off ramp and street corner panhandlers – the same ones every day. One day, I saw a young woman who left her corner, walked to the convenience store parking lot and got in to her brand new Honda Accord and drove home. Shift was over, I guess.

Now for a good story: There were two men who stood at the end of exit ramp I took on my way to work for about seven years. One was older, missing teeth and looked like he had led a hard life. The other was young, maybe early-mid 20s and he wore a funky top hat and played guitar and sang – he was really talented and all songs were his own originals. No sign, he just played his music. I am a go-with-my-gut person and never once did they ever made me feel uneasy.

After having enough experiences in horrendous traffic jams and snow stoms, I always keep protein or granola bars and a few bottles of water in my car. I would give them these when the light was red and, very occasionally, enough cash to buy a meal and they were always so kind.

I hadn’t seen the young man for a couple of months until, one night, I stopped at the mini mart on my way home from work for a diet soda and there he was. Working behind the counter. He looked healthy and happy and was so glad to be working. We spoke for a few minutes then he came around and gave me a big hug – man, did I get a lot of dust in my eyes.

Greek Orange Cake in Orange Syrup (Pontica)

Greek Orange Cake in Orange Syrup Pontica
Greek Orange Cake in Orange Syrup Pontica

Ingredients

Syrup

  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup sugar

Cake

  • 1/2 stick butter, melted
  • 6 eggs, separated
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon grated orange rind
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. First make the syrup by combining the orange juice, water and sugar in saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove the syrup from the stove and allow to go cold.
  3. Butter an 8 x 12-inch baking pan with all the melted butter. Mix the flour and baking powder together in a small bowl. Beat the egg whites until stiff and they can form a peak.
  4. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks until light yellow; add the sugar, orange rind and vanilla and blend well.
  5. To the egg yolk mixture add the egg whites a little at a time, alternating with 2 tablespoons of flour mixture until all used. Pour the batter into the pre-buttered baking pan.
  6. Bake for 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
  7. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Remove the cake from the baking pan and cut into diamond shapes. Place the cake pieces on a large plate that will trap the syrup when poured over.
  8. Pour the cooled syrup over the still warm cake. Allow the cake to cool completely before serving.

Yield: about 15 pieces

A crying mother cat brough her dying kitten to a man. Just unbelievable!

https://youtu.be/M5CTlPFTpPI

Have you ever returned home from a vacation and found an unwelcome surprise?

Yup. Came home to find our cable wires cut.

Of course we didn’t know they were cut until the Cable Guy asked us if we had any enemies. Which shocked us, until we realized what had happened prior to us leaving for vacation…

We have Wi-Fi through Comcast. We pay for that service. We realized that the neighbors across the street were stealing our Wi-Fi. So we put a password on it. For security reasons. Nothing wrong with that, right? WRONG!

They (four men) would sit on their porch with their laptops. We thought it odd since it wasn’t a comfortable porch and they were all crammed together. More of a doorway and just some stairs. We didn’t have a relationship with them, just the occasional neighborly wave. My brother is the one who enlightened us to the fact that they were outside because they were hooking up to and stealing our Wi-Fi. He told us to put a password and watch what happens. So, they were outside, we put a password, their connection died, they stared at our house, and closed their laptops and went inside. We giggled like little schoolgirls and went on with our lives.

About two weeks later, we went on vacation. And when we came home, none of our electronics worked. Called the cable company. They couldn’t get any signal so they sent the technician. He looked outside, and that is when he asked if we had any enemies. All wires had been cut. Could you believe it? They got mad at us for taking away something they were stealing! And of course, without cameras, we had no proof.

Some people just suck.

China called Taiwan’s 2024 election a choice between peace and war. Now that Taiwan has chosen war, what will China do?

Taiwanese did not choose war. Taiwanese did not gave a single seat out for an outright pro independence party! That party lost every SINGLE seat in the election.

DPP Tsai Ing Wen party and now Lai Cheng Te took over is pro independence favouring party that recognise the one China policy. It assures its voters they won’t harm cross straits harmony. Yet it could garner a mere 29% votes and lost the parliament to KMT by one seat and now need a coalition to even has a say!

What will China do? China will let the U.S. implode further, will let the Taiwanese people realise it does not want a Ukraine. And they don’t! China is sitting pretty. The U.S. is totally fxxked up!

Taiwanese are Chinese stock just like me of Hokkien origin. We know that by sucking up to the U.S., Ukraine lost 500 thousand men, 9 million seek asylum, 4 regions to Russia and 1/3 of their land and almost the entire Black Sea coast! Taiwanese voted for kinda an economic union with China and some special status of being independent somewhat! They voted against outright independence and they are very wary of the U.S. and its influence.

The real question if you are smart enough to ask is, does the billions of CIA, NED and other government agencies money spent on Taiwan worth anything? Does it pay off?

The answer us zero and nil. Once again the US is taken as a sucker!

Wife IN SHOCK After Husband Uploads Her Cheating Videos To Website And Sends The Link To EVERYONE

https://youtu.be/0jvAEjHKa1U

What have you seen that made you think, “If you wanted to be fired you could just ask”?

There was a pretty epic incident from a few years back.

There was a dead man in the Denver hospital (Denver Health), in their morgue or some holding area. He had recently passed.

One of the nurses was apparently impressed by his manhood, enough so that she went and told the other nurses something to the effect of, “You have to see this man’s D!”

She and 4 other nurses went on to go look at the deceased’s manhood.

Unfortunately for them, someone overheard the conversation and reported them. An investigation was then launched by risk management which resulted in 4 of them being suspended. (Source: Nurses who opened body bag to view size of dead patient’s penis suspended. Smith, Lydia. The Independent)

One of them also resigned from her position following the incident.

The man must have had quite a member there. And they do say that your body gets stiff after you die…

So far behind

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gbbebN7kjaI?feature=share

What was the moment you cancelled the friendship with your best friend?

I had a best friend from 14 till 29. For her 30th she threw herself a party, it was set to be wonderful, great food, drinks, friends a bonfire, just a wonderful evening. She and I hadn’t spent a ton of time together for several months before due to work and such so I was elated to hang with her and actually get to know this guy she’d been seeing for 6 months or so.

My friend was always a bit of an entitled princess but I usually ignored her when she did that. This party every 5 min she’d scream at the new guy: “go get me a drink” “are you stupid? My drink has been empty!” ”why haven’t you been paying enough attention to me it’s my biiiiiiirthdaaaay” it was annoying but hey she’s a bit drunk, oh well. Then as her bf is talking to HIS SISTER and I she walks up behind him and smacks him in the face full force. Her reason? “I knew what he was going to do, pay attention to other women and say things I don’t like so he deserved it.”

After that smack I quickly got ready and left. A week or so later I met her for lunch and confronted her, thinking perhaps she didn’t recall due to alcohol and I could encourage her to get help. Nope, she remembered just fine and felt she was justified to get her way. That was the last day of our friendship.

Do you think Japan will continue to export successful “soft power” fare in the future?

Japan is in a dire need to go back to the drawing board. It needs to rethink blind allegiance to the U.S., it needs to rethink Japanese only mindset, it needs to rethink helping the U.S. doing shit on China. It needs to grasp how humongous China is, and that how influential it is in the world today.

It needs a fresh perspective, soft power is good when you are winning competition, Japan is not! Soft power is good as an icing on the cake. Today Japan has lost its cake all together.

Steel is gone, Ship building is gone, electronics is all but gone, infrastructure building is gone, high speed train is all but gone and so is automotive industry, tourism is useful but cannot sustain high cost of Japan as a subservient and submissive country to the U.S.

Japan’s economy is fine if the west and the U.S. represents 60% of the world’s demand. Today it is less than 30% of world’s demand. Sucking up to the 30% and offending the balance 70% is a suicidal strategy. It’s population dwindled a million a year! It domestic demand is fast evaporating. It’s export machine has all but stopped except perhaps for some super high end products that has a minute market!

Japan’s biggest dilemma is between sucking up to the U.S. or facing reality. It has chosen being a slave vassal state of Uncle Sam! Can it survive? I very much doubt so!

At best it gets to play a house slave role but at a cost of an imploding an economy. It’s debts us already the largest versus its GDP on planet earth.

Were Roman gladiators allowed to sleep with slave women on occasion?

Roman gladiators had a very strange place in Roman society.

First off, we need to remember than gladiatorial combat was staged and hammed up for dramatic effect, and was rarely to the death. It wasn’t any more “real” than pro wrestling is today. It was a show, and sex appeal was a big part of the show.

On one hand, Gladiators were slaves, the lowest of the low. Furthermore, entertainers of all sorts (actors, dancers, etc) were infamia — outcastes, basically. A Roman citizen lost many of their rights if they were infamia. An infame had nothing to lose, socially or legally, by prostituting themselves.

On the other hand, gladiators were famous and glamorous slaves who were often invited to mingle with and entertain the highest social classes.

And gladiators were expensive slaves. A good gladiator might sell for 500,000 sesterces or more. A unskilled laborer in good health was worth maybe 1,500-2,000 sesterces. (Translating ancient currency into modern currency is basically impossible and misleading, but as a rough guide a skilled tradesman might make 8000 sesterces a year)

All slaves and entertainers were expected to have sex whenever and with whomever their owner or employer commanded. Even for free entertainers, prostitution was part of the job description. It’s likely that most slaves were at least occasionally rented out by their owners as prostitutes. That undoubtedly included gladiators. It is not a stretch of the imagination that a slave owner might have hired a gladiator to stand at stud with a slave girl he wanted to breed. The Romans regarded slaves the same way we regard livestock.

Roman culture was bi-normative; they didn’t have words for “gay” or “straight.” There was nothing shameful or unusual about a man having sex with another man. What was shameful was to be the bottom to someone of lower social status, or allowing yourself to be used for someone else’s pleasure. Roman values were centered around power and control; being the receptive partner in sex was seen as giving up power and control. A rich Roman citizen would likely have viewed fucking a gladiator as a demonstration of their natural superiority.

Roman women had much less sexual autonomy than men, but it was recurring gossip that Roman women (up to and including the Empress) bedded gladiators for sport. Gladiator sweat was also sold as an aphrodisiac (seriously).

Victoria Nuland

He was killed because of this video.

https://youtu.be/TzR—YDDIQ

Did you ever beat up the high school bully in front of everyone?

My little sister was two years younger and two grades behind me in school. She found me and my sports teammates one day and complained to me that a certain boy in her class has been bugging her, pulling her hair, trying to pull her bra strap and other such nuisances. So I told her, lead the way, little sister.

My teammates knew who this bully was and followed a bit behind me without me knowing it. I’m not that big of a guy but a couple of my teammates were. I figured I could just scare this bully and it would all be over. I rounded a corner with my little sister and she pointed out the bully. He was half a head taller than me and 30 or 40 pounds heavier. I gulped and I think everyone in the hallway heard it.

I walked up to the bully with my little sister and she menacingly said to him, “I told you I would get my brother to come and take care of you!”. Unbeknownst to me, that was my friends’ cue to come around the corner and stand a bit behind my sister and me. I took one more step up to the bully and told him he better leave my little sister alone or else…. I thought he was looking at me, but he was looking over my shoulder at my friends, and just nodded his head, then walked away.

When I turned around and saw my big friends, they were laughing at me and jeering, “OR ELSE!”. I started to laugh too. My little sister was happy – she would let us know now and then that the bully never bothered her again, and in fact had almost stopped bullying everyone.

And that became my friends’ catch phrase. Anytime I would make a statement, one of them, right on cue would add “OR ELSE!” Yah, that only lasted 2 years.

Have you ever been asked or told something so offensive you found yourself momentarily stunned?

When I was 22 I dropped out of college to have and raise my daughter. People were astounded I’d do that, as I also had to give up a full ride Air Force ROTC scholarship (I’d been introduced to the Governor of Oregon when I received it, made the newspapers).

Anyway, she was 6–9 months old and one of my soon-to-be-ex-college buddies called. I answered the phone as I was scooping some sweet potatoes into her, the airplane was coming into the hangar! She was in her high chair with her mouth open like a baby bird, hands up in excited fists giggling in anticipation of the plane vrooming some more sweet potatoes into her mouth.

He made the comment “I don’t know why you left school, you could have just had her get an abortion. You really messed up your career path. Think of all the money you’re missing out on.”

My daughter was looking me in the eyes smiling as he said that. I immediately hated his goddamn guts. So, excused myself from the phone call. I maintained contact over the years just to see how things panned out between us.

She grew up to be an EMT. She drives around saving other people’s lives, and has 4 kids herself. When she turned 19 and got her EMT certification, I went back to school and got my engineering degree.

Now I make more money than he does, have a superhero daughter, and 4 grandkids, and pictures of one million trips to the zoo, amusement park, daddy-daughter dances, holidays, etc. He has no children, grandchildren. He has a cat.

Fuck that guy.

What is the biggest waste of electricity you’ve seen in a home you visited, were a guest in, or even in your own home?

When my wife and I were first dating her electric bill in an apartment complex seemed high. The final straw was when she was gone for a two week trip and her electric bill was even higher than the previous month. I looked at the electrical panel and did a check on each circuit breaker, tripping it and seeing which lights or appliances were without electricity. I then marked them with a file sticky tab indicating what they went to. Two of the breakers didn’t seem to shut anything off. I told her to leave them off until we figured out what they went to.

Two days later an apartment maintenance worker was working on the apartment below hers. She noticed the worker, but it didn’t register to her why the worker might be there working on the apartment below hers.

The next day there was an electrician there and the “light bulb” in my girlfriend’s mind came on. She asked the electrician what kind of problem they were having, the electrician indicated that several appliances in the apartment suddenly went dead and had no power being supplied to them.

Turns out the two electrical breakers that I had tripped went to the water heater and the A/C unit for the apartment below hers. The apartment maintenance worker spent the whole day working on the problem for the apartment below hers before calling the electrician to perform the proper checks and determine the problem.

She told the electrician what I had done. He checked the breakers and told her that she had been being billed for the electricity to run the water heater and the A/C unit in the apartment below hers.

She asked if the electrician could fix the problem and take out those two extra breakers in her electrical panel. The electrician worked for several hours and then came back and said that the problem was fixed. The electrician had done one better, the people below that had been jerks while working to fix the problem. They now supplied electricity to run her water heater.

She never mentioned it for the two years that she lived there thinking it was probably going to even out over time for the electricity that she had previously supplied to the apartment below her.

The people below her complained several times about the increase in their electrical bill over what it had been prior to me tripping the breakers and discovering the electrical syphoning that had occurred.

No one ever came to check the electrical circuits for the rest of the time she lived there.

What are some of the best examples of “American ignorance”?

So I’m sitting on the hotel terrace in Düsseldorf, Germany sipping a wheat beer on a warm summer night last June.

Three American late-middle-age men sharing the table next to me with a similarly-aged German are debating the pros and cons of their company health care plans.

One guy prefers low premiums, with higher out-of-pocket (OOP) expenses. Another travels a lot and doesn’t want to be tied to one network. The third guy is in great shape and argues for a high-deductible health plan with a tax-advantaged health savings account.

They try to outdo each other with lower copays, deductibles, and out-of-pocket maximums. Then they start in on horror stories from friends and family about outrageous billing, uncovered services, out-of-network charges, and medical bankruptcies.

The German listens politely until one of the men asks him if medical bankruptcies are a problem in Germany.

He answers, “oh no, all our costs are covered by the medical insurance.”

One of the Americans immediately cuts in and says, “oh, that’s right, Germans have really expensive universal coverage. I’m so glad we have freedom of choice in America.”

The Americans then continue their internal debate without asking the German another question.

“American ignorance” is not the problem, most people, from all countries, myself included, are pretty ignorant about a lot of things in life.

The problem with these Americans was not ignorance, it was an utter lack of curiosity and interest in anything outside their scope of experience.

Ignorance has a cure. Indifference is usually terminal.

Death of Gonzalo Lira, Crumbling Ukrainian Air Defenses, Growing Russian Military Capabilities

https://youtu.be/gwQCA7HK8xA

How do old people with low net worths live life? What are their lives like?

My mother in law has no net worth. She was a single mother working multiple minimum wage jobs, to get her daughters raised. My wife told her mother, that she did a great job, and that my wife had everything she needed as a child. Then my sil had a baby while still going to school, my mother in laws days, of supporting her grand daughter just started. She only had a month or two worth of expense money when she retired.

When she was 65 she moved into a seniors centre.

In Canada we have CPP, which pays out according to how much you pay in. She didn’t pay in that much, we also have OAS that anyone who has lived in Canada for 40 years, before turning 65 is entitled to. It pays $742 a month, finally we have a Guaranteed income supplement, to top up your retirement. If you have little income, like my mil, it pays out $1065 a month. So my mother in law earns $1800 a month, $21,600 a year. There are a lot of people like this.

But being in progressive Saskatchewan, my MILs senior centre charges her a percentage of her income, if she had more income, they would charge her more.

Until covid hit, she took a taxi to the nearest cheap grocery once a week, now she has it delivered, at 93 she can’t handle shopping for groceries.

She spends time either visiting or being visited by kids, grandkids, great grand kids, and great great grand kids. Or having coffee with her few remaining friends. Until recently she prepared meals and vacuumed at her granddaughters place, while they were harvesting.

She watches TV, plays board games at the senior center, does puzzles and crosswords, or plays Yahtzee with relatives. Up until recently she would go for walks to the farmers market near her. She is constantly giving out small amounts of money, to her relatives, for treats.

She is afraid of flying.

So this is her life, she was very happy until covid, then she got isolated and lonely, and hasn’t quite sprung back.

Not everyone would be happy with this life, but its heaven to her. When she grew up on the farm, they didn’t have running water. Being able to use an indoor toilet and get water from a tap, in her old age, is a step up from her childhood.

Are police officers ever afraid of a suspect trying to get revenge on them?

Working a long-term undercover assignment, you become close to your target. They learn to trust you and let you into their very closed little world. This happens over an extended period of time. When it’s time to conclude an assignment, it’s natural for the target to feel played, betrayed, and downright pissed.

I recall one gang leader in particular who argued with the detectives, refusing to believe I was an undercover cop. I watched this from behind a one-way mirror. Several minutes later, I entered the room, still sporting long hair and a grungy beard but with a gold badge hanging from a chain around my neck. The man jumped to his feet and screamed, “You’re dead!”

His face turned beet red, and he had to be restrained even though he was already cuffed. This was one pissed-off bad guy. It’s important to note, we knew he had killed before and was about the last person on earth I wanted to seek revenge.

I tried to sit and talk to the man, but he wasn’t ready to listen. A few weeks later, I was allowed to meet with him in jail with his lawyer present. He now seemed willing to hear that working undercover was part of my job and was never personal. I told him that I understood his feeling betrayed and didn’t take his death threat seriously. He didn’t reply, which concerned me greatly.

I had kingpin drug charges on him, which should have meant twenty-five years in prison. However, he cut a deal by pleading guilty and was given just nine years. I would meet him again less than five years later, as he was already out. He sought me out while I was on duty as a uniform sergeant on a call at a bar. He told me we were cool and didn’t blame me for doing my job. He also told me he was going straight and had started a job as a welder.

I didn’t know what to believe, but in the end, it didn’t matter. About a month later, he was shot dead by a member of a rival gang. Problem solved.

What are some of the best examples of “American ignorance”?

I don’t know if it is ignorance, stupidity or just entitlement, but this just happened a couple of days ago at Barajas Airport, Madrid:

So anyone who has travelled to Europe and entered the Schengen Area knows that there are two queues, one for EU citizens and one for all other passports. You also might have noticed that airport and immigration personnel is usually right before the queues telling people where to go.

Anyway, along comes this sharply dressed “gentleman”:

Upon being told to go to the ALL PASSPORTS queue you can probably guess what he said to the lady directing people: “I’m American, I’m not standing on that line, it’s too long”. The lady just told him, quite tersely “European Union passports over here, all other passports over here” and then turned her back on him. He then proceeded to stand on the EU queue anyway.

I loved the look on his face when he got to the booth and the immigration officer told him that he could not go through and had to go to the back of the All passports queue!

Columbia and the Passport Bros

The MESSAGE is at the end.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4EzlU9AMEaU?feature=share

Written by a 90 year old!!

🤙42 lessons life taught me 💖

It is something we should all read at least once a week! Make sure you read to the end!

Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio.

“To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 42 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I’ve ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short – enjoy it..

4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don’t have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself.

7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.

8. Save for retirement starting with your first pay check.

9. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

10. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

11. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.

12. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

13. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it…

14 Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

15. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful. Clutter weighs you down in many ways.

16. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.

17. It’s never too late to be happy. But it’s all up to you and no one else.

18. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.

19. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

20. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

21. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.💖

22. The most important sex organ is the brain.

23. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

24. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ‘In five years, will this matter?’

25. Always choose life.

26. Forgive but don’t forget.

27. What other people think of you is none of your business.

28. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

30. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does..

31. Believe in miracles.

32. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

33. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.

34. Your children get only one childhood.

35. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

36. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere. (I love this one)

37. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.

38. Envy is a waste of time. Accept what you already have not what you need.

39. The best is yet to come…

40. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

41. Yield.

42. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

Men and women

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VnRidQv1DvM?feature=share

What is the craziest thing you have ever said or done at an interview and still gotten the job?

Well, I just retired at age 68 from being a Silicon Valley software development engineer for about 30 years. I probably literally have hundreds of interviews behind me. Some of them were quite funny and/or strange. But, the wildest one happened somewhere around 2014. (I may be off by a year or two either way.) Anyway, I was working for a small startup in Mountain View, California and it wasn’t going well. I had concerns about their future viability. And, so, I sent out my resume to my usual crowd of recruiters.

One of those recruiters got me a phone screen interview with Apple for an undisclosed position. (Meaning I had no idea what the job consisted of.) I had worked for Apple three different times in the past for a total of about 12 years — and, that included my very first job in 1990 as an entry-level engineer. I took the call on my personal cell phone while walking around in the parking lot because I didn’t want to be heard by my current employer. I just pretended that it was an important personal call (which I guess it actually was?) The phone screen interview was with the lead engineer of the team. I was under the impression that this was merely an initial screening and an in person interview would follow if I did well.

As best as I can remember the conversation went something like this after our initial greeting and exchange of names and background:

Interviewer: “Mr. Ussery, this job is an hourly contract position in support of Apple’s factory automation/robotics software as used in China and Ireland. And, it requires travel. Are you interested?”

Me: “Yes, I guess so, but I would like to know more about it.”

Interviewer: “Do you have any experience in this area?”

Me: “Absolutely none whatsoever.”

Interviewer: “Are you willing to travel and stay overseas for about six weeks, and do so for up to four times a year?”

Me: “Yes.”

Interviewer: “Do you have a current passport with a China work visa?”

Me: “I have a passport but it is expired, and I’ve never been to China.”

Interviewer: “I see. But, you have been overseas before?”

Me: “Yes. I have worked in Apple’s facility in Cork Ireland for six months in 1995.”

Interviewer: “That’s great! That is where I live and where I am currently calling you from. This position is home-based in Apple’s main campus in Cupertino, California. I spend about half my time there when I am not in China. Did you like Ireland?”

Me: “Yes, very much so.”

Interviewer: “How do you feel about working in China.”

Me: “I don’t know anything about it. I have never been there?”

Interviewer: “But, you would be willing to do so?”

Me: “Yes., I think so. Again, I would like to know more about it.”

Interviewer: “How many years of experience do you have with programming in C++?”

Me: “Over 20 years.”

Interviewer: “How many years of experience do you have with programming in Objective-C?”

Me: “About 15 years.”

Interviewer: “Have you programmed in non-MacOSX operating systems.”

Me: “Yes. I have programed on Linux and the Windows operating systems.”

Interviewer: “Do you know anything about factory operations, processes, and how final assembly of product are done?”

Me: “Not a thing. I don’t have any experience with that.”

Interviewer: “Do you know anything about factory quality control?”

Me: “No.”

Interviewer: “I see. Mr. Ussery, we would like to offer you a position working on our team. How soon can you start?”

They met me in person on my first day of work two weeks later.

And, that was how I got the best job I ever had — and up until very recently, the best paying job of my career. They even paid me while I had my butt parked on airplane flying to China or Ireland, and they paid me while I was in a shuttle bus going to and from a factory. (About two hours a day when I was in China.) Plus, they paid all my travel expenses and meals, and even put me up in four star luxury hotels when I was overseas. It was a great job, and it lasted about four years before I was replaced by a cheaper employee. I loved that job!

I think you’ll have to agree that the interview was pretty crazy. By the way, I made many really close friends while doing it, and that includes the original interviewer. My 60th birthday was a real blast too. I celebrated it eight years ago with six very drunk Irish engineers in Shanghai, China. I had a big hangover the next day — but it was worth it.

C’est la vie.

I Miss Living in CHINA! | America is SO Far Behind China

https://youtu.be/e93xiMitu7o

Why do so many people hate the self checkouts?

I will speak for myself:

Spite.

I like the idea of a self checkout for people who are in a hurry or don’t mind ringing themselves out. And that’s how the self checkouts were around here for the first decade or so that they existed. But, predictably, many of the businesses that I go to eventually replaced almost all of their employee checkouts with self checkouts.

I like having it as one of two options. I don’t like when it’s the only option. Or, as it is often around here, the only expedient option.

What a lot of places around here have done is to keep just one employee checkout open, and convert everything else to self checkout. The employee checkout always has a huge line (more spiteful customers, like me), which makes the self checkout seem like a better option. And that’s one of the points of only having one employee checkout open—to encourage customers to just use the self checkouts instead.

I remember, about 12 years ago, flying somewhere with my wife. When we got to the airport, an employee from our airline directed us to a self check-in kiosk. I said “no thanks,” and started to go to the counter to talk to a human about checking in. The employee literally stood in front of me and started going over the benefits of using the kiosk. I wasn’t interested. I know he was just doing his job, but the more he spoke, the more I was determined to not use that self check-in kiosk. According to my wife, I literally pushed the guy out of my way, so I could talk to a human. I don’t remember that, but I do remember being very mad that the guy wouldn’t shut up about the damn kiosk and just let me walk up to the counter.

Since then, I’ve quit patronizing two local fast food places which only have self-serve kiosks now, and no humans to give your orders to. Why? Spite. That’s why.

Also, in one of those places, I walked in with my prescription sunglasses on, and I literally could not see the screen on the self serve kiosk. It’s like it was polarized the same as my glasses. But I also couldn’t see it well without my glasses, because I’m very nearsighted. I had to walk back to my car to get my regular glasses. I just walked back to my car and went elsewhere instead.

I recently read a thread on social media. The topic was “I’m with the Boomers on this one.” It was basically all younger people saying that the Baby Boomers were right about not liking the creep of technology into every aspect of our lives. There were a lot of people who claimed to be “with the Boomers” when it comes to not wanting to use self checkouts. I am one of them.

Others that I agreed with were:

  • Not wanting to scan a QR code for a menu at a restaurant. Or anything, really. I’ve made it all the way to 2024 having never scanned a QR code.
  • Not being forced to use an app for something you used to be able to do without an app, like pay a bill or make a reservation. Apps should be for convenience if you want to use them, not for necessity because they are the only choice.
  • Not being prompted to tip all of the time.
  • Wanting the option to purchase a new vehicle without a giant iPad-like screen in the dashboard.
  • Wanting actual physical, metal keys for cars and doors, which you have to actually insert into a keyhole in order to open a door or turn on a car.
  • Preferring RPG video games that have a top-down, 2D view, and not a 3D “open world” concept.

Technology is great, but it doesn’t have to be in everything. Just because something can be done with technology, doesn’t mean that is should be done with technology. For self checkout, I know that the primary motivation is to save money for the store. That’s understandable. I just wish stores would understand that there are guys like me out there would would gladly pay a little extra for an employee checkout instead.

I think it’s difficult for people under the age of 35 or so to understand just how quickly technology has changed the basics of functioning in modern society, and how annoying that can be for those of us who remember a world before high-speed internet and smart phones.

Thanks to a broken washing machine, I recently had to spend some time in a laundromat. My two hours there felt like what someone 40 years ago would have described as “dystopian.” All of the machines were set up to use an app. Fortunately, they kept some of the machines quarter-based, for people like me. It cost $5 to wash one load, and $1 to dry it. Everyone there, from the employee to the customers to the customers’ kids, had on headphones. No one said a word the entire time I was there. I was the oddball for bringing a book to read, rather than a screen to look at while I waited. Everyone other customer—literally about 20 other people, and their children, some just toddlers—all of them, when they weren’t moving their laundry into a machine, or folding their laundry, were staring at their own individual screen. The place had TVs, too, but they seemed pointless, as no one was watching them, because everyone had their own screen.

It’s not like I was going there to make a friend, but still. For someone who remembers when the Walkman came out, seeing everyone of every age in the same place at the same time, but each in their own little technological world… there was something really sad about it.

Anyway, to answer your actual question: I, for one, hate the self checkouts because of what they represent. More technological creep into my life. I hate them out of spite.

Gentlemen, act accordingly

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/pOEaMykF4tY?feature=share

What was a loophole that you found and exploited the hell out of?

When I was 10, my parents signed me and my younger siblings up for the Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Kids Birthday Club. Basically, I gave Krispy Kreme my address and birth month and they would send me a coupon for a free dozen doughnuts every year on my birth month until I aged out of their Kids Club at age 12— ‘cause this is just for kids, OK?

Sweet deal.

But Krispy Kreme forgot to ask for the year in my birthday. They have no clue how old I am.

So I’m now almost 25, and I’ve been a member of the Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Kids Birthday Club for 15 years. That’s a 180 free doughnuts for me, plus another 180 for my sister and 180 for my brother.

540 free doughnuts.

They’ve since closed the loophole to new signups— first you had to list your full birthday down to the year to join the Krispy Kreme Kids club (which they temporarily and unfortunately called “KKK”, no joke), and now they don’t even offer it. Adults can sign up to get one single donut on their birthday and some special days (tax day, Halloween, National Doughnut Day), but that’s it.

Will anyone at Krispy Kreme ever notice that I’ve been “under age 12” for 15 years? Tune in next year to find out.

Edit 2018: Nope, didn’t notice yet.

Edit 2019: More donuts.

Edit 2020: Happy donut day!

Edit 2021: Still more donuts.

Edit 2022: Congratulations to me, I’ve been “under 12” for 19 years! Can we get to an even 20?

Edit 2023: Happy 30th birthday to me! Either my donuts are late, or someone at Krispy Kreme is among the 1 million people who read this answer. It’s been great!

We pimp them hoes

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/dKKAlSAgRis?feature=share

What is the most surprising secret someone has revealed to you?

I am 21 years old. When I was in 10th grade there was a girl A in school. Just like typical teenagers she had many rumours surrounding her. I ignored those and went ahead and made friends with her.

In some months we started dating. We were head over heels for each other. We had everything going great so shown in movies. One day when we were on a date, after coming out from washroom she gave me her phone. There she had written something which changed all my views on her. She wrote that she was raped at the age of 14 by a guy who forced her to be his girlfriend so that other people won’t suspect a thing.

Fearing society and her parents, she didn’t tell it to anyone. But had to undergo therapy. Her parents were totally unaware to real reason behind her behaviour. She lost a ton of weight and was living on medicines. This was really shocking for me. Then I had flashback of all the times when she had certain insecurities and why she required so much time to trust a person. She also had intimacy issues because of this. And that person had told her to shut her mouth or he’ll leak the tape which he had recorded. This rumour was spread in our school by her friends isolating her.

But now she’s a healthy person pursuing her career in engineering and I am a proud boyfriend.

American society is changing

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/d6EtV9bdN8U?feature=share

What causes a person to live like a recluse and not want to deal with the outside world?

I’ve been an RN for over 45 years. With each passing year I’ve grown progressively more tired of humanity. It’s true I’ve met some lovely people. However, the proportion of rude, abusive individuals seems to be rising with every month.

I’m tired of toxic individuals. To me they are everywhere I look, and not just within hospitals. They are on the roads and in the supermarkets. They are politicians and CEOs. They are all over the media. I barely recognise the world I live in any more. People have changed so much. To the point that I no longer feel compatible with anyone. We are deep in a pit of moral decay that’s every bit as malignant as Covid. I believe there are good people, but nowhere near enough to counter the trend in self absorption.

I want a little piece of land away from the world. A dog, a couple of chickens, and a garden. I want a simple and as self sufficient life as I can make it.

I prefer to make friends with animals, plants and the stars To attempt to treat the planet with more respect than the majority of my counterparts.

It’s something I intend to make happen within the next few years.

Sounds like they read MM stuff

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/vQtPU6r76h0?feature=share

Do Westerners hate China?

Yes they do, they use the thin veneer of I just hate the communist party.

You know the group that gave increased levels of prosperity to Chinese people?

We can literally see this with attacks on Asians in western countries. How are those CCP members?

We can also see it with the WIDESPREAD dehumanisation that has somehow been normalised. Look how normalised it is and accepted it is to dehumanise Chinese people, the prevailing thought by most Americans is we’re literally insects. This can be seen by their politicians who are VOTED IN BY THEIR PEOPLE.

Westerners ‘are accepting of’ Asians/Chinese when we’re seen as servants, those who deliver things, cook your food, do your laundry but once they as some of them say get uppity (you know aspire to be more) out comes the white supremacy.

Greek Hot Potato Salad

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2024 01 23 16 18

Ingredients

  • 4 to 5 large potatoes
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 1/2 cup celery, diced
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • Juice of 2 lemons
  • Parsley, chopped

Instructions

  1. Boil potatoes until tender and keep hot. Slice onion into a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and cold water, and allow to stand about 5 minutes; drain.
  2. Slice hot potatoes and add to onions. Add olive oil, lemon juice and celery. Mix well to absorb dressing. Season to taste, and garnish with chopped parsley.
  3. Serve warm.

 

Have you or are you treated like a baby by anyone? Have you ever been mistreated?

I have traveled to the Philippines many times, but my first trip was the most memorable.

My flight was on PAL, Inc. (referred to by all proper Filipinos as Plane Always Late If Not Cancelled), from San Francisco direct to Manila, back in the 1990s when they still flew that route.

I wore jeans and a T-shirt for the twelve-hour flight, and the tag on the T-shirt was sticking up. One of the flight attendants tucked it in for me. I am a bit of a jokester and told her “Thank you. My wife dressed me this morning.”

So for twelve hours the flight attendants talked to me like I was an imbecile: “Can you read the menu?” and “Do you need help going to the toilet?”

It seems that Filipinos (at least the ones who work for PAL) take things rather literally, and I got a good opportunity to practice humility.

The flight back was memorable, too. As we taxied down the San Francisco International airport at the end of our flight from Manila, emergency vehicles surrounded our 747 and sprayed foam and water all over it. I looked at the cabin crew and they did not look worried at all, although some of my fellow passengers looked like they were ready to activate the emergency doors and jump.

It turned out that this was the senior captain’s last flight; he was retiring that same day, and this was a traditional means of celebrating.

You’d think they would notify us passengers first …

Yup. The USA is toast

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1Ev1PLNRSWA?feature=share

Greek Fried Cheese (Saganaki)

A visit to a Greek restaurant anywhere in the world is likely to feature waiters setting this dish ablaze and parading it through the room, accompanied by an appreciative “OPA!” from the guests.

Greek Fried Cheese Saganaki
Greek Fried Cheese Saganaki

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 egg, well beaten
  • 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 pound kasseri cheese*, sliced 1/2 inch thick
  • 2 tablespoons brandy
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon

Instructions

  1. Heat the butter in a large heavy skillet over moderate heat.
  2. Beat the egg and flour together, and dip the cheese slices into the mixture. Fry until well browned on both sides.
  3. Remove from the heat and add the brandy. Carefully ignite the brandy with a match, and shake the skillet until the flame is extinguished.
  4. Squeeze the lemon juice over the cheese, and serve from the skillet along with crusty bread.

Notes

* Available in finer supermarkets and Middle Eastern specialty shops. Parmesan or Romano cheese may be substituted.

What’s something you’ve had stolen from you that you literally couldn’t replace?

The thing that was stolen from me was my childhood. I was born the oldest of two sons to a violent and entirely unpredictable man. He abused his wife and sons until we three left (vanished really) one morning while he was at work.

He first abused my mother and I when she was 8 months pregnant with me (an unplanned pregnancy) by beating her and then punching her in the stomach. He then kicked her out of the house into a terrible Maine winter with no shoes or coat. A chance passing of people from the church choir she sang in got her into a warm car and a safe haven for the night.

With no means to get anywhere or escape, she returned to him.

I was born a month later hemorrhaging and required emergency medical treatment. A month later he began crib slamming me (to stop my crying)—and so began a 17 ½ year hell from which there was no escape and no hope of rescue. When I was 7 my little brother was born, a planned pregnancy this time. From the time of his birth our abuser tried desperately to drive a wedge between us—BUT HE FAILED.

More than brothers we turned to each other to lend strength and support to each other; we became like soldiers in combat that never ended.

The dynamics would take more space to explain than I have here. But I was assigned the role of Black Sheep and to blame for ALL the rage and violence in the household. This conditioning was something that my mother and little brother still clung to LONG after we had left, and our abuser was dead. But the bond between my little brother and I was still made of the hardest steel, forged in the very fires of hell.

I lost him in 2015 at the age of 47 to a massive heart attack. Our mother would survive 5 more agonizing years without him before passing away in 2020. It was only recently that I realized that our abusive father had caused my little brother’s death…his compulsive eating had led to his overweightness and blocked artery condition.

When our mom passed away in 2020, I became the last member alive of our nuclear (and dysfunctional) family. I have been left to try and clean up all the mess left behind by their passing, alone. Mom died with never having had another relationship in 40 years. My brother destroyed himself without ever realizing it was our abuser reaching out from the grave to destroy him. I have been left with the guilt that I never realized it myself until after my brother was gone.

Every year he told me he would kill me. He also said he would never be charged either, he would get away with it because of his masonic ties. Twice (age 15 and 16) when he was beating my little brother in the living room, I tried to take a kitchen knife and go after him—my mother stopped me both times telling me it was just what he wanted, he was waiting for me. Frankly, I did not care then, I just wanted to save my little brother and make the screaming stop…I would have rather died for him. I see now that this was how he planned to kill me without consequence.

He stole 17 ½ years of my childhood making me live in fear and doing nothing to prepare me for life, ruined my mother’s adult life and leaving her unable to find love in a relationship, and killed my little brother from the grave with the patterns he instilled when my brother was young.

THIS theft was worse than anything material I have ever had taken since. THINGS you can buy, but those years of my childhood, the years of trying to rebuild my life (and still trying in my 60s), and the loss of my little brother so young are a violation of my very soul. HE HAD NO RIGHT, and in fact had a RESPONSIBILITY to protect me from those kinds of things and to nurture me as the bright and imaginative child I was. Instead, he threatened to kill me and seemed to try every week.

30+ Rare Finds From Star Trek Previews All in 1 Video!

https://youtu.be/m2ZpjK6Z5fw

Top Hat Livin

I used to have a top hat.

It was a flared top hat and it was the coolest thing. It fit me perfectly. I mean it. It was a genuine antique… beaver fur. Awesome. Black, and awesome. Maybe something like this. Only black, not a faded black. And not so high. Maybe about 80% of that height.

It was AWESOME!

il 1588xN.2744445535 ij3s
il 1588xN.2744445535 ij3s

It fit me well.

I was at a bargain basement store in Attleboro, Massachusetts and found it at the far end of a rack of brick a brack.

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2024 01 26 20 59

I really don’t know what happened to that hat, but I sure miss it.

I used to wear it all the time, and man oh, man did I get a lot of thumbs up and smiles as I walked on the sidewalks of Boston.

In style
In style

Good times.

Great memories.

Today…

Did the CCP spoil Apple by granting special treatment in China?

Apple is not really the issue. The U.S. government and politicians are the trouble maker that caused Apple’s demise. And your media is the one that caused your U.S. businesses to suffer.

Apple is a smart company under Steve Jobs. It has a great strategy. They made good products and they made smart decision to make their products in China. That derived benefit from the best of both western and eastern world. They made a killing in China’s humongous market China and the Chinese people help make a good product that sell at a price affordable yet Apple still made boat loads of money.

All is well until the U.S. politicians thought

foolishly it could contain and control China through decoupling, de-risking, friends shoring and instead it is the U.S. companies that is slowly decoupling from the world! Never mind China! China is Apples biggest market even including the U.S. market!

If you take US out, China itself is a bigger market then the next 10 biggest market combined. So when the U.S. start the trade war and make Apple friend shoring its product quality is hit hard and trust by its customers suffer. Next by its knee capping action on Huawei they retaliated. And today Huawei are bringing out products that beat Apple in specifications and features yet it is cheaper.

The unfair actions that the U.S. did on China, turn off Chinese world wide. Most choose Huawei to hit back at the U.S. The rest is history. Everything the U.S. throw at China, China will reciprocate fairly and appropriately. I hope the U.S. will learned a lesson. But it is full of itself. So the U.S. will choose implosion. If you are smart hold your government responsible.

Stop asking about Chinese government, Chinese are the fairest nation. They were happy to share its market and enjoy win win. But since the U.S. choose win lose, let’s see who loses!

What is something your dad did that you couldn’t believe?

My father was the foreman in a shop that sold tombstones, mausoleums, vaults, and the like.
One day during tobacco-selling season, when farmers were flush with cash, a couple came by the shop to buy a family monument.
My father showed them various stones on display. They selected a very fine granite monument. He looked up the price. They paid him in cash.
That night, when he got home, he told my mother that he and I needed to make a trip, so we wouldn’t be having dinner.
We drove the company truck many miles up into the mountains, into a county where strangers were definitely not welcome — it was moonshine territory. We stopped at various grocery stores, asking directions, to find the family that had bought the monument. At one store, he bought some saltine crackers, pork and beans, and some Vienna sausage. That was our dinner.
When we finally found the family, he said, “I made a mistake. I looked at the wrong monument in the catalog. I overcharged you.” He handed them a stack of bills. As I recall (some 60-odd years later), $60.
On the way home, I asked him why he had spent upwards of three hours driving around looking for those people. After all, I said, they didn’t know they’d been overcharged.
Although he had superb grammar, he phrased his answer in an odd way: He said, “Son, a man has to do what’s right.”
To this day I remember, and try to follow, his advice: “Do what’s right.”

What would the rest of the world do if the US fell into another civil war?

It depends. Let’s pick a way it could happen.

It’s November 2024.

Donald Trump wins the US Election and secures a second term. Joe Biden loses and will be stepping down in January 2025.

Trump is angry and unhinged, out for revenge after his loss in 2020 and the many betrayals he suffered.

In office he begins to become authoritarian and anti Trump protests turn violent. They clash with Trumps supporters. Eventually the country begins to pull itself apart and Trump brings in military help to secure peace. Factions of the military refuse to use force on US civilians. Others taking orders from pro Trump generals are willing to. The US enters a civil war where the pro Trump supporters are backed by elements of the military loyal to Trump. Other elements back the pro democracy anti Trump civilians.

The other way it could happen, with similar results is Trump loses in November 2024. He calls the election rigged like in 2020. Only this time he manages to get some states to declare him winner even though he lost there. Suddenly the election itself feels pointless. Democracy had collapsed as Trump could be claiming the white house through a corrupt electoral college and supreme Court. Biden sticks to the white house but the public are split. Half believe the Trump lies and the other half are loyal to Biden the genuine winner. Clashes again erupt and civil war breaks out as things escalate.

Now in either case, US allies will be terrified and scrambling amongst themselves to see what can be done. The EU is even worried about the upcoming US election. The USA is no longer seen as stable democracy and guaranteed partner.

The US entering a civil war tanks the global economy. Overnight the US economic system fails. Wall Street goes into self destruct mode.

The US Dollar collapses.

Companies in the US start to fail. Companies with a big presence overseas like Apple, Coca Cola, Ford, Pfizer, Google etc would all enter self preservation mode. They’d begin to move all crucial operations to their outposts and regional headquarters in Europe, South America, Japan etc. The USA no longer a stable market to operate in. They’d be hoping this is temporary but it will depend on the wars outcome.

The collapse of the US economy and the massive depression the world enters after this, sees huge unemployment across the world and increasing anger at the US from the public in Europe, Japan and Canada etc.

As people in US allied nations begin to feel extreme economic fallout, think the great depression of 1929 to 1934, but worse maybe, social unrest spreads globally.

In parts Africa and less developed parts of the world, aid is cut off. Food and economic assistance donated from rich countries stops. Famines could break out in the most fragile places in the world as the rich nations try to deal with their own issues.

The Euro will emerge as the new reserve currency of the world. Its already secondary reserve.

But the crisis will see economies on Europe and everywhere fragile for years. Massive unemployment and protests. Peoole struggling to stay afloat. People who were middle class suddenly working class. The working class now some falling into total poverty. Even millionaires would see their fortunes massively shrink.

Banks would fail. There’s no way to protect them all. That’s going to eat into people’s savings globally. Currencies like bitcoin and other crypto will become increasingly popular as the Euro and Yen, the two remaining “semi stable” currencies won’t be trusted fully.

The US would expect aid from its allies. But aid would be limited. Its highly unlikely the EU, UK, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Mexico etc will risk going full on war mode to support who they see as the true government of the USA as the US is a nuclear armed state and there would be extreme worry that hostile movies against the non democratic government could lead to attacks on allies by the illegitimate government who will be in control of some regions of the nation and thus some of the military.

Ultimately, the world would sit back and hold its breath waiting to see what happens with deep fear. But it will be accepted the era of the US as global Superpower is over.

So we come to the next issue. Amongst the economic chaos on social unrest, a power vacuum exists. Who’s in charge now the US is too busy fighting itself? The EU and UK would step up fast as the new centre of the developed and democratic world with their allies in Australia and Japan etc backing them. Europe would be forced to act as the light of democracy and freedom.

China and Russia won’t be having any of that. With the US distracted and Europe weakened, they will go on power hungry mode. Russia would see a weak Europe with no US to back it. Whilst Russia is also weakened, the government will be less worried about its people than Europe. Russia will make big moves to grab land. Its probable they’d use their military and even their weapons of mass destruction no longer fearing a US response, to annex former soviet nations like Kazakhstan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Belarus etc. They may even try grab EU territory in the Baltics but I doubt they’d try take all 3 EU nations as they know a weak EU is still a nuclear armed entity.

China would do the same. Its going to take advantage of the situation to grab Taiwan, a bunch of small Japanese islands of tactical importance. Probably will make moves into other parts of South East Asia too.

Chaos would reign for years. New Empires and regional wars emerging. Increased isolation too as nations work on self preservation and improving their own standing in the world.

A decade on, the world will have recovered at least partially. The world economy will have adapted to a world where the US no longer exists as one single country or economy or as one country with a much smaller economy.

The western world would unite together to try make up for the loss of the USA as it fears an emboldened Russia and China more than ever.

I’d imagine the EU, UK, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada etc would all try form a new version of NATO, one thats global and more armed than before probably. A military and economic alliance to prevent China in particular establishing itself as undisputed world power.

Russia would see its global importance grow again. With Europe fearing it will take more lands in far Eastern Europe or Asia. China would be the largest single economy and the largest military in the world. But the United democratic western nations will be banded together to rival it.

The world would enter a cold war. The western nations vs China which will probably ally with Russia.

The US will emerge as either authoritarian or democratic. Time would tell. Perhaps even as 2 or 3 smaller nations with differing poltical systems. But it would remain a nuclear armed nation/nations so chances are both sides of this new cold war would try get this new version of the USA to back them. But it will be economically weak for a while to come.

Countries in South America would grow more important also. Brazil and Mexico would become regional powers in the Western Hemisphere.

Overall you’d end up with a radically changed global economic system. A weaker US in whatever form it takes. A multi polar world with 3 or 4 superpowers trying to gain the upperhand leading to a new cold war. Instead of communism vs capitalism this one will be democracy vs authoritarianism.

Hoe_Math Levels of Thinking

Very interesting.

What was the most satisfying time where you caught someone lying?

Years ago, my soon to be ex husband and I were in the last and final attempt of trying to come to a guardianship agreement over our 3 small children before it went to supreme court. (a place I DID NOT want to go).

So there in the room, was the judge, his secretary, my ex and I.

Almost every question the judge asked my ex was answered with a lie. I never said anything, but the tears wouldn’t stop welling in my eyes. All I could think was, “why can’t this man for once, just set his anger and stupid pride aside, and just agree to the wishes of what our children want?”

The judge finally looked at me and said, “What are your desires for how this should be settled?”

My response: “I just want what’s best for our kids. I believe it should be up to them if they want to visit him or not… I don’t believe they should be forced.”

Judge: “You are very quiet and I detect no animosity from you, I want to ask you why there has been a communication breakdown between you and your husband.”

Me: “Because when I try to talk to him, he just yells.”

“THAT IS A LIE !!!” My ex yells at the TOP of his lungs..

The judge ruled “Visitation to be granted as per the children’s wishes.”

Marriage IS NOT An Option In THE WEST Get Your Passport

If your car is stolen, and then you just so happen to stumble across it parked in the street, are you legally allowed to steal it back then and there without calling the police or anything in the USA?

I had a nice truck stolen in 85. Needed brakes in the worst way. The transmission was slipping a little. It got stolen Christmas Eve. On Valentine’s Day the wife and I went out to eat for dinner. As we waited for the valet on the way out my truck pulls up. I told my wife to wait for our car as I got in my truck.

A woman had gotten in on the passenger side as I slid in on the drivers side. I was already calling the police. The woman became quite flustered. I told the police where I was and that I was driving to them. We got there in a minute. I had shushed the woman many times.

We get to the station, I tell the police woman what was going on. She asked who the woman was. I told her the woman was my witness that I had not shot the man who had stolen my truck. I also told her that the woman was probably these thieves wife or girlfriend. She asked the woman what the man’s name was who had stolen the truck. The woman said that her boyfriend and his brother had stolen the truck. The police woman then did a quick search for drugs in the truck, wrote a quick report, gave me an amended case number, and let me go about my way. While she was doing that one of the other officers put my ignition switch back into the column.

The girlfriend wasn’t charged with anything. Enough evidence was found in the truck to convict the boyfriend and the brother of the lady. There were no drugs found in the car. However under the seat or several nice pistols and a short shotgun. I had the police check them for theft and was allowed to keep all of them. The funny thing is was that the brakes have been fixed and the transmission had been serviced. I put another 200,000 miles on that truck over the next 10 years.

Andrew Tate Explains Why Men Should NEVER Get Married

What’s a rule your employer implemented that backfired terribly?

I was an “executive-level” individual contributor at a Fortune 50 company, working in the IT field. My job required me to be accessible 24 hours a day, and to have conference calls with extended team members spread all over the world on a regular basis. Many days, I would be on a conference call at 4 AM with someone on the far side of the globe, spend a full day at work, and then be on yet another international call at 9 PM. This was an almost-daily occurrence. I was required to be on all these calls, and could not possibly take them all in my office, so my manager (and our VP) went through a laborious “exception” process to get the company to reimburse me for my cell phone usage, so I could make those calls from wherever I was at the time. My cell phone bill at the time averaged about $100 a month.

This went very well for 2–3 years, and then a new CFO arrived. She saw my expense sheet, and called me to determine why I was charging the company for my personal cell phone. I explained the rationale, and the exception process used to obtain approval through our VP. She did not like this at all, and said so in our conversation. So about a month later, a new T&E policy addendum came out: Effective immediately, company reimbursement for cell phones was to be prorated based on the percentage of the expense that was business-related (versus personal). A spreadsheet was provided, and anyone seeking reimbursement for business use of their personal cell phone was now required to complete and submit the spreadsheet with each month’s reimbursement form.

Completing this spreadsheet required us to go through the monthly phone bill, enter the total number of calls and total minutes for those calls. We then had to transcribe the data for each and every business call, documenting who was called (or who called you) and the business reason for the call. The spreadsheet then totalled up the number of minutes for each business call, divided that by the total minutes used that month. That ratio was used to determine the “business-to-personal” ratio, which determined our percentage of reimbursement. When I talked to the CFO about this form, she actually admitted that her purpose in creating it was to make the process so odious that employees would prefer to bypass reimbursement, rather than spending the time and effort to seek reimbursement.

That just didn’t sit right with me, so as a matter of principle, I would dutifully complete the form each month, spending the 2–3 hours required to transcribe the data from paper to spreadsheet to document that my cell phone usage was 98% business. Every month. Without fail. The average “savings” to the company for the 2–3 hours I spent completing the reimbursement form was under $2. Up to that point in time, there were only 15–16 people who were approved for cell phone reimbursement. All of us stood our ground, based on principle, and continued to file for reimbursement.

The average company savings from this new policy: Well under $50 per month – world wide. Of course, those 15–16 people collectively lost about one week of productivity in time wasted completing the new forms. The CFO, of course, saw it as a “2% reduction in cell phone expenses” and loudly proclaimed the program a cost-reduction success. But not so fast…

The first “unintended consequence” of the new policy was a wave of increased cell phone expense reimbursement, as EVERY SINGLE EMPLOYEE who had a cell phone began submitting for reimbursement of their prorated business use. Apparently, thousands of employees had been using their cell phones for business use for years with no avenue for reimbursement… But the new T&E policy had purposely dropped the “exception approval” requirement in an effort to “regain control over expenses…”

At first, the CFO was shocked and chagrined at the huge increase in cell phone expense, but a company survey (coincidentally conducted shortly after the new policy took effect) showed this new policy was a major morale booster, since it allowed workers to have better “work / life balance” than before. Once the survey results were in, the CFO claimed that had been her “secondary” motivation for the new policy, and declared “victory” yet again.

The funny thing is that her bragging about the success of this “morale boosting initiative” was to create even more awareness of the reimbursement program, which in turn led to the second unintended consequence: Very quickly, the employees began using their cell phones almost exclusively, rather than the “land lines” installed at their desks. These were intelligent people, and they quickly realized that having more business calls meant larger reimbursements, so they began using their cell phones as much as possible to drive up the business use percentage… It became common for an employee to use their cell phone to call a co-worker’s cell phone – even when both were sitting at their desks right next to their office phone. Doing so meant that their “Business-to-Personal” ratio was higher, and they would receive larger reimbursements at the end of the month.

There were nearly 10,000 white-collar workers affected by this policy, and almost all of them had a cell phone by this time. Anyone who did not have a cell phone soon obtained one, because the company was basically paying for it, and they didn’t want to be the only “non-cool” person on their team… Over a six-month period after the new policy went into effect, corporate reimbursement for personal cell phone use increased from around $1,500 per month (pre-CFO) to well over $1 million/month.

Add to that the productivity hit from those same 10,000 employees spending 2–3 hours each month completing the stupid spreadsheet (on company time, of course) instead of doing their real jobs. With a stated corporate average salary of $107,000 per year for those white-collar employees, that new T&E policy cost the company at least $1.3 million a year in reduced productivity.

So because the CFO didn’t like the fact that a few key employees were “getting over” on the system, and with a claimed justification of potentially saving the company $18,000/year, a new policy was implemented that directly cost the company at least $12 million/year, and negatively impacted productivity to the tune of another $1.3 million/year.

As Bugs Bunny would say “What a maroon…”

Greek Croustade

Greek Croustade https://recipeland.com/recipe/v/greek croustade 20529
Greek Croustade https://recipeland.com/recipe/v/greek croustade 20529

Ingredients

  • 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1 small clove garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed tarragon (optional)
  • 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 cup creamed cottage cheese
  • 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 10 (17 x 12-inch) single phyllo dough sheets, thawed
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted

Instructions

  1. Cook spinach according to directions; drain well, pressing out excess liquid. In saucepan, cook onion and garlic in 3 tablespoons butter or margarine until tender. Stir in flour, tarragon and pepper. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir until mixture is thickened. Stir half of mixture into eggs; return egg mixture into remaining sauce. Add cheeses and spinach; set aside.
  2. Unroll phyllo dough; cover with dampened towel. Remove 1 sheet of dough; brush lightly with some of the 1/2 cup melted butter. Fold the sheet in thirds lengthwise; brush top with butter. Place one end of the folded sheet in center of a 12- or 14-inch pizza pan, extending it over the side of the pan. Repeat buttering of remaining phyllo dough, arranging strips spoke fashion evenly around pan. (The ends of sheets will overlap in center and be approximately 3 inches apart at outer ends.) Spread spinach mixture in an 8-inch circle in center of pastry. Starting with the last sheet of dough placed in pan, lift end of leaf up and bring toward center of filling. Holding end with both hands, twist ends several times; coil and tuck end under to from a rosette. Lay rosette over filling, leaving a 3-inch circle in center (center should be visible). Repeat with remaining in reverse order they were placed. Drizzle remaining butter over all.
  3. Bake at 375 degrees F for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden.
  4. Serve warm or cool. Cut into wedges to serve.

Will Apple face the same fate as Samsung in the Chinese market?

Maybe.

Samsung lost Chinese market share because they were shitty cunts.. In 2016 when the Samsung Note 7 burst into flames? Samsung offered refunds/replacements to EVERYBODY excluding China.

They made a video apology in English to Americans and also other languages to other users.

But sent a 200 word message to Chinese users eventually offering replacements.

Chinese people thought why should we buy stuff from a company that clearly hates us?

So Chinese people decided to buy other options and Samsung’s market in China collapsed never to recover again especially as non Samsung products (washing machines, televisions, cameras, vacuum cleaners etc) were available often for less money.

So likely Apple will not face the market collapse Samsung did but they’re losing market share because they’re not really adding anything new.

Apple are essentially doing this

image 177
image 177

This is from the Simpsons where Malibu Stacy gets a new hat and makes fans of the doll ignore the other doll completely.

10 Reasons Why Men Are AVOIDING Marriage

Is The U.S. Economy Actually Growing?

by Michael

Okay, so they want us to believe that the U.S. economy grew at a very brisk pace during the fourth quarter of 2023 even though mass layoffs are happening all over America, sales of previously owned homes are at the lowest level in 28 years, homelessness is rising at the fastest pace ever recorded, and survey after survey is showing that most Americans are just barely scraping by from month to month.  Needless to say, something does not add up.  The American people are deeply frustrated with how the economy is performing, but the government keeps giving us numbers that indicate that everything is just great.  On Thursday, we were told that the U.S. economy grew at a 3.3 percent annualized rate during the fourth quarter of 2023…

The economy grew at a much more rapid pace than expected while inflation eased in the final three months of 2023, as the U.S. easily skirted a recession that many forecasters had thought was inevitable, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.

Gross domestic product, a measure of all the goods and services produced, increased at a 3.3% annualized rate in the fourth quarter of 2023, according to data adjusted seasonally and for inflation.

That compared with the Wall Street consensus estimate for a gain of 2% in the final three months of the year.

If that number actually reflected reality, it would be very good news.

But how is it possible that layoffs were up 98 percent in 2023 while the U.S. economy was supposedly “growing” all year long?

To me, it appears that something fishy is going on.

And that is precisely what we see when we take a deeper look at the numbers.  According to Zero Hedge, “GDP-boosting gimmicks” are being employed to make things look better than they actually are…

Turning to the all important consumption, we can’t help but smile when noticing that the BEA is again resorting to such favorite GDP-boosting gimmicks of the old Obama administration as spending on healthcare and… RVs! The two contributed to roughly half the growth in consumer spending in the fourth quarter.

Other numbers that don’t come from the Biden administration tell a much different story.

For example, the Chicago Fed’s National Activity Index was negative in December, and it has been negative for 8 of the past 12 months

Against expectations of a small rise from 0.03 to 0.06, The Chicago Fed’s National Activity Index (which draws on 85 economic indicators) tumbled to -0.15 in December. 2023 ends with 8 of the 12 months in negative territory…

So how in the world can the economy be “growing” if national economic activity was in negative territory for two-thirds of last year?

It doesn’t make any sense at all.

And if the outlook for the future is positive, why are so many mass layoffs happening?

Business Insider had already conducted one round of mass layoffs, but they just decided that another round has become necessary

In the latest wave of layoffs to hit the digital media biz, Business Insider said it will cut 8% of its staff in a restructuring aimed at positioning the company for growth.

Business Insider CEO Barbara Peng announced the job cuts in a memo to staffers Thursday. “We have already begun to refocus teams and invest in areas that drive outsize value for our core audience. Unfortunately, this also means we need to scale back in some areas of our organization,” she wrote.

Back when it first started, Business Insider was actually quite good.

But those days are long gone.

Microsoft is another big name that is putting large numbers of workers on the chopping block

Microsoft will lay off 1,900 employees at Activision Blizzard and Xbox, the latest tech company to announce cuts so far in 2024.

The layoffs represent about an 8% cut of its video gaming staff of 22,000 workers and come months after Microsoft acquired Activision in a blockbuster deal. The $69 billion transaction in October represented one of the largest tech deals in history as Microsoft took over the studios behind bestselling games like Call of Duty, Diablo and Overwatch for its Xbox console.

And even though things are looking up for IBM these days, they are planning job cuts too

IBM also said it will also cut a percentage of positions in the low single digits in 2024.

The planned job cuts follow similar announcements in January by major tech companies, including Alphabet’s Google and Amazon.com.

Chief financial officer James Kavanaugh said IBM will likely spend the same amount on restructuring as it did in 2023 – US$400 million – when it reduced its workforce by about 3,900 jobs.

Day after day, I share examples of very large companies that are conducting mass layoffs.

Why would they be doing this if tremendous prosperity is ahead of us?

It wouldn’t make any sense at all.

Of course the truth is that an economic downturn has already begun and it is going to get even deeper in 2024.

Those on the bottom of the economic food chain are being hit the hardest.  Earlier today, I was saddened to read about homeless people in California that are being evicted from caves that they had dug into the banks of a river…

Rough sleepers in California were found living inside furnished caves dug into the banks of a river 20 feet below street level.

The groups were removed from the eight caves – along the Tuolumne River in Modesto – over the weekend, and they were emptied of belongings, furniture and 7,600 lbs of rubbish, filling two trucks and a trailer.

Some of the caves were decorated with murals, had broken floor tiles and one even had a makeshift fireplace with a chimney.

There are countless others just like them all over the country.

The Wall Street Journal has reported that homelessness was rising at the fastest pace ever recorded in 2023.

But don’t worry about any of that.

According to Joe Biden and his minions, the U.S. economy is growing steadily and everything is just great.

You believe them, don’t you?

Men Caused One Of The Largest Bridal Companies To Go Bankrupt… It’s OVER!

Have you ever made a mistake that ended up saving your life?

Yeah, for some reason I terribly overslept and was three hours late to work.

I felt quite bad about the whole thing. This was before mobile emails were a thing and I called in saying that I would be late. So, I walked into the office around 12 PM hoping to avoid colleagues seeing me that late. The first people I saw were the CEO and a bunch of other senior guys, all gathered around my cubicle.

“Ok, this is my last day in this job,” I thought.

However, the CEO looked at me, relieved, and said “Good morning. Good to see you were late.” Quite an unusual greeting.

Only then did I realize what had happened. The hinges holding a huge office air conditioner above my cubicle had failed, and it had gone down right into my seat. The monitor was smashed in two parts, there was a huge bend in the tower case, and the indestructible Cherry keyboard had a few keys missing and a dent in the middle of the metal pad.

The air conditioner had fallen at around 11 am, and I came to the office at 12 pm.

What’s the most enjoyable thing you’ve ever said to a manager as you’ve quit your job?

I worked at a company that had a very public but unofficial policy of firing people if they started talking to recruiters or interviewing and they found out. They were a nice company, employee loan, good benefits, even a private pension plan.

I had already been recruited (using my personal email, of course) to take a job out of state. The company I was going to was moving me, paying off my employee loan, signing bonus, the whole red carpet thing.

I asked my boss at this nice company when she would have time to meet privately, she said 11, I usually got to work about 6, and arrived to find an email from a recruiter I’d never heard of before at my corporate address with a low ball job offer. I just laughed and deleted it.

About 9am, my boss, my boss’s boss and the head of HR came in carrying boxes. My boss said “it’s not working out, we’re letting you go.”. I played dumb, go where… she tried a few more “soft phrases” so I said after 3 years and 5 days, it’s suddenly not working out? you’re going to have to use the “F” word. The HR lady sensed something was up, but didn’t have time to stop my boss. My boss said, “we’re firing you, we don’t have to explain why.”

I said thank you and while she stood there looking puzzled, I said “I don’t know who that recruiter was, but by firing me instead of letting me quit, I get one month of severance for each year I worked here, plus all my vacation, plus your policy is to give me two weeks vacation to “go on” immediately, so I have 4.75 months of pay, plus, since I worked for more than 3 years, I vest into the pension program at that level. Really I owe whoever sent that email….

At that point my boss turned to HR lady and said wait, what? Hr lady waved her to silence and Said, you’d have to pay off your employee loan in full within three days…

I said, right. Picked up a cashier’s check off my desk and handed it to her. (It was to the penny) my boss’s boss finally spoke up and said wait, you already had a job? I said I’ve told you before, this policy is dumb. If I was a recruiter and I wanted to place one of your people, I’d send them an offer, wait, call them up and talk about a new job, now that they are unemployed. I’ll probably get a call this afternoon. (I did) Anyway, because you fired me. I get the money! I had in a CD to pay off the loan (I called it a lock pick for golden handcuffs) that check is from my new employer, 4 months 5 weeks of pay, and a sign on bonus (1 month), along with a moving bonus. I just put 6 months of pay in the bank, thanks guys, best firing ever!

Then a swept the stuff off my desk into one box, pointed to the stacks of stuff with post-its for other employees, showed all my drawers were empty and asked to be escorted to my car. My boss was still trying to figure out what happened while HR escorted me out, then I followed her to the main building, signed my exit paperwork, she took my badge and I was home by 10 to start packing.

It was awesome!

The Problem Ain’t The Cost Of Money – It’s The Cost Of Stuff!

Dennis Miller

New Year’s Eve, 1999 – a special time for Jo and me. We took our motor home to Key West, Florida. We celebrated the magic moment, the turn of a century, in front of (famous Ernest Hemingway hangout) Sloppy Joe’s Bar.

As the conch shell slid down the pipe, people yelled, “10-9-8-7″…until the clock struck midnight. Happy New Year! I kissed my bride and we headed back to the bus (hoping Y2k didn’t fry our computer).

The intimacy of a motor home provides a great opportunity for lots of conversation. 2000 was a personal milestone, I turned 60. Jo and I spent a lot of time reflecting; wondering what the future would bring.

I predicted we would recall the last decade as “The good old days.” Little did I know how right that would turn out to be.

What was so good about them?

Interest rates stabilized from the double-digit Volcker years. After a short 1990 recession, business was booming, moving quickly into the internet era.

While Clinton pushed through the largest tax increase in history, House Speaker Gingrich kept his campaign promise, holding the line on government spending; creating the last budget surplus we will likely ever see.

2024 01 26 11 36s
2024 01 26 11 36s

On January 1, 1990, the Fed funds rate was 8.25%, dropping to a low of 3% in 1992 and hovering in the mid-5% range for most of the decade.

With Volcker bringing inflation under control, interest rates stabilized and mortgages were affordable. CD and bond interest rates were above inflation.

Interest rates were not an impediment or incentive to doing business.

I was managing the money for both sets of parents. We invested in safe, secure investments. Their interest income, coupled with social security allowed them to live comfortably, without worry. Times were good.

What the heck happened?

A year later, 9/11 occurred, followed by huge government deficits, spending hundreds of billions for the never-ending “War on Terror.”

While Clinton took credit for boom times and balancing the budget, the effects of certain policy decisions were not yet evident.

Clinton prided himself on increasing homeownership for the poor and minorities. Banks were required to make loans to buyers with poor credit history – or they risked losing their charters. The banks complied, while screaming to the government they would fail if the process continued. Instead of tightening loan standards, government agencies, Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac were authorized to buy these risky loans from banks.

Banks no longer worried about the creditworthiness of the borrower. They added outlandish origination fees to the mortgage, while passing the default risk to the government (US taxpayer). Billions flowed into the housing sector.

Clinton pushed the 1999 repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act, allowing banks to merge with brokerage firms. In a few short years, five banks controlled almost half the nation’s wealth.

These new casino banks jumped in, writing thousands of risky mortgages to all comers, many in excess of the value of the underlying property. They packaged these high-risk loans into fee-based products and peddled them to unsuspecting investors.

The movie The Big Short details how the rating agencies gave these mortgage packages improper ratings, creating an illusion of creditworthiness and safety.

The casino banks got bigger and gambled with trillions in derivatives.

Investopedia defines derivatives for us:

“Derivatives are financial contracts, set between two or more parties, that derive their value from an underlying asset, group of assets, or benchmark. A derivative can trade on an exchange or over-the-counter. Prices for derivatives derive from fluctuations in the underlying asset.”

The repeal of Glass-Steagall’s created this monster. Famed (Big Short) investor Michael Burry warned Wall Street about the toxic loans, predicting a real estate crash. No one listened, they mocked him. The crash came, the casino banks (deemed, “too big to fail”) were bailed out with trillions of taxpayer dollars. The Fed flooded the banking system with credit and dropped interest rates to historic lows, well below the true inflation rate.

Their in-house trading (gambling with our money) continues. If they lose, taxpayers will cover their losses.

Wall Street On Parade reports:

“Three Wall Street Mega Banks Hold $157.3 Trillion in Derivatives – That’s $56.7 Trillion More than the Entire World’s GDP Last Year”

2024 01 26 11 376
2024 01 26 11 376

Consumers, industry and governments binged on “free money;” borrowing and spending like there was no tomorrow! Experts warned inflation would follow; most were surprised it took so long.

After reaching double digits, heading toward Zimbabwe-type inflation, the Federal Reserve finally had little choice but to raise rates – not wanting citizens to storm the palace.

The current Federal Funds rate is 5.5%. Many cheap loans are now coming due and must be paid off or rolled over at a much higher rate.

Prices have exploded!

The Wall Street Journal recently reported the average monthly mortgage payment has soared to $3,322 from $1,787 since 2021. Why?

Interest rates were kept artificially low, mortgage rates have risen since the Fed brought interest rates back to pre-2008 normal.

MSN.com explains:

“Homeownership has become a pipe dream for more Americans, even those who could afford to buy just a few years ago.

Many would-be buyers were already feeling stretched thin by home prices that shot quickly higher in the pandemic, but at least mortgage rates were low. Now that they are high, many people are just giving up.

…. Typically, high mortgage rates slow down home sales, and home prices should soften as a result. Not this time. Home sales are certainly falling, but prices are still rising—there just aren’t enough homes to go around. The national median existing-home price rose to about $392,000 in October, the highest ever for that month in data that goes back to 1999.

…. Buyers get a lot less home for their dollar. Before the Fed started raising rates, a person with a monthly housing budget of $2,000 could have bought a home valued at more than $400,000. Today, that same buyer would need to find a home valued at $295,000 or less.”

Y-Charts shows us the numbers:

2024 01 26 11 35
2024 01 26 11 35

Don’t buy government baloney!

James Rickards explains:

“Everyday Americans understand inflation perfectly. …. Inflation is one of the biggest concerns of those who live in the real world.

…. Here’s the reality and here’s the political narrative: Reality is that prices have been going up at the fastest rate in 40 years and they are still going up.

Inflation (on an annualized basis) was 9.1% in June 2022, 4.9% in April 2023, 3.7% in September 2023 and 3.1% in November 2023.

It’s true that the rate of inflation is coming down, but prices are still going up. They’re going up at a slower rate but they’re still going up.

…. The average price of a pound of ground beef in the U.S. was $5.11 in September 2023. In October 2023 the price of a pound of ground beef was $5.23. That’s a 2.3% increase on a month-over-month basis, which annualizes to over 25%.

That’s the kind of inflation that real Americans confront every day.

…. It is possible to use propaganda to lie to the American people; it can work in the short run. But inflation is not one of those areas where propaganda works. The American people know what things cost, they know prices are going up, and no amount of lies can change that.”

Bankrate chimes in:

“Inflation is eroding workers’ gains. Three in 5 workers (60 percent) say their incomes haven’t kept pace with inflation over the past 12 months, up from 55 percent last year. For those who did receive a pay bump of some form, more than half (53 percent) said their incomes haven’t kept pace with inflation, up slightly from 50 percent last year.”

“Inflation makes the extension of socialism possible by providing the financial chaos in which it flourishes.” — Henry Hazlitt

Mark Hamrick, Bankrate Senior Economic Analyst adds:

“While inflation has come down, broadly speaking, prices have not. There is a…virtual sticker shock that continues to weigh on the minds and pocketbooks of consumers.”

Bill Bonner summarizes:

“For the average working man, almost everything went up in price – except the real value of his major asset: his time. So, he had to spend more time to get the basics in life. Before the money switcheroo, he had to labor for about 4 years to buy a house, for example. Today, it will cost him more than 8 years of labor.”

The casino banks are screaming, profits are down, the Fed has to pivot and drop interest rates. Baloney! When Volcker pivoted, interest rates were double-digits and he pivoted back down to “normal.” Today’s rates are at historical “normal” – what worked for decades.

Lending cheap money to high credit risks (government included) creates the illusion of prosperity while creating terrible, inevitable inflationary consequences.

The cost of money ain’t the problem, it is the cost of stuff.

Leave rates alone, don’t make things worse. Volcker got us through a recession – things will work out once the excess debt is out of the system.

As always, politicians scream, “vote for me, I’ll fix the problem!” Ain’t gonna happen, no matter who wins the election. Without massive spending cuts and sanity in Washington, nothing will change. It’s no wonder many of us are holding on to our gold wishing for, “the good old days.”

17 Minutes Of Modern Women Having MELTDOWN Over Passport Bros

What was the most boneheaded mistake you saw someone make while in the military?

I didn’t see either of these personally, but I heard about them.

Number one: A US soldier on an exercise at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown – crew member on a tank – found a training anti-tank mine during a break in the exercise. These things are explosives; they are designed to go off when a tank runs over them. They won’t damage the tank, but they do pack a punch; they’re designed to be heard, and felt, by the crew inside a tank that is running. They are magnetically activated, meaning that they have to come into contact with a metal surface before they can explode. His buddies knew that; he didn’t, apparently.

They were sitting around in the middle of a tank training ground for a while, and he got bored. He started trying to get the mine to “go off”. Apparently, he started by picking it up and throwing it at the ground. Bupkis. Then he started hitting it with a rock. Same non-result.

Eventually, getting frustrated, he picked it up and threw it at the side of the tank. As his startled buddies dove for cover, the thing blew up in his face, causing critical injuries. He was rushed to the Base Hospital, where doctors managed to save his life, but IIRC he ended up a quadruple amputee. Since the military deemed it a “self-inflicted injury”, he was offered a choice – court-martial, or immediate discharge with loss of all benefits.

His excuse was apparently that he “didn’t think it was that powerful”. Because he’d only ever heard them from inside a running tank, he thought it would be like a firecracker or something.

Number two: A pilot in the Canadian Air Force was given command of a Lockheed Hercules transport aircraft – the youngest pilot ever to be given such a command. On his first flight as PIC, he was to fly from Trenton, a major air force base near Lake Ontario, to USAFB Thule, a large US Air Force base in Greenland, and then on to Canadian Forces Station Alert, a remote facility in the very high Canadian arctic, 500 miles from the North Pole. Alert has no maintenance facilities – just a runway made of packed snow and a weather station. USAFB Thule, otoh, has a full maintenance facility with a large, heated hangar.

Just after takeoff from Thule, he had multiple bird strikes – more than a dozen birds impacted the airframe, IIRC. He could have declared an emergency and returned to land at the well-equipped airport below him; instead, after a cursory in-flight check, he decided that the aircraft was still flyable and continued on to his destination on Ellesmere Island.

After he landed, the ground crew inspected the Herc and quickly realized that it was no longer safe to fly. The Canadian air force had to fly up another Herc, with a full maintenance crew, who then had to spend two days working on the plane, outdoors in sub-zero temperatures, to bring it to a point where it could be safely flown back to Thule, where the same maintenance crew that would have worked on it if he’d landed there in the first place did a complete overhaul – inside a heated, well-lit hangar.

Not surprisingly, Captain Hotshot became the youngest pilot in the Canadian Air Force to be stripped of his position of aircraft commander.

Most Americans Are Literally Living On The Edge Of Disaster

by Michael

There is a tremendous disconnect between the economic numbers that the government is giving us and what most Americans are personally experiencing on a daily basis.  The government says that inflation is low, but the cost of living just continues to spiral out of control.  The government says that unemployment is low, but Challenger, Gray & Christmas says that the number of layoffs in the U.S. was up 98 percent last year.  The government says that the economic outlook for 2024 is positive, but companies all over America are acting as if extremely hard times are ahead.  So who are we supposed to believe?

Personally, I trust numbers that come from private sources far more than numbers that come from government sources.

For example, a survey that was just conducted by Bankrate discovered that 56 percent of all U.S. adults do not have enough money to handle an unexpected expense of $1,000…

A majority of Americans say a $1,000 emergency expense would be too great of a hit to their savings and that they could not afford it, according to new data released Wednesday.

Bankrate’s latest survey results found 56% of U.S. adults lack the emergency funds to handle a $1,000 unexpected expense and one-third (35%) said they would have to borrow the money somehow to pay for it.

More than half the country is literally living on the edge of financial disaster.

That is crazy.

Another survey has found that much of the nation barely keeps any money in their bank accounts

Nearly half of Americans have $500 or less in their savings accounts, an amount that leaves them vulnerable to unexpected expenses, according to a GOBankingRates survey of 1,063 U.S. adults conducted in November 2023.

About 29% of respondents have between $501 and $5,000 in their savings accounts, while the remaining 21% of Americans have $5,001 or more.

Few hold much cash in their checking accounts as well. Of those surveyed, 60% report having $500 or less in their checking accounts, while only about 12% have $2,001 or more.

Most Americans would be financially wiped out by just one major accident or emergency.

The vast majority of us are just barely scraping by from month to month, and the rapidly rising cost of living is making that increasingly difficult to do.

One woman recently found a Taco Bell receipt from 12 years ago, and she discovered that prices are now approximately three times higher than they were back then…

A TikTok video by a user who found an old Taco Bell receipt has gone viral – as Americans realize prices are now almost three times higher.

The old receipt showed that – 12 years ago – Americans could buy TWO of the chain’s beefy five-layer burritos for $2.59 including taxes.

Today, those same burritos cost about $3.69 for just ONE. That doesn’t include tax, which can vary across the US. So too can the base price.

The government continues to insist that inflation is “low”, but everyone knows that is a big fat lie.

Insurance rates have been spiking at a particularly alarming rate.  One man in Las Vegas was horrified when his auto insurance bill shot up by 72 percent in just eight months even though he had no accidents and no tickets…

They say ‘What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’ – but the eye-watering auto insurance bill city resident Simon Edwards recently received is just one example of the staggering rises in premiums consumers are facing all across the US.

The 2012 Mazda 5 owner was shocked to find his monthly bill from Geico had rocketed up from $130 last April to $223 now – a rise of 72 percent in just eight months.

‘I’ve been in no accidents, no tickets, been with Geico for many years,’ a perplexed Edwards told the Wall Street Journal.

Another man recently posted a video on TikTok in which he ranted about how the cost of literally everything is absolutely soaring

Four years ago my rent was $1,200 a month at a luxury apartment complex”

“It is NOW $2,100, not even including utilities”

“3 years ago my electric bill was averaging $45 now it’s averaging $125…”

“I went to the grocery store yesterday and got 3 bags of chips, some ground turkey and some vegetables and it was $67 DOLLARS?!”

U.S. consumers are being squeezed like never before, and as a result debt levels have been rising to unprecedented levels.

For example, unpaid residential utility debt in the U.S. rose to a new all-time record of 20.3 billion dollars last year…

Bloomberg cites a new report from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association that reveals US household utility debt hit a record as an alarming number of Americans can no longer afford heating and cooling their homes.

NEADA said one out of every six ratepayers is behind on energy bills, adding residential utility debt hit a new record last year of $20.3 billion.

Please don’t let anyone tell you that the U.S. economy is in good shape.

Most Americans are really hurting in this economic environment, and conditions continue to get even worse.

As I discussed yesterday, large companies all over America are feverishly laying off workers.  In fact, earlier today we learned that even eBay is now laying people off

Online retailer eBay Inc. will cut about 1,000 jobs, or an estimated 9% of its full-time workforce, saying its number of employees and costs have exceeded how much the business is growing in a slowing economy. It marks the latest layoffs in the tech industry.

CEO Jamie Iannone said in a message to employees on Tuesday that the company also will reduce how many “contracts we have within our alternate workforce over the coming months.”

The worse economic conditions become, the more crime we are going to see.

At this point, looting has already become a way of life in some areas of the country.

In Washington D.C., a CVS store is permanently shutting down because dozens of teens would literally loot the store multiple times per day

A Washington D.C. CVS store is shutting its doors after being repeatedly ransacked by thieves, the chain has confirmed.

The pharmacy, located in the Columbia Heights neighborhood, went viral last October when videos emerged of it totally stripped of all its products after being targeted by a teen gang.

Staff claim more than 45 schoolkids would go into the store and steal chips and drinks in the morning, after their classes and late at night. It will close on February 29, according to WTTG-TV.

If this is what is happening now, what will we see once economic conditions get extremely bad in this country?

I would encourage you to get prepared while you still can, because so much chaos is ahead of us.

We are living at a time when most Americans are literally living on the edge of disaster, and disaster is coming.

Millions will be wiped out by the economic tsunami that is approaching, and you do not want to be among the victims.

The Worst US I’ve Ever Seen | Col. Larry Wilkerson

Why do people walk past homeless people without helping them?

After reading these comments, I would like to share a story with you. My ex-husband is disabled. He suffers from traumatic brain injury and struggles daily. He has seizures, he passes out, he has very little memory, diabetes from cancer removal, and takes several medications daily among other challenges. He needs someone to assist him with daily activities. He lived with his parents. His mother passed away and about a year later, his father sold the house and most of everything that was in it. The house sold in 10 days and they were given 2 weeks to vacate. His father had living arrangements planned for himself before the house sold. He told my ex that he had 2 weeks to vacate, left some moving boxes at the house and took off. I went over and helped pack and move things into storage and my ex became homeless on the final moving day. His father said he didn’t have the money to help him and he changed his phone number. The first month, my ex would call me telling me things that would happen and honestly, I didn’t believe him. How could being homeless be that damn hard? He would find what he thought was a safe place to sleep, in an area that we both are very familiar with and know a lot of people. People that we have personally helped. Well, when you become homeless, you learn who your friends are. Everyone scattered. People that we opened our home to when they needed a helping hand were no longer around. I was the only one he had left. The first month of him being homeless was a nightmare. When the sun goes down, bad things happen when you fall asleep. Because of the medication my ex takes, he will fall into a deep sleep and not much wakes him up until he’s ready to wake up. He had his belongings stolen 4 times in a month. He would wake up and his stuff would be gone. He went through about 8 cell phones, numerous phone chargers, all stolen. His wallet was stolen right from the start so he had no ID. Without ID he couldn’t get assistance or even a hotel room. DMV wanted ridiculous paperwork to replace his ID plus $800 for an incident from years past. It took weeks, but we got it straightened out and his ID was replaced. Two days later, he fell asleep and his wallet stolen again. Once again, no ID. We were continuously replacing his bags for carrying things and replacing his things. His medication was stolen. He had to go 3 weeks without it because they don’t just replace stolen medication. He was missing his very important doctor appointments because he couldn’t keep track of things. He woke up in the hospital twice, not sure how he got there, or why he was there. He voluntarily went to the hospital one night because he was dizzy, his blood sugar was high and he was fading in and out of reality. The hospital asked him how much drugs he took. He remembers hearing them say he’s ODing. They did a drug test that came back clean. The security guard at the hospital took him by the arm and pushed him out the front door telling him not to come back. He went back in to ask where he was because he didn’t know, also because he didn’t have his shoes. Security pushed him out the front door told him don’t fucking come back through the door. My daughter is a nurse at that hospital. When I asked her why they treated him that way she said homeless people come in there continuously pretending to be sick just for a place to sleep. They kick them out all the time. Meanwhile, my ex was laying on the sidewalk on the side of the hospital. Another homeless man gave him some water and walked him to another hospital down the street. They said he probably would not have made it through the night. He spent 3 days there then back out on the street with no medication.

A fact that most aren’t aware of, when you’re homeless, you have to keep moving. My ex stays clean. By clean I mean his physical appearance. He doesn’t look homeless other than the bags he carries. At first he was able to slip into a casino, (we live in Las Vegas) to charge his cell phone. Even though he doesn’t look homeless, it doesn’t take long before you become a familiar face in the area and they don’t want you around. They are very quick to call the police. Who in turn trespass you from the property, or haul you in. So you have to keep moving. Where you’re moving to? Who knows, just keep moving. That results in raw feet, worn out shoes and using energy that you just can’t afford to waste.

Summertime in Vegas is brutal. It reaches 120° and when your outside, there’s no relief anywhere. The heat also causes my ex to pass out. He can’t be in the heat for too long. The only relief is going inside a store and pretending to shop. Like I said, you become a familiar face after a while and all eyes are on you. In order for him to go inside out of the heat he would have to purchase something. Believe it or not, this can become expensive. When you can’t cook and your only means for a meal is to purchase from fast food or wherever, it gets expensive. So most of his income goes to replacing things that were stolen, getting what he needs to survive on the streets, and food. A couple times, when his wallet was stolen, his money card was in his wallet. He had to steal food from the store to eat. Sometimes he can get shelter for a night if the hotels have a special and he has an ID. But money goes fast when you’re out there.

How do I know all this? I spent 4 days out there with him. He came to my house every few days to shower, wash his clothes and eat a hot meal, but my situation didn’t allow him to stay with me. I helped him as much as I could. When he came over one day, telling me all the bad luck he was having, I decided to go with him and see what’s going on. I truly thought he was getting mixed up with the wrong people and creating his problems. What I experienced while I was out there was absolutely terrible. People were so mean. We didn’t beg or ask for anything. We just kept moving, with no destination. The looks, the comments, the behavior of one human to another made me look at the world in a different way, and it’s not good. I actually came out of that experience being ashamed of the human race. I’m embarrassed for us. I’m not proud of my community and I honestly feel more compassion for our homeless community. Imagine this. You have to go to the bathroom and it could take you all day to find a public restroom to use. Because they don’t let homeless people use the bathroom. Whether you purchase something or not. Imagine it’s so hot outside, like 120°, and you barely make it into a sandwich shop and ask them for a cup of water because you’re passing out from the heat. They tell you “no, get outta here” and you pass out in the parking lot. Instead of calling an ambulance, they leave you laying there on a blacktop that is hot enough to fry an egg. People passing by don’t want to get involved so they turn their head. They couldn’t spare a cup of tap water to help another person that was obviously having a medical episode. We walked by a lady one day and she actually stopped, looked at me and said “ you’re a disgrace. You should walk in the alley and not out here.” As much as I wanted to teach her a lesson, I wasn’t going to jail, so we kept walking. From a distance she yelled “you’re dirting up the streets!” I was appalled by the dirty, disgusting looks that people gave. Just by assuming our situation, because remember, I wasn’t actually homeless.

This is also what I learned. Being homeless is very lonely. You can’t befriend other homeless people because those are the ones that take your stuff. There’s nobody to talk too. My ex started talking to himself, out loud. He would randomly say things as if he was talking to someone. Sometimes it’s not money they need. Sometimes it’s not food. There are many ways you can help homeless people. One of the most important, at least it was for me, is to acknowledge them. Don’t walk by like they aren’t there. Smile and say hi. Treat them like they matter. Sometimes that’s all they need to get them through the next few hours. It does give them some inner strength to keep pushing forward. If you pass by and say “how ya doing?” Stop for a second and listen to the answer. You don’t have to spend all day with them. A little 2 sentence conversation holds a lot of weight. They have nobody to talk to and it’s lonely. One of the best conversations I have ever had was with a homeless man. He became a good friend and we spent a lot of time together. He was very intelligent and fascinating. I could have missed out on that and it would have been my loss. Sometimes homeless people just want someone to say hi and treat them like they are people. They are all out there for different reasons. Some beyond their control.

MUST WATCH! Feminism and the Disposable Male | This blew my mind

Why are Europeans not as fat as Americans are when Europeans eat white bread and pasta and butter all the time?

I’m from Russia and I’ve been to the US three times in my teenage years for several months each time. I’ve always ate intuitively, I guess. I never restricted myself or counted calories. Both at home and in the US. I’m not prone to binge eating or eating a lot of junk food, I like fruits and vegetables more than sweets and most of the time if I buy junk food it just ends up on a shelf until someone else eats it. And my weight does not really fluctuate at all. I think I have the same physique and weight since I was 14.

So when I came to the USA, I ate the same way as I always do. Actually I ate even more vegetables, fruit and berries because there were very convenient packages at Costco. I just munched on broccoli for several months there I think haha. But! Despite me not really changing anything in what I eat (or eating even more fresh produce) I gained several kilos each time I was in the US and lost them back quickly after returning.

This is me right before my last trip in 2019:

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This is me on the last day:

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I think you can clearly see that my cheeks grew a lot and my face is more round haha.

I also noticed that food (especially fresh produce) looks much prettier in the US than here. Strawberries were huge and shiny, we only get those here in the off season in expensive stores and not many people actually buy it. We mostly buy seasonal fruits. Berries are mostly for summertime while in winter we buy pomegranates, clementines and oranges. Bread in the US stays “fresh” and soft for several months, while here we buy bread several times a week because it’s freshly baked and goes stale quickly. A lot of food in the US is preprepared (shredded cheese etc which we don’t really have in Russia. If you want shredded cheese you do it yourself haha. And it’s also really hard to find the same cheeses. The colors are not even close). I think there are so much more additives to the food in the US to make it more pleasant looking even though it makes the food much less healthy.

Where’s my sandwich?

What do you think of Joe Brusuelas’ forecast that the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) will come in at a 2.4% annual rate in the fourth quarter of 2023?

The U.S. grew by 2.4% but its Inflation rate is 3.4% hence once again the American standard of real living shrank by -1.0% in 2023.

Let’s compare that with China that grew by 5.2% but its inflation is 0.2% in 2023. Hence the Chinese population enjoy a positive 5.0% net real growth!

But if you read the western media it is as though it is China that needs to get worried! And what is worst is their brain dead mentality believes in the shit that U.S. media threw out daily.

China is 6% better off than the U.S. in 2023! And you ain’t seen nothing yet! If you Americans and U.S. lackeys out there grow som brain cells, grow very very worried about the U.S. that has not grow its real standard of living since the day of Beetles and Marilyn Monroe 64 full years ago! Your grand parents have better lives than you!

Is it true that Chinese people now have a high standard of living?

We have a population of 1.4 billion people.

Each person’s place of birth, family background, and level of education are different, so it is difficult to give a definitive answer.

However, some general situations can be mentioned.

The most impoverished areas in China are still concentrated in rural areas in the central and western parts of the country.

Due to China’s unique household registration and land systems, the country has the highest rate of home ownership in the world.

As a result, homelessness is virtually non-existent.

Even the poorest peasants own their land and homes.

Internet, tap water, electricity, and roads have been extended to all rural areas of China.

There are no villages without roads and electricity,Internet, although there may be exceptions.

A photo widely circulated on the Internet shows a village in Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. Located at altitudes ranging from 628 to 2300 meters, with a relative altitude difference of 1672 meters, the village has a population of 1758 people.

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Faced with difficulties in road construction, the government proposed to relocate them to a flat area, offering free housing and policy-based housing subsidies.

However, the villagers strongly resisted, as the benefits offered by the government did not meet their expectations.

The impasse lasted until 2016, when Chinese vloggers discovered the situation and uploaded the videos online.

This sparked outrage among the public, who couldn’t believe that such poverty existed in China.

They condemned the government’s incompetence.

Feeling the pressure, the Zhaojue county government responded positively, compromising with the villagers by improving welfare standards before finally relocating them from the cliffs.

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In terms of medical insurance, China’s system is divided into urban and rural components.

Taking myself as an example, although I own a house in the city, my household registration remains in the rural area because I am reluctant to give up my ancestral home and land.

As a result, I have two health insurance policies – a rural one that costs about $50 a year, and an urban one that costs considerably more and is deducted monthly from my salary at a rate proportional to my income.

While this may seem like a loss, the higher deductions result in a higher retirement pension.

According to China’s administrative divisions, villages are the lowest level.

In theory, rural health insurance is not compulsory.

In reality, however, coverage is tied to the performance of government officials.

Government officials often resort to extremist claims that if you don’t buy $50 worth of health insurance, you’ll lose hundreds or even thousands of dollars in agricultural subsidies.

In fact, government officials do not have the ability orrights to cancel agricultural subsidies to farmers.

This is because the money is transferred directly from the central government’s coffers to the farmers’ bank cards.

Township government officials cannot interfere with central decision-making and the banking system.

Only a verbal threat.

Therefore, although the process of selling health insurance to farmers is sometimes not very gentle, the results are still good, and health insurance basically covers everyone.

Some people even have more than one medical insurance.

Reimbursement rates for medical expenses vary – 90% in township hospitals, 80% at the county level, 70% at the city level, and a basic 60% in provincial capital hospitals.

For serious illnesses, individuals often have to seek treatment in large cities such as Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou, where reimbursement rates are even lower, especially for imported and expensive drugs.

The only good thing is that China’s medical system does not have complicated appointments and does not require excessive waiting.

Finally, there is the pressure of marriage.

If a young man who grew up in the countryside has parents with a low retirement income and his own income is not high, it will be difficult for him to find a wife, especially if the woman’s income is above average.

Unless he is exceptionally handsome or has a degree from one of China’s top universities, the challenges increase.

This contributes to the gradual decline of China’s population.

On some Chinese video platforms, many single men promote Indian marriage ideals, but Chinese women often mock them, questioning their confidence despite their seeming ordinariness.

ps1:

Many people lack a clear understanding of China’s land system and social structure.

On Quora, many comments seem unreasonably contentious.

I don’t know whether this is due to arrogance and prejudice or deliberate misinformation.

Although my English is limited, I’ll do my best to explain.

In rural areas, land is collectively owned by village-level administrative units, similar to rural cooperatives.

As long as your household registration is in the village, your land is permanent, with no time limits or land taxes.

Your children can inherit it without paying inheritance taxes.

The only drawback is that farmland cannot be bought or sold.

tradable land is residential land, but it’s limited to mutual transfers between village members.

Urban land is owned by the government.

If you buy villas, apartments, factories, or commercial land in the city, the legal term of use is either 40 or 70 years.

However, these are essentially “fiction” legal concepts to avoid conflict with the concept of state ownership of land.

If there were a real problem with time limits, China wouldn’t have a real estate industry, and people wouldn’t be stupid enough to buy houses.

Many multinational corporations, including McDonald’s, KFC, Metro, and Costco, own substantial amounts of land and property in China.

You can question the character of capitalists, but you can’t question their intelligence.

For ordinary residents, you can own property for life without paying a single cent in taxes.

If taxes were imposed, many people would become homeless.

That’s why many wealthy Chinese own many properties, because there are almost no holding costs.

ps2:

The inclusiveness of the Chinese government is beyond the imagination of many people who only believe what the Western media says.

Again, with a population of 1.4 billion and less than 4% having a bachelor’s degree, this means that there are many individuals among us who are not robots and can be easily angered.

If the government does not meet their demands, impulsive actions may occur.

The government is not stupid; it will not easily provoke the people.

On June 10, 2022, in the early morning, a girl was harassed and beaten by several men in a barbecue restaurant in Tangshan while she was having a late-night snack.

This incident sparked anger and panic throughout society, something that should not have happened in the eyes of the Chinese.

It was widely believed to be the incompetence of the Tangshan city police.

In reality, the Chinese can be perfectionists.

They won’t tolerate any instances of social violence, especially against innocent women.

Hebei Province reacted quickly and made adjustments to the entire public security system in Tangshan.

Many leaders in the police department were fired, and some even went to jail.

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As for the men who assaulted the woman, the court handed down the harshest punishment, and they eventually repented in prison.

CCTV, China’s largest official television station, also conducted a special interview with the criminal.

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ps3:

As for “Indian marriage ideals,” perhaps my expression is not very accurate.

This is a Chinese man who is worried about finding a mate.

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This is the woman they met in reality.

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This is their fantasy woman, using Indian women as a reference.

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Many people may have seen too many Indian movies and think that Indian women are always gentle and kind.

The most important thing is that the men do not have to give any bride price to the women.

Well, that is India’s most successful cultural export to China.

Except Buddhism and Yoga.

Russia vs. UK

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jfIHlKAs1ag?feature=share

Have you ever won against a police “speeding” ticket, and if so, how?

Near the beginning of covid, I received a speeding ticket for going quite a bit over the speed limit. In fact, it was so much over the limit that when I received the citation in the mail, it indicated that I had to go to court in person. I couldn’t just pay a fine. I showed up on the indicated court date, but the courthouse was closed due to covid. I eventually received a notice in the mail indicating a new court date, but when I showed up it was still closed for covid (needless to say it was frustrating). A few months after that, I received a notice giving me a date to attend court virtually over zoom.

When I logged in, I noticed that there were about 50 other people also logged in. So I made myself comfortable and waited. The defendents with a lawyer present were called first. Every lawyer would say good morning to the judge and then, in some cryptic legalese I can’t remember, asked the judge to review the relevant dates for the case. The case would list them out in order and then give the running total number of days and then dismiss the case because it has been over a year. This happened at least 4 or 5 times.

After all the lawyers had finished, the judge started calling the rest of us. Person after person went up, was reprimanded by the judge, and given a fine. Eventually my name was called and so I repeated exactly what I had heard the lawyers say. The judge stared at me for about 45 seconds. Then he read the dates and dismissed my case. I thanked him and he told me that I better start slowing down when I drive because if he sees me again, he’ll remember me.

I’d like to think that everyone after me was smart enough to realize they also could have their cases dismissed. I was curious, but not that curious, so I took my win and logged off zoom.

Are Chinese girls and women materialistic, expecting men to be providers and pay for everything?

I do think it’s ridiculous that men in China are expected to have a successful and lucrative career, a house, and a car, as well as pay a large bride price to the girl’s family. Those are pretty tall orders. No wonder so many men in China are unmarried. But most women in China have their own careers (and don’t want to leave them to be housewives) and choose to continue working after marriage or decide to not marry at all.

Some of them do have Princess Syndrome and expect men to meet their materialistic demands. I do not understand the lust for luxury bags and clothes and the like. Why? To fit into society? To ascend to a Phoenix nest? To look good on Instagram or the Chinese equivalent? All of it is fleeting, unimportant, shallow and it won’t last. None of that matters.

But those women in China are not the majority. In 1.4 billion people there are bound to be materialistic gold diggers, but not everyone is. And people like that can be found in every society, not just China. Many women in China are hard working and dedicated to their careers. The ones who do stay home to raise children are dedicated to their families. I don’t see a stay-at-home wife or mother as a woman who is materialistic because her husband is the provider of their family.

I would say you’ve taken a stereotype and painted all Chinese women with a broad brush. Instead look at women as individuals capable of being their own person. You may meet some materialistic women but it’s more likely you will meet kind, hardworking women devoted to their families. Of the Chinese women in my acquaintance I can say none of them fit the materialistic stereotype.

Tell them…

Greek Homestyle Chicken

This is a common meal in Greece and it smells delicious while it is cooking.

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greek chicken 1100px 3

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • Juice of 2 lemons
  • 4 or 5 potatoes, peeled and sliced french-fry style
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 to 1 cup water
  • One head garlic, the cloves peeled but whole
  • Oregano, salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Place chicken in a shallow baking tray. Arrange potatoes around chicken pieces. Scatter whole peeled cloves of garlic around chicken and potatoes.
  2. Mix together lemon juice and olive oil, and pour evenly over chicken and potatoes. Add water until potatoes are just about covered. Add salt, pepper to taste. Cover chicken and potatoes with generous amounts of oregano.
  3. Bake at 350 degrees F, until tops of chicken are reddish brown.
  4. Turn chicken, stir potatoes, and sprinkle on more oregano. If potatoes aren’t at least half-covered with liquid, add water.
  5. Return to oven for about 15 to 20 minutes. Chicken is done when both sides a lightly browned and potatoes are soft when touched with a fork.
  6. Serve with a crusty bread or with pita bread.

What is it like to be an elderly man who has experienced many things in his life?

Pretty cool really. At 74, I can look back on a life full of adventure and fun. Some hard work too. A lot of things you can’t do anymore (playground equipment now deemed too dangerous for kids), places that aren’t there anymore (amusement parks like Pacific Ocean Park in Santa Monica and the Pike in Long Beach). As kids, we walked to school, typically a mile each way- today moms chauffeur their kids to school, adding to morning and afternoon traffic jams. When I was a kid, we were allowed more freedom and had more responsibility.

As a teenager, friends and I would take spring breaks to the Colorado River, cruise up and down the river in my fishing boat, stop on the other bank of the river for a party at night, bats flying overhead on the river. Or Palm Springs, where parties were held out in the desert, and had fun visiting the Indian reservation and desert oasis. Travel to Mexico, and watch a real Mexican fiesta in a small town plaza. Ride motorcycles all over the place on camping trips. Learn to fly an airplane, and fly one to Catalina island with my girlfriend at the time, my buddy flying his own airplane in formation with me. Renting a 4 seat Cessna 172 from John Wayne airport, fuel included, was only $11 per hour! Dinner at Don the Beachcomber, 94th Aero Squadron, Proud Bird, Bobby McGees etc., places that don’t exist anymore.

My working life was mostly fun- working got easier as I moved up to jobs I liked. For the last 20 years I had a job designing traffic camera installations for the City, something I really liked doing.

I find that there are new things that challenge me in retirement. I discovered 3D design and 3D printing, and Arduino programming. I have created a lot of unique projects, and like showcasing them on Instructables. Plus, lots of bicycle riding and walking in our mild Southern California climate.

Why Marriage Is NOT WORTH Pursuing In Western Society

What was the strangest way a criminal was caught?

I heard this story from a fellow cab driver (back when I was driving cabs).

He was doing the night shift when he got a call to a specific address. The job details specified a non-LPG vehicle (ie, one without an extra tank in the boot) because they were moving from one place to another and needed to put the last of the luggage in there.

So while he was on the way there, he called the cops.

He showed up at the address, popped the boot, and helped the passengers load some gear in there; a sound system, sundry electronics and so forth. Then he closed the boot.

They’re anxious to get moving, but he took his time. Just as he was getting in, the cops showed up. The passengers tried to play it cool, but the driver pointed at them and said, “They just robbed this place.”

The cops grabbed one, but the other two made a run through the yard and went over the back fence. One came back straight away, but the other had trouble climbing back over, mainly because he had an Alsatian hanging off his leg.

Once the cops had all three in custody, he popped the boot again and showed them the stolen goods.

One of the passengers started swearing, then asked, “How did you know we were robbing the place?”

The driver looked him in the eye. “Because that’s my sound system. I live there.”

What Happened To Marriage?

Last Chance To Get Out Of Dodge?

by Michael

Time is running out.  Lately, I have been hearing from so many people that believe that 2024 will be the year when our society goes over the edge.  Our financial system is teetering on the brink of disaster, crime is absolutely exploding all over the country, homelessness is rising at the fastest pace ever recorded, food banks are facing unprecedented demand for their services, and I believe that 2024 will be the most chaotic election year in the entire history of our nation.  And of course all of this is happening in the context of a global environment in which war, pestilences, economic problems, famine and natural disasters are all on the rise.  A “perfect storm” is raging all around us, and millions upon millions of Americans have become deeply concerned about what our immediate future will look like.

So where will you be when things finally hit the fan?

During the past several years, we have seen a mass exodus of conservatives from blue states.  For example, Fox News is reporting that 65 percent of those that have recently moved to the state of Idaho are Republicans, and only 12 percent are Democrats…

Data published by the Idaho Secretary of State’s office shows that out of the nearly 119,000 people who recently moved to the state, 65% registered as Republicans, compared to just 12% registering as Democrats.

The data, which was reviewed by Fox News Digital, show that out of the roughly 20,000 Americans who moved from Washington state to Idaho, 62% registered as Republicans, compared to 12% as Democrats, 24% as unaffiliated and 2% as “other.” The percentage of registered Republicans originally from Washington who recently moved to Idaho is actually higher than the state’s overall percentage of registered Republicans, which sits at about 58%.

And for those moving from the state of California, the numbers are even more dramatic

Out of the nearly 40,000 people who left California for Idaho, a whopping 75% registered as Republicans, the data reviewed by Fox News Digital show. Only 10% of the California pool registered as Democrats, 14% as unaffiliated and 2% as “other.”

Wow.

Real estate agents in Idaho are urging potential clients to “escape liberal hell” and to get to the state “before the coming collapse”

The Seattle Times noted that real estate ads advise residents in states such as Washington to “escape liberal hell” and move to Idaho.

“Time is not on your side, flee the city NOW before the coming collapse!” another ad for a house listing in Idaho states, the outlet reported.

Perhaps you are thinking that you should move to Idaho too.

Unfortunately, for many Americans it is already too late, because property values in some areas of the state have more than tripled.

Of course property values have also skyrocketed in desirable areas in many other red states as well.

Meanwhile, mortgage rates have also soared, and as a result home payments have risen to absolutely absurd levels during the Biden administration

WSJ analysis of the housing market:

Average monthly new home payment
when Biden took office: $1,787

Average monthly new home payment
today: $3,322

You can still try to relocate.

But it will cost you much more than it would have a few years ago.

Renting is also an option, but we have just been through a period of time when rental prices have also jumped substantially

After suffering through a three-year period when rents jumped by 30% or more in many U.S. cities, renters are now starting to enjoy small breaks like this.

Ultimately, if you were planning to relocate, you should have already done it by now.

But the good news is that conditions are still at least somewhat relatively stable as we approach the end of 2023.

So if you want to get out of Dodge, you can still do it.

In fact, for many of you this may be your last chance.

But don’t wait too long, because the clock is ticking.

At this point, most Americans can feel that something has gone horribly wrong.  The warning signs are all around us, and conditions are getting worse with each passing day.

Even Warren Buffett can sense that a really big shift is coming.  During the first three quarters of this year he sold off a whopping “$28.7 billion of stock”

Warren Buffett’s firm Berkshire Hathaway sold $28.7 billion of stock in the first three quarters of 2023 in a move that some economists have interpreted as ringing alarm bells for the American economy.

According to the company’s earnings, the Nebraska-based firm of the legendary investor and billionaire, known as the Oracle of Omaha, sold a net $10.4 billion of stock in the first quarter of the year. In the second quarter, it sold close to $13 billion of shares and bought less than $5 billion. In the third quarter, it sold about $5.3 billion worth of stocks.

As Buffett is considered one of the greatest investors of all time, as well as one of America’s richest men, his moves are closely observed and analyzed.

He didn’t make so much money by being stupid.

Buffett may not fully understand all of the specifics, but he realizes that something is up.

As our society crumbles, most of the population is not going to be able to handle it.

The suicide rate just continues to go up, and psychologists are reporting unprecedented demand for their services…

For the third consecutive year, many psychologists across the country say they are seeing patients struggle with worsening symptoms, many of them needing longer treatment times.

Those are among the findings of an annual survey by the American Psychological Association, released this week. The APA first launched this survey in 2020 to gauge the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on practicing psychologists.

A majority of psychologists reported that more people are seeking mental health care this year, adding to already long waitlists. Over half (56%) said they had no openings for new patients. Among those who keep waitlists, average wait times were three months or longer and nearly 40% said that their waitlist had grown in the past year.

When conditions get really bad, we are going to witness a national emotional meltdown of epic proportions.

Where will you be when that occurs?

Global events just continue to accelerate…

What are some things that look easy but are difficult?

Doing stand up comedy. I do it as an amateur for fun.

What I thought it was before I did it: You walk up, tell jokes for 10 minutes, then collect your free beer or $20.

What it actually is: You write 30 pages of jokes then meet with two other writers, who are also writing jokes (but different from yours). You’re all brutally honest with each other. You cut and trim. Some things don’t work. They point out logical inconsistencies. You end up with two pages.

Back to the drawing board. Repeat this process. Eventually you have 5 pages that will get you through a ten minute set. But, uh oh, one of your topical jokes appears in the media. More than one person can think of the same joke. “I had this joke first,” you think. But that doesn’t matter. You replace.

You rehearse and rehearse and rehearse so you don’t forget. You decide on a persona. You make sure your jokes match that persona. The persona needs to be enough of you to be honest or the audience won’t like it, but it should be an exaggerated version of you.

Then, you sit in a shabby green room in a bar that’s probably not in the best part of town. You get a knot in your stomach. You listen to the comedians who go before you.

You can always tell the comedians in a comedy club. They’re the ones who say “that’s a good joke” instead of laughing.

Finally, it’s your turn. You have two or three jokes to win the audience over. If they don’t like you from the start, it’s almost impossible to get them back.

Wait, what’s that? People are actually laughing! This is amazing. Why are they laughing at these lame jokes that I’ve told myself more than 100 times before performing them?

Is it true that Indians do more hard work and less smart work?

image 193
image 193

Ask Wistron!!!!

The Management came with high hopes of building a gigantic supply chain to rival Chinas by 2026

And went home with their TAIL BETWEEN THEIR LEGS and determined never to even look at India on a Map again

They were used to Chinese workers who were ready to slog 9+2 hours a day for 6 days a week and deliver 63 Units a day at peak productivity

They came because they were promised the world

First, the workers cried about wages

They agreed initially and then cried. That’s because the Agent was collecting 20% a month from their wages directly. So out of ₹14000/-, the workers saw a cut of ₹ 3000/- into the pocket of the Agent

Wistron raised the wages to ₹17000/- to keep them happy

Next, they did a surprising amount of overtime

The Average worker in China billed 12 hours a week for overtime

Here the Average worker was billing 30 hours a week overtime

Yet Productivity was less than half of China

Soon they found, everyone was deliberately working slow during normal hours to justify overtime

Workers due to be paid ₹17000/- a month plus maybe ₹6000/- for overtime at most were now paid ₹ 15,000/- for overtime and ₹32,000 a month

YET PRODUCTIVITY WAS 27

Wistron ordered that the Overtime pay be held back until a proper investigation was made

Workers felt outraged

They didn’t seem to care that their productivity was low

They seemed to think they were slogging hard and demanded money from the evil capitalist

So they attacked the plant, broke a lot of equipment AND THE COPS/AUTHORITIES SEEMED TO HOLD WISTRON GUILTY OF CHEATING

Wistron literally crawled before the Chinese on their knees to take them back but China gave a grin and said “Sorry. We have our own OEMs”

This is one Story of Indian HARD WORK


Same story in every single case

Lazy Indian makes promises he can’t keep. Demands money anyway. Accuses foreigner of Racism and Imperialism when he withholds payment

Files cheating case against his reps in India, forcing them to flee

Always the same story

Yes Sir!!!! We can definitely deliver by 31st December

Then slowly the excuses

Sir,many of my workers fell Ill due to the Pandemic

Sir, Machine broke down

Sir, Workers are asking for some wages. Can you release 10% more payment

Then when the Client gets angry, the belligerence

Sir, we have worked so hard. We haven’t gone home for weeks because of you. Please pay the balance

You are a racist. I will file cheating case against your manager in India and against your office.

The Poor Manager and staff in India get caught and are forced to pay hush money to the cops and end up becoming pawns

Eventually the Client disgusted cuts his losses and closes the office and says “Gutter Country”

My Client had an email from a Belgian importer literally saying

Thanks for your Interest however WE DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH INDIANS

Others have similar lines

We don’t do business with Indians unless the entire payment can be made on COD basis

(COD = Cash on Delivery)

Foreign entities would love to come to India but India is so dirty, so corrupt and so abase without proper ethics or work culture that they don’t want to take a chance.

They would pay higher prices and go to Vietnam or Mexico or of course China if China would still have them. China is now focusing on their own brands and is not ready to entertain foreign brands too much.


In the IT Industry, things were once different but now slowly that Industry is heading the same way

Luckily the Dollar Rupee continuous depreciation helps because a $ 100 raise a day per asset today is ₹60,000/- a week in India

Enough to grovel, sit and stay

Hire 4 Unemployed Assets for ₹30 K a month and quote an extra $ 100 a week and pocket ₹ 120K a month


India is seriously a very bad place for hard work and ethics

Neither for smart work

There are exceptions of course

You have good hard workers with ethics in Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad in IT and Software and other key areas yet the new generation are becoming worse and worse .

My Son Was A Disrespectful Jerk Until I Switched Tactics, Treated Him Like A Man…And He Became One

Poor poor Marko

When I was in High School, I had many friends.

These friends formed “circles”, close groups, sport groups, nerd groups, drinking buddies, and so on and so forth.

One of the extended groups of friends were part of one of my constantly changing “drinking friend group”. And within that group was a fairly nice kid, a guy that we shared a brew and two at various keggers. I will call him “Marko” (not his real name.)

He lived on a farm; an isolated small home off the tail end of a dirt road.

He was ok. Really.

But his mother… Oh Lordy!

There was something really wrong with her. Not all together there, and man was she odd, and she really tended to behave strangely. Really strangely. Over the years, all of us, decided to avoid her, and actually all of us felt really sad for our friend Marko.

Now, with this as the background, I will now relate the last moment when I saw Marko’s mother…

It was 3am on a Wednesday in late Summer; say July or early August. We (myself and my buddy Robbie) were riding in his International Scout (a 1970s era vehicle) on the dirt gravel road though the cornfields in the hills of Western Pennsylvania. We were riding, drinking beer, and smoking… And the headlights on the truck illuminated the gravel in front of us.

As we went up a hill, the road turned to the left and as we turned that curve, we saw Marko’s mother. She was standing there, at the edge of the cornfield, at the side of the road. Wearing a old stained white nightgown, and standing there. Her expression looked like something out of a horror movie. I’ll tell you what.

We didn’t stop.

We kept on driving.

The corn blended into the dark background.

Then Robbie let out a sigh.

“Poor. Poor Marko” he said. And we turned up the 8-track player and listened to The Rolling Stones play “Gimmie Shelter”.

As we continued to drive though the dark night in the cornfields.

Poor, poor Marko.

Poor, poor Marko…

Gimme Shelter (Remastered 2019)

Well-experienced people sayings that you should never do these things

  1. Never compare your sex life with porn videos. Because porn videos are totally fake.
  2. Never be sad for losing someone. No one lasts for long period of time. Even, you are gonna lose your beauty, money and health with age.
  3. Never underestimate failure.Only a failure gives you the proper perspective of success.
  4. Never “Trust” easily on anyone. Because trust is the most expensive thing and so don’t trust blindly. Even, your friends get jealous when they see your progress.
  5. Never share your password of social media accounts, email, Internet Banking, and ATM pin\CVV number with anyone. Never!
  6. Never get involved in sexual activities till you are not serious in your relationship.
  7. Never believe on that girl\boy who have lots of relationship in their past. They can easily manipulated you by crying their bad past.( Exception is everywhere)
  8. Never try to hurt your parents. They have lots of expectations from you.
  9. In any situation, Never think about ending your life. Even plants regrow leaves after one leaf shed.

Ouch!

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9aJl-meI564?feature=share

Polish Salad with Pickled Eggs
(Salatka z Piklowanymi Jajkami)

Salatka z Piklowanymi Jajkami
Salatka z Piklowanymi Jajkami

Ingredients

Pickled Eggs

  • 3 cups beet juice (cooking water from beets)
  • 1 cup red wine vinegar
  • 8 whole black peppercorns
  • 4 whole allspice
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 6 hardboiled eggs, peeled

Salad

  • 1 bunch leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
  • 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
  • 1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Dash of pepper

Instructions

Pickled Eggs

  1. Heat beet juice, vinegar, peppercorns, allspice, cloves and bay leaf to boiling; pour over eggs.
  2. Cover and refrigerate at least 24 hours.

Salad

  1. Toss lettuce and onion. Divide among 6 salad plates.
  2. Cut eggs into slices or fourths. Arrange 1 egg on top of each salad.
  3. Shake remaining ingredients in tightly covered container; drizzle over salads.

What is a weapon that was used in the Vietnam War that most people are not aware of?

The QSPR ‘Tunnel Weapon’. When US forces had to crawl into tunnels to chase the enemy it was a very intense experience. A GI often went down there with just a 1911 .45 and a flashlight, and once his buddies dropped him down there he was pretty much on his own. As you can imagine, firing a .45 in a space the size of a closet does your hearing no favors and also alerts other bad guys down there to your presence. The militay, in conjunction with AAC, came up with the ‘Tunnel Weapon’ a specially modified S&W .44 Magnum for the ‘tunnel rats’ to use.

image 8
image 8

It had a short barrel and a smooth bore like a shotgun. The gun used a special ‘captive piston’ ammunition that was almost perfectly silent. When fired, the propellant pushed a piston in the case forward, launching buckshot made from a special alloy. When the piston reached the end of the case, it was caught and did not leave the case. As a result, all the propellant gas was captured in the case … so no noise signature. The pellets, driven forward by the force of the piston, continued down the bore and out the muzzle. The result was a totally silent and flash-less weapon that could be used in a confined space like a tunnel. They never were distributed in any meaningful amount and only a few went into practical field trials. The guns almost never turn up but some of the special ammo shows up once in a while.

What is the biggest tip that you have ever received as an employee?

There are bucks and there are bucks.

Hot afternoon, sitting at my dinner place doing books and covering the phone. Don’t open for dinner until six…it’s three. Happy to be alone. The front door is unlocked because we are out in the country and it doesn’t need to be.

Girl in her twenties pushing her bike in the door, walks by the “closed…open for dinner at 6” sign, and, before I can say, “Sorry miss, we’re closed,” asks me for a coke. Ok, this is a custom walnut bar, 150 label wine list, crystal glassware, fresh flowers, dress code…you know, and she needs a coke in a paper cup with a straw.

I bite my tongue as she leans her bike against the wall next to the front door. “Uh, I don’t have a to go cup, but, have a seat…how’s your day going?” I poured her a coke on ice and she told me she had guessed wrong on her bike trip, trying to pedal up the mountain had wiped her out. She was a college kid and did not have the money to eat at this place, but I had her look over the menu and grab a brochure. I didn’t charge her the ridiculous price for the coke. And away she went.

Four years later, it had been a really busy shift, customers all over the place. I acknowledged one of our regulars as he left with a party of six and thanked him for his business. He replied, “You know we always love to come here, it’s been what? Four years now? Birthdays, holidays, homecomings, my daughter’s rehearsal dinner…” He gestured to a young woman. “Honey? Come over and say hi to the boss.” You have already guessed who the “young lady” was. She had bicycled home that day four years ago and told her family about our place. I can’t estimate what her family had spent there over those years helping keep us in business.

SIMPING on Chicks

Why do some people act less intelligent than they really are?

To survive alive.

Remember the communication range, huh? The thing is that the larger gap of intelligence between two people, the greater likelihood the reaction of the lesser endowed is outright hostile.

Acting stupid and dumbing down is a survival mechanism. To howl with the wolves (or rather bleating with the sheep). Humans are social animals and we all want to fit in. Therefore acting stupid is a way to a) pretend you fit in and b) not to evoke a hostile reaction among the lesser endowed.

The thing is that it is a) incredibly consuming and b) never foolproof. But I wouldn’t be alive today if I couldn’t act stupid when needed.

What is the most valuable thing you’ve “rescued” that somebody else threw away?

When I was a teenager, my mom took me on a trip to visit the tobacco plantation where her mother had grown up. The land had been in the family since the 1700s. It was really cool seeing antiques that had been in the family for generations. There was even an old muzzle-loader that had been used to fight in the Revolutionary War. It was so heavy that I had to rest my elbow on my hip. I couldn’t even lift it like you would an ordinary (modern) rifle.

While we were there, a cousin told us we could take whatever we wanted from stuff she’d stuck in an old shed that had been used originally for drying tobacco. My mom filled a large paper grocery sack with papers, documents, letters, and antique books.

Later, while driving home, I began going through the contents of the bag while my mom drove. There were letters from the early 1900s and throughout the 1800s, some sad; some hilarious. There were wills and other business documents. Kind of boring to me at the time. Two-thirds of the way down, there was a strange piece of “paper” folded into fourths. It was obviously very old and bulky.

I carefully unfolded it to discover . . . the original land grant from King George III bestowing on my ancestors 600 acres in the colony of North Carolina. It was a piece of parchment with such tiny, perfect calligraphy spelling out the description of the land, etc. It was a legal document. Just as astonishing was that it still had King George’s seal attached! The seal was round and about the size of a coaster you stick under a mug to protect wood. It was maybe an inch thick and very hard. That was the coolest thing I ever helped to “rescue.” 🙂

Don’t be too needy

Why is it considered polite to ask “how are you?” without actually caring about the response? Why don’t people just say “hi” instead?

Often people say hi, or hey, or they give a little wave or salute, or they nod or smile in passing. All these rituals of greeting communicate: I know you, you’re within my greeting circle.

But some people and some friendships require an actual conversation. If it’s a really good friend whom you haven’t seen in years, there’s a lot to catch up on. “It’s been so long, how ya doin’?” You talk about substantive things. “Betty’s been declared cancer-free for the past five years, but that was a bad scare.” “I wish I’d known what you were going through, while all I ever worried about was getting through tax season.” That’s a real conversation.

But there’s a space between, where the person once meant something to you. Or you moved in the same circles and you don’t remember them all that well. That’s when empty conversation tides you over till you get your bearings in the conversation. “Hi, how are you?” “What do you want to pretend is interesting, my sciatica, my year of unemployment, or Tina’s and my separation?” “Wow, that’s rough! So much time has gone by.” “I can see you’re struggling to remember —” “No, not at all —” “I introduced you to my roommate’s sister at that boating weekend on the lake and after that you two were so into each other that I don’t think you came up for air for six months.” “I can’t believe I forgot that connection. It’s like I’m your roommate-in-law.”

So those empty how-are-yous serve a purpose, to string the conversation along until you find your footing — or realize there’s no way to remake the old connection — or there never was a connection. Empty forms evolve because we NEED them, so don’t waste time disparaging those social forms. They can delay or avoid a lot of social awkwardness.

You will starve

Can a war between the U.S and China be kept conventional? Or will a war with China be the end of our existences via nuke?

The war between the United States and China began in 2008. At the time of this writing, it is 2024. So the war has been on-going for 16 years. During this period of time it has been characterized by the following realities…

  • Not reported in the Western “news” media.
  • Characterized by offensive actions by the United States (either direct or by proxy).
  • Characterized by defensive actions by China.
  • Characterized by unconventional warfare at every level.

This idea that “someday” a conventional war will manifest between China and the United States is a false narrative. This narrative was concocted in 2017 under the direction of both Mike Pompeo and John Bolton in the Trump Administration. Anyone who believes this narrative is foolish.

We know today, in 2024, that both the Pentagon and RAND have repeatedly announced though various channels that the United States is unable to win a conventional war against China. This is true whether it uses proxy nations or not.

Leaving only the nuclear weapon option.

China has long prepared for a first-strike nuclear attack by the United States. China fully expects the reality of this situation.

Thus, China has been manufacturing, preparing, and training to absolutely eviscerate the cities of the United States, and the participant proxy nations, that dare attack it.

Were a “HOT” shooting war to erupt between the United States and China… it will eventually turn nuclear.

What we know about this situation is frightening

  • The United States neocons believe that a war is inevitable with China, and that the United States will “win” it, because it is “exceptional”.
  • The United States fields 3rd generation nuclear systems, and rely on advanced pin-point accuracy for “surgical” destructive objectives.
  • The United States does not have any ABM defense against the Chinese and Russian current technology.

Meanwhile, in China…

  • China has active fielded 6th through 8th generation nuclear systems, in great quantities, with modern cutting-edge delivery systems and avionics.
  • China military doctrine is to saturate the target area broadly with multiple cascades of weapons. They believe that if a target in located in a city, that you destroy the entire region surrounding that city over, and over, and over until no life remains.
  • China also has a massive ABM system purposely designed to intercept American and Western missiles and destroy them long before they arrive at their targets.

The Chinese policy is soundly defensive.

The American (neocon) policy is resoundingly offensive.

Were a HOT war to erupt between the two nations… the citizens will not be aware of it. As the “news” media will not report on it. Any war prep in the West will be reported as “aggression by China”.

And in a blink of an eye, the cities of the West will be erased one by one.

That’s sad

Have you, while repairing a computer, ever found anything that made your jaw drop?

True story from my days of working in industrial controls.

A co-worker + I visited a refrigerated warehouse to take a look at a controls PC that had stopped spitting out readings on a printer every so often as it should have. Based on the old principle of “if it doesn’t work. turn it on; if it still doesn’t work, plug it in,” I checked the printer’s connection the PC and, lo and behold, it had fallen off.

I plugged it in and told my co-worker “OK, we’re done.”

“We can’t just do that and leave,” he responded.

So, I decided to clean out the PC just on general principles. I should note that this was in the mid ’90s, and smoking was allowed in this office. Lots of smoking. Without especially good ventilation. Right next to the PC.

So, I took the PC to the loading dock and opened it, figuring I’d “breathe life into it” by simply blowing the dust out of it. But that wasn’t going to do the trick. Nor would the typical can of compressed air. A trowel would’ve done the trick, though.

Needless to say, I did clean out the PC using whatever tools I had handy. When I returned it to the office, I suggested that they either stop smoking around it – as if that was likely, improve ventilation, or at least get some smokeless ashtrays, or else they’d be paying a lot more for new control PCs.

Of course, my employer would gladly have sold said new PCs to this customer, since damage from smoking was not covered by the warranty.

Have you ever seen an employer fire someone without realizing what a crucial role the employee played?

Quite a few times, this played out in front of me and for different reasons.

I was the HR coordinator assigned to a branch of a company and had to be present during all disciplinary or fact-finding meetings between management and employees to make sure that management didn’t do anything stupid and bear witness to anything actionable said by the employee during those meetings.

In one case, I worked with a manager with no real gift for social grace. He was intimidated by conflicts and hated the fact that none of the “damn kids” working for him gave him the respect he felt he deserved from his position. When he held these investigatory meetings with employees over minor infractions like tardiness or excessive call-offs (minor infractions), he would escalate the situation by leading with the attitude of “why shouldn’t I just fire you?” which was all but stated in his long, rambling opening remarks.

One guy who was transferred over from another facility was a GIFT engineered by regional management to make up for the loss of two machine workers who walked off because of poor working conditions. Without them, we would have lost more than a week’s production based on their unique maintenance knowledge and ability. The employee sitting in the hot seat was brought in at a decent wage to compensate for asking him to commute an hour each way to work. Our manager did not take this into account when listing all FOUR late punches collected in the employee’s first month as he worked out the parking and other transportation issues related to his new job.

The problem was that the boss was intimidated by the young man’s ability to do the work of two people and fix problems that even HE couldn’t. I think the boss just wanted to assert power or compensate for this feeling of inadequacy, but the replacement employee was having none of it.

“I volunteered to help you out. I’m doing my best to get in and get to work. I stay a little late each day, too.”
“If you’re doing your best and can’t get to work on time, you’re not doing good enough.”

I saw from the employee’s expression that he knew the kind of poor manager he was dealing with. He stood up extended a hand and said, “Okay, then. Thank you for the opportunity. I’ll be heading back to the other store on Monday. Good luck.”

The boss was so stunned (as was I, but for different reasons) that he accepted the handshake and said nothing while the employee walked out of the room. Knowing what this would mean to the store’s production and morale but wanting to maintain some sense of managerial control, I waited until the door closed behind the guy before I called the boss the most polite kind of short-sighted imbecile that I could.

I intercepted the employee and apologized, asking him to reconsider. As I expected, he said he would take the matter up with the Regional Manager who set up the reassignment. When Monday came, I received the paperwork promoting the once temporary machine operator to Assistant Manager of Production at a decent salary and to schedule a disciplinary conference with the Branch Manager for being an incompetent jackass.

Caught

How can a US carrier group defend against thousands of “carrier killer” missiles at once?

Well, I just read a very typical ‘Merica answer on this. And I’ll have to tell youse guys, I got one Hell of a belly laugh. I mean it. It was deep and long…

The four points made were…

[1] It will not happen. The USN isn’t stupid and would stay out of the range of the Carrier Killer missiles.

I had to laugh at this. China has the ability to sink aircraft carriers ANYWHERE on the globe. If you all think that ONLY the DF-17 can sink a carrier group, then you are reading too many propaganda pieces.

[2] It could not happen. China doesn’t have enough of these Carrier Killer missiles to be a threat.

Again, this gave me such a howling laughter. As if some basement bozo knows how many missiles and non-missile weapons that China has. No one knows how many missiles that China fields, but I can positively tell you that China does things in mass.

[3] It cannot happen. China isn’t stupid to take on the United States. The USA is invincible, and China doesn’t know how to fight a “real” war.

Oh, my belly was laughing so hard on this canard. China has the oldest army in the world. China also has the oldest Navy in the world. The Chinese military was perfected during the Tang dynasty. Then bested Genghis Khan, and then was absorbed into it, resulting in the massive Yang dynasty armies. Aside from the fact that the Chinese beat the living snot out of the USA during the “Korean War”, China has been engaged fighting with the USA on all fronts since at least 2016

[4] Carrier Killer missiles are just hyperbole. They are just normal missiles with some undemonstrated abilities that the USN can easily thwart.

Ha ha ha ha. I mean talk about living under a rock. Jesus, this nonsense is so thick that you need waders to trudge though the muck.

China is a peaceful nation.

But, it is NOT stupid.

The United States has thrown EVERYTHING at China. And I do mean EVERYTHING.

From “color revolutions” inside of China, to “color revolutions” in all the nations surrounding China. From undersea excursions and conflicts, to near-space satellite warfare. From cyber warfare, to bio-warfare attacks. From managed famines to lawfare assaults. From efforts designed to collapse the Chiense banking industry to efforts to collapse the Chinese real estate industry.

It’s been full spectrum and absolute.

But not reported in the “news” of the West.

Instead we hear of submarines ramming undersea mountains, freak geomagnetic storms, the “apparent random” firings of Naval Commanders, and the Secretary of the Navy. We read (in the West) about Chinese “warmongering” a build up for a “Taiwanese invasion”.

All this interspersed about how Putin has brain cancer, and how Russia is running out of ammo. We read about how Xi Peng is going to be disposed and how the poor downtrodden people of China are going to rise up for “democracy” and Freedom”.

Info war is in full swing.

There is ZERO credibility in Western “news” media. Today it is so outrageous and comically fake and ridiculous that it is amazing that these tabloids are still able to have people that watch and read their content.

So… Yeah. It’s full spectrum. EVERYTHING.

Of course…

The clueless in the West would believe the fake narratives of Putin losing, China collapsing, and America remaining strong. They will believe that COVID was fake, or if it was something of concern, then it was “China’s fault” for one reason or the other. That’s the narrative, and that’s want the oligarchy expects Westerners to believe.

The United States is a feudal plutocracy.

While China is military-based meritocracy.

Oh, it’s just like the United States is throwing EVERYTHING at China, China is preparing with EVERYTHING as well.

And, let me tell you all…

They don’t read American / Western “news”.

They know what is REALLY going on.

So China is ready.

If you are a consumer of Western “news” you will be unaware of the following facts, but you do need to brace yourself for the realities.

  • Were the USA, either directly or through proxy, attacks China… China will throw nuclear warheads at American cities and military installations.

Oh, sure. China has a “no first use policy” in regards to nuclear weapons.

But within the FORMAL WORDING of this (particular) policy is one sentence that you all should all pay attention to…

“…if attacked… China reserves the right … to use every means at its disposal … to attack the nation that attacks it.”

For some reason, the Western “news” media glosses over this sentence. Perhaps they cannot read Chinese, or simply just cut and paste their “news articles” directly out of Langley VA. What ever, the FORMAL STATEMENT regarding nuclear weapons use is very carefully worded, and ambiguous enough to give the most aggressive neocons pause to consider.

So, yeah. China is ready.

It was ready in 1950–53 when it defeated the United States in Korea, and is ready today as it dishes EVERYTHING thrown at it, right back to the United States to consume.

At this point in time…

The United States and China are like a married couple living together weeks prior to a divorce. The United States is cheating, bending words, manipulating systems… and thinking “They’ll never find out”.

While China, is playing it smart.

Already has contacted the divorce attorneys, arranged the legal papers and made all the necessary arrangements. Just waiting for the time of CHINA’s choosing to terminate the relationship.

So… that being said…

“How can the USN defend against China’s formidable anti-Naval missile forces”?

There ARE a number of things that the United States government can do.

  1. Not fight China. Give up. Stop the war-mongering.
  2. First strike against China using a barrage of nuclear ICBMs and SLBMs.

That’s it.

Nothing else is realistically possible.

By the way… this is the OFFICIAL view of the United States Pentagon as of late fall 2023.

Of course, it all depends on the temperament of the “leadership” in Washington DC. And since they are clueless morons that are evil psychopathic narcissists, I can’t help but believe that they will be as delusional with China as they are with Russia. And the end result will be disastrous for the Untied States.

And the world as well.

Nothing quite ruins your day as a cascade of nuclear weapons hitting you.

Quick summary

  • China is READY to take on the United States, simultaneously with it’s proxy “allies”.
  • China WILL use nuclear weapons.
  • China is above-peer capable with the best equipment of the West.
  • China is a military-based meritocracy.

Quick Note

  • The disinformation about China permeates all levels.
  • China is a military-based meritocracy, but the West portrays this reality as “conscription”. Which is disingenuous. It gives the Western reader a pre-conceived illusion of poorly trained, unmotivated troops. But the reality is something quite different.

Toilet paper throw

What are some of the most pretentious things you’ve heard people say?

I once worked in a Michelin star restaurant with over 3,000 bottles of wine. One night a couple was dining at my bar and they were ordering multiple courses. With each course they ordered, they would order a different glass of wine to pair with it. Pairing wine with food is an art, not a science. One person’s nirvana can be another person’s acid rain. Wine tends to bring out the snobbish in people, too; all the worst stereotypes about wine nerds are true.

There were two other bartenders working that night and they got their food and first wine pairing with one of the others. I was clearing their plates and setting them up for their next course when the guy indicated the Vouvray they had finished, and then asked me for an opinion on what they should have next with whatever-fucking-dish they had coming.

“I really like this sauvignon blanc,” I said earnestly, and held out the bottle for them to inspect.

The guy looked at me like I just farted on his face. “AFTER A VOUVRAY?” He said, horrified.

He shooed me away and got one of the other bartenders to help pick the next wine. I was now a social leper, apparently. My judgment could not be trusted any further than I could throw that bottle of wine. I was a rube, an unsophisticated novice who had no right to even be working in such an establishment. I might as well have suggested for him to drink his own piss. And he could have, for all I fucking cared.

The line became a running joke at the bar. Anytime I touched the sauvignon blanc bottle someone would gleefully ask, “They weren’t just drinking the Vouvray, I hope?” And we’d laugh our asses off. I have since asked multiple people why that might be a faux pas as a wine suggestion and no one has ever given me a legitimate answer.

The USA is nuts

What are the most terrifying photos of animal teeth and claws?

Cat claws aren’t really meant to kill (although they can and surely do). They are meant to grab and hold.

A kill typically consists of a sequence: grabbing the prey and getting it to the ground, suppressed, and then finishing the job.

And boy do they come equipped:

A lion claw to hand comparison:

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image 48

Now it is a different story for most birds of prey.

A harpy eagle, and many eagles, can actually use their claws to kill their prey.

They pin their prey down and hold them, jerking their claws back and forth.

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image 47

They also use their beaks to tear the animal apart, which, if it is lucky, happens quickly.

This is why you often see a predator eagle seeming to just stand and stomp on its prey. The prey moving around is actually what kills it in many of these instances.

It’s believed that the T-Rex shared this in common with predatory birds.

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image 45

Their arms weren’t functional for hunting, so they would use one leg to lean in and hold the prey down on the ground, while their jaw did the rest of the work.

One of the closest living examples of what dinosaur claws looked like belongs to the Southern Cassowary, which lives in papua new guinea and looks like a deformed ostrich.

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image 44

But when you see their claws, it’s immediately obvious who they are related to:

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image 46

Fortunately, they are omnivores.

Nature is metal AF. Death by another animal never seems to be a fun way to go.

What is a ‘bug that became a feature’ in real life?

Airline executive: hey, if we squeeze the seats closer together, we can fit in one more row of seats, sell more tickets, and make more money!

Health and safety: but you can’t squeeze the exit row seats closer together — people have to be able to get through to the exit. So those seats would have to stay further apart while you squeeze the other ones closer together. It’ll look stupid.

Airline executive: that’s not a bug — that’s a feature! We’ll sell those seats at premium rates for people who want legroom just a little less than what they used to have, rather than a lot less!


Exit row seats used to be unattractive, due to the additional responsibility.

Now, they’re apparently fairly popular, due to the guaranteed minimum legroom. Which the airlines are not providing out of the kindness of their heart, but because an ‘exit row’ has to, you know, allow people to exit, so they’re legally mandated to keep them a certain width.

And some people apparently get annoyed when the stewardess asks them whether they are willing and able to assist in the unlikely event of an evacuation….

McDonalds is unaffordable

Have you ever seen a girl so pretty that you wonder if you’d ever see her again?

In high-school my friend and I were selling Christmas wreaths door to door.

We would take turns with the sale line.

This time it was his turn.

My friend was usually out going and very talkative.

We get to this door he goes up and knocks. This beautiful girl opens the door and kind of lifts her leg around the door cradling it and she bites her lip.

My friend was silent didn’t say a word he just stood there dumb founded.

I laughed, said sorry for my friend here…and then gave the whole sales pitch. She giggled and declined. Thr whole time my friend just stood there looking like a fool with his jaw just hanging open.

After she closed the door ot took him a moment to collect himself.

He commented about how beautiful she was. I said yeah, she was nice.

We go down another street and I realize that this side of the street was just the back side of the houses from the other…

I tell my buddy who was still somewhat dazed he gets this next house… (it was hers but from the other side)

She opened the door again same spill but this time I sold the Christmas wreath.

I don’t remember what happened after the second incident. I just remember it was hilarious.

I have so many different stories. We’ve even run across people answering the door in the buff. Usually not the good looking type though!

No Tuna?

What’s the most insane thing a human has survived?

Let’s talk about this guy.

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image 43

That’s not a green screen in the back.

His name is Wim Hof. They call him The Iceman.

He can withstand extreme cold.

No, not single digit numbers without a shirt on.

Not a wind chill in New York in January.

So extreme that it would kill anybody else.

He has set a world record for the farthest swim under ice, going 188.6 feet under.

He has the fastest half marathon barefoot on snow and ice, running 2 hours and 16 minutes. (most can’t do this in regular climate!)

He has spent 1 hour and 53 minutes in full body contact with ice.

Normally, this should kill anybody between 15 and 45 minutes in.

He has climbed Mt. Everest to 25,000 feet in just shorts and boots.

So the big question remains.

How?

He employs something called “The Wim Hof” method.

He manipulates his mind and his breathing patterns to help his body create an ability to warm itself.

Sounds weird right?

He went under a study with researchers at Wayne State University.

He showed that when he didn’t employ his method of rapid breathing, “his skin temperature would fluctuate between about 33.5 degrees Celsius with the warm water and 31.5 degrees Celsius with the cold.”

However, when he did use his method, “his skin temperature stayed almost perfectly steady at just under 34 degrees Celsius.”

They found in the PET scan later that “the rapid breathing exercise worked by warming the capillaries in the lungs.”

This warming effect of the breathing exercise allows the blood to circulate more freely in the body.

Here he is explaining the exercise to someone else.

Additionally, and weirdly enough, “Hof didn’t demonstrate an increase of activity in the anterior insula, where higher-function thermoregulation is done. Instead, he had an unexpected spike in the periaqueductal gray matter, which is associated with control of sensory pain. Maybe it really is mind over matter after all.”

And he takes this insanity even a step farther.

Hof claimed (and was tested) to be able to control his immune system with his consciousness.

So the most insane thing a human has survived?

Well, Hof makes it seem like you can kind of survive anything.

Life is truly mind over matter.

If a girl rejects you, what is the best way to get her to regret her decision?

Remember Betsy from Taxi Driver?

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image 5

It was played by Cybill Shepherd.

During the filming of the movie Robert De Niro had a huge crush on her.

He even asked her out on a date.

But she turned him down.

After that during the entire shooting De Niro did not speak to her except when he was in character.

Shooting over.

Movie released.

Taxi Driver did really good business at the box office and also received positive response from Critics.

But rejection from his crush did not stop De Niro. He did classic films like The Deer Hunter, One upon a time in America, Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, Casino, Heat , Goodfellas, Cape Fear, The Irishman etc.

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image 4

He won an Oscar for the Best Actor for Raging Bull.

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image 3

And now he is considered as One of the Best Actors of all time.

On the other hand Cybill Shepherd was forgotten with time.

The only character she played worth remembering was Betsy in Taxi Driver.

40 years later when she wrote an autobiography, She wrote that she regretted turning him down a lot. She wrote, it was the biggest mistake she made in her life.

Now what De Niro did after she turned him down is worth reading

Did he threaten her boyfriend? NO

Did he start doing drinking and drugs? NO

Did he try to get revenge from her anyhow? NO

What he did was – He kept working. He concentrated on his career. And now he is THE ROBERT DE NIRO. Who inspired hundreds of other actors from all over the world.

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image 2

So if a girl rejects you, what is the best way to get her to regret her decision?

Respect her decision and focus on your career. Build an empire. Self destruction and revenge mindset (Easy Path) will not do anything. Forget about her. You’ll regret later if you choose the easy path.

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image 1

Ignore Grammatical mistakes.

He’s lying

What is the most badass thing a historical figure has ever said?

One of the most badass thing ever uttered was: “We’ve been fighting in the West throughout the war and we have enough experience to assess our situation. We will not allow ourselves to be taken hostage! You will die like rats when we break out of here!” – Viktor Leonov.

This man is Viktor Leonov:

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image 7

In 1945 after the fall of Berlin, Viktor Leonov, a grizzled old Russian naval commander who had inflicted crazy amount of death and misery on his Axis enemies was sent to fight the Japanese in the east.

Viktor was assigned to a naval parachute division and was dropped with over 145 men into what was supposed to be a lightly-defended airfield somewhere in the midst of china. Fun fact, it wasn’t lightly defended. Over 3000 Japanese soldiers were waiting for them and the second they landed they were rounded up.

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image 6

Viktor and his officers were forced marched into the Japanese HQ where the Japanese garrison commander ordered their surrender. Viktor refused and told the Japanese to surrender.

The Japanese officers laughed and told them this is no place for jokes and that he should just sign the papers for the Soviet official surrender and get it over with. Viktor was not joking. He jumped out of his chair, slammed his fist on the table and yelled in a heavy, very deep and intimidating Russian accent:

“We’ve been fighting in the West throughout the war and we have enough experience to assess our situation. We will not allow ourselves to be taken hostage! You will die like rats when we break out of here!”

Right at the end of the sentence, one of his men pulled out a hidden grenade and threatened to blow up every single man in the room.

The Japanese surrendered.

Viktor and his troops walked back to the soviet base with his over 3,000 Japanese prisoners who only hours ago were telling the captured soviets to surrender.

After that, he went back to fighting and captured four Japanese ports along the Korean and Manchurian coastlines. During his daring operations against the Japanese, he lost a grand total of nine soldiers. Seven of them died parachuting into that airfield I just talked about. Viktor apparently only retired because there was no more room on his chest for any more medals.

Viktor died in 2003, his death was not even mentioned in the newspaper.

Strange NYC

What’s an act of kindness someone did for you that you still think about every now and then?

Back in the late summer of 2000 or 2001, I was looking for a job because a freelance customer had stiffed me on six weeks’ worth of invoices. I wasn’t thrilled about either of those things, but hey, at least I like my field. Anyway, my brother called me up out of the blue and we had a conversation that went something like this:

“Hey, you’ll never guess who I sat with on the plane today: John Prine!”

“Oh, cool. How’d he look? He wasn’t looking all that good last time I saw him.”

“He looked OK. He was coming into town for a show tomorrow night with Mary Chapin Carpenter and someone named Lyle Lovett.”

“OMG! Don’t ask any questions, just GO.”

“Oh, I’m going. But I was wondering if you want to go.”

“Uh… I’m broke and in Winnipeg. And I have to be at a job interview at 3:00 pm the next day. Is that even doable?”

“Oh, yeah, it’s totally doable, I have a zillion points. Let me see…” <keys tapping> “OK, I can get you on a flight that comes in about 4:30. I’ll pick you up, we’ll grab some dinner, take in the show, then I can drop you at the airport in the morning and you’ll be back in town by… about 1:30.”

“Uh… OK!”

Next day I take the bus to the airport, fly to Toronto, Scott picks me up in his minty 89(?) Porsche 911, zoom we’re downtown, bam we’re getting a falafel for supper, then we’re off to the venue. Prine was awesome as ever, Mary Chapin Carpenter was great, but Lyle Lovett and his Large Band absolutely killed it. I’ve seen a lot of damned good shows, and that one was right up there with the very best. Then it’s back to Scott’s place, up early, zoom back to the airport, fly back to Winnipeg, and I’m taking the bus to my interview and asking myself, “Did all that really just happen?”

It was an incredible pick-me-up at a time I could really use one, and by far and away one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. (He’ll probably read this, so I’m just going to say “Thanks again!”)

Oh yeah, and I got the job!

Fish Bowl

What is one thing your kid came home and told you one day that made you want to go to school the next day and go off on the principals and teachers?

After a 4 year stay in Japan, representing my husband’s company, we returned to the States and settled in California. We registered our children in school. After a few days our youngest daughter came home and reported that a man had come to the school and taken her out of class and they had gone for a walk. The man had shown her lots of pictures. I was horrified and asked what kind of pictures. She told me one was of a policeman with a bad guy.

next morning I was at the school and in the Principal’s office demanding to know if it was true and if so, why. I was told that I had made a mistake when filling out the enrollment form and had put down that my daughter was born in Japan. My reply was that as her mother I would certainly know where she was born and that was in a hospital in Tokyo. Then I learned that California law requires that any student that doesn’t understand English must have an interpreter.

I told the Principal that if she had spent two minutes in conversation with my blue eyed daughter, born of a British mother and American father she would have known my daughter was fluent in the English language.

Hungarian Pork and Sauerkraut
Sandwich (Peshene)

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2024 01 04 19 08

Ingredients

  • 4 slices pork butt, as meaty as possible, sliced thin, pounded if necessary
  • 1 large can (27 ounces) sauerkraut, rinsed, squeezed dry
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Hungarian sweet paprika
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) salted butter
  • 8 slices of the best rye bread

Instructions

  1. Prepare the pork butt and add some seasoning to it. Gently brown the pork in the butter until done. Don’t over cook.
  2. Set pork aside and add sauerkraut, onions, garlic and seasonings to the pan. Be generous with the paprika. Fry the kraut until browned.
  3. Make up 4 sandwiches being generous with the sauerkraut mixture.

I sometimes add 1-2 peeled raw potatoes (diced small) to the frying kraut.

Why do most poor people remain poor?

Every time I visit my parents’ house, I would see someone drinking tea and talking to my mother. They’re usually female, ages 20 through 40. From their appearance, I can see that they are not doing well financially. I call them my mother’s “projects.” She has maybe 4–5 “projects” at a time.

They are visiting my mom to get help, discuss a problem, get some advice, and occasionally some of them would bring gifts to say thank you. I don’t know how it started, who these women were or how they met my mom. But their stories are depressingly similar. All of them were women who had kids, frequently didn’t have husbands, or were in abusive relationships. Let me tell you about one of them.

I’ll call her Zaya. Zaya is a young woman, around 27 years old. First time she met my mother, was when she was 20. She’s developmentally a little slow. Reads and writes with difficulty, and it takes her some time to understand difficult concepts. But she is a hard worker. Always does her tasks diligently. From what I know my mom helped her in some small things:

  • One winter she bought her and her child winter clothes.
  • Helped her daughter go to a good public school nearby. To do that my mom registered her to her house.

What is special about her? Nothing really. But she has encountered so many problems in her life that, I think, really shows how difficult it is to be poor:

  • She was adopted and her family, except her mother, treated her like an unpaid maid.
  • She became pregnant when she was 18. The father of the child disappeared, never to be seen.
  • She worked as a cleaner in a small company and received a modest salary. My mom took her to a bank one day and helped her open a savings bank account. After several years, she saved an equivalent of 5–6 months salary.
  • When her relatives learned about it, they pushed her to liquidate her account and contribute to her brother’s wedding.
  • She met one guy, who was a driver and they decided to live together. They built a small house. She used her savings to buy appliances, furniture etc. Just before they officially registered, the guy died in a car accident. His family, moved in and kicked her and her kid out on the streets. I offered to help her write a report to the police and go with her to submit it. She didn’t want to go to all the trouble.
  • She opened a new account and kept the bank book with my mother for safekeeping. Her family learned about it and forced her to pay for renovation at their house.
  • Her mother, the only person who supported her, passed away. She told her on several occasions that if she passes away she wanted her daughter to live separately from their family.

The last time we heard from her, she was moving to a different city, since her oldest brother was moving there and opening a small barber shop. He promised he would pay her salary. After she moved there, she changed her cell number and stopped calling my mom. It has been more than a year since we heard from her.

Whenever I hear people say that the poor are lazy, or bad at managing money, I always think about her. Her life is like a boxing match with a pro boxer. She gets knocked down, she gets up to be knocked down again. The sheer amount of sh*t that she experienced in her life is really astounding. This is why many of the poor remain poor. Because life is unfair…

Neocon Debacle and Declining Empire | Richard D. Wolff

A fatherly surprise

Today I visited Quora, and saw a post written by my half-sister. She is my father’s daughter with his second wife. And it was a tribute to my dad.

I hadn’t talked to her since my dad died, and she lives in Erie, and I have long forgotten about her. I left a comment to her… telling thank-you for her tribute to our mutual father. Nine sentences.

I do not want to open up dialog with her, as I have long since given up on my old family back in the states, but I did get something nice out of it. I got a picture of my father when he was in the Air Force in his 20’s.

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2023 12 31 16 55

I will still stay away. I have ZERO interest in any continuing dialog for any reason. But in regards to this, let me show you all my father… handsome man.

Today…

What’s the most outrageous reason you’ve ever seen a customer refuse to pay for a service?

Years ago my son was working as a tow truck driver. He was sound asleep at 2 AM when he got a call. He jumped up finishing getting dressed as he was running out the door. The call was for a car on the freeway so those are a priority. He drove to the car and found the guy had gotten out on the side of the freeway and locked himself out of his car. It was not hard to figure out he’d probably been drinking a little and stopped to urinate. So my son got there and quickly opened up the car and told the man the fee is $185. That is the standard fee for a call to the freeway. The man flipped out and told my son that was ridiculous and he was NOT paying that kind of money. My son explained that was the standard fee of all the towing companies for a call out to a freeway. My son was polite and professional the entire time but this man said: “That took you two seconds and I’m not paying $185 for that!!”. My son finally just looked at him and said “You’re not? Ok then” and my son walked over to the car, tossed the keys on the seat, locked the door and walked to his tow truck and got in and drove away. I guess that man didn’t understand that while it took my son 2 seconds because he’s good that my son had already worked all day and was sound asleep at 2 AM. My son doesn’t make any $185 for that call but instead was making $15 an hr. He could have not answered the phone at all at that hour but he’s a good person. He gets up and goes out. I sure hope that the next car that came by was not a CHP and that guy ended up with a DUI. If he did then he was wishing he paid $185. He had to pay it anyway when the next truck came from some other company.

What is a slap-in-the-face job offer?

My boss asked me to deliver a lamp to a photographer at Condé Nast publications in New York City. They are the publishers of glossy magazines such as Vogue, W, Glamour, Allure, Self, Teen Vogue, Lucky. Their offices and studios are absolutely stuffed with gorgeous women; some for photo-shoots, but also many models who retired into the fashion- magazine business.

I got into an elevator which was immediately packed with a crowd of stunningly beautiful young women headed to various photo studios. I inhaled the intoxicating perfume and slyly whispered to the elevator operator, “Now THIS is the happiest place on Earth.” He chuckled knowingly.

I delivered the lamp, and caught the down elevator. When we got to the main floor, the elevator emptied, and I asked the operator, half-kidding, “How does one get a job like this?

I was surprised when he responded, “You just apply at the front desk in the lobby. The pay is really great, full benefits, AND since most of the models are lonely and from out-of-town, you can date all the hot supermodels you could possible want. So make sure you pick up an application on your way out…then take the bus to Cleveland.”

“Cleveland?” I asked.

“Well,” he grinned, “That’s where the back of the line is.”

Gulyas (Hungary)

“Gulyas” means cattle- or sheep-herder in Hungarian. This hearty soup has traditional roots in the foods prepared by rustic herders, long ago. Serve the soup in bowls topped with sour cream.

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c248dc8942e1454f92e8e140141d02e7

Ingredients

  • 1 pound lean boneless stewing beef
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 2 teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika
  • Dash of cayenne pepper
  • 3 cups beef stock or broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/2 teaspoon caraway seed
  • 1/2 teaspoon crumbled dry marjoram
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 (16 ounce) can tomatoes, broken up
  • 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 2 red (or green) bell peppers, cut into chunks
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • Csipetka, if desired
  • Sour cream

Instructions

  1. Wipe beef with damp cloth; cut into 1-inch cubes. Place oil in Dutch oven. Add beef; brown well on all sides. Remove from pan with slotted spoon; set aside.
  2. Add onions and garlic to pan; cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add paprika, cayenne, stock, the 2 cups water, caraway, marjoram, salt, pepper and meat. Stir well. Bring to boil over moderate heat. Reduce heat to low; cook, covered, 45 minutes.
  3. Add tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, and peppers. Stir well; return to boil. Cover; cook 30 minutes.
  4. Combine flour and the 2 tablespoons water; stir to form smooth paste. Add slowly to soup, stirring well. Cook over low heat, stirring until thickened. Drop Csipetke (noodle/dumplings) into soup before serving, if desired.

Serves 4 to 6

What is the single most underrated trait a person can have?

I have a friend from my graduate days. A quiet, gentle, unassuming guy, with a permanent smile on his face. I never saw him agitated. Or elated. He took everything as it came – the good and the bad.

Being academically average, the both of us started our MBA prep in the third year. Attended the same classes in our fourth. During the mid of the year, I relocated to Bangalore for a 6 month internship, he stayed back at campus. He always aced his mock tests, but, unfortunately, just a few months prior to D-Day, his father passed away. He didn’t do as well in the actual exam as he could have. Consequently, he couldn’t make it to a good college.

Now being the sole earner in the family, he took up the best offer at hand. A mass recruiter paying around 3–3.25 lpa and resumed prep for the next year’s exam. He didn’t make it this time either. Not one to get disheartened, he tried again the following year. They say “third time’s a charm”, and it was for him.

He got into one of the best MBA colleges in the country, worked hard for another 2 years, and graduated with honors (top 5% of the batch). Landed himself a cushy job with a boutique trading firm making 10x of what he was.

During all of these years, I never heard him rant about his rotten luck. Or bitch about his problems. Or complain about the unfair advantage that the rich and powerful have. He just kept his head down and kept working with what he had (talent) and what was handed to him (luck).

So, “what is the single most underrated trait a person can have”?

Perseverance.

What are common mistakes made by college students?

Freshman year I was living in the dorms. I was living in the cheapest dorms on campus, so it was me and a roommate living with 30 other girls with two communal bathrooms on the 11th floor.

I was on that unlimited meal plan flow, and the freshman 15 had become a reality. I decided it was time to go on a health kick.

I had an (illegal) crockpot in my dorm. One of these bad boys.

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image 574

I bought myself some fish (I think it was tilapia), rice, and broccoli.

I threw it all in that crockpot with some vegetable broth, turned it on, and went to the gym.

I stayed at the gym for 3 hours, then got some food afterwards for a total of four hours.

I returned to my dorm and got on the elevator.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, a stench of fish attacked my nostrils. It permeated every corner of the 11th floor.

I knew immediately I had made a big mistake.

My RA was searching every inch of our floor for the source of the smell. Girls were out in the halls spraying Febreze. People were speculating that some girl on our floor was having major lady problems.

I waited until my RA was no longer in sight of my room. I opened my door. The stench of fish almost made me pass out, it was so strong.

I ran and turned my crockpot off and bagged all the fish up and put it in my refrigerator. No one could know it was me.

I was lucky that my roommate went out of town that weekend so she didn’t have to know about it.

Since I didn’t have a sink in my room, I’d have to wash the Crockpot out in the public bathroom, which was a high risk situation of me getting caught.

I first decided to soak it with dish soap and water which I carried in a water bottle from the sink to my room.

Then, when it had soaked, I took it to the shower so I could wash it behind a curtain to lower the risk of anyone seeing me.

I disposed of all of the evidence before my roommate came back.

Our entire floor smelled like fish for four days. It was bad.

By the time my roommate came back, I had done my best to air out our room and febreze everything.

However, every fabric held a slight smell of fish. All of her and my clothes, our bedspreads, and our carpet had a small stench.

She would notice that her clothes smelled like fish every once in a while and she’d say “How did this happen? Do your clothes smell like fish too?”

I’d be like “Yeah, that is so weird. It’s probably the water here.”

I was successful, no one ever found out that the source of the fish stench was me and my crockpot until years later, when I willingly told some of my friends. (Which they now never let me forget)

But I learned an important lesson that day, one that all college freshman should follow:

NEVER CROCKPOT YOUR FISH AT YOUR DORM.

What school rule had to be put in place because of you?

My first husband passed away in January, 2001. My daughter was 16 at the time, in 10th grade. I permitted her to take a week and a half off to grieve, but getting homework assignments from her teachers.. When she returned to school, her history teacher told her that she had a report due that day. She had not been made aware of the assignment, as the teacher had only given it a week prior. The teacher told her. “ Well, you should have been here when it was assigned. “ She told her that her father’s death was not a good enough excuse for missing class. She came home in tears. I called the school the next day and spoke with the principal. He agreed that the teacher had been out of line. The teacher was made to apologise to her in front of the class, and was written up for being insensitive. I asked the principal if I could schedule a grief instructional seminar for the staff, and he agreed. The seminars still happen every year. I also spearheaded a grief counseling group, headed by a wonderful hospice nurse. It still exists today in that school. Not really policy changes, but changes nevertheless.

The Best Passports for a World War

As a surgeon, what is the strangest thing you have found inside someone while performing a surgery?

I am not a surgeon but a Trauma Nurse. But I did have an interesting case.

One night shift an elderly man, 80’s, comes in complaining of abdominal pain. We started an IV, sent blood to the lab to see if he had an elevated white cell count which would point to appendicitis.

On physical examination he had a scar from a previous appendectomy, a soft abdomen, no reflex on palpitation, but a hard, firm mass about the level of his navel to pubis. So we sent him off for an X-Ray of his abdomen.

On return from X-Ray the tech put the films on the viewer and left without a word. When I looked up there, as big as life was a 1 liter Thermos sitting just past his rectum in his large intestine.

I informed him that he was going to be admitted for removal of a foreign object when the OR opened the next day. He asked if I would call his wife to tell her he was being admitted.

When I informed her that we needed to keep him overnight she stated, “Not that thermose again is it? Well you tell him he can take a taxi home because I ain’t picking him up again.”

Have you ever been ignored by the staff in a store because you didn’t look wealthy enough?

I had always worn el cheapo suits, just something to look professional at work. But my girlfriend thought I should get a once in a life time, show off suit, as I was in the fittest shape of my life. So we went to Holt Renfrew to buy a suit, I was thinking Armani because it sounds impressive, but really I just wanted a suit that made me look good. No one was rude or anything, but no one approached me as I was browsing. I just got the vibe, that I wasn’t welcome.

I went next door to Harry Rosen, and as soon as I started browsing, I was approached, and asked if I would like a cappuccino while we picked out a suit. I was hooked, it might be a gimmick, but it made me feel special. They showed me that a Canali looked better on me, than the Armani, and suited my physique better. They asked if I wanted the name, or the look. Because no one would know that it was an Armani if I didn’t name drop.

I took the Canali. After it was fitted and adjusted, I went back to Holt Renfrew to compare prices, while wearing my new suit, shirt, tie and shoes.

I had someone asking if they could help me in seconds.

Maybe the first time everyone was busy at Holt Renfrew, but after that I bought a lot at Harry Rosens. Nothing as expensive as that suit, but nice clothes.

What will be the effect if Trump imposes a new China tax on most imported goods bar Americans from investing, restrict Chinese ownership of U.S. assets and a complete ban on imports of Chinese-made goods, like electronics, steel and pharmaceuticals?

It will speed up China’s ascendency and swiftly destroy the U.S. economy. Over time the U.S. will implode and break up into 5–6 different nation. It will start a class war in the U.S. and polarise the U.S. as never before.

But heck, ignore my advise and do it anyway! Trump is very smart he will say all what you and for, but do 1% and fool all of you while he enjoys popularity! Biden is not too clever he will do 10% and screwed up the U.S. and spend the rest of his term negotiating with China! He get screwed from left and right.

Chinese will do precisely what the U.S. do but it hurts you ten times harder!

What is a slap-in-the-face job offer?

This happened to my wife. She interviewed for a position, she nailed a software testing interview to a point where some interviewers in the interview panel said after the interview, it would be a crime if this company did not pick her.

She was obviously over joyed and waiting for the offer. The offer did come 2 days later; she stated her current compensation and they agreed they would give at least 5 K more.

2 days later the company came back with close to 20K less than her current compensation saying that the company’s CEO said that the job and the person who interviewed for the job did not deserve such a high compensation and that since the office locality was already closer to her place the company was doing her a huge favor already.

My wife politely declined the offer saying she was happy with her current job( which she was except for the commute) and she said she would join the company if they offer her the same compensation. The recruiter went back to the CEO and after 2 days of serious discussions with CEO, the recruiter came back excitedly and said the company was willing to offer 5 K more than their previous offer( which was still 15K lesser than the previous offer ). My wife was amused by the recruiter’s excitement and said it was lesser than her current compensation and declined the offer.

At this moment the recruiter should have left it like that and moved on. But she suggested that my wife was lying about her total compensation and that the position did not entail such an high pay in the current job market. This came after the recruiter accepted my wife’s initial proposition and after one of the interview panelist stated that my wife had done the interview really well.

Till this moment we were actually in a dilemma because the commute was really frustrating( 2 hours one way commute), after this discussion my wife made her mind to stick with her current job and try for a different job later.

My wife got a better paying job 1 month later within 5 mile radius. One of the panelist in that interview became family friend and said they were still looking for someone to fill that position( after close to two months) and that the CEO suggested that he would actually reach out to my wife again with a better TC.

What were the main reasons for the South’s defeat in the US Civil War? Was it due to a lack of preparation and resources, or were there other factors at play?

The Confederacy was a midget taking on a giant. It trailed the Union in population, manufacturing, economic might, transportation networks and available capital. It was a miracle it held on as long as it did.

Let’s start with population. At the start of the war, the population of the Union states was about 22 million. The entire population of the Confederacy was about 9 million, but 3.5 million of those were slaves. As a result, during the war, the Union raised 2 million troops. The Confederacy raised fewer than 1 million.

Similarly, the GNP of the Union states was about three times that of the Confederate states, and most of the Union GNP was manufactured goods even though the Union had triple the arable land. The Union had five times as many factories as the Confederacy, and most Confederate factories were focused on agricultural processing.

The Union had two and a half times more railway mileage than the South, and it was better connected. Most southern railways just ran to the coast.

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image 575

Not long into the war, the Confederacy had practically no gold, and thanks to Union blockades, had trouble exporting goods to raise more. Both sides printed currency, and although the Union currency wasn’t popular, the Confederate currency pretty much quickly became worthless.

The Confederacy knew it couldn’t defeat the Union. It’s only hope was that the Union would tire of the war and sue for peace. However, the Confederacy, despite a couple of really competent generals, couldn’t form a strategy that would force the Union to the bargaining table. Yes, Union attacks at the heart of the Confederacy were generally unsuccessful, but on the Mississippi the Union pretty much won every battle and managed to stop Confederate trade dead in its tracks.

What was your most embarrassing unclothed experience?

Hi.

I’m Alex from Ecuador,

Well not many besides people I went to school with and my parents know this story but I figure what the hell! It’s a long one just a warning. I was bullied all through out my grade school and middle school years. I was a chubby over weight girl and far bigger then most of my fellow school mates.

It started with the usual name calling and pushes in the hallway, but it eventually got much much worse. My worst experience would have to be in 8th grade, when one of the boys I had a crush on pretty much the most popular boy in the school, was coaxed by a group of girls to “Ask me out”. Me being the dumb kid I was thought he was being genuine.

He asked if I would go to the school year end dance with him. I was excited I made my mom buy me a new outfit and I had my hair professionally done basically went all out. Well (now this is where it gets hard for me to talk about) I got to the dance and hooked up with a few friend waiting for my “date” to arrive I was so happy and excited.

He showed up and asked me if I wanted to dance. We danced not to a slow song or anything but danced together. Then the girls showed up. These girls were some of the meanest bitches on earth I swear. They came to the dance floor and well they were being nice.

Complimenting me on my outfit and hair saying how lucky I was to snag the hottest guy in school. Well my date then asked if I wanted to go sit on the bleachers for awhile and talk. I went sat down and we started talking and it was like everyone melted away. He then asked to be excused and one of the girls came up and asked if I would go with her to the washroom so we could “fix our make-up”. I walked into the washroom and there were at least 8 girls in there.

They grabbed my hair and ripped me down to the ground they literally ripped all my clothing off. I mean everything and dragged me by my hair out of the washroom one of the three girls stood by the back entrance so I couldn’t get out that way and one other girl locked the bathroom door from the inside so I couldn’t run there. Then my “date” came around the corner said I was a disgusting whale and he would never date someone like me he then grabbed my hair and two other girls grabbed my arms and they dragged me out into the gym dropped me and took off as teachers came running. Two other girls snapped pictures before taking off as well.

so there I was on the gym floor in front of 150 students..teachers and parents…naked..beaten up and crying. If that wasn’t enough one of the girls who snapped a picture of me. Had it developed and used a photo copier and posted the pictures all over the school on the last day. None of the kids involved were ever punished as the princible said ” It’s the end of the year none of these kids will be coming back here anyways”, What they did to me was wrong but I grew from it and I swore come high school I was not going to be some victim.

I joined the football team the first day as the first female linebacker ever and I kicked ass for 3 seasons. I was pretty popular I had tones of friends and even though I was popular I NEVER EVER put anyone else down.

Oh and over the summer I ran into my “date” I went up to him called him a fucking loser and kicked him as hard as I could in the balls.

He moved away…Two of the head girls who did me the most damage I went to high school with….as popular as they were in middle school they were shit in high school one is now a meth head..The other is on welfare with 4 kids!

I LOVE karma 🙂

What is the most satisfying way you saw a smirk get wiped off someone’s face?

My wife has been chesty. Before the kids too.

Our daughter has taken after her mother in that regard.


My daughter was on her way to her office after a lunch with me, waiting for the elevator and a man (30–40s) came along. Made a bit of small talk, and then out of nowhere, he said and I quote what my daughter said “You don’t really have to work. Just show off those knockers to a rich daddy who’ll take care of you and those things”.


When he cleared three interviews (technical, informal, different teams + hiring manager), he was face to face with my daughter, who was the HR boss. She just played the video she got from security from the elevator.

He had to be escorted off, coz he wouldn’t stop accusing her of torpedoing him and turn to begging and than back to accusing.


Needless to say, his career in consulting for retail isn’t going anywhere and my daughter made sure every big employer in the narrow field knows about that man.

I was a proud daddy that week, and you couldn’t do anything to take off the smile off my face.

Oppressed?

Yes.

But the world will sanction China…

Eh you’re already sanctioning us.

But the world will hate China.

The world already hates China.

But the western world will seek the extermination of Chinese.

The western world already wants to exterminate us. Note how the Chinese exclusion acts are being made law in the US right now. Not just Chinese citizens. US born Chinese. Most westerners welcome such laws.

But the Chinese economy will COLLAPSE

But isn’t the Chinese economy ALREADY collapsing?

If anything a massive super heavy casualty war is desirable. Taipei turned into Gaza is desirable… what’s that? Ah yes you’re already sanctioning and accusing us of genocide. So what you gonna do? Sanction us again?

In short anything you can do to us, you’ve already done.

What’s a rule your employer implemented that backfired terribly?

What’s a rule your employer implemented that backfired terribly?

I was eight seconds late getting back from my break. I got wrote up for being late. EIGHT SECONDS.

I usually worked through my breaks and part of my lunch because I just liked doing what I was doing without interruption. (My bosses knew this, too.) But for some reason, on that day, I did take my allotted break, and was late.

After being disciplined for my tardiness, I took every single break, every single time. Right down to the last second. I didn’t work nearly as “hard” as I did previously, either. (I like the t’s crossed, and the i’s dotted. That evaporated. My work was still accurate, but I didn’t go the extra mile.) My employer lost a lot for that eight seconds. However, the most valuable thing that was lost was the respect I used to have for my job and boss.

Thankfully, I’m retired now.

Visiting the USA After 5 Years Living Abroad

For anyone who was bullied in school, what was the worst act of bullying you had to endure?

I was a big and athletic kid but I also moved a lot when I was in elementary school. Each time we moved I had to prove myself all over again.

Being the “new kid” meant that I was bullied by all sorts of kids from all sorts of groups, at least until I fought back.

And I learned to fight back pretty quickly. You don’t really have to win all your fights, you just have to prove that you’re willing to fight. That’s the key. And that you won’t back down.

I particularly had a tough time moving from St. Pete, Florida, to a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri, in 1980 between 6th and 7th grade.

St. Pete was awesome. We lived on the water in a great community. We had power boats and sail boats and I had lived there for a couple of years so I had a bunch of friends (Little League and Pop Warner).

No offense intended but the suburbs west of St. Louis sucked in comparison.

Anyhow, as a 7th grader I went to South Senior High School which had grades 7 through 12. My first week there I got into a scrap with some kid and did pretty good. The problem was that he had an older brother, a freshman, who later cornered me when I wasn’t expecting it and gave me a bit of a whooping.

I was so disappointed in myself that I decided to fight the older brother again. So the next day I ran up and basically tackled him in front of all of his friends and fought him until teachers broke it up. I didn’t win but I sure as hell didn’t lose.

But that was enough. Nobody messed with me the rest of that year. Attacking a high school kid got me a lot of street cred with the kids in 7th grade. I was suspended for a couple of days but my Dad was old school so he was proud of me for sticking up for myself.

But then we moved from St. Louis to the East Bay of San Francisco between 7th and 8th grade and I had to do the same thing all over again.

Times were different back then.

Keeko

What happened at a poker table in a casino that made you say, “You gotta be kidding me?”

I had a business trip to Las Vegas some years ago. I was traveling with a friend, who frequented LV to gamble several times a year. He suggested we play craps and gave me a book on how it is played.

When we got to the tables, he carefully selected a table, based on the laughing and sport the players were having. His comment: play with people who are having fun. I was next to a guy who had at least $5K in chips. I had my measly $200. As play progressed, my slot had increased to about $400 and I felt great. The guy beside me had at least $25K in his. Then, we all crapped out. I was down to about $300 total, with $100 more than I started with. My friend insisted we leave the table and go for a walk and get a cup of coffee.

We took a walk, had a coffee, etc. My friend told me we’d stop by that table in about an hour and find the same $25K guy playing. We did come back and he had less than $2K in his slot. He had lost over $20K while we walked. My friend told me that many people gamble and do not stop until they lose everything they brought. This was an interesting lesson for me. Gambling can be fun, but one must limit the loss.

Watch this man

Why do humans need to wipe after they poop, when animals can just squat and plop? Why do humans need to shower or they’ll get rashes and smell awful, but animals don’t?

Every living creature has an anus: Ants, horses, eagles . . . And us. While most creatures’ anuses do their jobs with little fuss, not so with human beings. The design of our anus is Providence’s little joke to keep us humble.

Consider, for example, the horse. We live across from a horse breeding establishment so I’ve had ample opportunity to observe these estimable animals in action. While they shit copiously they never get any on their hair (when was the last time you saw a horse’s behind fouled by its own waste?). The reason for this lies in the design of the horse anus. It is an extensible device that, when a BM is about to pass, protrudes a few critical inches, allowing the manure to drop straight to the ground without mussing a single hair. To further forfend fouling, there is no hair in the immediate vicinity of the horse’s anus, nor on the extensible process itself. What a remarkable design.

Not so with us. Our small orifice is buried deep in a meaty cleft, the margins of which have to be spread to their limit if there is to be any chance the thicket of long, nasty hair in the cleft will not be fouled by the passing of stool — a vain exercise in 99 cases out of 100. Moreover, while the horse can defaecate while standing, just let a human being try that! No we must squat. But not only squat, we must go through all sorts of contortions to minimize the amount of feces that will cling to the surrounding parts — which, as we all know, is another futile exercise.

To accommodate our flawed design, we are taught from birth to use wads of paper, magazine pages, dried corncobs and even stones, to wipe our filthy behinds. And this we must do! If we did not wipe, we would reek of dung from the cake of dingleberries between our cheeks and our pants, skirts, caftans and burkas, would be fouled with nicotine stains and clouds of flies would follow us down the street like goslings.

We are the most wretched of all creatures.

By design

What is a slap-in-the-face job offer?

I worked in a high tech company and moved up the ladder from bottom level CSR to a business manager overseeing a 60 million dollar product line by the age of 30. I was the best in the world at what I did but I had two huge strikes against me. One was my absolutely shitty attitude. I have written about attitude before. You must always have a great attitude, even if you have to fake it. No single thing is more important to your success in life than your attitude. But mine sucked. The second thing that worked against me was that in many companies, no matter where you are or how good you are, many people will see the guy who started at the bottom. In the eyes of Management, I was the customer support lackey who fixed broken things for them, not the guy making them 60 million dollars a year. There was a distinct lack of respect and that contributed to my bad attitude.

A new manager was hired for the department. He was an angry, mean jerk whose approach to everything was “shoot first ask questions maybe – they don’t deserve your consideration anyway.” I could no longer take the contempt and I quit.

A few months after I left the company began to realize its loss. I am not bragging about myself here. I did good work and I was the best at what I did. I designed the products. I knew absolutely everything about them. I was the sales troubleshooter who went on hundreds of sales calls per year. I knew every weak link in the competition. I knew how to present the product in the best light. I could give stellar presentations to huge audiences. I was making them a lot of money.

So they approached me at my new job and said they wanted me to come back. Everyone wanted me to come back except for that new asshole who had been, and would be my manager. He had been tasked with bringing me back but he didn’t want me back. I outshone him at every level. I could do his job in my sleep. But he was the guy they tasked with bringing me back. So he asked me to dinner.

When you’re going to bring someone back and you ask them to dinner you don’t take them to McDonald’s to make your pitch. We were suit and tie guys and wearing a suit and tie at McDonald’s was a surreal experience. I let it go. I wanted to hear the offer.

And so Greg made the offer. They offered me the exact same money I was making at my new company and that was it. No bonus. No extra stock. No retained seniority or vacation time. He was going through the motions because he was told to go through the motions. But his entire attitude was resentment and anger. For a few minutes I thought I was misunderstanding him; the offer was so lame as to be not even worth the time at McDonald’s. I had to ask for clarification.

He looked at me with contempt and said, “That company you’re at now is going down. We can offer you any terms we want and you’ll take it because you don’t want to be part of a sinking ship.” I might add that my old company that was trying to get me back was also doing a fair imitation of the Titanic at the time, too. I was absolutely stunned when he said it. I couldn’t believe it. So I laughed a little bit, got up and left.

That was a slap in the face offer.

I told a few old friends at my old company what had happened and it got back to the President. He called me personally on the phone and invited me to dinner. It was at a four star restaurant. When I got there he asked me what happened. I told him. He apologized. He said if I came back they would make it worth my while. I asked him if that guy would be my boss. He said yes, there was not much he could do about that. So I thanked him and said no. We ate and talked and then I left.

Two years later my old company was being sold to Compaq Computer on the back of a product I had designed years earlier. Even though I had been gone for two years, I was credited in a speech by the President for the work that made them successful in the sale. By then I was the senior manager in the department of my new company making much, much more money than I ever dreamed possible. I attribute my success in the new company to my new and improved attitude because attitude is everything.

Children of Lawyers

How or why did the US Army allow soldiers to drink and do so many drugs during the Vietnam war?

I was in the infantry in 1969, we were at a small, one-company firebase in the Mekong Delta. The Army did not “allow” drug use among its soldiers but it happened anyway. A guy who bunked across from me openly shot heroin. This obviously wasn’t sanctioned by the military. One night when we had set up a standard L-shaped ambush, this fellow decided he wanted to go home and walked right out into the middle of the ambush. Fortunately, nobody clicked a Claymore handle and he was retrieved safely. But the safety of an entire platoon had been compromised.

The very next night two VC walked right through the middle of our ambush site and nobody opened fire or set off a Claymore. We weren’t certain it wasn’t our drug-addicted soldier trying to head home again.

As for alcohol, all we had was beer when the little beer window was open. Pabst, aka rat piss, was 25¢ and the much-preferred Black Label was 35¢, and we sometimes had Bud. There was no hard liquor because there was no PX from which to purchase it. I never saw marijuana use but I’m sure it was widespread in other companies. Heroin was the problem.

So I suspect the next question would be: Why wasn’t this reported to the higher ups? Well, soldiers learned to be remarkably tolerant of their fellow GI’s. There was no upside to creating problems in the platoon, too many opportunities to become a victim of “friendly fire” on a dark night in the boonies. One soldier, on rare stand down days, played “Black Pearl, Precious Little Girl” endlessly on a 45 rpm player and nobody complained.

In summary, the Army allowed drinking because soldiers have consumed alcohol since, well, forever. Drug use was not allowed but it happened anyway, and this was well before the advent of drug testing. Everyone was trying to figure out his own way to get back home safely and the solutions were never that simple.

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image 573

Party time on a stand-down day.

What was the best revenge you’ve ever gotten?

I worked for my best friend and he got into a bad motorcycle accident he was in coma and had to learn to walk and talk again so I took over doing everything for the company I worked 16 hr days 7 days a week for a year never asked for anything just wanted my friend to have everything he has before the accident. so after a little more than year he was back at work so I asked for a day off he said no he wife didn’t stick up for me or anyone in his family and they all knew what I did for him so I told him I quit he said fine so I went to our 3 big company’s we did work for and asked them if they wanted to learn what we did for them and I told them what my boss did that night we went out bought 3 trucks and I trained them how to do what we did my boss lost over a 1,000,000 because of losing those company’s work and then list his wife and everything he owned because what I did by taking those company’s away

This is painful

How did your high school crush end up in life?

Definitely going anonymous for this.

My high school crush was a beautiful girl named Adrian, a year behind me, and it seems I was the only person in the school who had ever seen Rocky and got the ‘Adriaaaaaaaaaaaaaan’ joke she kept making.

She was maybe 5 foot 4, adorable, and had a propensity for sitting in my lap in the lunchroom and stealing my food (I made my own lunch through most of high school).

She also ended up dating a guy who was, to be fair, scum. He had that ‘bad boy’ charm that young women seem to enjoy, I suppose, but he was borderline retarded and generally violent.

One day in 2014, I was sitting around bored and decided to reconnect with people from high school. Would not recommend.

I found her Facebook page, and noticed that literally nothing had been done to it in years.

Then I found her obituary, and his about a month later.

I talked to someone from her circle of close friends in high school, and it sounded like when she graduated, they moved in together. She was bound for great things, musically and mathematically talented, and he was bound to wind up in the gutter.

Sadly, it sounds like he dragged her down, talked her into ‘experimenting’ with drugs, and both died of heroin overdoses.

Why can’t China invent anything new and only steals from the West?

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image 572

A Student at Tsinghua asked Ren Zhengfei of Huawei this question

Everyone says China steals from the west. What should we do when someone says that

Zhengfei replied

Keep Innovating. Only the day you become more innovative than them and beat the West on their own terms, would you be in a position to convince yourself that you did not copy from anyone.

That’s your answer

Stealing can only take you so far

So wait and see how China does and then we decide whether China steals or innovates

Unless of course you are the fox who finds the grapes sour

The USA is bat shit crazy

Why don’t Westerners call out for the active dehumanisation of others? Is it because they quietly support it?

Absolutely!

Debate many westerners for a short period of time, what happens? Many of them will turn to racism and dehumanisation when they start losing the debate.

Yesterday for instance somebody posted a comment on the atrocities of Britain against India. He called the atrocities fiction.

I provided counter evidence and he started to dehumanise me and said it was all CCP propaganda.

Except I had been using WESTERN SOURCES.

He couldn’t respond to that so continued to make racist comments at me. They of course don’t see this as racist, much like war crimes against brown people are considered OK because they’re not really people!

You see television and culture of western countries makes them usually white people think they are the master race, that’s why there’s so many self hating Asians in the western world. They’re taught conditioned and trained that whiteness is GODLINESS and many of the people there run with it, as such they feel they can do no wrong, they are the BEST and only humans possible!

What was the most unexpected knock you got on your door?

I’m in my second week of at home suspension for striking a teacher. He locked me in a classroom and attempted to assault me when I wouldn’t consent to his advances on 14 year old me. The knock on the door was a deputy that served legal papers in our little town. The papers he served me was a summons to court for legal action pertaining to expenses incurred from point there after. I’m being sued by this teacher. My dad exploded, that jerk has bigger problems than money, just wait I don’t care if he’s in a courtroom. OMG I was saying daddy calm down a lot, I only call my dad “daddy” when I need him to calm down and focus on me so he doesn’t get into trouble or worse. The day of court arrived and there stands Mr Smug in his neck brace, bandaged nose, and black eye. I am holding my dad by both hands, telling him to look at me, please I don’t want you in jail dad. It doesn’t help that I’m shaking and I’m sure dad can feel it. Then the judge starts reading the case notes, Mr Smug is suing one Miss Key for medical expenses incurred during an altercation that resulted in a fractured nose, two chipped teeth, severe painful swelling in the groin, blurry vision, slight concussion, and upper neck pain. So young lady how do you plead? I asked the judge if I could present my papers (please don’t laugh we couldn’t afford a lawyer). He accepts my papers which are the affidavits from the custodian, vice principal and teacher (the witnesses that pulled me off of Mr Smug), the arresting deputy, and the school nurse that treated me before my dad arrived. His whole demeanor changed. WTH?! You mean to tell me that you are suing this girl because she kicked your but during an assault? His lawyer started trying to make an argument about me being malicious, and over bearing about defending myself. The judge told him to shut up, in what world does a 30 year old man believe he has a case against a 14 year old child that he is attempting to assault? Lawyer sets in with that is just allegations and hear-say, there’s no proof. I didn’t ask you lawyer I asked your client because as it stands this is the stupidest case I’ve ever heard of. In fact it’s so stupid that I’m dismissing it without prejudice, on grounds of incomprehension and competence. And might I extend my gratitude to you Mr Key for raising an able and resourceful young lady.

Hunter’s Stew (Bigos — Poland)

bigos
bigos

Ingredients

  • 6 pounds canned sauerkraut
  • 1/4 pound bacon or salt pork, diced
  • 3 large onions, chopped
  • 3 tart apples, peeled and chopped
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 1 cup sherry or dry red wine
  • Salt, pepper, sugar, to taste
  • 3 pounds smoked sausage, sliced
  • 1 bay leaf

Instructions

  1. Rinse sauerkraut in cold water and squeeze out juice well, reserving some of the juice. Put sauerkraut in large kettle over low heat.
  2. Meanwhile, render the bacon or salt pork. Add bacon bits to sauerkraut.
  3. Sauté onions in bacon fat until golden; add chopped apples and cook until slightly browned. Add all to the kettle. Add sausage. Add enough beef broth, bay leaf, salt, pepper, a little sugar and some of the sauerkraut juice for tartness. Simmer slowly for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
  4. Add wine and let stew bubble up. Cover and let stand until ready to use.

What is a slap-in-the-face job offer?

I went on an interview for a job I was grossly overqualified for, but I was unemployed (to finish my degree, which required internships), then the sequester hit when I graduated, and I needed ANY job so I could find one that was a better fit.

The boss told me the job paid $28 to $30. I was shocked, because that was extremely low, but they hired desperate people and they could smell it.

I then went through the interview process with the team lead and the office manager. Everything went well, and I headed home. It was a long drive, but that’s where business opportunity was.

While driving, I took a call from the office manager. She has been authorized to offer me the job at $10/hour. I did not laugh. I said “that is significantly lower than (boss) indicated the position paid.” Manager says, ‘you didn’t think $28 to $30 meant per hour, I’m sure? (Of course not, but the position SHOULD have paid much closer to that). $10/hour is the same as $28 to $30 thousand.’

I’m driving down the highway at 75 miles per hour, and very calmly said, no, I knew that was the annual salary. But $10/hour is $400 per week, at 52 weeks per year is $20,800 per year. and I did NOT say “if i can do the math in my head while driving, i’m pretty sure you can do it at your desk with a calculator at your disposal!”

Manager says “I can go check with (boss) to confirm – do you want to hold?”

I said “no, you were going to send me an offer letter? Why don’t you tell me about the benefits you mentioned, and when you send the letter you can make sure the figure is correct.”

An offer letter was not one this company typically provided because they liked to bait and switch – pay $8/hour when they’d offered $12, because you had no proof. I learned this later, and was SO glad I’d gotten a letter. When it came in, it was for the $28k figure.

My three-month review never happened, and at five months I had a nice offer from a much better company and I’m still there 5 years later. Making what I’m worth.

Sometimes you have to accept a slap in the face, but don’t let them step on your neck while they’re doing it.

Def-Con 4 (1985)

I remember this one. A cheesy B-grade movie, but I well remember enjoying it. You all have fun.

It is strange that the contemporaneous things going on today Geo-politically is much worse than what is described in this movie. Ugh!

Full Movie! Please watch the first 25 minutes. It’s all gold.

https://youtu.be/YTRoBQLQbZo

A large Pickle Barrel

I grew up (in my elementary school and high school years) in a small town in Western Pennsylvania. And in this small town, was a fair and relatively calm life that in many ways resembles Mayberry RFD… A “small town America”.

We had a “cigar store Indian” at the local Hardware Store.

We had kids riding bicycles and had newspaper routes.

We had PTA clubs, Boy Scouts, and Girl Scouts. And Friday football games.

And we also had a small family store with a large “Pickle Barrel”. This was a wooden barrel that was perhaps one yard high, and filled with pickles and vinegar. And if you wanted a pickle, you would just reach in, and give a nickel to the old man at the cash register.

I believe that these things disappeared during the 1980’s. But the death knell occurred under the “food safety standards” of the Clinton administration.

Anyways… I well remember the days when my father would place 25 cents (a quarter) on the counter, and would buy all of us some nice delicious pickles. These weren’t small either. They were HUGE!

And I do miss those days where I would hold a pickle in my hands and munch away happily. Sigh… a long forgotten time.

Today…

Have you ever been to a wedding where the bride said “no”?

Yes. The bride felt “pressured” into the marriage. Traditionally, the bride or her parents hire me. It’s quite rare for the groom or his parents to hire me, but it happens infrequently.

Leading up to the wedding (it was a destination wedding), there were several hints that the bride wasn’t interested in choosing a dress, the flowers or any of the aspects in the planning process. I found this odd and one day about a week prior to the wedding, asked why? The bride felt inadequate. Everything was decided for her. She felt uncomfortable speaking her mind or making a decision. Her fear that the marriage would be a “follow the leader” lifestyle was the reason for this.

After saying “I don’t,” I took her from the altar to the dressing room to give her a moment while stunned guests and family members sat open mouthed.

We needed time to decide if this was “what she really wanted” without the audience. I should add that I’m also a Premarital Counselor with Two Together In Texas, so I’m familiar with awkward situations.

The bride told me, “If the rest of my life will be spent saying yes, I prefer to say no now. My family loves him. He’s successful and a good catch. However, his parents make most of his decisions. He works for his father and I may never measure up to his mother.”

I decided to bring the groom and both sets of parents into the dressing room. This bride needed to voice her concerns and find a resolution or peace. She had waited two years to speak up and it was two years too long.

The end result was they worked it out. They found a middle ground to move forward, and the marriage went on. I flew to California to baptize their baby and the family is doing well. They are happy and well adjusted.

The mother in law now allows the bride to do things her way and the mother no longer pushes her daughter to do what she thinks is best. The mother viewed this wedding as the one “she never had.” The mother in law wanted everything perfect. The bride wanted happiness and the groom simply wanted to please his mother, her mother and finally, the bride. The bride or groom should come first. They are the life partner. They are the person who will stand beside you through thick and thin, and they deserve a voice in decisions and especially the planning process.

The bride wanted a mariachi band at the reception. Both sets of parents were against this idea and found it to be “tacky.” I found a short notice mariachi band and the bride was absolutely thrilled.

Quite frankly, if a marriage isn’t going to work out, I prefer for someone to say “I don’t” and discuss with them their reasons to before announcing a cancellation of the wedding to the guests or finding out if a resolution can be found.

My reasons for addressing an issue on wedding day are that divorces are emotionally devastating. What began with joy ends with sorrow.

Couples should discuss things that bother them long before committing to planning a wedding, although it’s easy to get “caught up in the planning.”

Couples should feel comfortable communicating their feelings and open to discussing issues that are disturbing before planning a life together. I believe in Premarital Counseling because it offers couples an opportunity to discuss their future together.

Weddings aren’t all about the parents. They are all about the couple, regardless of who is writing the check.

This Is What Women Will NEVER Understand About Men’s Dating STRUGGLES!

What is the brutal truth about life after marriage?

As I write this, Christmas is just one week away.

If you’re not familiar with Christmas, among other things, it’s usually the biggest gift-giving day of the year, at least for us Americans. Also the celebration of the birth of our Savior and all that jazz…

Anyway, this is how gift-giving works between my wife and me—a veteran married couple. This is also how it works between most veteran married couples I know:

We just tell each other what, exactly, complete with pictures and Amazon links if necessary, we want our spouse to get us for Christmas.

Sometimes, we even buy it on their credit cards, since we share finances anyway.

Sometimes, we even buy it ourselves, wrap it, put it under the tree, and tell our spouse that we “took care of it.”

There have been times when my wife opened her Christmas present from me, and I was just as surprised as my children were when we saw it. I got you a new pair of running shoes. Nice.

In the past, I attempted to deviate from my wife’s official Christmas list. You know, to surprise her. I was trying to be romantic.

It rarely went over well, particularly if I attempted to get her clothes or perfume.

Just stick to the list, married guys. Perhaps it’s not as romantic, but it’s still the best option. If you want to deviate from the list, make sure you get everything on the list, too.

This year, my wife requested something that I had to purchase in a showroom and have delivered at a later date to the house. I facetimed with my wife while I was in the store, to make sure I was getting the exact one that she wanted. It’s being delivered on a day when she works from home. She’ll have to be there to receive it. And they say romance is dead…

Licking blocks of ice during the heat wave, NYC, (1912)

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6 7

What is the most dangerous thing you’ve ever done?

Uhm lets see… another ambulance story.

I was called to the 6th floor of a 6 floor tenement building for a “seriously unwell child”. A woman was waiting downstairs, and she said “I’m going out, but I think my son is dead. He’s had a cold for a week.” And she left.

I had the jump kit (a first aid kit) and my partner had the oxygen and suction- I went up the 12 set of stairs two at a time (oh, to be young and foolish again…) so I got there before he did. A man was there with 4 kids who all looked very scrubby but also very alive. He said “He’s on the sofa”. And then, they went back to eating.

The little boy was 4 or 5. He was so hot to the touch, and although he had a pulse, he wasn’t breathing. He was wearing red flannel cookie monster pajamas… I will never forget them.

I grabbed him in my arms, started mouth to mouth, and headed back down the stairs. The father actually said “Hey! Shut the door!”

I was busy. I met my partner halfway down. He took one look at the kid and said “Oh Fuck, we gotta get him out of here…”

I jumped in the back, but we were only 5 minutes from the hospital so I just kept him in my arms and did rescue breathing. I didn’t want to delay … my partner was there in less than 3 minutes. His heart was still pumping.

I brought the lad in, the staff took over. We were getting the truck ready when the doctor came out and said “which of you tech’d him?” I told him I did. (Tech-ing means you’re the one with the patient)

He said “You’re going to need a lice treatment.” I sighed.

He said “We can do it inside”. Now that was weird… but when I got inside, he said “I needed to talk to you privately… he died of bacterial meningitis. Did you do mouth to mouth?” Of course I had, he was a little kid. Bacterial Meningitis is spread through saliva and nasal secretions. I was (potentially) screwed.

So, they did blood work and I had to take evil antibiotics that turned everything yellow (INH and Rifampin) for a year. I was there for at the hospital for hours before I got sent home with a month off work to make sure I didn’t have bacterial meningitis too.

Now, I’ve driven way too fast, driven on roads that weren’t safe to walk on never mind drive, worked on cars while traffic buzzed past, turned over an ambulance (wasn’t my fault, honest), gone into burning buildings, gotten blood and lots of other “body stuff” on unprotected skin, walked into domestic violence situations, gone into freezing water to get some one else out, extricated people from a car on the edge of a ravine, been to a plane crash, extricated people from a burning car, talked people down who were holding guns to their own head- but all those times, I could see the risk in front of me. Had I taken the time to look at the kid’s rash, I might have seen the risk but his condition and the complete apathy of his parents drove me to not see the risk- and not assessing for the risk in what you’re doing is the single most dangerous thing anyone can do.

They were 5 minutes from the hospital, and no one cared enough to bring the kid there. Did I tell social services about the apathy of the parents? You can be sure I pursued the matter like a slightly yellow hell hound.

His name was Joshua.

Failed attempt at Serbia color revolution

If your employees are ordering their work shirts that you are paying for, and your overweight employee insists she needs a tapered size medium, which you know it won’t even button on her, what do you say?

Well I was the uniform manager for a marching band and what we did worked fairly well. We kept an assortment of sizes on hand and when we got a new member, we had them try on those in stock uniforms until we found their best fit. Then we would place the order to replace the one they were issued from stock. There is a lot of variation in cuts of shirts, and one company’s medium might be another company’s large. If someone comes in who looks like a large and says “oh I’m a medium,” say “Here is one try it on; be aware these tend to run small so you may need to move up a size from what you usually wear.” The employee gets to save face, and you don’t have to be rude and say “Oh I can tell by looking at you a medium will never fit.” If I were ordering a large number of shirts, I would first order a selection of sizes for people to try on. Then launder those sample shirts and put them away to issue later to new employees as they come in. If these are something more fitted than a T-shirt or polo shirt and this were going to be a large order, it might be good to have a representative from the uniform or shirt shop to measure people and order one that best fit them.

An Ojibwe Native American spearfishing, Minnesota, (1908)

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10 7

If we give a house to every homeless person, will that solve homelessness?

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image 567

A few years ago our city decided to try to alleviate the homeless problem.

They bought a large two story motel that had become a bit rundown located along a major freeway.

They spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars fixing it up and remodeling every room into small studio apartments.

Then they let homeless people to live in the apartments.

We would drive by the apartments periodically and every time it looked more rundown.

This went on for a couple of years until one day it was burned to the ground. A news story said one of the homeless people decided to build a fire in one of the apartments. I guess he just like the look of a campfire.

Eventually, the building was demolished and the city sold the land at a significant loss.

Giving a house to every homeless person is not financially feasible. No government entity can afford that.

And, even if it was, it would not solve the homeless problem.

The only way to fix the homeless problem is to help a homeless person, who wants help, become stable and productive so they can eventually afford their own home.

Homelessness isn’t solved in mass. It’s solved one homeless person at a time.

This Is How Dating Apps RUINED Dating For Women!

In your opinion, who is the most tragic figure in history?

Generalissimus Jiang Jieshi (蔣介石), also known with the Wade-Giles Romanization Chiang Kai-Shek.

image 53
image 53

Born 31 October 1887, he was a professional soldier and one of the most genuinely talented soldiers China has ever produced. His tragedy was to live in one of the most tragic eras of China ever, to encounter superior enemies, and having an army full of rotten and corrupt subordinates. He fought a hopeless war of which he had no hopes of winning, yet he did it with utmost courage.

The death of Sun Yat-Sen (Sun Yixian) in 1925 had left China in a power vacuum and interregnum, and the land collapsed into anarchy known as Era of Warlords. China became a Warlordistan. The control of the country was divided among former military cliques of the Beiyang Army and other regional factions from 1916 to 1928.

Chiang raised the National Chinese Army, allied with the Communists led by Mao Zedong, and crushed the warlords, unifying the country. And alas, the Communists proved an unreliable ally – and the Empire beyond the sea, even more unreliable. Japan attacked China in 1931 after the Mukden incident.

The Japanese army was superior in technology, fighting spirit (dao), discipline and logistics. The Guomindang army of Chiang suffered from poor equipment, corruption, lack of patriotism and poor logistics – it was an “army of lions led by jackasses”, but its commander was the alpha lion.

Way too little has been written about the China-Japan war 1931–1941 and China’s part in the World War Two. But China has been one of the main theatres – and one of the main sufferers – in the war, and the Japanese praised the Chinese soldiers, insisting them be second only to the Australians in their will to fight.

Meanwhile Mao Zedong conspired to overthrow Guomindang (or Kuomintang, if you prefer the Wade-Giles Romanization), and after the liberation of China, the civil war re-emerged. The Guomindang army was tired, consumed and exhausted, while Stalin eagerly supported the Communists, finally overcoming the Guomindang 1949. Chiang and the Nationalist refugees fled to Taiwan.

The Communist Chinese propaganda has done all it could to stample Chiang as an unpatriotic American stooge and a traitor, while the Guomindang in Taiwan set up a Western-style state under Christian and Confucian principles.

But nobody could deny Chiang was a true Chinese patriot. His last will was that his body be buried in his hometown Fenghua.

Loyal Husband Finds Out Wife Participates In “Events” While He’s Away Working (She’s Toast!)

What is an appropriate response when a coworker calls you out for being late?

When I got into IT I got in the habit of showing up early to prepare for my day. I spent a lot of time traveling to various facilities as a computer support tech so I’d come in to check email and make sure there wasn’t something I needed to do in the office before loading up and hitting the road.

Many of my younger coworkers would clock in on the hour but our business manager, who didn’t clock in, had a bad habit of showing up 15 minutes late each day. (She also had a tendency to leave 5 or10 minutes early, but that’s another story for another time.) One week the IT Director and our boss, the Deputy IT Director, were both out of town so the business manager decided that she could show up whenever she felt like it.

She was at least a half hour late on Monday through Thursday, including 45 minutes late on Wednesday, so when she showed up at 8:15 on Friday morning I exclaimed, “Gee, Linda, this is the earliest you’ve been late all week!”. Everyone got a laugh out of it but Linda, apparently, didn’t think it was funny because she called my boss at the seminar that she was attending to complain.

The next thing I know my boss is calling me and asking what I said to set Linda off. So I told her what had been going on all week. She told me that Linda was offended by my comment and asked if I’d be willing to apologize, and I just laughed and laughed and laughed. Then I said, “No.”

If Linda had told me to eff off, or kiss her butt, or just about anything else I would have taken it in stride but her calling the boss, when she was in the wrong, pissed me off. I’d asked your coworker if he/she signs your paycheck and when they answer in the negative, tell them when you come in is none of their business. But I can understand where they’re coming from, especially if you have a problem getting to work on time.

Jewish women and children arriving at the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp, Poland, (1944)

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11 7

In what ways has your spouse changed after getting married?

This is going to be fun. But let me tell you, its more like what I thought she was like and how she actually is…

  • When we first met through parents, she looked like a shy girl next door. She was smiling and feeling awkward a lot. After we got married and a little more comfortable, she walks around house naked, has 0 level of shyness.
  • I thought I was getting cold feet. She was being forced. Turned out she had insisted to her parents that she wanted to get married, like literally told them in a complete sentence, ‘Dad, I want to get married. I don’t have any boyfriend right now. Search a groom for me.’ I’m not even exaggerating, her parents tell this story all the time.
  • I thought she didn’t like talking. WRONG. She NEVER shuts up. If she does, I’ll wake up. Lol, I’ve started to enjoy it.
  • She’s frigid. WRONG. Once comfortable, she’s a freak.
  • She’s so slow and, unhappy person. Wrong. She is hyperactive and becomes happy just about at nothing.
  • She doesn’t like me. Big time wrong. Turned out, she has liked me since day 1. She loves me.
  • She’ll probably never fight or argue. Wrong. Loveeess to argue, though I don’t like to admit it much, she’s usually right about things. And people too.
  • Is probably passive aggressive. Wrong. Tells me when things bother her, almost immediately.
  • Is dumb. Wrong. She’s really smart.
  • She does not feel much. Wrong. All of her emotions are intense.
  • Is very serious. Wrong. Very very wrong. Can’t go on a day without lame jokes. Lame jokes are lifeline to her. She knows they are lame but loves it.

As for the changes, she hasn’t changed much. Can motherhood be included? Anyways, it suits her well.

She’s staying at her parents place with our boy. I miss her. Its been just a day though. I guess, I’ll call now.

Unusual Abandoned Cat Came Into Shelter And Amazed People With Its Size

My Mom…

My Mom once told me that she walked into a room where a couple of friends were discussing her, they didn’t know she was there. She shook her head, smiled and walked away. 🕊

My Mom also told me that she had a friend who talked bad about her, she never knew that Mom found out, Mom never mentioned it. She smiled and walked away from this friendship. 🕊

She told me she had family who chose to shift her out of their life because she stood up for herself for a change. And because she stopped crossing oceans for them when they would not even help her cross a bridge. She smiled, shook her head and walked away. 🕊

So I asked her how she could just walk away from people that betrayed her while pretending to be her friends or family? 🕊

She answered that every time she came to a crossroad like that, she had to decide who will be going forward on her journey with her. This showed her who she cannot take along with her. 🕊

So she explained to me that you should never get mad at a person who betrays you, even in the name of friendship or family. Just gracefully bow out and enjoy your journey with all the new people God puts in their place. 🕊

Duck Dynasty, (1926)

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12 7

What was a loophole that you found and exploited the hell out of?

10 years ago I was an IT consultant, traveling every week. I would also always book a Marriott hotel if one was close to the customer, all paid for on my American Express card.

Marriott awards you points for your stays with them. Once I had at least 100, 000 points I’d call them and request gift certificates. 100, 000 points would give you $1,000 worth of gift certs to pay for your hotel.

Back then, at the end of your stay, someone would come around in the middle of the night and slide the invoice for your stay that week. That invoice would show they charged my AmEx card for whatever the cost was.

Now that invoice was completely processed then. While it says it charged my card, they actually didn’t really do that until the afternoon after you checked out.

So what I would do is I’d go to the front desk with my invoice and my gift certs and tell the clerk that I would rather pay for my stay with the certs rather than my card. Then they’d issue me a new invoice showing I paid in certs. However I still had the original invoice. That would be the invoice I’d submit in my expenses. So every couple of months I’d be reimbursed $1000 so I could pay my cc bill, but since I actually paid in certs that 1000 bucks was essentially free money I’d drop into my savings. I and every one else I knew did it all the time, it was really an awesome little loophole

Beef Steak and Kidney Pie

steak ale prop
steak ale prop

Ingredients

Filling

  • 3/4 pound calf kidney or beef liver
  • Salted water
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 pounds beef steak, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 4 shallots, finely chopped
  • 1 cup beef bouillon
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
  • Pinch of ground cloves
  • Pinch of marjoram, crushed
  • 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced and sautéed
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Pastry Topping

  • 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons cold water

Instructions

  1. Filling: Clean and split kidney; remove fat and large tubes. Soak in salted water 1 hour.
  2. Dry and cut into 1/4-inch slices. Mix flour, salt and pepper; roll kidney and beef pieces in flour mixture.
  3. Melt butter in heavy pot and sauté shallots. When shallots have taken on a little color, add beef and kidney; brown lightly, turning.
  4. Add bouillon, bay leaf, parsley, cloves and marjoram. Stir; cover and simmer 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until meat is tender.
  5. Add mushrooms and Worcestershire sauce. If liquid is too thin, thicken with smooth paste of flour and cold water.
  6. Grease a deep 10-inch baking dish. Place pie funnel in center. Add meat mixture and allow to cool in refrigerator.
  7. Meanwhile, prepare Pastry Topping. Place pastry over meat, sealing pastry edges to edge of dish. Make vents in pastry to allow steam to escape.
  8. Bake at 450 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes; lower heat to 375 degrees F and continue baking 15 minutes, or until crust is golden.
  9. Pastry Topping: Cut shortening into flour and salt until particles are size of small peas.
  10. Sprinkle in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans sides of bowl, adding 1 to 2 teaspoons water if necessary.
  11. Gather pastry into a ball; shape into flattened round on lightly floured cloth-covered board. Roll out to fit top of casserole.

How lucky are we?

My best friend had a defective heart. I don’t know the exact term for that, but her heart was on the right side of her chest among several other defects. She couldn’t walk farther than 200m, and her finger tips would always turn black.

When she was born, the doctor gave her a life expectancy of 2 years. She surpassed that. Her parents took her to all the best hospitals in the country. Another estimation: 10 years old. She surpassed that too. She completed high school, she got into college. And she always was a cheerful girl to be with. (Sometimes, her mother kicked my ass out of the house because when we hung out, we laughed too much. Laughing would consume oxygen from her heart and her brain so she would suffer from headaches afterward).

One day, when she was at the university, her heart collapsed. Her doctor demanded her to drop college because it was too much for her. She came back to our hometown, and became an at-home teacher for the kids, and still was a cheerful girl.

After that another year, her heart collapsed once again. She was hospitalized. Her doctor informed her parents that there was nothing more they could do. Her family should consider to unplug the machines and bring her home.

Her mother called me. She said “We are bring [my friend’s name] home”. I rushed into the hospital. Her mother was on one side of her bed holding her left hand, I was on the other side holding her right hand when they unplugged her.

That moment, her mother collapsed to the ground and screamed: “I’ve lost her! From now on, I don’t have anyone to take care of anymore!”

At that moment, I know that just being born normally to be able to live a normal life is extremely lucky. Also, having someone you love by your side, even that means you have to take care of them all the time is also lucky.

Live your life in full bloom.

Flipping Burgers, (1938)

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What feature in your car did you not realize you had until someone else told you about it?

Well, not the above but the other way around. In 2014 we were looking to buy a replacement for my wife’s car, and were at the Skoda garage checking out a very-nearly-new Fabia. It had been the showroom’s demonstrator model for a few months, had just a couple of hundred miles on it, but the salespeople had been showing that vehicle to people day in, day out.

We looked in the boot. My wife’s a bee-keeper and a “must have” for her was to be able to get a bee-hive in the back. To do that meant taking the rear parcels shelf off, which I did myself to see how easy it was to do and to replace, since this would be a common action. Putting it back, I noticed you could put it back either in the “conventional” position, or in a half-way house lower position. “Hey, “ I said. “That’s a nifty feature – allows you to put larger items on the parcel shelf but still have it hiding stuff underneath.” At that the salesperson looked in, looked at the shelf, the boot, then went over to his colleague and said “Come over here. We’ve found a brand-new feature!

We bought the car, still got it now. Don’t think we’ve ever used the parcel shelf in “half-way” position.

Very good

What did your boss say to you during a meeting that resulted in you immediately resigning?

“That’s just not convenient.”

My father had been terminally ill for a decade. He was a perfectionist in everything in his life and no detail was ever missed. He was also very stubborn. If there were ever odds almost insurmountable, he always prevailed. This was part of why he’d been terminal for so very long.

One day before, my father agreed that it was time to bring hospice in and make final arrangements. My parents had two other daughters, I was the only one who lived in the same town. Because of my location, he wanted me to be at those meetings.

I was working in the executive offices for a local bank. The woman I reported to was exacting in everything and expected perfection to be performed with minimal preparation and no clarifications. She wanted a mind reader who loved emergencies and placed her on a pedestal.

After that phone call, I was shaken up. It wasn’t unexpected, but you are never really prepared for the situation when you are facing it.

“Something has come up. It’s a delicate family matter,” I said.

“That’s just not convenient,” she said. “Even if it’s life or death, it’s not convenient. I have a series of reports that are due today.” This was news to me. “And I’m expecting that you will be here long after hours.”

“It actually is life or death,” I said. I was about to elaborate when she cut me off.

“Is it your life or death?”

“Honestly, no.”

“Then it’s not convenient.”

“I’m afraid that poor planning on your part really isn’t my problem.”

“Excuse me?” she asked.

“No excuse for you and your lack of planning. I’m quitting as of,” I looked at my watch, “about two minutes from now. Just long enough to get my purse and log off the computer.”

“You can’t do that,” she said.

“Can and did.”

I grabbed my purse and left the building.

I replaced the job with a much nicer one in about two days.

My father passed less than two weeks from my exit. The new job, and I only worked it for two days when he died, not only let me have the time off to complete his arrangements and his funeral, sent flowers. One week later, HR from the bank called, offered me a raise and an apology. “I’m sorry. That’s just not convenient.”

What was the most bald-faced lie you have ever heard a witness say under oath? How did you react?

I once attended a court case to support a friend. Her sister was accused by a nasty neighbour of breaking into the nasty neighbour’s home, stealing items, and trying to assault her (on more than one occasion).

My friend and her sister were both black women. It was no secret that the neighbour was this old racist woman who routinely called the police on the sister and her boyfriend when they were minding their own business. When the woman invited her sister (my friend), and her kids to come to visit and swim in their pool, also to use the tennis courts and fitness room that was shared by the condo complex. The boyfriend was also black.

When called to testify the nasty neighbour gave detailed dates about the break in and mentioned her “fox fur coat, some diamond jewellery and several hams and frozen meat”, being taken from her home. She swore that she came home to see the women and her boyfriend running out the back door at night with the merchandise in a leather suitcase.

When the lawyer for the woman questioned the woman and her boyfriend, who each took turns on the stand, it was proven that the neighbour lied by showing that:

  • My friend’s sister, who worked as a passenger flight attendant, was working on a flight that was on its way to Singapore during the very night and time when she was supposed to have broken into the neighbour’s home. (It’s hard to break into a home when you’re two hours into a 12 hour flight that is 39,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean.)
  • She and her boyfriend were also vegetarians who never ate meat nor wore nor owned leather and fur since they both believed that “meat is murder”, and to wear animal furs and leather was “cruel and inhumane”.
  • The boyfriend was also on his way to Singapore flying from India the afternoon before, to meet up with his girlfriend after a business trip for three day vacation, before they’d fly back to Canada. He proposed marriage while they visited Singapore (she said “yes” and did marry him). So they were in Singapore the day before “the break in” at the neighbour’s home and they didn’t return until three days later.

The lawyer for my friend’s sister and her boyfriend also presented pictures of the very “stolen” items in question taken by the police when they were recovered from pawn shops and a consignment store. The items were pawned by a young white man, a known drug addict with a lengthy arrest record who happened to be the neighbour’s nephew whom the neighbour gave money to on a regular basis (not helping him at all).

Before the judge dismissed all charges he ordered the neighbour to be taken into custody for “fraud, perjury, aiding and abetting a criminal” and a few other charges.

In the end the neighbour lost her house and all her savings when my friend’s sister and her boyfriend sued the neighbour for slander and defamation of character. They won a large sum in court and the neighbour ended up spending four years in prison for additional charges which included drug possession on top of what she was already convicted of.

I guess nasty racist people get what’s coming to them after all.

College students pile into a Volkswagen Beetle, (c. 1965)

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How tough is a stand up comedians life?

For those that do it full time, very tough. They have to stand up in front of the crowd and make them laugh. Do you realize what it takes to do that? Then there is the travelling and eating crap food and nerves. For those starting out it is not easy at all. For those on top, well, they have to keep coming up with acts to stay on top. As I did both, a standup comedian and professional drummer in a band, playing in a band was far easier. Below is a little of my stand up act.

I was a part time stand up comedian for awhile along with being a professional drummer. I auditioned for a few shows in local comedy clubs. They must have liked me, I got jobs. I was usually the start off guy, first one out. I had my own shtick. The guy who showed up at the wrong event.

I’d walk out then somberly say, “ I realize this is a sad time for most of you, but Mary, bless her soul loved humour.” Then I’d look behind me and kind of look around confused, then I’d turn to the audience. “Um, Mary’s passing surprised many, especially Mary. I think she’d like some humour at her funeral. She often said that “to laugh at something heartily means that you think it’s funny,” and I heartily agree. I always thought Mary was a deep thinker and that proves it right?

“She was 81, poor Mary. Actually, a woman’s life expectancy is 80, so hey, good for her. Now a man’s life expectancy is 76. If I make it to 76, I’m going to have a sex change. Right? I’ll beat those odds. So I hope to add a bit of humour to Mary’s funeral, wherever she is,” and I look around again for Mary.

Suddenly a sharp whistle from the stage side. I’d stop and walk over with my mic.

“This is not a funeral home. This is a comedy club,” the stage manager would tell me so the audience would hear.

“What? This isn’t Roses Funeral Parlour?” I would say surprised. The crowd would start laughing.

“Do you see Mary anywhere?” he’d ask.

“Actually no,” I would say looking around. “How much do you pay here?”

“$250.” he’d tell me.

A few seconds of silence then I’d say, “Sure, what the hell, Mary won’t miss me,” then I’d walk back center stage where people would be giggling.

“Okay, who here had a good shit today?” Well the crowd would laugh. Somebody always raised a hand, I’d try to pick a girl.

“You did, great, good for you. I won’t ask you details okay?” The girl would laugh.

“So do you know there are many types of shits? There’s the peanut butter shit; that’s the one where you can use up to three rolls of toilet paper, the upside down volcano shit, the totally air shit which isn’t even really a shit though it felt like it was going to be one,,” the shart which is a shit that felt like air but wasn’t, the bombing raid shit and the ghost shit.” Then I’d stop and go back to the girl.

“Okay, I was just wondering what came out that made it such a good shit? We all want to know don’t we folks?” I’d say looking around and people would start applauding. Of course the girl would laugh and hide her face in her hands. “Okay forget it. Tell me privately later. People, I’m going to tell you what the best shit of all is. It’s the Ghost Shit!”

“This is the one when you have to go so bad and there’s no restroom around. It’s turtling so bad it’s stretching your underwear. Suddenly, by some miracle, you find a restroom. You fly in there and sit on the toilet after near ripping your pants off. And ….. it starts.”

“Like the RMS Titanic, this thing is moving out with no effort and it seems like it’s going forever. You are wondering how this thing is going to go down that little toilet hole. It’s embarrassing if you are at someone’s house and you come out of the bathroom and ask, “Hey, have you got a plunger? A good one? One with a lot of suction?” You always get a strange look when you ask that don’t you?

Anyway, so the Titanic has left the dock and you are feeling suddenly very hollow inside, and relieved. You grab some toilet paper and wipe. Nothing! Not a speck of shit on your ass. Puzzled, you stand up and look at the toilet. It’s looking back at you innocent as hell. THERE IS NOTHING IN THE TOILET! What the hell? You look around; nope, not on the floor! It’s nowhere but you felt it by God! That ladies and gentlemen is the Ghost Shit, or maybe I should have called it the Houdini Shit.

Crude yes but it got me back to the comedy clubs. People loved me talking about shit because they all go through it every day.

I used to be hired to give speeches at weddings. Just before the actual person would rise to give a toast to the bride, I would jump up and interrupt him.

“Thank you, thank you. Ah, the lovely bride. Leona, you’re looking great.” That was never the brides name. I’d make one up and the people would laugh. I did the same skit to friends of my sisters who were getting married.

“So, a toast to the bride huh? I’m supposed to come up with some funny stories about her, and some heart warming ones.” Silence from me for a few seconds as the people would snicker. “I have nothing,” I would say, “but I do have a few, should we say naughty stories of Leona. And I promise I will say nothing of that disease you had a few months ago,” I’d say looking at her and pretend I was zippering my mouth.

That would be the cue for someone to say, “That’s not Leona, that’s Shirley!”

I would look up surprised, then look around.

“This isn’t the Wright Patterson wedding?” I would ask. Yes, I know, that’s an air base. I’d be told no it isn’t.

“Jesus,” I would say, “Um, were you going to say something?” I’d say to the guy who originally was going to give the toast to the bride, and I’d run out.

I had fun doing them and I had a few different ones so I’d change them around. I wrote my own material. You can tell? That’s good.

When I started to get quite busy in my pro drumming career I left the comedian stage. I missed the laughs. But I’d do them at get togethers at friends houses and parties.

Being a comedian is a nerve wracking but fun gig. Loved the laughs.

Cab stand in Madison Square Park, New York, (ca 1900)

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How do you deal with being too poor?

When I was doing my graduation, I stayed in a hostel, which provided lunch and dinner but no breakfast. You had two options for breakfast: Go out to a restaurant nearby and have a hot breakfast or eat what most of the students ate – mashed banana and flattened rice (it is called poha or chura in India). I chose the second option since the first option was too costly. The food in the hostel was neither good in quality nor enough in quantity. So most of the times, I was famished.

I used to pity myself till I had a discussion about hunger with one of my classmates. He was worse off than me. His father was dead and his mother used to serve tea and water in a government office in a desolate tribal village. In short, he had enough money to have just one meal a day. I asked him what he did when he felt hungry. He said he would drink water.

This classmate of mine was a good student but did not have a clue about what to do after his graduation. In those days, IT was booming in India and I convinced him to do get a Masters degree in Computer Applications (MCA). He got into one of the best Universities of India.

I did not meet him when we were doing our Post Graduation since I was at a different University. I met him a year after both of us had started our careers. He came to meet me. He was working for the largest software company of India and was on his way to his first foreign assignment. I felt very happy at how he had been able to turn around his fortune. He had started from a village which did not have electricity and his relatives and friends had not even seen life outside their village.

I am not in touch with him. But I searched the net and I found this photo. He is happily settled with his family in the USA.

image 520
image 520

So how do you deal with being too poor? Work hard and have patience. Things will turn around.

Unemployed men outside Al Capone’s soup kitchen in Chicago during the Great Depression, (1931)

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Is the US a hegemony?

Is earth round? Does waves rush to the shores?, Do the sun rise in the east?

Let me see, the US has a doctrine, it’s call Monroe Doctrine. It says no power big and small cannot come near North America and when USSR wanted to arm Cuba nuclear missile, the U.S. threaten to start a nuclear war! And duly blockade and sanction Cuba for 62 years straight! Is that hegemonic?

The U.S. has invaded 68 nations and counting since its nation is formed after doing genocide on its inhabitants and rightful owner the native Indians. Is that hegemonic?

It has cause millions upon millions of deaths due to regime change, coup orchestration by the U.S. it send out millions of CIA and NED officials around the world to destabilise nations so that they can set up puppet and sham governments to act on U.S. behalf and for US interest! Are these actions hegemonic.

Are all these actions that in total caused up to 100 million deaths, hegemonic? Or according to your media it is doing Mother Teresa role!

What did your father say that made your jaw drop?

In my second year of university, I was summoned to a police station without knowing why. My father drove me and had to wait outside the office while I was being questioned.

image 521
image 521

The reason why I was summoned was quite a surprise.

Together with a good friend and a girl I was seeing at the time, I had smoked some weed and drank a couple of beers, and much later that night my friend had been robbed by a couple of low-lifes. So he called the police and explained his predicament.

The problem was: (1) my friend was drunk at the time; (2) round about that time my friend was starting to show the first signs of the paranoid schizophrenia that would later ruin his life.

So my friend told the police a story that did not make sense, and after a couple of questions, the story had gotten even worse: he claimed that before he was robbed, he had taken hard drugs together with the girl and me, and that the girl was actually a drug dealer. But he had forgotten the girl’s name.

Not mine, of course.

So instead of focusing on the robbery, the police men focused on the “hard drugs” and the “drug dealer.” And I was the one who would tell them the girl’s name. Which I didn’t.

After a lot of repeated questions and repeated threats — in which they refused to acknowledge the mental condition of my friend — they called in my dad, and explained to him that I blatantly refused to give them the girl’s name. To which my father said:

“This is ABSOLUTELY the right thing to do, and I am VERY proud of him. I would do the EXACT same thing.”

The police men did not know what to say, and not much later I was released after paying a ridiculous fine. When we left the office, they kept staring at my dad, a grey-bearded man with fierce eyes and thundering charisma.

Lightning had struck.

And the hammer had spoken.


SOURCES: the first drawing is taken from the book Nordiska Gudar by Johan Egerkrans; the second image us my own.

World War II propaganda posters in Port Washington, New York, (1942)

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What are the biggest lessons you have learned in the corporate world?

Here’s mine:

  1. people hire people they like. so be likable.
  2. Focus on giving key people you work with what they want. At the end of the day, all people want to hear is “i’m going to fix your problems”.
  3. Trust your intuition. People will try and fill your day with shit that doesn’t matter, do what YOU know does matter.
  4. Make some friends, even if just to keep your sanity.
  5. Don’t participate in shit talking. If a co-worker decides you are their confidant, just nod along with them—but never engage directly in the shit talking. You’ll save your own reputation and as a bonus you won’t feel shitty about yourself.
  6. Say NO more. people respect people that can say no and don’t rollover for everything. Saying YES to everything just leaves you running on an endless treadmill.
  7. Under-promise, over-deliver. always.
  8. Make every effort not to give concrete deadlines, because you won’t be able to meet them anyway. Your credibility will falter. Unfortunately you’ll probably have to give them at some point.
  9. Don’t try and be the best. Instead, make friends with people in a position of power and be at least competent.
  10. Learn empathy. In reality, people don’t really care what gets done if you make them feel important and like they are achieving things. People just want to be heard, man.

A lot of these suck to admit….but it’s the way things are. Whether that’s because of some bullshit implicit social contracts or just the way we’re wired….its what corporate life is really like.

Which life is more enjoyable? Bachelor life or married life?

I had what seemed like the ideal bachelor life. Oh, and terror of getting trapped in marriage.

I mean, I was living the dream in college.

Living in a fraternity house with my buds.

Cute girls constantly around.

Parties every weekend.

More alcohol than common sense.

My parents paid for my college expenses. I worked every summer to make money for my personal expenses. So when school started I could focus on it and having fun.

Like I said I was living the dream.

But a weird thing happened. As I faced graduation the fun had worn thin.

I was tired of being hurt in relationships and hurting others.

I hoped there was more to life than one continual party.

I longed to share life at a deeper level with someone.

And I knew I needed to stop drinking so damn much.

Shortly before graduation two things happened that changed my life.

I went through a spiritual experience that transformed me.

And I met the most beautiful girl I’d ever know. Unfortunately, she had zero interest in getting to know me.

We eventually started dating. My persistence won out. And a year later married.

I look back over my life and think of all the blessings of marriage I’d have missed as a bachelor.

Someone to love and who loves me. Even sometimes when I’m, shall we say, less than lovable.

Sharing life together. The good, the bad and the ugly. And most of all the beautiful.

Raising our children that filled our lives with occasional frustration and even more love.

Conquering life together. Strengths making up for weaknesses. And glad she didn’t keep score.

Caring for each other in sickness and enjoying each other in health.

Laughing, crying, rejoicing and celebrating.

And at night, when I drift off to sleep, holding her hand and feeling a contentment I simply never could have imagined.

So for some, singleness works.

For me I can’t imagine having missed marrying my wife. And for her? I think she feels the same. At least on most days.

You’ll find a depth of life in marriage you cannot experience outside of it.

When Kidnapped People Realize They’ve Been Found

What’s the weirdest item you have found on your property?

My house has a two person jacuzzi tub with mirrors on three walls around it. When I was looking at the house there was a four post canopy bed with a mirror inside the canopy. Needless to say, the previous owner had his thing.

When I was moving in I found in the basement a bar with cuffs on either end hanging from the ceiling and two eye bolts in a board on the floor that would have made this a perfect place to tie someone up spread eagle. I strongly suspect that is what it was used for.

I have a room that used to be a bar (previous owner took the bar itself with him despite it being a built in). It has a dropped ceiling and the lights are above with clear panels to let the light thru. I was moving ceiling tiles to change a bulb and got hit in the face by what I’m guessing was a home made sex swing that was bolted to the rafters above.

I’ve been in this house 3 years and I still occasionally find a secret panel in a wall. It seems anywhere there was an extra bit of space he put a removable panel to make a hidden storage space.

And despite all that, the single most surprising thing I found in this house is the light switch in the bathroom that has power going to it but doesn’t seem to actually switch anything in the house! What do you do about a mysterious switch?

We also found a stack of acrylic paintings in the basement, all very amateurish. Subjects ranged from creepy little girls to 70’s psychedelic nude ladies. Realtor told the owners to pick them up, or they would end up in the trash. They showed up a year later asking for them

Bonus, junk removal guy loved the 70’s nudes, asked to keep them.

Marilyn Monroe’s USO performance, (February 1954)

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Why does life sometimes seem so ambiguous and unclear?

  1. If you keep trying to force your growth, it’s going to end up stunting your growth.
  2. Most people live in the past. About 90% of their thoughts are from the past.
  3. Life seems incredibly hard sometimes and inner peace feels so far away.
  4. Life hits different the moment you make peace with your vulnerability.
  5. Not everything is meant to be rainbows and sunshine and that’s okay, that’s part of life.
  6. Flaws are fulfilling, perfectionism is draining.
  7. The strength of your success is measured by the strength of your desire.
  8. Sometimes it’s not easy to bear the noise of silence.
  9. Their is nothing wrong with you, you just have a tendency to look for something wrong.
  10. Confusion almost always comes before clarity, but sometimes Chaos is peace that has not been faced.

Miss America, 1924 – Ruth Malcomson.

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What is the reason for the negative press about China in the Western world? Is it due to their authoritarian government or are there other factors at play?

It has nothing to do with “authoritarian government” it has everything to do with China not playing by U.S. “rules” that requires China to be submissive and subservient to the U.S. if you are observant you will noticed that the nations that the U.S. and the west have been giving negative press are all nations that refused to be submissive and subservient to the west.

The west merely represent 13% of the world? In fact the west is controlled by the the U.S. which represents 4% of the world. Should the 96% or the 87% of the rest of the world kowtow and let the west walk all over them? And dictate what they do? Who they make friends with? What they buy, how much they ought to pay? What religion they believe or what cloths to wear or what food they eat?

Let me give you an American answer! Over our dead body! It ain’t gonna happen!

The Global South is drifting away as we speak. No nations will buys your shit anymore. We decide our own fate. China certainly won’t. But so is 175 out of the 195 nations on earth. The faster you westerners get this, the better it is for you. Stop thinking about decoupling or de-risking China, the world is decoupling and de-risking from the U.S. and the west!

Your media and your government can lie and fabricate all you want but the bus has left the station. Authoritarian or CCP or communist or dictator are all excuses not reason for hating China and Chinese. These are narratives for the simple mind. It is demonising because it can’t get its way. Like a toddler throwing tantrum, that is what it is. Frankly if you are a westerner, your government is trying to hoodwink you! Not U.S. because we are not fools. We know lies when we see it.

Sidewheeler Tashmoo leaving wharf in Detroit, (ca 1901)

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What did your boss say to you during a meeting that resulted in you immediately resigning?

When I was younger, I was the Assisstant Manager of a Pizza Hut. I was moved to this particular store with the expectation that the Store Manager who was there had set me up to become the next Store Manager. When he resigned I was passed over for a 23 year old nobody with no experience or work ethic. He worked 25 hours a week and had me do most of his duties on top of my own. He would often show up in the middle of dinner rush with his posse, ask how things were, I would tell him it was terrible and we needed help, he’d see that we did, and say things like “Sounds good” and walk out.

Week after week people in my Store were getting overworked and burned out. I constantly hounded my Area Manager to let me hire people, often being turned down. He woul even turn down temporarily allowing neighboring stores to send their workers to my Store to keep up with demand. So week after week we would have at least 1 person quit.

Even when I was allowed to hire ONE person, that person would freak out on day one because of the workload pushed upon all of us. They would typically last 1 day, maybe a week, before quitting.

One day we were told we were having a store meeting with the Area Manager so I typed up my resignation letter preemptively and attended. We were told how terrible our customer service scores were (mostly hold time issues or delivery time issues because we couldn’t keep enough people to staff the whole store, so delivery drivers were cutting and boxing pizzas, answering phones and taking orders, THEN delivering them) and how we needed to shape up. I spoke up and said we desperately needed more employees and I was waved off again. So I finished my shift that night, put my resignation letter in the fax machine with my end of day paperwork, locked the door, and dropped my security key and door keys in the mail slot. The next day I was inundated with phone calls from the Store Manager and Area Manager, which I ignored for a few hours. Then I picked up, the Area Manager begged me to come back and said he’d do anything if I came back.

“A raise?”

“Sure, whatever you need.”

“4 more employees?”

“No, you know you’re not getting that.”

*hangup*

I never talked to them again.

Titanic sinks on April 15, 1912. Newspaper boy Ned Parfett sells copies of the evening paper bearing news of the disaster.

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As a car mechanic, what is the craziest discovery you have found on an automobile?

As a car mechanic, what is the craziest discovery you have found on an automobile?

I’m not the mechanic, but I know of one crazy discovery. My father purchased a brand new GMC Suburban in the 1980s and gave me his old pickup truck so I would have a vehicle while attending college. He occasionally heard a strange knocking noise while driving that Suburban, but neither he nor the dealer could ever figure out what was causing it. Since he didn’t hear that noise very often, and the vehicle ran great, he just kept driving it and eventually simply ignored that occasional knocking noise. The transmission needed to be rebuilt when it was 9 years old, so he took the Suburban to a shop that pulled the transmission and rebuilt it. While reinstalling it, the mechanic spotted a small hand-held air impact wrench hanging from a bent welding rod between the engine and firewall. He called my father, who then went back to the shop and took photos of the impact wrench and welding rod before and after they were removed. The wrench had “Property of GM” engraved on it.

Since it appeared the impact wrench had been hung there while on the assembly line, my father took the photos, impact wrench, and bent welding rod to the dealer who had sold it. The dealer wanted to send everything to GM, but my father would only agree to let him send copies of the photos. A GM lawyer called him the following week and offered to pay $500 for the return the impact wrench and welding rod, provide and release all prints and negatives he had taken of them to GM, and for his wife and him to sign a non-disclosure agreement concerning any and all possible “manufacturing flaws” involving that Suburban. My father made a counter offer of $5000. The lawyer said the most he was authorized to offer would be a $3000 manufacturer’s credit towards the purchase of a new GM vehicle. My father countered again by asking for both the $500 and $3000 credit towards a new GM vehicle. The lawyer agreed and then arraigned to have the dealer handle the exchange and witness my parents signing a non-disclosure agreement. My parents then negotiated with the dealer to buy a new car for my mother, and then applied that $500 check and the $3000 manufacturer’s credit towards the purchase of it.

After that impact wrench was removed, my father never heard that knocking noise again. Since I knew about this “manufacturing flaw” before they signed that non-disclosure agreement, I’m not bound by it. But my surviving parent could be subject to significant financial penalties for discussing this story, so I am posting this anonymously to prevent any possible repercussions. However I seriously doubt GM would want to have people going through records more than three decades old just to determine who my parents are.

Clam seller on Mulberry Bend, New York, (ca 1900)

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What is the strangest reaction of someone who has just been fired?

I’ve told this story elsewhere but it fits here as well.

In a prior life I worked for a major multi-national and the division I worked in was managed by somebody based in Europe (let’s call him George). But he had direct reports in a number of cities around the world including New York. So during one of his visits to New York he speaks to Fred and tells him that things just aren’t working out so he should find another job. Nothing out of the ordinary and not adversarial in any way.

So about a year later George is in New York and sees Fred sitting in his office wearing jeans and track shoes, feet up on his desk reading a newspaper. So he says “Fred, why are you still here? Didn’t I tell you to find another job?” And Fred’s response was classic “Yes but my contract requires one year’s written notice and I’ve never received anything.”

To make a long story short, George was off to HR and after a discussion with legal Fred got a year’s salary plus the cash value of all the benefits he would have rec’d during the year. Given how senior Fred was I’m sure that check would have been at least $400 K (and more likely quite a bit north of that).

What is the least intelligent thing you’ve ever seen a tourist do?

I kid you not.

So way back in 1984 I worked a summer in Yellowstone national park. During training I learned a lot about dangers in the park. For example, bison kill many more people than grizzly bears. That being said at least one person a year is kill in the park by a grizzly bear.

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But I digress.

The dumbest question that a tourist asked me was a question that they warned me I would be asked and I laughed like it was a joke. They seriously said no you will get asking this and please don’t embarrass the tourists who ask it.

So a couple days into the Job I am standing there and this nice looking middle aged American woman who seemed she had all her senses came up to me and looked me straight in the face and asked,

“Where do they put the animals at night”?

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I was gobsmacked!

This woman actually thought that all the animals were gathered up at night and put in cages. Just like I was warned, someone asked me the question I thought I would never hear.

And no, she most certainly wasn’t the last tourist to ask me that!

Hard to believe!

Nerds make the best husbands

How do you deal with negative experiences?

My two week notice was a long time coming. I was sick of working in finance, at that company, and for that boss. I slept terribly the night before, having fevered dreams of a squandered future. But I knew I needed some upheaval. I was forging a sad, bitter storyline that would haunt me forever.

As I embarked on my new journey as a writer, I unpacked my new life, and all the stories from that dark chapter, all the moments of pain and frustration, came with me. As with many of you, these scenes replay more vividly on my lesser days. It’s as the incomparable Frederick Nietzsche wrote, “When we are tired, we are attacked by ideas we conquered long ago.”

Old embarrassments — losing my temper with someone 20 years ago, making ill advised comments, and moments of rejection — come bubbling up for no reason. Why could I see these scenes so easily and with 8K clarity while the amazing moments hid in the shadows?

Per Dr. Daniel L. Schacter, we remember the past so vividly because it’s a means of envisioning the future. We use it as a modeling tool, a form of mental time travel, where our mind anchors moments in time. The word “anchor” is key — because many of these images and stories become crystallized and of cognitive convenience.

For example, you might experience something I do when reading books: anytime there is a scene with a bar, I can’t help but see the same bar in my mind — to the point of it being annoying. If there’s some type of battle scene, I always see an old field I played in as a kid. This is the mind anchoring and why it’s so easy to recall the same negative moments over and over.

Per research by psychologist, Dr. Linda Levine, we tend to interpret past events through an emotional filter of the present. The same facts on paper suddenly look different. Negative moods — such as being tired, annoyed, or frustrated — evoke specific and detailed bad memories that often hit harder. Good moods — such as being well rested, jovial, excited, or in good humor — tend to evoke broader and more general memories. Unfortunately, negative memories are much more powerful and easily evoked.

We tend to apply a filter of our self-concept — who we’d like to be, and what our “ideal self” is and how we’d hoped to be perceived. Which is why our subconscious searches for contradictions to this ideal self.

For example, I’m generally a pleasant and nice person. Which is perhaps why my mind dredges up instances of me being unpleasant. I hate thinking of those times because when I do, I feel like I’m standing right there in that same room 15 years ago, watching my former self act out and be nasty with someone I loved.

The mind tells me, “Remember this person? You could be this person again if you don’t behave.” So how to we rewire this toxic pattern?

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Rewriting your narrative

A few years ago, I thought, “Why am I beating myself up all the time?” I had so much to be thankful for. I’d brought plenty of good into this world, been a good friend and family member. I’d fought hard to win a better future but still bludgeoned myself over bygones that nobody else remembered.

I met with a therapist a few years ago and had tremendous improvement in dealing with negativity. He was a silver haired man, with black rimmed glasses and a quiet, friendly demeanor, and a PhD hanging on his wall.

As we began talking, he nodded his head in understanding and began giving me homework assignments anchored in cognitive behavioral therapy which, per the American Psychological Association, is as effective (or more) than other forms of psychotherapy and medications in dealing with negativity.

He said, “We often tell our life story to ourselves in excessively harsh terms, and jump to instant conclusions at our own expense.”

One exercise he gave was to practice reframing the stories with less certainty. Instead of saying X results in Y, explore alternative causes and remove unhelpful thoughts.

For example, during college, I was dumped by woman I was totally in love with. I deserved it. I was being irresponsible and drinking all the time and she finally had enough. For years, I was sure that my poor decisions had cost me my soulmate. But I learned this was totally unfair thinking.

Perhaps it wasn’t meant to be. Perhaps she was just losing interest and this was her way out. And if I’d stayed with her, I’d have never met the incredible woman I now have. Even more so, the concept of a soulmate felt a wee bit irrational and limiting.

When you map out events, and deconstruct the narrative you tell yourself, it can look entirely silly sometimes. The exercise also helps reframe the memory more constructively. I can confidently say getting dumped caused me to stop partying so much and may have saved me from myriad legal and health problems.

Another strategy was to build a mental rolodex of positive memories in your mind that you can return to. Doing this, and rapid fire indulging these memories can counteract your negativity instinct, and tends to put me in a much better mood.

A quick forewarning, I’d make sure to write this list out. I initially thought I’d be able to manage it in my mind, but it was much harder to build out and think through.

Here are a few from my list:

Picking up my 8-week old golden retriever from the breeder. He was a fat marshmallow shaped dog with a permasmile, who brought me so much dang joy in life.

Having Christmas mornings as a kid with my grandparents and the love they surrounded us with.

Going on walks with my beloved partner on St. Pete beach and sitting quietly with her in the sand and drinking a beer while we read books.

Helping raise money at events for wounded soldiers, and volunteering with the Special Olympics.

One last strategy is exploratory processing, which takes the opposite approach. You list out the painful experience just after it happens and leave two lines below it. Then, after one month, you return to write in the blank what you learned. Then, six months later, you list something positive that came from the mistake.

For example, when I bought my house, it was a complete circus and the inspection went poorly and I fought with the builder and the realtor. The entire experience crashed my hopeful vision of home ownership. I put this down on the list as my first entry. Then, I came back a month later and wrote about how the experience taught me the importance of having a home inspection (which I almost skipped doing).

Then, at the six month mark, I put that this experience still resulted in me owning a great home that I can now rest in knowing is safe. I know that it has given me and my partner new friends in the neighborhood. The house has also appreciated significantly in value.

Remember, it’s entirely normal and common to have tons of negative memories that pester you. Most major life changes are precipitated by bad experiences and it’s easy to carry those stories with you.

Consider compiling a list of positive memories to return to and combat that trend. Reframe your experiences by exploring the possibilities of how they came to be, and how you might be irrational and excessively harsh in reviewing them. Lastly, use exploratory processing just after something goes wrong. Approach the experience with curiosity rather than judgement. Something good usually comes from all of the chaos we endure.

Do NOT be that guy

What habits do you have as a result of being in the military?

  1. I keep my hair short. Very, very short. Before joining the Navy, I was already doing so, but for the past twenty years, I have been unable to go much longer than a couple of weeks—or, in the warmer months, a week or so—before it feels as though something is wrong. Oddly, I don’t mind skipping a shave for two or three days, but actually wearing facial hair (beard, long sideburns) is out of the question.
  2. While I’m not fanatically neat, I do try to keep items off the floor. Gear should be stowed somehow, whether in a desk, in a cabinet, on a shelf, or even on a table. The deck should be kept clear.
  3. I understand the distinction between a command (Do it now!) and an order (Get it done!).
  4. I am almost never, ever late, even to social engagements, as gauche as that may be. And “on time,” in my book, means approximately six to ten minutes early (no more).
  5. Generally, I am far more situationally aware and cognizant of potential risks and dangers than I was before joining. People don’t plan to fail; they fail to plan.
  6. A day without some kind of PT is somehow misspent.
  7. I still lace up my shoes in a crisscross pattern, with no “bridge.”
  8. Most of the year, regardless of whether I’m dressed formally or informally, I wear a T-shirt of some kind as an initial layer. If the temperature goes past about 75°F or so, I’ll wear either a T-shirt or a polo shirt. But even in the heat, I don’t like wearing a dress shirt without an undershirt.
  9. I tell time with the 24-hour clock and write the date in the day-month-year format. This dovetails nicely with living in Europe.
  10. Having qualified as an Expert with the 9-mm pistol and a Marksman on the M-16, I have contempt for gun nuts who brandish their weapons in public, exhibit no discipline or respect for them or consideration for others, and lack the faintest idea of what they are talking about.

A German soldier after being captured by American troops near Nicosia, (1943)

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What is something that needs to be stopped?

Last year, Carl Sergeant, 49-year-old politician, took his life after losing his job as secretary

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The cause? False sexual abuse allegations.

The sentiment of ‘innocent until proven guilty’ is being jettisoned. Now, mere accusation alone is enough to ruin someone’s career. Do you understand how dangerous that is?

Quote from BBC News:

“The family wish to maintain the fact that Carl maintained his innocence and he categorically denied any wrongdoing. The distress of not being able to defend himself properly against his unspecified allegtions meant he was not afforded common courtesy, decency or natural justice.”

You can’t make the cost of sexual interest the complete desolation of a man’s career, his reputation and even his life. We can’t keep branding people who sent a risqué text or blew kiss a pervert.

We’re now witnessing the birth pangs of the sexual reformation, the fallout from the sex abuse scandals that have plagued the entertainment industry, politics, and are now spreading throughout society as a whole. Third-wave feminists have been largely discredited over the past five years – just 18% of women in the US identify as feminist. Even less in the UK. Rights that actual feminists fought for a hundred years ago have been achieved, which is why radical feminists and SJWs need to hijack or invent new outrages to push their primary narrative and create more gender division.

Remember Zaira Wasim? Last year, she said she was scared when a man sitting behind her was touching her waist with his legs. At first, she ignored it, thinking it was due to turbulence, but didn’t tell anyone about it – not even the crew. Zaira put this allegation on a man named as Vikas Sachdev, a 39-year-old father and husband.

He was arrested. His wife defended him as innocent, but to the baying mob, allegations were all that were required to pass judgement.

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Now don’t get me wrong, if sexual abuse is admitted or proven, those people should be punished to the full extent of the law. Hollywood and political peadophile rings should be exposed. But trial by a social media mob outage isn’t justice, and it sets a horrific precedent. Women are now jumping on the MeToo hashtag bandwagon so they can smother themselves in attention-seeking victimhood – not because they’re actual victims, but in one case because a man looked at them.

Another story was whipped up about Adam Sandler touching Claire Foy’s knee on a talk show.

In another instance, an MP was outed after he described a woman as “attractive, intelligent and charming”

Another case involved Michael Fallon trying to kiss a woman.

See the trend here? Everything is being conflated, to the point where making a pass at a woman is placed in the same context as actual rape.

There has to be an understanding that mere accusations alone are not proof. We have to put a check on this call of instantly believing the accuser without any regard for evidence.

How did Yuri Knorozov manage to decode the Mayan writing system all by himself?

It’s one of those David vs Goliath academic tales that’s as absurd as it is commendable.

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Knorozov was a Soviet linguist – not a guy you’d expect to crack a Mesoamerican code. He got intrigued by the Mayan glyphs while rummaging through old dusty books in the off-limits section of the library. The glyphs hadn’t been fully understood for centuries.

The declassified Dresden Codex landed in his lap. It had been through hell: World War II bombings, water damage, and general neglect. But this old thing was a Rosetta Stone waiting for its sober lover.

While World War II suppressed the free exchange of scholarly thought, Knorozov was insulated and incubated over in Mother Russia. He faced another kind of battle, though: stifling Soviet oversight and scarce resources.

But undeterred, Yuri used his noggin. He hypothesized that the glyphs weren’t just individual pictures or symbols. They were indicative of phonetic sounds, a theory vastly different from what the scholarly mainstream believed.

Where many saw walls, Knorozov saw doors.

He hammered away at this theory, marrying the dots and bars of the Mayan numeral system to the text surrounding them. It was as if he spoke directly to the ancient Mayans, bridging a chasm of silence that had lasted since the fall of their civilization. Bit by bit, he began matching sounds to symbols.

His breakthrough publications hit in the 1950s. And like most disruptors, he was met with academic side-eye. It was the ‘newbie rocking the boat’ scenario. Many Western academics clung angrily to their dated theories, as if they were good luck charms.

But as time marched on, so did progress. Others began taking swings with the bat Knorozov had crafted. Additional findings corroborated his theories. The wall of mystery surrounding Mayan writing was getting holes punched into it, letting light in.

By the time of his death in 1999, Knorozov had seen his theories widely accepted. Mayan glyphs were readable, weaving tales of kings, conquests, and the cosmos.

What Yuri Knorozov did single-handedly is akin to solving a 1,000-year-old crossword puzzle without any clues, which makes you wonder, how many other historical whispers are just waiting for their translator?

From my home in Portland, OR, I look at Knorozov’s story as a beacon of hope for every solo scholar out there staring at an uncracked code. Keep at it. You might just be onto something.

A Samurai, (1881)

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As a doctor, was there ever a procedure you refused to do?

Yes, but it had nothing to do with the procedure being inappropriate; it was an issue of consent.

I was called by a clinician to put a drainage catheter into an abscess, a pretty standard procedure; I was told that the patient had been reluctant, but had agreed to go ahead. Naturally I spoke with the patient myself, and discovered that she had not given any kind of meaningful consent; instead she had said something like “whatever”, just to get rid of the clinician, whom she described as a moron.

I called him up, with the patient in the room (but not listening in on the phone); I explained that I had spoken with her in person, and she was clearly unwilling to have the procedure. He then described her as a “seed person”, his term for someone who distrusted conventional medicine and preferred natural remedies; while I sympathized with his preference for proven treatments, it was clear that his attitude towards her was one of contempt, and that she had picked this up. He asked if he could speak to her; I told her he wanted to talk with her, she absolutely refused, and I conveyed this to him – softening her language slightly.

I then wrote a lengthy note in her chart, summarizing my discussion with her, quoting her comments, and explaining that as she had no intention of giving consent for this procedure, I was not going to perform it. I felt that she needed it, and I had explained this to her as clearly as I could; but as I was not her parent or legal guardian, I was professionally and ethically obligated to respect her wishes.

The right of a mentally competent adult patient to refuse treatment is absolute, whatever the consequences. My job is to explain those consequences as clearly as I can. The patient’s job is to make the choice.

What is the best thing I should learn from you?

1. Trust dogs. They always know who to stay away from.

2. Eat whatever you want, and if someone calls you fat, eat them too.

3. If you are not happy where you are, move. You are not a tree.

4. Drinking can cause memory loss, or even worse, memory loss.

5. Don’t let compliments get to your head and don’t let insults get to your heart.

6. You don’t have to attend every argument you are invited to.

7. You don’t have to settle for the bare minimum. Try selective dating

and you’ll meet the one who’s going to love you back.

8. Don’t be ashamed of yourself – that’s a job for your parents.

9. Don’t complain about getting old, not everyone gets the privilege.

10. Never make someone a priority who only makes you an option.

11. Never look at another man’s clock and never count another man’s money.

12. Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.

13. Don’t settle for a relationship that won’t let you be yourself.

14. Don’t complain about growing old. Today is the oldest you’ve ever been, and the youngest you’ll ever be again.

15. Don’t give up your dreams, keep on sleeping.

Daredevil, (1917)

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What did a judge say during sentencing that made you say “You gotta be kidding me”?

An ex of mine, we dated for 3 months. He was significantly older.

In that time he got progressively more controlling. One day he heard a rumour I was cheating on him.

How I was meant to, I don’t know as I was always either at work (and replying to his messages) or with him.

He decided to throw me around and threaten me with 2 knives. Both of which he pressed against my throat. He also threatens to kill the friend he decided I was sleeping with. Luckily he gets angry enough and storms out of my home as there was no way I could physically move him and I lock the door.

I call my mum to come and get me away, she calls the police. All the time he is banging on the door threatening me and my friend. He keeps accusing me of calling “my other boyfriend” and how he will kill him when he gets there. He realises I’ve called the Police and goes for a walk away from my home.

I show the Police the knives and give a statement at the Police station. He is arrested and pleads guilty to the Police.

The Police Officer I was speaking to unofficially advised me to submit a request against Claires Law which eventually informed me that he had been connected to 5 other women in domestic violence cases. The last one whom he attacked with an axe, he went to prison for 3 months for that incident. These are just the reported cases, I have no doubt there are more who did not report him.

My case was deemed only to be a Magistrates case. The Magistrate on hearing the guilty plea gave a 12 week suspended sentence for 1 year so he could work on his mental health, a Restraining order for 3 years and “compensation” of £150.

I can’t believe the magistrate had a clear domestic abuser who showed clear escalation patterns increasing in violence to women ranging from stalking, assault and sexual assault and gave such a ridiculous sentence. It showed a lack of respect for female lives. I was advised not to attend court, it’s probably a good thing as I doubt I could have stopped myself shouting at the magistrate.

I had to flee my home, upend my entire life, develop ptsd and the perpetrator got a slap on the wrist.

A Nihang Bodyguard, (c.1865)

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When Evil Parents Realize They’ve Been Caught

Damn! Damn! Damn!

Holy FUCK!

https://youtu.be/31AZ3x17Aq0

Curb Market in NYC, (ca 1900)

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27 Minutes Of Rude Karens Vs Judges!

GOD! The USA is so messed up!

Observer on Iwo Jima, (1945)

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A Massive Cat Abandoned at the Shelter Gets Adopted Within Hours

Crowded Bunks in the Prison Camp at Buchenwald, (April 16, 1945)

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Why were students in China forced to learn classical Chinese?

In the first place, I would like to say that you are right, to some extent. I agreed with you that we are somehow forced to learn some very entry level Classical Chinese, during the compulsory education stage (year 1 to year 9). This is the fact about Chinese education.

In the second place, since you asked why. I will try my best to answer your question.

The importance of classical Chinese:

In the narrow sense, Classical Chinese is the language which was actively used between Spring and Autumn period through to the end of the Han Dynasty (5th century BC to 2nd century AD). It soon became the formal written language in the Chinese society all the way until the 1910s when the Qing Dynasty was overturned. More than 2000 years of history was documented by using classical Chinese. It carried the invaluable heritage of our civilisation. In my opinion, it means much more to us than Latin to the European society.

In the broad sense, Classical Chinese is contrary to the Morden Mandarin, including classical Chinese (narrow sense), poems, novels written in the vernacular Chinese etc. It draws a whole picture of our great 5000-thousand-year civilisation, keeping people with hopes even in the darkest time of our nation.

Why government decided to introduce classical education.

China is a civilisation state instead of a national state. Anyone who recognises Chinese culture is considered as Chinese and could be integrated into the mainstream society, even he is not a Han Chinese. That is said Chinese people was united by a common written language, a universal value and a general social norm, even they may speak different dialects, live in a different region and have a different clan. This is also the most powerful argument to against the claims such as Cantonese is a distinct language instead of a Chinese dialect. The reason why schools in China teach both classical and Mandarin is, I think, it works better if taught together. Mandarin is the main structure and classical is a supplement of it. Mandarin is superficial which could not teach students some fundamental and abstract concepts. For example, people who only received Mandarin education would probably not able to understand the connections between the full moon and home sick (like a metaphor), autumn and depression etc. Therefore, promoting classical education would further strengthen the sense of national identity bound by the language and culture. That is the how to keep the nation united for more than 2000 years (Since Qin Dynasty firstly published a set of national standards). That is the political concern of the government. And this is also the answer to why not only Han Chinese, other ethical minorities are (not forced but encouraged) learning Chinese.

“月落乌啼霜满天 江枫渔火对愁眠” (The moon is setting. The crows are crying. The atmosphere is heavy with a chilly autumn frost. The maple trees and the lights of the fishing boats are reflected in the water. Yet I am unable to sleep because of sorrow.)This short poem was filled with culture symbols such as “moon, crow, autumn, red leaves and fishing boats”. Those culture symbols was consistently used till today, they speak themselves without the need of explanation. But it almost undecipherable for people without classical education.

Social response

In fact, there is far less unfavorable voice against teaching classical in school rather than that of English. Ministry of Education is planning to make the English language an elective subject in the College Entrance Examination (aka. Gaokao), but removing classical content is out of the question, definitely. Personally, I, although not excel it, rather enjoy learning classical than modern Mandarin. It is so concise, splendid, touching my soul so deeply. I was hoping one day I could like those famous poets, to put own feelings into such powerful words. People used to say ‘a picture speaks a thousand words’. Some classical quotes certainly could do the better job in the appropriate circumstance. Many Chinese leaders would like to quote some classical or come up their own.

President Jiang Zemin’s calligraphy, quoting national hero Lin Zexu’s poem. (were it to benefit my country I would lay down my life; what then is the risk to me)

China’s Premier Wen Jiabao wrote on the blackboard after 2008 Sichuan earthquake. “challenges make a nation much stronger”

Chinese also tend to use classical to name their children, their company etc. A name with good meaning would give people a better first impression. Actually, not only Chinese, people from East Asia and Vietnam will also use Chinses classical when giving the name. e.g. all Japanese emperor’s title of reign is based on Chinese classical.

Lastly, China, together with Korea peninsula, Japan, Ryukyu and Vietnam, shared a long history bound by classical Chinese language. All most all the history was written in classical Chinese. Due to some political concerns, both Korea and Vietnam abolished Chinese, making it a great loss in their culture. Now people living there could not understand what their ancestors wrote when they are visiting their historical sites. I can never imagine this happens in China one day, when our children visiting forbidden city and asking what exactly did the emperor write on the wooden boards. What a ridiculous thing?

Ps. It is rather funny to ask in such way. Forced?

It could be better to rephrase the question to ‘why Chinese student nowadays still need to learn classical Chinese

What did your boss say to you during a meeting that resulted in you immediately resigning?

He sacked a colleague the day my colleague was leaving for a family holiday. My boss (and owner of the business), Paul, just liked to show people he had the power. He was often petty and a micromanaging control freak. He seemed to like me, so most of the time he left me to do my thing.

My colleague, Ian, had become a friend, and we’d hang out after work. He had been planning an overseas family trip for some time, and had been talking about it for a couple of months in advance of the date. He had requested leave, which was approved, before making the booking. He was a friendly, genuine guy, and most of us in the office shared his enthusiasm for his holiday. We could see he was looking forward to taking his family away.

He was due to fly out on a Saturday. On the Friday, Paul called Ian into his office and told him he had changed his mind, he was revoking the leave. Ian tried to argue that the tickets were non-refundable, everything was booked, his wife had taken leave, and they had permission to take their children out of school. Paul wasn’t swayed. He made it clear, cancel or be fired.

Ian asked what was so important that he needed to stay, Paul didn’t give a real answer. He just shrugged and said, “it’s my company, my call.”

Ian called his wife, and then decided to do the holiday. He didn’t want to lose the money or let his family down.

He came and told me just before lunch what had happened, and suggested we go for a farewell lunch.

I was incensed! I immediately wrote a handwritten resignation, left it on Paul’s desk, packed my things, and went to lunch. I told Ian and some other colleagues at lunch that this was also MY farewell.

As lunch wrapped up, the others drifted back to the office, and it was just Ian and me, commiserating over a beer, when Paul came in, in a fluster. I had never seen him in such a state (I later realized it was because he was no longer in control). Paul loudly tried to convince me to stay, offered me everything (other than more money!). I just said no, calmly. He left saying something like “you’ll be back when you can’t find another job.”

I called in on another friend on my way home, and had a job offer that afternoon.

Beer Battered Fish and Chips

Beer Battered Fish and Chips
Beer Battered Fish and Chips

Ingredients

  • 2 to 4 potatoes, scrubbed and cut into fingers
  • 1 pound fish (cod, halibut, polluck, etc.) 500g
  • 1 (12 ounces/355mL) can beer
  • 1 egg, beaten until fluffy
  • 2/3 cup milk 150 mL
  • 1 teaspoon canola oil 5 mL
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder 5 mL
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 mL
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 mL
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 375 mL
  • 1/2 cup second flour amount for dipping 125 mL
  • 3 cups canola oil for deep frying 750 mL

Instructions

  1. Pat potatoes and fish dry with paper towels.
  2. Heat oil to a frying temperature of 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). To cook potato chips properly, it is important to maintain this frying temperature. You may wish to increase the temperature slightly before adding potatoes as oil temperature will drop when food is added. Fry 5-6 minutes or until golden brown. While potatoes are frying, prepare batter for fish.
  3. To prepare batter: Mix together beer, egg, milk and canola oil. Add baking powder, cayenne pepper, salt and 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) flour all at once, mixing only enough to dampen the dry ingredients.
  4. Remove potato chips from the canola oil with slotted spoon, drain on paper towels, and season to taste.
  5. Coat fish pieces in 1/2 cup (125 mL) flour before dipping in batter. Gently place in hot oil to deep fry. Cook until golden, about 6 minutes.
  6. Remove from oil with slotted spoon; drain on paper towels.

Have you ever overheard a conversation that you wish you could forget you heard?

When my grandmother found out she had terminal cancer, she gave away a lot of her things to her children and grandchildren. She gave my cousin her 6 year old car, she gave me her expensive vacuum cleaner, she gave my mother an 8 foot tall grandfather’s clock, that had been hand made by my mothers great grandfather, those are the only three I remember, but she had two children and six grandchildren, so you can see by the gifts, that they weren’t terribly expensive, but had some value.

She still owned her own condo, and had some savings.

Shortly after my grandmother had died, and the will had been read, I over heard my uncle talking to my mother. My grandmother had split the estate between my uncle and mother. My uncle wanted everything that my grandmother had given away, to be given back to the estate, as he felt that they were just loans. Then the estate would be split between him and mom. If the grandkids ( including his own kids) wanted what they had been given, they could buy it from the estate.

I was shocked, I had always loved my uncle, he had never seemed like a greedy man. But inheritance seems to bring out the worst in people. My mother and uncle fought for the first time that I ever knew of, and some nasty things were said.

Evidently he approached his kids to get the gifts back, and they formed a united front, and told him he was wrong. So he backed off. I would have never have known that he had a greedy side to him, if I hadn’t overheard that conversation. He died about 10 years later, and I never looked at him, quite the same as before I overheard that conversation.

Have you ever overheard a conversation that you wish you could forget you heard?

When my grandmother found out she had terminal cancer, she gave away a lot of her things to her children and grandchildren. She gave my cousin her 6 year old car, she gave me her expensive vacuum cleaner, she gave my mother an 8 foot tall grandfather’s clock, that had been hand made by my mothers great grandfather, those are the only three I remember, but she had two children and six grandchildren, so you can see by the gifts, that they weren’t terribly expensive, but had some value.

She still owned her own condo, and had some savings.

Shortly after my grandmother had died, and the will had been read, I over heard my uncle talking to my mother. My grandmother had split the estate between my uncle and mother. My uncle wanted everything that my grandmother had given away, to be given back to the estate, as he felt that they were just loans. Then the estate would be split between him and mom. If the grandkids ( including his own kids) wanted what they had been given, they could buy it from the estate.

I was shocked, I had always loved my uncle, he had never seemed like a greedy man. But inheritance seems to bring out the worst in people. My mother and uncle fought for the first time that I ever knew of, and some nasty things were said.

Evidently he approached his kids to get the gifts back, and they formed a united front, and told him he was wrong. So he backed off. I would have never have known that he had a greedy side to him, if I hadn’t overheard that conversation. He died about 10 years later, and I never looked at him, quite the same as before I overheard that conversation.

What did someone do during military boot camp that made you say “You gotta be kidding me”?

They taught us how to wear boots. At the beginning of the session, the tough looking DS looked at us the only way a DS can do it.

I thought what the hell? Put them on and lace them up. Oh no. There was the Army way.

We found out how important the simple sock was in the Army.

“Socks must be pulled up TIGHT! No wrinkles or seams. Loose socks in your boot can be a painful thing and cause blisters quicker than your daddy’s willow switch. Pull them up tight. Keep them dry. Wet socks are not a soldier’s friend. If a soldier’s feet are unusable because of blisters, that soldier is unusable. Take care of those feet. Also, mark those socks.”

We had to make sure there were no wrinkles on the inner sole where the foot goes in.

“If there’s a wrinkle in your boot lining, give ‘em back and you will be issued new ones. Wrinkles cause blisters. Make sure your boot is TIGHT around your foot. Do not let your feet ‘float’ in boots. Floating feet cause blisters!”

“The boots are laced diagonally with the excess lace tucked into the top of the boot. Metal cleats and side tabs are not authorized for wear. Steeled toed boots are not authorized for wear. THAT gentlemen is why these are NOT steel toed boots. If they were, you would be crippled within two weeks. There should be at least a 3/4-inch minimum additional length at toe. DO NOT soak boots in water or bake in an oven to break-in. Boots should be worn in gradually at first with ever-increasing walking or marching distances while remaining comfortable.”

“The back of your boots must also be shined. Just because we’re looking at you from the front, wise asses, doesn’t mean we won’t give the about face order.

“The tongues of your boots will lie flat all along the top of your boots, not squished in like a piece of toilet paper shoved up the crack of your ass. Squished tongues cause blisters. We don’t want blisters around here. Blisters mean there’s a man out and the rest of you do twice the work. If I find a squished tongue in your boot, and I’ll check at times, it’ll be YOUR tongue lying on top of your foot under the laces!”

“If you do not follow these instructions, you will get my right boot up your ass and I’m telling you now, IT WILL HURT! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?”

This DS had at least size 13 boots. We understood.

When A Kidnapper Gets Caught Red Handed

People must hear you hiss

Today is a video that discusses the importance of instilling fear in others. Please watch it. Cobra’s need to hiss.

The United States is leading the West into a great collapse, and the longer that it is delayed, the more horrific the fall will be. Mark my words.

My mother was living with her “husband” after she divorced my father. This man and her did not ever get formally married as both were Catholic. However, they did everything else together. In sin, I suppose.

He was reasonably wealthy. He owned a coal company. And I got along reasonably well with him.

He had something like 18 sons. No daughters. And his boys were loose cannons, but a lot of fun. Oh well. LOL.

Anyways, as time went forward, he got older and older… more and more frail. And in the Manor where my mother and him lived, he has one of those staircase elevators installed. It was kindly neat and all that, but as soon as he passed on, my mother insisted that it be removed immediately. She didn’t want that thing in her house at all.

Fifteen years later, she too was old and feeble, and I was there taking care of her. It got to the point that she no longer could walk up the stairs by herself. SO she slept downstairs in a bedroom that we built just for that purpose.

The bedroom was really nice, by the way, with a bathroom, and an attached study. Mom picked out a massive desk for the office, but to everyone’s dismay discovered that it wouldn’t fit in the office. Oh well. We then parked the credenza outside.

She only got to use the bedroom for a few months before she passed on. Maybe ten tops. But that is good enough for me.

When you die, you leave behind the things that you no longer need.

Today… remember. People need to hear you hiss.

US Congress unanimously approved the Patent Restriction Act. All of China’s patents are at risk of invalidation overnight. Huawei’s 20000+ patents could be deemed invalid. All countries at risk as the US can claim a national security threat. Fair?

Patents serve ONLY one purpose;

To prevent a competitor from duplicating your technology / products.

By invalidating patents, then ALL patents become worthless paper. This is simply because any nation still using them restricts it’s own industry. To ignore patents by one is to ignore patents by all. To remain competitive, once the patent protection fails, all patent protection fails. It’s a global “domino effect”.

There will be a serious of STRONG and DANGEROUS consequences of this action.

  • Initially, the weaker industry (nation / product / technology) will start to copy the previously protected items.
  • This in turn, will provide an outward appearance of “catching up” to the dominant (nation / product / industry).
  • But, this will be short-lived. Innovation, especially in the contemporaneous fields (that are at battle) require manpower, innovative talent, and massive capital investment. The industry that presently maintains this lead will continue to maintain this lead, while the nation / industry falling behind will require massive changes and investment just to “tread water”.

This is [1] an obvious desperate move, [2] constructed by the ignorant, that will have [3] a long-term negative impact on the industries of the West. Particularly the United States.

Consider India.

India invalidated protections on American patents. This resulted in the export of “dirt cheap” medicine and pharmaceuticals. In the USA, a single pill of Viagra costs $20. (Of course, you can shop around, but that is the baseline price.) But you can buy them on-line, out of India for $1 each. Seeing that it costs $0.00000009 for each pill, the profit is still enormous for Indian companies, and American companies lost market share.

Consider China.

All those fancy-pantsy gizmos and gadgets in the latest American weapons systems, electronics, and medicines are now “up for grabs”. China will own EVERYTHING. Americans will still pay premium prices, and the protectionism measures will be “ramped up”, but China really will OWN EVERYTHING.

From Viagra to Oreos. From McDonald’s to Starlink. From Harley-Davidson to Heinz ketchup. This legislation by “Congress” pretty much is the DEATH BLOW to United States product dominance.

Last Word

To those of you who do not work in any tech industry, some words need to be said.

A patent is NOT a set of instructions on how to use technology. It is a description of the invention. It can include it’s basic properties and premises that it works upon, but patents will not provide enough information to duplicate that technology.

The United States can, at will, invalidate any patents it wants. But that does not give it that technology. It just allows it to copy the technology IF IT HAS THE MEANS to do so. If it has the manufacturing technology, the design technology, and a thorough understanding of the underlying principles.

For all you ‘Merica types out there is internet land, I’d advise you all to stop and think.

  • China is a beautiful woman. A 10 in any man’s book.
  • A patent is like a photograph of that woman.
  • But claiming that ownership of that photo is the same as being married to the chick is silly.

Come back down to earth, and realize that you just cannot reconstitute a technology from the words on a patent. All you can do is pin up that picture up on the wall for everyone to look at.

What has your child done that is technically “wrong” but you were proud of them for doing it?

My mom, dad, and Grandpa were the ones who were proud of me for sticking up for my sister.

So a little back story, my sister has Scoliosis and she had a bully in fourth grade who kept physically assaulting with her. She kept telling the teachers and even the principal but they never did shit about it, and she told us every time this guy would attack her.

So one day, I actually witnessed one of his attacks on her so I went up to him, pinning him to a wall and punched him the face a few times and told him, if he ever messed with my sister, I will give him a beating of a lifetime. Dude ran to the bus after I letted him go.

So I rode the bus home, and warned my mom she was going to get a call from the school about me taking matters into my own hands after witnessing this guy hurt my sister. She was shocked that I did that. But she said she would support me.

Guess what, first period, I get called to the Principle’s office by the school announcer, I just decided to go and face judgment day, my home room teacher and my counselor were there as well, along with the kid I punched a few times. I rolled my eyes at the kid, as I sit down.

So what happened next, I get confronted by three people at once, they were firing shots at me while I just sat there looking at the kid who I beat up. Soon enough, my mom was called in to meet with them that day, while I was in ISS. But she didn’t arrive till 7th Period with my grandpa, my dad who was a police officer, and my sister’s note book of all the dates this kid bullied her and when she did tell a teacher and the principal at which time.

I remember seeing the color being wiped away when she saw my dad in his uniform, but they frought hard in support of my actions. But at the end, we had to threatened the school with a lawsuit. But that was two weeks later. I was punished with OSS for two to three weeks.

So when it was over, My mom took me to the mall and got me Dairy Queen and a sword from Isle of Misfits, got a few lego figures and a Lego set. My mom did tell me to next time, prep before taking action. And try not to do that again unless I have to, but she was proud of me. Along with my dad and my Grandpa.

Anyway my OSS was lifted after the lawsuit was threatened and the bully of my sister was punished OSS for the time I was in OSS. My Teacher, Principle, and Counselor apologized to me but I just told the Principle to next time, to do her job, and I told my teacher and counselor that it’s going to take some time for me to forgive them.

All was well, the bully never messed with my sister and was even moved out of the classroom she and him were in. People in her grade knew not to bully her otherwise if Teachers or Principles don’t do anything, her big brother will do something about it.

Beggar’s Chicken (China)

Beggars Chicken
Beggars Chicken

Ingredients

  • 1 (3 pound) broiler-fryer chicken
  • 6 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons dry sherry
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon five-spice powder
  • 1 (1-inch square) piece fresh ginger root, pared and cut into thin slices
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups salt
  • 1 1/2 cups water

Instructions

  1. Remove giblets from chicken and reserve for another use. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper toweling. Place chicken on large piece of greased extra-wide, heavy duty aluminum foil. Rub or brush 2 1/2 tablespoons of the soy sauce completely over chicken. Rub or brush the oil completely over chicken. Pull skin at neck end under chicken and secure with small skewer. Tuck wing tips under thicken.
  2. Combine remaining 4 tablespoons soy sauce, the sherry, sugar, five-spice powder, onions and ginger. Pour mixture into cavity of chicken, holding tail end of chicken up slightly so liquid does not run out of cavity. Secure tail end of chicken with small skewers. Wrap foil around chicken, sealing securely.
  3. Combine flour and salt in bowl. Gradually mix in enough water to make a firm dough. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface until about 1/4-inch thick (dough must be large enough to completely cover chicken.
  4. Place foil-wrapped chicken onto center of dough. Fold dough over chicken, pressing edges and ends together to seal completely. Place chicken in well greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan.
  5. Bake chicken in preheated 450 degrees F oven 1 hour.
  6. Reduce heat to 300 degrees F. Bake 2 1/2 hours longer.
  7. Remove chicken from oven. Using mallet or hammer, break pastry. Remove chicken from pastry and place on serving plate. Carefully remove foil and skewers.

Yield: 4 servings

What are some common scams that tourists should be aware of when visiting Japan? How can these scams be avoided?

It’ll be extremely rare to see a scam in Japan as a tourist in Japan, except in one location: Kabukicho, Shinjuku, Tokyo.

Some scams exist for many Japanese people, like the Ore-ore scam

targeting the elderly, but many you won’t experience. (I’ve dropped my wallet in the middel of the street in Tokyo before, and had it returned with all my money inside of it.

Essentialy, the scam is that some cute girl or a muscular foriegner who speaks English tries to entice you into a bar, and get you drinking. If you’re alone and looking for company, you could get a drink (if you hadn’t checked the prices), and then when you get the bill, instead of something like $20 you were expecting to pay, you “ordered” the $2000 drink according to them.

Because you don’t speak Japanese and are intoxicated, if the police get involved you’ll most likely be blamed for not paying up.

They’ll take you to the ATM with a kind, muscular “escort” to help lift the burden of money off of you, and you’ll probably regret your existence while doing so.

Biggest thing is make sure you see a menu, and don’t go in because of a cute girl or because of some random promoter who speaks English.

I really enjoy going to Rocky Bar Mother and Bar Psy are really great to go to there, with drinks and awesome music if you like it. I take my friends there on occasion, so it’s something I’d highly recommend.

image 425
image 425

What are some unwritten social rules everyone should know?

  • Dress well no matter what the occasion.
  • Always carry cash.
  • Always getup when you’re sitting and someone come to greet you.
  • Always comment on good things don’t keep in heart.
  • If the phone is on the speaker inform.
  • Chat to anyone who is sitting alone at a party or in a group.
  • don’t have the impulse to sit near look-alike you. If everyone fulfils this, people who represent any minority will end up sitting alone.
  • If feasible, avoid the plan to go outdoor if you have a runny nose.
  • Do not swipe left or right if individual shows you a photo on their phone.
  • Wave your hand rather than calling his or her name if someone is far or on phone or earphones plugged in.
  • Offer a glass of water to the delivery man.
  • People know the worth. If successful wear shirt of 300 it seems 3000 and if unsuccessful wear 3000 it seems 300. Don’t show off.
  • When anyone gets shouted at don’t look at them. It’s more awkward.
  • Always open the door for the person coming behind you. Doesn’t matter if it is a guy or a girl.
  • Stop being late, it’s irritating.
  • When someone starts talking about their conditions, don’t start talking about yours.
  • Never ask a shy person what’s wrong or ask them ‘why aren’t you talking more?’ It only makes them feel more awkward.
  • When visiting someone’s house, carry something.
  • When you open a gift, just say thank you. Don’t say, “It’s too expensive!”
  • Being vegetarian or non-vegetarian is a choice. Don’t ask anyone why it’s so.
  • Do not sympathize with anyone in public. This will embarrass a person more than be laughing at.
  • Don’t expect others to understand how hard you are working and living. Everyone doing.
  • If you like working with smart people, be prepared to be used by them too. As well as Worshipped and learn from them too. Your attitude.
  • Don’t make suggestions; But when it comes to house, car, marriage don’t give advice. Because these are very important things & if something goes wrong you’ll be blamed or they may stop talking to you.
  • Greeting Etiquette = The 6S- Stand, See, Smile, State, Say, Shake
  • Don’t look at your phone when others are talking to you.

What’s something unusual you said or did during a job interview that got you hired?

It happened during our campus placements. Company had shortlisted 20 students for interview round and intended to take only 2.

I had cleared first 2 interviews and was being interviewed with regional head of the company..

Interviewer: ” So tell me.. What will you do if any better company with same profile but better package offers you the job?”

Me: “Sir I will take that job.”

Interviewer: ” This means you are not loyal to us. Even if I offer you the job there is no guarantee that you will join our company. So why should I offer you one?”

Me: “Sir if you are talking about being loyal, so let me ask you, if you find another candidate better than me then you will offer him the job. Isn’t it. So going by your logic company is not loyal to me. But let me tell you it isn’t about being loyal. Everyone wants best for himself. You want best people to work for you and I want to work for the best. Don’t you believe you are best in the industry??”

Result : Selected..

Chinese teen and 20’s fashion

What work secret did you accidentally find out that changed everything?

I had a charismatic boss who managed by walking around trying to intimidate employees. He didn’t bother me because my job was essential and I got along well with the conservative types and the weirdos.

We used a lot of darkroom equipment and chemicals. Because the chemicals contained silver, they were expensive, and this boss was cheap.

I found out by accident that he instructed accounts payable not to pay the suppliers. We were supposed to find new suppliers. And then when they were not paid, move to new suppliers.

I did not like this.

This plan made me crabby.

So, I called a couple of the suppliers from home to tell them the plan. They called other suppliers, competitors, and everyone else. That’s all I did. I called two suppliers.

Suddenly no supplier would fill our orders unless they were paid in advance. I told the boss that we had to pay up front. He waved this problem away, as he often did. I wrote him a note. Left it on his desk. He didn’t read it.

We ran out of supplies. The darkroom work and all typesetting stopped. All three art departments stopped, apart from planning.

The boss had a meltdown when he discovered all those employees were unable to finish work. He called a supplier from my phone. The supplier required payment for all previous invoices, so the boss called another supplier. He got the same message. And again.

Just then, the 80-year-old office manager arrived. She took the phone out of his hand and told him to leave the building and stop annoying people. He left. She continued the conversation to say that she would courier a cheque over immediately and when it cleared, we would appreciate the supplies.

As she was leaving, I heard her say that the she was going to kill that man before she retired.

She was unsuccessful.

He lives.

Lost In Space | 1920 Universe

This 1920 universe is AI generated madness. Well worth the time to visit.

What are few things only mature people can tell you?

  1. Not everyone will live long. Stay happy and useful to humanity as much as you can.
  2. Life is not Disney Island, always strife for the best and prepare for the worse.
  3. Nobody can love you unconditionally except your mum and in few cases, your family.
  4. You can simply avoid future problems by listening to your instincts and warnings from your loved ones.
  5. Most people won’t support you in life until there’s no option but to join the crowd.
  6. Discipline will take you farther than talent.
  7. Everybody is fighting their own demon either publicly or privately. Never envy anyone.
  8. Don’t look down on anyone, life can switch up within a minute.
  9. Money is not everything, it incredibly betters your life but doesn’t solve all life problems. Still have it anyway.
  10. You don’t have to get to the level of Elon Musk to change the world when your little kindness can.

Have you ever called in sick but you were convinced or threatened by your superiors to come to work? Did it end well for you?

I was assistant manager of a fabric store. Some days I would open the store and other days I would close. One morning I woke up with the flu. I felt horrible, as you can imagine. I was supposed to close that day, so I called very early and told the manager I couldn’t come in, hoping to give them the whole work day to find someone to close.

The manager said she was just about to call me to open because the other asst mgr had forgotten she had to take her kid to the dentist or something. I said, definitely not because I have the flu and can barely get out of bed. The manager said she REALLY needed me to come in. I explained I had a fever and was dizzy but she said I didn’t have a choice, they needed me to come in. I was like, seriously? I can’t believe you want me to come and work with the public when I’ve got the flu. She wouldn’t budge, so I got dressed and went to work.

One of the things I had to do was open the safe and count all the money to make sure the total matched the night before, and bring the cash drawers out to the registers. Any time I wasn’t in the office, it was policy to lock the safe, even if I was only going to be gone for a minute, and even though the store was closed and doors locked. I counted the drawers but I was having trouble counting the rest of the money because I couldn’t concentrate, I was so dizzy. I kept losing track and having to start over.

Finally, since it was getting close to opening the store, I decided to take the drawers out to the registers and then come back and try to count the cash. I closed the safe and carried out the drawers, just as a regional manager came through the door. She went straight to the office. When I came into the office, the safe was standing open. I was shocked because I knew I had closed it. The regional manager asked me why the safe was open, when I knew it was the policy to lock it when I left the office.

I said I was certain I had closed it. She said, yes, it was closed but not locked. I tried to explain I wasn’t even supposed to be there because I was sick, but she interrupted me and said they were going to have to let me go. I was stunned, as I was one of the most knowledgeable employees in the store and had never missed a day of work. I was standing there swaying and trying not to pass out, and wondering how I was going to support my kids now.

The RM told one of the other employees to call someone to replace me so the store wouldn’t be short-handed. I grabbed my stuff and headed for the door. The RM said, “Where do you think you’re going? You have to stay until someone comes to take your shift. If we can’t find anyone, you’ll finish the day.”

I looked at her with an incredulous expression. “Are you kidding me?? I’ve just been fired for dragging my sick ass out of bed to cover for someone who can’t be bothered to keep track of their appointments. I’m going home and going to bed!” Then I walked out.

I hope she got the flu.

STAR TREK ORIGINS (1920) | FULL MOTION VIDEO

What is the most badass thing your parent has ever done?

This happened during college. I was down with viral fever and had to take a break for three days. My best friend, a girl, was in constant touch via phone and she sounded dull. When asked what the problem was, she said it was nothing and I thought she worried about my health. Day 4, I return to college and I learn that a guy from a different department was teasing her (in an abusive way) and was stalking her everyday. And she, being a very reserved and not so brave, did not even tell it outside. I went and punched the mofo right on his face and broke a couple of teeth. His friends came for his help and started attacking me and my friends came in from nowhere.

Once this gang war was done, I and that guy were taken along with our friends to the principal’s office and he started hurling scoldings one after the other. I was a bright student and was always in the good books of every professor and thus it came as a shock to everyone.

They called all of our parents and my dad came. Even my friend was taken into account here and her mom was called to the college (She didn’t have a dad). Everybody – My head of the department, my principal started scolding me and gave my dad a transfer certificate to fill up for me to take me out from the current college and put me somewhere else. They also told me I had spoilt my career now due to this and for also having a relationship (typical Indian brains ya know, roam around with a girl and she is your girlfriend). My dad remained calm and filled up the form and asked if there are any more procedures to be done. The principal and HOD were stunned (they were apparently just trying to scare us) and asked him if he wasn’t worried about my future. I still remember what he said “If I was him, I would have done the same, what he did was right. No one should stand by when a woman is being harassed. I want my son to be on the front lines to stand up for any sort of injustice. I know the girl for the past 14 years and she and my son have been friends since then”.

Everyone got a month’s suspension and the opposite team got two months suspension, except for that guy who harassed her, he voluntarily got a transfer to some other college. I came out of college as a guy with triple placement and being the highest paid recruit of that year.

When driving back home in the car, dad leans in and asks “You love her or what?”

Me : *Facepalm* Typical Indian parents.

P.S : But dad was the best and he was right, This happened 4 years back and am now engaged to that friend of mine 😉

Doctor Who | 1920 Universe | COLORIZED

Priceless . . . US Navy Refusing to Deploy Brand New Littoral Combat Ships to Middle East; Houthi Anti-Ship Missile concern!

Nation Hal Turner 22 December 2023

lcs littoral combat ship FILE PHOTO large
lcs littoral combat ship FILE PHOTO large

The US Navy says it doesn’t have enough warships to launch Operation Prosperity Guardian against the Houthis in Yemen.

According to John Conrad (maritime journalist), the US built 24 littoral combat ships for coastal warfare, but the US is now refusing to deploy them.

Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles and drones “cause US concern.”

HAL TURNER EDITORIAL OPINION

According to Wikipedia, these Littoral COmbat ships cost between Four-Hundred Twenty million and four-hundred eighty million dollars, each.

We built at least 24 of them. 

Do the math:  24 x $420,000,000= $10.08 BILLION . . . .  and now the Navy that bought them – for coastal warfare – isn’t sending them into battle over fear of anti-ship missiles?????   WTF?????

So did we simply throw that money in the garbage?  We have ships we can’t use . . .  so what do we do with them now?

You know, you can’t make this stuff up.   The level of stupidity is amazing. 

Maybe, though, it’s not stupidity; maybe it’s corruption?  Whose beak got wet from that $10.08 Billion?  Whose palms got greased?

And nobody looked or asked about it because the ships were, in fact, built.

Except now, we’re afraid to put them into battle, and guys like me are starting to ask why we even built them, and why can’t a “modern” warship defend itself from anti-ship missiles?”

The Fantasy Of Missile Defense In Ukraine

In October 2022 I mocked western media propaganda that was depicting Russia as unable to sustain the war:

Russia, Having ‘Run Out Of Missiles’, Launches Barrage On Ukraine

Back in March I had warned that Lies Do Not Win Wars. Here is another practical example.

After allegedly having ‘run out of missiles’ and, more importantly, patience, the leadership of the Russian Federation decided to de-electrify Ukrainian cities with a ‘barrage of missile strikes’.

But first came the propaganda blubber: …

There followed 25 headlines by western media which claimed that Russia was running out of missiles.

More recently we see frequent claims by the Ukrainian government that it shot down 43 of the 32 drones Russia launched that day as well as 5 out of 3 supersonic missiles.

Laughable nonsense.

But slowly, slowly the Ukrainians and media have turned to describing stuff more near to, but not yet, reality:

Russia has fired 7,400 missiles, 3,700 Shahed drones in war so far, Kyiv saysReuters

Russia has launched about 7,400 missiles and 3,700 Shahed attack drones at targets in Ukraine during its 22-month-old invasion, Kyiv said on Thursday, illustrating the vast scale of Moscow’s aerial assaults.

Ukrainian air defences were able to shoot down 1,600 of the missiles and 2,900 of the drones, air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said in televised comments. “We are faced with an enormous aggressor, and we are fighting back,” he said.

Shooting down drones, which are relatively slow and fly low, is not so difficult or expensive. One often only needs to have some machine guns in place on the path along which a drone is flying.

Shooting down missiles is something entirely different. Due to their flightpath and speed one needs expensive missile defense systems. The anti-missile missiles these systems fire come at a high price. One Patriot missile comes at about $2,000,000, more for newer ones. Routinely two are fired against any potential target.

If the Ukraine has really shot down 1,600 missiles, which I very much doubt, one can easily calculate the enormous costs of such an endeavor

There are reasons why Patriot missiles are only produced in the hundreds per year, not in the thousands.

No country in the world can sustain such an onslaught without running out of defenses or going bankrupt.

Several months ago a U.S. delivered Patriot system in Kiev came under attack. Set to automatic mode it fired (video) 32 missiles for no observable hits on the imaginary targets. Scott Ritter has said that the U.S. Marines are not allowed to use the automatic mode of their Patriot systems because that is known to fail. But the Ukrainians were not trained to fully handle the manual mode.

And now they are telling us that they shot down 1,600 missiles?

How probable is that?

Posted by b on December 22, 2023 at 12:53 UTC | Permalink

What are some things that make or have made you lose faith in humanity?

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A few days earlier, I had ordered food from an online ordering service. The time must have been around 9:30 PM. Approximate delivery time given was 10:00 PM.

I was not famished literally and didn’t realize the order was delayed until I got a call from the ordering service’s customer care. It must have been around 10:15 PM.

Customer Care Agent: Hello, am I talking to Mr. Yatin?

Me : Yes.

CCA: I am talking from S****y. This is regarding your order sir. The delivery guy informed me that the order cannot be delivered as it is in very bad condition.

Me: Bad condition? As in?

CCA: The delivery person’s bike slipped actually. He says the order is not in a deliverable condition. Do you wish to talk to the delivery guy?

Me: Sure, connect us.

So now Me, CC agent and the delivery boy we now on conference.

After I was put in conference, I could only hear strange shouting sounds on the other side.

The shouting was like, “You idiot piece of s##t! Can you be any more careless? Do you think the material is free?…. Blah, blah, blah….”

Finally the delivery guy spoke.

Delivery guy (Shouting sounds still in background): Sorry sir, the delivery packaging is damaged, and I cannot deliver it.

CCA: Yatin sir, do you want a reorder or a refund? As you can see there is some damage to your order.

By this time I realised that the shouting sounds were in the background of the delivery boy.

The shouting continued, “It’s because of you careless guys that our reputation is spoilt. Careless fellow! Now if reorder is asked from us who will borne the loss?!! I will not give reorder!”

I understood that delivery boy had gone back to restaurant, and had to hear all this because my order was damaged.

I was not having it. I asked the delivery boy something which no one gave a f**k about.

“Bhaiya (brother), are you hurt after the accident? Do you required first aid? Keep the order aside and get first aid if required.”

The guy in a crying tone said he is okay and is sorry for messing up my order.

I asked him to handover his phone to that dumb restaurant owner. And I gave him a piece of my mind. I told him that delivery boys are human beings. They are not robots. Accidents can happen. No need to shout on anyone. It’s not only about your food that represents you, it’s you. I think so you should worry less about your ratings and more about your behaviour ratings. Try to have some general courtesy and not get blinded by professionalism.

He defended himself saying he did not mean any disrespect to me personally. I told him that I will not give any rating as I did not get any food. But whoever he is disrespecting, is a ‘person’ after all and mistakes do happen. He apologized for his behavior.

I still asked the delivery guy if he was fine, he said yes and thanked me. I asked him to be careful in the future and not rush so much as it will be fatal to his life.

The customer care refunded me and that’s all.

Numbers and stars can blind the best of us, is what I realized from this.

What’s the fastest you’ve wiped a smirk off of someone’s face?

Not me, my younger brother Kenneth (by ten years).

I was 21, he was 11. It was a Friday, I was off and took him to the lake. We planned to spend the day there, but about 12:30 we’d skipped breakfast so we went to this burger place to get some lunch. Ordered some burgers. They had one pool table there; Kenneth was watching four college kids play, back then it was 25c to play and they were playing for a dollar a game. Challenger pays for the game.

He said, “Gimme a buck and a quarter.”

All right, sure. I have an idea what’s coming. He walks over, and says he wants to play, he’s got his money. The guy who had won the last game is saying he doesn’t want to take a kid’s money, so I said, “It’s my money, don’t worry about it, just let him have a game.”

Okay. Four guys about 20, shaking their heads and grinning. Kenneth breaks hard, and sinks a ball. Runs four more after that, then barely missed a bank shot. Grins are gone.

The other guy takes his shot, misses, and Kenneth runs the rest of the table. It was hilarious, now all of those guys are drinking beer and laughing every time he sinks a tough shot, “no fucking way!” and “Jeezus Christ!”

He picked up the two bucks, said, “Thanks, dude,” then put a dollar back down. “Anybody want to play?”

They all did. One after another, they all lost a couple of bucks, along with the waiter, and two more guys who came in. We were there for hours, until it was too late to go back to the lake. He made about twenty bucks. Funniest buck and a quarter I ever spent. Kid had been shooting pool in our garage since he was four and standing on a box.

What are the most profound jokes ever?

A man dies and goes to hell. Once there, he finds that there is a different hell for each country, so he tries to seek out the least painful one.

At the door to German Hell, he is told: “First they put you in an electric chair for an hour. Then they lay you on a bed of nails for another hour. Then the German devil comes in and whips you for the rest of the day.”

He does not like the sound of that, so he checks out American Hell, Russian Hell and many more. They are all similarly gruesome. However, at Nigerian Hell a long line of people is waiting to get in. Amazed, he asks, “What do they do here?”

He is told: “First they put you in an electric chair for an hour. Then they lay you on a bed of nails for another hour. Then the Nigerian devil comes in and whips you for the rest of the day.”

“But that’s the same as the others,” says the man. “Why are so many people waiting to get in?”

“Because of the power cuts, the electric chair does not work. The nails were paid for but never supplied, so the bed is comfortable. And the Nigerian devil used to be a civil servant, so he comes in, signs his time sheet and goes back home for private business.” Tolu Ogunlesi

The Khachaturyan case:

This is a disturbing incident of three teenage sisters stabbing their own father to death, while he was dozing in his armchair at the family home in northern Moscow.

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(Image Source: Getty Images)

The sisters attacked him with a knife, hammer and pepper spray, inflicting fatal wounds to his head, neck, and chest. He had 30 knife wounds in his body when he was found. The girls then called the police and were arrested at the scene.

Why did the sisters kill their own father? What was the motive?

It was during the evening of 27 July 2018, Mikhail Khachaturyan, 57, called Krestina, Angelina and Maria, (aged 19, 18, and 17 respectively), one by one to his room. He scolded them for not cleaning the flat properly and sprayed pepper gas in their faces. The sisters plotted against the father after this incident took place.

The investigation soon uncovered an extensive history of violence in the family. Khachaturyan had regularly beaten his daughters over three years, torturing them, keeping them as prisoners and sexually abusing them. They reported the attack to police and admitted carrying it out, saying they believed their lives were at risk if they did not take action.

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(Image Source: Social media; EAST2WEST NEWS)

The case quickly became sensational news in Russia. Human rights activists argued that the sisters were not criminals but victims, as they had no means of getting help and protection from their abusive father. However, there are no laws protecting victims of domestic violence in Russia.

Under legal changes introduced in 2017, a first-time offender who beats a family member, but not badly enough to put them in hospital, will face only a fine or up to two weeks in custody. Police in Russia usually treats domestic abuse as a “family issue”, providing little or no help at all.

The sisters’ mother, who had also suffered beatings and abuse from Khachaturyan in the past, had approached the police years before. So did the family’s neighbors, who were highly afraid of him. But there is no evidence that the police acted on any of these appeals for help. According to psychiatric assessments, the girls lived in isolation and had been suffering from post-traumatic stress (PTSD).

During the investigation, the sisters were all charged with premeditated murder. Angelina and Krestina face up to 20 years in prison. Maria, a child at the time, could be imprisoned for up to 10 years.

The decision to bring murder charges has been met with protests. In Moscow, hundreds of people gathered outside the headquarters of the Investigative Committee law enforcement agency. Activists were continuing to picket their offices almost daily. Demonstrations have also taken place at Russian embassies or consulates around the world, and Russian cultural figures have spoken out in defense of the sisters.

The high-profile case has divided Russian society into those who say that Krestina, Angelina and Maria Khachaturyan acted in self-defense and those who view them as murderers. Independent polling said that 41% of Russian respondents support the Khachaturyan sisters, while 29% don’t support them.

What do you feel about this disturbing incident? Do you see them as murderers? Or do you feel they acted in self-defense?

What is the best case of “You just picked a fight with the wrong person” that you’ve witnessed?

It wasn’t me that “picked a fight with the wrong person” but certainly one that I witnessed first hand.

So my wife, my friend Barry and his wife left a theatre heading for a bar, with the 2 ladies were walking maybe 20-30 metres in front chatting away – as women tend to do 😛

Next thing, they stop short next to an alleyway behind the theatre and my wife shouts out “f**k off a—hole” and starts to back off.

Barry and I arrive on scene and we see 3 guys – knives pulled waving them around.

Being “Mr Laid Back”, Barry asks “so whats going on here guys?” to which a—hole#1 responds politely “This is our robbery buddy so f**k off or we do you as well”.

Barry shrugs his shoulders, does a half turn as if to walk away then the rest was like the scene from Jason Bourne (movie 1) in the US Embassy scene……blur, blur, arms, hands, legs, blur blur and done, literally 5 seconds and 3 knife-wielding scumbags lying on the floor with broken wrists, unconscious and bloody (or all three).

What I didn’t say was Barry looked and dressed like a city gent, weighed about 120kgs and stood just under 2m tall. He was also previously an unarmed combat instructor for the police, an expert in Ju-Jitsu, Karate and Krav-Maga and worked “in the field” for the security services.

they certainly picked a fight with the wrong person……..

A good friend to have on or by your side at any time, and unfortunately now, sorely missed.

<RIP big man>

No right answer

20 Unspoken Rules For Men:

1. Never shake a hand sitting down.

2. Protect who is behind you, and respect who is beside you.

3. Never insult the cooking when you are the guest.

4. Never eat the last piece of something you didn’t buy.

5. Never make the first offer in a negotiation.

6. Don’t take credit for work you didn’t do.

7. Take blame, and give credit when due.

8. If you are not invited, don’t ask to go.

9. Always aim for the head.

10. Don’t beg for a relationship.

11. Dress well no matter what the occasion.

12. Always carry cash.

13. Listen, nod, and most of all make eye contact.

14. Show restraint in expressing anger, no matter what. Being angry is a waste of energy.

15. Weather it is dinner, drinks, or both, avoid placing your phone on the dinner table.

16. Never pose with alcohol.

17. Proper grammar will get you far in life. Leave the foul language for the less educated.

18. Ask more than you answer.

19. You can tell a great deal about a person by their handshake, so make your strong and firm.

20. Speak honestly. Say what you mean and mean what you say.

Chris Williamson: Why Men & Women Are Giving Up On Love

Has a doctor ever been disgusted by something they saw on a patient?

Well, I still get a bit nauseated thinking of this…I once saw a woman who reported “itchiness” in her groin. Expecting some type of rash, I had her undress and lay back on table. I inspected her groin only to find her entire pubic hair area filled with crawling small bugs! Pubic lice! I was careful not let my disgust show but got a treatment creme and smeared a LOT of it on the entire area. I prescribed a similar medication and simply assured her that the infestation and itchiness would get better after a while. She seemed grateful. My nurse and I then promptly sealed off that exam room and had it thoroughly cleaned. Despite that I felt “itchy” the rest of the day and gave myself a thorough shower when I got home. Despite feeling “disgusted”, one has to be professional. Sometimes harder than others!

Have you ever known personally someone to disappear from the face of earth? Are you looking for them?

I sure have known someone who seemingly disappeared from the face of the earth. But I’m not looking for them anymore.

It’s my brother who disappeared. He was on vacation with his wife and my parents, when he decided to take a short solo hike. Our folks and his wife decided to sit in the shade and wait for him to return. He said he would be back within an hour. But he never returned.

They were in Mesa Verde National Park. The path he went down is called the Spruce Treehouse Path, and it was steep and paved and busy, as people flocked down to see the Spruce Treehouse, an abandoned dwelling in excellent condition. My brother was fascinated with the dwellings and wanted to see one up close and personal. The rest of the group settled on the porch of one of the museums in the park. None of the three were in good enough shape to make it down the steep path and then climb back up again. His wife offered him a bottle of water, but he declined, saying he’d only be gone for a short while. He started to walk off and then his wife called out to him, he turned around, and she snapped the last picture that she would ever take of Mitchell Dale Stehling.

And that was it. The last time anyone in my family saw my brother alive. After two hours had passed, my mother became alarmed, she just knew something was wrong, so they raised the alarm and a short search by rangers was conducted. He couldn’t have gotten very far, in such a short period of time, the rangers told the three. And nobody ever stays lost for long. Either they are found, or they manage to make it back on their own. But Dale wasn’t found that night, nor the next day when the search went into full force. The mountain came alive with people. Search and rescue people came and went searching for him on foot. There were people on horseback, on ATV’s, in helicopters all scouring the mountain side for my lost brother. In addition, a FLIR equipped jet buzzed around the mountain with its heat seeking device looking for Dale.

The massive search effort lasted about a week. The head ranger had my folks put up in one of the cabins in the park, and brought them food, and drink, an no good news at all. There was no sign of Dale, not even an indication that he had even been in the park. In the meantime, my poor dad got sick as a dog and had to see a doctor there. The search was scaled back after a week, and my mother and father drove home alone in their motorhome, while Dale’s wife drove home to Texas with her children, who had driven to Colorado the moment they learned their dad was missing. My mother’s description of how she felt driving down out of the mountains and headed toward home, leaving my brother behind somewhere in the wilderness, just simply broke my heart.

I didn’t learn that Dale was missing until two days after he was gone. I don’t know why nobody thought to call me, but I don’t hold it against anyone, because I can only imagine the chaos and emotional turmoil each person went through in the first days when my brother went missing. I wanted to fly out and help with the search, but my folks asked me to please stay in Texas and guard the home front. Offers of help of all kinds began flooding in, and our church took up a special donation to help offset some of the cost of travel and lodging and being unable to work for a week or so. So I stayed home and worried and cried, and took phone call after phone call from people wondering about Dale.

The night my parents came home, we all gathered at their house. We all hugged and cried and expressed our disbelief that something like this could happen in our family. We wondered aloud how and why Dale had managed to get off trail and get lost. We wondered if he was attacked by someone or something. We all feared the worst. For about two weeks I held out hope that Dale was alive, but then that hope faded slowly away, and I came to realize that he was likely deceased. Yet we didn’t know for sure where he was or what had happened to him. Did he just decide to walk away from his family who all loved him dearly? Did he commit suicide out there some how? Were drugs involved? Did he fall off a cliff, or suffer a heart attack or get bitten by a snake? The questions kept coming with no answers in sight.

The years dragged on. I can tell you that I learned all about grief during those years. Dale and I had been very close, visiting or calling one another nearly every day. We shared our deepest secrets with one another, and he and I just became closer when our brother was diagnosed with schizophrenia and left the family fold. It was just him and me then, and you couldn’t get us apart no matter how hard you tried. I was simply and plainly, devastated by the loss of my dearest friend and brother. I wish I had a penny for every tear I have shed since Dale went missing. For years If I wrote about Dale, the ending was always the same. We didn’t know what happened to him, and we didn’t really expect him to be found as one year rolled around to the next. We were left hanging for many years.

Now there is a different ending when I write about Dale. And that is because of one off-trail hiker in the park. People are not allowed to deviate from the paths that run through the park. But this guy did, and he stumbled upon the skeletal remains of my brother over seven and a half years from the day he went missing. He left a note for the rangers, wanting to remain anonymous for obvious reasons. In the note he said he had found a human body, and had looked through the clothing and found ID. He named the person according to the ID found on him, and gave a good indication of where it was located. He also noted that he had already contacted the media, so the rangers needed to act quickly and go and retrieve that body. And that is exactly what they did.

The rangers and coroner hiked for well over four and a half miles into the wilderness, where they finally found my brother’s remains. They found his skeleton completely intact with the skull still on the neck and clothing still on the bones, shoes still on the feet. His cigarettes and lighter were still in his pocket as well as his wallet which contained his ID, driver’s license and credit cards. He was in a sitting position, with his legs straight out in front of him, leaning against “a lone tree in the bottom of a canyon” in an area that had been thoroughly searched when he first went missing.

Dale’s bones and clothing were examined by a forensic anthropologist. This person said that there were no indications of animal attack before or after his death. The clothing was completely intact and not ripped or torn anywhere. All the bones were accounted for, except the vertebrae which had been removed from his back a bunch of years before he went missing. His spine was fused during a back surgery. The coroner named the date of death as June 9, 2013, the very day he went missing.

Dale’s bones were returned to his widow. She had them cremated so that his ashes could be buried where he always said he wanted to be his eternal resting place. Which was under a big live oak tree on his property. There were visitation and funeral services for my brother, and a private burial after.

I have written about his funeral and burial before, so I won’t get overly emotional and write it all again. Suffice it to say, it was unique. I attended both, driving my parents to all of it. We attended the burial, and I watched as my brothers ashes were sprinkled into a hole in the ground at the base of a tree. My emotions were all over the place that day. I was so glad that the story had an ending, although not a happy one. It was good to know that his remains were back in Texas, and in the place where he always said he wanted to be buried. But the services made if feel like we had lost him all over again, and I cried for days and days.

I would give anything I owned to be able to wash this horrible event from our lives and to have my baby brother back. But God had other ideas, and I know where Dale resides right now. I can’t have my brother back, but I know I will see him again when we are reunited in heaven some day in God’s time. I have come to be able to cope with his death because I realize that this is but a short separation, really. We won’t be apart for all of eternity. Nope, because one day God will take me home too, and that is when I think life really begins. I imagine sharing heaven with my favorite person in the world. We will jump and shout and sing in the angel’s choir, together again for all eternity.

And that, I believe, is one heck of an ending to this story.

Star Trek as a SOVIET Sci-Fi movie directed by Andrei Tarkovski (ai generated)

What is that one picture that describes the lowest point in your life?

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I was 16, and at my grandfather’s life celebration. He’d passed 2 weeks before. That’s my dad and the daughter of a close friend.

I was trying to come to terms with a sexual assault that had occurred nearly a year before. My relationship with my dad had deteriorated to the point where we were hardly speaking, even though we were living in the same house. My dad is a good person, but he’s very broken and endured horrific abuse as a child and teenager. He’s also mentally ill, and at the time he was suicidal and angry. I’d also just lost my Poppy.

I was also suicidal and angry. My parents’ marriage was in tatters, I was in such emotional pain from the assault, and had just started college. I was working two jobs and paying my own way. My mother and I were constantly fighting. I’d just been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and the treatment and recovery was wreaking havoc on my body and emotions. I wanted it all to stop. I was going to drive my car into a tree. I went out driving one night and sped up, and right before I swerved to hit the tree, I remembered my little sister and brother. And my dog, Woof. My sister was only 11, how awful for her would it be if I died? My brother was 14, it would have completely destroyed his life if I left. Woof wouldn’t understand what had happened to me, he’d just think I left him. I pulled over and broke down and cried. I drove home and told my mom I needed help.

I broke down crying on the kitchen floor and told her that if I didn’t get help, I was going to kill myself. She helped me make a therapy appointment for the next week, and I’ve been working hard ever since.

That was one of the lowest points of my life. There have been points just as low in recent years, but I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t leave my family. If I can’t stay alive for myself, I have to for them.

After nearly 4 years of therapy, medication, a clinical depression and panic disorder diagnosis, a short stint in the psych ward when I had a panic attack so bad my then-boyfriend thought I was having a heart attack, and removing myself from my home situation, I’m proud to say that I’m getting better. I’m still not quite on the level of being okay, I still have my bad days and moments where I just want it to stop, but I try to no longer entertain those thoughts. I’m still working too much and not sleeping enough, but I’m also still in college and one step closer to achieving my goals. And I’m still here.

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I made it to 20, and for the first time in a long time, I feel anxious but a bit more prepared for what’s coming next.

EDIT: August 29th, 2023 – roughly 4 years from my OP

This answer has started getting a lot of new comments in the last few weeks, so I thought I just come back to say: I’m still here! I am 24 years old now and STILL ALIVE! The last 4 years have been wonderful, and horrific at times. I have new medical diagnoses, and a much better relationship with my parents. They’ve both grown a lot in the last few years, as have I, and I am lucky to have a much better relationship with both of them.

Thank you everyone for continuing to comment, and boost me, and being there. I come back to this post often to read the wonderful things you all have written whenever I need a boost, or a reminder that I do have a purpose and place here. To anyone who’s been in a place like this before, please know that it does get better. All of the things that I’ve experienced were more than worth it. Because I stayed, I got to watch my little brother graduate from college. Because I stayed I got to watch my little sister graduate high school and go off to college. Because I stayed, I met some of the most wonderful people. You have so much left to experience, so much left to do, and so many people to love, and be loved by. It sounds cliche but I promise, it does get better.

Why PsycHacks REFUSES To Date AMERICAN Women!

A little boy goes to his dad and asks, “What is politics?”

Dad says, “Well son, let me try to explain it this way: I earn the money in this family, so let’s call me the capitalist. Your mom says what we spend the money on, we’ll call her the government. Both of us are here to take care of your needs, so we’ll call you the people. Our nanny is representative of the working class. And your baby brother, we’ll call him the future. Now, think about that and see if that makes sense.”

So the little boy goes off to bed thinking about what dad had said.

Later that night, he hears his baby brother crying, so he gets up to check on him. He finds that the baby has severely soiled his diaper. So the little boy goes to his parents’ room and finds his mother sound asleep and his father missing. Not wanting to wake her, he goes to the nanny’s room, but there he sees the father in bed with the nanny and he can’t get their attention. He gives up and goes back to bed. The next morning, the little boy says to his father, “Dad, I think I understand the concept of politics now.”

The father says, “Good, then tell me in your own words what you think politics is all about.”

The little boy replies, “Well, capitalists are screwing the working class while the government is sound asleep. Meanwhile the people are being ignored and the future is in deep shit.”

Actionable things

What were the worst two minutes of your life?

Ragging.

It’s real. I have never spoken about it before this, but here I go. First year of engineering college was very difficult for me specially knowing the fact that I suffer from ADHD, thus I became an easy target for the seniors of our college. I remember telling a room full of seniors that I will complain about them and within first month it was known that no body from the second year is allowed to talk to me. Things became real one night when this one senior of mine slapped me 20 times in a room full of 20 people who did not even protest or say a thing. Then he used his slippers. Oh, what a night that was. And those two minutes when he was slapping me were the worst.

Then he told me that I won’t be allowed to enter any committee of the college and he would ensure that my life would be hell in college.

After this happened, I still had the guts to take the morning 9am bus and face him where the entire hostel was there. I never spoke to him or any of the seniors from our hostel again. I made some real friends after that incident who were in the room but did not say a thing because of fear. They came to me later to support me.

A similar incident happened six months later but this time all my friends were there to support me and nobody could touch me. Thank you, all of you.

A year later I was the President of Technical Club of our annual fest, Chairperson of Association of Computing Machinery at our college and held a lot of positions at other clubs.

Later when I got into Directi (highest paid internship and PPO from college) and then Flat[dot]to, Flatchat and Unacademy – I realized one real thing. Living your life and doing great is the best revenge.

Those seniors still like every Facebook post of mine these days 🙂

Maybe initially I was working so hard to prove something to them but eventually I realised, they are not worth it.

Do it for yourself, for your parents, for your brother, for your friends. The people who love you and whom you love.

Focus

Why are Sichuan girls so pretty?

It has to do with beauty standards. Sichuanese women aren’t objectively prettier than anyone else, they just fit many Chinese beauty standards better on average – beauty standards are highly variable from place to place and have changed a lot throughout history. Sichuanese women often have characteristics like thin pointed noses, heart shaped faces, larger breasts, lighter skin (Sichuan is located in the Sichuan basin so it’s really foggy), larger eyes, and double eyelids which fit modern Chinese beauty standards.

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The traditional Chinese beauty standards preferred smaller eyes, monolids, smaller breasts, rounder faces, and flatter small noses. The only constant beauty standard is the strong preference for light skin. So this means Sichuanese women being considered attractive is a modern stereotype and you can’t find any historical sources treating them as prettier than women from other regions of China.

Sichuanese women are usually short and a low height for women was the historical beauty standard since it made women seem “fragile” compared to men (we are talking about a very patriarchal society, after all). In modern China, people seem to be a little mixed on this. Taller women are generally preferred and considered more “beautiful” but shorter women (as long as they are not too short) may be considered “cute” by some. For men, they have to be tall because short men are not considered attractive in general. (Are shorter men liked more than tall men anywhere in the world? Sorry, short kings 🙁)

Different generations

“When I was 17 …”

When I was 17 I decided I wanted to reach out to my biological mother through the adoption agency. I heard nothing back initially and when the agency advised me to focus on my leaving cert, I did and I continued on with my life.

Then, 5 years later, out of the blue a letter arrived. This letter would change my life.

I can only assume my mom was upset at the thought of me reconnecting with my biological mother, i dunno maybe she thought I’d leave home and be somebody elses son but no matter what was about to unfold with my biological mother my mom is, and will always be my mom. I feel very lucky to have been chosen by her, that’s sort of how i always felt, like i had been chosen to be their son.

After weeks of letters back and forth the day arrived. The first time i met my biological mother it was only for about 10 minutes in an room at the agency. I was actually ok but Anna (my biological mother) was a nervous wreck. For 22 years she carried this secret with her that no one knew about, not even her close family.

I have my own little guy now and I can’t begin to imagine how hard it must have been for my biological mother to give me up, I mean, I can barely cope with being away from him when I go to work and that’s just for 8 hours. I don’t know what it must have been like for 22 years.

I’m happy to say she is now a part of our lives, I even gained two brothers, another sister and grandparents as a result.

I sometimes wonder what if I hadn’t reached out. That letter that changed my life in such a positive way would still be sitting, unopened, unanswered, in a filing cabinet.

Dressing

As a doctor, what was your most ‘now that was stupid’ moment with a patient?

I once cared for a middle-aged patient who presented to emergency with a dildo-related very embarrassing situation.

He purchased the toy for one of his sexcapades.

Curiosity hit. And he shoved the damn thing in his pooper, high-high up!

“Me first” attitude didn’t do him much good.

Funny feelings subsided fairly quickly and the horror struck when he couldn’t get it out.

His drainage was jammed, the toy was slipping further up and after about 24 hours of wishfully waiting for it to naturally pass, it hurt bad enough to seek medical help.

The official party line, that he vehemently iterated, was I just fell onto it, how else do you think it got up there!

Needless to say, emergency surgery was necessary and he landed in the ICU with sepsis related post-op complications. It took him loooong before being able to use the toilet normally!

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** NOT the patient’s X-ray, but it looked similar**

  • Though I have seen some really absurd stuff in the ER, including a gun-shot to the penis, this surely wins the now-that-was-stupid award..

Russian “Special Flight Squadron” Lands in DC – Ukraine War to End; Russia lays out terms of surrender

World Hal Turner 22 December 2023

Russian officials arrived in Washington, DC Thursday morning to discuss the terms of Ukraine’s SURRENDER.

This is the aircraft that brought the Russian Delegation to Washington, DC:

Special Flight Squadron
Special Flight Squadron

The “Special Flight Squadron moves Kremlin officials traveling on important matters.

TERMS

The terms given to Washington, DC for Ukraine are:

Complete Ukraine surrender.

Complete surrender of all military equipment.

Russian territory will range from Karkhov to Odessa, and gives Russia complete control of Black Sea coast.

Western Ukraine cannot join NATO, or have __any__ military aid.

Russia does not care who controls western Ukraine, and have openly offered it to Poland.

Put bluntly, the Ukraine war is over and Ukraine lost.  Completely.   

They can no longer defend themselves in any meaningful way.   If hostilities are not halted, Ukraine will simply be slaughtered and, believe it or not, Russia does NOT want to do that.

Notice this information isn’t anywhere on the mass-media news?

Notice the Washington Post STOPPED PRINTING it’s “Ukraine War Update Section?”

No reporting that Ukraine has lost – – – and not a word about Russia’s victory.

THIS personifies what the so-called “main stream” media has become: A mouthpiece for government.

The mass-media acts as a stenographer for what government wants you to know. They report “the narrative” as opposed to the “news.”

EDITRORIAL OPINION

Russia won against billions of dollars of the best equipment and NATO-trained troops, it got exactly the farmland it wanted. It lost about 30k troops and killed 300K+ Ukrainian soldiers plus NATO “advisors.”

Russia’s Military industrial capacity has tripled. NATO’s reserve equipment and arms is non existent now.

The 20 percent of Ukraine they conquered are Russian and Russian speaking; so not only do those people NOT hate Russia, they support them!

Energy prices have tripled in Europe and as things stand now, Europe is on the verge of a economic collapse.

NATO and the US have been proven to be a “paper tiger.”

So many people in the West, in its media, and in its governments thought that Ukraine was one counter-offensive away from victory.  It was all lies.  Deliberate lies.

One wonders how all those folks are going to deal with Ukraine’s defeat.

Have you said something that has changed someone’s life?

It was in 1987, a widow of a railway employee who died accidentally, who was barely of 33-34 years approached me to open an account. She was not even able to sign her name. Those were manual banking days. I got her account opening form except signature(which she could not sign) and advised her to learn the signature by her next visit, then only I would open her account. In a sheet of paper I wrote her name “Girija” in hindi and asked her to learn to write her name. I opened her account at my risk and confidence on that poor lady. I didn’t know why my inner sense told me to do so.

She came within two days promptly learnt to sign, so relieving my tension for pending account opening form. She got some fixed deposits from her husband’s settlement funds.

Some days after she, looked terrified, came with an old person. It seemed as if she was trying to convey me some message. I got the chance and learnt that the person accompanied was her father in law(FIL) and he had snatched all her gold and silver jewellery and threatened her to get his name in fixed deposits or else she alongwith her children would be thrown to streets.

She had two young kids of 7(boy) and 11(girl) and she being illiterate, no other source of incime other than her husband’s pension and those deposits. How could have I saved her from her FIL.

I asked them to get seated and silently approached branch manager and asked him to get them inside and tackle him by opening FDs in both names but tactfully favouring FIL & Girija “ payable to latter or survivor”. The cunning chap was satisfied by getting his name in the first place while we were satisfied to get a poor lady saved from clutches of a butcher.

She remained obliged to me always and after about one year she was before me for a withdrawal of Rs.50000/— .to my utter surprise, for the purpose of engagement of her daughter. Sparing my busy time, I tried to convince her whether she wanted to repeat her past. Her daughter wanted to learn further and family wanted to marry her. May God don’t do that, if something happens in her daughter’s life also, she would as be worse as her own, so give her some education at least matric, make her self dependent and then think of marriage.

Believe it or not, a lady who was under veils, in the guardianship of eagle-eyed FIL, stood against all the family members to stop her daughter’s engagement with an oath to educate her daughter so that she might not see her reflection again in her daughter.

I thanked God to give her so much courage to face the old custom of child marriage when she fought against all odds to save her daughter. She was all in tears and thankfulness for me when she reached the branch for redepositing the withdrawn money.

Even after my retirement, I still remember that lady, her innocence but boldness when the question of safety of her daughter, in all, God enabled me to save a girl child.

If a passenger plane window breaks in flight, do things really get sucked out or is that just movies?

.

Unfortunately for these nine passengers, this flight was no flick.

United 811, 24 Feb 1989, is a tragic case of explosive decompression. The skill of the pilot, David Cronin, age 59, prevented a far greater disaster. Captain Cronin was on his second to last flight before mandatory retirement at age 60. He had flown 28,000 hours, 1,700 in the Boeing 747, which was the aircraft on this flight.

United 811 was climbing out from Honolulu on its way to Auckland, New Zealand, carrying 3 flight crew, 15 flight attendants and 337 passengers. The crew were maneuvering around thunderstorms, passing through 22,000′, when there was a loud bang and the aircraft shuddered violently. Cronin called for an emergency descent and the First Officer—who was flying that leg— started to lower the landing gear which is standard procedure in such a descent. Cronin waved him off the gear, saying they’d never get back to Honolulu. By that action alone, he saved the aircraft and all still in it.

They declared an emergency and Honolulu Center began moving traffic out of 811’s way, vectoring them to the longest runway at Honolulu International, some 60 miles away.

Cronin sent the Flight Engineer down to assess damage on the main deck. The FE reported that a large portion of the right fuselage had blown off. The downing of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland two months earlier was fresh in the crew’s minds. They believed this was the work of a bomb.

It was not. As the pressure differential grew acute at 22,000′, the forward cargo door had blown off, slamming into the fuselage, buckling and bursting it. Nine passengers, eight still belted in their seats, were blown out ++, one of them into the number three engine. The others were hurled against the right wing’s leading edge. Death for these unfortunates would have been instantaneous.

  • Response to Commenters: We have no way of knowing how much life was left to these poor people once blown from the aircraft. I decided to be merciful. You can be sure that the families would argue a lot of painful life was left in the litigation against United, Boeing and P&W.

In any case, the bodies of those that fell to the ocean surface were never recovered. One flight attendant was nearly blown out, but clung to a seat leg until passengers and crew pulled her to safety. She was, nevertheless, severely injured.

What followed was brilliant flying by Cronin, drawing on his 28,000 hours of flight experience. Engines three and four were vibrating heavily, showing fire and he ordered them shut down. The 747 was now flying on only two engines, both on the left wing, making it difficult for Cronin to hold heading and altitude. He ordered the FE to dump fuel since the plane—with a full load for the 16 hour flight to New Zealand—was far over its maximum landing weight.

For that reason, Cronin flew a shallow final approach hoping the landing gear would not collapse upon touch down. He did not have benefit of leading edge slats since those on the right wing would not extend. The damaged flaps would only go to 15 degrees. He waited until the last moment to lower the gear with all its drag.

Landing hot at 200 knots (normal landing 100 – 120 knots) he braked, applying full thrust reverse on engines 1 and 2, and did not overrun the runway. The cabins were evacuated in a remarkable 45 seconds, tho every flight attendant sustained some injury, the worst being a broken shoulder.

About 18 months after the accident, the U.S. Navy recovered the cargo door from an ocean depth of 14,000′—a remarkable feat in itself! With this critical piece of evidence in hand, the NTSB concluded that faulty handling by the Honolulu ground crew was to blame for the door’s failure.

However, the Campbell family of Wellington, New Zealand, having lost their son, Lee, was not satisfied. They undertook their own investigation. They found that design of the locking mechanism on the door was, in fact, the culprit. The FAA accepted this and recommended 747 cargo doors** changed from outward-opening doors, to a so-called “plug” door, the kind you and I see as we enter the cabin of an airliner. The kind that can’t blow open in flight….##

Incompetent cargo door design seems to have been something of an Achilles heel in the construction of wide body airliners, excepting the Lockheed L-1011 Tristar. Only after several instances of explosive decompression in DC-10s, killing nearly 1,000 people, did the FAA get off its ass and press its buddy Douglas to effect necessary changes. Some of the good ‘ol boys at FAA should have done time for their disgraceful, indeed criminal, lax supervision.

And for me, it’s sad that a sterling pilot like David Cronin could not continue to fly while he was fully healthy. For without his skill, it is unlikely that United 811 would have made it back to Honolulu.

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** Krishna Kumar Subramanian refined my answer re the FAA Airworthiness Directive on cargo doors. Apparently, cargo doors on the new 747–8 are the same doors—modified per the Campbell’s findings— as on the United 811’s B-747–122 some 27 years ago.

## Benjamin H. points out that a “fail-safe” plug door would require more cargo space in the cargo hold. This explains why airlines, for economic reasons, would want to stay w/non-plug type door. Thank you, Benjamin.

++ Thanks to Ned Abbey for informing the author that “blown out” is the correct term here, not “sucked out” as I originally termed this ghastly event.

If Texas beef and pork are so good, why do they have to drown it in sauces and chemicals to make it taste good? In Argentina, meat is so good, all it takes is a bit of salt to bring out the fantastic taste.

They… don’t? What? Good meat doesn’t need help from sauces. And Texas is known, well known, for not adding sauce.

This is Texas brisket, before the smoker.

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What you see there is kosher salt and ground black pepper (14 gauge, to be specific). That’s it. The end. Then 12–15 hours on the smoker over post oak at 180F–210F and it’s ready to eat.

This is Texas brisket as it’s served.

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Note the distinct lack of sauces anywhere near it. Putting sauce on that is sacrilegious. Stay away from my barbecue with your sauces; if you don’t like the taste of smoked meat and you feel like you need to cover it up with sauce, eat something else.

However, when I smoke a pork shoulder to make tacos, I do add a little additional seasoning.

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This stuff is magic, and really brings out something special in a pork butt. It’s cheap, at the local grocery store, and is an excellent blend. Served just so.

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On white corn tortillas with onion, cilantro, lime, and some salsa verde if you want. But it doesn’t need it. Good meat speaks for itself, it doesn’t need help.

I don’t know where you’re getting your information, but it couldn’t be more wrong.

What is the most obvious case of a patient ‘faking it’ that you have ever seen?

My mom had a muscle spasm in her shoulder. They hurt, I know. She went to the doctor and was prescribed muscle relaxers.

The following Sunday, her shoulder was hurting again, and she was out of the muscle relaxers, so she decided to go to the ER. My dad and I told her to take some Tylenol and call her doctor in the morning, but that wasn’t good enough.

My dad drove her to the ER, dropped her off at the door and went to park the car. He walked in and she was nowhere to be seen.

She didn’t tell the triage nurse “I have a muscle spasm in my shoulder”. Oh, no. She told the triage nurse that her arm hurts and it hurt to breathe. They immediately took her back and hooked her up to an EKG, started an IV, drew blood for testing, etc.

She KNEW it was a muscle spasm, not a heart attack, but went along with a bunch of unnecessary tests and time wasting for the staff, all because she wanted attention.

Can you use deadly force to protect yourself?

Let me give you an example

In 2007 – Four thieves broke into a House in Hosur. They were from Rajasthan or North India and they had deadly weapons like the Aruva or Long as it is popularly known in the courts.

The Owner and his son – woke up and fought the thieves and they ran away but one guy was hit on his head with a tyre iron (Used to change lorry or tractor tyres) and he went a few feet away and collapsed near a drain.

There were 12 witnesses to the entire scene. The victim had a rambo knife and a bihar knife in his lungi as he lay there collapsed and unconscious.

Police arrived forty five minutes later – took the statements – took the victim to the hospital where he was pronounced DOA.

The Police booked a Murder (302) and 201 case against the Owner and his son.

The Magistrate Court refused to dismiss the case on grounds of Self Defense claiming that a Rambo Knife and Bihar Knife did not indicate self defense.

The Sessions court refused to dismiss the case

The High Court – thrice refused to dismiss the case

The Accused served 17 months in Prison until they got bail from the High Court.

Eventually in 2015 – The Accused were sentenced to Life Imprisonment

Finally in 2018 January – the High Court stayed the decision and acquitted them by observing that – (a) The Victim did not have any relation with them (b) The Victim did not have any work in that locality at that time – Of course this was all nonsense.

The main reason was because The Karnataka Police arrested the other thieves in 2016 and during their interrogation observed and found their statements where they confessed to a robbery in Hosur where their partner was killed.

On January 2018 – the Two were released from Prison. Not because of the courts and not because of the Exemplary Law enforcement but because some Decent cop at the Karnataka Police side was able to help them out and a very good and decent Chennai Lawyer was able to connect the issues.

So as you can see – A Father and Son defend their property from Thieves and murderers- they serve collectively 4 Years and 5 Months in prison

Do you know the first thing the Father said when he was released?

“Next time – i will bury the body and if the police come – we will hack the cops and bury their bodies as well”

A Law abiding man – was so angry – i am sure he would have slaughtered an entire police station and all the judges in tamilnadu.

They filed a civil suit which is still pending and is likely to be pending upto 2035.

Conclusion –

India is worse than any other country except maybe Uganda or Rwanda. The Law means nothing and the Laws in CRPC or IPC mean Zilch.

The Magistrates and Judges are among the most fifth rate in the planet. They rule like Panchayats.

Unless you are linked to the Big 4 – (a) Minister (b) MP/MLA (c) IAS (d) Big Businessmen or VIPS – You are unlikely to get any justice and no matter what – even if you use Deadly Force to protect yourself from Bin Laden – you will face murder charges and even be convicted of murdering Bin Laden.

Get the hell out if possible. If not – just mind your business and pray to all the gods not to put you in a situation which involves requiring using Deadly Force for Self Defence

That’s how…

What’s the scariest experience you’ve ever had when picking your child up from school?

It wasn’t my child but my cousin.

I was 15 years old. I was staying with my aunt yet again as my mother decided she needed another break from me and went on another bender.

My aunt was more of a mom to me. As a result I was very close to her family and called her mom Grandma and her sister Aunt. Anyway Grandma was living with my Aunt. She had dementia and was having a particularly bad day. My aunt asked me to pick up my 10 year cousin from school which was only a block away. I did this often as my aunt tried to shield my cousin from her mothers episodes. She gave me some cash to stop at the small ice cream place near her school to keep her away longer.

I got to my cousins school expecting to see her on the playground where all the kids played while waiting to get picked up. She wasn’t there but I wasn’t worried as I knew she sometimes helped the teacher clean up the classroom after school. I went to her classroom and she wasn’t there either! No one was.

Starting to get worried I started roaming the hallways peeking in the classrooms looking for her. She was nowhere to be found!

I ran to the principals office freaked out by then and told the secretary I couldn’t find her! The secretary immediately made an announcement over the PA system telling my cousin to come to the office. 10 minutes passed. She never came.

We went to the teachers lounge and got the teachers to help look for her. I’ve never been so scared! My aunt trusted me with her daughter and I didn’t know how to call her and tell her she was gone.

30 minutes later we heard a shout. One of the teachers had found her. She was in the library reading. She had gone to check out a book when school had let out without telling anyone and the librarian had locked her in.

I hugged her hard and told her to always tell someone where she was going. It was for her safety. She started crying and apologizing over and over. I told her it was okay. Her principal gave her the same lecture and we left.

My aunt hadn’t called yet to say it was safe to come home so we went for ice cream and then to the local park. An hour later my aunt called and told us to come on home. Grandma finally went to sleep.

After my cousin went to bed that night I told my aunt what had happened. At first she seemed upset but then said they were lucky to have me there. I was shocked. I didn’t receive compliments very often. She gave me a hug told me I was a good person and a great sister to my cousin.

My cousin always made sure she was on the playground after school after that.

Appreciate NOW

Only in China

The sheer logistics of trying to feed a nation of 1.4 billion people are insane. Take this building right here — it’s a pig farm. A 26-story pig farm named Ezhou farm. It’s one of the biggest ‘only in China’ moments for me.

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Basically, China has been having some pretty major geopolitical tensions with many of its neighbors lately, and there have been a lot of issues with the ongoing trade war with America. So China wants to be less dependent on imports of vital things such as food.

As a result, it has started building absolutely MASSIVE pig farms on an industrial scale unseen anywhere in human history. It’s pretty crazy. Also, I gotta say, pretty impressive.

So yeah, 26-story pig farms are a strange phenomenon I’ve not seen anywhere else. Anyone who’s ever enjoyed Chinese cuisine knows it cannot survive without pork. So if ever war breaks out and trade routes are blocked, China is ensuring it’ll never run out of pork chops.

How many German women did Russian soldiers impregnate after the fall of the Third Reich?

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Some sources claim that Red Army soldiers impregnated about 200,000 of the about 2,000,000 German women its soldiers raped during their advance into Germany in 1945. Quite a few German women were murdered during the mass rapes and looting or committed suicide afterwards, so the numbers could be off by several thousand.

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Senior Red Army officers attempted to crack down on ill-disciplined Soviet soldiers and numerous enlisted men and some officers were either shot or sent to serve in penal units for lacking discipline on and off the battlefield. Discipline tended to be mostly excellent in Red Army Guards divisions and mechanized and tank corps. Red Army infantry units that had to use ill-trained and often ill-disciplined conscripts, often soldiers who had witnessed German atrocities in the Soviet Union, probably committed the preponderance of the rapes on German soil. The dead German women in the photo posted below probably committed suicide with cyanide capsules. It is unclear if they were raped beforehand or simply feared the Soviet soldiers so much that they took their own lives to avoid mass rape and murder.

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Why are a lot of Nigerians so extroverted, fun, and friendly compared to other countries?

If they say Nigerians are among the happiest people on earth I don’t think we will argue. An average Nigerian mentality is just cruise. People that make fun of their own Misery’s. Humor is a gift you get for being a Nigerian, slightly higher than the line for insanity. I won’t be wrong if I say it’s our coping mechanism. Fun is a way we know how to keep on pushing and a way to look beyond our imperfect country. With how our country is if we don’t laugh at life we will go mad.

Who turns a protest into a party? Nigerians

Who replys with ffb on their president’s post on Twitter? Nigerians

Who creates happiness out of nothing? Nigerians

Who turns every situation into a comedy? Nigerians.

Nigerians use banter and humor to hide how fucked we all are in this country.

Nigerians are warm, friendly, kind, fun, witty and merry. Despite all the troubles , all our pains. We are sensitive to all the Issues we have and our heart silently scream in pain. Yet we still force a smile and make jokes out of everything.

If only we have good leaders, Nigeria would have become the best place on earth

Waiting to Be Put to Sleep, She Sat Crying Silently in Her Cage At the Shelter

How does spending the majority of one’s life in prison feel?

I was arrested when I was 17 and was released from prison when I was 46. So I spent well over half my life in prison.. When I was sentenced I remember being shocked. I didn’t cry like you see some of these teenagers do when sentenced. My dad had taught me that whether I did something bad or good to own it. But yet my whole family and some friends were in tears. I spent my first 5 years at MSP and really there I was just trying to survive.. But even though I didn’t like being in prison I became used to prison life. When They transferred me I was happy. For one I was leaving that place Second a different prison would be a change of scenery. I also spent the whole time on the transfer bus looking out the window. Seeing farms made me a little homesick

So I spent from 1993- 99 at Farmington Correctional Center. There were others that I knew from MSP there already Time passed pretty quick there. It wasn’t as violent even though you could not let your guard down. Anyway one day, some friends came to see me . One of my female friends told me. “You are different . Your eyes used to be full of life and you were always smiling as a teen-ager” I told her that I still smiled. “She said it wasn’t the same.

Anyway by now I had settled down into prison life .Every time I got a parole hearing I hoped for the best but expected the worst.. You laugh and joke with people in prison that you have become cool with. Not because prison is funny, but it helps keep your sanity. You miss out on birthdays weddings and holidays. You know this as each happened but push it to the back of your mind. . Oh you may say something to a friend like “ Guess what? My Brother is getting married” He will probably say something nice and then you dont speak about it much .And the days, weeks, months and years pass. On my 36th birthday my celly and best friend in prison made a meal to “celebrate” and I reflected on the fact that I had been in prison half my life. I have tried to convey how it feels but the only way you will know for sure how it feels is if you experience it. I pray that never happens .

Partners

What are the most profound jokes ever?

A jobless man applied for the position of ‘office boy’ at a very big company.

The employer interviewed him, then a test: clean the floor.

“You are hired.” – the employer said. ”Give me your email address, and I’ll send you the application to fill, as well as when you will start.”

The man replied, “I don’t have a computer, neither an email.”

“I’m sorry,” said the employer, “if you don’t have an email that means you do not exist. And who doesn’t exist, cannot have the job.”

The man left with no hope. He didn’t know what to do, with only $10 USD in his pocket.

He then decided to go to the supermarket, bought a 10kg tomato crate, then sold the tomatoes door to door. In less than two hours, he succeeded and doubled his capital.

He repeated the operation 3 times and returned home with $60 USD. The man realized that he could survive by this way, and started to go everyday earlier, and returned late. Thus, his money doubled or tripled everyday. Shortly later, he bought a cart, then a truck, and then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles.

Five years later, the man’s company was one of the biggest food retailers. He started to plan his family’s future, and decided to have a life insurance.

He called an insurance broker and chose a protection plan. When the conversation was concluded, the broker asked him his email. The man replied: “I don’t have an email.”

The broker replied curiously, “You don’t have an email, and yet have succeeded to build an empire. Do you imagine what you could have been if you had an email?”

The man paused for a while, and replied: “An office boy!”

Are you shocked that Burger King is closing over 300 restaurants?

I went to one of the few remaining Burger Kings in the City of Toronto this month. It’s in the Woodbine Centre in Rexdale. It’s a mall that’s clearly on its last legs as it has not one, but two liquidation outlets, although I’m astounded that the Hudson’s Bay Company (which just closed a flagship store at Yonge & Bloor) is still operating there. It appears the mall area is being completely redeveloped because it was obvious several of the stores there were at the end of their lease term from all the clearance signs.

I had not eaten at a BK in about two years. The last time I went there was when things started to open post-pandemic and I ate at the one on Yonge Street. I don’t eat at BK often because they’re inconvenient. They used to have a location across the street from where I worked, but when that complex was redeveloped they lost their lease and didn’t move back into the new food court. There’s an A&W there now. Similarly, BK closed down when the Royal Bank Plaza redeveloped its food court too.

I think my Whopper Combo set me back about $14 (Cdn.). That’s pricey – more than A&W’s Mama Combo.

So, BK is inconvenient (in bad locations) and no longer a really good value for money. A lot of fast food places are finding the same problem now – they’re in places no-one goes anymore, or they’re really old (the one on Yonge Street dates back to the 1980s). Here in Canada, they’re facing massive competition from A&W which has outlets everywhere, sometimes only a few blocks apart. You can get a sandwich and drink from Timmies for about $11. Five Guys serves better burgers (more expensive though) and they’re actually a little more convenient for me.

For example. there’s a BK at Eglinton Square, which I visit from time to time. I never eat there. I often forget it’s there. There’s a food court inside Eglinton Square but the BK is a stand-alone about 100m from the mall entrance. It’s also just across the street from an A&W, and just down the street from a joint Wendy’s/Timmies.

Again, Whoppers are lovely, but they’re certainly not anything I’m going to pay a massive premium for. I talk about going to Niagara Falls a lot and BK has a massive presence there in wonderful locations – Clifton Hill and the Fallsview Casino. However, they charge another 50% on top of normal prices (there is one on Lundy’s Lane that charges regular prices). BK also used to have locations in Cineplex theatres and had the same pricing strategy. There are three Timmies in locations in Niagara Falls similar to BK’s, but they charge regular prices.

What is the most humiliating thing you have ever seen happen to a receptionist?

Before I came to Thailand, I worked in Corporate America.

Her name was Laurie, and she was a really hardworking, patient receptionist, a young, very attractive woman of 21 who was going to night classes to further her education. Few knew that.

She was first contact for phone calls, visitors, deliveries and dealt with the everchanging schedules for five VPs and their unit managers.

She also had to contend with men hitting on her, both staff and visitors. She was good at it and could usually send them on their way with no hard feelings.

Except VP3. He never stopped pestering her. He had gone through a bitter divorce in which he had to give his ex almost half of the wealth and his children for marathon cheating.

Laurie looked like a younger version of his ex.

The humiliating event was orchestrated by VP3. He had a very powerful client that paid the company millions. The client called, Laurie informed him that VP3 was in a meeting and would return his call within the hour. She hand delivered the message to VP3.

But he didn’t make the call. He accused her of not telling him and blackmailed his secretary into backing him up. He didn’t do this quietly: he called HR and the other VPs to the open conference room and berated her in front of them.

Laurie attempted to defend herself, but VP3 was relentless and knew the company wouldn’t dare take her word over his. When he couldn’t force her to publicly admit wrongdoing, nor would she grovel, he loudly fired her with no severence pay.

But Laurie was no fool. She had kept copious records about work and VP3’s harassment. She had many friends in the office who would testify on her behalf.

Within a month, she had filed a suit against the company and VP3. The company offered a hefty sum to make it all go away.

But karma wasn’t finished.

Fast forward about six years. That really important client filed suit against VP3 and the company for mismanagement.

I enjoy imagining the reaction when the company lawyers informed VP3 et al that Laurie was one of several attorneys opposing them and had depositioned numerous previous and current employees. The court threw out the ‘conflict of interest’ motion.

I heard that the company and VP3 had to pay a stunning amount.

One never knows who that ‘lowly’ employee may be one day!

What is the most cruel thing you saw a parent do to their child?

I was the weird kid. Throughout elementary and middle school my mother kept my hair as short as a boy’s and dressed me in my brother’s hand me downs, even though I had an older sister as well. My early struggles with depression made schoolwork difficult, and I landed myself a spot in special ed. I was teased and bullied mercilessly.

One day, around the 3rd or 4th grade, I was getting dressed for school and couldn’t find one of my sneakers. I searched frantically, knowing the sort of trouble I’d be in, but I couldn’t find it anywhere. My mother was livid. She was not about to reward my irresponsibility, she screeched, with a day off from school! Her solution? I was dropped off wearing bedroom slippers.

Big, fluffy, orange and black bobbly-headed Garfield slippers with ping-pong ball googly eyes.

The other kids descended on the feast like vultures.

“Look at Baby Bacon!” (Rhymes with Meghann)

“Hey Bacon! You must really love Garfield!”

“Bacon and Garfield, sitting in a tree…”

The teacher at last called my mother to come pick me up, insisting I was being disruptive. My mother completely lost it. After a spanking I spent the afternoon confined to my room, with instructions to find the shoe before I came out for any reason whatsoever— bathroom, water and dinner included. I panicked and dismantled everything, from my bed to my closet to my bookshelf. Finally I found the shoe amidst a jumbled herd of discarded My Little Ponies in the rubbermaid bin where my mother collected my old toys for goodwill. She must have accidentally gathered it up while cleaning.

She had put it there. Not me.

A few weeks ago, I attended a traditional Thanksgiving family gathering. I brought green bean casserole and mac and cheese and we enjoyed our time together.

But the next day, my mom came to town (divorced parents) and I felt obligated to host a second “Thanksgiving.” I say “obligated” because (a) I can’t cook and (b) I suck at hosting. But it just didn’t seem right for her to travel so far and not enjoy a home-cooked meal with her family on Thanksgiving weekend.

So I invited my mom and stepdad, aunt and uncle, and my brother/sister-in-law/kids that we had just seen the day prior. I didn’t have the skills to make a Thanksgiving dinner, so I announced a chili night…the one delicious thing I CAN make.

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And I’ve gotta tell you…it wasn’t that great. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I nearly ruined the entire double batch of chili when I forgot to turn down the temperature and left it to boil for 15+ minutes.

I made cornbread, put it in the microwave to stay warm, and then forgot to bring it out until after everyone was done with their chili.

I bought disposable bowls in an attempt to simplify cleanup…then watched the chili grease seep through the bowls.

I busted out a small fire pit for the kids to roast marshmallows, then struggled to actually START a fire in it. Three people later, we had a “meh” flame.

And at the end of my mediocre night of hosting, my 8-year-old daughter told me, “I wish I could rewind this day and do it ALL OVER AGAIN! It was the most fun EVER!!”

It turns out that while I was burning chili and forgetting cornbread, she was making silly “music videos” with her cousins with a karaoke microphone, an old iPod touch, and one cousin flickering the lights on and off for “effects.”

While my bowls were failing at the ONE JOB they had, my family was BSing each other over board games.

And while our fire was holding on for dear life, the kids (and a few adults!) gathered around it, debating the perfect amount of toasting and stuffing oversized marshmallows into their mouths.

Friend, don’t wait until you’re ready and able to host an elaborate gathering to invite people over. Don’t wait until your house is clean…or you tidy up your yard. My yard is 20% grass, 70% weeds, and 10% dirt right now…and the kids still found a million ways to play there.

Your family doesn’t need a spotless house. Your friends and neighbors don’t need an Instagram-worthy dinner and sides display.

They need to talk with you, to laugh with you, to tear up pieces of cardboard to start a tiny backyard fire with you.

Just make what you can, be who you are, and open your door. Because you need those things too.

What is the brutal truth about life after marriage?

I’ve been married nearly 18 years. I am very happy to be walking through life with my spouse. But there are some brutal truths.

  1. You don’t magically change, and neither do they, into a different person simply because you get married. You don’t change your mind about major issues – one of the saddest ends to a marriage was seeing 2 friends who loved each other divorce acrimoniously because he hadn’t believed her when she said she didn’t want children.
  2. It is not “happily ever after.” Life throws up bad stuff and stressful stuff. Sometimes your spouse can support and comfort you, but sometimes they don’t have the right skills or emotional bandwidth. They are also humans and dealing with their own crap. I tell my spouse whether I need a hug and a “there, there,” practical advice or to be left alone for a few hours to read or watch something escapist. Because me reacting badly when he offers help triggers his snarkiness which really doesn’t help!
  3. It’s likely that you will be attracted to other people. That crazy infatuation period has a chemical shelf life in your brain, so if you let it pass without taking actions that impact the marriage (assuming it’s a marriage you want to stay in), it’s all good. If you do cheat, you should do so knowing that there is a strong chance you will get caught and it’s going to be very painful for your spouse and is very likely to end your marriage.
  4. You need to let some stuff ride. I have a couple of absolutes that are marriage enders, so does he. Everything else is a negotiation, and sometimes it’s just letting go of something that you’d never do if you lived alone. Like how clean/tidy the place is, for example.
  5. If you were unhappy and discontented before marriage, getting married doesn’t fix that. Active additions to sex, gambling, spending, drugs, alcohol, work, food, etc. don’t magically stop because someone gets married. If someone isn’t doing and continuing the work to not fall into these behaviours, you have something to be very worried about. If I start using again, I can’t imagine my marriage surviving and I’d put my spouse through hell before it ended.
  6. The other brutal truth is that a good marriage will eventually end with one of you dead. Selfishly, I’m hoping I’m the one who goes first so that I don’t have to deal with the grief I’m going to feel if I lose my best friend, my love, and the person who can make me laugh like a four-year-old!

Retrofuturistic Voyages: Star Trek in the Roaring Twenties

Can you tell me about a time that you sued someone in civil court and won?

my husband and I just won a civil case against a building contractor that flooded our property while building other houses in our neighborhood. But the story gets better. Because this started at the beginning of Covid (April 2020) I was home all the time. He drained a swamp to build a house and sent the pond through a culvert into our easement that emptied into our backyard. Destroyed the culvert, never repaired it, built a house next to the easement (on the other side), ran over destroyed easement with large bucket caterpillar, then threatened to kick my husbands ass when we confronted him. He tried to mansplain water flow to me, as well. Well, with all my free time, I was able to watch what was happening, so if he violated code I would call the city. Sounds petty, but hey, I had a flooded backyard, and a guy who screamed “asshole” at me every time I walked my dogs.

then one day his survey guy shows up. On my property. I told them and him to get the fuck off my land. Survey next door all you want, but get your feet off my property. They told me no, they own my land. I laughed and laughed, and then told them that’s not how property ownership works. And that by state law they had to 1) give me notice of intent to survey and 2) give me 24 hours. the surveyors told me they did not. Then THEY called the police on me. For some dumb reason, the cop told them (the contractors) to put a Protection From Harassment on me. So they did. It was granted. Ooooo, the lies they told in that! Things like I threatened to shoot them in front of the cops, I put grease on their work vehicles (wtf) and I stole things from the construction site. All types of crazy shit. Okay. I’m still at home and I’ve got a phone with a camera and now one of the best lawyers in the state. I took thousands of pictures of my property, their property (from a distance, lol) everything that negates what they said in the their PFH.

we just went to court several months ago, he hasn’t shown up for the last several hearings and we won. I won $30,000 in defamation for him lying on the PFH and my husband won $20,000 because he was mentioned in it. The total amount included repairs to property and lawyer fees.

PS- when we went to court for the PFH we subpoenaed the cop who told them to place it and the chief of police. It was suddenly dismissed by their side. But the city wanted to charge me for the officers time, and have the court sanction me. We fought it and won, obvi. But the best thing about that part was the city lawyers were scared of my lawyer that at their firm it went from a low lawyer to his boss then finally to a managing partner in a matter of days once they realized who my lawyer was because my lawyer told me he knew him. That law firm wasn’t leaving anything to chance and still lost.

I laugh about this once a week. The loser contractor now lives in a trailer his dad owns, is divorced from his wife (business partner) and all three owe us close to $100 k.

if he had stopped the flooding and apologized, this would never have come to this.

What is a common mistake people make without realizing it?

Last night I saw a camera lens online that I wanted.

It was used. There were no bids.

I put in a bid at just over $425.

There were 2 hours left in the auction. An hour goes by. No bids. I’m excited. It’s an amazing lens.

Suddenly. <ding>

$430.

Oh so you wanna go?!?!?!?

Me: $440

Him: $455.

Oh you think you are a baller, huh?!?!?!?

Then this escalates into a full blown bidding war. I am ignoring phone calls as I pound on keyboard.

We get to $725. He puts a bid at $730.

I then have an epiphany.

Dude. Do you really want to bid more than that for a used lens? You can buy it new for $790.

I bowed out.

There are many situations in life where we don’t even realize that we are trying to “win”.

The problem is that we are trying to win the wrong game.

In life, we often find that the price of winning is losing.

Why A Lot Of MODERN WOMEN Are DELUSIONAL | And The Male LONELINESS Epidemic

What’s something most people don’t know about the Holocaust?

As someone who studies and talks about the holocaust, I often get a question- “why didn’t the Jews fight back”.

The answer is sad. For those that were murdered in the gas chambers they didn’t think they were about to die. They thought they were being showered before registration into the camp. By the time they realized what was happening, they were in a dark room quickly filling with Cyanide gas.

But- the Jews that knew very often fought back.


Operation Reinhard was a 2-year long effort to kill every Jew the Germans could find. In 4 extermination camps, almost 2 million people would be gassed and killed from late 1941 – late 1943. In 2 of these camps though, there were revolts, and thanks to these revolts- there were survivors.

I am going to focus on Sobibor because I think it is very interesting and even badass.

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Sobibor was an extermination camp where 250,000 had been murdered. As 1943 was coming to a close the camp prisoners noticed that prisoners from Belzec (another extermination camp) had been sent to Sobibor and murdered after they dismantled and shut down their own camp.

The prisoners knew they would soon be killed when Sobibor was shut down so they came up with a brilliant plan.

Out of this, a resistance group was formed. They brainstormed ideas but soon got very lucky when a number of Soviet POWs arrived at the camp as more laborers, among them Alexander ‘Sasha’ Pechersky.

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Sasha impressed everyone. During one of his first work details, he was placed outside the camp to cut down trees. When the SS guard started whipping Jewish laborers for cutting too slowly Sasha protested.

The SS guard, amused by this, challenged Sasha to a challenge. If Sasha could cut down a tree in 5 minutes he would win a pack of smokes. If not, he would get 25 lashes. Sasha agreed and 4.5 minutes later the tree was cut down. When the SS guard offered smokes Sasha said “thanks but I don’t smoke. The SS guard then returned with bread and butter and Sasha said “no thank you, the rations I receive satisfy me fully”.

This act of defiance became a rallying cry in the camp. Pretty soon Sasha was one of the leaders of the resistance.


After a plan to tunnel out of the camp failed, they settled on an all-out revolt.

What took place is brilliant.

On October 14th 1943 the time was now. The camps commander, who was gifted at rooting out conspiracies, had left the camp with his aides. This was the time for the prisoners to strike.

They would designate combat teams in every barracks. These combat teams were the strongest men armed with crude weapons.

The prisoners then lured the SS guards to various locations. They would say “hey we have some new coats confiscated, come pick one out” and stuff like that. SS guards were lured to tailor shops, storerooms, shoe shining places, and other buildings where combat teams lie in wait.

First the camp commander SS Untersturmfuher Johann Niemann had his head split in by an axe. Then, every 6 minutes for the next hour an SS Officer was killed.

No alarm was sounded so far- things were going well. There was a problem though. Karl Frenzel, the most feared of the SS, had been late to his appointment and was thus still alive. Additionally, many killings had been far too public.

At this point, Sasha was sure the plot would soon be discovered as bodies were located.

Sasha then gave a speech to the assembled prisoners.

Our day has come. Most of the Germans are dead. Let’s die with honor. Remember, if anyone survives, he must tell the world what has happened here!

The prisoners charged- using the pistols and rifles they had stolen. All-out chaos broke out as the prisoners got to the gate and nearby fences and clamored over.

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The remaining SS Guards realize what is happening and open fire. Combat breaks out between the guards and prisoners. Hundreds of prisoners are slaughtered but many guards are gunned down from prisoners returning fire.

A few hundred get over the fence and head for the forest. Landmines kill many as others are gunned down.

In total, 150 are killed in the breakout, well over 100 were killed by mines in the forest, and a further 107 are hunted down and killed in the following days.

208 escaped with their lives though, and 58 would survive until the end of the war to testify what happened at Sobibor.

Sasha would steward a group of 50 Jews through the forest before abandoning them and making his way to the Red Army. He would survive the war and die in 1990 at the age of 80.

These 58 survivors would be the only people to survive Sobibor.

Treblinka had a similar revolt/escape where prisoners looted the armory, used grenades to destroy the camp, and made a dash for the gate. Here too almost everyone was killed but 70 managed to survive.

1.8 million Jews were sent to Treblinka, Belzec, and Sobibor. Of those 1.8 million, only 178 survived. 50 escaped Belzec during its operation, 58 escaped Sobibor during the uprising, and 70 escape Treblinka during their uprising.

This means these camps killed 99.992% of those sent there. Truly horrific.

The way it ALL ENDS: the five endgames that all women face

The West is in really BIG trouble.

Will Biden Start World War III?

“So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and strike at what is weak.”

― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

I’m sure I could lead off this piece with a dozen quotes from various luminary thinkers through the ages about the wisdom of striking your enemies at moments of great weakness, confusion, or disarray. But I won’t, because I think the concept is sort of obvious, even to those who are not great thinkers.

Boxers and fighters know it.

Corporate raiders know it.

Lawyers and politicians know it, too.

You could even say capitalizing on vulnerability is in the collective DNA of nature.

Whenever possible, predators tend to seek prey of the old, sick, weak, and stupid variety — rather than specimens in the prime of life, at the peak of their strength and courage.

Point being, the U.S. is increasingly showing weakness, division, confusion, and vulnerability to the world. And no, this did not start all of a sudden with Joe Biden’s election. I would argue that it’s been escalating under the last few administrations, to one degree or another. But to my eyes, it’s increasing exponentially under the “leadership” of America’s first invertebrate president…

And I think this could tempt our enemies and adversaries — China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, ISIS, whomever — to test us (and our allies) more and more over the course of Biden’s tenure, on multiple fronts, including militarily.

This is not hard to imagine when you zoom out and look at things from 30,000 feet

Aside from the questionable condition and readiness of certain parts of America’s military, or some of our more anemic foreign policy moves of the recent past…

I’m just as concerned with how a number of other things we’re doing (or allowing to be done) domestically could invite increasing challenges from abroad, or perhaps even violent attack one day. I’m talking about things like:

LAX BORDER SECURITY — Between all the mixed messaging, catch-and-release policies, surreptitious transportation of illegals into the interior (many of them infected with SARS-CoV-2, mind you), and the cessation of border-wall construction, the U.S. has seen an absolute explosion of illegal immigration since Biden’s election.

Case in point: May’s total of over 180,000 apprehensions hadn’t been seen in a single month since April of 2000, the year that set the current annual record for illegal immigrants (1.68 million). So far in 2021, we’re on pace to see as many as 1.86 million illegals on the year, a new record. And an increasing number of them are coming in from places other than central America, including Haiti and Africa.

REJECTION OF POLICE — Reversing a 40-year trend that saw spending for law enforcement more than triple, at least 20 major U.S. cities have now reduced or re-directed funds away from their police forces. Some of them have pledged to cut cop funding by as much as 50%. All told, more than $840 million has evaporated from police coffers in the last year and a half or so.

This had contributed to an unprecedented wave of retirement among cops, creating record vacancies on police forces across the nation. Baltimore alone needs at least 259 more officers on the street, and is begging Washington for federal agents to help with enforcement. The Philadelphia force has 268 vacancies, and is expecting more in the near future. There are many other American PD’s in similarly dire straits, too.

ACCEPTANCE OF CRIME — From abiding lawless “autonomous zones” to giving rioters free rein to destroy property and granting criminals tacit permission to swipe merchandise off store shelves without penalty, the force of law in America is being eroded by the day.

Yet even as crime increases, many kinds of criminal prosecutions are declining across the country. In fact, a movement is afoot in multiple U.S. cities to stop trying entire classes of criminality. Baltimore, as just one example, is no longer prosecuting low-level drug possession, prostitution, or traffic misdemeanors.

And did you see what happened in St. Louis recently? A judge was compelled to let an accused murderer go free because the prosecution failed to show up for trial. The same week, two other murder cases were also dismissed because of unprepared or absent prosecutors. Disgraceful.

PUNISHING U.S. INDUSTRIES — Biden nixed the Keystone XL Pipeline, which would’ve been a tremendous boon for American energy independence, but removed long-standing U.S. sanctions on the Russian Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which increases Europe’s energy dependence and undermines our credibility in the region. Biden has made moves against the domestic coal and oil industries as well…

He’s also aggressively pushing mass-adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), despite America’s overall reluctance to fully embrace them, and the fact that China leads the global EV battery market. The precarious domestic steel and aluminum industries are vulnerable, too, as Biden weighs lifting the Trump-era tariffs that helped bring them back from the brink.

TOLERATING SOFT AGGRESSION — Biden’s response to repeated Russia-based hacking has been notably impotent. Instead of an iron-fisted ultimatum (or an actual counter-hack), he presented Putin with a list of 16 domestic infrastructure targets declared “off limits” to attack. The implication being that everything else is fair game.

The coronavirus pandemic could quite rightly be classified as an act of foreign aggression, too. Mounting evidence suggests that it was developed in a Chinese lab, and whether its release was accidental or intentional, China clearly encouraged its spread around the world, effectively weaponizing it.

Then there’s the PRC’s repeated threatening actions against Hong Kong and Taiwan (and in the South China Sea), Russian actions against Ukraine, North Korean missile tests, etc. All this tallies up to an awful lot of soft aggression against the U.S. and its allies, most of it unanswered in any meaningful way.

All of these things, and more (like declining standards for U.S. troops) project an image of decreasing strength

They suggest an inability to secure and lead our own nation (much less the world) competently, and an unwillingness to do the hard, but necessary thing. This softer image does not make us safer, it makes us more vulnerable.

I don’t see any of it getting better under the increasingly feeble-minded and tone-deaf Joe Biden, either — a man with a lifelong reputation for poll-watching, China-favoring, family-first, flip-flopping “leadership.” This is not just my opinion. You can look this stuff up. Shanghai Joe’s been among China’s top advocates in Washington for nearly his entire tenure in U.S. government. He’s also on record being on both sides of about just every major issue…

And don’t get me started on his family’s cozy and colorful (main color: dollar green) relationship with China and other powerful foreign entities. My read on this is that Biden can be bought, one way or another — and that he has been, many times over.

Bottom line: In my view, the policies of President Biden and his party are waving red flags in front of some very powerful bulls. And if China, Russia, or anyone else has a mind to attack us, I think they’d be very tempted to do it under his watch.

My great hope (yours, too, I’m betting) is that we get through Biden’s tenure without full-on war — and back to a more independent, self-sufficient America with some steel in its spine, both domestically and globally.

But the way things are going, the hope of such a thing may be all we end up having.

A rare but desirable quality in date-able women

What is the rudest thing you have ever seen someone do?

I was at a grocery store checkout once, and I saw these three college kids having a field day with a poor clerk who was trying to bag up their groceries. The whole thing, apparently, started when he dropped a bottle of wine they were buying. He apologized, cleaned up the mess, and rushed back to get them another bottle.

While he was gone, they started talking about what a “complete idiot” he was. They proceeded to make fun of the way he looked, the way he was dressed, his weight, his glasses, you name it. When the poor guy got back, they didn’t let up. They started insulting him right to his face, calling him a whole litany of terrible things until they had him on the verge of tears. The kid was only about 16; he was terribly overweight, and I could see how he was probably an easy target for any bully. I was bagging up my own stuff, but I was completely mesmerized by this entire exchange. Suddenly, the kid must have said something because one of the guys reached out and popped him across the face. It wasn’t a punch or a hard slap, just some wussy little pop meant to humiliate him. To my amazement, the kid didn’t walk away. He just stood there red faced with tears welling up in his eyes. The dude reached out and popped him again and, for some reason, this was the funniest thing that these guys had ever seen in their lives. They were laughing like there was no tomorrow.

I kept looking around for a manager, thinking someone needed to say something, but I finally realized that no one was going to. Then it hit me: Why couldn’t I say something? I reached out and grabbed the kid, and pulled him out of the way. I stepped up to the guy, pulled a 20 dollar bill out of my wallet, and told him that I would give it to him if he would hit me like that. He stared at me for a second like I had lost my mind before asking what my problem was.
“You’re my damn problem,” I responded. “Hit me in the face like that; I dare you.”
Well, there were three of these guys, but they didn’t look like they had ever been in a fight in their entire lives. I am a little over six feet tall, and I weigh around 225. I don’t consider myself to be a tough guy but, needless to say, they didn’t want any part of me. Instead, they simply started gathering their things and headed for the door. I pulled the kid out from behind me, and ordered them to apologize. They laughed at me, and hurried for the parking lot. Well, I was a lot angrier that day than I thought.

I followed them out of the store all the way to their car doing my best to start a fight. They got very quiet, and not one of them had anything to say. Instead, they just kept their heads down, and refused to make eye contact.

I let them leave, and then pulled the kid aside and told him to never let anyone push him around like that. In the future, he needed to, at least, walk away and find a manager. At this point, the kid just broke down in tears and sobbed on my shoulder. It turned out that his dad had died only a year earlier, and he and his mom were all alone in the world. At that point, I really wished I had put one of those bastards in the hospital. Instead, I gave the kid my card, and told him to call if there was ever anything I could do for him.
I never saw or heard from him again.

What are your thoughts on adults who still live at home with their parents without paying rent or contributing towards the household expenses?

We asked our adult son to live with us however long he could stomach it. He had just had a disastrous brief marriage and a divorce, was quite broke from the wedding rings, the wedding itself, buying a condo for he and his wife, etc. He had also bought himself a used Audi which self-destructed and led him back to driving a 20 year old Honda, worth only a few hundred dollars.

With the new marriage, he had started a new job where there was a potential for future growth. The learning curve was tough. He was working 10 hour days and then studying to learn the job more thoroughly until midnight, rinse and repeat. In addition he was emotionally almost catatonic from his grief over the breakup.

He is living with us now. It has been about two years so far. I think he will be here until January when he plans to get an MBA from one of the top schools to further his career. No wife, no kids, no girlfriend, no debts, now is the time if he is going to do it.

My son is an easy keeper. He is a complete neat freak, always leaving the room looking better after he leaves it than what it was when he entered it. Same with the kitchen. He will walk in to make his lunch and when he leaves the kitchen is spotless. And he is quiet as a mouse.

So, I am not sure this arrangement would work out for every adult child, but in our circumstances it does. We respect him as an adult and he respects us. And we are happy to help him get back on his feet financially and build up his savings.

This is why so many men today are blue pill

Jesus H Christ

What is the most badass thing a private has said to a general?

I was a corporal, not a private. I was sent to Fleet Hospital 5 for a gallbladder removal. They took out my appendix, by mistake. As I lay in my bed, belly full of stitches, my Sergeant Major came to visit, and shared that he would be back the next day because Norman Schwarzkopf was visiting. He was touring medical facilities before the war kicked off.

The hospital gave us magazines to read- people would send them via the any servicemen mail program. I had a Time magazine that asked an important question. Why was nearly the whole Marine Corps in theatre before the army deployed a far smaller amount of servicemen.

The next day I get my painkillers and they put me on my ass. In hindsight, the Navy may have upped my dose so I wouldn’t complain to anyone about how they screwed up my surgery.

So there I am, flying on pain killers, when the General walks in with his entourage. My SgtMaj was there, bringing up the rear. Schwarzkopf approaches my bed, and I am in and out of consciousness. They really shot me up with painkillers, bad. He looks at me and says “What’s a Marine doing in a bed that could be used for one of my soldiers?” I looked him right in the eye, pointed at the Time magazine on my tray table and answered “What soldiers?”

From the look on his face, my SgtMaj May have literally shit himself. The color definitely drained from his face.

The exact opposite happened with Gen. Schwarzkopf. He turned red. I mean really RED. Then, something amazing happened. He cracked a smile. Then, he cracked a joke. For the life of me, I don’t remember what he said, but I was cracking up, and crying from the huge surgical wound. Schwarzkopf noticed his jokes were causing me major discomfort- so he doubled down and told more jokes.

In retrospect, my badassery was chemically induced, but it showed off a side of a 4 Star general, most corporals don’t get to see. My abdomen still twinges when I hear the name Schwarzkopf, and I hope he is still laughing about my interaction with him, wherever he is.

Who was the most disturbed child you have ever seen?

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Susan Wiley.

Nicknamed Genie, she was abused for the entirety of her life. From birth until the age of 13, she spent her entire life in a room.

Susan grew up with an extremely abusive father who would beat her if she ever let out a sound. She was beyond neglected. Left in her room to rot. It’s amazing she somehow survived. Her parents had three other children, two of whom had died. The detective at the scene described her room as so:

“Genie ‘slept in a crib formed with chicken wire attached with a latch,’ he said. ‘It was a cage for the child. The window was covered with aluminum foil to reflect out the sunlight. The room was as dark as a coal mine at midnight.’”

One baby died because the father could no longer tolerate the crying child so he wrapped her up, put her in a drawer, and left her to die.

As a result, Susan never learned many of the basic physical, mental, and social abilities we have. She could barely walk, she didn’t know where to pee and poo. She was never taught language. She couldn’t speak or understand language when social workers found her.

Then she became the psychology obsession of the world. While yes, they helped her to a certain extent, in my eyes, she was seen more as a experimental specimen and not a fragile, vulnerable human child.

The rest of her life, she lived in multiple foster homes. In those homes, she was again abused and neglected.

Today, she’s in an adult care facility.

I tear up whenever I think of her story. People can be so, so awful.

What are top 10 professional life hacks?

  1. Don’t say “anyone.” Otherwise, everyone’s going to be waiting for others.
  2. Sound decisive. Be punctual. People respect you for it.
  3. Greet: hello/mornings/evenings/night (with a big smile)
  4. Don’t complain either about your colleague or senior with anyone- puts you in bad light.
  5. till 28–30 focus on learning and gaining skills
  6. Stop getting away from responsibilities, or, like, how will I do it? It sounds great when you willingly do things. Do more than is expected. And sometimes take credit as well.
  7. Always talk about your abilities with respect. If you share your weaknesses, they will find it hard to remember your pluses.
  8. Take ownership of your mistakes. When you realize you erred, it’s natural to panic. Instead of reacting instantly, stop and take a deep breath (or several times). Then, begin brainstorming possible solutions.
  9. Learn to accept constructive criticism.
  10. Treat others as you would like to be treated.
  11. Always get out of your comfort zone. Ex: Don’t ask for permission, beg for forgiveness. Get coffee with a new person once a week.
  12. Be hygienic. Always smell nice. Always have neat hair and/or clean nails.
  13. Understand what others want or the office politics, and don’t react to everything that people talk about. act wisely. Mind your own business, but keep your ears open.
  14. Talk less and listen more. Always let your seniors believe that they are in power.
  15. Always report about your task and targets via mail, never believe in anything that has been communicated verbally, and ask for mail all the time as it becomes part of your proof.
  16. never discuss problems discuss solutions.
  17. If you’re the second last person to leave the office, please check with the other employee to see if he/she needs any sort of help.
  18. Have self-pride. Wherever your name is attached, it should be perfect work done with effort. If you do good work, more work will come in.
  19. आप अपने आज का पहला दिन या पहला साल किसी दूसरे के 10 साल के Effort के साथ Compare नहीं कर सकते।
  20. Have a great team and trust them. Discuss and ask, and together, brainstorming brings new ideas to the table.
  21. Always have a sense of ownership if nobody takes responsibility you have to. 99% of people are replaceable and 1% are irreplaceable, and all organizations depend on that. Be that 1% that never gets replaced. (Either reach or make your personality so good that it attracts. Ex: If you see a flower pot fallen on the stairs and ignored, you should take ownership and put it back. This is the attitude that we need.
  22. Sir, Mam, Sorry, GM etc. are just the words which you should use. if you’re not feeling like using then too. It all shows manners and respect towards the person which increase your’s too.
  23. Explain in detail and give pointers.
  24. Never ever compete with a guy who works 24/7. There will always be somebody who knows/works better than you. Work efficiently as much as required for the day. That’s enough. Have work life balance.
  25. Never be close friends with your colleagues unless you know them since your college days. Most of them are friends with you because they need you.
  26. Never be loyal to the employer. You are just another employee to them.
  27. Have every word/promise written in mail . Anybody can turn their back at you.
  28. Never show your anger to anybody in office.
  29. play the game. Play politics
  30. never tell people whom you hate or find annoying.
  31. make friends with secretaries and PAs.
  32. Never lose an opportunity when a senior leader asks you for inputs- that’s the time for you to create visibility.
  33. Never discuss problems, only discuss solutions. You will begin to stand out earlier on.
  34. When you join a company, work really hard in the first 6-8 months & win the trust of your seniors. Once the confidence is developed, no one can ever doubt or complain about your performance & thats going to give you a good stay in that company.

What is the worst thing a woman can do to a man?

I can’t reveal my name, because this about my father’s sister .

My aunt was married and had an average married life with little but not very upsetting ups and downs. They’re blessed with a boy and girl. My uncle, her husband loved them more than anything. They were the apple of his eyes.

Once they deciced to get a gold necklace for the baby girl and he hunted down every jewellery shop in the town to find the perfect necklace for his girl. But he found none of the necklace worthy enough of his daughter and had a custom made for her. This is just an example how much he loved his daughter.

Over the years when the children were about 7–8 years old, they had a petty fight and my grandmother added fuel to the fire. My aunt totally under the influence of my grandmother divorced my uncle and left taking their children along with her.

She fed the children with all the lies about their father. And like we all know how a child’s mind is like a clean slate and she wrote gibberish on it, about their father. They eventually hated him.

Now after 26 years, I once saw my uncle’s profile on Facebook, I saw he shared childhood pictures of my cousins. I saw him mourning his departure from his own children, children he loved so dearly. He contacted my cousins many a times even though he was restricted to do so by the court, and my cousins shooed him away.

He was broken beyond repair. He married again to have children but wasn’t blessed. My aunt tool everything he had but what devasted him the most was separation from his children.

I think that’s the worst thing a woman can do to a man, separating him from his children and making them hate him.

Edit 1: He was restricted by the court to meet his own children because my aunt asked for the custody of the children and demanded no alimony and child care from my uncle. Initially he had a permit and he met his daughter during her school hours to which my aunt claimed that he tried to kidnap his own daughter. After that he was restricted to meet his children. The children now hate their father like anything, though I never quite understood what did he do wrong. He wasn’t alcoholic, nor a womanizer, loved his wife and children a lot, even helped my aunt in household chores. I wish I could do something but I really have no say in their lives.

What are some great examples of coincidence?

  • Enzo Ferrari And Ozil
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image 428

Enzo Ferrari, the founder of Ferrari company died in 1988 on the 14th August. About 2 months later on 5th October 1988, Ozil was born. He is arsenal footballer. They have unbelievable resemblance

  • A falling baby saved twice by the same man
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In the 1930s in Detroit Joseph Figlock saved a baby who fell from from a window. A year later Joseph was passing when the same baby fell , he caught her again.

  • Twin brothers,killed on the same road,two hours apart.
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In 2002,Seventy-year-old twin brothers were killed by accidents on the same road in Northern Finland.The first one was hit by a lorry while riding his bicycle ,he died 1.5km from the spot his brother was killed

  • The woman who couldn’t sink.

Violet Jessup.

She was named Miss Unsinkable. The stewardess and nurse was on the HMS Olympic when it struck the HMS Hawke, she was also on HMHS Britannic when it sank. She was also on the RMS Titanic when it sank after hitting an iceberg.

As a landlord, what is the dumbest thing you’ve ever had a tenant do?

This is about a fellow tenant.

Over the course of a few months someone was leaving hateful notes on my front door and yanking the silk flowers off the wreath hanging on my front door. By the end of this story the wreath is bare.

Overall I’m a nice person and usually get along very well with my neighbors, so I was very puzzled regarding what this was all about.

I reported the matter to property management then the police became involved.

In the end it was discovered that a neighbor living 10′ across the hall was very angry with me. She was receiving phone calls, probably telemarketers, companies selling auto warranties, etc. BUT SHE THOUGHT I WAS PRANK CALLING HER! I never figured out why she thought it was me!

Fortunately, I was able to let her daughter know. Her daughter reimbursed me for the wreath and not long after she was moved to assisted living. Whew! That was a mess.

Burmese Curried Pork (Weta Hin)

Burmese Curried Pork Weta Hin
Burmese Curried Pork Weta Hin

Ingredients

  • 1 (2 pound) boneless pork shoulder
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped gingerroot
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 (16 ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained
  • 1 stalk fresh lemon grass, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • Hot cooked rice

Instructions

  1. Trim fat from pork; cut pork into 2-inch cubes.
  2. Place onion, garlic, gingerroot, turmeric and red pepper in blender container. Cover and blend on medium-high speed, stopping blender frequently to scrape sides, until smooth, about 1 minute.
  3. Heat oils in Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Gradually and carefully pour vegetable mixture into oil. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer, stirring, occasionally, 15 minutes.
  4. Add pork, tomatoes, lemon grass and fish sauce; break up tomatoes with fork. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until pork is tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
  5. Serve over rice. Garnish with snipped fresh cilantro if desired.

Yield: 4 servings

What is the craziest office scandal that happened at your job?

I worked for a company where one of the married supervisors started going for lunch with one of his pretty young workers. The lunches got longer and longer, and then he had to start working late to get all of his work done.

Then he had to rent an apartment close to work, so he wouldn’t have to drive all the way home after working late.

Eventually his worker got pregnant and he had to make a choice. He got divorced and married his mistress.

When she announced at work that she was pregnant and getting married to her already married boss, it was quite a scandal.

His new bride had to quit work for maternity leave. She insisted that he have no female workers on his crew, and that he not work over time, she phoned during every lunch and he had to answer. This was before cell phones.

If I didn’t know better, I would have thought she was suspicious of her new husband.

He got promoted into a marketing position, and wasn’t in the office very much. For some reason his wife made him find an office job and I lost track of him for twenty years.

He started work at the same company I worked for, and I asked how his second wife was doing. ( She had been my coworker) and he said that he was on wife number 3.

It wasn’t as big of a surprise as you would think.

FEAR is the basis of RESPECT: people must hear you hiss

Must watch. This is the key content of this post.

Fight the Good Fight

Blue Thunder.

I was living in West Elizabeth, PA. It was a very distressed mobile park complex. The entire community was worn down, poverty stricken, and crime ridden.

At that time, we had our first cat: Samatha Pantha.

Something cool started to happen, a beautiful blue grey Maine Coon, the same age as my kitty started hanging out with my cat.

It was beautiful. And we named it “Blue Thunder”.

For the next few months the two cats played and romped about.

One day, some local boys were tying to sic a dog on Blue Thunder, and I saw them under my mobile home trying to attack my cat. I was furious and chased them away.

Three days went by…

No Blue Thunder.

Then one morning, the kitty was on my porch. Someone had shot it with a BB gun…

We took it in the house and tended to it. And all was well.

It was still around us. Our “outside” cat, and not our “inside” cat.

Eventually, I got a job in another state. And we had to move.

I wanted to Take Blue Thunder with us, but my wife reasoned “no”. She reasoned was that he would be just fine… alone… outside.

I should have NEVER listened to her.

Guys… stick to your guns. If you are dealing with a living, breathing being. Err on the safe, and the protected side of things.

I found out later that when the mobile home was being transported, a cat (that obviously must have been Blue Thunder) tumbled out from underneath the mobile home. I don’t know what happened to it, but falling out from a moving vehicle tends to be fatal to little creatures.

I have great regrets about this issue.

I am haunted by my passive actions that led to the demise of others.

About six months later, I came across another little kitty. Phelie. The cat that I wrote about in other posts, the one whose mother cat died on the road. And this cat had nearly the same personality that Blue Thunder had.

Maybe he found his way back to me.

Don’t you know.

People, I have many regrets in life. But one of the biggest is going against my CORE BELIEFS because my partner or family member did not realize the value of other creatures. Do not be like me.

Fight the GOOD FIGHT.

Never give up. Stick to your guns. Hold your ground. Be someone that your grandparents would be proud of.

Today…

What was the most unexpected knock you got on your door?

Two police officers with sober faces stared at me and I knew the news couldn’t be good.

They described a car that had just been in an accident, and the license plate. My wife’s mini-van had collided, burst into flames and everyone inside it died.

I’m doing a mental inventory about now. My wife, three children, and two nieces.

My legs turned wobbly. You can’t imagine what was going through my head. Because of the fire, they couldn’t find any useful identification but explained they could identify everyone both by DNA and by dental records. They wanted a DNA sample from me.

I guess they could verify my kids were mine, and that the adult was their mother. A nice, neat little bow.

Can you imagine? They’ve just told you that your whole family is dead, and —- I told them I would come down and give them a sample.

Getting ready to leave, my cell phone is buzzing. It’s my wife. What? Hard tingles are on my spine, like she’s calling from the grave.

“Our van was stolen from the parking lot….”

Were the sweetest words I could’ve ever heard. Yeah it was my wife’s car, but they won’t need any DNA sample from me today.

EDIT – to address some of the mysteries in the comments

I learned later that three people were in the van when it collided. A man, woman, and younger person, which they presumed was a child of the drivers. The police said everyone died, but they had a different human inventory than my own. I also learned they were part of a ring of car thieves, and the accident was not their fault. Another car ran a light and hit them broadside. No fatalities and only minor injuries in the other car.

My wife had organized a birthday outing for our oldest. All the necessary shops, restaurant, and theater were inside the mall. It would be several hours before it was time to leave again. The thieves had plenty of time to get away if they hadn’t been hit.

What is the most interesting fact that you know and I don’t, but I should?

I have an interesting piece of information which was completely new to me and maybe it is new to many of you too..

Recently, a friend of mine was involved in an accident. He rammed his car behind a truck and the car was completely totaled!

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Thankfully, he was wearing his seat belt which initiated the action of airbags and saved his life.

Now comes the part which amazed me. When I saw the pictures of the crash, the speedometer of the car caught my attention.

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The speedometer needle was stuck at 90 km/hr. Upon asking some of my acquaintances in the automobile industry, I discovered that this is also a feature, due to which upon impact if the airbags are deployed, then the speedometer needle will be stuck at the speed at which the vehicle is being driven to ease the investigation and further formalities about the accident.

This amazed me as this was quite a useful feature which rarely people know and it will make it much easier to get into depth of the cause of the accident in cars which do not have a dashcam installed, which usually is the case in India.

Hope you were amazed too!

Valiant Thor: A UFO, the Pentagon and a 3-year Mission to Save the World

The words of the guilty

  • I’m sooooop sorry.
  • It was a mistake.
  • My friends made me do it.
  • I was drunk.
  • It was only that one time.
  • It was your fault I did it.
  • It’ll never happen again.
  • I love you soooooo much.

304 Handbook, Chapters 2-5.

Have you ever had a house guest that took advantage of your hospitality? How did you get rid of them?

I have a house for rent in Brownfield, Maine. It’s a tiny vacation house I call the “Schwende Hut” named after a hot dog stand on top of the ski hill Mt Tecumseh in New Hampshire. I found out later that “Schwende Hut” means “Food House” but I think it’s hilarious.

I have been renting the house for almost 20 years to people who like to stay be the weekend, the week, the month or the season. It’s been pretty good.

A few years ago I got call from a woman who wanted to rent for a week. It was the end of the season and I still had that week available so naturally I signed her right up. She moved in on time and all was good. She was rather elderly and I was concerned that she would have a good time.

After a week my cleaner reported to me that she hadn’t left. I went over to see what was going on. Normally guests have to check out by noon so the cleaner can do his work before the next guest arrived. She came to the door but didn’t open it. I asked her what she was doing.

“I live here now,” she said to me, “I’m not leaving.”

I was confused.

“This is a guest house,” I said, “Other guests are going to come.”

“And I’m not paying,” she said obstinately. I was speechless. This had never happened before. I said, “I’ll call the Sheriff.”

“Go ahead,” she said, “Winter is coming. I’m old. They’ll never evict an elderly woman. Good luck.”

What could I do? I had to go consult with my local lawyer.

That night a huge storm came up with violent winds and lots of rain. I couldn’t worry about the old bitch in my house. I had to worry about property damage. Two days later the storm ended. I came through all right with just a few branches down and lots of pine needles everywhere. But there was no power. In Maine the power goes out at least once a week. Trees just fall and take out the lines. After a big storm crews and trucks have to go out and put the lines back up. We get used to seeing the flashing light on our digital clocks in Maine. It tells us that the power was out and we have to throw away most of the food in our fridge.

It took almost a week for the power company to restore power. In the meantime I was worried about the woman who wouldn’t leave my house. What was I going to do with her? The legal moves for getting her out were long, laborious and expensive. Even squatters have rights, it seems. People told me to tell the Sheriff she was dealing drugs and that would get her out fast. Meth is a huge problem in Maine with so much poverty. I couldn’t bring myself to do that. But within a few days of the power being out, she packed up her car and left. With no power, there was no fridge, no stove, no AC, no showers, no toilet, no light. She up and left, The house was a pigsty but at least it was empty.

I installed a power kill in a hidden location under the house. If this happens again I know what I will do now.

How did planes travel in the dark in the past?

Giant. Concrete. Arrows.

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No, really.

In the early 1920s, when the postal service first launched its airmail service, planes could only fly during the day.

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It would take three and a half days for a package to make it from New York City to San Francisco, with both airmail and train-travel due to the limitation on flight.

Thus, to solve this problem, Congress funded a transcontinental lighted airway from New York to California.

The airway went through nine different states and consisted of 50-foot steel towers that were rotating spotlights every 10 to 30 miles.

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However, since cloudy days sometimes obstructed the view of pilots, giant concrete arrows were constructed on the ground in order to point the plane in the right direction. They were painted yellow to make them easier to see.

The project was called the Transcontinental Airway system and it worked surprisingly well up until the 1940s when the system was dismantled due to advances in aviation technology.


Many of the concrete arrows are still around today, remnants of a time where planes could travel across the country, purely by sight.

From the stars,

Dawn.

What happened in a courtroom that gave the judge a belly laugh you will never forget?

During my time in High School, I received a ticket from a police officer who was working a side job as a delivery driver. He accused me of “dumping my clutch” and “doing a burn out of the parking lot.” However, I am currently fighting against these allegations.

When I appeared before the judge, the prosecutor and the police officer were present. The police officer reiterated his observations, and I countered by explaining that I did not perform any clutch dumping or burnout in my 280zx because there was an 8″ gutter separating the street and the sidewalk.

I further argued that performing a burnout in the parking lot would have caused damage to my low-riding Z vehicle. Moreover, when I hit the gutter, my battery came loose, and the positive post made contact with the steel clutch line, resulting in a hole and a loss of fluid, making it impossible to switch gears. The engine sounded loud because the car was in neutral, and I was expecting to shift into second gear.

The police officer should be aware of this situation since he had to call a tow truck to take my car to the garage for repairs. I even provided the receipts as evidence.

The judge then asked me if I worked at the restaurant, to which I replied affirmatively. I mentioned that as a delivery driver, I would be unable to carry out my job without a vehicle. However, the judge questioned how I managed to hit the gutter so hard that it caused my battery to bounce.

I humorously explained that the police officer had walked in front of my car while he was distracted by the attractive rear of my best friend, who happened to be a female. This caused everyone in the courtroom to burst into laughter, including the judge. The police officer became flustered and attempted to speak, but the prosecutor intervened and suggested that the case should be dismissed.

I agreed entirely with the prosecutor’s suggestion but requested that the repair bill be taken care of since it was the fault of the police officer’s negligence while representing the police department that caused the damage.

The judge agreed to dismiss the case, and I was awarded the reimbursement of around $37, which was equivalent to approximately 10 hours of minimum wage back in those days.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that my best friend was a female with an attractive figure who enjoyed flaunting it whenever possible. However, everyone else in the courtroom assumed that my best friend was a male.

What is a slap-in-the-face job offer?

I was happy at my job, but one day a head hunter called me up, and asked me if I would be interested in interviewing for a job that was a step up, at a rival company.

I hummed and hawed, and thought why not see what I am worth, at the worst I could ask my boss for a raise.

I went to the interview, they were impressed and offered me a job, they wanted to know my current salary, I told them that the salary was only a small part of my pay, as I had a performance bonus that was substantially more than my salary. So I wanted to know what their bonus system was. It was woefully low, compared to my current job, I would get a bonus that was maybe 20 percent of my salary, compared to the 200 percent of the salary I was getting.

To make up for it, they offered me a 20 percent higher salary.

I wont give real numbers, but here is how it would work out.

I was currently getting $1000 in salary, and $2000 in bonus per month, for a total of $3000.

They thought salary was the key, and offered me $1200 in salary and $240 a month in bonus for a total of $1440

Less than half of what I was making, doing a job with less responsibility.

I told them that I wasn’t interested, and they offered to increase it to 30 percent increase in salary. Which would have been just over half of what I was making.

They just kept coming back to salary, and never seemed to grasp how substantial my bonus was.

That was a slap in the face offer.

I of course turned them down.

They went bankrupt 18 months later.

Man Dumps Wife When He Finds Out He Was Her Last Choice

What is the most Russian thing ever?

I was working on a power station in Moscow and, for the weekend, went to a small town (Kaluga), two hundred kilometres south-west from the city with a work colleague. Alex.

He had bought some brake shoes for his Russian-made car and was fitting them with his father in their garage that every Russian family has. They are always in a long row of garages some distance from the apartments.

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The brake shoes wouldn’t fit due to poor quality manufacturing so he got out an angle grinder and ground the groove in the brake shoe until it fitted.

He said that this was normal in Russia.

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He also said that when you bought a new Russian-made car you went to the showroom with a colleague and inspected the car. You would then tell the salesman what was wrong with the car (door does not close, brake pedal is missing rubber, etc.). He would fix it and, when you took it away, you accepted responsibility for all that was wrong.

So if you are planning an expedition to the Arctic don’t get an American or European mechanic to fix stuff en route, get a Russian because they have spent their entire life bodging stuff up with a Swiss army knife and some 14 gauge wire.

There is nothing that a Russian cannot fix.

What’s the most common mistake we make in the office?

Most corporate offices have a “bend don’t break” rule on internet usage.

High achieving professionals don’t want to be micromanaged or watched with suspicion.

Think about it. If you work 40+ hours and are good at your job, it shouldn’t be an issue if you want to check the news or your bank account.

But some people treat their office like an entertainment center, streaming Twitch and YouTube all day.

As a result, HR and IT team up like a Kremlin intelligence agency, looking for any signs of slackers.

The golden snitch sees all. I was walking by one time and this coworker was literally watching a Twitch stream with that lady, Pokimane, as she played video games. This was in the middle of a busy office with people working.

Thirst trapping it on the clock baby. He had quite the audacity.

You can extend this to every stupid hiring practice and office rule. All it takes is one moron and life becomes more annoying for all that follow.

Don’t be the moron behind the stupid rule. If you can help it.

Karma Comes For Disloyal Wife After Husband Admits To Affair With Way Hotter Woman…And She FREAKS!

When have you fired someone on the spot?

Yes.

As a triage nurse in an Emergency Room, there are duties that become mundane but are necessary. One rule we had was that if a pregnant woman approached the check in desk complaining of pregnancy symptoms, the nurse asked how far along they were.

Twenty weeks is the magic number. If they are 20 weeks pregnant the baby has a realistic chance of surviving if delivered. This meant the nurse had to get up and push the patient by wheelchair to Labor and Delivery. It was a big hospital and L&D was on the exact opposite side of the hospital.

If they checked in at the front entrance, security would push them to L&D and the staff there would determine how far along they are and just as the triage nurse in the ER take them by wheelchair to the proper care area.

A pretty good system that had worked for years without incident. Both areas had to push an equal number of patients across the hospital.

And then one day I get a call from the L&D Director.

“We had a patient come in today who says she was told rudely by the ER staff that she was in the wrong place and needed to drive around to the front entrance,” she said.

I neglected to mention that this was a huge hospital that took up 2 city blocks. Crossing the hospital required a 10 min walk through a maze of locked doors and corridors. Driving around required 2 red lights and avoiding a one way street.

“I’ll have to speak to the staff,” I told her, “They know what they’re supposed to do.”

“This girl was 32 weeks and complained of her water breaking,” she continued.

It seemed she was catastrophizing the situation. The staff broke protocol. I will remind them and reiterate the protocol.

“I’ll make sure they understand,” I said.

“Keith, the baby was dead,” she said.

Turns out she was minimizing the episode. The seriousness of the call was not lost on me.

“I am going now to take care of it,” I said, “I am sorry.”

“These people are livid,” she added.

I called the charge nurse and asked who was at triage. Of the two names given, I immediately surmised who the culprit was. Judy was an outspoken nurse who enjoyed sharing her opinion that most of the patients in the ER did not even have an emergency. I went to get her.

“Can you come with me?” I asked.

“Why?” she asked, “Am I in trouble?”

She followed me out into the hallway, and as we walked to my office I asked her, “Did you send a 32 week pregnant patient around to the front?”

“Is that what this is about?” she started, “We are busy and I don’t have time to be pushing people all over the hospital.”

“The baby was dead,” I said, “This is not trivial.”

“That baby was dead before she got here,” she argued, “That has nothing to do with me not pushing her to L&D.”

Stating things that were most likely true did not change facts. She probably was already fired, honestly, but without hesitation I said, “Collect all your stuff and go home.”

“Am I being put on administrative leave because of this crap?”

“Come by my office before you leave,” I said.

While she collected her things, I called Human Resources and made sure I had grounds to terminate. The HR representative agreed to come witness the termination.

“I don’t care what you do,” Judy started as she entered the room. “That baby was already dead.”

“Judy, because of your refusal to follow proper protocol and continued insistence that you have done nothing wrong, you are being terminated. Effective immediately.” Her mouth fell open, and she began to cry. “This is Allison from HR. She can answer any further questions you may have.”

That’s the moment, I think, she finally realized the seriousness of her actions.

Solar storms: more dangerous than you think. Can we survive another Carrington Event?

The Boiling Hot End to a Cook Accused of Poison in Henry VIII’s England

On April 5, 1531, hardened London spectators of public punishment gathered at Smithfield, joined by others who were too curious to stay away. An execution had been announced of a type that none had witnessed in their lifetimes, nor ever heard of.  The condemned man, Richard Roose, was to be boiled alive.

Roose was not the sort of criminal that usually met his end at Smithfield, located just beyond the London Wall. He was convicted of high treason, yet he had not sought to harm King Henry VIII nor his queen, Catherine of Aragon, nor any royal councilor. He had not tried to overthrow the kingdom’s government. Roose, a cook, was accused of murder by poison.

His two victims were an obscure gentleman in the household of Bishop John Fisher, Bennet Curwen, and a destitute widow who accepted the bishop’s charity, Alyce Tryppytt. The target of the poisoning was assumed to be Fisher himself, the Bishop of Rochester. Ironically, Fisher did not eat the soup—sometimes described as porridge—that Roose prepared and so was unharmed.

Roose admitted to the poisoning but claimed it was a joke gone wrong, an accident.  There is no testimony for us to examine, because Roose had no trial, by command of the king.

In the words of the Greyfriars Chronicle of London, a contemporary document: “This year was a cook boiled in a cauldron in Smithfield for he would have poisoned the bishop of Rochester Fisher with divers of his servants and he was locked in a chain and pulled up and down with a gibbet at divers times until he was dead.”

Roose’s crime, the legal method of his condemnation, and finally the form of punishment create a bizarre chain of events that, in a more modern age, might well have raised questions of motive in several parties, including that of Henry VIII. Although there is no question of who did the killing, this is still a tantalizing Tudor murder mystery, and reveals some of the peculiarities of the early modern age, when laws existed and homicide was considered a heinous crime, but there was no trained police force nor forensic science.

Why did Henry VIII demand this punishment of a lowly cook? Why was Roose executed as a traitor when his crime was murder of commoners? The answer lies in the King’s complex feelings for Bishop Fisher.

John Fisher was made bishop of Rochester by the King’s father, Henry VII, in 1504. Fisher performed the funeral services for Margaret Beaufort, the king’s mother, and Henry VII himself when they died, within months of each other, in 1509. In the first 20 years of the reign of Henry VIII, Fisher was considered “the greatest Catholic theologian in Europe, without any rival,” writes Eamon Duffy.

But by the time of the crime in question, King Henry was no longer proud of Bishop Fisher, 62 years of age. It would be safe to say he considered him an enemy. And it would have made the King’s life much easier if Fisher had lost his—if he had consumed the soup.

In 1527, when Henry VIII, desperate for a male heir, began his public quest for an annulment from 42-year-old Catherine of Aragon to marry the delectable young Anne Boleyn, Fisher became one of his most serious obstacles. The question of the royal marriage was a theological one, and if Europe’s most respected theologian had agreed in the rightness of King Henry’s cause, it would have done a lot to bring about the annulment. But Fisher took the side of Catherine of Aragon. The marriage was legal and could not be dissolved.

In 1529, Bishop Fisher announced at the trial of the royal marriage that it would impossible to die more gloriously than in the cause of marriage, as John the Baptist did. In that same year, when a proposal came to Parliament to dissolve the smaller abbeys—the beginning of Henry VIII’s destruction of the Catholic monasteries—Fisher “openly resisted it with all the force he could.”

Enter one Richard Roose. One of Fisher’s earliest biographers, Richard Hall, wrote in 1655 the most complete account of the poisoning. He is the only source to say that Roose was not the chief cook in Fisher’s household, which is significant: “After this the Bishop escaped a very great danger. For one Richard Rose came into the Bishop’s kitchen, being acquainted with the cook, at his house in Lambeth-marsh, and having provided a quantity of deadly poison, while the cook went into the buttery to fetch him some drink, he took his opportunity to throw that poison into a mess of gruel, which was prepared for the Bishop’s dinner. And after he had waited there a while, he went on his way.

“But so it happened that when the Bishop was called into his dinner, he had no appetite for any meat but wished his servants to fall to and be of good cheer, and that he would not eat till toward night. And they that did eat of the poisoned dish were miserably infected. And whereof one gentleman, named Mr. Bennet Curwen and an old widow, died suddenly, and the rest never recovered their health till their dying day.”

An inquiry began at once. Although a salaried police force did not yet exist in England, criminal investigation was taken seriously. Justices of the peace, appointed by the monarch, received and investigated complaints; coroners viewed dead bodies and ordered arrests. Now if a suspect was bound over for trial, freedom was unlikely. Defendants charged with felonies or treason did not exist. In fact, murder trials rarely lasted more than 15 minutes.

Roose was soon apprehended, and admitted to adding what he believed were laxatives to the soup as a “jest.” No one believed him. The always skeptical Imperial ambassador Eustace Chapuys wrote a slightly different version of events to his master, Charles V, the nephew of Catherine of Aragon:

“They say that the cook, having been immediately arrested… confessed at once that he had actually put into the broth some powders, which he had been given to understand would only make his fellow servants very sick without endangering their lives or doing them any harm. I have not yet been able to understand who it was who gave the cook such advice, nor for what purpose.”

We share Chapuys’ frustration. Who gave the cook these powders and told him that they would sicken and not kill anyone? If that information was obtained, it was not shared with the public. No transparency.

Sir Thomas More, the lord chancellor, informed Henry VIII that there were rumors that Anne Boleyn and her father and brother, Thomas and George Boleyn, were involved in the poisoning attempt. The king reacted angrily, saying Anne Boleyn was unfairly blamed for everything, including bad weather.

The murder motive and the question of a larger plot were soon obscured by Henry VIII’s drastic actions. He decided that Roose should be condemned by attainder without a trial—a measure usually used for criminals who were at large. Roose was sitting in prison! Nonetheless, Parliament passed “An Acte for Poysoning,” making willful murder by means of poison high treason even if the victim was not head of the government of the land. And boiling to death became a form of legal capital punishment. This crime was especially heinous, the king’s representatives said, and thus called for such measures.

Several biographers have noted King Henry’s extreme fear of poison. Although the monarch’s paranoia became infamous in later years, there was some basis for concern. Everyone had heard the stories of murder by cantarella in Rome during the time of the Borgias. Pope Alexander VI, Rodrigo Borgia, died—perhaps of poison slipped into his food at a banquet—during the reign of Henry VII. Cantarella was believed to have been arsenic trioxide.

If poison was ever suspected as the cause of death at this time in England, there was no way to scrutinize its damage within the corpse to confirm. And should the poison itself be obtained, the field of analytical chemistry was four centuries away.

Not surprisingly, rumors ran wild. Poisoning was rumored (never proven) to be the cause of the deaths of Queen Anne, Richard III’s wife; the eventual death of Catherine of Aragon; and the agonizing death of Henry’s son, Edward VI. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, written in the reign of Henry’s daughter, Queen Elizabeth I, employed poison. Shakespeare wove it into five other plays too.

But there was more to this than royal terror of a poisoned dish. As historian K.J. Kesselring wrote in The English Historical Review, “This may explain the severe, exemplary punishment of boiling, but not the need to label the offense treason.”

In April the crowds of Smithfield witnessed Roose’s death. According to an eyewitness: “He roared mighty loud, and divers women who were big with child did feel sick at the sight of what they saw, and were carried away half dead; and other men and women did not seem frightened by the boiling alive, but would prefer to see the headsman at his work.”

The story of the king and the stubborn bishop doesn’t end there.

When, after the king married Anne Boleyn, Bishop Fisher refused to swear an oath of supremacy to the king, he was arrested. The pope made Fisher a cardinal to protect him, but it only enraged the king more. Once the monarch had ordered a savage punishment of the man who tried to kill Fisher, and now Henry VIII wanted Fisher gone.

After a difficult imprisonment, Fisher was beheaded on June 22, 1535 on Tower Hill. The crowd gasped when they saw him on the scaffold for he was “nothing…but skin and bones…the flesh clean wasted away, and a very image of death.” In his speech to the crowd, Fisher is said to have shown a calm dignity.

According to Fisher’s biographer: “And here I cannot omit to declare to you the miraculous sight of his head, which after 14 days grew fresher and fresher, for that in his lifetime he never looked so well…. the face looked as if it beholdeth the people passing by and would have spoken to them. Which many took as a miracle.”

In 1886, the Catholic Church made John Fisher a saint.

Accepting Defeat In Ukraine

In early November the Economist published an interview and several pieces by the commander in chief of the Ukrainian army, General Zaluzny. As I summarized:

Zaluzny’s central thesis is that the war is currently at a stalemate. It has become positional, with no large maneuvers being possible. He compares it to the war in Europe in 1917. There, he says, a change only happened through the introduction of new technologies (i.e. tanks).

I for one think that Zaluzny is mistaken. The war is not at a stalemate. Russia has clearly the advantage as it is free to maneuver along the whole frontline and to attack wherever it likes. It does not do so in full force because the current situation allows it to conveniently fulfill the order its commander in chief had given to it – to destroy the military capabilities of Ukraine.

Finally a western mainstream writer has caught up with those facts. Lee Hockstader, the Washington Post‘s columnist for European affairs,  opines:

In Ukraine, the risk isn’t stalemate. It’s defeat.

Hockstader laments the lack of support from the U.S. and Europe for the new demands the Ukraine is making. He states:

Without those infusions of cash, arms and munitions, even the disappointing status quo over the past year, in which Ukraine has not managed to recapture much territory, is unlikely to endure.

Andriy Yermak, a top aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, told a Washington forum last week that the “big risk” is that Kyiv’s troops could “lose this war.”

That message should jolt policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic. The danger, as Ukraine’s top general warned publicly last month, isn’t simply stalemate. It is that Ukrainian forces, running low on equipment, might be compelled to fall back, shorten their defensive lines and abandon territory.

It’s essential to think about what Ukraine’s defeat means, because it would be as much a strategic disaster for the United States and its NATO allies as a tableau of terror for Ukraine. Dual cataclysms, equally stark, played out on different timetables.

Well, yes. The West has shot its wad and it proved to be sterile.

There will be no terror for Ukraine, just the loss of the ethnic Russian people, industries and land the communist – Lenin, Stalin and Khrushchev – had for whatever reasons attached to it. The rest of it will be a smaller, more poor and purely agricultural rump state without access to the sea. This was obvious from the very beginning to anyone with a clear view of the balance of the forces involved in the war.

As I wrote on February 24 2022, the very day Russian forces entered Ukraine:

Looking at this map I believe that the most advantageous end state for Russia would be the creation of a new independent country, call it Novorussiya, on the land east of the Dnieper and south along the coast that holds a majority ethnic Russian population and that, in 1922, had been attached to the Ukraine by Lenin. That state would be politically, culturally and militarily aligned with Russia.


bigger

This would eliminate Ukrainian access to the Black Sea and create a land bridge towards the Moldavian breakaway Transnistria which is under Russian protection.

Excursus:

The yellow part of that map marked ‘Ukraine in 1654’ was actually the land of the Eastern Orthodox Zaporozhian Cossacks. Under threat from the Catholic Lithuanian-Polish Commonwealth, which at the time held the green parts under serfdom, they negotiated the Pereiaslav Agreement (1654) with Russia and pledged allegiance to the Tsar. They area thus became an autonomous part of Russia.

End Excursus

The rest of the Ukraine would be a land confined, mostly agricultural state, disarmed and too poor to be build up to a new threat to Russia anytime soon. Politically it would be dominated by fascists from Galicia which would then become a major problem for the European Union.

Thanks to Stalin’s additions to the Ukraine three countries, Poland, Hungary and Romania, have claims to certain areas in the Ukraine’s western regions. If they want to snatch those up again it is now probably the best time to do so. Despite being part of NATO, which likely would not support such moves, those three will have domestic policy difficulties to withstand the urge.

Since then we learned that Novorussiya will not be an independent state but a genuine part of Russia. So be it. Meanwhile analysts like Hockstader still delve in fantasies:

A complete Ukrainian military collapse is unlikely, at least in coming months. Kyiv’s armed forces remain well-led and motivated, and they are husbanding equipment to prepare for shortfalls. But it is equally unlikely to expect a negotiated cease-fire with Russia that would maintain existing battle lines. To believe in that seemingly anodyne outcome is to misjudge Putin — again.

This is not misjudging Putin, but misjudging the capabilities left to Ukraine.

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2023 12 16 19 17

It has run out of men and material. There are daily videos of this or that Ukrainian army unit condemning its leaders and announcing to leave its positions. The potential of a collapse of Ukrainian army is real.

On November 2 I also wrote about the 47th Ukrainian brigade:

During the last days tanks from the 47th brigade (Leo 2) and 10th mountain brigade (T-64BM/BV) have been seen, and were destroyed, near Avdiivka. Both brigades had only recently been mauled during their hopeless attacks at the southern front. It does not make sense to throw what is left of them into another battle without reconstituting them. The whole experience and knowledge these brigades had gained will be lost with them.

Yesterday, the Ukraine friendly Military Watch Magazine confirmed my opinion:

Ukraine’s Elite 47th Mechanised Brigade Surrounded and Low on Ammunition: Critical Front Faces Collapse

The Ukrainian Army’s elite 47th Mechanised Brigade stationed in the town of Avdiivka in the disputed Donetsk region has been surrounded and forced to contend with growing ammunition shortages, according to multiple reports from Ukrainian and Western sources. British reports indicate that the brigade was meant to attack a Russian column before it linked up with assault infantry on the northern flank of Avdievka, but failed to do so due to a lack of ammunition. The brigade’s efforts to stop the advance of Russian forces in Avdievka were described by The Times as “desperate,” fuelling perceptions of an “inevitable collapse” of Ukrainian positions, and diminished hope of preventing a Russian victory by the beginning of the New Year holidays.

A serviceman from the 47th Brigade, cited only as Sergeant Danylo, observing when interviewed over the past week “a shitty situation” as the shell shortage forced soldiers to make impossible life-and-death decisions.“We had 10 times more ammunition over summer, and better quality… American rounds come in batches of almost identical weights, which makes it easier to correct fire, with very few duds. Now we have shells from all over the world with different qualities, and we only get 15 for three days. Last week we got a batch full of duds.” Thus instead of firing on Russians as soon as they came within range, Ukrainian personnel increasingly had to wait to be sure the Russians were heading for their positions and to only engage large groups. Munitions produced by European states have very frequently been faulted for their quality, and at times been considered near useless, with Italian equipment being particularly notorious for its poor quality, in contrast to superior equipment either inherited from the Soviet era or produced in by the United States.

Now tell me again that these are “well-led and motivated” forces which are “husbanding equipment to prepare for shortfalls”. Neither rings true to me.

Hockstader continues:

For the Kremlin dictator, a “compromise” would involve Ukraine’s subjugation and dissolution as an independent state. That would include regime change, with Zelensky in exile (or dead), as well as an end to Kyiv’s aspirations to join the E.U. or NATO.

If he is right, the timetable of that ending would be accelerated if Congress and the E.U. fail to approve fresh support. That would leave Ukraine’s government unable to maintain basic services, and its military increasingly short of artillery ammunition, air defense capability and other equipment. Ukraine’s already badly battered front-line forces would become more brittle. Russian territorial gains would be accompanied by murders, rapes, kidnapping of children and other Russian war crimes on a chilling scale.

That grim scenario would be a staggering blow to Western prestige and credibility, revealing that pledges to back Ukraine for “as long as it takes” were empty.

Yes, those pledges, by Biden and others, were indeed empty. That is why he has recently changed his talk:

Amid a Republican standoff and polarizing politics that puts new aid to Ukraine at risk, President Joe Biden emphasized his administration’s willingness to support Ukraine, but the language was different. He said the US will be there for Kyiv “as long as we can.”

It’s a change in tune from previous messaging that the US would be a staunch and fierce ally to Ukraine, aiding it for “as long as it takes” to defeat Russia’s invasion.

The West can no longer support the proxy war it had started.

History will now follow its destined path.

Posted by b on December 14, 2023 at 10:59 UTC | Permalink

VIDEO: Ukraine Deputy Detonates THREE Grenades in Council Meeting

World Hal Turner 15 December 2023

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2023 12 16 18 46
VIDEO: Ukraine Deputy Detonates THREE Grenades in Council Meeting

Reports and video are coming in from what is described as a local Council Meeting in Ukraine, where a Deputy pulled pins on THREE Grenades and tossed them throughout the meeting, causing three explosions, the final one likely killing the Deputy who threw them.

The Deputy walks into the meeting room and closes the door behind him.  He stands at the closed door.  An argument is ongoing at the meeting and the Deputy tries to intervene, to no avail.  With that, he pulls a grenade from his suit pocket, pulls the pin and tosses it.  He then takes out another and repeats the process.   He then pulls out a third grenade and apparently holds onto it after pulling the pin; perhaps to intentionally kill himself.

At this point, the name of the Deputy is not clear, and the type and location of the meeting is also not known.

What __is__ known is that numerous people in the tiny meeting room were either killed or injured seriously.

RUMORS abound over this incident, and several of the RUMORS claim the meeting was for people who want Ukraine to surrender and make peace with Russia.

WARNING: Graphic Video of three grenades exploding in a small council meeting room.  Viewer discretion is advised:

DAMN! -MM

MM version of the video in MP4 format. Worth a watch. HERE.

43 Year Old Admits “The Movement” Is BS And Being A Carousel Rider Is NOT Empowering!

Very true…

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2023 12 16 19 27

What has your child told you that caused you to call the police?

My son, who is mixed race, told me that another boy at school was calling him names and throwing lighted matches at him – some of which could have burned his clothing with dire results. I called the police. They sent a very large and imposing officer who told us “I’ll take care of this”, invited my eight year old son into the back of the police car and drove him to school – opening the door for him and escorting him to the principal’s office to deal with the culprit. My son was thrilled that he was the talk of the school for arriving in a police car and the bully was suitably scared out of his wits enough to never try such a thing again.

Global Supplier of Crucial Electrical Products Announces 20 Week DELAY in most-important parts!

Nation Hal Turner 14 December 2023

SCHNEIDER LOGO large
SCHNEIDER LOGO large

SCHNEIDER Electric is the second largest manufacturer of electrical components in the world.  The things they make are absolutely crucial to our daily lives: Crucial electrical infrastructure, industrial automation, Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC’s), etc.  Without __any__warning, SCHNEIDER announced to its partners in the US . . .

. . . a TWENTY-WEEK DELAY for “Engineered-to-Order (ETO)” products for Quarter 1 next year!   That’s almost a half a year delay   ! ! ! ! ! 

Folks, ETO projects are major private and public infrastructure, power grids, etc.  The grids are not readily able to deal with this kind of manufacturing delay. 

Even more ominous, this ETO equipment, is the same gear the FBI recently issued warnings over, for expected CYBER-ATTACKS!

So FBI is warning about Cyber-Attacks targeting ETO gear like PLC’s and now, the second largest manufacturer of these exact components, is announcing twenty week delays for Q1 orders!

One industry insider told me “The reason this is so weird is this company is very good at planning. They supply billions of $ in critical components. They aren’t perfect but they usually have a plan when they announce something like this.  Not this time. The plans behind the announcement letter (shown below) are very shallow. They got the note out WAY before anyone on their teams knew what is going on. MANY questions with no answers. That is very weird.”  Here is the SCHNEIDER Letter to Partners in the USA:

ETO Orders DELAYED 20 weeks
ETO Orders DELAYED 20 weeks



His remark got me thinking: WHY?

Could it __really be__ that they simply cannot get parts via the supply chain, OR . . .  is this wait and hold critical infrastructure so you can step in and replace damaged infrastructure after attacks happen? Is another possibility Critical redesign?  Did they find holes in security and need to redesign . . . . and will stop projects to push an updated design out?

And if they are THAT confident that attacks are going to happen, then one wonders how it is they know?  Did FBI tell them?

Over the past several weeks, media outlets have carried 24 assorted local stories about 24 sites that have been hacked. The ones discussed publicly are Hawaii water systems, Texas power grid, and west coast water systems near ports. All areas that will be critical to weaken for an invasion or conflict. Near borders.

 War Preparation?

Preparations for a world War are clearly taking place in very many countries around the world.

For the first time, US citizens are likely to see the direct consequences of war on our own soil.

If people spent more time following world events and wars without being clouded by their own “normalcy bias,” they could piece together what is likely to happen.

In Ukraine, Russia crippled their power grid and attacked their ability to make the tools of war. Most all war materials have to come from outside.

Now imagine Russia striking US infrastructure and OUR ability to make tools of war . . . when our stockpiles have already been depleted by Ukraine.

Oh, and let’s not forget that Israel is toast without US arms support.

But, what is most concerning to me is that the US has made no real efforts to truly ramp up production of war materials.  Lots of talk, very little tangible action.

It’s like the US is planning on just going straight to nuclear. But Russian Air defense systems are proven best in the world and their likelihood of survival is much higher than the US.

Contacts I have from my years in the Intelligence Community are telling me the US is too corrupted to survive what is coming.

But real companies with very smart people with analysists with real MBA’s see what is coming and are preparing.

The Intel guys I’ve talked to tell me bluntly: “USA has never been weaker than it is right now.”

I don’t know how it’s going to play out exactly but this is the most dangerous time we have been in up to this point in human history.

One would be very wise to put the pieces together and be willing to make the very hard decision on what is required to survive it.

 Because another source (unverified) told me there are currently ~35,000 terrorists in country awaiting a go signal.

Imagine an Oct. 7th style attack all over the US, if all 35,000 operatives struck at once . . . as the much smaller cells did in the ‘Day of Wrath” that hit Israel. 

Oh, and don’t forget that several months ago, we all found out there is also 60,000 lbs. of ammonium nitrate fertilizer that was taken off a train in Southern California, that has never been accounted for.  Ammonium Nitrate is what Timothy McVeigh used to construct the truck bomb that detonated outside the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.  That bomb was reported to be only 4500 pounds.   So the amount of Ammonium Nitrate already missing, could make more than TEN such bombs.

We seem to be sitting ducks.

What is the best case of “You just picked a fight with the wrong person” that you’ve witnessed?

This isn’t a tall tale… I once saw 3 guys in a pub start a fight with a bloke I worked with who’d been a pikey bare-knuckle boxer. My mate’s dad had forced him into fighting for money when he was a kid, but in his 20s he’d met a lass and decided he wanted a normal life so he walked away from his gypsy family, got a job and a house, and settled down. He was a really nice guy, a proper grafter, and good to talk to — he had a real philosophy about him and always gave great advice if you had any problems. He didn’t talk much about his old life, just every now and then he’d maybe open up a bit about how he’d hated it and couldn’t forgive his dad who’d beaten him if he didn’t fight and beaten him if he’d lost. None of what he said was bullshit, he was a sincere, honest guy who you could see had been in a lot of fights and just wanted some peace and quiet. He was also a really good husband and father, he was absolutely determined not to repeat the mistakes.

We were on a job in London, went out after work one night, and three locals did the old “you spilled my drink” routine on him. He tried apologising but one of them shoved him. I was sat at a table facing it and before I could even react, all three guys were dropping and he was stepping away. If you’ve ever seen a tarantula move faster than you blink, it was like that. Afterwards he said one of the things you learn as a bare-knuckle fighter is where and what angle to hit people.

Trades are valuable

Braised Beef, Shanxi Style

OssoBuccoBraisedBeefShanksRecipe2
OssoBuccoBraisedBeefShanksRecipe2

Ingredients

  • 1 pound (400g) lean boneless beef
  • 1/2 g fennel seed
  • 10 teaspoons (50ml) soy sauce
  • 3 1/2 ounces (100ml) chicken or duck broth
  • 4 tablespoons cornstarch (corn flour), dissolved in 4 tablespoon water
  • 2 teaspoons rice wine
  • 3 ounces (100g) scallions, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh ginger, chopped
  • 3 1/2 fluid ounces (100ml) sesame oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon MSG (optional)

Instructions

  1. Wash the beef and cut into thin slices. Mix with the soy sauce and scallions.
  2. Stir the cornstarch-water mixture and add.
  3. Heat the sesame oil in a work add the fennel seeds. Heat to very hot or until the oil starts to smoke, and add the beef. Stir-fry until barely cooked.
  4. Add the stock, rice wine and MSG (optional). Cover the wok, and boil rapidly for 1 minute.
  5. Add the ginger, stir and remove.

Red Meat

Solution found…

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2023 12 16 19 26

No right answer

What aspects of Chinese culture could the world learn from?

Retired life!

When Chinese people get old, they hang out in the park. They form musical bands, dancing troupes, and gaming rings. They practice taichi for exercise and some even swing swords around. Many practice calligraphy on the pavement with a brush and a jug of water.

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Charming, right? I really like the sense of community between old people in China. Getting old doesn’t mean you can’t share hobbies with friends.

Now, of course this only refers to the old people lucky enough to have money saved up to provide for themselves or kids that help support them, but that’s a topic for another time. For now I’d like to keep this answer wholesome. 🙂 Happy Saturday everyone~

I figure if I transition…

As a police officer, have you ever encountered someone who turned out to be far more dangerous than you expected?

While serving as a detective, in Shetland, I received a notification that paramedics were attending a stabbing incident, in Scalloway harbour. The victim was fading fast, we were told. My colleague and I made our way there, some 5 miles from our offices, in Lerwick. We arrived quickly and paramedics rolled up at almost the same instant we did.

While they attended to the victim, who had been on board a yacht, moored in the harbour, one of them confirmed that it was likely to be life-threatening, and a witness stated that an older man and a youth had left the area, hurriedly, just before the victim had been found. We were given a very brief description and I recognised it as fitting two males, who I had seen walking away from the harbour area, as we had arrived. I passed a description of the men, and we checked the streets of the small village, without success. We returned to the seafront, where I wanted to check inside a local hostelry, just as the two walked out, having removed their jackets and hat (in the case of the younger man). I spoke to them both and they identified themselves as New Zealand nationals, a “respectable businessman” and his son, who were visiting Shetland on business. The son – still a teenager – looked like he wanted to throw up, but his Dad appeared entirely calm and unruffled, as if he had not a single care in the world.

I detained both men, on suspicion of aggravated assault, and – to much protest from them both – arranged to have them conveyed back to the station, separately, for later questioning and investigation. Having done so, we returned to the harbour, where the paramedics had realised the victim was suffering a single penetrating stab wound to the chest, which had caused a tension pneumothorax. They had aspirated him, with a needle and were conveying him to the local hospital, for urgent and critical procedures. We were advised he was not stable, at that time, having lost a lot of blood.

The victim was identified to us as a German national, and yachtsman, resident in Shetland, while the suspect was identified as being the older Kiwi.

We returned to the station, where the custody sergeant informed me that the older suspect had just volunteered under caution, during his detention process, that the German had been drunk and had attacked him with a filleting knife. There had been a struggle and Dad alleged that his son had grabbed the knife off the man, accidentally stabbing the victim with it. He would say no more (having blamed his own son, the brave soul that he was).

The son had made no comments, but had appeared stunned, the sergeant said.

I interviewed both, separately, as I was the senior – and more experienced – detective present, albeit only a Detective Constable, myself. This was, by now, an attempt murder enquiry, plus I was the better interviewer. Dad spent 45 minutes saying, “no comment” to every single question put to him, relating to the incident. He still appeared as unruffled and calm as if he was out for a Sunday stroll, showed no stress, no discomfort, and still claimed to be a respectable New Zealand businessman. Other than that, “no comment”.

The son said he was in Shetland with his Dad, who wanted to see about buying up an old inter-island ferry boat, which was being sold off. He told us that Dad had sailed around the world, many times, and knew that if a boat could handle the seas around Shetland, in a harsh winter, it could pretty much handle the seas anywhere else in the world, at their worst. He said Dad’s was a tourist-derived business, but declined further comment, when asked for more details – about anything else.

We were a small department – a detective sergeant and then two detective constables (a third was on annual leave), with five uniformed officers then on shift, all with their own duties. But as this was an attempted murder, we could direct them, in assisting us with our enquiries. Their interviews turned up some more details – the yacht was owned by Dad, but the German had arrived in Shetland, having sailed the yacht there, months earlier. Dad had arrived in mainland Scotland, and then onto Shetland, only days earlier, with his son in tow. He had spent time in the company of some locals, who had said he had shown “a nasty temper” and they “wouldn’t want to mess with him”.

So I went back into interview, with Dad. He was irked by this, now slightly testy and refusing to answer any question with anything other than “no comment”. I told him he was perfectly entitled to do so, however it wouldn’t stop me asking my questions. He grew louder and louder in his, by now, yelled, “no comment!” to every question and I could see I was getting to him. So I took another break, as we had now gone through another 45 minute tape.

I brought his son back in, put Dad in to his cell, and let them see one another – just a glimpse of son being led out, as Dad was placed in the cell. Dad started screaming at his son, “No comment, boy! You make no fucking comment!”

I told the son, honestly, that his father had already made a voluntary statement under caution, blaming him (the son) for the stabbing. I told this terrified 17 year old that the German was in surgery and still might not make it out, alive. In which case, with the absence of any further information, it was Dad’s word, weighed against his own son’s silence, that son was responsible. If he did not make any comment, at this time, his father’s account would be accepted, son would be arrested – either for attempted or actual murder (if the victim expired as a result of his injury) – and face the consequences. He would be unlikely to receive bail for such an offence and so would be held in custody, in prison, until such time as a trial would commence.

That was it. Son puked in the wastepaper basket and started crying. He immediately denied having stabbed anyone. He made plenty comments, thereafter. In fact, he said Dad and the German knew one another for years. The yacht was owned by Dad, although used by the German. The two men had argued, while they were all drinking onboard the yacht, about money owed the father, which Dad said the German was ripping off from him. This has escalated, the two had fought and Dad had grabbed up a knife, from the galley kitchen area . The German fell, son realised his father had stabbed the man, and then he and his Dad hurriedly left the yacht, his father disposing of the knife overboard, into the relatively shallow harbour waters.

Having received this information, I tasked a police unit to return to the harbour and see if the knife could be seen, and put into motion a request for a diving team, via my supervisor – a Detective Inspector 300 miles away, in Inverness. The uniformed cops thought they could see the knife, but would need the divers, to be sure.

I advised our local Procurator Fiscal Depute, of the case, and enquiries up to that point. He told me that, even if Dad copped to the stabbing, unless there was something else there, that could be evidenced, this “businessman” would be bailed, come Monday morning (this was now tea-time, Friday night). If I could arrest him, I had a weekend, no longer, to hold him in custody.

I told him that what bothered me was this guy was unfazed by having almost killed a man. He never even asked how the man – an alleged old friend – was doing, or showed any concern or regret. There was…. nothing. “He is too cool”, I told the Fiscal. “This guy makes the skin between my shoulder blades itch. He is dangerous.”

“Prove it”, I was told.

The hospital came on, to say the German had pulled through, but the stab wound was deep, and either well placed or accidentally almost-lucky, as it had just missed his heart, nicking his vena cava, instead.

Now, when I said this guy bothered me, I mean he really, really bothered me.

So I went back into interview with him, and took him for one of my “walks around the houses”, as an old colleague used to call them. Seeming unassociated chat and questions, almost like a free flow of investigative consciousness – of which I took a careful note, of course. Early on, he was testy. Then he became narked, yelling his “No comment! No comment!” again, to anything and everything I said. When I started talking about his business – I had Googled his given address, he got antsy and even more angry. He ended up yelling at my colleague, “Can you not make him shut! The fuck! UP!!” I was all sweetness and light, still talking about New Zealand, tourism and his business, as if I hadn’t heard. He put his head in his hands and at that point, I asked him why he had stabbed his friend, who was alive and now recovering. His head shot up and he went very still and didn’t answer – which I pointed out, for the tape, describing his demeanour for purposes of the recording. I asked why they had been arguing, and if Dad owned the yacht. He didn’t answer and I pointed this out, again, with his demeanour. I asked why he had wanted his son to take the blame. Same response. I asked why he had thrown the knife overboard and the skin around his weatherbeaten eyes went very white. I told him we had divers coming for the knife, that he was staying all weekend and that we would be talking again. He tried, unsuccessfully, to upend the table, at that point, lunging to his feet, face now stark white, other than two red spots on his cheeks. He whispered, surprisingly calmly, “I could kill you.” I repeated that statement, for the benefit of the tape. I think he recognised that as a mistake.

I spent three hours of my own time, after knocking-off time, that night, open source-searching this guy, on my work computer. He had an unusual name, and I used it in connection with “New Zealand” “kiwi” “yachtsman” “sailor” “round the world” and similar phrases.

Finally, I got a hit, and it was a good one. It was a front page story in a south east-Asian newspaper, about a corrupt justice minister who had been arrested and tried, having been taped, several years previously, whilst in a three-way call between the suspected head of the world’s largest Triad gang (no, really!), and a New Zealand drug dealer. The NZ dealer had also served time in an American federal penitentiary, it seemed, having once sailed a yacht packed with drugs into a harbour, there, and straight into the arms of US Customs. The reports said he was now (at time of publishing) linked to this Triad gang and the world’s largest “Shabu” factory, believed to somewhere in or around the Philippines. “Shabu” is how they refer to Crystal Meth, down there.

Real “I am the one who knocks!” material (no, really!)

I spoke to the PF Depute, at his home (before finally heading off to my own home), to be told that he would try and use this to hold Dad, in custody, as a flight risk, and was fairly certain he could get at least two weeks on a “lie-down”, out of it. He went on that I should get Dad’s prints off to our Interpol liaison, ASAP, with a request to have them prioritised. I had already done so, but was advised it would take at least three weeks for any hit to come back. Meantime, he was still a “respectable NZ businessman”, newspaper article aside.

I went home, head whirring but knackered. Three and a bit scant hours later, I was awoken by an urgent call from Force HQ, on my mobile, telling me that I had to be at my office desk within 30 minutes, as a call would be coming in for me. I asked if a message could be taken and the Detective Sergeant at the other end – our Force Intelligence Officer – laughed and said absolutely not. He had been woken up in the night, for this, and so I could face the same fate! He wouldn’t say any more, so I dressed and made my rather bleary way into the station, and my office.

Sure enough, almost bang on the hour, my phone rang. “Call for you”, said our unnaturally cheery Force Intel Officer, and with that, I found myself suddenly talking to a rough-voiced, blunt-spoken (i.e. he swore a lot) Australian gentleman, who identified himself as a Detective Superintendent in an international task force. He asked if I had (insert name of Dad, here) in custody. I confirmed that I had. He asked what for and I told him I planned on reporting Dad for attempted murder. He paused to yell, off-handset, “SHUT THE FUCK UP!!” then asked if it was “a good one”. I told him I believed it would be. I explained about the stabbing, about the son, the German, the yacht, the alleged “rip-off”, and that got him excited. He asked me to wait one, and I heard him yell out that he had a cop in “Shetland?”, (I confirmed this and next heard him cry, “Will some bastard find me Shetland on a fucking map!”) on the phone and this “inspector” had (insert Dad’s full name here) in custody, on an attempted murder – a stabbing, no less. There were a few more yells and swears, in the background, and he told me the prints had been flagged, and he had been notified of a hit, in Scotland, of all places. He explained they had been tracking Crystal Meth, arms and even people, all being smuggled out of SE Asia, into Australasia. His main target was a big-time Bad Man (with capitals), in Australia, but Dad was the means by which the drugs and other items were believed to be shipped there. He explained this guy, Dad, travelled around, using his sailing prowess – he was a genuine former competitive yachtsman – to buy up suitable boats. These were used to ship their cargos to their destinations. He told me that Dad had been implicated in several murders, directly, by witnesses – former colleagues in his ventures – always with a knife. He liked to get “up close and personal”, while dealing with these “rats”, having been in the military, once upon a time and even lied to underlings about being ex-Special Forces, to boost his legend. Upward rising knife thrust to the heart (missing the ribs), with a long thin blade, was his alleged preferred killing stroke. Unfortunately, any and all witnesses had subsequently disappeared. The task force believed Dad had either killed them, or else had them killed. “Watch your witness”, he warned me. He promised I would have an Intel file, via our Force Intel Officer, within 24 hours, for our Fiscal and the Crown Office. Their difficulty had been in identifying his travel. They had his NZ passport flagged, but there was no record of him having left the country, in years, other than the odd short trip once or twice. I asked about his Panamanian passport and, again, he went quiet. “His WHAT?!” I explained that I had noticed, at the custody bar, while his belongings were being processed, that he had two passports – one from NZ, one from Panama. I knew that, at that time, it was possible to effectively buy a Panamanian passport, if you had business registered there, sufficient capital and enough connections. This gave Dad dual nationality and, from his reaction, it seemed that the task force didn’t know about it. “Do you have it?” he asked, excitedly. “Yes, but it’s sealed in his belongings and can’t be opened unless he is present, without lawful authority”. He swore profusely until I told him I had photocopied both passports and their contents, in case they’d come in useful. He was fairly chuffed, by this, and when I read off some of the travel dates and destinations, he was even more so.

I arranged to send him all I had, in return for everything they had. He ended the call by telling me that I might even get a promotion to Chief Inspector out of this. I told him that might not be that likely, as I was a Detective Constable. He wouldn’t believe me, so I told him my details would be on the email, when he got it all. He ended by saying that Dad was number 6 on their 10 Most Wanted list, at that time, in Australasia, while his Aussie counterpart was #2. I told him I’d take 6 of 10, by their standards!

Anyway, I re-interviewed Dad, who was fairly crestfallen that NZ had been in touch, already. He hurriedly amended his story, alleging self-defence, but it was too late. He appeared in court, both passports were seized and he was placed in prison on that 14 day “lie-down”, while I carried out further enquiries.

And then…

He had the German “helped” out of the hospital and off the island, by two large men, posing as cops, to hospital staff, while Dad was on his “lie-down”, awaiting his first diet at court. We checked plane and ferry terminals (benefits of an island) and then passed info and photos, from ferry CCTV, to mainland police, who identified a hire vehicle, just too late to stop them leaving. The licence plate went into the National ANPR system and it was tracked headed for Newcastle and the international ferry to Holland, there. The German was retrieved, safe and well, and went on record, claiming that the two men had plastic sheeting and shovels in the hire car (they did) and had planned on killing him and burying his body over there, before returning, one man lighter.

We couldn’t pin that on Dad, as the two men wouldn’t cough to it, and the German wouldn’t press it, simply relieved to be “home”. He gave evidence against Dad, and then buggered off, sharpish. Never saw him again.

Dad got 3 and a half years for assault to severe injury, and I got a call from Force Intel, months later, that his calls were being intercepted (lawfully) and in one of those, he had asked an unknown male how much trouble it would cause, and how much it would cost, to “off a cop”. He had been advised against it.

That was the one and only time I worried about one of those clowns who swear they will find you and kill you….

So I repaid the favour, by continuing to keep in touch with my Australasian friends. They arranged for him to be met at the prison gates, on the day of his release, by plainclothes Officers, cuffed and conveyed to London. He was furious, as he expected to be free and clear to carry on about his business. They handed him off to New Zealand cops, who flew him home and locked him up. Turns out his wife/partner was an illegal immigrant and he was abusive towards her, and their son (who she now knew had been implicated in the stabbing, by his own Dad). The authorities offered her citizenship and she offered them all the info on his kiwi businesses and criminal dealings. I don’t know if they ever got the Aussie Bad Man, but Dad died, several years later, having served yet more time back home, and having been confirmed as HIV+, contracted whilst in prison.

One of the two best arrests I ever made.

As my sergeant noted, at my appraisal, that year, “not many cops your rank get a head on the wall like that one”. Of course, I still had to fight for a high assessment grading and then defend it to an outraged senior officer. I never got so much as a memo from my own force, related to that one. Several above me got promotions, though, funnily enough.

The last thing I’ll say (yes, there’s more) is that the first seizure of Crystal Meth in Scotland was recorded as being in Aberdeen, a few months after Dad’s arrest.

That’s not quite correct.

The first such seizure was albeit minimal, but was in Shetland, around the time Dad was here. But the powers that be sat on the info, rather than (they thought) make the place look bad (no, really!).

The info, from my task force chums, was that Dad had been seeking to establish a pipeline, for the drug, into the U.K., and rather than coming up through Europe, into the very heavily policed Dover, this switched-on and experienced sailor had planned on having boats packed with it, sail, first into Shetland, then down to one or more of the numerous remote inlets or bays, on mainland Scotland (of which there are thousands), from whence it could be distributed nationally – the latter part being what the OCGs were doing with Cocaine, at one time. Customs would need to check every single fishing boat, small ferry or able bodied sea-faring vessel, in order to defeat those tactics – and there was no Customs presence in Shetland, as there was no longer international travel to and from the port here.

That case gives me a warm glow. Drug smuggler. People trafficker. Murderer. Simply awful father! Man of the world, career criminal, tripped up, in sleepy wee Shetland, and now pushing up daisies (better him than me!!), while I get to write long-winded stories about his nefarious ways.

Evil bastard.

Eat your heart out, Ann Cleeves.

Here endeth the (long) lesson.

Value talk

What are the most outrageously wrong answers written by students on their test papers that you took down to the teacher’s lounge for everyone to enjoy?

My favorites are the “I didn’t study so I asked someone to whisper the answer and I copied it hilariously wrong” answers.

A few samples:

What are elements with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons called?

Correct answer: isotopes

What a kid wrote: ice tubes

The amount of product you expect to make in a chemical reaction is called the ________

Correct answer: theoretical yield

What a kid wrote: the radical yield

The device we use to light a Bunsen burner is called ________

Correct answer: striker

What a kid wrote: tricycle

The digits that indicate the accuracy of an answer are called_______

Correct answer: Significant figures

What a kid wrote: stick fingers

What is the formula of sodium nitrate?

Correct answer: NaNO3

What a kid wrote: Any 3


I get mad when the kids leave questions blank that we discussed for weeks and weeks. But when the answers are like this, I contemplate a new career. After I stop laughing.

A symbol of a declining society

Canadian Journalist Who Pushed Vaccine Mandates and “Concentration Camps” for Un-vax’d, DIES at Age 33

World Hal Turner 14 December 2023

Journalist dead at 33 vax advocate large
Journalist dead at 33 vax advocate large

A Journalist who advocated that those who were unvaccinated against COVID-19 be put in concentration camps, has died suddenly at the young age of 33.

Ian Vandaelle died after being hospitalized and “declared neurologically dead,” his family revealed.

Vandaelle was a business journalist who worked as a reporter and editor at the Financial Post.

He was also previously a producer at BNN Bloomberg for over a decade.

Vandaelle advocated for vaccine passports and mandates and called for the firing of anyone who refused the injections.

He also suggested that unvaccinated people should be arrested and taken away to concentration camps.

Hal Turner Editorial Opinion

Like so many other left-wing-ish / Liberal-ish people, this person seemed so smug and self-righteous in his (wrong-headed) belief in the new COVID-19 vaccine, that he seems to have ignored all the warnings put out by others, like me, who warned against taking the new, untested, unproven, mRNA “death dart.”

Yet as with so many others his age, He seemed to think, when it came to the COVID Vax,  HE knew better.   He seemed to think HE was so much smarter than the rest of us.  HE seemed to look down his nose at those of us who raised very real concerns about this new technology.   To HIM, the rest of us were just sniveling idiots; too stupid to embrace this new, life-saving, technology.

Looks to me like maybe he wasn’t so smart after all.  It is my personal opinion that the vaccine he thought so much of, killed him.

I think his ego blinded him to the reality . . . . and now . . . .  he’s dead.

It’s hard to feel sorry for someone so young, dying this way.  After all, if he had HIS way, all of us might be facing a similar fate – or be locked away in a Concentration Camp — just so HE and his ilk, could feel better.   No thanks.

This may turn out to be the new general epitaph for Liberals: “He thought he knew better than everyone else; now, he’s dead from what he thought.”

Found the kitten

What is an “Only in Japan” moment?

Japan is both overwhelmingly modern and traditional at the same time. This does not just apply to the amalgamation of skyscrapers and ancient Shinto shrines in cities like Kyoto, but also on a more sociological level. The matter of sexuality in Japan may not be one of the first things that come to mind but Japan is a country mostly free of religious morals.

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Traditionally a sexually open society

Sexuality in Japan developed separately from that of mainland Asia, as Japan did not adopt the Confucian view of marriage, in which chastity is highly valued. Monogamy in marriage is less important in Japan, and married men often seek pleasure from courtesans. Prostitution in Japan has a long history, and became especially popular during the Japanese economic miracle, as evening entertainments were tax-deductible!

The Art of Shunga

Historically, pornography in Japan may have begun at the start of the Edo period (1603–1868) as erotic artwork referred to as shunga that was typically done on woodblock prints. Shunga literally means “spring pictures”. “At its best shunga celebrates the pleasures of lovemaking, in beautiful pictures that present mutual attraction and sexual desire as natural and unaffected” Tim Clark, curator of “Shunga: Sex and Pleasure in Japanese art”

Mass produced during the Edo period shunga offered sexuality a shameless visual platform. Shunga depicted sexual pleasure that included both heterosexuality and homosexuality, each not only acknowledged but also encouraged. Surprisingly prior the Edo Period there was no Japanese word for female sexuality, and Shunga changed this with the depiction of female pleasure including lesbianism.

Shunga was an essential part of Japanese society

Shunga had functions beyond its aesthetic appeal. Its primary use would have involved viewing and sharing the paintings or books with close friend or sexual partners. Like the Indian Kama Sutra the Shunga images were also used to provide sexual education for young couples. While shunga was chiefly commissioned by men, it has been found among the dowry goods presented to a Japanese bride, suggesting that it was also highly valued by women.

Most shunga was created by woodblock artists from the popular school ukiyo-e, ‘pictures of the floating world,’ a genre of painting that mainly illustrated life’s pleasures that was mass-produced as prints. Surprisingly traditional painters also produced a large quantity of shunga including members of the Kano School, known for their innovative secular paintings.

Samurai were seen as the keepers of morality in Japan. Shunga was both commissioned and accepted by the samurai as a pleasurable cultural pursuit, and thus the whole of Japanese society enjoyed shunga.

There was also an element of humour to shunga, which sometimes referred as warai-e or “laughing picture”. Shunga works are artefacts of an era in Japan where attitudes about sex were freer. Sex was seen as an everyday natural activity without shame and often was the centre of amusement.

Sex and Erotic Art in early Japan

By the Edo period in the early 17th to mid 19th centuries, there had been a long history of erotic art and secular sexual expression in Japan, which meant that shunga was nothing new. Prehistoric societies had developed phallic worship in connection with their reliance on agriculture and Japan’s creation myths are based on human-like sexual procreation. Throughout the centuries, the phallus and phallus shaped objects (for example, mushrooms) had been prominent figures in carvings, could be found in shrines, festivals, and along roadways, and were traditionally and superstitiously related to good luck, health and longevity.

What allowed for such an openness of sexual imagery and expression was the lack of any strict religious code that controlled sexual behaviour. Unlike in the West, which was dominated by a strict Judeo-Christian ideology, there was no moral shame and stigma surrounding sex or the production of erotic images in Japan — only a stringent class system based on Confucianism that dictated deference to status and appreciation of personal space.

Sex in Japan did not take on any ‘mythical’ or religious significance as it did in India and China. Furthermore, humour and wit had developed over the centuries as a common part of sexuality and was incorporated in the broader culture via allusions, euphemisms, sexually related stories and poetry. These and other cultural and religious factors allowed sex to be seen as a more naturalistic, enjoyable experience between partners, which in turn has produced a wide array of acceptable sexual behaviours in modern Japan including same-sex partners, and sexually related products such as sex toys, manuals, and even a chain of sex stores.

By the time of the Edo Period, the normalcy and humour found in sex, highly developed forms of sexual expressions, and the lack of moral or religious control all translated into an early modern culture that allowed shunga to flourish as a genre of popular art and sex to be open, fun and easily available.

From sexual openness to repression

Japan’s sexual freedom was a revelation to Europe, particularly its artists. Painters such as Toulouse-Lautrec, Degas and Picasso found fertile ground in Shunga imagery. As Japan sought modernisation and to be in line with ‘modern’ western social norms, the Meiji Government banned shunga in the early 20th century, becoming taboo within Japan. As Japan sought sexual repression Europe sought sexual liberation!

When Shunga was flourishing in Japan, in Christian Europe at the time shunga would have been deeded pornographic. Shunga is an impressive, unique tradition of pre-modern erotic art. It serves as testament to a once uninhibited, open-minded society that offered artists opportunities to express originality and unbridled emotion.

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Celebrating Shunga Today

The history, humour and accomplishments of shunga are explored at the British Museum in Shunga: sex and pleasure in Japanese art. The exhibition looks at Japanese art like no other. Explicit and beautifully detailed the works on display are between the years 1600 and 1900, and such works continue today to influence manga, anime and Japanese tattoo art. The exhibition sheds new light on this sexuality explicit art form from Japanese social and cultural history. Parental guidance advised for visitors under 16.

The 48 Japanese sexual positions

If you have ever wondered how they do it elsewhere in the world, a recent Durex Ad may have caught your eye. It introduced some acrobatic positions within decidedly Canadian names: the ‘maple cinnamon twist’ and ‘the Niagara fall’ (the Canadian side, we are assuming).

There is not a lot of research on the top sex positions in different countries. Sex surveys tend to focus on other aspects of our time between the sheets (such as sexual satisfaction and frequency). That said, the Durex Sexual Wellbeing survey which questioned 26,000 people across 26 different countries does have some interesting insights into how different nations have sex. Overall worldwide less than 50% of people are sexually satisfied and as one gets older and has sex less often, dissatisfaction increases, particularly with males. The world has obviously become more sexually repressed.

The following images are illustrations of Japan’s 48 sexual positions — the “48 Ways” (shijuuhatte). These sex positions are inspired by sumo wrestling moves going back centuries. During the Edo period, the word 48 arms-hands started to be imbued with sexual meaning — “all the basic sexual techniques”.

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Below, Japanese Durex condom commercial teaches you 48 ways to have sex with a wrestler. It’s kinda a humorous play to watch, so enjoy it!

Choosing sexual partners in Japan

Most men are attracted to younger and good-looking women, since it is believed that the women will be fertile and prodigy will also be attractive. It’s human instinct, and only moral education can try to repress this instinct. East Asian religions (Confucianism, Taoism, Shinoism, Buddihism) do not teach strong moral principles or prohibitions regarding sex. In fact sexual restrictions and the associate shame or guilt with sex is typically a Judeo-Christian or Islamic characteristic.

In modern Japan the Western desire by males for big breasts and shapely hips may also be based upon a subconscious belief of greater female fertility but the overriding influence has been Western film culture. For women in Japan, and the world over, power has always been a significant element when choosing a male partner. Power and sexual desire often go hand in hand since a powerful male can easily support and protect a family.

The more targets the US spies on, the fewer friends it has — Chinese FM

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The US government has kept expanding its scope of surveillance, meddling in other countries’ domestic affairs and interfering in international affairs, which runs counter to international law and the fundamental principles of international relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry commented on the Section 702 of US’ Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) which allows the US intelligence agency to conduct unauthorized surveillance of non-US individuals abroad. The spokesperson added that “The more targets the US spies on, the fewer friends it has. The US needs a better sense of boundary and less obsession for control.”

During a press briefing on Thursday, media mentioned that US National Security Council member Joshua Geltzer said that Section 702 of the US Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), an important legal basis for US intelligence authorities to eavesdrop on non-US citizens overseas and step up international surveillance without authorization, will expire on December 31. It was estimated that nearly 60 percent of President Biden’s daily intelligence brief came from these “big ears.”

The warrantless government surveillance authority slated to expire in days is closer to lasting for at least a few more months after the US Senate on Wednesday local time passed an annual defense policy bill that included a temporary extension.

In response to that, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the US Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), adopted after Watergate, was originally aimed at preventing government authorities from abusing power and carrying out arbitrary eavesdropping.

However, Section 702, added in 2008, permit the National Security Agency to carry out eavesdropping and surveillance without obtaining an individualized court order, Mao said.

After that, the US government has been expanding the scope of eavesdropping and surveillance to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs and meddle in the normal course of international affairs. This practice runs counter to international law and basic norms governing international relations, Mao said.

“The more targets the US spies on, the fewer friends it has. The US needs a better sense of boundary and less obsession for control,” Mao added.

27 Years Ago This Animated Television Series “Duckman” SHOWED Men Are Going Their Own Way

Are people scared to join the military? How do they deal with this?

A couple of months ago, we had an IT guy in our office who had just received his summons to serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

It was a Friday and he had to appear at the military commissariat four days later, on Tuesday. Needless to say, the summons papers pretty much ruined his weekend.

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War is a dangerous affair: a wall in Kyiv that commemorates the country’s fallen heroes from 2014 till today. (Picture by the author of this post)

I have rarely seen a man who was more scared than this poor guy. He was literally sweating. He really wasn’t the fighter type: mid 30s but looking older, non-athtletic body type and a small beer belly.

There was nothing we could do for him. He should have seen it coming. There’s compulsory service in Ukraine and people like him are getting drafted every day.

In our office, most (male) workers have already bought proper body armor and helmets for themselves, some of them even got guns and regularly train on the shooting range. In addition, they help me and my friends to support the military with equipment. When these guys get their summons, they’ll be prepared.

So yes, some people are scared when they have to join the military.

Advice you NEED to hear in your 20s (not what you’d expect)

Very unique and interesting point of view.

What was women’s hygiene like in 1700s Europe? What did they do about the growth down there back then? Didn’t lice harass them?

As far as Europe is concerned (as opposed to, let’s say Africa or the Middle East, for instance), body hair was left to grow until well into the 20th century.

Men typically shaved or trimmed their beards according to the fashion at the time, hair was cut , curled, bleached or dyed, equally accordingly but body hair was left to do its own thing.

This is valid for all strata of society.

Otherwise, in the absence of running water, both sexes usually washed in a bidet, which was filled with warm water and/or perfume/cologne/eau de toilette. Basically, just like you would with a wet wipe, you moisten a cloth or sponge with perfume and clean your entire body with it.

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Women using a bidet, by Willem-Joseph Laquy 1771.

So, basically, in spite of many claims to the opposite, there’s no reason to believe that people in the 1700’s would have been much dirtier than nowadays, although the mix of armpit smell and perfume would probably have been noticeable.

Lice is always a problem. However, just like nowadays, a variety of treatments were available, usually in the form of perfumes, what we now call essential oils, etc. They kill the eggs and you can get rid of the bugs themselves with a fine tooth comb.

And here it is…

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2023 12 16 19 24

Women PANIC As They Realize Men Don’t Want To Marry Older Women

Man, the USA is so terribly fucked up. Take me “home”. Please!

Russia Warns If NATO Bases Used For Ukrainian Jets, Those Bases Could Be Targeted

World Hal Turner 15 December 2023

Russia Warns If NATO Bases Used For Ukrainian Jets, Those Bases Could Be Targeted

With the Russia-Ukraine war now approaching the two year mark (in February), Americans might need reminding that the conflict remains a highly dangerous situation which could at any moment escalate into a WW3 scenario. 

Zelensky’s visit to Washington this week was lackluster, and he left without securing what Kiev is hoping for – that Congress would quickly pass Biden’s $106 billion war funding request, which also includes defense funds for Israel. Of course, at this point Zelensky has complained publicly that the crisis in Gaza has taken the world’s focus off the need to defend Ukraine from Russia’s onslaught. 

Though headlines in the West barely took notice, Russia early Wednesday launched a significant ballistic missile attack on the Ukrainian capital, which authorities said injured at least 53 people, including six children, with severe damage to a number of buildings. 

But with Zelensky in Washington, making the rounds to the Oval office and the halls of Congress, the Kremlin issued a fresh warning saying that if Ukraine’s military is granted access to NATO airbases for sorties using western-made planes, in would respond while deeming Ukraine’s external allies as direct participants in the war.

The fresh warning was announced by Konstantin Gavrilov, head of the Russian delegation to the military security and arms control talks in Vienna:

“We already hear comments that, amid the significant destruction of Ukraine’s airstrip infrastructure, the F-16s handed over to Ukraine may carry out their missions from airbases in Poland, Romania and Slovakia,” he said during the OSCE Forum meeting on cooperation in security.

According to the diplomat, Moscow will view this as these countries’ participation in the conflict and will force Russia to resort to “response measures.”

Even though certain eastern European allies pledged F-16s long ago, it could still be a lengthy amount of time before Ukrainian pilots are fully trained, enough to be deployed in combat on the US-made warplane. 

Western officials have in recent months admitted that Russia has the upper hand, and that Ukraine’s summer offensive failed, but everyone is now putting in place their ‘long war’ strategies. The Kremlin’s new warning and threat also seems part of this longer term planning from Moscow’s perspective. 

What’s the most inaccurate thing your child has ever been taught in school?

(My answer contains information that some people might find offensive. Please be advised. I am just sharing an experience I had. Thank you!)

I don’t remember exactly which grade my daughter was in when this happened, but it was when she was in elementary school.

It was a sunny weekend afternoon, I asked her, “Do you want to go to the park?” – which was her favorite thing to do, she had never refused it. But to my surprise, she said no. “Why?” – I asked.

“I don’t want to turn to black!”, she answered. “What!?”, I asked, dropping my jaw. “It’s sunny. The sun will shine on me and make my skin dark”, she pointed to the sun. “Who told you that?!”, I was stunned. She then grabbed the map, and explained to me, “This is Africa. It’s near the equator. They have a lot of sun over there, they are outside a lot, that’s why their skin turns dark. Our intern teacher told us that.”

You have no idea how angry I got when I heard this.

The next Monday morning, I took my daughter to school. After dropping her off, I asked for a meeting between that intern teacher and the principal. I explained the situation and demanded an explanation. The intern teacher was scared, he said he was just “joking”. He wanted to tell the kids that they need to wear a hat and use sunscreen when they are outside in the sun, or else they will get tanned; that’s why he “joked” like that.

I could tell the “face-palm” from the principal’s look. She apologized to me and promised me she would give my daughter’s class a special lesson to “fix” this issue (And she did. My daughter later that day went home and told me they had a lesson about protecting our skin). But the damage was already done. It took a long time with a lot of reading and explaining for me to erase the thought that “dark skin” was equal to “a bad thing” from my daughter’s mind.

I don’t know what happened to that intern teacher, but I hope he learned his lesson.

Carousel Rider Has MELTDOWN After BF Dumps Her Upon Learning She Had “Relations” With Over 300 Men

What is the nastiest thing you’ve done for revenge?

Back in the 1990s, my former father-in-law (my then-wife’s father), who I’ll call Joe, was the one instigating our divorce. He was one of those macho cop types, kind of a good ol’ boy.

I found one of those subscription cards in a copy of Out magazine on the rack. Out magazine was for gay people who decided to come out of the closet. I put Joe’s full name and his nextdoor neighbor’s address on the subscription card and mailed it in. (I used a typewriter in a store so my handwriting couldn’t be traced back to me).

Imagine his shock and horror when his neighbor showed up at his door and said, “Hi Joe, your Out magazine came to my house by mistake.” 😂

Nowadays, I regret such a juvenile tactic, but I was a bit crazy at the time because it was a messy divorce.

Has anyone tried to do something crazy in an Uber?

In December 2023, 27-year-old Neusha Afkami had to go the airport in Austin, Texas. She got an Uber, and told the driver he to “make it fast”, as she had a plane to catch and she needed to be on it desperately. Much to her frustration, the driver wasn’t going very fast.

image 226
image 226

Neusha felt she could go faster… so after berating the man, she took the driver’s phone… and threw it out the car window. He immediately stopped the vehicle to retrieve his phone and when he did, Mrs. Afkami jumped in the driver’s seat and drove off, leaving her Uber driver standing helplessly by the side of the road. Not only did she take the car, she also took the man’s wallet, which he left behind as he got out. While at the airport, she went on a 130 dollar shopping spree with the man’s credit card as she waited for boarding.

Of course, knowing his own car’s information like the back of his hand, the Uber driver immediately called the police. Before Neusha Afkami could even board her plane, she was located and arrested by Texas police, putting an end to her little bout of playing-GTA-in-real-life.

Knowing These Life Lessons After 40 is Like Cheating. Literally.

As a police officer, what is the saddest thing you have seen a parent do?

The Innocent Victim

It was during a drug search warrant of a heroin dealer’s house. We executed the warrant and located the target of the investigation, a 40-year-old male at home. He also had a live-in girlfriend who, like her man, was an intravenous user of heroin.

His girlfriend had a two-year-old toddler whom we found crawling around the living room floor. The child was naked and dirty and crying. He was a good-looking child, but what would his future hold in that environment? We located drugs and drug paraphernalia all over the house. Most disturbing were the numerous uncapped needles lying on the floor and coffee table right near the toddler. Additionally, there were remnants of powdered heroin and cocaine on the coffee table, which could easily be reached by the child.

My sergeant flipped out on the woman — and asked if she was crazy, exposing her child to used uncapped needles and powered narcotics on the table. The woman just sort of smiled and almost in slow motion said it was her kid and it was none of his business. She was clearly in a drug-induced stupor.

My sergeant replied that he was not only seizing the illegal drugs but was also seizing the child. With that, he scooped up the child in his arms and walked out of the house. He instructed our evidence officer to photograph the living room to document the horrible and dangerous conditions.

My sergeant stood outside and called the division of family services. They didn’t want to respond until the following morning. He emphatically informed them that the child had been removed from this unsafe environment and either they would come and take the child or our next stop was the local newspaper.

They responded to the scene, witnessed the horrible conditions where the child was housed and took the child from the doped-up mother. Three days later they returned the child to the mother at the same house.

Moving that child back into a drug house full of used needles and drugs was the saddest thing ever I witnessed a parent do to their child. When I hear people speak of legalizing all drugs, I think back to that helpless innocent victim.

Mister Ed – Nick Knacks Episode #053

Korean Taco with Florida Citrus Kimchi

Korean Taco with Florida Citrus Kimchi
Korean Taco with Florida Citrus Kimchi

Ingredients

Marinade

  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup Florida orange juice
  • 1/4 cup chopped green onion
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons rice wine
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
  • 2 pounds beef short ribs, boneless, thinly sliced

Florida Citrus Kimchi

  • 1 cup Kimchi (Korean spicy pickled cabbage)
  • 1/4 cup Florida orange segments
  • 2 teaspoons lime juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

Assembly

  • 6 flour tortillas
  • 2 cups shredded red cabbage

Instructions

  1. Marinade: Combine all ingredients in a bowl; mix thoroughly to ombine.
  2. Place short ribs in a nonmetallic dish. Pour marinade over short ribs; cover and refrigerate. Marinate at least three hours or preferably overnight.
  3. Florida Citrus Kimchi: Combine all ingredients in bowl; toss to combine. Reserve.
  4. Drain marinade from short ribs; discard marinade. Grill short rib slices over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove cooked slices from grill; place on cutting board. Slice short rib slices crossways into small, bite size pieces of meat.
  5. Assembly: Heat tortillas over medium heat on the grill or in a sauté pan. Place a small amount of shredded cabbage in the center of each tortilla; top with 1/4 cup short rib meat and 2 tablespoons Florida Citrus Kimchi.
  6. Serve immediately.

Yield: 6 servings

What happened in a courtroom that gave the judge a belly laugh you will never forget?

I was the arresting officer on a DUI case. I received a subpoena to appear in court. The man was so drunk he peed al over himself and other stuff in the intoxilyzer room. I thought it was for his guilty plea, but was wrong. He hired an attorney the day before trial and plead not guilty and had not viewed the tape. When the tape was played and everyone watched him pee and slip to the floor and splash his hands in his mess, the judge actually had an out loud laugh along with the rest of the court room.

As it turn out he was a regular drunk and was so out of it he had no idea he had done that. Needless to say, he changed his plea to guilty, the jury was dismissed and the judge imposed a very sever punishment on him. It was his 5th DUI in 5 years.

CHILLING NDE! What I Saw in Hell Will Change You Forever! (Near Death Experience Angie Fenimore)

Have you been arrested or investigated?

I got home one night from work, and listened to a message from the State Police from a barracks three hours north of me. Curious, I called back to speak with the officer. He was off for the night so we spoke the next day. The questioning was interesting. He wanted to know if I had been in Bangor Maine the previous day, and if anyone else had access to my car. Puzzled, I asked why. It turns out that there was a bank robbery and they thought that I might be involved. WTF???

The officer was sure that I or somebody else had driven my car from the southern border of Maine to Bangor and back in under six hours without going through a toll booth. For those unfamiliar with the state of Maine that just isn’t possible. I explained that I had been at work all day, and my car was on camera and hadn’t moved. The officer was unconvinced until I send him pictures of my car, my registration, and license plates. The plate number they had matched a set of plates that I used to own, and they were on same make of car, but as it turns out a different year. Very clever.

I in turn called the local police and reported those plates as stolen. I met the detective at my house and his first words to me were “Kurt, so you’re robbing banks now.” He laughed. The detective lives three housed down from me and my wife had his kids in school.

A few months prior I came home at lunch to find a strange car at the end of my shared driveway, and my garage door open. I thought perhaps my wife or I had left the garage door open when we left for work. I grabbed a crowbar as a weapon and searched the house. I know not the smartest thing to do, but I don’t own a firearm. Nothing was missing, and nobody was in the house so I didn’t think much of it at the time. I went outside to get the license plate number strangely parked car , and to call the police. My neighbor came down the driveway and apologized for parking in my driveway and left. That’s where I thought the story ended.

A few weeks before this incident, I had just purchased my car off of lease and switched plates. In Maine we don’t need to turn our plate in and my old plates had been on the wall in my garage. I didn’t notice that they were missing. The neighbor that had parked at the end of my driveway? That neighbor had a previous conviction for Bank Robbery. The local detective and I put two and two together and we had a good suspicion about what had happened to the plates. He gave the information to the State Police and I never heard from that officer again.

High Powered (1945) ACTION ADVENTURE

Full movie. Free and fun. Film Noir.

In this two-fisted adventure tale, a high-rigger holds himself responsible after his brother is killed in an on-the-job accident. He gets a chance for redemption, when it looks as though the same accident is about to occur again!

Sidewalk Kiss

I am out of the hospital, and I am feeling much better. I can’t wait to get back to business with the start of the new year. The world seemed to be passing me by. Just excited and ready, but my engine is purring. All is good.

STORY 1

When I was 16 years old, I went horseback riding with a girl-friend (not a girlfriend) and we were riding in the woods. Well, there were some low hanging vines, and sure as shit, one caught my neck and rubbed it raw. I mean, it was brutal. All my skin was removed.

To everyone at work… it looked like a big “hicky”; a huge sucker bite.

That wasn’t the case, of course, but the razzlin’ and all was really excessive, don’t you know. It took me months to get out from the hasslin’, but you know it was the early 1970’s and that kind of stuff was common in the work-place.

I was still “sweet 16” and never been kissed. That ended shortly afterwards when two of my “girl-friends” fought to become my girlfriend. Which resulted in a sidewalk kiss, that I will never forget.

STORY 2

We were leaving a “sweet 16” birthday party of a classmate. She, a girl named Robin, invited me to it, and I as clueless as ever didn’t know what to do. When we left, and we were on the sidewalk… walking home she stopped turned to me and and “Kiss me”. And so we did.

That was my first kiss.

Robin went off to college, got married, and last I heard was doing well. I’m happy for her.

People, as cherished as those memories are, there is no way that I want to relive similar events in another life. I am tired, and have no desire for another reincarnation. I’ll tell you what.

Today…

What has been achieved from the Chinese leader’s visit to San Francisco?

Politically, nothing much.

The star of the whole show, in my opinion, is the turnout of Big Business.

No, not what President Xi said, but the audience composition. Namedrop a household corporate name and the CEO was probably in attendence, Tim Cook and Elon Musk included.

The movers and shakers of Wall Street paid handsomely for the privilege of WELCOMING President Xi. In fact, the visiting Head of State may have gathered THE star-studded corporate audience in recent years, bigger than any Democrat or Republican convention. Even King Charles and the Pope will struggle to demonstrate the star appeal lighting up San Francisco this November WEEKEND.

It was a dinner worth trillions upon trillions in market cap. One need only imagine the private jets lining up to pay hangar premiums for parking rights.

America NEEDS China, economically.

That is why Janet, the top-ranking finance official in America, welcomed President Xi on the tarmac personally.

image 143
image 143

Note that both Janet and Gavin visited Beijing PERSONALLY to arrange the visit.

Both the tarmac welcome and dinner highlighted the conspicuous absence of the State Department. No more James Cook Hotel browbeating and public attempts at humiliating the Chinese contingent.

What’s the key here?

American corporations are suffering in the downturn and the captains of industry want guarantees from Joe that the situation with China will not deteriorate further. The chips they have on the table? 20–30 billion in election funding for 2024.

We can expect a freeze on escalation of the new cold war, but not a ceasefire. The militaries will resume direct communications, which is nothing more than “we’re continuing with the harassment, but we’ll inform you first, with your acknowledgement”. However, we can expect cabinet officials to either be gagged top-down or bottom-up, or instructed to be cordial and tone down on provocation. In other words, Gina et al. morphing back to friendly beaver mode rather than “feet to the fire” wolf warrior incarnation.

That’s the tone for 2024. I don’t believe Joe will repeat the “genocide determination” stunt next year, having committed to extravagant molly-coddling in San Francisco, amidst the sea of bipartisan support for playing the China card the corporate-sanctioned way.

Lobbying works, both ways.

This is why President Xi appeared relaxed throughout, almost as if he was on holiday, totally unlike the tense atmosphere in Anchorage, Alaska, back in 2021. People have short memories.

President Xi was being feted and courted, and he was only here after two years of intense US diplomatic efforts to re-establish ties torn down by the State Department, no less.

Crazy world, isn’t it?

Note: The welcome dinner also reassured the Chinese, and gave them the confidence to negotiate deals with the Fed. Corporate America’s turnout is the real deal, in a fiery red vs. blue battle to the death.

We start with a woke *something*…

Not sure if it’s a woman, or a man, or what…

What is the biggest life lesson you have ever learned?

I’ll probably never be as successful as my dad and I’m perfectly OK with that.

If anything I’m proud of him. At one point he was overseeing a $50 billion annual budget as Undersecretary of Defense. The dude earned his Wikipedia page.

My father is also an excellent case study. He is certainly very smart. But it wasn’t like he was always the smartest guy in the room. In fact, he was keenly aware when he wasn’t. Yet many of my dad’s peers, who were smarter on paper, fell way short of his success.

Why? It’s mainly because of his people skills and his diligence. He is an excellent listener. He knows how to dial in and pick up on what is important. He is also conscientious and very ethical. He treats people equally regardless of their position.

I’d say if anything, my dad’s superpower is the ability to size people up quickly and judge their character.

He has a special distaste for self-serving people, which is probably because of his career with SEAL teams, where teamwork is a religion.

This is where many highly intelligent people fail. They lack the soft skills, the ability to relate with many types of people.

Cliche as it sounds, many gifted people also have an underlying arrogance they mask. Business textbooks are filled with case studies of executives’ careers being destroyed by pride. My girlfriend is a college professor and complains constantly about the incessant egos at academic conferences.

And to be fair, I can’t totally blame them. When a person is told from birth that they are brilliant, and their test scores affirm that praise, and they live in a world that prizes intelligence — it is probably hard to stay 100% humble.

No matter how talented you are, remember you are dealing with human beings in your career. Success isn’t a MENSA test. Soft skills matter—bigtime.

Be nice to the secretary.

China is building a large harbor in Peru south America as part of its Belt and Road Project, why can’t the United States develop its own Belt and Road project between South America, Central America, Mexico, United States and Canada?

The U.S. should but it won’t and it can’t. The U.S. thinks like a racist, xenophobic superior white Caucasian nation that their neighbours should be kept as savage, poor, undeveloped nations that it can invade anytime it feels like doing. So they won’t help these nations. It is beyond them. People like Donald Trump can term them robbers and rapist so that he feels very good as the Aryan Superior. So the U.S. abused them instead of helping them.

Of course now that the Chinese decide to help them the U.S. will term it “Debt Trap” China will help to make these former Spanish and Portuguese stolen nations rich and successful.

Anyway they can’t help them. The spent all its money and resources in forever wars, war mongering, war financing, war orchestrating, chaos and coup tormenting. And barely have enough to help US homeless and poor. The U.S. own infrastructure were also 20 century relics and dilapidated beyond repair in the U.S. so they cannot help. Even if the wanted to they will set a thousand conditions including signing over their sovereignty to Uncle Sam.

She Can’t Answer This Simple Question About Marriage

Are there cats out there who do have a problem with you sleeping, for no other reason than you sleeping? One of my cats wakes me up from my naps at 12:30pm tops, just for her to want nothing in particular. Is that normal?

My cat goes on a rampage when he wants to wake me up, knocking every conceivable item off of every flat surface until I finally give up on sleep.

He did it to me the other night. I’d fallen asleep on the couch and woke up to the familiar sound of the TV remote control hitting the floor, then the Roku remote.

I could just make out the little guy’s form on the coffee table through blurry eyes without my glasses. My smartphone was the next thing to hit the hardwood (I have a military grade case precisely for this reason), then he violently smacked a bottle of pills so hard they ricocheted off an end table and went spinning across the room.

Next he hopped onto the end table, upending a bag of restaurant tortillas and swiping my keys off. A water bottle went flying. I heard my vapor pen skidding in the opposite direction.

The little f—er is relentless.

(“Does it look like I’m judging you, human? Because I am.”)

If that doesn’t work — and sometimes it doesn’t, because I know giving in just emboldens him — and he runs out of things to smack and wreck, he’ll pad over to his litter box and start punching the cover flap with his paw because he knows it squeaks and it pisses me off.

He’s a super vocal cat too, so all this is accompanied by high-pitched trills like “RRRRRRRUUUUPPPP!” and “BRRRRRUUUU!”

And you know what the most ridiculous part is?

He’s not asking for food because he always gets a bowl of dry food before bed. He wants to hang out and snuggle and be buddies. I can’t be mad at him.

So yes, it’s pretty common for cats to wake their people up for no other reason than they want us awake, acknowledging them, or giving them scritches and affection.

It’s not always tied to more concrete requests like food, although sometimes it is.

You’ll also notice that cats have no regard for your sleep, but they’ll give you the feline death stare if you rudely interrupt their naps. Such is the pecking order in feline-ruled households.

It is possible to train them out of waking you, especially if they’re young. If your cat is a kitten then she’ll adjust to your schedule. If she’s an adult, well, good luck with that. You can break the habit, but you’re going to make sure you never give in or you’re just hitting the reset button by proving to her that if she makes enough noise, you’re going to get up eventually.

In that case, grab a package of earplugs off Amazon for a few bucks. Your brain will thank you for wearing them.

(“I am a sweet little kitty cat and none of these vile lies are true.”)

Its all about control

Did you ever see karma hit someone who deserved it so befittingly that it was eerie?

We were at an airport in Mexico, going through customs and immigration. Once your bag is xrayed you pick it up, and walk to this green button and push it. If the light above flashes green, which it almost always does, you proceed on. If the light flashes red, and the buzzer, buzzes, you get pulled into a side room and they go through your luggage thoroughly.

There was a huge line up. We had waited an hour to get to the X-ray machine. We were up next. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone from a culture that doesn’t believe in queuing, walking alongside the line, right up to the front, I actually stepped in front of him, so he couldn’t get past me, and his wife took the luggage and threw it on the X-ray conveyor belt. At this point I admitted defeat, and let them go.

They get through the x-ray, and push the button, in my place. It flashed red, and they were led off to a little side room, It would have been me, if they hadn’t barged into the line.

I waved to them as they were being led into the little room.

Wonderbread women

Who is the lowest status person for whom you have the highest respect?

He is the manager of my neighborhood gym, a very rinky-dink gym.

He makes ~$35K per year. It isn’t terrible money. You can certainly live on that, but it isn’t great money in the US. His salary isn’t specifically why I have so much respect for him. It’s the context:

He was a big-time lawyer here in Tampa. He had a fancy degree and a job making huge money. He did it for 15 years. He had the respect of his peers, the fear of his opposition.

He was fully capable of continuing his relentless march as a litigator.

But he realized, “Nah – this isn’t the right life.”

He walked away – chose a low-stress job, managing this local gym.

When the end of the day rolls around, he goes home and work doesn’t chase him. He is free to indulge the rest of his life.

I see him 3-4 times a week while I sign into my gym. He is always in good spirits. Relaxed. Not troubled by some unseen threat that looms on his calendar.

We grow up. The people around us tell us they just want us to “be happy,” but at the same time, they are pushing this maximization mindset: maximize grades, maximize salary, maximize reputation, go, go, go.

You see plenty of people that maximize. You see plenty of people who don’t.

But how often do you see people who maximize and then walk away? Who goes from introducing himself as “Senior Counsel at XYZ” to answering calls, “Hello, ABC Fitness! How can I help you?”

It’s surprisingly rare. It’s hard to kiss the ring of ambition for so long and then drop it.

He’s a bit of a novelty in my life. On my bad days, I envision what it would be like to be him — that one guy who stepped through the paradox of happiness and ambition.

And although I suspect I don’t have the guts to do what he did, walk away, I have a surprising amount of respect for a guy who is capable of so much, yet aspires to so little.

He did it his way. And he’s happy. Does anything else really matter?

How you know…

What was the dish that made you reverse your opinion on a food you had until then disliked?

A girl I quite fancied took me to meet her parents for dinner – which turned out to be lasagne. The only prior experience I’d had with lasagne had been at school, many years before – about a millimeter thick, cooked in trays half a mile wide, with about 50p’s worth of ingredients and left to dry out under a heat lamp for a year. 🙁

But I had to be polite.

“I’m not very hungry,” I said. “just give me a little.”

Turns out that lasagne cooked by an Italian mother was rather different to the filth churned out at St. Mary’s. So I asked for seconds

“I thought you said you weren’t hungry?”

“That’s alright, I thought I didn’t like lasagne”

That’s lovely

Is it true that, in some American schools, students do essays on why the USA is the best country in the world?

Back when I was in high school in Florida, yes.

In the 1980s, state law in Florida required that all public high school students take a one-semester class called Americanism vs Communism, or AVC.

The State-approved AVC textbook can be summed up this way:

“Rah rah rah! We’re #1! America, fuck yeah! We won WWII and saved Europe and Russia! America is the best at everything! Woohoo! Look at how amazing we are! America, go us!”

Like, seriously, it was embarrassingly bad. We’re talking Soviet-Union-textbook bad. If George Orwell included a page from the AVC textbook in Nineteen Eighty-Four, critics would be all “nah, bro, too unrealistic.” You wouldn’t think it’s possible to fit so much cringe into one book.

I cannot fathom the degree of insecurity that went into passing the law that required teaching this class in schools.

Fortunately, I lucked out. My high school teacher, a WWII vet and survivor of the Bataan Death March, hated and loathed the class requirement and textbook with every fiber of his being, and made that very clear on the first day of class.

He refused to teach from the book at all. He told us point-blank “The state requirement for this class is complete propaganda bullshit. As far as I’m concerned, this is a class in Russian history, and that’s how I intend to teach it.”

He made his own teaching materials for the class and it rocked.

Short Men Energy

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/c_KJmSuiswQ?feature=share

What would happen if China stopped investing in US treasuries? Would Americans face a financial crisis?

China has already stopped investing in U.S. Treasuries.

Since the beginning of the Ukraine War, China has been selling its Treasury holdings. As of October 2023, it continues to hold about $820 billion of U.S. Treasuries. This is a reduction of about 18% in one year.

Russia previously sold all its U.S. Treasury holdings, after the United States began to sanction it in connection withe Ukraine War. In about 2017, Russia encouraged the world to do the same.

At the same time, the Federal Reserve is selling the U.S. Treasury Bonds that it purchased during covid.

The combined actions of Russia, China and the Federal Reserve are driving down the value of U.S. Treasury Bonds. In the past six months, the value of 30 year bonds has fallen by about 50%. This raises interest rates in the United States, because the U.S. government must pay more to borrow.

The higher interest rates have greatly limited America’s options, financially. Housing prices are poised to fall, due to higher interest rates. Even worse, interest payments on the U.S. national debt have doubled. Interest payments will soon exceed what the United States spends on national defense. Thus, as you can see, the tactics of Russia and China have limited America’s ability to fight wars. We are seeing just the beginning of the cycle.

Your question is — will the United States face a financial crisis?

The answer is yes. If the United States (a) continues printing dollars, and (b) continues supporting a violent response to conflicts in the world, two things will happen:

  1. The planet will refuse to work with the United States during America’s foreseeable crisis; and
  2. The U.S. dollar will collapse, due to continued printing and the planet’s rejection of the dollar.

The collapse of the dollar will be devastating in the United States, because American society is dependent upon cheap gasoline and cheap imports, which will no longer exist in the United States.

The United States imports 28% of its crude oil. This leaves the United States vulnerable to a falling dollar. Contrary to popular belief, the United States is not “energy independent,” and remains vulnerable. The United States imports 5 million barrels of crude oil per day more than it exports. That is a lot of oil that won’t be coming into the United States when the dollar falls. In addition, President Biden foolishly sold decades of oil stored up by the WWII generation in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. America is not ready for the foreseeable crisis coming to its shores.

Expect riots and shortages in the United States. If Biden continues to pursue violent solutions to global conflict, those wars will return to the United States when the dollar comes down. The American people will be fighting over limited resources. There won’t be any jobs in America, when the shopping malls close.

Be equal or not

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2O1jxwQ00iw?feature=share

My friend has been terminated from the company that she’s been working for. On her last day of her work, she deleted all of her work in her computer. Does she have the right to do that, since all the work was done by her?

Normally the work product belongs to the company, not the worker. In the early days of solid state circuitry, my BIL developed much of it. Although his name is on the patents, the company owned them.

I was an independent contractor managing HOAs. ( Also a lawyer). I started by managing my own while my kids were preschoolers. It ran very smoothly so no one ever wanted to be on the Board until crazy ass lady and her group of idiots came on. True nut cases. One insisted on judging the Holiday decorating contest, then picked her own house as winner. One shot my dog. Board meetings were like “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”.

The Board was 3/3, three humans, three horses asses. When one human was on vacation, the three asses called a special meeting and “ terminated “ me. Now they knew I would just sue them on my 2 year contract so they made paying me for another 18 months conditional on me delivering all the Assn documents and computer data on fees, violations etc on discs within five days. This belonged to them.

I was happy to get out of the nut house. The Assn owned the file cabinets. I just put them on a dolly and walked them to a Board member’s house and left them. I downloaded all the data in computer language and gave them the disks.

Problem was, I used a program I bought that was made by a company that had gone bankrupt. It was a great program. Totally unavailable for purchase anywhere. But I had no duty to give them my program. The computer disks were useless. The finances were also kept on a very old edition of an accounting program. I had no duty to provide them with my copy. The financial disks very useless to them without paying a few thousand for the program. It was a very specialized program used by CPAs

They spent a fortune going through old files and bank statements and quarterly financials to recreate payment records etc. And, I had fulfilled my duties. I got the next 18 months of my contract paid. They also received a cease and desist letter from me. The Assn ‘s original documents had a problem and no lender would loan on a house without a document called a Subordination agreement. Only a lawyer can write one. I always wrote them. No cost. It was my own HOA. But the first time they copied one on a new sale, I hit them with a cease and desist letter and reported them to the Bar for the unlicensed practice of law. So then they had to pay a lawyer for the next 150 or so documents. Lawyers are not free.

So, what the employer owns and what the employee owns is a mixed bag.

My guys…

What’s the fastest you’ve wiped a smirk off of someone’s face?

I was in an elevator on a cruise ship. Some wiseacre saw my polka-dot suspenders.

He smirked, “Nice suspenders. You from Wisconsin?”

I replied, “No. Ever since my cancer surgery, I can’t wear a belt.”

His smirk instantly evaporated. The elevator doors opened on my floor, and I got out.

Soft tissue sarcoma caused by Agent Orange in Vietnam, They took out 1–3/4 pounds of me from my groin to my beltline. It left a notch where a belt would sit, so I can’t wear a belt comfortably.

Order over chaos

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/utsOIvH_FOs?feature=share

What is the coolest thing you have ever done in your life?

Two years back, I was on a road trip on my bike to Meghalaya. While returning, as I was tired I was riding slowly. I was still some 70 miles away from home, and it was already dark. On the highway, I saw a car parked and some people arguing. I rode past them, however before passing them I caught the sight of two women crying and eagerly looking through the front window.

I took a turn and came back to the spot. I saw four boys, around my age, were arguing and pushing a man of around 50 years old. Turns out, the family was returning from some function and lived in another town which was about 90 miles from mine. They were stopped by these four boys on bikes and asked them for some money. They started misbehaving when the old guy refused to pay. He asked his wife and daughter to stay in the car and got down to reason with them.

I heard the story from the old guy, while the boys asked me mind my own business and get the f**k off. I simply turned and started walking towards my bike. The man begged at me to stay and help him, and looked at the women in the back seat and felt their eyes pleading me to stay. But, I kept walking!

Here comes the twist! Now, during my rides I always keep a hockey stick on my bike. Bad luck for the guys who never knew this. They laughed at me, calling me names. One even said, “Yeah, keep walking you p***say.”

I took the hockey stick and came back running. The boys didn’t get time to react and I started beating them. The blows landed everywhere and I think two or more of them bled as well. I didn’t show them any mercy. Someone threw some punches and kicks at me too, but I had a more formidable weapon than them. Seeing me in action, the man also jumped in; his wife and daughter also got down and helped in whatever way they could. All beaten up and even not being able to stand properly, two boys somehow managed to run off on their bikes while the other two ran after them.

I told the man to start the car and keep driving, while I rode in front of him in case the boys decided to get help and chase us. When we entered the man’s town, we went to the police station and lodged a report. The daughter was smart enough to note down the bikes’ number plates. As it was very late, the man requested me to spend the night at their place. Once reaching home, the family thanked me for helping them. He wouldn’t even allow me to leave early next day, saying that he can’t send me off without a proper meal. Family, friends and relatives came to thank me for my heroism. I stayed for lunch and returned home.

To this day the gentleman calls me occasionally. He even invited me to his daughter’s wedding.

Now, let me tell you something. I’m not the brave person they take me to be. I was equally scared that night. I was terrified. It took me a lot of courage to do what I did. After this whole thing was over, I was so proud of it!

Companies Are Ditching Hiring Fresh Female Graduates

Does welfare perpetuate generational poverty?

My grandparents were too poor to afford a private jet or a private helicopter, they had to rely on government programs like public roads to get by.

They couldn’t afford to hire private tutors for my parents, and so had to send them to public schools to learn to read and write.

As one might expect, this cycle of dependency continued: My parents also didn’t have a private jet or helicopter, and they also had to rely on government programs like public roads to get by.
They also sent their kids to learn to read and write in public schools.

And here I am: made lazy by all this generational welfare, I’m not pulling on my bootstraps nearly hard enough to afford my own private airport.
Like my parents before me, and my grandparents before them, I depend entirely on government programs like public roads (or worse, public transit!!) to get to work.

There is no means testing in place for using public roads, which leads to rampant abuse.
I’ve seen people use them to go for a stroll, even though they could have afforded a treadmill.
Not only that, but these type of government handouts kill any incentive for most people to get a private helicopter, they’d rather stay dependent upon the government provided public roads.

It’s truly a modern tragedy, with no end in sight.

You rascal

What happened in your office that became the stuff of legend?

The Door.

Years and years ago, when I quit smoking, I found my temper would often flare up during the first few weeks of abstinence.

I worked at a remote branch office with a staff of six. One morning when I came to work early, something went “wrong” and I was so angry that I impulsively gut-punched my office door.

The door was hollow core wood; I punched right through it.

I admitted my foolish outrage to my office mates when they entered an hour later.

And little was said about it; I believe they were sympathetic with my situation, and supportive of my effort to quit smoking.

There matters laid at rest; nothing more said.

Until the office Christmas party, when staff from all branches and the headquarters office (over 100 souls) gathered at some central location for a cocktail party and most sumptuous feast. Everything paid for by the company as a treat to us. This was followed by after-dinner drinks, and the “awards ceremony.”

The awards ceremony was a production of the employees and was in the nature of a good-humored “roast,” drawing upon such amusing things as had happened involving any of them over the past year. Some of the recognition was by actual funny trophies which were passed from one recipient to another; others were unlikely objects constructed of broom sticks, hub-caps, old radios, or heaven knows what.

Because I and my cohorts were from the remotest branch, none of us received, or ever expected to receive, recognition at this ceremony. We had our OWN Christmas party, for that.

Thus it was quite a surprise, to me, when I saw that my associate, Greg, was called upon by the master of ceremonies to announce the grand prize winner. He briefly described in very general terms the struggle of one individual to overcome a serious addiction. I was as curious as everyone else to know who, and to know the story. The room became very quiet, as the subject appeared to deviate from the laughable to the serious. The recipient was as yet unnamed.

Then a cloaked object was carried onto the dais, looking for all the world like a draped coffin.

With the words, “And the winner is, John Scott Geare,” the black drape was pulled away to reveal my actual office door, with a precise halo painted around its wound. Somehow, the damned thing had been spirited from our office, and carried the 60 miles to the party, unbeknownst to me.

And it became the stuff of legend.

You owe me half

Chick was only going out for a free meal. And he says…

Cajun Style Tip Roast

2023 11 09 15 20
2023 11 09 15 20

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 (4 pound) tip roast
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped onions
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped green bell peppers
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons pepper
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 300 degrees F.
  2. Combine vegetables, spices and oil.
  3. With a sharp knife make 8 to 12 deep V-shape slit pockets, stopping an inch from the bottom of roast. Fill the pockets with the vegetable mixture, reserving some to rub on top of roast.
  4. Bake uncovered for 2 1/2 hours or until thermometer reads 140 degrees F for medium rare beef.
  5. Serve with pan juices.

Nutrition

Per serving: Calories 391; fiber 1g; carbohydrates 2g, Protein 61g, Cholesterol 160mg; Sodium 509mg; Fat 14g (32% of calories from fat)

Inaccurate Self assessment

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/c0CzEzo7VwI?feature=share

What is the strangest reaction of someone who has just been fired?

A number of years ago I worked for a large US company. My role was in sales (industrial product). In my third year, I was selected for management. As such, I was trained in recruiting and helped district managers hire talent.

I visited one district and held a recruiting fair and ultimately recommended 10 applicants to the manager. The manager had his own candidate and asked me to interview him. In my opinion, his choice was terrible. He did not have any of the qualities successful people in our business had. I told him this.

Jump ahead six months. I become the manager for that district. My predecessor had hired the guy I did not recommend and did not even call any of the 10 I recommended.

Within three months i had hired five new sales reps. Four did very well and stayed for years. One failed within six months. The one that I did not recommend? I had to let him go due to poor performance and poor attitude. When I told him I had to let him go, he held onto my desk and told me he really did not want to be fired and would not leave the office. He would continue to come to work. It took several hours to convince him that he was not a good match for our industry. I continued to pay him for one month as he searched for another job.

Please don’t tell me I am mean and unfeeling. In my 30+ years of managing, I have supported many people in many different ways. The bottom line, if someone is not doing well in a job, it is usually because they are not trying or they are just in the wrong job. The latter is almost always the case. If you have a good, hard working person, try to find a different position in your company for him/her. That’s the mark of a good manager.

A biological male…

Why do some scientists on the Internet seem so arrogant toward people with differing opinions?

I first noticed this phenomenon with a guy named Dr.Layne Norton. Layne has a PhD in biochemistry. This man has forgotten more about the human body than I’ve ever learned, and I’ll have my Masters degree next month.

He’s an elite level powerlifter.

And a pro bodybuilder,

He also runs a youtube channel where he shares some advice on bodybuilding and powerlifting. I began to notice that the comment section was particularly toxic.

People were insulting this man’s intelligence, his personality, and his family.

I didn’t understand why. He seemed like a nice enough guy. Until I stumbled upon the answer.

One commenter said, “I’m sure you know what you’re talking about, you just seem arrogant though.” The comment had 100s of likes.

Scientists tend to speak in very absolute terms. Why? Because they’ve studied the shit out of whatever it is they’re discussing. And because they speak so unequivocally, people get turned off.

For example, I wrote an answer in which I said working out in the afternoon is best for muscle building and performance. The hormones and body temperature are in a better position to support a workout in the afternoon.

How do I know? I wrote a 20 page paper on this topic for school (supported by 30 peer reviewed studies).

Some guy told me that I was a liar. Why? According to him, testosterone is obviously highest in the morning… because men get morning wood…..

Like many have said, scientists have spent years studying a topic, and they’ve forgotten more about said topic than most will ever even hear. As far as I’m concerned, they’ve EARNED the right to be a little arrogant when it comes to their subject.

Since 1979…

What is the best comeback you used on someone?

I was adopted at birth. From the time I was able to understand anything, my parents called me their Chosen Child and gave me a poem with that name. I was raised to feel special. When I was in 3rd grade, one of the spoiled little rich girls tried to make fun of me, saying mean things, like, my mother hated me and got rid of me so that I had to be taken in by strangers out of pity – really wicked thing for an 8-year-old to say. When she finally took a breath, I responded by saying that I KNEW my parents wanted me, they CHOSE me. Then I said “I bet you were an ax-i-dent!” and walked away. When I got home from school, my mother said she had gotten a call from that girl’s mother, wanted to know what happened, and asked me how in the world I knew what an “accident” was, laughing all the time! I was only 8, had no clue, but I had heard her talking on the phone when she mentioned a girl getting pregnant by accident. Obviously, she didn’t know I heard her or that I understood the gist of the conversation. She was laughing when she told daddy – and that was when I began hearing her say to her friends that “little pitchers have big ears” as she changed the conversation. I don’t know what a little pitcher is, and that may not be what she said, but that’s all that I heard before they started a new conversation!

Your future children…

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Oo8ihDBf4qc?feature=share

What does a babysitter do if parents don’t respond to calls and they don’t show up until the next day?

If they said they would be home at a certain time and didn’t call to ASK if it was ok that they stayed out later, I would call the police. I give them 1/2 hour past designated time to call and if they didn’t answer 2 calls and 2 texts all done within 1/2 hour time frame, the police would be informed of how worried I am about their safety because it’s now an hour late with them not calling or answering multiple calls and texts. Let them deal with the cops questioning them about not contacting you or answering you. The cops will let them know you only concerned about their well being and they will also rip them a new one for informing you and also for leaving their child alone with a babysitter who is now upset that something had happened to them. Trust me, they will never do it again to any babysitter. I say any babysitter because after that, I would NEVER babysit for them again, even at 4x’s the amount of money.

I actually like you

One of my favorite shorts.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1kypV3rvNHg?feature=shareWhat is an example of “It was nice while it lasted”?

Chaurice

This Creole pork sausage is an old local favorite dating back to the 19th Century, but Chaurice isn’t as easy to find as it once was. It would seem to have come to Louisiana with the Spanish, and was adapted to local custom and ingredients; the term is similar to the Spanish chorizo. It’s great with white or red beans, and good for breakfast too, with eggs.

2023 11 09 15 18
2023 11 09 15 18

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds lean fresh pork, butt or shoulder
  • 2 pounds fresh pork fat
  • 2 cups onion, finely minced
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, finely minced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 8 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground red pepper
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves, crushed
  • 5 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
  • 3 bay leaves, finely crushed
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice
  • 3 yards small sausage casing (optional)

Instructions

  1. Cut the pork at fatback into small pieces. Mix together and run once through the coarse disc of a meat grinder into a large bowl.
  2. Add the seasonings and mix thoroughly until the stuffing is very smooth and well blended.
  3. Make into patties, and use within three days or freeze.

Notes

You can also put chaurice into casings; make each sausage about six inches in length.

Corked

After my mother died, I spent a few months living in her (our) house and taking care of it, and arranging probate issues. It was a difficult time, as my second wife (the wife from Hell, and BTW…the person who worked for MAJ to “retire” me), demanded that she gets the entire estate “or else”.

So, I’m dealing with all these stressers.

Those in the “know” also know about this point in time. My fate forecast; I am entering my “triple black” inauspicious time, and I lost my job, my wife, my mother… and soon (though I didn’t know it yet) everything else.

But at this moment in time, I was in the house, and my brother came over with a close friend of his (ours).

We were all in the kitchen drinking. My mother had collected all sorts of wine that sat in racks in the kitchen / dining area, and they decided to open them up and start drinking.

And I stepped out to go onto the “sun room”.

After the first bottle, my brother said “corked”.

If a wine is “corked”, it means that it has been tainted by the cork, or rather a chemical compound which can be found in natural corks. This contamination gives off a very distinct smell and taste, which can be described as musty, earthy, wet cardboard, wet newspaper, or even wet dog. The term ‘corked wine’ refers to a wine contaminated with cork taint, which can happen if the wine is bottled with a TCA-infected cork.

Which means that the wine had been sitting too long, and somehow the wine went bad. Now, this might be a term used by aficionados, but for us “regular folk” (and I know, I drink one FUCK of a lot of wine) it was just fine.

I tasted the wine.

It was fine.

I was in the other room, and when I went into the kitchen, imagine my horror when I watched my brother and his friend draining out about 35 bottles of (very expensive) wine down the sink. Claiming that it was “corked”.

wine down the drain
wine down the drain

They weren’t “corked”. Not in the least.

Sheech!

As a wine lover, and as a wine aficionado, I still remember that moment with aghast horror. Such a pity! Such a waste. And what is really horrific, is that he has no idea… none… not one iota what he did.

Everyone… what ever you do, don’t though out wine unnecessarily. Even if corked, it can still be used for cooking! Sheech!

Today…

What was the moment you cancelled the friendship with your best friend?

Don’t know about my “best” friend but I remained close with an ex. She didn’t like my partner for (mostly) racist reasons. But they were civil together when we met up.

I didn’t tell her we were expecting. But at 20 weeks my partner experienced severe pain and was hospitalised for 4 days. This came up in conversation. She deduced that we were expecting.

She pushed me to ask for an abortion.

She then posted it on Facebook to around 2000 followers, asking for advice about persuading someone to get an abortion. To a group I was a member of.

I blocked her on all meeja and we haven’t spoken since.

She did send a message apologising. Not for the sentiment, but for taking it public. That really doesn’t address the core issue, which is that she wanted my beautiful daughter – the love of my life – executed because of her hatred of my partner. It’s going to be difficult to remain friends after that.

Copeland’s of New Orleans Crawfish Etouffee

2023 11 13 06 55
2023 11 13 06 55

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 6 cups water
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon lobster base
  • 1 pound fresh crawfish tail meat
  • Pinch black pepper
  • Pinch white pepper
  • Pinch cayenne
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon peanut oil
  • 1 cup chopped yellow onion
  • 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 cup chopped green onions
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
  • 6 cups cooked white rice

Instructions

  1. Prepare a stock by bringing the water to a boil. Add bay leaves and lobster base. Allow to boil for about 20 minutes or until the water has reduced to 5 cups of stock. Hold aside.
  2. In a mixing bowl, combine the crawfish tails with black, white, and cayenne pepper.
  3. Add the paprika and stir together well.
  4. In a medium-size pot, heat the peanut oil at a near high setting. Oil should be hot but not smoking.
  5. Add the chopped yellow onion and stir until translucent.
  6. Add the crawfish tails and stir until they are heated and cooked through and have attained a good bond with their fat.
  7. Add flour and mix well.
  8. Pour in stock gradually, stirring constantly, until sauce achieves a substantial thickness and consistency.
  9. Season with salt to taste.
  10. Add the green onions, garlic, and parsley. Reduce the heat to a medium setting and simmer for about 10 minutes more.
  11. Serve over a bed of cooked white rice.

Notes

If desired, you may stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons of butter to completed etouffee for added richness.

Attribution

Posted by GayleL at Recipe Goldmine 9:17:49pm 4/19/03.

The New Thai Tax Law that EVERYONE is Talking About

Big news in Thailand. This new tax law has everyone talking, and a bit scared. I will detail the rules and how it might affect you. So if you’re ever considering relocating to Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Samui or anywhere else in Thailand, there’s lots of information in this video.

What is the most inappropriate experience you had with a debt collection agency?

Years ago I bought a USB “dongle” for Internet access, through a company called Orange.

It was a pay monthly arrangement.

The bloody thing never worked, their customer services eventually admitted that the area I was in had very poor access and it wasn’t going to improve soon.

I said let’s just cancel.

They said no, you signed up for a year.

I said fine, and cancelled the regular payment, after sending them a letter explaining why, with my contemporaneous notes from a series of calls.

They kept sending demands. I said jyst take me to small claims court, we’ll see what the judge says. My view was, if the thing doesn’t work I ain’t paying for it. Contractual obligations go both ways.

Eventually they gave up, but clearly sold the debt (iirc around £250) to some agency.

The agency got in touch, but their phone number was a premium rate one. I sent a letter explaining my side, inviting them to small claims.

At around 6 month intervals for 2 years, different debt agencies tried- presumably these guys sell debts on?

Eventually, a reslly aggressive debt agency agreed to try it in small claims. They were based in London, I live 180 miles north.

I turned up, they didn’t. Well, not on time- some flustered legal junior arrived as I was leaving, and got a proper bollocking off the judge.

Judge awarded me, and my expenses/lost day’s pay, were to be covered by DebtTwat ltd.

I wasn’t expecting them to ever pay up, but i certainly wasn’t expecting them to send me a demand for flustered legal bloke’s train fare, taxi, and fee.

Obviously i tore this up and sent it back without a stamp.

Getting old in China

When did you realize you’re an asshole?

We once took my son and his family out for a meal. The bill was £150, and I paid it with a card. I asked the waiter if I could add a tip and he proffered the card machine to let me do so. I added £20 and paid and we left.

As we got to the car park I glanced at the receipt and realised I’d actually given him a tip of 20p, clearly defining me as tight-arse, so I proceeded back into the restaurant, spotted our waiter, in a group of two or three of them at the bar, apologised for my mistake and gave him a £20 note. Smiles all round. I’d clearly done the right thing.

However as I left for the second time, I couldn’t resist adding “By the way, I’ll take my 20p back next time I’m here”

This caused a roar of laughter, and on subsequent visits has made us memorable and very well looked after. As I pay – more carefully with the tip – I am asked “Will you take your 20p now, Sir?”

The Standard Female Delusion Chart – a tool to reduce dating drama

Technology has enabled countless millions of desperate and morally bankrupt men to constantly shower mediocre women (there’s nothing wrong with being mediocre — most of us are) with attention. Naturally, women assume that this attention is higher-quality than it actually is, because “why wouldn’t people like me?” It’s an understandable mistake. We all want to believe we are “worth it.”

Simply put, a huge wave of sleazy, short-term, hookup-level interest from men is being mistaken – by the women who receive it — as akin to marriage proposals, and they are subsequently developing deeply emotionally and ego-rooted beliefs that they are all 9s, which is mathematically impossible. They then proceed to reject men who are far more likely to treat them well and pursue men who see them as nothing but cheap conquests, resulting in avoidable emotional damage, which they then take out on men in an intensifying cycle of resentment.

I must stand against this, and all I have is a voice. The only power that a man has to stop this cycle is to stop playing the game of letting women think he wants to be with them for real, when he knows he doesn’t. Shame on you. Stop that.

The only power that a woman has to stop this cycle is by being realistic about her actual value and finding men who are most likely to give her the maximum return for what she offers. Stop letting yourself believe that users love you.

That’s a delusion.

These diagrams are only roughly based on non-scientific data, but they are heavily rooted in real-life experience that proves itself true again and again.

I am confident that if women use them to identify the correct men and get to know them, they will have better luck starting relationships that last, and that will cause much less drama, heartbreak, confusion, and wasted time.

Also, my content does and always will contain humor to clarify and intensify the points that I’m making. Try to not take my content as being in competition with formal science, but rather as evidence-and-experience-based advice to avoid common dating problems. I tripped over a lot of rocks so you don’t have to. Best luck out there.

As a doctor, what is the biggest mistake that you’ve made?

I had scheduled a young woman for a very long (easily 12+ hour) surgery on a deep-seated brain tumor right next to her brainstem. Having explained the risks and benefits of the surgery at length like I usually do (including significant risks of death, coma and stroke), she was more concerned about how much of her hair I would remove to do the surgery.

The night before surgery, I got a terrible flu – fever to over 103, malaise, joint and muscle pains, the works. In the end, I had no choice but to cancel her surgery and schedule for another day …

… expecting she would understand … I mean, who would want to undergo such a massive and dangerous surgery if the surgeon were that ill?

Well I was wrong. The patient became furious, hostile, angry, blamed me for inflicting emotional distress … demanded that I immediately find another surgeon to do the surgery that morning (not possible) … later lodged complaints up and down the hospital system … filed complaints with the medical staff … threatened to sue me … it took weeks to calm her – and our hospital – down.

It was the first time I had ever canceled a surgery in >20 years.

It’s what you get in a society that demands more than it understands. A society in which people live their lives in imaginary worlds conjured up by media (including doctor stereotypes) far removed from any sense of real humanity.

ADDENDUM:

A few Comments made me realize that not everyone understood my Answer, and I should perhaps clarify a few things:

  • the tumor was not near any part of the brain that would affect intellect or emotions
  • this patient was not “dying of a brain tumor;” while the surgery was going to be long and dangerous, it was far from urgent
  • I gently passed her care on to another neurosurgeon (it’s never a good idea to operate on someone who lacks faith in you), who operated on her a few weeks later; I heard she did well (though her attitude remained problematic)
  • there are no “back-up surgeons” waiting in the bullpen in case a surgeon gets sick: nowhere in the U.S., nowhere in Europe and nowhere in the world. Not like TV.
    • this is especially true of small sub-specialties like Neurosurgery
    • the all too common 60+ hour neurosurgical work week is packed full of patient responsibilities, and it is unrealistic to expect a colleague to abandon their own patients just to fill a gap like that at the last minute
    • no patient would want to undergo a huge brain surgery by someone they just met that morning – nor would most surgeons want to do a “surprise surgery” at the last minute. Neurosurgeons must do a lot of preparation before embarking on big, complicated cases. It’s not at all like you see on TV.
  • of course the hospital and its committees understood my situation completely (any reasonable person would understand that doctors can get sick), but they are obliged to investigate every complaint – hence a whole lot of unnecessary time and effort

To be honest, what I found most disconcerting about some of the negative Comments was how easily some people could make major assumptions about this story instead of simply asking me questions to clarify the situation.

Such Comments are just another example of: “demand more than understand.”

Why I’ll Never Move Back To America…

The American Dream… Is it dead or alive? In this video, I share THREE reasons why I don’t foresee myself ever moving back to America and why moving to the Philippines was potentially the best decision my family has ever made. Enjoy!

What is the hardest thing you have ever done?

At the age of fifteen, thirteen days after my fifteenth birthday to be exact, I went out on my first real date. He came to my door and picked me up and we walked to a party. We had so much fun. He walked me home and he kissed me goodnight and he asked me to be his girlfriend. This felt like the greatest night in the whole world. Nothing could bring me down from my giddy and excited teenage crush!

….except for what happened the next morning.

I was awoken by my mother shaking me gently but urgently saying, “Honey? Erin. You need to get up now sweetie. Daddy’s going to die today…”

Those words ripped me out of any dreams I was having and back into the waking nightmare that had become my life for the last two years. I lived in constant fear that I was going to lose the bravest, strongest, most honourable, incredible man this world had to offer, but never really truly believed in my heart that it could happen. For me, to believe that he was really dying would be a betrayal to my hero. I would be giving up on him, and you never give up on your hero, not ever.

I learned that day that no amount of wishful thinking or prayer can change your circumstances.

The hardest thing I’ve ever had to do is to tell my dad that it was okay for him to die. He was hanging on with everything he had but it was time for him to go. I told him out loud that it was okay to let go, that we would be okay. We all told him that he had permission to die and to stop struggling so hard. And as soon as we said those things to him he passed away.

I held his hand as he took his last breath.

I watched my hero lose a terrible battle with cancer and I didn’t really know if I would be okay. I may have just lied to the person I loved most in this world. But I still believe I did the right thing. Setting my dad’s mind at ease was the most important thing to me that day, not wondering whether I’d be okay.

And to tell the truth I’m not sure I ever have been okay since that day. Something inside of me changed forever and I haven’t been able to get the old me back.

But I let my dad believe we would be okay because that was what he needed to move on. And I’d do it for him again in a heartbeat.

What is the best case of “You just picked a fight with the wrong person” that you’ve witnessed?

I had an uncle who was mildly retarded. It wasn’t Down Syndrome, it was probably lack of oxygen at birth, but people could tell just by looking at him that he was different.

That may be why 3 18 or 19 year old teens thought that they would jump my uncle and my grandmother while they were walking through their neighborhood in Bridgeport, Connecticut. What could an old lady and a 30 year old “retard” do to them?

I haven’t mentioned it yet, but my uncle was the youngest of 11 children. 9 of those kids were boys. So even though his brothers had taken it a little easier on him because of his mental disability, he was still used to playing rough and fighting. A lot. So when these teens threatened him and his mother he snapped. He hospitalized all 3 kids. He wrapped one of the kid’s arms around a tree backwards, the opposite direction of the kid’s elbow.

When the first officers showed up they put my uncle in cuffs, thinking he had initiated the carnage. My grandmother set things straight. My uncle had just defended his mother and himself.

The American Child vs The Chinese Child || 美国孩子 vs 中国孩子.

What was the biggest scandal at your high school?

A student got sassy with a teacher about a grade and the teacher kicked him out of the room. The student grabbed a pencil and stabbed the assistant teacher in the room. Just in the hand, but still.

So the teacher goes rage mode and physically marches the student down to the deans office. Everyone is initially furious at the student, he’ll be expelled for sure. Assistant teacher is shaken but fine.

Daddy was a big donor to the school and the kid was on the state championship bound Football team. Daddy argued with the school, who reverses the expulsion and instead fires the teacher for “laying hands on a student.”

There were walk outs, several other teachers quit, the local news picked it up, the whole nine yards. Nothing changed. The school kept the little asshole to keep Daddy happy and fired a very, very good teacher.

When were you hilariously wrong about something?

When I was a cocky, long-haired punk and could get girls just by walking up and talking to them, I saw what I thought was two women getting in a car. I went up to the driver’s side and said something to the girl behind the wheel involving the word “ladies”. The long-haired dude in the passenger seat leaned over and said “Ladies?” he was annoyed I had tried to hit on his GF, but we laughed it off.

Entitled Women Make First Date List, And It BACKFIRES

I was at McDonald’s and I noticed that customers were choosing to wait in line to order with the cashier, instead of using the available kiosks. Why do you think that is?

I’m 61. My husband is 69. We can’t figure out how to use the kiosk. This morning, we added what we wanted to our order, but couldn’t figure out how to check out. The only icon that looked like it was a possibility was “Review Order” and it was greyed out. So, we were stuck. We backed out of it and left the restaurant. Also, when we saw the “login” prompt, we thought we might have to create an account which we don’t want to do. It’s just one more login and password we would have to remember. Nobody was at the counter to provide assistance. I’ll be diplomatic here. McDonald’s doesn’t sell weed. They sell shitty fake food. There’s nothing in their stores that I can’t live without…for the rest of my life. So, if they’re not willing to assist an old couple by taking their order, we won’t go into their restaurant(s) anymore. We went home and made a veggie omelet, hash browns, and cantaloupe. It was superior to anything on the McDonald’s menu and cooking it was less stressful than trying to figure out that fucking kiosk. Fast service that’s easy is basically all McDonald’s has going for it these days. And, they won’t even do that anymore. Plus, they’re using these non user friendly machines to phase out workers. Fuck ‘em.

What is the dirtiest fine print you’ve seen in a contract?

I was going to download my banks, banking app, I always read the fine print. They want control of my camera, and they want permission to edit my contacts list.

I said “No” they said that the app wont work without access. I access my bank over the Internet, through their website directly, without going through the app. It works fine. Yet they don’t have access to my camera or contacts, funny about that.

Hot Signs

When were you hilariously wrong about something?

I was on a subway train in DC. I had my five year old son with me, plus a few bags. I’m sitting on one end of the car, paying attention to the stops because I really don’t want to miss ours. A young black man grabs a seat on the other end of the car. I’m thinking gang member. Bandana. Gold jewelry. Baggy pants. Mind you, there were enough people on the train I certainly wasn’t concerned… that was just the impression I had. Anyway, we’re approaching our stop. My son has fallen asleep. The car isn’t jam-packed but it is kind of full. I’m wondering how I’m going to pick up my son and our stuff and make it to the door before the doors close.

As I struggle to get to my feet and head for the door, I see a foot casually hooked around the door, so it can’t close.

Yep. The black kid with the bandana and jewelry. As I look over, he flashes a smile.

We got off the train with no problem. A few people moved out of our way, but I didn’t see anyone else attempting to actually help.

Was he a gang member? Who knows. Who cares. At that moment, he was kind and helpful to a stranger. That’s all that mattered.

Stress

What was the shortest interview you’ve had that led to a job offer?

I went to apply for a job one time, and when I got there, the lead hand introduced himself to me while shaking my hand.

I had never been to this place before.

As he was shaking my hand this other guy jumped out from behind a machine, and in a gleeful, boisterous tone yells out to the lead hand, as he’s pointing to me, “There’s the guy! There’s the guy right there, that’s going to show you how to work that machine!”

It was a guy that I worked with at a previous job. He was a helper that was assigned to me whenever necessary.

I couldn’t believe it.

The lead hand looks at me, and that second I knew I was in.

What’s the fastest you’ve wiped a smirk off of someone’s face?

I was in an elevator on a cruise ship. Some wiseacre saw my polka-dot suspenders.

He smirked, “Nice suspenders. You from Wisconsin?”

I replied, “No. Ever since my cancer surgery, I can’t wear a belt.”

His smirk instantly evaporated. The elevator doors opened on my floor, and I got out.

Soft tissue sarcoma caused by Agent Orange in Vietnam, They took out 1–3/4 pounds of me from my groin to my beltline. It left a notch where a belt would sit, so I can’t wear a belt comfortably.

About Women body-count…

Good equivalent.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/rT4UA3j8Fbg?feature=share

Why does the education system of China and Singapore work so well while India lags behind?

The Legendary Mao in 1954 felt that any party member whose kids studied in Missionary Schools run by Western ideology , could not be trusted

In 1964, he felt such party members were Collaborators and Enemies

Thus every CPC member wisely decided to ensure his kids studied in Local Chinese schools and so the Party built more and more and more and more Schools all across China

Since their own members kids would study in these schools, the quality of these schools were higher and the subjects better

In 1996, Jiang Zemin after 42 years decided to repeal this old rule from Maos time and allow CPC members to send their kids to private schools

Then they discovered something

They discovered that Private School Quality was LOWER than Government School

Nobody wanted to send their kids to Private School.

Math, Science, Physics was of a tougher standard and teachers were the best

Thus even if it was due to fear of being branded a Collaborator, the fact is due to Mao – Chinas Education System became one of the best and it’s Government run schools became top notch

Indias misfortune was India never had a visionary like Mao or Deng

We did have Kamaraj but he was too localized

In India, Children of Politicians studied in the finest schools and later typically in UK Or US or Canada and foreign Universities

As a result there was NO REASON for Politicians to focus on quality education

India is a cesspit democracy

Long term vision was replaced by Short term election strategies

As a result, India focused on the BARE MINIMUM for State Or Centre sponsored Education

China and India were both equally pauper nations in the 1970s , in fact India was a tad bit richer

Yet China spent more on Education due to it’s long term vision , spent more on training teachers, spent more on sending teachers to foreign countries for enhancing their knowledge

India?

Politicians lined up their pockets

They duped the public

They openly stole public money and lined their coffers


Still even in 1992, there was some hope

Reservations destroyed it

The principle that a Moron Dullard was entitled become a Neurosurgeon or Doctor merely because Great Grand Daddy was oppressed a few decades ago

Plus the fact that this system was exploited even further when the genuinely oppressed weren’t at all given the chance

Instead a handful of wealthy persons took advantage of loopholes and drove quality into the Ground

China meanwhile had Crisp, Lovely, Meritocracy

A Son of a Sweeper could become an Engineer if he had merit, or a sweeper if he didn’t. Only Ability mattered.


By 2014, China was at a place India couldn’t reach with a hundred ladders

Then under Modiji, we all hoped things would improve

  • That at last we would have an AFFORDABLE EDUCATION ACT
  • That at last Modi would set a National Education Program and do what Mao did in 1954

Didn’t happen

Private Education raping the average Indian family with absurd tuition fees

Modiji focusing on Language policies, Sanskrit, Vedas and changing India to Bharat and removing Chapters on Mughals

The Average Chinese focusing on Python and Technology. The Average Indian on Ram, Laxman and some made up lies about how Modi is a superhero


It’s why, the Top 5% or 10% Chinese and Indians are similar

Yet the Average Chinese can swallow the Average Indian for breakfast, lunch and dinner

The Below Average Chinese os more than a match for the Average Indian

The Below Average ‘Educated’ Indian is on the lowest rung


Plus Indias biggest problem is the AVERAGE INDIAN

He doesn’t realize there is a problem at all

Realizing there is a problem means needing to work on a Solution and needing to recognize failure

Sorry. We are India. We are the best. We have no weaknesses.

Our Education system is flawed

Most refuse to agree. Some who agree make excuses including blaming Manmohan Singh. Some talk ‘Practically’ and say India needs to do nothing but everything will magically happen


Like I said, India is heading to a point where it would end up as a hotch potch, mish mash of uneven growth, a kind of Tumor rather than a crisp engine of growth with a Vision like China or even Vietnam

The $ 10 Trillion India would be a Huge Tumor rather than a nice neat rocket

Unless India buckles up and begins basic structural reform of Education, Healthcare and Liberal Laws

A Respectful manner

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/USGM2dxmJac?feature=share

What are some deep truth you must learn now or never?

1. Everyone is insecure about something. It’s not just you.

2. You will never be 100% sure about decisions you made. But always make a decision because it’s better to go back and fix it than to never make it at all.

3. There is always someone better than you. So there’s no point to compare.

4. There’s nothing in life you can really control except your own thoughts and actions. So always hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

5. Nothing lasts forever. Things change, people change. And YOU can change anytime too.

6. Life is not a fairy tale. That’s why it’s always exciting and you’ll never be bored.

7. Hard work doesn’t guarantee success. But that’s what makes it challenging.

Just stay at home and don’t even try…

What was your weirdest date ever?

Going anonymous on this one, sorry about it, I just don’t think I can face being associated with the story I am about to tell.
It will be a bit long-winded but one of the weirdest encouters ever happened in my life. And as it happened in a date, so…

Here it goes:

I signed up for a free dating site and started chatting to several guys. One of them, seemed like a nice and decent person.

When we started talking, it was about usual topics, interests. The conversation was flowing, as they say. I gave him my mobile number and he sent me texts every day, just some niceties. One of them was “I think we are on the same wavelength”
I hope so” I responded.
I haven’t the slightest known yet, how wrong I was on assuming so…

After a week of talks, we set up a real life date.

He lived around an hour train ride from me and came to the station to pick me up. When I entered his car, he looked up to the sky and said:
do you find those clouds a bit weird?”
There were no clouds, only condensation trails from airplanes.
I said: “these are not clouds”

To which, he responded: “exactly” and had an expression on his face as if he just had said something really meaningful.
Bit of an odd exchange, but I shrugged a shoulder and we did not mention the “not-clouds” again.

To my surprise, the date he set up was not the usual movie or restaurant combo with drinking, instead he took me to the riverside on a boat ride. I was enjoying it a lot, we both did a bit of rowing, it was sunny, we chatted nonchalantly.

We were talking about building styles in the UK (I am a foreigner) and I told him my impressions about buildings and differences to my home country.
I also added that my dad is a bricklayer, so I have seen many houses being built.

To this, he said: “I have built something too”
I asked: “What did you build?”
“It is very unique. You will see it once, I hope.” –
he said mysteriously.
“What is it, a bunker?”
– I joked and we laughed out loud.

The first date was over. I thanked him for the pleasant time and laughs. There was not much chemistry between us but I thought, what the hell, I will give another chance. So, when the next day he asked me for a second date, a dinner in his house, I said yes.

We drove to his house, where he lived alone. A nice and big family home.
He had a wine chilled and invited me to look around. Everything was tidy, clean and stylish. I was impressed. We settled and he poured me some wine.

Out of the blue, at one point, he told me to go outside and check his car.

The following conversation happened:

Do you see the scratches on the side?” – he pointed on the side, where large, faint scratches were running.
Of course I can see them”
What do you think caused them?” – he asked again.
I suppose branches or grass, or other cars, maybe some metal objects, a key maybe?” – I said hesitantly unsure where this conversation is going.
Let me tell you: Satan did these scratches…” – sounded his response.
Pardon?”
Satan scratched my car.” – again that sort of meaningful expression.
You mean figuratively I think, mean people maybe with evil motivation?” – I tried to deter the distrubing turn.
No, literally, the Satan itself.”- he said dead serious.

Uh.ooo….

Do you know the feeling, when suddenly the world seem like upside down and the fear hits you momentarily to make you nausetic and words froze inside you?
I had that, combined with one of the biggest WTF moment.

Is this guy crazy or what?”

We went back inside, my alarm bells were set off after this, I tell you.
I was like a hawk, watching for little signs of anything unexpected.
Little did I know that the real fun starts later….

He suggested we go to the kitchen and eat dinner. At least something normal, right?
Right.
You would think that someone inviting you over would prepare something. This was not the case. He suggested we eat soft boiled eggs.
I happen to like boiled eggs very much, so ate 4 of them with bread. No problem, I am not fussy. So far so good.

After dinner, we went back to the living room and I relaxed a bit as Satan and scratches, the weird clouds and non of this crap was mentioned again.
However, around a half hour later, again without any transition he says:

Let me blindfold you, so I can show you what I built”

My mind went screaming: NO.F**.WAY!
Adrenaline rushed through my blood I could sense it.
Right then, I became concerned that this guy wants to kill me.
In the same time I decided he won’t have an easy task to do so as I will fight like hell.
I am not timid and rather strong and quick, so I was sizing up my options to run to the kitchen, grab a knife and defend myself if it comes to that.
At this point, I’m wondering who was crazier, me or him?

Amazingly this is what I responded to him without even thinking:

You know what? You are not going to blindfold me. Reason is, I think you are plotting to kill me. I know. And I also want you to know that you are not going to succeed. I will fight until my last breath.” – I sounded very calm, which amazed me even further.

His eyes opened wide and seemed genuinely surprised.

Ok, ok, I can see you are nervous. Calm down, I am not planning anything. Just wanted to surprise you. I can see it backfired, so let’s just go as we are. No blindfold, I promise!” – he said.

Even though I was scared, I was also curious, so I responded:

Right. I will take a look, under two conditions.
First: You go in front of me and
Second: I will take a knife from the kitchen and walk behind you.
One bad move and you are dead. Did I mention I do martial arts?”

He agreed to my conditions.
So, here we are, walking out the backdoor into the dark garden.
The wind is blowing, trees and bushes rustle ominously as we walk the path.
Him in the front with a light, me behind him, armed with the biggest kitchen knife I have ever seen. Just a perfect picture of two batshit crazy lunatics.
As a matter of fact I have never fought in my life, I’m absolutely terrified, I lied about the martial art thing as well, I don’t know what I’m doing here, who is this insane person with me, not a single soul knows I am even here – I think about my life, my family far away, my stupidity.

We reach the shed in the back, well away from the house.
There is only me and him, the bushes, and complete silence.
Around us and as in front of us, as much as I can tell, just some woody areas and meadows and… a garden shed.

This is it” – he says standing in front of the shed.
Just a normal wooden shed, with 6 locks on the door.
This is what you built? Well, good one, now we can go back” – I am almost relieved.
No, the one I built is inside. Do you allow me to open it?” – I realise he must be scared of me a bit too.
I nod.

He removes the locks and opens the door.
The first thing I saw is a big ass axe on the floor!
I jump away and pull the knife in front of me defensively.

I knew it! Is this your murder weapon?!” – I shout. I can feel my heart beating so fast.

Sorry, sorry! This is not meant to be here, I will put it away, ok? There.”-he says quickly.

Give me that axe. Handle first.” – I order.
He did.

Now, look inside” – he asks and steps aside.

Very slowly, keeping an eye on him, I look inside the shed.
Nothing.
No rotting corpses, no torture chamber, just a few gym equipment, gardening tools, completely normal.
I sigh… maybe I imagine too much into this…until.. from the corner of my eyes I notice something on the floor.

This!!!!!!!!!!!!:

A submarine hatch door.
Holy crap, like a bloody rollercoaster! My gut is churning again.

You really built a bunker…” – this is all I can say. What? How? Why?
Words would fail to describe my thinking processes.
Yes” – he says bluntly and asks me to allow him to open the hatch door.

Next thing I know is we are looking down into a hole with concrete stairs, thick concrete walls, going down few meters. A nuclear bunker.

I am thinking, “if he kills me now and closes the door, nobody will ever find me”

Let me tell you the end quickly.

I did went down and looked around in the nuclear bunker of his design. He wanted to know what I think of it. I pointed out that no air filtration, pollution measurement equipment and surveillance system was installed so I was not sure if it is of any use (apart from hiding dead bodies). He agreed it needs improvement.

After the tour, we went back to the house. As you can guess, I was exhausted and weary from the whole evening but a bit calmer as I was still alive.

I thanked him for everything and requested to leave.
He cried and told me he never met such a cool person as I am…

I was happy I only met a lunatic and not a serial killer.

TL:DR

A guy took me for a second date and showed me the nuclear bunker he built driven by his ideas on an upcoming doomsday fight between evil and good.

Fitness before business

Or not. Hum…

Why do Iran’s leaders threaten the United States so often? They never threaten England, Mexico, or Canada. Why is that?

Is refusing to be submissive and subservient to the U.S. threatening the U.S.? To you it may be, but to the rest of the world it is call standing up to their right!

Lets defined threat. If Iran say it will bomb Washington, LA, New York, Miami or Hawaii, that will be considered a threat. Did Iran do that? So far it is the U.S. that funded and supported Saddam Hussein to fight a war with Iran in the 1980’s and murder General Solameini an Iranian scientist by a drone in Iraq! That is threatening. But it is the U.S. threatening Iran!

Seriously unless you are blind, deaf or dumb could you asked such a ludicrous question! Come on man be real. The U.S. ought to know that, Americans must surely know that. And you by asking this question is seen by 7.5 billion out of 8 billion or world inhabitants as a fool to even ask this question.

The U.S. threaten Iran and half the world to be bomb into smitten daily. And anyone that refused to be submissive and subservient to them is their enemy. Such behaviour belongs to Ghengis Khan or Atilla the Hun, or the Vikings not a 21st century nation! Call a spade a spade! Make the world a better place.

Humans need contact

Will China cut off rare earth exports to Western, South Korean, Japanese and Taiwan chipmakers in retaliation for US sanctions on Chinese chip technology?

In my opinion yes, but not now. I looked at the numbers about this. As I suspected, the main reason why China extracts and processes this much rare earth metals is its industry demands it. It is not because of low labor costs or lax environmental regulations.

Few relevant numbers:

Chinese mine production was 210,000 tonnes in 2022, limited by Chinese law for environmental reasons.

Global mine production was ~300,000 tonnes. Which means the Chinese share of global production was 70%.

China’s share in the processing of rare earth ores was 85%. This means around half of the non-Chinese production was imported to China for processing. We can conclude from here that China processed around 255,000 tonnes of rare earths in 2022.

China’s export volume was 48,000 tonnes in 2022. For the value of this trade, the last data is from 2021. And it is 653 million USD. Completely insignificant for China, especially when you consider that it is coming at an environmental cost. When you look at the volume, you see that China’s exports are barely higher than its imports (in terms of weight after the processing of the imported ores). China’s own industry uses almost as much as China extracts from its own soil. Really, it looks like this monopoly only emerged because the scale caused by domestic demand resulted in much lower prices compared to the rest of the planet.

If this monetarily insignificant trade is this important for countries who are trying to kill entire sectors of the Chinese industry, then China should stop this trade. Let them deal with years of shortages. But it is not a good time to do this now. Export controls should be timed so that non-Chinese shortages should coincide with the emergence of Chinese products that compete with the products of Western companies (primarily US, SK and Japan) suffering from the shortages. This is important because commodities are rarely irreplaceable.

Passport guys make sense

What is the most outrageous “fee” you’ve ever been charged?

It’s not technically a fee, but…

When I moved into my first apartment, it was one of those fancy newer buildings that offered incentives on move-in. In my case, it was a low deposit and a free month of rent! Because I was signing for a mid-month move-in, they pro-rated their amounts. At this stage was when I started eating the big bucks working crypto-forensic analysis and scam tracking jobs for Coinbase.

I wrote my check, moved in, and all was well for about 2 years.

A few weeks after I got tossed a notice about the building’s management being changed, I received a new notice taped to my front door. It told me I owed the front office <insert blank> amount within 3 days or they would begin eviction proceedings.

I’ve paid rent on time my entire life so I couldn’t imagine what on earth I would owe. Then I read the amount typed into the <insert blank>.

$0.01.

Yes. One cent. One one-hundredth of one dollar. One penny, and they wanted it NOW or they were going to evict me. What the hell?!

I went down and talked to the nice people in front of the computers in the leasing office. They looked through the files and told me that the new management was going through the books and making the final debt collections in order to start the new term on solid bookkeeping. They were rounding up all the outstanding fees and demanding payment. My fee, it appears, had been hanging around for two years. Yep: a rounding decision on that pro-rated rent amount.

asked them why they didn’t waive it. They said they couldn’t. I wasn’t about to lose my home over a rounding error, no matter the principle. I dug into my pocket to get the damn coin and hand it over. They held up their hands.

“I’m sorry, we don’t take cash.” I am sure the look on my face was comical but inside I was boiling with baffled rage.

They made me write a check. In order to keep my apartment, I used a $0.10 sheet of specially coded paper to hand over to salaried employees to collect in a deposit bag to go into a bank to cover a rounded calculation that had been irrelevant for 2 years but was now suddenly the difference between shelter and the streets.

tl;dr I was nearly evicted over a penny.

Super Real Truth

If you could financially afford it, would you hire a house cleaner to clean your house once or twice a week, or would you prefer to do it yourself?

Once upon a time, I was a stay at home mother. My home was spotless, my daughter taken care of, dinner was ready when her father walked in the door. I was happy and felt fulfilled. I truly loved giving of myself to my family.

Until I found myself alone and I had to find work. I did what I had to. I work long hours. Some say I work too many hours. But they aren’t responsible for me or my daughter, so their opinion is irrelevant. That responsibility falls on me, and even if I ever did remarry, I would never expect anyone else to be responsible for her, other than myself.

I prefer to do all of the “domestic arts” myself. I enjoy them. But the hours I work and the responsibilities I carry outside of work necessitate that I delegate some things to others. I don’t mind paying someone to clean if it means it’s one less thing for me to worry about.

Why is the US dollar used as a standard currency? What would happen if another currency was used instead?

Well, for this, we have to go back to the closing years of World War II. Although Germany and Japan were still fighting, it was clear they were going to lose, but that meant cleaning up the economic mess that had been created by the war.

Now, historically, the British Pound Sterling had been the most common reserve currency due to its stability and the ability to convert paper money into gold. However, the British government had to go heavily into debt for the war and suspended conversion of paper money into precious metal. However, it hardly mattered as British gold reserves were under pressure as it borrowed more and more money.

Now, the United States was in debt too, but back in 1933 they had already suspended the ability to convert paper currency into gold (you could convert it to silver until 1964) and had made the ownership of gold illegal. They then consolidated all the gold held by the various regional Federal Reserve banks and all the private gold they confiscated (and gave paper money for) into a single depository next to Fort Knox in Kentucky. Moreover, most countries had finance their debt int he United States as their own markets collapsed. In other words, the United States was swimming in gold.

So in July 1944 all 44 allied nations met at a hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire and worked out the new world monetary order. At the top of the agenda was avoiding expensive and potentially destabilizing transfers of large amounts of gold which would allow nations devastated by war to have capital to rebuild.

The scheme essentially took gold entirely out of the market and fixed it to the U.S. dollar, with $35 U.S. being the equivalent of 1 ounce of gold. Nations in the compact, called “Bretton Woods”, would agree to buy all the gold they had at that rate. Each nation would be able to fix the value of their currency against the U.S. dollar (for example, 5 francs to the dollar) but would have to guaranteed that exchange rate for intercountry transfers (i.e. the U.S. could buy all the francs it wanted for dollars at that rate). Countries could change that rate (Canada did in the 1960s when it dropped the rate from $1.00 U.S. for $1.00 Cdn. to $0.975 U.S. to $1.00 Cdn.) but had to stand by it. In other words, gold would not routinely change hands, U.S. dollars would.

There was a catch. Even though people couldn’t exchange dollars for gold, countries could. Most countries held U.S. dollar reserves, which were largely from surplus exports to the U.S. If they wanted to, they could “take delivery” of gold, assuming they wanted to securely transport it from Fort Knox themselves.

As such, the U.S. dollar standard replaced the gold standard, as the U.S. dollar became the common currency for all the countries in the compact.

Of course, this only lasted until 1973 when Richard Nixon pulled the United States out of the agreement. From that point forward, there was no fixed rate between currencies and they traded on the open market. The U.S. also ended the prohibition against owning gold and started selling some or theirs on the open market.

A Golden Eagle, a roughly 1 ounce gold coin that the U.S. government sells at the current market price of gold, plus a small premium.

Most countries still use the U.S. dollar as their “reserve” or “exchange” currency, but that’s changing. For example, Argentina just moved from the dollar to the Chinese yuan, which is also quite stable because the Chinese government manipulates its value

Get your act together guys

What’s something you’ve never told anyone?

I am 21 years old. When I was in 10th grade there was a girl A in school. Just like typical teenagers she had many rumours surrounding her. I ignored those and went ahead and made friends with her.

In some months we started dating. We were head over heels for each other. We had everything going great so shown in movies. One day when we were on a date, after coming out from washroom she gave me her phone. There she had written something which changed all my views on her. She wrote that she was raped at the age of 14 by a guy who forced her to be his girlfriend so that other people won’t suspect a thing.

Fearing society and her parents, she didn’t tell it to anyone. But had to undergo therapy. Her parents were totally unaware to real reason behind her behaviour. She lost a ton of weight and was living on medicines. This was really shocking for me. Then I had flashback of all the times when she had certain insecurities and why she required so much time to trust a person. She also had intimacy issues because of this. And that person had told her to shut her mouth or he’ll leak the tape which he had recorded. This rumour was spread in our school by her friends isolating her.

But now she’s a healthy person pursuing her career in engineering and I am a proud boyfriend.

America Warns China To Obey As US Debt Auction GOES BAD

What’s a modern convenience that we take for granted?

I woke up in a haze in a hospital bed.

My stomach had ruptured due to an ulcer, causing my stomach to spill acid on an artery near the lining of my stomach.

I was lying in a hospital bed post surgery in the intensive care unit.

This would be the beginning of a full week-long stay.

First, I was happy to be alive. I could have died.

I had IVs in my arm keeping fluids going into my body. My nurse came in.

I asked when I’d be able to eat.

She said, “Doctor’s call. It will probably be a couple of days.” (So my stomach wound could heal.)

A couple of days turned out to be just over 4 days without eating anything.

I can remember being so hungry that I literally was fantasizing about eating ice. I remember begging the nurse to have ice.

“Please let me chew on some ice…I’m so hungry…”

It was this nagging aching pain all the time.

Eventually, they let me eat some bland crackers and Jell-O. and it was the best food I’ve ever eaten in my life.

But to answer the question, I think that we take for granted our easy access to cheap food.

There was a time where we had to forage or kill to eat. And if those two missions failed, we simply starved to death.

When you experience true starvation, all of your other problems begin to rapidly shrink.

What is it like to be a poor student at a very rich university or high school?

I didn’t think I was a poor student until I arrived at USC for my MBA program. I had worked hard and saved up $150K, which was to last me exactly through the $100K in tuition for two years and $50K for basic living expenses. I had a 9 year old Lincoln and thought I was set. My naïveté lasted for about 10 minutes.

As soon as I pulled into the student parking lot, I could see all the late model cars, many of them luxury marks. This was the undergrad parking area. One blond undergrad roared her shiny white Cadillac Escalade down the ramp as I looked for a spot.

During our casual meeting time with fellow students, productively labeled as networking, I heard about the kind of massive homes in exclusive neighborhoods that were the norm. Many of my classmates had gotten new luxury cars just for school and had fancy upscale condos for partying during school. But, that was just stuff. What really blew my mind was their attitude about money on a daily basis.

Many would invariably go to night time parties two or even three times a week, all during some very intense course work. While I looked for ways to stick to my $25 daily food budget, they had no problem splurging a few hundred dollars a night each time they were out. At the same time, I knew they were taking out massive student loans to fund their gratuitous consumption, along with tuition and basic living expenses.

Their lack of concern about repaying an extra $50K just surprised the heck out of me. I wasn’t dead broke and could tag along, but I just didn’t see the benefit of such free spending. Eventually, I settled into a more middle-class normative life-style and was comfortable.

Then I saw how naive I truly was.

One of my classmates had gotten to attend the MBA program on a merit and needs-based scholarship. He didn’t have any money. While his tuition was waived, he still needed to pay for daily expenses.

Instead of a fancy high floor condo or even a modest downtown condo, he lived in one of the roughest neighborhoods just off campus. I lived nearby and can hear the police patrols and random gun fire where he lived. My place wasn’t much but at least it was secure. He lived on a couch in a shared room right in the middle of regular gang and drug activity. Running water wasn’t always available, but it was cheap, just a few hundred bucks a month.

Obviously, he didn’t have a car and relied on brisk walks to get anywhere. He didn’t have many friends as he couldn’t afford to go hang out with anyone. When we hung out, I made sure we didn’t need to spend any money.

He couldn’t even afford food, so he worked part time at university food service to make a few dollars and grab leftovers for meals. While others dined in fancy Beverly Hills and Hollywood hot spots, he was scraping pots for a bite. But, he never complained about the squandered money of our fellow students. He knew his values and was content on focusing on his goals.

He certainly kept me grounded as I felt like a spoiled brat using money so freely and buying myself a burrito whenever I felt hungry.

So, here I was moping ridiculously about my relative paucity; he showed what real determination and pride in the midst of deprivation looked like.

And, even at the MBA level, there’s a bias to spend money. My freespending classmates all got six-figure jobs right out of school from their “networking” efforts and were able to quickly pay off their huge student loans. Meanwhile, my poor friend is still struggling financially.

Cheating Wife Stories, Husband’s Cruel Revenge For Cheating

It doesn’t matter if she ” started to fall back in love with you “…SHE’S HAD ANOTHER MAN’S BABY !!! …that’s it…its over , no if and or buts it’s over…any man who’d accept that is NOT a man , he’d be a lil bitch , I don’t think I could have been with her the 9 months and not starting IMMEDIATE divorce proceedings could cost him child support…remember some sick states automatically declare a husband the ” father ” …even if you have medical proof and D.N.A proof…you must also have written statements by the mother and possible father…if mother can’t find other guy or he refuses to get involved you owe that affair baby 18 yrs of child support.. ( disgusting they’d punish a innocent man just to save a few percentages of tax rates for business and the rich…yet they have the harshest anti- abortion laws…total scum…but then again any man stupid enough to still marry in those states is criminally ignorant and brings it on himself…so no sympathy for those or this idiot..no one or no law forced him to marry…he put himself into his predicament….so keep lining up to sign up for marriage…I get a kick out of your pain and suffering”

What are Taiwan’s chances if Mainland China goes to war with it?

Zero and here’s the fun bit.

Nobody says we have to accept their surrender either.

Also the precedent has been set! In Ukraine and Iraq.

Western powers have literally said you can’t surrender to aircraft or drones.

Do you think the China International Import Expo is successful in attracting foreign capital to China?

Attracting foreign capital to China?

According to CIIE organizers, this year’s expo has attracted a record 289 Global Fortune 500 companies and industry leaders, with over 3,400 exhibitors and 394,000 professional visitors registered for the event.

Now read carefully the name for the expo – it’s an IMPORT EXPO meaning the exhibitors are EXPORTERS from all over the world traveling to China to meet Chinese IMPORTERS to buy from them.

This is not about these people investing in China. This is about exhibitors interested to sell to the world’s largest consumer market.

What is the one text message that changed your life?

The number I got belonged to a Michael before.

I received a text addressed to him and asking him to call back the very next day after I activated it.

“Who’s this?”

“Mom.”

“I think you have the wrong number,” I answered. “My mom’s half way across the planet.”

“Sorry.”

“Hope everything is okay with your son/daughter!”

“Thanks! All the best!”

The messages didn’t stop there.

Reminders to pick up his car from the mechanic’s, friends wanting to get beers over the weekend, or talking sports and venting about frustrating relationships.

A woman he used to see asking if they can reconnect.

And I diligently replied saying that it’s no longer his number.

Except the more I replied, the more I felt some inexplicable connection with Michael. As if every message I received made me understand him a bit better. Identify with him. Even root for him as he navigates through the challenges of life.

Then things went quiet and I thought he must have let everyone know about changing his number and I almost forgot about the whole thing.

Until I started getting a different kind of messages.

Prayers. Is-there-anything-I-can-do. Please-know-we’re-there-for-you.

We love you.

You’re in our thoughts.

And then it was spelled out in one message: “I heard your mom got diagnosed with cancer.”

The same mom who sent me my very first message on that phone.

I wrote back to one person saying that even though it’s not his number, I’m deeply sorry about the news and that I’m sending healing prayers.

He/she was so touched they said the kindness of a stranger brightened their day and restored a little bit of faith.

And I felt even closer to Michael.

Like we have something greater in common than just having shared a number. I’ve *been* through shit with him. I’ve thought about his problems and commitments.

And now his mom has cancer.

Michael, I don’t know you and we’ve never spoken, but I want you to know that I *am* there for you. That you *are* in my thoughts. That I *do* care.

That I love you and your mother and I hope you all get through this.

Why is China so desperate to compete with the US when the world knows it can’t?

Ali Moco, use your common sense.

China can do manufacturing and the U.S. cannot. China is the global supply chain hub. China is the one with the perrenial trade surplus with the U.S. Militarily, China has the world’s largest naval fleet while we can’t construct any new naval assets while those “active” assets spent more time in repair than out on duty.

So who is the one desperately trying to compete?

Arguments

What was your strangest experience while visiting the U.S.?

Yesterday in the Charlotte, NC airport I decided to spend my last few dollars on a beer before my flight to Munich.

Before me in line stood a man well into his seventies. He ordered two red wines.

The server asked him for his ID and that of his equally aged wife who was sitting at a table with a cane propped between her knees.

He thought it was a joke. So did I.

It wasn’t. He had to walk back to the table and fetch his wife’s ID.

This was not only strange, it was the stupidest rule I’ve ever seen.

Sixty-year old me was next. And yes, I needed to prove I was twenty one.

Edit: I keep getting comments about how this is normal and the server is just doing their job. I understand and don’t hold it against the server, their management or even the legal system that makes them so careful.

All that said, the rest of the world finds it very strange (and a bit sad perhaps) when 80-year old people must be carded to prove they are 21.

How do I tell my parents that I know they put a camera in my room?

Take a small, clear bag and fill it with a certain white substance. Hide that bag somewhere in your room.

Every morning before you leave for school, and every afternoon when you get home, take out the bag of white substance, and cut a line.

Take a piece of paper, (like a dollar bill), roll it up, and pretend to snort the substance.

You don’t actually have to snort it. You can do this trick where you use the side of your hand to brush the substance off to the side.

Just make sure you do all of this in the camera’s sight line.

Repeat this process for as long as necessary.

Eventually, your parents will see you do this on camera and think you’re snorting cocaine.

They’ll go to your room, find your bag of “cocaine”, and pull it out.

But what they’ll find instead is a bag of flour or sugar, and a note from you that says, “I know you put a camera in my room.”

The thrill of spying on you will be gone, and hopefully they’ll remove the camera.

Either way, they’ll know you know what they’re up to.

5 Unexplained Moments Caught on Live TV That Were Never Solved

My neighbor picked all the peaches off my tree last year without my consent. I’ve never met them as every time I’ve tried, they’ve made themselves unavailable. How do I go about protecting my fruit this year without seeming passive-aggressive?

If you are 100% sure you know who did it, and the peaches were all inside the boundaries of your yard, you have several options – none passive.

  1. Coming from compassion – Offer to share some – not all – if they “need” some.
  2. Let “all” neighbors know you have plans for the fruit this year. Request everyone stay out of your yard unless invited.
  3. Put up a Beware of dog sign – even if you don’t have one.
  4. Put up No Tresspassing signs. Warn that anyone caught tresspassing is subject to being arrested.
  5. Get security cameras on your place – yard and front and side areas.

And if they get caught trying to do it again have an estimate for value of the crop and press charges for theft. If it’s over $500 it’s a felony in many or most states. Tresspassing and theft could mean jail time. Those peaches better be worth it to them.

Growing up we had grapes along our back fence. Three different neighbors over 25 years all asked first before taking the grapes poking through to their side. Every year my family told them to take any on their side of the fence.

Point is good neighbors “ask.”

Something is weird with your neighbors.

China’s Growing NAVAL POWER Can Destroy the USA in 30 Seconds

Technological advancement is a cornerstone of China’s naval dominance. From the development of cutting-edge submarines, such as the Type 095 and Type 096, to the deployment of advanced naval aviation capabilities, China has demonstrated an unyielding dedication to innovation. Its naval prowess is complemented by a formidable array of anti-ship missiles, naval defense systems, and electronic warfare capabilities, placing it at the forefront of maritime technology.

What is the most outrageous thing you have seen a diner do to get out of paying for their meal?

I was enjoying a meal of spaghetti with marinara sauce in a pleasant Italian restaurant. I noticed two women, around 40, eating at the other side of the small restaurant, conversing and eating heartily. When they had finished, the waitress came to take their plates, and asked if they wanted anything else. They said no, and she asked “If you are ready, I will bring your bill.” The ladies said, no, they would not pay because the food was very bad. They claimed the spaghetti was undercooked, the sauce was thin and salty, and the rolls were not fit to eat. Their coffee was much too strong, too. They were not rude or really loud, but were adamant they did not think they should pay for such bad food. The waitress said, “Why didn’t you tell me? I would have taken the food and gotten you a better meal. And besides, why did you eat it all and then tell me it was so bad?” The ladies realized the sense of the waitress’ words, accepted the bill, and paid.

Did you ever say something very simple that had a profound impact on someone in an unexpected manner?

Early during my intern year in San Francisco in 1973, I took over care of a comatose alcoholic patient. I discovered her electrolytes and metabolic tests were all out of wack.

I corrected them and she woke up.

The first thing she asked upon awakening was “Who’s taking care of my cats?”.

She was in a panic.

I called her contacts and got a neighbor to get her cats and care for them.

I then told my patient that if she kept drinking, the next time she ended up in the hospital she would surely die and there would be no one to look after her cats. They would die a terrible death of thirst and starvation.

I remember her looking at me with grave concern.

About a week later she was discharged and I didn’t see her again until very near the end of my internship. I saw her walking in the corridor of the hospital going for a clinic visit. She looked like a different person, well dressed and made up.

She told me that she hadn’t had another drink in almost a year because her cats depended on her.

It was one of the most rewarding moments in my long career and one of the rare times I succeeded in getting a hard core alcoholic to get and stay on the wagon.

Cheesecake Factory Cajun Jambalaya Pasta

pasta jambalaya 4 1 of 1 1463x2048 1
pasta jambalaya 4 1 of 1 1463×2048 1

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces butter
  • 2 teaspoons Cajun spice mix
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
  • 1 pound fresh linguini pasta
  • 1/2 cup clam juice
  • 2 ounces green bell peppers, cut into thin strips
  • 2 ounces red bell peppers, cut into thin strips
  • 2 ounces yellow bell peppers, cut into thin strips
  • 4 ounces red onions, cut into thin strips
  • 1/2 pound fresh medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed
  • 1/2 cup diced tomatoes

Instructions

  1. Place the butter into a sauté pan. Allow the butter to melt slightly. Add the seasoning into the pan and stir together with the melted butter. Add the chicken into the pan and continue to cook until the chicken is about half done.
  2. While the chicken is cooking, carefully place the pasta into boiling water and cook until al dente.
  3. Pour the clam juice into the pan. Add the peppers and onions. Cook for another minute, making sure the vegetables are heated through and the chicken is almost done.
  4. Add the shrimp into the pan. Toss the ingredients together and continue to cook until the shrimp are almost done.
  5. Add the tomatoes into then pan. Continue to cook mixture until both the shrimp and chicken are thoroughly cook through.
  6. Place some pasta into each bowl. Spoon equal portions of the jambalaya mixture into each bowl over the pasta.

Invest in yourself

Do children of parents who were close to or over 40 when they were born wish they had younger parents?

My dad was 22 years older than my mom and in his mid-fifties when I was born. He retired while I was in elementary school which meant I essentially had two stay at home parents as my mom didn’t work. My dad never showed his age and was as active and involved as any of my friends dads but more so because he didn’t have work. When I was younger my dad would come to elementary school and eat lunch with me. He helped with boy scouts and came camping with me. He attended all sporting events and school activities. In the summer we would spend full days at museums or going on trips; he was a regular chaperone on school field trips. When my bus stop was far away he’d come pick me up every day.

I was always sadly hyper aware that he was older and losing him was a regular fear; I lucked out and had him with me until he almost hit 97 and I was 42; my mom passed 15 months before him. I just had my first child at 43 and have no idea how my dad managed 4 kids, with my brother and I just two years apart, and not complain or show any signs of age at all. I wouldn’t say I ever wished for younger parents as it is all I ever knew.

Do children of parents who were close to or over 40 when they were born wish they had younger parents?

My dad was 57 when I was born and my mom 43. My mom passed away 2 days after I was born. My dad was my world. He learned to cook to make me my favorite meals. I was a picky eater as a kid.

He woke me up each morning with fresh squeezed orange juice which I love until this day. As I got older, he would play tennis with me and taught me to play softball. He had played baseball in Cuba and he was a great hitter even in his sixties. I did everything with him.

When I was 5, he was on his way to pick me up at day care when he got into a terrible car accident where an ambulance was called to treat him. He was less than a a tenth of a mile from the day care, he told the ambulance workers he had to pick up his daughter before he could be taken to the hospital. He walked and picked me up with a head injury and took me to a neighbors house before being transported to the hospital. I will always remember this day.

When I was 10 he retired from work and started picking me up from the bus stop every day after school. He always had a snack ready for me and we sat and talked about our day.

At 15 he taught me to drive. He was patient and made sure I knew the rules of the road. For my 16th birthday, he took me to get my drivers license. A few days later he bought me a car. We were poor and I had no expectation of a car. He had put aside money to buy me a 3 year old Toyota Camry. He drove a 13 year old car.

A few months after my 16th birthday he was not feeling well and I thought it was a cold. He passed away 20 days later of a double pneumonia and acute leukemia. My world was shattered. I didn’t know how to pick up the pieces and keep going. To this day, I think about him every day.

Did I wish he was younger? No, I wouldn’t change him but I do wish I had more time with him.

Women are in the horns

What people are shining examples of the power of authenticity?

Joe Rogan.

He’s never run any commercials promoting his podcast. Never bought any billboards, any print ads. He never went on any late-night shows to promote his podcast.

I’ve always known about him from watching UFC’s, so I knew he had a podcast.

But eventually – he began popping up more and more on my YouTube suggestions. I figured – can this podcast really be any good? I know he’s a decent comedian and a great fight commentator.

Steadily – over years, he continued plugging away at his podcast, getting more and more guests.

Finally, I gave in – and I’m hooked – along with millions of other people.

The podcast is a blend of funny/smart and is just people having conversations. No acting, no-nonsense.

Just humble, intelligent conversations with a wide variety of people from all walks of life.

Joe now has one of the most popular podcasts in the world and he just did it by being his authentic self and enjoying conversations with people.

What is the best example of people who cheated death?

Mike Day.

He was a Navy SEAL serving in Afghanistan. During a mission in 2007, he went into a room first, leading his team. Unfortunately, it had insurgents in it, waiting with automatic weapons.

He was shot 27 times. While 11 rounds were blocked by his body armor, 16 rounds managed to hit him in the torso, arms and legs. He was also hit by a grenade which exploded and sent shrapnel through his body.

And then, he managed to kill three enemy fighters near him with a pistol and without killing any of the women and children in the room.

His recovery took two long years.

And he later became an advocate for wounded warriors and those living with PTSD—because he had it bad.

Sadly, he was haunted by the things he went through in war. This past March, he couldn’t bear it anymore and was found hanging in his room.

He cheated death narrowly for 16 years, but the demons were the ones Mike couldn’t escape. Rest in Peace warrior.

Toxic social media

Why does Russia refuse to give up on its only aircraft carrier?

The Admiral Kuznetsov was and actually still is the flagship of the Russian Navy.

Yes, she’s not seaworthy, but it doesn’t matter. This is really a matter of national pride. If the Russian Navy can’t keep their flagship in service, that does not look great.

As a side-note, the Kuznetsov was built at the Black Sea Shipyard in what is now Ukraine. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years, you’ll know why docking it in Ukraine is not exactly an option. Russia lacks any shipyards large and capable enough to properly service or build something this big, which is why they’re having so much trouble refitting the ship.

Do you feel Home Depot and Lowe’s are nothing but chain stores that bought out the little guy? Please note, my question does not imply I think so.

It may happen now and then but I have never heard of of a big box company buying out the little guy. They usually just open up a store and drive the little guy out of business – maybe. Read on. Sometimes a smaller chain will be bought out but seldom a single store.

Mom and pop hardware stores tended to do better than, say, grocery stores because of the expertise offered.

In 1976 I got a position in Rochester NH as a bank trust officer and we bought a beautiful cape cod with a center chimney built in 1853.

A neighbor chatted to me and asked me if I had experience with working on houses. Our previous home we had bought brand new so I had to confess that I had not. He told me I should expect this home to require endless work. He suggested to me that I should patronize Warburton’s Hardware just down the road from me. He said I would go in for a dollars worth of nails and come out with ten dollars worth of advice.

He was right on both counts and I took his advice.

Brownie Warburton retired and it was bought by the Boucher family and they are still there. It was a happy day for me when he invited me to call him Brownie. The locals were not usually that accepting of blow ins.

So the mom and pop hardware stores can compete.

Now just about anyone will be familiar with this logo

ACE Hardware

You might think that Ace is a chain but you would be wrong. Ace stores are individually owned or parts of small chains – a bit liked McDonald’s. The big difference is that Ace Corporation is owned by the store owners – it is a cooperative. Ace started up in 1924, long before big box hardware stores and they seem to be thriving. They do so in the same way that Brownie Warburton did: by providing service and expertise. Edit. I did not intend this to be an ad for Ace but it sure resonated with readers. Read the comments.

This is not to say that big box stores have no place; they clearly do but so do smaller, locally owned stores.

Be the best that YOU can be

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/uN0X2ygkdbM?feature=share

What’s the most “life works in mysterious ways” experience you’ve ever had?

I’m a Christian and would change it to God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform “ as an old hymn says.

When I was younger, I was asked at the last minute to delay my holiday as someone else wanted to go to the Henley Regatta and we couldn’t both be away from work at the same time. I was furious!

When I arrived finally on holiday, this vision in a blue dress appeared. She also not only shouldn’t have been there that week, but shouldn’t have been there at all. She had been going to Switzerland earlier but developed appendicitis and couldn’t go and some weeks later was invited to join her sister and some friends and so we met.

We married a year later and remained together for 63 years until her death.

What’s the fastest you’ve wiped a smirk off of someone’s face?

I used to work for a large rehab company. I was a licensed occupational therapist. One year, we had a new girl start there, who was from Europe. She was also also a licensed therapist, but had two years of additional training. She was also on a work visa. At first she was friendly and agreeable, but soon began to show her true colors. She started making snide comments about people behind their backs, and then proceeded to say them to their faces. She told me that where she came from, I wouldn’t be considered a real therapist, because I had only studied for two years.

We had a few Rehab assistants that she proceeded to lord over, because she had a college degree and they did not. But they worked hard and did their jobs. One day she sat with us at lunch; myself, and two rehab assistants. She proceeded to make rude comments about certain ethnic groups in the company, claiming that they had chips on their shoulders. I told her that her remarks could be construed as racism, and that she had better knock it off. She scoffed, and went on making rude comments. When she left the room with a big smirk on her face, one of the aides told me that she had been making unflattering comments behind my back, too. I decided that she needed to be taught a lesson. I contacted our clinical director and reported her behavior, especially the racist comments.

An hour later, she came walking down the hall, smirk replaced by copious tears. She had been warned that if she continued with her behavior, she would be shipped right back to Europe.

Addicted to lifestyle

Plastic convertible

When I was five I walked by a toy store with my mother.

I looked in the window, and I saw a plastic model of a car. It was a yellow convertible.

And I well remember myself looking up to my mother, and telling her that she should buy it for me so that I could gift it to my father. I thought, and was absolutely convinced that my father would love the car.

2023 11 11 18 51
2023 11 11 18 51

I’m sure that both my mother and father thought that it was so cute. And today, I look back at that moment with fond memories. And to this day, whenever I see a model of a convertible, I think of this particular moment.

Today…

What would be your best advice for a young person who just started their career?

You are paid by how expensive you are to replace.

I graduated college with this misguided idea that a good degree and hard work would make me invincible. Everyone would hire me and I’d get a raise every year.

All it takes is a company downsizing or a manager that doesn’t like you. Our pay and job security are directly tied to how many other people are willing to do our job. This isn’t an opinion. It’s economics.

You either make yourself indispensable to a company. Or pick up skills and qualifications that make other companies want you more. Otherwise, plan on getting yanked around and low-balled.

As an extreme example, my friend skipped college and worked his way up to senior-level tech support with a camera company.

He spent the best years of his life there. Now, he’s older, his company has gone bankrupt, and he’s out of the job with minimally transferrable skills.

Remember that a business cannot feel emotion or empathy. It is a system, designed to learn, evolve, and make money. Don’t drink the Kool-aid and corporate ra-ra.

You are paid by how expensive you are to replace.

Cajun Shrimp Burgers

2023 11 11 18 29
2023 11 11 18 29

Ingredients

  • 1 pound steamed or boiled shrimp
  • 1/4 cup finely diced onions
  • 1/4 cup finely diced green bell pepper
  • 2 tablespoons chopped celery
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 2/3 cup dry bread crumbs
  • 1 beaten egg
  • Flour
  • Extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

  1. Peel and devein shrimp and remove tails. Chop shrimp.
  2. Cook onions, bell pepper and celery in microwave until soft. Drain well.
  3. Combine chopped shrimp, vegetables, garlic, seasoning, mayonnaise, bread crumbs and egg.
  4. Form into patties, dredge in flour, and place on plate or tray. Freeze for about 20 minutes.
  5. Remove from freezer and dredge in flour again.
  6. Drizzle oil into a nonstick pan and fry shrimp burgers over medium-high heat until brown and crunchy on each side.
  7. Serve on buns or French bread.

Singaporean Woman Flips On Modern Woman For Bashing Her PASSPORT BROS

This Singaporean Woman is sick and tired of Modern Women feeling entitled. She said look up a Singaporean passport before you open your mouth.

Can Russia, China, and the West ever be on good terms?

Yes they can and they should. It makes sense that if the three strongest and most powerful nations find a way to accommodate each others interest and red line. When and if they do the rest of the world are free to move on with their lives and grow their respective economy. I really believed that these 3 powerful nations simply cannot make each other submissive and subservient to the other.

The U.S. tried hard and desperately over the past decade or so without any success at all. Take the U.S. and China trade war. After 5 years straight of tariffs, sanctions and demonisation, if anything China gets stronger and more independent. And the Chinese counter actions. Is hurting the US. And to be fair China prefers to not have this dispute as it slows down Chinese growth too.

The U.S. tried to pinned down Russia militarily and geopolitically too since Biden take office culminating with the Ukraine war. A good 18 months has gone by and Russia is as strong as ever and at best the war is a stalemate with both the U.S. and Russia becomes slightly less strong. But the only thing the U.S. who goaded Russia into this war achieved is to bring world GDP down a notch. What good is it?

China do not mind if the U.S. grow healthily at 3% due to its mature economy and as a result China grow 6% healthily and both nations and the rest of the world pay attention of improving competitiveness and development. I am hopeful that a new U.S. president will see the benefits of collaborating with China and Russia.

The U.S. threw their kitchen sink at China and Russia for the last 2 full years! Has China and Russia been destroyed? Be honest! Nothing substantial happened. And what ever little Russia and China got hurt and harm so does the U.S. at least in the same proportion if not a little more. So what good is it? All the huff, puff and rant for nothing.

Now imagine. All three nations go positive. The world will be healthier, more stable, more peaceful and prosper. That cannot be bad for the world. The U.S. needs a new approach and a new leader that don’t think in hubris but in finding collaboration for mutual good.

Man SHOCKS The Panel With This Fact

https://youtu.be/Y_wj5vvjjj4

I have an employee that always clocks out 5 minutes early. They seem to have a good work ethic but I recently have been questioning it. What should I do as a manager?

Story time. My ex was an irreplaceable worker who needed to leave work 10 minutes early to catch a train that would get her home a good 45 minutes earlier compared to the train she’d get if she left exactly on time.
her manager insisted she stay until exactly 17:30. Note that she didn’t do anything worthwhile in that last 10 minutes. Her type of work meant that everything took longer. She also hated crowds, so she got the train to work an hour earlier than strictly necessary, meaning that most days she was 45 minutes early for work (she’d stop somewhere to buy a hot breakfast). Because of the type of conscientious worker she was, and also she was the head of a team of around 10–12 people, and she took pride in her work; she would start working more or less straight away. The boss knew all this, because she was always at work when he came in. He also knew that she was already working because of the dozen or so emails that she had already sent out (to clients, to coworkers with him CCdd, to him directly, etc). When she pointed all of this out to him, he said that “nobody is asking you to do that” and something about any colleague could walk up to her at 17:25 and ask a question or for a task to be done. If you ask me, it was all baloney and the dude was simply on a power trip! (Or maybe someone above him had archaic views and was being unreasonable)

so she gave in her notice and quit to start up on her own (basically to be a freelancer).
they couldn’t find anyone else to do the work, and for the first two years of her freelancing career she basically did her old job from home (no commute, working from home, and back in 2015, this was a massive perk, which was unheard of). Hell, the lack of commute alone saved her £3000 per year.

She got paid about 40% more to do the same work she always did, in about 1/2, maybe 2/3 of the time. It took them two years to train someone up to replace her (and stop needing her services as a freelancer).

Serves them right…

Welcome to America!

What is the greatest miracle you have personally witnessed in your life?

My Brother was in a car crash and went through the windscreen of the car he was a passenger in.. he managed to get his arms up to protect his face but didn’t manage to completely cover his eyes.. he was cut out of the car and flown by ambulance to Ninewells hospital in Dundee (Scotland) where he spent two years going through in total 35 operations on his eyes. Ninewells had the best Eye Specialists and Dept. in the Country.. After his final operation his Doctor sat down with us his family, and explained that they had tried everything to save his sight but that he would be 100% blind for the rest of his life and that he would need all our help to come to terms with it and to help him adjust to life as a blind man.. after 2 years they released him from Hospital into our care..

I had not prayed for many years. Had stopped going to Mass years before.. but that night I got on my knees and I prayed to God.. I begged him to restore my brothers eyesight and offered to lose mine in his place..

3 days later.. it was a beautiful sunny day and I took him for a walk.. guiding him with my arm.. someone he knew shouted hello from a distance and waved to us. My brother asked who it was and I said the guys name and said that he had waved. My Brother said “I know, I could make out the shadow of his arm in the grass”

I was gobsmacked but didn’t say anything to him about it.. When we got home I told Mum what had happened and She phoned his Doctor who brought my brother in for tests.. the Doctor confirmed his last prognosis.. that he was blind and there was no difference from the last time he was tested.. He sat Mum down and explained that it was his brain playing tricks on him and went into great detail on the damage that had been done and how it was impossible that it could be repaired either naturally or medically..

My brother now has 98% of his vision restored and wears contact lenses.. he actually has better sight than me..

God makes the impossible possible…!

Censorship

Did you ever see karma hit someone who deserved it so befittingly that it was eerie?

This happened to my best friend. She had left her abusive husband and was living in her own apartment, when he learned where she was, and went ballistic on her. He assaulted her and threatened their one year old. Her new neighbors heard the disturbance and called the police. When the police got there, they asked for his information and he gave a false name. Unfortunately, they believed him. because when they called that name in, they found no record on him. They were about to leave when my friend overheard and gave the police officers her husband’s correct name. Turns out there was an outstanding warrant that she hadn’t known about, and they hauled his ass off to jail.

It gets better. During that time, she got a lawyer and pressed charges, and her neighbors testified in court. His mother and father, who were quite elderly and in poor health died within weeks of each other. Then, when he got out of prison, the city decided to put in a new road and offered his landlord money for the house that my friend’s husband was living in, so he got evicted. He spent the rest of that year couch surfing because nobody would let him stay with them, due to his bad temper.

What was your “I am surrounded by idiots” moment?

I was flying out of LA bound for Newark. My flight was leaving at 6am on a Wednesday. My work was finished on Tuesday, around 8pm. I went to a restaurant, had a great meal, dropped off the car and went to check in at around 11pm that Tuesday evening. My plan was to find a comfortable seat, take a short nap, and be ready for my early Wednesday flight.

At the security check point the person checking told me I could not go through because I was a day early for my flight and I’d have to come back the next day to check in. I tried to explain to him that the next day was in one hour and my flight was leaving in six hours. He did not get it and was adamant that I could not enter until the next day.

At that point I asked to see his supervisor. He eventually got the supervisor. When the supervisor listened to me and checked my ticket he told his guy, “Let him in. You need to learn how to tell time. See me later.”

The flight was uneventful.

$22,000 dollars

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/_kUaYkG9wF0?feature=share

What would you do if I park my car in front of yours to block your exit for a few minutes?

I use to fix street lamps for a living. Once I was about to pull up to a lamp that needed to be fixed when someone pulled into the spot ahead of me. I got out of the truck and explained I was about to pull up to the lamp to fix it and would he please move his car. His response was, “I’m only going to be a few minutes, you can wait “ He then walked onto a store that was right there.

So I pulled up the truck along side his car, and was up in the bucket and started to fix the light. I was still up in the bucket fixing the lamp when he came out of the store and was angry to find my truck was blocking his being able to pull out. He called up to me demanding I move my truck so he could pull out. I shouted down to him, “I’m only going to be a few minutes, you can wait “ and then went back to fixing the light.

Have you ever had a work colleague who was disliked by most of the other staff, but you knew just how much integrity, honesty, and honour they really had?

Bert was a part of the furniture for many years. He slid silently into his cubicle before most people arrived. The sound of flipping pages and keypad strokes were the only signs of life from his corner.

He evaded unnecessary contact with his colleagues. In meetings and during unavoidable greetings he mumbled and focused his eyes anywhere but on the person talking to him.

Bert drank no coffee and ate a packed lunch at his desk. He evaporated promptly at 4.55 every evening, leaving only an immaculately ordered workspace devoid of any clues as to who he was as a person.

It was impossible to like Bert. His own discomfort with everyone else was awkward and off putting.

At the same time, the only thing to dislike about him was that he didn’t fit in with the rest. Bert’s unseen presence was a low-level annoyance, like a squeaky chair or the smell of an overheated copy machine.

Only two people understood how valuable Bert was. Bert’s boss had known it for years. I learned about his talents when we worked as a team to create technical catalogues. I handled text copy and Bert handled tables, graphs and technical drawings.

We mostly collaborated by e-mail. His PDF markups were always detailed and clear.

When we met in person, I honored his unspoken preference to avoid eye contact. This seemed to comfort him.

For three years we redesigned dozens of catalogs with only rare and minor errors discovered after printing.

I learned to truly appreciate Bert’s talent for finding the needles (errors) in the haystack (multi-hundred-page catalogs). He was quiet, unassuming and provided the company excellent value for his salary.

I eventually moved on, but Bert and others kept producing error-free work. Bert’s methodical proofreading approach guides me still.

When Bert’s boss retired, a new boss found him uncomfortable (like everyone else). He was let go and his job was outsourced to an agency.

One of the agency’s first jobs was updating an existing 800-page catalog. 50,000 copies were printed and some were shipped to customers.

It was only then that the typo was discovered. A technical term had been typed as a sexual one. It was an expensive mistake (mostly covered by the insurance company).

I still have no idea who Bert is as a person. But I know his work reeked of integrity, his written communications were more honest than most people can swallow, and that working together with him was an honor.

Being able to depend on a colleague is more important than liking them. Thanks for the life lesson Bert!

Wealth in perception

Why does America force democracy upon people who don’t want it?

The U.S. used democracy in 2 ways. To elevate the U.S. as the beacon of democracy in the free world, a self declared superlative about themselves by themselves. That no one believes but themselves. Even that is only some white Caucasian, Anglo Saxon, conservative and less travelled and less educated ones.

And to tag countries that refused to be submissive and subservient to them to be “not” democratic. So authoritarian and dictatorial or a host of slurs such as. Communism, Socialism, Regime, Rogue States etc. Simple pea brain people buys that slur over the years to feel good about themselves while looking down and demonising others they did not like after being indoctrinated against for close to a century.

But these are optics or cosmetics. Forcing “U.S. liberal Democracy” is much more sinister. If you are having a political system like the U.S. they can easily manipulate that nation’s political process and place their puppet to do the U.S. bidding for them. Such as align with them and against China or Russia or selling resources to the Yanks at dirt cheap prices! That is what happened to many decades in the Philippines.

US political system is all about popularity and no meritocracy at all. All you need in a poorer developing nation is money to bribed voters. And the U.S. has plenty of printed Green back to throw about. That is the reason they forced nations to failure through the unworkable and inefficient political processes. For the U.S. sake. Not the nation in question sake.

After spending billions it almost always don’t work after a while. Hence Vietnam U.S. still a proud successful socialist nation, Iraq is still a Muslim fundamentalist nation and Taliban Afghanistan became Taliban Afghanistan after tens of trillions spent. Sure Zalensky the U.S. puppet did poke Russia in the eye and see what the U.S. and Ukrainians get for their effort!

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Why do guys never go for an “innocent” girl?

First of all, many guys do go for an “innocent girl.” I’m not one of them, but there are countless guys who totally look for “innocence,” however variously that may be defined, in women.

Why don’t some guys go for an “innocent” girl?

Speaking only for myself, not for any other man: I don’t go for “innocent” women because I like women who know exactly what they like and how to get it. I strongly prefer women who aren’t meek and aren’t the least bit frightened, women who live their lives out loud, uninhibited and unashamed.

Why?

They’re better partners.

They’re more fun. They’re less timid and more adventurous. They understand themselves better. They sample life with gusto. They embrace life in its joy, unworried about what other people have to say. They live on their own terms, which means they are more likely to explore and embrace new things. They are, not to put too fine a point on it, more courageous and more enjoyable to spend time, or life, with.

What is your best parking spot revenge?

Ages ago I used to work at a place that had formerly been a large outlet mall. The company I worked for owned one quadrant of the building but there was plenty of parking available. One guy, Crumb E. Parker, had a very nice car and did not want it damaged but rather than park it far away from the building he parked it close by and took up three spots, almost like so but even more perpendicular to the spot.

Now had he done this in the East Jesus end of the lot where nobody else parked nobody would have cared but he had an early shift and parked as close to the building as he could This happened every day for a month and people were sick of seeing it. A couple of us got together and decided this aggression could not stand, man!

Since he did this right by the handicapped spots we made friends with the person that would park in the handicapped spot closest to his car and got them to swap spots with someone who worked a shift until midnight. Then we did the same with an early bird who would park on the other side of him. We had both cars parked so close to him he’d have needed to make an 87,423-point turn to be able to get out. We waited.

Shortly after Mr. Parker’s shift ended there are announcements and emails going out. Mr. Parker is wandering the halls of the office looking for whomever owned the cars that had him blocked in to move them. Nobody is owning up to it. A threat comes out to have towed the cars blocking him which was followed by a near-immediate retraction when someone pointed out that doing so but not towing the guy who parked like crap all the time could be seen as retaliation against a disabled person which would open up lawsuits. The guy ended up having to take a taxi home and back to work the next day and after that he would still park like crap but way out in the furthest parking spots where nobody cared and all was right with the world again.

304 Woman Got REJECTED For Being Promiscuous

https://youtu.be/O1EV1mw5_Lc

What is the craziest thing you have seen a mechanic do at an auto mechanic shop?

Worked at Ford Dealership many years ago. I had 45 techs in seven different departments. Of all the people I had, only two were certified to work on the FORD GT’s.

I don’t recall the reason why the vehicle was in for service, but it was minor and didn’t require a test drive afterwards to verify that it was repaired.

I received the repair order and assigned the ticket/vehicle to one of my GT techs. As mentioned, it was simple repair and after the parts arrived, it only took him an hour so.

My GT tech finished the repair, closed out the ticket, sent me the paperwork (hard copy) then carefully backed the car out and drove it outside towards a special area that we kept all high dollar/high profile customer vehicles at.

I was inside my office at the time and watched the big garage doors open as he drove this wonderful-sounding, sexy vehicle outside.

I go to lunch and get back to my office an hour later.

I checked my email – “Come see me ASAP” it read. It was from my Boss.

This was highly unusual. I mean we sent emails back and forth all the time, but never with the subject matter “Come see me ASAP”.

Nonetheless I marched into my Boss’s office and he shut the door.

He looked at me and was pale as a ghost.

Mike crashed the GT,” he said.

He TOTALED it.”

I couldn’t believe it. Instead of parking this $250,000+ car like he was required to, Mike decided to take it for a spin around the block. Real quick.

He went around a corner too fast, lost control and took out a tree.

#dumbass

He was unhurt for the most part and walked away from it with just a bruise or two (he said).

:[

GET INTO THE SYSTEM AND MAKE SURE HE DOESN’T DRAW ANOTHER VEHICLE!” my Boss told me. (he wasn’t much of a systems admin guy and needed me to do it). So I did.

To make a long story short, Mike the GT tech finished out another vehicle (a big truck) that he’d been doing an engine on. It took him a couple of days, but when he finished the ticket, he was fired. I’m sure he saw it coming.

The Dealership paid back the GT Owner what he’d paid for it. He wasn’t happy, of course, but what else ya gonna do?

Unwanted attention

What is something people need to understand?

Grit is the engine of success.

Not ability.
Not talent.
Not IQ.

Grit.

This isn’t a matter of opinion. There’s research behind it. And what it concludes is unequivocal—

Innate aptitude just means you start out a few steps ahead.

Perseverance is where it’s at.

When I started out my writing was so crappy I wouldn’t share it here if you paid me.

My first gig paid $1.5/hour.

10,000 hours later, I support a family of 5 by working from home.

I got here because I showed up.

Every. Single. Day.

Ask my wife how many times I came to her on the verge of tears saying I wanted to quit because my writing was rejected.

But I stuck with it.

And with time, the rejections became approvals.

Never hearing from clients again became high-paying long-term retainers.

And the feelings of insecurity became a steadily growing sense of self-assurance.

Failure is staying down after you get knocked out.

Success is doing something as many times as it takes until you nail it.

What economic policies has China implemented that are successful?

I’m not a professional economist.

Judging from the economic events that will occur in 2023, I think one of China’s most successful economic policies is “foreign exchange control.”

China’s foreign exchange controls include the following measures:

1. Restrict foreign exchange circulation in China

Any enterprise or retailer in China is not allowed to accept foreign currency and must convert it into RMB before trading. I can’t buy anything in any store in China with US dollars or Singapore dollars.

2. Restrict foreign exchange from being freely convertible into RMB

Any foreigner who visits China needs to convert foreign currency into RMB. There are limits on the amount. For example, foreigners entering China can only exchange US$50,000 in cash each year. The foreign exchange received by Chinese companies operating abroad will also be subject to amount restrictions when they need to convert it into RMB.

Foreign companies also need approval to remit foreign currency into China for investment.

3. Restrict the conversion of RMB into foreign currencies

Any Chinese or foreigner leaving China must exchange RMB cash into foreign currency. Or if you want to remit RMB and convert it into foreign currency, you are also subject to the amount limit.

Not only that, if Chinese companies want to invest in other countries and want to convert RMB into foreign currencies, they also need approval.

Simply put, the conversion of RMB and foreign currencies is subject to limits and controls. This makes large sums of money not freely convertible at all.

China is the world’s largest trading country, and it is the largest trading partner of almost all countries in the world. Therefore, the foreign exchange control policy actually has many negative impacts on the Chinese economy, which brings troubles to cross-border transactions, troubles to Chinese companies operating abroad, and a lot of troubles to foreign companies investing in China.

Even so, China still insists on implementing foreign exchange control strategies.

As an employee of a Singapore investment company, perhaps because of my lack of knowledge, I have not been able to understand China’s approach in the past many years. Because this policy often gives me a headache at work and adds a lot of extra workload to our company. The Chinese want to expand trade so much, why do they impose artificial restrictions on currency flows?

I once believed that if China relaxed its foreign exchange controls, China’s imports and exports would see huge growth.

It wasn’t until 2023, after the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hike, that I realized the reason why China did this: they took financial sovereignty into their own hands.

As we all know, in order to solve the country’s economic problems and curb inflation. In 2023, the Federal Reserve carried out continuous and substantial interest rate increases on the US dollar.

This operation has greatly increased the yield on U.S. dollar deposits, and funds all over the world want to transfer to the United States to obtain high interest rates. Many people even apply for loans in their own country and then transfer the loaned funds to the United States to enjoy the interest rate difference between the two places.

This caused funds from all over the world to begin to gather in the United States. Investors and wealthy people frantically converted their currencies into U.S. dollars and remitted them to the United States.

This resulted in a series of dire consequences for all other countries:

1. Due to the loss of large amounts of funds, investment in various fields in the country has been stopped.

2. The domestic currency was sold off in large quantities (converted into US dollars), causing the domestic currency to depreciate sharply, while the US dollar appreciated sharply.

3. Lack of investment and consumption (all the money is remitted to the United States) has caused the economy to decline, business is sluggish, and companies are gradually closing down.

4. As the U.S. dollar appreciates, American investors can purchase companies and minerals that are about to go bankrupt in their own countries at very low prices.

5. National wealth shrinks (the national currency depreciates), and people no longer trust the national currency and turn to buying U.S. dollars, causing the collapse of the national currency to intensify.

This consequence is like a domino, which is catastrophic for any country, meaning that the wealth created by this country for decades may be completely harvested by the United States.

In order to avoid this disastrous chain reaction, governments can only take one approach: follow the United States in raising interest rates. This can reduce the interest difference between the two countries and reduce capital outflows. You can take a look at the situation in your country in the past six months. Are banks already raising interest rates?

However, raising interest rates is not a panacea. It also has a serious negative impact, which reduces domestic investment willingness. After all, who wants to invest in business when you can earn a high income by depositing your money in the bank? At the same time, some companies that rely on loans, especially the financial industry and large-scale manufacturing industries, will see their capital costs continue to increase. When the chain breaks, businesses go bankrupt. For individuals, the interest pressure on student loans, credit cards, and mortgages will increase, and people’s lives will inevitably be affected.

Therefore, for most countries, not raising interest rates means allowing the United States to harvest their own wealth; raising interest rates means immediately harming the domestic economy and people;

No matter what you choose, you will get hurt. The rate hike is just the one that hurts less.

But in China, the situation is different.

Not only did the Chinese not follow the U.S. in raising interest rates like other countries, they actually kept cutting interest rates in the past few months.

Aren’t they afraid of massive capital outflows and sharp depreciation of the RMB, which will trigger an economic crisis?

Of course not, that’s why they implemented exchange controls.

Since the RMB and the U.S. dollar are not freely convertible, large-scale conversions are simply impossible.

Bank of China: What, you want to convert 50 million yuan into US dollars? what is your purpose? Transfer money to a U.S. bank? Sorry, this is not allowed.

Oh, you changed your story again and said you were going to the United States to do business. Well, please provide your business contract, investment agreement, and lawyer’s certificate!

Therefore, they are not worried about these problems at all, and the outflow of funds is limited to a controllable range. The United States simply cannot harvest China.

In the past few months, the yuan has indeed depreciated against the US dollar, but has appreciated against other major currencies around the world, which shows the effectiveness of China’s foreign exchange control capabilities.

With low interest rates, Chinese companies can obtain very cheap financial support from their banks, which makes them invincible in the global market. Taking the shipbuilding industry with the largest demand for funds as an example, the Chinese have taken 90% of the world’s shipbuilding orders in the third quarter. In the same period last year, their share was only 50%.

In the face of US dollar interest rate hikes and global currency depreciation, inflation has occurred in various countries, but China’s domestic inflation does not exist at all. They have even begun to worry about “deflation.” Many Chinese friends told me that domestic prices in China are actually lower than last year, and people can buy more goods with the same money.

What the world thinks of Americans…

As a police officer, what situation made it hard for you to keep a straight face?

I was assigned to Police Motorcycles for ten years. I was on a traffic stop one winter day writing a citation to a young man. While writing, the young man asked me if I knew Officer Stone. My heavy leather jacket covered my name plate, and as the only Officer Stone on the force, I found this an interesting question, since I had never seen him before. I responded, “Why yes, yes, I do.” I threw in “He’s really a great guy.” The young man agreed, telling me how they were good friends, and that Officer Stone was close with his family. “Officer Stone comes over to my house on most Sundays for dinner and my mama cooks for him”, the young man added. I said “Why that’s real nice of her.” As I handed the kid his citation to sign, I pulled back my jacket to reveal my name plate, and said “Tell your mama I’ll be over for dinner Sunday at 1:00”. The kid’s face froze, and after a few seconds, he simply responded “Yes Sir!”

How do you politely and respectfully keep women coworkers from hitting on you at work?

My career was spent as the Founder and CEO of a very large company. When a woman disrespected my marriage, politeness went out of the window. Ladies, trust me I’m not God’s gift to women, but I have been hit on! I was once told by a 22 year old (I was 40 something) that she could steal me away from my wife. My response was, “you’re fired”!

I’ve now been married to the most incredible woman in the world for 56 years. I still find reasons to fall in love with her each day.

What’s your recent happiest moment?

When I was 17 years old, I dropped out of high school to work full time. I never went in to get my GED (which is the equivalent of a high school diploma).

Since then, my parents (especially my mom) have been begging me to get my diploma.

I’ve put it off for years and years, much to their disappointment.


This fall, my friend finally coaxed me into taking the exams. He assured me that I could do it, he encouraged me, and he was a huge support.
I wouldn’t have done it if it weren’t for him.

November 30th, I passed my final exam and got my GED!

I printed it out, framed it, and wrapped it up for my parents for Christmas.


Unfortunately, I have no chill, so I went to my parents’ house last night to give them their Christmas present early.
My mom unwrapped it, read the diploma and…

Oh. My. God.

That reaction was worth every single minute of studying and exam taking.

I have never seen someone cry out of happiness at a present, but my mom did. My dad got teary eyed! Shit, the boyfriend said he even got blurred vision watching my parents’ reaction!

It was amazing.

My dad was smiling and clapping and my mom hugged me so hard I thought she was going to break a rib.

The dogs started barking because they were freaked out at the sudden mayhem.

At one point my dad yelled, “A ROUND OF WHISKEY IS IN ORDER!” and ran off to the kitchen to pour a round of shots.

It was hilarious.


Hands down, being able to make my parents that excited has been one of my happiest moments.

There’s nothing like making your parents proud.

(Oh, and P.S.: I passed with flying colors. I made those exams my bitch.)

Iran Gets Access To Chinese Satellite To Use For Missile Attack on Israel!

“The US must be isolated or sidelined for the benefits of all free nations of the world.”

https://youtu.be/c311mOySUVE

What pushed you into retirement?

What pushed me —a United States Astronaut— into retirement? I’ll tell you exactly what pushed me.

I was summoned into the “corner office.” This is a hallowed place, reserved for the Chief of all astronauts. Seated in a chair in front of the boss’ desk, the discussion would eventually turn to me asking, “What are my chances of flying again?” The boss pulled out a long sheet of paper. A sheet known to wannabe fliers as the A/B line chart. It typically shows potential flight assignments well into the future and is used for NASA JSC management planning purposes. After fidgeting and mumbling for a few moments, I heard the words that would eventually push me into retirement. I heard the head of the astronaut office say —in part— “… I have better choices to fly in space than you,” and then, after a brief pause, the boss followed up by saying that I didn’t “… have the temperament for long-duration spaceflight.”

I was crushed beyond words. The career that I had worked so hard for, and had —after 15 application cycles— been selected to do, was being summarily ended. I left the office of the Chief Astronaut and cried … but not before I wrote down everything that was said.

I did not retire immediately. I hung on … performing as a lowly “management astronaut.” Stripped of most of the “fun” stuff (like flying in the T-38), I was expected to go to meetings. The only saving grace I had was that I was made an IA (instructor astronaut) for spacewalking. Something I was very good at, I apparently did have the temperament for teaching neophyte space walkers. Of course, I took that assignment very seriously.

In all honesty, I was hoping for a change. I tried to wait the boss out, hoping they would step down for a more promising assignment. They did exactly that, hoping —but failing— to be named as the first astronaut to spend a year in space. I would then enter the hallowed corner office once again, only this time I was sitting across from the new Chief… and the new deputy.

When I respectfully asked them for a chance to get back into the “active astronaut” and flight-eligible line, the boss gave me an emphatic “no.” Expecting exactly that response, I asked for a more responsible position in the office hierarchy, one that could challenge me more than meeting attendance and effectively utilize my 30 years of NASA experience (15 as an engineer, 15 as an astronaut). Again, the boss said “no.” The Deputy said nothing. I was being dressed down, by two people who would go on to fly again … just like the previous boss.

I was angry … very angry. So much so, that I was bringing that anger home and inflicting it upon my family. Obviously an unpalatable situation, it took the courage of my then 18-year old son to say, “… Dad, this has to stop.”

And stop it did … sort of. My family will tell you that I am still angry … and it’s something I must deal with every single day. I am working hard to lessen the anger, but it’s going to take some time.

I have now been retired for nearly 6 years. During that 6-year hiatus from government service, I have been writing. I write to share my stories with you and, more importantly, because it’s therapeutic. And it’s really a whole lot of fun! I also enjoy teaching part-time at Iowa State University, entertaining as a motivational speaker, and I consult with various organizations in a number of different capacities (listen for my voice sometime or take a Royal Caribbean cruise!).

Have you ever been in a situation where a vacation took a sudden turn for the worse?

My wife and I spent a month in Spain and were scheduled to fly home from Paris, France.

The day before we were to leave my wife tested positive for Covid.

I had to to make arrangements to stay longer at the Airbnb, the host was very kind and helpful.

I had to reschedule a number of appointments that were to take place after we were to return home.

All of this went smoothly but when I tried to get ahold of Air France, it took over six hours of trying before I was able to talk to a human. I was informed that they would not change our tickets because we had booked through America Express. It took about two minutes to get a human at American Express who was able to change our tickets for a flight four days later. We were issued new tickets, but when we were at the airport, Air France informed me that there was a $175 charge for the changed flight. I asked why as we already had new tickets and Air France did not do anything for the changed tickets. It was like I was talking to a brick wall. The Air France person could not (or would not) explain what the charge was for. He was rude and acted like I was being unreasonable, but all I wanted was an explanation as what the extra charge was for.

Rwanda

I finally paid the the fee but I will never fly on Air France again

Rwanda, a tiny country in the eastern central part of Africa Rwanda

  • When visiting Rwanda, don’t bring any plastic bags as they are prohibited in the country. When you try to bring them, they will be confiscated right at the airport. Same goes with throwing waste in the environment, our country is very clean, and throwing any waste would be a shame for you, and the authorities can punish you for that.
  • Don’t openly discuss ethnic issues. 22 years ago our country had seen one of the most atrocious tragedies in human history 1994 Genocide Rwandan genocide
  • you shouldn’t go around asking everyone what? where? how? who are you? The good way to learn this history is to try and visit some memorials which are rich in that history and it’s near the main city, Kigali and almost in every other city across the country.
  • Don’t try to take pictures of everything you see especially people even young kids in the street without first asking. Yes, our country is still under development, you might see poor neighborhood, young street kids or some funny things you can make out of those pictures – taking photos of those vulnerable people without their permission is a sensitive issue in our culture.
  • You shouldn’t be annoyed or irritated if someone didn’t make it on time. For many people being late “is just okay” one hour or 4 hours would still be okay 😉 so if you are meeting someone either for business or personal affairs just bear this in mind and be patient.
  1. Restaurant and other service businesses. You will be treated really well, in fact a special treatment will be given to you if you are a foreigner (Rwandans are very welcoming and we are naturally good to our neighbours), but don’t take advantage of it or think that they want something from you (i.e. don’t shout or raise your voice when you are not satisfied with the service, there is a good manner to bring the issue at hand).
  2. Rwanda is very safe and secure. Contrary to the popular belief or some perception of a country which has been in Genocide 22 years ago, you can move around anytime you want; even midnight. Don’t expect anyone to understand what you are talking about, even if you speak English or French, the majority of people only know one language; Kinyarwanda. Taxis, local traders, waiters, service providers, etc. they try hard to understand you but make sure when you are traveling to have a local guide with you (this will also help you pay less for everything, because you will not be overcharged cause you are a foreigner)
  3. Don’t bring cats or dogs to public places or smoke in public. This doesn’t mean Rwandans hate animals, it means they respect other people’s views almost on anything. There are also special places reserved for smokers.
  4. When you are a guest to someone’s home, don’t pay (or contribute) for the food or drinks offered unless asked to, this is rude or in some cases disrespectful.
  5. Don’t get annoyed if you are being called ‘muzungu’ everywhere. Literally muzungu means ‘a traveler’ but it is widely known as ‘white people’, even Asians are called ‘muzungu’ 😉 😉 Don’t think they are being racists or are they trying to insult you.

Welcome to Rwanda! The land of thousand hills.

Man Expose His Girlfriend After DNA Test Proves He’s Not The Father Of Their Son.

Cute vs fun matrix is classic.

As a car mechanic, what is the craziest discovery you have found on an automobile?

Probably not the strangest, but the only one I could prove.

An elderly gentleman came into the shop complaining of a brake squeak. I wrote up the work order and my guys pulled it into the shop. After several minutes passed, I heard an explosion of laughter coming from the break room.

It was kind of obnoxious, so I went to see what was up. A mouse had gotten stuck between the brake pad and the caliper. Sadly the mouse had passed away.

I then approached the customer to come see what was causing the squeak. The customer began to hysterically laugh. To the point where he dropped to one knee. I thought I was going to have to call an ambulance.

A tech released the mouse and the squeak was gone. Rest in peace Mr. Mouse. Thanks for the laugh.

Has a store ever accidentally given you something for free?

Back in day 70s when I got married, I registered for a lovely ironstone place setting from Mikasa. I got 10 and a half place setting for wedding gifts. I went to Macy’s in Indianapolis to buy the rest to make 12 place settings. About 18 months later, I got a box from Macy’s that contained another place setting plus some serving dishes. Upon speaking to the manager of the department, it turned out they were discontinuing the pattern and as I was the last person to buy any pieces, they sent the display pieces to me. I thought that was very nice of them. 50 years later I still have all the pieces and use them when I have company.

What are your thoughts on Singapore’s role as a tech hub and regional gateway for funding and talent in South-east Asia?

I think it’s a great idea. Singaporeans are very intelligent, and have excellent educational backgrounds. They also have the distinction of being Asian in ethnic identity but having the Western influence that Singapore is known for. They have the best of both worlds, and a unique ability to unite Eastern and Western worldviews in brokering investments for the tech industry.

Singapore is also known to be a haven for those with considerable wealth. They may be willing to invest in tech startups that have potential. Especially if that company is close to home and able to benefit Singapore’s economy.

Singapore is also a major trade hub. Second to Shanghai, they are the largest port for transporting in the world. It’s a prime location for new ventures. It’s proximity to other Southeast Asian countries, India, and China make it a good hub with access to millions of people. All in all, I have a favorable opinion.

This is why men needs to have more sex than women…

Have you ever had a neighbor call the police on you?

Yes. And when they arrived for the “noise complaint” I answered the door in my boxers with my 3 year old slung over my shoulder on one side and a long handled fish net containing a bat (as in a nocturnal flying mammal) on the other.

“Can I help you officer?”

“Is that a bat?!”

“Yes, excuse me for a moment.”

Handed off my kid to the rather confused officer, went about the necessaries of releasing the terrified bat from the net, set it down, and retrieved my kid.

“What can I do for you sir?”

“We had a noise complaint (it was two or three in the morning) but I’m guessing I understand. Have a good night sir.”

And then he left. Chuckling all the way back to his car.

What’s your all-time favorite life hack that has made your daily routine significantly easier?

Micro-efficiency.

Someone on Quora pointed out that Ireland is good at micro-efficiency. If you need to fill out a form, there will be a pen beside it. The security guy at the door can tell you which desk you need to go to, stuff like that.

So I apply this to my life. My bicycle is in the hall, with the lock, lights and reflectors all attached to it. I can grab it and go out the door, knowing I have everything I need. My bike bag contains a can of instant puncture repair and rain gear.

My keyring has only the keys I actually use, plus a small mirror for problems with contact lenses.

I only buy trousers with pockets with zips that will actually hold my phone and keys.

Every coat has a pair of reading glasses in the pocket.

Beside my passport, I keep a small plastic bag with a toothbrush, contact lens case and mini deodorant. If I have to, I can hit the airport with just those and I’ll manage.

I wash the muddy dog in the road outside the house, not the bathroom. She likes it better, the local kids help, and I don’t have massive cleaning up to do.

There is no one hack that does it all, it’s more about finding the most efficient way to get things done.

In business, has your boss ever tried to fire you, only to be fired by their boss instead?

I worked for a company in Texas for a number of years. After my immediate supervisor retired, a new person from outside the company was hired to take his position. This guy was a complete sleeze bucket, he was really shady. I was given instructions that I was morally unwilling to do. I was given the choice to do it or pack up and leave.

I typed up a letter of resignation effective the Friday of that week and immediately left to visit my job sites in Louisiana and East Texas. On Friday as I was headed back home I stopped at one of my last job sites. The superintendent of the site informed me the President of my company was trying to get in touch with me and the owner of his company told him that if I showed up and did not contact my President, he would be fired.

I called him and he said when my resignation was delivered to the Senior VP in charge of my division two of my coworkers also turned in their resignations. Between the three of us, it represented 20+ years with his company. He and the SVP went to talk to my former supervisor. He was terminated on the spot and the three of us were asked to reconsider our resignations.

Making a man wait is like…

What is the best case of “You just picked a fight with the wrong person” that you’ve witnessed?

Well, this wasn’t actually a person. But it was the best case of ‘you just picked a fight with the wrong one’ I’ve ever seen.

I was at the park walking my dog with a friend and her dog.

Her dog was a rescue but from her brains, looks and behavior she was an Australian Shepherd. That particular day she was off in the distance chasing birds while my dog (also a rescue and at that point still quite timid) was hanging back with us.

Suddenly a pair of huge Great Danes appeared out of nowhere and decided to make a meal out of the Aussie. They started off far behind her but they were 5 times her size, so they closed on her quickly in a vee formation, with the Aussie at the point of the vee.

As my friend and I watched in horror, they gained on her until they were just inches from her, still closing in at an angle. We were sure she was a goner.

And then, just as they were about to grab her, she reversed on a dime and shot back through the narrow gap still left between them. The train wreck she left in her wake as the two clumsy oafs slammed into each other head first was awesome to behold.

We were still laughing when she reached us, trotting back with a grin just like the one in the picture on her face and her tail waving high.

How did you break out of the rat race?

Today, I got this tough email…

Dear Hector,

Today feels heavy. I got up when it was still dark, way before sunrise because I wanted to do some work before my main job. I’m super tired. Coffee is like the juice that keeps me going.

In a few more minutes, I’ll go to work. I’ll be there for a long time. It’s supposed to be from 9 to 5, but I always need to stay longer. My boss says that’s what I should do to be a good employee. But even though I work a lot, my piggy bank isn’t getting any fatter, and everything else, like food and rent, keeps costing more.

Did you have a similar experience when you were my age? To me, this makes no sense!

Very frequently, I feel scared because I don’t think I’ll ever be able to stop working. It bothers me when people suggest we should save for retirement. They make me feel like I can’t manage my finances wisely. This is ridiculous. Savings? Lol, when will it happen?

Meanwhile, everyone seems to be so happy on the Internet. They post pictures with big smiles and seem to be having fun, but I think most are just pretending. Most of my friends are also running this “race” to success. Yet, most of them are also super tired, although nobody wants to say it out loud.

When I get home, I work my side hustle. Why? Because I went to a good college, and now I owe money, a lot of it. So, I work all day long, even when I should be taking a break or hanging out with friends. It feels like I’m on a bike pedaling super hard, but I’m not moving.

I need your help, Hector. How can I make this stop? How can I escape this miserable lifestyle and start making real progress?

Sorry if this was a long email. I hope you have some words of wisdom to open my eyes. I’m hungry for progress. To the best of my knowledge, I’ve done everything I was supposed to do, yet I don’t have the results I expected.

This is a tough one… but this is what I answered:

My friend, reading your email hit me right in the gut. I’ve been there, and let me tell you, it’s a tough spot. But you’re not alone, and you’re not the first to feel this way.

The first thing to understand is that this non-stop hustle culture we live in isn’t sustainable. It’s not healthy. Sure, working hard is important, but there’s a point where you’ve got to step back and look at the bigger picture. Are you working smart? Or just hard?

Here’s my answer thinking as an entrepreneur. I’m not saying this is right, so take this with a grain of salt. This is how I would focus my attention:

  1. Health is the first step to wealth: Drop the caffeine and find a healthier way to stay sharp. If you burn out, you can’t make money. Period.
  2. Forget the 9 to 5 myth: If your current job demands long hours with little reward, it’s time to rethink your career strategy. Maybe your skills are more valuable elsewhere. Ever thought about that?
  3. Your net worth is not your self-worth: Stop comparing yourself to the fake TikTok life. Delete it! Focus on you.
  4. Make time for what matters: You’ve got friends you don’t see because everybody’s “too busy”? Cut the BS. Schedule it as a meeting that you have to attend. Work will always be there. Relationships won’t.
  5. Your side hustle: You’re working a lot and not moving forward? Maybe you’ve got a passion or skill you can monetize on the side. It could be anything. To me, your answer is found there.
  6. Learn to say “NO”: This one’s tough but necessary. Set boundaries. Your time’s the most valuable asset you’ve got.
  7. Get a game plan: Sit down and figure out where you want to be in 5, 10, 15 years. Then, work backward to make a roadmap on how to get there.
  8. Take a break: Burnout is real. Sometimes, you’ve got to take a step back to leap forward.
  9. Keep learning: You say you went to a nice college. Great. But learning never stops. There are a ton of free resources out there. Use them. Learn how to increase your expertise and generate extra income.

You don’t have it all figured out yet, and that’s okay. Most of us struggle with this.

Here’s the good news: It’s great that you’re asking questions. Stay open to change and find new opportunities. Keep searching for answers!

Most importantly, make sure you’re hustling in the right direction. The world has changed. It’s all about working smarter, not harder.


What am I missing?

Xi Jinping’s Global South Red Carpet: China’s WARNING to the Neocons

China has been rolling out the red carpet for Global South leaders maligned by the United States. This video explains why this is a stark warning to the neocons that they’re global order is FINISHED.

What are the reasons (historic or otherwise) that led to the belief that wealth is a zero sum game?

It’s the story of a mugger named Bob, who had a lot of money, but wasn’t incredibly happy.

Getting drunk and hiring prostitutes just wasn’t really hitting the spot anymore, he felt a little bit empty, he was having trouble sleeping at night, wondering if he was really doing the right thing, questioning the meaning of life itself.

When he spoke to people about it, many suggested changing his ways, no longer mugging people, and doing something else more productive instead.

Bob didn’t like that idea one bit!
It sounded like a lot of work, for one. And it implied he had been doing something wrong?!? How dare they suggest that he was anything less than perfect!?
Hearing that kind of stuff made him angry, not happy.

But then one day, Bob talked to one of the PR people working for the thieves’ guild, and it changed his life.

He sat there for hours, listening avidly. For the first time, he was hearing ideas that made sense to him, it was like music to his ears.

Bob the mugger learned that wealth is not a zero sum game.
His latent feelings of guilt evaporated as he learned that getting money from someone, was actually the same thing as providing that person with a service.
Wealth creation! Of course! That made sense!

He felt a bit like a courageous hero when all the risks he was taking were mentioned.

He had always suspected that if there were any issues caused by muggings, it was just because of over-regulation, and that it would all go much smoother if city guards would just stay out of it.

When he was told that he was an amazing person, superior to everyone else, and that people were just jealous of him, and that was why they didn’t like him… Oh boy! It stroked his ego in just the right way! It was exactly what he wanted to hear.

Bob the mugger walked away feeling GREAT!
No more doubts, no more guilt, and no need to change anything either!
He could go on mugging people, filled with confidence that he was making the world a better place, by caring only about himself.

And he went on to do great things!

He decided that it was time that he give back to the community, by providing some jobs for other muggers. And he didn’t stop there, he had a growth mindset, and built a huge mugging empire!

Bob the mugger became Bob the risk-taker, Bob the job provider, Bob the creator of wealth!

This unsung hero almost died asking himself that very same question:

Why does nobody understand me and my greatness? Why do they not understand that I’m creating jobs and wealth?!? Why do they keep talking about a zero sum game?!?

But then he remembered: They were probably all just jealous.
And he died at peace with himself, soothed by his comforting ideology.

What are some mental errors to avoid at all costs?

There’s a thing called the gambler’s fallacy that many of us fall for in so many situations.

The most simple example is if you are flipping a coin. You’ve landed on heads 10 times in a row. At that point, you might think that you have higher odds of landing on tails. Obviously, that’s not true — as it is always a 50/50 chance.

It happens during card games, sports betting, and all manner of games that we play. If you are playing cards and get five good hands in a row. It’s easy to start thinking, “You know, I’m actually kind of a good card player.”

Your ego gets involved and that’s when things get dangerous for your wallet.

Cajun Salmon Burgers with Lime Mayonnaise

On the table tonight: Cajun Salmon Burgers seasoned with McCormick® Perfect Pinch® Cajun Seasoning, panko, red bell pepper and onion. Top with Lime Mayonnaise for an extra-delicious Lenten (or any season) dinner.

2023 11 11 18 31
2023 11 11 18 31

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

Lime Mayonnaise

  • 1/4 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated lime peel
  • 1/2 teaspoon lime juice

Cajun Salmon Burgers

  • 3 (5 ounce) pouches boneless skinless salmon, drained
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
  • 2 teaspoons McCormick® Perfect Pinch® Cajun Seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 4 hamburger rolls

Instructions

Lime Mayonnaise

  1. Mix all ingredients in small bowl until well blended. Cover.
  2. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Cajun Salmon Burgers

  1. Mix salmon, egg, panko, mayonnaise, green onions, bell pepper and Seasoning in large bowl until well blended. Shape into 4 patties.
  2. Heat oil in large nonstick stick skillet on medium heat.
  3. Add salmon patties; cook 5 minutes per side or until lightly browned and cooked through.
  4. Serve salmon burgers on rolls with Lime Mayonnaise and desired toppings.

Notes

Serving Suggestion: Serve burgers with lettuce and tomato.

Should we be concerned that China’s probes into Foxconn’s facilities and land use could affect iPhone production capacity in China?

Quora Prompt Generator, who is the “we” you’re referring to?

Are you referring to the U.S. government? Why be concerned? Biden’s been bitching that Apple should do their manufacturing in the U.S. China is now telling Apple’s producers to stay home in Taiwan. This is a good time to remind Apple to come home.

Or are you referring to Apple stakeholders? You should be very worried. Foxconn and Wistron had to abandon India because they couldn’t transplant and replicate their China production to India and are trying to work their way back to China. Apple has no other country that can produce its premiun models and would be in deep kimchi if Foxconn can’t recoup to build back their capacity in China.

Or are you referring to Apple, the company? Yeah, they should be running scared because Tim Cook knows Apple has no Plan B to fall back on. Why do you think he’s been practically camping in in China these past months?

Or is this the “royal we”, the general public so to speak? This should be taken as a good sign. China is doing their due diligence – not allowing any “sacred cows”. Entities like Foxconn should be audited to ensure that they’re complying with all rules and regulations in order that there is a level playing field and market competition for all.

She Got UPSET After Knowing How Men Think!

The world has passed the point of danger

Well, the world has passed the point of danger.

Oh, sure it might still happen, but the world has successfully polarized. There are two halves, and there is an East that is growing and thriving, and a West that is dying.

The West still might cause problems, start wars, and all the rest, but the East is NOW, TODAY, far too big and far too formidable.

I anticipate some crazy shit once a new political change hits the USA, but the real truth is that they will have their hands tied, and their dicks lobbed off. If the neocons still maintain power, then a very short and brutal war may occur, but I am of an opinion that the worst is over…

For this reason, I am scrapping up my posts on the march towards war. We passed that point. So “New Beginnings” is coming to a draw; coming to a close.

A new daily will emerge…

Correcting Society Ills

In this new series, I will continue to include topical subjects. Some war. Some Geo-politics. A lot of social stuff, and fluff.

But the point is that the West still, seriously STILL has to undo the damage of the psychopathic idiots that ran the nation(s) into the ground.

The biggest issues have to do with the crazy progressive rules, and lifestyles that have really destroyed the fabric of society in the West.

So you will see videos and articles about the relationships of men, women and families and how they are coming to grips with the promiscuity, and LGBQ+ lifestyles.

The most obvious are the trends of…

  • Passport bros
  • Body Counts
  • Cheesecake factory girls
  • Progressive lifestyle
  • His and her careers
  • Collapse of society, and reconstruction

Of course… I will include REAL intel on Geo-Politics, as well as REAL intel on the “Prison Planet” and “Domain”. But all will continue to buried inside the massive deluge of “other stuff”. And you all KNOW WHY I do this, right?

Stand by…

Here is a definitive assessment of Obama by Norman Finkelstein, taken from an interview by Danny Haiphong: “Obama doesn’t say anything. He’s such a zero that he’s a minus one…. He does know the game (basketball). Once you get past the basketball court, you might as well talk to an avocado.” And it’s not even an insult.

-PM

Todays…

If you happen to find an armed intruder inside your house at night while you are armed with a gun, would you order him to drop his weapon or you would just let the lead fly from your gun?

Unlike a lot of the Internet Tough Guys and keyboard commandos chiming in on this question, this has actually happened to me, although it was during daylight hours.

I confronted an individual who was in the process of breaking into my apartment with a crowbar. He had just climbed thru the window when I aimed my shotgun at him and told him to freeze. He dropped the crowbar, dove out the window and ran like hell instead. I made a snap judgement not to shoot based on my gut reading of the circumstances. Had things gone down any differently, I would have had a big mess on my hands. Triple aught buckshot from 10 feet isn’t pretty.

I then called 911 and reported the incident. They took the crowbar and were able to lift the perp’s prints and arrest him… he was a frequent flier in the criminal justice system. The cops sounded like they had a pretty good idea of who he was just from my description. Anyway, he took a plea deal and I never had to go to court — either as a witness or to defend my actions.

In all, this was pretty much an ideal outcome for everyone. The situation was resolved without any shots fired, and justice was administered with due process. I was fully prepared to shoot, but am grateful I didn’t have to.

While my time in the military prepared me mentally and physically to take a life if necessary, doing so is something I would prefer to avoid. Dealing with the aftermath of a justified shooting, both legally and emotionally, would be a traumatic experience I would not wish on anyone.

In my opinion, self-restraint is the most important skill an armed citizen must nurture.

Stuffed Jalapenos Texas Style

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2023 10 18 15 38

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound shredded jack cheese
  • 1/2 pound shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 pound hot sausage (such as Owens or Jimmy Dean)
  • 1 1/2 cups Bisquick
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 package Spicy Shake N Bake
  • 20 to 30 jalapeno peppers (fresh or canned)

Instructions

  1. If using canned jalapeno peppers, drain well. Slice the peppers in half lengthwise down one side only and scrape out the seeds.
  2. Mix Bisquick, sausage and Cheddar in a large bowl, using your hands.
  3. Put the beaten egg into a shallow bowl, the Shake N Bake into a shallow bowl, and a baking rack on a cookie sheet, both coated with cooking spray.
  4. Stuff each pepper with shredded jack, then stick the halves back together, if separated.
  5. Wrap a handful of the sausage mixture around the pepper in the shape of an elongated egg.
  6. Dip into beaten egg and roll in Shake N Bake to coat evenly.
  7. Place on baking rack.
  8. When the peppers are all ready, bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes or until crisp.

When we opened the outdoor playground…

What will happen to the United States if China’s technology continues to advance?

I’ve worked with Chinese tech companies. Their engineers and scientists are devoted to their families, employers and country.

China has the capacity to leap frog the US in many different technologies. Take your pick, they are on it.

The Chinese government places a high value on a highly educated population. Engineering and scientific professionals are leading a revolution in advancing scientific innovation in China.

Their current leader, Xi, was a chemical engineer before becoming involved in his political career. In fact, many Chinese politicians are former engineers, refreshing thought isn’t it?

The motivations for innovation in the US and China are a key point in China leap frogging the US. Both countries reward success in innovation with financial incentives.

But, the Chinese have a greater sense of pride in their country and it’s future.

The US is presently extremely divided politically, current leadership is seeking short term monetary goals over the advancement of scientific innovation.

China may take the lead in further technological and scientific breakthroughs in this environment.

What are common scams in India?

The Old Menu Scam

I have seen many people fall into this scam.

So some time back, I stopped at a highway side food joint to grab a bite before continuing on with the journey. After going through the menu, I decided to order a sandwich.

The order arrived within 5 minutes and I happily munched on it as I was hungry. Everything was fine until now. Now comes the shocker!

When the bill arrived, I observed that they had jacked up the prices to Rs 130/- whereas I clearly remembered seeing Rs. 100/- on the menu. I called the waiter and asked to him to get the menu card. The menu card clearly showed Rs 100/- printed against the item that I had ordered.

I immediately summoned the manager who gave this stupid reason for the discrepancy, “mam , this is an old menu. The rates have been revised since the implementation of GST”. I was like WTF. Why wasn’t I informed about this before. He then brought a new menu card which was hidden somewhere under the cashier’s table and handed it to me.

I had an argument with the manager and I refused to pay the revised fare. The manager relented in the end and took just Rs 100/- for the sandwich.

If not a scam, this can be termed as a very unethical way to squeeze money out of your customers. This particular junction had the advantage of being on a highway where people are in a hurry and will not bother to check the rates twice. Also, the food joints on a highway don’t need to build a loyal customer base as the visits are few and far between.

I have seen similar things happen to people before, even before the implementation of GST. They just show you a menu card and later on charge a higher fare saying that the rates have been recently revised and the new menu cards have not been printed yet. Now, I do make it a point to ask the waiter about the menu.

The Reason why Men are Walking Away from Dating (Ep. 252)

There is a major backlash from the LGBQ+ movement initiated by Obama in the West.

Why will China never overtake the USA?

This question is clearly written by a Chinese hater who is totally indoctrinated and highly naive person who knows little truth and facts today.

I am sorry for you, the person who posed this question China has overtaken the U.S. in a host of measures today in 2023.

Let’s start with the most important one life expectancy. China overtook the U.S. life expectancy by 2021 and maintained it in 2022 at 77.8 versus the U.S. 77.0 years old.

Next the most important real purchasing power GDP taking cost of living into consideration China’s PPP overtook the U.S. in 2014 and over the last 8 years grew into an almost 50% lead over the U.S.

Another important area is growth. China alone is growing at 38.6% of entire worlds growth over the past decade. Meanwhile U.S. and all its G7 nations add up to only 25.6% growth of the world.

Next nations that has China as the biggest trading nations. Almost 170/195 nations has China as their leading trade partner, meanwhile the U.S. has less than 20/195 nations cite the U.S. as their biggest trading partner.

Another important facts is China has the lead in 37/44 key and strategic technology for today and tomorrow’s products while the U.S. leads in only 7/44. China is clearly today’s leading technology innovation leader in the world today. US is a distant second.

Next consumer power. China is by far the biggest consumer on planet earth. It’s middle income numbers is now 700 million and dwarfs the U.S. 3 times! Chinas market alone is 30% if the world market!

In military. China now has more men, tanks, boats and planes to combat the U.S. if need be. More importantly it just defends China whereas the U.S. needs to be offensive to many countries in the world. In high tech military China alone has a hypersonic missile technology that can hit the U.S. from anywhere at the speed if 10 times the speed of sound. It makes the dozen or so US aircraft carriers obsolete and sitting ducks.

I could go on another hundreds of points but this suffice. The U.S. is the leader only in name. Or at least by western media claims only.

A much better question will be, now that the U.S. has clearly become second fiddle to China, can it reclaim back its hegemony ever again? And the answer is it is impossible and the more it tries as it is doing now the faster China will grow against the U.S. Even India will overtake them by 2050 at the latest. The U.S. system and its philosophy will always deteriorate its economy. It simply needs to overstretch and over interfere resulting in ever growing. deficits and debts

Since it needs to watch its back perpetually it will always needs to overspend militarily and one can argue, the more it does the more enemies it has and the more it needs to defend itself. The U.S. is on a one way road into oblivion. In ten years US will have lost the dollar hegemony power and its has to worry if it can stay as it is now as a USA. Chances is before 2100 the United States will be a group of divided states.

Can the Mate 60 chip developed by Huawei prove the failure of the US technology blockade against China? Can the United States finally succeed in preventing China’s technological upgrade?

It should be obvious to you that the US sanctions only accelerated China’s self-sufficiency in semiconductors. The US has totally failed by using sanctions instead of competing. The US technology strength is being weakened because of the hostile environment against the Chinese in the US and Chinese in the US are leaving to work in China.

The US couldn’t believe the results of Canada and Japan’s results of opening up the Mate 60 Pro chip to find zero US content so it too opened up the 9000s to find the same results so it remains mum.

The best the US can do is to claim it invented the transistor so obviously China copied.

Have you ever unintentionally stolen something?

My daughter and I once walked out of pet store carrying a very large dog’s tug of war rope. At that time we had a 115 lb lab / great Dane mix. We picked up the rope as soon as we walked into the store but then began browsing and were distracted by a litter of ferrets. We were playing with them and totally forgot that we had the rope. Walked out of the store, chatting and generally having a good time. Suddenly, there’s a voice behind us and a young man following us who said, “Excuse me, were you planning on paying for that rope?” My poor daughter was mortified! She was about 15 at the time and was so easily embarrassed that this just tipped her right over. She dropped the rope and darted across the hallway to lean up against one of the other storefronts. I think she was trying to pretend that she wasn’t with me! LOL I personally thought it was hilarious and picked up the rope, turned the young man and apologized, telling him how we had been distracted by the ferrets and I was so sorry that we had walked out with the rope without paying for it. he just laughed and said that he didn’t think we were trying to steal it as she was waving it around in the air as we were walking. I will never forget the horror on her face! I was happy to realize that I would never get a phone call about my daughter shoplifting.

He fainted after the kiss

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/S_nHR-BH0PY?feature=share

Have you ever seen a mass exodus after a respected employee quit or got fired?

This actually happened to me many years ago. I was a property manager of 80 units. My boss and I had a heated exchange and in haste he fired me on the spot. He asked me to stay until he could find a replacement. “Sorry Charlie!” I cleaned out my desk and handed him the keys, and I left the property of my own volition….

I was off-site the rest of the week. My now former boss was blowing up my phone. “Where are you?” then it was, “You are needed in the office?” I ignored his calls. He then messaged me on Facebook and said it was “with great urgency that we talk”. As it turned-out 2 members of the office staff (there were 3 all together) quit! The residents had started a petition to reinstate me – 60-plus signatures in all. He would not cave and subsequently received somewhere around 15 to 20- thirty day notices in effect terminating their leases. Additionally, some of the residents (refused to pay their rent. The community quickly became unstable and increasing hostile towards him. The morning shift manager at Tiger Mart next door to the complex – a tenant of mine, refused him service.….

He offered me my job back. I let him sweat for a day, then accepted and returned to my job. I was never so moved by an experience as I was at that job, not because my boss had given me my job back, but, rather, because the tenants did!

Ukraine: Financing The War About Hegemony

First some news bits about Ukraine. We will then come to the real issue the war is fought about.

Headlines Politico:

Ukraine is ‘freaking out’ as McCarthy chaos threatens US aid

In Kyiv, officials are at a loss as to what might happen next. Their staunchest military ally suddenly looks unreliable, despite assurances from President Biden and others the U.S. will remain steadfast until Ukraine’s invaders are defeated.

“We are freaking out. For us it is a disaster,” said Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, a senior Ukrainian MP who chairs the committee on the country’s integration with the European Union.

The Ukrainian government heavily relies on foreign financial and military aid to keep the economy running and expects to receive $42.8 billion from international donors in the coming year. A big chunk of that would come from the United States.

“Unfortunately, some [U.S.] lawmakers found it possible to seek trade offs while further aid to Ukraine is in the air,” Vladyslav Faraponov, head of the board of the Institute of American Studies, told POLITICO. “The key message that Kyiv needs to deliver is that we can win together and do it as soon as possible to save a lot of good men and women.”

So the real problem is that Kiev has no chance to win. See for example The Times which talked with (archived) Ukrainian mortar crews near Robotyne, where the Ukrainian counteroffensive is stuck:

The KAB [glide bombs], as well as mines, underground fortifications and a deluge of suicide drones, have pinned down Ukraine’s assault brigades. It is why last month’s penetration of Russian fortifications failed to lead to a full breakdown in their defences.

All over the Robotyne-Verbove line, Ukrainian forces are bogged down.

The U.S. public is no longer convinced that the gargantuan spending on Joe Biden’s private war makes any sense:

The two-day poll, which concluded on Oct. 4, revealed that only 41% of respondents agreed with the statement that Washington “should provide weapons to Ukraine,” while 35% disagreed, and the remainder were uncertain.

Support for U.S. weapon shipments is down from May, when a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed 46% of Americans backed sending arms, while 29% were opposed and the rest unsure.

A few more month and a majority will reject any new money or weapon shipment. But don’t fear. Congress critters will find ways to dump more money into a hole:

On Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said it would take about “$60 or $70 billion” to get Ukraine through 2024, not the $24 billion.

Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), chair of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, said the package they’re considering would fund the war for 15 months, bringing it into 2025. The package would help the Biden administration’s plans to continue supporting an open-ended conflict.

David Ignatius, the CIA’s unofficial spokesperson at the Washington Post, reports of two opinions in Kiev:

The conflict is bleeding the country out. Ukrainians I spoke with during a four-day visit know they can’t keep fighting forever seeking what might be an unachievable victory. But they won’t stop, either.

Oleksiy Goncharenko, an opposition member from embattled Odessa on the Black Sea, presses members of the ruling party of President Volodymyr Zelensky. “I am very concerned,” he says. “Why? Take a look at the front. It doesn’t change. For a year it doesn’t change. But it was paid for by a huge amount of lives. … Ukraine can’t fight ‘as long as it takes.’ That will be a catastrophe.”

For Ukraine it already IS a catastrophe.

But if Ukraine seriously questions whether it can survive a fight that might take many years, then it needs to think about a way to freeze this conflict on its own terms — with a security guarantee from the United States as part of that deal.

The Ukraine can not freeze the conflict on its own terms. The U.S. can not give Ukraine any reasonable security guarantee.

A security guaranteed would leave the U.S. at the grace of lunatics in Kiev. They would be enabled to launch, at any time, a new conflict with Russia. A conflict the U.S., with nuclear weapons, would then be obliged to join. No Senate will ever approve such a treaty.

Ukraine won’t sue for peace. As many people have told me this week, it’s too personal. As a superpower, the United States can try to steer this conflict toward a settlement that protects Ukraine and doesn’t reward Russian aggression. But don’t ask Ukrainians to give up their cause. They won’t do it.

If the U.S. stops financing Ukraine its people will have no choice.

But the war is about more than Ukraine and the U.S. will finance it because its neoconservative leaders believe in its larger cause.

The war in Ukraine is a proxy-act for the U.S. in support of its quest for global hegemony.

For Russia, China, and much of the rest of the world, the war is thus about the elimination of that quest.

As President Putin explained in his recent Valdai speech in Sochi:

The Ukraine crisis is not a territorial conflict, and I want to make that clear. Russia is the world’s largest country in terms of land area, and we have no interest in conquering additional territory. We still have much to do to properly develop Siberia, Eastern Siberia, and the Russian Far East. This is not a territorial conflict and not an attempt to establish regional geopolitical balance. The issue is much broader and more fundamental and is about the principles underlying the new international order.

Lasting peace will only be possible when everyone feels safe and secure, understands that their opinions are respected, and that there is a balance in the world where no one can unilaterally force or compel others to live or behave as a hegemon pleases even when it contradicts the sovereignty, genuine interests, traditions, or customs of peoples and countries. In such an arrangement, the very concept of sovereignty is simply denied and, sorry, is thrown in the garbage.

That is why the war is going to be a long one.

Putin though has no doubt who will win:

Russia was, is and will be one of the foundations of this new world system, ready for constructive interaction with everyone who strives for peace and prosperity, but ready for tough opposition against those who profess the principles of dictatorship and violence. We believe that pragmatism and common sense will prevail, and a multipolar world will be established.

Will it? I certainly hope so but there is doubt that it will be during the next five or ten years.

Posted by b on October 6, 2023 at 14:46 UTC | Permalink

China’s ‘Long March 9’ Is About To TAKEOVER The Space Industry

Awesomely excellent.

Did a teacher ever try to embarrass you in class but you had a brilliant response?

This is a funny story!

My sister is 4 years older to me. I was 12 years old when I was in 7th grade. She & her classmates were 16. One of her classmates was very close to our school principal. So, she got the principal to allow her to teach my 7th grade class for 1 class period (45 minutes).

She knew my sister well. My sister was always at the top of her class. I had the reputation of being lazy and talkative and distracting myself & other students. Well, when I knew that my sister’s friend would be teaching my class, I decided to be a good boy and not give her a hard time.

I had an excellent memory, then. I remembered everything instantly when I paid attention. So, I put my head on my desk, closed my eyes, and paid attention to everything she said. I was in the very front of the class. So, she could see me the whole time that she was taking/teaching.

My plan to please her backfired! She angrily called on me, by name, and asked me why I was sleeping in class. I was shocked! I told her that I wasn’t sleeping but that it helped me to pay attention when I closed my eyes. This was true. The whole class knew it.

But she didn’t believe me. She asked me what I remembered & understood of the last 20 minutes of her lecture. I recited every main point, in order. Then, I explained what each point meant. Now, she was in shock 😆

I put my head on my desk and closed my eyes again. She didn’t call on me again. But she changed her attitude toward me, pretty much forever, after that day. She is currently the principal of that school.

What China’s rare earths should be controlled by the West?

Recently, European Commission President Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen made a statement suggesting that Western countries should control China’s rare earth resources.

This statement was interpreted as an attempt to strip China of its control and operation over rare earths and other precious minerals.

The remark immediately sparked vigorous discussions online.

Experts believe that addressing the global rare earth issue requires collective efforts and collaboration among all parties for mutual development.

Von der Leyen’s statement reflects the European Union’s dependence on and concerns about China’s rare earths. Rare earths are critical raw materials for the high-tech industry and play a vital role in economic and social development.

While countries like Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina have the largest reserves of lithium, China possesses abundant reserves of rare earths and advanced extraction technology with improved environmental costs.

Statements like “We restrict Russian energy prices” and “We want to control China’s rare earth resources” reflect a historical legacy of domination and would be better off directly stating “robbery.” In the past, advanced technologies were predominantly controlled by the West and gradually shifted into China’s hands. It is not that the West no longer desires control, but rather they are no longer capable of exerting it.

When it comes to China’s energy and mineral resources, slogans are ineffective. Control can only be achieved through actual capability.

https://youtu.be/XvYkwvWxDC8

Who is the most evil person you have ever met?

At one point in my life I was a flight paramedic in New Mexico. The owner of the flight service had decided he was going to sell the company, so he hired a consultant to make his company more attractive for selling at a better price.

This was a disaster.

The consultant immediately began “inspecting” each flight base, and insulted every employee therein, implying we weren’t working hard enough. (The medical teams could be required to work 48 hours without a break; our working conditions were covered under an 1886 Interstate Commerce Act – yup, Pullman Porters. The pilots couldn’t work more than 12 hours, covered under FAA regulations.). I would occasionally get off shift and walk zig-zag to my car, my ears had such bad disequilibrium and I was so sleep-deprived.

But wait, it gets worse. This wolf-in-sheeps- clothing started calling pilots before they were about to begin flying technically difficult missions, pressuring them and distracting them. Essentially starting fights via phone call. You can imagine what this did to institutional attitude of “safety first”: Four months later, a company plane crashed in the Lincoln National Forest outside Ruidoso, NM with all souls on board lost: The pilot, the medic, the nurse (whom I had trained); the patient and the patient’s mommy. The medic’s death orphaned three little girls: Their daddy had taken off a long time ago.

But wait, it’s worse: Four months later, the company has a *second* fatal crash, a helicopter in El Paso. My husband was supposed to have been on that shift as medic. The FAA pulled the company’s ticket to fly, and the company was sold for a tenth of it’s former worth.

The consultant? He had been hired by at least one other, larger air medical company for these “services”. Wherever he went, fatal crashes occurred.

Yeah, evil.

Fred Rogers Interview on David Letterman | Irish Girl Reaction

Fred Rogers, affectionately known by children across America as Mr. Rogers was previously unknown to me until I watched him for the first time on this channel. In Ireland, we grew up without this gem. Frederick McFeely Rogers, known as Fred Rogers , was an American television host , puppeteer , Presbyterian minister , and educator . He was the creator of the children’s show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood , which ran for three decades on PBS public television . Mr. Rogers did not do a lot of interviews, but on this occasion he made an exception for David Letterman.

The Late Show with David Letterman was an American late -night talk show created and hosted by David Letterman and broadcast on CBS . The show aired for 22 years and was produced by Worldwide Pants Incorporated , the production company managed by Letterman, and by CBS Television Studios . Among America’s Top Late Shows, this show ranks second in cumulative average viewers per time and third in average episodes per time.

Russian President Confirms “Burevestnik” Cruise Missile Success

World Hal Turner

Russian President Vladimir Putin has confirmed the successful testing of the Burevestnik” cruise missile in the Arctic.  This new missile has a nuclear-powered engine, giving it unlimited range around the world, while carrying a nuclear bomb.

Once the missile is launched, it will continue to travel, even orbiting the earth, until such time as the Russian military instructs it to hit a particular target. Thus, there is NO DEFENSE from this weapon.

According to Vladimir Putin and the Russian Ministry of Defense, the missile’s dimensions are comparable to those of the Kh-101 cruise missile and it is equipped with a small-sized nuclear power unit. The claimed operational range is orders of magnitude greater than that of Kh-101. As shown in an official presentation, the missile starts from an inclined launcher using a detachable rocket booster.

Pavel Ivanov from VPK-news states that the cruise missile is one and a half to two times the size of the Kh-101, the wings of the Burevestnik are rooted “on top of the fuselage, rather than below it like on the Kh-101”, and also notes that there are “characteristic protrusions where air is most likely heated by the nuclear reactor”. According to Ivanov, the mass of the Burevestnik is “several times to order of magnitude” greater than that of the Kh-101, which eliminates Tu-160 and Tu-95 as potential carriers of the missile.

According to Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Burevestnik is a nuclear thermal rocket with a solid-fueled booster engine. The length of the missile is 12 m (39 ft) at launch and 9 m (30 ft) in flight. The nose has the shape of an “ellipse 1 m (3.3 ft) × 1.5 m (4.9 ft) in size”.

Military expert Anton Lavrov in the Izvestia article suggested that the design of the Burevestnik uses a ramjet engine, which, unlike the more traditional propulsion systems for nuclear weapons, will have radioactive exhaust throughout its entire operation.

Stratfor, an American geopolitical intelligence platform, assumes that Burevestnik utilizes a turbojet engine and a liquid-fueled booster.

According to James Hockenhull, the UK’s Chief of Defense Intelligence (CDI), the Burevestnik is a “sub-sonic nuclear-powered cruise missile system which has global reach and would allow attack from unexpected directions”. Per Hockenhull, the missile would have “a near indefinite loiter time”.

Can I cover most of the cost of my Alaska trip by panning for gold?

Probably not, unless you’re really lucky.

Here’s what you don’t know: You don’t make money in gold mining by panning. The reason you pan is to find a stream with enough gold in it to justify setting up your sluice box. So…if you want to haul a sluice to Alaska you could – if you were once again really lucky – pay for your trip.

Just so you know: very few of the people who participated in either the Alaska Gold Rush or the California Gold Rush made any money. John Nordstrom, who participated in the Alaska Gold Rush, needed two years to earn $13,000 – which, of course, was a hell of a lot of money in 1899, when he came back to Seattle. (You’re thinking that name sounds familiar. You would be quite correct. Mr. Nordstrom pooled the money he made with that a Seattle shoemaker named Carl Wallin made up there and opened a shoe store they called Wallin & Nordstrom at Fourth and Pike in Seattle. From there the mighty Nordstrom department store empire was born.) The guy who made the most money from the Alaska Gold Rush was Clinton Filson, who stayed in Seattle and sold equipment to the participants heading for Alaska. His business is still in operation, selling clothing to hunters and loggers.

Life in China – The cost of Living in China

What is the perfect thing to say when someone is being rude to you?

My father went with my mother and bought a high-end vacuum cleaner at a store they had frequented for over 30 years. It is important to note this store had a customer promise “satisfaction guaranteed, or money refunded.”

When they got home with the vacuum, my father uncrated it and put it together. The next day, my mother went to use it and it did not turn on. She checked the cord, the electrical outlet (with another item, which worked). She unplugged it and left it for my father to examine when he got home. He could not get it to turn on either.

Two days later I went with him to the store (I was about 8 years old at the time). He brought it back to the sales desk where it was purchased (back then they did not have customer return desks at this store) and stated the problem. The salesperson would not give him a refund or an exchange (my father wanted an exchange). The salesperson went into a long speech about it was on the manufacturer, that they had never had one returned with a problem before, and asked if my father sure it was not something he had done, etc. etc. (I can’t remember all of what he said, but he did go on a long time about it).

My father patiently waited until the salesperson had finished their spiel, and asked does the “satisfaction guaranteed, or money refunded” – while pointing at the sign that stated this above his head – no longer apply?

The salesperson then went into his previously stated issues again, without answering my father’s question about the guarantee.

My father then asked again – so you are refusing to exchange or provide me a refund? The salesperson said yes.

My father then showed the salesperson his store credit card, and sated he had been a customer for over 30 years. My father then stated that he has spent tens of thousand of dollars in the store.

My father then stated again that he would like to exchange the vacuum. The salesperson still said no.

My father then took a pair of scissors that were on the counter and cut his store credit card into pieces onto the counter.

Right at that moment a manager was walking by, noticed what was going on, and asked my father what the problem was.

My father never raises his voice, he is the calmest person I know – but I could tell he was very frustrated and disappointed. There was an angry strain in his voice, which shocked me to hear. He told the manager he was refused an exchange or refund by the salesperson for this vacuum (he held it up), which he bought a few days ago, but it did not work. He also informed him about his customer history at the store. The manager dismissed the salesperson curtly and told my father the problem would be corrected.

My father was not having it. He told the manager it was too late; that he had been disrespected as a long-time customer, the store did not uphold its guarantee, and that he had already cut up his store credit card. He told the manager to keep the vacuum and that he would never step inside that store again.

Then he turned and we left.

I asked my father on the way home why he left the vacuum. He said that it did not work – so why take it home. I said that must have cost him a lot of money. He said the money was irrelevant and that it was not that much. I then asked why he would not take the managers offer to help. My father then explained that he and my mother bought most of what we have in the house from that store. He said that the main reason they always shopped there was because of the good service and the guarantee – although this was the first time he had to use the guarantee.

He said he liked the store – but he was disappointed with how poorly they handled the situation – especially as it was his first complaint. He said as a long-time customer, if this was how they dealt with problems – he would never shop there again. And he never did.

He sat me down later that day and explained that salespeople will most often be very nice when you are buying something, but the true test of a store’s integrity (I had to look the word up later), is when you have a problem. He said if I ever have a problem with obtaining good service due to a faulty product – it is best to never shop there again, as it shows they do not care about you as a customer.

Edit: My fault and apologies, but I did not want to make this a long rambling story. Nonetheless, many people have commented that the fault of one salesperson should not condemn the store. While I can understand that viewpoint, there were two people involved, one was the salesperson and the other his supervisor. They were both there together and the supervisor did not correct the salesperson. Yes, the event did catch the eye of the manager and he said he would correct the situation – but the damage was done.

Likewise, I find it interesting the way some people get very heated over this story and criticize my father’s behavior. Some answers are judgmental, rude and insulting. Yet, these people fail to recognize that people are individuals and may and can behave differently then they would. Everyone has their own opinion, which is as it should be, but I find it weird that they believe everyone should behave as they do or the other person is wrong. Whether poor service in a store or restaurant, it is everyone’s choice to never go back to that establishment – not anyone else’s. Accept that fact instead of becoming judgmental. Sometimes, a person’s trust gets broken beyond repair.

Thanks.

Zelensky, EU; desperate and frightened during Granada summit

As a landlord, what is the best thing a tenant did for your property or best thing they left behind that helped you get a higher rent for the next tenant?

I had a tenant who was a carpenter by trade. He built a nice built-in entertainment center in my living room. Shortly after moving in he was doing a kitchen remodel for someone and brought home the nice, oak cabinets they were foolishly replacing. He installed them in my house free of charge. I essentially got a free kitchen remodel out of it. I did him the solid of buying him upgraded appliances for the kitchen after that.

He did this on a couple other occasions too where he’d come across something of value from a job site and bring it back and install it at my property, greatly upgrading the house. He installed new light features, stair rails, closet shelves. He also built me nice shelves in the garage. He never asked me for any compensation either. I would have loved to credit him or something but back then I was new and in the red with the mortgage on the house and what I charged for rent so I couldn’t afford to offer him much. He didn’t care, he said “way I see it I live here and it’s making for a nicer home for me.”

Whenever something would break or need repair, he’d just fix it himself. Not a single maintenance call was needed in the four and half years he lived there. Unfortunately the guy had a checkered past and a few run-ins with the law. He went to jail (relatively short stints) a few times while there and I’d cut him some slack getting caught up when he’d get out, never trying to evict or remove him. Unfortunately he got himself in too deep finally and got locked up with a ten year sentence. Sadly that was the end of him, but no joke he probably added $100K of value to my property from what he did there.

Are the people of Palestine simply reacting to nearly 80 years of swindling, brutalization, and repression by evil Zionist oppressors? Will Palestinian courage prevail over American supplied Zionist steel?

It happens

Sometimes you decide it’s better to die than live in a certain way

That’s when things become dangerous

At this stage you decide, since you have decided to die already, you will take down as many people as you want

Women, Children, Old Women, Old Men, Generals, Wives of Generals, Grandkids of Generals, Ordinary Civilians – you just don’t care anymore

That’s how Taliban fought

That’s how the legendary Viet Minh fought

The Mighty US Army could frontally kill many Vietnamese but a video of a single US Marine with his belly ripped open and being fed his own intestines would give the Viet Minh a larger win especially as journalists in their own country called these marines murderers

Ready to die but kill as many as possible before doing so

It’s why peace is never easy in the middle East


Most people aren’t ready to die

It’s unlikely that Taiwanese would be ready to die. They are too practical.

Ukranians and Russians are less practical but still would probably surrender if the going is too tough

It’s the Palestinians , because of the Fundamental Islamic belief in Jannat, who are ready to die provided they kill


If Israel do brutally crush Gaza , these Palestinians may die, in fact they WILL DIE

Yet their death will anger the Muslims in all of the Middle East and those living in Israel

One day a Israeli Generals 18 year old son, walking to a movie with his girlfriend will be stabbed to death by an angry arab boy, in revenge for his fathers actions in Gaza

Another day, in a Salon, two ordinary women coming for a hairdo would be blown up by another 15 year old girl with a rough IED into pieces

Israelis can never be at peace. Never happily take a meal. Never enjoy life without always fearing some attack somewhere

So they will leave Israel and take citizenships in US and Europe

Plus every Islamic Nation will condemn Israel for destroying Gaza and any hope of peace with Israel will be thrown out of the window

Thus the Palestinians with their death would deliver a huge win for their cause against Israel than keep living without power, concrete in blown out buildings


So my guess is Palestinians know they can’t win a conventional war against Israel

Yet they also know that if Israel invades Gaza and kills them all and takes over, then Israels biggest nightmares will start and so will Americas

There are 52 Million Muslims in these Countries and assuming even 1% decide to take revenge for Gaza, that’s 520,000 furious Muslims ready to die but take down as many as possible from WITHIN ISRAEL, US and Europe


So my guess is Israel may finally invade Gaza and they may win the battle but with their sacrifice Palestinians will win the war

Unless Israel is smart, decides not to escalate and do their usual bombing to atom routine for 3–4 days and then once Hamas calls a ceasefire , go back to status quo

Or

NEGOTIATE A PEACE

That would be the best way to keep up survival

Man Goes VIRAL After Refusing To Pay For Woman’s Dinner

Would a British person who moved to the US or Canada notice a big improvement in living standards?

In 2002 I moved to Canada with my heavily pregnant wife and 3-year-old daughter, looking for a new life and yeah, maybe a better standard of living. I’d been working in various Tech Support roles in London, earning a little over £50k a year, so we were doing pretty well for ourselves. I’d been in contact with agencies in Toronto and they’d said I’d have no problems finding work and with my experience, etc., I should expect $80k+, so not quite the same, but close enough to make it work.

But things didn’t quite work out as we planned… Without a degree, my experience was irrelevant. I hadn’t needed a degree to fix computers in the UK, but it turns out that in Canada, I did. So all those $80k a year jobs vanished from view, and I ended up at a temp agency earning minimum wage ($6.85 an hour) moving things around a factory. My wife got part-time night-shift work to boost the family income to the point we didn’t starve and between us we were able to provide 24-hour child care to our young children.

After 8 years I’d had enough, and we came home. I do miss Canada massively, but TBH we’re doing better here now than we were doing there.

So why the personal pre-amble? My opinion on the standard of living in Canada is heavily coloured by my experiences – and struggling every day to pay rent and feed my family doing lower-paid temp work certainly makes my experiences different from someone else who went straight into a good job from day one. So now you know why.

I‘ll focus on the big, important concerns – let’s start with housing.

Houses are generally bigger than in the UK, but a lot of that is because many houses in Ontario have basements, and that’s true across a lot of North America. I converted mine into an extra bedroom, a workshop for me and a large playroom for the kids. But rents are also a little more in comparable areas – a family home in Toronto will cost about the same to rent as one on the outskirts of London, but elsewhere, you’ll probably pay more in Canada. So bigger houses, but they cost a little more.

image 6
image 6

Here’s the house we finally managed to buy. $150k in 2005. Big enough for a family of 4 and detached as you can see, which is nice, but not really “better” than the same money would have got you in a comparable British city. Middlesbrough, perhaps?

Bills. Phone bills are cheaper, cable costs about the same, hydro (electric & water) is a little more than the UK – but that’s probably due to the cost of running the AC for 4+ months of the year. DIY tends to be cheaper in Canada – Home Depot definitely beats B&Q, so keeping your house running is cheaper if you’re a bit handy.

Cars are obviously larger on average, but that certainly doesn’t make them better. Sure there are lots of pickup trucks around, but mostly in Canada it’s cars, mini-vans and modern cross-over style SUVs. New cars are cheaper than the UK, and quite a bit cheaper, but used cars are not. In the UK, you can spend £500 a get a decent runner with a long MOT that might last a few years. No chance of that in Canada. Remember that Top Gear episode where they tried to buy cheap cars in Florida for under $1,000? Yeah, that’s real. Anything even driveable decent is $2,000 + taxes (don’t get me started on that!) and when every penny counts, it’s quite an eye-opener. Ever heard of an Eagle Vista Wagon? Nope. Neither had I, but that’s what I drove for two years because it’s all I could afford.

image 5
image 5

Here she is – what a beauty!

Car running costs seem cheap because gas is cheap, but car insurance is not. Oh, so not! Even after several years of driving experience in Canada, insurance cost several times what I paid in the UK. Doing the maths, driving in Canada only gets cheaper than the UK, once you start doing more than 12,000 miles a year. That’s when the cheaper cost of gas drops the cost per mile below UK levels.

Food is not really cheaper than the UK, even if you shop at Walmart all the time. Yeah, portions are larger, everything has more sugar in it, and quality is objectively poorer – although I’m not sure how that affects the standard of living – but your overall food budget will be about the same. Take-out is marginally cheaper I guess, but restaurants are probably a little dearer when you factor in the almost mandatory tipping.

Appliances are about the same. You do get a bigger fridge for your buck, but then your bottles of juice and bags of milk take up more space, so it evens out. Computers, TVs, all that stuff, about the same cost.

But all this is just financial stuff. Basically I’m saying that overall, things probably cost the same. So I’d say it’s pretty even so far.

What really matters in standard of living are the non-materialistic things…

Holidays. Brits get 20 days minimum, but in Canada, I got 10 days a year, and only managed to get up to 15 days after 4 years’ service. Might be different for higher-paying white-collar jobs, but down at the low end of the employment market, it’s a big difference. That’s a big ol’ win for the UK.

Countryside/open spaces. Canadians seem to think that 12:00 is a good time to hit the beach, which meant we had three hours pretty much to ourselves on our trips to the beach, and that’s bloody wonderful I can tell you. Then the natives turn up with trucks full of meat for their big BBQ and we head off into the woods. Big forests, open spaces, and a lot of them can be quite quiet. It’s different, it’s wonderful, but is it better? Spend a morning hiking to the top of Snowdon, or take an Autumn drive around Scotland. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and the UK is just as beautiful to my eye as Canada – a little smaller and more crowded, but just as lovely.

TL;DR – it all comes down to money. If you were to get a similarly paid job in Canada, would you notice a difference? Probably not. In some areas, yes, but in others definitely not. All depends on what’s important to you.

But if, like me, you slipped down the ladder a few rungs, then you’d definitely notice a drop in your standard of living.

Thanks for reading this far 🙂

Edit #1: This was my first ever answer on Quora and I’m blown away by the response. 5k likes in 24 hours is amazing. I never expected that. Thanks to you all.

And just to clear up a couple things I noticed in the comments – I wasn’t on minimum wage for 8 years! I ended up with a not horrible $50k working in the auto industry and we did OK for a while… until 2008 of course. That kick-started the spiral that led me back to Blighty. Cheers all.

Edit #2: Not even two weeks in and over 8k likes. Amazing! Thank you all so much for your likes and comments. If I’d have known this answer would be so well received, I would have spent more than 10 minutes on it, and maybe explained a little more.

On the subject of “checking before I moved”, well… I did. I contacted several agencies in Toronto, sent them my CVs, had productive chats on the phones, all over the course of several months starting before I even booked our flights. They all said the same thing: “Yeah, there’s loads of jobs, with your experience you’ll do fine.” I believed them…

I went to visit my first choice agency – the conversation went something like this:

Her: “Ah yes, come in Mr. Hall. Let’s have a look at you resumé. Yes… yes… all looks good… yes… oh, you don’t mention your degree.”

Me: “Um… I don’t have one. I mean, I went to University, but I didn’t actually graduate.”

Her: “Oh. Oh dear… And why was that?”

My internal monologue: “Because I decided to be rock star instead, OK? And how did that work out, Stevie? Shut-up – she’s looking at me funny because I’m mumbling to myself!”

Me: “Uh… personal tragedy, um thing, you know… Is that going to be problem?”

30 minutes later I’m standing on a cold Toronto sidewalk crying into a box of Timbits and wondering if I should have accepted that $8 an hour job at a cat-food factory she finally offered me after I begged…

Cheers folks.

What steps should be taken to update and close the loopholes in the current set of rules on exporting advanced computing chips to China?

You realize that by sanctioning Chinese companies in the tech space, you are telling them to develop their own technologies, standards and supply chains which eventually become completely independent from western companies, regulations and sanctions, don’t you?

What are some unwritten social rules everyone should know?

  1. When with your friends/partner don’t fiddle around with your phone. Give them your “energy” and not just presence.
  2. If you are invited to someone’s place always take something along. Could be as simple as a bottle of wine or as elaborate as a home made cake.
  3. Say thank you, please and sorry when needed. Nothing wrong in being polite.
  4. Help someone with the door if they have their hands full when entering a mall, shop, restaurant etc.
  5. When someone asks you for stock/financial advice tell them you don’t know better than them! Avoid stock tips, you can ruin someone’s life.
  6. When someone is talking, really listen. Look into their eyes time to time and nod. Does not matter if it’s a guy or a girl
  7. Give credit where credit is due. Take responsibility if things don’t work out too.

Why do so many people defend China?

Can only speak for myself.

I live in Hong Kong, have lived in China, have been to Xinjiang. And it drives me nuts when I read something about China that is simply not true.

Should I just let it slide when people say that I had been oppressed in China and just didn’t realize it all that time, the whole 12 years? That there is no freedom in Hong Kong anymore and permission is required from the CCP to even take a pee? That Uighurs in Xinjiang have vanished by the millions, their organs harvested, and kept in pods as human batteries to generate power after the collapse of the 3 gorges dam?

Ok, got a bit carried away but you get the idea. There’s a lot of misinformation out there. Some of it is just ignorance. But there’s also a lot of malicious propaganda from instigators with a certain agenda.

I do let certain things slide, have to pick your battles. Sometimes I joke about it and hopefully some people will see the absurdity in some of these narratives.

But yeah, without these narratives I probably wouldn’t even be writing on Quora and would be wasting my time on something else instead.

What have wealthy people learned that non-wealthy counterparts still don’t get?

  1. Money Makes Money – You must re-invest what you have earned if you want to make more.
  2. Wealth Does Not Come From Your Job – It is the best way to make capital at first. But true wealth comes from the passive income you make.
  3. It Takes More Money Than You Think – Millionaires do not lead the lifestyle that they are imagined to. Most people would need ~ $20 Million to lead a lifestyle close to what they imagine.
  4. It Takes Time – Get-rich-quick schemes do not work. If you want to be rich you must invest your money and be patient.
  5. Some Debts Are Good – Leveraging a debt can be of huge benefit if used right.
  6. Rich People Do Not Look Rich – Most of them are comfortable being who they are. They do not need clothes to show off.
  7. It’s Not What Ultimately Matters – Sure, money makes things easier… to a point. After that its about what you do not what’s in your bank account.
  8. Most Wealthy People Do Not Have Much Cash – Their bank accounts are often rather small. It’s their assets that make them reach the high net worth they have.
  9. Where You Are Does Not Define Your Actions – The wealthy can still make money on vacation. Their actions are not bound by their situation or location but by their standards to themselves.
  10. Money Is Always A Means To An End – The question is, do you know your end? What will you actually use the money for? Why acquire so much?

Have you ever accidentally found out that you were about to be fired?

I went into work one morning and I tried to log into my computer but couldn’t. I called the help desk and was told that all my credentials were disabled by my manager, but I still had access to the HR website. I immediately went onto the site and filed for a LOA to take care of some health issues I had been putting off and leave the office.

On the drive home my manager calls and wants me in his office for a meeting. I told my manager that I am in LOA and would be out for 6 months. This gave me time to get my health fixed, stay on the insurance, collect short term disability, and look for a new job.

Georgia Guidestones Darkest Secrets Revealed | Destroyed by a villain or a hero?

On July 6, 2022, a bomb detonated on a 5-acre plot of farmland in Elberton, Georgia. The explosion destroyed a large monument that had stood on the property for over 40 years. Known as “The Georgia Guidestones”, it was four monolithic slabs of granite, weighing over 230,000 pounds, that contained a set of rules for a more peaceful and orderly society. The identity of the builder was a mystery for 40 years, but today I’ll tell you who he was.

But why did he want to keep his identity a secret?

Probably for the same reason the Georgia Guidestones were destroyed. Because, according to the Guidestones, the way to a perfect society is through a one-world government, genetic and racial purity, and massive global depopulation. In other words: A New World Order.

What is the best comeback you used on someone?

Not me, my former Colleague…..

Many years ago (40+) I worked for a grocery store, Fry’s Food Stores, relatively large chain on the west coast. I started off cleaning floors, with another guy about my age (16 or 17 yrs old).

These were the days when stores were not open 24 hours a day, so stocking and subsequent cleaning was a little different than today. Carts with products we wheeled to the head of each isle, and the stockers would work on one end of the store, towards the other end. When they were done with an isle, we would break the boxes down, put them onto the carts, then push the carts back to the shipping and receiving area. Once we got a few isle cleared, we would start to clean and/or strip & wax. I believe this one day it was cleaning only, so it goes fast.

Nearing the end of our shift, we were done with the store and had some time to burn, so we started moving the carts around and running the floor machine up in down the areas in shipping & receiving area. One of the “older” stockers from the produce department was getting ready to clock in. He looked at us and said “What are you cleaning this area for, it just going to get dirty again”.

My colleague, never skipping a beat said “Why do you wipe your ass after taking a shit, it just going to get dirty again”. Priceless!! The stocker stood there a minute, shook his head and walked off……

The Satellite War: If I Compare Both, CHINA is The Winner

Has the launch of the Huawei Mate 60 Pro with a 5G Kirin 9000s processor signified a failure on the part of the US in its trade war against China?

It’s not about the “trade war”, it’s about the technological blockage war, so the answer is “negative”.

Back to what the question may attempt to address, and in any case war is war, the launch of the Huawei Mate 60 Pro is another indicator that the US cannot win that “technological blockage war”. Not even that ‘China’ need to pump money into Huawei to achieve that in the process.

Back to the fundamentals, China has the human capital and money resources to face the ‘US challenge’, and in history, China had achieve ‘break through’s’ time and time again from atomic and nuclear power, satellite and ICM technologies, GPS and space … etc. So, there’s plenty of example in history to ‘demonstrate’/’illustrate’ that ability.

So, it’s only another example.

There are more to that. Have you wondered why ‘Huawei’ had pick this timing? Why provoke the US? It’s not just a ‘sales drive’ since even without such high profile, Huawei can still mostly achieve its sales target as it still has many fans in China. That’s something to think about.

Do people realise that China is an authoritarian country?

Every Country is an Authoritarian Country

Every Country enforces obedience on its populace. Its why you have laws. It’s why you have police. Its why you have courts.

The degree of authoritarianism is what is the debate here

The West says China tramples personal freedom and the authoritarianism is high

China says it favors community over individual and says individual freedom may be restricted for communal prosperity


To be frank, the Americans had only four areas of freedom compared to a Chinese in the mainland

  • To be able to criticize the Governing authorities and speak freely against anyone with no restraint
  • To have men marry men and women marry women
  • To choose their leadership by voting everyone into power
  • To have homosexuals adopt children

That’s it

Every other Freedom, China has been rising for many years for its people

Today US is not following these freedoms

People who question things are blocked, shadow banned, even taken to task for free speech

Voting is a joke with electoral system being heavily panned


So i dont think there is any free country today

They are all authoritarian by various degrees

What is the lamest “benefit” you’ve been offered by an employer?

I got hired by a chip manufacturer and the HR lady was bragging up the stock options that the company offers:

HR Lady: “Noone else offers these.”

Me: “What’s the purchase price?”

HR: “29.95″

Me: “Huh. What’s the split price?”

HR: “30.00″

Me: “So when would I ever exercise that option?”

HR: “Any time you want.”

Me: “You’re not understanding. The purchase price is a nickel under the split.”

HR: “But then you have 2.”

Me: “Yes. But 99% of the time I can go buy it on the open market for under the option price. There’s a very narrow window where you can actually exercise this option before the split.”

HR: “But then you have 2.”

Me: “Yes, I realize that. Let me explain this another way…”

Don’t remember what I said after that, but the response was “But then you have 2.”

I gave up after a while, disappointed.

After about a month on the job I was outside on a break and fire trucks and ambulances started rolling into the parking lot. All of the emergency response staff were wearing gas masks. After a while the stretchers started coming out. 14 of my coworkers were taken to the hospital via ambulance.

By this point I was already at the evacuation point watching from there. I kept looking around and waiting for the people to start coming out, but they never did. I finally went to the security officer at the front desk who confirmed that there was no evacuation. So I decided to go home “sick”.

The next day our morning meeting was fun. The boss confirmed there was a hydrogen bromide leak. I asked him why there was no evacuation and he said that “all evacuations needed to be approved by the VP of Production.”

Well la-ti-dah! What about us poor schleps on the graveyard shift? We’re supposed to just sit there patiently breathing poisonous gas while someone calls the VP of Production out of bed to get his almighty approval?

I went on a soap box tirade directed at the company and quit right there.

I wish this was an isolated incident but I have numerous past employer stories involving massive safety violations, unfair treatment of employees, and even outright wage theft. Unfortunately this sort of exploitation is common for blue collar workers, and it hasn’t gotten any better over the years.

My Social Security Nightmare/ What I learned in Manila Embassy

Have you ever judged someone and realized you were wrong?

Oh my, yes!

Steve seemed such a surley man. Unsuprisingly older than me by a couple decades since this was my first professional job as a newly minted college graduate, he seemed to growl at me whenever I saw him.

With the confidence only available with youth, I judged him.

I judged him mean, old, and a bit scary.

Imagine my horror when after about a year on this entry level job when I was reassigned to work for Steve. Of course, the reality was that I knew nothing about him.

What happened over the course of the next year was one of those special times of life that changes who you are forever. I learned that while I knew nothing about him, he knew quite a bit about me. Turns out that this wasn’t some corporately bland reassignment, but, rather, he asked to take me on as a project.

As I got to know Steve, it turned out that the gravelly voice, which I can still hear in my imagination as I write, was just his voice. And the surley demeanor I had judged so harshly was a product of a direct and unassuming style this loquatious post-adolescent did not yet grok.

One teaching moment in particular is one I’ll never forget. I carry this lesson with me every day.

You see, I’d made a mistake. Not a huge one, but a clear screw-up. I had a plan for spin control. I was confident in the plan. The lies were off-white lies at best.

But Steve believed in me enough to ask questions gently. And after he had twisted me into a logical knot, he said, and I’ll never forget his words, “Tony, you can do better than this.” He proceeded to teach me the value of not spinning and just dealing with my own limitations as a human. He showed me the real value of honesty: building trust.

And, Steve was right. I came clean and it was all ok. And, a few months later when I made a yet bigger mistake, that was ok too.

I got to know Steve better over the next couple of years. I learned that we shared some basic interests and religious faith, but he was not the type to over-share or brag. Sadly, when I had this incredible access to him, I never fully understood Steve.

But, I understood far better when he died.

Just a couple years after this priceless mentoring, Steve was stricken with brain cancer. He was far younger than I am right now, so even in death he taught me to value every day.

But this wasn’t the last lesson he had to teach. Not hardly.

I was invited by his widow to his funeral. I had known of his faith, but not quite the extent to which he walked the walk. I’ve omitted a great deal of detail, but Steve had not had an easy life. In my mind, he was doing all he could to just survive and raise his own family. I assumed his faith was like my own: sincere, yet mostly a coping mechanism.

In the shadow of his recent death, some mutual acquaintances filled in some details. There was far more to the man than even I suspected. My admiration was already deep. My tears were quite real.

Steve had been an elder at a prominent church for many years. The details of his service to others would make this long answer far too long. The debts others expressed dwarfed my own sense of gratitude.

But, the funeral blew me away.

You see, it was a large church. Very large. That day, it was filled to the rafters. I have never been to anything like it since. The love expressed for Steve that day over powers me even as I write this.

And there, in that pew, I knew i wanted to be like Steve.

Not for glory or acclaim—not at all. Just to have left this place a better place than I had found it. And, as I traverse my new career in coaching, I am still chasing his example.

Thank you, Steve, for teaching me how to be real. I’ll never forget you. I’ll never achieve what you did, but I am so much happier for trying.

And, I even learned from misjudging you.

Do you think that China is strong enough?

Janet Yellen wrote that if China could commit to investing in US Treasury Bonds until 2026 and take a $ 1.1 Trillion Position by 2026, Inflation in US could be reduced to 3% within 6 months

In 2009, the Chinese agreed to such a request from USA

This time they told Yellen to go f*** herself

Yet that alone shows the power of a Nation like China

That a mere $ 270 Billion purchase of bonds could bring down US Inflation by 3% indicates a level of strength very few nations could possess

Yellen counted very heavily on the Chinese agreeing to her request and was very angry when she came back home


Putin visited Xi before his SMO began

Every Industry in Russia or most industries continued to operate despite a 72% fall in Supplies from Western Vendors

The Reason : CHINA

Investments by Western Countries replaced by China

Western Brands replaced by Chinese Brands

A Yuan Buttress helping Russia steer through foreign trade from April 2022 to December 2022

One Nation capable of standing against US and EU combined and preventing Russia from going under for those crucial 10–12 months before Russia found it’s feet


Thus China is VERY STRONG ECONOMICALLY

Apart from Paper Propaganda and a few articles on how China is collapsing, China is easily among the strongest economies in the world and among the more resilient economies


Militarily?

Only time will tell

Let’s wait and watch

MY HEART…First Reaction – Oliver Anthony – I Want To Go Home & Doggon It!

I moved to Long Beach this summer. The homeless crisis is heartbreaking. I have seen and spoken to many since I have been here and the mental health issue is so apparent. This is all around us, but we are more worried about spending billions on witch-hunts and funding things that are none of our business.

What is the story of a famous person who rose from poverty and achieved success?

I’ve always loved the story of a man named Henry Sy. Born in Xiamen, China, Sy was poor as dirt. His father, his mother, his siblings, all of them could barely survive the next day. So his father took a gamble and moved the family to the Philippines. It was the 1930s, and Henry had to make ends meet in a strange country where he did not speak the language.

For the first years of his young working life, little Henry worked as a shoeshiner, polishing the boots of “his betters” until they shone brightly. The money he made with this, he saved up. Whenever he tried to get customers in front of Mercury’s Drugstore, however, the owner would shoo him away. Undeterred, Henry would find another spot, and continue his work.

As the years went on, Henry kept working hard, living frugally. He saved up his money, and invested it wisely, step by step growing his fortune along the way. Soon, he owned a store, next, a chain of stores, and eventually, he owned an entire mall. In the end, his chain of malls would dominate the entire Philippines. Henry Sy became the countries richest citizen, by far…

and in none of these stores, there would ever be a Mercury Drugstore. Watson’s, sure, other pharmacies were allowed. But not Mercury. Because they didn’t let little Henry shine shoes in front of them when he was a wee lad.

Is China’s DF-26 missile a real threat to U.S. aircraft carriers?

Yes.

The US sent spy planes and satellites to watch the publicly announced test.

In November of 2020, US Admiral Phillip Davidson, Commander of Indo-Pacific Command verified that China hit a moving ship in the SCS with a DF-21 and a DF-26 hypersonic missile.

Notice that the US Pentagon is no longer claiming that the Chinese have to slow down the missile. The Chinese figured out how to see through the plasma sheath with radar and IR for terminal guidance.

This is something new. The US military calls these new class of missiles, ASBMs (anti-ship ballistic missiles).

However, the name is somewhat of a misnomer. They’re quasi ballistic missiles. They don’t follow an exact ballistic path that is easily calculated and susceptible to interception.

This type of missiles can see. So they can evade incoming anti-missiles fired from US ships or bases.

So yes. They’re a real threat to US ships, not just carriers.

The DF-21 has a cruise speed of mach 6. Then speeds up to mach 10 for terminal phase. At 100 miles away, the DF-21 will hit a ship in 47 seconds. That isn’t a lot of time for the radar operator to talk to the captain then order an intercept. In fact, that isn’t any time at all since once the order is given, it takes time for the operator to actually launch the missile. Then it takes time for the missile cover to open, for the data to download to the missile, for the missile to light it’s rocket engine, and for the missile to get up to speed.

A DF-21 will hit with the explosive power of around 1.4 tons of TNT or 2,800 pounds of explosive equivalent.

A DF-26 will hit with the explosive power equivalent of 24,000 pounds of TNT.

You decide what happens when that much explosives goes off inside a ship. Bear in mind that a normal anti-ship missile has a warhead of 600 pounds. You can find the ships with holes in them. Then figure out what happens when you increase that to 2,800 pounds or 24,000 pounds. Yes. the DF-26 hits with the equivalent of a MOAB.

The real question isn’t is it a threat. The question is will there be a ship left after it hits. And in the report to Congress last year, The USAF/MIT study said that this is a game changer. Without a proper defense, if a ship gets hit, it will be sunk.

Is the war that has just started in Israel anything to do with Putin’s need for distractions?

Don’t make me laugh

This would serve more as distraction to the West than Russia

The West bankrolled $ 140.81 Billion to Ukraine in the last 19 months plus trained 70,000 Ukrainian Soldiers plus combined gave Ukraine :-

  • 1.03 Million Rounds of 155 mm Artillery Shells
  • 17,000 UAVs Military Grade
  • 1100 Infantry Fighting Vehicles
  • 760 Tanks (Including 453 T 72, 124 Leopard 1, 92 French Tanks & Swedish Stridsvagn 122, 48 Abrams & 14 Challengers)
  • 3.53 Million Rounds of Small Arms Ammunition
  • 688 Missiles with upto 300 Km Range plus Air Defence
  • 60 Himars Launchers
  • 91 Air Defense System including 8 Patriot Complexes, 12 Iris Complexes and 50+ S 300 systems in former communist countries

Look at this list of equipment

It’s virtually an ENTIRE ARMY

Four Fronts – Kremeyvka Salient, Orekhovo Front, Bakhmut & Kremenneyva

After 125 Days

Territory Gain :- 188 Sq Kilometers

Loss of Territory (Kupiansk) : 507 Sq Kilometers

Net Gain Loss :- (-) 319 Sq Kms

The Ukrainians haven’t still managed to cross the grey zone

They have to reach 3 defensive fortified lines plus one fortified line to reach the Sea of Azov Or Melitopol

They haven’t managed a clear 10 Kilometer forward gain in positions and need 526 Kilometers to reach their objective

In ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE DAYS!!!!

Meanwhile their losses :-

  • 90,000 Killed or horribly wounded enough to miss action for minimum 6 months
  • 290 Tanks destroyed
  • 700,000 Rounds Ammunition spent at 6000 Rounds a day
  • 650 Infantry Vehicles
  • 39 Himars Launchers
  • 91 Missiles (Range upto 300 Kms)
  • 360+ Air Defence Missiles
  • 73 Assault Boats
  • 4500+ UAVs

Easily between 35% to 45% of their entire equipment and at least a fourth of their BEST FIGHTING MEN

For 188 Sq Kms gains and not one concise territory to consolidate positions


You think I am quoting from TASS Or Sputnik right?

Nopes

CNN, Politico, Reuters, Washington Post & Institute for War


Meanwhile the Russian Economy?

From a 15% contraction expected in 2022, now it’s growing by 2.3% even by IMF predictions

Strong and Resilient as ever

Happily now selling Oil at $ 91/ Barrel against a $ 60 Price Cap laughing loudly


So it is the West who need an off ramp and a distraction badly indeed

Girls, Bars and Love in Phnom Penh

It’s a view about what is going on in the rest of the world while YOU were sitting away in your nice sterile cubicle, attending Diversity meetings, and grabbing a number #3 burger during lunch. The rest of the world is far more interesting and colorful out there. Savor it.

This is a “monger” video about this asshole going to Cambodia for prostitutes. He just went to Cambodia and filmed the night life. Very colorful.

Ugh!

Not badmouthing the girls. Not badmouthing the guys.

Just making a statement on lifestyle.

Do not be offended by some of the things you see here. The point that I am trying to make is that YOU can decide your lifestyle. If sitting in a grey cube, staring at a flickering monitor, and living for the weekend appeals to you… embrace it. But the rest of the world thinks that lifestyle SUCKS. I did that for far too long. BIG FUCKING MISTAKE.

Am I interested in visiting Cambodia. Yeah, sure.

But not for the chicks. I really want to check out the culture. Especially the spicy beef on those long French rolls that you get at the street pavilions.

You know, I have been interested in Cambodia and Laos ever since I was in 5th grade and Nixon went and bombed them to shit. Then, later on, I had some interns that came from Cambodia. I’d like to meet up with them and tour their little family factory and warehouse. Maybe have some “cooperation” together.

If NATO was formed to counteract the Soviet Union, why wasn’t it disbanded when the Soviet union was?

NATO wasn’t formed to counteract the Soviet Union.

NATO is an expansion of the Western Union (Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Britain) and the WU was a military and ECONOMIC alliance.

When NATON was created in 1949, it’s goals were to prevent a resurgence of Germany and to improve economic ties between countries.

Don’t forget about the Berlin Blockade of 1948. This PROVED the Soviets were not up for a military confrontation.

Article 2

The Parties will contribute toward the further development of peaceful and friendly international relations by strengthening their free institutions, by bringing about a better understanding of the principles upon which these institutions are founded, and by promoting conditions of stability and well-being. They will seek to eliminate conflict in their international economic policies and will encourage economic collaboration between any or all of them.

Back in 1949, the economic aspect was far more important than the military one.

As Europe began to move towards an integrated economic policy and later towards a union, the economic policies of NATO were largely forgotten … BUT THEY STILL EXIST.

Russia is right when they talk about the tandem EU/NATO. The European institution, economically and politically, were all created under a NATO umbrella … there was nothing else back in 1949.

So when the Soviet Union fell, the EU didn’t even exist. There was a large economic forum in place in Europe, but a lot of political decisions were taken at NATO level. European economies depended to a large extend on NATO’s integrated policies: economically, militarily, and politically.

NATO was the perfect platform for international cooperation before the EU came into being.

Once you realize NATO is also an economic alliance it becomes pretty clear why it couldn’t be disbanded. And it also becomes clear why expansion was profitable for all involved. NATO didn’t expand because “countries feared Russia” (look at the timeline, relations were good UNTIL NATO expanded), NATO expanded for economic reasons.

The EU is relatively transparent, NATO is nor. NATO invested 150 billion Euro in Eastern European infrastructure. NATO always upgrades your infrastructure when you become a member (that’s how Greece and Turkey were bribed back in 1952).

In return, NATO countries, mainly European ones, got to invest massively in Eastern Europe. Much lower wages resulted in huge profit margins.

Just look at how many “German” cars are produced in Hungary and Poland. All that was a direct result of NATO expansion. The average monthly income in Germany is 4,200 Euro a month, in Poland 1,400 and in Hungary 1,300.

Cheap labour results in huge profit margins which in turn regenerates more tax revenue. Those 150 billion paid themselves back with interest. But the main requirement was a good infrastructure.

History makes a lot more sense when you look at it from an economic point of view.

Why is Xi Jinping always bashing America so much?

He’s not “bashing” America. He’s simply exposing the truth about America. There is nothing he has said about America that is incorrect. I can repeat some of the talking points and see if you can refute any of them:

  • Unsustainable $33 trillion national debt.
  • Crumbling infrastructure.
  • Unaffordable health care for millions of Americans.
  • Rampant homelessness — approaching one million Americans.
  • Declining public education.
  • Declining life expectancy.
  • Growing poverty.
  • Mass incarceration — highest number and highest per capita rate in the world.
  • Rampant gun violence — on average, one mass shooting every day of the year!
  • Fentanyl epidemic.
  • Over one million Americans died from Covid needlessly.

It’s America that is bashing China with all kinds of propaganda lies such as Uyghur genocide, Uyghur forced labor, Chinese aggression, spreading authoritarianism, etc.

UPDATE:

After 8 hours, this answer has received a whole bunch of stupid comments and NOBODY has even tried to refute any of the points in my answer. This alone tells you something.

I’ve disabled comments to prevent any more stupid comments. If you can’t say anything intelligent, then don’t say anything at all.

What really happens when a car salesman takes your offer to his manager to get the deal approved? Does the salesman actually go to bat for you or do they scheme on how to come back to you with a better deal for the car dealership?

In 1972 my Dad let me tag along to “Wild Bill’s” Dodge in order to buy a new emerald green Dodge Coronet. Wild Bill was a local tv commercial superstar! II remember the transaction to this day. The cigar smoking salesman wanted $3440 for the car, but my Dad was firm at $3400. The salesman then said only the owner could approve that low a deal, so he would have to call him at home!

Out came the phone book, because the salesman had never called him at home before, and the salesman made a big production out of reading off the number and dialing it. “Yes Bill, he says, they won’t do $3440, I told them it’s crazy but he wants $3400 even.”

At that moment I see someone exit the break room and recognize Wild Bill sitting there having a cup of coffee. I whisper to my Dad, that Wild Bill is not at home talking to this salesman, he’s 50 feet away drinking coffee. My Dad smiles and says to me “let them do their thing”

$3400 later we had the car, plaid fabric seats and all!

Why the West is Afraid of China

Thank you for bringing the one and only Carl Zha to your show. He is a great analyst and has a good sense of humor.

In the military, what was the most savage verbal correction you witnessed?

Didn’t witness it, but knew it was happening.

In the mid-2000s, I was a civilian contractor working for The Pentagon Channel, originally part of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. I created TPC’s first podcasts.

The podcasting operation grew to more than 20 different regular podcasts — audio and video — and had about 19 million downloads over its seven-year run. I personally produced nine of the shows.

We also uploaded the videos to YouTube.

One morning, I went in extra early to upload a new episode … only to see a warning from CYBERCOM that YouTube was blocked for our office. A lot was hanging on this particular upload, and my boss was able to track down someone I could talk to at CYBERCOM.

I called the Air Force Master Sergeant listed on the Post-It Note he gave me. Got him on the line and explained my problem.

The Master Sergeant was a condescending male appendage.

He angrily told me there was an unusually high number of computers spending a lot of time during business hours accessing YouTube. We broadcast 24 hours a day, and business hours were when we were uploading video.

He lectured me on how NO military office needed access to YouTube nd that he’d personally shut down our access in accordance with regulations. I tried to explain that uploading video to YouTube was critical to our office’s mission.

He was about to lecture me some more … but I had another call. I knew exactly who it was.

I put the Sergeant on hold … which he huffed at.

The incoming call was from a speaker phone. Another civilian I knew at the Pentagon asked why the video wasn’t uploaded, and I explained the situation. A second voice came on the phone.

“Terry, this is Captain Kirby. Can you give me that sergeant’s name and number?” he asked with frightening calm.

I did.

“Tell him to stand by for a phone call,” Captain Kirby said and hung up.

I pick up the line with the irate Master Sergeant who’s already wound up to tear into me and cut him off.

“Stand by your phone for an incoming call,” I said. I didn’t witness what was said or who said it. But I knew it would be glorious.

Then-Captain John Kirby would retire as a two-star admiral in a few more years. He’d go on to become the official Pentagon Spokesman, later the State Department’s Spokesman, and is currently the Biden Administration’s National Security Spokesman. You see him delivering live press briefings on national security issues at the White House.

But on that particular morning, Captain John Kirby was the long-time Public Affairs Officer for Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff … the most senior officer in the U.S. military.

The video that I was blocked from uploading? The premier episode of the Chairman’s Podcast — a more-or-less weekly podcast in which ADM Mullen was interviewed on top policy issues affecting the military and the troops across all branches of the services.

Chairman Mullen was incredibly media savvy and was extremely keen on creating this podcast.

I suspect Captain Kirby called the sergeant … but he may have just let the admiral know what was going on, and the Chairman picked up the phone himself. Either way, I knew the sergeant was about to get a Mark II bunghole installed via phone lines.

I spent a couple of minutes refreshing the YouTube page before we suddenly had full access restored.

And I began uploading the Chairman’s Podcast.

That’s when my phone rang again.

It was a very contrite Master Sergeant, I suppose he was still a Master Sergeant, I didn’t ask. Anyway, he went into a very long, detailed apology about blocking our access and for his tone of voice toward me.

I never had another problem in the two years we produced the show.

Before the CIA spies were exposed in China

China has been publicly announcing the arrests of several spies working for the CIA, an unconventional move for a country not best known for message clarity.

The China Academy

Oct 6, 2023

“Drug Panic,” “God’s Scalpel,” “Old Classmates in Washington,” “CIA Spy School,” “Sexy Spies,” “Target – Beijing Olympics,” and “Double Agent,” these gripping chapters of the spy novel Fatal Weakness, upon its first release in 2004, led many spy fiction enthusiasts to believe that its author, Yang Hengjun, a former employee at China’s Foreign Ministry, was next in line to become one of China’s bestselling writers in this genre. His fans were awed by his vivid description and attention to detail at portraying the life of a double agent. They later discovered that all it took was for Yang to report on his own life, as Fatal Weakness fits better in the category of autobiography than novel.

For the past two months, China has been publicly announcing the arrests of several spies working for the CIA, an unconventional move for a country not best known for message clarity. Previously, China’s state media would only go so far as saying that a person is harming national security and therefore warrants an arrest. What prompted the sudden change of tone? Most importantly, wouldn’t openly revealing that even government officials lack faith in the country hurt the government’s reputation even more, further fueling the already rampant suspicion around its former Foreign Minister Qin Gang’s removal?

To answer these questions, it would be necessary to examine all the “accidents” that have killed Chinese scientists in the past five years, as this provides insight into the urgency Beijing faces to take a more assertive position. Whether these incidents were truly unfortunate accidents or the successful operations of secret agents is up to you to decide.

On July 1, 2023, Feng Yanghe, the brain behind the AI software used in China’s military simulations, died in a car accident in Beijing at the age of 38.

On June 22, 2023, China’s leading botanist Zhang Dabing passed away at the age of 56 from a car accident. He was a prominent scientist in China’s hybrid rice field and transgenic biosafety monitoring field.

On September 21, 2022, genius rocket engineer Li Yuchong died in the United States at the age of 30, a week after he announced his decision to forgo offers from the US and return to China.

On June 14, 2019, Ning Bin, one of the driving forces behind China’s digital signaling systems across the railway, died at the age of 60 from a car accident. He was working on a control system for a super high-speed train running at 1,000 km/h.

On December 1, 2018, renowned quantum physicist Zhang Shoucheng died in the US at the age of 55, purportedly from depression, three days after his team announced a breakthrough in 5G chips. His discovery of “angel particles” in 2017, particles that are both matter and anti-matter, ended one of the most intensive searches in fundamental physics. Before his death, it was widely speculated he would be the next recipient of the Nobel Prize. His scientific life was put to an abrupt end on the same day Meng Wanzhou was detained in Canada. Meng is the senior executive of Huawei, the company Zhang and his team had collaborated with since 2009.

A month later, Chen Shuming, head of the R&D team for chips of advanced weapons, died in a car accident on December 31, 2018.

The list goes on and on, with examples found in all areas involving leading science and technology. Beijing has never confirmed nor denied people’s suspicions that these were premeditated assassination attempts coordinated by a network of spies that have infiltrated key positions in the Chinese government. However, as the list grows longer, the silence becomes increasingly unbearable to many.

Remarks by CIA Director William Joseph Burns that the agency has “made progress” in rebuilding its spy networks in China served as both verification of people’s suspicions and validation of Beijing’s perceived incompetence. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that if Beijing prolongs this silence, we will witness its reputation being slowly shredded to pieces. In an apparent effort of self-consolation, Chinese netizens even pushed a story online about the Macao Garrison Special Operations Company being awarded a first-class collective merit citation in 2014 for defeating an alleged CIA assassination attempt on Snowden when he was transiting through Hong Kong en route to Russia. To their disappointment, the narrative was later denied by Macao authorities. It is conceivable that the recent string of reports on spy arrests is the long-awaited response to an anxious populace that has borne witness to some not-so-clandestine espionage activities.


For more reporting on spies arrested in China, please check out our newsletter series here:

Why has China’s GDP surpassed that of the United States, even though the US still leads in other areas such as technology and innovation?

The U.S. leads in certain technologies at best. China leads in 37 out of 44 most strategic and key technologies for today and tomorrow’s technology frontier according to a neocon funded research project in Australia call ASPI or Australian Strategic Policy Institute. If that is the case. The U.S. leads only in 7 out of these 44 technologies.

The U.S. no longer leads the world for at least a decade now! China has 3 more unmatchable advantages. One it has 1.4 billion highly competitive population who are very intelligent, very hardworking, extremely disciplined and both industrious and driven people.

Two, Chinese political system of socialism with Chinese characteristics is extremely effective and efficient. It evades costly and hurtful perpetual politicking and it allows meritocratic policies by attracting the most capable and qualified leader. As compared with the U.S. clearly popularity contest among popular but unqualified leader.

Three, China focuses fully and comprehensively on growing the real living standards of it’s citizens and does not get distracted by the U.S. forever war investment and focus of interference throughout the globe. China’s military strategy only focus on defending their home land and hitting the enemy lands if it is hit at home. It needs to spend a third of the U.S. to match their huge and damaging military spending!

China is highly sustainable, the U.S. is simply not. In fact the more the U.S. wants to stop China the faster the U.S. will go broke and implode.

Horseshoe Sandwich with Idaho® Fingerling Fries

The Horseshoe is a regional specialty in the Springfield, Illinois area. It is an open-faced sandwich on toasted bread that can utilize a variety of meats, topped with French fries and a creamy cheese sauce.

2023 10 18 15 39
2023 10 18 15 39

Yield: 4 sandwiches

Ingredients

Sandwich

  • 4 toasted slices Texas toast
  • 6 Idaho® Russian Banana Fingerling potatoes, sliced into fries
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • Freshly ground Italian seasoning blend
  • 4 grilled hamburger patties, sprinkled with steak seasoning and seasoning salt before cooking
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 red or green bell pepper, cut into large chunks
  • 2 tablespoons butter

Cheese Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

  1. Lay out potato slices onto cookie sheet lined with foil.
  2. Drizzle olive oil over potatoes and use brush to evenly coat them.
  3. Grind Italian seasoning over potatoes until there is a nice, even dusting of seasoning.
  4. Place in oven heated to 425 degrees F. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until fries are cooked throughout and lightly brown.
  5. Place onion, mushroom and pepper in foil. Place butter on top and sprinkle with freshly ground Italian seasoning. Tent foil and close. Place in oven. (They should be softened by the time the fries finish cooking.)
  6. While the fries and vegetables bake, start on cheese sauce by melting butter in a small saucepan. Once melted, add flour and stir to make a roux.
  7. Add milk and basil and stir constantly until it starts to bubble. Continue stirring for two to three more minutes until it begins to thicken.
  8. Add shredded cheese gradually, stirring constantly as it melts.
  9. Lay out toasted bread on plates, topped with hamburger patty. Spoon vegetables on top of burger, followed by a layer of fries. Top with cheese sauce.

Notes

Grilled vegetables, such as green peppers and onions, are also common on a Horseshoe sandwich. Alternate meat suggestions include smoked ham, pulled pork and grilled chicken breast.

China’s $100 Billion Move That Left Australia STUNNED!

In a surprising turn of events, China has unveiled a staggering $100 billion project that could send shockwaves through its trade relationship with Australia. Today, we’re breaking down the intricacies of this development and exploring its potential global implications.

The implications of China’s new mega project are vast, with potential ripple effects touching every corner of the global iron ore industry. Join us as we unravel the layers of this complex narrative and project its potential future impacts on Australia, China, and the broader international community.

https://youtu.be/YrdyA18FcPM

Why do so many people defend China?

People on the internet think I am a blind supporter of China. Some even think I am paid by Chinese propaganda department to write pro-China answers! (Hell! It would be great to get paid for narrating facts, but sigh … so far, no payment. Not even a job offer :p).

For reasons unknown (and probably very biased) stating plain and simple historical and current facts offends a lot of people. Comparing the actions of countries offends people.

Here are a few examples.

Example 1. Hong Kong Riots

Last year (in 2020) Quora was overflowing with certain people expressing their support for Hong Kong rioters, claiming they are fighting for “freedom” and that secession is a right of people.

I wrote a couple of answers stating the plain fact that at least Indians should stop expressing their “deep concerns” for Hong Kong rioters, considering how India is handling the freedom movement in Jammu and Kashmir: no internet connectivity (since more than 8 months now) for the region, curfew almost daily, and lots of reports of rapes committed by the military. A lot of people were “offended” because of my comparison.

I also compared Hong Kong rioters with American civil war. The northern states of USA refused to let the southern states break free of the union. If “freedom” is the right of people, northern states should have allowed the southern states to break free.

Similarly, UK should have allowed Ireland to be free.

Somehow, when India, USA and UK does it, it’s all justified and acceptable. But when China does it (and on top of that, China didn’t even use lethal force against those rioters), suddenly China is at fault! I don’t understand the logic here.

Example 2. China’s Island Building In SCS

I wrote that every nation has a right to defend itself and no nation has a (moral) right to display aggression and policing at other nation’s borders. This too, offended a lot of people. People mentioned “freedom of navigation” and whatnot. I pointed out that USA has not ratified UNCLOS and therefore has no right to implement it on others.

There was a long debate about how USA and western powers have “freedom” to roam in their warships close to Chinese shores, but China has no right to install weapon systems on islands in South China Sea.

Some US guy went on a long argument with me in that answer, claiming that although USA has not signed UNCLOS, it still has the right to implement it on others. The most remarkable thing is that he claimed he was not even being biased and was completely transparent and morally fair in his claim!

Example 3. China – Australia Trade Dispute

I wrote that a customer is not and should not be forced to purchase from any seller, therefore China is not forced to purchase ore and food products from Australia, considering that Australian government went on a smear campaign against China (proposing to find Covid-19 origin only in China) and banning Huwawei.

Some people got offended, and claimed that China should be forced to buy from Australia, but Australia is “free” to not buy from China. Some people also claimed that China is “weaponizing trade” and that they must be “put to their place”.

All I can say about it is that their logic is incomprehensible for me.

Example 4. China – US Trade War

I wrote in an answer that if US is so concerned about trade deficit, they have all the right to stop buying from China and shift their imports to some other country. Similarly, China has the right to stop buying from USA and start buying food products from South America.

Similarly, I wrote that both countries have the right to place as many tariffs as they want, on their imports. Both are free in what they do within their borders.

This offended a lot of people. They claimed that it is China’s “legal responsibility” to avoid placing tariffs on US goods but USA is “free” to place as many tariffs as they want on Chinese goods.

Example 5. Chinese Loans And Investments In Africa

Someone asked if Chinese loans and investments in Africa were attempts by China to colonize Africa. I posted some pictures of African colonialism and showed what colonialism really looks like.

Some guys started arguing in the comments that China is “exploiting” Africa with their loans and whatnot. I simply stated that nobody is forcing African countries to get loans from China. They are free to get loans from IMF and World Bank if they want. If they are getting loans from China, they know the conditions. They are written clearly in front of them. If African countries and China, both agree on the terms and conditions, why is someone else trying to run around amok with arms flailing and crying foul?

They claimed that Africans are “simple minded” (yes, they were indeed simple minded, or else they would not have been enslaved by the western powers for centuries) and do not “see through” the traps. I asked if their countries have better loan offers for African countries, they should present the offers. Somehow that further offended them and they quit in rage, claiming I work for China’s propaganda department.


So. That’s my story of being “pro China”.

US House Resolution #145 Is Retaliation Against South Africa For Hosting BRICS Summit

What are things that girls wish guys knew about them?

Here I go again.

  • When I tell you I’m upset or worried, I don’t need you to fix it. I just need you to listen and let me know that my feelings are valid.
  • Periods are more than just blood and cramps. They can affect my whole body and mind, and PMS is a real thing.
  • If you want me to wear makeup, don’t expect me to be ready in five minutes. It takes time.
  • Just because I’m nice to you doesn’t mean I like you romantically. And just because we talk sometimes doesn’t mean I’m “leading you on.” I can have friends who are guys without wanting to date them.
  • When we talk about the issues that women face, it doesn’t mean that we don’t think men have issues too. It just means that we want to talk about our own experiences from our own perspective.
  • Yes women might are attracted to chiseled jawlines six-foot-tall men, etc. But that’s not the “ideal dream guy.” Just because women find you good looking, doesn’t mean every woman around will want to date you. We have other things in our priority list (Girls in their early teens might be an exception, but that’s about it).
  • It’s scary when you run up to us or try to get our attention out of nowhere. We’re in fight-or-flight mode the second we know a stranger is paying attention to us.
  • Don’t try to be a smartass all the time. It’s not attractive. And please don’t flex in front of us. We don’t care.
  • It’s not “manly” to raise your voice.
  • Scents are meant to be discovered, not announced. Take it easy with the body spray.
  • Honking at us doesn’t work. Please stop.
  • The best thing you can do for a girl on her period is buy her chocolate, (maybe) some wine, and her specific brand of tampons.
  • Acting all sad because we’re not replying and literally begging for it is not adorable. You’re chat was probably archived the second you started begging for our attention.
  • Just because we ask for your help to get something done doesn’t mean we couldn’t do it all by ourselves.

Chinese J-20 fighter production now at over a 100 per year?

Japan and Korea won’t join the fight against China”

What was your scariest “Idiot at the Gun Range” moment? What was the funniest?

Many years ago, I desired my concealed handgun license in Texas. To acquire it back then, you had to complete a class (6–8 hours) and demonstrate the ability to safely handle a firearm and shoot with an acceptable level of control. This required a shooting test at a range… firing maybe 50 rounds in front of an instructor (10 rounds of 5 shots each) and getting above some very low percentage of hits on a target that is just 10 yards away. Really… it was a “Can you hit the broadside of a barn?” kind of test.

We wrap up the classroom work and go together (class had 20 or so students) to the range that has 5 lanes. The guy who is assigned the lane next to mine (he’s on the far right of the 5 lanes) is easily over 80 years old and apparently carries a revolver, but wanted to take the test with a semi-automatic pistol (it gives you more options), so he rented a small caliber pistol from the range for the test. He can barely load the weapon and is limp-wristing his shots, so it jams repeatedly. The first time it jams, he pivots around to show me, pointing the barrel straight at my face. I dropped to the ground and he tracks me with the gun to the floor until he realizes that he’s doing something wrong, then freezes. The weapon is still pointed at 2–3 other students in other lanes. One lady in lane 1 or 2 screamed. I came around behind him, grabbed his shoulders so that the weapon was pointed back down range and had him put it on the bench (then turned it to point downrange when he placed it pointing back at the students in the other lanes). I waved for the instructor and he came over… his only concern was clearing the weapon and RELOADING it for the old guy. I looked at him and he gave me a “give the old guy a chance” look. On the next round the old guy’s gun jammed again and he waived it at me again, asking for help. I again ducked, got behind him and took the weapon from him this time. I cleared it, sat it down and walked out of the range. I told the instructor “That’s twice I’ve had a loaded weapon pointed at my face. I’m not going back in there until he is disarmed. That guy is going to kill someone and it’s NOT going to be me.” Several of the people in the first few lanes followed me out. Amazingly, the instructor went down to the old guy, reloaded his weapon and had him finish the test (and PASSED him)

I’m not sure who was scarier… the old guy taking the test or the instructor who certified him to carry a concealed weapon for another 4 years without basic safety knowledge or having enough wits not to point a loaded weapon at other people MULTIPLE times on accident.

What is the strangest reaction of someone who has just been fired?

Technically I was “laid off,” not fired, after 31 years at the company. I was only working part time (10 hours/week), and was planning to retire fully in a year or two. Instead, I got laid off. They paid me almost a full year’s salary and gave me over a year of medical and other benefits. I collected unemployment for the next year and because of a legal action for deceiving customers by my state against the bank that held my mortgage, they had to write off my mortgage payment each month that I was unemployed.

So when I was told I was laid off, and the salary/benefits package I would receive, I immediately bought a bottle of wine, gave it to the head of HR, thanked him profusely, and left. That year was far and away the best one (financially) that I ever had. And to top it off, I had gotten divorced a year earlier. With all my free time and lack of financial concerns, I had time to date. I met a wonderful woman, and we have been together almost thirteen years now.

What do you think of people that are hoarders?

In 2016, an elderly Lady in Brooklyn New York took hoarding to the extreme when the remains of her son were found amongst the rubbish that filled her home.

Rita Wolfensohn was legally blind and lived with the corpse of her son for twenty years, believing he was missing. The son’s body was discovered when a relative went to the house to collect clothes for the woman while she was at the hospital.

In one of the bedrooms, she found a Skeleton with its jeans, socks and a shirt still on. The room and the rest of the house smelt like rotten food, so any smell of a decaying body would have blended with the already rancid smell.

Police believe the son died of natural causes, and it was possible Rita believed that her son had left and never came back. I don’t understand how someone can live this way, but I don’t like to judge either because depression plays a big part in hoarding cases.

China’s supply chain has developed 7nm process chips, which can produce 95% of the world’s chips!

Intel’s CPUs are still on 10nm.

Going to the farm

I once had a dog, a Siberian Husky. It was my sisters dog, but she never took care of it. Instead, I inherited that role. His name was “Frisky”, and was a “good boy”. But the rest of the family thought of him as a burden. Which was bad. He was a good dog.

One day, my father came to the back yard, and asked me to get him.

So I did.

He told me that he was going to take Frisky to a farm “where he could run about freely”. I believed him.

But, you know, what did I know? I was only 16 at the time.

Frisky looked up at me. Very skiddish.

I comforted him. And he seemed to be ok. He believed me. It’s gonna be fine, I told him.

My dad got him. Loaded him into the car.

And that was the last time I saw him.

Unwilling participant.

Yet my brothers and sisters, many decades later, berated me. Arguing how I couldn’t possibly realize what was going on. They knew. Why didn’t I?

Sigh.

I have remorse.

Today…

What is something you absolutely despise about your country?

Look at these statistics, let them sink in for a moment.

image
image

I have seen countless times:

  • An obese parent in front of me at the grocery store, with an obese child under the age of 10. Their grocery cart is full of pure junk food.
  • An obese person in a wheel chair ordering fast food.
  • People eating candy bars for breakfast on a daily basis.
  • Coworkers, who complain about their diabetes, with a bowl of candy by their monitor that they pick at all day.
  • I know of at least 3 people with diabetes who had their foot (or other limb) amputated because they couldn’t control their eating.
  • Children, under the age of 10, who weigh over 150 lbs (68 kg). These children are stretching their skin out and effectively ruining their bodies.

Our health education is pathetic. Our Physical Education and Gym programs are skeletal at this point.

Our country literally subsidizes food that makes people fat. We are essentially paying people to get fat.

It bothers me because people’s lack of discipline (or caring) ramps up healthcare costs that I have to pay for in tax dollars.

It bothers me because people don’t care about the way they look. They are willing to just let go.

But more than anything I am concerned for people’s well-being. You don’t always get second chances on heart attacks and strokes.

We are a prosperous country. But the scourge of prosperity is obesity.

I don’t despise obese people but I do despise it as a health epidemic in our country.

What is one mistake you made that you would like to warn others not to make?

My business was failing and I couldn’t understand why.

Things were NOT looking good since day one.

My mind was spinning out of control day and night trying to understand what was wrong.

In 2014 I found what seemed a great opportunity. I managed to negotiate an unusual deal with one of the best “warehouse” retailers in the USA. I had a signed agreement to purchase their overstocks… at unbelievable prices.

This was my math:

  • Regular price of the item: $100
    Warehouse discounted price of the retailer: $90
    I could get their items at 10% to 20% of their price.
    My price would be between $9 to $18!
  • Yes, that’s over 90% OFF the retail price!
  • Reselling these items, even at huge discounts to my customers could easily double or triple my money. It seemed like a priceless opportunity.

So I rented this HUGE warehouse:

I called it the Red Barn Outlet.

Located in a very busy street, with huge traffic count, we opened the doors to our customers.

We had great products and unbeatable prices, yet, we didn’t had the expected volume of sales.

I did marketing — and found little to no improvement.

I even hired amazing helpers:

Nothing helped…


To answer your question: What is one mistake you made that you would like to warn others not to make?

The laws of work have changed!

I learned this lesson in a very painful way.

  • Retail has changed.
  • Our Economy has changed.
  • The world has changed.
  • We have changed.

Today we have retail on our fingertips!

There’s an app for that!”

I was competing with a disrupted business model and as a small business owner, there’s NO way to win.

I was playing on the OLD Economy and as a consequence suffered a slow painful death because of disruption.

Today I teach people and businesses how to anticipate disruptive trends because I understand how painful it is.

This is my warning:

Hard work is not good enough anymore.”

Tactics win battles; strategy wins wars.

Texas Roasted Potatoes

Serve this side dish at your next cookout.

2023 11 04 10 29
2023 11 04 10 29

Yield: 8

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds red potatoes, quartered
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Toss together all the ingredients in a large bowl.
  3. Place on a baking sheet.
  4. Bake for one hour (turning frequently) or until lightly browned.

Time-Slip Artifacts: Modern Objects in the Ancient World – Volume 1

I do love this show. Enjoy this fun show.

Is Hamas together with Hezbollah strong enough to beat Israel in a war?

Not a strictly conventional war

However they can ensure Israel never enjoys a minute peace.

They can ensure Israelis ultimately prefer to leave and migrate to other countries for a peaceful life

They can keep dying and keep replenishing their numbers and ensure money from sympathetic yet cowardly countries and their billionaires


It’s an effective strategy

Hezbollah attacks Israel, kills IDF Soldiers and occupied families

Israel bombs Lebanon blindly, kills mostly ordinary civilians

Hatred against Israel is reinforced

Arab Preachers will ensure hatred against Israel is maintained in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Syria

It keeps the Middle East divided and hostile and ensures it’s what the US wants


The only way to defeat Hezbollah and Hamas is the way Khalistan Or LTTE were defeated

BY THE PEOPLE

The way to do that is to give the Palestinians what should have been given decades ago to them

Development, money, prosperity etc

Today 99% of the Palestinian Youth pick up a gun because they have no other option

Tomorrow with prosperity and development, only 60% will pick up a gun

Then 40%

Then 20%

Same happened with the LTTE

Same with the ETA in Spain

Same with the Uyghur Separatists

Same with the Chechen Militia

The Chinese saying “Full bellies quell revolution, empty bellies forment it”


Why this isn’t happening is because of Democracy

Israeli politicians know they won’t win 10 votes if they hand over the original territories of Palestine back to the Palestinians

US Politicians will lose control in an area where they are already losing control by the day

Neither side think Long term and decide to kick the ball down the road for the future politicians

It’s why most countries that won against terrorism/rebels were Autocracies Or Dominant Party Democracies – China, Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka

Josep Borell, EU foreign policy chief, accuses China of treating Europe as a US puppet. How can this perception on the part of the Chinese be changed?

Until you grow balls! Until you tell the U.S. if you blow Nord Stream pipeline Germany will blow away Alaskan pipeline!

Until you tell off the U.S. when it becomes a jerk. Ask them to fxxk off and say over your dead body will you listen to them. Get rid of your current leaders ASAP. They behaves shamefully.

China don’t hear words. China sees action. And the see a wimp and a weak government push around by Uncle Sam. So why talk to EU?

What steps should be taken to update and close the loopholes in the current set of rules on exporting advanced computing chips to China?

There are two parties here.

The American seller, and the Chinese buyer.

Absent of government policy, is the American seller willing and motivated to sell to the Chinese?

Why yes. Absolutely.

The Chinese are one of their biggest and best customers, and have helped prop up the stock price for decades, because the Chinese are not only volume shoppers of value, but also the high-margin cutting edge. That’s a significant STREAM of revenue on the table.

The American seller will try every trick in the book to preserve their bottomline, from lobbying the Congress and the White House, to tailoring specific products for the Chinese to circumvent sanctions. The quick and dirty will be to ship product to a subsidiary market, for example Korea, Japan or Taiwan, and re-export the chips through a third party. As a country, China isn’t being sanctioned like Iran or Cuba, so this will appear like normal trade flow.


That’s the seller. But what about the buyer? China has plenty of friends. Is Nvidia going to say no to a million-piece GPU order from Qatar, just because it’s destined for data server/AI farms within a Chinese-run business park? What if the Saudis make another million-chip order and ships it along to Shenzhen because they have a stake in a Chinese subsidiary’s AI project? The possibilities are endless. Nvidia can’t very well demand geolocation tracking of their sold product, can they? Chips can’t be repaired anyway and can be easily transported by air, so warranty claims can be easily dealt with.


The fundamental issue is this.

Does America want to continue doing business with the Chinese, the world’s biggest single market?

If the answer is a firm no, we can talk ironclad rules.

But the half-hearted “this is national security dual use tech” approach manned by a tiny office within the Department of Commerce won’t work, not when they are trying to fix corporations with more money than God, able to buy the services of legal teams that run rings around legislation and policy.

Such is the nature of American capitalism.

Singaporean PM warns danger in seeing one-China question as ‘democracy vs autocracy’

Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Thursday warned of dangerous consequences in framing the one-China question through the narrative of “democracy versus autocracy.”

Lee gave the warning at the closing dialogue of the Asia Future Summit in Singapore.

Recognized by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 of 1971, there is but one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, and the Government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is the sole legal government representing the whole of China.

Speaking during a Q&A session at the closing dialogue of the summit, Lee called for countries to make clear that they will not change this “very fundamental basis of the international understanding.”

“One China is the basis on which nearly every country in the world recognizes the PRC, and has informal, unofficial relations with Taiwan,” he said. “And I think that has to remain the fundamental basis on which the relationships are maintained and the status quo is justified.”

Lee continued by saying that to describe the question of one China as “a question of democracy versus autocracy” is “dangerous.”

The Asia Future Summit was jointly held by Singapore’s flagship media, The Straits Times, Lianhe Zaobao and The Business Times, on Wednesday and Thursday.

Speakers across the world shared their views on geopolitical hot spots, economic issues, and social governance during the event.

Millions Of Men Finally Get The Cheat Code To The Dating Game

I personally want to thank every modern girl that hopped online to tell us how much they want to be railed by Chad and Tyrone and after they hit the wall, look for guys they ignored for a decade to suddenly want him only for his money and free validation, because now us guys who have red pilled know exactly what play they wanna try the moment we see them and tell them” not interested”. All is becoming right in the world.”

Do you think China’s subsidies for electric vehicles are “distorting” the car market of the European Union as claimed by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen?

This claim or accusation about China subsidizing EV cars is just a loser’s speech.

We Chinese are already surprised about Chinese EV cars being sold in EU with twice of the prices than in China.

Meanwhile, Europeans (mostly Germans) are also surprised about VW EV cars being sold in China with half of the prices than in Germany.

Tesla cars made in China are also cheaper than anywhere else, because of China subsidizing Tesla?


If anything, China’s subsidy about EV cars is “after” the cars got purchased.

There is something in China called “car purchasing tax”, and it’s about 9% of what you pay to the dealer. EV and PHEV cars can enjoy deduction on purchasing tax.

Also, about 45% of gasoline price in China is all kinds of tax and fee. However, the government doesn’t charge car electricity for the same amount. The 45% includes road maintenance fee, which means that it’s now entirely afforded by gasoline and diesel vehicle owners.


Mercedes is still doing good in China, but not the EV part.

In August alone, Mercedes sold 70.8 thousand cars in China, and accumulated sale of over half million cars (527.7 thousand) from January to August in 2023.

However, for EV cars, like EQE, the sales numbers from Jan to Aug are: 289, 421, 730, 48, 1254, 613, 591, and 941.

Only 1 EQC was sold in August.

The 19th highest EV/PHEV sales brand in August is Arcfox, and it sold 1868.


Europeans were too arrogant to develop their EV technologies.

They spent very little in this field, and was convinced that their petrol and diesel cars would keep dominating the world.

It’s why they are left behind.


Plus, this time’s farce is proposed by France, rather than Germany.

Von der Leyen is being supportive to this because she’s an US dog, and would do anything to screw China.

Some Germans have waken up, put down their pride and chose to cooperate with Chinese.

Meanwhile in France, car manufacturers are dying. They need to find a way to stop Germans from getting stronger.


Just like many other topics in EU, this, according to my personal opinion, will not go anywhere.

They would not have a result within 2023, and they will keep arguing in 2024.

If not because of their low efficiency, they would not be in such an embarrassing situation at the first place.

What was the reason for the sudden attack on Israel by Hamas killing innocent people?

Sudden?

Please

This was planned for a long time

It’s execution was FLAWLESS

I repeat FLAWLESS

Military Style than Militant Style

Multiple Incursions, Hostages, Point attacks – coordinated to precision after distracting them by rocket strikes

The vaunted Israeli intelligence was caught off guard completely.

That means a lot of Planning

So it isn’t SUDDEN at all


Why?

Many possibilities

First, the US possibly knew about the attack and turned a blind eye and didn’t warn the Israelis to divert attention from Ukraine and the disaster unfolding out there

It worked. Yesterday the whole coverage was on Palestine and Israel and not on Ukraine or even Chaiyina (China)

Second, Hamas backed by someone powerful, possibly Iran with Hezbollah waiting, decided to take advantage of a West that was completely swamped with Ukraine and an Israel that was desperately short of munitions (Israel gave 360,000 Shells to Ukraine, forced by USA) and decided to launch a strike and escalate things

An Escalation would allow the Russians, Chinese and the Global South to raise hypocrisy slogans against the West comparing Palestinians to Ukranians

If Israel does march into Gaza, the UN would become a battleground of anger and rage

Third, the US plans major war in the Middle East. They plan to launch Israel against Syria & Iran. It could be why China invited Assad and maybe tipped him off


It’s a delicate place today for the world

Especially India

If India support Israel as our friend Achal Gautam says in invading and destroying Gaza, that’s a billion Muslims who will hate India

Many Oil and Gas Producers and the biggest and richest vendors for key projects like Ports or Bridges

Plus most Muslims including the Azeris & Kazakhs and Turkmens and Kyrgyz people will flock to Russia, China and the CSTO

Hell even Turkey will rage against NATO

It would be the worst thing for Israel to blindly attack Gaza in an act of war

It would be fantastic news for Russia and China if Israel invades Gaza

Huawei releases a disruptive quantum chip, disrupting the global semiconductor industry!

This shouldn’t be a surprise as Huawei has been continuously innovating, researching and improving its technology. It has thousands of researchers and scientists continuously doing their best. This undoubtedly will make US/EU to try to surpress and annihilate it.

Should China and Russia send the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to help Palestine overthrow the apartheid regime?

In the past 1900 years, in my impression, the Arabs have not failed the Jews. The destruction of ancient Israel was not caused by the Arabs, but by the Romans. It would be unfair for Israelis to blame the Arabs for the destruction of ancient Israel. The persecution of Jews before and after WWII came from the Nazis in Europe, not the Arabs.

However, the Jews have really done things that are sorry to the Arabs in half a century.

Palestinian Arabs are human beings and should enjoy equal human rights … You can’t go bullying them like that…

As for whether it will become the sixth Middle East war…it is too early to tell. The scale of armed conflict is not that large. This was just a raid, not a full-scale attack. China and Russia will be diplomatically concerned, but will not intervene by force.

And a military raid was not the outcome the Arabs wanted.

All this proves only one thing:

As long as Israel does not abandon its own national exclusionary ideology based on Zionism, and as long as it continues to defend its current policies throughout the Palestinian areas, Israel will always be a country that lives in the shadow of fear, betrayal and repentance.

Iran, from West Asia, and Saudi Arabia, from the Arabian Peninsula, are both large among Muslim countries.

After Iran and Saudi Arabia reconcile, and the Muslim countries put aside their previous infighting, there will be a strong and unified Middle East.

We can understand that the Muslims in the Arab world are most eager for China to raise the anti-American flag due to the continuous aggression and plunder of the Western world, but the demise of the United States will not happen overnight, nor will it happen only militarily, but also economically, culturally, politically, etc., and there will be a slow process.

Maya Angelou always advise the African-American elite to read The prince of Machiavelli, because, she said, without a proper understanding of this book, you won’t understand the western elite. The Prince is their bedside book. it contains the main principle all imperialist applies: “If you want to control the people, separate the people and you can rule them. Divide them and you can conquer them.” Simply put, “divide and conquer.”

If 1.3 billion Muslims were united, it would be a huge force in the world.

Gone are the days when Israel relied on the US to dominate the Middle East. A declining Uncle Sam will not be able to bless Israel for long.

Therefore, the Israelis, if they are smart enough, must be mentally prepared to negotiate peace with the Palestinians and return to the 1967 Palestinian-Israeli borders, otherwise they will not be able to survive in the Arab state crevasse.

Sad Looking Cat Gets Adopted And Purrs For The First Time Ever | The Dodo

Watch this really sad shelter cat become a purring kitten with his new mom after finally getting adopted.

Can the Mate 60 chip developed by Huawei prove the failure of the US technology blockade against China? Can the United States finally succeed in preventing China’s technological upgrade?

Huawei has just unveiled its Mate 60 chip, a stunning feat of technological innovation that shows how the US has failed to stifle China’s rise in the global arena. The US has been waging a relentless campaign of sanctions and restrictions against Huawei and other Chinese firms, hoping to cut them off from the vital resources, software, and markets they need to thrive. But instead of crippling China’s technological ambitions, the US has only spurred them to become more self-reliant and creative.

The Mate 60 chip is the crown jewel of Huawei’s HiSilicon division, which makes chips for smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other gadgets. The chip is based on the most advanced process technology in the industry, the 5-nanometer node. It boasts a powerful octa-core CPU, a Mali-G78 GPU, a dual-core neural processing unit (NPU), and a 5G modem. The chip also supports features that enhance the user experience, such as multi-screen collaboration, smart charging, and more.

The Mate 60 chip is a remarkable achievement for Huawei, especially considering the US technology blockade. Since 2019, the US has put Huawei on its Entity List, which bans US companies from supplying it with software and hardware without a license. The US has also pressured its allies to exclude Huawei from their 5G networks, citing security concerns. As a result, Huawei has lost access to Google’s Android operating system, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips, and other essential components and services.

But Huawei has not given up. It has poured resources into its own research and development to overcome the challenges. It has developed its own operating system, HarmonyOS, which can run on various devices and platforms. It has also increased its self-sufficiency in chip design and production, relying on its HiSilicon division and other partners. Moreover, it has expanded its global presence and cooperation, especially with countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

The Mate 60 chip is not only a breakthrough for Huawei, but also for China’s overall technological development. The chip represents China’s progress in mastering the core technologies of the semiconductor industry, which is crucial for its economic growth and national security. The chip also demonstrates China’s ability to innovate and compete in the global market, despite the US attempts to contain and isolate it. Furthermore, the chip reflects China’s vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, as it seeks to provide high-quality products and services to consumers around the world.

The Mate 60 chip developed by Huawei proves that the US technology blockade against China is doomed to fail. The US cannot stop China’s technological upgrade by imposing unilateral sanctions and restrictions. On the contrary, these actions have only motivated China to enhance its self-reliance and innovation capabilities. The US should realize that cooperation is better than confrontation in the field of science and technology, and that both countries can benefit from mutual learning and exchange.

What is the oddest weather you’ve experienced?

One afternoon in 1985 on a nice sunny day when I was working outside about half an hour North of Toronto I felt a sudden hot gust of wind, a very strong gust.

I turned around and looked at where the wind came from and I saw the sky, it was swirling all around, kind of like waves hitting a beach.

But that’s not what surprised me, it was the colour of the sky that I’ll never forget. It was green! The clouds were literally forest green, swirling around with dark gray clouds, in a fluid way that I had never seen before.

The clouds were also very close to the ground and were coming towards me fast.

I called out to my coworkers who hadn’t noticed yet and said we had better take shelter. They turned around and the colour drained from their faces, we looked at each other and ran across the field to the main building which was made of brick.

Not two minutes later day turned to night and it started pouring rain. All we did was look out the window at the raw violence of the storm until it passed less than half an hour later.

Little did we know at the time that just a few miles North of us a category F4 tornado had just devastated the city of Barrie.

It was totally unprecedented at the time, none of us believed our ears when we heard it on the radio.

Canada doesn’t have tornadoes, and certainly not category F4 tornadoes!

We were all in disbelief, that is until we got home and saw the destruction with our own eyes on television.

It was the only thing everyone talked about for over a month.

Foxconn has repeatedly requested to OEM for Huawei Mate60, but Huawei has sternly rejected it.

Huawei is now no.1 mobile phone manufacturer and it doesn’t need Qualcomm anymore to supply the chips. Qualcomm has betrayed Huawei by giving up Its relationship with Huawei and Huawei doesn’t need Qualcomm as an OEM anymore as its quality is below Huawei’s standard. Now that Huawei can mass produce the Kirin 9000s chips it certainly doesn’t need Qualcomm but domestic China’s OEM instead.

US Deploys at least nine B-2 Stealth Bombers to Europe

World Hal Turner

The United States on Friday allegedly deployed at least nine (9) — and reportedly “dozens”–  of B-2, nuclear-capable, Stealth Bombers to Europe on Friday.  Those aircraft are specifically designed for a nuclear first-strike.

Video posted publicly, reportedly shows the deployment as it took place:

<video not available>

This deployment came just one day after Russian President Vladimir Putin said publicly that if an enemy launches a nuclear attack upon Russia, “hundreds of our missiles will be in the air against ALL our enemies, in ALL directions — and there will be no survivors”

Surprise Attack Stuns Israel; WaPo: Ukraine Despair War Unwinnable; EU Granada Summit Shambles

Surprise Attack Stuns Israel; WaPo: Ukraine Despair War ‘Unwinnable’; EU Granada Summit ‘Shambles’; Huge Rus Missile Drone Strikes Topic 987

Palestine Is Striking Back

October 5 2023:

Over 800 Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa compound during Jewish Sukkot holiday

More than 800 Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday morning under the protection of Israeli forces.

Rabbis, heads of settlement associations, and far-right university lecturers were among 832 people who forced their way into the religious site compound, a source in the Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem told The New Arab’s Arabic sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Israeli forces imposed severe restrictions on Muslim worshippers entering Al-Aqsa and those under 60 were prevented from accessing the site.

It comes during the Jewish religious holiday of Sukkot, which started on 29 September and ends on Friday. The holiday has seen thousands of Israeli extremists storm the Al-Aqsa compound, with almost 1,500 entering the site on Monday.

Israeli extremists also continued on Thursday to hold provocative marches both inside Jerusalem’s Old City and outside its walls, attacking Palestinians and their property.

They also beat and spat at journalists in a market area near Al-Aqsa, where shops were forced to close for the sixth day in a row.

The Old City is home to Al-Aqsa as well as the Western Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

The Al-Aqsa compound is the third holiest site in Islam and the most important Muslim place in Palestine.

October 7 2023:

Escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

This morning, the Islamic Jihad group announced the start of the Al-Aqsa Flood operation, igniting another local war against Israel. They formally cited regular oppression and attempts on Al-Aqsa as reasons, where local Arab worshippers have been repressed repeatedly (in addition, there have been raids against the Islamic Jihad in Jenin over the past few weeks).

The operation began quite dramatically: a naval landing was carried out in the north of the Gaza Strip, and there are also reports of airborne landings – someone parachuted into rear cities.

After three hours of fighting, the group successfully captured a military base in the town of Kerem Shalom: there are enough images on social media of killed IDF servicemen and captured equipment (there are also photos of a burnt “Merkava” tank). This is a huge base on the border with Egypt. To put it mildly, the trophy is very valuable.

▪️As of now, fighting is still ongoing in Netiv HaAsara, Berri, and Sderot. Panic has gripped the population of bordering villages, with footage of people fleeing on foot. The Israel Defense Forces began retaliatory strikes only after 10 in the morning. The Israeli Ministry of Defense has stated outright that Hamas has gone to war with them, and at 10:30, the official start of the Iron Swords counter-terrorism operation was announced.

This is likely to escalate. It is impossible to predict when or how this will end.

Posted by b on October 7, 2023 at 9:05 UTC | Permalink

Israel-Hamas War Update. Israeli General captured by Hamas. 200 Israelis and 232 Palestinians killed

Hamas coming in on hang-glider parachutes was pretty awesome not going to lie.

According to research, China leads the world in 37 out of 44 technologies and the gap is widening. Do you believe that the world is safe with future technology in the hands of China?

Yes.

A lot lot lot safer under the Chinese than the west.

What did the west did with technology for the last 400 years?

They use the technology to loot and plunder the entire world. Many of the loot are in the western museums today! Or worn on the crowns of western monarchs till today.

They use the technology to enslave Africans and coloured people to do menial task for the west. They snagged islands like collecting sea shells and corals. Hawaii, Guan, Falklands, Gibraltar and another hundreds of islands are still under the west.

They carry out genocides to steal continents such as the Americas and Australia. They abused, steal, raped and murder throughout the entire world. They colonised and destroyed the people living there and stole everything of value!

They continue virtual colonialism after physical colonisation is not possible through what they termed international rules based international order. They took control the entire worlds economy, and wealth. They continue to use the technology to threaten every nation and non Caucasian societies including Slavs and non European citizens.

And you question if China can be trusted with the technology? What kind of logic apart from racist rhetoric do you have?

Why did Hamas think attacking nuclear-armed and USA-allied Israel would be a good idea?

Desperation.

For years, the Arab states have been moving towards normalizing relations with Israel. Hamas counts upon the support of Arab states, both material and financial, to exist, since it has very limited means of its own.

Normalized Arab-Israeli relations would be the coup de grace for Hamas and the “Palestinian liberation” movement. Because a precondition of normalized relations with Israel would be ceasing support to Hamas.

Part of the reason why Arab states were warming up to Israel was that Arab leaders have been losing faith in the Palestinian forces for decades now and an improvement for the Palestinians was nowhere in sight.

Regardless of where you stand on this conflict, it’s hard to argue that Palestinian forces have had much in the way of success recently (or ever, for that matter), having lost land to Israel almost continously since Israel’s inception. The reasons for this are not surprising. Palestine isn’t really even a nation, at this point, it’s two paltry strips of impoverished land run by a corrupt elite and barely educated militants with no resources of their own. They are facing a prosperous, well-organized nation state with a highly competent military and the direct support of the world’s premier powers. It was never going to turn out well for them.

And I suppose the Arabs were tired of tying their money up in so clearly a lost cause. Oh sure, they still outwardly broadcast support for Palestine for religious reasons and internal appeasement (most Arab Muslims are extremely against any reproachment with Israel), but I suspect they have been planning a move away from being active stakeholders in the Israel-Palestine conflict for a while.

So why the attack from Hamas now? Well it’s an obvious attempt to sabotage the normalization of relations across the ME, which would have sounded the death knell for them. I cannot imagine the Hamas leadership were going to stand idle and let the war coffers they plunder empty out. So they attacked Israel, performing the attack in a way that would cause the most severe reaction from the Israelis. Massacring Jews, abducting Jews, the whole shabang. They were trying to force Israel into the largest possible retaliation against them (they might have succeeded), and thereby force the Arab powers into taking a stance against said Israeli retaliation. That’s my only explanation for this attack. Otherwise, the immediate tactical value of killing a few hundred Israeli civilians eludes me.

And it seems to have worked…for now.

Many of the Arab nations previously moving towards normalized relations with Israel have now performed a sudden U-turn, mostly for reasons of posturing (and possibly gaining leverage out of the situation). But I don’t think this will last long. Some of the Gulf states didn’t even openly side with Palestine this time, the UAE came out with this statement;

“The UAE calls for the exercise of maximum restraint and an immediate ceasefire to avoid serious repercussions,”

I imagine most of the Arab powers see that the writing is on the wall for Hamas. There is no possible way that having poked the Israeli bear, Hamas is going to be able to effectively resist any Israeli-counter operation. Afterall, the Israeli army is a world-class professional fighting force, and Hamas is a glorified militia at best, fighting on very little land, completely trapped and encircled. Or to be brief, they’re f*cked.

I suppose once the Arab countries can extract some personal benefit/concession out of the situation, they will perform another U-turn and go back to ditching Palestine. I can see Saudi Arabia’s shallow declaration of support for Hamas disappearing once the Saudi’s can get some sort of security deal with the US in exchange for re-normalizing relations with Israel.

Regardless, the long-term outlook for Hamas is poor. This was a desperate, flailing attempt to gain some short-term ground in “reuniting the Ummah” and gain an [im]moral victory against Israel.

But in time, I think, they will come to regret it.

HE’S BASED !! Oliver Anthony – Rich Mans Gold | REACTION

Thanks for a great video and reaction! I love the message, and you wound it up wonderfully! God bless you, and yours!

World should be prepared for sustained high inflation in US — Global Times

The outbreak of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has driven up oil prices again, while a potential oil crisis could risk putting the Fed’s inflation fight in jeopardy, adding uncertainties to the global economic recovery.

The US and Venezuela have progressed in talks that could provide sanctions relief to Caracas by allowing at least one additional foreign oil firm to take Venezuelan crude oil for debt repayment, Reuters reported on Monday, citing five anonymous sources.

The timing of the news seems delicate, as it comes at a time when oil prices keep rising on market fears of the Middle East conflict exacerbating supply tightness. On Monday, global benchmark Brent Crude rose 4.2 percent to $88.15 a barrel, while US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose 4.3 percent to $86.38 per barrel.

Both Brent Crude and WTI remained around their Monday closing levels during Tuesday’s trading. The regained upward momentum contrasted with a drop of more than 8 percent in global oil prices over the previous week.

Apparently, the US releasing information through media outlets over potential sanctions relief on oil-exporting country Venezuela serves as a reminder to the market that even if the Israeli-Palestinian conflict brings uncertainty to crude oil supply in the Middle East, the US may be able to affect oil prices in other ways.

If the US does ease sanctions on Venezuelan crude oil, then an immediate effect would be an increase in supply to the world oil market and a fall in oil prices.

However, even though it is not clear how oil prices will unfold, US anxiety about high oil prices triggering high inflation is almost certain. At a time when the Fed’s monetary tightening policy has approached its limit, if the Israeli-Palestinian conflict leads to a sustained rebound in global crude prices, then it will certainly disrupt the interest rate hiking cycle of the Fed.

If the Fed continues to hike interest rates to curb inflation, the US economy will likely slip into a recession. A worse scenario for the Fed could be that the economy falls into a recession with the inflation rate still high.

While some may argue that since neither Palestine nor Israel is a major oil-producing country, the impact on the oil market is limited, and the conflict may not last long. Yet, market fears about the Middle East situation are not unfounded. There are no reliable indications of whether the conflict will end soon or lead to wider regional instability. If it escalates to involve more Middle East nations, it could threaten crude supply by the surrounding major oil-producing countries. The Middle East is home to some of the world’s biggest oil producers, including Iran and Saudi Arabia, as well as key transit routes such as the Strait of Hormuz, which is known as the world’s most important “oil chokepoint.”

The US will try its best to avoid the worst-case scenario. Diplomatic efforts may convince Saudi Arabia, Iran and Venezuela to increase their oil production to relieve its inflation pressure. But it needs to be reminded that given the past oil crises in the Middle East that caused great volatility in the global crude market, the psychological impact of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the crude market shouldn’t be underestimated. As long as the conflict remains unresolved, the impact will remain.

Also, since the Biden administration has already released several batches of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for the purpose of reining in high inflation, the remaining stocks may not be as sufficient as they were during previous oil crises. It is disturbing to think how few tools the US has left to affect inflation.

Can the Fed’s monetary policy withstand the test of this round of oil market volatility? If the Fed changes the pace of rate hikes because of the Middle East situation, then the risk of a US recession will increase significantly.

At that point, even the world economic recovery will face greater difficulties. That will also create more challenges for the Chinese economy, especially in terms of the spillover effect of US rate hikes and China’s cooperation with the Middle East. In this sense, essential preparations are needed for the potential shocks.

King Abdullah II of Jordan Orders Humanitarian Aid to Gaza; IDF Says “no”

World Hal Turner

King Abdullah II of Jordan, in coordination with the Egyptian Government, has reportedly ordered the Delivery of Humanitarian Aid to the Gaza Strip through the Rafah Border Crossing.

However the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) is continuing to state that any Supply Trucks that attempt to enter the Gaza Strip through Egypt will be Destroyed.

The government of Israel needs to remind it IDF that THEY do not make policy; the civilian government makes policy.   The government of Israel also needs to remind the IDF that THEY do not get to starve people to death, which, now that Israel has formally declared “War” would be a war crime.  A crime against Humanity.

Hal Turner Editorial Opinion: We all see and know the ferocious and horrifying situation that now exists in Israel with the ongoing war.  Israel absolutely, positively, has a right to defend itself and its people.   On this, there is no disagreement.  None.   At all.

Israel does NOT, however, get to throw out all the rules of war — or humanity — and starve 2.3 Million people to death in Gaza.  That’s not a tactic, that’s Genocide – and it is not allowed. Period. Full stop.

What were the worst two minutes of your life?

I was 20. I was going to college and working.

It was late one night after a summer rain. I came upon a light truck that had slid off the road and flipped.

I stopped and ran to the truck and found a 16 year old kid impaled on a fence post and bleeding out. He was dying and he knew it. He was crying, calling for his mother and saying I don’t want to die over and over.

I told him I was going for help and he said please don’t let me die alone. I stayed with that kid, held him as he died.

It really messed me up. The cops thought I was a victim too because I had his blood all over me.

The paramedics gave me a shot and took me to hospital. They told me that’s the only way I’d let him go. Maybe I thought if I’d hung onto him he’d be all right.

I’d never met the kid but I would have given my life if he could have lived.

They kept me in the hospital a few days. Cops and paramedics came to see me. We talked a lot. The first time you come across a scene like that is a horror. If you aren’t ready for it, it’ll mess you up. I went down the drain in a haze of booze and drugs.

I had a bad case of PTSD. Every time I closed my eyes, that kid was there. In his eyes was the plea don’t let me die and there was nothing I could do.

Six months later I was in rehab.

I worked with a shrink. For another six months. I haven’t had a drink or drug since.

The nightmares are rare now. I learned how fragile and precious life is and, how quickly that can change in a matter of seconds.

How did Amazon fail in China?

Thanks for the A2A.


Answer: The Chinese market and regulations were vastly different. Amazon’s business operations worldwide were essentially stripped downed clones of their American operations. In the early days (early 2000s), Amazon China either didn’t have the authority, or simply arrogance prevented them to adapt-and-improve to the local reality. By the time Amazon China wanted to adapt-and-improve in the early 2010s, it was already too late. AWS is a different case, thou.

Just give an example:

Amazon and eBay arrived on China’s e-commerce scene in its formative years in the early 2000s. Amazon and eBay started off with absolute dominance. However, in the early 2000s, e-commerce in China was tiny, especially outside B2B. One common obstacle was the lack of credit cards. Buyers had to submit payments via wire transfers from their nearest post offices. In case of a fraud, it was nearly impossible to recover the losses.

Then, Alibaba/Taobao, a minor player at the time, launched Alipay, an online payment escrow service. Very soon, Taobao wiped eBay out who also happened to be in online auction business.

Why did eBay or Amazon not preempt AliPal? After all, eBay owned PayPal.

There were a whole bunch of missed opportunities for Amazon China in the following years.

China is Decoupling From the US

Damn! This is great.

If there is one video that you MUST watch from start to finish, this is it!

Carl Zha talks to @TheRedPillDiariesOfficial about how the US attempt to decouple from China has actually led to China decoupling from the US which only results in more isolation of the West from the rest of the World. US money printing and financial sanctions also led to acceleration of de-dollarization in the rest of the world.

How did you get revenge on your boss?

I was the editor for a small daily newspaper in texas. I had four reporters and a photographer on my team.

Newspapers are notorious for not paying overtime, even though it is the law in most cases.

They forced the employees to work 50–60 hours a week and to turn in a 40-hour time card, so they got paid no overtime. The bad thing was, I was the one who had to tell them to work. The only option was to work without pay or get fired, and people needed a job so they stayed.

I secretly kept meticulous records. I had each employee fill out their real hours on a time card and give it to me. I took notes of every conversation.

I eventually got fired because a story that I didn’t know about didn’t get in the paper. Should not have been that big of a deal, but I was relieved.

My first order of business was to contact the labor board in the state. I gave them all the actual hours, and copies of the time cards the employees were forced to sign. Along with notes about conversations I had.

A few weeks later the paper was fined several thousand dollars, had to pay every employee, including me, backpay with overtime. The company fired my boss as well. That was a good piece of revenge

What are things men have to go through that women either do not understand or have empathy for?

Today, I took my dog to the dog park. It’s his favorite place in the world. I sat there and was watching him run around with the other dogs.

A young girl, maybe six years old, walked up to me. She said hi and asked if I wanted to see something.

I said “sure.” There were maybe six other adults there, so I knew I was somewhat protected by witnesses. She said she could “run as fast as a velociraptor.” It was really cute. She took off about 20 yards and ran back.

I said that was really cool and asked where she learned about velociraptors. She said “school.” I thought it was nice to hear a kid talk about something they learned in school.

I asked which school she goes to. But before she could answer, I stopped her. I interrupted “never mind. Don’t answer that.” I immediately got up and walked to another bench.


I don’t think most women could understand how nervous I was for that minute. I was terrified of being labeled, had she told her adult supervisor that I asked her that question.

I think any woman would feel perfectly comfortable having a conversation like that with a six year old boy. But no man is completely safe in a situation like that.

How do I respectfully and tactfully tell someone that I can’t split the bill at a restaurant when their portion is way more than mine?

I got caught once at a dinner out with people from work. I heard one check and thought we’ll we can do the math, and I ordered according to my means. I don’t drink alcohol, and watched evryone else had a pre-dinner cocktail, then several bottles of wine with dinner, plus they each ordered dessert. So I knew what I owed plus 20% of my own tab. But the lead of tne event, a little tipsy announces “let’s divide the check 11 ways”. I took a deep breath, and said but Mary Kate, I didn’t have any cocktails or wine, or dessert. I was surprised when a waiter stepped forward and supported that he kept jote that I had NOT had any of those extras. So therexwas silence and eye rolling, but I gave my amount including tip. Then they equally divided the rest. I saved myself 65.00. Tvwas awkward but I offered some folks rides home for free. I was never invited to another girls night out, but others did approach me at work quietly saying they didn’t drink more than one cocktail and felt stuck paying the big excess. So for the rest of my life I Che k before going out, how are we splitting the bill tonight? Then I can decline in advance. I’m not cheap, but careful with my money I work hard for, and when the money is to cover everyone else’s booze, no thanks.

UK Rail Thoughts

Expensive high speed railway farce of UK shows it isn’t a competitor to China

In the 19th century, Britain was the nation which invented the railway. The landmark invention of the steam engine, known as “Stephenson’s Rocket,” was a creation which revolutionized the world and became a pinnacle of building the modern, industrialized world, connecting nations and enabling trade like never before. It was through the genius of this innovation that Britain excelled against its competitors and established itself as a global empire, a scientific, technological and military giant which allowed it to dominate and subjugate countless countries, including China.

Yet, Britain today pales in comparison to its historical achievements, as it struggles to even muster the organization, funding and political will to build a second high speed railway. This project, known as High Speed 2 (HS2), has proven to be one of the most controversial, politically contested and expensive infrastructure projects in British history, with a report from Channel 4 stating its costs could spiral upward to 108 billion pounds ($131.6 billion). The railway was designed to connect Britain’s largest two cities, London and Birmingham, cutting transportation time to just an hour, but it was also envisioned to extend to other major cities including Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh, connecting all the economic centres of the country.

That isn’t happening. As the costs of construction continue to grow, and as the date of completion continues to get pushed back, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has lost the political will to pursue it and decided to effectively scrap the northern link, instead proposing to shoehorn the trains onto existing lines.

There are several factors which have contributed to this scaling back, but all are the government’s fault. This includes disastrous policy choices including full-throttle escalation of the war in Ukraine, which the government has devoted billions to, and the subsequent onslaught of inflation and economic stagnation, mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also more subtly, the government’s decision to, at the behest of the US, pursue an antagonistic foreign policy toward China against its national interests.

How are China and HS2 linked? First of all, at the end of 2019, the Boris Johnson government proposed to the press that China Railway Corp be used as the contractor for HS2. This was the most effective, reliable and cheapest option available. Not only would the project have been completed far earlier, but it would have also been far less expensive. The following year, Britain reset its foreign policy on China at the influence of the US, and the whole thing went out the window. With that policy shift, Britain began effectively sabotaging its own infrastructure development to suit US preferences. The costs of Britain banning Huawei from its 5G network, to take just one example, have been astronomical.

China’s high speed railway record speaks for itself. Meanwhile, Britain is struggling to connect just two major cities just 117 miles (188 kilometres) apart, China has built a comprehensive high speed railway network within the scope of just 15 years, which as of 2022, spans 42,000 kilometres and is still growing. It is possible to travel across the entire country in just seven hours from Shenzhen to Beijing. In 25 years, Britain has only managed to complete one high speed network (HS1), which is in fact a transnational route which goes to France, the Netherlands and Belgium, making it a joint collaboration rather than a distinctly “British” achievement.

The fundamental reason behind Britain’s failure to move ahead with high speed railway is that its infrastructure is a series of privately owned, for-profit franchises, without any subsidies, which substantially drives up the costs and also limits investment in the infrastructure simultaneously. Even without considering the High Speed Rail, the quality of British railways is astonishingly poor and behind most of its European counterparts. This model has also been bad for the workers, which has led to routine industrial action and strikes throughout the year of 2022-23, making services unreliable. This contrasts sharply to China’s state-led model of development which is superior to the British railway system in every single way.

This makes the comparison ironic given that Britain sees China as a “competitor” and a “threat to its economic security.” Britain is a stagnating, declining country while China is the world’s second largest economy, and rather than learning from China’s development successes and courting Chinese investment, the UK has made the bizarre choice to “cut its nose off to spite its face” and antagonise Beijing to suit US interests.

But what have they got to show for it? The answer is a single high speed rail route spanning into the cost of more than 100 billion pounds which has taken decades to build and has to be scaled back from its original plans. This is the country which invented the railway, but now finds itself falling behind at an alarming rate. This means shunning Chinese companies was one of the most expensive and short-sighted decisions taken by politicians in recent years, among many other things.

Saudi Arabia Rejects US, Gives $70 Billion Order To China!

“I like watching the US suffer it’s like seeing a bully get punished, it’s amazing.”

https://youtu.be/tEWQ61LaIkw

What was the most British thing anyone ever said?

My wife and I were walking with our youngest over the old bridge between Lichfield Cathedral and the market place. A lovely spring day. I’m British, my wife isn’t.

A young man came dashing past the end of the bridge, a police officer in hot pursuit. They both vanished from view rapidly.

We stopped to read the information board about the historic bridge. A few minutes later, the suspect and the copper came walking back, a little out of breath. We overheard their conversation.

Copper: “Sorry for running after you like that, mate. But you were running away.”

Suspect: “Yeah, sorry about that, mate. I shouldn’t have run, but I didn’t want to get caught.”

My wife stood open-jawed. I didn’t quite see why it was so unusual. I mean, just because they’re trying to arrest you doesn’t mean police officers should be rude or unsympathetic. Just because they may have done something the law may forbid doesn’t mean someone has to be abusive.

We continued to eavesdrop.

Copper, leading suspect to a park bench, where they both sat down, “Are you ready to give me your name and address, or do you want a bit of a breather first?”

Suspect, “You don’t have a cigarette, do you?”

Copper, pulling a packet of fags from his breast pocket and handing it to the suspect, “Here you go.”

As he lit the man’s cigarette, the police van arrived. Copper: “Just finish your smoke and we’ll finish the details at the station.”

I told my wife there was a good chance the cop didnt smoke, but kept a handy packet to help put people at ease.

She’s told friends and family in several countries about that. It is, she says, absolutely the most British thing she’s witnessed: a cop apologising for arresting someone who apologised for trying to run away.

If this story has failed to entertain or amuse, all I can say is sorry. And what could be more British than that?

What are the biggest lessons you have learned in the corporate world?

Going Anonymous, because most of my colleagues are my followers and vice-versa.

I’m a male professional. I have had only 2+ years of experience in one of the fortune 500 companies.

Sharing my top 6 learning so far, being honest:)

1. To ensure that your peers, immediate supervisor, or your manager don’t take your effort and time for granted.

2. I have learnt to document, I mean, putting everything on emails, which is a must!! Trust, team work, and other fancy words come next. This is one of the most important lessons I have learnt, after many betrayals from my peers.

3. Don’t expect your supervisor or lead to talk for you, say for example: nominating you for awards or acknowledging your efforts in front of the team. Instead, if you really expect awards,remember you have tongue!

4. I have good relationship with many female co-workers. But, if something goes wrong, say for example an argument regarding work or something. If they want to take it further and make your life miserable, you’ll be the victim for sure, trust me.

5. Whenever I have had discussions with my manager, I have gotten very angry because of her bad review comments. FYI, I have not received any negating feedback from the stakeholders (Also, not any appreciation) . But, after each discussion, I have worked on my skills and added them to my resume. Remember, at last, only that matters is what is in it for you and am hoping to get a new job with a good hike.

6. Don’t show that you badly want to be in the job, although you have debts to pay, pretend to be confident. Otherwise, you’ll end up doing loads of work, which you are not supposed to do.

Rich Men North Of Richmond [ @TheMarineRapper Remix]

Nice remix.

UKRAINE SOLD WEAPONS TO HAMAS – USED AGAINST ISRAEL

World Hal Turner

During the intense fighting which broke out yesterday between HAMAS and Israel, astonishing things took place.  Despite the most advanced intelligence and surveillance systems in the world, Palestinians allegedly broke through into Israel — somehow un-noticed by all the surveillance gear.

One Israeli Border Guard told me “Our systems could see if a Bird was flying-in; yet authorities would have us believe they couldn’t see dozens of Palestinians on motorized para-gliders in the air?  It’s simply not possible.  They let this happen on purpose.”

Another Israeli told me “MOSSAD knows when these people, HAMAS, take a dump in the bathroom, yet we’re supposed to believe MOSSAD had no idea this gigantic operation was being planned?”

Israel has the best intelligence on its neighbors of any nation on earth. Israel has lots of “assets” embedded in these various “terrorist” organizations, as well as SIGINT (including U.S. satellite data) which allows Israel to always have a finger on the pulse of these organizations.

There is no way in hell that a coordinated, major attack involving about 1,000 Hamas fighters, sea-based/ land-based/ aerial attacks could have been planned, coordinated, and executed without Israeli intelligence getting wind of it. 0% chance.

Others had similar statements of anger and disbelief.  One IDF soldier who saw Palestinians use a Drone to destroy an Israeli Merkava Tank said “Where did the Palestinians get drones with armor-piercing explosives?  That technology is being used in the Ukraine-Russia conflict.  How did it suddenly appear here, in Israel?” 

Other IDF soldiers pointed to Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM) being used against Israeli Security Forces.  He said “These are weapons being seen on the Ukraine battlefields, how did they get into the Gaza Strip?”

Then, in the midst of the fighting, this video came out: HAMAS thanking Ukraine for selling them weapons to be used against Israel:

The most raging questions had to do with alleged “electronic jamming” that was said to have taken place as the Palestinians with para-gliders flew across the border into Israel.  According to numerous sources on both sides, “electronic warfare” technology was allegedly used to jam Israeli radar and other surveillance gear.  Said one Israeli “Only the Russians have gear to carry out such effective jamming – how did the Palestinians get it?”

That seems to be the most burning question right now since videos are also out showing armed Palestinian fighters para-glding into a massive “RAVE” party inside Israel:

The answers all see to point to yesterday’s outbreak of violence as “payback” to Israel, from Russia, over Israel’s support of Ukraine, and over Israel’s supplying of weapons and technology to Azerbaijan, which used it against Armenia again over the past two weeks, to seize Nagorno-Karaback and send 100,000 Armenians fleeing for their lives.

If this conclusion about Russia is correct, then one might ask, how much farther all this fighting in Israel may go?  Will Israel still exist when this is over?  Maybe.  Maybe not.

One official with whom I spoke overnight told me “Israel is suffering from Desertification of its land; the ground water table is receding 25 meters a year and soon, there won’t be enough arable land to support the continued existence of Israel.  But . . . quite coincidentally . . . there is now rich, arable land, in the center of Europe, where half its population has either fled or been killed, that would suit a relocation of Israel:   Ukraine.   Maybe they’ll all move there.” 

Gee.  What a coincidence.

As for those asking “Why are the Palestinians so violent towards Israel?”  the answer has been on maps for years, right in front of everyone’s eyes.  Below is the reality from the time “Israel” was created in 1949, until today.   The White areas are “Israel” and the Green are “Palestinian.”  Look at what has happened to the Palestinians in their own land, since 1949:

The Palestinians have been systematically purged from their land, their homes, and their freedom.   THAT is the root of this hatred.  It’s not going away.

They never show you this map on the news. That’s because it provides the crucial context necessary to anyone wanting to understand the Israel/Palestine situation.

How do I become very successful in my early twenties?

A young man with mental health problems just walked into the coffee shop while I was writing on Quora.

He’s strong and looks normal, but he can’t stop talking to himself.

He’s talking continuously to himself, and every few steps he takes, he does a quick ‘Michael-Jackson-turn’ and then continues walking forward.

Witnessing this individual with no self control helped me not only to feel grateful but also helped give me the answer to this question.

I have written several times about my own mind-battles. I’ve always struggled with ADD and possibly dyslexia. The consequences of this “lack of brain control” made me a terrible student academically.

Failing classes at school killed my self-confidence. These struggles shaped my childhood.

So, where am I going with all of this?

There’s a hidden secret to success, but it demands an open mind to understand it and humility to implement it.


So, to answer your question, how can you become very successful in your early twenties?

I could answer this with a huge list of “best practices,” but as I’ve learned NONE of those work if you don’t first master yourself.

What do I mean?

Some examples:

  • Are YOU in control of yourself, or are your fears controlling you?
  • Are YOU in control of your life, or is your need to please other people controlling you?
  • Do you know your strengths and your weaknesses, or are you hiding and ignoring your weaknesses with distractions or numbing addictions?
  • Do you struggle with depression, anxieties or other emotional issues?

But hold on!

Remember what I said before?

There’s a hidden secret to success which demands an OPEN mind to understand, and HUMILITY to implement it.”

Open: Learn to listen!

Humility: Stop hiding and being defensive!

That’s the fastest road to success!

It wasn’t until I stopped running and hiding who I really was that change started to happen in my life. Over the years, I had developed the strength to fit into this competitive world, but I was fooling myself, not everyone else.

Maturing and accepting who I was, and starting to work on those strengths and weaknesses is when I started to grow to my fullest potential!

There’s still a long journey ahead…


Whether we recognize it or not, we’re all imperfect human beings. There’s NO person on earth who doesn’t struggle with some kind of mental/emotional issue.

Well, excuse me… except you!

If you are or feel “perfect,” go on and keep doing what you’re doing… good luck!

For those of us who have been humbled by the battlefield of life, this is your way to success:

Self-Awareness is your best friend!


Like a wild horse — you may be the fastest “horse” in the world, but if you are not ‘tamed’ you will NEVER win the race!

The Uncomfortable Study That Ended Affirmative Action | 𝘋𝘳. 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘈𝘳𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸

Interesting stuff. I remember reading a few years ago about some other work this professor was involved in. It had to do with the etymological implications of contemporary media figures and their pseudonyms, and ended up concluding that Destiny was a woman’s name.

How would a 1950s-style American cheeseburger and fries stand up to todays? Were the milkshakes real back then?

My Father, Grandfather and Uncle were partners in a restaurant business in the 1950–70’s. This was before fast food existed. My grandfather had started teaching me how to cook when I was 4-5 years old. This is around 1960. When I was 10, I started going there on Sunday and did some bits of work. A year or two later I was working there evenings and weekends, peeling potatoes and making fries, food prep, waiting tables, washing dishes and floors.

I learned how to make milkshakes and all the desserts. Milkshakes were one scoop of ice cream, fill to the line in the metal cup with homogenized milk (no 2% in those days) and two squirts of syrup. The ice cream flavor and the syrup matched the flavor the customer ordered. We had Chocolate, Strawberry and Vanilla and that was typical of the selection in those days. The contents of the metal cup was usually larger than the glass that we served it in, so after we filled the glass, we took both the glass and the remaining in the metal cup to the customer’s table.

I also cooked and ate hamburgers regularly. My father ground the meat and he put some seasoning and egg into the mixture. When he was done, we manually made balls of meat, flattened them into hamburger size and put them in a stack, first a burger, then a small sheet of wax paper. I think the size was about 7 inches diameter and 1/4 inch thick. These would shrink when cooked to about 5 inches diameter and 1/2 inch thick. We put these stacks of burgers in the freezer. Each time someone ordered a burger, we would take one out and fry it up. The buns were simple buns like hamburger buns you’d buy at the grocers. I think the meat tasted much better than any fast food we have today. It tasted like a hamburger you’d buy in a good restaurant, you could taste the meat. The cheese was also real cheese, not the processed stuff you have today. It came with a slice of onion and tomato, 2 slices of real bacon was extra. Condiments were mustard, relish and ketchup.

Historically, what are some of the strangest and most absurd military plans that actually worked?

I think this has got to be the story of the Dutch minesweeper HNLMS Abraham Crijnssen. It was 1941, when the Japanese suddenly attacked Dutch East Indies, as well as other colonies in southeast Asia. The minesweeper found itself suddenly in danger of the sophisticated Japanese aircraft and patrolling ships.

The remaining Dutch Navy was ordered to link up with the Australian navy, but Abraham Crijnssen was stuck all alone in Indonesia, armed with a single 76mm gun turret and two 20mm auto cannons. It had no chance to fight off really anything. So the crew decided to camouflage the entire ship, as an island. They cut down a bunch of jungle foliage, and painted what they couldn’t cover as sand or rock.

They only sailed at night, because during the day, the water ripples would have been visible from the air. During the day they simply anchored close to shore appearing as a small island – one of many along the Indonesian shore.

She arrived in Australia in March 1942, without being detected by the Japanese.

Iran President warns Israel against warmongering

October 8, 2023 – 23:24

TEHRAN – Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned the Israeli regime against making warmongering steps, saying that equations in the region have changed.

President Raisi also spoke over the phone with Esmail Haniyeh, the chief of Hamas political bureau, and Ziyad Nakhala, the secretary-general of the Islamic Jihad Movement.

The Iranian president also issued a message on the situation in Palestine. He welcomed the Palestinian operation against the Zionist regime of Israel, saying that the operation frightened and startled the world of oppression.

He said the Palestinians took the initiative and showed that the steely determination prevails over all kinds of weaponry.

The Iranian president underlined that the Islamic Republic of Iran invites all the world to observe the truth that the accumulation of oppression and injustice against the Palestinian people, the continuation of insults to the women and prisoners, and sacrilege to Al-Aqsa Mosque cannot last forever and will be met with resistance by nations.

“Undoubtedly, the Zionist regime and its supporters are responsible for endangering the security of the nations of the region and must be held accountable. The Islamic Republic defends the legitimate defense of the Palestinian nation,” he said, according to IRNA.

Raisi asserted, “The honor of the nations is not obtained in reconciliation with oppression; And it is impossible to normalize the captivity of the free nation of Palestine.”

President Raisi also asked the Muslim governments to join the Islamic Ummah in supporting the Palestinian nation honestly.

Underlining that belligerence is detrimental to the Zionists, Raisi warned, “The Zionist enemy should also know that the equation has changed; Warmongering is detrimental to the Zionists. The Palestinian nation is the winner of this field.”

Palestinian attack turned the collapse nightmare into certainty: General

A senior Iranian general has said that the Saturday attack by Palestinian resistance groups against Israel turned the nightmare of collapse of Israel into a reality for the leaders of the Israeli regime.

In a message about the Palestinian attack, General Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of joint staff of Iran’s armed forces, said, “Al-Aqsa Storm turned the nightmare of collapse of the Zionist regime into a certainty for the leaders of this regime, and proved that some desperate efforts like the normalization charade will not be able to slow down or postpone the process of the decline and collapse of the spider web.”

General Bagheri was referring the Palestinian attack, code-named Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, which caught the Israeli regime off guard.

The Iranian general described the operation as “hybrid and proud” that took down the false redoubtable image and power of the occupying regime of Israel.

“The Palestinian resistance fighters, in this surprise operation that they prepared from the air, sea and land against the positions of the Zionist army, brought to the fore brilliant scenes of the resistance and standing of a suffering and oppressed nation,” General Bagheri said in the message.

He added, “A nation that, after several decades of imposed oppression, now with the support of the young motivated generation relying on Islam and under the shadow of trust in the divine promise, has achieved such a power that it has astonished the analysts and military strategists of the world.”

He pointed out that at some point, the defenseless nation of Palestine used to defend themselves with stones, but today they reached a point where they are able to pull off complex hybrid operations using thousands of rockets and missiles to denigrate the Israeli missile defense system Iron Dome.

“These defense weapons, when combined with the spirit of martyrdom of motivated Palestinian youth, produce such a power that it brings the Zionist regime to a collapse like a devastating deluge,” the Iranian general said.
He said, “The stormy movement of the Al-Aqsa Storm is the product of the holy anger that the Zionist enemy has planted in the oppressed Palestinian nation and must now reap.”

General Bagheri congratulated the Palestinian resistance fighters on their “proud victory,” expressing hope that the Al-Aqsa Mosque will soon be liberated from Israeli captivity.

“It is a divine promise that oppression won’t last long and the will of the oppressed people of Palestine will defeat the oppressors,” he concluded.

Spontaneous” move.

Iran has said that the Palestinian operation against Israel is a “spontaneous” move.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani reacted to the current developments in occupied Palestine and the attack by the Palestinian resistance groups against the Zionist occupiers, saying Operation Al-Aqsa Flood was a spontaneous move by the resistance groups and the oppressed Palestinian people in defense of their inalienable and undeniable rights.

He added that the operation was the Palestinians’ natural reaction to the war-mongering, provocative and incendiary policies of the Zionists, especially the usurping regime’s extremist and adventurous prime minister, according to a statement by the Iranian foreign ministry.

Kanaani said the oppressed Palestinian people’s inalienable right to defend themselves, their land and their sanctities against occupation, aggression, daily violations and organized terror on part of the Zionist regime is a natural and legitimate right in line with all recognized international standards and the fundamental principles of international law.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman added that on the one hand, the continuation of the desecration of Islam’s holy sites and the first Qibla of Muslims by extremist and racist Zionists in recent months and weeks, and the persistence of the Zionist regime’s policy of killing, committing crimes and doing acts of aggression against the oppressed Palestinian people, especially women, children and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails amid the silence and inaction of the international community and the fake human rights defenders have left the Palestinian nation and resistance no way but to resist and rely on their inherent strength in the face of the Zionists.

Kanani noted that the Islamic Republic of Iran reaffirms the inherent and legal right of Palestinians to defend themselves vis-à-vis the crimes of the usurpers of Palestine that have been going on for 75 years. He said Iran also holds the Zionist occupiers and its supporters responsible for the continuation and escalation of violence and atrocities against the Palestinians. He underlined that Iran calls on Muslim countries to support al-Aqsa Mosque and the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.

Small portion of Resistance Power

Ali Akbar Velayati, the secretary general of the global assembly of Islamic awakening, has reacted to the Palestinian operation against Israel, saying that the operation showed only small portion of the power accumulated by the Resistance Axis.

In a message to Esmail Haniyeh, the chief of Hamas political bureau, and Ziyad Nakhala, the secretary-general of the Islamic Jihad Movement, Velayati hailed the Palestinian operation against the military positions of the Israeli regime.

He said that the photos coming out of the operation showed a great conquest that startled and astonished the enemies and stratified Muslims all over the world, especially in the West Asia region.

“The era of domination and tyranny of the Zionist terrorist regime is over and what is happening today in the occupied territories is a small manifestation of the accumulated power and authority of the Islamic Resistance Front in Palestine,” Velayati said.

He added, “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, which is a response to the ongoing crimes of the Zionist regime in the occupied territories, will definitely fundamentally change the balance of power in the occupied Palestine and will put the Zionist regime in a more vulnerable position.”

He noted, “This victorious operation, which will definitely facilitate and accelerate the collapse of the Zionist regime, promises the impending destruction of the Zionist regime.”

Velayati also said that “this great and strategic victory is a serious warning” to all those who seek to normalize relations with Israel.

Iran FM speaks with Turkish counterpart

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian spoke with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, about the situation in Palestine.

The reviewed the situation in Palestine and underlined the importance of respecting the rights of the Palestinian people.

In this call, Amir Abdollahian called the resistance movement spontaneous and the result of the continuous crimes of the Zionist regime against Palestine, according to a separate statement by the Iranian foreign ministry.

The Iranian foreign ministry emphasized the necessity of solidarity and cohesion of Islamic countries in supporting the Holy Quds and supporting the oppressed and resistant Palestinian nation.

New rules for war

A member of the Political Council of the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement hailed the Palestinian forces’ recent military operation against Israel as a monumental milestone that has defined new regulations on the struggle with the Israeli enemy.

In an interview with Tasnim, Mahmoud Qamati paid tribute to the Hamas fighters for their bravery after launching the Al-Aqsa Storm operation against the Zionist regime outside the Gaza Strip.

“Today, we are witnessing a new chapter, a qualitative leap, a military upheaval, and a change in the war patterns and in the rules of military battle against the Zionist enemy,” he said.

Hailing the Palestinian resistance forces for “stabilizing their military power” by infiltrating into the Zionist settlements and the areas occupied by the Israeli regime, Qamati said the major development has marked a new, monumental and historical model in the history of confrontation with the Zionist enemy.

The Zionist regime’s army is neither capable of defense nor offense, is absent in the battlefield, and has practically fallen into a state of passiveness, the Hezbollah official stated, noting that the Zionist settlers are in panic because there is no army to take care of them.

Qamati also said the unprecedented surprise operation by the Palestinian forces has dealt a crushing blow not only to Israel, but also to the United States and the West, the staunch supporters of the Zionist regime.

Why don’t Chinese people use chopsticks made of steel? It would save lots of trees. Are there forks, knives, and spoons in China?

What’s this 1942?

Today less than 6% Chopsticks in China are made of wood and bamboo

Plastic Chopsticks are most commonly used and form around 53% of Chopsticks used in China

Stainless Steel Chopsticks come next. Around 24% of Chopsticks in China are Stainless Steel

Porcelain Chopsticks are typically used in Chinese Homes and upscale restaurants and form around 17% of the Chopsticks used in China

‘Others’ count for a mere 6% and that includes Wood, Bamboo, Jade and a variety of other materials


Another fun fact

Almost 70% Wooden Chopsticks made in China are EXPORTED

Guess who uses them?

J A P A N

Japanese use almost 37% wooden Chopsticks

Texas Tra$h

2023 11 04 10 32
2023 11 04 10 32

Yield: 9 cups

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 cups Rice Chex
  • 2 cups Wheat Chex
  • 4 ounces shoestring potatoes
  • 2 cups pretzel sticks
  • 1 cup salted nuts

Instructions

  1. Combine butter, Worcestershire sauce, salt and garlic powder. Blend well in skillet.
  2. Add remaining ingredients.
  3. Put into a baking dish.
  4. Bake at 250 degrees F for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Col Douglas Macgregor – “Their Army Is No More!…”

https://youtu.be/on6cgx-QQ1c

What major mistake did the Confederates make to lose the war?

The Union made a number of unforced errors that drastically prolonged the war and still won anyway. The Confederacy did surprisingly well and still lost anyway. That should tell you everything you need to know.

Seriously, no bullshit, the South had no path to victory from the start. An impoverished, agrarian nation with poor logistics declaring war on a far more industrialized, cohesive nation just starting to come into its own as an industrial power? Here’s your sign.

From the South’s perspective, the only winning move was not to play. The moment they commenced hostilities (and boy, the way they commenced hostilities was a barrel full of stupid), the end was preordained. They had this weird idea that Europe, who they believe could not survive without their textiles, would intervene on their behalf, and that’s a miscalculation you could write entire books about.

Turns out the English hated slavery more than they loved cheap cotton, much to the surprise of folks who basically made white supremacy into their equivalent of a state religion, and without a patron it wasn’t whether the South would lose, but when.

All of this should have been obvious. But like one of my high school teachers said, though he didn’t put it quite this succinctly: Slavery makes you lazy, and racism makes you stupid. (He contended that laziness and stupidity, directly traceable to the institution of chattel slavery, still persist in the South to this day.)

Americans get poorer as Washington throws cash at Ukraine and migrants

US families are undergoing a third-straight year of falling income, but politicians think taxpayer money is better spent elsewhere

As Uncle Sam continues to pump billions of dollars into Kiev’s flagging fight against Russia and provide tempting handouts to illegal migrants, why is the average American worker forced to live paycheck to paycheck?

Here’s a question that most people have considered at least once in their lives, and probably a lot recently: How much annual income would you need to feel financially secure? For the average American, the magic number comes out to be $233,000 a year, according to a survey by Bankrate.

To bring the ’99 percent’ back down to Earth, the US Census Bureau released some sobering data that dashed those elusive six-digit dreams. Inflation-adjusted median household income fell to $74,580 in 2022 – a 2.3% decline from the 2021 average of $76,330. This marks the third-straight annual decrease since the Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020, taking a wrecking ball to the heart of the economy.

The bad news doesn’t end there for US consumers, who are now struggling with the consequences of a foreign conflict in a distant land and a wide-open border. Those factors have prompted the cost of living to surge higher than it has in over four decades amid runaway inflation. In June 2022, the year-over-year inflation rate, as measured by the Consumer Price Index, hit a jaw-dropping 9.1%, the highest it’s been since the administration of former President Ronald Reagan.

A significant reason for the increase in inflation happened on March 3, 2022, when President Joe Biden signed an executive order to ban the import of Russian oil, liquefied natural gas, and coal to the US. This decision has had disastrous results for the local economy. Since Biden’s inauguration, the cost of gasoline alone had jumped at one point by 100% (as of September 27, the average price of regular gas was $3.832 per gallon, according to the AAA , while gas prices were an average of $2.3 per gallon when Biden entered office), forcing just about everything else to skyrocket, including the number of poor people.

The poverty rate in the US exploded last year, the first increase in 13 years, according to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the rate was 12.4%, up 4.6 percentage points from 2021, according to the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), a method for tallying government welfare programs and tax credits designed to assist low-income families.

Meanwhile, the Expectations Index, determined by consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions, sunk to 73.7 in September. That follows a drop to 83.3 in August. The worrisome part is that an Expectations Index below 80 generally indicates an impending recession.

An economic tragedy is already quietly happening for millions of American consumers who are now living paycheck to paycheck precariously and who have been forced to use the payment method of last resort to make ends meet: the almighty credit card, with its exorbitant interest fees. On this score, the US economy has broken yet another record, although not in a way that could be considered something to cheer about.

US credit card debt rose by $45 billion to $1.03 trillion in the second quarter from the first quarter, a 4.6% quarterly increase,” The Street reported . “It’s the first time in US history that household credit card balances topped the $1 trillion mark as the number of credit card accounts expanded by 5.48 million to 578.35 million in the quarter.” When consumer debt suddenly equals the amount the US spends on its military-industrial complex, you know there’s a problem.

Clearly, the US has some serious domestic issues that need to be resolved, but instead, it would rather fund a totally senseless proxy war against a nuclear power halfway around the world.

Washington has given Ukraine close to $100 billion in aid, with more in the pipeline, since Moscow launched its military operation in February 2022. The cash, however, has not only been used to fund Ukraine’s military. Billions of dollars have subsidized participants of the Ukrainian economy, like farmers and small business owners, market players whose counterparts in the US desperately need help, too. A recent study conducted by the Council on Foreign Relations shows that more than $30 billion – around 40% of total US aid to Ukraine as of July 31 – has been financial or humanitarian assistance that is not directly connected to military support. Military funding comes out to around $50 billion.

As if that were not enough, the Biden administration continues to welcome illegal migrants at a price that is more than what is being spent fighting a proxy war against Russia in Ukraine. Yes, you read that right; the annual cost of providing care for the millions of illegal migrants entering the US is $150.7 billion, according to the Fiscal Burden of Illegal Immigration on United States Taxpayers (FAIR).

In August, US Border Patrol recorded 232,972 migrant encounters along the southwestern border, a jump from 183,494 in July. The number of crossings for September is predicted to be higher than the previous month.

So here we have two concurrent events – a disastrous military conflict in Ukraine and a leaky US border – that are sucking away precious funds from the American taxpayer. It’s important to note that the king’s ransom that is being handed over to support these deranged Democratic agendas will never be returned, not in our lifetime. Instead, it will just be added to the unsustainable US national debt load, which is currently at $33 trillion, according to the US Debt Clock . That is an astronomical sum of money that we or future generations will someday be forced to deal with, and probably sooner rather than later.

What American citizen could possibly believe that any of this government funding has been a good investment for the American people? Well, they’re representatives in Washington, DC, for one. In May, ‘conservative’ US Senator Lindsey Graham, during a meeting with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in Kiev, pronounced joyfully that “the Russians are dying” and aid to Ukraine is “the best money we’ve ever spent.” Aside from discounting the chances that such an “investment” could have towards unleashing World War III, Graham never thought for a second that such funds could have gone far at rebuilding America’s crumbling infrastructure, like that non-existent wall on the US-Mexico border. It would have been a wonderful work program for the US economy.

In short, it’s just another day in the discombobulated American empire, which, much like its ancient Roman precursor, could learn the lesson of overexpansion and overspending in the most brutal way imaginable – with its total and complete dissolution.

Israel long war. Saudi-US deal in jeopardy. Breaking BRICS+. $100B to Ukraine, one-and-done. U/1

Tits up in American Samoa

Today I want to relate the events leading to why my wife and I left American Samoa.

American Samoa is an American territory in the South Pacific. It is a very beautiful island, but is way off the shipping lanes, and is really difficult to get to, thus it is not really a tourist destination.

American Samoa
American Samoa

I had an opportunity to build a hospital there.

Anyways, the social and societal organization there is very, very different from what I, as an American, realized.

Here’s a short recap.

  • Families are in the wife’s name.
  • Ownership is by the wife, the men own nothing.
  • Each village has a “pecking order” of hierarchy, all woman led.
  • If the leading female in a village dies, the next ranking female takes over.

Now, my “Boss” was a man in the leading family in the local village. And he provided me an apartment to live in and a car.

Pago Pago harbour utulei south american samoa 1
Pago Pago harbour utulei south american samoa 1

Then one day, there was a death in the village and the leading woman died.

Immediately, the next week was a reshuffle of power, and ownership changed hands. My “boss” was no longer in control.

We lost our apartment, and our car, and had to find a place to live. And it sucked!

No answers, but my “boss” gave me a place for free. He told me where to go, and later on that day I went to see it.

Ugh!

It was a open-air cinder-block room beneath a backyard chicken-coop/garage. And seriously, I wouldn’t even consider to have my dogs live there. No windows. Just an open square. The “door” was a piece of plywood with a hasp. The “bed” was a ancient well-worn hospital bed. One electrical outlet, and a century old fan.

Mold everywhere.

Moist. Damp. Dirty. Filty.

Something like this…

341D35D800000578 0 image a 72 1463138700608
341D35D800000578 0 image a 72 1463138700608

I looked around. Said “nope”.

She started to go to the building. I sad NO!

My wife who was trailing me as I entered the hovel was confused. But I spun her around. There was no way in Hell would I subject her to the indignity that I had just been exposed to.

I just left from the site, hopped in the car. Told my wife “we are leaving”, and then made the necessary arrangements.

We were out of there within 24 hours.

Do not; never expect the same levels of social norms, respect or allowances that you have grown up with. You might end up with one Hell of a surprise.

This was a “close one”, for once trapped there, we might never had gotten the opportunity to leave.

Today.

How was the Chinese Communist Party able to control the army and ensure that it would not carry out any military coup?

Sanwan’s adaptation (1937), Mao’s purge of “three gulfs” after the Boxer uprising

After the failure of the Autumn Harvest Uprising, Mao Zedong led the remnants of the army to the south, retreating towards the Xiang-Gan border. After the clear transfer to the Jing-Gang Mountain area, the troops arrived at the village of Sanwan, Yong-Xin County, Jiangxi Province on 29th September, 1927, when the commanding group of the Front Committee at that time decided to integrate the remnants of the army.

At the time of integration, there were less than 1,000 troops left in the remnants of the army, and there was no CPC organisation at the grassroots level of the army, so the army’s culture was no different from that of the warlords’ troops, and the soldiers’ ideology was chaotic, and they did not have any absolute sense of affiliation to the CPC.

The contents of the integration included the following:

  • Dispatch some of those who did not want to stay in the army, reduce the army to one regiment and rename it as the First Regiment of the First Division of the First Army of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Revolutionary Army;
  • Establishing CPC party organisations in the troops, so that there were company branches (CPC party branches were built on the company), battalion and regiment party committees, and CPC party representatives above the company level;
  • To stipulate that officers and chiefs should not beat up soldiers, that officers and soldiers should be treated equally, and to establish soldiers’ committees to take part in the management of the unit and to assist in political and mass work. The troops were united under the leadership of the CPC Front Enemy Committee, of which Mao Zedong was the secretary, and a democratic system was carried out internally.

The Sanwan’s adaptation clarified the absolute leadership of the CPC over the army, and at the same time became a guarantee of the CPC’s armed seizure of power.

https://www.laitimes.com/en/article/61whs_6ia97.html

A PLA tradition: the democratic life meeting.

Within the PLA, officers and enlisted men are completely equal, and at company meetings, ordinary soldiers criticise their officers, who are mortified.

In the U.S. Army, it is unthinkable for the average soldier to criticise his commanding officer.


KMT army vs. CPC army in the Chinese Civil War:

1. The American-backed KMT army of Chiang Kai-shek was entirely a warlord army.

In the case of Chiang Kai-shek’s direct subordinate Hu Zongnan’s Seventh Corps, for example, some of the KMT officers mistreated and brutalised their soldiers to an appalling degree, as reflected by the regiment’s insurgent officers and soldiers:

  • its 430 regiment’s deputy battalion commander Chen × × when the machine company commander, soldier Liu Yanchun desertion was captured back, Chen × × Liu Yanchun hung up and beaten to death, the body was thrown into the field to feed the dogs, and then cut off the ears of the dead, hanging on the wall, and then gathered the company announced: “You see what this is? Whoever escapes again in the future will be dealt with in this way”.
  • its 351st regiment soldier Yue Quanfu disclosed: he was 16 years old, was captured by the head of the security force, the village with him at the same time to be captured as a soldier of 10 people. The 10 people, two were shot, one was beaten to death and fell off a cliff, and one was flayed alive by an officer because he didn’t ask for leave to relieve himself!
  • its 473rd regiment deputy battalion commander Wang × × pick up new recruits, met a few sick people can not walk, so they deceived them and said: “Who can not walk, say, I let you go home”. Four soldiers just turned their heads to go back, was called by Wang × ×, he let the four sick kneel on the edge of a cliff four or five feet high, copied a stick, a stick one, all beat them to the bottom of the ditch, then, long gone.
  • Its 158th Division officer Deng x x revealed that when he was a platoon leader, he once followed the mortar company commander to Sichuan to pick up new recruits, and saw with his own eyes that this company commander killed more than 20 recruits who deserted. Most of them were killed with guillotines, and others were killed by “splitting the bodies of five horses”. When one of the recruits ran away, he led men to the recruit’s house to catch him, and when he didn’t catch him, he set fire to the recruit’s house. Another time, when he failed to catch a deserter, he ordered four soldiers to carry the deserter’s family and put them on fire until they were burned to death.
  • Zhu x, chief of staff of his 55th Division, once ordered the commander of the company directly under him to “bury alive any soldier who makes a mistake”. This man once dug out a soldier’s heart on the spot during a punishment and hung two large bunches of them. Soldiers revealed that “he dug out the hearts of many soldiers”.
  • 349 regiment 2 battalion platoon commander Shi × × to sodomise a soldier, was rejected by the soldier, Shi × × even get a carrot to the soldier’s anus hard stuffing!
  • A division of a deputy division commander is a big sex maniac, his subordinates in the past only know that he often use his authority to force sodomy subordinates, who knows, through the denunciation of the revelation, by his sodomy of the subordinates was as many as 89 people, the anger of the uprising of the officers and soldiers have demanded that the deputy division commander’s crotch penis will be cut off!
  • According to statistics, of the 2,451 soldiers in the 144th Nationalist Division, 107 soldiers’ mothers were raped by their officers, 21 soldiers’ mothers were abused by their officers, and 185 soldiers’ mothers were forced to remarry; 57 soldiers’ wives were raped by their officers, 53 soldiers’ wives were abused by their officers, and 93 soldiers’ wives were forced to remarry; 159 soldiers’ sisters were raped and abused by their officers, and 175 soldiers’ sisters-in-law were raped and abused by their officers, and were forced to remarry; and a total of 850 soldiers’ mothers, sisters, and sisters-in-law were raped, abused, and forced to remarry by their officers.
  • Of the 2,451 soldiers in the division, 345 were hung up and beaten by officers, 289 were tied up and beaten by officers, 1,238 were clubbed by officers, 13 were stabbed with bayonets, 677 were beaten with rifle butts by officers, 1,362 were slapped by officers, 945 were beaten with belts by officers, 991 were kicked by officers, 53 were beaten to death, 20 were beaten to vomit blood, 22 were crippled, 1,298 were made to kneel, 535 were made to freeze, 1298 were made to dry in the sun, and 53 were made to faint. The number of people who were beaten to death by officers was 53, 20 were beaten by officers and spat out blood, 22 were beaten and crippled by officers, 1,298 were punished to kneel by officers, 535 were punished to freeze outside by officers, 128 were punished to be exposed to the sun, 1,302 were punished to starve by officers, one was punished to drink urine by an officer, one was punished to eat an officer’s sputum by an officer, 33 were shot and buried alive by officers, and one was shot and buried alive by an officer, but not dead. 33 people, 24 people buried alive by officers ……
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You tell me, how does such a warlord army get the support of its soldiers? How can such a warlord army gain the support of the Chinese people?

If this reactionary, inhumane Kuomintang army can win the Chinese Civil War, it will not be unless the days and nights are turned upside down and the Pacific Ocean dries up!

2. Mao’s army was an army of equal officers and soldiers.

First, on the way to catch up with the enemy. Mao Zedong asked CPC officers to grasp the ideological education of captured soldiers and new recruits.

For example: Mao Zedong knew that most of the captured Nationalist soldiers were from poor families, some of them were forced to be arrested by the Nationalists, some of them were here for money, and they had no idea why they were fighting the war. In response to this background of origin of the captured soldiers, CPC officers were required to provide one-on-one ideological education to recruits and captured soldiers.

CPC officers talked to the recruits and captive soldiers on foot and when they had the opportunity, talking about their family history and finally blaming it on the KMT, which was caused by the exploitation of the poor by the landlords and rich peasants they supported. If the KMT’s Chiang Kai-shek continued to exist, the poor would never be able to turn over a new leaf and would have to live in poverty for generations.

Every day, CPC officers had to report to the CPC Party Leader on the ideological work they had done with the masses, the reaction of the masses, and the ideological sentiments of the masses, before accepting the task for the next day’s work. The CPC party group leader then reports to the CPC party branch, and the CPC party branch then reports to the CPC party committee. The ideological situation of the fighters was firmly in the hands of the CPC Party leaders.

The thoughts of the captured soldiers were quickly transformed through the ideological education of the CPC officers.

Secondly, during the march of the army, the CPC officers set an example by carrying the luggage of the captured soldiers and new recruits. When resting at the end of the line, the CPC officers burned foot-washing water for the captives and recruits, and cooked food for the sick for those who were not in good health, so the CPC officers really treated the captives and recruits as their own brothers.

Thirdly, the captive soldiers also saw that the officers and soldiers in PLA were united, all of them had no salary, ate, wore and slept together without any special treatment, united with each other, and took care of each other as if they were brothers, like a big family.

Fourthly, in order to comfort the KMT captive soldiers and stabilise their minds, the CPC branch sent an official letter to the captive soldiers’ hometowns, stating that they had joined the PLA and that their hometowns should treat them as military families. This moved the captive soldiers and made them settle down; turning their guns to fight the KMT.

At the beginning of the Chinese Civil War, the KMT had 5 million soldiers and the CPC had 1 million; when the Chinese Civil War ended, the KMT was left with only 1 million soldiers, 4 million of whom surrendered to the CPC and joined the PLA.

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There is a detailed account of Mao’s army in “Red Star Over China” written by the American journalist Edgar Snow.Red star over China by Edgar Snow | Open LibraryRed Star Over China by Edgar Snow, unknown edition,

https://openlibrary.org/works/OL1774434W/Red_Star_Over_China


Xi walked into the dormitories of ordinary soldiers to see if their blankets were warm enough, and Xi ate a pot of rice with ordinary soldiers; has the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States ever done this? These are PLA traditions and have been so since Mao Zedong.

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7

Bisquick Cranberry-Apple Cobbler

2023 10 15 09 53
2023 10 15 09 53

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup butter
  • 2 1/2 cups Bisquick or Biscuit Baking Mix
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
  • 1 cup chunky applesauce
  • 1 apple, cored and thinly sliced

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Heat butter in 9 x 13 inch pan in oven until melted.
  3. Mix Bisquick, sugar and milk with wire whisk until smooth.
  4. Pour Bisquick batter evenly into prepared pan.
  5. Mix cranberry sauce and applesauce. Spoon evenly over Bisquick batter.
  6. Place apple slices on sauce.
  7. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until golden brown.
  8. Serve warm with whipped cream or rum raisin or vanilla ice cream, if desired.

What work secret did you accidentally find out that changed everything?

My best friend/co-worker Larry was the IT guy in the training department for a large computer corporation where we both worked. I was a course designer/instructor. The company had been doing quarterly layoffs for almost two years. When it was your turn to be laid off, security watched you pack your personal items then escorted you off the property.

One night during a software update Larry discovered the next layoff list on the boss’s computer (she hadn’t even bothered to password-protect it, but her incompetence is good for another story). Both he and I were on the list. The date was a week away.

In the bookcase of my cubicle were copies of every technical manual and instructor’s guide I’d written for this company. They were my proof of ability. I would need them when I went on interviews and was asked “can you show me something you’ve done?” I spent the next week slowly replacing each binder with an empty one. By the time we were laid off, my entire collection of authored books was safely at home.

Bonus, Larry called the local news to expose how the company was using layoffs as a quick boost to their quarterly earnings numbers (fewer employee expenses improved the net bottom line). They’d often lay off the most critical employees right before end of quarter and then hire them back as “consultants” a few weeks later. We were both interviewed on the news the afternoon we were laid off. Screwed our chances for being rehired but I wouldn’t have gone back anyway.

Oh yeah, and the company? Failed a year later after an even bigger scandal surfaced. They had sales reps creating huge fake sales orders, then right before end of quarter all that equipment would be “shipped” to a large storage facility. They were caught with millions of dollars of fake earnings from falsified sales.

Passport Bros Meet Filipina In The Provinces

No need to be nervous in the small towns in the Philippines. Almost everywhere I go, the Filipino people are the nicest, friendliest people I have ever met. Moved here from So. Calif. in 2010, found my sweet wife here, the Philippines is HOME for me now.

Why do some people tell the victim to “just leave” the abuser without providing a plan to leave, money and emotional support? Doesn’t “just leave” contribute to her going back?

Back in 1999, my then husband began to threaten to harm our children. I set in motion actions with only one thought-to protect my children.

January: I filed a complaint at his precinct (he was a police officer). They took away his guns-he had 10 (he told me 3) and enough ammunition to fight a battle (they told his brother in law that). He filed a complaint with them, saying he threatened to kill us. They told him “we know, he’s a psycho cop. But he’s ok. He loves his kids.” They had zero clue what went on in our home. His brother in law called Child Protection because he saw the police were not taking this seriously. Child protection came, saw it was a clean house with food in the cabinets and he was polite and calm. They never spoke to me or the kids. He told me if I said anything he will make our children orphans. I filed for an order of protection to get him out-his buddies faxed inletters swearing he was a nice guy, loves his kids-she was the bad one. I got denied. He refused to give me money for groceries, mortgage, utilities.

February: I went to put the child on welfare and food stamps. Why are you staying there, they asked. Take your children and leave. I had two sons with asthma and they all had special needs. Why should WE leave? He was the menace-take him out!! So the welfare people called child protection on ME. That’s right-because I didn’t want to take my asthmatic and special needs children to a homeless shelter 3 trains away in the Bronx! My parents didn’t want anything to do with my problems. We went to their home for two days and they threw us. You married him and had his children-now live there. Child protection came to my home at 11:30 at night. They saw the children and me living in the basement. We had a clean home and food (I told them my parents bought them food sincevhe gave me no money). The next day I called my therapist in tears-they will take my children away from me! All because I won’t leave the house! I can’t understand it-we have no where to go or any money. Why should we leave? He’s the threat!! She calmed me down. She made calls all day. By the end of the day, they closed my case-she had the faxes on her desk because I trusted no one.

March: I told my parents there was no more choices. I was getting a lawyer and divorcing him. My parents were horrified. They couldn’t believe he was starving his children. I showed them my temporary support which was running out. Their grandchildren were getting food stamps because their father wasn’t buying them food. My father called our rabbi to talk to him while we stayed in their house. Two hours later, the rabbi came to my father’s house. “It’s a terrible thing to see people change from human into something monstrous. I tried to talk to him about a man’s responsibility to his family.” “Rabbi, he doesn’t like you since Fort Dover, when he was in the hospital for a week and you saw him only once for 5 minutes.” “He told me. He spat on me for it.” My father and I lowered our heads in embarrassment. “I never advocate for divorce unless there is nothing left. Benny, I’ve known you for many years. Get your daughter a good lawyer, she’s going to need one.” I started to cry and the Rabbi put a business card in my father’s hands-it was my lawyer to be. My father and I went the next day and hired him. I told him everything that happened. My lawyer gave me his phone number-call him after 911 in an emergency. And get the children on as much welfare and food stamps as you can. I had to hire 3 servers at $200 a piece to wait at each exit of his precinct to serve him with the order to appear in court. On that day, I went to social services and gave the title of my home as a guarantee so the city can put a lien on my house against any financial support we got from welfare and food stamps. The children and me were finger printed and got ID cards that day. I got formal letters stating we were in need and were getting food stamps and money. The date was March 10-My then husband’s birthday. I chose the date. I wanted everything to have his birthday on it -the court papers, the welfare papers. It was my last happy birthday to him.

April: when the Jewish community and our friends found out about the pending divorce, we were ostracized. I went to Jewish agencies for help. I had no money for Passover. I got a $25 food voucher from an agency that helped the poor and aged. I went to another place that gave me such bad smelling food my father was outraged. He made me take him and the food back. He screamed at them in Yiddish how shameful this was to a poor girl with children. The man shrugged and said “she’s your daughter, you take care of her.” My father said “if only I had back the charity money I gave to places like yours” He put the box on the floor at the man’s feet and he ordered it thrown away. I asked my brother for money, and he gave me $200. But he always reminded me I owed him the money and anytime he needed a favor, he reminded me of the money.

May and June: I finally got approved to work at the Department of Education as a substitute. I accepted any job I could get, no matter where it was or what it was. Getting my money was harder. Sometimes I got my check in the mail. Sometimes I had to go back to the school. Sometimes it was at a district office. I had to drive to the payroll center to make sure all my checks were processed. Meanwhile, the city demanded I worked for their workfare program. No one gets welfare for nothing. I tried again and again to explain how subs worked. I had to wait for them to call me. I told my counselor she can call 65 Court Street to confirm how they call subs. I was told “no problem, you can go there and clean their toilets and wash floors.” Didn’t you want me off welfare? I can get hired by the Dept of Ed if I keep accepting jobs. If I’m washing floors somewhere else I won’t get hired. My counselor took it to mean I was too good to wash floors (if I had no prospects of a job I would have done it gladly). I was thrown off welfare.

July-September: I had been going to court, but he kept putting it off. I couldn’t miss a single court date, but he could show up and say he’s not ready, no lawyer-he fires his lawyer right there in court once! I was getting worried because I needed to keep getting called in to work-30 straight days in any school and I could get hired. I had 20 days and they stopped calling me. It was frustrating as can be.

October: the bank sent over two big guys to serve us with foreclosure papers on the house. The first met my husband who threw him bodily off the premises. I agreed to sign off on the papers if I could get 48 hours to pack our things and leave before they came to lock up the house. They saw what a bad spot I was in and that the idiot didn’t tell me the house was being foreclosed because he didn’t pay the bill in months. They gave me the 48 hours. I called a friend who had s vacant apartment. He didn’t clean it yet. I’ll clean it. I need it in 48 hours. He was ok with it. I called a moving company that specialized in last minute moving-especially in domestic situations. They sent over big guys in case he cane by to interfere. I threw clothes and toys in bags and boxes. I grabbed whatever I could that day. My father and I cried-my marriage was dead. I never told my father-this wasn’t a parole from prison, where I got timevoff for good behavior. It was a pardon-I was freed because of a terrible mistake that shouldn’t have happened. The next day I called Sub Central with my new address and phone number. We were trying to find you! I had to move suddenly. We have a job for you-and it could be permanent. Can you go there tomorrow? I cried with joy. Thanks to God-we had a safe place and I got a chance for a permanent job. It was the School I’m still working at-18 years later. I hung up and my children and I all hugged each other. I moved to this apartment with no job and borrowed money for the first months rent. I didn’t have anything for security. Now, I had a place and a job to take care of my children.

November: Family court once again. The case had been moved to another judge who refused to delay the hearings. She asked him “what did you do to support your children?” “I’m having a problem with their mother-“ “that’s not what I asked you. Did you buy groceries? Pay the phone? Electricity? Gas? Mortgage?” All the answers were no. The judge turned to me. “What did you do to support your children? I turned over all my papers from welfare, food stamps, my pay stubs, and a joint bank book stuffed with grocery slips and utility payments. His lawyer turned pale. The judge went through everything very carefully. “So, your wife put your children on welfare and food stamps while you didn’t do a thing?” “She didn’t put the kids on welfare (chuckling).” The Judge has him look at the papers. Yes I did – and they were all dates on his birthday. “You put my children on welfare-on my birthday?” “Yes, the same day you were served to come to court.” The judge flipped back pages. “You mean to tell me that you have been screwing around all this time while you had no idea how your children were living? You’ve been putting this off from March to now?” She threw her hands on her table. “I’m done talking to you. Let me see your pay stubs.” She reviewed his stubs and was about to order support of $400 a month. I asked to see his stubs first. I pointed out to my lawyer 3 pension loans he took out which come out of his gross pay check, thus reducing the net check to look less. My attorney stood up and said “why should the children have to have their money reduced because of his pension loans? We request you add those amounts in.” The Judge looks over the stubs and screamed “you think you’re so smart huh. I had someone from Sanitation do this last week. Know what I did? I threw the book at him. Like I’m going to do to you.” She reworked the figures. $636 semi monthly-and give me a list of expenses you borrowed-moving, apartment, clothes-anything you had to borrow. He’s going to pay you back for 1999. Every penny!” My husband jumped up out of his chair and yelled “you can’t do that to me! We’re on the same team! All the judges love me.” “The other judges don’t know you-but don’t worry. I’ll make sure they do.” The bailiff had to stand behind him and keep his hands in idiot’s shoulders. My lawyer stood up “your honor, we realize this had been quite a shock to the defendant. We know how hard it is to support a sexy sport car instead of a family (he showed pictures of him in the car). How about if the defendant pays my client $50 semi monthly until his debt is paid?” The other lawyer said ”yes, please!” So the idiot wound up paying me $50 twice a month for two and a half years! These $50 checks were in addition to the child support the court ordered.

December: I was formally hired by my School to work there full time. I paid back my father the money I borrowed. I caught up on my rent and paid security. My children were removed from welfare and food stamps. I bought my children clothes for the first time in nearly two years. We had a real holiday as a family that we didn’t have for so long. And their father told them that I was a bad mother because I took them away from him. It would be years before they saw the truth. I also got back into my house that had been locked up. He set fire to our wedding pictures, most of my old photos from School, books, whatever he could throw in. There was a huge black circle in the middle of the living room. I grabbed more of the children’s things, whatever I could salvage-and his grandmother’s silver items. He left all of them in the China cabinet. I took the Jewish books he left, anything I could throw in a box or bag. He broke my dishes in the kitchen sink. I took a few pots and pans I found. I took all the children’s pictures I found still hanging up. Oddly enough-he never opened my nightstand. I had, shall we say, personal items that a lonely woman keeps in a nightstand drawer. I decided to throw them out instead of bringing them home. I don’t know why. I stopped at the doorway. I looked inside for a last time. This horrible nightmare was finally ending. I knew I had more-the foreclosure sale, the divorce. But this prison that I loved because I raised my children in it, that I cared for, was finally closed. I saw the mezuzah still on the door post. I took it off-my father bought that for us. I gave it back to him.

Yes I know-I wrote a novel. I did it with a time line and great detail for a reason. Any moron who says just leave without a plan or money or support is just that-a moron!!! It’s easy to say “just leave”. And go where?????? If parents turn you out, your family and friends shun you-where do you go? The only person who helped me was HIS sister and her husband. She kept my important documents safe and $300 of emergency money for me. It was her husband who filed the complaint back then saying he heard their father say we were better off dead-and because he was a cop, he would get a slap on the wrist. No one-NO ONE stood up for me. Even my parents told me openly they were ashamed of me. My father gave me money for the sake of his grandchildren. The next person who says just leave and has no plan or idea on how to accomplish that action should be slapped. Because they were never standing at that black pit as I did. Just leave. Why not just say “jump into that black hole?”

Im sorry for writing a long answer. As you see, nearly 20 years later, I can recall it in great detail. Thank you for reading all the way through. If my story can help just one person-then it was all worth it.

No one wanted this cat, so I adopted him.

This is very interesting.

I adopted a cat and realized everything I thought I knew about them was wrong. In this video, I’m sharing my whole journey from the first week to what I’ve learned, and how Bepo is doing now.”

What hilariously stupid thing did a Trump supporter say that made you think, “Wow! I completely underestimated your stupidity!”?

One of the many encounters I’ve had with a Trump supporter was the time a woman commented on a local news station’s Facebook post with a picture of what she claimed was the 1938 Time Magazine Man of the Year cover. It was clearly photoshopped and had Hitler in an heroic pose with a caption calling him a great leader. She gave her own opinion that Time was a liberal hate rag that supported Hitler.

I knew it was fake because I’ve seen the real cover. It’s hard to forget. It’s a macabre illustration of a tiny little Hitler sitting at the bench of a giant pipe organ. Above him is a wheel with several naked corpses hanging from it. The caption reads, “From the unholy organist, a hymn of hate.”

I replied to her with a link to the official Time website archive page showing the real cover and the story calling Hitler evil.

You may have already guessed this, but she used the laugh reaction to my comment, called me an idiot and then said there was no way to know my cover wasn’t fake and hers was real.

Again, it was a link to the actual Time archives. She could have also done 10 seconds of research on Google, but no. She was more willing to believe this random, poorly edited JPG she found on Facebook was real and that Time Magazine in 1939 praised Hitler and somehow got away with it.

Her husband joined the conversation and attempted to prove his wife was right by telling me I have a woman’s name.

This encounter really drove home for me that we are in a lot of trouble as a country because a lot of people are completely stupid and unwilling to believe facts. A month or two later COVID hit.

Americans React To “When Americans Realise The Entire World DOESN’T Revolve Around Them”

In this video, we react to moments shared on Tiktok when Americans realize the whole world doesn’t revolve around them. These are hilarious but also somewhat eye-opening.

What are the reasons why people can’t access foreign websites freely in China? Does the Chinese government always block some foreign websites for no reason?

Oh, there are always reasons.

For example, up to 2009, Facebook was fully accessible in China. Then in July that year, a group called ETIM (which the UN categorises as a terrorist group) used Facebook to organise and instigate a riot in China. 197 people died and more than 1,000 people were injured.

The Chinese government asked Facebook to cooperate by identifying the ETIM members who had used Facebook to instigate the riot. Facebook refused. So the Chinese government banned Facebook, saying that otherwise Facebook might be used to instigate violence and organise riots.

As the years passed, it became clear that the Chinese government was not wrong. I say this, because of events in other countries make this clear and obvious.

What is the best case of “You just picked a fight with the wrong person” that you’ve witnessed?

Well, the fight was with me, and I sort of picked it. Just wait for it, you’ll understand as I go.

If I recall correctly it was 2018 and I was at a bus stop, there was a young girl, I would say about 13 years old. It was pretty late at night, I had just finished a routine commute from the city I trained in to the city I lived. I’m standing outside of the bus stop, gym bag over my shoulder while in the distance I saw a person kind of walking all over the sidewalk. Not unusual, there were a few bars around, I had even popped into one for a drink before waiting for the city bus home.

As the person got closer, my assumption was confirmed that they were in fact a bit drunk. Not a big deal, being drunk in public isn’t necessarily a crime unless you go overboard with it. So I ignore it. He comes up to the bus stop, stops for a second and then notices the girl. He starts banging on the glass, asking her questions and telling her to smile for him. I think to myself “Well, he’s an asshat”, and then asked some advice on my phone (facebook) of what to do. I got a few responses right away, mixed, but overwhelmingly saying I shouldn’t do anything.

Here is where it got dicey, instead of just being on the outside of the bus stop continuing his belligerent ways, he proceeds to walk to the entrance of the shelter and continues to tell her to smile and she should talk to him. I see the girl is visibly upset, and now it’s getting to a confinement issue. So I said to the guy to leave her alone, she’s too young and that’s you are making her uncomfortable. He turns around in a rage, swearing at me, telling me he used to race cars and she clearly wanted him. I repeated what I had said, he starts approaching me so I backed up a couple of steps, put my gym bag down and tried to descale it. He said he was going to smoke me. He starts trying to get in my face and I put my hand on his chest and asked him “what are you doing? I don’t want to fight but you have to leave her alone.”

Anyways, he tried to push through my hand and by that point I had enough. I grabbed the back of his neck, pivoted and shucked him to the ground. I didn’t follow up with anything because at that point it was done. He got up, realized he was outmatched and left her alone.

I looked over at her after to see if she was okay, and she mouthed thank you. So I asked her if she wanted me to sit with her on the bus so he wouldn’t try anything else.

It sounds like a lame “fight”, but I’m not going to let a young girl get sexually harassed and potentially assaulted by some drunk guy.

Getting to the point of picking a fight with the wrong person. At that point I had been training in mixed martial arts for 8 years, had 3 fights against opponents that were supposed to be way better than me, and was training 6 days a week. I wasn’t worried about what could have happened because at our gym we are more self defence oriented and I knew to keep an eye out for weapons.

Biden Beg China for Xi Jinping Visit to America For Talks!

Today’s geopolitical landscape is vibrant and ever-changing. In this video, we explore the tense dynamics between the United States, China, and their respective allies. Engage with us as we unravel the threads of trade conflicts, technological competitions, territorial disputes, and the subtle, strategic game of international influence in the 21st century. Biden Beg China for Xi Jinping Visit to America For Talks!

What was the biggest coincidence ever?

In the late 1990s my then-husband, also a firefighter, became ill from a chemical exposure in a fire. We had just built a vacation home in a tiny town (population 231) in the Colorado Rockies. He retired and chose to live there full time because he didn’t know how much longer he had. (Firefighters can retire earlier because of a typically shortened life span. He passed away a few years later.)

I wasn’t ready to retire so I stayed in Bay Area and continued working for my fire dept as well as a safety trainer for a large semiconductor company. Every two weeks I went to Colorado for a week to spend time with hubby.

While in the mountains I made friends with our nearest neighbors. They told me their brother was retiring soon from the Navy and planned a wedding at their house upon his return. We were invited.

About a week later I was in California teaching a safety class at the company. One of the new hires had just gotten out of the Navy and when I introduced myself as living in Colorado, he said his family lived there, too! In fact, the following month he would be having his wedding at his sister’s house in the mountains.

Yep! He was my neighbor’s brother! AND when I showed up to the wedding in a new dress I bought in California, his sister was wearing the exact same dress!

We remained friends for years.

How To Reduce Stress For Passport Bros | Floyd Gets A Filipina | Philippines Vlog

Honestly the Philippines has over 7000 Islands so not very hard to discover a place like this off the beaten path. Most of the named products are copies but still provide good quality for a lower price. Once you discover the lower cost of living you never want go back home.

Always have ways to relieve stress creating a peaceful mind. Try to find a way to keep yourself cool in a hotter climate that can also stress people out. If you are overweight the heat will help lose weight fast in the first few months.

This is the time to try maintaining a healthy body. Don’t fall in love with the first women you meet having plenty of options available. When meeting women make sure your intentions clear at the beginning never misleading them.

No matter where you live each person has their preferences that attracts them to others. Don’t stress over this since there are plenty of people you can vibe with.

Remember you are a guest in another country so show respect at all times. I agree Thailand suits younger men better who enjoy the night life.

A positive attitude is key to having a wonderful time. Remember you are responsible for your own happiness. I wish all who visit or move overseas to enjoy a happy life for less money.

Why does China spend so much money to host the Asian Games?

For soft power purposes.

Athletes come, bring their coaches, family and support staff. So 12000 athletes maybe bring 50,000 people

They get a look into China the real one not the Washington version.

We can see how western media isn’t even acknowledging it at all.

Look at the BBC link it’s right at the bottom.

Add on bloggers and private people traveling to have a look? There’s potentially half a million people who get to see what it’s REALLY like.

These people will return home. These people will hear the usual propaganda garbage spouted against China

These people might decide to push back, at which they have a great thing to say.

I’ve been there. I’ve seen China up front and close, yet YOU know more than I do?”

I often say this to westerners who claim to know everything about China despite never visiting, not understanding the language or being able to read our media. They literally have no response to it other than I know better than you because (racist) reasons.

US And TSMC In Pain, As China’s SMIC Becomes World’s Best Chip Manufacturing Company!

Congratulations China and SMIC. Many of us around the world have been waiting for this day. Both the US and TSMC had been arrogant and thought no one could shake them.

https://youtu.be/c75Wwu0_IK0

What work secret did you accidentally find out that changed everything?

This is how I learned how crooked employers can be, right at the start of my career. 1984, first job out of university. Five young women were hired by Sperry Corp. We were working on a contract for the State of Texas which involved a lot of traveling and overtime to install and look after a new computer system.

We had to fill out two timesheets, one for our employer (single copy) and one for the State of Texas (triplicate). We were told to put eight hours per day on the employer timesheet but our real work hours on the State’s timesheet, because we were not going to get overtime pay from our employer. So, 40 hours per week for Sperry, 50+ for the State usually, since we often started by leaving on Sunday night and didn’t get back until Friday night. Travel hours were considered work hours. It was no fun, especially since we weren’t allowed any vacation time the first year.

If you’ve ever worked in IT, you know you get stuck working weekends and holidays when fewer people mind if the system is down. Thus we were working on Thanksgiving weekend doing testing, along with some seasoned employees, all male. It was boring and we had lots of time to chat. One of them said “at least you are getting overtime for this”. We wryly laughed – “ha ha NO.” Two of them replied, “Well you should be, you’ve been here less than six months and they automatically classify you as non-exempt for six months when you are new.” Then some comments about the bosses probably not telling us this and figuring we wouldn’t complain because we were female.

We quickly realized we had one copy of the triplicate time sheets for each week we’d been working, because we kept part of the State’s timesheet. Of the four of us ladies remaining, two did not want to make a fuss about it, and two of us decided to confront the bosses. We added up our overtime and had a plan going in.

Our supervisor and his boss and his boss’s boss actually admitted they hadn’t paid us on purpose! Because “the project didn’t have the budget.” Really brazen and condescending attempt at deflecting us. I pointed out this was still illegal and I’d go to the EEOC if they didn’t make good on what they owed. We said we wanted a paid week off at Christmas and cash to make up for the overtime, which they gave us. Our two colleagues who were afraid to complain got nothing. My friend and I had a nice ski vacation together with the proceeds.

I immediately found another job and moved away within a few weeks. Later I got to be an agent of karma: I rose to a position in my company where I had influence on decisions around large contract awards. When Unisys (formerly Sperry Corp) was competing for our business, I made sure my fellow decision-makers knew about my story. It’s bad business to cheat your employees!

stone knives and bearskins

Given Huawei’s chip break thru with the Mate 60 pro, would it make any difference to the future outlook of American chip manufacturers if the US was to abandon the high tech sanctions against China?

The United States will not give up its high-tech sanctions against China.

Not only the United States, but also Japan, South Korea and even Taiwan Province of China are the same. As soon as there is an election season, all kinds of stupid anti-China remarks will come out one after another.

Normally, they create rumours and smear China every day to brainwash their own citizens:

How China steals their technology? How China has taken away their jobs? How China threatens their national security ? Even rumours of genocide are created, so in the eyes of most American rednecks, China is “unforgivable”.

  • You see, there is such an evil country in the world, and it is righteous for us to be tough on it!
  • If you give up high-tech sanctions, you are pro-China and treasonous!
  • Every chip sold to Huawei will become a bullet that hits us!

If you’ve watched too many Western-style elections, you’ll know that it’s the same as a TV talent show.

Whether it’s Trump or Biden, they shout “CHINA” from the podium like a tenor voice, and the voters under the podium feel like they’ve been stimulated by a egg-vibrators in their G-spot, and they instantly orgasm, their minds going blank.

Inflation, health care, and Gun violence and drug-infested are not important, they just want to hear more “CHINA”, and keep on having orgasms, and keep on being happy, and descent into madness.

After enjoying the orgasm calm down and think about it, in the past, the United States to the Soviet Union, to Japan is not also such sanctions? The United States has already achieved success, there are success stories, and as long as the United States increases the sanctions against Huawei, the United States will not fail, and they will keep reassuring themselves in this way.. 🤣

Their election is a race to see who is more anti-China, so the White House will continue to impose technology restrictions on Huawei.

In any case, Biden must take a tough stance to avoid being labelled a “pro-China traitor” by Trump.

Reaction To Jimmy Dore’s TRUTH At The United Nations

On Tuesday the United Nations Security Council welcomed a very surprising speaker — comedian and political commentator Jimmy Dore! Jimmy explained about how the United States was behind the Nord Stream bombing and the western media all fell in line to push the lie that Russia or Ukraine or someone else was responsible. Guest host Craig “Pasta” Jardula and Americans’ Comedian Kurt Metzger discuss Jimmy’s UN appearance and Seymour Hersh’s startling revelation that the Nord Stream bombing wasn’t actually about the Ukraine War at all.

What’s something that you can teach me?

My mom was on welfare when I was ten years old. She had been taking a bus (public transportation) to school every day to become a dental technician. Her goal, which she worked towards and accomplished, was to get her family off of welfare.

On the day she was scheduled to graduate, her unemployed boyfriend was supposed to watch my brother and me. The plan was for him to pick us up and take us on a hunting trip with him and his friends. Not that we would have been allowed to shoot anything, but we were really excited.

He never showed up.

Mom called the neighbor and asked her to watch me and my brother, to which the neighbor agreed. I was really upset and disappointed that we weren’t going hunting.

As my mom was leaving for her graduation, I was crying and begging her to stay. She said she loved us and left.

When she got back, she asked me how my day was. I told her I hated her. That was it. That was all I said. “I hate you.”

I can only imagine the strength it took for her to hold back the tears as she got my brother and me ready to go for a walk.

Right outside the door, there was a brand-new bb gun sitting on the porch. We lived in Cherry Ridge Terrace which is located on a mountain in the woods of Barnesboro, Pennsylvania. There are tons of wooded trails around those parts.

She took my brother and me down a trail.

Located in almost every tree, shrub and plant, were empty aluminum cans. One by one, we switched off possession of the bb gun and shot cans out of those trees and shrubs the whole way down the trail.

It was so fun for us.

As it turned out, my mom had gotten a $50 graduation gift from her father and bought a bb gun before she came home from her graduation.

She walked that trail and put those cans all around before she came in the apartment, so she could take us hunting. And right before she did that, I told her that I hated her.

That was the last time I told my mom I hated her.

And when I saw this question, I called her and apologized for saying that I hated her, thirty years ago.

What I can teach you right now is something I learned ten minutes ago.

It is never too late to apologize for something.

Leon

What is the most satisfying passive-aggressive thing you have ever done to a really mean or rude person?

When I was 17, I went camping at a beach one day, and decided to make a sand throne, to relax in, except… it wasn’t made entirely of sand, because it would collapse the moment I sat on it. So, I gathered some large stones nearby, arranged them neatly to form a chair, and then covered it with sand to even out the gaps so that it would be comfortable to sit in.

After 2 hours of toiling under the hot sun, the job was done, and I sat in my throne with a great sense of fulfilment. After a while, I retreated back to my tent nearby to rest.

As I stared out of my tent to enjoy the view of the beach and admire my handiwork, a young boy, around 10 of age, went to my throne and walked around it, inspecting it curiously. For a moment, I thought he was going to sit on it. But then, a mischievous glint shone in his eye and he backed away from it a few steps. Then, he dashed and swung a mighty kick! And… collapsed, clasping his foot and crying for his mom.

I stayed in my tent, with tears in my eyes trying to hold back the laughter, thinking “Served you right! “. It wasn’t intentional, but making a “sand” structure with stones was definitely the most satisfying passive aggressive thing I did to a troll who goes around kicking sand structures.

Star Trek – I Have the Phaser, Captain

What do you, as a Marxist ideologue, actually do for the poor, except preaching revolution?

  1. I sponsor poor children in Thailand through an accredited international relief fund. I have been doing this for 15 years.
  2. I do pro-bono law work for the poor. I have saved single mothers from eviction, saved a person’s life, helped someone wrongly arrested and charged from going to jail and being away from his children, and others.
  3. I rebuild and repair computers and donate them to impoverished families.
  4. A socialist society would require less of me having to deal with evictions for poor mothers because the mother would be given her own place, free from that concern. There would not be the systemic injustices that cause so many legal problems for people. Most poor people would make a living wage so they wouldn’t be destitute. An equitable economic and legal system is far superior to charity. Until the beautiful day of communism, we all need to do what we can.

Is the Huawei Mate 60 Pro chip equal to the latest iPhone chip or even better?

In terms of raw flops for the CPU and GPU?

No.

But in terms of aggregate function, it is arguably THE smartphone SOC of 2023.

Why?

Well, it is the first mobile device with Bluetooth 6.x that can deliver lossless high fidelity audio at lower power than the current industry standard, Bluetooth 5.x. Huawei calls it Nearlink, and it is 100% Huawei controlled.

It is also the first mobile device that can make satellite calls, courtesy of a sophisticated antennae design that, according to my friend who has done a partial teardown, is the most complex he has ever seen. There are 9 separate segments on the frame of the mate 60.

The WiFi 6 speed can hit several Gbps, while the 5G mobile connectivity has been demoed above 1Gbps. These are class-leading numbers, with the signal processing improved through AI.

Wired/wireless charging at 88/50W are way better than what Apple offers, as does the battery capacity.

There is also a large language AI model built into the OS, making Hongmeng stand out among the 3 mobile ecosystems. The AI also enables the nifty camera, which takes some of the best mobile photography in 2023.

There is nothing like the features enabled by the Kirin 9000s chipset, even if we combine the best features of the Android and iOS universe into a hypothetical superphone.

Is that better?

You decide.

Nvida Shocked! Huawei’s Secret Weapons: Ai Chip Ascend 310 Explained

Huawei is becoming the company Apple wants to be… building its own modern ecosystem for the internet of things and huawei car integration. Let’s see who gets there first.

What do the Americans want from China in the end? What is their end game? When will they leave China alone?

I thought about this for a long time , a very long time

Yes it’s true that the West led by the US has become unusually harsh towards China. In fact the US is destroying it’s entire reputation in front of the world through it’s actions against China & Russia

So why?

First let’s get rid of the obvious NONSENSE theories here

Theory 1:-

That US doesn’t want China to be a threat in the future and become a Rival

This is ridiculous. It’s also highly improbable. US doesn’t think long term at all. US thinks only short term, typically from Election to Election Or Boom to Recession to Boom

That the US is doing all this , to throttle Chinas Growth seems foolish to me because the US gains nothing at all

If the US simply and quietly did it’s work without any threat of sanctions, the USD would remain a global currency for a century perhaps

So US destroying it’s own reputation by the day, it’s reputation as a free country, as a country of laws, as a country of responsible media and as a country promoting free trade – just to ensure China doesn’t grow to be as big as the US is downright foolish

Theory 2:-

That US wants to protect it’s Companies from Patent infringement

Again Nonsense

That’s not how the US works

These Companies, they have for several decades run their own businesses and have never come crying to the US Government for help

That the US doesn’t want China to become technologically advanced and sell more smartphones and laptops is illogical

Theory 3:-

That the US are doing this for National Security

Again foolish. US have Nukes. China has Nukes. In any struggle between two nuclear powers, the power heading for defeat will try to balance the equation by using nuclear weaponry

This US will never fight China in a major war and vice versa

The US has no conflict with China and the Sphere of Influence for the US is in the Atlantic & Pacific not the South China Sea or Africa

And for gods sake if you tell me this is because US cares about the Taiwanese people, I would tell you the chances of Netanyahu being a Hamas agent is higher than that

Plus nobody uses 3 nm Chips for Missiles or Space

Theory 4:-

That US wants to break up China and destroy the CPC

Again nonsense.

Why?

China is an economic and trade ally and helps make $ 2.3 Trillion a year to the US Economy by value addition. Why destroy that with breaking up China and destroying Status Quo?

image 133
image 133

Sure you do have a handful of faggots like Lindsey or De Santis who are demented enough to have this illogical ideology

Yet they represent maybe 3–4% of the US collective of Politics, Press & Big Businesses

Theory 5:-

Politics & Elections

Again doesn’t make sense

US voters vote on various issues and Anti Chinese Rhetoric isn’t one of them. Hell, both sides make Anti Chinese Rhetoric don’t they?


This brings me to the real reason in my opinion

The US NEEDS CHINA to do something very badly and is using all these measures as bargaining chips

  • Taiwan
  • Tech barriers
  • Tarriffs
  • Propaganda

The US wants something from China in return for which the US is ready to go back to removing all of the above

That’s the only logical explanation of why US keeps threatening China and it’s businesses

It hopes these businesses and people will put pressure on China to somehow do what the US expects

This also explains why China isn’t reacting at all to all these provocations but quietly making firm statements

Its ECONOMIC

The US Economy is a time bomb waiting to explode. When it does it will take the economy of the entire world with it.

It will cause huge blows to every nation including China

Yet it will also finish the US as a global power completely

Unless China steps in

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China can invest $ 770 Billion today without needing a signature or getting into debt

China has $ 18 Trillion in savings alone

A Huge Swathe of Chinese Investments into USA , especially PUBLIC MONEY belonging to the Chinese People will allow the US to either delay this time bomb from exploding immediately (7–12 years) to around 40 years

It’s why so many US higher ups are visiting China again and again

It’s why no top ranked Chinese is visiting the US

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The US keep telling China, it’s in their own interest to prevent the US from the great economic collapse

Otherwise China would be badly burnt

Yet China may feel that it’s best to let US collapse even at great personal loss. This may be why China is busy with alternative settlements and alternative currency routes

I somehow seriously doubt Xi Jingping wants to be the Global Hegemon

All his moves are to secure Fuel, Energy and Food and Independence from the Dollar

I thought this was because the US is insane enough to sanction China but maybe it’s because China wants to put distance between the US Economic time bomb & themselves and their clients

I believe it’s why US have enmeshed the EU into this quagmire and also the UK and Japan and S Korea

If US experiences this Economic Collapse, these nations would be gutted completely. Hence they sink or swim with the US. That’s why they too put pressure on China yet have some major visit to China almost every month

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This is my hypothesis

Nothing else makes sense

Politicians have their ideology

Media Channels have their ideology

Businessmen may have their own issues with China

But a full concerted effort to target China and that too announcing everything months in advance all the time , looks stupid and completely ineffective

It looks like the US is desperately putting hook after hook into China and saying “If I go down, you go down”

China still doesn’t believe that and feels that if the US goes down, and if China survives – it would be a better world altogether


I am firmly convinced the US is having an economic nuclear bomb within itself and needs China to prevent the collapse which will damage the Global Economy heavily

All these moves are completely Anti Chinese but intended as bargaining Chips

Nothing else makes sense to me.

Have you ever encountered a lawyer who was so good that you were lost for words?

Originally Answered: Have you ever encountered a lawyer who was so good that your jaw dropped?

I had been the victim of a road rage incident when I was in my 20s. Long story short, I was in a left-turn-only lane; the perp was in the right-turn-only lane, and she wanted to go left. I made my turn, without ever noticing her, as there weren’t very many cars on the road, and went into a restaurant to pick up my dad’s dinner. She followed me in, kicked the chair out from under me, and kicked the crap out of me while screaming, “Do you know who I am?” Luckily, one of the waiters got her license plate number.

I had eight broken ribs, a fractured cheekbone, and she had ruptured all of my stitches from my gallbladder surgery that I’d had two weeks prior. She tried to have me arrested for assault, saying that I threw her against her car. I’ll come back to that.

At my first court appearance, the prosecutor took me into a room and wanted me to drop the charges against this woman. I obviously refused. The prosecutor said, “You are 22, you work as a hairdresser, and you live with your parents. You are nothing. Marjorie (the perp) is a pillar of the community, and is the child psychologist for the county, so I’d think real hard over this (let’s not forget that I had been the victim here).”

I did point out that I had brought a witness (the waiter), as well as notarized affidavits from several people who were in the restaurant at the time, and CCTV footage from the restaurant, too. She refused to allow them to be admitted. Wasn’t she supposed to help me?

The judge wanted me to let the perp have my car fixed (she broke a window and keyed the door) by some unlicensed guy, whom she had treated when he was in school. I agreed to an estimate, but I was going to get my own estimate as well.

My sister used to work as a legal secretary, and she took me to one of her old bosses. We went over all of the evidence, and he agreed to come with me for the second court date.

So, at the next date, the prosecutor called me back to a private room, before going into the courtroom, again trying to force me to drop the charges, but still wanted me for assault. My lawyer, Mark, said, “So you say that my client threw Marjorie over the hood of her own car and held her against a wall with her right arm, correct?”

The prosecutor said, “That’s what Marjorie told me.”

Mark: “Marjorie, how tall are you?”

Marjorie: “5’10”

Mark: Chole, how tall are you?

Me: “5’3″

Mark: “Marjorie, you are a big woman, easily close to 200 pounds, while Chole weighs 92 pounds, so how could she throw you?

Prosecutor: “That’s not important.”

Mark: “I disagree. Marjorie, you said in your sworn statement that Chole held you up against the wall with her right arm. Are you certain that you want to say that?”

Marjorie: “That girl is a wild animal; who knows what those people are capable of?”

Mark: “Well, Chole had emergency surgery two weeks prior to the incident, on her right side, and still cannot lift that arm past shoulder level, no thanks to you. Also, she’s left-handed.” Checkmate.

Marjorie, at this point, jumped up and started screaming about how important she was and I was just white trash, when Mark stood up, looked down at her (he’s 6’9) and said, “Lady, you might have convinced this prosecutor that you’re somebody special, but I have, in my briefcase, a filing, ready to go to the state board, along with all the evidence from this case, as well as sworn observations about your general behavior from your fellow psychologists and some of your neighbors. You will never be able to work again once I’m through with you, so I suggest that you sit the f**k down and admit that you lied and that you beat this ‘white trash girl’ for no g*****n reason.” Then, he turned to the prosecutor and said, “How dare you assume that someone is guilty because they’re not from this s****y town? What does that prove, or are you just bored and lazy?”

Marjorie had to pay for all of the damage done to my car, as well as the ambulance service, medical costs relating to everything that she did to me, and the damage she did to the chair in the restaurant. All of my charges were dropped and expunged.

Mark usually handled divorce cases, but he had way too much fun that night!

Flash-forward a few years, when I was at a luncheon with my mom. We ran into a friend of hers, who is also a child psychologist for another district. My mom mentioned my case, and the woman said, “We’ve all been waiting for that b***h to get knocked down a few pegs for years! She’s a nightmare to deal with, but she did lose her job shortly after your case was resolved.” The district didn’t want to have to pay out a small fortune if and when this woman blew her top again, so they forced her into early retirement.

Eliminate Apple Android compatibility! Huawei’s independent operating system shocks the West!

“”In today’s episode, we dive into the latest developments in the Huawei vs. United States tech competition. Huawei has made a groundbreaking announcement – its HarmonyOS will no longer be compatible with Android. HarmonyOS 4.0 has sparked intense discussions, with industry experts suggesting it could challenge iOS and Android. Huawei’s move to disconnect HarmonyOS from Android is a strategic maneuver in the global tech arena, countering U.S. dominance. We explore the implications and Huawei’s plan to create opportunities for global tech enterprises.

https://youtu.be/blnnMPkTITs

Russia ditches US Dollar and Indian Rupee, accepts Only Local Currency and Yuan

Russia is still sitting on 40 billion dollars worth of trapped Indian Rupees.

BRICS member Russia is evading US sanctions by accepting local currencies as payment for exports and not the US dollar. Russia’s third-biggest oil producer, ‘Gazprom Neft announced that the company has completely stopped accepting the US dollar as payment.

The oil exporter has ditched the US dollar and switched to accepting local currencies for cross-border transactions. This is the first oil-producing firm to completely switch from the US dollar to local currencies in 2023.

The development comes on the heels of the de-dollarization efforts initiated by the BRICS alliance. Saudi Arabia also confirmed recently that it is open to accepting local currencies for oil trade across the world.

Alexander Dyukov, the CEO of Gazprom Neft, said that the company has completely moved away from the U.S. dollar. He added that the firm will not be accepting Euros, which will eventually put pressure on the countries of the European Union. “We have virtually moved away from payments in dollars and euros,” he said to Tass.

Dyukov revealed that the oil firm will accept the Chinese Yuan and the Russian Ruble as payment moving forward. “We mainly use Yuan and Rubles,” he said. A spokesperson said that the company has no issues accepting and withdrawing foreign currencies from across the world.

However, the CEO stressed that the company is not open to accepting the Indian Rupee as payment. “No. We don’t use Rupees,” he said without citing why the INR is left out as a payment option. If many other oil companies follow suit, the US dollar could be in jeopardy. The means to fund the dollar’s deficit will narrow, leading to economic turmoil in the US.

ASEAN Rejects US As Biden Tried Disrupting Summit And Made These Silly Requests!

im from the Philippines and i firmly believe that without U.S. hegemony, the world will be at peace.”

https://youtu.be/qhI3NtjeKI4

When have you fired someone on the spot?

Quite a few years ago I worked for a large insurance company. I had an office on the fifth floor. In that office I had a decorative ceramic eagle worth about $200 sitting on my bookcase. One Friday afternoon it was there when I went home for the weekend. When I returned on Monday it was gone!

I trotted down to Building Security and explained the issue. They smiled and said, “Give us an hour.” I said, “Why?” They said, “Very few people know about the hidden cameras in the elevators!”

An hour later they called me. They showed me a video of one of my employees carrying out my eagle at 11:00 PM on a Sunday night! They happily printed out a hard copy of a frame that showed the theft.

On Monday morning I called my thief into my office. I had a little fun. I told him how shocked I was that my eagle was missing. He said all the right things about how terrible this was!

“Who would do such a thing?” I inquired. He quickly threw two other employees under the bus. Then I laid the picture out of this SOB doing the deed!

“I guess I’m fired” he said! “You guessed right,” I said.

Footnote- My superiors were not satisfied with that. They called the police and had him charged & convicted for theft!

It FINALLY happened (mask off moment)…

Thanks, Canada, for confirming what Mr. Putin has been saying all along.

https://youtu.be/8BhRpSTJklA

Why is Japan so safe?

“Remember, don’t talk to the hostesses, and don’t start a fight. Got it?” I asked my friends, making sure everyone also had a drink in hand.

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Girls holding signs, where sometimes a man may come in to “persuade” you to try it

“What happens if we lose you?” one of my friends asked.

“Look, you’re not carrying shrooms or weed. Don’t start a fight, and worst case they put you in a cell until you sober up. Then call me.” I grinned back. The Neon lights with the words “Kabuki-cho” illuminated behind me. Farther ahead, many girls with signs.

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Sorta like this now

They all nodded, some coming from downtown LA, some former military members, and some just like you, traveling Japan for the first time.

As a preamble, they wanted me to take them to the sketchiest part of Tokyo, which I find to be a contradiction.

After seeing a beer cans and some trash on the floor, I looked back at my group, shaking my head. “I’m so sorry guys. This area is not as clean as Japan, and it can get pretty bad.” Then I looked back up and winked at them.

The reason why it’s so safe is because of the culture.

People in Japan from a younger age are taught to think of the community first, and not themselves. There are pros and cons of this, which I’ll reserve for another post, but it starts from school as the students are expected to clean everything. If you do a bad job, you will be socially ostracized until you put in “your part”. Everywhere you go it’s pretty much handicap friendly, so if you have any disabilities people make sure you can go about your day.

The reason why it’s so safe is because there’s no incentive

It didn’t used to be this way. Japan has organized crime like any other country (Yakuza ring a bell?) but even they realized it wasn’t profitable to do violence so they pretty much resort to financial racketeering or money laundering and other “services”, but never violence.

The reason why it’s so safe is because of the police culture.

Japan has what some in the West would be almost a too trusting culture with the police. Kid is lost? Go to the local police station. Harassed? Local police station. Followed? Local police station. You get the idea.

You also don’t really have to worry about being injured going to the police. The police are liable if they do physically hurt you, so they have come up with ways to restain you without harming you.

The reason why it’s so safe is because the population is older and busy

If you look at Japan, the average age is almost 50. People don’t need to prove themselves when they’re older, and have it stable. Likewise, the younger generation are almost too busy with school, work, or other societal aspect that there’s almost no free time to do anything else. This obviously has major cons, but it does make it so that most people follow the rules and are rewarded on the “successful” pathway.

By age 40, you should be smart enough to realize this:

1. Stay silent. Not everything needs to be said.

2. Silence is better than unnecessary drama.

3. If you find someone smarter than you, work with them, don’t compete. Competition is a weakness.

4. The family you create is more important than the family you come from.

5. Your current job doesn’t care about you. They only pay you enough to kill your dreams.

6. Free yourself from society’s advice, most of them have no idea of what they’re doing.

7. It’s better to have 1 friend who’s;

• Happy for you

• Supports your win

• Encourages your dreams

Than a bunch of acquittance who are

• Lazy

• Self-centered

• Jealous of your success

8. You’ll be 10x happier if you forgive your parents and stop blaming them.

9. If you continue waiting for the “right time ”, you’ll waste your whole life and nothing will happen.

10. No one will ever come save you. Your life is 100% your responsibility.

11. Your inner circle should be more focused on money, success, and starting a family.

12. You don’t need 100 self-help books. All you need is actions and self-discipline.

What is normal in your country but weird in the rest of the world?

Iceland here.

  • If it’s 10degrees or hotter outside [50 degrees Fahrenheit, for Americans] we will go out in bikinis and sunbathe
  • Almost every family owns at least one summer cabin that is frequently visited
  • We say ‘good morning’ or ‘good evening’ to everyone we pass on the street, depending on the time of day
  • We will often have long discussions (*hem* arguments) of what type of snow is snowing at the moment
  • The first real day of summer was three days ago and almost everyone took a break from work to go and enjoy it (it was around 14 degrees or something)
  • It snows from August to June
  • All the houses are built like fortresses so they can withstand the frequent earthquakes
  • We await the next volcanic eruption with excitement
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(Eyjafjallajökull, 2010)

  • Most of us watch football religiously
  • Dried fish is a delicacy
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  • We loudly announce when we go to the toilet and ask if we have permission to do so
  • Going on dates is a formal and a rare experience, not standard at all
  • Blind dates is something that doesn’t happen
  • In swimming pools we wash without clothes with everyone else of the same gender, no stalls
  • We drink a lot of milk —it goes with everything
  • We leave our babies outside in their prams -of cafes, our homes, in the garden, in our unlocked cars
  • We love sauces; we probably have hundreds of different types, also ice cream shops normally have about six different sauces
  • We will have barbecues in any weather
  • We drink lots of alcohol: beer, wine, you name it
  • It’s never cold inside our houses, ever
  • We party until way after midnight —if you are camping and want to sleep, don’t camp next to Icelanders
  • Believing in elves and trolls is normal and we have tons of stories that we’ve been told about them since we were young
  • We have 13 Santa Clauses
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edit : some more for y’all + pics on the original answer

  • We have a Christmas Cat that, if you don’t get new clothes for christmas, will come and eat you (particularly children)
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  • The christmas cat is owned by a pair of trolls called Grýla and Leppalúði. they are the Santa Clauses’ parents, who are also trolls.
  • Grýla kidnaps, cooks and eats misbehaving children.
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  • We have a day dedicates to eating these delicious balls of air
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  • The water quality is 500% and so when we visit other countries we are dying because the water tastes so bad there
  • We are taught from a young age that we should never ever ever step on the moss and if you do then u deserve to burn in hell (ok maybe not but that’s the idea)
  • Everyone hates Justin Bieber for that music video he did. (+We had to close down the park a part of it was shot in because the tourists were tearing up the moss.)
  • In winter we all wear the thickest coats you’ll see while still trying to stay fashionable and we all look giant
  • Conjugation is a thing so a noun has 16 different variations of itself.
  • Tourism is the top industry of Iceland
  • Ice cream is enjoyed whenever; in a snow storm or on a rare hot day; doesn’t matter
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What is the most clever way you have seen someone respond to road rage?

I was proud of myself for this…you be the judge.

While waiting to turn left into a busy street, the person behind me grew impatient and honked. Not wanting to be the person to face death by oncoming traffic so he could hurry, I put my car into park and got out.

I pasted a look of quizzical concern on my face, and slowly walked to the back of my car. I inspected the back and could find nothing wrong, so I turned to the guy who honked and said, “What is it? Is one of my lights out? Is one of my tires flat?”

He shouted, “I just want you to go!”, but it was busy, so I pretended not to hear him, so I cupped my hand to my ear and walked towards him.

“I JUST WANT YOU TO GO!!!!” he shouted.

“Oh, well, I’m turning left, and it’s kind of busy, so I’m waiting for a break. I’ll go then. I thought you were honking because you saw something wrong with my car. Thanks!” I cheerily shared.

I went back to my car, put it in drive, and waited for a safe time to pull out.

Why People Are Moving to Mexico City

Under-reporting trend.

Why don’t American teachers break up school fights anymore?

I used to until I was sued and faced legal action against my credential that was filed by my principal. The principal also convinced the boy’s father to file a criminal complaint and tried to get me arrested. It cost over $150,000 in attorney’s fees to fight the administrative actions and criminal actions. I ended up prevailing and in the end, after spending another $100,000 in attorney’s fees, I recouped my fees by filing suit against the parent of the student and the school district.

The back story was this male student who suffers from schizophrenia and has other learning disabilities was assigned to my science class. I was never informed about his medical diagnosis. He was enrolled in the intensive intervention program at our school that was for students who had behavioral issues. These students were supposed to have an aide with them in the mainstream classroom or they were supposed to be in the II room doing their work. They had a behavioral intervention plan for each student.

I was not given this student’s BIP because his mother, a teacher in the district and at another site, did not want his medical diagnosis shared with his teachers. She also did not agree with it and refused to administer his medication at home. To be allowed at school, he had to take his meds. The year prior, he had beaten two students so severely, they were hospitalized for several weeks and one almost died. So his meds were administered at school. He did not take them on the weekends so on Mondays he was always exhibiting extreme behavior. It also turns out that at times the voices he heard told him the meds were poison so he would pretend to take them and then spit them out when the school nurse was not looking.

I knew he was supposed to have a BIP and I made several requests for it by email. I cced the requests to the vice-principal and the principal and never received a response. By state and federal law, I was supposed to be given the BIP and made aware of anything that could possibly endanger myself or my students. I was supposed to be informed that the previous year he went into a psychotic rage and nearly killed two students in his PE class and it took 4 PE teachers to pull him off of the student both times. It was after the second attack that he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and placed in the II program and assigned an aide to be with him at all times.

Well, his case carrier let him go to his classes without an aide because none of the aides would deal with him. He had assaulted all of the aides that were available and so they refused to work with him. He was confined to the II room for the first 5 periods of the day. She sent him to my class 6th period because it was her prep period and she wanted a break. Since no aide would work with him, she did not send an aide with him, so I had to deal with him on my own. Of course I had no idea about the schizophrenia or that his constant talking was due to his talking to the voices of his imaginary friends that were real to him and that were telling him what to do.

One day those friends told him to beat the crap out of a female student that was half his size because she had disrespected him because she was looking at him funny. Of course she was at the back of the room and he was at the front and she wanted nothing to do with him. Nobody wanted to even talk to this kid. So he got up and walked back to her, and pulled her out of her seat and started beating her. When I got to her, he had her on the floor and she was in the fetal position. He was kicking her head repeatedly. I grabbed him in a bear hug from behind and walked him to the door. He was continuing to kick and so he and I went down. I just continued dragging him to the door and pulled him out the room. I left him outside and returned to the room and shut the door behind me. He was locked out side.

I called the office to come and get him and to send for paramedics for the girl. He spent the next 30 minutes pounding on the door and windows with his bare fists. He actually shattered several windows to the classroom. It took administrators 10 minutes to get to my classroom. They spent 20 minutes asking him to calm down and walk with them to the office. He charged them several times and hit and kicked them but they would not use any physical force to restrain him. Even after he broke the windows with his fists and cut his hands, they refused to restrain him. I finally had enough and called the police. They came and took him down and cuffed him. My principal was upset. But the paramedics were able to stop his bleeding before he bled out. Then they were able to treat the student he had kicked in the head several times. She had a severe concussion and needed medical attention now, not 30 minutes from now.

Of course in this day and age of cell phones, a few of my students filmed this. As allowed by state law, I confiscated the cell phones because filming inside of a classroom is a violation of state law, and filming fights is a suspendible behavior. I handed the phones to the admin and wrote the appropriate referrals.

The district policy is the admin is supposed to review all photos and videos with a parent present, copy any thing taken in a classroom then delete those images from the phone. Those copies are then saved as evidence for the basis of the suspension and depending on the severity of the offense and the number of previous offenses the student gets from 1 to 5 days of suspension. The phones do not get handed back under any circumstances until the videos are erased.

Well, the principal just handed them back immediately. I still wrote the referrals. I documented everything.

The next day. I get called to the office. I find the SRO wanting to interview me. I respectfully declined. I invoked my right to have an attorney present before answering any questions. I have attorneys for relatives and friends. When a police officer asks you a question about a situation you were involved in, they are not your friend. Anything you say can be used against you. You do not say anything without an attorney. What the officer did not say that I learned later was the father had filed a criminal complaint against me. The principal had encouraged him to do so. The problem was, he did not have custody of his son nor did he have legal educational rights. In fact, there was a restraining order prohibiting him from being on school grounds or within 1,000 feet of his son. Mom did not want to file a criminal complaint because she knew what would happen, absolutely nothing. She was a teacher and knew what the education code was.

In CA, a teacher may intervene to protect the safety of a student. So if it is mutual combat, I could legally intervene to prevent both students from harming each other. I am not legally required to but I can if I feel I can do so. If I am injured, I am covered by workman’s comp for injuries sustained in performing my duties. The top duty of any teacher is to ensure student safety. That takes a higher priority over teaching students. I have broken up fights before and have been injured and they have always been covered. I do it because I am a teacher and student safety is first.

The principal then filed an administrative action against me for violating the rights of a special education student. I did not follow his behavioral intervention plan. Had this been successful, I would have lost my job and my credential. This was made worse by the fact that the video taken by a student was posted to social media. It then made the local news.

Of course the story was one sided. I could not provide my side of the story. Anything I said would violate the student’s privacy rights under state and federal law. So, I was the teacher that assaults students for no reason. Nothing was said about the student that was on the floor, in the fetal position, having her head repeatedly kicked. Nothing was said about her traumatic brain injuries or the induced coma she was in for two weeks or her overwhelming fear of returning to the same school this monster of a student was at so she ended up transferring to a private school. By the way, this student who was the aggressor was never suspended because his special education rights were violated. He did this to at least 6 other students after this incident over the next 2 years and the district ended up paying out several millions to the parents of his victims. They finally got rid of the student by moving the program off of my campus to another one. This allowed them to fire this inept teacher. At the new campus, this student is confined to his II room and not allowed into any general education room. That principal has made sure of it. He has signed one school security officer to be with the student at all times.

My union would help pay for the legal defense, but only if I prevailed. So I did what was best for me, I hired the best attorney in the field of Education Administrative law. She has earned several awards and has won many cases that went all the way to the CA Supreme Court. I mortgaged my house and paid the retainer. I then shut up and let her talk for me.

My district told my principal to back down, she would lose. Since this was a legal action, I got a copy of all emails and I got this email. My principal did not realize I got this email and her response was she was not going to because I hurt a student and she needed to make an example of me. Their response was they would not pay for her legal costs, she was on her own and she had to pay for all of her attorney fees. They would not provide an attorney for her. She decided she did not need one. She went it alone. If you are dealing with a legal issue, never, ever appear before a judge without a competent attorney. If your boss tells you to drop it and you insist on following through on the legal action, it is a sign you are going to lose.

After 3 months, she lost. Then I took all the documentation of where she went wrong and filed suit. Then she realized she screwed up big time because the district told her to get her own attorney. She refused to settle out of court and so her costs went up and she lost. The district also lost because I went after them because she was their employee. I also went dad for his defamation and libel and filing a false police report. Because of the deep pockets law, I won an enforceable judgement against the district and the principal.

Now, as a teacher, I really do not want to take money from the education of students. So, I negotiated with the district. Since I won against the original criminal and administrative complaints against me, my union will cover much of the attorney’s fees for that. I also had to hire a criminal defense attorney. His bill was only $10,000 because he only had to file some paperwork with the DA to get the DA to make a decision to either charge me or drop it. The DA decided that at worse I was guilty of an infraction, and since I was protecting another student and had a strong defense that I was protecting her from certain death or permanent harm, what I did was legal, he would never consider filing charges because the case would be too weak and I would never be convicted. The district negotiated with the principal to cover my administrative attorney’s fee not covered by the union. This meant they told her they would withhold the money from her paycheck to pay my attorney or the principal would no longer have a job.

Then, the principal would buy 10 years of credit into my retirement plan with the state. This would come from her paycheck rather than from the district so students do not suffer. If she did not agree, she would not longer be working for the district. This will allow me to retire early and leave the state and seek employment outside of CA where education has not become so bad that the schools are run by the lowest common denominator and the students who want to learn and get an education are being left behind and whose safety is in danger every day.

In exchange, I signed a contract that I will never intervene in a fight. I will call the office and report it to an administrator. Last year, I had 8 fights in my classroom. Administrators are trained to not run to fights. They are supposed to walk because it demonstrates a calm response. My classroom is at the back of campus and it takes a minimum of 5 minutes to walk from the front to my room. The average administrative response time from the time I call to inform them there is a fight in my room to them actually arriving is 15 minutes. During that time I am supposed to evacuate the classroom of all students who are not participating and who will follow my directions. I have to supervise those students outside. The defiant students stay inside. Since I have done my duty, I am good. The students inside can hurt and maim each other all they want and they do. After the administrators arrive, a few ambulances are required.

The result, last May a police officer attempted to do CPR on a student that collapsed at lunch time. Other nearby students assumed the officer was assaulting the student or arresting the student and started a riot. They threw trash cans at that officer and the other responding officers that arrived within two minutes. The 4 administrators that arrived and told the students to disperse were ignored. The administrators sounded a lock-down and the students ignored it. They continue to attack the officer attempting CPR. The student died.

That student had tapped a mixture of pentyl and THC and she stopped breathing. It took 20 minutes for the police to to control the students, including arresting 30 of them, clearing the area enough to get the paramedics to the girl. They could not perform CPR during that time. The officer that tried to do CPR was taken to the hospital with a concussion after having two garbage cans slammed over his head.

Students learned if they fight the adults back down.

If I see a fight or a student assaulting another, I walk the other way. I am legal safe if I just call the office. If I intervene, I can lose everything. I can be sued, I can lose my job, I can lose my life savings. If I do nothing but just call the office, I am protected from all legal consequences. The worst that can happen is I get called to answer the questions from a few attorneys. I spend a few days at the district office with pay while talking to attorneys. I did that two months ago.

It went something like this. Did you see the fight. Yes. What did you do? I called the office to report it. Who did you report it to? I reported it to the attendance secretary who answered the phone and she said she would call security. I then waited in my room because I feared for my safety. I watched the fight through my classroom window. It took security 15 minutes to arrive.

Why did you not break up the fight? I did not feel I had the physical strength to do so without incurring injury to myself and I have a written contract with the school district stating I will not break up fights but will only report them to the administration because it is their job to break them up. Here is a copy of that contract.

The district hated that I brought that up but it gave me 100% legal cover. It was proof I did exactly what I was directed to do by a superior so they were 100% on the hook for my actions.

The truth is, your students are not as safe at school as district administrators want you to think.

Banana Custard Cobblers

2023 10 15 09 54
2023 10 15 09 54

Yield: 8 servingsIngredients

Custard

1 cup granulated sugar1/2 cup cornstarch8 large egg yolks3 cups whole milk1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise6 tablespoons (34 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature1/4 cup dark rum

Topping

3/4 cup all-purpose flour1/2 cup almonds6 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar5 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces3 bananas, thinly slicedInstructions

Custard
  • Whisk sugar, cornstarch and egg yolks in large bowl to blend.Bring milk and vanilla bean to boil in heavy large saucepan.Gradually whisk hot milk into egg yolk mixture; return mixture to saucepan. Whisk over medium-low heat until custard boils and thickens, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.Whisk in butter and rum. Cool slightly.Discard vanilla bean. Cover with plastic and refrigerate until cold. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.)
  • Topping
  • Blend flour, almonds and brown sugar in processor to mix.
  • Add butter and process, using on/off turns, until coarse crumbs form. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Transfer to bowl; cover and chill.)Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.Place eight 1 cup ramekins or custard cups on baking sheet.Divide custard equally among ramekins, using about cup for each.Top each dessert with about 8 banana slices.Spoon topping over banana slices, dividing equally.Bake cobblers until topping is golden brown, about 15 minutes.Remove from oven and cool slightly, about 15 minutes.Serve warm.
  • What was a big mistake in WW2?

    Originally Answered: What was big mistake in WW2?

    image 127
    image 127

    This is the Lorenz cipher.

    Unlike its better known relative, the Enigma machine which was infamously deciphered by code-breakers at Bletchley Park throughout the war, the Lorenz cipher posed a much greater challenge. Utilising 12 wheels to scramble up the message being sent as opposed to the 3 or 4 rotors found in the Enigma machine, the Lorenz cipher was incredibly secure. As a result, unlike the Enigma that was used by the German standard armed forces, the Lorenz cipher was used only by high command with messages coming from Hitler himself. As a result, to crack the Lorenz cipher (or Tunny as it was code named by the British) would have the potential to change the course of the war.

    Not much headway had been made in breaking the Lorenz cipher through the war until a German operator made a catastrophic mistake on 30 August 1941. When a German receiving operator did not receive a message correctly, he asked the transmitter to resend the information and despite clear protocol against it, the two operators resent the message without changing their key settings (the settings that determine how the text is scrambled up). However since the message in question was 4000 characters long, the lazy German operator abbreviated several words, thus changing the length of the message. Since their key settings were both the same, the two messages had the same scrambling pattern of characters. Thus by comparing the locations where the message text changed, details of the way the rotors worked could be determined.

    These two messages were intercepted by the British who soon realised the importance of what they had discovered. This task of cracking Tunny was given to W T (Bill) Tutte who began to find repetitions in the cipher which allowed him to reverse engineer the Lorenz machine’s logical structure in what would be later described as “one of the greatest intellectual feats of World War II”. In order to support the painstaking decryption of German messages, the British Colossus was built in 1943 by Tommy Flowers, the first ever modern computer.

    image 126
    image 126

    The Colossus Machine

    The impact of the decryption of Tunny was enormous. It gave the British intimate details of Hitler’s most secret communications which was most notably vital in D Day where the Allies were able to deceive the Germans that they were going to attack at Calais as opposed to Normandy and at the Battle of Kursk in 1943, Germany’s last ditch attempt to reverse their fortunes on the Eastern Front and one of the largest battles in history. Involving 3 million men, without foreknowledge of German planning provided by the British, the Soviets would have been badly prepared defensively and could have lost this crucial battle and as a result, the war would’ve been prolonged. In fact, historians estimate that the breaking of the Lorenz cipher shortened the war by two years and thus saved millions of lives all due to the careless mistake of two lazy German operators.

    However this pivotal event is not well known due to the Official Secrets Act keeping the nature of the code breakers working to break the Lorenz cipher secret until 1974 and some former staff even today still refuse to break their vow of secrecy, preferring to take their knowledge to the grave.

    image 125
    image 125

    W T (Bill) Tutte, the man responsible for cracking the Lorenz Cipher

    Sweet cat is trying desperately to fit in, find a home

    Gaza nightmare

    Some disturbing stuff going down right now. The idiots in Washington DC are Hell-bent on war, and all of us are feeling like we are trapped in some kind of cage lashed to the back of a speeding car driven by a madman.

    The West has gone completely koo-koo.

    No shit.

    In case you all haven’t noticed, I am not “reporting” or commenting on the insanity of the Middle East. It’s all a cluster fuck that I want no part of.

    Today…

    What is the smartest thing you have seen a lawyer do in court?

    How about the Judge?

    A long time ago, I owned one of the first Honda Accords. I had bought it new in 1977, and around 1984, the engine had a very bad oil burning problem. I was pulled over by a Metro Toronto Police constable, who gave me the choice of a ticket for “excessive smoking” or a visit to the Ontario Ministry of the Environment testing centre.

    I chose the test, filled the engine with 50 w oil and while there was no smoke, the rest of the needles went fully to the right. Busted.

    I was given a chance for a repeat, but knowing I would fail that one also, I put the car on the driveway, pulled the plates and used a borrowed vehicle. About a month after the missed test, a summons came in the mail to appear at the Provincial court one morning in the not too distant future.

    I showed up early, and approached the clerk to find out where I should be and when. They never tell you that on the summons, just to appear. While talking the the clerk, a man walked up and was dealing with another of the clerks. I asked the clerk I was talking to “what the fine would be” if convicted. She didn’t know, and man beside me became interested in the matter. I had no idea who he was, but we kind of looked at the summons and neither of us could see anything about a fine. There was a little conversation; I assumed he was a lawyer, and we had a friendly chat. Court was starting shortly, and the fellow left, so I also went inside, told the bailiff I was there – important to do so, otherwise they might not call you for hours – and sat down.

    At the stroke of 10:00 am, someone says “all rise” and in walks the Judge, the fellow I was talking to at the desk. Before the proceedings began, the Judge asked me if I had received an answer from the clerk. I told him that I had not, and then the proceedings began.

    The Crown (prosecutor) presents the charge, an environmental offence, which he obviously felt was on par with burning down a forest or killing baby seals. Looking very smug, he sat down.

    I am called forth, and I told the Judge that yes, the car had failed, but it was off the road and here are the license plates in my hand proving that it was no longer driving or polluting.

    The Judge then asked the Crown what the minimum fine was for such an offence. The Crown responded that “the Ministry has a range up to $5000 for such an offence and the usual fine is this case would be $100.”

    The Judge asked again about the minimum fine and the Crown repeated his same line. The Judge then asked “so there is no minimum fine?”

    The Crown sheepishly answered “No sir” and the Judge turned to me and asked “the car is off the road?” and I responded affirmatively, at which point he said the charges were dropped as the intent of the law was to keep polluting vehicles off the road and obviously this had happened. Case dismissed!

    I can’t say for sure, but there was a bit of smile from my new friend on the bench as I walked out of the court.

    The smartest lawyer in the room was the Judge.

    What are the best socializing tips that are not said but everyone should practice?

    I couldn’t unsee it.

    We’d just celebrated a diversity milestone as part of our quarterly meeting. It was one of those corporate cheerleading events where I stood in the back resisting the painful urge to roll my eyes.

    “We are far more than a team of coworkers,” the CEO said, gesturing wide with his arms to the crowd, “We are a family.”

    He was such a phony. The summit concluded and I went to the lunchroom. Right as I walked in, I stopped in the doorway and noticed something obvious that I hadn’t noticed before this diversity meeting.

    All the white people were at their tables. All the black employees sat at another set of tables. Three Asian ladies sat at another. It was like we were living in the 1950s. And it wasn’t confined to this office. I still see this trend so often when I walk through malls, or along the sidewalk.

    A similar phenomenon was observed on the set of Planet Of The Apes in 1968. The director noticed that during lunch, the people dressed as gorillas sat with other gorillas, chimps with chimps, and humans with humans. He described feeling a chill in the air and wondered if we were already in a dystopian sci-fi future. It even happened on the set of Babylon 5. People self-segregated according to their alien skin color.

    This trend has long predated echo chambers, and it’s detrimental to your growth.

    image 116
    image 116

    The closed network problem

    The trend is called homophily, where we magnetize towards clusters of people similar to us. Race isn’t the only sorting mechanism. People sort by social class, age, political ideology, and even the type of music they listen to. And the unfortunate result is that we often live in a “closed network”. We sort ourselves into increasingly tight homogeneous groups.

    A closed network forms in these four steps and I suspect you’ll be able to think of a few examples as you read this (I certainly did):

    image 74
    image 74

    Putting all moral platitudes aside, social diversity has great predictive qualities for your career and life.

    Count on one hand your closest friends. I’d bet that for many of you — they are pretty similar to you across a few demographic touchpoints. It’s no fault to you. This happens naturally, but you can disrupt this habit.

    By mixing up your friend group, you are exposed to ideas different than your own and stretch your thinking. Your professional network also becomes much more potent, which is especially important: Within 10 years of graduation, a majority of people won’t work in the area they majored in.

    Beware of gatekeeping your network

    My ex’s family was deeply conservative — which is fine on its own. People are entitled to their beliefs. But this was often a barrier to who could spend time with them.

    They were constantly sizing people up and figuring out their political opinions to determine if they were friend-material. Many people do this without realizing it. These parents were just explicit about it and they had a very small town syndrome (cliquey behavior, when you forget there is an entire world outside of your own).

    This introduces the other pesky problem. It’s not all that easy to make friends — especially as we get older. So what next? There are a few solutions.

    A route out of Cloneville

    I moved 15 times before I turned 18. I lived in California, DC, Florida, Virginia Beach, North Carolina — and every new batch of people was so different than the next. I went to an all white, deeply conservative private school in 9th grade, a liberal high school in Coronado. I was one of the only white kids at an inner city middle school in DC. It wasn’t always easy.

    Every summer, I waited for the talk. My mom or dad would come to my bedroom and tell me we were moving and how I was going to love this new school and place. Early on, I realized implicitly, “OK. I need to learn to make new friends.”

    I was a new 5th grader at Linkhorn Elementary. We had a substitute teacher who happened to be gorgeous. She was passing out quiz papers. Before she passed out each quiz, she did that thing where she licked her finger to grip the paper.

    After she handed me my quiz, I looked across the table at a classmate Joe and say, “Hey Joe! Pssst.”

    He turned to me and I pretended to lick my finger and put it down to my thigh and made a hissing sound, like bacon hitting the frying pan. It was a corny joke — but it made Joe laugh and we were instantly friends. And from there, I learned that humor was one quick path to win anyone over.

    Often, it’s less about how funny a joke is — and more about the energy it establishes. It signals, “I want to play.” Think about how a dog plants his chest down to the ground while keeping his hind legs standing to get another dog to play with him. This is the human equivalent.

    It says, “I like you. Let’s have fun.”

    “What if I’m not that funny?”

    An even better solution that is painfully overlooked is to smile. Researchers have proven that smiles motivate people to interact with you. They are seen as a “prosocial invitation”. Stand upright and give them a quick, natural smile right when you spot them. It signals you are excited to see them.

    After getting to know so many types of people, I’ve realized most people just want to be accepted as a complicated human being. And if you are just nice to them, and seem happy to see them and talk to them — you’ve nearly won the battle already.

    When you go to your lunchroom, consider sitting with a new group of people. Don’t be afraid to talk to someone who looks different than you.

    There’s a concept called contact hypothesis whereby tension between groups is reduced when they are brought together and interact. It promotes trust and reduces stereotyping. It reminds two different people that they’re both human beings. But the only way to make different types of friends is to actually spend time with people who are different from you.

    One of my close friends couldn’t be more different from me. His political views and background are a full 180. But we are both fully candid about our opinions and thoughts, and know we can do so without fear of judgement or being disliked. Sure, he says crazy stuff sometimes but that’s fine. He’s still my friend. He’s taught me a few things about the world and changed a few of my opinions, and I’d like to think the reverse is true.

    My hope, is that in a world that is so divided, more people from different walks of life can share the same path. They’d expand their own perspectives. They’d have more love and understanding, and more career opportunities.

    And it would save us from being fenced in with our own. Closed networks beget closed minds.

    Quite an intriguing visual.

    image 115
    image 115
    • Brazil was inches away from recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital not very long ago, mind you.
    • Surprising split in South America nonetheless, you’d imagine they’d have a uniform stance like they had for Ukraine.
    • A sea of yellow in Asia with only the usual suspects in blue but hey there’s someone new this time!
    • India’s position sits perfectly with our new found friends and within our domestic political landscape but ought to disappoint the fellow global southerners. But tbf, it is not to be construed as a paradigm shift in our policy, our Ministry of External Affairs clarified our two state stance on Palestine only yesterday, rather bad memories getting rekindled.
    • Nepal lost about a dozen citizens to Hamas’ attack. Poor folks go under the radar and didn’t even get sufficient coverage.
    • Irans sphere of influence, man, from Caspian Sea to Red Sea. Bush what have you done?
    • This is a map from TRT— Türkiye’s state run broadcaster. Interesting that they construe Erdogan’s position as call for de-escalation.
    • Sudan’s case is the perfect microcosm of the viability of normalisation deals that Israel is pursuing. You try so hard and get so far, and then a coup happens.
    • Morocco, UAE understandable, but Saudi and Pakistan? Who would have thought? Not me. Only 2% of Saudis are in favour of normalisation, I wonder if that matters at all. And 2% would be too high a number for Pakistanis.
    • Those who follow Bangladesh’s politics ought to find Bangladesh’s silence intriguing, if not outright discombobulating, especially with Hasina up for election soon and US breathing down her neck (yeah, not making this up, US is the biggest threat to Hasina’s re-election).
    • I don’t get Mexico’s neutrality, they don’t even recognise Palestine.
    • I don’t get New Zealand’s contrarian take either. What gives? I imagined if anyone from the West was going to have a contrarian take it would be Norway. The right is on the rise in Norway, left rules New Zealand, perhaps that explains?
    • Ghana coming all out to condemn Hamas? With a similar religious demography split like India, I wonder if there’s domestic political considerations involved.
    • Foreign policy really is domestic politics with its hat on.
    • Given that Indonesia’s support will be construed differently then Iran’s support, Venezuela joins the “axis of evil”. But in all fairness they joined the club previously after Ukraine invasion.
    • DPRK has been silent?
    • What explains the silence of that many African countries? None of our business paradigm?

    Putin tells it like it is…

    Fudge Cobbler

    chocolate cobbler 2 pn
    chocolate cobbler 2 pn

    Yield: about 9 servings

    Ingredients

    • 1/2 cup butter
    • 1 (1 ounce) square unsweetened baking chocolate
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 eggs, beaten
    • Vanilla ice cream (garnish)

    Instructions

    1. Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease an 8 inch square baking dish.
    2. Melt the chocolate and the butter in a saucepan over very low heat. Stir often. Remove from the heat.
    3. Stir in the sugar, flour, vanilla extract and eggs.
    4. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
    5. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes.
    6. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

    What’s a rule your employer implemented that backfired terribly?

    Everyone in the office was paid on an hourly basis and it was each person’s responsibility to keep track of how many hours they worked each day on a paper time sheet. At the end of each week each employee turned in their time sheet to their supervisor who would sign them and then give the to HR so everyone can get paid for the hours they worked. In practice, everyone showed up each day, did their work, wrote down”8 hours” on their time sheet and went home. Everyone was happy.

    Then along came a new guy in management who stated that nobody was actually keeping track of their hours and just writing down what HR wanted to see. This meant that the company was losing money and productivity from people not working a full day but being paid for it. So he instituted a new digital time sheet system where each person had to log their times in and out on their computers and the system would track how many hours each of us worked.

    What the company discovered was that everyone tended to come into work 10–15 minutes early, hardly ever took a full hour for lunch and often stayed 10–15 minutes late to get their work done. Thanks to the new time sheet system every employee was now getting paid for all that overtime they had been working but not tracking. This affected the company because it was added payroll expense that wasn’t budgeted. So management put out a new rule that nobody would be allowed to work any overtime without written permission from their supervisor and HR. So everyone was very diligent to log in and out exactly in time.

    Except now productivity had fallen because nobody was working those extra minutes each day, which multiplied over all staff added up to an extra 60 hours per week of work. The company ended up needing to hire two more people to make up that productivity.

    After Huawei released Kirin 9000S, Biden revised the bill: banning China from owning high-end chips.

    So China cannot make their own, if they do, they will violate American law.

    Malaysia’s switch to a dual 5G network will allow for more effective participation by China’s Huawei – PM Anwar

    Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Wednesday the country’s switch to a dual 5G network will allow for more effective participation by China’s Huawei Technologies Co Ltd.

    Malaysia in May had said it would allow a second 5G network to operate from next year, following concerns over a monopoly held by a single state-run network.

    The European Union and the U.S. had warned Malaysia of risks to national security and foreign investment amid efforts by Huawei to bid for a role in its telecoms infrastructure.

    Anwar on Wednesday acknowledged concerns from some countries over the “security and capacity” of technology stemming from China, but said the decision to allow a second 5G network was made so that Malaysia could benefit from different technologies.

    “We in Malaysia… and I believe rightly, decided that while we get the best from the West, we also should benefit the best from the East,” he told an event hosted by Huawei in Kuala Lumpur.

    “After extensive discussion… we made the decision to allow for a dual network, and thus the decision for more effective participation by Huawei.”

    Malaysia had in 2021 unveiled a plan for a state-owned agency, Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB), to own the full 5G spectrum, with various carriers using the infrastructure to provide mobile services, but the plan had come under industry criticism over pricing and competition.

    State-run DNB partnered with Swedish telecoms giant Ericsson to roll out Malaysia’s 5G network. It is unclear how Malaysia’s plan for a second network would affect DNB’s agreement with Ericsson or other mobile operators.

    WHAT THESE FILIPINAS CAN OFFER TO THEIR PASSPORT BROS!

    Three chicks talking.

    How do expats view other expats in China?

    I really don’t like most western expats in China.

    They are generally ignorant about China and Chinese, and conversations about China are very shallow and full of misconceptions. It is not worth my time to correct those misperceptions, and there is no reward for doing it.

    Chinese are much fun and interesting, and even if they have silly ideas, they are often entertaining. Most importantly, they know the local restaurants and dishes, and can introduce me to some dish I have never had before. Unlike for most westerners, dining out is a social event, not just filling the tummy.

    What was a gift that made you speechless?

    I was age 14 in the early 1960s and living with a family who had one child around my age. On my 14th birthday, my mother said I needed to pay room and board. I decided to pay for a room in other homes where there was no violence. My rapidly increasing scoliosis was becoming a problem. I had three jobs to pay room and board — (1) feeding and washing people in a nursing home and doing laundry), (2) babysitting at the country club 1.5 miles away, and (3) stocking shelves in a dry goods store. I made $29.00 a week. My room and board was $28.00 a week. I went to high school about three days a week.

    I was happy with this family. The father was Welsh and sang Welsh songs every Friday night as he walked home from the Legion. The mother was one of the cafeteria ladies at the high school. They were good to me.

    Then one day, the father came home with an envelope and pulled out a Beatles ticket and handed it to his daughter.

    And then he handed another ticket to me.

    TO ME!

    It cost $15.00. I told him it would take me years to pay him back. If I didn’t buy shampoo, pads, or deodorant, it would take me 15 months to repay him. The father disregarded this idea with a flick of his hand and a Welsh phrase I didn’t understand.

    The father drove us the 80 miles to the venue, let us off and circled the building during the performance and was right there when it was finished. Not only that, but the man put up with us singing Beatles songs all the way home. We were not good singers.

    Even now, decades later (and I am a retired person), whenever I do something nice for someone, I think, ‘this is for you, John Cooper, this one is for you.’

    I carry such lightweight debts with me.

    Pepe Escobar: China Has DEFEATED the Neocon Agenda as US War Fails Before It Starts

    I don’t expect Xi or Putin to meet with Biden. He doesn’t make the decisions.

    This is really, really, REALLY good.

    Do you think Huawei can produce smartphones with advanced chips in large volume despite the US claims that Huawei may violate trade restrictions?

    LOL, this is China.

    If they know how to do something, they automatically know how to do it at scale.

    This is a country that builds entire new cities at one go. They produce 600,000 engineers per year. They make four out of every five solar panels in the world. They can build a 57-storey skyscraper in 19 days, and as we saw during the covid-19 pandemic, a brand new hospital in 10 days. They are the world’s biggest factory.

    If they know how to make one Huawei Mate 60, they already know how to make 100 million Huawei Mate 60s.

    China does not know how to think SMALL. It is unnatural and weird for them to think on a small scale. China has cities with populations larger than countries such as Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, even Australia. Thinking big is China’s default mentality.

    New round of US sanctions started against Huawei! U.S. tech war enters stage 2.0!

    In this episode, we dive into the latest updates on the potential second round of sanctions by the United States on Huawei. Huawei, the Chinese tech giant, unveiled its new smartphone, the Mate 60 Pro, sparking intrigue amidst ongoing U.S.-China tech tensions.

    These cutting-edge smartphones, powered by 7-nanometer chips from China’s SMIC, bring 5G connectivity to the forefront.

    The implications of this move are significant, causing a reevaluation of the technology blockade against Huawei and even calls for a complete halt to technology exports. We also explore China’s efforts to boost its self-sufficiency in chip production and navigate U.S. export restrictions.

    https://youtu.be/CI-ZOcv2CaI

    What sort of sexism do most women face in the workplace?

    I generally like my employer.

    But the worst part of my job is that I occasionally have to be the “male voice”.

    One of my female colleagues will refer a call to me to tell a caller about some iron clad policy we have that we can never, ever overlook.

    I am on the same pay level as all of them. I am not the manager. I often work in a different department. I am, however, the only one of this fairly large group of people that is male.

    I tell them the iron clad policy. They shut up. End of story.

    Part of the problem is that the engineering profession is still about 80% male, and so is the applicant base. They are not used to being told “no” by someone who isn’t male. It’s not like it’s just immigrants either.

    Here’s the irony. The second highest ranking staff member, and the person two steps above me, is a woman. She’s had to put up with it too.

    But I will tell you about my ex-colleague, boss and PEO president. She left her position as my boss to take on a five year position at the university she was hired by to get female enrollment in the engineering program up to 40%. It took her one year and she shot past the 40% goal to boot. Then she went to another university and did the same thing.

    China’s LATEST Hypersonic Drone Can Destroy US F35 Stealth Fighter in Seconds

    China’s hypersonic program has emerged as one of the biggest and heavily advanced sectors of the nation. In this remarkable sector, the PLA boasts having a drone in its arsenal which is capable of reaching hypersonic speeds and destroying world renowned stealth fighters that have dominated the aerial warfare sector for years. Today’s episode is covering China’s hypersonic drone and how it can be used to destroy US Stealth fighters.

    Why is Quora full of Westerners who praise China?

    Many of the westerners have been to China, like it, and see a lot of criticism of China in the western media which is based on planted information and is basically untrue, in order to drive western public opinion against China.

    These westerners try to compensate for this distorted view by praising China. Their intention is to restore balance in how China is viewed.

    Unfortunately, the western view of China has become so distorted that it is impossible to have a balanced view of China: either it is completely bad, or it is good.

    A balanced view of China would say that there are many good things about China, and there are some bad things as well.

    China is just like the US: it is just another country and society, each facing its own set of challenges.

    What is the most satisfying thing you have done to someone who blocked your driveway?

    I live in Northern Maine. My property borders a state park/forest. The state forest has a parking lot you need to pay to park in the lot although the park/forest is free to enter. Alot of people will park along the main road and walk into the park. my property is on a side road that is beside the park the park entrance is 2 mile up the main road from my road.

    Some park/forest visitors have taken to pulling down my road and parking on my property and hiking across my property to enter the park. they block driveways and the road with poor parking abilities. Some pull into driveways.

    My property is a farm I have many driveways used by tractors and equipment to enter the feilds for feeding livestock and tending crops. All driveways are gated (keep livestock in feilds and out of crops)

    One group of annoying tourists pulled up in 3 vehicles (2 rvs and a 12–15 passenger van) All had New York plates. they pulled in blocking the access to the feilds and began hiking across my feilds. I caught up to them and informed them that they would be towed if they did not move the vehicles. The leader of the group told me to f-off while giving a one finger salute. I watched as they walked away across the feild. once they entered the park/forest I went to my equipment barn got my large green and yellow tractor hooked up a slurry spreader tank and drove over to the slurry bin and filled the tank. ( Slurry is cow manure that is mixed with water to make it able to spray) I adjusted the spray bar and drove over near the area and sprayed liquified manure (did not spay any on the vehicles) just near the road along the fence a nice heavy thick layer then sprayed more along the area they entered the forest. Since it was 85 degrees outside the smell would bake in the sun to keep it fresh I placed a water tank and sprayer/ sprinkler nearby and set the timers to run for 5 minutes every hour. After 4 hours I called and had the vehicles towed.

    They returned and found me spraying slurry in my feilds as they walked across the feilds the slurry is sticking to the shoes (most wearing sandles or flip flops – Nothing like the feeling of liquid poop between the toes) They find the vehicles gone and ask me where they are. I tell them where the inpound lot is and inform them that as they exit onto the main road they should stop and read the large SIGN that says private road. I called the police who informed them that they could walk to impound as it was 20–30 minute walk down the road.

    I would imagine that they found out that the oder of sun baked slurry permeates into things. (they left the widows open on the vehicles) and with what was on the shoes it must have been an interesting ride back to New York.

    Josep Borell, EU foreign policy chief, accuses China of treating Europe as a US puppet. How can this perception on the part of the Chinese be changed?

    The problem with the EU is Josep the Chief Diplomat’s words do not represent the cohesive attitude, or indeed, policy decisions of the EU towards China. EU member states hold even more divergent and polarizing attitudes.

    The fact of the matter is, the G7 does not have a China seat, but the EU gets its own seat, on top of individual EU members. The currencies of these nations power the global financial market, while the yuan issued by the world’s No. 2 economy is an afterthought in BIS reports.

    Senior figures in the EU have repeatedly made rude and damaging attacks on China and Chinese interests, including the core issue of Greater China sovereignty. Entities and individuals have been sanctioned, just like their American counterparts, whose actions they mirrored.

    Nord Stream is a key European infrastructure that cost billions to build. After it was bombed, the lack of condemnation for an act of war is curious, to say the least. Government findings were blocked from release, while there remains a shocking lack of blowback and demand for accountability in the press.

    The EU-CHINA CAI, which is tilted in Europe’s favor, is also dead in the water, after 10 years of painstaking negotiation securing an agreement in principle. EU leaders are complaining about lack of market access in China, when it is self-inflicted.

    There is also the issue of the EC, with Ursula completely at odds with Josep’s conciliatory, if shaky, diplomacy. She was given the cold shoulder on a recent visit to Beijing as Emmanuel’s invited partner. The message was clear. She wasn’t the guest invited by the Chinese state.

    Who represents the EU? Who has the authoritative voice that can be trusted? How has the EU demonstrated long-term policy independence from the US?

    Wang Yi, and before him, Yang Jiechi, have had regular hours-long closed door conversations with Jake, the National Security Advisor. Jake is 46, and not even elected, but he has access to top Chinese leadership that the EU can only dream of, because he is the personal envoy of Joe.

    Do we really have to spell out who calls the shots in NATO, which is tied at the umbilical with the EU power structure?

    As the Cantonese say, 画公仔唔使画出肠。

    Israel Conflict Just Became Scarier And Weird!

    Yes. Too odd. For certain.

    How does culture influence human behavior?

    During a 10-hour flight, she was heading from Seoul, Korea, to San Francisco, USA. This mother distributed more than 200 passengers on the plane a plastic bag for each one. The bag contains candy, chewing gum and earplugs as a kind of advance apology for using them in the event that her 4-month-old baby screamed during the flight.

    The bag also contained a message containing (hello, I am Jan Woo. I am 4 months old and today I’m traveling America with my mom and grandmother for my aunt’s outfit. I’m a little nervous and scared. This is my first flight in my life. It’s normal for me to cry or cause some disturbance. I’ll try to stay calm, but I can’t promise you. Please use it if my voice gets too loud.. Enjoy your trip. Thank you)

    A culture of respecting the freedom of others…

    Is China still a communist country? Can we say that the rivalry between the US and China is the ideology conflict?

    Not at all.

    Communism and Marxism is hardly an issue to the U.S. with Vietnam that the U.S. is courting shamelessly and Saudi Arabia a Islamic Monarchy hardly liberal democracy but does it bother Uncle Sam for the last half a century?

    For me it is as simple as China cannot be made submissive and subservient to the U.S. that is all to it. And worst China is simply a lot lot more efficient and effective than the U.S. can ever be! In fact China has a better human rights record than the U.S. anyway! That perturb the US to no end.

    But what is worst for the U.S. Is 150–175 nations out of the world’s 195 nation prefers Chinese and China way and none in the global south wants anything to do with Uncle Sam. They find them obnoxious and despicable. To me this is not due to China at all but due to the shit U.S. did to the world since 1945.

    I know Americans who are mostly highly naive and hugely made ignorant to think the U.S. media or government is well liked by the world. But in truth it couldn’t be further than the truth!

    Abusing nations has consequences, bullying nations turned them off, arbitrary sanctions puts nations off, they will hedge, they will stop letting you fxxk them! It does not matter what your media lies and your propaganda says. The world is no fool!

    Just figure this. US the biggest murdering nation telling China in Alaska about human rights! Is totally laughable and utterly ridiculous! Chinese officials told Blinken save the advise for your dogs and slave vassal nations!

    The “American Dream” is actual Slavery (It’s all a Lie)

    Harsh truth about the United States. Soak it in.

    What’s the dumbest thing your boss has gotten mad at you for?

    I was an admin assistant at a department at my local university. I was just about to clock off and make my way home in a wild windstorm that eventually knocked down 20,000 trees across the city when for some reason I decided to check one of the grad student offices and discovered that the skylight had blown off, exposing multiple desks and computers, some of them running data, to the elements. I called the relevant campus department and was told that restoring electricity and clearing roads and whatnot took priority, and they likely wouldn’t get to replacing the skylight (which I’d located, but lacked the strength and roof access to lug it up myself) until the next day at the earliest. So I cracked open the earthquake kit and rigged, using tarps and duct tape, a patch, then moved, ever so carefully so as not to accidentally disconnect the computers, all six desks away from the skylight shaft, in case my patch failed.

    This all took about four hours past my usual knock-off time. Everyone was really glad I’d taken the time and initiative to do it, but my supervisor refused even to consider giving me time off in lieu for those four hours because she hadn’t pre-approved them, never mind that, in those pre-cell days, I’d had no way of reaching her. So I appealed to the department head, who overrode her. She was livid, and thereafter made my life so miserable that I leapt at the first decent opportunity to leave.

    If universal healthcare is actually cheaper than our current system and covers everybody. Why not just do it?

    I’m a retired US citizen who moved to Uruguay in 2015 after spending my entire working career in “Corporate America”.

    It’s entertaining to read discussions about the possibility of implementing Universal Healthcare in the United States.

    It will NEVER happen. It’s 1000% impossible. The reason? Health insurance companies.

    The concept of Universal Healthcare does not involve insurance companies. There is no need for a bloated middleman.

    There are 563,366 Health & Medical Insurance Employees in the US, costing approximately $50 billion annually.

    These companies would have to be closed, freeing up all this cash for actual medical care, instead of bloat.

    The main problems with the US Healthcare system are listed below. None of these problems exist with Universal Healthcare.

    • Greedy Health insurance companies run by highly-paid executives.
    • High-paid pharmaceutical & insurance company lobbyists.
    • Greedy congressmen who take millions of dollars in bribes annually.
    • Expensive TV commercials pushing expensive drugs.
    • Doctors who earn outrageous salaries to pay for outrageously expensive college educations with insane education loans.
    • Outrageous malpractice lawsuit settlements, requiring doctors to carry outrageous liability insurance.
    • People with no medical knowledge make decisions about whether a patient can have a medical procedure, overruling the attending physician.

    Now, with the outsourcing of call centers, people with no medical knowledge in Jamaica, India, and Pakistan make those decisions.

    Here are some typical costs in Uruguay:

    • Office visit: US $8.00
    • ER visit: US $ 10.00
    • House call: US $12.00.
    • Electrolyte blood analysis: US $7.11.
    • Cerebral CT Scan: US $23.29

    If you call an ambulance, it arrives with a full-fledged MD, not an EMT.

    Before I turned 70 years of age, I paid around US $55 per month for health coverage.

    Now I pay around US $70 per month. For that, I get totally free hospital stays and all costs are free, including hospital stay, surgery, medications, doctor care, and nursing care. When you check out, regardless of what was done or how long you were hospitalized, you pay nothing.

    The monthly cost for my cancer medication is around US $2.50. The same medication in the US is around $500.00.

    Here are the main reasons everything is so cheap:

    No claims to file

    No EOB

    No Deductible

    No Out-of-Pocket

    No Coinsurance

    No Allowed amount

    No Benefit period

    No Preauthorization

    Sincerely, A Tax Payer

    “It sucks being poor…”

    Can China manufacture semiconductor chips and create a rival to Intel, Apple, TSMC, and NVIDIA?

    It’s been proven China can with Huawei’s Mate 60 Pro.

    Chinese companies can rival the giant U.S. tech companies like Intel, Apple and Nvidia but what takes time is building up the ecosystem to make this possible. Thousands of companies make up the support system that manufactures and supports the tools and machines for the manufacturing processes of semiconductors.

    The most critical of these companies are in the design (specifically EDA tools) and packaging (chiplets) processes, as well as the lithography machines for the making of the chip itself. There are now Chinese companies with the leading edge (or close to) technologies to rival industry leaders.

    Just as critical is the consolidating of resources and capabilities to have the companies to ensure adequate supply of legacy chips. These are actually the more important players because they make up 90% of demand.

    U.S. sanctions have forced China to come up with its own self-siufficient semiconductor indiustry.

    If the average Chinese person supports 1 party rule and the average American supports democracy, how can we determine who is correct?

    Chinese don’t necessarily support single party rule; they support a strong central government to maintain order.

    Whether it is single party or not is secondary.

    In today’s China, it is led by a single party, but it is much more than any western political party because it has 100M members who meet monthly to discuss local, provincial and central government issues, and how to solve them.

    Do the Republican and Democratic parties ask their members to meet monthly to discuss how to solve social issues? I think not.

    My point is not that one system is better than another, but they are very different, and talking about the ruling party in China being the same as the political parties in the US is silly and ridiculous, because China developed according to its historical conditions, and the US developed according to its historical conditions.

    As Everyone’s Lοοking At Ιsrael, Something Τruly Unbelievable Has Begun Ιn America

    Very interesting.

    He’s saying that (it’s official) World War III is on-line.

    https://youtu.be/DA3aRJrAyOo

    Why is it NOT a good idea for an American White woman to marry a Middle Eastern Muslim man?

    I did it. I regretted it.

    People are imbued with cultural and religious ideas they don’t even recognize and simply take for granted.

    I, an American, was imbued with the idea “I am my husband’s equal. In marriage we will have the same freedoms and similar expectations of each other. I would never shout at him for wearing shorts, so of course he will not do that to me. I don’t consider cooking his job, so I am sure he won’t consider it my job. I would always discuss a big purchase with him – and naturally he will give me the same respect.”

    That sense of equality and “Don’t treat your spouse in a way you don’t want to be treated yourself” was my cultural norm.

    I found that my husband had absolutely no cultural or religious norm of equality. He absolutely was willing to treat me in ways he would hate to be treated himself. He did not think a woman deserved what a man deserves.

    He found it absolutely normal to expect control over me, and be resentful thst I didn’t make his life as comfortable as he believed a man’s life should be. He was constantly looking at the very unequal marriages of his (Muslim Arab) friends and resenting me for not being a submissive woman who cooked and cleaned and expected nothing but money from him.

    My husband and I are in the same profession. I worked longer hours than him. I was also the one who was sometimes pregnant or recovering from childbirth.

    But he could not appreciate me. He had a cultural and religious idea in his head : a man should come home from work and be catered to. Clean house, good food, obedient wife who wears certain clothes and lets her husband forbid her from certain activities or friends that do not please him. The man should be comfortable, should be served, should have things his way. (It is similar to the relationship between a dog owner and his dog. They love each other – but the owner does not think the dog should share in decisions or come and go as it pleases. A dog is expected to be happy being owned and trained and played with.)

    My husband started off claiming he would love me forever.

    It did not last.

    But his cultural ideas of what a man is owed and how a wife must serve — those ideas will last in him forever.

    What is wrong with American politicians’ fascination with Huawei?

    Let’s answer this question using 5 Low IQ positions that the US politicians are taking –

    Low IQ action 1 – Raimondo threatens Huawei before her China trip. She is simply arrogant and lacks intelligence. Who in the right mind threatens someone’s kid before visiting their home?

    Low IQ action 2 – It is simply embarrassing to see a country using full state resources to bring down a private company. You brought an army to a fist fight and didn’t knock your much smaller opponent out!

    Low IQ action 3 – The Western chips companies are making large profits selling products to China. And you stopped the sales and force your biggest customer to make their own?

    Low IQ action 4 – You give billions of dollars of subsidies to your own chip companies to build factories. But you stop the demand from your top customer. So where are US companies gonna sell their excess chips to?

    Low IQ action 5 – You take away Huawei’s access to Google and they went to develop their own operating system to threaten Google’s and Microsoft’s future dominance. You like shooting your own foot?

    Irish Girl Watches MISTER ROGERS For The First Time

    Oh nostalgia tv, except I don’t know who Mister Rogers is. I’ve always heard the name Mister Rogers as a reference in American tv and films but this Irish Girl had no idea who that was. Join me on a very emotional journey as I watch Fred Rogers first through last tv appearance, see him sing “I like you just as you are” and “ it’s a wonderful day in the neighbourhood” Mister Rogers Neighbourhood. Couldn’t we all do with some nice insight from a Fred Rogers right now.

    What was your experience like when you realized that life outside of the United States was better than inside it?

    I was in the US Army stationed in Germany for 3 and half years… Just turned 18. During this time I never took leave and went back. Travelled all over Europe! In Germany, I drunk my first beer, had my first kiss, and my first Girlfriend, was amazed by the people, the culture, the infrastructure, the cuisine, almost everything. I even took German courses and was proficient at least with speaking German. Anyway the day came, when i was being discharged ( I never really liked the army, andjoined for the Gi Bill) Back in the rural midwest, working at Walmart while going to community collage, I realized how much I missed Germany, the lifestyle, the urban vibe and so many things ( missed having a GF too, in the US I wasnt rich enough or cool enough to date anyone, in Germany this was never a thing at all, about money and all that. I decided if I was going to have a dull dead end life with no future, why not go back to Germany? At least have an adventure of some kind, i could always come back to the US.. 7 months after I ETSed ( left the army) I got a passport, got a cheap one way ticket and reconnected with some German civilians I knew.. I ended up staying in germany, has been 30 plus years now. I remember when the plane landed and I was disembarking, and set foot on the ground, I felt like,, this is it..the place you are meant to be.

    Will the US dollar lose its global power in the next 5 years?

    Yes it absolutely will.

    I takes longer than that but slowly and surely it will.there is not even a speck of doubt. Tell me which nation wants to save in U.S. dollar reserve if can be confiscated away from you at the whims or fancies of the U.S? Do you want to keep your savings in a bank using a currency that the US can take it all away anytime it wants?

    No one do, no want does, no one will ever want to. The fact that the US and the west can even phantom that by stealing gold from Venezuela and US dollar reserves from Russia is an acceptable behaviour tell how little the west thinks of the rest of the world.

    Every nation on earth, even the US allies are figuring how to hedge against the US dollar. Direct Currency swap arrangement is very popular and it must have have grown several fold in the last year alone! Some agree on a basket of currencies, Others revert back to barter.

    JEFFREY SACHS ON A HISTORIC DEBT

    Israel Attacks Damascus Airport as IRAN Foreign Minister Plane Coming-in; Plane Forced to Divert

    World Hal Turner 12 October 2023

    The Israeli Air Force fired missiles at Damascus Airport and Aleppo Airport this morning, just before a plane carrying the Iran Foreign Minister was approaching Damascus for an official state visit.  The Iran Minister’s plane was forced to divert from the area to avoid conflict.

    Attacking Syria was an illegal act of aggression by Israel.   Conducting that attack while a Diplomat was approaching for a state visit is arguably an Act of War.

    Damascus Airport is now damaged and closed. Aleppo Airport is also reported to be damaged and closed.

    The Iran Foreign Minister plane appears to be returning to Iran.

    Syrian Defense Ministry: “At approximately 1:50 pm this afternoon, the Israeli enemy simultaneously carried out an air aggression with bursts of missiles, targeting the international airports of Aleppo and Damascus, which led to damage to the airports’ landing strips and them being out of service.

    This aggression is a desperate attempt by the criminal Israeli enemy to divert attention from the crimes it is committing in Gaza, and the great losses it is suffering at the hands of the Palestinian resistance.” 

    ( HT Remark: Nothing like escalating the already bad situation with Gaza into an international incident with a foreign Diplomat.   Unschooled, these Israelis.  Totally devoid of class.)

    How does the cost of Whoosh, Indonesia’s first high-speed railway, compare to other high-speed railway projects around the world?

    According to our Singapore media reports, the cost of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail is approximately US$7.3 billion. We tentatively believe that this number is real.

    So this figure exceeds the budget given by China when bidding for the project eight years ago by US$1.2 billion. The project completion time was delayed by 4 years than originally planned.

    This doesn’t seem like a good number.

    But compared to current plans in other countries around the world to build high-speed rail, these are two very good figures.

    1. Cost per kilometer

    Even calculated based on all costs after overruns (including land costs), the cost per kilometer of Indonesia’s high-speed rail is only US$58 million. The high-speed rail in the United Kingdom is US$300 million per kilometer, and the high-speed rail in California is US$200 million per kilometer.

    India’s high-speed rail was originally planned to cost US$35 million per kilometer. However, it has not actually been completed yet. Only ten kilometers have been built. The cost has been doubled and the final cost cannot be estimated. Due to serious delays in construction, some experts predict that there is a high probability that the cost per kilometer will exceed US$80 million when completed.

    2. Time spent

    The Indian high-speed railway started construction one year earlier than the Indonesian high-speed railway and is scheduled to open in 2023. According to media reports some time ago, only 10 kilometers have been built so far.
    The completion date has been changed to 2028, but many experts believe that the actual completion time may be after 2032.

    The first phase of the British high-speed railway is planned to build 160 kilometers. Construction will start in 2020 and is scheduled to be completed in 2029. It has now been changed to 2033. The real completion date cannot be determined.

    Therefore, although the Indonesian high-speed railway experienced a 16% cost overrun and a 4-year construction delay.
    But this is mainly due to the virus problem over the past 3 years.

    Judging from similar large-scale projects around the world, Indonesians have reached the top level in terms of project time and budget control.

    I believe that for many years to come, no country will be able to surpass Indonesia’s level.

    This is due to the efficient work of the Indonesian government, the unity and support of the Indonesian people, and the technology and efficiency of the Chinese. Their achievements deserve congratulations.

    Star Trek – Fire On the Forcefield

    America Can’t Stop China’s Rise — Foreign Policy

    There’s little doubt that the American government has decided to slow China’s economic rise, most notably in the fields of technological development. To be sure, the Biden administration denies that these are its goals. Janet Yellen said on April 20, “China’s economic growth need not be incompatible with U.S. economic leadership. The United States remains the most dynamic and prosperous economy in the world. We have no reason to fear healthy economic competition with any country.” And Jake Sullivan said on April 27, “Our export controls will remain narrowly focused on technology that could tilt the military balance. We are simply ensuring that U.S. and allied technology is not used against us.”

    Yet, in its deeds, the Biden administration has shown that its vision extends beyond those modest goals. It has not reversed the trade tariffs Donald Trump imposed in 2018 on China, even though presidential candidate Joe Biden criticized them in July 2019, saying: “President Trump may think he’s being tough on China. All that he’s delivered as a consequence of that is American farmers, manufacturers and consumers losing and paying more.” Instead, the Biden administration has tried to increase the pressure on China by banning the export of chips, semiconductor equipment, and selected software. It has also persuaded its allies, like the Netherlands and Japan, to follow suit. More recently, on Aug. 9, the Biden administration issued an executive order prohibiting American investments in China involving “sensitive technologies and products in the semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information technologies, and artificial intelligence sectors” which “pose a particularly acute national security threat because of their potential to significantly advance the military, intelligence, surveillance, or cyber-enabled capabilities” of China.

    All these actions confirm that the American government is trying to stop China’s growth. Yet, the big question is whether America can succeed in this campaign—and the answer is probably not. Fortunately, it is not too late for the United States to reorient its China policy toward an approach that would better serve Americans—and the rest of the world.


    America’s decision to slow China’s technological development is akin to the folly revealed by the old cliché: closing the barn door after the horse has bolted. Modern China has shown many times that China’s technological development can’t be halted.

    Since the creation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, several efforts have been made to limit China’s access to or stop its development in various critical technologies, including nuclear weapons, space, satellite communication, GPS, semiconductors, supercomputers, and artificial intelligence. The United States has also tried to curb China’s market dominance in 5G, commercial drones, and electric vehicles (EVs). Throughout history, unilateral or extraterritorial enforcement efforts to curtail China’s technological rise have failed and, in the current context, are creating irreparable damage to long-standing U.S. geopolitical partnerships. In 1993 the Clinton administration tried to restrict China’s access to satellite technology. Today, China has some 540 satellites in space and is launching a competitor to Starlink.

    The same principle played out with GPS. When America restricted China’s access to its geospatial data system in 1999, China simply built its own parallel BeiDou Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) system in one of the first waves of major technological decoupling. In some measures, BeiDou is today better than GPS. It is the largest GNSS in the world, with 45 satellites to GPS’s 31, and is thus able to provide more signals in most global capitals. It is supported by 120 ground stations, resulting in greater accuracy, and has more advanced signal features, such as two-way messaging. Other nations have also previously tried and failed to block China’s technical rise. In the 1950s and 1960s, when the USSR withheld nuclear weapons technology from China, China launched its own “Manhattan Project” in the early 1960s and succeeded in testing its first nuclear weapon by 1964. Russian nuclear leverage over China ended that day.

    Many of the measures taken by the Biden administration against China were also executed without factoring in China’s capacity to retaliate. While China does not physically construct many truly irreplaceable components of the American technology stack, they are keenly aware of the importance of their raw materials inputs (rare earths) and demand (revenue generation) in fueling the American innovation ecosystem and are now using them as leverage. In the current tit-for-tat dynamic, China will start squeezing these two critical ends of the value chain in response to American technology and capital export restrictions. China’s July ban of the gallium and germanium exports was merely an opening shot across the bow to remind America (and its aligned allies) of China’s dominance in the rare earths and critical metals space. The country has a near monopoly in the processing of magnesium, bismuth, tungsten, graphite, silicon, vanadium, fluorspar, tellurium, indium, antimony, barite, zinc, and tin. China also dominates in midstream processing for materials essential to most of America’s current and future technology aspirations such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and copper, which are critical for the rapidly developing EV industry globally.

    While America and other neutral countries have mineral reserves of many of these materials, it would be naïve to believe that one can simply flip a switch on mining and production. It will take at least three to five years just to build the requisite extraction and processing infrastructure. This is to say nothing for recruiting and training skilled labor, or receiving requisite operational and environmental permits for such activities. Both could prove impossible. The processing of rare earths is a highly toxic and environmentally destructive endeavor. It’s unlikely such approvals will be granted. If Arizona is struggling to find qualified workers for its TSMC fabrication facility, and to address domestic union opposition to importing foreign skilled labor, it’s unlikely that America can develop similar capabilities for material processing. Along the way, China gets to play kingmaker in how it doles out access to its processed materials, likely restricting supply to American technology and defense giants. The failure to factor in China’s retaliatory capacities indicates that the United States doesn’t have a well-thought-out and comprehensive approach to dealing with China.


    American measures to deprive China access to the most advanced chips could even damage America’s large chip-making companies more than it hurts China. China is the largest consumer of semiconductors in the world. Over the past ten years, China has been importing massive amounts of chips from American companies. According to the US Chamber of Commerce, China-based firms imported $70.5 billion worth of semiconductors from American firms in 2019, representing approximately 37 percent of these companies’ global sales. Some American companies, like Qorvo, Texas Instruments, and Broadcom, derive about half of their revenues from China. 60 percent of Qualcomm’s revenues, a quarter of Intel’s revenues, and a fifth of Nvidia’s sales are from the Chinese market. It’s no wonder that the CEOs of these three companies recently went to Washington to warn that U.S. industry leadership could be harmed by the export controls. American firms will also be hurt by retaliatory actions from China, such as China’s May ban on chips from US-based Micron Technology. China accounts for over 25 percent of Micron’s sales.

    The massive revenue surpluses generated by these sales to China were ploughed into R&D efforts which, in turn, kept American chip companies ahead of the game. The Chamber of Commerce estimates that if the United States were to ban semiconductor sales to China completely, U.S. companies would lose $83 billion in annual revenues and would have to cut 124,000 jobs. They would also have to cut their annual R&D budgets by at least $12 billion, and their capital spending by $13 billion. This would make it even more difficult for them to remain competitive on the global scale in the long run. American semiconductor firms are painfully aware that U.S. actions against China in the chips arena will harm their interests more than Chinese interests. The U.S. Semiconductor Industry Association released a statement on July 17, saying that Washington’s repeated steps “to impose overly broad, ambiguous, and at times unilateral restrictions risk diminishing the U.S. semiconductor industry’s competitiveness, disrupting supply chains, causing significant market uncertainty, and prompting continued escalatory retaliation by China,” and called on the Biden administration not to implement further restrictions without more extensive engagement with semiconductor industry representatives and experts.

    The Chips Act cannot subsidize the American semiconductor industry indefinitely, and there is no other global demand base to replace China. Other chip producing nations will inevitably break ranks and sell to China (as they have historically) and the American actions will be for naught. And, in banning the export of chips and other core inputs to China, America handed China its war plan years ahead of the battle. China is being goaded into building self-sufficiency far earlier than they would have otherwise. Prior to the ZTE and Huawei components bans, China was content to continue purchasing American chips and focusing on the front-end hardware. Peter Wennink, the CEO of ASML, stated that China is already leading in key applications and demand for semiconductors. Wennink wrote, “The roll-out of the telecommunication infrastructure, battery technology, that’s the sweet spot of mid-critical and mature semiconductors, and that’s where China without any exception is leading.”


    Germany Just Warned Europe On “China’s Counterstrike Move” | Silent EV War Explodes

    Simple, like the UK with Brexit, Germany should leave the EU. This will solve the problem, as Germany will then be able to distance itself from investigations implemented by the EU parliament.

    What is the most dangerous thing you have done and why?

    I used to be a Tower Climber.

    Installing antennas and transmission lines on cellular towers.. Day in and day out we would climb 150, 200, 300feet and stay up there literally all day – often 10–12 hours.

    Those heights were the norm, but I also did 400ft a couple of times, and then 500ft once.

    And I did it because I needed a job and this paid really well. Plus I was a brand new divorcee and just starting over, so at the time working this tough, dangerous job with other guys was a very good thing for me. I made close friends, we partied and had fun, we laughed a lot, and it was just what the doctor ordered.

    The end of Evergrande.

    Bloomberg News has reported that billionaire founder and chairman Hui Ka Yan was taken away by police earlier this month and put under so-called residential surveillance , a type of police action that falls short of formal detention or arrest.

    The surveillance doesn’t necessarily mean that Hui will be charged with a crime, and the exact circumstances of his situation remain unclear. But it’s not looking good: Evergrande has halted trading and confirmed in a Hong Kong stock exchange filing that authorities have told the company that Hui has been subjected to “mandatory measures,” due to “suspicion of illegal crimes.

    The latest twist in an ongoing saga for the world’s most indebted developer has left creditors confused and concerned about what’s to become of their investments. The fate of the developer’s restructuring plans are now at risk, and the chances of a full-on liquidation have increased.

    There’s a long list of victims: the hundreds of thousands of homeowners who bought into some 706 residential projects that are still being built; people who bought into Evergrande’s wealth management products, worth 40 billion yuan ($5.5 billion) a few years ago; global investors who collectively own at least $30 billion of offshore debt; suppliers and banks who are among those owed some 2.39 trillion yuan in liabilities. The company is facing more than 2,000 lawsuits, too.

    I remember a time when Evergrande was still able to overcome its detractors. When a shortsellertargeted it for alleged financial mismanagement back in 2012, a Hong Kong tribunal provided vindication by saying the report was misleading and false.

    But so much has changed since then: Evergrande has become a harbinger of the nation’s real estate meltdown. Its fate seemed to be sealed back in 2020, when a liquidity scare fueled by its massive debt load triggered aggressive regulatory tightening. Compounded by pandemic-related woes, the company defaulted the following year.

    What happens after Evergrande? As we know, this property crisis is far from over. China’s property developers face a liquidity shortfall worth some 19 trillion yuan, or 15% of GDP, that could morph into a solvency crunch by year-end, Bloomberg analysts estimate.

    Property downturns are always painful. In China, that’s especially the case because of the outsized role that the sector plays in the economy: As much as 70% of household wealthis tied to the industry.

    The government has responded by relaxing property buying rules, since it doesn’t want the current distress among developers to trigger financial contagion — nor does it want to see social unrest.

    Dragging out the Evergrande saga, though, has wreaked havoc among homebuyers, construction workers, suppliers and investors. And as the government has shown no intention of bailing out developers, the only certainty we’re left with is the idea that this pain is far from finished.

    Asian point of view

    Have you ever tried to fire someone and it backfired?

    This happened to my ex.

    My ex was the CFO of one of the largest private construction companies in the world. His main role was to make sure the company stayed profitable. Simple really.

    The owners’ son, who recently graduated from college and was having trouble finding gainful employment, (seems nobody would hire him to get stoned) was parachuted into my ex’s job. My ex was quickly let go.

    He didn’t mind too much. Even though a little disappointed, he still was paid out fairly and started his own firm with the severance money.

    A tender came up for a new skyscraper in London. My ex’s former company put in its bid and came in ahead of everyone else by millions. Turned out months into construction that the new CFO had forgotten to add the cost of electrical wiring into the cost of construction. A mistake that sent his family bankrupt.

    Luckily there was one new firm with the creditor’s backing, experience and ability to jump in immediately. My ex hired a lot of the now redundant employees and bought a large chunk of his old company’s heavy equipment at a huge discount in a mortgagee sale.

    The lesson here is to never kill the golden goose!

    Elderly shelter cat had weeks to live. So this woman adopted him.

    This woman is a saint! What she does for these cats is beyond compassion!

    Capitalist and socialist modernisation

    The Sixteenth Forum of the World Association for Political Economy (WAPE) took place from 25 to 27 September 2023 in Fuzhou, China, co-organised by Fujian Normal University. The theme of the forum was Chinese modernisaton and the prospects of world modernisation. Although unable to attend in person, Friends of Socialist China co-editor Carlos Martinez was invited to submit a video presentation.

    Carlos’s presentation, entitled Capitalist and socialist modernisation, takes up a number of questions: What is modernisation? Is modernisation desirable? How has modernisation been achieved in the West? What is China’s modernisation plan? What are the unique characteristics of Chinese modernisation? How does socialist modernisation differ from capitalist modernisation? What effect does China’s modernisation on the global journey towards development and socialism?

    The video and the text of Carlos’s presentation are available below.

    What is modernisation, and is it necessary?

    Modernisation is a somewhat nebulous concept. It means different things to different societies at different times. By definition, its parameters are constantly changing.

    In the broadest sense, it means adapting to the latest, most advanced ideas and techniques for meeting humanity’s material and cultural needs.

    In sociology, there is more or less an equals sign between modernisation and industrialisation, and is generally held to begin with Britain’s Industrial Revolution. We can think of it essentially as the transition from ‘developing country’ status to ‘developed country’ status; from a predominantly rural society to a predominantly urban society; from a technologically backward society to a technologically advanced society.

    Is this desirable? Beauty is of course in the eye of the beholder, but most people consider modernisation to be desirable, because it enables higher living standards for the masses of the people.

    With modernised industry, production techniques, communication methods, transport systems, energy systems and healthcare strategies, there exists the possibility of providing a healthy, meaningful and dignified life to all, such that each individual has reliable access to a healthy diet, to decent housing, to clothing, to education, to healthcare, to a vibrant cultural, social and intellectual life, and to fulfilling work. In short, modernisation makes it possible to attend to people’s basic human rights.

    The fruits of modernisation have thus far been divided extremely unequally: the process of industrialisation in North America, Europe and Japan has created previously unimaginable wealth for a few, but this has been accompanied by desperate poverty and alienation for significant numbers. However, modernisation creates a material basis for common prosperity, far beyond what a pre-modern economy can offer.

    Specifically in the case of China, the government has set a goal of “basically realising socialist modernisation by 2035”, and has defined some parameters for this:

    • Reaching a per-capita GDP on a par with that of the mid-level developed countries such as Spain or the Czech Republic
    • Joining the ranks of the world’s most innovative countries in the realm of science and technology
    • Becoming a global leader in education, public health, culture and sport
    • Substantially growing the middle-income group as a proportion of the population
    • Guaranteeing equitable access to basic public services
    • Ensuring modern standards of living in rural areas
    • Steadily lowering greenhouse gas emissions and protecting biodiversity, so as to restore a healthy balance between humans and the natural environment

    If achieved, these aims will constitute a significant – indeed world-historic – improvement in the living standards of the Chinese people, and will blaze a trail for other developing countries.

    How did the West modernise?

    But is China doing anything new? After all, it won’t be the first country to achieve modernisation.

    In mainstream modernisation theory in the West, the dominant narrative is that the countries of Western Europe, North America and Japan achieved their advances via a combination of good governance, liberal democracy, free-market economics, scientific genius, geographical serendipity and a dash of entrepreneurial spirit.

    Historical investigation reveals a considerably different story.

    The most important precursors of the West’s modernisation are colonialism, slavery and genocide. The conquest of the Americas, the settlement of Australia, the transatlantic slave trade, the colonisation of India, the rape of Africa, the Opium Wars, the theft of Hong Kong, and more. The profits of colonialism and the slave trade were essential for propelling the West’s industrialisation, as was so eloquently uncovered in Eric Williams’ classic 1944 work, Capitalism and Slavery.

    As Karl Marx famously wrote in Volume 1 of Capital: “The discovery of gold and silver in America, the enslavement and entombment in mines of the aboriginal population, the beginning of the conquest and looting of the East Indies, the turning of Africa into a warren for the commercial hunting of black-skins, signalled the rosy dawn of the era of capitalist production.”

    Such is the ugly truth of European modernisation. And the story is not so different in the United States. Many of the so-called founding fathers of that country were slave-owners, and they established a slave-owners’ society. They went to war against the indigenous peoples and against Mexico in order to expand their territory.

    In the 20th century, having established their domination over the Americas, they constructed a neocolonial global system that is still in place to a significant degree, imposing American hegemony on the world.

    A network of 800 foreign military bases. NATO. An enormous nuclear arsenal. Genocidal wars waged on Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya. Systems of economic coercion and unilateral sanctions.

    Proxy wars, coups, regime change projects, destabilisation.

    This is the global system of violence that has facilitated and accompanied North American modernisation.

    Japan’s rapid rise was facilitated first by its brutal expansionist project in East Asia, particularly Korea and China, and then through adaptation to and integration with the US-led imperialist system, the much-vaunted ‘rules-based international order’.

    South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan Province constitute the small handful of non-imperialist territories that have been able to achieve modernisation, but these are special cases. Their shared proximity to China and the DPRK is no coincidence; they have been inducted into the imperialist club by the US, to play a dual role as regional policemen and living advertisements for capitalism on the frontline of its confrontation with socialism. Both roles rely on at least a certain degree of prosperity for a section of the population.

    There is no shortage of countries of the Global South which have attempted to apply the “liberal democracy plus free market capitalism” formula, but none have been successful in modernising. Indeed the West’s prescriptions for (and interference in) developing countries have largely led to chaos and disaster.

    The contrast between the West’s success in modernising and the Global South’s failure has fed into a largely unspoken but widespread and pernicious racism: an assumption that white people are somehow inherently more advanced than everyone else.

    This supremacism is allowed to fester, because in addition to dividing working class and oppressed communities, it provides convenient cover for the reality that capitalist modernisation is built on the foundations of colonialism, imperialism and hegemonism.

    As Kwame Nkrumah commented, “in the era of neocolonialism, under-development is still attributed not to exploitation but to inferiority, and racial undertones remain closely interwoven with the class struggle.”

    How is China modernising?

    China’s journey towards modernisation starts in 1949 with the founding of the People’s Republic, the early construction of socialist industry, land reform and the extirpation of feudalism and the landowning class, and the provision of at least basic levels of education and healthcare services to the whole population.

    In 1963, Premier Zhou Enlai, supported by Liu Shaoqi, Deng Xiaoping and Chen Yun, first raised the question of the Four Modernisations: of agriculture, industry, national defence, and science and technology. Despite a complex political environment this goal was revived in the early 1970s, and, with the launch of reform and opening up in 1978, China accelerated its pursuit of those goals, and ushered in an era of rapid development of the productive forces and improvement in the people’s living standards.

    China’s journey of modernisation has evolved again in recent years with the pursuit of the second centenary goal: of building a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful by 2049.

    China is on a fast track to becoming an advanced, developed country, and this process stands in stark contrast to the West’s modernisation process:

    First, China’s modernisation is built on the efforts of the Chinese people rather than on war, colonialism and slavery.

    Second, its fruits are to be shared by everybody, not dominated by the wealthy. As General Secretary Xi Jinping said in his work report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China’s modernisation is “the modernisation of common prosperity for all.”

    Even today, not everyone in the West is able to enjoy the fruits of modernisation. Consider for example the US, where tens of millions lack access to healthcare; where over half a million people are homeless; where life expectancy for African Americans is six years less than for their white counterparts; where – according to the US Department of Education – over half of adults read below a sixth-grade level.

    Third, China’s modernisation is becoming a green modernisation, fuelled by clean energy, careful not to destroy the planet that sustains us. Again quoting Xi Jinping’s work report, “it is the modernisation of harmony between humanity and nature.”

    Capitalist modernisation has had a disastrous impact on the environment. With 4 percent of the global population, the US alone is responsible for 25 percent of historic greenhouse gas emissions. The simple fact is that humanity literally cannot afford for China’s modernisation to follow this pattern.

    Socialist modernisation will become the ‘new normal’

    The West’s modernisation path is not open to the countries of the Global South, and it wouldn’t be desirable even if it were. Today, the road of capitalist modernisation is closed, so how is China able to modernise?

    China does not have an empire, formal or informal, but it does have a particular advantage of being a socialist state, a “people’s democratic dictatorship based on the alliance of workers and peasants”, to use Mao Zedong’s expression. Such a state can use its power to direct economic activity towards the goals of the social classes it represents.

    Thus the specificities of China’s modernisation – the commitment to common prosperity, to ending poverty and underdevelopment, to preventing climate collapse and to peaceful development – are a function of China’s political system, its revolutionary history, and the leadership of the CPC.

    At a meeting of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2016, Xi Jinping made this point very succinctly: “Our greatest strength lies in our socialist system, which enables us to pool resources in a major mission. This is the key to our success.”

    Or as Deng Xiaoping famously commented in 1984: “the superiority of the socialist system is demonstrated, in the final analysis, by faster and greater development of the productive forces than under the capitalist system.”

    In a world still largely dominated by capitalism – and an intellectual world still dominated by bourgeois ideology – it’s easy to forget this system’s fundamental and irreconcilable contradictions, which Marx identified with such clarity and profundity 150 years ago; contradictions which lead inexorably to inefficiency, stagnation and crisis. A political economy directed at the production of exchange values rather than use values can never result in common prosperity.

    In China, the capitalist class is not the ruling class and is therefore not able to direct the country’s resources according to its own prerogatives. At the top level, resources are allocated by the state, in accordance with long-term planning carried out by, and in the interests of, the people.

    This is what is enabling a new type of modernisation, which is blazing a trail for socialist and developing countries the world over.

    The fruits of this process are being shared with the world, via mechanisms such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Development Initiative, which are creating a path for the countries of the Global South to break out of underdevelopment, even where they lack China’s resources and political advantages.

    As such, China’s evolving modernisation has great historic significance, and offers valuable lessons for the world. It is an embodiment of historical materialism in the current era: capitalism has long since exhausted its ability to fundamentally drive human progress, and therefore the future lies with socialism.

    What were the most ‘badass’ moments of history?

    image 72
    image 72

    Galvarino was a legendary warrior of the Mapuche people who rebelled against the Spanish Conquers who had invaded their land.

    The Mapuche people were natives of the Araucana region of Chile who fought against the Spanish conquest of South America. The Arauco War was the bloodiest and longest-running battle in the history of the New World.

    In what became known as the Battle of Lagunillias, Galvarino led his people in a fight against the Spanish invaders who were trying to force them into servitude.

    During the battle, Galvarino and his men were captured by the Spanish. As punishment for defying the Spanish, Galvarino had both his hands amputated at the wrists and sent him home as a message to the other Mapuche tribes.

    image 107
    image 107

    He returned home defeated and severely wounded. He showed the war council his wounds and begged them to let him lead an army against their oppressors. For his bravery, he was named commander of a squadron of men in a fight against Governor Mendoza.

    With long Sharp knives fastened to his mutilated stumps, he led his army into battle against Governor Mendoza and his men. The Brutal battle lasted for an hour, with Galvarino striking and killing Mendoza’s number two in command with his modified stumps.

    image 73
    image 73

    Although Galvarino and his men fought a brave battle, they were soon overwhelmed and captured. All the remaining captured warriors including Galvarino, were executed on the orders of Governor Mendoza.

    Has Huawei successfully challenged the dominance of American tech giants and truly democratized the tech industry?

    Huawei has established the third truly COMMERCIAL Asian Tech Ecosystem from China and the eighth in Asia after Toyota, Nikon, Canon ,Samsung , BYD, Trina and Xinyi

    image 106
    image 106

    The Huawei Ecosystem now has

    • The Chip
    • The OS
    • The 5G Modem
    • The GPU
    • The Networks

    Yet Huawei Ecosystem is fragile because SMIC the manufacturer of the 7 nm Node depends on Advanced DUV equipment from ASML

    Now SMIC has stockpiled massive orders from ASML and that will keep SMIC going till maybe 2026

    However that’s still dependence, a lot of dependence on the West

    So i would say HUAWEI has made a start

    Meanwhile people forget the REAL WINNERS of the three companies that have established it’s own dominant ecosystem on which the West is entirely dependent on :-

    image 105
    image 105

    BYD

    BYD has:-

    • The Chip – The Mature 28nm Chip that only China can today manufacture cost effectively and in huge volumes
    • The Software
    • The Satellite Navigation System
    • The Battery
    • The Dynamic Unit

    It’s completely and entirely Independent from Western Technology

    Trina and Xinyi who have :-

    • The Intelligent Chip
    • The Micrograde Wafer Panel (That to this day no nation can produce except France but at 87% higher cost)
    • The Carbide micro layering etching equipment (Chinas equivalent of the EUV Lithography Machine)
    • The Silicon extraction process into Mono, Poly Crystalline Silicon with infusions

    Yes Huawei deserves all the admiration for its clawback and fighting

    Yet BYD, Trina and Xinyi actually get Proprietary License Fees from the West which is unique for a Nation that to thia day didn’t kowtow to the West unlike Japan, Israel and South Korea


    Huawei to win, needs SMIC to become another BYD or Xinyi or Trina

    If SMIC can achieve that, then China truly begins the challenge to the established Semiconductor industry

    Lego just hit a climate BRICK wall

    Lego says that it cannot make bricks from recycled material. They tried and they simply cannot do it without increasing carbon emissions. That’s a refreshing admission. Most companies take on “green initiatives” anyway, even if they prove to make the problem worse. In a similar vein, the CEO of Lufthansa admitted that“going green” would require the airline to use up HALF of Germany’s electricity. So not green at all then. Meanwhile, Ford says that it will pause construction of a $3.5 billion plant to build EV batteries in Michigan. They aren’t saying why. It just goes to show: It ain’t easy being green.

    Is the Belt and Road Initiative losing steam?

    You’ve probably heard of China’s ambitious plan to connect the world with its Belt and Road Initiative, or BRI for short. It’s a massive project that involves building roads, railways, ports, pipelines, and other infrastructure across Asia, Africa, Europe, and beyond. China says it’s a win-win situation for everyone, a way to boost trade, development, and cooperation among more than 140 countries that have signed up for it.

    But not everyone is buying it. Some critics in the West say that the BRI is a trap, a scheme, or a tool for China to expand its power and influence at the expense of other countries. They say that the BRI is saddling poor countries with unsustainable debt, damaging the environment and human rights, and undermining the international order. They also say that the BRI is losing steam due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the backlash from some host countries, and the changing global dynamics.

    So what’s the real story? Well, if you listen to what China has to say on its official websites, you’ll get a very different picture. According to them, the BRI is not losing steam at all. In fact, it’s gaining momentum and achieving positive results in various aspects.

    First of all, they say that the BRI has shown strong resilience and vitality amid the COVID-19 pandemic. China has actively cooperated with other BRI partners to fight against the virus, provide medical supplies and vaccines, share prevention and treatment experiences, and support economic recovery. The BRI has also contributed to the global efforts to build a community of health for all.

    Secondly, they say that the BRI has promoted high-quality development and green cooperation. China has adhered to the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits, and has followed the international rules and standards in implementing BRI projects. China has also attached great importance to environmental protection, social responsibility, and debt sustainability, and has encouraged green investment and financing under the BRI framework.

    Thirdly, they say that the BRI has enhanced mutual trust and friendship among different countries and peoples. The BRI has fostered dialogue and exchange among different civilizations, cultures, and religions, and has supported education, culture, tourism, sports, media, and other fields of people-to-people cooperation. The BRI has also created opportunities for poverty alleviation, job creation, livelihood improvement, and social development for millions of people in the participating countries.

    So there you have it. The BRI is not losing steam but rather advancing steadily and fruitfully. The BRI is not a solo show by China but a chorus by all participants. The BRI is not a challenge or threat to anyone but a benefit and opportunity for everyone. The BRI is not a zero-sum game but a win-win cooperation for common development. That’s what China wants you to believe. And if you don’t believe it, well, too bad for you. Because China is not going to stop or change its course anytime soon. It’s going to keep pushing forward with its vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

    Why Australia’s Housing Crisis Is a Warning for the World

    My goodness!

    What is something that needs to be said that nobody wants to hear?

    Trump supporters have a point.

    They weren’t misled by Russian trolls. They weren’t ignorant. They weren’t racist or sexist or xenophobic or homophobic. They were mad… they felt left behind and ignored by the media and the federal government… and they had a point.

    They were left behind, and ignored.

    For many of them, the America their parents and grandparents grew up in was a lot better. And no, that’s not because other groups were oppressed. It was because the economy was better for working-class people back then.

    If your grandparents raised a large family on a single income, while the media and politicians cared about what your grandparents cared about, and now, 50 years later, you and your wife can’t get by on your dual incomes, and the media and politicians spend more time talking about transgender bathroom usage than the fact that families like yours are falling further behind each year… then yes, you have a point, and Make America Great Again makes sense.

    Blueberry Grunt

    2023 10 14 11 57
    2023 10 14 11 57

    Ingredients

    • 4 cups fresh blueberries
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • 1 cup water
    • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 2 tablespoons grated orange peel
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 3/4 cup milk

    Instructions

    1. In a skillet, combine blueberries, sugar and water; bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
    2. In a bowl, combine the next 6 ingredients; stir in milk just until moistened (dough will be stiff).
    3. Drop by tablespoonsful over blueberries.
    4. Cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until dumplings are puffed and test done.
    5. Serve warm.

    Should secondary sanctions be imposed on China and Russia for their complicity with genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in Myanmar?

    All terrorism in the world is linked to the United States! It is no longer a secret that the United States Government supports terrorism in South-East Asia!

    US-backed Terrorism Targets Vietnam & Myanmar in Wider War on China

    • Two terrorist attacks this month (June 2023) in Southeast Asia have been carried out by groups backed by the United States government and its allies for decades;
    • This includes a singer murdered in Myanmar and a series of armed attacks carried out on police stations in Vietnam killing 9 including several civilians;
    • British state media, the BBC, and US government-funded media platform Radio Free Asia have attempted to spin and even justify this terrorism as part of a much wider pattern promoting and defending terrorism as a means to counter China’s rise and punish nations working closely with China;
    • The opposition in Myanmar has openly been backed by the US and UK for decades – fighting to reinstall Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy back into power;
    • In Vietnam, the ethnic Montagnards had fought alongside US invaders in the Vietnam War, and since then have worked closely with the US through the National Endowment for Democracy toward separatism;
    • Much of this context is omitted from Western state-media accounts of the terrorism;
    • Both Myanmar and Vietnam’s current governments have close relations with China. Vietnam, while depicted in the Western media as “anti-China,” has worked with China to build infrastructure within its borders and access Chinese rail projects to bring their products all the way to Europe;

    Why Companies That Go Woke Go Broke

    I saw the title and I instantly clicked to watch, really wanted to see a documentary about all these companies that went woke, then broke!

    What is the most amazing thing you overheard because people didn’t think you understood their language?

    Well one fairly amazing thing happened in Penang. I (white Australian) was speaking to my friend (Asian Australian) in English.

    An American tourist interrupted us and asked “excuse me, do you speak English?” We were both quite shocked and I said “a little.” I don’t know if she really couldn’t understand Australian English and didn’t realise what language I was speaking.

    She said “Can you direct me to XYZ hotel?”

    Now ordinarily two Aussies, neither of whom have ever been to Malaysia and speak no Malay wouldn’t be the best choice. But I pointed to the building we were standing in front of and said “walk about 10 yards that way.”

    She was WAY out of her depth and her next international holiday should probably be to Hawaii.

    However, I did the opposite in Austria. I speak no German, but if I look at a menu and plan out my sentence I can pretend to. So I asked in perfect German “Could I please have 2 hot chocolates; one with whipped cream and one with rum thanks.” She answered with something as simple as “that will be 8 euros” and I looked at her blankly and said in English “I’m sorry, I don’t speak German.” She laughed and did the transaction in English. She said I fooled her.

    Pretty much the same thing in Poland, back in the days before Schengen membership. Apparently I needed a visa. So they berated me in Polish for a while, and I said I didn’t speak Polish. They went to the lingua franca of Eastern Europe and said “something something Russky.” I replied with what I’m told is an excellent accent “nye poni mayu po Russkiy.”

    Here’s a guy in Lithuania, driving an Estonian-registered car, saying in perfect Russian in response to a question IN Russian “I don’t understand Russian.” I’m sure they weren’t thrilled and may not have believed me but I looked blankly at the rest of their diatribe. So eventually they wrote down my name, pointed me to Vilnius and said “visa.”’

    Why is Urumqi, Xinjiang cleaner, safer, civilized, and developed than New Delhi?

    Almost every Chinese City beats Indian Cities hollow in terms of Cleanliness, Safety and Development

    image 113
    image 113
    image 114
    image 114

    There are Primarily three reasons for this :-

    A. One Party Meritocracy & Funds

    In China, fund allocation for Cities and their overall Urban development is based on the Urban Development Index (UDI) plus between 15% upto 46% of the revenue generated by a City is used by the Local Government of that Province and the Administration of that City to develop the place

    There is no political rivalries or party based discrimination between Fund Allocation and Revenue sharing

    It’s all about How much the City develops and how well maintained the City is

    In India, funding is a nightmare because the State themselves have no claim over the money they generate as revenue. Everything is handed over to the Centre which then decides how much each State should get and then the State decides how much each City should get

    China has 20 times the provincial autonomy than an Indian State


    B. Continuous Development to prevent overcrowding

    India keeps on dumping on the same city again and again for year after year. Thus every such city attracts migrants like flies and that leads to overcrowding of the worst order

    China keeps developing and expanding new Cities regularly

    Chengdu, Chongqing etc were small towns a decade or so ago that are now bustling cities, brimming with Prosperity

    Urumqi was once a town , now it’s classified as a Tier 3 City

    Thus if you notice Shanghai and Beijing both lost 4% and 5.6% of the population due to migration between 2013–2023 whereas Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad netted between 7.6% and 12% SURPLUS population by migration between 2008–2023


    C. Chinas Housing Policy

    Everyone living with a proper Job in a City in China MUST have housing

    This is a law from the time of Chairman Mao and when it’s a Chairman Mao law, it’s enforcement is very strict

    Public Housing is thus available for every single resident of the city including the poorest of them

    Only Shanghai and Beijing has slums today , which existed before the 1998 law and thus can’t be torn down

    image 112
    image 112

    If you have a legitimate job in CQ City, you get a Public Apartment of 39–52 Square Meters with indoor plumbing, heating, air conditioning and gas and electricity and drinking water for a mere 78 RMB / month

    Of course many Chinese become prosperous enough to rent much nicer places and sub lease their public homes for which they pay rent of 78 RMB/ month for 400–500 RMB / month

    During Covid 19, many such people were discovered and fined very heavily (30, 000 RMB plus 60 months rent or 100 Days in Prison)


    A Fourth reason is the fact that Migration into Cities is heavily controlled

    You just can’t come to a City that easily without housing or a job unless you are a tourist there

    In India it’s the opposite

    You can flood into cities and sleep on the roads and everywhere else and even defecate

    It’s like a Zoo

    image 110
    image 110
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    image 111

    So it’s the Chinese System

    They may have their flaws but by God they have excellent City maintenance and keep themselves very clean

    image 109
    image 109

    Their Air Quality improvement in a mere decade is something every nation takes notes on


    image 108
    image 108

    Primarily another reason is the Chinese are proud of their country and love their country

    Not the bogus love that Indians show which translates into defending India for all it’s weaknesses, glorifying mediocrities as superheroes, forcing people to stand up for the National Anthem etcetera

    The genuine love that ensures they actively take pride in their development and their cities

    When stray cats see this man, they compete with each other to get a place on his lap.

    This is fun.

    Sawdust and hotdogs

    When I was a young boy, growing up in Bridgeport, CT, my father would take myself and my sister to the butcher to buy meat. He would always buy meats that a typical 1960’s era family would buy. This would include pork, beef, chicken, and many many roasts. I am sure that he bought some occasional steaks, as well as lots of pork chops.

    What I remember most from that time was the wood sawdust floors, and the fresh hotdogs that he would procure for us from the butcher there.

    Today… the “local butcher” is more than likely an employee at a supermarket chain, rather than an individual with a shingle and a business storefront.

    It’s a sad thing… you know, to lose something that seems all so common at one time.

    In those days, the meat were all wrapped in newspaper or butchers paper, today, it’s all prepackaged in cellophane and sterile.

    Appreciate what you have today. The mundane is soon to be replaced with something different. And as you get older, you will reminisce of the common day to day lifestyle that you had once taken for granted.

    Today…

    2nm Chips

    2nm Chips: China to challenge ASML with a new technology better than EUV — Techovedas

    In the race for semiconductor chip manufacturing, China has embarked on a groundbreaking venture to revolutionize lithography technology by exploring novel avenues that could potentially disrupt the industry especially ASML.

    China is strategizing the establishment of an immense chip manufacturing facility propelled by a particle accelerator to challenge ASML. This technology could be a game-changer that outstrips US sanctions and make China a key player in the chip world. They’re actively pushing forward with the construction of a crucial particle accelerator to bring this cutting-edge technology to life.

    This initiative is focused on leveraging particle accelerators to create a cutting-edge laser source for lithography machines, a crucial component in microchip production. Unlike traditional approaches, the Chinese project aims to localize manufacturing and bolster high-volume, low-cost chip production by constructing a colossal factory housing multiple lithography machines around a single accelerator.

    This innovation could position China as a global leader in the industrial production of advanced chips, including coveted 2nm chips.

    One of the potential applications of our research is as a light source for future EUV lithography machines. I think this is why the international community is paying close attention,”

    Professor Tang Chuanxiang from Tsinghua University in a report on the university’s website.

    The SSMB Theory and its Potential:

    At the core of this technological breakthrough is the innovative Steady-State Microbunching (SSMB) theory, proposed by Professor Zhao Wu at Stanford University and his student Daniel Ratner in 2010. SSMB theory utilizes the energy released by charged particles during acceleration to act as a light source, resulting in a narrow bandwidth, small scattering angle, and continuous pure Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) light.

    ASML prioritizes downsizing chip manufacturing machines for international trade. In contrast, the Chinese initiative centers on domestic production. It aims to construct an extensive facility consolidating numerous lithography machines around a central accelerator. This advancement can fuel abundant and cost-effective chip production. It positions China as a leader in industrializing advanced chips, including 2nm and beyond.

    China tech Better than ASML EUV

    Compared to the existing ASML EUV technology, SSMB, china tech proves to be a superior light source. It offers higher average power and increased chip production while maintaining lower unit costs.

    ASML utilizes laser-induced plasma to generate an EUV source, involving the projection of strong laser pulses onto tin microdroplets. This impact crushes the droplets, producing EUV pulse light. Following intricate filtering and focusing processes, an EUV light source with an approximate power of 250W is generated.

    Conclusion

    China’s ambitious project aims to create a new light source for lithography machines. It utilizes particle accelerators and SSMB theory. This endeavor could reshape the semiconductor industry significantly. China seeks to localize chip manufacturing and diminish reliance on foreign technologies. The focus is on becoming a leader in semiconductor fabrication, particularly in advanced chips like the 2nm chips. The success of the SSMB-EUV light source could revolutionize chip production. It has the potential to unlock new horizons for scientific research and technological innovation. The future of chip manufacturing may very well be illuminated by this groundbreaking Chinese initiative.

    Tri-Tip Stroganoff

    2023 10 12 12 37
    2023 10 12 12 37

    Ingredients

    • 1/2 small onion, diced
    • 1/4 cup butter
    • 1 (1 pound) tri-tip steak
    • 7 fresh mushrooms
    • 2 cans cream of chicken soup
    • 1 pint sour cream
    • 1 package large egg noodles
    • Salt, pepper and garlic, to taste

    Instructions

    1. Melt butter. Add onions and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent.
    2. Add steak and salt and pepper. Brown steak.
    3. Add fresh mushrooms and cook well.
    4. Add 2 cans cream of chicken soup. Let boil. Add water to thin a little.
    5. Add sour cream last. Stir well and simmer for 10 minutes.
    6. Serve over hot egg noodles.

    Do you think American users’ data on TikTok could end up in the hands of the Chinese government?

    Yes. This is all very valuable data to the CCP. They really want to know how many funny cat videos you watch each week. Also, whether you really like Taylor Swift more than Beyonce. Some of you also watch many videos each week relating to your favourite sports, such as baseball, football and basketball, while others among you may be into cooking, gardening or the latest Internet memes.

    These are grave matters of national security that have a significant impact on geopolitics. Therefore the Chinese Communist Party would make it their top priority to get hold of such critical data.

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    main qimg 6d610c741bbca9a663c6f85ee4a5fed4

    Rufus Story

    “To the pharmacist and assistant who saved my son’s life today. Thank you, but that’s not enough…

    I wish I could explain what you mean to me. I wish I had the words to tell you what you did for my family.

    Today my son choked on a sucker outside your window. Today my son turned every color of the rainbow and went limp in my arms. Today you screamed instructions and told me what to do while you ran to me.

    You cared.

    Today while I was in shock you remembered my oldest son witnessing this and even asked if he was okay while I couldn’t. Today you walked me through every step that I froze on. Today you saved my son’s life without even thinking about it. You called 911 when I was speechless.

    Erin and Tami, I wish I could repay the favor but nothing I could do could equal what you did today. After this extreme incident, you went back to work helping people like you do every day, but today was different. Today time stood still for a moment, but you kept moving and kept helping without hesitation.

    I hope this reaches you. I hope you know how much I appreciate everything you have done.

    Because of you, he smiled on the way home. Because of you, I heard him giggle in his room just now. Because of you, I have time. Time to enjoy these moments.

    ‘Thank you’ seems like the smallest word on the planet. but has the most powerful meaning. You took just a few minutes out of your day to give me a lifetime more with my son and I will forever be grateful.

    Thank you.”

    If you could go back in time 10 years and give yourself advice, what would you say?

    So, 10 years, that would be 2013. I had just started my job as a producer at a big game company, working on a high-profile, very well-known title. By that time, I had a few years of production experience with various start-ups and large companies, mostly doing outsourcing work or working on smaller games. But I never directly involved in the production of an AAA title. That job was my big break into the actual, “legit” game production, the kind you’d see your name listed when the credit started rolling. I was full of aspirations and unrealistic expectations about what production (of an AAA box title video game) was like, as in, video game production was like a well-oiled machine. We all do our part, and magic happens. I was very ready to give it 120%. As for burnout, what burnout? If you love video games, you won’t get burned out because you’re working on something you love, right? Right?

    Oh, I have so many horror stories to tell the 2013 me. It didn’t even take long for me to get burned out. I worked for that company for 3 years and experienced burnout multiple times. The first couple of times, it wasn’t that bad. I barely felt it. It’s just a long period of exhaustion and numbness. I could usually recover, especially if there was a holiday break right after the release crunch. Then I couldn’t recover. I was in a perpetual state of numbness and exhaustion that impacted every aspect of my life, not just work.

    But it’s OK, I tell myself. I wanted this. This is what it takes to ship a game.

    I changed jobs and worked on a different game. I told myself it was OK. I was not doing it for the company or even the game. I was doing it for my team. They were like my family.

    The other day, I read one of my older answers about game production, and I said in that answer: you came for the title. You stay for the team. And I laughed at myself. Oh, silly, silly me. Your team ain’t your family, Feifei. “Found Family” is a literary trope, not a real thing you can actually go search in real life. To think, I actually told candidates that this company was like a big family when I did interviews, not knowing it was a gigantic red flag if you’re applying for a job. I was a walking red flag of burnout, and I didn’t have the self-awareness to see it in the mirror.

    I’m glad I got out of that fantasy back in 2020.

    So what advice would I give the 2013 me? Nothing.

    Because the 2013 me wouldn’t listen. I was stubborn and so full of myself. I knew what I wanted, and I was going to get it. Ain’t nobody gonna tell me no. I wouldn’t listen to anyone, even the 2023 me. 2013 me would tell the 2023 me that she can make a difference. She wouldn’t end up working a middle management corporate job that gets off work at 5 p.m. because that’s pathetic.

    Something in life you just have to learn the hard way. You have to learn from experience. You have to learn from having your dream and aspiration crushed by being exploited mercilessly and discarded.

    So, what do I say if I met my 2013 self?

    “You go, girl! You can do this!”

    Cambodia risks & dangers, friends death (Natalia Montoni) and No Joke Howard

    Cambodia.

    What is the best thing that has ever happened to you for being nice?

    I used to be a cake decorator.

    One evening my boyfriend and I were going dancing and I had forgotten something at work. So I dropped by dresses in a slinky black dress and high heeled shoes. When I walked in I noticed one of the staff showing a woman her cake, as I retrieved my item I had a view of her face. When they open the box her face just fell. I walked over and asked if there was a problem. Then I saw the cake, I hadn’t been the one who had decorated it but I had seen the order a few days earlier when it had come in. I knew what she was expecting and that wasn’t it. I could see she was about to cry. Before she got there, I asked, can you me give 15–20 minutes to fix this for you.

    She said yes!

    So I grabbed an apron. Went to the bathroom, put my hair up and washed my hands. Since it was an ice cream cake I was able to simply slice the top off, re ice it. While it froze I custom mixed the colors to correct her order. Then I decorated it while In the freezer. I threw in a couple of extra little things to make up for the problem. Boxed in and brought it out to her. She loved it. She went home.

    The next day there was a nice thank you card and a $100.00 dollar bill waiting for me when I got to work. A one hundred dollar tip in 1977 was pretty exciting.

    What did someone do in TSA/airport security that made you say “You gotta be kidding me”?

    This was July-ish of 2004 and I was flying in an official capacity, on military orders, so I had a lot of my kit with me. Anyone who has done this will tell you, your orders can give you a little extra weight allowance, but they will still be very clear on the number of bags you can check. Those of us in the military become very proficient at bag-Tetris in order to get everything we need into what limited carrying capacity we have. These skills are acquired over time, and you definitely don’t have them when you join.

    The rocket surgeons at the TSA decided that my kit bags just had to be dumped and looked through. It might have been related to the Pelican case I was checking with my weapon in it, but, as I said, I was flying on orders. There were several questions about what certain items were, and implications that they were contemplating removing them from my checked bags (which would have be a lot of fun with the items which were government property). I was growing impatient, as the ample amount of time I had before my flight was rapidly dwindling, and I am sure that it was starting to show.

    My guess is that a supervisor saw all of my kit on their tables and decided to swing by, because there he was, asking what was happening. I explained the situation, and he informed the TSA “agents” that a) they couldn’t confiscate any of my kit and b) they needed to stop giving me “special attention”. The minimum wage power trippers reluctantly obeyed and said “ok, you can pack it all back up.” ←that right there was the “you gotta be kidding me” moment.

    I replied that they dumped it, they needed to pack it. They responded very smugly that it wasn’t their job to repack my bags, and I’d either do it myself or they’d dispose of the items as abandoned. I was now pissed and getting ready to start in to my argument, but the supervisor beat me to it. “Sorry guys, but all of that stuff is in the secured area and we can’t let a passenger past the barrier. You’ll have to get it packed back up. *looks at my ticket* And his flight leaves in 45 minutes…you’ve got less than 10.”

    It was excellent fun to watch them try to repack my kit bags, looking like a monkey with a math problem, but I was getting honestly nervous about making my flight. They got it packed up in almost 20 minutes, and the supervisor made a radio call that priority bags were coming and to not button up the flight. He then gave me a golf cart escort through security and to my gate. Before he left me there, he stuck out his hand to shake mine, and introduced himself. Mr. Smith, Sergeant First Class, Retired.

    Why Is The UK So Miserable?

    Really good round-up man! Left UK for Thailand 9 months ago and loving it. Miss family and countryside but everyday life is just more enjoyable!

    What is the best thing that has ever happened to you for being nice?

    Several years ago, as my husband and I walked our dog to a nearby park, we’d pass a modest house with a boxer in the front yard. Our dog would stop to socialize with the boxer, and eventually we got to know its owner, a very nice, elderly Englishwoman who, it turned out, was a World War II war bride/widow.

    A few years on, our friend suffered a stroke. As she had no family (she was childless), my husband and I looked after her property, and visited her as often as possible in the hospital and in rehab. She finally came back home, and we would stop by often and make sure she was doing OK.

    After a year or so, weakened by her ordeal, she died, and my husband and I arranged for her funeral services. A few weeks later, we received a call from her lawyer, who asked me to go to her house and look for her will. I did, and found it in a lockbox in a closet.

    We knew she was a strong advocate for animals, so we assumed she had left her assets to appropriate charities. Turns out that initially she had, but after her first stroke, she had contacted her lawyer, changed her will, and left us everything. Her house, her bank account, *everything.* We were flabbergasted.

    To this day, I’m insanely grateful, but you know what? I wish she was still with us. She taught our autistic son how to tie his shoes, and every time I watch him do so, I think of her, and miss her.

    Two Weeks ago

    “Two weeks ago, my 90-year-old mother, Catherine Ritchie, was preparing herself for bed at around 9pm.

    After brushing her teeth and hair, she turned around to find her bed completely engulfed in flames.

    She made an attempt to extinguish the flames herself by throwing blankets and pillows on the fire.

    The smoke and heat were so overwhelming that she immediately got disoriented, gave up fighting the fire, and decided to flee.

    She pushed the emergency call button she wears on her necklace, called 911, and attempted to get out of her now engulfed bedroom.

    She walked into the closet several times thinking it was the door that leads to the hallway. It wasn’t. She couldn’t find her way out. She was stuck. Smoke everywhere.

    Across the street, 4 boys saw the smoke and reflection of flames. Not an adult in sight. 4 kids who took immediate action to save an elderly woman who they couldn’t guarantee was home and who 3 of them had never even met.

    One started breaking the glass on the front door. One called 911. One went to the back door and began kicking it in. One went to the neighbors for an ax and help.

    Within minutes, a door was kicked in by a 14-year-old child who found my mother in the hallway outside of her bedroom and picked her up in his arms.

    Kids who are told about all the things they aren’t old enough to do saved the life of the most precious and beloved woman we know.

    Courageous young men. Young men who risked their own lives, their own safety, perhaps their good standing with their parents who might have chosen for them to do otherwise, and they carried my mother out of her burning home into the street, where firetrucks and ambulances would soon arrive.

    Dylan Wick – 16 years old, Nick Byrd – 14 years old, Seth Byrd – 16 years old, and Wyatt Hall – 17 years old, thank you! Thank you for your selfless acts of heroism and courage.

    Thank you for not allowing this to be the tragic end to our mother’s amazing life.

    Thank you for staying with her, hugging her, and helping her feel less alone until we could get to her.

    Thank you for being the kind of young men who thought about another person above yourselves.

    Thank you for staying safe yourselves as well. Thank you to your parents who obviously raised you in such a way that lead to you making life saving and heroic decisions on behalf of someone else.

    Thank you for more than we know how to thank you for! We will forever be indebted to the time you bought for us and the example you set for us. God Bless each of you for being such a blessing to us.

    Sincerely,

    Michael Ritchie, Karen Ritchie Sontag, Pat Ritchie, Jimmy Ritchie, Kelly Ritchie, John Ritchie, Tim Ritchie, Tom Ritchie, Missy Ritchie Nicholas, Ryan Ritchie, and 42 very grateful grandchildren.”

    San Jose, California Has Some Major Soul Searching To Do

    San Jose, California. Population one million. Well, wait – there WERE a million people here a few years ago, but there have been a lot of people who have left.

    For the first time since 2013, San Jose’s population dropped below a million people.

    Why?

    Well, there’s a LOT of people leaving California in general.

    Only Illinois saw more people move away.

    I mean look the highways. They’re empty. It’s so expensive here, for one. Real estate costs are outrageous, and taxes are going up all the time.

    The politics here are turning a lot of people off. It’s getting more dangerous, and there’s homeless people taking over parts of town.

    And people can work from home now.

    Why raise a family here, when you can settle down in a place that’s just…better?

    That’s not good for a place like the Silicon Valley, which has relied on talent to be HERE with their butts in seats. They’re gonna have to figure that out – cause word is out among tech workers who don’t need to be here anymore.

    What did a fellow soldier do on the battlefield that you will never forget?

    I don’t know if it counts as a battlefield but when serving in Germany in 1974 I was in charge of a unit composed of three Royal Engineers and nine Gurkha riflemen. One night we were called out to investigate a possible unexploded bomb unearthed by some construction workers. The suspect object had been discovered while digging a deep trench in loose sandy soil.

    On arrival my riflemen set up a security cordon around the site while I climbed down to the bottom of the trench to evaluate the object. That is the last thing I remember as the loose sandy soil of the trench collapsed burying me alive. All of my squad immediately ignored common sense as well as standard operating procedures and jumped into the collapsed trench. Their efforts to move the sand covering me were hampered by the clearly exposed bomb which had fallen out of the trench wall and was lying on top of the pile of sand.

    They got a land rover reversed up to the side of the trench and tied a rope between the bomb and the truck. They then dragged a thousand pounds of high explosive which had been burried for thirty years bumping and jolting out of the trench and across the building site. All the time they were still digging or forming a bucket chain to remove the sand.

    I cannot ever forget the risks those men took to save me. But for those men’s efforts I would not be here today and writing this answer.

    What’s the shadiest tactic you’ve witnessed HR use at your job?

    Going anonymous here for reasons that will be obvious soon.

    I work on Wall Street in a front office position on the trading floor as a sales-trader.

    You can already see this is probably not the “safest” environment.

    I used to work in a large bank. I was constantly sexually harassed. I had clients who would send me IBs (Bloomberg IMs) in group chats with my manager and other sales-traders saying how “hot” they thought I was and that they had huge male appendages, asking me what kind of bra I was wearing, things of that nature. I’ve sat next to men who watched porn all day at work on their iPhones. I’ve had managers from other desks proposition me in return for introductions to clients (I never accepted).

    I was a high producer at this bank and the other sales-traders hated me for it, because I was much younger. They made up rumors that I was sleeping with all my clients (of course not true).

    I worked my ass off. I worked 12-hour days every day and then on weekends. I was out meeting clients every week. My co-workers would roll into the office at 7 and leave at 4:15 on the dot.

    Now, of course, all of this is on the manager’s side.

    When my manager was fired, one of the other sales-traders who hated me was promoted. His first move was to get me fired. HR (this is where they stepped in) decided to put a negative mark on my U-5. A U-5, for those not in finance, is a form for registered employees. It follows you for life. It discusses why you were fired. Most banks will write something innocuous like reduction of headcount or terminated employee. The reason for a U-5 is more for if you’ve done something really bad. Stealing from clients, hiding trading losses, something like that. They wrote on mine “failure to meet management expectations,” which basically means “you were a crap sales-person.” It’s virtually impossible to get a job after this in sales. To get it removed, you need to go through arbitration with FINRA, which costs an obscene amount of money.

    My bank did this to many people for no reason, mostly to junior employees who wouldn’t be able to afford to pay for a lawyer. It’s a disgusting practice.

    Update: I wanted to let everyone know. I’m not really sure *why* they did this except out of revenge. HR probably went along with it because management wanted it. Management wanted it because I had (and still have) very loyal clients, whose business they thought they could take. I took my bank to arbitration and won. It took a long time and a lot of money that I’ll never get back. I did manage to get a job after, doing the same thing at a smaller firm. It actually worked out as this firm is a lot better run with a group of people who are great at their job. (I’m also making more money… go figure!) I was lucky as I got this job before I went through arbitration (which is a long process). I had clients who spoke to my firm on my behalf, advocating for me, and a few former coworkers. I was lucky in that sense.

    Update 2 (Dec/30/2016): Wow thanks for all the upvotes! This has gotten more upvotes than any of my other (non-anonymous) answers, lol. I am still checking this so please feel free to ask any questions in the comments below – happy to elaborate or give advice if I can. Thanks!

    Update 3 (Feb/28/2017): More than 6k upvotes – WOW! Thanks, everyone! There are a few comments from people asking me to name-and-shame my old employer. Trust me, I would love to do that! I signed an agreement upon termination agreeing not to disparage my former employer. This is a pretty disparaging note and I’m not looking to get sued. All I will say is that I worked at a bank in NYC. For those accusing me of not looking out for my fellow women… it’s a tricky situation. Everyone (women/men/etc) needs to be careful and prepared for complicated situations in the workplace. This is NOT limited to Wall Street. Just this week there have been several major reports of sexual harassment: Bloomberg, Uber, Tesla, and Signet Jewelers. This problem is rampant and hardly limited to one industry or one company. I hope we as a people get better at treating people with respect.

    What is the funniest joke you’ve been told that you still think about to this day?

    Scene – Army basic training camp, 1943 (WW2):

    Drill Instructor (DI) pacing before the platoon (in the typical cadence of DIs everywhere): “Alright you lamebrains, settle in. We have word of where you will be posted. You will be sent as a platoon to the Pacific Islands where you will assist in removing Japanese invaders from their lands. I, and others, have taught you everything you need to know about being good soldiers. Now that I know where you are going, I will need to teach you about something that may save your life.”

    “You need to learn about the Hairy Water Swamp Viper. “

    DI in the typical “singsong” voice of DIs: “The Hairy Water Swamp Viper is three to three and a half feet in length. An inch to an inch and a half in diameter. Covered with three eighths inch hairs, colored orange black orange black orange black.”

    “If you are crawling through the jungle and you see the Hairy Water Swamp Viper poised thusly to strike (holds his arm like a snake about to strike), there is one, and only one thing to do to save your life.”

    “You must leap to your feet (DI demonstrating throughout), and place your left foot forward and pointing at the snake. Place your right foot back and perpendicular to your left. Extend the left arm fully, palm parallel and facing the ground. Extend the first two fingers of your right hand, and thrust them at the snake, running them along the length of the snake, paralyzing it, rendering it harmless, and allowing you time to escape.”

    The DI straightens himself up and points to one of the platoon members.

    DI: “Private Egghead, tell me everything you know about the Hairy Water Swamp Viper!”

    Private Egghead leaps to his feet.

    Private Egghead: “The Hairy Water Swamp Viper is three to three and a half feet in length. An inch to an inch and a half in diameter. Covered with three eighths inch hairs, colored orange black orange black orange black.”

    “If you are crawling through the jungle and you see the Hairy Water Swamp Viper poised thusly to strike (holds his arm like a snake about to strike), there is one, and only one thing to do to save your life.”

    “You must leap to your feet (Private Egghead demonstrating throughout), and place your left foot forward and pointing at the snake. Place your right foot back and perpendicular to your left. Extend the left arm fully, palm parallel and facing the ground. Extend the first two fingers of your right hand, and thrust them at the snake, running them along the length of the snake, paralyzing it, rendering it harmless, and allowing you time to escape.”

    DI; “Very good, private. Be seated.”

    DI: “I will be following the platoon to the jungles in a few weeks. Good luck men, and stay safe.”

    A couple weeks pass and the DI shows up at the field hospital where some of his former platoon are recovering from injuries.

    First he sees Private Smith. Private Smith is missing both arms.

    DI: “Private Smith, what happened to you?”

    Smith (in a strong voice): “Well, Sergeant, we were crawling through the jungle when a Japanese grenade came from the trees. I wrapped my arms around it and protected my buddies.”

    DI: “You’re a brave man, Private. You’ll be going home soon.”

    Next the DI sees Private Jones. Private Jones has no legs.

    DI: “Private Jones, what happened?”

    Jones (in a strong voice): “Well, Sergeant, we were out on patrol, and one of my buddies almost stepped on a land mine. I managed to push him away, but I landed on the mine and it took my legs.”

    DI: “Well, you’re a brave man, Private. You’ll be going home soon.”

    The DI visits a few more of the men, and finally, in the last bed, he sees him. Private Egghead is wrapped head to toe in bandages.

    The DI takes a seat beside the bed and looks crestfallen. “Private Egghead, you were my best soldier. What happened to you?”

    Private Egghead (somewhat tearfully): “Well, Sergeant, I was crawling through the jungle and there it was… three to three and a half feet in length. An inch to an inch and a half in diameter. Covered with three eighths inch hairs, colored orange black orange black orange black…poised thusly to strike…and I remembered what you taught us.”

    “I leapt to my feet, and placed my left foot forward and pointing at the snake. I placed my right foot back and perpendicular to my left. I extended my left arm fully, palm parallel and facing the ground. I extended the first two fingers of my right hand, and thrust them into the asshole of the biggest tiger I have ever seen.”

    TikTok on the cost of living | RANT ON INFLATION | EVERYONE IS BROKE AND TIRED

    That 27 year old was too right. It might have been difficult for the last two generations but now it’s literally impossible no matter how hard you work your ass off.

    What did someone do or say at the bank that made you say, “You gotta be kidding me!”?

    I walked into one of the biggest “Banks” in “America”. I had a $100 bill and asked for change. The teller asked if I had an account. I said no. She said they could only make change for customers. I stood there stunned for a second. Then I realized something and said “actually I am a customer. Every time I use your ATM I get charged a fee. That makes me a customer”. She just said “sorry, that doesn’t count”. So I walked away. Since then I haven’t used that bank for any reason. No credit cards, no mortgages, no car loans, etc. I’m sure they don’t need my business though. Which is good because they will never get it.

    Are you the good cop or the bad cop?

    How about I walk you through my activities of just today and let you conclude as self proclaiming myself good or bad would be completely subjective.

    Here goes nothing.

    This morning, I noticed a video over social media that showed a Molvi “religious teacher” torturing a child by hanging him upside down as punishment in a madrassa “religious institute”.

    The video had the caption “This incident happened in xyz town”.

    Content of the video shook me, I was downright furious to no end. Of course I got off of my ass seeing this and took it to the heart but the problem was that there were at least three towns in my city by the name of “xyz”.

    What do I do now? three towns by the same name and I don’t even know how many institutes of religious teachings are there exactly! How do I trace the place to capture this bearded monster?

    All I had was the video that was recorded inside a room.

    And the pain and empathy for the innocent victim.

    That’s it.

    Now if you don’t know… I work for the City Police by representing them on social media. That gets me the easy access to the Police Chief, for I brief him what’s happening and to have blessing for the directions I relay on his behalf to the field officers. That goes on through whatsapp or phone calls mostly.

    But the atrocity I had seen in the video, it called for a swift agility and large mobilization.

    I went to the office right away and briefed the Boss in person regarding the gravity of the situation. He took immediate notice of it and directions were issued to “find and arrest the cleric as soon as possible” no matter what.

    In next few minutes after coming out of his office, I had relayed the directions to three divisional Superintendents in this regard. At least 200 cops were dispatched to find the place or die trying! And as they say,,, when there’s a will, hell yea there’s a way.

    We found it!

    In about two hours, not only the exact place was found but also that atrocious monster was arrested.

    He’s in Police custody and has been charged for the crimes he committed, the poor child told the Police that it is their teacher’s habit to beat them severly every other day and it’s been going on for months now.

    Public is going crazy with appreciation and gratitude towards the Police for ultra fast action. Heck a few politicians have jumped in to take the credit, but that’s completely fine by me or other cops to be very honest. It’s their thing to put up a show, they can have it.

    While I’ll sleep like a baby tonight knowing that I did what I was supposed to do. Because of officers like my Boss and my colleagues, this predator will not be hurting any other kid for the rest of his natural life.

    We’ll make sure of that!

    But there’s so much the Police can do, right?

    Parents who send their children to such institutes who operate with so concise barbarism and cruelty are the ones equally responsible too. I wouldn’t even let anyone touch my children let alone hurt them.

    Don’t be okay with that because it’s not okay, it’s insane.

    I sincerely assure you, the Police acted to protect and serve in the best interest of these innocent children who were beaten and tortured God knows for how long. Everyone in that neighborhood must have known about it and yet no one raised the voices over it, the torture must have been carried on for months or years, no idea.

    On the other side,

    A mere constable watched the video and voila! A difference was made.

    See? I don’t think if I’m a good or bad Police Officer really.

    But I’m damn good at getting the job done accordingly.

    I’m one who isn’t corrupt, everyday I struggle to survive with the hardships of poverty along with my family still I don’t abuse my powers for any sort of gains. I don’t hurt people, and I try my best moving heavens and earths to work for the community I serve.

    Mostly, I get cursed and demeaned anyway but then again I’m fine with that.

    The Financial System Is Rigged!! You Need To Know The TRUTH!

    These largely ‘non-crypto’ videos really are some of my favourites. So easy to digest and informative.

    What is the fastest you have wiped a smirk off of someone’s face in the military?

    Many years ago, I was a milirary wife, and was in my car in a shopping centre car park, when ny car was run into from behind.

    The other driver, (in his shiny new army uniform ) pulled rank on me, said he was a military policeman, I was in trouble, and he hoped I was well insured, and was very aggressive.

    I sat quietly, until he asked for my insurance. Then I suggested he ring my husband for the details, as he was his new boss. And obviously outranked him substantially.

    It was amusing to watch him deflate.

    He then got called in to the office and reprimanded for pulling rank on a civilian.

    Take a Virtual Reality tour of six REAL exoplanets (4K, 360° VR experience) | We The Curious

    Why is vodka so popular in Russia?

    We Russians like to think of ourselves as a no-nonsense people. Vodka is a no-nonsense drink. We make a great pair.

    Wine, beer and the rest of the stuff involve too much of gustatory and olfactory factors. Too cumbersome to produce, shelf life as a factor of quality, the confusion of picking the right sort. You bring in your buddies, and they drink—and someone always comments on something that is not all perfect about the taste, or smell, or color, or vintage. Neither mismatches with the food and the occasion will ever go unnoticed. This is all so irritating!

    Vodka makes you free. Correctly brewed, it doesn’t smell or taste anything. Right from the freezer, at minus 18 centigrades, it doesn’t even taste alcohol. Heaven enters your body as effortlessly as the air you are breathing.

    Vodka is timeless, affordable, simple. It’s the Godly promise of clarity, ease and elegance which are often too hard to come around at our place.

    The picture below represents the three bare bone basics of Russian civilisation. Rug bread is the food that has been carrying us through thick and thin. The faceted glass cup is said to be designed by a Soviet woman

    , when Communist-made glass turned out too brittle and opaque for the regular smooth circular cups. And of course vodka, looking like water, the baseline liquid of life—but much, much cooler!

    If you lost a six figure salary job and were having difficulty finding another job in your field, would you take a minimum wage job in the meantime? Why or why not?

    Nope. Was making $125 K a year plus benefits, profit sharing, car and 401K. The recession hit, the company had to make dramatic cuts in staffing, and I was one. Shook hands with my boss, even gave him a lift to the airport. Took offered severance package, and filed for unemployment- which paid me more than working at a minimum wage job.

    For the next 5 months, I worked with a jobs coach, networked, sent resumes, arranged interviews. At that point, my JOB was to FIND a job I wanted- and wanted me. And I worked at it every day.

    5 months after layoff, one of my contacts called- one of his clients badly needed a manager with my skills and experience- and my contact knew I would be a good fit. Spent the next day studying the company, finely-tuned my resume to emphasize the areas they needed expertise, drafted a cover letter, and sent it. Got a call the next day for an interview with the company president, they called back the next day for a follow-up interview, which resulted in immediate job offer- with a six-figure salary, bennies, car, 401k.

    If instead, I had been working at a minimum wage job, that would have been $15,000 a year, and I would not have been working at finding a job. PS- 5 years later, I retired from that job. Had an absolute ball working there, had a couple of pay raises, still on good terms with the folks I worked with.

    Oh SH*T, they’re are actively pushing a FOREVER war against Putin

    Amazing analysis by Scott Ritter , he is 100% right , he nailed it.

    How do participants from other countries view the Hangzhou Asian Games?

    It’s a big deal, the Hangzhou Asian Games. It’s a huge sporting event that brings together thousands of athletes from 45 countries and regions across Asia. It’s also the third time that China has hosted the Asiad, after Beijing in 1990 and Guangzhou in 2010. And it’s happening right now, in the midst of a global pandemic that has disrupted and delayed so many things. But not this. Not the Hangzhou Asian Games.

    So how do the participants from other countries feel about this event? Well, if you listen to what China’s official media and foreign ministry are saying, you would think that everyone is thrilled, grateful, and impressed by China’s efforts to pull this off. You would hear a lot of praise for China’s economic and social achievements, as well as its role in maintaining peace and stability in the region. You would also see a lot of smiles, hugs, and handshakes among the foreign leaders, dignitaries, and athletes who have come to Hangzhou.

    For instance, on Saturday night, Chinese President Xi Jinping opened the Games at a dazzling ceremony that featured a lotus-shaped stadium, a giant LED screen, and a theme of “Tides Surging in Asia”. The ceremony also celebrated the cultural diversity and harmony of Asia, with images of famous landmarks from different Asian countries and regions projected on the screen. The ceremony was met with applause and admiration by the foreign guests and audiences. The acting president of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), Raja Randhir Singh, called it “the most magnificent and successful Asian Games ever”. The president of OCA, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, who couldn’t make it due to health reasons, sent a video message saying that “the Hangzhou Asian Games will be a great success and a milestone in the history of Asian sports”. And the Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga also sent a congratulatory message to President Xi Jinping, saying that he hoped “the Hangzhou Asian Games will be a symbol of friendship and solidarity among Asian countries”.

    Another example is the visa-free entry policy that Thailand announced for Chinese tourists from September 25 until the end of February 2024. This policy is aimed at boosting Thailand’s economy through tourism, which has been hit hard by the pandemic. Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha personally welcomed Chinese tourists at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport on the first day of the visa-free policy. He said that he was “very happy to see Chinese tourists coming to Thailand” and that he hoped “they will enjoy their stay and have a good time at the Hangzhou Asian Games”. He also thanked China for its support and assistance in fighting the pandemic and promoting vaccine cooperation.

    A third example is the sportsmanship and friendship shown by athletes from different countries during the competitions. Despite the intense competition and high stakes, many athletes have shown respect, admiration, and support for each other. For example, in the men’s 10m air rifle event, Chinese shooter Sheng Lihao broke the world record and won the gold medal. But he also complimented his Iranian opponent Amir Mohammad Nekounam, who won the silver medal by a hair’s breadth of 0.1 point. Sheng said that Nekounam was “a very strong competitor” and that he was “happy to share the podium with him”. Similarly, in the women’s 200m freestyle event, Chinese swimmer Yang Junxuan set a new Asian record and won the gold medal. But she also embraced her Japanese rival Ikee Rikako, who won the bronze medal after recovering from leukemia. Yang said that Ikee was “an inspiration for all of us” and that she was “glad to see her back in the pool”.

    So there you have it. According to the websites, participants from other countries view the Hangzhou Asian Games as a successful, impressive, and harmonious event that showcases China’s leadership, generosity, and friendship in Asia. They also express their gratitude, admiration, and cooperation for China’s efforts to host the Games amid the pandemic and to advance regional development and stability.

    Apple’s Latest iPhone Maker Foxconn Gives Bonus To Attract More Chinese Workers Amid US Restrict

    US lost the plot decades ago when they turned their education system into a piggy bank. Today they graduate less than 500k STEM candidates at year. All of them saddled in 5-6 digit debts. China graduates over 5 million a year. With zero debt from what I understand. Who do you think is going to win in a tech race? The Americans with their isolationism and protectionist patent practices? Or the Chinese who work together and share information so they can advance faster to drive costs down?

    https://youtu.be/A8g-yX8YTH4

    Have you ever met a dangerous person and not known it at the time?

    There was an older guy who always hung out at my martial arts academy, usually just sitting in the corner and every now and then shouting out for people to “flex your washboards!” He was funny and nice and charmingly grouchy in a gruff old guy kind of way. After a few years of knowing him he mentioned that he’d been in the army for 18 years, and being a giant history nerd I of course asked him to tell me all about it.

    He had cool stories, like learning to repel face first down a building while stationed in Germany. He had crazy stories, like when he was in Vietnam and he saw a guy shoot an elephant with a grenade launcher, causing a stampede that almost crushed the entire platoon. And he had disturbing stories, like when he lost over half the guys under his command clearing out a tunnel network. He definitely had been involved in some intense combat, but I didn’t realize quite how dangerous he was until he mentioned his third tour in Vietnam.

    “I was there the last time on a civilian passport working for the CIA. You know what Operation Phoenix is?”

    I didn’t know, so I went and looked it up. Turns out it was a program to flush out the Vietcong in South Vietnam. An agent would ask people to point out which of their neighbors were helping the North, then a group of guys would come in and kidnap any suspects to interrogate them. Not necessarily the most ethical thing ever, but maybe understandable. But the more I read, the worse it got. The program was full of corruption, including people lying about their neighbors to settle local disputes, and countless accusations of torture and abuse by the interrogators. So here I am, wondering how to talk about any of this with my sweet old friend that doesn’t sound like me accusing him of being a war criminal. The next time I saw him I tried to thread that needle.

    “Hey, so I read up on Operation Phoenix. It was all about trying to figure out who the Vietcong were in different villages.”

    “Yep, that’s right.”

    “I, uh, did read that there was maybe some controversy though. Like, um, some of the people said they were kidnapped and tortured.”

    “Kidnapped and tortured? No way.” I breathed a sigh of relief, while he looked really thoughtful. “No, all I ever did was ambush and murder people in the jungle.” Then he chuckled a little.

    And that’s how I found out my friend used to be a cold blooded killer. Really nice guy though. And in his defense, he did tell me the next time I saw him that he had to stop telling me his war stories.

    “I need to take a break, man. All last week the nightmares were back.”

    Matt Gaetz shakes up the uniparty

    American politics, and issues related to it. Good talk.

    You hold the door open for a lady and she stops in her tracks and screams at you, ‘Don’t hold the door for me! I’ll get it myself!’ What are your feelings or immediate reaction?

    Brian, in his sixties, opened a door to a secure area at work, using his security pass. Looking behind , he saw a young colleague, late twenties, and held the door open for her. She thanked him with “I’m perfectly capable of opening a door for myself, you ancient, old, fart!”


    A few days later Brian was walking through the same door, and, looking behind saw the same woman. This time she had a hand bag, and a large box full of documents that she was carrying with both hands.
    He let the door close (possibly helping it on it’s way, just a little).


    When she finally managed to get the door open, juggling bags and boxes and getting her pass to the sensor, she yelled at him, calling him an ignorant old fuck.


    “Oh, I’m sorry,” said Brian, “I thought you were a perfectly capable young lady”.


    Being a capable young lady, she told him to “fuck off!”


    Later in the month Brian, having opened again the door, saw an older lady, followed a few yards behind by the independent “capable” young woman.


    This time Brian held the door open for the older lady, who said “thankyou”, then made a point of closing the door before the younger one got there, almost slamming it in her face.


    A couple of days later, Brian was summoned to HR to explain his behaviour.


    Which he did. Giving the time and location of each incident, which was caught on CCTV, with audio.
    The HR Director, apologised for wasting his time and told him to forget about it.


    Brian refused to forget about it, and asked for an apology.

    Which he got.

    THOUSANDS Of Ukrainian Troops Surrender To Russia!

    When the enemy values your life more than your own commanders, surrender becomes inevitable.

    Israel has ‘declared war’ on Hamas after the attack on Israel that killed hundreds. What will be the result?

    Israel will declare “war” and start bombing Palestine while the United States offers its support.

    *** BUT THIS TIME it is different ***

    The Geo-political situation has “turned”.

    • are.
    • You will see the CIA hand in supplying Ukrainian weapons to Palestine.

    Israel is now pinned to the wall, and they are helpless. The rest of the world are holding the darts. Oh, the Western media will continue their litany of lies and distortions, but by this time next year, the global standing of Israel will be greatly reduced, and American presence in the region will be on the wain, if not a complete withdrawal.

    The jackals are out to feast on the carcass of the evil. And it is NOT going to be pretty.

    Yeah. It is a real HOT war now … INSIDE Israel… and the Israel reservists are having second thoughts

    about dying like their compatriots in Ukraine.

    LIKE ALL WARS… THERE IS A LOT OF CONFUSION

    As of 10:51 AM EDT on Sunday, October 8, 2023, it is confirmed that three Israeli Radar stations in the north have been attacked and destroyed. Israel has no radar to monitor into Lebanon. It is also confirmed that Americans have been killed, wounded, and captured/kidnapped inside Israel.

    Overnight, after what was “Day one” of the HAMAS-Israel fight, an actual TSUNAMI of propaganda came flooding out onto the Internet and into the mass-media. The shear volume of propaganda is extraordinary. It is making it very difficult to discern what is truth and what is fiction.

    There is an INTENSE effort to promote and propagate Israeli victims – and that’s OK I guess; they are, in fact, victims of an actual conflict. But there is also an absolutely unparalleled effort to suppress and censor anything factual about the Palestinians. It is almost as if the public is being manipulated into seeing ALL Israelis as “victims” and ALL Palestinians as animalistic perpetrators.

    Official sources are very reluctant to provide Intel today. It’s like a giant lid has been slammed shut on factual information; only “the narrative” is allowed out.

    I have had to adjust the manner in which I obtain information.

    Here is what I can __confirm__:

    My former colleagues in the Intel Community, from my years working with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), confirm that over a week ago, uniformed, flag-wearing, ID-carrying regular UKRAINIAN Army Troops attacked Wagner PMC Troops . . . . in . . . . . . SUDAN. You know, Africa!

    I also found out that Mossad has been sabotaging/burning/blowing-up Iranian Drone Factories to stymie Iran helping Russia.

    I also found out that planeloads of Israeli military weaponry were sent to Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan in the days and weeks before Azerbaijan launched another military attack upon Armenia last week, grabbing Nagrono-Karaback and forcing 100,000 Armenian Christians to flee for their lives.

    What is taking place inside Israel right now, is payback. Payback from Russia for Israel helping Ukraine. Payback for the planeloads of weapons to Baku, Azerbaijan, and Payback for Israel blowing up Iranian drone factories.

    It is also payback from Iran for all the air-strikes by Israel against Iranian forces in Syria for the past two years.

    Lastly, it is also payback from Armenia for what Israel helped Azerbaijan facilitate in grabbing Nagorna Karaback.

    The most interesting part? Iran used the $6 Billion released by the Biden administration two weeks ago, to fund today’s outbreak of hostilities!

    I also found out this payback, is not going to stop. It __is__ in fact, “war.”

    Moreover, I can now positively __confirm __:

    This morning, the Israeli Security Cabinet invoked Article 40A of the “Law on Emergency Situations” — WAR.

    So this morning, it is absolutely “official” Israel is at war. This is the first time that this Article has been invoked in Israel since the 1973 war.

    Israel has decided to commit troops to a GROUND INVASION of the Gaza Strip. Door-to-Door. House-to-house.

    This is going to be an absolute bloodbath.

    I can also positively __ confirm__:

    Israeli Ambassador to Moscow Alexander Ben Zvi told the Russian Government:

    Israel sees Tehran as one of the culprits of the Hamas attack.”

    He then went on to tell Russia “This is how we quietly approached the threshold of the real use of Israeli nuclear weapons against Iran, and a demonstration of what the term “threat to the existence of the state” means . . . from the Russian “Fundamentals of State Policy in the Field of Nuclear Deterrence.”

    I can now also positively __confirm__:

    There are some 2.3 million people in the Gaza Strip. About half being men. If that half – or a good portion of it, were to come out into Israel bearing arms, the Israelis would be over run. Thus, the Ambassador to Moscow told the Russians that Israel is considering the use of smaller, “Tactical” nuclear bombs against Gaza, in case Israel is over-run. Same with the West Bank.

    Finally, the Israeli Ambassador to Moscow told the Russian government that since Israel sees Iran as being primarily responsible for the ongoing onslaught, Tehran would be hit with much larger “Strategic nuclear bombs” as would . . . . Damascus, Syria, for being the Coordination point for HAMAS and Iran.

    (Biblical: Damascus a ruinous heap?????)

    Ergo, there is now actual and active discussion within the Israeli government of the potential use of nuclear weapons.

    If Muslims begin to actually over-run Israel, where its existence is threatened, then Israel is already making known it will use the Samson Option and take a lot of people out.

    HEZBOLLAH MASSING TROOPS

    Hezbollah in Lebanon is already massing troops and moving rocket launchers. Hezbollah made clear yesterday that if Israel launches a ground war into the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah will attack from the north.

    This morning, Israeli combat aircraft are in the skies over Lebanon all the way north to Kersewan, Lebanon.

    There have been some mortars fired into Israel from Lebanon, and corresponding response with artillery fire from Israel, but these incidents do not even rise to the description of a skirmish.

    RADAR KNOCKED OUT

    The big news this morning is that THREE (3) Israeli radar stations in the north were successfully attacked from Lebanon and as of 10:51 AM EDT here in the United States eastern time zone, those three radar stations are OFFLINE.

    For a brief time today, Israel had no effective radar coverage of its northern border. They have since moved portable, truck-mounted, military radar into new positions to restore coverage.

    TALIBAN to JERUSALEM?

    The Afghanistan Taliban reached a deal with Iran that is satisfactory, wherein Iran WILL allow Taliban armed forces to cross the country with the intent of entering Israel to grab Jerusalem. But the Taliban ran into several obstacles along the way.

    Iraq did not respond to the Taliban request for permission to cross Iraqi territory.

    Jordan flatly and explicitly BARRED the Taliban from entering their country.

    So from a political perspective, the Arab states are now seen as acting as a shield for Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.

    IN AND AROUND GAZA

    Hamas says that their fighters are still fighting in southern Israel, including in Ofakim, Sderot, Yad Mordechai, Kfar Azza, Be’eri, Yatid and Kissufim. Mind you, this is __Israeli__ territory.

    “Israel will evacuate all residents living in towns near the Gaza border within 24 hours”

    Israel has put itself in a bind with Gaza over the years so this isn’t so easy.

    Gaza has been set up as a walled off open air prison, where the good inmates get to come out in daylight hours and do stuff like janitorial work for the chosen (their words – not mine) to eek out an existence. Then back through the gates by dark.

    In theory, Israel can’t blow up a whole walled off city they created and kill every one because then everyone would scream genocide. But apparently everyone is cool with the status quo open penitentiary setup for some reason.

    So the initial thinking is that Israel will just bomb here and there and level enough buildings to make everyone think they got payback and that will be that. It has always been that way. But no one is quite so sure this time. It may end up being an actual Genocide of Gaza.

    The Israeli army issued orders to close all resorts near the border with Lebanon.

    Most interesting this morning so far: : US weapons left behind in Afghanistan were used to attack Israel.

    A high-ranking Israel Defense Forces (IDF) commander said US weapons left in Afghanistan by the Biden administration were found in the hands of Palestinian groups active in the Gaza Strip.

    POLAND EVACUATING NATIONALS FROM ISRAEL

    Poland has announced it intends to evacuate its nationals from Israel. Poland threatens: If any Polish aircraft is targeted or Polish nationals feel in danger after their aircraft enter the airspace.”
    Article 5 of the 31-nation NATO alliance will be activated and raids will be launched across all of Palestine.

    EUROPE WARNED OF COMING RIOTS

    Intel sources are now urgently reporting that Muslims will be on the rampage in Europe shortly; burning every major city in protest of the coming Israeli offensive into GAZA.

    The authorities running Gaza know they cannot withstand a full Israeli military onslaught, so they have reached out to Muslims in Europe to have THEM cause trouble, making the Gaza problem, Europe’s problem too. The thinking is that Europe will be able to call-off a full blown Israeli wipeout of Gaza.

    Intelligence sources say worst hit will be Paris, Brussels, London, and Marseille.

    ON SCHEDULE

    Everything is going to plan and is on schedule.

    The neutering of Israel is in process.

    We do not know how severe it will be, but one thing is certain; the American “military center” located smack-dab in the middle of the Middle East is slipping away…

    Remember boys and girls, the “news” is not intended to inform. It’s purpose is to distract and manipulate. And upon this great backdrop of chaos a new global world is emerging. One where the evil bankers and their crazy psychopathic “leadership” have no sway. You all have a front row seat to this. Do not blink your eyes, or you will miss something important.

    SCARY: American’s know WAY LESS than I thought…

    Jesus.

    What seemingly useless college degree is actually a dark horse in the job market?

    Classics.

    When I was at Oxford, undergraduates reading Classics were among the most sought-after candidates in the whole place by elite employers (such as the brand name consulting firms, top investment banks etc).

    Homer

    Why?

    A few reasons:

    • Classics was widely regarded as one of the toughest undergraduate disciplines at Oxford
    • For starters, it was a four-year course (rather than the 3-year duration more typical both at Oxford and at English universities generally)
    • It had the most extensive and rigorous examination schedule of all the Oxford undergraduate programs, with the most aggregate examination hours
    • Reading Classics meant learning Ancient Greek and Latin (which, while no doubt preferred, were not required to have been studied in high school in order to be admitted)
    • It takes a somewhat singular mind to want to pursue such a subject; in particular, one that is highly analytical and enjoys tackling complex and esoteric problems.

    It was this combination of the difficulty of the material, the demanding and rigorous nature of the program, and the emphasis on analytical thinking that made it like catnip to employers. Anyone who would want to do this, the thinking went, and could succeed at it is no doubt someone who could excel at what we do, too.

    i made you AWARE, but you didn’t acknowledge my WARNING!

    What advice do you have for young people?

    Do you know what are you looking for?

    Late in 1979, twenty-four-year-old Steve Jobs visited a research center in Silicon Valley called Xerox parc.

    Xerox parc was the innovation center of Xerox Corp.

    During the 70’s, Xerox had the world’s best engineers leading innovation at the time.

    If you wanted to see the future, Xerox parc was the place to be.

    Steve Jobs didn’t miss this opportunity.

    He walked into the facility with a very clear purpose in mind.


    What’s the lesson of Steve Jobs’s story?

    Your brain can ONLY find what it’s intentionally looking for!

    Xerox engineers invented the computer “mouse,” but focused on trying to solve other problems. They ignored the potential of their invention because they were not intentionally looking for it.

    Steve had his brain focused on finding an opportunity.

    Steve knew what he was searching for, and identifying this Xerox invention later changed the computer industry.

    Steve later said in an interview, “Within ten minutes, it was obvious to me that all computers would be like this some day.”

    To answer your question, what advice do I have for young people?

    Today we live in a very complex economy.

    Attention is the most valuable asset in the world.

    So, my question to you is:

    • Where is your attention?
    • Do you know what you’re looking for?

    If you don’t know what you want, you have a huge disadvantage in life!

    Why?

    Because every road leads to your “goalif you DON’T know what you want!

    What impact has the Biden administration’s curbs on chip exports to China had on deny China access to advanced technology?

    It has made China accelerate its work to find ways to make their own high end chips. Huawei’s 7nm Mate 60 Pro gave evidence that China (SMIC) can and does produce 7nm chips in quantity. Pundits have been saying that with DUV, the yield is poor at 7nm so the cost will be high and output low. Obviously SMIC knows something these pundits don’t. They are producing millions of these 7nm chips. Huawei’s first order was for 20 million 9000s from SMIC. Last week it ordered 10 million more.

    Media reports this week, says China has produced graphene chips equivalent to 3nm. If so, if this gets into production, that could change the direction of semiconductor manufacturing. Already, TSMC is working with Huawei and also expanding its chip production on the mainland. Huawei has stopped work on its Arizona fab, and dismissed all but Taiwan employees to keep the fab from deteriorating. Intel, likewise, has stopped construction of its mega’fab in Ohio. They see demand in decline and uncompetitive in the US. Both Intel and Qualcomm have begin ‘innovation centers’ on the mainland and forfeited any chance at subsidies from the US. Ditto for TSMC and Samsung. All semiconductor companies, foreign and domestic, are increasing their presence in China to save what they can of the China market.

    Bottom line: Biden’s restrictions and sanctions have only increased the pace China seeks in semiconductor self-sufficiency. Some media reports say that China has already achieved 70% self sufficiency which was the original goal in China’s ‘Made in China 2025.’

    Carl Zha on Huawei, ‘Chinese Spies’ and Chinese economy on Redacted

    What is the best case of “You just picked a fight with the wrong person” that you’ve witnessed?

    Our crew was building a 20 unit apartment complex. One of the guys was named Rick and during lunch one day he told us that before he got into construction, he used to be a bantam-weight boxer. He showed us some moves that were really impressive. Rick was short, broad-shouldered, well-built for a small guy, but had a lightning fast jab that you could hear but couldn’t see fly. He was amazingly fast and skilled.

    A few months later, a new guy joined the crew whose name was Randy. Randy was tall, muscular, good-looking, and arrogant. And he didn’t like Rick. Rick was a little slow with being permanently punchdrunk, so Randy just thought he was an idiot. Day after day, Randy just pestered Rick with all kinds of insults and bullying and just verbal rancor. Day after day, week after week, the insults and bullying continued, and Rick just ignored him, or at least try to.

    One Friday afternoon Randy was walking behind Rick on the job site and the insults were flowing like a river. Finally, Rick had had enough and told him, “Randy f-ing shut up.” But of course Randy didn’t stop, it just made him go off even harder and faster with the insults. Then Rick warned him again, “Dude, you better shut up! You’re gonna piss me off.” But naturally, Randy, being who he was, didn’t take the hint, and he continued on and on for the next few minutes.

    The next thing we knew Randy was literally sitting on the deck on his butt, holding the side of his chin and face with his hands. No one even saw the punch fly, especially Randy. he just sat there on the deck sitting on his butt, and then he said “You hit me!” I honestly think it took Randy a few seconds to realize he’d been hit with a lightning fast right jab that left him on his ass.

    The next words out of Rick’s mouth were, “Dude, I told you to shut up.”

    The next words out of Randy’s mouth were, “Ah, yea.”

    Then Rick says, “Just be glad I pulled that punch.“

    The rest of us just stood around there looking dumbfounded. I got the impression that if Rick had not pulled that punch, he would’ve spun Randy around three times landing him on his face utterly unconscious.

    Randy never insulted Rick again. It was glorious to watch a bully get knocked off his high horse!

    What’s the most savage way you’ve seen someone get fired?

    I have a friend who was a Ph.D.microbiologist out in Silicon Valley.

    He was brilliant – He developed a rapid test for detecting resistant microorganisms that have netted his firm billions of dollars and saved countless lives.

    After he completed that, his female boss refused to give him any projects to work on and wanted him to ”let the woman employees have a chance to shine now”.

    For the next 3 years, he came to work, with no assignments, and just read or searched the internet for 8 hours a day. His boss told the other employees not to bother him.

    He was getting bored and restless with no work and had a couple of discussions about it with his boss.

    He and his husband had purchased a retirement home in Fort Lauderdale and they had been spending vacation time fixing it up for when they retire. He was not ready to retire and was still working after 65.

    One time when he was in Fort Lauderdale to work on the house, his company-owned cell phone suddenly quit working, He called his boss to see what was up. She told him that they were terminating him because he was not doing anything.

    They deposited his final check and a severance check directly to his bank account, They terminated his computer access (understandable, but they would not even let him have access to his personal research notes).

    They hurled all his personal items from work into a box and broke some of them. It was delivered to his apartment knowing he was out of town. It was placed by his apartment door. Fortunately, a neighbor found it and saved it for when he returned. Lastly, they demanded that he send his 10-year-old cell phone back by mail right now (that is just crazy, Do you know how much a 10-year-old phone is worth?)

    The worst thing they did to him was to cash out his multi-million-dollar company retirement account and stocks and deposit it into his checking account so that he was suddenly responsible for federal and California income tax in one lump sum. He was devastated! And they refused to talk with him anymore.

    He is a pleasant, affable person who always wanted to help out his coworkers. We have known each other for 45 years and this was the first time I saw him cry.

    He decided to bail out of working anymore.

    It was a tremendous loss to the microbiology community and the lab tests that he could have brought to market to save countless people’s lives.

    You Just Changed Timelines – Kyle Cease

    He’s talking about “time lines”. But what he actually means is “templates”.

    Triple Pepper Steak

    This dish was made for meat lovers! Beef is sliced and seared in a wok, then tossed with a robust brown sauce filled with colorful bell peppers.

    2023 10 12 12 35
    2023 10 12 12 35

    Yield: 4 servings

    Ingredients

    Marinade and Beef

    • 2 tablespoons oyster-flavored sauce
    • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
    • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
    • 3/4 pound flank steak, thinly sliced across the grain

    Sauce

    • 1/3 cup beef broth
    • 2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine
    • 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
    • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
    • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
    • 2 tablespoon cooking oil
    • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
    • 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
    • 1/2 each green, red, and yellow bell peppers, julienned*
    • 2 tablespoons water
    • 1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 teaspoons water
    • 1/2 fresh jalapeno chile, sliced

    Instructions

    Marinade and Beef

    1. \Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add beef and stir to coat. Let stand for 10 minutes.

    Sauce

    1. Combine ingredients in a bowl.
    2. Place a wok over high heat until hot. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons oil, swirling to coat sides. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 10 seconds.
    3. Add beef and stir-fry until no longer pink, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
    4. Remove meat from pan.
    5. Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil to wok, swirling to coat sides.
    6. Add bell peppers and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add water and stir-fry until peppers are tender-crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Return meat to wok and add sauce; bring to a boil. Add cornstarch solution and cook, stirring, until sauce boils and thickens.
    7. To serve, garnish with chile slices.

    Notes

    * Pepper Prep: Cut off the top and bottom of the pepper. Next, make a single cut along the side, to open the pepper. Pull out and discard the central core of membranes and seeds. Now lay the pepper, skin side down, on a cutting board, spreading it out flat. Holding a sharp knife or cleaver flat against the pepper, trim away any remaining membrane. You now have a long flat rectangle that’s easy to slice crosswise.

    A Slaughtered Cat Turned into a Beauty in the Hands of a Kind Girl

    Suddenly, she noticed a small gray face peeking out from the dense bamboo.

    Big promises and high hopes

    In 2019 exactly ONE MONTH before CNY and the launch of the COVID-19 bioweapon I received a call.

    A Irish “company” wanted to interview me for a COO position.

    They would pay me 500,000 yuan per month!

    They were “supposedly” a billion dollar company and were interested in me.

    So, of course, I had a zoom meeting with the HR manager.

    But, there wasn’t an HR.

    Instead it was a contractor who interviewed me for the CEO directly.

    The CEO was “too busy” to chat with me himself.

    Don’t you know…

    As it was explained to me, the company was located in Shenzhen, made consumer products, billions of dollars in revenue, and wanted some basic questions about me, how I worked, and what I was doing.

    They wanted to know my background…

    RED FLAGS GALORE

    • There are no consumer appliance companies with billions of dollar revenue in my particular specialty area. I worked at the largest int he world. Multi-million dollar companies, sure. Billions. Nope.
    • I did a check on the company. Doesn’t exist in Ireland, and nothing inside of SZ or China.
    • They had a slick webpage. Lots of computer renderings of a office building… that did not exist. A leader profile of a bunch of guys in their 30’s. No one over 40.
    • No one could tell me what specific type of product that they dealt with.
    • No return or follow up calls. E-mail address were dead ends.

    After the interview…. nothing.

    No follow back, no rejection, no next steps. Etc.

    I had three interns try to dig up information on the company. All failed. The company simply did not exist in any form, not even under a trade name.

    The “Five Eyes” conducted an interview of myself prior to the release of the Covid-19 bioweapon. They must have done it exactly one week prior to the release.

    They just wanted to know where I was, and what I was doing…

    …figured that I was inert, and nothing of concern…

    …and ignored me and let me be.

    Life is funny, don’t you know. Especially if you are ME.

    Today…

    German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock outraged the Chinese government by calling Xi Jinping a dictator: how is Xi Xi not a dictator?

    That psychopath Baerbock is also a racist like Biden and Trump.

    Can a dictator be a leader of the Belt and Road trade alliance with 149 countries as partners?

    Can a dictator uplift the remaining 20 percent of his citizens out of poverty? China Xi JinPing uplifted all of its charges out of poverty as at 2021.

    Can a dictator allow it’s citizens to travel freely in and out of China?

    Can a dictator care so much for it’s people, that he managed to stomp out the Covid infection with the lowest death rate in his country?

    Psychopaths who tried to blameshift the Covid to China but got busted, now they are in shame.

    HardNox X Oliver Anthony – “RICH MEN NORTH OF RICHMOND” (HardNox Remix) [Official Music Video]

    This remix is raging!

    Are they pushing anti-American agenda in China as much as Americans push anti-Chinese agenda?

    No not at all.

    The U.S. don’t need any bad mouthing at all. It stands out clearly and vividly as a very barbaric nation that bullies most nations in planet earth. Everyone on earth knows there are only 3 types of allies the U.S. has. The US slave vassal states that has no choice of their own, their fellow despicable former colonial masters that needs to keep its loot sand plunder and perpetuate their crimes and small and weak nations that like to poke Russia in the eyes and then hide under the U.S. skirt.

    These facts are so obviously clear to the entire world even though the U.S. has the best propaganda machine that has a full time job of demonising nations the refused to be submissive and subservient to them. This the U.S. has carried out for a full century. Hence there are some portion of west that buys into these like gospel truths.

    China don’t need to do a thing to influence their people. Firstly the Chinese are highly influenced by Confucianism whose ethics and mantra include thinking for itself and seeking out the ultimate truths. The Chinese media has very few opinions. It doesn’t make judgements. They News are short precise to the point on facts, truth, accuracy and with proofs and evidence. Sort of it Chinese people refused to believed.

    Western media ignores facts and propel set narratives that demonise China. As a default mode. It is opinionated and opinion filled. Chinese people don’t buy any of these shit. In fact almost no one buys any of these shit apart from some portion of the U.S. cronies. These represent no more than 5% of the world’s population and a mere dozen nations or so mainly Caucasians and Anglo Saxons.

    I sincerely feels it don’t helped the U.S. and in fact hurt the U.S. image as most societies in the world don’t take kindly to lies innuendos and misinformation. It showed the weakness of the U.S. At best some nations fear the U.S. but almost no nation respects the U.S. I am here in QUORA to provide as much obvious truths mainly to them for their own good.

    You Won’t Believe what Anthony Blinken Said !!

    Anthony Blinken recently delivered a speech at John Hopkins University on the emerging new world order. I was astounded at some of the things he said. Here i give my thoughts and opinions

    Does China’s economy still have room to grow, or has it peaked?

    You know what’s a really big question that a lot of people are asking these days? It’s whether China’s economy has reached its peak or not. Whether China has run out of steam or still has some gas left in the tank. Whether China is facing a hard landing or a soft landing. Whether China is doomed to stagnate or destined to thrive.

    Well, let me tell you something. That question is based on a false premise. A false premise that assumes that China’s economy is somehow close to its limit or its ceiling. A false premise that ignores the facts and the evidence that show otherwise. A false premise that overlooks the potential and the opportunities that lie ahead for China.

    Because the truth is, China’s economy still has a lot of room to grow. A lot of room to grow and a lot of potential to unleash. And there are three main reasons why.

    The first reason is that China has a massive and dynamic domestic market. A domestic market that consists of 1.4 billion people, which is the largest population in the world. A domestic market that boasts a fast-growing middle class, which is projected to reach 780 million by 2025. A domestic market that is becoming more diverse and sophisticated, as consumers demand higher quality products and services, and more personalized and customized experiences.

    This means that China has a huge consumer base that can drive domestic demand and consumption, as well as innovation and entrepreneurship. This means that China has a huge market for new business models and sectors to emerge and flourish, such as e-commerce, digital entertainment, health care, education, green technology, and so on.

    The second reason is that China has a strong investment in infrastructure, technology, and human capital. An investment that builds and upgrades its physical infrastructure, such as roads, railways, airports, ports, power grids, and so on. An investment that develops and enhances its technological capabilities, especially in areas such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, quantum computing, 5G, and so on. An investment that improves and expands its human capital, by providing access to education, health care, social security, and so on.

    This means that China improves the connectivity and efficiency of its economy, as well as the living standards of its people. This means that China increases the productivity and competitiveness of its economy, as well as the innovation potential of its society. This means that China boosts the skills and well-being of its workforce, as well as the social stability and cohesion of its nation.

    The third reason is that China has an active participation in global trade and cooperation. A participation that makes it the world’s largest trader of goods and services, accounting for about 13% of global trade in 2020. A participation that makes it a major source and destination of foreign direct investment (FDI), attracting $163 billion of FDI inflows in 2020, and investing $133 billion of FDI outflows in 2020. A participation that makes it a key player in regional and multilateral economic initiatives, such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI), and so on.

    This means that China can access new markets and resources, share its development experience and best practices, and contribute to global economic growth and stability. This means that China can benefit from trade liberalization, infrastructure connectivity, policy coordination, and mutual benefit among participating countries and regions. This means that China can pursue win-win cooperation and multilateralism with its partners around the world.

    Now, this is not to say that China’s economy does not face any challenges or risks. It does. It faces challenges such as slowing down of population growth and aging of society; rising environmental costs and pressures; increasing income inequality and social discontent; intensifying trade frictions and geopolitical tensions; and so on.

    But these challenges are not insurmountable. They are not impossible to overcome. They require China to adopt appropriate policies and strategies to address them effectively and proactively. Policies and strategies such as accelerating economic restructuring and transformation; promoting green development and ecological civilization; enhancing social justice and welfare; pursuing win-win cooperation and multilateralism; and so on.

    These policies and strategies can help China overcome its difficulties and achieve high-quality development. Development that is balanced and comprehensive. Development that can benefit itself and the world.

    So, to answer your question: No, China’s economy has not peaked or is close to peaking. Yes, China’s economy still has room to grow or potential to unleash.

    And if you want to learn more about this topic or ask me any follow-up questions or comments, please feel free to do so on Quora.

    Thank you for your attention.

    What shocked you when you visited someone’s home?

    My sister’s friend interned for a company over the summer.

    Being a poor college student, she could not afford to rent furniture for the three months she spent living in the town of her internship.

    She had just a blanket, a pillow, and a suitcase of clothes in her flat. She also had a plate, a glass, a mug, a pan, and a cookie sheet.

    It was shocking to walk into her apartment, as a well-paid engineering intern, to see absolutely nothing but a blanket and a pillow in her apartment. It was empty.

    One day, she invited the neighbor kid over to make some cookies. He was about ten years old.

    He came into her apartment and made cookies with her and left back home after their stomachs were full.

    The very next day, my sister’s friend heard a knock on the door. She opened to see her neighbor kid and his dad standing in front of her with an armchair. The kid had told his dad that her apartment did not have single thing in it.

    They said, embarrassedly, “We’d like to donate this armchair to you.”

    They carried it in, and set it down in her room as the sole piece of furniture in her entire apartment, and never spoke of it again.

    She said she never appreciated an armchair more than that summer.

    7 NORMAL things in THAILAND (Not in your Country)

    Fun.

    What is the history of Spam (canned meat)? Was it ever used as a substitute for pork when it was rationed during World War II in Great Britain? If so, how did it taste compared to regular bacon/ham/pork shoulder?

    Spam came out in 1937, a product of Hormel Foods .The name Spam is said to have derived from Spiced Ham but that is not proven yet. It is made mostly with with pork shoulder, a cut not so much used at the time; a cheap cut of meat. Made of pork and ham, salt, sugar, potato starch water and good old sodium nitrate which I’m sure will be banned from foods in the future. The meat is ground up and the mixture is put into cans, vacuum sealed and cooked inside the can. After cooling, the cans are ready for sale. It is claimed by Hormel that 13 cans of SPAM are sold every second. I am one of those buyers.

    It was invented because they were looking for a way that meat could be preserved not having to be refrigerated but kept on a shelf in the home. It could be eaten right from the can, baked or fried and was an inexpensive meal especially toward the end of the depression.

    Later 100 million pounds of the stuff was consumed by Allied soldiers during WWII. Nikita Khrushchev stated that SPAM saved the Russian Army during the war. SPAM was sent to Great Britain from the US through the Land Lease plan and was used by many house wives the same as every where else. With the British and Canadian Armies it was tins of corn beef that they survived on. Spam was also eagerly devoured by the US military during the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Along with C rations of course.

    I love both canned corned beef (from Brazil) and Spam and have tins of the stuff in the pantry. When I feel like some Spam, I will place one in the fridge for awhile, take it out then open the tin. I will either make a sandwich out of it or cut chunks and put them on a plate then slather relish and mustard over the Spam and gulp it down.

    Same with the corned beef. I either make a sandwich or again, cut chunks and put them on a plate and with a fork, dip the meat pieces in mustard and again, gulp them down along with a pickle and slice of bread. Delicious.

    Thank you Hormel and Brazil.

    Which US State consumes Spam the most? Hawaii.

    Is the Belt and Road Initiative losing steam?

    The ten-year-old Belt and Road Initiative is not a concrete-pouring binge, at least not anymore. China is encouraging private enterprises to take a more active role and participate in projects labeled as “small and beautiful.” Some attribute the shift to China’s economic headwind and take it as a sign that the BRI is losing steam. This argument lacks a basic understanding of the rationale behind the China-proposed development initiative. The shift indicates the BRI has run its natural course and entered a new phase.

    To expound it, one must go back to the central question: why did China put forward the BRI in the first place? Some clichés include: it is a geopolitical strategy designed to expand China’s sphere of influence; it is an ambition to counter the U.S-led global order; it is a series of investment projects to transfer domestic overcapacity and import raw materials; it is a charity program attached with political strings.

    None of these arguments is close to the real picture. In essence, the BRI aims to bring the global value chains to the digital era. It is a globalization proposal that seems ahead of its time. Consider the following scenarios: a New York City resident and a villager from a remote town on the African continent browse the same TikTok videos on their cellphones (yes, both of them own more than one cellphone). A Chinese car buyer can purchase the latest Tesla model entirely built in China and cheaper than American consumers. A young person can get a postgraduate diploma from a UK university via remote study and be employed by the local branch of a UK-headquartered multinational without the necessity to set foot on British soil. Globalization in the digital era is disrupting the hierarchy of traditional value chains and blurring the boundaries of producers and consumers. In a word, this round of globalization is reshaping how factors of production are being distributed and utilized.

    All this means the efforts to vitalize the newfound or hidden factors of production will be generously rewarded. It is common sense that most of these factors can only be found in developing economies. The promoters of the BRI are aware that the approach toward shared prosperity is to vitalize these factors of production and put them in the right places with a set of catalysts, such as transport and information connectivity, better education, poverty reduction, and empowerment of digital literacy.

    From the perspective of China, the sustainability of its economic prosperity lies in how long and to what extent its economy will intertwine with the global value chains. As an economy at the middle end of these chains, it will take long and arduous efforts to climb up the established ladder. At the same time, it is inevitable to move away from merely being the world factory. All this has left China with little choice but to explore new foreign partners through new non-disruptive arrangements to the existing system, from which it has benefited a lot since reform and opening up, particularly since its accession into the World Trade Organization in 2001. More importantly, these new arrangements must also bear enough potential to create new opportunities for the new partners. It does not work if these projects only benefit China. This is the primary rationale of the Belt and Road Initiative.

    Research shows that the private sector has proved to be more effective in creating and fine-tuning value chains compared with their government-led counterparts. Private companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, are the eventual driving force in this cause. In the beginning phase of the BRI, large and state-owned contractors took the lead in building basic infrastructure. Those projects helped to nurture political goodwill and energize local business partners. Thanks to them, private Chinese companies now feel more comfortable doing business in BRI countries.

    Now, a paradigm shift is taking place. The private sector is catching up quickly and encouraged to play a more prominent role. An increasing number of big projects have adopted the Build-Operate-Transfer models, which emphasize the participation of local partners and the sustainability of the projects. More market players now prefer indirect investment, which has also proved more efficient and sustainable in maintaining the value chains. Besides, the Chinese government encourages projects labeled as “small and beautiful,” which refers to the smaller projects directly connected with improving local livelihoods. New investment favorites include businesses in sectors such as new energy, healthcare, mobile communication, and e-commerce.

    The Belt and Road Initiative is entering a new phase, an intentional adjustment in line with its original missions, and it will provide more benefits to the private sector and local participants.

    China SHOCKED US Yet Again With $3 Billion 6th Generation Fighter Jet

    In the ever-evolving realm of aerial warfare, the stage is currently commanded by the formidable 5th gen stealth fighters like the mighty dragon Chengdu-J20 or the famed F-35 raptor. Eyes now remain fixed upon the emergence of 6th generation stealth fighters. Today’s episode will uncover China’s upcoming 6th generation stealth fighter jet that has shocked the entire world.

    What work secret did you accidentally find out that changed everything?

    When the recession hit in 2007–2009, the owner of the company I worked for made a grand speech about how tight things were and how he was doing his best to keep from laying anyone off, so everyone needed to work really hard and go the extra mile. This was one of those “be happy you have a job” speeches that meant raises and bonuses were going to be absolute shit, which might be justifiable if the company were in dire straits, but we weren’t. The recession went on and we kept growing, but management was all doom and gloom. At some point after the recession was over, somebody that had access to the CFO’s bonus spreadsheet printed it out and accidentally left it on the printer. Another employee found it and brought me a copy. The owner gave himself a $22M bonus that first year of the recession and the next few years were similar. I knew at that point they couldn’t be trusted.

    China being smart

    SMIC has placed significant orders for raw materials with its Taiwanese partners following shipments of Huawei’s HiSilicon Kirin 9000S system-on-chip for the Mate 60 smartphone in violation of U.S. sanctions, reports money.UDN.com

    . Industry observers cited by the publication believe that the contract maker of chips anticipates stricter sanctions from the U.S. and is stockpiling the materials it needs. There could be other reasons, too.

    The buzz in the industry suggests that SMIC has recently approached its partners in Taiwan, placing substantial orders equivalent to around two years’ worth of materials supply. Some believe that this move is to ensure a steady supply for its 7nm chip production, hinting at the company’s forward-thinking approach.

    The larger question revolves around SMIC’s motivations for such significant stockpiling. Some think it could be a proactive measure against potential new restrictions from the U.S. Others feel it could be an effort to raise their inventory, anticipating a surge in client requirements.

    Huawei has high hopes for its Mate 60-series smartphones and expects to ship as many as 20 million units this year if supply remains intact. But these smartphones will keep shipping next year, and their sales will only increase. Furthermore, the company will likely introduce other smartphones based on its chips, significantly increasing its requirements for SoCs. As a result, it makes sense for SMIC to increase procurement of raw materials pure enough for its 7nm production.

    SMIC and other Chinese chipmakers are not novices when it comes to stockpiling. In anticipation of U.S. sanctions and restrictions, they have imported virtually all chip-making equipment from Europe, Japan, and the U.S. they could lay their hands on in recent months.

    The BEST Retirement Advice EVER From Retirees + MORE FUN!

    Things to know before retirement, top tips to plan your time to retire, things you must know before retirement. These ideas come from people who have actually done it. It’s what they recommend along with the ideas you need to know in your early retirement years. If you’re thinking about retiring soon, then you’re in for a real treat! In this video, we’ve gathered some of the best advice from retirees about their personal retirement. Aside from giving you some great advice, this video is also packed with helpful retirement stories and tips. If you’re ready to retire soon, then this is the video for you!

    Why do so many people defend China?

    People on the internet think I am a blind supporter of China. Some even think I am paid by Chinese propaganda department to write pro-China answers! (Hell! It would be great to get paid for narrating facts, but sigh … so far, no payment. Not even a job offer :p).

    For reasons unknown (and probably very biased) stating plain and simple historical and current facts offends a lot of people. Comparing the actions of countries offends people.

    Here are a few examples.

    Example 1. Hong Kong Riots

    Last year (in 2020) Quora was overflowing with certain people expressing their support for Hong Kong rioters, claiming they are fighting for “freedom” and that secession is a right of people.

    I wrote a couple of answers stating the plain fact that at least Indians should stop expressing their “deep concerns” for Hong Kong rioters, considering how India is handling the freedom movement in Jammu and Kashmir: no internet connectivity (since more than 8 months now) for the region, curfew almost daily, and lots of reports of rapes committed by the military. A lot of people were “offended” because of my comparison.

    I also compared Hong Kong rioters with American civil war. The northern states of USA refused to let the southern states break free of the union. If “freedom” is the right of people, northern states should have allowed the southern states to break free.

    Similarly, UK should have allowed Ireland to be free.

    Somehow, when India, USA and UK does it, it’s all justified and acceptable. But when China does it (and on top of that, China didn’t even use lethal force against those rioters), suddenly China is at fault! I don’t understand the logic here.

    Example 2. China’s Island Building In SCS

    I wrote that every nation has a right to defend itself and no nation has a (moral) right to display aggression and policing at other nation’s borders. This too, offended a lot of people. People mentioned “freedom of navigation” and whatnot. I pointed out that USA has not ratified UNCLOS and therefore has no right to implement it on others.

    There was a long debate about how USA and western powers have “freedom” to roam in their warships close to Chinese shores, but China has no right to install weapon systems on islands in South China Sea.

    Some US guy went on a long argument with me in that answer, claiming that although USA has not signed UNCLOS, it still has the right to implement it on others. The most remarkable thing is that he claimed he was not even being biased and was completely transparent and morally fair in his claim!

    Example 3. China – Australia Trade Dispute

    I wrote that a customer is not and should not be forced to purchase from any seller, therefore China is not forced to purchase ore and food products from Australia, considering that Australian government went on a smear campaign against China (proposing to find Covid-19 origin only in China) and banning Huwawei.

    Some people got offended, and claimed that China should be forced to buy from Australia, but Australia is “free” to not buy from China. Some people also claimed that China is “weaponizing trade” and that they must be “put to their place”.

    All I can say about it is that their logic is incomprehensible for me.

    Example 4. China – US Trade War

    I wrote in an answer that if US is so concerned about trade deficit, they have all the right to stop buying from China and shift their imports to some other country. Similarly, China has the right to stop buying from USA and start buying food products from South America.

    Similarly, I wrote that both countries have the right to place as many tariffs as they want, on their imports. Both are free in what they do within their borders.

    This offended a lot of people. They claimed that it is China’s “legal responsibility” to avoid placing tariffs on US goods but USA is “free” to place as many tariffs as they want on Chinese goods.

    Example 5. Chinese Loans And Investments In Africa

    Someone asked if Chinese loans and investments in Africa were attempts by China to colonize Africa. I posted some pictures of African colonialism and showed what colonialism really looks like.

    Some guys started arguing in the comments that China is “exploiting” Africa with their loans and whatnot. I simply stated that nobody is forcing African countries to get loans from China. They are free to get loans from IMF and World Bank if they want. If they are getting loans from China, they know the conditions. They are written clearly in front of them. If African countries and China, both agree on the terms and conditions, why is someone else trying to run around amok with arms flailing and crying foul?

    They claimed that Africans are “simple minded” (yes, they were indeed simple minded, or else they would not have been enslaved by the western powers for centuries) and do not “see through” the traps. I asked if their countries have better loan offers for African countries, they should present the offers. Somehow that further offended them and they quit in rage, claiming I work for China’s propaganda department.


    So. That’s my story of being “pro China”.

    What would happen if the US cancelled all Chinese-held bonds?

    Ah

    In 2017, China created a new instrument called Debt backed Govt Guarantee to their Private Players and Corporates and SOEs to allow them to borrow money from US Banks and EU Banks

    I wondered back then why would they need to do that? Why would they gurantee the debt of their companies and what were they using to guarantee this debt?

    Turns out they are guaranteeing these Debts using US Treasury Bonds and US Corporate Bonds.

    Long story short, a huge chunk of US Treasuries are pledged by China against massive borrowings from European or American Banks

    So if US defaults on its Debt to China

    China laughs and defaults on its huge bank debts from US and Europe guaranteed against US Treasuries and Corporate Bonds

    So either US redeems these bonds fully or Banks in US and EU collapse and a bailout could cost 3.5 times more or around 2.1 Trillion Dollars

    More printing money, more debt, more. Inflation and a certain guarantee that nobody will buy US bonds anymore

    China maybe loses 15% or around $ 120–130 Billion


    So China would not be too unhappy if US tried such a move. It would be another nail in the US coffin

    FIRST TIME REACTION TO AC/DC – WHOLE LOTTA ROSIE | SPEECHLESS…

    Her expression is precious!

    Does US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo seriously think that the US Congress can use legislative tools to stop Huawei from doing research innovation and launching new products?

    That was the playbook.

    Huawei’s mobile devices consumer division was kneecapped and decapitated through sanction, suffering a 90% drop in shipped volume in the last 4 years.

    That’s a 100–200b dollar swing in revenue, just for handsets. To put that in perspective, that’s equal to 1–2 Boeings at its 2018 peak.

    The US was trying to kill Huawei, and bury the telecoms business by bleeding revenue off its high margin consumer division.

    That’s way grander than “stop Huawei from doing research innovation”.

    Huawei is still under sanction, and Bloomberg’s recent name and shame of Taiwanese companies helping Huawei/SMIC with foundry infrastructure is a thinly veiled attempt at threatening companies not to deal with Huawei, even though the contracts they have entered into do not fall under current sanction.

    Gina is free to suggest sanction escalation and fix Huawei like America did to Russia and Russian oligarchs, but Beijing will retaliate this time. And there is ~1 trillion in annual S&P 500 revenue generated from the mainland to aim for. The Chinese don’t have a significant presence stateside.

    Personally, I think the ship on Huawei has already sailed. I won’t be surprised if Huawei breaks 100m phones shipped annually in the next 18–24 months. I also won’t be surprised if Huawei introduces new WIFI and telecoms standards in the next 5 years that end up being adopted in Apple phones. Neither Apple nor Google are capable of driving hardware standards revolution.

    I can’t think of any easy-to-implement/low cost cards that the Department of Commerce can still deal when it comes to Huawei.

    Do you?

    Why does China need a 50 cent army to propagate their opinions? If they are so perfect and morally correct in their opinions wouldn’t their opinions propagate on their own merit?

    Do you even know that there is no such thing as “50 cents”party? This is a western media concoction and western media made up slur.

    You are right China do not care about polishing their opinion for few reasons. One, if you understand the Chinese people, the Confucianism characteristics in them do not wish to listen to or read chest beating about themselves. In fact the Chinese psyche prefers people to underestimating them. Hence they prefer to hide their strength.

    Two, Chinese government do not need to be popular at all. There political system is not a popularity contest like the west. They last thing they would do it’s to pay for compliments. They don’t need it. They don’t want to. And Chinese people are highly intelligent. They know the Chinese people cannot be easily fool.

    Chinese people are highly pragmatic and very honest about themselves about where they really are. Hence China calls 1850–1950 as the “century of humiliation” because that is what it is. They don’t sugar coat.

    Now let me explain the many positive writings in the social media about China and the Chinese people. I am very qualified to explain this not only because I am of Chinese origin but because I am guilty of writing positively about China.

    So why do I do it?

    I do it to counter the barrage of Anti China and Chinese haters writings by the westerners in the social media. Worst many who wrote these garbage are naively and ignorantly made to hate the Chinese people due primarily to the U.S. and western media and their government. I actually and honestly feel very sorry for them.

    I am a 66 years old Singaporean living in Malaysia who is sadly fully English educated. At my ripe old age, I thought I want to do my part to balance the view about China and the Chinese people. And since I write in English. It can reach to the westerners particularly the Anglo Saxon group. My target is to talk to those who hate China and or the Chinese people. You can call this voluntary global social service.

    I have never received a cent from China and Chinese authorities or from anyone ever! But there must be at least 10 thousands disgruntled western Caucasians who accuse me of being paid by CCP or that I am working for China. How I wish these 10 thousand haters give me a million each to shut up! Hahaha. I guarantee you I will. And I will glorify the West everyday for the rest of my life!

    I am joking. My mind is not for sale!

    Why are there many people like me? My guess is that we are here because we are forced into this by the lies, innuendos, fabrications, half truths, the lies, the misinformation, the demonisations about China and the Chinese people. Yes we stood up. And I am here in QUORA to call out racist, xenophobic, white supremacist, China and Chinese haters. I don’t hate them, nor do I want them hurt. I guaranteed you I don’t have a single hate bone inside me. But I want the truth out to you.

    Yes particularly you!

    I think there are many who speak well about Chinese because there are at least 7.5 billion who thinks well about China and the Chinese out of the world’s 8 billion population! If you think otherwise it is due to your western media reporting as though the world is thinking lie the very small proportion of mainly white, conservative, less read and less travelled older westerners is the world! It is not.

    These 7.5 billion have been quiet until your media and you went over board. Hence this nonsense about 50 cents army! It a figment of your imagination.

    China Did This After US Blacklisted Three Chinese Companies

    The United States is a country defined by extreme violence, where people are threatened by both violent crime and violent law enforcement, and their safety is far from being guaranteed. Prisons are overcrowded and have become a modern slavery establishment where forced labor and sexual exploitation are commonplace

    https://youtu.be/9nTR2S6pTH8

    Hot n heavy

    Man oh man! The Geo-political changes are happening hot and heavy! HEAVY!

    My MM articles are now at a 35 post backlog. Shit! Half of you will be reading 1/2 month old articles by the time I get around to posting them.

    Do not freak out.

    Lots of things going on in the world today. It’s a massive realignment of the world AWAY from the USA dominance. The thing is that the Western peoples, and their “leadership” are clueless as to what is really going on. They still believe that they have some kind of power or ability in these matters.

    Nope.

    It’s all strategic retreats… for now.

    The running away and full-scale, across the board, running and galloping rout comes later.

    Maybe this year. Don’t ya know.

    Have fun. Enjoy yourself.

    Today I am catching up. We have a typhoon raging outside so I have an opportunity to play some catch up. Israel, Ukraine, and all the rest, especially Africa are in states of flux.

    I’m not worried. The USA will retreat and the rest of the world will be secure.

    Todays…

    What is your opinion on China’s call to the United States to “carefully consider” rules that ban or restrict U.S. investments in China’s tech sector?

    It is self explanatory.

    The long-term forecasts clearly favor China by every measure.

    If American companies fail to use this period of time to invest, they will not be able to “jump on the bandwagon” and take advantage of opportunities that are presenting themselves today.

    If the Biden “government” insists that all American (and allied) companies “sit this one out”, then the entire American and Western industry will fall back and will NEVER be able to catch up.

    China is being kind.

    The United States NEEDS to “carefully consider” the long-term ramifications of their current actions.

    As China gets stronger, more important, more dominant in all areas, the United States is at risk to not only falling behind, but going absolutely obsolete in the process.

    This is not something that China wants.

    China wants and prefers a vibrant world; one where different regions; nations, societies and people thrive. In the world that China envisions, it is a WIN-WIN for everyone.

    However, the path that the United States has embarked on is fraught with danger. And the United States appears to be on fast-track towards becoming a blight; a mawed gouge in an otherwise improved world.

    So China is being very polite, and very understated.

    However, the truth is the truth.

    Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

    Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers 1200 7517
    Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers 1200 7517

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound bottom round steak, thinly sliced
    • 2 bell peppers, halved and cored
    • Avocado oil
    • Bell peppers, sliced thinly
    • Red onion, sliced thinly
    • White onion, sliced thinly
    • Pickled jalapeños, chopped
    • 1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
    • Onion salt
    • Sea salt
    • Pepper

    Instructions

    1. Heat oven 350 degrees F.
    2. Drizzle avocado oil on bell papers. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes.
    3. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high and add a little avocado oil.
    4. Season steak with onion salt, sea salt and pepper. Sear each side of steak for about 1 to 2 minutes and remove to let rest a couple minutes.
    5. Cut steak into small 1/4 to 3/8 inch square pieces.
    6. Heat frying pan over medium heat and add avocado oil when warm.
    7. Add thinly sliced onions and bell peppers to pan and cook while stirring often for about 10 minutes.
    8. Mix steak, cheese, bell peppers, onions and jalapeños in a bowl.
    9. Fill bell peppers, then bake for 10 minutes until cheese is melted.

    What are some amazing accidental archaeological discoveries?

    image 84
    image 84

    In 2001, two ancient statues were blown up in Afghanistan on the orders of the Taliban. The monumental statues were called the “Buddhas of Bamiyan,” and they were carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley of Afghanistan.

    They were destroyed after the Taliban declared the ancient Buddhist statues to be false idols and had them blown up.

    image 68
    image 68

    In a crazy twist of luck seven, years after the statues were blown up, an Afghan-led archaeological team discovered a series of hidden caves behind that statues. In the caves, they found oil paintings that dated back to the 5th century. This pre-dates the common perception that oil paintings originated in Europe hundreds of years later.

    Which designers deserve an award for their incredible creativity?

    Translation of the answer of Jarlin Andres Fonseca on the Spanish Quora:

    For example, those behind the following designs:

    1. This deck so you can have your feet in the water.

    image 82
    image 82

    2. 3D sculptures full of tenderness.

    image 83
    image 83

    3. An LED lamp that looks like a fountain.

    image 80
    image 80

    4. To save space at home and be able to iron clothes.

    image 79
    image 79

    5. Now it’s more fun to travel by bus.

    image 81
    image 81

    6. A plate on which you can keep a dry portion of cereal for later use.

    image 78
    image 78

    7. A trend that should be replicated around the world. The use of natural biodegradation as a packaging method.

    image 77
    image 77

    8. This pool has an access ramp for people with functional impairments.

    image 76
    image 76

    9. This cable indicates the correct side to use in Braille.

    image 74
    image 74

    10. A duck ramp.

    image 75
    image 75

    Photos obtained from DesignPorn: Amazing Design Images, Renderings & Models • r/DesignPorn.

    Israel Under Attack! 800+ Missiles Fired from GAZA; HAMAS Enters Israel by land and by Air! IDF Declares “State of War”

    World Hal Turner 07 October 2023

    Israel Under Attack!  800+ Missiles Fired from GAZA; HAMAS Enters Israel by land and by Air! IDF Declares "State of War"

    The Israeli Defense Force has declared they are in “a state of war” after over eight hundred rockets were fired into Israel today. Fighters from HAMAS para-glided into southern Israel using fan gliders to cross over the border, landing and killing everyone they see!  Today’s “state of war” declaration has not happened since 1973.

    Numerous Israeli civilians are already dead, some shot dead just standing in Bus Stops; many more are injured.

    At about 1:17 AM EDT Saturday, the Israeli Defense Force made a public declaration that this is a “State of War.”

    The last time Israel announced a “State of War” was in 1973. And the first time Israel was surprised by an attack like today’s was in 1973.

    Air Raid Sirens are blaring throughout Israel as the Iron Dome air defense systems engage more incoming missiles.

    This is taking place NOW.   Live updates to appear below . . .

    Terrorists in a battle with Israeli forces in southern Israel. Israel is under attack pic.twitter.com/vUchbF15hB— Niv Calderon (@nivcalderon) October 7, 2023

    Casual Observers of the never-ending situation between Israel and Palestinians are commenting publicly right now “This is quickly heading toward a Full-Scale War near the Gaza Strip and Southern Israel, this is Totally Out-of-Control.”

    Terrorists from Gaza invaded southern Israeli civilian cities – and they’re shooting whoever they see.
    This is unprecedented. Israel in under attack. pic.twitter.com/5Ngrjm4uts— נריה קראוס Neria Kraus (@NeriaKraus) October 7, 2023

    Fighting is widespread and fierce:

    Video below shows the Iron Dome air defense system engaging multiple inbound rockets:

    #Israel under attack

    The moment the Iron Dome intercepted hundreds of rockets fired from #Gaza pic.twitter.com/9vXqQ90Jp0— Shadi Alkasim (@Shadi_Alkasim) October 7, 2023

    By 1:00 AM eastern US time Saturday, at least sixteen Israelis were confirmed injured and at least ONE was confirmed dead, but there is already ample evidence of MANY dead.

    (HT NOTE: I am already reaching out to my former colleagues in the Intelligence Community from during my years working with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) to get more detailed info and the “Back Story” but things are a bit chaotic right now over there, and it is very early over here, so information is coming very slowly . . . .)

    — Hamas military chief calls on armed groups in Lebanon to join the fighting against Israel

    — Civilians massacred by Hamas terrorists in Sderot.

    — According to Al Jazeera television, Israel has begun bombing Gaza by Air, Sea, and Artillery.

    — Israeli Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant has Approved an order to begin the Call-Up of Reservists to Reinforce and Support the Israeli Defense Force.

    Below, images of what are reported to be an Israeli “Merkava” tank, burned-out and smashed outside of the GAZA Strip:

    image 73
    image 73
    image 72
    image 72

    Palestinian Fighters taking Israeli’s Captive:

    An IDF soldier has reportedly been Captured . . . Israel calls that “kidnapped.”

    Hostage situations reported in Southern Israel.

    Palestinian infiltrators have taken over a police station in Sderot and are currently in an active firefight with Israeli police.

    Livestreams from Palestinian infiltrators show them executing/ shooting Israeli citizens.

    Apocalyptic scenes right now in southern Israel. pic.twitter.com/uuseUdcytV— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) October 7, 2023

    Tel Aviv Airport: CLOSED

    Unconfirmed reports of 10 killed and 2 IDF soldiers captured after clashes on the Gaza border.

    Due to rocket salvos throughout Israel, Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv is closed.

    — The Government has just declared an “Emergency situation” for an 80km perimeter from Gaza borders

    — The Israeli army announces the loss of control of an Israeli military site in the northern Gaza Strip. The soldiers are either captured or dead.

    Ashkelon Burning

    Map showing Air Raid Alert areas in Israel:

    image 71
    image 71

    Heavy rocket barrages on Jerusalem area, rocket alert siren in Wadi Ara in northern Israel; emergency situation declared in entire southern & central Israel.

    WARNING – GRAPHIC IMAGES

    Below, a man reported to have been an Israeli Soldier, but who is already clearly shot through the head and dead, is dragged from a car and stomped in the street:

    WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES

    An Israeli soldier has been taken by Palestinian fighters into the Gaza Strip.

    Reports indicate the soldier is dead. pic.twitter.com/ADJVPlKnVE— Hamdah Salhut (@hamdahsalhut) October 7, 2023

    — Confrontations between HAMAS and Israeli forces in a number of settlements in southern Israel.

    — IDF soldiers were reportedly killed in their barracks near the Gaza-Israeli border.

    — Iron Dome continuing to intercept Rockets:

    Israeli air defense intercept rockets fired by Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip. pic.twitter.com/nV1aLdallD— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) October 7, 2023

    Actual INTEL is now becoming available . . . .

    Thousands of rockets fired at Israel from Gaza.

    Israeli civilians massacred in several southern Israel towns.

    Minor Israeli retaliation for now as IDF prepares for massive military operation.

    It will be very harsh.

    FLASH

    Israel Will announce they are officially AT WAR with Gaza at 130PM local Time.

    INNOCENT CIVILIANS MERELY DRIVING THEIR CARS, BEING SHOT DEAD IN THE STREETS:

    Hamas & Palestinian terrorists from Gaza strip has infiltrated into Israel & shooting every innocent civilian they see on the street!

    Israel declares state of war, Justice for #Palestine really?#Israel #IStandWithIsrael

    pic.twitter.com/s9hrVkcIQF— JUNO (@SpiderJuno18) October 7, 2023

    What is the dumbest life decision you’ve seen somebody makes?

    The guy circled below is in the last minute of his life.

    He and the guy in the vest were talking trash to each other, escalating a situation and having an ego battle.

    image 70
    image 70

    What the guy in the red shorts didn’t realize, is that the other guy was armed with a knife. As he goes to tackle the armed man, he is fatally stabbed. The knife severed a major artery and blood poured out of the man’s body. He couldn’t have survived this wound if it happened in a hospital.

    All because he wanted to get into a fist fight with someone who disrespected him.

    To the men reading this, especially, getting into a fight with a complete stranger is one of the most dangerous things you could ever do. To you, it might be a fist fight. To them, it might be much more.

    You win every fight you avoid.

    Which sad news did you wake up to?

    On March 25, 2022, 17-year-old Michigan teen, Jordan DeMay put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger. His demise came as a huge surprise to his parents, who noticed nothing unusual before the tragedy.

    Unknown to them, Jordan had been in an online relationship with a ‘woman’ he met on Instagram. They had exchanged nu*de photographs, but he had no idea he was chatting with two Nigerian men: 22-year-old Samuel and his 20 year-old brother, Samson Ogoshi.

    image 62
    image 62

    With Jordan’s nu*des in their possession, they resorted to extortion. They demanded $1000 from him, and although he managed to send $300, it wasn’t enough. They threatened to leak the photos to his Instagram followers if he didn’t send the rest.

    After several failed attempts to change their minds, he sent them his final message: ‘I am k-illing myself right now because of you.’ To this, they responded, ‘Good, do that fast, or I will make you do it.’

    The brothers have been apprehended in Nigeria and extradited to the US to face trial.

    What is the best case of “You just picked a fight with the wrong person” that you’ve witnessed?

    Once I lived across the street from a high school and every day at lunch the students would cross in front of my house on their way to get food. A lot of them crossed through my yard which was annoying but not a big deal. Well one day there was this long hair stoner punk standing in my yard gouging a hole in my lawn with a big stick. I shouted at him to get the fuck off my lawn, he shouted back at me and we got into a low grade shouting match (fuck you! No fuck you! —that sort of thing) as he walked away.

    I thought that was the end of it, but then a few days later in the morning I realize my house and truck had been egged. These geniuses had egged me during a rainstorm, however, so all the egg had washed off. The only way I knew was from the eggshells and a little residual yolk in my truck bed that I easily wiped off with a paper towel. Still, the principle of the situation called for vengeance. I was a grad student with a lot of time in my hands, so I got onto myspace (kiddos, myspace was like a proto-facebook popular for a minute in the mid-2000’s) and spent hours clicking through the networks of kids attending that high school until I found his page. Bingo!! This kid was a stoner raver dude and not exactly a genius ( egging in the rain, eg). His myspace page was full of pics of him drinking vodka, smoking blunts, and arranging smalltime drug deals on his and his friends pages, out in the open with no privacy controls!

    Next I clicked through all his friends’ pages and happened to stumble on one where he had left his phone number (home phone — this was when only grownups had cells) on a girl’s page. So I paid $5 to reverse-lookup the number and got his parents’ names and address. Then I printed out all his pics and references to drug use and buying/selling along with a handy glossary of drug terms, put it in an envelope and mailed it to his mom. For good measure I emailed a link to his page to the principal and school police officer at his school along with a note expressing how concerned I was that this kid was dealing drugs in school.

    I continued to monitor his page to see if I could find out what happened. His activity ceased and his friends were leaving messages on his page saying ‘Dan where are you??’. Apparently he was not in school. After a while his friends began to learn what happened and were discussing it on their pages. Apparently, he got expelled and his parents sent him to reform school!! So delicious. It was great revenge, and hopefully the intervention steered him toward a better path in life. Wish I had a way of finding out what happened to the kid in the long run, as this was 13 years ago.

    What did you do that was unusually honest, and turned out well?

    Once, while in high school, I went to a store in my small town to buy a gallon of milk for my family. I paid the cashier with a $5 bill but she somehow gave me change for a $20.

    I didn’t notice her mistake until I was almost home- I had too much money. I told my Mom that I was going to return it to the store. When I walked in the store, the cashier was not at her place so I went to the back and talked to a man in the meat market area (it was a small business not a chain store like we have nowadays).

    I told him I had received too much money in change. He looked at me with a look like “WOW”. He then said, “You are an honest young man, aren’t you?”

    I told him that I would have felt like I was stealing if I didn’t return the extra money.

    Come to find out that he was the owner of the store. He thanked me and said he would not forget about my honesty.

    Well, three years passed and I needed a job. I went in to fill out an application for a job at the same store. When I asked for an application at the front counter, the owner came out of the meat market area and asked if he could help me with anything. I asked him for a job application. He said, “You are hired. Can you start tomorrow?”

    Now it was my turn to have a “WOW” look on my face. He told me that he remembered me from when I had returned the extra money.

    So…by me not keeping $17 three years earlier, I made way more money for three years while I went to work there after high school.

    He also trained me to be a butcher, too.

    It does pay to be honest.

    This is a true story that I told my kids (and every sports player I coached) as they grew up.

    What did you hear that shocked you today?

    image 65
    image 65

    This case was famously called the “ Mormon sex in chains case.” In 1977, 17-year-old American Mormon missionary student Kirk Anderson was in the UK when he was kidnapped from the steps of a Mormon church in Surrey.

    Kirk Anderson was kidnapped by 24-year-old Keith May after posing as a fake Journalist. He was then driven to a house in Devon, where he was chained to a bed. He was then seduced and raped by Joyce McKinney for three days against his will, while chained to a bed.

    image 64
    image 64

    Kirk went straight to the police to report Joyce and her accomplice Keith May. The two were charged and during a committal hearing Joyce, claimed to be in love with the victim. At the time, under the Sexual Offences Act 1956, no crime of rape was deemed to have happened due to the perpetrator being female.

    Although Joyce couldn’t be charged with rape, she was charged with kidnapping, along with her accomplice. Joyce McKinney and Keith May absconded to the US under fake names, skipping their trial. They were sentenced to a year in Jail for skipping bail, but extradition orders were never filed by UK authorities.

    image 63
    image 63

    She became quiet infamous and even appeared in some raunchy photos for a magazine. She still lives in the US, and to this day, she has never seen a day inside prison for her crimes. She also received a suspended sentence for using a fake ID to enter the US.

    BUSTED: Trudeau’s Plane Filled With Cocaine, Psychedelic Drugs!? Diplomat Outs Scumbag Canadian PM

    Mr Benny, I’m Canadian and we are not all under Trudeau. I think he should be charged and tried for treason.

    Fighter jets from multiple countries played relay

    in a reflection of how geopolitics have changed

    • when President Assad and his family left China after attending the Asian Games and State visit on Air China Special jet B6131. It was escorted by Chinese fighter jets.
    • as soon as the plane left China and entered Pakistani airspace, fighter jets from Pakistan Air Force escorted the plane
    • when the Special jet left Pakistani airspace and entered the Arabian Sea, fighter jets from the Iranian Air Force escorted the Special plane along the Persian Gulf
    • jet fighters from Saudi Arabia subsequently took over and escorted the special plane to Jordan
    • at the Syrian border, Russian jet fighters took over for the last leg of the journey.

    countries that were once bitter foes are now coming together under a BRI Eurasian world

    and demonstrating their military coordination

    it is now clear that Muslim countries of the Middle East will now COLLECTIVELY provide a powerful and decisive military contingent as part of a BRI Eurasian world in the war that will be fought

    triggered by the Angel of Death himself who will once again lead a world wide coalition of countries obsessed with racial superiority, brutality and consumed with hatred against others not like them to complete what he had failed to do in World War 2……to burn the world down

    the dice has been cast

    What are ten truths everyone should accept in life?

    1. You are not going to exist forever. You’re just a tiny speck in this vast universe and your time in this world is limited.
    2. Anything harsh said to a loved one in anger leaves a permanent scar, no matter how much you try to bandage it.
    3. Health is the most important wealth you can acquire. No matter how much gold you own, it can not quell the torture of an illness.
    4. Every old person was once as old as you are today. Time stops for none.
    5. Things which are most important for you today might be worthless tomorrow. Avoid spending money on urges.
    6. Something as simple as saying sorry first can prevent countless disputes. It is not a sign of weakness.
    7. Who your friends are determine who you become.
    8. To become good at conversation, learn to be a good listener first.
    9. Luck favours those who don’t give up
    10. Be grateful if you have a roof for shelter, clean water for drinking , food on your table and a healthy functioning body. Try to imagine the absence of even one of these in your life.

    This Kitten was LEFT FOR DEAD: What Happens Next Will SHOCK YOU

    What office rule made you say “You gotta be kidding me”?

    When I still worked for the Forest Service, right after 9/11, the newly created Department of Homeland Security went crazy issuing all kinds of new rules for federal employees. One was knives and sharp objects were no longer allowed in federal buildings. We all shook our heads and muttered “WTF!!! This is the Forest Service. Axes and knives are part our EDC. Tools of the trade.” All field going personnel carried a 4″ folding blade knife, that was mandatory, and most had a favorite tool they carried. Mine was a double bit axe I shaped and filed to my specifications. I did not leave it in my pickup at the end of the day. I carried it to my desk. Most others did too. Walking down the hallway carrying a sharp hand tool was a common sight.

    We had a warehouse full of sharp tools and chainsaws. We used incendiary devices and napalm for prescribed burning. We used a scoped rifle to shoot cones out of trees for seed collection I received fire investigation training that showed me how to commit arson without detection. Yet we could not be trusted to carry a knife in the office.

    The rule was ignored by everyone, including top management.

    You Won’t Believe Who’s The Mastermind Behind Failed Coup Against Ibrahim Traoré!

    Stay Strong My Brother, All Africans we need to STAND TOGETHER.

    Why has the Belt and Road Initiative been criticized as “debt trap diplomacy?”

    The BRI is a very simple idea on a very grand scale:

    • China will help to buiid ports, highways and railways in other countries, to facilitate mutual trade and commerce.
    • If you don’t have enough money, China will lend you some.

    That’s about it. Participation is voluntary – China doesn’t force you to have a port or take a loan. And of course, before any country takes any BRI loan, its government, with its Finance Minister and accountants and economics advisers, will think carefully about the pros and cons. Simple as that.

    The criticism came about because, well:

    … the US government is paying USD 500 million to get the media to criticize the BRI.

    WHO blew up the NORDSTROM pipeline

    Watch this NEOCON squirm!

    https://www.youtube.com/shorts/sFm7quSKb8A?feature=share

    How much money does China contribute to the US economy compared to other countries that we trade with? What would happen to our economy if that number were ever reduced?

    The U.S. made more money on trade and business with China than any other nation in the last decade and within a decade it will double.

    Think about this for every outlet of McDonald’s, KFC and Starbucks and Coffee Bean open in the U.S. they opened 10 in China! China alone buy more GM than the entire U.S.! Every Apple and Dell sold they make 300 USD due to China’s productivity low cost of production. China’s middle income is now 3 times the size of the U.S. middle income consumer! Most of US brands produced in China is laughing all the way to the bank.

    And what did the U.S. do? Yes the fxxk it all up. They pick a fight with their biggest customer and about to be bigger than the next 5 biggest customers put together! The U.S. is now facing an unbearable inflation and an impending recession due to your two 80 year old leader jointly and severally starting a trade war with China! And China have not really retaliated yet.

    About the only thing the U.S. is able to make and sell to China. It stupidly ban China from selling! Ok to be fair it bans the 1% of high end Chips. Thinking China will buy the 99% that China could make but thought it let the U.S. share the piece of the pie! But since the U.S. says has evil intentions. China immediately stopped buying the 99%. And the entire U.S. chip industry crashed. Now China has the ability to even take over the 1% high end chips too.

    You cannot find a more foolish government on planet earth or perhaps the universe. They even think that China will collapse if the U.S. stop buying or trading with China. China in their mind says if the U.S. wants to have a long rope to hang itself that is their right. China suffers a mosquito bite!

    Now ten years on, what implications have the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) brought to global economic development and international cooperation?

    Amidst Laos’ rugged mountainous landscapes, a daily spectacle unfolds as dozens of trains race through, carrying a diverse array of goods, from electronics to cold-chain fruits, bound for destinations in China, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, and beyond. For the people of Laos who had endured the impact of dire transportation for decades, however, these sights have lost their novelty.

    Two years have passed since China completed the construction of the China-Laos Railway, which connects the Chinese city of Kunming with Vientiane, the capital of Laos, a route that traverses mountains bearing the scars of unexploded American bombs from the Vietnam War. In this short span, over 19 million passengers and 24 million tons of goods have been transported, and more than 100,000 jobs have been created.

    The once treacherous day-long drive from Vientiane to the Chinese border has transformed into a safe and smooth 3.5-hour journey. Today, with an average of seven passenger trains operating daily in Laos’ section, individuals sometimes still struggle for securing a ticket, given that Laos just added another passenger train set to its fleet from China in June. The ample demand for the rail service has surpassed initial expectations.

    image 69
    image 69

    Over the past decade, hundreds of railroads and highways like the China-Laos Railway have been constructed from scratch over mountainous terrains and deserts across the Eurasian and African continents. Since the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was proposed in 2013, promoting greater infrastructure connectivity and facilitating cross-border transportation with the aim to strengthen business and cultural exchanges have become a defining aspect of China’s international cooperation. Millions benefit from BRI projects. According to the World Bank, BRI is able to boost trade flows among participating countries by 4.1 percent, cut the cost of global trade by 1.1 percent to 2.2 percent, grow the GDP of East Asian and Pacific developing countries by an average of 2.6 to 3.9 percent, and lift 7.6 million people from extreme poverty.

    A trap?

    On the global stage, however, China’s overseas infrastructure projects under the BRI have faced significant scrutiny, often being depicted as costly plans that may push participating countries into a “debt trap.” The Bar-Boljare highway is on top of the list. It is the first highway in Montenegro history that connects the country from south to north, which is set to replace the old narrow two-lane expressway built along steep mountains and over deep canyons. Although Vatroslav Belan, former advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister of Montenegro on financial matters, stated in an interview that the project did not impose an excessive debt burden on his country, discussions still revolve around the cost of the highway.

    China constructed the Bar-Boljare highway with a cost of around 20 million euros per kilometer, which seems like a high price at first glance. But here is a fair comparison to similar infrastructure projects, such as those in the Alps region. According to World Highways, Germany and Austria, two countries situated along the Alps, spent an average of 28.9 million Euros and 27.8 million euros per kilometer on their highways. Given that the Bar-Boljare highway includes the construction of 16 tunnels and 20 bridges over one of the toughest mountainous terrains in Europe, its cost falls within a more than reasonable range.

    image 68
    image 68

    However, it’s important to acknowledge the existing concerns and controversies surrounding the BRI. Debt issues for some participating countries in this case highlight the need for more transparency in BRI projects.

    No matter what people’s attitude towards the BRI is, one thing that can be confirmed is that the BRI is pragmatic, prioritizing gains for the sake of mutual prosperity, as seen from the results.

    Open for all

    The original purpose of BRI was building an “economic belt” along the ancient “silk road” linking China with Europe. Despite this, the BRI does not impose geographical restrictions on participating countries, nor is it limited to developing nations. In fact, among the over 150 countries that have signed up for the Initiative, approximately half of them are categorized as upper-middle or high-income by the World Bank. Examples include countries like Hungary, New Zealand, Poland, and many others.

    (Source: Countries of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI))

    Several Western corporations have already reaped benefits from the BRI. General Electric secured orders worth $2.3 billion for construction and engineering projects under the BRI, while Siemens collaborated with over 100 Chinese partners on BRI-related energy and mining projects. Citibank and Deutsche Bank have also participated in financing BRI projects. From China’s perspective, the BRI is an inclusive platform open to all stakeholders willing to engage.

    image 67
    image 67

    Also, the world welcomes other similar initiatives aimed at promoting cooperation and shared prosperity. The G7’s ‘Build Back Better World’ and the EU’s ‘Global Gateway’ can be promising endeavors, provided that their leaders prioritize meaningful actions over branding.

    Cooperation rather than aid

    To achieve prosperity, economies not only need modern infrastructure, such as high-quality electricity, fast rail, 5G networks and so forth, but, more importantly, a development path tailored to each country’s unique circumstances.

    African countries have been receiving aid for decades. Prior to 2000, developed countries extended one trillion US dollars in aid to Africa, averaging more than 1,000 US dollars per person for its 800 million population at that time. Surprisingly, despite the peak of European and American aid between 1970 and 1998, Africa’s poverty rate soared from 11% to 66%.

    (Source: Dead Aid: Why Aid Is Not Working and How There Is a Better Way for Africa by Dambisa Moyo)

    China has actively supported Africa since the 1950s, albeit with a distinct approach. The wisdom of the proverb, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime,” exactly characterizes China’s intentions in Africa and other developing nations under the BRI.

    China’s own economic ascent over recent decades underscores the belief that each nation should chart its development path based on its unique circumstances—harnessing its resources and fostering distinctive industries. The wiser approach lies in dismantling barriers to enable the smooth flow of essential factors for industrialization.

    Instead of extending direct financial aid, China focuses on addressing crucial development needs, removing obstacles, and promoting trade, which are pivotal for African countries in breaking free from the control of aid providers and achieving self-reliance in development. The 1,860-kilometer-long Tazara Railway, linking Zambia to the Indian Ocean, has significantly bolstered the development of nations along its route, underscoring the effectiveness of China’s approach of assisting others in helping themselves.

    Underlying this philosophy, the Belt and Road Initiative goes beyond merely offering financial assistance to impoverished nations. It revolves around empowering countries to foster their own development in which China gets market access, while BRI participants acquire technology and opportunities. It’s a mutually beneficial, two-way journey with cooperation at its core.

    image 67
    image 67

    As reflecting on the past decade of the BRI, it is clear that this initiative has evolved significantly. It has embraced environmental sustainability and has promoted smart industries like telecommunications and cloud computing. While debates about its impact continue, the BRI remains a focal point of global economic development and international cooperation.

    Woman want to be owned

    Interesting point of view. Makes you think.

    What is the smartest thing you have seen a lawyer do in court?

    The smartest thing I ever saw in a court, and I’ve been in a court more than a few times (no, not as the defendant), wasn’t accomplished by an attorney, but by a 16-year-old girl. I bet she’s a lawyer now, as it was some years ago. If not, she’s surely doing something that requires similar talents and abilities, because she removed a threat and constant victimizer from our community when lawyers couldn’t.

    It wasn’t a particularly important case, but she approached it acting as her own attorney and as if she had been arrested for murder. She even brought her own self-produced technicolor slide and video shows.

    She had been pulled for speeding and running a stop sign by a county deputy who was the bain of our resort community from which the only way into the city where many of us worked or had other homes was by passed through a small town. Deputy Thug, as we called him, often lay in wait behind huge trees in the darkness, not just for law breakers but for people to harass at night when observers were not about. His favorite victims were minorities and teenagers and younger women of any race. He never pulled mature men, even if they were flying low, or older women, maybe for fear of husbands and sons or maybe they reminded him of his mother.

    Almost all of our law enforcement officers were extremely polite and courteous, even if they hauled you off to jail. But people were afraid of this man. Everyone, even other deputies, knew that those he pulled were far more likely to be innocent than guilty and that he threatened violence and set people up, but no one had been able to prove it, with or without lawyers. Deputy Thug was not merely a liar, but a bully with no one controlling him. He was proud of his reputation for the most tickets, the most arrests, the most feared, etc.

    He yelled, screamed, called names, demanded people, especially boys, get out of cars so he could shove them around and try to provoke them into something he could arrest for. He threatened, he intimidated. He accused them of serious crimes. I know it was true, because I saw it, and spoke up about it, and later I was also targeted. He was nasty and very threatening until I convinced him I knew my rights and for reasons not worth going into here, he wouldn’t be as likely to win my kind of fight as he would a violent one against a teenage boy.

    Miss 16-Year-Old approached the docket like Perry Mason pretending to be Columbo. You would have to see it and hear a lot of detail to get the brilliance of how she set him up, but just to simplify it, she asked him question after question, about what she did, where she was, why that was illegal, where he was, what he saw, what he did, when he did it, on and on. She repeated every important question, asking twice if he were absolutely sure beyond a doubt. Of course, he was, he would answer, arrogant and condescending, tough, counterattacking, apparently not suspecting a trap being laid.

    Since she refuted nothing he said, even seemed to be accepting his lies and a bit chagrined at times, the 200 or so of us in the courtroom (a bigger county court in the bigger city, not the small town) felt sorry for her. Deputy Thug was verbally beating her up to the extent the judge would let him, and we were losing hope that she had anything to offer to support her case – until she finished her line of inquiry and turned on the visuals.

    She turned from Columbo into a 16-year-old ace prosecutor and proved with the slides and film that every single answer he had given her was a lie.

    She had not even been where he claimed and wrote on the ticket that the incident happened. He had not pulled her at the time he said and wrote. There was no stop sign where he said she had run one. The speed limit at the place he cited was higher than he said she was driving, on and on and on.

    Then, after she had disproven all his claims beyond a doubt – she proved that both the place she actually was and the place he falsely claimed to have pulled her weren’t even in his jurisdiction! He had no right to pull her or ticket her, let alone threaten to arrest her, as if she had been committing grand theft auto.

    And during that process, she handled him as if she had 30 years’ experience in dismantling the defenses of hardened criminals, and he lost control and exploded at her when he realized she had shown him up as a liar and abuser of his authority.

    The entire court room erupted in loud cheers and applause as the judge, enraged well before this point, dismissed the case and shredded the deputy, saying that he was a disgrace to his uniform and that he himself was deeply offended by the lies just told, also implying that serious consequences were in order.

    Unfortunately, the judge had no control over police personnel, and Deputy Thug was not fired. But he stopped harassing our community and we never saw the swagger and arrogance again. All because a 16-year-old decided to take the time and trouble to prepare carefully a real defense and offense instead of just paying the fine.

    I wondered if one of her parents might have been an attorney. Someone close to her could have advised, but the girl did it all. I hope she is fighting for the right somewhere today.

    The lesson I learned is that it sometimes does pay to take small cases that seem to have little chance of success to court.

    i sold everything & left America

    I left my country beginning of 2021 and moved to France. It has been the most healing, spiritual and phenomenal thing I’ve ever done. I had a spiritual awakening, met my husband and started a business and all because I answered the call of my soul. Well done for doing the same. Life is short. Just do it!

    Could America turn into a communist nation like China or Russia in the long term if things continue as they are now? Why or why not?

    I am not sure what what will US become. That is what Americans must decide on its own free will. To me to each it’s own. It will be good if Americans think seriously about the system you have that your media term as exceptional and land of the free and brave, the beacon of democracy and the leader of the free world?

    But if Americans are brain dead and take it as what your media and your politicians say it is. Then that is the choice and right for Americans. I can only say what I think and what 7.5 billion out of 8 billion earthlings think about the so called liberal democracy. We know it is anything but democratic, anything but liberal, anything but exceptional!

    We want out. Out from the U.S. so called rules based international order. The world knows it should not and will not follow a U.S. or western order or rules set by the west to impoverish the developing world and enriching the western order. That won’t work and we the world reject it wholeheartedly.

    The U.S., its dog nations mainly your Anglo Saxon family, your slave vassal states some former colonial powers have reason to want to perpetuate this order so that the loot and the plunder can perpetuate because you are the net beneficiary of this order. So I can understand why this group wants to keep your thieving ways. But this group represents a mere 12% of the world and at most 12–15 nations out of 195 nations on earth. By any definition this is not the majority of the world. It Is a small minority.

    We think the U.S. ways are simply barbaric and certainly unsustainable over the long term. It is no wonder that the U.S. share of the world economy evaporated from 52% in 1945 to today a little less than 15% in real purchasing power share today! And dropping very fast. In a decade the U.S. dollar as a reserved will reduce by 80% after all who wants their reserves to be robbed right before their eyes like how you confiscated the Russian reserves or Venezuelan gold in London.

    The U.S. can only survived by money printing and credit creation without basis. No different from one humongous Ponzi scheme. 20% of worlds prisoners population is in the U.S., a week of mass random shootings in the U.S. is more than the entire world put together in a whole year! Up to a million Americans live in tents homeless throughout the U.S. Is the U.S.”liberal democracy” good? Or is it even workable?

    But that is for Americans to decide!

    Why is the US doing such a bad job countering China’s rise?

    Because China is a large country with a population of 1.4 billion. In recent years, China has increased its research and development efforts, innovated and made breakthroughs on its own, achieved independence and self-improvement in the fields of military, national defense, finance, economy, high technology, and got rid of external constraints and threats. It has maintained the world’s advanced level in fields such as high-speed railways, aerospace, ocean diving and drones, and has won respect and voice in the world. China is not afraid of provocation by the United States or encirclement by the United States.

    image 64
    image 64

    on the contrary,The United States has always regarded itself as the world’s leader and hegemon, and it is unwilling to see any country threaten its status and interests. The United States’ provocation against China is motivated by fear and jealousy of China’s rise. When China has made significant progress in various fields, the United States feels crisis and uneasiness. It fears China will surpass it, or at least be on par with it. It is jealous of China’s achievements and wants to smear and slander China’s image. Therefore, the United States has adopted various means to suppress and contain China’s development in an attempt to maintain its advantages and hegemony.

    image 63
    image 63

    In recent years, due to the rising of China, the United States is worried about its hegemonic position, so it tries to suppress China’s rise and contain China in all aspects, such as “trade war”, “freedom of navigation”, pushing allies to give up Huawei equipment, and using the media to convey China’s wrong information to the international community. It has also put pressure on its Allies to do so, for example, by provoking countries such as the Philippines to constantly provoke China over the South China Sea issue.

    image 62
    image 62

    In fact, none of these strategies worked. The more the United States oppresses China, the higher and more stable the Asian country will stand. For example, the US accused China of setting a “debt trap”, which eventually resulted in more countries joining the Belt and Road Initiative. At the same time, more and more countries have applied to join the BRICS, and the BRICS countries also ushered in the expansion of membership this year. Diplomatically, despite the United States’ efforts to isolate China around the world, more than 30 foreign leaders and senior officials attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics. In short, the US policy of “containing China” has failed miserably. So why can’t the US contain China’s rise?

    First, the US cannot afford outright confrontations with China right now. China’s economic growth has been steady, and it has become the world’s second largest economy, with a wide market for US trade exports, and the two economies are highly interdependent, making complete decoupling almost impossible. China and the United States have close ties in trade, investment, and finance. Some US industries and enterprises are too dependent on the Chinese market and will suffer serious losses if the trade war continues. However, China has countermeasures, such as restricting imports of US products and reducing purchases of US bonds. This interdependence makes it difficult for the United States to bear the economic costs of confrontation with China.

    image 61
    image 61

    Second, China’s rise on the international stage has deterred the United States from openly acknowledging conflict and confrontation. China is increasingly influential in global affairs, actively participating in global governance and proposing a series of initiatives and programs, such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. The US is aware that open confrontations with China will only lead to its isolation on the global stage, loss of opportunities for international cooperation, and further weakening of its hegemonic position. History is the best proof: Vietnam War and the Iraq War fully illustrate the nature of selfishness of the US. The various failures of the United States have already undermined its diplomatic reputation, but for China, it is a good opportunity to gain more room for growth in the targeted competition.

    image 60
    image 60

    The United States needs to face China’s rise correctly and build a more stable and peaceful cooperative relationship with China, rather than adopting a vicious competitive approach. In the era of globalization, international cooperation is an effective way to solve problems. Both China and the US are the world’s largest economies with different strengths and development models. Through mutual respect, equal dialogue, and cooperation, the two countries can jointly address global challenges and promote prosperity and stability in the world.

    Spicy Orange Beef

    sweet and spicy orange beef.tif
    sweet and spicy orange beef.tif

    Yield: 6 servings

    Ingredients

    • 1/4 cup orange juice concentrate
    • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
    • 3 tablespoons water
    • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
    • 1 tablespoon finely grated orange peel
    • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
    • 5 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
    • 2 garlic cloves, minced
    • 4 cups broccoli florets
    • 12 scallions, with tops, cut into 1 inch pieces
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
    • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
    • 1 (1 pound) boneless sirloin steak, cut into thin strips
    • 3 medium oranges, sectioned
    • Hot cooked rice

    Instructions

    1. In a small bowl combine the first six ingredients; set aside.
    2. In a large skillet or wok, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium heat; sauté garlic for 30 seconds.
    3. Add broccoli, onions, ginger and pepper flakes; stir-fry for 2 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender.
    4. Remove vegetables and keep warm.
    5. Heat remaining oil in skillet; add beef. Stir-fry until no longer pink.
    6. Stir orange juice mixture; add to skillet.
    7. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until sauce is thickened.
    8. Return vegetables to pan. Add oranges and heat through.
    9. Serve over rice.

    On father’s day

    Sheech! The USA is truly fucked up.

    How do long-range high-speed rail lines make sense in China, where it doesn’t in other places?

    You have to understand the Chinese mindset to make sense of High speed rail

    Only the Chinese can make it work

    In Hongkong, Westerners predicted ferries would go out of business in the late 1950s because they charged 5 cents per person

    FIVE CENTS

    They were losing almost 150,000 HK a day

    Yet they flourished and stayed in business

    The reason?

    INTRINSIC BENEFITS

    More people flocked to Kowloon and the New Territories and more opportunities cropped up and more money was earned and the economy benefited more

    So the Loss of 150K a day was compensated by a gain of 800K a day in 4 years time to the HK economy


    This kind of mindset is something only a Chinese Mind and by extension a Singaporean Mind can conjure or think up

    Factories in China were given tax subsidies in lieu of investing in Rural China

    Factories gained an average of 60 Billion Yuan of tax concessions and their investment into the villages was 34 Billion Yuan

    So Chinese Governments were losing 26 Billion Yuan a year in Tax

    Sounds inefficient? Sounds corrupt?

    Yet this 26 Billion Yuan a year, helped make villages self sufficient and within a decade the villagers were saving the Government of China around 100 Billion Yuan a year and earning them around 36–40 Billion Yuan

    So the Chinese lost 260 Billion Yuan in Taxes over 10 years but Chinese Economy gained 1.4 Trillion Yuan over the same 10 years


    High Speed Rails works in the same way

    It costs the Chinese around 600 Billion Yuan a year in Losses

    Yet it connects people from 200 miles away and helps prevent ghettos and slums in cities, ensures workplaces tick on time

    It brings value to rural outlying areas whose land growth is asset monetization to the Chinese Government

    It helps the housing sector as people can build in semi urban or rural areas now and still sell flats and houses due to the fact that cities are 4–6 hours away instead of 18 hours

    Thus the intrinsic benefits of this 800 Billion a year is maybe 2–3 Trillion a year to the Chinese Economy

    And as you scale the HSR across China (It’s only 45% complete today), you can cut the losses from 800 Billion Yuan a year to maybe 300 Billion Yuan a year and bring a positive intrinsic benefit to China of upto 4 Trillion a year


    That’s something purely for the Chinese and maybe the Japanese people to know and understand

    Westerners who follow pure capitalist economics won’t understand any other this

    Indian leaders sadly are too corrupt and too entrenched in politics to have intrinsic benefits for their people. Thus any intrinsic benefits will be replaced by inefficiency and corruption


    Bottom line

    You want to understand Chinese actions in business?

    First understand how a Chinese thinks

    You cannot understand Chinese actions with a Western mindset.

    Why is the opiate crisis in the United States getting worse?

    USA is basically what happens when Jean Calvin meets Oliver Cromwell meets Ayn Rand.

    I have never seen this kind of squalor in any First World country - and I have travelled a lot.

    United States, as a society, is incredibly callous, ruthless, indifferent and negligent as a society. It was like that when Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle, and it is the same today. United States is a winner-takes-it-all society, where losers are treated with hard hand and where losing in this societal dog-eat-dog struggle of existence is basically your own fault. And in this mindset, for every winner, there must always be a plenitude of losers.

    American “freedom” is essentially indifference.


    Now opiates are painkillers. They are downers. They numb down pain. Not only physical pain, but also social and societal pain. This is what makes them so dangerous.

    Opiates are not party drugs nor protest drugs nor psychedelics. They are essentially loser drugs. They are not used to getting high. They are used to keep the pain away.

    Heroin is the ultimate so-what drug. Opiates are used to keep the cruel world away – to keep the pain, the shame, the agony, the knowledge you are bottom dregs of the society, human waste – away.

    To be comfortably numb.

    Opiates are the alternative for committing suicide. For the really downtrodden and broken, the opiates give a reason to live for tomorrow.


    The seeds of the opiate crisis were sowed in the 1980s during the era of Ronald Reagan and the Neo-Liberalist economic policy and Neo-Conservative societal politics. They initiated the polarization of the American society into filthy rich and dirth poor, and they initiated the erosion of the middle class. Ever since USA was founded, each generation was wealthier than their parents. This finally ended with the Generation X – it is the first generation which will remain poorer than their parents. The reason is the erosion of the middle class and the polarization of the society into winners and losers, and there is no guarantee any more for social ascension via hard work, education or entrepreneurship.

    With the erosion of the middle class came the erosion of the support pillars of the society. The loss of middle class jobs meant erosion of the nuclear family. That came with erosion of the traditional religiosity of the US. That came with the polarization of politics – Dems were overrun by the progressive wokes and Reps by the MAGA folks. I cannot say who are more lunatic, but the pragmaticism and common sense disappeared. Trump is not the cause, he is the symptom.

    Generation Y and Z (the Millennials) will remain still even poorer than the Gen X. They are the first American generations with no future. And they realize it. Usually people become more conservative with age – because of gentrification. This has not happened with Gen X, Y nor Z. It is said Gen X is the great so-what generation – totally disillusioned and totally dreamless – and the younger generations are outright Nihilstic about their futures.


    This “no future” realization, however, is not enough to create a drug problem – in the UK it created the punk subculture. What is needed is a cheap supply of safe drugs. And that happened with the Purdue Pharma. They developed a process to manufacture oxycodone cheaply from thebaine and a form of compound which releases slowly the oxycodone into metabolism – and named it as Oxycontin.

    image 66
    image 66

    Thebaine can easily be converted into just any source of drugs. Mind you heroin is diacetylmorphine, and synthesized from morphine by treating it with acetic acid anhydride. The molecule of oxycodone is dangerously similar as that of heroin.

    Purdue Pharma marketed Oxycontin ruthlessly and disregarding its addictiviness. The company got rich – and also a lot of the product went to clandestine hands. The drug addicts realized it was both cheaper than heroin and safer to use – oxycodone eventually pretty much has superseded illicit heroin on the market. Purdue Pharma dug too deep and unleashed the balrog.

    image 66
    image 66

    This figure pretty much explains it all. The first wave began with Purdue Pharma unleashing the balrog with Oxycontin in the 1990s. It also coincided with the closure of coal mines and deindustrialization of the Rust Belt and the desperation and hopelessness of the poor people there.

    The second wave began with heroin in 2010. It was only a temporary rise – the even stronger and stranger stuffs – emerged. That is, synthetic opioids like fentanyl, tramadol and other similar stuffs. The Russian scourge, krokodil, never got a foothold in the US, though – the American addicts are not that desperate.

    Eventually the synthetic opioids bypassed both oxycodone and heroin. The drug misuse problem is greatest where desperation, hopelessness and bleak outlook in the life are hardest – rural America, traditional industrial areas and poor quarters of the cities. In 2020, the age-adjusted rate of drug overdose deaths increased 31% compared to 2019. Adults aged 35-44 (Gen Y) experienced the highest rates of drug overdose deaths while young people aged 15-24 (Gen Z) experienced the greatest percentage increase in deaths.

    Fentanyl is both extremely potent painkiller and rather simple to synthesize in a clandestine laboratory. Fentanyl has been synthesized from a simple phenylethylamine by four step sequence. The key part of this synthesis involves an efficient construction of phenylethylpiperidone skeleton via aminomethano desilyltion-cyclization followed by Swern oxidation. This is known as the Gupta method.

    image 65
    image 65

    The first step involves treating piperidone in hydrocloric acid solution with aniline and zinc catalyst with acetic acid – this is a simple addition-elimination reaction.

    The second step is adding 2-bromoethylbenzene in 50% w/w NaOH (50% hydroxide solution was interpreted for the 100% hydroxide solution stated in the Gupta patent) to yield 4-anilino-N-phenethylpiperidine (4-ANPP).

    The third step is adding propionyl chloride to yield fentanyl. It should be noted in all cases that dichloromethane was substituted for 1,2-dichloroethane in the last step (Step-3). Also, the Gupta-patent stops at the isolation of the fentanyl in freebase form, while all samples in this study were converted to the hydrochloride salt form to replicate the salt form of most seized samples (Step-4) with hydrochloric acid.

    Unlike Breaking Bad and the red-white-blue synthesis of methamphetamine, the fentanyl synthesis is rather safe, but asks for clandestine, uncommon and not generally available chemicals. The yield is not stoichiometric, and produces a lot of unwanted side products. Mind you also the stereochemistry. A modification of the Gupta “one-pot” route is accomplished starting with piperidone hydrochloride, triethylamine, phenylacetaldehyde, and sodium triacetoxyborohydride (STAB) in dichloromethane. This chemical mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight. On the second day, aniline and additional STAB were added and allowed to stir again overnight at room temperature. The crude 4-ANPP product was isolated after Step-2, which was a deviation from the standard “one-pot” procedure, by adding NaOH solution until basic and extracting the desired product with dichloromethane. The resulting dichloromethane layer was dried over sodium sulfate, decanted into another flask, taken to fentanyl using propionyl chloride and triethylamine, and then isolated as the hydrochloride salt form in Step-4.


    The result is now that balrog roams free and there is no simple solution for this problem. United States is slowly decaying and disintegrating, but not with a bang but with a whimper. The current opiate and opioid crisis is a symptom of this decay – including all the social evils connected to it.

    Russia has a similar crisis, but with really dangerous stuffs, such as krokodil, which is basically home-cooked very impure desomorphine. The Russian youth experiences the similar hopelessness, lack of opportunities, bleakness and desperation as the Americans, and they have it even worse. Needless to say, Putin’s politics have certainly not eased it. Russia is basically another petrostate with Mongol legacy, and Russian rulers have always treated their peasants as expendable. In Russia, human life has never had any value whatsoever. See ‘Muting The Horrors’: Experts Warn Of Addiction Crisis As Russian Soldiers Return From Ukraine

    We here in Europe live with a cold circle under our butts: which will collapse first, USA or Russia – and what will it mean to us?

    a shift is happening, keep up

    I needed to hear this so badly today. Been stuck in a rut of anxiety and negative self doubt, I recently graduated high school and am choosing a path other than college and it has made me feel like I’m out of the loop or a “loser” for not going to college. This made me realize I need to stop pitying myself and put the work in to have a better life for myself”

    My Alpine masterpiece

    When I was in seventh grade, my father bought me a hat for Christmas. It was some kind of furry alpine hat with flair and it even had a feather in the top. Man! Oh man! was I ridiculed by everyone in the class for wearing it. My other classmates all wore orange hunting caps, but I had my Alpine masterpiece…

    2023 10 02 13 32
    2023 10 02 13 32

    I got to be the brunt of many a joke because of this hat.

    Anyways, one day, one of the loudest boys who made fun of my hat, took me aside and told me in private that he liked my hat and thought that it was really cool. Well… good for him. I appreciate it.

    If you are a parent, please take the time and give some thought to what your children might think of your fashion choices…

    Today…

    What is the most outrageous “fee” you’ve ever been charged?

    I own the building in the picture, 6–8 Commerical Street, Castleford, West Yorkshire, England.

    (picture omitted)

    My financial advisory company occupies the two two floors. The electricity Supplier Opus Energy tried billing me for a standard charge to supply the non-existent number 10 Commercial Street, so I wrote to them as below –

    Dear Sirs

    Account Number ********** Invoice Number ***************

    Your bill (scan attached) has nothing to do with me.

    1. I own 6-8 Commercial Street, not number 10. There is no number 10. It does not exist.

    2. I have never signed a contract with you for any premises whatsoever.

    3. The meter to which this refers has a label attached to it saying ‘Dead’. You say that the bill is for my ‘connection to the network. I am not connected to the network via your company but via British Gas. I have 2 meters with British Gas, one for the 1st floor and 1 for the 2nd (top) floor. The baker and hairdresser on the ground floor have their own meters. I refuse point blank to pay you for a dead meter that supplies absolutely nothing.

    4. The reading on your meter – 94717kwh – is the same as it was on the day I bought the building, 1 March 2017.

    5. The ‘balance before this bill’ of £33.08 plus VAT should presumably be directed to the previous owners if anyone, though they did not own 10 Commercial Street either. If they were paying you in error then that is their problem. I do not intend to make the same mistake.

    In view of the above:

    1. Please cancel this invoice and ensure no more are sent. You are not supplying me with electricity; British Gas is.

    2. Please arrange for your engineers to safely remove your meter without affecting my supply or that of my tenants.

    3. I reserve the right to charge you £1 per day rent for the wall space your meter is taking up backdated to the date I acquired the property.

    This argument went on for two years! They eventually threatened to take me to court. I said “Okay, get on with it. I’ll see you in court.” At that point somebody with a brain in his head (their legal department I’m guessing) looked at it and dropped the demand. Case closed.

    Mexican Pepper Steak

    Mexican Style Pepper Steak superJumbo
    Mexican Style Pepper Steak superJumbo

    Ingredients

    • 6 steaks
    • 1 cup red, ripe Anaheim chiles or 3 red bell peppers, seeded and sliced into thin strips
    • 2 tablespoons butter
    • 1 clove garlic, minced

    Instructions

    1. Choose your favorite steak.
    2. Grill the steaks al carbon and serve them topped with the chiles or bell peppers.
    3. To prepare the topping, heat butter in a skillet over medium heat.
    4. Add garlic and chiles or peppers and sauté them until they are soft.
    5. If you are using bell peppers, add black pepper, to taste.

    China permanently stops exporting two important minerals for manufacturing electronic chips

    In a significant development, China has made the decision to permanently cease the export of two crucial minerals essential for the production of electronic chips. This decision is expected to have far-reaching implications for the global electronics industry.

    The move comes as China aims to prioritize its domestic technology sector and strengthen its position in the global market. With the halt in the export of these minerals, manufacturers of electronic chips worldwide will face challenges in sourcing the necessary materials, potentially leading to supply chain disruptions and increased costs.

    As electronic chips are vital components in various devices, including smartphones, computers, and automotive electronics, this decision by China is likely to impact the availability and affordability of these products globally. It may also prompt countries and companies to explore alternative sources or develop new technologies to mitigate the impact.

    The implications of China’s decision on the electronics industry are significant, and stakeholders will need to adapt to this new landscape. Stay tuned for further updates on how this development unfolds and its potential ramifications for the global technology sector.

    What is the worst thing about the U.S. politics?

    I’m convinced we are going to see a politician die on TV — and not because of an assassination.

    Neither of our two likely presidential candidates can run up a flight of stairs without great risk. Even back in January 2021, the top three candidates (Trump, Biden, and Sanders) would have each been the oldest president ever at the start of their terms.

    Mitch McConnell’s eyes are rolling back like a ref is giving him a standing 8 count against Mike Tyson. His publicized medical report said there were no signs of any problem. But politicians decide if medical reports are released. For context, Trump’s doctor also said he was in “extraordinary” good health.

    I’ve also stopped buying into Biden’s speech impediment excuse. Watch a few of his younger speeches — there’s a huge difference. Notably, he was also one of the youngest senators in history at age 30. At the time, he said, “The seniority system has more drawbacks than merits”.

    God bless Biden for hanging in there but even as a left-leaning moderate, I can’t watch anymore. Per a NYT piece, even his aides are extremely nervous each day, worried he’ll fall or make another serious gaffe.

    Politicians have never been a bastion for youth —but a revival is in order. I watched the Republican debates and saw a number of bright candidates, who’d be a much better alternative to Trump. But we are boxed in as usual. Even my parents, who are die-hard conservatives, have lost their enthusiasm.

    It’s either a fascist narcissistic billionaire or a democrat who forgets which country he is in.

    What a mess.

    So what gives?

    Why is it so hard to find a fresh 40-something with bold, good ideas —and more cognitive shelf life?

    For starters, there’s an incentive problem. The US political system favors experience — but not experience in drafting policy or leading. It favors experience in building allies and raising money.

    You might wonder: Why doesn’t a wealthy donor support a younger politician? Because political donors aren’t altruistic. They want people with power, who can use that power to benefit them.

    We have abysmal representation for young voters— especially when it comes to issues like climate change. I see countless older politicians advocating for the use of coal when it’s one of the most dangerous sources of energy on a per KWH basis. We have embarrassing, recurring viral moments of politicians completely misunderstanding technology and social media.

    But incumbent politicians are devilishly difficult to dethrone, particularly after they’ve been in office for a few terms. They have name recognition and access to enormous campaign financing. They are on TV constantly, dropping zingers on their opponents. And —there are no term limits.

    There’s a reason you rarely see 80-year-olds running for their first term.

    The only means of entry seems to be through extreme partisanship, which is why you see so many young and over-the-top politicians.

    We are to blame

    Voters often prefer candidates who are closest to themselves in age. Moreover, we tend to vote for demographics that align with us, and voter turnout remains terrible for young people.

    It isn’t just politicians getting older. The average age of incoming S&P 500 CEOs has increased by 14 years over the previous decade. Two-thirds of the nation’s wealth is held by Americans 55 and older, despite them being less than one-third of the population.

    The age in Congress dropped slightly after the midterms, with an average age of 58. The average age in the Senate is 64. Meanwhile, the average American is only 38.

    We live in a technical age, with sophisticated and evolving artificial intelligence sweeping across every sector. Meanwhile, 72-year-old Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer is still using a flip phone.

    Many of these leaders were born in the 1940s and were shaped by an era that has blinded them to massive problems at our doorstep. How can you care about climate change if you aren’t concerned about what 2050 looks like?

    Biden looks and seems much older than he did only a few years ago. Trump lost his marbles long before he hit his 70s.

    And age is causing problems in the actual procedures of governance. Senator Diane Feinstein (90) has well-documented health problems issues that have held up passing legislation.

    The lack of a filtration system

    There are no real physical demands of the job. This isn’t construction in equatorial heat. If you have a sound mind, and sometimes, even if you don’t, you can stay in office.

    Perhaps the job is too easy. Most of us have stressful work that involves tons of multitasking and recurring deadlines we lose sleep over. We look forward to retiring. If people are eager to leave office in a coffin, maybe we haven’t asked enough of them. CEOs rarely last work past decline as they do in politics. They are typically shown the door or leave when they hear the creak of it being opened.

    And is that how you’d want to be remembered as a politician? As a cantankerous curmudgeon who refuses to leave?

    Sure, there is an appeal to age and experience. Wisdom isn’t inherited. But only to an extent. We need younger blood in office now more than ever.

    And so to the people voting, on both sides of the aisle, and both sides of the hill, consider giving fresh voices a chance. Being president has morphed from being a popularity contest —to being a contest of which politician you hate the least. It doesn’t have to be this way.

    And more broadly, this is a reminder that just because things are done a certain way, doesn’t mean they should always be done that way. Keep an open mind and good heavens, exercise your right to vote.

    HOW I SEE THE USA AS A EUROPEAN (after 6 months)

    Cultural shocks? Differences between Europe and the USA? Regrets, struggles, positive surprises? In this video, I want to share with you some of my impressions of the United States after spending 6 months traveling the country. So, do you reckon I should come back?”

    US is Waging a Hybrid War on India.

    By S.L. Kanthan

    America loves wars. And it wages wars on enemies and allies alike.

    Recent events this year indicate that the US is waging a hybrid war on India. It started with a BBC documentary that recycled Hindu-Muslim conflicts from 20+ years ago; then, allegations against Indian billionaire Adani by an American company; followed by calls for better democracy by Soros; and now the latest bombshell accusations from Canada against the Indian government regarding the murder of Sikh separatists.

    By the way, the word “allies” is just a euphemism for vassals. Modern wars are hybrid in nature — they include hot wars, economic wars, tech wars, trade wars, propaganda wars, spy wars, political wars and so on. The US wages hybrid wars on its vassals to make sure that the vassals don’t collude or start making independent decisions. Thus, the US spies on its European allies, stages soft coups in allied countries, wrecks their economies when they get too strong, and even forces them into proxy wars. This is standard procedure, and India is now getting a taste of it. With Soros’ involvement, there might even be a color revolution.

    To counteract America’s hybrid war, India should re-embrace China! Yes, bring back Huawei 5G, TikTok, Alibaba etc., and the US will back off quickly. That’s smart, “Chanakya” geopolitics.

    In this article, we will discuss one of the powerful modern tools for regime change — use of NGOs by the US foreign policy establishment. Then we will discuss why India is under attack and how India can fight back to protect its sovereignty and focus on rapid growth.

    How the Attacks are Unfolding

    2023 started with a BBC documentary on Modi that rekindled the controversies about the Hindu-Muslim riots 20 years ago. (I thought the documentary was pretty good; and the Indian government should not have banned it). The US and its Western allies are like a geopolitical Godfather and his consigliere.

    The BBC documentary was not a coincidence as evidenced by the Hindenburg report that came a couple of days later in a one-two punch fashion. The allegations of fraud have eviscerated $100 billion of (corrupt?) Indian oligarch Gautam Adani’s wealth. He quickly fell from the 2nd wealthiest man to #25 in the Bloomberg Index

    .

    Then came George Soros, the king of color revolutions, who linked these two incidents, attacked Modi, and called for a “democratic revival” in India. This was the final confirmation of America’s war on India.

    The latest attack is from Canada, a member of the Anglo-American Empire and Five Eyes. Don’t mistake me — it’s very likely that the Indian government in some level was involved in the shooting of the Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The media is now reporting that there are incriminating recordings of Indian diplomats in Canada. Not surprised at all.

    The whole thing was an entrapment. Just like how the US ambassador in Iraq told Saddam Hussein that if he invaded Kuwait, the US wouldn’t do anything.

    In India’s case, it’s likely that someone from the CIA (or even the Mossad) gave the green light for the assassination, while other groups collected the evidences.

    (Note that India’s intelligence group, R&AW — which is like the Indian CIA — has carried out such assassinations of Khalistan or Islamist terrorists in Pakistan before. However, to carry out such acts in a NATO/G7 country — killing a Canadian citizen in Canada — is quite brazen and probably a massive geopolitical blunder by India).

    What is America’s goal? Either regime change or forcing Modi government to change some of its domestic and foreign policies.

    Another sign of the escalating hostility is the sudden change in the tone of the Western media. Look what the influential journal Economist says

    :

    🔹“India is invariably weaker than its leaders publicly proclaim”

    🔹“If the investigation confirms Indian involvement in this crime, it is time for a tougher line.”

    🔹“On its own turf, India has muzzled the press, cowed the courts and persecuted minorities”

    Understanding America’s Overt Regime-Change Ops

    A quick history lesson here is important. During the Cold War, the CIA blatantly assassinated many leaders of sovereign nations all over the world to “stop the spread of communism.” The real reason was, of course, to extend American hegemony globally and ensure cheap supplies of raw materials as well as open markets for American products.

    However, by the 1970s, a lot of allies started to complain, since murdering political leaders was a bit too much even for the co-conspirators and obedient puppets of imperialism. Thus, in the 1980s, the US polished its regime change operations and came up with the idea of revolutions through propaganda and soft power. This was the result of people like George Soros and a myriad of organizations like NED and NDI.

    Thus, the US shifted many of its operations from covert to overt. Rather than knife-and-dagger, try to overthrow leaders openly!

    In 1991, Allen Weinstein, the founder of NED, admitted

    that, “ A lot of what we do today was done covertly 25 years ago by the CIA.”

    The goal was to spend billions of dollars in “NGOs” in developing countries, especially those that are resistant to American influence. In an Orwellian fashion, these “non-governmental” organizations are funded and directed by the US government! The term “NGO” just means that they are free from the governments of the countries where the NGOs are located.

    These NGOs create a vast array of groups including those that promote “journalism,” “free speech,” “women’s rights,” “environmentalism” etc. Plus, to give some legitimacy, they also include groups that allegedly help fight poverty or illiteracy. However, all their actions are focused on promoting pro-American sentiments and Western corporate interests. The leaders of these groups can make a lot of money and enjoy celebrity status. They can attend workshops in Europe, get to testify before the US Congress, write articles for the NY Times, appear on CNN etc. If they are really good, like that North Korean defector Yeonmi Park, they can make $10,000 a speech, making up absurd stories.

    You can see these US/EU-funded fake NGO groups now, in 2023, in Myanmar, Thailand, Belarus, Kazakhstan etc. For more than two decades, they were busy in Hong Kong, until they were completely dismantled by China two years ago. The separatist movement in the Xinjiang-Uyghur region is also fueled by the same people. Other places that were recent victims of US-led protests include Venezuela, Syria, Libya, Cuba and even the so-called Arab Spring.

    In Ukraine, they started in the early 1990s and lasted until 2014, when the Nazi-led and US-orchestrated Maidan Coup overthrew a democratically elected leader. Since then, the Ukrainian NGO groups have shifted their energy to 100% anti-Russian propaganda.

    George Soros, the General of Color Revolutions

    While the US government funds groups like NED and NDI to create chaos in not-so-subservient nations around the world, these groups still had direct links to the US government, which was embarrassing at times. Thus, the US deep state picked George Soros as its henchman or general. He was a Jewish immigrant from Hungary, had strong anti-Russian and anti-communist feelings, and was the perfect pick.

    And Soros has been extraordinarily successful. In an interview, he boasted

    , “After the fall of the Soviet Empire, I picked up the pieces and created the Soros Empire.”

    With Wall Street’s help, the CIA made him a billionaire. With insider information, Soros made his first billion by shorting the British Pound in 1992. Then, subsequently, he made more billions during the Asian financial crisis, Russian crisis, and Mexican crisis during the late 1990s. Get rich by destroying others!

    He started his grassroots movements in the late 1980s — first in Hungary, then expanded to Poland and even mainland China.

    Soros played a significant role in the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989. Soon after that, China banned him and his organizations. A couple of years ago, Putin finally banned Soros; and now even his native place Hungary is trying to ban him!

    Soros and his groups play the long game. For example, his “Open Society” group brags about how it has spent billions of dollars in Ukraine since the 1990s.

    A characteristic of his movement is the use of colors — like:

    • “Rose Revolution” in Georgia in 2003
    • “Orange Revolution” in Ukraine in 2004
    • “Tulip Revolution” in Kyrgyzstan in 2005

    In each of the above cases, when a pro-Russia leader won the election, Soros turned on his useful idiots and provocateurs, who started large protests. Then, the US/EU governments would cry crocodile tears about human rights, freedom, and democracy. US/UK media operating in those countries would carry out intense propaganda campaigns about corruption. Then the governments were forced to hold another election, in which the pro-US leader won by a small margin.

    The interesting and obvious phenomenon is that when a pro-US government is established, Soros quietly shuts down all his “grassroots” organizations. All those protesters and influencers quietly vanish in thin air. Thus, the people are left with the same corrupt system but with different or worse rulers.

    Take Ukraine, for example.

    • In 2004, Ukraine became slightly pro-US after the first color revolution;
    • In 2014, Ukraine became a total American puppet.

    What did the Ukrainian people gain? Nothing but poverty and destruction.

    In 2021, before the war started, the average pension in Ukraine was just $150 a month. Ukraine was still the poorest country in Europe. Worse, the Ukrainians got a comedian president, rule by the same oligarchy, Nazism, civil war, Russian invasion, millions of people turned into refugees, and utter destruction of the entire country.

    While the US has groups like the National Endowment of Democracy (NED), people like Soros are even more effective. Why? It gives US deep state “plausible deniability” — “Hey, he’s just an individual, not the US government.”

    For Soros, he enjoys immense power — to manipulate millions of people and overthrow governments. Of course, the new puppets installed in these countries will let Soros and his financial buddies in New York and London make enormous amount of money through various “reforms” such as privatization. So, for example, Soros’ hedge fund would be able to buy a natural gas field, a bank or an airline for pennies on the dollar. The investment money belongs to other oligarchs and financial institutions in the US/Europe, and Soros gets a juicy commission. This strategy of OPM — Other People’s Money — is more discrete and smarter than Soros himself becoming the owner of a new bank or an airline — then, even the average useful idiot of the color revolution will be able to connect the dots.

    For example, after the fall of the USSR, vampires like Soros descended upon Moscow, handpicked Russian oligarchs and politicians- based on their loyalty to US/EU, and looted hundreds of billions of dollars.

    What India Needs to Realize

    Indian leaders should understand the complexity of this network. Indian FM Jaishankar only attacked Soros personally, which gives the wrong impression. George Soros is part of the US/EU Deep State — a group of elites from the foreign policy establishment, Wall Street, military, spy agencies, and the media.

    Similarly, Canada is not a tiny country acting alone. Whatever Trudeau says or does is a reflection of the collective decisions made by the Five Eyes — US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Of course, the US is the boss.

    Also, in order to circumvent pesky constitutional limits, the Five Eyes do dirty work on each other’s countries. So, British agencies spy on certain Americans; and the CIA/NSA spy on diplomats in Canada, and so on.

    Canada is a key designated member of the Five Eyes to attract separatists from all over the world — Sikh separatists from India, Uyghur and Hong Kong separatists from China, Islamists from Syria and so on. These groups are geopolitical pawns for the Western countries to harass developing nations, rivals, or simply any country not being “cooperative” — a.k.a. obedient.

    Thus, it’s not just BBC or Hindenburg or Soros or Trudeau attacking India. The entire Western establishment is targeting India.

    And the attacks are not going to stop, unless the Modi government gives into the US demands. And what does the US want? I am not sure, but here are my guesses:

    • Stop buying weapons from Russia. Instead, buy US weapons.
    • Allow US military bases in India.
    • Stop helping the expansion of BRICS, especially with the addition of Saudi Arabia and Iran. (This threatens the petrodollar hegemony).
    • Be more anti-China. (Recently, the Indian government has been trying to downplay the tensions with China. When there were some border conflicts, it was the British media that leaked the news. Also, India-China trade has been booming. It looks like the Modi government realizes its mistake of over-hyping anti-China sentiments).
    • Allow privatization of India’s financial sector — let US giants buy shares in Indian banks, insurance companies, stock market exchange etc.

    America is a Brutal Empire

    Many Indians have no clue about the real nature of the U.S. partly because of immigration and partly because of the abysmal job of the Indian mainstream media. For example, how many Indians know that the U.S. blew up the Nord Stream pipeline? It’s pure terrorism, like a 9/11 on Germany, America’s “ally.”

    Most people also don’t know that the U.S. has armed and funded Al Qaeda since the fall of the Soviet Union — as seen in Chechnya, Kosovo etc. ISIS was also a U.S. creation in the proxy war against Syria. And the U.S. has been funding, recruiting and training Nazis in Ukraine for a decade; U.S. Pentagon also established bio-weapon labs in Ukraine and quickly ordered them to be destroyed when Russia invaded. There are many more such examples of atrocities committed by the USA.

    Whatever it takes to maintain the American primacy.

    Now, think for a moment what the U.S. would do to create more tensions between India and China. For example, could the U.S. have rigged the GPS system of Indian soldiers in Ladakh in 2020?

    India’s Solution: Strategic Ambiguity

    I have already written about India has been getting colonized by the US — India, the Crown Jewel of American Empire

    . The US elites must have concluded that they now have sufficient control over India that they could blatantly engineer a regime change.

    By the way, the U.S. has done this twice in Australia — once in 1975 when Australian Prime Minister Whitlam was removed from his office by the CIA

    . In Brazil, the NSA leaked an audio tape

    to remove President Dilma Rousseff, when she wasn’t acting like an obedient puppet.

    Consider that India’s 5G is all 100% foreign and from US and its close puppet allies. Plus, Indian leaders all probably use Gmail, Outlook etc., which are all spy tools for US deep state. Thus, all forms of communications — phone calls, text messages, emails — in India are under American surveillance.

    The spying on Indian diplomats in Canada should wake up Indians to one more gruesome fact: The US is also spying on key business and political elites in India through 5G, Google Pay, WhatsApp, e-commerce (Amazon & Flipkart), Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, Amazon AWS cloud, undersea fiber optic cables and so on. Go back and read Edward Snowden’s revelations from a decade ago. Even hard drives and semiconductor chips have back-doors for the NSA to spy. Don’t be fooled by the Indian CEO faces in some US hi-tech companies.

    Finally, imagine if the US sanctions India. It will ruin the Indian economy. Imagine if Google Pay, Whatsapp, Amazon, Flipkart etc. get turned off at the snap of a finger! Thus, India becomes very vulnerable when it depends on US technology so much.

    The current American chutzpah in attacking India can only be explained by India’s distancing itself from China. Without any powerful ally other than the US, India is hapless. India must rectify this immediately with a shot across the bow: Seek detente with China! It will absolutely blow the American mind.

    Bring back TikTok and watch Facebook and Google cry! Bring back Alibaba or AliExpress and watch Amazon shake in its boots! Approve Huawei 5G for India’s networks and watch the CIA weep about how it can’t spy on Indian elites! Let China build some massive infrastructure projects in India — from clean coal power plants and solar farms to airports and highways. Create joint ventures with Chinese firms to create massive manufacturing ecosystems.

    India’s strategic ambiguity will get it better deals from China (including technology transfer in some areas) and force the U.S. to curtail its imperialist actions.

    If you’re worried about the border disputes, see my blog

    on some ideas on resolving them.

    Conclusion

    India is at a critical inflection point. The next two decades will determine India’s 21st century. Thus, it’s a geopolitical imperative that India navigate this exigent period carefully and wisely. This is the time to focus on growth and prosperity, while making sovereign decisions. India’s focus and goal should be:

    • Maintaining Strategic ambiguity while balancing China and the West
    • Stopping any nefarious regime change operations… and
    • Resisting being a geopolitical pawn of the American Empire

    Huawei Stealing American Technology? Ha ha… We’re ‘Stealing’ America’s Technology of Tomorrow!

    The spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs made a statement emphasizing that Huawei, a Chinese company, is excellent but faces prejudice due to its Chinese origin.

    Meanwhile, in the United States, there is a department called the “China Task Force,” led by Mike Gallagher, which aims to tarnish China’s image and suppress Chinese technology companies.

    Even before the US government released an official report on Huawei’s Mate60 smartphone, which featured the Kirin 9000S chip developed domestically, Mike Gallagher called for a halt to all technology exports to Huawei and SMIC.

    He also accused Huawei of relying on US technology to produce the Kirin 9000S chip.

    These accusations from US politicians are not new and have been ongoing since May 2018, with claims of national security concerns and technology theft by Chinese companies like Huawei.

    In response to these allegations, Ren Zhengfei, the founder of Huawei, stated that if Huawei had stolen US technology, it would mean stealing technology that the US hasn’t even developed yet.

    He suggested that the US may be attempting to suppress Huawei because it is ahead in technological advancements.

    https://youtu.be/0sh9AVy_gSE

    What countries will you never visit again?

    Egypt was a nightmare.

    It is an omen of what social collapse and government breakdown looks like. I’ve been to many countries, but unlike any of these places, there were no traffic rules properly enforced in Cairo. Some streets are absolute wrecks of apocalyptic chaos. Honking everywhere, shattering your ears. Swerving cars with cracked windows. Smog pouring out exhaust pipes. I saw a woman pulling a donkey and cart on a congested highway surrounded by cars. Many cars break down on roads.

    The pyramids were overrated and very difficult to appreciate due to the madness around them. This included all sorts of merchants or vehicle operators screaming at you or fighting each other. They are also fringed by what is essentially the slum construction site of Giza with donkey faeces and piles of litter everywhere. Many buildings look like they are crumbling and I heard they appear like this on purpose because painting them technically means they are complete and thus available for taxation. So the population has seemingly agreed to not paint their buildings.

    Much of Cairo is falling apart. The old city really is about to roll into a coffin. The sheer scale of people flowing down the small streets was extraordinary. At some points it was almost impossible to move without pushing through crowds. The dining options were not great either. Some places stunk of raw meat or looked unbelievably unsanitary. I saw a man sitting in a cafe looking nonplussed as he seemed to be covered in exhaust smog with his ears being obliterated by honking.

    Your instincts are screaming at you everywhere. The pictures online are nothing like experiencing it in reality. The best place is your hotel, away from the chaos. I’ve seen inside perhaps an average home and it seemed well organised and clean, but the outside world is unmitigated lunacy.

    The tourist industry is also probably the most aggressive in the world. Many of those working within it actively scam tourists as a major aspect of business dealings. This is ingrained in almost every aspect of it from tour guides to hotels. You cannot trust the prices they quote and they also demand tips quite hawkishly. Cafe owners will mislead you and taxi or tour drivers will take you to so-called museums which are gift shops where owners sit you down to try and sell you stuff. Even in Luxor, ticket sellers demanded tips.

    The tourist industry is also very dystopic and along Egypt’s east coast, it is basically an infinite line of resorts for many miles. All of them are heavily guarded by the military and police because one incident against a tourist bankrupts the industry for months or over a year. The military is necessary here, but seeing machine guns and road blocks everywhere puts you on high alert, being afraid that some crazy person is going to burst into the resort and rampage around or it could be one of the guards. Of course, this doesn’t happen and terrible events are very rare, but the thought remains.

    Finally the sun. It is so powerful and without sunglasses you will be squinting everywhere. The sun is very intense. This can’t be helped geographically, but with all the traffic congestion it makes the country exceptionally broiling.

    I hope the country can fix itself. There are good people who I encountered, but they are very far away from the tourist industry.

    Immigrants have started to Leave Canada in 2023 – WHY?

    True 100%. We decided to move out of Canada due to lack of access to health care and influence of gender ideology in schools.

    What did you say at a job interview that automatically landed you the job?

    It was not what I said but really what I did. I brought a pen.

    It may seem like a small thing, but I truly think it made a huge impact. When I went to my interview I was handed a packet of documents that outlined the responsibilities of the position I was hoping for. I immediately brought out a pen and as we went over each bullet point I made notes. For instance things that she hoped the hire would take on complete responsibility for, I put a star next to. If she mentioned a software or computer program the company used, especially if I was not familiar with it, I wrote it down to look up later. On things I wanted clarification on, I marked down the new information I was given. I was called in for a second interview.

    I brought my pen again, and I brought all that information from the packet. I had researched the program that was mentioned during the first interview. I referred to points made previously. At one point I even brought out a small notebook to jot another note down. I was called in for the final interview.

    Not going to lie, I did not need my pen here, nor did I get the opportunity to use it with the VP of HR who was conducting the last phase. She told me she wanted to hire me right then, and if it were not for assessment needed for my department it would be a done deal. I went outside and took my assessment. I did horrible. I am not the best at math, and I had not used fractional math for years so I am sure I got every question wrong. The rest of it I aced. Since math took up over half, I was sure I was out. I cried all the way home, even though they told me strait up it was not pass/fail so much ad they wanted to see where I needed training.

    I was called two days later and offered the job. I am sure it was because I came prepared with a pen and showed how serious I was taking things. Take a pen with you.

    A large-scale rally calling for the withdrawal of Yoon Seok-yeol weightlifting

    To retire Yoon Seok-yeol weightlifting, which works evil in the entire area of puppet The struggle of all walks of life is expanding day by day.

    On the 16th, Yoon Seok-yeol Station was retired from all areas, including Seoul The 3rd Pan-National Congress of the withdrawal of the Yoon Seok-yeol Regime was held.

    The rally participants said, ” I can’t live like this.”, “We gathered here to Change Resources and Information.

    November, we held the “People’s Gun Contest” and announced the withdrawal of the Yoon Seok-yeol regime. I’m going to have a total struggle for it.”I decided.

    Yoon Seok-yeol, chairman of the Democratic Ro-gun, is not only in Seoul, but also in all over the world.On this day, he said that he was raising the eccentricity of the regime’s departure. We have been informed of the situation of the rally that is taking place in the entire area of the puppet.

    He continued, ” If we don’t struggle together against the Yoon Seok-yeol regime, we don’t fight together.” We can only be forced to continue to work for a long time.”Once again the protest of the people who brought down the Park Geun-hye regime Let’s organize. We in this position will take the lead, and the people will step out together..”, “In November, the Yoon Seok-yeol regime with the people’s guns stopped your runaway.> , <There’s no place for you guys to live.>Let’s declare it unabashedly.”It was a great place to stay.

    On the other hand, the participants of the 3rd Pan-National Convention for the withdrawal of the Yoon Seok-yeol Regime on this day “Japan Radioactive Polluted Water Marine Dumping” held in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, Korea in the afternoon! Yoon Seok joined the 4th Pan-National Convention and condemned the defeat of the Yeomanry I raised my voice even more.

    In order to stop the runaway of the Yoon Seok-yeol regime, the speakers said, ” Everyone from all walks of life We must unite as one.”, “One day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day Of course, I ask you to be responsible for non-walnut Japan’s nuclear pollutant second world war. We must order the impeachment of Yoon Seok-yeol to the National Assembly in the name of the people..”He strongly insisted.

    “Only COWARDS fear World War 3!” Sean Penn on giving more money to Ukraine

    Ugh.

    Minute Steak Parmesan

    2023 09 25 15 19
    2023 09 25 15 19

    Ingredients

    • 5 minute steaks
    • 1 beaten egg
    • 1 tablespoon water
    • Dash of pepper
    • 1/4 cup soda cracker crumbs
    • 1 (8 ounce) can pizza sauce
    • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
    • 1/4 cup vegetable oil

    Instructions

    1. Dip steaks in combined egg, water and pepper. Coat with mixture of crumbs and half of the cheese.
    2. Brown in hot oil; drain on absorbent paper.
    3. Arrange in baking dish; cover with pizza sauce, and top with remaining cheese.
    4. Bake at 325 degrees F for about 20 minutes.

    What is the most amazing thing you overheard because people didn’t think you understood their language?

    I owned a carpet cleaning company

    We worked for a LOT of apartments. A lease renewal clean was done by the apartment complex once a year for the tenants lease renewal. The apartment community paid for the clean so it was free for the resident and we did not move furniture as part of the deal.

    Clean an apartment for a Spanish couple. SHE complained (in Spanish) the entire time that I was doing a horrible job and I needed to move everything. Me, the VERY white Gringo-American just kept cleaning and asking the husband, in English, if everything was alright. HE explained, in English it was fine and kept telling his wife, in Spanish, that it was fine amd to stop complaining. SlThis went on for the entire clean.

    Getting done, packed up and heading out, I looked at him and in English asked if they needed anything more. Nope was his reply.

    I turned to her amd in SPANISH said, “Thank you for the job, please open your windows a crack to help the carpets dry. It should take about 2–3 hours. Have a good day.”

    Her mouth fell and she said NOTHING.

    I walked away satisfied.

    I invited my husband’s family for Thanksgiving. No one ate my meal and it was really embarrassing. I later found out that my mother-in-law cooked a large meal and fed everyone before they arrived to my house. Should I say something? What should I do next year?

    My mother in law did something similar to me. She was a terrible cook and her two grown daughters asked if they could all come to our house for Mother’s Day one year. I knocked myself out fixing dinner for 14 people but ordered 2 pecan pies and a cake from an expensive bakery since I didn’t have time to make desserts too.

    Everyone arrived and complimented the table but my sister-in-law pulled me aside and told me their mother had insisted on taking them to a buffet at a restaurant an hour before the time I had set for our dinner.

    Only my husband and our kids ate. Everyone else pushed the food around embarrassedly. I was furious and finally couldn’t hold back. I looked at my mother in law and said I wished she hadn’t taken them out to eat when she knew I was cooking for them.

    Instead of apologizing she giggled and said “My bad.” I’ve never forgotten that smug look on that witch’s face.

    The next time anyone asked me to cook for a holiday I politely said no, we were having a small feast with just the four of us and I stuck with it.

    People who pull that kind of stunt are emotionally stunted and don’t deserve anything from us except contempt.

    USA on the Brink of Chaos: How Americans Are Living the End of the American Dream

    In case you were unaware about how things are going in the United States today.

    Extract of horny 16 year olds

    One of the MANY kinds of music that I enjoy is “Trance”. This is a kind of melodic continuous beat, many times with a female vocalist signing her heart out.

    I was listening to some Trance on you-tube, and thought about it… you know… the pace and the beat of the music lends itself well to porn. No shit!

    So, on a lark, I went to one of the porn sites; xHampster, and spent a minute or two watching the video while the you-tube Trance music played. Sure as shit, I kid you not, the music and the melody absolutely matched the actions of the porn actors and actresses. LOL.

    • Both the men and the woman busy in frenzied (erp) activity…
    • The woman lost in organismic pleasure
    • Periods of bliss

    Like this tune…

    30:20 Giuseppe Ottaviani & Lucid Blue – I Believe

    2023 09 28 10 49
    2023 09 28 10 49

    I think that this is more than just a casual observation. It’s a reflection of the ties to emotional and mental biological attachments relative to our drives.

    Sex is but one of our many, many drives.

    How does the music you listen to reflect your interests and desires?

    I mean if Trance can equate to porn, then what does Country & Western music equate to? What does Classic Rock equate to?

    • Carry on my wayward son
    • Stairway to Heaven
    • Back in Black
    • Black Magic Woman

    It seems to me that David Lee Roth is always singing about prostitutes, and Van Halen roars out about cars…

    Ah.

    …but what about polkas?

    2023 09 28 10 45
    2023 09 28 10 45

    … Vodka drunk aunties, with roses clenched in their teeth, and little kids running all over the stage, eh?

    Music reflects our inner desires, and under certain conditions, they can enhance or suppress them.

    Jazz.

    Pop.

    Banjo

    Todays…

    NATO Planning for 3.5 MILLION to Serve if War With Russia Starts

    World Hal Turner

    In the event of a direct war with Russia, the NATO military bloc will utilize the 300 thousand troops already on the Border with Russia, in the first month.  “NATO will then “attract” up to 3.5 million troops” according to Admiral Rob Bauer, the head of the military committee of the North Atlantic Alliance, .

    Where do they think they’re going to get those 3.5 Million troops?   Why, YOU – and your children — of course!  Ready to go fight and die for the armpit of eastern Europe, Ukraine?

    Admiral Bauer noted that NATO’s new regional defense plans involve further reinforcement on the borders with Russia in case of a possible confrontation.

    “If they attack, we must be ready. So we need more militaries at a high level of readiness, and that’s not something that can be done overnight. They will need training, weapons, ammunition, everything else. Therefore, we are talking about 300 thousand military personnel at a high level of readiness. In total, NATO countries, together with Finland and Sweden, have 3.5 million troops,” said Bauer.

    Rattling sabers will not help. Sooner or later Russia will complete its plans for its new Northern Military District, and NATO knows about this.

    NATO, the clown force defeated by horseback riders from Afghani caves.

    Beef and Mushrooms

    Wild Mushroom and Beef Stew Recipe 5 of 10
    Wild Mushroom and Beef Stew Recipe 5 of 10

    Yield: 4 servings

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 1/4 pounds sirloin steak, cut into 1 inch pieces
    • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
    • 1 (10 ounce) package sliced mushrooms
    • 1 (16 ounce) package frozen pearl onions
    • 2 cups red wine
    • 1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell’s Golden Mushroom soup
    • 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped (optional)

    Instructions

    1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
    2. Season steak with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.
    3. Transfer steak to a bowl and set aside.
    4. Add mushrooms and onions to the pan and cook until liquid has evaporated.
    5. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half, 5 to 6 minutes.
    6. Stir in soup and 1/4 cup water and bring to a boil.
    7. Add steak and its juices from the bowl and simmer, 2 minutes.
    8. Divide into individual bowls and sprinkle with the parsley, if using.

    Trump Latinos – Rich Men North Of Richmond “Official Video”

    Everyone is raging about Washington DC.

    Why is America losing the tech war with China?

    America does not believe in fair competition, Tonya Harding is its role model.

    What has the US done while China is improving?

    NOTHING.

    Just a whole lot of talk, blustering and promises…

    China released new photolithography factory plan, U.S. restrictions will no longer be in effect.

    Oh man this is a very wonderful news, hope it can be made soon and can’t wait to see US semiconductor companies close their doors one by one as no other market can absorb their products … I would say well done USA for digging your own grave yard, very well planned!

    Have you ever been judged by someone solely based on the clothes you were wearing?

    My first “real” marketing job, back in the 80’s, was working in the fragrance division of a world renowned fashion designer. 2x a year, I was given $2,000-$3,000 to go shopping at Bloomingdales buying up the competition’s newest products.

    I learned that if I dressed down, jeans & tees, I could freely shop the dept without sales pressure. I could easily make a list of what I needed to buy Basically, I was ignored and when I tried to get help, I was ignored even more by the seasoned sales people. They would rather talk to each other than help me.

    Eventually, a new or young sales clerk would take pity on me & ask if they could help me. I would hand them my list and watch the delight spread over their face as they mentally calculated their sizeable commission, especially as I pulled out the cash.

    And it was super fun watching the scowls on those that wouldn’t help me, when they saw the size of my purchase. And yes, as I walked out, I said to each one of them “ you had your chance.” Lol

    Are Europeans shocked when they first come to the United States?

    There were only two things that shocked me when I came to the US.

    • The complete lack of maintenance for the infrastructure. I thought Americans loved to drive? So why not spend some money on maintenance. I’ve seen more potholes in 6 days in the Usa, than in my entire life in the Netherlands
    • The way police officers and other other uniformed people behaved. It already started on the airport at border security, all of the guys in uniform acted like they were the most important person in the world and we were just measly worms. Come on, I know you have a job to do, but why can’t you just try to be pollite? If Dutch police officers would behave like that, they would be considered unfit for the job.

    What should we children do with a 91-year-old mother who needs care but refuses to move in with us, let anyone live with her and will not consider nursing home or assisted living?

    You could try doing what my neighbor did 50 years ago. His mother was a stubborn woman from the old country. She won’t consider going to a nursing home having any help in her place etc. she fired several people as soon as they started. So he hired another person and they concocted this plan. He told his mother that this person wanted to rent a room from her and she would pay her every week. But that she was a bit hard up and couldn’t afford the full cost of the rent so in order to get a lower rent she was going to help around the house and other things that might need to be done. So every week the son gave the Aide an extra $50 and the Aide handed the mother the $50 and she gave it to her son to put in the bank. So the Aide started helping around the house and then slowly started with personal care. Pretty soon she was taking full care of the mother and the mother thought she was great and offered a bigger reduction in her “rent” and she told her son that she had a nice tenant who helped her “a little” and it was so much better than having an Aide messing around in her house plus she was earning an extra $50 a week!

    What is the funniest loophole you have ever seen?

    When I was in school, they held a robotics competition.

    It was pretty simple, conceptually. You had to make a firefighting robot. It would have to navigate a maze, find a candle and put it out (fully automated, no remote control). I can’t remember the exact size but I think the robot had to be smaller than 1 foot in length, width, and height.

    Scoring was as follows. You start with your time (how long it takes to search every room and put out the candle), and get deductions (bonus points) if your robot:

    • Put out the candle with anything other than a fan (water, for instance)
    • Searched every room, didn’t just stop at the one with the candle
    • Could separate into parts to search rooms in parallel
    • Was very efficient algorithmically (there were a few benchmarks for this)

    Most entries looked like what you would expect, a bunch of sub-systems. Each one with a specific purpose. A Robot.


    I entered a block of dry ice. It held a simple metal device attached to it.

    It basically just had a spring-powered hammer to shatter it into little pieces when the start timer went (so that it would evaporate faster)

    In seconds the entire maze was filled with a white fog and the candle was definitely out. I had the fastest time by a landslide even before you counted my deductions:

    • Didn’t use a fan? Check
    • Search every room? Check.
    • Separate into parts to put out fires in parallel? Check

    I think I could’ve been the only person in history to ever win a robotics competition without writing a single line of code or soldering a single wire.

    But alas, the judges disqualified me by unanimous vote.

    Aztec Death Whistle | The Scariest Sound You’ve Ever Heard

    What children’s toys have been repurposed for something very un-childlike?

    During the Iraq war, soldiers frequently used Silly String to help detect booby traps.

    Specifically:

    If you were entering a house, a perimeter, any at-risk area, you would stand near the areas, and spray Silly String around the room.

    Wherever the string caught, seeming to hang in the air—was often a tripwire, that was designed to set off a bomb killing all in the immediate vicinity. (Source: Silly String Has a Real Purpose: Exposing Trip Wires. Ferro, Shaunacy)

    Because Silly String is so light, it doesn’t set the wire off. And—you can get Silly String that glows in the dark and is bright. So it has become a popular request from soldiers in the field.

    A woman in New Jersey, whose son was serving, even created a charity and collected 80,000 cans of the stuff to ship over to them.

    New Zealand’s Capital City Is OVER

    What’s the craziest thing you found in the middle of nowhere?

    My parents used to fuss at me so bad about my adventures, mainly because I would bring junk home from the multiple dumpster areas. One in particular was located in the middle of nowhere, which is now a very nice neighborhood. Before this area boomed into what it is now, this particular set of dumpsters was literally rich people stuff from the surrounding lake homes. If Dad told me to take off the trash, I drove the extra few miles down the small road to go to these. Anyways, one day I hit mega jackpot!

    Since these were so remote, nobody ever really used them and they were not picked through. I can tell you we had pickers in the others, because one day I threw a bag in and the dumpster said “hey watch it!”. That was quite the surprise. On this day the stars aligned for me though. As I was emptying Dad’s old truck, my eyes happened to see what I couldn’t believe….a nearly new VCR. Back then dad said he wouldn’t buy one they were just too expensive. This was back in the late 80s when VCRs were literally thousands of dollars, and this one was top of the line too! Somebody must have gotten angry at it, as I could tell it had been bashed. It was lying in a pile of stuff, deep down inside. So I pull the trusty truck up to the door where I could crawl inside. Low and behold it gets even better! Under it was a fairly new Sears stereo system…..like WHAT!!!! This was thousands of dollars of stuff here, and me being 17 I was just overcome with emotion. The cabinet was smashed as someone had just tossed it all in. I didn’t care I was in heaven. I retrieved my prizes and headed home. I was beside myself. When I pulled up to the house, I was so excited I could barely speak. Dad was skeptical. I admit the stuff had been scratched and damaged, but it was complete!

    I understand why someone threw it out. The VCR ate tapes more than it played them. At 17 though, my skills as a repair person were developing. What happened was the rubber was not staying on the wheel that drove the tape, it was slipping. Gluing the rubber to the wheel solved the problem. The stereo was way more complicated to fix. It only had one side that was working, the left channel. The right was dead. It took me some time to figure it all out, but with help from the neighbor down the street (who had a Commodore 64 controlling his whole house) we were able to get it repaired. It was a burned up circuit on the board. I held on to that stereo and VCR for years, until it became totally obsolete and I finally placed it for recycling. My roommate for college was utterly shocked with the electronics I had. He couldn’t figure out how someone who barely worked could afford such high end stuff. He was even more miffed when I said I literally got it for free. I was always scared he was going to steal it too.

    What was the most satisfying lie you caught someone in?

    I ran a company for years and I told my employees that I expected them at work every day unless they were truly sick or had something that had to me taken care of.

    I paid well and took good care of my people. One day, a guy named Tommy called in sick. Later in the day, I had to go look at a job on a part of town I’d never been in. As I drove, there was a group of guys in a yard drinking beer. Tommy was there with them. I waved as I drove by, and the look on his face was priceless.

    I had a car phone which was rare back then. Tommy called after a bit and I told him his check would be ready on Friday.

    Later, his wife called and asked me to give him one more chance that this was the best job he’d ever had and that their family was more secure than they’d ever been.

    I let him come to a staff meeting and stand up and tell everyone what he’d done. I passed out slips of paper to everyone and let them vote. Stay or fired. They wrote, folded the papers and put them in a hat as it went around.

    Most voted to let him stay. I did and he was a great employee from then on. I think it made a strong impression on all of the crews and I’m glad I gave him another chance. If his wife had not called, he would never have gotten the second chance.

    Shopping at One of the Last Open Kmart’s Before it Closes Forever! Westwood NJ

    Signs of America.

    When my mother started to suffer from dementia.

    I was in that position. It’s not an uncommon position to be in.

    My mother was living alone and had early dementia. While not 91, she needed help and someone to talk with. And she was slowly losing it. She was in her late 70’s and had cancer. She lived in a big “Manor” house about an hours drive out of Pittsburgh, PA.

    My sister lived the next town over and didn’t want to have anything to do with her. Instead, she wanted to put her in a care-home for aged people, and then take over her estate. Which was really selfish, and rude, but her husband was / is a self-centered bastard, so what can you expect.

    My other sister lived a five hour drive away, and while she wanted to do something, it really wasn’t possible. She had her own business, and was busy. She could visit maybe once a month, but that was it.

    My younger brother lived in Colorado, had his own business and couldn’t do anything.

    And I, well, I was living in Boston, MA at the time. I was working as the VP of an International automotive electronics company, and I (as the oldest) was faced with the task on what to to. My brother and older sister discussed the matter with me and none of us wanted to put here in a “home”. So it was really up to me.

    I quit my job.

    Packed up all my belongings, and moved into the “Carriage House” (a caretaker building) on the property. Technically, I didn’t live in the house, but I was with her every day. We shared meals together. I took care of the property, and drove her to her medical appointments and kept an eye on her.

    I did this for three years.

    Then on Easter day, she got really tired. She couldn’t eat dinner with all of us. Instead she just sat in the kitchen, unable to move. We ate, and talked and then we carefully helped her to the couch in the TV room.

    We put on a rental movie, and watched it together. She closed her eyes and went to sleep. Everyone else left, and that night, I sat beside her writing e-mails to my girlfriend in China.

    She never woke up.

    And I, well, I sat beside her all night, and into the next afternoon. Hospice came. We moved her into a bed in the TV room. She laid there.

    And I sat beside her.

    I was there beside her as she passed on.

    You can either be a man and take responsibility for your family, or not. I took responsibility, and those three years with my mother were very special to me. Treasures. Really.

    After she passed on, a new chapter opened up in my life.

    And that is what life is all about…

    高速道路に捨てられた子猫、不器用な女性が持ち帰る | とても幸せでした

    https://youtu.be/WynzVlff9iQ

    How much will Apple, Qualcomm, and other U.S. tech companies have to lower their costs in order to compete with Chinese tech companies?

    Lowering costs?

    That’s not the US Style isn’t it?

    When has a Company in US ever lowered its retail costs to compete fairly?

    The Answer is NEVER

    At least not since the 1970s


    Japanese cars and steel threatened to swamp out the US overpriced cars in the 1980s

    You had the PLAZA ACCORDS to destroy the Japanese export market for two decades

    Tik Tok has a huge market in US and threatens every Big Tech Giant and their applications

    It became a National security threat

    Huawei became a major competition for Apple globally and looked poised with their innovation to eclipse Apple by 2025

    It became a National Security Threat and was hit with every commercial sanction in the book

    Chinese Electric vehicles threaten to dominate the world market by 2025

    Bang!!!! European Parliament decides to look into anti dumping and raise tariffs. After all, it became a National Security Threat.


    The fact is these guys haven’t properly competed with any rival for more than five decades

    I mean the West of course

    They have a four way formula to keep skirting around competition:-

    • Powerful Brand Image and Billions of Dollars in advertising and marketing
    • Powerful Lobby Groups in US and powerful political forces to throttle any competition outside the Western Bloc plus Japan using the ‘National Security Threat’
    • Political manouvering to use Tariffs, Sanctions and vague Export controls to throttle foreign competition
    • Outright buying up of opposition through voluntary or involuntary acquisitions

    In short ‘BULLYBOY TACTICS’

    India does the exact same thing, so do most democracies these days

    Dr Singh wanted multiple entities to set up mobile services in India to develop fair competition and lowering the prices

    33 to be exact

    Instead we set up mock bribery charges and wiped out the entire plan and established a Cartel


    So the US and it’s lackeys will never play fair economics

    They will talk about it of course until kingdom come

    Tomorrow if China decides to ban Iphones for 50 people, they will shriek and scream about ‘Laissez Faire’ and ‘Free market’

    Yet these demented fools will never see that they are doing worse. They have been brainwashed into believing they are the good guys.


    The only way to defeat them is the Chinese way which involves simply innovating, lowering costs and establishing markets wherever possible in the Global South especially BRI countries where Chinas influence exceeds the West and their influence

    And slowly keep your cards close to your chest and use some of the same protection tactics that the West adopts and cut off their products from your market threatening a SCORCHED EARTH POLICY.

    Or have you forgotten what and how the United States treated Huawei?

    8 Forgotten Restaurant Chains We Need Back!


    If the US dumps chips in the Chinese market at very low prices, how will the Chinese government react?

    My wife works for a big logistics company in China. When the US sanctions hit, DHL withheld some Huawei equipments in their European warehouses for American investigation. This totally set Huawei off and prompted the company to look for domestic alternatives. My wife says their service is worse and more expensive than DHL, in fact totally incomparable in Europe, but after the episode Huawei was just never going to trust DHL again. Thanks to the money Huawei keep throwing their way these past few years, they’ve been able to grow and expand in Europe, becoming more respectable. At this very monent she’s on a business trip in Europe to open a new office for their newly acquired Dutch subsidiary and the inauguration of a new cargo airline.

    This is just one very narrow and personal peek into the consequences of the trade war, but I think it’s a window into other areas like chips as well.

    American chips were good and cheap and flooded the Chinese market before the tech war, in fact they still do, so Chinese domestic chip makers just couldn’t grow. In 1997 Chinese ministry of education downright cut the semiconductor major in universities, probably believing such majors to be unnecessary since cheap American chips are readily available and Chinese companies just weren’t making them so graduates couldn’t find jobs.

    The chip war has changed that. Now semiconductor is the hottest major in China and new Chinese engineers are filling up new Chinese chip start ups. If the US drops the sanctions and flood the Chinese market again now, it will still have tarnished its reputation as a reliable supplier, and we have an entire nation, if not more, wary of the potential of American political untrustworthiness disrupting supply lines. Just like Huawei refuses to use DHL despite its service being better and cheaper, allowing for my wife’s company to grow and maybe one day take on DHL, some Chinese companies will just not trust American chips again, despite them being cheap or not, leaving room for domestic chip business to grow.

    Cambodian Girl Surprises Me With Kindness in Phnom Penh

    Fun and interesting video.

    https://youtu.be/uXv6qrcGGhw

    Have you ever witnessed an objection at a wedding?

    As an attorney, I had someone served with an involuntary bankruptcy at his wedding.

    He had refused to pay both child and spousal support for years. He worked for his daddy and claimed he wasn’t making any money. Almost everything he owned was in someone else’s name, except for the house.

    He drove expensive cars, had a boat, a couple of quads and dressed in very upscale clothing.

    He would eat at the finest restaurants and travel all over the world.

    Yet his ex-wife could hardly put food on the table for herself and her children, who were his children also.

    I filed an involuntary bankruptcy against him to get the equity in the house to pay for the support.

    He kept dodging my process server. His car would be at his work, but they would claim he was not there. Same at home, his car would be there, but his girlfriend would claim he was not home.

    I spent about six months trying to get him served, when his children (the ones he refused to support) got an invitation to his wedding.

    I had my process server dress as a delivery lady, with a big gift-wrapped box. Someone at the door said they would take the gift, but the process server told them that the gift was so special, it had to be delivered to the man personally.

    He came to the door, the process server opened the box and, “Mr. So-and-so, you have been served.” He blew a cork and started screaming at the process server using every cuss word you could imagine.

    I found out later that he was served just as the wedding was about to start.

    During one of the court proceedings, he told the judge that I ruined his wedding and his honeymoon, to which I replied that was OK because he had ruined his children’s lives.

    Daddy came up with the money for the back support and my attorney fees. I also got a lien on the house for all future support payments. I then dismissed the bankruptcy.

    I really dislike anyone who will not support their own children, especially when they have the ability to do so.

    I consider this to be one of my finest cases.

    Shanghai Has Changed Forever Since The Lockdown

    A dated video. But gives you an idea bout the feeling at that time.

    What is the most British thing ever?

    I arrived at a very old and very prestigious school for a job interview as a teacher. The first thing I thought upon arrival was “Oh my God! This place is way outside my comfort zone.” It looked just so venerable and posh. Much of the building was Tudor (1547ish) and extensively re-modelled in Victorian gothic. It was imposing and intimidating as a potential workplace.

    But then I walked into the school office and Reception and there on the Reception desk was a letter “In-Tray” with a huge ginger Tom Cat curled up alseep in it. I thought that “only in a very old, very British, very eccentric school that was very sure of itself would a cat be sleeping in the Reception Desk in-tray.”

    The cat was called Henry and he had the run of the whole school and everyone loved him.

    Anyway, I got the job and was ringing round various companies to acquire new equipment for my Technology lab. One company I wished to use had no supply contract with the school and so I was asked by their representative on the phone to set up a credit account. The conversation went like this:

    “We will need some business credentials for your company in order to set up the credit account”

    “Yes of course; what do you need to know?”

    “Firstly, how long has your business be operating?”

    “Four hundred and seventy-five years”

    “Ah. I don’t think there will be any problem setting you up with a credit account”.

    The De-Civilization of America | Victor Davis Hanson

    A calm voice of reality.

    What did you find out about your teacher that shocked you?

    When I was in 3rd grade, there was a class bully by the name of Chris. My cousin Ryan was also in the class, and we were buddies. One day Chris decided to pick on my cousin. Incensed, I punched Chris in the face and knocked him clean out of his chair.

    Horrified by what I had done, I quickly turned to see if the teacher had seen. She hadn’t. She had her back to the class writing on the chalk board and had missed the whole thing. I was so relieved. I attended a private school that employed corporal punishment and I was so sure I was going to get paddled.

    I found out years later from my parents that she had actually seen the whole thing and had quickly turned to the board to hide her huge smile. She had been aching to punch Chris herself for months.

    Chris never bothered me or my cousin again.

    Constitution 101 | Lecture 1

    Learn the meaning of the Constitution and the principles of American government in this new version of Hillsdale’s most popular course. Visit hillsdale.edu/con101 to begin your course today.

    What was the strangest thing you found cleaning out your parents’ house after they died?

    Two things – not necessarily strange, just quirky. My father died quite unexpectedly of an aneurysm over a decade ago. He had a terrific sense of humor, and an awful gold and tan plaid sports jacket from the 70s. My mom had begged him to get rid of it for years, but no. He even wore it to my best friend’s wedding, insisting she’d find it funny. She did. When I got to it in the closet, I wasn’t sure I could give it away, but I checked the pockets anyway. Each pocket held 13 crisp $100 bills – $3900 total.

    The other item was inside a puzzle box I had given him many years prior. It was the kind where you had to tap on one section, twist another, etc. in a specific order to get it open. I heard something inside when I shook it. Took me almost an hour to get it open to find his neatly written recipe for barbecue sauce.

    Gosh, I miss him!

    9 Things Your Cat Does for You Without You Knowing

    What’s something a doctor did to you that you won’t ever forget?

    I am disabled and I see a psychiatrist, as required by disability.

    My doctor was the only one in town who accepted medicare/medicaid. He accepted me as his patient when I went for my first appointment. We got on well right away. Over the years, he has helped me along my journey to better mental health. I have had to change medications quite a few times. Sometimes they stopped working. Sometimes the side effects were too bad, or they didn’t help at all. Each time, he listened to me describe my thoughts on the medications. He worked with me and offered different solutions in order to find the best fit for me. I sincerely like and respect my psychiatrist.

    I had an appointment one afternoon, and at the end of our session, he told me that he wasn’t going to be accepting medicare/medicaid patients any more. My heart sank, because this meant either forking over cash, or driving to another town to see a psychiatrist.

    Then he told me that he had decided to keep a handful of his medicare/medicaid patients and see them pro-bono. He said that I was one of those patients.

    So now I have a doctor who sees me regularly, fills out paper work to the satisfaction of disability people, and prescribes my medications and monitors how they are working for me. And he does it without charging me a dime.

    My income is small. This is an enormous benefit to me. I can’t thank him enough. I’m proud to know a charitable person who silently helps people with no expectation of gaining anything from it. If my situation changes, I will be glad to start paying him to see me, even if it hurts my pocketbook.

    1980s Things That Are Not Socially Acceptable Today

    https://youtu.be/Apmq2Ktyd1I

    What did you find out about your teacher that shocked you?

    My 8th grade PE teacher was tall, black, muscular, and pretty terrifying. His wife came by class one day; she was white, plump, mid height, and sweet. I’d never seen a mixed race couple before and was a little shocked. (It wasn’t that I didn’t like the idea; I had zero exposure to mixed race anything in a nearly all white neighborhood.) What was more shocking was she took none of his shit. He barked at her like he barked at us and she told him to settle down. She instantly became my hero. They loved each other a lot, that was obvious. I never thought twice about mixed race couples again.

    I was at McDonald’s and I noticed that customers were choosing to wait in line to order with the cashier, instead of using the available kiosks. Why do you think that is?

    Yep. Our local McDonalds recently completed their renovation, which includes the new kiosks. I walked in and noticed the kiosks, but went straight to the cash register.

    The manager asked me to please use the kiosk. I said no thank you. She said, we’re trying to get all of our customers to use them. Again, I said no thanks. She got really huffy and stopped what she was doing at the french fry station and turned to me and said, why won’t you use them?

    I said, “I didn’t come here this morning to do your job. You want me to take an order, then pay me.” That stopped her. She came and took my order.

    While she was taking my order I explained, “To use your kiosk, I have to make multiple selections, and each one requires that I choose between many options. I don’t want to do that. I just want a breakfast sandwich and a coffee. I can tell you that in one simple sentence. I don’t have to pick through multiple screens of options of things I don’t want.”

    That’s why you won’t ever see me at the kiosk.

    “We Can’t Be Afraid Of Nuclear War!” Says Sean Penn

    The world is populated by idiots.

    EU may become as hooked on China batteries as it was on Russian energy

    EU could become as dependent on China for lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells by 2030 as it was on Russia for energy before the Ukrosia war unless it takes strong measures.

    Worried by China’s growing global assertiveness and economic weight, the leaders will discuss the European Commission’s proposals to reduce the risk of Europe being too dependent on China and the need diversify towards Africa and Latin America.

    While the EU has a strong position in the intermediate and assembly phases of making electrolysers, with a more than 50% global market share, it relies heavily on China for fuel cells and lithium-ion batteries crucial for electric vehicles.

    According to the European Commission, in 2021, the year before Ukrosia war, the EU took more than 40% of its total gas consumption, 27% of oil imports and 46% of coal imports from Russia.

    Ending most energy purchases from Russia caused an energy price shock in the EU and a surge in consumer inflation, forcing the European Central Bank to sharply raise interest rates in a move that has curbed economic growth.

    Lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells were not the only area of EU vulnerability.

    A similar scenario could unfold in the digital-tech space. Forecasts suggest that the demand for digital devices such as sensors, drones, data servers, storage equipment and data transmission networks will rise sharply in this decade.

    The EU has a relatively strong position in the latter, but it shows significant weaknesses in the other areas.

    By 2030, this foreign dependency could seriously hinder the productivity gains that the European industry and service sector urgently require and could impede the modernization of agriculture systems essential to addressing climate change.

    China Ignores the US & Deepens its Ties with Russia!

    China Creates world’s most powerful RADAR Chip


    Article HERE
    Amid US tech sanctions, Chinese scientists say they made the world’s most powerful radar chip

    New semiconductor performs at orders of magnitude higher than similar power-amplifying chips in most existing radar systems, says Chinese team

    It uses gallium nitride despite export bans by the US government blocking high powered gallium-based semiconductors to China

    A research team with a major Chinese defence company says it has built a radar chip with a record power output using semiconductor technology that is the subject of strict US sanctions.
    The finger-sized chip can generate radar signals with peak power reaching 2.4 kilowatts. It is one or two orders of magnitude higher than the performance of similar power-amplifying chips in most existing radar systems.

    This after China banns the export of Gallium to NATO countries.

    INDY

    Posted by: Dr. George W Oprisko | Sep 20 2023 20:28 utc | 29

    Expats Share Their American Trauma After Living Abroad

    Americans has PTSD.

    Why is China a threat to the United States?

    American foreign policy is based around “security”. But our notion of “security” does not distinguish between a possible threat and an actual threat. If it could possibly be a threat, then we treat it as if it’s threatening us right now. We dominate the North American continent; that’s not secure enough, so we establish military bases in Europe; that’s not secure enough, so more bases in Asia; that’s not secure enough, so take over space. In fifty years, we’ll probably be trying to colonize Mars to forestall the “threat” of somebody else getting to it first (that’s a little joke). To get an idea of how American foreign policy works, imagine a psychopathic Uncle Sam, staring at some small country with creepy twitching eyes, and saying, “You’re threatening me” while reaching for a knife.

    There is a thing called nuclear primacy. Suppose that you can attack another country with nuclear weapons and destroy the whole country without the possibility of retaliation. The United States can do this to any nation on the planet, except for Russia. If Russia’s arsenal degrades to the point where it can no longer retaliate, then the United States has nuclear primacy, meaning the ability to destroy anyone without consequence. Total impunity.

    There is another thing called full spectrum dominance, which is similar to nuclear primacy, except for every single dimension of warfare, not just nuclear weapons. Domination of land, air, sea, cyber warfare, everything. The United States has this over most other countries. There are a few exceptions, though. China is one. The stated intention of American military policy is to achieve full spectrum dominance over any possible opponent. Total control.

    When Washington describes China as a threat, they mean that China may one day be a country that the United States can’t dominate completely with zero consequences. The chances of this are quite small and remote, but higher than zero. That makes China a “threat”, in the way that Washington uses the word. So we have to remove the “threat” by ham-stringing China, preferably by partitioning them.

    Which brings me to my next point: divide-and-rule is a strategy as old as empire. Western countries excel at it. The idea is to take someone else’s country and break it apart into many smaller countries. We call this “partitioning”. Partitioning weakens your enemy by destroying their unity. But partition is a nasty, aggressive word, and Washington likes to frame all of its actions as just and defensive. So instead of partitioning, we say we’re “decolonizing” other countries. We don’t want to dominate Russia and China by partitioning them. No, see, they’re the evil imperialists, so we’re going to decolonize them, tee-hee! We’re the good guys!

    This last requires a lot of propaganda to frame our enemies as “colonizers”. So we take lands that have been Chinese for centuries and claim that the Chinese are evil colonizers for having those lands. Of course, we’re also evil colonizers, but that’s okay because I started with a land acknowledgment. This is also why you hear Western intellectuals say things like, “China has never been truly unified” and “There is no continuous Chinese civilization”. This is manufacturing a justification for partitioning China a few decades down the line. Or perhaps sooner than that…

    What I fear is that American hubris will suck us into a Thucydides trap. What if we decide that it’s intolerable for us not to control the world? What if we decide that World War Three is a better option? Because those are the only two options Washington sees as viable: total domination, or apocalypse.

    Don’t get me wrong, by the way. I love my country. But the America I love is 4th of July parades, cookouts, and deer jerky. The America that glasses a small Middle Eastern country so some guy at Raytheon can get a new yacht — that America I don’t love.

    Record Treasury Dump

    If ASML cannot sell to China, how did they sell a huge order in September?

    It’s very complicated

    It seems the Dutch Government has forbidden ASML to sell EUVs to SMIC from 1/9/23

    Yet orders placed until 23:59 on 31/8/23 can be shipped and fulfilled.

    So technically ASML can ship orders to SMIC upto the time the last order placed on 31/8/23 is fulfilled

    That’s for 21 EUV Machines & 1850 DUV Machines

    In September, ASML has delivered 4 EUV Machines & 390 DUV Machines


    Meanwhile there is another legal complication

    SMIC has now introduced a Distributor company who can buy EUVs from ASML and simply sell them to SMIC for a 10% commission (10% is just an example)

    Now the Dutch order said only SMIC was forbidden from receiving ASML EUVs so ASML has also accepted 8 more orders for EUVs from this distributor

    Technically Dutch Govt cannot specifically forbid ASML from selling to China as a whole as that is a major WTO violation

    So they can only blacklist importers

    So China can keep bringing up new distributors and placing orders and ASML is happy because TSMC has cancelled 24 Machines recently and i am sure China offered full price for the machines


    Ultimately MONEY TALKS

    Once again the US is furious but again it’s all about the legalese now

    SMIC is forbidden so an agency buys and sells to SMIC

    The Dutch look the other way of course

    ASML is delighted because they sell more machines


    My guess is this new agency will be blacklisted soon and they will incorporate more laws to prevent such measures

    Yet that gets China another 8 machines plus a further 24 machines which I bet China will place as they are already in process

    This means SMIC technically can make 7 nm and 5 nm Chips in decent quantities at least till 2026/2027

    By then they should crack some breakthrough

    So China has gained TIME and the Dutch have put business ahead of stupidity

    Just like NVDIA and Intel just sold products to China which were slightly off the specs in huge numbers

    Economics is ultimately invincible

    Reality

    Beef Medallions with Cognac Sauce

    Beef Medallions wCognac Sauce
    Beef Medallions wCognac Sauce

    Yield: 2 servings

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
    • 1/4 cup chopped shallots
    • 1 teaspoon (packed) brown sugar
    • 1 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
    • 1/2 cup canned beef broth
    • 1/2 cup Cognac or brandy
    • 1/4 cup whipping cream
    • 2 (4 to 5 ounce) beef tenderloin steaks (each about 1 inch thick)
    • Fresh Chives

    Instructions

    1. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat.
    2. Add shallots and sauté until tender, about 4 minutes.
    3. Add brown sugar; stir 1 minute.
    4. Add chicken broth, beef broth and Cognac. Simmer until sauce is reduced to 1/2 cup, about 20 minutes.
    5. Add cream. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)
    6. Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper.
    7. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat.
    8. Add steaks; cook to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for rare.
    9. Transfer steaks to plates.
    10. Add sauce to skillet; bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits.
    11. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
    12. Slice steaks; fan slices on plates.
    13. Top with sauce and garnish with chives.

    Notes

    Serve Cabernet Sauvignon with the steaks.

    The cost of living in Chiang Mai, Thailand 2023. Retire in Thailand affordably – live in Chiang Mai!

    The rest of the world is a great IMPROVEMENT over that of the “good ol’ USA”.

    What is the smallest thing a person ever did for you that impacted your life?

    When my daughters were babies/toddlers, I/we used to have to walk to the supermarket and back to get our groceries for the week. Most of the time, this went alright. It was a bit of a juggling act and it always stressed me out on the way home, but it was also nice to get out with them without my then husband.

    Anyhow, one day we’re really struggling to get home. My oldest didn’t want to walk and I couldn’t carry them both and the bags etc, so we’re doing everything the hardest way possible. The only way possible. Then a lady, a bit older than myself, stopped me and told me to ‘wait right there please”. I was completely confused, but thought maybe she was going to get her car or something? Who knew. I was exhausted, my kids were too, so we waited and I thought I was an idiot for waiting.

    Then she came back, with a double stroller. Not some glamorous kind, nothing with all the bells and whistles and not brand new, but one that I could use as a buggy or as a stoller. I could put one of my kids in it and still have room behind them for bags, or put both kids in.. or neither kid and lay the front seat down. Anyways, it was perfect for us and I could’ve cried and kissed that lady. She kept saying she didn’t need it anymore and it wasn’t a big deal, but it was a huge deal for us. I offered to pay her or do something, but she wouldn’t hear of it. I’ll never forget her generosity or how much she helped us.

    RUSSIAN SUPERMARKET TOUR! 🇷🇺 0,2$ BREAD and 0,2$ POTATO

    Piles of pork

    When I was out of my “retirement” from Arkansas, I was permitted to live in my home State in my home town, provided I had a sponsor.

    This could be an ex-wife, a friend, a family member, or a civic institution.

    Well, my ex-wife wanted to take me in, but she was diagnosed as “mentally ill”, and did not quality.

    I only had two friends remaining back in the home town where I grew up. One was dead, and the other was in Jail.

    My father agreed to take me in, but his (new) wife … my step-mother kicked me out.

    So, I need a place to stay, and I was placed in a rehab complex for addicts, people with mental illnesses, and other issues. Initially, I stayed at a monastery, but eventually, I moved to a community that wasn’t so isolated, and I managed a group home there.

    There was some six of us men living in an old Victoria style home, and working at low wage jobs to get back on our feet. We shared the budget and the responsibilities together, and it really wasn’t a bad deal.

    I want to relate a story from that time.

    We all agreed to pitch in $100 to $300 a month for food, and in so doing we would have a monthly run to the supermarket for supplies.

    We sat down, and wrote what to buy, which consisted of vegetables, fruits, meats, eggs, breads… you know the basics with an emphasis on “make it yourself” rather than “frozen; pop in the microwave food”. Staples. Rice. Corn. Tomatoes. Flour. Butter. Cooking oil. Things like that.

    We gave the list and the money to one of our housemates. This fellow was a “strange cat”, but you know, all of us were a bit odd, don’t you know.

    And off he went.

    When he returned, he arrived without the groceries he was supposed to buy. Instead, had something like $800 worth of pork chops, and three cases of diet Pepsi. Nothing else. And he laughed about it.

    He argued that the money was his; his responsibility, and that he could do anything he wanted with it. And he wanted pork chops.

    Well, I like pork chops as much as the next guy, but not at the expense of salads, orange juice, eggs, toast, butter, and spaghetti. Not at the dearth of cereals, milk, asparagus, peppers, spaghetti noodles, and rolls. Not at the expense of coffee, and sugar. Not at the expense of peanut butter, and salad dressing.

    He had quite the smug look on his face, and laughed. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, behind our backs, he related to everyone how crestfallen I was, and the others in the house was.

    Bummed us all out, and I was pretty damn pissed. What the Hell was I going to eat?

    After talking with the head of the organization we held a in-house meeting.

    Long story short; yeah, we kicked him out.

    I was nice about it, and I helped move him out.

    However, I learned a serious lesson. Never underestimate what a crazy, or mentally deficient person is capable of of. He was obviously selfish, narcissistic, and had no sense of belonging.

    So we removed him.

    This type of action, I believe, must be replicated at the highest levels of “leadership” in the collective Western nations. Don’t you know.

    Today…

    Blue Cheese Stuffed Steaks

    2023 09 23 11 31
    2023 09 23 11 31

    Yield: 4 servings

    Ingredients

    • 4 beef tenderloin steaks
    • 2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
    • 4 teaspoons crumbled blue cheese
    • 4 teaspoons plain low fat yogurt
    • 2 teaspoons minced onion
    • Dash of white pepper
    • 1 large clove garlic, halved
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
    • 2 teaspoons chopped parsley

    Instructions

    1. Combine cream cheese, blue cheese, yogurt, onion and pepper; reserve.
    2. Rub each side of beef steaks with garlic.
    3. Place steaks on rack in broiler pan so surface of meat is 2 to 3 inches from heat. Broil for 5 to 6 minutes.
    4. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt.
    5. Turn and broil for 3 to 4 minutes.
    6. Season with remaining salt.
    7. Top each steak with an equal amount of reserved cheese mixture.
    8. Broil for an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
    9. Garnish with parsley.

    What is the best case of “You just picked a fight with the wrong person” that you’ve witnessed?

    I was just 18, and working part-time at a local gas station, a Merit gas, with the little fishbowl in the middle of the pumps. I was in nursing school, so worked a couple nights a week.

    Now, let me preface this by saying I was not by any means raised to be shy and retiring. My dad was streetwise, and made sure we were too. I knew how to defend myself and was not worried about working nights.

    One night about 2am this drunk comes in, puts two crumpled up ones in the drawer, and says “put 20 on pump 3”. I yelled that he had only given me $2 but he was too far gone. I made a note of the make and model of his car, and was going to call the police about him as he was absolutely sloshed.

    He comes back to the drawer and says “It only took 2$. Gimme my change”.

    I explained that I did not get 20 from him.

    He went back to his car and came back with a tire iron, and started to try to smash the windows. I pushed the alarm, then left the booth with a chain wrench in my hand.

    image 104
    image 104

    Very useful as a weapon if you know how to use it, and I did. At least, I figured I did.

    I went to him as he smashed the windows, and yelled some obscenities…. he turned on me with the tire iron. Just as I caught his hand with the chain wrench, and pulled the tire iron out, 4 motorcycles pulled in.

    They were fully patched 1%-ers, members of a well-known motorcycle club not known overall for their sense of patience with morons.

    One of the guys walked up to the drunk and said “what’s your beef?” and the drunk said “she kept my change!” I said “He gave me $2, he thought it was 2 tens, it was 2 ones”. Just then the drunk grabbed his tire iron and swung at me, but was so drunk he hit MC-Man 1. MC-Man proceeded to punch the man even more senseless than he was.

    While MC Man 2 peed in his car, MC Man 3 went into the guy’s wallet and took out his driver’s license.

    Just then, Drunk man gets up, and tries to hit MC Man 1. Next I know, the drunk is naked and upside down in a trash bin; he was wearing only his shoes, which had their laces tied together. MC-Men are busting a seam laughing.

    Just then the Police showed up, and seemed disappointed when I explained it was not the bikers who were the problem, but the upside down naked man who had attacked me, smashed the windows, etc. The MC Men helpfully gave their version of events, with four-part harmony focused on how they had been as abused and brutalised, being as defenseless as they were, as I was.

    The Police dragged off upside down naked man, and MC Man 3 said “I found his wallet, this fell out” and handed the cop his driver’s license.

    Just as he was being escorted to the cruiser, he spat on one of the bikes, and was accidentally tripped by the bike’s owner, and landed right on his face. He was filth-fouling his way all the way to the cruiser. The cop told the guy he would turn him over to the bikers if he didn’t shut the f_ up. That seemed to sink in, and he went calmly from there… until the cops said a tow truck was taking the car.

    Upside down drunk yelled “You C—t” at me through the open cruiser window (there were bars) but as one of his teeth came flying out when he did, it was actually kind of funny.

    After the cop left, I told the bikers they could fill up on me, whatever they needed, oil, gas, cigs, anything. MC Man 1 said “No, trust me, we can pay for our own stuff, and after all the fun you don’t owe us anything….” and they proceeded to use the guy’s own tire iron to smash the glass in his car.

    It wound up in court, the guy was sent to jail for a year and ordered to pay for damages.

    All 4 MC Men were called as witnesses. They showed up clean shaven, in nice suits, looking like they had walked out of a Wall Street firm, and spoke about how afraid they were of “that violent man”.

    You could just see they enjoyed it.

    He complained in court that someone kept breaking his car’s windscreen… the Judge actually said “you better think better who you pick fights with, but I suspect after you’ve paid your debt to society, you might find your windscreen lasts a bit longer. Right gentlemen?” The MC Men just laughed…

    While standing in line at a grocery store, what was the most arrogant display you have ever seen?

    I, like a few others, was patiently waiting in line on an early Friday nite in a little village on top of a mountain. The pompous guy behind me, dressed in the full attire as dictated by his religion, evidently thought that by hitting me in with his cart, I would be so indebted to him that I would give him my spot.

    The first time he hit me, I turned around and asked him not to do that again. He waited a minute and then hit me again with his cart. When I confronted him again, he said “women in my religion know their place and it is behind all men”. I laughed and loudly said “and in my country, women know that they don’t have to stand behind any asshole”.

    Needless to say, he hit me again. This time I said “ you’re right. You belong in front of me. Just back up your cart so I can back out my cart so you can get in frin of me”. So after he backed up his cart, I grabbed his cart and shoved it down an aisle….he had to chase after it and was pissed.

    The other customers all laughed including an off duty cop. When the asshole threatened to hurt me, the off duty cop arrested him and escorted him out.

    I understood that his religion required him to be home by sundown. Had he asked me nicely, I would have let him in front of me. But when my first contact with him is him deliberately hitting me, he can wait your turn. If observing the tenets of his religion was that important to him, he should have gone shopping earlier.

    The assault charge was dropped and he was banned from the grocery store, which happened to be the only one in a 15 mile radius, off the mountaintop

    If the US has such a bad healthcare system, why are 4 of the 5 best hospitals in the world located in the US?

    I remember when I was a young man, still largely broke but I wanted to get into PCs because while I understood computers very well and had years of experience on them, it was experience on Commodores, Ataris, Apples, and even z80 based systems. But at that point, the writing was on the wall, and it was clear the IBM PC standard with DOS/Win was winning decisively and the PC XTs I had access to, couldn’t run…

    So anyway, PCs were not cheap, so I went with building my own. When I was done with the initial build, it was, like our health care system, a frankenstein’s monster. It had a slowish motherboard 286–12mhz, the best sound card at the time(original soundblaster), and an 8bit VGA card which was very middle of the road at the time. It had a 40MB hard drive which was quite decent at the time. It was good enough that I could run Dos/Win, at least enough to gain familiarity with it and sell my knowledge to employers. Which was the point.

    However, it was not a good system. It was nobody’s first, second, or third choice of system. but it had a couple of good parts. There was no better sound card at the time, the hard drive wasn’t the top drive available, but was considered among the better ones available.

    It was, like our health care system, a collection of best I could do at the time compromises to achieve an objective, but unlike our healthcare system, it did achieve its objective. It enabled me to get into higher paying jobs(hell, that whole trajectory launched my pretty decent career), which I promptly used to upgrade the lesser parts to the point that it ended up a pretty damned good system.

    A few world class hospitals in a nation of 360 million people does not make the system good, anymore than my good sound card and good hard drive made my computer system good. They were positives of it, to be sure, but it was not a very good system as a whole.

    A system is a collection of parts that work together, by definition, and the quality of it is determined by the overall quality of all the parts and most importantly – How well they work together to achieve the objective of the overall system. Our health care system is not very good, overall, despite that it has some quality parts here and there.

    They’re making him a HOOD LEGEND

    After former US President Donald Trump turned himself in to Fulton County Jail in Georgia, the Trump Mugshot went viral on social media. But now it appears the Republican POTUS is actually gaining massive support in the most unexpected ways. Which could lead to an epic backfire for the Democrats and the liberal news media.

    What is the rudest thing a guest has done in your house while paying you a visit? Are you still friends?

    A dinner guest picked away at the back of one of my mahogany dining room chairs and lifted a piece of the scrollwork decorations carved in the back of the chair next to her that her husband was sitting in.

    When she finally succeeded in picking it off, she placed it on the table and acted like she didn’t realize what she had done, and done deliberately. She started saying “oh they don’t make furniture like they used to”, she was so sorry, blah, blah. Yeah, right, my solid mahogany Pennsylvania House dining room set was cheaply made.

    It killed me to say “oh that’s ok, I’ll take care of it” like a good hostess as I attempted to retrieve the piece she had gouged out so I could glue it back in later, but she kept flipping it around in her fingers like it was a toy. I finally told her to give me the piece of wood so I could use it to attempt a repair. She acted offended at my request and to my tone of voice.

    Never invited her back, but she went to the same church I did. Her name was Sondra and she would get really agitated with anyone who pronounced her name as Sandra. So of course everytime I saw her from then on I called her Sandra instead of Sondra. Many, many times. Petty I know, but I didn’t care. Still don’t.

    When did you find out your spouse loves you even more than you thought?

    Mike taught me real selfless love time and time again.

    • When my parents learned about him they took my phone and almost all means of communication, treated me like garbage and threatened me with many things. They came to me and said “you’re an idiot if you think he’ll still be with you after things got serious. He was just toying with you”. I just had to rely on my faith in him. And one month later he was in Kuwait to see me and my family.
    • When I was hospitalized for my mental breakdown he called everyone in my family and constantly asked about me.
    • He paid thousands and thousands of dollars to come visit me every couple of months and for all the attorneys trying to bring us back together.
    • When we were looking up all sort of solutions to reunite. He seriously said “what if I bring you to NewYork then drive from Ontario to there everyday to spend the night with you?”. I was flabbergasted and told him “you would do that?”, he said “of course I would. That way I’ll get to see you everyday”. And I was astonished but told him I would hate that sort of situation.
    • When he said he’s looking for other jobs since I can’t seem to enter Canada. I know very well that he’s never had a job better than this, great pay, great people, great company and a nice environment. Yet he is willing to give it all up for me.
    • Every time I had an episode and started fighting violently over something very stupid, driving him up the wall, he stayed on the phone with me for hours until I calmed down and we reached a conclusion.
    • When my parents refused to meet him and travelled to Egypt on purpose to avoid him when he comes to Kuwait. But he booked another ticket to Egypt and said wherever they go I’ll meet them.
    • When he decided to start waking up at 5 a.m everyday and chat with me in the morning because that’s what works best with our time difference.
    • When he told me “you know Salma, other than my daughters I never called anyone but you “my sweetheart”. And he said “aside from being a father, nothing ever compares to being with you”.

    I can only hope I give this man as much happiness and warmth as he gives me.

    America’s NEW Tax Plan is Frightening

    As General Patton said it, “We defeated the wrong enemy”.

    Children who have had to clean out your parents’ house after they passed, did you find anything that completely changed how you viewed them?

    I can’t say that what I found after my father’s death completely changed how I viewed him, but it did have a profound impact.

    My father vehemently opposed my decision to transfer out of an engineering program and instead pursue writing as a career. For 25 years, until his death, he had nothing positive to say about it, despite my receiving grants, fellowships, and publishing books. His rejection of me as a writer took our relationship, which wasn’t warm before that, to absolute zero.

    After he died, I found an old cassette tape recorder he had repaired. In it was a tape labeled “Al in a Pensive Mood.” He made the tape in 1978, shortly after he’d had heart surgery. In it, he reflected on many aspects of his life, but the part that most affected me was this: “I sort of miss the fact that David is in New York, but I hope that he will succeed, that he will become a famous writer, that his books will be accepted, because this is what David seems to want to do.”

    He died in 1994. How different our relationship might have been if he’d shared those sentiments while he was still alive.

    What is the story of your life from birth to now?

    I was born in a family of drama queens and philandering womanizers. Everyone in my immediate and extended family divorced at least once. Everyone in my family is either upper class overeducated elitist hypocrites (on my father’s side) or greedy under-educated peasant opportunists (from my mother’s side). Everyone of them has a story to tell, everyone wanted something more out of their lives or nobody was happy. I mean,seriously, as a child, I don’t think I knew one single happy couple who actually loved each other or a happy person who was satisfied with their life.

    My parents were absent ones who were too focused on their rather successful careers and their dramas. They divorced,then both remarried and both had affairs. My dad didn’t divorce because my stepmom pretended that nothing happened. My mom divorced two other times and finally settled down with some young movie director and that’s the last I heard of her back in early 2000s.

    I grew up with my grandma, who had her own juicy skeletons (yes, plural) in the closet. She suffered from major depression, but she wasn’t diagnosed until much later. So there was me, isolated with my depressed grandma, watching the fabulous lives of my father and mother unfold each on their own and which I was never part of any of it. And like most absent and successful parents, they eased their guilt by giving me the best life money can buy.

    As a child, I never felt the absence of anything. I had the best clothes, the best books and the best toys. I was the first in my class to own a pager, a Walkman, a PC, a cellphone or a car… I was signed up in all of the after school interests classes. I played two instruments poorly.

    My family sure had high hopes for me. And I sure disappointed them in every possible way. My dad used to lament how I didn’t get my mother’s looks or his brain. All I got was stubbornness, which wasn’t a good character trait for a girl.

    The irony was, being part of such a chaotic and passionate family of love and hate,romance and sex, I ended up being an introverted asexual person who wasn’t really interested in relationships or sex.

    Like all good daytime TV, my family lost much of its financial means. We weren’t poor. But we were no longer filthy rich. My parents actually had to budget and buy stuff when there was a sale! Oh,the horror!

    We moved to the US in 2000. I went to college and against my father’s wishes, decided to study art. I’ll have to give it to my dad, being an Asian father, he wasn’t happy that I studied such a useless subject, but he was supportive (as in he didn’t cut me off). He told everyone I studied graphic design, as if that somehow made it better than “art”.

    I was never a good student to begin with. I didn’t go to the Ivy Leagues. My art degree didn’t get me anywhere, neither did art history, theater or 3D animation. I was often the best in my class, but best in a regional university is mediocre when put on a global scale. Despite being a mediocre student, I did enjoy learning new things. I still do. Learning about random things I didn’t know before often brings me great joy.

    Learning things and creating things are my greatest joys in life. All that art school didn’t really make me a competitive artist. I was, as I said, mediocre at best. As an artist I was (and still am) willful, which is a bad characteristic for the commercial artists… disastrous for mediocre commercial artists. I only draw portraits. I only draw stuff I like. I do poorly with commissions. I can’t keep simple commitments.

    Suffice to say, I was doomed to make a living with art. But that wasn’t my only worry at the time.

    As you can imagine, growing up in such a dysfunctional family I had a lot of baggage. I went into counseling for a period of time during graduation school, that really helped me a lot. I started to grow (a bit late, I know) into my own self instead of trying (and failing) to be the person my father wanted me to be, or, more precisely, who I thought my father wanted me to be. In reality, I don’t think my dad had any expectations from me since high school.

    Out of some weird turn of events, I was involved in the BDSM community for a few years. Had my one and only “serious” relationship and decided it just wasn’t worth my time.

    By 2008, I was a mess. I was well into my late 20s. Other people my age would get married, have children and steady jobs and probably already bought their first house… while I was ridiculously overeducated and absurdly unemployable. I lived with my parents, I was laid off from my previous dead end job, I had one failed, completely dysfunctional relationship which I pretended that never happened, I sent out 20 email job applications every day and I didn’t know what to do with my life.

    In early 2010, I finally landed my first gaming industry job. Of all the degrees and skills I earned in my nearly 10 years of college education, I landed this job because I was bilingual.

    It turned out I was actually a pretty good project manager. My stepmom didn’t believe it. She had always seen me as this messy absent-minded loser who couldn’t organize anything. But I was good at organizing things, budgets and schedules. I never learned project management, but somehow it all came naturally to me. It just made sense. I mean, after all, project management really is just common sense. So… out of all of the exciting things you can do in video game industry, I ended up doing the most boring thing, basically middle management nobody likes and who doesn’t really contribute anything solid to the development.

    Still, I love my job. I love what I do.

    I’ve worked for big publishers,start-ups,on console titles and PC titles,web games and Facebook games (yes,I did).

    Somewhere along the way, I published a book about Renaissance Italy, which… rated poorly on Douban because I pissed off a lot of people with my “white-lefty” sentiments. I’m not saying my book is any good. But judging from the comments left on my book page, obviously most of them never read it. They just came to give my book a 1 star (out of 5) because they don’t like how I talked about feminism…. and give out spoilers about Murder on the Orient Express.

    Now I live in San Diego with my cat Jonesy.

    I’m translating a book (which I should be working on right now instead of procrastinating on Quora). I continue to write my renaissance story (I don’t think my publisher would publish any more of that story, but I must finish it). I’m planning another story (in English).

    My life so far has been pretty uneventful, especially compared to my parents and all my relatives. But perhaps I could write interesting and exciting stories, even if I myself would most likely live out my life in peace and solitude.

    A book, my cat and San Diego city lights. This is my life now.

    Do you feel depressed? | The sopranos – edit

    As a teacher, what is the most shocking thing you’ve heard a student say?

    Back in the 80’s in my hometown, if a teenage girl got pregnant in our high school, she was immediately pulled out of school and they provided her with a home tutor. My mom was one of the tutors.

    Mostly it was pretty basic, my mom would ignore the girl’s “condition” and the girls did their work. I should add that our town was insanely small, so my mom had known most of these kids since they were in preschool, so I imagine that it was super awkward.

    During one of these tutoring sessions, one particular girl was prattling on about how she and the baby’s father were going to get married, he’s going to be a doctor, and they’ll be rich in no time. My mom is not one for flights of fancy, she is a firm believer in cold, hard reality, so she couldn’t keep quiet.

    She very calmly explained how much money a baby can cost, then added in the prices of rent, utilities, food, a car & insurance, daycare, college tuition, and books. This girl did not believe her at all. My mom also let her know the failure rate of a teen marriage, as well as the adult rate. This girl obviously had never learned basic household management because she didn’t even know how to turn on the stove.

    My mom never pushed the subject again, and the girl continued her lessons, until she delivered the baby. My mom never followed up with the girls, unless the school needed her to. Shortly after that, we moved to a different part of the state and mom took a job with a bank.

    About 10 years ago, we were at a mall when this woman came over to my mom to say hello. My mom was confused and asked the woman who she was. It was the girl! She wanted to thank my mom for being honest with her about the harsh realities of life and had taken what she said to heart. The girl broke up with the boyfriend who got her pregnant, gave the baby up for adoption, finished high school, went to college, the medical school and now she’s an OB/GYN. She told my mom that no one had ever told her how the world works and how you have to pay for everything; she was kind of embarrassed when she said that she just always assumed that there would be food in the fridge because it had never been empty.

    Now she was close to 40 and she had gotten married, was pregnant and was finally going to able to give her child the life that she couldn’t for her first (she did receive photos of the baby that she placed). My mom just looked baffled because she insisted that she hadn’t done anything special.

    Walking through Cities of Europe in 700 AD: What would you have seen?

    This is really interesting.

    What did the job interviewer say that made you NOT accept the job offer?

    A recruiter got in touch with me through Linkedin regarding an opportunity to work for a luxury car brand. I gave her my number and asked her to call after 4 pm because I didn’t want to take the call at work.

    She rang that evening, we went through my work history and I emailed her my CV. In the morning she rang back to say that the hiring manager liked my cv and wanted to schedule a phone interview.

    The following day, I received a call from a gentleman who introduced himself as my interviewer. I went through my work history once again.

    I answered his questions, gave examples to support my answers and explained the gap in my CV. I also asked questions about the role and the company.

    “You have the skills and experience required, I like your attitude, you are very straightforward and assertive but I’m hesitant. If we hire you, once you get bored of the job you’ll probably leave just like you are doing with your current employer.”

    It rubbed the wrong way and I thought it was very presumptuous of him to assume that I was leaving because I was bored. I was looking for new opportunities because I wanted to get out of a toxic workplace, I agreed to interview for the position because I already worked in the field. I had the skills and experience, they were also offering better pay and benefits.

    He spoke to me for a few minutes and assumed to know the reasons I was leaving my then current employer, I guess in his entire career he never left a job for better opportunities.

    “Thank you for considering me for the role but I’m no longer interested,” I said to him and ended the call.

    Hiring managers are so full themselves they don’t even realise that sometimes people just leave bad bosses and toxic work environments. I can’t see myself working for someone who is so quick to jump to conclusions.

    Breaded Steak Cutlets

    2023 09 23 11 32
    2023 09 23 11 32

    Ingredients

    • 1 1/2 pounds round steak
    • Salt
    • Pepper
    • Eggs
    • Water
    • Cracker crumbs
    • 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

    Instructions

    1. Cut 1 1/2 pounds round steak into serving pieces, removing all fat. Cube with a tenderizing hammer and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dip each piece into 1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water. Dip into cracker crumbs and coat well. Fry in hot grease until brown on both sides. Drain.
    2. Pour off grease and add 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce to pan and de-glaze pan.
    3. Serve tomato sauce with cutlets.

    Fed Predicts: Americans Will Run Out of Money By October 2023

    https://youtu.be/MQSgLJfsepA

    Confession of the Day

    I have been married for 15 years. I have known my wife since I was 8. We have 3 daughters together. 17, 14, and 11.

    I’m tired of feeling like I’m an outsider in my relationships with all of them. I’m just an ATM and taxi service to my kids. My wife hasn’t kissed me in 6 months. She has not said that she loves me in 1.5 years. No matter how much I communicate, try to plan anything or do anything it is always shot down, forgotten, or dismissed. I don’t get angry in don’t yell. I don’t get physical. 

    I like to splurge during birthdays and mothers Day. I throw parties and give gifts and try to show how much I love them. I get a lukewarm, thanks, and if I’m lucky, a side hug that lasts .0001 seconds.

    This week was the breaking point. Father’s Day. I wake up to an empty house. Odd. No note, nothing was written on the calendar, and nothing said beforehand. I send a text, and I get back. “I took the girls out for a spa day, don’t wait up.” Then nothing,  literally nothing. Dinner time comes around, and they get home. How their say was (it was fine). I ask what they would like for dinner. “Nothing we already ate at [one of my favorite restaurants].” Cool, whatever. There is no mention of it being fathers Day. No, I love you, how are you. Nothing.

    Fast forward to Wednesday. Which was my birthday. Nothing. Literally again, nothing. I suggested plans. They get shot down. I suggested food. Nope, shot down. Ask about watching a movie they are all too busy (they just sat on their phones doing nothing).

    Now to Thursday night. I’m in bed. My wife is next to me. She rolls over and says in a crappy tone. “Oh, your birthday was the other day. I guess you expect to have sex.” That broke something in me(best of my memory of how it went down)

    I said “no I don’t expect sex. At this point, I don’t expect anything anymore.”

    Her “what is that supposed to mean?”

    So I started asking her questions 

    When was the last time we shared a kiss? (Like a week? Nope, it was in December, and it was during her parents’ holiday party) 

    When was the last time we had sex? (The beginning of the year? Nope, wrong it has been over a year. She was adamant that we did it in February. I was dealing with my moms health and her passing. So I said something like, “You may have had sex but it wasn’t with me.”)

    When was the last time you said you love me? (“I say it all the time.” Not to me, check your messages/you don’t say it to me face to face. “Well, you should just know I do.”)

    When was the last time we went on a date? (LONG pause)

    Her: You’re being unfair. 

    Emotions turned on fully. I was crying and raising my voice at this point.

    It asks her how? She can’t answer. I asked her how wanting any sign of love from anyone in the house is unfair. If expecting anything for my birthday or Father’s Day was unfair. (She got an oh shit look) Yeah, you forgot that as well. I’m not an ATM, I’m not a taxi service, I’m not a punching bag.

    She asked why this was coming up “out of the blue.” It didn’t. I have tried to talk to my family and again get dismissed or ignored. I brought up examples. I got an “I didn’t know you were serious.” “I didn’t know it was such a big deal.”

    I left saying something to the point of “If you want to pretend that I’m invisible and don’t exist fine, you don’t have to pretend anymore.”

    I left the house at almost midnight. On Thursday/ Friday morning. Haven’t been home since. I’m not sure what to do now. I’m finally sober enough to think, but I don’t know what to do(first time drinking in over 15 years BTW, and i’m not going to drink anymore)

    I love my family. But I can’t keep this up. I don’t know what more I can do. I think they would be happier without me. They already act like I don’t exist. I can’t be the one who is blamed for everything. If I truly am the problem then me not being there should fix it. I can’t do it anymore.

    I have tried to be a good provider, a good partner, and a good dad. Never missed an event of our kids. Never prioritize work. I kept good hours so I could see them more. Took on more responsibility to better our life and future. But, it is never appreciated. It is never enough. I am never enough.

    I only have one message from my wife “I’m sorry for making you feel that way. We all love you, and we are here for you when you want to come home and talk.” That is it. No other messages. No calls. Nothing from the kids. I feel like if they really wanted me there, they would try reaching out more. All of the kids have their own phone. I don’t know what she told them. I’m sure they heard me raise my voice. Me raising my voice would have definitely got their attention since i never do. I’m sure they heard me leave. I just don’t know.

    Twin Peaks Deserves the Hype

    Shanghaied in Shenzhen

    I have related how I was retired from the ONI; MAJ branch, and what happened. I have told the story about how I got ready, and then took a plane and arrived in China… the very first opportunity I had.

    But…

    What I didn’t relate was the “bait and switch” that I endured for the first two weeks in China. And that story, I will relate now.

    While I was in the ‘States, I was getting everything ready. Not just my identification, my clothing, and taking care of things, but also making arrangements inside of China. I contacted my ex-girlfriend (now my wife), and I made arrangements with her, and I found work.

    I contacted a schoolmaster in Shenzhen who would take me on as a English teacher. And at that, I could start when the semester started, and low and behold, I made it happen.

    I got my flight. Lost my bags. Was stranded in Newark New Jersey due to a storm, and then endured the 33 hour long flight to China.

    So I arrived at Shenzhen.

    Ah…

    But… No one met me at the airport. Not my girlfriend. Not my new employer. Not any one else that I had contacted.

    That sucks.

    It has happened before, and I specifically tell everyone NEVER, EVER force an international traveler to arrive alone.

    Ok.

    Well… it’s all good right? I’m out of the Hell that the United States became for me. I’m out of their range, off their radar screen, and gone. Good bye!!!!

    No problem.

    So alone…

    I wandered in the dark streets of Shenzhen until I found a hostel (I had to use a local app, that I had to install and all that hassle) and went to it. Given the late hour, they had me pay full price, seeing that it was 3am in the morning.

    I entered the room.

    Crashed!

    Konk!

    The very next day, I took a bus to the school and met the headmaster. First thing I did was ask him why he didn’t have anyone meet me like he promised.

    No good answer. Hem. Haw. Bullshit.

    Then, he proceeded to tell me that I couldn’t work there

    …he had another school “just down the street” that I would work at.

    …and…

    Oh, by the way, the salary would be much less. But it would still be free room and board, and all the rest.

    WTF?

    Yeah. What the fuck?

    So I tried to call my girlfriend… no answer.

    No options at that time.

    Sigh, so I went along. Got in the car, and he drove down the road.

    It’s just “down the road a spell”.

    FOUR FUCKING HOURS LATER…

    Yeah. Just “down the road a spell”.

    Another fucking city.

    He hand me over to this private training center and given my “handler”. You see Danguang was “too dangerous” for foreigners. So I was to have this person besides me at all times, and that I couldn’t go out or leave.

    Nice girl. Cute.

    Oh, and…

    The doors to the house complex were locked tight at 9pm, and that was it. I had to stay inside, and be watched 24-7.

    But…

    I got my own room in a shared dorm, with a broken television, and it looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in a decade, and taught for one week…

    When I finally got a hold of my girlfriend, she was furious!

    I endured all that I went though in Arkansas, to arrive within blocks of my girlfriend, only to be whisked away to some decrepit town in the middle of nowhere. She was enraged.

    Can you imagine?

    She was really hot. I’ll tell you what.

    So we hatched a plan.

    Friday night, after the gate was locked I snuck out of my locked bed room…

    … made it outside…

    … then scaled the cement wall.

    Went over the broken glass…

    …the rusty barbed wire top, and jumped down….

    … and then walked the two kilometers or so to the nearest inter-city bus.

    Got one to Shenzhen and took the ride to my girlfriend.

    There…

    She got me an interview in the center of the city, and I got the job. Then she arranged for a hotel for me to stay at while we went house hunting. Yeah.

    But…

    No. It wasn’t so easy.

    I had to endure being “Shanghaied” in Shenzhen. And now you all know the rest of the story.

    How would the economic and military world dynamic change if Russia and China forged an agreement to work together militarily and economically?

    They already are working together economically and militarily:

    1. Russia is moving more of its foreign currrency reserves from US$ → Chinese yuan and;
    2. They are holding military exercises, and in 2017, 3,000 Chinese troops with tanks entered Russia to participate in war games. They jointly hold anti-terrorism exercises on a regular basis.
    3. Both countries are founding members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which is the leading security organization for central Asia.

    To sum up, it is changing, but it is not given much coverage in the western press.

    I wonder why?

    Southern Jugged Soup

    vegetable beef soup fb 2
    vegetable beef soup fb 2

    Ingredients

    • 6 potatoes, sliced
    • 1 onion, sliced
    • 6 tomatoes or 2 cups canned tomatoes
    • 1 turnip, diced
    • 1 can peas
    • 1 grated carrot
    • 1/4 cup rice
    • 3 quarts water
    • 1 tablespoon salt
    • 1 tablespoon sugar
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
    • 1 pinch allspice

    Instructions

    1. Arrange vegetables, rice and seasonings in alternate layers in the bottom of a stone crock with a cover.
    2. Boil any carcasses of cold chicken, bones of waste meat or steak with trimmings, in three quarts of water, until liquid is reduced to two quarts.
    3. Strain, cool and remove.
    4. Pour the broth over the vegetables.
    5. Put on the cover and seal, using tape or muslin, to keep in the steam.
    6. Set crock in a pan of hot water.
    7. Place in oven and cook from four to six hours.

    Recipe published in 1935 Southern Cook Book of Fine Old Dixie Recipes

    𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘔𝘺 𝘈𝘳𝘤 | 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘰𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘴 𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵

    Ireland Sends Ukraine Draft Extradition Notices

    World Hal Turner

    Ukrainians living in Ireland have begun receiving notices from the Ireland Department of Justice, informing them they are being Extradited to Ukraine to fulfill military Draft.  Recipients are warned they can be imprisoned if they ignore the notice.

    The letter contradicts itself.  It points out “The Death Penalty does not apply to the offense” but death is most certainly what each Draftee will get when they come face to face with the Russian Army.

    In a nutshell, what this is goes like this:  Ukrainians anywhere in the world have been sent letters from the Ukraine government telling them they must come home to be Drafted and go fight in the war.  They failed to come home and failed to respond, so Ukraine has issued criminal warrants for them.  

    Countries these people are in MUST extradite someone for a criminal warrant because Extradition is agreed to by Treaty.

    THAT is how desperate Ukraine has become to draft more people to die against Russia.  

    Oliver Anthony- Rich Men North of Richmond (Remix Mashup ft. Black Pegasus & Chris Webby)

    This is the rumbling under the ground of the United States. Great mashup.

    Do you think America is falling apart?

    I have spent the better part of a decade in the Middle East in a country that is just becoming modernized. It was considered a “hardship” assignment when I got there because everything would be more difficult than in the United States. Healthcare, telephone, internet, shopping. It was all a nightmare, but I managed to eventually get set up and I developed healthy habits, like exercising and not smoking and making healthy food. I read a lot, took classes online, and did fulfilling things. I was creative and I had time and money. I couldn’t go to movies, or get certain products, and I couldn’t even drive, but I could obtain these products and DVDs and I had a driver, so I lived a fulfilling life and was happy.

    Now that I’m back in the United States, it is a bigger mess than it ever was there. I could get healthcare a lot easier over there. I thought it was terrible, because I faced a few Islamic rules and sometimes doctors lack credentials and made mistakes. However, the fact is that here there is a catastrophic amount of chronic illness befalling everyone at catastrophic rates. We all have cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and inflammatory conditions – we are all on pills with many side effects that only make the condition worse, or whatever they are selling now, including marijuana, to keep people sick with their lifelong, chronic diseases. Cures for disease are the only area of technology that hasn’t advanced since 1959. Everyone is struggling to afford medical care, mandated ny our governmenr, that is totally corrupt.

    Stupid robots handle everything from answering phones to work schedules to banking. Yes, automated systems are just that: robots that are stupid; limited, thwarting and or cheating us left and right. If that is not broken I don’t know what is.

    One has to leave here and find out how things are in the third world, and come back to really grasp how scary it has become.

    Our movies and music are cheap and horrible now. They propagate numbness and annihilation of the mind. Lyrics are autotuned syllables repeating over and over again. It sounds garbled, like plastcized voices using mouthwash. Movies are not even worth seeing.

    The fashion of today is unkempt with plastic hair color. Women with a spare tire hanging out of their icky jeans. Ratty hair. It’s no wonder no one overseas assumed I was an American.

    Everyone shops at Walmart and everyone is fat.

    Everyone is chronically depressed. Tired. Overwhelmed.

    There is no middle class anymore.

    Everyone is facing money problems.

    Those that have money are driving ugly cars and wearing ugly black metal wedding bands and are still living in the same misery as everyone else.

    People do not eat real food anymore.

    Even pets are ill. My own pet got sudden onset diabetes and heart failure and died. I bought the best of food. But it was United States food. It probably killed him.

    People have no pride in how they speak or write anymore. They text. Others text and drive. Everyone has their face in their device. It’s horrible. I’ve seen people at work holding a pencil with their fist. Yes, people plural.

    The device is nothing but an RFID chip. It is tracking you. It knows your every move. It knows especially your health status. What pills you might be on next! What your last blood test was, the status of your health insurance. They want to find the next thing wrong with you. The only strategy to deal with overpopulation and flagging capitalism now is to sell everyone what they need to get sick and die. Bad food. Medical insurance. Obesity. Chronic disease.

    For other industries, capitalism has toppled ethics and given rise to a mentality of “nothing matters except how much profits are” – and short term, not long-term gain is emphasized, at that.

    Pollution and plastic garbage pervades.

    Wildlife and natural beauty is dying.

    Selling hunting tags, killing wolves – a cascade species that protects all living environments.

    Internet should be cheap and free but it is outrageously priced.

    Information on the internet is now “sold” so that searches do not turn out what you really want to know. Instead what comes up is related to what you could buy, based on your other searches. Instagram and Facebook is what constitutes relationships which ee now call “social networking”.

    The President tweets and is unaware of and not addressing many real problems.

    Young people can’t afford college.

    They say now college is a scam.

    Young people live at home. They can’t find jobs.

    Jobs now are often a scam.

    This place is horrible! I wish I never came back.

    Those of you who haven’t been out of here don’t realize how messed up things are here. It’s not “going downhill” or “getting bad”.

    It’s absolutely an atrocious, horrible, toxic nightmare.

    Crime and guns are rampant. Someone close to me got a gun and threatened my life since I came home.

    Old people are losing their social security.

    Iran really sucked I thought. I couldn’t deal with it for two weeks. It was hard to plug anything in even. They were protesting there and trying to overthrow the government, to an extent utterly unknown to anyone here. They wanted to be free like us.

    In America we are not free to do things and buy things. We can’t get to anything, because we are busy trying to get money, and things cost too much and they are no good.

    We are all different species of rats running in different kinds of mazes that we have created for ourselves. All sick and dying and spending everything we have to pay for it.

    This is the truth and it may hurt but it’s time to wake up.

    Sopranos-Paulie does the gardeners

    Paulie stopped a guy from smoking, help another guy from a tree, and negotiated a business deal all within 5 mins. A true role model for America’s youth.

    Why do we need semi auto rifles? In the UK for instance you can buy most rifles (with good reason and robust background checks) but you can’t buy semi autos over 0.22 calibre. They seem to hunt boar, deer, foxes etc with no problem.

    Show me someone who says you can reliably, quickly, and humanely (as in outside of a very lucky shot) take down a boar with a .22 and I will show you someone who knows not a thing about hunting or wild boars. So let a humble country boy from Texas edumacate you.

    This is a feral hog (North America). It is a hybrid of domestic European pigs that got loose over the course of literal centuries (the Spanish first introduced them to the New World in the 1500s) and later wild European boars in the early 1900s.

    The average male weighs around 400 pounds (180 kilograms) and stand at or just about at 1 meter tall at the shoulder. Standing beside the average human adult male, they come up to about the hip. They are almost immune to poison, venom (rattlesnakes and copperheads are part of their regular diet), and diseases. They can sprint up to 30 miles per hour – they can conceivably run down Usain Bolt. Adults have very sharp, very dangerous tusks averaging 7 inches (17 cm) long. They are omnivores that eat anything, including aforementioned snakes, carrion, and even newborn deer.

    We’re talking about a beast that has hide up to two inches (5 cm thick) backed by a layer of fat that sort of self-closes when punctured, and runs around in sounders of a dozen individuals or more and carries the average London chav’s shiv around in their mouths. And the majority of their DNA is derived from wild European boars – so they’re also quite aggressive. The reason you hunt feral hogs from a tree stand is because you’ll likely end up in the tree anyway…

    Point being: we ain’t talking about Wilbur or Babe here.

    I have seen these animals shrug off multiple .223 Remington* rounds – that’s a bullet that isn’t much bigger around than a .22 LR, but has a greater mass and travels much faster. Most feral hog hunters use something much more robust; personally I used my venerable SKS in 7.62x39mm Russian (until Putin’s special military operation drove prices sky high). It takes at least that much of an oomph to make an adult feral hog feel it – and often, it takes more than one shot no matter where you hit them because they’re absolute tanks.

    So imagine what it takes to hunt a bear, or moose, or even a less aggressive but equally stout ungulate like a mule deer.

    Contrary to what you believe, a .22 LR is perfectly fine for rabbits, squirrels, and other small, delicate critters** – but it will only piss a feral hog off. If they even feel it. And if they do feel it, you absolutely need to have multiple backup shots on deck because the chances they’ll charge you are about the same as the chances they’ll run away.

    * by the way, that is roughly identical to the 5.56mm NATO round that, well, is called 5.56mm NATO for a reason.

    ** and yes, you can definitely kill a human being with a .22 round. But that’s not because a .22 round is powerful – it’s because human beings are pretty soft and squishy as far as the animal kingdom goes.

    Family Guy- Stewie & Brian run a Brothel

    Stewie and Brian start a BnB which later turns into a Brothel.

    What is something your neighbor did that you couldn’t believe?

    I hired my neighbor a contractor to replace my patio as it was needing to be done for years. He did a super job. the price included a table and 2 chairs for me to enjoy it. I was going to use some old chairs for the rest of the seating. He brought over two more matching chairs when I asked him to replace the old ones onto the patio. I asked how much the extra two matching chairs would be. He said it was a gift. I cried, as I never had been treated so kindly in my 83 years.

    Ran North Jersey | Sopranos Edit

    I hope that you all enjoy this work of art.

    What is the most absurd thing you’ve been charged for on a bill?

    Back during the pandemic, I took my cat, Caesar, to the vet. He was a 15 year old, orange, short haired cat. Because of COVID, the vet’s office had implemented a policy of people not being allowed to go back to the exam rooms with their pet. I wasn’t really comfortable with that but my little guy had a sore front paw so I had to get him seen by the vet. A staff member came out to my car, got Caesar (in his carrier) and took him inside to be examined by the vet while I waited in my car. After a few minutes, the vet called my cell phone and we discussed the problem with Caesar’s front paw. An x-ray was done and it was determined that the problem was with one of his claws. Apparently it was a problem that is fairly common in older cats and easily treatable. Over the phone, the vet and I agreed upon the treatment for the problem. A short time later, the staff member brought Caesar back out to my car and presented me with the bill. As I quickly scanned the bill before giving the staff member my credit card, I saw a $40 charge for a ‘ therapeutic shave’ on the bill. I didn’t understand so I asked about the charge. Found out that while they had Caesar in the exam room, someone shaved his back end for no apparent reason. I said to the staff member “ So you needlessly shaved my cat’s ass and want to charge me $40 for it? I think that you guys should owe him $40 for doing that to him! “

    The charge was removed from my bill. Caesar got extra treats and a new toy that day too.

    She DIED & Discovered We Live In A Simulation | NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE

    Near-death experience guest 907 is Virginia Drake. During her NDE experience she encountered the Council of 12.

    China is Eclipsing the US (and Japan) to Become the World’s Animation Powerhouse

    A Review of Deep Sea (2023) by Tian Xiaopeng

    In the new Chinese animated film Deep Sea, a girl on a cruise with her dad, step-mom, and step-siblings gets thrown overboard during a storm. As she clings to a life preserver, awaiting rescue and barely alive, her imagination transports her to an underwater world of anthropomorphic walruses and squid-like demons, plus many other bizarre creatures, who help her process her mother’s absence. It’s Spirited Away (directed by Japanese animation titan Hayao Miyazaki) meets Life of Pi, and it’s one of the best animated films in years. The cutting edge animation technology cost tens of millions of dollars, and I’m glad someone threw that kind of money toward something so risky, unattached to any existing intellectual property or popular brand. 

    I’m convinced director Tian Xiaopeng will go down as one of the animation greats, alongside the likes of Walt Disney, Tex Avery, and of course Miyazaki. Starting from the launchpad of Pixar’s innovations, Deep Sea skyrockets into galaxies Pixar’s team couldn’t even dream of. Through dazzling sequences of fluid color that wash across the screen, the film translates traditional Chinese ink drawing into breathtaking CGI animation. The end product is a style that is both innovative and distinctly Chinese.

    I can understand arguments asserting that Tian’s maximalist style can get overwhelming. I could sympathize with anyone who claims Deep Sea is a bit too long. Tian really does let his entire arsenal loose on this film, like he wants to show off anything and everything he’s capable of. But I prefer this bombastic style to muted or irony-poisoned restraint. The latter approach has trapped a lot of younger artists in the US who could be great if they would only drop their pretense to nihilism. As mentioned in the title of this essay, China is surpassing us on the artistic front, and we should humble ourselves and learn from their advances.  

    And on that note, what a shame it is that this gorgeous film is getting near zero exposure in the US. In China it played on IMAX; here I had to watch it on my laptop via some obscure streaming site. Its foreignness, specifically its Asianness, is no excuse for the lack of any kind of marketing push stateside. See, for example, the massive success of Japanese anime here and in other parts of the West. I’m currently reading up on the history of the importation of anime to the United States, and I’ll be writing more of my reflections on that process and how it might potentially be applied to importing Chinese animation and other recent popular culture.

    U.S. To Assassinate Niger Coup Leaders? Putin’s Intel Drops A Bombshell

    U.S. To Assassinate Niger Coup Leaders? Putin’s Intel Drops A Bombshell – Nations like the United States and France have unequivocally expressed their positions regarding the recent coup d’états occurring in certain African countries. However, aside from imposing sanctions, there has been no indication of these major powers actively intervening in these coup situations.

    However, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has reported that the U.S. government is deliberating the possibility of taking action against the leaders of the newly established military administration in Niger Republic, which assumed power in late July.

    According to the SVR statement the United States is contemplating the potential of taking direct action against the leaders of Niger’s National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, the group responsible for orchestrating the military coup against Niger President Mohamed Bazoum.

    As per intelligence received by the SVR, the United States is evidently dissatisfied with the unfolding events in Niger, where an interim government led by General Abdourahamane Tchiani recently assumed control following a military coup.

    Washington is actively exploring strategies not only to curb the rise of Africa as a significant center of influence in the multipolar world—a development seen as potentially perilous for Western interests—but also to assert its influence in the strategically vital Sahel region, effectively taking over the role previously held by France, stated the SVR press office.

    https://youtu.be/dhU0XqlZvgg

    Is the Ouija board dangerous?

    When it comes to the paranormal, I’ve had a few odd experiences, some really creepy, others rather comforting but through it all I believe the power of the mind is pretty amazing and believe all possibilities need to be acknowledged.

    When it comes to the Ouijia board, I admit I’ve been pretty spooked but not say its totally dangerous..

    My first experience with a Ouija was after Christmas 1993 a friend I knew had one she recieved for Christmas, brand new, unopened we decided to play in her basement.

    I don’t remember the context but it seemed normal, than something sinister came through it kept repeating “Ozozozozozozo” we thought it was “Ozoz”…. It spooked us out as it kept getting more violent. So we said “Good bye” and put it away…I don’t remember us ever playing again.

    It wasn’t until I got online many years later and found out there was a common spirit named “Zozo” that comes through Ouija boards, I’m not sure if she knew this or not…we were a couple of 9 year olds with no Internet, and no library to research it within 5 miles. We also came away thinking its name was Ozoz… but whatever this is lots of people experienced it.

    Another time we played for fun and my ex husbands friend was a non believer, suddenly his mom came through he was watching three of us play, but not participating.

    His mother died 5 years before my ex husband met as teens, so he knew things about her life I wouldn’t, his other friends son, or my husband wouldn’t know.

    He asked “only I know what your favorite drink is, what is it?” It spelled out “grape soda” he looked shocked.

    Then he asked the Ouija “what did I put in your coffin when you died?“ it said “picture”. Lastly…. He said “what was on the picture?“ the Ouija replied a picture of “a heart names”. It was a heart with their names folded up and put with her body, none of us could know that.

    Sounds beautiful and comforting, well that was it. It started getting violent saying things like “die, rape” repeatedly…horrible things!

    No harm came to anyone one, but this certainly wasn’t the manifestation of our thoughts or behavior as we were very happy to see him tear up over the experience thinking it was genuine until the other bit happened.

    When we did this, the other friends son was making fun of it, taunting it, scratches appeared on his neck we wanted to see what caused it, and we don’t know his hands were in front of him on the board the whole time.

    Putin Hasn’t Even STARTED Yet ft Col Macgregor

    Maybe Kamala just confused the word Russia with Ukraine… then it makes sense…

    https://youtu.be/dCj4ZjqLeig

    Do members of so-called itinerant groups in Europe (such as Irish Travellers) live in what Americans call mobile homes?

    Over the last few months I’ve made friends in the Romanichal and Traveller communities online, since many of us are distant cousins rekindling our roots through DNA.

    One of my friends who always calls me “cuz” still travels with her husband and family. They travel in Caravans and set up in local areas, maybe open fields, parks, a few of her family became settled, many have settled now days.

    However I see them every so often down by the sea front, they live in RV’s or at least travel in them…not the US double wide or anything.

    She lives full time in one, some people may have something like a base, maybe the home or property of a settled relative, some keep moving.

    One man I met said his grandfather family pitched in and acquired property and put there caravans on it. The property always stays within the family.

    I imagine there has to be some fixed address somewhere in all this, I haven’t figured that one out.

    Why did South Korea secretly supply Huawei with a large number of chips so that it can release a new mobile phone product Mate 60?

    This is fake news.

    The Japanese and chinese media has completely disassembled the Huawei Mate60 mobile phone and found that 90% of the parts of this mobile phone are produced in China.

    The only components provided by South Korean suppliers are memory chips from Hynix.

    But this kind of memory chip is a general-purpose product sold publicly and used in many digital devices, and does not need to be provided secretly.

    Since the technology required for this kind of chip is not that cutting-edge, there are domestic suppliers in China that can replace Hynix.

    “They are HIDING this about China, and it’s about to get worse”

    We are being treated a barrage of anti-China headlines today. The Wall Street Journal reports that Chinese spies are infiltrating U.S. military bases by asking for a Burger King…That’s weird. China is said to be ready to conduct military exercises with Russia and North Korea in response to the U.S. conducting military exercises with South Korea. Huawei released a new smartphone that has the U.S. wondering how they did that. This is a lot of China worry. What is behind it? Carl Zha joins us to discuss this and break this down between the lines.

    I am scared of dying. Can anyone help, and is there an afterlife?

    I can’t blame you for being scared of dying. It feels like a huge step to take, and all we know here is life!!

    But I can tell you that I have been out of my physical body too many times to count, in full aware consciousness, and we do not need a physical body to be “our selves” in a true sense. (Well, of course we do to get through physical life while we live here, but what I am saying is you can live, be aware, be free, without a physical body.)

    Okay, well, besides that I have had such strong and beautiful contacts with loved ones passed. They are obviously still living in another dimension which can connect with this one from time to time. So try not to be so afraid. When your time comes to cross, you will accept your transition happily, I bet , and see and feel the beauties in what lies beyond this limited physical form we have got so used to living in! We will see a much wider spectrum of reality. I feel it is something to actually look forward to.

    BLOCKADE FAILED! Huawei 5G chip mass production | Holland Hopes to Return To Chinese Market

    Whoever listens to the US eventually ends up kicking their own ass.

    https://youtu.be/ME53gT0cdb8

    What does a normal family look like in the US?

    First of all, a “normal family” is NOT the same thing as an “average family”.

    Here, I will describe what a “normal family” living in the United States looks like. This description was the “textbook” descriptor used throughout the United States up until the late 1980’s. Today, of course it has been totally revamped and has become a bastardized Frankenstein monster.

    So, here we will use the per-bastardized official United States description of what a “normal” American family looks like…

    • It has two people that define a “family unit”. One is male and the other is female.
    • The male will work. The female will take care of domestic responsibilities. (Due to the catastrophic economic situation in the Untied States, today, most families have both people working.)
    • These two people will typically have children. But not always.
    • The number of children varies considerably from family to family. Some have only one child, while others might have many, many. The reasons have to do with economic stratification, and religion. With heritage, and geographical location playing a major role.
    • Most families will cook their own meals, and eat in restaurants once or twice a week. (This varies from the 1960’s which was once or twice a month.)
    • Most families will have a car. Many will own multiple vehicles.
    • Most families will own televisions, computers, and cell phones.
    • Most families will be in debt. (Today, the family debt tends to be enormous,)
    • Most families will be educated. (Today, the quality of education tends to be substandard compared to the rest of the world.)
    • There is a stratification in home ownership. Some people of social-economic background will own homes while others of different backgrounds will not.
    • Most families will have family members taking medicines.

    Of course, this is not an exhaustive answer. It is a general answer and is useful ONLY if you wish to compare your life and family against an “American normal”.

    I advise everyone NEVER to compare yourself to others. You are unique. Whether you are LGBTQ+ or something else, whether you are rich, or poor, or an immigrant or a “blue blood”, makes no difference. You are precious. It is your responsibility to define YOUR LIFE on YOUR TERMS.

    And whatever you decide; I support your decisions. Because I believe that you are smart enough to plan and execute your own precious lifestyle.

    How do comedians get their starts as comedians?

    40 something aluminum siding salesman Jacob Rodney Cohen tried to break into standup comedy comparatively late in life. Nobody wanted to hear what an aging wannabe had to say, and he was having trouble getting bookings. He fell deeply into debt and depression as a result. The only place that would book him (jokingly referred to as Denunzio’s in his act) only did so if he did it for free. He was basically playing to a crowd that was more concerned with what dinner fork to use, than listening to him. He knew he needed to come up with a gimmick, a persona that would differentiate himself from the myriad of other amateur comedians trying to break in.

    Denunzio’s was frequented by older, low level mobsters. One night while waiting to go on, he overheard one of these individuals lament that the new guys coming up showed him no respect. No respect at all. He latched onto it, ran with it, and nailed it. Yep, using that catchphrase, and style of self-deprecating humor, Rodney Dangerfield was born that night as the lovable schlub and ne’er-do-well who couldn’t do anything right.

    Gina Raimondo visits China. Bringing the “Carrot and Stick” in the most boring, American way.

    In this episode of China Currents: Gina Raimondo visits China. China puts on new economic policies to stimulate economy. China finally puts an end to the COVID testing policy.

    How is the Chinese company Huawei an existential threat to the security of the United States?

    Thanks for the request.

    No. Not to the security of the U.S.

    China has no plan of invading the U.S. but they do very much want to win the chip war which would mean decimating the U.S. chip companies and directly affect how the U.S. military can sustain our combat readiness.

    It’s amazing how Huawei was able to keep its development so much completely under wrap until their launch. Considering that it needed the entire village to build the ecosystem for Huawei, so too was it not just Apple but its entire ecosystem of supply chain contractors that took the hit in the market.

    This is not an overnight thing and not just about one company. trump banned Huawei on May 2019 and set China on the course of having to build its own chip industry. And as projected then, this is just on track that within 10 years that China should be able to have its own self contained industry to produce its own chips. It is estimated that it would take about 5 years before they can make it’s own lithography machine.

    China is the existential threat to the U.S. hegemony.

    The latest Xi Jinping government directive banning Apple for official use will definitely be followed by SOEs and related parties. What’s the effect on Apple sales in China and Apple future share price?

    After the announcement, Apple shares dropped by about 8%. It has recovered slightly since then. It is possible that the share prices will drop further when China sales figures are known.

    I expect iPhone sales to drop significantly even among the public in China, firstly because of Xi’s directive and secondly because of the announcement of the new Huawei phones.

    It is a fitting Chinese response to Apple after moving manufacturing to India (only to regret it later).

    Why do many Chinese take it personally when their country is criticized?

    I don’t think that they take it too personally when their country is criticised. But they do take it personally, when that criticism contains lies and falsehoods.

    In that way, the Chinese are very different from, let’s say, the Americans. You can see this clearly from Quora itself. Every so often, there will be Americans on Quora posting grandioise questions such as “Why is the USA the greatest country in the world?”.

    When I point out objective facts to show why this is untrue

    (eg I note that the USA is plagued by horriific levels of gun violence; their literacy level is very low for a developed country; they have the world’s highest rate of dryg overdose deaths; their state of democracy is shameful as evidenced by, for example, the Capitol Hill riots; their public infrastructure is crumbling, as certified by their own engineers; their police brutality is systemic; their income inequality is huge; they practise slavery in the form of prison labour – see the exception to their 14th amendment which allows for slavery),

    well, the Americans get upset and angry.

    And yet I am just speaking the facts and truth. Oh well.

    Price Hike

    This guy, he knows how to put what we’re all thinking into words! You the man!

    He is a treasure.

    Is the communist party getting ready to retire Xi Jin PingPong for his incompetence in handling China’s challenges? https://asia.nikkei.com/Editor-s-Picks/China-up-close/Analysis-Xi-reprimanded-by-elders-at-Beidaihe-over-direction-of-nation

    West and Japanese fools better stop dreaming. Xi is super popular with the Chinese people.

    What is your comfort Chinese dish or food that can bring you smiles, when it is needed?

    My two most favourite Chinese dishes are and have always been sweet and sour pork, and lemon Chicken, and my wife makes both to perfection, but then I can’t think of a single Chinese dish that I don’t like, and yes, when ever my wife makes them I have a smile on my face.

    What factors may be driving China to expedite the process of dumping the US dollar and US debt?

    Fitch downgrading US credit rating is a warning to all, not just China. The rising interest rate to counter inflation is not working. Instead, it only increased government interest expense, while national debt keeps climbing, creating a vicious cycle that guarantees the US will never get out of its debt. Going forward, the US can only increase its reliance on bullying tactics to maintain its hegemony to sustain its domestic economy. The writing is on the wall.

    Many US politicians have openly demanded defaulting on the US treasury bonds held by China. That is not music to China’s ear. In fact, many countries and their civilians have assets in the US arrogated for no fault of theirs. The US just decides to rob them such as what it did to Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and many other countries who are too weak to defend themselves against such robbery. The most recent victim of such robbery is Russia after putting up a fight to defend its national security against NATO encroachment after years of protest had been ignored. Even the SWIFT was weaponized against Russia.

    The US has been trying to pick a fight with China. Part of the motivation is to erase its debt to China. It’s obvious that China is forced to take preventive measures by freeing itself from a hostage situation.

    Southern Peanut Butter Soup
    with Pepper Jelly

    2023 09 16 16 29
    2023 09 16 16 29

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons butter
    • 2 tablespoons grated onion
    • 1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
    • 2 tablespoons flour
    • 3 cups chicken broth
    • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup light cream
    • 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts, chopped
    • 1/2 cup hot pepper jelly

    Instructions

    1. Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat; add onion and celery. Sauté for about 5 minutes.
    2. Add flour and mix until well blended.
    3. Stir in chicken broth and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes.
    4. Remove from heat, strain broth.
    5. Stir the peanut butter, salt and cream into the strained broth until well mixed.
    6. Serve hot.
    7. Garnish each serving with a teaspoon of chopped peanuts and a dollop of jelly.

    Yield: 4 servings

    Why has Putin accepted fake map of China? Is Putin afraid of Xi Jinping? How many countries have rejected this map of China? How will India and Narendra Modi handle Xi Jinping?

    Nonsense

    Xi Jingping and China are very formidable adversaries

    They can rattle global markets in seconds if they decide to do so

    A Simple apple iphone ban for Government Officials has caused a $ 216 Billion share value depreciation for Apple

    Putin is not frightened of Xi

    Putin knows Xi is firmly on his camp

    He knows Russia and China have tied their fates together as has Iran

    Either all the three nations will make peace with the West or all the three will form their own BLOC

    INDIA?

    Modi has his feet in both camps

    If Putin makes an enemy of China, Putin loses the Yuan Buttress, the Investments, the Huge Supply Chain for Russias Industries and the Huge Chinese Imports that keep the consumer economy going

    Not to mention a very strong Geopolitical player with a very strong army with a huge military industry that can outproduce NATO easily

    India?

    If Putin makes an enemy of India, he loses sales of Oil to India but frankly he won’t care much because the payment is still very cumbersome

    India loses Discounted oil and will pay $ 95 a barrel and maybe even $ 100 a barrel and risk inflation

    India has zero geopolitical influence outside Bhutan , is a nation that knelt before Qatar and kowtowed to their demands in a mere 24 hours (Against China who openly forbade the name. Mohammad and Abu in Xinjiang, demolished mosques and Qatar did zilch)

    India has no military industry to assist Russia in a major war, it’s production capacity a mere 17% of Russias and 8% of Chinas

    India has little by way of investment potential against the vast $ 42 Billion invested by China in Russia in the last 3 years

    Plus Modi can easily jump to the US Camp tomorrow and leave Putin hanging

    Plus if Modi dies or resigns, the next PM can jump to the US Camp whereas the CPC is the CPC even after Xi and likely so is Russia


    So dont be stupid

    Putin will always choose Xi over Modi because Russia needs China a hundred times more today than India

    Putin wants to be friends with India too and has kept his relations firm

    He hasn’t accepted Xis Map

    He just hasn’t commented on it

    Neither has Modi right?

    Modi too hasn’t justified Russias SMO so far while China has justified the SMO as a legitimate action needed


    How will Modi handle Xi Jingping?

    Modi should just do his job and mind his own business

    Xi Jingping is intent on forming his own BLOC today

    His focus is on other players – Oil rich players, Food rich players

    He may offer India a nice border solution soon which could include full recognition of all lands disputed in exchange for a road through kashmir to xinjiang connecting Gwadar and existing water rights to the Brahmaputra region

    Plus closer friendship in the BRICS

    India would do well to take it as it is a win, win for us

    I believe Xi is ready to extend this offer today but Modi wants an unconditional recognition of Ladakh and Arunachal to make it look like a victory for him

    It’s maybe why Xi released that Map in the first place

    Hell. | The Sopranos

    Another fine fan video.

    [Daegonmagus] Simplified LD technique

    03/10/2023

    Last night after trying to devise a simpler method wake induced lucid dreaming I managed to LD.  I once again went to the underground world place lagging our physical reality by 3 months that seems to be a common location lately. I seemed to be doing a usual recon job, dropping into some base to gain intel on as part of some team. This was in a section that was outside despite the rest of the place having that familiar underground feeling to it. I remember having to go up and over the side of this building into whatever compound it was we were infiltrating. These sessions seem a lot easier: we don’t seem to give much of a shit if our presence is detected, and make ourselves known to flush out whatever is inside. This particular time was no exception. A bunch of non physical guards came out to try and apprehend us but we just swatted them off like flies. There was some kind of weird flying object thing: it looked like a bunch of cubes with square orange lights coming off it which is I think what we were there to investigate. I decided I wanted to fly it so I projected into its core. It was a very peculiar object as the cubes all sort of shot of in different directions but I could control them. It wasn’t anything like the UFO thing I flew – some sort of key like object one had to project into to use.

    That saga soon ended and I was back in the middle of the underground city – square sort of dwellings made out of brown clay everywhere – just sort of exploring. I got the idea to reach out to the Domain (the guys who operated on my astral body during a sleep paralysis episode about a year). I pinged a very strong thought out of them suggesting I wished to make contact along with a visualisation. I did this 3 or 4 times, and all of a sudden I was sucked into a worm hole and started travelling down it. Upon coming out the other side, it was like a great deal of distortion prevented me from being able to see properly. I popped out in this circular shaped room that was populated by what appeared to be smoky entities. I knew these things were beings but that just looked like tall blobs of smoke that kept shooting back and forth across the room before forming back into a tall pillar all around me. All in all there probably about 5 or 6 of these pillars, though when they dissipated to fly around the room they all just became one “mass” of smoke.

    Session very soon ended after that.  

    Arriving with only the clothes on your back

    When I left my retirement in Arkansas and flew to China, the airlines lost my baggage. So when I arrived in China, all that I had was a backpack, some of my most important papers, my laptop computer, and what I was wearing.

    At that time, and to this day, I wear very comfortable clothes on planes during air travel. And given TSA back in the State’s, my clothes were simple;

    Black hospital scrubs, and black slippers with black socks.

    null
    null

    So, here I am arrived in China, with literally only the clothes on my back.

    And for the first month or so, I had to live and wear in them until I got settled in, reestablished, and start earning money again.

    In hindsight, it’s kind of funny.

    Everyone, including my wife, wanted me to toss those things and never wanted to see me in them ever again. As a result, she went on a spending spree and outfitted me right and proper.

    I don’t know what the fuck I was doing when I planned this cluster-fuck of a life, but I’ve got to tell you all, it’s almost a parody. Seriously.

    Did I have a sense of humor, or was my “crew” trying to make a point when they planned my pre-birth world-line template?

    I wonder…

    …how many meme’s have I personally experienced in this life? Hum….

    Enterprise Under Attack from the Suliban Part II

    Stra Trek Enterprise Season 2 Episode 16 Future Tense

    Carolina Hot Dog Chili

    hot dogging
    hot dogging

    Ingredients

    • 1 1/4 pounds ground beef
    • 1 large onion (about 1 cup chopped)
    • 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
    • 1/2 cup ketchup
    • 1 tablespoon chili powder
    • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
    • 1 teaspoon cider or white vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (optional)

    Instructions

    1. Place the beef, onion and 2 cups of water in a Dutch oven or soup pot over high heat. Bring to the water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and stir to begin breaking up the meat.
    2. Add the tomato paste, ketchup, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper, if using. Stir well until the tomato paste and ketchup are dissolved and the meat is mostly broken up.
    3. Continue to cook at a simmer, stirring about every 5 minutes, about 15 minutes. As the chili thickens, you may need to reduce the heat to medium-low or low so it doesn’t stick. Refrigerate, covered, up to 2 days, or freeze in small freezer bags for up to 6 months.
    4. Thaw or reheat in a microwave, stirring often.

    If you want a finer texture, you can cool the chili at least 20 minutes and process in a blender or food processor for 30 to 45 seconds.

    Are India’s GDP numbers intentionally misleading, suggesting that the country is faking its economic data?

    I don’t really see GDP numbers too closely

    They may fudged be but by very small margins

    Say tomorrow we are at $ 4.981 trillion, then it’s possible we may fudge to somehow make it appear that we have reached $ 5 Trillion

    There is no conceivable way that any GDP number is off beyond say 2% at the most


    The Point is Economic Development can be seen with your own eyes and not on paper

    Take UP

    I visited UP and traveled to quite a few places

    I saw nothing to indicate bountiful prosperity

    There was nothing to indicate the hum of a busy growing economy

    Sure they had nice roads and a lot of nice commercial and techno parks but frankly it looked like more like

    If you build it they will come

    That’s what happens when you don’t develop your own populace with good secondary and tertiary education and instead rely on only investments under gun point or unrealistic concessions by the state

    Now Take Bangalore or Hyderabad or Chennai

    They are buzzing with activity and you can see that the economies are doing well

    The Problem in India is that a few cities and few hubs are carrying the weight of the entire nation


    There are 3 Key points in a booming economy

    • Unemployment is pretty low
    • Savings are pretty high (>= 36%)
    • Inflation is typically 50% of RORR

    India has neither of the three

    • Unemployment is way above the target 5%
    • Gross Savings are 30.20%
    • RORR is 7% and Inflation is 5.05% which is way above the 3.50% target

    That alone tells me there are pending issues that need looking into

    As a teacher, what’s the most personal thing a child has told you about their parent(s) that they definitely were not supposed to mention?

    I taught a shop class in an inner city high school…One day as the students were changing into work clothes I noticed some relatively new wounds on Jerome’s back…I politely and discreetly took him into my office and asked him what happened…He told me his step father had tied him to a metal bed spring and beat him with a coathanger…I knew where he lived so when school was out for the day I went to his apt and his stepdad was there…I proceeded to beat the living shit out of that evil man…And told him if he wasn’t gone before Jeromes bus got there I’d finish the job…AND call the cops…I drug his worthless carcass down to his pos car and he drove off…never to be seen again. Jerome stayed in my class for the full 3 years and graduated high school…Neither of us ever mentioned it…30 years later Jerome still calls me to visit ever so often…

    The US Bankrupting Itself on Wars -w/ Ron Paul, Alexander Mercouris & Glenn Diesen

    Oh HELL yeah! The dignified and stately Dr. Ron Paul is one of the very best Americans living. Thanks very much for this, you guys.

    A laughable 89% of the Chinese people actually trust their authoritarian government! Where are the renaining 11% who do not?

    Laughable because you are ignorant and naive like a 5 years old kid. If you know the truth you will be the one of the 89% too.

    While the U.S. real standard of living deteriorated back to the 1960’s Chinese real standard of living grew 30 times in 40 years! While 35% in the U.S. has no health insurance, every single Chinese gets free health care. While the U.S. kids get into debts for just getting into college Chinese are provided totally free college tuition.

    Chinese average life expectancy overtook the U.S. in the last 2 years straight. While your infrastructure is crumbling China has the latest state of the art ports, airports, highways, high speed railways. While your trains travel at snail speed China’s high speed trains travel at 400 KM per hour.

    Do you still laugh now? To be honest everyone in the world is laughing at you. You want to know about the 11% so that you can orchestrate a coup? Organised a protest and a demonstration? Do a colour revolution? And you think the Chinese are fools to give you the information? Just because you have a IQ of a snail doesn’t mean others are the same like you!

    Tex-Mex Biscuits

    Tex Mex Biscuits
    Tex Mex Biscuits

    Ingredients

    • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1/2 cup enriched hominy grits or quick grits
    • 4 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
    • 1/2 cup butter or margarine
    • 4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese (with or without jalapeno peppers), shredded
    • 1/2 cup dairy sour cream
    • 1/4 cup milk

    Instructions

    1. Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
    2. Combine dry ingredients; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
    3. Stir in cheese.
    4. Combine sour cream and milk; add to dry ingredients, mixing just until moistened. Shape dough to form a ball; knead gently on lightly floured surface 10 to 12 times. Roll dough to 3/4 inch thickness. Cut with floured 2-inch biscuit cutter. Place 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheet.
    5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.

    Yield: 12 biscuits

    Have you ever applauded an act of vigilante justice?

    This is Kalinka Bamberski, who used to be a 14-year-old from France.

    During the summer of 1982, she briefly stayed in Lindau, Germany, with her mother and her stepfather, Dr. Dieter Krombach.

    On July 9th of that summer, Krombach killed Kalinka. The next day, Krombach told the authorities that he simply found Kalinka dead in the morning.

    Autopsies could not determine the exact cause of her death, and Krombach got away with the murder. This led Kalinka’s biological father, Andre, to grow suspicious and to investigate further.

    Despite the authorities’ failure to discern the exact cause of Kalinka’s death, there were multiple red flags in the original autopsy: Kalinka’s corpse had multiple injection marks, fresh blood stains and a “whitish substance” around the genitals, and indigested food near the throat suggesting that she died soon after a meal.

    Andre, rightfully suspecting that his daugher was raped, called for an additional investigation. This time, the authorities discovered clear evidence that, right before her death, Kalinka was injected with a drug named “Kobalt-Ferrlecit,” a substance capable of causing immediate discomfort and nausea in a victim. Andre pressed a case against Krombach, but the German courts judged that there was insufficient evidence for an indictment. Despite multiple red flags, Krombach was not indicted.

    In 1995, however, the French courts officially sentenced Krombach in absentia to 15 years in prison for manslaughter.

    Furthermore, later in 1997, Krombach admitted in a German trial that he had drugged and raped another girl using Kobalt-Ferrlecit, the same substance found in Kalinka’s corpse. Numerous other girls came forth, saying that Krombach had also raped them using the same drug. For this, the German courts took away his medical license, but did not sentence him to prison.

    Unfortunately, in 2001, Krombach’s French manslaughter conviction of 1995 was annulled by the European Court of Human Rights, the reason being that Krombach was not capable of defending his case in that French trial. Not only was the 1995 French verdict annulled, but all attempts to extradite him for retrial were rejected.

    But for Andre, the case was not over. Andre was deeply frustrated at the international legal system’s failure to bring justice; he decided he was going to take justice into his own hands.

    In 2009, Andre and three other men secretly kidnapped Krombach from Germany, beat him up, and left him tied up near a French police station, allowing the French authorities to detain him and honor their 1995 decision.

    Despite Germany’s requests to bring him back, French officials and courts ignored these complaints and officially re-tried Krombach.

    With other victims testifying that Krombach had injected them with the same drug to rape them, on October 22, 2011, Krombach was finally sentenced to 15 years in prison for manslaughter.


    Kalinka’s father, Andre, was convicted and given a suspended sentence for abducting Krombach.

    But in my opinion? Andre Bamberski was a heroic father who spent 30 years of his life to bring justice for his daughter’s death. Yes, he broke the law — but refusing to convict Krombach earlier and ignoring the mountatin of evidence against him was a clear failure in the international justice system.

    For Andre’s determination and commitment, I applaud him.

    Prof. Richard Wolff on American Labor: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

    Pretty good and very interesting.

    If China is indeed collapsing, why is every leader visiting China? Why is the US commerce secretary visiting China?

    Reality vs Propaganda

    The USA imports almost $ 560 Billion of Goods from China

    Guess the retail value of these goods?

    $ 1.567 Trillion or almost $ 1.6 Trillion

    This means a US importer who pays $ 27.50 for a Jeans from China sells it for $ 69.99 retail

    A Laptop imported for $ 700 from China sells retail for $ 1199

    A Burnished Ebony Table Factory made. Imported with 6 Chairs for $ 121 from China sells retails for $ 249

    Hence $ 564 Billion of Imports from China makes around $ 1.6 Trillion to the US Importers

    1.6 Trillion Dollars Or around 6.5% of US GDP

    Now let’s do the opposite

    The US exports $ 165 Billion to China

    Guess their retail value?

    Around $ 255–260 Billion only

    Why?

    Because China exports low cost products manufactured with CONTINUOUS VALUE ENHANCEMENT from Market pricing and Brand pricing and Technology pricing

    A $ 37 Purse of Calf Leather retails for $ 360 with a Gucci brand name

    A $ 3.10 T Shirt retails for $ 43.99 with a Tommy Hilfiger Brand name

    However US exports products with almost ZERO VALUE ENHANCEMENT POTENTIAL

    Soybeans, Wheat, Corn, Semiconductors, Advanced Machinery etc

    There is very little value enhancement due to market pricing or Brand pricing or Technology Pricing

    Even a Boeing makes at the most a couple of million dollars commission to a Chinese Importer while earning nearly 100 Million Dollars to the US Economy


    You see right?

    No Nation on earth can export $ 564 Billion worth of goods to the USA

    It’s estimated that at thrice the manufacturing potential today – India, Vietnam and Mexico combined can export $ 338 Billion worth of Goods by 2030

    This that’s around $ 226 Billion of Exports but also around $ 700 Billion of final retail goods

    That’s the amount that US players and entities will be deprived off if US entirely decouples from China EVEN IN 2030 with India, Vietnam and Mexico tripling their Industrial Output

    Even then US Economy and it’s players will be deprived of $ 700 Billion Dollars which by 2030 could be around $ 1 Trillion with inflation

    That’s a lot of jobs, lots of payments GONE

    Meanwhile China?

    China may lose around $ 564 Billion of Exports in decoupling

    At 0.4% inflation

    That’s $ 580 Billion vs $ 1 Trillion


    So even in the worst case scenario of US entirely decoupling from China and India, Mexico and Vietnam tripling their Industrial output today – China would lose $ 580 Billion while US would lose a whopping $ 1 Trillion

    At normal Industrial output for these three nations, US would lose $ 2.4 Trillion or nearly 4.5 times as much as China stands to lose as an economy


    Same for EU

    Same for ASEAN

    Same for India

    Its why Raimondo visits China

    It’s why 27 Chinese entities were removed from a Blacklist recently

    The Media has been spinning fiction and propaganda so far and China hasn’t cared

    Now if China decides to take their revenge by drastically cutting off key exports of say $ 100 Billion, then US cannot source more than $ 30 Billion from other countries

    China loses $ 100 Billion but US loses around $ 210 Billion of value to it’s economy

    That’s 44% of the projected $ 470 Billion that the US Economy hopes to enhance itself this year at 1.8% growth


    So Raimondo says

    Please keep trading with us as usual. Ignore what we say in our media. Our contention with you is for the $ 10–15 Billion portion of our Trade, let’s keep the balance $ 685–690 Billion of Trade as normal

    That’s why China doesn’t need to visit everybody and reassure anyone much

    Everyone loses far far more by decoupling with China

    So ultimately it creates a slow down globally where China albeit having very low growth still beats the rest of the world

    Solving The Most Mysterious Children in History

    THREE STORIES: The Most Mysterious Children in History In 12th century England, two children were found lost in a forest.

    They spoke only gibberish, wore strange clothing and had bright green skin.

    When the children finally learned to speak English, they described where they were from.

    And that’s why, after almost 1,000 years, people still talk about The Green Children of Woolpit.

    In 1828, a teenage boy was shuffling through a public square in Nuremburg. He seemed confused and disoriented.

    He had trouble walking and speaking. When police finally approached him, he was holding an envelope containing two letters.

    And those letters sparked the mystery of Kaspar Hauser.

    In April 1922, in Brittany, France, 2-year-old Pauline Picard went missing. A massive search turned up nothing.

    The family was losing hope. A month later, Pauline was found wandering around a village over 200 miles away.

    Though her parents were overjoyed to have her back, they soon realized something wasn’t quite right with their daughter. These are three unsolved cases of the most mysterious children in history.

    POMPEO said ‘Covert operations, ousting democratically elected governments, inciting revolts and supporting transnational companies are run of the mill operations for the CIA.’ WHO GAVE THEM THOSE RIGHTS?

    We did, all us minions. America was once set up having a government described as ‘a government of the people, for the people, by the people’, but the people couldn’t be bothered and went home, leaving ‘those who shouldn’t be’ in charge. Industry filled the vacuum created by our conspicuous absence, which over time gave way to the American Industrial Military Complex which runs the country today.

    Now industry owns the puppet show called ‘Democracy’, which in no way should be confused with actual democracy, and yet we continually pretend they are one and the same, and that our vote counts, even though voting either left or right basically changes nothing of significance. Results may vary but the rich are always always always the primary beneficiary, either way they lean.

    We demand and receive empty platitudes, and are duly amused by military antics across the globe, ignoring the fact that such behavior merely mirrors us here at home, and that the same shit is pulled on our own, until folks like Snowden and Assange et al dare to shatter our deliberately cultivated ignorance. No matter, we have ways to deal with such moral assholes, as throwing them under the bus in various ways has become a time honored national pastime.

    So, when you want to look at who’s at fault, go look in the mirror. When you wish to look deeper, check out your family albums. We are the bloody problem, and as we are paying the price, with record numbers driven from their homes in this rich nation, and yet, still we refuse to accept responsibility for our democracy, knowingly leaving it in the manipulative hands of industry, which is exactly how to kill actual democracy, regardless of the puppet show which operates by the same name.

    Whether you love Trump or hate him, he reflects us, and had he actually run the country as we pretend to believe, he would have surely killed it, as would Biden. We need to wake the fuck up to the reality we have created, and make the necessary changes within ourselves which can then be reflected through our leadership, before it’s too late, if it’s not already.

    But who among us want to actually be the change we want to see?

    Who?

    What scary gut feeling did you have that turned out to be true?

    Many years ago, when I was living in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I had a work commute on a typical Monday through Friday schedule.

    One evening on my way home from work, I turned off a main street into the side streets that would lead me the rest of the way home. It was a very familiar drive and I knew each block well – which ones had a stop sign for me, which ones had stop signs for the cross traffic, and which ones had four-way stops. I was cruising the last few blocks toward home and had no more stop signs, so I was probably going about 35 mph when suddenly it was as if someone inside my head said, “Slow down!” It was so forceful and unexpected, I did just that. “Slower!” was the next command, and then again, “Slower!”

    I was just about to chalk it all up to being a little kookie after a long day, when suddenly someone driving a vehicle on the cross street blew through their stop sign at an alarming rate of speed. I am 100% certain if I had not slowed down, I would have been T-boned by someone doing a good 60–70 mph. The close call freaked me out. I’m not a religious person, but it sure felt like I had a guardian angel that day.

    Dead For 7 Minutes; Man Is Shown Past Lives During Incredible NDE

    Have you ever had a bad gut feeling about someone and it was right?

    Yes. My dad’s best friend growing up has a son my age. We were really close as kids but they moved away and I didn’t talk to him for years. When we were teens, my dad’s friend came to visit. Something about his son literally made my skin crawl. I was left alone at home with him and my three young siblings while the parents went out for the night and I was nearly frantic trying to ensure he did not have a moment alone with my siblings. When our parents returned I told them something was wrong with the son, and to please not leave me alone with him again. My dad was upset and demanded to know why I would say that, did the son do something? He honestly hadn’t actually done or said anything that I could pin this feeling on. So I told them, I think my animal brain just knows a predator when I see one. My dad thought I was being dramatic but my mom believed me and made sure we weren’t alone with the son for the rest of their visit. About a year later it turned out the son got caught in the act of raping his niece. He told the police he was glad he was caught because he couldn’t stop himself. My dad has never doubted my intuition since.

    Tony Confronts Tony Blundetto – The Sopranos HD

    When Tony B looks up after Tony S said someone got a look at the guy. That’s the reaction of someone who did it. Split second panic and then cool as a breeze. Steve Buscemi nailed it.

    What work secret did you accidentally find out that changed everything?

    I worked for a major retail company, in a team running the mainframe.

    One task was keeping the (huge, size of a car trailer) printers running.

    Some printouts were for the board, and these we were told to check for misprints and missing pages.

    We’d just been told that we couldn’t have any pay rises since there wasn’t any money in the budget. Inflation was running high, so not getting a pay rise really meant a pay cut.

    The company annual account report was printed and I was checking it before putting it in internal mail.

    I noticed that the IT department budget was underspent by half a million!

    No money for pay rises!

    Showed printout to my manager. He ran off with it to the copier. Multiple copies of the page showing the surplus in the IT department were placed around the department.

    We got pay rises.

    Ralph Cifaretto Refuses Tony’s Drink – The Sopranos HD

    Why is Huawei able to get a large number of chips to release new mobile phone products like Mate 60?

    SMIC has been making 7nm custom GPUs for the past 2–3 years, mostly for crypto customers who couldn’t get in the TSMC queue.

    This filled real market demand that other players didn’t, or couldn’t.

    SMIC used this opportunity to refine its process, on the quiet.

    Huawei, in the meantime, found willing partners to share talent and resources, in a concerted effort to save the high-tech industry on the mainland from American destruction through the threat of sanction.

    How did Huawei et. al. find the tools necessary for chip design, especially the GPU? What black magic did Huawei use to improve the transistor geometry? How did they penetrate the Qualcomm 5g patent wall? I don’t know. Neither does my friend in TSMC. It’s a separate ecosystem now, and quite independent.

    The fog of war has descended, but the outcome point to solidarity across the ranks, with competitors working together like they are part of a conglomerate.

    The Chinese are capable of cooperation on unheard of scale, because of long history.

    The Mate 60 Pro is merely a first step, lacking polish and maturity. What’s coming though, will be a deluge.

    Alien Artifacts on Mars: What NASA doesn’t want you to know

    This is fun. But don’t take too seriously.

    Is it true that Huawei phones are monitored by the Chinese government?

    Of course. The Chinese government really wants to know how many times you call your girlfriend every week, and which are your favourite games, and which pop stars you follow on Instagram, and most of all they are interested in the photos of your meals that you regularly post on Facebook.

    These are vital secrets so critical for the national security of the USA, so the evil communist spies from China will be watching intently. Remember that well, and be careful! The everyday events of your online life have the devastating potential to alter the direction of global geopolitics and the history of the world, basically.

    How Huawei Mate60 5G Overcome US Sanctions? | Time to invest in Chinese tech stocks

    100 sanctions. Imprisonment of it’s CEO. Mandatory shutdown of partner factories in the West.

    Huawei survived!

    This is really good.

    Are you worried that China’s new $40 billion state fund for semiconductor manufacturing will disrupt the global supply chain for advanced chips?

    Why worry US. Remember most Yanks still think Chinese live in caves and eat bats! To these hubris Yanks China can only make T-shirts and toys. And U.S. can deprived them technologies and send them back to the Stone Age.

    Well, what happened? While the U.S. is still in the midst of ordering and coercing Taiwan to build its chip plant to manufacture 7nm chips that it thinks China is unable to do. To the horrors of U.S. officials. It took a mere 3 years for China to. Make it and now inside the Huawei Mate 60!

    Where are the neocons who convince Biden to spend a trillion in losses, in subsidies, in coercions, in tax breaks, in new shining plants, in luring specialist to the U.S. only to see that China get it done in no time and made products that are not only comparable but better, faster and cheaper!

    Huawei may have developed its own 5G chip to bypass US sanctions

    Huawei, under tight US sanctions since 2019, started selling its latest Mate 60 Pro smartphone this week, raising speculation about its 5G capabilities. Some online reviews claim the device comes with the Kirin 9000s chip to support 5G and satellite calls.

    The US and some European governments have labelled the Chinese giant a threat to national security, despite the company’s denial. Huawei had restricted access to US components and software, including from foreign chipmakers.

    Early this year, Japan and the Netherlands joined the US effort to curb the export of advanced semiconductors. However, Huawei has been rumoured to be actively trying to overcome these sanctions to return to the 5G smartphone market, even resuming production on advanced chips with China’s Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC).

    Why does it matter?

    Huawei’s development of its 5G chip may have implications for the tech industry, the global economy, and national security.

    The smartphone launch coincides with US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo’s visit to Beijing, reiterating the Biden administration’s stance on export controls to China.

    If the new Mate 60 Pro is confirmed to have a 5G chip, that would mark a significant achievement for the Chinese tech champion.

    China’s ability to produce its own advanced chips would also announce a considerable advancement in technological capabilities and would mean a serious blow to current US measures aimed at slowing its progress.

    It could inspire the country’s largest tech firms to get around US sanctions, fueling the ‘whole nation‘ endeavor to produce Chinese innovation to beat the US.

    Breaking Bad – Shooting Tuco Scene (S2E2)

    Why do people support Bernie Sanders?

    I’ll tell you.

    In the United States, I was a conservative Republican working at a wage earning job. Then, while driving for my employer, on a delivery, on the clock, at a red light I was stopped. A person who was not paying attention smashed into my stationary vehicle and totaled it, and sent me to the hospital.

    The hospital bill was thousands upon thousands of dollars. My employer didn’t cover any of it. My automobile insurance replaced my new vehicle with an old one that barely ran. I ran up many thousands of dollars of medical debt that I couldn’t afford.

    Note: I spent one hour at the hospital, getting one scan. I received zero actual treatment, before or after that scan. It still cost me more than I made in a year. And no, the insurance didn’t cover it. Insurance that would have covered it, would have taken up half of my wages in a given month.

    Cut to a few years later. I am now happily married, living in Norway. Still an American citizen. My wife is Norwegian and the pay is much, much better here, because they have things called unions. I literally earn three times as much as I did in Florida, working the same type of job. Scratch that, I was in management in the USA. Here, it’s an entry level job, no promotion. I still make far more money than I did in the states.

    But the point is, whenever I need to see a doctor now, I just go. Whenever I need an operation, I can afford it. Whenever I am sick, I take time off. Because over here, in Norway, they have single payer universal healthcare.

    I’ve never seen a doctor more often than I have since moving to Norway. I’ve gotten medical conditions diagnosed that I never would have found the money for before. I’ve gotten sick leave from work when I have been ill. Seeing a doctor tends to cost less than I make in a day, and if I go over a certain amount in a year, I can pay nothing.

    Instead of getting bills from a doctor for thousands of dollars, I end up paying around 30 bucks out of pocket each time.

    The doctor earns plenty. They make slightly less money here, but are still among the highest paid people in society. The citizens are healthier, they live longer. They take their health more seriously. Norway spends more per patient than almost any other country in the world, and they cover every citizen, every resident, completely.

    Norway still spends only about half as much as US citizens are forced to spend on their healthcare.

    The reason is because healthcare is considered a right here, like getting a public school education. People don’t go without simply because they’re poor.

    And as a result, lifespans and healthcare outcomes and healthcare expenses are all a better outcome or a cheaper deal here in Norway.

    Bernie Sanders is one of the few politicians in my native United States who understands that progressive ideas like universal healthcare would greatly enhance the lives of my fellow citizens.

    I care about my fellow citizens, and I’d like for my son to be able to live in the USA someday, as he is born to a US citizen and he can certainly go far there.

    The problem is, if he decides to come to the USA; there won’t be a union fighting for him against corporate greed. There will be greatly reduced wages. And if he gets hurt, sick, or otherwise needs medical care, he will likely need to have far more money than he earns in order to get that care.

    That’s ridiculous.

    Of course, he could just get a college education (something that is free in Norway) and then he could afford the outrageous healthcare prices in the USA.

    But if he wanted to get such an education in the USA, he could find himself a hundred thousand dollars in debt just for college alone, in a shitty economic downturn, without even the benefit of having a place to live. Throw on a mortgage payment on top of that, and he would be downright stupid to deliberately choose the USA over Norway.

    The difference is that Norway governs for its citizens and certain things are prioritized here, like education and healthcare.

    Whereas in the USA most of the money you spend in taxes goes towards prepping for world war 3 and giving subsidies to already profitable corporations, and then giving them loopholes where they don’t have to pay any corporate taxes at all. And then billionaires pay for senators to give them even more tax breaks personally, and then they use that money that should be funding your government services to bankroll candidates for the Republican ticket that will never, ever do anything to help a working class person.

    I support Bernie Sanders because he’s spent decades representing working class people, without ever selling out. It’s a shame people keep rejecting him in favor of billionaires who bail themselves out on the taxpayer’s dime like Donald Trump.

    Norway isn’t alone. Basically any other modern, western nation has a universal healthcare system of some kind, and doesn’t shit on the poor like the USA does under Republican rule. Needless to say, I don’t think much of my former political party. They haven’t done anything for any working person in at least 4 decades. I was a fool to support them at all when I was younger. I believed their lies, basically.

    China’s Punishes Japan, Cancels $154 4 Billion Order!

    https://youtu.be/Xwrfk3eD3bc

    Is the Huawei Mate 60 Pro chip equal to the latest iPhone chip or even better?

    No

    The Mate 60 is superior to the performance of the Iphone 13 and is on par with the performance of Iphone 14

    Yet the Mate 60 is expected to be half a generation below the Iphone 15

    The Price of the Mate 60 however is at least 3000 Yuan lesser than the Iphone 15 and given the mild differences in performance between the two, the market for the mate 60 is likely to zoom and surge and definitely affect the market for the Iphone 15

    I believe Iphone will lose around 15% of it’s present market share in China to Huawei due to the Mate 60 and the Mate 60 Pro Plus to be released in 2024 April

    Saudi & Russia Have CHANGED The Game!

    How come some of these parents did not discipline their children at an early age and then as they get older and get more and more into trouble they end up having to either go to jail or prison because they weren’t raised up by parenting skills 101?

    I’ve often told this story:

    As a child, I was an incorrigible thief. Absolutely nothing could stop me.

    I stole books. We had no local library, no school library, and no money to buy books. And I WANTED TO READ! (That may have been why I developed the habit of re-reading books.) I also stole art supplies, but that wasn’t quite the same problem, because you didn’t need a new set of pastels every week. When I was caught, I was punished — usually beat, because that was punishment in Little Italy in the 1960s.

    My brother also stole. He tended towards candy and comic books. He also got beat when he got caught.

    When I turned 16 I got a job, and I never had to steal a book again. Within three months I had enough books (and money) to build my first bookshelf. My current bookshelf, which is about half the size of its maximum ever, is 13′ long and 7′ high. I built that one, too.

    I don’t steal art supplies, either. I order them online.

    My brother decided stealing was fun, and meant he didn’t have to work. He made a living illegally hooking up electric lines after the power was shut off; later, he added cable TV installations. And he didn’t need a full-time job, ever.

    Same parents, same beatings, same reason — poverty. When I had a choice, I stopped stealing. When he had a choice, he became a better thief. Good parenting helps, but nothing will tell you why a child turned out the way they did.

    Clear interference shown in docs leaked to Mintpress

    This is pretty good. Heads up!

    Why is the Huawei Mate 60 phone called “the world’s first phone that the CIA can’t monitor”?

    Theoretically, any cell phone that makes calls through a terrestrial carrier could be monitored by the CIA. It doesn’t matter whether the phone is made in the United States, South Korea or China.

    After all, their signals and data must eventually be aggregated into the operator’s computer room and lines.

    However, Mate60 is so unique that it is the first mobile phone in the world that can send short messages and make calls directly through artificial satellites. Previous similar products required the help of ground operators for transit.

    Some people may say: CIA will also monitor satellites! Of course.

    But what if these satellites are not operated by Americans?

    Yes, if two people hold Mate60 at the same time, they can rely on a series of artificial satellites in space for global communication that do not rely on the United States. Perfectly avoiding every link that the CIA may touch.

    The Future of the WORLD is here in CHINA!

    A new trend: Leading young Chinese physicists, engineers refuse to study, work in the US

    While many Chinese scientists and engineers have returned to China after working years in the US, there is a newer trend which just came to my attention: Young Chinese star physicists and engineers are refusing to go to US universities and companies for study and then work, and are choosing to do their post-graduate study and work in China.

    Why?

    They have seen how research and product patents are owned by US universities and companies, and are used against Chinese companies and interests if a tech war breaks out.

    They do not want their inventions used against Chinese companies and interests, so they choose to stay in China.

    Huang Qianqian 黄芊芊 is a leading student and researcher on electricity consumption in chips, who went to Beijing University for undergraduate work, and is now doing graduate work there. In spite of being offered full scholarships to US universities, she decided to stay in China to do her work. She already has several patents under her name.

    The US wanted decoupling; it is getting decoupling.

    Douglas Macgregor: They Moved Past The Border!

    https://youtu.be/L8QFXPEfn4c

    ISRAEL TO DEPORT ALL BLACKS BACK TO AFRICA!

    World Hal Turner

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for plans to immediately deport Blacks out of Israel and back to Africa.

    Plans should be drawn up to remove all African migrants from Israel after groups of Eritreans were involved in a violent clash in Tel Aviv, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says.

    He also wants the migrants involved in the demonstration to be deported immediately.

    His remarks came a day after rival groups of Eritreans clashed in bloody protests that left dozens of people injured.

    The groups, supporters and opponents of Eritrea’s government, faced off with construction lumber, pieces of metal and rocks, smashing shop windows and police cars.

    Israeli police in riot gear shot tear gas, stun grenades and live rounds while officers on horseback tried to control the protesters.

    The violence broke out near the Eritrean embassy when protesters were stopped from reaching the building ahead of a cultural event set to take place there.

    The issue of migrants has long divided Israel and the latest violence has brought it back to the fore.

    “We want harsh measures against the rioters, including the immediate deportation of those who took part,” Mr Netanyahu said.

    He requested that ministers present him with plans “for the removal of all the other illegal infiltrators,” and noted in his remarks that the Supreme Court struck down some measures meant to coerce the migrants to leave.

    Under international law, Israel cannot forcibly send people back to a country where their life or liberty may be at risk.

    About 25,000 African migrants live in Israel, mainly from Sudan and Eritrea, who say they fled conflict or repression.

    Israel recognizes very few as asylum seekers, seeing them overwhelmingly as economic migrants, and says it has no legal obligation to keep them.

    Stray Cat Follows Every Stranger and Asking to Take her Home Until This Happened

    Heartwarming.

    Media Say … Gloom And Doom In China

    The New York Times, and other western media, are running a ‘doom and gloom in Xi’s economy’ campaign.

    The latest entry is this piece:

    China’s Economic Pain Is a Test of Xi’s Fixation With Control

    The core claim is this:

    Consumers are gloomy. Private investment is sluggish. A big property firm is near collapse. Local governments face crippling debt. Youth unemployment has continued to rise. The economic setbacks are eroding Mr. Xi’s image of imperious command, and emerging as perhaps the most sustained and thorny challenge to his agenda in over a decade in power.

    But lets look at the sources the author quotes to make up ‘evidence’ for his claims:

    • Neil Thomas, a fellow at the Asia Society’s Center for China Analysis, said in an interview
    • Some experts say …
    • not all observers believe that China’s economy is in a sharp downward spiral. But …
    • Chinese internet users circulated an essay by a retired Hong Kong businessman, Lew Mon-hung …
    • Liu Shijin, a retired senior Chinese government economist, said …
    • said Alicia García Herrero, the chief economist for Asia-Pacific at Natixis
    • said Bert Hofman, director of the East Asian Institute at National University of Singapore
    • said Ms. García Herrero, the economist
    • Some Chinese economists and former officials have warned
    • Lou Jiwei, a former minister of finance said in a recent video interview with Caixin

    The author of the gloom and doom piece is:

    Chris Buckley, the Times’s chief correspondent in China, where he has lived for most of the past 30 years

    If Chris Buckley lives in China why doesn’t he quote even one person who is really involved in China’s economy or policy making?

    Isn’t there any active Chinese politician or Chinese CEO or Chinese economist or Chinese worker he could quote?

    Why is he quoting an Asia Society fellow?

    Founded in 1956 by John D. Rockefeller 3rd, Asia Society is a nonpartisan, nonprofit institution with major centers and public buildings in New York, Hong Kong, and Houston, and additional locations in Los Angeles, Manila, Melbourne, Mumbai, New Delhi, Paris, San Francisco, Seattle, Seoul, Sydney, Tokyo, Washington, D.C., and Zurich.

    Why is he mentioning the disgraced Lew Mon-hung?

    In 2016, he was found guilty and imprisoned after being found guilty of perverting the course of justice by asking Leung, in letters and emails, to stop the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) from investigating him.

    Why is he quoting the Vice-something professor of this or that Liu Shijin?

    Former Vice-President (Vice-Minister), Development Research Center. Currently, Vice-Chairman, China Development Research Foundation.

    Why Bert Hofman, the Dutch ‘expert’ of the EU financed Mercator lobby?

    Why ask a Spanish ‘economist’ from a French investment bank?

    Natixis is a French corporate and investment bank created in November 2006 from the merger of the asset management and investment banking operations of Natexis Banques Populaires (Banque Populaire group) and IXIS (Groupe Caisse d’Epargne).

    Natixis provides financial data for the ‘Markets’ section on the news channel, Euronews. On October 26, 2010, Natixis Investment Managers (NIM) has acquired a majority stake in asset management start-up ‘Ossiam’.

    Why use some other outlets interview with the retired Lou Jiwei without giving this (2019) context?:

    Lou Jiwei, who has long been seen as a liberalizing force in China, an advocate of market reform and international openness. He served as finance minister, ran the country’s massive sovereign wealth fund, and has palled around with western economists since the 1980s. But recently he made a prediction that contained a startling phrase: At a forum in Beijing, according to reporting in the South China Morning Post, he said: “The next step in the frictions between China and the United States is a financial war (jinrong zhan). The U.S. has been hijacked by nationalism and populism, so will do everything in its power to use bullying measures [and] long-arm jurisdiction.”

    In this financial war, he continued, the U.S. will exploit its dominance of the international financial system to hurt China—and China will fight back.

    Now back to what matters:

    Godfree Roberts @GodfreeTrh – 11:17 UTC · Sep 3, 2023

    REALITY: Only four economies have ever grown by $1.5 trillion in a year, and 2023 will see the fifth. All five boom years are Chinese, of course. Its economy is booming and so are wages: 4.7% nominal rise last year, 4.2% after inflation. Bwahahah.

    FT: China’s economic slowdown reverberates across Asia https://ft.com/content/…

    bigger

    But it’s all gloom and doom in China. The NYT says so.

    Posted by b on September 6, 2023 at 8:23 UTC | Permalink

    Tex-Mex Baked Potatoes

    OIP Potato
    OIP Potato

    Ingredients

    • 4 baking potatoes
    • 1 pound lean ground beef
    • 1 (12 ounce) jar mild or hot salsa
    • 2 teaspoons chili powder
    • 1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
    • 1 tablespoon chopped stuffed green olives
    • 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
    • 1 cup thinly sliced iceberg lettuce
    • Sliced tomatoes

    Instructions

    1. Scrub potatoes; pierce skin with fork. Bake at 400 degrees F until tender, about 1 hour.
    2. Fifteen minutes before potatoes are done, sauté meat in hot skillet until all pink disappears.
    3. Add salsa and chili powder to meat. Cover. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
    4. Add green pepper and olives to meat mixture. Heat through.
    5. Cut baked potatoes open. Spoon hot meat mixture into potatoes. Top at once with cheese so that it melts slightly.
    6. Serve with lettuce sprinkled on top and with sliced tomatoes alongside.

    Apple In Tears: China Ban Iphone In Response to U.S Sanction

    In today’s video, we dive deep into the recent ban imposed by China on the use of iPhones for its government officials and its potential impact on the U.S economy. From Apple’s position in the global market to the ripple effects on allied industries, join us as we uncover the implications of this significant move.

    What was the stupidest thing someone has called the police on you for?

    Some years ago I was living in rural Texas. My housemates decided to raise chickens. They thought it would be “fun.” As someone who had to raise chickens in the past, I did not agree with them, but compromised because chickens were probably the least expensive and bothersome livestock they could mess with. Eventually, they got bored of the chickens, so I processed the chickens for future consumption in the front yard where the light was good. My neighbors called the local police and claimed I was conducting Satanic Rituals. Once again, this was rural Texas (no HOAs, large tracts of land with the Piney Woods for our backyards). All of these neighbors claimed to be descended from farmers and country people. They should have damn well recognized what cleaning a bunch of chickens looked like versus “Satanic Rituals.”

    Has a cop ever said something to you which was completely unexpected?

    Yes.

    About 15 years ago I was driving through a part of Miami, Florida in my work van, which contained lots of specialized tools. My company was based out of South Georgia, and we usually didn’t work this far South, but there I was, driving through unknown territory.

    I was on a very long street with stop signs every block, and I dutifully stopped at each one before proceeding. Of a sudden, as I stopped at one of the stop signs, a police car pulled up on the left side of me, lights flashing. An officer jumped out of the passenger seat and stood at my window, asking me where I was headed. I told him that I was heading to the interstate so I could make my way back North to Georgia.

    The officer asked what I had in the van, and I told him a bunch of tools. Wearing a pained expression, the officer told me that he and his partner had observed me stopping at every stop sign and then he said that it was several miles to the Interstate and that I was in a very rough part of town. In fact, the officer believed that my life would be in danger if I were to stop at every stop sign, as someone may jump on / in the van, shoot me, or whatever, and take the van.

    The officer ordered me not to stop at any of the stop signs between where we were and the interstate. He said I could slow down and make sure it was safe to proceed, but under no circumstances was I to stop and that if anyone tried to stop me or signal me to stop, that I should ‘floor it’ and get the hell out of there.

    The officer assured me that they were radioing my vehicle description / license plate # to other officers in the area to let them know what I would be doing.

    I thanked the officer and proceeded toward the Interstate, running every stop sign on the way.

    PASSPORT SIS Thought She Could Talk Down To Men In Africa Like In USA

    The arrogance of US women is astounding. I live in a poor country, but that does not mean that their education is bad. Very smart people here.”

    What is the extent of the U.S. dependence on China? Why is this allowed to happen? What can be done about it?

    Yes you are 100% correct. The U.S. is totally dependent on the Chinese in 3 main ways.

    Without the Chinese products the U.S. will suffer a 50% inflation at the very least.

    Without China producing stuffs productively and efficiently for them they cannot sell a thing in the world.

    Without access to the humongous Chinese market most U.S. companies will go bankrupt and out of business within a year.

    Just take Apple and Tesla as an example. Without the Chinese market it will suffer a good 30% less sales. Without China making their products they will be totally uncompetitive and lose the entire world market.

    What can be done about this? You can do something to avoid dependence on China but you won’t. And you can’t. You wanted the cake and eat it too. You see US wants to be the world’s baddest nation and fight wars upon wars upon wars. It needs to outspent the top 20 nations put together! If you do that much shit you need to watch your back, your side and your front, your top and your bottom too!

    There lies your problem. You need to spent all your money on wars you have no more money to produce anything. You thought that your CEO can earn 100 times China’s CEO, your workers must be paid 5 times more than Chinese workers and get 10 times the Chinese benefits and the customer will pay for your excesses! But the customer won’t! Not even American customers!

    It is that simple. The U.S. cannot have the cake and eat it too! The U.S. needs to choose being competitive or being hegemonic! It cannot have both. American need to decide!

    You want to compete with China, do the following. Close your 800 foreign military base, turn your dozen aircraft carriers into holiday cruise! Divert your trillion dollar military budget to building U.S. infrastructure, stop spending money talking shit and doing shit spend it on building relationship with your customers. Disband NATO, CIA and NED! Ban Industrial Actions and Trade Unions!

    Can you do this? I doubt so. So the U.S. will rather be dependent on China!

    The Sopranos || Feelin’ Good

    I am really starting to like these Sopranos themed fan videos.

    Blinkin is delusional

    Yesterday, Global Times critiqued the speech Blinken delivered at John Hopkins and said he decaled a New Cold War, “Blinken sounds a rallying cry for a ‘new cold war’ that US cannot win”:

    The growing US’ geopolitical competition with Russia and China marks the end of the post-Cold War world order, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, speaking at the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies on Wednesday. “What we are experiencing now is more than a test of the post-Cold War order. It’s the end of it,” he noted. “Decades of relative geopolitical stability have given way to an intensifying competition with authoritarian powers, revisionist powers.” This statement appears to be a rallying cry for a “new cold war.”

    Since the post-Cold War order is coming to an end, what kind of new world order does the US want? Various signs indicate that the US wants major power competition and camp confrontation in order to maintain its global hegemony, even at the expense of the interests of other countries, including allies, and partner nations. However, the reality is that major power competition goes against the trend of the times and cannot solve the US’ own problems and the challenges facing the world. It will only further divide the world, leading the world to slide toward a more dangerous cliff edge.

    Regarding Blinken’s remarks, there are two main points to consider. Firstly, Blinken was creating a sense of crisis in the world. The underlying message to US allies and other countries is that there are challengers, particularly China and Russia, who want to change the existing order. Secondly, Blinken’s remarks also reflect a sense of anxiety in the US. The US is attempting to slow down China’s rise through strategic competition, while hoping to sustain its hegemony without jeopardizing its own interests. However, it seems that the US has no clear solution to this dilemma.

    China is one of the beneficiaries of the existing system and does not seek to challenge or subvert this order. However, the US has viewed any legitimate demand made by China, even those that reflect the reasonable demands of the majority of developing countries, as a challenge and ill-intentioned sabotage….

    As for China, the US is attempting to stifle its development by imposing unlimited technological restrictions, but it is unable to completely decouple from China economically. For the US and its main allies, China is either their largest single trading partner or one of the largest. Today, the US is a reckless strategic aggressor, attempting to unite its relatively weaker strength with its allies to wage a new cold war. It should be noted that the power of US allies has declined significantly, and the unity of the “West” is crippled due to the US transitioning from a “blood donor” to a “vampire”.

    There’s no way the Outlaw US Empire and its vassals can contain China or the rest of the Global South. The degree of geoeconomic dependency noted in the final paragraph above is far too much for that Bloc to overcome. The attempts made so far beginning with Trump have illustrated the damage the Empire can inflict on itself in its ill-considered policy toward China and the world. The Outlaw US Empire’s illusion of “primacy” has faded into the mists of time and is irretrievable so matter what it tries.

    Posted by: karlof1 | Sep 15 2023 14:31 utc | 4

    An Elderly Cat was Scratching At People’s Door, Begging for Help

    My goodness!

    The big nope

    You know guys. When you think about it, I mean spend some time and think, the most crazy stuff about “extraterrestrials” is that you adapt (as a human) they become normal to you.

    Maybe it is my “Frankenstein” programming, or just four decades or so of close proximity, but it’s not a big thing. Not at all. To me, they are like my pet cats, my pet dogs, my friend down the street. They are most certainly not a “shock” in any way shape or form.

    If anything, I just kind of wish that I would spend more physical time with them, somehow. But, you know, I know that is not gonna happen soon. Sigh.

    When I was attending university, there was a saying that all my classmates had (guys and girls). And this saying was “I’ll do (try) anything once.”

    I wonder how many of them caught Genital Herpies, HIV, or got addicted to cocaine, over the decades. Some of those “first things” can stay with you forever. Don’t you know.

    Now, I was NOT one of those people who repeated that mantra. I just nodded knowingly and agreed verbally, but internally disagreed.

    Of course, for many, I suppose that (at that time) they were thinking of sex, or drugs. But, to me, I thought that it was like playing Russian roulette. One of those “try once” events could be your last. Like “speeding down a highway way too fast”, or “jumping out of a plane skydiving for the first time”.

    To me, it’s all a big “NOPE”.

    Through, joining MAJestic was one decision that I will never truly regret.

    Today…

    Why do American expats say that the USA is a shit-hole?

    Because it’s true! I am an American who permanently moved to central Brazil. It was the best decision I ever made.

    ● I built my new house in central Brazil and was able to pay it off in ONE year.

    ● My property taxes are $100 US dollars a year. No, that is not a misprint. $100 US dollars a year!

    ● My dental implants are less than half the cost of the same in the United States…with equal and often better results.

    ● My food isn’t loaded with hormones and chemicals and I even have space to grow my own organic vegetables. Within 2 months in Brazil I lost 40 pounds without much exercise….just eating better food (which is difficult in the US).

    ● Almost every day is sunny and breezy with low humidity.

    ● Racism is much less pronounced than in the US. People in Brazil actually help each other and are not afraid to talk to strangers.

    ● Doctors actually take the time to listen to you and don’t treat you like a “number”.

    ● Brazilians enjoy life and have “fun”. They don’t worship the “Almighty Dollar”….except for some who are very greedy. For the most part, people are more important than money.

    When Americans speak about “life” they speak about “life in the United States”. There are many ways “to live” and , for me, life in the US is NOT “truly living”. Americans don’t know what it means to truly live. In the end, materialism isn’t what brings true peace and satisfaction…….good relationships are.

    Tex-Mex Macaroni and Cheese

    2023 09 08 09 24
    2023 09 08 09 24

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound ground pork sausage
    • 1 small onion, chopped
    • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 2 cups milk
    • 1 (16 ounce) loaf Mexican pasteurized cheese
    • 1 (4 1/2 ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
    • 16 ounces macaroni, cooked
    • 8 ounces shredded Southwestern cheese blend

    Instructions

    1. Cook sausage and onion in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until sausage crumbles and is no longer pink; drain.
    2. Add flour, cumin and milk, stirring constantly, until thickened.
    3. Add Mexican cheese and chiles, stirring until cheese is melted.
    4. Add macaroni.
    5. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
    6. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes.
    7. Sprinkle with shredded cheese blend, and serve with salsa.

    Yield: 8 servings

    Why was China able to abolish the hereditary nobility and establish the absolute authority of the emperor and the dynasty around 200 BCE (when it was first unified), while Europe was never able to do so?

    It all starts with water.

    China has two very large and very powerful rivers, the Yellow River and the Yangzi River, both of which have their source in the Tibetan plateau. Harnessed the right way, these rivers are able to provide water irrigation to support a very large part of the world’s population. However, these rivers are unruly, and would often overflow their banks, and flood the surrounding plains which were fertile farmland. Many thousands, even millions of people would die in these floods.

    The challenge for any Chinese ruler was simple then: control the waters so that the people would have food to eat, and not rebel against their ruler. At the same time, prevent floods from wreaking widespread damage.

    This question goes so far back into Chinese history that one of the early, probably mythical rulers of Chinese history, Yu the Great

    , had to deal with the issue of controlling the rivers about 2200 BCE. Because he succeeded, he is venerated as one of China’s great emperors.

    Now, the challenge of controlling floods required a central government which was able to command huge resources in its ability to create and handle large engineering projects. Not only that, but there needed to be a large bureaucracy.

    Here is one example of a successful Chinese hydraulics civil engineering project: Paul Denlinger’s answer to What are the most significant high-impact civil engineering projects in the world?

    This is one of the reasons China has gravitated to a large central and authoritarian government. Big challenges normally need big governments and bureaucracies to solve them.

    At the same time, this meant that small local rulers and kings would have less power, because in comparison, they would only be able to handle comparatively smaller local projects.

    Because the farmers could only pay their taxes in grain, this required a complex national bureaucracy which could collect grain (farmers didn’t have money, and had no use for money most of the time), and store it in central locations so that in case of a grain shortage in one area, it could be shipped to another area where it was needed.

    When the water problem was solved, the Chinese then gravitated to small hi-intensity farming. This was highly efficient, and Chinese farmers were able to increase the yield of their crops. As the Chinese farmers fed their families, they had more children, and more sons.

    These farmers’ sons then formed the core of the army used to unify China the first time.

    This was why Qinshihuang was able to unify China the first time in 221 BCE.

    But one piece of the puzzle was still missing. In order to turn these men into soldiers, he needed to be able to quickly train them and standardize their weaponry. Furthermore, these weapons needed to be interchangeable on the battlefield.

    The weapon which the Qin dynasty standardized upon was the crossbow, and the piece of standard equipment it needed to make in very large numbers was the Chinese crossbows’ lock and trigger mechanism.


    Basically, the Qin dynasty took the Chinese bureaucracy and put it to use to master mass production and manage what was probably the world’s first national armory to produce standardized weapons to conquer all of China.

    You can read more about it here: Paul Denlinger’s answer to Why did the Qin dynasty last only 16 years following its unification of China?

    Because the conquest of all of China required huge national resources, the Qin unification made the nobility obsolete. The state controlled water distribution, food distribution, taxation, fielded a national army and large-scale weapons manufacture. The nobility was now irrelevant.

    If we turn to Europe during the Roman period, the Roman empire also had tremendous central state power. If we take a close look at how the Romans spent their engineering talent, we see roads, aqueducts, temples and coliseums. Compared to the Chinese, they did not have to deal with huge unruly rivers and floods, which probably also meant that the Romans were dealing with considerably smaller populations than Chinese rulers.

    If we turn to Europe during the feudal period, the rise of local barons in what is now England and Germany is precisely because they did not have national bureaucracies and armies. As a result, the barons had large estates, and would provide land to the serfs, and the serfs would have to turn over a significant portion of their harvest to the lord of the manor as their rent.

    When the King of England would go to war, he would have to turn to his barons for support, and they would be responsible for raising armies from their serfs. The most highly skilled fighters were knights, who would have to be paid by the barons, and had squires and other supporting company. All of their fighting equipment was custom-made, and was not made in a national armory. Moreover, they had to carry the costs of the production of their weapons.

    This meant that the local nobility, or the barons, had great power over the King of England, and if he could not rally the barons to support his cause, he would have his knees cut from under him.

    This is what happened with the Magna Carta.

    It was all about separation of powers, and this is what gave way to what would eventually come to be western democracy.

    In contrast, the Chinese emperors and dynasties never had this notion of separation of powers. To this day, this continues to be a foreign notion to Chinese rulers.

    To sum up, the Chinese rulers discovered in the second century BCE that with the right combination of water, food, population, weapons and bureaucracy, one emperor and one dynasty could rule all of China, becoming the Son of Heaven. His rule was direct, and he needed no nobility.

    This never happened in Europe, which is why the hereditary nobility survived.

    The Sopranos – Paulie vs Ralph

    Why does the USA Suck?

    As a low income American that worked multiple jobs that just covered rent, utilities and health insurance, I can assure you I was scraping the barrel of third world living conditions, my house was ruined, we had no hot water, no heat, and barely enough for food. It cost me $25,000 a year to survive, barely survive.

    For the same amount of money in the UK I have a home, all utilities paid, cable WiFi and landline, a cellphone, health care, transportation, a whole months shopping for groceries and money left over. I also get 15 free hours of child care for my children and 28 paid vacation days. I have never lived better in my life.

    Some wealthy person is going to say the US is easy, well for lower class people it’s a nightmare. I don’t have time to put the links but Google the following.

    51 percent of Americans earn less than $30,000 a year.

    Only 0.01% of minimum wage workers can afford a 2 bedroom apartment at fair market rent

    The average minimum wage worker needs 2.5 jobs to have a two bedroom apartment at fair market rent

    Low income Americans can’t afford 95% of colleges.

    Our healthcare, infant and mother mortality rankings.

    When you are poor you are left with nothing, there may be programs but they are extremely limited, hard to get, usually you are denied several times until you give up. As someone who just barely survived I got SNAP. I fed my family on over a hundred dollars a month, that does not last.I eventually had to get Medicaid when my job closed up, but nothing in the form of cash benefits.

    First, second and third world reside within the US, your income depends on what your reality is.

    What are the fundamental differences between Western and Russian tanks?

    Design philosophy. What some people are calling “flaws” were conscious decisions and tradeoffs made in the design process.

    To be honest, it’s only later in the Cold War where the two began to diverge significantly. Prior to that, both were in a pretty neck-to-neck, “my machine is the better version of yours” competition. I’ll emphasize more on the Soviet side:

    • Small turrets and low profile

    In World War 2, the Soviets noticed that plenty of the fatal hits their T-34 took were to the turret. The concluded that they need to minimize the turret to make it harder for NATO tanks to hit them. Similarly, keeping it small means the tanks would be harder to find and hit from great distances. At the same time, they also realized the 3-man turret works best, which means that the turret would have to accommodate the commander, gunner, and loader even though it means that each would have a very constricted working environment.

    The Western approach of keeping ammo on the turret, making it nearly as big as the hull, makes little sense from this point-of-view.

    • Autoloader and ammo inside the hull

    People love to jump on this like it’s a “gotcha” thing the past year or so, but this was also another conscious decision.

    Having an autoloader means that you eliminate the loader position, allowing the turret to be smaller. It also means that you can crew a tank with just 3 people instead of 4 (Western standard) or even 5 (World War 2). This has massive implications in an all-out World War scenario:

    Imagine you have 1,200 trained tankers. With the Soviet approach, you can man 400 tanks, but with the Western approach, you can only crew 300. 100 extra tanks is a formidable force, no matter how you look at it. World War 2 was a numbers game, where quantity can trump quality. Both sides were expecting World War 3 to be no different fundamentally.

    (Of course, with only 3 people servicing the tank, the workload is higher during repairs.)

    Keeping the ammo deep inside the hull is as old as tank design. Without blowout panels (on the turrets), this is the most sensible place to put ammo since it has the most armor protecting it. The other thing is, if something did enough damage to go through all that armor, the crew would probably be already dead anyway.

    In any case, even modern Western tanks have provisions to store ammo inside the hull. The main downside of keeping ammo in the turret is simply that you’re far more limited even with that huge turret and you’ll run out of ammo quicker.

    Contrary to what some people say, autoloaders can be installed with ammo-on-turret designs. See the French Leclerc.

    • Simple/“crude” technology

    It all goes back to World War 2, again. Soviet tanks were designed to be easily repairable in the field and manufactured in great numbers. Those were the main qualities of both the T-34 and the Sherman (even though the Sherman has a much better “finish quality” than the T-34). The Soviets also knew that they stuff they’d be mass-producing wouldn’t be very high quality, but they absolutely needed the numbers. That was how the older but more sophisticated T-64 was supplemented by the T-72.

    That said, the newest versions of both are about equal.

    • Light weight

    Bridges. That’s it. The Germans had issues trying to cross rivers because sometimes they found out that their tanks were too heavy to use certain bridges. The Soviets wouldn’t have any of that. Of course, the downside of keeping the tanks light is that you can’t put too much stuff on it (including armor).

    Ground pressure and mobility on soft/rough terrain is a bit more complicated than simple weight. After all, Pressure = Force (weight) / Area. All you really need to do is to make the tracks wide enough. But having lighter weight also helps.

    • Gun-launched missile

    This is to offset NATO’s superior optics and computers and also that generally, you want to be the first one to shoot. Even if the missile missed, the opponent would have to do something to defend themselves, making them more vulnerable to follow-up strikes.

    In any case, the Soviets absolutely love missiles given that they put it on just about anything that moves (the BMP series was ahead of its time, it’s not until late in the Cold War that NATO had anything comparable, with the M113 being the workhorse. The M113 APC versions do not have missiles and barring a few modifications, its armament is usually just machineguns).

    This Phone Just Destroyed US Sanctions… America Shocked!

    This is STUNNING! Jesus. H. Christ!

    Why do American expats think that the USA is a shit-hole?

    I haven’t spent that much time in the US, barely two years, but was also very happy to leave.

    My issue with American society:

    1. artificial culture with short lived relationships, therefore people are great at making first impression, but after that it gets quite shallow and interest based
    2. materialistic culture where people are quite obsessed with money. This isn’t America specific thing, but it is very strong in America, and rather on third country levels where it is rather understandable that people really need money, but not on more relaxed developed country level
    3. overconfident culture based on “American exceptionalism” can be too much for people who prefer to rely on data in their life, and are independent thinker
    4. Therefore, a lot of entitled people which is quite annoying since they have often no reason to be so entitled
    5. Those entitled people are often in debt, sick and not being able to afford appropriate treatment, education, not having money reserves, but underlying still acting like some movie stars and big patriots

    Fundamental problems:

    1. The society is overall in a bad shape. High suicide rate, high depression rate, high *insert random sickness and USA is probably quite high in rankings*. You see that in people, overworked, sick and depressed. Most live paycheck to paycheck.
    2. Crime rate is quite high for a rich country, actually the highest among rich countries. And it has some unique problems that are not being addressed like mass shootings.
    3. Combination of high violent crime rate, mental and economic issues and a lot of “confident” yet not good at problem solving people leads to constant tension in all areas of live. USA just feels tense and stressful.
    4. Healthcare and education are way more expensive than elsewhere, probably adds also to the tension.
    5. Overall, with all the fear and tension there are technically less freedoms.
    6. No specific perks of being in USA. All patriotism aside, there is nothing what you can’t get elsewhere (for guns obsessed ones, yes, guns too, USA isn’t really that special here)

    What are good hacks to live cheaply?

    In the US, if you’re shopping for food, find a store run by immigrants from India, the Middle East, Latin America, China or Vietnam. Probably almost every item you’re looking for, they’ve got the cheapest prices and best value in town.

    I live in the Twin Cities. I go miles out of my way to drive up to Northeast Minneapolis to shop at Holy Land (which specializes in Mediterranean, Balkan and Somali food) and Little India — the mother lode of spices in this town.

    Stores like these usually aren’t very “visually appealing.” It’s pretty low overhead. They’re not in very wealthy neighborhoods. They cater mostly to a working-class immigrant clientele. And that’s partly why they’re so cheap. (Many American yuppies actually go out of their way to pay more for products so they can show off and feel rich. That’s one reason why REI is so popular in the clothing line. They might be paying textile workers more — I don’t know — but a lot of consumers just feel like they’re getting a “better” product if they pay more. This is a huge American consumer mindset.)

    Spices that I’d have to pay $16 a pound for at my usual neighborhood market… Little India sells for a third of that price. And man, they’ve got spices. This is about half their spice aisle. Both sides of the aisle, all spice:

    I also love that they sell a 28-ounce bag of this stuff for a reasonable price. A pound and a half of the stuff:

    Honestly, I don’t know if all the products you find at these markets are optimo primo top quality. But if you’re poor (I’m poor), it’s good enough for you.

    When I wander into a Whole Paycheck/Whole Foods, the setting is spiffier, but that’s about it. I see just about nothing there I can’t find for a better price at an immigrant market, plus a lot of unique imported goods that I can’t find anywhere else at all. (I don’t know any standard grocery store in the Twin Cities that sells fava beans. No other stores sell Turkish coffee, also called Greek coffee, also called Bosnian coffee. And where I do buy Bosnian chocolate cookies or tangy Bulgarian yogurt — even though the brand I buy at Holy Land is made from California milk? Well, the Lebanese sell it.) I’m also happy to support an immigrant instead of a big company.

    I’ve lived most of my life in the Midwest. There’s a lot of immigrants in the Midwest. You can find these stores in probably every big US city. Even if you live out in the country, if you buy bulk, sometimes it’s cost-effective to do your shopping while you’re in a city. Lots of items like spice, oil, tea, coffee and obviously rice and beans — this stuff keeps for months if not years.

    What are the scariest social experiments?

    This is one of the experiments that, like the Milgram experiment, simply scares me.

    Because it shows why people allow themselves to be led en masse to their own downfall.

    Let’s take a look at this.

    Participants were alone in a room and had to fill out a questionnaire.

    Then, suddenly, smoke came out from under the door.

    What would you do now?

    Leave the room immediately and tell someone, okay?

    And that’s what 75% of the people tested did. And, on average, they did it after 2 minutes.

    Then, the subjects were exposed to the same situation, but with other people in the room.

    In this case, there were two actors and they pretended not to notice the smoke.

    And now only 10% of the test participants left the room, continued to fill out the questionnaire.

    Even when the smoke burned his eyes and rubbed them visibly .

    The experiment shows that people react slower (or not at all) in emergency situations when other people are passive.

    They seem to rely heavily on the reactions of others, even against their own instincts. If the group acts like everything is fine, then it has to be, right?

    That’s what always scares me, because I see it everywhere.

    But I know that others don’t react until they believe that at least most other people would react.

    This fact makes me desperate because it is being used to manipulate the masses . And I will never be able to do anything to convince them until everyone cares.

    It’s so scary!

    Germany just told Ukraine to F*CK off, along with 3 other E.U. countries | Redacted News

    We will not extradite people to die! That is what four countries have told Ukraine in response to the country’s request to send back those refugees they were so nice to last year. They need to throw them into battle to die, please.

    The Czech Republic has said that it will not do that and so has Austria, Hungary and Germany.

    Poland has reportedly already begun to comply.

    What are some difficult foods to give up when you move abroad?

    Speaking from personal experience; as an American living in China, I have found the following to be rather difficult to obtain. (Oh, anything can be obtained in China. The issue boils down to accessibility, cost, and quality.)

    Here’s a brief list;

    • Fresh bagels.
    • And creme cheese to put on them.
    • Thin crust pizza. (In China it is either impossible to get, or cooked to a cracker.)
    • Deep dish pizza.
    • Cheese-It crackers. (Does not exist in China.)
    • Goldfish crackers. (I found some once.)
    • Jar of pickles. (Doesn’t matter; dill, sweet butter chips, gerkins. Not available.)
    • Jar of relish. (Can be found if you look hard enough.)
    • Fresh and hot pretzels.
    • Jello. Not unheard of, just very rare.
    • Hard rolls. Forgetaboutit.
    • Hamburger (Known as “mince”). You have to make it yourself in a grinder.
    • Pre-made bread, or pizza dough.

    Of course, must Western foods are available in a restaurant. But these are limited to either fast food, or steaks. Forget about “blue plate specials” and things that you normally get in the ‘States.

    • Grits
    • Cheese omelette
    • Rye toast. (Rye anything…)
    • Eggs Benedict.
    • Milkshakes. (McDonald’s USED to carry them, but they fell from popularity. Presently, they are impossible to find.)
    • Pies. (any type; pumpkin, cherry, blueberry, sweet potato, it doesn’t matter. )
    • Turkey.

    The Sopranos – Like Everybody Else

    I’m Not Like Everybody Else (Live) – The Kinks.

    What is the best case of, “You just tried to scam the wrong person,” that you’ve witnessed?

    I can relate two instances.

    Back about 1980 I bought a raffle ticket (for only 50 cents) from a sorority in Little Rock, Arkansas. The prize was dinner for two at the 6 nicest restaurants in town. Eventually I got a call that I had won and would get my gift certificates soon. No tickets ever arrived. I contacted the sorority and they offered to refund my 50 cents! Unfortunately for the girls who sold me the ticket, I worked with a certain fraud division of the state government. I contacted the restaurants mentioned on the raffle ticket and discovered they knew nothing of the raffle. I then brought some serious heat down on the sorority, and they quickly delivered my prize. As they left my home, one of the girls said “We’ll never sell YOU another ticket.” As if.

    About a year later my car needed a tune up. The car needed new spark plug wires so I replaced them myself before going in for the tune-up. While I’m waiting for my car to be fixed the technician walks in and announces that I need new spark plug wires. Oh really? I asked to see the wires. They had been cut. I explained to the man that I had just put on that new set of wires not an hour ago, and the only way they got cut was by him cutting them himself. The result of that business’s interaction with the fraud folks? They found themselves closed down. There had been plenty of complaints about that business but now they had defrauded the wrong person for sure.

    China Wins the Deep Sea Mining Race, Becomes Precious Metals and Critical Minerals Rich Country

    Thanks for sharing this information, I love your podcasts,,, We don’t get this knowledge on mainstream media.”

    https://youtu.be/Bx5bOKGLG3k

    US inability to sell Iran’s seized oil angers congressmen

    The US congress representatives referred to reports that show that 800,000 barrels of Iran’s seized oil have been wandering off the coast of Texas since about 11 weeks ago, and American companies and parties are reluctant to unload their cargo for fear of alleged Iran’s possible retaliatory measures.

    The US seized the tanker in a sanctions enforcement operation, Reuters reported.

    The delay in discharging the cargo is also partly out of fear of repercussions from Iran. A senior commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ navy said last month Iran would retaliate against any oil company unloading Iranian oil from a seized tanker.

    They continued that enforcement of petroleum sanctions will become irrelevant if American citizens and companies involved constantly live in fear of Iranian retaliation.

    They asked the administration for a briefing on the progress of the transfer of the seized oil from the Suez Rajan to US custody.

    After withdrawing from the JCPOA nuclear agreement in 2018, the US government has implemented all the suspended sanctions under this agreement against Iran. US has also required third countries and companies to implement its territorial sanctions against Iran.

    LOL at uncle shame…

    The Teen That Lit 91YO Man On Fire..

    That man lived a long hard life and this is how it ends, a teen’s selfish and senseless act. RIP wise old man.

    Was Adolf Hitler a talented person? It seems as though he failed at painting, military career, and politics.

    He was a talented…. speaker.

    After World War I, Hitler was broke and unemployed, and he made money by (1) being paid by the Army to speak to young people about the evils of Bolshevism and (2) spying for the Army at political gatherings.

    In July 1919 Hitler, on his second part time job, was sent to a meeting of what was then the German Worker’s Party, a nationalist, anti-Semitic, pro-capitalist reform group of about sixty people. During the meeting, Hitler, who had read up on politics, started talking and everyone there started thinking he would be a good spokesperson for the group.

    Now, Hitler was a bright involved student in elementary school (top of his class as a matter of fact) but his ultra-strict father and doting mother (Hitler was the family’s only son who survived infancy) turned him into the equivalent of an emo-kid when he got to high school, and he insisted he was going to be an artist, something that his civil servant father was opposed to, but his mother encouraged.

    Hitler’s father died when he was young and his mother actually gave Adolph the money she got from the Austrian State pension for a child benefit so he could move to Vienna to pursue his dream. However, when he was 18, the money stopped when the state stopped paying for him, and his father’s estate and death benefits still had to be used for the support of his mother and sisters.

    As such, Hitler became largely homeless, art school didn’t want him (he wasn’t particularly good at it) and he hadn’t finished high school, which was a prerequisite for architecture school. Let’s just say at that point he was like a teenager who discovers Ayn Rand and thinks he’s better than everyone thinks he is. What he read during this period of time started to shape his views on the economy and non-Germans.

    When World War I started Hitler actually fit into the army quite well, but after the war he fell for the “Big Lie” of the day, that the socialists had sabotaged the war effort (in fact, the previous government had collapsed under the weight of lack of supplies and money). The peace treaty in 1919 didn’t help as it required Germany to pay more money than existed on the entire planet at the time.

    When Hitler and his buddies, now re-named the National Socialist Party, tried to overthrow the government of Bavaria in 1923, he avoided the death penalty by appealing to the right-wing German Empire judges that he was only trying to save the country. He served less than a year in prison while he dictated a very bad polemic book, “My Struggle” (Mein Kampf) to a couple of his friends.

    Anyway, Hitler was banned from speaking so the Nazi’s were moribund, but then the ban was lifted just as the Great Depression began. Mainstream parties couldn’t cope, but both the Communists and the Nazis grew rapidly in popularity and Hitler positioned himself as a middle-left alternative to Communist Soviet-supported Bolshevism. As he gained electoral success, he paralyzed the government by having his legislative deputies vote against everything, and then argued that the problem was that there were too many political parties.

    Hitler never had a majority of deputies in the legislature (Reichstag) so despite numerous elections and legislative paralysis, the centrist and right parties managed to keep him at bay. Finally, in a panic, Hitler said he would be Chancellor if just two other Nazis were in the cabinet. They bought it, but the two Nazi ministers controlled the police and the army, which were quickly used against Hitler’s adversaries. When someone tried to burn down the Reichstag, he managed to convince it to give him emergency powers, which he used to arrest even more of his rivals. Eventually, when the only balancing force, President Hindenburg, passed away, Hitler just took his place. He had a mortal lock on everything, and most of that was his idea.

    What is the most badass thing your parent has ever done?

    California, 1949. My 16-year-old mother was called into the office of the very agitated high school principal who explained emphatically, “There are reports that you have been dating a Negro. We have an integrated school here now and the only way than can work is if the races do not ever mix. As a white girl I expect you to uphold that standard.” My mother stared that woman down without a word, then simply walked out of the office and nothing else was ever said about it. The reports were quite true, and three years later they were married. I was born the following year.

    Poor Kitten Showed No Sign of Life, and Her Mama kept Worrying for Him

    Help the kitties.

    https://youtu.be/RRl4DNTSWDI

    What was the bravest thing you ever did in a job interview?

    My plebe (first year) at West Point, I asked my Tactical Officer (a TAC is the legal commander and supervisor of a cadet company) if I could give up my summer leave (1980) and serve at Nellis AFB. Even this was pretty bold for a plebe to ask a Captain. He said he would (might?) look into it. I mentioned it again during graduation week (just prior to leave) and he said it couldn’t be arranged.

    The following week, when I arrived home in Las Vegas, my Dad asked if I wanted to attend the 100th year birthday party at the American Legion for the oldest veteran in the state. (He had been a veteran of the Spanish American War). I said sure and attended in uniform.

    There were many veterans, active duty military, and dignitaries present, including the commanding brigadier general at Nellis. He recognized my uniform and that I was a newly minted “yearling” and asked how I was doing at the Academy? I said it was tough but that I was doing well. He asked what I had planned for summer leave? I replied, “Sir, I was hoping to work for you.” He was surprised and asked why? I said, “I thought it would be career broadening.” He said, “That sounds like a great idea. Why didn’t you do it?” I said, “My tactical officer said it wouldn’t be possible to arrange… with all the inter service bureaucracy” He replied, “Inter service bureaucracy? I’ll give Joe Franklin a call and we’ll have it set up by tomorrow afternoon.” Brigadier General Franklin was the Commandant of Cadets. Apparently, they were classmates.

    it was a great summer!

    Has a cop ever said something to you which was completely unexpected?

    I was speeding down a highway in the dark of night, around 10 or so, when I passed a state patrol car sitting in the median. I knew I was busted, so I took my foot off the gas, looked in the rearview mirror to see if he was coming after me (of course he was) and then looked down at my speedometer which read 75. Yikes! How fast had I been going?? Anyway, I pull over and get my stuff ready to hand to him. He pulls up behind me and gets out, and out, and out of his car. Big man, very tall and imposing. I was thinking oh crap. He comes to my window and asks me how I’m doing as I hand him my driver’s license. I tell him pretty good, just trying to get home to go to bed. He stops, leans (way) over and looks in the window at me. I recognize him as one of the regular customers at the convenience store where I work days. He says “what are you doing?? Go home. Slow down and drive safely!” And hands me back my driver’s license. I thanked him profusely and we both went on our way. No ticket, no nothing. Whew! Dodged a bullet there. It pays to be good to law enforcement. 😀

    Star Trek Enterprise – Unknown Space Capsule

    Please enjoy this segment. I did.

    Star Trek Enterprise “Future Tense”

    Why do American expats say that the USA is a shit-hole?

    Because it’s true. I moved to Spain in 2017.

    • My health improved dramatically thanks to high EU food-quality standards (and the 2000 additives and chemicals used in the US food industry that are banned or restricted in the EU).
    • My quality of life improved thanks to low crime rates and Spain’s emphasis on quality of life over work. Everyone is happier.
    • My cost of living went down a lot, especially my healthcare costs.
    • My doctors here actually listen to me and take time with me because they don’t have to rush through as many patients in a day due to the high costs of everything. Healthcare isn’t all about profits. It’s about… health. Imagine that!
    • Even the health of my pets improved.
    • Instead of Oklahoma and Louisiana being my “backyard” (I lived in Texas), France and Portugal are.

    You could not pay me to go back.

    The Rule of Thumb

    What are some facts about some famous video games?

    I’ve just got one.


    During the Cold War, lots of people expected the US and the Soviet Union to exchange nuclear missile strikes. They thought nuclear armageddon could arrive any day.

    So in the event of nuclear armageddon, what are some tips? One tip that was widely popularized, was the Rule of Thumb.

    The Rule of Thumb says if you extend your arm, and put your thumb over a nuclear mushroom cloud, you can tell if you’re in danger from radiation. If your thumb covers the entire cloud, you’re safe. If it doesn’t, you’re in danger and need to take cover.

    This tip wasn’t necessarily true, but luckily nuclear war never broke out and they never had to use it.

    But in the Fallout games, nuclear war did break out. And guess what extremely popular Fallout character is using the Rule of Thumb?

    The Government has Secret Listening Posts in Every Major City

    New York City has skyscrapers of all shapes and sizes. But why does this 500 foot tall, 29-story building have no windows, no lights and no markings at all?

    Because it’s a top-secret NSA spy station built to withstand nuclear war.

    Officially, this is an AT&T telecommunications building. But thanks to leaked documents, we now know that 33 Thomas Street is actually a top secret NSA mass surveillance hub.

    It’s code name is: TitanPointe.

    And right now, as we speak, TitanPointe is listening.

    The gray, granite tower is located at 33 Thomas Street in Lower Manhattan. Locals know the building as the “Long Lines Building” and it’s been a source of mystery for years.

    What jumps out is that the building has no windows and no exterior lighting.

    During the day, it fades into the background of the New York City skyline.

    And at night, it becomes an invisible shadow.

    Thanks to NSA documents leaked by Edward Snowden, we now know that creating an invisible building wasn’t an accident. It was absolutely by design.

    33 Thomas Street operates under NSA codename TITANPOINTE.

    And Titanpointe is a core location used for a controversial, and possibly illegal, NSA-sponsored mass surveillance program.

    According to leaked documents, this program has targeted the communications of the UN, the World Bank, the IMF. It’s been used to spy on at least 38 countries, including US allies like France, Germany and Japan. It’s common knowledge that AT&T is very cooperative with the NSA.

    Using an AT&T cell phone? Eh, you might want to rethink that.

    Let’s find out why.

    Brutally True

    What accidentally rude things do Americans do while traveling even without realizing it?

    Black Zimbabwean on receiving end here. Many years ago, just after getting married, new hubby & I flew from Harare (capital city) to Kariba (small touristy town 45 minutes away by air) for our honeymoon.

    On arrival at the little airport, we head for the courtesy shuttle. A group of mostly middle aged (& all white) American tourists have already taken up most of the seats when we step onto the bus. Some look a little startled, and one woman pipes up, “You can’t get on this bus. This is OUR bus”.

    We politely explain that no, it isn’t ‘your’ bus, it is actually meant for anyone booked at the local hotel.

    She argues; there are a few supportive mutterings from her compatriots, until the driver chimes in, and with a huge smile, confirms what we’ve just told her.

    I suspect he’s encountered this before.

    A few minutes later we are on our way, & we soon strike up a conversation with our nearest neighbours (the natives are friendly here ). A woman in the next seat interrupts and says, in baffled tones, “Your English is really good”, and her male companion adds, almost accusingly: “You sound educated!”

    I don’t remember feeling offended, just mildly taken aback and amused at the level of unconscious presumptuousness.

    People are PISSED off

    What’s the most ridiculous adult tantrum you’ve witnessed that you couldn’t believe?

    My sweetie and I were in a BBQ restaurant in Cambridge, MA. The place was crowded with lots of people, including a family of 2 adults, 1 son, and an infant. The son was going from table to table flailing his arms, screaming in people’s faces, grabbing their food, knocking over their drinks, while their parents did absolutely nothing to control their child, who was ruining dinner for everybody else in the place.

    The layout of the restaurant meant that we would be the last table for him to torment. Sure enough, he arrived and began shrieking very, very loudly in our faces. My sweetie smiled at him, and made the exact same sound back at the kid. In an instant, the child stopped, smiled, and began a low and happy conversation with my guy. End of problem. It was the first and only time the kid smiled.

    What happened next was unbelievable. The wife/Mother came up to our table, and began to yell as loudly as she could that we were being horrible to her child, we should be thrown out of the restaurant, and never allowed back again.

    The next thing that happened was my sweetheart changing his demeanor 100%. In an instant, the gentle man playing with the kid was gone, to be replaced with a deadly serious person who quietly but forcefully said to the woman “Hey lady, f*** off!” Other customers actually applauded. As the husband/Father got control of his family, he came to apologize for his wife’s behavior, saying dealing with the kid was very hard on her.

    While I had all the sympathy in the world for the family, no child should be allowed to ruin the dining experience for 50 other people. If the child can’t be controlled, then take it outside. Period.

    This has to be a joke…

    What are telltale signs of an ambush?

    Ideally, there wouldn’t be any ‘telltale’ signs of an ambush, but in practice, this is as good as impossible.

    To successfully set up an ambush, there need to be a few elements in place and this can give the attacker away.

    Ambushes are executed from concealed positions, locations where you’re able to hide a number of soldiers very close to the troops that you want to ambush.

    The ambush has to take place on a road or path frequented by your enemy, most often at a certain time. An ambush is not a fishing expedition. If you don’t know that an enemy will pass by your ambush site, you are just wasting your time.

    If you attack vehicles, you need your enemy to slow down or stop. This can be achieved either by choosing a location where your enemy has to slow down (a sharp bend or uphill) or you place an obstacle on the road (a tree ‘fell’ down, a carcass, etc.).

    Very bad for your health, but not an ambush: a roadside bomb or IED (photo: US Army 25th Infantry Division soldiers during an “IED trainer course”).

    Often a mine (or Improvised Explosive Device, IED) is placed on the road. It has two functions, to stop the enemy’s vehicles and to give the signal for the attackers to open fire.

    To make things clear, an IED per se is not an ambush but a remote controlled mine. An ambush by definition is “a surprise attack by people lying in wait in a concealed position.”

    [1] This can happen with the help of an IED, but the detonation of a road mine alone isn’t sufficient to qualify an attack as an ambush. In other words, you need soldiers attacking you.

    When you are on patrol, you’ll probably never see a direct sign that there is an ambush ahead of you, but bearing in mind how an ambush has to be set up to be successful you will have a good idea where it’s most likely going to happen and how to avoid it.

    • If you use the same road twice, the risk for you to be ambushed increases dramatically.
    • If you approach an area with buildings, bushes, or other covers near the roadside, be careful!
    • An obstacle on the road that forces you to slow down is an alarm sign.
    • Sharp bends, ravines, and hollow-ways are the classical spots for an attack.
    • Every activity “out of the usual” might point to a possible enemy attack. The absence of people or animals or a road that has been blocked and requires you to take a detour might point to an ambush.

    Experienced soldiers learn to read those signs and many others, often unconsciously. You acquire a ‘feeling’ when something ahead of you doesn’t look, sound, or smell right and you’ll be able to take countermeasures.

    The Sopranos || Easier

    Guy in there has a natural canopy.

    What is the nicest thing a stranger ever did for you?

    My birthday one year ago was really sucking. I decided to go buy myself a cake at the grocery store and get it decorated, because it was my birthday and I wanted something nice. When the guy at the counter asked who it was for (in retrospect he meant what name to put on it) and I said it was for me, he was incredulous that I had to buy my own birthday cake. I just kind of shrugged and went out to finish shopping for groceries. He said my cake would be need to be paid for at pick up.

    When I came back to pay for and pick up my cake, a different person was at the register and she said my cake had been paid for. It was also decorated a bit more than I thought it should have been. I have not seen that guy working there since and in my head I’ve called him the cake fairy.

    It was a good cake. I still cried eating it because the entire day sucked, but it was a good cake.

    The Sopranos Tribute “Don’t stop believing”

    Strange how you can miss people from a tv series like they were your family even though you know they are fictional characters. Even today I feel like a part of my life ended when the series stopped.”

    What was something that someone said or did that has changed you forever?

    My baby son was fast approaching his first birthday. I was working away from home in South Wales and had just completed a 3 month long project before returning to head office in Aberdeen. I received a phone call, at home, informing me of a problem in another location and requesting me to travel to Shotton steel works, in England, as soon as possible.

    My wife went ballistic. She informed me that I had only been home to enjoy my son growing up for 6 weeks of his first year of life. Not only that but I would miss my boy’s birthday. On reflection, she was correct.

    All that night I reviewed my life. I recalled my own childhood with my father being a fisherman. He was away at sea for 3 to 4 weeks at a time and only home for a couple of days before sailing off again. We never had time for any father/son activity. I loved my dad but he was a stranger to me. I simply didn’t know him well.

    The next day I scheduled a meeting with my managing director and informed him that I couldn’t continue to spend as much time away from home. His response was that I was the only person qualified for that job and nobody else could do it. That wasn’t what I wanted to hear.

    I tended my resignation and started looking for another job. I ended up working in the oil and gas sector. I was office based and got to help raise my kids. It was definitely the best decision I ever made.

    NORTH KOREA TO SEND 300,000-500,000 TROOPS TO ASSIST RUSSIA

    This is FLASH Traffic. North Korea has agreed to send three-hundred-thousand (300,000) to five-hundred thousand (500,000) troops to Russia to assist with its Special Military Operation in Ukraine, against NATO.

    The first deployment will be about 20,000 soldiers to assist with Logistics.

    North Korea will also deliver to Russia, the new KN-09 Multiple Launch Rocket System.

    This is the latest North Korean version of the KN-09, with two pods of SIX rockets each.

    Intelligence assessment of these new rocket launchers is as follows:

    Judging by the published photos, the military received MLRS, known under the Western designation KN-09 or KN-SS-X-9. Its caliber is 300 mm.

    The first version, which has eight missile tubes, was shown in 2015 at the parade in honor of the 70th anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea.

    It is believed that missiles with a warhead weighing up to 190 kg are capable of hitting targets at a distance of at least 220 km.Guidance is inertial, in preparation for use, the calculation uses data from navigation satellites, which provides a fairly accurate hit.

    In 2020, an upgraded version was introduced, in which the three-axle all-terrain vehicle was replaced with a four-axle platform with twelve tubes.

    THOUGHTS & OPINIONS

    • North Korea is supplying military materials, ammo, weapons systems, supplying military logistics, and manpower to Russia.
    • A 500,000 man military presence is large enough to; Completely take over the Ukraine war effort from Russia. Occupy and conquer Ukraine. Serve as a complete self-contained invasion force for NATO and Europe.
    • All reports indicate that Ukraine has been sufficiently weakened by the USA / NATO leadership decisions that it is a “404 nation”.
    • NATO, and the largest European nations inside of it are now in the process of De-industrializaiton, suffering energy shortages and high inflation. All of which is a very terrible mix were they to be invaded.
    • North Koreans have been taught, from cradle to grave, how dangerous the West is, and that the United States and it’s proxy nations need to be eliminated from the surface of the planet.
    • North Korean soldiers are “enraged” soldiers, and are a very dangerous and lethal force.
    • The decision to place a NATO office in Japan is viewed as a direct threat to North Korea.
    • The decision, last month, to have NATO war games next to North Korea, (to include Germany) is viewed as a direct threat to North Korea.

    CONCLUSIONS

    • The NATO use of Ukraine as a “cat’s paw” has been a disaster.
    • The American neocon dream of a “Pacific NATO” has resulted in dangerous consequences.
    • Now, North Korea is basing an enormous invasion force at NATO’s door. This is exactly what the United States (and it’s proxies) have been doing to Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and the Global South.
    • The size of the force betrays it’s intent; the conquering and subjugation of Ukraine. Followed by a “dagger at the throat” of NATO.

    Did you tell your parents you’re an ex-Muslim? How did they handle it?

    Yes I told them.

    But parents aren’t dumb. Especially when the family is as religious as mine it’s easy to see when your child strays. It’s like having a gay kid who you can easily see his lack of interest in the opposite gender early on.

    However, if I were to pinpoint the start of them noticing, It would go back to the time I was in high school.

    I was curled on my bed sobbing like there’s no tomorrow. My mother came up to me and asked me why I was crying. I said that when I pray I sometimes wonder what if I’m talking to myself and no one’s actually listening to me. And I said that I hate myself for having such bad thoughts. She said “Salma it’s the devil playing with your mind. It’s okay all of us have thoughts like that sometimes”.

    But I wasn’t anyone. I was obsessive, still am. I had a form of OCD where I had to wash so many times before each prayer to make sure I’m clean. I always repeated my prayers over and over to make sure they are to God’s liking. And at the end of the day after all the washing and repeating I would go to bed crying and whispering “please god make it easier on me”. But he didn’t.

    My thoughts increased “what if god doesn’t even care about washing five times a day to meet him and pray?” “What if everything I believe in and take for granted is false?”. And naturally I was devastated and drowning in guilt and shame for even having in such thoughts.

    I talked to my mother about it and she was really scared and told my father. They took me to a therapist who’s from their very same religious circle. I told him about my obsessions and my thoughts. And he would try to convince me so strongly of the falseness of my thoughts and that they are all OCDish thoughts not what I truly think. And with my excessive washing and the like it was believable at the time. I was prescribed meds to get rid of my OCD. And my obsessive actions stopped. But my thoughts never did.

    The more time passed the more I doubted things. Then I went to pray while sobbing and said “help me ! I’m about to stray. Please don’t take my faith away. I don’t want to go to hell”. Yet by that point my blind faith and certainty of the rightness of my path had already vanished. Despite myself when I sat with religious people and heard them talk about Quran and Sunnah, I thought of everything they say with a critical eye and not the eyes of a believer who listens and obeys. And when I did that I noticed how much I roll my eyes at the silliness of what’s said.

    I was miserable. I lived for Islam and wanted to die for it. My whole life revolved around it. I was a teacher at a mosque, I knew the Quran by heart, and I prayed much more than the average Muslim. So I felt like the very core of my personality and life is being pulled away from my heart.

    In my last prayers, I was desperate. If you know the Islamic prayer, you know we place our foreheads on the floor. I would stick my head to the floor, holding to the rug around me like I’m holding to dear life. And from the very bottom of my heart I would whisper with a cracked voice “Help me. Help me. Help me.”. I would cry and sob and pray “please god take me. If you don’t now I’ll die as an infidel and spend an eternity in hell”.

    And that was it.

    The knots of faith were already fully untied after that. My mind went numb. And I finally allowed my brain and heart to be on the same page.

    My parents noticed it all. They especially noticed that I didn’t pray anymore. Which was anything but easy, for weeks everytime I skipped a prayer I felt utter shame and fear of hell. But then even that disappeared. My parents gave me advice constantly urging me to pray again. They would always tell me the benefits of prayers and all that.

    They urged me to visit a therapist again. And what’s a therapist going to do? Make me believe that god cares about washing before praying especially if I farted beforehand? (Yes this is a teaching). He’s going to convince me that God wants me to not listen to love songs or shake hands with male cousins?

    What was the point?? So I insisted on not going.

    The final straw, was after I met my husband. They discovered that we’re chatting. And yelled at me “you’re going to marry an infidel??” And they insisted that this marriage will never come to life.

    So I had to come out and say it bluntly.

    “I’m not a Muslim. And if I married a Muslim he’d be sinning anyway because he’s not allowed to marry a non-believer”. (Muslim men are allowed to marry Muslims, Christian’s or Jews which I was none).

    The silence resounded in the room. My father’s broken voice was the only thing that put an end to it “so you’re really not a Muslim anymore? That’s it?”. He looked devastated.

    I hated it all. Should I have just lied for life? Should I have hidden the truth sentencing myself for a life with misery and hypocrisy? But I didn’t take anything back. It was either now or never. Either I choose to break free and be true to myself or bury myself to suit their tastes. I loved them so much but I couldn’t make such a sacrifice.

    They were heart-broken for months. Until I broke down completely mentally and emotionally. The guilt and pressure were too much for me and I snapped. I was in so much heartache. I had to be put on a big dose of anti-depressant and an even bigger dose of mood-stabilizers.

    That’s when my parents softened up and came around. Finally my happiness meant something to them and they just gave in.

    My father was in denial for long though. Whenever the topic came up he would change it. And when I said something that indicates that I don’t care about Islamic teachings he would ask “why?” As if he doesn’t know the answer.

    However, after months, our relationship now is really good. I no longer lie, hide and sugar-coat. So they know me better. They still hope I go back on my decision but never pressure me to do it. And I love them for it.

    Dr. Phlox Confirms That the Pilot Was A Human Male

    Star Trek Enterprise Season 2 Episode 16 Future Tense

    Why do American expats think that the USA is a Shit-hole?

    I’ll start with the definite truth of my own life: Leaving the US was, without a doubt, the best decision I ever made.

    I have said this out loud and reflected upon it often. In short – it had to do with identity and personal happiness.

    I was always an energetic child and a hardworking student. Motivated by accomplishments; incredibly obedient; afraid of getting in trouble – a teacher’s pet type. I was generally nice to people around me; just wanted to do well and get on with my day.

    After elementary school, I started going to private school – for a better education and hopefully better access in life. During that time, my Black, middle class background became the center of the world. I still did well in school, but I wasn’t spoken to as if I did well or was capable. I was made to feel inadequate at every turn, even in the face of great accomplishments.

    As a teenager, this racial alienation was emphasized through social and dating dynamics. All teens have teen problems, but I wasn’t just a moody, insecure kid – I was a Black kid in a sea of White and there was nothing to be done about that. There was no amount of patience, kindness; weight loss; working out; grooming; hair perming – that would make me less Black. And you can’t talk about that to anyone; no one can relate; you’re unceremoniously accused of “bringing race into everything”. A very lonely reality.

    Throughout the entire secondary school process, my intelligence was always doubted and I was constantly insulted. My school offered Chinese – they tried to tell me I wouldn’t do well because it’s “a very difficult language”. Within a year, I had top marks. I once had a teacher tell me my writing was so bad I probably had a learning disability. (I’m about to finish my Masters with distinction in England, and I’ll be starting my PhD in the fall).

    By high school, I decided to spend a portion of my senior year in China. It was like night and day from my home school. Suddenly, I was smart again. Without a concerted effort of teachers telling me how stupid I was all the time, I was flourishing. I got straight A’s in AP Calculus – a course, among others, my home school wouldn’t let me take because it would be “too hard for me”. When it came to college lists – I was told I couldn’t get into any of the schools on my list; I shouldn’t aim higher than my State school. Mind, at 17 I was a varsity athlete; president of thespians; worked on a number of school plays; danced on the school team and studied Martha Graham independently; first chair clarinet; played alto sax in Jazz band; fairly skilled in drawing and painting; spoke Chinese and had a high honors GPA. So – what made me less than my peers?

    In China, it was the first time anyone (other than my parents) had ever told me I was pretty. Looking back, I was still quite young; so a lot of firsts would be happening around that time anyway – but it was definitely different than in America. In America, I was just ugly. People might not say that to my face – but it was reflected in certain ways.

    Beyond that, college was the same for socialization. I tried to be cute, preppy and peppy like my White friends – but I wasn’t. I was sad and defeated. And still had some discernible, inferior, human status.

    So again, in college, I went to China. And again, I was able to find normality, humanity and love.

    After I graduated college, I went back to China to work. I soon met my current partner and we’ve been together six years. We moved to England together last year so I could continue studying to change careers. I’ve done incredibly well and I’m just happy.

    In summary:

    I personally felt my intelligence and beauty were never appreciated in the US.

    I was suicidal sad; until I could no longer deny that I needed to live life a different way.

    My partner is Greek and it feels very freeing to not be a part of the radical, radicalized, American fervor. Also, biracial relations aren’t questioned in England the way they are in the US.

    Life doesn’t feel so heavy. My days are nice. I have a nice home. A nice partner. My efforts are recognized. I’m just, whole.

    What is the most dangerous object that you’ve seen on the road when driving?

    This happened about ten years ago.

    I was going to Providence, RI on a stretch of highway known as Route 295. It’s a wide highway but in a rural area and there are no lights on the road. It’s long and actually pretty boring. It was nighttime and I was racing down the highway in the middle lane when I thought I saw a glimpse of something dark. I only noticed it because it created a black patch of dark in the middle of the dark night which otherwise was studded by ambient light from other sources. I pulled into the fast lane and when I got to it, it was a shipping container, right there in the middle lane, just sitting there, with no lights. It had evidently fallen from a truck – but there was no truck to be seen. Apparently the driver didn’t even know he had lost it. It was just like this in the photo:

    2023 09 08 09 12
    2023 09 08 09 12

    If I hadn’t been paying attention I would have plowed right into it as if it were a brick wall at 70 MPH.

    I immediately called the State Police who dispatched a cruiser. My brother is a state cop who told me that there were almost many accidents. They had to put a cruiser with lights flashing behind it until a truck could come and retrieve it. I was astonished at how nearly invisible it was. Without power from the truck or reflective panels, it was as if it weren’t even there. It would have been easy to crash right into it.

    Casino | “Meeting in the Desert Always Made Me Nervous”

    Ace (Robert De Niro) and Nicky (Joe Pesci) arrange to have a secret meeting in the desert outside of Las Vegas. As federal law enforcement closes in around them, the two find their friendship has reached its breaking point. They exchange insults and foul language in one of the finest acting moments in any Martin Scorsese’s film.

    Tex-Mex Hash

    Tex Mex Sweet Potato Hash 3
    Tex Mex Sweet Potato Hash 3

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound ground beef
    • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
    • 1/2 cup rice, uncooked
    • 2 teaspoons salt
    • 3 onions, sliced
    • 1 can whole tomatoes
    • 1 teaspoon chili powder
    • Dash of pepper

    Instructions

    1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
    2. Pan fry ground beef until light brown in skillet. Drain fat.
    3. Add onions and bell peppers and cook until onion is tender.
    4. Stir in remaining ingredients and heat until warm.
    5. Pour into a casserole dish. Cover, and bake for 1 hour.

    Yield: 5 servings

    HEAVEN

    They are coming to take me away

    When I was in middle school or so, there was a popular song called “They are coming to take me away”. It was a single, and on the flip side the sound was revered and (to me as a young boy) sounded cool.

    I asked my father to buy it for me.

    And when it came, he listened to it first before he gave it to me. Heard the flip side (which was recorded and played backwards) and returned the song. Telling the company that the record was defective, and to send a new one.

    Sure as shit, a new one came, and he promptly returned it also.

    When the third try was delivered, it was incorrectly delivered to our neighbors house and they played that song over and over. And since their bed room was only about ten feet from my bedroom, I was able to listen to the music over and over though my neighbors.

    My dad never figured out that the song was supposed to sound like that, and that I liked the sound.

    He was really out of touch.

    How out of touch am I with my kids? I hope not too much.

    We must be more open to the differences to others, and stop being so darn judgemental about other people. Let them live their lives on their terms. Let them be. Just let them be.

    Lecture over.

    Today…

    Let’s blame China…

    2023 08 30 19 08a
    2023 08 30 19 08a

    Is there a pattern of the US officials typically visiting China instead of Chinese officials visiting the US, similar to the proverbial saying “bringing a horse to water”?

    US officials visiting China is the result of the precarious situation visited on the US. These officials visiting China, just as the EU did, is because US need a life line and help from China. US $31.8 TRILLION debt and growing is fueling panic in the US with more than 70 countries dumping US Treasury Bonds. Come October, there will be another crisis looming in the US with US hitting another debt ceiling! Janet Yellen went to China with a well concealed begging bowl and went home without China supporting US Treasury as China did in 2008 GFC. China have, effectively, lost trust in the US with consistent and persistent promises made by the US being broken unfailingly each and every time. Why go through the motion for talks and promises which were never meant to be kept?

    Fall back flack from the Trump Pro-Democracy moment in HK

    It was an aborted “color revolution”.

    And all the Judges (UK and Australian citizenship) released all the criminals that caused the riots and damage, and even deaths.

    Step one; get rid of the Western puppet “judges.”

    Step two, charge and sentence the military operatives…

    Good news! First convictions over man set on fire in Hong Kong. Hong Kong magistrate overturns acquittal of pair who taunted man later set ablaze Westerners are like FREEDOM IN HONG KONG IS DEAD!!! IT’S PEACEFUL PROTEST TO SET PEOPLE ON FIRE!

    Oliver Anthony – Rich Men North Of Richmond || Goth Reacts

    I went on such a rant with all of this..

    But honestly, it’s just how I feel… ALL OF YOU OUT THERE MAKING ENDS MEET… I am so proud of you!! and you ARE NOTICED!!!

    2023 08 22 10 38
    2023 08 22 10 38

    Have you ever given a customer something for free?

    30 years ago, I owned some furniture stores. It was just before Christmas and a young woman came into the store I was at that night to pick up a roll top desk that she had purchased on layaway. She made weekly payments towards this purchase and was proud and excited that she was able to buy this desk for her husband’s Christmas present. It seemed apparent that it was a real financial stretch for her to have afforded this. She had come to the store with a pickup truck, and we helped load the desk into the truck bed. With a merry Christmas and smiles all around, she left for home.

    Half an hour later, the woman came back to the store in tears. She had struck a pot hole in the highway and the desk was launched out of the truck and smashed to the ground. Fortunately no one was behind her, and a passerby helped get the desk back into the truck. Sobbing, she pleaded whether we could do anything to fix the desk. Clearly, though, it was irreparable. She was so distraught, there was clearly only one thing to do. We loaded another desk into her truck and I told her that it was my Christmas gift to her. She was so excited and thankful, and I think it really was a gift to myself. I felt really good about that!

    Brisket with Cranberry Gravy

    OIPaa
    OIPaa

    Yield: 8 servings

    Ingredients

    • 1 (2 1/2 pound) fresh beef brisket (not corned beef)*
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
    • 1 (16 ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce
    • 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
    • 1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
    • 1 tablespoon mustard

    Instructions

    1. Trim excess fat from beef. Rub surface of beef with salt and pepper. Place beef in 3 1/2 quart or larger slow cooker.
    2. Mix remaining ingredients; pour over beef.
    3. Cover and cook on LOW for 10 to 12 hours or until beef is tender.
    4. Cut beef across grain into thin slices.
    5. Skim fat from cranberry sauce from cooker if desired; serve with beef.

    Notes

    * Be sure to use a fresh beef brisket instead of a corned beef brisket. A ‘corned’ brisket is a fresh brisket that has been cured in seasoned brine, which would overpower the delicate flavor of the cranberry gravy. If a fresh brisket isn’t available, use the same cut of beef roast that you would use for your favorite pot roast. Also, whole berry sauce is recommended for its appearance, but you can use jellied if you like.

    Oliver Anthony – Rich Men North Of Richmond: Asian labourers Emotional Reaction

    This is going global, and it is being heard. The world is changing. Wake up! Pay attention!

    When will the next plague appear in filthy China?

    It depends on when the filthy U.S. drops a viral weapon on China!

    The filthy U.S. is the only country in the world that has not signed the Biological Weapons Convention and the Chemical Weapons Convention.

    According to reports, the U.S. has more than 300 biological laboratories established worldwide and large-scale dangerous infectious diseases have been found around some of them. For example, the army lab at Fort Detrick in Maryland, which is the country’s largest biochemical weapons base, was shut down in July last year, but the CDC refused to give any details on the grounds of “national security”.

    The US has 336 labs in 30 countries under its control, including 26 in Ukraine alone.

    TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense (MND) is planning to build a new biosafety research and development facility.

    On Sunday (July 9), UDN published a report claiming the U.S. has urged the MND’s National Defense Medical Center (NDMC) to invest in the construction of a new Biosafety Level 4 (P4) laboratory to “secretly establish virus research and development capabilities” and develop “biological warfare agents, with the target of these weapons being self-evident.” According to UDN, the information was obtained from secret meetings held by the government on June 23, 2022 and in January.

    2023 08 25 22 30
    2023 08 25 22 30

    Entrance to current P4 lab in New Taipei City’s Sanxia District, Taiwan.

    2023 08 25 22 3s0
    2023 08 25 22 3s0

    Entrance to current P4 facility in Sanxia District, Taiwan. (CNA photo)

    THIS WAS AMAZING!!! Oliver Anthony – Rich Men North Of Richmond[FIRST TIME UK REACTION]

    This is from the UK. This is a really good reaction.

    What was a loophole that you found and exploited the hell out of?

    My parents (who own a small ranch) bought a new tractor in 1998 for about $50k. Buying a tractor is just like buying a car—they put a downpayment of $1000, and financed the rest.

    After a month or two, they noticed they had not gotten paperwork regarding the loan, so they called the dealership. The person there said that the dealership was going through a turbulent time and their loan paperwork had not been fully submitted, but assured them that it would be filed and they would not owe late fees when the statements started coming.

    A few months later, they still hadn’t received anything, so they called again. This time, the person at the dealership was very short and with them. The person said that the dealership was going through bankruptcy proceedings and said (very firmly) not to call again.

    They never called again, the paperwork never came, and nothing ever went on their credit score. They got a $50k tractor for $1000. That was almost 25 years ago, and the tractor still runs great.

    Moral of the story—if you have the chance, buy a vehicle from a dealership that is about to go under. There is a small (but non-zero) chance that you’ll get the vehicle for basically nothing.

    EVERYBODY WAS RIGHT!!!! | OLIVER ANTHONY-RICH MEN NORTH OF RICHMOND-REACTION| THE PAUSE FACTORY

    Ah, yet another reaction… and again, people are stunned.

    Brisket of Beef in Tomato Onion Gravy

    Yield: 8 to 10 servings

    55107df7a11b90f46b3185c3efc701b2
    55107df7a11b90f46b3185c3efc701b2

    Ingredients

    • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
    • 1 (4 to 5 pound) beef brisket, trimmed
    • 1 (1 1/2 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
    • 1/2 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns
    • 1 (10 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
    • 1/4 cup beef stock or water
    • 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
    • 2 tablespoons balsamic or red wine vinegar
    • Additional all-purpose flour (optional)*

    Instructions

    1. Rub flour into brisket on both sides and place in slow cooker.
    2. In a bowl, combine onion soup mix, peppercorns, tomato soup and beef stock. Pour mixture over brisket.
    3. Cover and cook on LOW for 12 hours or on HIGH for 6 hours, until beef is very tender.
    4. Transfer brisket to deep platter and slice thinly.
    5. Stir brown sugar and vinegar into sauce. Pour over sliced meat or pass separately in a sauceboat.

    Notes

    * If you prefer a thicker gravy, keep cooked brisket warm and pour sauce into a saucepan. Place 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour in a small bowl. Add 1/4 cup hot cooking liquid, 2 tablespoons at a time, stirring to thoroughly blend after each addition. Stir mixture into remaining sauce and cook, stirring, over medium heat until thickened. Pour over brisket and serve.

    A Tired Man’s Reaction to Rich Men North of Richmond by Oliver Anthony

    Rant on brother!

    2023 08 22 17 02
    2023 08 22 17 02

    What’s the craziest thing a billionaire has bought?

    image 17
    image 17

    I present to you one of the richest men in Saudi Arabia, Al Waleed Bin Talal, known as Prince Al Waleed, and this is his car.

    image 18
    image 18

    This gentleman bought a Mercedes Benz SL600 and decided to give it a little more luxurious touch, he customized it by filling it with diamonds, including the entire bodywork, the tires, the door handles, rearview mirrors, and even the exhaust pipe. This luxurious Mercedes Benz is part of Prince Waleed’s extensive and sumptuous car collection of over 50 vehicles.

    image 19
    image 19

    The car went from costing 320 thousand dollars, to almost 48 million dollars, a scandalous figure for a car.

    The Three Little Pigs – as read by Christopher Walken

    Are India and China close to coming to peace at last?

    Let’s not jinx it

    However I strongly feel THEY ARE

    The Chinese are waiting for three events :- Indian Elections 2024 and US Elections 2024 and TAIWANESE ELECTIONS 2024

    I have always maintained that China has no strategic use for Arunachal Pradesh or Ladakh

    They are far more powerful and are certain India would never launch an offensive against China

    They are just waiting for the HIGHEST PRICE they can get for these concessions


    The BRICS expansion was unanimous

    Modi met Xi Jingping

    Both these events were deemed impossible in July 2023

    Jaishankar personally stated that :-

    Expansion at this stage of Geopolitical Tensions could be misinterpreted, so India is likely to keep expansion to a future date down the road

    Brazil and India mutually talked and decided to postpone Expansion

    In Politico, which is a mouthpiece for US Democrats, there was an article that stated that BRICS summit was likely to be a washout with no major discussion taken

    Yet Modi wholeheartedly supported Expansion towards the end and made a speech to that effect welcoming the new members

    Modi met Xi Jingping


    So what’s the Price China wants?

    The Clue is Irans inclusion into BRICS and Chinas agreement to accept payment in Crude Oil under the Yuan Commodity Mechanism

    A PIPEPINE!!!!!

    Until 2007, the Straits of Malacca fed China with nearly 84% of Gas and Oil and Energy

    Today it’s just 56%

    Almost a 40% reduction on reliance

    In 2027, it’s estimated to be 44% as Power of Siberia and the Vladivostok Anhui pipelines go on full capacity

    Add Gwadar to the mix and the dependence on Malacca reduces to 37%

    Add the Suez Gwadar Route and that reduces the dependence to 31%


    84% to 31% is a massive reduction

    However China want 0%

    The Solution is Iran

    Iran Pakistan and INDIA

    The idea was floated in 2016 of extending the Iran Pakistan Oil Pipelines into India and subsequently to Pakistan

    Two Pipelines of 5243 Km each, longest in the world

    That will end the dependence on Malacca permanently for China and ensure a Blockade of Malacca would bleed the West while China wouldn’t care too much

    It’s a win – win for India as

    India gets Oil from Iran, a fellow BRICS NATION and may likely pay for the Oil in Rupees or Imports

    India gets a transit fee from China and pays a Transit fee to Pakistan

    India isn’t threatened by a similar blockade in the coming years as India too heavily relies on sea shipping (96% as of 2021) along that route


    My guess is once the US Elections are finished, China will know the future

    If it’s Biden, it’s gonna be a Taiwan conflict and China has to focus on the South China Sea, so securing India is important

    If it’s Trump, it’s gonna be a Trade conflict and China has to focus on it’s energy supply and trade routes and securing India is equally Important

    The Price then will be full giving up on Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh claims and from all existing territorial claims made since 1963

    In return Indian Navy would not be expected not to participate in any trade blockade of Malacca straits or other parts of the Indian Ocean or support the US in the South China Sea

    India would be asked to revise and enter into a massive business and trade agreement with China with a lot of investments from the Chinese side

    India would endorse the pipeline from Iran and Pakistan and endorse it’s extension into China by 2030

    My guess is India will agree because it’s cheap at the Price

    It just cements Indias nonalignment not to interfere between global players and their conflicts


    Modi is far more likely to accept this than Rahul would be, because its now clear Rahul would be heavily endorsed by the West and their Doctrine

    He may even accept Western Military Bases in India and make India a Chessboard pawn in event of a Taiwanese conflict


    Interesting time in 2024 to be frank

    Now about the Map that China published yesterday, that’s normal since 1988

    They always show Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh

    That means nothing whatsoever


    There is another option

    India could leave BRICS and go to the Western Fold completely

    That would be a pity

    Yet unless China do something really really stupid, India is very unlikely to take such a step as long as Jaishankar is in charge

    Public money raised for the Grayzone never reaches them

    Where’s my money? The public around the world raised more than US$90,000 for the Grayzone, a body of independent journalists whose loyalty is to the truth, rather than to the US narrative against China and other communities deemed “rivals” or “enemies”. But our money never reached the journalists. What happened?

    What is the most disrespectful thing someone did to you while you were on an airplane?

    An idiot thought he was being funny when he loudly asked me (the pilot flying the plane), “So, what have you been drinking this morning? Vodka?”

    At that point I grabbed my kit bag and my hat and departed the plane and I went and got a voluntary alcohol and drug test. The flight was cancelled due to no pilot.

    I made sure I announced over the PA the passenger’s seat number and last name so they knew who got their flight cancelled.

    Of course my results came back clean, but professionally, I cannot stay on an aircraft after being accused of drinking or drugs, even if it’s a joke.

    Florida man caught on camera injecting chemicals into neighbor’s door

    A Florida man has been arrested after he was caught on camera injecting a chemical into his neighbor’s front door after complaining they made too much noise.

    How does the US Army deal with townies ganging up on soldiers while the police look the other way like in the movie Last Exit to Brooklyn?

    Back in the 1960’s the US Navy taught a lesson to Norfolk, VA. The town was getting a bit to big for their britches, the local police were shaking down Sailors and Marines and bar owners doing the same. Even taxis drivers were getting in on the fun of ripping of military personnel. Homeowners and businesses were putting up “Sailors and Dogs Keep off the Grass” signs.

    ‘As a first step to cleaning things up the Navy asked the city to have the signs removed, but they replied that the signs were on private property and the council had no power to have the signs removed. They figured that since Norfolk was the biggest Naval base in the world there was little the Navy could do. Oh how wrong they were. You see fleets are mobile.

    One morning the good citizens of Norfolk woke up to a practically empty base. The handful of ships remaining were those that could not move because of physical problems. The Navy had decided to hold an “Emergency Sortie” drill which affected all ships, sending every ship that could get underway to sea overnight. The next day the base was empty and remained so. After the piers remained empty a while, reports came to the city council, that ships that had been in Norfolk were now entering other ports up and down the east coast. My ship was one of the first to re-enter Norfolk and we were very surprised at all the empty piers. The carrier piers that normally had one or two carriers moored-were empty. The supply piers, normally an ant hill of activity getting supply ships loaded-were empty. It was like something out of the twilight zone. When we moored, It seemed that all the laundry trucks in the city arrived had arrived at the pier we moored to, all wanting to know one thing—if the fleet was returning. We had no idea as we were returning from an around the world cruise with long stopover in Vietnam and had no idea what had happened.

    It turned out that the city council had suddenly found a way to get those disrespectful signs removed and the police and bar owners had developed a totally different opinion of the Sailors and Marines that made up most of their business. So the fleet returned — to a different Norfolk.

    Intel Lost $5 4 Billion as China Rejects Regulatory Approval!

    https://youtu.be/HMsagOwXn44

    What are some of the best examples of luck?

    Imagine cheating death twice only to become the world’s luckiest man. The unbelievable true story of Bill Morgan, a truck driver from Australia.

    In 1992, Bill Morgan suffered a heart attack after being in a almost fatal crash while driving his truck, which stopped his heart for 14 minutes 33 seconds. He died, but doctors managed to bring him back, and he spent the next 15 days in a coma. Doctors couldn’t believe he beat the odds when he woke up from the coma, and they classed him as a medical marvel.

    Since he cheated death, Bill thought about chancing his luck and started buying a weekly scratch card. He did this for about a year until luck smiled down on him again when he scratched a winning ticket, winning a car worth 30,000 dollars.

    It was a welcomed surprise, but it wasn’t a life-changing sum of money, so Bill didn’t see it as a big deal. News of his win and his unbelievable back story caught the eye of “Channel Nine Evening News” in Melbourne, and they sent out a reporter to interview him.

    The Channel Nine news team brought him to the shop where he bought the winning ticket. They asked Bill to buy another ticket so they could re-create the moment he won the car for the cameras.

    The cameras rolled as he scratched the ticket. He stopped for a split second before turning to the cameras in total disbelief and said, “I just won 250,000 dollars, I’m not joking.” Channel Nine News couldn’t believe their luck as they caught the moment Bill rang his wife to tell her she could buy the house.

    I CRIED SO MUCH 😭😭 | Oliver Anthony – I Want To Go Home Reaction

    Yeah… I feel you. This one smacked me hard as well.

    Why did Soviet warships have red decks?

    The Soviet Navy painted their ships red for several reasons, many of which are interesting and complex. One reason often cited is that they only used anti-rust primer paint and did not want to apply an additional layer of paint. However, there is much more to it than that.

    Firstly, they chose the color red because most optical reconnaissance, satellite reconnaissance, and non-optical reconnaissance devices of that time had black and white color quality. Even thermal imaging devices had black and white imagery. Soviet ships, which carried long-range missiles and often conducted surprise attacks by launching long-range missiles and retreating, rarely had to engage with visually observed reconnaissance aircraft.

    Red also provides good camouflage during dusk and dawn, which are considered the “ideal” times for naval combat by the Soviet Navy. When viewed from above without close attention, a red ship can easily be mistaken for a civilian oil tanker or fishing vessel.

    The color of the sea is not always blue; it can be red, purple, black, yellow, and so on. Therefore, gray or black may not always be the optimal colors for camouflage at sea. Different environments, lighting conditions, and times of day can affect the appearance of the sea, and using colors that blend well with the surroundings in a specific situation is crucial for effective camouflage. The Soviet Navy recognized this and chose the color red for its ships, considering factors such as the equipment used for reconnaissance and the specific lighting conditions during combat scenarios.

    Biden is shunned

    One of the elements of life is to get bad news, suffer though crimes, or be misunderstood. Many times people will place blame on you, and expect you to apologize for your evil. Then they will punish you in all sorts of ways relative to their degree of power and authority.

    Once you start your affirmation campaigns, you start to realize (often after years) that what you experience (good and bad) are but manifestations. These manifestations (often parts of larger constructions) that present (relative) bad or uncomfortable to you as part of moving forward to achieve your goals.

    You are stuck in traffic, and you miss your plane. (Bad + Bad) You miss an important meeting. (Bad) Where decisions that affect you are made without your consent. (Bad) But when you start working you notice that your life takes a dramatic change in the direction your have been affirming. (Very Good).

    Certainly there are other influences (such as fate) that will either enhance or hinder your manifestations, but no matter what remember…

    …what ever you experience is part of the system that supports the manifestation of your reality.

    So “Bad” just seems that way. In reality, it is a “shedding of old skin” to start a new direction, lifestyle and beginning.

    Have you ever been ignored by the staff in a store because you didn’t look wealthy enough?

    Ha ha. Yep. It was a real Pretty Woman moment too!

    I had started with this really wealthy client and they expected me to dress the part when dealing with their customers.

    So I was given a $2k clothing allowance and went out shopping. I went to a Neiman Marcus store and went to the high end section. I was ignored. Then I was told they didn’t have anything that would look good on me. (I’m a size 6 for crying out loud…) I wasn’t dressed to the 9’s —I was in my usual nice jeans, nice shirt and boots.

    So I ended up in a White House, Black Market store. The ladies were awesome. I told them what I had just been through and the manager was totally horrified at my treatment. She told me not to worry and to literally ‘get ready to have some fun!’

    They kept bringing me shirts and skirts and pants and dresses, all while telling me what looked good and what didn’t. And not everything that was on clearance was what looked horrible on me. It was actually a mix between the clearance and regular clothing.

    By the time I was done, I had gotten $5k of clothing for about $1700. A great day!

    It was literally a Pretty Woman day.

    Will China go bankrupt if it is no longer able to sell to the US market?

    No.

    Depending on the degree of the decoupling, it would suffer a slowdown, but the Chinese government is preparing for that scenario by expanding trade ties with other developing economies.

    What are the reasons for the concentration of skyscrapers in Manhattan compared to other parts of New York City?

    Manhattan Schist

    Formed about 450 million years ago, it’s found under a good portion of Manhattan, but is not common in the rest of the New York metro area. It’s thick and hard, which means it has an incredible bearing capacity. Stick a massive skyscraper on top of it and it won’t move a millimeter in geologic time. Putting a skyscraper on it is like putting an ant on a horse. It hasn’t been subject to any tectonic forces in hundreds of millions of years – it essentially rides on top of a stable part of the North American plate.

    Unfortunately, it is deep, deep beneath the surface sometimes. In Greenwich Village, it’s about 260 feet below the surface, so it’s not practical to dig down that far to lay a foundation. However, in many parts of Manhattan, it’s less than 20 feet below the surface – trivially easy to dig that deep and put the foundation on top of it.

    What did someone say/do that made you close down your account and go to another bank?

    I had a ‘hometown’ bank (The walk-in, mail in, drive -in, FLY-IN- bank had its own landing strip behind the property) ; I used it for almost 30 years. Everyone knew you, your family and even the pets names.

    The founder/owner retired and sold out to Wells Fargo.

    Gone were the friendly faces and wide open spaces.

    No one knew my name. Partitions went up to block off the ‘important’ offices, the break room was closed to customers, where we used to sit and nibble homemade tea cookies while sipping free Dr. Pepper and coffee, conducting business there instead of an office. (I once bought a car for my son as I was leaving to work a disaster. My loan officer told me ‘When you’re back in town come by and sign the papers. Tell _____to drive careful’.)

    I won’t say I hated Wells Fargo. I like the word DETEST. Maybe LOATHE. I remember being charged $5.00 (in the 90’s) to talk to an actual person instead of their ‘robot’.

    The straw that broke the camels back occurred when one of my sons graduated high school with a 4.0, 4 year average. That netted him $5,000. I went to get the cash, fifty $100.00 bills. The teller asked why I wanted it. I told her it wasn’t any of her concern and asked for the money a second time. She went to get her manager. Same question. Same reply. He said he would have to make a phone call. I stopped him and asked him to give me all my money from my 2 accounts. He tried to talk me out of it. I suggested maybe it was time to call the police to help get my money.

    I closed the accounts. The manager put the cash in a locked bank envelope.
    I drove a half mile to the newest bank in town, one founded by the employees of my old bank (who were all fired – every one of them). I opened the door and immediately heard, ‘ Ron, What took you so long?’

    I was home. The bank offered me those tea cookies. And an iced cold Dr. Pepper.

    I will never use Wells Fargo bank again.

    Xi Jinping avoids Biden meeting. BRICS more important than G20

    Xi Jinping avoids Biden meeting. BRICS more important than G20 The Duran: Episode 1688.

    How long will it take for India to surpass China’s economy, considering their advantages in democracy, better relation with the west, etc?

    Sir/Mm

    It hurts me to say and then write: Next few centuries or more belong to China. That is the way China and the Chinese wrote their fate.

    For nearly fifty years, I worked with Canadians, Overseas, and Mainland Chinese at different levels.

    (I have been in Canada for close to fifty years) and besides visiting several other countries, living next to the USA. I believe I can say a few words on this topic.

    • I was born/grew up in Punjab/India; therefore, I knew India from birth and then went to India at frequent time gaps.
    • Once reasonably recently, before COVID, I went there to get my ancestral house repaired, and one severe issue was the property. I was there for an extended period. And this trip was immediately after visiting China.

    I confirmed in my mind:

    Productivity/Super Safety/Shallow crime society/State of the art infrastructure/one of the best mass transportation safe and reasonably priced reliable/almost wiped out hunger/very high literacy rate and going up consistently/relatively very low corruption/drug-free society/heightened civic sense/now controlled in check population growth/for women participation in the workforce/women are very respected and cared and safe/the Chinese Government is made of very devoted and qualified people/Chinese Government does not leave anyone behind/law enforcement agencies are deemed to be friends not corrupted overweight harassers/very frugal and high saving society/

    • Chinese people are one of the most hardworking races on the earth.
    • Now I know it hurts: The hard reality is that Indian efficiency/productivity was about thirty percent of the Chinese efficiency/productivity.
    • India is one of the most corrupt countries. China may not be washed in holy water, but it is relatively clean from this evil.
    • India has a useless/failed/borrowed system from the former rulers. There is NO WORKING DEMOCRACY IN THE WORLD. It is wishful thinking, which is why The West is sinking with crime/clogged courts/lawless lands/ and the Sun is setting faster than you think.
    • India still has 200 million people who do not have three meals a day. China has almost wiped out the hunger.
    • India is a land with corrupt style regimes, super clogged courts, zero justice, appeals appeals appeals, and more appeals and no justice.
    • Go to YOUTUBE/Google/and read about the Ajmer Sex Scandal, the Nirbhay Case(Seven-year delay in delivering justice)/Kids killing their parents for money/spouses hiring hit people to get rid of the spouse/and similar gut-wrenching a piece of daily news.
    • India is no match and never will be in INFRA-STRUCTURE with China; please visit China as I did and open your eyes.
    • Women can walk alone in the middle of the night in Shanghai/Beijing. Try to do something stupid, and you will find out. Just compare this thing with India.
    • Chinese people are highly disciplined, have great civic sense, and are true Karam Yogi/Yoginis(Good deed philosophy and working diligently).
    • Chinese universities are far ahead of India: Look at the world list of top universities and find where India stands, including IIT and IIM.
    • My kids went to school/university with Chinese kids. They will eat the competition alive(which means no match for their hard work; it was great for us because our kids were now equally successful as their completion or even more).
    • A Chinese woman is a killer(In a good sense); I have seen her multitasking and giving a new horizon to the MOST hardworking human in the modern world.
    • She has NOT only claimed half of the sky her fair share but also took half the burden of hard work.
    • In my view, at present times, Chinese/Japanese/Singaporean women are the luckiest of women to gain their proper place in society and job opportunities.
    • India is the crime capital of the world, where even the MUG in the toilet of the rail compartment is chained to the wall because people steal. Try these things in China and find out the consequences.
    • China is almost free from drugs now compared to India.
    • This is a myth that Chinese people are NOT happy: That is utter nonsense. Most of the Chinese people I met in China/Canada and during the travel in Asia, except in HK/Taiwan, are very satisfied and know the future is bright for them.
    • China is light years ahead of India in literacy rate.
    • China’s mass-scale public transportation is becoming a world model.
    • China has now controlled population growth, but India is still going strong.
    • China has no caste system, and India is still pickling in the caste system.
    • The best is to go to China and come back and measure: China has surpassed some of the past highest standards set by Japan/Europe/North America.
    • China’s growth and being the ULTIMATE superpower is a reality, and in the next few centuries, China will be the ULTIMATE power.

    Here is the conclusion:

    “India is inferior to China in every way.”

    My observations/conclusions/: India will NEVER MATCH or EVEN COME CLOSER TO CHINA: India has a failed governing system, And it is ONLY big ra ra in the eyes of the West to counterbalance Chinese Might. The West is a setting sun: It is over for them. And so-called “Democracy” failed miserably.

    And

    India has lost direction: Nudity/Vulgarity/skyrocketing drug/alcohol/consumption/shallow productivity/zero civic sense/corruption top to bottom/uncontrolled population growth/mafia style regimes/deplorable work ethics/wrong and massive use of modern gadgets/inferior infrastructure/massive hunger/slavery/caste system/low literacy rate/destitute personal safety/assets/and women in specific. Trolls will be significant nails in the coffin in starting the next war with neighboring countries. This list is a never-ending list.

    In a country where people do not hesitate to script fixtures such as an inexpensive MUG to clean the user after defecating, What do you expect more?

    China has a free battlefield to walk to the crown, and no one can stop her. She is already the real Queen or Chairperson of the board.

    Learn to work with her: No use in fighting this might. For over 70 years, she worked extremely hard to clean the house behind closed doors.

    I hope it helps.

    I JUST CRIED!! OLIVER ANTHONY – RICH MEN NORTH OF RICHMOND

    2023 08 20 17 12
    2023 08 20 17 12

    Boogie Woogie Beef

    OvbIP
    OvbIP

    Ingredients

    • 1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
    • 1/2 cup red wine
    • 1 envelope Lipton beefy onion soup mix
    • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
    • 2 pounds stew beef
    • 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
    • 8 ounces baby carrots

    Instructions

    1. Mix cream of mushroom soup, wine, beefy onion soup mix and dried thyme in slow cooker.
    2. Add meat, carrots, and mushrooms; and stir.
    3. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours, then on LOW for 4 hours, or just cook on LOW for about 8 to 10 hours.

    Yield: 4 servings

    France Slams U.S. for Alleged Betrayal Over Niger Coup

    by Angeline Tan

    August 18, 2023

    2023 08 21 09 58
    2023 08 21 09 58

    U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland’s visit in post-coup Niger has incensed Washington’s NATO ally France, according to a weekend report by French news outlet Le Figaro, quoting a source within the French Foreign Ministry.

    The United States “did the exact opposite of what we thought they would do,” the French daily wrote, according to the diplomat’s remarks. “With allies like these, we do not need enemies,” it elaborated. Paris has been demanding the reinstatement of ousted President Mohamed Bazoum ever since a new military government emerged in wake of a coup in late July.

    Moreover, the French government was prepared to militarily back West African nations to assist with Bazoum’s reinstatement, as it upheld the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in its move to deploy reserve forces after the coup.

    By dispatching Nuland to Niger, the United States showed that it was prepared to talk with the coup leaders instead, Le Figaro complained. “For [French President] Emmanuel Macron, the credibility of France, particularly in terms of discourse on democracy, was at stake. For the Americans, even if they are also concerned about a rapid return to constitutional order, the priority is the stability of the region,” the paper’s source within the foreign ministry declared.

    Americans merely hope to “to keep their bases” in the region above all else, the diplomat said, elaborating that Washington “will not hesitate” to drop a demand for what he termed as “constitutional legality” to attain that aim.

    At the moment, Paris’ worry is that Washington could ink a deal with Niger’s military government without France’s participation.

    The United States has a considerable ground presence in Niger, amounting to around 1,300 soldiers and almost rivaling that of France, which has about 1,500 servicemen in the country. Furthermore, American troops are separated between two bases, situated in the Nigerien capital of Niamey and the northern city of Agadez.

    Agadez is supposedly of notable significance for the United States, as it is home to a landing strip for drones and functions as a surveillance hub for a large area encompassing the area between West Africa to Libya in the north.

    The Le Figaro article continued that Paris is riled by the fact that, notwithstanding that both America and France have troops in Niger, the French presence is the only one that incites unhappiness among the locals. “The United States, like our other allies for that matter, has a habit of letting us take the hits,” the French diplomat complained to the paper.

    The coup in Niger happened on July 26, when the presidential guard led by General Abdourahamane Tchiani detained Bazoum and his family, quoting a “deteriorating security situation and bad governance.” The move led to harsh criticism from global powers, while ECOWAS enforced stringent sanctions on Niger and gave an ultimatum to the coup leaders to free Bazoum or be prepared for military intervention.

    On Monday, Niger’s military government agreed to hold talks with ECOWAS in an attempt to lower hostilities.

    Last week, Nuland visited Niger and cautioned the new military government against having any deals with the Russian private military company Wagner, apart from encouraging them to reinstate the Washington-friendly status quo.

    Earlier in August, Niger’s military leaders insisted that the French forces depart the country by early September. Based on media reports last week, the commander of the French forces in Niger told Niger’s military leadership’s chief of general staff about Paris’ plans to transfer “nearly 40 soldiers” who were originally located in Niger to Chad.

    “The French forces, which are present in Niger, are there, just like others, at the request of the country’s legitimate authorities, on the basis of agreements signed with the legitimate authorities to help fight against terrorism. We have suspended our military cooperation, as well as civil interaction since the [military takeover],” the ministry replied in written form to the question of whether the French troops would back out from Niger.

    “We only recognize the decisions of the legitimate Nigerien authorities.”

    A total of 1,500 French soldiers are presently stationed in Niger, and 1,000 are now in Chad after they were forced to withdraw from Burkina Faso and Mali after coups in those countries.

    Additionally, Paris did not disclose any details pertaining to the potential withdrawal of French troops from Niger to an airbase in Chad in the future.

    French troops deployed in rebel-run Niger have been limited to a military base in the national capital of Niamey, according to Russian-based news outlet Sputnik on August 12.

    The troops have not left the base or explored streets of the western African city for days, according to Sputnik’s correspondent. Rebel military convoys have been regularly going around the facility without incident.

    Thousands of anti-French protestors gathered outside the base on Friday to demand that Niger’s former colonial master cease its military presence in the country.

    An advisor to the ousted Nigerien president told Sputnik News that France had rejected the option of withdrawing troops from Niger after the military demands.

    On August 9, Niger’s military leadership raised the threat level in the country before claiming that the actions of French troops led to an assault on the Nigerien national guard. The military also posited that a French warplane entered the African nation’s airspace.

    “The National Council for the Safeguard of the Fatherland informs the local and international community about the events of extreme seriousness that are taking place in Niger, about the facts of the behavior of the French forces on our territory

    .… Today, August 9, 2023 at 6.30 am [5:30 am GMT], the positions of the Niger National Guard … were attacked.… The actions of the French forces were condemned for unilaterally releasing detained terrorists,” Amadou Adramane, Niger’s military’s spokesman, proclaimed.

    Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “very concerned” about the living conditions and safety of detained Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum and his family and again urged for his immediate and unconditional release, a spokesperson declared in a statement.

    The establishment starts to downplay what is going on…

    2023 08 20 21 18
    2023 08 20 21 18

    Oliver Anthony – Rich Men North Of Richmond (Reaction) WOW!

    2023 08 20 21 24
    2023 08 20 21 24

    What would happen if you pulled a weapon or firearm on a law enforcement officer if you didn’t know at the time that they were law enforcement?

    So some backstory.. My house was broken into in 2015. I was about 18–19 at the time and my dog attacked the perpetrators, and ended up taking a bullet for me in the process. At the time I did not own any firearms, at least not at my house. With that being said, she saved my life that night. The first shot was aimed at me, missing by mere inches. The other 2 were aimed at her, although only 1 hit her. Vet said it missed her heart by less than 2 inches, clean entry and exit wound. I ended up vacating the house after that, letting my pup (half GSD, half DSD, Sam) stay with my parents and moving to Jacksonville with my best friend.

    When I came back into town, I didn’t have much to my name, forcing me to move back in with my parents, siblings, and my grandfather. My older brother had addiction problems and was on probation because he had gotten caught with a Xanax. His P.O would come to the house some nights to ensure he was following the straight and narrow, and that he was in by curfew. They were random visits with no notice.

    One night, at about 9:00 pm or later, my grandfather was stepping out to smoke. Sam would often follow him out to do her business and patrol the yard looking for any threats. She had become very protective of the entire family, and she knows where our property line ends so we never leash her when going out. She never leaves the yard and a simple call or whistle brings her running back inside. It just so happens that this night my brothers P.O. was stopping by to check on him. Sam followed my grandfather out as the cop was rounding the corner, and without hesitation she attacked, grabbing his dominant arm preventing him from drawing his weapon.

    I was still dealing with PTSD from nearly being killed, so my gun never left my side. I was licensed to carry, and it was never out of arms reach. Also, I know my dog. I know her sounds, her body language, everything. When I heard her from the living room, my first thought was “She’s in trouble and she needs my help”. I drew my weapon and out the door I went, brushing past my grandfather on the way. The floodlight had the entire situation lit up, so as soon as I exited I realized that she was attacking a county officer. I immediately lowered my weapon and recalled Sam. She let go and went straight inside as I holstered my pistol. The officer stood there looking at me in complete and utter shock, blood running down his arm. I apologized profusely as I tried to help him render aid to his injured arm. He calls for an ambulance, and within minutes there are 2 more units, an ambulance, and a fire truck blocking the road at our driveway.

    By the end of it, he was also apologizing, saying that Sam was just doing her job. She was up to date on all of her immunizations, and does not have a history of violence. He chose not to take any legal action against us or our pup, and from that night on, he called when he pulled in the driveway before exiting his patrol vehicle. Sam is now very attached to my mother. Despite me now being moved out with a family of my own, I decided it was best for her to stay with my mother and father. I have included pictures of Sam for good measure. Best dog I’ve ever had. She is now living her days out in luxury, and never wants for anything.

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    Heartbreaking Truth!!! Oliver Anthony – Rich Men North Of Richmond | REACTION *TEARS*

    2023 08 20 17 20
    2023 08 20 17 20

    Why did the US Army discontinue the use of the Bell UH-1 helicopter, considering its simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and efficiency by modern standards?

    In 1972, the Army had learned serious lessons in Vietnam about how durable a helicopter had to be to survive in a combat environment. They needed an aircraft that would not be brought down by a small arms bullet in the right place.

    To that end, the Army started the UTTAS (Utility Tactical Transport Aircraft System) program to develop the replacement for the Huey. All of the major helicopter manufacturers submitted preliminary designs that complied with the UTTAS specifications, including Bell. The Army selected the Sikorsky YUH-60 and the Boeing Vertol YUH-61 as competitors for the production contract. Once both companies had working de-bugged models flying, the Army conducted its own flyoff.

    An incident during this flyoff influenced the final decision. One of the Army crews attempted to land one of the H-60s in what they thought was an open field, only to find out too late that it was a grove of pine tree saplings. The H-60 weed whacked the saplings around the aircraft, and the fuselage bent or broke those immediately underneath with little damage. The main rotor blades took a bit of a beating, though, and some thought Sikorsky was in trouble.

    Company and Army personnel cleared their way to, and around the aircraft. They brought in the portable maintenance crane and a new set of main rotor blades and did a removal and replacement in situ. They then flew the aircraft out of there and back to the base.

    In 1976 the Army selected the UH-60A as the winner of the UTTAS contract, and named it the Black Hawk.

    Since then over 5000 H-60s have been produced over several models. The aircraft is a brick outhouse that, while not invulnerable, is extremely hard to bring down. It was my honor and privilege to work on all but the earliest ones as a Flight Mechanic, and, later, a Crew Chief, all in the Sikorsky Flight Hangar in Stratford.

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    2023 08 21 10 04
    2023 08 21 10 04

    Top picture is a brand new UH-60M. The bottom picture is that of a Turkish Jandarma UH-60L that flew home after taking a hit from an RPG7. As you can see, the damage was extensive, but the airframe was strong enough to fly home, even with the tailcone to cabin bulkhead broken by the blast.

    If I was a soldier on the ground needing extraction from a hot LZ, I would want Black Hawks to be coming for me.

    SHOCKS the WEST! Europe in Panic as China Cancels $100 Billion Car Order from Germany.

    2023 08 23 15 04
    2023 08 23 15 04
    https://youtu.be/r6P30svZRMc

    Have you ever been in a courtroom and seen the judge reprimand the party that was suing someone?

    Yes, my ex-wife took me to court for contempt 20 times. She won zero times. I filed once and won once.

    My ex-wife filed for contempt for taking my sons to the doctor. They were having trouble hearing. My elder son was talking like a deaf person. I had sent her letters, faxes, and certified letters. She was acting as their pediatrician without keeping a medical record. One child had 19 scripts for antibiotics in the last year, the other 9. These were the only records I could get.

    So I took them over the Easter week to an ENT. They were seen by an audiologist and the ENT. The older son was down 30 dB in hearing and the younger one was down 15 dB. There was chronic fluid in their ears. He prescribed medication and said the older son needed tubes/adenoids.

    So I filled the script on my dime (the doctor did the entire eval professional courtesy). She called the ENT doctor and chewed him out. SHE WAS A PEDIATRICIAN! She filed contempt against me for taking my own kids (I had joint custody) to the doctor.

    When the judge heard what this was about he asked “Did he have surgery done?” “No sir”, her attorney answered. “What did he do?” “He took them to the doctor and got medication.”

    The judge looked at her and said “If these are the facts you need to drop this. If not you will pay his court costs, lawyer fees you and your attorney will be sanctioned.”

    The ex demanded her attorney proceed. The judge did exactly what he said. In the future I could take them to any doctor, but just needed to notify her. She could no longer be their pediatrician.

    Pretty good dressing-down of the ex who had filed the contempt.

    ETA: The ex took them to three different ENT’s trying to get a different opinion. 4–0 my son got the surgery he needed and could hear. She would never admit she was wrong.

    OLIVER ANTHONY “Rich Man North of Richmond” REACTION! First Time Hearing!

    2023 08 20 17 33
    2023 08 20 17 33

    What poor person food would you continue to eat if you suddenly became mega rich?

    I’m not sure what sort of food falls under “poor person food”.

    But I do know that my family wasn’t very well off when I was a kid.
    We weren’t exactly dirt poor – it was more like we were just struggling to get by.

    I remember, early on, come meal time, we would use these carboard boxes as a makeshift dining table.

    Eventually, one of my uncles – a carpenter by trade – built us this small but sturdy dining table, and the accompanying four stools.

    It was a very small dining table, but given that we had all our meals there, it was a table that witnessed a lot of happy family time centered around food.

    We ate mostly tofu and vegetables, with a bit of rice/noodles, a bit of egg, and bits of meat.
    Every now and again, we would have fish.

    Sometimes we went to bed still feeling a little hungry, but we were definitely not starving.

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    main qimg b4a1d585f7348cb89b2c2080374e6771

    Then, HK and the Mainland’s economic fortunes and interdependency really started to pick up and my parents enjoyed a significant improvement in their job prospects and investments.

    We made the transition to middle class, but we never stopped eating any of the food we were already used to eating.

    We still ate the same vegetable, egg, and tofu dishes we had always eaten.
    No quantity drop there at all.

    But there was a huge uptick in meat and seafood consumption.
    And baked products.

    Now we could afford meat and seafood at every meal.
    And maybe once every week, or once every two weeks, we would go out for dinner at a nice restaurant.
    If I felt like it, I could eat an egg tart at 4pm.


    Today, of course I’m a lot more well off than when I was a kid.

    But I don’t feel like I’ve stopped eating any of the “poor person food” I used to eat as a kid – they remain everyday dishes for me.

    The difference is now I have a lot more options when it comes to food choices.

    I can eat meat and seafood at every meal.
    I can buy sourdough egg tarts from Bakehouse for my family and niece.
    I can enjoy dimsum every weekend if I were so inclined.

    So, in the unlikely event that I become “mega rich”, I’ll probably just continue eating the same things I always have, just that maybe I can eat more of it – if I wanted to.

    I’m not one for Michelin-starrred fine-dining restaurants.
    I’ve probably never been to one – I say probably here because I might have been to one without realizing it as some of my friends consider themselves foodies and like to drag me along to all these fine-dining food establishments.

    Me? I’m more fascinated by what my parents, or my friends, or even myself, whip up at home.
    Because for me, home cooked food is where the magic is at.

    That little wooden dining table, with its unique array of scratches and stains, is now long gone.

    But the memories associated with it, of family meals filled with delicious food, contentment, and happiness – well, except for when my sister and I were literally fighting over who got to eat the fish eyes, which saw the unleashing of lightning fists and heaven-splitting kicks – are still here, cuddling each other affectionately in the amphitheater of my mind.

    The Science of Ancient Acoustic Levitation | How The Pyramids Were Built?

    LEVITATION. The ruins of several ancient civilizations – like the pyramids of Giza, Stonehenge in the UK, and many others – are monuments constructed of massive stones.

    How the great pyramids of Egypt were built has been the subject of debate for a long time.

    The fact is, no one really knows for certain exactly how some of these megaliths were constructed.

    Some researchers think ancient cultures may have mastered levitation through sound which allowed them to easily manipulate massive objects.

    Unfortunately, anyone suggesting the use of this kind of technology is attacked and labeled a “pseudoscientist”.

    Abul Hasan Ali Al-Masudi is known as the Herodotus of the Arabs. Like everyone, he was awestruck by the pyramids.

    He wrote a very intriguing passage about how the giant stone blocks were transported — through levitation.

    The Great Pyramid of Giza does possess some extraordinary acoustic properties, and can dramatically amplify sounds at certain frequencies.

    The Egyptians clearly knew a lot about sound science. Let’s explore the Coral Castle in Florida, built by Edward Leedskalnin, who cut, transported and sculpted over 1,000 tons of rock into a sprawling complex — alone, without heavy machinery.

    We’ll visit The Temple of Jupiter at Baalbek in Lebanon which boasts the largest stones ever carved by human hands.

    Nan Madol is an archaeological site in Micronesia.

    It’s been called the Machu Picchu of the Pacific.

    The engineering of Nan Madol is so complex, no one can figure out how it was built.

    Let’s hear the story told by Dr. Jarl about Tibetan monks who lifted stones by chanting and playing instruments — which Jarl put on film.

    There is science behind all these stories, yet “mainstream” academia dismisses each and every one as pseudoscience.

    Why is it wrong to want to explore ancient knowledge that contradicts modern beliefs?

    Isn’t this the exact purpose of science?

    What pistol would you want in a post-apocalyptic scenario?

    This one.

    main qimg e197be6ed388479ee7416393ffd1d3b4
    main qimg e197be6ed388479ee7416393ffd1d3b4

    The Howdah Flintlock shotgun pistol in 20 gauge.

    In a true post apocalyptic scenario, every kind of ammo that needs modern day machining will be way too valuable to be used for hunting or fighting. Modern ammo will be the new currency, more precious than gold and diamonds. Even percussion caps are way too valuable, in a society with no electricity it would be almost impossible to make them from scratch.

    This pistol here is different. All you need is a good stack of flints and you are all set. Black powder CAN be made with primitive technology, basically from human urine (matured in a heap) and charcoal. You can load pretty much anything into the gun. Steel or lead balls, with a patch if the size is too small. Nails, even stones.

    Erasing Android Code, Chinese Tech Giant Surging Where Apple and Google Wouldn’t Dare!

    “When they cut off our food supply, won’t we be left helpless?” This was the shocking statement made by Ren Zhengfei when Huawei’s mobile phone business first entered the international market.

    https://youtu.be/2NcZyqvYBk4

    Russian Transport Jet Arrives in Mali; Wagner PMC Forces Deploying to Niger

    World Hal Turner 20 August 2023

    Russian Jet Wagner Troops Mali to Niger large
    Russian Jet Wagner Troops Mali to Niger large
    Russian Transport Jet Arrives in Mali; Wagner PMC Forces Deploying to Niger

    A Russian plane has landed in Bamako airport, Mali carrying hundreds of Wagner Private Military Company (PMC) fighters it allegedly picked up from Syria. Wagner is on its way to Niger to protect that country from “outside forces.”

    Wagner PMC has recruited thousands of veterans of the Syrian civil war, mostly men who fought on behalf of the Syrian government and defeated ISIS, Al-Qaeda and the FSA. These men have incredible combat experience against terrorists.

    Syria is one of the first places where Wagner PMC proved its combat superiority to the whole world. Without their efforts, the Syrian president would’ve gotten the Gaddafi treatment from the west a long time ago. But he prevailed, thanks to RUSSIA and its elite fighting force, Wagner PMC. 

    Upon arriving Niger, Wagner reportedly told the new Niger administration never to worry about any foreign army on Niger soil and specifically assured the leadership that Wagner will take on the Americans head on, if they ever dare to get involved in the conflict with ECOWAS, or try to deploy their drones. 

    At the moment, there are about 5,000 RUSSIAN funded volunteer fighters in AFRICA: They are mainly active in Mali, Libya, Sudan, Central African Republic, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

    Wagner will undertake the protection of Niger’s presidential palace in its capital city of Niamey, and the main infrastructures of the country potentially threatened by the impending Nigerian-led military action.

    With a personnel capacity of about 230,000 men, neighboring Nigeria is expected to contribute far more soldiers to the operation against Niger than any other country in the bloc. However the two countries with the strongest armies in AFRICA, Egypt and Algeria have warned against any military intervention in Niger, and vowed they’ll not stand idly and let that happen. 

    Reportedly, the morale of Niger’s military personnel is at an all time high right now, given that nearly the entire population of Niger are in support of the military and thousands have signed up to fight with the Russian volunteer force, Wagner, in defense of their homeland.

    Reasons Behind The Rise of Passport Bros

    So sad. So sad.

    2023 08 21 11 02
    2023 08 21 11 02

    What was your “we shouldn’t be doing this” moment?

    Trouble is always only a stone’s throw away.

    I was a beach boy. Forests, hiking, mountains and campfires were not my thing, but my parents (certainly with immense reservations from my mother) thought it would be good to expose us (3 girls and 2 boys aged 13-8) to the other side of nature.

    My godfather worked for the US Forest Service and had access to a no-electric, outside-water-pump, outhouse-equipped, cabin deep the Maine woods. He and his wife had four intrepid sons aged 7 to 13 or so.

    main qimg 7f60867dd013bf9a99aa75ac86161ce9
    main qimg 7f60867dd013bf9a99aa75ac86161ce9

    So that’s how six young boys ended up trekking through the hot, sticky woods on a late July afternoon.

    I was miserable. I hated washing in freezing water, smelling of smoke, sleeping on hard floors and eating beans and hot dogs.

    Even worse I hated my trek mates. As is perfectly normal for that age, they spent all their efforts trying to out-curse and out-dare each other. I was a toothpick-thin, half-blind kid who read at least a book a day. This was not my scene.

    Heading back to the cabin alone crossed my mind, but I was sure I would lose my way.

    But fate and book-knowledge ended up leaving me no choice.

    Dennis, the oldest, spotted a wasp’s nest hanging from a branch about 10 meters away. He announced a contest to see who could hit it with a rock.

    main qimg c525c255ae11f6b18ab254b12f5b3382
    main qimg c525c255ae11f6b18ab254b12f5b3382

    He picked one up and let it fly.

    I didn’t wait to see if his aim was true. I flew like the wind. Running was about the only thing other than reading that I was good at.

    The first rock missed, but the second hit home and the nest hit the ground. I was a good hundred meters away when the screaming started.

    My brother escaped with six stings. Two of the others required a trip to the doctors and medication.

    Throwing stones at a wasp’s nest is a bad idea.

    What happens when Congress passes a resolution?

    2023 08 21 11 05
    2023 08 21 11 05

    In 1971, Waco representative Tom Moore Jr passed a resolution honouring Albert Desalvo, also known as the Boston Strangler. It was to honour the serial killer for his dedication and devotion to population control.

    2023 08 21 11 06
    2023 08 21 11 06

    The resolution was unanimously passed by Congress, but the whole thing was an April’s fool’s joke. It was also Moore’s intent to show that resolutions were passed in Congress without anyone looking at them or researching the issue presented to Congress.

    OLIVER ANTHONY | Rich Men North Of Richmond Reaction

    2023 08 20 17 35
    2023 08 20 17 35

    The USA does not maintain official ties with Taiwan. Then, why does she support Taiwan Militarily and economically? Why not recognize her as a sovereign nation and rally world support instead of allowing the existing volatile situation?

    The US, along with the UK, are what we call in China as “shit stirring stick”.

    They stir the shit to disgust everyone around, therefore they don’t stir shit near them.

    Of course, they call it as “off-shore balancing”.


    Both of them are good at one thing: first creating problems, then jumping out to “solve” it.

    After WWI, the US fully supported Nazi Germany, because:

    1. it must ensure that Germany is able to pay the war reparations;
    2. both the US and UK wanted to “balance” the European continent and were afraid of France being too outstanding.

    And the result was the WWII.

    Germany became super nationalist and racist, and France was much weaker than expected to stop Germany.

    Essentially, they need people whom living away from them to constantly fight each other, so that they could stay out enjoying peace and intervine from time to time.

    It also what the Belgians did in Rwanda. They created 2 ethnic groups based on wealth, and appointed the minority as the ruling class, so that once they left, the majority group would for sure want a revenge.

    President Paul Kagame banned the 2 ethnic groups and made everyone just Rwandan, and the west is not happy about him.


    Right now, the US is in deep shit.

    2023 08 21 11 08
    2023 08 21 11 08

    The interest rate of 10 year treasury is already 4.3%, which is already suppressing the real economy.

    The US will also face very high interest expenditure in the next few years. In 2022, the interest expense was 718 billion USD, not very far from the military expense, and it will breakthrough 1 trillion soon.

    Therefore, it needs other places in chaos, to squeeze more USD out and back to the US to support its treasury. After all, even with AA+ rating, the US and its treasury are still safe to invest, just don’t know for how long.

    Immortal Joe only needs 500 billion USD more till 2024 election. Even if something bad happened after the election, it would either be the problem of another POTUS, or the voters could not do anything about it.


    So what we can see is that the US has been stirring shit around the world, to cause more chaos.

    Ukraine is a success, since Europe is already in technical recession due to high energy price and escaping capital.

    However, China is not about to bite, nor DPP authority in Taiwan. Xi Jinping is not going to attack Taiwan this year, and Tsai Ing-wen is not Zelensky.

    The US couldn’t possibily care more, but focuses on gaining money by selling outdated and futures weapons to Taiwan.

    Veteran Reacts To Oliver Anthony – I Want To Go Home

    What fascinates me the most is how he’s able to put so MUCH in so few words. It’s astounding to hear.

    What advice would you give to a young, aspiring doctor?

    DO NOT PISS OFF THE NURSES.

    They can make you or break you.

    Your barely dry diploma is not equivalent to their years of experience.

    When I was a senior resident, I had the pleasure of managing Neil. Neil had an MD for about 5 minutes, at the time.

    Neil did not take my advice.

    Neil looked down at the nurses from the lofty heights of his 5 minutes of experience.

    Neil snorted in derision at the slightest error on the nurses’ part.

    Neil was an ass, in general, to all the staff.

    I got a call from the charge nurse on the Cardiac Care Unit.

    “Hi. This is Dr Boehm. I’m returning a page.”

    “Get that little shit under control or I’m going to kill him.”

    “Oh dear. What did he do now?”

    “He is pontificating to me (a nurse with 27 years experience) on the best way to replace potassium IV.”

    This was a very simple task, done many times a day so I felt her pain.

    “I’ll talk to him, again.”

    “No, I’m taking matters into my own hands.”

    Uh oh. That didn’t sound good.

    That night Neil got paged something like 59 times.

    The nurses had all kinds of intriguing questions and problems that needed his immediate attention…at 3 am.

    “How do you spell your last name?“

    “How do I pronounce the name of this drug?”

    “Did you know that the day before yesterday, at 11:20 am, Mr Smith had a good bowel movement?”

    “How do you spell your first name.”

    “Just wanted to let you know that Mr. Jones reached the caloric goal, set by the dietician, four days in a row, last week.”

    Interns never get much sleep but the nurses made sure Ole Neil got none…ever.

    Zilch. Zero. Nada.

    The nurses call this “potty training”.

    The residents call this “status page-icus”.

    My advice to you?

    Don’t be Neil.

    The Blind Side: What’s Really Going On in China? My True Story…

    2023 08 21 10 48
    2023 08 21 10 48

    Have Intel, Qualcomm and nVidia lost the Chinese chip market because of US tech sanctions?

    Here is how things were in 2010…

    main qimg 00c87bc023f03a3ddbd86ce60a8188fd
    main qimg 00c87bc023f03a3ddbd86ce60a8188fd

    This is how things are today…

    main qimg c7ad753d398b01f3526b8ee0304c5a6c
    main qimg c7ad753d398b01f3526b8ee0304c5a6c

    What one policy must India learn from China?

    The Property Laws

    In China, every land is owned by China. You have only the land usage rights. Even the farmers don’t own the land they use as they only have the tilling rights. If you don’t build any property on the land provided to you, it goes back to the government. Individuals can privately own residential houses and apartments on the land, although not the land on which the buildings are situated.

    It helps in avoiding a separate class of people called as landlords. It helped China create infrastructure projects really fast.

    main qimg 8068340b0e4aa5f02f2ce6c2f997bc42 lq 1
    main qimg 8068340b0e4aa5f02f2ce6c2f997bc42 lq 1

    China started these reforms in the 1970s which not only made the country strong but the government as well.

    China’s Response To Evergrande Is Angering The West

    Evergrande has filed for bankruptcy but does this mean China’s economy is about to collapse? China always had a real estate problem and instead of stimulating, they are actually trying to ride the wave towards a stronger economy.

    While this is bad for the global economy in the short term, it’s actually good for China long run.

    2023 08 23 15 19
    2023 08 23 15 19

    Here’s what you must know!

    Are noodles good with eggs?

    One dish that probably every Chinese can cook is scrambled eggs with tomatoes, the de facto national homecooked dish.

    There have been many times when I’ve been at home and just want a quick meal without spending a lot of time slaving over the stove.

    When those times hit, one of my go-to’s is to prepare scrambled eggs with tomatoes – the very, very juicy & wet version – then just add some cooked noodles (whichever type I have lying around, really).

    I’ll also blanch some greens and add them on top or as a side dish.

    It’s very simple, unglamarous, and not sexy in the least, and probably a nightmare for people who MUST eat meat at every meal, but it’s cheap, easy to make, quick, and filling.

    main qimg 56da3f8d56bb6d6d86fe2f6d4d289fe9
    main qimg 56da3f8d56bb6d6d86fe2f6d4d289fe9

    HUGE SETBACK! China smashes USA and Mongolia’s 100,000 Tons of Rare Earth Cooperation

    China and Russia can close their ports to Mongolia so that Mongolia cannot transport the rare earth to the usa. Secondly, China can restrict the export of knowledge and equipment for the refinement process of rare earth to Mongolia and the west. Thirdly Russia and China can restrict their air space for flights to and fro Mongolia in order to block any transportation of rare earth through the air.

    https://youtu.be/8iyWUilaeSg

    What historical patterns can we observe in the United States’ negotiations with China?

    The US plays the short game and looks for media impact and immediate results.

    China is slower to act and does not show its hand until the right moment. China is playing the long game.

    In history, when you have two powers of roughly equal strength confronting each other, the side which plays the long game wins.

    Oliver Anthony – I Want To Go Home “Official Video” 2LM Reacts

    As if “Rich Men North Of Richmond” didnt cut deep enough here’s another dagger to intake and im not going to spoil this reaction. Get in here, grab a tissue and enjoy!

    Military takeover in Gabon brings fresh headaches for France in Africa

    TEHRAN – In another blow to France this week, Gabon’s military overthrew the very wealthy President Ali Bongo soon after he was declared the winner in elections that had been roundly condemned as fraudulent.

    Over the past three years, military officers have thrown the presidents of Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, Chad, more recently Niger, and now Gabon.

    All six African states have one thing in common.

    They are all former colonies of France and have seen a sharp rise in anti-French sentiment, with the former colonial power standing accused of using its military presence in the region, in particular the Sahel, to increase instability.

    France is clearly seeing how its military presence in Africa is slowly diminishing.

    This is while the local population in these countries that had or continue to have French military presence on their territory have been living in poverty, seeing no financial benefits of the natural resources on their land.

    France’s strong ties with the former West African presidents also saw close economic ties to those natural resources.

    In Mali, two coups took place, the first in August 2020 and the second nine months later; President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was overthrown by the military who accused the president of the worsening security situation. Similar accusations were directed at France.

    In September 2021, Guinea’s Special Forces overthrew President Alpha Conde.

    In April 2021, Chad’s military took power after President Idriss Deby was killed on the battlefield while visiting troops fighting militants.

    In January 2022, the military in Burkina Faso overthrew President Roch Kabore, accusing him and France of doing little to tackle the militancy.

    In late July, the military in Niger overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum, accusing him of forging closer ties close with France as the security situation in the country deteriorated.

    This week military officers in Gabon led by General Brice Nguema seized power. The officers have placed Bongo under house arrest and installed Nguema as head of state, ending the Bongo family’s 56-year grip on power.

    The coup saw large crowds flooding the streets of the capital Libreville in support of the military’s move.

    About a third of Gabon’s 2.3 million population are living under the poverty line.

    In a televised address Nguema said that the military would proceed “quickly but surely” to return civilian rule, but that it would avoid elections that “repeat the same mistakes” by keeping the same individuals in power.

    “Going as quickly as possible does not mean organizing ad hoc elections, where we will end up with the same errors,” he said.

    Bongo was first elected in 2009, taking over from his late father, who came to power in 1967. Opponents say the ruling family did little to share Gabon’s oil and mining wealth.

    For years, the Bongo family resided at a luxurious palace overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. According to a 2020 investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), a global network of investigative journalists, the family owns expensive cars and properties in France and the United States, often paid for in cash.

    Military leaders ordered the arrest of one of Bongo’s sons, Noureddin Bongo Valentin, and several members of Bongo’s cabinet on accusations ranging from embezzlement to narcotics trafficking.

    State broadcaster Gabon 24 said on Thursday that duffel bags stuffed with cash wrapped in plastic had been confiscated from the homes of various officials. Footage from the broadcaster shows a raid on the house of a former cabinet director.

    Standing next to Bongo Valentin, the new military ruler told the channel that the money was part of Bongo’s election fund. Money that the military rulers say was used in a corrupt election campaign.

    The news emerging from the African country will be seen as yet another headache for France, on the backdrop of military coups in other regional countries where Paris had military ties signed by its former presidents.

    France has hundreds of troops permanently stationed in Gabon, including at a military base in the capital, Libreville.

    Paris also has a wide range of economic interests linked to Gabon’s mining and oil sectors.

    Meanwhile, tensions are peaking in Niger amid mass weekend anti-French rallies as the strained relations mount between the country’s new military government and its former colonial power.

    An organization set up after the coup named the Patriotic Front for Niger Sovereignty has led the public’s demands for military officers to take a hard line against France.

    The protests, organized by the M62 grouping, have been taking place in central Niamey to demand the departure of the French contingent. “We don’t need these people (French troops) here, we’re ready to die to get them out,” one demonstrator said.

    France has around 1,500 troops in Niger, many of them stationed at an airbase near the capital.

    Niger’s pro-military civilian organizations had called for a massive march on Saturday on the French base, followed by a sit-in until the troops leave.

    The new rulers have been engaged in a political battle with Paris, stripped France’s ambassador of diplomatic immunity and ordered police to expel him, according to a letter seen by news outlets.

    Last Friday, authorities gave the French envoy, Sylvain Itte, 48 hours to leave Nigerian soil.

    The envoy “no longer enjoys the privileges and immunities attached to his status as a member of the diplomatic personnel in the French embassy,” according to the letter sent to the French foreign ministry.

    France refused the demand, saying the military rulers had no right to carry out such an order.

    Relations with France spiraled downwards after the July coup as Paris continues to stand by the ousted president Mohamed Bazoum and refuses to recognize Niger’s new rulers.

    French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that he spoke on a daily basis with his former ally, Bazoum.

    “I speak every day to President Bazoum. We support him. We do not recognize those who carried out the putsch. The decisions we will take, whatever they may be, will be based upon exchanges with Bazoum,” said Macron.

    Niger’s military government, which seized power on July 26, has accused Macron of using divisive rhetoric in his comments about Bazoum and of seeking to perpetrate France’s neo-colonial relationship with its former colony.

    The new rulers accuse France of fueling instability on their territory. They also accuse France of using its purported military presence in Niger to battle militants as a pretext for tapping into the country’s uranium and oil reserves.

    On August 3, Niger’s new rulers denounced military agreements signed between Bazoum and France.

    French military spokesman Colonel Pierre Gaudilliere has warned that “the French military forces are ready to respond to any upturn in tension that could harm French diplomatic and military premises in Niger”.

    Algeria, Niger’s influential northern neighbor, has held talks with West African leaders in a bid to avoid any military intervention in Niger and has proposed a six-month transition.

    Amid threats of a military intervention in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have been quick to offer support, saying any operation would be deemed a “declaration of war” against them.

    Recently, all three states have publicly condemned France for fuelling regional instability.

    Burkina Faso has approved a draft law authorizing the dispatch of troops to Niger, according to a government statement in Ouagadougou.

    Niger’s military government, which seized power on July 26, has accused Macron of using divisive rhetoric in his comments about Bazoum and of seeking to perpetrate France’s neo-colonial relationship with its former colony.

    The new rulers accuse France of fueling instability on their territory. They also accuse France of using its purported military presence in Niger to battle militants as a pretext for tapping into the country’s uranium and oil reserves.

    On August 3, Niger’s new rulers denounced military agreements signed between Bazoum and France.

    French military spokesman Colonel Pierre Gaudilliere has warned that “the French military forces are ready to respond to any upturn in tension that could harm French diplomatic and military premises in Niger”.

    Algeria, Niger’s influential northern neighbor, has held talks with West African leaders in a bid to avoid any military intervention in Niger and has proposed a six-month transition.

    Amid threats of a military intervention in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have been quick to offer support, saying any operation would be deemed a “declaration of war” against them.

    Recently, all three states have publicly condemned France for fuelling regional instability.

    Burkina Faso has approved a draft law authorizing the dispatch of troops to Niger, according to a government statement in Ouagadougou.

    Niger’s new leaders say they are seeking a three-year transition period to restore constitutional order.

    Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, head of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has suggested a nine-month transition back to democracy for Niger’s new rulers in the bloc’s first apparent timeline since the July coup.

    It was the first time an ECOWAS official has publicly discussed a possible transition period for Niger’s military rulers.

    However, France and the United States have demanded a swift return to Bazoum’s presidency.

    Putin: “RUSSIA Is INVINCIBLE,” Niger STORMS French Military Base

    I’ve read the history of France in Africa. You could not make up a horror movie more chilling than what they have done to those poor Africans. Even today, the hutzpah of them lecturing Africans and smugly telling them they would not exist but without France is an insult.

    https://youtu.be/hwI6laaj2xA

    Huawei’s Mate 60 Pro 5G phone shakes up EVERYTHING

    The big news is Huawei’s launch of the Mate 60 Pro phone at 6,999 yuan during US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo’s visit to China. Early reports suggest that this model has already sold out, which is a strong sign of support for Huawei after standing up against US sanctions for nearly five years.

    The US Commerce Department placed a ban on Huawei supplies for everything in 2019 under the Trump administration, and this has continued under the Biden administration. The sale of 5G chips to Huawei were cut off under Biden. This means that Huawei’s launch of a high-end 5G phone while Secretary Raimondo is visiting China is a direct and very strong pushback to the US.

    The question now is how did Huawei get the Kirin 5G chips which are made in China? There is a lot of debate and discussion, ranging from the US gave special permission, to it being a special secret Chinese project complete with a secret 5G chip production line. Obviously, this is not good news for TSMC, since TSMC makes the 5G chips for Qualcomm.

    For the US, it means that the Commerce Department sanctions have not worked, and that the Chinese not only will not stop research and development as the US wants, but are going to move much more aggressively into multiple fields, and directly challenging the US and US brands. Signs are that the Chinese will do as they have in other industries: they will move so fast and iterate new products so quickly so that others will not be able to compete unless they move their research and production into China. Then the Chinese will drop prices of their products so that they pick up market share all over the world. Early signs of this are already showing: RISC-V architecture is becoming popular in China, and the Chinese companies have agreed to cross-license their designs, so that RISC-V will compete directly with Intel and ARM.

    This poses a problem for Western decoupling: What will they do when China cuts back or completely cuts off rare earth sales to chip manufacturers outside China? And how will they protect their own products in their own markets when the Chinese products have more features and are cheaper? Western policymakers do not seem to have thought this through when they placed their sanctions on Huawei and other Chinese technology companies.

    Lots of interesting discussion in Putonghua on the Matepro 60 launch and what it means in China.

    Reaction – I Want To Go Home by Oliver Anthony

    Be the Rufus!

    “Just spent 2 hrs with a elderly man at Kroger. It started with me just smiling at him, making eye contact…. As I walked past him he looked like he needed something.

    I went back and asked him if I could help him. Tears welled up in his eyes and he said, “I have colon cancer and I have had a really bad accident, if I get up out of this cart everyone will know…

    What should I do?”.

    The look of his dignity lost left me with a lump in my throat.

    From that moment on, Kroger staff quickly fetched us wipes, undergarments and discreetly took him to their employer bathroom Area where he was given clothes.

    He cried and apologized.

    He said he had to hurry his wife was at home alone.

    When we walked to the register we found his groceries all bagged and somehow paid for.

    He cried harder.

    He said he fought in Vietnam and Korean War and loved his country, but up until day he said he thought his country forgot about him.

    We both cried and I shared with him my own struggles and fears… He gave me words of wisdom and encouraged me that maybe after all, humanity still does care about one another.”

    What Happened to Millionaire’s Row in Detroit?

    This is America. This needs to stop.

    A customer had become family

    We have a tendency to get all caught up within our own “little worlds”. We don’t realize all the great stuff “out there”, and when we do, we discover just how much we have missed. And it’s horrible.

    In the Arkansas ADC prison, there was a guy who was doing some “20 some”big time” years for telecommunication fraud. He was a “sparky”; an engineer with a great talent for telecommunications and the hardware, and software behind it. But he was locked up after some fifteen years when I met him.

    We would go on, and on about how he had this great improvement on telephone land line modems, and how he could double the speed of the transmissions. Sheech!

    Fifteen years had passed. We were using satellite, wifi, and cable. No one would even bother touching modems tied to land-lines. But he was locked up for so long that he was; his knowledge was, obsolete. And he did not realize it.

    Being prison; the ADC, there was no way that he could subscribe to magazines, or periodicals to be caught up on the news. It was a purposeful isolation bubble. He was unaware.

    I tried to tell him, but he wouldn’t listen. Brilliant, and stupid at the same time.

    Don’t be like him.

    Get out. Experience life. Enjoy some fine food, touch the bark of a tree and pet a cat.

    I believe in you.

    We start today on a happy note. Please watch this video…

    Hungry Cat Went to a Store with a Leaf to Buy Fish, Then the Seller Did Something Unbelievable!

    What a great story.

    Joe knew a lot of the people that came to his fish store. Many of his customers were regulars who had been buying fish from his family for years. But when one customer started coming around more often he was surprised. A cat came into the shop and checked out what everyone was doing. Then he eventually came back and sat on the counter with a leaf in his mouth. It took a while but they figured out that he was trying to use the leaf to buy fish like he saw people using money. What the seller did next is unbelievable.

    What’s a rule your employer implemented that backfired terribly?

    Once upon a time, there was an auto repair shop. They had about six bays and a good average turnaround rate. They were doing pretty well. One day when the new manager was walking around, however, he noticed something shocking.

    There was a guy… reading a magazine! He wasn’t working on a car or helping customers. He was just sitting behind a counter, eating up profits with his hourly rate.

    He knew full well who this guy was. This was the “parts guy”. When the mechanics needed a part—an oil filter, a water pump, brake pads, etc.—they’d go to the parts counter and request it. The parts guy would retrieve it from the shelves and give it to them. If the part didn’t work out, they’d give it back to him and ask for a different one. If they didn’t have the requisite part, he’d order it. He’d also order commonly used parts when they started getting low. He kept the parts shelves nice and tidy.

    But here he was in the middle of the work day, just sitting there! How often was he just sitting there? The new manager determined to find out.

    So, over the course of the next week, the manager tracked how much time the parts guy “worked” and how much time he just spent sitting around, chomping away at profits. He determined that 80% of the time, the parts guy did no work! He just sat there, reading a magazine or other material. Profitless!

    So he fired the parts guy and told the mechanics that now they were in charge of getting their own parts. There was some moaning and groaning, but they complied. What else could they do?

    Over the next month, the manager noticed a frightening trend. Their average turnaround time went up, way up! A repair that normally took a few hours now took a few days. A simple oil change went from less than an hour to half a day. Hell, even doing a simple tire plug could take half a day! And they were—gasp—losing customers!

    He determined to find the root of the plummet in productivity.

    To make a long story short, it was the missing parts guy. When the mechanics got their own parts, they’d grab them off the shelf and try them in their repair. If they didn’t work out or they grabbed too many, they’d just put them back any which way. They didn’t always put them back in the right place, or in the right box.

    So that made it harder for them to even find the stuff they needed. Nothing was in order anymore. Plus, no one ever ordered anything, so they were always out of what they needed; they’d order it when they needed it, instead of beforehand. Then they had to wait for parts delivery to get them the stuff they needed, which could take half a day.

    So, instead of eating away at profits, the guy who only “worked” 20% of his time allowed the rest of the staff to be more productive. His absence actually killed profits by a wide margin. He was hired back.

    And they lived happily ever after.

    Is the biggest risk China faces ”the freezing” of their USD assets?

    No!

    China has now de-risked from the possibility of the freezing of their USD assets, including:

    • a significant portion of their trade is now in currencies other than USD. Trade with MANY countries are now in Chinese RMB or local currencies including trade with Argentina, Iran and Russia. This will continue to increase in the future.
    • A significant portion of China foreign reserves is now in Gold or other foreign reserves. China has been decreasing its USD foreign reserves and this in itself is causing significant issues for the United States
    • China has now completed an alternative to SWIFT with its own CIPS and this will allow it to continue trade with other countries
    • for critical products – like corn, wheat, oil, etc – China has diversified its supply chains. Therefore, it’s economy will not be disrupted by whatever the Americans does

    BIGGEST advantage is that China is an economic powerful house producing most things that the United States and the west needs. All it has to do is stop the exports of critical inputs, machineries and or finished products AND it will shut down the economy of those countries. Given this possibility, it is doubtful that the United States will freeze Chinese USD assets.

    Star Trek Next Generation – Withdraw Understood !

    My Goodness!

    Not MM-MM.

    This was me today.

    main qimg 9e6b9fcf6cfe8aa57d728dbc87c343a9
    main qimg 9e6b9fcf6cfe8aa57d728dbc87c343a9

    Exactly 12 hours ago, I had a moment I am still processing. This stretch of highway has been paved so badly that every Fireman, EMT, and police officer on the scene said, “This happens constantly in this spot.” A short summer downpour caused the road to become so slick, that turning a corner at 20–25 mph caused the vehicle to lose control. I tried to correct the turn and brake, which caused the back end of the vehicle to face 180 degrees in the opposite direction. Everything was in slow motion as I watched myself fall off the road. I can still see the disorienting view turn sideways as I felt the impact of hitting the ditch. The passenger glass blew out and I realized that my head was hanging upside down near leaves and dirt. I began to shake. I’m shaking now. I’m not a dedicated seat belt wearer, but today, without thinking, I had clicked on the seatbelt before I began my drive. I could feel the adrenaline surge as I realized the only reason I was alive and not thrown under the vehicle was because I had unconsciously made that decision.

    A lady and three teenagers had walked over to peer in through the drivers side window. She asked me, as I saw that her hands were shaking from the sight, if I was ok. And to my shock, I was. I broke down crying as the first thing I said was, “This seatbelt saved my life.” She reached her hand through the drivers window and held my hand, rubbing it for security as she called for assistance. I must have hung there for 20–30 minutes before the firefighters cut me out of the tightly locked seatbelt. But I am so thankful for the lady who had selflessly held the hand of a crying stranger until they arrived.

    I was able to climb out on my own. I was assessed by paramedics and allowed to tow the truck home. I don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring. We are a middle class family who is down one vehicle in an economy that has not been kind to us. But I can still hear the ladies voice as she said, “You can always get another vehicle, but you can’t get another life.” We will all expire at some time. There are no exceptions. I have been reminded of this today. But it’s not today.

    What are some of the most mind-blowing celebrity facts?

    2023 08 14 10 45r
    2023 08 14 10 45r

    Have you ever wondered what that bar on the backs of trucks is for? Called the Mansfield bar, it was made mandatory after a horrifying accident involving actress Jayne Mansfield.

    2023 08 14 10 45
    2023 08 14 10 45

    On June 29th 1967, Jayne, her driver, lawyer and three kids were driving from Mississippi to New Orleans. The road was dark and visibility was poor as the drove in the early hours of the morning, and was unable to see the large truck in front of them. The 1966 Buick crashed into the back of the truck, slicing off the top of the car.

    The three adults including Jayne died on impact, but luckily the kids in the back survived. One of those kids is well known “Law and Order” actress “Mariska Hargitay.”

    2023 08 14 10 46z
    2023 08 14 10 46z

    As a result of the accident, the national highway traffic safety administration ordered all semis to have the bars installed.

    Have you met a person who you thought was ordinary but actually was from a powerful and wealthy family?

    Years ago in the early 90s I had a job in customer service for a telephone company. We had a girl start that was from somewhere down south and she had moved up into the Midwest because her husband got a job in the cattle industry. His job wasn’t normally a traveling job, but his first 2 years he had to do a lot of it to learn about the different livestock auctions, plants, etc. Just normal new hire stuff learning the industry.

    She wanted to go home for a long holiday weekend, but her husband couldn’t go because of her work schedule, so she asked one of their mutual friends if he wanted to go with her. He also worked there with us. (Totally innocent, this isn’t a cheating story.) She was always funny, down to earth, well dressed but not anything expensive. Think Younkers clothes instead of KMart, but not high end designer stuff. She had a nice new car but it was a low end base model compact. Everyone loved her and her down home southern attitude.

    Forward to next week, they had returned. The friend she took let us in on her secret.

    Her family was LOADED. They got to the city they lived in, Nashville I think. Her parents compound was walled, had live security on duty including the gate guard you see in movies. Garage full of Italian sports cars. A Rolls Royce with a chauffeur. In the front hall there was a hand-written check framed and signed by Jimmy Hoffa for 1mil. Uncashed.

    Turns out her grandfather had invented something to do with reefer units and was in the trucking industry. All the trucks with their family name I saw on the road were hers, but I didn’t know because she was married and had taken her husband’s last name.

    She chose to live a normal life with her husband and struggle like any other young couple instead of living off of her family’s wealth. She was just a sweet normal girl.

    China’s Next Generation Laser Weapons To Destroy US in 2.5 seconds Shocked The World

    https://youtu.be/sTr_mxT1Jas

    How did Americans get so fat?

    Back in the 70’s, there was a HUGE war in the food industry. It was fat vs. sugar, and in the end, sugar came out victorious. I mean, to fight fat, don’t eat fat, right? Makes sense!

    NO.

    The science wasn’t complete and the sugar manufacturers raised a lot of capital to get their message out… I mean, of course, “to buy politicians”.

    ALL of the evils perpetrated on the American people for as long as there have been any is due to political money. You can make anything a social issue if you buy the right congresspeople.

    So sugar was in and fat was out. Bacon was bad, but “diet candy” was good. This was all bullshit because no matter the form it’s in (glucose, high fructose corn syrup, molasses, honey, etc…), it’s all carbohydrates. If you have an excess of carbs and you’re not burning those empty calories, guess where that ends up?

    Plain and simple, if you have too many calories and you’re not using them, they will turn to fat. Any developing nation out there will tell you that rice, potatoes, and bread is the easiest way to get calories. Sugar just packs these calories more densely, but we’re programmed for it to taste good, so we just suck it up.

    Meanwhile, poor bacon, ham, and fried chicken are out here going, “NOO! We’re made with fat and protein! You can get calories from us, too!”

    Even salad is having a tough time of it. Go grab any random, name brand dressing off the shelf. I’m willing to bet within the first 5 ingredients will be either sugar, or something that ends in “-ose” (which is also sugar). Fuck, even our bread is unable to be labelled as bread in other countries because of the sugar levels. Subway in Europe sells sandwiches on cake.

    There’s something called “essential fats”. There is no such thing as “essential carbohydrates”.

    Penn and Teller had a show a while back called “Bullshit” that debunked all sorts of things. One episode was about weight loss. They had a stagehand who had recently lost a ton of weight. They pulled him out from backstage and said, “Tell the audience how you lost all that weight.”

    Dude looks straight into the camera and says, “I stopped eating so fucking much.”

    “Not the first and not the last” China-Russia joint naval patrol near Alaska — Global Times

    2023 08 14 10 42
    2023 08 14 10 42

    China and Russia’s third joint naval patrol that allegedly reached international waters near Alaska last week has touched the nerves of US media, which hyped the voyage as “highly provocative,” ignoring the fact that the US constantly sends warships and warplanes to China’s doorsteps for close-in reconnaissance and military exercises under the so-called freedom of navigation.

    11 Chinese and Russian vessels approached the Aleutian Islands and have since left without entering US territorial waters, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Sunday, citing US officials.

    Four US destroyers and a P-8 maritime patrol aircraft shadowed the combined Chinese and Russian naval force, the report said.

    While the WSJ report quoted a US Northern Command spokesperson who said the patrol remained in international waters and was not considered a threat, it also quoted US experts as saying the voyage “is a historical first” and “highly provocative.”

    The US media reports came after China’s Ministry of National Defense

    announced on July 26 that China and Russia would soon launch their third joint naval patrol, which would see both sides’ warships sail into West and North Pacific waters following the Northern/Interaction-2023 joint exercises in the Sea of Japan.

    The operation is not targeted against any third party and is not related to any international or regional situation, the Chinese Defense Ministry said in a press release at the time.Two Type 052D guided missile destroyers, two Type 054A guided missile frigates and a Type 903 comprehensive replenishment ship of the Chinese Navy are included in the flotilla, while the Russian Navy is represented by vessels including large anti-submarine ships and corvettes, according to media reports.

    The Northern/Interaction-2023 joint exercises and the subsequent joint naval patrol fully reflect the level of the strategic mutual trust between the two countries and further enhanced the traditional friendship between the Chinese and Russian militaries, said Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, a spokesperson at China’s Defense Ministry, at a regular press conference on July 27.

    China is willing to continue to boost pragmatic communication and cooperation with all parties and contribute positive forces in safeguarding regional peace and stability as well as deal with all kinds of security threats, Tan said.

    Despite that China and Russia announced the joint patrol, US media are attempting to hype the “China and Russia threat” theory, Zhuo Hua, an international affairs expert at the School of International Relations and Diplomacy of Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on Monday.

    The China-Russia joint patrol in international waters in the North and West Pacific marks a positive force that helps safeguard regional stability and security of strategic routes in the Asia-Pacific region at a time when the US is enhancing combat readiness, rallying allies and partners in the region to change defense policies and expand militaries, which escalated regional tensions, Zhuo said.

    ‘Not first, not last’

    2023 08 14 10 43vvv
    2023 08 14 10 43vvv

    This is not the “historical first” that a China-Russia joint naval patrol flotilla has reached waters off Alaska as US media has claimed, as a similar case took place during the second joint naval patrol between the two countries in September 2022.

    At that time, only a lone US Coast Guard cutter was on the scene, compared to the USS John S. McCain, the USS Benfold, the USS John Finn and the USS Chung-Hoon destroyers and a P-8 maritime patrol aircraft deployed this time, the WSJ said.

    The US media linked such an escalation in US reaction to the Ukraine crisis and the Taiwan question, but such speculation is purely groundless and is aimed at throwing mud at the normal military cooperation between China and Russia, analysts said, noting US’ hegemonic mindset and its double standard are the true reasons behind its anxiety.

    The international waters in the North Pacific including the Bering Sea are important because from here ships can access the Arctic, Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military expert, told the Global Times on Monday.

    With the global warming, the Arctic shipping routes could become key passages for civilian ships to carry out commercial activities, Fu said.

    While the joint patrols by China and Russia aim to safeguard the security of key strategic routes, the US wants to control the passages out of its hegemonic mindset, experts said.

    The US is nervous because the Bering Sea is close to Alaska, but the US should not forget that it frequently sends warships and warplanes to other countries’ doorsteps for so-called freedom of navigation operations, including to the South China Sea and the Taiwan Straits, sometimes alone and sometimes together with other countries’ forces, Fu said.

    While the China-Russia joint flotilla did not enter US territorial waters, US warships have in many occasions trespassed into Chinese territorial waters in the South China Sea.

    It is ironic that all US forces involved in shadowing the China-Russia joint flotilla have provoked China on Chinese doorsteps, observers said. The USS John S. McCain, the USS Benfold, the USS John Finn and the USS Chung-Hoon destroyers and a P-8 maritime patrol aircraft have all made transits in the Taiwan Straits in the past, while the USS John S. McCain, the USS Benfold and the USS Chung-Hoon have records of being expelled after trespassing into Chinese territorial waters in the South China Sea.

    It exposes the US’ double standard that only allows its military presence near other countries and not accepts other countries’ military presence near it, observers said, urging the US to reflect on itself.

    From a military perspective, the four US destroyers and a US patrol aircraft could only monitor the China-Russia joint flotilla of 11 warships, and were not capable of doing anything more than that, analysts said.

    “In the future, the Chinese Navy could conduct more far sea patrols like this, either alone or together with other countries. The Americans should get use to it,” Fu said.

    Before the China-Russia joint naval patrols, Chinese naval warships had already reached international waters near Alaska.

    Once such case was in August 2021, in which a four-ship Chinese naval flotilla led by a Type 055 10,000 ton-class large destroyer was reportedly spotted by the US Coast Guard in the US Exclusive Economic Zone, off the coast of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska

    .

    In 2015, five PLA Navy ships transited expeditiously and continuously through the Aleutian Island chain in a manner consistent with international law, the US Naval Institute News reported at the time. It was an “innocent passage” within 12 nautical miles of the Aleutian Islands, the report said.

    Chinese experts said this kind of far sea exercise serves as a countermeasure and a signal against the US hegemonic actions of frequently making provocations near China in the name of freedom of navigation.

    the GIRLS REACT to *Alien (1979)* IT’S SO SCARY!! (First Time Watching) Horror Movies

    https://youtu.be/8eXl59KHwvg

    What are some unbelievable yet true stories and facts?

    2023 08 14 10 40
    2023 08 14 10 40

    On June 3rd 2022, 3-year-old Ryker Webb went missing from his home in Montana wearing just his onesie. The area was in the middle of the wilderness, inhabited by Mountain Lions, Bears and on the evening he went missing, there was a severe thunderstorm.

    His distraught parents feared the worse until they got the call that he had been found. He was discovered two days later on the Sunday, and 2.5 miles from his house.

    2023 08 14 10 41e
    2023 08 14 10 41e

    A couple heard whimpering from their shed and found Ryker wrapped in a lawnmower-bag to keep warm in the nearly freezing temperatures. When they first found him they said he was hungry and tired, but for his circumstances he was a pretty up-beat mood.

    When they questioned him he said that he went for a really long walk and got tired. It is believed he seen the shed and took shelter during the thunder storm and stayed there for 2 days worrying about ever seeing his parents again.

    Damn, my kids wouldn’t survive an hour.

    What are your thoughts about the American missionary who died in North Sentinel Island?

    I think trying to spread his religion was a lie.


    A little context:

    John Chau, 26-year-old American evangelical missionary.

    2023 08 13 18 28
    2023 08 13 18 28

    He was unalived* by an isolated tribe he was trying to convert to Christianity.

    The islanders are notorious for being hostile for outsiders to even visit, let alone throw Bibles at, yet John clearly wasn’t one to apply self-preservation.

    One of the very few photos taken of the natives of the tribe, 1970s.

    2023 08 13 18 2s9
    2023 08 13 18 2s9

    It is illegal under the Protection of Aboriginal Tribes regulations to visit without government permission – John did not obtain this. He seemingly had no respect for the law of the land.

    Two local fishermen would take him partway to the island and no further. They let him approach the island on a canoe by himself.

    For several days, he persistently made several attempts to communicate with the tribe from the safety of his canoe.

    He documented in his journal that they laughed at him, they stared at him, and yelled words he didn’t understand.

    On his second-last day a boy shot an arrow through his Bible. He didn’t take for the warning it obviously was.

    On his final day, he told the fishermen to leave without him.

    The next day they saw his body on the shore. Cautious attempts were made to retrieve his body but no one ever did.


    John was an adventurer.

    2023 08 13 18 29a
    2023 08 13 18 29a

    He was known among his friends for being a thrill-seeker. Throughout his youth he indulged in camping, hiking, et.c.

    My point being he went there for himself. Not just religion.

    There’s a reason why the government needs to give permission for outsiders to visit. There’s a reason why even the surrounding locals won’t set foot on that island.

    John ignored all the rules.

    He went there for himself, to fulfill his thrill-seeking, adventurist desires.

    He found the adventure he was looking for.

    What was the most racist thing you have experienced yourself?

    I moved to the U.S. 5 weeks later, COVID happened.

    All the dreams about off-roading trips, going to places, exploring America went out the window.

    Social distancing; lockdown. People went crazy buying hand soaps; toilet papers. There was a time even flour and yeast also shortage

    main qimg 2c89a1aca38cbe52fbce45fc76810b02
    main qimg 2c89a1aca38cbe52fbce45fc76810b02

    One afternoon, I was at the grocery store, suddenly I felt something hit my back. I turned around. It was a woman threw a toilet paper bag at me. She yelled: “Go fucking back to your country! You Chinese fuckers! You brought that fucking virus here!”

    I picked the toilet paper bag, put it back on the shelf, then I told her: “First of all, I am not Chinese. Second, in case you don’t know, airlines are shutting down, it’s quite difficult to travel right now. Third, you should apologize to me, because I think what you did is on tape” – I pointed at the camera. She ran away.

    I’m not sure when I will be able to forget that memory.

    2023 08 14 10 31
    2023 08 14 10 31

    Have you ever walked into a room and seen something that made you go, “Nope,” and turn 180 degrees and walk away? What was it?

    Yes. As a Captain and Company Commander in the Army Reserves I was running an errand in the rural south with one of my high-ranking NCOs, a Sergeant First Class. We needed to stop for lunch, so I pulled up to the sort of small country diner at which I like to dine from time-to-time in the countryside.

    My Sgt was African-American. Let’s call him “SFC T.” We were wearing our camouflaged combat fatigues.

    SFC T said, “I don’t think we should stop here, sir. This is the local KKK hangout.” I chuckled and said, “Sgt T, this is the 1990’s, not the 1960’s. What are you talking about?” And he replied, “Sir, look at the sign. See how it says ‘Karla’s Kountry Kitchen?’ See how they spell it ‘Karla’ with a ‘K,’ ‘Kountry’ with a ‘K,’ ‘Kitchen’ with a ‘K?’ And see how the ‘K’s are painted different colors than the other letters? It’s the local KKK hangout.” I laughed and dismissed his concerns, saying lightheartedly, “Sgt T, you are totally full of shit. Now get out of the car, we are going in for lunch.”

    Understand, I was an officer who ALWAYS very strongly respected, listened to, and relied upon my NCOs. But this was not a military matter and, although I knew racism still existed, it simply was beyond my comprehension that overt, hostile, potentially violent KKK shit could still exist in the 1990’s. In our area? Right out in the open amongst everyone? With a sign above the door? It was as if someone was telling me the earth had two moons.

    I opened the door to the cafe and took about three big steps inside, with SFC T right behind me. The place was packed. Immediately, all conversation ceased. Stone cold silence. Simultaneously, every single head in the entire restaurant turned to stare at us. And although no movie soundtrack of impending doom started playing in the background, my mood immediately shifted, from happy-go-lucky Captain anticipating a great country meal with one of my best NCOs, to fight or flight mode anticipating danger and potential violence.

    I needed go no farther. I looked over my shoulder and said quietly, “Sgt T, let’s get the f__k out of here.” So we turned, walked straight back out out, and jumped in my car. I cranked it up and drive off at high speed.

    Of course, I felt absolutely terrible. Terrible for not believing SFC T or listening to his concerns. Terrible for placing us, and particularly him, in a potentially dangerous situation. Terrible for being so incredibly naive as to have no idea that such bullshit still existed.

    I apologized profusely to SFC T as we were driving away. Frankly, he seemed more amused than anything, watching my eyes open and the light bulb go on in my brain.

    The more I thought about it, however, the more I found it a very valuable experience. Because I witnessed first hand how two intelligent people, coming from two different backgrounds and, particularly, races, can view exactly the same situation but see two totally different realities. Or, more precisely, one complacent fiction and one harsh reality. And I’ve never forgotten it.

    So 30 years later, when I hear people dismiss BLM protests, or fail to see as victims black men who die at the hands of police in questionable circumstances, I think of SFC T and Karla’s Kountry Kitchen. And I marvel at how many people still need to open their eyes.

    REACTING to *Aliens (1986)* THE GREATEST SEQUEL?? (First Time Watching) Sci-fi Movies

    https://youtu.be/sePAJdU7ZHU

    What are some mind-blowing facts that sound unreal but are actually true?

    Originally Answered: What are some mind-blowing facts that sound like ‘BS’, but are actually true?

    Liquor and wine are illegal in the U.S. unless they are radioactive. When tested, drinking alcohol is required to have at least 400 radioactive decays per minute for each 750 ml.

    Explanation: The United States government has decided that alcohol for consumption must be made from “natural” materials, such as grains, grapes, or fruit. That rules out alcohol made from petroleum. Such alcohol is chemically identical to natural alcohol and just as safe – there’s no difference in taste — so why this rule? The reasons have to do with history (keeping alcohol more expensive, a goal of the anti-alcohol lobby) and minimizing competition (a goal of the liquor lobby).

    How can you tell the difference between natural alcohol and alcohol made from petroleum? There’s no chemical difference. The United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, charged with enforcing the natural alcohol rule, has only one reliable test: check for radioactivity. Natural alcohol gets its carbon from plants; the plants got the carbon from atmospheric carbon dioxide. As explained on the previous pages, atmospheric carbon dioxide is radioactive because of the continued bombardment of cosmic rays – particles coming from space that collide with nitrogen molecules and turn it into C-14, radiocarbon. Only one atom in a trillion carbons in the atmosphere is radiocarbon, but that’s enough to be detectable. (One of the authors of this book, RM, invented the most sensitive way to detect C-14, called “Accelerator Mass Spectrometry.”)

    Petroleum was also made from atmospheric carbon, but it was buried hundreds of millions of years ago, isolated from the radioactive atmosphere. Radiocarbon has a half-life of about 5700 years, and after a hundred million years, there is nary an atom of C-14 left.

    True, bootleggers could get some C-14 and add it to illegal liquor. But that’s beyond the skill set of most of them.

    Have you ever watched a movie in an empty movie theater?

    Yeah, on May 30, 1989, although my mom was with me.

    It was my birthday. Ever since I was a kid, I had wanted to see Cats on Broadway, so my mom decided to take me for my 16th birthday. She picked me up from my dad’s house, we made the hour-long drive into Manhattan… and saw the big “SOLD OUT” sign outside the Winter Garden Theater. I was bitterly disappointed — sold out on a weekday??

    Mom said, well, let’s get lunch and go to the movies instead, and asked if there was anything in particular I wanted to see.

    Actually, yes, I told her. Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.

    My mom was awesome. She didn’t even ask what it was about or anything. We went to the diner and got some burgers and milkshakes, then to a movie theater in Peekskill, New York.

    We were the only ones there, but we didn’t care. I loved it, and Mom loved it, too. My mother had this fantastic, loud, goofy laugh, and it echoed through the empty theater. I’m not sure which of us enjoyed Bill and Ted’s historical antics more, and by the time the credits rolled, I wasn’t so bummed that Cats had been sold out.

    That would be the last movie I’d ever see in the theater with my mom. She had 4th stage breast cancer, see, that had metastasized to the brain, and early the next year, they’d find her 3rd brain tumor. She died in November 1990, when she was 54 and I was 17.

    Thinking about that day makes me miss my mom something fierce, and especially that big, goofy Kay Truex laugh, echoing in a theater that we didn’t have to share with anyone else. I’m glad we were the only ones there, and that we spent that day in a crummy movie theater alone, rather than on Broadway with a crowd of people.

    It was just for us.

    Me and my mom on her 54th birthday, March 1990. I’m not sure it’s the last photo ever taken of us together, but it’s the last one I still have. Was she a historical babe or what?

    main qimg a1dcc11462c1bc3f6762aaeffdf2e364 pjlq
    main qimg a1dcc11462c1bc3f6762aaeffdf2e364 pjlq

    Scott Ritter: China is Ready for WAR Over Taiwan as Blinken’s “Diplomacy” Fails

    2023 08 14 10 35
    2023 08 14 10 35

    Why does the Chinese government publicly say that its gold reserves are 2,000 tons when most people believe that it is actually more than 7,000 tons?

    China has lots of secrets

    China discloses very little

    As to Gold, I am certain China has more than 2300 Tonnes as Reserves

    Yet 7000 is ridiculous

    Nobody can acquire so much Gold without a market shock

    In 2015, a very reasonable analysis predicted that China’s actual reserves would amount to 98.8 Million Troy Ounces or 3073 Tonnes

    This was based on buy patterns of Gold by China’s private players increasing 219% between 2009–2015 while China revealed it’s reserves to grow only by 62%

    So many experts reliably predicted China’s Gold Reserves were actually close to 3073 Tonnes and not 1658 Tonnes as claimed by China

    From 2015–2023 based on buying patterns China purchased directly through the Central Bank around 661 tonnes

    Private players purchases remain confidential and Gold purchases in Yuan with Russia and UAE remain confidential

    Assuming 25% of the buying by private players compared to 2009–2015 and 15% of the quantity of gold from Russia and UAE in Yuan than they did in Dollars

    That’s around 398 Tonnes roughly

    Thus China’s estimated real reserves could be = 3073 + 661+ 398 = 4132 Tonnes

    So China may have around 4132 Tonnes of Gold in its reserves

    Likewise China’s real reserves may be between $ 4–4.6 Trillion

    Why is the US so worked up over a 28nm equipment from China when it can make even 3nm chips?

    Ah

    That’s because this 28nm DUV Lithography machine is FULLY INDIGENOUS and has come to the commercial line in 3 Years and 10 months

    There are 15,800 components in this machine and everyone if them is MADE IN CHINA

    The Wafer layering is also Chinese

    The Final Tested 28nm Chip had a 94.1% yield which is only 1.7% lower than the 95.8% that a 28nm chip made with Western equipment delivers

    Even 7% was acceptable by the Chinese (88.8% Yield) so a 94.1% yield was OUTSTANDING

    The Chip is estimated to be priced at 4840 Yuan for a stack compared to 5410 Yuan for a stack of 28nm chips that use Western Equipment and are made in China

    That’s a 12.50% price cut

    Experts estimate that the same 28nm chips being made in Taiwan or Korea using Western equipment would cost 7200 Yuan or almost 50% higher than China’s price

    This Machine is now commercial which means by 2027 it will replace existing western DUV equipment completely and also have enhanced quality

    This means China have gained full Independence in their 28 nm Chips from any Western Control and technology

    Until now it was possible only for 90 nm Chips and above


    Thats not why the US is mad though

    This was something that was expected by the US the minute the same equipment passed protocol stage in 2018 May with a 59% Yield (Now 94.1%)

    It entered Commercial phase in 2019 December

    The US is mad because China can use these 28 nm Chips and stack them and get the equivalent of 14 nm and even 7 nm chips

    China has made massive strides in stacking

    It means China can now have fully Indigenous 14 nm Chips at 89% of the quality that the West delivers and Indigenous 7% Chips at 70.1% of the quality that the West delivers

    Now these stacked chips cannot be used commercially as their price would be too high (A 28 nm Chip stacked as a 14 nm would cost 91400 Yuan a stack against a mere 11260 Yuan that it would cost for a Western Equipment made 14 nm Chip in China and 16220 Yuan for a stack made in Taiwan)

    However they can be used in Defence applications and National Security related applications where China won’t mind the higher price in exchange for more flexibility

    Better to have 71% Quality home chips at 11 times the price for Defence Equipment than have none at all and have a 100% disadvantage with the West


    Thats why the US is hopping mad

    A Senator named Tom Cotton said this was all Bidens fault and he was too slow and gave too much time for China to catch up


    China still has a long way to go

    China is around 3/4 the way there

    It still needs the last 25% of the race against the toughest of circumstances

    9 things Australians are not being told about US military deal

    No, the astonishingly expensive tie-up between Australia and the US military deal is NOT about defense of the country, nor is it about bringing stability to Asia. The opposite is true, and Asians know it. The Australians stand to lose a great deal, not just in terms of money, but in the great relationships that they have built with the rest of Asia over many decades, and in the world’s understanding of the Australian character.

    THE TRUTH! Oliver Anthony Reaction – Rich Men North of Richmond

    2023 08 20 11 32
    2023 08 20 11 32

    Orange peel concerns

    Today, while taking my daughter back from Kindergarten, I saw a dead kitten in the road in front of me. It was dead maybe 10 to 15 minutes. A black and white medium hair Tuxedo kitten. Perhaps six weeks old. It was gone, as its entire back was splattered goo.

    I cannot stop thinking about this little guy. I cannot shake the image, and the feelings for something that I have no personal connection with. It’s tough, and difficult.

    Strangely, a few hours later, as I was musing about this kitten, I felt it visit me. Briefly. Of course, we did not know each other, and it did not try to communicate. Just checking out my porch momentarily and then moving on.

    I believe that my thoughts attracted it. Even for such a moment.

    But my thoughts are part of my personality; and you know, my personality is pre-programmed by others. Whether it is Domain or what have you.

    How many of us are living a fated life where our actions and behaviors are all preprogrammed by others?

    What one thing do you wish you had known about life when you were in your 20s? This question is for those who are older than 20 who would like to share their mistakes and insights with a younger person than themselves.

    Originally Answered: What one thing do you wish you had known about life when you were in your 20s?

    One time when I was 25 I went shopping for an engagement ring for my girlfriend. We had been together for three years and my dad kept asking when I would marry her. My friends kept asking. Her friends kept asking. Her dad kept asking her and she would tell me.

    We were living together. And I liked her. Maybe I loved her.

    But I started to shiver when I was looking at rings in the store. My friend who I was with took one look at me and quoted a lyric from an MC 900 Ft Jesus song: “Something’s gonna happen and it’s probably not good.”

    So I didn’t buy the ring. We didn’t get married. She moved out. We moved to different cities. I called her once a few years later but now she’s not even on Facebook and we haven’t talked since.

    That sums up the 20s – EVERYTHING you think is important and meaningful has absolutely no bearing on your future life.

    I loved her. I had a job. I was writing novels. I had friends. I was a computer programmer.

    Now…none of the above is true. (oh, I have friends. Just different friends – 100% different).

    And everything in my 30s….nothing is true anymore (except I have two kids still. Although now they are not babies. Now they are smarter than me).

    I’m 48 now.

    My most recent career change occurred when I was 47. Before that, I started writing seriously (I wrote 5 very unserious books in my 30s) when I was 42.

    In my 20s and 30s my average weight was about 155 – 170. Now it’s 140. I write every day. I don’t obsess on money all day long. And I make bad decisions all day long – just like I did in my 20s.

    The main skill I got between my 20s and now is that I bounce back from bad things faster.

    I was VERY successful in my late 20s. And then a TOTAL FAILURE after. Then VERY SUCCESSFUL. And so on.

    So that didn’t change. Only my ability to bounce back from really bad things. Horrible things. Things you wouldn’t want to wish on anyone and yet they happen, in some form or other, to everyone.

    So the only thing I can with full integrity say I wish I had known is: nothing at all matters. Oh, and since nothing matters, once you realize that you’ll start to bounce back faster.

    And since nothing matters, might as well be kind to people as much as possible. We can all laugh at the same joke at the end of this very long day.

    What are some of the best examples of “American ignorance”?

    Surveys of Americans asking them where certain countries are on an unmarked map. Not obscure ones (I myself would have trouble with Ivory Coast) but ones that are in the news all the time like…

    North Korea

    2023 07 20 19 09
    2023 07 20 19 09

    Iran.

    Note about twenty guesses put it solidly in the United States

    2023 07 20 19 0wy9
    2023 07 20 19 0wy9

    Ukraine.

    Again, five guesses were solidly in the United States.

    2023 07 20 19 13
    2023 07 20 19 13

    Here’s the problem -people who have no idea where these countries are tend to favour military solutions. People who place them correctly (which is a small minority) tend to favour diplomacy.

    First Time Reaction to Boston – Foreplay/ Long Time

    I can just picture the cold can of beer between my legs and the joint being rolled on the dash…

    Stopping US dominance is the only way to revive the world economy

    By Park Hae-rin July 19th 2023

    This is NOT a translation of the entire article, this is a summary.

    Key points

    The ROK-US alliance is unhelpful to Korea as it exists solely for the purpose of assisting American interests.

    The US is trying to meddle in Korean affairs

    The Yoon Sukyeol administration is a puppet of the US government.

    America’s actions is a burden for the entire world.

    The International Monetary Fund will benefit no one.

    Stopping US dominance is the only way to revive both the Korean economy and the world economy.

    main qimg f6963b9dae51286d960cb4bae91de1cd
    main qimg f6963b9dae51286d960cb4bae91de1cd

    They Threw 12,000 Tons Of Orange Peels In A Forest. 16 Years Later They Returned to See The Results…

    2023 07 20 15 59 1
    2023 07 20 15 59 1

    Jodie: you may have lost everything, but now, u have ‘freedom.’

    Typical Americanism for geopolitical populism and naive hypocrisy.

    2023 07 22 07 02
    2023 07 22 07 02

    What is the best thing you saw someone do when they got fired from their job?

    When I was fired at a large financial services organization, the head of HR essentially told me to clean out my desk and leave. I was a participant in a number of executive compensation programs, and no provision was being made to give me some/any of that money. I knew others had been treated differently when they were terminated.

    I called my former boss (the ex-company president) who had been fired 2 weeks earlier and asked him what he thought I should do. He said, “Call the guys in the field. The field loves you.” This was at around 10:00 am.

    So I called every senior salesperson I knew—and asked them to call the CEO on my behalf. All I asked was that I be treated fairly.

    At 2:00 pm, the head of HR called me to say that the CEO had gotten the message and my “little campaign” worked—I could “call off my dogs.”

    I negotiated an equitable severance package and a transition job within the organization.

    I get by with a little help from my friends.

    Why is China not afraid of the US?

    The answer will short – since China doesn’t want to attack USA and USA lost every single war that it started what is it to be affraid off. Plus China has almost 1.5 Billion people while 80% of Americans age 17–24 are unfit for millitary service.

    I can’t keep this A SECRET anymore.

    Love him or hate him, this is his harsh statement about what the Republicans did to him. But the big thing is that he is taking the “levers of control” away from the Republican party, and hijacking their most popular policies. Perhaps… he will run for office.

    Keep this thought in mind.

    https://youtu.be/vSGcnLl-CZg

    Makes you think…

    Yup.

    2023 07 21 14 40
    2023 07 21 14 40

    Here’s a better meme…

    main qimg d400d4de88bc0f98899302093f149c34 lq
    main qimg d400d4de88bc0f98899302093f149c34 lq

    The Human Horizons HiPhi Z Is Pure Science Fiction

    2023 07 20 19 31
    2023 07 20 19 31

    Crude but true…

    main qimg dcd37b6a0ce7009d52502c431f2ea37a
    main qimg dcd37b6a0ce7009d52502c431f2ea37a

    China Cancels 50 Billion Chip Orders, Set to Develop Its Own ‘ASML’ !

    2023 07 21 21 57
    2023 07 21 21 57

    The United States has always exercised technological hegemony, using various means to suppress foreign companies that surpass American enterprises or pose a threat to them. This has been the case with Japan’s semiconductor industry, French energy giants, and others.

    In the era of 5G, Huawei is leading in 5G technology, with the highest number of patents globally and being the only company capable of providing end-to-end 5G services. Moreover, its 5G chip technology is also leading globally.

    As a result the U.S has repeatedly modified chip rules not only limiting the shipment of American chip companies such as Qualcomm but also restricting chip companies that use American Technology such as TSMC and ASML from Shipping chips to China.

    Chinese companies such as Huawei have accelerated the development of self-designed and self-produced chips and have also started developing chips based on RISCV to reduce their Reliance on American chips and other products.

    Data shows that after the U.S restricted chip shipments Chinese domestic companies reduced their import of chips by more than 97 billion pieces in 2022 and it is expected that this number will exceed 50 billion pieces in the first six months of this year.

    SMIC has announced that it will have a production capacity of over 700 000 equivalent eight-inch Wafers by the end of this year which will be used to manufacture various types of chips it is expected that the capital expenditure for this year will exceed 6.6 billion dollars mainly for capacity expansion and process Improvement.

    However unexpectedly the U.S Japan and the Netherlands have signed a tripartite agreement to further restrict the shipment of advanced semiconductor equipment Japan will begin to restrict the shipment of over 23 types of semiconductor equipment from mid-July the Netherlands has also officially announced that it will restrict the shipment of certain models of lithography machines which will take effect on September 1st by then DUV lithography Machines of the 2000i and subsequent models will be unable to be shipped.

    However the Netherlands and ASML have emphasized that although the tripartite agreement restricts the shipment of certain models of DUV lithography machines the 1980i and earlier models of lithography machines can still be shipped with a single exposure accuracy of 38 nanometers, however Chinese domestically produced lithography machines have already achieved a breakthrough of 90 nanometers and can be fully utilized for manufacturing mature processed chips.

    Shanghai microelectronics 28 nanometers Precision lithography machine has also achieved technical validation with mass production expected in the near future the key is that Chinese manufacturers are accelerating the expansion of Chip production using processes below 28 nanometers and the required lithography machine models that ASML cannot ship.

    This will also accelerate the breakthroughs made by Chinese manufacturers as a result some European media outlets have stated that it is all over as the U.S further restricts ASML’s shipment of lithography machines.

    This not only accelerates China’s breakthroughs but also causes European chip and semiconductor companies to lose further advantages. First of all Europe does not have an inherent advantage in the field of Chip and semiconductor globally with only a few outstanding companies such as ASML, ARM and St microelectronics.

    After the modification of Chip rules, even ARM and St microelectronics are no longer able to ship their products freely, only ASML can still ship certain models of DUV lithography machines.

    Now with ASML being further restricted in its shipments this is not good news for the European semiconductor industry, moreover most American chip and semiconductor companies can still continue to ship their products Qualcomm can continue to ship 4G chips while the extension of Nvidia’s shipping permit may become a settled matter, companies such as Lam Research and Clack have received clarification notices on the rules and can still ship their related products.

    Secondly after the modification of Chip rules Huawei announced its comprehensive entry into the Chip and semiconductor field and invested heavily in China’s domestic chip industry chain through high silicon burning through 440 billion yuan. In three years Huawei has not only established a complete mobile phone industry chain in China, but achieved the localization of EDA tools of 14 nanometers and above and has collaborated with SMIC to accelerate the localization of advanced processes to reduce dependence on American Technology.

    This has already caused ASML’s market share in China to fall from 14 to 8 percent and after the signing of the tripartite agreement the reactions of Chinese companies such as Huawei and SMIC have been relatively calm, indicating that Chinese manufacturers have already achieved significant breakthroughs in the lithography machine industry.

    The key is that the president of ASML has stated that if further restrictions are imposed ASML’s market share in China will continue to decline and it may even withdraw from the Chinese market.

    Shenzhen known as the Silicon Valley of China is home to a large number of high-tech companies such as Huawei Tencent and ZTE as well as over 4 000 startups that conduct research experimentation and production in the city.

    China is not powerless, almost all tasks that high-end chips can perform can also be accomplished by old-fashioned chips albeit at the cost of higher power consumption greater material consumption and higher costs such as using two chips instead of one the Chinese chip industry can find a way to cope with sanctions and it is impossible to control all the chips in the world including military Aerospace and high-tech chips.

    If there are 10 000 chips a Chinese company with international business will always be able to obtain some, although it may have to go through three different countries.

    Chinese Scholars like Xin Yuching who teaches at the national Graduate Institute for policy studies in Tokyo are optimistic that China will be able to manufacture high-end chips on its own in the future sanctions will force Chinese companies to conduct their own research and development and invest more time and money.

    Recently The Institute of semiconductors of the Chinese Academy of Sciences announced the development of a highly integrated Optical convolution processor according to calculations Optical Computing has the advantages of high bandwidth low latency and low power consumption its processing speed is 1.5 to 10 times faster than Nvidia’s GPU chips.

    More importantly Optical chips do not require photolithography for production so there is no bottleneck problem this is not just a case of overtaking on a Bend but a complete change of Direction in addition Optical chips are expected to avoid the data type problem that exists in the Von Neumann Computing paradigm.

    In the past due to the existence of Moore’s Law it was very difficult to upgrade processor performance and Chip processes had to be reduced by at least half every two years this means that if China is currently producing 28 nanometers chips it will take at least 10 years to catch up with TMSC’s two nanometers.

    However replacing the steam engine was never about building a better steam engine replacing the horse-drawn carriage was not about building a faster horse-drawn carriage and replacing chips will not be about building more compact chips the progress made by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Optical chip technology can be said to be the last step in commercialization and the biggest step in maximizing profits it not only has the potential to influence the global layout of the optical chip industry but may even be the key to the next era.

    Cowgirl in the Sand (epic!) – Neil Young & Promise of the Real

    This has got to be one of the coolest versions of this song I have ever heard. 19 Minutes of pure jamming bliss.

    What are the reasons behind China’s strong economic growth in the first half of 2023?

    Planning and Policy

    China’s greatest strength is the fact that it’s Government always plans and acknowledges problems openly

    main qimg 391b2bbe99168aab6dca8b86478d1065 1
    main qimg 391b2bbe99168aab6dca8b86478d1065 1

    It’s the greatest difference between China and the erstwhile USSR

    Chinese Leaders may not tell much to the public but in private , among themselves they DEMAND THE BRUTAL TRUTH WITHOUT ANY SUGARCOATING

    This plus their Meritocracy system means they choose the best experts to handle problems

    And they always look at the long term

    They could have ignored their real estate bubble and delivered 8% growth today and claimed a nominal GDP greater than US by 2026 instead of 2033

    They didn’t

    They know if they do, they will suffer worse in the long run

    That sort of decision is impossible in most democracies due to a terror of losing votes

    Take India

    How many problems are discussed?

    Inflation?

    Silence

    Unemployment?

    Silence

    Take US and same story

    Debt?

    Silence

    Racism?

    Silence


    Its the System of the Chinese that is their greatest asset

    Policy Formulation, Meritocracy and Long Term Vision


    Its why they clearly work out why they feel 6.3% is stable growth and not out of the world growth

    Their result expectation is always to ensure quality and genuine performance

    What did you find while snooping that you wish you had never found?

    I wasn’t actually snooping; my husband asked me to check his Facebook messages. He’d been trying to reconnect with some old friends from the police department he’d worked in years ago.

    The first message was from an old, old girlfriend (they were 15 at the time). She had hired a private detective to find him, and couldn’t, so she confessed in a message she’d always been in love with him, and wanted to see him. She didn’t care he was married; SHE was, too, but was willing to leave her husband if he would leave me.

    My husband had responded perfectly. “Debbie, we were 15. We dated for 6 months. I’m sorry, but I didn’t and don’t love you. I never will. As a matter of fact, what you did to try to find me was disturbing, especially since it states on my profile that I’m married. I think you may want to talk to someone about it.

    To top it all off, you’re disrespecting my wife, whom I love with my entire soul, your husband, and me. How would you feel if my wife was doing the same thing with your husband? Please don’t contact me again. Get some help, and move on.”

    I can see why he didn’t say anything to me. He knows I probably would have lost my shit on her. She had stopped messaging him, and it was done. I’m actually glad he didn’t tell me. He responded the exact way I would’ve had it happened to me.

    I wish I hadn’t seen it, only because if we ever run into her, I’ll probably be calling my bondsman again.

    kraftwerk – Radioactivity (Original Version)

    Vinegar Grilled Chicken

    vinegar grilled chicken
    vinegar grilled chicken

    Prep: 10 min | Marinate: 4 hr | Cook: 10 min | Yield: 4 servings

    Ingredients

    • 2/3 cup water
    • 2/3 cup white wine vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon fresh-ground black pepper
    • 2 tablespoons garlic salt
    • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
    • 1 tablespoon hot sauce
    • 3 tablespoons butter, melted
    • 4 (10 ounce) bone-in chicken breast halves

    Instructions

    1. Place the water, vinegar, pepper, salt, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and melted butter into a large, resealable plastic bag. Shake to combine ingredients, then add chicken, seal, and shake to coat. Place in refrigerator to marinate for at least 4 hours.
    2. Heat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, and lightly oil the grate.
    3. Remove chicken from marinade, and shake off excess. Discard remaining marinade.
    4. Cook on preheated grill until no longer pink in the center; about 10 minutes per side.

    Notes

    To make this chicken roadside-style, use boneless chicken tenderloins and brush with barbecue sauce the final minutes of grilling.

    I’m a school custodian and when people ask me what’s my job I’m ashamed to tell them. What’s the best way I could say what I do without saying I’m a custodian?

    Man! I stock groceries and build and repair furniture for people. I wear out a few sets of knee pads every year and shaking my hand feels like grabbing a stack of sand paper.

    What a day’s work looks like for me:

    main qimg 6a74297816bec302308015543dd246a0 lq
    main qimg 6a74297816bec302308015543dd246a0 lq

    You know what I say when people ask what I do for a living?

    “Oh, I have a great job! I stock groceries and do a little custom woodworking on the side.”

    And I mean it. I have a great job. My workshop is in my backyard, and my grocery job is one mile from my house. I have no commute.

    I have a regular schedule. I get eight hours of sleep every night and plenty of exercise.

    I make plenty enough money. I never worry about my bills. I save plenty for retirement.

    I get to work with no stress around mostly friendly people. I stay active and on my feet all day. It keeps me healthy and trim. The work I do is necessary and purposeful.

    I have plenty of time for my family and hobbies.

    I spent many years climbing the corporate ladder. I was tired and stressed out and couldn’t be there for my family. That sucked.

    Now I do needful work well, and I’m happy doing it, and I’m doing well. What’s there to be ashamed of?

    I am sure that people see my knee pads, and my shredded work gloves, and the sawdust all over my jacket and look down on me. I can handle that. I don’t really even think about it.

    We NEED custodians, my friend. You are supporting yourself with honest, good work that I’m sure has many enviable upsides. Hold your head up.

    “The Worst President in the Last 100 Years” – Victor Davis Hanson

    President Bidean actually attended the same university as I did. WTF?

    2023 07 21 14 58
    2023 07 21 14 58

    What hurts worse, a punch or a boot in the face or butt, or a blow from a policeman’s baton?

    I have never seen (in person) a punch kill or a boot in the butt. I have seen a man kicked in the face who then died right there on the spot. It was a bar fight on a street called Clay Morgan Alley in St Louis. I was a Patrolman working an overtime shift walking a foot beat on the gaslight entertainment district down by the river. There was an altercation where a man fell down to the ground on his back. One of the three people attacking him kicked him in the face before I could get to them. By the time I ran the 20 feet to the victim he was already dying from a massive skull fracture. He had a strange breathing pattern people do right as they die. I think it’s called “agonal breathing” if my Paramedic training decades ago is correctly remembered. His head felt like a bag of skin holding many pieces of broken pottery in the rear particularly. The people that killed him had a good laugh and though they would just get the night in jail for fighting. Intoxication in public or something minor. They had all had priors for assault and wealthy parents got that them off every time. Fine paid. Probation.

    I still remember the happiness it brough me to go into the separate rooms they were being held in and telling these smug little trust fund babies that the victim had been pronounced dead with cause of death being homicide by blunt object to the skull. It was a glorious feeling of schadenfreude watching their “my daddy will have you fired and sue you” attitudes of mockery and laughing disappear into blind panic. The possible sentence guidelines would mean they were looking at up to 20 years to life in Maximum Security. I know that sounds really unprofessional to feel that but it was one of the few times I really had to watch myself because I was so angry. My Partner who was a couple blocks away and wasn’t as emotionally involved because he didn’t see it go down. He sensed my frame of mind and took over booking. We would step in and let the other one cool off when we thought the other was reaching their limits. For some reason only one of us would be feed up and aggravated at a time if it happened.

    Anyway….the victim was black and the Feds almost piled on with another 20 to life in Federal for Violation of Civil Rights but the campaign contributions to the right politicians put the brakes on that. There was a good case for it being racially motivated. What first drew my attention and made me take a few steps to look down the alley was someone yelling a racial slur as they attacked him. Witness also heard them talking before the assault began inside about how “Boomers wasn’t a Nigger bar”. I’m often critical the FBI but they did step up on this case and fought the Eastern District US Attorney to have the case go federal to no avail. Normally it would require the sacrifice of a goat to summon divine intervention and get them to work a case that didn’t involve Muslims or terrorism. They were right with me lock step trying to get it in front of a Grand Jury that was currently impaneled. The families had too much political power to get it done. They were big campaign donors and had a lot of pull. The media took no interest so we had no leverage.

    main qimg 904b04a72a8facce7be097bdcd102682 lq
    main qimg 904b04a72a8facce7be097bdcd102682 lq

    Not the incident but this is almost exactly the type of kick I saw. Running start…full force on an unconcious prone kid. ^

    The 3 people who were involved were all arrested by me for 2nd Degree Murder, aggravated assault and false imprisonment. They pled guilty to Manslaughter and each got 8 years in Potosi Prison of which they served 6 before being paroled.

    I only know that because I attended the yearly parole hearings to give a vivid description of the murder to keep them in as long as possible. Autopsy photos and video of interrogations where two of them were laughing at what they had done. Like the whole thing was a joke and they said “wait until my Dad get’s here. His lawyers will sue you…etc”. They were text book bullies beating on a timid and small victim. I wanted to make sure they stayed in and had a page in their file requesting I be notified of any Parole hearings for the two that went to Max. The third was a follower and had some promise on not being a piece of shit his whole life so I didn’t involve myself in his case after conviction. He was transferred to minimum after a year. All three were the worst kind of “Frat Boys”. Wealthy. Privileged. Obnoxious. Thought they had the power to do literally anything. Their family name and fortunes would always save them. They lost a fortune in Defense Lawyers for sure.

    The lead council for one of them I knew well and was good friends with. I got along with Defense Attorneys. I always root for the underdog and Public Defenders are the ultimate underdogs. I always had their clients by the balls with good evidence so they didn’t have much to work with. This friend though was a high priced lawyer. We went up against each other in several minor and two major cases. We had a mutual respect. I would never lie of obfuscate, be a hostile type witness on the stand. If I ever had the State or Feds lock me up he’s the typo of intellectual bulldog I would want in my corner. The Prosecutor knew they could walk in a trial with an OJ type dream team so he offered them a deal. They got the max they could get from the sentencing guidelines from the plea. One of those cases where the Judge is bursting to get to lay into the defendants at sentencing. It never made the news. There weren’t more than 12 people in the Court including me the Judge, Bailiff and Court Reporter. That bothered me. This hideous affair should have been on every TV in America and nobody took notice. Only a 1 inch column in the Metro section of the Post Dispatch the day after the attack. Just a blurb in the Metro crime B section below the fold. I have seen ads for Yard Sales with more words. The victim was a really good kid with a bright future. He was alive, happy and loved one minute and ancient anonymous history the next and the world took no notice.

    I knew as soon as I saw that kick the victim wasn’t going to survive. It looked like an NFL kicker going for a 50 yard field goal type kick on an unconscious victim.

    main qimg 4116223e01a2594e9f0a026daeb9b434
    main qimg 4116223e01a2594e9f0a026daeb9b434

    ^ Above a view of Clay Morgan Alley crime scene. The incident took place at the far end just before the street intersection in front of Boomers nightclub. If you see the 3 lamps on the left (East side of the alley) look at the most distant of the three. I was standing just a few feet around that corner when I first heard it. It took place near the middle street lamp in the center of the alley. That is the parking lot for the Arch in the background. That parking lot is Federal Property. I shit you not that I know of a case where a kid was arrested for Marijuana in that exact garage by Federal Park Rangers….. and got more time than the killers in this case. Probably served damn near the whole sentence too as there is no Federal Parole.

    Answers like this bring it all back vividly. I write here so people better understand what Policing is like. I appreciate it when people feel informed or took something away from the writing. The positive feedback I suppose keeps me doing it. When you see people comment or up vote etc it does make me feel like there is some kind of purpose in it and it is therapeutic to write about some of these things. Anyway…thanks for the feedback everyone. The comments are usually the most interesting part of my answers IMO.

    I know I shouldn’t have done this, but I am 83 years old … 👵

    I know I shouldn’t have done this, but I am 83 years old and I was in the McDonald’s drive-through this morning and the young lady behind me leaned on her horn and started mouthing something because I was taking too long to place my order.

    So when I got to the first window I paid for her order along with my own.

    The cashier must have told her what I’d done because as we moved up she leaned out her window and waved to me and mouthed “Thank you.”, obviously embarrassed that I had repaid her rudeness with kindness.

    When I got to the second window I showed them both receipts and took her food too. Now she has to go back to the end of the queue and start all over again.


    Don’t blow your horn at old people, they have been around a long time.🤣

    How likely is it that South Korea’s export recovery will be slower compared to previous recoveries?

    Since 1978, China has opened its arms and actively integrated into the global division of labor system, which has greatly benefited the development of China itself and the world. In 2022, China and South Korea jointly celebrated the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea. For 31 years, friendly cooperation and mutual benefit have always been the mainstream of PRC-ROK relations. The economic and trade cooperation between the two countries continues to deepen. In 2022, the economic and trade volume between China and South Korea reached 362.3 billion U.S. dollars, and South Korea surpassed Japan to become China’s second largest trading partner.

    This series of tangible achievements not only brought great benefits to the two countries and the two peoples, but also provided a stable guarantee for the peaceful development and prosperity of the region. China and South Korea are the important neighbors of each other and mutually beneficial partners and have many good development opportunities. It is the consensus of the people. China and South Korea must proceed from the fundamental interests of the two countries, adhere to mutual respect, especially respect the core interests of each other, eliminate external interference, properly handle differences, and promote the continuous development of China-ROK relations and bilateral cooperation.

    One of the core interests of China is the Taiwan issue. The Taiwan issue is the most important core interest of China, and it is a red line that cannot be crossed. In recent years, out of domestic political needs, some U.S. politicians have been manipulating various Taiwan-related issues, exacerbating tensions in Sino-U.S. relations. The only one purpose for what the US does is to use Taiwan as a pawn to implement an anti-China and containment strategy to maintain US hegemony.

    The one-China principle is the general consensus of the international community and the basic norm of international relations. It is also the premise and basis for China to establish and develop diplomatic relations with countries around the world, including South Korea. Thus, it is better for the two countries to keep the close economic ties between China and South Korea without provocation.

    The recovery and development of China’s economy will bring greater development opportunities to all the neighboring countries including South Korea. However, in recent years, in order to serve their own self-interest, some countries have promoted unilateralism and protectionism under the pretext of so-called economic security, created closed and exclusive small circles, and clamored for decoupling and breaking the chain. That has seriously disrupted the normal operation of the global production and supply chain and seriously damaged the development interests of countries around the world, including China and South Korea.

    China is different from those countries and implements the dual cycle, a development pattern in which the domestic market and the international market are better connected by giving full play to the potential of domestic demand, rather than a closed domestic cycle. With the utmost sincerity, China will carry out mutually beneficial cooperation with countries all over the world to achieve common development and progress.

    In summary, how the export recovery of South Korea could be is up to the South Korean government and solely depends on the clever behaviors and the choice of the South Korean government. The Koreans act as if they don’t understand why.

    Did Biden Fall Asleep During Meeting w/ Israeli President?

    During a recent joint press event at the White House with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, U.S. President Joe Biden mumbled through a portion of his comments about U.S.-Israeli relations, leading many online to conclude that the Commander in Chief had nodded off briefly. He probably didn’t, but still…

    What is the best case of “You just picked a fight with the wrong person” that you’ve witnessed?

    I was out having a drink with a friend of mine in Brixham. Towards the end of the night, my friend was just carrying a couple of pints across from the bar to our table when a large bloke, not looking where he was going banged straight into him.

    My friend, being the man he is, immediately apologised. But despite it being actually his fault, the guy was having none of it as he said that his shirt and trousers had been ruined by my friends beer. As he squared up to my friend, another two of the blokes mates (equally as large as the first) joined in the argument and made the mistake of laying hands on my friend.

    By the time I had walked across, he had already taken them up on their offer to ‘Take it outside’. The first big guy led the way. My friend followed, only pausing momentarily to pick a cardboard menu off a table as he left. With the blokes two mates behind, carrying bottles of beer which I imagined they may have been expecting to use as weapons.

    As I watched them leave, I immediately got on my mobile and phoned for an ambulance. The guy next to me turned and said to me “An ambulance? Shouldn’t you be helping your mate instead? “. “Oh”, I said smiling. “It’s not for him….anyway there’s only three of them. “

    The thing is that I knew something that the three local big guys didn’t and that was that my friend was a retired CQC (Close Quarters Combat) instructor with the Royal Marines at Lympstone. He was trained not only in martial arts but weapons and tactics too. The bullies had bottles, but in my friends skilled hands a tightly rolled up cardboard menu was as good as having an iron bar.

    By the time I got outside moments later, there was just a lot of broken glass and the three big guys were all in various crumpled heaps on the floor. My friend was just standing smiling rubbing his jaw.

    “I must be getting slow in my old age” he said “One of them actually managed to land a punch”.

    The U.S Military just got a HUGE wake up call and it’s bad

    2023 07 21 14 26
    2023 07 21 14 26

    What are some unwritten social rules everyone should know?

    • Always carry cash. (you never know what might happen on the road)
    • Smile when you shake hands. (ensures confidence and trustworthiness)
    • If you are not invited, don’t go. (unless extremely necessary, ofc)
    • When in a conversation, wait for your turn to speak. (makes you more likable)
    • Start saying Yes and No without explaining an entire story. (Yes and No tells a lot)
    • Never say no if a poor friend/relative invites you to dinner or lunch. (eat less but eat)
    • If someone accidentally slips or spills a drink, help them instead of looking at them awkwardly. (we all go through this)
    • Don’t ask a girl her age. Nor a man his salary.
    • Never try to outsmart your teacher or your father. (If you know they’re wrong, explain to them why)
    • If you don’t like someone’s specific habit, never tell others about it; instead to them in private.

    The Moon Landing: Stanley Kubrick’s Greatest Film | How NASA and Hollywood Fooled the World

    2023 07 20 20 06
    2023 07 20 20 06

    Russia – from big mac to big hit brand changing

    2023 07 21 18 01
    2023 07 21 18 01

    Look how big is Moscow’s (erstwhile) McDonald’s now known as Big Hit after McDonald’s got de-branded.

    Russia’s McDonald’s replacement says it’s serving 2 million customers a day. Its CEO said that it has sold more than 24 million “Big Hits,” its Big Mac dupe, since opening.

    Russian population stands at 143 million. Business as usual with a new logo and similar menu.

    Alexander Govor, the Russian businessman who bought the former McDonald’s sites, told that the new company was opening restaurants slightly faster than planned and hoped to have more than 900 by the end of the year.

    Most of the menu is made with the same ingredients and equipment as when it was McDonald’s.

    The B-52’s – Rock Lobster (Countdown 1980)

    Jamaica V.S the U.S.A Diplomatic Row: The Implications of refusing a diplomat’s Same-Sex Spouse

    In this video we will explore the conflict brewing between Jamaica and the United States over Jamaica’s decision to deny diplomatic immunity and privileges, to the spouse of an American diplomat due to their same-sex relationship.

    2023 07 21 17 45
    2023 07 21 17 45

    What was the hardest thing you went through in life, and how did you get past it?

    Originally Answered: What was the hardest thing you went through in life and how did you get past that?

    I was repeatedly raped by a neighbor when I was 7 years old. I didn’t want my mother to find out, because she was a single mother working 3 jobs to support me and my brother and she cried enough as it was. We lived in a trailer that had holes in the floor so that sometimes raccoons and opossums would climb through. I was scared of them. The carpet was infested with fleas. I usually had flea bites all over my body. I never felt clean. We got clothes from Goodwill but they were usually old, faded, and stained. My mother did the best she could but we were all alone in the world. We lived in a rural area that was unforgiving of those who deviated from “the norm.” My mother tried to baptize me when I was a baby, only to be turned away by the local preacher because I was “a bastard.” We were not welcome in their churches, which were an important part of rural life there. I didn’t have friends at school. I was “weird” “dirty” “ugly” “too quiet” etc. Even most of the teachers looked at me and my brother in disgust. We were “the XXX family.”

    I grew up with the understanding that I was worthless. That I should be ashamed of who I am. I barely said a word through most of my childhood. I didn’t say a word to anyone when they pushed me around, taunted me endlessly, beat up my brother and I. I never said a word when my neighbor (who, interestingly, was widely regarded as an outstanding member of society) raped me.

    I led a very solitary life. My mother was usually gone at work, my brother would devote himself to his own activities, and there I was. I remember I would sit outside of my home and pretend to be a rock, because rocks didn’t feel anything and they certainly didn’t cry. They were indestructible, I thought.

    I overheard one of the other little girls discussing the prayer they said before bedtime and I resolved to remember it. It went like this – As I lay down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, if I shall die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.

    I thought about this prayer for the rest of the day, until I went home and decided on my own version: Dear God, I don’t want to live anymore. There are other people begging you to keep them alive. Let me take their place. I’ll die. I was about 8 years old.

    But I didn’t die, much to my dismay. I woke up the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that. The days went by. My situation didn’t greatly improve, people weren’t much nicer to me, and my life didn’t get easier. But I got stronger. I discovered books as a way to escape from my tedious existence and by the time I was in 5th grade, I was reading at a college level.

    I grew up and gained control over my life. I was no longer the defenseless, powerless victim I had been as a child. I had power. I could do whatever I wanted. I got a job. I studied hard so I could go to a good college. I escaped from my small, unforgiving town.

    I have a good job now and good relationships. People who know me now would never guess I was once that hungry, miserable, terrified, beaten down little girl I had been back then.

    As for my family, my mother still lives in that trailer. My neighbor is long dead. My older brother still lives with my mother. He has never gotten a driver’s license or a job. He doesn’t leave the house very often. A part of me understands his reluctance – why let the world do you more harm when it has already done so much? But I wish he would take the chance. I feel sad that our childhood all but destroyed him.

    If you want to know how to get through hard things, my answer is probably inadequate, but it is the best I have to offer. My answer is: keep going.

    Do Our Pets Go to Heaven? | NDE Compilation

    2023 07 21 17 51
    2023 07 21 17 51

    China rejects ‘Iron Curtain’ or ‘Silicon Curtain’ imposed by the US upon the world, warns against ‘an eye for an eye’ — Chinese Ambassador to the US

    main qimg 2069e729d6b3ba77882f9085d56dff06
    main qimg 2069e729d6b3ba77882f9085d56dff06

    On July 19, 2023, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng attended the Aspen Security Forum at invitation, and had a fireside chat with Steve Clemons, Founding Editor-at-large of Semafor. Ambassador Xie elaborated on China’s policies and positions on China-U.S. relations, China’s intention in development, the Taiwan question, U.S. technological suppression of China and other issues.

    On the China-U.S. relationship, Ambassador Xie said that China-U.S. relations are facing serious difficulties and challenges. Recently, there have been some reflections in the United States about its China policy. Our two countries have had a series of high-level communication, which were candid, in-depth and constructive. In particular, the two sides have agreed on implementing the important common understanding reached between President Xi Jinping and President Biden in Bali. This offers a rare opportunity for stabilizing the relationship. But the opportunity has not come easy, the foundation remains fragile, and challenges still abound. We must cherish and sustain the momentum. President Xi Jinping has outlined three principles: mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation. They represent the fundamental and right way for China and the United States to get along in the new era. We hope the U.S. side will work with China in the same direction to stabilize and improve our relations.

    First, shorten the negative list to clear obstacles and manage differences with concrete actions. It is important to properly handle important and sensitive issues such as the Taiwan question in line with the principles of the three Sino-U.S. joint communiques, stop sanctioning Chinese entities and individuals, and prevent “black swans” or “gray rhinos” from disrupting or rattling China-US relations again. President Biden stated that the United States does not seek to change China’s system, does not support “Taiwan independence” , and has no intention to decouple from China or to halt China’s economic development. The U.S. side needs to translate these statements into concrete actions.

    Second, expand the positive list to enhance dialogue and cooperation in good faith. We can start with concrete, small steps to inject more positive energy into China-U.S. relations: for instance, to increase passenger flights, adjust the China travel advisory, renew the China-U.S. agreement on cooperation in science and technology, revive MECEA programs to encourage congressional members and staff to visit China, hold the Tourism Leadership Summit, and facilitate visa application and border entry for students, scholars, tourists, business people and others. China and the United States once had over 100 dialogue and exchange mechanisms. But they have been stalled by the U.S. side since 2018. Our two peoples have been waiting too long. If it is difficult to resume all, can we start with 50, or at least 30?

    Third, seek out supporters of China-U.S. relations. Joint efforts are needed to bring China-U.S. relations gradually back to the right track.

    Ambassador Xie said that the so-called “political correctness” has permeated American society. Over the past month and more since his arrival, he has been talking to people from various sectors. He can feel that there are many supporters of China-US relations, but they are under pressure. They are becoming reticent under the chilling effect. Few want to express different opinions amid the anti-China chorus.

    Ambassador Xie said that an American netizen left him a comment on Twitter: “I hope you find some allies; there are a few hiding in the darkness afraid of being crushed.” A sound and stable China-U.S. relationship is in the common interests of both countries. It is also the shared expectation of the international community. So the third priority is to seek them out. “I am one, but we are many,” said Ambassador Xie. He called on all to pitch in, and work together to bring China-U.S. relations gradually back to the right track.

    On China’s intention in development, Ambassador Xie said that the Chinese people are the most friendly people in the world. Assertiveness is never our tradition. Invasion or pursuit of hegemony is not in our DNA. We have facilitated the resumption of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Our purpose is to inspire more countries in the region to shake hands and embrace peace, and to make greater contribution to world peace, stability and prosperity.

    When meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Blinken in Beijing recently, President Xi Jinping emphasized that the Earth is large enough for China and the United States to develop respectively and prosper together. China respects U.S. interests and does not seek to challenge or displace the United States. In the same vein, the United States needs to respect China and must not hurt China’s legitimate rights and interests. China does not intend to challenge or displace anyone. Instead of outcompeting others, our focus is on outdoing ourselves. The “Thucydides Trap” is not a historical inevitability. The world has changed. The international community should have the wisdom to look beyond this, say goodbye to the Cold War mentality, bloc confrontation and zero-sum game, pursue win-win cooperation, and jointly prevent a major-country conflict.

    Ambassador Xie said that a friend asked him: what kind of flower will grow out of China?This is his answer: it will be a flower of peace, cooperation and common development. It will be as beautiful and sweet as peonies and roses.

    On the Taiwan question, Ambassador Xie emphasized that Taiwan is China’s Taiwan. It is an inalienable part of China’s territory. This is the first thing we need to bear in mind when handling Taiwan-related issues. No one cherishes more than the Chinese side peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. And no one wishes more for peaceful reunification than us. There are two biggest threats to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait now. First, the Taiwan authorities are seeking U.S. support for their independence agenda. They have refused to recognize the 1992 Consensus, and even denied their Chinese identity. Second, some forces in the United States are trying to use Taiwan to contain China. They have emboldened adventurism and provocation by “Taiwan independence” separatists. The path they are taking is very dangerous. This is something we should guard against.

    The Taiwan question is the most important and sensitive question in China-U.S. relations. The U.S. side should take concrete actions to deliver on President Biden’s statement that the United States does not support “Taiwan independence”. The most fundamental thing is to return to the one-China principle; the most important is to abide by the three Sino-U.S. joint communiques; and the most pressing is to oppose adventurism and provocation by “Taiwan independence” separatists. The top priority now is to stop Lai Ching-te’s visit to the United States, which is like a “gray rhino” charging at us.

    On U.S. technological suppression of China, Ambassador Xie pointed out that China opposes waging trade war or technological war under the pretext of competition. China never shies away from competition. But the “competition” defined by the United States is unfair. First, the United States is trying to win by keeping China out. For instance, it has banned Huawei for unfounded national security concerns, even though the company offered to sign a “no-backdoor” agreement. How can we compete without being present? Second, the United States is rallying allies to encircle China. Is there any respect for the one-on-one rule of the game? Third, the United States prohibits exports of equipment making chips smaller than 14 nanometers to China. This is like forcing others to wear outdated swimsuits in a swimming contest while one wears a Speedo fastskin himself. Is this fair play?

    As a Chinese saying goes, “We never make provocation, but we will not flinch from any provocation coming our way.” We oppose both iron curtain and silicon curtain. And we are the last to want a tit-for-tat cycle. So far, over 1,300 Chinese entities and individuals are on US sanction lists. As a result, many Chinese workers have been forced out of job, and their families suffered greatly. The Chinese people will not remain silent, and the Chinese government will not sit idly by.

    Ambassador Xie also stated China’s principled position on Ukraine, China-Russia relations and climate change. He pointed out that China has always promoted talks for peace on the Ukraine issue, and its position is gaining increasing understanding and support. Russia is China’s biggest neighbor, and the two countries share a border of over 4,000 kilometers. It is only natural for the two sides to maintain good neighborly relations and normal trade. On climate change, China and the United States have vast potentials for cooperation. It is important to stick to the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities”. The Untied States and other developed countries should take concrete actions to honor their commitment to supporting developing countries.

    The Aspen Security Forum is a biannual event held by the Aspen Institute, in Aspen in summer and Washington D.C. in winter respectively. The current forum will be held from July 18-21. It has broad influence in the United States and worldwide. Over 400 delegates attended the forum, including senior U.S. officials like Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Advisor to the President Jake Sullivan, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency William Burns, and Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield; former U.S. dignitaries, renowned entrepreneurs, think tanks, scholars, journalists and international political figures from the United Kingdom, France, Kenya and Israel. Ambassador Xie Feng’s remarks during the forum attracted great attention and were widely covered by American and international media outlets. They were warmly received by various sectors of American society.

    Spicy Chicken Phyllo Rolls

    Chicken, sour cream, raisins and spices come together in flaky phyllo rolls with this recipe.

    spicy chicken phyllo rolls
    spicy chicken phyllo rolls

    Prep: 30 min | Bake: 30 min | Yield: 32 small rolls

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup chicken broth
    • 1 bottle Mexican beer
    • 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
    • 3 tablespoons olive oil
    • 2 garlic cloves, minced
    • 1 cup onion, cut into 1/2 inch dice
    • 1 teaspoon curry powder
    • 1 teaspoon cumin, ground
    • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • 1/2 cup sour cream (or plain yogurt)
    • 1/4 cup raisins
    • 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
    • Salt and pepper to taste
    • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • 2 (9 x 14 inch) rolls Athens® Phyllo Dough, thawed

    Instructions

    1. Thaw two rolls of phyllo dough, following thawing instructions on package.
    2. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
    3. In a medium skillet, bring broth and beer to a boil. Add chicken breasts, then lower heat and simmer, for 7 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Dice chicken into 1/2 inch cubes.
    4. In another medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, curry, coriander, and cayenne pepper, and cook for 5 minutes or until onions are tender. Remove from heat and let cool.
    5. In a large bowl, combine chicken, onion mixture, sour cream, raisins, brown sugar, and salt and pepper to taste.
    6. Unroll and cover phyllo with plastic wrap and then a slightly damp towel to prevent drying out. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with 2 tablespoons oil. Layer 5 phyllo sheets, brushing each with the butter–oil mixture.
    7. Cut the width of layered phyllo into 4 strips. Place about 1 tablespoon of filling at one end of phyllo strip, leaving 1 inch from end and 1/2 inch from each side free of any filling. Fold phyllo up over the filling to form a roll. Fold side edges in to enclose the sides. Roll up to the end of phyllo strip. Brush outside of roll with butter–oil mixture. Repeat process three times to make 30 rolls.
    8. Bake seam side down, at least 1 inch apart, on ungreased cookie sheet or baking pan in preheated 350 degrees F oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
    9. Serve warm or at room temperature.

    Notes

    Serve with plain yogurt or your favorite jarred chutneys such as Sherwood’s Green Label Mango and Ginger Chutney and Swad Coriander Chutney.

    Which sectors of China’s economy have exhibited impressive growth in the first half of the year?

    Exactly like I said in one of my previous answers :—Electric Vehicles were the biggest WinnerRetail Consumption came secondGreen Energy took the third placeFixed Asset Investment took the fourth place (Railways etc)Shipping was a surprising fifth place winnerServices took Sixth Place

    These Sectors grew between 6% to 11% this quarter (1/4/23–30/6/23)

    They contributed to 18.67 Trillion Yuan ($ 2.91 Trillion) in the last two quarters or around 30% of China’s GDP

    In 2019 they compared to around 13% of China’s GDP

    Ironically Exports ended up on the whole with a near 4% growth which was pretty surprising


    Meanwhile the losers :—Real Estate as expected was the biggest loserIndustrial Manufacturing came secondCommercial Banking came thirdRetail Investments came fourthConstruction came fifth

    These Sectors grew by less than 2% or contracted by upto 10% in this Quarter YOY

    They contributed 25.85 Trillion to the Chinese Economy ($ 4.15 Trillion) in the last two quarters contributing to around 42% of China’s GDP

    In 2019 they contributed to 51% of China’s GDP


    Industrial Manufacturing is the only worrisome issue

    Real Estate was already a bloated bubble and China already made it clear that by 2030 it’s contribution to the GDP shouldn’t be more than 6% instead of 16% in 2016 at its peak

    Commercial Banking is entirely linked to real estate. Commercial Banks gained 207 Billion Yuan and lost 139 Billion Yuan finishing with a cumulative 68 Billion Yuan profit or 4.27% profit

    In 2019 it was 8.66%

    So that’s a nearly 50% fall in profit in 5 years

    Still it will rise as alternate investments pick up steam

    Construction fell in China by 13% but grew in BRI by 10.6% and so the total contraction was only 2.4%

    It will rise as BRI begins to open up newer projects

    So China is mostly on track except for Industrial Manufacturing

    Global Demand is weak and Chinese Workforce is not keen on factory jobs anymore

    Thanks to the Common Prosperity program, Chinese want to go back to villages and small towns instead of the other way round

    They flooded cities to escape poverty in the 2000s

    Now they want to go back to the rural life and become farmers instead of low grade factory workers

    This would be China’s biggest challenge

    How did being fired from a job turn out to be one of the best things that ever happened to you?

    I was fired from a law firm. No I wasn’t a lawyer. Not by a long shot. I worked in the file room. I was in my early 20’s. Back then I wasn’t really looking beyond my next pay check.

    I also would chauffeur the senior partner around in his Mercedes sedan. He turned out to be a great mentor of mine. His name was Bob. One day, in between phone calls, Bob asked me how I was doing, I told him that I was doing great! Thanks!

    And that’s when it happened. He fired me…sort of. He said, “Keith you’re fired!”

    I was shocked. I asked him why?

    He said ” Keith, I see you working in the file room, Xerox room. Answering phones. Delivering the mail. Driving me around. Going and getting lunches!

    I still didn’t understand.

    “That’s why I’m firing you. Keith you’re too damn smart to be working here doing the things you’re doing. So I’m going to force you to do something else. Go back to school. Learn a trade. Apply yourself. Start a business. I’m giving you two weeks notice. You have two weeks!”

    For several days I thought about it. I thought that if I just worked hard enough someone would notice it and promote me. But that’s not how it always is.

    I had always wanted to go to tech school, but didn’t think I was smart enough (that’s another story!). I decided to check some of them out.

    I enrolled at ITT Tech. A week later I went to Bob and I told him about ITT and could I please keep my job at least until I graduated. It was a two year course. I was worried about how I was going to fit school and work together. Bob told me ” Keith I’m very proud of you. As long as you’re going to school AND making good progress you can work here! And also tell Barbara (the HR manager) that Bob said that you can work any hours you’d like to in order to accommodate your schedule!

    What a fantastic man Bob was! He impacted my life in a big way. Two years later I graduated with highest honors at the top of my class. I was immediately hired by tech giant at the time, Honeywell. I rose through the ranks quickly and eventually became an Engineer. Ten years I started my first “dot.com” business. And three years after that I sold my first company in a multi million dollar deal.

    That was the first, and only time, I got fired. And it was the best thing that ever happened to me.

    Unfortunately Bob (RIP) passed away a few years after that story happened from cancer. A young man of 43. At his funeral we heard stories about all of the people that Bob helped behind the scenes. His firm Frandzel, Csato, Robbins and Bloom is still around. One of the attorneys Ron Gruzen worked there. I used to deliver his mail to him, copy papers and stuff. Today, 40 years later Ron Gruzen is my attorney, negotiating settlement deals, real estate transactions and a host of other business and personal legal matters for me! Ron and I laugh all the time about how far I’ve come and we reminisce about the old days at Bob Frandzel’s law firm!

    Explaining the United States Today

    “Put a rat in a cage and give it 2 water bottles. One is just water and one is water laced with heroin or cocaine. The rat will almost always prefer the drugged water and almost always kill itself in a couple of weeks”.

    That is our theory of addiction.

    Bruce comes along in the ’70s and said, “Well, hang on. We’re putting the rat in an empty cage. It has nothing to do. Let’s try this a bit differently.” So he built Rat Park, and Rat Park is like heaven for rats. Everything a rat could want is in Rat Park. Lovely food. Lots of sex. Other rats to befriend. Colored balls. Plus both water bottles, one with water and one with drugged water.

    But here’s what’s fascinating: In Rat Park, they don’t like the drugged water. They hardly use it. None of them overdose. None of them use in a way that looks like compulsion or addiction.

    What Bruce did shows that both the right-wing and left-wing theories of addiction are wrong. The right-wing theory is that it’s a moral failing, you’re a hedonist, you party too hard. The left-wing theory is that it takes you over, your brain is hijacked. Bruce says it’s not your morality, it’s not your brain; it’s your cage.

    Addiction is largely an adaptation to your environment.

    Now, we created a society where significant numbers of us can’t bear to be present in our lives without being on something, drink, drugs, sex, shopping… We’ve created a hyperconsumerist, hyperindividualist, isolated world that is, for many of us, more like the first cage than the bonded, connected cages we need.

    The opposite of addiction is not sobriety. The opposite of addiction is connection. And our whole society, the engine of it, is geared toward making us connect with things not people.

    You are not a good consumer citizen if you spend your time bonding with the people around you and not stuff. In fact, we are trained from a young age to focus our hopes, dreams, and ambitions on things to buy and consume. Drug addiction is a subset of that.”

    China has planted more trees than the rest of the world combined.

    main qimg 30cea110bca2e21400bc84037b08a1cb
    main qimg 30cea110bca2e21400bc84037b08a1cb

    But here’s bloomberg painting it in a negative light.

    But here’s the gist

    The CCP planted 1 billion trees a total act of evil! Over a 40 year period and increased forest coverage from 12% to 22%. TOTALLY EVIL!!!

    Bloomberg wrote a mostly negative article (the 1bn is wrong it’s actually 66bn) focusing on all sorts of problems including how a few million trees got infected with bugs.

    They then claim because of wood exports some of the bugs infected the West:

    “This allowed the beetle larvae to hitch rides to Europe and North America, where governments are now spending a fortune trying to control infestations.” Amazing! Even on what should be a neutral scientific article about China’s success in planting trees they need to pander to the anti China crowd and relate it to Covid spreading from China.

    Teen Reacts To Boston – More Than a Feeling!

    Pepe Escobar: Neocons Want War With China

    14 hours ago

    2023 07 22 10 14
    2023 07 22 10 14

    It was a photo op for the ages: a visibly well-disposed President Xi Jinping receiving centenarian “old friend of China” Henry Kissinger in Beijing.

    Mirroring meticulous Chinese attention to protocol, they met at Villa 5 of the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse – exactly where Kissinger first met in person with Zhou Enlai in 1971, preparing Nixon’s 1972 visit to China.

    The Mr. Kissinger Goes to Beijing saga was an “unofficial”, individual attempt to try to mend increasingly fractious Sino-American relations. He was not representing the current American administration.

    2023 07 22 10 15
    2023 07 22 10 15

    There’s the rub. Everyone involved in geopolitics is aware of the legendary Kissinger formulation: To be the US’s enemy is dangerous, to be the US’s friend is fatal. History abounds in examples, from Japan and South Korea to Germany, France and Ukraine.

    As quite a few Chinese scholars privately argued, if reason is to be upheld, and “respecting the wisdom of this 100-years-old diplomat”, Xi and the Politburo should maintain the China-US relation as it is: “icy”.

    After all, they reason, being the US’s enemy is dangerous but manageable for a Sovereign Civilizational State like China. So Beijing should keep “the honorable and less perilous status” of being a US enemy.

    The World Through Washington’s Eyes

    What’s really going on in the back rooms of the current American administration was not reflected by Kissinger’s high-profile peace initiative, but by an extremely combative Edward Luttwak.

    Luttwak, 80, may not be as visibly influential as Kissinger, but as a behind the scenes strategist he’s been advising the Pentagon across the spectrum for over five decades. His book on Byzantine Empire strategy, for instance, heavily drawing on top Italian and British sources, is a classic.

    Luttwak, a master of deception, reveals precious nuggets in terms of contextualizing current Washington moves. That starts with his assertion that the US – represented by the Biden combo – is itching to do a deal with Russia.

    That explains why CIA head William Burns, actually a capable diplomat, called his counterpart, SVR head Sergey Naryshkin (Russian Foreign Intelligence) to sort of straighten things up “because you have something else to worry about which is more unlimited”.

    What’s “unlimited”, depicted by Luttwak in a Spenglerian sweep, is Xi Jinping’s drive to “get ready for war”. And if there’s a war, Luttwak claims that “of course” China would lose. That dovetails with the supreme delusion of Straussian neocon psychos across the Beltway.

    Luttwak seems not to have understood China’s drive for food self-sufficiency: he qualifies it as a threat. Same for Xi using a “very dangerous” concept, the “rejuvenation of the Chinese people”: that’s “Mussolini stuff”, says Luttwak. “There has to be a war to rejuvenate China”.

    The “rejuvenation” concept – actually better translated as “revival” – has been resonating in China circles at least since the overthrow of the Qing dynasty in 1911. It was not coined by Xi. Chinese scholars point out that if you see US troops arriving in Taiwan as “advisors”, you would probably make preparations to fight too.

    But Luttwak is on a mission: “This is not America, Europe, Ukraine, Russia. This is about ‘the sole dictator’. There is no China. There is only Xi Jinping,” he insisted.

    And Luttwak confirms the EU’s Josep “Garden vs. Jungle” Borrell and European Commission dominatrix Ursula von der Leyen fully support his vision.

    Luttwak, in just a few words, actually gives away the whole game: “The Russian Federation, as it is, is not strong enough to contain China as much as we would wish”.

    Hence the turn around by the Biden combo to “freeze” the conflict in the Donbass and change the subject. After all, “if that [China] is the threat, you don’t want Russia to fall apart,” Luttwak reasons.

    So much for Kissingerian “diplomacy.”

    Let’s Declare a “Moral Victory” and Run Away

    On Russia, the Kissinger vs. Luttwak confrontation reveals crucial cracks as the Empire faces an existential conflict it never did in the recent past.

    The gradual, massive U-turn is already in progress – or at least the semblance of a U turn. US mainstream media will be entirely behind the U turn. And the naïve masses will follow. Luttwak is already voicing their deepest agenda: the real war is on China, and China “will lose”.

    At least some non-neocon players around the Biden combo – like Burns – seem to have understood the Empire’s massive strategic blunder of publicly committing to a Forever War, hybrid and otherwise, against Russia on behalf of Kiev.

    This would mean, in principle, that Washington can’t just walk away like it did in Vietnam and Afghanistan. Yet Hegemons do enjoy the privilege to walk away: after all they exercise sovereignty, not their vassals. European vassals will be left to rot. Imagine those Baltic chihuahuas declaring war on Russia-China all by themselves.

    The off-ramp confirmed by Luttwak implies Washington declaring some sort of “moral victory” in Ukraine – which is already controlled by BlackRock anyway – and then moving the guns towards China.

    Yet even that won’t be a cakewalk, because China and the about-to-expand BRICS+ are already attacking the Empire at its foundation: dollar hegemony. Without it, the US itself will have to fund the war on China.

    Chinese scholars, off the record, and exercising their millennia-old analytical sweep, observe this may be the last blunder the Empire ever made in its short history.

    As one of them summarized it, “the empire has blundered itself to an existential war and, therefore, the last war of the empire. When the end comes, the empire will lie as usual and declare victory, but everyone else will know the truth, especially the vassals.”

    And that brings us to former national security adviser Zbigniew “Grand Chessboard” Brzezinski’s 180-degree turn shortly before he died, aligning him today with Kissinger, not Luttwak.

    “The Grand Chessboard”, published in 1997, before the 9/11 era, argued that the US should rule over any peer competitor rising in Eurasia. Brzezinski did not live to see the living incarnation of his ultimate nightmare: a Russia-China strategic partnership. But already seven years ago – two years after Maidan in Kiev – at least he understood it was imperative to “realign the global power architecture”.

    Destroying the “Rules-Based International Order”

    The crucial difference today, compared to seven years ago, is that the US is incapable, per Brzezinski, to “take the lead in realigning the global power architecture in such a way that the violence (…) can be contained without destroying the global order.”

    It’s the Russia-China strategic partnership that is taking the lead – followed by the Global Majority – to contain and ultimately destroy the hegemonic “rules-based international order”.

    As the indispensable Michael Hudson has summarized it, the ultimate question at this incandescent juncture is “whether economic gains and efficiency will determine world trade, patterns and investment, or whether the post-industrial US/NATO economies will choose to end up looking like the rapidly depopulating and de-industrializing post-Soviet Ukraine and Baltic states or England.”

    So is the wet dream of a war on China going to change these geopolitical and geoeconomics imperatives? Give us a -Thucydides – break.

    The real war is already on – but certainly not one identified by Kissinger, Brzezinski and much less Luttwak and assorted US neocons.

    Michael Hudson, once again, summarized it: when it comes to the economy, the US and EU “strategic error of self-isolation from the rest of the world is so massive, so total, that its effects are the equivalent of a world war.”

    But before the war with China, perhaps a war with Mexico is “in the cards”…

    How Mexico has become the “enemy” of America’s Republicans
    A growing number of them want to use military force against drug cartels

    From HERE (paywall)

    Comment…

    I'm honestly amazed that Republicans are willing to risk what hegemony the US has left over a misguided war.
    
    Do they not realize how disastrous this will get. Refugee crisis, economic implosion, complete guerilla warfare, heat waves upon heat waves, etc.
    
    This will end so badly that it'll make Afghanistan look like a minor hiccup. Tell me I'm wrong.

    Is China really a meritocracy, or is it just hogwash?

    main qimg 67d6a14877638ce53c953fb1483b0d29
    main qimg 67d6a14877638ce53c953fb1483b0d29

    This is Deng Xiaopings Grandson

    main qimg e747a673bb9e164f2ca45f1801f74ae4
    main qimg e747a673bb9e164f2ca45f1801f74ae4

    Deng was the most powerful leader in China

    He carries the Deng name

    His father and mother both held Doctorates in Biophysics and Quantum Physics

    He qualified by merit and a 173 LSAT score to study Law in Duke University

    He worked at a Wall Street Firm and had licenses from NY and Washington DC

    YET

    He had to spend 4 years in Rural Anhui and Guanxi as a Volunteer and worked with Farmers, Drove a Truck, Acted as an accountant

    Only then was he made a Deputy Provincial Head — the equivalent in India of a Panchayat Head or Councillor

    Later he became Secretary of the District

    He couldn’t deliver enough self sufficient villages and deliver a good performance

    He WAS AXED IMMEDIATELY

    Less that 2% knew he was Deng Xiaopings son when he was made Deputy Head

    He called himself Zhuo Xifeng to avoid the Deng name until it came out eventually


    That is China’s Meritocracy

    No Free Lunches

    No Papa Names

    It’s always Performance and RESULTS

    You need good education, You need solid performances and You need to be worthy of the party (No Homosexuality, No Philandering, No Perversions, No Drunkenness)


    main qimg 9506d7abca879b0304d23fca820257b1
    main qimg 9506d7abca879b0304d23fca820257b1

    This is Shi Guanghui

    Son of ordinary farmers

    Scholarship winner to study Engineering in Tong Ji and a PE in Singapore and Canada

    He served 5 years in the provinces , working as a distributor of food, harvester, drove pigs to the market, learnt about price controls

    Later he rose through the ranks

    No famous name

    Responsible for ensuring Evergrandes Bubble was controlled fully

    Responsible for ensuring Covid didn’t kill more than 40,000 people in Shanghai when it was estimated it would kill at least 300,000–400,000 people in Shanghai alone

    Responsible for ensuring flow of medicines and food

    Responsible for ensuring 6 Trillion of Bonds were absorbed profitably

    He DELIVERED each time

    He was REWARDED each time

    His mentor?

    HU JINTAO , who headed a rival faction against Xi Jingping

    main qimg 4352ccf49de4d089994be5c2e2cfb98a
    main qimg 4352ccf49de4d089994be5c2e2cfb98a

    No Issues

    No repercussions when Xi became the Secretary in 2012 instead of Lei Keiqang

    Pure Meritocracy

    Sheer unadulterated Meritocracy

    If you have the ability, you will be rewarded


    main qimg 664a3011721fa58209c10f03f395a238
    main qimg 664a3011721fa58209c10f03f395a238

    You know him of course

    Son of a Prominent Party Official who lost favor in the old days

    A Chemical Engineer who built four standalone processing plants with half the budget when people wanted him to fail

    A Man who was exiled to the farthest provinces who made village after village self sufficient and profitable

    Who travelled overseas and LEARNT about mechanisation of agriculture from US without any shame and didn’t say “We are the greatest in the world”. He shut up and learnt

    Who Mechanised a whole province and raised output by 200% in 7 years

    Finally they couldn’t ignore him and today he is

    main qimg 391b2bbe99168aab6dca8b86478d1065
    main qimg 391b2bbe99168aab6dca8b86478d1065

    Xi Jingping Secretary of the CPC

    He has earned his place

    He has helped China grow by leaps and bounds

    Every man in that room has done his part in China’s growth

    Not Caste, Not Religion, Not marching with half shorts and a ridiculous cap, Not based on surname or Papa’s name,


    China may not be a 100% Meritocracy but it’s still the best Meritocracy on EARTH


    Doctors, Scientists, Researchers, Engineers, Teachers , hell even Laborers

    All chosen based on pure ability

    main qimg 890505c6f020ea491cf27c4ce9baf8e2
    main qimg 890505c6f020ea491cf27c4ce9baf8e2

    Four Tibetans , Graduates from MIT, Tsinghua and Caltech

    Part of the Scientific Council in China

    Not even Han Chinese

    Reason?

    Sheer Ability


    China asks only two things :—

    • China first before religion and language
    • Loyalty to China and the Communist Party

    Deliver this and China will ensure you are protected for life and develop to your best

    Don’t deliver this and …you better run

    Orson Welles | The 3rd Man (1949) Film-Noir, Thriller

    Full video. For your pleasant enjoyment.

    https://youtu.be/BEZzs-8–Es

    Fun, pain and the Golden Voyage of Sinbad

    The small things are really BIG BIG things. In all sorts of ways.

    Don’t you know.

    I get a lot of crazy people on MM…

    Not that it is bad, mind you. But I am a VERY BUSY fellow.

    So this guy pops up on the comment boards.

    Long, long diatribes. Interspersing praise, with meandering comments, and passive aggressive demands.

    Very suggestive of a home-bound; locked in person with neurotic tendencies. I told him to stop posting long comment trains on the articles, and instead use the forum.

    He responded…

    2023 07 03 11 33
    2023 07 03 11 33

    I don’t want to be dictated to jump, beg and roll-over like a common dog by a stranger on my own God-damn website.

    I did not send him to the cornfield. But I did blow away all the MM followers around Nebraska. Oh well…

    Passive aggressive FUCK.

    2023 07 03 11 37
    2023 07 03 11 37

    I do not need this shit.

    Good fucking bye.

    Interesting Discussion

    The United States was sharply critical of Germany’s energy dependence on Russia, imposing sanctions on the construction of pipelines carrying Russian gas beneath the Baltic Sea to Germany (if not, as a now-refuted report by investigative journalist Seymour Hersh recently claimed, getting its navy divers to blow them up).

    However, the US’s economic dependence on China runs far deeper, and severing the link—for example, in the event of conflict between the two nations—would be far more disruptive.

    A provocative report by economist and former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis suggests China could more easily break free of the relationship of mutual dependence than the US.

    Varoufakis relates that a Chinese official described to him the ‘dark deal’ China struck in the 1970s under which its manufacturers would send their excess production (that is, their output beyond China’s domestic needs) to the US and reinvest the bulk of their US-dollar profits into America’s ‘FIRE’, or finance, insurance and real estate sectors.

    ‘It ensured that the dollar’s supremacy was just as functional to the interests of US rentiers as it was to Chinese capitalists,’ he says. Of course, the losers in the transaction were the US domestic manufacturers (and their workers) who went out of business under the pressure of Chinese competition.

    Article HERE

    41 countries lined up for embracing BRICS currency

    Please note: EUROZONE has just 20 countries.

    main qimg bd8bf0c2a8fa58457e9cdea0cfb5e163
    main qimg bd8bf0c2a8fa58457e9cdea0cfb5e163

    The list of countries ready to join the BRICS alliance and accept the new currency is growing leaps n bounds. From a set of 19 countries in April, the numbers have spiked to 41 by the end of June. A total of 22 new countries expressed interest to enter the bloc and ditch the U.S. dollar in two months. The next BRICS summit will be held in August in South Africa where the bloc of five nations will combinedly decide the formation of a new currency.

    The decision to expand the alliance will be jointly taken in the next BRICS summit and the bloc could soon become BRICS+.

    The total number of countries that could challenge the U.S. dollar on the global stage has reached 41. The developing nations that want to accept BRICS currency hail from Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe.

    Belarus is the first country in Eastern Europe that expressed interest to accept the new BRICS currency. On the other hand, France has also shown its interest to attend the next BRICS summit in South Africa.

    Additionally, many countries in Africa remain on the sidelines and could announce their support for the BRICS currency after its launch. Kenya has urged African nations to stop using the U.S. dollar and trade with native currencies within the continent.

    Offensive, but funny

    2023 07 03 11 17
    2023 07 03 11 17

    How free am I really in CHINA?? 在中国的自由

    She is correct.

    These “little things” are really BIG and important things.

    Here’s my version (MM version) of her video above…

    A Typical Day in China (MM lifestyle)

    Yeah. It’s cool.

    Putin Wins – on All Counts

    By Pepe Escobar

    June 26, 2023

    main qimg 62db95ce3c3c373bb8748459f7b74d56
    main qimg 62db95ce3c3c373bb8748459f7b74d56

    When the lightning of History strikes, better cut to the chase in our first draft.

    When the lightning of History strikes, better cut to the chase in our first draft.

    Here we go.

    After the extraordinary events in Russia during The Longest Day, President Putin wins on all counts.

    Among other feats, he has made an absolute, inter-galactic ass of the whole collective West MSM – all over again.

    He rallied virtually every Russian to end the Special Military Operation (SMO) – or “almost war” (according to some business circles) quicker.

    He – and the FSB – amassed a formidable list of traitors and 5th and 6th columnists, which will be properly dealt with.

    And he now enjoys unlimited freedom to deploy de facto Counter-Terrorist Operation (CTO) martial law powers.

    As much as Putin helped perennial Lukashenko in August 2020, preventing regime change in Belarus, good ol’ Luka prevented Russia from sliding into civil war in June 2023.

    A complex wide-ranging counter-terror op is now in effect in Moscow and beyond, while assorted Western sub-zoology specimens are stunned, dazed and confused: wasn’t that supposed to be Putin meeting his Czar Nicholas II moment?

    A first glance at the chessboard tells us that all the pieces seem to be falling in their right places.

    Prighozin gets a golden parachute in Belarus. Shoigu may be about to be sacked, perhaps even Gerasimov (yes, there are deeply dysfunctional layers inside the Ministry of Defense). The Wagner musicians will be incorporated as a regular Army Corps. They may keep doing business in Africa: demand is huge.

    So what really happened after The Longest Day? Hefty CIA funds may have changed hands. But in the end the “coup” could turn out to be the Greatest Russian Trolling of the West Ever.

    The Mother of All Maskirovkas

    Once again, facts on the ground prove Putin is the undisputed champion of Russia. After keeping a strategic silence for a few hours, his intervention gathered full support from the civilian population, the FSB, the Chechens, the Army, the Communists, everyone.

    The exact terms of the deal between Luka and Prighozin, with help from the governor of the Tula region, Alexey Dyumin, are still unclear.

    Prighozin said he was satisfied with the terms. Peskov confirmed on the record that a criminal case against Prigozhin would be dropped. A key Prighozin demand was the twin resignation of Defense Minister Shoigu and Chief of Staff Gerasimov. That may – or may not – happen in the immediate future.

    And that brings us to the still fascinating possibility this was the Mother of All Maskirovkas. Prigozhin sets up all this circus just to get a meeting in Moscow with Shoigu and Gerasimov.

    Talk about an overkill just to go out on a date.

    The Mother of All Maskirovkas scenario also implies a move worthy of 5D chess.

    On Saturday, Wagner was 200 km away from Moscow.

    Yet on Sunday, Wagner was 100 km away from Kiev.

    Next level Sun Tzu Art of War, anyone?

    Between sovereignty and betrayal

    Alexander Dugin correctly points out how this was also an exercise in Sovereignty: “Only Sovereign Lukashenko, together with Sovereign Putin himself, confronted [Prighozin]…It turned out that many can frame the President and the people, acting in the shadows and apparently on his behalf, but saving the Fatherland in a critical situation is not their specialty.”

    The corollary is that Russia needs “a sovereign elite, otherwise everything will repeat itself.”

    As for the dazed and confused collective West, especially the NATO-Kiev junta, with everyone instantly rebranding Wagner from “terrorists” to “freedom fighters”, getting bogged down in their own swamp is the art they excel in.

    Mainstream media spun that the proverbial “Western officials” were “taken by surprise” by the mutiny. That depends on the amount of funds that changed hands, and in which direction, during the preparation.

    The SMO, now CTO keeps rolling along. The Russian Army continues to fight, undisturbed. The “counter-offensive” remains teetering over the edge of a cliff, ready to kiss the black void.

    Putin winning on all counts implies the whole civilian population – and the military – engaged into preserving him and the Russian institutions, as well as perfecting them. There’s absolutely no nation anywhere across the collective West where we find this level of citizen support.

    Russian politics is a special animal. It works at the highest level and also at grassroots level – unlike in the West, where the norm is deep hatred between the elites and the people.

    Of course it should always be stressed it’s the less patriotic Russian oligarchs who run away every time something approaching The Longest Day takes place.

    For a few hours, the West was betting heavily on the dismemberment of Russia. Not now. And not in the foreseeable future.

    The succession is already being prepared, by Team Putin and selected patriotic oligarchs. Among the contenders, there’s a secret name that will stun everyone when it pops up. He’s still invisible in terms of public opinion, and works in the shadows. His name should remain secret for the time being.

    As it stands, what matters is that Russia as whole emerged even stronger out of The Longest Day. The man and woman in the street showed himself and herself, once again, as a true patriot, ready to defend the Motherland whatever it takes.

    There was no confrontation between those who are pro-Russian institutions and those who are pro-Wagner. People actually support both. People regarded Wagner like the “polite green men” who helped to peacefully retake Crimea in 2014. Facing them, there was not a single policeman or military.

    So Putin is stronger than ever. But everyone should always keep this in mind: the one thing he can’t forgive is betrayal.

    HazMat Incident at the White House

    Nation Hal Turner 02 July 2023

    HazMat Incident at the White House

    There is an ongoing hazmat incident at the White House in Washington DC. The US Secret Service along with emergency personnel are investigating the situation.

    The Secret Service has cordoned off a significant area around the White House, and a full hazmat response has been requested to the scene.

    2023 07 03 11 22
    2023 07 03 11 22

    Zambia President’s speech made China take only 1% interest on its loans

    China does not play.

    Russia’s S-70 Okhotnik Heavy Stealth Drone Starts Bashing Ukron

    2023 07 02 19 34
    2023 07 02 19 34

    Russia may have started operating its S-70 Okhotnik heavy-strike stealth drone against Ukron. Based on photgraphs of the drone flying in the Ukron skies published by Ukron’s telegram channels, Turkish media first reported the use of the drone in the Sumy region.

    The drone is speculated to have struck military facilities of the Armed Forces of Ukron (AFU) in the Sumy region.”

    On the afternoon of June 27, the Ukron media reported explosions in Sumy and Kremenchuk, Poltava region.

    Report Credibility

    A photograph, purportedly of the drone flying over Ukron, posted on Mash Telegram Channel conforms to the shape and size of the Okhotnik (Hunter).

    At least two Okhotnik drones are known to be undergoing flight testing.

    In June 2022, Janes reported, quoting RIA Novosti, that the S-70B Okhotnik had conducted its first test launch of precision-guided munitions (PGMs) against ground targets on May 28, 2022. The drone had launched air-to-surface missiles developed for the manned Sukhoi Su-57

    Janes reported that the missile was likely the Kh-59Mk2 standoff cruise missile, a development of the Kh-59-series heavy tactical missile that entered service in the early 1980s.

    Kh-59Mk2 range and payload estimates vary widely, but it’s likely to be able to reach targets at least 150 miles away while carrying a 500lb warhead. The modular nature of the design may allow for multiple configurations, such as larger fuel sections, to be swapped for smaller warhead sections.

    Izvestia reported in February 2020 that the Grom (Thunder) 9-A-7759 glide bomb had been integrated with the Okhotnik. The drone can carry four Groms in its internal bomb bay.

    The Russian Ministry of Defense (RuMoD) has not commented on the report.

    Drone Availability

    As per open source information, two Russia Okhotnik prototypes are undergoing flight testing, and two more are under construction/flight testing.

    main qimg ec104c82f138e5357f722a2fd60ffdd6
    main qimg ec104c82f138e5357f722a2fd60ffdd6

    The first prototype, which features a non-stealthy circular exhaust, flew for the first time on August, 2019.

    The second prototype incorporated tweaks to the aerodynamic design and electronics based on the operational experience with the first Okhotnik.

    “The third and fourth drones “will match the production version of the Okhotnik,” the source said.

    In March 2021, it was reported that construction of the second prototype of the S-70 Okhotnik was underway. Besides improved electronics and software, the drone would have a shaped nozzle for improved rear aspect stealth.

    On December 14, 2021, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko reportedly told Russia-24 TV channel that a serial contract for the supply of the S-70 “Okhotnik” would be concluded within six months. A special control center is being created for the newest Hunter drone.

    Flight testing of the second prototype began in July 2022 summer.

    Russia may have operationally deployed two Okhotnik drones. Also, it’s conceivable that the two additional prototypes, under construction in 2021, are either available to Russian forces or will be available shortly. It is even possible that they have been operationally deployed already.

    The Su-57, S-70 Combination

    Russian officials have consistently reiterated that Okhotniks can operate under the control of a Su-57 fighter jet pilot.

    “These planes and drones can interact not only with each other but also in various types of combat formations,” said Andrey Yelchaninov, the first deputy chairman of the Board of the Russian Military-Industrial Commission, in April 2021. “Within a very short timeframe, there will be a possibility to control several Okhotnik drones from the Su-57 cockpit.”

    Conclusion

    Extrapolating development timelines, Russia may have operationally deployed the Okhotnik drone in Ukron. Indeed, it would be logical for Russia to do so to obtain feedback and accumulate operational experience.

    The drone in the published photograph features a circular exhaust, which would mean it’s the first prototype. The use of the first prototype would also be logical. Having been under flight testing since 2019, the prototype has likely served the purpose that it was developed for.

    Also, losing the first prototype wouldn’t compromise trade secrets or set back the development program to the same extent as losing the second prototype for reasons discussed earlier.

    The first prototype is unlikely to operate as a Su-57 loyal wingman. The communication suite, computer hardware, and software required for loyal wingman operations would most likely have been installed and tested on the second prototype.

    If the Okhotnik proves itself capable of penetrating Ukron’s airspace undetected, Russia could fast-track serial production of the drone.

    Russia’s competent military industrial base could eventually turn the tide against Ukron, which relies heavily on free Western weapons supply.

    Now, let’s get on with some more important stuff…

    Your BACKWARD voice reveals all your secrets (And the CIA knows it)

    Declassified CIA report says

    • Zero evidence of any link between the pandemic virus and the Wuhan Institute of Virology, whether deliberate or accidental
    • Zero evidence that the Wuhan Institute even researched the particular strain of coronavirus that was responsible for initiating the pandemic, or even a similar strain

    Coronavirus is a large family of viruses. And what the fuck does an Institute of Virology do if not conduct research on viruses?

    “We continue to have no indication that the WIV’s pre-pandemic research holdings included SARSCoV-2 or a close progenitor, nor any direct evidence that a specific research-related incident occurred involving WIV personnel before the pandemic that could have caused the COVID pandemic,” the report said.

    Out of 6 other US intelligence agencies, 4 have concluded that the pandemic was due to a “natural transmission” of coronavirus, while 2 others are “undecided.”

    The declassified CIA report is 4 pages long. That’s how little they have.

    But watch their politicians state or suggest the opposite again and again.

    First Time Hearing Ronnie James Dio | Rainbow’s “Stargazer” Vocal Analysis

    Russia’s Medvedev: “. . . there will be a nuclear winter . . . “

    World Hal Turner 02 July 2023

    2023 07 03 11 23
    2023 07 03 11 23
    Russia's Medvedev: ". . . there will be a nuclear winter . . . "

    Statements by Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, made during an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta:

    Below are statements made by Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Council, Dmitry Medvedev. Pay close attention!

    The course of the AFU counter-offensive proved unexpected for Kiev’s Western sponsors, who believed in the “omnipotence of unlimited dough”. The defeat of the AFU in the Artemovsk direction was a foregone conclusion;

    European businesses that have left Russia are “biting their elbows”, lamenting their lost revenues. It has permanently lost the Russian market; goods have been replaced by others. Production growth in Russia is “much higher than in Europe”, and inflation at the end of the year will be lower than in the eurozone;

    Russia was forced to conduct a special military operation to protect its sovereignty and millions of people. The Kiev regime should be scrapped and banned as fascist;

    The situation in Ukraine is not a regional conflict but a total confrontation between the collective West and the rest of the world. The confrontation between the West and the rest of the world could last for decades;

    The current confrontation between the West and the rest of the world has brought the world to the brink of a third world war. In the event of a third world war, there will be no winners – there will be a nuclear winter, epidemics and famine on Earth;

    The outcome of the total confrontation between Russia and the West should be enshrined in a new document like the Helsinki Act.”

    Tex-Mex Beef Lasagna

    2023 07 02 13 44
    2023 07 02 13 44

    Turn to Tradition for Tex-Mex Taste

    (Family Features) The next time your loved ones crave a comforting dish that’s warming from the inside-out, turn to an all-time classic with a touch of southern flair.

    Take inspiration for this Tex-Mex Beef Lasagna from season 3 of “BBQuest: Beyond the Pit,” a video series that dives into the long-held traditions, new flavors and everyday inspiration that make Texas barbecue legendary. Developed from the show by BBQuest co-host and “Hardcore Carnivore” cookbook author Jess Pryles, this tasty take on comfort food can be the perfect solution for a family meal with plenty of leftovers.

    After dinner, settle in together and learn pitmaster techniques from the experts as the series follows four themes that capture the essence of Texas barbecue: legacy and tradition; creativity and innovation; Texas trailblazers; and family and community.

    “Since launching BBQuest four years ago, it’s truly remarkable to see how much has changed and yet stayed the same when it comes to Texas barbecue, and that’s exactly what you see in season 3,” said Rachel Chou, Texas Beef Council’s director of consumer marketing. “There has been so much exciting innovation around cooking methods and international flavors while there’s still a huge dedication to long-held recipes and smoking techniques.”

    To find more pitmaster-worthy recipes, visit BeefLovingTexans.com.

    Watch video to see how to make this recipe!

    Total time: 60 min | Servings: 10

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 onion, diced
    • 2 pounds ground beef
    • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
    • 2 teaspoons chipotle powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
    • 15 ounces canned corn, drained
    • 15 ounces canned seasoned black beans, drained
    • 10 ounces canned diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained
    • 15 ounces canned red enchilada sauce
    • 1 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
    • Nonstick cooking spray
    • 12 corn tortillas
    • 8 ounces shredded Mexican blend cheese
    • Cilantro (optional)
    • Green onions, thinly sliced (optional)

    Instructions

    1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
    2. In large pan or skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat then add onion. Cook until softened, 4 to 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
    3. Add ground beef and cook, stirring regularly, until beef has browned.
    4. Add kosher salt, garlic powder, cumin, chipotle powder and onion powder; stir well. Add corn, black beans and diced tomatoes. Turn heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
    5. In bowl, combine enchilada sauce and crema; mix well.
    6. Spray casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Pour about 1/4 cup enchilada sauce mixture on bottom to prevent tortillas from sticking.
    7. Layer 2 to 4 tortillas across bottom then top with layer of ground beef mixture. Use ladle to spoon some enchilada sauce mixture on top, distributing evenly. Top with another layer of tortillas then repeat layers until casserole is full, 3 or 4 layers. Top with shredded cheese.
    8. Loosely cover dish with foil in tent shape to help prevent cheese from sticking, then bake for 30 minutes.
    9. Remove foil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden brown.
    10. Cool for 5 minutes before serving. Top with cilantro and green onions, if desired.

    You NEED to run… NOW!

    https://youtu.be/2L1Z5V_-eQM

    Have you ever gotten roadside help from somebody unexpected?

    My mom HATED this story, but it makes me laugh.

    I turned 16 in January of 2000, my dad “gave” me his beat up old 1987 Ford Ranger. “Gave” is in quotation marks because it wasn’t REALLY mine, it was my dads but I was the primary driver.

    In the summer of 2000, my mom’s youngest brother (my “guncle”-gay uncle) got ANOTHER DUI. I don’t remember if it was his 2nd or 3rd one, but it didn’t matter. He ended up losing his license for a year.

    My home life wasn’t the greatest that summer, my mom and dad had separated, I finally had the freedom you can only get when you have a car, but you have to have money for gas and fun things to do.

    I had already worked at McDonalds since I was 15 and a half, and I took on another job at our local movie theater (one of the best jobs ever!!)

    Of course, since I had my license, and a vehicle, and my uncle’s schedule just happened to work with mine, I became his chauffeur for the summer. No one asked me if I would help, I was told to help.

    I was a little peeved about it. I love my uncle, but I wish I had been asked. That’s all.

    I’d normally work at McDonalds from noon to 4, go home, change, eat and then head to the movie theater and work from 6 to close.

    My uncle worked at a seafood restaurant and had to be there by 9 until 4, the he’d walk to his other job and work from 5 to close, which just happened to be the time I got off of work. Sometimes he’d get a ride home from another co-worker, but it was mostly me.

    Most of the time it worked out great. I got to know my uncle better than anyone in my family, I even ended up working with him at a pizza joint for a few months the next summer.

    We had our own little rituals, I’d run by Wendy’s once in a while before I picked him up from his 2nd job and get him an iced tea, and he’d make me personal pan pizzas once in a while.

    We both worked Saturday nights, so I’d take him grocery shopping after work. It was fun.

    As I mentioned before, my truck wasn’t in the best of shape, so the inevitable happened.

    I had dropped my uncle off at his apartment and was heading home. My truck broke down. I was able to get it to a side street, but it was in the middle of the road.

    I walked over to the gas station and used a pay phone (Hahahaha) and I called my mom. It was like 11:30 PM. I was literally a 10 minute drive from home.

    ME: “Mom. My truck broke down. Will you come get me?”

    MOM: “Why aren’t you home yet?”

    ME: “It’s Saturday, you know I take Trevor grocery shopping.”

    MOM: “Well, you’re going to have to find your own way home then. It’s not my fault you’re ‘hanging out’ with Trevor so late.”

    ME: “Yes it is! I didn’t volunteer to be his chauffeur, you volunteered me!! I don’t mind doing it, but it’s not fair to pin it on me.” I was so frustrated I shouldn’t have said it, but I did.

    MOM: “I will NOT pick you up. Walk home if you have to.”

    She hung up on me.

    Okay. Fine.

    I didn’t want to walk home, in the dark, after midnight, and I didn’t want to leave my truck in the middle of the road.

    I sat in my car and cried for about 20 minutes. It was well past midnight.

    I look up, and in my rear view mirror I see flashing blue lights.

    GREAT. GOOD. A TICKET ON TOP OF EVERYTHING ELSE!!

    I rolled down my window and the police officer approached my car.

    PO: “Hello young lady. Are you okay?”

    ME: “My car broke down and I can’t find anyone to pick me up, plus, I know it shouldn’t be in the middle of the road.”

    PO: “Okay. Let me see what we can do. Can I see your license, registration and insurance. I’ll be right back.”

    I handed him the paperwork, and he went back to his car.

    He came back a few minutes later.

    PO: “Everything looks good on my end with you. Why are you out so late?”

    I explained that I had gotten off of work and taken my uncle grocery shopping, and my truck stopped and that was as far as I got. I called my mom and she refused to pick me up. I didn’t want to leave my truck in the middle of the road and risk it being towed and it was an almost 2 mile walk home, and I didn’t feel safe walking that far by myself.

    PO: “I understand. How about we do this? Put your truck in neutral and we will push it to the side of the road, and I’ll take you home. I’m off at 1, so this will keep me busy until I can clock out. How’s that??”

    I started to cry. We got my truck where it needed to be and he took me home.

    I can officially check the “rode in the back of a police car,” box off my bucket list.

    When we got to my house, he asked me to stay in the car while he talked to my mom.

    He knocked on the door and my moms face dropped.

    He said something along the lines of “Your 16 year old daughter was stranded on the side of the road She was scared and didn’t know what to do. When she called you, the one person she should be able to rely on, and you refused to take the 20 minute drive to go and pick her up. She is in the back of my car, right now, and she’s still scared. I’m glad I found her before someone else did. In the future, of this happens again, please pick her up or send someone else to.”

    He let me out of the car, I told him thank you, and I went into the house.

    My mom apologized to me, and we had a long talk. I told her I loved spending time with Trevor, and I’m glad he’s in my life. However, it wasn’t fair for her to punish me for doing something that I was told to do.

    She never let me down after that.

    For those who will ask why I didn’t call my dad, he was working. This was pre-cell phone (well, they were expensive for the time, and I didn’t have one) and I didn’t have his work number memorized.

    The Over-Hyped ‘Spy’ Balloon That Didn’t

    With regards to China President Joe Biden said on June 20 2023:

    And the reason why Xi Jinping got very upset in terms of when I shot that balloon down with two boxcars full of spy equipment in it is he didn’t know it was there. No, I’m serious. That’s what’s a great embarrassment for dictators, when they didn’t know what happened. That wasn’t supposed to be going where it was. It was blown off course up through Alaska and then down through the United States. And he didn’t know about it. When it got shot down, he was very embarrassed. He denied it was even there.

    I commented that:

    Biden acknowledges that the weather balloon was ‘blow off course’ and thereby debunks previous claims that it was steerable. China had no intent to let the balloon cross Canada and the United States. And if there had really been ‘two boxcars full of spy equipment’ on the balloon why hasn’t the U.S. shown any of it?

    Why would or should a president of the U.S. or China know of some weather balloon floating somewhere?

    Xi was embarrassed by the circus the U.S. made over that affair?

    Xi denied that the ballon was where it was to whom? And the U.S. would know about that how?

    There were so many questions about those ‘spy balloon’ claims that, from the very beginning, I was sure and said that it was all bunk:

    But the Biden administration created a scandal over the randomly floating weather balloon. It thereby opened itself to criticism from the hawks in the Democratic and Republican parties. It canceled, without need, the planned mission of Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to China.

    Well – as it turns out it all was bunk, just as I had claimed.

    Yesterday the Wall Street Journal headlined:

    Chinese Balloon Used American Tech to Spy on Americans
    Preliminary U.S. findings show the craft collected photos and videos but didn’t appear to transmit them, officials say

    The ‘spy balloon’ was not spying at all. It had a U.S. made camera on board for this or that (navigational orientation?) purpose and was not submitting any pictures from it:

    The US gear was intermixed with “more specialized Chinese sensors and other equipment” with the purpose of snapping photos and capturing videos and other information to transmit to Beijing, according to the Journal.

    Despite the spy balloon’s surveillance capabilities, the Defense Department does not believe the spy balloon collected data while it was flying over US territory, Pentagon press secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said Thursday.

    Via Reuters the Pentagon confirmed that the ‘spy balloon’ was just a balloon that was not spying at all:

    A Chinese spy balloon that flew over the United States earlier this year before being shot down did not collect information as it went across the country, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

    “We assess that it did not collect while it was flying over the U.S.,” Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder told reporters.

    The balloon spent a week flying over the United States and Canada before the U.S. military shot it down off the Atlantic Coast on Biden’s orders.

    Biden had already confirmed that the balloon was ‘blown of course’ which had been immediately clear to me and to anyone who could look up and understand the relevant weather maps of pressure systems and their atmospheric wind directions and strength.

    2023 07 02 14 00
    2023 07 02 14 00

    The balloon was also not a spying device because there are obviously much better ways, like satellites, to gain more precise information than a randomly floating weather balloon will ever be able to catch.

    The Biden administration is intentionally using anti-Asian racism to create an ‘enemy’ by alleging that the Chinese are doing wrong in this or that or in whatever may randomly float over the horizon. At the same time it is copying those Chinese policies it had previously criticized:

    Bidenomics seems increasingly likely to play a pivotal role in US President Joe Biden’s upcoming 2024 presidential election campaign. With great fanfare in a June 28 speech in Chicago, he offered a stirring endorsement of “industrial policy” as the centerpiece of his economic strategy.

    For the US, there is a certain irony, possibly even hypocrisy, in embracing industrial policy as an effective strategy to counter China. Washington has long been critical of Chinese industrial policy as one of its most egregious anti-competitive sins. That was a key allegation in the Trump Administration’s March 2018 Section 301 report that quickly became the foundational evidence for tariffs and the broader trade war that was to follow. The Section 301 report argued that China was unique in relying on the subsidies and targeting of industrial policy—a conclusion I took strong issue with in Chapter 4 of Accidental Conflict, in which I presented evidence of a legacy of industrial policy strategies in Japan, Germany, and, yes, the United States. And now the Biden Administration, which has endorsed most of the tactics of Trump’s trade war with China, is embracing the very same industrial policy approach that China has long practiced.

    Well, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Doing like China does, because what China does is successful, is now the new normal.

    Next: A U.S. weather balloon, with a defunct Chinese camera on board, unintentionally crossing China. “U.S.A., U.S.A., …”

    Unfortunately the U.S. is not good at imitating China’s policies:

    [T]he point I am trying to make here is that both approaches rely on the government’s ability to target the so-called vital, strategic industries of the future. Japan failed miserably at that, and the US didn’t exactly distinguish itself the last time it tried—ironically aimed at the same semiconductor industry that is getting all the attention today. Indeed, the failure of the then widely-heralded Sematech effort of the late 1980s seems all but forgotten.

    The US economy is performing well by many accounts. Competitiveness, however, always remains a major challenge. Bidenomics is aimed at addressing this key challenge, a goal I certainly applaud. But is industrial policy, one of China’s hallmark tactics that we, ourselves, have been so critical of, really the best way to pull it off?

    The tax-payer money that Biden is now providing to industries is likely to bump up stock prices and CEO wages through major bullshit projects like the over-hyped garbage in-garbage out patter recognition algorithms that are sold to the public as Artificial Intelligence.

    Is there, after all the previous promises and investments, any autonomous driving vehicle out there today that is trusted to do no harm? No?

    Well, get ready for another such marketing hype.

    Posted by b on June 30, 2023 at 8:41 UTC | Permalink

    How would you stop people from walking across your lawn?

    I was over run by a group of very tough, young criminals living in a re-hab group home located about 1/4 mile behind an old caretakers cottage I was renovating. The group home was at the end of an unpaved road in a heavily wooded border to a multi-thousand acre forest. My cottage was down closer to the highway.

    As soon as the trades left, they swarmed to their new “clubhouse” to smoke and drink all sorts of stuff and the rubbish they left made it a big problem. Some friendly local cops and the caretakers that ran the house were helpless in discouraging my nighttime and weekend visitors.

    The solution: I posted a little typed notice on the front door (no locks yet). “ Caretakers wanted! Meet me here at 6PM Tomorrow. Cokes and snacks provided.”

    I was met by a hoard of 6–8 that you wouldn’t want to meet after dark. After a short intro, cooler opening and chip bags handed out, I explained the problem. Damn trespassers, always on days of no work, nights, weekends, neither the cops or I could catch them. The damn mess they left should be a shootin’ offense. I needed help with security.

    My proposal was that if they would keep an eye out for trespassers, helped clean up any mess left by ones we couldn’t catch, and get license plate numbers, I’d let them hang out on the porch and every weekend I would fill a cooler with drinks and provide a couple of big bags of chips for weekends and do a monthly hot dog cook out for the couple of months left until I expected to move in.

    Brinks Security could not have provided a more secure work site than I enjoyed for the remainder of the project. And Brinks does not offer the trash and debris pick up as a bonus. These kids took to the project as if there was a Nobel Peace Prize at stake.

    These truants all, one arsonist, a couple of brawlers, most thieves, all turned out to be some pretty fair neighbors and great lookouts for my little hideaway.

    Tex-Mex Calabacita con Puerco

    calabacitas con puerco 1a
    calabacitas con puerco 1a

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons shortening
    • 3 pounds pork chops, boned and cubed
    • 3 or 4 serrano chiles, or more or less to taste
    • 1 large onion
    • 2 teaspoons whole cumin seed
    • 4 cloves garlic
    • 1/3 cup flour
    • 3 ounces squash (yellow or zucchini or Mexican squash), sliced, large slices quartered
    • 1 can whole kernel corn, including liquid
    • 2 cans Ro*Tel chopped tomatoes
    • 2 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon black pepper

    Instructions

    1. Heat shortening in Dutch oven; fry pork cubes in batches until browned. Return all pork to pan.
    2. Place chiles and onion in food processor container and process until chopped (or chop together by hand).
    3. Slice garlic and place with cumin seed and salt in a mortar and pestle and grind together. (The garlic and cumin seed and salt can be chopped in the food processor with the chiles and onion, but grinding it gives it more flavor).
    4. Add chiles, onion, garlic, cumin and salt to pan with pork and cook over high heat until onion is transparent.
    5. Sprinkle flour over pork and vegetables and stir to combine. Cook a few minutes to remove the raw taste of the flour.
    6. Add all remaining ingredients plus about 1 tomato can of water — enough so that pork and vegetables are not quite covered with liquid. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover with a lid. Cook at a simmer for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally, checking periodically and adding more water if necessary.

    Makes a lot, but it freezes well.

    What is the most condescending advice you received from someone who assumed you were poorer or less educated than them?

    I was a witness to this during my first year of med school:

    One of the second year med students and I decided to hit a pizza place one day for lunch. Our server, who looked like she was in her mid-20s, was walking over wearing a cast on her ankle and using crutches. The guy I was with said “watch this- I’ll show you how to pick up girls using your med school knowledge.” He mentioned her cast and then in an arrogant tone told her that she must have injured this and that tendon or muscle. Second year students can tell you the names of nearly every muscle in the body and tens of thousands of other medical facts but don’t know a lot of clinical information yet because they have not spent much time in the hospital. To make this scene worse he finished with a condescending look and said “oh, I’m sorry, sometimes I forget that you non-medical folks don’t know all of the advanced medical information that those of us in the profession know.” I was cringing.

    We had our pizza, paid the bill, and as she was picking up the checks turned around and said to him “ hey sport, it wasn’t any of the muscles you mentioned, I actually injured a different set of muscles” then started listing them. She topped it off by explaining in excellent detail the surgical procedure using flawless medical terminology. His mouth was open, I was dying inside, and her mic drop comment as she walked away was “I’m a fourth-year medical student who just matched in orthopedics. You need to get some better pick up lines.”

    Poland Requests Nuclear Bombs from USA

    World Hal Turner 30 June 2023

    2023 07 02 14 02
    2023 07 02 14 02
    Poland Requests Nuclear Bombs from USA

    The Prime Minister of Poland, Mateusz Morawiecki stated today that he has requested for the United States to begin the Deployment of Nuclear Weapons into Poland due to the recent transfer of Russian Tactical-Nuclear Weapons onto the Territory of Belarus.

    Polish President, Andrzej Duda stated in October of 2022 that he had also spoken to U.S. Officials about the possible Deployment of Nuclear Weapons to Poland but this was before the transfer of Russian Nukes to Belarus.

    What does Poland want with US Nuclear Bombs on its territory?  What do they think it might accomplish?

    If such devices were placed in Poland, the Polish government could NOT use them; they don’t have the Permissive Action Link needed to arm the bomb. 

    Moreover, having US Nuclear weapons on their territory only guarantees that Russia will target Poland with VERY MANY nuclear bombs to make certain Poland cannot achieve anything with any bombs they might get.

    So what is Poland actually thinking?   Unless they want to get our bombs, disassemble them, take out the enriched nuclear cores, install those cores in Polish-made bombs, then use them . . .

    Việt Nam, China issue joint press release following PM Chính’s visit

    June 30, 2023 – 10:55

    Việt Nam and China have issued a joint press statement on the occasion of Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính’s official visit to China and attendance at the 14th Annual Meeting of the New Champions (AMNC) of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Tianjin from June 25-28.

    main qimg d6031bd6d70dbdf3692ffe17233a4d5c
    main qimg d6031bd6d70dbdf3692ffe17233a4d5c

    Chinese Premier Li Qiang hosts a welcome ceremony for Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính in Beijing on June 26, 2023. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

    HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam and China have issued a joint press statement on the occasion of Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính’s official visit to China and attendance at the 14th Annual Meeting of the New Champions (AMNC) of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Tianjin from June 25-28.

    During the visit, PM Chính met with Party General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping and held talks with Premier Li Qiang. He also had meetings with Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) of China Zhao Leji, and Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Wang Huning.

    The two sides have informed each other about the situation of their respective parties and countries, engaging in in-depth discussions and reaching important shared understandings on deepening the Việt Nam-China comprehensive strategic cooperation in the new context; as well as on international and regional issues of mutual concern.

    They agreed to continue effectively implementing the joint statement on further deepening the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Việt Nam and China, which was issued during Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng’s visit to China last year.

    They agreed to maintain high-level exchanges and strengthen party-to-party, government-to-government, and parliamentary exchanges between countries. They agreed to enhance mutual learning and exchange experiences in promoting the cause of socialism building and seeking distinctive modernisation paths in each country. They vowed to promote the overall coordination role of the Việt Nam-China steering committee for bilateral cooperation in deepening exchanges and collaboration in such key areas as diplomacy, defence, law enforcement, trade and economy, and culture.

    Việt Nam considers the development of relations with China as a strategic choice and top priority, while China views Việt Nam as a priority direction for its neighbourhood diplomacy. Both sides said they will engage in in-depth discussions on related specific measures.

    The two sides concurred to actively promote strategic connectivity, accelerate joint work in building a high-quality “Belt and Road” initiative, strengthen connectivity in border roads and railways, build a multi-modal and efficient logistics system, accelerate the upgrading and connectivity of their border infrastructure, and promote smart border cooperation. They will step up mutual learning and exchange between their state-owned enterprises; explore opportunities to foster bilateral and multilateral cooperation in key mineral sectors. Việt Nam pledges a favourable business climate for Chinese enterprises investing in the country.

    The two sides agreed to enhance friendship exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation between localities, especially border ones, raise the awareness of the two countries’ people, especially youths, about the bilateral friendship, and well organise exchange programmes, including the Việt Nam-China Youth Friendship Meeting, the Việt Nam-China border people festival, and the Việt Nam-China People’s Forum.

    They will seriously materialise important common perceptions reached by leaders of the two Parties and countries, and the Agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issues, satisfactorily control disagreements at sea, foster maritime cooperation, and work together to maintain peace and stability in the East Sea (known internationally as the South China Sea).

    Việt Nam and China will also push ahead with the comprehensive and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and on the basis of negotiation and consensus, soon reach a substantive and effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS).

    The Vietnamese side affirmed that it consistently supports the “One-China” principle.

    On the basis of equality and mutual respect, the two countries will cooperate in human rights issues, promote dialogue and international cooperation in this field, and resolutely oppose the politicisation of human rights issues.

    The two sides consented to persist in true multilateralism, work together to safeguard international justice and fairness, and enhance coordination in major international and regional issues.

    They will maintain coordination and mutual support within international and regional frameworks such as the United Nations, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, ASEAN-China Cooperation, and Mekong-Lancang Cooperation, while effectively implementing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

    Việt Nam supports China’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in accordance with standards and procedures of the agreement.

    During the visit, the two premiers witnessed the signing of cooperation documents in market supervision, smart border gate development, and less-sensitive sea-related fields.

    The two sides shared the view that the official visit to China by Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính was a great success, helping deepen the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, for peace, stability, and development in the region and the world at large.

    PM Chính has on the occassion invited Premier Li Qiang to visit Việt Nam. The Chinese leader accepted the invitation with pleasure. — VNS

    Have you ever met a famous person?

    Steve Wozniak called me uncreative.

    It was October 2016. At the UMass Club in Boston, Tom Ashbrook was set to interview the Woz for an alumni event. When I heard about this, I simply had to go. I had to meet the legend and get his autograph on my working Apple II.

    Ticket prices were a staggering $250, so I called the event organizer and asked if I could volunteer for free entry. She said yes!!

    So there I was in Boston, clutching my Apple II as I waited to be let in to his room. When Woz saw me and the artifact I was holding, he smiled and turned towards me. He started telling me about the making of the original Apple I and how he got color to work for the Apple II series. He also told me about his devotion to circuitry since a very young age.

    When it was finally time to get his signature, I offered him a marker I brought. He then told me that I must be uncreative, because I couldn’t predict that he would bring a marker of his own. Simultaneously, he whipped out his personal marker. I just stood there with my mouth open; what could I possibly say!? I was too happy to care, and posed for the following picture.

    main qimg 33dc67e7a8ae086be732f05521825591 lq
    main qimg 33dc67e7a8ae086be732f05521825591 lq

    You can see the marker in my right hand.

    What a night that was!

    How do I see problems as opportunities?

    Yesterday I took my young son to see a property I just closed.

    He was in shock.

    “What piece of JUNK did you buy, dad? Why waste your money on this?”

    I laughed and asked, “Why is it that I find opportunity here, while you see a massive problem?

    “But how can this be an opportunity, dad? The place is in ruins!”

    main qimg 235cc0d5ef5d36874948deececb339d1
    main qimg 235cc0d5ef5d36874948deececb339d1

    It’s incredible how our reality is determined by how we perceive the world around us…

    — While one is giving constructive feedback, the other person may feel criticized and offended.

    — While some may feel they’re making the best use of their time, others will feel they’re wasting it.

    Our beliefs, values, experiences, and even our mood will massively influence our perspectives.

    I enjoyed helping my son change his perspective and visualize the opportunity I had found on this property.

    It’s important to note that without his willingness to listen to me, his wrongful perspective wouldn’t have changed.

    This made me think how important it is for us to stop, analyze and LISTEN to our trusted friends and advisors before we settle our ideas on stone.

    Chinese ambassador wear Mao suit to meet Biden

    Screenshot 20230703 094919 com.android.chrome
    Screenshot 20230703 094919 com.android.chrome

    He’s EXPOSING The UFO Secret Access Programs

    Hey! He is saying that I have been saying for years. LOL! Plus lots of other things, curious. But don’t go too far down the “rabbit hole”. Just pay attention to the overview. Not the details.

    So, after watching this video…

    Now you know WHY I refer to reptilians, and Tall Greys as a “joke”. Stage-play, and other cover activities that are unbelievable, but used to hide the real truths.

    Lots of reverse engineering stuff. But I was involved in actual work with DOMAIN.

    Now you know WHY my entire section was “retired”.

    Now you know WHY everyone in my MAJ branch fled to China when we had the opportunity.

    Which screenshot deserves 500.88k views in a day?

    2023 07 02 20 00
    2023 07 02 20 00

    The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973)

    This is my BIG treat for you all today. This is the absolute full movie! FREE. And please take the time to enjoy this wonderful, wonderful film.

    Take the time to cut out an hour or two to watch it. On a nice long lazy afternoon, enjoy this great video.

    https://youtu.be/PaqoLAIYO1Y

    A tale of pasta and Satan

    When I was still in High School my maternal grandmother had a stroke. And while I was busy dealing with my jobs, and school, I was a tad divorced from the on-going strife and adventures with my grandmother. Which apparently was rather lively. She being a feisty old gal…

    Well, my grandmother lived in a suburb of Pittsburgh, PA. And the word was out that a local spaghetti factory and warehouse was going out of business, and they were liquidating all their stock.

    Seeing opportunity, my mother and my two aunties went to the warehouse and bought up an entire van of spaghetti. Perhaps a five years supply for all three families. No precise figure can be bantered about, but it was a van full of poxes of pasta. And all three paid some “hard earned cash” to stock up with.

    Being so located in the city, after driving and getting the various types of pasta, they then drove to my grandmothers house.

    There, they unloaded all the boxes of spaghetti, pasta, and various types of pasta into the living room, and then went off to the mall for some shopping and lunch. It was still early in the morning. Maybe 10am.

    They returned back after eating dinner.

    It was around 8pm.

    They had been gone almost the entire day. And were not paying attention to the state of my grandmother, or what she might think of a living room filled with boxes of spaghetti and assorted pasta.

    And when they went to my grandmothers’ house was sight to behold.

    My grandmother (now, stroke impaired) had been busy all day cooking up the pasta. All 3 x 5 years worth. There was pasta everywhere in every pot and pan in the house, and then when she ran out, she used laundry baskets, and plastic garbage cans to hold the rest.

    As well as old shoe boxes, and every plate and bowl in the house.

    Obviously my mother and aunties were all disgusted, and didn’t say a word. In fact, they all refused to talk about the event. When we would bring it up, she would get a very ugly expression on her face and just turn away. It must have been painful for her.

    However…

    Us High School kids thought it was hilarious. But, perhaps we shouldn’t of. I’m sure that there are lessons abound for everyone to take heed of here.

    I suppose.

    First up today…

    Can most Chinese families afford watermelons?

    Oh, very funny question.

    Before I answer it, may I know the reason you post this question? Is the watermelon every expensive in your country?

    From my past 30 year life, watermelon is never a expensive fruit in China. I thought it is cheap in every countries.

    The fact is, watermelon is a kind of fodder in China.

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    main qimg e97e582081eaefd7d44a6a2387c15bd1

    I am not kidding.

    How bad is it to live in China?

    How bad is living in China ?

    It is really bad :

    Because I have some grey hair I am treated in the same embarrassing way every time I get on a city bus or on the subway …… younger people get up and offer me a seat.

    Recently I had problems with a tooth. One morning I went to one of the dental hospitals. They did xrays and preformed a root canal in a 2 hours. It cost me 1/6th of the price of a root canal I had done 30 years ago in North America. Just terrible prices.

    I am invited out to eat or to go to some celebration a few times a month. I never have to pay for the meal, while I am offered beer and cigarettes. I do not smoke so I decline the cigarettes but accept free beer.

    Oh how terrible to invited out by the locals constantly. I have been to at least 25 weddings, more then dozen birthdays and half a dozen 100-day celebrations for babies.

    There are 100+ channels on the TV, with a few in English as some western movies. The nightly news reports on all the major news around the world. I have internet access 24/7 and spent way too much time browsing the internet from Europe to North America. It is a terrible way to waste time.

    I often visit my daughter who works 300km away in another Province. Being so far away, I am forced to take the train which takes 1hr 30 minutes to make the trip with 2 or 3 stops along the route. I could drive my car but that would make for a much longer trip.

    The really bad thing in China is access to food.

    • We have 2 farmers markets within 2 city blocks. These are markets where the farmers come into the city around 6-7 am every morning to sell that days fresh crop of fruit vegetables and meat.
    • This in addition to 2 grocery stores and a Walmart in the area.
    • Then on my small city block, we have 14 restaurants, open 7 days a week.
    • There are even the evil food chains – KFC, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Burger King, Starbucks, plus all the Chinese ones etc
    • We have the French Carrefour and Auchan super stores and the Germany’s Metro cash & carry stores.
    • Worst of all, we have these applications on our smartphones (80% of folks own a smartphone). Where we can see menus of hundreds of restaurants in our area, order food and they deliver it to your door usually within 30 minutes.

    If we need to go to the bank, we can not go 365 days of the year. There are about a dozen days a year when the banks are closed.

    Schools are much more demanding on students compared to North America, with homework every night.

    • However they do get a month off in summer.
    • My daughters students spend some of their summer travelling. The US and Europe for some, others within China or to nearby places like South Korea or Thailand.

    So far no one has noticed any difference due to the Trump Tariffs, but according to western media China is under some sort tremendous pressure. Or maybe there were talking about the tropical storm? In either case it was a lot of wind.

    That is how bad it is living in China.

    Please have pity on our oppression, as we say in my group of expats who live in China as well, some for over 20 years.

    Of course we live a large city. The situation differs in rural areas as it does in most countries.

    Russia Jamming U.S.-Supplied “HIMARS” in Ukraine

    World Hal Turner 05 July 2023

    2023 07 06 17 05
    2023 07 06 17 05
    Russia Jamming U.S.-Supplied "HIMARS" in Ukraine

    Russia has found a way to interfere with GPS-guided artillery rounds, including munitions for US-made HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, Defense Minister of Ukraine Aleksey Reznikov has claimed.

    When those systems first arrived on Ukrainian battlefields last year they were “highly accurate,” Reznikov recalled, in an interview with the Financial Times on Wednesday.

    However, Russia, which has strong radio-electronic systems, eventually found a way to jam GPS-guided artillery and HIMARS projectiles, he acknowledged.

    “It’s like a constant pendulum. This is a war of technology,” the minister said, describing the ongoing conflict between Kiev and Moscow.

    “The Russians come up with a countermeasure, we inform our partners and they make a new countermeasure against this countermeasure,” he explained.

    Reznikov reiterated Kiev’s earlier claim that “for the military industry of the world, you can’t invent a better testing ground” than Ukraine.

    Kiev’s Western backers “can actually see if their weapons work, how efficiently they work and if they need to be upgraded”, he said.

    Ukraine has been supplied with several dozen High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), which have a range of 85 kilometers (53 miles), by its foreign backer since June last year. Western outlets described the system as a game-changer in the conflict.

    In May, CNN reported, citing five sources from the US, Britain and Ukraine, that the US-designed multiple rocket launchers had been rendered “increasingly less effective” from the intensive blocking by the Russian forces. The electronic jammers throw off the GPS-guided targeting system of HIMARS rockets to cause them to miss their targets, the channel said.

    Throughout the conflict, the Russian Defense Ministry reported destroying dozens of HIMARS systems through the use of kamikaze drones and artillery fire. However, these claims have been disputed by Kiev and Washington. 

    Now, there is no dispute. Russia can — and is — jamming HIMARS systems.  

    A Metal Container

    A metal container from Roman times, believed to be around 2,000 years old, was found to contain a face cream with distinct ancient finger marks. The cream was analyzed and found to be a mixture of refined animal fat, starch, and tin. To recreate the cream, researchers followed the same recipe and applied it to their skin, resulting in a white layer with a smooth powdery texture. This texture was achieved by the starch, which is still used in modern cosmetics for this purpose.

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    main qimg 8323df3450de5c3fc7bc3b4b596a2e1a

    Professor Richard Evershed from Bristol University explained that in Roman times, white face paint was trendy and typically obtained its color from a lead compound. However, a tin compound could serve as an acceptable substitute, and since it was abundant in Cornwall, it would have been readily available.

    Lead was widely used in ancient Rome and could be found in various items such as cups, plates, coins, pipes, cosmetics, face powder, paints, food seasoning, and even birth control. Surprisingly, research has revealed that tap water in ancient Rome had up to 100 times more lead than local spring water. Some historians speculate that lead poisoning might have contributed to the decline of the Roman Empire.

    Finally, Satan Has an Instagram Account, And It’s Funny as Hell

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    0 57

    We have compiled a list of the funniest Instagram posts from the Dark Lord himself who posts cheeky, biting one liners. Scroll down to check them out don’t forget to follow him on Instagram (not in real life).

    More: Instagram

    Why has no video of forced cotton pickers labour in Xinjiang been leaked?

    They have been leaked, here are some of the photos from there. This is how they are forced to pick cotton in China isn’t it bloody awful?

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    main qimg 7b3730482df54696ec900a59940b4283

    Making those slaves drive those big horrible machines, there should be a law against it, we should report it to amnesty international.

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    main qimg b1a831995049a48d2e0d0501e4cdb98d

    This is disgraceful, why are they not allowed to pick the cotton by hand?

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    main qimg 85de87ceb22537892b82c28f7dd05b3c

    Like the USA says they should?

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    main qimg f3786c0a7626fa7cf1ae13a3b0b0314f

    Flight 235

    An engine flame-out caused a domestic flight in Taiwan to topple in midair, then crash into the Keelung River in front of hundreds of eyewitnesses. 43 of the 58 people on board lost their lives. These are some of the frames from a dash cam video showing moments before it crashed.

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    main qimg 655974effe5b2ea7f629b00391a856ec

    Burgers with Cream Cheese and
    Sun-dried Tomato Filling

    Say goodbye to boring cheeseburgers. These patties contain a hidden mixture of cream cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. Flavorful, moist and exploding with a delicious surprise.

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    2023 07 06 16 52

    Yield: 6 servings

    Ingredients

    • 1 (8 ounce) package Challenge Cream Cheese, softened
    • 1/4 cup chopped (1/4 inch) sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil)
    • 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
    • 2 pounds lean ground beef (less than 12% fat)
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 3/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
    • 6 Kaiser or hamburger rolls
    • Lettuce, onion slices (optional)

    Instructions

    1. Thoroughly combine cream cheese, sun-dried tomato, and garlic salt in small bowl. Set aside.
    2. In a large bowl, mix ground beef with salt and Worcestershire sauce.
    3. Divide meat into 12 equal portions (about 1/3 cup each) and flatten portions into 4 1/2 inch round patties.
    4. Place 2 tablespoons of filling on 6 of the patties and spread to within 1/2 inch of the edge.
    5. Cover with remaining 6 patties and pinch the edges closed.
    6. Grill or broil patties.
    7. Serve on rolls with optional lettuce and onions.

    Tiger kills 20-year-old in Delhi zoo ..

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    main qimg 649d437cc237b687c2f2d6bb01b64ff7

    In Sept. 2014, a mentally ill visitor at Delhi’s National Zoological Park jumped into a tiger enclosure. A white tiger attacked him for 15 minutes, leading to his unfortunate demise. Despite attempts to stop the tiger, the man’s screams echoed throughout the park.

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    2023 07 05 18 34

    Is nuclear war with Russia IMMINENT?

    Logging

    The giant sequoia tree pictured was a magnificent specimen that had an estimated age of 2600 years at the time of its unfortunate felling in the 1890s. Giant sequoias (scientifically known as Sequoiadendron giganteum) are among the largest and longest-living trees on Earth, and their existence spans several millennia. They are native to the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California, USA.

    During the late 19th century, the logging industry experienced a significant boom in the United States, driven by the high demand for timber to support expanding cities and infrastructure projects. This period coincided with the industrial revolution, which led to an increased need for lumber. The immense size and durability of giant sequoias made them particularly sought after, and sadly, many of these ancient trees were felled during this time.

    The cutting down of the 2600-year-old giant sequoia tree in the 1890s represents a tragic loss of natural heritage and a poignant reminder of the environmental impact caused by human activities. Today, there are efforts to protect and preserve the remaining giant sequoias, as they hold immense ecological value and are regarded as national treasures in the United States.

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    main qimg d9e8055c93f3845fea34b6c1a1addf6b

    “It’s a Bag of Lies”- Brace Yourself for the Unthinkable | Gregory Mannarino

    China takes a HARD stance

    • EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell was due to visit China next week for talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang.
    • But Beijing called off the visit without providing specific reason.
    • U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is due to visit Beijing on Thursday.
    • On Monday, China announced new export restrictions on two metals key to the manufacturing of semiconductors and electronics.

    Beijing No longer want to waste time on unfriendly crusader who talks tough before visiting China.

    Article HERE

    What Are They Hiding Underneath? The Truth about the Denver International Airport Conspiracy

    Survival

    On November 17, 2012, José Salvador Alvarenga, a Salvadoran fisherman, embarked on a two-day fishing expedition into the Pacific Ocean from a small fishing village in Mexico.

    Accompanying José was Ezequiel Córdoba, a 22-year-old day worker who tragically did not make it back to shore when their ship set sail.

    During their journey, the two men encountered a powerful storm that left them incapacitated. Their boat’s engine failed, and lacking paddles and sufficient food supplies, they faced a dire situation.

    For a staggering 14 months, their boat aimlessly drifted across the Pacific Ocean. Tragically, Ezekiel succumbed to starvation after just four months into the journey.

    José, determined to survive, resorted to consuming anything he could catch using the only tool he possessed—a knife. His desperate diet included raw fish, turtles, small sharks, and sea birds.

    In his struggle to stay hydrated, José resorted to extreme measures. He resorted to drinking turtle blood and even his own urine to sustain himself.

    It wasn’t until January 30, 2014, that José was discovered naked on Marshall Island, clutching only a knife in his hand.

    Throughout his harrowing ordeal, he had drifted for an astounding 438 days, covering a distance of over 10,000 kilometers. To put this into perspective, the Earth’s diameter measures 12,742 kilometers.

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    main qimg 9aed2901c197d58ce5ccfc72ceda4112

    Medvedev: “Any war can be ended quickly . . . using Nuclear Weapons”

    World Hal Turner 05 July 2023

    2023 07 06 17 06
    2023 07 06 17 06
    Medvedev: "Any war can be ended quickly . . . using Nuclear Weapons"

    Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Federation Council (Senate) said today “Any war can be ended quickly, either with a peace treaty or by doing what the United States did in Hiroshima, using nuclear weapons.”

    2023 07 06 17 07
    2023 07 06 17 07

    More as it becomes available

    Funny

    There is a black humor piece from Chinese:

    When you have 1 nuke, you are a force of terror that must be eliminated at all cost.

    When you have 10 nukes, you are dangerous rogue that must be dealt with carefully.

    When you have 100 nukes, you are an important and responsibly nation guaranteeing regional peace and stability.

    When you have 1000 nukes, you are the cornerstone of world peace and prosperity.

    France under attack

    The pawns are fighting in the streets of France, but the war is between France and the Anglo-American Empire.

    By Alex Krainer [originally published on Trend Compass]

    The government of French President Emmanuel Macron is under attack by the Anglo-American imperial establishment. The civil unrest that erupted across the nation was triggered by the 27 June 2023 Police killing of the 17-year old Nahel Merzouk (NM) in the Paris suburb of Nanterre. NM was driving a car without a driving license, failed to comply with police orders and for that he was shot point blank by two officers in full riot gear. NM was of Algerian origin. The next day, riots broke out in many cities across France: Paris, Marseille, Lille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Grenoble and also Brussels in Belgium. Some areas were left looking like war zones.

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    2023 07 06 19 26

    In fact, some of the riots did resemble low-intensity warfare. According to some reports, US weapons donated to Ukraine have found their way through black markets to the streets of French cities and into the hands of the protesters who used them in coordinated attacks on police and firefighters. Just on the night of Jun 30/July 1, 41 police stations were attacked, 79 police officers injured, 2560 fires were set in the streets, 1360 cars and 234 buildings were burnt. The government deployed 45,000 police and gendarmes to bring the situation under control, but thus far, the rioting has continued with great intensity for five straight days, threatening to destabilize the nation.

    President Emmanuel Macron is under increasing pressure, not only from the rioters and the opposition, but more ominously, also from his own Police forces and the military. Police Unions of France wrote to Macron threatening to revolt: “Today the police are in combat as we are at war. Tomorrow we will be in the resistance and the government should be aware of this.” Certain military circles appear ready to turn against Macron. General Pierre Villiers, who is apparently well respected among the French military commanders said that the army should be loyal to the people, not to Emmanuel Macron.

    Nothing is what it seems…

    So far, the events may seem straightforward to understand at the levels of pawns opposed to one another in the streets of French cities: the abusive government of President Macron and its security apparatus is under attack by the people whose legitimate grievances went past the boiling point. From there, it’s easy to assume that Macron’s government even instigated the riots deliberately in order to crack down and tyrannize the people according to their plan. Heck, Macron is the Rothschilds’ errand boy and a loyal World Economic Forum young leader.

    You’re either with us, or you’re against us.

    All of that sounds plausible, but there’s a far broader context to this story. The present crisis draws root from the very strained relationship between French ruling elites and the Anglo-American imperial establishment, which spans centuries. A more thorough analysis of this relationship could fill many volumes but for now we’ll focus on just the more recent developments. In the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks in the US, President George W. Bush announced to the world that, “you are either with us, or you are against us.” He wasn’t just saying words: the empire was preparing to cement the unipolar global order, eliminate its rivals, establish full-spectrum dominance and launch its Project For The New American Century.

    France has never accepted the role of a junior partner or unquestioning ally, let alone a vassal to the Anglo-American Empire. It has continued to be a pain in its side at critical junctures. Here are a few examples of the last two decades’ spats between the two sides:

    2003: French opposition to US invasion of Iraq

    In late 2002 and early 2003, the Administration of George W. Bush was working feverishly to secure its allies’ support for an invasion of Iraq. In February 2002, US State Secretary Colin Powell waved a vial of white powder at the UN Security Council, accusing Iraqi President Saddam Hussein of possessing biological weapons of mass destruction. French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin wasn’t impressed. In a searing speech he poured cold water on US case for war and called out Powell’s performance as dubious and unconvincing. A few weeks later, on 10 March 2003 President Jacques Chirac made it clear that France would vote against any UN Resolution authorizing US attack on Iraq. In this, France would vote on the side of Russia and China (talk about foreshadowing).

    2008: France opposes Ukraine and Georgia joining NATO

    One of the most important projects of the Anglo-American empire over the past three decades has been to encircle Russia by absorbing all of her neighbors to the west and southwest into the NATO alliance. In several waves of eastward extensions, NATO added 14 new member states, moving more than 1,600 km toward Russia. Ukraine and Georgia were next: at the April 2008 NATO Summit in Bucharest, the alliance proclaimed the Bucharest Memorandum. Referencing Ukraine and Georgia, they explicitly declared that, “We agreed today that these countries will become members of NATO.” While not yet a full-fledged member of the alliance’s integrated command, France was openly opposed to the resolution on the grounds that it would exacerbate the risk of war with Russia.

    2019: Emmanuel Macron calls NATO a ‘brain-dead’ alliance

    In an interview with The Economist in October 2019 titled, “Emmanuel Macron warns Europe: NATO is becoming brain-dead,” French President warned European countries they can no longer rely on US-dominated military alliance (note, by now France was a full-fledged NATO member): “What we are currently experiencing is the brain death of NATO,” and declared that Europe needed to “wake up,” as it stood on “the edge of a precipice” and needed to start thinking of itself strategically as a geopolitical power, otherwise as Europeans, we’ll “no longer be in control of our destiny.” Worse, when asked whether he believed in the effectiveness of Article Five which provides that if one NATO member is attacked all would mobilize to defend it, Macron gave a convoluted, cryptic reply: “I don’t know, … what will Article Five mean tomorrow?”

    But President Macron and his government would become still more problematic for the Anglo-American cabal with the escalation of conflict in Ukraine. Of all European leaders, Macron has spent the most time visiting with or speaking on the phone with his Russian counterpart; he sought to improve relations between Russia and France and he tried to influence other European nations to chart a more independent policy on the continent.

    2022: Macron says Russia has legitimate security concerns

    In an interview that aired on Saturday, 3 Dec. 2022 Macron urged the West to take seriously Russia’s security concerns regarding NATO expansion near its border. He called for greater willingness to give Moscow the “guarantees” necessary for negotiations to be successful. He called them ‘essential’ if the West wants to get serious about talks and peaceful settlement. “We need to prepare what we are ready to do, how we protect our allies and member states, and how to give guarantees to Russia the day it returns to the negotiating table.” Macron added that, “One of the essential points we must address — as President Putin has always said — is the fear that NATO comes right up to its doors, and the deployment of weapons that could threaten Russia.” These comments elicited rage and disbelief among the Anglo-American allies and western media who accused the French President of being a pro-Kremlin stooge.

    April 2023: Macron visits China, flirts with BRICS nations

    Emmanuel Macron provoked even more rage and disbelief after his three day high-profile, red-carpet visit to China, from 6 through 8 April 2023. Western “national security experts” were so alarmed by this visit, they called the event “one of the greatest blunders by a major European power since the end of the Cold war…” Indeed, it was a slap in the face to the Anglo-American establishment.

    On 7 April 2023 President Macron visited the Sun Yat-Sen University in South China’s Guangdong Province where he received an enthusiastic welcome. He delivered a speech on China-France ties and took questions from the students. There may have been a subtle message in the very venue chosen by his hosts. Sun Yat-Sen was a vocal critic of the British Imperial system and their foreign policy. In his book, “The Vital Problem of China,” Sun Yat-Sen wrote that,

    “When England befriends another country, the purpose is not to maintain a cordial friendship for the sake of friendship but to utilize that country as a tool to fight a third country. When an enemy has been shorn of his power, he is turned into a friend, and the friend who has become strong, into an enemy. England always remains in a commanding position; she makes other countries fight her wars and she herself reaps the fruits of victory. She has been doing so for hundreds of years.”

    [h/t Cynthia Chung for highlighting this passage]

    We shouldn’t be America’s vassals

    Speaking to journalists on the return flight from Beijing, Macron said that, “Europe must resist pressure to become America’s followers…” that the “great risk” Europe faces is getting “caught up in crises that are not ours, which prevents it from building its own autonomy,” and that, “Europe had increased its dependence on US for weapons and energy and must focus on boosting its defense industries.” In referring to Ukraine, Macron said that it was, “a faraway country of which we know nothing…” But even this wasn’t as unforgivable as his swipe at the “extraterritoriality of the US dollar.”

    While in China, Macron signed many deals expanding bilateral trade between France and China, many of which will be denominated in Chinese yuan. Already before Macron’s visit, in March 2023 French companies began to strike such deals, the first of which was the purchase of 65,000 metric tons of liquid natural gas settled in yuan. French leadership’s willingness to craft their own bilateral relations with Anglo-American Empire’s chief rival and bypassing the US dollar is simply unforgivable. But Macron would soon go farther: according to the newspaper L’Opinion, during last month’s telephone conversation, French President asked his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa to extend him an invitation to participate in the 15th BRICS Summit planned to be held in South Africa in late July/early August.

    It’s about the two systems of governance…

    It is important to keep in mind the broadest context of the current global conflict. As George Soros laid it out in his annual address to the World Economic Forum in May 2021, it is the conflict between the two systems of governance. Soros mischaracterized them as “open societies” and “closed societies.” In reality, we’re witnessing the conflict between the western imperial colonial system and pretty much the whole rest of humanity.

    The imperial system governance is controlled by the western occult oligarchy which, while it gives lip-service to the rule of law, freedom, democracy and human rights, in reality it consistently sows mayhem abroad and misery at home. Truth be told, the French ruling elites have also enjoyed the massive privileges of this system for centuries. However, they never accepted subservience to the Anglo-American establishment and always sought to plunder and exploit its colonies on their own terms.

    Ukraine is some faraway place to you?

    We don’t know yet whether France will indeed be invited to the upcoming BRICS Summit, but in the world where not being “with us” equals being “against us,” the Empire simply can’t tolerate the uppity independence of France. You think our military alliance is brain-dead? You don’t want to be our vassal? You dare to strike trade deals with China and trade in yuan? You want to seek peace with Russia? And Ukraine is some faraway place to you? Clearly, this is unacceptable and the Anglo-American establishment has had enough of France’s insubordination. It was time to teach France a lesson and bring her into line with the Anglo-American agenda.

    AUKUS alliance: a stab in the back to France

    The most recent sign of the Anglo-American cabal’s contempt for the French was the 2021 announcement of the AUKUS alliance between the US, UK and Australia. In 2016, France made a deal with Australia to supply 12 conventional submarines for her navy. The deal was worth $37 billion – a very substantial amount by any measure. French diplomacy celebrated it as the “contract of the century,” important not only for its sheer size and the strengthening of France’s relationship with Australia but also in terms of securing French strategic influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

    But then, on Wednesday, 15 Sep. 2021 US President Joe Biden, UK PM Boris Johnson, and “that fellow down under,” as Biden addressed Australia’s then PM Scott Morrison, announced a “historic” security alliance between the US, Britain and Australia. Part of the deal included US and UK providing Australia with nuclear submarines and a significant transfer of US military technology.

    With no prior consultations or warning, Britain, Australia and the US, otherwise well known for the high value they place on sanctity of contract, simply sidelined France, tore up her contract with Australia and threw French interests overboard provoking indignation and anger in France. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian referred to the AUKUS announcement as evidence of duplicitytreachery, and a stab in the back to France from her supposed allies and partners.

    France recalled its ambassadors to the United States and Australia and Le Drian stated that there was now a crisis of trust with the US. EU Council’s President Charles Michel also strongly criticized the AUKUS announcement, accusing the Anglo-American club of leaving Europe “out of the game in the Indo-Pacific region.” This was not the first massive humiliation dished out to France from the same “friendly” Anglo-American circles.

    Haiti’s reparations: how the US punished France’s opposition to Iraq invasion

    American diplomacy and secret services found it easy to punish France’s opposition to the Iraq invasion and the embarrassment that France’s Foreign Minister Dominic De Villepin inflicted on the US delegation in the UN Security Council in February of 2003.

    Jean Bertrand Aristide had first become Haiti’s president in 1991, but was deposed in a military coup after less than eight months in office. He spent years in exile in the US before coming back to power again in 2000 elections, with the help of the US. His US liaison was the diplomat and CIA agent Luis Moreno. On 7 April 2003 Aristide suddenly started calling for colonial-era reparations from France (note, this was 18 days after the start of the US invasion of Iraq). The precise amount that Aristide was demanding was $21,685,135,571.48 – that sum represented the lower-end of the scale of estimated damage inflicted on Haiti by France.

    Formerly known as Saint Domingue, Haiti was a French colony, supplying sugar, coffee and tobacco to much of Europe. It was a boon to French merchants, slave owners and financiers. But in 1791 Haiti’s slaves staged a successful rebellion and won their freedom. In 1801, when Napoleon sent a large armada to subjugate them again, they defeated his troops and in 1804 Haiti’s leaders declared independence.

    But France wasn’t ready to give up Haiti. King Charles X sent another armada in 1825 offering to recognize Haiti’s independence, provided that Haiti’s government agreed to pay an extortionate tribute in the amount of 150 million gold Francs. How much money was that? In 1803, France agreed to sell the Louisiana territory to the United States for 80 million Francs – an area that was 77 times larger than Haiti. But Haiti’s choice was simple: pay up, or it’s war!

    The French would have been able to impose a naval blockade on Haiti and entirely cut them off from global trade and payment systems. Haitians had no choice but to submit to French ultimatum. To pay the ransom, Haiti was forced to borrow the sums from French bankers and pay back the loans plus interest from the proceeds of their commodity exports. Incidentally, this was the beginning of the new model of colonialism based on financial debts rather than military occupation. That, essentially is the imperial model of governance plaguing humanity to this day.

    Haiti’s tragic experience was the only time in history when freed slaves had to pay restitution to their former masters and borrow funds from them to meet the ransom payments. This is why Haiti’s humiliation was called the Double Debt: it took Haitians over 130 years to pay it back and doomed the nation to chronic austerity, underdevelopment and crushing poverty.

    It also made Aristide’s demand for restitution legitimate and an absolute bombshell for France. His campaign grew bolder over time with banners, bumper-stickers, government adds and graffiti spread all around the country. Not only was Aristide demanding a very substantial amount of money from France in reparations, he also encouraged other former colonies to join his fight and demand their own reparations from France.

    French government was stumped with this development which their Ambassador to Haiti Mr. Yves Gaudeul called explosive. He urged his government to open discussions with Haiti to diffuse the situation, but he was firmly rejected. Instead, France recalled Gaudeul and sent a less sympathetic Ambassador to Haiti, Mr. Thierry Burkard, who explained the situation in stark terms: “Algeria can perfectly make claims, as well as most of our colonies… There’s no end to it. It would have set a precedent that we would have been greatly blamed for.”

    Thankfully for France, the problem disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared. Before dawn on 29 February 2004 Luis Moreno, that same US “diplomat” who helped bring Aristide to power in 2000, came to his residence flanked with security officials and demanded Aristide’s resignation. Mr. and Mrs. Aristide were simply abducted and flown out of the country on a US-chartered plane back into exile. Haiti’s new, western-backed leader, Gerard Latortue dropped the restitution demands and the whole messy affair was closed.

    Even though Jean Bertrand Aristide had been in power since the beginning of 2001, his calls for reparations came more than two years later, seemingly out of nowhere, but soon after France’s snub to the US over the Iraq invasion. Aristide demanded reparations from France, but never from the United States which had occupied it, or held it in debt bondage since 1915, subjecting it to equally rapacious exploitation.

    Even before military occupation, in December 1914, US Marines landed in Haiti’s capital, Port-Au-Prince, broke into Haiti’s National Bank and simply took some $500,000 worth of gold belonging to Haiti’s government. Within days, Haiti’s gold was in the vaults of New York banks. Still, Aristide apparently made no precise calculation of damages inflicted on Haiti by the United States.

    Furthermore, in an email exchange between Aristide’s government legal counsel Ira Kurzban, and their international law advisor Gunther Handl, the latter advised Kurzban that “Haiti must convey to France,” that there are suitable opportunities “for washing France’s dirty laundry in public.” It’s almost as though the affair was about pressuring and embarrassing France rather than securing justice for Haiti.

    That notion is confirmed by the simple fact that France’s problem disappeared only after US agents removed Aristide from power, rather than after earnest negotiations with Haiti’s representatives and France’s acceptance of some obligation to Haiti. This fact alone suggests that France yielded to the United States in some backroom deal, not to Haiti. Perhaps France dropped its challenge to the New American Century and its full-spectrum dominance, and pledged her allegiance to the hegemon.

    In 1966 under President Charles de Gaulle, France removed all her troops from NATO’s integrated military command and asked all non-French NATO troops to leave France. In 2009, only a few years after the Haiti affair (plus the destabilizing 2005 riots for a good measure), France once more became a full-fledged member of the North Atlantic alliance. But everyone did not live happily ever after and the relations with France remained difficult.

    The Damocles’ sword of France’s colonial past

    The Damocles’ sword of France’s ugly colonial past (though no more ugly than that of Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Great Britain or Germany), was brought up again in November 2022 when Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni appeared on Italian channel 7 airing some of France’s particularly ugly-looking colonial dirty laundry. She showed the Italian public two exhibits: a CFA Franc banknote and a photo of a child working in a gold mine in Burkina Faso: “This is called the CFA franc. It is the colonial currency that France prints for 14 African nations, to which it applies seigniorage and by virtue of which it exploits the resources of these nations…

    Meloni claimed that thanks to the CFA Franc, 50% of everything that Burkina Faso exports ends up in the French treasury. In addition to being the Prime Minister of Italy, Meloni is also a member of the powerful Aspen Institute. Headquartered in Washington, D. C., the institute is funded by some of the most powerful exponents of the Anglo-American establishment including the Gates Foundation, Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Carnegie Corporation and Lumina Foundation and Meloni might be doing their bidding in antagonizing France.

    In another jab at embarrassing France, in May 2022, the New York Times published a 19,000-words long special report about the French colonial abuse of Haiti. Titled, “The Ransom: How a French Bank Captured Haiti,” the report reads almost as though it was the French who invented slavery and colonialism.

    Preannouncing the attack on France

    The most bizarre element that suggests that the current uprising in France is a planned destabilization attack by the Anglo American imperial cabal is the fact that it may have been preannounced in what appears to be their habitual modus operandi. Last month I had the privilege of participating in the Better Way Conference in Bath, organized by the World Council for Health. One of the speakers on my panel was Mr. Mark Devlin (@DJMarkDevlin) a DJ who made it his challenge to study how the ruling establishment use popular culture and entertainment to disseminate propaganda and manipulate the masses.

    One thing he picked up on is that they invariably preannounce their plans to the public through popular films and TV series. Mr. Devlin claimed there are literally hundreds of examples of this, and he shared one with us: a short clip from the American TV show, The Dead Zone which aired in 2005. The plot involved a Coronavirus contagion. The virus originated from China and caused high fever and respiratory infections, necessitated lockdowns, quarantines, wearing of masks, tracking and tracing of contacts, etc.

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    2023 07 06 19 28

    The clip was profoundly disturbing to see, but it suggested that Devlin was onto something important. As it happens, the case of riots in France also corroborates his hypothesis. Namely, in 2022 Netflix launched a film titled “Athena” about a future ethnic civil war in France, which would erupt after the police killing of an Algerian youth. On 27 Jun 2023, French police killed an Algerian youth.

    Seeking justice for Nahel by attacking Chinese tourists?

    Another detail about the riots could have symbolic relevance: namely, Reuters reported that Chinese tourists were injured when rioters attacked a bus carrying a Chinese tour group in Marseille. The attack, which took place on Thursday, 29 June 2023 again reveals the cabal’s modus operandi. Recall, when the US and NATO bombed Belgrade in 1999, five U.S. Joint Direct Attack Munition guided bombs hit the Chinese embassy, killing three Chinese state media journalists. One bomb might have gone astray and hit the embassy by accident, but five bombs were a message, as was (probably) last Thursday’s attack on Chinese tourists. It would be difficult to explain why rioters who had grievances against the French government and demanded Justice for the young Nahel Merzouk, thought they’d obtain that justice in attacking the Chinese.

    What now?

    Should we regard Emmanuel Macron and his government as the good guys in this saga? Will they be able to pacify the situation, or will it escalate? For my part, I’ve never been even slightly fond of Emmanuel Macron, but I believe that today France’s sovereignty is at stake, and it was Macron who invited Anglo-American cabal’s wrath. If France fights back, things will get ugly. Yes, they’ll have to crack down and yes, western media will accuse them of all the standard faults of tyranny, repression, intolerance and censorship.

    If France capitulates, things will get uglier still and uglier for longer. But to defend France, the government of Emmanuel Macron will have to try to bring together all of France and this could prove their toughest challenge. Macron represents the French elites which do have much to answer to – not only to their colonial subjects but also to the French people whose country has been stolen from under them (though Macron is not the only one to blame for this).

    In 1996, when I moved to Monaco, I recall that for several years in a row, France was winning the top spot as the country with the highest quality of life (I believe the quality of life surveys were conducted by Conde Nast or some such publication). Over the last 25 years however, quality of life in France has deteriorated precipitously. If France is to survive and lead Europe once more, the elites backing Macron will have to reconcile and make nice with the people.

    With regards to her colonial past, France will at the very least need to set up a truth and reconciliation commission and offer an earnest apology and a helping hand to its former colonies to rise and develop as equal trading partners rather than simply territories to strip mine of their resources and subjugate in a cold and inhumane fashion.

    The world should consider offering a helping hand to France, because with the present struggle, a very large opportunity has presented itself to humanity: to defeat the imperialistic system of governance that’s caused the unspeakable tragedies of our colonial past and its most powerful beneficiaries, the Anglo-American imperial establishment. If they succeed at taming France and making her their vassal, they will grow stronger.

    If France prevails and joins humanity, the multipolar integrations and the other model of governance, the imperial cabal will suffer a crushing blow. I know where 99.9% of us stand and for my part, I would love to see Emmanuel Macron in South Africa at the end of this month, for once listening and earnestly seeking partnership and reconciliation with the world and securing France’s place as an equal in a new community of nations.

    The Mistake That Got So Many CIA Agents Killed in China🎙Darknet Diaries Ep. 75: Compromised Comms

    A Letter

    On the morning of May 19th, 1902, a huge explosion ripped through Fraterville Coal Mine in Tennessee, its devastating power instantly killing most of the 216 miners who were below ground.

    For the 26 who survived the initial blast, a side passage of the mine proved to be a safe haven, but not for long—when rescuers eventually reached them, all had suffocated.

    Found next to a number of the those 26 bodies were letters to loved ones, one of which can be seen below.

    It was written by Jacob Vowell to Sarah Ellen, his beloved wife and mother to their 6 children, one of whom, 14-year-old Elbert, was by his side in the mine. (“Little Eddie” was a son they had lost previously.)

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    12102914916 519115f33d o

    All but three of Fraterville’s adult men were killed that day; over a hundred women were instantly widowed; close to a thousand children lost their fathers. The Fraterville Mine disaster remains the worst of its kind in Tennessee’s history.

    Last photo of the survivors of HMAS Armidale

    Last photo of the survivors of HMAS Armidale, which was sunk on 1 December 1942 after being attacked by a Japanese aircraft. This photo was taken from a Catalina flying boat on the 8th but was unable to land due to rough seas. The men in the raft would never be seen again.

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    main qimg 276463095f3cd3603bfed2b3d338cae0

    The Western Societies…

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    2023 07 05 17 53

    Why you have “child-proof” caps on medicine bottles

    On September 12, 1982, a 12-year-old girl named Mary Kellerman fell ill and was admitted to the hospital after ingesting a Tylenol capsule, a popular brand of acetaminophen. Tragically, she passed away the following day.

    Around two weeks later, six more deaths occurred, including three individuals from the same family who had taken the painkiller from the same bottle.

    Wednesday, September 29, 1982 was a school day, but 12-year-old Mary Kellerman woke up with a runny nose and a headache. So her parents told her to stay home, take a couple of Tylenol and get some rest.

    “I heard her go into the bathroom. I heard the door close. Then I heard something drop,” recalled Dennis Kellerman, Mary’s dad. “I went to the bathroom door. I called, ‘Mary, are you OK?’ There was no answer. I called again: ‘Mary, are you OK?’ There was still no answer. So I opened the bathroom door, and my little girl was on the floor unconscious. She was still in her pajamas.”

    Mary was pronounced dead at the hospital from unknown causes.

    A few hours later, in a nearby suburb of Chicago, a 27-year-old postal worker named Adam Janus had also taken a sick day. After lunch, he complained to his wife about a headache and took two Extra-Strength Tylenol. Like Mary, Adam collapsed on the floor almost instantly and couldn’t be resuscitated. The paramedics ruled it a massive heart attack.

    Adam Janus’s relatives rushed to the house to console his grieving wife. Overcome by Adam’s sudden passing, his younger brother and sister-in-law asked for some Tylenol. They were the next to die.

    All told, seven people in the Chicago area died suddenly and mysteriously on September 29 and 30, 1982. One was a mother of four, including a week-old infant. Another, a healthy, 31-year-old, crumpled to the floor at work. The last victim, a flight attendant, was found dead in her apartment three days later, an open bottle of Tylenol still on the bathroom counter.

    Investigators and toxicologists quickly identified the culprit: tampered capsules of Extra-Strength Tylenol. Someone had opened the capsules and replaced the pain-relieving medicine with deadly doses of potassium cyanide. One of the most common over-the-counter pain relievers had been turned into a murder weapon.

    The 1982 Tylenol murders rocked the nation. The seven deaths were the top story in every major newspaper on October 1, the official start of the Halloween season, and the “Tylenol Terrorist,” as the media dubbed him, was still on the loose.

    For decades, Americans had been told scary tales of Halloween treats supposedly spiked with razor blades and rat poison, but the Tylenol murders ratcheted up the anxiety around treat-or-treating to new levels, prompting cities and towns across the country to cancel Halloween.

    The official response to the Tylenol murders was swift.

    The manufacturer of Tylenol, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson called McNeil Consumer Products, initiated the largest consumer product recall in American history, ordering pharmacies and grocery stores to pull 31 million bottles of Extra-Strength Tylenol from their shelves. Several more bottles in the Chicago area were found to contain cyanide, but thankfully no one else was hurt.

    The federal government also swept into action. Congress passed the Federal Anti-Tampering Act, which promised up to 20 years in jail for anyone found tampering with medications, food or other consumer goods. And the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) passed new regulations requiring drugmakers to package medications like Tylenol in new, tamper-proof bottles. (“Child-resistant” caps had been around since 1970.)

    “[The 1982 Tylenol poisonings] was one of those pivotal moments,” says Dr. Alan Woolf, a pediatrician at Boston Children’s Hospital and a professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. “Forty years later, we take it for granted that bottles of over-the-counter medicine are shrink-wrapped in plastic and there’s a piece of foil that you need to peel back. Those tragic killings changed the pharmaceutical industry and changed federal labeling laws.”

    The Johnson & Johnson lost so much… The company’s chair at the time, James E. Burke, abided by corporate responsibility and made the difficult and expensive decision to recall 30 million Tylenol products voluntarily. This cost the company over $100 million.

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    main qimg c60c9a10192b4c2e7e3928125ff81c02

    “Haunted Beauty”: Mysteriously Bizarre Photo and Art Works of Natalie Shau

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    00 8

    Natalie Shau is mixed media artist and photographer based in Lithuania (Vilnius). She found interest in fashion and portrait photography as well as digital illustration and photo art.

    Despite her personal work, Natalie also creates artwork and photography for musicians, theater, fashion magazines, writers and advertisement. She also worked as an art director for a short 3d movie of Kamel Ouali musical “Dracula”

    More: Instagram, Twitter, Behance, Foundation

    Formerly Jeff Bezos started an online bookstore from a garagebox, having access to the internet. What could a person start with low capital these days that could be a gap in the market?

    That’s the entire problem…if an idea was easy to come up with – then it wouldn’t be a gap in the market.

    TO PICK AN EXAMPLE:

    This is a true story.

    Back in 2004 (I think) a lady named Linda Katz decided to learn how to build a Web site. The Kansas farm which she lives on had recently been infested with tumbleweeds – a common problem in that part of the world. So for a joke, she created “Prairie Tumbleweed Farm”.

    Supposedly, according to the (fake) web site – they organically farmed, harvested and sold the world’s choicest tumbleweeds: A small one for $15, $25 for a big one.

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    main qimg 3c7b81a0dad0085953d45abfb7ccc217 lq

    To her extreme surprise, actual, for real orders started rolling in ones and twos – so grinning ear-to-ear, she found some cardboard boxes, stuffed a tumbleweed into each one – and mailed it off to her customers. Selling maybe one or two per month…not exactly a “business”. But it was hilarious…so she kept the website alive.

    Then one day, a Hollywood movie props company needed some tumbleweeds for a Western movie set and ordered MANY HUNDREDS of them … at $25 each! THOUSANDS of dollars in one order.

    This brought money AND publicity.

    Then NASA bought a bunch of them to test the Mars Rover (Why?!? I can’t imagine!).

    Then NPR did a radio show piece about the “farm” – I think as an April Fools thing…and with free publicity she was actually selling these generally worthless dead weeds at an impressive rate!

    The website had to be translated into Japanese because tumbleweeds had become some kind of Feng Shui miracle!

    She’s sold tumbleweeds for 13 years and claimed to earn around $40,000 a year.

    ANALYSIS:

    What’s the lesson here?

    Nobody in their right mind would sit down one day and SERIOUSLY consider selling a dried up weed for $15 to $20. But there’s a thing on the Internet called “Long Tail Marketing”.

    If you imagine a graph of the popularity of items that people need, it’s going to be something like this…

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    2023 07 06 21 15

    On the left are things like groceries, books, TV sets, lightbulbs…mundane things that a hell of a lot of people want. Being in that market is a major pain – you’re competing against the biggest retailers in the world. Amazon, Walmart, etc – it’s extremely price-competitive – you need to advertise – keep postage costs to a minimum…URGH!

    But way over to the right – on the “long tail” of the curve are things like tumbleweeds – which VERY NEARLY nobody wants – and neither Walmart nor Amazon sells. In 2004 – if you searched on “Buy Tumbleweed” – there was only ONE hit.

    The point being – in the era of brick and mortar stores – you could open a Tumbleweed store in a major city – and never sell a single tumbleweed for months on end.

    But on the Internet – with a few billion people searching Google several times a day – if you can be the ONLY source for tumbleweeds – and then 100% of the (admittedly very small) market is yours – people will come to you to buy – and you won’t need advertising or to compete on price.

    So the trick is to be the first – and to be the ONLY source for something. Even if it’s something incredibly rare and unusual. Because out of a few billion people, SOMEONE is looking for what you’re selling.

    HOWEVER:

    If you Google “Buy Tumbleweeds” today – there are DOZENS of businesses trying to do the exact same thing – with various degrees of seriousness.

    It’s gone from being a fun, joke thing to being…well…BORING.

    The original website for Prairie Tumbleweed Farm seems to have vanished…and I’m not surprised. The market for tumbleweed probably hasn’t grown by much – and with a dozen “Me Too!” knock-off websites beating down the prices – there’s simply no money in it anymore.

    CONCLUSION:

    If you can come up with a “long tail market” – and can get in, make money and get out again before Amazon is selling tumbleweeds too…you can do very well indeed.

    But I can’t tell you what that product or service is…or how to make it…or how to be sure that people see your store.

    It’s one of those things that – if it was both easy and obvious – everyone would be doing it.

    This is one of those things that was easy in the early days of the Internet – because there were lots of things that you couldn’t find on the Internet – so you could be out on the long-tail and make good money.

    You can still do that – but it’s just harder and harder to come up with an idea.

    Tucker Carlson: Free Gonzalo Lira

    https://youtu.be/to15UBjtswk

    A tale of survival

    In 1993, Emile Leray, was on a journey , enjoying his cruise across the Moroccan desert when he crashed his car in the middle of the desert.

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    main qimg 538fa66e6e53474a1a933072d24b0a86

    He was stranded and had to save himself or he would die in the desert. This was when his intelligence came to rescue him.

    Emile Leray, a 43-year-old former electrician, had to rebuild his car, a Citroen 2CV into a motorbike using no special tools.

    He built his motor bike in ten days using materials from his crashed car. He had no drills, no power tools or welding equipment, he screwed all the parts together.

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    main qimg 436e15b1677a351a1479e41d3567da1d

    Seven Generations

    In 1989, in Wisconsin, USA, an extraordinary feat was achieved: seven generations of a family were alive at the same time. This remarkable occurrence remains undisputed and stands as a world record. The individuals involved were Augusta Bunge, aged 109, accompanied by her daughter Ella Sabin, aged 89. Ella’s daughter, Anna Wendlandt, aged 70, was also present, along with Anna’s daughter, Betty Wolter, aged 52. Betty’s daughter, Debra Bollig, aged 33, attended alongside her daughter, Lori Bollig, aged 15. Lastly, Lori’s son, Christopher Bollig, aged only one month, completed the seven-generation lineup.

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    main qimg c947143e9767b29f83ebcf874d38121d

    Why do most Westerners continue to think of China only as a factory to serve their consumer needs, and do not attempt to understand the dynamics driving China’s development and foreign policy?

    Simple

    Chinas growth has simply been too fast

    They transformed from a Manufacturing Base to an Economic Giant with a strong domestic market in a matter of 10 years

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    2023 07 07 18 41

    Back in 2012 – China was still a country to whom you went to build a factory and build your own stuff and export it globally.

    Their Domestic Industry was very small and evolving

    Today in 2022 – China is different. Its Domestic Industry is slowly getting dominated by Chinese Brands and they are spilling over Globally. They have taken the lead in High Speed Railways, 5G Communications and AI from the West and once they manage to lick their Chip problem – they could leapfrog by a further decade.

    No Democracy can understand such growth that always happens under an Efficient Autocracy

    As a Result the West cannot understand the Fast Growth of Chinas and constantly struggle to understand that China is on par or even ahead of them in several areas.

    So they convince themselves that China is still the same old Manufacturing Factory it was 10 years or 15 years ago and they feel comfortable thinking so

    Shots Fired! Iran Tries to Seize Two Vessels in Strait of Hormuz; US Navy Responds

    World Hal Turner 05 July 2023

    12:13 PM EDT — Within the hour, Iran tried to seize two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz that is the entry/exit to the Persian Gulf.  Shots were fired.

    The US Navy Responded and says it “prevented” Iran from seizing the vessels.   

    Marianne Williamson for president

    Never heard of a sane, smart, brave, non-Trumpian, non-senile, non-token black and non-LGBTQ+ female presidential candidate telling the obvious? She’s scaring the shit out of the American voters with the simple truth. Everyone in the audience listening to her looks like a deer staring at a headlight.

    Survival

    In 1992, Annette Herfken’s partner of 13 years persuaded her to follow him on a romantic vacation; he never knew that would be his worst decision.

    Fifty minutes into the flight going to Vietnam, the plane suddenly plummeted into the mountains. When she woke up, everywhere was dark with people screaming.

    A dead passenger strapped to his seat was lying on top of her. Gradually, the noisy and chaotic enclosure was replaced with utter silence; everyone had died except her.

    She was left alone with decomposing bodies until the 8th day when rescuers came, before then she battled the thoughts of cannibalizing the bodies around her to survive.

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    main qimg fd560ca123b39312d7dfca19200a81ab

    Sleeping Beauty of Palermo

    Known as the “Sleeping Beauty of Palermo,” the impeccably preserved body of Rosalia Lombardo is among the most remarkable mummies in the world.

    When Lombardo died in 1920 just a to her second birthday, her heartbroken father took her to an embalmer and asked him to make her appear as if she would “live forever” before laying her in a glass-topped coffin and entombing her in the Capuchin catacombs beneath the Sicilian capital.

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    main qimg a68cc4cde5929d0bb3d019ff104eab0a

    The embalmer used a secret zinc mixture to petrify her body and even posed her with her eyes slightly open so that she would appear as if she was either just falling asleep or waking up from a nap.

    In fact, this illusion is so convincing that some mourners who come to visit her still swear that her eyes opened and closed throughout the day, revealing beautiful blue irises beneath her delicate eyelids.

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    main qimg ed1c7094acdab795662ae975d9a70b16

    Western ideas of beauty…

    Before is so much more beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. How can anyone approve this downgraded architectural design.

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    main qimg 0b200e7b7e635ed2340bd713b8d81d02

    China unveils first open-source desktop operating system

    By Fan Feifei | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2023-07-06 13:47

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    2023 07 07 16 35

    China rolled out its first open-source desktop operating system, called openKylin 1.0, on Wednesday, a key move that indicates the country has the ability to build its own self-developed operating system and fill the gaps in this field.

    The openKylin 1.0 was developed by a group of Chinese companies led by China Electronics Corp, the country’s largest State-owned comprehensive electronic information enterprise group. Other participants include the China Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team, Kylinsec Technology and more than 10 other software companies.

    The launch of openKylin 1.0 will help bolster the iteration and upgrade of the domestic operating system; guarantee the security in key fields such as government affairs, finance, communications, energy and transportation; and provide reliable basic software services for the country’s IT industrial chain.

    Currently, China’s software operating system industry is dominated by foreign labels, such as Microsoft Windows, Google Android and Apple Mac OS.

    The openKylin system can be applied in some hardware devices, including computers and mobile phones. Last year, CEC unveiled China’s first desktop operating system developers’ platform openKylin.

    Flirty Witches and Naughty Demonic Beauties In Pin-Up Illustrations By Alejandra Oviedo

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    133081167 145209383823681 5340693557901910976 n

    Based in Bogotá, Colombia, Alejandra Oviedo draws funny and seductive pinup girls in all kinds of variations. Sometimes they are classic beauties, but most of the time Oviedo draws very unusual women – vampires, zombies and even pumpkinheads. And in each work there is a perfect balance of humor and sex – a real art.

    More: Alejandra Oviedo, Instagram

    Flight 123

    In 1985, a Boeing747 in Japan had a sudden explosive decompression in mid-air because of a faulty repair. The plane then crashed into Mount Takamagahara. All 15 crew members and 505 of 509 passengers lost their lives. This picture was taken by a passenger during the same incident.

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    main qimg 5b06883671584d6966444617ce0c21c1

    Kuwait Clears Country of 3,000 Trans-genders/Homosexuals

    World Hal Turner 05 July 2023

    Kuwait has deported 3,000 transgender “people” from the country, and strict instructions from the Minister of Interior stresses “the need to clean the country of homosexuals.”

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    2023 07 06 17 03

    Wow. 

    Do you think China’s move to manage exports of rare elements is justified? Why or why not?

    Legally?

    Not sure

    Gallium and Germanium come under ‘Resources’

    The US could argue that China is restricting exports of ‘Resources’ while US is restricting exports of ‘Technology’

    Core Tech can be protected by law

    Resources can’t be withheld unless you establish existing demand domestically

    I am sure the Chinese will claim they need all the germanium and Gallium they can get


    Bottom line is — US chose to play hard and fast with WTO rules, now they can’t argue that China is doing the same thing

    Cheeseburgers with Caramelized Onion Butter

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    2023 07 06 16 51

    Prep: 30 min | Cook 15 min | Yield: 6 cheeseburgers

    Ingredients

    Caramelized Onion Butter

    • 1/2 cup (1 stick) + 2 tablespoons Challenge Butter, softened
    • 2 large yellow onions, coarsely chopped (2 cups)
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon pepper

    Cheeseburgers

    • 2 pounds lean ground beef (less than 12% fat)
    • 6 Kaiser or hamburger rolls
    • 6 slices sharp Cheddar cheese
    • Lettuce, tomato slices and bacon (optional)

    Instructions

    Caramelized Onion Butter

    1. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onions, season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine.
    2. Cook onions slowly for at least 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. You may need to adjust your heat to low as well. Cook onions until they become translucent and golden brown and then allow to cool.
    3. Cream butter in small bowl using a fork or electric mixer.
    4. Gradually blend in caramelized onions. Butter mixture can be used while still soft; or it can be rolled into a cylinder in parchment paper or plastic wrap and refrigerated or frozen, then sliced into thin rounds.

    Cheeseburgers

    1. Divide meat into 6 equal portions (about 2/3 cup each) and flatten portions into 4 1/2 inch round patties.
    2. Broil or grill patties.
    3. Place 1 tablespoon of caramelized onion butter on each patty and top with a slice of Cheddar cheese.
    4. Serve on rolls with optional lettuce, tomatoes and bacon.

    Notes

    Flavored butter can be stored a couple days in the refrigerator or it can be frozen for several weeks.

    Marianne Williamson: ‘We should treat the drug issue the way countries like Portugal do’ | Conver…

    Asked about the opioid crisis during the portion of her “Conversation with the Candidate” event that airs exclusively online, Democrat Marianne Williamson says the government should treat the drug crisis as a mental health crisis and make other changes to its approach.

    She also answered a number of other questions including the abortion issue and how to address the national debt without harming Social Security or Medicare. Conversation with the Candidate is a town hall-style program.

    It is intended to allow the candidate to convey their points of view on a wide range of topics. During the program, the moderator may challenge the candidates’ assertions, but every fact may not be checked in real time.

    Britain Closed Waters off its East Coast July 4, Looking for Russian “Posiedon” Torpedo

    World Hal Turner 05 July 2023

    Britain Closed Waters off its East Coast July 4, Looking for Russian "Posiedon" Torpedo
    2023 07 06 16 55
    2023 07 06 16 55

    The British government issued Notice to Airmen and Mariners (NOTAM) closing almost the entire east coast waters off England yesterday for 15 hours.  Turns out, they were searching for a Russian “Poseidon” autonomous Torpedo with a 100 MT nuclear bombs aboard! The public knew nothing.

    It began around 4:00 AM UK time on July 4.  Notices to Airmen and Mariners (NOTAMs) were issued by the UK closing vast swaths of ocean off the UK east coast as “Danger Areas.”  The NOTAM below shows the enormous areas that were closed.

    Intelligence sources inside the UK have revealed the British were extremely worried that Russia may have already deployed at least one of its “Poseidon” torpedoes off the UK coastline, to create a nuclear Tsunami that would destroy most of the country without warning!

    They were also concerned that other Russian Ballistic Missile submarines may have already taken-up station off the coast, to launch missiles in retaliation for what the UK has been doing to Russia inside Ukraine.

    British news services did NOT carry any information about this search, nor did they even report the vast parts of the ocean closed-off for the intense searches.  The British public was left blissfully unaware.

    POSEIDON

    Russia’s new “Poseidon” autonomous torpedo is a nuclear powered device that can travel the world’s oceans unaided, and undetected.  It can be programmed to travel to – and lay off the coast of – an adversary, at a depth of at least 1 km.

    At the programmed time, the torpedo would detonate a nuclear bomb it carries, that has a yield of up to 100 megatons.

    Ru Kanyon illustration1 940
    Ru Kanyon illustration1 940

    The design of the weapon is such, that most of the blast energy could not make it to the surface of the sea because of the great depth at which the explosion takes place.   Instead, that energy would PUSH the water in a sudden, violent blast, causing a gigantic Tsunami tidal wave.   As the wave approaches the coast of the adversary, the waters get shallow as they rise up to the shoreline, which causes the moving water to begin piling-up on itself.

    When the wave finally comes ashore, it does so as a 1500 foot tall wall of water, moving at about 600 MPH.

    Everything on the shore, and perhaps as deep as twenty five miles inland, is wiped off the face of the earth.

    No warning.  No evacuation time.  Just a wall of water killing everything in its path.

    What makes this especially horrifying is that all the nuclear blast energy is still in the water, so it is highly radioactive.

    Once the water comes ashore, it deposits that radiation onto the land, making the entire area uninhabitable for over a hundred years.

    If not killed outright by the wave, nothing would be able to survive once exposed to the tremendous radiation.  

    Russia is the only country on earth that has this technology.  The west is fully aware of it, yet continues to “poke the bear” in Ukraine.

    The west, it seems, has become suicidal.

    Washington’s Real Policy Toward China

    04.07.2023 Author: Brian Berletic

    After an intense escalation between the US and China over the former’s persistence in “containing” the rise of the latter, and particularly over US interference with the island province of Taiwan, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken traveled to Beijing supposedly to repair tattered US-Chinese relations.

    As part of the process, Secretary Blinken even publicly recited the US One China Policy, acknowledging that the US does not support Taiwan independence. However, even while acknowledging China’s sovereignty over Taiwan, Secretary Blinken reiterated US “responsibilities” under the unilateral Taiwan Relations Act “making sure Taiwan has the ability to defend itself,” or in other words, selling arms to Taiwan without Beijing’s approval and thus trampling Chinese sovereignty.

    Following this, US President Joe Biden would refer to Chinese President Xi Jinping as a “dictator” during a speech featured on the official White House website. Days later, Secretary Blinken would affirm President Biden’s comments, as reported by US government-funded media outlet Voice of America in their article, “US Officials Agree: China’s Xi Is a Dictator.”

    Why is the United States attempting to appear to be pursuing diplomacy while deliberately sabotaging any improvement in US-Chinese relations?

    Before answering this question, it is important to understand just how long-running the US policy of containing China actually is and how unlikely it is we are witnessing any serious attempt to change it today.

    US Policy Seeking to Contain China Stretches Back Decades 

    US foreign policy toward China has been for decades and remains focused on encirclement and containment. Even as Secretary Blinken traveled to Beijing, a myriad of US government-funded programs led by the National Endowment for Democracy (is banned in Russia) and adjacent organizations worked to coerce, destabilize, and even replace governments along China’s periphery in Southeast Asia to shape the region into a united front against Beijing.

    The US is also still working closely to expand the activities of its two key anti-China alliances, the Quad (the US, India, Japan, and Australia) and AUKUS (Australia, the UK, and the US).

    The US continues its military build-up in the Indo-Pacific region, including through expanding the US military’s presence in the Philippines and continuously sailing US warships off China’s coasts.

    Additionally, US government and corporate-funded think tanks like the Council on Foreign Relations, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the Atlantic Council are currently planning both economic sanctions to impose on China, as well as, military intervention meant to enforce and exacerbate sanctions.

    Today’s posture of US belligerence toward China is a continuation of a policy articulated decades ago in US government documents. On the US State Department’s official website under the Office of the Historian, a multitude of documents and memorandums explaining Washington’s policy of containing China can be found.

    One document dated 1965 with the subject “Courses of Action in Vietnam” written by then US Defense Secretary Robert McNamara to then US President Lyndon Johnson would note:

    The February decision to bomb North Vietnam and the July approval of Phase I deployments make sense only if they are in support of a long-run United States policy to contain Communist China.

    China looms as a major power threatening to undercut our importance and effectiveness in the world and, more remotely but more menacingly, to organize all of Asia against us.

    The memo would also note “three fronts to a long-run effort to contain China” which included, “the Japan-Korea front, the India-Pakistan front, and the Southeast Asia front.”

    Omitting references to Vietnam and the Soviet Union, the memo sounds like it could have been written today, a reflection of how US foreign policy pursuing China’s containment has persisted for decades regardless of which US President resides in the White House and who controls the US Congress.

    Feigned Diplomacy for Consensus Building Toward Sanctions and War 

    If the US has pursued China’s containment for decades and has no intention of stopping, why has the US State Department attempted to appear to pursue diplomacy with China?

    The answer is simple. It fits a wider pattern of Washington attempting to portray itself as “diplomatic” and “reasonable” and its adversaries as belligerent and unreasonable. When the time comes to impose sanctions and even wage war, the perception that the US does so only reluctantly helps build consensus amongst American allies who are needed to help enforce US sanctions across the global economy and bolster US forces on the battlefield.

    In 2009, then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would hand Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov a physical “reset” button as a symbol of Washington’s supposed interest in “resetting” relations with Moscow. However, even as Secretary Clinton conducted the charade, the US State Department and related agencies and organizations were engineering the upcoming 2011 “Arab Spring” and the violent overthrow of multiple Russian allies across the Arab World including Libya and Syria, the New York Times would later admit.

    Another example is the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the “Iran Nuclear Deal.” While the agreement wasn’t publicly revealed until 2013 and only signed in 2015, US-based think tanks began planning for it years earlier.

    In the Brookings Institution’s “Which Path to Persia? Options for a New American Strategy Toward Iran” paper, US policymakers would admit the proposal was essentially a trap aimed ultimately at regime change in Tehran.

    The paper would admit:

    The ideal scenario in this case would be that the United States and the international community present a package of positive inducements so enticing that the Iranian citizenry would support the deal, only to have the regime reject it.

    In a similar vein, any military operation against Iran will likely be very unpopular around the world and require the proper international context— both to ensure the logistical support the operation would require and to minimize the blowback from it.

    The best way to minimize international opprobrium and maximize support (however, grudging or covert) is to strike only when there is a widespread conviction that the Iranians were given but then rejected a superb offer—one so good that only a regime determined to acquire nuclear weapons and acquire them for the wrong reasons would turn it down.

    Under those circumstances, the United States (or Israel) could portray its operations as taken in sorrow, not anger, and at least some in the international community would conclude that the Iranians “brought it on themselves” by refusing a very good deal.

    While it was clear the US-Russia “reset” was disingenuous, the Brookings paper offers documented proof that the US uses apparent good will and diplomacy as a means of consensus-building ahead of predetermined sanctions and even military intervention.

    Several years after the Iran Nuclear Deal was signed and put into effect, the US would unilaterally withdraw from the agreement, accuse Iran of having “violated” it, reimpose sanctions on Iran, and begin pursuing a combination of US-sponsored subversion within Iran (as planned elsewhere within Brookings’ paper) and proxy war across the Middle East region against Iran and its allies.

    Just as was stated in 2009 by Brookings policymakers, the US attempted to appear to extend an offer of peace and reconciliation, only to then attempt to portray Iran as having violated the nuclear deal in bad faith, justifying sanctions and military actions the US had prepared against Iran and intended to inevitably use all along.

    With Secretary Blinken’s recent visit to Beijing, the United States is pursuing a similar strategy against China.

    US Sanctions and War with China Already Underway 

    Just as with Russia or Iran, the US has already planned and is implementing both a campaign of escalating economic sanctions and military aggression against China, both directly and through proxies.

    The US has for years sponsored armed groups from Pakistan’s Baluchistan region to Myanmar in Southeast Asia, to the Solomon Islands in the Pacific to attack Chinese diplomats, citizens, infrastructure projects, and businesses.

    The US has already implemented sanctions on Chinese economic activity. Through US government and Western industry-funded think tanks like the Council on Foreign Relations, further sanctions are being prepared, which are intended to be even larger than those imposed on Russia after the Special Military Operation began in February 2022.

    The CFR’s paper, “U.S.-Taiwan Relations in a New Era, Responding to a More Assertive China,” spells out Washington’s plans to continue undermining its own agreements with Beijing over Taiwan, recommending a host of political, economic, and military measures to maintain US influence over the island province and thus US primacy over China in Asia.

    Measures such as further arming Taiwan, separating Taiwan economically from the rest of China, and building up a US military presence in the region all aim to prevent China from stopping what is essentially the political capture of Taiwan by Washington. Maintaining control over Taiwan is key to an admittedly wider policy of maintaining US “influence” and “access” in Asia.

    Echoing the 1965 memorandum published by the US State Department on its own official website, the CFR paper concludes “it is not only Taiwan’s future at stake but also the future of the first island chain and the ability to preserve U.S. access and influence throughout the Western Pacific.”

    The paper even includes a map showing how Taiwan “anchors a network of US allies,” a network which clearly encircles and threatens China.

    It is clear that the United States seeks to encircle and contain China. Because of China’s growing power, Washington is unable to do so alone. It requires increasingly extreme economic sanctions and military aggression in its attempts to subordinate the rising superpower, requiring consensus between itself, its allies, and nations around the globe it will attempt to coerce into supporting both its sanctions and military aggression as tensions expand.

    Just as US policymakers stated regarding Iran, “the best way to minimize international opprobrium and maximize support (however, grudging or covert) is to strike only when there is a widespread conviction that” in the case of China, the US “tried” diplomacy, and it was “China’s” decision to pursue belligerence leaving a “reluctant” US no other option but economic sanctions and military intervention, hopefully convincing, compelling, or at least making it easier to coerce the rest of the world into going along.

    It appears that both Russia and Iran were well aware of US duplicity in its supposed diplomacy. It is unlikely that China is unaware. China likewise seeks global support amid growing US-Chinese tensions, but is doing so through patience, persistence, and through constructively engaging with the rest of the world, providing a compelling and stark contrast to the accusations leveled by Washington against Beijing.

    Judging at the rate of decline of the unipolar “international order” led by Washington, and the rise of multipolarism advocated by not only China but also Russia and Iran, it appears China is pursuing the winning strategy. Only time will tell if the increasingly dangerous and desperate measures Washington is resorting to in its long-running policy of containing China eventually succeeds, or ultimately backfires and unravels the current circles of power in Washington and on Wall Street who conceived and perpetuated this policy.

    What made you laugh hard recently?

    This photo that went viral recently. Amidst the riots in Paris a couple is enjoying their evening.

    main qimg ff7cc2fea56db4a89f114aa0e3e509ab
    main qimg ff7cc2fea56db4a89f114aa0e3e509ab

    It’s been compared to the “this is fine” meme on social media.

    main qimg d5bdabb93a1cee37866c762b7f50ebe5
    main qimg d5bdabb93a1cee37866c762b7f50ebe5

    [daegonmagus] – Part 31 – Adventures in the Occult: Thoughts on {Not} Being a Freemason

    The following is the 31st part from a series of articles describing the adventure that a follower who goes by the handle "daegonmagus" has experienced since reading MM. They are very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you all learn from his journey and maybe learn a thing or two as he relates his unique experiences to the readership here. 
    
    Lately he has been conducting lucid dreaming (LD) to map out the subconscious / non-physical realms that surround us. His writings are very interesting, but describe things way beyond my understanding. Never the less, many MM readers find great value in his experiences, and writings, and one can easily see benefit in reading his writings. 
    
    I hope that you enjoy this article.
    
    -MM

    Adventures in the Occult: Thoughts on {Not} Being a Freemason

    I came across this site, inscribed on believing on the mind (metallicman (inscribedonthebelievingmind.blog) in which I seem to feature in one of the articles along side Metallicman. Lucky me for being “famous”, I guess. Unfortunately the article makes some assumptions about me that are quite inaccurate, like the (very definitively written) idea I am a Freemason and another retired MAJestic agent. Guys, I don’t care if you want to write articles that feature me but at least fucking verify your information with me beforehand, else it makes your content look like its full of “badly researched” holes and shouldn’t be taken seriously. I wrote to the article’s publisher, Diana Barharona, requesting a polite change to its content, but never received a reply, so in response to it I’d figured I’d clarify a few points.

    Firstly, I am not a MAJestic Agent, at least, not that I Know of – I came into contact with Metallicman after having experiences that paralleled with his during his time in MAJestic courtesy of my LDing – I offered to edit his books because I understand the true importance of his content. Secondly I am not, nor ever have been and never will be a Freemason, though I do have masonic blood in both sides of my family; my great uncle was a 33rd degree Mason from the Broome lodge of Western Australia, and on my mother’s side I only have a passing reference of who was actually involved in the organisation, as I never met them before their ultimate expiration from the earth. My connection to the organisation, is, therefore, now reduced to a silver ring that was kept and handed down after said expiration. In regards to my great uncle, I only met him a handful of times as a kid, and only found out about his masonic connection long after I’d started walking down my own metaphysical path.

    I never liked the man particularly much; my first memory of him was him pulling his false teeth out and chasing me around the house with them. Which is probably a good thing, considering the unknown persona he carried with him over and through his deathbed; that he exhibited at one point paedophilic tendencies on certain members of the family – not really something anyone should be surprised by given the amount of similar stories arising about Freemasonic happenings.

    Of course, his victims never spoke about any of it until they had 6 ft of dirt separating him from them. I only found out about it back in 2019, and was – to put it simply – QUITE FUCKING LIVID, as this is something that goes against the very essence of my being, and considering I still genuinely cared for the family member in question. My only solace is knowing that his dementia did a good job of obliterating his brains cells in the years before he finally kicked the bucket. That and the fact that his indiscretions could be considered at the more “minor” end of the spectrum when it comes to the question of psychological damage such individuals can cause upon their victims. I shudder to think there was more than what was brought forward. Maybe it is my own naievity, maybe it’s a defense mechanism to stop me digging too deep into it and setting me off on a path of grave defilement. Whatever, I guess it explains why I thought it necessary to clarify my position.

    In addition to this, I was once approached to join the brotherhood by another old man at a spiritualist circle I used to attend with my mother and SD. As far as I am aware, him and my great uncle had no connection to one another. I politely declined the invitation because at that point I was not interested in submitting the celestial authority that came with the spark that animated my physical being over to a society built upon the idea of a spiritual hierarchy.

    Quite frankly, I’d been astral projecting and lucid dreaming for a decade at that point, and had read all about Aleister Crowley and his Argentum Aurum, the Hermetic Order of The Golden Dawn, Ordo Templi Orientis etc. Call it arrogance – though I call it an unfaltering knowledge of self – the Freemasons seemed to me like just another group of novice Occultists that needed to be handed their divinity piece by piece by climbing through the ranks of the degrees. I preferred to bypass all that shit and reclaim my divinity myself, from the devil himself, if necessary; part of this involved never allowing any other individual or organisation to project false authority over my soul and its progression, as I truly believed that right belonged to my higher self, and my higher self alone.

    Still, he sought the need to hand me some pamphlets on the Freemason’s apparent ideologies and how one cannot become a member unless they have an initiate vouch for them, which, I guess, is what he was planning on doing for me. You don’t get random’s making such an offer unless you have demonstrated you at least know a little bit about what it is you are talking about.

    This does not mean I didn’t research what I could about them (much of which had already been done by the time I was propositioned to join). You may remember I was a steward of the Hell Fire Club which practiced spiritual alchemy. The only reason I had even bothered joining this Club was because it allowed for self initiation, as the club was not interested in using a similar hierarchal method of initiation to the Freemasons. Plus it had some really rare and hard to obtain books on magic, in a specially bound editions, which, like I have mentioned previously, is what really tickled my fancy.

    This all sounds very mysterious, and diabolical, given the English chapter used to meet in the caves of West Wycombe in fancy masks and robes to carry out their rituals (based on Pagan festivities), but in reality my chapter never consisted of more than SD and myself, and all we ever did was sit on a carpet in our own house and throw a coin at a bottle; big fucking whoop. Nothing in comparison to the secret meetings and “architectural marvels” the Freemasons have been known to engage in and construct in the apparent quest to “become better men”. As I mentioned before, I revered knowledge above all personal gain and profit. The Hellfire Club was an interesting avenue into gaining more knowledge of the alchemical process of transmuting the lead of human consciousness into something much more profound and metaphorically “golden”.

    But – and there is a but – being a club heavily inspired by Hermetic teachings, which crosses paths with some Freemasonic concepts and ideologies, it was inevitable that it was going to attract initiates of Freemasonry as well as other societies such as those aforementioned.

    The Stewards for the other Australian (as well as international) Chapters, for example, are themselves occultists, which belong to such organisations as the Freemasons, the Hermetic Order of the Red Dragon etc etc. You have to also consider that this was in the early days of social media, before there were any real dedicated chat rooms where concepts such as the occult (which simply means “hidden” or “hidden knowledge”) could be freely talked about without ridicule from the spiritually inept who would brandish them as devil worshippers etc (wait until you see what the demonologists talk about, lol).

    So you could say that as the international division of the Hellfire Club took off, us members began to realise we had a safe spot to bounce metaphysical concepts and ideas off each other, as each sought to incorporate their own occult knowledge and flavour into their own chapters. I became respected among these other members as I demonstrated knowledge I had picked up on the Kabbalah, Alchemy and the occult in general over many years of study, and likewise I respected them and the knowledge they offered me, a lot of which had to do with Freemasonic processes.

    So yes, I had, and still do have access to a network of high ranking 33rd degree Freemasons, who have some influence over the operations of others in other jurisdictions. To give you an idea of this influence, when a potential recruit – also a low ranking Freemasonic initiate – into our HFC chapter tried to rape SD, I was told if I had brought the matter to one I am in contact with, himself a 33rd degree Freemason, immediately after it had happened, they could have ejected and banned this piece of shit from joining any of the Australian divisions – this is what I mean when I say my knowledge of the occult earnt me some “respect”. Am I involved in their evil diabolical scheme to take over the world?. Hence there are things that I know, some deduced from extension of my studies into the occult, and some communicated directly to me by these Freemasons, but at the end of the day I hold no oaths, or am held by no encumberances when it comes to the distribution of “what I know”. And Hence I have seen both the good and bad parts of the brotherhood, so I am loathe to jump on the bandwagon of vilifying them as a whole. The answer, unfortunately for those who’d have a mind to spin my content as being some form of Freemasonic propaganda, is a somewhat stale and rather definite “no”.

    This does not mean I know all there is to know about the Freemasons and their goings on behind closed doors – honestly, to me, it’s a confusing mess of shit that varies from Rite to Rite and jurisdiction to jurisdiction, that I have no intention of delving too deeply into – but what I do know is that the Temple of Solomon, and the subsequent Greater and Lesser Keys of Solomon, which deal with the summoning of “Djinn” or “demons” is a very integral part of the core concepts that are dealt with within {one aspect of} Freemasonry, as can be evidenced from HERE.

    Unfortunately for the Freemasonic brotherhood, I also know, from another, exterior source, who was directly brought up under an operation involving Extra Terrestrials – a very big one, dating back before WW2 – that the ideologies around such “demons” or “goetic spirits” were originally distorted by the protectors of the very Temple the Freemasons worship (this goes back beyond Hiram Abif), to lead prying eyes down a false road. What was revealed to me by this source, was that the Freemasonic brotherhood was intentionally set up as a front to hide the true identity of what these goetic spirits actually were/are; interdimensional intelligences that could be communicated with and prepared for possession of a willing host through the Solomonic workings, ie the Greater and Lesser Keys. According to my source, Solomon himself, wasn’t exactly “human”; the original builders of his temple knew of this secret, because it was to be a chamber that provided the necessary atmosphere for that intelligence to acclimatise after it found a willing host. True Masons were those who allegedly knew this secret, and my source claims she was brought up by one of them. Of course, I have no way of verifying any of this, so its up to the reader how much salt they want to sprinkle o n that tasty morsel.

    But I can attest to the assertion there is something otherworldly about these books, because I inadvertently summoned one of these entities early one morning and it scared the absolute shit out of me.

    And I do not mean via an LD state either. Here, in this physical world, I accidentally brought one of these entities from its realm into ours, after simply reading from the versions of the Greater and Lesser Keys that I owned.

    I was around about the age of 20, and I had just received my Hell Fire Club Bound Edition (extremely rare and worth $600 – $1200 respectively) copies of these works in the mail; A copy of Aleister Crowley’s own Goetia – the Lesser Key – , replete with his handwritten notes, and a copy of Sepher Maphtea Shalamoh, one of the oldest known surviving manuscripts of the Greater Key –

    Here is a picture of the pages from an identical, non Hellfire Club edition I owned of the Sepher Maphtea Shalamoh. Good luck trying to read it if you don’t know Aramaic Hebrew (I sure as fuck don’t, though if you do I’d be very interested in a helpful translation of the entire thing).

    2023 05 28 10 41
    2023 05 28 10 41

    You hear of people in the occult community who try and use these grimoires to obtain money and power and whatever other materialistic shit they can think of; this wasn’t part of my intention. I had them simply because I wanted the knowledge they contained. I was committed to reading them without ever actually trying the rituals contained within.

    That very night, or more correctly morning as it was about 3am, I was in my caravan (trailer in American speak) playing xbox with my dog, Abby, sat on the couch next to me whilst SD slept in the bed just over from us. All of a sudden I heard a very deep, guttural roaring sound, deeper and louder than any human could ever manage, followed by a stomping from one end of the caravan to other. I was around 100kg at the time and these footsteps shook the caravan much more than I did even when I was in a pissed off mood. They were very, very heavy, and very dense steps – not the footsteps or noise of any Tom cat or animal one would expect to find in that part of Western Australia. Abby was a fearless dog, and this scared the shit even out of her. Make no mistake, this was a good, old fashioned demon summoning if ever there was one. As soon as it finished, the TV went nuts and just started flicking 666 over and over again despite the remote not being jammed under anything, as it was sitting on the table next to me. For anyone who has studied the occult, and certain people of historical fame, that number is an obvious reference to Master Therion, aka Aleister Crowley. How coincidental I’d been reading his copy of the Goetia only hours prior. Regardless, it was good lesson in taking care next time I read the thing.

    So yes, these texts are powerful texts, but I do not recommend fucking with them unless you have balls of steel, and know absolutely what the fuck it is you are doing. And not unless you are intending to be a willing host for an interdimensional consciousness to take up residence in your body; regardless of whether or not this is your intention THIS WHAT THE KEYS INTENDED PURPOSE WAS. They are {allegedly} the original CE5 protocols, and I have a suspicion there are some Freemasons who know this and have incorporated it into the Lodges workings, though I do not think every single Lodge knows about it. Again, maybe that is my own naivety. New age demon worshippers (and yes there a lot of them, facebook now has groups dedicated to the subject – I have watched these spawn into communities from nothing) have no idea what they are fucking around with. Thinking it is a means for quick materialistic manifestations, many of these worshippers will willingly engrave, tattoo, embed the sigils of these interdimensional consciousnesses directly onto their bodies, using blood for ink, using the rituals to “command” these intelligences into doing their bidding etc.

    Talk about fucking amateurs.

    You see why I always had a thirst for knowledge of just what the fuck it was I was getting myself into before diving right into it? If you want to know how possession works, it is carried out via sleep paralysis; I have experienced this directly, and so has SD – the exact same experience. What happens is the dominant consciousness enters via the ear, in my case, the right one, and you feel your own consciousness distort as it gets squeezed to one small side of your head. You can then feel the invading thought form taking up residence in the greater portion of your head that you no longer occupy. It is not a pleasant experience, which I liken to “mind raping”.

    To one who is not lucky enough to even get to sleep paralysis (that is a joke), you will simply wake up and have thoughts that will destroy you if you are unable dissociate yourself from them. In my case, it bent my perception to seeing suicide as a very tempting option, seemingly for no reason, then I remembered the mind worm invader the night previous, shook the thoughts off (repetitively) and they never bothered me again; you must be very savvy as to what constitutes your thoughts, and what are those thoughts from an invading parasite. This was some years after the incident in the caravan so I don’t think the two were related, but still if you see anyone engaging in this level of dumb shittery, high ranking Freemasonic members included, you can bet your bottom dollar they don’t have the faintest idea of what it is they are doing, and are, in all probability going along with something that has been taught at the highest levels, under the idea that a Goetic intelligence is a nefarious spirit to be “commanded to do one’s bidding”. Either that, or they are taking inspiration from Crowley when he deliberately stepped into the circle of the demon Choronzon and let it possess him. Not exactly sure what divine ending they would be expecting from that though.

    The only proper way to communicate with such entities is via the hypnogogic/lucid dreaming state, when connected to the higher information stream of the higher self – this importance needs to be emphasized, because when connected to this information stream things cannot lie to you; you can literally trace their whole existence through MWI and analyse every thought and choice they have ever made; if they are deceiving you, it will show in this analysis. If you can muster the discipline to do away with the ritualistic commands of the Greater and Lesser Keys, the type of shit that apparent Masters of the Occult, like Crowley, suggested were necessary, and actually meet them face to face in their own domain with a level of respect, you might find they are willing to reveal to you “forbidden knowledge” of the earth and the greater cosmos; who do you think the “President” of the Unseen 5 that showed me “the fall” was? Wink wink. Of course, if you haven’t prepared your consciousness accordingly, the energetic signature of these spirits will likely be too intense for you to bear (another reason why you need the higher information processing capabilities of the higher self). It is just simply too much information for your consciousness to be able to handle. But it is sure a hell of a lot less intense than standing face to face with the Grand Architect of the universe, what the big G in the middle of the Masonic square and compass represents. Just trust me on that one

    “The spirits of the Goetia are portions of the human brain. Their seals therefore represent methods of stimulating or regulating those particular spots (though the eye).” – Aleister Crowley, The Initiated Interpretation of Ceremonial Magic in the Goetia.)

    And I quote from the previous link:

    “If we as masons want to look at this in a philosophical sense we are all seeking to be the wise King Solomon. We must unlock the brass vessel of our own unconscious mind releasing all the aspects of ourselves we care not to let out. Each demon can be seen as an aspect of our personality that we keep hidden from the world. It is the goal of the magician with the aid of angels and magickal weapons to face the dark aspects of him and symbolically slay and expel those forces from our own spiritual nature, thus purifying him. This medieval system of what some would consider “black magick” is simply a way to reflect upon the aspects of our own psyche. If we as individuals wish togain the wisdom of the archetypal king, we should face the shadow of ourselves and the demons that well in the void of our own nightmares.”

    So the Freemasons, channeling their inner Carl Jung, believe that the texts allow an unlocking of deep aspects of the psyche which must be vanquished with the help of the “angels”….so what happens if the angels are really demons in disguise and are the very things responsible for those darker aspects of the self arising in the first place?

    The Native Americans believed in such a concept they called the Wetiko, which they considered to be a sort of psychic virus that attached itself to the psyche of man and inflated his ego to the point he would put his own selfishness before empathy; Paul Levy does a good write up of this at https://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/3472

    Can you see where I am going with this? Through the illusion of duality of good and evil “spirits” – ie, angels vs demons – and the failure to understand that one’s own consciousness is originally of the highest attainable divine status, (ie, failure to adhere to a very basic and core concept of the occult) the Freemasons have allowed the submission of their own divine authority over to lesser divine parasitic entities, so that these same entities may “help” liberate them from a problem they {potentially} had a hand in causing in the first place.

    To anyone who has read even a small amount of Carl Jung’s work in this area, it could be argued shadow work does not need to involve the help of supposed “angels” or “guides” to be carried out. In fact, repetitive self psychological evaluation was part of my “magickal undertakings”; I use to evaluate myself and my thoughts and try to understand where they had arisen, and what had caused them in my constant effort to “know myself” – again a basic edict of Alchemy. For us lucid dreamers, who can literally enter into the parts of our subconscious mind and “see” the thoughts as they arise, and what the shadow self is actually comprised of, and analyse these completely from an objective viewpoint, the last thing we need is “help”.

    So where does this leave me? I already met the “Grand Architect”, who I called the All Being, back in 2016. What could any Freemasonic Lodge offer me if the whole goal of their brotherhood is to eventually bring one’s consciousness into contact with such a being? Seems I must have been quite learned in “High Magick” to achieve this feat without ever bothering to join their organisation.

    The supposed “evil” nature of the Goetic spirits does not match to their temperament when met under LD – they can be considered very respectable intelligences in this domain – which suggests to me the Solomonic rituals are actually subverting the communication over to other entities who do not want us contacting these spirits because of the information they {the Goetic spirits} hold. If my source {and assumptions from my experiences and those in my inner circle} is correct and these are indeed inter dimensional intelligences, then the question must be asked: who is summoning what when using such ceremonial methods as the Freemasons and Crowley used?

    Let’s continue from that link shall we?

    “Before one sincerely attempts to evoke these demons, one should first spend some time invoking the 72 counterpart angels of the Almadel. The Almadel is a very enlightening experience and puts the magician in touch with the aspects of virtue within the psyche of the individual. This should be required for two reasons, one: one should be in touch with their inner strength before they face the demons, and two: the angels of the Almadel have direct control over the demons of the brass vessel. The Almadel is a system of scrying into a crystal ball over an altar made of wax upon which are engraved the Holy names of God. Remember that invocation is to call down a power within your spirit and mind, so you invoke angels to bring them closer. The Magician will evoke demons, to bring from within ones self into manifestation.
    
    After one has made meaningful contact with his own inner angelic forces, he is now mentally and spiritually prepared to venture into the darkness of his own being. This system of High Magick should only be attempted by those who have magickal training, or are learned practitioners of ceremonial magick. This system to the unprepared is VERY DANGEROUS, and can be disastrous for those who approach the subject manner with a light heart or contempt in the mind. A short exert from the Lesser Key of Solomon will show the level of seriousness this system deserves.
    
    Curse you and deprive you from all your offices and places of joy and place and do bind thee in the depths of the bottomless pit, there to remain until the day of judgment; I say into the lake of fire and brimstone… let all the company of heaven curse thee… let the hosts of heaven curse thee, I curse thee into fire unquenchable, and torments unspeakable as thy name and seal is contained in this box, chained and bound up and shall be choked in sulphurus and stinking substance and burnt in this material fire… which is prepared for thee damned and cursed spirits and there to remain until the day of doom and never more remembered of before the face of God which shall come to judge the dead and the world by fire.” (Lesser Key of Solomon, Book 1: Ars Goetia)

    The Goetic demons require quite an elaborate array of magical implements such as a magic robe, wand, sword, circle, ring, brass vessel containing the 72 sigils of demons, black mirror within the magick triangle, and a very good memory. These evocations are quite lengthy and the magickal ritual can last quite awhile, especially when in a hypnotic trance which is required. “

    What we have a case of is “the bible told us these {demons} were bad, and that these {angels} were good, so we will employ the service of the good guys and not question their motives”. That’s fine if you are of a religious inclination, but I never have been so the core concepts behind such a dualistic method of thinking in Freemasonry simply do not fit with my ideological makeup. The two are not compatible, therefore there is no reason for me to be a part of their Brotherhood.

    My first novel, Dreaming Demons, as appalling as it was (first novels are always shit, especially when you are trying to offend as many people as possible with it), attempted to explain this difference in temperament between the Goetic spirits outside of the dualistic concepts of good and evil. It was a 120k word story which featured Astaroth as the main character (though “his” name was written backwards). As I was writing this book, I one day had an urge to switch on the TV, which was strange because I never watched TV in the day time. I specifically remember just randomly stopping typing and walking over to it and flicking it on. So what are the odds, that at that exact moment the movie Bedknobs and Broomsticks was on, and the children were discussing “finding the Star of Astaroth? One in several million billion I bet. Astaroth is the 29th spirit of the Goetia and is said to “show people the fall”. His rank, as mentioned by Crowley, was Duke, though other spirits held the rank of President. So when I was shown “the Fall” by the leader of the Unseen 5, I was also shown that his rank is no longer Duke but now rather President – this is why he was taking the form of then president Obama. Does that clarify who this organisation really is? It should be obvious by now that it is the real Ashtar{oth}/ Command – not that fake ass bullshit one finds discussed in new age circles.

    In case you weren’t aware, Astaroth was synonymous with The Phoenician goddess Astarte, the Babylonian Ishtar, and the Sumerian Inanna:

    The name Astaroth was ultimately derived from that of 2nd millennium BC Phoenician goddess Astarte,[1] an equivalent of the Babylonian Ishtar, and the earlier Sumerian Inanna. She is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible in the forms Ashtoreth (singular) and Ashtaroth (plural, in reference to multiple statues of it). This latter form was directly transliterated in the early Greek and Latin versions of the Bible, where it was less apparent that it had been a plural feminine in Hebrew. – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astaroth

    This should give you an idea of just how old the Unseen 5 really is. They have been monitoring humanity from their vantage point in the astral planes since at least the time of Ancient Sumeria.

    So, to summarise the question of whether or not I am a Freemason, the answer is no, and the reasons are:

    Submission of one’s own celestial authority over to lesser intelligences is the first failing step to what many occult and Hermetic societies strived to achieve. The ranking system of the Freemasons (and many other secret societies for that matter) is a sure fire guaranteed way of diminishing this celestial authority even further, and submits to the idea man is a lesser intelligence that must evolve its way into divinity, rather than already possessing a ticket of entry.

    Freemasons believe in the duality of angel vs demon arising from a core religious belief that centres around Christianity. The subjectivity and personal nature of religion provides a weakness for manipulative entities to exploit, in my opinion, hence why I believe all occult practices should be done with an objective mind free from emotion and religious doctrine.

    Freemasonry can’t offer anything in the development and understanding of the psyche beyond what Lucid dreaming can offer. Ritual becomes redundant when you can enter into the very part of the mind the ritual seeks to exploit and directly push the buttons that exist therein.

    Personal Experience tells me that the Goetic spirits are real interdimensional intelligences that very much differ from being simply deeply repressed aspects of the shadow self, and that they hold some every important information about humans and their {true} cosmological history. Those in my inner circle, through their own experiences, agree with this assessment. This does not fit in with the Freemasonic understanding of these spirits.

    I’ve already met the Grand Architect, there is simply nothing the brotherhood can offer me in the form of spiritual liberation.

     

    .

    [daegonmagus] – Part 30 – A Report on the Operational Characteristics of the ET Craft I Piloted

    The following is the 30th part from a series of articles describing the adventure that a follower who goes by the handle "daegonmagus" has experienced since reading MM. They are very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you all learn from his journey and maybe learn a thing or two as he relates his unique experiences to the readership here. 
    
    Lately he has been conducting lucid dreaming (LD) to map out the subconscious / non-physical realms that surround us. His writings are very interesting, but describe things way beyond my understanding. Never the less, many MM readers find great value in his experiences, and writings, and one can easily see benefit in reading his writings. 
    
    I hope that you enjoy this article.
    
    -MM

    .

    Up to date version

    This article is in HTML. It is version 1.

    A better version of this summary is on PDF, and it corrects some errors and adds some more detail.

    I suggest that you read this PDF, downloadable HERE rather than reading this summary…

    If it is more convenient to read here in HTML, go ahead…

    A Report on the Operational Characteristics of the ET Craft I Piloted, (later TBD) Accompanied by a Video Simulation:

    The following report is based on an experience I had on the 27th June 2022 in which I believe I was successful in having my consciousness merged and attached to what most people would consider an extra terrestrial space craft. Whilst this falls under the category of a Lucid Dreaming/ Astral Projection experience, these forms of nomenclature are, in my opinion, not sufficient in describing the vividness of the experience, which was comparable to the vividness of waking, physical reality. It is for this reason I have decided to write this report including as much detail as possible, so it can hopefully be built upon by other explorers of consciousness. I am confident that there is valuable information here that will give insight into the potential operating parameters of ET spacecraft visiting our planet. I am currently working on an accompanying video simulating what it was like to fly this space craft. The original article I wrote can be found at [daegonmagus] – Part 26 – Lucid Astral Projection – The Consciousness Craft Launch Facility and Something Dwelling in the Red Planet: – Metallicman, albeit, much to my chagrin I had not found much time to properly scrutinize the experience and draft a proper report on my findings when I wrote it. This document is to make up for that, though bear in mind it has been written several months after the fact. I apologise, for not writing this sooner, as life got in the way.

    To the layman, and those who have not had Out of Body experiences such as astral projection and lucid dreaming this report might come as a bit outlandish in its claims. It is therefore important to understand some back context derived through many years worth of experimentations in lucid dreaming I myself have conducted over several decades and note some passages from prior works in this field of Ufology that are relevant to what is being discussed here. Hopefully, I can then provide a logical process by which other consciousness explorers may adapt to their own voluntary OBE sessions to achieve similar results. I am confident in my assertions that further investigation into this material will yield results that will make the scientific community pay more attention to astral projection and lucid dreaming. In saying that though I am only one man who is limited to only a very narrow window of knowledge and skillsets which can be used for the purpose of scientifically investigating this matter (specifically electronics and radio propagation theory), therefore I welcome any input and advice from others whose own windows of knowledge and skills can further compliment this research. I have done my best to provide as much information as possible to give a starting point for further investigation, but at the end of the day, much of this model has been derived through my own interpretations of what I was experiencing that may prove to be inaccurate. However, I do not think these inaccuracies warrant this material to a swift shuffling into the dustbin, and am confident that they can be ironed out if enough manpower takes the subject herein seriously enough.

    An integral part of the theory being discussed here is the idea that consciousness and the physical body are two completely separate things that interface with one another to provide a singularly functioning biological machine that is capable of perceiving and interacting with the physical world around it. It is important to cast aside Darwinian theory of evolution here, as it does nothing to assess the consciousness components that drive said machine, and assumes, rather incorrectly, that consciousness and body are one combined “thing”, inseparable until at least the expiration of the biological body through death. While the evolutionary model of the biological body through Darwinian theory is likely correct (I have no intention of setting out to prove or disprove it), it fails to provide any rationale to the consciousness component and somewhat considers it as an after thought in the question of human {intelligence} evolution. I therefore argue that if consciousness existed before the body (from the rationale that it is too complex to evolve to its current position through a single incarnation), then it deserves a much more thorough scrutinisation, and its own theory of evolution to be applied.

    Based on my own experiments and experiences during my OBEs, consciousness, itself, is a superior technology, far in advance of what humans can consider our greatest technological achievements, of which only very advanced civilizations are able to fully realize (for the sake of the argument we will consider these advanced civilizations as being of extra terrestrial nature, or non human, as the human experience is a direct consequence of their manipulation strategies of this superior technology – something which has been directly communicated to me during OBEs, by representatives of such advanced civilisations). It is an extremely versatile component and energy source, of a quantum construction that is extremely adaptable to its own environment. What do I mean by this? To put it simply, through the voluntary act of initiating an OBE, or more specifically through initiating a conscious transition into the sleeping state (where consistent awareness is carried over and no break in understanding or memory is allowed to interfere before sleep is induced), one can deliberately change the dynamics of their own consciousness and manipulate it at a quantum level, to experience things of an indescribable nature to the layman who is yet to have an OBE.
    To the investigators of quantum physics, this equates to a witnessing and understanding of the other side of the quantum domain, where Schrodinger’s cat is both alive and dead at once (metaphorically speaking). Where the particle becomes wave and the seemingly impossible becomes possible.

    So now we understand that consciousness is a superior, quantum based technology, we can start to gain an understanding of the relationship between consciousness and body, and the irrelevance of Darwinian theory thus becomes apparent. Indeed, consciousness is an entirely separate thing to the body, and can actually be detached from it voluntarily through advanced lucid dreaming practices. Through years of practice, I became somewhat of an expert at regularly achieving this level of detachment, in which I took the opportunities to experiment with just what exactly is achievable by consciousness whilst in this state, pushing it beyond limits that can be explained through common rationality and logic. This detachment can be felt during the aforementioned conscious transition into the sleeping state, where the “interfaces” that allow movements of the limbs and data to be obtained and processed through the nervous system are felt to “fall away”, in which physical reality then becomes replaced by a quantum reality, and where the act of thought creates a seemingly physical environment to manifest around you (what we commonly equate to being dreamscapes).
    It is here that consciousness can be tuned out of resonance with the body and made to adapt to other containers, of both physical and non physical (quantum) nature, simply by the use of tought.

    How exactly is this achieved? I once had a lucid dreaming experience which I believe offers valuable insight into this question. In the dream, my physical reality was applied like a holographic overlay over my dream environment as I awoke. This physical picture of my room “grew” in definition the closer I got to waking up until I was completely awake, washing out the dreamscape as it did so. During this holographic overlaying of physical reality, I observed a back and forth “wave like” effect (of the holographic physical reality) that moved back and forth through its wave’s peaks at a rate somewhere around 0.5Hertz.Originally I stated this to be about 4Hz, but after reassessing these waves, I figured it closer to being 0.5Hz, based on my understanding of frequency. I immediately applied my (somewhat limited) expertise in radio modulation to my mode of thinking to try and conceptualise what was happening during this experience. After several years of studying that radio theory more in depth (and comparing it to an experience whereby I remembered my own reincarnation and my consciousness being placed within the fetus of my current incarnation, again courtesy of lucid dreaming), my arriving hypothesis is that the brain emits a carrier wave somewhere down this end of the ELF spectrum, (the exact frequency I suspect which can be determined through the application of standard antenna theory to the neurological/ nervous system pathways assuming they act as complex antenna arrays that are susceptible to drift tuning from the parasitic oscillations derived through the natural inductances, capacitances and resistances inherent within the body’s fats and salts) and that consciousness “rides” on the envelope of this carrier in a similar way to how an audio frequency can be modulated on to an AM carrier wave. It could also be closer to an FM or PM wave, though admittedly I have not bothered trying to conceptualize this operating potential beyond simple imaginings.

    An important note is to be made here; the formulas associated with finding wavelengths and frequency are based on the idea of electromagnetic radiation being propagated at the speed of light (minus 5% on earth due to atmospheric influence). Whilst these formulas may provide an explanation of the physical, biological body’s energetic radiation (and thus may determine its carrier wave frequency), it would seem that mode of thought (the consciousness signal that rides upon the carrier) operates much fast than the speed of light, which means that an entirely new set of formulas would likely need to be devised before attempting to calculate these thought component wavelengths/ frequencies. I suspect that this modulation operation is actually achieved through a range of harmonic carriers, rather than one stand alone frequency, and would suggest dream researchers study more in depth, the envelopes between the brainwaves picked up through EEG equipment, rather than the actual waves themselves. In other words, try looking for information where at first glance there doesn’t appear to be any.

    In another lucid dreaming experience I was in a hypnogogic state bordering a conscious transition into the sleeping state, and caught a signal from nearby non physical intelligence. This signal I heard coming through like a typical broken radio signal, interlaced with heavy static/ white noise, that almost completely drowned at the audible component of the signal out. Given that in these states of mind, thoughts produce tangible environments, I deliberately used my thoughts to manifest a radio dial in which I was then able to tune out this white noise interference and bring out the fidelity in the audible signal. I understood this immediately as being “not of human or earth origins”, as whatever was speaking spoke in a “clickity clack” dialect that had no familiarity to any language I had ever heard; I had no idea what they were saying.
    Almost simultaneously as I tuned into this frequency, I was “teleported” to a sort of large ship (no longer in hypnogogia but on the otherside of transitioning into the sleeping state) filled with a strange liquid where telepathic images were transmitted to me about what these creatures looked like (not describable), as well as gesturing me to enter a strange cylinder device to my side. Upon entering the cylinder, I underwent a calibration process, whereby an understanding of this foreign language immediately happened. The details of that conversation are irrelevant to this report and have been discussed elsewhere in my literature. After having many experiences of contact with non physical “alien” intelligences within these states, I am very confident in my assertion that the operational characteristics of consciousness can be finely tuned whilst consciously aware one is in this state.

    So, to summarize, the hypothesis is that the biological human body is simply a vessel that locks consciousness into it through the use of what essentially equates to signal modulation. Through deliberately induced lucid dreaming (or more specifically Wake Induced Lucid Dreaming) one can gain access to the mechanisms that allow them to control and tune their consciousness away from this “capturing” frequency of the human body, in which it can then be primed for habitation within other vessels both of biological and non biological substance.

    We now take a look at the testimony of Lt Colonel Philip J Corso (which was relayed in his book The Day After Roswell) in which he states his assumption (from reports he read) that the craft that crashed at Roswell in 1947 seemingly had no operational controls that one would expect to find in conventional aircraft, and that this particular craft was possibly controlled by an extraterrestrial consciousness that was able to be tethered in with it. In the book, Corso mentions how the suits worn by the ETs also somehow allowed control of the craft by emitting an electromagnetic signature that matched in with the craft. Corso’s assumptions are heavily similar to my own determinations of using a carrier frequency to lock consciousness within a biological body; in fact if you substitute the space craft for the human body they are almost identical, and these were hypotheticals I was conceptualizing years before reading his book.

    Further, in the Alien Interview (an alleged manuscript of an interview with the alien from the same Roswell Crash) Airl, the alien suggests a very similar mode of piloting their craft by moving their consciousness into it. Regardless of whether or not either of these works are legitimate or not, they present a very workable hypothesis that I believe warrants further investigation, which I used as a basis for experimentation during my own lucid dreams: deliberately using induced OBEs to target and hijack functional ET spacecraft.

    Based on my experiences and experiments therein, I can state with 100% surety that Lt Col Corso was correct in his assessment, but that he failed to identify deliberately induced OBEs, such as Lucid Dreaming and Astral Projection as a very reliable means in achieving operational control of extra terrestrial vehicles (if you believe the military industrial complex hadn’t already worked this out). I remind the reader of this article that I am very well versed in what constitutes a sub conscious dream, a deliberately constructed (visualised) dream, an astral projection experience, hypnogogia, sleep paralysis and the difference between all of them. What my experience entailed was something completely different; it was a rerouting of my consciousness into an extra terrestrial space vehicle that I wore and experienced in the exact same way I experience the physical body I use to type these words. I was physically present in (physical) outer space whilst operating this vehicle, not simply buzzing around the astral plane (which I have done before and also managed to bump into some kind of flying UFO).. The following is based on notes I was able to take during that flight out of the solar system into incredibly “deep” space, which hoping will one day be taken as validation of the experience, when space exploration technology progresses to a point where a more thorough exploration to the region of space I was in can be carried out.

    The Vanquish DM-22 Specifications:

    Given my appreciation of the craft in question, and the achievement of the experience, I feel the need to refer to it in specific manner, so that no confusion can be made if this craft is ever witnessed in our local region of space. Thus I came up with the name Vanquish DM-22; Vanquish (because it seemed like the space fairing equivalent of an Aston Martin V12 Vanquish, also fitting considering the safety of feeling being able to “vanquish” any offensive attack that came my way), and DM – 22 in reference to my initials and the year I first flew it. Flying this craft was a very big deal for me.

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    2023 02 12 14 57

    Size and shape were hard to determine, as a) it is hard to determine the outside of a body you are currently inside of (just like we cannot determine the shapes of our own bodies without a mirror, except for those parts we can see), and b) the distance between celestial bodies gave a distorted perception of size, particularly at the speeds I was travelling. In saying that though, I got the feeling of a sort of spinning top as a basic silhouette of shape (through my field of vision and based on what I could “feel”, just like one can “feel” their head is a certain shape without touching it). I am confident the above CAD model is a close representation of its shape, considering. The bottom point of the VDM-22 would be what I consider the standout feature, as I could feel this as being the main “limb” of the VDM-22. Most of the control points (the “nerves” of the craft) seemed to gather at this bottom point.

    Based on the hangar length, and that the VDM-22’s width was almost touching each side of the launch “chimney”, then considering my perspective of the chimney whilst inside of it, then once again outside in space, I am guessing the diameter was somewhere around 20m. I consider this to be a less accurate assumption than estimating the shape as I had a limited frame of reference to work off. The movement of celestial bodies past the ship suggested the size was astronomically large, but again at those distances and speeds it becomes almost impossible to tell. Extrapolating from the idea I was able to eventually land on Mars, is suggestive the craft was much smaller than that particular planet. At the same time, using the atmospheric boundary of the same planet during landing also suggests it was bigger than conventional earth shuttles.

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    2023 02 12 14 59

    The “ears” of the VDM-22 body seemed to be some kind of telepathic transceiver that increased audible range to the point that atmospheric noise could be heard with crystal clear clarity from great distances. Noises very similar to those compiled by NASA on what planets “sound like” could be heard on approach to certain planets, which faded as one moved away from them. According to NASA these particular frequencies (before being manipulated by them so they could be heard by the human ear) sit somewhere within the 800MHz spectrum, suggesting this craft body allows the filtering of signals far beyond the 20kHz limit of the human ear. Through the use of the HUD, zooming in to a neighboring galaxy also allowed one to pin point the audio signals coming from that region of space. Interlaced throughout this white noise, in various star clusters, intelligent voices could be heard quite easily. It appeared that certain planets were also conscious (as if consciousness had taken up residence in them like I was taking up residence in this craft) and exhibited intelligence to the level they were able to seemingly communicate (which took the form of English, assumedly translated through the craft’s “ears”) with other nearby planets and me as I approached them. An apparent Martian intelligence was one such example that seemed quite dominant and “loud” and easily discernible even from deep space. Two way communication with these intelligences could be achieved through first zooming into their region of space and using thought as a transmission medium. This zooming feature allowed identification of planetary bodies to extremely high detail from vast distances over several hundred lightyears away.

    It was also apparent that some of these planetary transmissions had been set up as beacons to provide navigational data to similar space craft that would be traversing the area.

    I was also able to use a stellarium astronomy software that came with a telescope I bought, called Starry Night 8, to devise a very close simulated representation of some aspects of the experience, and derive from it interesting data in the form of star maps that allowed me to approximate in space I was, as well as speeds I was achieving with this craft. This simulation will be included in the aforementioned video along with animations to better show the process of how to merge ones consciousness with these type of craft.

    The speeds of the VDM-22 can be broken down into 3 categories of operation: atmospheric, local space and outer galaxy speeds. Atmospheric was the initial speed upon launching from the facility tunnel perched on the top of an asteroid I tracked using Starry Night 8 to being somewhere near the Pawlowia Asteroid during the time of the experience. I have in my head (and I don’t know why) that the approximate length of the tunnel the VDM-22 was hangared in was between 32 and 36km in length (protruding directly into space). This length was covered in about 10 seconds, which equates to about a 13000km/hr initial “launch” speed and presented the hardest part to navigate, as I was very much aware there was limited clearance between the edges of my craft body and the tunnel walls (within a mere meter). Extreme focus must be given to propel the craft at this speed through such a confined space. I knew if I was out by even small degree, at that distance I would crash into these tunnel walls and the experience would end.

    How to Achieve Flight Control of the Vanquish DM-22:

    To understand how to gain operational control of the Vanquish DM-22, we must first delve a bit deeper into this idea that one experiences a detachment of the consciousness mechanisms from the interfaces of the human body that allow motor control over the limbs etc which can be directly ported over to a target space craft. I mentioned previously that consciousness whilst out of body (lucid dreaming, not astral projecting, as consciousness is still attached to an energetic body with the latter) is extremely versatile in its ability to adapt to its quantum environment. This should be taken as meaning that consciousness can exhibit an infinite range of movement and form whilst in this state, that does not conform to typical standards related to the physical plane. These mechanisms therefore can be considered as control points with an endless number of ways that they can be arranged. When locked within the body, these control points take the typical bipedal human form, which appears like a tree branch that extends out from the head, down both sides and branches off at the arms or the legs (I highly recommend vigourous study of the Kabbalistic tree of life, as it provides the template of consciousness whilst in human form, according to the students of it). If we consider a MO capped stick figured commonly used a basis for building CGI characters off the movements of real people, this acts as a good mock representation of these control points. We can then start to identify the crucial control points and designate them with specific alphanumeric characters:

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    2023 02 12 15 00

    What we now have is a rudimentary map of the “quantum body” (my own terminology). This body should in no way be compared to the astral or etheric bodies, as it is really just a ball of energy without any recognizable form – our consciousness in pure consciousness state. What our quantum body map allows us is a means to conceptualise how these control points are reshaped according to the interfaces of whatever vehicle it is being adapted to. In the case of the interstellar craft I was lucky enough to pilot, this shape takes a similar form to the typical sitting lotus position many people use to engage in meditation, if only differing from the position of the hand control points that would equate to resting in the middle of the lap. If one takes our stick figure, arranges it into this position, and then compares it to the typical flying saucer shape, the similarities between the two, should immediately become apparent. This will give an idea of where the consciousness control points will “sit” within the craft that is being piloted.

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    2023 02 12 15 00e

    We can then equate specific gestures that are activated within our biological “meat suit” bodies courtesy of our consciousness stimulating these control points, with actual real time space craft controls. This is the key to controlling these craft. Effectively what you are doing is stimulating these same control points which are now tethered to different parts of the craft in question rather than your biological body. This is how I was able to propel this vehicle at incredible speeds into very deep space.

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    2023 02 12 15 02

    Through my experience piloting this craft I made the following observations mid flight on how control of the craft through these control points is realized. These determinations were made after going through a “calibration process” or “dance” by which I had to become acquainted with these gestures before I could properly fly the craft.

    • The shape of the saucer has nothing to do with aero dynamics (which always eluded me due to the idea in the vacuity of space velocity is not effected by drag ); it has to do with the turning motion of consciousness within the craft. In the craft I was in, it was as if there was an invisible central axis running from top to bottom that was the main housing for my consciousness. An action comparable to turning my head to look in a certain direction was achieved by spinning consciousness around this axis in either a clockwise or counter clockwise motion. This allowed a 360 pivot and scouting of one’s entire surroundings without any actual physical movement of the craft being carried out. When propelling forward, turning of the vehicle was achieved by rotating consciousness around this axis, which was almost instantaneous. This allowed tight 90 degree bends to be achieved rather effortlessly mid flight.

    2023 02 12 15 032
    2023 02 12 15 032

    • As consciousness was spun around this central axis, the control points, which were embedded into walls of the vehicle, also spun with it.
    • To move through the z axis, the control points of the head are used to what would equate to a looking up or looking down gesture, except that the craft never tilted as our head would do when making such a gesture. It always stayed in the same position relative to how consciousness was viewing (through the x/y axis) from within the central “cockpit”.

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    2023 02 12 15 04

    • To strafe left and right on the x axis we take the triangular arrangement of control points at the top of the forearm, the elbow, and the top of the bicep and push them out to the side, we wish to strafe to, like we are elbowing someone in the ribs. An elbow “jab” would equate to a quick evasive “jump” in that direction, whilst a prolonged “shove” would propel the VDM-22 quite a distance.
    • A tilt of the craft (ie left or right) was achievable by using this same triangular arrangement of control points and bringing them down to our side (like we are making a chicken flying gesture). This would equate to a “barrel roll” around the y axis on whatever side the control points were on, allowing the ship’s relative plane to be changed.

    2023 02 12 15 05
    2023 02 12 15 05

     

    • A forward propelling motion through the y axis equated to taking all control points above the pelvis (from the middle of through the arms and fingers to the head) and pushing them forward, like they comprised a joystick.
    • Braking was achievable by pulling these same control points back to center.
    • Reverse was simply the opposite of forward propelling through the x axis using the same control points, or a “lean” back motion.
    • A detailed HUD map of current location was accessible through simple thought. This is hard to explain but it effectively allowed one to target areas of interest as well as zoom in incredible distances (into neighboring galaxies) in order to pin point travel destinations. It was effectively like switching from 1st person to third person view, except the craft was not visible during the process. My assumption is that it was some sort of controlled method of projecting consciousness into these regions, not comparable to astral projection.
    • Targeting of areas of interest were achievable by using the control points equated with the fingers. Rapid, multiple target acquisition could be achieved similarly to playing a piano or typing on a computer keyboard when the HUD was activated (if you could fit it into the crammed space of your lap in the lotus position).

    Close scrutiny of the above should allow one to conceptualize a near complete range of movement through all 3 axes and explain the evasion techniques seen by most UFO encounters by pilots. In addition to the above I also had an inkling that the control points of the toes (ie wriggling them) would activate the on board weapons arsenal, which I never bothered testing due to an inner knowing it would be quite devastating (beyond humankind’s worst weapons). This knowledge of having these weapons on board was comparable to the understanding one has male reproductive organs whilst sitting in this (lotus) position; one does not have to “take them out” or “play with them” to know they are there. I suspect it was some kind of laser system, but as I never used it, this is just a guess. I understood that I was a force to be reckoned with, that the composition of my space craft body was virtually indestructible and almost wished for another craft to engage me so I could so test out the defence capabilities of the VDM-22. I felt confidant that I was the biggest fish in the universe, and nothing was going to injure me.

    Body Disconnection and Spacecraft Reattachment Process:

    Importance must be given to the Hypngogic phase of the OBE, as there is a very small window of opportunity between properly disconnecting consciousness from the body, then attaching it to another usable vessel. Whilst hypnagogia can be considered as a cleavage point of consciousness, where it is “drifting” away from the physical body, but still attached to it, it does not equate to a full separation. Proper separation of consciousness from the body happens very quickly after consciousness inverts from its projected outward state which one experiences from hypnagogia (as well as from sleep paralysis) as a fast “sucking backwards” sensation in which it is pulled away from all hypnogogic imagery (what would happen if Han Solo slammed the millennium falcon in reverse whilst in hyperdrive). This inversion of consciousness is where the physical world becomes supplanted by the quantum one, where the attachment mechanisms of the body fall away and is the crucial point at which consciousness must be quickly tethered to its new container. In the case of my experience, this tethering was achieved by a sort of {non physical} hook that hung from the hallway roof that had the ability to pull my consciousness out of the body I was remote viewing from, and orient it in such a way that it aligned with the space craft cockpit (which was rotated 90 degrees in reference to the ground plane of the facility), and simultaneously merged me into it. It seemed it was by almost sheer luck the timing of this hook hitting me coincided with a conscious transition into the sleeping state, but it is more likely that the hook actually initiated the transition.
    My suggestion here is that this hook is probably standard affair in many ET space craft docks, or at least those that exhibit an effortless ability to move their consciousness between different containers. An important take away from this is that hypnogogia can be used to target a specific craft through remote viewing practices.

    Interestingly – and I am going to be bold with this statement – our models of neighboring galaxies seem to be somewhat inaccurate. According to this experience, I can say with 100% certainty that the Milky Way is not the largest galaxy in this region of space, and that we have a neighboring twin of roughly the same size that comes off perpendicularly to it.

    The Experience:

    The experience began as an involuntary remote viewing in hypnagogic trance. If I wanted to I could move my body and get up out of bed, but my consciousness was almost completely “away” and viewing from inside of a body that was walking around the launch facility, which took the form of a typical hospital insofar as layout and design was concerned. I was, evidently, on the very cusp of falling asleep. It is important in this stage of the veiwing, one intentionally refrains from exploring any random thoughts that present themselves, and just let the viewing unfold, as experience tells me that any focus away from the events unfolding in the viewing session has a tendancy to ruin it. I thus watched as this body walked about 50m down a hallway, past what appeared to be a cafeteria lounge, turn right through a door way and then walk down a neighboring hallway back from the direction I had just come. I passed what appeared to be two female reception staff to my left sitting at a table which appeared to have a doorway to outside behind it. The whole effort was quite casual, including the very brief conversation that was had with these reception staff; mine and my escort’s destination was through some blast doors that were located just up ahead. Upon reaching just in front of these blast doors the hook became evident. This was of non physical nature, but I could see it, not through the eyes of the body I was observing through, but through my own consciousness. It looked like a standard length of metal that protruded from the roof, and folded at a 90 angle towards the direction I was coming from – perfectly aligning with the centre of my forehead. The end of the hook seemed to taper into a sharp point.
    I had barely had time to react before the head of body I was observing through walked was pierced this hook.
    My consciousness immediately underwent the same transition into the sleeping state I have become accustomed to experiencing during my lucid dreams. I entered on into the same void space (written about elsewhere), only that this hook seemed to turn my consciousness 90 degrees upwards as it transitioned; if you picture Han Solo throwing his Millenium Falcon into a sideways back flip as he hits hyper drive in reverse, this is what it felt like; it takes much practice for one to find their bearings through such confusion, and is, in my opinion, the “fun” part of the whole affair. I immediately noticed a cluster of stars coming through what appeared to be a circular hole in this void space. My immediate realization was that this “void space” was some sort of non physical (quantum) hangar; I had just never bothered looking upwards in my other experiences with it. Ie, every time one enters into the sleeping state and into this void space, they are entering into one of these quantum hangars (even if they don’t remember it).

    There was a slight period of distortion during the engagement period of my consciousness control points interfacing in within the craft body, similar to how when one first wakes up they are in a daze and their arms and legs are yet to work properly. After several seconds this haze wore off, and I was now completely attached and using this craft as if it was my own body, perceiving the physical, cylindrical, structure of the hanger. The interesting part of this haze period, was that the hangar seemingly went from being in non physical state to becoming solid as the haze wore off, and I could make out, with great vividness, tapered ridges running the entire length of the launch “chimney”. I can remember the roaring sound my thruster exhausts made as it echoed along these tapered ridges, as I propelled the craft forward, towards the opening with the stars, taking care not to move too close to the sides of the launch. This marked the hardest part of the flight; I was aware that any slight movement or twitching of the control interfaces would crash the craft into this chimney, so particular attention was paid to slowly accelerating forward until I was confident I wasn’t going to drift into it. At the same time, I had launch protocols being relayed to me via telepathic means by an unknown party, and I could feel their presence through telepathic means (not describable). A few seconds later I arrived at the opening and shot out of the chimney into space where I could see, in very vivid detail a ring of asteroids circling our sun. These asteroids looked like wet rocks glistening from the rays of light of the sun that were hitting them.

    Once in open space, I underwent the calibration process to better get acquainted with the consciousness control points and how they would move the craft. This calibration process was a few minutes of me “dancing” around in space doing barrel rolls and amateur flips as if I was taking a car out to a parking lot to learn how to drive it properly. I am therefore quite sure in my assessment of the above control point manipulation to space craft operation criteria; I had to run myself through it before I could properly control the craft; it was like stretching ones limbs before playing a football game to make sure they work properly. The entire time I was aware of the base launch facility beneath me perched on a small asteroid. The facility appeared somewhat like it was made of brick work (something I found curious given its location in the middle of space) and was probably about fifty by one hundred meters in area, several stories high. The launch tunnel was several tens of kilometers in length.

    After a quick tour of this asteroid ring, pin pointing earth, I decided I wanted to get away from these asteroids into a much more open area so I could test this craft’s speed capabilities. I had the inner knowing that this particular craft was the Bugatti Veyron of space (ie, engineered for speed); this understanding was akin to the intimate understanding one has of their own body and it’s capabilities and knowing that a lethargic, heavy weighted body is unlikely to perform as well in a 100m sprint than a more agile one. I just knew, this craft body was designed to be “fast”, and I was itching to see what it could do.

    Using starry night software I was then able to simulate a very close representation of the time it took to fly past Jupiter and Saturn (note that in the simulation these planets appear further than I was to them because of lack of control I have over that particular program; in the experience these planets were much bigger, taking up almost all of my viewport, which I assume would mean the speeds to be somewhat faster, as I would have been covering greater distances at the same time). According to starry night 8, this would equate to an approximate acceleration of this craft from a standstill to about 4 Astronomical Units (roughly 598,000,000km) in 2 seconds; 4AU to 250ly/sec (23,652, 000, 000, 000, 000km) within 30 seconds. The region close to the location of the Magellanic clouds was reached within 1 minute of burning with barely any effort, in which I assume I was travelling somewhere near the 250ly/ sec mark. The simulation is a very close representation as to what I witnessed and how planets and stars “floated” past me during the experience. Stoppage from any of these speeds was instantaneous (no coasting or wind down), from the moment the braking control points were stimulated. As one can see, even at initial launch speeds, this craft is capable of flying pretty fast – faster than photonic based light, whilst out of atmosphere, that is for sure. The simulation from finishing the calibration process to entering into the nearby Sagittarius Galaxy can be considered 99% exact to how I experienced it, with a short period of total darkness coming out of the milky way before entering into the next galaxy., taking probably a few more seconds in actuality.

    Coming out of the Milky Way, and entering into this darkness, I then turned around (spun my consciousness around the central axis of the craft), which is when I noticed two twin sized galaxies arranged perpendicular to each other. A period of disorientation occurred in which I did not know which exact one it was that I had come from.

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    2023 02 12 15 06

    In the bottom galaxy, I noticed a large anomalous black hole petrusion taking up about a third of the entire galaxy, spanning from one edge to other, so proceeded to fly over the top of the pancake to get a better view. This black hole I identified as being part of the anomaly I have written about elsewhere (consciousness disassembler I have experienced during prior OBEs). My suspicions are that from our vantage point on earth much of the light from this larger neighboring pancake’s stars is being swallowed by this anomaly which distorts our perception of this galaxy and makes it look much smaller than it really is. I am aware radio emissions are used by astrophysicists to map areas around black holes, but this particular area was somewhat silent around this anomaly (remember, my audible range was several hundred MHz wide, possibly even wider, as opposed to human hearing which peaks at 20kHz), suggesting this anomaly is also capable of swallowing radio frequencies. At the cracks of this anomalous protrusion were what looked like bits of sea foam being brightly illuminated by nearby stars, which I assumed to be left over remnants of other stars that this thing had swallowed after it had spat them out.

    2023 02 12 15 07
    2023 02 12 15 07

    2023 02 12 15 08
    2023 02 12 15 08

    2023 02 12 15 38
    2023 02 12 15 38

    Using starry night, and trying to ascertain the relative location of this galaxy from the apparent sizes of galaxies neighboring the Milky Way at different angles, my conclusion is that this close twin is located in the very same region of space that houses the small and large Magellanic Clouds. My suggestion here is that the Magellanic Clouds are actually one larger galaxy which has been.

    2023 02 12 15 39
    2023 02 12 15 39

    cleaved” into two parts through this anomaly, which distorts our perception of them from earth, making them appear as two different clusters. I am hoping that future advances in space exploration will one day provide validation of my experience through the finding of evidence of this supermassive black hole anomaly.

    2023 02 12 15 40
    2023 02 12 15 40

    Regardless, after pondering this anomaly for a few moments, and being somewhat concerned of its proximity to earth, I then penetrated out into very, very deep space, to the point I was left floating “in the middle of nowhere”. This would have equated to somewhere near the edge of the cosmic web (the real one, which covers a far greater distance than the known one, judging from what I was witnessing, and comparing to the starry night simulation software).

    It was here I tried to establish telepathic communication with the Elder Guardians, who I knew existed very, very far beyond this cosmic web. This was the prime intention of what I wished to achieve with this experience. Up until that point I had been quite active in my exploration around the universe, but it was at this point that I simply just stopped and floated in the middle of no where and the realization hit me that I was an almost unfathomable distance from my physical body back on earth. A curious discovery was made out here; even at that vantage point, I was not able to receive more than a broken transmission that consisted of mainly white noise in between a few “Hello, can you hear me’s”, which suggests to me that there is a barrier that “absorbs” (or more correctly, introduces interference at) even the frequencies associated with telepathic thought transmission somewhere near the edge of the universe.

    Shortly after this communication attempt was aborted, the Martian Intelligence spoke directly to me, the amplitude of its “voice” coming through extremely prominently and clear even from this deep region of space. It had evidentally “spotted” my presence flying inside and out of the milky way, and was curious about what I was up to. I had been aware of this intelligence from breaching the outer edges of the milky way, but had not paid much attention to it until it decided to specifically address me. How this was done was hard to explain, but it was like someone shouting at you from a distance, and saying “yes you” when attention was given to the voice. This attention was achieved through the aforementioned “zooming” in to the region of space this intelligence was coming from. The initial thought was that, to a human, this intelligence would have been quite sinister and dangerous, though from the comfort of my space vehicle I thought it’s attempts at coercion to be quite lame, like an adult trying to scare a child who has already called their bluff. I proceeded with extreme caution at its suggestion I come closer to it as it had “something I needed”. Through my targeting apparatus I was then able to run a scan of the planetary body this intelligence was inhabiting, which I identified from its red patterns as being Mars, or a very similar looking planet (galaxy and solar systems were still hard to determine even with this apparatus, unlike my simulation software I did not have the luxury of labels I could use for identification). I was basically operating as a police officer would, going through basic protocols to make sure I was not going to be ambushed.

    2023 02 12 15 41
    2023 02 12 15 41

    Once the Mars like planet had been identified, I accelerated forward to it and came within its atmosphere within about 10-20 seconds. Note, that in the simulation, this is covered much quicker on account for the limited way I had to show the targeting of Mars from deep space. However, the part where I look around trying to pin point where this intelligence was coming from is fairly accurate, although actual movement was more robotic. Atmospheric penetration of the Martian like planet was different to that outlined in the simulation, and involved a forward acceleration into a region that was darkened by the lack of sunlight, close to where daylight would have been breaking. This forward acceleration eventually allowed me to get close enough to gently bring my craft body down to almost ground level, in a rocky outcrop with several cliffs surrounding me. There appeared to be a violent dust storm that made visibility of anything but the nearby cliff faces hard to make out. Even upon landing the intelligence still beckoned for me to follow it into this dust storm, which I was very convinced by this point was a trap.

    I decided that the wisest move would be to report my findings of this alien intelligence back to the launch facility base on the asteroid near Pawlowia. Shortly after this, my consciousness was disconnected form this space craft body and I awoke in bed, suggesting that this craft may have been left on whatever planet this was I was on.

    Determinations from the experience:

    • ET spacecraft can 100% be “hijacked” through using techniques commonly involved in initiating out of body experiences. Remote viewing practices can be used as an effective means to target these craft.
    • There is a launch facility for these craft set up in the asteroid belt, which seems to be close to where the asteroid Pawlowia was on the 27th June 2022.
    • This facility exhibits human like construction methods (brickwork) and is populated by beings seemingly indistguishable from humans.
    • These spacecraft have the ability to up scale the bandwidth of frequencies that can be heard during their piloting. There seems to be a common “channel of communication” through this entire bandwidth.
    • Operation of frequency transmission is different to common methods used on earth; whereas we tend to use a single frequency to modulate the information onto, typical signal transmission from these craft seem to happen simultaneously over this entire frequency range, which has a bandwidth several MHz wide.
    • The instantaneous transmission speeds through vast distances of space suggest that these transmission are operating beyond those restricted to the speed of light. Instantaneous communication from two different points, many millions of light years apart also suggest a different means of signal propagation, as radio waves are limited to the speed of light (minus 5% under earth atmospheric conditions)
    • Planetary bodies can seemingly exhibit intelligence at a level that they can be communicated with by not only other planets over great distances, but also by intelligences passing by in some of these space vehicles. My assumption is that this intelligence really comes from an extremely high powered transceiver stationed on these planets by other ET races, in which the planet itself becomes part of the transmission component. I suspect ET races are actually using the planets in some way as an amplification medium of the signals on this telepathy channel.
    • The most dominant of these transmission stations comes from a planet that either is Mars or looks very similar to it. This transceiver, from whatever its location, can propagate signals out into the edge of the cosmic web instantaneously, with effectively 0 attennuation. Again, this alludes to the idea that these are not typical electromagnetic based radio signals we use on earth, given the obvious bypassing of the inverse square law. The intelligence behind these transmissions is extremely hostile and malicious as far as human standards go, but somewhat inferior when operating from one of these vehicles, suffering from an obvious cowardice.
    • Some planetary bodies are being used as navigational beacons for these type of space craft. These transmission beacons cover radiuses of several light years, or in the case of the Martian like planet transceiver, several million lightyears, but can be pin pointed from distances very far away from them through directional receiver (audio telescope) capabilities of these craft. This means that sounds from these beacons will not be heard until passing into their broadcasting range, unless these areas are specifically targeted by the craft’s audio telescope zooming capabilities.
    • Earth propagates a signal that is very noticeable throughout, at least, its own solar system. There is no way it can remain hidden to outside craft of similar capabilities given the loudness of this signal.
    • The regions inside and outside of the Milky Way are teaming with “intelligent chatter” on this telepathic line. This comes across like being in a crowd of people all speaking at once, until the audio telescope is used and zoomed into a particular sector, where signals in that sector get louder and drown out the crowded noise. In the case of the Martian transceiver, it was essentially like being shouted at by someone on the opposite end of the universe, the loudness of the shout being very obvious.
    • There is a boundary out past the cosmic web in which signals from this telepathic channel are broken and experience a high level of interference. Estimated distance from earth to this boundary is in the “trillions” of lightyears or more.
    • There is a neighboring pancake galaxy of similar size to the milky way that comes off perpendicular to it at an approximate distance similar to the Magellanic Clouds. A large part of this galaxy is taken up by a massive anomalous black hole that swallows light and radio frequencies around the site. An ocean of foamy white substance lines the edges of this “crack”. It is also possible this galaxy with the anomaly is the milky way itself. Past experience with this black hole anomaly suggest it exists outside of known time and space, originates from outside of the telepathic signal boundary, and can rip consciousness apart. From those experiences, it seemingly has a direct relationship with the amnesia introduced into our consciousness that prohibit us from retaining memory of past lives.
    • The universe is spherical, and does not feel a big enough a place to explore when using one of these craft.
    • Through directional audio telescoping capabilities and relevant speeds of the craft I piloted, exploration into useful areas and galaxies for resource gathering purposes could be carried out extremely easily and efficiently in a very small amount of time. I estimate, that if humans had consistent and unfettered access to this technology, they could accurately map the entire universe within a single year.

    It is my belief that it is possible to move consciousness in a similar manner to what is done via lucid dreaming at the moment of death. It is my intention to try and move my consciousness into one of these space craft suits at the expiration of this physical body, in an attempt to provide some form of validation of my claim that techniques used to induce OBEs can be used to hijack and pilot these craft. If I am successful in my endeavors, then I will use this opportunity to provide not only evidence of the existence of these craft, but that my curriculum for piloting them is at least somewhat usable. Therefore, any sightings of a craft similar to the Vanquish DM-22, distinguishable by the pointed “spinning top” bottom, over areas or during events with direct significance to my life, such as properties I owned, burial site of my body, etc, can be taken as a visitation from the same consciousness that piloted the body used to write these very words. I am certain that direct telepathic communication, along the same channel used by this craft, can be made through broadcasted thoughts during hypnagogia or whilst in the void space after a conscious transition into the sleeping state. I recommend using this avenue for any parties interested in trying to contact my consciousness post humously.

    A more thorough explanation of visiting schedule will be given to my Ordo Occultum Astrum once it has been worked out.

    .

     

    .

    My cat says fuck you

    Actually, that’s a name of an “art series”.

    ...that's the thing... all this money going to the military and banking complex means eroding living standards for the same citizens.. 
    
    the destruction of the fabric that holds a country together - medical system, gov't funding for any number of programs that benefit people - have to be removed so that more can be spent on the military.. 
    
    oh and forget about this global economy where all boats rise.. no.. cordon it off into areas of exchange that remove all the so called bad guys... 
    
    i hope this bites the west in the ass really hard to the point more people wake up to this bullshit.. 
    
    i am not counting on anyone waking up though, or if they do - probably too late...
    
    Posted by: james | Jan 31 2023 18:24 utc | 11

    Today we are going to have some irreverent fun. Lot’s of cussing, profanity, and other anti-social behaviors. We are “letting loose”.


    When I was in second grade, we were living in our new home in Monroe, CT. (Which by the way, ended up turning into a multi-million dollar house, in a very exclusive neighborhood. Too bad we sold the house, for a job in Pittsburgh. But it was the 1960’s, and my dad couldn’t peer into a crystal ball for the future…)

    It was Easter.

    My bad brought a cute white rabbit home. And all of us kids played with it all day. And of course, it being Easter, we had tons of hard-boiled Easter eggs, and chocolate. And of course, being kids, we fed that rabbit a long stream of our chocolate.

    What we did not know, being all of seven or eight years old, and what our parents did not know, is that while we (as humans) could eat chocolate, little animals such as a dogs, cats and rabbits could not.

    The next day; Monday, we woke up to a dead rabbit.

    And there, on Monday morning, we had a little memorial service and buried the rabbit in our back yard.

    The End.


    Let’s get on with today’s installment…

    This Instagram Account Creates Sinister Parodies of Kid’s Cooks To Ruin Your Childhood Memories

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    0 36

    Thomas Columbo is the creator of Digital Meddle. He alters vintage children’s books through the use Photoshop, adding the text in order to give the stories a different meaning with a comedic effect. Something that drives his passion for this unique art form is people’s disapproving comments, although overall his work is well received.

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    Egyptian FM delivered a Blinkie message to Russia

    Lavrov: Blinken’s message on Ukraine contains only calls on Russia to ‘quit and stop’

    From HERE

    “It is reported that [yesterday] Jens Stoltenberg said in one of his speeches that Russia must lose, must be defeated, and that the West cannot afford to let Ukraine lose, because in that case the West will lose and the whole world will lose”

    MOSCOW, January 31. /TASS/. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s message on Ukraine, handed over by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, contains only calls on Russia to “quit and stop,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a media conference following talks with his Egyptian counterpart on Tuesday.

    Mr. Minister, while answering the previous question, said that he had conveyed a certain message from Secretary of State Blinken, who was recently on a visit to Cairo. I confirm this,” Lavrov said, answering a question from TASS. “Russia is ready to listen to any serious proposal that is aimed at resolving the current situation in its comprehensive context.”

    “We have had one more message Egypt’s foreign minister has handed over to us to the effect that Russia should stop, that Russia should quit, and then everything will be fine,” Lavrov went on to say, adding that at the same time “Blinken omitted something.”

    “The other part of the message, showing the true interest of the United States and the West, was stated by NATO Secretary General Mr. [Jens] Stoltenberg, when he was in the Republic of Korea yesterday,” Lavrov noted. “He said in one of his speeches that Russia must lose, must be defeated, and that the West cannot afford to let Ukraine lose, because in that case, he argued, the West will lose and the whole world will lose.” Stoltenberg, as Lavrov pointed out, “took the liberty of speaking not only on behalf of the North Atlantic Alliance, but also on behalf of all other countries of the world.”[.] (emphasis added)

    Certainly, that message will not move 1 millimeter for talks.
    3 Strikes: the West cheated at Minsk. Theft of RF’s foreign reserves. “Terror attack” on NordStream 1, 2 and last week very publicly bragged about the dastardly act.

    Wake up. It will take decades to restore Confidence, Trust, Credibility.
    Russia will soldier on (pun intended) until ALL its goals for de-militarizing and de-NATOfying to its 1993 borders are achieved.

    Posted by: Likklemore | Jan 31 2023 18:39 utc | 19

    Common School Blueberry Muffins

    IMG 7463 682x1024 1
    IMG 7463 682×1024 1

    Ingredients

    • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
    • 2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup blueberries
    • 1 egg, beaten
    • 1 cup milk
    • 1/4 cup melted butter

    Instructions

    1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease tins.
    2. Sift together dry ingredients; add blueberries to flour mixture and stir gently.
    3. Mix egg, milk and butter together. Add to flour mixture; mix only enough to moisten flour. Do not beat. Fill tins 3/4 full.
    4. Bake for 25 minutes.

    Size Matters – On A U.S. Ground Intervention In Ukraine

    A European financial research company has sent me one of their quarterly research letters. It is a ‘contrarian review of political and military ramifications’ of the war in Ukraine. It analyzes ‘winners and losers’ of the war.

    It is contrarian only in the sense that it counters the false views of ‘western’ mainstream media with reality. The losers of the war are all on the ‘western’ side with the only two winners being the owners of the U.S. defense industry and Russia.

    I was sent the courtesy copy because, as the company writes, the discussions at Moon of Alabama were “immensely helpful” in forming their view.

    Note to the authors: You are welcome.

    I will not quote from the paper as it seems to be a somewhat confidential business product. But I will steal two graphics from it that will help to understand the size of the war in Ukraine and how it will NOT end.

    There have been theories that Poland or some U.S. led coalition force would intervene with their troops on the ground in Ukraine to ‘kick the Russians out’.

    The two graphics though dispel any hope for such an operation.

    The following is an operational map of Desert Storm. The U.S. led operation in spring 1991 to kick Iraq out of Kuwait.

     

    iukr1
    iukr1

    biggerIt took the U.S. some nine month to assemble a forces of some 700,000 U.S. and 250,000 allied troops with all their equipment. Iraq had an estimated 650,000 troops in the theater. The U.S. first created total air superiority by destroying Iraq’s fighter aircraft and air defense forces. With that done it took only 100 hours of ground operation to destroy a third of the Iraqi forces. The rest of the Iraqi army retreated under fire towards Baghdad.

    There are some 550,000 Russian troops in and around Ukraine. A hypothetical operation to ‘kick Russia out’ would thereby have about the same size as Desert Storm. But the geographic dimensions differ drastically.

    The following is an operational map of Desert Storm from above overlaid in scale on the map of Ukraine.

     

    iukr2
    iukr2

    biggerThe map was turned to the left by 90 degree. North is to the left, east at the top and Crimea in the south to the right.

    Russia occupies some 87,000 square kilometer of Ukraine. The Desert Storm theater around Kuwait was five times smaller.

    A hypothetical U.S. coalition of the size of Desert Storm could probably cross the Dnieper and cut of Crimea. But it could do little more than that. The Donetz and Luhansk oblasts and Crimea itself would still be in Russian hands.

    But there are many reasons why no such operation will ever be planned and executed.

    • The U.S. no longer has a force of the size it committed to Desert Storm. Nor do its allies.
    • The U.S. was able to create air superiority in Iraq because it could fly from nearby Saudi airfields and from aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf. Air superiority in eastern Ukraine could only be achieved with the destruction of long range air-defenses within Russia. The next safe air fields the U.S. could use are in Poland and Romania. No U.S. aircraft carrier will dare to enter the Black Sea. U.S. fighter planes to not have the necessary reach for combat missions in eastern Ukraine.
    • The Ukrainian rail system is by now a mess. It is incapable of moving a large force from the west into east Ukraine.
    • Any attempt to move a large force through Ukraine would be subject to deep battle interdiction by Russian and Belorussian forces.
    • Iraqi equipment was badly maintained and Iraqi forces were barely trained. Russia has a well trained high tech army.

    I could go on but you can certainly see the point.

    No U.S. ground troops will move into Ukraine. It is ludicrous to think otherwise.

    Posted by b on January 30, 2023 at 16:23 UTC | Permalink

    Humorous Illustrations Blending Sarcastic Nature and Adopted Cat’s Attitude

    0 24
    0 24

    The Internet has been abuzz in recent years with the phenomenon of cats taking over, and now we have one more artist to add to their ranks. @st.aftercigs, an Instagram account with 190K+ followers, gives a whole new dimension to cat appreciation with their bold, humorous artworks inspired by the artist’s own adopted cat.

    The artist behind the account expresses the stark contrast between cats’ sassiness, and their ability to be inspirational muses. By blending the artist’s own sarcastic nature with their cat’s grumpy cattitude, a unique and lively art style has been born. The artworks are a great reminder of the many nuanced personalities our cats possess and the joy they can bring to our lives.

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    About the USA

    The US only engages in direct conflict against a far weaker opponent.

    It’s preferred method of controlling other states is to work in the shadows – propaganda and psy ops to turn people against their government, support of extremist factions, manipulation of elections, color revolutions, and sanctions.

    All underhanded and sneaky.

    The neocons were sure their toolkit would work in Ukraine.

    The US government is committed to this as long as it doesn’t have to confront Russia directly.

    The US public is committed to this as long as it doesn’t come down to thousands of boys coming back in body bags.

    Otherwise it’s one big reality show to entertain.

    There are descriptors to be used for people who act like the US acts, none of them complimentary.

    Posted by: Mike R | Jan 30 2023 17:08 utc | 19

    School Style Sloppy Joes

    2023 01 30 21 09
    2023 01 30 21 09

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound ground beef
    • Chopped onion
    • 1/2 cup ketchup with water to make 3/4 cup
    • 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
    • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
    • Shake of Worcestershire sauce
    • 1 can tomato soup (undiluted)

    Instructions

    1. Brown ground beef with onion and drain.
    2. Add other ingredients and simmer until warm through.
    3. Serve over hamburger buns.

    Animals That Asked People for Help & Kindness | Best Moments Of 2022 !

    Short and not my videos. but please start off the new year properly! Remember that your actions define your quality of life. Not just now in this life, but in all subsequent lives. Make a difference. help others.

    Be THAT Rufus!

    Animals That Asked People for Help & Kindness | Best Moments Of 2022 !

    This poor kitten was struggling for his life in his last moments on a cold morning!

    https://youtu.be/I3B-rxTCYMk

    Kitten Stuck In Net Fights For His Life

    https://youtu.be/iEMBXZJ8_DI

    Man is ambushed by 13 homeless kittens

    Best Inspiring Animal Rescues Of The Year

    Bullied Cat Bursts Into Tears By A Man’s Love Who Became His First Friend

    Paralyzed homeless cat makes an UNBELIEVABLE recovery! My mind was blown!

    Homeless cat asks for help

    Cat Abandoned When Owners Moved Jumps Into His Rescuer’s Arms

    Random Acts of Kindness That Will Make You Cry !

    This is what happened to the CIA assets, the NED organizers and the participants in the Shanghai Covid protests

    Let it be well understood that I covered (in great detail) what happened, and who was involved and why. As well as the final results and the various trends going on in China. However, this article summarizes the events related to the four participating groups. Now that China has secured them, arrested them, sentenced or sentencing them, and cleaning up the mess that they created;
    The NED / CIA trained saboteurs.
    The NED / CIA associated "news" reporters.
    The local student Leaders.
    The student pawns.

    The trained saboteurs

    These were the Taiwanese and Hong Kong “leaders” that directed the local leaders’ actions.

    In Sichuan, Four Hongkongers who disclosed false information and bogus addresses, have already been charged with ‘Falsification for Entry’ which carries 3–10 years.

    The sentencing will be next week.

    Given the seriousness of their actions they will probably obtain a sentence on the “high side”. This is especially true if they are tied to any previous Hong Kong color revolution activity.

    The student participants (Pawns)

    Yesterday a total of 91 students apologized for their mistake with the protests.

    Using AI obtained data, and 5G remote face scanning (though paper, and masks) the police compiled detailed photo evidence against everyone who was at the “protests”.

    Using this photo evidence, every student who participated was visited by the police at their dorms and homes, and the leaders clearly identified.

    They were made to sign an Oath that [1] they didn’t get any money and [2] that the protests were because of frustration that they could not go home for the CNY holidays (which now they can).

    They also apologized [3] for sending the messages to Reuters & BBC.

    The student leaders (Led the protests)

    In addition, the leaders, have tougher penalties placed upon them.

    There were 14 leaders, or “ring leaders”.

    Those Students identified as leaders can no longer join the Civil Service. Which means that they cannot join the CPC, volunteer, or take the basic tests for advancement within Chinese society. They will never vote, or ever become a citizen inside of China.

    They will require Security clearance level I for a passport (In short they are unlikely to ever leave China until maybe 2050).

    All their social media accounts have been suspended for 3 years. Meaning their internet use is ZERO for the next three years.

    • No Wechat.
      • Unable to QR scan.
      • Unable to buy or purchase things via QR.
      • Unable to register APPs
    • No QQ
      • Unable to listen to music.
      • Unable to create and publish music.
      • Unable to use e-mail
    • No Douxing
      • Unable to play games
      • Unable to watch videos
      • Unable to create videos

    The others will not be punished. They were warned and let off. They were visibly relieved.


    Western Reporters (Choreographed and directed the protests)

    8 Reporters were charged with Degree Three Incitement and Degree One Public Misinformation without evidence.These charges result in prison time.

    Lucky for them that the charges were suspended pending deportation.

    If they ever come back to China again, they face 6–14 years imprisonment and 200K Yuan fine

    They have been deported

    1 Reporter has been released on a 50K Yuan Bond. That he posted. I am sure that his every movement is recorded and watched as we walks the long slow path out of China.

    Their Laptops, Phones are all in Security Service custody.

    All lists and names, and addresses on the computers were obtained, and deep-deep-DEEP AI scanning of the electronic uncovered a “treasure trove” of information.

    Let’s just simply say that any Chinese on any of those lists is finished


    This so far was the Security Services… now some words about the dark-arm of China. The dreaded…

    Political Corruption Police

    Then the Political Corruption Police was involved and they made a number of stops which aren’t covered in any Chinese Daily. Nothing is reported about those events.

    On Duoxing and Zhihu they say, many Taiwanese who were spotted have been detained and are questioned.

    One must wonder how serious it must be for them as the Political Corruption Police handled their cases instead of the regular police.

    They may be charged with spying in which case they may spend the next 20 years in a Chinese Cell. And it will be absolute. China does not have parole or negotiated settlements like in the West. Twenty years is twenty years to the second.

    Or they may be killed. As is the historical norm.

    Exactly.

    Life over. Full stop.


    By God the Crackdown was Swift

    main qimg 8eec948a6fb6bb51d31837d509161988 lq
    main qimg 8eec948a6fb6bb51d31837d509161988 lq

    It’s like Machines and Robots

    The Authorities knew who the brains were and who the unwitting pawns were in seconds.

    The Pawns were mostly poor students who were let go with a warning.

    The Pawns were a handful of people who didn’t even understand what they were protesting against. They came to protest against Covid 19 lockdowns and were aghast to know that the protests called for Xi Jing pings resignation and overthrow of the CPC.

    They admitted to being paid (by the United States government) agents.

    They were ordered between 60–200 hours community service and they were visibly relieved. Grateful, even.

    The Western reporters were deported. No sense jailing them and causing a major diplomatic incident.

    Maybe Mengs charges being dismissed was a quid pro quo?

    However the perpetrators from HK and Taiwan are finished. They paid for protests where overthrow of Xi was mentioned. It’s far better for them to simply  end their lives now.

    Their own personal lives are going to be very dark.

    About the student leaders…

    The student leaders could face more serious charges if they find money was exchanged and even a Harvard or Yale admission is considered money exchange.  So if a letter, or voice message promising easy entry into a Western university is obtained, they will be facing very serious charges.

    Then instead of Yale, the poor guy faces 15 years prison


    The Overthrow of CPC and Xi

    That was the only thing that was regarded serious enough.

    The Authorities once again demonstrating their brutal efficiency

    Many pro-DPP Taiwanese in Taiwan may no longer dare visit the mainland. They would be picked up within ten seconds and likely never see the light of day again.

    The quantum construction of our non-physical bodies

    This is an older patreon video that I am now making public. In case you all are not subscribers to my You-tube channel, here’s the video. Please enjoy.

    Remote Viewing of the Tunnel of Light

    Introduction

    This is a video that I have referred to in a Patrion post that I made yesterday 30AUG22.

    It involves the remote viewing of the “Tunnel of Light” that one observes upon death.

    I advise that we use the KISS principle in everything; (Keep It Simple, Stupid), otherwise known as let’s just focus on full understanding of the core elements, and not get too sidetracked.

    For instance…

    A car.

    It takes you from A to B.It can be cheap or expensive, based on HOW it transports you.It requires energy to operate.

    Food

    You need it to survive.It can taste good or bad depending on your culture and habits.Digestion of it is a human requirement.

    So, here, the Remote Viewers were all over the place, and offer some good stuff. But it will need to be sorted (into “boxes”), parsed and put into context.

    From DM

    "This is very, very similar to my experiences. This is THE best video i have watched so far on the traps. This is legit. "

    Very interesting. I am trying to process this video. I really don’t know what to think, but I will query the Domain Commander for some answers later on. -MM

    Video Access

    Psychic Project On The Matrix. The Unveiling Of The Soul-Loosh Harvesting System (bitchute.com)

    .

    You-Tube version…

    Crappy ass attempt, but a faster and easier video to watch than from Bitchute.

    I have Patreon videos on this subject…

    I am generating a series of videos where I chat with the Domain Commander about this remote viewing exercise.

    They are very interesting, I’ll tell you what.

    I am currently posting them on my Patreon.

    But do not worry. You all will get to check them out in time.

    The time to transcend the vaccine mind cage is NOW

    Some thoughts.
    “Americans today fear that linearism (alias the American Dream) has run its course. Many would welcome some enlightenment about history’s patterns and rhythms, but today’s intellectual elites offer little that’s useful. Caught between the entropy of the chaoticists and the hubris of the linearists, the American people have lost their moorings.” 
    
    – Strauss & Howe – The Fourth Turning
    The following is from a MM influencer. I think that it is worthy of printing, and applies not only to nations, but to Magick, and other PSI issues. Please check it out. All credit to <redacted>.

    A coincidence?

    Is it a coincidence? Last night, before news broke out that there is a new deadly virus in China, I had asked Deirdre, Nathan, and Skwisgar why no one has thought to continue research on why some resident bacteria act as "first responders" or "resident aliens who signed up to be soldiers" (like Samoans signing up for the US Military to gain citizenship) in some people's bodies. I remembered reading this article so many years ago, when I was still in the US. Some women were getting around (a lot) and never got any STDs. It wasn't their native immune system that was protecting them, it was the resident microbiome in their bodies. I mean their native immune system is fine, but what attacked these pathogenic organisms were the entrenched "friendly" bacteria in their bodies. I also asked the repeat question about the lack of research in virophages and bacteriophages. So I woke up this morning and got your messages. And I know about the recent outbreak in Sanya.
    
    We are all weary about these constant outbreaks. the masks, vaccines, travel restrictions, quarantine, etc. Right now, we have vaccines, masks, disinfectant chemicals, quarantine procedures. It's quite primitive and very inconvenient. Vaccines are slow, and masks will exert negative health effects (restricted air flow that leaves you breathing recycled old air is not good for your lungs or skin). 
    
    I can tell you that there is some kind of mind block going on. This mind block is preventing the evolution of technologies that will really revolutionise the way we protect our health. You also know the Domain policy of waiting until you develop the gumption to ask. If you don't ask, you'll never get the answer. They're not gonna lay it out for you just because. 
    
    So, how many American biolabs are there in this world? Do we have the time to make vaccines for each and every pathogen they store in those damn labs? It takes years to test and perfect vaccines. The fastest way and best way to protect the body is to harness the resident bacteria, viruses, and fungi in the body and recruit them as active attackers for the host immune system. The immune system is the "military" or "police" of the body, which serve as the nation state in our analogy. Right now, bacteria in our gut act as "factory specialists" who help break down food and extract the necessary nutrients out of it. Their wages are a "cut" of the food that we eat. They are good "permanent residents", working and paying taxes. But they are still civilians. Usually, in most bodies, only the body's actual cells (i.e. natural born citizens) are eligible for law enforcement and military (immune system, killer T-cells and macrophages). Now, the immune system knows to recognise the friendly microbiome and not hurt them (permanent resident civilians who work and pay tax).    But you see there's a missed opportunity...
    
    Why can't the body recruit some of these resident bacteria/virus/fungi into active military service? Our body is their home, their nation. if they want to pick up arms and protect their home, well why not? Don't we need all the help we can get? Frankly, there would be no better soldiers for detecting enemy bacteria, viruses, and fungi. In the natural world, these micro-organisms know how to cooperate, protect each other, and even wage war. What are biofilms? Well this is protein goop made by groups of bacteria to protect themselves from chemical warfare (antibiotics). Yes, all bacteria know how to make antibiotics. even the ones in your gut. They know how to kill unfriendly bacteria if necessary. The human DNA has already incorporated some viral DNA (it's viral DNA that actually enables the viability of pregnancy through the placenta 
    
    Now, we get this viral DNA that lets us make a protein that fuses things.” Once a viral protein, the virus essentially morphed or evolved into what we now know as syncytin. This protein gives baby the ability to fuse cells into a wall — the placenta — that connects mom and baby but also keeps them separate.
    
    So clearly, our bodies have the capability to "naturalise" foreign organisms and make them a part of us, or at least convince them to work on our behalf, since we provide a stable home for them and their children. Well OK, you ask, so how do we convince more resident micro-organisms to do this to serve as our first line of defensive immunity? 
    
    There is technology for this, most likely a hormone. And perhaps a device that sends/delivers the correct frequency. hormone is chemical communication, but also vibrations/frequencies of light and sound are forms of communication. Yes, the technology involves these. We already use light frequencies to heal bacterial infections, and sonic frequencies and radio frequencies to induce cells into healing themselves. 
    
    You know, if human scientists are able to harness these technologies to recruit the microbiome as active soldiers for our immune system, we will never have to deal with vaccines or wear masks on a hot day ever again.  REMEMBER--these pathogenic organisms are MASTERS OF HIJACKING OUR CELLS, but they are not masters of killing other microorganisms like them. The reason they wreak havoc on our bodies is because most of our microbiome are "civilian" residents, and are therefore "standing on the sidelines" as our bodies are attacked. These civilian residents don't fight for our behalf, they let our killer T-cells and macrophages do all the fighting. This is a BIG MISTAKE. They watch as our killer T-cells fail, and their home (which is our body) is destroyed by these rogue pathogens before their eyes. But does it have to be that way? NO. 
    
    I'm not making this up. The therapy technology to induce our microbiome to serve as active soldiers for our immune system really does exist, it really can be done--if we can break out of our self imposed cognitive cage. We are currently asking the wrong questions, forever thinking that vaccines are the only solution for enhanced immunity. Because we are so over focused on our own immune systems, we have overlooked the best soldiers for the fight against pathogenic microorganisms. They were always within us all along (figuratively and literally). 
    
    FREQUENCY. THAT'S THE KEY. frequency is communication. This is by far the best protection against the current environment of lab grown bioweapons. Our microbiome has EVERYTHING it needs to manufacture the weapons for killing these frankenpathogens. 
    
    This is kind of how Domain society operates. I won't get into it now, because that's another email altogether. It's a complex topic. 
    
    The past nuclear damage from millions of years ago may play a role in the current mind blocks human scientists have at this moment. The mental cages we put ourselves in also keep us inert without us realising it. It's possible that the past nuclear damage has severely lessened our body's ability to communicate with our microbiome, limiting cooperation, and leaving our bodies more vulnerable to infection. There are so many factors on Earth that exert bad effects on human health, but I guess I would have to write a book about it. 
    
    I sincerely hope that some connected scientists in China and Russia wake up and ask for Domain guidance on developing techniques beyond vaccines. I'm tired of these stupid outbreaks. Creating and injecting a zillion vaccines isn't the answer, not in the age of bioweaponry. 
    
    This latest virus has no vaccine and a high fatality rate. I'd say that the time to transcend the vaccine mind cage is NOW. Maybe a brilliant Chinese or Russian scientist will get vibrational tremors of these thoughts due to "morphic resonance".

    Why Is Walmart Laying Off So Many Workers?

    .

    If brighter days are eventually coming for the U.S. economy, why would Walmart be so eager to lay off corporate employees?  Of course the truth is that brighter days are not coming.  Yesterday, I posted an article in which I listed 11 big companies that are laying off workers.  After I completed that article, I discovered that Walmart is also letting people go.  If a seemingly unshakable giant such as Walmart already feels compelled to eliminate jobs, what is the outlook for employees of companies that are far smaller and far weaker?

    When Walmart announced that it would be laying off nearly 200 corporate employees, it rapidly made headlines all over the nation

    Walmart let go of almost 200 corporate employees on Wednesday amid the economic downturn and rising inflation, according to a person familiar with the development. The company said in a statement that these layoffs are a part of updating its structure.

    Yes, they are “updating their structure” because they know that really hard times are coming.

    And the projections that the company recently released confirm this

    Walmart said it now anticipates adjusted earnings per share for the second quarter and full year to decline around 8–9 percent and 11–13 percent, respectively. Previously, the retailer had predicted a 1 percent fall it had previously forecast for the full year.
    
    “Food inflation is double digits and higher than at the end of the first quarter. This is affecting customers’ ability to spend on general merchandise categories and requiring more markdowns to move through the inventory, particularly apparel,” Walmart said.

    I also just learned that SoundCloud has decided to lay off “approximately 20% of its global workforce”

    SoundCloud will be laying off approximately 20% of its global workforce citing “a significant company transformation” and the current economic and financial landscape.
    
    “During this difficult time, we are focused on providing the support and resources to those transitioning while reinforcing our commitment to executing our mission to lead what’s next in music,” reads a statement by a rep for SoundCloud.

    Just like in 2008, the pace of layoffs is beginning to accelerate at a pace that is absolutely breathtaking.  If you missed my article from yesterday that contained many more examples, you can find it right here: “It’s Happening: Here Is A List Of 11 Big Companies That Have Announced Layoffs Within The Last 2 Weeks”.

    As more Americans lose their jobs, the number of people filing new claims for unemployment benefits will continue to go up.

    In fact, the number for last week was up to 260,000

    The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits edged higher last week, hovering near the highest level of the year — the latest sign that the historically tight labor market is starting to cool off.
    
    Figures released Thursday by the Labor Department show that applications for the week ended July 30 rose to 260,000 from the downwardly revised 254,000 recorded a week earlier. That is above the 2019 pre-pandemic average of 218,000 claims and just narrowly missed topping the eight-month high of 261,000 recorded in mid-July.

    Meanwhile, inflation continues to spiral out of control and that is causing immense hardship for millions of American families.

    According to Zero Hedge, the Misery Index in the United States just hit the highest level since 2011…

    Although the White House seems to believe that things are pretty OK, the US’s misery index suggests they’re not.
    
    June’s misery index (a composite of unemployment and CPI inflation) has risen to 12.5. That’s the highest since September 2011 when the US economy was experiencing a time of very weak job growth and economic growth following the Great Recession. At the time, the yield curve almost inverted, and there were fears of a new recession.
    
    June’s misery index is also above the index from the 2007-2009 recession when the index peaked at 11.4 percent.

    So many people are hurting out there right now.

    Many Americans are working as hard as they can, but it still isn’t enough to pay the bills because inflation has been absolutely eviscerating our standard of living.

    As a result, more people are falling out of the middle class and into poverty with each passing day.

    The lines at our food banks are getting longer and longer, and many of those that are now showing up for assistance were once solidly part of the middle class.  Here is one example

    The first time Kelly Wilcox drove her 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan to the food pantry near her home in Payson, Utah, she immediately noticed one thing that surprised her: new models of Toyota and Honda sedans and minivans. “I saw a bunch of other people with cars like me who had kids in their cars,” she said.
    
    The mother of four young sons didn’t know what to expect when she made an early visit to Tabitha’s Way Local Food Pantry this spring. She knew that she needed help. Her husband had lost his job. He soon found a new job as an account manager, but that wasn’t enough with inflation.

    Can you identify with Kelly Wilcox?

    When I was growing up, I lived in a middle class neighborhood and I went to a very large school that was packed with middle class kids.  At that time, I can’t remember encountering a single family that was truly impoverished.

    But these days it seems like almost everyone is struggling.

    For years I have been writing about the disappearance of the middle class.  Now we have gotten to a point where the gap between the ultra-wealthy and the rest of us is greater than ever.

    One recent survey found that nearly half of the country has cut back spending on food because the cost of living has become so oppressive.

    That is frightening.

    But the pain that we are currently experiencing is just the tip of the iceberg.  As I have been warning for a long time, much worse is ahead.

    So please try to enjoy this summer while you still can.

    Compared to what is eventually coming, the middle of 2022 is actually a time of rip-roaring prosperity.

    Ms. Leung

    Ms. Leung was for years one of the most valued assets the U.S. had. She started off as the manager of an import-export company that was facilitating illicit technology transfers to the PRC in Los Angeles. She left this job just as the FBI was closing in on the company to shut it down.

    x
    x

    FBI Special Agent James Smith opened an investigation into her, found that she was vulnerable, and eventually turned her as an asset for the FBI.

    Katrina’s information proved to be invaluable. She was codenamed “Parlor Maid” and provided information on the PRC for 20 years. Much of her information was corroborated by multiple sources. She became one of the best sources on the PRC and traveled to and from China often, always coming back with good intel. Smith’s career was set, he had a high-performing asset, and was on-track for promotions and accolades for his work.

    Special Agent Smith just happened to also be carrying on a 20-year extramarital affair with Katrina as well.

    To add to his issues, Special Agent Smith also had a habit of talking about things that he shouldn’t have in front of Katrina. Smith would discuss ongoing operations she had no business knowing about, share files with her, and generally break every rule on handling assets.

    Things started to go downhill in the early 90s. Katrina was noted on a recording talking to a known MSS operative regarding the FBI’s counterintelligence program. Telling Smith that the MSS had found out about her activities and she was giving them information to save herself.

    The only problem was that this was a lie. Katrina had always been a double-agent, just for the Chinese, not the U.S.!

    Somehow, miraculously, she remained an asset for 10 more years!

    It all started to topple in 2001 when the FBI got warrants to look into her. They found an FBI telephone directory, information on an ongoing FBI counterintelligence operation at Lawrence Livermore Labs (Royal Tourist), and other classified materials in her home.

    In 2002, they found that she had likely transmitted photos of FBI agents to Chinese intelligence, and copied a Top Secret document Smith had checked out overnight.

    When Leung was arrested in 2003, she was already deemed one of the most damaging spies in FBI history. Some compared her to Hanssen (many consider him worse than Aldrich Ames).

    The biggest fail?

    Leung walked away free on espionage charges due to prosecutorial misconduct. She was eventually convicted on, of all things, tax evasion. She received a slap on the wrist.

    The magnitude of all of these fails was impressive in scope.[1]

    • Leung’s disclosures to MSS should have disqualified her immediately. Instead, she stayed on board for 10 more years.
    • SA Smith was never questioned about his handling of Leung. He was seen as “above reproach.” He routinely deflected and ignored threats to Leung.
    • Derogatory reporting on Leung was never followed up. Multiple times.
    • SA Smith knew about her disclosures and hid them because he was afraid of his relationship with her being exposed.
    • In 1992, the FBI had information on a PRC double agent named Katrina that was working with an FBI agent. An inexperienced analyst left out the identifying information. Smith sat in on the debrief of this source and deflected the informer as a misogynist and liar.
    • FBI managers were reluctant to confront Smith. Leading to the tail wagging the dog, as Smith insisted that Leung was the FBI’s best PRC asset.
    • FBI Management repeatedly toned-down language regarding Leung, and refused to compel her to take a polygraph or be subject to more rigorous vetting.
    • SA Smith treated Leung like a member of his squad, often providing her information she had no business knowing.

    There’s more, but that gives you an idea of the cluster that this was.

    The effects of this case are still echoing through the FBI today. What started off as a classic counterintelligence operation, with excellent results, turned into one of the biggest counterintelligence failures in U.S. history.

    Vintage Pictures of Snow King Chairlifts without Any Safety Bars that Look Very Unsafe, 1950-1970

    x
    x

    These vintage photographs of Snow King chairlifts taken between the 1950s and 1970s show people riding in a very unsafe way without deploying any safety bars or other protections.

    x
    x

    While these chairlifts were actually dangerous, there’s also a forced perspective component that makes the lift look much higher than it actually was.

    x
    x

    x
    x

    Snow King Mountain winter resort is located in Downtown Jackson, Wyoming and the original 1936 ski hill was on the southeast edge of the city. It was the first ski area in Wyoming.

    x
    x

    x
    x

    The first chairlift was installed in 1946, a converted ore tram from Colorado. It had four stations, with the first starting where 1 town hill apartments are located.

    x
    x

    x
    x

    In 1981, The resort replaced the now 40-year-old “Snow king Chairlift” with a new Doppelmayr/Garaventa CTEC Double chair, Which started about 200 ft to the east of the old lift. This new lift ran a lift line that crossed the old about 3/4 of the way up the mountain.

    x
    x

    x
    x

    x
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    Living in Paraguay

    x
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    For me, the best thing about living in Paraguay is that you are really off the radar. Or perhaps the rest of the world is off your radar?

    x
    x

    In any event, you are truly elsewhere when you are in Paraguay.

    x
    x

    This is a place where you no longer know what year you are in, and you don’t care what happens in the rest of the world.

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    x

    You’re detached from the buzz and the craziness and the worries that throw you, day after day, elsewhere.

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    x

    Especially if you live in the countryside. It’s all farm life, red soil, seasonal pace, and life with nature.

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    Paraguay is a complete “Time Out” from the world.

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    It’s a world where focusing on the immediate here and now is good enough and the most important thing.

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    And you get to enjoy the wonders of life without distraction, and at a fantastically slow pace.

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    Of course, everyone experiences places differently. But for me, this is Paraguay.

    x
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    You may want to view the following photos while listening to music by Luis Alberto del Parana, perhaps his songs Recuerdos de Ypacarai or Amor, Amor or Sirena del Parana.

    x
    x

    CAUTION: You will want to live in Paraguay.

    x
    x

    One Of The Most Tragic Things That I Have Read In A Long Time

    .

    Things have never been harder for America’s farmers and ranchers than they are right now.  Their relentless hard work keeps us fed, but now many of them are being financially ruined by forces beyond their control.  Prices for fertilizer, farm equipment and diesel fuel have spiraled to absolutely absurd heights, and meanwhile extremely bizarre weather patterns are making it almost impossible to operate successfully in many parts of the nation.  A lot of farmers and ranchers have already gone out of business, and many more will go out of business in the months ahead unless some sort of a miracle happens.

    Back in 1900, there were approximately 5.7 million family farms in the United States, but at that time the total population of the country was just 76 million.

    Today, there are only about 2.2 million family farms in the United States, but the total population of the country has grown to 329 million.

    Agriculture is slowly but surely being consolidated, and the big fish have far more power than the little fish do.

    It has gotten to a point where it has become nearly impossible for many small farmers and ranchers to survive.  To illustrate this, I would like to share something that a farmer named Sheila Payne Blackburn recently posted on Facebook

    I am the last one left on our farm and ranch here in central Texas. It has been in our family and in our blood for over 150 years. I was raised to never back down, never give up, get back in the saddle, cowgirls don’t cry, pull yourself up by your bootstraps, hang tough, and every other cowboy expression you can think of.
    
    I have watched my great grandparents, grandparents and my parents die young. Their bodies run down and weak, their minds overwhelmed with stress, and their bank accounts empty. They gave everything they had for our way of life.
    
    I have survived drought, floods, excessive heat, -4 degree winters, broncs, bulls that want to kill you, and death of beloved livestock.
    
    But today – today, I think I’m finally broken. Today my body, heart, spirit, and strength are gone.
    
    When my dad left this world, he left me holding the bag. He didn’t want to! But he did. Massive debt, tractors that won’t run, old broken down equipment, pickups that barely make it through a pasture. But he also left me the land that I love, the cattle, my heritage, my dream, my knowledge, and passion.
    
    But I feel I can’t go up from here.
    
    Our government wants to destroy us. I can’t buy another 20 year old tractor at $120,000 for something that will not even probably make it a week.
    
    I can’t afford the diesel to fill up that tractor for $600 to just have to do it again tomorrow.
    
    I can’t afford the fertilizer, the seed, the oil, the grease, the parts. Why should I spend $700 an acre to plow, plant, fertilize, weed kill? A grand total of $140,000. To only lose it in a drought. And really never make that money back! Hell my calves will only bring $800 to $900 a piece. But that same whole beef will cost the consumer $5,000 at the grocery store.
    
    Today my pride means nothing to me anymore! Today I want to live to see my grandchildren grow older! Today I am tired of the heat, the wind, the drought! Today I know that it is only me, and no one will probably take over! Today I wonder what I’m fighting for! Today I am weak. Today I think I am through.
    
    I know I am not the only one that feels this way anymore!
    
    Say a prayer for your farmers. Some of us are barely hanging on.

    That is truly one of the most tragic things that I have read in a long time.

    Small farmers and small ranchers are the backbone of this country, and without them we don’t eat.

    Unfortunately, hardly anyone seems to notice that more of them are going under with each passing day.

    Many Americans simply do not care about the plight of our farmers and ranchers right now, but they will definitely start to care when the price of beef doubles or even triples.  The following was recently posted on Facebook by a rancher named Brad Allison

    $125 a roll, crap is getting real. The cattlemen doesn’t have a chance. Lick tubs almost $140 a tub, cubes close to $14 a bag. We are getting priced out of existence… Pray for your ranchers to be able to hang in there. Meat prices at the grocery is not their fault, it’s above their head, they surely are not making the profit. 10,000 head of cattle sold in three counties here in the last three weeks from cattlemen drowning. Middle age cattle going to slaughter because we can’t afford to feed them.

    This is a very serious national crisis, but most Americans don’t realize it yet.

    But once these cost increases start showing up at the grocery store in 2023, everyone will finally realize what we are facing.

    For decades, we have been able to take our farmers and our ranchers for granted.

    Now everything is changing, and a trip to the grocery store will soon be far more painful.

    Double-Chocolate Muffins

    Whole wheat flour and high-fiber cereal are the goodies tucked in a chocolate-lover’s sweet muffin.

    x
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    Ingredients

    • 1 cup Fiber One™ original bran cereal
    • 1 1/3 cups buttermilk
    • 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
    • 1 egg
    • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
    • 1/2 cup Gold Medal™ whole wheat flour
    • 1/2 cup Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
    • 1/2 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

    Steps

    • 1
      Heat oven to 375°F. Place paper baking cup in each of 12 regular-size muffin cups. Place cereal in resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag and crush with rolling pin or meat mallet (or crush in food processor).
    • 2
      In medium bowl, mix crushed cereal and buttermilk; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in oil and egg. Stir in remaining ingredients except chocolate chips. Stir in chocolate chips. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
    • 3
      Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately remove from pan. Serve warm.

    Omayra Sánchez.

    x
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    A girl of thirteen.

    It’s November 1985. A Colombian family are living peacefully in the agricultural area of Armero, with mother and father supporting the family on the modest income they pull together by working diligently at their jobs. The mother, Maria, is a nurse and has had to leave home to go on business.

    Whilst she’s away, a local volcano explodes into life.

    Come nightfall and Omayra, along the rest of her family, are still wide awake. They can’t sleep because the unfurling ashfall is keeping them in a state of nervous anticipation. Things are much, much worse than they could ever imagine though. The volcanic eruption has triggered lahars, a violent type of mudflow, and one of them steamrolls its way through Armero, engulfing the town and killing thousands of its residents:

    x
    x

    Omarya’s father, who had spent his life gathering rice and sorghum to support his family and protect their livelihood, along with the girl’s aunt, are amongst those who perish immediately.

    By grace of God or the devil’s depravity though, Omarya herself survives. Initially, she’s trapped completely under the rubble, but is a fighter, so breaks open a gap just big enough to slide her hand through, allowing her to gain the attention of the rescue team.

    x
    x

    They manage to free her up more, so that her head at least was able to see the light of day above the cold, muddy water. However, there was a glaring problem — her legs were trapped. Keeping them anchored was sections of a wall, an iron bar stuck in her hip and her dead aunt, whose hands were clutched tightly onto her legs.

    For sixty hours, rescuers did absolutely everything within their power to keep her alive, and to try to free her:

    x
    x

    Omayra was immensely brave throughout the whole ordeal; she sang songs, chatted with the workers and asked for sweets and soda. As the end of that time frame approached, it became increasingly clear that saving her was an uphill battle though. To do so would require amputation of her legs, and doctors decided they didn’t have the necessary equipment to ensure she’d survive that procedure within these conditions.

    x
    x

    She then began falling in and out consciousness and hallucinating, saying she couldn’t be late for school and mentioning a Maths exam. This, along with the fact that her eyes had turned red, her face bloated and her hands whitened, forced the cold reality of the situation upon her and the people who’d been trying to save her — she was going to die. Shortly afterwards, she slipped out of consciousness for the last time.

    x
    x

    The kicker is that she needn’t have died, if the authorities had properly heeded warnings about the volcano and/or had adequate resources and supplies in place ready for such a disaster. They didn’t though, and even necessities like shovels, cutting tools and stretchers soon ran out. Omayra died only as a result of other people’s poor planning and devil-may-care attitude. To think, she would have been forty-eight this year, a woman still well in the prime of her life, living it the way she wanted, and yet that future was snatched away from her.

    China Just Made A Move That Could Literally Provoke A Major War With The United States

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    If the Chinese don’t end their blockade of Taiwan, the Biden administration will be under immense pressure to respond.  So let us hope that cooler heads prevail in China and that a decision is soon made to end the pointless “military exercises” that the Chinese are currently conducting.  When the live-fire drills were first announced, we were told that they would last for only four days.  That was supposed to be it.  On Monday, they were supposed to go home.  But that didn’t happen.  Instead, on Monday the Chinese announced that the military exercises in the waters off Taiwan would be extended, and no new end date was given…

    China said Monday it was extending threatening military exercises surrounding Taiwan that have disrupted shipping and air traffic and substantially raised concerns about the potential for conflict in a region crucial to global trade.
    
    The exercises would include anti-submarine drills, apparently targeting U.S. support for Taiwan in the event of a potential Chinese invasion, according to social media posts from the eastern leadership of China’s ruling Communist Party’s military arm, the People’s Liberation Army.

    This move by China crosses a very important line.

    The Chinese have essentially established a “maritime and aerial blockade” around Taiwan, but it was only supposed to last from Thursday to Sunday…

    The Chinese military designated six closure areas, one of which is merely 12 miles from Taiwan’s southern shipping hub of Kaohsiung. Beijing also warned commercial airliners to avoid wide swaths of airspace around Taiwan, in what amounts to a no-fly zone over major flight routes. Even though China portrays this as a step short of total encirclement, Taiwan’s defense ministry describes it as “a maritime and aerial blockade.”

    A four day blockade wouldn’t have been that big of a deal.

    But a full blown “maritime and aerial blockade” that lasts for weeks or even months is clearly an act of war.

    Taiwan relies on food and essential supplies from the outside world.  If commerce is severely restricted or cut off completely, life on the island will radically change.

    And the pressure on the Biden administration to “do something” will become enormous.

    Of course it is still possible that the Chinese could decide to go home at some point this week.

    And let us hope that actually happens.

    But right now both sides continue to escalate matters.

    For example, in response to the Chinese “drills”, the Taiwanese have decided to conduct live-fire exercises of their own

    Meanwhile, Taiwan’s official Central News Agency reported that Taiwan’s army will conduct live-fire artillery drills in southern Pingtung county on Tuesday and Thursday, in response to the Chinese exercises.
    
    The drills will include snipers, combat vehicles, armored vehicles as well as attack helicopters, said the report, which cited an anonymous source.

    That certainly won’t ease tensions.

    And members of the U.S. Senate are publicly calling for more economic and military aid for Taiwan

    In an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) backed the House speaker’s travel to Taiwan and tied the two foreign policy issues together — warning that China is watching how the U.S. continues to respond to Russia’s attack on Ukraine as the war nears its sixth month.
    
    Graham directed his message directly at China and pushed for the passage of the bipartisan Taiwan Policy Act, which is aimed at bolstering Taiwan economically and militarily.

    The Chinese are going to interpret this as a threat.  It has become quite obvious that many prominent members of Congress consider Taiwan to be analogous to Ukraine, and that is definitely not going to help matters.

    On top of everything else, it has been announced that U.S. forces will actually be participating in war games very close to India’s disputed border with China later this year…

    The US will participate in war games with the Indian military in an area of India that is less than 62 miles away from the country’s disputed border with China, known as the Line of Actual Control (LAN).
    
    The drills will be held from October 18-31 and will be the eighteenth iteration of annual exercises between the two militaries known as Yudh Abhyas, which is Hindi for “war practice.” They will be held in the Auli area of the Indian state of Uttarakhand in the Himalayas mountain range.

    For years, I have been relentlessly warning that a war with China was coming, but my hope is that cooler heads will prevail and that this current crisis can be resolved peacefully.

    Because a shooting war with China would instantly change all of our lives for the worse.

    If we go to war with China, shipments of the thousands upon thousands of products that we currently receive from China would immediately cease.

    And if the Pacific Ocean becomes a war zone, trade with other Asian powers such as Japan and South Korea would be paralyzed as well.

    In addition, Taiwan produces more of our microchips than everyone else in the world combined

    In particular, Taiwan’s position in the world of semiconductor manufacturing is a bit like Saudi Arabia’s status in OPEC. TSMC has a 53% market share of the global foundry market (factories contracted to make chips designed in other countries). Other Taiwan-based manufacturers claim a further 10% of the market.
    
    As a result, the Biden administration’s 100-Day Supply Chain Review Report says, “The United States is heavily dependent on a single company – TSMC – for producing its leading-edge chips.” The fact that only TSMC and Samsung (South Korea) can make the most advanced semiconductors (five nanometres in size) “puts at risk the ability to supply current and future [US] national security and critical infrastructure needs”.

    If China invades Taiwan, the global flow of microchips would permanently be reduced to a trickle.

    I don’t think that I even have the words to describe what that would do to the global economy.

    The stakes are incredibly high, and our leaders should be doing all that they can to avoid a needless war with the Chinese.

    Unfortunately, our leaders are not exactly what you would call “competent” at this point, and we could soon find ourselves involved in pointless conflicts with the Russians and the Chinese at the same time.

    The way Americans see Africa

    The way American people see Africa! Wow!

    So I’ve met an African American from GTA Online a few weeks ago and we became friends.

    Yesterday,we’ve been playing GTA Online and he asked me where I’m from.

    I told him that I was from Tunisia. Since,Tunisia isn’t that well-known,I told him that it is in Africa.

    He seemed pretty shocked and asked me:

    “You have internet in Africa?”

    “Yes,why wouldn’t we?”

    “I don’t know,I thought you didn’t have clean water.”

    what!?

    We don’t have clean water!?

    I had to explain to him many…many stuff…

    I went to the internet to check out how people see Africa and it was totally the same way he saw it…

    Africa is like any other continent,it has its poor countries and its rich ones. But even its poorest countries have access to internet and clean water,mostly.

    x
    Durban,South Africa,Africa.

    x
    Malabo,Equatorial Guinea,Africa.

    x
    Casablanca,Morocco,Africa.

    x
    Addis Ababa,Ethiopia,Africa.

    x
    Tunis,Tunisia,Africa.

    x
    Lagos,Nigeria,Africa.

    x
    Port Louis,Mauritius,Africa.

    Greek Yogurt Blueberry Muffins

    Fat free, Greek honey vanilla yogurt is the secret to delicous homemade blueberry muffins.

    x
    x

    Ingredients

    • 1/3 cup milk
    • 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
    • 1 container (6 oz) Greek Fat Free honey vanilla yogurt
    • 1 egg
    • 1 3/4 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
    • 1/4 cup sugar
    • 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 3/4 cup fresh or frozen (do not thaw) blueberries

    Steps

    • 1
      Heat oven to 400°F. Grease bottoms only of 12 regular-size muffins cups, or line with paper baking cups.
    • 2
      In large bowl, beat milk, oil, yogurt and egg using wire whisk or fork. Stir in remaining ingredients except blueberries, until flour is moistened. Gently stir in blueberries. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
    • 3
      Bake 16 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan.

    FOURTH TURNING DETONATION

    This article is 2 years old, but is pretty much spot on. -MM

    From the Economic Collapse Blog

    “The ancients believed that each cyclical extreme, mirroring the hopes and fears of the other, helps generate the other. The night longs for the day, the day for night. In war, people yearn for relief from strife, leading to peace. In peace, people yearn to champion what they love, leading to war.” – Strauss & Howe – The Fourth Turning

    When I started thinking about my annual beginning of the year article in early January, I tried to formulate a catchy title. Knowing we have entered the thirteenth year of this Fourth Turning, with the intensity of the crisis reaching an unparalleled level since November 4, I decided upon Fourth Turning Detonation. I immediately thought that might be too dire and figured I would change it later. After the first few weeks of the new year, I now think it might be grossly inadequate to describe what is coming in 2021.

    It is easy to get distracted by the daily gyrations, ceaseless media propaganda, political theater, false narratives, and delusional beliefs of both the left and right, as this military empire built on debt and deceit spirals towards its fiery cataclysmic climax. Opposing forces have gathered themselves into position focusing on defeating their domestic enemies, with the left seeming to have strategic advantage but led by hubristic dullards, while numerous foreign adversaries circle like hungry vultures ready to pounce on the dying beast of an empire.

    Last January I wrote a two-part article called 2020 – Year of Living Dangerously which harkened back to another article I had written eight years before 2012 – Year of Living Dangerously. I lamented the fact I had not understood Fourth Turnings will take their own sweet time on the way to a climax, with twists and turns which will differentiate it from previous Crisis periods in U.S. history. My impatience for the great battle to resolve this struggle has not and will not impact the timeline, but the three elements driving this Crisis remain firmly in control, as they have since 2008: debt, civic decay, global disorder.

    My belief regarding the subtext of what has happened and is happening in this country has not changed. I certainly underestimated the lengths these psychopaths in suits would go to in 2020 to further pillage the world’s wealth while using a pandemic as cover to further their agenda of hegemony and turning the world into a virtual prison camp under constant technological surveillance. Despite the timing, I still believe that which is unsustainable will not be sustained.

    x
    x

    “It seems I always underestimate the ability of sociopathic central bankers and their willingness to destroy the lives of hundreds of millions to benefit their oligarch masters. I always underestimate the rampant corruption that permeates Washington DC and the executive suites in mega-corporations across the land. And I always overestimate the intelligence, civic mindedness, and ability to understand math of the ignorant masses that pass for citizens in this country. It seems that issuing trillions of new debt to pay off trillions of bad debt, government sanctioned accounting fraud, mainstream media propaganda, government data manipulation and a populace blinded by mass delusion can stave off the inevitable consequences of an unsustainable economic system.”

    I used to try and make specific predictions about the new year generally centered upon economic chaos, stock markets crashing, global conflict, and various other doom-like events. But those running this clown show somehow convince the masses all is well, the economy is healthy, inflation is non-existent, debt does not matter, college makes you smart, we’re energy self-sufficient, 100 million working age Americans not working – but unemployment was 3.5%, the stock market hitting all-time highs is good for you even though your real wages haven’t gone up in a decade, and America was great again.

    It is amazing to me how effective propaganda is when multiple generations have been indoctrinated and socially engineered in the government school system and decades of boob tube fake news has been programmed into their pliably ignorant brains. Edward Bernays created the game plan and the techno-oligarch despots currently running the show are executing it to perfection.

    x
    x

    “The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. …We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of.” – Edward Bernays – Propaganda

    This Fourth Turning likely has another 5 to 10 years before some sort of convulsive resolution, unless it is accelerated like the Civil War Fourth Turning, with similar tragic consequences and mass casualties. Predicting the actual events which will occur over a short-term time frame is a fool’s errand, so I prefer to try and discern the direction and amplitude of the ongoing Crisis to gauge how we should prepare for what is coming.

    I do admire writers like Jim Kunstler who really go out on a limb and make extremely specific forecasts for the coming year, like he did on January 1 with his Forecast 2021 — Chinese Fire Drills with a side of French Fries (Jacobin-style) and Russian Dressing. If even 25% of his predictions had come to fruition, 2021 would have gone down as one of the most earth shattering in history. But here we are a few weeks later and all his predictions about Trump going to war with the Deep State and winning a glorious victory for the American people failed to materialize. Trump is golfing at Mar-a- Lago, while the Deep State remains firmly in control and in the midst of consolidating their power by crushing dissent through Domestic terrorism legislation and complete control of social media platforms.

    Even Kunstler acknowledges the Fourth Turning as a generational dynamic driving the events pushing the country and the world towards armed conflict. My high-level prognostications for 2020 certainly did not include a global pandemic used to introduce an Orwellian global dystopia and justification to steal a presidential election through mail-in ballot fraud and voting machine rigging.

    Of course, Bill Gates predicted the pandemic in 2018 and his buddy Fauci, in 2017, said there was “no doubt” Donald J. Trump would be confronted with a surprise infectious disease outbreak during his presidency. I wonder why he had no doubt. Fauci, an unknown lifetime government bureaucrat, is now a media darling, despite being wrong about everything. And Gates’ wealth has soared during this plandemic. My big picture guesses last year were colored by the assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani on January 3, expecting Middle East conflict to erupt. These were my main conjectures for 2020:

    • The Fed will continue to run their electronic printing presses at warp speed until the inevitable banquet of consequences is served to all.
    • We have entered the extreme greed phase of this debt-based Ponzi scheme. The stock market is in the blow-off stage, where earnings, valuations, and rational thinking are meaningless. Momentum and a delusional belief in the infallibility of the Fed are all that matter. Who knows how far it will go, but fear will eventually rear its ugly head, and a cascading collapse will make a lot of useful investing idiots very angry for the third time in the last two decades.
    • The Democrats and their Surveillance State co-conspirators have determined the best way to cover-up their treasonous acts are to stay on the offensive by impeaching Trump on bogus charges.
    • The social distress I noted last year continues unabated today as the glorification of abnormality reaches new heights. The flames of division and disarray are fanned unceasingly by the left-wing media to distract from the true desperate financial situation of the country.
    • Israel quietly foments discontent and turmoil across the region to keep the focus off itself. Russia and China support Iran economically and militarily to offset Americans dominance of the region. Confusion reigns.
    • Anyone with an ounce of critical thinking skills knows none of this is about freedom, democracy or doing the right thing. It’s about oil and it’s about the military industrial complex requiring enemies to keep the profits flowing.
    • The shale “miracle” is just another delusion built upon easy money pumped out by the Fed. No one can make profits on shale oil at $60 per barrel.
    • The months leading up to the election will be a circus. Propaganda, misinformation, and outright lies will be spread like manure. Of course, voting will not alleviate the issues which will continue to drive this Fourth Turning towards its climax – debt, civic decay, global disorder.
    • No matter the result of the upcoming election, neither side will accept the outcome.
    • There are no viable political solutions to our current dilemmas. It is just a matter of when and where the conflict goes hot and blood is spilled.
    • I do not know what events will dominate the coming year, but I do know the intensity of hate and vitriol will increase. I do know military conflict in the Middle East will expand. I do know the political machinations in this country will surge as the election approaches. I do know the Deep State will do everything in their immense power to undermine Trump. I do know the Fed will QE and Trump will cheer every new stock market record. I do know I will be lied to and propagandized by the mainstream corporate media.

    x
    x

    I knew 2020 had the potential to be a chaotic year, but didn’t anticipate a flu with a 99.7% survival rate being used by totalitarian minded politicians to destroy the global economy, usher in Orwellian police state lockdown measures across the globe; a stock market crash followed by Fed created bubbles still growing ever bubblier through $4 trillion of money printing; adding $4 trillion to the national debt (with another $3 trillion on the way in 2021); paying millions to sit at home eating Cheetos and watching Netflix; destroying a few hundred thousand small businesses while enriching mega-corporations; putting a nail in the coffin of the 1st Amendment through censorship of conservative speech; and blatantly stealing a presidential election.

    The globalist elite want to keep the fear at a high level to institute their global reset, where you will own nothing and be happy, or you will be brought to heel by the truncheon. This was the year it became crystal clear, the world is filled with good people, governed, and manipulated by bad people.

    By delaying this article until after January 20 I allowed the Qanon Psyop of Trump using the military to rescue the country to pass into history as another delusion of hope over reason. I truly do not know whether the Qanon phenomena (it was not widely known by Trump supporters or most people) was just a LARP being played by former Dungeons & Dragons keyboard warriors or an FBI/CIA counter-intelligence operation designed to keep a segment of the population distracted and ever hopeful their white knight would rescue them from the clutches of the evil Deep State. I am reminded of the quote about hope from President Snow in the Hunger Games.

    The elevation of Trump to president and the spark of hope he would truly drain the swamp, arrest the traitorous Deep State coup co-conspirators, lead his legions to victory over the forces of evil, and make America great again, kept half the people in the country hopeful for the last four years.

    Meanwhile, the military industrial complex raked in hundreds of billions more from the American taxpayer; Wall Street bankers gorged on the trillions of free money, manufactured by their captured puppets at the Federal Reserve; the Silicon Valley despots consolidated their hold on commerce and communication; and the average American saw their standard of living continue its 50- year decline. The question is whether those constituting the “invisible government” allowed too much hope and needed the engineered pandemic to re-introduce fear as their primary control technique moving forward.

    They believe they have contained the spark with their fraudulent election victory; installation of an empty senile vassal as their conduit for the great reset; having their media mouthpieces propagate the falsity of a right wing white supremacist insurrection at the Capital; crushing dissent by censoring the truth through totalitarian social media conglomerates; proceeding with an impeachment farce based on Trump telling his supporters to peacefully protest the fraudulent election outcome; and threatening to destroy the lives of all vocal Trump supporters.

    I am highly doubtful they have contained the spark. I believe there are smoldering embers just waiting to be stirred into a conflagration which will engulf the entire world in a fiery purging of the existing social order, which has exhausted itself and needs to be cleansed. Jefferson understood the nature of Fourth Turnings two hundred years before Strauss & Howe put it to paper.

    “Try to unlearn the obsessive fear of death (and the anxious quest for death avoidance) that pervades linear thinking in nearly every modern society. The ancients knew that, without periodic decay and death, nature cannot complete its full round of biological and social change. Without plant death, weeds would strangle the forest. Without human death, memories would never die, and unbroken habits and customs would strangle civilization. Social institutions require no less. Just as floods replenish soil and fires rejuvenate forests, a Fourth Turning clears out society’s exhausted elements and creates an opportunity.” – Strauss & Howe – The Fourth Turning

    In Part Two of this article, I will examine the concept of the Grey Champion, their role in Fourth Turnings, and make some speculations as to the course of 2021 and the remainder of this Fourth Turning.

    Ginger

    A nice story found on the internet. -MM

    x
    x

    About a 2 years ago I was pulling into my garage and heard a meow.

    Not a kitten meow more like “ Hey I am here, Do you see me?”

    And right there next to my trash can was a beat-up malnourished Tom Cat.

    I walked past him and went inside.

    The next morning, there he was again, same spot.

    I reached down to pet him and he did not run or even seem scared. So I went inside grabbed him a bowl for food and water. I laid outside close to him and went on to work.

    This went on for a good month or so and the beat-up malnourished cat became my friend.

    Now I could not bring him inside because for one he is full grown and had not been raised with dogs.

    I am the mama of 2 Pitbulls and also 2 rescue cats, but my cats came into my home when they were kittens so they had been raised around my dogs.

    So he became my outside/Garage cat.

    As much as I did not want to admit it, he became my cat.

    And then I named him and we all know what happens when you name them, they become yours whether you like it or not.

    I named him Ginger.

    7 months later we decided to move.

    During the 7 months I had learned from the neighbors he had belonged to a lady down the street who had moved and abandoned him.

    During our move he was watching us sitting in the garage.

    As I go to get in my car he follows me.

    I open my door and he jumps in the car with me.

    As if to tell me “ You are not leaving me”.

    I smiled, because as much as he did not know, I was not going to leave him.

    Ginger is still in the garage with his own door to come and go as he pleases.

    He loves to sun and is a little territorial when it comes to the possums.

    I have had to break apart a few fights between him and a possum.

    He is ok being an outside cat.

    He gets tons of attention from the little ones and enjoys his new home.

    The reason I am telling you this is cats are by far one of the easiest animals to take care of.

    Yes you should feed him, Yes you will get attached, yes it will make you feel good on the inside , Yes you will more than likely fall in love.

    A smile will come across your face when he comes to you and trusts you because you saved him.

    He will forever be grateful.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
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    The art of Kouki Ikegami

    I tire of the mess that the United States is creating.

    Let’s take a break from it.

    Here’s a nice interlude with some great art. There’s something about this art that awakens odd feelings inside. Nothing that I can put my finger on, but marvelous never the less. I hope that you all appreciate this post and the art that is presented.

    It’s hard to look at the illustrations of Kouki Ikegami and not feel as if you’re looking at the concept art for a gorgeous anime film. The talented illustrator has a beautiful way of turning simple everyday surroundings into charming and nostalgic worlds of art. Two renditions of his gorgeous “A large cloud and small railroad crossing” based off of Kusatsu Station in Shiga prefecture.

    More: Twitter h/t: grapee

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    Ikegami’s attention to detail of real life settings and backgrounds has some of his illustrations being compared to the beautifully animated films of Makoto Shinkai. Many on Twitter have pointed out how some of the finer details–such as the wear and tear on some building structures, sign lettering, and even the LINE messenger app on a girl’s cell phone–make the illustrations appear as actual photographs.

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    I hope that you all enjoyed this as much as I have. Please have a great day. Spend the time with friends and family and maybe a great meal out. And remember, no matter what, I believe in you.

    Do you want more?

    I have more articles like this one in my Art Index here…

    ART

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    MM Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
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    Ten Truths That Can’t Be Published in the United States

    I am forced to have a small post for today. But it’s a good one. All credit to Eric. Brilliant write up…

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    Ten Truths That Can’t Be Published Under The U.S. Regime

    1. The overthrow of Yanukovych in Ukraine in February 2014 was a U.S. coup, and definitely not a democratic revolution there.

    2. The U.S. Government and its ‘news’-media lied — didn’t merely “err” — to deceive the U.S. public to believe the “Saddam’s WMD” falsehoods that were used to ‘justify’ criminally invading Iraq on 20 March 2003.

    3. The U.S. Government and its OPCW lied — didn’t merely “err” — to say that Assad was using chemical weapons, so as to ‘justify’ America’s criminal invasion and occupation of Syria.

    4. The war between Russia and Ukraine is actually the war by America against Russia in the battlefields of Ukraine and started not on 24 February 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine but even well before America’s criminal February 2014 coup in Ukraine and was already secretly in the planning stages in the Obama Administration by no later than June 2011.

    5. The claim that Taiwan isn’t and hasn’t even been a part of China is a blatant lie about history, to deceive U.S.-and-allied publics and aiming to enable the U.S. regime to grab China too.

    6. U.S.-and-allied ‘news’-media lie constantly so as to deceive their publics to support their criminal invasions, coups, and sanctions, against countries that the U.S. regime is aiming ultimately to conquer, even countries (such as Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Ukraine) that never threatened, nor posed any threat to, U.S. national security.

    7. The U.S. repeatedly shows up in international polls as being overwhelmingly a bigger threat to peace in the world than is any other nation. Whereas Americans don’t know it, foreigners certainly do.

    8. The termination of American democracy, and the decision by the U.S. Government to ultimately conquer the entire world, occurred on 25 July 1945, and the Cold War excuse — that it was about communism, instead of about ultimate global conquest by the U.S. — was, and remains, a lie.

    9. The U.S. regime’s statements that it had not in 1990 promised to Russia that its ending its communism and its Warsaw Pact military alliance would mean that NATO itself would not expand “one inch to the east [toward Russia’s border]” is a historical lie, and the U.S. regime started on 24 February 1990 secretly to inform its ‘allies’ (vassal nations) that it was a lie and that on America’s side the Cold War would continue until Russia itself becomes under its control.

    10. The U.S. regime’s being a regime — a dictatorship instead of a democracy — has been repeatedly proven, and is an established fact, to the contrary of all the lies and liars. Calling it “the U.S. regime” is effectively prohibited, though it is certainly true. In fact, a good case can be made that the U.S. is the world’s #1 police-state.

    On August 2nd, U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s speech upon landing in Taipei, Taiwan, said “Our congressional delegation’s visit to Taiwan honors America’s unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan’s vibrant democracy.”

    An earlier retort

    NOTE: A reader of this article commented on it by saying: “Actually US democracy did not end in 1945, as it never existed in the first place. The authors of the Constitution deliberately made it a republic, not a democracy.” To this, I replied:

    A “republic” IS a “democracy”: they are synonyms for a nation in which the government REPRESENTS the public, instead of being some dictator or (more commonly) dictatorial class of people who DON’T represent the public.

    You got balled-up in words instead of thinking about WHAT THE WORDS REPRESENT. “Democracy” and “republic” represent the SAME THING.

    (There supposedly are also nations that are ‘direct democracies’ in which the government is ‘direct’ from the voters instead of entailing any voting for representatives; but none such actually exists today, because a direct democracy is possible only for tiny nations, “city-states,” and even most of those do and have had representatives. In the real world, “democracy” and “republic” are the same thing.)

    It is because of such confusions by, and gullibility OF, the public, that politicians such as Pelosi, Biden, and Obama, and such as Trump, Bush, and Reagan, can so easily fool the public to accept them as BEING representatives of the public, INSTEAD OF as being representatives of the billionaires who funded their political careers — which they actually are and have been.

    Oh, by the way…

    Here is how You-Tube automatically selects the title splash images for my you-tube videos. No wonder I am forced to generate my own…

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    You-Tube suggestions.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
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    Do not fear the soul realignment event

    This was a private video for Patreon. It is now free for everyone to view. Here, we discuss what you MUST go though if you want to stop the endless cycle of reincarnation.

    Very important links.

    The Metallicman webpage has daily articles of everything from geopolitics, to art, music, history, extraterrestrials, science and just stuff that defy description…

    A1 Top Master Index

    The Metallicman patrion page has daily videos and articles for the hard-core influencers and supporters. Here’s the really valuable stuff. Basic membership is only $5 a month. Great stuff here. It’s where I present the “secrets of the universe”…
    https://www.patreon.com/Metallicman

    The dragon starts to move

    You need a stiff drink to watch the apocalypse unfold. 
    
    -Gonzalo Lira

    I can tell you that many Chinese are upset that the PLA did not blow the plane carrying Nancy Poliski out of the sky. There’s all sorts of thoughts on this. In general, the mood in China is one of great seismic shift.

    Things are forever changed.

    That being said, the USA and the Western press is having a field day proclaiming the “victory dance” for “democracy” and all the rest. Mainstream “news” coverage is announcing how the USA “showed who’s boss”.

    Do not be so sure.

    I think that the Chinese strategy is to move (geopolitical) pieces in place. Whether it involves this particular person or not, is of no consequence. What has occurred is that NOW China has the pieces lined up to solve the “Taiwan Issue” once and for all.

    Let me explain.

    What has occurred (with Nancy Poliski) is a MAJOR violation of Chinese national sovereignty. China knows who the aggressors are. China knows the systems used. China knows the operational situation, and China understands what will come next.

    Thus, you can expect the following to be truisms that the Chinese realize;

    • America is not only poking China, but it is goading it towards war.
    • The attacks will only get worse.
    • The main “pressure point” is Taiwan.

    Now, China has the excuse to lock Taiwan down.

    Now, China has the excuse to get rid of the American-sponsored Taipei government.

    Now, China can argue “we did not attack American forces”.

    And now China can seize Taiwan once and for all. Let America howl. But you know, it will do nothing. It will stand by and watch. Of course, it will then impose “sanctions from Hell.” Which, or course, China is fully ready to rub the American face in the shit it created.

    We begin with how this affects Taiwan…

    China Halts Exports of . . . SAND . . . to Taiwan

    China has ordered a complete halt to the export of natural sand to Taiwan.   At first glance, most folks would say “Sand? So what!”  But Taiwan makes computer chips and the silicone to make those chips comes from . . .  Oh, yea . . .  sand.

    Moreover, Chinese Battery Manufacturer CATL has announced they are “freezing” the opening of a $5 Billion battery plant in the USA.  The plant was supposed to supply batteries for Tesla and Ford.

    We have also received reports CLAIMING (but not yet verified) that Chinese suppliers to APPLE have suspended all product and parts deliveries; allegedly crippling APPLE.

    These changes took place within hours of Nancy Pelosi violating China’s demand that she not visit Taiwan.

    Things will likely get much worse from this point as China retaliates for violation of its Diplomatic demands.

    I am not alone in believing the consequences of this action…

    From FOX “news”.

    Tucker Carlson. He’s actually in agreement with me.

    Errol Flynn

    Legendary swashbuckler Errol Flynn would never have survived #MeToo had he been born sixty years later. The man was wild. And wildly immoral. He was like Charlie Sheen times a million. Orgies, everywhere. Underaged lovers. Drunk parties with multiple nude starlets and Erol, playing piano butt naked with his erect penis hitting all the right keys…

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    No, this man was something else. And even in the era he lived, full of fixers and more forgiving of scandals when involving a man and his various sexual conquests… Flynn was still ‘a bridge too far’ for many people. He was scandal and intrige personified.

    Drugs. Alcohol. Copious amounts of all sorts of pills, potions and powders known to man, many of it no longer in production. Fights, everywhere. With everyone. Sex with everyone. And with everyone’s wife, everyone’s daughter… Flynn was a tireless beast of seductive burden.

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    See that lovely lady above? Her name is Beverly Aadland. They started ‘seeing each other’ when she was fifteen. And when I say ‘seeing each other’, I mean ‘banging the everlasting daylights out of each other’. As I said, the man was wild. And he didn’t care about age. Or legality.

    It was in the presence of Aadland that Errol Flynn died on October 14, 1959… Flynn was fifty, Beverly just 17. He still got a heroes burial and a funeral worthy of a king. He was never cancelled and lived his depraved life full of debauchery free as a bird without a care in the world.

    Quick Pepper Steak

    When I need a speedy skillet supper, this pepper steak comes to my rescue. The tender meat is slightly sweet, with a hint of brown sugar and molasses. —Monica Williams, Burleson, Texas

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    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
    • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
    • 2 tablespoons minced fresh gingerroot
    • 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) beef broth
    • 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
    • 1 tablespoon molasses
    • 1-1/2 pounds beef top sirloin steak, cut into 1/4-inch strips
    • 1 tablespoon canola oil
    • 2 large green peppers, cut into 1/2-inch strips
    • 1-1/2 cups sliced celery
    • 3 green onions, chopped
    • 4 teaspoons lemon juice
    • Hot cooked noodles, optional

    Directions

    1. In a bowl, combine the cornstarch, brown sugar, ginger and garlic powder. Stir in broth until smooth. Add soy sauce and molasses; set aside.
    2. In a nonstick skillet or wok, stir-fry steak in oil for 4-5 minutes; remove and keep warm. Stir-fry peppers, celery and onions until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Stir broth mixture and add to the vegetables. Return meat to the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Serve over noodles if desired.

    The Clacton Spear

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    The oldest man made object on earth, sits in a display in the Natural History Museum, London.

    This stunningly well preserved spear point is by far the oldest known wooden tool ever found, it was made over a hundred thousand years before anatomically modern humans first appeared on the scene, by some early ancestor of our species, a clever Hominin with a penchant wood carving.

    Made from Yew wood, skilfully carved by razor sharp worked flints and shaped into a stout spear, a tool made for hunting the large prey of the land bridge between Britain and Europe.

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    Perhaps this stout spear was made for hunting Giant Irish Elk, which roamed the area this spear was found, or maybe Mammoths or wild boar.

    As someone who actively uses the wood of Yew trees to make Longbows, I’m acutely aware that this incredible unique wood has been used by ancient humans since the beginning of time, for making the finest heavy draw weight bows, strong staves, clubs, handshafts and spears.

    Anyway, in 1911, an amateur prehistorian named Samuel H. Warren, was busy searching for prehistoric artefacts at low tide on the shoreline near his home, he had previously found worked stones and all manner of Neolithic trinkets, but then one day he spotted what looked like a muddy stick peeking out from just beneath the surface of the Palaeolithic sediment, he pulled it out and quickly realised it was something special and took it home to clean and preserved it. A few years later, Samuel Warren casually walked into a stuffy society of scientific research and upended their long held academic beliefs regarding the inability of premodern humans to manufacture such well made tools.

    The 420,000 year old Yew spear that lay resting beneath the waves for almost half a million years.

    1. When you sign up for anything online, put the website’s name as your middle name. That way when you receive spam/advert email, you will know who sold your information.
    2. If you’re on a first date and aren’t connecting with the other person or feel they’re dull, ask them what job they’d choose if money wasn’t an issue. It initiates a talk about one’s passions, which are rarely dull and are simple to connect.
    3. If you want to be an effective communicators, let others talking about themselves and their interests – it’s as rewarding as sex.
    4. Do not try to be the man your father would want you to be. Be the man you would like your son to be be. It more clearly defines your own convictions, desires, goals, and motivates you to be your best.
    5. Pay Attention to the smell of your home when you come back from a trip – that’s what it smells like to guests all the time, you just get used to it.
    6. When a friend is upset, ask them one simple question before saying anything else: ‘Do you want to talk about it or do you want to be distracted from it?’
    7. No matter how much your workplace pushes “team building” and “family culture” – remember, they’re not your friends and it’s still a workplace.
    8. If you’re stuck on an annoying call, put your phone on airplane mode instead of just hanging up. The other person will see “call failed” instead of “call ended”.
    9. If you want to learn a new language, figure out the 100 most frequently used words and start with them. Those words make up about 50% of everyday speech, and should be a very solid basis.

    King Louis XV

    Louis XV had several lovers, some very young like those he kept in his “parc aux cerfs”, the place where his younger lovers stayed because they had not yet been officially introduced as official lovers.

    Louis XV was always a very sensual person, and that is why he sent Mariana Victoria, his fiancée, back to Spain because she was too young to marry and consummate the marriage.

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    Mariana Victoria of Spain.

    At the age of 15, he married a Polish noblewoman who did not have a very prestigious lineage, but who was older and more experienced than him, as well as being relatively attractive: Marie Leszczynska. During their wedding night, it is rumored that he consummated her marriage “seven times”.

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    Queen Maria van Loo.

    And as for their sexual habits, it is unlikely that they were extraordinary. With the exception of Du Barry, her mistresses had little experience of the subject, as they were generally married women, often to other aristocrats (they only had experience with their husbands), or young virgins.

    The King revealed to the Duke d’Ayen that Jean du Barry, his last lover and former prostitute, “had helped him discover things that he thought did not exist”, to which the nobleman replied that it was because “he had never been in a brothel ”.

    The Duran Agrees with MM

    Well, sort of. Mr. Barnes feels that China will not make a military move on Taiwan. I disagree. The entire nation of China, all 1.6 billion people are all ready to flood into Taiwan right now. The overall feeling is “enough is enough. It’s time to stop this nonsense!”.

    Anyways…

    Check this out.

    Japan

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    The Queen of Purza

    My father did not really like cats.

    I moved back home in 2013 to care for him, he was 93 at the time, and adopted a kitten 3 years later.

    Dad was bedridden the last 3 months of his life so I made sure his door was securely closed to keep Purza out.

    One day I heard Dad moaning in pain over the intercom, so I hurried to get his meds.

    While I was getting them, Dad stopped moaning, which scared me because it was usually 30 minutes or more after his meds before he would quiet down.

    I ran to his room and noticed his door was open.

    What I saw in his room makes me cry even though it’s 4 years later.

    Dad was in his bed with the head of it slightly raised, and laying beside him with her head right by his ear, was Purza and she was purring away.

    She has a very loud purr.

    Dad had his hand on her, a look of peace on his face, and he was sound asleep.

    That was the first time he’d fallen asleep without pain meds in over 6 months.

    I had named my kitten The Queen of Purza but right then I seriously thought of changing it to The Angel Purza, because that’s what she was.

    x
    The Queen of Purza

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

    Taiwan is being used as a casus belli

    In the first half of this year, the US economy shrank, contracted, got smaller. That is two quarters of contraction which clearly puts the US in a technical recession. Although, the Democratic party are desperately trying to redefine what a “recession” is.

    In contrast with all the supposed difficulties of the Shanghai lock-down in the second quarter, the Chinese economy did NOT shrink. It’s true that it barely grew, but grow it did.

    As for the rest of China, well, in the first quarter China’s economy grew at a bit over 4% if memory serves.

    Time for some perspective. The United States is shrinking. While China is growing.

    And what about inflation?

    China continues to keep inflation in the realm of 2%. The US was at 9.1% for June (the last month available at this time of writing).

    This was in the region of 7% for a long, long time before it took a turn for the worse during the last few months!

    • United States- recession and inflation.
    • China- growth and stable prices.

    Of course China has <6000 deaths due to Covid. The US has well over 1 million.

    In the Western media China always does badly in the PREDICTIONS. But in REALITY China always does better than the US.

    I attribute this to many things, but in this case, it is the end results which matter.

    Taiwan as a distraction

    From HERE

    By Amarynth for the Saker Blog

    The current hot war of words regarding Nancy Pelosi’s announced visit to Taiwan is reaching a dangerous nexus and threatening to spill over into military action.

    China considers this belligerent approach as a threat to their stated One Country, Two Systems policy as well as a threat to the 1992 consensus. The two sides of the Taiwan Strait reached the consensus in 1992 that “both sides belong to one China and will work together toward national reunification”. It defines the fundamental nature of the cross-Strait relationship and lays the political foundation for its development.

    Taiwan is being used as a casus belli (an act or an event that either provokes or is used to justify war) in the very same way that Ukraine was used and is currently used. A war of media, tremendous even brutal propaganda to their own citizens to paint the enemy as evil to justify their own actions, continual accusations using a human rights platform, and doubling down! We see fantastical accusations that Huawei equipment sitting atop poles is spying on the US, China is infiltrating the US Fed, and in professional statements and documentation, China is the second biggest enemy of the US.  The latest are threats to attempt to impose sanctions on Russian oil supplies to China.

    The trajectory is exactly the same toward China, using Taiwan as the hot button, as what we observed during the run-up to the Russia SMO with the Ukraine as the hot button.  It is:

    blatant and intentional provocation and total denial of International Law.

    Another point of convergence is that while professing ‘support for Taiwan’ (the very same as for the Ukraine), they are actually harming Taiwan (the very same as for the Ukraine).

    A short history of the current dangerous brouhaha is:

    • Nanci Pelosi announced a visit to Taiwan in April, and China said NO! Pelosi developed Covid.
    • During May, June and July, timeframe, the US announced a 5th sale of weapons to Taiwan and China delivered strong demarch on the US to cancel this. There was also a continual stream of US dignitaries and ex-dignataries e.g., Pompeo, visiting Taiwan in some or other professional capacity
    • Pelosi announced a new visit to Taiwan in August,

    The Chinese are not simply saying no, they have handed this matter to their Military. Whereas their foreign office spokesperson comments, we now get the commentary from the Chinese military spokesperson.

    Our army will not sit idly by if U.S. House Speaker Pelosi visits Taiwan, will take decisive measures to curb foreign interference – Chinese Defense Ministry
    
    The Taiwan question is the most important of China’s core interests. Safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity is the bounden responsibility of every Chinese, and no one, force or country should dream of separating Taiwan from China – Chinese SC & FM Wang Yi:
    • The latest is that US President Biden & China’s Xi Jinping will hold bilateral talks today amid this crisis because the Chinese see this as a direct assault on One Country, Two Systems, as well as the 1992 consensus between China and Taiwan.

    If Pelosi tries to visit Taiwan, the Chinese will respond militarily.

    Asked to comment on a recent Financial Times report which suggested Beijing would respond military should the speaker of the House visit Taiwan, China’s government confirmed the contents as true.

    “We are seriously prepared,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said in regards to the article.
    
    “If the US side is bent on going its own way, China will take strong measures to resolutely respond and counteract. The United States should be held responsible for any serious consequences,” the official added.

    We do not know what kind of military response, but at the moment, the American aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its strike group, including a guided missile destroyer and a guided missile cruiser, set out from Singapore on Monday heading northeast towards the South China Sea, according to ship-tracking information provided by Beijing-based think tank the South China Sea Strategic Probing Initiative.  The US military has not disclosed its final destination, but the route would bring the carrier group to the Taiwan Strait if it continues in the same direction.

    The US administration fears that China could introduce a no-fly zone over Taiwan ahead of a possible visit by Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi to the island to disrupt the plans of the American side – CNN

    These provocations are a threat to the whole world, as are the provocations to Russia. Yet, the US and its cronies have failed to overthrow Hong Kong, they have failed to create an economic disaster in Xinjiang to destabilize this crossroad on the Belt and Road, and they failed in the Tibet Autonomous Region which is now a thriving region with no abject poverty or slave ownership of serfs and with protected religious and social mores, they failed the Trump trade war, and they will fail in Taiwan. They are failing in Latin America, they are even failing in Panama to safeguard their neoliberal democratic ‘free world’.

    While failing everywhere, they live in virtual reality and most seriously believe that the world belongs to them.

    “China will not allow “sanctimonious preaching” or bullying from foreign forces, and anyone who tries “will find themselves on a collision course with a steel wall forged by 1.4 billion people”.  Xi Jinping:

    Taiwan is a distraction and a belated and hopeless but dangerous attempt at ongoing relevance from the US.

    Caitlin Johnstone epitomized their dilemma:

    Russia: Don’t cross our red lines in Ukraine or we’ll take action. 
    US politicians: They’re bluffing. Cross those red lines. 
    *Russia invades.* 
    
    China: Don’t cross our red lines in Taiwan or we’ll take action. 
    US politicians: They’re bluffing. Cross those red lines. 
    *****
    

    We wait to see the outcome and it will be China’s national reunification with its recalcitrant province on China’s terms, not imposed terms.  Bear in mind that Taiwan is not a candidate currently for independence. The current government does not dare to call for a referendum as 75% roughly of Taiwanese will vote for remaining with the Chinese mainland.

    China Daily reports: For National Reunification we are willing to go to war.

    Here are some actual historical facts from Nathan Rich:

    Finally, Russia and China will coordinate actions.  Today in Uzbekistan:

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    China Sanctions Nancy Pelosi; Refused Entry into China and Taiwan

    Reports are coming in from Asia as of 4:09 AM eastern US Time, claiming that the People’s Republic of China has “Sanctioned” U.S. Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.   The reports also claim that as a result of being Sanctioned, Pelosi is DENIED ENTRY into China and into Taiwan.

    These reports are coming from media persons on the ground inside Asia, but their media outlets have yet to report these claims.

    Pelosi departed the United States on Saturday, allegedly aboard a U.S. Air Force C-40 transport aircraft, which allegedly7 had TWO fighter jets as escort.

    The plane was tracked across the continental U.S., out into the Pacific, and then landed in Hawaii to refuel.

    Pelosi’s office tweeted a statement from her:

    Later that same aircraft took off from Hawaii, but tracking of it was then BLOCKED, claiming the plane was no longer being tracked because of engine trouble . . . which is a complete non-sequitur; it made no sense at all.

    As of 4:09 AM EDT Sunday, it is not known where Speaker Pelosi’s plane is, or if has perhaps landed elsewhere in Asia, as her itinerary did mention stops in Singapore, Malaysia and elsewhere for this trip.

    Why the US Speaker of the House is engaging in foreign travel is also a mystery.  Generally, that’s why the U.S. has a Secretary of State.

    More details as they become available.

    UPDATE 9:17 AM EDT —

    It turns out that when Pelosi’s aircraft developed engine trouble and it’s tracking was turned off, it returned to Hawaii.   Pelosi spent the night there.

    This morning, the plane took off from Hawaii out westward into the Pacific.   At this hour 9:18 AM EDT, it is landing at Guam.

    For what it’s worth

    Getting Reports that Pelosi WILL Land in Taiwan this week . . .

    There are now NEW reports, **claiming** US Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, will land in Taiwan sometime this week.

    No “official” word on this, but the reports are going around and getting louder.

    The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) staged military exercises and published propaganda videos of various weapons, including an alleged “aircraft carrier killer,” on Sunday and Monday in anticipation of Pelosi (D-CA) arriving in Asia and potentially visiting Taiwan.

    Pelosi landed in Singapore on Monday and has since met with its president and prime minister, bringing along a congressional delegation. Pelosi’s office confirmed the delegation would also visit Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan. Rumors for weeks have indicated that Pelosi had long been considering a surprise stop in the sovereign, democratic nation of Taiwan – defying the Chinese Communist Party, which claims Taiwan as a rogue “province” and dismisses its government as an illegitimate separatist entity.

    Most striking about China’s public remarks about Pelosi visiting Taiwan, and that visit being a major incident against which China will respond, was China’s statement “Don’t say we didn’t warn you.”

    That particular statement is of very troubling history;  China has only uttered that statement to another country THREE times in its history:

    The first time in 1962 just prior to its border war with India;

    The second time in 1979 just before it invaded Vietnam, and;

    two days ago . . . to the USA

     

    US Military: Extraordinary Activity

    The United States military is already on the move, perhaps in relation to China’s ominous message.

    The USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier Strike Group is now moving into position near Taiwan, as shown on its travel map below:

     

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    Moreover, inside the continental United States, as of 1:49 PM eastern US time on August 1, 2022, ALL (every single one) of the planes shown on the FlightRadar24 map below, are US military aircraft over the Continental USA.

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    That’s an awful lot of movement.  Rather unusual.

    Perhaps they are preparing for . . .  something . . . .

    PLA not to sit idly by if Pelosi visits Taiwan: Chinese spokesperson

    From HERE

    BEIJING, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) — China on Monday once again warned the United States that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will not sit idly by if U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan.

    Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the warning at a daily news briefing.

    China has repeatedly stated to the United States its grave concern over the issue and the solemn position of resolutely opposing Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, and stressed the severe consequences if Pelosi visits Taiwan, Zhao said.

    “The will of the people cannot be defied, and those who play with fire will perish by it,” Zhao said. “It is believed the U.S. side is fully aware of China’s strong and clear message.”

    China is closely following the itinerary of Pelosi, Zhao said. “A visit to Taiwan by her would constitute a gross interference in China’s internal affairs, seriously undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, wantonly trample on the one-China principle, greatly threaten peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, severely undermine China-U.S. relations, and lead to a very serious situation and grave consequences.”

    China once again warns the U.S. side that China is on high alert, the PLA will never sit idly by, and will surely take resolute and strong countermeasures to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, Zhao said.

    The United States should strictly abide by the one-China principle and the stipulations in the three China-U.S. joint communiques, honor U.S. President Joe Biden’s commitment that the United States does not support “Taiwan independence,” and not arrange for Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, the spokesperson added.

     

    White House Says Speaker Pelosi has the right to visit Taiwan: Taiwan Cancels All Troops Leave “Prepare for war”

    Just moments ago, the White House officially confirmed the American position that the Speaker of the House “has the right to visit Taiwan.”

    Routine Diplomatic practice for decades has been that if an official from any country wishes to visit Taiwan, they must get permission from Beijing, then fly into Beijing, then fly to Taiwan.  That decades-old practice is being ignored, and Taiwan is being treated by the USA as if Beijing no longer matters.

    Beijing seems ready to show the US, and the world, they actually do matter . . . .

    Video of the White House spokesman saying it:

     

    Taiwan Cancels all Military Leave

    Taiwanese defense officials have canceled the leave of soldiers and officers “to immediately prepare” for the chance of war in response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Asia this week, according to local reports.

    China warned early Monday that its military would not “sit idly by” if the House speaker visits Taiwan during her trip this week, echoing similar comments from Chinese President Xi Jinping last week that the United States should not “play with fire.” Pelosi is expected to stop in Taiwan during her visit this week, although the island is not listed on her itinerary.

    “Her stature as the No. 3 U.S. official means a trip would be highly sensitive,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters Monday. “As to what measures, let’s wait and see whether she insists on this visit.”

    If Pelosi travels to Taiwan, she’ll be the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the island since former House Speaker Newt Gingrich made the trip in 1997. It’s not clear when Pelosi will arrive in Taiwan, but the House speaker is expected to stay there overnight, officials told CNN.

    UPDATE 2:20 PM EDT —

    House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to visit Taiwan as part of her tour of Asia, according to a senior Taiwanese government official and a US official, despite warnings from Biden administration officials, who are worried about China’s response to such a high-profile visit.

    The stop — the first for a US House speaker in 25 years — is not currently on Pelosi’s public itinerary and comes at a time when US-China relations are already at a low point.

    The Taiwanese official added that she is expected to stay in Taiwan overnight. It is unclear when exactly Pelosi will land in Taipei….

    China again warns of ‘serious consequences’ over Pelosi’s potential Taiwan visit

    From HERE

    China will take firm and strong countermeasures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Monday, warning that the Chinese military will not sit back if U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan.

    His remarks came amid the high tensions across the Taiwan Straits. Pelosi’s Asia trip schedule, announced on Sunday, includes Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan with no mention of Taiwan.

    “The Chinese side has repeatedly made clear to the U.S. side our serious concern over Pelosi’s potential visit to Taiwan and our firm opposition to the visit,” Zhao told a regular news briefing.

    “We are fully prepared for any eventuality,” he said, adding that it is the U.S. that has been distorting and hollowing out the one-China principle and making irresponsible remarks on the Taiwan question.

    China demands that the United States honor the promise of President Joe Biden that it would not support “Taiwan independence” and should not arrange Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, he stressed.

    During his phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, Biden reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to the one-China policy.

    Policing the World Is a Full-Time Job

    China pushes back against US-led military intervention in Asia

    Every leader and top official now in power in the so-called Western World seems to have forgotten that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was founded in 1949 as an alliance that was ostensibly defensive in nature, intended to counter the expansion of Soviet style communism in Europe.

    That role continued to be the raison d’etre of the organization until communist governments themselves collapsed in both Russia and in the Eastern European states that collectively made up the Warsaw Pact during the 1990s. After that point, NATO no longer had any reason to exist at all as the alleged military threat posed by the Kremlin and its allies vanished virtually overnight.

    But clever politicians were quick to put the alliance on life support instead of simply dismantling it.

    Lacking the threat posed by the Warsaw Pact, NATO was forced to come up with other reasons to maintain military forces at levels that could quickly be enhanced and placed on a wartime footing. Washington and London took the lead in this, citing the now shopworn defense of a “rules based international order” as well as of “democracy” and “freedom.”

    And fortunately for the national defense industries and the generals, it soon proved possible to find new enemies that provided justification for additional military spending.

    The first major engagement outside the obligations defined by the original treaty took place in Europe to be sure, but it was in the Balkans where of NATO during the 1995 Operation Deliberate Force. The war ended after the signing of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina in Paris on December 14th 1995. Peace negotiations were finalized a week later but fighting resumed between Kosovo and Serbia in the following year, which led to another NATO intervention that eventually ended with the restoration of Kosovo’s autonomy and the deployment of NATO forces, which bombed the Serbs to compel their compliance with a draft cease fire agreement.

    NATO also played a role improbably enough in the US invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, which was justified by claiming that an Afghanistan free to set its own course would become a hotbed of terrorism which would inevitably impact on the United States and Europe. It was a paper-thin argument, but it was the best they could come up with at the time and it also eventually involved soldiers from additional friendly countries like Australia.

    As we have subsequently seen, however, it was all an argument without merit as Afghanistan became a money pit and a graveyard for thousands of locals and foreign soldiers. It is now again in the hands of the Taliban after a bungled withdrawal of US forces and the collapse of the puppet government in Kabul that Washington had installed.

    Turn the clock forward to the present. As everyone but President Joe Biden has recognized, the United States and NATO are currently engaged in a proxy war against Russia in Ukraine, which many observers already believe has some of the attributes of World War III. As Russia neither threatened nor attacked any NATO member state, the argument that the response in arming and training Ukraine was defensive was rendered irrelevant. Nor can it be credibly be claimed that Russia is a haven for terrorists, quite the contrary. Nevertheless, Biden has stated that the US will be in the fight on behalf of Ukraine for “as long as it takes.” Does he mean years, and all done without a declaration of war by Congress as required by the US Constitution?

    And more appears to be coming. Joe Biden, during last week’s trip to Israel, made clear that the United States is “prepared to use all elements of its national power” to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and has signed a pledge with the Israeli government to commit itself to do so.

    If Biden presses the argument that Iran is an international threat due to its impending development of nuclear weapons, will he appeal to NATO to support a joint military option to disarm it? I believe he just might do that.

    And he might just want to consider how the entire set-up and framing of the issue by Israel is somewhat of a trap. Israel considers Iran’s current nuclear program to be intended to create a weapon, which “they continue to develop,” and there are plenty in the US Congress who would agree with that.

    So, if Iran is clearly creating a thermonuclear device, the time to strike is now, isn’t it? And bear in mind how the US/Israeli campaign to condemn is multifaceted. Shortly before the meetings held by Biden and his crew with the Israelis, US government sources set the stage for what was to come by going on the offensive regarding reports that Iran may be selling highly capable offensive drones to Russia for use in Ukraine as well as subsequent claims coming out of Washington that the Iranians are seeking to assassinate senior US officials in revenge for the killing of Revolutionary Guards General Qassem Soleimani in January 2020. One wonders why they waited so long and why the White House has chosen to publicize these stories at this point.

    And the US and NATO are also getting involved with China’s geopolitical policies, on a path that Beijing is warning is extremely hypocritical and which might lead to armed conflict. The signs that the Chinese might be targeted by NATO, possibly over the Taiwan independence issue, came following a stark warning by US Secretary of State Tony Blinken delivered at the NATO summit in Madrid at the end of June. Blinken accused China of “seeking to undermine the rules-based international order,” the same type of critique recently leveled against Russia and Iran. Blinken’s comment was elaborated on by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who observed how “China is substantially building up its military forces, including nuclear weapons, bullying its neighbors, threatening Taiwan … monitoring and controlling its own citizens through advanced technology, and spreading Russian lies and disinformation.”

    Stoltenberg’s indictment of China was followed by a NATO issued “strategic concept” document last that declared for the first time that China poses a “systemic challenge” to the alliance, alongside a primary “threat” coming from Russia. The document copied Blinken’s language, citing “The deepening strategic partnership between the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation and their mutually reinforcing attempts to undercut the rules-based international order run counter to our values and interests.”

    Finally, the US and British governments collaborated to condemn China as the “biggest long-term threat to our economic and national security.” The declaration came in a July 6th joint news conference in London, where Christopher Wray, director of the FBI, and Ken McCallum, director general of Britain’s MI5, accused China, like Russia, of interfering in US and UK elections. Wray also warned the business leaders in the audience that the Chinese government has been “set on stealing your technology, whatever it is that makes your industry tick, and using it to undercut your business and dominate your market.”

    Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian initially responded a few days after the NATO summit, observing that the “so-called rules-based international order is actually a family rule made by a handful of countries to serve the US self-interest,” adding that “[Washington]observes international rules only as it sees fit.” Addressing the issue of the role of NATO specifically, Zhao accused Blinken of using NATO to “hype up competition with China and stoke group confrontation.” He added that “The history of NATO is one about creating conflicts and waging wars…arbitrarily launching wars and killing innocent civilians, even to this day. Facts have proven that it isn’t China that poses a systemic challenge to NATO, and instead it is NATO that brings a looming systemic challenge to world peace and security. Thirty years after the end of the Cold War, [NATO] has not yet abandoned its thinking and practice of creating ‘enemies’ … It is NATO that is creating problems around the world.”

    China has a point. What NATO is threatening is war, as it is a military alliance. The Chinese appear to understand that NATO is the world’s largest military bureaucracy which has developed since 1991 an overriding institutional commitment to ensuring its permanent existence, if not expansion, even after it has clearly outlived its own usefulness. So Beijing might justifiably wonder, how does China – on the other side of the globe – fit into NATO’s historic “defensive” mission? How are Chinese troops or missiles now threatening Europe or the US in ways they weren’t before? How are the Americans and Europeans suddenly under military threat coming from China?

    The Chinese appear to understand that if there is no threat to “defend” against, then a threat must be manufactured, and that is precisely what we are seeing vis-à-vis Russia, China, Iran and even Venezuela. Washington has become addicted to war and NATO is the chosen tool to give those wars the patina of legitimacy. To launch those conflicts requires either inventing an imaginary threat, or, as in the case of Russia, provoking the very threat the “defensive” bureaucracy was designed to deter or thwart. All indications are that NATO – now embracing 30 countries – is doing both and the results could easily be disastrous for all parties involved. Former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard particularly abhors the cynical recklessness of the Biden Administration driving the process, explaining how “The reality is, President Biden, members of Congress, leaders in our country, the wealthy, they will have a safe place to be in the event of a nuclear war that they are behind causing while the rest of us in America and Russia, people around the world, will be decimated from this event.”

    Prize winning journalist Chris Hedges has also defined the unthinkable that is at stake, and it is past time for Americans and Europeans to take note and stop the madness.

    Hedges opines that “The massive expansion of NATO, not only in Eastern and Central Europe but the Middle East, Latin America, Africa and Asia, presages endless war and a potential nuclear holocaust.”

    One might also note that New Yorkers are now being informed about what to do if there is a nuclear attack.

    Yes, that is precisely the problem – we have an administration in Washington that should be protecting the people living in this country, not setting up scenarios that might lead to their slaughter.

    Will someone please point that out to Joe Biden?

    Will the West’s Suicide Bring World Peace?

    .

    In The Grand Chessboard, Zbigniew Brzezinski speculated about the American unipolar hegemon’s ultimate geostrategic nightmare: “a new ‘antihegemonic’ coalition, formed around the three powers with the greatest geopolitical stake in reducing America’s primacy in Eurasia.” Those three powers, of course, are Russia, China, and Iran. Such a development, Brzezinski observed, would “bring together the world’s leading Slavic power, the world’s most militant Islamic power, and the world’s most populated and powerful Asian power, thereby creating a potent coalition.”

    Such an alliance would require “a renewal of the bilateral Sino-Russian connection, capitalizing on the resentment among the political elites of both states over the emergence of America as the only global superpower.” That seemed unlikely when Brzezinski was writing in 1997 because, as he put it, such a coalition could only develop if the US were stupid enough to antagonize all three nations simultaneously.

    Brzezinski should have known never to underestimate the stupidity of American foreign policy elites. As I write this in late July 2022 (Dhu’l-Hijjah 1443 AH) the neocon-led west is committing strategic suicide by doing exactly what Brzezinski warned against: not just antagonizing, but massively antagonizing Russia, China, and Iran all at once. The inevitable result will be the collapse of American pretensions to global leadership, sooner rather than later.

    The US under Donald Trump blew up whatever shred of credibility it had with Tehran by tearing up the JCPOA and assassinating Gen. Qassem Soleimani after luring him to Baghdad with a fake peace offer. Moving the US embassy to occupied Jerusalem/al-Quds, deeming Israeli land-theft legitimate, and sponsoring the anti-Iran anti-Palestine Shaitan Accords (misnamed the “Abraham Accords” in a horrific insult to sayyidna Ibrahim alaihi as-salaam) was just the icing on the cake. After those actions, Iran had no choice but to face the reality that the US is, as the Russians say, non-agreement-capable.

    Around the same time the US attacked Wuhan with COVID-19, inadvertently (?) unleashing a global pandemic. This came on the heels of suspected American bio-attacks on China in 2017 and 2018 that decimated the Chinese meat supply in the midst of Trump’s red-hot trade war. Immediately after exploding out of Wuhan, COVID suspiciously jumped 3600 miles to Qom, disproportionately infecting Iran’s political and clerical leadership just weeks after the US had murdered Gen. Soleimani. The Rahbar, Imam Sayyid Ali Khamenei all but accused the US of perpetrating a biological attack, and Iran formally complained to the United Nations.

    The US COVID bio-attack on Wuhan and Qom was presumably designed to be blamed on China in order to foster anti-Chinese hysteria and trigger the supply-chain decoupling that would be necessary during the lead-up to military escalation. Though elements of China’s leadership dropped many hints that they knew the score, Beijing apparently calculated that playing coy as the pandemic “returned to sender” was wiser than launching formal accusations and sparking domestic outrage that could force a premature hot war.

    While angering China and Iran with such reckless mistreatment, the US would have been well-advised to play nice with Russia. Instead, the neocons did the exact opposite: They orchestrated the 2022 war on Russia through Ukraine. After installing a neocon-run puppet government in the 2014 Maidan coup, the US built a huge NATO-armed-and-trained “Ukrainian” army—and, in early 2022, sent it to attack the Donbass and Crimea. Russia’s pleas to respect the Minsk Accords and negotiate limits on NATO expansion were brutally rebuffed as US-Ukrainian biological warfare labs on Russia’s borders ramped up their suspicious activities. All of this was intended to trigger a pre-emptive Russian invasion of Ukraine, and it succeeded.

    To win its proxy war on Russia, the US needs to isolate Moscow. To that end it slapped sanctions on Russian energy, banking, and raw materials. Washington’s obsequious European vassals meekly obeyed, depriving themselves of Russian natural gas and thereby committing economic suicide. But most of the world is defying the sanctions, and China and Iran are leading the way. As the US propaganda service Radio Free Europe recently whined, “China’s growing appetite for discounted Russian oil has made it the leading financier of the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine by giving Moscow a reliable revenue source that blunts the impact of tough Western sanctions against its economy.” (Why would China kowtow to US orders even as Biden breaks with US policy and announces his readiness to go to war with China over Taiwan, which the US has officially deemed a province of China for half a century?)

    Meanwhile the Rahbar of Iran brought Russian President Putin and Turkish President Erdogan to Tehran on July 19 to plan the eviction of the US from Syria while forging a Eurasian partnership that will eventually see all three nations working with China to build an alternative non-US-authorized trade and security order. According to al-Jazeera “The two leaders (Imam Khamenei and Putin) also reportedly discussed bilateral relations and gradually removing the US dollar from bilateral trade.” By accelerating the erosion of the dollar as global reserve currency, Russia and Iran, along with China and other Eurasian partners in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, will undercut Washington’s ability to print the unlimited currency it uses to finance its military occupation of much of the world.

    Also at the Tehran conference, Russia announced its investment of $40 billion in developing Iranian gas and oil fields, while the two leaders jointly agreed to proceed with plans for enlarging Russia-Iran-China joint military exercises (which are already happening around the world including in Latin America, Washington’s “Monroe Doctrine” backyard). The multipolar alliance’s move into Central and South America has been facilitated by a wave of left-wing election victories empowering Latin leaders who never much cared for US dominance of their half of the hemisphere.

    And even as Turkey was joining Russia and Iran in Tehran in a pointed rebuke to Biden’s visits to Tel Aviv and Riyadh, Pakistan’s Imran Khan won a smashing election victory in Punjab, signaling the Pakistani people’s refusal to accept the US-IMF coup that deposed Khan in April. Other Central Asian nations are also leaning toward the new multipolar axis based on the Russia-China-Iran tripartite alliance.

    These developments, together with Russia’s victory over the US in Ukraine, suggest that the “new American century” has ended 78 years early. The boundless arrogance of America’s neocons, who seized power in their 9/11/2001 coup d’état and proceeded to squander America’s soft and hard power in a series of ill-advised adventures, has created the very nightmare scenario that all serious strategic thinkers, including Brzezinski, had insisted on avoiding at all costs.

    Ironically, the Americans may be inadvertently preparing the groundwork for world peace even as they blunderingly bestride the globe waging bloody, counterproductive wars. By forcing Eurasia to unite both commercially and militarily, the US may have accidentally created the conditions for a more stable world order. Eurasia, after all, is the center of the “grand chessboard” and ground zero in the competition for land and resources that tends to erupt into war. As Eurasian nations band together into an anti-American alliance, they may be forging enduring ties that will eventually facilitate the emergence of more peaceful world bound by economic, intellectual, and spiritual exchange rather than military competition and plunder.

    Is Taiwan’s Independence Worth War?

    When a man knows he is about to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully, said Dr. Samuel Johnson.

    If there is any benefit to be realized from the collision between China and the U.S. over Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s proposed trip to Taiwan, it is this: America needs to reflect long and hard upon what it is we will fight China to defend in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea.

    China, after all, is a nuclear-weapons nation with a manufacturing base larger than our own, an economy equal to our own, a population four times ours and fleets of warships larger in number than the U.S. Navy.

    An air-naval-and-missile war in the Western Pacific and East Asia would be no cakewalk.

    A massive barrage of anti-ship and hypersonic missiles launched by China could cripple and conceivably sink the U.S. carrier Ronald Reagan now in the South China Sea. The Reagan carries a crew of thousands of sailors almost as numerous as the U.S. casualty lists from both Pearl Harbor and 9/11, the worst attacks in and on the U.S. outside of such Civil War battles as Gettysburg and Antietam.

    What in East Asia or the Western Pacific would justify such losses?

    What would justify such risks?

    Since President Richard Nixon’s trip to China, and President Jimmy Carter’s abrogation of the mutual defense treaty with the Republic of China on Taiwan in 1979, the U.S. is not obligated to come to the defense of Taiwan against China, which claims that island the size of Maryland as “part of China.”

    Our military posture has been one of “strategic ambiguity.” We will not commit to go to war to defend Taiwan, nor will we take the war option off the table if Taiwan is attacked.

    But if the U.S. went to war to defend Taiwan, what would it mean?

    We would be risking our own security and possible survival to prevent from being imposed on the island of Taiwan the same regime lately imposed on Hong Kong without any U.S. military resistance.

    If Hong Kong, a city of 7 million, can be transferred to the custody and control of Beijing without resistance from the U.S., why should it be worth a major U.S. war with China to prevent that same fate and future from befalling 23 million Taiwanese?

    The retort comes instantly.

    Allow China to take Taiwan without U.S. resistance, and our treaties to fight for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand become suspect.

    Belief in the U.S. commitment to fight for the nations of East Asia and the Western Pacific would dissipate. The entire architecture of Asian defense against Communist China could disintegrate and collapse.

    If we allowed Taiwan to be taken by China without intervening, it is argued, the value of U.S. commitments to fight to defend scores of allies in Europe and Asia would visibly depreciate. U.S. credibility would suffer a blow as substantial as the loss of South Vietnam in 1975.

    The fall of Saigon was followed by the loss of Laos and Cambodia to communism, the overthrow of the shah, the Iranian hostage crisis, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the strategic transfer of Ethiopia, Angola, Mozambique, Nicaragua and Grenada to the Soviet bloc, and the rise of Euro-communism on the Old Continent.

    Pelosi’s prospective visit to Taiwan, and the bellicose reaction of Beijing, should raise other relevant questions.

    If this should lead to a U.S.-China war, what would we be fighting for? And what would victory look like?

    A restoration of the status quo ante? Permanent independence for Taiwan, which would require a new and permanent war guarantee by the U.S. and a new U.S.-Taiwan defense pact?

    Would a permanent commitment to fight to defend Taiwan from China be acceptable to an American people weary of commitments and wars?

    Again, why would we risk our own peace and security for Taiwan’s freedom and independence, when we would not risk our own peace and security for the freedom or independence of Hong Kong?

    And after our victory in the Taiwan Strait, how would we secure indefinitely the independence of that nation of 23 million from a defeated power of 1.4 billion, bitter and bristling at its loss?

    After the United States has a victory against China? Seriously? Let me remind you of the Korean war, and the MASSIVE American rout with the enormous causalities taken against poorly armed peasants and farmers. -MM

    Consider: China, in this 21st century, has grown massively, both militarily and economically, and in both real and relative terms, at the expense of the United States.

    Nor are the growth trends for China, with four times as many people as there are Americans, favorable to the USA.

    What guarantees are there that 2025 or 2030 will not bring a more favorable balance of power for China in what is, after all, their continent, not ours?

    Unlike in the Cold War, time is not necessarily on the side of the United States and its allies when all three of the nuclear powers in East Asia — China, Russia, North Korea — are hostile to the USA.

    Smokey

    “my grandmother moved away recently, and one of my cats, Smokey, was very fond of her. They would cuddle together on the couch and watch my grandmas favorite shows.

    When she left, Smokey wouldn’t stop looking for her best friend.

    She always waited by the door as if she would come back any day. She sleeps in the now guest bedroom every night, and curls up in their spot every day. We’ve tried to make her feel better with new toys and treats, but she is very sad.

    She meows at all hours of the night begging for her best friend to come home.

    There’s a happy end to this though!

    My grandma is coming home for thanksgiving and she will be taking Smokey back with her! We are all very happy she will be with her best friend again!”

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    Update 2: Thank you everyone for reading! there is good news and bad news. I’ll start with the bad. My grandma had to have surgery, and she needs constant doctor visits to make sure she’s still ok. I’m not very good with medical terminology, but I know its bad. Good news is she’s going to stay here, and Smokey is very happy that she doesn’t have to leave her siblings.

    CHINA WARNS USA: Will not accept *any* excuse for Pelosi Landing in Taiwan . . .

    The People’s Republic of China today explicitly warned the United States against Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi trying to travel to Taiwan.

    They said “We will not accept any excuses for Nancy Pelosi trying to land in Taiwan, including any kind of emergency.  If problems with the plane occur, we will allow landing in Hainan, not Taiwan.”

    So the stage is set for actual confrontation.

    According to sources in Asia, the Hal Turner Radio Show can report that Nancy Pelosi’s aircraft is scheduled to land in Taipei, Taiwan, at 22:20 Hours local time TONIGHT.

    Meanwhile, THREE United States Air Force B-52’s, with their transponders OFF, are presently in Taiwan air space.  As of Monday, Japan-based USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier strike group is in the Philippine Sea after transiting the San Bernardino Strait on Saturday following a port visit to Singapore and operating in the South China Sea. California-based USS Tripoli is in just south of Okinawa. Tripoli has been embarked with up to 20 F-35Bs.

    China has just CANCELED all civilian flights into or out of Fujian Province . . . the mainland province directly opposite Taiwan.

    China will conduct military drills in some areas of South China Sea Aug. 2-6 and will ban ships from entering the areas.

     

     HAL TURNER ANALYSIS

    The Democrats need a big change to prevent carnage at the midterm elections. The so called “defeat of Russia” is simply not happening. It all backfired into economic disaster.

    So the thing to make everyone forget the past failures would seem to be a new war with China.

    The timing of this situation has all been dictated by Nancy’s trip, which means the US and allies are dictating the timing. China has responded as expected with brinksmanship threats- paraphrasing from memory… “Play with Fire and Die by Fire, We WILL RESPOND MILITARILY, Prepare for war”, etc.

    China has put themselves on a path with no turns at this point. Can’t back out now without losing face.

    One of the last times the US chose the timing to start a major war was Bush Sr’s 1991 war to liberate Kuwait from Iraq. Saddam woke up that morning to the largest armada of aircraft and ships imaginable, launched from a huge consortium of the willing allies. 31 years ago. How time flies.

    One thing that tends to be the case, from past observations. Whatever you think is the situation is wrong. The fog of war, or whatever you want to call it typically surrounds the opening moves. Silly reports of a half trillion dollar F-35 program being grounded because they “forgot to put the charge into the ejection seats”. Something that supposedly happened in April and is now being broadcast as a headline. Right before a major military engagement. riiiight.

    Whatever the opening of this new war looks like is will certainly be interesting to watch if you overlook all the death and destruction. Biden obviously has nothing to do with the plans or strategy being a mental vegetable and all.
    The Deep State war machine in running the show.

    Hard to imagine the “Nothing will happen” scenario at this point, but I suppose anything is possible. Maybe China will try to save face by making some claim about their altruism and desire for world peace. They have been having big problems at home as well from what little I have gleaned from the interwebs. Financial problems, and a population that seems 30 seconds away from a full scale revolution.

    May we live in interesting times. The old Chinese curse.
    Both sides make public claims about the immense power of their militaries.

    As Patton used to say, or I think he did, as I mis-remember and smoosh together his various quotes, something like, “War is the crucible of truth. Truths are reaffirmed, and lies are burned away to ashes.”

    Times have changed in the last 31 years.

    The US has abused its friendships around the world. Allies have been coerced and manhandled to the point that the great “political capital” that existed for the 2 Iraq wars has been spent and squandered.

    Any coalition of the willing against China will be borne not of any love for America but for simple self preservation.  A China dominated world would be a lot worse than one dominated by the US, even on our worst day.

    Obviously he has never been to China. -MM
    
    

    I guess we don’t really know who the allies of the US will be in this conflict, but it is safe to say most or all of the following list: Japan, Australia, S. Korea, with some possibility of India, Vietnam, The PI, and a few NATO allies like the UK and France. Russia should have been our ally as well, but Biden has burned that bridge rather completely, which is the reason I have been rather vocal in opposing the doomed Ukraine conflict from the beginning.

     

    UPDATE 8:09 AM EDT —

    Taiwan is preparing eight Mirage-2000 fighter jets to escort Nancy Pelosi’s aircraft into Taiwanese airspace.

    Meanwhile, China is NOW moving armor into Fujian Province near Xiamen.  This video just-in from Fujian Province showing the armor:

     

     

    Strangely, for some reason, China is also NOW deploying what appear to be artillery onto the Beaches along the Taiwan Strait!   The artillery cannot reach Taiwan, cannot shoot down US planes, and there is no actual “invasion” of China planned, so it is not known what China will accomplish with this . . . but it is taking place as seen in the video below:

     

    China shows what the USA can look forward to.

    As punishment for pelosi visit, China suddenly bans more than 100 Taiwanese food companies export to China. More economic punishment to come…

    From HERE

    Ashley

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    THis is Ashley. I was broke , I had bought her cat food with my last few rands , and it was 2 days from pay day. There was no food in the house. I went to bed hungry , and next morning i made her breakfast , and this beautiful creature looked at me , turned around and went out the window. I was thinking , great abandoned by the cat as well , and then i heard a Muffled Rowl. That sound i know , she came jumping through the window with a pigeon she had just caught , and dumped it by my feet. She looked at me and battered her eyes and cleaned herself. It was like she knew i was hungry , so she went and caught me something to eat.

    What a beautiful soul …

    CHINA DEPLOYS **NUCLEAR** ICBM’S

    .

    China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is now actively moving nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM’s) in Fujian Province near Taiwan.  These missiles can reach the United States.   All this over a confrontation about Speaker Nancy Pelosi entering Taiwan when she was told she could not come, by Beijing.

    VIDEO:

    The images below are from the roads of Fujian Province, taken today:

    The short and sweet of the DF-5B appears below:

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    x

    NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern wants to visit China to ‘seize new opportunities’

    NZ PM is the only smart Anglo-Saxon leader.
    .

    From HERE

    .

    Crystal Brown

    When I was 16, I started dating my first real boyfriend…whom I ended up marrying, then divorcing because that’s what sometimes happens when you marry your first ever boyfriend.

    The first time at their home, we pulled up to their old, shabby home in dire need of paint and repairs.

    He opens the door and his mom greets us. Hugs him, hugs me.

    I felt so awkward. I couldn’t recall ever getting a hug before?

    We watched a movie together. Afterwards we decided to run down to the store a mile away to get some snacks & his mom said ‘Be safe! I love you!’

    I was awestruck. They say ‘I love you’ every time they leave the house? I couldn’t recall ever being told ‘I love you’. I was 16 years old and never had anyone to ever say the words ‘I Love You’.

    They didn’t have much. The house was shabby. They lived paycheck to paycheck. Old clothes. But they were happy. Loving. A family.

    They talked about their feelings. They talked about their emotions. They talked through fights, even if they were yelling.

    When we married, his parents welcomed me with open arms even though we were young. I was 17 and pregnant. His mom took me in as I was kicked out. Bought my maternity clothes. Took me to doctor appointments. And even through my awkwardness, my crying fits because of hormones & family issues, and the only way I knew how to handle that, was anger…they loved me. They hugged me. They told me they loved me. No matter how awkward I was, no matter how much anger I showed because I didn’t know how to show pain, no matter how hard it was for them…they loved me.

    They taught me how to be a good mom. How to be a good person.

    Even now, being divorced for 15 years, I still keep in contact with them. I still send Christmas cards and text them. My ex mother in law still calls me ‘her daughter’.

    It enabled me to tell my children that I loved them on a daily basis. To tell them how wonderful they are. How they can do anything. To give them hugs nightly, to talk to them, show emotion and teach them to show their emotions.

    I’ll forever be grateful. She helped me break the family cycle.

    Jimmy Carter on why there is only ONE CHINA

    1979 US president Jimmy Carter full public statement Re The people republic of China as the only legitimate government of china.
    .

    Saddest last words

    “The presidium of the Ural Regional Soviet has sentenced you and your family to be shot…” Yakov Yurovsky had loudly announced. He had rehearsed his speech hours before.

    The Tsar whose face was blanched with horror and incomprehension, interrupted Yurovsky, “I don’t understand. Read it again…”

    After Yurovsky re-read the death sentence, the Tsar turned back to his family, pointedly looking at his sickly son, the Tsarveich Alexei before turning back to the executioners.

    The Tsar’s final words was a weak stutter.

    “What? What?”

    x
    x

    These words are simple but it resonates all of his momentary feelings of horror, terror, and incomprehension. He and his family were blind to their tragic fates.

    Unlike popular belief, the death of his family was not a fast execution. It was a murderous blood bath. Quick warning, the rest of my answer is going to get detailed about the murder.

    As the shooting took place, every single Bolshevik in the room wanted to take a shot at “bloody” Nicholas. Therefore, he was the only family member to receive a quick death.

    Just as Tsaritsa Alexandra was crossing herself, she was shot in the skull. Alexandra was the second death.

    Dr. Botkin, who was hit twice in the abdomen and crawled toward the Tsar, was fatally shot by Yurovsky. His was the third death.

    Alexei, too weak from his illness, didn’t budge as the shooting took place. Still covered in his father’s blood, he was too petrified to move. Yurovsky quickly finished him off with a bullet to the head. Alexei was the fourth death.

    When they realized that the daughters were still alive, a second frenzied shooting took place but unbeknownst to the executioners, the daughters had unintentionally made bullet-proof vests by sewing layers of diamonds into their clothes.

    After the smoke had cleared, Yurovsky’s men noticed Olga and Tatiana cowering in the dark corner of the basement and clutching tightly to each other. As Yurovsky approached, Tatiana struggled to her feet but was shot in the back of the head. Hers was the fifth death.

    Olga, who witnessed her sister’s death, was frantically screaming before being shot in the jaw. Olga was the sixth death.

    Anastasia and Maria, who were crouched against a wall, were the last Romanovs alive. The executioners decided to finish them off with bayonets, but the stabs would not go through the layers of jewels. Maria and Anastasia were shot in the head but only Maria died. She was the seventh death.

    The maid Demidova awoke after fainting and cried out, “Thank God! I am saved!” Her proclamation was short-lived and she was stabbed with a bayonet. Hers was the eighth death.

    Anastasia, the most mythologized of the sisters, had suddenly awoken as she was being carried out. Anastasia cried out and thrashed her arms but was clubbed in the back of the head. She was the last of her family to die.

    I’ve always wondered what thoughts run through Tsar Nicholas’s head as he looked back at his family for the last time.

    Did a sudden realization dawn on him that he was the cause of his family’s misfortune and tragic end?

    Were his last regrets on his inability to protect his family?

    Was he preoccupied with thoughts on how to withhold his family’s demise?

    We’ll never know. All I could say that after his final words, an unimaginable violence took place that night that shattered innocence and allowed chaos to take its place.

    Pelosi Plane has landed in Taiwan! . . . Now, CANNOT TAKE-OFF! – No-Fly Zone

    The US Air Force plane carrying Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is now below 18,000 feet in altitude, and is on final approach to Tapei, Taiwan, in direct vioolation of Beijing’s order that she not enter.

    Plane is now physically over land, no longer over Pacific Ocean.

    Altitude 16,300 feet as of 10:32 AM eastern US time.

    As of 10:38 AM Pelosi plane now at 8300 feet altitude.  China’s Global Times newspaper says Chinese Air Force fighter jets moving across Taiwan Strait to intercept.

    10:39 AM EDT — Plane altitude 6400 feet.

    10:40 AM 5600 feet.

    5175 feet

    4800 feet

    Pelosi’s plane safely landed and Pelosi has deplaned.

     

    UPDATE 12:16 PM EDT–

    Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian made an official statement.

    “Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan will be a gross interference in China’s internal affairs, and will lead to very serious events and dire consequences,” Lijian said.

     

    China’s Economy Ministry has stopped HALTED hundreds of food product shipments to Taiwan amid Pelosi visit

     

    China vows ‘targeted military actions’ in response to Pelosi Taiwan visit.

     

    12:28 PM EDT — 

    Reuters confirms, the Air Space over Taiwan Straits is now closed.  China fighter jets are flying all around Taiwan.   AIR RAID SIRENS are sounding in southern CHINA:

     

     

    Chinese military PLA Eastern Theater Command announced it will start military “exercises” in the coming hours around Taiwan Island in response to Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.

     

    UPDATE 5:04 PM EDT —

    China’s military exercises block the air and sea around Taiwan.   All of it.

    China Central Television announced the start of military exercises in three areas around Taiwan. These maneuvers demonstrate the dissatisfaction of the Chinese ruling party with the actions of the United States, in particular with Pelosi’s statements on “democracy” in Taiwan.

    Until the PLA completes the live-fire exercises,  Pelosi can’t LEAVE.   Her plane can’t take-off else it may “accidentally” be hit by live fire from the “exercises.”

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

    The always sexy Arsinoitherium

    It’s sort of like a rhinoceros, only twice the fun.
    .
    Today, I want to play some “catch up” and explore some of my often “set to the wayside” subjects when the hot portion of World War III broke out in Ukraine.  And the United States decided to “make it’s move” to carve up the world like one big birthday cake.
    .
    This little adventure concerns a member of the megafauna that used to roam the world at about the time the humans started to gather and form societies.

    In terrestrial zoology, the megafauna (from Greek μέγας megas "large" and New Latin fauna "animal life") comprises the large or giant animals of an area, habitat, or geological period, extinct and/or extant. 
    
    The most common thresholds used are weight over 46 kilograms (100 lb)[1][2][3] (i.e., having a mass comparable to or larger than a human) or over a tonne, 1,000 kilograms (2,205 lb)[1][4][5] (i.e., having a mass comparable to or larger than an ox). 
    
    The first of these include many species not popularly thought of as overly large, and being the only few large animals left in a given range/area, such as white-tailed deer, Thomson's gazelle, and red kangaroo. 
    
    In practice, the most common usage encountered in academic and popular writing describes land mammals roughly larger than a human that are not (solely) domesticated. 
    
    The term is especially associated with the Pleistocene megafauna – the land animals often larger than their extant counterparts that are considered archetypical of the last ice age, such as mammoths, the majority of which in northern Eurasia, the Americas and Australia became extinct within the last forty thousand years.[6] 
    
    Among living animals, the term megafauna is most commonly used for the largest extant terrestrial mammals, which includes (but is not limited to) elephants, giraffes, zebras, hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, and large bovines. Of these five categories of large herbivores, only bovines are presently found outside of Africa and southern Asia, but all the others were formerly more wide-ranging, with their ranges and populations continually shrinking and decreasing over time. 
    
    Wild equines are another example of megafauna, but their current ranges are largely restricted to the old world, specifically Africa and Asia. 
    
    Megafaunal species may be categorized according to their dietary type: megaherbivores (e.g., elephants), megacarnivores (e.g., lions), and, more rarely, megaomnivores (e.g., bears). 
    
    The megafauna is also categorized by the order of animals that it belongs to, which are mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates. 
    
    -Wikipedia

    This beast has long died off. No one knows why. But there are many interesting theories. Don’t you know.

    Arsinoitherium

    Quick Arsinoitherium Facts

    • Lived from the Late Eocene through the Early Oligocene Periods
    • Lived on the plains of North Africa
    • Was as long as a black rhino
    • Weighed more than a cow
    • Was an herbivore

    About Arsinoitherium

    Arsinoitherium is an extinct paenungulate mammal which lived approximately 35 to 30 million years ago during the Late Eocene through the Early Oligocene Periods.

    It’ bones were first discovered in the early twentieth century and was named in 1902 by paleontologist Mr. Beadnell.

    The name of this dinosaur means “Arsenoe’s beast.” It was given this name because it was found in Egypt near the palace of Queen Arsinoe – a queen who in this area in 305 B.C.

    If you look at Arsinoitherium pictures, then you might think that this mammal looked quite like a rhinoceros with two big horns jutting out of the top of its nose. However, that isn’t really true because these mammals weren’t a direct relative of the rhino.

    No, they were more closely related to elephants, sea cows and dassies than they were rhinos.

    These herbivorous mammals roamed the Egyptian plains.

    They had primitive teeth which were pretty well suited for handling the tough vegetation in this area at this point in time.

    One of the most fascinating facts about Arsinoitherium is that is probably lived off a diet of water plants, mangroves and a variety of other plants. It probably had to eat a whole lot of plants in order to meet its nutritional and caloric needs. It might have needed to eat in excess of 150 pounds of plant material a day in order to survive.

    Arsinoitherium walked on all four legs – much like a rhino – and it was approximately 10 feet long and weight around 1 Ton or 2,000 pounds. These animals were about 5’9” tall at the shoulders – which means they were as tall as the average human man.

    That’s pretty big.

    The horns on its nose probably had very little to do with defending itself from predators. Instead, they were probably cosmetic and used to attract females during mating season. Paleontologists believe that is had very little use beyond mating.

    You do know that women are always attracted to pairs of large predominant horns. Ah, don’t you know.

    Some paleontologists have speculated that this mammal had to be in or near water all of the time in order to prevent from drying out. Much like a modern-day hippo.

    Other paleontologists don’t believe that was the case at all, however. Until further evidence is produced, well,  I suppose we’ll never know.

    Arsinoitherium Pictures

    Arsinoitherium by Lynus

    Arsinoitherium by Marcio Luiz de Castro
    Arsinoitherium by SameerPrehistorica
    Arsinoitherium by Dmitry Bogdanov

    Arsinoitherium by Roman Yevseyev
    Arsinoitherium by Alexey Katz
    Arsinoitherium by Roman Uchytel

    Arsinoitherium by Mehdi Nikbakhsh
    Arsinoitherium by Nobu Tamura

    The United States plan to conquer China and Russia has been unveiled

    Picture above. Chinese “stealth aircraft” in a carrier launch configuration.

    Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder was seen in a luxury hotel in Moscow today.

    Hum… Germany. Russia.

    Ok. Things to ponder about. Obviously things are afoot.

    I’m in the heat of my move. So things are going to be scattered and thin for a while. Please don’t get upset. It’s called life.

    Now something absolutely frightening

    The highlight of this collection (of misc bits and pieces) is a brilliant summary of the plan for the United States to conquer both Russia and China. It is comprehensive.

    It is clear. and lordy is it frightening.

    Heaven help us all.

    Let’s begin with some odds and ends…

    Crazy but true

    The Irish Potato Famine (1845-1849) was a huge catastrophe that resulted in one million dying from starvation and one million leaving their homeland, mostly for North America.

    It’s really hard to put into words how scarring this famine was for so many Irish people and the suffering was tremendous. The psychological scars still impact Ireland’s psyche today.

    It almost sounds like a fairy tale to hear how a Sultan from a far away land heard of this tragedy and went out of his way to send ships crammed with food and medicine to the Irish people dying from hunger and disease.

    When Ottoman Sultan Abdulmejid heard of the suffering from his Irish dentist, he felt great compassion and sorrow for the plight of the Irish. The Sultan originally wanted to donate 10,000 pounds to the starving populace but British diplomats were aghast to hear this because Queen Victoria had donated a small sum of 2,000 pounds.

    x
    Ottoman Sultan Abdulmejid

    The British Government refused to accept the large donation so he only donated a measly sum of 1,000 pounds, but he secretly sent five ships loaded with food!

    As you can imagine, the British government wasn’t happy to hear of this and the navy attempted a blockade to stop the aid from arriving. The ships made it through the lines and arrived at Drogheda, Ireland where they dispersed the food.

    The people of Drogheda were so thankful that they had the Islamic and Ottoman symbols added to their city’s coat of arms.

    It really does read like a fairy tale and is a gesture of great empathy.

    It’s easy to imagine how happy the starving people were to see those Turkish ships arriving with food. According to James Hack Tuke, people were, “living, or rather starving, upon turnip-tops, sand-eels and seaweed, a diet which no one in England would consider fit for the meanest animal.”[1]

    But the story does not end there.

    During the Crimean War, Britain joined the Ottoman Empire in their fight against the expanding Russian Empire. About 30,000 Irish soldiers served in the war and it was noticed that the Irish people served enthusiastically in defense of the Sultan who had helped them during their greatest times of need.

    This highest form of compassion was even remembered during the First World War. It was reported that British officers complained that the Irish lacked the will to fight against the Ottomans who remembered stories of the Ottoman Empire helping during a famine when no one else would.

    Sultan Abdulmejid is a model of faith in humanity being restored.

    Footnotes

    On Speaker Pelosi’s potential visit to Taiwan, we are fully prepared for any eventuality.

    China does not play. If the USA is that STUPID, they deserve exactly what will happen afterwards…

    US military may be afraid China will shoot down Pelosi’s plane over Taiwan, Pelosi says

    During a press conference on Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the U.S. military may be concerned about her plane getting “shot down” by the Chinese military if she decides to travel to Taiwan.
    
    US military may be afraid China will shoot down Pelosi’s plane over Taiwan, Pelosi says

    Related:

    Meanwhile on vacation…

    x
    x

    US To Assassinate Zelensky?

    Rumors are now exploding that the US has decided to assassinate Ukrainian President Zelensky; he’s not useful to them anymore.

    The rumors began after US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan made a remark at the Aspen Conference this weekend.   That conference is basically a get-together of spooks and intel people.

    At the conference, Sullivan remarked “I have concerns about the safety of President Zelensky’s life.”

    When a remark like that, gets made by a guy like Sullivan, it is a signal . . . a projection . . .  of what has been decided.  It tells the intel community that Zelensky’s end is nigh.

    Speculation surrounding Sullivan’s remark is already off the charts.   There is speculation that the US will kill Zelensky, likely while he is meeting with the top Generals of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

    Taking them all out with a missile strike is a simple task for the US, and it can be BLAMED on Russia!

    That . . . .  that right there . . .  is RUMORED to be the new plan.

    They kill Zelensky and maybe a couple of his top Generals, which will instantly implode the Ukrainian government and its armed forces.  There would be immediate chaos.   What’s left of the Ukrainian armed forces would disintegrate within hours.

    Then, the RUMORS say, Sullivan and the Intel Community come out with all sorts of  (ahem) “evidence” allegedly (ahem) “proving” it was Russia that did it.

    The mass-media in the west will dutifully make it the top news for a week or more, to lock-into the public mindset that it was Russia that did it.

    This leaves Russia holding the bag of blame, making them a pariah state in the mind of the general public.

    The conquest of the complete rest of Ukraine will be a simple task for Russia at that point but here’s the rub:

    What Russia will “conquer” will be a rump welfare state.  A failed land area, incapable of supporting itself.

    The whole thing will have to be reconstructed and that will be a gigantic financial burden upon Russia, not to mention the saboteurs, terrorists,  and troublemakers that the west will undoubtedly utilize to make things all that much harder for Russia.

    The “war” will be over.   Russia will have won.   But the victory will be made as sour as possible by the West.

     

    U.S. Game-Plan To Conquer Russia & China Is Clarified

    .

    On 27 September 2021, the brilliant geostrategic analyst Brian Berletic headlined “US War Plans with China Taking Shape”.

    He linked to and analyzed the then-latest draft of the U.S. Government’s detailed plans to conquer China. (The plan had been drawn-up in 2016, but sounds like today.)

    The objective of these plans is for the U.S. Government to continue into the indefinite future the U.S. Government’s dominance over the entire world, and to do this by conquering first Russia, and then China.

    Conquering both of the now-rising superpowers simultaneously.

    And thus, not only extending its presently existing global dominance, but even increasing that, with the ultimate goal being for the U.S. to become the world’s first-ever all-encompassing global empire.

    (by crippling both Russia and China).

    I have personally checked and verified each one of Berletic’s linked-to sources there.

    All of them are authentic, and reflect accurately the U.S. Government’s actual decisions and actions.

    Right up until today, which fact (the U.S. Government’s doing all of these things) suggests that those are the U.S. Government’s operative plans.

    These are the U.S. Government’s plans for China.

    Berletic excerpted from the draft-plan its most crucial passages, and all of them have been U.S. foreign policies ever since 27 September 2021 (actually, even since 2016).

    They accurately represent U.S. foreign policies toward, in fact, both Russia and China, as-of today.

    They describe the ways in which the U.S. Government is hiring proxy-forces throughout the world.

    They describe the purpose of these proxy forces, in order to destroy China’s Belt & Road Initiative before it can even become operative.

    They describe the U.S. Government’s employing proxy forces and agents in order to defeat Russia in the opening battlefield of World War III, which is Ukraine.

    It’s the function which Ukraine is serving for the U.S. Government.

    Berletic makes clear that he does not believe that the U.S. Government expects things to extend so far as getting into a direct nuclear conflict between the U.S. and either Russia or China.

    The decision makers in the United States are firmly convinced that no nuclear weapons will ever be used against America.

    I have published elsewhere evidence that at least ever since 2006, the U.S. Government has abandoned the prior (mutually shared, both U.S. and Russia) “Mutually Assured Destruction” or “M.A.D.” meta-strategy.

    This policy formerly had guided both countries’ nuclear-weapons strategy and designs.

    M.A.D. was the meta-strategy in order to prevent such a nuclear war from ever occurring.

    In America, it has been replaced by what is unofficially called “Nuclear Primacy”.

    Nuclear Primacy is the design and deployment of nuclear weapons so as to win a nuclear war against Russia and/or China: aiming for all-out nuclear-war victory by the U.S. Government. It is a first-strike policy where the United States strikes Russia and China before they are able to launch counter attacks.

    Such ‘victory’ would be defined as consisting of the United States being destroyed less than any of its nuclear-war opponents would be destroyed.

    It is a policy of accepting minor nuclear destruction as long as Russia and China are both completely ruined by major nuclear damage.

    They say that “the benefits of nuclear primacy may exceed the risks” (the destruction to the American side). The USA would rule a destroyed world, but it would still rule.

    Among the possible “benefits” mentioned would be to “stave off the emergence of a peer competitor,” and to be “forcibly exporting democracy.”

    The U.S. Government’s “Nuclear Primacy” meta-strategy says that there are ‘acceptable’ levels of destruction of America in a nuclear war against Russia and/or China.

    It is a measure of acceptable damage so long as America ‘comes out on top’ globally, at the end.

    Berletic unfortunately just assumes that the U.S. Government remains committed to the M.A.D. meta-strategy.

    To me, that is instead an open question.

    In fact, existing evidence (such as I have linked to) indicates that the U.S. Government is now guided by the “Nuclear Primacy” meta-strategy: arming to win a nuclear WW III, not to prevent one.

    On 19 July 2022, Russia’s RT News bannered “Julia Melnikova: World War Three is off – why NATO can’t afford to have Russia as its main enemy”.

    They basically seconded Berletic’s viewpoint that America probably wouldn’t go all the way to nuclear war, instead relying on the belief that the destruction of Russia and China can be accomplished through conventional means, and that Russia and China would not dare use nuclear weapons against America.

    Her commentary alleged that the U.S. Government had only recently been intending to conquer post-communist Russia.

    Naturally, NATO’s new strategic document differs from previous entries in the series. 
    
    The 1991 concept noted a reduction in the security threat due to the change in the balance of power in Europe, but also noted the need to take the legacy of the Soviet Union’s military potential into account. 
    
    The 1999 edition characterized Russia, Ukraine, and the Republic of Moldova as partners for dialogue. 
    
    The installment from 2010 finally attached strategic importance to relations with Russia and was aimed at deepening them on issues of mutual interest.

    That “partners for dialogue” and “deepening … issues of mutual interest” never has reflected the U.S. Government’s real attitude toward Russia after the Soviet Union ended in 1991.

    I have documented that the plan by America’s Government was instead to fool Russia’s Government to believe that America ended the Cold War on our side at the same time when Russia ended its side of the Cold War in 1991.

    But that the U.S. Government was actually planning instead to surround Russia by increasing NATO, right up to Russia’s borders.

    As well as doing it in such a way so that by the time Russia recognized that this was the case, it would already be too late for Russia to be able to defend itself against the fait accompli.

    And so Russia would then become swallowed-up by the U.S. Government.

    That RT analysis remains deceived by the U.S. plan, which didn’t even start to become disclosed, even to America’s vassal-nations (such as the EU), until 24 February 1990.

    Russia’s Government shouldn’t continue to publish affirmations of lies that America’s Government had privately admitted to its own vassal nations are lies, as early as 24 February 1990.

    Why does it do that?

    Does it make any sense continuing to do that?

    Consequently: the U.S. game-plan is, as Berletic documented, to defeat Russia before defeating China.

    And this is the reason why the U.S. Government is so determined to win the opening battle of WW III, which is on the battlefields of Ukraine.

    (The U.S. Government was, in fact, so bold in the planning of their 2014 coup that took Ukraine, that it had even included their replacing Russia’s largest naval base, which was (and still is) in Crimea ever since 1783, and to turn it into another U.S. naval base, but that part of the plan failed.)

    If Russia wins its objectives in Ukraine, while the U.S. fails to win its objectives there (which are simply to defeat Russia there — so that this is a zero-sum “game”), this would, in and of itself, end the U.S. empire.

    This Empire started on 25 July 1945, when U.S. President Harry S. Truman decided (on the basis of the advice that he had received from his hero, Dwight Eisenhower), that if the U.S. wouldn’t take over control of the world, then the Soviet Union would.

    Ergo, and so, America must take over control of the world.

    It was either “us” or “them,” Truman was told; and he decided that it WOULDN’T be “them” that will win this zero-sum game.

    And President GHW Bush secretly informed America’s ‘allies’, starting on 24 February 1990, that it STILL wouldn’t be “them” to continue equally with “us” in peace.

    Meaning now Russia to be a “partner” except as being a continuing adversary.

    Because “To hell with that!” (meaning real peace with Russia.)

    “We prevailed, they didn’t” (and “they” still need to be totally and humiliatingly defeated, by “us”; “they” need to become conquered).

    That is the reality.

    It is the U.S. Government’s pure zero-sum-game mentality.

    It is which Brian Berletic’s article documents to be the case regarding the U.S. Government’s plan regarding China.

    And (as I have documented) it applies ALSO regarding Russia.

    (Yet, Berletic seems to believe that it’s not being applied in U.S. thinking about the conflict in Ukraine.)

    The Governments of both nations (Russia and China) would do well to publicize that it applies throughout the U.S. Government’s international-affairs policies, instead of continuing to promote the U.S. Government’s lies to the contrary.

    This is the reality.

    No myth.

    America’s foreign policies are laser-focused on crippling, if not destroying, all possible competitors.

    Destroying Russia absolutely, and completely.

    Destroying China absolutely and completely.

    Especially, all nations in Europe need to know this, and to reverse course because of it.

    Because, if they don’t, then Europe’s economies will be crushed this coming winter, in order to keep up the U.S. Government’s lies.

    It’s their choice.

    Either continuing as American vassal-nations, or else making a fundamental turn, toward freedom and justice.

    Freedom and Justice:  the breakup of the U.S. empire, and emergence of a real democracy and equal rights, in the relations among the world’s nations.

    It’s their choice, to make, one way or the other.

    Thus far, Europe’s leaders have been virtually suiciding their nations.

    How, and how well, is the U.S. Government bribing them to do that, to their nations?

    Or, are they actually that stupid, to be ignorant of what they are doing, or why, or whom the beneficiaries of it are?

    Of course, the press has also played a role, but it’s serving the same group of ultimate masters.

    How can European publics ever wake up?

    Before it’s too late?

    MM Comments…

    Many assumptions on the US side…

    • China and Russia will NEVER use nuclear weapons.
    • The wars will be completely fought by US proxies.
    • Supplying an endless stream of weapons to the proxy nations require a USD with value.
    • Manufacturing has no bearing on the outcome.
    • Energy has no bearing on the outcome.
    • There will be little to no American domestic unrest.
    • Prodding and poking Russia and China can continue without consequence.
    • Both Russia and China will fight the proxy nations; never America directly.

    Somehow, if I were a strategist, I would consider these assumptions as weaknesses, and attack them as they are unexpected.

    No wonder the United States is doubling down, and planning to get rid of their stooge: the “President” of Ukraine…

    RUSSIA DECLARES NEW GOAL: OUSTER OF ZELENSKY REGIME FROM UKRAINE

    Early Sunday morning this web site published a story indicating a “major escalation” was coming by Russia in Ukraine, with trainloads of armor and troops arriving, bringing almost three times more Russian firepower to Ukraine.   Today, the world learned why:  Russia is going to oust the Zelensky regime.

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, speaking to envoys at an Arab League summit in Cairo late Sunday, said Moscow is now targeting the “absolutely unacceptable regime” of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

    “We will definitely help the Ukrainian people to free themselves from the regime that is absolutely anti-people and anti-history,” Lavrov said.

    Zelenskyy was unbowed, pleading to win “this war for independence” and to keep Ukraine on a course toward full membership in the EU and becoming one of the most modern states in the world.

    Hal Turner Editorial Opinion

    In one fell swoop, Russia completely undermined speculated western plans to get rid of Zelensky and blame it on the Russians.  Our earlier story (HERE) reported comments by US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan at the Aspen Conference last week.  Sullivan remarked that the US “Is concerned about the safety and the life of President Zelensky.”

    This was viewed by many in attendance at the Aspen Conference, as being a “projection” of what the US has now decided to do — then blame it on the Russians.

    Now that Russia has publicly declared they plan to remove Zelensky, they’ve pulled the rug out from beneath the west.   The west can no longer howl that “Russia did it” if Russia now publicly says they’re going to do it.

    Now, the tables are turned.

    Since Russia says they are going to oust Zelensky, the west is now forced into the untenable position of having to protect Zelensky.  IF all the intelligence apparatus and the military ight of the west cannot protect Zelensky, then who can it protect?

    This announcement by Russia completely up-ended any western plans to kill Zelensky (because he knows all the dirt) and thereby make a pariah state out of Russia.

    And if the Russians actually do manage to oust Zelensky in spite of the west . . . NATO will likely fall apart because all the smaller countries in NATO will know that NATO “protection” isn’t worth the paper it’s written on!

    What a Diplomatic / Geo-Political coup!

    Regime Change; it’s not just an American thing anymore!

    WAIT!  WAIT! It gets better . . . 

    Think for just a second about the position Zelensky is in.   The two most powerful nations on earth now want him dead.   

    The Russians say it bluntly; the Americans were plotting and scheming secretly.

    So seeing as Zelensky doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of surviving . . . what is the best (and only) thing HE can do?

    He can go to the Russians, offer to give them all the proof of all the shenanigans, all the payoffs, all the Biolabs, in return for . . . . oh this is priceless . . . Asylum in Russia!

    He’d screw everybody with that!

    Wow has this situation with Russia-Ukraine taken some wild turns.  This is better than a soap opera.

    UPDATE 12:35 PM  EDT —

    Below is the full, official transcript of Foreign Minister Lavrov’s speech to the Arab League, from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs web site:

    x
    Transcript

    UPDATE 8:31 PM EDT —

    From the south of Ukraine, I am now receiving Intelligence reports saying a “massive transport” of Russian troops towards Kherson. is taking place.

    The Armor and troops are being seen in Melitopol and Novooleksiivka…

    Daddy going to work…

    x
    x

    America must destroy Russia in the Ukraine. At all costs!

    $270 million in new military aid to Ukraine; Officially Considering Supplying US War Planes

    The United States on Friday signed off on another $270 million in military aid to Ukraine including four new Himars precision rocket systems.

    The fresh aid will bring to 20 the number of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems sent to Ukraine and also includes up to 500 new Phoenix Ghost tactical drones, White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

    Kirby also confirmed publicly the United States Air Force is considering donating U.S. A-10 “Warthog” ground-attack aircraft to Ukraine.   This was reported verbally on the Hal Turner Radio Show a full 48 hours ago, but only now — 2 days later — is the Pentagon publicly confirming that earlier report.

    Poland Announces 400,000 Man Army with 1,000 Main Battle Tanks

    .

    The Poland Ministry of Defense announced today that Poland will increase the size of its Army to 400,000 supported by one thousand (1,000) main battle tanks.

    The tanks will be as follows:

    x
    x

     

    HAL TURNER PERSONAL OPNION

    AN ARMY OF FOUR-HUNDRED-THOUSAND MEN.

    If that sounds kind of small to Americans, it is, given the size of the US Military.

    But wait, if what they plan to have is 400,000, and that is “small” then what do they have right now?

    7500.

    Yes, you read that correctly, the country of Poland has, right now, seven thousand five-hundred deployed armed forces troops.

    Tiny!

    And why is Poland doing this?   Russia!

    OK, so we know that right now, Russia has eight-hundred thousand active duty troops and over ten thousand tanks.

    What does Poland think it’s going to achieve bringing their army to half the strength of Russia, and only one-tenth (1/10) of the main battle tanks of Russia?

    This is a joke, right?

    . . . . . Inquiring minds want to know . . . .

    Trainloads of additional Russian Armor Arriving against Ukraine – Giant Escalation Coming – Zelensky Assassination???

    .

    Videos of Russian trains arriving with additional armored war machines, have been published on various social media the past three days and one thing has become clear: There is a GIANT escalation coming against Ukraine – and maybe NATO.

    One such video, below, shows armor, on a train, as far as the eye can see:

    This new echelon of armor is literally more than DOUBLE what Russia initially sent to Ukraine, before the Special Military Operation began.  If all of it is going into Ukraine, then Russian army strength in Ukraine will increase three-fold!

    The Ukrainians can’t manage what Russia already has there, never mind three times more.

    As things stand right now, July 24, 2022, Ukraine is losing the war very badly despite all sorts of weapons, ammunition, and intel, being supplied by the US/EU/NATO.   A new deployment of this scale by Russia will be a literal steamroller, and it will roll through the rest of Ukraine like a hot knife through butter.

     Hal Turner Analysis and Editorial Opinion

    In my personal assessment of the situation, everyone has about 8 days until things go very HOT!

    July 31st  -Aug 1st is the transition point into the next phase.   In fact, I am on record as saying I believe between July 28 and August 5, there __could be__ a nuclear exchange – not a full blown nuclear holocaust — between Russia and the US/NATO.

    Right now, I assess that the Special Military Operation “Z” will intensify to levels of ferocity and speed yet unseen.

    I personally perceive that the Deep State (NATO) forces will begin operations overtly and also with increased violence. It is my personal belief the US will cross “the line” via the proxy, Ukraine, and that action could start at any time now.

    From August 1st to the end of this year the world will experience turmoil, disruption and violence that has not been seen since WWII.

    Anyone with half a brain knows that Ukraine will never win this war.

    There will never be peace. Russia will never be able to trust any so called security guarantees that NATO/US may come up with. Too many red lines crossed, too many broken promises.

    Russia does not want to be an occupying force in Ukraine, but Ukraine, if it continues to exist AT ALL,  cannot be left to it’s own devices. Ukraine will end up being a buffer as a military no-man’s land between Russia and an encroaching NATO.  An uneasy truce if anything.

    Recommendations:

    1. If you live in the US or UK brace for possible attack.

    2. If you live in any nation on the Russian “Unfriendly” list prepare for massive shortages and disruptions.

    3. Wherever you live, get your preps in order NOW.

    Note: Possible attack modes could range from Cyber, EMP, Nuke attack and or Tsunami Bomb attack. Therefore, all coastal areas, decision making centers, financial centers and military installations of the UK and US are at risk.

    Prepare for possible loss of:

    Electricity, Banking, Fuel, Internet and Cell Phones.

    Of course, food and medical services availability will be GREATLY affected.

    This is not a drill…

    This is not a game.

    May God protect the innocent and may the wicked…get what they deserve.

    Best of luck to all.

    How bad is it in the United States…?

    x
    x

    China’s top chip maker SMIC may have achieved tech breakthrough, experts say

    • Researchers at a Canadian tech analysis firm concluded that Shanghai-based SMIC has been able to produce 7-nanometre chips since last year
    • SMIC’s advanced capability would put the company ahead of American and European peers, but it could also spur further US sanctions, analysts say

    From HERE

    China’s top chip maker has likely gained the ability to produce 7-nanometre chips, according to a Canadian tech analysis firm, marking a significant breakthrough as the world’s second-largest economy pushes towards technological self-sufficiency to counter US sanctions.

    Researchers at TechInsights made the conclusion after they reverse-engineered a sample chip made by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), extracted from a cryptocurrency mining machine.

    Analysts and industry professionals believe it is technically possible for SMIC to produce 7nm chips with existing deep ultraviolet (DUV) systems, under the leadership of co-CEO Liang Mong Song, a chip-making expert who was previously an executive at industry-leading Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. However, they are surprised that the Chinese were able to do so at this date.

    Staged Incidents as the Western Approach of Doing Politics

    x
    Lavrov

    By Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister – Jul 18, 2022

    Today, the Russian Armed Forces, together with the self-defense units of the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics, are delivering on the objectives of the special military operation with great resolve to put an end to the outrageous discrimination and genocide of the Russian people and eliminate direct threats to the security of the Russian Federation that the United States and its satellites have been creating on Ukrainian territory for years. While losing on the battlefield, the Ukrainian regime and its Western patrons have descended to staging bloody incidents to demonize our country in the eyes of the international community. We have already seen Bucha, Mariupol, Kramatorsk, and Kremenchug. The Russian Defense Ministry has been regularly issuing warnings, with facts in hand, about upcoming staged incidents and fakes.

    There is a distinctive pattern that betrays the provocations staged by the West and its henchmen. In fact, they started long before the Ukrainian events.

    Take 1999 – the village of Račak in Serbia’s Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija. A group of OSCE inspectors arrived at the site where several dozen corpses dressed in civilian clothes were discovered. Without any investigation, the mission head declared the incident an act of genocide, even though making a conclusion of this kind was not part of the mandate issued to this international official. NATO immediately launched a military aggression against Yugoslavia, during which it intentionally destroyed a television centre, bridges, passenger trains and other civilian targets. Later, it was proved with conclusive evidence that the dead bodies were not civilians, but militants of the Kosovo Liberation Army, an illegal armed group, dressed in civilian clothes. But by that time the staged incident has already taken its toll, offering a pretext for the first illegal use of force against an OSCE member state since the signing of the Helsinki Final Act in 1975. It is telling that the statement that triggered the bombings came from William Walker, a US citizen who headed the OSCE’s Kosovo Verification Mission. Separating Kosovo from Serbia by force and setting up Camp Bondsteel, the largest US military base in the Balkans, were the main outcomes of the aggression.

    In 2003, there was the infamous performance by US Secretary of State Colin Powell in the UN Security Council with a vial containing white powder of some sort, which he said contained anthrax spores, alleging that it was produced in Iraq. Once again, the fake worked: the Anglo-Saxons and those who followed their lead went on to bomb Iraq, which has been struggling to fully recover its statehood ever since. Moreover, it did not take long before the fake was exposed with everyone admitting that Iraq did not have any biological weapons or any other kinds of WMDs. Later, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who was one of the masterminds of the aggression, recognized that the whole affair was a fraud, saying that they “may have been wrong” or something like that. As for Colin Powell, he later tried to justify himself by claiming that he was misled by the underlying intelligence. Either way, this was yet another provocation that offered a pretext for delivering on the plan to destroy a sovereign nation.

    There was also Libya in 2011. The drama had specifics of its own. The situation did not go as far as direct lies, like in Kosovo or Iraq, but NATO grossly distorted the UN Security Council resolution, which provided for a no-fly zone over Libya in order to “ground” Muammar Gaddafi’s air force. It did not fly to begin with. However, NATO started bombing the Libyan army units who were fighting terrorists. Muammar Gaddafi died a savage death, and nothing remains of the Libyan statehood. Efforts to put the country back together have yet to succeed, with a US representative once again in charge of the process, appointed by the UN Secretary General without any consultation with the UN Security Council. As part of this process, our Western colleagues have facilitated several intra-Libyan agreements on holding elections but none of them materialized. Illegal armed groups still reign supreme on Libyan territory, with most of them working closely with the West.

    February 2014, Ukraine – the West, represented by the German, French, and Polish foreign ministers, de facto forced President Viktor Yanukovich into signing an agreement with the opposition to end the confrontation and promote a peaceful resolution of the intra-Ukrainian crisis by establishing a transitional national unity government and calling a snap election, to be held within a few months. This too turned out to be a fraud: the next morning, the opposition staged a coup guided as it was by anti-Russia, racist slogans. However, the Western guarantors did not even try to bring the opposition back to its senses. Furthermore, they switched immediately to encouraging the coup perpetrators in their policies against Russia and everything Russian, unleashing the war against their own people and bombing entire cities in the Donbass region just because people there refused to recognize the unconstitutional coup. For that, they labelled the people in Donbass terrorists, and once again the West was there to encourage them.

    At this point, it is worth noting that, as it was soon revealed, the killing of protestors on the Maidan was also a staged incident, which the West blamed either on the Ukrainian security forces loyal to Viktor Yanukovich, or on the Russian special services. However, the radical members of the opposition were the ones who were behind this provocation, while working closely with the Western intelligence services. Once again, exposing these facts did not take long, but by that time they already did their job.

    Efforts by Russia, Germany, and France paved the way to stopping the war between Kiev, Donetsk and Lugansk in February 2015 with the signing of the Minsk Agreements. Berlin and Paris played a proactive role here as well, proudly calling themselves as the guarantor countries. However, during the seven long years that followed, they did absolutely nothing to force Kiev to launch a direct dialogue with Donbass representatives for agreeing on matters including the special status, amnesty, restoring economic ties, and holding elections, as required by the Minsk Agreements which were approved unanimously by the UN Security Council. The Western leaders remained silent when Kiev took steps which directly violated the Minsk Agreements under both Petr Poroshenko and Vladimir Zelensky. Moreover, the German and the French leaders kept saying that Kiev cannot enter direct dialogue with the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics, and blamed everything on Russia, although Russia is not mentioned in the Minsk agreements even once, while remaining basically the only country that kept pushing for the agreements to be implemented.

    If anyone doubted that the Minsk Package was anything but yet another fake, Petr Poroshenko dispelled this myth by saying on June 17, 2022: “The Minsk Agreements did not mean anything to us, and we had no intention to carry them out… our goal was to remove the threat we faced… and win time in order to restore economic growth and rebuild the armed forces. We achieved this goal. Mission accomplished for the Minsk Agreements.” The people of Ukraine are still paying the price of this fake. For many years now, the West has been forcing them to accept an anti-Russian neo-Nazi regime. What a waste of energy for Olaf Scholz with his calls to force Russia to agree to an agreement guaranteeing Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. There already had been an agreement to this effect, the Minsk Package, and Berlin with Paris were the ones who derailed it by shielding Kiev in its refusal to abide by the document. The fake has been exposed – finita la commedia.

    By the way, Vladimir Zelensky has been a worthy successor to Petr Poroshenko. During a campaign rally in early 2019, he was ready to kneel before him for the sake of stopping the war.

    In December 2019, Zelensky got a chance to carry out the Minsk Agreements following the Normandy format summit in Paris. In the outcome document adopted at the highest level, the Ukrainian President undertook to resolve matters related to the special status of Donbass. Of course, he did not do anything, while Berlin and Paris once again covered up for him. The document and all the publicity accompanying its adoption turned out to be no more than a fake narrative promoted by Ukraine and the West to win some time for supplying more weapons to the Kiev regime, which follows Petr Poroshenko’s logic to the letter.

    There was also Syria, with the 2013 agreement on eliminating Syria’s chemical weapons stockpiles in a stage-by-stage process verified by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), for which it received the Nobel Peace Prize. After that, however, there were outrageous provocations in 2017 and 2018 staging the use of chemical weapons in Khan Shaykhun and Duma, a Damascus suburb. There was a video showing people calling themselves the White Helmets (a would-be humanitarian organization which never showed up on territories controlled by the Syrian government) helping alleged poisoning victims, although no one had any protective clothing or gear. All attempts to force the OPCW Technical Secretariat to perform its duties in good faith and ensure a transparent investigation into these incidents, as required by the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), failed. This, however, did not come as a surprise. The Western countries have long privatized the Technical Secretariat by having their representatives appointed to the key positions within this structure. They contributed to staging these incidents and used them as a pretext for US, British, and French airstrikes against Syria. Incidentally, they carried out these bombings just a day before a group of OPCW inspectors arrived there to investigate the incidents at Russia’s insistence, while the West did everything to prevent this deployment.

    The West and the OPCW Technical Secretariat it controls demonstrated their ability to stage fake incidents with the would-be poisonings of the Skripals and Alexey Navalny. In both cases, Russia sent multiple requests to The Hague, London, Berlin, Paris, and Stockholm, all left without a reply, even though they fully conformed with the CWC provisions and required a response.

    Other pending questions have to do with the Pentagon’s covert activities in Ukraine carried out through its Defense Threat Reduction Agency. The traces that the forces engaged in the special military operation have discovered in military-biological laboratories in the liberated territories of Donbass and adjacent areas clearly indicate direct violations of the Convention on the Prohibition of Biological and Toxin Weapons (BTWC). We have presented the documents to Washington and to the UN Security Council. The procedure has been initiated under BTWC to demand explanations. Contrary to the facts, the US administration is trying to justify its actions by saying that all biological research in Ukraine was exclusively peaceful and civilian in nature – with no evidence of any of this.

    In fact, the Pentagon’s military-biological activities around the world, especially in the post-Soviet countries, require the closest attention in light of the multiplying evidence of criminal experiments with the most dangerous pathogens in order to create biological weapons conducted under the guise of peaceful research.

    I have already mentioned the staged “crimes” of the Donbass militia and participants in the Russian special military operation. There is one simple fact that clearly shows how much these accusations mean: having shown the “Bucha tragedy” to the world in early April 2022 (we have suspicions that the Anglo-Saxons had a hand in setting the stage for the show), the West and Kiev have not yet answered the very basic questions about whether the names of the dead were established and what post-mortem examinations showed. Just as in the above-described Skripals and Navalny cases, the propaganda production has premiered in the Western media, and now it’s time to sweep it all under the rug, brazen it out, because they have nothing to say.

    This is the essence of the well-worn Western political algorithm – to concoct a fake story and ratchet up the hype as if it’s a universal catastrophe for a couple of days while blocking people’s access to alternative information or assessments, and when any facts do break through, they are simply ignored – at best mentioned on last pages of the news in small print. It is important to understand that this is not a harmless game in the media war – such productions are used as pretexts for very material actions such as punishing the “guilty” countries with sanctions, unleashing barbaric aggressions against them with hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties, as it happened, in particular, in Iraq and Libya. Or – as in the case of Ukraine – for using the country as expendable material in the Western proxy war against Russia. Moreover, NATO instructors and MLRS aimers are, apparently, already directing the actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and nationalist battalions on the ground.

    I hope there are responsible politicians in Europe who are aware of the consequences. In this regard, it is noteworthy that no one in NATO or the EU tried to reprimand the German Air Force Commander, a general named Ingo Gerhartz, who got carried away higher than his rank and said NATO must be ready to use nuclear weapons. “Putin, do not try to compete with us,” he added. Europe’s silence suggests that it is complacently oblivious of Germany’s role in its history.

    If we look at today’s events through a historical prism, the entire Ukrainian crisis appears as a “grand chess game” that follows a scenario earlier promoted by Zbigniew Brzezinski. All the good relations talk, the West’s proclaimed readiness to take into account the rights and interests of Russians who ended up in independent Ukraine or other post-Soviet countries after the collapse of the USSR turned out to be mere pretense. Even in the early 2000s, Washington and the European Union began to openly pressure Kiev to decide which side Ukraine was on, the West or Russia.

    Ever since 2014, the West has been controlling, hands-on, the Russophobic regime it brought to power through a coup d’état. Putting Vladimir Zelensky in front of any international forum of any significance is also part of this travesty. He makes passionate speeches, but when he suddenly offers something reasonable, he gets a slap on the wrist, as it happened after the Istanbul round of Russian-Ukrainian talks. At the end of March, it seemed that light glimmered at the end of the tunnel, but Kiev was forced to back off, using, among other things, a frankly staged episode in Bucha. Washington, London and Brussels demanded that Kiev stopped negotiating with Russia until Ukraine achieved full military advantage (former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tried especially hard, and many other Western politicians did too, still incumbent, although they have already proved just as inept).

    EU foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell’s statement about this war having to be “won on the battlefield” by Ukraine suggests that even diplomacy has lost its value as a tool in the European Union’s staged performance.

    In a broader sense, it is curious to see how Europe, lined up by Washington on the anti-Russian front, has been hardest hit by the thoughtless sanctions, emptying its arsenals to supply weapons to Kiev (without even asking for a report on who will control them or where they go), and freeing up its market only to subsequently buy US military products and expensive American LNG instead of available Russian gas. Such trends, coupled with the de facto merger between the EU and NATO, make the continued talk about Europe’s “strategic autonomy” nothing more than a show. Everyone has already understood that the collective West’s foreign policy is a “one-man theatre.” Moreover, it is consistently seeking ever new theaters of military operations.

    One element of the geopolitical gambit against Russia is granting the status of an eternal EU candidate country to Ukraine and Moldova, which, it seems, will also face an unenviable fate. Meanwhile, a PR campaign has been initiated by President of France Emmanuel Macron to promote the “European political community,” which offers no financial or economic benefits, but demands full compliance with the EU’s anti-Russia actions. The principle behind it is not either/or but “who is not with us is against us.” Emmanuel Macron explained the gist of the “community”: the EU will invite all European countries – “from Iceland to Ukraine” – to join it, but not Russia. I would like to stress that we are not eager to join, but the statement itself showcases the essence of this obviously confrontational and divisive new undertaking.

    Ukraine, Moldova and other countries being courted by the EU today are destined to be extras in the games of the West. The United States, as the main producer, calls the tune and devises the storyline based on which Europe writes the anti-Russia screenplay. The actors are ready and possess the skills acquired during their tenure at the Kvartal 95 Studio: they will provide a voice-over for dramatic texts no worse than the now forgotten Greta Thunberg and play musical instruments, if needed. The actors are good: remember how convincing Vladimir Zelensky was in his role as a democrat in the Servant of the People: fighter against corruption and discrimination against Russians and for all the right things in general. Remember and compare it with his immediate transformation in his role as president. It is perfect Stanislavsky Method acting: banning the Russian language, education, media and culture. “If you feel like Russians, then go to Russia for the sake of your children and grandchildren.” Good advice. He called Donbass residents “species” rather than people. And this is what he said about the Nazi Azov battalion: “They are what they are. There is plenty of such people around here.” Even CNN was ashamed to leave this phrase in the interview.

    This prompts a question: what will be the outcome of all these storylines? Staged incidents based on blood and agony are by no means fun but a display of a cynical policy in creating a new reality where all principles of the UN Charter and all norms of international law are attempted to be replaced with their “rules-based order” in an aspiration to perpetuate their dwindling domination in global affairs.

    The games undertaken by the West in the OSCE after from end of the Cold War, where it considered itself a winner, had the most devastating consequences for the modern international relations. Having quickly broken their promises to the Soviet and Russian leadership on the non-expansion of NATO to the east, the United States and its allies nevertheless declared their commitment to building a unified space of security and cooperation in the Euro-Atlantic region. They formalized it at the top level with all OSCE members in 1999 and 2010 within the framework of a political obligation to ensure equal and inseparable security where no country will strengthen its security at the expense of others and no organization will claim a dominating role in Europe. It soon became evident that NATO members do no keep their word and that their goal is the supremacy of the North-Atlantic Alliance. Even then we continued our diplomatic efforts, proposing to formalize the principle of equal and inseparable security in a legally binding agreement. We proposed this a number of times, the last one in December 2021, but received a flat denial in response. They told us directly: there will be no legal guarantees outside NATO. Which means that the support of the political documents approved at the OSCE summits turned out to be a cheap fake. And now NATO, driven by the United States, has gone even further: they want to dominate over the entire Asia-Pacific region in addition to the Euro-Atlantic. NATO members make no effort to conceal the target of their threats, and China’s leadership has already publicly declared its position regarding such neo-colonial ambitions. Beijing has already responded by citing the principle of indivisible security, declaring its support for applying it on a global scale to prevent any country from claiming its exclusivity. This approach fully coincides with Russia’s position. We will make consistent efforts to defend it together with our allies, strategic partners and many other like-minded countries.

    The collective West should come back to Earth from the world of illusions. The staged incidents, no matter how long they go on, will not work. It is time for fair play based on the international law rather than cheating. The sooner everyone realizes that there are no alternatives to objective historical processes where a multipolar world is formed based on respect for the principle of sovereign equality of states, fundamental for the UN Charter and the entire world order, the better.

    If members of the western alliance are unable to live according to this principle, are not ready to build a truly universal architecture of equal security and cooperation, they should leave everyone alone, stop using threats and blackmail to recruit those who want to live on their own wits and acknowledge the right to freedom of choice by independent self-respecting countries. This is what democracy is all about, the real democracy, not one played out on a shabbily built political stage.

    An interesting test

    Here’s a great book called “The Psychopath Test” by Jon Ronson which has a particularly interesting case:

    A man, Tony, was on trial for a violent assault on another man.

    As part of his tactic to avoid doing time in prison, he came up with an idea.


    Imagine you are sitting at a table, a psychiatrist is at the other end. She is asking you questions that run 360 around your entire life and your frame of mind.

    At one point, you begin telling her:

    “I enjoy watching people die.”

    “I get sexual pleasure from seeing people scream in pain.”

    And on and on. Every dark thing you can imagine.

    Tony had a goal; to convince the court-appointed psychiatrist that he was mentally ill and thus unfit to go to trial.

    He succeeded.

    He was then shipped off to Broadmoor High Security Psychiatric Hospital.

    Where he was quickly introduced to a life he didn’t want.

    Strict controls, forced medication, and sedatives, smaller cells, a stifling atmosphere, surrounded by…highly unstable people.

    He then began frantically telling everyone he’d lied about being crazy and that he’d made a mistake. He would rather go back to prison. When he finally got them to listen and he explained everything…

    …the resident psychiatrist said the type of person who would lie about being mentally ill is actually someone who is mentally ill (a psychopath). And thus – he remained stuck at the mental institution.

    Henk Heithuis.

    x
    Henk Heithuis.

    And I am warning you ahead of time, his story is absolutely gruesome and terrifying. Heithuis was born in the Netherlands in 1935 and placed in the foster system, to be cared for by Catholic priests. Now priests had a tendency of abusing young children under their care, there have been many such cases… but Heithuis was not like most victims… he was about to go public.

    Usually, the abuse was quietly pushed aside, shrugged off, swept under the rug. It’s been that way for centuries. Victims stayed quiet out of shame and fear. Not Henk Heithuis. He decided to make a stand. For himself and for all those others he had known who were abused, molested, raped. So he went to the police, and officially accused the priests of sexual abuse. This was revolutionary, and absolutely unheard of in the 1950s!

    What Heithuis had not anticipated, is the absolute cruelty and the far-reaching power of the institution he was about to face. Since he was still legally a minor at the time of the abuse, and at the time he made his accusation, Heithuis was still a ward of the state, unable to make his own decisions, the court argued.

    He insisted, however, that he was raped. The priests then came forward and denied this. Instead, they instead, Heithuis was a homosexual boy who had “seduced the priests”, can you imagine their audacity? The young victim vehemently denied the accusations, maintained he had been raped and that he was, in fact, heterosexual — he even had a girlfriend he hoped to marry as soon as he reached the age of maturity.

    The church, however, had quite a bit of influence with the courts. They convinced them that Heithuis was, in fact, homosexual. And in the 1950s, homosexuality was still illegal in the now-so-liberal Netherlands. The treatment consisted of either years in an institution, chemical castration, or physical castration… with Heithuis, no rebuttal was allowed, no second opinion considered and no option given — he was to be castrated immediately. Which he was.

    They drugged the teenaged abuse victim, drove him to a clinic down South and strapped him to a table where they surgically gelded him. After the operation they kicked him to the curb… Heithuis was broken. Mentally. Physically. He abandoned his friends and his fiancée and became a sailor. He made it as far as Japan, when he broke down and, when on shore leave, found his way to the Dutch embassy. Here, he told his story to a diplomat who took pity on his fate. He even showed his scars, and explained how his hormones were now out of control, his body no longer felt like his and he was suicidal.

    “Please tell my story…” Heithuis insisted, “make notes, remember it. They may come for me. They may kill me.”

    Surely it wouldn’t be so bad, his friend, Cornelius Rogge, assured him. Surely they would not have him killed. How could they? But Heithuis was sure of it. Arrangements were made with the shipping company to have him brought back home to his country.

    When he returned, Heithuis, helped by his friends who knew his story, once again pressed charges. This time for forcible castration, lying about his sexuality and mental health problems as well as slandering his good name. Still a fiery chap, still refusing to surrender, he wanted justice, he wanted his good name restored.

    But in 1958, shortly after pressing charges, Henk Heithuis got into a car accident and died on the spot.

    The police confiscated all his personal belongings and material provided to them by the deceased. All material was destroyed on the day of his death.

    When the Globalists Crossed the Rubicon: The Assassination of Shinzo Abe

    Region:
    Theme:

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    First published by Global Research on July 14, 2022

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    To read this article in Japanese, click here
    
    この記事を日本語で読むには、ウェブサイトの翻訳ドロップダウンウェブサイトをクリックしてください。
    
    ***

    July 8 was a muggy day in the ancient capital of Japan. Shinzo Abe, the most powerful figure in Japanese politics, was delivering a stump speech for a local Liberal Democratic Party candidate in front of the Nara Kintetsu railway station when suddenly a loud bang rang out, followed by an odd cloud of smoke.

    The response was incredible. Among those in the unusually large crowd gathered, not a single person ran for cover, or hit the ground in terror.

    Abe’s body guards, who stood unusually far away from him during the speech, looked on impassively, making no effort to shield him, or to pull him to a safe location.

    A few seconds later, Abe crumpled and collapsed to the ground, lying there impassive in his standard blue jacket, white shirt, now speckled with blood, and trademark blue badge of solidarity with Japanese abductees in North Korea. Most likely he was killed instantaneously.

    Only then did the body guards seize the suspect, Yamagami Toruya, who was standing behind Abe. The tussle with Yamagami took the form of a choreographed dance for the television audience, not a professional takedown.

    Yamagami was immediately identified by the media as a 41-year-old former member of the Maritime Self-Defense Force who had personal grievances with Abe.

    Yamagami told everything to the police without hesitation. He did not even try to run from the scene and was still holding the silly hand-made gun when the bodyguards grabbed him.

    Even after Abe was lying on the pavement, not a single person in the crowd ran for shelter, or even looked around to determine where the shots came from. Everyone seemed to know, magically, that the shooting was over.

    Then the comedy began. Rather than putting Abe in a limousine and whisking him away, those standing around him merely called out to passersby, asking if anyone was a doctor.

    The media immediately embraced the “lone gunman” conclusion for this attack, repeating entertaining tale of how Yamagami was associated with Toitsu Kyokai, a new religion started by the charismatic shaman Kawase Kayo, and why he blamed Abe, who had exchanges with that group, for his mother’s troubles.

    Because Toitsu Kyokai has followers from the Unification Church founded by Reverend Moon Sun Myung, journalist Michael Penn jumped to the conclusion that the conspiracy leading to Abe’s death was the result of his collaboration with the Moonies.

    Although the mainstream media accepted this fantastic story, the Japanese police and security apparatus did not manage to squash alternative interpretations. Blogger Takashi Kitagawa posted materials on July 10 that suggested Abe was shot from the front, not from the back where Yamagami stood, and that the shots must have been fired at an angle from the top of one, or both, of the tall buildings on either side of the intersection across from the railway station plaza.

    Takahashi Kitakawa’s postings:

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    Kitagawa’s analysis of the paths of the bullets was more scientific than anything offered by the media that had claimed, without basis, that Abe had only been shot once until the surgeon announced that evening that there had been two bullets.

    The chances that a man holding an awkward home-made gun, standing more than five meters away in a crowd, would be able to hit Abe twice are low. The TV personality Kozono Hiromi, who is a gun expert himself, remarked on his show “Sukkiri” (on July 12) that such a feat would be incredible.

    A careful viewing of the videos suggests that multiple shots were fired by a rifle with a silencer from atop a neighboring building.

    安倍晋三元総理大臣暗殺について 言明します from Emanuel Pastreich on Vimeo.

    The message to the world

    For a figure like Shinzo Abe, the most powerful political player in Japan and the person to whom Japanese politicians and bureaucrats rallied in response to the unprecedented uncertainty born of the current geopolitical crisis, to be shot dead with no serious security detail nearby makes no sense.

    Perhaps the message was lost on viewers at home, but it was crystal clear for other Japanese politicians.

    For that matter, the message was clear for Boris Johnson, who was forced out of power at almost exactly the same moment that Abe was shot, or for Emmanuel Macron, who was suddenly charged with influence peddling scandal for Uber, and faces demands for his removal from office, on July 11—after months of massive protests had failed to sway him in any way.

    The message was written all over Abe’s white shirt in red: buying into the globalist system and promoting the COVID-19 regime is not enough to assure safety, even for the leader of a G7 nation.

    Abe was highest ranking victim so far of the hidden cancer eating away at governance in nation states around the world, an institutional sickness that moves decision making away from national governments to a network of privately-held supercomputer banks, private equity groups, for-hire intelligence firms in Tel Aviv, London and Reston, and the strategic thinkers employed by the billionaires at the World Economic Forum, NATO, the World Bank and other such awesome institutions.

    The fourth industrial revolution was the excuse employed to transfer the control of all information in, and all information out, for central governments to Facebook, Amazon, Oracle, Google, SAP and others in the name of efficiency. As J. P. Morgan remarked, “Everything has two reasons: a good reason and a real reason.”

    With the assassination of Abe, these technology tyrants, and their masters, have crossed the Rubicon, declaring that those dressed in the trappings of state authority can be mowed down with impunity if they do not follow orders.

    The Problem with Japan

    Japan is heralded as the only Asian nation advanced enough to join the “West,” to be a member of the exclusive G7 club, and to be qualified to enter into collaboration with (and possible membership in) the top intelligence sharing program, the “Five Eyes.”

    Nevertheless, Japan has continued to defy the expectations, and the demands, of global financiers, and the planners within the beltway and on Wall Street for the New World Order.

    Although it was South Korea in Asia that has constantly been berated in Washington as an ally not quite up to the level of Japan, the truth is that the super-rich busy taking over the Pentagon, and the entire global economy, were starting to harbor doubts about the dependability of Japan.

    The globalist system at the World Bank, Goldman Sachs, or the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University has a set track for the best and the brightest from “advanced nations.”

    Elites from Australia, France, Germany, Norway or Italy, learn to speak fluent English, spend time in Washington, London, or Geneva at a think tank or university, secure a safe sinecure at a bank, a government institution, or a research institute that assures them a good income, and adopt the common sense, pro-finance, perspective offered by the Economist Magazine as the gospel.

    Japan, however, although it has an advanced banking system of its own, although its command of advanced technologies makes it the sole rival of Germany in machine tools, and although it has a sophisticated educational system capable of producing numerous Nobel Prize winners, does not produce leaders who follow this model for the “developed” nation.

    Japanese elite do not study abroad for the most part and Japan has sophisticated intellectual circles that do not rely on information brought in from overseas academic or journalistic sources.

    Unlike other nations, Japanese write sophisticated journal articles entirely in Japanese, citing only Japanese experts. In fact, in fields like botany and cellular biology, Japan has world-class journals written entirely in Japanese.

    Similarly, Japan has a sophisticated domestic economy that is not easily penetrated by multinational corporations—try as they do.

    The massive concentration of wealth over the last decade has allowed the super-rich to create invisible networks for secret global governance, best represented by the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders program and the Schwarzman Scholars program. These rising figures in policy infiltrate the governments, the industries, and research institutions of nations to make sure that the globalist agenda goes forth unimpeded.

    Japan has been impacted by this sly form of global governance. And yet, Japanese who speak English well, or who study at Harvard, are not necessarily on the fast track in Japanese society.

    There is stubborn independence in Japan’s diplomacy and economics, something that raised concerns among the Davos crowd during the COVID-19 campaigns.

    Although the Abe administration (and the subsequent Kishida administration) went along with the directives of the World Economic Forum and the World Health Organization for vaccines and social distancing, the Japanese government was less intrusive in the lives of citizens than most nations, and was less successful in forcing organizations to require vaccination.

    The use of QR codes to block service to the unvaccinated was limited in its implementation in Japan in comparison with other “advanced” nations.

    Moreover, the Japanese government refuses to fully implement the digitalization agenda demanded, thus denying multinational technology giants the control over Japan that they exercise elsewhere. This lag in Japan’s digitalization led the Wilson Center in Washington D.C. to invite Karen Makishima, minister of Japan’s Digital Agency (launched under pressure from global finance in September, 2021) so that she could explain why Japan has been so slow to digitalize (July 13).

    Japanese are increasingly aware that their resistance to digitalization, to the wholescale outsourcing of the functions of government and university to multinational tech giants, and the privatization of information, is not in their interest.

    Japan continues to operate Japanese-language institutions that follow old customs, including the use of written records. Japanese still read books and they are not so enamored with AI as Koreans and Chinese.

    Japan’s resistance can be traced back to Meiji restoration of 1867. Japan set out to create governmental system wherein Western ideas were translated into Japanese, combined with Japanese concepts, to create a complex domestic discourse. The governance system set up in Meiji restoration remains in place to a large degree, using models for governance based on pre-modern principles from Japan and China’s past, and drawn from 19th century Prussia and England.

    The result is feudalistic approach to governance wherein ministers oversee fiefdoms of bureaucrats who carefully guard their own budgets and who maintain their own internal chains of command.

    The Problem with Abe

    Shinzo Abe was one of the most sophisticated politicians of our age, always open to make a deal with the United States, or other global institutions, but always cagy when it came to making Japan the subject of globalist dictates.

    Abe harbored the dream of restoring Japan to its status as an empire, and imagined himself to be the reincarnation of the Meiji Emperor.

    Abe was different from Johnson or Macron in that he was not as interested in appearing on TV as he was in controlling the actual decision making process within Japan.

    There is no need to glorify Abe’s reign, as some have tried to do. He was a corrupt insider who pushed for the dangerous privatization of government, the hollowing out of education, and who backed a massive shift of assets from the middle class to the wealthy.

    His use of the ultra-right Nihon Kaigi forum to promote an ultranationalist agenda, and to glorify the most offensive aspects of Japan’s imperial past, was deeply disturbing. Abe gave his unflinching support for all military expenditures, no matter how foolish, and he was willing to support just about any American boondoggle.

    That said, as the grandson of Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, and the son of foreign minister Shintaro Abe, Shinzo Abe showed himself to be an astute politician from childhood. He was creative in his use of a wide range of political tools to advance his agenda, and he could call on corporate and government leaders from around the world with an ease that no other Asian politician could.

    I remember vividly the impression I received from Abe on the two occasions that I met him in person. Whatever cynical politics he may have promoted, he radiated to his audience a purity and simplicity, what the Japanese call “sunao,” that was captivating. His manner suggested a receptiveness and openness that inspired loyalty among his followers and that could overwhelm those who were hostile to his policies.

    In sum, Abe was sophisticated political figure who was capable of playing one side against the other within the Liberal Democratic Party, and within the international community, while appearing to be a considerate and benevolent leader.

    For this reason, Japanese hostile to Abe’s ethnic nationalism were still willing to support him because he was the only politician they thought capable of restoring global political leadership to Japan.

    Japanese diplomats and military officers fret endlessly about the Japan’s lack of vision. Although Japan has all the qualifications to be a great power, they reason, it is run by a series of unimpressive, University of Tokyo graduates; men who are good at taking tests, but are unwilling to take risks.

    Japan produces none like Putin or Xi, and not even a Macron or a Johnson.

    Abe wanted to be a leader and he had the connections, the talent, and the ruthlessness required to play that role on the global stage. He was already the longest serving prime minister in Japanese history, and had plans for a third bid as prime minister, when he was struck down.

    Needless to say, the powers behind the World Economic Forum do not want national leaders like Abe, even if they conform with the global agenda, because they are capable of organizing resistance within the nation state.

    What went wrong?

    Abe was able to handle, using the traditional tools of statecraft, the impossible dilemma faced by Japan over the last decade as its economic ties with China and Russia increased, but its political and security integration with the United States, Israel and the NATO block proceeded apace.

    It was impossible for Japan to be that close to the United States and its allies while maintaining friendly relations with Russia and China. Yet Abe almost succeeded.

    Abe remained focused and cool. He made use of all his skills and connections as he set out to carve a unique space for Japan. Along the way, Abe turned to the sophisticated diplomacy of his strategic thinker Shotaro Yachi of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assure that Japan found its place under the sun.

    Abe and Yachi used contradictory, but effective, geopolitical strategies to engage both East and West, making ample use of secret diplomacy to seal long-term deals that put Japan back in the great powers game.

    On the one hand, Abe presented to Obama and Trump a Japan that was willing to go further than South Korea, Australia or other India in backing Washington’s position. Abe was willing to suffer tremendous domestic criticism for his push for a remilitarization that fit the US plans for East Asia.

    At the same time that he impressed Washington politicians with his gung-ho pro-American rhetoric, matched by the purchase of weapons systems, Abe also engaged China and Russia at the highest levels. That was no small feat, and involved sophisticated lobbying within the beltway, and in Beijing and Moscow.

    In the case of Russia, Abe successfully negotiated a complex peace treaty with Russia in 2019 that would have normalized relations and solved the dispute concerning the Northern Territories (the Kuril Islands in Russian). He was able to secure energy contracts for Japanese firms and to find investment opportunities in Russia even as Washington ramped up the pressure on Tokyo for sanctions.

    The journalist Tanaka Sakai notes that Abe was not banned from entering Russia after the Russian government banned all other representatives of the Japanese government from entry.

    Abe also engaged China seriously, solidifying long-term institutional ties, and pursuing free trade agreement negotiations that reached a breakthrough in the fifteenth round of talks (April 9-12, 2019). Abe had ready access to leading Chinese politicians and he was considered by them to be reliable and predictable, even though his rhetoric was harshly anti-Chinese.

    The critical event that likely triggered the process leading to Abe’s assassination was the NATO summit in Madrid (June 28-30).

    The NATO summit was a moment when the hidden players behind the scenes laid down the law for the new global order. NATO is on a fast track to evolve beyond an alliance to defend Europe and to become an unaccountable military power, working with the Global Economic Forum, the billionaires and the bankers around the world, as a “world army,” functioning much as the British East India Company did in another era.

    The decision to invite to the NATO summit the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand was a critical part of this NATO transformation.

    These four nations were invited to join in an unprecedented level of integration in security, including intelligence sharing (outsourcing to big tech multinationals), the use of advanced weapons systems (that must be administrated by the personnel of multinationals like Lockheed Martin), joint exercises (that set a precedent for an oppressive decision-making process), and other “collaborative” approaches that undermine the chain of command within the nation state.

    When Kishida returned to Tokyo on July first, there can be no doubt that one of his first meetings was with Abe. Kishida explained to Abe the impossible conditions that the Biden administration had demanded of Japan.

    The White House, by the way, is now entirely the tool of globalists like Victoria Nuland (Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs) and others trained by the Bush clan.

    The demands made of Japan were suicidal in nature. Japan was to increase economic sanctions on Russia, to prepare for possible war with Russia, and to prepare for a war with China. Japan’s military, intelligence and diplomatic functions were to be transferred to the emerging blob of private contractors gathering for the feast around NATO.

    We do not know what Abe did during the week before his death. Most likely he launched into a sophisticated political play, using of all his assets in Washington D.C., Beijing, and Moscow—as well as in Jerusalem, Berlin, and London, to come up with a multi-tiered response that would give the world the impression that Japan was behind Biden all the way, while Japan sought out a détente with China and Russia through the back door.

    The problem with this response was that since other nations had been shut down, such a sophisticated play by Japan made it the only major nation with a semi-functional executive branch.

    Abe’s death parallels closely that of Seoul’s mayor Park Won Sun, who went missing on July 9th, 2020, exactly two years before Abe’s assassination. Park took steps in Seoul City Hall to push back on the COVID-19 social distancing policies that were being imposed by the central government. His body was found the next day and the death was immediately ruled a suicide resulting from his distress over charges of sexual harassment by a colleague.

    What to do now?

    The danger of the current situation should not be underestimated.

    If an increasing number of Japanese come to perceive, as the journalist Tanaka Sakai suggests…

    …that the United States destroyed their best hope for leadership.

    …And that the globalists want Japan to make do with an unending series of weak-minded prime ministers who are dependent on Washington.

    As well as other hidden players of the parasite class.

    This is serious, and such a development could bring about a complete break between Japan and the United States, leading to a political or military conflict.

    It is telling that Michael Green, the top Japan hand in Washington D.C., did not write the initial tribute to Abe that was published on the homepage of CSIS (Center for Strategic and International Studies), his home institute.

    Green, veteran of the Bush National Security Council and Henry A. Kissinger Chair of the Asia Program at CSIS, is the author of Line of Advantage: Japan’s Grand Strategy in the Era of Abe Shinzo. Green was a close associate of Abe, perhaps the closest of any American.  

    The tribute to Abe was drafted by Christopher Johnstone (the Japan chair at CSIS and former CIA officer). The weird choice suggests that the assassination is so sensitive that Green instinctively wished to avoid writing the initial response, leaving it to a professional operative.

    For responsible intellectuals and citizens in Washington, Tokyo, or elsewhere, there is only one viable response to this murky assassination: a demand for an international scientific investigation.

    Painful as that process might be, it will force us to face the reality of how our governments have been taken over by invisible powers.

    If we fail to identify the true players behind the scenes, however, we may be led into a conflict in which the blame is projected onto heads of state and countries are forced into conflicts so as to hide the crimes of global finance.

    The loss of control of the Japanese government over the military the last time can be attributed in part to the assassinations of prime minister Inukai Tsuyoshi on May 15, 1932 and of prime minister Saito Makoto on February 26, 1936.

    But for the international community, the more relevant case is how the manipulations of an integrated global economy by the Rothschild, Warburg, and other banking interests created an environment wherein the tensions produced by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary on June 28, 1914 were funneled towards world war.

    Hong Kong students must learn China security law to graduate

    From HERE

    HONG KONG (BLOOMBERG) – Students at Hong Kong’s most prestigious university will be required to take a course on Beijing’s national security law in order to graduate, the latest sign of China’s growing influence on the city.

    The online course, titled “Introduction to the Constitution, the Basic Law and the National Security Law,” will become a graduation requirement at the University of Hong Kong from the coming school year, according to a spokesperson for the school.

    “This course will be conducted in a self-directed learning approach. Students can take the course in any semester throughout their period of study,” the university said in an emailed statement to Bloomberg.

    The new course offers no credit but signals an effort to explain the controversial law – and the consequences for running afoul of it – to a demographic that was at the forefront of the 2019 street protests that prompted the legislation.

    The law, which criminalises subversion, secession, colluding with foreign forces and terrorist activities, purged the political opposition and led to the closure of the city’s biggest pro-democracy media outlets.

    The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University will also be offering national security classes, Ming Pao reported.

    The newspaper said schools can plan their own courses.

    Soylent Gates

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    Hong Kong wants foreign English-language teachers to take oath of allegiance

    From HERE

    HONG KONG (AFP) – Foreign English-language teachers working in Hong Kong government schools will need to swear allegiance to the city, officials told AFP on Saturday (June 11), as fears grow about the territory’s ability to retain educators in the face of increasing restrictions.

    Hong Kong’s Education Bureau said that native-speaking English teachers (NETs) and advisers working in government-run schools must sign a declaration by June 21 in order to continue working in the coming school year.

    Since 2020, Hong Kong has applied oath-taking requirements to an increasing number of jobs, mainly those in the public sector, as a way to fulfil Chinese government demands of loyalty.

    NETs must declare they will bear allegiance to Hong Kong and uphold the Basic Law – the city’s constitutional text – as well as be responsible to the government.

    “Neglect, refusal or failure” to sign the declaration will lead to contract termination, the authorities said.

    The new declaration will “further safeguard and promote the core values that should be upheld by all government employees” and ensure effective governance, a government spokesman said.

    NETs are normally hired on renewable two-year contracts, with monthly salaries that begin at around HK$32,000 (S$5,660) and can go as high as HK$74,000.

    Phishing Attacks On WordPress Site Owners Disguised As Copyright Infringement Warnings

    Last year, we discussed how malicious actors on the internet were using fake copyright infringement notices in order to get people to click links that downloaded malware onto their machines. While there have long been these sorts of malware scams, what was notable about this one was that copyright culture and the fear of infringement had made this sort of thing viable. Putting the notices of a copyright troll and someone looking to infect machines with malware side by side, they’re basically the same thing in terms of tactic: scare the shit out of people over copyright infringement to get them to hastily do something they wouldn’t otherwise do. In some cases, that’s pay a settlement fee regardless of guilt. In other cases, click a link and get infected with malware.
    
    Phishing Attacks On WordPress Site Owners Disguised As Copyright Infringement Warnings

    Chinese general warned, PLA will take action should Nancy pelosi dare to visit Taiwan

    This is a SERIOUS violation of the “one China policy” and will result in dangerous and lethal military action. China does not bluff. There are those saying that ships will be sunk, but rather I think economic discord will be the result rather than raw military action.

    Video HERE.

    An interesting coincidence…

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    It’s just a coincidence.

    The system is hacked: Leonkov explained why the US will no longer supply Ukraine with HIMARS MLRS

    From HERE

    The Russian military delivered an unpleasant surprise to the Americans by quickly hacking into the simple system of using HIMARS and learning how to crack them like nuts.

    The four American installations destroyed in Ukraine are just the beginning. It was a kind of test pen for a secret system of counter-battery combat, which Russia has not yet used in the zone of the special operation. New challenges required new means and the allied forces were promptly equipped with some products that no one in the world knows about yet.

    The news, unpleasant for the American military-industrial complex and the Ukrainian military, was reported in the studio of Vladimir Solovyov by military expert Alexei Leonkov, ironically noting that perhaps that is why Washington refused to supply modernized and more long-range MLRS, not so long ago promised to Ukraine. HIMARS has already received powerful anti-advertising lately – at first it turned out that Russian air defense systems are doing an excellent job of intercepting, and then the news came about the destruction of four installations at once. Now it is simply pointless to drive them to Ukraine – it is better to sell your useless iron to someone than immediately write it off for scrap, throwing it against much more advanced weapons.

    “I once said that we have learned to recognize not only air targets, but also the places where these vaunted HIMARS take off. 
    
    Their maximum range is 85 kilometers. 
    
    Our counter-battery systems did not work at such a distance, so the Americans at first took advantage of this advantage, and even wandered constantly - quickly moving from place to place between launches. 
    
    Everyone has already fired. 
    
    The American system has been hacked. 
    
    And our secret development will be deployed in all directions. 
    
    It's a good system, I still can't name it, but it works. 
    
    We now work at much greater distances and instantly fix the launch site. 
    
    For the Americans, this was a very unpleasant surprise. 
    
    They will no longer supply their over-praised “wonder weapon” to Ukraine, ”the expert expressed confidence.

    Leonkov also noted that the United Kingdom and the United States have recently become confused in the information coverage of what is happening in Ukraine. British propagandists continue to announce the defeat of Russia, arguing that material exhaustion in the troops is already affecting.

    The Americans are looking at things more sensibly and are warning their Ukrainian puppets that Russia is preparing a massive offensive. But they don’t know in which direction, since powerful strike groups are concentrated on several at once. US military analysts are seriously afraid of a simultaneous attack in different regions and state that the weakened Ukrainian army will not hold back such a strike.

    Formerly Ukrainian politician Dmitry Vasyletstold how Russia responds harshly to the strike by UAF drones on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.

    Bots are pushing the need for a Vaxx narrative…

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    Busy Bots.

    NYC Emergency Management Now Telling New Yorkers to Have a “Go Bag” and Be Ready to EVACUATE

    .

    Just two weeks after releasing a Public Service Announcement telling New Yorkers what to do if a nuclear bomb hits the city, that same agency is now telling New Yorkers to pack a “Go Bag” and be ready to EVACUATE New York City.

    According to the official government web site for New York City Emergency Management, New Yorkers should:

    Go Bag

    Everyone in your household should have a Go Bag — a collection of things you would want if you have to leave in a hurry. Your Go Bag should be sturdy and easy to carry, like a backpack or a small suitcase on wheels. You’ll need to customize your Go Bag for your personal needs, but some of the important things you need in your Go Bag include:

    • Bottled water and nonperishable food, such as granola bars
    • Copies of your important documents in a waterproof container (e.g., insurance cards, Medicare/Medicaid cards, photo IDs, proof of address, marriage and birth certificates, copies of credit and ATM cards)
    • Flashlight, hand-crank or battery-operated AM/FM radio, and extra batteries
    • List of the medications you take, why you take them, and their dosages
    • Contact information for your household and members of your support network
    • Cash, in small bills
    • Notepad and pen
    • Back-up medical equipment (e.g., glasses, batteries) and chargers
    • Aerosol tire repair kits and/or tire inflator to repair flat wheelchair or scooter tires Doctors’ names and phone numbers
    • First-aid kit
    • Toiletries
    • Child care, pet care, and other special items
    • Supplies for your service animal or pet (e.g., food, extra water, bowl, leash, cleaning items, vaccination records, and medications)
    • Portable cell phone chargers

    If you have children, pack child care supplies as well as games and small toys.

    If you’re older or have any special medical needs, consider including these items:

    • Instructions and extra batteries for any devices you use
    • Aerosol tire repair kits and/or tire inflator to repair flat wheelchair or scooter tires
    • Back-up medical equipment
    • Items to comfort you in a stressful situation

    If you have a pet or service animal, you need to pack a Go Bag for them:

    • A current color photograph of you and your pet/service animal together (in case you are separated)
    • Copies of medical records that indicate dates of vaccinations and a list of medications your pet/service animal takes and why he or she takes them
    • Proof of identification and ownership, including copies of registration information, adoption papers, proof of purchase, and microchip information
    • Physical description of your pet/service animal, including species, breed, age, sex, color, distinguishing traits, and any other vital information about characteristics and behavior
    • Animal first aid kit, including flea and tick treatment and other items recommended by your veterinarian
    • Food and water for at least three days
    • Food and water dishes
    • Collapsible cage or carrier
    • Muzzle* and sturdy leash (*Note: Nylon muzzles should only be used temporarily as they can restrict a dog’s ability to pant)
    • Cotton sheet to place over the carrier to help keep your pet/service animal calm
    • Comforting toys or treats
    • Litter, litter pan, and litter scoop
    • Plastic bags for clean-up

    Include items that can help protect you and others from COVID-19, including hand sanitizer, and face coverings for each person.* (*Face coverings should not be used by children under the age of 2. They also should not be used by people having trouble breathing, or who are unconscious, incapacitated, or unable to remove the mask without assistance. Learn more from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC))

    Avoid panic buying. Buy supplies slowly to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to buy what they need. Report overcharging and price gouging to the City

    If that isn’t blunt enough, Emergency Management then goes on to tell New Yorkers about EVACUATING

    Evacuations

    Evacuation should be addressed as part of everyone’s planning efforts. City officials will tell you when to evacuate through the media and direct warnings. Evacuation is used as a last resort when a serious threat to public safety exists. If you must evacuate, your first plan should always be to stay with friends or family.* In a planned evacuation, such as for a coastal storm, the City will advise residents of which areas are impacted and provide guidance on how the evacuation will proceed. In the case of coastal storms, designated routes have been identified throughout the city to effectively get people from low-lying hazard areas safely to higher ground. To find out whether you live or work in a hurricane evacuation zone, use the Hurricane Evacuation Zone Finder, the City’s evacuation mapping tool.

    • *Ask friends or relatives outside your area if you are able to stay with them. Check and see if they have symptoms of COVID-19 or have people in their home at higher risk for serious illness. If they have symptoms or people at higher risk in their home, make other arrangements.

    In an unplanned evacuation, such as for a hazardous material spill, officials will advise affected residents to leave the immediate area until the danger can be removed. Always have your Go Bag prepared and easily accessible in case of any evacuation. You may not have time to assemble your belongings, and you may not be allowed back until the danger has passed.

    Evacuate immediately when you:

    • Are directed to do so by an emergency official.
    • Are in immediate danger.

    Be Prepared to Evacuate

    • Determine whether you live in a hurricane evacuation zone by accessing the Hurricane Evacuation Zone Finder, or contact 311 (212-639-9675 for Video Relay Service, or TTY: 212-504-4115).
    • Know evacuation plans for all the places you and your household members spend time. Often buildings have floor marshals who are responsible for evacuation plans.
    • Make alternate transportation plans; the means of transportation you usually use may not be available.
    • Practice plans through regular drills. People who practice escape drills can evacuation with greater ease than those who are unfamiliar with the procedures.
    • If you have pets, consider what you would do if you cannot return home to them. Pet owners should read Ready New York: My Pet’s Emergency Plan for more information.
    • Residents of high-rise apartment buildings and basement apartments may face special risks and should be prepared to evacuate if needed. (Basements are vulnerable to flooding.)

    What to Do When You Evacuate

    • If there is time, secure your home: close and lock windows and doors, and unplug appliances before you leave. Authorities will instruct you if it is necessary to turn off utilities.
    • Wear sturdy shoes and comfortable, protective clothing, such as long pants and long-sleeved shirts.
    • Bring your Go Bag with you.
    • Do NOT use an elevator during a fire or other emergency unless directed to do so by emergency personnel. If power goes out or is shut off, you may become trapped.
    • Remember, evacuation routes change based on the emergency so stay tuned to the local news, access NYC.gov, or contact 311 (212-639-9675 for Video Relay Service, or TTY: 212-504-4115) for the latest information.
    • Go to the nearest safe place or shelter as soon as instructed.
    • If you must go to an evacuation center or shelter, remember to follow the latest guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for protecting yourself and family from COVID-19.

    Disaster Sheltering

    If you are directed to evacuate, make arrangements to stay with friends or family outside the affected area whenever possible. For evacuees who have no alternative shelter, the City will open shelters throughout the five boroughs. Disaster shelters may be set up in school, municipal buildings, and places of worship. They provide basic food and water. If possible, bring clothing, bedding, bathing and sanitary supplies, medications, and your Go Bag to shelters. Bring a face covering for each member of your household to the shelter. Maintain at least 6 feet of space between you and people who aren’t in your immediate family.

     WRITING ON THE WALL

    For anyone so dense that they cannot see the writing on the wall, New York City is preparing their citizens to be hit by a nuclear bomb and be forced to Evacuate.

    And lest you think this is hyperbole, or exaggeration, the notion that New York City isn’t going to exist much longer seems to have struck a chord at the United Nations.

    Interior space is now up for sale inside the UN Headquarters . . . .

    Seems like a couple countries . . .  are leaving!

    In America…

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    Spetsnaz Commander: “NATO is the army of the Anti-Christ; Russia is the army of Jesus”

    .

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    A Chechen commander of Spetsnaz was on Russian television last night and he laid things out quite bluntly: NATO is the army of the anti-Christ; Russia and its allies are the army of Jesus.

    It is quite interesting historically, to see Russia has returned to its Christian roots.  It is building thousands of churches and its society is prospering no matter what plots are formed against it, while the west has become a blood-soaked, authoritarian, empire.

    Here is the Spetsnaz commander from Russian TV last night:

     

    Tucker Carlson: This is bizarre

    The United States justice system has collapsed.

    Marilyn vos Savant

    Marilyn vos Savant has the highest IQ ever recorded at 228.

    She worked in her family’s general store, attended community college, then two years of state college before returning to work for her family.

    She’s a kind, down-to-earth person, whose extraordinary intellect has done a lot of good in the world.

    A passionate writer, Marilyn has written books on the power of logical thinking to clarify problems and make life better.

    When news of her astonishing intellect got around, folks started writing her for advice.

    Her surprising answers revitalized ossified areas of mathematics and logic, and generated interest in the power of logical thought.

    Some famous exchanges:

    1. The Monty Hall Paradox
      
      Dear Marilyn,
      
      Suppose you’re on a game show and you’re given a choice of three doors. Behind one door is a car, behind the others, goats. You pick a door, say number 1, and the host, who knows what’s behind the doors, opens another door, say number 3, which has a goat. He says to you, “Do you want to pick door number 2?” Is it to your advantage to switch doors?
      
      Craig F. Whitaker, Columbia Maryland
      
      Dear Craig,
      
      Yes, you should switch. The first door has a 1/3 chance of winning, but the second door has a 2/3 chance. Here’s a good way to visualize what happened: Suppose there’s a million doors, and you picked door number 1. Then the host, who knows what’s behind the door and will always avoid the one with the prize, opens them all except door number 777,777. You’d switch to that door pretty fast, wouldn’t you?
      
      Marilyn vos Savant
      
      For this answer, Marilyn received more than 10,000 letters from outraged mathematicians at prestigious universities and research centers, accusing her of contributing to American innumeracy by refusing to understand basic math. 
      
      Whether you change your choice or not, they said, the odds are exactly the same.
      
      It took a team of MIT mathematicians and multiple computer simulations to show the doubting experts she was right.
      
      2. The gross inaccuracy of “accurate” tests
      
      Dear Marilyn,
      
      A particularly interesting and important question today is testing for drugs. Suppose 5% of the general population uses drugs. You employ a test that is 95% accurate. A person is selected at random and given the test. It’s positive. What does such a result suggest?
      
      Charles Feinstein, PhD
      
      Dear Charles,
      
      Given your conditions, once a person has tested positive, you may as well flip a coin to determine whether s/he’s a drug user. The chances are only fifty-fifty. …
      
      Marilyn vos Savant
      
      She again received a storm of outraged letters, this time from statisticians. She explained her reasoning: 
      
      Suppose the general population consists of 10,000 people and 95% of them (9,500) are nonusers and 5% of them (500) are users. Of the 9,500 nonusers, 95% of them (9,025) will test negative, as the test is 95% accurate. This means 5% of them (475) will test positive.
      
      Of the 500 users, 95% of them (475) will test positive. So there are 475 false positives and 475 true positives. 
      
      When we find an individual in the positive group, there’s a fifty-fifty chance that s/he’s a drug user. 
      
      It again took teams of experts in the testing field and the CDC to corroborate her conclusion. 
      
      This is why randomly testing the general population for anything results in a very high percentage of false positives.

    Some folks are saying her answers are a trivially easy application of Bayesian reasoning, and they learned these answers in the 7th grade.

    Vos Savant was born in 1942; these exchanges are why your 7th grade teacher reviewed these problems, and everything looks easy in retrospect.

    The MIT mathematicians who agreed with Vos Savant said they initially disagreed strongly and needed a week to sort it out.

    The world-famous mathematician Paul Erdos also vehemently disagreed and had to retract.

    The inaccuracy of random testing was known, but not widely. Top experts, including some working at the CDC, had to write in and corroborate.

    For further information, see Vos Savant’s books, or the mathematician Martin Gardner’s extensive commentary on her answers.

    x
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    If you build it they will come…

    x
    x

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

    The movie that we are living in is now reaching the climax scene

    My understanding of the latest Xi policy to talk to foreign leaders; he bluntly asks the them : "Do you regard China as friend or enemy?"
    
    If not friend, than there is nothing to talk about.

    I’m still in the middle of a move. Please mind the conditions that I am producing under. I hope that you enjoy this daily update.

    Mamoudou Gassama

    His name is Mamoudou Gassama

    x
    His name is Mamoudou Gassama

    He saw a baby dangling off a ledge and climbed four floors of the apartment like Usain Bolt would run a 100-meter race.

    x
    x

    He was an illegal immigrant from Mali, but after this incident he was made a French citizen and had many job offers.

    He became famous, the video of his heroic act was rapidly shared on the internet, and he made news headlines. Everyone talked about him.

    He was hosted by presidents:

    • Mamoudou with the president of France, Emmanuel Macron:

    x
    x

    In his new job in the fire service:

    x
    x

    In the twinkling of an eye, Mamoudou Gassama’s life was turned around. All for being a Rufus.

    What he did was selfless. I thought, “What if he had fallen and died while trying to save another person?”

    I am happy he was greatly rewarded for his kind act.

    Truly, fortune favors the bold.

    Fleet of nuclear submarines will be sent by Britain to Australia as a warning to China

    • Britain is to send a fleet of nuclear submarines to Australia port of Perth 
    • Deployment is seen as a warning to China in the Asia-Pacific region 
    • Move is part of AUKUS (Australia, UK and United States) security alliance

    Britain is to send a fleet of nuclear submarines to the Pacific in a decisive move to thwart Chinese aggression in the region.

    The dramatic decision could see UK subs based in Australia until 2040, operating within striking distance of China.

    Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the head of the Armed Forces, will agree the arrangement at a naval conference in Sydney next week. Assigning submarines to patrol the South China Sea will be Britain’s most assertive move yet against Beijing.

    According to reports in Australia, Royal Navy submarines would be based at Perth on the country’s western coast and Australian submariners would be incorporated into British crews to improve their skills.

    Basing the Royal Navy boats thousands of miles from UK shores is part of the AUKUS (Australia, United Kingdom and United States) security alliance.

    AUKUS was set up last year primarily to confront Chinese military expansionism in the Indo-Pacific. Australia has become embroiled in a trade war and diplomatic stand-off with China. The deepening of defence ties with the UK is likely to cause further outrage with the Communist regime, which is vehemently opposed to AUKUS.

    The Royal Navy declined to say last night how many of its submarines could be relocated to Australia, as all operational details surrounding Britain’s sub-surface fleet are classified.

    The ‘Pacific tilt’ was signalled last year as part of the MoD’s Integrated Review.

    The review set the target for the UK to become ‘the European partner with the broadest and most integrated presence in the Indo-Pacific’.

    But given that China possesses the world’s biggest navy, some questioned the merits of such a deployment, arguing Britain’s boats would be massively outnumbered and outgunned.

    Last night the MoD said: ‘It is UK policy that we do not comment on matters relating to submarine activity or operations.’

    A brilliant solution!

    x
    x

    “According to a news report, a certain private school in Washington recently was faced with a unique problem. 
    
    A number of 12-year-old girls were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the bathroom. 
    
    That was fine, but after they put on their lipstick they would press their lips to the mirror leaving dozens of little lip prints. Every night, the maintenance man would remove them and the next day, the girls would put them back. 
    
    Finally the principal decided that something had to be done. She called all the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the maintenance man. 
    
    She explained that all these lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian who had to clean the mirrors every night. 
    
    To demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, she asked the maintenance man to show the girls how much effort was required. 
    
    He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet, and cleaned the mirror with it. 
    
    Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirror. There are teachers, and then there are educators...”

    The Washington Post believes that the USD is here to stay!

    From HERE

    China and Russia announced a joint pledge to push back against dollar hegemony

    Last month, the United States broadened financial sanctions against China while simultaneously promising to prolong Ukraine sanctions on Russia and impose further ones for election interference, the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the SolarWinds hack. In a rare joint statement in late March, China and Russia doubled down on earlier pledges to upend the global reliance on the U.S. dollar, and the long-standing global financial system that enables the U.S. to strong-arm them.

    Will the Sino-Russian strategy succeed? My research suggests “dollar hegemony” is stable for many reasons, primarily due to the United States’ financial centrality and ability to secure investments. The measures announced so far, such as de-dollarization, renminbi digitalization, and alternative financial settlement and messaging systems, are unlikely to kick the dollar to the curb…

    Which "secure investments" is WP talking about? We have just watched the USA completely seize all of the assets and wealth of Russia. How is this "secure"?
    
    Additionally, we have watched for decades as wealth has been squandered, and the American people, and those in the West live destitute lives... 
    
    Now, there is a one trillion dollar MILITARY budget while Americans fight against dangerous levels of inflation during a recession. How is the USD secure? How are American banks secure? Are they backed with gold? Silver? Heck... copper? No. They are not.
    
    So what the fuck makes them "secure"?
    
    What are they smoking?
    
    -MM

    Noela Rukundo

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    Noela Rukundo.

    In 2015, the Australian Noela Rukundo (who’s the lady in the photo) went to Burundi to attend the funeral of her stepmother who passed away only a couple of weeks back.

    Straight after the funeral when she was going out to get some fresh air, she was quite suddenly kidnapped at gunpoint and shoved into a vehicle. She was blindfolded and driven to a safe house somewhere in the country.

    Inside the building she was tied up, and a sack put on her head and was asked by her captors:

    “You woman, what did you do for this man to pay us to kill you?”

    “Wh-what are you talking about?” said Noela, she was shaking uncontrollably.

    “Balenga (Noela husband) sent us to kill you.”

    “What? My husband will never do that, y-you’re lying!”

    Her captors smirked and giggled. She then heard a phone dialling and a voice coming from a loud speaker:

    “Kill her”

    It was her husband. Noela fainted.

    She was woken up much much later by her captors on the side of a road and they told her she was free. The men explained they didn’t believe in killing women, and they knew her brother and was friends with him. But they would keep her husband’s money and tell him that she was dead.

    Not only was she freed, she was given a phone, recordings of the captors’ phone conversations with her husband and all the evidence she needed to take Balenga to court.

    Although pretty messed up and a little dizzy, with the help of the Kenyan and Belgian embassies, she got a trip to Australia, where she planned her revenge.

    Meanwhile back in Australia her husband had told everyone she had died in a tragic accident and all her friends mourned her at her funeral at the family home. On the night of February 22 2015, just as the Balenga waved goodbye to the last of his neighbours who had come to comfort him, Noela approached him.

    “Is it my eyes?” screeched Balenga. “Is it a ghost?”

    “Surprise! I’m still alive!” said a very angry Noela.

    “ oh my god oh my god, I’m sorry for everything please forgive me” replied a rather shocked Balenga.

    But Noela took none of his apologies. The police swooped in and captured Balenga, who ultimately pleaded guilty and was sentenced to nine years in prison for incitement to murder.

    During the investigations, it was found out that Balenga wanted to kill Noela because he thought she was going to leave him for another man, which apparently was not going to happen.

    Balenga was sent to 9 years of prison while Noela lives with her 8 children somewhere in Melbourne, Australia.

    US Navy aircraft carrier USS Reagan enters South China Sea

    Getting ready for the Nancy Poliski visit, eh? -MM

    From HERE

    The ship was accompanied by the guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh and the guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey in a ‘routine mission’.

    A US aircraft carrier group led by the USS Ronald Reagan has entered the South China Sea as part of a routine mission, the US Navy said, at a time of rising tensions between Washington and Beijing, which claims most of the disputed waterway.

    The carrier is being accompanied by the guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh and the guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey, the US Navy said on Tuesday.

    China frequently objects to US military missions in the South China Sea, saying they do not help promote peace or stability, and the latest mission comes after China condemned the Group of Seven (G7) nations for a statement criticising Beijing over a range of issues.

    “While in the South China Sea, the strike group is conducting maritime security operations, which include flight operations with fixed and rotary-wing aircraft, maritime strike exercises, and coordinated tactical training between surface and air units,” the US Navy said.

    “Carrier operations in the South China Sea are part of the US Navy’s routine presence in the Indo-Pacific.”

    China has ramped up its military presence in the South China Sea in recent years, including building artificial islands and air bases, where it has installed missile systems and other equipment.

    The South China Sea has become one of many flashpoints in the testy relationship between China and the US, with Washington rejecting what it calls unlawful territorial claims by Beijing in the resource-rich waters, which are also claimed by Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia.

    In a show of force against the Chinese claims, US warships have passed through the South China Sea with increasing frequency in recent years, invoking “freedom of navigation” rights.

    Lufthansa Cancels 1000+ Flights as Ground Crews Walk-Out

    Changes in Germany. -MM

    Deutsche Lufthansa AG will cancel almost ALL (over 1,000) of its flights from the main hubs of Frankfurt and Munich Germany because of a strike by Ground Crews.

    Labour union Verdi had called for the walkout, which is due to run until 6 a.m. (0400 GMT) on Thursday, over its demand for a 9.5 per cent pay hike for around 20,000 workers and warned that more industrial action could be on the cards.

    The strike has caused Lufthansa to cancel nearly all flights at its Frankfurt and Munich hubs for Wednesday.

    Strikes and staff shortages have already forced airlines including Lufthansa to cancel thousands of flights and caused hours-long queues at major airports, frustrating holidaymakers keen to travel after COVID-19 lockdowns.

    Lufthansa said on Wednesday it was “a sad day” for holidaymakers who were unable to catch their flights due to the strike, adding that the walkout was unnecessary and out of proportion.

    A really bad feeling…

    Interesting tale. Not by MM.

    When I was younger, my boyfriend & I were eating at Bob’s Big Boy. Suddenly, he said that we had to leave because we’d be late to where we were going.

    A little later, while driving away, I noticed that the little pinky ring with a dangling heart on it that he’d given me was missing from my finger. I freaked out, and begged him to drive back to the restaurant to look for it. He told me that he just couldn’t due to us being late.

    I had noticed that when we were leaving the restaurant, there were 2 men in the parking lot walking towards the door that looked scary, but, at that moment, I really didn’t think more about it.

    Soon after, every single news channel had the most disturbing story on…

    x
    x

    Those 2 scary men I’d seen walking in to the restaurant had gathered all the employees & customers at gunpoint, made them go into the walk-in freezer then shot & killed them.

    If we had stayed longer or gone back, we’d be dead too..

    STUNNING! Massive Escalation of Ukraine War

    Getting ready for the big stuff. -MM

    .

    Today an elected official from Donetsk, announced the latest plan for Ukraine and it marks the single most stunning change since Russia began its Special Military Operation (SMO).

    Denis Pushilin is a politician from the Donetsk region who has served as Head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) since 2018.

    He had previously served as Chairman of the People’s Council, and became the acting Head of State following the assassination of incumbent Alexander Zakharchenko amidst the conflict in the east Ukraine region. He successfully ran for election to a full term in the 2018 elections.

    That being said, when Pushilin speaks, he speaks with authority; he’s “in-the-loop” as it was his administration that asked for — and got — protection from Russia through the ongoing SMO.

    This morning, Pushilin made the following announcement:

    “Today it’s time to liberate again Russian cities founded by Russian people: Kiev, Chernihiv, Poltava, Odessa, Dnepropetrovsk, Kharkov, Zaporozhye, Lutsk”

    This announcement is likely the single most dramatic change since the Russian Army crossed into Ukraine back on February 24. The escalation of warfare necessary to accomplish this, now seems to fully explain why so many more trainloads of Russia troops and armor poured into the theater of war all last week, nearly TRIPLING the amount of Russian firepower available (but not yet deployed) inside Ukraine.

    The war is about to escalate in ways no one thought possible.

    Guess Who Bought-Up Ukraine Farmland Since 2014 Coup?

    For those of us who have been scratching our heads as to why the US and EU are so bent on “helping” Ukraine, I found something out today:

    Since the 2014 Coup which overthrew Democratically elected President Viktor Yanukovich, and put a puppet regime, favorable to the west, in his place . . . .

    three giant corporations — Cargill, DuPont and Monsanto — bought seventeen million hectares of Ukraine agricultural land.   That’s sixty percent (60%) of the total agricultural land in Ukraine!

    Thought you’d be interested in that.

    Hundreds of Chechen Soldiers; Uniform Patches say “To Kiev”

    Obvious or psyops? -MM

    .

    x
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    Hundreds of new Chechen soldiers are boarding aircraft from Chechnya, wearing black police-style uniforms with large patches on the shirt back saying “To Kiev.”

    It appears Russian strategy and tactics are escalating severely against Ukraine . . . exactly as has been reported on the Hal Turner Radio Show for days.

    UPDATE 8:42 AM EDT —

    Video is now available showing the troops:

     

    Australian anti-drone jamming technology has been helping the Ukraine Nazi’s fight Russia

    Australians in unified brotherhood with Nazi's. Who would have thought? -MM

    From HERE

    Australian-built drone jamming guns are helping protect Ukrainian
    military units from Russian attacks.  Sydney-based technology company DroneShield told 9news.com.au it had been supplying Ukraine with its equipment as part of a military aid contract.
    
    The company was founded seven years ago with the aim of producing technology to counter civilian drones adapted for military uses.DroneShield chief executive Oleg Vornik said the use of drones by Ukraine and Russia in the war had propelled the unmanned aerial vehicles into the media spotlight. 
    
    "Small drones were used against Saudi Arabia, in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict and the Syrian conflict," he said. "But drones largely stayed off the front pages in those conflicts until the Ukrainian conflict came along and drones were front and centre."
    
    Since the Ukraine war started on February 24, drones have been used by both sides to pinpoint enemy positions, guide artillery strikes, track troop movements and jam opposing forces' communications. 
    
    Vornik said his company's Drone Gun and hand-held radio-sized units have proven effective in Ukraine because many Russian drones used Western componentry. "Even Russian military-grade drones use commercial parts ... our gear is quite effective in detecting and defeating those drones," he said.

    China has been shipping 7nm chips for over a year now

    But, "experts" have been telling us that China is at least two decades behind in this technology. Don't you know. -MM

    From HERE

    SMIC has been shipping a 7nm chip for a year, says TechInsights which has reverse engineered the device and says “initial images suggest it is a close copy of TSMC 7nm process technology.”

    Although it is a couple of nodes behind Samsung and TSMC, it is seen as an impressive achievement by SMIC because it is confined to using DUV lithography tools.

    Although Samsung and TSMC made 7nm ICs using DUV in 2018-9, it involved using quadruple patterning.

    TechInsights does not see the SMIC 7nm process as a true 7nm process but says it shows they’re getting there.

    “This low-volume production product may be the steppingstone for a true 7nm process that incorporates scaled logic and memory bitcells,” says TechInsights, “since bitcoin miners have limited RAM requirements, they likely do not feature the typical bitcell memory that the true 7nm technology definition requires (both scaled logic and bitcell adoption). This chipset likely demonstrates the logic part but not the bitcell aspect." 
    
    -SMIC said it had taped out a 7nm Innosilicon IC in 2020.

    The chip TechInsights looked at was made for a Bitcoin mining company called Minerva.

    China’s leading IC testing company Leadyo completes world’s first 3nm chip test

    What was that about 7nm? Two decades, eh? Now China is readying for 3nm. You just can't make this stuff up. The neocons in Washington DC are either shitting in their pants, are living in a cocaine haze. -MM

    From HERE

    By Li Panpan

    China’s leading IC testing company Leadyo(利扬芯片) said it completed the test and development of the world’s first 3nm chip.

    The company based in Dongguan of southern China’s Guangdong Province shared this information in its investor relationship management platform of the Shanghai Stock Exchange on July 7.

    They say that with rich experiences in testing 8nm and 5nm chip products, it would advance mass test of 3nm chips in an orderly manner.

    Leadyo was founded in February 2010 and listed in the STR Market of Shanghai Stock Exchange in 2020. It has tested 44 categories of 12-inch and 8-inch chip products of various process technology.

    It has increased investment in testing and R&D of high-end chips, especially the computing power chip testing technology, with a complete set of testing solutions for the discrete problems of advanced manufacturing processes.

    Its testing solutions are widely used in chips for 5G communications, computers, consumer electronics, automotive electronics, biometrics, MCU, AIoT, and industrial control.

    South Korea reluctant to join US-led chip alliance

    "Join us begs the United States. Don't have anything to do with China. We have lots and lots of money to give you" -MM

    From HERE

    South Korea on Wednesday said it would not take any decision in a hurry to join the proposed US-led chip alliance, local media said.

    The country’s Science and ICT Minister Lee Jong-ho said Seoul should be cautious about joining the chip alliance proposed by the US to Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, Yonhap News Agency reported.

    His remarks came after the US reportedly asked Seoul to decide by the end of August whether it is joining them or not.

    Apparently, South Korea is avoiding going into conflict with China as the US also involved Taiwan in its proposed chip alliance.

    “I believe we need to be cautious in deciding on the chip alliance matter,” the agency quoted Lee as telling reporters in Seoul.

    “If a problem arises (from the decision), it could affect not only the semiconductor industry but also affect other industries,” Lee said, adding he sought suggestions from people who do business with China.

    China currently supplies raw materials to the South Korean chip industry.

    However, on Tuesday, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the proposed alliance would help build more stable supply chains and reduce dependence on China, according to the agency.

    The US proposed the alliance in March to chip manufacturing powerhouses in the Asia-Pacific region – South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan – to strengthen cooperation throughout the chip-making production chain.

    Graft Investigators Target Regulatory Official Linked to Henan Bank Scandal

    From HERE

    Oh, and about those "banking riots" that is supposed to undermine, and topple Xi Peng...-MM

    What’s new: An official once responsible for overseeing village banks in Central China’s Henan province has been placed under investigation by anti-graft agencies in the wake of a multibillion-dollar banking scandal.

    x
    Li Huanting

    Li Huanting, an inspector at the provincial branch of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC), is suspected of serious violations of law and Communist Party discipline, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) said in a statement Sunday, without offering further details. Such announcements typically allude to corruption.

    Li, who is around 60, joined the Henan branch of the now–defunct China Banking Regulatory Commission in 2003. From January 2012 to October 2018, Li led the branch’s division that was in charge of supervising village banks, according to the CCDI.

    Two of the four local village banks being investigated for freezing tens of billions of yuan in customer savings since April were set up during Li’s tenure.

    The background: The four Henan lenders, along with another two in neighboring Anhui province, have been subject to scrutiny since customers complained in mid-April that they couldn’t make withdrawals online. The scandal triggered protests in June that turned violent.

    Police in Henan have arrested at least two batches of suspects in the scandal, according to their statements since June. Authorities have been looking into the links between the banks and Henan Xincaifu Group Investment Holding Co. Ltd., a private company that colluded with bank executives and used online platforms to illegally take public deposits.

    Plans have been announced by the CBIRC’s Henan office and the provincial government-run financial regulatory bureau this month to repay depositors in stages.

    Trolling? Or Truth? Medvedev Shows “New map of Ukraine”

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    Medvedev.

    Ukraine is more likely to be reduced to Kiev and its surroundings than to ever re-encompass Crimea and the Donbass republics, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said on his Telegram channel on Wednesday.  Is he just Trolling, or is this the simple truth?

    The one-time president and long-time prime minister who now heads the national security council also posted two maps helpfully illustrating his argument.

    The first map showed Ukraine in borders prior to the US-backed coup in 2014, including Crimea and the two eastern regions of Donetsk and Lugansk. A month after the militants backed by Washington seized power in Kiev, Crimea voted to rejoin Russia, while the two Donbass regions declared independence.

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    Ukraine before the US backed-coup and installation of a puppet regime by President Obama.

    “In the mind of the president of Ukraine, damaged by psychotropic substances, this is what the map of his country’s bright future will look like,” Medvedev wrote on Telegram.

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    Ukraine after the collapse of the USA installed puppet regime.

    On it, “Ukraine” is reduced to Kiev and its surroundings. Seven regions in the West have been annexed by Poland, and three in the southwest by Hungary and Romania, respectively.

    Everything else is marked “Russia.”

    He did not specify which Western experts may have envisioned such a partition.

    The Ukrainian government has repeatedly rejected any possibility of territorial concessions, insisting that Kiev’s objectives were a “capitulation” of Russia and “reintegration” of Donbass and Crimea.

     Medvedev served as president of Russia between 2008 and 2012, and then as prime minister until 2020, when he was put in charge of the national security council. Over the course of the conflict in Ukraine, he has made a name for himself with colorful Telegram posts. Just this month, he warned Kiev of “Judgment Day” if they attacked Crimea and offered a list of “Russian sins,” followed up by those of the West.

    Russia sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, citing Kiev’s failure to implement the Minsk agreements, designed to give the regions of Donetsk and Lugansk special status within the Ukrainian state. The protocols, brokered by Germany and France, were first signed in 2014. Former Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko has since admitted that Kiev’s main goal was to use the ceasefire to buy time and “create powerful armed forces.”

    In February 2022, the Kremlin recognized the Donbass republics as independent states and demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join any Western military bloc. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked.

    The Sampoong Shopping Centre Collapse.

    During South Korea’s economic boom in the 1980s, Sampoong was erected in Seoul. Originally planned to be an apartment complex, a new boss by the name of Lee Joon decided midway that he wanted it to become a shopping centre instead. This required changes to the plans, most notably the removal of several support columns so that escalators could be installed.

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    Due to serious constructional concerns, the construction company refused to carry out these changes, leading Lee to fire them and bringing in his own builders.

    His further demands meant there were other issues with the completed building too; there was no steel skeleton or crossbeams, which meant that load couldn’t be transferred across floors. He also ordered the floor columns to be reduced to below the safe thickness, to maximise floor space, and had them spread further out—increasing the load on each—for the same reason. Three air conditioning units weighing fifteen tonnes each were installed on the roof, exceeding the load capacity by four times.

    Cracks in the building started to appear just a few short years after opening, after the air conditioning units were dragged across the roof, causing cracks. By April 1995, more cracks were beginning to appear on the fifth floor too. Lee and the management’s only response was to move merchandise from the top floor to the basement.

    Just a couple of months later, the cracks multiplied dramatically.

    The management’s response was to close the top floors. They invited civil engineers to inspect the building, who quickly came to the conclusion that the building was at risk of collapse. The directors suggested to Lee Joon that the building be evacuated, but Lee angrily rejected the idea, saying he didn’t want to lose revenue. It was very much “one rule for them” though, as Lee was more than happy to evacuate himself alongside the other executives. Do you know who was working in the building at the time? His daughter-in-law.

    He didn’t even tell her.

    At 5PM on the 29th June 1995, the fifth floor ceiling began to sink. Still, Lee did not close the store or order any emergency repairs. Nearly an hour later, audible cracking sounds filled the building, prompting staff to sound the alarms and evacuate the customers. However, it was too late. The roof collapsed and the air conditioning behemoths dropped through it, smashing through each and every floor. The main columns buckled and within less than twenty seconds, the south wing of the building came crashing down, killing over 500 people and injuring over 900 more.

    It took a days long rescue effort to free the trapped survivors, some of whom surviving the contemporaneous hot weather by drinking rainwater. By contrast, some of the trapped victims survived the collapse but drowned to death because of the water used to suppress the fire.

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    x

    The collapse was investigated by one Professor Chung, a civil engineering professor. During his interrogation of Lee, the latter disregarded the victims and stated his primary concern was the financial damage suffered by his company. He was ultimately arrested, convicted and sentenced to ten years in prison. He only served seven but died shortly after release anyway.

    Lee Joon turned ruthlessness into an art form. He was utterly selfish and devoid of humanity; it’s an incredibly rare time when I say this of anyone, but I’m glad that waste of air is dead.

    US fingerprints all over Hong Kong’s recent disturbances

    From HERE (paywall)

    Leung Chun-ying said the government had no need to reveal evidence of foreign forces interfering in Hong Kong affairs and undermining security. The former chief executive made the claim while speaking at a book launch last week.

    That was a mistake. He makes it sound like the government and officials, including former ones such as himself, are making claims they can’t back up with evidence.

    There is overwhelming evidence of interference in Hong Kong over many years, especially by various agencies of the US government, and not just during the unprecedented anti-government protests and riots in 2019.

    Leung should have said such evidence was readily available as public records and anyone could just google the original sources, as well as news reports and numerous exposés over the years.

    Those US agencies or Washington-funded entities have openly acknowledged it, either through their own documents, financial statements and other public records, or through US congressional testimonies.

    I leave aside clandestine operations by secret services such as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and National Security Agency, which by definition we could have no knowledge of.

    However, revelations relating to spying on Hong Kong by Edward Snowden in 2013 did make some eye-opening reading…

    Chinese Meat Pie (Xian Bing)

    Traditional Chinese meat pie(馅饼) with beef, large scallion and onion.

    This is my FAVORITE street food in China. Outstanding, and so very delicious. It is sort of like a deep fried hamburger encased inside of a bagel. It’s so smunching delicious!

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    Traditional Chinese meat pie(馅饼) with beef, large scallion and onion.

    Traditional Chinese meat pie provides a crispy wrapper and savory filling. There are in fact many types of meat pie popular across the country. The fillings differ from one house to another. You can use pork, lamb, beef etc. This is a popular beef and onion version.

    Ingredients

    Filling

    • 300 g beef , with 15% to 20% fat
    • 2 large scallion , finely chopped
    • ½ tsp. Sichuan peppercorn powder
    • ½ tsp. salt
    • 2 green onions
    • 1 thumb ginger , sliced
    • 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
    • Pinch of fresh ground pepper
    • 1 egg
    • 1 tbsp. oyster sauce
    • 1 tbsp. sesame oil
    • ½ tsp. sugar
    • 1 tbsp. Shaoxing cooking wine
    • ½ middle size white onion

    For the dough

    • 2 cups all-purpose flour (300 g)
    • ½ cup hot water over 90℃ (120ml)
    • 60 ml room temperature water , plus 10ml more for adjusting
    • 1 tbsp. vegetable cooking oil
    • pinch of salt

    Instructions

    Beef filling

    • Add beef, ginger, scallion, salt, sugar, Sichuan peppercorn powder and white pepper powder. Blend 10 seconds.  Add egg, light soy sauce, sesame oil, Shaoxing wine and oyster sauce. Blend for another 10 seconds.  Stir the filling by hand for minutes until sticky.
    • Spread large scallion white on top and then drizzle around 2 tablespoons of hot oil. Mix in chopped white onion. Mix well, cover and set in fridge.  For beginners, I recommend set the filling until slightly hardened. The filling is for 2 batches, 20 pancakes. However the dough is for 10 pancakes each time. If you want to use all of the filling once, double the dough.

    Dough

    • Add salt in all purpose flour and then add hot water firstly. Gently stir the hot water in. And stir in cold water too.  Roughly knead to form a dough. No need to be smooth. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.
    • Re-knead the dough, it should be smooth very quickly.  Cut into 50g portions (10 pancakes from this batch) and then roll out to wrapper. Seal it completely. Avoid the edges meeting the filling, otherwise the sealing work is hard to complete.

    Frying

    • Place the pancakes in a pan with oil, slightly press the center so the bottom can contact with the pan in better ways.
    • Heat until the side becomes crispy.  Then turn over and fry the other side. Once the two side becomes well browned, slow down the fire and over with lid and let the pancake heat for another 3-5 minutes. This can further cook the inside part and make sure the inner part is well cooked too. Then remove the lid and heat both side for another 30 seconds separately until the surface turn crispy again.
    • Transfer to oil paper to remove extra oil and enjoy!! Meat pies are always a little bit salty, so make sure you match it with some light and healthy vegetable soup.

    Notes

    The Nutrition Facts is based on each single pancake.

    The filling is for 20 pancakes, namely two batches. If you want to sue all of the filling, double the dough and make a 4 cups flour batch.

    Cook’s Note

    About the filling: flavors of the filling decide whether the pancake is delicious or not.  I highly recommend adding Sichuan peppercorn powder, which is widely considered as the best spice for beef in China in the filling to enhance the aroma.   In order to make the filling juicy, usually water, stock or other liquid content is added. I use egg this time to increase the viscosity of the beef filling.

    About the dough : the dough contents a larger amount of water, compared with other regular dumpling wrapper dough, so you will find it is very easy to knead and wrap because of the softness. There is just a little bit kneading needed in the process.

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    Steps

    To make the filling.  Add beef, ginger, scallion, salt, sugar  sichuan peppercorn powder and white pepper powder. Blend 10 seconds.  Add egg, light soy sauce, sesame oil, shaoxing wine and oyster sauce. Blend for another 10 seconds.  Stir the filling by hand for minutes until sticky.

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    x

    Spread large scallion white on top and then drizzle around 2 tablespoons of hot oil. Mix in chopped white onion. Mix well, cover and set in fridge. For beginners, I recommend set the filling until slightly hardened if you have enough time.

    x
    x

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    x

    Add salt in all purpose flour and then add hot water firstly. Gently stir the hot water in. And stir in cold water too. Roughly knead to form a dough. No need to be smooth. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.

    Re-knead the dough, it should be smooth very quickly. Cut into 30g portions (doubled size from dumpling wrappers ) and then roll out to wrapper. Seal it completely. Avoid the edges meeting the filling, otherwise the sealing work is hard to complete.

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    x

    Place the pancakes in a pan with oil, slightly press the center so the bottom can contact with the pan in better ways.

    Heat until the side becomes crispy. Then turn over and fry the other side. Once the two side becomes well browned, slow down the fire and over with lid and let the pancake heat for another 2 minutes. This can further cook the inside part and make sure the inner part is well cooked too. Then remove the lid and heat both side for another 30 seconds separately until the surface turn crispy again.

    x
    x

    Transfer to oil paper to remove extra oil and enjoy!! Meat pies are always a little bit salty, so make sure you match it with some light and healthy vegetable soup.

    x
    x

    U.S. Sends F-22’s toward Russia

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    Six US Air Force fighter jets have arrived in the United Kingdom at Suffolk’s RAF Lakenheath base in preparation for supporting NATO’s European Air Shielding mission.

    The F-22 Raptors are from the 90th Fighter Squadron, 3rd wing, and are en route to Łask, Poland, from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.

    Following their departure from Lakenheath Thursday morning, the aircraft will join NATO’s Air Shielding strategy, which seeks to provide a near-seamless shield from the Baltic to the Black seas.

    USS Ronald Reagan Strike Group Enters South China Sea for Pelosi’s Taiwan Visit

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    China and the United States are building up their military strength around the Taiwan Strait as tensions rise over US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s possible visit to the island.

    The American aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its strike group, including a guided missile destroyer and a guided missile cruiser, set out from Singapore on Monday heading northeast towards the South China Sea, according to ship-tracking information provided by Beijing-based think tank the South China Sea Strategic Probing Initiative.

    The carrier strike group includes the Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), the embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, and embarked staffs of Task Force 70 and Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, as well as the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54) and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins (DDG 76).

    While in the South China Sea, the strike group is conducting maritime security operations, which include flight operations with fixed and rotary-wing aircraft, maritime strike exercises, and coordinated tactical training between surface and air units. Carrier operations in the South China Sea are part of the U.S. Navy’s routine operations in the Indo-Pacific.

    China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will not sit idly by if Pelosi visits Taiwan island, the Chinese defense ministry warns; indicating the PLA ‘fully prepared’ for all scenarios

    "Chinese analysts said the strong warnings from the Chinese military meant that the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) is well prepared for all the possible challenges if Pelosi visits the island, and they advised the PLA Rocket Force to conduct drills with new missiles targeting any possible US aircraft carriers and other large military vessels that may be involved in Pelosi's visit."

    A Chinese ministry of defense spokesman has warned that the People’s Liberation Army would “take strong measures” if the speaker “insisted on going ahead”.

    US officials have told media outlets that if her visit goes ahead, the U.S. military will increase its movement of forces and assets in the Indo-Pacific region.

    They said U.S. fighter jets, ships, surveillance assets and other military systems were likely to be used to provide overlapping rings of protection for her flight to Taiwan and when she arrives on the island.

    So not only will the Speaker of the House enter China air space without China permission, to land in China (Taiwan) without permission, her flight will be protected by US fighter jets! 

    Reports describe a scenario that China could send aircraft to “escort” her plane and prevent it from landing if she visits Taiwan, possibly on a US military aircraft, and a US official said the scenario is a legitimate concern.

    Hu Xijin, a commentator for the Global Times newspaper, the official mouthpiece for the China Communist Party, said that he expected to see PLA’s aircraft flying together with Pelosi’s plane into the airspace of Taiwan island. That would set a great precedent for the PLA to patrol above the island, which would be far more meaningful than Pelosi’s visit.

    Sooner or later, the PLA’s aircraft will enter the airspace above Taiwan in a legitimate and righteous move to manifest China’s sovereignty over the island, he continued.

    "To do this, we need an opportunity which could prompt the international community to better understand the mainland's move is natural rather than a provocation. 
    
    Pelosi's potential visit to the island will lead to major changes on the situation in the Taiwan Straits.
    
    The PLA's strong reaction is in line with the expectation of the international community and the visit will offer PLA a good reason to send aircraft over the island"

    Hu said.

    "So, the ball has come to Pelosi and the Biden administration that is cooperating with her and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on the island. 
    
    We have to make full preparations this time for a showdown to them. 
    
    If they dare to take a small step, we will take a major step to fiercely crack down the US and the DPP's arrogance and provocation," 

    Hu said.

    Xin Qiang, deputy director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times that the US executive branch is very worried that this potential visit will cause a conflict to break out between China and the US.

    “Pelosi doesn’t care that she might make a big mess of US-China relations, because the executive branch and the military will be the ones forced to take the consequences and deal with the aftermath,” he said.

    Conclusion

    China is not stupid.

    They are completely aware that the powers (in the United States) has created this event. That Nancy Poliski is NOT acting alone, but rather than acting under orders.

    The Chinese expect this event to fulfill some kind of global geo-political objective. Of some type. Of some consequence. Of some benefit to the United States.

    What the United States is unaware of, or I would be surprised if they are aware, is that a very HARD response will be forthcoming.

    My thoughts are that the expected results will NOT be the same as what the actual results will be.

    I’ll leave this statement for you all to ponder.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
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    The Wentian spacestation module, a new global currency, and assorted life stories worthy of great interest

    The big news is that China and Russia have created a new reserve currency, and the entire rest of the world (minus the USA and it’s proxies) are rushing to use it. This will have a stunning influence on the American economy. So we will start with this stunning development right now…

    Putin and China just did the unthinkable and the West is in big trouble

    It’s 11 minutes long. Watch it.

    China launches second space station module, Wentian

    July 24, 2022

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    China launched the second of three modules to its permanent space station, in one of the final missions needed to complete the orbiting outpost by year’s end.

    A live feed on state broadcaster CCTV showed the 23-tonne Wentian (Quest for the Heavens) laboratory module launching on the back of China’s most powerful rocket, the Long March 5B, at 2:22 pm from the Wenchang Space Launch Center on the southern island of Hainan.

    Space agency staff cheered and applauded when the Wentian separated from the rocket about 10 minutes after the launch.

    The launch was “a complete success”, CCTV reported shortly after.

    China began constructing the space station in April 2021 with the launch of the Tianhe module, the main living quarters, in the first of 11 crewed and uncrewed missions in the undertaking.

    The Wentian lab module, 17.9 meters (59 feet) long, will be where astronauts can carry out scientific experiments, along with the other lab module yet to be launched – Mengtian (Dreaming of the Heavens).

    Wentian features an airlock cabin that is to be the main exit-entry point for extravehicular activities when the station is completed.

    It will also serve as short-term living quarters for astronauts during crew rotations on the station, designed for the long-term accommodation of just three astronauts.

    Mengtian is expected to be launched in October and is to dock with Tianhe, forming a T-shaped structure.

    They are slated to return to Earth in December with the arrival of the Shenzhou-15 crew. — Agencies

    A lesson for all of us…

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    Jews going to the cattle cars.

    Angel, a Jew, owner of the most famous bakery in Germany, often said: “Do you know why I’m alive today? I was still a teenager when Nazis in Germany killed Jews mercilessly. Nazis took us to Auschwitz by train. Last night in the ward was deadly cold. We were left for many days in cars without food, without beds, which means without the possibility to warm up somehow.

    It was snowing everywhere. The cold wind frozen our cheeks every second. There were hundreds of us on those cold, horrible nights. No food, no water, no hiding. The blood is frozen in the veins. Next to me was an elderly Jew who was very loved in my city. He was all shaking and looking terrible. I wrapped him with my hands to warm him up.

    Hugged him tight to give some warmth. Rub his hands, legs, face, neck. I begged him to stay alive. I cheered him up. This is how I kept this man warm all night. I myself was tired and frozen. Fingers crossed, but I kept massaging this man’s body to warm him up.

    So many hours have passed. Finally the morning has come, the sun has started to shine. I looked around myself to see other people. To my horror, all I could see was frozen corpses. All I could hear was the silence of death. Frosty night killed everyone. They died of cold.

    Only two people survived: the old man and me. The old man survived because I didn’t let him freeze, and I survived because I made him warm.

    We NEED each other. We NEED to be part of a community.

    US warns losing access to Taiwanese chips could break the economy

    Stark warning of a 'deep and immediate recession' if China takes over

    Taiwan controls most of the world’s chip manufacturing capacity, and that worries US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

    Raimondo believes the US would go into a “deep and immediate recession” and face great security risks if it lost access to the island nation’s chips

    The Commerce Secretary made the warning in a Wednesday interview with CNBC as part of her plea for Congress to aid a major US semiconductor manufacturing expansion by passing the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) Act, which would unlock $52 billion in subsidies for new plants and research efforts.

    “If you allow yourself to think about a scenario where the United States no longer had access to the chips currently being made in Taiwan, it’s a scary scenario,” Raimondo told CNBC. “It’s a deep and immediate recession. It’s an inability to protect ourselves by making military equipment. We need to make this in America.”

    The issue is that Taiwan has faced ongoing aggression from China, which claims the self-governing island nation as its own and has not ruled out using military force to “reunify” the two. This has sparked fears that China could invade Taiwan and seize its manufacturing plants, which are run by, among other chipmakers, three of the world’s largest contract chip manufacturers – it hte fabs aren’t deliberately destroyed first.

    This scenario would spell big trouble for the US because Taiwan produces 90 percent of the leading-edge chips that are bought by the country, according to Raimondo.

    She is likely referring to TSMC, which Reuters said controls 90 percent of global output for such chips, citing industry estimates. This includes chips designed by companies such as Apple, Nvidia, AMD, and Qualcomm, and they are used in everyday devices such as smartphones, PCs, and servers. And then there’s the whole military kit issue.

    These concerns around Taiwan’s security and independence are why the Raimondo believes it’s important that the US rebuilds its semiconductor manufacturing base through the CHIPS Act.

    “We need a manufacturing base that produces these chips, at least enough of these chips, here on our shores because otherwise we’ll just be too dependent on other countries,” she said.

    Even if the CHIPS Act gets passed, which is moving along after the Senate voted on Tuesday to advance the legislation, it will take years before new manufacturing plants in the US start producing chips.

    Intel, for instance, doesn’t expect its new fabs in Ohio to begin production until 2025. The company is building two new factories in Arizona too, and those are expected to go online in 2024. That’s when TSMC and Samsung also plan to open new fabs in Texas and Arizona, respectively.

    While the new factories will expand US chip manufacturing capacity, research firm TrendForce believes that they won’t make much of a dent in Taiwan’s industry dominance in the short term. By 2025, the firm said, Taiwanese chip manufacturers will still hold 44 percent of the global foundry market, 47 percent of the 12-inch wafer capacity, and 58 percent of capacity for advanced manufacturing processes.

    MM Comments

    Much hype. China is now producing 7nm chips. 5nm is on the way. There’s no problem. The US can (of course) always buy them directly from China.

    China’s SMIC Is Shipping 7nm Foundry ASICs

    The Most Advanced Foundry In The World After TSMC And Samsung

    SMIC, China’s largest foundry has slowly been catching up to TSMC, Samsung, and various western foundries in process technology. They are rapidly approaching position as the world’s 3rd largest foundry and have higher margins than the current number 3, GlobalFoundries. SMIC has achieved this through a combination of large subsidies from the state, poaching TSMC talent, and tremendous home-grown expertise. Their chips ship in large volumes to a variety of use cases from smartphones to the world’s fastest supercomputer. The foundry has now quietly released and started mass production of their 7nm process node dubbed N+2.

    We say quietly as this didn’t come directly from SMIC, but rather the reverse engineering and teardown firm TechInsights who purchased the chip on the open market and sent it to their labs. SMIC likely has not discussed this publicly on earnings reports as they are afraid of blowback. To be abundantly clear, China’s SMIC is shipping a foundry process with commercially available chips in the open market which are more advanced than any American or European company. While the US has high hopes for Intel to be the savior, there are no Intel 7 class foundry chips commercially available for purchase currently and they still have to build out their foundry operations. The most advanced American or European foundry produced chips are based on GlobalFoundries 12nm.

    Initial images suggest it is a close copy of TSMC 7nm process technology.
    
    TechInsights Product Brief

    SMIC’s 7nm just like TSMC’s 7nm and Intel’s 7nm class technologies does not use EUV lithography. TechInsights has more information in their 3 detailed reports titled “ASIC Digital Floorplan Analysis,” “(SMIC 7nm) Advanced CMOS Process Analysis,” and “(SMIC 7nm) Process Flow Analysis.” We recommend people check those out for more details.

    This is a groundbreaking discovery because the US Department of Commerce was supposed to be restricting export licenses for any equipment which can be used on technologies more advanced than 14nm. Of course, the department of commerce handed out export licenses like candy as they always do. Furthermore, almost all equipment that is used on SMIC’s 14nm FinFET can be used on their 7nm process technology as well. While SMIC likely cannot develop beyond 7nm without EUV, they still should be able to ramp their 7nm over time to very large volumes. The US government is asleep at the wheel as Lam Research off-shores production and Intel uses subsidies to import equipment used to manufacturer chips from China. Government policy is why the US will lose semiconductors.

    SMIC’s foundry customer, MinerVa states this chip has been in production since July of 2021. On September 22nd 2021, MinerVa’s website was updated with information about the product and the image above. It is a small 19.3mm2 chip used for mining cryptocurrencies, but in the future, this process technology could be scaled up and adopted for high end supercomputer and consumer applications. Their miner ships with 120 chips per board with 3 board per miner and a total power consumption of 3300W.

    My generation as an American…

    I am not young (fast approaching 60), but I still remember the phone call I took when I had gotten home after school that day, from a classmate whose 16th birthday it was. He had gotten home (about 3 miles from my house) to find his mother had packed his things and they were on the doorstep.

    She was blunt with him. Get a job, now, or an offer of one starting after this semester, and pay rent, or don’t come back. He was due to take his examinations in a few weeks’ time, and had a school place sorted for next year in a very good school (as had I).

    This was before many folks had cars, but moms were still stay at home moms. My mom and I drove over to pick him up and brought him back to our house. She then called my dad. He stopped by at my friend’s house and, by all accounts, had a furious argument with his parents. They would not relent.

    My dad came home more than a little upset. He made some calls to colleagues early that evening and sorted my friend an apprentice position starting in September, with funded evening school at a local community college, and a temporary job for the June to August summer period.

    My friend’s parents took him back that night. He lost out on an excellent school place, and the likely opportunity to go further. He moved out as soon as he was 18, old enough to get his own home. He has not spoken to his parents since. They have never seen his family, they were not invited to his wedding, and they have never met their grand children or great grand children.

    I learnt a lesson that day, on my friend’s 16th birthday. Children are not a burden to be moulded into what we want them to be. They are to be loved and nurtured.

    South China Sea: Chinese permanent rescue and maritime offices stationed on disputed Spratly Islands

    • China’s three biggest man-made islands in the Spratlys will host a new flying squadron, as well as maritime rescue and administration staff
    • There have long been calls to upgrade search and rescue capabilities ‘to enhance China’s dominance over South China Sea affairs’

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    Chinese structures and buildings at its man-made island on Mischief Reef at the Spratlys group of islands in the South China Sea. Photo: AP

    Beijing has stationed permanent rescue forces and maritime administrations on its artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea.

    A new flying squadron and maritime resuce and administration staff will be stationed on the Fiery Cross, Subi and Mischief reefs, China’s three biggest man-made islands in the Spratlys, state broadcaster China Central Television reported.

    This boosts a regular on-call rescue ship deployment into a permanent institutional presence that could greatly improve the coverage of the southern area of the South China Sea.

    God puts you where you need to be…

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    “Last night, I left from pulling two 14 hour shifts. Stopped by the grocery store to grab food for dinner and as I was checking out a woman started crying in the next checkout line. Her daughter asked her what’s wrong and she said we can’t afford to eat tonight. A person behind her gave her a couple dollars and she bought her daughter a Kids Cuisine tv dinner. I told her to grab what she wants, ill pay for it. I NEVER stop at this Wal-Mart. I’m simply saying GOD puts you where he needs you to be WHEN he needs you to be there.”

    Credit: Bear Taliferro Jr.

    Of 29 Pregnant Women That Had Received Pfizer’s COVID-19 Inoculation, Only One Had a Baby That Lived

    I Am In Shock

    Dr. Byram W. BridleJul 22

    The United States Food and Drug Administration (US-FDA) had requested 75 years to release the documents that they reviewed from Pfizer prior to issuing emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b mRNA ‘vaccine’ (Comirnaty) against SARS-CoV-2, which can cause COVID-19. However, a judge over-ruled this and issued a court order that the documents be released in large monthly installments.

    Today, an absolutely shocking set of data were brought to my attention. They are not new. They are from a document that was in the data dump released back in May of this year. However, I want to help my fellow scientists in making sure that this science gets widely distributed throughout the world. This is for the sake of ‘fully informed consent’, something that regulatory agencies, public health officials and too many physicians seem to have abandoned over the past couple of years.

    For a long time I have been arguing that our children need to be left out of the massive conflicts over the science underpinning COVID-19. In my opinion, adults can conduct their own risk-benefit analyses regarding whether they want to receive one of the current COVID-19 inoculations.

    However, far too many adults are making these decisions based on pseudo-science, data from flawed studies, misinformation, and outright disinformation being propagated by physicians and public health officials, many of whom are unqualified to opine on anything in the field of vaccinology.

    I have never felt comfortable about these injections being used in ‘children, adolescents and young-adults of child-bearing age’. This was the precise terminology I used in a parent’s guide to COVID-19 vaccines that I wrote more than one year ago.

    The highest quality data for assessing a novel medical product are derived from clinical studies. This is because these types of experiments in people are typically well-controlled and include what is known as ‘active monitoring’; there is follow-up to assess safety and efficacy.

    This is why the clinical testing phases should never be compromised. With this in mind, let’s explore a stunning set of data that Pfizer provided to the US-FDA. Here is the relevant document…

    The data in this document were accumulated up until February 28, 2021. Notably, on page 9, safety concerns based on the US Pharmacovigilance Plan included “missing information” on “Use in Pregnancy and lactation”.

    The data that had accumulated up to the end of February, 2021 were from too small of a sample size (i.e., # of pregnant or lactating women) to justify its use in these populations. However, here are the data that were available at that time regarding outcomes in pregnant women that had received Pfizer’s COVID-19 inoculation; this is quoted from the top of table 6 (I have italicized and/or bolded the most important points)…

    Pregnancy cases: 274 cases including:

      • 270 mother cases and 4 foetus/baby cases representing 270 unique pregnancies (the 4 foetus/baby cases were linked to 3 mother cases; 1 mother case involved twins).
      • Pregnancy outcomes for the 270 pregnancies were reported as spontaneous abortion (23), outcome pending (5), premature birth with neonatal death, spontaneous abortion with intrauterine death (2 each), spontaneous abortion with neonatal death, and normal outcome (1 each). No outcome was provided for 238 pregnancies (note that 2 different outcomes were reported for each twin, and both were counted).

    Apparently, outcomes will never be known for 88% (238/270) of the pregnancies. Why was the follow-up rate on these cases so abysmal?

    NutriTruth has a great graph on their website that summarizes the results from cases for which follow-up data were available…

    It appears that data would be available for five of the pregnancies, but these outcomes were still unknown at the time that Pfizer’s document was written. As such, there are solid data available from 29 pregnancies. One out of 29 of these pregnancies resulted in a ‘normal’ outcome.

    This means that 28 out of the 29 babies died! That is a 97% death rate. I don’t care which trustworthy data set you look at to determine a ‘background’ death rate, none of them come close to 97%.

    Spontaneous abortions are more common than many people appreciate, but, again, they are nowhere near the rate in this study. Even in the case of the ‘normal outcome’, this means there was an apparently healthy baby.

    However, one cannot be certain that the outcome was ‘normal’, until the baby has had all of their physiological systems fully mature, which means early adulthood.

    I have looked at Pfizer’s pre-clinical reproductive toxicity data and they are fatally flawed. Issues included ‘vaccinating’ the females only; apparently it was forgotten that ‘it takes two to tango’.

    Also, the rodent models that were used express the low-affinity version of the receptor for the spike protein encoded by the ‘vaccines’. People express the high-affinity receptor. This means the rodent models aren’t capable of revealing toxicities that might be associated with the spike protein.

    In short, the pre-clinical studies could provide no assurance whatsoever that Pfizer’s vaccine would be safe in the context of pregnancy. Now there is proof that data were in the hands of regulatory agencies that suggested the potential for a 97% fatality rate for babies from ‘vaccinated’ women.

    I have collaborated with scientists and physicians about the post-rollout ‘real-world’ studies on pregnancy and the COVID-19 shots. They are highly flawed. I co-authored a paper about this, but have yet to find an editor that will even allow it to undergo peer review (I have had no problems with this for any of my cancer- or basic virology-focused papers).

    Regardless, many other reputable scientists and physicians have been addressing this. Further, these ‘real-world’ studies should never have been authorized based on the data presented here.

    Many countries have pushed Pfizer’s COVID-19 ‘vaccine’ on pregnant women, often via mandates. This was been done with the full blessing of their societies for obstetrics and gynecology. Are obstetricians and gynecologists going to continue to make these recommendations with these data in-hand?

    At the end of the day, couples experiencing pregnancies or who wish to do so must make it their own responsibility to educate themselves to facilitate fully informed consent. Too many obstetricians and gynecologists are either too superficially trained in the immunological sub-discipline of vaccinology or are too afraid of contradicting a narrative for which dissent is punished. Some physicians are starting to speak up about this.

    Unfortunately, their singular personal observations are simply deemed anecdotal. However, as a scientist, I have been trained to observe the cumulative nature of these reports; to not dismiss them out-of-hand, and to use them to formulate legitimate scientific questions.

    If you or your baby have experienced any issues post-inoculation, please report these to your physician. They are obligated to submit an adverse event report, without opining on whether or not they think it might or might not be related. The accumulation of these reports is the only way scientists can help identify safety signals during a public rollout of a novel medical product.

    A 97% death rate among babies from pregnant mothers that were ‘vaccinated’ is appalling. And this was from Pfizer’s own clinical trial data. This suggests a massive breakdown in the health regulatory process. The public, whom health regulatory agencies are to be serving, should demand accountability from these government-run institutions.

    If I were a regulatory scientist assessing the pregnancy outcome data from Pfizer, there is no way that I would ever have supported the use of their inoculation in pregnant women. And I would never have allowed ‘real-world’ data from flawed studies to replace proper pre-clinical and clinical trials. Nor would I remain silent about this knowledge. Regulators who know better need to start speaking up.

    An old lady

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    An old lady.

    This old lady handed her bank card to the teller and said “I would like to withdraw $10”.

    The teller told her “for withdrawals less than $100, please use the ATM. The old lady wanted to know why…

    The teller returned her bank card and irritably told her “these are the rules, please leave if there is no further matter.

    There is a line of customers behind you”.

    The old lady remained silent for a few seconds and handed her card back to the teller and said “please help me withdraw all the money I have.”

    The teller was astonished when she checked the account balance. She nodded her head, leaned down and respectfully told her “you have $300,000 in your account but the bank doesn’t have that much cash currently.

    Could you make an appointment and come back again tomorrow?

    The old lady then asked how much she could withdraw immediately. The teller told her any amount up to $3000.

    “Well please let me have $3000 now.”

    The teller kindly handed $3000 very friendly and with a smile to her.

    The old lady put $10 in her purse and asked the teller to deposit $2990 back into her account.

    The moral of this story is…. Don’t be difficult with old people, they spent a lifetime learning the skill.

    Italian Cheese Calzones (Folded Pizza)

    Cheese calzones are an Italian classic. A calzone is a cheese stuffed pizza pocket (AKA folded pizza). Any toppings you like on pizza can be baked into these cheese calzones! Serve with homemade marinara.

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    Cheese calzones are quick to make for a weeknight dinner, as a game-day snack, on a weekend date night, or as a fun activity with the kids! Last weekend, the hubby Eric was craving calzones, which we’d typically get from our local pizza joint. But we decided to try our hand at making calzones at home! It turns out they are SO easy and fun to make. My 3-cheese blend takes them to a whole other level, along with any other fillings of your choice!

    Ingredients

    • Pre-made pizza dough – buy good quality pre-made pizza dough in the grocery store or at your local pizzeria. If you prefer, you can make your own pizza dough from scratch!
    • Ricotta cheese – ricotta cheese is essential in calzones. It’s the creamy goodness! I use whole milk ricotta cheese but you can also use part skim.
    • Mozzarella cheese – mozzarella cheese adds gooey, stringy cheesiness!
    • Parmigiano-reggiano cheese – parmigiano-reggiano (or parmesan) cheese adds depth of flavor.
    • Extra virgin olive oil – olive oil is brushed on the top of your calzones to help them bake to golden perfection.
    • Sauce for dipping – you can make or buy marinara, or a different type of dipping sauce! See dipping sauce ideas below!
    • Fillings of choice – want to fill your calzones with something more than cheese? See the list below for calzone filling ideas!

    Ingredient Substitutions

    • Parmigiano-reggiano (parmesan) cheese – substitute grana padano or piave for parmesan cheese.

    How to Make Calzones (The Brief Version)

    1. Shape the dough

      Form a roughly 8-ounce dough ball. Stretch the dough ball into a thin, large circle.

    2. Mix together cheese (and other fillings)

      In a bowl, mix together ricotta, mozzarella, parmigiano and a pinch of salt. Mix in any other fillings, or place on top of cheese mixture.

    3. Assemble

      Add cheese/filling mixture to half of the dough round, leaving a small border as a crust. Fold over the other half, on top of the cheese mixture, to create a pocket. Tightly pinch closed your calzone pocket.

    4. Bake

      Brush the top of the calzone with a bit of olive oil, and bake for 8-12 minutes until golden brown.

    Difference Between Calzone and Stromboli

    Calzones are basically folded pizzas whereas strombolis are rolled pinwheel pizzas. They’re both made with similar ingredients, except strombolis are rarely made with ricotta cheese like calzones. The major difference between the two is the shape and technique to assemble them before they’re baked!

    How to Reheat A Calzone

    Brush calzone lightly with olive oil. Place on baking sheet and heat until hot at 400 degrees, about 20-25 minutes. Of course, calzones are always best freshly baked!

    Calzone Fillings (Mix-Ins)

    If you want to fill your calzones with something more than cheese, here are some ideas!

    • Diced Veggies: sweet onion, garlic, peppers, roasted peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, spinach, tomato, broccoli rabe, potatoes, corn
    • Cooked Meats: crumbled sausage, salami, pepperoni, ham, bacon, chicken, ground beef
    • Miscellaneous: olives, basil, other herbs, black beans

    Sauces for Dipping

    The classic way to serve an Italian cheese calzone is with marinara. You can buy jarred marinara or make your own grated onion marinara or a traditional marinara. For traditional marinara, simply stir together a 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, 2 minced garlic cloves, handful fresh chopped basil, 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and salt. Heat on the stove until hot!

    Substitute marinara for homemade vodka sauce, BBQ sauce, Buffalo sauce, or Ranch! Basically any sauce you can put on a pizza, you can dip your calzone in!

    Summary

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    • Homemade marinara: 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, 2 minced garlic cloves, handful fresh chopped basil, 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and salt, heated on the stove until hot.

    A story about the Yakuza

    Despite what we hear about Yakuza in Japanese media, their lifestyle appears to be different from what most of us think. (myself included.)

    Here is a story I heard from my father-in-law.

    My-father-in law, Den, has been running a small restaurant in a rural area of Japan for the past 30 years. It’s located in the remote part of the town.

    Because of the restaurant’s location, many customers come to avoid the crowd in the city for a nice, quiet sit down meal (food is very good, by the way).

    Naturally, and eventually, some Yakuza members discovered this quiet establishment, for they, too, needed a place to eat lunch and dinner to avoid crowds. So, they started to come to the restaurant frequently.

    Now, my father-in-law is quite a big man for his generation: at the age of 80, he is 183 cm (6’1″) tall and weighs 100 kg (220 lbs). Thanks to his physical feature, he is not easily intimidated, even by the Yakuza.

    When one of the Yakuza members noticed his missing pinky finger, their mood suddenly changed. A missing pinky is a sign of the Yakuza – whenever they commit a serious mistake (among their organization), it’s their custom to cut their finger off.

    “Hey grandpa, what did you do,” one of the Yakuzas asked.

    “What do you mean,” Den asked.

    “Your index finger.”

    “Oh this? My finger got caught in the electric winch on my boat.”

    “Your boat,” The Yakuza asked.

    “Yes, I am a fisherman also. I go and catch fish and sell, when the restaurant is not so busy,” Den said.

    “You are not ex-Yakuza,” The Yakuza asked.

    “No. Are you?”

    “Yes, we are. We thought you were because your index finger is missing. We thought you slept with your boss’s wife or girlfriend. That’s when we must cut our index finger. We normally cut our pinky for the mistakes. We thought you were reckless and courageous, worth admiring.”

    “Really? Why courageous,” Den asked the Yakuza.

    “Because you are reckless, we thought.”

    “Why is it good to be reckless?”

    “Because we cannot be. Police know what we are doing and where we are. They always have their eyes on us. Ordinary people put a petition together and force us to move out of the town. We cannot go to ordinary stores and Onsens (Japanese public hot springs prohibit a person with a tattoo to enter the bath because many of Yakuza members have tattoos.)” the Yakuza explained.

    “How about all the other crimes and drug dealing we hear on the news,” Den said.

    “Those are committed by the younger guys. They have too much energy and ambition, and they will do almost anything to prove their worthiness. They become Yakuza because they don’t want to deal with the rules set by the “ordinary” world, and the fact is, there are some rules in the Yakuza world, our own rules. We’ve been living in this world, and we learned and adapted to those rules, so we know better than to commit a small, stupid crime you hear about and see on TV. We almost never kill ordinary people or other Yakuza family members because, as I said, police are watching every move we make. Once we kill someone, they will know, so, it’s hard to kill someone without getting caught. In fact, the police can arrest any of us any time and shut us down by arresting the majority of our members. We think that’s harassment. We need as many members as we can to survive as a Yakuza organization. We never deal drugs because, for one, it’s really difficult to import into Japan. Even if we could, it’s hard on the buyers/users because drugs destroy their lives and, quite often, their families too. In fact, it’s hard on us. Think about it. Your product kills your customer. How would you feel to serve your food, knowing it’s going to kill us for sure? That’s hard as a person to watch.”

    “Really? It sounds like you guys live in a very restricted world,” Den said.

    “Yes, it’s very restricted. The challenge is that at the same time, we have to behave in the way to meet people’s expectations,” the Yakuza replied.

    “What expectations,” Den asked the Yakuza.

    “Well, most people who do not know Yakuza think we are loud, reckless and dangerous, like running around loose and engaging in all kinds of illegal activities. In fact, that’s not what we do. We do jobs ordinary people don’t want to do. Things that are in the “gray area” can turn either legal or illegal, and someone has to do them. Ordinary people come to ask us to perform those jobs because, for whatever reason, they are unable to do the jobs themselves, like extortion. That’s where we come in. Also, because of people’s expectations, in the view of the general public, we have to pretend and act like the stereotypical image of what Yakuza should be: loud, fearsome and reckless. We have to throw loud parties in our office so that people will notice us and be fearful of us. But, most of the time, we live quietly because otherwise, there will be no more places for us to live. Truth be told, many of us actually do live in fear, as we feel being separated from society.”

    “Sounds like it’s a tough life,” Den said quietly.

    “Yes, it’s tough, and probably tougher than yours. So, that is why I’d never recommend anyone to become a Yakuza,” the Yakuza said to Den.

    When My Cat Feels Sad

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    Love Child

    My father joined the Navy in 1942 at the age of 17 and went to war on diesel submarines in the South Pacific. After WW2, he was assigned to duty in Japan as part of the occupational forces. There he met a local Japanese girl he wanted to marry, but it was prohibited to do so until the early ’50s when President Truman allowed it. Dad went back to Japan and married the girl he met during the occupation of Japan.

    Dad was also involved in the atomic bomb tests in the South Pacific islands of Bikini Atoll in “Operation Crossroads.” Dad passed away in 1998, from lung cancer, and I submitted a claim to VA for a service-connected death and it was approved in record time. My mother lived until 2015. After mom passed away, my sister and I took our time to clean out our parents’ home. I stumbled on photos of my father with a young female child. There was nothing else associated with the picture. In my mother’s possessions were letters written in Japanese that we thought were from family members. During one trip to the house, there was a letter from Japan in the mail box. My sister decided to get the letter interpreted. To our surprise, the letter was from a Japanese woman who claims to be the daughter of my mother and father that he had during the occupation of Japan. The Japanese woman wanted to know why her mother hasn’t written her or responded to her phone calls. It was after this revelation that we decided to get all the letters mother had saved and get them interpreted. One of the letters had an email address so I used an app called Google Translate and wrote a letter to the Japanese woman. I learned that my mother and father had a child during the occupation of Japan in the late 1940s. This woman whose name was Terri had pictures to prove that she was a daughter of my parents. To my horror, Terri said our parents abandoned her because she lived with our mother until age 7 when dad returned to Japan and married our mother and brought her back to the USA. I learned that Terri was put up for adoption and the names of the birth parents were falsified thereby making it impossible for my parents to bring Terri back to the USA. Since my father was a career Navy Master Chief Petty Officer, he did not want the love child to hurt his career since fraternization during the occupation of Japan would result in a court martial. So, my parents made the decision not to adopt their real daughter and bring her back to the USA.

    In my many Google Translate emails to Terri, I learned that our mother was one of six (6) children. Of the 6, two were female, mom and Terri (if Terri is her daughter, she can’t be her sister as well) and four (4) were boys who I was told were soldiers in the Japanese Imperial Army and fought Americans in the South Pacific and all were killed. I learned that my mother was disowned by her family for marrying an America military man when her brothers died fighting Americans. I continue to write Terri and we are trying to organize a reunion but haven’t decided on when or where.

    I would have never imagined that my parents had a love child while dad was involved in the occupation of Japan but short of a DNA test, I am convinced that Terri is my blood sister. To this day, my sister and I are amazed that our parents never told us that they had a daughter and abandoned her in Japan after WW2. I think that this story would make for a good book. This is something I have been wrestling with so I can get the money to have a reunion with my long-lost sister in Japan. This is a true story.

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    A life hack

    As a kid, I remember watching a cartoon in which the hero is arrested and imprisoned in a tower.

    There’s an elderly man there who has spent his entire life in prison.

    The gate opens as the hero requests to be let out. The hero exits the room. “You mean all I had to do was ask?” the old man mutters as he looks at the open door and then turns to the audience.

    I used to giggle at this as a youngster, but as I think on my life, there have been many times when I’ve felt like that old man.

    I had a three-year crush on someone I never spoke to, I never asked questions in meetings, and I never pushed for promotions.

    I’ve tried with doing what the hero in the tower did and asking for what I want over the last five years.

    And, in many cases, the door did really open, precisely as it did in the cartoon.

    This can range from minor requests such as not having olives in my salad to more significant demands such as getting 20% of my work time to pursue self-directed activities.

    You’ll be surprised how far simply asking for things will get you whether you’re honest and generally skilled.

    A policeman recounts a “it doesn’t seem right” moment…

    Back in the 90s as a young Police constable working in the Home Counties I decided to do a welfare check on a woman who had been the victim of domestic stalking and harassment. I had arrested her estranged husband and after interview he had been charged with harassment and bailed to magistrates court with conditions not to contact his wife.

    Anyway, it was a quiet afternoon and I was in the area so I thought it would be a good idea to pop round and update her on the case and make sure she was ok.

    On approaching the front door I could hear the sound of crying children inside. I knocked on the door repeatedly but there was no reply. I announced that it was the police and that I would force entry if I wasn’t allowed in as I was concerned for the welfare of the children. The woman opened the door and asked me what I wanted, which I found strange so I asked her if she was OK? She replied that she was and I should go away. I said that I wanted to see the kids to make sure they are ok. The woman called the kids to the door at which point I pulled them outside. I then grabbed the woman by the wrist and dragged her through the door as well. At that point the estranged husband appeared, from behind the front door. He was holding his right hand behind his back. I punched him in the solar plexus as hard as I could and he dropped to the floor groaning, as he did so he dropped an 8 inch kitchen knife.

    I quickly handcuffed him to the rear and called for backup to transport him to the nick. I dragged the husband to the living room and sat him on the sofa and waited for my colleagues. As we waited I saw him glancing at a large black hold-all bag sat on the floor in the middle of the room. I opened the bag and inside was an axe, another knife, a large amount of plastic sheeting, a set of disposable coveralls and latex gloves.

    The husband had basically turned up five minutes before I had with a ‘murder kit’. I honestly think that if I hadn’t knocked on the door when I did then he would have murdered his wife and children.

    I’m glad that I followed my instincts and I’m glad that I am 6 foot 4 and 18 stone and he was 5 foot 7 and 12 stone otherwise the result could have been very different.

    I love this man.

    There is this guy, who is sitting on a subway with different, fake book covers. I find this so funny, so here are a few more. Enjoy! 🙂

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    Swiss Steak

    Swiss Steak is not Swiss. “Although many might think Swiss steak comes from Switzerland, in reality, the name comes from the ‘swissing’ technique for tenderizing meat,” according to The Spruce Eats. “Tough cuts of meat go through a mechanical tenderizer, or a swissing machine, and come out the other end with cube-shaped indentations.”

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    This recipe for Smothered Swiss Steak is pure comfort food at its finest. It’s at the top of my list for when there is a chill in the air, and I’m looking for something warm and cozy for supper.

    And although you can prepare this Swiss Steak recipe by simmering it on the stovetop, I like to braise it in the oven for a few hours. Because when it’s cold and blustery outside, it just makes my kitchen extra warm and inviting to have a pot full of something delicious slow-cooking in the oven. Also, can I just say that while these Swiss Steaks are in the oven simmering away, the whole house will be just amazingly fragrant with the aroma of home-cooked goodness!

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    But I do tend to think of this recipe as something a bit old-fashioned (in a really good kind of way). This dish is something from my childhood, that my mom or grandma would prepare for supper on a cold fall or winter evening. Back in those days, growing up in Pennsylvania, fall was just magical to me (and still is to this day!) Hearty, warming foods were standard fare on those crisp autumn, after-school evenings, and were definitely a part of the magic.

    Ingredients

    • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
    • 2 pounds cubed steak (cut into serving-size pieces if necessary)
    • 1/4 cup vegetable oil (or other high-temperature cooking oil)
    • 1 onion, diced
    • 1 stalk celery, diced
    • 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
    • 8 ounces of cremini or white button mushrooms, sliced
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
    • 1 (15-ounce) can diced or stewed tomatoes (or use 1 pint of home-canned tomatoes)
    • 2 cups beef broth
    • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
    • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
    • 1 teaspoon sugar
    • 1 pinch celery seed (optional)
    • 2 tablespoons of water + 2 tablespoons cornstarch

    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 325° F. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine flour, salt, pepper, and granulated garlic. Add steak, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat.
    2. On the stovetop, heat oil in a cast-iron Dutch oven (or other heavy, oven-safe pot) over medium-high heat. Brown steak in oil on both sides. Remove steaks to a plate.
    3. To the same pot, add the onion, celery, bell pepper, and mushrooms. Turn the heat down to medium, and cook and stir for 6-7 minutes, or until vegetables are beginning to soften. If needed, add a little extra oil. Add garlic and tomato paste, and cook for 1 additional minute.
    4. Stir in diced tomatoes, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, sugar, and celery seed. Scrape the bottom of the pot with a spatula to release all of the flavorful bits. Return steaks to the pot, making sure they are covered by the gravy.
    5. Cover and bake 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until meat is tender. At this point, remove the pot from the oven and place it on the stovetop. Remove the steaks to a plate, leaving the gravy in the pot.
    6. In a small bowl, combine corn starch and water into a paste; stir into gravy. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring continuously, until gravy has thickened. Serve steaks with gravy, and mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or cooked white rice.

    What are the ingredients for Smothered Swiss Steak?

    Aside from being a nostalgic kind of recipe, though, I think it’s also a bit of an old-fashioned because I use cubed steaks for this dish, a cut of beef that I really don’t see too often in modern recipes.  I really believe these steaks deserve a revival, though, because when properly cooked low and slow, cubed steaks are just oh-so-tender. And as an added bonus, they are also typically very inexpensive. Often I can find cubed steaks on sale for less than the price of regular ground beef. But if you can’t easily find cubed steaks, just go ahead substitute thin-cut top round steaks.

    And the gravy for these steaks? It’s a beefy-tomato gravy, filled with tender bell peppers, onions, celery, and mushrooms. And here comes the “smothered” part – this rich, thick, savory gravy is just begging to be smothered, not just over the steak, but also over a scoop of mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or even rice. Truly down-home comfort food!

    Meet Shirō Ishii – a serious piece of shit

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    Shirō Ishii

    This guy was a Doctor and microbiologist- and a rather smart one at that. He was regarded as a brilliant person for nearly his entire life. He was well educated and joined the army as a doctor. While there he caught the eyes of his superiors and was sent for further education at Kyoto Imperial University.

    During WW2 he was placed in charge of Unit 731 and this is what he was known for.

    What was unit 731? Well, they were a scientific unit that conducted experiments and thought up new ways to win the war. Some examples of things they did include

    • Imprisoning women, raping them until they got pregnant, and then running horrid painful experiments on them just so they could see how certain poisons affected pregnant women.
    • They would infect people with syphilis and then cut them open (while alive and awake) so they could see what their bodies did as the infection progressed. Women, men, and even children were forcibly infected
      • This is called vivisection- its the practice of cutting someone open while alive to see what their body is doing and its typically done when experimenting on animals. In unit 731 they did it to people without anesthesia- always resulting in a slow agonizing death for the person.
    • Injected people with animal blood to see what happens (bad way to die)
    • Placed people in centrifuges and spun it until they died
    • Deprived prisoners of food and water to see how long it was until they died
    • Placed people in low-pressure chambers until their eyes popped out
    • Burned people alive to see how long they would live
    • Injected people with saltwater to see what would happen
    • Poisoned people to see the effects
    • gave people radiation poisoning to see the effects
    • Leave 3-day old babies in the cold just to see how long it took them to freeze to death
    • Tested flamethrowers on live people
    • Tested grenades on live people
    • Removed organs for fun. For instance, they would remove someone’s stomach and attach their esophagus to their intestines directly.
    • Tested hundreds of diseases and biological weapons on people

    In all, around 10,000 prisoners were killed by Unit 731 and as many as 20,000 were tested on. The biological weapons produced by this unit were used to kill as many as 500,000 civilians

    On a side note not even the Nazis used chemical weapons in WW2 (they only did in concentration camps). The ONLY nation to employ chemical weapons against civilian and military targets in WW2 was Japan.

    You may wonder what happened to Shirō. I mean we caught him and put him on trial for war crimes right?

    Nope

    He was given full immunity in exchange for full disclosure of his tests. American microbiologists stated that Shirō’s findings were extremely valuable and impossible to replicate unless the experiments were done again. He was protected by the United States, provided with an ample salary, and sent off to the United States to live a life in luxury.

    Shirō lived out the remainder of his life a free man in the United States, and traveled frequency to Japan where he was treated like royalty. He died in 1959.

    Si Kaddour Benghabrit

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    Si Kaddour Benghabrit

    He was in charge of a mosque in Paris during World War II. He was originally born in Algeria before immigrating to France.

    When World War II broke out, Germany began deporting Jews from France to concentration camps.

    Si Kaddour began offering shelter to lots of Jews through willing Muslim families in the area.

    When German inspectors came, he would lie about the records of Jews, saying that they were Muslim. He eventually had cellars and basements in mosques where he would allow the Jews to hide during the war. He also gave them fake certificates that would certify that they were Muslim, enabling them to escape certain death.

    He had an open-door policy as well at his mosque. If any of the attendees had Jewish friends in need of refuge, they could bring them with them.

    Si Kaddour saved 500 Jews by the end of the war. He risked his life in the process. And most people don’t even know of him.

    A love bomber…

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    A Love Bomber.

        • Day 1: “Dang you’re gorgeous.”
        • Day 2: “I feel like we have so much in common.”
        • Day 3: “I really like you.”
        • Day 4: “I feel like we’re soul mates.”
        • Day 5: “I love you.”

    Love bombing is an attempt to influence a person by giving them affection and attention. Cult leaders like David Koresh used this tactic to control their followers.


    Having experienced this before, the only way I can describe it is as if a sun is shining on you constantly for days, weeks and months. You’re blinded not by love, but by the idea of being wanted.

    The love bomber makes you feel like you’re in a trance. They shower you with compliments, buy you gifts, promise a future and bombard you with romantic texts. It seems too good to be true because it’s an illusion.

    Love bombers feed you this attention to gain something in return. Whether that’s money, power, control or sex.

    They can’t love you because they don’t know you to love you.

    They can’t love you because they don’t understand the meaning of the word.


    Relationships take time. Boundaries, opinions and space need to be valued. Relationships that start off by resembling a romantic movie is an instant red flag.

    It’s easy to create an attachment with a love bomber.

    It’s harder to escape.

    Get out before it becomes emotionally abusive.

    Easy Buttermilk Drop Biscuits

    Drop biscuits are one of the easiest baked goods to make.

    Despite being so easy to make, these biscuits are tender, flaky, buttery, and one of the single best things you’ll ever put in your mouth.

    And, by the way, they go GREAT with real salted butter.

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    I’ve been nicknamed the “Biscuit Queen” by my family, because whenever we go out to eat for breakfast, the first thing I look for is biscuits. If there’s a biscuit on the menu, it’s going to be eaten.

    Creating this recipe was the best AND worst decision. Since I’m a biscuit’s #1 fan, I feel like I’m well-qualified to tell you how good these little things are. Since I want to make them every week, my biscuit obsession can get a bit unhealthy…HA!

    Serve with My Mom’s Homemade Strawberry Preserves.

    What Are Drop Biscuits?

    Drop biscuits are easy to make because they are made by simply dropping dough onto a baking sheet as opposed to rolling out and cutting dough into biscuits. No need for extra time or dishes!

    Ingredients for Drop Biscuits

    You need only 6 ingredients to make the most incredible drop biscuits:

    • All-purpose flour – flour is the base for our biscuits!
    • Cold buttermilk – buttermilk is the key ingredient for fluffy, flaky, tender drop biscuits. It also helps your biscuits rise.
    • Cold butter – butter gives biscuits flavor and moisture.
    • Baking powder – a combination of baking powder and baking soda helps drop biscuits rise and have a flaky, tender texture.
    • Baking soda – see above!
    • Salt – salt adds flavor.

    Why COLD Butter and Buttermilk for Biscuits?

    Cold ingredients, especially butter, are essential in biscuits. The cold butter pieces in the dough will produce steam when placed in the oven, creating moisture pockets and yielding a tender, flaky biscuit.

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    How to Make Easy Drop Biscuits

    Making drop biscuits is SO easy. You can make the dough and bake them in just 30 minutes! FULL instructions are in the recipe card below (this is just an outline!).

    1. Combine dry ingredients.

      In a large bowl, use a whisk to combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

    2. Add cold butter.

      Add in cold butter chunks. Use a fork or pastry/biscuit cutter to cut the butter into the dry ingredients to form a fine crumble.

    3. Add buttermilk.

      Add buttermilk and mix until just combined. The dough should be just wet enough to form a loose ball. Add a splash more buttermilk if the dough is too dry to form a loose ball.

    4. Form drop biscuits.

      On a greased baking sheet, use a ¼ cup measure to drop dough balls about an inch apart.

    5. Bake.

      Bake for 11-16 minutes at 425 degrees, until just golden.

    What to Serve With Drop Biscuits

    These buttermilk drop biscuits are absolutely AMAZING alone. But here are a few ways you can serve your biscuits to make them extra special:

    1. With 20-Minute Pumpkin Butter
    2. With My Mom’s Homemade Strawberry Preserves
    3. With Homemade Honey Peanut Butter
    4. As a dessert with Hot Fudge Sauce
    5. As a Pulled Pork Biscuit Slider

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    How to Store Biscuits

    Drop biscuits are best stored in an airtight container. They will keep well for 3-4 days!

    Refresh them by heating them in a foil package in the oven at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes.

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    Keanu Reeves

    He was abandoned by his father at 3 years old and grew up with 3 different stepfathers. He is dyslexic. His dream of becoming a hockey player was shattered by a serious accident. His daughter died at birth. His wife died in a car accident. His best friend, River Phoenix, died of an overdose. His sister has leukemia.

    And with everything that has happened, Keanu Reeves never misses an opportunity to help people in need. When he was filming the movie “The Lake House,” he overheard the conversation of two costume assistants; One cried because he would lose his house if he did not pay $20,000 and on the same day Keanu deposited the necessary amount in the woman’s bank account; He also donated stratospheric sums to hospitals.

    In 2010, on his birthday, Keanu walked into a bakery and bought a brioche with a single candle, ate it in front of the bakery, and offered coffee to people who stopped to talk to him.

    After winning astronomical sums for the Matrix trilogy, the actor donated more than $50 million to the staff who handled the costumes and special effects – the true heroes of the trilogy, as he called them.

    He also gave a Harley-Davidson to each of the stunt doubles. A total expense of several million dollars. And for many successful films, he has even given up 90% of his salary to allow the production to hire other stars.

    In 1997 some paparazzi found him walking one morning in the company of a homeless man in Los Angeles, listening to him and sharing his life for a few hours.

    Most stars when they make a charitable gesture they declare it to all the media. He has never claimed to be doing charity, he simply does it as a matter of moral principles and not to look better in the eyes of others.

    This man could buy everything, and instead every day he gets up and chooses one thing that cannot be bought: To be a good person ♥ ️

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

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    Fred Flintstone steak, Pot Roast, Monkey Pox Potato Peeling, and a lack of topsoil in todays installment

    Please enjoy this selection of tidy morsels. have fun. Enjoy  the read, and have a great day!

    I’m still busy in my move. Sorry that this post is so scant. I know that I should do better.

    The Banquet of Chestnuts

    The Catholic Church does not like to talk about the infamous Banquet of Chestnuts.

    Allegedly, on October 31, 1501, a truly filthy sex orgy took place at the pope’s official residence in the Vatican. The host was Cesare Borgia, a cardinal and, to top it off, the son of Pope Alexander VI.

    No less than 50 prostitutes are said to have been present. At first, they danced with the guests in full dress. Later in the evening, the candlesticks were placed on the floor and many chestnuts were scattered on it.

    The naked prostitutes crawled across the floor on all fours, trying to pick up the chestnuts with their mouths, while the guests, including the Pope, watched them and enjoyed themselves.

    There was even said to be a questionable contest. The guests who were able to perform the act with the prostitutes the most times were honored with valuable prizes, for example silk tunics or shoes.

    The main source for this rather interesting claim is the Liber notarum, the ceremonial diary of Johannes Burckard, who was the Vatican’s master of ceremonies at that time.

    The veracity of this source is increasingly doubted by today’s historians. However, this has not prevented various artists from using this peculiar dinner as inspiration for their works.

    The German painter Heinrich Lossow was known for his illustrations for works by Shakespeare, Goethe and Schiller. But he also published some pornographic works that were received as extremely piquant at the time.

    His most scandalous work was undoubtedly The Sin.

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    The Sin

    This particular painting is based on the events at the Banquet of Chestnuts. Heinrich Lossow was criticized by critics and the people for this work, but the church went one better. It accused the artist of all mortal sins at the same time.

    Go East, My Son!

    By Marwan Salamah for the Saker Blog

    American nineteenth-century folklore tells of a young man asking his elders’ advice on what calling he should take up. The answer was a firm “Go West my son and grow!”, or to that effect. The gist of the advice was that the American West was at the time viewed as virgin, not yet settled and built up by the European immigrants. In fact, most of those who headed West did succeed, subject to exhibiting diligence, persistence, hard work, and some luck.

    But today, in the twenty-first century, circumstances have changed. The West has matured, competition has increased, and returns have shrunk. Endless series of bubble booms and busts continue to occur and at ever shorter intervals. Classical economics concepts have gradually changed away from a real production economy to a paper economy which is considered by some to be fictitious, unreal, and unsustainable.

    Today’s Western economy is dominated by the FIRE sectors (Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate) plus the military industry, all of which have usurped the bulk of the economy’s wealth and income, leaving far too little for the other sectors to survive let alone grow. The result is an alarming rise in extreme inequality with, it is claimed, the top 1% (or 10%) of the population owning the bulk of the wealth and income.

    Other sectors have also grown, most prominent are those related to IT and services. But these are highly volatile and high-risk businesses and not all who enter them succeed or remain and prosper. Quite a few have turned into Zombie companies that absorb endless bouts of capital increases in the millions and even billions of Dollars but fail to show a profit.

    The great western industry has all but disappeared. It has migrated to China, Asia, and elsewhere, as a result of an erroneous application of the famous economic edict of “maximizing profits”. It was applied exclusively to the short-term with total disregard to its negative long-term implications on both the companies themselves as well as the economy as a whole. The result, among other things, was the stripping of the West’s industrial capability, increasing its balance of trade deficit, creating endless supply chain bottlenecks, and increasing its vulnerability and reliance on the outside world.

    Despite the negative description above, the US, so far, remains the biggest and strongest economy and the US Dollar remains the main trade currency, the main reserve currency held by the world’s central banks, and the number one safe haven currency. Also, we should by no means ignore the huge American agriculture capacity that has fed and continues to feed a substantial number of the world’s population.

    But at the same, we cannot disregard the huge and important changes that are rapidly occurring elsewhere in the world, especially as most of these changes seem intent on competing directly, commercially and economically with the US and the West. Nor can we disregard the well-published data signaling a shrinkage in the West’s global market share and the gradual erosion of the US Dollar hegemony.

    And once we add the increasingly belligerent geopolitical tug-of-war between the US and its allies against Russia, China, and part of the Global South, it quickly becomes apparent that the world is on the verge of a major historic and permanent split into two or more camps.

    Regardless of who fares better in the coming split, it is clear that the economic development that began a few years ago in Russia, China, Eurasia, the Far East, and the Global South has been positive and impressive, and is likely to be more so if it continues – and all indications point to its continuity.

    On this basis, it is logical to assume and expect a huge growth of business and investment opportunities in those changing countries (East and South), both quantitative and qualitative. Bear in mind that those markets are still more or less virgin in that they have not reached their market or financial peaks and have ample room for additional growth. The crown jewel here is that most of the available business and investment opportunities are in the “real” economy and not fictitious paper or pencil-pushing based. Many comprise opportunities in the industrial and agricultural fields and are thirsty for smart capital. The services, trading, and real estate sectors are similarly poised for development by those with proven know-how and expertise.

    It is therefore not surprising to see Turkiye begin, a few years ago, to turn its attention Eastwards, especially after a decades-long frustrating wait for the glorious EU membership approval that never arrived.

    But the true attention head-spinner is Iran’s resetting of its compass from West to East. After more than two millennia of looking West, Iran has at long last realized that its future lies in the East. Obviously, the US and West’s animosity, accompanied by an endless series of harsh sanctions, and the unlikelihood of a return to the nuclear agreement has not only tipped the Iranian scale away from the West but pushed it firmly eastwards where it sees a much brighter and mutually beneficial future.

    As such, Iran began a couple of years ago with a mega multi-year investment agreement with China worth approx. $400 Mill to develop and upgrade its oil and industry sectors. It then joined several segments of the Belt & Road Initiative (the new Chinese Silk Road) as well as signed a joint venture agreement with India to develop Iran’s Arabian seaport of Chabahar as a main trade transit hub. In the process, it has significantly increased its trade with its northern, eastern, and southern neighbors and the trend appears continuing. On another front, it has recently jointly inaugurated the north-south route from Saint Petersburg through Azerbaijan and the Caspian Sea all the way to the Arabian sea and henceforth to India and Asia. This is claimed to be a very fast and economic route and is another potential competitor to the Suez Canal. And finally, only last week, it signed a batch of agreements with Russia, including one with giant Gazprom to develop its many gas fields.

    On the international organizations’ side, Iran joined last year the Shanghai Cooperation Council (SCO), which is an important Asian economic and security cooperation organization. Turkey is a Dialogue Member and new applications are expected from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt. Similar developments are in progress in other Asian and Global South international organizations.

    It is clear that the chess board layout is rapidly changing, and opportunities are aplenty. There is no logical reason not to head East and South… remember the early bird is usually well rewarded.

    Just a few guns…

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    American.

    You may have heard on the news about a Southern California man who was put under 72-hour psychiatric observation when it was found he owned 100 guns and allegedly had 100,000 rounds of ammunition stored in his home. The house also featured a secret escape tunnel.

    By Southern California standards, someone owning 100,000 rounds is considered “mentally unstable.

    BUT…

    In Michigan, he’d be called “the last white guy still living in Detroit.”

    In Arizona, he’d be called “an avid gun collector.

    In Arkansas, he’d be called “a novice gun collector.”

    In Utah, he’d be called “moderately well prepared,” but they’d probably reserve judgment until they made sure that he had a corresponding quantity of stored food.

    In Kansas, he’d be “A guy down the road you would want to have for a friend.”

    In Montana, he’d be called “The neighborhood ‘Go-To’ guy.”

    In Idaho, he’d be called “a likely gubernatorial candidate.”

    In Georgia, he’d be called “an eligible bachelor.”

    In North Carolina, Virginia, WV, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina and Minnesota he would be called “a deer hunting buddy.”

    AND,OF COURSE,

    In Florida , he’d just be “a guy who’s a little short on Ammo.”

    Doomsday Approaches: Scientists Say That The Earth Will Run Out Of Usable Topsoil In 60 Years

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    What will we do when we inevitably run out of topsoil?  This month, I have written a number of articles that show that the clock is ticking for humanity.  We are systematically destroying the planet that we live on, and we are already witnessing mass extinctions of plankton, insects and birds.  Our food is full of poisons, our water is full of poisons and the air that we breathe is full of poisons.  And it gets worse with each passing year.  But one thing that I haven’t talked about recently is the loss of our topsoil.  95 percent of the food that we eat comes from the soil, and so if we have no soil we have no food.  This is a crisis that has been building for decades, and now we are rapidly approaching a major crisis point.

    The amount of land that is used for agriculture all over the world has been steadily climbing for decades, and the intensive farming techniques that have been employed have resulted in a staggering loss of topsoil

    But beneath the feet of Iowa’s farmers, a crisis is unfolding. The average topsoil depth in Iowa decreased from around 14-18 inches (35-45cm) at the start of the 20th Century to 6-8 inches (15-20cm) by its end. Relentless tilling and disturbance from farm vehicles have allowed wind and water to whisk away this priceless resource.
    
    The same picture is seen on farms worldwide. Soils are becoming severely degraded due to a combination of intensive farming practices and natural processes. As the layer of fertile topsoil thins, it gets increasingly difficult to grow crops for food. Without altering agricultural practices and urgently finding ways to preserve soil, the global food supply starts to look precarious.

    According to Time Magazine, “soil is being lost at between 10 and 40 times the rate at which it can be naturally replenished”, and the outlook for the future is extremely bleak.

    Sadly, this is even true here in the United States.  When early Americans first started to settle in the Midwest, a very thick layer of extremely dark topsoil was there to greet them.

    But now that topsoil is rapidly disappearing, and what remains is soil that is “often much lighter in color”

    The soil that’s darkest in color is widely known as topsoil. Soil scientists call this layer the “A-horizon.” It’s the “black, organic, rich soil that’s really good for growing crops,” says Evan Thaler, a Ph.D. student at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
    
    It’s full of living microorganisms and decaying plant roots, also called organic carbon. When settlers first arrived in the Midwest, it was everywhere, created from centuries of accumulated prairie grass. Plowing, though, released much of the trapped carbon, and topsoil was also lost to wind and water erosion. The soil that remains is often much lighter in color.

    I remember the thick, black soil that I could dig my hands into when I was a child.

    I would love to experience that again, but the soil in the Midwest is far different today.

    In fact, it is being estimated that the Midwest has lost 57.6 billion metric tons of topsoil already…

    Since farmers began tilling the land in the Midwest 160 years ago, 57.6 billion metric tons of topsoil have eroded, according to a study published recently in Earth’s Future.  The loss has occurred despite conservation efforts implemented in the 1930s after the Dust Bowl, and the erosion rate is estimated to be double what the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says is sustainable. Future crop production could be severely limited if it continues, reports Rachel Crowell for Science News.

    “Future crop production could be severely limited” is a nice way of saying that everyone is going to starve if something doesn’t change.

    And that could happen a whole lot sooner than many people think.

    According to the UN, all of our topsoil could be gone “within 60 years”

    Generating three centimeters of top soil takes 1,000 years, and if current rates of degradation continue all of the world’s top soil could be gone within 60 years, a senior UN official said on Friday.
    
    About a third of the world’s soil has already been degraded, Maria-Helena Semedo of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) told a forum marking World Soil Day.

    Maria-Helena Semedo actually made that statement back in 2014.

    So that means that we don’t actually have 60 years left.

    If that projection is accurate, we only have 52 years remaining until all the topsoil is gone.

    And one expert recently told CNBC that there are actually some places in the world that “have already lost all of their topsoil”

    “There are places that have already lost all of their topsoil,” Jo Handelsman, author of “A World Without Soil,” and a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told CNBC.
    
    The impact of soil degradation could total $23 trillion in losses of food, ecosystem services and income worldwide by 2050, according to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.

    2050 is only 28 years away.

    Of course horrifying global famines will inevitably arrive long before we get to that point.

    And we are actually hastening the demise of our soil by our own behavior.

    Today, agricultural lands all over the planet are being saturated by trillions upon trillions of microplastics.

    The amount of plastic that we produce continues to rise at an exponential rate, and that means that the amount of microplastics raining down on our farms will continue to rise at an exponential rate.

    As the level of plastic in the soil keeps going up, it is going to become increasingly difficult to grow much of anything.

    I know that the information in this article is difficult to take in, but it is vital that you understand what is ahead of us.

    We aren’t just facing an economic collapse.

    The truth is that what we are actually facing is the collapse of everything.

    When I say that the clock is ticking for humanity, I am not exaggerating one bit.

    Unless something really dramatic happens, we are heading into a future that is going to be far more horrible than most people would dare to imagine.

    How Americans take care of their elderly..

    I am 82 years old, I have 4 children, 11 grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren and a room of 12 square meters.

    I no longer have a home or expensive things, but I have someone who will clean my room, prepare food and bedding, measure my pressures and weigh me.

    I no longer have the laughter of my grandchildren, I don’t see them growing, hugging and arguing. Some come to me every 15 days, some every three or four months, and some never.

    I no longer work in the winter, I don’t bake cakes, I don’t dig up the garden. I still have hobbies and I like to read, but my eyes quickly hurt.

    I don’t know how much longer, but I have to get used to this loneliness. Here at home, I lead group work and help those who are worse than me as much as I can. Until recently, I read aloud to an immobile woman in the room next to me, we used to sing together, but she died the other day.

    They say life is getting longer. Why? When I’m alone, I can look at photos of my family and memories I brought from home. And that’s all.

    I hope that the next generations will understand that families are born to have a future (with children) and that they do not forget about the family even in old age.

    Please don’t show this to my children.

    Grandma Maria loves you.

    Chinese live in multi-generational homes…

    From HERE

    Many families have a growing number of multi-generational members, and the housing costs that can accompany such a large population can add up quickly. In these situations, Multi-Generational Homes can be a great option. These properties are usually built with several different floor plans in mind. For example, young adults often move home with their parents after college, but they don’t necessarily need a place to live. In many cases, the home will be used by the whole family, and the members of each generation can enjoy the same living space.

    home builder

    Many family members find that living in a large house offers several benefits, including easy home financing. In addition, because the family will be living under one roof, financial obligations and responsibilities can be shared among the various members. According to a former mortgage broker, multi-generational homes are particularly advantageous for managing property expenses. For example, you can share utility and insurance bills with each other, and two construction loans can be merged into one.

    Many Asian cultures have multi-generational homes as a natural part of everyday life. South Asians have a common saying that the kids are their parents’ retirement plan. In many cultures, grandparents are a central part of family life and teach respect for the elderly. In addition, they pass on cultural traditions and a connection to their ancestry. But with rising housing costs and limited real estate, more families are opting for multi-generational homes.

    Multi-generational homes can provide financial benefits during challenging times and allow family members to stay close to one another. They are also more flexible than traditional single-family homes and can accommodate multiple uses. So, whether you have multiple generations or only need space for one family, these homes are the ideal solution. There are several benefits to having this type of home. And they don’t have to cost a fortune. And, as long as you have the land and the financial means, you’ll be happy with your choice.

    Having several generations in a household can be difficult. It’s essential to have separate living spaces for each generation. Those with older relatives will appreciate the privacy and independence of their aging parents. Children will appreciate privacy. A multi-generational home can also provide financial benefits when the elderly need extra help. The benefits of these homes are many. They can provide comfort to multiple generations and help their families avoid expensive medical costs.

    For those with aging parents, multi-generational homes are an ideal compromise. While their parents are still independent, the adult children can live with them and save for a new apartment. Likewise, a multi-generational home can also be a transitional home for a college student. This type of home is often the right choice for your family. And it can also be a great financial benefit if you have elderly parents.

    Building a multi-generational home is a smart choice for many reasons. First, the financial benefits are immense. A multi-generational home can be ideal for parents and their adult children to live. A single-family can enjoy the freedom and security of a single home while having the convenience of two separate homes. Finally, the multi-generational structure will allow your parents to live closer to their elderly parents if your family is older.

    Multi-generational home is an excellent choice for aging families. A multi-generational home can be a wonderful investment for all family members. The added benefits of a multi-generational home include the convenience of having a large space for the elderly. In addition, they can be a good fit for all of your family members. There are also several benefits to living in a community with multiple generations.

    Having a multi-generational home allows you to enjoy the benefits of a single home for your family members. It is also beneficial for the elderly, who may want to live close to their parents, as they will not have to worry about finding someone to care for them. Having a multi-generational home will also avoid the costs associated with multiple mortgages. A multi-generational home can also help you save on taxes, as your income will be more stable.

    Police constable Neman Ashraf tells his story…

    On June 1st, at around 2 in the morning, we received information of an eight years old girl brought to a private hospital, unconscious, injured and bruised. The man who had brought her left the premises without staying after only informing that the girl works at his home as a maid.

    Police responded immediately upon learning of the news.

    Condition of that girl was critical, a few officers remained at the hospital and others left to find the suspect or any pieces of information about him who had fled the scene.

    His name is Hassan, a young man living at a posh and decorated housing society, well off family, rich people. Husband, wife and their child… an infant. They were keeping the girl “maid” whose name is Zahra as “help” to take care of their son.

    But as the doctors shared medical reports of the victim, we learned that the girl beaten but physically “sexually abused” too as there were signs of bleeding. She was raped.

    City’s Police Chief took notice of the matter right away and ordered registration of a case against the offenders with charges of attempted murder, rape and more. There was no complainant, no family of that girl present as her parents lived hundreds of miles away and had willingly gave their daughter in service of those people in return of money.

    Police became complainant, and registered the case.

    Minutes after that, the girl passed away.

    Hunt was on, dozens and dozens of cops were dispatched to trace out the culprits and within a day, both of the accused, the husband and his wife were arrested, murder charge had been added to the case as of now, and this is where I personally and most probably my colleagues too went into shock of a lifetime.

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    Arrested for the repeated rape, murder, and death of a 8 year old girl who was their slave.

    Confessions, so horrific that make me say “May lord have mercy”.

    That man abused the child to death as a “punishment”, for what you ask? For mistakenly opening their parrot cage that led to one of their parrots flying away.

    That is it.

    Wow. I mean… is that all there is to make a child subject of such gruesome endless torture and abuse?

    There were videos found in his mobile phone that depicts the true horrors of what happened, the pain and misery the little Zahra went through, and all of this done by someone we’d otherwise consider a perfectly fine sensible person by his appearance.

    12 injuries including vital injuries at the private parts, folks. I won’t share the images out of respect for the dead as well as for some of you will drop everything and feel like your heart skipping its rhythm. An eight years old baby girl. At such age, children giggle and roam free of worries, don’t they?

    Of course, I’d consider her parents responsible of this despicable atrocity equally, as It was their duty to ensure their safety and well-being of their child. I can understand, that people are poor, needy and that people do let their children work in other people’s home for money.

    Very respectfully, I don’t agree with that, and consider it insanely wrong. No matter how poorer or needy I get, I’d never let my child be on the mercy of another soul, I’ll never let my child be in service of a master simply because that’s a child we’re talking about for goodness sake!!! Those who do find it feasible, I’m not going to criticize them, they may have their reasons, but I fail to see a good one and I condemn the practice strongly.

    So yea,

    Zahra is gone.

    I feel like she is up there in heavens, very contented of finally getting rid of all those who pained her.

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    We are committed to ensure justice for the little angel, Sternest conviction and befitting punishment to be ensured. We the cops; owe it to her at the very least.

    Tomahawk Steak

    Tomahawk steak is the classic steak that Fred Flintstone ate, according to Omaha Steaks. It’s an over-the-top, larger-than-life, bone-in ribeye steak, meant to impress. It’s similar to the Cowboy Steak with one difference: The Tomahawk has a larger bone.

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    This Reverse Seared Smoked Tomahawk Steak is slow smoked to perfection and then reverse seared over a hot griddle and served with a delicious garlic and herb butter compound. The result is an incredibly juicy and tender steak with a crisp outer crust that is packed with smoky flavor!

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    Why You’ll Love This Recipe

    • The reverse sear method – Reverse searing is the process of cooking (or in this case smoking) steak slowly and at a low temperature before searing on a hot griddle to finish it off. This results in an incredibly tender and delicious piece of meat with a nice crust on the outside. A Blackstone and pellet grill works great for this recipe, but additional searing options are listed below.

     

    • Great for special occasions – A tomahawk steak is a rather expensive cut of beef but the next level flavor and all around presentation make it a fantastic cut of meat for a special occasion.
    • Garlic and herb butter compound – This tomahawk steak recipe is served with a delicious butter compound made up of fresh herbs and garlic that adds even more flavor to this cut of meat.

    Tomahawk Steak vs Ribeye Steak

    A tomahawk steak is essentially a fancy bone-in ribeye steak. This thick cut of meat is butchered leaving at least 5 inches of rib bone in tact on the steak. A cowboy steak, also a bone-in ribeye, has a shorter bone than the tomahawk.

    A tomahawk ribeye typically has great marbling (meaning more fat throughout the meat muscle). In addition, it’s an extremely tender cut of beef. Because the rib bone of the tomahawk is left in tact, much of the juices are preserved helping to give it its fantastic flavor!

    Ingredients Needed

    For Smoked Tomahawk

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    For Butter Compound

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    For Butter Compound

    Ingredient Notes

    • Tomahawk Ribeye Steak – You’ll often find this cut of meat at your local butcher rather than the regular grocery store. Look for thick steaks (approximately 2 inches) with good marbling.
    • Avocado oil – this helps the dry rub spices adhere to the steak. You can also use olive oil.
    • Butter or Ghee – Sear the steak in butter or ghee for even more flavor! Ghee is a fantastic paleo alternative to butter.

    How To Smoke A Tomahawk Steak

    • Pat the steak dry with paper towels and apply a thin layer of the avocado oil over the entire surface of the steak.
    • In a small bowl mix the sea salt, pepper, granulated garlic, and dried thyme. Rub dry rub all over the outside of the steak including the sides of the steak, and press it in.
    • Set your tomahawk steak aside and allow it to come to room temperature for approximately two hours prior to beginning the cooking process. This will ensure a more even cook.
    • Preheat the Traeger or other pellet smoker to 250 degrees F when ready to cook.

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    • Insert the temperature probe of the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the steak. Place the steak directly on the hot grill grates and smoke at 250F until the internal temperature reaches 115 degrees F and then remove the steak from the smoker. (The time will vary based on the size and thickness of the steak).
    • While the meat smokes, mix all ingredients for the herbed compound butter in a small bowl. Place the bowl in the fridge until ready to serve.

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    • When the steak is nearing the end of the cook, add the ghee (or butter) to a preheated cast iron skillet or a preheated blackstone griddle and allow it to melt (being careful not to let it burn).
    • Add the steak to the hot griddle and sear for 2-3 minutes per side until the internal temperature of the steak reaches 135F or your desired doneness.
    • Let the steak rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes before serving topped with the compound butter.

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    • When the steak is nearing the end of the cook, add the ghee (or butter) to a preheated cast iron skillet or a preheated blackstone griddle and allow it to melt (being careful not to let it burn).
    • Add the steak to the hot griddle and sear for 2-3 minutes per side until the internal temperature of the steak reaches 135F or your desired doneness.
    • Let the steak rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes before serving topped with the compound butter.

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    Recipe FAQ’s

    Why should I let the steak rest?

    Resting steak after cooking makes a big difference as it allows the juices in the steak to redistribute throughout the meat rather than drain out upon cutting immediately.
    The internal temperature will continue to rise as your steak rests which is why it’s important to remove steak from the heat source prior to it reaching the internal temperature you desire.

    At what internal temperature is steak done?

    The USDA suggests an internal temperate of 145 degrees F plus a 3 minute rest for steak. However, cooking times and temperatures will vary based on your desired degree of doneness. I always recommend using a meat thermometer, like the meater+.

    In addition, steak should be removed from the heat source when the internal temp is about 5 degrees lower than your desired level of doneness to prevent it from overcooking as it rests.

    Rare – 125 degrees F
    Medium Rare – 135 degrees F
    Medium – 145 degrees F
    Medium Well – 150 degrees F
    Well Done – 160 degrees F

    Source: certifiedangusbeef.com

    Can I make this steak on a charcoal grill?

    Yes! While the process differs slightly, you’ll still get a great charcoal smoke flavor on a grill without an electric smoker. The process involves cooking the steak over indirect heat before a hot sear with more airflow. This is a great article on How to Reverse Sear a Tomahawk Steak on a charcoal grill.

    A Disease That Can Make It Feel Like Someone Is Peeling Your Skin With A Potato Peeler Is Spreading At An Exponential Rate

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    I would highly recommend that you take this new global monkeypox outbreak very seriously.  On May 6th, there was one case.  Now it has spread to 78 countries and there are 14,945 cases.  In nation after nation we have seen monkeypox cases take off at an exponential rate, and that includes the United States.  Monkeypox cases have now been confirmed in 45 U.S. states, and the total number of U.S. cases has jumped to 2,102.  Any chance of containing this disease is gone, and that is really bad news.

    Many have pointed out to me that this virus has been spreading primarily among those that are engaged in certain types of risky sexual activity, but that is not the only way that it spreads.

    A bartender in Dallas named Luke Shannahan recently got monkeypox, and he is not quite sure how he contracted it

    He’s not sure exactly how he got it, but Luke was contacted by the Dallas Health Department who told him he may have been exposed to monkeypox.
    
    “I was at bars. I was going to pool parties. I did attend a music event over the weekend and recently all of those people have been becoming positive,” Luke said. “Apparently it was a contact tracing phone call.”

    It is entirely possible that he was engaged in sexual activity that he is not admitting.

    But if it is true that a lot of people that were at the same music event ended up contracting monkeypox, that would suggest that it is spreading fairly easily even in casual settings.

    After the call from the Dallas Health Department, he was given a monkeypox vaccine, but that didn’t prevent what came next

    Shannahan was administered a monkeypox vaccine after he was diagnosed, but still became bedridden for two days and felt so ill he feared for his life.

    I keep making the same point, but most people out there still don’t seem to get it.

    This is not the same monkeypox that we have dealt with before.

    Scientists are telling us that there are approximately 50 key mutations that set this virus apart from previous strains of monkeypox…

    But in the new study, when microbial genomics researcher João Paulo Gomes of Portugal’s National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge (INSA) and his colleagues compared 15 virus samples from the current outbreak with viruses isolated from people who traveled to West Africa in 2018 and 2019, they found that the present-day virus had mutated about 50 times in just four years.

    So the truth is that we may be starting from square one because this virus is radically different from anything that we have previously faced.

    And as I have warned in previous articles, this is a virus that you definitely do not want to catch.

    According to Shannahan, any time that one of the sores on his skin touched something, it felt like “someone is taking a potato peeler to your skin”

    Revealing his illness, Shannahan told KHOU 11: ‘It’s just the most traumatic experience I’ve ever had. It’s the worst sick I’ve ever been.
    
    ‘You have these blisters that are inflamed and anytime it grazes something or touches something, it literally feels like someone is taking a potato peeler to your skin.’

    It turns out that Shannahan has also had COVID, but he says that monkeypox is “100 times worse”

    ‘The pain and tenderness was constant,’ he said.
    
    Asked whether it was like Covid, he said: ‘Oh, 100 times worse. this was a totally different level of extreme fatigue.’

    If the number of cases continues to rise at an exponential rate, it won’t be too long before monkeypox is literally everywhere.

    So what will we do then?

    If it can spread among people gathered at a music festival, then it can also spread at a church, at a store or at a school.

    Will health authorities ultimately decide that extended lockdowns are necessary?

    And will the general public start clamoring for such lockdowns?

    Let’s hope not.  Personally, I don’t want to see lockdowns in the United States ever again for any reason.

    But once people start to understand the sort of pain this virus causes, there will be a lot of panic among the general public.  Shannahan says that during his worst days it was as if “someone took a ball of needles and kept on stabbing you with it”

    “The pain and tenderness was constant,” Shannahan said. “It’s like if someone took a ball of needles and kept on stabbing you with it.”

    Of course Shannahan is not the only victim that is speaking out.

    Another victim named Gabriel Morales says that he spent eight days alone in his apartment in “excruciating pain” after he contracted the virus…

    Although he was covered with lesions, it took four hours of phone calls, and then five hours in a Harlem emergency room, for Gabriel Morales to be tested for the monkeypox virus earlier this month. And that was just the beginning of his wait.
    
    Mr. Morales was sent home and told the Department of Health would call with his results in less than a week. The call never came.
    
    He spent the next eight days alone in his apartment in what he described as excruciating pain, trying to find someone to prescribe him pain medication and a hard-to-access antiviral drug.

    Doesn’t that sound fun?

    If this virus is not contained, we could soon have millions upon millions of victims suffering through the most intense pain that they have ever experienced in their entire lives.

    And just about everyone else could be in a state of full-blown panic because they are so fearful of catching the virus themselves.

    There is a very real possibility that this plague could cause even more panic than COVID, and so it is absolutely imperative that authorities get this thing under control.

    Unfortunately, many experts are now entirely convinced that it will be impossible to do so

    It has been a mere nine weeks since the United Kingdom announced it had detected four cases of monkeypox, a virus endemic only in West and Central Africa. In that time, the number of cases has mushroomed to nearly 13,000 in over 60 countries throughout Europe, North and South America, the Middle East, new parts of Africa, South Asia, and Australia.
    
    The growth in cases and the geographic spread has been rapid and relentless.
    
    Now, even as global health officials race to curb spread of the virus, most experts polled by STAT said they don’t believe it will be possible to contain it.

    For the record, I specifically warned that something just like this would happen.

    Now that day has arrived.

    I am still hoping that the numbers will start to level off and that this crisis will start to fade.

    But I have been closely watching the numbers each week and so far that has not happened.

    In fact, I believe that the WHO will soon officially declare that we have another global pandemic on our hands.

    An era of great pestilences is here, and none of our lives will ever be the same again.

    American Host REACTS to FACTS about CHINA

    "China is run by engineers. - We're fucked."

    This is a fun video. Please check it out.

    Yankee Pot Roast

    Pot roast has been a long-time popular dish in New England, especially appreciated on long, cold winter nights. Food world icon James Beard claimed that the dish’s roots can be traced back to France—apparently, French immigrants displayed their cooking method, à l’étouffée, for tenderizing meats, and thus the pot roast was born.

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    Pot Roast

    This pot roast recipe is an easy and absolutely delicious dinner! The trick? Canned onion soup! This recipe has been in my family for decades, passed down from generation to generation – and it’s the absolute best!

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    My grandmother came up with this pot roast recipe, simply using a big beef chuck roast, cans of condensed onion soup, potatoes and veggies. That’s it! Assembly takes just a few minutes, before you pop your pot roast in the oven and let it slow cook for four hours. For tender, flavorful pot roast, follow these steps. It can’t get easier!

    Ingredients for Pot Roast

    • Boneless beef chuck roast – boneless beef chuck roasts make the best pot roast! I do not recommend chuck shoulder roasts for pot roast. A shoulder roast is a different cut of beef that is leaner and doesn’t shred as well as boneless chuck!
    • Canned French Onion Soup – onion soup will flavor your roast in a delicious premade oniony beef broth without the extra effort of making your own broth! My grandma always used Campbell’s Condensed French Onion Soup because of its rich flavor. It’s delicious. This is not an ad!
    • Fresh herbs (optional) – I like to add fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme to my onion soup broth for aromatics. It’s the perfect extra touch! This is optional.
    • Potatoes and root vegetables (optional) – although this step is optional, why not cook your sides in the broth with your pot roast? I like using baby red potatoes and baby carrots. You can also add cubed rutabagas, turnips, pearl onions or shallots!

    How to Make Pot Roast

    1. Choose the right piece of meat in the grocery store! You want a 3 to 4 pound boneless chuck roast. A chuck shoulder roast is not the same thing! Make sure the size of your pot roast is between 3-4 pounds so the cooking time listed below gives you the best results!
    2. Place your chuck pot roast in a roasting pan. I use my 12x10x2 inch roasting pan. You’ll want a pan that’s large enough to fit your roast and deep enough to fit the broth!
    3. Add 4-5 cans of onion soup, so your roast is mostly submerged in liquid. I usually end up using five 10.5 ounce cans.
    4. Add as many potatoes, carrots and other veggies that can fit without the soup overflowing out of the pan! If your potatoes or vegetables are large, cut them into rough cubes.
    5. If you want to add in some herbs, pinch off a small handful of rosemary and thyme from the sprigs. If you only have dried herbs, you can use them instead!
    6. Cover your pan tightly with foil and place your pot roast in a preheated 300-degree oven for 4 hours. You might want to place a baking sheet or a few sheets of foil on the bottom rack of your oven to catch any juices that overflow!
    7. Let your pot roast slow cook for those 4 hours, untouched! At 4 hours, your roast should reach an internal temperature of at least 190 degrees for tender pot roast. Carefully take your roast out of the oven and enjoy, with lots of spoonfuls of that delicious onion soup broth.

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    Ingredient Substitutions

    • Fresh herbs – substitute dried herbs for fresh herbs.
    • I do not recommend using dried onion soup mix!

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    Use 4-5 cans of soup so that the pot roast is mostly covered in onion soup broth.

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    What is the best cut for pot roast?

    Boneless beef chuck roast is the best cut of meat for pot roast. A chuck shoulder roast is not the same thing! A shoulder roast is a different cut of beef that is leaner and doesn’t shred as well as boneless chuck roast. The shredded texture of chuck pot roast is unmatched!

    Is pot roast beef or pork?

    Pot roast is a beef dish, made by slow cooking (braising) an inexpensive, typically tough cut of beef in liquid. The liquid is usually a rich broth that not only tenderizes the beef but flavors it! Looking for slow-roasted pork instead? Try this Pulled Pork recipe!

    What are the best potatoes for pot roast?

    The best potatoes are baby red potatoes. They fit well in a roasting pan without cutting them, and baby red potatoes have a thin skin and a waxy texture that stand up well to slow-cooking.

    What to do with leftover pot roast?

    My favorite way to use leftover pot roast is to make a pot roast sandwich! Use rye or your favorite bread, slather with mustard, and stack with shredded hot or cold pot roast. There’s nothing better in the world!

    How long is pot roast good for?

    A cooked pot roast should last for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

    How to reheat your pot roast?

    Reheat your pot roast by shredding it into small pieces in the broth, covering with foil, and heating in the oven at 350 degrees until hot. If you’re really in a pinch, place shredded pot roast, broth and veggies in a microwave safe covered dish and heat in increments of 30 seconds until hot.

    Can you freeze pot roast?

    Absolutely! Pot roast freezes very well, although the veggies might get mushy. I recommend using frozen pot roast within 3-4 months.

    What to Serve with Pot Roast

    One of the best parts about this pot roast recipe is that it’s easy: your veggies and potatoes (the side dishes) go right into the pan to slow cook with your roast for a complete dinner!

    Root vegetables like carrots, turnips and rutabagas are classic accompaniments for pot roast. I love using a blend of veggies, along with baby potatoes and pearl onions or peeled shallots. They’ll absorb all the rich flavors of the onion soup broth, which is just AMAZING!

    You can also serve your pot roast with Homemade Yeast Rolls, Buttery Crispy Potatoes Anna, Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, or Roasted Carrots & Leeks.

    From the ex-con forum…

    I did 15 years in prison and when I got out it was like being on another planet. Everything had changed so much and it was so overwhelming, I couldn’t even walk into a store or just be around everyday people without panicking and sweating, words couldn’t describe how I felt… I stayed at a men’s shelter for 11 months and did any kind of work I could do. I got a car, got my own place and met a woman who changed my life. I’m a plumber, but I had been gone so long and so much had changed that I was scared to get back into plumbing, plus I had 20 years probation. I was blessed to be given the greatest Probation Officer in the world, who after time had faith and believed in me. Don’t get me wrong, when I screwed up and/or got too cocky she let me know who was in charge and hammered me!! But I kept proving myself and she would give me a little more and a little more lead way which also built my confidence in myself. That’s how a P.O. should act and treat you, especially as long as I had been down. I would not have or be in the situation that I’m blessed with if it wasn’t for having the Probation Officer I was given…. Thank you Kimiko..

    My P.O. gave me the ok to work at a plumbing Company and I was rusty as hell and felt stupid but I stuck with it. Plumbing prices had gone up 4 to 5 times higher from when I got put in prison and it blew my mind. I made. 40 cents an hour in prison and now I was making $20 an hour and I was in heaven. I kept giving people breaks on the jobs I did, especially the elderly and it wasn’t going over good with the company and we butted heads over me doing this where I finally said that I think I can do better on my own and the owner laughed and said, “ Good luck “… They just thought I was a crazy old long hair and didn’t know what I was talking about…

    So I talked with my P.O. and she gave me the green light to start my company. I hit the ground running. I contacted the Contracting Board , took the written part of the test and had to go before a 6 member panel and prove to them verbally and with documentation that I had turned my life around, because I was a felon. So I spoke (and I can talk) for 45 minutes and… they unanimously agreed to give me my Plumbing License…Ha!!!😎😎😎 . Just another thing all the know- it-alls said that I wouldn’t be able to get and/or do…I had built my credit up and got a $15,000 loan and started hitting up property management companies and started getting jobs and worked 12 to 14 hour days… that was 4 years ago and I haven’t looked back!! I let all the companies that I work for and all my long time regular customers know that I was in prison. All the stories you heard from the guys who got out and came back saying, “nobody will hire you or you can’t get a job”.. I don’t believe it!!! People LOVE the underdog and come back stories, you might get a few who are ignorant, but for the most part people WANT to see you succeed and go out of their way to help you anyway they can….

    I just bought my 3rd house , I have 2 guys working for me and the work just keeps coming in… i don’t advertise, only the artwork on my van and business cards …word of mouth is the best. At my 5 year mark of being out I got a lawyer, petition the court to consider letting me off probation and the judge granted my motion and terminated the 15 years of probation I had left.. which rarely happens and guess who said THAT would never happen….the haters.…I was a drug addict and I was a hot mess and I wouldn’t have any of this if it wasn’t for my God and my Sobriety. I promised my God, myself and my daughter that I would do everything I could not to be that person that I was, if he could just help me make it out of prison alive. God kept up his end of the bargain and I have been sober since the day they put handcuffs on me on December 23rd 2000… And the woman I met… She’s my best friend, my beacon of light and loves me to death and she went and married me and it will be 4 years this December of 2021 and I’ve never been so happy!! It’s like a dream come true. I get to open my eyes every morning seeing this angel …. Thank you God!!

    I was released from prison June 12th, 2015….

    The reason I’ve written this long ass post is to try and pass on …it CAN be done!!! Don’t listen to the know-it-alls that got out and kept coming back inside saying how “you can’t do this, or you can’t do that”.. they didn’t want to put the work in!!! I did EVERYTHING they all said that I wouldn’t be able to do..I didn’t write all this to brag, I wrote this to let y’all know your dreams can come true after you get out no matter what you did… go for it!

    An event at the Kroger Grocery Store…

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    “I went to Kroger tonight wearing one of my husband’s sweatshirts. I got in line to check out and the man in front of me asked if the sweatshirt was mine.

    I said ‘oh no, it’s my husband’s.’ It caught me pretty off guard, to say the least. He then asked if Austin was with me so he could say thank you and I just said ‘thank you, but unfortunately, he’s deployed right now.’

    The man then, without hesitation started putting my groceries up on the belt with his and told me he was paying for my groceries tonight.

    I was speechless.

    The only thing I could get out was, ‘oh my gosh, are you sure, thank you so much’ almost a dozen times. He said, ‘that place over there almost took me away from my wife and my four kids. Promise you’ll stay true and honest to him while he’s gone and love him like you’ve never loved him before when he gets home.’

    I’m still in shock over an hour later.

    There’s still so much good in the world and we need to start focusing on that rather than focusing on all the bad.”

    Oligarchy or Patriarchy? Rule by the Few or Rule for the Many?

    By Batiushka for the Saker Blog

    Introduction: Capitalism or Communism?

    A commentator on this site recently accused me of being ‘a visceral anti-Communist’! I was quite amused (but also grateful, as he has inspired this essay). Such an accusation goes back to the old twentieth-century apparent abyss between ‘Left and Right’. Actually, although I have always been a social conservative, I have also always been for social justice, as I have said elsewhere. This would make me, I suppose, both left and right. Indeed, I have elsewhere (in the USA) been accused of being a ‘Socialist’, though it does not take much to be accused of Socialism in the USA. The word ‘justice’ alone is usually enough.

    How do we square the circle, reconcile the apparently irreconcilable difference, as it seemed in the last century, between left and right? Let us look at the two systems of governance in today’s world, the Western system of the 13%, which is in effect rule by the few, in Greek called ‘Oligarchy’, and the system of the world’s 87%, rule for the many, which I will call ‘Patriarchy’. (Here I blatantly ignore the stereotypical feminist rejection of such a word, because it means something quite different to what hidebound Western feminists, imprisoned by their ideology, understand by it).

    Oligarchy

    Oligarchy (1) is simply Neo-Feudalism, rule by robber-barons, in this case, the financial barons who live in their contemporary castles. This is why Oligarchy is Anti-National, Anti-Sovereign, Anti-Traditional Religion, Anti-Traditional Culture, Anti-National Infrastructure and Anti-Family (2). This is why Oligarchy, through its CIA and other assets, has over the generations brought down so many monarchies and national governments, like that of De Gaulle in France in 1968. It does not mind fictitious monarchies, as in the UK, the Netherlands, Scandinavia and Spain, as they are simply businesses, manipulations of the masses for large sums of money.

    The Oligarchy does not like national identity, it destroys nation-states, as in the EU, for it wants ‘World Government’, which is code for World Dictatorship. This is the Dictatorship of the uprooted, which is why the Jewish component in it is strong (Jews have been uprooted ever since the Romans uprooted them in 70 AD). Oligarchy is based on the priority of accumulating money and therefore guarantees corruption, instability and the boom-bust cycle, because it rules by the financial sector. Hence the importance of Wall Street in New York, The City in London, Frankfurt in Germany and La Bourse in Paris. Hence the importance in all these countries of financial indices, which, so strangely, are always announced in their national news by their media.

    Although Neo-Feudalism is also called Neo-Liberalism and is more commonly still known by the euphemism ‘Democracy’, it is run on the base profit motive, known by the euphemism ‘Monetarism’. It is certainly not Democracy because political parties are controlled by ultra-wealthy ‘donors’ and ‘lobbies’, that is, by the Oligarchy. This is why Democracy is also unfairly called ‘Demonocracy’, the choice for voters between a moron and a cretin. Very sadly, judging by recent leaders of the US/UK/EU, perhaps that is not so unfair, for most Western leaders are indeed oligarchs (Bush, Trump), or else the puppets of oligarchs (Macron, Draghi). The Oligarchy’s aim is always to preserve its elitist privileges.

    No wonder there are so many conspiracy theories around covid, for example, that the Oligarchy invented covid because it wanted to kill off or zombify seven billion plus in order to create more resources for itself. By definition the profit motive of Oligarchy has no interest in the majority of the world because it wishes to strip their natural resources. Another word for this is ‘Parasitism’. The Oligarchy plunders the rest of the world. This strategy is enforced very aggressively by militaristic crusades (just as in the twelfth century, except now with high tech), forcing others to sell off (‘privatise’) their land, mineral resources, utilities and infrastructure to the Oligarchy’s agents.

    This is why the Oligarchy is dominated by two sectors: finance and militarism, by its aggressive economic and military warfare against the rest of the world. Any who resist are threatened by economic sanctions or bombing (‘back into the Stone Age’). This is why the USA has 750 foreign military bases, spread across 80 nations. (After the USA is the UK, with one fifth of the US population, so with ‘only’ 145 bases) (3). Therefore the Oligarchy creates clients around the world wherever it can. These vassals follow exactly what the Oligarchy tells them to do. In other words, they are ‘zelenskyised’, for the Oligarchy has as its strategy looting the rest of the world, as in the Ukraine, Iraq, Libya, Syria etc etc.

    Patriarchy

    ‘Patriarchy’ is rule for the benefit of the people. Patriarchy, exactly the opposite of Oligarchy, is Pro-National, Pro-Sovereignty, Pro-Traditional Religion, Pro-Traditional Culture, Pro-National Infrastructure and Pro-Family. The four great traditional religions of the world, Orthodox Christianity (and its cousin of Latin American, African and Asian Catholicism), Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism, are Patriarchal. The bulk of the world, over 6 billion people, Russia, most of Asia (China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam…), Africa and Latin America, confess Patriarchy, ‘throne, altar and cottage’ (4). Thus, in the Tsar’s Russia, the State ran the economy through private investors, competing for contracts granted by the State.

    Today, China, ruled by Chinese Nationalism, even though it is called Chinese Communism, does much the same, though shunning the central planning that discredited Communism in the Soviet and Chinese past. India does the same. They let people get rich by being creative, by being productive, but add a component of social and national responsibility through reference to the national religious/philosophical ideology. Wealth is to be used widely, for the Nation is a higher value than mere lucre. Although we can find exceptions of corrupt oligarchs, they are the exceptions that prove the rule. When the exceptions get caught in China and Belarus, at least, they are taken out and shot, in China in prison yards, in Belarus in the forest And oligarchs do not always have an easy time of it elsewhere.

    The Patriarchal countries of Iran, pre-invasion Iraq, Libya and Syria, Russia and China are the enemies of the Oligarchy because they create industrial development by creating their own infrastructure, they provide everything to help do business and create the conditions for the potential prosperity of all. Patriarchy also provides free education and healthcare. This is exactly what ‘autocratic’ Prussia and Russia did five and six generations ago, with free education and healthcare, social insurance and pensions. Patriarchy provides the infrastructure for the basic human needs of the working people.

    The Oligarchy called Patriarchy ‘Autocracy’ (Moghul India, Imperial China, pre-1917 Russia), and now call it ‘Socialism’ or ‘Communism’, because these are the opposite of their elitist ‘Democracy’. Their ‘Democracy’ is what is dictated by Oligarchy. Any country that goes its own way or develops the potential power to go its own way, such as China and Russia, is called a ‘Dictatorship’ by the Oligarchy’s paid hirelings in its propaganda mouthpieces, which it calls ‘the Western media’. For Oligarchy sells off State services like education, healthcare, schools, universities, hospitals, roads, railways and public utilities, water, electricity gas and telecom, in order to pay dividends to shareholders. This is why countries like China and Russia are the Oligarchy’s enemies.

    Patriarchy is any country that is strong enough to make its own investments in its national infrastructure, any country strong enough to tax or control the financial sector. Patriarchy keeps banking in its own hands, so that it can finance the creation of infrastructure. It does not create money to lend to speculators to increase their profits, it creates production. So the chief public utility to be kept under the control of the Patriarchy is the banking system and credit creation. Patriarchy promotes just economic development. It prevents people from getting rich merely because they do not provide any productive service.

    Conclusion: Why is Oligarchy Supporting the Ukraine?

    Today the Ukraine is the battlefield where these two systems, Oligarchy and Patriarchy, are competing. The future of the whole world is being decided there. The Oligarchy has become embroiled ever more in its proxy war there because it intends to destroy Russia so that it can then destroy China. However, in order to do this, the USA must first finish off Russian-supplied Europe. The European elite has followed the Oligarchy’s dictates because its leaders are all only other ‘zelenskies’, whose strings are also pulled by the Oligarchy’s same puppeteers.

    This is why the dollar has recently been rising against the pound sterling and the euro (and also the yen). However, seeing this, other countries are seeking alternatives and the USA is threatened with dedollarisation. There is no end game in the Ukraine for the Oligarchy. Meddling in Russia and Europe has meant heading towards economic meltdown. The Oligarchy is now pulling down an iron curtain on the Western world, not to protect it from some imagined foreign military attack, but to imprison the peoples of the USA, UK, EU, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand. As those peoples cotton on, this will end badly for the Oligarchy.

    The Ash Street Shoot-out.

    This event honestly sounds like something straight out of a 90s action movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

    Our story begins with US Army Ranger Bill Foulk.

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    Sgt Foulk (the guy with the glasses in the center) with some of his Ranger buddies

    In 1989, Foulk decided that he wanted to make plans for his life after service; maybe settle down, marry a nice girl, start a family. Live the American Dream. In order to start, he bought a small house on Ash Street in Tacoma, Washington for $10,000 ($23,572 today).

     While all that was happening, this handsome lad, Ronald Reagan, was the 40th president of the United States. During his presidency he had many ideas, and one of them was his infamous War on Drugs. You see, in the 1970s, drug use had become a huge problem in the United States, so Reagan proposed that we should crack down on drugs through eradication, interdiction, and incarceration.

    However, this backfired. Spectacularly.

    Drugs became an even bigger problem, and they facilitated the rapid rise of street gangs, including the notorious Crips. As they expanded, they moved from their original territory in California all the way up to Tacoma, Washington.

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    The Crips, a notorious street gang that operated in the West Coast

    As they moved into Tacoma, they decided that Ash Street would be a good place to do business. Soon, the entire neighborhood had basically become an open-air drug market.

    Neighbors repeatedly called 911 on drug dealers and buyers, but to no avail. The Tacoma Police Department was hilariously underfunded, outnumbered, and overstretched. They could do little but watch as the gangs took control of the streets.

    This was the situation when Sergeant Foulk returned to his house after participating in Operation Just Cause in 1989. He quickly became annoyed with the drug problem and began videotaping the buys. Neighbors started doing the same. Eventually, an article was published in The News Tribune on September 21, 1989.

    “A group of a dozen neighbors who live in the area of South 23rd and Ash streets said they are on the verge of vigilante action because police have failed to curtail drug dealing around their homes.”

    In order to show solidarity, Foulk invited his neighbors to a barbecue.

    Foulk also called a couple of his buddies from the 2nd Ranger Battalion. Oh, and he also mentioned to them that they might want to bring their guns. You can probably see where this is going…

    On September 23, 1989, the Saturday barbecue began. While the meat was grilling and the neighbors were talking, a car full of Crips drove by. As they did, all of them pointed finger guns at Foulk and his guests.

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    The finger gun.

    The meaning was clear; “we’re going to smoke you tonight.”

    As it got dark and the neighbors left, Foulk and his Rangers took up defensive positions around his house. At some point, a car pulled up and two gang members got out. One of them took BB gun shots at the video camera Foulk had set up.

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    Gangbangers

    Foulk, fearless, stood up and walked across the street to the two hooligans and calmly requested that they leave his house alone. Probably high on drugs, they decided to respond by getting in his face and yelling that Foulk didn’t know who he was dealing with.

    Foulk responded by saying that no, it was them who had no idea who they were dealing with.

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    Army Rangers in Panama during Operation Just Cause

    The gang member responded with, “You’re history, bitch!” As they walked away, Faulk heard one of them say, “I’m gonna shoot that Army SOB.”

    Shortly after, he returned to his house and turned out the lights, signaling to his Ranger buddies to get ready. And then, at 9:20 pm, all hell broke loose.

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    Imagine being so stupid that you think attacking these guys is a good idea

    Dozens of Crip gang member surrounded the house and opened fire. The Rangers returned fire. In just 10 minutes, over 300 shots were fired.

    The Crips had entered the night laughing and high, probably expecting an easy target. Instead, they ended up having to run for their lives. None of the Rangers were injured.

    The incident drew national attention. The Tacoma police department finally got the resources they needed in order to effectively fight the gangs.

    And the most legendary part? Bill Faulk, who is now retired and married at 67 years old, still lives in the same house: 2319 Ash Street.

    From HERE

    Brendan Fraser

    A cocktail of circumstances contrived to make Brendan Fraser one of the most universally liked people on the planet right now.

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    Brendan Fraser

    Firstly, in his career he literally came out of nowhere and starred in a run of some of the defining movies of many peoples childhoods. In those movies such as ‘George of the Jungle’, ‘Dudley do-right’, ‘Blast from the Past’ and of course the ‘Mummy’ franchise, he almost invariably played the intensely likeable, funny, often naive, handsome, hero role. As a result people still mainly remember him in those terms.

    Secondly, he has a tragic backstory. After his prime in the early naughties, he more or less disappeared off the face of the earth, appearing in less and less movies and becoming more famous for his dramatic weight gain than any acting roles:

    For a while he was mocked for this in the press, however it has since come out that in 2003 he was the victim of a sexual assault by a very senior Hollywood player (allegedly Phillip Berk, the head of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association). At around the same time, his wife divorced him and the judge imposed crippling $900,000 dollar per year alimony payments on Fraser, which he was unable to make, and his mother died. He also suffered serious injuries from the many stunts he had performed over the years, leading to a knee replacement, major spine surgery and vocal chord surgery (he legally died for 18 seconds on the set of ‘The Mummy’ when a hanging stunt went wrong and he was hanged for real). All of these events sent Fraser into a deep depression which caused his weight to spiral out of control and his choice to speak out against his powerful abuser caused his career to stall. With this outrageous run of bad luck, it’s not hard to see how Frasers story inspires sympathy.

    Thirdly, perhaps surprisingly considering his experiences, he seems like a genuinely nice guy. Despite his financial troubles, he donated his entire salary from the 2013 film ‘Gimmie Shelter’ to the woman’s shelter featured in the film, he always seems to have time for fans and no one ever seems to have a bad word to say about him, which is quite an accomplishment for someone who has spent 30 years in Hollywood.

    All in all, Fraser comes across as a nice guy whom a large majority of people think fondly of whom has had an amazingly bad run of luck, and obviously many people are happy to see him come out the other side of that. The fact that he’s still a pretty great actor with a charismatic screen presence helps as well. He’s currently experiencing a strong career resurgence on TV with more movie roles coming along the tracks, and he actually seems pretty happy. People like to see people they like coming back from adversity, it’s like watching a friend or family member you had been worried about finally sort their life out and seem like everything is going to be ok.

    Tales of America…

    “I thought someone else would do something…”

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    March 13, 1964. 3 a.m

    Catherine’s friends called her Kitty.

    She was young, just twenty-eight, and petite. Tiny really.

    And on this particular night, she was screaming for her life, as loudly as she could. After all, there were people all around. Someone would have to hear her.

    Right?

    Her shouts went on for thirty minutes, as her killer sliced her, mutilating her body.

    38 neighbors heard her scream.

    38.

    How many tried to help her? How many called the police?

    None.

    Why?

    “I thought someone else would do it.”

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    April 28, 2010. 5:30 a.m.

    Hugo Alfredo Tale-Yax, a homeless man in Queens, New York, threw himself into action as he saw another man trying to mug a woman.

    He was stabbed, several times and collapsed, lying on the sidewalk.

    His wounds were bad, but they shouldn’t have been lethal.

    He laid there for an hour before bleeding to death.

    Video footage showed 20 people pass his body.

    20

    One rolled his body over and just walked away. Another snapped a photo of him bleeding out but couldn’t be bothered to call an ambulance.

    When help finally arrived. Hugo was dead.

    Why did no one stop to help?

    “I thought someone else would do it.”


    What are the most deadly, most horrible words?

    “I thought someone else would do it.”

    The bystander-effect is this idea that we assume someone else will react, that they’ll do something, so we walk on, literally to the point of ignoring murder.

    It’s a cycle too: we don’t react and we assume because others are calm too that nothing was ever wrong in the first place.

    “I thought someone else would do it.”

    That string of words is responsible for more losses, more deaths, than we can possibly imagine.

    Tales of China…

    Be the Rufus. It’s our highest calling.

    Just some Rufus videos taken in China. I put them on you-tube. Hopefully they will not be banned. Imagine that! Videos that you can watch in communist China are banned in the USA. Who would have thought!

    Finally,

    I am officially banned from LinkedIN. All efforts to recover my extensive account, and work history is not accessible.

    But it’s a shrug of the shoulders and a “Meh. So what” moment.

    It’s probably for the best.

    But, you know, it’s a sign of the times.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

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    Questions of our times, and BANG, a new reserve currency is announced by China and Russia today

    “They should have understood that they (The United States and it's proxy nations) have already lost from the very beginning of our special military operation, because its beginning means the beginning of a radical breakdown of the World Order in the American way. 
    
    This is the beginning of the transition from liberal-globalist American egocentrism to a truly multipolar world – a world based not on selfish rules invented by someone for themselves, behind which there is nothing but the desire for hegemony, not on hypocritical double-standards, but on international law, on the true sovereignty of peoples and civilizations, on their will to live their historical destiny, their values and traditions and build cooperation on the basis of democracy, justice and equality. 
    
    And we must understand that this process can no longer be stopped.” 
    
    -Putin

    Guys, I’m in the middle of a move from my one house in JiDa to Zhongshan, so things will be a bit scarce. I will try to keep things a flowing, but don’t freak out by the density of the work.

    American “Democracy”

    American democracy
    “Democracy” American style.

    $270 million in new military aid to Ukraine; Officially Considering Supplying US War Planes

    The United States on Friday signed off on another $270 million in military aid to Ukraine including four new Himars precision rocket systems.

    The fresh aid will bring to 20 the number of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems sent to Ukraine and also includes up to 500 new Phoenix Ghost tactical drones, White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

    Kirby also confirmed publicly the United States Air Force is considering donating U.S. A-10 “Warthog” ground-attack aircraft to Ukraine.   This was reported verbally on the Hal Turner Radio Show a full 48 hours ago, but only now — 2 days later — is the Pentagon publicly confirming that earlier report.

    Fork-Tender Pot Roast in the Oven | Roast Beef Recipe

    Savory, fork-tender Pot Roast smothered in a rich brown gravy just might be the most wanted comfort food dish of all. This one, in particular, shines far above the rest thanks to a few simple steps other recipes are leaving behind. This is everything you need to know to make a killer Pot Roast every single time.

    Today, in addition to a must-have recipe, we’ll cover the simple formula for a foolproof, perfectly tender pot roast, how to know if you’ve been searing all wrong, easy steps to add more flavor to your roast, and lastly, how to take your gravy from good to great without a reduction!

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    THE SECRET TO PERFECTLY TENDER POT ROAST

    When it comes to making a perfect, fork-tender pot roast, it’s all about cooking the right cut of meat low and slow, at the right temperature, in the right amount of liquid…for the right amount of time. When all of these factors come together perfectly, you are guaranteed a fork-tender pot roast every single time. The best cut of beef for a fork-tender pot roast is beef chuck shoulder roast, and a three-hour braise is perfect for a 4-5 pound chuck shoulder.

    Braising sounds technical, but all it means is that you are cooking something partially in liquid (not necessarily submerged), in a covered dish. Dutch ovens are going to be your best friend for this cooking process.

    COOKING ROAST BEEF IN A DUTCH OVEN

    Dutch ovens are by far the best product out there for braising meats, which is exactly how we are going to be cooking our pot roast. Using the Dutch oven for cooking your roast beef allows you to build an incredible amount of flavor in just one vessel. It is also an excellent even-heat distributor because of its thick cast iron makeup. Here is a simple overview of how we will cook out roast beef in the Dutch oven:

    1. Season and sear the meat.
    2. Sauté the vegetables.
    3. Add in the braising liquid and the roast.
    4. Cook low and slow for 3 hours.

    ARE YOU SEARING THE WRONG WAY?

    The perfect pot roast recipe is all about building flavor, and the sear is where the flavor begins. After the roast is seared, it leaves behind a plethora of savory fats and juices on the Dutch oven floor. Then, the vegetables take a turn in all that beefy goodness, picking up on all those left-behind flavors. Once the vegetables have softened slightly, a bold braising liquid goes in, picking up on everything both the beef and the vegetables had to offer.

    But, before we can get to the end, we must start at the beginning, and as I said before, it all begins with a proper sear.

    2 ESSENTIAL TIPS FOR SEARING MEAT

    1. To prepare the roast, you should first pat it dry with a paper towel to remove any excess water from the cut of beef. This step is essential to getting a good sear on the roast before braising, which in turn, equals flavor.
    2. When searing a roast, you want to be sure that your meat is not going into the Dutch oven ice-cold. For the best sear, allow your roast to sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

    DON’T FORGET TO SEASON LIBERALLY

    Once the excess water has been removed, season the beef liberally with your favorite seasoning. Adding the seasoning directly to meat will help to build flavor. I use my personal favorite, TAK House Seasoning. It’s a mix of Kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder, and it’s perfect for beef.

    In addition to a fair amount of seasoning, we’ll also coat the roast in flour before searing.

    THE OIL MATTERS AND THIS IS WHY

    The type of oil you use for the process of searing is important. To get a good sear on the meat you must work with medium-high to high heat. Canola oil has a high smoke point, which means that it does not quickly burn, or quite literally begin to smoke as fast as let’s say, butter, which has a low smoke point. You can use an oil other than Canola, just make certain it has a smoke point of 400° or higher.

    KEEPING THE VEGETABLES SIMPLE

    After a nice crust has been developed from searing, the beef goes out, and the vegetables go in for a quick sauté. This is an elegant, yet simple pot roast, and calls for only onions and carrots from the vegetable department. The carrots add a subtle sweetness to an otherwise savory dish, and they’re absolutely perfect coated in a thick and luscious pot roast gravy.

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    A GRAVY THAT REQUIRES NO REDUCTION

    To achieve a thicker consistency for your pot roast gravy, adding just a little flour to the vegetables before adding in your braising liquid is key. This approach also eliminates the need for any sort of stovetop reduction after the pot roast has finished its stint in the oven.

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    WHY YOU SHOULD USE WINE IN YOUR BRAISING LIQUID

    Earlier, we touched upon a couple of things throughout the searing process that would help us to build flavor in our pot roast. Now, we’ll bring that flavor full circle with a perfect ending of red wine, beef broth, and fresh herbs. A bold red wine like merlot or cabernet sauvignon will enhance the flavor of your pot roast and take it from good to spectacular.

    After you’ve added your braising liquid to the mix, your roast goes back in, the Dutch oven is sealed, and it will need to cook for three hours total. Half-way through the cooking process, you’ll turn your roast, ensuring both sides are picking up on all of those amazing flavors.

    Remember, the braise is quite likely the most important part of the whole recipe, and allowing your pot roast to cook low and slow for the right amount of time will ensure a perfectly tender pot roast every single time.

    As soon as the cold winds finally start to drift into Texas, we gladly welcome them with open arms. And naturally, I begin to yearn for those hearty and warming dishes we love so much, and I don’t know that there is another meal in existence that speaks more loudly to this craving than this here very pot roast.

    Braised low and slow until fork-tender, smothered in a rich and savory gravy, and variegated with soft, sweet carrots. It is the epitome of comfort food. It’s a recipe that requires only simple preparation, time, and a hearty appetite.

    The You-Tube Video

    And, here’s the video on how to make the above…

    We arrested a father just after he had killed his own adult brother that was living with the family. A doctor and the arrestee’s 11-year-old daughter’s statement made it clear that the uncle had raped the child many times over the last several months resulting in her getting pregnant, which is why she was taken to the doctor.

    The family had been told to call us when the suspect got home, but the father got home first and shot his brother in rage when the suspect arrived. The father then called us, said he had killed his brother, made no effort to run, and was standing in front of his house with his hands up when officers arrived. We had no legal choice but to arrest him.

    The result was that the case was carefully walked through the district attorney’s office to obtain a DA reject and the father was released the next day, no charges filed. I still smile when I think about the instant justice of this case and how the father was treated with empathy since any father would want to kill someone who had raped his 11-year-old daughter.

    The low part of the trip to Vietnam

    Imagine that! Americans surprised that they are not imagined as heroes, and Rambos…

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    Czeslawa Kwoka, Polish Catholic, 14 years old.

    She died in the Auschwitz extermination camp on 18 February 1943 with an injection of phenol into her heart.

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    She died in the Auschwitz extermination camp on 18 February 1943 with an injection of phenol into her heart.

    Shortly before the execution, she was photographed by the prisoner Whilem Brasse, who testified against the executioner of Czeslawa, a woman who, before the photo was taken, hit her in the face, as the haematoma on her lip shows.

    We only see the face of a terrified little girl, who did not even speak their language and who had lost her mother a few days earlier.

    She was one of about 250,000 children and minors murdered at Auschwitz-Birkenau.

    The photo, originally in black and white at the Oświęcim Memorial, was coloured by Brazilian professional photographer Anna Amaral, who was impressed by Czeslawa’s photo and decided to make it available to everyone in colour.

    Russia And China Officially Announce A “New Global Reserve Currency”

    And once again, as happens often with consequential news in the United States and the West, no one has noticed and no one seems to care.

    If you’ve blinked over the last month, you may have missed it…

    China and Russia are taking their shot at the U.S. dollar. And as often happens with consequential news in the United States and the West, no one seems to notice or even care.

    Since the beginning of the year, I have been writing about the possibility of Russia and China challenging the US dollar’s global reserve status. Now, it’s happening.

    It shouldn’t be any surprise to those paying attention that Russia and China are strengthening their economic ties amidst continued Western sanctions on Russia as a result of the country’s war in Ukraine.

    What may surprise some people, however, is that Russia and the BRICS countries, including Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, are officially working on their own “new global reserve currency,” RT reported in late June. Nobody even seemed to notice.


    “The issue of creating an international reserve currency based on a basket of currencies of our countries is being worked out,” Vladimir Putin said at the BRICS business forum last month.

    .

    And of course, as Russia has been cut off from the SWIFT system, it is also pairing with China and the BRIC nations to develop “reliable alternative mechanisms for international payments” in order to “cut reliance on the Western financial system.”

    In the meantime, Russia is also taking other steps to strengthen the alliance between BRIC nations, including re-routing trade to China and India, according to CNN:

    President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia is rerouting trade to "reliable international partners" such as Brazil, India, China and South Africa as the West attempts to sever economic ties.
    
    "We are actively engaged in reorienting our trade flows and foreign economic contacts towards reliable international partners, primarily the BRICS countries," Putin said in his opening video address to the participants of the virtual BRICS Summit.

    In fact, “trade between Russia and the BRICS countries increased by 38% and reached $45 billion in the first three months of the year” this year, the report says. Meanwhile, Russian crude sales to China have hit record numbers during Spring of this year, edging out Saudi Arabia as China’s primary oil supplier.

    “Together with BRICS partners, we are developing reliable alternative mechanisms for international settlements,” Putin said.

    Putin continued, stating last month: “Contacts between Russian business circles and the business community of the BRICS countries have intensified. For example, negotiations are underway to open Indian chain stores in Russia [and to] increase the share of Chinese cars, equipment and hardware on our market.”

    In June, Putin also accused the West of ignoring”the basic principles of [the] market economy” such as free trade. “It undermines business interests on a global scale, negatively affecting the wellbeing of people, in effect, of all countries,” he said.

    Do not leave in a world consumed by hate…

    Her name was Rebecca Miller. She was the younger sister of a high school friend, and she and I became good friends as well.

    She was always a bit awkward, and until she met me, she had no other friends except her sister (my friend). She took every bit of criticism or pushback as a hostile attack. She never dated in high school, but she asked me out on a date once, to go bowling, and then she asked me to go to her senior prom (I was already in college in state, and still living at home). I found out years later, she did not ask me to go bowling because she liked me; she asked me as a test to see if I would be a decent date for the prom).

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    1987. Rebecca came to visit December 25, because she hated her parents and didn’t want to spend Christmas with them. We are Jewish and don’t celebrate Christmas. I told her that, and she didn’t care. I think she actually had a nice visit.

    She hated everyone. I was still inferior in her eyes, but she wanted to go to the prom. She used to joke that she had a list of people she hated, that went all the way back to her kindergarten years.

    After high school (and one year of a local college for me) all three of us wound up at the same university in California. The two sisters shared a dorm, and I was in a neighboring dorm. We were very close throughout college, but I always had to be careful about what I said or did. Not only was she hateful, but extraordinarily judgmental.

    She was an outspoken atheist, and I am Jewish. I wasn’t extremely religious (I’m still not), but I loved my community and culture, and spent a lot of time at the Hillel Jewish Center at my university. I couldn’t talk about any of that with Rebecca or even mention the center at all, or she would call me things like superstitious (which couldn’t be further from the truth). She also called me a cult member a few times.

    Looking back, I wish I had had the backbone to break off our friendship, but that would have meant losing her sister’s friendship as well (Rebecca controlled who her sister was allowed to be friends with).

    Toward the end of my senior year in college, I stopped hearing from Rebecca and plans kept getting cancelled. It turned out that I had made her hate list. Her sister was not allowed to tell me why or see me again.

    As difficult as Rebecca was, I was a little sad, because we did have some good times together. I saw the two of them almost as relatives.

    Then I got a 19 page letter from Rebecca, telling me what a horrible person I am. Here are some of the reasons she gave for hating me:

    • I was a sexual pervert for ogling women all the time in front of her (I am gay, and I wasn’t out then, but I never ogled women).
    • I practiced a religion (Reform Judaism) which she equated with being ignorant and superstitious.
    • I wasn’t as smart as she was (She was in MENSA; I took the MENSA test and only scored in the 96th percentile, missing admission by 2 percentiles)
    • I majored in linguistics, and she majored in chemical engineering. She didn’t want to hang out with non-scientists.

    So she disappeared from my life for a few years. About 5 years after graduation, I received another multi-page letter from her asking for forgiveness. She had been seeing a therapist and was all better now. Dummy me, I forgave her and agreed to pick up our friendship where we left off.

    It went a little better this time,except that she and her sister lived together in California and I was back home in Las Vegas. They came to visit a few times, and I visited her and her sister once.

    Then…out of the blue, I got another huge letter. This one was more brutal than the last. I don’t remember all the points of this letter, but I do remember her accusing me of lying about having cancer (I really did have cancer) and she mentioned that she suspected I was gay, but it seemed more of an attack rather than a real suspicion. Some of the things she said in her letter indicated that she was somehow spying on me, which was bone-chilling.

    This letter was around 2000 or so, and that was the last contact I had with her. Later I found out what happened to her.

    Her sister found me on facebook around 2010, and told me that Rebecca had committed suicide, after a decade of really hostile, bizarre behavior.

    It seems she became deeply involved in the occult. Then she became a born again Christian. She tried to convert her sister (also an atheist) with no luck, and eventually cut ties with her, other than bombarding her mailbox with religious literature for 10 years.

    Then one day, the sister was notified of Rebecca’s death. Rebecca had specifically put in her will that her family was not to be notified, but apparently that was against California law. The sister did not cry any tears. Their mother was destroyed over it though.

    Rebecca had planned her death meticulously. She found homes for her two dozen cats, and went online to research the chemicals and methods needed for asphyxiation.

    The funeral had only two people there: The clergy and Rebecca’s mother. Rebecca’s sister waited in the car.

    I felt a little sad over the whole thing, but also free.

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    United States “defense” spending

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    China’s official government point of view.

    Please use this understanding in all discussions about “what will China do, or how will China react to American XXXXX”

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    The Story of Netflix

    Netflix is just the latest victim of a highly predictable cycle which has been going round and round for decades that entertainment companies for some reason seem completely unable to learn from.

    • Company introduces a service people like
    • Industry gets greedy and overexploits the model, increasing prices for everyone
    • Consumers find a way around paying ridiculous prices
    • something new comes along that re-engages customers and starts the cycle again.

    When TV was first introduced, everything was basically free at the point of watching. Then cable and satellite came along and started putting certain premium programmes behind a paywall. At first people were OK with it, they were paying but also getting a decent service, however the cable services diversified further and further, segregating movies, sports, and everything else behind further and further paywalls. In the early 2000’s, I remember my friend working out that if he wanted to see all the sport he wanted to watch on TV it would cost him £200 per month in various cable and satellite services. A lot of money in 2005.

    As a result, people started stealing cable. In the 90’s and 2000’s it was incredibly common for people to steal cable, almost everyone knew someone who could set you up with a dodgy set top box or a cable hookup. This acted as a bit of a brake on the cable companies who knew that if they pushed too hard, more consumers would just jump to stealing it.

    Then the internet came along and blew the doors off the system. The problem with internet piracy is that its effectively unstoppable and there’s approximately zero chance of consequences. 20+ years since it first became a major issue, governments and corporations are still basically powerless to stop it. The only things stopping people from streaming everything is that:

    1. People don’t like stealing. And,
    2. Its a pain in the ass. It’s often difficult to get a good stream to the show you want and it takes a while.

    Then Netflix came along around 2010 and seemed to offer a solution that worked for everyone – for a low monthly fee you got legitimate access to a huge array of movie and TV services all packaged in a slick and easy to use format. It more or less removed the motivation to pirate for a huge majority of people, and people got out of the habit.

    Now however, the exact same thing that happened with cable has happened again. Companies have seen the kind of money that can be made from streaming and are now taking their shows off Netflix and segregating their content behind more and more paywalls on their own subscription platforms. We are basically back where we were 20 years ago with cable where you are paying £200 for access to a dozen platforms if you want to access a similar level of content that early Netflix offered, only now there is an even easier way to steal content. What do they think is going to happen?

    U.S. Attempts To Make China An Enemy Require A Lot Of Fantasy

    The U.S. weapon industry needs U.S. enemies. Without those it is hard to justify an ever growing war budget. The most lucrative enemy, besides Russia, is of course China.

    But there is a problem. China has no interest in being a U.S. enemy and certainly not in being THE enemy. In its view that only takes away resources that are better used elsewhere.

    That is the reason why China avoids talks with the U.S. about military and strategic issues.

    CIA columnist David Ignatius thus laments:

    China wants to ‘reduce misunderstanding’ with the U.S. It could start by talking.

    ASPEN, Colo. — Chinese Ambassador Qin Gang assured a foreign policy gathering here this week that Beijing wants “to reduce misunderstanding and miscalculation” with the United States. If that’s true, why does China continue to resist a U.S. proposal to discuss “strategic stability” between the two increasingly competitive countries?

    What have talks about ‘strategic stability’ to do with reducing misunderstanding and miscalculation? The later can be achieved in very simple low level talks between ambassadors or politicians. There is nothing ‘strategic’ needed about them.

    President Biden said on Wednesday, before his covid-19 diagnosis was announced, that he expects to talk with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in the next 10 days, and a senior administration official said the president’s agenda will include a renewed emphasis on the risks in the relationship, and the need to establish better communications. But, so far, the official said of the Chinese, “they haven’t taken us up” on a U.S. proposal for the stability talks.

    The Chinese do not see and do not want instability so there is no need to talk about it. What they sees is a U.S. trick that would make it possible to designate China as an ‘enemy’.

    Ignatius’ next paragraph demonstrates that:

    This difficulty in developing a Sino-U.S. dialogue about strategic issues has frustrated the Biden administration. An important lesson of the Cold War was that nuclear-armed superpowers must communicate to avoid dangerous mistakes. But China has resisted arms-control talks even as it expands its nuclear arsenal, and as a result, it hasn’t learned a common language for crisis management in the way the Soviet Union did.

    China is not in a Cold war with the U.S. It does not see itself as a U.S. enemy. There is no reason then to talk in Cold war language:

    Biden first proposed the talks in a virtual summit with Xi last November, saying the two countries needed “common-sense guardrails to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict,” according to a White House statement at the time. Items on the agenda for such talks would include expansion of a 1998 agreement for avoiding maritime incidents, measures to avert dangerous military activities, and plans for a hotline and other crisis communication measures, the administration official said.

    If there were more agreements over incidents and military activities would the U.S. be more or less aggressive in its action against China?

    Why does the U.S. want a hotline and crisis communication? Would they not help the U.S. in provoking more incidents than it dares to do without them?

    Rather than embracing what former Australian prime minister and China scholar Kevin Rudd calls “managed strategic competition” in a new Foreign Affairs article, Beijing insists the United States should return to its old policies of supportive engagement, which facilitated China’s rise. Like nearly every other Chinese diplomat I’ve encountered over the past decade, Qin often repeated the phrase “win-win cooperation,” which China sees as a cure-all for its increasingly testy relationship with Washington.

    What is bad with a ‘win-win cooperation’? Why replace that with ‘strategic competition’?

    China wants to have it both ways as a superpower: flexing its muscles without being seen as a bully. Xi has been explicit in his “Made in China 2025” plans for dominance of major technologies. But China “has difficulty in recognizing the relationship [with the United States] as competitive,” the senior administration official said. Instead, it responds to criticism from the U.S. and Asian regional powers with a wounded tone, as though to say, “Who, us?”

    Lots of countries have lots of plans to have dominance in major technologies. The Netherlands (and German) have such a dominance in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, needed to make modern computer chips, as well as in several other fields. Other countries, France, South Korea, Japan, Russia, the U.S., have other industry sectors in which they are globally dominant. That is just the normal way of global capitalism in which countries seek to do their best not in all fields but in those in which they are better.

    Framing a strong and sustainable U.S.-China policy remains the Biden administration’s biggest long-term challenge, despite the current preoccupation with the war in Ukraine. Beijing is the only competitor that could genuinely challenge the United States militarily, officials believe. But Ukraine has complicated U.S.-China policy — for both sides.

    Now we come to the point. How please could China genuinely challenge the United States militarily? By invading Mexico and Canada or with a big landing force that threatens Los Angeles and New York? Why would China want do that?

    Xi was surprised that the Biden administration, which the Chinese expected would be weak and ineffective abroad, has been able to rally global support for Ukraine. But despite Xi’s wariness of incurring sanctions, he remains firmly aligned with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the senior administration official said. Hopes that the war might encourage a break between Beijing and Moscow were misplaced.

    Ignatius has forgotten to take his meds. The ‘global support’ is the NATO, EU and the 5-eyes spying cooperation. Those are some 34 countries out of the 193 UN member states. Why did anyone expect that China would not take the neutral stand that the majority has taken? Those who did should be send back to school to learn a bit about rationality.

    Enough with that blubber. Ignatius, like many other people in the Washington DC bubble, does not understand China and makes no effort to learn about it. These people just mirror what they think the U.S. would do and project that on a country that thinks in very different terms.

    Another example of these ‘thinkers’ is Elbridge Colby:

    Elbridge Colby’s The Strategy of Denial offers a blueprint for containing and combating China’s rise in order to preserve American freedom, prosperity, and security—emphasis on security. The argument turns on a very specific vision of China’s plans, which Colby does not attempt to link to actual Chinese policy or strategy for achieving hegemony in East Asia. The resulting prescriptions, although they’ve been lauded by some, are fatally flawed.
    
    Colby, deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development from 2017 to 2018, believes that China could pursue a “focused and sequential strategy” of threatened or executed “wars against isolated coalition members,” starting with Taiwan. He fears Beijing would do this in such a way that does not trigger a regional war but culminates in Chinese hegemony in Asia.
    
    To prevent this, Colby believes the United States must pursue a “strategy of denial” to preserve U.S. dominance in Asia.

    The problem is that there is no evidence that there is an actual ‘Chinese policy or strategy for achieving hegemony in East Asia’.

    Colby provides no sources that claim such. He made up the ‘threat’ because he things that is what the U.S. would do if it were China.

    The most glaring flaw is that Colby works off what he thinks China’s strategy should be, not the evidence about what it actually is. This is a particularly bad approach to analysis, because it makes mirroring or speculation easier to smuggle into predictions of adversary behavior.
    
    A good defense strategy requires an understanding of how the expected adversary plans to fight. Yet he does not engage with Chinese military doctrine, Chinese strategic thought, or the robust debate in the United States about Chinese strategy and ambitions. Instead, he argues that because of uncertainty about China’s strategy, the United States should simply focus on China’s “best strategy” for winning Asia. In Colby’s words, “a state’s best strategy does not ultimately depend on what the state’s leaders think it is” because it relates to “objective reality.”

    In consequence of his ‘garbage in’ process Colby’s output is likewise garbage.

    Building a response according to an adversary’s “best strategy” also makes you much more likely to miss what that adversary is actually doing. Colby defends his approach of strategizing based on China’s “best” strategy by claiming that “Defeating a bad strategy is easier and less costly than defeating a good one.” Therefore, if the United States prepares for China’s best strategy, any real Chinese strategy should be even easier to handle.
    
    In reality, the defense posture and investments needed to defeat an adversary’s “best” strategy might be significantly different from those needed to defeat an adversary’s second-best strategy.

    Colby’s book is not about strategy but about spending as much money on a U.S. position of aggression towards China as possible:

    Colby proposes that an American-led coalition impose a strategy of denial on China, blocking China’s ability to traverse the 80 miles of the Taiwan Strait. How to put the bell on the cat?
    
    “Defending forces operating from a distributed, resilient force posture and across all the war-fighting domains might use a variety of methods to blunt the Chinese invasion in the air and seas surrounding Taiwan.”
    
    The US and its allies might “seek to disable or destroy Chinese transport ships and aircraft before they left Chinese ports or airstrips. The defenders might also try to obstruct key ports; neutralize key elements of Chinese command and control … And once Chinese forces entered the Strait, US and defending forces could use a variety of methods to disable or destroy Chinese transport ships and aircraft.”
    
    Colby leaves what means we might employ here to the imagination.

    Like the first reviewer of Colby’s book this one also criticizes his factless starting position:

    It isn’t so much that Colby gives the wrong answers. He fails to ask pertinent questions about Chinese intent and technological capability. Instead, he gives us a pastiche of generalities that obscure rather than clarify the strategic issues at hand.
    
    In brief, Colby depicts China as an expansionist power eager to absorb territory, citing alleged Chinese designs on the Philippines and Taiwan on a half-dozen occasions – as if China’s interest in the Philippines were equivalent to its interest in Taiwan.

    Garbage input producing garbage output topped with militaristic fantasies do not create a good strategy.

    The problem is that in the next republican administration Colby will likely have another high Pentagon position.

    That makes such dumb thinking a danger for the world.

    Posted by b on July 22, 2022 at 15:59 UTC | Permalink

    Pepe Escobar July 22, 2022
    .

    NAM 2.0 drive – of which China is a key player – stands in stark opposition to how the Empire of Chaos – and Lies – wove its toxic net, via the war on terror, since the start of the millennium.

    Those were the days, in 1955, at the legendary Bandung conference in Indonesia, when the newly emancipated Global South started dreaming of building a new world, via what became configured later in 1961 in Belgrade as the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

    The Empire of Chaos – and Lies – would never allow a starring role for NAM. So it played dirty: everything from hardcore subversion and bribing to military coups and proto-color revolutions.

    Yet now, the Spirit of Bandung lives again, via a sort of NAM 2.0 on steroids: a Newly Aligned Movement, with the leaders of Eurasian integration at the vanguard.

    We just had a taste of which way the geopolitical wind is blowing at the gathering of a new power troika in Tehran. Unlike Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill in 1943, Putin, Raisi and Erdogan did not meet to carve up the world. They met essentially to discuss how another world is possible – through bilaterals, trilaterals, multilaterals and an enhanced role for an array of relatively new geopolitical and geoeconomic institutions.

    Russia – and China – have been on the forefront of all recent key decisions. Their diplomacy has brought Iran to join the SCO as a full member. Their pull is attracting key Global South players to join BRICS+. Russia has all but convinced Turkey to join BRICS+, the SCO and the EAEU, and facilitated the re-approximation of Tehran and Ankara as well as Tehran and Riyadh. Russia has largely influenced the remake/remodel process across West Asia.

    This NAM 2.0 drive – of which China is a key player – stands in stark opposition to how the Empire of Chaos – and Lies – wove its toxic net, via the war on terror, since the start of the millennium. The Empire tried to subdue what it described as MENA (Middle East-Northern Africa) on the basis of two invasions/occupations (Afghanistan-Iraq); a total devastation (Libya); and a protracted proxy war (Syria). All eventually failed.

    And that brings us to the stunning contrast between these two foreign policy approaches, graphically illustrated by the spectacular failure of the teleprompter-reading “leader of the free world” in his visit to Jeddah – he was not even allowed to go to Riyadh – compared to Putin’s performance in Tehran.

    Not only we are witnessing the lineaments of a Russia/Iran/Turkey informal alliance; we are witnessing the alliance reading a soft riot act to the Empire: leave Syria, before you suffer yet another humiliation. And with a Kurd-directed corollary: keep away from the Americans and recognize the authority of Damascus before it’s too late.

    Ankara could never admit it in public, but the fact is Sultan Erdogan – as much against US troops in Syria as Putin and Raisi – even seems to have swiftly calibrated his previous designs on Syrian sovereign territory.

    The much-debated Turkish military operation in northern Syria in the end may be restricted to taming the YPG Kurds. The heart of the action will in fact revolve around how the Russia/Iran/Turkey/Syria alliance will make like impossible for Americans stealing Syrian oil.

    As Russia is now on “take no prisoners” mode when facing the collective West – the mantra in every intervention by Putin, Lavrov, Medvedev, Patrushev – and on top of it firmly aligned with China and Iran, it’s inevitable that every other player across West Asia and beyond is giving undivided attention to the new game in town.

    Go Caspian, Young Man

    Interconnecting West Asia and Central Asia, the Caspian Sea has finally reached the geopolitical and geoeconomic limelight – complete with the groundbreaking consensus reached by the five littoral states at the Caspian Summit in late June to officially ban NATO from these waters.

    Moreover, the leadership in Tehran in no time realized how the Caspian is the perfect, cost-conscious corridor from Iran to the heart of Russia along the Volga.

    So it’s no wonder that Putin himself, in Tehran, proposed the construction of a key stretch of highway on the St Petersburg-Persian Gulf route, much to the delight of the Iranians. Cue to the nostalgic Great Game crowd in that former “rule the waves” island getting serial heart attacks: they could never imagine the Russian “empire” finally having full access to the warm waters of the Persian Gulf.

    So we’re back to the absolutely crucial re-engineering of the International North South Transportation Corridor (INTSC) – which will play for Russia and Iran a parallel role the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) plays for China. In both cases, it’s all about multimodal Eurasia-wide trade and development corridors immune from interference by the imperial Navy.

    And here we see the renewed importance of the hyper-strategic liberation of Mariupol and Kherson by the Russian and DPR forces. The Sea of Azov is now configured as a de facto Russian lake – and the same will eventually happen to what is bound to remain of the (currently Ukrainian) Black Sea coast, Odessa included.

    So we have the ultra-strategic Caspian-Black Sea maritime corridor – via the Volga-Don canal – seamlessly connected to the Black Sea-Mediterranean, and up north, all the way to the Baltic and the fast developing Atlantic-Pacific connector, the Northern Sea Route. Call it the Russian Heartland Water Roads.

    The NATO/Five Eyes/Intermarium combo has absolutely nothing to counteract these (overland) facts on the (Heartland) ground except to throw a pile of HIMARS into the Ukrainian black hole. And of course, keep de-industrializing Europe. In contrast, those across the Global South with a keen sense of history – as in the grand debate of ideas in a Hegelian sense – and also versed in geography and trade relations are busy getting ready to hit (and profit from) the new groove.

    Have strategic ambiguity, will travel

    As much as it’s a blast to survey all the instances of Russia playing strategic ambiguity to levels capable of baffling the entire, bloated “Western intel” apparatus, what is coming to the forefront is how Putin – and Patrushev – are now willfully turning up the pain dial to tactically exhaust not only the Ukrainian black hole but the whole of NATOstan.

    Western governments are collapsing. Sanctions are being ditched – practically in secret. A Deep Freeze winter is a given. And then there’s the incoming economic/financial crisis, the Definitive Monster from Hell, as Martin Armstrong has made it quite clear: “There is no way they can get out of this other than default. If they default, they are worried about millions of people storming the parliaments of Europe…This is really a tremendous financial crisis that we are facing. They have been borrowing year after year since WWII with zero intention of paying anything back.”

    Meanwhile, Moscow may be revving up the turbines to launch – this coming Fall? In the middle of Winter? Next Spring? – a multi-spectrum Mother of All Offensives, capitalizing on a rolling series of interconnected strategies that have already rendered dazed and confused every NATOstan “analyst” in sight.

    That would explain Putin looking like he’s cheerfully whistling JJ Cale’s Call Me the Breeze in most of his public appearances. In his crucial intervention at the Strong Ideas for a New Time forum, he enthusiastically promoted the advent of “truly revolutionary” and “enormous” changes that would lead to the creation of a new, “harmonious, fairer and more community-focused and safe” world order.

    Yet that’s not for everyone: “only truly sovereign states can ensure high growth dynamics.” What that implies is that the unipolar world order, followed by states in the collective West which are hardly sovereign, is condemned to fail, as it’s “becoming a brake on the development of our civilization.

    Only a self-confident sovereign who does not expect anything constructive from the collective West can get away with describing it as “racist and neo-colonial”, bearing an ideology that “is becoming increasingly more like totalitarianism.” In the old NAM days these words would be met with an assassination.

    So will the “rules-based international order” be preserved? Not a chance, argues Putin: the changes are “irreversible.” For those about to rock, NAM 2.0 salutes you.

    Living in an Asian country I realized that modern Western values of “rugged individualism” are silly… There’s a certain charm to it, but the multi-generational households of many non-Western nations are far superior in my view. I know many elderly Western people who take great pride in how “they’re still living independently on their own at eighty!” or whatever.

    Then they turn, say, 85, 86. Their health begins to worsen. Children and grandchildren stage some sort of mini-intervention and… grandpa or grandma gets sent off to the retirement home. Is visited a few times a year, sometimes more, sometimes less. Withers away. Dies in about a year or two, tops.

    In non-Western countries, I see elderly people living with their sons and daughters. They grow old surrounded by grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Some manage to hold a great-great-grandchild before they pass. Children, cousins, nieces and nephews live in houses nearby. Old friends at a walking distance.

    And I don’t know, but these old people who simply rely on family, to whom a thought of wanting to be “super independent” never occurs, who aren’t ashamed to “bother anyone” and live and die surrounded by younger relatives… they seem happier. More vibrant.

    My grandfather wanted to die the moment he got old to the point of losing some of his mental powers, his physical prowess, his skills. He lessened and had to rely more on others and he was always taught from an early age: “sink or swim”. He told me of old inuit walking into a snowstorm and freezing to death because they were “useless” and how he’d wish to get lost in a blizzard somewhere and die in a white blaze of glory…

    It’s immensely sad to me that he couldn’t have shared a household with me or one of my siblings and our kids. In another culture he might never have felt like a failure when Alzheimer’s hit him and he ‘lost it’. But in the West, he did.

    Russia and America compared…

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    Real life “John Wick”

    I present to you Julian Sinanaj (pronounced Youleean Sea-nah-naay), an Albanian contract assasin that worked as a lone wolf. Trained by the Russians, he operated initially in Greece and later in Albania. In the first page of his notebook he wrote “Don’t say anything to anyone or you’re going to get killed”.

    x
    x

    He operated for 15 years in Athens where he comitted over 20 assassinations. When he felt threatened by his clients there, he decided to move to Albania where he comitted another 6 assassinations, until he was cought by the Albanian police in 2014.

    All it took to organize a hit was to write a Gmail address named after the children’s socialist era movie “Beni walks by himself”. His nickname was “the cleaner”. Julian could shoot with both hands, with the same precision. In Albania he also took a full course on criminology in order to avoid detection and capture. (It didn’t work out that well)

    Julian also had some rules he went by. He did not accept commissions out of anger. Or he would not attack the target when accompanied by his wife and children. You know, the “clean conscience” affair.

    His capture was organized as an ambush when he lowered his guard, without an exchange of fire (which is how Albanian police usually operates). When the agents went to grab him, he offered quite a resistance despite being much smaller and thinner.

    As a trained assassin he remained silent but his girlfriend buckled under pressure. She gave them his address and there they found weapons, explosives and a notebook with detailed information about his targets, including pictures.

    Julian Sinanaj was able to avoid life in prison by confessing to everything. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Italian writer Andrea Galli wrote a book about him titled “Sicario. How to become a killer. A true story”

    The rules of the brotherhood…

    x
    x

    UK Agency Re-working Law to ALLOW INSECTS as Human Food!

    The United Kingdom “Food Standards Agency” has announced plans to review using INSECTS in — and as — human food.

    Earlier this month, the Food Standards Agency put out this public notice:

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    x

     

    The fact tthat any government, anywhere, is even THINKING of this, is astonishingly bad.

    In 81% of the “edible insects” studies have found parasites of which at least 30% are known to be potentially harmful to humans.

    Not only that, but these insect parasites literally mess-up your gut bacteria, also known as your microbiome.  You can read that lengthy (and highly technical/boring) study  HERE

    There are also stories claiming that earth’s TOPSOIL is fading fast, and “will be gone in 60 years” thereby necessitating that humans develop new food supplies You can read that story HERE.

    There are also alerts coming out now that levels of Plankton in the Atlantic Ocean have fallen so dramatically, that the Atlantic Ocean is all but “dead” from a Plankton food perspective, and that without Plankton, the supply of fish will quickly dwindle to zero, because Plankton are the base of the entire sea food chain.

    An Edinburgh-based research team says plankton, the tiny organisms that sustain life in the seas, has all but been wiped out. The team’s spent two years collecting water samples from the Atlantic and in a dire warning says this means the Atlantic’s ‘pretty much dead’.

    At the bottom of the food chain, plankton is consumed by the krill which are fed on by the fish that, in turn, provide nutrition for terrestrial animals including billions of humans.

    You can read about that study, HERE.

    All in all, the world seems to be going in a very dire direction on many, many, levels.

    Domino’s Pizza

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    x

    Lemon-Pepper Ribeye Filets with Roasted Tomatoes

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    Ingredients:

    • 4 beef Ribeye Filets, cut 1 inch thick (about 4 to 6 ounces each)
    • 2 cups red and yellow grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
    • 2 teaspoons olive oil
    • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1-1/2 teaspoons lemon pepper

    Cooking:

    1. Heat oven to 400°F. Combine tomatoes, oil, thyme, garlic and salt in medium bowl; toss to coat well. Arrange tomatoes, cut sides up, on metal baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Roast in 400°F oven 30 to 35 minutes or until skins are wrinkled and begin to brown.
    2. Meanwhile, press lemon pepper evenly onto beef Ribeye Filets. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Place filets in skillet; cook 10 to 14 minutes for medium rare to medium doneness, turning occasionally. Remove to platter; season with salt, as desired.
    3. Serve filets with tomatoes.
    • Wash hands with soap and water before cooking and always after touching raw meat.
    • Separate raw meat from other foods.
    • Wash all cutting boards, utensils, and dishes after touching raw meat.
    • Do not reuse marinades used on raw foods.
    • Wash all produce prior to use.
    • Cook beef until temperature reaches 145°F for medium rare steaks and roasts 160°F for ground beef.
    • Refrigerate food promptly.

    Questions of our times…

    Is this just someone’s opinion or is it objective fact?

    "Truly revolutionary transformations are gaining momentum more and more. They are, of course, irreversible. Both at the national and global levels, the foundations of a more just, socially oriented world order are being worked out. An alternative to the existing unipolar world, which is becoming a brake on civilization. The model of total domination of the "golden billion" is unfair! Exclusivity based on the illusion divides peoples into first and second class, and therefore is racist and neocolonial. And globalist ideology is increasingly acquiring the features of totalitarianism. It seems that the West simply cannot offer the world its model. The West did not accidentally became powerful, but it gained its position largely due to the plunder of other nations. Therefore today its elites are panicking that other centers may present their own development models."

    Hum…

    Some of these statements are absolutely true. “We’re in for Truly Revolutionary Transformation”. And it is Irreversible.

    And we’re all hoping that it will be “the foundations of a more just, socially oriented world order”. I for one believe that the root of ALL conflict IS perceived Injustice. It is very broad, and perhaps even difficult to know where to start. I think it is most important to start internationally. But we are completely at effect of various ministries of foreign affairs, many of which have a term of 4-5 years. Five years is too long to maintain “wrongheaded” policies, in these fast moving times.

    So the populations are precluded from effective action by this bureaucratic momentum. The western nations, being of origin Christian, are all hoping for a savior. Now, Russia has been given this savior role, (in our minds), because they have finally stood up to western billionaires. It will crack a lot of nuts.

    But will Russia take on this role to save the world? I highly doubt it.

    Why should NOT Europe and America, and the other pipsqueak Australians and Canadians stew in their own juices? All of their acquiescent populations have failed to clean out the “corruption of conflict and violence” that runs their country, and sequesters their wealth to destroy peace on earth. Most often, increased stress is met with increased repression.

    It is only billionaires that benefit from conflict. But it is always you that has to pay their way, in both gold and in blood.

    Will the western populations make a move? It is not that they are asleep and could eventually wake up. They can’t. They are in 100’s of years of “going with the flow”, and avoiding all risks.

    They were forced into 2 world wars with false flags and skewed reporting, but I am talking about the population’s inner desires.

    The best way to avoid these risks is with blinkers, (those things they put on a horse to limit its peripheral vision). They put them on themselves. To try to change those 100’s of years of acquiescence will only produce immense
    befuddlement, and lashing out.

    Acquiescence is a social stage when reliance on “Our Laws” has been
    achieved to uphold our present state of well-being, (for that part of
    the majority that enjoys control).

    In itself it is not necessarily bad or wrong. But movement from one social stage to another is very slow, even when conditions on the ground warrant it. Actually Russia was in the very same predicament, but then fortuitously the one word, NAZI, triggered a 70 – 80 year reset, and they are now fully willing to take
    action.

    The risk (of not taking any risks), is that the savior won’t come. You have to do it yourself. So no matter how positive armchair generals view Russian tactics and progress, and their potential against NATO: NOTHING IS ASSURED.

    I view these discussions of an inevitable move toward social justice as dis  empowering diversions, that keep the billionaires in power.

    Alastair Crooke  July 18, 2022
    .

    Putin’s policy of cleansing the Augean Stables of ‘predatory western capital’ is music to the ears of the Global South, Alastair Crooke writes.

    Of course, the conflict, to all intents, is settled – though is far from over. It is clear that Russia will prevail in the military war – and the political war too – by which is meant that whatever emerges in Ukraine after the military action is complete will be dictated by Moscow on its terms.

    Plainly, on the one hand, the regime in Kiev would collapse were it to have terms dictated to it by Moscow. And, on the other hand, the entire western agenda behind the Maidan coup d’état in 2014 would implode, too. (This is why an off-ramp, short of a Ukrainian rout, is next to impossible.)

    This moment thus marks a crucial point of inflection. One American choice might be to end the conflict – and there are many voices calling for a deal, or a ceasefire, with the understandably humane intent of ending the pointless slaughter of Ukrainian young men sent to ‘the front’ to defend indefensible positions, only to be cynically killed for no military gain, merely to keep the war going.

    Though rational, the argument for an off-ramp misses the bigger geopolitical point: The West is so heavily invested in its fantastical narrative of imminent Russian collapse and humiliation that it finds itself ‘stuck fast’. It cannot move forward for fear that NATO might not be up to the task of confronting Russian forces (Putin has made the point that Russia had not even begun to use its full force). And yet, to cut a deal, to move back, would be to lose face.

    And ‘losing face’ roughly translates to the liberal west losing.

    The West thus has made itself hostage to its unrestrained triumphalism, posing as info-war. It chose this unrestrained jingoism. Biden advisers however, reading the runes of the war – of relentless Russian gains – have begun to scent another foreign policy débacle fast heading their way.

    They see events, far from reaffirming the ‘rules-based Order’, rather the stark laying bare before the world of the limits to U.S. power – giving front of stage to not just a resurgent Russia, but one carrying a revolutionary message for the rest of the world (albeit a fact to which the West has yet to awaken).

    Moreover, the western alliance is disintegrating as war fatigue settles in and as European economies stare at recession. The contemporary instinctive inclination to decide first, and think later (European sanctions), has landed Europe in existential crisis.

    The UK exemplifies the wider European conundrum: The UK political class, frightened and in disarray, first ‘determined’ to knife its’ leader, only to realise afterward, that they had no successor to hand with gravitas to manage the new normal, and no idea how to escape the trap in which it is ensnared.

    They dare not lose face over Ukraine and have no solution that meets the coming recession (except a return to Thatcherism?). And the same can be said for Europe’s political class: they are as deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming fast vehicle.

    Biden and a certain network which spans Washington, London, Brussels, Warsaw and the Baltics view Russia from a height of 30,000 feet above that of the Ukraine conflict. Biden reportedly believes he is in an equidistant position between two dangerous and ominous trends engulfing the U.S. and the West: Trumpism at home and Putinism abroad. Both, he believes, present clear and present dangers to the liberal rules-based order in which (Team) Biden passionately believes.

    Other voices – mainly from the U.S. Realist camp – are not so besotted with Russia; for them, ‘real men’ take on China. These want just to keep the Ukraine conflict at a face-saving stalemate, if possible (more weapons), whilst the pivot to China is activated.

    In a speech at the Hudson Institute, Mike Pompeo made a foreign policy statement that clearly had an eye to 2024 and his taking the Vice-President spot. The gist of it was about China, yet what he said about Ukraine was interesting: Zelensky’s importance to the U.S. was contingent on his keeping the war going (i.e. saving western face). He did not explicitly refer to ‘boots on the ground’, but it was clear he did not advocate such a step.

    His message was weapons, weapons, weapons to Ukraine, and ‘move on’ – through pivoting to China NOW. Pompeo insisted the U.S. recognise Taiwan diplomatically today, irrespective of what occurs. (i.e. regardless of whether this action triggers war with China.) And he rolled-up Russia into the equation by simply saying that Russia and China effectively should be treated as one.

    Biden however, seems moved to let pass the moment, and to carry on with the present trajectory. This is also what the many participants in the boondoggle want. The point is that Deep State views are conflicted, and influential Wall Street bankers certainly do not warm to Pompeo’s notions. They would prefer de-escalation with China. Carrying-on therefore is the easy option, as U.S. domestic attention becomes fastened on economic woes.

    The point here is that the West is comprehensively stuck: It cannot move forward, nor back. Its structures of politics and of the economy prevent it. Biden is stuck on Ukraine; Europe is stuck on Ukraine and on its belligerence towards Putin; ditto for the UK; and the West is stuck on its relations with Russia and China. More importantly, none of them can address the insistent demands from Russia and China for a restructuring of the global security architecture.

    If they cannot move on this security plane – for fear of losing face – they will be unable to assimilate (or hear – given the ingrained cynicism that attends any words spoken by President Putin) that Russia’s agenda goes far beyond security architecture.

    For example, the veteran Indian diplomat and commentator, MK Badrakhumar writes:

    “After Sakhalin-2, [on an Island in the Russian Far East] Moscow also plans to nationalise Sakhalin-1 oil and gas development project by ousting U.S. and Japanese shareholders. The capacity of Sakhalin-1 is quite impressive. There was a time before OPEC+ set limits on production levels, when Russia extracted as much as 400,000 barrels per day, but the recent production level has been about 220,000 barrels per day.

    The overall trend of nationalising the holdings of American, British, Japanese and European capital in Russia’s strategic sectors of economy is crystallising as the new policy. The cleansing of theRussian economy, freed of Western capital, is expected to accelerate in the period ahead.

    Moscow was well aware of the predatory character of Western capital in Russia’s oil sector — a legacy of the Boris Yeltsin era — but had to live with the exploitation as it didn’t want to antagonise other potential western investors. But that is history now. The souring of relations with the West to almost breaking point rids Moscow of such archaic inhibitions.

    After coming to power in 1999, President Vladimir Putin set about the mammoth task of cleaning up the Augean stables of Russia’s foreign collaboration in the oil sector. The “decolonisation” process was excruciatingly difficult, but Putin pulled it through”.

    Yet that’s just the half of it. Putin keeps saying in speeches that the West is the author of its own debt and inflationary crisis (and not Russia), which gives rise to a great deal of head scratching in the West. Let Professor Hudson however, explain why much of the rest of the world sees the West having taken a ‘wrong turn’ economically. In brief, the West’s wrong turn has led it to a ‘dead end’, Putin implies.

    Professor Hudson argues (paraphrased and rephrased) that there are essentially two broad economic models that have descended through history: “On the one hand, we see Near Eastern and Asian societies organized to maintain social balance and cohesion by keeping debt relations and mercantile wealth subordinate to the general welfare of the community as a whole”.

    All ancient societies had a mistrust of wealth, because it tended to be accumulated at the expense of society at large – and led to social polarization and gross inequalities of wealth. Looking over the sweep of ancient history, we can see (Hudson says)that the main objective of rulers from Babylonia to South Asia and East Asia was to prevent a mercantile and creditor oligarchy from emerging and concentrating ownership of land in their own hands. This is one historic model.

    The great problem that the Bronze Age Near East solved – but classical antiquity and Western civilization have not solved – was how to deal with mounting debts (periodic debt jubilees) without polarising society and ultimately impoverishing the economy by reducing most of the population to debt dependency.

    One of Hudson’s key tenets is how China is structured as a ‘low cost’ economy: cheap housing, subsidised education, medical care and transport – means that consumers do have some free disposable income left over – and China as whole, is made competitive. The financialized debt-led model of the West, however, is high cost, with swathes of the population becoming increasingly impoverished and bereft of discretionary income after paying debt servicing costs.

    The Western periphery however, lacking the Near Eastern tradition, ‘turned’ to enabling a wealthy creditor oligarchy to take power and concentrate land and property ownership in its own hands. For public relations purposes, it claimed to be a ‘democracy’, and denounced any protective government regulation as being, by definition, ‘autocracy’. This is the second grand model, but with its overhang of debt and now in an inflationary spiral, it too is stuck, lacking the means to step forward.

    That latter model is what occurred in Rome. And we are still living in the aftermath. Making debtors dependent on wealthy creditors is what today’s economists call a ‘free market’. It is one without public checks and balances against inequality, fraud or privatization of the public domain.

    This neoliberal pro-creditor ethic, Professor Hudson asserts, is at the root of today’s New Cold War. When President Biden describes this great world conflict aimed at isolating China, Russia, India, Iran and their Eurasian trading partners, he characterizes this as an existential struggle between ‘democracy’ and ‘autocracy’.

    By democracy he means oligarchy. And by ‘autocracy’ he means any government strong enough to prevent a financial oligarchy from taking over government and society and imposing neoliberal rules – by force – as Putin has done. The ‘democratic’ ideal is to make the rest of the world look like Boris Yeltsin’s Russia, where American neo-liberals had a free hand in stripping away all public ownership of land, mineral rights and basic public utilities.

    But today we deal with shades of grey – there is no truly free market in the U.S.; and China and Russia are mixed economies, albeit ones leaning to prioritising a responsibility for the welfare of the community as a whole, rather than imagining that individuals left to their own selfish devices will somehow result in maximising national welfare.

    Here is the point: Adam Smith economics plus individualism is ingrained in the western zeitgeist. It will not change. However, President Putin’s new policy of cleansing the Augean Stables of ‘predatory western capital’ and the example set by Russia of its metamophose toward a largely self-supporting economy, immune to dollar hegemony, is music to the ears of the Global South and to much of the Rest of the World.

    Taken together with Russia and China’s lead in challenging the West’s ‘right’ to set rules; to monopolise the means (the dollar) as the basis for settling inter-state trade; and with BRICS and SCO steadily acquiring ‘bottom’, Putin’s speeches reveal their revolutionary agenda.

    One aspect remains: How to bring about a ‘revolutionary’ metamorphosis, without incurring war with the West. The U.S. and Europe are stuck. They are unable to renew themselves, as the structural political and economic contradictions have locked their paradigm solid. How then to ‘unstick’ the situation, short of war?

    The key, paradoxically, may lie with Russia and China’s deep understanding of the flaws to the western economic model. The West is in need of Catharsis to ‘unstick itself’. Catharsis can be defined as the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed, emotions attached to beliefs.

    To avoid military catharsis, it seems that the Russian and Chinese leadership – understanding the flaws to the western economic model – must then visit the West with an economic catharsis.

    It will be painful, no doubt, but better than nuclear catharsis. We may recall the ending to CV Cafavy’s poem, Waiting for the Barbarians,

    Because night has fallen and the barbarians haven’t come.
    And some of our men just in from the border say
    there are no barbarians any longer.

    Now what’s going to happen to us without barbarians?
    Those people were a kind of solution.

    Australian Reasoning…

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    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

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    Steaks, cats, human experience, life and Ukraine. A nice mix.

    Here’s a mix of some news, and a bunch of human stores. It describes the behaviors of bad people, and the good people. Some good ‘ol Americana thrown in. I hope that you enjoy the articles, the little history lessons, and the thoughts regarding others.

    Oh, and be the Rufus!

    NATO Boss Whines Citizens Should STOP COMPLAINING about costs of Backing Ukraine

    “Our citizens must suffer for Democracy!”

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    NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg says that citizens of the west need to “stop complaining” about increased prices for food and fuel because these are necessary to support Ukraine.

    Stoletenberg expressed his views in Brussels on Tuesday, telling assembled media he sees support for Ukraine as a moral issue; as if politicians have morals.

    Give ear to this two minutes of political rationalizing to justify the unjustifyable. Almost everything he says is a worldview which is NOT based in reality:

    Hal Turner Editorial Opinion

    Clearly, to me, he is trying to ‘guilt’ hundreds of millions of scared/threatened/angry EU citizenry. Did you know he left a position with Klaus Schwabb/WEF to assume the helm as NATO spokesperson?

    I don’t have enough spit for this creature.

    Classic Steak Diane

    First things first. Who’s Diane?

    According to What’s Cooking in America, Steak Diane was a popular dish in the 1950s/early 1960s, especially in New York City—in upscale restaurants, it was often prepared tableside with all the theatrics you’d expect from the flambéing of the cognac that is used to make the sauce.

    The iconic dish was supposedly named after the Roman goddess, Diana or Diane. Diana was the Goddess of the Hunt and also Goddess of the Moon, and Steak Diane was originally a way of serving venison.

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    Classic Steak Diane.

    Looking for a classic steakhouse dinner? Steak Diane is the answer. Served with a creamy pan sauce made with mushrooms, shallots, Dijon-style mustard, and brandy, this recipe will have you skipping reservations more often.

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    Classic Steak Diane.

    Ingredients:

    • 2 beef Strip Steaks, Boneless, cut 1 inch thick (8 ounces each)
    • 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
    • 1 pound sliced mushrooms
    • 1/4 cup minced shallots
    • 2 tablespoons brandy
    • 1/3 cup whipping cream
    • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
    • 1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
    • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

    Cooking:

    1. Combine lemon peel, salt and pepper in small bowl; press evenly onto steaks. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Place steaks in skillet; cook 12 to 15 minutes for medium rare (145°F) to medium doneness (160°F), turning occasionally. Remove steaks; keep warm.
    2. Add mushrooms and shallots to same skillet; cook 3 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add brandy; cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes until browned bits attached to skillet are dissolved. Stir in cream, lemon juice, mustard and Worcestershire sauce; cook 3 to 5 minutes until sauce is heated through and slightly thickened. Spoon sauce over steaks.
    • Wash hands with soap and water before cooking and always after touching raw meat.
    • Separate raw meat from other foods.
    • Wash all cutting boards, utensils, and dishes after touching raw meat.
    • Do not reuse marinades used on raw foods.
    • Wash all produce prior to use.
    • Cook beef until temperature reaches 145°F for medium rare steaks and roasts 160°F for ground beef.
    • Refrigerate food promptly.

    COVID mRNA “Vaccines” Compromise the Immune System

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    Recently, The Lancet published a study on the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines and the waning of immunity with time. The study showed that immune function among mRNA vaccinated individuals 8 months after the administration of two doses of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine was lower than that among the unvaccinated individuals.

    According to European Medicines Agency recommendations, frequent COVID-19 mRNA booster shots could adversely affect the immune response and may not be feasible.

    The decrease in immunity can be caused by several factors such as N1-methylpseudouridine, the spike protein, lipid nanoparticles, antibody-dependent enhancement, and the original antigenic stimulus. These clinical alterations may explain the association reported between COVID-19 mRNA vaccination and shingles.

    studies suggest a link between COVID-19 mRNA vaccines and reactivation of the virus that causes shingles [1213]. This condition is sometimes referred to as vaccine-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (V-AIDS) [14].

    As a safety measure, further booster mRNA vaccinations should be discontinued. In addition, the date of vaccination should be recorded in the medical record of patients.

    Several practical measures to prevent a decrease in immunity have been reported. These include limiting the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, including acetaminophen to maintain deep body temperature, appropriate use of antibiotics, smoking cessation, stress control, and limiting the use of lipid emulsions, including propofol, which may cause perioperative immunosuppression.

    In conclusion, COVID-19 mRNA vaccinations is a major risk factor for infections in critically ill patients.

     

    Friends & Friendship

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    New Zealand Statesman denounces Five-Eyes/NATO Pacific war plan

    A former New Zealand Cabinet Minister has warned that the actions of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in tying their two countries to NATO is pushing the Pacific towards war.

    Matt Robson was a Cabinet Minister in Helen Clarke’s Labour-led Coalition government, and served as NZ’s Minister for Disarmament and Associate Minister for Foreign Affairs, with intimate knowledge of Pacific affairs.

    He is also a barrister with extensive experience in international law.

    In a striking new interview with the Australian Citizens Party’s Citizens Insight program on YouTube, Matt Robson takes on the manufactured consensus regarding supposedly virtuous NATO standing against authoritarian Russia and China, which is being used to undermine NZ’s commitment to banning nuclear weapons and an independent foreign policy, and turn Australia and NZ into extensions of NATO in the Asia-Pacific, for confronting China.

    For Australia, Anthony Albanese is continuing his predecessor’s policies, which is bad enough, demonstrating Australia’s complete lack of independence on foreign policy; for NZ however, Ardern is actually destroying her country’s foreign policy principles, including its independent commitment to nuclear disarmament, by taking NZ under NATO’s nuclear umbrella.

    To see a NZ statesman say what no serving major party politician in Australia or New Zealand would be game to say today.

    Please click here to watch CITIZENS INSIGHT – New Zealand Statesman denounces Five-Eyes/NATO Pacific war plan – Matt Robson.

    The story of Cambodia

    Cambodia used to be a prosperous country. After the end of the Indochina War (1945–1954), under the leadership of King Norodom Sihanouk (1922–2012), the economy of Cambodia rapidly went up for the next twenty years, with remarkable achievements.

    In 1960, the GPD per capita of Cambodia was US$ 111,34 and it was even higher than both North and South Vietnam at that time (with US$ 51 and US$ 105, respectively).

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    Cambodia in the 1960’s.

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    Cambodia in the 1960’s.

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    Cambodia in the 1960’s.

    During the 1960s, while Vietnam was stuck into a devastated war, the economy of Cambodia continued to develop rapidly.

    The capital of Phnom Penh was among the “pearls” of the oriental world, where notable figures of the world such as French President Charles De Gaulle (1890–1970) and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (1929–1994) had their visits.

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    Phnom Penh was among the “pearls” of the oriental world…

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    Phnom Penh was among the “pearls” of the oriental world…

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    Phnom Penh was among the “pearls” of the oriental world…

    However…

    The fate of Cambodia was sealed on 18 March 1970, after the coup d’état against King Norodom Sihanouk, which was organized and implemented by the United States CIA.

    Since then, Cambodia was mired in a bloody civil war during the next five years (1970–1975), with hundred thousand deaths.

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    Cambodia civil war.

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    Cambodia civil war.

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    Cambodia civil war.

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    Cambodia civil war.

    Unluckily, the end of the Cambodian Civil War in 1975 did not mark the beginning of the new peaceful era for Cambodian nation. On the contrary, it subsequently marked the beginning of the Maoist genocidal regime of Khmer Rouge, as one of the most brutal dictatorships in 20th century.

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    Pol Pot

    With Cambodian Maoism in his mind, in just four years Pol Pot rapidly transformed his country into a massive “killing field”, where 2.0 to 3.0 millions of “counter-revolutionaries” or 1/3 of Cambodian population were exterminated!

    Historically, it was called the “Cambodian Genocide”, in which the whole country of Cambodia was returned to the “Year Zero” (Année Zéro).

    From a prosperous country during the 1960s, Cambodia became a constant famine-stricken and also one of the poorest countries in the world under the rule of Khmer Rouge regime.

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    The Khmer Rouge regime believed in a Marxist Utopia.

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    The Khmer Rouge regime believed in a Marxist Utopia.

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    The Khmer Rouge regime believed in a Marxist Utopia.

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    The Khmer Rouge regime believed in a Marxist Utopia.

    The whole economic structure of Cambodia was totally bankrupt to the root when Pol Pot decided not to use the paper money anymore!

    The city of Phnom Penh subsequently became a “ghost city”.

    There were no more French-style coffee shops, no more luxury cars, no more beautiful lights of neon at night, but only the so-called “people’s communes” located around the country, where people were forced to work until their last breath.

    These below pictures were about the city of Phnom Penh under the rule of Khmer Rouge.

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    The city of Phnom Penh under the rule of Khmer Rouge.

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    The city of Phnom Penh under the rule of Khmer Rouge.

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    The city of Phnom Penh under the rule of Khmer Rouge.

    The “Cambodian Genocide” was finally ended on January 1979, when the Cambodian national uprising together with the Vietnamese offensive finally overthrown the rule of Pol Pot and his henchmen.

    During the next twenty years (1979–1999), together with the Vietnamese military assistance, the new government of Cambodia under the leadership of Hun Sen continued the fight against the remaining Khmer Rouge guerrillas until the death of Pol Pot in 1998 and the total disband of the Khmer Rouge faction in 1999.

    Since 1993, Norodom Sihanouk officially returned as a King of Cambodia. Meanwhile, all of the former leaders of Khmer Rouge regime were charged with their crimes against the humanity.

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    The Khmer Rouge is defeated by joint Vietnam and local Cambodian forces.

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    The Khmer Rouge is defeated by joint Vietnam and local Cambodian forces.

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    The Khmer Rouge is defeated by joint Vietnam and local Cambodian forces.

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    The Khmer Rouge is defeated by joint Vietnam and local Cambodian forces.

    Nowadays, although Cambodia is not a rich country, but the revival process is going on, the whole country of Cambodia is again going up rapidly from zero and obtains average GDP growth about 7.5% annually.

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    Cambodia today.

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    The Khmer Rouge is defeated by joint Vietnam and local Cambodian forces.

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    Cambodian GDP.

    Confidence

    Confidence is the degree to which you can trust yourself.

    We tend to confuse confidence for skill: we see someone who’s a great speaker, a serial entrepreneur, a daring athlete, and think “I wish I could be like them”. Able to show up and just do it.

    What we don’t see is the hundreds of times they tried and it didn’t work out.

    That’s how they built their skills: by having the confidence to show up again.

    Confidence is not knowing that you will win at whatever game you choose to play; it’s the certainty that you can take a punch (or a few).

    That, when things won’t go the way you want them to, you will keep showing up and take another one on the chin. And again. Because that’s the best way to learn and get that level of skill where things work out great most of the time.

    Confidence is not about results, it’s about effort: do you trust yourself to keep showing up? Or will you give up and stop doing it?

    That’s why my hack to build confidence is to get used to doing things I don’t want to be doing.

    I used to hate cold water, so I took a cold shower every day.
    I wasn’t a great runner, so I ran a marathon with 4 weeks of training.
    I used to be uncomfortable talking to women, so I talked to 300 in a year.
    I didn’t feel confident speaking in public, so I joined a speaking group.
    I was scared to write online, so I started writing weekly.

    I now feel confident at all the above, and more.

    And that’s how I built my confidence.

    By showing myself that I can trust me.

    No matter the result, I’m going to show up.

    – Matt

    Russian Objectives “Have Changed” in Ukraine

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    Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov announced just minutes ago “The geographical objectives of the special operation have changed, now it is not only the DPR and LPR, but also a number of other territories.” Lavrov said that Luhansk and Donetsk are not longer the sole objective of the Special Military Operation; other areas are also now an objective.  He did not specify which areas, but observers suggest that everything east of the Dnieper River . . .  meaning the entire eastern half of what is now Ukraine, may now be the actual objective. Lavrov also said “If the West continues to supply Kiev with longer-range weapons, the geographical objectives of the special operation in Ukraine will move even further than they just have.”

    Lavrov – Extended Range Weapons In Ukraine Will Lead To More Loss Of Its Land

    Today the foreign minister of the Russian Federation, Sergei Lavrov, announced the extension of the land in Ukraine that Russia intends to capture.

    It will depend on the maximum weapon range of the systems the Ukraine will have under its control.

    Via RIA Novosti (machine translation):

    Lavrov: deliveries of long-range weapons to Kyiv will expand the geography of the special operation

    MOSCOW, July 20 – RIA Novosti. If Ukraine receives long-range weapons from Western countries, then the geographical tasks of the special operation of the Russian troops will change, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of RT and the Rossiya Segodnya media group. “The President said very clearly, as you quoted him – denazification, demilitarization in the sense that there are no threats to our security, military threats from the territory of Ukraine, this task remains,” the minister stressed. At the same time, he recalled that during the meeting of the negotiators in Istanbul at the end of March, the situation on this issue was significantly different. “Now the geography is different. It is far from being only the DPR and LPR, it is also the Kherson region, the Zaporozhye region and a number of other territories, and this process continues, and continues consistently and persistently,” the head of Russian diplomacy added. He pointed out that as the West, in impotent rage or in a desire to make the situation as bad as possible, pumps more and more long-range weapons into Ukraine, for example, HIMARS, the geographical objectives of the special operation will move even further from the current line. “Because we cannot allow the part of Ukraine that Zelensky will control or whoever replaces him to have weapons that will pose a direct threat to our territory and the territory of those republics that have declared their independence, those who want their future decide for yourself,” he concluded.

    Note to Washington: If you deliver HIMARS missile to Ukraine with an extended (300km instead of 80km) range, Russia will have to move further into Ukraine to secure its own and the Donbas republics borders.

    This comes after calls in Ukraine to hit the bridge over the Kerch street that connects Crimea with Russia with extended range HIMARS missiles. The nearest point of the area which the Ukraine still holds is some 260 kilometer away from the bridge.

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    There are also rumors that the Ukraine has already received such missiles. Via Naked Capitalism:

    Zelensky Orders Troops to Hold Siversk Despite Heavy Losses, Purges More Officials; Putin in Tehran – Alexander Mercouris. Note in particular starting at 10:10, Mercouris reports that DPR official Eduard Barsurin has stated that Ukraine has received the 300 km missiles for the HIMARS. Ukraine has made clear it intends to hit targets in Crimea, which Russia regards as Russian territory, particularly the Kerch bridge. Mercouris thinks it would take an awful lot of missiles to do that, as in more than Ukraine has now, but any strikes at Crimea would lead to very forceful retaliation by Russia. Ukraine is smoking something strong if it thinks that will lead the West to do meaningfully more for Ukraine than it is doing now.

    Mercouris is wrong when he claims that the long range HIMARS missile would only have a small warhead as it must be fired out of one of the 6 tubes of the regular HIMARS canister. The long range missile is the ATACMS. It comes in a different canister which has only one tube for a missile with a diameter of 610 mm. It can be fired by all systems that usually fire the 6 missile canister.

     

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    The version of the MFM-140 ATACMS missile that would most likely be used is the M57 (ATACMS TACMS 2000):

    It carries the 500 lb WDU-18/B penetrating high explosive blast fragmentation warhead of the US Navy's Harpoon anti-ship missile, which was redesignated as WAU-23/B when used in ATACMS.

    It is not the ideal warhead to attack a hard target but it is significant enough to at least heavily damage the Kerch bridge.

    If it should be used Ukraine will lose all land that is within 300 kilometer of Crimea, the Donbas and Luhansk oblasts and Ukraine’s northern border with Russia. Odessa is only 180 kilometer from Crimea and Kiev some 200 kilometer from the nearest Russian border. If we take Lavrov’s words seriously those cities would come under Russian occupation should an extended range HIMARS missile be used.

    Lavrov named several Ukrainian oblasts that are already on Russia’s wish list:

    It is far from being only the DPR and LPR, it is also the Kherson region, the Zaporozhye region and a number of other territories, ..

    The number of other territories will have to include the Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts to protect the border of Donetsk and Luhansk from longer reaching weapons. Mykolaiv and Odessa may have to be taken to protect Russia’s oil and gas installations west of Crimea. The Ukraine has already attacked those with longer range weapons.

     

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    If I were a Ukrainian decision maker I would take Lavrov’s threat very seriously.

    The longest reaching weapon that the U.S. and Great Britain have delivered to Ukraine so far is the Harpoon anti ship missile with a range of 124 kilometer which is near to the 120 kilometer range that Ukrainian Tochka-U missiles have. The Russian defense ministry had previously claimed that at least two Harpoon launchers had been destroyed. According to its daily report another one was eliminated yesterday near Usatovo in the Odessa Region.

    Posted by b on July 20, 2022 at 13:18 UTC | Permalink

    Sam Hunt – Water Under The Bridge (Official Music Video)

    Artist Draws Disney Animals As Humans While Keeping Their Unique Personalities In Tact

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    Ever wondered what Lady from Lady And The Tramp would look like if she were human? Maybe, maybe not, but artist s0alaina has given it a lot of thought. S0alaina has recreated many of Disney’s most iconic animals as humans, and the results are pretty awesome!

    S0alaina writes via Bored Panda, “I’ve often wondered what these animals would look like if they were human and I have enjoyed others’ illustrations of this concept. But I noticed that most of these versions lacked character consistency thus making them not quite as believable and lovable.”

    In order to stay true to the original Disney animals, s0alaina keeps them in the context and style of the movie they are from.

    “I decided to draw them in the styles of their movies, and keep consistent shape language and features to interpret the character in a more thorough and believable way… I had LOADS of fun doing this!”

    Enjoy taking a peek at what Disney animals would look like if they walked upright on two-legs and talked too much.

    Aristocats

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    “I think this one was harder, because O’Malley’s such a bulky character, in face and build, so he makes kind of a funny looking human. And maintaining the 1900-1910s look was hard to do for Duchess because her hair would look much better as a 20s girl~ but I found an appropriate hairstyle.”

    The Lion King

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    Bolt

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    Tarzan

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    Jungle Book

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    Lady And The Tramp

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    Webb telescope suffered ‘uncorrectable damage’ in micrometeoroid hit, NASA report says

    ·5 min read
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    (NEXSTAR) – A micrometeoroid caused “significant uncorrectable damage” to NASA’s $10 billion James Webb Telescope, a new report explains. While experts say the impact was small, it has prompted further investigation.

    At 21 feet, Webb’s gold-plated, flower-shaped mirror is the biggest and most sensitive ever sent into space. It’s comprised of 18 segments, one of which was smacked by the bigger than anticipated micrometeoroid in May. Micrometeoroids are fragments of asteroids that are usually smaller than a grain of sand, according to NASA.

    At the time, Paul Geithner, technical deputy project manager at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center explained it was known that Webb would have to survive the harsh environment of space, including micrometeoroids.

    In a newly released report, Webb’s commissioning team said that while the mirrors and sunshields on the telescope are “expected to slowly degrade from micrometeoroid impacts,” the impact to one specific segment, known as C3, “exceeded prelaunch expectations of damage for a single micrometeoroid.”

    Despite this, Webb’s team has determined the overall impact on the telescope is small. Engineers were able to realign Webb’s segments to adjust for the micrometeoroid’s damage.

    “Bidenvilles” Popping-Up All Over America – The country is being wrecked

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    Bidenville.

    A worrisome icon of decades past has resurfaced and is worsening. Unregulated shantytowns persist around the nation — made up of tents, tiny houses, RVs or ramshackle shelters. The trend could be identified with President Biden, some say.

    “It is just a matter of time before signs start sprouting up in the homeless areas of America proclaiming the existence of Bidenville,” advises presidential historian and author Craig Shirley.

    Bidenville?

    “We had widespread destitution under Herbert Hoover, just as we do today under Joe Biden. The poverty was indescribable. The world looked to be all black and white. No green. No sunlight. No hope. The dark humor at the time led newspaper writers to call them Hoovervilles. Utter destitution. Every day was worse than the previous, just as under President Biden,” Mr. Shirley tells Inside the Beltway.

    “Shantytowns of grinding poverty were spread across America in the late 1920s and into the 1930s. John Steinbeck wrote about them as did other Depression-era authors. Millions of people huddled together, eking out a miserable existence. Sickness, homeless, disease and starvation spread, just as today. The plight and suffering was widespread — and it lasted for years,” Mr. Shirley continues.

    “Mark Twain was right. History may not repeat itself, but it does rhyme, he once said. Mindless liberalism has led to the new Bidenvilles,” the historian advises.

    Hal Turner Remark:  Joe Biden is a monster. All Americans are in grave danger under this deranged lunatic and his mentally ill democrat cohorts.

    Hooverville Life

    Homelessness was present before the Great Depression and a common sight before 1929. Most large cities built municipal lodging houses for them, but the depression exponentially increased demand. The homeless clustered in shanty towns close to free soup kitchens. A “Hooverville” was a shanty town built by homeless people during the Great Depression. They were named after Herbert Hoover, who was President of the United States during the onset of the Depression and widely blamed for it.

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    Dwellers in Circleville’s Hooverville, central Ohio.

    The Bonus Army, a group of World War I veterans seeking expedited benefits, established a Hooverville in Anacostia in the District of Columbia in 1932. At its maximum there were 15,000 people living there. The camp was demolished by units of the U.S. Army, commanded by Gen. Douglas MacArthur.

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    Hooverville of Bakersfield, California. A rapidly growing community of people living rent-free on the edge of the town dump in whatever kind of shelter available.

    These settlements were often formed on empty land and generally consisted of tents and small shacks. Authorities did not officially recognize these Hoovervilles and occasionally removed the occupants for trespassing on private lands, but they were frequently tolerated or ignored out of necessity. The New Deal enacted special relief programs aimed at the homeless under the Federal Transient Service (FTS), which operated from 1933–35.

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    Hooverville. Portland, Oregon.

    Some of the men who were forced to live in these conditions possessed construction skills and were able to build their houses out of stone.

    Most people, however, resorted to building their residences out of wood from crates, cardboard, scraps of metal, or whatever materials were available to them. They usually had a small stove, bedding and a couple of simple cooking implements.

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    Hooverville- 1938.

    Most of these unemployed residents of the Hoovervilles used public charities or begged for food from those that had some housing during this era.

    They blamed President Hoover for this, and named the town after him. Democrats coined other terms, such as “Hoover blanket” (old newspaper used as blanketing) and “Hoover flag” (an empty pocket turned inside out).

    “Hoover leather” was cardboard used to line a shoe when the sole wore through.

    A “Hoover wagon” was an automobile with horses hitched to it because the owner could not afford fuel; in Canada, these were known as Bennett buggies, after the Prime Minister at the time.

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    Life in a shanty town 1938.

    After 1940 the economy recovered, unemployment fell, and shanty eradication programs destroyed all the Hoovervilles. Hoovervilles have often features in the popular culture, and still appear in editorial cartoons.Movies like My Man Godfrey (1936) and Sullivan’s Travels (1941) sometimes sentimentalized Hooverville life

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    Huts and unemployed in West Houston and Mercer St by Berenice Abbott in Manhattan in 1935

    The China threat: Dutton is dragging Australia into dangerous waters

    Jan 13, 2022

    The Defence Minister is stoking anti-China sentiment in Australia – a foolhardy stance that is damaging our economy and putting us at risk of military conflict. 

    On November 23, shadow foreign minister Penny Wong said that the Morrison government’s constant

    “amping up the prospect of war against a super-power is the most dangerous election tactic in Australian history”.

    She is right that it is extremely dangerous, but the ploy has been used before. The difference this time is, of course, that China is a nuclear superpower.

    In the 1960s the Coalition government terrified the Australian public with the prospect of the ‘Yellow Peril’ of Chinese communism toppling all the ‘dominoes’ in South-East Asia and wiping out Australia’s democratic way of life, unless it was halted in its tracks in Vietnam. So we joined the US in its ‘war of aggression’ in Vietnam (Daniel Ellsberg 2002) .

    Following the destruction of cities and rural environment by more bombs than were dropped by all sides in WWII, with the attendant slaughter of 3.8 million people (Robert McNamara 1999) and the maiming and deforming of countless more by Napalm and Agent Orange, we were finally defeated in 1975.

    Unsurprisingly the ‘Yellow Peril’ did not come flooding down to Australia, because the Vietnamese national liberation movement which won the war, was as opposed to Chinese intervention as it was to American intervention. It is delusional to believe that Vietnam would support an American war against China.

    Wong said that Defence Minister Peter Dutton was “wildly out of step with a strategy long adopted by Australia and our principal ally” which was the “bipartisan adoption of a One China Policy and advocacy to deter unilateral changes to the status quo”.

    But is Dutton really out of step with US strategy? On the contrary, he appears to be implementing the “strategy of denial” detailed in the book of that name by Elbridge Colby, a book he keenly read (Troy Bramston, The Australian, December 15).

    Colby served as the lead official in the development of the 2018 National Defence Strategy (NDS). He served with the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq in 2003 and the 2004-05 President’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission, making him adept in campaigns of vilification through misinformation.

    He is committed to the pursuit of the ‘Wolfowitz doctrine’ of maintaining US primacy in the world by military force.

    He believes a ‘limited war’ between China and Taiwan would serve the US objective of inhibiting China’s rise.

    The 2018 NDS has not been significantly revised under President Joe Biden.

    In it Colby recommended that US allies Japan, India and Australia should be drawn into a coalition (like the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ against Iraq) to contain China.

    Two years later, under Biden, the QUAD and AUKUS were formed.

    Step 1: Vilification

    In line with Colby’s strategy of demonisation, Dutton is generating fear of China by characterising its efforts to protect its national territorial integrity in Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan as ‘aggressive expansionism’. These are specious examples, since all four provinces have been part of the sovereign territory of China since well before Australia existed as a nation state.

    He seems unaware that China has never invaded another country for territorial gain, whereas the US has attempted the overthrow of 60 countries since WWII, succeeding in the case of 25 elected democracies.

    Dutton said he had to speak the truth about China’s military build-up, but failed to mention the US ‘pivot to Asia’, which ranged 60 per cent of American naval capability along the coast of China. To the Chinese, this must have looked like a potential blockade of its most  economically vital ports, and provoked the acceleration of military counter measures.

    He cited China’s construction of military bases in the South China Sea as a further sign of ‘expansionism’, but failed to mention that Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and even Taiwan had similar bases.

    He did not acknowledge the possibility that China saw its bases as a counter to the constant  incursions by the US and its allies (especially Australia) into waters vital to its interests, through ‘freedom of navigation operations’. He made no mention of the fact that China has one base outside its own periphery, compared to over 800 US bases around the world, many of them encircling China.

    To further stoke public fear, he pointed out that China’s navy was many times the tonnage of Australia’s and their missiles were capable of striking any target in Australia as far south as Hobart.

    Step 2: Goad China to act

    Colby argued that after a campaign to vilify it, China could be goaded into starting a military conflict over Taiwan and thus be portrayed as the aggressor. The US has already taken a number of steps in this direction, apart from stationing the bulk of its naval power off the coast of China. These include:

    • “Freedom of navigation” and combat exercises in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait;
    • Visits by senior US officials using US military aircraft;
    • Creation of a putative “air defence identification zone” extending well over mainland territory and then alleging Chinese violations of it;
    • Secretly providing military training personnel (while denying it);
    • Including Taiwan in the Summit for Democracy (December 8-10), implying it is a separate country.

    Dutton is further goading China by reassuring Taiwan that Australia would “inevitably” come to its defence in the event of a military move against it from the mainland.

    He is increasing the possibility that Taiwan will feel emboldened to declare independence from China and thus upset the status quo and provoke the war that Colby recommends.

    Daniel L. Davies, a retired lieutenant-colonel and senior fellow at Washington think tank Defence Priorities, has argued that “refusing to be drawn into a no-win war with China over Taiwan will see our comparative advantage over China increase dramatically.

    Their military would be seriously degraded … while ours … would be at full strength”.

    The Taiwan Relations Act 1979 imposes a legal requirement on the US to “provide Taiwan with arms of a defensive character”. There is no treaty obligation for the US to intervene to defend Taiwan. According to Davies, the US should not risk any of its own military assets, but should push Taiwan to invest more in its self-defence capabilities. Colby has suggested that the US should not provide air defence to Taiwan, since widespread civilian casualties would whip up world anger against China.

    Under the strategies proposed by Colby and Davies, China would become bogged down in a  drawn-out conflict that would severely deplete its armed forces and deflect its resources away from economic development and international infrastructure co-operation. It would also satisfy the insatiable appetite of the US military-Industrial complex for never-ending arms sales.

    The ANZUS Treaty is a non-binding collective security agreement. It provides only that an armed attack on one of its members would  constitute a danger to the others and require consultations on measures to meet the threat. It does not bind the US to intervene to protect Australia should Australia attack a third party.

    In the light of the Colby-Davies strategy for Taiwan, the US would be unlikely to risk its own military assets or any of its homeland territory in direct defence of Australia. It would increase arms sales to bolster Australia’s self-defence, at great cost to the budget and great profit to the military-industrial complex.

    US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan promised that America would not leave Australia ‘alone in the field’ in its trade dispute with China. Instead of taking supportive action, however, the US leapt in to snatch up the markets lost by Australia’s ‘standing up to China’. This does not encourage confidence that the US would actively intervene in support of Australia in a military clash with China.

    Commitment under AUKUS to heavy expenditure on nuclear-powered submarines, to arrive in the next 20 years or so, offers little  reassurance if Dutton’s ‘war with China’ erupts in the next five years.

    Dutton has disingenuously asserted that the ASEAN countries would support Australia. He has failed to acknowledge that such support is far from certain, since ASEAN on November 22 renewed its Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with China. Each of its members has ongoing infrastructure projects under China’s BRI, which they would not wish to put at risk. They have all expressed varying degrees of disquiet at ‘increased power projection’ into the region through AUKUS.

    The effectiveness of the QUAD in defence of Australia is also highly questionable, given that India has security obligations with China through its commitment to the Charter of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation. India is also dependent for its armament on Russia, which has a “better than treaty relationship” with China. Russia seems unlikely to equip India to fight China.

    The Colby strategy has not been formally adopted by the Biden administration, but there are signs that it is gaining increasing traction in policy-making circles in Washington. There are also strong voices in Washington in favour of direct US military involvement in defense of Taiwan, arguing that if it failed to do so, the US would lose international credibility as the ‘protector of democracy’.

    Fortunately, President Biden has opted, for the time being, for continuation of the policy of ‘strategic ambiguity’ (if somewhat weighted towards reassurances to Taiwan), eschewing the two competing, more aggressive scenarios.

    In either scenario, the result for Australia would be the same: – If Australia were to join in the battle to “save democratic Taiwan”, as proposed by Dutton, then, judging from his own assessment of China’s capabilities, the Australian navy would be obliterated in short order and command-control centres in Australia destroyed (especially Pine Gap, in the unlikely event that US forces were involved).

    The strident anti-China policy of the Morrison government has positioned Australia as the enemy of China, which is increasingly reluctant to trade with the enemy.

    Hence the China trade would not be available to buffer Australia from the worst effects of the next global financial crisis (which many economic analysts believe is imminent), as it did in the 2008 GFC. Australia would be considerably weakened economically and much less able to sustain a military engagement with China.

    Dutton’s pronouncements, however, are edging Australia inexorably towards outright warfare with China.

    Australia needs instead to align itself more clearly to Biden’s public posture by unambiguously reaffirming (to both China and Taiwan) its adherence to the One China principle and its commitment to a peaceful, negotiated resolution of the ‘Taiwan problem’.

    I’m 77. I created four successful businesses, married two beautiful women (one at a time) have two great sons, and retired at 49. My life has been full. And it really doesn’t matter – none of it. I wish I’d known that in the beginning – that it all wouldn’t matter. I beat myself up most of my life trying to accomplish success and I could have had a much easier time of it. I was chasing someone else’s dream, not mine.

    No 14 hour days, six days out of the week. No heart attacks. No ulcers. No enemies. I could have learned the piano, painted, sculpted, read more books, learned to dance the salsa, had more dogs.

    At the end of life, and mine is just around the corner, the important stuff is the stuff I didn’t have time for. I can’t speak for all wealthy people, but the ones I know are pretty damn empty. We come into the world naked and we leave pretty much the same way – and there are no “Mulligans”.

    If you don’t get it right the first time, too bad for you. I’m too old to climb the mountains I always wanted to climb, too old to buy a dog, too old to learn to surf, too old to learn the piano. All the good stuff is behind me. Don’t get stuck in a life that isn’t yours.

    Best relationship advice…

    One afternoon a long time ago (we must have been around fourteen years old) a friend of mine was talking to his dad.

    “I am in love with a girl” he said, “and I’d like to know how to keep her by my side.”

    “You can’t” his dad said. “You can’t keep her. The best you can do is give her whatever she lacks.”

    “Like, gifts? Like what?”

    “No, no” said his dad. “I am not talking about stuff. I am talking about how she feels about her place in her life. Does she go through a lot of uncertainty? Give her stability. Does she feel in any way trapped? Give her freedom. Does she feel she does not matter? Give her the best quality of your attention. Does she feel things are always turbulent? Give her peace.”

    I have thought about this advice for decades, and the distinction between “completing” someone and providing a counterpoint in their life.

    The most fortunate relationships are a natural match between what a person lacks and what the other cannot wait to give.

    Life in the “free” West

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    Walker Hayes – Y’all Life (Official Video)

    A little bit about living life in the USA… Small town… Friday Night… teenager life.

    Bad Parents and a Rufus Grandmother

    These things happened to me in the late 50s.

    I think it’s different now with so many groups and even teachers who are trained to notice different behavior. I was 6 years old and cried all the time away from home. I cried at church, at school, on the playground, and in our neighborhood. Not one person asked what was wrong. I would look at leaders and teachers, almost begging with my eyes to get them to ask if things were okay at home. I waited outside until the last child was called inside the house, hoping we didn’t have to walk inside the cold, dark house alone. I told my brother it was an adventure. We had no food many times, so I found some dry cereal and gave it to him and then started his bath and made sure he was in bed. The following day, we dressed, and I was worried about lunch money. I would scour around and find enough change for milk and lunch money for my brother. I didn’t want to be different at school so not having lunch money was a big thing. At this time, my mother and stepfather told us absolutely to not call our grandmother. I think so she wouldn’t know they were gone most of the time.

    I would say for my brother and me; it was the sadness on our faces that never left. You can’t pretend laughter or joy. I recently found a picture of us about that time and we neither smiled and both looked down. Whereas, my baby brother smiled and enjoyed visiting at times.

    It was also never passing a class and doing homework. We were the ones that never did our homework. We were fearful, but we were more afraid of my mother, and we knew she didn’t care what happened to us. I was the child that didn’t want to make anyone sad because of me. I worried if I would make my teachers upset if we didn’t do our homework. Yet, my little brain had so much crammed inside it that I barely made it day by day.

    If you notice a child looking sad, fearful, and especially crying, ask if they are okay. I imagine now it would be more watching to see if a child goes alone or with someone else alone. Do they have clean clothes or shoes to wear that are the right size? Are they hungry when you get your snack or lunch, but the child isn’t eating? Do they walk in the bitter cold or the blistering heat without shoes? Do they come to school late, or do they get into trouble so someone, somewhere, will pay attention, even if it’s bad attention? These are just a few of the issues I had as a little girl.

    Thankfully, our grandmother got my two brothers and me at 73, and we were almost 6, 4, and 1 years old. My baby brother was very sick, and my grandmother happened to stop by, a “God thing,” I like to refer to it. My grandmother asked where the baby was, and I told her he was cold because he kept shaking, and I covered him in his crib.

    Long story, she took the three of us with her, and he was hospitalized for German Measles and almost died. The Pediatrician told my grandmother later that he would have passed away if she hadn’t brought him to the hospital within an hour. We are so thankful God allowed him to live.

    Our grandmother was a strong Christian, and when my parents divorced, they also told the Judge they didn’t want us. He was going to put us in foster care, but my dear grandmother stood up and said she would take the three of us and provide. He asked her questions, and she assured him she would be fine in taking three. He talked to me privately, and I told him we loved our grandmother and would be happy to be there.

    She was our Angel.

    Many wonder how hard it must have been for her to raise us at 73. She was born in 1890 and became a school teacher and taught in a one-room schoolhouse for years. She rose early and rode her horse to get to the school early enough to build a good, warm fire. She was very energetic and remained very active and told us we kept her YOUNG. I doubt that, but she kept us alive and whole. God allowed her to live to be 96.

    I have no words to express how much I still miss her even after 30 years. she taught us about God and His love that would always be there if she died.

    I’m enclosing the last picture of the 3 of us and our dear grandmother as adults many years ago. She is always in our hearts.

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    CLOWN WORLD: Pentagon Spox Says Climate Change Caused fighting in Syria

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    Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby proved the Pentagon has become a clown show, by telling reporters during a Press Briefing that it was Climate Change that caused the military hostilities in Syria.

     

     

    How does a person with idiotic views like this, even get near the Pentagon for employment?  One would think that being reality based would be an important criteria for the Pentagon to hire someone.

    Clearly, John Kirby, based on his remarks above, lacks being based in reality.

    The entire federal government seems to be Clown World.

    A tragic Incident

    In a middle school of South Korea an incident occurred which completely disgusted me!

    In the school it was a rule that “No phones during class hours”. So, students gives their phones to their homeroom teacher when the classes begin.

    Once, “Student X” (let’s call her that) asked her teacher Mr. Song if she could take her phone for a work on her Science Homework. Mr. Song agreed and gave her the phone but he forgot that he gave permission. So, when he was looking at the students doing their work, and saw Student X with the phone, he scolded her. Student X got very upset about it…so she raised her voice, cried and stormed out of the classroom. When she was going…Mr. Song tried to stop her and held her arm. And unfortunately, this was the worst thing he did for Student X. She pulled her arm out and stormed out of the school.

    She went to her home and being afraid to tell her parents about her behaviour and coming back from school soon. She said that Mr. Song sexually abused her and that he did bad things to her. Student X’s parents immediately informed it to the police. Soon, police started to investigate and question Student X and she told that Mr. Song sexually abused her and her friends. Then, the policemen questioned all the students and they took Student X’s side and said that Mr. Song hits them.

    Mr. Song was questioned about it and he denied it but still police wanted to take him to jail and when Student X saw that it was getting out of hand, she claimed that she lied. The police case was soon closed but Board of Education still pressured the incident and was pressuring Mr. Song to admit that he abused the students. They wanted to ban him but students started to protest. They said “Mr. Song never raised his hands on us. He always pat our shoulder whenever we do a good job. He is a wonderful teacher. Please return him to us. We are sorry for accusing him.”

    But still the Board of Education didn’t let it go. They said to Mr. Song “If the students really lied and accused against you, then they did a crime and we are going to punish them.”

    Mr. Song wanted to save his students so he said that he did actually abused them. And thus he was banned from the school and people started to attack him with saying hateful things. They hated him and said:

    He calls himself a teacher?

    This gives me chills. What a horrible teacher!

    I wonder how he would react if his children were involved.

    How dare he call himself teacher!

    This went on and on until Mr. Song took his own life in his garage. Mr. Song’s family tried to sue the North Juolla Province but the case was soon shut down by the prosecution of “Finding no legitimate ground” to investigate the Board.

    This tragic incident of Mr. Song’s death remains a controversy in the Board of Education. It is heavily criticized for handling the situation like this. People not only blame Student X’s irresponsible lie but also the carelessness of the Board which caused the death of Mr. Song.

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    Mr. Song

    President of Chechnya: First Demilitarization of Ukraine, Next the same for NATO – Poland first

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    The President of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov says that he and his people are glad to support Russia’s demilitarization of Ukraine. He went on to say they are “developing a plan to demilitarize NATO. After the capture of Kiev, next is Poland.”

    Given the reality that:

    1) Ukraine had the largest standing army in all of Europe, which was trained, equipped, and certified by NATO,

    AND;

    2) Given the reality that the Russian Army is now chewing-up and spitting out the Ukraine Army, defeating Ukraine in almost every confrontation, it appears to many observers that NATO training and certification makes them only a paper tiger.

    This paper tiger has been roaring at Russia for decades, and now may face being swept away by the very Russians they have demonized for decades.

    A fucked up life

    I was taken in by a same sex couple after my little brother and I were abandoned by our mom.

    This couple completely ruined me.

    They had their own son by the way, but anyways, I was the target for their abuse. From 2011 up until march 14, 2014, I was physically, emotionally, verbally, and sexually abused by them.

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    These are the women I once called “my moms.”

    I was taken in by them when I was I around three or four. Initially they seemed like a very nice couple they treated me and my little brother well. But they then started changing the way they treated me specifically when I was about six. I’m not sure why I was their target. Till this day I find myself wondering if I did something wrong for them to treat me like they did?

    It was Christmas Eve of 2011 and they allowed me and my brothers to open one gift that night. I don’t remember what I got but I remember what my youngest brother Eraca’s son got. It was a little computer that taught you the letters of the alphabet and I grabbed it from him to look at it. When I did that Christian scolded me and asked me why I hit my little brother with it. I was really confused because I know I didn’t hit him with anything. That night I was thrown outside and had to sit on the porch in the cold for hours. That was the night everything changed for me.

    Eraca was gone Monday through Friday so that just left us kids with Christian to care for us, she was a stay at home mom. Christian is the one who basically did everything to me. She had many different torture methods for me everyday while ‘her sons’ watched Cartoons and got to play outside. She would throw me into cold baths and put ice cubes in it and made me lay in it for hours. When she was feeling really good she liked to hold my head under water and attempt to drown me. I was only fed once a day, and if I didn’t do a chore right she wouldn’t feed me at all. Sometimes I went a whole week without receiving any food. It came to the point were in the middle of the night sometimes I would sneak into the kitchen and eat almost a whole entire box of cereal because I was so hungry.

    One night I got caught stealing food and Eraca and Christian decided that since I liked to steal food I should be chained up. So the next day they went to home depot and purchased a dog chain for me. When we got home Eraca drilled the chain into the wall and chained me by my ankle. I was chained up everyday unless they had something they needed me to do, or if Christian was in the mood to do something crazy to me.

    It came to the point were I was scared to ask if I could go to the restroom so I would constantly piss myself and poop on myself. I started doing it almost everyday and it became a habit but it was also disgusting to me because sooner or later I started smelling bad and Christian would just make me walk around like that while I did my chores. When I did sometimes get the courage to ask to use the restroom Christian would punch, kick me and drag me to the restroom.

    They would have my little brothers pee on me, and Christian would sometime make me drink her pee. I was starting to get very weak from not eating and I started to have little black outs while doing chores. Just for the hell of it they would sometimes have me bathe in bleach and it came to a point were the skin on some of my toes was falling off. Christian would also put lemon juice on the missing flesh of my toes before sending me to sleep. That was one of the worst pains I’ve ever felt. They put me through more torture everyday that I just don’t want to think about.

    I was saved on March 14 2014 ,and from there my biological brother and I were adopted into a Family. They changed our names and now my last name is Ochinang. I call them the Ochinangs since that’s their last name. When I got adopted I really thought I was safe and wouldn’t have to go through abuse again but little did I know.. For five years their biological son who was only two days older than me molested me and I never said anything because that’s what I learned to do best at Christian’s house. The parents never believed me and when I told them the mom said I was lying for attention. They never really supported me, and the mom also didn’t accept the fact that I was bisexual so she was always telling me I wasn’t normal and that I was going to hell.

    I finally reported the sexual abuse to authorities on November 2018 when I was in the eighth grade. I got removed from my adoptive home, and since then I’ve been in this horrible foster system. I’m only fifteen-years-old and I have gone through the worst of the worst and I’m still here fighting for the love of a family. I’m in a group home at the moment until a family wants me. But I am a troubled teenager and most families see me as a bad kid. That’s how its been since May 2019. So right now I’m still going through a very bad time, but I’m still going to continue to be strong for myself. I just wanted to share my story with everyone..

    Emily

    (Insta- retr0.angel)

    I just wanted to say thank you so much for everyone’s support! It means a lot to me

    This is me btw..

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    Update!!!—So I have found a very great family who is taking me in I’m very happy and i’ve always waited for this moment i’m truly blessed.

    I also wanted to say that I recently found my bio mom after 13 years of looking for her.

    It turns out when I was younger those two women that abused me kidnapped me and my little brother from my bio family when I was younger!!!

    My mom was in tears when we found each other.

    Deserving Respect

    November 25, 2011

    In the waiting room of Taiyuan Railway Station, China. An older man fell asleep on a bench and did not move.

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    A passenger went up to try to wake up the older man. It turned out that the older man had already passed away! At this time, people are watching and panicking.

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    At that moment, a Buddhist monk dressed in yellow sea green walked up to the older man, calmly bent his waist and Paying tribute to the dead. The monk folded his hands and, chanted the sutra for the old man and compassionately hold the hand of the deceased.

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    Netizens have expressed that this monk pulled up not only the hand of the older man. More is to pull up the conscience and kindness of this indifferent society.

    Be the Rufus

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    Rufus Father

    My grandfather died in a work accident when my Dad was 12. Some lady upset my grandmother by calling 3–4 times a day crying about my grandfather dying and hanging up. My Dad spent an entire day knocking on every door in a 3 block radius. Asked for the lady of the house and then asked them point blank if they were calling his mother. No one admitted to calling but the calls stopped.

    My sister came home crying in the 4th grade because her teacher was too lazy to learn her name (Not a difficult name at all). Kept calling her, “you” during roll call. Dad found out where he lived . Sat outside his house until he came out. Told him if he doesn’t learn my sister’s name he was coming back. Teacher learned her name.

    I got robbed by 3 older guys while in middle school. My Dad told me to find out where they lived (see a pattern?). Showed up at the first guy’s house at 6am on a Saturday. Basically kidnapped him and took him to the 2nd guy’s house. Rinse, repeat and off to the 3rd guy’s house. Took all their money and retrieved my stolen BB gun. Left them on the other side of town and threatened to kill them if he ever saw them again.

    Group of guys broke in my Dad’s house. Hit him in the head with a pipe and tried to cut his Airborne ring off his finger. He managed to run them out of the house. Recognized one of the guys, a neighborhood teen. Went to his house and basically kidnapped him. Scared him into telling him who and where the rest were. Called the police and had them arrested.

    My Dad was in his 60s when a wannabe neighborhood criminal was terrorizing the older folks in the neighborhood. Made the mistake of setting fire to my father’s car in the driveway. Dad waited till one of those cold, wet nights and destroyed the guy’s car. He then made good on his escape down the alley through the woods and pond, up his alley, over his 6’ fence and through his basement window. (see diagram). Never had any problems after that.

     

    I don’t agree with some of his methods but I can’t argue with his results. RIP, Dad.

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    My Dad was probably like a lot of fathers in the 60s and 70s who worked hard and had very little patience for foolishness. I started to edit the kidnap parts but I think most can tell the difference between a father grabbing young punks by the scruff of the neck and squashing a situation vs. an actual kidnapping. Some comments were like, “If your father did that to me I would blah, blah, blah…” To you I say something you already know:

    Don’t mess with another man’s kids or his stuff.

    There are stories that are not mine to share during that time period that make my Dad’s 5 stories over 50 years seem like fairy tales.

    He was an Army vet, worked 20+ years at the same job. He spoke very little to my mother after they divorced but for 30+ years after their breakup, the first thing out of his mouth when we talked was, “How’s your momma doin?” He obviously thought the names we picked for his grandkids were trash and called them BrightEyes, Peaches, Amber & Amir instead.

    He was a good, fair, tough, outspoken man that brought giant packs of toilet paper instead of food when someone passed away (You’re gonna run out of shit paper with all those people at the house), gave EVERYONE free cookies (retired from a large cookie company) and in his later years would call me every time Cheaters came on TV.

    As one of the commenters said, if your father is still around, please pick up the phone and enjoy talking to him.

    Grilled Cowboy Steaks

    Giddyap! David Lewis runs a small kitchen, micro-bakery, and coffee roastery from his hometown in Alabama, and is the founder of Kitchen Ambition. And he knows a thing or two about a good cowboy steak.

    “There are few meals more legendary in American lore than cowboys flipping steak over a campfire at the end of a long day on the range,” says Lewis. “If you want to saddle up your own inner cowboy, cooking cowboy steak is fun and easier than you might expect.”

    For preparation over a campfire, you’ll want to pick a steak with high fat content so that it doesn’t dry out over the flames while you’re cooking it, he says. Try a ribeye with the bone in, at least 1.25 thick and with visible fat marbling, he says. “Choosing the right steak makes all the difference.”

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    Streaked with gorgeous marbling, as juicy as they come, and equipped with a bone that translates into big steak flavor, Bone-In Ribeyes (a.k.a. Cowboy Steaks) are almost as impressive before they hit the grill as they are coming off of it. But, make no mistake, this particular cut of beef is as unforgettable as it is mouthwatering when it hits the dinner plate, and there’s nothing that satisfies an appetite quite like this hunky, flavorful Steak.

    In addition to the best Cowboy Steak Recipe and cooking method, we’re talking all the essentials, and any questions you may have? Well, they’ve already been answered. You’ll find out:

    • How to pick the perfect steak!
    • How to properly season a thick-cut steak.
    • Degrees of doneness and time guidelines for cooking Bone-In Ribeyes.

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    Cowboy Steak.

    HOW TO PICK THE PERFECT RIBEYE

    At the meat counter, you’ve likely noticed the same cut of beef comes in multiple grades with very different price tags. So what determines the quality of grade and that great big swing in price when it comes to steaks? Marbling.

    Prime beef (numero uno) has more marbling, which is the fat running throughout a cut of meat, and when it comes to ribeyes, marbling is everything. These streaks of fat not only add a great deal of flavor, but they also help to keep the steaks moist and tender throughout the cooking process. Note, for good marbling, look for thin streams of fat running across the ribeye.

    If you want a Cowboy Steak, be sure to get bone-in ribeyes. For an impressive presentation, you’ll want to look for a nice, thick, hunky bone. And, if you’d like the bone showing, ask your butcher to french it before you leave the meat counter.

    WHAT YOU’LL NEED

    Beef doesn’t need a whole lot of help in the flavor department, but most especially ribeyes. Because of their heavy marbling Ribeyes are packed with flavor. Also because of their heavy marbling, no oil is needed before these bad boys hit the grill.

    To simplify matters even further, the only seasoning you’ll need for this cut of steak is good old-fashioned salt and pepper. However, you’re going to need a lot of it.

    These steaks are thick, so naturally, more salt and pepper is needed, but you should also consider that a great deal of your salt and pepper rub is going to fall through the grates of the grill. Point of the story? Don’t be afraid to season very liberally.

    So just a recap, for your Cowboy Steaks, you will need:

    • Bone-In Ribeyes
    • Kosher Salt
    • Coarse Black Pepper

    We promise — simple as has never tasted so good.

    HOW TO MAKE COWBOY STEAKS

    When it comes to cooking this particular cut of beef, nothing beats an open flame, and these hunky, gorgeous steaks deserve nothing but the best.

    1. Set out the ribeyes at room temperature 30 minutes before grilling.
    2. Prep the grill and bring to medium-high heat.
    3. Season steaks liberally with salt and pepper.
    4. Grill about 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare.
    5. Allow to rest 5-10 minutes, serve, and enjoy!

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    STEAK DONENESS COOKING GUIDELINES

    Note, there are multiple factors that go into the degree of doneness of a cooked steak, and it goes far beyond cook time and the temperature of the grill. For example, the internal temperature of the beef when it hits the grill, the amount of marbling, and the thickness of the steak will all affect cook time.

    Therefore, these suggested cook times should be used as “guidelines,” for grilling accuracy, nothing beats an instant-read thermometer.

    • For rare steaks, cook for about 3 minutes on each side. Pull when the internal temperature reaches 120°.
    • For medium-rare steaks, cook for about 4 minutes on each side. Pull when the internal temperature reaches 130°.
    • For medium to medium-well steaks, cook for about 5 minutes on each side. Pull when the internal temperature reaches 140° – 145°.

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    Cowboy Steak.

    COWBOY STEAK Q & A

    WHAT IS A COWBOY STEAK CUT?

    A Cowboy Steak is a Bone-In Ribeye.

    WHERE DOES IT COME FROM?

    A Cowboy Steak comes from the ribeye which is from the primal rib section of a cow, or the Prime Rib.

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    WHY IS IT CALLED A COWBOY RIBEYE?

    Some sources say Bone-In Ribeyes are referred to as Cowboy Steaks because cowboys would hold on to the bone like a handle. Others say it is because thick-cut ribeyes are big, hearty, and ultra-rugged, ensuring they would satisfy any hard-working cowboy’s appetite.

    The heartiness of the steak is the most likely explanation, coinciding with the etymology of both Cowboy Cookies and Cowboy Casserole.

    WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A COWBOY STEAK AND A TOMAHAWK STEAK?

    A Tomahawk Steak has an impressively long, frenched rib bone, whereas a Cowboy Steak would likely be thinner cut than a Tomahawk Steak and if there is a bone extending out of the steak, it would not be nearly as long.

    HOW BIG IS A COWBOY RIBEYE?

    This is completely dependent on the size of the cow and how thick the steak is cut. These steaks can range anywhere from 14 to 24 ounces.

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    Cowboy Steak

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    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
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    It’s all Putin’s fault! Well, that is the American narrative, don’t you know!

    It’s all Putin’s fault. Don’t you know!

    The United States has absolutely, and without question has tried THREE (x3) times to absolutely destroy and crush Russia. Three times. Now, on the eve of attempt four, by surrounding Russia with nuclear missiles, there should be no question that Russia has every RIGHT and every justification to launch a first-strike nuclear salvo to ERASE the United States.

    And then there is China.

    America has tried five times (x5) to topple, collapse and destroy China (within the last six years). And China, being what it is, just keeps on ticking along.But make no mistake, if you trip the on/off switch that is China, the fury and pain that will be unleashed upon the United States will be difficult to comprehend.

    Truth.

    Meanwhile the USA is a twitching, moaning, vomiting, and groaning. Ai! It’s in it’s death throes, and it is hemorrhaging. Money flowing out. Now Ukraine is asking for $20 billion dollars a month!. Heck one billion would get rid of homeless, and poverty. But that is not on the agenda for this brain-dead “clown show” that is driving American into the abyss.

    Ok. Now you know everything that you need to know about the global political situation today. Wasn’t that simple?

    Number of foreign mercenaries killed during the Ukraine Military Action as of 06/17/22

    The Russian Ministry of Defense even presented a summary table, which showed how many mercenaries arrived, how many were destroyed and how many returned to their homeland with nothing.

    Moreover, the department also showed the dynamics of the number of foreigners. It is expected that the representatives of Poland in this indicator belong to the palm. In the last three weeks alone, 166 militants have been killed. Another 71 fled in disgrace. Many mercenaries also come from Georgia and Great Britain. There are even Guineans, Liberians and three Peruvians.

    Article from HERE

    Poland – 544
    Romania – 123
    UK – 124
    Croatia – 84
    France – 73
    Bosnia and Herzegovina – 53
    Estonia – 56
    Kosovo – 69
    Albania – 51
    Lithuania – 60
    Portugal – 20
    Germany – 37
    North Macedonia – 24
    Finland – 20
    Ireland – 26
    Italy – 21
    Switzerland – 17
    Netherlands – 13
    Sweden – 5
    Czech – 15
    Spain – 6
    Latvia – 8
    Norway – 6
    Belgium – 3
    Denmark – 2
    Austria – 2
    Greece – 1
    Montenegro – 1
    Nigeria – 38
    South Africa – 10
    Senegal – 4
    Guinea – 4
    Equatorial Guinea – 1
    Gabon – 2
    Liberia – 2
    Canada – 177
    USA – 220
    Colombia – 14
    Bolivia – 15
    Brazil – 19
    Australia – 2
    Georgia – 170
    Syria – 94
    Turkey – 21
    Israel – 10
    Republic of Korea – 4
    Azerbaijan – 1
    .

    “Soldiers of Failure”: Captured American mercenaries spoke about the Ukrainian army and propaganda. Alexander Dryuke and Andy Hyun are American mercenaries who were captured by our military during the battle near Kharkov. KP special correspondents Dmitry Steshin and Alexei Ovchinnikov managed to communicate with the prisoners. From HERE

    The Inflation Monster That Our Leaders Have Created Is Voraciously Eating Away Our Standard Of Living

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    The purchasing power of the dollar is not nearly as strong as it once was, and as a result our standard of living is rapidly going down.  The overall rate of inflation has been rising faster than our paychecks have been for quite a while, and this is causing a tremendous amount of pain for millions of U.S. consumers.  Unfortunately, this isn’t going to change any time soon.  The inflation monster that our leaders have created will continue to rage even as our economy plunges into a severe recession.  I relentlessly warned that the trillions of dollars that our leaders were pumping into the system would cause enormous problems down the road, and now we are trapped in an economic nightmare with no easy way out.

    On Wednesday, we learned that the rate of inflation in the United States jumped even higher last month…

    Shoppers paid sharply higher prices for a variety of goods in June as inflation kept its hold on a slowing U.S. economy, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday.
    
    The consumer price index, a broad measure of everyday goods and services related to the cost of living, soared 9.1% from a year ago, above the 8.8% Dow Jones estimate. That marked the fastest pace for inflation going back to November 1981.

    Of course the way that inflation is calculated today is much different from the way that it was calculated back in the 1980s.  If the way that inflation was calculated had not been changed, the official inflation rate would be much higher right now.

    But even if you want to take the 9.1 percent figure at face value, it is still extremely high, and last month energy and food prices were two of the main reasons why we witnessed such a dramatic surge…

    • Gas: 59.9%
    • Electricity: 13.7%
    • Food at home: 12.2%
    • New vehicles: 11.4%
    • Food away from home: 7.7%
    • Used cars and trucks: 7.1%
    • Shelter: 5.6%
    • Apparel: 5.2%

    Let’s focus on that “food at home” category for a moment.

    Every single one of us needs to eat, and so this is something that is deeply affecting all of us.

    And right now we are seeing rapid price increases in almost aisle of the grocery store

    • Cereals and cereal products: +15.1%
    • Beef and veal: +4.1%
    • Pork: +9.0%
    • Poultry: +17.3%
    • Fish and seafood: +11.0%
    • Eggs: +33.1%
    • Dairy and related products: +13.5%
    • Fresh fruits: +7.3%
    • Fresh vegetables: +6.5%
    • Juices and nonalcoholic drinks: +11.6%
    • Coffee: 15.8%
    • Fats and oils: 19.5%
    • Baby food: 14.0%

    Has your paycheck gone up by a similar amount over the past year?

    If not, you are losing ground and your standard of living is declining.

    Overall, real wages in the United States have now fallen for 15 months in a row.

    In all the years I have been writing, I have never seen anything quite like this.

    According to one expert that was interviewed by the Daily Caller, “American families are being crushed” by the inflation tsunami that we are witnessing right now…

    Under the Biden administration, skyrocketing fuel costs and exploding inflation are hurting everyday Americans the most, according to an economist at the Heritage Foundation.
    
    “Energy prices are trickling down into everything and American families are being crushed,” E.J. Antoni, a research fellow for regional economics in the Center for Data Analysis at The Heritage Foundation, told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

    Antoni also says that the average worker in the United States has “lost the equivalent of almost $3,400 in annual income” due to declining purchasing power since Joe Biden entered the White House

    “The average worker has lost the equivalent of almost $3,400 in annual income since Biden took office,” Antoni explained.
    
    Real average hourly earnings decreased 3.6% from June 2021 to June 2022, according to recent Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) numbers. The change in real average hourly earnings combined with a decrease of 0.9% in the average workweek resulted in a 4.4% decrease in real average weekly earnings over this period.
    
    “This is catastrophic, $3,400 is some people’s food budgets for a year,” Antoni continued.

    The good news, if that is what you want to call it, is that the inflation rate will probably subside just a bit during the next few months.

    I have to admit that I agree with Jay Hatfield’s assessment of the situation

    Jay Hatfield, CEO at Infrastructure Capital Advisors, says this may signal the peak. “We forecast that this print will mark the peak of inflation as the Fed’s 15% shrinkage of the monetary base, which is the fastest decline since the great depression, will curb inflation as the QT has caused the dollar to appreciate by over 12% this year which has caused commodities to plummet by over 20% since the measurement period for June CPI.”

    We are starting to see the size of the Fed’s balance sheet go down, and the Fed is likely to continue to aggressively raise interest rates in the months ahead.

    Both of those moves are likely to add significant momentum to our economic slowdown, and demand will be suppressed.

    Meanwhile, economic conditions will rapidly deteriorate as we plunge into an excruciatingly painful recession.

    Won’t that be fun?

    Unfortunately, even a deep recession will not be enough to tame the inflation monster, because our Congress critters continue to spend money like drunken sailors.

    And I am entirely convinced that global supply problems will continue to escalate for a variety of reasons.

    So even though demand will be suppressed, inflation is not going away.

    I would encourage you to get prepared for the very painful years that are ahead of us while you still can.

    You may think that economic conditions are bad now, but the truth is that we haven’t seen anything yet.

    The entire system is starting to crumble, and our clueless leaders seem to be all out of answers at this point.

    The disappearance of the 9th Roman Legion

    Founded sometime before 90 BC, the 9th Legion was legendary. In 58 BC they fell under the authority of Julius Caesar and from there their legend would grow.

    • They would become one of Caesar’s veteran legions, fighting with him in all of his famous battles like at Alesia
    • They would fight with Caesar in his Civil War against Pompey- being involved in both battles vs Pompey Magnus
    • While Veterans were settled after Caesar’s victory, the Legion was reinforced and soon fought for Octavian against Mark Antony in the final Civil War of the Republic
    • Then 9th found in Hispania, winning Octavian a much-needed PR boost
    • They then fought in Germania in Augustus’s Germanic Wars. They were not involved in any of the disasters but they were stationed there regardless
    • They were involved in the Roman conquest of Brittania
    • The 9th fought the legendary Boudica and were badly defeated
    • They were a major part of the invasion of modern Scotland

    After almost 2 centuries of service, the 9th Legion had truly become legendary. Sometime around 104 AD to 108 AD they were stationed on the Rhine. The last records we have of them date from the year 120 and they were confirmed to no longer exist by 197. So from 120–197 they disappeared.

    What happened to the 9th Legion?

    Well, there was a theory for a while that the 9th Legion was wiped out by the Britons in Northern Brittania. We knew there was a disaster up there where a legion was wiped out around 110s AD. Hadrian building his famous wall was a response to the catastrophe.

    This was the leading theory but then things changed. In 2015 we found a record of the 9th Legion existing in 120 AD. The record is complicated but it proved the 9th existed and that officers of the 9th were going on to have distinguished careers.

    So now there are 2 new theories

    1. They got wiped out during the Jewish Revolts. The 22nd Legion was recorded to have fought in Judea and similar to the 9th Legion, all records of them disappear after AD 120.
    2. From 161 to 166 Emperor Marcus Aurelias fought a war against Parthia. During this period an unspecified legion was surrounded and annihilated according to historians Cassius Dio.

    The problem is that neither of these events records the death of the 9th Legion and you think they would. So, somehow, the most famous Roman Legion in history disappeared.

    Confessions of a Woman With a Photographic Memory

    Is studying super easy for you?

    Studying? What is that?

    How easy is it for you to take tests?

    Absurdly easy. It’s actually pretty great, I never have to study. People at my university get a little pissed off sometimes by that.

    I have never had anything but an A or a perfect score on any test (excluding math and my current studies in Russian). I chose not to skip any grades because I didn’t want to be “abnormal,” and my talent isn’t something that I reveal to most people.

    How long does it take you to remember something you’ve read a year ago?

    Instantly.

    Have you ever tried to memorize the dictionary?

    No, I have not. I got bored.

    Are you able to scan quickly through a book, then “read” it later in your head?

    No, I can’t. I have to actually read it the first time. That would be pretty sweet though.

    Can you recall by Title/Page Number?

    Title, yes, without fail. Page number is more sporadic, because I have trouble with numbers.

    So how far back do your memories of things you have read go?

    My earliest memory is from reading the book “Goodnight Moon” when I was in kindergarden, the first book I ever read.

    How fucking easy were english classes?

    Haha English classes are a fucking joke. I had to make a tough decision when I got to college; be an English major and do NO work, EVER, or actually pick something I’d need to try in.

    Has anyone ever thought you cheated on a test or something like that?

    YES. Sometimes during tests, teachers ask questions that come directly from the book. When I was younger if I wasn’t paying careful attention, I would accidentally just regurgitate the direct answer from the book, word for word. I didn’t mean it to be plagiarizing, I was just trying to be as precise as possible. After a few visits to the principal’s office and having to explain and prove that I wasn’t cheating, I learned to be much more careful when I take tests like that. I much prefer multiple choice.

    How’d you prove to the principal?

    In middle school, the first test I was sent to the principal for was given to me again verbally. After that, my teachers gave me my tests verbally for a while until they were convinced. They then sent a note in to my high school when I got older, explaining the situation.

    Does your understanding of the material have any effect? ie, quantum mechanics. Do you have complete recall of writings you don’t understand?

    No, my understanding is completely normal. If I read a book about quantum mechanics, which I have never studied, I would understand it precisely as well as someone who had also never studied it. I’d still have complete recall, though, and I could read other, more basic descriptions of quantum mechanics and slowly understand what I read previously based on that.

    Could you in theory read a complex book then go ponder on it later without the book in hand? Then go and refer to other passages in the book or other relative books and piece it together pretty easily this way?

    Yes. That’s sometimes how I do it when I read a book out of my depth.

    When you are deciding on a book to read, does the fact that the memory off the book will be permanent influence you decision? I guess i’m asking if memory of garbage writing (tabloids, twilight) is a burden.

    Yes and no. I don’t read magazines, ever, but I don’t mind reading books on the bestseller list or anything. Generally books like Twilight have no value or interest for me whatsoever, and subsequently kind of go away after I’m done. It is a problem when people constantly bring them up though, because then the entirety of the text floods my brain and I want to jump off a bridge.

    Does this ability extend to words you hear?

    No, I have poor listening comprehension. If I was ever going to suffer in a class, it would definitely be a lecture class with no textbook. I remember things I’ve heard or watched exactly as well as anyone else with moderately poor listening comprehension.

    Is there every anything you remember that you wish you could forget?

    Yes, absolutely. I’ve gotten some pretty nasty text messages/facebook messages, and the like. I really, REALLY wish that I could forget those sometimes.

    Are there ever times it becomes a burden to remember so much? Perhaps something that you remember that you wish you didn’t have to?

    YES. Sometimes it’s really lonely/upsetting to have so much wandering around in my head. If I’m happy and in a good mood, it generally is okay, but if I’m upset it can be terrible.

    Are you autistic?

    No, I am not autistic at all, I lead a pretty normal social life. I probably drink more than the average college student. I do have a fairly extreme case of OCD, which I’ve theorized might have something to do with my memory. I’ve heard of people with OCD who have super autobiographical memories, who can remember with extraordinary accuracy and in extraordinary detail the events of their lives and the days on which they occurred.

    Has this affected your social abilities any?

    Um, to an extent, yes. When I was younger I was extremely combative. There is NOTHING teachers and adults hate more than a child who constantly corrects them, and who is right in that correction. I was very depressed for a long time, because I never had anyone to talk to who understood. It was in high school that I realized that my memory was not unique. Knowing you aren’t the only one makes all the difference in the world, and I’ve become pretty normal socially since then.

    Has this affected your love life?

    I’ve had two boyfriends for two years each. The first was fairly docile and didn’t pick arguments with me; we had a low-key, nonargumentative relationship that ended due to him leaving for college. My second boyfriend was the most religious person I have ever encountered, and judged me deeply for my beliefs and failed to acknowledge anything I said. We fought continuously and we broke up due to college and also because we just didn’t get along. Now, I try to just opt for friends-with-benefits situations or one night stands. I’m not the most emotional person, and unless something really extraordinary happens, I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

    Do you encounter any mental problems?

    YES. I am CONSTANTLY inundated with random information. I’ll be talking to someone, and a quote from a book will pop into my head, and then another related quote will pop in, and it becomes an endless stupid chain. My current roommate discovered my ability through this once; I was very drunk and just went off on a quote chain like that, and basically gave her a running monologue of my train of thought. It gets pretty annoying sometimes. Also, if I am sad/upset/in any kind of negative mood at all, I feel like my head is a very unpleasant place to be.

    Have you ever used your ability for profit?

    Not yet. I’ve used it for my personal gain, such as academics, but that’s it as of now.

    Do you want to use your talent for the better or follow your passion, or a combination of both?

    Sort of a combination of both. I plan to attend law school after my graduation from college, which I have wanted to do since I was a child. I want to be a public defender, and I hope that my extensive memory can be put to good use there.

    What is the most interesting thing you can remember reading? Favorite books, authors?

    My favorite thing, and probably the most useful thing, that I have ever read has been the Bible. I am an atheist, and though I am less combative than I used to be as a young teenager, there is nothing more disconcerting to someone trying to convince me to be Christian than being able to recite the entire book back to them. Aside from this, Nietzsche, Sartre, Nabokov, Updike, and Dostoevsky are my favorite authors. My favorite book is The Possessed (also titled Demons and Devils), by Dostoevsky.

    What is your favorite line of text you’ve ever read?

    The poem Annabel Lee by Poe, and 2) “It was a wonderful night, such a night as is only possible when we are young, dear reader. The sky was so starry, so bright that, looking at it, one could not help asking oneself whether ill-humoured and capricious people could live under such a sky.” -Dostoevsky, White Nights

    An American Special Forces Ranger talks about South East Asia…

    I found the Vietnamese to be arrogant and that they felt superior to all of the different races found in the Nam. I did not like working with them. The South Vietnamese had Special Forces in their Army LLDB but we tagged the LLDB with a different set of words ‘Little Lousy Dirty Bastards’. Every payday they would shake down our Cambodian troops even to a point of taking personal items from our Cambodians. One of our teammates gave one of his Cambodian soldiers a watch only to see one of the LLDB soldiers wearing the watch.

    The Cambodians were a beautiful race. They were short but well built and very brave. Many times during a firefight I had too yell for them to get down; he was showing everyone his bravery. When I proved to them that I was worthy they would come up next to me and hold my hand while we were moving toward a contact. They were always smiling with beautiful teeth and large round eyes all contained in a beautiful personality. My interpreter told me that the three guys standing near us have pledged to be my body guard. I told the interpreter to thank them but I couldn’t thing of jeopardizing their life to protect mins. The interpreter said, “you must accept or they will lose face.” So I walked over to the three and thanked them through my interpreter.

    While dug in on the Nam side of a canal that separated the Nam from Cambodia there was a primitive village behind our position. Huts with dirt floors, to the left and right side once inside a hut were two platforms used for sleeping, cooking and every activity. Not wanting to take a dump in their area I asked SSG Lott (Lott was on his fourth year in the Nam without a break) where should I go to take a dump. He informed me that their was an outhouse behind the village. When I walked around doing to the back of the single row of huts I saw a reservoir approximately 50 yards long and 25 yards wide. Built close to the edge was a platform. I started walking to the structure gingerly not knowing if tThe board would hold my weight. Once on the platform I saw it was a three seater but there were no seats just three holes with worn down areas on each side of each hole. I undid my pants and squatted down to do my business. When my first load hit the water there was considerable thrashing about with water reaching up to the hole. I looked down and fish were eating my waste. As I was leaving I saw an elderly men fishing. At first you’d think damn these people are just one generation removed from the Stone Age but they built the perfect recycling system. The poop was broken down by the fish, the water would then be used in their rice patties beyond the reservoir; but also a source of food. One evening the village chief invited Lott and I to join his family for dinner. The dinner was rice and fish. I knew that I had to eat the rice and fish knowing from where the fish came from; it was a gift and could not be refused.

    The one thing about the Special Forces training that is crucial to conducting guerrilla warfare, you must immerse yourself and study the local customs and respect their customs to maintain their trust. Before an ODA is deployed to a foreign country the team will study the Area Study so as to respect their traditions and culture. We didn’t like the Regular Army units coming through our area because they never respected the customs of the local people.

    All of the people we were around were Buddhist and I learned that when you go to the bathroom you don’t take your Buddha with you; there will be a hook to hang your Buddha on. I was given a Buddha which I wore with my Crucifix. It must have worked came through without a scratch. When a nephew was being sent to Afghanistan I gave him the Crucifix and Buddha to him and again not a scratch after two tours.

    When calling someone over you NEVER point and wave them over; you gesture with your palm down at waist level and motion them over. You only point to animals and wave them over. A kiss is simply placing your lips against their cheek and sniff once and that’s all. The French in the Nam taught them the lips on lips.

    Layered Greek Dip

    You’ve probably had this at a summer party in the past, and we think it’s time to bring it back – not only is this dip with hummus, feta, olives, and fresh veggies tasty – but it’s a showstopper if you get the layers just right. It’s also easy to make ahead and the flavors set into the layers to make the dip so savory!

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    Ingredients

    Ingredient Checklist

    Directions

    Instructions Checklist
    • In medium mixing bowl beat cream cheese, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, and garlic with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and combined.

    • Spread cream cheese mixture into a deep 9-inch pie plate, or shallow serving dish. Evenly spread hummus on cream cheese layer. Top with cucumber, tomato, olives, feta cheese, and green onions. Cover and refrigerate 2 to 24 hours. Serve with pita chips and/or multigrain tortilla chips. Makes about 2-1/2 cups dip (16 servings).

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    U.S.-led Imperialism is the World’s Leading Purveyor of Chaos

    13 Jul 2022
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    To say that the West, currently led by the dictates of U.S. imperialism, is in trouble would be an understatement.

    • U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned on July 7th amid an escalating political crisis of legitimacy .
    • Three weeks before Johnson announced his departure, Emmanuel Macron’s so-called centrist alliance lost its parliamentary majority in France.
    • U.S. President Joe Biden continues to face his own crisis of legitimacy in the form of declining favorability ratings and public humiliation from Democratic loyalists such as Debra Messing .

    For the West, political crisis is undergirded by an unprecedented level of system chaos which has given the vast majority of workers and oppressed people little confidence in the future.

    That chaos was compounded by the murder of Japan’s former Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe on July 7th. Abe was an imperialist, a neoliberal, and the highest expression of what it means to be a puppet of the American Empire . Abe’s so-called Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) was a literal creation of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Other detestable qualities of Abe include his worship of Japan’s fascist war criminals, his membership in the fascist cult Nippon Kaigi, and his unapologetic defense of Japan’s history of brutalizing and super exploiting “comfort women” from its colonies. Most important to the United States, however, was Abe’s unquestionable loyalty to the New Cold War and the military encirclement of China.

    Abe’s murder and the attendant political crises in the West are a clear demonstration that U.S.-led imperialism is the world’s leading purveyor of chaos in the world.

    At the economic base, the U.S. and the E.U. continue to prolong their proxy war with Russia through massive arms transfers and sanctions that have boomeranged back to spur shortages and inflation. Inflation has come with political costs. Already unpopular capitalist regimes in the West are finding themselves increasingly exposed as incapable of addressing the rising cost of living.

    It doesn’t help matters that the so-called military superiority of the United States and its imperialist partners is also being challenged by Russia’s successful special military operation in Ukraine.

    Thanks to the U.S. obsession with NATO expansion, the future is bleak for Ukraine’s U.S.-backed coup government established in 2014. Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine has made immense progress in the Donbass region. An already fragile and privatized vassal Ukrainian economy can only look forward to more pain once the U.S. and its junior partners in NATO come looking for repayment on its exorbitant aid packages. And Ukraine is just the beginning. The recent admission of Sweden and Finland into NATO is yet another declaration of war with Russia which opens the door to future conflicts even more destructive than the ongoing U.S. proxy war in Ukraine.

    It is an undeniable fact that chaos follows U.S. imperialism wherever it goes. In Latin America, stability exists only where leftist governments have secured sufficient sovereignty .

    In Africa, the spread of the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) has led to widespread destabilization and political insecurity in the aftermath of the U.S.-NATO-AFRICOM invasion of Libya in 2011.

    In Asia, U.S. militarism has facilitated war in the West and attempted to organize a coalition of vassal states against China in the East. U.S. meddling in Taiwan has created a dumping ground for defense contractors and prompted Joe Biden to articulate on three occasions that the U.S. is willing to militarily intervene to “defend” the island , a guaranteed nuclear exchange scenario.

    U.S. militarism is the principal barrier to political stability around the world which is a prerequisite to addressing global challenges such as climate change and poverty. U.S. and E.U. sanctions murder thousands of people in poorer, non-white countries. U.S.-sponsored color revolutions and “soft power” maneuvers are preludes to regime change. So-called U.S. “soft power” strengthens the most reactionary forces in the world. The far right and fascistic Contras in Latin and Central America , ISIS in West Asia, and the Azov Regiment in Ukraine are all outgrowths of U.S. interference disguised as “soft power.”

    A dialectical relationship exists between the U.S.’s domestic and foreign policy. U.S. imperialism is an advanced stage in the system of capitalism predicated upon slavery, colonialism, and racism. Jayland Walker’s brutal murder at the hands of Akron police is a near daily occurrence in the United States. Black Americans and Indigenous peoples have been subject to the cruelest forms of racist violence for centuries. The U.S.’s endless wars are an expression of this violence turned toward imperialist ends.

    The chickens of chaos have come home to roost.

    The Euro-American imperialist world order is suffering from terminal contradictions. Political instability reigns supreme. Another economic crisis is said to be looming but is more than likely already here. Imperialist wars no longer hold any prospect for any real “victory” without serious consequences for the war-maker.

    While material conditions are pregnant with possibilities, there is no organized and independent left challenge to the supremacy of U.S. capital and its armed guards of the state. That is the task ahead of the people’s movement residing in the belly of the imperialist beast. In the face of the unprecedented chaos produced by its leading purveyor, the United States, this is no doubt the most difficult one that the working class and oppressed in the long and storied history of resistance. But such a task is not a choice. It is forced upon us by the weight of imperialism bearing down on our necks.

    We must not rest until we get the boot off by any means necessary.

    Singaporean Artist Depicts How Strange She Feels In Japan

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    Being silent on a train or not seeing a trashcan anywhere are just some of the things you can only experience in Japan. After spending some time there, the Singaporean artist Evangeline Neo decided to demonstrate the differences between the Japanese culture and her homeland.

    More: Evangeline Neo, Instagram, Facebook h/t: playjunkie

    “I studied in Tokyo during 2010-2014 and noticed a lot of cultural differences between Japan and my country so I started to draw these comic strips about them to deal with my culture shock,” the artist shared on Bored Panda. “I hope my comics will help more foreigners to understand Japan and Japanese better, as well as to increase awareness and change how we behave.”

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    William Hartung, Call It the National (In)security Budget

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    Yes, Afghanistan went down the drain and Washington’s global war on terror ended (more or less) in disaster 20 years after it began. But the urge to militarize the planet? Not a chance in an American world where, as TomDispatch regular William Hartung lays out in striking detail today, the Pentagon and the military-industrial complex plan to continue ruling the roost in Washington for time eternal.

    So, war, what is it good for? Absolutely something! In that sense, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a horror of the first order, has been anything but bad for the Pentagon. Just in case you hadn’t noticed, three decades after the old Cold War ended, with a distinct helping hand from Russian president Vladimir Putin, the Biden administration has been playing its part admirably in ramping up this country’s newest version of the old Cold War into an ever more militarized set of confrontations.

    It’s not just the CIA operatives in Ukraine or the sending of U.S. troops to neighboring Poland early in the Ukraine war. Only last week, at a NATO summit, President Biden announced that this country would ramp up its military presence in Europe yet again on land, sea, and in the air. (Keep in mind that, since the war in Ukraine began, Washington had already dispatched an extra 20,000 troops to Europe, raising its forces there above 100,000.)  At least 3,000 more combat troops are now heading for Romania, two F-35 squadrons for Great Britain, U.S. naval ships for Spain, and the U.S. 5th Army Corps will establish a sizeable permanent base and headquarters in Poland, while there will be unspecified “enhanced” deployments in the Baltics and American forces will be upped in Germany and Italy, too.

    And this isn’t just happening in Europe to face down an outrageous Russian invasion of Ukraine. An increasingly militarized commitment to Asia, especially Taiwan, and a new Cold War with China has been in the cards for a while now. I’m sure you remember our president upping the ante there by responding to a reporter’s question about whether the U.S. would ever get militarily involved in defending Taiwan this way: “Yes, that’s the commitment we made.” True, his aides walked him back on the subject, but from sending American naval vessels through the Taiwan strait and into the South China Sea to ramping up naval war exercises with allies in the Pacific, everything seems to be getting colder and colder in ways that seem hotter and hotter.

    The world may look more ominous to some of us, but not, it seems, to the Pentagon. In terms of what matters to our military leaders, things — think: funding — are only (and eternally) on the upswing.  Keep all of this in mind as you read Hartung’s latest yearly look at our national (in)security budget and how, in a world with so many other problems, it continues to go through the roof. Tom

    Something That We Have Been Waiting For Just Happened, And It Is A Really Bad Sign…

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    There has been a lot of talk recently about “the death of the dollar”, but the truth is that the euro is in far bigger trouble.  Inflation in the eurozone has risen to truly frightening levels, and the war in Ukraine threatens to plunge the major economies of Europe into a very deep recession.  Russia holds the key, because if Russia completely cuts off the flow of natural gas to Europe it really will cause an unprecedented economic nightmare.  Even now, energy prices in Europe have already soared to absolutely insane levels, and the Russians could make things much, much worse with a single decision.  The Europeans should have never allowed themselves to become so dependent on Russian energy, and now they find themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place.

    So with everything that has been going on, it shouldn’t be any surprise that the euro has been steadily falling.

    In fact, on Tuesday the euro reached parity with the dollar for the very first time since 2002

    The euro hit parity with the U.S. dollar on Tuesday for the first time in 20 years, meaning that the currencies have the same worth.
    
    The euro fell to $0.9998 against the dollar, it’s lowest level since December 2002, as the euro zone’s energy supply crisis and economic woes continue to depress the common currency.

    For years, I have been warning that the euro would eventually fall so low that it would be at parity with the dollar, and now that day has arrived.

    And I have also been warning that such an event would be a really bad sign for Europe, because I always felt that hitting parity with the dollar would be an indication that a collapse of the European economy had begun.

    In the short-term, everyone is going to be watching for what Russia does next.  On Monday, the Nord Stream 1 pipeline was shut down for a regularly scheduled 10 day period of maintenance

    Fears of a recession have grown in recent weeks due to rising uncertainty over the bloc’s energy supply, with Russia threatening to further reduce gas flows to Germany and the broader continent.
    
    Russia temporarily suspended gas deliveries via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline on Monday for annual summer maintenance works. The pipeline is Europe’s single biggest piece of gas import infrastructure, carrying around 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year from Russia to Germany via the Baltic Sea.

    Many analysts in the western world are greatly concerned about what will happen if the Russians don’t turn the gas back on when the 10 day maintenance period is over.

    If it doesn’t get turned back on, we are being warned that Europe could actually be facing a “doomsday scenario”

    As such, DB’s Jim Reid said that July 22, the day gas is supposed to come back online, could be the most important day of the year: “while we all spend most of our market time thinking about the Fed and a recession, I suspect what happens to Russian gas in H2 is potentially an even bigger story. Of course by July 22nd parts may have be found and the supply might start to normalize. Anyone who tells you they know what is going to happen here is guessing but as minimum it should be a huge focal point for everyone in markets.”
    
    Fast forward to today when, one day after the start of the scheduled 10-day shutdown period which has already sent flows through to NS 1 pipeline to basically zero…
    
    … and the market is now focusing on the worst case scenario: what happens if Russia cuts off all gas on July 22, the day even Bloomberg has now dubbed Europe’s “doomsday scenario.”

    So let’s watch and see what happens on July 22nd.

    If the Russians decide that it is time to completely cut off the gas, European financial markets will go completely haywire.

    Of course energy prices in Europe have already gone completely nuts, and authorities in Germany are preparing to use “sports arenas and exhibition halls as ‘warm up spaces’ this winter”

    Cities across Germany are planning to use sports arenas and exhibition halls as ‘warm up spaces’ this winter to help freezing citizens who are unable to afford skyrocketing energy costs.
    
    Bild newspaper reveals how the the nation’s Cities and Municipalities Association has urged local authorities to set aside public spaces to help vulnerable citizens in the colder months.

    This isn’t how things were supposed to play out.

    The “green energy revolution” was supposed to have totally transformed Europe by now.

    But that hasn’t happened and it isn’t going to happen.

    On the other side of the Atlantic, we continue to get more signs that the U.S. economy is headed for serious trouble as well.  For example, we just learned that home sale cancellations have risen to the highest level since the early days of the COVID pandemic

    Approximately 600,000 home purchase agreements fell through in June, according to a new analysis by Redfin.
    
    The figure is equivalent to 14.9% of homes that went under contract during the month, an increase from 12.7% in May and 11.2% a year ago.

    And as the greatest housing bubble in our entire history starts to implode, companies in the industry continue to lay off more workers

    Another lender is resorting to layoffs as the mortgage market shrivels.
    
    Tucked in near the end of a business plan released Tuesday morning, loanDepot announced it would shed 4,800 people, or 42 percent of its workforce.
    
    About 2,800 of them have already been sent packing as the firm slashes headcount to 6,500 from 11,300.

    The last housing crash was really painful, and this one is going to be even more bitter.

    Meanwhile, the Biden administration is warning that we are about to see another huge inflation number

    White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre Monday said the administration expects a high inflation number when the new Consumer Price Index (CPI) is released Wednesday, but downplayed any fault of President Biden in the matter.
    
    “On Wednesday, we have new CPI and inflation data, and we expect the headline number, which includes gas and food, to be highly elevated, mainly because gas prices were so elevated in June,” Jean-Pierre said. “Gas and food prices continue to be heavily impacted by the war in Ukraine.”

    The Biden administration has lost control, and Joe Biden’s approval ratings continue to sink to horrifying new lows.

    The Federal Reserve has lost control as well, and if Fed officials continue to raise interest rates they are going to greatly accelerate this new economic downturn.

    If you are waiting for our leaders to rescue us from the economic nightmare that is now staring us in the face, you are going to be greatly disappointed.

    The great “unraveling” that I have warned about for so long is here, and it is going to be exceedingly unpleasant.

    I hope that you are doing your best to get prepared for the road that is ahead, because we are in for a really bumpy trip.

    Chicken Fried Steak

    Something about sitting outside with a plate of chicken fried steak and a nice slaw sure reminds us of summer at Grandma’s house. While it’s a labor-intensive meal to make, the crowd-pleasing crunch is worth it.

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    Chicken Fried Steak:

    Gravy:

    Directions

    1. For the steak: Begin with setting up an assembly line of dishes. Mix the milk with the eggs in one; the flour mixed with the seasoned salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper, paprika and cayenne in another; and the meat in a third. Then have one clean plate at the end to receive the breaded meat.
    2. Work with one piece of meat at a time. Sprinkle both sides with kosher salt and black pepper, then place it in the flour mixture. Turn to coat. Place the meat into the milk/egg mixture, turning to coat. Finally, place it back in the flour and turn to coat (dry mixture/wet mixture/dry mixture). Place the breaded meat on the clean plate, then repeat with the remaining meat.
    3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the butter. Drop in a few sprinkles of flour to make sure it’s sufficiently hot. When the butter sizzles immediately, you know it’s ready. (It should not brown right away, if it does, the fire is too hot.) Cook the meat, 3 pieces at a time, until the edges start to look golden brown, about 2 minutes each side. Remove the meat to a paper towel-lined plate and keep them warm by covering lightly with another plate or a sheet of foil. Repeat until all the meat is cooked.
    4. After all the meat is fried, pour off the grease into a heatproof bowl. Without cleaning the skillet, return it to the stove over medium-low heat. Add 1/4 cup of the grease back to the skillet and allow it to heat up.
    5. For the gravy: When the grease is hot, sprinkle the flour evenly over the grease. Using a whisk, mix the flour with the grease, creating a golden-brown paste. Add more flour if it looks overly greasy; add a little more grease if it becomes too pasty/clumpy. Keep cooking until the roux reaches a deep golden brown color.
    6. Pour in the milk, whisking constantly. Add the seasoned salt and black pepper to taste and cook, whisking, until the gravy is smooth and thick, 5 to 10 minutes. Be prepared to add more milk if it becomes overly thick. Be sure to taste to make sure gravy is sufficiently seasoned.
    7. Serve the meat next to a big side of mashed potatoes. Pour gravy over the whole shebang!

    Artist Modernizes Disney Characters By Placing Them In All Sorts Of Interesting Scenarios

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    While some are sworn haters of everything Disney, most of us enjoy a good Disney theme here and there. And then there’s a vast number of Disney fans that love everything related to it.

    Well, today’s post was specially made for the latter group. Have you ever wondered what if Disney characters did cameos everywhere? Or if they lived a normal modern life? An artist that calls herself OneFairyFail on Instagram satisfies all of those needs for hardcore fans of Disney, and puts them in all kinds of weird situations. It gives a glimpse of how they would react, what they would do in certain scenarios, and satisfies such “what if” curiosity to the tee.

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    One reason why Americans are fucked…

    As I said, America is a land with a million tiny hands in your wallet. Check out this graph, clearly showing the numbers of “indians” compared to the number of “chiefs” in the medical industry…

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    America’s $1.4 Trillion “National Security” Budget Makes Us Ever Less Safe

    This March, when the Biden administration presented a staggering $813 billion proposal for “national defense,” it was hard to imagine a budget that could go significantly higher or be more generous to the denizens of the military-industrial complex. After all, that request represented far more than peak spending in the Korean or Vietnam War years, and well over $100 billion more than at the height of the Cold War.

    It was, in fact, an astonishing figure by any measure — more than two-and-a-half times what China spends; more, in fact, than (and hold your hats for this one!) the national security budgets of the next nine countries, including China and Russia, combined. And yet the weapons industry and hawks in Congress are now demanding that even more be spent.

    In recent National Defense Authorization Act proposals, which always set a marker for what Congress is willing to fork over to the Pentagon, the Senate and House Armed Services Committees both voted to increase the 2023 budget yet again — by $45 billion in the case of the Senate and $37 billion for the House. The final figure won’t be determined until later this year, but Congress is likely to add tens of billions of dollars more than even the Biden administration wanted to what will most likely be a record for the Pentagon’s already bloated budget.

    This lust for yet more weapons spending is especially misguided at a time when a never-ending pandemic, growing heat waves and other depredations of climate change, and racial and economic injustice are devastating the lives of millions of Americans.  Make no mistake about it: the greatest risks to our safety and our future are non-military in nature, with the exception, of course, of the threat of nuclear war, which could increase if the current budget goes through as planned.

    But as TomDispatch readers know, the Pentagon is just one element in an ever more costly American national security state.  Adding other military, intelligence, and internal-security expenditures to the Pentagon’s budget brings the total upcoming “national security” budget to a mind-boggling $1.4 trillion. And note that, in June 2021, the last time my colleague Mandy Smithberger and I added up such costs to the taxpayer, that figure was almost $1.3 trillion, so the trend is obvious.

    To understand how these vast sums are spent year after year, let’s take a quick tour of America’s national security budget, top to bottom.

    The Pentagon’s “Base” Budget

    The Pentagon’s proposed “base” budget, which includes all of its routine expenses from personnel to weapons to the costs of operating and maintaining a 1.3 million member military force, came in at $773 billion for 2023, more than $30 billion above that of 2022. Such an increase alone is three times the discretionary budget of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and more than three times the total allocation for the Environmental Protection Agency.

    In all, the Pentagon consumes nearly half of the discretionary budget of the whole federal government, a figure that’s come down slightly in recent years thanks to the Biden administration’s increased investment in civilian activities. That still means, however, that almost anything the government wants to do other than preparing for or waging war involves a scramble for funding, while the Department of Defense gets virtually unlimited financial support.

    And keep in mind that the proposed Biden increase in Pentagon spending comes despite the ending of 20 years of U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan, a move that should have meant significant reductions in the department’s budget.  Perhaps you won’t be surprised to learn, however, that, in the wake of the Afghan disaster, the military establishment and hawks in Congress quickly shifted gears to touting — and exaggerating — challenges posed by China, Russia, and inflation as reasons for absorbing the potential savings from the Afghan War and pressing the Pentagon budget ever higher.

    It’s worth looking at what America stands to receive for its $773 billion — or about $2,000 per taxpayer, according to an analysis by the National Priorities Project at the Institute for Policy Studies. More than half of that amount goes to giant weapons contractors like Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, along with thousands of smaller arms-making firms.

    The most concerning part of the new budget proposal, however, may be the administration’s support for a three-decades long, $1.7-trillion plan to build a new generation of nuclear-armed missiles (as well, of course, as new warheads to go with them), bombers, and submarines. As the organization Global Zero has pointed out, the United States could dissuade any country from launching an atomic attack against it with far fewer weapons than are contained in its current nuclear arsenal.  There’s simply no need for a costly — and risky — nuclear weapons “modernization” plan. Sadly, it’s guaranteed to help fuel a continuing global nuclear arms race, while entrenching nuclear weapons as a mainstay of national security policy for decades to come. (Wouldn’t those decades be so much better spent working to eliminate nuclear weapons altogether?)

    The riskiest weapon in that nuclear plan is a new land-based, intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).  As former Secretary of Defense William Perry once explained, ICBMs are among “the most dangerous weapons in the world” because a president warned of a nuclear attack would have only a matter of minutes to decide whether to launch them, increasing the risk of an accidental nuclear war based on a false alarm. Not only is a new ICBM unnecessary, but the existing ones should be retired as well, as a way of reducing the potential for a world-ending nuclear conflagration.

    To its credit, the Biden administration is trying to get rid of an ill-conceived nuclear weapons program initiated during the Trump years – a sea-launched, nuclear-armed cruise missile that, rather than adding a “deterrent” capability, would raise the risk of a nuclear confrontation.  As expected, nuclear hawks in the military and Congress are trying to restore funding for that nuclear SLCM (pronounced “Slick ‘em”).

    The Pentagon budget is replete with other unnecessary, overpriced, and often potentially dysfunctional systems that should either be canceled or replaced with more affordable and effective alternatives.  The most obvious case in point is the F-35 combat aircraft, meant to carry out multiple missions for the Air Force, Navy, and Marines. So far, it does none of them well.

    In a series of careful analyses of the aircraft, the Project on Government Oversight determined that it may never be fully ready for combat. As for cost, at an estimated $1.7 trillion over its projected period of service, it’s already the most expensive single weapons program ever undertaken by the Pentagon. And keep in mind that those costs will only increase as the military services are forced to pay to fix problems that were never addressed in the rush to deploy the plane before it was fully tested.  Meanwhile, that aircraft is so complex that, at any given moment, a large percentage of the fleet is down for maintenance, meaning that, if ever called on for combat duty, many of those planes will simply not be available.

    In a grudging acknowledgement of the multiple problems plaguing the F-35, the Biden administration proposed decreasing its buy of the plane by about a third in 2023, a figure that should have been much lower given its poor performance. But congressional advocates of the plane — including a large F-35 caucus made up of members in states or districts where parts of it are being produced — will undoubtedly continue to press for more planes than even the Pentagon’s asking for, as the Senate Armed Services Committee did in its markup of the Department of Defense spending bill.

    In addition to all of this, the Pentagon’s base budget includes mandatory spending for items like military retirement, totaling an estimated $12.8 billion for 2023.

    Running national (in)security tally: $785.8 billion

    The Nuclear Budget

    The average taxpayer no doubt assumes that a government agency called the Department of Energy (DOE) would be primarily concerned with developing new sources of energy, including ones that would reduce America’s dependence on fossil fuels to help rein in the ravages of climate change.  Unfortunately, that assumption couldn’t be less true.

    Instead of spending the bulk of its time and money on energy research and development, more than 40% of the Department of Energy’s budget for 2023 is slated to support the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which manages the country’s nuclear weapons program, principally by maintaining and developing nuclear warheads.  Work on other military activities like reactors for nuclear submarines pushes the defense share of the DOE budget even higher. The NNSA spreads its work across the country, with major locations in California, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. Its proposed 2023 budget for nuclear-weapons activities is $16.5 billion, part of a budget for defense-related projects of $29.8 billion.

    Amazingly the NNSA’s record of managing its programs may be even worse than the Pentagon’s, with cost overruns of more than $28 billion during the last two decades.  Many of its current projects, like a plan to build a new facility to produce plutonium “pits” — the devices that trigger the explosion of a hydrogen bomb — are unnecessary even under the current, misguided nuclear weapons modernization plan.

    Nuclear budget: $29.8 billion

    Running (in)security tally: $815.6 billion

    Defense-Related Activities

    This catch-all category, pegged at $10.6 billion in 2023, includes the international activities of the FBI and payments to Central Intelligence Agency retirement funds, among other things.

    Defense-Related Activities: $10.6 billion

    Running (in)security tally: $826.2 billion

    The Intelligence Budget

    Information about this country’s 18 separate intelligence agencies is largely shielded from public view.  Most members of Congress don’t even have staff that can access significant details on how intelligence funds are spent, making meaningful Congressional oversight almost impossible. The only real data supplied with regard to the intelligence agencies is a top-line number – $67.1 billion proposed for 2023, a $5 billion increase over 2022. Most of the intelligence community’s budget is believed to be hidden inside the Pentagon budget. So, in the interests of making a conservative estimate, intelligence spending is not included in our tally.

    Intelligence Budget: $67.1 billion

    Running (in)security tally still: $826.2 billion

    Veterans Affairs Budget

    America’s post-9/11 wars have generated millions of veterans, many of whom have returned from battle with severe physical or psychological injuries. As a result, spending on veterans’ affairs has soared, reaching a proposed $301 billion in the 2023 budget plan.  Research conducted for the Costs of War Project at Brown University has determined that these costs will only grow, with more than $2 trillion needed just to take care of the veterans of the post-9/11 conflicts.

    Veterans Affairs Budget: $301 billion

    Running (in)security tally: $1.127 trillion

    International Affairs Budget

    The International Affairs budget includes non-military items like diplomacy at the State Department and economic aid through the Agency for International Development, critical (but significantly underfunded) parts of the U.S. national security strategy writ large.  But even in this category there are significant military-related activities in the form of programs that provide arms and training to foreign militaries and police forces.  It’s proposed that the largest of these, the Foreign Military Financing program, should receive $6 billion in 2023. Meanwhile, the total requested International Affairs budget is $67.8 billion in 2023.

    International Affairs Budget: $67.8 billion

    Running (in)security tally: $1.195 trillion

    The Homeland Security Budget

    After the 9/11 attacks, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was established by combining a wide range of agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Transportation Security Agency, the U.S. Secret Service, Customs and Border Protection, and the Coast Guard.  The proposed DHS budget for 2023 is $56.7 billion, more than one-quarter of which goes to Customs and Border Protection as part of a militarized approach to addressing immigration into the United States.

    Homeland Security Budget: $56.7 billion

    Running (in)security tally: $1.252 trillion

    Interest on the Debt

    The national security state, as outlined so far, is responsible for about 26% of the interest due on the U.S. debt, a total of $152 billion.

    Interest on the Debt: $152 billion

    Running (in)security tally: $1.404 trillion

    Our Misguided Security Budget

    Spending $1.4 trillion to address a narrowly defined concept of national security should be considered budgetary malpractice on a scale so grand as to be almost unimaginable — especially at a time when the greatest risks to the safety of Americans and the rest of the world are not military in nature. After all, the Covid pandemic has already taken the lives of more than one million Americans, while the fires, floods, and heat waves caused by climate change have impacted tens of millions more.

    Yet the administration’s proposed allocation of $45 billion to address climate change in the 2023 budget would be less than 6% of the Pentagon’s proposed budget of $773 billion.  And as noted, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are slated to get just one-third of the proposed increase in Pentagon spending between 2022 and 2023. Worse yet, attempts to raise spending significantly to address these urgent challenges, from President Biden’s Build Back Better plan to the Green New Deal, are stalled in Congress.

    In a world where such dangers are only increasing, perhaps the best hope for launching a process that could, sooner or later, reverse such perverse priorities lies with grassroots organizing. Consider, for instance the “moral budget” crafted by the Poor People’s Campaign, which would cut Pentagon spending almost in half while refocusing on programs aimed at eliminating poverty, protecting the environment, and improving access to health care.  If even part of such an agenda were achieved and the “defense” budget reined in, if not cut drastically, America and the world would be far safer places.

    Given the scale of the actual security problems we face, it’s time to think big when it comes to potential solutions, while recognizing what Martin Luther King, Jr., once described as the “fierce urgency of now.” Time is running short, and concerted action is imperative.

    10 Lessons Learned From A Lifetime Of Bodybuilding Naturally

    1) “Lift weights like there is no tomorrow.”

    I have this in quotes because, word for word, this was one thing a bodybuilding judge, who I really respected, told me after a show and it has stuck with me through the years. It’s extremely simple, almost stupid, advice…. But it has really defined how I’ve approached this journey.

    Too many people, I think, worry about which exercise is better, high reps or low reps, high volume or low volume, overtraining or undertraining, etc. I know I’ve done it… But honestly… Just go in there, lift weights as intensely as you possibly can.

    Whether you choose high reps or low reps, just be intense, put your all into it. Don’t over think and don’t over complicate things.

    Lift lift lift. And STAY CONSISTENT! Do it day in and day out, don’t stop lifting weights, you’ll figure out everything else as you go along. You’ll figure our your diet and you will continue to fine tune it with time, you will figure out what you need to do if you want to compete, but no matter what, just keep going into the gym.

    Do machines, do free weights, do hammer strength, switch it up, try different things and see how you respond. But just keep doing whatever you need to do to get in the gym and get that work out in.

    2) Consistency is the single most important factor when it comes to natural bodybuilding

    This is piggybacking on that first item… but that includes being consistent with your training, with your diet, with your recovery, with everything pertaining to how you build your physique.

    How many of you have had that friend that goes into the gym for a number of weeks and actually makes some decent progress, really packs on the gains, then takes a few months off and vanishes… then starts training again, and back and forth, back and forth, on and off, on and off.

    In the end they just end up being stuck in the same cycle without really anything to show for it.

    Bodybuilding can get extremely boring sometimes, and it takes foreverrrrrrr… Especially in natural bodybuilding…. It takes forever to move that needle and really make some significant gains, especially if you have been at it for a number of years.

    But you have to find a way to make it fun and you have to love it to keep on going. You have to be passionate about it if you are going to stay consistent.

    While there is still a lot of flexibility in the lifestyle, flexibility with the diet, with the training, etc… holistically you have to stay consistent.

    You don’t need to put your life on hold to be a successful bodybuilder. But at times you will need to make some sacrifices.

    I’ve turned down parties and dinner plans because I was prepping for a show, or needed to get up early to work out, I’ve also partied and went out clubbing until 5 am and found some time to train the next day.

    You shuffle things around and you find a balance. Some mornings I get up and I don’t feel so good, I think to myself, I can skip and make it up another day, but then I think, what if I feel even worse tomorrow.

    Sometimes I’ve gone in when I was sick, and left feeling so much better, sometimes I’ve gone in when I was sick, and I leave feeling worse.

    Sometimes I’ve gone in when I was sick, and cut my work out short because I just felt like death. Everyday is different.

    Mike O’Hearn once said in a video of his…. “Do your best for that day, not for your lifetime, but do you very best for that day.” We’ve all had days when we are sooooo unmotivated to go in, try not to cave to that… sure it’s ok to take some time off, but don’t abuse it. Consistency is key!

    3) There is not one single exercise that you ABSOLUTELY have to do to get bigger.

    This is blasphemy in some bodybuilding circles, but I truly believe it. There isn’t any specific exercise that you HAVE TO DO in order to avoid being doomed to eternal scrawniness.

    Now, there are some exercises that are certainly more effective than others, but that doesn’t mean you have to do them if you don’t like them or if they make you uncomfortable, etc.THERE IS ALWAYS AN ALTERNATIVE.

    Don’t like squats, leg press, don’t like barbell bench press, try hammer strength, don’t like barbell rows, try a seated wide grip rowing machine.

    About 10 years into training I decided I would only do exercises that I enjoyed. This came at a time when I think I may have been getting burnt out, so I went in everyday only doing exercises I enjoyed.

    Don’t get me wrong, I still kept everything balanced, and found ways to hit all the muscle groups, but I just focused on the things I love, and I go to the gym and do what I love, and I put my heart and soul into it!

    4) Do not confuse motivation with discipline.

    Even more piggybacking on the note about consistency… I know there are days we could be REALLY unmotivated to go train, and its fine to take some time off every now and then, but at I’ve said it’s also really easy to abuse this.

    Something I do if I’m COMPLETELY unmotivated is what I call “Fuck around in the gym day” – basically I’ll just go in and train completely haphazardly… light weight just to get the blood flowing, random exercises with absolutely no structure or sense. just hop around from machine to machine just trying different things, eventually my competitive nature kicks in, and I start to go heavier, I start to get a good pump, I start to instinctly put some structure into the work out.

    There have been times I walked into the gym extremely unmotivated and I end up leaving 2 hours later having completed a phenomenal work out, a switch happens at some point and I get into a good swing.

    5)  I am still unsure if my dirty bulks throughout the years helped or hindered me.

    But I have some thoughts… I would say that I have spent the majority of the last 20 years walking around looking more like a linebacker than a bodybuilder (Unless I was prepping for a show)…. Maybe an Offensive lineman when I got up to 275 lbs lol!

    Nowadays, I’m more focused on staying lean but I’m still making great progress with respect to strength and even size.

    Many have asked me if I think my several years of heavy bulking attributed to my progress and size today and I honestly don’t know. Would I have made the same progress if I stayed lean and built size slowly? It’s hard to answer that, but surely there has to be a middle ground somewhere.

    It was cool to get up to 275 lbs and I was strong as a freaking ox… at the same time I think a big mistake is that I stayed at that weight for way way way too long, and I started to get sloppy, and lazy, People could always tell I worked out, but I was certainly a permabulker, and folks wondered, is this guy just a powerlifter? a wannabe sumo wrestler? You compete in bodybuilding? what? how? etc.

    Did getting so big have it’s advantages in building muscle and my current form, sure I think so, but I think there would’ve been a ton of advantages if I just stayed a bit leaner as well. Maybe not as lean as I am now, but somewhere in the middle.

    6) Having simple taste and not drinking has made things easier…

    I don’t drink, never have, and I have never been drunk in my life, I think that has made things much more manageable on me with respect to bodybuilding.

    I also have fairly simple taste, I’m not a big sauce and condiments guy in general, and actually enjoy plain food, this has also made things easier for me whenever I needed to cut down, or even bulk up…. I never needed to cook elaborate meals to get by.

    On the other hand…. I have a major sweet tooth (see past post from a few weeks ago when I outlined one of my refeed…..er….. cheat days). This has made it hard hahahaha I’ve never been that guy that eats clean all the time. Now I do, and people think – wow I must love eating all this low calorie food… no not really… I love looking the way I do, that’s why I do it, but trust me, I’d much rather be chowing down on a bunch of chocolate chip cookies, then some chicken and broccoli. Just have to engage the suck if you want to stay lean lol

    7) Don’t overcomplicate and overthink things.

    And despite saying that, I have often over complicated things throughout the years, and I still do from time to time, but I’m learning that I don’t need to. Not always at least.

    You need structure, you need to be scientific about it, you need to understand things, but there can still be a balance. Don’t sweat every single little detail but at the same time, don’t be overly lax, find a balance. Everything you can do to make progress, even by 1%, is worth it, but don’t beat yourself up about it.

    8) I’ve always been a very high protein consumer

    And I think that was a factor in how my journey has played out, but it’s not something I continue to do… So when I say high, I’m talking, around 300 to 400 g of protein… HOWEVER, only in the last year and a half did I do a dramatic cut, and now take anywhere from 160 to 180 g of protein.

    This transition happened because I wanted to try a new approach to dieting and essentially cutting weight and getting lean while still eating up to 270 g of carbs on some days… It worked, and I keep asking myself why I didn’t cut my protein this low sooner, I’m energized, I’m lean, I’m still strong as hell, and still making progress with the weights. It’s been great.

    But then I ask myself the same question as the earlier point about extreme bulking, Would I have made all this great progress through the years if I kept protein lower? I can’t answer that. But I can tell you that based purely on the last year and a half, I wish I had done dropped it sooner.

    I’ve tried so many different diets. All of my contest preps were pretty much high protein , moderate fat, and low to no carbs depending on the point in time during my prep. I gradually decreased the carbs as I got closer to the show. But as I mentioned at the very top, now I only take in around 1 g per lean body mass.

    9) I’m really glad I never crossed over to the dark side…

    I shouldn’t really call it the dark side because I don’t really care if people use steroids or not… plus if you count my one time stint with M1T over 10 years ago then i guess you could say I did cross over once… but what I’m trying to say is that I’m so glad that I’m currently a natural bodybuilder and that steroids were never a staple or a necessity in my bodybuilding career.

    There were many reasons I never fully went into it, first it was the legal aspect… But for a number of years I lived in countries where it was legal and still, I chose not to do it… It eventually became because of health concerns, then stigma, then I don’t even know why… I just didn’t want to add yet one more thing to have to worry about or think about.. but now it’s purely a pride issue.

    And yes, I am fully aware users work just as hard as us naturals, some even harder especially when you get into the top ranks of the NPC or the IFBB… But still… for one reason or another, being natural is something that makes me so proud. I always joke with my wife and tell her I’m am more proud of my bodybuilding accomplishments than I am of my PhD. Bodybuilding and my physique is something that I literally built myself, with my bare hands, hard work, discipline, and tremendous consistency. But this is a good Segway to my last point.

    10) It doesn’t feel like it sometimes but there are so many things in life that are much more important than bodybuilding

    That’s right… I hate to admit it, because I certainly don’t practice what I preach… But putting things in perspective, unless you are a top 5 Olympia competitor in which this is your livelihood, most likely this is just a hobby… Or better yet…. a lifestyle that you’ve chosen and dedicated yourself to.

    Again… Even I find it very hard to accept this… take for example our current situation with the Coronavirus… I think the number one thing I have complained about has been the gym being closed (and obviously I understand why and support the decision)… thankfully I have enough to get by at home for now… But in retrospect I should probably be worried about other things….

    Will the kids manage without in-person schooling for this long? Is my job at risk? Is our mental well being going to be impacted by this? Will we get Coronavirus? Will someone we know get it? I should probably be thinking about any of these things… But no… I’m thinking… How long will it be until I get back to the gym. And maybe it’s a good distraction, but again….putting things into perspective, that’s fairly low priority.

    Another example for you, in 2014 I had Thyroid cancer, and I had to have surgery to get it removed, my first question to the doctor as I was coming out of anesthesia… When can I start lifting again? Meanwhile my awesome wife was asking the important questions, what are the follow up procedures, risk of spreading to lymph nodes and recurrence, medication needed, etc etc. And here I was logging onto bodybuilding forums from my hospital bed to read about the latest bogus work out fad or the latest contest results.

    There are many many many things in life that are so much more important than bodybuilding, maybe I’m writing this as a reminder to myself… But this doesn’t mean that we all should have to go and give up this sport or lifestyle that we love, it just means that we have to find the right balance so our life is complete holistically and full in all areas beyond just how big our muscles are.

    – BIGACH

    The Trains Could Stop Running In The United States Literally One Week From Now

    .

    Did you know that an absolutely crippling national railroad strike could potentially start on July 18th?  If this actually happens, the historic supply chain crisis that we are experiencing right now will rapidly become far worse.  Each year, trains in the United States transport approximately “1.7 billion tons of raw materials and finished goods” to their ultimate destinations.  If that suddenly stops happening, our economy goes into the toilet.  I realize that may sound a bit crude, but that is the reality of what we are potentially facing.  So we better hope that national rail carriers and the unions representing the workers can come to an agreement before next Monday

    Railroad freight traffic across the United States could come to a screeching halt July 18 if progress isn’t made on a labor contract between national rail carriers and their unions.
    
    Union officials stressed they do not want to go on strike, but argued they are being forced to consider the option in a bid to get better benefits, wages and staffing.

    We aren’t just talking about a partial paralysis of rail traffic.

    This would be a nationwide strike, and the entire system would suddenly be frozen.

    At the moment the two sides are in a “cooling off period”, but that “cooling off period” will be over at 12:01 AM on July 18th

    The two sides were forced into a 30-day “cooling off period” after failing to reach an agreement working through the National Mediation Board. The cooling off period prevents unions from striking or railroads from locking out their workers while they continue to negotiate.
    
    That cooling off period ends at midnight on July 18, and a coalition of unions could choose to go on strike at that point, said Sheet Metal Air Rail Transportation union president Jeremy Ferguson.

    At this point, it appears that there will be a strike unless Joe Biden uses his powers to intervene.

    And that is precisely what the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is asking him to do

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is calling on President Joe Biden to help resolve a dispute between the country’s Class 1 railroads and 12 rail unions to avert a possible rail strike beginning July 18.
    
    In a letter sent to the White House on Wednesday, U.S. Chamber President Suzanne Clark warned that the decision last month by the National Mediation Board (NMB) to release the railroads and unions from mediation and begin a 30-day cooling off period “presents a new challenge to the U.S. business community, which is already navigating a difficult environment.”
    
    Unless the administration acts, either party is free to exercise “self-help” options — including a strike beginning at 12:01 a.m. on July 18, when the 30-day cooling-off period ends.

    One way or another, this labor dispute will eventually be resolved.

    Let us hope that it is sooner rather than later.

    But the truth is that our planet is ultimately facing long-term economic problems that are far more severe than any sort of temporary supply chain disruptions.

    It has been said that “energy is the economy”, and it takes a tremendous amount of energy to power the standard of living that we are enjoying today.

    And with each passing year, the size of the global population continues to go up.  In fact, the UN just announced that the population of the world will hit 8 billion in 2022…

    The world’s population will reach 8 billion in November, United Nations researchers said Monday, marking a milestone moment even as the global growth rate continues a long-term slowdown.
    
    The Earth’s 8 billionth inhabitant will be born on Nov. 15, according to the U.N.’s latest World Population Prospects 2022 report, released to mark World Population Day.

    Meanwhile, the amount of energy that we are producing has started to decline.

    As Chris Martenson has pointed out, 2018 may have actually been the year when we hit “peak oil”

    It all comes down to the amount of oil that’s available because oil is the KING of all energy sources. And the king is weak and fading…it’s entirely possible that we’ll never again see as much oil come out of the ground as we did back in 2018.  That might have been the actual peak…
    
    There are warning signs everywhere that oil supplies are extremely tight and that spare capacity simply doesn’t exist at the moment. Someday oil will forever be in the rearview mirror and this is why an economic collapse is inevitable.

    From this point forward, it is going to be increasingly costly to get energy out of the ground.

    And that means that our standard of living will inevitably keep going down.  Please take 20 minutes and watch this video in which Chris Martenson goes into great detail about all of this.

     

    You may have noticed that energy prices have been rising very aggressively over the past couple of years.

    And energy prices have a direct impact on what literally everything else costs.

    As food and other essentials continue to spike in price, that is going to cause societal breakdowns all over the globe.

    In fact, just this week we have seen extreme civil unrest in Sri Lanka and Albania.

    Sadly, what we have witnessed so far is just the tip of the iceberg.

    What is eventually coming will be so much worse.

    Here in the United States, everyone still has plenty of food for now.

    But food prices have been going up and up and up.

    Even Costco has had to raise prices substantially.  Needless to say, a lot of people out there aren’t exactly pleased to be paying quite a bit more for chicken and soda at their food courts now…

    According to Business Insider, the national price hikes on its chicken bake and 20-ounce soda were confirmed by a location in Rochester, New York, as well as food courts in other locations.
    
    The chicken bake now sells for $1 more than in June, at $3.99.
    
    The price of the soda has increased by 10 cents, up to $0.69.

    A lot of people out there still seem to think that the economic symptoms that we are currently experiencing are just “temporary”.

    I wish that was true.

    Unfortunately, a “return to normal” is simply not in the cards, and global energy supplies are going to continue to get tighter with each passing day.

    Chris Craighead

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    Chris Craighead, retired, at that time active duty SAS operator. On 15 January 2019, he singlehandedly stormed DusitD2 hotel complex in Nairobi, Kenya, fighting off Al-Shabaab terrorists that killed more than 20 innocent.

    Craighead, who was in the country to provide training, while being off-duty that day, reportedly rushed to the scene, cleared the complex, shot at least two of the attackers, helped to coordinate Kenyan’s GSU rescue efforts, was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross for extreme bravery.

    His undesired fame forced him to give away his identity, facing multiple death threats afterwards.

    He is currently authoring a book depicting events of that day.

    MICHAEL HUDSON:

    There is very little that a central banker can do when the West has declared a war, basically, a war on a country that is completely isolated.

    The response has come from President Putin and from Foreign Secretary Lavrov. And they pointed out, well, how is Russia going to trade and get what it needs. And this is what the recent meetings of the BRICS are all about.

    Russia realizes that the world is now broken into two halves. America and NATO have separated the West. Basically you have a white people’s confederation against all the rest of the world.

    And the West has said, we’re isolating ourselves from you totally. And we think you can’t get along without us.

    Well, look at the humor of this. Russia, China, Iran, India, Indonesia, and other countries are saying, hah, you say we can’t get along without you? Who is providing your manufacturers? Who is providing your raw materials? Who is providing your oil and gas? Who is providing your agriculture, and the helium, the titanium, the nickel?

    So they realize that the world is breaking in two, and Eurasia, where most of the world’s population is concentrated, is going to go its own way.

    The problem is, how do you really go your own way? You need a means of payment. You need to create a whole international system that is an alternative to the Western international system. You need your own International Monetary Fund to provide credit, so that these Eurasian countries and their allies in the Global South can deal with each other.

    You need a World Bank that, instead of lending money to promote U.S. policies and U.S. investments, will promote mutual gains and self-sufficiency among the countries.

    So already, every day in the last few weeks, you have had meetings with the Russians about this, who said, ok, we’re going to create a mutual trading area, starting among the BRICS: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

    And how are we going to pay? We can’t pay in dollars, because if we have money in a dollar bank, or a euro bank in Europe, they can just grab the money, like they grab Venezuela’s money. They can just say, we’re taking all your money because, essentially, we don’t want you to exist as an alternative to the finance capital world that we are creating.

    So essentially, Russia, China, and these other countries are saying, ok, we’re going to create our own international bank. And how are we going to fund it? Well, every member of the bank will contribute, say, a billion dollars, or some amount of their own currency, and this will be our backing. We can also use gold as a means of settlement, as was long used among countries.

    And this bank can create its own special drawing rights, its own bancor, is what Keynes called it. It can create its own credit.

    Well, the problem is that, if you have Brazil, for instance, or Argentina, joining this group, or Ecuador, that sells almost all of its bananas to Russia, how is it going to get by?

    Well, if there is a BRICS group or a Shanghai Cooperation Organization bank, obviously the Western governments are not going to accept this.

    So Russia realizes that as a result of Biden’s Cold War Two, there is going to be a continued rise in energy prices. You think gasoline prices are not high now? They’re going up. You think food prices are not high now? They’re going up more.

    And in Europe this is especially the case, because Europe now cannot buy Russian gas to make the fertilizer to make its own crops grow.

    So you’re going to have a number of countries in the Global South, from Latin America to Africa, being squeezed and wanting to trade with the Eurasian group.

    And the problem is Russia says, all right, we know that you can’t afford to pay. We’re glad to give you credit, but we don’t want to give you credit [where] you’re going to simply use the money you have to pay your dollar debts that are coming due.

    Because one of the effects that I didn’t mention of the Federal Reserve raising interest rates is there is a huge flow of capital from Europe and England into the United States, so that if you’re a billionaire, where are you going to put your savings? You want the highest interest rates you [can get]. And if the United States raises interest rates, the billionaires are going to move their money out of England, out of the euro, and the euro is going back down against the dollar. It’s almost down to a dollar a euro.

    The British pound is heading downwards, towards one pound per dollar.

    This increase in the dollar’s exchange rate is also rising against the currencies of Brazil, Argentina, the African countries, all the other countries.

    So how are they going to pay this summer, and this fall, for their food, for their oil and gas, and for the higher cost of servicing their dollar debts?

    Well, for Eurasia, they’re going to say, we want to help you buy our exports – Russia is now a major grain exporter, and obviously also an oil exporter – saying we want to supply you and give you the credit for this, but you’re really going to have to make a decision. Are you going to join the U.S.-NATO bloc, or are you going to join the Eurasian bloc?

    Are you going to join the White People’s Club or the Eurasian Club? And it really comes down to that. And that’s what is fracturing the world in these two halves.

    Europe is caught in the middle, and its economies are going to be torn apart. Employment is going to go down there. And I don’t see wages going up very much in Europe.

    You’re going to have a political crisis in Europe. But also you’ll have an international diplomatic crisis over how are you going to restructure world trade, and investment, and debt.

    There will be two different financial philosophies. And that’s what the new cold war is all about.

    The philosophy of US-sponsored finance capitalism, of making money financially, without industrialization, and with trying to lower wages and reduce the labor force to a very highly indebted workforce living on the margin.

    Or you’ll have the Eurasian philosophy of using the economic surplus to increase productivity, to build infrastructure, to create the kind of society that America seemed to be growing in the late 19th century but has now rejected.

    So all of this is ultimately not simply a problem of interest rates and central bank policy; it really goes beyond central banks to what kind of a social and economic system are you going to have.

    And the key to any social and economic system is how you treat money and credit. Is money and credit going to be a public utility, or will it be a private monopoly run for the financial interests and the 1%, instead of a public utility run for the 99%?

    That’s what the new cold war is going to be all about. And that’s what international diplomacy week after week is trying to settle.

    Butter Burgers

    Midwesterners know, that the best burger is topped with a dollop of butter. It gives the meat a little extra umami and juiciness. You don’t really need a full recipe, just add a teaspoon of butter while the meat rests and let it sink in.

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    Ingredients

    Directions

    1. Preheat the broiler. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Add 1/3 cup water, cover and continue cooking until the onions are golden brown, about 15 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the onions to a bowl and wipe out the skillet.
    2. Divide the meat into 6 loose balls, then gently flatten into thin patties. Heat the skillet over high heat. Add the patties to the hot skillet, smash them flat with a spatula and season with salt and pepper. Cook, flipping once, until well done, about 3 minutes per side.
    3. Meanwhile, toast the buns under the broiler. Put the patties on the bottom buns and top each with 1/4 cup sauteed onions. Smear 2 tablespoons butter on the cut side of each top bun, then put on top of the burgers. Slice in half and serve immediately.

    The four Valenzuela sisters

    The four Valenzuela sisters had enough. They were tired of poverty, tired of their abusive father, and tired of being harassed by villagers who hated their father even more than they did.

    Bye to El Salto de Juanacatlan, Jalisco, forever, and on to San Francisco del Rincon to start their lives over.

    x
    The four Valenzuela sisters

    The year was 1945. Prostitution in Mexico was a respectable business. The sisters weren’t talented and weren’t educated, but they certainly were not lacking in ambition. With few available choices, the Valenzuela’s set up their business. “Rancho El Ángel” was a bordello featuring, you guessed it, the four sisters. An attached bar was added to increase the allure.

    Business was good, but the sisters wanted to expand. None of them were attractive. They knew what was needed. An advertisement was placed in the local papers: House maids needed; free room and board, plus good wages. Young females only.

    The response was great. Those who showed up, and there were plenty, did get free room and board. But, no wages. They were to work as sex slaves, never to step outside.

    Despite their booming business, the sisters wanted to expand even further. They hired mercenaries to kidnap girls along the border with the United States. Virgins who were brought in were set-aside for special customers who paid higher rates to perform the “deflowering”.

    More bordellos were set up. First one, then another, and another, and another. But the prostitutes, never saw a dime for their dreadful duties. They were all enslaved, forced to take heroin and cocaine.

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    The girls.

    If someone got sick, she was killed. If someone tried to run away, she was killed. If someone refused to work, she was killed. If someone wasn’t popular with the customers, she was killed. If someone got noticeably pregnant, the fetus was pulled out with a hanger; any complications and the mother was killed. If a patron had a lot of money, he was killed.

    After almost a decade, police picked up one of the kidnappers, a woman who attracted the bait to the men that would overpower the victims. She talked. Police searched the property and found the bodies of eighty women, eleven men, and several fetuses.

    When asked for an explanation, one of the sisters reportedly said, “The food didn’t sit well with them.” Most of the bodies weren’t even on the property. Police estimated the total number killed at more than 150 and likely over 200. And the victims were not killed in a humane way. Locked in an isolated chamber, they would be starved to death. Those who were lucky got bludgeoned to death.

    Tried in 1964, the Valenzuela sisters were each sentenced to forty years in prison.

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    One of them, pictured above, died in prison. Her body was dragged outside by the guards and fed to the village rats. Several weeks later, the remaining bones were thrown in a nearby trash can.

    Human trafficking remains a major issue in the world today.

    Harpers Declares It’s Over – The ‘American Century’ Is Gone

    From MoA

    This month’s Harpers title is astonishing.

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    To declare that the U.S. century is over, without a question mark, is in the mainstream view still heresy. Sure the American Conservative has already done that years ago. But Harpers is positioned on the more liberal side of things and there the view is rarely expressed.

    The lead essay in the edition, by one Daniel Bessner, is headlined:

    Empire Burlesque
    What comes after the American Century?

    For the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States confronts a nation whose model—a blend of state capitalism and Communist Party discipline—presents a genuine challenge to liberal democratic capitalism, which seems increasingly incapable of addressing the many crises that beset it. China’s rise, and the glimmers of the alternative world that might accompany it, make clear that Luce’s American Century is in its final days. It’s not obvious, however, what comes next. Are we doomed to witness the return of great power rivalry, in which the United States and China vie for influence? Or will the decline of U.S. power produce novel forms of international collaboration?
    
    In these waning days of the American Century, Washington’s foreign policy establishment—the think tanks that define the limits of the possible—has splintered into two warring camps. Defending the status quo are the liberal internationalists, who insist that the United States should retain its position of global armed primacy. Against them stand the restrainers, who urge a fundamental rethinking of the U.S. approach to foreign policy, away from militarism and toward peaceful forms of international engagement. The outcome of this debate will determine whether the United States remains committed to an atavistic foreign policy ill-suited to the twenty-first century, or whether the nation will take seriously the disasters of the past decades, abandon the hubris that has caused so much suffering worldwide, and, finally, embrace a grand strategy of restraint.

    At Consortium News Andrew Bacevich provides additional background and offers a mild critique of Bessner’s essay. He seems to largely agree with it.

    Me? I have always been for a policy of restrain, not just for the U.S., but for all countries on this planet. People are too different in personal believes, history, tradition and social surroundings to be put under one form of government or to submit to one peculiar form of economic organization. Attempting to do such is, as Michael Hudson provides, ruinous for those who try.

    It is also a question of personal capacity. The U.S. does not have the leadership, and has not had it for some time, to be successful in such an endeavor.

    Even Democrats have recognized that their current president is not up to the task. The New York Times writes Most Democrats Don’t Want Biden in 2024, New Poll Shows. The Washington Post adds Democrats are skeptical of Biden in 2024. Will the party’s left finally win?. Other have also chipped in with a NYT columnist outright declaring: Joe Biden Is Too Old to Be President Again.

    Matt Taibbi calls this political signaling:

    Along with companion outlets like the Washington Post and The Atlantic (as pure a reflection of establishment thought as exists in America), the paper in this sense fulfills the same function that Izvestia once served in the Soviet Union, telling us little or even less than nothing about breaking news events but giving us comprehensive, if often coded, portraits of the thinking of the leadership class.

    The Democrat ‘leadership class’ has declared that Biden is now a lame duck president and that he better signal that he will not run again before the likely catastrophic results in the midterms election come out.

    I agree with that view but it is not just Biden’s mental fragility that is the matter here but the incompetence of the people around him who essentially set his policies. The Sullivans and Blinkens of this world or what Ray McGovern calls the Effete Elite:

    The questions posed led me to comment candidly on the regrettable state of Western statesmen like EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Yes, the same Blinken who, in one breath excoriates China and the “systemic challenge” it supposedly represents, and in the next makes a pathetically quixotic attempt to cajole his Chinese counterpart to abandon Beijing’s lockstep with Russia on Ukraine.

    Blinken’s anti-China policy is, to say it mildly, not a success:

    Washington has devised a series of plans to counter China, but few of them have won firm support in the region.
    
    A coalition between the United States, Japan, Australia and India, known as the Quad, is meant to show solidarity in the Asia-Pacific region, but India buys huge quantities of oil from Russia; a new U.S.-led economic group of 14 countries, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, received a lukewarm reception from its members since it fails to offer tariff reductions for goods entering the United States; and an agreement for the United States and Britain to share technology to help Australia deploy nuclear-powered submarines remains vague.

    This ‘elite’ who thought out those policies is now baby sitting Biden to prevent him, but not themselves, from making more ‘mistakes’.

    Dan Cohen @dancohen3000 - 14:57 UTC · Jul 12, 2022
    
    2 days ago, the NYT reported that the White House is so concerned by Biden's age that it delayed his trip to the Middle East by a month so he could rest. Now we learn that Blinken will accompany him. Another daily reminder that Biden is a figurehead and his advisors run the show.

    Biden’s and Blinken’s current Middle East trip is also likely to add to their collection of failures:

    President Biden is traveling to Israel on Wednesday for a four-day trip to the Middle East to try to slow down Iran’s nuclear program, speed up the flow of oil to American pumps, and reshape the relationship with Saudi Arabia without seeming to embrace a crown prince who stands accused of flagrant human rights abuses.
    
    All three efforts are fraught with political dangers for a president who knows the region well, but returns for the first time in six years with far less leverage than he would like to shape events.

    A month ago Biden declared that he will not meet the Saudi clown prince:

    "I am not going to meet with MBS. I am going to an international meeting, and he is going to be part of it," Biden told reporters at the White House. 
    ...
    However, a Saudi statement announced that MBS and Biden: "Will hold official talks that will focus on various areas of bilateral cooperation and joint efforts to address regional and global challenges."

    We will likely soon see photos with Biden and MBS shaking hands. Biden needs higher Saudi oil production and lower prices at the pump to lessen the Democrats midterm losses. He can hardly condemn Mohammed Bin Salman for killing the ‘journalist’ and lobbyist for Qatar Jamal Khashoggi while at the same time ignoring the Israeli murder of the U.S.-Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

    The return to the nuclear agreement with Iran was botched by Biden and Blinken when they dithered for months after their inauguration before starting talks. They then made new demands that Iran was obviously unwilling to fulfill. They are now left with contradicting their own arguments:

    In the early spring, Mr. Malley and Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said there were just weeks, maybe a month or so, to reach a deal before Iran’s advances, and the knowledge gained as it installed advanced centrifuges to produce uranium in high volume, would make the 2015 agreement outdated.
    
    Now, four months later, Mr. Biden’s aides decline to explain how they let that deadline go by — and they still insist that reviving the deal is more valuable than abandoning it.

    Following various financial crises and too high spending U.S. financial leverage is gone. As it has proven in the Middle East, and now in Ukraine, its hyper expensive military is unable to win wars against small and big competitors.

    The U.S. role in international institutions has been diminished by China’s and Russia’s competing efforts like the Belt and Road program, the Asian Development Bank, Russia and Iran’s North-South Transit Corridor.

    The Harpers title is correct. The U.S. century is indeed over. As the Harpers lead essay concludes:

    The American Century did not achieve the lofty goals that oligarchs such as Henry Luce set out for it. 
    
    But it did demonstrate that attempts to rule the world through force will fail. 
    
    The task for the next hundred years will be to create not an American Century, but a Global Century, in which U.S. power is not only restrained but reduced, and in which every nation is dedicated to solving the problems that threaten us all. 
    
    As the title of a best-selling book from 1946 declared, before the Cold War precluded any attempts at genuine international cooperation, we will either have “one world or none.”

    One world, in which the individual countries refrain from boundless greed and provide for the common good, is certainly the better choice.

    11 Minutes of Unvarnished Truth – The Most Blistering Assessment of the USA Ever Aired on Radio

    As most Americans remain blissfully unaware that nuclear war is likely just weeks away, Love him or hate him, The Hal Turner Radio Show aired the most blistering assessment of the situation ever spoken on radio.

    It is eleven minutes of absolute radio gold.  Truth for the ages.

    "The USA has become a woke cesspool of 3rd world slums, meth/herion junkies, rabid feminists, and neutered femboys. 
    
    Am I really supposed to care if 90% of it is annihilated in a nuclear fire? 
    
    But, people say, but "muh freedums . . . 'mercia, fuck yeah!"
    
     Well, that place has been dead a long time. Maybe it's time its rotting carcass be put on a funeral pyre."

    There’s more . . . much more.

    Here is the most ferocious, brutally honest, political/social/cultural assessment ever spoken on radio:

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

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    Delicious Chili, oil pipe lines connecting Iran with Russia and China’s BRI, and the howling of idiocy from the United States

    Potentially, the most dangerous scenario [for America] would be a grand coalition of China, Russia, and perhaps Iran, an ‘anti-hegemonic’ coalition united not by ideology but by complementary grievances. Joe Biden has finally managed to create that.

    The world is STARTING to indicate that it is taking a multi-polar direction, and that the uni-polar; American ruled – “Rules based Order” is not going to happen. The issue herein is actually how long will it take for this realization to dawn on the “Leadership” of the west.

    Depending on your opinion of the “leadership” oligarchy it can be anywhere from NEVER to “maybe some time this year”.

    The real issue is how high the “pain dial” must be turned up by Asia to “bitch slap” the West into compliance. I guess, for most of us, it’s going to be a wait and see.

    Let’s take our time and enjoy this snapshot of history…

    Seven Life tips

    1. Sometimes the weight you need to lose is not on your body.

    2. Life is short. Smile while you still have teeth.

    3. The struggle is real, but so are the rewards.

    4. No body watches you harder than the people that don’t like you. Give them a show.

    5. Don’t worry about being lonely at the top. It can be lonely at the bottom too.

    6. Enjoy this moment of your life before it becomes a memory you wish you hadn’t taken for granted.

    7. Accept your past without regret, handle your present with confidence, and face your future without fear.

    China tests hypersonic missile with multi-mode engine

    China is reminding the world that it is very much in the race to deploy hypersonic missiles, with a team at the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics of Northwestern Polytechnical University successfully launching the Feitian-1, a Rocket-Based Combined Cycle (RBCC)-propelled vehicle, in northwestern China.

    Even though it is one of the top three contenders in the race to develop a practical hypersonic weapons system, getting solid data about China’s hypersonic program is frustratingly difficult.

    Like Russia, but more so, China tends to keep its cards very close to its chest and what little information is released comes through the country’s state-controlled media, or is couched in claims such as that a test was for an orbital spaceplane.

    What is particularly interesting about the launch of Feitian-1 is that it uses an RBCC engine to propel it to speeds in excess of Mach 5.

    An RBCC engine is a combination of an air-breathing ramjet, air-breathing scramjet, and ducted rocket.

    As the vehicle accelerates, the engine transfers from one mode to the next, allowing it to cope with air hitting the intake at greater and greater speed, and then becoming a pure rocket at top speed and very high altitudes.

    School of Aeronautics and Astronautics of Northwestern Polytechnical University

    Such an engine has a number of advantages, chief of which is that it doesn’t have to carry as much oxidizer as a pure rocket because it can harvest oxygen from the air like a conventional jet engine.

    This allows it to carry more fuel or a larger payload.

    In addition, the Feitian-1 can burn kerosene-based aviation fuel.

    According to the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Northwestern Polytechnical University, such an RBCC engine is the first in a hypersonic flight vehicle.

    It says the July 2 ground-launched flight test made a smooth transition from one mode to the next and carried out the expected thermal throat adjustment and ultra-wide flight envelope combustion.

    Pirate Queens of the High Seas: Anne Bonny and Mary Read

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    Female pirates.

    When it comes to pirates, most people think of iconic names like Blackbeard, Calico Jack, or William Kidd . But what about female pirates? Although female pirates are less well-known, they did exist. Female pirates were not nearly as common as male pirates due to standard ship contracts which prohibited women and children from joining the crew. This “official” contract wasn’t enough to stop some women, though. Famous female pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read found their way around these contracts, choosing lives of piracy over their domestic lives on land.

    But how did Bonny and Read get around these contracts, and what did they accomplish as pirates?

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    Female Pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read by Benjamin Cole. (Copper engraving coloured, from Defoe, Daniel; Johnson, Charles (1724) A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates )

    Anne Bonny’s Preparation for Piracy

    Anne Bonny was born in 1697 in Cork, Ireland. Though not much is known about her early life, it is known that she was the illegitimate daughter of William McCormac, a reputable lawyer, and his servant, Mary Brennan. After Anne’s birth, her father moved to London to escape the watchful eyes of his wife’s family. As Anne aged, her father would dress her as a boy and train her as his clerk. Once this ruse was discovered, his wife and her family stopped sending him money, prompting him to move to the Province of Carolina with Anne and her mother.

    Upon moving to the Province of Carolina, Anne’s father changed their last name to simply Cormac to blend in better with the locals. They also struggled financially for a time, due to the halting of his wife’s money, but he was soon able to continue working as a lawyer, which eventually paid for a townhouse and a plantation. Although finances were challenging at times, he eventually joined the merchant business and built his wealth back up.

    Unfortunately, Anne’s mother died when she was only 12. After this, Anne began displaying rebellious and aggressive behavior. It was even rumored that she had stabbed one of her servants to death with a knife when she was only 13 years old. The good news for Anne was that while she was known around town for her temper, she was also known for her good looks, which helped her find favor in the eyes of James Bonny, a poor sailor who dabbled in piracy. Anne was disowned by her rich father because of her choice of husband, which removed her rights to his estate after his death.

    After being disowned, Bonny and her husband moved to New Providence Island, near a pirate sanctuary called the Republic of Pirates . While it was not an official republic, it was known for being a safe place for those turning from privateering to piracy. Anne’s husband James took advantage of this location and allegedly switched from sailing and piracy to becoming an informant for the governor of the region, reporting any pirates that did not turn themselves in for the king’s pardon. This led to many pirate arrests, as well as Anne’s distrust of her husband.

    Because of this wariness, Anne started spending more time with pirates in secrecy. She would normally head to the taverns in the evening to mingle and try to protect them from her husband’s position. At some point, she met the famous pirate John Rackham, also known as Calico Jack, and started having an affair with him. Eventually, their love grew to the point that Jack offered money to Bonny to divorce Anne, but he refused and threatened Jack. Calico Jack then had Anne join his crew and they ran away together.

    Because of pirate standards, women were not allowed to become a part of the crew. For this reason, Calico Jack had Anne disguise herself as a man so she could blend in. This worked until she became pregnant and could no longer hide her identity. Anne Bonny gave birth to a son, married Jack on his ship, and they continued their life of piracy together. After some time, she eventually met Mary Read, another female pirate.

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    Famous Pirate Mary Read.

    The Mischievous and Magnetic Mary Read

    Mary Read was a bit older than Anne Bonny, and was born in England in 1685. She was the offspring of a woman and a sailor who died at sea soon after Mary was born. Mary was her mother’s second child; the first had been a boy, but he died soon after his father did. Mary’s mother, not wanting to lose the financial support of her husband’s family, dressed Mary as a boy to pass her off as her dead son. Soon, though, the family discovered the truth and cut them off financially.

    Once they were on their own, Mary’s mother continued to dress her as a boy and would rent her out as a servant to make money for them to survive. She excelled at any task thrown her way, and even earned the position of “powder monkey” during the War of Grand Alliance, which required her to deliver bags of gunpowder to gun crews. She later served in both the infantry and the cavalry, where she eventually revealed her true identity and married one of her bunkmates, who died soon after they were married.

    Once again on her own, she continued living her life disguised as a man and joined piracy on a Dutch ship set for the West Indies . On the trip, the boat was captured by English pirates, who took Mary as a prisoner. As it turns out, the ship belonged to the one and only Calico Jack.

    On the ship, Anne revealed herself to be a woman to seduce Mary to get her to join the crew, not knowing Mary was also a woman. Mary then revealed that she, too, was a woman, and Anne promised to keep Mary’s secret if she joined the crew. She joined, and it is speculated that they became secret lovers during their time together, though it is not confirmed. Jack, jealous of his wife’s relationship with Mary over time, sought to kill Mary in her bed-chamber one day, where she revealed her identity to him as well. Impressed by her cunning (as well as her ruthlessness as a pirate), he spared her and continued to treat her as an equal.

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    Anne Bonny: Real Female Pirate of the Caribbean.

    Anne Bonny & Mary Read: A Deadly Duo

    No longer having secrets between them, Anne Bonney and Mary Read sailed the high seas together with their pirate lovers. Around other pirates, they would dress in their men’s garb of loose tunics and wide trousers, often with their swords and pistols at their sides. They would often fight together as well, wielding their weapons and proving themselves as tough as any man on board.

    One of their victims once wrote that they, “… wore men’s jackets, and long trousers, and handkerchiefs tied about their heads: and… each of them had a machete and pistol in their hands and they cursed and swore at the men to murder her.” She also noted that she recognized them as women because of the size of their breasts.

    Their ruthless piracy eventually came to an unfortunate end. In 1720, Calico Jack’s crew was attacked by Jonathan Barnet, a privateer under the commission of the governor of Jamaica, Nicholas Lawes. There was little fight, as many of the pirates were drunk at the time of the attack, leading to a quick surrender.

    Anne and Mary, never ones to back from a fight, continued to fight for their lives. According to legend, Mary yelled down to her crew during the fight, “If there’s a man among ye, ye’ll come up and fight like the man ye are to be!” When no man chose to fight with them, she shot through the door and killed one. Both women were captured soon after that.

    Exchanging Gangplank for Gallows

    Those captured were sentenced to death by hanging . Records state that Anne Bonny’s last words to Calico Jack, true to her character, were, “Had you fought like a man, you need not have been hang’d like a dog.”

    Both women pleaded not guilty, but were found guilty in court. They were sentenced to be hanged; however, both were able to avoid execution as it was soon discovered they were each pregnant. Although they avoided hanging, Mary died in prison from a “fever,” likely caused by infection after childbirth.

    Anne’s fate remains unclear. She survived childbirth, but there is no record of her execution or release. It is believed she either died in prison years later or perhaps escaped, though nobody is certain.

    Either way, it’s clear these two female pirates, Anne Bonny and Mary Read , gave their male counterparts a run for their money. Though they both met an untimely end, there’s something to be admired about the ferocity of a female pirate.

    A bad date…

    We were seated at the restaurant, chose our meals and I excused myself to go to the restroom. Upon returning we started talking. You know, all the small talk. At one point he mentioned that he knew I had a dog. My dog was a big boy, about 115 pounds. I said yes, he’s a rescue and a very nice dog. He sort of frowned and said, “well I have a cat and if we end up together the dog has to go.” Huh? I wasn’t sure I had heard correctly, after all this was a first date. Then the waiter showed up with our food. He set a lobster in front of me. I looked at the waiter and said, “Oh, I’m sorry but there has been a mistake: I ordered chicken.” My date, “no mistake, I’m not cheap; I changed your order.” Me: “I don’t like lobster.” Him: “just be grateful and eat it.” I didn’t say another word, just picked up my purse and walked out.

    Make up some delicious “copycat” Chili…

    When you need to feed a crowd and dish out a spicy kick, this retro stew can please any crowd. With roots tracing back to cowboys and cattle drives, few classic 1950s dishes evoke a similar image of the hardworking spirit that defines the U.S. Serve up a hot bowl of chili to warm up any cold night with an easy recipe and deep combination of flavors can make any home cook happy.

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    Chili.

    While I do love Wendy’s spicy chicken nuggets and chocolate frosty (usually enjoyed together), another classic order I like to snag at the restaurant is a small cup of their homemade chili. It’s the epitome of comfort food on a cold, winter day, which is why I decided to make a copycat Wendy’s chili recipe I could cook up at home.

    Thanks to a clear list of ingredients on the Wendy’s website, it was easy to put together this recipe. According to the list, the Wendy’s chili has a chili base, tomatoes, chili beans, pink beans, kidney beans, onions, celery, green peppers, ground beef, chili pepper, garlic powder, and spices. While the recipe also has sugar and modified corn starch in it, I know that you can have a delicious chili without either of those additives, so I didn’t bother adding them into my version.

    The trick to a delicious copycat Wendy’s chili

    It may be surprising to you, but for my chili base, I like to use my homemade taco seasoning for the recipe. I like to have a jar of it prepared in my cupboard, so it’s easy to throw into the pot.

    My trick to making the chili flavorful is to let it simmer for a long period of time. This recipe calls for a 30-minute simmer, but to be honest, you’ll get the best flavor if you let the chili sit for an hour—even two! Just make sure to stir it occasionally.

    Don’t have garlic cloves? Try this instead

    I also personally like the flavors that come from freshly minced garlic versus garlic powder, which is why I put it in this recipe. However, if you would rather use garlic powder, you can substitute the minced garlic for 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder.

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    Copycat Wendy’s Chili

    Ingredients

    1 garlic clove, minced
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    1 medium onion, diced
    2 celery stalks, diced
    1 green bell pepper, diced
    1 lb. ground beef
    1 tablespoon taco seasoning
    1 10 oz can. pinto beans
    1 10 oz. can kidney beans
    1 10 oz. can tomato sauce
    1 10 oz. can diced tomatoes
    Shredded cheddar cheese, for topping
    Sour cream, for topping

    How to Make It

    1. Heat up a dutch oven or a stockpot over medium heat. Add in the olive oil, minced garlic, onion, celery, and green bell pepper. When the vegetables start to become soft (about three minutes), add in the ground beef.
    2. Using a wooden spoon, break up the ground beef and stir in with the vegetables. When the ground beef is no longer pink, using a spoon, drain the grease into an excess can.
    3. Add in the beans, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes into the dutch oven. Sprinkle in the taco seasoning and mix together.
    4. Turn the chili on simmer, and let it cook for at least 30 minutes, stirring once in a while so nothing burns at the bottom. The longer you let it sit, the better the flavors will become.
    5. Serve with shredded cheese and sour cream, if desired.

    Bruce Lee has some things to say…

    Bruce Lee once wrote, “To understand and live now, there must be a dying to everything of yesterday, die continually to every newly gained experience and be in a state in the choiceless awareness of what is.”

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    He means that you must allow your identity to constantly die and evolve. But this is painful. It requires surrender. And the reward is wisdom.

    Meanwhile, fragile egos live in orbit of their insecurities. Information must first pass through a filter bubble. It blinds them to feedback that could improve their life.

    If you learn to lose or have your mind changed, you become liberated.

    Cute kid

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    Today’s insanity from Yahoo “news”…

    It’s outrageous! Yet what is even more outrageous is that many Americans BELIEVE this vomit.

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    Crazy 1.

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    Crazy 2.

    Artist Imagines How Disney Characters Would Look As Oil Paintings, And You’ll Want To Hang Them In Your Room

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    Merida.

    American self-taught artist Heather Theurer has been observing people, environments, animals, and textiles for decades. She studying renaissance greats and pre-Raphaelities of the late 19th century, as well as modern artists and she feels she just couldn’t learn as much and see as much in the classroom.

    In her works, you’ll recognize symbolism, fantasy realism, equine and wildlife, and below of course Disney reanimations. Her goal was to search for the meaning and emphasize the character’s struggles, hopes, and pride. Her work often includes many layers of paint and glazes, even up to 20. This is the way she gets the depth and detail she wants. Obviously, her amazing work and talent had to be recognized by many great organizations and it was. Awards were flying from everywhere including Lucca Comics & Games, Art Renewal Centar, Artist’s Magazine and Spectrum, and many more.

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    Mulan

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    Lilo & Stitch

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    Elsa, Anna And Olaf

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    Tiana

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    Dumbo

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    Alice

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    Belle

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    Ariel

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    Rapunzel

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    Cinderella

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    Peter Pan And Wendy

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    Mr. Toad

     Scammed in Rome

    This is a true story.

    What do you see in this picture ?

    If you are like 99% of people I know, you may interpret this picture as a feel-good picture of a man cracking jokes with tourists. This is Rome. A city that looks and feels like a living museum. Every street corner seems to have a historic monument. It’s an amazing and enchanting place!

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    External Image Source: Getting Scammed in Europe!

    And, you are right. In fact, he is not only cracking jokes with them, he is offering them free gifts – bracelets and trinkets – gifts that he is going to give away to the tourists as a show of kindness.

    You refuse but he walks up and ties it on your wrist. “Take it, my friend, this is for you!” In fact, he will not only tie you a friendship bracelet, but if you listen to him for at least 15 seconds, he will want to offer you a second and then another. It’s all for you to keep. And all he wants is for you to be happy. He has had a tough life and he sells items on the roadside to help his young family who live in poverty. Chances are, you’ll be at a point now to feel obliged to give him ‘something’. By human nature, we are too prudent to simply take (forced to receive rather, in this case) items for free.

    “No, sir, please … don’t bother,” says he.

    “Let me give you something …, ” you say, feeling even worse at this point that you are receiving “gifts” from someone who is exponentially more needy than you.

    So you take out your wallet. At this point two things can happen –

    The first, and I hear this is the most common – he will demand money and you better pay up. You’ll suddenly become aware that he has friends all around. You didn’t notice them because you were too lost in your feel-good moment of helping this fellow. But they are there. I realised this once I reviewed some videos I had taken and observed many – many other tourists being approached the same way.

    The second – and the one I can relate to is the following. I’d add that this may be an exception, but this is exactly what transpired –

    As you open the wallet, in a swift, completely unexpected, chilling, moment, he will snatch everything out of your wallet – EVERYTHING – the cash you kept on your way to the Colosseum from the hotel, US Dollars, Euros – everything. Gone. You stand there – trying to process what just happened. After two seconds, you ask him to give it back and he starts screaming that you are taking his money!

    There are tourists all around you. But you are not getting it back. He will keep the money and he and all his friends are ALL armed. A second ago he was a kind-hearted, jovial, cheerful fellow with a difficult life trying to share happiness with the world. A second later – you are staring into the face of a vicious and angry man – his eyes have turned red – his voice has changed, the smiles are gone. You’ve been brought back to reality from a utopian world!


    This ‘scam’ is apparently known as the “African Bracelet Scam”. This site on Rome Vacation Tips

    explained the factors that make this one of the most successful scams anywhere – “

    This scam works by preying on the natural human instinct not to be impolite: not to brush off a friendly greeting, not to drop an unwanted gift on the ground.

    You’ll pay dearly for being compassionate towards someone and you’ll regret it. That gift is something way more sinister in disguise (See the comments to this post from so many other readers who have experienced the same situation)


    Many of the individuals are Africans from war-torn countries who take a dangerous trip to Europe. Countless stories in articles such as, One Migrant’s Harrowing Journey From Senegal to Italy

    , talk of the harrowing tales. Unfortunately, the actions of a few leave a stigma on the entire population from the respective countries. Based on the comments, it also seems that these scams are perpetrated by organised groups based in Italy, not just migrants.

    These incidents also raise an ethical dilemma. If you call the cops the individual might get deported back to where he came from and might not survive. If you don’t, he would continue to scam other tourists. It’s a hard choice that you have to make in that brief, fleeting, animated moment!

    Several commentators have also mentioned being forced to wear the bracelets and in one case with the other person brandishing sharp object. Once they put it on your wrist, they oftentimes do not let go of your hand until you pay them.

    As you may observe from the comments, these incidents are not just common, it is the — norm — believe it or not. If you visit any Roman site, you’re bound to be approached by someone with bracelets in a majority of cases. Every traveller to Rome should be aware of this and avoid becoming a victim.

    Why the United States has such an insane level of propaganda right now…

    The smoke-filled room experiment

    This study takes place in two stages.

    First, the subject is placed in a room, completely alone, and is asked to fill out a questionnaire of some kind.

    After a few minutes, smoke begins to spread through the room from a nearby door.

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    On average, the test subject noticed the smoke within 2 minutes, got up and left the room.

    Anyone would have done the same, right?

    But that’s where it gets interesting (and scary).

    The experts repeated the experiment, but this time filled the room with more subjects. They also included 2 accomplices who were instructed not to react when the smoke appeared in the room.

    The result?

    Only 10% of the subjects left the room or warned other participants that there was something unusual happening.

    9 out of 10 people quietly continued to fill out their questionnaire (while rubbing their eyes because of the smoke).

    This experiment, similar to Milgram’s or Ash’s, proved that human become more passive and easily influenced in the presence of other people.

    Interesting, isn’t it?

    Source: 4 Smoke Filled Room Experiment – 28 Psychological Experiments That Revealed Incredible And Uncomfortable Truths About Ourselves

    Faith in humanity

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    I know just what you mean.

    I call it “The Interdimensional Lapse” (IDiL).

    Sweden is one of those rare places that seems to be not entirely present in this dimension. Part of it is still… somewhere else.

    A homeopathist friend of mine from Germany who has visited repeatedly has given me this very good picture: “Most of the world is in D-potency, homeopathically speaking. Sweden though is in a C-potency.”

    Make of homeopathy what you will, I think it describes it very well. Homeopathic potencies describe how earthly vs. how ethereal something is. D is most like an actual substance of this Earth, while C is already a bit higher up the ladder of mirror images of reality.

    I think there are perfectly robust explanations for this impression, of course, nothing esoteric:

    • Chronemics; the dynamics of interaction in Sweden are strangely delayed. Interacting with a Swede has an extra step built in you don’t normally see (anymore, perhaps?) in most of the world: The Pause. They will always wait before answering you, to make sure you really have finished speaking. That can give outsiders a strange sensation of “uh-oh, is he/she actually going to respond?”
    • Acoustics; I’ve said it often, and people don’t understand it until they’ve been here: Sweden is quiet. For some reason, everything here is somehow muted, as if on snow. The people speak more quietly, the cars are going slower, in a higher gear, the buildings seem to swallow more echo… you may feel like there’s something off with your hearing.
    • Lighting; due to its latitude, which is comparable to that of Alaska, the sun stands much lower in Sweden all the time. You are living in a perpetual morning- or evening atmosphere. Shadows are long and light, and the light has a mellow, golden tinge.
    • Colours; again due to the low sun angle, and the clear air, you will see colours that have higher saturation than elsewhere. As a photographer, I regularly go positively bonkers here because of that. I can measure that in my digital colour charts when I do my image management. Swedish blues and greens are unbelievable. Like in an old, Florentine painting.
    • Levity; the architectural style, together with the warm colour spectrum, give an impression of the built environment being of lower weight and less substance than it is. Swedish houses seem to be sitting on the meadows as light as doll’s houses that can just be picked up and carried away. Just because of the way they look.
    • Femininity (as opposed to Masculinity, according to Geert Hofstede’s index); the roar of the alpha male never comes. There is no final grumble of bearded approval, like in most other places. Sweden is a feminine place. Even though there are plenty of men here, it has a matriarchal touch.

    So there you are. Simple, natural explanations, but still, not something you find in that combination easily, if at all.

    Here some photographic evidence of some of the points above:

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    I’ve heard this otherness described in many ways over the decades, and it is one of the main factors that kept pulling me back to Sweden all these years. It’s like a break from the world.

    An Australian friend of mine once said “that place just seems magical.” An American I met at an airport described it as “strangely unreal.” A French colleague described it as “like meeting a beautiful fairy.”

    I’ve been happily away with that fairy for quite some time now.

    In The Multipolar World Iran Will No Longer Fear U.S. Sanctions

    From the brilliant MoA

    When U.S. president Joe Biden recently held a number of talks in the Middle East Iran was one point on his agenda. The U.S. has made it clear that it does not want to reenter into the nuclear deal with Iran. It is instead again attempting a ‘maximum pressure’ strategy to pressure Iran into additional concessions.

    Iran has made it clear that there will not be any more then those it had made in the original agreement. Biden then tried to form an anti-Iran coalition out of Israel and the Gulf regimes. The Gulf Cooperation Council states rejected that:

    [T]he Saudi foreign minister poured cold water over any imminent normalization with Israel, saying this was not a precursor to further steps. He said Riyadh was not part of any discussions on a Gulf-Israeli defense alliance to counter Iran.

    All GCC are talking with Iran to normalize their relations.

    Iran will benefit from the new multi-polar world. It has been seeking to ally itself with the Russia and China block with added relations to a neutral India. Last year Iran became a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. This year it applied for membership in BRICS.

    Last month Iran’s foreign minister visited India:

    Amir-Abdollahian also called on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a privilege not accorded to all visiting foreign ministers. Tweeting on the meeting, Modi highlighted how “relations have mutually benefitted both the countries and have promoted regional security and prosperity.”
    
    The official statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs highlighted the exchange of views on important issues like the Iran nuclear deal, the Ukraine conflict, and the situation in Afghanistan. India “appreciated the role of Iran in facilitating India’s medical assistance to Afghanistan, including supply of COVID-19 vaccines to Afghan nationals residing in Iran.” In addition, all bilateral issues including cooperation in the field of regional connectivity and the progress made at the Chabahar port were reviewed. Exuding confidence at the outcome of the visit, the Iranian foreign minister said that “preparing a roadmap for strategic cooperation between Iran and India can regulate long-term relations and protect it from the impact of destructive factors.”

    A few moth ago Iran signed a new transport agreement with its northern neighbor Azerbaijan. It will be good for both sides:

    On 11 March, Azerbaijan and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on establishing railway, highway, communication, and energy supply lines connecting Azerbaijan’s East Zangezur economic region and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic through the territory of Iran. According to the document, there is a plan to build four bridges over the Araz River and two railways and develop communication and energy supply infrastructure to establish a new corridor.

    The better relations with Azerbaijan will also open a rail corridor towards Russia.

    Another new trade route was finally opened to connect India via Iran with Russia.

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    This project has been on and off for many years but this month it was finally activated:

    An India-bound cargo sent from Russia using the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) reached the Sarkhas railway station in Iran on July 13. From the railway station, the cargo will go to Bandar Abbas port in southern India and then come to India via the Arabian Sea.
    
    The cargo left Chekhov station in Russia on July 6 and it was received by a team of Iranian ministers
    
    What is INSTC?
    
    INSTC is a 7,200 km-long transportation network offering the shortest connectivity route to its member states. It was established on September 12, 2000, by Iran, Russia and India. The corridor encompasses sea, road and rail routes.
    
    The main purpose of the corridor was to reduce carriage costs and transit time between India and Russia. The transit time is expected to reduce to almost half, once the corridor becomes fully functional.

    In future the route will go from India to Chabahar, a port in south east Iran that India had helped to build. From there the goods will go by rail up north to the Caspian Sea and then by ship directly to Russia. This will shorten the route even more and will also end any dependency on other partners.

    But the greatest news for Iran is a new deal with Russia’s Gazprom that was signed today:

    The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) and Russian gas producer Gazprom signed on Tuesday a memorandum of understanding worth around $40 billion, Iran's oil ministry's news agency SHANA reported.
    
    The deal was signed during an online ceremony by the CEOs of both companies on the day Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Tehran for a summit with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts.
    
    Gazprom will help NIOC in the development of the Kish and North Pars gas fields and also six oil fields, according to SHANA. Gazprom will also be involved in the completion of liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects and construction of gas export pipelines.
    
    Iran sits on the world’s second-largest gas reserves after Russia, but US sanctions have hindered access to technology and slowed development of gas exports.

    Gazprom is a strong partner and can not be hindered by U.S. sanctions. Iran will finally be able export more of its plentiful gas. Russia will also have a chance to work with Iran to keep the prices at a certain level. With such a large deal will also come protection. Iran will be able to call on Russia should someone start hostilities against it.

    When Iran produces enough gas it can also revive the old project of a pipeline to India. This could either go through Pakistan or, as India would probably prefer, through an undersea pipeline:

    A 1,300-km undersea pipeline from Iran, avoiding Pakistani waters, can bring natural gas from the Persian Gulf to India at rates less than the price of Liquefied Natural Gas available in the spot market, proponents of the pipeline said on Tuesday.
    
    Releasing a study on the Iran-India gas pipeline, former oil secretary T.N.R. Rao said natural gas imported through the over $4 billion line would cost $5-5.50 per million British thermal unit at the Indian coast, cheaper than the rate at which some of the domestic fields supply gas.

    Despite U.S. sanctions Iran is again becoming fully integrated into its region. It is a great success and the gas and transit deals will help its economy to make some gains even as the U.S. adds new sanctions. Russia, India and China are partners who can and will ignore those.

    Iran now also has the capability to produce sufficient nuclear material for a number of bombs. It will not use this capability as its religious ideology prohibits the making and use of such weapons. But it is a latent threat that can be used to deter Israel and the U.S. from any attack.

    That Trump left the nuclear deal was dumb. That Biden did not revive it immediately after taking office was even dumber. To now stay out of it, only to keep some stupid sanctions against Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corp, is the dumbest step I can think of.

    Washington has yet to understand that it has lost its mono-polar position that made the international sanctions which led to the nuclear deal with Iran possible. In the multi-polar world that exists now Iran can develop as it likes. Others will now ignore U.S. or EU sanctions and the threat of them is no longer useful. More countries under U.S. isolation, Venezuela, North Korea, Cuba and Syria, will also find new ways and alliances to better their positions.

    In his book The Great Chessboard the former National Security Advisor of the United States Zbigniew Brzeziński wrote:

    Potentially, the most dangerous scenario [for America] would be a grand coalition of China, Russia, and perhaps Iran, an ‘anti-hegemonic’ coalition united not by ideology but by complementary grievances.

    Joe Biden has finally managed to create that.

    Life Lessons

    1. Cooking and cleaning is a basic life skill and not a gender role.
    2. If you don’t clear your misunderstanding in time, they became the reason for distance forever.
    3. If you want it, work for it. It’s that simple.
    4. The gap between the life you could live and the life you are living is called focus.
    5. If you’re not dating to marry, then you’re dating for heartbreak. Let that sink in and be in serious relationship.
    6. Stop comparing yourself with who started 10 years before you. Focus on your own journey.
    7. Confidence is not “I’m better than them”, confidence is “I’m great, so are they”
    8. Every time I lower my frequency to meet someone on their level I end up paying for it. That’s a lesson I really don’t need to learn anymore. Rise up to meet me.
    9. Real growth is when you start checking and correcting yourself. Instead of blaming others, you take your power back by being responsible for your life.
    10. You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.
    11. Being kind to yourself is the best medicine.
    12. And there is always, always, always something to be thankful for.

    And now it’s “Monkeypox”…

    Monkeypox. Don’t you know…

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    GAME OVER, EUROPE

    Russia’s state-owned Gazprom does not plan to resume natural gas supplies via Nord Stream 1 after the planned maintenance of the pipeline is completed on July 22.   No more natural gas for Germany or most of Europe.  Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
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    Game over.

    Haunting 100-Year-Old Chalkboard Drawings Discovered In Oklahoma School

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    Emerson High School in Oklahoma City was the site of an amazing discovery last week when contractors renovating the school found several 100-year-old chalkboards hidden in the walls. The chalkboards, dating back to 1917, haven’t been touched for almost a century, and perfectly preserve the work of students and teachers from that era.

    The images and writing on the boards include an unusual mathematics lesson where a wheel is used to teach multiplication tables.

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    The students were also taught music…

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    … and basic hygiene.

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    “The penmanship blows me away, because you don’t see a lot of that anymore,” Emerson High School Principal Sherry Kishore told the NewsOK. “Some of the handwriting in some of these rooms is beautiful.”

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    Several references to the pilgrims were also made.

     

     

    A school district spokesperson says they are working with the city to preserve the chalk drawings.

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    Joe Biden’s Secret War in Ukraine

    American soldiers are already “boots on the ground”

    The White House keeps insisting that it will not directly involve American soldiers in the war in Ukraine, but it keeps taking steps that will inevitably lead to a large-scale open combat role for the US against Russia.

    Among the most recent moves to increase the pressure on the Kremlin, Biden revealed at a NATO summit meeting in Madrid on June 29th that the US will establish a permanent headquarters in Poland for the United States Fifth Army Corps, maintain an additional rotational brigade of thousands of troops in Romania and bolster other deployments in the Baltic states.

    Also, the number of US troops in Europe, currently approaching 100,000, will be increased. Biden also was pleased to learn that Turkey had been enticed to drop its objection to Finland and Sweden joining NATO.

    On the way to the NATO summit aboard Air Force One, Biden’s National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan advised that

    “By the end of the summit what you will see is a more robust, more effective, more combat credible, more capable and more determined force posture to take account of a more acute and aggravated Russian threat.” 

    Presumably Sullivan was reading from a prepared script, but the objective surely seemed to be to heighten tension with Moscow rather than attempt to reduce it and come to some kind of diplomatic settlement.

    NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also did his bit. In an astonishing display of derriere kissing, he responded that the new US force posture commitments were demonstrative of Biden’s strong leadership.

    What Stoltenberg did not mention was that Biden has been lying for some time about the presence of US military personnel in Ukraine.

    He let the cat out of the bag back in March, when he told troops belonging to the 82nd Airborne division in Poland that they would soon be going to Ukraine, observing that “You’re going to see when you’re there, and some of you have been there, you’re gonna see —”

    It was an admission that US forces are already in place inside Ukraine even though the White House quickly did damage control, asserting that the president continues to be opposed to American soldiers being directly engaged in the fighting.

    Biden also claimed that the US was working to “keep the massacre [of Ukrainians] from continuing.”

    Again, the language was hardly designed to make some room for a possible accommodation with Russia to negotiate an end to the fighting.

    And now there is a New York Times report entitled

    Commando Network Coordinates Flow of Weapons in Ukraine, Officials Say: A secretive operation involving US Special Operations forces hints at the scale of the effort to assist Ukraine’s still outgunned military.”

    The article describes a more active US role in Ukraine than the Biden Administration has been willing to admit publicly.

    Back in February, before intervened in Ukraine, the US reportedly withdrew its own 150 military instructors, many of whom were training Ukrainian soldiers on newly acquired American produced weapons.

    However, some Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) paramilitary operatives and special ops troops continued their service in the country secretly, directing most of the intelligence flow the US is sharing with Ukrainian forces.

    In addition to that, special ops soldiers from Washington’s NATO allies have been managing the movement of weapons and equipment into Ukraine and providing some specialized training.

    It has also been reported that British SAS commandos are actually guarding President Volodymyr Zelensky.

    The NYT specifies, citing American and other Western officials, that the soldiers and CIA officers are currently not on the front lines with Ukrainian troops.

    Also according to the Times, even though the US and NATO member states have not acknowledged the presence of their paramilitaries soldiers in operational roles in Ukraine, Russia and other intelligence services around the world are aware of this.

    The New York Times report appears to be generally correct, though it does omit some details, some of which I have been hearing from former colleagues in the intelligence services.

    There has been considerable overt training at the Grafenwoehr German army base as well as at the Ramstein US Air Base to familiarize the Ukrainians with the new weapons arriving.

    Other NATO countries are also participating in the training.

    Meanwhile, the cadres of special operations soldiers and intelligence personnel operating primarily in western Ukraine are not in uniform and many of them are working under various contrived cover designations, including sometimes loose affiliations with foreign embassies and NGOs.

    There are also a conventional CIA Station, a group from the National Security Agency and a Military Attache’s office in the recently reopened US Embassy in Kiev.

    All of the above means that Biden and other western leaders have been dissimulating regarding their active participation in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

    Apart from his possible gaffe, Biden will not admit that there are American boots already on the ground, but they are there and are playing a major role in both logistics and intelligence sharing.

    The potential downside for the president could come when some of these soldiers in mufti get killed or, worse, captured and start to talk about their role.

    Retired US Air Force Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski, a former analyst for the US Department of Defense, observes that deploying plausibly deniable non-uniformed personnel

    “is completely typical of the initial stages of a US-backed long war, and for long-term political manipulation of the target country. 
    
    This is the future that neoconservative ‘strategists’ in DC and their British and European allies imagine for Ukraine. 
    
    Rather than a negotiated conclusion, with a new Ukrainian role as a neutral and productive country, independent of both Russian and US political influences, the US government and CIA see Ukraine as an expendable yet useful satrap in its competition with the Russian Federation.”

    Former CIA analyst Larry Johnson sees the activity in stark terms, while also commenting that the CIA has not won a semi-clandestine insurgent war in forty years.

    He observes that “Ukraine is a proxy; the West is trying to destroy Russia, it’s that simple.

    It would be one thing if Russia was the most evil, oppressive, authoritarian regime in the world.

    It’s nowhere even close.

    Even though the West keeps trying to portray Russia as such.

    The fact of the matter is, the West wants the resources that Russia has and it wants to control Russia. [But] Russia is not about to be controlled.”

    In other words, Washington might be seeking an unending war entangling Russia and limiting its options globally.

    The Biden Administration has staked its reputation and possible political future on enabling Ukraine to survive without succumbing to Russian territorial demands.

    It is a risky and even dangerous policy, both in practical terms and politically.

    The persistence of the Ukrainians in their defense is largely a product of US and Western Europe guarantees that they will do all that is necessary to support Zelensky and his regime, which is already seeking $750 billion in aid for “reconstruction.”

    If western military casualties begin to surface, the political support for the Ukraine war will begin to fade in Washington and elsewhere and there will be consequences in the upcoming midterm US elections in November.

    A final comment on the Times piece is in response to the question why it has appeared at all at the present time.

    The mainstream media has been a cheerleader for aggressive US support of Ukraine and Zelensky, but now it is beginning to step back from that position, as have also the Washington Post and other media outlets.

    Perhaps they are becoming convinced that the game plan being promoted by Washington and its European allies is unlikely to succeed at great cost to the respective economies.

    Larry Johnson puts it this way:

    “I think the purpose of this article coming out now is just to lay the groundwork for why we can’t put or shouldn’t put any more US military personnel or even CIA personnel inside Ukraine because continuing to put US personnel…inside Ukraine to train is becoming too risky because of Russia’s success on the battlefield.” 

    One might also add that it is exceptionally dangerous. A misstep or even a deliberate false flag coming from either side could easily make the war go nuclear.

    Check this out…

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    Coffee-rubbed steak

    You may have seen meats coated with a coffee rub and wished you could cook something similar at home. Look no further than this recipe.

    Coffee-rubbed steak is not only easy and quick, but it pairs with almost any roast vegetables you can imagine, making it the easiest main dish to make if you’re serving dinner for a big family.

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    Coffee and steak might seem like an unlikely partnership, but the flavor of beef is actually heightened by the robust notes of java.

    This coffee-rubbed steak dish would be perfect with grilled vegetables and a side of black or pinto beans, or heat up a few corn tortillas and pass them out so everyone can make their own little tacos.

    Either way, be sure to let the beef rest (even if it actually makes this 10-minute meal a 12- or 13-minute meal); cut into it too early, and all the still-hot juices will bleed onto your cutting board, instead of being reabsorbed by the meat.

    Patience is a virtue, and so is a home-cooked meal that will save you some serious calories compared to the fast-food version.

    You’ll Need

    1⁄2  Tbsp finely ground coffee or espresso
    1⁄2  Tbsp chili powder
    Salt and black pepper to taste
    1 lb flank or skirt steak (Skirt and flank are among our two favorite cuts, but any steak—strip, tenderloin, ribeye—would benefit from this coffee treatment)
    Pico de gallo
    1 lime, quartered

    How to Make It

    1. Preheat a grill, grill pan, or cast-iron skillet.
    2. Combine the coffee grounds with the chili powder, plus a few generous pinches of salt and pepper.
    3. Rub the spice mixture all over the steak. Cook the beef for 3 to 4 minutes per side, depending on thickness, until slightly firm but still yielding.
    4. Let the steak rest for at least 5 minutes, then slice thinly against the grain of the meat. Serve with a big scoop of pico de gallo and a wedge of lime.

    Eat This Tip

    Steak and coffee isn’t the only unconventional pairing that yields surprisingly excellent results. Try any of these tantalizing teams for a jolt to your taste buds:

    Oscar Wilde Quote

    “Give a man a mask, and he will show you his true face.”

    The end…

    Death sentence carried out.
    .
    This morning, three foreign mercenaries from the UK (Eidin Aslin, Sean Pinner) and Morocco (Saadoun Brahim), who were sentenced to death for crimes in the DPR, were shot.

    Cats are awesome!

    And some sunshine.

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    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

    Boston cream pie and a very strange plane crash

    I am falling a little bit behind right now. I have a ton load on my plate. Do not freak out if I go quiet for a few days. Please continue to check out the MM You-Tube channel, and the MM Patreon channel, as I am making regular contributions there.

    In the meantime, please enjoy this daily post.

    Anyone Else Want To Bring Back Kitchen Phones With The 10 Ft Cord?

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    Anyone Else Want To Bring Back Kitchen Phones With The 10 Ft Cord?

    Russia Announces Civilian Drills for NUCLEAR ATTACK

    Moscow is announcing to its citizens the city will be conducting NUCLEAR ATTACK CIVILIAN EVACUATION DRILLS, complete with Outdoor SIRENS, TV and Radio Interruption Warnings, instructing citizens to proceed to nuclear attack shelters.

    The dates of these “Drills” are not yet known, but the citizenry is being told the Drills will be upcoming and there will be SEVERAL of them.

    Citizens are also being advised to have an evacuation bag with some clothing, medicines, money, ID, and hygiene products in it, so they can grab-and-go.

    Beef Stroganoff

    The rich and creamy combo of beef and noodles packs so much savory flavor in every bite, one taste will send your tongue on a trip down memory lane and can please anyone looking for a hearty meal. Indulge in this dish that has come to represent the cultural melting pot of American cuisine.

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    Delicious.

    Beef stroganoff may be Russian in name and origin, but it’s since become a global go-to, finding a home everywhere from Iran to Brazil to Australia. Only the best dishes inspire this type of universal love, and the ease and innate deliciousness of stroganoff is clearly why Americans have embraced it as their own. Though sour cream is normally stirred into the sauce at the last second, we tested this dish several different ways and found Greek yogurt tasted every bit as good for fewer calories. Just make sure to remove the pan from the heat before adding, as high temperatures can cause the yogurt to break, jeopardizing the smooth, velvety sauce you really want in this beef stroganoff recipe.

    You’ll Need

    1⁄2 Tbsp canola oil, plus more if needed
    12 oz white or cremini mushrooms, stems removed, halved
    1 lb. sirloin, cut into thin strips
    Salt and black pepper to taste
    1  yellow onion, minced
    2  cloves garlic, minced
    1 Tbsp flour
    3⁄4 cup red wine
    1⁄2 cup low-sodium beef stock
    1 Tbsp tomato paste
    1⁄4 cup 2% plain Greek yogurt
    Chopped fresh parsley

    How to Make It

    1. Heat the oil in large sauté pan over medium heat.
    2. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened and caramelized.
    3. Remove and reserve.
    4. Season the beef with salt and pepper.
    5. In the same pan, adding more oil if necessary, cook the beef for about 5 minutes, until well-browned all over.
    6. Remove and reserve with the mushrooms.
    7. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook until the onion is translucent.
    8. Stir in the flour until it evenly coats the vegetables, then add the wine, stock, and tomato paste, scraping the pan to release any flavorful bits stuck to the bottom.
    9. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for about 12 minutes, until the liquid thickens and reduces by about half.
    10. Return the mushrooms and beef to the pan and heat through, then remove from the heat.
    11. After the liquid cools just slightly, stir in the yogurt. (If the heat is too high, the yogurt will separate.)
    12. Serve over buttered noodles or steamed rice and garnish with parsley.

    A truly British story…

    Not mine. -MM

    My wife and I were walking with our youngest over the old bridge between Lichfield Cathedral and the market place. A lovely spring day. I’m British, my wife isn’t.

    A young man came dashing past the end of the bridge, a police officer in hot pursuit. They both vanished from view rapidly.

    We stopped to read the information board about the historic bridge. A few minutes later, the suspect and the copper came walking back, a little out of breath. We overheard their conversation.

    Copper: “Sorry for running after you like that, mate. But you were running away.”

    Suspect: “Yeah, sorry about that, mate. I shouldn’t have run, but I didn’t want to get caught.”

    My wife stood open-jawed. I didn’t quite see why it was so unusual. I mean, just because they’re trying to arrest you doesn’t mean police officers should be rude or unsympathetic. Just because they may have done something the law may forbid doesn’t mean someone has to be abusive.

    We continued to eavesdrop.

    Copper, leading suspect to a park bench, where they both sat down, “Are you ready to give me your name and address, or do you want a bit of a breather first?”

    Suspect, “You don’t have a cigarette, do you?”

    Copper, pulling a packet of fags from his breast pocket and handing it to the suspect, “Here you go.”

    As he lit the man’s cigarette, the police van arrived. Copper: “Just finish your smoke and we’ll finish the details at the station.”

    I told my wife there was a good chance the cop didnt smoke, but kept a handy packet to help put people at ease.

    She’s told friends and family in several countries about that. It is, she says, absolutely the most British thing she’s witnessed: a cop apologising for arresting someone who apologised for trying to run away.

    If this story has failed to entertain or amuse, all I can say is sorry. And what could be more British than that?

    Do you remember?

    x
    Bazooka Joe Gum

    The very mysterious crash of a aircraft…

    Strange.

    x
    Plane Crash

    It seems to be covered up and the entire story is just STRANGE. Looks like something really serious is going on. Everything about this is just ODD.

    Satellite Image Reveals China Blew Up Mock Japan Warplane Amid Taiwan Invasion Fears

    Saturday, Jul 16, 2022 – 10:00 AM

    There’s increasing concern a possible Chinese annexation of Taiwan would fundamentally challenge Japan’s security and result in a broader conflict.

    The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) understands an invasion of Taiwan would likely result in conflict with Japan because only 110 kilometers (68 miles) is Japan’s westernmost inhabited island of Yonaguni.

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    Japanese leaders have linked Taiwan’s security with Japan’s, enabling the country to play a role in Taiwan’s defense. As a result, the PLA launched a missile(s) at mock Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) aircraft in a desert area in northwest China called Xinjiang, according to Nikkei, citing a report from Planet Labs.

    Nikkei examined photos taken by Planet Labs, a U.S.-based satellite operator. Photographs of the same location in mid-May showed an object shaped like an E-767, an airborne warning and control system (AWACS) used by the SDF, a runway and buildings resembling a tarmac. A July 13 photo shows the destroyed object, along with debris and black burn marks.

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    Previous satellite photographs showed the object was still in place as of July 2. The precise timing is not clear because of weather conditions that prevented photography on some days, but it appears that the object was destroyed in early July. It is the first time that an object mimicking an SDF aircraft is known to have been destroyed. -Nikkei

    “I think we can safely conclude this was a test of a ballistic missile of some sort,” said Jeffrey Lewis, professor at Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and a specialist in the military analysis of satellite photos, referring to what appears to be a mock Boeing E-767 AWACS used by SDF.

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    Tom Shugart, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, also reviewed the images and concluded a missile might have been used:

    "If the purpose of the mock target was to test the ability of a missile warhead to recognize and strike specific high-value aircraft, and that capability was in fact tested successfully, then deployment of such a weapon could improve the PLA's ability to strike key aircraft like the E-767." 

    It’s unclear precisely what the PLA used to target the mock AWACS or surrounding aircraft. Kiyofumi Iwata, former chief of staff of the Japan Ground SDF, said there are no impact craters, suggesting the “AWACS object may have been set ablaze, rather than hit by a missile.”

    PLA forces also built a mock U.S. Navy aircraft carrier and two Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers last year in the same desert area for weapons testing. Nikkei said the “aircraft carrier was found to have marks that experts said were made by missile impacts.”

    If an invasion of Taiwan is planned, it seems China recognizes that Japan and the U.S. could be drawn into the fight. That’s why China and Russia aligned and conducted a joint military exercise last month between the island of Yonaguni and Taiwan.

    Pizza Hut…

    Do you remember this cup?

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    Pizza Hut cup. Usually filled with Coke-cola.

    Vintage Photos Of 12 Crazy Wooden Homes On Wheels From The Early 20th Century

    There is no formal definition of a house car but in the early 1900s, Americans want to take to the roads and explore. Some creative Tin Can tourists decided that they’d rather bring their home with them rather than have the tent attachments on the sides of their Model T’s, so they built larger structures that resembled houses onto the frames and off they went. It really is the earliest example of what we commonly call a mobile home.

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    The superb bus of Ray Conklin, president of the New York Motorbus Company in 1915.

    Mobile homes often look blocky and sterile, but these wooden houses look like gingerbread Victorian houses on wheels. Check out how people have hammered and sawed their own homes onto cars.

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    Gospel Car No. 1, built by William Downer in Glassboro, New Jersey, late 1910s.

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    Dr. A. A. Foster and his family in an auto tourist camp, ca. 1920.

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    A Ford Model T from the early 1920s.

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    On a Ford TT chassis.

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    A cute German country house on wheels in 1922.

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    A traveling minister with a tiny church car, with a tiny organ inside and a foldable rooftop steeple, 1922.

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    A fancy homebuilt motorhome, built on a Ford Model TT truck chassis in Ohio, 1924.

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    W. M. O’Donnell and his family in their “bungalow auto”, 1926.

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    The Burn Family (June and Farrar) and their moving house, 1929.

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    The homebuilt car of Charles Miller with a nice bit of lawn, 1930.

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    Ford Model A Traveler, 1931.

     

    Do you remember this…

    Paper Plate Holders.

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    Paper Plate Holders

    The West is Experiencing a Contraction of its Power

    Boaventura de Sousa Santos

    The strategists of the hegemonic country of the West, the US, without realizing the flagrant contraction, show unlimited ambition.

    What Westerners call the West or Western civilization is a geopolitical space that emerged in the 16th century and expanded continuously until the 20th century. On the eve of World War I, about 90 percent of the globe was Western or Western-dominated: Europe, Russia, the Americas, Africa, Oceania, and much of Asia (with the partial exceptions of Japan and China). From then on, the West began to contract: first with the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the emergence of the Soviet bloc, and then, from mid-century onward, with the decolonization movements. Terrestrial space, and soon after, extraterrestrial space, became fields of intense disputes.

    Meanwhile, what Westerners understood by the West was changing. It began as Christianity and colonialism, then changed to capitalism and imperialism, and then metamorphosed into democracy, human rights, decolonization, self-determination, and “rules-based international relations”—it was made clear that the rules would be established by the West and would only be followed when they served its interests—and finally into globalization.

    By the middle of the last century, the West had shrunk so much that several newly independent countries made the decision to align themselves neither with the West nor with the bloc that had emerged as its rival, the Soviet bloc. This led to the emergence, from 1955-1961, of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). With the collapse of the Soviet bloc in 1991, the West seemed to go through a time of enthusiastic expansion. It was around this time that former Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev expressed his desire for Russia to join the “common home” of Europe, with the support of then-US President George H. W. Bush, a desire reaffirmed by Vladimir Putin when he took power in 2000. It was a short historical period, and recent events show that the “size” of the West has since shrunk drastically. In the wake of the Ukraine war, the West decided, on its own initiative, that only those countries applying sanctions against Russia would be considered part of the pro-Western camp. These countries comprise about 21 percent of the UN member countries, which constitute only 16 percent of the world’s population.

    Questions

    Is contraction decline? One might think that the contraction of the West works in its favor because it allows it to focus on more realistic goals with greater intensity. A careful reading of the strategists of the hegemonic country of the West, the United States, shows, that on the contrary, without apparently realizing the flagrant contraction, they show unlimited ambition. With the same ease with which they foresee being able to reduce Russia (one of the largest nuclear powers in the world) to a vassal state or bring it to ruin, they foresee neutralizing China (which is on its way to becoming the first world economy) and soon provoking a war in Taiwan, (like the one in Ukraine) to achieve that purpose. On the other hand, the history of empires shows that contraction goes hand in hand with decline, and that decline is irreversible and entails much human suffering.

    At the current stage, the manifestations of weakness are running parallel to those of strength, which makes analysis very difficult. Two contrasting examples help understand this point more clearly: The United States is the largest military power in the world (even though it has not won any wars since 1945) with military bases in at least 80 countries. An extreme case of domination is its presence in Ghana where, according to agreements made in 2018, the United States uses the Accra airport without any control or inspection, US soldiers do not even need a passport to enter the country, and enjoy extraterritorial immunity, meaning that if they commit any crime, no matter how serious, they cannot be tried by Ghana’s courts. On the other hand, the thousands of sanctions on Russia are, for now, doing more damage in the Western world than in the geopolitical space being defined by the West as the non-Western world. The currencies of those countries that seem to be winning the war are depreciating the most. The looming inflation and recession led JP Morgan Chase & Co. CEO Jamie Dimon to say that a “hurricane” is approaching.

    Is contraction a loss of internal cohesion? Contraction can mean more cohesion, and this is quite visible. The leadership of the European Union, i.e., the European Commission, has in the last 20 years been much more aligned with the US than the countries that make up the EU. We saw this with the neoliberal shift and with the enthusiastic support shown by former President of the European Commission, José Manuel Durão Barroso, for the invasion of Iraq, and we are seeing it now with the current commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who seems to be operating as the US undersecretary of defense. The truth is that this cohesion, if it is effective in producing policies, can be disastrous in managing their consequences. Europe is a geopolitical space that since the 16th century has lived off the resources of other countries that it directly or indirectly dominates and on whom it imposes unequal exchange. None of this is, however, possible when the United States or its allies are its partners. Moreover, cohesion is made up of inconsistencies, as seen in the conflicting narratives about Russia. After all, is Russia the country with a lower GDP than many countries in Europe? Or is it a force that wants to invade Europe, and serves as a global threat that can only be stopped with the help of investments provided by the United States for arms and security to Ukraine—already around $10 billion—a distant country of which little will remain if the war continues for a long time?

    Does the contraction occur for internal or external reasons? The literature on the decline and end of empires shows that, besides a few exceptional cases in which empires were destroyed by external forces—such as the Aztec and Inca empires with the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors—internal factors generally dominate in bringing about contraction, even though decline can be precipitated by external factors. It is difficult to distinguish the internal from the external, and the specific identification is always more ideological than anything else. For example, in 1964 the well-known American conservative philosopher James Burnham published a book titled Suicide of the West. According to him, liberalism, then dominant in the United States, was the ideology behind this decline. For the liberals of the time, liberalism was, on the contrary, an ideology that would enable a new, more peaceful, and just world hegemony for the West. Today, liberalism is dead in the United States (neoliberalism dominates, which is its opposite) and even the old-school conservatives have been totally overtaken by the neoconservatives. That is why former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (for many, a war criminal) upset the anti-Russia proselytes by calling for peace negotiations while talking about the Ukraine conflict during a conference at the World Economic Forum in Davos in May. Be that as it may, the Ukraine war is the great accelerator of the West’s contraction. While the West wants to use its power and influence to isolate China, a new generation of nonaligned countries is emerging. Organizations like BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the Eurasian Economic Forum are, among others, the new faces of the non-Western states.

    What comes next? We don’t know yet. It is as difficult to imagine the West occupying a subordinate space in the world context as it is to imagine it in an equal and peaceful relationship with other geopolitical spaces. We only know that for those leading the Western states, either of these hypotheses is either impossible or, if possible, apocalyptic. Therefore, the number of international meetings has multiplied in recent months—from the World Economic Forum meeting that took place in May in Davos to the most recent Bilderberg Meeting in June. Not surprisingly, in the latter meeting, of the 14 themes discussed, seven were directly related to the West’s rivals.

    Do you remember?

    x
    McDonald’s Ash Tray

    Some words of advice from an older person…

    1. Loneliness doesn’t stop when we are surrounded by people. It stops when we are seen for who we truly are.
    2. Actions and words both have value, it’s when the two don’t align that the value is lost.
    3. Our partner cannot fulfill our needs, and it’s not their job to do so.
    4. If it doesn’t bring peace, profits, or purpose, then don’t give it your time, energy, or attention.
    5. A lot of conversations need to be had in person. Tones need to be heard, facial expressions need to be seen.
    6. Your greatest test will be how you handle people who mishandled you.
    7. You can mute people in real life too. It’s called boundaries.
    8. Never lose your self-respect for someone who doesn’t care about your feelings and emotions.
    9. Some people will always be important, with or without a conversation.
    10. When you care for someone more than they deserve, you get hurt more than you deserve.
    11. The people we choose to spend time with will shape who we become.

    This Proxy War Has No Exit Strategy

    Sunday, Jul 17, 2022 – 03:30 AM

    Authored by Caitlin Johnstone via Medium.com,

    The International Committee of the Democratic Socialists of America has released a statement opposing the US government’s ongoing proxy war in Ukraine, saying the billions being funneled into the military-industrial complex “at a time when ordinary Americans are struggling to pay for housing, groceries, and fuel” is “a slap in the face for working people.”

    The statement advocates a negotiated settlement for peace, saying continuing to pour weapons into the country will “needlessly prolong the war, resulting in more civilian deaths” and that it “risks escalating and widening the war — up to and including nuclear war.”

    In response to this entirely reasonable and moderate position, the DSA is currently being raked over the coals with accusations of Kremlin loyalty and facilitation of murder and bloodshed by blue-checkmarked narrative managers on Twitter. This is because the only acceptable positions for anyone of significant influence to have about this war range from supporting continuing current proxy warfare operations to initiating a direct hot war between NATO and Russia.

    That’s how narrow the permissible spectrum of debate has been shrunk regarding this conflict: status quo hawkish to omnicidal hawkish. Anything outside that spectrum gets framed as radical extremism. As Noam Chomsky said: “The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum — even encourage the more critical and dissident views. That gives people the sense that there’s free thinking going on, while all the time the presuppositions of the system are being reinforced by the limits put on the range of the debate.”

    This spectrum of debate has been shrunk on the one hand by imperial spinmeisters continually hammering home the message that any support for de-escalation and diplomatic solutions is “appeasement” and indicative of Russian sympathies, and on the other by hawkish pundits and politicians pushing for the most freakishly aggressive responses to this war possible. By forbidding the spectrum of acceptable debate to move toward peace while shoving it as hard as possible in the direction of warmongering extremism, imperial narrative managers have successfully created an Overton window wherein the only debate permitted is over how directly and forcefully Russia should be confronted, with calls for peace now falling far outside that window.

    Which is a problem, because both direct NATO hot war with Russia and continuing along the empire’s current course of action in Ukraine are stupid. Direct conflict between nuclear powers likely means a very fast and very radioactive third world war, and the status quo proxy warfare approach isn’t stopping Russia as more and more territory is taken in the east in cool defiance of western claims that Ukraine is bravely vanquishing its evil invaders. Biden administration officials have told the press that they doubt Ukraine will even be able to reclaim the territory it has lost already. Unless and until something significant changes, Ukraine has no apparent path to victory in this war anytime soon.

    In short, there is no exit strategy to this proxy war. There are no plans in place to deliver Putin a swift defeat, and the Biden administration remains steadfastly dismissive of even the slightest gestures toward diplomacy with Moscow. Boris Johnson has reportedly been buzzing around admonishing Ukraine’s President ZelenskyFrance’s President Macron and who knows who else not to work toward peace in Ukraine. The doors to ending this war quickly by either winning it or negotiating a peace settlement are both bolted shut, all but guaranteeing a long and bloody slog.

    Which as it turns out suits Washington just fine. Biden administration officials have stated that the goal is to use the Ukraine war to “weaken” Russia, and the US already has an established pattern of working to draw Moscow into costly military quagmires as we saw in both Afghanistan and Syria. Continuing to pour weapons and military intelligence into Ukraine while working to cut Russia off from the world stands no chance of ending the war in a timely manner, but it does stand a pretty good chance of bleeding and weakening Moscow.

    And since this is the course of action that has been taken by the empire, we can only assume that this is its desired outcome: not victory, not peace, but a long and gruelling war.

    One of the major recurring criticisms of the Iraq invasion was that Bush rushed into it without an exit strategy, without a plan for ending the war once it had been started. This proxy war with Russia not only lacks a strategy for ending the war, it apparently only has strategies for not ending the war.

    No exit strategy is the strategy.

    Whenever you point out the insanity of this approach you’ll get useful idiots of the empire objecting that by criticizing US proxy warfare and supporting a negotiated settlement you are guilty of “appeasement” and exactly the same as Neville Chamberlain, because the only argument empire apologists ever have is to compare every US-targeted government to Nazi Germany.

    According to these propaganda-addled empire automatons, having the story of not compromising with Putin-Hitler and not committing the sin of “appeasement” is worth sacrificing everyone in the entire nation of Ukraine for. They will happily throw every Ukrainian life into the gears of this war while they sit safe at home eating Funyuns and tweeting, just so they can have that “we didn’t compromise with Putin” story hanging on their mental mantlepiece.

    How many more lives are such people prepared to feed into an unwinnable war which the west knowingly provoked? How many more of other people’s children are they prepared to sacrifice? How long does the bloodshed need to drag on before their “no appeasement” story loses value to them? How long until people wake up from their propaganda-induced comas and realize we’ve been manipulated into supporting a proxy war which benefits ordinary people in no real way, and in fact impoverishes us and threatens our very lives?

    There is no morally consistent argument for continuing this proxy war in the way it has been going. If you actually value life and peace, the only way out is through negotiation and compromise. I point this out not because I believe it will happen, but to hopefully help a few more people open their eyes to the fact that we are being deceived.

    Kim Ung-Yong

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    Kim Ung-Yong at five years old.

    One of the smartest, perhaps the smartest person on the planet, Kim Ung-Yong, was doing calculus and speaking five languages before age five. By age eight he was doing math at NASA and finished his Ph.D. prior to age fifteen.

    It’s all a bit over the top.

    None of this was by his own decision. After the discovery of his genius, an I.Q. of over 200, he was placed on an ultra-fast track program for his life.

    After accumulating a mind numbing pile of academic accolades, he worked at NASA for years until he abruptly quit.

    Here you have the smartest guy in the world, someone whose intelligence dwarfs most Harvard students’, and he walks away from it all.

    Why?

    He wasn’t happy.

    It was all too much intensity for him. He felt like a machine and just wanted something normal.

    He now works in a normal university faculty position as a professor. A prestigious job for most people. But for him? Not so. Kim is still periodically targeted by Korean news outlets for being a “failed genius”. With all of his gifts he was expected to change the world and innovate within several science fields.

    It begs the question, who decided Kim was supposed to change the world? It certainly wasn’t him.

    Mr. Kim might not be someone most of us can relate to. But he is analogous, ground zero even, for the problems intelligent people face with regards to “potential.” Just because someone is smart, strong, creative, doesn’t mean they want to be king of the world.

    Some people are happy with a low key life. Happiness is the great equalizer. If they are happy, your expectations no longer matter.

    Embassy: “All Americans Should LEAVE Ukraine Immediately” — U.S. Nuclear Bombs Being Moved! – GAZPROM Declares “Force Majeure”

    The United States Embassy in Kiev, Ukraine, has increased its Alert status and is now publicly advising all Americans to get out of Ukraine IMMEDIATELY.  All Embassy functions will be transferred to Lviv, in western Ukraine.

    This seems to coincide with a report issued yesterday (HERE – Subscribers Only!) which outlined that an ULTIMATUM had been given to Kiev by Moscow.

    This also seems to coincide with intelligence reports saying Ukraine plans to use new HIMARS MLRS to attack Crimea.

    Crimea is Russian territory now.   Russia has previously stated that if U.S. long range weapons are used against “Russian territory” then Russia will declare the US an active combatant, and will take military action.

    The US says that Crimea is “Ukrainian territory” and so the Ukrainians can use HIMARS against it.

    Over the weekend, former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev publicly spoke about possible Ukrainian attacks on Crimea, and said: “If something like this happens, Judgment Day will happen to all of them”

    Overnight, the Russian Navy began moving several ships OUT of Crimea to their port at Novorossiysk.  The Russian Black Sea fleet pulled anchor and left Sevastopol, for the Kuban.  Clearly they suspect a missile attack on the port facilities. If this should happen, many observers think there will be war.

     

    “FORCE MAJEURE”

    This morning, Russian energy giant Gazprom declared force majeure on gas supplies to at least one major EU customer RETROACTOVE TO JUNE.

    According to a document from inside the company, Gazprom tells a large client it cannot fulfil its supply obligations due to “extraordinary” circumstances outside its control.

    REUTERS News Agency now reports that its sources are saying that the letter was referring to supplies to Germany via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline.  The letter makes clear that GAZPROM cannot supply __any__ natural gas via Nord Stream One pipeline, until further notice.

    The route is currently undergoing planned annual maintenance which is due to be completed on Thursday, however many in Germany fear that the flow will not be resumed.  Given today’s declaration of a “force majeure” it now appears certain that natural gas flows WILL NOT RESUME.

    Without the flow of Russian natural gas, Germany and other European nations had to begin drawing-down on stored natural gas reserves in their countries as of July 11.  Those reserves are finite, and will run out.   Various countries in Europe have various amounts of gas in storage, but none of them have more than a few months worth.

    As natural gas runs out, there won’t be gas to power the steam boilers in gas-fired electric generating plants.  No boilers means no steam.  IF there is no steam, that means nothing to turn the turbines.  No turbines means no electricity.

           UPDATE 2:05 PM EDT — With regard to GAZPROM’s declaring a “force Majeure” this is now explicitly CONFIRMED.  The company has thus decided to void itself from all contractual obligations. Gas will stop flowing to Germany through Nord Stream 1 indefinitely.   

    So right now, July 18, 2022, many differing issues are all coming to a head at about the same time.  If Ukraine attacks Crimea using U.S.-supplied HIMARS, then Russia may declare the US an active combatant and use military force against the US.

    If Russia refuses to restore natural gas flows to Europe, then Europe will run out of natural gas, and its economy will utterly stop.

    If Europe’s economy stops, then two weeks later, the US economy stops.

    These are things that cause nations to go to actual war.

    In that regard, Russia announced today it will be holding NUCLEAR ATTACK CIVILIAN EVACUATION DRILLS so its citizens can become accustomed to where they have to be in such a situation.

    The Russia-China Polar Silk Road Speeds Ahead

    The Dancing Man Story

    “Spotted this specimen trying to dance the other week. He stopped when he saw us laughing.”

    Worth the Share! #DancingManStory

    Source : Man Fat-Shamed Online Gets VIP Dance Party in L.A.

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    Dancing Man. Stopped dancing.

    He stopped dancing. was ashamed with everyone laughing, and went home sullen.

    This was then published…

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    The girls get organized.

    A hunt is on!!!

    Action is taken!

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    Invitation.

    Support pours in from all over the internet…

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    Support.

    Big names get involved. Such as “Moby”…

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    Support from Moby.

    And, you know what?

    He got the message!

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    He got the message!

    Then it actually happens!

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    Dance!

    Go ahead enjoy yourself.

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    Having fun!

    Dance, dance, dance!

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    Life is too short. Have a good time. Enjoy yourself!

    Satellite Imagery Shows Global Crop Declines – Except For Russia And China

    Sunday, Jul 17, 2022 – 11:00 AM

    Infrared satellite imagery designed to measure moisture levels and the health of farmlands suggests that staple crops such as wheat are in poor condition and in sharp decline among major exporters including the Ukraine, the US and India.  Two countries do have bumper crops so far though; namely Russia and China.

    It is hard to say which governments and institutions monitor this data, but a few months ago a multitude of political leaders and global banks issued simultaneous warnings of a “global food shortage” and an impending crisis.  Such institutions included the IMF, World Bank, the BIS and even the White House.  So far, a perfect storm of stagflation, supply chain disruptions and poor weather conditions have combined to disrupt food production around the world.

    Price inflation due to central bank stimulus measures has been enough to do incredible damage to the many national economies, but a single bad year for crops on top of this could spell disaster.

    Russia and China, on the other hand, are enjoying a strategic advantage.

    As we entered spring of this year, the mainstream media heralded the end of the Russian economy and the swift collapse of their war efforts in Ukraine.

    Today, Russia is selling more oil and exporting more commodities than ever before, and both Russia and China now have the most healthy staple crops in the world.

    It’s almost as if the public in the west has been deliberately misled about our economic strength.

    Sadly, many people in the west have forgotten the importance of commodities, industry and energy in terms of geopolitical leverage.  Without dominance of these three arenas there is no chance for a nation or group of nations to dictate terms to a country that has such advantages.  Economic warfare is about independent production and adaptability; these are two things the US and Europe do not have right now.

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    With declines in crop exports, food prices will rise even further this year and there is also the possibility that Russia could cut off the EU and other nations from access to their agricultural market.  Though the Kremlin says this will not happen, given the right trigger event it remains a legitimate threat.  Already this month Europe is on the edge of an economic cliff as they wait to see if the Russian “maintenance shutdown” of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline is actually temporary, or the beginning of a full bore energy crisis that will last for years.

    In other words, the temptation for the eastern nations to use food as a weapon against NATO countries will be just as high on their list as oil and gas.  With food and energy stability in doubt there is also a considerable danger of civil unrest.  Third world nations are likely to see the worst of the shortages, but price inflation in necessities is here to stay for first world countries as well.  And along with that comes all the associated economic problems, including rising crime, rising unemployment and rising poverty.

    A cat story

    Not mine, but adorable anyways. -MM

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    Found my cat as a little kitten (about 6 weeks old) left to die in a box near a container. I warmed her up with my own body temperature on the way home, she was almost half dead. When I got her home and dry (because it was rainy October and I live in cold Scandinavia), she had a stable and semi-strong pulse.

    I took her to the acute vet, I’m a student and I didn’t have much money, but I would rather eat oats for two-three weeks than let another living creature die. I ended up bottle feeding her every 2 hour every night and rushing home to bottle feed her in my school breaks.

    That little thing is my child, all that bonding in the night when I bottle fed her. I have PTSD, and because of her, I don’t suffer from nightmares anymore.

    When it was bad, she would panic and wake me up so I didn’t have to suffer through them. Even a year after I had my last nightmare, she still sleeps with her nose on my neck or cuddles with my hand and keeps her nose on my wrist to check my pulse so she can wake me up the instant she detects any distress.

    The Only Real Solution Is Default

    Saturday, Jul 16, 2022 – 10:30 PM

    Authored by Charles Hugh Smith via OfTwoMinds blog,

    The destruction of ‘phantom wealth’ via default has always been the only way to clear the financial system of unpayable debt burdens and extremes of rentier / wealth dominance.

    The notion that the world could always borrow more money as long as interest rates were near-zero was never sustainable. It was always an unsustainable artifice that we could keep borrowing ever larger sums from the future as long as the interest payments kept dropping.

    The only real solution to over-indebtedness since the beginning of finance is default. There are pretty names for variations on default that sound much less gut-wrenching–debt jubilees, refinancing, etc.– but the bottom line is the debts that can’t be paid won’t be paid and whomever owns the debt as an asset absorbs the loss.

    Every default is a debt jubilee for the borrower. Whether the default is informal or formalized in bankruptcy, the debt payments are no longer being paid to the lender / owner of the debt.

    Every debt jubilee is a default that forces the owner of the debt to write the value down to zero and absorb the loss. The jubilation of the owner of the debt is rather muted unless the state swoops in and passes the losses onto the taxpayers via bailouts / transferring the losses to the public’s balance sheet.

    Every default is a refinancing–to zero. We’ve refinanced the debt so the borrower pays zero and the value of the loan / debt is now zero.

    Very few ordinary households own other people’s debts as assets. It’s the wealthy few who own most of the student loans, vehicle loans, mortgages, government and corporation bonds, etc.

    Yes, ordinary households may own other people’s debts through pension plans or ownership of mutual funds, but by and large debt is a favored asset of the rentier class, i.e. the wealthiest few.

    We’re constantly told that mass defaults would destroy the economy, but this is flim-flam: mass defaults would destroy much of the wealth of the rentier class which has been greatly enriched by the global expansion of debt, while freeing the debtors of their obligations.

    Recall that debt is the transfer of income from the borrower to the owner of the debt. Borrowing money is like every other form of consumption: when it’s cheap and abundant, we over-indulge. The costs are only apparent after the banquet has been cleared.

    The illusion that the global economy could effortlessly add trillions in debt to fund living large forever was based on a brief historical anomaly of zero interest rates enabled by low inflation. There’s a long lag between the vast expansion of debt / consumption and the eventual consequences on supply, demand, risk and price discovery.

    The lag time is up and now the consequences are finally visible: the tide of rapid growth in consumption and income required to fund ever-greater burdens of debt has ebbed, and so the global burden of debt–$300 trillion or so– is no longer sustainable / payable.

    The favored solutions of the state–printing money or transferring the losses to the public–are no longer viable. Now that inflation has emerged from its slumber, printing trillions to bail out the wealthy is no longer an option. The public, so easily conned into accepting the bailout of the wealthy in 2008, has wised up and so that particular con won’t work again. (“Bail out the super-wealthy now or your ATM machine will stop working!” Uh, right.)

    The state is the protector of the wealthy, and so defaults that actually impact the wealthy are anathema. The wealthy will demand the state absorb their losses (recall that profits are private, losses are socialized) The only equitable solution is to force the losses on those who bought the debt as a rentier income stream.

    I’ve been exploring the Core-Periphery dynamic for a decade. ( The E.U., Neofeudalism and the Neocolonial-Financialization Model May 24, 2012). This dynamic plays out in a number of ways on a number of levels.

    Defaults will play out along the lines of Core-Periphery asymmetries. Some states will be able to “print their way out of default” but most will not, as unrestrained printing of money on such a vast scale would devalue the currency, triggering an even more destructive systemic default.

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    Debt is a double-edged form of power. Being able to borrow and spend huge sums is an absolutely fabulous way to expand corruption, bribes, exploitation of the powerless, bridges to nowhere and mindless over-consumption, but the habits formed by mindless expansion of debt to fund soaring wealth inequality don’t serve the indebted entities very well when default removes borrowing as a way to pay and play.

    Living within one’s means–i.e. net income–is the only solution there has ever been to the end-game of over-indebtedness, i.e. default. Those with relatively secure, diversified net incomes (i.e. the Core) will do much better than those with unstable, limited income.

    The destruction of phantom wealth via default has always been the only way to clear the financial system of unpayable debt burdens and extremes of rentier / wealth dominance. Let’s guess that a bare minimum of $100 trillion of the $300 trillion mountain of global debt will default far sooner than most expect. The only question is who will absorb the $100 trillion in losses. Choose wisely, as defaults of debt that are transferred to the public end up bringing down the entire system via political overthrow or currency collapse.

    A bad father story

    By Jessika Halitski

    Not my parents just my father. The only thing i will never forgive is that when I was 13 I was just released from a psyche hospital for troubled kids.

    I told my mother (sole guardian) I wanted to leave and be with my dad.

    So she emailed him and they worked out a plan.

    One weekend right before summer break was over my mother and grandparents drove out to my dads. It was like 14 hours or something, We get to my dads house, I am outside saying good bye to my grand parents and my mother.

    I am nervous I can feel my heart racing.

    I was so excited.

    So my mom was helping me grab my stuff out of the trunk.

    While trying to call my dad, he wont answer, so she tells me to go knock on the door. I listen and go knock.

    I can hear whispering but not what they are saying.

    I keep knocking and nothing. A short time later, im still knocking and I hear a car pull up behind me, I just keep knocking.

    My mom calls me over and I see two cops standing with her.

    She looks mad. I walk over, slowly.

    The cops ask me why I am TRESPASSING and that the property owner called me in for harassment.

    I was so mad I just started to cry.

    My mother begins to explain why we are at this house.

    The one officer goes to the door and asks for my father.

    He comes out I breathed a sigh of relief thinking that he would sort this whole mess out, the cop in front of my mother is still looking over the emails my mother had printed the other officer called me over and asked my father ‘is this your child did you agree to take her from the mother’ my fathers reply broke me ‘shes not mine I have never seen her before’ .

    I was floored.

    My mom heard it and I could feel the anger coming off her but she breathed and called me back to the car told me to get in and she shut the door.

    I saw her arguing and yelling at him and the police.

    Then she gets in and tells my grandfather to drive.

    I did not speak to anyone for about a week.

    Following this I had 15 failed suicide attempts.

    It wasn’t till a while later that I realized that I had done nothing wrong that I slowly started to cope with it.

    It still hurts to this day he calls and will try to pretend this never happened but, every time I hear his voice I can hear him saying those same words over and over again…

    Is A US-Russia War Becoming Inevitable?

    Saturday, Jul 16, 2022 – 11:40 AM

    Authored by Pat Buchanan,

    At the NATO summit in Madrid, Finland was invited to join the alliance. What does this mean for Finland?

    If Russian President Vladimir Putin breaches the 830-mile Finnish border, the United States will rise to Helsinki’s defense and fight Russia on Finland’s side.

    What does Finland’s membership in NATO mean for America?

    If Putin makes a military move into Finland, the U.S. will go to war against the world’s largest nation with an arsenal of between 4,500 and 6,000 battlefield and strategic nuclear weapons.

    No Cold War president would have dreamed of making such a commitment — to risk the survival of our nation to defend territory of a country thousands of miles away that has never been a U.S. vital interest.

    To go to war with the Soviet Union over the preservation of Finnish territory would have been seen as madness during the Cold War.

    Recall: Harry Truman refused to use force to break Joseph Stalin’s blockade of Berlin. Dwight Eisenhower refused to send U.S. troops to save the Hungarian freedom fighters being run down by Soviet tanks in Budapest in 1956.

    Lyndon B. Johnson did nothing to assist the Czech patriots crushed by Warsaw Pact armies in 1968. When Lech Walesa’s Solidarity was smashed on Moscow’s order in Poland in 1981, Ronald Reagan made brave statements and sent Xerox machines.

    While the U.S. issued annual declarations of support during the Cold War for the “captive nations” of Central and Eastern Europe, the liberation of these nations from Soviet control was never deemed so vital to the West as to justify a war with the USSR.

    Indeed, in the 40 years of the Cold War, NATO, which had begun in 1949 with 12 member nations, added only four more — Greece, Turkey, Spain and West Germany.

    Yet, with the invitation to Sweden and Finland to join as the 31st and 32nd nations to receive an Article 5 war guarantee, NATO will have doubled its membership since what was thought — certainly by the Russians — to have been the end of the Cold War.

    All the nations once part of Moscow’s Warsaw Pact — East Germany, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria — are now members of a U.S.-led NATO — directed against Russia.

    Three former republics of the USSR — Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania — are now also members of NATO, a military alliance formed to corral and contain the nation to which they had belonged during the Cold War.

    Lithuania, with 2% of Russia’s population, has just declared a partial blockade of goods moving across its territory to Kaliningrad, Russia’s enclave on the Baltic Sea.

    To Putin’s protest, Vilnius has reminded Moscow that Lithuania is a member of NATO.

    It is a dictum of geostrategic politics that a great power ought never cede to a lesser power the ability to draw it into a great war.

    In 1914, the kaiser’s Germany gave its Austrian ally a “blank check” to punish Serbia for its role in the assassination of the Archduke Francis Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne. Vienna cashed the kaiser’s check and attacked Serbia, and the Great War of 1914-1918 was on.

    In March 1939, Neville Chamberlain issued a war guarantee to Poland. If Germany attacked Poland, Britain would fight on Poland’s side.

    Fortified with this war guarantee from the British Empire, the Poles stonewalled Hitler, refusing to talk to Berlin over German claims to the city of Danzig, taken from her at the 1919 Paris Peace Conference.

    On Sept. 1, 1939, Hitler attacked and Britain declared war, a war that lasted six years and mortally wounded the British Empire.

    And Poland? At Yalta in 1945, Winston Churchill agreed that a Soviet-occupied Poland should remain in Stalin’s custody.

    Putin is a Russian nationalist who regards the breakup of the USSR as the greatest calamity of the 20th century, but he is not alone responsible for the wretched relations between our countries.

    We Americans have played a leading role in what is shaping up as a Second Cold War, more dangerous than the first.

    Over the last quarter-century, after Russia dissolved the Warsaw Pact and let the USSR break apart into 15 nations, we pushed NATO, created to corral and contain Russia, into Central and Eastern Europe.

    In 2008, neocons goaded Georgia into attacking South Ossetia, provoking Russian intervention and the rout of the Georgian army.

    In 2014, neocons goaded Ukrainians into overthrowing the elected pro-Russian regime in Kyiv. When they succeeded, Putin seized Crimea and Sevastopol, for centuries the home base of Russia’s Black Sea fleet.

    In 2022, Moscow asked the U.S. to pledge not to bring Ukraine into NATO. We refused. And Putin attacked. If Russians believe their country has been pushed against a wall by the West, can we blame them?

    Americans appear dismissive of dark Russian warnings that rather than accept defeat in Ukraine, the humiliation of their nation, and their encirclement and isolation, they will resort to tactical nuclear weapons.

    Is it really wisdom to dismiss these warnings as “saber-rattling”?

    Poverty is not measured by the amount of money you have.

    I thought we were well off when I was young. We had a house, 2 older but functional cars, and we always had food. I did not understand why my dad was always away, or why my mom was always nervous and irritable. I did not notice that it was always the same food, and there were no pictures on the peanut butter, vegetables, or cheese. I didn’t know other people didn’t drink powdered milk. I didn’t realize a lot of things.

    One day, in school, I noticed that my lunch tickets were a different color than the ones the kids around me had. I asked why the office gave them that color, and why they did not have to initial theirs. They said they got their tickets from their parents every week. They had no idea what I was talking about. My mom deflected the question when I asked. I got curious. I noticed we did not go to the store to get clothes. I always got boxes of clothes I tried on at home. Whatever didn’t fit just wandered off. My shoes didn’t have the same logos, and my coats had none. My dad always wore the exact same pair of boots to work, and I had happily chiseled the crusted blacktop off of them so they looked nice over the years. I began to see that our cars were rustier than most, and little losses were devastating to my mom. I saw the overall quality of what we had was shabbier than my classmates’ things. It all began to make sense.

    There was no “aha” moment. It was a slow dawning realization. We were poor. Not absolutely, but relative to our community. I would guess we were one automotive breakdown, one major home repair, or one medical catastrophe from being homeless at any point in time. My mom figured out I knew before my dad did. My demeanor didn’t change, but my behavior did. I asked for less. I didn’t ask for anything for Christmas that year. Or any year after. I asked to have small birthday parties at home. I was never big on clothing trends, but wore clothes until they fell apart or I had completely outgrown them. I stopped asking for money for a donut and milk at the bakery across from the school (they were day olds the manager kept for me without me knowing.) I walked to school more and asked for rides less. I paid attention to prices when we went grocery shopping, and asked for less big ticket items. I did not tell my brother. I shared more with him. I accepted more invitations when my friends parents offered dinner or to stay over. I asked my friends to stay over less often. I learned to repair my bike, to sew, and to garden. I seldom turned on my lights, took short showers, bundled up in the winter, and avoided the TV aside from a few shows.

    I understood that which my parents had hidden from me. I adjusted. They accepted that I was helping in my own way. To their credit, they would offer to buy clothes, try to tempt me with the Toys’r’us catalog, and would pay attention to everything I would eyeball at the mall and Farm&Fleet. They would not let me avoid the school book fair, since they knew my great love was reading. I still have that love. What they fostered grew. I am still frugal, weigh the cost of items against their value, buy mostly from thrift stores, and live simply. I cherish experiences and people more than objects. I try to constantly keep learning and growing. I learned I was never truly poor. I just lacked money.

    Grandma’s “Afghan”

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    We Are About To Experience An Absolutely Epic Housing Crash The Likes Of Which America Has Never Seen Before

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    You may not want to buy a house right now.  What goes up must eventually come down, and we have just entered the “down” side of that equation.  Over the past two years, home prices in the United States have gone up nearly 40 percent.  Now mortgage rates are rising at a pace that is truly frightening, and they are likely to go even higher in the months ahead as the Federal Reserve continues to fight a relentless war against inflation.  Needless to say, higher mortgage rates mean higher potential mortgage payments for prospective home buyers, and so millions of Americans are being priced out of the marketplace right now.  The only thing that is going to bring those buyers back into the marketplace is for home prices to go down, and that is already starting to happen in some areas of the nation.

    We were already in a historic housing bubble heading into 2020, and over the past two years we have witnessed another housing bubble develop on top of the previous housing bubble.

    Overall, home prices in the U.S. rose 37 percent between March 2020 and March 2022.

    That is insane.

    Of course our incomes have not been going up as fast as home prices have.  In fact, it is being reported that “home prices have gone up four times faster than incomes” over the past year…

    Economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas put the real estate industry on edge this spring after they published a paper titled Real-Time Market Monitoring Finds Signs of Brewing U.S. Housing Bubble. Why the renewed concern? Over the past year alone, home prices have gone up four times faster than incomes. Simple economic theory, which dictates that neither home prices nor incomes can outgrow the other for very long, tells us that isn’t sustainable.

    There is no way that this could continue for long, and we have reached a point where home prices in the United States are “overvalued” by almost 25 percent

    The analysis conducted by Moody’s Analytics aimed to find out whether economic fundamentals, including local income levels, could support local home prices. On a national level, Moody’s Analytics finds U.S. home prices are “overvalued” by 24.7%. In other words, U.S. home prices are 24.7% higher than they would historically trade at given current income levels.

    Does this mean that home prices will come down by 25 percent?

    Well, it all depends on what the Federal Reserve chooses to do.

    If the Fed decides to stop raising interest rates by the end of this year, the damage could potentially be minimized.

    But if the Fed continues to raise interest rates throughout 2023, we are likely to see carnage that is unlike anything we have ever seen before.

    Personally, I have been stunned by how rapidly mortgage rates have risen.  According to Peter Schiff, the last time that average 30 year mortgage rates crossed the 6 percent threshold was just before the last housing crash…

    Average 30-year mortgage rates have pushed to nearly 6.4%. The last time we saw mortgage rates over 6% was right before the housing crash of 2008. Until mid-April, mortgage rates were in the 4% to 5% range. Just one month ago, rates were 5.49%.
    
    Lower-income homebuyers have already been priced out of the market by spiking mortgage rates. The houses that are selling tend to be in higher price ranges.

    Officials at the Federal Reserve can see what is happening, but they consider taming inflation to be a much higher priority right now.

    So the housing bubble will inevitably continue to implode, and the numbers for the industry will just get even uglier.  Here is more from Peter Schiff

    Air is hissing out of the housing bubble faster and faster every week.
    
    Pending sales plunged in June and the inventory of homes on the market jumped as mortgage rates continue to rapidly rise.
    
    Pending home sales plunged by 16% year-over-year in June. This follows on the heels of a 12% drop in May and a 9% dip in April. June marked the 10th straight month of year-on-year declines in pending sales.

    Some of the hottest markets in the country have started to cool off really fast.

    For example, just look at what is happening in California

    The pace of California home sales plunged 21% in June from a year earlier as soaring mortgage rates took a bite out of buyer interest, the state Realtors group reported Monday.

    And what we are witnessing in Boise is really alarming.

    Boise was once one of the hottest markets in the entire nation, but now sales are dropping faster than Joe Biden’s approval rating

    Before governors relaxed stay-at-home orders two years ago, white-collar professionals were already fleeing their exorbitantly priced apartments in cities like San Francisco and Seattle. The biggest beneficiary of that WFH homebuying wave was undoubtedly Boise—where home prices skyrocketed 53%. You could even call it the poster child of the pandemic housing boom.
    
    But that Boise honeymoon is over. While spiking mortgage rates have pushed the overall U.S. housing market into a slowdown, it has delivered a particularly hard blow to the Boise housing market. That has seen both Boise home sales plummet—down 28% on a year-over-year basis—and inventory levels surge—up 161% this year. It’s also chipping away at home values. According to Zillow, the median Boise home sales price fell 3.5% in June.

    This downturn is going to have enormous implications for home builders as well.

    Sales are falling, and a key measure of home builder confidence just declined for the seventh month in a row

    The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index, which measures the pulse of the single-family housing market, fell for the seventh consecutive month to 55, the lowest level since May 2020. It is the second-biggest, one-month decline in the survey’s 37-year history.

    The only time that the index has fallen more in a single month was during the very early stages of the COVID pandemic.

    National Association of Home Builders CEO Jerry Howard fears that things will continue to get worse in the months ahead, and he is warning that “we’re going to go into a recession” unless something dramatic happens…

    “For the last seven straight months it has been going down and this is a huge drop – and I think all it says is, ‘Somebody do something or we’re going to go into a recession,’” Howard said.

    I am sorry to tell you this Jerry, but we are already in a recession right now, and it is going to get really bad.

    Our leaders have been making decisions that have been mind-numbingly bad for a long time, and now we are all going to suffer the consequences.

    If you are searching for an easy way out of this mess, you can stop looking, because there isn’t one.

    What we are heading for is going to make 2008 and 2009 look like a Sunday picnic, and it will shake our nation to the core.

    Memories

    Television memories…

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    Big Wood Grain Console TVs…

    Boston Cream Pie

    The Parker House Hotel in downtown Boston has bragging rights as the place where Boston cream pie was invented in 1856. It’s technically not a pie, but a yellow butter cake or sponge cake with a sweet rich custard and thick chocolate glaze.

    According to Historic Hotels of America, the popular dessert was known as Chocolate Cream Pie, and became a Betty Crocker boxed mix in 1958. It is still a sought-out fave on menus in Boston and throughout New England. In fact, in 1996 the Boston cream pie was declared the official state dessert of Massachusetts.

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    Check out this you-tube video…

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

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    The forms we take as we escape

    This is a Patreon video first released in early Summer 2022. It’s a very complex subject and discusses the quantum forms that are aligned upon the moment of death. Feel free to visit the MM Patreon site at any time to see the entire pile of in-depth videos that cover these most unusual subjects.

    I hope that you get something out of this video.

    Do you want more?

    The Metallicman patrion page has daily videos and articles for the hard-core influencers and supporters. Here’s the really valuable stuff. Basic membership is only $5 a month. Great stuff here. It’s where I present the “secrets of the universe”…

    MM Patreon Website

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

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    President Biden is Hell bent on destroying the world (its a fact)

    My long term observations is that:
    
    These bankrupt nations/failed States have caused a sudden drastic currency depreciation, outflow of capital, and massive inflation (cost of living stress), stock and property price drop etc. They are all linked to the United States (incredible and reckless) massive money printing. As well as the Unites States reserve Bank's interest rate rise.
    
    This is how (in the past) the American regime would end up periodically looting the world. Not just the world, but friends and enemies alike,  including its own allies. Doing so without any military action.
    
    This is a complex topic.
    
    Now, the Chinese CCP studied how this US policy works.  And now, this time, China is so well prepared that there are basically no inflation in China. At all.
    
    This time, when the US regime ran this old technique again, the EU is seriously and badly affected.
    
    What are they to do? Well, it's obvious. Watch the outflow of currency. Indeed, a large portion of EU money is flowing to China as safe heaven instead of to the USA. 
    
    As a result, the United States suffered catastrophic inflation domestically...
    
    ... and, in regards to China, it completely lost it effectiveness as a tool of chaos, control and power.
    
    Cheers
    Chua

    Here we go through the motions as our idiotic Western governments invite nuclear war upon the world.

    President of Serbia: “All Hell is About To Break Loose in Ukraine” – World War 3 is Already happening

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    The Ukraine conflict is in fact already a world war, given that the West is fighting Russia via its proxies in Kiev, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told local media on Wednesday.

    We should understand that amid the world war – because all the talks that it is a regional or a local war must be dropped – the entire Western world is fighting against Russia via Ukrainians. It is a global conflict,” he said in an interview with Pink TV.

    The president said that the ongoing global war is what concerns him the most, and, in his view, it will only get worse. He also added that the conflict in Ukraine is taking its toll on the Balkans, reiterating that Serbia would do its best to keep the peace in the region.

    Moreover, Vucic believes that after Russia gains some more ground in eastern Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin will approach the West with a certain “proposal.”

    I know what awaits us. As soon as Vladimir Putin has done his work in Seversk, Bakhmut and Soledar, after reaching the second line Slaviansk-Kramatorsk-Avdeevka, he will come up with a proposal. And if they [the West] don’t accept it, – and they won’t – all hell will break loose,” he predicted, without providing any details on the would-be initiative.

    The Serbian president also offered the reminder that his nation maintains close relations with Russia and China, adding that pursuing such policies does not come easy for Belgrade right now.

    Vucic’s comments come after Serbian Interior Minister Aleksandar Vulin said in early July that the West should apologize to Belgrade for the 1999 bombing campaign instead of forcing it to become a “NATO foot soldier” in the conflict with Russia.

    Threads – 10 minutes of the bunker scenes

    Yeah. This is the real deal. Soak it up.

    Tender and Militant: Artist Sung-Choul Ham and His South Korean Fantasy Worlds

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    Sung-Choul Ham is an artist from South Korea, he draws illustrations and concepts (mostly fighting anime girls) for games and movies. He’s currently working at Majors Studio where he’s developing characters for South Korean fantasy MMORPGs and he’s doing a great job.

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    U.S. Railroad Strike Begins July 18 – Trains will stop

    The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) voted by a margin of 99.5 percent to authorize a strike if such action becomes legal and “necessary to secure a contract worthy of their consideration.” A strike like this threatens to halt all train movement across the country.

    In a statement, BLET National President Dennis Pierce said that this is the first nationwide strike vote since 2011, but that it is necessary because railroads “used and continue to use their economic strength to steamroll their employees, their customers and the nation, all for the sake of their bottom line, and it is clear that they have no intentions of changing.”

    In the third year of the national contract negotiation process, he added, “the rail carriers have never made a contract proposal to our union that their employees, our members, would accept.”

    The moment trains stop, all the supply-chain issues previously experienced by Americans, will grow worse by orders of magnitude.

    Egg Salad

    This salad takes some work, but if you don’t mind peeling a few eggs, you can enjoy this family-friendly, budget-conscious hearty salad. Mustard and paprika give it that extra kick.

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    Egg Salad.

    Ready for something fantastic and easy? You’re in luck! This is a classic egg salad recipe, just like Grandma used to make! Sit down with it for a quick lunch … or chow down for dinner at any time as the weather gets warmer.

    I know what you may be thinking … “This is such a classic! I have my own recipe passed down through the generations. Doesn’t everyone?!” To that, I answer, tradition is wonderful, but just give this one a try! It’s my own perfected egg salad recipe that you’ll simply adore. You may even use it to tweak the recipe that’s been in your family forever! It’s that amazing: creamy, eggy, and full of crisp onions and celery. So good!

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    Delicious.

    And if you’ve never made egg salad before? Don’t despair!! This egg salad recipe is very, very easy. In fact, there are only a few steps: five steps to hardboil the eggs and three steps to put together the salad itself. The ingredients are the kind you can find at any store, and it lasts 3-5 days in the fridge (if you’re lucky enough to have leftovers!). If you’re someone who doesn’t have a traditional family egg salad recipe, well, here you go with your new family recipe!

    Egg Salad Recipe

    • large eggs
    • mayonnaise
    • yellow mustard
    • green onion
    • celery
    • salt
    • ground black pepper
    • paprika

    Note: Make sure your eggs are fresh for this recipe! Expired eggs will float to the top of the water when you try to cook them, but a fresh egg will sit neatly at the bottom of the pan on its side.

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    Delicious and healthy ingredients.

    How To Make Egg Salad

    Time needed: 30 minutes.

    How To Make Egg Salad

    1. Add the eggs to a medium saucepan. Add cold water to a level where it is just covering the eggs.

    2. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let the eggs stand for 15 minutes.

    3. Remove the eggs to a large bowl with ice water and let the eggs cool.

    4. Peel and chop the eggs and place them in a medium bowl.

    5. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

    6. Spread the egg mixture on your favorite bread or crackers, or serve on lettuce or in a wrap!

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    I am in Pennsylvania . . .

    I am at the house I inherited in Pennsylvania.  My wife did not come.

    We’re trying to work things out.

    Maybe she’ll come up next week.

    I told her I feel that Russia is going to attack the United States with a nuclear first strike over our helping Ukraine kill Russian soldiers.

    I told her that I believe New York City is a major target for such a first strike, because it will cripple the nation’s banking industry and stock markets.

    I told her that Russia uses what they call the “YARS” missile for such attacks, and that each missile carries a warhead with an eight hundred kiloton (800kt) yeild.

    I explained that such bombs are usually air-burst about 2900 meters (1.5 Miles) above a target.

    With our condo being located just 3 miles west, southwest of the Empire State Building in midtown Manhattan, our condo would not survive and neither would anyone in it.

    At the initial blast, the bright, white, flash would instantly cause temperatures outside our front door of over one-hundred-thousand degrees.  The entire building would burst instantly into flames.  Then comes the blast wave from the air being pushed by the explosion.  Thousand mile per hour winds  causing an “over-pressure” of about 30,000 p.s.i. would crush the building into a burning pile of rubble in seconds.

    I told her there is no way any of us would have any chance at all of surviving; that we would die a horrible fiery and crushing death within seconds.

    I also showed her the PSA put out this week by NYC Emergency management, telling people what to do if a nuke hits NYC., and I showed her the new warning signs going up in shopping centers in New Jersey warning people of what to do in a “Radiation Emergency.”

    I told her that the US Dept. of Homeland Security is the one paying to put those signs up because they KNOW what’s coming.

    She said she has some things to do and some Doctors to see, but maybe she’ll come up later next week.

    I said, fine, I just want you to understand that if Russia launches, their missiles can get here before I can get from Pennsylvania to New Jersey.  I won’t be able to save her.

    She understood.

    So that’s where we are.

    I won’t go into the marriage issues that caused such an upheaval last Friday that I couldn’t do a show.  Suffice it to say things are bad.

    How bad?

    I took off my wedding ring.

    That bad.

    Hal

    I feel really bad for this guy. I hope that things calm down and settle down. Be good to each other, and remember that it is your family and friends that are you greatest strength during these times of great stress. -MM

    A most Japanese thing…

    x
    Ready for an Interview.

    Japan has a strict rule when you’re job hunting, especially for university students.

    They all have to wear what is called recruit suit.

    This is the basic black suit, white shirt, black business bag and black dress shoes. It has to be the standard design and length. Hair should be dyed black. There is a range of color of black dyes that are acceptable. For women, hair should be tied into a ponytail. For men, it should be cut short and professional-looking.

    Clothing shops selling suits and businesswear sell these recruit suits every hiring season. You’ll see ads and posters all around Japan.

    You should blend in together with the rest of the applicants. It will be disastrous for your application if you stray from these rules.

    Very Japanese thing.

    In Eurasia, the War of Economic Corridors is in full swing

    Mega Eurasian organizations and their respective projects are now converging at record speed, with one global pole way ahead of the other.

    By Pepe Escobar, posted with permission and cross-posted with The Cradle

     

    The War of Economic Corridors is now proceeding full speed ahead, with the game-changing first cargo flow of goods from Russia to India via the International North South Transportation Corridor (INSTC) already in effect.

    Very few, both in the east and west, are aware of how this actually has long been in the making: the Russia-Iran-India agreement for implementing a shorter and cheaper Eurasian trade route via the Caspian Sea (compared to the Suez Canal), was first signed in 2000, in the pre-9/11 era.

    The INSTC in full operational mode signals a powerful hallmark of Eurasian integration – alongside the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), and last but not least, what I described as “Pipelineistan” two decades ago.

    Caspian is key

    Let’s have a first look on how these vectors are interacting.

    The genesis of the current acceleration lies in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan’s capital, for the 6th Caspian Summit. This event not only brought the evolving Russia-Iran strategic partnership to a deeper level, but crucially, all five Caspian Sea littoral states agreed that no NATO warships or bases will be allowed on site.

    That essentially configures the Caspian as a virtual Russian lake, and in a minor sense, Iranian – without compromising the interests of the three “stans,” Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. For all practical purposes, Moscow has tightened its grip on Central Asia a notch.

    As the Caspian Sea is connected to the Black Sea by canals off the Volga built by the former USSR, Moscow can always count on a reserve navy of small vessels – invariably equipped with powerful missiles – that may be transferred to the Black Sea in no time if necessary.

    Stronger trade and financial links with Iran now proceed in tandem with binding the three “stans” to the Russian matrix. Gas-rich republic Turkmenistan for its part has been historically idiosyncratic – apart from committing most of its exports to China.

    Under an arguably more pragmatic young new leader, President Serdar Berdimuhamedow, Ashgabat may eventually opt to become a member of the SCO and/or the EAEU.

    Caspian littoral state Azerbaijan on the other hand presents a complex case: an oil and gas producer eyed by the European Union (EU) to become an alternative energy supplier to Russia – although this is not happening anytime soon.

    The West Asia connection

    Iran’s foreign policy under President Ebrahim Raisi is clearly on a Eurasian and Global South trajectory. Tehran will be formally incorporated into the SCO as a full member in the upcoming summit in Samarkand in September, while its formal application to join the BRICS has been filed.

    Purnima Anand, head of the BRICS International Forum, has stated that Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are also very much keen on joining BRICS. Should that happen, by 2024 we could be on our way to a powerful West Asia, North Africa hub firmly installed inside one of the key institutions of the multipolar world.

    As Putin heads to Tehran next week for trilateral Russia, Iran, Turkey talks, ostensibly about Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is bound to bring up the subject of BRICS.

    Tehran is operating on two parallel vectors. In the event the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is revived – a quite dim possibility as it stands, considering the latest shenanigans in Vienna and Doha – that would represent a tactical victory. Yet moving towards Eurasia is on a whole new strategic level.

    In the INSTC framework, Iran will make maximum good use of the geostrategically crucial port of Bandar Abbas – straddling the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, at the crossroads of Asia, Africa and the Indian subcontinent.

    Yet as much as it may be portrayed as a major diplomatic victory, it’s clear that Tehran will not be able to make full use of BRICS membership if western – especially US – sanctions are not totally lifted.

    Pipelines and the “stans”

    A compelling argument can be made that Russia and China might eventually fill the western technology void in the Iranian development process. But there’s a lot more that platforms such as the INSTC, the EAEU and even BRICS can accomplish.

    Across “Pipelineistan,” the War of Economic Corridors gets even more complex. Western propaganda simply cannot admit that Azerbaijan, Algeria, Libya, Russia’s allies at OPEC, and even Kazakhstan are not exactly keen on increasing their oil production to help Europe.

    Kazakhstan is a tricky case: it is the largest oil producer in Central Asia and set to be a major natural gas supplier, right after Russia and Turkmenistan. More than 250 oil and gas fields are operated in Kazakhstan by 104 companies, including western energy giants such as Chevron, Total, ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell.

    While exports of oil, natural gas and petroleum products comprise 57 percent of Kazakhstan’s exports, natural gas is responsible for 85 percent of Turkmenistan’s budget (with 80 percent of exports committed to China). Interestingly, Galkynysh is the second largest gas field on the planet.

    Compared to the other “stans,” Azerbaijan is a relatively minor producer (despite oil accounting for 86 percent of its total exports) and basically a transit nation. Baku’s super-wealth aspirations center on the Southern Gas Corridor, which includes no less than three pipelines: Baku-Tblisi-Erzurum (BTE); the Turkish-driven Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP); and the Trans-Adriatic (TAP).

    The problem with this acronym festival – BTE, TANAP, TAP – is that they all need massive foreign investment to increase capacity, which the EU sorely lacks because every single euro is committed by unelected Brussels Eurocrats to “support” the black hole that is Ukraine. The same financial woes apply to a possible Trans-Caspian Pipeline which would further link to both TANAP and TAP.

    In the War of Economic Corridors – the “Pipelineistan” chapter – a crucial aspect is that most Kazakh oil exports to the EU go through Russia, via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC). As an alternative, the Europeans are mulling on a still fuzzy Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, also known as the Middle Corridor (Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey). They actively discussed it in Brussels last month.

    The bottom line is that Russia remains in full control of the Eurasia pipeline chessboard (and we’re not even talking about the Gazprom-operated pipelines Power of Siberia 1 and 2 leading to China).

    Gazprom executives know all too well that a fast increase of energy exports to the EU is out of the question. They also factor the Tehran Convention – that helps prevent and control pollution and maintain the environmental integrity of the Caspian Sea, signed by all five littoral members.

    Breaking BRI in Russia

    China, for its part, is confident that one of its prime strategic nightmares may eventually disappear. The notorious “escape from Malacca” is bound to materialize, in cooperation with Russia, via the Northern Sea Route, which will shorten the trade and connectivity corridor from East Asia to Northern Europe from 11,200 nautical miles to only 6,500 nautical miles. Call it the polar twin of the INSTC.

    This also explains why Russia has been busy building a vast array of state-of-the-art icebreakers.

    So here we have an interconnection of New Silk Roads (the INSTC proceeds in parallel with BRI and the EAEU), Pipelineistan, and the Northern Sea Route on the way to turn western trade domination completely upside down.

    Of course, the Chinese have had it planned for quite a while. The first White Paper on China’s Arctic policy, in January 2018, already showed how Beijing is aiming, “jointly with other states” (that means Russia), to implement sea trade routes in the Arctic within the framework of the Polar Silk Road.

    And like clockwork, Putin subsequently confirmed that the Northern Sea Route should interact and complement the Chinese Maritime Silk Road.

    Russia-China Economic cooperation is evolving on so many complex, convergent levels that just to keep track of it all is a dizzying experience.

    A more detailed analysis will reveal some of the finer points, for instance how BRI and SCO interact, and how BRI projects will have to adapt to the heady consequences of Moscow’s Operation Z in Ukraine, with more emphasis being placed on developing Central and West Asian corridors.

    It’s always crucial to consider that one of Washington’s key strategic objectives in the relentless hybrid war against Russia was always to break BRI corridors that crisscross Russian territory.

    As it stands, it’s important to realize that dozens of BRI projects in industry and investment and cross-border inter-regional cooperation will end up consolidating the Russian concept of the Greater Eurasia Partnership – which essentially revolves around establishing multilateral cooperation with a vast range of nations belonging to organizations such as the EAEU, the SCO, BRICS and ASEAN.

    Welcome to the new Eurasian mantra: Make Economic Corridors, Not War.

    You’re a disaster

    An outstanding commentary by a former Pentagon Advisor to the US President, commenting on what he would tell President Biden…

    The story of emperor of China, “Wu of Jin”

    At the end of his reign as emperor of China, “Wu of Jin” brought more than 5,000 women to his palace.

    From that moment on, the emperor concentrated on celebrating and enjoying women, rather than on important matters of state.

    It was said that there were so many beautiful women in the palace that he literally did not know who he should have sex with; therefore, he came up with a rather… “particular” solution.

    x
    x

    Every day he walked inside the palace in a small wooden carriage powered by goats, if the goats stopped in front of any woman, that was the one the emperor chose.

    Because of this, many of the women planted bamboo leaves outside their bedrooms, in order to attract the goats.

    This, I assure you, will not appear in any of your history books.

    I’m 23 and I’m from California, USA but I’ve lived in Barcelona collectively for a year now. I work remotely with clients across Europe and the States.

    There are quite a few things that keep me here.

    Socially, I’m less isolated, less alone, more included despite my horrific Spanish.

    I noticed immediately when I moved here how much more social and communal my days became. I had lived in New York City before coming here. One of the most crowded, diverse cities in the world and proclaimed ‘city that never sleeps’, made me feel the most isolated.

    Anytime there is free time here, every night of the week, there is someone inviting me to just sit and get coffee or a drink. In the US, it would take me three weeks to see as many friends I catch up with here in three days. Plans are easy and people take time to interact. I’ve noticed how much happier everyone else is, including myself.

    The more relaxed mentality counteracts my workaholic bs.

    Both my parents are entrepreneurs as am I. I went to a competitive business school in Dallas, Texas. Stressed is a default setting for me. And to some degree, that’s been beneficial. But moving here and being surrounded by people who will tell me I’m over doing it and need a drink is absolutely priceless. I’ve actually noticed a difference in how I physically feel and physically how the day “looks” to me; more light and not so impacted even if I am still working a lot. A collective, calmer energy around me is really helpful.

    They dress better and now I dress better.

    Where I’m from, the standard look is work out clothes everyday and if you put on even so much as jeans people ask you where you’re going. My university in Texas was worse. Here, an actual adult outfit is what’s expected. Everyone looks nice. Of course, within about three days I went shopping and got my shit together. I actually feel more confident and put together when I’m here because of that social standard.

    They eat better and now I eat better.

    I find it so much easier to eat healthier here. The mediterranean diet is inescapable. At home, there is kind of this half-assed healthy/convenience diet everyone, myself included strives for. You might know what I’m talking about. I’m no longer living off Diet Coke and protein bars. Which is great. Meal time is taken a little more seriously here so I cook and put a lot more conscious thought into my food.

    Social barriers we have in the States do not exist.

    I have friends who are senior managers at Deloitte that are also best friends with waiters. No one cares. No. One. Cares. Career is not the main topic of conversation or what people align their lives around. It’s simply how you make money to be able to go out and drink with your friends whoever they may be. This was way different for me. My whole life is my business and I came from cities where everyone’s social circles revolves around their jobs. I really love it. There are more perspectives and understanding.

    Anyways, I just spent a few months back in the US getting a new visa. Of course there are things about the US that are very much engrained in me that I believe have made me who I am and I love that. There will always be things I love about home. Right now, Spain is showing me things about myself and other perspectives I can really appreciate.

    We’re learning more than ever about war from the Ukraine

    By <name withheld>

    That is, if you follow closely what is happening.

    We see that it is brutal beyond our imagination. Our imagination fails
    because for the last 30 years the Western Media’s main job was to
    Ignore, Deny and Justify the daily carnage dealt out to “Brown-Skins”.
    There were some Eastern Europeans in there too, but call them Commies.

    Now the Western Media job is to report every nuance, and even invent
    most of the stories to give their “reporting” a flare. Every atrocity
    they report has already been happening for 3 decades, but the official
    position is that we really didn’t care. Let “Democracy” do its work.

    We see that the worst travesty on earth is what they call the proxy
    war. Opposing “great” powers hire third world discontents to perform a
    chicken (cock) fight, and the powers sit on the sidelines making their
    bets. The person could probably make $10/day in their home country.
    (Like the Ukraine average), If they can get an honest job. Or they can
    push drugs and engage with crime and make more (like in Ukraine).

    But on the battle field they are promised $50/day, sometimes even
    $100/day, (but then are usually paid less). All they have to do is kill
    some people. And most of the times it’s unarmed civilians. It is kind
    of like a sports club or a fraternity. Make a few IED’s. Not quite the
    same in today’s war.

    In the Ukraine one side is proxy, (with their own people of course, but
    with proxy armaments). The Ukrainian military is not paid any premium,
    but their pay is sent in by proxy. And the other side, Russian allies,
    are working for their own security against the proxy sponsors. (It is
    a very interesting dynamic, that I can comment on, but not in this piece.)

    The Ukraine used to have all the cities except those occupied the LPR
    and DPR. They had 8 years to fortify them and stock military supplies,
    according to their battle plan. Now they have lost much of that
    territory plus a land bridge from Russia to the Crimea, Kherson and the
    like. Therefore we can conclude by this movement, that Russia is on the
    offensive and Ukraine on the defensive. Today I am not counting Russia’s
    drive toward Kiev. Maybe it was just an experiment to see if things
    could happen easy, without much loss of life. I find it honorable.

    The offensive side controls the battle plan and the speed and direction
    of the attacks. The defense has to absorb what the offense doles out to
    them. The offense can easily go back and forth, with the objective to
    save their lives. The defense cannot go back (unless they must), and
    the lives lost can make NO DIFFERENCE.

    Too many commenter’s claim the battle is stalled out. So Russia must be
    hurting, because it doesn’t go forward according to MY (the commenter’s)
    CONCEPT. Not to Russia’s plan? But if you look closely, on each day
    that the front lines don’t move, many hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers are
    killed, (each day) and many dozens of their heavy equipment destroyed.
    It is through stand-off artillery not face to face combat, so the losses
    are not equal. It is said that 50% of Ukrainian BTG’s have heavy
    losses, one up to 80%. Can you imagine what it feels like to be in a
    BTG of 900 soldiers and now there are only 180 left? Unfortunately, in
    war, many countries understand only body counts. I think the USA is
    like that.

    So the mistake is to judge the war only by movement on the front. Asking
    what major cities have been taken?

    So far this war is to liberate the Ex-Russian, the Russian speaking
    population from under the fascist regime. So the goal is to preserve
    their lives, and allow them to build a productive society in the
    future. We won’t know about the non-Russian speaking population until
    they get there. You can’t just take a poll to ask what they think.
    They are not allowed to express any doubt, under severe fascist
    penalties, including death. If they are liberated, many might choose to
    live far away from the Kiev regime. So you don’t want to kill or maim
    those civilians either. Maybe by the time you get to Lvov, you can
    take off the kid gloves.

    1. Not all relationships will lead to marriage, some will help you discover new restaurants.

    2. It’s not selfish to make your happiness your main priority.

    3. Stay away from “still” people. Still broke, still complaining, still hating, still nowhere.

    4. Anything that costs you your mental health is too expensive.

    5. Make sure you’re not the only one who actually values the connection.

    6. You don’t have to be liked by everybody. You don’t even like everybody.

    7. People may be upset when you choose you over their mess. Choose you anyway.

    8. Listen, that move you are scared to make, might be the game changer.

    9. There is a past version of you that is so proud of how far you have come.

    10. If someone’s absence brings you peace. You didn’t lose anything.

    Sherry Cam.

    Iran, Argentina apply to join BRICS bloc after recent summit: Report

    Ahead of the summit, Saudi Arabia too expressed interest to join the grouping, according to reports.

    From HERE

    Every nation is "abandoning the USD" and "abandoning the West" and getting on board with the united Asia. -MM

    and have applied to join the mechanism, the Russian state media reported, days after a summit of the five-nation bloc during which the leaders agreed to continue to discuss the possibility of admitting new countries to the grouping on the basis of “full consultation and consensus.”

    and have applied for joining (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was quoted as saying by the state-run Tass news agency.

    It reported that Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Monday that Tehran has applied for membership.

    Tehran filed the application for accession to the BRICS, he said.

    The diplomat expressed hope that “ will be able to contribute to the BRICS’ operation and benefit the organisation.”

    Argentina’s President Alberto Fernandez said at a BRICS+ meeting last week that his country wants to become a full member of the association, the Tass report said.

    Ahead of the summit, Saudi Arabia too expressed interest to join the grouping, according to reports.

    The issue of expansion of the BRICS bloc was figured in the June 23 virtual summit hosted by China, which is this year’s chair.

    The declaration issued at the end of the summit said the leaders will continue to discuss the possibility of admitting new countries to the five-nation grouping on the basis of “full consultation and consensus.”

    Asked for his reaction at a media briefing here on Tuesday about Iran and applying to join BRICS, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said many countries have expressed their interest to join the five-member bloc of emerging markets.

    “BRICS countries agreed that it is important to step up cooperation with other emerging markets and developing countries to improve the representativeness of the BRICS mechanism and make it loudly heard on major issues so that we can better rise up to challenges and uphold the interests of emerging markets and developing counties,” Zhao said.

    “We have noted that many countries including Iran and Argentina have expressed their willingness to join the BRICS family. As the chair of the BRICS this year China actively supports BRICS countries to start the membership expansion process to expand BRICS Plus cooperation,” he said.

    Zhao said that at the 14th summit held on June 23 the BRICS leader made a unanimous voice on the expansion of the BRICS mechanism and they supported discussion, standards and procedure for the expansion.

    “China will work with BRICS partners to move ahead with the expansion process steadily so that like-minded partners can join the BRICS family,” he said.

    “We shall continue to set clear priorities in our wide-ranging cooperation, on the basis of consensus, and make our strategic partnership more efficient, practical and results-oriented,” the declaration said.

    “We support promoting discussions among BRICS members on BRICS expansion process. We stress the need to clarify the guiding principles, standards, criteria and procedures for this expansion process through Sherpas’ channel on the basis of full consultation and consensus,” it said.

    In Case You Were Wondering Why Inflation Has Started To Spiral Wildly Out Of Control…

    .

    When you keep making horrible decisions, eventually the consequences are going to catch up with you.  That is true for individuals, and it is also true for entire nations.  Here in the United States, previous generations handed down to us the strongest and most stable national currency on the planet.  Having the default reserve currency of the world has been a great blessing, because it has enabled us to enjoy a standard of living that is far greater than we actually deserve.  But instead of doing their best to preserve and protect our currency, our leaders have decided to systematically destroy it instead.  As a result, the rate of inflation has gotten completely out of control, and many experts are extremely concerned about what lies ahead.

    It doesn’t take a genius to figure out why we have such a problem with inflation at this point.

    The money supply has ballooned to levels that were once unthinkable, and this is going to cause massive problems for the foreseeable future.

    Let me show you what I am talking about.  The following chart of how M1 has changed over the years comes directly from the Federal Reserve

    x
    x

    The giant spike that you can see on the chart started during the early stages of the COVID pandemic.

    Our leaders abandoned any pretense of restraint, and we went “full Weimar” for about two solid years.

    I warned over and over again that what we were doing was absolutely insane, and now we are starting to experience the consequences.

    Many people believe that M2 is a much more accurate measure of the money supply than M1 is, and so let me show you a chart of how M2 has changed

    x
    x

    This chart certainly looks better than the previous one, but it is still extremely frightening.

    We are rapidly destroying the stability of our currency, and as a result our standard of living is being absolutely shredded.

    I’ll give you an example.  A young lady down in Texas went viral this month when she revealed that she was living in a shed in a desperate attempt to save money

    A young Texas woman who moved into a shed that she purchased for just $2,000 in order to save money amid the housing crisis has opened up about her desperate struggle to cope with the summer heat while living in the property – which has no AC or shower.

    Is this what they mean when they tell us that we are going to “own nothing and be happy”?

    Apparently she was promised that the shed would be “fully livable”, but she quickly found out that wasn’t exactly true

    However, in a video shared to her TikTok, which gained over one million views, Elizabeth revealed that she was ‘ripped off by the builders’ because she was under the impression it was a fully livable shed and is ‘dying’ in the Houston heat while thinking about how ‘nice’ a shower would be.

    The good news is that her father came down from South Carolina and installed lights and air conditioning.

    So now Elizabeth and her boyfriend will be able to cool off during the summer months.

    But they still have no way to bathe.

    Sadly, the truth is that they are far better off than hundreds of millions of others around the globe right now.

    As energy costs and food costs go absolutely haywire, we are starting to see widespread civil unrest in various parts of the world.

    For example, check out what is currently going on in Sri Lanka

    The political crisis triggered by months of socialist economic collapse in Sri Lanka continued on Wednesday with violent clashes between protesters and soldiers, resulting in upwards of 80 people hospitalized in one day and the military announcing soldiers were “empowered” to attack civilians if deemed necessary.
    
    The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, governed for the better part of the past two decades primarily by the populous Rajapaksa family, began to run out of food, medicine, oil fuels, natural gas, and nearly every other basic good in March, the result of lavish government spending and the imposition of “green” policies that banned chemical fertilizer use.

    They promised us that the “green revolution” would change everything, and they were right.

    Things are starting to get really crazy in Albania too.

     

    And what we are witnessing in Panama right now is extremely alarming.

     

    All over the globe, energy and food are traded in U.S. dollars.

    When interest rates rise in the U.S., the dollar tends to go up relative to other global currencies, and that makes things much harder for those at the very bottom of the economic food chain.

    Unfortunately, in a desperate attempt to get inflation under control in the U.S., the Federal Reserve has been aggressively raising interest rates.

    And we are now being warned that the Fed could raise rates “by a full percentage point” at the next meeting…

    Investors see a growing probability that the Federal Reserve could hike interest rates by a full percentage point at its next meeting for the first time in the modern era. In June, the Fed raised interest rates by three-quarters of a percentage point, which it hadn’t done since 1994.

    Considering the fact that we are plunging into a recession, it would be absolutely insane for the Fed to do such a thing.

    But they seem quite serious about making another big move.

    In fact, the head of the Atlanta Fed just publicly told us that “everything is in play” at the next Fed gathering…

    Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank President Raphael Bostic said Wednesday that “everything is in play” when asked about the prospect of the central bank raising interest rates by a full percentage point later this month, expressing concern over the morning’s news that inflation hit a fresh 40-year-high in June.
    
    Bostic told reporters he still needed to study the “nuts and bolts” of the latest data, but said he felt “today’s numbers suggest the trajectory is not moving in a positive way.”

    The Fed seems to be obsessed with trying to tame inflation here in the U.S., but in the process they will essentially be exporting a tremendous amount of inflation to the rest of the globe.

    Food and energy will become significantly more expensive all over the planet.

    And since much of the debt that poor countries owe is denominated in dollars, we also run the risk of sparking an unprecedented global debt crisis.

    The total amount of debt in the world has crossed the 300 trillion dollar mark, and if that bubble bursts we will suddenly be facing the sort of historic financial catastrophe that I have been warning about for years.

    Our leaders thought that they could endlessly flood the system with money without ever suffering any serious consequences.

    Russia’s Plan To Cut Off Kazakh Oil Supplies To Europe

    • The European oil market is already incredibly tight and will soon face a supply crunch as its embargo on seaborne Russian oil imports comes into effect.
    • Last week, the EU’s oil supply was squeezed yet again as a Russian court ordered the closure of a Black Sea oil export terminal.
    • The export terminal in question is the largest outlet for Kazakh oil, a non-Russian oil supply that Europe will be eager to secure.

    The European oil market just received another supply shock ahead of the looming EU embargo on seaborne Russian oil imports. A Russian court has ordered the closure of a key Russian Black Sea export route, through which most of Kazakhstan’s crude oil passes to Europe.

    The Russian court ruling further complicates Europe’s efforts to procure non-Russian oil in a tight physical market. It also highlights the fact that Moscow could go to any lengths to stifle oil supply to “unfriendly” countries which are banning imports of its oil, analysts say.

    The move from Russia is a threat to Europe that the Kremlin will continue using oil and gas as a weapon as it looks to destabilize European economies and the EU’s unity in imposing and enforcing sanctions on Moscow for the invasion of Ukraine.

    Targeting Kazakhstan’s oil is “Putin’s new weapon of mass disruption,” Bloomberg oil strategist Julian Lee says. But how did that new disruption in the global oil market happen?

    Last week, a Russian court ordered the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), which operates the key export route for two-thirds of Kazakhstan’s crude oil, to suspend activities for 30 days, citing environmental violations.

    The exports take place from the Russian port of Novorossiysk on the Black Sea, and although it’s in Russia, its exports consist of 90 percent crude from Kazakhstan and just 10 percent of Russian oil.

    The 1,500-km CPC pipeline from the giant Kazakh oilfields to Novorossiysk moves over two-thirds of all Kazakhstan export oil along with crude from Russian fields, including those in the Caspian region, CPC says. The consortium said in response to the court ruling that it “acts within the legal framework of the Russian Federation and is forced to execute the court Ruling.”

    An appeal was heard on Monday, and the court overturned the ruling for a 30-day ban on oil deliveries from Kazakhstan.

    Analysts also say it’s no coincidence that last week’s ruling of the Russian court came days after Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev offered the EU the chance to buy more oil from Kazakhstan instead of Russia.

    The Kazakh president “expressed concern about the risks to global energy security and emphasized Kazakhstan’s readiness to use its hydrocarbon potential to stabilize the situation in the world and European markets,” according to the website of the president, who had a telephone conversation with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, last week.

    On Thursday, after the Russian court ruling suspending CPC, Tokayev said Kazakhstan needed to diversify its oil export routes. The president ordered a study into a project for bypassing Russia by building a pipeline across the Caspian Sea.

    “The Trans-Caspian route is a priority. I instruct KazMunayGas [national oil and gas company] to work out the best option for its implementation, including the possibility of attracting investors to the Tengiz project,” Tokayev said as carried by The Astana Times.

    While Kazakhstan is looking to diversify its crude export routes away from Russia, the European Union is scrambling for non-Russian oil supply as its embargo on Russian seaborne oil and product imports will enter into force at the end of the year.

    Per tanker-tracking data that Bloomberg has compiled, crude exports from major suppliers to Europe, including the North Sea, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, West Africa, and Libya, declined by over 1 million bpd in June compared to May. With Libya’s oil supply expected to further decline amid protests and political bickering over who should control and distribute its vital oil revenues, a loss of another 1 million bpd supply from Kazakhstan due to the Russian court order is another blow to European and global oil supply.

    By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com


    The Japanese Invasion of Korea is the one I am thinking of now, largely because it shows the crucial importance of supplies and proper logistics.

    In the late 1500s, Japan was engulfed in a period of Civil War known as the Sengoku Jedai. This is the famous period of Samurai fighting Samurai that people envision when they think of feudal Japan.

    The wars ended when a man named Toyotomi Hideyoshi united Japan (for the most part) under his rule.

    Hideyoshi had a problem though. Years of war left Japan a militarized island waiting to burst. So Hideyoshi decided to invade China to keep the massive Samurai armies distracted. In order to invade China Japan needed to conquer Korea.

    Conquering Korea wasn’t seen as a big deal. Korea at this time was a very weak State. The limited Korean military just defended the border from raiders and that was about it. Japan meanwhile was bursting with warriors, skilled Generals, and professional armies.

    Japan invades Korea and the Korean Army is crushed. Korean forces never stand a chance and are pushed back to the Chinese border. However, Japan didn’t yet win.

    On the seas, a Korean Admiral named Yi Sun-Shin had taken a handful of Korean ships and laid waste to Japanese supply lines. Entire Japanese war fleets had been sunk and eventually, Japanese supply lines were shattered completely.

    It’s hard to overstate Admiral Yi’s success. He was always outnumbered and outgunned and yet he won dozens of insanely one-sided victories. For instance, he once faced down 200+ Japanese warships with only 13 ships. Not only did he win, he didn’t lose a single ship.

    The entire Japanese invasion had to be halted while Yi was dealt with. Japan threw more and more fleets at him and yet never defeated him.

    Finally after years of their invasion being stalled China entered the fray. They began to push Japanese forces back and support Yi with their own fleet. Yi would smash the Japanese in 1 final battle, forcing them to surrender their campaign and retreat in disgrace.

    Yi would die in this final battle- his final words to his son were “We are at the height of battle. Don’t let anybody know about my death!”. A warrior until the end.

    Now Japan had EVERY advantage going into this war

    1. Their armies were larger
    2. Their armies were infinitely more experienced
    3. Their armies had more advanced weapons
    4. Their economy and society were built around warfare
    5. Their economy was drastically larger
    6. They had way more manpower to draw upon
    7. Their government was more stable

    Korea shouldn’t have even been able to put up a fight and yet they ended up winning- all because of supply and logistics.

    Sound familiar?

    Russia and China haven’t even started to ratchet up the pain dial

    by Pepe Escobar and posted with the author’s permission

    The Suicide Spectacular Summer Show, currently on screen across Europe, proceeds in full regalia, much to the astonishment of virtually the whole Global South: a trashy, woke Gotterdammerung remake, with Wagnerian grandeur replaced by twerking.

    Decadent Roman Emperors at least exhibited some degree of pathos.

    Here we’re just faced by a toxic mix of hubris, abhorrent mediocrity, delusion, crude ideological sheep-think and outright irrationality wallowing in white man’s burden racist/supremacist slush – all symptoms of a profound sickness of the soul.

    To call it the Biden-Leyen-Blinken West or so would be too reductionist: after all these are puny politico/functionaries merely parroting orders.

    This is a historical process: physical, psychic and moral cognitive degeneration embedded in NATOstan’s manifest desperation in trying to contain Eurasia, allowing occasional tragicomic sketches such as a NATO summit proclaiming Woke War against virtually the whole non-West.

    So when President Putin addresses the collective West in front of Duma leaders and heads of political parties, it does feel like a comet striking an inert planet. It’s not even a case of “lost in translation”. “They” simply aren’t equipped to get it.

    The “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet” part was at least formulated to be understood even by simpletons:

    “Today we hear that they want to defeat us on the battlefield, well, what can I say, let them try. We have heard many times that the West wants to fight us to the last Ukrainian – this is a tragedy for the Ukrainian people. But it looks like it’s all coming to this. But everyone should know that, by and large, we haven’t really started anything yet.”

    Fact.

    On Operation Z, Russia is using a fraction of its military potential, resources and state of the art weapons.

    Then we come to the most probable path ahead in the war theater:

    “We do not refuse peace negotiations, but those who refuse should know that the longer it drags, the more difficult it will be for them to negotiate with us.”

    As in the pain dial will be ratcheted up, slowly but surely, on all fronts.

    Yet the meat of the matter had been delivered earlier in the speech: “ratcheting up the pain dial” applies in fact to dismantling the whole “rules-based international order” edifice. The geopolitical world has changed.

    Forever.

    Here’s the arguably key passage:

    “They should have understood that they have already lost from the very beginning of our special military operation, because its beginning means the beginning of a radical breakdown of the World Order in the American way. 
    
    This is the beginning of the transition from liberal-globalist American egocentrism to a truly multipolar world – a world based not on selfish rules invented by someone for themselves, behind which there is nothing but the desire for hegemony, not on hypocritical double-standards, but on international law, on the true sovereignty of peoples and civilizations, on their will to live their historical destiny, their values and traditions and build cooperation on the basis of democracy, justice and equality. 
    
    And we must understand that this process can no longer be stopped.”

    Meet the trifecta

    A case can be made that Putin and Russia’s Security Council are implementing a tactical trifecta that has reduced the collective West to an amorphous bunch of bio headless chickens.

    The trifecta mixes the promise of negotiations – but only when considering Russia’s steady advances on the ground in Novorossiya; the fact that Russia’s global “isolation” has been proved in practice to be nonsense; and tweaking the most visible pain dial of them all: Europe’s dependence on Russian energy.

    The main reason for the graphic, thundering failure of the G20 Foreign Ministers summit in Bali is that the G7 – or NATOstan plus (American colony) Japan – could not force the BRICS plus major Global South players to isolate, sanction and/or demonize Russia.

    On the contrary: multiple interpolations outside of the G20 spell out even more Eurasia-wide integration.

    Here are a few examples.

    The first transit of Russian products to India via the International North-South Transportation Corridor (INSTC) is now in effect, crisscrossing Eurasia from Mumbai to the Baltic via Iranian ports (Chabahar or Bandar Abbas), the Caspian Sea, and Southern and Central Russia. Crucially, the route is shorter and cheaper than going through the Suez Canal.

    In parallel, the head of the Iranian Central Bank, Ali Salehabadi, confirmed that a memorandum of interbank cooperation was signed between Tehran and Moscow.

    That means a viable alternative to SWIFT, and a direct consequence of Iran’s application to become a full BRICS member, announced at the recent summit in Beijing.

    The BRICS, since 2014, when the New Development Bank (NDB) was founded, have been busy building their own financial infrastructure, including the near future creation of a single reserve currency. As part of the process, the harmonization of Russian and Iranian banking systems is inevitable.

    Iran is also about to become a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) at the upcoming summit in Samarkand in September.

    In parallel, Russia and Kazakhstan are solidifying their strategic partnership: Kazakhstan is a key member of BRI, EAEU and SCO.

    India gets even closer to Russia across the whole spectrum of trade – including energy.

    And next Tuesday, Tehran will be the stage for a crucial face-to-face meeting between Putin and Erdogan.

    Isolation? Really?

    On the energy front, it’s only summer, but demented paranoia is already raging across multiple EU latitudes, especially Germany. Comic relief is provided by the fact that Gazprom can always point out to Berlin that eventual supplying problems on Nord Stream 1 – after the cliffhanger return of that notorious repaired turbine from Canada – can always be solved by implementing Nord Stream 2.

    As the whole European Suicide Spectacular Summer Show is nothing but a tawdry self-inflicted torture ordered by His Master’s Voice, the only serious question is which pain dial level will force Berlin to actually sit down and negotiate on behalf of legitimate German industrial and social interests.

    Rough and tumble will be the norm.

    Foreign Minister Lavrov summed it all up when commenting on the Declining Collective West Ministers striking poses like infantile brats in Bali to avoid being seen with him: that was up to “their understanding of the protocols and politeness.”

    That’s diplo-talk for “bunch of jerks”. Or worse: cultural barbarians, as they were even unable to respect the hyper-polite Indonesian hosts, who abhor confrontation.

    Lavrov preferred to extol the “joint strategic and constructive” Russian-Chinese work when faced with a very aggressive West. And that brings us to the prime masterpiece of shadowplay in Bali – complete with several layers of geopolitical fog.

    Chinese media, always flirting with the opaque, tried to put its bravest face ever depicting the over 5-hour meeting between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Secretary Blinken as “constructive”.

    What’s fascinating here is that the Chinese ended up letting something crucial out of the bag to slip into the final draft of their report – obviously approved by the powers that be.

    Lu Xiang of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences went through previous readouts – especially of “Yoda” Yang Jiechi routinely turning Jake Sullivan into roasted duck – and stressed that this time Wang’s “warnings” to the Americans were “the sternest one in wording”.

    That’s diplo-code for “You Better Watch Out”: Wang telling Little Blinkie, “just look at what the Russians did when they lost their patience with your antics.”

    The expression ”dead end” was recurrent during the Wang-Blinken meeting. So in the end the Global Times had to tell it like it really is:  “The two sides are close to a showdown.”

    “Showdown” is what End of Days fanatic and Tony Soprano wannabe Mike Pompeo is fervently preaching from his hate pulpit, while the combo behind the senile “leader of the free world” who literally reads teleprompters actively work for the crashing of the EU – in more ways than one.

    The combo in power in Washington actually “supports” the unification of Britain, Poland, Ukraine and The Three Baltic Midgets as a separate alliance from NATO/EU – aiming at “strengthening the defense potential.” That’s the official position of US Ambassador to NATO Julian Smith.

    So the real imperial aim is to split the already shattering EU into mini-union pieces, all of them quite fragile and evidently more “manageable”, as Brussels Eurocrats, blinded by boundless mediocrity, obviously can’t see it coming.

    What the Global South is buying

    Putin always makes it very clear that the decision to launch Operation Z – as a sort of pre-emptive “combined arms and police operation”, as defined by Andrei Martyanov – was carefully calculated, considering an array of material and socio-psychological vectors.

    Anglo-American strategy, for its part, lasers on a single obsession: damn any possible reframing of the current “rules-based international order”. No holds are barred to ensure the perpetuity of this order. This is in fact Totalen Krieg – featuring several hybrid layers, and quite worrying, with only a few seconds to midnight.

    And there’s the rub. Desolation Row is fast becoming Desperation Row, as the whole Russophobic matrix is shown to be naked, devoid of any extra ideological – and even financial – firepower to “win”, apart from shipping a collection of HIMARS to a black hole.

    Geopolitically and geoeconomically, Russia and China are in the process of eating NATOstan alive – in more ways than one. Here, for instance, is a synthetic road map of how Beijing will address the next stage of high-quality development via capital-driven industrial upgrading, focused on optimization of supply chains, import substitution of hard technologies, and “invisible champions” of industry.

    If the collective West is blinded by Russophobia, the governing success of the Chinese Communist Party – which in a matter of a few decades improved the lives of more people than anyone, anytime in History – drives it completely nuts.

    All along the Russia-China watchtower, it’s been not such a long time coming. BRI was launched by Xi Jinping in 2013. After Maidan in 2014, Putin launched the Eurasia Economic Union (EAEU) in 2015. Crucially, in May 2015, a Russia-China joint statement sealed the cooperation between BRI and EAEU, with a significant role assigned to the SCO.

    Closer integration advanced via the St. Petersburg forum in 2016 and the BRI forum in 2017. The overall target: to create a new order in Asia, and across Eurasia, according to international law while maintaining the individual development strategies of each concerned country and respecting their national sovereignty.

    That, in essence, is what most of the Global South is buying. It’s as if there’s a cross-border instinctual understanding that Russia-China, against serious odds and facing serious challenges, proceeding by trial and error, are at the vanguard of the Shock of the New, while the collective West, naked, dazed and confused, their masses completely zombified, is sucked into the maelstrom of psychological, moral and material disintegration.

    No question the pain dial will be ratcheted up, in more ways than one.

    “Blow Up to Be the Size You Want!” – Vintage Inflatable Bra Ads From the 1950s and 1960s

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    What was a woman to do if she wanted to boost her cleavage in the days before Wonderbra was on the market and the more drastic measure of plastic surgery wasn’t so readily available? The answer is by wearing an inflatable bra that the wearer could blow up to the size they desired themselves.

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    The “Trés Secret” inflatable bra went on sale in the early 1950s. Each cup contained a small plastic pouch that could be inflated by the wearer with an accompanying mouthpiece. Its makers promised the bra could give any woman “a boost to bosom beauty” with their advert adding, “Do it yourself. Make the most of you. Blow up! To be the size you want.”

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    Shopping Mall Signs Warn of Nuclear War Emergencies

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    The Menlo Park Mall in Edison, New Jersey is just one of many large shopping malls in upscale areas publicly warning people about what to do if a Nuclear Bomb Hits!  They have been told by government to begin warning people . . . because Nuclear War with Russia is not only a possibility, it has become a likelihood.

    The horrifying reality that would be a nuclear blast is becoming so likely now over the Russia-Ukraine/NATO troubles in eastern Europe that governments and now private sector industries are warning people about what to do when a nuclear bomb goes off!

    Below is a full image of warning signs now installed at the Menlo Park Mall in Edison, New Jersey:

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    These signs, and a new Public Service Announcement (PSA) from the New York City Office of Emergency Management which came out earlier this week (Story Here) are all instructing people that if a nuclear bomb goes off, GET INSIDE.

    The reason this effort is underway is that government knows it has caused such terrible troubles with Russia, over the Ukraine situation, that it is now LIKELY we are going to be attacked by Russia with nuclear bombs.

    MISINFORMATION

    While the first trouble is, of course, that this is a problem of our government’s own making, the second major problem is that the advice is utterly stupid.

    they tell people to get inside.   Good advice . . . if there’s anything left standing to actually get inside of!

    Russia uses the YARS intercontinental ballistic missile to launch nuclear attacks.   Those missile are equipped with an eight-hundred kiloton (800kt) warhead.

    The blast map below is a scientific model from Nuclear Secrecy.org showing the actual scientifically-modeled blast effects of a single, 800kt nuclear bomb air bursting over New York City.

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    The inner smaller yellow area in the center show the initial blast area, all of which is vaporized.  Absolutely nothing will be left.   No people, no buildings, no vehicles.   Nothing.

    The next area is a grayish circular area.  Everything in this area will be physically knocked down and on fire.  Not even the strongest concrete and steel buildings will remain standing.  And everything — all of it — will be on fire.

    The next circular area toward the outer edges of the blast circle, will be THERMAL DAMAGE.   Things in this area may be severely damaged or knocked down but SOME structures might remain standing as they erupt in flames.  As for people in this area, anyone who was outside, and who sees the bright, white, flash, will have third-degree burns all over their body.

    The final light gray area is where there will be light blast damage.  Most structures will remain standing but windows are likely broken.  People in this area will be injured from flying blast debris.

    The signs then advise people  “If you were outside when the blast hit, take off all clothes, shower and shampoo to wash the radiation off immediately.”

    Trouble is THERE WON’T BE ANY RUNNING WATER.   The water mains will be ruptured from the blast and the electric that powers the water pumps will all be off for miles.

    But wait, there’s more . . .  idiocy . . . . the signs tell people “stay tuned to local media and don’t go outside until authorities tell you it’s safe.”  THERE WON’T BE ANY LOCAL MEDIA.  It will all be blown up.  All the TV and radio transmitters will be wiped out!

    THERE WON’T BE ANY CELL PHONE SERVICE. The towers will all be knocked down, the transmitters fried by electro-magnetic pulse, and the electric will all be out.  THERE WON’T BE ANY INTERNET SERVICE. All the Internet lines will be blown up and the wireless all offline from EMP or no electricity!!!

    Yet even though the advice is utterly useless, the signs have gone up anyway.

    Government doesn’t do things like this for no reason.  They are putting out these PSA’s and asking large retailers to put these signs up because government KNOWS what’s coming.  After all, it is government that is causing it all.

    Unless Americans mobilize right now, and tell federal officials we will not tolerate them starting a nuclear war with Russia over Ukraine, we’re all dead.

    You, me, our wives, husbands, kids, extended families . . . . will all be dead.

    Pick up your phones and start swarming members of Congress and the Senate, telling them we refuse to allow them to start a nuclear war with their economic sanctions.

    There is very little time left to act.   It may already be too late.

    But we have to put forth the effort or all of us will be killed.

    The Battle of Saragarhi.

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    The Battle of Saragarhi.

    In the 1890s, the British were trying to conquer Afghanistan and it was becoming a severe challenge. As the Russians and Americans would learn, Afghanistan is not a place easily conquered.

    A revolt breaks out towards the end of 1897 and Afgan tribesmen rally in the tens of thousands to the rebel banner. They begin to march towards British forts to push them out of their home.

    Soon a rebel army arrives at a series of British forts and the fight begins.

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    It’s the morning of September 12, 1897, and the British see an army on the horizon.

    The British forces are locked away in Fort Lockhart and from there they see a massive army on the horizon—numbering some 10,000-12,000. The British are dangerously outnumbered and they prepare for a siege.

    A signaling outpost some miles away, called Saragarhi, is manned by 21 Sikh warriors. The Sikhs are informed that an army numbering 10,000 is quickly approaching. The Sikhs request help, but the British inform them that they cannot assist, as they cannot leave the fort unguarded.

    The Sikhs could run or surrender—the Afgan tribesmen would show them mercy. But the leader of these brave men, Ishar Singh, tells his men they will stay and fight.

    The board up the gate, get ammunition stockpiled, and prepare to defend their small compound from an overwhelming force.

    The Afgan army approaches and the fighting begins.


    The Afghans send a massive charge to overwhelm the fort but disciplined and accurate rifle fire from the Sikh warriors is enough to break the charge and send the Afgan warriors running.

    A second charge appears. This time the Afghans come in even greater numbers. The Sikh fire is unable to break the enemy lines and before too long, the Afgan tribesmen are climbing over the walls. A tough melee fight ensues with rifle butts, swords, and bayonets.

    Again though the Sikhs hold, killing hundreds. They turn back the massive force and maintain control of the fort.

    By this point, the Afgan forces have taken significant losses, considering this is a lightly manned signaling post. But several Sikhs have died as well.

    Bhagwan Singh is the first to be killed in the fighting and his body is taken to the courtyard. Another warrior named Lal Singh is wounded and out of the fight.

    One thing to note—this is all known not only from secondhand accounts but also the signalman, Gurmukh Singh. While all of this was happening he continued to send reports to the British at Fort Lockhart.

    Now the Sikhs are down to 18 fighters the battle continues.


    The Afgan army offers terms of surrender. They offer wealth, safety, power, and whatever else the Sikhs could want if they will just lay down their arms. The Sikhs boldly refuse.

    The Afghans light fires to the hillside clouding everything in smoke. The signalman soon gets word that a formation of Afgan warriors is approaching the fort from the side, hidden by the smoke.

    It’s too late—the Afgan warriors are in the compound.

    Ishar Singh along with a few of his men charge the Afghans and another round of brutal hand-to-hand fighting breaks out inside the compound. The Sikhs are relentless and skilled, killing hundreds of attackers and holding their own despite being overwhelmed.

    The Afghan warriors keep coming, though, and the Sikhs are being worn down. Pretty soon the outer walls crumble and the Afghans capture that portion of the compound.

    Ishar Singh knows things are desperate. He orders his men back to the inner compound to mount a defense. He knows that if they turn their backs and run they will be cut down.

    In a moment of utter bravery, Ishar Singh orders his men back and then single-handedly charges the approaching Afghan army. He cuts down warrior after warrior with his sword and pistol, cutting through the ranks of the surprised Afgan army.

    After a few seconds, Ishar Singh is overwhelmed and killed—but he has bought his men the time they needed to fall back.


    The Sikhs are now defending their fallback point, but the situation is hopeless. The Afghans start chopping at the wooden gate with axes and swords. Before too long they break through and thousands of them come pouring into what remains of the compound.

    The Sikhs continue to fight bravely but hopelessly.

    At this point, the signalman Gurmukh Singh signals the British to ask permission to abandon his post and take up his rifle. The order is approved and he calmly puts away his signal gear, takes up his rifle, and fixes the bayonet.

    By now, he is the last living Sikh in the compound. The British look on as he moves to defend the door to the small building he was stationed in.

    The door breaks and enemy charges in. The British watch in awe as Gurmukh Singh cuts down one, then two, then three, and then finally eighteen Afghan warriors. The men retreat and Gurmukh Singh continues to hold the building.

    More charge in and he kills another twenty Afghans as the British cheer him on, watching his final battle from the fort using telescopes.

    Alone and cut off, Gurmukh Singh killed 40 ENEMY WARRIORS in only a few minutes. What a total and complete you-know-what.

    The Afghans are terrified by this. Unwilling to try and take the building again they set it on fire.

    As the building burns, Gurmukh Singh shouts his battle cry over and over again.

    “Bole so Nihal sat sri akal”

    “Bole so Nihal sat sri akal”

    “Bole so Nihal sat sri akal”

    Shout aloud in ecstasy, true is the great timeless one.


    The battle was over—the compound was taken and the Sikhs had lost.

    Yet like Thermopylae and other hopeless battles, the deeds of these heroic and ferocious warriors live on in history as one of the great moments of bravery and valor.

    The 21 Sikhs had sold their lives at a high cost. While all 21 died, they took 1,400 enemy soldiers with them while injuring thousands more. Estimates from most sources list 600-1400 fatalities, with many more wounded. Either way, these 21 men took a heavy toll on their enemy.

    Every Sikh there that day killed 28-50 enemies. This is an insane feat and only shows how skilled and dedicated these men were.

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    Marinated Tomatoes

    Use up all those extra tomatoes with this easy make-ahead recipe – simply shake ingredients in a jar and pour over the fruit to marinate.

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    Ingredients

    • 3 large or 5 medium fresh tomatoes, thickly sliced
    • 1/3 cup olive oil
    • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon salt, optional
    • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
    • 1/2 garlic clove, minced
    • 2 tablespoons chopped onion
    • 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
    • 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil

    Directions

    1. Arrange tomatoes in a large shallow dish. Combine remaining ingredients in a jar; cover tightly and shake well. Pour over tomato slices. Cover and refrigerate for several hours.

    Some things I learned when I became old enough to get Social Security Insurance…

    1. If you think you’re fat, you probably are.

    2. Best friends see each other 3 times a year and may have no pictures together.

    3. If you text, call, and still get ignored, just walk away.

    4. Your hair was put on your head to remind you that you can’t control everything.

    5. No one talks about how lonely healing can feel.

    6. Don’t let your loneliness make you reconnect with wrong person. Meet better people here.

    7. True relationship comes when the silence between you two is comfortable.

    8. Go where your energy is reciprocated, celebrated, and appreciated.

    9. You still haven’t met all of the people who are going to love you.

    10. If today is not your day, remember there’re 365 days a year.

    Sea Monkeys, X-Ray Specs, and the Twisted Secret Behind Vintage Ads from American Comic Books

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    American comics first came to Glasgow as ships’ ballast. In the sixties it seemed every other corner shop had a stash of these glossy-covered comics displayed on carousels or placed beside their tamer British counterparts like Beano, Topper, or Dandy. With comics like Thor, Hulk, Superman and co. it was difficult to keep collecting consecutive numbers as it was pot luck as to what arrived in the shop every month.

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    The clues were in the comic-book adverts for X-Ray specks, with which you could see the bones beneath your skin, or what was hidden under a layer of clothing; Sea Monkeys you could train who would entertain for hours; a mini-Polaris Nuclear Submarine with which to patrol local waterways; Aurora movie monster kits; and reinvent yourself like Charles Atlas or Arnold Schwarzenegger so no-one would kick sand in your face.

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    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

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    Coming clean while the world is covered in filth

    A wise man from China observed that in the US you can change the party but you cannot change state policy.
    
    In China you cannot change the party but you can change state policy.
    
    The Chinese government is much more sensitive to the will of the people. In the west the people are ignored apart from those brief periods called elections where they are all lied to.
    
    -Sushi | Jul 12 2022 16:18 utc | 30

    Coming clean while the world is covered in filth. Yes. The American led world order is over. The Western societies are now collapsed, the governments are running around and acting completely crazy, and yes. Here we are. Brace for impact.

    The American led world order is over.

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    The American led world order is over.

    Make sure that you have a wood stove. Have wood. Solar panels. Try canning and make sure that you have a water filter, and a fully stocked larder.

    Now, just move forward and enjoy this post.

    The Superb Provocative Digital Art By Doping-Pong

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    Based in Saint-Petersburg, Russia, Doping-Pong is a digital art-project started in 1997 by Dima Mishenin, Lova and Anna Maugli. Doping Pong are the pioneers of digital art in Russia.

    The digital art world of Doping Pong is incredibly diverse. It is closely linked to contemporary visual culture and pop aesthetics. In the 90ties, te first digital works of Doping Pong were featured in popular youth magazines “Ptyuch” and “Om”. The late works of Doping-Pong are inspired by a realistic tradition, in which there is a place for both heroism in the spirit of socialist realism and everyday, idyllic romance of the late 60s.

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    The American led world order is over.

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    The American led world order is over.

    Calm Before the Tempest?

    Let’s start by stipulating the obvious: no one knows the future, and most of the guesses–oops, I mean forecasts–will be wrong. Arguing about the forecasts now won’t make any difference as to which ones are correct and which ones are wrong. Time alone will tell.

    That said, here’s a scenario that fits the dynamics I see as most consequential: Core-Periphery and the demise of the waste is growth / financialization / globalization model as the reigning model of how the global economy should work.

    Core-periphery dynamics are pretty simple: unraveling starts on the periphery and seeps toward the core. The core actually strengthens in the process as capital and talent seek havens where they’re treated well, and the core became the core by treating capital and talent well.

    The periphery responds to the unraveling of financialization / globalization by tightening its grip on whatever capital and talent is still available, incentivizing the flight of capital and talent to the core.

    A great many people think there are many core economies. In my analysis, there is only one, due to the qualifying requirements: 1) issues a reserve currency, i.e. not pegged to another currency 2) liquid global markets for securities, debt, commodities, etc., i.e. anyone anywhere can trade in size in the core markets 3) transparent market and governance mechanisms, i.e. no overnight devaluations, expropriations, capital restrictions, etc. 4) diverse economy not dependent on exports or imports for its well-being and 5) ease of flow: capital, talent, enterprises and employees all have essentially unlimited freedom of movement within the core.

    We can argue about which nations qualify as core but it won’t change the outcome. Capital and talent will make their own decisions about risk, safety, exposure to devaluation and expropriation and where the odds of being treated fairly are highest. It’s a good exercise to put yourself in the shoes of a manager of a $10 billion fund and go through the decision tree of where to put this $10 billion to preserve its purchasing power first and foremost, and secondarily generate a return.

    Would you really gamble $10 billion on a 15% return on the bonds of Timbukthree, whose currency has fallen 20% against the U.S. dollar this year? Or Timbukfour, which is dependent on exports of commodities in a shrinking global economy? Or Timbukfive, which is dependent on imports of commodities and exports of consumer goods in a shrinking global economy?? If you answer “yes,” you’re not actually playing like you are responsible for $10 billion.

    As the periphery unravels financially, it also unravels politically and socially. Bordering states are at risk of destabilizing, and any entity with large exposure to the unraveling debt or markets starts unraveling, too. The destabilization spreads to second-tier nations whose exposure to the dynamics of unraveling are structural.

    As all these dominoes fall, eventually those closest to the core also crumble, and then core itself is finally destabilized.

    Humans have an interesting talent for adjusting to new circumstances, i.e. habituating to new conditions. Those households consuming 14,000 gallons of fresh water a month may well scream that they can’t possibly get by on 12,000 gallons, but then if circumstances change and all the water we have is what we can carry in buckets a kilometer over rough terrain, we find that we can live on the few gallons we can carry a kilometer.

    The amount of waste in developed economies is beyond easy measure. It’s estimated 40% of all food in the U.S. is wasted. Energy, food and fresh water have been treated as if low cost and abundance were birthrights rather than brief explosions of excess. While we’re screaming about energy costs, empty buildings are brightly lit, water taps are left running and one individual per idling vehicle in a traffic jam frets about rising costs.

    When the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake closed the Bay Bridge across San Francisco Bay, the main artery between San Francisco and the East Bay, economic doom was predictably predicted. Yet people quickly managed via extra BART (subway) trains that rain beneath the Bay and carpools with four people per vehicle rather than one occupant.

    Is it possible that all the predictable predictions of economic doom are somewhat exaggerated by the thrill of sensationalism and projections of past trends, as if people can’t possibly make consequential adjustments to their behaviors and consumption?

    Systems have constraints, and so there are limits on what adjustments can be made without altering the structure, but in many cases, we’re far from reaching limits on basic conservation work-arounds.

    Is it possible that things will prove less dire than currently expected? It seems little credence is being given to the potential to adjust to new conditions.

    Is it beyond conception that the core actually strengthens for a length of time before the unraveling reaches it? In my crystal ball, it seems not just possible but likely. This will be the calm before The Tempest, when the unraveling reaches the core and structural changes are finally required.

    New York City Begins Preparing Population for NUCLEAR ATTACK

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    The New York City Office of Emergency Management has issued a video TRAINING NEW YORKERS FOR WHAT TO DO WHEN A NUCLEAR BOMB HITS.

    The ninety second video was released this morning, July 11, 2022, appears below.  It is widely believed they have put out this video because THEY KNOW what’s coming . . . . because it is the government that intends to cause it.

    They are pushing Russia so far with economic sanctions over Ukraine, that the Russians will have no choice but to launch a full nuclear attack because what we are doing is now an existential threat to Russia.

    Rather than stop what we’re doing, they intend to keep pushing and THEY KNOW what the result will be.

    Here’s the video:

     

    IDIOCY

    In the video, they tell New Yorkers to get inside.   Good advice . . . if there’s anything left standing to actually get inside of!

    Then, in the height of utter stupidity, they tell New Yorkers “If you were outside when the blast hit, take off all clothes, shower and shampoo to wash the radiation off immediately.”   THERE WON’T BE ANY RUNNING WATER.   The water mains will all be ruptured from the blast and the electric that powers the water pumps will all be off for miles.

    But wait, there’s more . . .  idiocy . . . . they tell New Yorkers “stay tuned to local media and don’t go outside until authorities tell you it’s safe.”  THERE WON’T BE ANY LOCAL MEDIA.  It will all be blown up.  All the TV and radio transmitters will be wiped out!

    As if to add insult to injury, they tell New Yorkers “Sign up to NYC-alerts”  (with your cell phone). . . THERE WON’T BE ANY CELL PHONE SERVICE. The towers will all be knocked down, the transmitters fried by electro-magnetic pulse, and the electric will all be out.  THERE WON’T BE ANY INTERNET SERVICE. All the Internet lines will be blown up and the wireless all offline from EMP or no electricity!!!

    THEY KNOW WHAT’S COMING

    Government does not do things like this for no reason.   In this case, THEY KNOW what’s coming because it is government that is causing it.

    They’ve been planning a “take-down” of Russia, for decades.  They expanded NATO when they promised Russia they would not move “one inch eastward” upon the re-unification of East and West Germany.  They broke that promise in stages, moving little by little closer to Russia’s borders.

    When they got to Ukraine, they wooed then-President Viktor Yanukovich with promises of riches and wealth for Ukraine if they departed from Russia’s sphere of influence, and joined Europe and the United States sphere of influence.

    Yanukovich thought about it.  He consulted with his government officials.  He spoke to businesses in Ukraine.  He spoke with many average Ukrainians.  In 2013, Yanukovich told Europe and America “Thanks, but NO THANKS.”  Well, that was an answer that Europe and America just wouldn’t accept.

    So the US and Europe began pouring money into Ukraine to foment and facilitate violent protests; riots in every major city.  Within a year, in 2014, rioters burned government buildings. Snipers were shooting people on both sides to foment more violence.   It got so bad, that Yanukovich had to flee the country and the Ukraine government collapsed.

    Who was right there to finance new political candidates?   Europe and America.  So they were able to install a puppet government favorable to the West.

    When Russia saw this taking place, they were stunned.  This was happening right at their own border.  The west was overthrowing Ukraine’s government because they need Ukraine in NATO.   You see, they want to put American missile defenses on Ukraine territory.   By positioning our missiles there, they would have a flight time of only about five minutes to Moscow.  They would also have a flight time of only 7-8 minutes to Russia’s strategic nuclear missile silos.

    Russia had to act in its own defense.

    They did what our own President, John F. Kennedy did, when Kennedy found out the then-Soviet Union had placed medium range and intermediate range nuclear missiles in Cuba, with a flight time of only 5 minutes to Washington, DC:  Kennedy blockaded  Cuba and began massing troops for an invasion.

    Thankfully, both sides negotiated a peaceful settlement to what became known as the “Cuban Missile Crisis.”   That was in 1962-63.

    Today, the situation is exactly reversed; it is the West trying to put missiles within 5 minutes flight time of Moscow, and Russia said No.

    When Ukraine decided they were actually going to join NATO, and allow those missiles . . . and even began preparing for a NATO naval base on the Black Sea, Russia had enough.

    By November of last year, NATO had trained the Ukraine Army for eight years under the West-installed puppet government.  The Ukrainians had also massed about 80,000 troops on the borders of the eastern states of Luhansk and Donetsk (collectively called “The Donbas”) – and both states directly border Russia.   So Russia knew Ukraine was prepping its military and its land for a confrontation.  Russia thus had to strike first.  Russia entered Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

    Instead of backing off, the West upped-the-ante . . . they imposed crippling economic sanctions upon Russia specifically designed to crush Russia’s economy.   The sanctions backfired and are harming the west more than harming Russia.

    So what is the west doing now . . . . massing troops in NATO countries along Russia’s border.

    Russia has said that if NATO and Russia go to war, NATO has superior conventional forces.  Russia admits that.   But Russia also said “Russia is a nuclear power and Russian nuclear forces are superior to NATO.”  President Vladimir Putin said publicly, “It will be a war that no one will win.”

    The only war that “no one will win” is a nuclear war.

    NOW, the NYC Office of Emergency Management is publicly telling New Yorkers what to do when a nuclear bomb hits.

    WHY?

    Because they know what’s coming . . . . because our own government is the cause of it. That’s why, in the first few seconds of the video above, they actually tell you ‘don’t ask why, or how . . . .”   BECAUSE IF YOU START ASKING WHY, YOU’LL FIGURE OUT THAT IT IS OUR GOVERNMENT THAT IS CAUSING THIS! ! ! ! !

    It is now clear that the US intends to engage in a nuclear war with Russia.  THAT is why NYC OEM is putting out these warnings.

    HAL TURNER EDITORIAL OPINION

    I cannot even begin to describe to you, the heat I have taken over the past few months, for warning my web site visitors and radio audience that nukes are going to fly.

    I was called “crazy” by the public.   My stories were smeared as “click bait.”   My sources were derided as “fear mongers.”  My radio show was attacked as “scaring the public.”

    So now that  the New York City Office of Emergency Management is actually telling New Yorkers what to do when a nuclear bomb hits, I wonder if folks might figure out that I’ve been right all along?

    Skirt Steak

    As delicious as a Bloody Mary is as a drink, it makes an even better marinade. That’s because the mix of sweet and salty from the tomato juice, the heat from the horseradish and Tabasco, and the acid from the lemon work together to both tenderize and energize an otherwise normal piece of beef. This marinade could do magic on chicken and pork as well, but the bold flavors of a Bloody seem to pair best with a hunk of grilled beef. Serve with grilled asparagus and roasted potatoes for a near-perfect meal. It is an easy brunch or simple dinner idea when you want a nice mix of protein, vegetables, and healthy carbs. Plus, it requires very minimal prep work for a big boost in flavor.

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    Skirt Steak

    You’ll Need

    2 cups tomato juice (spicy V8 works best)
    2 Tbsp prepared horseradish
    4 cloves garlic, minced
    Juice of 1 lemon
    1⁄2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
    10–15 shakes Tabasco sauce
    Black pepper to taste
    1 lb skirt or flank steak

    How to Make It

    1. Combine the tomato juice, horseradish, garlic, lemon juice, Worcestershire, Tabasco, and pepper in a baking dish and use a whisk to thoroughly mix.
    2. Add the steak and turn to coat.
    3. Cover with plastic wrap. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to 12.
    4. Preheat a grill.
    5. Pour off the marinade and discard.
    6. Use a paper towel to pat most of the marinade from the steak.
    7. When the grill is very hot, add the steak and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare.
    8. Let the meat rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting into thin slices against the grain of the meat.

    Eat This Tip

    Skirt and flank steak are both thin cuts of beef that offer huge flavor and a pleasantly chewy texture at a relatively cheap price tag. Because they’re thin, you’ll want a very hot grill to ensure you develop a nice char before the interior is overcooked, so keep that in mind when you fire up the grill!

    No, Iran Will Not Deliver Armed Drones To Russia

    In March this year we were treated to an onslaught of obviously false claims that China would deliver weapons to Russia for the fight in Ukraine.

    Russia seeks military equipment and aid from China, U.S. officials sayWashington Post – March 13, 2022

    Russia has turned to China for military equipment and aid in the weeks since it began its invasion of Ukraine, U.S. officials familiar with the matter told The Washington Post.
    
    The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject, did not describe what kind of weaponry had been requested, or whether they know how China responded.
    
    The development comes as White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan plans to travel to Rome on Monday to meet with his Chinese counterpart, Yang Jiechi.
    
    “We are communicating directly, privately to Beijing, that there will absolutely be consequences for large-scale sanctions, evasion efforts or support to Russia to backfill them,” Sullivan told CNN.

    Russia is an exporter of military weapons and China is one of its biggest customers. There is nothing in the Chinese arsenals that Russia can not and does not produce itself.

    The claim was false from the get go but Sullivan, the mediocre National Security Advisor of the Biden regime, planted it to put pressure on China. It of course did not work.

    China denied that it had received any request from Russia or that it was in any way willing to ever fulfill one if it would come:

    No Chinese weapons have been seen in Ukraine.

    Now an equally stupid claim was launched by the very same liar who launched the fake Chinese weapons claim.

    White House: Iran set to deliver armed drones to RussiaAP – Jul 7, 2022

    The White House on Monday said it believes Russia is turning to Iran to provide it with “hundreds” of unmanned aerial vehicles, including weapons-capable drones, for use in its ongoing war in Ukraine.
    
    U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said it was unclear whether Iran had already provided any of the unmanned systems to Russia, but said the U.S. has “information” that indicates Iran is preparing to train Russian forces to use them as soon as this month.
    
    “Our information indicates that the Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred UAVs, including weapons-capable UAVs on an expedited timeline,” he told reporters Monday.

    Russia has for some time build mass production facilities for its own drones.

    A decade ago, the Russian Armed Forces possessed fewer than 200 UAVs, and now this figure stands at over 2000, and each year is replenished by 300. Furthermore, the Russian defence industry is conducting R&D on the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in UAVs, with the ambition of enabling them to perform as unified “swarms of drones” in combat zones. Sources claim that this was already tested in 2020, during the Kavkaz-2020 military exercise.

    Russia has absolutely no need to buy drones from Iran. Besides that it is dubious that Iran would be able to deliver some and certainly not ‘several hundreds’.

    Gregg Carlstrom - @glcarlstrom - 6:18 UTC · Jul 12, 2022
    
    Does Iran even have "hundreds of weapons-capable drones" to export? It has limited production capacity; would be surprising (to say the least) if it could churn out hundreds, let alone hundreds of useful weapons systems rather than worthless tchotchkes.
    Esfandyar Batmanghelidj @yarbatman - 23:14 UTC · Jul 11, 2022
    
    1. @jakejsullivan's claim that Iran is set to send "several hundred" drones to Russia doesn't make sense. Data is spotty, but it's unlikely Iran even has that many operational drones in its own fleet. It also has no experience exporting drones at scale.
    2. The Defense Intelligence Agency's 2019 report on Iranian Military Power does not assess that Iran has the ability to mass produce and export drones. Hard to believe things have changed dramatically in three years.
    3. From the report: "Despite advances in its UAV manufacturing capabilities, Iran remains reliant on Western manufactured engines and components to support its UAV production. Iran is developing a domestic UAV engine but is struggling with quality issues."
    4. @RUSI_org's database seems to suggest that Iran has 50 operational drones in its fleet (cc @Justin_Br0nk). Also most of Iran's drones are rudimentary. These are not Bayraktars and would be of little value.
    Perhaps someone can check the Jane's estimate.
    5. Last year, @bellingcat reviewed satellite images and video footage "showing over 154 drones." But there's widespread agreement among analysts that these displays of air power probably include drones that are not fully armed or operational.
    6. Sullivan's statement is also odd because he says that it is "unclear" whether Iran has already exported any drones. He was weirdly responding to a broader question about Russian capabilities. This export might happen, but I'll believe it when I see it.
    7. The only explanation I can think of is that Sullivan believes Iran’s new drone JV in Tajikistan is primarily intended to supply Russia. But I am doubtful production can ramp up that quickly. Plus can’t the US just lean on Dushanbe if concerned?

    The Washington Post notes the weird timing of Sullivan’s claims thereby hinting that it was made for purely political purposes which have nothing to do with Russia:

    The revelation comes as President Biden prepares to depart for the Middle East, where he is expected to confer with key allies on a unified regional policy toward Iran. Tensions between Washington and Tehran have been further strained in recent weeks, amid faltering nuclear talks and an uptick in rocket and drone attacks on U.S. military installations in the Middle East, conducted by militia groups armed and funded by Iran.

    The whole issues is just a talking point designed to put Iran and Russia into the same ‘baddies’ binder for Biden’s talks in the Middle East. The countries there may not like Iran but they will certainly not allow for a condemnation of Russia. The whole idea is, as many others Sullivan had, stupid to begin with.

    So no, there will not be any Iranian drones going to Russia or fly over Ukraine.

    Posted by b on July 12, 2022 at 9:32 UTC | Permalink

    The Aquarium Tiger Shark that vomited up a human arm…

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    In 1935 in a Sydney aquarium a tiger shark that had just been taken to the aquarium vomited up a human arm, at first it was believed to be that of an unlucky swimmer, but soon the police realized that this case went further.

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    The shark that had vomited up the arm was not the same one that had eaten it. I mean, the tiger shark had eaten a smaller one and that was the one that had eaten the arm in the beginning.

    It turns out that despite the damage to the limb, it was possible to know whose it was, in part because it had quite striking tattoos and because the fingerprints were still in good condition. Along his arm there were cuts produced by a sharp object, a razor or a knife. This indicated to the police that it had not been an accident.

    The arm belonged to an amateur boxer and fellow criminal named James Smith, who had been missing since April 7, 1935.

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    Where COVID came from…

    Suppressed info…

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    Ron Unz has written an EXCELLENT article on this subject. I strongly recommend you read it, if you are so inclined and want secondary confirmation that the USA is the culprit behind the world-wide bio-weapon attack. Article HERE.

    Putin extends fast-track Russian citizenship to all Ukraine

    Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Monday expanding a fast-track procedure to receive Russian citizenship to all Ukrainians, in yet another effort to expand Moscow’s influence in war-torn Ukraine.

    From HERE

    Stunning Illustrations By Michal Lisowski That Will Make You Think How Fragile Our Life Is

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    Gorgeous and distinct illustration and digital paintings by the Polish artist Michal Lisowski based in Warsaw. Michal paints in both traditional and digital ways working already for clients like Ubisoft, Disney or NVIDIA. We are very glad to can present you some of his works and please have a look at his incredible portfolio.

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    Michael Hudson: The End of Western Civilization – Why It Lacks Resilience, and What Will Take Its Place

    Yves here. Below is the text of a new Micael Hudson speech for China’s Global University, which he delivered Monday morning. It’s already gotten 200,000 views in China and is getting coverage in the Chinese press. It focuses on how neoliberalism is a major culprit in the West’s wrong turn. Michael has graciously given us the first English transcript.

    By Michael Hudson, a research professor of Economics at University of Missouri, Kansas City, and a research associate at the Levy Economics Institute of Bard College. His latest book is The Destiny of Civilization. Originally published at his website

    The greatest challenge facing societies has always been how to conduct trade and credit without letting merchants and creditors make money by exploiting their customers and debtors. All antiquity recognized that the drive to acquire money is addictive and indeed tends to be exploitative and hence socially injurious. The moral values of most societies opposed selfishness, above all in the form of avarice and wealth addiction, which the Greeks called philarguria– love of money, silver-mania. Individuals and families indulging in conspicuous consumption tended to be ostracized, because it was recognized that wealth often was obtained at the expense of others, especially the weak.

    The Greek concept of hubrisinvolved egotistic behavior causing injury to others. Avarice and greed were to be punished by the justice goddess Nemesis, who had many Near Eastern antecedents, such as Nanshe of Lagash in Sumer, protecting the weak against the powerful, the debtor against the creditor.

    That protection is what rulers were expected to provide in serving the gods.That is why rulers were imbued with enough power to protect the population from being reduced to debt dependency and clientage. Chieftains, kings and temples were in charge of allocating credit and crop-land to enable smallholders to serve in the army and provide corvée labor. Rulers who behaved selfishly were liable to be unseated, or their subjects might run away, or support rebel leaders or foreign attackers promising to cancel debts and redistribute land more equitably.

    The most basic function of Near Eastern kingship was to proclaim “economic order,” misharumand andurarumclean slate debt cancellations, echoed in Judaism’s Jubilee Year. There was no “democracy” in the sense of citizens electing their leaders and administrators, but “divine kingship” was obliged to achieve the implicit economic aim of democracy: “protecting the weak from the powerful.”

    Royal power was backed by temples and ethical or religious systems. The major religions that emerged in the mid-first millennium BC, those of Buddha, Lao-Tzu and Zoroaster, held that personal drives should be subordinate to the promotion of overall welfare and mutual aid.

    What did notseem likely 2500 years ago was that a warlord aristocracy would conquer the Western world. In creating what became the Roman Empire, an oligarchy took control of the land and, in due course, the political system. It abolished royal or civic authority, shifted the fiscal burden onto the lower classes, and ran the population and industry into debt.

    This was done on a purely opportunistic basis. There was no attempt to defend this ideologically. There was no hint of an archaic Milton Friedman emerging to popularize a radical new moral order celebrating avarice by claiming that greed is what drives economies forward, not backward, convincing society to leave the distribution of land and money to “the market” controlled by private corporations and money-lenders instead of communalistic regulation by palace rulers and temples – or by extension, today’s socialism. Palaces, temples and civic governments were creditors. They were not forced to borrow to function, and so were not subjected to the policy demands of a private creditor class.

    But running the population, industry and even governments into debt to an oligarchic elite is precisely what has occurred in the West, which is now trying to impose the modern variant of this debt-based economic regime – U.S.-centered neoliberal finance capitalism – on the entire world. That is what today’s New Cold War is all about.

    By the traditional morality of early societies, the West – starting in classical Greece and Italy around the 8thcentury BC – was barbarian. The West was indeed on the periphery of the ancient world when Syrian and Phoenician traders brought the idea of interest-bearing debt from the Near East to societies that had no royal tradition of periodic debt cancellations. The absence of a strong palace power and temple administration enabled creditor oligarchies to emerge throughout the Mediterranean world.

    Greece ended up being conquered first by oligarchic Sparta, then by Macedonia and finally by Rome. It is the latter’s avaricious pro-creditor legal system that has shaped subsequent Western civilization. Today, a financialized system of oligarchic control whose roots lead back to Rome is being supported and indeed imposed by U.S. New Cold War diplomacy, military force and economic sanctions on countries seeking to resist it.

    Classical Aantiquity’s Oligarchic Ttakeover

    In order to understand how Western Civilization developed in a way that contained the fatal seeds of its own economic polarization, decline and fall, it is necessary to recognize that when classical Greece and Rome appear in the historical record aDark Age had disrupted economic life from the Near East to the eastern Mediterranean from 1200 to about 750 BC. Climate change apparently caused severe depopulation, ending Greece’s Linear B palace economies, and life reverted to the local level during this period.

    Some families created mafia-like autocracies by monopolizing the land and tying labor to it by various forms of coercive clientage and debt. Above all was the problem of interest-bearing debt that the Near Eastern traders had brought to the Aegean and Mediterranean lands – without the corresponding check of royal debt cancellations.

    Out of thissituation Greek reformer-“tyrants” arose in the 7thand 6thcenturies BC from Sparta to Corinth, Athens and Greek islands. The Cypselid dynasty in Corinth and similar new leaders in other cities are reported to have cancelled the debts that held clients in bondage on the land, redistributed this land to the citizenry, and undertaken public infrastructure spending to build up commerce, opening the way for civic development and the rudiments of democracy. Sparta enacted austere “Lycurgan” reforms against conspicuous consumption and luxury. The poetry of Archilochus on the island of Paros and Solon of Athens denounced the drive for personal wealth as addictive, leading to hubris injuring others – to be punished by the justice goddess Nemesis. The spirit was similar to Babylonian, Judaic and other moral religions.

    Rome had a legendary seven kings (753-509 BC), who are said to have attracted immigrants and prevented an oligarchy from exploiting them. But wealthy families overthrew the last king. There was no religious leader to check their power, as the leading aristocratic families controlled the priesthood. There were no leaders who combined domestic economic reform with a religious school, and there was no Western tradition of debt cancellations such as Jesus would advocate in trying to restore the Jubilee Year to Judaic practice. There were many Stoic philosophers, and religious amphictyonic sites such as Delphi and Delos expressed a religion of personal morality to avoid hubris.

    Rome’s aristocrats created an anti-democratic constitution and Senate, and laws that made debt bondage – and the consequent loss of land – irreversible.Although the “politically correct” ethic was to avoid engaging in commerce and moneylending, this ethic did not prevent an oligarchy from emerging to take over the land and reduce much of the population to bondage. By the 2ndcentury BC Rome conquered the entire Mediterranean region and Asia Minor, and the largest corporations were the publican tax collectors, who are reported to have looted Rome’s provinces.

    There always have been ways for the wealthy to act sanctimoniously in harmony with altruistic ethics eschewing commercial greed while enriching themselves. Western antiquity’s wealthy were able to come to terms with such ethics by avoiding direct lending and trading themselves, assigning this “dirty work” to their slaves or freemen, and by spending the revenue from such activities on conspicuous philanthropy (which became an expected show in Rome’s election campaigns). And after Christianity became the Roman religion in the 4thcentury AD, money was able to buy absolution by suitably generous donations to the Church.

    Rome’s Legacy and the West’s Financial Imperialism

    What distinguishes Western economies from earlier Near Eastern and most Asian societies is the absence of debt relief to restore economy-wide balance. Every Western nation has inherited from Rome the pro-creditor sanctity of debt principles that prioritize the claims of creditors and legitimize the permanent transfer to creditors of the property of defaulting debtors. From ancient Rome to Habsburg Spain, imperial Britain and the United States, Western oligarchies have appropriated the income and land of debtors, while shifting taxes off themselves onto labor and industry. This has caused domestic austerity and led oligarchies to seek prosperity through foreign conquest, to gain from foreigners what is not being produced by domestic economies driven into debt and subject to pro-creditor legal principles transferring land and other property to a rentierclass.

    Spain in the 16thcentury looted vast shiploads of silver and gold from the New World, but this wealth flowed through its hands, dissipated on war instead of being invested in domestic industry. Left with a steeply unequal and polarized economy deeply in debt, the Habsburgs lost their former possession, the Dutch Republic, which thrived as the less oligarchic society and one deriving more power as a creditor than as a debtor.

    Britain followed a similar rise and fall. World War I left it with heavy arms debts owed to its own former colony, the United States. Imposing anti-labor austerity at home in seeking to pay these debts, Britain’s sterling area subsequently became a satellite of the U.S. dollar under the terms of American Lend-Lease in World War II and the 1946 British Loan. The neoliberal policies of Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair sharply increased the cost of living by privatizing and monopolizing public housing and infrastructure, wiping out Britain’s former industrial competitiveness by raising the cost of living and hence wage levels.

    The United States has followed a similar trajectory of imperial overreaching at the cost of its domestic economy. Its overseas military spending from 1950 onwards forced the dollar off gold in 1971. That shift had the unanticipated benefit of ushering in a “dollar standard” that has enabled the U.S. economy and its military diplomacy to get a free ride from the rest of the world, by running up dollar debt to other nation’s central banks without any practical constraint.

    The financial colonization of the post-Soviet Union in the 1990s by the “shock therapy” of privatization giveaways, followed by China’s admission to the World Trade Organization in 2001 – with the expectation that China would, like Yeltsin’s Russia, become a U.S. financial colony – led America’s economy to deindustrialize by shifting employment to Asia. Trying to force submission to U.S. control by inaugurating today’s New Cold War has led Russia, China and other countries to break away from the dollarized trade and investment system, leaving the United States and NATO Europe to suffer austerity and deepening wealth inequality as debt ratios are soaring for individuals, corporations and government bodies.

    It was only a decade ago that Senator John McCain and President Barack Obama characterized Russia as merely a gas station with atom bombs. That could now just as well be said of the United States, basing its world economic power on control of the West’s oil trade, while its main export surpluses are agricultural crops and arms. The combination of financial debt leveraging and privatization has made America a high-cost economy, losing its former industrial leadership, much like Britain did. The United States is now attempting to live mainly off financial gains (interest, profits on foreign investment and central bank credit creation to inflate capital gains) instead of creating wealth through its own labor and industry. Its Western allies seek to do the same. They euphemize this U.S.-dominated system as “globalization,” but it is simply a financial form of colonialism – backed with the usual military threat of force and covert “regime change” to prevent countries from withdrawing from the system.

    This U.S. and NATO-based imperial system seeks to indebt weaker countries and force them to turn control over their policies to the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Obeying the neoliberal anti-labor “advice” of these institutions leads to a debt crisis that forces the debtor country’s foreign-exchange rate to depreciate. The IMF then “rescues” them from insolvency on the “conditionality” that they sell off the public domain and shift taxes off the wealthy (especially foreign investors) onto labor.

    Oligarchy and debt are the defining characteristics of Western economies. America’s foreign military spending and nearly constant wars have left its own Treasury deeply indebted to foreign governments and their central banks. The United States is thus following the same path by which Spain’s imperialism left the Habsburg dynasty in debt to European bankers, and Britain’s participation in two world wars in hope of maintaining its dominant world position left it in debt and ended its former industrial advantage. America’s rising foreign debt has been sustained by its “key currency” privilege of issuing its own dollar-debt under the “dollar standard” without other countries having any reasonable expectation of ever being paid – except in yet more “paper dollars.”

    This monetary affluence has enabled Wall Street’s managerial elite to increase America’s rentieroverhead by financialization and privatization, increasing the cost of living and doing business, much as occurred in Britain under the neoliberal policies of Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair. Industrial companies have responded by shifting their factories to low-wage economies to maximize profits. But as America deindustrializes with rising import dependency on Asia, U.S. diplomacy is pursuing a New Cold War that is driving the world’s most productive economies to decouple from the U.S. economic orbit.

    Rising debt destroys economies when it is not being used to finance new capital investment in means of production. Most Western credit today is created to inflate stock, bond and real estate prices, not to restore industrial ability. As a result of this debt-without-production approach, the U.S. domestic economy has been overwhelmed by debt owed to its own financial oligarchy. Despite America’s economy’s free lunch in the form of the continued run-up of its official debt to foreign central banks – with no visible prospect of either its international or domestic debt being paid – its debt continues to expand and the economy has become even more debt-leveraged. America has polarized with extreme wealth concentrated at the top while most of the economy is driven deeply into debt.

    The Failure of Oligarchic Democracies to Protect the Indebted Population at Large

    What has made the Western economies oligarchic is their failure to protect the citizenry from being driven into dependency on a creditor property-owning class. These economies have retained Rome’s creditor-based laws of debt, most notably the priority of creditor claims over the property of debtors. The creditor One Percent has become a politically powerful oligarchy despite nominal democratic political reforms expanding voting rights. Government regulatory agencies have been captured and taxing power has been made regressive, leaving economic control and planning in the hands of a rentierelite.

    Rome never was a democracy. And in any case, Aristotle recognized democracies as evolving more or less naturally into oligarchies – which claim to be democratic for public-relations purposes while pretending that their increasingly top-heavy concentration of wealth is all for the best. Today’s trickle-down rhetoric depicts banks and financial managers as steering savings in the most efficient way to produce prosperity for the entire economy, not just for themselves.

    President Biden and his State Department neoliberals accuse China and any other country seeking to maintain its economic independence and self-reliance of being “autocratic.” Their rhetorical sleight of hand juxtaposes democracy to autocracy. What they call “autocracy” is a government strong enough to prevent a Western-oriented financial oligarchy from indebting the population to itself – and then prying away its land and other property into its own hands and those of its American and other foreign backers.

    The Orwellian Doublethink of calling oligarchies “democracies” is followed by defining a free market as one that is free for financial rent-seeking. U.S.-backed diplomacy has indebted countries, forcing them to sell control of their public infrastructure and turn their economy’s “commanding heights” into opportunities to extract monopoly rent.

    This autocracy vs. democracy rhetoric is similar to the rhetoric that Greek and Roman oligarchies used when they accused democratic reformers of seeking “tyranny” (in Greece) or “kingship” (in Rome). It was the Greek “tyrants” who overthrow mafia-like autocracies in the 7thand 6thcenturies BC, paving the way for the economic and proto-democratic takeoffs of Sparta, Corinth and Athens. And it was Rome’s kings who built up their city-state by offering self-support land tenure for citizens. That policy attracted immigrants from neighboring Italian city-states whose populations were being forced into debt bondage.

    The problem is that Western democracies have not proved adept at preventing oligarchies from emerging and polarizing the distribution of income and wealth. Ever since Rome, oligarchic “democracies” have not protected their citizens from creditors seeking to appropriate land, its rental yield and the public domain for themselves.

    If we ask just who today is enacting and enforcing policies that seek to check oligarchy in order to protect the livelihood of citizens, the answer is that this is done by socialist states. Only a strong state has the power to check a financial and rent-seeking oligarchy. The Chinese embassy in America demonsrated this in its reply to President Biden’s description of China as an autocracy:

    Clinging to a Cold War mentality and the hegemon’s logic, the US pursues bloc politics, concocts the “democracy versus authoritarianism” narrative … and ramps up bilateral military alliances, in a clear attempt at countering China.

    Guided by a people-centered philosophy, since the day when it was founded … the Party has been working tirelessly for the interest of the people, and has dedicated itself to realizing people’s aspirations for a better life. China has been advancing whole-process people’s democracy, promoting legal safeguard for human rights, and upholding social equity and justice. The Chinese people now enjoy fuller and more extensive and comprehensive democratic rights.[1]

    Nearly all early non-Western societies had protections against the emergence of mercantile and rentieroligarchies. That is why it is so important to recognize that what has become Western civilization represents a break from the Near East, South and East Asia. Each of these regions had its own system of public administration to save its social balance from commercial and monetary wealth that threatened to destroy economic balance if left unchecked. But the West’s economic character was shaped by rentieroligarchies. Rome’s Republic enriched its oligarchy by stripping the wealth of the regions it conquered, leaving them impoverished. That remains the extractive strategy of subsequent European colonialism and, most recently, U.S.-centered neoliberal globalization. The aim always has been to “free” oligarchies from constraints on their self-seeking.

    The great question is, “freedom” and “liberty” for whom? Classical political economy defined a free market as one free fromunearned income, headed by land rent and other natural-resource rent, monopoly rent, financial interest and related creditor privileges. But by the end of the 19thcentury the rentieroligarchy sponsored a fiscal and ideological counter-revolution, re-defining a free market as one free for rentiers to extract economic rent – unearned income.

    This rejection of the classical critique of rentierincome has been accompanied by re-defining “democracy” to require having a “free market” of the anti-classical oligarchic rentiervariety. Instead of the government being the economic regulator in the public interest, public regulation of credit and monopolies is dismantled. That lets companies charge whatever they want for the credit they supply and the products they sell. Privatizing the privilege of creating credit-money lets the financial sector take over the role of allocating property ownership.

    The result has been to centralize economic planning in Wall Street, the City of London, the Paris Bourse and other imperial financial centers. That is what today’s New Cold War is all about: protecting this system of U.S.-centered neoliberal financial capitalism, by wrecking or isolating the alternative systems of China, Russia and their allies, while seeking to further financialize the former colonialist system sponsoring creditor power instead of protecting debtors, imposing debt-ridden austerity instead of growth, and making the loss of property through foreclosure or forced sale irreversible.

    Is Western Civilization a Long Detour from Where Antiquity Seemed To Be Headed?

    What is so important in Rome’s economic polarization that resulted from the dynamics of interest bearing debt in the rapacious hands of its creditor class is how radically its oligarchic pro-creditor legal system differed from the laws of earlier societies that checked creditors and the proliferation of debt. The rise of a creditor oligarchy that used its wealth to monopolize the land and take over the government and courts (not hesitating to use force and targeted political assassination against would-be reformers) had been prevented for thousands of years throughout the Near East and other Asian lands. But the Aegean and Mediterranean periphery lacked the economic checks and balances that had provided resilience elsewhere in the Near East. What has distinguished the West from the outset has been its lack of a government strong enough to check the emergence and domination of a creditor oligarchy.

    All ancient economies operated on credit, running up crop debts during the agricultural year. Warfare, droughts or floods, disease and other disruptions often prevented the accrual of debts from being paid. But Near Eastern rulers cancelled debts under these conditions. That saved their citizen-soldiers and corvée-workers from losing their self-support land to creditors, who were recognized as being a potential rival power to the palace. By the mid-first millennium BC debt bondage had shrunk to only a marginal phenomenon in Babylonia, Persia and other Near Eastern realms. But Greece and Rome were in the midst of a half-millennium of popular revolts demanding debt cancellation and liberty from debt bondage and loss of self-support land.

    It was only Roman kings and Greek tyrants who, for a while, were able to protect their subjects from debt bondage. But they ultimately lost to warlord creditor oligarchies. The lesson of history is thus that a strong government regulatory power is required to prevent oligarchies from emerging and using creditor claims and land grabbing to turn the citizenry into debtors, renters, clients and ultimately serfs.

    The Rise of Creditor Control Over Modern Governments

    Palaces and temples throughout the ancient world were creditors. Only in the West did a private creditor class emerge. A millennium after the fall of Rome, a new banking class obliged medieval kingdoms to run into debt. International banking families used their creditor power to gain control of public monopolies and natural resources, much as creditors had gained control of individual land in antiquity.

    World War I saw the Western economies reach an unprecedented crisis as a result of Inter-Ally debts and German reparations. Trade broke down and the Western economies fell into depression. What pulled them out was World War II, and this time no reparations were imposed after the war ended. In place of war debts, England simply was obliged to open up its Sterling Area to U.S. exporters and refrain from reviving its industrial markets by devaluing sterling, under the terms of Lend-Lease and the 1946 British Loan as noted above.

    The West emerged from World War II relatively free of private debt – and thoroughly under U.S. dominance. But since 1945 the volume of debt has expanded exponentially, reaching crisis proportions in 2008 as the junk-mortgage bubble, massive bank fraud and financial debt pyramiding exploded, overburdening the U.S. as well as the European and Global South economies.

    The U.S. Federal Reserve Bank monetized $8 trillion to save the financial elite’s holdings of stocks, bonds and packaged real estate mortgages instead of rescuing the victims of junk mortgages and over-indebted foreign countries. The European Central Bank did much the same thing to save the wealthiest Europeans from losing the market value of their financial wealth.

    But it was too late to save the U.S. and European economies. The long post-1945 debt buildup has run its course. The U.S. economy has been deindustrialized, its infrastructure is collapsing and its population is so deeply indebted that little disposable income is left to support living standards. Much as occurred with Rome’s Empire, the American response is to try to maintain the prosperity of its own financial elite by exploiting foreign countries. That is aim of today’s New Cold War diplomacy. It involves extracting economic tribute by pushing foreign economies further into dollarized debt, to be paid by imposing depression and austerity on themselves.

    This subjugation is depicted by mainstream economists as a law of nature and hence as an inevitable form of equilibrium, in which each nation’s economy receives “what it is worth.” Today’s mainstream economic models are based on the unrealistic assumption that all debts can be paid, without polarizing income and wealth. All economic problems are assumed to be self-curing by “the magic of the marketplace,” without any need for civic authority to intervene. Government regulation is deemed inefficient and ineffective, and hence unnecessary. That leaves creditors, land-grabbers and privatizers with a free hand to deprive others of theirfreedom. This is depicted as the ultimate destiny of today’s globalization, and of history itself.

    The End of History? Or Just of the West’s Financialization and Privatization?

    The neoliberal pretense is that privatizing the public domain and letting the financial sector take over economic and social planning in targeted countries will bring mutually beneficial prosperity. That is supposed to make foreign submission to the U.S.-centered world order voluntary. But the actual effect of neoliberal policy has been to polarize Global South economies and subject them to debt-ridden austerity.

    American neoliberalism claims that America’s privatization, financialization and shift of economic planning from government to Wall Street and other financial centers is the result of a Darwinian victory achieving such perfection that it is “the end of history.” It is as if the rest of the world has no alternative but to accept U.S. control of the global (that is, neo-colonial) financial system, trade and social organization. And just to make sure, U.S. diplomacy seeks to back its financial and diplomatic control by military force.

    The irony is that U.S. diplomacy itself has helped accelerate an international response to neoliberalism by forcing together governments strong enough to pick up the long trend of history that sees governments empowered to prevent corrosive oligarchic dynamics from derailing the progress of civilization.

    The 21stcentury began with American neoliberals imagining that their debt-leveraged financialization and privatization would cap the long upsweep of human history as the legacy of classical Greece and Rome. The neoliberal view of ancient history echoes that of antiquity’s oligarchies, denigrating Rome’s kings and Greece’s reformer-tyrants as threatening too strong a public intervention when they aimed at keeping citizens free of debt bondage and securing self-support land tenure. What is viewed as the decisive takeoff point is the oligarchy’s “security of contracts” giving creditors the right to expropriate debtors. This indeed has remained a defining characteristic of Western legal systems for the past two thousand years.

    A real end of history would mean that reform would stop in every country. That dream seemed close when U.S. neoliberals were given a free hand to reshape Russia and other post-Soviet states after the Soviet Union dissolved itself in 1991, starting with shock therapy privatizing natural resources and other public assets in the hands of Western-oriented kleptocrats registering public wealth in their own names – and cashing out by selling their takings to U.S. and other Western investors.

    The end of the Soviet Union’s history was supposed to consolidate America’s End of History by showing how futile it would be for nations to try to create an alternative economic order based on public control of money and banking, public health, free education and other subsidies of basic needs, free from debt financing. China’s admission into the World Trade Organization in 2001 was viewed as confirming Margaret Thatcher’s claim that There Is No Alternative (TINA) to the new neoliberal order sponsored by U.S. diplomacy.

    There is an economic alternative, of course. Looking over the sweep of ancient history, we can see that the main objective of ancient rulers from Babylonia to South Asia and East Asia was to preventa mercantile and creditor oligarchy from reducing the population at large to clientage, debt bondage and serfdom. If the non-U.S. Eurasian world now follows this basic aim, it would be restoring the course of history to its pre-Western course. That would not be the end of history, but it would return to the non-Western world’s basic ideals of economic balance, justice and equity.

    Today, China, India, Iran and other Eurasian economies have taken the first step as a precondition for a multipolar world, by rejecting America’s insistence that they join the U.S. trade and financial sanctions against Russia. These countries realize that if the United States could destroy Russia’s economy and replace its government with U.S.-oriented Yeltsin-like proxies, the remaining countries of Eurasia would be next in line.

    The only possible way for history really to end would be for the American military to destroy every nation seeking an alternative to neoliberal privatization and financialization. U.S. diplomacy insists that history must not take any path that would not culminate in its own financial empire ruling through client oligarchies. American diplomats hope that their military threats and support of proxy armies will force other countries to submit to neoliberal demands – to avoid being bombed, or suffering “color revolutions,” political assassinations and army takeovers, Pinochet-style. But the only real way to bring history to an end is by atomic war to end human life on this planet.

    The New Cold War Is Dividing the World into Two Contrasting Economic Systems

    NATO’s proxy war in Ukraine against Russia is the catalyst fracturing the world into two opposing spheres with incompatible economic philosophies. China, the country growing most rapidly, treats money and credit as a public utility allocated by government instead of letting the monopoly privilege of credit creation be privatized by banks, leading to them displacing government as economic and social planner. That monetary independence, relying on its own domestic money creation instead of borrowing U.S. electronic dollars, and denominating foreign trade and investment in its own currency instead of in dollars, is seen as an existential threat to America’s control of the global economy.

    U.S. neoliberal doctrine calls for history to end by “freeing” the wealthy classes from a government strong enough to prevent the polarization of wealth, and ultimate decline and fall. Imposing trade and financial sanctions against Russia, Iran, Venezuela and other countries that resist U.S. diplomacy, and ultimately military confrontation, is how America intends to “spread democracy” by NATO from Ukraine to the China Sea.

    The West, in its U.S. neoliberal iteration, seems to be repeating the pattern of Rome’s decline and fall. Concentrating wealth in the hands of the One Percent has always been the trajectory of Western civilization. It is a result of classical antiquity having taken a wrong track when Greece and Rome allowed the inexorable growth of debt, leading to the expropriation of much of the citizenry and reducing it to bondage to a land-owning creditor oligarchy. That is the dynamic built into the DNA of what is called the West and its “security of contracts” without any government oversight in the public interest. By stripping away prosperity at home, this dynamic requires a constant reaching out to extract an economic affluence (literally a “flowing in”) at the expense of colonies or debtor countries.

    The United States through its New Cold War is aiming at securing precisely such economic tribute from other countries. The coming conflict may last for perhaps twenty years and will determine what kind of political and economic system the world will have. At issue is more than just U.S. hegemony and its dollarized control of international finance and money creation. Politically at issue is the idea of “democracy” that has become a euphemism for an aggressive financial oligarchy seeking to impose itself globally by predatory financial, economic and political control backed by military force.

    As I have sought to emphasize, oligarchic control of government has been the distinguishing feature of Western civilization ever since classical antiquity. And the key to this control has been opposition to strong government – that is, civil government strong enough to prevent a creditor oligarchy from emerging and monopolizing control of land and wealth, making itself into a hereditary aristocracy, a rentierclass living off land rents, interest and monopoly privileges that reduce the population at large to austerity.

    The unipolar U.S.-centered order hoping to “end history” reflected a basic economic and political dynamic that has been a characteristic of Western civilization ever since classical Greece and Rome set off along a different track from the Near Eastern matrix in the first millennium BC.

    To save themselves from being swept into the whirlpool of economic destruction now engulfing the West, countries in the world’s rapidly growing Eurasian core are developing new economic institutions based on an alternative social and economic philosophy. With China being the largest and fastest growing economy in the region, its socialist policies are likely to be influential in shaping this emerging non-Western financial and trading system.

    Instead of the West’s privatization of basic economic infrastructure to create private fortunes through monopoly rent extraction, China keeps this in public hands. Its great advantage over the West is that it treats money and credit as a public utility, to be allocated by government instead of letting private banks create credit, with debt mounting up without expanding production to raise living standards. China also is keeping health and education, transportation and communications in public hands, to be provided as basic human rights.

    China’s socialist policy is in many ways a return to basic ideas of resilience that characterized most civilization before classical Greece and Rome.

    It has created a state strong enough to resist the emergence of a financial oligarchy gaining control of the land and rent-yielding assets.

    In contrast, today’s Western economies are repeating precisely that oligarchic drive that polarized and destroyed the economies of classical Greece and Rome, with the United States serving as the modern analogue (for Rome).

    1940s Guide Shows How To Kiss Correctly

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    LIFE magazine published this guide for actors in 1942, but it may still come in handy today. According to these romantic pictures from the magazine, there are some vital basic steps to follow to achieve the perfect clinch. First, the how-to guide recommends that kissers should not stand too far apart – pointing out that actors doing this on stage look ‘juvenile if they are so stand-offish’.

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    “WRONG: They look too juvenile if they are so stand-offish”

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    “RIGHT: Boy and girl should stand close together and not hold each other too tightly”

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    “WRONG: Sprawling all over the chair is considered ungraceful”

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    “RIGHT: Girl should sit on arm of the chair and boy should hold her firmly but lightly”

    Watch: NYC Unleash Nuclear-Attack Preparedness PSA

    Tuesday, Jul 12, 2022 – 05:45 PM

    With COVID-anxiety having waned, America’s leaders need something to stoke the fear and make us more malleable.

    In the case of New York City, it appears they turned the fearmongery up to ’11’ this week as they launched a nuclear attack preparedness public service announcement, saying it’s best to be prepared even if such a strike is unlikely.

    “While the likelihood of a nuclear weapon incident occurring in/near New York City is very low, it is important New Yorkers know the steps to stay safe,” the city’s Emergency Management Department said in its announcement.

    According to the PSA, there are three important steps to take – just do as you’re told and “get inside” a building fast and move away from windows, “stay inside” while removing and bagging all outer clothing to keep radioactive dust or ash away from your body, and “stay tuned” for the ‘experts’ and ‘officials’ to tell you what to do.

    Oh, and don’t forget to wear your snugly-fitting N95 mask if you are forced inside a building in close confines with other humans… you can’t be too safe, right?

    As Audacy reports, Emergency Management didn’t say if any factor in particular prompted the new PSA, but Commissioner Zach Iscol said in a statement, “As the threat landscape continues to evolve, it is important that New Yorkers know we are preparing for any imminent threats and are providing them with the resources they need to stay safe and informed.”

    Watch the full PSA below:

    Be afraid America, be very afraid…

    Now An Outbreak Of The Marburg Virus Has Begun

    Monday, Jul 11, 2022 – 05:30 AM

    Authored by Michael Snyder via The Economic Collapse blog,

    Why are so many unusual outbreaks of disease suddenly happening all over the planet?  We were already dealing with a seemingly endless global pandemic coming into 2022, and so far this year a bird flu pandemic has resulted in the deaths of tens of millions of our chickens and turkeys, the worst monkeypox outbreak in history has spread like wildfire in the western world, and now it is being reported that there is an outbreak of the Marburg Virus in Africa.  We have already lost our opportunity to contain monkeypox, and that is really bad news.  But if authorities are not able to successfully contain this new Marburg outbreak, we could potentially be facing a scenario that is downright apocalyptic.

    The new outbreak of the Marburg Virus is happening in Ghana.  The two victims that have died so far did not know each other, and officials believe that this is evidence that “the disease is spreading more widely”

    Two people are believed to have died from the extremely deadly Marburg virus in Ghana as officials gear up for a potential outbreak.
    
    The patients, from the country’s southern Ashanti region, were not known to each other, suggesting the disease is spreading more widely.
    
    Initial tests came back positive for the virus and the samples are being reanalysed by the World Health Organization (WHO).

    Global health authorities have always warned that the Marburg virus is a good candidate for a horrifying global pandemic because it can have a very long incubation period.  The following information comes from the World Health Organization

    The incubation period (interval from infection to onset of symptoms) varies from 2 to 21 days.
    
    Illness caused by Marburg virus begins abruptly, with high fever, severe headache and severe malaise. Muscle aches and pains are a common feature. Severe watery diarrhoea, abdominal pain and cramping, nausea and vomiting can begin on the third day. Diarrhoea can persist for a week. The appearance of patients at this phase has been described as showing “ghost-like” drawn features, deep-set eyes, expressionless faces, and extreme lethargy.

    All of that sounds terrible, but the next stage of the disease is truly nightmarish

    Many patients develop severe haemorrhagic manifestations between 5 and 7 days, and fatal cases usually have some form of bleeding, often from multiple areas. Fresh blood in vomitus and faeces is often accompanied by bleeding from the nose, gums, and vagina. Spontaneous bleeding at venepuncture sites (where intravenous access is obtained to give fluids or obtain blood samples) can be particularly troublesome. During the severe phase of illness, patients have sustained high fevers. Involvement of the central nervous system can result in confusion, irritability, and aggression. Orchitis (inflammation of one or both testicles) has been reported occasionally in the late phase of disease (15 days).
    
    In fatal cases, death occurs most often between 8 and 9 days after symptom onset, usually preceded by severe blood loss and shock.

    The largest previous outbreak of the disease was in 2005.

    During that outbreak, 88 percent of the victims died…

    The largest outbreak to date was in Angola in 2005, when 374 caught the virus and 329 died – a fatality rate of 88 percent.

    A disease that has a death rate of way less than one percent ended up paralyzing much of the planet for months on end.

    So what do you think will happen if the Marburg Virus becomes a true global pandemic?

    Needless to say, the panic would be off the charts, and there is no cure and no vaccine

    The Marburg virus is a top concern for public health officials who are worried about the next pandemic. It has the potential to cause serious public health emergencies but there are currently no vaccines or antiviral treatments approved to treat the virus.

    Meanwhile, the number of monkeypox cases continues to rise at an exponential rate.

    When I wrote about monkeypox yesterday, there were 7,534 global cases.  Unfortunately, Friday was the worst day for this outbreak so far by a very wide margin, and now there are 9,109 global cases.

    I had been hoping that this outbreak would fade after the initial spike of cases, but instead it seems to be rapidly picking up momentum.

    Here in the United States, it has already spread to 39 different states and the total number of cases has now risen to 790.

    If the number of cases continues to double at a very fast pace, it won’t be too long before we have a major national crisis on our hands.

    Let us hope that doesn’t happen, because this is a disease that you definitely do not want to get.

    This highly mutated version of monkeypox causes extremely intense pain In fact, one victim that was interview by NBC News said that it was “the worst pain in my life”.

    Since monkeypox causes very ugly sores on the skin, many have suggested that this sounds eerily similar to a future scenario that I described in my books.

    But we don’t know if monkeypox will become a true global pandemic yet.  We will just have to wait and see what happens.

    Of course COVID has been a global pandemic for a long time, and now it is being reported that a new subvariant that is becoming dominant in the western world is “the worst so far”

    The latest subvariant of the novel coronavirus to become dominant in Europe, the United States, and other places is also, in many ways, the worst so far.
    
    The BA.5 subvariant of the basic Omicron variant appears to be more contagious than any previous form of the virus. It’s apparently better at dodging our antibodies, too—meaning it might be more likely to cause breakthrough and repeat infections.

    Despite everything that they have tried, authorities have failed to stop this pandemic.  Our planet has been hit by wave after wave, and now hospitalizations in the U.S. are spiking once again

    Eighteen states reported more cases in the week of June 30-July 7 than in the week before, according to a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University data.
    
    That has also led to a rise in hospitalizations, with hospitals in 40 states reporting more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier. Thirty-eight states had more patients in intensive care beds, and 17 states reported more deaths than a week earlier.
    
    Personally, I am far, far more concerned about monkeypox.

    If the number of monkeypox cases continues to explode like it has been, it won’t be too long before there is widespread panic among the general public.

    And if the Marburg Virus starts getting loose in the western world we will be facing a scenario that is absolutely unthinkable.

    So hopefully authorities in Africa are on top of this, because the death toll from a full-blown global pandemic would be off the charts.

    Roast Beef

    The Sunday roast has captured the imagination of anyone who wants to recreate the classic American meal, but how many of us take the time to try out this classic recipe? With slow-roasted flavors and a recipe anyone can easily tackle, taking a stab at these classic 1950s dishes should take a spot on any cook’s bucket list. Combine the roast with some sides of mashed potatoes and roasted carrots, and weekend meals are sure to transform forever.

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    Roast Beef

    Whatever happened to the days when the 6 p.m. dinner bell would ring and Mom would pull a beautifully browned roast from the oven? Well, plenty of things: microwaves, pizza delivery, the narrowing of the gender equality gap. Although it should be said that the pay-gap has nowhere near narrowed. So why don’t we make a new tradition with this favorite meal? Point is, we miss the roast, and there is no reason dads (and brothers, and boyfriends!) shouldn’t endeavor to make a roast beef every so often. That’s right, guys, you can do it. It’s as simple as turning on the oven, putting in the seasoned beef, and pulling it out when it’s ready. This type of roast beef recipe magic should be timeless (and genderless, too.)

    You’ll Need

    3 lb rump roast
    8 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
    2 Tbsp olive oil
    1⁄2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
    Salt and black pepper to taste

    How to Make It

    1. Remove the roast from the fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking.
    2. Preheat the oven to 250°F.
    3. Use a small paring knife to make incisions into the roast and gently insert garlic clove halves all over.
    4. Rub the roast with the olive oil and season all over with the rosemary and plenty of salt and pepper.
    5. Place on a rack on a baking sheet and place in the middle rack of the oven.
    6. Roast for 90 minutes.
    7. Turn up the heat to 475°F and roast for another 15 minutes, until the beef has developed a deep-brown crust and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 140°F.

    Eat This Tip

    No baking rack? No problem. Many recipes call for baking racks to allow the warm air to fully circulate around the meat, but you can simulate the effect very simply with no extra equipment.

    • Position one oven rack in the middle of the oven and another immediately below it.
    • Prep and season the meat, then place it directly on the middle rack.
    • Place a rimmed baking sheet below to catch the juices as they fall from the meat. (Those precious juices can be turned into gravy with a bit of flour and broth!)

    Michael Hudson: The End of Western Civilization

    Let me recommend to everyone the speech Michael Hudson has held on Monday for China’s Global University. It digs to the core of the illness that has taken over ‘western’ societies.

    The issue is debt which historically was largely forgiven by the king or high priest in case of hard times. But during the time of the Greek and later Roman empires oligarchs took over and demanded to pay back all debt in full and even in hard times. This split societies into a rich rentier class and indebted plebs. Each empire that followed that path, from the Roman to the British one, eventually came down due to over-indebtedness.

    The U.S. is the current global empire which is way down on this path. It is hostile to all societies that do not open their financial markets to be robbed by U.S. oligarchs. This is at the core of the current global conflict as China, Russia, Iran and Venezuela developed from different traditions and reject to give in to U.S. demands. The U.S. is used to solve such ‘problems’ by force but is now likely too weak to achieve that.

    Naked Capitalism is the first to publish the English language version of Hudson’s speech:

    Michael Hudson: The End of Western Civilization – Why It Lacks Resilience, and What Will Take Its Place

    The core paragraphs are probably these:

    The United States through its New Cold War is aiming at securing precisely such economic tribute from other countries. The coming conflict may last for perhaps twenty years and will determine what kind of political and economic system the world will have. At issue is more than just U.S. hegemony and its dollarized control of international finance and money creation. Politically at issue is the idea of “democracy” that has become a euphemism for an aggressive financial oligarchy seeking to impose itself globally by predatory financial, economic and political control backed by military force.
    
    As I have sought to emphasize, oligarchic control of government has been the distinguishing feature of Western civilization ever since classical antiquity. And the key to this control has been opposition to strong government – that is, civil government strong enough to prevent a creditor oligarchy from emerging and monopolizing control of land and wealth, making itself into a hereditary aristocracy, a rentierclass living off land rents, interest and monopoly privileges that reduce the population at large to austerity.

    It will be necessary to bring down the rentierclass. To recommit to a strong state that owns the public goods and services and does not hand them over to private interests. The coming malaise may well help to achieve that.

    Posted by b at 14:00 UTC |

    Russian Ministry of Defense: “We are on the verge of an immediate armed conflict with the United States”

    The Russian Ministry of Defense issued a very late night Press Statement saying “We are on the verge of an immediate armed conflict with the United States” after Ukraine used U.S.-supplied HIMARS weapons to attack a Russian base.  As of 7:12 PM EDT, at least 7 Russian troops are dead and at least 40 are injured.  Those numbers are rapidly rising and changing fast.

    In addition to the Russian MoD, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also issued a statement:

    The United States and its allies are teetering on the brink of an open military conflict with Moscow, which would be fraught with nuclear tensions, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement on Tuesday.

    “After provoking an escalation of the Ukrainian crisis and unleashing a violent hybrid confrontation with Russia, Washington and its allies are dangerously teetering on the brink of an open military confrontation with our country, which means a direct armed conflict between nuclear powers. Clearly, such a confrontation would be fraught with nuclear escalation,” the statement reads.

     

    UPDATE 7:19 PM EDT —

    Henry Kissinger just said on Fox News that we should expect direct conflict with Russia by mId-August.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
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    Getting tired of this tedious Bla Bla

    The “news” from the collective West (led by the United States) is a complete “cluster fuck”. It’s one set of ugly “news” after the other. It’s so very difficult to gleam truth amidst all the lies.  Here’s some selected (more accurate) “news” items that describe what’s going on, as well as some trivial subjects to interrupt the paid trolls and software compliance ‘bots. I hope you enjoy it.

    Russia has made a decisive break with the West and is ready to help shape a new world order

    Russia is now focusing on developing its ties with Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America.

    By Russia Today

    Just before the G7 leaders met at Elmau Castle in Bavaria, last week, their counterparts from the five BRICS countries held an online summit under the Chinese Presidency. Russia had been discussed as a threat at the G7 gathering but was a key participant in the latter.

    Long gone are the days when Moscow could straddle the divide between the West and the non-West. Following the 2014 Ukraine crisis, the G8 reverted to its previous G7 format; in the wake of the Russian military action in Ukraine last February, Russian-Western confrontation degenerated into a full-blown “Hybrid War,” complete with an actual confrontation – if so far a proxy one.

    Having tried, after the end of the Cold War, to become part of the new West, and having failed at that endeavor, Russia is now focusing on developing its ties with Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America.

    This is both a difficult and a necessary task, for a number of reasons. First, there is a powerful inertia from the past. At least since the days of Peter the Great, Russian elites have looked westward, adopting western ways of appearance and behavior (while remaining distinctly Russian beneath the garb and manners); adapting western institutions (even if often only superficially); borrowing western patterns of thinking (while creatively developing them, as with Marxism); seeking to become a great European power; then, in Soviet days, a global superpower; and, more recently, a key component of a greater Europe from Lisbon to Vladivostok.

    This is a pathway hard to wean off from. Yet, now, for the first time ever, Russia is facing a united West, from North America, the European Union, and Britain, to Japan and Australia. What’s more, there are no allies in the West that Moscow can turn to – even notionally neutral states such as Finland, Sweden, Austria, and Switzerland, have all ditched their neutrality. Russia’s political rupture with the West is thus complete, and any new norm of relations between them can only emerge as a result of the “Hybrid War,“ which will take years, if not decades, to fight out.

    Second, Moscow’s economic relations have been largely built with the West. Historically, Russia has been a resource for Western European industry; a breadbasket of the continent; and a major importer of industrial products and technology. Until recently, Russia’s trade with the European Union alone accounted for more than half of Russia’s foreign commerce, and Germany was the lead exporter of machinery and technology to Russia. Since the early 1970s, oil and gas pipelines from Russia to Western Europe have formed the backbone of economic ties and provided for general stability on the continent, even in the dangerous decades of the Cold War and in the turbulent times of the disintegration of the Soviet Union itself. This, too, is on the way out, however.

    The severe sanctions imposed on Russia by the US, EU and the UK will not be lifted even when the actual fighting in Ukraine stops, and the painful experience of foreign exchange and asset seizures will leave a huge imprint on any future Russian approach to economic ties with the West.

    Third, in cultural terms, Russians have traditionally identified themselves with the rest of Europe. Christianity; the legacies of Ancient Greece and Rome; the ideas of French Enlightenment and German philosophy; European literature and the arts, music, and dance – all of this helped shape and form Russia’s own culture, giving it a powerful stimulus for self-development. Despite the recent political rupture and the geo-economic shift, the foundations of Russian culture remain definitely European.

    However, a number of elements of today’s cultural scene in the West, particularly the dominant cult of individual self-expression, runaway liberalism that is turning increasingly oppressive, the erosion of family values and the proliferation of genders, jars with the more traditional cultural code of the majority of the Russian population.

    That said, the obvious necessity for Russia to now look beyond the West means it can probably overcome the historical inertia, the legacy of previous geo-economic priorities, and cultural affinities. With the West shunning Russia, trying to isolate and sometimes “cancel” it, Moscow has no choice but to kick its old habits and reach out to the wider world beyond Western Europe and North America. In fact, this is something that successive Russian leaders vowed to do repeatedly, even when relations with the West were much less adversarial, but the Europe-oriented mindset, the apparent ease of trading resources for Western goods and technologies, and the ambition to be accepted into Western elite circles prevented that intention from turning into reality.

    It has been noted, however, that people start doing the right thing only when there are no other options. And certainly, capitulating to the West is no option for Russia, at this point. Things have gone too far.

    Beyond the necessity of an overhaul of Russia’s foreign relations there are real opportunities to pursue. Since the end of the Cold War, the leading countries of Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America have risen spectacularly in all respects, from economically and politically to technologically and militarily.

    Even before the outbreak of the “Hybrid War,” China had overtaken Germany not only as Russia’s principal trading partner, but also as the leading exporter of machinery and equipment to Russia. India, a traditional importer of Soviet and Russian weapons, is now emerging as a major technology partner for Moscow. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are Russia’s principal partners in regulating oil output in the OPEC+ format.

    Turkey and Iran are major independent players in a key strategic region. The fact that the vast majority of non-Western countries refused to condemn Russia for what it is doing in Ukraine – many of them despite strong US pressure – is most encouraging for Moscow. In the sense that those who are not against us could be considered to be with us.

    From Indonesia to Brazil, and from Argentina to South Africa, there are many dynamic and ambitious countries that Moscow is seeking to engage.

    To be able to do that, Russia’s foreign policy needs to come up with an appropriate strategy. Above all, it needs to give relations with non-Western countries priority over the de facto firmly frozen ties with the West. Being an ambassador to Indonesia should be more prestigious than an ambassadorship in Rome, and a post in Tashkent should be viewed as more important than one in Vienna.

    There needs to be an audit of potential economic and other opportunities for Russia in the BRICS countries, and a plan to work on them. Apart from economics, student exchange programs should be expanded, and Russian tourism encouraged to move east, and south. The Russian media would be right to increase coverage of developments in the key non-Western nations, educating the Russian elite and the broader public about the economic realities, politics, and culture of those nations.

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    Monkeypox Outbreak DOUBLES in NYC . . . One Week After “Gay Pride” Parade

    The number of confirmed monkeypox cases in New York City has doubled in the past week, according to data from the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.  This increase in cases comes after the NYC “Gay Pride” Parade on June 26.

    The department said in a tweet on Tuesday that 111 people had tested positive in New York City so far, up from 55 a week prior. The tweet states that the city is expecting to receive additional doses of the monkeypox vaccine in the coming days and will make appointments available soon.

    The department announced last month that men who have sex with men and have had sex with multiple partners or anonymous partners in the past two weeks would be eligible to receive the vaccine. The vaccine, the Jynneos smallpox vaccine, is administered in two doses four weeks apart from each other.

    The city’s health department website states that most people infected with monkeypox in New York City have had mild illness, have not been hospitalized and have recovered on their own.

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that monkeypox cases have been confirmed in 33 states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

    When it became blatantly obvious around the world that this outbreak was taking place in the Gay community, because 99% of cases have been Gay men, the CDC was asked if people should avoid Gay Events and the CDC said “no.”   So here we are, on July 6, just ten days after the NYC Gay Pride Parade . . . and the outbreak has doubled.

    It’s not that Gay people can’t control their behaviors . . .  it’s that they won’t.

    Why the West has failed to get the rest of the world on board to support its confrontation with Russia

    The US-led bloc no longer offers the only viable model for development, which means its ability to impose its will is fading.

    By Fyodor Lukyanov

    The recent festival of big Western politics – which began with a meeting of the European Council, continued with the G7 Summit, and ended with a major NATO gathering – provides plenty of food for thought about the fate of the world.

    On the surface, what we have seen is impressive: The West is showing unprecedented unity in the face of the Russian campaign in Ukraine.

    America has gathered almost all of its allies. Right now, from Australia to Norway, from Singapore to Portugal, and from Japan to Iceland, the agenda is the same – to prevent the success of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who represents a rejection of the so-called ‘rules-based order’.

    The brutality and irreversibility of what is happening in Ukraine gives the situation the character of a moral choice. Almost all statements from Western leaders refer to a confrontation between “civilization and barbarism”. Accordingly, they believe, there should be no doubt about which side to take.

    The Western community has now reached maximum capacity – its European flank (EU and NATO members plus Ukraine and Moldova), its Asian club (South Korea, Japan, and Singapore stopped wavering and took the ‘right’ side), the Oceania pairing, and of course, North America. The ‘free world’ has never been so vast.

    This raises a serious question, however. Has the West reached its natural limit beyond which expansion is no longer possible? And if so, what does it mean?

    In fact, the topic of the limits of Western influence stems from the notorious concept of the ‘end of history’, which is already so worn out that it is even inconvenient to bring it up. Nevertheless, it is appropriate in this context. Francis Fukuyama’s reflections (he was recently banned from entering Russia, as it happens) led him to conclude that with the collapse of the communist alternative, the only question that remained was how soon and how painlessly the Western economic and socio–political model – which had proved its virtues in the showdown with the USSR – would spread to the rest of the world. The author admitted that it would not be without snags, but in general, the direction was determined once and for all.

    How things actually played out after the collapse of the USSR is well known, and despite the fact that numerous crises in developed countries have dimmed the view of the expected path of development, the system has been preserved – and no one has yet come close to the Western world in terms of well-being and comfort. And the Western media still has a near-monopoly on determining the picture of what is happening on a global scale. This means it has a huge head start. But the limit seems to have been reached.

    Perhaps the main surprise resulting from the events of recent months is that the West has failed to engage so much of the world in a united front against Russia – the exceptions being those who are already part of the West and a few who passionately want to join the club.

    This is unexpected, since few people approve of Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Moscow is dealing with problems that are seemingly irrelevant to anyone but itself, and the harsh methods and humanitarian consequences of the conflict do not elicit much sympathy from outside. In other words, objectively, the West has an excellent chance to win over most of the rest of the world by taking the line that its cause here is about opposition to barbarism.

    But this is not happening. Why? There are perhaps three main reasons.

    Firstly, the non-Western world knows perfectly well that wars on the planet have never stopped, including in the last 30 years, and statements from the EU states about the era of ‘harmony and prosperity’ that Putin interrupted are perceived as both selfishness and hypocrisy. Telling people in the Middle East, for example, that Russia has violated every conceivable moral standard is, to put it mildly, difficult in light of what the region has experienced since the Cold War ended.

    Secondly, most in the former third world see the current events as the culmination of a long-standing conflict related to the assertive policies of the US and its allies regarding the territories directly adjacent to Russia. Their attitude is something like: ‘What did you expect would happen when you provoked the tiger?’

    Finally, the reaction of the majority of the planet illustrates their irritation with the West as a whole. It is perceived as a hegemon with a colonial history which is always abusing its powers. The reason is not support for Russia’s actions, but opposition to the West’s attempts to impose its will on others, which often harms their own interests. Also, schadenfreude over America’s failed attempts to impose its will compensates for any doubts about the legitimacy of Moscow’s actions.

    In other words, it’s not about sympathy for Russia, but antipathy to the West.

    Western leaders are both surprised and alarmed by this situation. If the initial calls to join the boycott of Russia amounted to orders, now the demands have been replaced by exhortations and attempts to promise something in return. The selection of the G7 Summit guests – the presidents of India, Indonesia, Senegal, Argentina, and South Africa – is indicative.

    The invited parties were warmly welcomed. Everyone was in a hurry to tap Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the shoulder and give him attention. But apart from general statements, nothing happened. And almost in parallel with the events in Europe, Modi participated in a virtual BRICS summit, and Argentina, it seems, together with Iran, has applied to join this emerging association.

    The position of non-Western states is dictated not only by anti-colonial instincts, although they do exist. More importantly, in the new conditions, it is difficult for the West to offer the leading countries of the rest of the world anything that would force them to radically change their positions. There are now alternative sources of resources for development – ​​a number of members of the former third world today have money, skills, and to some extent, technology. The West is still ahead of them in many ways, but – and this is fundamentally important – it has now completely lost the desire to share its advantages.

    Simply because it now fears competition from them – the experience of American support for the development of China is considered a mistake by the current elites.

    Developing countries are of course interested in Western investment, but the nature of interaction is also changing. To put it mildly, the former third world is becoming more demanding and picky, and the West’s ability to impose its own conditions has weakened amid large-scale global changes.

    The series of meetings in Europe was intended to show that the West is still the undisputed vanguard of the world, which has both the right and responsibility to lead others. For instance, NATO is once again attempting to become a global organization rather than regional.

    The bloc’s most recent experience of this kind – in Afghanistan – ended in embarrassment. But now the approach is more natural – opposition to Russia.

    As they see it, Russia is a threat to Western European security (as it was in the glory days of NATO), but it is also a dangerous pariah for all mankind, so opposing it will help expand the US-led club globally. Moreover, the specter of China looms – a systemic competitor to the West and, even better, an accomplice of ‘the Russians’.

    How much the Western world itself is united for the full implementation of such a mission is a topic for another article. There are a lot of nuances here. However, even assuming that this is the case, there is no reason to think that NATO’s ambition will meet with understanding beyond its borders.

    As a consequence, the broad refusal to recognize the right of the West to lead means there will no longer be a world order based on Western rules.

    So People Are Buying Inflatable Jesus Now…

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    In today’s epizode of “Weird stuff people buy” we have Inflatable Jesus blow-up doll that people are actually buying (for some strange reason). Maybe they choosing to have Jesus in their lives in a more literal way…

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    Easy to inflate, Jesus is 50cm (19.6 inches) tall, looks super lifelike with long locks, hipster beard and flowing white robe. He promises not to punish you with flood or famine if you do something remiss.

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    He’s very friendly and will serve as a reminder to go out and do good in the world. If you need proof that he’s the messiah he even floats (walks) on water! This Jesus also deflates for easy storage when you need a break from the Lord.

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    This might be a pretty good gag gift for someone who is not afraid to burn in hell, or for your Christian friend you wish to piss off. As you can see from the Instagram posts below, people are really spending their hard-earned money on this thing, and hanging out with it:

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    U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve Being EXPORTED – We are Being Sold-Out

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    More than 5 million barrels of oil that were part of a U.S. emergency oil reserves release aimed at lowering domestic fuel prices . . . were exported to Europe and Asia last month, according to data and sources, even as U.S. gasoline and diesel prices touched record highs.

    The export of crude and fuel is blunting the impact of the moves by U.S. President Joe Biden designed to lower record pump prices. Biden on Saturday renewed a call for gasoline suppliers to cut their prices, drawing criticism from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

    About 1 million barrels per day is being released from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) through October. The flow is draining the SPR, which last month fell to the lowest since 1986.

    U.S. crude futures are above $105 per barrel and gasoline and diesel prices above $5 a gallon in one-fifth of the nation https://gasprices.aaa.com/. U.S. officials have said oil prices could be higher if the SPR had not been tapped.

    The fourth-largest U.S. oil refiner, Phillips 66, shipped about 470,000 barrels of sour crude from the Big Hill SPR storage site in Texas to Trieste, Italy, according to U.S. Customs data. Trieste is home to a pipeline that sends oil to refineries in central Europe.

    Atlantic Trading & Marketing (ATMI), an arm of French oil major TotalEnergies, exported 2 cargoes of 560,000 barrels each, the data showed.

    Phillips 66 declined to comment on trading activity. ATMI did not respond to a request for comment.

    Cargoes of SPR crude were also headed to the Netherlands and to a Reliance refinery in India, an industry source said. A third cargo headed to China, another source said — even though China is buying oil directly from Russia and ignoring US Sanctions upon Russia!

    At least one cargo of crude from the West Hackberry SPR site in Louisiana was set to be exported in July, a shipping source added.

    “Crude and fuel prices would likely be higher if (the SPR releases) hadn’t happened, but at the same time, it isn’t really having the effect that was assumed,” said Matt Smith, lead oil analyst at Kpler.

    The latest exports follow three vessels that carried SPR crude to Europe in April helping replace Russian crude supplies.

    HAL TURNER EDITORIAL OPINION

    The United States of America is being intentionally weakened and drained of resources vital to our survival and to our national security.

    Almost one-third of our military weaponry/ ammunition, and armor, has been exported to either Europe (for NATO) or donated to Ukraine.

    Now we find that OUR emergency oil reserves are not being used here in the USA, but instead, being shipped OUT OF THE COUNTRY.

    If the U.S. is attacked or, God forbid, invaded, we won’t have enough weapons or ammunition, and now, we won’t even have enough of OUR OWN OIL!

    This is an intentional weakening of the nation; perhaps to make us ripe for takeover.

    Remember who the people are in charge, who are doing these things, so they can be held personally accountable.

    Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s statement and answers to media questions at a joint news conference with Foreign Minister of Belarus Vladimir Makei following talks, Minsk, June 30, 2022

    Esteemed Mr Makei,
    Ladies and gentlemen,
    As my colleague and friend has just said, our talks took place in a truly friendly atmosphere of trust and were very substantial, as they should be between allies and strategic partners. First, I would like to thank our Belarusian friends once again for their traditional hospitality in the wonderful city of Minsk and for the brilliant, streamlined organisation of our work.

    The visit is timed to an important historical date – 30 years of diplomatic relations (June 25). Of course, this is just one more, albeit important, landmark in the centuries-old history of our truly fraternal nations. To mark this occasion, we have just cancelled postal envelopes specially issued for this date and signed an anniversary joint statement that I hope you will read. It is worth it.

    We emphasised that in the past few years we have traversed a long road in developing our integration. The foreign ministries of Russia and Belarus provide diplomatic support for implementing 28 union economic integration programmes endorsed by the Supreme State Council of the Union State in November 2021.

    Today, we reviewed topical bilateral issues. We also discussed the schedule of forthcoming contacts, including preparations for a joint meeting of the foreign ministry collegiums of Russia and Belarus, scheduled for the fourth quarter of this year. We reviewed implementation of the plan for foreign ministry consultations in 2022-2023.

    We believe we have managed to achieve remarkable success in trade, and economic and investment cooperation. Last year, bilateral trade reached about $40 billion. Major joint projects, such as, for example, the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant, are underway. Industrial cooperation is on the up and up, paving the way for new industrial and logistics chains.

    We have a high opinion of the vigorous and broad development of interregional ties. Today, the 9th Forum of Russian and Belarusian Regions is to kick off in Grodno, where contracts worth an estimated $1 billion, a record-high amount, are expected to be signed.

    We spoke at length about regional and international matters and agreed to continue enhancing foreign policy coordination and stand up together for the interests of our two countries in the world arena, in keeping with the two-year programmes on coordinating our actions in foreign policy.

    We supported further steps towards more active cooperation in multilateral associations, primarily, in the EAEU, CSTO and the CIS. We have almost identical views on how Eurasian cooperation should develop in the future.

    We agreed that we would also continue to coordinate our approaches in other multilateral formats, first and foremost, at the UN and the OSCE. We discussed the progress on the projects that are being carried out in Belarus under the auspices of the United Nations, many of which are being funded by the Russian side. We will vigorously continue to oppose any attempts to politicise human rights issues. We see hopeless attempts like this being made at the UN and the OSCE. The West keeps making them with enviable persistence.

    We are seriously concerned about NATO’s activities in close vicinity to our borders, primarily in the Baltic states and Poland. We share the opinion that these activities are openly confrontational and tend to lead to more tensions, as well as the division of the European security and cooperation space, that is, they are producing the results which the establishment of the OSCE was supposed to help prevent. Now they are dismantling all this with their own hands, waiving, among other things, the principle of indivisible security, which was publicly declared at the highest level in the OSCE in the late 1990s and in 2010, when it was said that no country should enhance its security at the expense of others. The West’s actions have buried this principle.

    In the light of the manifestly unfriendly steps taken by the United States and its satellites towards our countries, we reaffirmed that we are firmly determined to further preclude any attempts by the West to interfere in our domestic affairs. We agreed to continue to join efforts to oppose illegitimate unilateral actions by Washington, Brussels and their allies in the international arena.

    We advised our colleagues of our assessments of the special military operation in Ukraine. We maintain regular dialogue on these issues. Our presidents discussed this topic at a top-level meeting in St Petersburg on June 25.

    We are grateful to our Belarusian allies for completely understanding the causes, goals and tasks of the special military operation. President Vladimir Putin discussed these issues in his remarks yesterday concerning the results of the Caspian Five Summit in Ashgabat.

    We focused on biological security, while exchanging opinions on strategic stability and arms control. We agree that US activities on post-Soviet space are quite dangerous and non-transparent. The activities of Pentagon’s biolabs in Ukraine highlight the risks they bear. We exposed these facts but failed to obtain a US response. So, we initiated a process, stipulated by the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, in full compliance with its Article 5. We sent inquiries to countries, parties to this important international treaty. We perceive threats to the national security of Russia and Belarus, the reluctance of the United States to ensure the transparency of its military-biological activities in many countries on post-Soviet space, primarily those around Russia and Belarus. We have an agreement, within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, to establish close and transparent interaction on these issues, in order to counter attempts to advance such projects (that cause concern in our countries) behind the scenes and without due transparency.

    We are also cooperating in order to counter the dirty information war unleashed by the collective West against our countries. We agreed to expand and upgrade Russian-Belarusian media cooperation, and you should be particularly interested in this issue.

    We are satisfied with the results of the talks. They help advance our foreign policy coordination still further on the basis of allied and strategic partnership for the benefit of our countries and fraternal nations.

    Question:  A risky redivision of the world’s energy sector is taking place. What are the United States and the EU counting on, while renouncing Russian imports?

    Sergey Lavrov: I believe that everyone understands what they are counting on. They have no misgivings about openly discussing this issue. They noted this once again yesterday, at the NATO summit in Madrid. They are expecting all other states to unfailingly obey their will, reflecting their selfish interests, primarily those of the United States. We have repeatedly been convinced that modern Europe, in the form of the EU, is losing its independence or even the signs of independence that it once had. Europe completely obeys positions that the United States imposes on it, including those in the sphere of economic sanctions. It is renouncing Russian imports and demolishing logistic and financial chains that had taken decades to create.

    Look at the current list of sanctions. I suggest that you conduct this interesting analysis. Compare restrictions that European countries are imposing on Russia and Belarus with the relevant US restrictions. The United States is sparing itself and is trying not to encroach on various spheres that could seriously damage its own economy. Yes, the United States is also experiencing negative effects from this activity, but Europe is suffering much more. I believe that, apart from “punishing” our countries, the United States wants to weaken the European Union as its rival.

    Question: At the Madrid summit, NATO stated that Russia was the main threat to the Alliance according to its new strategic concept. Following this statement and their decision to fortify the eastern flank, does Moscow consider itself bound by its commitments under the Russia-NATO Founding Act, or has this document lost its validity?

    Sergey Lavrov: In the legal sense, the Founding Act continues to exist. We did not initiate the procedure for terminating this agreement. In the run-up to the summit, NATO had lengthy and vocal discussions about whether they still needed the Act or whether they would be better off abandoning it. As a result, they decided to let this matter be, but their decisions grossly violate the Founding Act, primarily with regard to NATO’s commitment not to permanently deploy significant combat forces on the territory of new (Eastern European) Alliance members.

    We will analyse the situation and decide on our further moves depending on how and in what form NATO will move forward with the decisions it adopted and announced.

    Question: Will it be possible to restore more or less acceptable political and diplomatic relations with EU countries in the future? Will there be another Iron Curtain? Do we have a bloc like NATO or the EU?

    Sergey Lavrov (adding after Vladimir Makei): I agree with almost all of that. As for our relations with the EU, Russia has not had them since 2014. Brussels swallowed the humiliating move by the opposition forces which perpetrated a coup in Ukraine in defiance of EU guarantees. In response, the Crimea residents refused to live in a neo-Nazi state. Ukraine’s eastern regions did the same, and the European Union failed to muster enough courage to talk sense into the putschists who carried out an illegal power grab, and in fact began to support them in their attack, including physical, on the people of Crimea and eastern Ukraine. When the referendum took place in Crimea and the DPR and the LPR were proclaimed, the European Union, instead of pushing for compliance with the agreements between President Yanukovych and the opposition it had co-sponsored, sided with the ultranationalist and deep down neo-Nazi regime which proclaimed fighting the Russian language and culture as its goal. In the years that followed, the regimes led by Poroshenko and Zelensky proved Kiev’s loyalty to this particular course.

    In 2014, when it all happened, the EU, feeling powerless and aware of its own inability to enforce implementation of its own proposals, said the Russian Federation was to blame. It imposed sanctions on our country and cancelled the Russia-EU summit planned for June 2014, destroyed every other mechanism that it took us decades to create, such as biannual summits, annual meetings between the Russian Government and the European Commission, four common spaces that underlay four road maps, 20 sector-specific dialogues, including a dialogue on visa-free travel and much more. All of that was ruined overnight. Relations have been non-existent since then. There were occasional technical contacts, but nothing major. No wonder there are no relations now, but we never close ourselves off. From now on, we will never trust the Americans or the EU. We are doing our best not to depend on them in the sectors that are critically important for survival of the state, the people and our security. When and if they get over their obsession and come back with some kind of a proposal, we will see what exactly it is about. We will not play along with their self-serving plans. If it comes to resuming the dialogue, we will push for a level playing field for everyone and a focus on balancing the interests of all participants on an equal footing.

    With regard to the Iron Curtain, it is already on its way down. They should make sure they don’t get anything caught in it as it goes down. In all other matters, we have a straightforward position: we are for things being fair.

    In 2014, our “partners” refused to hold a summit amid serious events, including a coup, a referendum in Crimea, and a radical change in the situation in the Black Sea region. If you were serious about searching for solutions, this meeting was the way forward. It could have been used to have a candid discussion about the complaints and the counter questions the partners in the Russian Federation had for the EU. The withdrawal from all contacts that took place after March 2014 only goes to show that the EU is not interested in a dialogue, and does not want to understand our interests or listen to what we have to say. What it wants is for everyone to agree with the Brussels’ decisions which are a carbon copy of the decisions made in Washington. We have been able to see that in recent years.

    Question: Norway has refused to allow Russian cargo, including food, medicines, and necessary equipment, to Spitsbergen. What steps will be taken to resolve this issue? What might our response be, if any?

    Sergey Lavrov: First, we want to see Norway respond to our reaction that immediately followed the incident. We sent an official request demanding clarification as to how this move aligns with Norway’s commitments under the Spitsbergen Treaty of 1920. I hope they will respond promptly. Then, we will analyse the situation. And we will act quickly.

    Russia Demands Israel Stop Sovereignty-Violating Airstrikes on Syria

    Russia issued a statement Monday, warning such attacks are “categorically unacceptable.”

    By Jason Ditz

    Over the weekend, Israel carried out attacks against a poultry farm on the Syrian coast, wounding two civilians. Russia issued a statement Monday, warning such attacks are “categorically unacceptable.”

    Russia has positions on the Syrian coast, and has warned Israel away from the area before. The latest attack came from the coast, and conspicuously Russia didn’t comment when it happened.

    The Russians say it violates Syrian sovereignty, and is against international norms. Those are plainly true things, but have never stopped Israel before.

    Israel has shown time and again they’re willing to keep attacking over objections. If Russia decides to flat out stop them militarily, they clearly could, but so far that’s not been the case.

    Instead Russia has tried to deter further attacks with air defenses. That’s allowed Syria to intercept more Israeli missiles, but not stop them outright. This warning sounds serious, but so did the last few without any action to stop the attacks.

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    EURO CURRENCY PLUNGING AGAINST U.S. DOLLAR

    The EURO currency is plunging in value against the U.S. Dollar all day Tuesday, as the world realizes what absolutely must happen as a result of Russia’s announcement they will no longer sell vital commodities to “unfriendly nations.”

    At the start of currency trading in the world Tuesday, it took 92 “EURO cents” to buy one U.S. Dollar.    As the day wore on, the value of the EURO plunged so that it now takes 105.552 EURO cents to buy one U.S. dollar.   That’s a plunge in value of 14.47% in one day!

    The chart below shows the plunge of the EURO in trading today:

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    The reason this is happening has to do with a Decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, July 4.   In that Decree, Russia declared it will no longer sell vital commodities to “unfriendly nations.”

    Since March, Russia decided that they would allow European countries to deposit EUROS into Russia’s GAZPROM Bank, the bank would convert the money into Rubles (Russia’s national currency) and those Rubles would be sent into Russia to pay for goods and services.

    The reason Russia did that was because Europe SEIZED / CONFISCATED upwards of $285 BILLION in Russian Sovereign Wealth Funds that had been held on deposit in European Banks.   The money was grabbed by Europe as “Sanctions” against Russia for entering Ukraine militarily.

    Put simply, Europe stole Russia’s money.

    The Russians, unwilling to be robbed again, then established the trade policy outlined above, depositing EUROS in GAZPROM Bank branches IN EUROPE, having them converted into Rubles, and then sending the Rubles into Russia to pay.   Through this method, Europe was unable to seize any more Russian money.

    In the ensuing months, the Europeans have literally doubled-down on Sanctions, grabbing the yachts of Russian wealthy oligarchs, cutting off transit of goods from Russia into its exclave state (oblast) of Kaliningrad.

    So now, Russia has decreed that they will no longer sell vital commodities — at all — to unfriendly nations.

    This means, among other things, no gas, no oil, no wheat, no barley, no chemical neon gas, etc.

    Well, Europe NEEDS those things to exist.   Without Russian oil and gas, European industry won’t be able to operate.  Plants will shut down.  Jobs will be abolished.  Products won’t be manufactured.

    Without gas, European power plants won’t be able to generate enough electricity to keep businesses running.  There also won’t be enough gas for common citizens in Europe to heat their homes this coming winter.

    Without Russian Wheat and other agriculture, Europeans will go hungry.

    This is the future of Europe: Cold, hungry, no jobs, no industry.

    Europe thought they could literally break Russia’s economy with Sanctions over Ukraine.  Instead, what actually happened was Russia’s economy got through a tough hit and survived, but now Europe’s economy is the one being actually destroyed; by their own Sanctions.

    Because the money class sees that Europe cannot survive economically, or agriculturally, they realize the European Currency will likely collapse and be worthless.  So they’re SELLING EUROS to get rid of them while they still have value.

    The chart below show the gains by the U.S. Dollar against the EURO today:

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    Thus, today’s plunge in value of the EURO versus the U.S. Dollar.

    Trouble is, as Europe goes . . .  so goes the United States about two or three weeks later.

    Of course, the US has it’s own oil and natural gas, so while it will be amazingly expensive, we’ll still be able to get it.

    And the US is a large producer of Agriculture, despite the fed Gov doing it’s best to order farmers to plow-under their fields due to greenhouse gases, carbon emissions, and environmental concerns.  So while food will get stunningly expensive, there will still be food in America.

    There may not be, in Europe.

    The real impact upon the U.S. will come as European industry closes.  THAT is what will hit U.S. industry very hard, and whether it survives . . . is a real question.

    As of today, what Europe absolutely, positively, without doubt and without fail, WILL SUFFER, can only be compared to the Great Depression and conditions during World War 2.

    They WILL suffer this, by the end of 2022.  No way to avoid it.  At all.

    What the U.S. will end up suffering will be somewhere between the great depression and the 2008 financial crisis.   Closer, though, to the Great Depression.  Because without products and services from Europe, the US will see wide swaths of its industry, crippled.

    Thank all those people who pushed “free trade” in the 1990’s and early 2000’s.  They are personally to blame for what’s coming because they outsourced so much production to foreign entities, so they could personally pocket the money saved by reduced labor costs of foreign lands, while keeping prices for goods the same as they had previously been.

    They sold out America to line their own pockets.  THAT is what the “free trade” crowd did.

    The Question of Ancient Kings: Cerdic of Wessex, First Saxon King of England?

    Historians of the ancient world face a myriad of challenges when studying the past. Centuries of legends and myths become intertwined with recorded facts, leaving behind a complex web of mystery. Such is the case with Cerdic of Wessex. Was he an ancient Saxon conqueror, or a British ealdorman? Did he do battle with King Arthur, or was he the legendary wielder of Excalibur himself? Did Cerdic of Wessex even exist?

    Cerdic of Wessex and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

    According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , Cerdic of Wessex did, indeed, exist. The Chronicle was the first attempt at an official record of English history, written around 890 AD and edited up until 1100 AD. It tells us that Cerdic was a Saxon (referring to people of Germanic descent who occupied central and northern Germany) chieftain who landed at modern-day Hampshire in 495 with five ships full of warriors.

    By 519, Cerdic and his son, Cynric, had laid claim to swathes of land through a series of battles with the Britons. After his victory at the Battle of Cerdic’s Ford, Cerdic established the Kingdom of the West Saxons (Wessex) with himself as king.

    Cerdic is thought to have died in 534, yet his influence lasted for centuries. Some genealogies of the English monarchy claim that every monarch of England except for Canute, Hardecanute, the Harolds, and William the Conqueror descended from Cerdic.

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    South Britain in the early 6th century, which more or less corresponds to when Cerdic of Wessex lived. (my work / CC BY-SA 3.0 )

    Cerdic of Wessex: King or Ealdorman?

    Here is where the historical record becomes complicated. First, scholars have noted that “Cerdic” is a British name , not Saxon. Additionally, the Chronicle refers to Cerdic and Cynric as ealdormen, not kings. If they were leaders of an invading party from the continent, why the title of ealdormen, which suggests they were appointed officials in some capacity?

    Finally, ancient sources differ and conflict in their account of Cerdic’s life, reign, and lineage, and the Chronicle, our primary source of evidence regarding Cerdic, was written 350 years after the events described.

    Still, while the accuracy of the record cannot be completely trusted, Cerdic is referenced in numerous works. Additionally, three locations in England bear his name: Cerdicesford, Cerdicesleaga, and Cerdicesbeorg. We can presume that these places were named after an influential person, and that that person was Cerdic.

    Theories Regarding Cerdic’s Name

    Rodney Castleden, author of numerous well-respected history books, posits that Cerdic may have been a Briton whose family was entrusted by the late Roman Empire to defend a portion of the Saxon Shore (a series of fortifications put in place along both sides of the English Channel). Cerdic may have decided to expand his territory and initiated his invasion from his family’s holding. This would explain the title of ealdormen as well as the British etymology of the name and is supported by the lack of Saxon architecture in the area.

    Castleden further argues that Cerdic may have been neither Germanic nor a local of what would later be called Wessex; he may have come from Sussex as an advance party. Cerdic’s arrival along the Southampton coast in 495 coincides with Aelle’s (King of the South Saxons) consolidation of his kingdom and would be a logical strategic maneuver. The name “Cerdic” may have been a nickname given by other residents of Sussex and adopted by Cerdic, as Saxons taking on British names was not unprecedented (Castleden points to Caedbaed, an Anglo-Saxon king who took a British name). But while these are historically logical explanations of some aspects of Cerdic’s aura of mystery, what of his relation to King Arthur ?

    Arthurian Legend and Cerdic, King of Wessex

    First, historical consensus is that there is no evidence King Arthur was a real person. The two primary descriptions of Arthur, Nennius’ history of Arthur’s 12 battles and Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the King’s of Britain, are based primarily on poetry or a long-lost manuscript that Monmouth supposedly had access to. Each presents a series of physical impossibilities. For example, Nennius’ 12 battles were so geographically widespread it is unlikely Arthur could have participated in all of them. Additionally, the only surviving contemporary historic record of a battle between the Saxons and Britons (Badon Hills) does not describe Arthur at all. How, then, did Cerdic become involved in the myth and legend of Arthur?

    Details regarding the life and exploits of Cerdic are hardly available, which likely lead to historians “filling in the blanks” over centuries of writing. In his 1862 book, The Manual of Dates, George H. Townsend references a battle fought in 520 between Cerdic and Arthur. Yet, if Arthur, who supposedly never lost a fight, won a resounding victory over Cerdic of Wessex, why was Cerdic allowed to conquer so much territory and establish a kingdom? While much of Arthur’s supposed life is shrouded in total mystery, at least portions of Cerdic’s are accepted as fact, including his successful invasion of the Isle of Wight in 530, just a few years after he was supposed to have been defeated by Arthur. Thus, even if Arthur existed, it seems highly unlikely the two ever met on the battlefield.

    Silent Hill Promotional Event In Tokyo

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    Models dressed as bandaged nurses take part in a promotional event for the film “Silent Hill” on June 22, 2006 in Tokyo, Japan.

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    Are Cerdic and King Arthur One in the Same?

    Historians John and Joseph Rudmin noted a number of similarities between the Arthur of legend and the Cerdic of history (who they posit was also known as Ceredig Vreichvras). They examined several writings regarding both figures and created a table comparing them side-by-side, revealing striking parallels. The paper makes for fascinating reading and argues that King Arthur and Cerdic were actually the same person, which the authors claim resolves a number of the problems surrounding Arthur’s potential presence in history. Others, however, have pointed out that these conclusions rest on the shaky foundations of assumption and lack the kind of hard historical evidence necessary to draw a firm conclusion.

    Ultimately, modern historians must grapple with the fact that history has often been used as a political tool. For centuries (and yes, even today) historical narratives served to bolster nationalism, to push political ideals, to boost the reputation of leaders, or to minimize dark deeds.

    This fact, when combined with the often ill-recorded details of the ancient world, leads to figures like King Arthur and Cerdic of Wessex, people shrouded in mystery whose lives were mythologized by successive chroniclers of history weaving stories to suit their needs.

    We may never know the actual truth of who Cerdic was, why he was so influential, or whether he may have inspired Arthurian legend, but to be honest, the mysteries of history are half the fun.

    This is what “Diversity” Actually Is . . .

    The politically-correct, and the weak-minded have, for years, told us that “Diversity is our strength” when reality shows it is just the opposite.  Want proof? Watch the two minute video of “Diversity” attacking in New York City . . .

    The video below is from Bel Fries in New York City.   The three women were told that the fries they ordered would cost $1.75 more for the extra sauce they wanted.   The women didn’t want to pay the $1,75 . . . . so they did this:

    THIS is what “Diversity” actually is:

    The New York City Police Department has confirmed the arrests of the three women: Pearl Ozaria , 27, Chitara Plasencia , 25, and Tatiyanna Johnson , 23.”

    Ahhhhhh “Diversity.”   Had enough yet?

    The U.S. is welcoming Finland and Sweden to NATO. That’s a mistake.

    Instead of lowering the chances of war, the membership of the two Nordic countries increases the risk for the entire alliance.
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    When NATO alliance members meet in Madrid this week, one of the featured agenda items is Finland and Sweden’s request to officially join the alliance. The NATO leadership has welcomed their ascension, with Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg saying the two countries’ “membership in NATO would increase our shared security.” Though member state Turkey originally signaled it objected to the idea, it lifted its opposition after a breakthrough on Tuesday that clears the way for the Nordic states.

    While enlarging NATO might seem like a wise thing to do in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it doesn’t take much sober analysis to conclude that adding yet more NATO members is likely to have the opposite effect of what the secretary general hopes.

    Instead of lowering the chances of war, the membership of Finland and Sweden would increase the risk of future conflict for the entire alliance; adding two more triggers for Article 5 — the provision in the NATO charter that stipulates that an attack on one is an attack on all — would add to the risk of war for the entire alliance. That would be an unwise course in any case, but it’s particularly ill-advised given that it would make Finland and Sweden more vulnerable, as well.

    But there is an even more fundamental reason to oppose expanding the alliance at present: It isn’t needed. Russia has exposed itself as being shockingly weak in conventional military power, and it is now clear, beyond any question, that Russian ground forces don’t even possess the capacity to invade the NATO alliance. It isn’t entirely clear that Moscow will be able to capture the entirety of the Donbas region, in the single country of Ukraine, directly on its border. Russia is constrained in its ability to project power beyond its country by systemic flaws in its logistics system. It is very difficult to get supplies beyond more than 180 miles away and virtually impossible beyond that without dedicated rail links.

    It is understandable that people who live near Russia would be afraid that one day Russia might invade them as it invaded Ukraine, and that, no doubt, led Sweden and Finland to make a sudden U-turn on their long-held preferences for neutrality. But an unemotional evaluation of their neighborhood shows their fears are misplaced. Sweden and Finland are at no clearer risk of an attack from Moscow than they have been for the past 70 years.

    Though the U.S. has also recently shown itself eager to expand the alliance to these countries, the accession of Sweden and, especially, Finland could hardly be said to further the American national interest. Finland shares a roughly 800-mile border with Russia that NATO would be committed to defend, and this defense — or the stationing of NATO military infrastructure in Finland — would risk antagonizing Russia.

    Washington should at least be clear that if Finland becomes a NATO member, it expects that the Europeans would be tasked with defending Finland’s border, as the U.S. itself is already doing too much for the defense of wealthy and capable European countries.

    None of this is to say that Russia doesn’t pose a danger to Europe, however. It does.

    But the nature of the threat isn’t conventional military power; it’s the massive Russian nuclear arsenal that could nearly wipe out the U.S. and Europe in an Armageddon-type scenario.

    Have Breakfast Ready in 60 Seconds Each Morning with these Freezer Friendly Breakfast Burritos

    This is a SUPER IMPORTANT video. Check it out.

    “Partnership in Blue Pacific” to Turn Pacific Islands into Anti-China War Zone

    If world war III in Europe isn’t enough, they want it to also occur in the Pacific.

    Finland and Sweden’s joining NATO is the ‘opposite of what President Putin wanted,’ says former Ambassador Bill Taylor

    June 29, 202200:42

    Russia poses no realistic threat to Sweden or Finland. Since World War II, Russia hasn’t exhibited the slightest interest in territorial acquisition in either country, and in fact, Finland and Russia were on friendly terms during the Cold War. In contrast, Russia was consistently and emphatically clear for 15 years that it regarded any NATO expansion along its border in either Ukraine or Georgia as an existential threat that it would use force to prevent — and in fact has done so twice (Georgia 2008 and Ukraine 2014). Thus Georgia and Ukraine had reason to fear a Russian attack. Finland and Sweden don’t.

    Extending NATO membership to these two countries wouldn’t only burden the U.S., which would be expected to go to war on behalf of these two Nordic states if they are attacked. It would saddle Helsinki and Stockholm with troubles, as well. Up to now, if a war ever broke out between NATO and Russia, both Finland and Sweden would have been protected by their neutral status. If membership were extended to both, that protection would be gone.

    If the two became NATO members and the alliance went to war with Russia in the future, both countries would be thrust almost immediately into an armed conflict whether they wanted to be or not — and even if their national interests weren’t otherwise threatened. Given their status as NATO members, the Kremlin would almost certainly attack airfields and ports in both countries to prevent other allies from using their facilities to stage attacks against Russia.

    Federal Agents Personally Delivering “Cease and Desist” Letters for Social Media Postings about Gov’t

    It's American "freedom" don't you know!

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    Four (4) federal Agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, paid a personal visit to Madeline Walker of Texas, to warn her, in writing, that her “harassing and threatening” social media posts about government ” are unnecessary and unwelcome” and if she doesn’t stop, they will arrest her under 18 USC 115.

    Now, Ms. Walker is a radical leftist, pro-abortion person.   In a recent social media post on Twitter about the US Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, she wrote:

    “Burn every fucking government building down right the fuck now.  Slaughter them all. Fuck you god damn pigs.”

    Ms. Walker then found four federal agents banging on her Texas home’s front door early this morning.   Among those agents was:

    Joshua H. Henry, Special Agent, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, National Protection and Programs Directorate, Federal Protective Service  out of Houston, TX, who questioned her about her posting and handed her this letter:

    For what it’s worth, the Statute they cite is the precise statute under which I was personally convicted, after THREE trials in US District Court back in 2009 and 2010.

    First trial in December, 2009, resulted in a Hung Jury.  Second trial in March, 2010 also resulted in a Hung Jury.   By the third trial, I was Bankrupt from having been held without Bail for writing an Editorial they didn’t like, filed bankruptcy because I could no longer afford to pay my attorneys – or anyone else- having been held in jail for 119 days without bail, and was given a  public Defender.  He did such a poor job that, at trial three in August, 2010, I was convicted.

    I was Sentenced to 33 months in federal prison, for including in my Editorial about a Gun Control case in Chicago, my opinion that “these judges deserve to be killed.”

    I was held in the Communications Management Unit (Terrorist Unit) at the Federal Correctional Institution in Terre Haute, Indiana.  Tighter security and fewer privileges than Super Max!

    So, in short, I said someone “deserves” to be killed and got 33 months federal terrorist prison.  She told the world: ““Burn every fucking government building down right the fuck now.  Slaughter them all. Fuck you god damn pigs.” and she got a hand delivered cease and desist letter.

    So right-wing conservatives like me get prison, while left-wing maniacs get a cease and desist letter.   Same criminal statute!  How’s THAT for “equal protection of the law?”

    Oh and about the letter above, this is how they intend to intimidate Americans into shutting up.   Calling protected speech “Harassment/threats” is deliberate intimidation by them.

    Such is the state of “liberty” in the USA.

    Pathetic.

    Rationing Has Already Started In Europe As The Entire Globe Plunges Into A Horrific Economic Nightmare

    If countries in Europe are already beginning to ration certain things due to “supply problems”, how long will it be before it starts happening in the United States?  Up until the past couple of years, many of us in the western world always considered shortages to be something that only “unsophisticated” poor countries on the other side of the planet had to deal with.  But the last couple of years have shown us that painful shortages can happen to wealthy countries in the western world too.  At first we were told that they were “just temporary”, but the months went by and we just kept having more shortages.  In fact, in 2022 “supply problems” have become so serious that many supermarkets in Europe have been forced to strictly ration essential items at various times.  For example, it was being reported that due to the war in Ukraine flour, sunflower oil and sugar were all being rationed by stores in Greece

    After limiting the sale of some flours and sunflower oil online, Greek supermarkets are turning to rationing the sale of sugar as well, now including in their stores, over supply problems.
    
    The AB Vassilopoulos is setting a maximum limit on the purchase of all brands of corn and sunflower oil and of flour per customer while Mymarket put a ceiling on sunflower oil purchases and Sklavenitis has added sugar to the rationed sales of corn oil through its online store, with a maximum of four packs, the products in high demand from restaurants, some of which said they have to stop selling french fries and other fried foods.

    Over the past few months we have seen similar measures implemented in other major European nations as well.  For example, the war in Ukraine prompted some pretty severe rationing in Spain

    Sporadic shortages of products like eggs, milk, and other dairy products also hit Spain since the war in Ukraine began. And major supermarkets including Mercadona and Makro began rationing sunflower oil earlier this month.
    
    Now, stores will temporarily be allowed to limit “the number of goods that can be bought by a client,” according to information in the Official State Gazette published on Wednesday.

    Looking forward, natural gas rationing is the next big thing that many people in Europe are talking about.  The flow of Russian natural gas into Europe has been cut back, and it appears that this may soon cause widespread rationing in Italy

    Italy may start rationing natural-gas consumption to certain industrial giants, after Russia’s Gazprom halved supplies on Friday.
    
    On the weekend, the newspaper Corriere della Sera reported that the Italian government and energy industry would meet Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss the crisis, with the likely outcome being the introduction of a state of alert under the country’s gas emergency protocol.

    And CNN is reporting that Germany is “one step closer to rationing supplies” now that Russia has decided to reduce the flow of natural gas going to that country…

    Europe’s biggest economy is now officially running short of natural gas and is escalating a crisis plan to preserve supplies as Russia turns off the taps.
    
    Germany on Thursday activated the second phase of its three-stage gas emergency program, taking it one step closer to rationing supplies to industry — a step that would deliver a huge blow to the manufacturing heart of its economy.

    Of course there are other parts of the globe that are dealing with problems that are far, far more serious than what Europe is facing right now.

    As I discussed in an article that I posted earlier this week, significant numbers of people are starting to literally drop dead from starvation in portions of eastern Africa.  Global food supplies just keep getting tighter, and the head of the UN is openly telling us that the world is heading into an “unprecedented global hunger crisis”.

    So if you have plenty of food to eat tonight, you should be thankful.

    Here in the United States, economic conditions are deteriorating fairly rapidly, and most Americans are completely and totally unprepared for any sort of a major economic downturn.  Earlier today, I came across yet another survey that shows that about 60 percent of all Americans are currently living paycheck to paycheck

    “We find that consumers in all income brackets — including those who make more than $100,000 annually — are living paycheck to paycheck. PYMNTS’ research finds that 61% of U.S. consumers were living paycheck to paycheck in April 2022, marking a 9 percentage point increase from 52% in April 2021, meaning that approximately three in five U.S. consumers devote nearly all of their salaries to expenses with little to nothing left over at the end of the month.”

    So what is going to happen when those people start losing their jobs in large numbers?

    Already, we have seen the number of tech layoffs greatly accelerate over the last couple of months.

    Sadly, the layoffs will get much worse in the months ahead.

    And as inflation continues to systematically eat away at our standard of living, Americans are turning to credit cards at a record pace

    As Americans grapple with the highest inflation in 40 years, the number of new credit cards have surged as more Americans rely on them to keep up with high prices. According to a recent report from the Federal Reserve, revolving credit (credit cards and lines of credit) increased by 19.6% from the previous year to $1.103 trillion.

    Going into credit card debt is not a solution.

    At best, it can buy you a little bit of time.

    And it is especially a bad idea to go into credit card debt as we plunge into a recession.

    At this point, almost everyone realizes that things are going to get bad.  According to one recent poll, a whopping 85 percent of all Americans believe that the U.S. is “headed in the wrong direction”

    The national dissatisfaction is bipartisan. Most Americans, 85%, say the country is headed in the wrong direction. A majority of Republicans have been unhappy with the direction of the country since Biden’s election. Democrats had been positive about how things were going, but now 78% say the country is headed in the wrong direction.

    I was astounded to see that 78 percent of Democrats believe that the U.S. is headed in the wrong direction with a Democrat in the White House.

    I have never seen a number like that ever before.

    But this is just another indication that the hour is late and that things are about to start getting really crazy out there.

    For the moment, life is still at least somewhat normal in the western world.

    Sadly, it won’t stay that way for long, and so I would recommend using your time wisely.

    Neil Oliver: This supposed utopia we’re having rammed down our throats isn’t working

    Well said. I really like Neil.

    Pfizer fraud admitted

    In an interview with The Defender, the lawyer representing whistleblower Brook Jackson said Pfizer is arguing the court should dismiss Jackson’s lawsuit alleging fraud in Pfizer’s COVID-19 clinical trials because the U.S. government knew about the wrongdoings but continued to do business with the vaccine maker.

    lawsuit filed by whistleblower Brook Jackson alleging Pfizer and two of its contractors manipulated data and committed other acts of fraud during Pfizer’s COVID-19 clinical trials is paused following a motion by the defendants to dismiss the case.

    In an interview with The Defender, Jackson’s lawyer said Pfizer argued the lawsuit, which was filed under the False Claims Act, should be dismissed because the U.S. government knew of the wrongdoings in the clinical trials but continued to do business with the vaccine maker.

    Under the False Claims Act, whistleblowers can be rewarded for confidentially disclosing fraud that results in a financial loss to the federal government.

    However, a 2016 U.S. Supreme Court decision that expanded the scope of a legal principle known as “materiality” resulted in a series of federal court decisions in which fraud cases brought under the False Claims Act were dismissed.

    As interpreted by the Supreme Court, if the government continued paying a contractor despite the contractor’s fraudulent activity, the fraud was not considered “material” to the contract.

    Pfizer is a federal contractor because it signed multiple contracts with the U.S. government to provide COVID-19 vaccines and Paxlovid, a pill used to treat the virus.

    “Pfizer claims they can get away with fraud as long as the government would write them a check despite knowing about the fraud,” attorney Robert Barnes said.

    The other two defendants in the case are Ventavia Research Group, which conducted vaccine trials on behalf of Pfizer, and ICON PLC, also a Pfizer contractor.

    In an attempt to strengthen the False Claims Act’s anti-retaliation provisions and install new safeguards against industry-level blacklisting of whistleblowers seeking employment, Congress in July 2021 introduced the False Claims Amendments Act of 2021.

    In December 2021, Pfizer hired a well-connected lobbyist, Hazen Marshall, and the law firm Williams & Jensen to lobby against the bill.

    Pfizer previously was heavily fined in connection with the False Claims Act. As part of a 2009 settlement, the company paid $2.3 billion in fines — the largest healthcare fraud settlement in the history of the U.S. Department of Justice — stemming from allegations of illegal marketing of off-label products not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

    “Pfizer, one of the most criminally fined drug companies in the world, wants to weaken the laws that hold them accountable,” Barnes told The Defender.

    Congress has taken no action on the False Claims Amendments Act since November 2021, when the bill was added to the Senate’s legislative calendar.

    Barnes said the outcome of Jackson’s case against Pfizer is significant not just for his client, but also for the American public.

    “This case will determine if Big Pharma can rip off the American people using a dangerous drug that harms millions without any legal remedy because they claim the government was in on the scam.”

    Jackson was a regional director for Ventavia for a brief period in 2020 but was fired after she notified the FDA about issues with Pfizer’s vaccine trials.

    After she was fired, she gave The BMJ a cache of internal company documents, photos and recordings highlighting the alleged wrongdoing by Ventavia.

    The documents she provided contained evidence of falsified data, blind trial failures and awareness on the part of at least one Ventavia executive that members of the company’s staff were “falsifying data.”

    Jackson’s documents also provided evidence of administrators who had “no training” or medical certifications, or who provided “very little oversight” during the trials.

    Jackson filed her complaint in August 2021, in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas, Beaumont Division, alleging Pfizer, Ventavia and ICON “deliberately withheld crucial information from the United States that calls the safety and efficacy of their vaccine into question.”

    A district court judge in February unsealed Jackson’s complaint, which included 400 pages of exhibits.

    According to the complaint, Jackson, who had more than 15 years of experience working with clinical trials, “repeatedly informed her superiors of poor laboratory management, patient safety concerns and data integrity issues” during the approximately two weeks she was employed by Ventavia.

    “Brook [Jackson] brought a Qui Tam action and a retaliatory discharge case against Pfizer and others for fraud on the people concerning Pfizer’s false certifications to the U.S. Department of Defense about the safety and efficacy of their COVID-19 vaccine,” Barnes said.

    A Qui Tam case refers to a provision under the False Claims Act that allows individuals and entities with evidence of fraud against federal programs or contracts to sue the wrongdoer on behalf of the U.S. government

    “She was part of the clinical trials, witnessed extraordinary malfeasance, blew the whistle, and was quickly fired after she blew the whistle.”

    Barnes said his legal team will in August file its opposition brief to Pfizer’s motion to dismiss, and the judge may rule on the motion to dismiss by fall 2022.

    Full article HERE

    We Are Witnessing A Stunning Breakdown Of Law And Order, And The Overwhelmed Police Seem Powerless To Stop It

    Violent crimes are on the rise in six of America’s major cities and set to outpace the already historic levels of 2021 violent crime.
    
    Baltimore, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Atlanta, and New York City are all on pace to break their 2021 levels of violent crime halfway through this year, with the nation’s largest city leading the group, according to crime data reviewed by Fox News.

    At this point, violent crime is up 25.8 percent in New York City compared to the first half of last year.

    That is staggering.

    Of course New York City still has a way to go before it gets as bad as Chicago.

    In the Windy City, there are hundreds of thousands of “high-priority emergency service calls” each year, and last year there were no police available to respond to those calls 52 percent of the time

    New data uncovered by Wirepoints through public records requests to the Chicago Police Department (CPD) reveal that in 2021 there were 406,829 incidents of high-priority emergency service calls for which there were no police available to respond.
    
    That was 52 percent of the 788,000 high-priority 911 service calls dispatched in 2021.

    So if you are the victim of a violent crime in Chicago, your odds of having a police officer available to help you are about the same as guessing a coin flip correctly.

    The following is a partial list of “high-priority emergency service calls” for which no police officer was available in 2021…

    • 14,955 – assaults in progress.
    • 17,828 – batteries in progress.
    • 16,350 – person with a gun.
    • 5,210 – person with a knife.
    • 12,787 – shots fired (reports from people, not the city’s automated “Shotspotter”)
    • 1,352 – person shot.
    • 887 – person stabbed.
    • 14,265 – domestic battery.

    Despite numbers such as these, there are lots of people out there that are relentlessly calling for the police to be “defunded”.

    Do they want total anarchy?

    Because that is what would happen.

    Our streets are already bad enough.  As you can see from this video, police in Chicago are having a really difficult time even protecting themselves at this point.

    But Chicago actually doesn’t have the highest murder rate in the nation.

    That honor goes to New Orleans

    It’s no secret that New Orleans struggles with violent crime, but new statistics paint a grim picture of the Crescent City being on pace to be the murder capital of the United States if trends don’t change in 2022.
    
    According to data from AH Datalytics, compiled using the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program, New Orleans has a per capita year-to-date homicide rate of 72 per 100,000 residents. The next three U.S. cities behind New Orleans are Birmingham with a per capita homicide rate of 59 per 100,000 residents and Baltimore and St. Louis, each with a per capita homicide rate of 58 per 100,000 residents.

    So far this year, the murder rate in New Orleans is up 44 percent.

    But the corporate media is trying to convince us that all of this is perfectly “normal”, aren’t they?

    Do you believe them?

    One man that will never be fooled is World War II veteran Carl Spurlin Deke.  He just turned 100 years old on June 29th, and when he was interviewed by a local news outlet he boldly declared that the U.S. “is going to hell in a handbasket”

    Deke’s gratitude for his life quickly turned into an emotional confession about his concern about the entitlement and ungrateful grievance erupting from younger generations saying, “People don’t realize what they have. They b*tch about it. And then nowadays, I am so upset because the things we did, the things we fought for, and the boys that died for it, it’s all going down the drain.” Deke began weeping as he added “Our country is going to hell in a handbasket. We haven’t got the country we had when I was raised, not at all.”
    
    The 100-year-old WWII vet cried for those growing up in America today saying, “Nobody will have the opportunity I had. It’s just not the same. That’s not what our boys, that’s not what they died for.”

    Sadly, he is 100 percent correct.

    We are in an advanced state of decline, and it is getting worse with each passing day.

    If things are this bad now, what will this country look like once economic conditions deteriorate quite a bit more?

    Previous generations of young Americans were equipped to handle adversity.

    This generation of young Americans is not.

    The thin veneer of civilization that we all used to be able to take for granted is steadily disappearing, and our society is evolving into a horror show that would have been unrecognizable to previous generations.

    If we would have done things differently, we could have gotten much different results.

    Our choices have consequences, and now most of our major cities are being transformed into crime-infested hellholes right in front of our eyes.

    Are there any old “Mad Magazine” fans out there?

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    Buying FLOODED Supercars at Salvage Auction for CHEAP!

    Oh My God! Don’t ejaculate on your screen!

    U.S. Generals Have Been Wrong on Ukraine. We Shouldn’t Be Shocked

    Frederick B. Hodges, former commanding general of U.S. Army-Europe, claimed last month that Ukraine’s forces would soon slow Russia’s advance and, the New York Times reported, begin “to roll back its gains by late summer.” Hodges said his confidence was based on his belief that “the Ukrainian logistical situation getting better each week while the Russian logistical situation will slowly degrade.”

    Such claims, however, are in contradiction to observable reality on the battlefield – and continue a disturbing, decades-long trend of poor and misleading advice given by America’s top military officers.

    Listening over the past four months to what America’s retired generals and admirals have said on TV, one would be forgiven for believing that Ukraine is winning its war with Russia, that Putin’s troops and leaders are incompetent, and that soon Ukrainian troops will begin rolling the Russians back.

    Such belief, however, would be badly misplaced, as substantial evidence indicates virtually the opposite.

    A Rosy Look at the Brutal Battle in Ukraine

    Rosy, optimistic – and inaccurate – assessments from U.S. flag officers have unfortunately become the norm over the past few decades. While some current and former generals give excellent and accurate assessments, there are far too many that don’t. The consequence to American policy has often been severe. It is time to reassess how much credibility we should place with American generals and admirals.

    As I have chronicled on these pages, the conditions and military fundamentals clearly evident for years have strongly suggested that Ukraine could not win a war with Russia, and that both Kyiv and Washington should have made different policy choices based on that reality, both before and since Russia’s illegal invasion. But as graphically detailed below, active and retired flag officers have continually claimed that – ignoring clear evidence to the contrary – Ukraine has a chance to win the war.

    Encouraging Ukraine to Keep Up the Fight

    Such unwarranted assertions have led policymakers and the American public to believe, improperly, that we should continue encouraging Ukraine to maintain its fight against Russia. American official policy has been to provide Kyiv with substantial armaments to defend itself and overwhelming emotional support.

    If the generals were right, if Ukraine were indeed close to winning the war, and if the aid we have offered could tip the scales in Kyiv’s favor, then our policy might make sense. But it doesn’t. Ukraine isn’t winning the war and isn’t even close to parity, much less superiority, to Russian forces.

    In my most recent piece at 19FortyFive, I detail many of the practical, military reasons Ukraine is losing the war and is likely to continue losing. In my assessment, if Kyiv continues refusing to seek a negotiated settlement with Russia – something that is understandably repugnant to many Ukrainian citizens and government – they are in danger not merely of sliding into a long-term stalemate, but of outright losing the war.

    I do not hesitate to admit that I can’t guarantee an outcome in this war. There are too many variables and information I don’t have, and do not have access to the secret council of either the Russian or Ukrainian general staff, or that of the western NATO leaders. A number of things could change the dynamics and trajectory of the war, which are not publicly known. Of course events that have yet to happen could result in major course changes.

    But as I have laid out in detail, the current trends and military fundamentals reveal Ukraine is unquestionably losing this war. For the conditions to change dramatically enough to make an eventual Ukrainian military victory possible, as many generals continue to claim, would require a radical shift from today’s realities. Beyond mere rhetoric, there is no evidence such a radical shift is forthcoming. It is therefore irresponsible, I argue, to tell the American people that the desired outcome is possible when all evidence screams that it’s not – and downright cruel to the Ukrainian Armed Forces and civilian population, to foster a belief that they have a chance.

    Should Washington Change Course?

    To have the best chance to protect America’s vital national interests and save as many Ukrainian people as possible from being killed, Washington must change course and begin to form policy based on a frank and honest assessment of the combat, economic, and diplomatic realities of this war. It will be hard to get to that rational place, however, unless we first recognize the consistently rosy pictures painted by America’s flag officers over the past few decades have been atrocious.

    My 21 years of active service in the U.S. Army, including four combat deployments, has put me in a position to personally observe many of the mistakes and bad judgments of both active and retired generals. The cumulative result of their frequently flawed advice has been uniformly bad for our country, resulting in some of the worst military and foreign policy decisions our country has made.

    Whether it was routine claims, made over a 20-year period, of success in the Afghan War when events conclusively proved it was always a disastrous failure, or perpetual claims of success during and after the 2003 Iraq war – before the Iraqi Security Forces the U.S. trained melted away at the first contact with the Islamic State – senior American military leaders have consistently misled the American public on the true state of affairs.

    Since virtually the beginning of the Ukraine-Russian war, American active and retired generals have consistently claimed that Russian troops were incompetent, that their troops were ill-disciplined, arrogant, unmotivated, and sometimes rebelled against their leaders and refused to fight. The Russians, many generals claimed, could not win, with Gen. Hodges claiming that Ukraine would begin rolling back Putin’s troops before the end of this summer.

    Yet Russia controls more than 20 percent of Ukrainian territory and continues conquering urban center after urban center in the Donbas, killing upwards of 200 troops per day, wounding another 500 in the process.

    Russia outguns Ukraine 20-1 in howitzers, 40-1 in artillery shells and Rockets, and has a significant advantage in air power. There is no rational basis upon which to claim that Ukraine can stop the Russians, much less roll them back.

     

    It is appropriate, in light of the awful record active and retired general officers have amassed over the past few decades, that both the media and public should give more scrutiny to future claims made by generals. It is understandable why many would give blanket trust to the word of a senior commander: they typically have 30-plus years of experience and have served at the highest levels. But evidence confirms that this trust has been misplaced and it is up to the generals to earn that trust back. Telling the truth and giving honest assessments would be a good place to start.

    Unboxing & Testing My Chinese “$2,000” ELECTRIC Truck!

    A great fun and interesting video.

    Some important Jeff Brown transcripts

    TRANSCRIPT: USDems + Ukraine + BW + BigRx + BLPM = Evil squared.
    HERE

    TRANSCRIPT: Evidence in Ukraine is piling up against Westerners for the anticipated Moscow War Crime Trials. HERE

    TRANSCRIPT: Does Ukraine equal Taiwan? Do they mean World War III?HERE

    TRANSCRIPT: More war crimes uncovered in NATO’s Ukraine: organ harvesting behind the Red Cross.
    HERE

    TRANSCRIPT: $40 billion to arm Ukraine? It couldn’t happen before 1950. How the military-industrial complex took over the USA. HERE

    TRANSCRIPT: Mao Zedong and Ho Chi Minh – Why they won. HERE

    How to make French Baguettes at home

    So very inspirational!!!!

    Conversation with American Mercenary, DPR POW: “Be Better Informed”

    NEW YORK, JUNE 28TH, 2022- Last week, two Americans who came to fight for the Ukrainian International Legion were widely reported as having been captured by the forces of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), the breakaway republic in Eastern Ukraine which is allied with Russia in the ongoing conflict in the region. Alexander John-Robert Drueke, 39, and Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh, 27, both residents of Alabama, were apparently captured amidst fighting in the outskirts of Kharkov, and to this point, had not had any contact with American press.

    This afternoon, my phone rang as I was driving home out in Eastern Long Island, and a Russian number appeared on my Caller ID. It was a number that had previously been used by British POW Aiden Aslin to contact me, as the DPR administration had my information from my time reporting in Donbass. Mr. Aslin, a British national who had been living with a family in Ukraine and was a regular in the Ukrainian marines, was sentenced to death in the DPR, for the crimes of being a mercenary and killing civilians, and is currently waiting to see if a prisoner exchange can be facilitated for his release, though current reports do not look good for him. The DPR, unlike the Russian Federation, has not banned capital punishment, and per my discussions with Mr. Aslin, the lack of footwork on his behalf on the part of Ukrainian and British authorities is the reason his exchange has not been prioritized.

    This time, however, when I answered, the caller identified himself as Alexander John-Robert Drueke, accompanied by his DPR state-provided lawyer, from his captivity site in Donetsk, DPR. Alexander is from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and served 12 years in the U.S. army reserve, including two deployments to Iraq, though neither put him into active combat. Above all, he is similarly seeking a prisoner exchange, but he described to me in relative detail how he ended up in his current predicament, and some of his perspective on the situation.

    He said that early this year, he had extensively watched American and other western news reports on the developing conflict in Ukraine, and was particularly affected by images of Ukrainians fleeing their homes. He is retired, was living on VA benefits, and he said that he felt that he “had to do something to help, not necessarily fighting, but whatever I could do.” He had no prior arrangements with the Ukrainian Armed Forces or the regime in Kiev, before flying to Warsaw, Poland from Atlanta, GA on April 12th of this year, hoping to find his way to Ukraine.

    On the 15th of April, he rode by bus over the border into Lvov, Ukraine without incident. There, he was quickly interviewed by the Ukrainian International Legion, who signed a contract with him to work in a training role with a unit in Lvov, an arrangement which only lasted 8 days. Alexander said he was “dissatisfied” with this unit, for reasons he’s not at liberty to share, due to a Non-Disclosure Agreement he signed in his contract, and by early June, he had signed paperwork to transfer to a recon unit across the country, in Kharkov. This unit was presumably overseen by the SBU, the primary Ukrainian Intelligence agency. Alexander and his friend, Mr. Huynh, arrived in Kharkov on June 7th, and on June 9th, they were sent into a combat mission, something Alexander said he didn’t expect to happen, and separated from the rest of their unit. They were both apprehended by a DPR patrol, and brought back to Donetsk for detainment; they have not been officially charged as of yet, but Alexander understands they are to be charged with being mercenaries, and presumably eligible to face the death penalty, though their charges are likely to be less severe than their British counterparts.

    Mr. Drueke’s captivity, as he described it, has been calm, and he has been well-treated, given the obviously uncomfortable broader context. He says he has been provided with food and water regularly, is in a cell by himself, and has not had any contact with his fellow American POW or any other prisoners, though for over a week now he has had access to phone calls, including to his mother, Lois Drueke, and has been contact with his lawyer every other day. He maintains a very close relationship with his mother, and she appears to be working tirelessly on his case; I have reached out to her for her comment, and have yet to hear back.

    The DPR authorities, per Alexander, are extremely willing to negotiate for his release in a prisoner exchange, and are generally motivated to secure safe return for their own people. While he has been in contact with the U.S. State Department (he named one Michael Abbott as his contact; I was not able to track this person down), and while the U.S. government has told Alexander and his mother that they are “doing what they can,” he told me that “the U.S. is not technically a combatant in this fight, and they have no one to exchange with the DPR, so what they can do is limited to pressuring Kiev.” Whether the Ukrainian authorities were working on his case was not clear to him, and he has had no contact since his capture with anyone in the Kiev government.

    When I asked him about his perspectives on the conflict now, versus when he made the decision to come over, his repeated emphasis was that he had been “extremely uninformed” when he was still in Alabama and relying on the narrative being spun by western media. “I can tell you that I was very surprised to see most women and children still at home and living normally in all the major Ukrainian cities I went to, and when I was detained here in Donestk, it was the first time I had been able to speak to any Russians or Russian-speakers from Donbass. There’s a side of the story that we’re not getting in America.” He noted that even from his cell in Donetsk, he had been hearing constant explosions, every day, coming from Ukrainian shelling of the city, something he had never anticipated, adding that “nothing in the western media shows you that this is a Civil War, and one that’s been going on a long time.” He didn’t go as far as disavowing the Ukrainian state, or endorsing the Russian Special Operation, but he repeatedly said to me, “if I had known the truth about what was going on over here, I would never have made the decision to come. I regret it.”

    While feelings of sympathy for a man in a life-and-death predicament, who at face value seems to have been duped into his decision, above all else, are completely understandable, some on the Donestk side of the conflict aren’t shedding many tears for him, or similar detainees. Russell “Texas” Bentley, an American-born veteran of the DPR armed forces since 2014, and a resident of Donetsk, shared with me his thoughts on Mr. Drueke and those like him: “Yeah, a lot of these punks were just too big for their britches, and that’s almost forgivable, but what they wanted to do was come here to kill, and if the shoe had been on the other foot, they wouldn’t have hesitated. I was behind Ukrop [Ukrainian] lines twice, and didn’t fire a shot either time. Every single battle I was ever in was defensive. We held a position, and the Ukrops came to attack us, and they’d have killed us all if they could have. So, it will be an educational experience for them, hopefully give them a bit of a head start in their next life.”

    My inquiries to the U.S. State Department and Ukrainian Military press contacts have yet to yield any responses; Alexander remains adamant that the DPR is eager to arrange his release, and hopeful that his government is trying to facilitate that, but says that “time is starting to run out.” Portuguese journalist Bruno Carvalho, with whom I worked in Donetsk, and who remains there on assignment, suggested that one of the hold-ups in these prisoner exchanges with DPR may be that a foreign government, such as the UK or US, agreeing to negotiate such an exchange might be tantamount to a recognition of the Republic, which on a diplomatic level, could have major ripple effects. After all, Russian President Putin’s recognition of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics proved to be the great harbinger of the recent escalation in what many see as a western proxy war against Russia.

    Before we hung up, I assured Alexander that I would at the very least write about our conversation, and I asked him what he might say to others who were caught in the fever of U.S. propaganda, and might have the same instincts to fly across the ocean and sign-up to fight for Ukraine.

    “As I said, I did not have a full understanding of what was going on, and if I had, I wouldn’t have made the decision that I did. What would I say to someone else? Do your research, look at sources outside of the West—be better informed.”

    Are You Willing To Suffer Through A Recession For The Good Of “The Liberal World Order”?

    How much are you willing to sacrifice for “the future of the liberal world order”?  As you will see below, the Biden administration is trying to convince us that supporting the “liberal world order” is far more important than any short-term economic pain that we are experiencing right now.  So are you willing to pay ridiculously high gas prices for the foreseeable future and suffer through a very serious economic downturn in order to put pressure on Vladimir Putin and Russia?  Some Americans would be willing to do that, but most would not.

    On Friday, we learned that the U.S. economy is heading in the wrong direction a lot quicker than most of the “experts” had anticipated.  The Atlanta Fed’s GDPNow model is currently projecting that economic growth for the second quarter of 2022 will be negative 2.1 percent

    The GDPNow model estimate for real GDP growth (seasonally adjusted annual rate) in the second quarter of 2022 is -2.1 percent on July 1, down from -1.0 percent on June 30. After this morning’s Manufacturing ISM Report On Business from the Institute for Supply Management and the construction report from the US Census Bureau, the nowcasts of second-quarter real personal consumption expenditures growth and real gross private domestic investment growth decreased from 1.7 percent and -13.2 percent, respectively, to 0.8 percent and -15.2 percent, respectively.

    U.S. GDP growth was negative during the first quarter, and if U.S. GDP growth is negative again in the second quarter that will mean that we are already in a recession right now.

    The Atlanta Fed’s GDPNow model should be taken very seriously, because it has a very strong track record of accuracy…

    “GDPNow has a strong track record, and the closer we get to July 28th’s release [of the initial Q2 GDP estimate] the more accurate it becomes,” wrote Nicholas Colas, co-founder of DataTrek Research.

    If it is confirmed later this month that we are already in a recession, it won’t exactly be a surprise, but the good news is that so far this new economic downturn is not that severe.

    Unfortunately, we continue to see more signs that things will soon get much worse.

    The pace of layoffs is really starting to accelerate and this is especially true in the tech industry.

    At this point, even Facebook is looking to thin the ranks

    In addition to the hiring freeze, Zuckerberg also noted the company was leaving some vacant positions at the company unfilled and “turning up the heat” on performance management to weed out staffers who are unable to meet certain KPIs.
    
    “Realistically, there are probably a bunch of people at the company who shouldn’t be here,” Zuckerberg said, adding, “Part of my hope by raising expectations and having more aggressive goals, and just kind of turning up the heat a little bit, is that I think some of you might decide that this place isn’t for you, and that self-selection is OK with me.”

    Meanwhile, we are seeing Americans cut back on their spending at a frightening pace.

    In fact, one recent survey discovered that a whopping 83 percent of all Americans have “slashed personal spending due to soaring prices”

    Provident Bank, based in New Jersey, found that 83% of respondents slashed personal spending due to soaring prices of food and gasoline, with 23% indicating they had to make “drastic changes” to their spending for financial survival. 
    
    According to the survey results of 600 adults, 10.5% of respondents eliminated all non-essential purchases, and nearly 72% said they made at least some changes to personal travel habits.

    And Wall Street seems to have finally gotten the message that very hard times are ahead.

    The first half of 2022 was the worst first half of a year for the S&P 500 since 1970, and the index has now plunged into bear market territory

    This all came a day after the S&P 500 posted a more than 16% quarterly loss – its biggest one-quarter fall since March 2020. For the first half, the broader market index dropped 20.6% for its largest first-half decline since 1970. It also tumbled into bear market territory, down more than 21% from a record high set early January.

    The Biden administration is openly admitting that more economic suffering is on the way, but we are being told that it is necessary.

    On Wednesday, CNN interviewed a key economic adviser to Joe Biden named Brian Deese, and what Deese said during that interview is making headlines all over the globe

    CNN anchor Victor Blackwell interviewed Deese on Thursday and cited that Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said on Wednesday the war between Russia and Ukraine could be a “grinding struggle” for years.
    
    Blackwell said, “I think everybody understands why this is happening, but is it sustainable? What do you say to those families who say, listen, we can’t afford to pay $4.85 a gallon for months, if not years? This is not sustainable.”
    
    Deese – who was formerly the global head of sustainable investing at BlackRock – replied, “What we heard from the president today was about the stakes. This is about the future of the liberal world order, and we have to stand firm.”

    No thank you.

    I don’t want anything to do with a “liberal world order”, and I am sure that most of you don’t either.

    In the old days they called it a “new world order”, but that phrase now has so many negative connotations to it that they decided to come up with something new.

    Will someone please tell them that “liberal world order” is even worse?

    These guys really stink at branding.

    Why do we even need to have a “world order” in the first place?

    Why can’t we just try to get along with everyone instead of trying to force our twisted values on the entire planet?

    I really wish that the U.S. and Russia would have just left Ukraine alone and would have allowed them to determine their own fate.

    Needless to say, that was never going to happen, and now the U.S. and Russia are engaged in a horrifying proxy war and countless Ukrainians are being sacrificed like pawns on a chessboard.

    If both sides continue to escalate this conflict, it could ultimately bring us to the brink of nuclear war.

    But at least we will be supporting “the future of the liberal world order”, and isn’t that what is really important?

    Many of us have been relentlessly warning about where all of this foolishness will eventually lead us, but most of the population doesn’t want to listen.

    Sadly, many will just continue to support “the current thing” no matter what the consequences are.

    The first half of 2022 has been full of surprises, but I am expecting global events to accelerate even more during the second half of this year.

    So hold on to your hats, because I believe that things are about to start getting really, really crazy out there.

    BOOM! Nordstream One Gas Pipeline Being Shut Down by Russia in 6 Days

    BREAKING NEWS: In exactly six (6) days, Germany will be completely cut-off from Russian natural gas.

    The Nordstream One pipeline will cease all natural gas flows into Germany in Six days.

    By Presidential Decree signed by Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin, Russia will no longer sell any “vital commodities” to “unfriendly nations.”

    Without natural gas from Russia, the German economy will . . .  stop.

    When Germany’s economy stops, the economies of other European countries, which also got their natural gas via the Nordstream One pipeline, will also . . .  stop.

    About two weeks after the European economy stops, the U.S. economy will be forced to shut down for lack of goods and services.

    The West has reached “The End” thanks to its own Sanctions against Russia.

    The only thing left for the West to do either lift all Sanctions from Russia and HOPE they respond favorably; or go to war against Russia.

    The economies of western nations cannot now be saved from collapse without cheap Russian energy.

    Lift the Sanctions or declare war.  There are no other options.

    Oh, and by the way . . . how would the west wage war without cheap energy to power it?

    DUUUUHHHHHH.

    The Sanctions imposed by the West against Russia have now backfired massively.  They have destroyed the economy of the West.

    Russia has won.

    The west has lost.

    The facts are not in dispute.

    Brilliant Cross Stitches

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    When you think of cross stitch, you probably thing of Bible quotes hanging off the walls at your grandma’s house. There’s nothing wrong with that, but for those of you who want a little more from your embroidery, check out these hilariously brilliant examples.

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    The West is a Man with no Plan

    They are just not serious.

    For as long as I can remember (and that’s quite a while now) there’s always been a country or countries poised to eat the lunch of the Anglo-Saxons, and more recently of the West generally. And with Covid and Ukraine, we are now finding out that, apart from a few crumbs, the West has nothing much left worth eating. Why is that? How did it happen?

    Let’s start with Italy. Yes, Italy. In the 1960s, there was excitement everywhere about what the Italians called Il Sorpasso: the overtaking of British GDP by Italy, according to some measures at least. Italy was admired then not just for its art, its history, its style, its cooking and its fashion, but for its engineering and industrial design. Above all, the Italians were rapidly modernising their country, with the new autostrade and train systems, while the British were just getting round to thinking about it. Later, it was the French, with their space-age TGVs and their prototype Internet, the Minitel. After the Oil Crisis, the French took a look around, and said, merde, we’d better go nuclear. The state-owned energy industry was just told to Do It, and reactors started coming on line every quickly, while the British regarded actually setting up a public enquiry into one as an achievement in itself.

    Then, of course, the Japanese – they of the High Speed Trains – came along and effortlessly obliterated the European and American consumer electronics and motor industries, followed by shipbuilding and heavy engineering. In the nineties, the Koreans started to challenge the Japanese in some areas, and now, of course, just about everything is made in China, while western publics were stunned to discover that paracetamol and medical masks have to be imported from Asia. And just look: in Ukraine, western military technology and doctrine is being shredded by the Russians even as I write. Even organised crime is dominated by non-western groups these days. Can’t we do anything right?

    It’s tempting, if not very intelligent, to try to relate this to the outcome of some Grand Plan. Films have been made over the last forty years about sinister asiatic conspiracies, although rather fewer these days, given where most of the world’s cinema-going population lives. But it’s actually a lot simpler than that, and in the simplicity actually lies the problem. The West has forgotten how to do simple things well, and has inevitably lost out to those who can. At bottom, economic and political success is about relative, not absolute, qualities. Just as wars are won by the side which makes fewest  mistakes, so economic struggles and often won by those who are least inefficient.

    But to succeed, you need some idea of what you want, and how to get there, and it’s at that point that western thinking has increasingly broken down. There’s nothing magical about it: mostly, it’s just applied common sense, and a willingness to do a bit of forward planning. So after 1945, the French looked at the wreckage of their country, and a ruined industry that had no incentive to invest, and said, right, what are the priorities? We need steel, so for that we need iron ore and coal, so let’s go and sort that out first. Other things can take their turn. The Japanese, with a culture of attention to detail and the most demanding consumers in the world, realised they could export quality products, some of them taken and improved from foreign models. From cameras to mopeds (where Honda started), to motor bikes, to small cars, to large cars, to luxury cars to heavy engineering equipment and trains, every step building off the previous one. They were devious and subtle enough to offer western consumers things that worked well, at prices they were prepared to pay. Then there were the Koreans (as I was once proudly told by a civil engineer in Seoul many years ago), wanting to get into the construction industry. First they sent unskilled workmen abroad who came back and trained others. Then they sent skilled workers abroad, who came back and trained others. Then they sent people abroad to study at university. Well, you get the idea.

    So why couldn’t Anglo-Saxons ever do this? Why have most western countries stopped being able to do this? There isn’t a single, simple, answer unfortunately, but there are a few pointers. One is simply being first, or early, and not having to struggle. Britain was built on coal and iron ore, and had a banking and credit system before most other nations. The Industrial Revolution wasn’t inevitable, but it was easy. The United States had every natural resource you could ask for, effectively unlimited space, and a constantly growing population. It would be hard not to become a major industrial power in the circumstances.  But the problem was precisely that all this was easy. In Japan, on the other hand, there were few resources, and there was barely enough food to go round. Britain was an island, and the United States was effectively one, as well. Neither was at any serious risk of invasion, or even interference. The Japanese, on the other hand, for all that they were islands too, realised in a sickening moment of clarity that unless they got themselves organised pretty sharply, they would become another western colony. So they got themselves organised.  As did others. Prussia had no natural resources except coal, and no effective natural borders. It had to work hard to survive, and did so: by the time of the Great Exhibition off 1851, the British were already finding the Prussians snapping at their heels industrially.

    In Britain, and later in the United States, survival was never an issue, except perhaps at certain moments in the two Wars of the Twentieth Century. So a national consensus around a need to survive, plan and implement never formed because it wasn’t necessary. The Empire and the Royal Navy kept Britain’s problems at arms length. After the Second World War, the United States wound  up dominating much of the world, not because it was strong or clever, but because most of the rest of the world was in pieces. If you’ve never really had to work for something, you inevitably lose out to those who know what hard work is.

    This consensus has to involve the elites, or it’s not going to be effective. And in Britain, which famously never had a revolution, elites never took any interest in planning, unless it was planning the family inheritance. As in any aristocratic society, social status came precisely from not working, because you had no need to. You could employ people to do actual physical tasks, while living off rents and dividends, and doing whatever it was that such elites actually did to pass the time. This attitude persisted right up to modern times: scientists enjoyed a certain wary tolerance, but engineers and craftsmen were distrusted and not allowed into polite company. To become an engineer as late as the 1960s in Britain was to accept a permanently lower status than that of, say, an accountant. (There are no more engineers today, of course, so the problem has solved itself).

    If your income comes from land or inherited wealth, then planning is really a question of financial optimisation, and you can pay people to do that for you. Other than general political stability, which often means obstructing change, you have no real political objectives at all. In Britain, and then in the United States after a few generations, this was the mentality that triumphed. Planning, designing, building, maintaining … all this was difficult and complicated, took years and required specialist training. If you could generate the same profits by some clever financial engineering, why not do so?

    What’s depressing is that this attitude has spread to countries where engineers and technology had a high social status. France is an especially bad case: the country’s finest engineers were trained at the Polytechnique , established by Napoleon (a very long-term thinker). These days they all seem to go into politics, like the current Prime Minister. Nobody makes things any more.

    The result is a culture common to large parts of the western world which is ultimately Not Serious. Now by “serious,” I don’t mean the opposite of “frivolous”: or perhaps I do mean that as well, because the attitudes of the ruling classes of most western countries towards the problems of the present, never mind the future, could be described reasonably as “frivolous.” That’s to say the belief that they are not real problems, but essentially problems of news management and internal politicking, and don’t require actual practical solutions. But there’s also the more serious sense of “serious,” used as a compliment. Seriousness means taking the time to research and think about issues, and then deciding what to do and carry it through. No serious political system, for example, would have lurched into Brexit as the British did, without any thought for even the short-term consequences. No serious political system would have dealt with Covid as western ones did. For all the emotional attractiveness of conspiracy theories, it seems rather to be the case that most western governments hadn’t realised that medicines aren’t produced here any more. They hadn’t understood that the government capability to manage such crises no longer existed. Nobody told them that running down health services could lead to bad outcomes. And no serious political system, individually or collectively, could have staggered like a drunk into the mess that is Ukraine.

    Ah yes, Ukraine. My point here is simple enough. The West was surprised because it never had a long-term plan for its relations with Russia, and didn’t realise that Russia had a long-term plan to reset those relations.

    Let’s take those in order.

    The Cold War ended too quickly for the West to understand what was happening, and to even begin to adapt to it. Not only did the strategic landscape change overnight, it also threw up a whole set of massive unexpected problems, and then became enmeshed with a whole variety of other issues, from the former Yugoslavia to Iraq to the future of Europe. The result was that there was never the time, or really the inclination, to develop a proper policy and think through the consequences. And too many actors and too many institutions were involved. Throughout the nineties, policy was entirely improvised, usually responding to the evanescent needs of the moment. NATO enlargement, one of the triggers of the current conflict, was never a real strategic plan: each case seemed to be individual, and had a different set of arguments. Same for the EU. So in typical fashion, we arrive somewhere we don’t like, and think: how did we get here?

    The Russians know how we got here. But then they do unsporting things like develop long-term strategies, with the necessary economic and military components. They integrate these with a political strategy, and with clearly defined objectives. None of this is particularly difficult: it’s not they who are strange, it is us, for not thinking that way. And really, if you don’t understand Russian military-strategic thinking, or how they approach the operational level of warfare, then it’s a good idea to refrain from hopping between TV stations telling the world who’s winning and who’s losing.

    The final irony is that most of the world actually doesn’t realise how unserious the West is. I can’t remember how many times, in Africa, in the Arab world or in parts of Eastern Europe, educated professional people have excitedly harangued me about the Master Plan of the West (sometimes just the US) to remake the world, destroy China or Russia, recolonise Africa or whatever. “Don’t you realise” they will say urgently, thrusting into my hand a poor photocopy of an obscure journal article from twenty years ago “it was all planned.” If only it was. If only we could.

    10 unmistakable signs your cat really loves you

    I hope this puts a smile on your face.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

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    Articles & Links

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    Greek fire paradox, delicious food, and breath-taking read from an Egyptian who studied China

    The Western “news” continues the same kinds of bullshit, but there has been a very significant slide into a new kind of reality that the rest of the world recognizes. It’s a different world; a Chinese world, and the West is just simply dying.

    What’s going on?

    Well, for one thing, the “Greek Fire Paradox” is. And that involves the combined strength and developments of both Russia and China together against the “might” of the unified West (led by the United States).

    “Greek Fire Paradox”.

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    The Greek Fire was a substance created by the Byzantine Empire. Nobody knows exactly what it is about: it is considered the best kept military secret of all time. It is speculated that, during those ages, only two people knew its formula at the same time. In some cases, only a father and his son would know how to make it.

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    It was a liquid stored in a kind of giant syringe, which ignited on contact with air; basically, a primitive type of flamethrower that worked more or less like the illustration above.

    The paradox is this: although the Byzantines managed to keep the secret for hundreds of years, this super-weapon had a curious and unexpected side effect: messing with the enemy’s mind. Because of that Greek Fire, the enemies of Byzantium had to look for more powerful weapons. Eventually, they would discover gunpowder (which later would evolve into the cannon, and so on).

    What the history tell us is that, even if a country or entity holds a very powerful weapon, in the long run, your enemies will come up with much better and more efficient war technology, and eventually use it against you. And vice-versa.

    Once the Pandora’s Box is open, there is no way to close it.

    The funny thing is that, until now, nuclear weapons have functioned more as an instrument of peace rather than war, thanks to the MAD – Mutual Assured Destruction. This doctrine ensures that if one country uses nuclear weapons against another, that other country will respond with its entire nuclear arsenal, and so on, until all belligerents (or human kind) are destroyed.

    Of course, nobody wants that. MAD therefore ensured a more peaceful world: without this doctrine, the world would probably have seen more bloody conventional wars. This is true for almost every nation in the world.

    The current (and future) problem is that the older a particular technology becomes, the more accessible it becomes. And thus the greater it’s risk of use.

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    It becomes necessary for those “other” nations to come up with new, novel methods, technologies and techniques to render the strength of the old “power weapon” useless.

    Florida Man Charged In $1 Billion Fraud Scheme Of Counterfeit Cisco Devices

    Saturday, Jul 09, 2022 – 07:20 AM

    A federal grand jury indicted a Florida man for trafficking over $1 billion in counterfeit Cisco networking equipment on Amazon and eBay stores between 2014 and 2022.

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    According to the Department of Justice (DoJ), Onur Aksoy, aka “Ron Aksoy” and “Dave Durden,” 38, of Miami, operated at least 19 companies formed in New Jersey and Florida that sold counterfeit Cisco networking equipment through 15 Amazon storefronts and ten eBay storefronts and multiple other entities (collectively, the “Pro Network Entities”).

    Attorney for the US Vikas Khanna, District of New Jersey, and Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite said Aksoy’s scheme worked by importing network devices from China and Hong Kong (HK is de facto China) that were older models but modified to appear to be authentic versions of new, enhanced, and more expensive ones.

    "The fraudulent and counterfeit products sold by the Pro Network Entities suffered from numerous performance, functionality, and safety problems. Often, they would simply fail or otherwise malfunction, causing significant damage to their users' networks and operations – in some cases, costing users tens of thousands of dollars. Customers of Aksoy's fraudulent and counterfeit devices included hospitals, schools, government agencies, and the military," the DoJ wrote in a media release Friday morning.

    Aksoy generated over $100 million in revenue after selling more than $1 billion in fake networking equipment. The government alleges the Florida man “received millions of dollars for his personal gain” from the scheme.

    DOJ has charged Aksoy with conspiracy to traffic counterfeit goods and mail and wire fraud, and both carry hefty sentencing times and fines.

    This indictment sheds light on an entire underground economy devoted to scamming consumers on Amazon and eBay.

    Terrifyingly, the counterfeit Cisco networking equipment could’ve been installed in critical systems for companies and or even government agencies, making them more vulnerable to a ransomware attack or unexpected performance issues.

    FOX News Media presentation

    Please check out the dress color coordination, the seat positioning, and the diversity presentation.

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    Country Captain (Southern-Style Stewed Turkey with Curry, Dried Fruit, and Almonds)

    This colonial dish speaks to North America’s deep historical ties to the Indian Subcontinent.

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    Country Captain is an iconic Southern, Low Country dish with direct, unadulterated link to India.

    It traces its roots to a time when Savannah, Charleston, and other Southeastern ports were the North American gateways for spice trade with the East Indies.

    These towns were the entry points for black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cardamon, sugar, and other ingredients that would eventually make their way into the cuisine of the American South.

    Many of the dishes that use these flavorings are more “Western” in inflection—the spices are subtle with little connection to the dishes of their mother lands.

    Not so with the Country Captain.

    Even in its most Southern avatar, this is clearly an Indian American dish. I am forever grateful to Chef Currence for introducing me to this historical recipe, for every time I make it I am reminded that we have much in common—we need only to look at what we are cooking.

    *This recipe is often made using chicken; feel free to swap out the turkey for other poultry, or even pork chops or veal cutlets.

    Featured in: “On Curry Powder and Colonialism.”

    Yield: serves 6
    Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup all-purpose flour
    • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
    • 12 turkey cutlets* (about 3 oz. each), about ½-in. thick
    • ¼ cups ghee
    • 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
    • 1 strip thick-cut bacon, finely chopped (¼ cup)
    • 2 large yellow onions, finely chopped (2 cups)
    • 4 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped (1⅓ cups)
    • 1 large red bell pepper, finely chopped (1 cup)
    • 1 large yellow bell pepper, finely chopped (1 cup)
    • 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
    • 2 tbsp. minced fresh ginger
    • 2¼ cups canned crushed tomatoes
    • 2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped (1⅓ cup)
    • ½ cups dried currants (or substitute dried cranberries or raisins)
    • 2 small dried red chilies (such as árbol) stemmed and broken in half
    • 2 tsp. Madras curry powder
    • 1½ tsp. garam masala
    • ½ tsp. Kashmiri chili powder
    • ½ cups chicken stock
    • 2 tbsp. finely chopped parsley
    • ¼ cups toasted silvered almonds
    • Steamed white rice or grits upma, for serving

    Instructions

    1. Line a large rimmed baking sheet or platter with paper towels and set it by the stove.
    2. In a large, shallow bowl, season the flour to taste with salt and black pepper, stir, and set aside.
    3. To a large, high-sided skillet over medium-high heat, add the ghee. Working in batches, lightly dust the turkey cutlets in the seasoned flour and, when the ghee is hot, sear lightly, about 20–30 seconds on each side. Transfer the cutlets to the lined baking sheet and set aside.
    4. Using paper towels, wipe the skillet clean and set over medium heat. Add the butter and bacon and cook, stirring frequently until bacon begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the onions and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until they’re translucent and very soft, 6–8 minutes. Add the carrots, bell peppers, garlic, and ginger, season lightly with salt and black pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are tender, 6–8 minutes. Stir in the canned and fresh tomatoes and another pinch of salt and black pepper, lower heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes start to break down and thicken, about 20 minutes.
    5. Stir in the dried currants, dried chiles, curry powder, garam masala, and chile powder, then add the stock. Turn the heat up to medium to bring the mixture back up to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the currants are plump, about 5 minutes. Slide the reserved turkey cutlets back into the skillet and cook until the meat is heated and cooked through, 4–6 minutes.
    6. Garnish with chopped parsley and toasted slivered almonds and serve hot, with steamed white rice or grits upma.

    The Idea MUST be to weaponize the world!

    Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on July 5 that the cumulative amount of weapons and equipment provided by the West to Ukraine has reached 28,000 tons, and many of these military materials have flowed to the Middle East and even the black market for trading. In a program broadcast on Russia Today TV a few days ago, Russian media reporters found that weapons provided by some Western countries to Ukraine were sold at low prices on the “dark web”.

    Article HERE

    United States “pledges” to “shut down” Chinese IC manufacture

    The US Secretary of Commerce recently repeated the remarks, naming SMIC for “shutting down” China’s largest chip manufacturer if it ignores US sanctions and supplies chips to Russia.

    SMIC responded today that “there has never been a Russian customer.”

    On June 28, the U.S. government blacklisted five Chinese companies for allegedly supporting Russian military and defense industrial bases.

    This is the first time since the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian War in February that the US side has taken action against Chinese enterprises.

    U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on June 29 that U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo would shut down China’s largest chipmaker, SMIC or other Chinese semiconductor companies, IF they were found supplying chips to Russia, according to central news agencies today.

    She pointed out that since the United States and allies imposed export controls on Russia because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, global chip exports to Russia have plummeted by 90%.

    According to the it of the land media IT home, some investors asked SMIC whether there were Russian customers on the e interactive platform today, and SMIC replied: “The company has always adhered to compliance operations and has never had Russian customers.” ”

    Article HERE

    Banana lore from Indonesia

    Never ever go to the local market and say that you just want to buy “Banana” ( Pisang in their local language).

    The seller will be confused and will ask for the details of what kind banana you want?

    Its different if you go to the Super Market. You will meet only the Cavendish Banana or the Western known Banana.

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    Cavendish Banana

    BUT… in the local market, especially the fruit stall, there are so many kinds of Bananas. In Indonesia it depends on what you need to do with that Banana.

    These are a variety of the famous banana that you can find in the local market.

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    Banana Stall

    1. Horn Banana (Plantain) / Pisang Tanduk

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    Horn Banana (Plantain) / Pisang Tanduk

    This massive banana is not sweet and the texture is hard. It tastes good when fried and the local also add chili sauce or sweet sauce.

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    Fried Plantain

    2. Kepok Banana / Pisang Kepok

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    Kepok Banana

    These look like pressed fat bananas, they’re sweet but very hard if they aren’t ripe. The local use it to feed their pet birds and mainly to eat in a sweet soup dish, Kolak.

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    Kolak sweet soup

    3. King Banana / Pisang Raja

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    King Banana / Pisang Raja

    They’re big. This banana is mainly eaten raw; it’s big, sweet and has a soft texture.

    4. Milk Banana / Pisang Susu

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    Milk Banana / Pisang Susu

    The size is medium. This sweet banana is good to eat raw. This banana’s skin is rather thin when compared to the other bananas.

    5. Ambon Banana / Pisang Ambon

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    Ambon Banana / Pisang Ambon

    They’re big. This banana can be found in two colors. The taste is medium sweet.

    6. Lady Finger Banana – Gold Banana / Pisang Mas

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    Lady Finger Banana – Gold Banana / Pisang Mas

     

    This banana is so small and the taste is sweet.

    All of the bananas have their own unique taste and texture. Just buying a banana in Indonesia can make you stressed.

    Oh… and have I mention that there are some jungle bananas that you can rarely find too? Like the Red Banana or the Crazy Big Musa Ingens Banana?

    Happy Eating Bananas in Indonesia 😀

    China Holds War Drills Around Taiwan “Directed” At US Senator’s Visit To Island

    Saturday, Jul 09, 2022 – 11:20 AM

    China is again conducting major military exercises in waters around Taiwan, according to state media reports, which further decried US support to Taiwan separatist forces as “futile”.

    China’s Defense Ministry was cited in Reuters as describing the drills as a warning aimed at the visit of a US senator. It said “China firmly opposes the visit by a US senator to Taiwan which severely damages the relationship of the two countries and two militaries, while it added that the drill near Taiwan is directed at US and Taiwan provocation.”

    US Senator Rick Scott of Florida arrived in Taiwan on Thursday afternoon for a two-day visit. Importantly, his visit marks no less than the seventh US senator to visit the democratic-run island this year alone. This after a group of six senators made an unannounced visit in April led by chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Bob Menendez, which Beijing also vehemently denounced.

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    Sen. Scott visited Taiwanese envoy to Lithuania in April. Image: Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania

    “Scott is scheduled to meet with President Tsai Ying-wen and Premier Su Tseng-chang during his visit, the ministry said, adding that Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu was to host a banquet to welcome him,” regional sources detailed of his trip.

    Meanwhile a top China official who overseas cross-strait affairs on Thursday declared that “reunification” of the island remains at the center of national rejuvenation plans.

    According to The South China Post:

    In an article published in People's Daily on Thursday, Liu Jieyi, head of the Taiwan Affairs Office, said one focus of the strategy would be preventing and resolving major risks and hidden dangers in the Taiwan Strait, creating a "favorable environment" for national rejuvenation.
    
    "Our growing comprehensive strength and significant institutional advantages continue to be transformed into efficiency in work related to Taiwan issues and push forward the process of national reunification," Liu said.

    The concept of “peaceful reunification” with Taiwan has been pushed by Beijing for decades; however, Liu in his op-ed reiterated that China has never ruled out the option of using force.

    Top Beijing officials have also recently gone on record to say that US stoking “independence forces” remains a bright red line which could result in war. But in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine over the last more than four months, the Biden administration has been wary that President Xi could borrow from Putin’s playbook and stage a ‘shock’ blitz of the island.

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    Prior PLA exercise, via Chinamil.com.cn

    Taiwan has condemned the fresh PLA military drills as a “provocation” and has put its forces on high alert, as China sends fighter jets across the strait as part of its typical messaging. Taiwan’s air force in turn scrambled fighters to intercept and warn off the Chinese aircraft.

    Indonesian Artist Dhany Pramata Creates Comics That Most 80s-90s Kids Will Relate To

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    Indonesian artist Dhany Pramata creates comics that most 80s/90s kids will relate to. Dhany Pramata, an Indonesian artist reflects upon his childhood days with nostalgic and funny illustrations. I find some of these comics extremely relatable and if you are an 80s/90s kid, you might find them relatable too.

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    Don’t Make Assumptions

    We have the tendency to make assumptions about everything. The problem with making assumptions is that we believe they are the truth. We could swear they are real. We make assumptions about what others are doing or thinking — we take it personally — then we blame them and react by sending emotional poison with our word. That is why whenever we make assumptions, we’re asking for problems. We make an assumption, we misunderstand, we take it personally, and we end up creating a whole big drama for nothing.

    Making assumptions in our relationships is really asking for problems. Often we make the assumption that our partners know what we think and that we don’t have to say what we want. We assume they are going to do what we want, because they know us so well. If they don’t do what we assume they should do, we feel so hurt and say, “You should have known.”

    Another example: You decide to get married, and you make the assumption that your partner sees marriage the same way that you do. Then you live together and you find out this is not true. This creates a lot of conflict, but you still don’t try to clarify your feelings about marriage. The husband comes home from work and the wife is mad, and the husband doesn’t know why. Maybe it’s because the wife made an assumption. Without telling him what she wants, she makes an assumption that he knows her so well, that he knows what she wants, as if he can read her mind. She gets so upset because he fails to meet her expectations. Making assumptions in relationships leads to a lot of fights, a lot of difficulties, a lot of misunderstandings with people we supposedly love.

    In any kind of relationship we can make the assumption that others know what we think, and we don’t have to say what we want. They are going to do what we want because they know us so well. If they don’t do what we want, what we assume they should do, we feel hurt and think, “How could you do that? You should know.” Again, we make the assumption that the other person knows what we want. A whole drama is created because we make this assumption and then put more assumptions on top of it.

    China rallies support for Kylin Linux in war on Windows • The Register

    Good thing that I am running Limus Mint. -MM

    China’s efforts to end its reliance on Microsoft Windows got a boost with the launch of the openKylin project.

    The initiative aims to accelerate development of the country’s home-grown Kylin Linux distro by opening the project up to a broader community of developers, colleges, and universities to contribute code.

    Launched in 2001, Kylin was based on a FreeBSD kernel and was intended for use in government and military offices, where Chinese authorities have repeatedly attempted to eliminate foreign operating systems.

    In 2010, the operating system made the switch to the Linux kernel, and in 2014 an Ubuntu-based version of the OS was introduced after Canonical reached an agreement with Chinese authorities to develop the software.

    The openKylin project appears to be the latest phase of that project, and is focused on version planning, platform development, and establishing a community charter. To date, the project has garnered support from nearly two dozen Chinese firms and institutions, including China’s Advanced Operating System Innovation Center.

    These industry partners will contribute to several special interest groups to improve various aspects of the operating system over time. Examples include optimizations for the latest generation of Intel and AMD processors, where available; support for emerging RISC-V CPUs; development of an x86-to-RISC-V translation layer; and improvements to the Ubuntu Kylin User Interface (UKUI) window manager for tablet and convertible devices.

    Simple Minds – Hypnotised

    A great classic and great fun too!

    China’s love-hate relationship with Microsoft

    China’s efforts to rid itself of Redmond are by no means new. As far back as 2000, Chinese authorities ordered government offices to remove Windows in favor of Red Flag Linux.

    However, in the case of Red Flag Linux, those efforts ultimately went nowhere after the project failed to catch on. The org was ultimately dissolved, and the team terminated in 2014. Despite its collapse, the project appears to have been rebooted, with a release slated to launch later this year.

    This is a story that would repeat on a regular cadence, fueled by periodic spats between Uncle Sam and software vendors.

    It’s safe to say the Chinese government has something of a love-hate relationship with Redmond. In 2013, Chinese authorities urged Microsoft to extend support for Windows XP, on which the country still relied heavily.

    However, a year later, the Chinese government banned Windows 8 in much of the public sector, just months after Microsoft ended support for Windows XP.

    Today, Microsoft controls roughly 85 percent of the desktop operating system market as of June 2022, according to Statcounter.

    Some of this can be attributed to the launch of Windows 10 China Government Edition in 2017, which was developed in collaboration with the China Electronics Technology Group.

    It doesn’t appear those efforts bought Microsoft’s American partners much in terms of goodwill, with Chinese authorities directing government agencies to throw out all foreign-made personal computers this spring.

    Article HERE

    Hiroshima – One Wish

    Some nice 1980s jazz.

    Australian bank Volt collapses urging 6000 customers to withdraw funds; 140 jobs lost

    An Australian bank that collapsed has urged its 6000 customers to withdraw $100 million worth of deposits before it starts closing accounts from next Tuesday.

    Volt, a digital bank called a neobank which was launched in 2017, announced it was handing back its banking licence to the regulator on Wednesday.

    It was the first start up to gain the banking licence in January 2019 after the government sought to increase competition in the sector.

    The bank’s demise means 140 staff have lost their jobs after the board made the decision to close the business. It said it failed to raise enough funds to support its plans to write mortgages.

    Article HERE

    are particularly sad, particularly because they shed away all the myths of “noble savages” and the wishful thinking of “war as a result of the power struggles of unequal civilizations”, and thus they reinforce the ever stronger conclusion that human societies have been brutal and insanely competitive since a very long time ago. It gives us a terrifying glimpse on what the “demographic changes”, “genetic replacements” and “ethnic shifts” that we often hear about as we study the history of a given place really meant back then, in the raw reality (of course this is not the whole story, but it’s surely an awful part of it).

    x
    x

    So what’s it about? Around 5,000 years ago, in Poland, 15 people were carefully buried together in a mass grave. Most of them belonged to the same extended family, part of a closely knit patrilineal clan, and there were four nuclear families related to each other. All of them had died by heavy blows onto their head, killed simultaneously in the same way.

    The individuals who buried them certainly knew them pretty well, because they placed the bodies together with their closest relatives: women with their respective children, siblings close to each other, wives with their husbands.

    The slaughtered victims are mainly adult women (one of them was 50–60 years old) and their young children, including children, teenagers and two babies, one aged 1.5 years, and the other 2.0–2.5 years (whose parents were not buried in the mass grave). They were certainly not a major “threat” to any neighboring tribe or clan.

    Apart from those with familial relationships to each other, there was also one young woman who had no genetic relationship with anyone else in the extended family, but was buried close to a young man with no children, so she might’ve been his girlfriend or just married wife.

    x
    x

    Intriguingly, with the exception of one male adult interred alongside his wife and son, no older men were found in the tomb, which points to several possibilities, but one of them is particularly sad to me: perhaps most of the adult men were away in their herding activities, in a hunting expedition, or maybe in a war campaign, and some rival tribe took advantage of that moment to wipe all the inhabitants of a small family farm/village. As the scientists concluded, “the nature of the injuries and the near absence of parry fractures (i.e. injuries sustained to the upper limbs) suggest that the individuals were captured and executed, rather than killed in hand-to-hand combat”. In other words, they had no chance to defend themselves and counter-attack, so they were murdered gratuitously. How shameful and cowardly is that!?

    That would explain why, after such a violent death, the villagers were buried with such care. Maybe the men came back only to find their entire family, all the cherished ones they had left behind murdered cowardly in their absence, including the youngest among them.

    Cruel though as that was, other archaeological evidences found to date suggest that such things were far from unusual and shocking in ancient warfare, even well before the stakes became much more complex, like conflicts over big empires and vast riches.

    That family wasn’t even taken captive, enslaved or anything else. It was like they were “clearing the land” for their own people: nobody should be spared. The adult males probably survived just because they weren’t present when the slaughter took place, otherwise we wouldn’t expect the burial to have been made by someone who clearly took the care to make sure the dead relatives would have their eternal rest together with their most loved ones. I wonder what those males did after they saw what their enemies had done to their family, but I’ll assume it wasn’t pretty.

    Unfortunately much of human history, even very recently, even now, is made up of really sad and very often appalling events like that one. What’s particularly worrisome is that, as archaeologists do their work, they increasingly find out that the despicable things that humans make when they’re in conflict were ubiquitous in all places, in all ages, in all sorts of different social and economic organizations. To me what that might tell us about humankind is what’s saddest in this story.

    Wang Yi Talks About China’s Six Measures to Benefit Mekong in the Next Stage

    Unlike the crusaders lip service, when China talk about assistance, the detail is clear with timeline, objectives, and targets.

    Wang Yi Talks About China’s Six Measures to Benefit Mekong in the Next Stage

    July 05, 2022 05:38 | Source: Xinhuanet
    
      Xinhua News Agency, Bagan, Myanmar, July 4 (Reporter Zhang Dongqiang) On July 4, 2022 local time, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced when chairing the seventh Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Bagan, Myanmar, that China will We have launched six major Mekong-benefiting measures to share cooperation dividends with Mekong countries and increase development momentum.
    
      The first is to implement the "Million-Ten Thousand Action Plan for Lancang-Mekong Agricultural Cooperation". Carry out 100 agricultural technology extension projects for Mekong countries, train 1,000 leaders of agricultural prosperity, and build 10,000 hectares of demonstration fertile land.
    
      The second is the implementation of the "Lancang-Mekong Water Rejuvenation Program". Strengthen the sharing of hydrological information, build hydrological and meteorological forecasting stations, speed up the construction of photovoltaic water-lifting irrigation, rural water supply demonstration, and small watershed management demonstration construction, provide safety examinations for 20 reservoirs and dams, and ensure flood control, food, water supply and ecological security for 70 million people in the basin .
    
      The third is to implement the "Lancang-Mekong Digital Economy Cooperation Plan". Build cloud computing innovation centers in Mekong countries, promote digital TV R&D demonstrations, develop modern information technology systems, and carry out digital economy skills upgrading cooperation.。。。
    
    

    Article from HERE

    Manipur: Kuki: Indians who claim to be Chinese, refuse to marry with Indian, and do not learn Hindi, Indian festivals

    Population 30 million. Their flag is like China but with 6 stars. Not five.
    .

    From HERE

    when i was in darjeeling, what i noticed, at least this was my perception
    the people overwhelmingly resembled more so chinese. and hardly at all indians to the south.
    
    -Kim
    There are dozens of tribes in Manipur living peacefully with each other. That part of the world right next to China has got nothing to deal with India.
    
    The bloody English crusader occupied a large area surrounding India and later simply classified them as India. That is the problem China and many countries across the world are having after the crusader withdrawal.
    
    Anyway, Manipur people blocked India access to their region, and live independently from the India government. Actually there are other part of India with their own armies blocking access by the Indian government. If china behave like the Anglo-Saxon crusaders, China would have funded and armed those forces inside India to split the country.
    
    -Chua

    Rodney Dangerfield Has Dom DeLuise Rolling On the Floor Laughing (1974)

    This guy is great!

    Iranian-flagged tanker moves to recoup cargo seized in Greece

    Looting gets harder, in a multipolar world, the victims fight back:
    An Iran-flag aframax tanker released from detention in Greece last month is now moving into position to take its seized cargo back.
    
    If it succeeds, the way will be open to resolve an acrimonious stand-off between Iran and Greece in which about 70 seafarers have been caught up in tit-for-tat tanker seizures over the past three months.
    
    According to vessel trackers and sources familiar with the issue, the 115,400-dwt Lana (built 2003) was towed last weekend from its former arrest location at Karystos in the Aegean, to the Piraeus anchorage.

    Article HERE

    Jeffrey Sachs: Covid-19 may have originated in US biolabs

    An article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences calls for an independent investigation of information held by U.S.-based institutions that could shed light on the origins of Covid.

    JEA: VT has published numerous articles pointing out that there is strong evidence that suggests that Covid 19 could have originated in US biolabs. Now we have enough evidence which confirms this theory.

    By Sharon Lerner

    IN AN ARTICLE published Thursday, economist Jeffrey Sachs called for an independent investigation of information held by U.S.-based institutions that could shed light on the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic. Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Sachs and his co-author, Neil Harrison, a Columbia University professor of molecular pharmacology and therapeutics, said that federal agencies and universities possess evidence that has not been adequately reviewed, including virus databases, biological samples, viral sequences, email communications, and laboratory notebooks.

    Sachs and Harrison also highlighted a tantalizing scientific detail that may be an indication that SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes Covid-19, originated in a laboratory: a sequence of eight amino acids on a critical part of the virus’s spike protein that is identical to an amino acid sequence found in cells that line human airways.

    Sachs and Harrison are hardly the first to suggest that SARS-CoV-2 might have been created in a lab. Since its genetic sequence was first published in February 2020, scientists have puzzled over the furin cleavage site, an area on the virus’s spike that allows it to be cleaved by a protein on the membrane of human cells and makes the coronavirus particularly dangerous to people.

    Once split, the virus releases its genetic material into the cell and reproduces. While attaching to cells and spike cleavage is part of how all coronaviruses work, SARS-CoV-2 is the only one of its class, sarbecoviruses, that can use furin for the cleavage.

    As with past discussion of a possible lab origin of SARS-CoV-2, this latest theory has already been met with considerable pushback. Even some scientists who are open to the idea that a lab accident could have sparked the pandemic remain unconvinced by the particular trail of evidence laid out by Sachs and Harrison.

    The journal article offers a scientific road map for how this unusual sequence of amino acids could have made its way into the furin cleavage site, or FCS, of the virus. Sachs and Harrison acknowledge that the sequence could have arisen naturally. But they also lay out another possibility: that scientists might have purposefully inserted this particular string of amino acids into a bat coronavirus in the course of their work. They focus particularly on scientists who submitted an unfunded grant proposal to a division of the Defense Department called the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, laying out plans to insert a furin cleavage site into a bat coronavirus.

    “We do not know whether the insertion of the FCS was the result of natural evolution — perhaps via a recombination event in an intermediate mammal or a human — or was the result of a deliberate introduction of the FCS into a SARS-like virus as part of a laboratory experiment,” Sachs and Harrison write. “We do know that the insertion of such FCS sequences into SARS-like viruses was a specific goal of work proposed by the EHA-WIV-UNC partnership within a 2018 grant proposal (“DEFUSE”) that was submitted to the US Defense Advanced Research Projects (DARPA).”

    EHA is a reference to EcoHealth Alliance, a nonprofit research group based in New York City that has received more than $118 million in grants and contracts from federal agencies. WIV, or the Wuhan Institute of Virology, is a Chinese research organization that collaborated with EcoHealth Alliance in the past and was listed as a subcontractor on the DARPA grant. UNC is mentioned because Ralph Baric, a molecular biologist at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, was to have conducted part of the work pitched to DARPA. The grant proposal touted Baric’s “two-decade track record of reverse engineering [coronavirus] and other virus spike proteins.”

    The intent of the DARPA proposal was to prevent emerging pathogenic threats, but the work, if conducted, could have created a novel virus capable of infecting humans. “We will introduce appropriate human-specific cleavage sites and evaluate growth potential in [a type of mammalian cell commonly used in microbiology] and [human airway epithelial cell] cultures,” the proposal stated.

    Several scientists interviewed about the DARPA proposal in September told The Intercept that scientists often begin research before seeking funding and thus that some of the experiments described in the proposal could have already been completed. But when asked about that possibility in an interview, Peter Daszak, the president of EcoHealth Alliance, rejected it: “The DARPA proposal was not funded. Therefore, the work was not done. Simple.”

    A Rational Choice

    s Sachs and Harrison note, the part of a protein on the cell membrane that shares its amino acid sequence with the bat coronavirus is critical for lung function. Known as an epithelial sodium channel-alpha, or ENaC-alpha, it is found in human airway cells, as well as in human kidneys and colons. Intriguingly, like SARS-CoV-2, ENaC-alpha, which facilitates the absorption of fluid in cells, is also activated by the unusual furin cleavage site. Harrison, a physiologist affiliated with Columbia’s Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, studies ion channels, the larger category to which ENaC-alpha belongs.

    Other scientists have already pointed out the match between the amino acid series in the furin cleavage site of SARS-CoV-2 and the ENaC-alpha found in human airways. In 2020, a team from the biomedical company Nference suggested that the overlap between the virus and the sequence found in human lungs is part of the reason that Covid-19 is so damaging to the respiratory system. Those scientists described the sequence as having evolved naturally.

    Sachs and Harrison, in contrast, suggest that researchers may have inserted the string of amino acids into a bat coronavirus precisely because of its known importance to lung function. “For a research team assessing the pandemic potential of SARS-related coronaviruses, the FCS of human ENaC — an FCS known to be efficiently cleaved by host furin present in the target location (epithelial cells) of an important target organ (lung), of the target organism (human) — might be a rational, if not obvious, choice of FCS to introduce into a virus in order to alter its infectivity, in line with other work performed previously,” they write.

    Such a choice, they point out, would have been in keeping with another viral research project on which EcoHealth Alliance, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and UNC’s Baric collaborated: a 2014 grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases that involved increasing the transmissibility and pathogenicity of bat coronaviruses.

    Growing List of Coincidences

    The intriguing theory of viral engineering hinges on two observations: that the amino acid sequences match and that experts in both the ENaC-alpha furin cleavage site and the insertion of genetic sequences into bat coronaviruses happen to work at the same academic institution: the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

    Baric, whose work aims to prevent and create treatments for viral outbreaks, has previously inserted segments of DNA and RNA into viruses and created an infectious clone of SARS using his own patented “No See’m” method of inserting genetic materials without a trace. He has also collaborated on coronavirus research with scientists from a center for lung studies at UNC-Chapel Hill who are knowledgeable about ENaC-alpha. In one 2016 study, the scientists created a new virus using the spike of a bat coronavirus that had been isolated and characterized by the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The experiment found that the new virus “replicated efficiently” in human airway cells that were cultured in a lab.

    In another paper, published a year earlier, Baric, along with the Wuhan Institute of Virology’s Shi Zhengli and a lung expert at UNC-Chapel Hill’s lung institute, described creating a hybrid virus using a SARS-like virus from a bat and a “mouse-adapted” coronavirus. The new virus caused mice to get sicker than those exposed to the original virus. The goal of these experiments was to prepare for the possibility that a virus might jump naturally from animals to humans, as SARS had in 2003. But even before the pandemic, the experiment drew criticism from other scientists, who were concerned because the researchers had created a virus that was able to spread in humans.

    Sachs and Harrison note that the scientists who co-authored the DARPA grant proposal would have been aware of research on coronavirus furin cleavage sites, including one 2006 experiment in which a furin cleavage site was inserted into a coronavirus. “The research team would also have some familiarity with the FCS sequence and the FCS-dependent activation mechanism of human ENaC, which was extensively characterized at UNC,” they write.

    Still, both the overlap in the amino acid sequence and the fact that experts in the furin cleavage site of the ENaC-alpha and insertion of genetic material into bat coronaviruses work at the same university could be coincidental, as Harrison and Sachs acknowledge. Some virologists, though, say that the coincidence strains credulity.

    “Could be,” Richard Ebright, a molecular biologist at Rutgers University, wrote in an email to The Intercept when asked about the possibility that these things are both chance occurrences. “But the list of coincidences is getting verrrrrrrrrrry long.”

    Ebright, a proponent of investigating the origin of SARS-CoV-2 and of investigating both natural-spillover and research-related-spillover, whom Harrison and Sachs thank “for helpful commentary on the manuscript,” spelled out some of the other Covid coincidences that he considers questionable, including its initial outbreak in a city that, well before 2019, had already been pegged as a biosafety risk. Ebright also noted Wuhan’s 1,000-mile distance from the nearest wild bats that carry the type of SARS-related coronaviruses that caused the pandemic. And he pointed to the particular coding of the amino acids in the furin cleavage site of SARS-CoV2.

    “The sequence encoding the FCS of the pandemic virus contained two consecutive CGG arginine codons,” Ebright explained in his email. (A codon, or a combination of three nucleotides, supplies the genetic code for a single amino acid, though most amino acids can be represented by multiple different codons. Each nucleotide is represented by a letter — for RNA, either A, C, U, or G.) “This codon usage is unusual for a natural bat SARS-related coronaviruses (for which fewer than 1 in 30 arginine codons are CGG) but is optimal for humans (for which most arginine codons are CGG codons).”

    Still, Ebright said that at first he didn’t see the identical amino acid sequences as particularly suspicious. “I had known for more than a year that there was a perfect match to an eight-amino acid sequence present in human ENaC. What I had not known was that the sequence was known to be a functional furin cleavage site and that it was a sequence extensively studied at UNC,” he said. “The crucial point that the ENaC sequence was a known functional site, not just that there happens to be a match to a protein that happens to be in humans. … That suddenly turned it from what I thought to be largely irrelevant to being a logical and obvious choice to proceed.”

    Ralph Baric and the University of North Carolina did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

    Name Calling

    Other scientists dismiss the idea that the ENaC sequence might have been purposefully inserted into a coronavirus. Scientists who are already convinced that the new coronavirus emerged naturally are unlikely to be persuaded by Sachs and Harrison’s article, which appears in the opinion section of the esteemed journal. Over the past year, many scientists involved in the debate over the origins of the pandemic have settled into an increasingly acrimonious, coarse, and unyielding opposition.

    Some proponents of the natural origin theory became particularly dismissive of those open to the possibility of a lab leak after the February release of two pre-print studies mapping the early spread of the virus at the Huanan market in Wuhan. Angela Rasmussen, one of a team of virologists who worked on the project, described it on Twitter as “dispositive evidence of a zoonotic origin” that will “drive those with personal interest in the lab leak hypothesis out of their goddam minds.” In another tweet, Rasmussen referred to proponents of the lab-leak theory as a “pack of ghouls, who through gullibility, stupidity, & conspiracist thinking have decided this is their thing despite zero expertise.”

    Although the pre-prints had not been peer-reviewed and may have simply illustrated the spread of the virus rather than its original outbreak, the New York Times ran a front-page story about them that quoted an epidemiologist as saying that the origins debate “has been settled with a very high degree of evidence.” The story, which was announced by a push notification from the paper, also noted a lack of direct evidence for a lab leak.

    Meanwhile, Kristian Andersen, another co-author of the pre-prints and a virologist at the well-regarded Scripps Research Institute, used the “poop” emoji to criticize a deeply researched article by Katherine Eban about EcoHealth Alliance. On Twitter, Andersen tarred Eban, New York Times columnist Zeynep Tufekci, and others reporting on biosafety issues that could have led to the release of SARS-CoV-2 as “deep in conspiracy theories” and on the other side of “a clear split” from journalists who dismiss the possibility of a lab origin, whom Andersen referred to as “science-based.”

    Even some scientists who have been vocal about the possibility that the pandemic may have been sparked by research have expressed skepticism about the theory suggested by Harrison and Sachs. “The pandemic virus might have been genetically engineered. However, this could have been done in various ways not limited to the specific theory by Harrison and Sachs. I’m not convinced that their hypothesis is the most plausible one,” said Alina Chan, a scientist who laid out a number of possible routes for how the coronavirus might have emerged through research-related incidents in her recent book “Viral: The Search for the Origin of Covid-19.”

    While she is open to the possibility that the furin cleavage site might have been purposefully inserted into the coronavirus, Chan said there was no reason to think that researchers would mine humans for such material. “These scientists literally had access to hundreds of SARS-like viruses and sequences,” said Chan, referring to the vast collection of coronaviruses from bats and other animals that researchers amassed at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. “There’s no need for them to go hunting inside the human protein catalogue to look for cleavage sites to put into viruses.”

    Jack Nunberg, a virologist at the University of Montana, was also not immediately persuaded by the theory of engineering suggested by Sachs and Harrison. “It’s possible,” Nunberg said of the idea that the ENaC segment was inserted into a bat coronavirus as part of research designed to gauge the pandemic potential of a virus. “But I don’t find their evidence on ENaC compelling because furin cleavage sites have a lot of common amino acids, and therefore it may just have happened by chance.”

    Others say that the article adds noteworthy information to the public conversation about the origins of the pandemic. “The defenders of the natural origin indicate that the virus on which this type of experiment could have been done — the backbone — has never been published and that specialists in the furin cleavage sites would have chosen a more commonly used furin cleavage site like RARR rather than PRRAR. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences article contradicts this argument and indicates that specialists knew that the RRAR’SVAS site was efficiently cleaved by furin,” Etienne Decroly, director of virology research at the Aix-Marseille Université in France, wrote in an email to The Intercept.

    Decroly added, “It is impossible to decide on the basis of the information currently available and it is urgent that the WHO Special Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens investigate this question.”

    On the suggestion of an investigation, Nunberg is in agreement. “You can’t argue with that,” he told The Intercept. “Who’s going to argue for burying one’s head in the sand?”

    For their part, Sachs and Harrison emphasize that they’re not saying laboratory manipulation was involved in the emergence of the pandemic virus, only “that it could have been.” They also give a nod to other possibilities, including that an airborne virus might have infected a laboratory worker. Rather than argue that any of these conceivable scenarios happened, they present the clues of the matching amino acid sequences to argue for an independent and transparent scientific investigation of the U.S.-based evidence related to the origins of the virus.

    Among the institutions that Sachs and Harrison list as possibly having “knowledge of the detailed activities that were underway in Wuhan and in the United States” are the National Institutes of Health; the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, which has provided grant funding to EcoHealth Alliance; the Department of Homeland Security; DARPA; the U.S. Agency for International Development, which funded the $200 million PREDICT program that catalogued potential pandemic viruses; and the University of California, Davis, which participated in that program.

    The authors suggest that EcoHealth Alliance and UNC may have particularly important untapped resources. “The exact details of the fieldwork and laboratory work of the EHA-WIV-UNC partnership, and the engagement of other institutions in the US and China, has not been disclosed for independent analysis,” they write. “The precise nature of the experiments that were conducted, including the full array of viruses collected from the field and the subsequent sequencing and manipulation of those viruses, remains unknown.”

    A Reversal

    The publication in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences marks a reversal of sorts for Sachs, the chair of the Lancet Covid-19 Commission who, in November 2020, appointed Daszak, the EcoHealth Alliance president, to lead a task force to investigate the origins of the pandemic. Earlier that year, Daszak had signed on to a public statement published in The Lancet on behalf of scientists who said they “condemn conspiracy theories suggesting that COVID-19 does not have a natural origin.”

    Yet that early certainty about the pandemic’s origins — and the sense of shared civic responsibility among members of the Lancet task force — soon disintegrated. In February 2021, emails revealed that Daszak coordinated the public statement in The Lancet tamping down suspicions of a lab leak. And by June 2021, Sachs was expressing his openness to the possibility of a lab origin, writing that NIH-funded research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology “deserves scrutiny under the hypothesis of a laboratory-related release of the virus.” Three months later, he disbanded the task force that had been organized to “carefully scrutinize the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus” in the hopes of preventing future disease outbreaks, explaining that he had concerns that several members of the commission had conflicts of interest because of their ties to EcoHealth Alliance.

    After leading the mainstream scientific inquiry into the origins of the pandemic, Sachs is now skewering it. “A steady trickle of disquieting information has cast a darkening cloud over the agency,” he and Harrison write of the NIH, going on to accuse the entire federal government of not doing enough to explore the possible role of its grantees in the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 and investigate “overlooked details” such as the matching amino acid sequences.

    Noting that the NIH has insisted that “the pandemic virus could not have resulted from the work sponsored by” the agency, Sachs and Harrison write that “blanket denials from the NIH are no longer good enough.”

    Arrested in Japan

    I was arrested in Japan after only being there for 42 hours. I thought I was there for a wedding, turns out my traveling companion had other plans.

    My travel companion had decided it would be a ‘fantastic idea’ to mail drugs to our hotel room (without my knowledge). When I got the call from the front desk that there was ‘luggage’ for us at the front desk, I assumed he had forgotten something downstairs. I was unaware of what was going on when he instead brought up a small envelope package. He opened it immediately, and it included drugs (I won’t go into specifics, but let’s just say they were the bad kind).

    Five minutes later 10 Japanese police officers burst into the room and went through all our luggage, took our passports and put us both in handcuffs. The entire time I had a horrified look on my face, and kept saying ‘What is going on??’. No one answered me. *Interesting side note: when they plopped me down in front of an investigator who spoke English (while I was handcuffed to the chair), she asked if I had any questions for her. My brain was in such a state of shock all I could think to ask was “Do you think I’ll miss the wedding?” She answered “Yes, I think you will”. Then I started crying.

    I was unable to contact any family or friends after being arrested. This is applied to everyone, no matter what the charge.

    Then began the worst travel experience of my life. And it lasted for 35 days. I will make a long story short in saying that it took 35 days, 2 high powered lawyers from Tokyo and becoming semi-fluent in Japanese to be released without charge. The same cannot be said for my traveling companion, who ended up in jail for much, much longer.

    The biggest takeaway here (this should be a no-brainer, but just in case!): never, EVER EVER bring, or smuggle, or mail, or otherwise bring drugs into a foreign country!!! Research the country you are going to be visiting!!

    Although I had nothing to do with this case of smuggling, it still took a very long time for me to prove I was innocent. And believe you me, they left absolutely no stone unturned in their investigation. Japan has a 99.5% conviction rate. The fact that I was released without charge further proved my innocence.

    I lost 25 lbs, and when I returned home I lost most of my hair from the sudden weight loss and stress.

    I have not let this hinder my love of travel though! Not even a year after the incident, I went back to Japan (without the companion) to explore what I did not get to experience the first time. I will keep traveling till the day I die, and I will tell this story to my grandchildren, along with all the other amazing stories I have collected along the way 🙂

    Here is a picture of me enjoying tea ceremony at Hikone castle near Osaka (with no thoughts of the jail cell I spent so much time in)

    x
    x

    Edit: this is my most prized document, received from my lawyers after I returned home – my Notice of non-prosecution! I started planning my return trip to Japan the day I received this.

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    Edit #2/Update: So many many thanks to Graham Healey for his wonderful translation of my document above – my first translation was a badly computer generated version.

    Chiba District Prosecutor’s Office Number 2
    
    Notice of Non-prosecution
    
    9 January 2014
    
    [To] Ms Krysta Lee Storer
    
    [From] Public Prosecutor [name removed], Office of Public Prosecutions, Chiba District
    
    At the request of Defence Attorney [name removed], I [hereby] notify you as follows:
    
    With regard to the matter of your having been detained on suspicion of (a) infringement of the Law Relating to Special Cases Under the Control of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs Law Aimed at the Prevention of Actions Abetting Illegal Actions relating to Controlled Drugs under International Cooperation, (b) infringement of the Cannabis Control Law, (c) infringement of the Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs Control Law and (d) infringement of the Tax Law, I disposed of this matter on 25 December 2013 with a decision not to initiate a prosecution because of insufficient evidence.

    I was released on Christmas Day, 2013. Best Christmas Ever.

    If you are interested in reading more about my experience in jail, please see my Quora space: Krysta’s Misadventures. Thank you for reading!

    Falco – Rock Me Amadeus (Official Video), Full HD (Digitally Remastered and Upscaled)

    Another great BLAST FROM THE PAST!

    The reign of Pertinax

    The reign of Pertinax was perhaps the biggest “oh sh%t” moment in Roman history thus far. It’s a ridiculous saga that’s almost hard to believe.

    Let me set the stage. You all know who Commodus was right? The Emperor in the movie “Gladiator”?

    x
    x

    Well, Commodus was a bad Emperor, perhaps even the worst Emperor. He drove the Empire to bankruptcy by throwing near-constant gladiator games where he himself fought as a gladiator and was the main attraction. Sometimes he showed off bow skills and killed animals, other times he killed people.

    His reign saw famine, economic decline, inflation, and political instability. Eventually, he was assassinated and replaced as usually happens with bad Emperors.

    The new Emperor was the opposite of Commodus. His name was Pertinax and he was an old wise politician who actually cared about the Empire.

    Pertinax took over and immediately realized how screwed Rome was. Simply put, the treasury was nearing empty and Rome’s spending habits were out of control.

    x
    x

    Now when an Emperor took the throne it was customary to give a “donative” (basically a bonus) to the Praetorian Guard. This was a huge sum of money- something like hundreds of millions of dollars in modern money.

    Pertinax realized that the Empire lacked the funds for a large donative. So, Pertinax paid out a smaller donative than was customary.

    The Praetorians were livid and brought their case to Pertinax, demanding more money. Pertinax said no and moved on with his reign.

    The Praetorians responded like this.

    1. They killed Pertinax with no heir in place.
    2. The Senate was upset but afraid and couldn’t appoint a new Emperor
    3. The Praetorians decided to give the throne to whoever could pay them the most. There was a bidding war between 2 rich men named Sulpicianus and Didius Julianus. Didius promised 25,000 sesterces to every Praetorian and thus won the auction for the throne.

    Think about how INSANE this is. The throne of the largest Empire on earth was literally auctioned off so that the bodyguards could cash in a big payday. Can you imagine the Secret Service auctioning off the US Presidency after murdering the prior President over the size of their bonus?

    The Praetorians were pleased with themselves but nobody else was. This action was so far over the line it’s hard to fathom. Romans were shocked, dismayed, and horrified by what had happened.

    When Didius Took the throne he went to the Senate and reminded them he had served with them for years and was actually a good choice. Nobody in the Senate house said a word and moved a muscle- Didius would find no friends there.

    So Didius got his throne and the support of the Praetorians. The Senate and People of Rome hated him but oh well.


    Off on the Rhine River at this time was Septimius Severus- commander of the Rhine legions.

    x
    x

    Now the Rhine legions saw the most action and they were hardened warriors- serious badasses. The Rhine Legions were the crack troops of the Roman Empire at this time.

    When Septimius heard about Didius buying the throne and demanding his submission he laughed hard, had his men proclaim him Emperor, and marched to Rome.

    The Praetorians tried to march out and put up a fight but they were not suicidal. They realized they would be slaughtered and just opened the gates to Severus.

    Didius was then killed without ceremony. His last words were

    “But what evil have I done? Whom have I killed”

    The Senate and People of Rome proclaimed Septimius their Emperor and damned the memory of Didius Julianus.

    Gotta feel bad for the guy- he really wasn’t a bad dude.

    Septimius then got rid of the Praetorian Guard…. kinda. Every member of the guard was stripped of their rank and position and exiled from Rome itself. Then Septimius formed a new Praetorian Guard made up of his veterans from the Rhine legions.

    Septimius honored Pertinax for various logical reasons.

    1. He was the rightful Emperor that had been viciously and illegally murdered by greedy Praetorian Guards. This was Septimius’s justification for marching on Rome after all.
    2. Pertinax was a decent Emperor who had the right idea. He just lacked political IQ.

    Septimius was politically savvy. He was trying to frame himself as the savior of Rome, who had marched on the city to overthrow a tyrant and the murderers that had killed the rightful Emperor.

    Was this true?

    Yes- mostly it was. Septimius would actually go down as one of the better Emperors in Roman history and the Praetorians really were murderous thugs.

    American ICBM Test Rocket Exploded Seconds After Launch, Briefly Setting Fire To California Base

    Imagine that! I wonder... -MM
    Friday, Jul 08, 2022 – 12:45 AM

    A late night ICBM missile test in California ended in disaster, as it exploded just seconds after lift-off on Wednesday.

    Officials with the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Lompoc, California confirmed that “The Minotaur II space launch vehicle exploded approximately 11 seconds after launching off the test pad at 11:01 p.m. local time, Vandenberg,” which was announced Thursday morning.

    The incident resulted in a fire on base, though officials noted that debris from the blast didn’t stray outside of the “immediate vicinity” of the launch bad. The local Vandenberg Fire Department responded and was able to put out the fire before it threatened other areas of the base. No injuries were reported.

    A cause of the failed test was not immediately clear, and it’s under investigation. Local reports, citing military press releases, say the test was originally slated for Thursday morning but was moved up to late Wednesday night for unknown reasons.

    “The military base was testing the U.S. Air Force’s new missile rocket, which is expected to be used with the future LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile,” one area report details.

    “Both are being developed by the Air Force’s Nuclear Weapons Center to will replace the aging Minuteman missiles that have previously been tested at the Central Coast base, located near Lompoc,” the reported added.

    According to a defense journal the launch was intended to demonstrate the vehicle’s “preliminary design concepts and relevant payload technologies in operationally realistic environments,” based on an Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center statement.

    The precious comments from this article…

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    x

    x
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    The biggest shame for ancient Rome was the loss of the “Eagle Standard”

    x
    x

    Every legion had an eagle standard and it was the embodiment of Roman power and might. The Roman legions and Roman citizens nearly worshipped the standard.

    When Crassus marched off to fight the Parthians he lost the standards. This was a horrible humiliation for Rome. To lose so many standards to an enemy was an insult to Rome itself.

    Decades later Augustus became the first emperor of Rome.

    Augustus wanted a big win against the Parthians and he sent his right hand man and greatest general of the age Agrippa to deliver.

    So what did Agrippa and Augustus want? To conquer Parthia? To take the capital? No

    They merely wanted the legion standards back.

    Agrippa did what Agrippa does and found a way to negotiate for the standards back.

    When they were returned to Rome it was a party. The Romans flooded the streets and partied like Rome had won some grand victory. To them getting the standards back was a victory.

    Losing a battle was never great- but losing the standards was a true defeat. As long as the eagle stood strong Rome stood strong.

    The Shot President

    On October 14, 1912, Theodore Roosevelt was planning on giving a speech.

    He started by saying, “Friends, I shall ask you to be as quiet as possible.”

    He was then shot.

    “I don’t know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot,” Roosevelt continues.

    Much to the crowd’s shock, Roosevelt unbuttons his bloodstained shirt.

    x
    x

    “It takes more than that to kill a bull moose,” Roosevelt assures the crowd.

    Roosevelt takes his speech papers out of his coat pocket. There was a bullet hole straight through all fifty pages. The papers had saved his life.

    Luckily for his speech, Roosevelt had a self-claimed photographic memory. He went on to give a ninety minute speech even though his aides insisted that he go to a hospital. Only with the speech completed did he agree to visit the hospital.

    He was fifty-three at the time.

    What a bad-ass.

    Roosevelt’s face later that day:

    x
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    Why Are Girls Attracted To Assholes?

    From elsewhere. I did not write this piece. -MM

    The first time I fell in love, I was 13. I wanted her to like me back so much I was prepared to do anything. I did my best to be nice, kind and giving – but none of it worked.

    So I spent 2 years watching my first crush date asshole after asshole. She’d fall for the cheaters, the jerks and the guys who disrespected her. Every time, I was the one she cried to when things went wrong for the Nth time.

    I didn’t get it.

    Here I was, giving her so much and ready to give more; we’d be great together… But she kept choosing them over me. She wasn’t the only one; over the years, many of the girls I liked ended up with assholes.

    So when I finally decided to get with women, the first thing I wanted to know was, “why do girls like assholes so much?” – and whether I had to become one to be loved.

    Here are the answers to those questions.

    1. Girls Like Assholes because They’re Strong

    Assholes have tough, dominant personalities. They’re not afraid to assert themselves over other people – in fact, they rarely show fear at all. They take what they want from life and don’t care what anyone thinks of them.

    This is incredibly attractive because girls want to be with men who make them feel safe and protected. They like strong guys who know what they want and aren’t afraid to take it. Assholes have all those qualities – and so women choose them.

    2. Girls Like Assholes because They Have Other Priorities

    Women like successful, accomplished men. Just look at how they act around rockstars, actors, etc; success is an incredibly powerful aphrodisiac.

    As an extension of that, girls are also attracted to guys who’ll be successful in the future. And what kind of man has the capacity to succeed? One who feels passionate and ambitious about his life’s goals, of course.

    On the other hand, a man who puts his woman first is unattractive. There’s no challenge to him, his life has no great purpose: nothing sexy or interesting there.

    By putting their women second, assholes project the potential for success. This is the second quality that makes them so attractive to women.

    3. Assholes Create Emotional Ups & Downs, a.k.a. Chick Crack

    A girl can talk to her friends for hours, whining about a guy who keeps being hot & cold; complaining how she can’t figure him out. (Some even make funky songs).

    But at the end of the day, she’s talking about him, isn’t she?

    Women are attracted to drama, mystery and challenges. They might not enjoy emotional ups and downs, but they’re attracted to the men who create them. Assholes are real good at that, which is the third reason chicks dig them.

    4. Assholes are Direct

    One of the most unattractive things about “nice guys” is how murky they are about what they want. They’re so busy trying to protect themselves from rejection that they don’t show the girl what they want from her.

    This is extremely confusing to a woman. Try to put yourself in her position – imagine someone is being nice to you for no reason at all.

    A stranger starts being nice to you on the street. You suspect he wants something – maybe money, maybe to sell you something – and so his niceness comes across as an act. You don’t know his intentions, which puts you on guard.

    That’s how women feel about men who aren’t clear about what they want.

    Assholes are always direct. They may not be nice, but at least they’re real – which is infinitely more attractive. This is the fourth and final reason women like them so much.

    5. Main Point… You don’t have to be an asshole to be ANY of these things.

    I spent so many years thinking girls like assholes… But I was wrong. After spending years talking to thousands of women, I can tell you that much for sure.

    Look back at the previous four points. Do you really have to be a bad person to have any of those qualities?

    You can be strong; you can have things going on in your life; you can learn to know when it’s time to keep your distance; you can be direct… And still be a great guy.

    All the most attractive men I know are incredibly kind and generous. Being an asshole isn’t sexy or manly; when given a choice between a good guy and a bad guy with all of the above qualities, women will always pick the good guy.

    Girls don’t like assholes. They like strong, challenging men with exciting lives. You don’t have to be a jerk to have all those attractive qualities – great news if you’re like me and enjoy being nice to people.

    Yes, a very small minority of women confuses cruelty with strength. They’ll always be attracted to men who mistreat them – but you don’t want those girls anyway.

    The ones you do want will appreciate your niceness and love you for it. Find them, attract them with your awesomeness and don’t be an asshole!

    by George P.H.

    A contract killing in China

    I don’t know if it is true, but it makes a great story…

    x
    x

    A businessman hired an assassin to kill an enemy. He gave her two million yuan to do the job (just over $280,000). The killer decided it was better to keep half the money, and give the other half to someone else to kill him. Repeat the operation a few times, and you have five contract killers.

    The killer at the bottom of the pyramid was given 100,000 yuan and decided it wasn’t enough money to kill someone, so he decided to contact the target and told him to fake his death.

    Days later, the victim reported the incident to the police, and the five killers and the businessman ended up in jail.

    Big Tech Isn’t Woke… It’s Totalitarian

    Friday, Jul 08, 2022 – 03:30 PM

    Authored by Michael Senger via ‘The New Normal’ Substack,

    In the mid-18th century, a secretive political group began spreading dangerous conspiracy theories throughout Britain’s colonies. British subjects had long enjoyed the freedom of expression, but these radicals abused novel communication platforms to churn out seditious literature not often grounded in fact, even resorting to threats and violence that endangered those around them.

    According to their wild theories, a series of modest taxes levied by Parliament actually represented an incremental process to strip away their rights. They had no evidence to back their claims. After they arranged one of the costliest acts of vandalism in the history of the Empire, Parliament very reasonably invoked a state of emergency to protect the public. Yet, characteristically, rather than raising their objections through proper legal channels, these extremists co-signed a document penned by one of their most wily and manipulative agitators, falsely claiming to speak for all the colonists in declaring themselves above the law.

    In a helpful rebuttal, Governor Thomas Hutchinson thoroughly debunked the document, outlining the many “false and frivolous” claims in this “list of imaginary grievances,” its signatories relying on spurious overtures to “what they called the natural rights of mankind” to evade substantive argument. Hutchinson noted the signers’ racism, “depriving more than a hundred thousand Africans of their rights to liberty,” discrediting their appeals to so-called “natural rights,” as well as “the absurdity of making the governed to be governors,” a laughable contradiction. Moreover, the document was misleading. “The real design was to reconcile the people of America to that Independence.” The signers even referred to their sovereign as a “tyrant,” a profanity for which “indignant resentment must seize the breast of every loyal subject.” The Empire had always been about saving lives, after all—even if it occasionally fell a bit short.

    In this story, most readers now recognize the birth of the world’s oldest democracy and the modern constitutional republic. But perhaps those who presently govern the mega-platforms collectively referred to as “Big Tech,” on which most online discourse now takes place, take it as a warning of what can go wrong if citizens are permitted to freely express their beliefs.

    As strangely low an ethical standard as it was, the days of “Don’t be evil” appear to have been left far behind. Big Tech platforms now routinely side with raw state and corporate power, showing a disregard bordering on outright disdain for the rights and welfare of the human beings whom their actions affect. The recent history of Big Tech is a history of repeated usurpations, all demonstrating as their direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over the people.

    Big Tech platforms openly disavow any role in abiding by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, to which all American citizens owe a duty and to which any person who chooses to become an American citizen must swear an oath to uphold and defend. They censor centuries-old news organizations for publishing true, factual, and timely information.

    Big Tech platforms routinely censor the legal speech of citizens, concealing the rationale behind their decisions and applying their terms of service selectively, if at all. They mislead the public as to the scale and scope of this censorship, systematically silencing the most articulate voices on one side of any given debate unbeknownst to the vast majority of the public.

    Big Tech platforms openly collude with governments to suppress the speech of their own people, while overtly abusing the legal system and paying massive settlements to conceal the evidence of their collusion. They craft the false illusion of consensus on political issues of their own choosing, a power unprecedented in our democracy and historically held only by the most despotic regimes, promising in every instance to wield it for good, but falling short every time.

    Big Tech platforms deploy artificial intelligence to censor and de-boost citizens and opposing viewpoints with increasingly inhuman detachment and efficiency. They retain as leading AI experts—on their boards of directors—personnel with deep and well-documented ties to the militaries of the world’s worst dictatorships.

    Big Tech platforms routinely apply fact-check labels to true stories and information based on unrelated contextual issues, manipulating political narratives by deceiving the public into believing that the pertinent information is itself false. Meanwhile, they ignore large-scale bot and astroturf campaigns affecting political outcomes all over the world—despite harrowing accounts from whistleblowers—while misleading the public as to the frequency, scale, and purpose of these bot and astroturf campaigns.

    Big Tech platforms censor the voices of the most well-qualified citizens under the Orwellian pretext of combatting “misinformation,” drowning out their views with those of disinformation agents and bots. Meanwhile, they anoint as “experts” those who hold no relevant qualifications in the designated field other than a groveling deference to the viewpoints of Big Tech, who then regularly publish falsehoods without retribution.

    Big Tech platforms employ managers who accept bribes to censor political dissidents fighting against the world’s deadliest regimes, to whom they show obsequious deference. They bear a growing resemblance to organized crime syndicates, submitting false statements to the highest courts of law while hiding behind an unlimited legal budget and cutesy PR campaigns replete with amorphous birds and round, lower-case letters to escape legal scrutiny.

    This is no far-off dystopia. As rapidly as they’ve transpired, these things are already happening, and this is the reality of the world that Big Tech has created today. Given their systematic suppression of dissent against lockdowns, which ultimately killed over 170,000 Americans and countless millions more around the world, it’s hard to think of any ostensibly-private enterprise since the British East India Company that’s been responsible for more widespread human suffering. Much of this behavior is surely being coerced by the federal government, just as the East India Company was largely doing the bidding of the British Government. But Big Tech might want to ask how well “just following orders” worked as a defense in 1945.

    I conclude with the words of another individual who ultimately came to sign that radical 18th-century document, but other than whom no man ever fought harder for peace.

    “Look upon your Hands! They are stained with the Blood of your Relations! You and I were long Friends. You are now my Enemy—and I am Yours.”

    The Simpsons – Planet Of The Apes Musical – Dr. Zaius

    Now have some fun!

    Russia’s Medvedev Warns US Trying To Punish A Nuclear Power ‘Risks Existence Of Humanity’

    Thursday, Jul 07, 2022 – 11:15 PM

    Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com,

    Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday warned the US against trying to punish Russia for its war in Ukraine, saying that doing so would risk humanity since Moscow has the world’s largest nuclear arsenal.

    “The idea of punishing a country that has one of the largest nuclear potentials is absurd. And potentially poses a threat to the existence of humanity,” Medvedev wrote on Telegram.

    Medvedev, who currently serves as the deputy of Russia’s Security Council, had warned earlier in the war that if the US destabilizes Russia like it did Iraq and other countries, it could lead to a nuclear “dystopia.” As of 2020, Russia was estimated to have 6,375 nuclear warheads, and the US said it possessed 5,750 warheads.

    Even though it’s widely believed that a direct conflict between the US and Russia could quickly turn nuclear, it doesn’t appear to be a factor in the Biden administration’s response to the war in Ukraine. Instead, the US is pouring billions of dollars in weapons into the country and continues to escalate its involvement in the war.

    In his Telegram post, Medvedev also called out the US for hypocrisy for trying to put Russia on trial for war crimes, citing the millions killed by the US since World War II in countries like Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and many others.

    “So who’s going to give us a show trial? Those who kill people and commit war crimes with impunity, but do not meet real condemnation in the international structures financed by them?” Medvedev said, according to a Google translation of his Telegram post.

    US Attorney General Merrick Garland recently visited Ukraine and pledged support for international efforts to investigate alleged Russian war crimes. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has opened an investigation in Ukraine, but the US is not a party to the court and has impeded its effort to investigate alleged war crimes committed by the US and Israel.

    The lost bag

    x
    x

    It’s 1989. I am nineteen working as a tour guide in Tokyo. It’s my first job.

    The bus stops at the large service area parking lot filled with cars and people overlooking beautiful mountains.

    I rush to the nearest phone booth to make a phone call to our next stop: lunch at a traditional Japanese restaurant. My job is to report the exact number of the guests, and estimate time of arrival. I only had five minutes before all the guests come back to the bus.

    “We have 45, arriving at 12:15 pm,” I say over the phone.

    “I got it,” the manager responds to me.

    Relieved, I walk back to the bus and wait for all the guests to come back.

    After confirming everyone hops onto the bus, we leave the service area and head for the restaurant.

    The traffic is smooth on the highway considering it’s “Golden Week.” Everything is going smooth.

    I open my bag to check the schedule for the rest of the trip.

    Wait.

    The bag feels light. Too light.

    Then, I realize I am missing something: Cash bag.

    It has ¥100,000 (roughly US$700) in cash, and some voucher for the restaurant.

    I must have left the bag in the phone booth.

    My heart almost stop. I am screaming inside “Stop. Turn around the bus and go back to the service area now!” But, I couldn’t tell it to anyone. I have to pretend as if everything is going OK.

    The voucher is for the lunch to pay to the restaurant. What would I tell them? The cash is for the emergency use, so didn’t have to have it to complete the trip, but then, if lose, how would I pay back?

    All these questions are circling in my head until we arrive at the restaurant.

    I want to run to the phone at the restaurant, but have to greet our guest first. Then, grab the phone and made a quick call to my company office.

    “I think I left my bag at the last stop,” I tell my boss. “Cash and voucher was in.”

    “Ok, relax,” my boss says. “First, apologize and tell the restaurant manager we will mail the voucher later. Tell them you forgot to bring. As for the cash, call the police and tell them you left at the service area.”

    I realize it’s not as bad as I thought. Not definitely the end of the world.

    I call the police and file a lost and found report. Obviously, it’s too early for my bag to be turned in, but I am not yet giving up the hope.

    I finish the trip without cash and voucher.

    Three days, later, I receive a phone call from a police.

    “A gentleman found and turned in your bag.”

    “Really?” I yell over the phone.

    “How much was in the bag?”

    “¥100,000” I reply.

    “Looks like it’s all in there,” the policeman says.

    A few days later, I go to the police station near the service area to pick up the bag. I meet the man who found my bag.

    “Thank you,” I say to him and hand him an envelope containing some cash as a token of appreciation.


    Postscript

    I suppose the moral of this story is, “Do onto others what you’ve have them done to you,” or “What goes around, comes around.”

    The story illustrates a custom, a simple teaching embedded in the Japanese culture. I was taught this growing up in Japan. After this experience, it is embedded in me more than ever.

    I’ve been living in the US for over past 30 years now. Every time I see a “lost” object in any public places – streets, cafes, public transportation, offices, I turn it in. I do this regardless of where I am. I’ve done it in Japan. I will continue to do so.

    My hope is that everyone reads this story will do the same and by doing so, perhaps, the world will be a better place.

    Charles Joughin

    As everything was going to shit, Charles Joughin was remarkably calm.

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    When the RMS Titanic hit an iceberg on April 14, 1912, even the ship’s staff was in a state of panic. No one stepped up to the plate to take charge. In fact, most of the staff were running around just as frantically as the passengers.

    So, our boy Charles stepped in.

    Charles was head baker and fittingly, his first order of business was sending loaves of bread to the lifeboats so people would have food to last until they were rescued.

    He continued by helping others onto their boats until he reached his own. Only instead of hopping on, he forced a group of women and children on, saving their lives.

    The icy water filled the ship quickly and Charles was fully aware that his chance of survival was slim at best, so he did what any person would do: get drunk out of their mind.

    x
    x

    He went to his cabin and got as much whiskey as he could. On his way, he threw chairs into the ocean for people to use as flotation devices.

    And then he jumped off the ship, into the freezing water.

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    He spent hours in the unforgiving Atlantic ocean.

    Most died in minutes.

    The alcohol coursing through his body fought off the cold and kept him alive.

    “I was just paddling and treading water,” he said.

    As dawn broke, he found a lifeboat and swam towards it, only to find that there was no space for him.

    Luckily, another nearby boat had room and he managed to climb on. They were rescued soon after and there was no illness or injury to even prove he’d been in the water.

    Charles would go on to join the Navy and died at 78, living a full life thanks to some whiskey.

    China Dominates The Antibiotics Market

    Of course. Antibiotics are not a highly profitable product. So they are ignored by Wall Street, but the Chinese think differently that the self-centered capitalists. -MM
    Friday, Jul 08, 2022 – 10:40 AM

    Global exports of antibiotics originate predominantly from China – as Statista’s Martin Armstrong shows in the infographic below based on data from the International Trade Center (ITC).

    China currently accounts for 42.4 percent of global antibiotic exports by value. Italy, India and Switzerland follow far behind.

    For years, experts have been warning of the EU’s dependence on antibiotic supplies from abroad, especially China and India.

    x
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    Statista

    This dependence is not only limited to antibiotics, but affects – also for many years – a wide range of pharmaceutical products, including cortisone, for example.

    In addition, the world is facing another, increasingly significant problem: More and more bacteria are developing resistance to common antibiotics.

    As a result, there is now a pressing need for drugs that are specifically effective against resistant germs. Most of the antibiotic classes introduced in the 21st century do just that. However, research into these active substances is often not profitable and risky for the industry; because drugs that specifically act against resistant germs are not used across the board, but only as so-called “second-line” or “last-line” antibiotics (reserve antibiotics) – as a last resort when the established drugs are no longer effective.

    Russia: New Weapons Based on New Physics; U.S./NATO Missiles Would Never Leave Their Silos

    .

    The government of Russia has developed new weapons technology, based on new physics principles, that if used, would prevent U.S. and NATO Nuclear Missiles from ever leaving their launch silos.  Russia has nothing to fear from US nuclear weapons.

    BY:  Military expert Kulikov D. V.

    “Russia has come close to creating weapons based on new physical principles” – V. V. Putin, 2018.

    These were not empty words and cartoons, as the United States tried to convince the whole world. In 2022, the Russian Federation put on display the laser systems, which we wrote about earlier.

    It’s time to reveal a conceptually new weapon based on new physical principles that only science fiction writers dreamed of in their works!

    The ALABUGA complex is a high-frequency high-power electro-magnetic generator (EMP), capable, in the truest sense of the word, of burning all electronics within a radius of 4 kilometers.

    “In modern warfare, the one who first blinds and destroys the enemy’s electronic eyes wins.”

    All data on this complex is classified as Top Secret! But today we will reveal a little the veil of secrecy.

    Russian designers managed to create a compact EMR – a generator that can be easily placed in the body of any Russian missile, in the place of the warhead (“Caliber”, “Zircon”, “Onyx”, “Dagger”, “Iskander”, “Petrel” and others ).

    It is assumed that the rocket, being at the right height and above the right place, produces an explosion, forming an electromagnetic impulse as a shock wave, while the manpower and buildings remain intact.

    “Alabuga” – disables any enemy electronics, such as a tank platoon, an airfield with aircraft, and even simple mobile phones, computers and other household appliances. After that, the enemy will simply have no choice but to surrender and give all their weapons to the advancing units of the Russian army as trophies” – A high-ranking specialist of the Rostec concern, who wished to remain anonymous.

    And if EMP “Alabuga” are placed on the missiles “Petrel”, which have an infinite range, and “land” this missile somewhere in the United States, next to the launch silos of nuclear ballistic missiles, the coordinates of which are known, then it is possible to activate the generator at the right time, thereby disable the “atomic fist” of the United States.

    The very idea of an Electro-Magnetic weapon is not new, and arose during the first Nuclear tests, because the EMP Wave is one of the damaging factors. For example, in 1962, when testing atomic weapons, the United States blew up at an altitude of 400 kilometers, a charge with a capacity of only 1.4 megatons.
    The result was amazing. Unexpectedly for themselves, they disabled 2 Soviet satellites and 4 of their own.

    Knowing these facts, the Alabuga complex looks like a more than realistic project.

    There are many more surprises waiting and someday we will be able to tell about it!

    Black Forest Cake

    This German-born dessert is an exercise in seeing how many ways you can infuse one cake with cherry flavor.

    It’s composed of layers of chocolate cake that have been thoroughly soaked with kirsch (a clear cherry spirit) and topped with maraschino cherries, while some versions even have sour cherries stuffed between the layers.

    Though it was first invented in 1915, its popularity soared stateside in the 1970s.

    x
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    What is Black Forest Cake?

    This is my rendition of the traditional German black forest cake aka Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte. Today’s towering beauty has 4 parts:

    1. My go-to chocolate layer cake
    2. Dark sweet cherries
    3. Fluffy vanilla whipped cream
    4. Dark chocolate ganache

    Chocolate Cake

    The cake recipe comes from this tuxedo cake, which was adapted from my favorite chocolate cake. It has a cake crumb so moist and chocolate-y, it sticks to your fork and melts on your tongue.

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    Curious about the ingredients used? Hop on over to that recipe for detail. One thing I’ll mention because it’s worth repeating: hot liquid is a must in this cake batter. Why? The hot liquid encourages the cocoa powder to bloom and dissolve instead of just sitting there. For the hot liquid, I recommend coffee which will deepen the chocolate flavor. The cake will not taste like coffee, I promise! Or you can use hot water.

    Cherries & Whipped Cream

    Grab a couple cans of dark sweet cherries that are soaked in heavy syrup (the can is sold as such). Reduce the syrup down on the stove as the cakes bake. Have any cherry liquor around? Add a splash and brush the mixture all over the cakes while they’re still warm. This cherry soaking syrup guarantees the moistest, most flavorful chocolate cake you will EVER taste. Think of the best chocolate cake you’ve ever eaten. This one’s better and we have the cherry- soaking syrup to thank.

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    Those cherries from the can? They’ll be layered right into the cake, seeping their magenta juices into the vanilla whipped cream. Swirled pink, the whipped cream is light, billowy, and doesn’t weigh down the cake. While this black forest cake is certainly decadent, it’s not overly heavy. A breath of fresh air considering most chocolate cakes are dense as bricks!

    Most of vanilla whipped cream is layered inside the cake, but be sure to reserve some to lightly spread on top and around the cake. This seals in the cake’s moisture. Have I mentioned this cake is moist?

    How to Make Chocolate Ganache

    Black forest cake is traditionally finished with chocolate shavings, but I took it a step further and opted for chocolate ganache. The crowning glory is a layer of dazzling chocolate ganache that gently drapes over the sides for mega drama. (Because when it comes to chocolate cake, there’s gotta be drama!) Made from heavy cream and pure chocolate, there’s no garnish more appropriate for this cake masterpiece.

    I’m so excited for you to try this black forest cake, a recipe that came to life from the one who inspired me to get in the kitchen.

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    Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease three 9-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans.
    2. Make the chocolate cake: Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder (if using) together in a large bowl. Set aside. Using a KitchenAid stand mixer fitted with a flat beater, beat the oil, eggs, sour cream, buttermilk, and vanilla together until combined. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, add the hot water or coffee, and beat it all until the batter is completely combined.
    3. Divide batter evenly between 3 pans. Bake for 21-25 minutes. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours. The cakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven and set on a wire rack. Allow to cool for 30 minutes in the pans, then remove cakes from pans and set on a cooling rack. Be careful and use two hands when handling the cakes.
    4. After the cakes have cooled, use a large serrated knife or cake leveler to slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard (or crumble over ice cream!).
    5. Prepare the syrup: Drain the cherries, reserving 3/4 cup (180ml) of the heavy syrup. Set cherries aside. Simmer syrup and cherry liquor in a small saucepan over low heat until reduced down to 1/4 cup (60ml). Brush reduced syrup all over the cakes, reserving any leftover syrup.
    6. Slice the cherries in half, leaving a few whole cherries for garnish. Set aside.
    7. Make the ganache: Place chopped chocolate and corn syrup, if using, in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it begins to gently simmer. (Do not let it come to a rapid boil– that’s too hot!) Pour over chocolate and let it sit for 2-3 minutes to gently soften the chocolate. Slowly stir until completely combined and chocolate has melted. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes as you prepare the whipped cream.
    8. Make the whipped cream: Using a KitchenAid stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes.
    9. Assemble the cake: Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand, cake turntable, or serving plate. Spread 1 heaping cup of whipped cream evenly on top. Dot with half of the halved cherries and drizzle with a spoonful of reduced syrup. Top with 2nd cake layer and evenly cover the top with 1 heaping cup whipped cream, the remaining halved cherries, and another drizzle of reduced syrup. Top with the 3rd cake layer. Spread the remaining whipped cream on top and all around the sides in a thin layer using an icing spatula. Use a bench scraper to smooth out the whipped cream on the sides of the cake.
    10. Pour chocolate ganache on top of the cake. Spread to the edges of cake allowing it to gently drip down the sides. Top with whole cherries. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
    11. Cover and store leftover cake at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

    Notes

    1. Make Ahead Instructions: The cake layers can be baked, cooled, and covered tightly at room temperature overnight. For the cherry syrup, cool then cover and refrigerate overnight. The whipped cream can be prepared, covered tightly, and refrigerated overnight. Chocolate ganache can be prepared, covered tightly, and refrigerated for up to 3 days before using. Let ganache sit at room temperature to soften or microwave for 5-10 seconds before using. The assembled cake can be refrigerated for up to 1 day before slicing and serving. The frosted cake can also be frozen up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
    2. Why Room Temperature Ingredients? All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Read here for more information. Instead of sour cream, try using plain yogurt. The cake won’t taste as rich, but it’s a fine substitution.
    3. Cocoa Powder: Use natural cocoa in the cake, not dutch-process. Here’s the difference between natural cocoa powder and dutch-process cocoa powder.
    4. Espresso Powder: Espresso powder and coffee will not make the chocolate taste like coffee. Rather, they deepen the chocolate flavor. I highly recommend them both. If coffee isn’t your thing, you can leave out the espresso powder and use boiling hot water instead of the hot coffee.
    5. Buttermilk: Buttermilk is required for this recipe. You can make your own DIY version of buttermilk if needed. Add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough whole milk to the same measuring cup until it reaches 1/2 cup. (In a pinch, lower fat or nondairy milks work for this soured milk, but the cake won’t taste as moist or rich.) Stir it around and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade “buttermilk” will be somewhat curdled and ready to use in the recipe.
    6. Cherries: Canned dark sweet cherries in heavy syrup (they are sold as such) are imperative to the recipe. The syrup will be reduced down. Do not use fresh dark sweet cherries, sour cherries, or maraschino cherries.
    7. Cherry Liquor: The cherry liquor is optional, but really gives the soaking syrup (step 4) that over-the-top delicious flavor setting this black forest cake apart from others. You can also add a splash to the whipped cream!
    8. Corn Syrup: I like to add a touch of light corn syrup to the ganache to give it some glistening shine. This is an optional ingredient.

    Pretty Anime Girls by The Artist Little Thunder

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    Little Thunder is an artist from Hong Kong who draws illustrations with adorable anime girls. She works in digital as well, but she mostly draws in watercolor – it gives the pictures an incredible tenderness, but without losing the richness of the colors. Watching Little Thunder’s work is like lying on a huge soft marshmallow. It’s a real pleasure.

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    An important and breath-taking read from an Egyptian who studied China

    Amazing insight and conclusions for someone who only studied China for one year. But in the end, he doesn’t know how China does it. He doesn’t know why everyone else fails while China succeeds. Do you know the answer? Read on.

    AS an Egyptian, I have been studying China intensely for the past year — its government, society, history, and transformation.

    I’ve spoken to hundreds of Chinese and China-haters and heard everything they had to say. By now I’ve learned roughly as much about China as anyone can learn without knowing the language or living in the country, and I’ve reached my conclusion. China attracts a lot of haters, know-nothings and armchair experts.

    The truth is that China is the greatest country on the face of the earth. It makes all other countries look insignificant and contemptible. It is the most brilliant, most industrious, most ambitious, most educated, meritocratic and technocratic, most modern, sophisticated, and civilised, and best-governed by far.

    It is the first nonwhite, non-Western country to reach this status since the 1600s. The determination of this country is indescribable. Supernatural. There is no force that can stop it from accomplishing anything it wants to do.

    Forty years ago a flush toilet in China was a luxury. Today it has its own Space Station. This is a tiny example of China’s capabilities.

    It doesn’t matter who we are. Egyptians, Syrians, Pakistanis, Indians, Africans, even Americans. Next to the Chinese, we are pathetic. We can’t do what they do. We would have a mountain, an Everest of changes to make, and we would whine and bicker and fail at every one of them. China’s story since the 1980s has been one of an almost divine metamorphosis.

    Next to China the entire Western world from Alaska to New Zealand has stagnated. Next to China the entire developing world from Brazil to Madagascar has progressed only at a crawl.

    China is the mother of all gargantuan bullet trains. Every day it manages to create something new and astonishing. And unlike the United States, unlike the British Empire, unlike the French, Dutch, Germans, Spanish, Portuguese or any other Western nation that had its turn at being a superpower in the past four centuries, China doesn’t need to run anybody over or take something from somebody else, to rise majestically.

    China is also standing up to the West all by herself. The West can’t believe their four-hundred-year-old global supremacy is being challenged. They hoped that the more China developed, the more it would submit to their influence, interests, and leadership. That didn’t happen. So now they will do anything possible, short of a nuclear war, to make China end.

    Their goal is to destroy this country. That’s why, although the United States has killed several million people and turned several regions of the earth into hellscapes.

    China is the worst fear of our planet’s Western masters. They want you to despise and dread a country that’s done nothing to you, that hasn’t invaded anyone, bombed or sanctioned anyone, that hasn’t overthrown any foreign government, or used its military on anything since 1979.

    China is the only major country in the nonwhite developing world, to stand up to the West. To look it in the eye when challenged or threatened.

    The Global South are simply Western puppets who submitted long ago. Even the most powerful ones. Saudi Arabia, Brazil, India.

    The 1500s—1000s BC were Egypt’s time. Antiquity belonged to the Greeks and Romans. The 1700s belonged to France, and the 1800s to Britain. From 1945 to the present, the world has been under American overlordship. And they call it the Pax Americana but there isn’t much Pax in it.

    There’s plenty of Pax if you’re in Europe or Australia. But the Middle East? Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Iran and Yemen in the past 20 years. Latin America? They’ve destroyed that part of the world beyond any hope of recovery. Africa? It’s only been spared because of disinterest. The US sees Africa as nothing. The whole West does.

    But in the twenty-first century, we are witnessing the rise of China. We are decades away from China becoming the greatest power on earth. This will be China’s time, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Attack China all you want, curse her and monger rumours and hysteria — but the truth is that none of your accusations are backed up by evidence. The Western press is under the thumb of Western governments that want to stay on top of the world for eternity. And the truth is that China is not affected by the noise and maneuvers of her enemies.

    For her first thirty years, from 1949 to 1979, China was basically blockaded and isolated economically and politically by the West. It didn’t even have a seat in the UN General Assembly. And it was dirt-poor in those days, barely a speck of the global economy, a tiny fraction of Japan’s or Germany’s GDP — not even able to prevent famine. And it still didn’t submit to pressure or take any orders. Why on earth would it do that now?

    China will be the next global power. There’s nothing that can be done about that. The first stage is that its economy only needs to grow at 4.7 percent per year to become the world’s largest by 2035. That means the usual, historical bare-minimum of 6 percent is already overkill. The US can build as many bases as it wants, slap as many sanctions as it wants, recognise whatever bogus genocides it wants. That’s what it’s been doing all along. Has any of it made a difference? China can adapt to any situation. It took China a mere ten years to go from being barred by the US Congress from participating in the “International” Space Station, to building its own Space Station from zero.

    See, the US has an $800-billion war budget, 800 military bases, 13,000 aircraft, 500 warships, 6,000 nukes — but it doesn’t have what China has: invincible national resolve. It takes the US about 5 years to renovate a bridge, and it takes China 43 hours. There’s simply no competing with that.

    China doesn’t need to be a military superpower or empire. That was never part of the plan. US troops, God bless their souls, will continue sitting in their bases, scratching their balls, costing their government $800 billion a year to do nothing. Meanwhile, China will continue to actually develop.

    That’s the part of the equation that America totally missed, because it has barely developed since Reagan’s day. China is a better place to live today than at any time in its previous 5,000 years; Americans saw their highest standard of living in the 1960s and those days will never come back.

    So yes, China will be the next global power, and the Chinese are vastly superior to us in every way. This is a fact that everyone can attack but that nobody can change, like the theory of evolution.

    Look at you silly buggers, talking about China like it’s going to be the next Nazi Germany. Even many Middle Easterners I know fit in this foolish category. Did you notice when the US invaded or overthrew the governments of 20 countries in the past 32 years (my lifetime)? Did you even know? You think just because you’re ready to forget all that because of Beyoncé and Game of Thrones and Snapchat and other US cultural exports, it didn’t happen.

    The US is feeding me terror-bytes about Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet, Tiananmen Square, Great Leap Forward! I don’t see any dead bodies, I can’t show you one invasion or one example of Chinese regime change, I can’t even find Hong Kong on a map or tell you one factual detail about Tiananmen Square, but the US State Department and all its media are telling me CHINA BAD!

    Aren’t you at least curious to see what a world with a nonwhite, non-Western leader might look like, after 400 years? Because God knows that leader won’t be us. It won’t be Brazil or Africa, or the Middle East or India or Indonesia or Nigeria or Pakistan. We’re a mess.

    China was a mess too. But we remain a mess many decades after we achieved independence, and the Chinese went their own way, disentangled their mess and created their destiny. We’re not made of what the Chinese are made of.

    I see China as hope. Hope that a colonised, brutalised, primitive and humiliated country, can rise above its past — refuse to be weak any longer — rebuild itself from nothing, with iron resolve, and become too strong to be overrun by the West again!

    Hope that a nonwhite, non-Western country can look deep within itself and find its own solutions to its problems — proving that (foolishly) trusting the West to guide us isn’t necessary! Proof that if we can do what the Chinese did, there will be no limits for us.

    Imagine a world where the US, France, Britain, Australia, are no more important than Uzbekistan or Paraguay.

    A world where the World Court might be headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, the World Bank in New Delhi, the United Nations in Jakarta, the IMF in Cairo.

    A world liberated from the US banking system and the dollar as its reserve currency, so that Washington can no longer tell 200 other countries who they can and can’t trade with.

    A world where an American can be tried for war crimes at the Hague, not just an Iraqi or Liberian or Serb.

    A world where we don’t hear about a non-Western-made vaccine and grunt to ourselves, Oh, it must be poison. A world where we don’t have to immigrate to the same countries that turned ours into hellholes, to work as sales clerks or taxi drivers, or even if we’re brilliantly employed — to drain our brains from our homelands in the best of cases, and use them to reinforce Western riches and supremacy in exchange for a fat paycheck, instead of using them to make our own countries semi-habitable.

    When I hear that China has built its own Space Station, landed a rover on Mars, ended extreme poverty, built the Earth’s biggest city, dam, telescope, 5G network, highway, air purifier, or whatever the heck it is that will come tomorrow — I feel the same pride as if I were Chinese.

    It’s not happening for all of us, but it’s happening for one of us and that’s a start. There’s got to be such a thing as developing-country nationalism — a common nationalism for all the countries that were colonised and plundered, and remain economically and politically captured by their ex-rulers.

    A nationalism for the Global South. We are too divided, too brainwashed, too fooled and weak — most of us still worship the countries that destroyed us, are non-Western on the outside and Western on the inside, are hating and fearing and buying all the lies about the only one of us that’s made it, and are leaving our countries in droves to let them burn while we “make a better life for ourselves” in the West.

    Do you want to live on a Western-dominated Earth for another 400 years? If you do, keep doing what you’re doing. But I don’t!

    You know what’ll happen for all of us if America’s sick wishes come true and its global thuggery does make China collapse? Nothing. Eternal repetition of the status quo. More enslavement, hijacking of our resources and weak corrupt governments, neo-colonialism, invasion, regime change, sanctions, MISERY.

    Haven’t we already seen this? Libya, Cuba, Venezuela, Yugoslavia, Belarus, Iraq, Iran, Vietnam, the Soviet Union. Rest in peace. Even FRANCE and JAPAN for God’s sake. What does the United States do when any other country says NO, or simply becomes too powerful, too good at honest competition?

    Japan was a Western-style democracy crawling with US troops, with a US-authored pacifist constitution and almost no military and an extremely pro-US government and populace, and it STILL got crushed when it looked like it would become the #1 economy in the 80s.

    I remember 10–15 years ago when China was still relatively poor and impotent, and Bush and Obama would talk about China as sweetly as swans. Obama happily had dinner with Xi Jinping in late 2015, called China a crucial partner of the United States, and said the US welcomed China’s rise; it was all horseshit. Today Biden, who was there with Obama in late 2015 as Vice-President, angrily rebukes a reporter who merely said that Biden and Xi were old friends.

    America has taken off its mask.

    China made it, it wasn’t supposed to make it, so now it must die. What a difference 5 years can make. China went from “crucial partner” to “number one threat.”

    We should be helping and supporting China to keep climbing to the top, and giving her some serious solidarity as she withstands the new Cold War of Western imperialism. It’s been a long 400 years. China is the first non-Western country to even come close to reaching a status of ultimate global importance. She is akin to the the first member of an impoverished family to go to university. That is our family of nations.

    And when China gets to the top, believe me, it won’t be a repeat of the French, British, or American Empire. Not a single developing country on earth will be worse-off because of China becoming #1. There will be something good in this for all of us, so let’s wake up.

    – Ismail Bashmori is an Egyptian China watcher

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
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    Shooting in Japan, Russia ready to flatten Lithuania, America resembling the fall of Rome and some delicious High School Pizza

    There’s a bunch of “news” going on, but it’s pretty obvious (to the world) that the collective West are just crazed, corrupt appointees that are running their nations to the ground. So while we will cover some of the news events, we will focus, rather, on the human experience throughout history. And take a particular note of what happened during the collapse of the Roman empire. Enjoy and have fun.

    We start with this….

    BREAKING NEWS: Russia Issues Final Warning to Lithuania: They have only a “few days” to stop blocking rail traffic to Kaliningrad

    Russia has completed its preparations and is ready to respond to the Lithuanian blockade of Kaliningrad if something does not change in the next few days, said Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry.

    She did not specify what Russia has planned, but one thing is certain: When Russia tells another country they are going to do something, Russia does what it says.

    Lithuania is a NATO member.

    This could get very ugly, very fast.

    The Myth of Persephone and Hades

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    When Demeter, the goddess of the harvest, gave birth to her first child, Persephone, she looked into her baby’s face and realized she would grow up to be beautiful.

    This was a problem. As a beautiful woman herself, Demeter knew from experience that beauty brought trouble. And so, holding the crying Persephone against her chest, Demeter vowed to protect her daughter at all costs.

    Years went by, and, just as Demeter had feared, Persephone grew up to be a lovely young woman. This made Demeter even more determined to keep her daughter safe. She would bring Persephone with her everywhere she went, whether she was producing a fruitful harvest to a group of villagers, or making plants flourish across the countryside.

    But as Persephone grew older, the girl became curious about the world beyond her mother’s watchful gaze.

    “Why don’t you let me go out on my own?” she asked Demeter one afternoon, after a long day of watching her mother bring pomegranate trees to bloom. “I’m old enough to do things by myself.”

    But Demeter disagreed.

    “Darling,” she said chidingly, plucking a pomegranate from the tree and handing it to her daughter. “The world is a dangerous place. You’re so much safer here with me.”

    Persephone was doubtful, but took the pomegranate from her mother and munched on the seeds. Pomegranates were, after all, her favorite fruit.

    But as they headed home that afternoon, they didn’t notice that someone was watching them from the shadows of the mountains.

    It was Hades, the God of the Underworld, on a rare trip up into the world of the living. He had been traveling through the shadows when he looked up and froze in his tracks. Out in the dimming sunshine was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. But while the girl’s face shone with vitality, her head was lowered, obediently trailing after a woman Hades immediately recognized as Demeter.

    Hades watched the pair from his safe place in the shadows, feeling his heart sink in his chest. He realized that the beautiful girl had to be Demeter’s daughter, Persephone, meaning there was no way he would be able to meet her. Demeter had grown a reputation among the gods as being highly protective of her daughter.

    But as the days went by, Hades couldn’t stop thinking about Persephone. He found himself going up into the world of the living again and again, seeking out the beautiful girl, fascinated by her zest for life, her laughter, the flowers that grew in her hair.

    Finally, Hades couldn’t wait any longer. He went up to Olympus to find Zeus, the King of the Gods, and asked him for his permission to marry Persephone.

    Zeus was doubtful. While he thought it would be a good match, he knew Demeter would not be happy with the idea of her daughter leaving her. But, ultimately, he agreed.

    That was all Hades needed. He got on his chariot and went searching for Persephone, and when he finally found her, he couldn’t believe his luck. Persephone had finally convinced her mother to let her go off on her own, and she was relaxing in a field with only a few attendants present.

    Seeing his chance, Hades swooped in on his chariot, grabbed Persephone, and pulled her down into the Underworld. It all took place so quickly, none of the attendants saw what happened.

    Persephone was horrified. One minute, she was picking flowers in the sunshine. The next, she was in the arms of a strange man, being brought down into an unfamiliar place that was dark and cold.

    When the chariot finally arrived at Hades’s palace, Persephone pulled away from him.

    “Who are you?” she cried. “Why did you take me here?”

    Hades tried to explain to Persephone that he was in love with her and wanted to marry her, but Persephone wasn’t having it. She ran away from him, looking desperately for a way out of this strange world that was full of darkness and the dead.

    While this was happening, Demeter learned from Persephone’s tearful attendants that their mistress had gone missing. She immediately went into a panic, scouring the surface of the earth in search of her daughter. Because Demeter was so filled with grief and worry, she neglected her duties as the goddess of the harvest, and plants all around the world began to wither and die.

    Back in the Underworld, Hades had been trying desperately to win Persephone over. He showered her with gifts: wreaths of dead flowers, gems that were frigid to the touch. But Persephone spent most of her time sitting alone in his palace garden, silently wiping the tears from her eyes.

    Finally, Hades had an idea. He knew Persephone was intelligent, and capable of more than being the meek daughter of Demeter. And so, he offered Persephone a throne of her own to rule beside him as an equal over the Underworld.

    At first, Persephone was hesitant. She had barely been allowed to make decisions over her own life when she was living with Demeter. But as the months went by, Persephone realized she enjoyed her new responsibilities. She even created Elysium, the place where the best of mortals could go after death.

    But above in the world of the living, things were still going terribly. Humans, without the help of Demeter, were beginning to starve without their crops. Even when Helios, the Sun God, confessed to Demeter that he had seen Hades take Persephone, she refused to allow plants to bloom until she was reunited with her daughter.

    Zeus saw all of this, and immediately sought out Hermes, the messenger of the Gods. He told him to fetch Persephone and bring her to his palace on Olympus.

    Hermes went down into the Underworld and found Persephone soon enough, standing alone in the palace garden beside a pomegranate tree. He told her Zeus had given him orders to take her away, and Persephone reluctantly got on his chariot to soar out of the Underworld and up to Olympus.

    When they finally arrived, Persephone saw her mother waiting for her in the palace hall, and the two embraced with cries of delight. But as Demeter hugged her daughter, she looked down and saw Persephone was holding a pomegranate. Immediately, she stiffened.

    “What’s wrong?” Persephone said with a laugh, drawing back to regard her mother.

    But Demeter couldn’t speak. The pomegranate in her daughter’s hand was missing several seeds. And as she looked back up into her daughter’s face, she heard Hades come up from behind them.

    “She can’t leave,” Hades said calmly. “She’s eaten from my palace garden.”

    This was true. Once one ate anything from the Underworld, they were forced to stay there forever.

    Demeter felt her face flush with anger. Immediately, she accused Hades of tricking her daughter, even as Persephone tried to convince Demeter that she was in love with Hades, and was happy living as the Queen of the Underworld.

    Suddenly, Zeus entered the room. He listened to Demeter and Hades argue, and then silenced them so he could hear Persephone’s side of the story.

    In the end, Zeus made a decision for all of them.

    Persephone, because she had eaten three seeds from the pomegranate, would stay in the Underworld for three months out of the year. For the other nine months, she would live with her mother.

    While everyone accepted the deal as only fair, Demeter wasn’t as pleased with the agreement as Persephone and Hades.

    Therefore, during the three months when Persephone is away from her mother, ruling alongside Hades as the Queen of the Underworld, Demeter allows the plants on Earth to weaken and die. That’s why we have winters.

    But when the snow melts and the flowers bloom, know that it’s because Persephone and Demeter are, once again, together.

    Elon Musk TERMINATES Twitter Deal

    Elon Musk has announced he has TERMINATED his deal to purchase Twitter.

    Long story short: Musk says Twitter is in material breach of the Merger Agreement by failing to disclose vast amounts of information concerning phony accounts, bots and more.   Here is the official Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Notice of termination of the deal:

    Official Notice found HERE

    Rectangle Cafeteria Pizza

    A High School “copycat”. Make it for some fine memories.

    From HERE. Please enjoy!

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    My early school years took place primarily in the 90’s, and I remember the cafeteria serving up super cheesy rectangles of pizza on a thin crust every Friday. Everyone looked forward to Pizza Friday! As I grew older, I realized that “rectangle pizza” was a more widespread thing that existed in many schools other than my small lil’ educational establishment in East Tennessee.

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    While I’m sure school cafeterias had their own standardized way of preparing these pizzas on endless, massive sheet pans to be sold to hungry kiddos, you can create a very close substitute of school cafeteria pizza at home to help relive some childhood memories.

    To keep things easy, I used a ball of premade dough that I found at my regular grocery store (Kroger). I recommend you do the same if you don’t want to make a homemade dough. You technically could use the canned pizza dough, but because this pizza is made in a large 10×15″ baking sheet, the dough from the cans will be very, very thin when pressed into the pan.

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    As far as toppings, I remember my school mostly serving the plain cheese variety, though on some days there were meat varieties offered. You can stick to those basic options for your homemade school lunch pizza, but you can also load it up with any of your favorite protein or veggie toppings.

    To me, one key feature of classic school rectangle pizza is the fact that there is very little visible crust around the outside. To achieve an authentic look, spread the sauce and toppings allll the way to the edge of the crust.

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    Want to make things a little healthier? Consider a whole wheat crust to increase the fiber and complex carbohydrate content. Use a part-skim mozzarella and use a lean protein such as cooked chicken or lean ground turkey.

    Even if you’re not seeking a hit of nostalgia with this meal, it’s also just an easy way to make a big and simple pizza for the family for your own at-home Pizza Fridays. Enjoy this school pizza recipe!!

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    Vladimir Putin: They want to defeat us on the battlefield. Let them try!

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    Vladimir Putin: They want to defeat us on the battlefield. Let them try!
    After the end of the spring session of parliament, Vladimir Putin met with the heads of the Duma factions. The president, in the best traditions, flashed his eloquence. Here are his main phrases:
    
    - We have many parties, but one homeland.
    
    - Yes, they (the authors of Western sanctions - Ed.) create difficulties for us. But not the kind that the initiators of the economic blitzkrieg counted on.
    
    - They tell us: we started a war. Not! It was unleashed by the collective West, supporting the coup in Ukraine.
    
    - Today we hear that they want to defeat us on the battlefield , well, what can I say, let them try!
    
    - The beginning of the special operation is the demolition of the American world order. It is the beginning of a multipolar world.
    
    - Today the West is degenerating into totalitarianism, censorship and the closure of the media.
    
    - The war to the last Ukraine, which is being waged by the West , is a tragedy for the Ukrainian people. But that seems to be where it all comes from. But we haven't really started anything yet.
    
    - We did not refuse peace negotiations , but the further, the more difficult it will be to conduct them.
    
    - The idea of ​​integrating Russia into NATO seemed absurd to the members of the alliance. And why? Because they do not need such a Russia.
    
    - The sanctions had a goal : to sow discord, but it did not work and will not work!

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    The Death Of A Capable Revisionist

    From MoA

    Last night some man with a self build gun killed the former prime minister of Japan Shinzo Abe.

    Adhering to family tradition Shinzo Abe has been an Japanese imperialist. As Peter Lee wrote about him back in 2013:

    Myth: Shinzo Abe is a leading member of the team of world and Asian democracies standing up to China in the name of universal values like “freedom of navigation” and to help ensure the shared peace and prosperity of Asia.
    
    Reality: Shinzo Abe is a revisionist nationalist using friction with China to pursue Japanese national interests, put Japan on the right side of a zero-sum economic equation opposite the PRC, maximize Japan’s independence of action as a regional hegemon, hopefully peacefully, but if not...
    
    Mission for the Western media: Manage the cognitive dissonance between comforting myth and disturbing reality for the sake of its faithful readers.
    
    Challenge: Explain away Prime Minister Abe’s Boxing Day visit to the Yasukuni Shrine.

    Some of the most monstrous Class A war criminals of the second word war, which include Abe’s grandfather, were buried at the Yasukuni Shrine. The shrine and its attached museum are off-limits for most Japanese politicians. But Shinzo Abe prominently visited it because he carried the ideology of those who are buried there:

    The core of Abe’s historical revisionism is not just that the bandit-infested territories of China and Korea demanded Japanese tutelage in the 1930s and 1940s, but also that the Japanese Empire was leading the fight of the oppressed peoples of Asia against British colonialism and American imperialism—in other words, the real war crime of World War II was U.S. aggression against Japan. The United States, and its pretensions to moral superiority over Japan, as well as China and Korea’s presumptuous claims to virtuous victimhood, were a target of Abe’s Yasukuni visit.

    His policies of furthering militarism and conflict, especially with China and both Koreas, while making nice with Russia were born out of that ideology.Shinzo Abe’s last stint as prime minister lasted eight years. That was astonishing long as prime ministers in Japan only rarely serve longer than one year. It requires special qualities to politically survive as long as Shinzo Abe did.Gun crimes in Japan are extremely rare. Of the dozen a year that actually happen most are between rivaling groups of the Japanese mafia, the Jakuza.The Japanese police will likely find that the gunman was a ‘lone individual’. That may well be, but there are certainly others who will gain from the incident. As William Pesek writes in Asia Times:

    Though the motives and longer-term implications of this attack are impossible to assess, one political dynamic may have been altered: Prime Minister Fumio Kishida may now have greater latitude to stay on past his one-year mark in office come October.
    
    Even though the Abe camp denied it, Tokyo was abuzz with chatter that Abe, who stepped down in September 2020, might toss his hat in the ring for a third stint as leader. Abe first served as premier from 2006 to 2007, then from 2012 to 2020.
    
    Abe had been playing a behind-the-scenes kingmaker role since resigning. Speculation was rife that he was unhappy seeing Kishida walk back Abe’s signature efforts at detente with Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
    
    Abe also reportedly disliked the optics of Kishida pledging to reform, at long last, Asia’s No 2 economy, the implication being that so-called “Abenomics” failed to put Japan on a more vibrant path.
    
    Japanese prime ministers don’t tend to last more than 12 months. Abe’s eight-year run was a stark outlier. Suffice to say, Kishida will not need to be looking over his shoulder at Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) powerbroker Abe. This Sunday’s upper house elections are likely to give Kishida a firmer grip over his factional party, allowing him to emerge from the shadow of leaders past.

    Kishida’s policies are otherwise mostly in line with Abe’s. He wants a strong militaristic Japan that can project power abroad. The U.S. is furthering that as it helps with its anti-China policies. But it should be careful what it wishes for.

    Japan is a latent nuclear power as it has stored quite a bit of uranium and plutonium:

    Japan has 47.8 tons of high sensitive separated plutonium., 10.8 tons of which are stored in Japan, enough to make 1350 nuclear warheads. In addition, Japan also has about 1.2 tons of highly-enriched uranium (HEU) for research reactors.
    The country has the knowhow to handle such material. In a crisis situation it could quickly build nuclear bombs. Japan has long range delivery vehicles due to its space program. Once unleashed a revisionist Japan would be a danger, not only for its immediate neighbors, but for the U.S. itself.Chian and both Koreas will be relieved that Shinzo Abe, the capable revisionist, is gone.I wonder at which shrine his ashes will be buried.

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    TSA Orders Employees to Undergo “C.O.G” Training “Immediately”

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    The US Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration has ordered any Employees who have NOT already undergone the “Continuity of Government (COG)” and “Devolution” training, to “Do so immediately.”

    The TSA COG program was created in the year 2012, and most TSA employees hired during and after 2012 have already gone through the program.  But as with all new training programs, quite a number of existing TSA employees did NOT go through it when the program came out.

    This week, TSA began contacting each employee who has NOT yet undergone the COG program, and ordered them to “do so immediately.”

    The Continuity of Government program exists so that government operations can continue even though some massive disaster, catastrophe, or attack, has taken out most government functions.  the “Devolution” aspect of COG is that important decisions no longer MUST be made by Washington.  Regions can make their own decisions.  Authority devolves to lower levels when the upper levels are either cut-off, or destroyed.

    It is sort of a Doomsday Plan to try to keep a government running even when much of it – or much of the country – has been destroyed.

    Now, **WHY** would the TSA insist that any employee who has not yet taken the training, “do so immediately?”

    What does government think is coming, that might cause their employees to NEED TO KNOW THIS?

    War with Russia, perhaps?

    Nuclear war with Russia, perhaps?

    You’re a smart person . . . put two and two together.

    Confessions of a Man Who Shot Himself In The Head And Survived

    What pushed you to do it?

    A lot. Losing my girlfriend, the savings account we worked at for years, the business we created. Just exacerbated my anxiety and depression.

    My ex really pushed me to get help in the times where I wasn’t struggling, so I became defensive and put it off. I shouldn’t have, because it would have given me the skills to get through the times I was struggling. Therapy is a bitch. I keep learning things about myself that I’m not proud of. Things I could have managed better for years. The more I learn, the more confident I become that I can better myself.

    How long did you take to decide that you were ready to end it?

    I decided the night before. It took about 12 hours for me to finalize it.

    Did you think about your girlfriend before you did it?

    She was in the house. I yelled that I loved her. Then I said Im sorry to my mom, and that I loved her (she wasn’t in the house). But yeah. For years, she was/is constantly my first thought.

    What did it feel like when you shot yourself?

    Nobody prepares you for what getting shot feels like. It doesn’t hurt. It doesn’t sting. It doesn’t ache. It just burns. Like fire in my head. And blood pouring from my mouth.

    I think I was still in shock when I arrived at the hospital, but when they pushed the fentanyl, all that burning went away and I could recognize how much burning pain I was in.

    I remember not being able to talk because my tongue hurt.

    My pain the first month in the hospital got progressively worse, but high amounts of painkillers will trick you into that.

    How did the shot not kill you? How did it “miss”?

    I don’t fucking know. It went in by the corner of my left jaw, and came out above my forehead on the right side, taking most of the orbit of my eye with it. I fucked up.

    What caliber did you use?

    9mm Luger.

    Maybe it wasn’t your time?

    I wish. I don’t really believe in that mentality. Someone close to me said something along the lines of, “God wasn’t ready for you yet.” And my first thought was, “thousands of years of medicine research and a team of excellent doctors is the reason I’m here, but ok.”

    I’ve read stories about how people who jumped off bridges (and survived) immediately regretted doing so and wanted to live more than anything as they were falling. Right after the moment, did you have regrets about doing it with a desire to live or maybe have disappointments that it didn’t work? Or maybe no feelings at all right after?

    I woke up with a “what the fuck?” Mentality. I was more confused that I woke up. I didn’t really have feelings about it until a few months later when the drugs wore off.

    What was the first thing your mom said to you afterwards?

    I’m not sure what my mom said. I woke up post surgery and my whole family was there (they all had to fly in). I was very confused. (Now I know I was in surgery for 10 hours).

    What was the road to recovery like for you?

    It’s still ongoing. 2 months in the hospital/rehab, lots of follow up appointments, physical therapy, mental/emotional therapy.

    Legal battles for custody and household items.

    Lots of reintegration with my parents and immediate family, which has been great. It fortunately brought us all closer.

    Before I did it, I can’t remember the last time my brother and I spoke on the phone even. It really shook my brother the most. I’m super grateful for his presence in my life now.

    Physically, what are the long term consequences to your face and skull from shooting your self?

    Physically, I lost my right eye. And I have a plate in my jaw forever. And my forehead is missing a piece of bone they took out during a bifrontal craniotomy. Beyond that, I’m pretty healthy.

    Is your face messed up?

    Pretty normal for a dude with one eye.

    Are you dealing with chronic pain, nerve damage, headaches, etc.?

    It’s alright. Headaches suck, mostly because only morphine is enough to dull them. Nerve damage is only in my jaw/tongue/cheek, which is frustrating, but I started vaping because it makes my tongue tingle, and I don’t bite it accidentally anymore.

    Is she okay?

    Probably not. But she won’t talk to me. I truly hope she is. Of all the negativity between us, I only hope that she’s doing well and that someday, sooner than later, we can sit down and have an honest discussion about it.

    What’s something you would want to say to your ex-girlfriend?

    This is something I think about all the time. Previously, I was very concerned with myself, and put myself into context when I didn’t need to. That’s something I’d change if I had an hour to sit down with her.

    I’d really like her to know that I love her. To this day, nothing has changed. I’d like to have the conversation that I don’t hold anything against her, except for the fact that she knew and didn’t drag me to get help and stand by me, in ways I did for her, and leaving me in the worst of times.

    I’d really like the opportunity to listen to her. I don’t know what she has to say, and I don’t need to hear anything. I wasn’t a very effective communicator during our relationship, and I’d like the opportunity to really hear her out, and share those emotions.

    Do you still harbor thoughts about suicide?

    They’ve mostly gone away. There are times I ponder it, but it’s more the idea of, whereas previously I was fantasizing the roadmap.

    Did anything change about your personality or preferences on things as a result of the trauma? Something you would never expect that would change?

    Not particularly in personality or preferences. I became a hell of a lot more forgiving and patient, which wasn’t much existent (except with my kids) before.

    I think the thing that changed the most was having my emotional brain available. I wasn’t very capable of connecting with my emotions before, I genuinely thought I was broken. I really got down on myself when it came to my ex, because I couldn’t empathize with her when she experienced heightened emotions, and it put a wedge between us, or I did. Now I’m empathizing with commercials, and it’s really bizarre when I become mindful of it, even still.

    Do you regret doing it?

    I think a lot about regret. I don’t regret shooting myself. I regret the way I proposed to my ex. I regret the way I treated her and other people when they needed me. I regret losing sight of myself because I wanted to be someone else. I regret spending so much time looking for escape instead of looking inward. But I don’t regret shooting myself. It changed my world.

    How are things going for you now?

    It’s not really going better. I spent years developing a family and life. It’s going about exactly as I predicted before putting a gun to my head. But! On the other side of that, I’ve learned a tremendous amount about love, myself, and bettering myself mentally that I never could have without experiencing tragedy in my previous lifestyle.

    And I get to share my story and hopefully help others, which is something I never cared much about.

    Ukraine Soldiers SOLD U.S. HIMARS to Chechens . . . who were Russian Army Intel

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    Reports are coming in CLAIMING (not yet verified) that Ukrainian Armed Forces members SOLD a United States “HIMARS” Multiple Rocket Launcher System (MLRS) to men they thought were “Chechens” for one million dollars.

    The “Chechens” turned out to be Russian military intelligence.

    According to the CLAIMS, the money was delivered to the families of the soldiers and when the families told the soldiers that strange men had come and dropped off money, the soldiers turned the HIMARS over to the “Chechens.”

    According to unverified reports, the Russian Army is now studying the HIMARS system to be able to either duplicate it, or defeat it on a battlefield.

    More details if I get them, but I emphasize that these claims are, as yet, UNVERIFIED.

    How HIMARS works

    Nice graphic.

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    Ignoring China’s infrastructure assistance, Brazil insisted on cooperating with Japan, but the bridge collapsed before it was used

    Another sign of a dying Japan. 
    
    In recent years, Made in Japan is increasingly symbolized inferior quality. From car safety scandal to bridge collapsed , train breakdown... The scandals keep coming: Ignoring China's infrastructure assistance, Brazil insisted on cooperating with Japan, but the bridge collapsed before it was used - iNEWS

    Article HERE

    I’ve Seen The Saucers – Elton John (1974)

    A trip down memory lane, and a well done you-tube video. I really love the way the vintage 1950s science fiction video was used.

    NATIONWIDE CANADA OUTAGE OF ALL CREDIT/DEBIT CARDS

    As of 9:35 AM EDT Friday. reports are now flooding-in that ALL credit and Debit card processing in Canada is OFFLINE.   Also receiving reports that numerous Cellphone carriers are suffering service outages NATIONWIDE.

    More details as I get them.  (This is why I so often encourage readers and listeners to my radio show, to HAVE CASH MONEY.)

     

    UPDATE 9:51 AM EDT —

    APPARENTLY IT’S NOT JUST CREDIT/DEBIT CARDS AND SOME CELLULAR CARRIERS . . . . IT’S EVERYTHING.  ALL COMMS SEEM TO BE AFFECTED.  LOOK:

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    ROGERS Canada confirms it is having massive network issues and is working on it.

    Brazilian wandering spider

    Seen here is a Brazilian wandering spider nursing its young under a bed.

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    Its Latin name is Phoneutria fera. This spider is aggressive and highly poisonous.

    It appeared in the 2007 Guinness Book of World Records for being the most poisonous animal.

    It is one of the few really dangerous spiders for us.

    The spider itself reaches 5 cm in size, but the legs can be 15 cm long.

    Wandering spiders are hairy and have eight eyes, two of which are large.

    And they move very fast.

    It is called a wandering spider because it moves on the tropical forest floor and not in a burrow or web.

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    This makes it so dangerous.

    Because it looks for dark shelters that can be houses, clothes, cars, boots, boxes and piles of logs.

    You could accidentally disturb him and this is not a good idea.

    He can also be found in a bunch of bananas, because he likes them.

    But in general he likes meat. Crickets, mice or even lizards are part of their prey.

    If this spider bites you, you may see and feel something like two pricks.

    Or you may feel strongly poisoned.

    But in both cases you have to seek the help of doctors, because you are in serious danger.

    The spider has a powerful neurotoxin, which means it attacks your nervous system.

    But its venom is also the most painful and excruciating of all spiders due to its high concentration of serotonin.

    And these spiders are among the ones that bite humans the most.

    There are certain countries, where it is better not to move too much alone, without a guide, in nature.

    Europe is doing quite well in this regard.

    That’s good.

    Photographer Asked some Artists To Draw His Portrait Photos In Their Own Style, And The Result Is Fabulous!

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    Mathieu Sten is an experimental portrait photographer who asked 16 artists to draw his portrait photos in their style. The results are fabulous. It never ceases to amaze me how artists nowadays always strive to find different and unique ways of expressing their art. Some of these portraits are super realistic, some are cartoon-ish, some look like out of a Korean comics series, a fantasy series or super-digitalized movie animation, while others are digitally painted or completely illustrated from scratch. You should take a look below, but first, let’s share some information about the initiator of this artistic collaboration.

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    Mathieu Stern is himself an artist who uses vintage lenses, DIY lenses and other techniques which might seem a little strange, to create images that help you look at the world in new and extraordinary ways. Mathieu also likes to go on YouTube and explain his artistic experiments and discoveries. You can look him up on YouTube if you want to find out more. So far, we’ll concentrate on his collaboration with 16 artists who redid his portrait photos in their way.

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    “I decided to first contact an illustrator asking if they wanted to redraw one of my portraits in their own style. I told her that I would create a YouTube video about the process and create the first episode with a team of my favorite artists. She said yes and the result she sent me was so amazing that I started to contact every illustrator I liked on Instagram. One month later, I had 16 participants and I had a great looking video of their processes,”

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    US Hypersonic Missile Test Fails For A Second Time

    The missile prototype, known as "Conventional Prompt Strike," has never even got off the launchpad back in October 2021.  When it failed to launch mere days after China completed a hypersonic missile test so successful that it literally traveled all the way around the Earth.
    
    In 2019, Russia became the first country to successfully complete a launch of these next-generation missiles that can reportedly travel up to a whopping 27 times faster than the speed of sound and dodge whatever defense systems attempt to block their way.
    
    Though the American military has had setbacks when it comes to these dystopian missiles, it have successfully launched at least one hypersonic weapon, DARPA's Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept — though as reports at the time indicated, that one "only" goes five times the speed of sound. Not the 25 times the speed as sound like China's and Russian missiles.

    Article HERE

    The Killing Has Begun: Former Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ASSASSINATED

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    The scam of COVID, the damage and death of the COVID vaccines, and the plummeting economy have finally prompted someone to KILL a political leader.  Former Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot and killed last night while on the campaign trail in Nara, Japan.

    Former Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated in Nara on Friday while campaigning for the upcoming election.  The 67-year-old world leader was rushed to hospital in grave condition, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in an address to the nation. A suspect has been taken into custody.

    The Nara city fire department said that Abe was in cardiopulmonary arrest before he was taken to the hospital.

    Photographs published by the Japanese agency Kyodo showed Abe lying face-up on the street by a guardrail, blood on his white shirt. Some showed people crowding around him as he lay unconscious.

    Nara city’s emergency services said he had been wounded on the right side of his neck and left clavicle.

    The incident occurred at around 11.30 am (8 am IST). Abe was making a campaign speech on a street outside the train station ahead of Sunday’s election to the upper house of Japan’s parliament.

    Two witnesses — an NHK reporter and a female attendee — told NHK that they heard two gunshots. The woman said that though the first gunshot was loud, she did not see anyone fall. But after the second shot, she saw ex-PM Abe collapse to the ground.

    The alleged shooter was tackled and taken under arrest as seen in the social media posting below:

     

     

     

    He is believed to be an ex-military member — a former maritime self-defense force member, reported Fuji TV.

    A witness to the attack told NHK that the apparent shooter did not attempt to escape after the shooting. He instead laid down the gun and remained on the spot as he was caught by security personnel.

    Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, was known for his hawkish foreign policy and a signature economic strategy that popularly came to be known as “Abenomics”.

    A conservative nationalist by most descriptions, the 67-year-old Abe led the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to victory twice.

    His first stint as prime minister was brief – for a little over a year starting in 2006 – and controversial. But he made a surprising political comeback in 2012, and stayed in power until 2020 when he resigned for health reasons.

    Japan was in a recession when he began his second term and his economic policy – built on monetary easing, fiscal stimulus and structural reforms – was credited with helping growth return to a faltering economy.

    He also oversaw Japan’s recovery from a massive earthquake and tsunami in Tohoku in 2011, which killed nearly 20,000 people and led to a meltdown of the Fukushima nuclear reactors.

    UPDATE 10:01 AM EDT —

    Video of the actual shooting has surfaced on Social Media.  In the video below, notice how the crowd just stands there after two apparently shotgun-type blasts.   This type of crime is so rare in Japan, the people there didn’t react the way you would see in places like the USA.

    In the USA, people would be stampeding to safety.

     

    NATO admits it’s been preparing for conflict with Russia since 2014

    Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that increases in deployments and military spending were done with Russia in mind.

    By Russia Today

    NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on Wednesday that increases in military spending and rising numbers of troop deployments in Eastern Europe since 2014 were carried out in anticipation of a conflict with Russia.

    Speaking after a meeting of NATO members and partner states in Madrid, Stoltenberg accused Russia of “using force in the eastern Donbass since 2014,” despite the fact that Kiev’s forces have shelled cities in the region ever since the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics declared independence from Ukraine that year.

    Nevertheless, Stoltenberg said that the US-led military bloc decided in 2014 to start beefing up its forces in Eastern Europe.

    “The reality is also that we have been preparing for this since 2014,” he stated. “That is the reason that we have increased our presence in the eastern part of the alliance, why NATO allies have started to invest more in defense, and why we have increased [our] readiness.”

    According to NATO figures, the alliance’s European members and Canada have increased their military expenditure by between 1.2% and 5.9% every year since 2014. However, only 10 out of 30 NATO states currently meet the bloc’s target of spending 2% of GDP on defense.

    The increase in expenditure has been most noticeable in Eastern Europe and the Baltics, with Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania all meeting the target for the first time in 2022.

    Earlier on Wednesday, NATO members agreed to adopt a new Strategic Concept. This policy blueprint sets out the alliance’s stance toward partners, non-members, and adversaries, with the 2022 iteration naming Russia as the “most significant and direct threat” to the bloc.

    On the other hand, Moscow has labeled NATO’s expansion into former Soviet states since the end of the Cold War – which Western leaders explicitly promised in the early 1990s would not happen – as a threat against its own security. NATO’s official position on Ukraine, set out in the 2008 Bucharest Declaration, is that it and Georgia “will become members of NATO” at an unspecified future date. Russia has cited Ukraine’s pursuit of NATO membership as a key factor behind the current conflict.

    Despite the alliance’s post-Cold War march into the former Eastern Bloc, Stoltenberg claimed on Wednesday that “NATO has strived for a better relationship with Russia for decades.”

    7 Confessions That Will Take You On A Rollercoaster Of Emotions

    1. A dying wife

    Me and my wife were having serious issues and then she got sick with cancer.

    That came like a mack truck. She said a lot of the grief she gave me was because she knew she was sick and was ashamed of burdening me and leaving me as a widow dad of four kids under 13.

    I took care of that woman like she was one of my boys. That experience took 10 years off my life.

    Her death was easy compared to the aftermath…

    I was going through her computer and saw that she had a separate email account which was odd.

    That was on purpose.

    This bitch was planning on blindsiding with a divorce and was going back and forth with different lawyers about making me a weekend dad, throwing me out of my house and even seeing if I’d pay her legal bills.

    This went on, for months up until a week before she saw the doctor and found out that she had terminal cancer.

    This slag used me to take care of her in her final days because no one else would.

    I won’t tell my kids…yet.

    2. Manager for OnlyFans

    I was working for a company (out of many like this) dedicated to entirely manage OnlyFans accounts for girls. Basically these girls never did anything else than just taking the pictures and videos for us.

    80% of workers were guys, 20% were girls, but it’s all fake. Even when you think that the person is real and is actually talking to you, she is not.

    Even when the account is verified, it could be fake.

    I feel bad because I talked to MANY guys who fell in love for a girl who doesn’t even know they exist and we had to take as much money as we could from everyone, that was the goal.

    We were so good at it that our standards were 700-1000 USD per day with each account, and each worker had to manage 6 accounts, so imagine the amount of money we made monthly.

    So my advice: only pay OnlyFans girls when they give you a live proof that they are real, like making an specific gesture with their hand on a selfie. Don’t trust videos where they say they are real, don’t trust audios, don’t trust pictures that seem taken at the same time… Or just watch porn.

    Also: it’s a PPV site and therefore it’s just a business, so don’t be the guy who just wants free content, it’s annoying af, real or not 🙂

    3. Growing up from a bad childhood

    So I’m not sure exactly where to put this so I thought here would be an okay place. Lately I’ve been seeing in a lot more liberal groups especially, that saying poor people shouldn’t have children is eugenics and it’s wrong blah blah blah. But I feel like a lot of people saying this haven’t had to experience growing up poor. In poverty, and homelessness.

    My parent’s were poor and could barley take care of themselves, they lived in a motel when they got pregnant with me.

    My entire childhood was a horrible experience having to grow up and not knowing if you were going to get fed, or have a roof over your head, it fucking sucked.

    It hurt even more since I lived in a town where everyone was well off, so as a kid I never got to experience things a lot of other kids do, like going to camp, taking summer trips to Disneyland, or playing their games on their nice TVs.

    Growing up being the oldest girl I raised both of my little brothers since my parents couldn’t afford childcare, which led to me missing out on opportunities with my peers, I was so socially awkward for not being around people my age enough that even to this day.

    I am 21 years old and all my friends are in their early 30s late 20s because I feel like I cannot relate to people my age.

    I feel like I was forced to grow up way to fast and I would be lying if part of me said I didn’t resent my parents for having me knowing they couldn’t afford to.

    I dont know, if you’re someone who can barley take care of themselves, do yourself and your future child a favor and just put off having children until you can afford them.

    I think a lot of people see having children as a right, instead of seeing a child as a human being that has rights.

    And sorry if I hurt anyone’s feelings by saying this, but yes I truly believe if you’re poor you shouldn’t be having children, it’s not you who suffers, it’s the child.

    4. Short Guys

    Gave the short guy a chance and it was totally worth it

    I started seeing this shorter guy, 5’5, and I really like him. I myself am 5’11, so there’s already a huge difference. He carries himself with so much confidence, he doesn’t even care if I wear heels which I have when we go out. Phew, the sex is amazing too. Definitely the best I’ve ever had. I’ve never had someone fit between my legs so perfectly before. Now whenever I see a shorter man, I wonder what they’re like in bed and I feel an instant attraction. Go short kings! Shoot your shot at the tall girls!

    5. Imagine Dragons

    I unironically love Imagine Dragons

    I get it. It’s “corporate rock.” They’re “sellouts.” It’s “fake” music.

    But the surge of emotion I feel listening to “Birds”, and the way I bop my head with confidence to “Enemy” is very real.

    Guys, we are ALL being manipulated by all forms of media, all of the time. Marvel is designed to be cinematic brain candy. Pop music is the same. We crave distraction and bursts of dopamine first, and meaning and profundity second.

    And while I do love GOOD music too, I’m finally ready to stand up and say this. It feels like a weight has been lifted off me.

    6. Prostitute from my kid brother

    I’m 30 and my little brother is 24. He’s honestly the best brother I could have asked for. I still remember the day he was born and holding my newborn baby brother when I was a kid. As we grew up I always knew he was different but he’s my brother and I love him and I wouldn’t change him. He’s honestly one of my best friends and having a brother with downs syndrome, especially one like him has made me a better person.

    Last month my parents went out of town for a few days and they asked if I’d stay with my brother and take care of the house. While he might have downs syndrome he’s not entirely helpless he just can’t really be on his own like that. So of course I agreed and brought my PS5 over and some games, snacks and beers, I called out of work for a few days and figured we’d have some fun just like when we were kids.

    We were having a great time and were talking the first day while taking turns playing Elden Ring and my bro started the game and got to the part where the guy calls you “maidenless” and I said something like “Ooooo he called you maidenless bro…daaaaaaamn.” and my brother got super sad looking and I asked him what was wrong and he said, “I am maidenless. I’ll never have a girlfriend.” So we talked about that for a bit and he was actually feeling super depressed because he’s never had a girlfriend and didn’t think he ever would. We kind of talked it out and he was really sad and I decided fuck it we can find him a girl.

    I called a couple people I knew who were into that sort of thing to see if they knew anyone. Well one of my buddies had a number of this girl so I gave her a call. She was actually super sweet and understanding about the situation and she said she’d be glad to show my brother a good time for her usual rate. She had a cousin with downs so she was very sympathetic.

    I told my brother I’d pay a girl to come over and show him some fun on the condition that our parents will die without knowing I hired a prostitute to come to their house. He agreed.

    So I made plans for her to come over, got my brother shaved and showered for his date. She showed up dressed up super nice she was also super hot. I’m no chef but I had picked up some food from Olive Garden for them. She was a genuinely nice person and was really good with him and I just left them to do their thing while I played the playstation in the livingroom. Eventually they passed by going upstairs to his room. I put my headphones on and kept playing.

    Eventually they came back down and both had big smiles on their faces. She hung out with us a bit then it was time for her to go. I handed her the cash plus some extra as a bonus. She said my brother was a sweetheart and that I was a good brother to do something like that for him and that she had a good time. She handed me half the cash back.

    Eventually my parents came back and thankfully are none the wiser as my mother especially would probably kill me. My brother is super appreciative and said it was the most fun he’d ever had. I have no regrets.

    7. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly. Girl.

    I can’t really say this out loud to anyone in my personal life because it would hurt my family members and my friends would try to console me because they love me but honestly, my life has been ruined due to my ugliness.

    I’m not overweight, I dress well and I do my best to treat others well but none of this matters because I simply have a very ugly face. No men have ever approached me or wanted to date me because why would any man want to date a hideous woman who doesn’t even look like a woman? I don’t blame them, I mean I could be dressed in the most feminine clothing and i would still not look like a real woman because of my face

    My entire life, a lot of people have been mean to me (including some relatives) because of how ugly I am – it’s so sad but true that even little kids who are perceived as “unattractive” get treated worse by adults

    I’m only in my 20s but it’s so painful to know that I’m never going to get married or have my own children with a spouse who loves me.

    I understand that it’s not any one else’s job to try and make me feel better about the fact that I am ugly because it’s not like anyone intentionally did this to me.

    I have siblings who are actually reasonably attractive people so it’s not even like my parents genetics are necessarily bad but I just ended up with the worst combination of their genes and honestly, what is the point of living like this.

    I feel so alone in this experience because I’ve barely ever met any other women who are naturally unattractive. Every woman I know gets hit on by men and approached for dating. I wish I knew what it was like to have a man want me sexually

    In Ancient China, after the emperor died, he needed a group of people to follow him to another world and continue to serve him, so there would be some people buried alive with him.

    Most of his entourage were concubines.

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    When the grave was excavated, the discovery shocked the entire Chinese archaeological community. A total of 186 people were buried with the emperor!

    Many people believe that the 186 martyrs who were in the Qin Cemetery were buried alive for Duke Mu of Qin.

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    In fact, according to archaeologists, 160 of them died voluntarily. The rest were probably prisoners of war or concubines.

    2. Chinese archaeologists found an ancient tomb. There are about 80 corpses of grave robbers (those who dig graves to steal artifacts or personal objects in tombs) inside.

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    These are called quicksand graves, which the ancients used to deter grave robbers.

    This mechanism takes advantage of the instability of the sand. The craftsmen poured some quicksand over the tomb chamber. Once the grave robbers entered the grave through the hole, quicksand mixed with sharp stones would plug the hole quickly, and then kill the tomb robbers or trap them in it.

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    Archaeologists sent excavators to clear the sand, and the next discovery shocked everyone.

    At the bottom of the tomb chamber, there were 80 corpses inside.

    According to research by experts, 80 people who died in the graves were grave robbers. They are trapped in a tomb that is always filled with quicksand. The tragedy at the tomb cannot be forgotten.

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    While the quicksand grave mechanism seems cruel (uh), stealing the contents of the grave itself is also wrong.

    Such tombs could protect the owner of the tomb from outside disturbances, and at the same time, they could also preserve the cultural heritage contained in the tomb, which made one admire how wise the people of that time were.

    Real data about the possible spread of Bio-warfare agents

    Russia currently has some 6,000 or more Ukrainian war prisoners. Many of
    these men are wounded, and all of them have had health checks. This
    comes from the Russian MOD, at the end of a long article on Telegram
    about the bio-labs. (I did not absorb the total article.) But this
    conclusion is interesting:

    I would like to present real data on the health condition of the
    voluntarily surrendered Ukrainian servicemen. This dispositive presents
    the data on presence of antibodies to contagious disease agents without
    mentioning personal data of these servicemen.

    The results are as follows: 33% of the examined servicemen had had
    hepatitis A, over 4% had renal syndrome fever and 20% had West Nile
    fever. The figures are significantly higher than the statistical
    averages. In view of active research of these diseases held by the
    Pentagon within the Ukrainian projects, there is reason to believe that
    servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) were involved as
    volunteers in experiments to assess the tolerance of dangerous
    infectious diseases.

    The current lack of therapeutic effect of antibacterial medication has
    been reported during in-patient treatment of AFU servicemen in medical
    facilities. High concentrations of antibiotics, including sulphonyl
    amides and fluoroquinolones, have been detected in their blood.

    This fact may indicate preventive use of antibiotics and preparation of
    personnel for operating in conditions of biological contamination, such
    as cholera agent, that indirectly proves the information of the Russian
    Defense Ministry that Ukrainian special units were planning to use
    biological agents.

    The data will be included in the U.S. military-biological dossier and we
    will continue to examine it and keep you informed.

    It is the western media which is blaming them for everything that goes wrong on our planet.

    You must remember that in the US, the for-profit corporate media is owned by only six corporations, and they are dependent on several major advertisers for most of their income. These advertisers are all American, and they want to weave a narrative about the US and the world which they and the American government can support:

    • “America is the greatest country in the world, and you should be proud to live in it because you have freedom and democracy!”
    • “Freedom and democracy are under threat in the rest of the world from Russia and China who want to spread dictatorships all over the world, and are against everything Americans stand for!”
    • “You must support everything the US stands for without question because if you don’t, you are a bad person who supports Russia and China and what they are trying to do!”
    • “Don’t ask any awkward questions. We have told you everything you need to know, so just shut up!”

    Now, these corporate media types hang out with their billionaire globalist buddies and their government minions at Davos and other venues, where they make deals and pat each other on the back about what a good job the West is doing running the world.

    Or was doing running the world because things are going pear-shaped pretty fast in 2022.

    So the problem is that while most Americans and Europeans have no trouble buying into this narrative, many other countries are not. Example: Many governments are not supporting or enforcing the Western sanctions against Russia. Some of them are significant countries like China, Indonesia, India, Brazil, Argentina and Saudi Arabia.

    They have decided to stay neutral over the Ukraine matter and continue to do business with Russia while most of NATO Europe does not do business with Russia.

    This should make you, dear reader, ask the question “Why am I getting such a different view of Russia in the west from those other countries and governments?”

    The answer is simple: Those countries do not rely only on the Western media to tell them what to think. In those countries, their governments usually have control of the media, not private for-profit media corporations. Their governments want their people to have a very different worldview than what Americans have.

    So, instead of seeing Russia and China as nation-states which do not deserve to exist, they see Russia and China as having governments which are no longer content to have the west dictate the terms of world affairs unilaterally.

    Which is why Russia and China founded BRICS. They have now positioned BRICS as an alternative to G7 and are asking other nations which share their views to join it.

    That is what is going on.

    I remember my first night before battle.

    The Croats in Bosnia had assembled almost 20.000 troops, which was about half their army, to make a decisive attack against the positions of the Bosnian army. My unit was right in the middle. Preparations had already started days before the attack. Nobody told us that there would be an attack, but this wasn’t necessary, we saw the signs everywhere.

    At first a reconnaissance unit from Croatia came to our base and started to observe the territory with some big binoculars. The next day some high ranking officers arrived and were discussing their plans over maps and aerial fotos.

    Two days before day zero a mortar unit set up a dozen of 82 mm mortars in our backyard. And finally, when there was only one day to go, a complete mechanized infantry brigade from Croatia arrived. As my unit was our brigade’s intervention unit, the freshly arrived Croats sent their intervention unit to join us. We would attack together with them.

    It was all very busy and crowded at our camp during these days. People coming and going. Trucks bringing ammunitions and weapons.

    Finally all preparations came to an end and the support and logistics troops left us in the afternoon. Dusk settled in and everybody knew that the next morning would be the day. Some alcohol was served and we were reminded not to drink too much of it. One of my comrades didn’t listen and passed out somewhere. Another one started vomiting, not from the alcohol, but from stress and anxiety.

    Most soldiers were busy preparing their gear, cleaning their rifles and getting ammo for their guns.

    Around midnight a blue cotton ribbon was given to each soldier. We were told to put them on our uniforms to easily recognize each other as friendly troops. This was necessary as our enemy had very similar uniforms to ours.

    After midnight an eerie quiet settled in. All weapons were cleaned, checked and double checked. Everybody was prepared and there was nothing left to do then wait. You can clean your weapon only that many times and puke your guts out only once.

    In these last moments most soldiers preferred not to talk to each other, but to stay for themselves. I saw some of them praying. Others tried to sleep, but most of us were just laying down on our flak jackets, staring holes into the night sky and smoking one cigarette after another.

    This moment reminded me of all the soldiers and armies in history who found themselves in the same situation. From ancient Germanic tribes , the French in Dien Bien Phu to our own enemy who was just a couple of hundred meters away. They must have felt the same thing. Being part of a big army going into combat you feel big and tiny at the same time. Fate is out of your hands and you can just hope and pray that tomorrow at the same time you will still be alive. You look around and watch your comrades. To see how they cope and to remember their faces. Some of them won’t come back.

    My squad leader interrupted my thinking. We were called to pick up our gear and to advance to our starting positions. As our base was practically in the center of the attack, we just had to sit there and watch the other units to leave, wondering what will happen to them.

    Then came our turn. We walked a few meters to our trenches to await the final signal for the attack from there. It was now absolutely quiet and dark. No talk, no cigarettes. Everybody’s eyes were directed towards enemy territory.

    Then a small “blop” sound behind us, seconds later a sound over our heads, like a gush of wind or a swarm of wild geese flying over us and finally a big explosion in front of us, right in the middle of the enemy’s positions.

    The waiting was over and the game was on…

    What happened next?

    We left the trench in small groups of five or six soldiers. I was the last soldier to get out. This was my first “big” battle and I decided to take it slowly. We were walking in single file, because the first soldier had to keep us clear of the mines. We had mined the whole area around our base just a couple of weeks before and although nobody had made any maps that could show us where the mines were, the guy we had put to walk in front had a good memory and knew which places to avoid.

    Our own artillery now started a massive barrage. As we advanced so did our artillery fire, constantly hitting targets about two or three hundred meters in front of us.

    After about two hundred meters we came to the first buildings of an enemy village. There was nobody there. We had expected some resistance, but not a single shot was fired at us. There were not even the unavoidable dogs around to bark at us. The village was totally dead, so we thought. We slowly passed through it and nothing happened.

    Behind the village were several railroad tracks. We were about to enter a big industrial area. In the upcoming light of dawn I could make out warehouses, an oil refinery with several huge oil storage tanks and a lot of smaller buildings, like pump stations and office buildings. There were plenty of railroad tracks going in every direction and on them were dozens of railroad wagons of all kinds.

    While we navigated ourselves towards the oil refinery a bullet zipped over our heads. Used to getting shot at we continued our way without even looking up. After a minute a second bullet hit a nearby railway wagon. The more we approached the refinery the more shots were fired at us. They seemed to come from all directions, even from the village that we had left behind. Every time a bullet hit a railway car it was ricocheting from the metal surface with a nasty “pling” sound. From somewhere somebody with a megaphone started yelling : Allah u Akhbar! “

    We ran the last meters to the refinery. The bullets were now raining at us. We hunkered down in a trench near a giant oil storage tank which luckily seemed to be empty. Every time a bullet hit this storage tank it made a resonating sound like a drum. Soon it was like a thousand drums were playing all at once.

    Now the first enemy grenades were hitting nearby. Mortar and RPG grenades, which could be fired only from a close distance. Although by now we had complete daylight, we still couldn’t figure out from where the enemy was shooting at us. We encountered another small group from our unit nearby. They had made out an enemy position at the far end of the refinery and decided to attack it. I saw one of the guys fixing his bayonet to his AK rifle. Then they disappeared. We also decided to move, but in another direction, towards a big warehouse building next to the refinery.

    The building was half empty and we used its cover to take a break from the bullets and grenades, smoke a cigarette and wait for orders coming over the radio. This was a warehouse from a tea factory: There were thousands of teabags everywhere around us: Chamomile tea. The smell of it became soon intolerable.

    By listening to the radio communication we got a clearer image about what was going on : Obviously there were still enemy troops in the village we had marched through earlier on. They either hadn’t seen us when we sneaked through or they had decided to let us pass. Either way, the enemy was now between us and our base. They were in well camouflaged positions and we were an easy target for them. Furthermore, the group of soldiers we had encountered earlier on near the refinery was now in serious trouble and had suffered its first casualties.

    We were ordered to retreat. Now we just had to find a way back. We decided to try our luck by following the railway line in one direction to get around the enemy village and then to cut through open ground and reach our own lines. This was easier said than done: We left the warehouse on the opposite side from where we’ve entered it and met two more groups of our unit. It seemed that by retreating from the enemy’s fire most of our unit had ended up right in this spot. We all took cover in a long trench which ran along the side of the building.

    Now snipers were starting to aim at us while mortar and RPG grenades were hitting the trench. It was clear that if we would stay there any longer we would all be doomed.

    The only way out was a small road, but there was absolutely no cover for at least 400 meters. We started to leave the trench in small groups of 2 or 3 while the remaining soldiers shot cover fire.

    I was in the last group to leave. When I jumped out of the trench I ran over the first dead body just a couple of feet away. I ran maybe 10 meters before I fell to the ground and started crawling. There were bullets everywhere. A friend of mine crawled just in front of me and I saw how some tracer bullets were hitting the tarmac just inches away from him. Another soldier behind me got hit in the leg and started screaming.

    We managed to crawl down the road until we were stopped by a big wire fence. It was too high to climb over it: All the soldiers who escaped the trench were piled up in front of this fence and were attracting enemy fire.

    Finally we managed to cut through the wire of the fence by connecting an AK bayonet with its scabbard. This makes a perfect wire cutter. On the other side of the fence we continued crawling.

    About 100 meters further down the road I reached the first of our own defense positions. I entered a small bunker, its floor was covered in blood. A wounded Croatian soldier was getting first aid there.

    Meanwhile a Croatian T-55 tank was approaching to cover our retreat. Under its protection we started to evacuate some of the wounded soldiers along the road.

    In the evening we took count: From 18 soldiers of our platoon six were killed during that day. Another two were missing. The next day we learned that they also got killed. The guy that I saw planting his bayonet on his AK was also dead. Another comrade was heavily injured by a head shot and died later in a hospital. Three days later two more soldiers of our platoon were killed when their car was hit by a mortar grenade.

    The following week we buried our dead comrades. During one of the funerals we came under heavy artillery fire, but luckily nobody died.

    And I don’t drink Chamomile tea anymore.

    New Zealand Will Not Join the US Coalition Against China

    Wellington’s deeply ingrained tradition of foreign policy independence and robust economic ties to China serve as a considerable constraint on major policy change.
    ...That said, a combination of countervailing imperatives, including New Zealand’s deeply ingrained tradition of foreign policy independence and robust economic ties to China serve as a considerable constraint on major policy change. New Zealand will not take lightly a decision to join a coalition against China.
    
    Foreign policy independence is the practical expression of contemporary nationalism in New Zealand. It has two interlinked sources: geography and anti-nuclear sentiment. New Zealand’s geography epitomizes a low threat environment, which makes relative independence both an appealing and achievable goal. The country is located deep in the southern hemisphere. Its neighbors are either a close ally with near identical values and interests (Australia) or relatively small island states.
    
    And then there is New Zealand’s anti-nuclear sentiment, which manifested itself in public aversion to the docking of nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed U.S. naval vessels in the 1970s. This was buttressed by then-Prime Minister David Lange’s widely endorsed statement in a March 1985 debate at Oxford University that “nuclear weapons are morally indefensible.” The back story is important to understand the clash of interests that broke the New Zealand-U.S. leg of the ANZUS alliance.
    
    In February 1985, a crisis broke out in the alliance when the Reagan administration stuck to longstanding U.S. policy of not revealing whether its naval vessels were armed with nuclear weapons while transiting New Zealand’s territorial waters. Faced with this uncertainty, Wellington refused to allow a U.S. naval vessel access to New Zealand ports. When the Lange administration refused to change course, the United States suspended its ANZUS security obligations to New Zealand in August 1986.
    
    Wellington then passed the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act in 1987, banning both nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed vessels from its ports. Congress responded immediately with the Broomfield Act, downgrading New Zealand’s status as a formal ally. To be sure, both sides have since sought to improve ties, as shown by the signing of the 2010 Wellington Declaration and the 2012 Washington Declaration. In February 2013, then-Prime Minister John Key even stated in an interview that “the relationship between New Zealand and the United States has never been better.” Nevertheless, Secretary of State George Shultz’s 1986 statement at the time of the ANZUS break, that “we remain friends, but we are no longer allies,” holds true.
    
    Hard economic interests, exemplified in the contemporary China-New Zealand relationship, reinforce the imperative not to align with Washington against Beijing. Since signing a free trade agreement in 2008, China has become New Zealand’s top trade partner, with total trade exceeding US$33 billion in 2020. In the first quarter of 2022, New Zealand government figures reveal that China is the destination for more than 25 percent of New Zealand’s exports and the source for just under 20 percent of imports. Economic interdependence has a political effect. Like many states in the Indo-Pacific, there is a deep reluctance in New Zealand to get on the wrong side of China.
    
    There is a clear record here. As far as possible, the New Zealand government’s formal statements of disagreement on China-related issues are expressed in as non-provocative a manner as possible. When China’s treatment of its Uyghur population in Xinjiang was heavily criticized in a non-binding resolution in parliament in 2021, the Ardern administration rejected any formal designation that genocide was occurring.
    
    Truth be told, New Zealand’s engagement with China has been challenged as Beijing’s internal political sensitivities and problems are increasingly being projected abroad. Events in Auckland in June and July 2019 exemplify the point...

    Full article HERE

    The Bombardier Beetle

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    Meet the Bombardier Beetle, named so because it expels from its rear a highly combustible spray. It only smokes visually at this scale,, but make no mistake this is deadly!

    This weapon, which is primarily used for defense, as with everything in the insect world, can fry everything within range. Ants, worms, other beetles, a spider, it all gets burns. The spray reaches temperatures of up to 100 degrees Celsius, most of it vaporizes from the heat. This bug likes its food charbroiled, apparently.

    A letter…

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    If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Rich? Turns Out It’s Just Chance.

    The most successful people are not the most talented, just the luckiest, a new computer model of wealth creation confirms. Taking that into account can maximize return on many kinds of investment.

    The distribution of wealth follows a well-known pattern sometimes called an 80:20 rule: 80 percent of the wealth is owned by 20 percent of the people. Indeed, a report in 2017 concluded that just eight men had a total wealth equivalent to that of the world’s poorest 3.8 billion people.

    This seems to occur in all societies at all scales. It is a well-studied pattern called a power law that crops up in a wide range of social phenomena. But the distribution of wealth is among the most controversial because of the issues it raises about fairness and merit. Why should so few people have so much wealth?

    The conventional answer is that we live in a meritocracy in which people are rewarded for their talent, intelligence, effort, and so on. Over time, many people think, this translates into the wealth distribution that we observe, although a healthy dose of luck can play a role.

    But there is a problem with this idea: while wealth distribution follows a power law, the distribution of human skills generally follows a normal distribution that is symmetric about an average value. For example, intelligence, as measured by IQ tests, follows this pattern. Average IQ is 100, but nobody has an IQ of 1,000 or 10,000.

    The same is true of effort, as measured by hours worked. Some people work more hours than average and some work less, but nobody works a billion times more hours than anybody else.

    And yet when it comes to the rewards for this work, some people do have billions of times more wealth than other people. What’s more, numerous studies have shown that the wealthiest people are generally not the most talented by other measures.

    What factors, then, determine how individuals become wealthy? Could it be that chance plays a bigger role than anybody expected? And how can these factors, whatever they are, be exploited to make the world a better and fairer place?

    We finally get an answer thanks to the work of Alessandro Pluchino at the University of Catania in Italy and a couple of colleagues. These guys have created a computer model of human talent and the way people use it to exploit opportunities in life. The model allows the team to study the role of chance in this process.

    The results are something of an eye-opener. Their simulations accurately reproduce the wealth distribution in the real world. But the wealthiest individuals are not the most talented (although they must have a certain level of talent). They are the luckiest. And this has significant implications for the way societies can optimize the returns they get for investments in everything from business to science.

    Pluchino and co’s model is straightforward. It consists of N people, each with a certain level of talent (skill, intelligence, ability, and so on). This talent is distributed normally around some average level, with some standard deviation. So some people are more talented than average and some are less so, but nobody is orders of magnitude more talented than anybody else.

    This is the same kind of distribution seen for various human skills, or even characteristics like height or weight. Some people are taller or smaller than average, but nobody is the size of an ant or a skyscraper. Indeed, we are all quite similar.

    The computer model charts each individual through a working life of 40 years. During this time, the individuals experience lucky events that they can exploit to increase their wealth if they are talented enough.

    However, they also experience unlucky events that reduce their wealth. These events occur at random.

    At the end of the 40 years, Pluchino and co rank the individuals by wealth and study the characteristics of the most successful. They also calculate the wealth distribution. They then repeat the simulation many times to check the robustness of the outcome.

    When the team rank individuals by wealth, the distribution is exactly like that seen in real-world societies. “The ‘80-20’ rule is respected, since 80 percent of the population owns only 20 percent of the total capital, while the remaining 20 percent owns 80 percent of the same capital,” report Pluchino and co.

    That may not be surprising or unfair if the wealthiest 20 percent turn out to be the most talented. But that isn’t what happens. The wealthiest individuals are typically not the most talented or anywhere near it. “The maximum success never coincides with the maximum talent, and vice-versa,” say the researchers.

    So if not talent, what other factor causes this skewed wealth distribution? “Our simulation clearly shows that such a factor is just pure luck,” say Pluchino and co.

    The team shows this by ranking individuals according to the number of lucky and unlucky events they experience throughout their 40-year careers. “It is evident that the most successful individuals are also the luckiest ones,” they say. “And the less successful individuals are also the unluckiest ones.”

    That has significant implications for society. What is the most effective strategy for exploiting the role luck plays in success?

    Pluchino and co study this from the point of view of science research funding, an issue clearly close to their hearts. Funding agencies the world over are interested in maximizing their return on investment in the scientific world. Indeed, the European Research Council invested $1.7 million in a program to study serendipity—the role of luck in scientific discovery—and how it can be exploited to improve funding outcomes.

    It turns out that Pluchino and co are well set to answer this question. They use their model to explore different kinds of funding models to see which produce the best returns when luck is taken into account.

    The team studied three models, in which research funding is distributed equally to all scientists; distributed randomly to a subset of scientists; or given preferentially to those who have been most successful in the past. Which of these is the best strategy?

    The strategy that delivers the best returns, it turns out, is to divide the funding equally among all researchers. And the second- and third-best strategies involve distributing it at random to 10 or 20 percent of scientists.

    In these cases, the researchers are best able to take advantage of the serendipitous discoveries they make from time to time. In hindsight, it is obvious that the fact a scientist has made an important chance discovery in the past does not mean he or she is more likely to make one in the future.

    A similar approach could also be applied to investment in other kinds of enterprises, such as small or large businesses, tech startups, education that increases talent, or even the creation of random lucky events.

    Clearly, more work is needed here. What are we waiting for?

    Ref: arxiv.org/abs/1802.07068 : Talent vs. Luck: The Role of Randomness in Success and Failure

    Noteworthy “news”

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    What happened after the death of Caeser

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    In all, the group of conspirators that plotted against Caesar was large- with 60 men at least. However many of these men merely dipped their hands in Caesar’s blood and tried to take credit.

    The actual killers are as follows

    1. Tillius Cimber: He initiated the assassination
    2. Publius Servilius Casca: The first to attack Caesar, cutting his shoulder
    3. Gaius Cassius Longinus: This was the first man to stab Caesar
    4. Titiedius Servilius Casca: This was the second man to stab Caesar
    5. Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus: The third to stab Caesar, he stabbed him in the thigh
    6. Marcus Junius Brutus: Brutus delivered the final blow, killing Caesar by stabbing him in the groin

    These 6 men were the main guys that actually killed Caesar. There were lots of other conspirators that helped but these are the actual assassins.

    So what happened to them? Nothing good.

    After the assassination, Mark Antony met with these men and Cicero to strike a deal. You see the assassins had made an error.

    The murder of Caesar could be justified legally by being tyrannicide. In Rome, the murder of a tyrant was legal. However, if Caesar was declared a Tyrant all of his decisions were voided. It turns out that all of these assassins were appointed to their positions by Caesar.

    So the deal was that Caesar’s laws and appointments would stand and that they would conduct a public funeral as a sign of unity.

    During this funeral, Mark Antony rose to speak. He first talked about how much Caesar loved the people and how he had donated his wealth to them. He read Caesar’s will which stipulated that every citizen be given the equivariant of 3 months’ wages. Then, he brought out a wax statue of Caesar that depicted the stab wounds graphically.

    The crowd went nuts and began to attack the conspirators. They flew into a frenzy and all of Caesar’s assassins were forced to flee.

    These men would head East and raise a large army to march on Rome. Meanwhile, Caesar’s heir and Antony got their own Army together. There was a battle and Caesar’s assassins lost.

    • Brutus, Casca, Titiedius, and Cassius killed themselves after being defeated
    • Decimus was killed by Antony early on in a small Civil War
    • Cimber died in combat during the battle with Octavian and Antony

    As for the other plotters that helped- they were all killed by Octavian and Antony. When Octavian began Consul he purged Rome of everyone who was anti-Caesar including even Cicero.

    The Most Amazing Lasagna

    This is a great video. Inspirational!

    Emperor Honorius was an idiot

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    Honorius was one of the last “major” emperors of the Western Roman Empire. He ruled for a long time from 393 – 423, which is much longer than the average 7 years emperors reigned for.

    He oversaw the collapse of his Empire. He witnessed it slowly decline into a failed shell of its former self. Worse yet – he did nothing to stop it.

    Flavius Stilicho was the last great Roman leader (or one of the last). He was a brilliant general who saved Italy 2 times at least. He personally saved Honorius twice and negotiated a decades-long peace with the Sassanid Persians.

    Stilicho really tried to save the empire. He wasn’t out for wealth or fame – he just really wanted to save Rome. He had limited resources, limited time, and was one of the only capable men in all of the Empire. Yet again and again he desperately tried to save the empire.

    Whenever things seemed doomed, when armies were at the gates of the capital, Stilicho would raise an army, taking garrisons where he could and hiring barbarians to serve him and rush down to save Italy.

    Alaric – the man who sacked Rome and one of the most brilliant generals of the age – was defeated by Stilicho twice.

    As stated, Honorius was an idiot and a child. He allowed everyone to manipulate him and cared nothing for Rome so long as he got to live in luxury. Luckily for Rome, Stilicho dominated him and was the de facto ruler of the empire.

    Eventually, Stilicho found himself in a hard space. He relied on barbarians to fill the ranks of his army. The Senate and Nobles hated this, but he couldn’t do anything else as they refused to allow Stilicho to recruit from their estates.

    Stilicho wanted to eventually reunite East and West, but for now, he wanted Illyria back, hoping to use it as recruitment grounds. Illyria meanwhile was in the hands of the Eastern Roman Empire and Emperor Arcadius (Honorius’s just-as-stupid brother) refused to give it back.

    When Arcadius died, Stilicho had a choice. He could go down to Constantinople and influence the process of crowning a new emperor. Maybe he could get Illyria back and help unite East and West. But by doing so he would be leaving Italy and Honorius would be alone – surrounded by Stilicho’s enemies. What if they turned Honorius against him?

    Stilicho chose to head to Constantinople and press Honorius’s claims. It was just too good of an opportunity to pass up.

    Before he even left the Western Empire, Honorius fell under the sway of Olympius – an anti-barbarian racist who hated Stilicho. Olympius turned Honorius against Stilicho with ease and that was it.

    Stilicho’s army revolted against him. His loyal officers were executed along with their families, and the Roman elements turned against their general. Stilicho heard and turned back. He was hoping to get a chance to speak with Honorius and fix this. He knew the risk but made for Ravenna anyway. Soon he was found and captured at a church by Honorius’s men.

    He was taken away to be executed. When his bodyguards protested, Stilicho waved them off and allowed himself to be executed. In the end, he knew that a civil war would cost the empire too dearly and so he allowed himself to be killed.

    A true man of Rome until the end. He was 10 times the man that ruled over the Western Roman Empire and had Stilicho been serving a capable emperor maybe the empire could have been saved.

    With Stilicho gone, Rome lost maybe its last real hope of survival. Even with Stilicho alive the odds of Rome surviving were practically 0. However with Stilicho gone, everything came crashing down around the empty uncaring head of Honorius.

    I guess nobody realized exactly how much of the Empire Stilicho was alone holding together. They soon would.


    Bear with me a moment – this all comes full circle.

    You see Rome at this time faced 3 really serious issues:

    1. Millions of barbarians pouring into the Empire. They had all been displaced by the Huns
    2. No money to raise a large army to resist this migration
    3. No recruits to fill the ranks even if they had enough money

    This is what Stilicho was dealing with as well.

    In response, Rome had a decent idea. They gave the barbarians pieces of the Empire under the condition they fight for Rome. This could have worked too. Rome’s great strength was their ability to assimilate new peoples into the Empire. After all, they had been doing it for 1000 years well enough.

    In fact, the Roman Republic had a similar set up in Italy. They left everyone their independence if they just sent men to fight.

    With this move, Rome hoped to bolster its ranks for cheap while also keeping the barbarian on their side. It’s actually not a bad idea at all and may have worked.

    So where does Stilicho fit in?

    Well, Stilicho was not a Roman or at least not ethnically. He was half Vandal, which made him almost a barbarian in the eyes of the Romans.

    But for Stilicho, this was an advantage. He was able to easily work with the Goths and Vandals and Franks, because in a way he was one of them. He wasn’t some uppity Italian Noble looking down his nose at everyone – he was one of the boys.

    In a way, this made Stilicho the symbol of this new Roman world. He was a Roman by choice – a full-blooded die-hard Roman that really believed in the Empire and the eternal city. But he was also a barbarian. He should have been a symbol of the future – but it was never so.

    Stilicho thus carefully cultivated a large army of barbarian auxiliaries to reinforce his dwindling numbers.

    Over the decades, this army became rather formidable. It was an army that tasted victory after victory and never knew defeat. It was an army of veterans led by a brilliant tactician – it was exactly what Rome needed.

    When anti-barbarian racist Olympius took over as Honorius’s new master, he basically sent these barbarians packing. Just like that, the veteran backbone of the Roman army was gone. Worse yet – this hardened army of veterans was now hungry, far from home, and a bit angry.

    Naturally, Alaric was there to take them in. Suddenly Alaric went from recently defeated and on the ropes – to flush with hardened warriors. Just as suddenly Rome had no army and no good generals.

    I’m sure this won’t lead to a legendary sack of a famous city or anything.


    Speaking of sacking and cities, let’s talk about another stupid thing Honorius did.

    So Alaric is looking good. The only man who could ever stop him, Stilicho, is dead. Even better, Stilicho’s army is now his army. So Alaric decides he is going to make a move for power.

    Alaric invades Italy and Rome has literally no army to do anything about it. Alaric doesn’t want to conquer Italy though. He just wants to blockade Rome, have the Senate pay him off, and leave.

    The Senate pays him and he honors his deal and leaves Rome. He then heads up to Ravenna to meet with Honorius and negotiate a long term peace deal.

    Alaric makes the following demands

    1. A spot as a Roman general
    2. A yearly stipend of gold for his people
    3. Grain shipments to keep his people fed
    4. Land in Illyria and independence

    The Senate comes up from Rome to meet with Honorius. They tell him to take the deal – Alaric is strong and there is nothing they can do.

    Honorius agrees to everything except making Alaric a general.

    Alaric then changes his tune. He suddenly drops all his demands. He simply demands land along the Danube and regular food shipments and in exchange, he would defend the Roman border.

    We need to stop here and talk about this. Alaric has an army – the ONLY army in the area. Rome can literally do nothing to stop him. All he wants is some food and useless land along the Danube river and in return, he is willing to defend the Roman border from the coming barbarian hordes. This is an amazing deal. This is like someone holding a gun to your head and demanding you take their cash.

    A lot of historians question why Alaric offered this deal. Most, including myself, think that he was planning ahead. He knew Rome was 1 good emperor away from being on top of the world and that he was positioning himself as a friend of Rome when that day came.

    Either way, it doesn’t matter, because Honorius is an idiot.

    HE TURNED DOWN THE DEAL AND BROKE OFF NEGOTIATIONS.

    (Yeah. No shit!)

    Alaric then sacked Rome……

    Rome, the eternal city, a city that had not been taken for 800 years was sacked. 800 years…. think about that. The USA is 250 years old. So go way back to George Washington, then do that 3 times. That’s how long Rome remained safe.

    This was really the true ending of Rome.

    From here, the barbarians would continue to sack Rome. They made a few efforts to stay alive, but they lacked the funds, manpower, and resources to do anything at all.

    Imagine how much a skilled general like Alaric with 40,000 veteran soldiers could have helped turn things around. And again – they were doing it for free.

    So no matter how dumb you are, you will NEVER be as dumb as Honorius.

    To be clear he

    1. Killed the best general Rome had seen in perhaps a century
    2. Then allowed his only decent army to go over to his enemies’ side
    3. When his enemy offered to fight for him he REFUSED
    4. He allowed Rome to be sacked

    I mean if you tried to suck at life you still couldn’t be this bad.

    EDIT: I am deleting comments about Trump. This question and answer couldn’t have less to do with Trump. No – Honorius is not Donald Trump. Honorius was a child that watched his empire burn while feeding chickens.

    Artist Imagines How Pop Culture Characters Would Look If They Were Saints

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    Digital artist Gedo, better known as @gedogfx to his followers on his Instagram account, recently created an amazing project where he transformed famous characters from pop culture into holy figures.

    All of these figures have halos and majestic religious clothes to portray them as saints and unique symbols that represent their characters best. If you look closely, you will see that the Mother of Dragons Daenerys Targaryen, from the famous American fantasy drama series Game of Thrones, is portrayed with a little dragon resting on her shoulder. Or Mia Wallace from Pulp Fiction, the American crime film by Quentin Tarantino, is shown with a needle in her heart as a reference to the scene where she almost dies after overdosing on heroin, but is saved by Vincent, who stabs her in the heart with a syringe full of adrenaline.

    So if you’re wondering how famous pop culture characters would look as saints with a little bit of dark humor, you’ll surely love these illustrations.

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    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

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    Death trap for the USA, Greek fire under the ocean, some delicious sweet potato pie and the Funniest Raccoon Memes

    I like to think that there are some really great things here. I hope you enjoy this post.

    Smile for the day…

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    Norway and Russia settle cargo dispute

    Norway and Russia have found a way to deliver goods to Russian settlements on Norway’s Arctic archipelago of Svalbard.

    The statement comes after a week of tension between Moscow and Oslo, after Norway halted two cargo containers destined for Russian miners living on the archipelago on June 15, citing sanctions imposed on Moscow over its conflict with Ukraine.

    Russia insisted that Norway’s “unacceptable” ban on supply deliveries was depriving Russian miners of “critical” goods, including food, medical equipment, building materials, and spare parts. Moscow threatened “appropriate retaliatory measures” if the issue was not resolved.

    The Norwegian Foreign Ministry now claims that the containers were blocked because they were being transported on Russian vehicles, which were banned from bringing cargo over the Russian-Norwegian border. However, it noted that there would be no issue if these containers were brought to the miners using Norwegian vehicles instead.

    Dad Recycles Old Crayons Into New Ones for Schools, Hospitals and Art Programs

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    No young artist can resist the crisp, new box of crayons that back-to-school season so often brings, but not every little artist has access to them.

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    He now extends their useful life through his nonprofit startup, The Crayon Initiative, boiling them down and repurposing them into new boxes of crayons for kids in need.

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    It’s changing the shape of the crayons themselves, too, making them easier for special-needs children to hold. It all started about four years ago, when the Danville, California dad was out to eat with his family one evening, and the waitress brought crayons for the kids.

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    “He was fiddling with a crayon and said, ‘I wonder what happens to these when we leave,’” his wife, Marissa Ware, told Contra Costa Times.

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    More than 100,000 boxes, donated from all over the U.S., have already been transformed into 800,000 thicker, triangular-bodied crayons, while towering bags of old crayons, sorted by color still await their turn in the melting pot.

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    Bryan Ware estimates he has invested nearly $30,000 of his own money into the startup. He partnered with a physical therapist to create the new crayons’ easy-grip design, then arranged for the manufacture of the metal molds needed to transform old crayons into the new shape.

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    With the old crayons piling up in his garage, what he needs now is the corporate funding to scale up and move the operation out of his family’s home and into a proper production facility, complete with warehouse.

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    But for now, with or without other family members’ help, he’ll go on spending 30 to 40 hours a week at the kitchen stove, stirring two big stainless-steel pots full of melting crayons.

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    To learn more or to donate to the Crayon Initiative, go to thecrayoninitiative.org. Old crayons can be sent to 540 Glasgow Circle, Danville, CA, 94526.

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    NASA to build a nuclear base in the moon before Russia and China


    According to recent reports, NASA and the U.S Department of Energy (DOE), announced on June 21, that they are jointly advancing space nuclear technology. They have planned three design concept proposals for The Fission Surface Power Project. Russia and China already have similar concepts.

    The project plans to build a 40 kilowatt-class nuclear fission power system on the moon. According to NASA, this power system can power 30 homes for 10 years, the equivalent of a small nuclear power plant. The design proposals came from US aerospace companies Lockheed Martin Space Systems, and Electrical Companies Westinghouse and IX. The latter is a joint venture between autonomous driving systems company Intuitive Machines and nuclear reactor designer X-Energy. These companies will each receive a 12-month contract worth $5 million.

    NASA and DOE want to explore nuclear technology in space. After all, electricity is not available on the moon or beyond, and other methods aren’t viable. When astronauts get to the moon and then to Mars, they will need a reliable and portable power system. The power system should also be able to operate in different places and in different environmental and weather conditions. Nuclear Fission Power generation systems meet these criteria.

    Until the end of the century, NASA and DOE hopes to test a 40 kW class nuclear fission system on the moon. This power system will pave the way for long-term human missions to the moon and Mars.

    “The nuclear fission surface energy project is a practical first step toward building a nuclear power plant on the moon for the United States,” John Wagner, director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory, said in a statement.”

    To recall, NASA had already tested another space nuclear power project. The KiloPower Project was launched in 2015, as the new generation of space nuclear reactors. In May 2018, the project completed all major surface tastes. Last year, DOE and NASA collaborated on a request for comments asking the U.S. companies to provide design concepts for nuclear fission surface energy systems.

    The goal is clearly to build solid energy stations between the Moon and other planets. For now, everything sounds like a big brainstorm, but we can’t say that this is impossible. Worth noting that China, Russia, and other aerospace powers have also begun to explore the application of nuclear energy in space. We are curious to see if this will be the start of another technological race. Aerospace exploration, once again, will be a center of discussion in the next few years. The cold way between Russia and the United States accelerated space exploration several years ago. Now, we’re living in an era of tensions between these three countries. Will this lead to a second cold war? Time will tell.

    Katharina Detzel

    Katharina was admitted to an asylum after sabotaging the rails of a train so that it crashed, for stealing, and many other crimes.

    The curious thing about this woman is that when she arrived at the asylum, Katharina made a life-size doll with the straw from her bed. She hit him when she was angry, and when she was happy she danced with him. This doll, she gave her the surrogate love that she needed so badly while inside the mental institution.

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    As you can see, the doll has three key features, a beard, glasses and a penis.

    During her stay, she tried to escape from the institution numerous times, and after almost 20 years trying, she succeeded, after which she was taken to another mental institution where she was never known what became of her.

    From HERE

    In her desire for freedom she made a whole series of runners and keys out of wood. She made figurines from bread dough (e.g. Shakespeare). Detzel also worked on a human figure with wings and made the photographed life-size male, which she hanged in her single cell. With the help of this figure (which exuded a certain authority with glasses, penis and beard, it reminds us of the ideal type of a scientist or physician of that time) Detzel tried to be relocated from the cell to the dormitory, from where she could escape. She explained to the doctors that she would soon be like this doll: should she continue to be isolated, then she too would soon be lifeless in the cell. Detzel was unsuccessful: The doctors did not respond to her threat, but removed almost all items from the cell: mattress, canvas, clothes (even her shirt) was taken from the patient, she has only chaff in the cell.

    Detzel continued to vigorously opposing the suppression of patients by staff and sanctions (e.g. prolonged baths). In her struggle against social injustice, she wanted to establish a home for infants, compiled a pamphlet against prostitution and wrote a play entitled “The Extramarital Child or the Child Bed of Righteousness”.

    After 19 years, she finally managed to escape from the institution. She moved out with her daughter. In 1939 Detzel was arrested again. This time because of theft and forgery. She was soon institutionalized, this time in Andernach. In 1941 she moved to another institution, Johannestal in Süchteln. It is uncertain if she survived the war and the Nazi Euthanasia Program.

    The photograph above is part of the Prinzhorn Collection. The collection (on display in the University of Heidelberg Psychiatric Clinic) is made up of approximately 6,000 works, all created by inmates of psychiatric institutions between 1840 and 1940. It ranges from water-colors, drawings, paintings and sculptures to textile works and texts. The major part of it was collected by art historian and psychiatrist Hans Prinzhorn (1886–1933) while he worked as assistant physician at the Psychiatric Hospital of Heidelberg University.

    US asked Russia to reconsider mercenaries’ status – Moscow — RT World News

    Washington has requested that captured American mercenaries be treated as combatants, according to Deputy FM.

    The United States has requested the recognition by Russia of American fighters captured during the Ukraine conflict as combatants, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Friday.

    “There was a certain signal from the American side, mainly focused on the fact that these individuals should be considered combatants under the definition of the Geneva convention and should be subject to the relevant protections,” he told reporters.

    The deputy FM added, however, that the topic of American mercenaries had not been explicitly discussed between Russia and the US.

    According to Ryabkov, the presence of foreign mercenaries аnd their actions “on the side of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and nationalist battalions” is now one of the most “serious and problematic moments” in Russia’s relations with the US and other Western countries.

    He said that the actions of captured foreign mercenaries are being investigated to determine the circumstances of “their appearance in the combat zone and the role they played there.”

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    “We have repeatedly warned the citizens of countries that are unfriendly to Russia to refrain from adventurous plans to ‘prove themselves’ on the battlefield in Ukraine,” Ryabkov pointed out. “But those who do not take these warnings into account are reaping the fruits of their own misanthropy and unwillingness to accept the reality of the situation that has unfolded in the region.”

    On Tuesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu announced that some 170 foreign mercenaries had been killed in Ukraine “over the past 10 days” and that 99 had “refused to participate in combat and left the territory of Ukraine.”

    Meanwhile, two American fighters – Alexander John-Robert Drueke and Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh – are currently awaiting trial in the Donetsk People’s Republic where three foreign fighters from the UK and Morocco were handed out death sentences last month over their “illegal activities.” The death sentences, however, have yet to be carried out as all three foreigners have appealed the Donetsk court’s verdict.

    Article HERE

    The tomb of Liu He

    When archaeologists opened the tomb of Liu He, Lord of Haihun of the Han Dynasty, they found a pile of money. This includes 5,330,000 ancient copper coins, weighing about 10 tons, and 358 gold cakes.

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    As a distant relative of the royal family, Liu He was the emperor of the Han Dynasty for 27 days.

    However, he couldn’t do the job. He liked music and chess, but didn’t really know how to become an emperor.

    Unsurprisingly, he was quickly overthrown, and transferred south with his treasures.

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    He died in his 30s from eating too much cantaloupe.

    New South Korea president may be a nail in the coffin for North Korea engagement

    Soon after elected (with strong US support), His popularity dropped drastically.
    
    He immediately followed 100% American establishment policy: he openly saluted the US flag, he completely destroyed relations with North Korea and (of course) Korea's largest revenue partner, China.
    
    He openly endorsed Asian NATO, Japan, and is against Russia. 
    
    Since he came to office he has done nothing that helped to revive the Korean economy. In fact, through his actions, he is in the process of destroying the foundation of the Korean economy. And already Korea is starting to economically collapse just like the rest of the collective West are.
    
    He may be the next Abe and Zelensky

    Full article HERE

    Withdrawing from China failed. Apple turned to Chinese manufacturers for help.

    Back ground info:
    My personal knowledge and understanding is:
    
    1) Apple is exploiting its suppliers via its volume and keep pressing their margin year on year;
    
    2) to support apple volume, these apple supply chains have to expand their plant, production lines, and stock up materials to meet apple demand ;
    
    3) however, Apple with the crusader DNAs showing no mercy to its supply chain partners, once apple failed in pressing down the prices the following years, Apply will look for alternative suppliers and suddenly cut off the existing one, resulting in the other party running a lost or without profit after years of hardwork supplying Apple.
    
    4) my understanding is Apple seeking profit increment of 11% year on year by selling higher prices to retailers and squesting supply chains;
    
    5) as such apple without any factory enjoying 70% profit while the rest of apple partners sharing the other 30%
    
    6) so, there are many Chinese supply chains decided not to deal with apple anymore.
    
    7) so, Apple openly announced to move supply chain elsewhere, particularly Vietnam. But Vietnam doesn't has the support industry like China, and the workers productivity is not as efficient as China. In addition, Vietnam infrastructure is not up to the Chinese standard to support mass industry expansion.
    
    So, now Apple finally forced to return to China for help.
    Thank you Putin the Great and Xi the great, the de-imperialism process has speeded up.
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    US Boeing already in deep trouble.
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    The US chip industry is another disaster in the making.
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    Don’t be surprised with how fast the world most ruthless crusader will crumble within the next few years.
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    I am preparing more volka to celebrate…

    SpaceX Poised To Downgrade “Starbase” R&D Facility

    “As far as anything being launched directly to space to the moon or Mars, that’s more than likely not going to happen here.”

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    The real reason for this is the fact that SpaceX requires Chinese and Russian components and these are no longer available. -MM

    As the current testing grounds and launch site of SpaceX’s massive Starship — a fully reusable rocket that very well may be the most powerful in the world — “Starbase” near Brownsville in South Texas, attracts plenty of space enthusiasts that want to catch a glimpse of the titanic rocket in action.

    But to their dismay, that privilege could soon end, National Geographic reports, with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk hinting that the space company could eventually move operations to the Florida Space Coast.

    “Everybody down here, Brownsville and the whole valley, was expecting to see that this was going to be the Gateway to Mars,” Louis Baldera, a local resident known to his tens of thousands of online followers as LabPadre, and who has closely been following SpaceX’s operations, told the publication.

    “As far as anything being launched directly to space to the moon or Mars, that’s more than likely not going to happen here,” he added. “I think that’s going to bum some people out.”

    Employees at the facility, who chose to remain anonymous, also told Dallas Express News this week that they no longer believe that Starbase will be the “Gateway.”

    That’s in large part because SpaceX and the Federal Aviation Administration have been embroiled in an ugly battle over granting approval for orbital test flights for Starship, with the FAA citing environmental concerns and delaying their decision on multiple occasions.

    “I guess our worst-case scenario is that we would be delayed for six to eight months to build up the Cape launch tower and launch from there,” Musk said at a February press conference, when asked what would happen if the FAA required a more extensive environmental review.

    Permission was eventually granted last month to carry out the inaugural orbital test flight — as long as SpaceX complies with over 75 environmental provisions.

    If operations were to move to Florida, that’s not a prospect that’s likely to sit well with Brownsville residents, especially given the potential consequences on the local economy such a decision could have.

    After all, SpaceX is the biggest employer in the city.

    “I didn’t know any of those plans beforehand,” Jessica Tetreau, the Brownsville city commissioner, told National Geographic. “What startled us was when we heard the timeline and how they would have to start moving things to Florida.”

    SpaceX already started building a Starship launch tower in Florida last December and more recently added its second segment in June.

    With the FAA breathing down their neck and dismay from local environmental groups growing, Starbase could be losing its desirability as a launch location.

    Of course, that wouldn’t mean a complete pull-out. The facility would most likely be used for less glamorous research and development purposes, as Musk stated at the February conference.

    While it’s still mostly speculation at this point — it’s still not a given that SpaceX will move operations — hopefully it won’t have too much of an economic impact on the region.

    From HERE

    Sweet Potato Pie

    The perfect Sweet Potato Pie recipe! Made with a tender and flaky, buttery pie crust and a lightly spiced, perfectly sweetened, browned butter sweet potato pie filling.

    Then you have your choice to top with sweetened whipped cream or a toasted homemade marshmallow topping!

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    Sweet Potato Pie

    If you like pumpkin pie you’ll love sweet potato pie. They’re very similar in taste but this recipe is made with fresh, baked sweet potatoes (instead of canned pumpkin) and it includes browned butter so you know it’s going to be good!

    There are a few steps to the process of making it but it’s worth every step once you get to taste this luscious pie.

    So What Makes the Best Sweet Potato Pie Recipe?

    So I learned a few things in testing and creating this recipe:

    • Blind baking the crust will keep you from ending up with a soft and gooey pie crust.
    • Using baked sweet potatoes instead of boiled sweet potatoes concentrates their flavor rather then ending up with water logged boiled sweet potatoes.
    • Browning the salted butter adds adds some depth of flavor to the pie filling. Salted browned butter and sweet potato were made to go together (have you tried my browned butter mashed sweet potatoes yet?)
    • Keeping it light on the spices lets the sweet potato flavor shine.
    • I personally preferred the classic texture of using mashed by hand sweet potatoes vs. those pureed in a food processor.
    • The lightly caramelized flavor of evaporated milk was preferred to the flavor of milk or cream.
    • Tent pie crust edges with foil to prevent over-browning.
    • And being careful not to over-bake the pie prevented deep cracks from happening (but if they do no big deal, just cover with the topping).

    This is easily my favorite sweet potato pie recipe! And I prefer the marshmallow topping for that nostalgic flavor combination, plus I feel that’s what will really set it apart from pumpkin pie but feel free to use either whipped cream or marshmallow topping.

    If you use the marshmallow topping you’ll want to prepare and toast it when it’s time to serve (which is the only drawback), so it’s nice and fluffy.

    Sweet Potato Pie Ingredients:

    • Unbleached all-purpose flour – this is used to make the base of the pie crust. Standard bleached flour will work too if that’s what you have, unbleached just has better flavor.
    • Granulated sugar and brown sugar – the white sugar is used in the pie crust to add a faint sweetness and the brown sugar is used for the filling. The added molasses of the brown sugar pairs perfectly with the sweet potato flavor.
    • Salt – this brings out the flavors of the pie crust and filling so it doesn’t taste flat.
    • Unsalted and salted butter – unsalted butter is used in the pie crust (unsalted butter stays cold better), and salted butter for the filling. Salted browned butter tastes so much better than unsalted.
    • Ice water – be sure to add lots of ice to the water, stir and rest before you use it. This helps the butter stay cold so you end up with a flaky crust.
    • Sweet potatoes – I like to use red garnet variety. Other orange varieties work as well but don’t use white or purple sweet potatoes.
    • Evaporated milk – I like to use the small 5 oz. can so I don’t have leftover but if you only have a larger can that will work but be sure to measure amount listed.
    • Eggs – this helps bind the pie filling together and make a custard type filling. They are crucial to the recipe.
    • Cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger – with the ratios here I recommend sticking with each separate spice rather than using a spice blend.
    • Vanilla extract – this adds another faint background flavor in the pie. Use real vanilla for best flavor.

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    How to Make Sweet Potato Pie Filling:

    • Prepare pie crust dough. Chill, roll, shape and chill. Blind bake.
    • Bake sweet potatoes until soft.
    • Brown butter.
    • Prepare filling and pour into crust.

    How Long to Bake Sweet Potato Pie?

    • Bake until pie edges are set and center just wiggles slightly, this will take about 40 – 50 minutes at 350 degrees.
    • Let cool at room temperature 2 hours. Serve or chill (I prefer it served cold).

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    Can I Make It in Advance?

    This pie can be made 1 day before serving. Store in the refrigerator. Wait until the day of serving to prepare topping.

    Can I Use Canned Sweet Potatoes or Yams?

    For best flavor and pie consistency I recommend using fresh sweet potatoes. It’s almost just as easy, just baking and scooping out the flesh – no peeling and chopping.

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    TSMC Wins Legal Battle Against Employee Who Violated Contract & Moved To China

    This is NORMAL in the industry. You routinely sign Non-Compete agreements locking you out of a job with a competitor once you leave the firm. These contracts are rarely enforced, however, but for a high visibility industry, it could be problematic. I dare say that the Taiwanese laws do not apply to Chinese residents. And this might sound frightening, but really, it's just a bunch of "hot air". 
    
    This happened in 2016. Since them, entire busloads of engineers left for China.-MM

    A former procurement manager for the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has been fined NT$2.5 million as part of a violation of his non-compete agreement with the chipmaker. The former employee, Xue Zongzhi, had left his role at TSMC to take up a similar position at a Chinese wafer supplier, which violated his agreement with TSMC the company had argued. In response, Mr. Zongzhi retorted that his experience in procurement was not subject to a non-compete agreement and by taking up a role at his new employer, he had leveraged his skills acquired through time spent in the industry.

    The report comes courtesy of the Taiwanese publication United Daily News (UDN) and it states that Mr. Zongzhi’s appeals against the Taiwanese court’s decision have been rejected. The controversy surrounding his departure started in 2016 when he left TSMC to join a Chinese wafer company within months of his departure.

    Mr. Zongzhi had been managing TSMC’s purchasing department since 2011 and chose to leave the role in July 2016. As per the UDN, his contract with the company prohibited him from taking up similar roles at competing firms which were defined as companies that are engaged in “semiconductor wafer manufacturing and services.” However, in December of the same year, the executive took up a role as the vice president of procurement at the Yangtze River Storage Company which is a part of the Continental Ziguang Group and owned in it entirety by the Wuhan Xinxin Integrated Circuit Company.

    The Wuhan Xinxin Integrated Circuit Company (XMC) is a direct competitor of TSMC, argued the company, since it also manufactures and sells semiconductors. As a result, the Taiwanese fab sent a legal notice to Mr. Zongzhi, asking him to resign from his new position, but failed to receive a response.

    Subsequently, TSMC sent him a notice to pay damages equal to NT$15.5 million in a lawsuit. The suit also claimed that the former manager had leaked TSMC’s trade secrets such as its order contracts, bids and product prices as part of his new position.

    However, Mr. Zonghzi insisted that prices and bids were not proprietary information and TSMC does not use them to compete with other companies. He also outlined that his experience over the years is not TSMC’s intellectual property and that XMC is a small fish compared to TSMC, which is the world’s largest contract manufacturer of semiconductors and chips.

    As the UDN reports, the court sided with TSMC in the affair, and it ruled that contracts, bids and prices are sensitive information which is indeed used by the chipmaker to compete with rivals. It also held that Mr. Zhongzhi’s contract with TSMC did prevent him from working for other chip manufacturers, but that he was free to work with non-chip manufacturers. Finally, the court also rejected the manager’s claim that XMC is not TSMC’s rival, as it stated that the reality is to the contrary as both engage in manufacturing semiconductors.

    However, it reduced the damages owed to TSMC since the company was unable to prove how Zongzhi’s departure led to losses. TSMC’s share price has grown consistently since the former manager left the company, and its profits have also grown significantly. Subsequently, Zhongxi was sentenced to pay NT$2.5 million in damages to his former employer.

    The revolution industry and how the Hong Kong police were targeted

    From HERE
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    Professional destabilisers worked with activists for years to distort reality in Hong Kong, writes Phill Hynes. And there’s a specific reason why the destruction of the reputation of the city’s police became a key target.

    When the protests in Hong Kong broke out in 2019, they became the focus for sustained and intense international media attention.

    The saturation-level coverage of Hong Kong blanked out other major events elsewhere in the world—even though the other stories were often far more newsworthy, involving larger events with far more fatalities. Populism and right-wing politics were moving center stage in Europe, the Middle East was on fire, as was South America.

    In other riots around the world, the military were called out and many protesters’ lives were lost. In contrast, Hong Kong police killed not one protester in six months of violent protest.

    Yet the city received the sustained glare of the global media circus—and unrelenting coverage which was reprehensibly biased, particularly against the police.

    In particular, not one mainstream media outlet reported the quickly obvious fact that the protests were organised, well-funded, and clearly using a long list of specialised techniques associated with a shadowy sector known as “the revolution industry”. It’s worth setting that right.

    Doing the army’s job

    In particular, one key fact was rarely acknowledged: Under-prepared, under-experienced Hong Kong police officers found themselves forced to do an incredibly difficult job that was done everywhere else by fully equipped armies with military vehicles and an bottomless supply of lethal weaponry.

    Who was standing in the shadows, stirring up the protests? No one, apparently. Just try and find a single mainstream media article that mentioned the Albert Einstein Institute (AEI) and/ or the Center for Applied Non-Violent Actions and Strategy, (CANVAS). Who are they?

    This topic will be considered in three parts. First, we’ll look at some of the players in the revolution industry. Second, we’ll look at the strategy and tactics used in Hong Kong. Third, we’ll look at their focus on delegitimising authority, and particularly the city’s police force.

    Part 1: The revolution industry

    There have been many civil disobedience movements, uprisings, colour revolutions and protest movements in the past 20 years—and several organisations that have had direct involvement in the majority of these movements. The AEI, founded by Gene Sharp in 1983 in the US, has been at the forefront of inspiring hybrid wars. CANVAS was created in 2004 in Serbia by Srđa Popović and the CEO of Orion Telecom, Slobodan Đinović, former founding members of Otpor, the precursor to CANVAS, the group that toppled Serbian president Milosevic. There are a number of other groups in this area, such as the Oslo Freedom Foundation (which, despite the name, is headquartered in New York). The Azov Battalion from Ukraine sent a team from its Gonor Group to Hong Kong in 2019.

    The revolution industry developed techniques now associated with various terms, including “psyops”, “colour revolution”, “hybrid war”, and so on. In simple terms, the western powers trigger a battle in which conventional physical fighting is supplemented with an underhand media saturation campaign to humanise one side and demonise the other. This causes the general public to take the pro-US side and enables politicians to easily syphon public funds to the coffers of arms-makers.

    No conspiracy theory

    It is no conspiracy theory to talk about their involvement in the Hong Kong protests. In a 2014 BBC report from an Oslo Freedom Foundation meeting, street protest specialists admitted they had been working to prepare Hong Kong activists for almost two years, and had distributed materials to a thousand activist leaders in the city.

    Furthermore, Hong Kong protesters have been widely observed using revolution industry techniques (such as marginal violence) and even admitted to it.

    The Albert Einstein Institute (which has no direct connection with the scientist of that name) was founded by Gene Sharp, a US academic specialising in street protest strategies and regime change. In 1993, he published the book From Dictatorship to Democracy. Updated versions of the book are accompanied by a tactical training manual with 198 meticulously thought-out steps within structured sections.

    Make it seem home-grown

    AEI and CANVAS both encourage localisation by activists: indigenous elements are seen as a key component of success. The protests need to look home-grown and spontaneous, but this can be superficial. As we have seen, journalists will not dig a centimetre below the surface to check.

    The CANVAS organisation has its own publications designed for social movements and revolutionaries, including:

    • Canvas Core Curriculum: A Guide to Effective Non-violent Struggle
    • Making Oppression Backfire
    • Non-violent Struggle: 50 Crucial Points

    CANVAS has merged its tactical guidelines with those of the AEI to create a “manual of chaos” for protest movements that is shared freely among interested parties. Moreover, a plethora of US sponsored NGOs offer training to organisations, leaders and movements on the techniques featured in the manuals, and on how to set up, fund, recruit, manage, and run protest movements and revolutions. This is now happening on an industrial scale. CANVAS grew out of the Serbian protests.

    CANVAS played a different role to AEI in Hong Kong. If AEI was the inspiration, providing a philosophical and strategic basis for the orientation of a movement, then CANVAS was the tactical source or engine to drive the movement’s objectives. (The initial creation and formation of such movements rests with other NGOs – a topic for another time.)

    Part 2: Strategy and tactics

    In Hong Kong, which has a very complex political landscape, the protest movement benefited significantly from CANVAS tactical know-how, but CANVAS and their sponsors also benefited from the protesters. Sharp wrote: “Movements adapt the core principles and localise them to their particular circumstances on the ground.” In Hong Kong, protesters were very adaptive, refining techniques, and adding new ones.

    As a result, the Hong Kong protest movement, working with a supportive western media, was hugely successful in distorting reality. Out of all the protests around the world at that time, the authorities in Hong Kong were least violent, and most likely to continue to hand out protest permits – yet the impression given was the opposite, with the Hong Kong police painted as brutal and the authorities being characterised as unwilling to allow public demonstrations.

    This level of success in news manipulation meant that Hong Kong became a benchmark for tactical developments for other revolutionary movements globally, and an incubator for enhanced tactical learning, with new and modified tactics being visibly exported to other countries. The revolution specialists could add to their list of techniques.

    Six stage escalation

    In the now combined AEI and CANVAS chaos manual, there are six distinct stages to achieve the movement’s objectives. They start from the final objective and work back in a system known as “Inverse Planning”. (This is critically important to understand the Hong Kong protest movement, as they had a clearly established timeframe for attainment of their objectives.)

    The six key stages are:

    1. Non-violent Protest and Persuasion
    2. Social Non-cooperation
    3. Economic Non-cooperation – Boycott
    4. Economic Non-cooperation – Strike
    5. Political Non-cooperation
    6. Non-violent Intervention

    Why were the Umbrella Movement techniques cast aside for an alternative system? Evolution, baby! Not to mention a revised agenda. These changes were not in any way spontaneous, or reactionary. The new techniques were planned and designed to take control of the messaging and control the communications, assisting in building a movement.

    Long term planning 

    Indeed, the evidence points to the 2014 Umbrella Movement being a stepping stone in a much larger game plan. The architects knew in 2012 when they were planning for Occupy Central that it had a limited possibility of success in achieving the ultimate objectives. The time was not right for a bigger assault. Using their own inverse model, the target now looks to have always been for a bigger event between 2019 and 2022. As Dr. Simon Shen put it in November 2019 in the publication Think China: “Hong Kongers need to be in it for the long game.”

    Alignment of conditions

    What 2019 presented was the alignment of conditions, circumstances and events that lead to the escalation and implementation of the next phase of the program.

    According to the CANVAS model of non-violent protest communications, control of communications, harmonising messaging, security and delivery are critical to success. Tactically, it does not matter how strong you are. If your control of communications is flawed, you will lose. The Hong Kong government was surely in the right to clamp down on the huge amount of violence and destruction of public facilities – but with no communications skill of its own, and the media arraigned against them, the constructed narrative portrayed them as the bad guys, and continues to do so.

    Part 3: Removing a pillar

    Gene Sharp’s theory of power identified the pillars on which governments retain their authority. These became strategic targets for attack, so that governments can be undermined, toppled, removed and ultimately replaced. See the image below for reference.

    The process of undermining the government in Hong Kong had been started long ago using precisely this strategy. Civil society, education, media, and religion, had long since been penetrated and compromised. However, the city presented a unique opportunity to undermine one of the most important pillars of support – number one in the diagram is the military.

    Hong Kong does not have a military. Thus it was a weak point.

    In theory, the People’s Liberation Army provides military defence. But leaders in both Hong Kong and mainland China chose not to use them, showing an unexpected level of patience.

    For that reason, attacking and destroying the Hong Kong police force’s legitimacy became an imperative. Once such an important pillar starts to crumble, the others will be weakened, and the whole structure will fall. Hong Kong will descend into chaos—or so the powers behind the scenes hoped.

    Demonising the police

    Thus, there was a clear strategy to demonise and dehumanise the Hong Kong Police Force. When the protests started, activists had but one demand, the abandonment of the extradition bill. However, that was quickly achieved, so the protest continued with its infamous “five demands, not one less” chant.

    Even supporters of the protests admitted that the five demands made little sense (and were hard to remember), but the second of the five became the focus. It was the anti-police clause. Initially, it called for an independent body to be set up to review police behaviour. In fact, such a body had already existed for years, and was well trusted by the Hong Kong public.

    Nevertheless, this demand was repeated ad nauseam and evolved to call for the jailing of officers and then the complete defunding of the police force itself.

    Unexpected onslaught

    From the first moment of the first outburst of violence on the evening of 9 June 2019, the police were the direct target of aggression. The police had been expecting large numbers of protesters—but were not expecting the level of violence that came with them, nor the media onslaught that turned attacks on police into attacks by police.

    Shocked, the police reacted largely in self-defence and continued to act in this way for the next few weeks, or until it started to become apparent that the protests were not spontaneous and were coordinated and well-planned. The protest architects had a hidden objective: the Hong Kong police force had one of the best reputations of any regional police force in Asia. This had to be attacked, undermined and discredited as a matter of urgency.

    ‘Get the police to hit you’

    One method was the use of Marginal Violence Theory. Protesters use aggression to provoke the police into any type of response, which the media could then present as police attacks on peaceful protesters. This created escalating hostility to the authorities. One protester, Fred Chan Ho-fai, even described the strategy in a 2019 New York Times article called “A Hong Kong Protester’s Tactic: Get the Police to Hit You.”

    Chan wrote: “Such actions are a way to make noise and gain attention. And if they prompt the police to respond with unnecessary force, as happened on June 12, then the public will feel disapproval and disgust for the authorities. The protesters should thoughtfully escalate nonviolence, maybe even resort to mild force, to push the government to the edge.”

    Creating hate (“disapproval and disgust”) for ordinary men and women trying to do their job became the deliberate intention of large bands of masked protesters carrying petrol bombs for many months, with the media eager to play their part in the process. Protesters were directed to provoke confrontation with the police at every available opportunity. To further blacken the name of the force, they brought in school pupils, young people, mothers with children, and the elderly, for photo-opportunities.

    Police not blameless

    But let’s be fair. It is inevitable in such a long and sustained conflict that individuals in the police force did likely respond on occasion more aggressively than perhaps they should have. Tear gas was used at times when it was not necessary, and sometimes they seemed to have forgotten that it was not an offensive weapon, but a tool for crowd control. Rubber or plastic bullets were used incorrectly on too many occasions, firing directly at targets as opposed to ricocheting off the ground. Some individual officers behaved deplorably in the conduct of their duty.

    However, it is all too easy for the layman to judge them harshly from the comfort of a secure, remote perspective.

    The present writer has served front and centre in such situations, while bricks, bottles, Molotov cocktails and all manner of improvised objects rain downed upon us. But of course, as an officer of the authorities, you have to stay within the limits of professionalism and discipline. The throwers of petrol bombs have no such constraints.

    By comparison, restrained

    Hong Kong soon descended into months of sustained protests, rioting, arson attacks, destruction of property and businesses owned or associated with mainland Chinese. Protesters threw thousands of Molotov cocktails, committed vicious assaults against civilians, and there were undeniable attempts to harm or kill members of the police force. Compared to how other countries’ police forces would have behaved, the Hong Kong contingent were, by and large, remarkably restrained.

    The media played an irresponsible role in the nurturing and cultivation of this narrative. “Citizen Journalists” (some as young as 12 years old) would at times insert themselves between the police and rioters, thereby making themselves willing victims of police actions. This would be duly reported as police brutality. Video footage was carefully edited to show the police as the aggressors. Rarely did the truth of a particular situation make it into the mainstream media. The wanton violence of the rioters would be omitted, leaving only the apparent brutality of the police. Even photographs of an innocuous interaction between public and police would be misrepresented as evidence of barbarity.

    Police become focus

    Since it was plainly ludicrous for that level of destruction to be justified as a call for the abandonment of a bill that had long been abandoned, the chorus of calls for the disbandment of the Hong Kong police became the main theme of the protests. However, when protest leaders were questioned on how to proceed with this, there were no answers.

    None of this made any sense. But it didn’t have to. The protesters had taken the strategic objective of removing a key pillar of support from the government. The Hong Kong police force was not merely collateral damage: destroying their legitimacy was one of the objectives of the protests.

    Ultimately, it failed

    Ultimately, the campaign to cause Hong Kong to descend into chaos, goading the PLA into take control, and killing the “one country two systems” policy, failed. The Chinese government was too patient.

    No matter. The Western media still blamed China for everything that went wrong, and refused to acknowledge any involvement by outsiders. But in Hong Kong itself, people on all sides of the debate did become more fully aware that there were underhand forces at play, and realised that their home was being used as a political football. For them, the national security law makes much more sense than the international media will acknowledge. You have to have tools to deal with wrongdoing when the games are being played below the surface of dark waters.

    And the people of Hong Kong have a continuing concern, too. The game, they worry, may not be over. For the international media, the revolution industry doesn’t exist at all. For many traumatised citizens of Hong Kong, it is very real indeed. And the forces behind it are still very much at work.

    Phill Hynes is a geopolitical analyst based in Hong Kong and specialising in Asian affairs.

    Reposted from https://www.fridayeveryday.com/

    Japan’s “chip giant” Sakamoto Yukio: was collapsed by the United States and South Korea, and went to China for revenge at the age of 72

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    In Chinese, From HERE

    The Sistine Chapel of the ancients.

    This latest stunning archaeological discovery from deep in the Amazon Rainforest has been referred to as The Sistine Chapel of the ancients.

    Nestled between towering limestone table-top mountains that ring the horizon and dotted with immense limestone outcrops is a sheltered natural basin in the Amazon Rainforest, this isolated paradise is crisscrossed by rivers and amongst the most biodiverse places on Earth.

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    For centuries this strange sheltered basin was a contested landscape, since 1960 FARC guerrillas have controlled the region and much of the surrounding Columbian countryside.

    Then in 2020, a team of Archaeologists from the University of Essex in the UK, and the National University of Colombia, carried out an expedition to the depths of this mysterious basin and what they discovered was so unbelievable that it was kept secret and only announced in 2021.

    Impatient readers start grumbling - ‘What the heck Henrey, tell us what they found, damnit.’

    Patience my young padawans, anyway, roughly 13-thousand-years-ago, a mind-bogglingly long time ago, some ancient humans reached this sheltered paradise that is guarded by immense walls of limestone mountains and rich with life.

    These ancient humans settled down claiming this region for themselves and built yet to be discovered settlements that today lay buried beneath the dense Amazon Rainforest.

    However, these Ancients did leave us something utterly incredible, and it was finally found in 2020, after 12,500 years of waiting, humans have once again found The Sistine Chapel of the ancients.

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    What these Ancients created would have taken generations of continuous work, I suppose what I’m saying is this wasn’t just some random caveman painting his willy on a wall or sketching a few doodles of animals or stick people.

    What the Archaeologists found was an eight-mile-long wall of tens of thousands of prehistoric paintings, that include everything from extinct Ice Age animals, humans hunting and dancing, detailed depictions of edible plants, intricate shapes and flowing complex patterns.

    “One of the most fascinating things was seeing ice age megafauna because that’s a marker of time. I don’t think people realise that the Amazon has shifted in the way it looks. It hasn’t always been this rainforest. When you look at a horse or mastodon in these paintings, of course, they weren’t going to live in a forest. They’re too big. Not only are they giving clues about when they were painted by some of the earliest people – that in itself is just mind-boggling – but they are also giving clues about what this very spot might have looked like: more savannah-like.” - Al-Shamahi.

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    Ice-Age megafauna displayed in the pictographs of the Serranía La Lindosa including: (a) giant sloth, (b) mastodon, (c) camelid, (d, e) horse, (f) long-neck, three-toed ungulate with a trunk.

    Honestly, just thinking that there is this 8-mile long cliff face in the depths of the Amazon rainforest that was painted by ancient humans more than 12,500 years ago, and it is all still there, is simply bonkers.

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    Bonkers, no other words, just bonkers, the age of exploration and new discoveries is still alive.

    The below image is one of my favourites, I had to zoom in and crop the original, so I know it doesn’t show all the paintings on this section of the wall, but just take a moment, it’s fascinating.

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    This single image shows the Ice Age megafauna these ancient humans would have hunted, two van-sized Mastodon dominate the top left of the image, while near the middle left is what looks like a large wooden tower, which was likely built to enable these ancient people to paint 20 foot off the ground and undertake this monumental generational endeavour, mile after mile.

    There is another wooden tower clearly depicted to the middle right, honestly, so far we only have a handful of images and the entire 8-mile-long wall is covered with complex paintings, it will literally take the next decade to fully document and photograph the paintings along the entire wall.

    Personally, I believe it is very likely there could be ancient stories depicted on this wall or lessons, because these ancient people spent generations over hundreds of years painting an 8-mile long wall in detail, creating giant wooden towers to paint every itty little bit of their canvas, I highly doubt it was all just meaningless doodles.

    Q&A: Indonesia’s defence minister on security in the Asia-Pacific

    At the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Indonesia’s Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto tells Al Jazeera he is confident the leaders of the US and China will be ‘wise’.

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    Singapore – As defence chiefs from around the Asia-Pacific gather in Singapore for the Shangri-La Dialogue, much of the focus has been on growing tensions between the United States and China.

    The three-day security summit organised by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies is considered the most important defence-related conference in the region. This year, more than a dozen defence chiefs from around the world, including the US, China, and more, are attending.

    After a two-year hiatus, the event has returned and attracted high-profile guests, including the Indonesian defence chief and former presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto.

    The former lieutenant general met with Al Jazeera’s Jessica Washington during the Shangri-La Dialogue, sharing his thoughts on the war in Ukraine, and modernising Indonesia’s military arsenal.

    Al Jazeera: In your speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, you spoke about the “Asian way”. Where does Indonesia fit into that idea?

    Subianto: That is our culture that we always try to resolve problems with negotiations, with interactions, with engagement, and we keep on engaging, we keep on discussing until we come to an amicable, mutually beneficial solution. That is the Asian way.

    And it is the Indonesian way. We call it musyawarah mufakat (discussion to reach a solution) and we call it gotong royong (working together). We look for common interests; if we always talk about the differences, we might not even meet.

    Al Jazeera: A big focus during this summit has been on US-China tensions. What do you see as Indonesia’s role in dealing with those tensions?

    Subianto: We are in the real and actual position that we respect and we are friendly, and we are good friends. We have good cooperation with both powers — I have said that many times. The United States has helped us many times, in our critical moments. But China has also helped us. China has also defended us and China is now a very close partner with Indonesia. And actually, China has always been the leading civilization in Asia. Many of our sultans, kings, our princes in those days, they would marry princesses from China. We have hundreds of years of relationship.

    So it’s natural. So, you asked me, what is our position, as good friends we try to be, maybe a good common bridge. If not, then we maintain the good relationships.

    And we are convinced that both powers will have wise leadership. I’m optimistic on that front, many people, of course, understandably are concerned, and yes there are dangers. But I believe the leader of China will be wise, and the leader of the US also. They are great powers. The world will expect them to give us good leadership.

    Al Jazeera: What about some of the aspects of Indonesia-China relationships, where there are differences of opinions… for example the South China Sea. How do you navigate those challenges?

    Subianto: As I said with good relations, good communication with direct contacts, we can come to an amicable understanding that’s mutually beneficial.

    Al Jazeera: The US Secretary of Defense, earlier in the speech mentioned Indonesia, specifically the naval exercise called Garuda Shield…

    Subianto: Garuda Shield has been going on for 14-15 years, but we have also exercises with other countries. We also plan to have exercises with China.

    Al Jazeera: The US Secretary talked about the situation in Ukraine, and you mentioned in your speech, you said it is a very sad situation. Do you have anything else to say on that?

    Subianto: Historically, geopolitically, there are always two versions to a story. Indonesia, as you know we voted with the many western countries in opposing the invasion of Ukraine — that’s our position on the invasion.

    But once again, I would like to say that Russia has been a very good friend to Indonesia all these years. We have good relations with Russia, they helped us also when we were having difficulties and as I mentioned, a friend in need is a friend indeed. Never forget friends who helped you. That’s our position.

    We say all the great powers must be respected, and their concerns must be respected.

    Al Jazeera: You have made it your priority to modernise Indonesia’s defence capabilities, how is that going?

    Subianto: It is going well, of course, everything needs what I call an incubation period, we can’t go to the supermarket and buy defence equipment. I would say it’s going well, of course, I’m pretty impatient, I wish it could go faster, maybe if I have a magic wand.

    Al Jazeera: Following your speech, you were asked about the region and you said each country can make their own decisions. Anything further to say on that?

    Subianto: Basically that’s the right of every country to assess their own security needs. So I cannot tell the Australians or the British what they should do. I also don’t want them to tell us what to do. We respect each other.

    Al Jazeera: Can I ask for your views on the situation in Myanmar?

    Subianto: I think Indonesia’s position is very clearly do not recognize the regime in Myanmar

    Al Jazeera: Let’s look at a domestic issue in Indonesia. There is discussion about the plan to create new provinces in Papua and some international human rights groups have raised concerns about security implications and the impact on human rights.

    Subianto: There’s always this, I would say double standards or triple standard, anything countries like Indonesia do. They always try to emphasise the possibility of human rights abuses. I think our needs, we have vast areas and that has been in discussion and planning for many years.

    Al Jazeera: Indonesia’s foreign policy has long been guided by the phrase ‘free and active’. Do you see Indonesia as having a leadership role among countries that take a neutral stance?

    Subianto: Leadership is not something that we can award to ourselves. I think the best form of statecraft in my opinion is to get your own house in order. If we take care of our own house in good order, people will look to us.

    Al Jazeera: Speaking of leadership, your plans for 2024 — Are you planning to run for the presidency?

    If I am needed, if there is strong support for me, then I have to put myself at the service of my people and my country.

    U.S. Wants China’s SMIC to Stop Making 14nm Chips

    When the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) restricted access of China’s largest contract chipmaker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) to fab equipment used to make10nm-class chips, it was considered a tough but not too severe move. Now the U.S. government is mulling restricting China from producing logic chips using a 14nm-class fabrication process.

    The DOC is examining the possibility of prohibiting the exportation of chipmaking tools to companies in China that can make logic chips using 14nm-class manufacturing nodes and thinner, according to a Reuters report that cites five people familiar with the matter. The only company in China currently producing chips using its 14nm fabrication process is SMIC, which has been doing so since late 2019.

    What is not completely clear from the report is whether the DOC wants to ban SMIC from getting tools used to make semiconductors on its 14nm node and thinner, or if it wants to ban SMIC from getting any tools at all because it is capable of making chips using its 14nm technology.

    Currently, American companies can sell equipment good enough to build 14nm chips to SMIC without any export licenses from the DOC and other agencies. If the U.S. government decides to restrict SMIC’s access to advanced chipmaking tools, companies like Applied Materials and Lam Research will have to apply for an export license every time they deal with SMIC. The application will be reviewed with a presumption of denial.

    An official for the U.S. DOC did not confirm that the department was discussing 14nm-related export restrictions for SMIC but confirmed that it was continuously reviewing the ongoing situation.

    “With respect to semiconductor-related export license applications in particular, (Commerce) and the other reviewing agencies … consider a variety of factors in making licensing decisions, including the technology node for the proposed export,” the spokesperson for the Department of Commerce is reported to have said.

    Because SMIC could not access extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography tools due to the Wassenaar Arrangement, the firm began the development of its 12nm, N+1, and N+2 process technologies that relied purely on deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography and were aimed primarily at inexpensive chips that did not require a high transistor density. Now, both N+1 and N+2 nodes are considered sub-10nm fabrication processes, so SMIC had to cancel their development.

    When SMIC was barred from manufacturing tools advanced enough to make chips using its 10nm-class (and sub-10nm-class) nodes in late 2020, the company said it would focus on developing advanced packaging technologies to make sophisticated multi-chiplet designs out of tiles produced on 14nm and thicker nodes. That would enable Chinese chip designers to build sophisticated and capable processors with tens of billions of transistors even without using an advanced process technology. In addition, the company announced multi-billion dollar expansion plans that would triple the output of chips made on advanced nodes.

    To a large degree, advanced packaging technologies could be SMIC’s way to work around the U.S. export restrictions. As a result, China would gain access to advanced computing capabilities that could be used for military purposes.

    The U.S. administration certainly understands SMIC’s options and risks that it brings to America and its allies, so it wants to further crackdown China’s access to sophisticated chipmaking tools.

    Article from HERE

    PM Anthony Albanese issues warning to China at Quad meeting

    The new PM has told China it must remove its sanctions on Australian products if the two countries are ever to improve relations.

    Ellen Ransley

    So the New Prime Minister of Australia attended the United States QUAD meeting. The QUAD was set up by Mike Pompeo as a Pacific NATO as a military block to "counter" China militarily. During the meeting, the new Prime Minister got up on the podium and listed demands and warnings to China. Here, in this article, the local Australian media reports on his "warnings" and the Chinese retort. -MM

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    The QUAD showing the United States military bases.

    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has warned China the only way to improve its relationship with Australia is by removing trade bans.

    After years of strained diplomatic relations between the two countries, the incoming Prime Minister told the Quad meeting his government, on behalf of Australia, would seek good relations with all countries – but would not be soft on China.

    In his address, Mr Albanese urged Beijing to lift trade tariffs it imposed on Australian goods such as barley, wine, coal and seafood.

    “Australia seeks good relations with all countries,” Mr Albanese said in Tokyo.

    “But it’s not Australia that’s changed, China has. It is China that has placed sanctions on Australia.

    There is no justification for doing that. And that’s why they should be removed.”

    Oh really? Eh? China just up and decided to do that without justification.  Hum...-MM

    Mr Albanese’s first comments as Prime Minister about China comes as he confirmed he had received a letter of congratulations from Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

    The Quad leaders, which include US President Joe Biden, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, reaffirmed their commitment to a secure and peaceful Indo-Pacific at the meeting on Tuesday.

    In a joint statement, the four leaders directly referenced China’s military expansion in the South China Sea and its claims over Taiwan.

    “We strongly oppose any coercive, provocative, or unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo and increase tensions in the area, such as the militarisation of disputed features,” the statement read.

    Earlier this week, Mr Biden confirmed the US was prepared to “get involved militarily” to defend Taiwan if China did make good on its threats to invade.

    Mr Albanese said there was no change in Australia’s position that there should be “no unilateral change to the status quo” but would not explicitly detail the issue of a military response.

    The incoming Prime Minister’s demands of China, and the Quad meeting as a whole – comes as Chinese officials travel to the Solomon Islands to make further security plans.

    The security arrangement was also a topic of conversation at the Quad.

    From HERE

    China lists four criteria to get the Australian-Chinese relationship on track…

    China’s Foreign Ministry also said there were four requirements for Australia to improve the relationship.
    They included the following demands:
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    • Australia must treat China as a “partner rather than a rival”,
    • the two countries must seek “common ground while shelving differences,
    • Australia must reject “manipulation by a third party”, a clear reference to the United States and finally
    • both countries must build “public support featuring positiveness and pragmatism”.
    Chinese media has reported that Foreign Minister Penny Wong and her Chinese counterpart agreed to remove obstacles to get the China-Australia relationship back on track.
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    These four criteria ENRAGED the new Prime Minister…

    Anthony Albanese hits back on China’s four demands to rebuild relationship

    Anthony Albanese has warned China he won’t be taking orders after Beijing issued four demands to “get the relationship on track”.

    Anthony Albanese has warned China he won’t be taking orders over Beijing’s four demands to “get the relationship on track” including not treating it as an adversary.

    Over the weekend, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi issued Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong with a four-point list of demands to repair the relationship and

    Foreign Minister Wang Yi blamed the Morrison government’s “irresponsible” words and deeds for the difficulties in the relationship.

    “The root cause of the difficulties in bilateral relations over the past few years was the former Australian government’s insisting on regarding China as a rival or even a threat, allowing its words and deeds being irresponsible against China,” he said.

    “It is hoped that the Australian side will seize the current opportunity and take concrete actions to reshape its correct understanding of China, reduce negative assets and accumulate positive energy for the improvement of China-Australia relations.”

    It followed a meeting in Bali on Friday between the pair that ended a diplomatic freeze that has dragged on for three years.”

    Speaking in Canberra, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia will continue to co-operate with China where it can but won’t shy away from standing up for the national interest.

    “Look, Australia doesn’t respond to demands. We respond to our own national interest,’’ Mr Albanese said.

    “I’ll say this. We will co-operate with China where we can. I want to build good relations with all countries. But we will stand up for Australia’s interests when we must.”

    China’s Foreign Ministry also said there were four requirements for Australia to improve the relationship.

    They included the following demands: Australia must treat China as a “partner rather than a rival”, the two countries must seek “common ground while shelving difference, Australia must reject “manipulation by a third party”, a clear reference to the United States and finally both countries must build “public support featuring positiveness and pragmatism”.

    Chinese media has reported that Foreign Minister Penny Wong and her Chinese counterpart agreed to remove obstacles to get the China-Australia relationship back on track.

    Asked what obstacles the Foreign Minister agreed to move, Mr Albanese said: “I’m not in a position to listen to what the Chinese media says. I’ll listen to what Penny Wong says about the meeting.”

    “It was a constructive meeting. It was just a step forward,’’ the Prime Minister said.

    “Australia has not changed our position on any issues. We’ll continue to be constructive.”

    “We are engaging in the lead-up to the Pacific island forum, and indeed, ministers (Penny) Wong and (Pat) Conroy are leaving for the Pacific island forum today. This is an important meeting. We know that Australia hadn’t, in my view – we said it very publicly. It’s obvious that we had dropped the ball.

    “The deal that occurred with Solomon Islands represents Australia not so much as having a step up in the Pacific, as a stuff-up in the Pacific.”

    The Morrison government’s call for a full investigation into the origins of Covid-19 was one flashpoint in recent years as the ban on China’s Huawei from participating in Australia’s 5G rollout and foreign interference laws.

    On Sunday, the Coalition’s foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said China should have taken a stronger position over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    ”China’s muted response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and war on Ukraine has been a shameful thing to see,” Senator Birmingham told Sky News Australia.

    ”We would wish to see China take a stronger response in that regard.

    ”What the world would no doubt love to see in relation to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is for China to show leadership. It would be an enormous opportunity for China to do so and one I’m sure many would encourage them to do.”

    From HERE

    Funniest Raccoon Memes by Nocturnal Trash Posts

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    Who doesn’t like a good raccoon meme? Who doesn’t like a good raccoon? Wait, who doesn’t like a good raccoon anything? Trash pandas are awesome and no, there can’t be any other way. And speaking of raccoon memes, there is a dedicated Instagram page that celebrates raccoonhood with existential, funny, and straight up nonsensical memes.

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    US’s global WMD bioweapons are not “Russian-Chinese lies”. Demand war crime trials now.

    Bombshell documentary! By Dilyana Gaytandzhieva..

    Full video and transcript HERE.

    Biscuits and Gravy

    This CLASSIC Biscuits and Gravy recipe is one everyone knows and loves! Delicious buttery biscuits smothered in a homemade sausage gravy! It only takes a few simple ingredients and is perfect for breakfast (dinner) or a holiday morning!

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    Homemade Biscuits and Gravy

    When you think of good home cooking, do you have certain recipes that come to mind? I’m talking the ultimate comfort food that mom or grandma used to make. Biscuits and Gravy is one of those recipes that comes to mind for me!

    Homemade Biscuits and Gravy is a classic breakfast recipe that has become a staple in our home (we even have a Biscuits & Gravy Casserole we love). What’s crazy is that I didn’t realize how simple it is to put together until I finally got brave enough to try it for myself!

    You can make homemade biscuits to go with your sausage gravy, but for simplicity sake, I oftentimes use the refrigerated biscuits that come in a can. Especially if we’re doing a big family breakfast during the holidays, or even just throwing together ‘breakfast for dinner‘ on a busy weeknight, it’s easier to whip out the pre-made stuff.

    Now, I’m not above using generic brands on most things. However, I must warn you… I have tried other sausages and nothing has compared to Jimmy Dean. My family loves the Hot Sausage Roll, but if you’re not a fan of spice, stick with the regular. Or if you’re making it for big crowd, do one of each and it’s the perfect combination.

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    How to Make Sausage Gravy

    As delicious as buttermilk biscuits are, let’s be honest – the gravy is the real star of the show. The best part? The sausage gravy recipe only takes THREE ingredients to make! And chances are, you already have 2 of them on hand.

    COOK SAUSAGE. To make the sausage gravy, cook the sausage on medium high heat, breaking it up with a spatula as you go.

    MAKE GRAVY. Once sausage is cooked through, carefully stir in flour, ½ cup at a time, until sausage has a nice coating. Slowly add your milk, until you’ve reached your desired consistency. (For a soupier gravy, add more milk. If you like the sauce to be thicker, add less milk. If you find you have added too much milk, add flour to thicken it up.)

    SEASON. Season this with salt and pepper and enjoy your super simple and delicious biscuits and gray,

    You’ll be blown away by how much flavor can be created with such few ingredients in so little time. And then when you pour it over some freshly baked buttermilk biscuits? Match made in heaven!

    SAUSAGE GRAVY TIP: Remember, do not drain the excess fat from the sausage after cooking it. The sausage drippings will help bring the flour and milk together. Completely stir the flour and allow it to cook with the sausage and drippings for 1-2 minutes, then slowly add the milk.

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    biscuits And gravy Variations & FAQ:

    Here are some ideas for changing up your classic B & G!

    • Replace the biscuits with rice, corn bread, toast, or mashed potatoes.
    • Try using ground turkey (plus 2 tbsp of butter) or ground beef in place of the sausage.
    • Replace regular milk with buttermilk.
    • Add some spice with chili flakes or tabasco sauce.
    • Try adding Mushrooms or bell peppers, or cooked bacon bits to change up the flavor.
    • Make a casserole version to easily feed a crowd

    Can biscuits and gravy be frozen? Unfortunately cream/milk based gravies do not freeze well. The cream/milk will separate during the thawing process. You can precook your sausage and freeze it (along with all of the drippings) in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

    When you’re ready to make the gravy thaw the sausage and follow the recipe as written. Cooked biscuits can also be stored in their own airtight freezer container for up to 3 months until ready to use.

    Reheat. Leftover biscuits and gravy can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat the gravy in the microwave or in a saucepan in the stove top until it reaches your desired temperature.

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    Nothing beats some homemade biscuits and gravy! Whether it’s for breakfast or dinner or a holiday party, we hope you enjoy this simple recipe.

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    Being Poor in Africa

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    That most Africans are poor, not because they really are poor, but because someone decides to describe them as such.

    My grandfather is ‘poor’. He certainly lives on “less than a dollar a day”. He is now 95 years old. In his nine and a half decades on earth, he has never lacked, and he has never begged. He only attended one year at a mission school in the 1930s and learnt how to read and write. This is how he pulls it off:

    When he wants food, he goes to the banana plantation, looks at tens of bunches of matooke (banana) and decides which to harvest for the day’s dinner. Adjacent to the plantation is a sweet potato garden, cassava garden, yams and finger millet. To the south of the banana plantation are beans, cow peas or peanuts gardens. Down the valley is grazing land with tens of Frisian and cross-breed cattle. They provide him with milk daily, 365 days a year.

    He also has about 20 goats. In Uganda, goat milk was generally not considered palatable, possibly due to the abundance of cow milk, so we never milked goats. He would sell a couple of them to supplement income from other produce to send his children to school. He also reared a couple of chickens, more as a hobby.

    The farm produces more than he can consume. He sells the surplus to afford such essential services as kerosene (recently upgraded to solar), soap, sugar (at his age he no longer takes sugar, he uses honey — doctor’s orders).

    Scattered across the farm are sugarcane (for eating, not for making sugar) and fruit trees (guava, mango, pawpaw, avocado, orange, passion fruit, pineapple). He drinks fresh juice from mangoes and passion fruit. As is evident, everything here is on a subsistence basis, but very organic. He has done this for the past 75 years.

    He had eleven children, my mother being his first born. He sent all of them to school, saw eight of them through college. He sold at least two cows, some goats and some produce each school term to send his children to school.

    I went to live at grandfather’s place when I was 5 years old. I left when I was 14 (my family lived in an urban area). I learnt how to farm, milk cows, tether goats, harvest fruits (by climbing the fruit tree) and harvesting honey (at night using smoke).

    Why the long story?

    My grandfather, just like millions of other Africans that live like him, is considered poor. He rarely holds money, and he rarely needs it. He produces most of what he needs. But using the standard World Bank/IMF description of ‘poor’, my grandfather is poor. I live in the city and earn about USD 12,000 a year after tax, which in Uganda is a decent salary. But I can hardly match my grandfather in terms of providing for my family with fresh milk, fresh food and fresh fruits.

    This is one thing most people that watch International media do not know about Africa: not all Africans are poor, many simply live differently than you.

    Russian Navy Takes Delivery of First “Nuclear Tsunami” Submarine

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    Yesterday, July 8, 2022, the Russian Navy took delivery of the first submarine capable of firing the “Poseidon” nuclear tsunami drone torpedo.  No other submarine on earth has such capability and there is no defense at all against its “Poseidon” drone nuclear torpedo.

    The Russian Navy submarine armed with a strategic nuclear torpedo the size of a school bus was delivered to the Kremlin this week, according to an announcement from the shipyard.

    Project 09852 Belgorod is based on a Russian Oscar-class guided-cruise missile submarine that has been altered to accommodate six Poseidon nuclear torpedoes that could each be armed with a warhead of up to 100 megatons.

    The submarine was delivered to the Russian Navy in a ceremony in at the Northern Fleet’s headquarters in Severodvinsk on Friday.

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    “The Belgorod submarine opens up new opportunities for Russia in conducting various research, allows conducting diverse scientific expeditions and rescue operations in the most remote areas of the world ocean,” according to a statement from Russian Navy chief Adm. Nikolai Anatolyevich Yevmenov.
    “The ship is designed to solve diverse scientific problems, conduct search and rescue operations, and can also be used as a carrier of rescue deep-sea and autonomous unmanned underwater vehicles.”

    The cut-away shown below provides readers with an understanding of the vast capabilities of this new vessel:

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    Mini or Midget submarines for deep sea operations – including cutting communications cables on the sea floor – are carried aboard or beneath this new sub.

    Yet the most fearsome aspect of this vessel is its new “Poseidon” autonomous, nuclear drone torpedo. Take a look:

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    Length: 24 meters (79 ft) (estimate)
    Diameter: 2m (6.5 ft) (estimate)
    Speed: 70 knots (Reports that Poseidon can travel at very high speeds and/or uses super-caitation have been debunked).
    Range:
    Operating depth: >1,000 meters (3,280 ft) (reported)
    Propulsion: nuclear

    In 2019, the Russian Navy put out a video on Youtube, showing the torpedo being LAUNCH tested (not exploding).  Here’s the video:

     

     

    The torpedo is carried to maybe 100 miles offshore of a target city.  It could be launched much farther out to sea as well.

    It is launched and commences autonomous operation.  The sub which launches it does not have to remain anywhere near it.

    The torpedo travels to it’s programmed location at a deep depth of maybe 1 kilometer, then waits as long as it is programmed to wait . . .  could be days or even weeks, allowing the sub that launched it to be safely far away, then detonates at a depth of about 1 kilometer.

    At that depth, there is so much water, that even the heat of the nuclear blast will not turn ALL of the water to steam which vents harmlessly upwards.   A massive amount of the water will be “pushed” by the expanding blast force and that “push” will create a Tsunami wave, traveling toward the target coastline.

    As the depth of water gets shallow approaching the coastline, the water piles-up on itself, reaching a projected height of up to FIVE HUNDRED METERS (1500 feet) above the typical ocean surface- and slams ashore at about 600 MPH, smashing absolutely everything in its path.

    Entire cities would be knocked down and totally flooded by such a wave.

    Worse, because the wave was caused by a thermonuclear explosion, all the water is radioactive.  Once that water comes ashore, the radiation levels from the flooding will be so high, that nothing will be able to survive and nothing will be able to enter into the flooded area for hundreds of years.

    So ferocious is this new weapons system, that, if detonated off the Atlantic coast of the United Kingdom, it could submerge the entire British Isles, wiping out every living thing, and making the entire UK uninhabitable for hundreds of years.

    With the ongoing troubles between Russia and Ukraine, and with the US and UK using NATO to supply weapons to Ukraine to kill Russians, the Russians are getting aggravated to the point where, on Russian Television, they told their citizens that just one Poseidon drone torpedo could sink the UK into the sea, killing every living thing.  Here is that video from Russian TV:

     

     

    Now, imagine they detonated one of these off Washington, DC, or New York City, or Boston . . . or all of them?

    Imagine if they detonated one of these off Los Angeles, or San Francisco . . .  or both?

    There is no defense against this type of weapon.  And there would be no surviving its effects.

    Now that Russia actually has an operational submarine capable of launching this now-tested and operations nuclear drone torpedo, maybe picking a fight with Russia over Ukraine is not such a good idea for the Untied States.

    The US has clearly fallen in the arms race.  Yes, we have about 6200 nuclear warheads, but Russia has hypersonic missiles and we do not.  Russia has this nuclear drone torpedo and we do not.

    Looks to many people that if war breaks out, Russia survives . . .  and we . . . . do not.

    Ancient Romans were a lot like contemporaneous Americans

    You see the Romans are a lot like modern Americans

    1. They considered themselves the peak of civilizations
    2. They were litigious and placed extreme importance on legalism
    3. They loved to drink and overeat
    4. They loved a good party
    5. They loved sport- from gladiators to races
    6. They were materialistic
    7. They were quick to evolve and adopt aspects of other cultures
    8. They were extremely diverse culturally and racially

    If you envision Romans as Americans without all this technology you’ll often be spot on.

    The one big difference was Christianity. The Romans lacked the moral issues with sex that Christianity would foster. Thus Rome was far more sexually liberated than the modern United States is.

    Now in Roman marriage monogamy was expected and cheating was definitely taboo. But the Romans had very few hang-ups. Divorcing your pregnant wife so she can marry your political ally was not such a big deal- and this happened multiple times.

    The Romans loved origins and they loved prostitutes. Sex was super common and it was a BIG part of Roman life.

    Now Rome was patriarchal. A wife cheating was a HUGE deal while a husband cheating was a much smaller deal. But it was always bad.

    I’ve recently seen this meme (below) so I would like to explain further as to why this was the case.

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    The Chinese do NOT FUCKING play.

    In one short sentence: because ancient Chinese always practiced total war.

    By definition, a total war was a war where all assets of state would be managed to prioritize war effort, including civilian citizens. This differs from the kinds of “rules based” wars conducted by the Western Europeans and Americans.

    There were a lot of practices in ancient wars that would be considered completely inhumane by modern standards. Let me list out a few:

    • Pillaging a captured city for loot, kept by either the soldiers themselves or their superiors. Of course some modern armies still do this, but the list gets worse.
    • Forced conscription. Many civilians were literally dragged out of their homes and force to fight. I heard a lot of old Taiwanese veterans recount this; they were usually the most pro-unify people in Taiwan with some requesting in their will to be buried back in their mainland hometown.
    • Mass execution of surrendered POW. Most notably, Bai Qi did so at the Battle of Changping. Cao Cao and Tuoba Gui had also done this (that’s just off the top of my head). This was due to logistics problems of keeping them fed, or to prevent them from rejoining the enemy army.
    • Destruction of entire cities or natural terrain to better defend or prevent resources entering enemy control. Sometimes people were forcefully migrated, other times they were left to die.
    • Intentionally killing civilians but reporting it as enemy combatants; this was for promotion or false victories. Some deathtolls of war combatants were not necessarily real combantants.
    • Rise of rebel warlords and bandits when government control was lost. If the government’s army did not commit atrocities, they would. Imagine a Walking Dead apocalypse, and how a lot of people suddenly awakened their inner psychopath.

    One particular film I recommend is The Warlords starring Jet Li, Andy Lau, and Takeshi Kaneshiro (3 legendary actors!). It was a fictional account of the Taiping Rebellion, but outlined the cruelty and deeper motivations behind atrocities committed in the war.

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    The cruelty of war was in fact a huge shock for some of the Westerners who set foot in China. In the Taiping Rebellion, there was an incident where several Taiping generals surrendered to Charles George Gordon, commander of the Ever Victorious Army, who promised to spare their lives.

    When they were delivered to Li Hongzhang, he instead had them all summary executed.

    Westerner Charles George Gordon was very angry because Li Hongzhang made him lose face with a dishonored promise and threatened to leave with his army, ultimately getting an apology from Li.

    Meanwhile, Zeng Guofan (infamous for his cruelty towards the rebels) gave him a pat on the back saying he did the right thing.

    The Chinese population have always feared the cruelty of war, to have such idioms:

    宁做太平犬 不做乱世人 
    I'd rather be a dog in peacetime than a man in wartime.
    
    一将功成万骨枯 
    One general’s success lied on tens of thousands of rotten bones.

    Some final notes…

    • Wars of such magnitude usually only happened once every 200–300 years and the collapse of the central government would usually follow. Atrocities did not always happen in every single war, but usually many of these atrocities did.
    • While Sun Zi did advocate that a war of attrition with significant deaths was non-beneficial, there was never a formal code similar to the International Laws of War. Most of these wars happened obviously before such a concept even existed.
    • As I commented, it was not just government army committing atrocities, some rebels and warlords did it worse. And when one side committed war crimes, the other side followed in revenge. Take my listed example: although Charles Gordon promised to spare the Taiping rebels out of goodwill, he was a British with no previous ties to them. Most of the Chinese militia recruited had lost family members to the rebels, so they’d kill any Taiping soldiers they’d see because it was their motivation to fight (and Zeng Guofan was clever to utilize this).

    Death trap for the USA

    Jeff Brown

    [COMMENT: New York Times citing US officials on 24/7/2022 reported that US & European allies will not be able to maintain current level of support for Kiev for a prolonged period of time.

    Despite the fact that President Biden has vowed to stand with Ukraine for “as long as it takes”, no one expects more billions of support for Ukraine when the currently authorised aid package of $54 billion in military & other assistance runs out by second quarter of 2023.] 

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    Russian commentary [24/7/2022:

    Death trap for the USA

    The tactics of unhurried military operations in Ukraine are still bewildering the best Pentagon analysts, and only a few have begun to guess that the main goal of the operation is not at all the surrender of Kyiv.

    The fall of the Kyiv regime is undoubtedly spelled out in the plans for a special military operation, but not at all as the culmination of Russia’s actions, but only as an intermediate stage. The war is actually being waged at a much higher level.

    American politicians and generals firmly believe that the United States is using Ukraine as a weapon to deplete Russia. In fact, everything is exactly the opposite — the Anglo-Saxons were lured to this battlefield in order to put an end to the dubious and extremely dirty hegemony.

    Some in Washington began to suspect something, but it was already too late, as the deadly trap for the United States was slammed, and the Americans themselves did the most to achieve this.

    The main trick of the special operation of the Russian Federation was revealed by the Ukrainian politician and journalist Dmitry Vasilets, noting that with their unhurried advancement, the (Russian) allied forces most effectively implement the process of demilitarisation not only of Ukraine, but of the entire collective West. He said:

    “The Russian army took some tactical pause to regroup before the attack on Slavyansk. Even in the West, many have already concluded that this is far from a traditional war. In fact, the Russian army could long ago destroy all the bridges across the Dnieper and stop the transfer of equipment and personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to the Donbass.

    “We see a slow advance in the Donbass and near Kharkov, which is due to the fact that the army saves its forces as much as possible, giving the enemy even time and the opportunity to bring up reserves and thus destroying the entire military potential of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

    “It is already clear that Russia is planning a long-term war with the West in Ukraine. Most of the territory of Ukraine is becoming a financial yoke for Europe and the United States. As they say, politics is a concentrated economy, and war is an even more concentrated economy. The West has fallen into a deadly trap.

    “For many years, Kyiv’s “partners” exported all its resources out of the country, but  now they are only forced to inject huge amounts of money without receiving anything in return. This is a death trap for the US and its satellites.”

    “Most likely, this is why Russia operates in Ukraine with a limited contingent and does not rush things at all, ”Vasilets explained.

    The journalist noted that one should not believe in fairy tales about the unlimited resources of the United States, which, they say, can cover any costs by running the printing press at full capacity.

    The sanctions war is hurting the American economy. At the same time, the United States needs to fully support Ukraine, even paying the salaries of the entire state apparatus, and soon it will also need to support the declining economy of the European Union in order to keep the already shaky anti-Russian coalition under control.

    The Americans simply will not pull out a long war in such conditions, but, in theory, they also cannot retreat, at least without serious geopolitical losses. The trap has really slammed shut and in Ukraine they (Russians) are now grinding not only the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but the entire collective West.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

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    Is China blah blah blah?

    Yeah. The anti-China media is off the charts. But why focus on China while the West, led by the United States is burning?

    • Is China collapsing?
    • Is China undergoing famine?
    • Is China facing chaos?
    • Is China’s yuan failing?

    Yeah. Same narrative, spewed forth over and over and over again.

    Here’s some real news, some cats, a tad bit of interesting stuff, some food, and some fun.

    Car Production by Country 2022

    2022 report: China car production is more than US, Japan, and Germany combined
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    Article HERE

    Real news about Russia and China trade

    Real news:
    China-Russia trade up 28.9% in Jan-May; further growth expected - Global Times
    
    Article HERE
    China's alumina exports to Russia surge after Ukraine invasion — Quartz
    
    Article HERE
    
    China’s trade with Russia up by 12% in March from a year earlier | China | The Guardian
    
    Article HERE

    POLL: 25% of All Americans Open to “Taking-up arms against government”

    More than one quarter of US residents feel so estranged from their government that they feel it might “soon be necessary to take up arms” against it, a poll released on Thursday claimed.

    This survey of 1,000 registered US voters, published by the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics (IOP), also revealed that most Americans agree the government is “corrupt and rigged against everyday people like me”.

    The data suggests that extreme polarization in US politics – and its impact on Americans’ relationships with each other – remain strong.

    The survey indicates that distrust in government varies among party lines. While 56% of participants said they “generally trust elections to be conducted fairly and counted accurately”, Republicans, Democrats and independents were dramatically split on this point. Nearly 80% of Democrats voiced overall trust in elections, but that number dipped to 51% among independents and a mere 33% of Republicans.

    Per the poll, 49% of Americans concurred that they “more and more feel like a stranger in my own country”. Again, this number reflected sharp political divisions: the sentiment was held by 69% of self-described “strong Republicans”, 65% of self-described “very conservative” persons, and 38% of “strong Democrats”.

    Of the 28% of voters who felt it might soon be necessary “to take up arms against the government,” 37% had guns in their homes, according to the data.

    One-third of Republicans – including 45% of “strong Republicans – hold this belief about taking up arms. 35% of independent voters, and 20% of Democrats, also agreed, the poll said.

    Meanwhile, those polled voiced negative sentiments about persons from opposing political parties. Seventy-three per cent of self-described Republican voters agreed that “Democrats are generally bullies who want to impose their political beliefs on those who disagree,” and “an almost identical percentage of Democrats (74%) express that view of Republicans”.

    “While we’ve documented for years the partisan polarization in the country, these poll results are perhaps the starkest evidence of the deep divisions in partisan attitudes rippling through the country,” said the Republican pollster Neil Newhouse, who conducted the survey in May with and Democratic pollster Joel Benenson.

    The survey also stated that almost half of respondents expressed averting political talk with other people “because I don’t know where they stand”. One-quarter described losing friends, and a similar proportion claimed to have avoided relatives and friends, due to politics, per the survey.

    Biden’s Sanctions Are a Windfall For Russia!

    Joe Biden: “The reason why gas prices are up is because of Russia. Russia, Russia, Russia.”

    By Ron Paul

    It’s easy to see why, according to a new Harris poll, 71 percent of Americans said they do not want Joe Biden to run for re-election. As Americans face record gas prices and the highest inflation in 40 years, President Biden admits he could not care less. His Administration is committed to fight a proxy war with Russia through Ukraine and Americans just need to suck it up.

    Last week a New York Times reporter asked Biden how long he expects Americans to pay record gasoline prices over his Administration’s Ukraine policy. “As long as it takes,” replied the president without hesitation.

    “Russia cannot defeat Ukraine,” added Biden as justification for his Administration’s pro-pain policy toward Americans. The president has repeatedly tried to deflect blame for the growing economic crisis by claiming Russia is solely behind recent inflation. “The reason why gas prices are up is because of Russia. Russia, Russia, Russia,” he said in the same press conference.

    But Biden has a big problem: Americans do not believe him. According to a Rasmussen poll earlier this month, only eleven percent of Americans believe Biden’s claim that Russian president Vladimir Putin is to blame for high prices.

    When it comes to disdain for the average American hurt by higher prices, there is more than enough in the Biden Administration to go around.

    Brian Deese, Director of President Biden’s National Economic Council, was asked in a recent CNN interview, “What do you say to those families that say, listen, we can’t afford to pay $4.85 a gallon for months, if not years?”

    His answer? “This is about the future of the Liberal World Order and we have to stand firm.”

    Has there ever been an Administration more out of touch with the American people? If you asked working Americans whether they’d be happy to suffer poverty for the “liberal world order,” how many would say “that sounds like a great idea”?

    President Biden’s attempts to bring down gasoline prices are bound to fail because he does not understand the problem. He can beg the Saudis to pump more oil, he can even threaten the US oil companies as he did in a Tweet yesterday. He can buy and sell from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in attempt to give the impression that prices are lowing. None of it will work.

    The strangest part of this idea that Americans must suffer to hurt the Russians is that these policies aren’t even hurting Russia! On the contrary: Russia has been seen record profits from its oil and gas exports since the beginning of the Ukraine war.

    According to a recent New York Times article, increasing global oil and gas prices have enabled Russia to finance its war on Ukraine. US sanctions did not bring the Russian economy to its knees, as Biden promised. They actually brought the American economy to its knees while Russian profits soared.

    As Newsweek noted last week, Russian television pundits are joking that with the financial windfall Russia has seen since sanctions were imposed, “Biden is of course our agent.”

    Washington’s bi-partisan foreign policy of wasting trillions on endless wars overseas has finally come home. Biden is clearly out of touch, but there is plenty of blame to go around. The only question is whether we will see an extended recession…or worse.

    NASA chief warns: China was able to enter the space race by stealing American technology

    Yeah. Sure…

    Bill Nelson, the director of NASA, warned that China joined the space race by stealing other people's technology and is now going to occupy the moon. 
    
    The remarks provoked resentment in Beijing. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian accused Nelson of smearing.
    
    China has accelerated its space program over the past decade, with one of its priorities being exploring the moon. 
    
    In an interview published in the German newspaper Bild on Saturday (July 2), NASA Administrator Nielsen said: 
    
    "We have to pay very much attention to china's landing on the moon and say, 'Now (the moon) is ours, don't come.'" ’。 
    
    Nelson also said that China's space program is a military program. 
    
    He further denounced China for relying on technology theft to enter the space race.

    From HERE

    Zero.

    That is Bank of America’s latest forecast for the growth of the U.S. economy in the second quarter.

    The second largest American bank by assets on Friday revised down its estimate for GDP growth in the April through June period from 1.5 percent to 0.0 percent, citing weaker than expected consumer spending reported by the Department of Commerce on Thursday.

    “This was the first fall in consumer spending this year amid high inflation and hawkish hikes by the Fed, indicating a slightly weaker economy than previously assumed,” the bank’s economists said in a note to clients.

    The Atlanta Fed’s GDP tracker, GDP NOW on Friday plunged to minus 2.1 percent growth for the second quarter, down from the one percent reading on Thursday.

    The Commerce Department’s Personal Consumption Expenditure data released for the first quarter and the month of May indicated that consumer spending has been more or less flat since January. Inflation-adjusted household earnings have fallen, with wage gains swamped by rising prices. PCE inflation, the Fed’s favored measure of price changes, remained at 6.3 percent in May, defying predictions that it would come down as the Fed imposed the biggest rate hike in this century.

    The Institute of Supply Management said on Friday that its barometer of manufacturing activity fell to the lowest level since May 2020, when the economy was staggering from the onset of the pandemic and lockdowns.

    Bank of America expects the economy to grow 2.3 for the full year this year. It expects just 1.4 percent next year and 0.8 percent in the year after that as the “lagged impact of tighter financial conditions cools the economy.” The bank estimates a 40 percent chance of a recession next year.

    Boeing takes issue with massive Chinese Airbus order

    Boeing has expressed dismay with China’s ‘Big Three’ carriers placing an order for 292 A320neo family jets on 1 July.
    .
    The US company points to its long history in China’s aerospace market, and feels the joint order by the three state-owned carriers – Air China, China Eastern Airlines, and China Southern Airlines – was affected by geopolitical tensions.

    Article HERE

    Interview with American Fighters Who Surrendered in Donbass

    Claiming disorganization and incompetence in Ukrainian military, the two US veterans have told fellow foreigners to stay at home

    Two American nationals have told RT that they surrendered to Russian forces after being abandoned by their Ukrainian commanders. The pair told veterans like them to “think twice” before making the trip to Ukraine.

    Alexander Drueke and Andy Huynh spoke to RT from a detention center in the Donbass People’s Republic, a day after The Daily Telegraph reported that they had been taken prisoner. The British newspaper described them as being the first American citizens captured while fighting for Ukraine, and Washington has vowed to secure their return.

    The two veterans – Drueke served two tours with the US Army in Iraq while Huynh worked in logistics for the Marine Corps in Okinawa, Japan – were captured just hours after being sent to the front lines near Kharkov last week. Under the command of Ukraine’s secret police, the SBU, Huynh said that the pair were sent to cover a Ukrainian retreat.

    “We were told to post up on a little overlook,” Huynh recalled, describing how he was armed with a Czech CZ rifle and a Rocket-Propelled Grenade (RPG) launcher. Columns of Ukrainans retreated past their point, followed by armored vehicles and a tank belonging to either Russia or the DPR.

    “When [the tank] shot the first time, I was readying my RPG,” Huynh said. He claimed that the tank shot at a different position moments later, and thinking it was firing upon him, Huynh shouldered his weapon and fired a rocket at the vehicle, but missed. With the Ukrainian troops gone, Huynh and Drueke “ran away and hid in a fighting hole,” as Russian vehicles and foot patrols passed by.

    “We were initially supposed to do [reconnaissance] with drones,” Drueke told RT, “but when we got to our location there was already a battle of sorts in progress. Our plans changed…and one teammate and I were left in the woods.”

    When the coast was clear, the Americans set off walking through a forest for several hours before Drueke said that they “took a wrong turn or a misstep and made it into a village. We were approached by a Russian patrol and immediately surrendered to them.”

    Currently in captivity, the stakes for Drueke and Huynh are high. Last week, the Russia-allied Donetsk People’s Republic sentenced to death three foreign fighters captured during the battle for Mariupol, including two Britons. The republic’s top court ruled that they were mercenaries and thus not granted privileges that regular prisoners of war would enjoy under international law.

    Both men described fair treatment at the hands of their Russian captors, describing how Russian troops gave them food, warm blankets and cigarettes. However, Drueke said that he has heard rumors that the pair could potentially be sentenced to death.

    Drueke, who left the US military in 2014, initially set out for Ukraine without a clear plan. Flying to Poland with the intention of doing humanitarian work, he nevertheless brought military gear and said that he was prepared to fight, even if military service “was not the be-all and end-all.” He said that while he was distrustful of American news coverage, he believed that Ukraine’s struggle was being portrayed in a way that “would appeal to veterans like myself.”

    Now, with Ukrainian shells falling on civilian targets in the majority-Russian speaking city of Donetsk, he told RT that he realized “there are two sides to this story and I was not getting one of them.”

    Huynh said that he’d traveled to Ukraine in April and contacted a Polish priest overseeing humanitarian relief, but soon made contacts in Ukraine’s ‘International Legion.’ After joining the legion, he left shortly afterwards, citing corruption and disorganization within the ranks.

    “Commanders were very corrupt and troops were very ill-prepared and supplied,” he said. Drueke also began his duty in Ukraine with the legion, where he said he was “dissatisfied with the caliber of person they had there.”

    Both men traveled the country looking for a more competent unit to join, before ending up in the so-called ‘Task Force Baguette’ in eastern Ukraine, a foreign mercenary unit consisting mainly of American and French veterans. The unit confirmed on Wednesday that Drueke and Huynh – referred to by their nicknames ‘Bama’ and ‘Hate’ – had been captured.

    “Watching the propaganda from the West, it says how glorious all Ukraine is, and when I came here I saw how not true that was,” Huynh told RT. “The Ukrainians say they’re the best, but from what I’ve seen, I’ve seen a lot of corruption.”

    Drueke ended his interview with a warning. “Fellow veterans like me who are thinking of coming: don’t.”

    “Think really long and hard about why you’re doing it and what can happen, and if this is really your fight,” he said. “If I make it out of this situation, I have a lot of things to think about.”

    At time of writing, the US has not officially acknowledged the capture of Drueke and Huynh. According to Russian figures, 6,956 foreign citizens from 64 countries have arrived in Ukraine since February to fight for Kiev. Some 1,956 of those have been killed, while 1,779 have left the country, the Russian Defense Ministry stated on Friday.

    French Household bills soar by €64 a month in a year, new French study shows

    Household bills soar by €64 a month in a year, new French study shows. This is based on DATA COMPILED BEFORE the ware in Ukraine.
    15 Dec 2021 — The average cost of household fuel bills in France has risen by €64 per month from December 2020 to October 2021, a new official

    Article HERE

    Bulgaria Ejects 70 Russian Diplomatic Staff; Russia may cut ties

    .

    Bulgaria has turned down Russia’s request to alter its decision about the expulsion of 70 Russian diplomats (espionage concerns) from the country.

    The Russian ambassador declared she intends to discuss the issue of closing the embassy in Bulgaria with the Russian leadership.  This would cut Diplomatic ties between Russia and Bulgaria.

    Hal Turner Editorial Opinion

    Bulgaria says they’ve done this over “espionage concerns.”  This is such utter nonsense.

    What, in God’s name, does Bulgaria have, make, invent, or do, that anyone would even bother to spy on them?

    I mean, in my 60 years of life on this planet, I cannot recall __any__ mention of __any__ invention, technology, product or service that even originated in Bulgaria, never mind be worth spying on!

    What we have here is a little “nothing” of a country, posturing on the world stage to gain attention, by manufacturing a Russian bogeyman over nothing.

    This is nothing more than deliberate antagonizing of Russia, o the world stage, to demean and insult the Russians, just for the sake of doing so.

    Apparently, the people running Bulgaria are another set of spoiled brat children with nothing better to do than stir up trouble . . . for themselves.

    All Natural Gas Flow on Yamal-Europe Pipeline Halted

    Stuff going on…

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    Russia has completely shut off all flows of natural gas in the Yamal-Europe pipeline.

    After President Putin’s Decree on July 4,  which ordered no vital commodity shipments – at any price or in any currency – can be made to “unfriendly countries,” the gas flow to much of Europe has now been completely shut off.

    Europe was striving over the past month or so to build up its tanks-storage-reserves and at last look, some countries had fifty-seven percent (57%) of their winter tank storage already filled.

    It is not known how much more than 57% they may have accumulated in the past month, and it is not yet known how long such tanked reserves might last if they are drawn upon to supply countries now.

     

    More info if I get it.

     

    UPDATE 8:17 PM EDT–

    As of May 5, 2022, Poland’s natural gas storage tanks were at 81% capacity, and RUMOR has it that as of today, those storage tanks are at 98% capacity.   I have not yet verified that they are at 98%.

    I __have__ been able to verify that Gas Storage Poland, is responsible for operating gas storage tanks. The company’s seven LNG storage tanks have a total capacity of 3.18 bln cubic meters.   In May, we can confirm those tanks were at 81% or 2.58 bln cubic meters. Poland’s consumption of natural gas amounted to just above 21 bln cubic meters in 2021, most of which is consumed in the colder months of autumn and winter.

    So presuming those tanks are full . . . Poland has seventeen percent of its ANNUAL ACTUAL USAGE, stored up.  That’s about two months worth.

    Yet, bear in mind that although they can store 3.18 billion cubic meters for winter excess needs, those winter excess needs have always been IN ADDITION TO the regular amount of gas coming into Poland via pipeline.  Now, those regular flows have halted.   So . . .  less than two months natural gas for the whole country???

    I am also told that wood-burning stoves have SOLD OUT in Germany.   Allegedly NONE to be had, at any price, anywhere in the country.

     

    UPDATE 8:28 PM EDT —

    Germany has by far the largest storage volume for natural gas in central and western Europe (24 billion m3), which CAN supply Germany for two- to-three average temperature winter months.  But as of March, 2022, the German storage tanks were at less than 60% full.   Still trying to get more current data, but again the storage for two to three months of average winter temperatures exists while regular pipeline service continues 24/7.   Now that Yamal-Europe is offline, Germany must rely on Nordstream One, which last month, dropped from 130 million cubic meters per day down to 100 million cubic meters per day, and dropped again TODAY from 100 million to only 58 million cubic meters per day.  So Germany may, realistically, only have two months gas supply for their whole country!

    World War 3 is already underway as EUROPE does the unthinkable

    He’s right.

    What me worry?

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    VIDEO: Missile/Projectile Hits Belgorod Russia

    Stuff going ON.

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    Some type of projectile or missile has struck in Belgorod, Russia, presumably launched from Ukraine.

    The ten second EXCERPT video below, taken from a longer video by a person on an apartment terrace who was outside videoing the city at night, shows the hit and detonation:

     

     

    If this turns out to be a U.S.-supplied HIMAARS, then real trouble has just exploded.

    UPDATE 3:19 PM EDT —

    Now able to report 3 people were killed and 4 injured after the explosion in Belgorod in Russia. All together, 11 apartments and 39 houses were destroyed.

    Ukraine Armed Forces are DENYING an attack.  They claim a Russian Defensive Missile malfunctioned and hit the neighborhood.

    But if Russia fired a “defensive missile” then doesn’t it stand to reason they were firing at incoming Ukrainian fire?

    Additional source inside Russia now reports “Ukrainian Ground Forces fired a pair of 9M79-1 short-range ballistic missiles by Tochka-U systems at city of Belgorod in Russia. One hit a military site while the second failed and hit a building.”

     

    UPDATE 9:52 PM EDT —

    The tail section of a Ukrainian Tochka-U missile has been found in Belogorod, Russia.

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    This is proof that the attack video seen above was, in fact, a Ukrainian missile attack and also proves the Ukrainian Armed Forces LIED when they told the world it was a Russian defensive missile that failed. Once again, the Ukrainians are shown to be flat-out, deliberate, liars.

    Louis XI Enjoyed an Abominable Orchestra of Squealing Pigs – the Piganino

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    Believe it or not, but it appears that the ruthless 15th century King Louis XI of France, nicknamed the Spider King or l’universelle araignée , took pleasure in the torture of animals. One particular story tells of a pig organ, a.k.a. a hog harmonium, piganino, pigano, or even the porko forte, which created music using the squeals of a selection of carefully chosen pigs.

    Looking at the date, however, this should come as no surprise. According to Lisa Kiser, in A Cultural History of Animals in the Medieval Age , it was common practice in Europe to use animals for entertainment between 1000 and 1400. From royal menageries to animal performances, including anything from juggling apes, talking bears or even a rooster dancing on stilts, animal cruelty and sadism was an everyday affair during the so-called Dark Ages. Bear-baiting, where a chained bear was made to fight against dogs, was a popular blood sport in Britain until the 19th century, while France was home to a lovely game known as getter au cochon , where four blindfolded players would enter an enclosure and beat a pig to death. The more well-known cockfights and cat burning were also par for the course.

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    Cover illustration for the piece of sheet music entitled La Piganino, illustrating the porko forte. ( Public domain )

    The story of Louis XI and his piganino comes from Nathaniel Wanley’s 1678 The Wonders of the Little World . It appears that he made a comment to the Abbot of Baigné, known to be an amateur inventor, about the musical nature of pigs. Taking this as a challenge, the Abbott proceeded to invent one of the more sadistic musical instruments on record, whereby a keyboard was connected to a series of cages containing pigs categorized by the sound of their voices. On pressing a key, the poor creatures would be poked with metal spikes, creating “ music” made up of their fear and pain-driven grunts and squeals. All this to the delight of the king.

    This is not the only time that an unbelievably bizarre musical instrument is said to have been created using live animals. Musurgia Universalis , the 1650 music-related compendium by Athanasius Kircher, mentioned the katzenklavier, or cat organ, created to “raise the spirits of an Italian prince burdened by the cares of his position.” The concept was pretty much identical to that of the piganino, with eight cats in cages, tails pulled taught and, on pressing a key, slammed with a nail to produce “a melody of meows.” While some believe the cat organ to be mere myth, it was also reported by historian Juan Calvete de Estrella, in a description of the procession of King Phillip II in Brussels. This time the cat organ was being played by a bear.

    Top image: A man playing a fantastic pig organ, or piganino, composed of screaming pigs. Source: British Museum / CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

    Patrice Rushen – Forget Me Nots (12″ Version)

    Ah. Please enjoy this batch of funk.

    Father’s Game Guides Are Amazing

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    When you play games, you most likely make notes – in your mind. It is unlikely that you write down everything in diaries. Or maybe you write down who knows you.

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    Twitter user Ishikoro18 published images of guides for the passage of various games that were written by her father. Among them are titles such as Final Fantasy X-2, Siren, Ico, Silent Hill 3, Kingdom Hearts and others.

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    On the pages you can find sketches, maps, solved puzzles and passwords. Maybe you also need to start a diary to pass on to the next generation?

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    America in a World of Limits

    In truth, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine does not change the fact that America’s global power position is constrained.

    by Dan Caldwell in The National Interest. A Neocon publication.
    .
    RUSSIA’S VILE war of aggression against the people of Ukraine has accelerated discussion about the future of U.S. foreign policy. However, the terms of the debate have done more to confound than clarify. While foreign policy elites declare that the Russian invasion “changes everything,” their resounding chorus offers a familiar refrain, namely, the vindication and perpetuation of U.S. global primacy. In truth, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine does not change the fact that America’s global power position is constrained. The heady days of unipolarity are over. Policymakers who fail to acknowledge those realities when dealing with the fallout from the war in Ukraine will only make America less safe and threaten the conditions of our prosperity.
    
    .
    To be sure, the United States retains a powerful economy and military. But unlike in the early 1990s, the United States faces real global competitors—in particular China—along with domestic challenges that will require better prioritization and trade-offs.
    
    While far from guaranteed, there is a reasonable chance that China’s total economic power will overtake the United States within the next few years. China’s economy now comprises 18 percent of the world’s gross domestic product (in terms of purchasing power parity) compared to 16 percent for the United States. Additionally, future American economic growth is threatened by record levels of inflation and a $30 trillion national debt.
    
    Meanwhile, the U.S. military has spent the last two decades bogged down in a handful of endless wars across the Middle East and Africa. The price of these conflicts has been steep. Thousands of American lives were lost and more than $8 trillion squandered. These conflicts also wore down important strategic assets like our B-1 bomber fleet, incentivized investments in platforms like the Littoral Combat Ship that are not suited for combat against near-peer adversaries, and forced cuts to the U.S. Air Force and Navy to build an Army designed to fight counterinsurgency conflicts in strategic backwaters.
    
    Moreover, these wars were unpopular—both at home and abroad—and their pernicious effects have eroded the power of American leadership. The challenges facing America have not gone unnoticed. Many countries have refused to join the American and European-led sanctions regime imposed on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine. These nations are clearly hedging their bets in a world where American dominance is less certain. This even includes countries that have benefitted from the American security umbrella. Take the United Arab Emirates for example, which has enabled Russian oligarchs to escape targeted sanctions on their assets. The Emirati crown prince doubled down on this bad behavior when he refused a call from President Joe Biden to discuss energy market distress.
    
    The United States should not tolerate a delusional foreign policymaking elite that ignores real constraints on American power. Instead, our leaders should adopt a sober and realistic approach to the current state of the world that recognizes our limits so that America can remain safe and prosperous.
    
    In Eastern Europe, the United States must make it clear to our wealthy European partners that they are primarily responsible for the security of their own continent. Russia’s failures in Ukraine have revealed that its conventional armed forces are not a threat to well-funded and well-trained European armies—even without significant American support. A Russian Army that cannot take Kharkiv certainly cannot take Warsaw, Berlin, or Paris.
    
    Accordingly, the United States should encourage the strengthening and development of non-NATO security architectures in Europe, like the European Union’s Common Defence and Security Policy. To effectively facilitate this, the United States must avoid taking actions that encourage free-riding under the American security umbrella. This would include short-sighted policies like more permanent deployments of U.S. troops to Europe, or NATO expansion to countries such as Finland and Sweden.
    
    In the Middle East, the United States should resist efforts by authoritarian petrostates such as Saudi Arabia to exploit the current energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine to extract more security commitments from the United States. Instead, the United States should draw down from this increasingly less important region—especially from the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Syria—in order to free up resources for other priorities.
    
    Real U.S. interests are at stake in East Asia, and this region will require careful navigation of perilous waters. China is a rising competitor that poses challenges that U.S. policymakers must take seriously. To deal with this, the United States should continue to develop defensive systems and technologies that enable partners in the region to deter Chinese aggression. Future defense budgets should prioritize funding for the Air Force and Navy over other branches since these two services would be at the forefront of any potential conflict in the Pacific. Additionally, the U.S. intelligence community should confront China’s malign economic and military espionage activities more aggressively.
    
    But U.S. leaders should avoid overinflating the threat posed by China. Indeed, China has its own domestic and international constraints that may hinder its rise. Accordingly, policymakers should deal with the challenges posed by China without resurrecting the Cold War or raising the likelihood of direct conflict.
    
    The acknowledgment that the United States faces real limits on its power does not mean accepting American decline or forlorn resignation that our best days are behind us. To the contrary, prudent foreign policy tradeoffs will better husband our power and provide the means to attend to our domestic economic and fiscal challenges thus ensuring future American safety and prosperity.
    
    However, those who continue to deny reality and advocate the same failed policies that led us to where we are today will only guarantee American decline—not greatness. In the interest of American security and the American people, we must demand better.

    Dan Caldwell is the vice president of foreign policy for Stand Together. He is a former congressional staffer and a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq War.

    Ok… so let’s see what The Duran has to say about this…

    .

    NATO calls China “systemic challenge,” then asks China to enforce oil price cap

    Listen. This is the reality.

    So how ready is Europe and the USA ready to take on Asia?

    NATO BASE EQUIPPED WITH U.S. NUKES RAIDED BY POLICE – METH LAB BUSTED

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    Belgium Police officials conducted a raid of Kleine-Brogel Air base, a NATO Joint base where U.S. nuclear bombs are stored, and busted a drug lab making Crystal Methamphetamine.  It gets worse: At least two individual arrested had to be let go because of “Diplomatic Immunity.”

    Kleine Brogel Air Base (ICAO: EBBL) is a Belgian Air Component military airfield located 0.8 nautical miles (1.5 km; 0.92 mi) east of Kleine-Brogel, in the municipality Peer, Belgium. It is home to the Belgian 10th Tactical Wing, operating F-16 Fighting Falcons, which are capable, among other capabilities, of delivering B61 nuclear bombs.

    The base has been subject to much political controversy, because of American nuclear weapons allegedly being stored in the facility by the United States Air Force (USAF), but never recognized officially by the Belgian government.

    Under the NATO nuclear sharing arrangement, these nuclear bombs would require an actual dual key system, which would imply the simultaneous authorizations of Belgium and the United States, before any action is taken. Should that be the case, Kleine Brogel Air Base would be the only location in Belgium with nuclear weapons.

    According to the press, Eastern European Member States of NATO resisted the withdrawal of the shared nuclear bombs in Europe, fearing that it would show a weakening of the American commitment to defend the European Union against Russian aggression.

    None of the five NATO member states, whose air forces allegedly might share its premises, have ever provided an official confirmation of the bombs existence. However, former Italian President Francesco Cossiga declared that the Aeronautica Militare hosted or shared American nuclear bombs, just as other NATO member states do. In an interview he talked about French weapons. In the same way, on 10 June 2013, former Dutch prime minister Ruud Lubbers confirmed the existence of 22 shared nuclear bombs at Volkel Air Base.

    Kleine Brogel Air Base is also the home of the United States Air Force’s 701st Munitions Support Squadron which allegedly is the unit in charge of looking after the shared nuclear bombs.

    Belgium police raided the base just hours ago.  Several persons were taken under arrest, but there’s a massive twist; at least two persons arrested had to be let go because they have “Diplomatic immunity.”

    The Source who provided this information to the Hal Turner Radio Show was quite explicit with this detail.  The source pointed out that had U.S. military been arrested, they would have remained under arrest and, if nothing else, would have been transferred to the custody of the US military and treated in accordance with the Status of Forces agreements that exist between countries.  But that is NOT “Diplomatic Immunity” which only applies to credentialed Diplomats and their staffers.

    The source repeated this several times — those let go had “Diplomatic Immunity.”

    It is not known yet if they were American diplomats / staff  or were from some other country . . . and right now a lid is being clamped down on information.

    I expect more information soon.

    The big takeaway for the time being is: What was a drug lab doing on a military base where US nuclear weapons are stored, and; who were the Diplomats invoilved?

    HOMEMADE RUSSIAN STYLE SAUERKRAUT FROM START TO FINISH

    Like my mother used to make.

    Bill introduced in Russia To Give Emergency Powers to Putin; Puts Defense Industry in “State of War”

    A Bill has been introduced in the Russia legislature which will give President Vladimir Putin emergency powers, will put the Russian Defense industry on 24/7 “state of war’ and lays the groundwork for a GENERAL MOBILIZATION conscription of the Russian people, for war.

    The Bill makes reference to “military operations abroad” while also mentioning Ukraine, Luhansk and Donetsk.

    Clearly, the intent of the Bill is to give President Putin legal authority to expand Russian military operations to outside of Ukraine, likely in response to hostile acts by Lithuania’s blockading the Russian exclave state of Kaliningrad, and now Norway’s blockage of food and supplies to Russian miners on the Svalbard Archipelago.

    Lithuania announced yesterday they will be implementing a total blockade of Kaliningrad from July 10.

    Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė said the country would continue to implement the terms of the EU’s fourth package of sanctions against Russia and stop the transit of other goods through the Kaliningrad region from July 10, when the restrictions are due to take effect.

    Knowing this would cause war-type trouble a Lithuanian Member of Parliament was brazen enough to warn Moscow – twice – not to abrogate the Treaty recognizing the independence of Lithuania in 1991!  The member of the Seimas (Parliament) of Lithuania, Matas Maldeikis, asked Moscow to return to Vilnius “the ancestral lands of Smolensk”.

    In fact, he asked for it twice in June!

    He said “If Russia revokes its recognition of Lithuania’s independence in 1991, Lithuania will revoke the Polyanovka Treaty of 1634 and demand that Russia return all occupied territories to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Smolensk is Lithuania!’

    The situation with external countries now making land claims against Russia while at the same time blockading the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, has caused Russia lawmakers and the Russian leadership to see this as an organized Nato project, both in the Baltic and in the case of Norway, and is prepared to respond militarily if Lithuania doesn’t remove the exclusions against Kaliningrad and Norway doesn’t remove the blockade of food against Svalbard.

    According to information, the Russian government has submitted a draft law in order for the executive branch, that is, the president of Russia and the Russian government, to receive special powers.

    The bill was submitted to the State Duma.

    Amendments to the Defense Law are proposed. The Russian government supplements the law with the article on “Ensuring the conduct of anti-terrorist and other operations by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, other troops, military formations and bodies outside the territory of the Russian Federation “.

    The explanatory note states that this includes, among other things, a “special military operation in the territories of Lugansk, Donetsk and Ukraine”.

    “Georgia Guide Stones” Blown-up

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    The famous “Georgia Guidestones” which promoted a human population under 500 million worldwide (The world’s population is 7 billion; or 14 times more than that) so as to sustain the earth, were blown up around 4:00 this morning.

    Nearby residents say they heard a loud explosion but didn’t know what it was.  At sunrise, the guide stones were found reduced to a pile of rubble.

    “Known as America’s Stonehenge, this 19-foot-high monument displays a 10-part message espousing the conservation of mankind and future generations in 12 languages,” according to a description on the state of Georgia’s tourism website.

    Erected in 1980 in Elbert County, Georgia, in the United States. A set of ten guidelines is inscribed on the structure in eight modern languages and a shorter message is inscribed at the top of the structure in four ancient language scripts.

    The monument stands at an approximate elevation of 750 feet (230 m) above sea level, about 90 miles (140 km) east of Atlanta, 45 miles (72 km) from Athens, Georgia and 9 miles (14 km) north of the center of the city of Elberton.

    One slab stands in the center, with four arranged around it. A capstone lies on top of the five slabs, which are astronomically aligned. An additional stone tablet, which is set in the ground a short distance to the west of the structure, provides some notes on the history and purpose of the guidestones. The structure is sometimes referred to as an “American Stonehenge”.

    The monument is 19 feet 3 inches (5.87 m) tall, made from six granite slabs weighing 237,746 pounds (107,840 kg) in all.The anonymity of the guidestones’ authors and their apparent advocacy of population control, eugenics, and internationalism have made them an object of controversy and . . . conspiracy theories.

     

    Hal Turner Editorial Opinion

    Well, it appears that someone decided to make a statement about the current ongoing nonsense plaguing our country and our world.  When it comes to population control, global Communism (You will own nothing and be happy) and Internationalism, perhaps the message sent today was a bold “No thanks.”

    The so-called “elite” seem to think THEY know what’s best for the rest of us, and they attacked the general public with the bio-weapon “COVID-19” to start killing us off in pursuit of their grand plans.

    Then they came at us with their phony mRNA “vaccines” which are killing-off millions more of us around the world.  They thought they got away with it.

    Then they came at us with “supply-chain disruption” which they initially blamed on COVID.  Now that COVID is over, and the supply chain issues are getting worse, it is becoming clear to even the village idiots that this is all being done deliberately.  Surreptitiously.

    Trouble is, no one asked The People whether any of __us__ wanted these grand plans. No one asked us if we wanted to “own nothing and be happy.” The “Elite” just went and started DOING what THEY wanted with the rest of us.  THEY started adversely affecting OUR lives. They didn’t ask. They didn’t care what we thought or what we want; they just implemented THEIR plans and the rest of us be damned.

    Sorry Mr. & Mrs. “Elite” but, that dog don ‘t hunt.

    Last night, someone apparently decided to send them a message that their plans are over.   Someone blew up the Georgia Guidestones.

    Do you think the “Elite” will take the hint, or will their arrogance over-ride reason, and cause them to push even harder?

    My bet: Their ego and arrogance will come unglued and they’ll go balls-to-the-wall now.

    You see, with the destruction of the Georgia Guidestones, THEY know, that WE know.  All the nonsense going on with COVID, the vax, the supply chain troubles . . . are all deliberate.  They are all part of the plan to destroy our way of life so THEY can . . . what phrase are they all using . . . . Oh, yes . . . . “Build Back Better.”

    Sorry Mr. & Mrs. “Elite” we do not consent.

    With today’s explosion, they NOW know that “The People” are not only ABLE to fight them off, but The People have now become WILLING to fight them off; kinetically.  By force.

    I have a feeling things are going to get very ugly.  I have a feeling these “Elites” are not gonna stop until they ARE stopped.

    In my opinion, if they’re smart, they will now realize that people are WILLING to blow-up their symbols, their plans, and maybe even them!  I certainly don’t advocate that and I absolutely have no plans whatsoever to engage in any such behavior personally.  Neither should anyone else.

    But since the Elite have already taken to actually killing us with COVID and their phony “vax” they drew first blood.

    If the explosions continue, or get personal for the “Elite,” it seems to me they will have brought it upon themselves.

    BRICS

    A World War III Win is a Bridge Too Far for 21st Century Globalist America

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    Is USA able to fight and Win a World War 3?  VT has Questions!

    You have to wonder why the U.S. and NATO keep pouring billions upon billions of dollars into a Ukrainian/Russo war that could very well be won by the Russian military regardless. This is despite what you hear from the mainstream media about the Ukraine military successfully advancing on the Russians.

    They’re not.

    With funding and support also coming from pro-Globalist billionaires like George Soros and an America that recently witnessed a humiliating military defeat in Afghanistan despite superior U.S. union-made products and state-of-the-art weaponry (much of which was left in the hands of the enemy), the U.S. in conjunction with NATO seem all too willing to prolong a war which, if financed and weaponized for too long, just might bring us to the brink of the nuclear annihilation.

    That’s a war no one wins.

    According to a new article by author John Carter, he sees no scenario in which a Globalist American Empire can possibly win World War III. Here are some of his reasons.

    Point [1] The USA is a Global Hyperpower

    Most conventionally minded Americans believe that the U.S. could win a new world war is because of the U.S.’s “global hyperpower.”

    Its military budget actually dwarfs the rest of the world’s militaries combined. The U.S. currently has in play a dozen carrier groups, nuclear-powered submarines that can make around-the-world dives twice over without surfacing, subs called “Boomers” equipped with nukes that in theory can wipe out coastlines in mere moments.

    The U.S. also maintains bases just about everywhere along with the ability to defend them. Satellites in space can surveil something as small as your hand, while predator drone fleets can rain down destruction anywhere in the world from a desktop in downtown Atlanta, Georgia.

    This is, of course, a very impressive show of military might. Says Carter, “no one out there wants to pick a fight with that.” He goes on to say that no one in their right mind doubts that a “direct confrontation between great powers” would inevitably result in horrible and terrific devastation.

    Point [2] Radioactive Bubble

    With that in mind, Carter contends that whichever powers are able to emerge victoriously from a “radioactive bubble,” it will likely not be the U.S. or more specifically, Washington, DC.

    Not going to be the United States.

    One of the main problems begins with the GAE (Government, Administration, and Elections) war machine. The situation today is similar to that of World War II.

    At the beginning of the war in 1939, Germany’s military was bigger, better trained, and more technologically sophisticated than its competitors. They had adapted “war-fighting doctrines” which would account for every advance in military high tech that had occurred after World War I.

    But Germany’s problem came in the form of natural resources of which they had little. On the other hand, the U.S. which enjoyed many resources were able to put their vast made-in-the-U.S. industrial complex to work and was able to manufacture Sherman tanks inside retrofitted Model-T factories, by the dozens.

    Says Carter, the U.S. was able to bury the Reich with a “sheer mass of stuff.”

    Point [3] Today’s American Industry

    Over the course of the past several decades, America’s industrial base has become a rusted-out relic of what it once was.

    Today, the U.S. relies almost completely on imported goods, from microchips to antibiotics. This remains true when it comes to critical wartime necessities for both the maintenance and replenishment of munitions for a supply chain that would be crushed by global hostilities.

    A shortage of essential components would be a crippling blow to the U.S. and our adversaries know that.

    The reliance on an over-extended supply chain might not seem all that important in the short run, but when you consider that the U.S. is supplied with much of its electronics from China while semiconductors come from Taiwan, you begin to see the bleak picture. And in a time of global conflict, China would likely snatch Taiwan up rather quickly.

    Point [4] U.S. Poisoning

    Rather than rely on natural remedies for the problems that ail them like good food and exercise, Carter claims that Americans have been “extensively poisoned with toxic foodstuffs.”

    Approximately one-tenth of the U.S. population is reliant on psychiatric meds, while at the same time, “potent recreational drugs” such as methamphetamine, fentanyl (which comes largely from China), and legalized pot, now run rampant.

    Plus, the average American is overweight.

    As well as a substantive percentage are clinically depressed.

    Point [5] The U.S. Global Strategic Situation

    Presently, the U.S.’s “global strategic situation” is standing in the abyss of a “great power war.”

    Like Eisenhower warned decades ago, the GAE will eventually have no friends that will want to come to its aid in a global conflict. After all, they are in it for the money.

    The U.S. population, according to Cater, is somewhat “sick” in body and mind and has been “deliberately sickened” to make the population more controllable.

    What’s more, there is almost no social capital or cohesion to tap into, while the economy continues to falter in every way.

    Point [6] American “Leadership”

    While the political divide hasn’t been this wide since the Civil War, the political leadership is largely corrupt and publicly despised.

    The “for-profit” mainstream media is not trusted.

    Military training standards have suffered greatly due to the injection of an “ideological madness” that seems to have destroyed everything in its path as Western society as a whole continues to decay.

    Summary

    Despite owning a large military-industrial complex, the Globalist friendly U.S. is in no position to fight World War III, much less be in it to win it.

    Qatar to Demand EU Sign Long-Term LNG Deals If It Wants More Gas

    I guess that it doesn’t trust the Euro-weenie. -MM

    I just came across in the Chinese media: “Qatar demands [1] a 20 years contract and [2]  “must pay first” as the conditions for them to invest in an increased production to supply EU gas.
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    Ah. By taking Russian reserve money in EU banks and confiscating Russian private property at will, they have effectively damaged world trust towards Western nations.
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    So I do a search in English and found this, unfortunately pay wall:
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    • Bloomberg pay wall. From HERE. 
    • Flying carpet link. Flies you over the paywall. HERE

    Largest Maine Coon

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    Guinness World Records undated handout photo of Ludo the Maine Coon from Wakefield in South Yorkshire with owner Kelsey as they appear in this year’s Guinness World Records. Issue date: Thursday September 8, 2016. (Photo by Paul Michael Hughes/Guinness World Records/PA Wire)

    Lukashenko Says Ukraine Fired Missiles At Belarus

    Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Saturday said his army had shot down missiles fired into their territory from Ukraine and vowed to respond “instantly” to any enemy strike.

    “We are being provoked,” Lukashenko was quoted as saying by state news agency Belta. “I must tell you that around three days ago, maybe more, they also tried to strike military targets in Belarus from Ukraine.

    “Thank God, our Pantsir anti-air systems intercepted all the missiles fired by the Ukrainian forces.”

    Ukraine last week said missiles fired from Belarus had struck a border region inside its territory.

    Lukashenko on Saturday denied his country was seeking to intervene in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, but issued a warning aimed at Kiev and its Western allies.

    “As I said more than a year ago, we do not intend to fight in Ukraine,” he said

    “We will only fight in one case. If you… enter our land, if you kill our people, then we will respond,” he added, warning that Belarus would reply “instantly” to an enemy strike on its soil.

    Long-term Kremlin ally Belarus has supported Russia’s military operation in Ukraine since February 24 by acting as a rear base for Moscow’s forces.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin announced last week that Moscow would deliver Iskander-M missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons to Belarus “in the coming months”.

    “Less than a month ago, I ordered our armed forces to put in our sights the decision centers in Western capitals,” Lukashenko said on Saturday, citing the missiles promised by Putin and the Belarusian rocket-launcher Polonez.

    Interesting Quote

    I wonder if the fellows at Fort Detrick who designed and disseminated the SARS-CoV-2 bioweapon, thinking that China was an easy target, knew that it would ultimately herald the fall of the collective West? The brilliance of American arrogance shines so bright it is blinding. Well, no need to fret about that, for historical reflection is for losers; the United States' newly concocted recipe, an indomitable mixture of seething anger, rising unemployment, mass gun availability, and prevalent mental illness, all served on itself, will definitely turn out well.
    
    Posted by: Bill | Jul 3 2022 15:36 utc | 9

    100 Year Old Veteran U.S. Marine Breaks Down Crying “this isn’t the country we fought for”

    Video below says it all . . .

    Maja Säfström’s Illustrations Are Witty And Relatable

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    Illustrator and author Maja Säfström is known for her playful style of illustration based on her witty observations of the world around her. Based in Stockholm, she works full-time as an illustrator and runs her own shop in central Stockholm.

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    Having earned a tremendous international following on social media, as well as widespread critical acclaim and multiple awards, it’s surprising to learn that Säfström’s background actually lies in architecture. “I have been drawing for as long as I can remember,” she shared in an interview with Lake. “I drew a lot when I was a kid. I had a few years in high school where I thought I was really bad. Then I started studying architecture at university and found myself drawing the scenes around the buildings with MUCH more enthusiasm than the actual houses. Well, one thing led to another!”

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    Indeed one thing led to another. “I used to work as an architect and illustrating was something I did in my time off work,” she says. “Now that it is my full-time job, I realize, it is much less meditative. Because now the drawings are often commissioned, which is a bit different from just drawing whatever you feel like. It is the best job in the world though. Being an illustrator! My new hobby is taking care of my plants at home.”

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    Each of her illustrated pieces is made by first drawing a thin outline with a pencil, after which the final drawing is made with a fineliner. Her comic-like illustrations often include speech bubbles. “I think the speech bubbles are a very important part of my work,” says Säfström. “I love combining text with drawings. I often experience something in life and make a drawing of that.”

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    Ukraine Is the Latest Neocon Disaster

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    If Europe has any insight, it will separate itself from these U.S. foreign policy debacles, writes Jeffrey D. Sachs.
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    The war in Ukraine is the culmination of a 30-year project of the American neoconservative movement.  The Biden administration is packed with the same neocons who championed the U.S. wars of choice in Serbia (1999), Afghanistan (2001), Iraq (2003), Syria (2011), Libya (2011), and who did so much to provoke Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    The neocon track record is one of unmitigated disaster, yet Biden has staffed his team with neocons. As a result, Biden is steering Ukraine, the U.S. and the European Union towards yet another geopolitical debacle. If Europe has any insight, it will separate itself from these U.S. foreign policy debacles.

    The neocon movement emerged in the 1970s around a group of public intellectuals, several of whom were influenced by University of Chicago political scientist Leo Strauss and Yale University classicist Donald Kagan. Neocon leaders included Norman Podhoretz, Irving Kristol, Paul Wolfowitz, Robert Kagan (son of Donald), Frederick Kagan (son of Donald), Victoria Nuland (wife of Robert), Elliott Cohen, Elliott Abrams and Kimberley Allen Kagan (wife of Frederick).

    The main message of the neocons is that the U.S. must predominate in military power in every region of the world and must confront rising regional powers that could someday challenge U.S. global or regional dominance, most important Russia and China.  For this purpose, U.S. military force should be pre-positioned in hundreds of military bases around the world and the U.S. should be prepared to lead wars of choice as necessary. The United Nations is to be used by the U.S. only when useful for U.S. purposes.

    Wolfowitz Spelled It Out 

    This approach was spelled out first by Paul Wolfowitz in his draft Defense Policy Guidance (DPG) written for the Department of Defense in 2002. The draft called for extending the U.S.-led security network to Central and Eastern Europe despite the explicit promise by German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher in 1990 that German unification would not be followed by NATO’s eastward enlargement.

    [Related: The New York Times’ Shift on Victory in Ukraine]

    Wolfowitz also made the case for American wars of choice, defending America’s right to act independently, even alone, in response to crises of concern to the U.S.  According to General Wesley Clark, Wolfowitz already made clear to Clark in May 1991 that the U.S. would lead regime-change operations in Iraq, Syria and other former Soviet allies.

    The neocons championed NATO enlargement to Ukraine even before that became official U.S. policy under President George W. Bush, Jr. in 2008. They viewed Ukraine’s NATO membership as key to U.S. regional and global dominance. Robert Kagan spelled out the neocon case for NATO enlargement in April 2006:

    “[T]he Russians and Chinese see nothing natural in [the ‘color revolutions’ of the former Soviet Union], only Western-backed coups designed to advance Western influence in strategically vital parts of the world.  Are they so wrong? Might not the successful liberalization of Ukraine, urged and supported by the Western democracies, be but the prelude to the incorporation of that nation into NATO and the European Union — in short, the expansion of Western liberal hegemony?”

    Kagan acknowledged the dire implication of NATO enlargement. He quotes one expert as saying, “the Kremlin is getting ready for the ‘battle for Ukraine’ in all seriousness.”

    The neocons sought this battle. After the fall of the Soviet Union, both the U.S. and Russia should have sought a neutral Ukraine, as a prudent buffer and safety valve.  Instead, the neocons wanted U.S. “hegemony” while the Russians took up the battle partly in defense and partly out of their own imperial pretensions as well.  Shades of the Crimean War (1853-6), when Britain and France sought to weaken Russia in the Black Sea following Russian pressures on the Ottoman empire.

    Kagan penned the article as a private citizen while his wife Victoria Nuland was the U.S. ambassador to NATO under George W. Bush, Jr.

    Nuland has been the neocon operative par excellence.  In addition to serving as Bush’s ambassador to NATO, Nuland was President Barack Obama’s assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs during 2013-17, when she participated in the overthrow of Ukraine’s pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych and now serves as Biden’s undersecretary of state guiding U.S. policy vis-à-vis the war in Ukraine.

    The neocon outlook is based on an overriding false premise: that the U.S. military, financial, technological, and economic superiority enables it to dictate terms in all regions of the world.  It is a position of both remarkable hubris and remarkable disdain of evidence.

    Since the 1950s, the U.S. has been stymied or defeated in nearly every regional conflict in which it has participated. Yet in the “battle for Ukraine,” the neocons were ready to provoke a military confrontation with Russia by expanding NATO over Russia’s vehement objections because they fervently believe that Russia will be defeated by U.S. financial sanctions and NATO weaponry.

    The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a neocon think-tank led by Kimberley Allen Kagan (and backed by a who’s who of defense contractors such as General Dynamics and Raytheon), continues to promise a Ukrainian victory.

    Regarding Russia’s advances, the ISW offered a typical comment:
    
    “[R]egardless of which side holds the city [of Sievierodonetsk], the Russian offensive at the operational and strategic levels will probably have culminated, giving Ukraine the chance to restart its operational-level counteroffensives to push Russian forces back.” 

    The facts on the ground, however, suggest otherwise. The West’s economic sanctions have had little adverse impact on Russia, while their “boomerang” effect on the rest of the world has been large.

    Moreover, the U.S. capacity to resupply Ukraine with ammunition and weaponry is seriously hamstrung by America’s limited production capacity and broken supply chains. Russia’s industrial capacity of course dwarfs that of Ukraine’s.  Russia’s GDP was roughly 10X that of Ukraine before the war and Ukraine has now lost much of its industrial capacity in the war.

    The most likely outcome of the current fighting is that Russia will conquer a large swath of Ukraine, perhaps leaving Ukraine landlocked or nearly so. Frustration will rise in Europe and the U.S. with the military losses and the stagflationary consequences of war and sanctions.

    The knock-on effects could be devastating, if a right-wing demagogue in the U.S. rises to power (or in the case of Trump, returns to power) promising to restore America’s faded military glory through dangerous escalation.

    Instead of risking this disaster, the real solution is to end the neocon fantasies of the past 30 years and for Ukraine and Russia to return to the negotiating table, with NATO committing to end its commitment to the eastward enlargement to Ukraine and Georgia in return for a viable peace that respects and protects Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

    Jeffrey D. Sachs is a university professor and director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, where he directed The Earth Institute from 2002 until 2016. He is also president of the U.N. Sustainable Development Solutions Network and a commissioner of the U.N. Broadband Commission for Development. He has been adviser to three United Nations secretaries-general and currently serves as an SDG advocate under Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Sachs is the author, most recently, of A New Foreign Policy: Beyond American Exceptionalism (2020). Other books include: Building the New American Economy: Smart, Fair, and Sustainable (2017) and The Age of Sustainable Development, (2015) with Ban Ki-moon.

    This article is from  Common Dreams.

    Lama High Jump record

    Why?

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    Caspa – Highest Jump By A Llama Guinness World Records 2016. Location: Porthmadog, Wales. Photo by Paul Michael Hughes/Guinness World Records)

    Why English will lost its influence? Re: Imperial English language

    When I was sent to set up a business in Eastern Europe based in Hungary in 1991, I notice that, there are more people who can speak Russian and German than English in that part of Europe. The Hungarian trade office in Singapore at the time also told me Russian and German language are more widely spoken in most part of the Eastern Europe than English.
    
    The power and influence of a language very much dependence on the commercial and political power of a nation.
    
    The anglo-Saxon crusaders have done too many evil things across the world, once they are down, the memory of what they did will re-emerged across the world, and many world leaders pressured and bullied by them will begin to speak and act openly against them. hated across the world will begin to reduce the influence of their language. Schools across the world will slowly replace English with another more important commercial language.
    
    About a decade ago, an Australian friend on the Gold Coast went to Shanghai, thinking to travel the city on his own, he expressed his disappointment to me that most people he met on the streets in Shanghai cannot speak English. I than told him he should not expect the world to know his language, and begin to tell him a story:
    
    In 1992, I took a train from Istanbul back to Hungary with a few Chinese friends, when the train briefly stop at Bulgaria capital, a Bulgarian speaking staff came to our session using his language asking us to move to the other train, we cannot understand what he said, so, after anxiously using his language trying to explain again and again, he later simply move on, there are 2 young American ladies in our session, spoke to each other and laughed: “he is so stupid, he cannot even speak English “.
    
    I went out my train session asking other passengers leaving the train what’s going on, one told me I have to get off this train now to another train heading to Budapest. So, I use Chinese language to tell my friends to get off the train immediately. I would have told the Americans if they were not such arrogant fools.
    
    The minute we got off the train, the train moved on to somewhere else. I decided to let the Americans learn a real life lesson that they should learn people language when they are in other countries.
    
    Language is something that one need to regularly used to be able to speak fluently, once the Anglo Saxon empires gone, their countries disintegrated, the language will lost its commercial values. The number of people using the language will reduce.
    
    If you went to Japan, you will notice that most Japanese despite learning English as second language in school, cannot speak English. That is because, English is not widely used among the average Japanese. Unless your job requires you to get in touch with foreigners, whatever other language you learn in school as second language, you will forget soon after you left school.
    
    Ask those western countries students who learn Japanese in school, they will end up only able to say Ali Gato and nothing else.
    
    I self learning Russian for a year before going to Moscow in 2002 to source for new suppliers for my Russian arts and crafts wholesales business in Australia. At that time, I at least know how to make bargain in Russian language. However, after my import business destroyed by the quarantine department, I moved on to restart another business, and now, I have forgotten even how to read the Russian alphabet despite still having a Russian English dictionary, and a Russian English electronic translator at home.
    
    I used to growth up speaking fluently 2 Chinese dialects in Singapore (teo chew 潮州话and Hokkien 福建话), but after working in Hungary for 3 years, and living on the Gold Coast for 27 years, I can no longer speak the 2 languages beside using some swearing words to scold people. However, I learned Cantonese in Western Australia in my finally year after moving in an accommodation living with 8 Hong Kong students and later married one of them. I later work in Hong Kong briefly.
    
    I think China has remove English as a Compulsory subject in school recently. It has become a selective subject just like any other language for higher education. The policy rationale is that, most students won’t need to use the language in real life, and most will end up wasting their life learning a language they will not be using in real life. China gov want them to use their limited time to learn something more useful such as a new skill, more in-depth learning of Chinese culture, etc.
    
    I am sure, English will decline once the Anglo Saxon crusader empire lost its economic power. The France never like the English, and there is a widely known speculation that if you talk to a France in English in French, you will get no where. So, you rather talk to them in any other language, and they will than try to speak to you in English.
    
    Cheers
    
    Chua

    LUHANSK LIBERATED! Russia Routes last of Ukraine Army

    LEADER DECLARES THE FULL LIBERATION OF LUHANSK PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC – JULY 3, 2022.

    “Dear compatriots! Citizens of the Luhansk People’s Republic! Today, July 3, is a great day, which will forever enter the red date in the calendar of our Fatherland. Today is the day we have accomplished what we have been striving to for eight long years. Today our troops, with the support of the Russian armed forces, liberated the town of Lysychansk, thus completing the liberation of the Republic within its historic borders.

    The Ukrainian neo-Nazis, who came to our land to kill and plunder, have been defeated. They used sneaky tactics, using civilians as human shields. Therefore, our military had to carefully recapture literally every house, every street, every settlement. And now, finally, such big cities of Luhansk region as Rubizhne and Severodonetsk were also taken, and today Lisichansk was completely liberated!

    I sincerely congratulate us all on this new Great Victory Day! This holiday, just like in the distant 1945, also with tears in my eyes – the battles were hard and bloody. And Victory is ours again, it will always be so!

    How To Prepare A Big Batch Of Breakfast Sandwiches (English Muffins, Sausages, Eggs & Cheese Slices)

    A good video that is easy to use. Check it out.

    Bearded woman

    Harnaam Kaur – Youngest Female With A Full Beard Guinness World Records 2016. Location: The Ottoman Crew, London. (Photo by Paul Michael Hughes/Guinness World Records)

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    After the Cavalry Didn’t Charge.

    What are we going to do when Ukraine is over?

    As I pointed out last week, the war in Ukraine is exactly the kind of crisis that NATO was originally created to deal with, yet militarily, the alliance did effectively nothing. But let’s suppose the rhetoric about increasing defence budgets and expanding the militaries of western states was seriously pursued as a policy. How easy would it be? Not very. In fact, there’s a good argument that it’s scarcely feasible at all. Here’s why.

    For the forty years of the Cold War, NATO members retained large, powerful conventional forces with an elaborate command and control system, in case there was a major war with the Soviet Union and its allies. Although a war like that was never regarded as likely, it was still thought possible, not least because the longer the Cold War lasted, the more deeply ingrained became the mutual suspicion  of the two blocs. Exercise scenarios in those days often began with a political crisis over a third country: Yugoslavia was a favourite.

    Well, that scenario has now more or less come to pass. A political crisis in Eastern Europe has turned nasty, and the Russians have invaded a country supported by the West. And the reaction? NATO wants you to know that it is really, really cross, and it’s sending some equipment and imposing some sanctions as an indication of just how cross it is. Which is odd behaviour for a military alliance specifically founded to counter Russia, but quite explicable in term of the changes in the underlying balance of forces that I discussed last week.

    But let’s go beyond that. Let’s assume a serious effort by western states to re-build their military capability to something like the level of the Cold War. What would that entail? Would it be even possible?

    The first question is just one of the concept. In the Cold War, the two sides both believed  that any war between them would be the Big One, an existential struggle for survival which would be fought out to the end. NATO hoped, but didn’t necessarily expect, that the conflict could be contained to the conventional level: it’s less clear that the Warsaw Pact did. This was why the use of nuclear weapons was expected, and planned for by both sides. The assumption of the Big One dictated strategies and force structures, and produced militaries on a high state of readiness for a short, brutal war of unprecedented violence, at the end of which the combatants would be largely disarmed and their economies in ruins. By contrast, it’s not obvious what any serious conflict between Russia and the West today would actually be about, in the absence of  the kind of apocalyptic stakes that existed during the Cold War. What are the differences between Russia and the West that might justify blowing up the world? NATO’s exclusively non-militarily reaction to Ukraine is not just a sign of relative weakness, it’s more importantly a recognition that vital interests aren’t involved. So what would vital interests be, then? I don’t think anyone knows.

    For that reason, it’s probably best to leave nuclear weapons out of the argument. Their main utility is political, after all, and a threat to use them would only ever be taken seriously if the very survival of a nuclear power were at stake. It’s honestly hard to imagine how we could arrive there, no matter how stupid you may think your least-favourite politicians of the moment are. So, let’s start from the hypothesis of a conventional war between Russia and some or all western nations. Where would that be, exactly?

    If you look at a map it’s not obvious. Taking the most likely outcome of the current war—the Russian-speaking parts of Ukraine as independent republics with close ties to Russia—then Russian forces would only be on the borders of the Baltic states and Norway, as now. If the Finns and Swedes were to join NATO formally (and the Swedes have been informal members for generations) then there would be an expanded northern zone of contact between the Russians and some NATO states. But assuming that neither Russia nor NATO set out to provoke another crisis, then there is no obvious reason why there should be conflict in that area. If there were a general crisis between Russia and the West leading to war, then there would be little point in attacking only in those areas. The Russians would want to ensure their unrestricted use of the Murmansk naval base, especially to get their nuclear missile submarines to sea, but that would be a subsidiary part of any general offensive.

    So if you were a political leader, and your military came to ask what threat they should actually plan, train and exercise against, then the only one that makes any sense would be a main advance through Belarus towards Poland, with a southward thrust towards Ukraine and Romania/Bulgaria. Now the first question is whether the Russians would actually be capable of doing that. Let’s stipulate that for some reason they just have to be able to take Warsaw as a minimum objective, while neutralising Ukraine and Romania, and let’s start with distance.

    Well, assuming you concentrate your forces around Minsk, the distance to Warsaw is then about 600 km, comparable to the sort of distances covered by the Allied armies from the Normandy beach-heads in June 1944 to the surrender of Germany a year later. It’s about as far as the Red Army advanced in one of its final offensives in January-February 1945, where the Russians could field two million men against an exhausted and massively inferior German Army. And that only gets you as far as Warsaw. By then, you’ve already got lines of communication and supply extending hundreds of kilometres through hostile territory, and a presumably unhappy Ukraine to worry about, as well as the threat of NATO forces in Slovakia and Hungary to the South, and the Baltic States to the North.

    Oh yes, manpower. The total strength of the Russian military is about one million, including all the branches, with about two million reservists. That sounds a lot, but of course only a fraction of those are combat troops who can be used in a modern high-technology ground war. The Russians seem to be employing about a 100,000 troops in current operations in the Ukraine, and that’s probably close to the maximum effort they can make in any one operation outside the country, particularly as about two-thirds of their total strength is conscripts. By contrast, the old group of Soviet forces in the GDR alone had a strength of some 350,000 men. Overrunning Europe would be problematic, therefore.

    And where would the battles take place, and how? In the Cold War, the two forces were actually facing each other in essentially in the positions they occupied in 1945. The British, French and American forces, like the Soviets, were repurposed versions of the occupying armies at the end of WW2. Over several decades, a huge infrastructure of barracks, training areas and airfields was added to what remained of the historical infrastructure in Germany. The only comparable area today is Poland. So are we going to deploy our shiny new armies along the Polish-Belarusian border? Has anybody asked the Poles what they think about turning their country into an armed camp, as Germany used to be? Who’s going to pay for all that?

    But let’s say that some, at least, of the wilder promises of military expansion and rearmament are maintained, rather than being quietly forgotten. Lots more money is voted, and some kind of future NATO concept is finally agreed. That’s the easy bit, though. The first problem is time, and history may help a bit here. You don’t build up and equip armed forces overnight. So the British, and French governments all started rearming after 1934. Even at 1930s levels of technology,  though, neither was fully ready by 1939. Radar, like the Spitfires and Hurricanes, only just arrived in time for the Battle of Britain. At least the British had some government-owned arms factories: in France, successive governments found that the private sector simply wasn’t that interested in producing complex military systems where there was no guarantee of long term orders. These days, of course, it’s a lot worse. The western armaments industry is small, heavily concentrated and internationalised. It makes small numbers —often just a handful each month—of highly sophisticated and complex platforms. So the first thing you would need to do is set up a lot more factories, as the British did in the 1930s. For that, you need many more skilled engineers and a highly qualified workforce, and the time and materials to build the factories. You need raw materials and components to make the weapons and equipment, many of which come from far away, quite a few from China. And you’ll be competing with everyone else for the same raw materials and components.

    You’ll need more personnel, of course. For a start, there’s an obvious limit to the number of people in any country who can be high-tech military specialists: not just fast jet pilots, but also officers or at least senior NCOs in a modern high-technology Army or Air Force. For most of those  who can, it won’t be an attractive career.  Few military personnel just carry a rifle around these days, and the militaries of most countries struggle to retain the technical specialists they do have, in the face of better salaries and conditions of work elsewhere. Modern militaries today are very small by the standards of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Take the Bundeswehr, for example. At the height of the Cold War, it had half a million active personnel, and millions of reservists. It now has less than a third of the active strength it had then , and only handfuls of reservists. Its once mighty Army has shrunk to 60,000 personnel, and it is also badly weakened by many years of underfunding. But it still has trouble attracting enough technical specialists, even at its present size.

    This problem is insoluble without the return of military service. It doesn’t need to be universal: it can be highly selective, as in Russia, while maintaining an expanded permanent professional cadre. But is that even remotely politically feasible in most countries? By the end of the Cold War, military service had often dropped to token levels (typically six months)  but it was still generally accepted politically: after all, Soviet forces were not that far away. But a selective military service scheme, where often the better educated and more technically skilled receive the call, isn’t going to be popular, especially if it means Belgian conscripts spending six months in a barracks on the Polish/Belorussian frontier. And if you double or triple the size of the military, you need to double or triple the number of officers and senior NCOs, since someone has to lead, train and administer them. You can’t just magically find people with perhaps two years’ initial training and 10-15 years of experience. And of course you need a large auxiliary workforce of administrators, educators, cooks, domestic staff, security guards, medical personnel, and half a hundred other specialities.

    Where are you going to train them? For a hundred years until the end of the Cold War, western nations set up a huge infrastructure to house, feed and train large numbers of conscripts every year. Almost all of that has been sold off: there are often luxury flats today where the flagpoles once stood. You couldn’t even think of returning to the sort of militaries the West had a generation ago without massive programmes of land purchase (or seizure) and new building construction.  And that’s only individual basic training. You then need to set up new establishments, with new instructors and support staff, for the technical and specialist training. After which comes collective training, for which you need ranges and exercise areas. And of course there will be a lot more flying training, which is notoriously noisy and disruptive. There are some things you can’t do by Zoom.

    But let’s assume you’ve done this. Over ten difficult years,  you have doubled or tripled the size of your forces at huge expense and with enormous disruption, reintroduced selective national service, and fielded your shiny new military. What do you do with it? Where do you put it? In the Cold War, there were permanent British, Dutch, German, Belgian and US forces stationed in Germany itself, with French forces ready to move in. So are we going to do the same thing in Poland? Will Italian and Croatian forces be stationed in Romania? If not, are the Dutch going to set up and maintain a transport and logistic infrastructure enabling them to deploy a distance of perhaps 1500km to the Polish border?

    I could go on. But the answer to all these question is self-evidently “no.” There will be token measures, ritual chest-beating, some rebuilding of capability and quite a lot of extra money, often wasted. But for severely practical reasons, anything resembling the size and type of the NATO deployments in the Cold War simply isn’t going to happen. What, then?

    Well, we wind up with a very curious situation. The Russians will secure their frontiers and develop a protective glacis against western incursions. But the nearest Russian soldier will still be perhaps 6-700 kilometres away from the nearest NATO frontier. And the Russians will have neither the capability not the intention to go much further west, without being provoked by some catastrophic political crisis which for the moment we can’t even imagine.

    So at first sight, things should settle down, and in the end not change very much. The West glowering at Russia, Russia glowering at the West, with perhaps a few Russian troops in Belarus and a few NATO troops in Poland. Can we go back to where we were before? Not so fast. As I explained in the previous essay, the underlying economic and military situation has been changing for a while. It just hasn’t been consciously registered by western leaders.  Europe will continue to be dependent on Russia for natural gas and a whole range of other raw materials, while Russia doesn’t really depend on the West for much except luxuries. Ambitious plans to replace Russian natural gas may succeed over a long enough time and with enough investment, but no amount of investment can mine scare metals that were not in the ground in the first place. (The West can’t supply its own needs for titanium, for example: Russia can.) There will be repercussions, though for the moment it’s not clear how things will turn out.

    But on the military side, the position will be starker. Russia will be able to use force to keep any foreign military presence away from its borders. It can stop any western attempt to expand into Belarus, and it can keep Ukraine disarmed, by force if necessary. And there will be nothing the West can do about it. (As I’ve explained, nuclear weapons are simply not relevant here.) As a result, Europe will have to get used to living with a Russia which, whilst not a super-power,  is militarily superior to any reasonable combination of European states, assuming they could operate together, and which can defeat any plausible US force despatched to Europe.

    One reason for this is precisely the lack of a common frontier. The only way that Europe and Russia can directly threaten or strike each other is by air, and there, Russia has a massive advantage. Now, this is not in manned aircraft. Individually, NATO air-superiority aircraft and pilots are almost certainly superior to their Russian equivalents. But that’s soccer, and the Russians are playing rugby. Their air defence system is effectively impenetrable by Western aircraft without horrific casualties, which would risk ultimately disarming the nations sending the aircraft. If, say, NATO sent a hundred strike aircraft against Russia in one mission, and the Russians used a thousand missiles to destroy them, their infrastructure and support, on the ground or in the air, Russia could replace those missiles in months, whereas NATO would take perhaps five years to regenerate the same capability with trained pilots and support personnel. And with conventional bomb-loads, how much damage could the aircraft and missiles actually reaching the target manage to do? The Russians have spent decades building on the impressive old Soviet Air Defence system, to produce a capability to stop the vast majority of attacks on their territory by aircraft and missiles, and with NATO’s current inventory, the alliance is simply not able to threaten enough damage. The Russians, on the other hand, have invested a great deal of money in high-precision, long-range conventional missiles, which are difficult or even impossible to stop, in spite of laborious efforts by NATO over the last twenty years to develop anti-missile defence. These are not super-weapons, and there may not be many of them, but they change the strategic landscape entirely. The West can’t hurt Russia very much, but Russia can hurt the West a lot more.

    As I’ve suggested before, the political and media classes are often slow to appreciate the consequences of changes in the underlying economic and strategic realities, and tend to coast along like bicycles going downhill. This new situation will take some getting used to, but may, in the end, turn out to be stabilising. Neither Russia nor the West has any real reason to attack the other. Neither can launch a major ground attack against the others’ vital interests, and neither has any reason to resort to nuclear weapons. All we have to hope for is a minimum amount of common sense and rationality: you know, the kind of thing that hasn’t been much in evidence recently.

    Finland “Seizes” Almost 1000 Russian Rail Cars

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    Finland has seized nearly a thousand Russian freight cars as a result of EU sanctions.  On its face, this appears to be outright THEFT.

    After the EU sanctioned Russian coal in April, Finland’s state-owned rail operator VR moved to reduce railway traffic from Russia. According to a June 6 letter from Russian Railways to the Ministry of Transport, 865 Russian freight cars have been seized by Finnish bailiffs.

    VR officials confirmed that about 800 sanctioned Russian freight cars were in Finland at the moment and that the company wishes to return any that have not been seized. VR’s head of logistics said there were around 5,000 Russian cars when it decided to reduce traffic, and that bailiff authorities ordered some to be seized.

    The seized railway cars belong to Russian companies either targeted by EU sanctions or dealing with indirect consequences of sanctions. Russian companies impacted by the freight car seizure have denounced the move as “unlawful.”

    Finnish bailiff authorities say that Finland had frozen the assets of dozens of Russian and Belarusian individuals and legal entities, including transportation firms. In total, the frozen assets are worth about $84 million.

    This week at a conference in Switzerland, Ukrainian officials said they wanted seized Russian assets and Russia’s frozen foreign currency reserves to be used to pay for Ukraine’s future reconstruction. But Western officials have yet to agree to the plan, as such a move would be outright theft.

    Dollar Vs Yuan: Central Banks Increasingly Want to Hold China’s Currency

    Central banks are increasingly keen to hold China’s yuan as a reserve currency, according to a new survey.
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    Some 85% of central bank reserve managers said they already hold or are interested in owning the yuan.
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    More than 80% said a shift to a more “multipolar” world, where the US no longer reigns supreme, would benefit the currency.

    Article HERE

    Oil From US Reserves Went to Asia, Europe As Refineries Near Full Tilt

    This is good news. A nation without oil, is a nation that is unable to conduct war. -MM

    More than 5 million barrels of oil from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve were exported to Asia and Europe last month, Reuters first reported.

    Among the shipments were two cargo ships carrying 560,000 barrels each from Atlantic Trading & Marketing, part of France’s TotalEnergies, according to Reuters. And Phillips 66, the fourth-largest oil supplier in the US, sent about 470,000 barrels from a storage facility in Texas to Trieste, Italy, where a pipeline feeds refineries in central Europe.

    The exports follow similar shipments of Strategic Petroleum Reserve crude in April, when three ships went to Europe to replace Russian oil.

    Overall, US oil exports have been surging since Russia invaded Ukraine in February as Western countries and companies turn away from Russian supplies.

    While gas prices typically follow oil prices, which are set by global markets, US refineries have been a key bottleneck. Because of earlier shutdowns and limited investment in recent years, capacity has shrunk and refineries have been running nearly at full tilt.

    With little extra scope for refining more volumes of fuel, additional supplies of crude, including from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, have been going overseas. In fact, oil exports from the US Gulf Coast hit a record rate in the second quarter, according to Rystad Energy.

    The Biden administration has been releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to try to lower fuel prices. Releases are at a record pace of roughly 1 million barrels a day, bringing the stockpile to the lowest level since 1986 in June.

    Full article HERE

    Russian army converts Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant into a military base

    Genius. -MM

    Russian forces are transforming Europe’s largest nuclear power plant into a military base on the front lines of surveillance, exacerbating months-long security crises at the giant nuclear power plant and its thousands of workers.

    More than 500 Russian soldiers occupied the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in southern Ukraine in March, Wall Street Journal signature Drew Hinshaw/Joe Parkinson reported today. According to workers, residents, Ukrainian officials and diplomats, the Russian soldiers have deployed heavy artillery batteries and laid lethal mines in recent weeks along the coast of the reservoir used to cool the plant’s six reactors. Ukrainian troops control several towns scattered across the river, about 3 miles (about 5 kilometers), but they don’t think it’s easy to attack the plant because of the dangers of artillery battles around the reactors in use.

    The newly deployed armaments allowed the plant to be virtually immune to a counterattack by the Ukrainian military, creating an unprecedented situation for the heavily regulated atomic energy industry: the slow transformation of a nuclear power plant into a military fortress. A lesser-publicized aspect of Russia’s war strategy, the country’s military deploys weapons every day around the world’s largest nuclear power plant to tighten its grip on the front line as the Russian approach to southern Ukraine comes to a standstill.

    The rest of the article HERE

    Done in the name of “democracy”The Airbus sales to Chinese airlines is causing upset in the Empire no doubt:

    Boeing Disappointed

    In the article, it cited potential loss of Boeing sales in the Chinese market of $38Billion to $51Billion per year and said this equates to loss of job for 167K to 225K workers. So, in the aircraft industry worker salaries average $225K/annum per worker??? Wow, this is higher than I thought. Salary figures usually only include wage+ benefit costs. On top of that one needs to add other loading of costs such as travel/per diem/office/factory, etc. etc. This is one well-paying labor field.

    Russia Adds Wheat to “Rubles Only” Payment

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    The Russian government has added grain, sunflower oil, and extracted meal to the list of exports that must be paid for in rubles. A resolution giving effect to the decision was adopted on Friday and published on the official portal of legal information.

    It also provides for a one-year extension of duties to be paid in the national currency in respect of exported sunflower oil and sunflower meal until August 31, 2023.

    As part of the new payment mechanism, the base price for calculating the export duty on wheat will be 15,000 rubles (over $267) per ton.

    Russia is the world’s largest wheat exporter and a major supplier of sunflower seeds. Russian Minister for Agriculture Dmitry Patrushev said this month that the country would export agricultural products to “friendly countries” only.

    According to the minister, Russia’s grain harvest could reach 130 million tons this year, which would be enough to cover both domestic needs and ensure export potential.

    RUSSIA, CHINA, IRAN, VENEZUELA WAR GAMES MID AUGUST – Target: USA

    Normally, this story would be COVERT INTEL for subscribers only, but this is too important: In Mid-August, Russia, China, Iran, and ten other nations will join Venezuela in “War Games” off the US from Latin America . . .  and the Caribbean.

    This is just a little too coincidental given the depletion of our Ammunition and Weapons supplies sent to Ukraine, and the draining of our Strategic Petroleum Reserve which now has only 27 days of oil left in it.

    Its the perfect setup for an Invader to attack us, here, in the USA.

    It’s almost as though the U.S. is being intentionally weakened by our own government, to make us ripe to be invaded and taken over.

    The information about this enormous “war game” fits just a little too neatly into a pattern of events that seem all designed to lead the USA to a fall.

    I do not yet have the exact date for this war game BUT . . .

    The nations involved will “pre-position forward-deployed military assets in Latin America and in the Caribbean.”   So they are already moving troops into place.

    Maybe I’m paranoid, but maybe I can see the writing on the wall as plain as day.

    How To Make DIY Cat Toys! (Super Easy)

    Why not do some DIY? It’s easy and fun!

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    I’m so tired of the geopolitical stress, let’s go through the news with a laugh, a smile and a cat

    Who’s running the West right now?

    It’s the Fu Er Dai. Or the adult version the Guan Er Dai. Which is a Chinese name for “spoiled rich kid from a super-billionaire”. These children are so used to being pampered and treated like royalty that they become arrogant bastards or the female equivalent.

    Daddy will always “bail them out” of trouble. So they have NEVER seen the consequences of their actions. They believe that they are untouchable, and that this factor comes direct from God.

    The term "Fuerdai" literally translates to 'rich second generation'. It describes Chinese people born into families of high socioeconomic status, who inherited their wealth but did not create it.
    
    The term is often used in a derogatory manner, with emphasis on their overindulgent lifestyles and materialistic attitudes.
    
    The term has also seen limited use as a general label for anyone with rich parents and who enjoyed a privileged upbringing as a result. Non-Chinese figures, such as Fidel Castro and Donald Trump, have been described by Chinese media as Fuerdais.
    
    -Wikipedia

    Who are these people running the USA, and what is going on?

    When a civilization achieves its primary goal (namely being self-sufficient) it stops striving. This is because once having attained its goal, it no longer NEEDS to strive.

    Older civilizations realize that once the primary initial goals are achieved, a series of subsequent long-term goals must be implemented. Otherwise a long-duration malaise would seep into the society.

    But young nations, well, they don’t realize this. And you know, the United States is a very young nation.

    Such is the nature of life.

    When you do a task well, you move it aside and, behold! there is another one right behind it.

    Fix the stove so you can find the problem in the gas line; replace a clogged pipe in the garden and watch the new stronger water pressure blow up a few corroded sprinkler heads.

    As a society ages, it moves from a calling to a job. The calling consists of survival, and you get perhaps not immediate feedback, but at least it’s “concrete”  feedback. You are either cold, wet, and hungry surrounded by predators or you are not; you are warm, dry, and fed.

    When a calling becomes a job, it moves from ends-over-means to means-over-ends.

    In a calling, you set up an objective and do it however you have to, based on the situation and what works. In a job, you stick to methods prescribed by those above you for the “optics” of working hard, obeying, and helping others.

    With any job, we see the problem of success. If one person uses a certain method and succeeds, it becomes de facto obligatory for the rest of the group to emulate that. Therefore, you get an impassable groupthink, and that spurs on a contrarian, ironist, and novelty-based movement.

    This group turns on the idea of success itself.

    They do not want to emulate what others have done, and they instead seek to declare reality unreal so that they can pursue what makes others around them feel good, which gives these anti-success people more social popularity and therefore power.

    People of this nature aim to always be seen as the good guy in a social situation because they know it keeps others from attacking while building their own control over others. This makes them feel safe from attack, although since it is never certain this power is weak and like a dictator, they must constantly reinforce it.

    The interesting thing here is that they no longer care about whether their ideas work in reality.

    The idea — the symbol, the feelings, the theory — replaces reality.

    This is because the symbol is being used to manipulate others by creating joyful feelings in them.

    This mirrors how control-based civilizations work, namely that they exclude all methods which scare the group or debunk the dominant paradigm.

    By choosing from among what is left, people unconsciously reinforce the system and therefore, feelings of safety, pacifism, and relevance.

    In other words, people choose political opinions for the social benefit of having those opinions.

    And they have become entirely disconnected from the effects of those opinions.

    This is a type of mandated narcissism which quickly influences all levels of the society and individual behavior.

    Manipulation also forces you to scorn those you manipulate and see them as lesser even when saying to their faces how equal and good they are. The point is to benefit yourself by manipulating these marks and rubes, not to help them. They help you.

    In this way, the late stage society becomes a pathological place where everyone lies to each other in the hopes of swaying enough others to have power. How do people enslave themselves? They adopt a system of manipulation, at which point no sanity will be tolerated.

    Such a society breaks down into two mirror-image groups, the “do the stuff that always works” party and the “do anything but the stuff that always works” party. The latter has better symbols but no goal except not the other goal, so they have no consistency; forever rationalization, they seek reasons to justify what they want, and have no actual reasons for what they do.

    Sure, some decent ones get caught up in it too, the true believers. They believe the message of pacifism, which is that if we remove the differences in situation, people can get along and actually like each other. It is a pleasant dream.

    Saner people simply opt for fairness, but realize that it has nothing to do with redistribution wealth, status, and power. Instead it means accepting people as they are and rewarding the ones who do good so that the others know what they must do.

    Roots conservatives such as your scribe here see things even more simply: reward only the good, and remove the bad each generation, so that the next season you have people who are inherently and inwardly better, instead of trying to force bad people to behave as if they are good.

    Better than tolerance, this is acceptance. You recognize the good as what they are, and also recognize the bad as what they are, and you send the bad away because they are incompatible with what you want. You take them as what they are and do not pretend, which is more honorable than manipulation.

    This process of decay has no masters; it occurs naturally in human groups because, unless guided by kings who push the group to new heights, every group falls back on dividing up the spoils and pursuing the individualistic as a moral good.

    For this reason it proves hard to fight. You are not fighting against people, but their illusions. You defeat them only by revealing the emptiness of those illusions. Otherwise, you are just killing your own people for another pointless war over symbols.

    Well, with that on to the way… where is the collective West in Late Stage Democracy today?

    In America, it seems the Supreme Court has pushed back on abortion, the States are gaining power, and the federal government has doubled down on its Carter-style pursuit of ideologically-symbolic actions on environmentalism, diversity, poverty, and sexual liberation.

    But America is not the world.

    The bigger factor will probably be the global currency market. US dollars are in high demand when we drop interest rates because the dollar becomes like BitCoin, an easy way to acquire relatively untraceable cash in many countries for quick business deals.

    As time goes on however it has become quite clear that the dollar is losing actual value because we have too many in circulation that are not backed by anything tangible. They are simply paper of a value that is no longer tangible.

    The rest of the world realizes this.

    The markets realize that FAANG stocks are not worth nearly what the label says; there is distrust of the American economy because of our heavy debt public and private, our instability arising from diversity, and our complete political inconsistency.

    In the meantime, all of the problems that the West has blown off for generations are coming home to roost. Climate change is nonsense, but the Ecocide is real. Water and food supplies are declining. Pollution is in everything. Affirmative action, unions, globalist treaties, a surplus of laws and regulations, and high taxes have killed quality of life.

    This means that change is on the wind.

    The American Left is fighting a rearguard action now, trying to make their retreat as devastating as possible while keeping their networks in place. However, they have lost the middle of the voting population, and as the Great Replacement becomes clear, they are going to lose many of the others.

    When change comes it is first met with [1] panic, then [2] denial, then [3] tantrums, and finally [4] acceptance, after which point people start to see the potential bright side.

    America is somewhere in the first two steps. And right now, the West is starting it’s plummet towards the third step. It’s an exciting step as global democracy, worldwide Leftism, fiat currency, multicultural diversity, and international finance begin their graceful arc of descent…

    … accelerating as they go…

    …until they reach ballistic conditions …

    …where steering is no longer possible…

    …and impact …

    …an absolute certainty.

    Man denied giving blood after refusing to answer if he was pregnant

    Sinclair, of Stirling in central Scotland, was told to complete a form asking whether he was with child or had been pregnant in the last six months, prompting him to reply that the question did not apply to a man in his late 60s.
    
    Sinclair told a staffer at the Albert Halls clinic in Stirling it was “impossible” for him to be pregnant, but soon learned that he needed to answer the query in order to give blood. He now has no plans on returning to the donation center.

    The secret to the West is careerism.

    Someone got promoted for writing that “stunning and brave” question into the script. This gave the bosses bragging rights at the club about how progressive they were and satisfied the insurers, politicians, and lawyers, who wanted to make sure that no one would be sued for discrimination.

    Only when those same people get their careers wrecked and end up working at Tesco will the insanity stop.

    In the meantime, institutions like this run on the goodwill of decent, normal people and more of them will stay away, so the voters (who have slept through all of this) will wake up when they find out that the only blood available at hospitals is being bought from teenage drug addicts who need the money.

    Texas Could Vote to Secede From U.S. in 2023 as GOP Pushes for Referendum

    Under a section titled “State Sovereignty,” the platform states: “Pursuant to Article 1, Section 1, of the Texas Constitution, the federal government has impaired our right of local self-government. Therefore, federally mandated legislation that infringes upon the 10th Amendment rights of Texas should be ignored, opposed, refused, and nullified.
    
    “Texas retains the right to secede from the United States, and the Texas Legislature should be called upon to pass a referendum consistent thereto.”

    Texas has a solid argument for secession: the fraudulent 2020 election.

    If Texas is being manipulated by fraudulent votes, it can consider its agreement with the United States to provide fair and balanced elections to be in breach, and therefore make a solid legal argument — going back to English common law — for secession.

    If Texas were to break away and roll back its policies to 1980s America levels, it would quickly become a home for most of the business in North America if not the world.

    If it scrapped the majority of rules and entitlements, it would dominate the world economy. And, unlike Ukraine, it would most likely retain its nuclear weapons.

    What is Japan doing buying Chinese used cigarette butts?

    2022-06-29 17:19 HKT From HERE

    Japan has always had cooperative companies in Qingdao, Chengdu and other places to acquire the business of cigarette butts, which will be exported to Japan after the acquisition. So what exactly does Japan need these cigarette butts for?

    First of all, the main component of cigarette butts is acetate fiber. In addition to being used in cigarette butts filtering, it is widely used in medical and clothing industries because of its various characteristics. Japan is an island country with scarce resources and strong demand. Under the promotion, Japan also changed from military plunder during World War II to commercial recycling.

    In China, acetate fiber currently needs to be imported, and the import price of one ton can reach about 20,000 yuan. Some people say why China does not collect and process it, and we have so many smokers. Part of the reason is that the cost of collecting cigarette butts is too high. China has only started sorting waste in recent years. As far as cigarette butts are concerned, it is also difficult to recycle. Overall, it is not as cost-effective as imported from abroad.

    Therefore, China still has a long way to go in the field of recycling. Japan has started the use of recycling in the recent Tokyo Olympics. Although most people complain, it is also an attempt. I hope China can also gradually In this regard, there are some inclinations in resource research and development. After all, China has such a large population and various wastes brought about by consumption. If useful materials can be classified in it, then China’s energy will also have an independent path. In the future, the earth’s resources In the continuous consumption, solar energy, wind energy, hydrogen, and recyclable materials have become the top priorities of future energy use.

    Holy Mackerel, the Confederacy Just Won

    Thoughts by an American on the latest rulings by the Supreme Court. -MM

    Back in the 1860s, America fought a civil war over states rights. While the touchstone issue for the North was slavery, for the South it was tariffs and other laws favoring the northeastern factories that mostly employed Irish people.

    Naturally Abraham Lincoln, a student of the modern State in the European sense, found it easy to unite these new Irish voters against the mostly-Anglo South, and to use that to centralize government control with a Civil Rights Act which passed shortly after his 2500 fps lobotomy and death.

    The sense in America — already divided by Irish diversity — was that if we did not force everyone into a false unity and conformity of action, the same methods at the same time, we would disintegrate and not be able to compete with modern nations.

    Consequently law after the Civil War and during the world wars followed the same goal: strengthen federal authority, enforce it on the states, standardize everything, and therefore, create a sensation and sentiment of unity among the people of the nation.

    Fighting dictators like Stalin and Hitler gave us a false view of what we were attempting to avoid. We assumed that the founding fathers tried to warn us off of dictatorship, but they were really trying to warn us away from infectious groupthink.

    Infectious groupthink occurs when an idea becomes popular because it is lowest common denominator, after which point no one will refrain from emulating it because they want to be competitive with others who are using that idea. If something succeeds, everyone does it, even if not really relevant.

    You can see infectious groupthink in America today. Even companies that make sump pumps and oil filters are advertising how they support LGBT gay pride month, BLM racial shakedowns, and other goodthinker topics.

    Consequently, the Supreme Court is pushing back with a few momentous decisions, all of which favor resisting the herd and granting more power to local communities and states:

    • Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization: this ruling removes a federal right to abortion, justified by the 14A, and instead throws the issue back to the states. This does not automatically make abortion legal or illegal; most states, having had time to prepare, have laws in place to either grant abortion rights or criminalize abortion. This ruling in effect gives the states the power of a nation-state, namely that they are for themselves deciding what defines murder, the onset of human life, and the degree to which they want legal sexual liberation.
    • New York State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n Inc. v. Bruen: argued on the basis of the 14A in defense of the Second Amendment, the Court holds that New York violated the rights of its citizens by imposing costs and regulations on the ability to carrry a firearm. This would have been stronger had it been a straight 2A case, but it sets up the Left to take aim at the 14A, which would great help us to get it reinterpreted or removed. This case essentially blocks not just local but federal action to impose gun control.
    • Vega v. Tekoh: on the surface, the Court holds that a citizen may not sue the state for having failed to give him a full Miranda warning, but in the process, the Court redefined the Miranda warning as “protections of rights” and not rights themselves. In other words, the expansion of human rights hit an upward limit, and Miranda failures may in the future not be grounds for overturning convictions. This also throws the question back to the states.

    These cases came about for the most part in reaction to the seizure of the federal government by the Left and the rapid pace with which it has used presidential executive orders, unelected bureaucrat written regulations, and hastily assembled bills rocketed through a compliant House.

    The Court exists to protect the Constitution. Therefore, when it sees federal overreach, it tends to pare it back by removing the crutches it uses to justify such power. Almost universally these have been 14A and § 1980 cases which enforce individual rights over state or local decisions via federal law.

    However, as justices have hinted in the past, many of these laws were designed to fix perceived wrongs, not become eternal justifications for whatever power and money government wants to seize. By kicking these back to the states, the Court makes the voters choose on these hot-button issues.

    This allows the Court to fulfill one of the purposes of the Constitution: it is designed to allow people to escape from being forced to comply with the latest trend of infectious groupthink. It allows states and individuals to break away from the herd.

    Lincoln destroyed that, as did his party in subsequent years, with the Civil Rights act, much as the 1913 income tax obliterated what was left, since now people were required to fund all sorts of infectious groupthink programs that they would otherwise want to escape.

    The Court has now affirmed that the Confederacy was indeed right about states rights. In order to avoid groupthink and socialist-style entitlements programs turned coercive, such as diversity, EMTALA, and the need to fund the diversity abyss, states need to make these decisions, not the fedgov.

    If we are lucky, the Court will take aim at the expansion of civil rights as a blank cheque for abolishing all standards. If the next big case involves affirmative action, we could see a different America emerge quite shortly as people flee diversity and socialism.

    Suspicious about military content, Nepal rejects US disaster mitigation programme

    2022/06/23
    .
    Gen. Charles A.Flynn with Nepalese PM Sher Bahadur Deuba
    .
    Nepal does not want to jeopardize relations with China
    By P.K. Balachandran
    .
    Colombo, June 21: Fearing that the US State Partnership Programme (SPP) is a trap to involve it in an anti-China military alliance, the Sher Bahadur Deuba government in Nepal has rejected the programme.
    .
    The Deuba government (like predecessor governments in 2015, 2017 and 2019) was initially impressed with the SPP for its disaster mitigation content, but it had to reject it eventually, because the mood in Nepal is unambiguously against foreign programs which smack of a military alliance.
    .
    Nepalese governments have generally not wanted any trans-national agreements which could jeopardize their delicately balanced relationship between India and the US on the on hand and China on the other.
    .

    Article HERE

    NATO claims Vladimir Putin and Xi Jingping collude to subvert the global order

    June 30, 2022 – 8.21am
    .
    Madrid | NATO has accused Beijing of conspiring with Moscow to subvert the international rules-based order...
    
    ... as part of a new 10-year blueprint that identifies China for the first time as a global threat...
    
    ... and brands Russia the most significant and direct threat to security, peace and stability in Europe.
    
    Beijing reacted angrily to the new NATO Strategic Concept, agreed to at its summit in Madrid, accusing the 32-member alliance of trying to launch a new cold war.

    Full article HERE

    Homemade Potato Chips

    Forget buying a bag of potato chips at the grocery store when you can make these at home. This quick and easy recipe will delight everyone in the family. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

    Ingredients

    • 7 unpeeled medium potatoes (about 2 pounds)
    • 2 quarts ice water
    • 5 teaspoons salt
    • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
    • 1-1/2 teaspoons celery salt
    • 1-1/2 teaspoons pepper
    • Oil for deep-fat frying

    Directions

    1. Using a vegetable peeler or metal cheese slicer, cut potatoes into very thin slices. Place in a large bowl; add ice water and salt. Soak for 30 minutes.
    2. Drain potatoes; place on paper towels and pat dry. In a small bowl, combine the garlic powder, celery salt and pepper; set aside.
    3. In a cast-iron or other heavy skillet, heat 1-1/2 in. oil to 375°. Fry potatoes in batches until golden brown, 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
    4. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Immediately sprinkle with seasoning mixture.

    Manfred Mann – Blinded by the Light

    I hope you all appreciate this little tune.

    Beijing Slams NATO For ‘Maliciously Smearing’ China As A Security Threat

    Friday, Jul 01, 2022 – 09:50 AM

    Authored by Kenny Stancil via Common Dreams, 

    Beijing criticized the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on Thursday after the U.S.-led military alliance asserted that China poses “serious challenges” to global stability.

    NATO listed China as one of its priorities in the so-called 2022 Strategic Concept that leaders approved Wednesday at a summit in Madrid. This marked a first, as the alliance’s previous blueprint, published in 2010, made no mention of the East Asian country. According to NATO, Beijing’s “coercive policies” threaten the Western bloc’s “interests, security, and values.”

    Addressing the “systemic challenges posed by the People’s Republic of China to Euro-Atlantic security” and the “deepening strategic partnership” between China and Russia is now a NATO priority, the bloc declared.

    Beijing responded with indignation. “Who’s challenging global security and undermining world peace?” China’s mission to the European Union asked Thursday in a statement. “Are there any wars or conflicts over the years where NATO is not involved?”

    “NATO’s so-called Strategic Concept, filled with Cold War thinking and ideological bias, is maliciously attacking and smearing China. We firmly oppose it,” the statement said. “When it comes to acts that undermine China’s interests, we will make firm and strong responses.”

    As The Guardian reported:

    Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, China has been pointing its finger at the U.S. and NATO on multiple occasions. But NATO's attention to the China-Russia partnership began even before Moscow's military operations in its neighbor. It has also been openly talking about China for some time.
    
    In its annual summit in Brussels last June, the traditionally Russia-focused military alliance asserted, for the first time, that it needed to respond to Beijing's growing power. The language the bloc used at the time also echoed the E.U.'s phrase of "systemic rival," and the U.K.'s "systemic competitor" when describing China.

    NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters Wednesday that “China is substantially building up its military forces, including nuclear weapons, bullying its neighbors, threatening Taiwan… monitoring and controlling its own citizens through advanced technology, and spreading Russian lies and disinformation.”

    “China is not our adversary,” said Stoltenberg, “but we must be clear-eyed about the serious challenges it represents.” In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Thursday that NATO’s latest policy document “disregards facts, confuses black and white… [and] smears China’s foreign policy.”

    China, Zhao added, does not pose “the systemic challenge imagined.” Instead, he argued, it is NATO that is a “systemic challenge to world peace and stability” and its “hands are stained with the blood of the world’s people.”

    While Stoltenberg claimed that NATO is still “open to constructive engagement” with Beijing, the trans-Atlantic military alliance is moving to expand its reach across the Pacific. This is due in part to fears that Russia’s military assault on Ukraine could embolden China to invade Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing considers its province, and concerns about possible military cooperation between Moscow and Beijing on Russia’s Pacific coast.

    As Al Jazeera reported:

    Highlighting NATO's new focus on China, the gathering of world leaders in Madrid, both inside the bloc's summit and on its sidelines, included many from Asian nations.
    
    It was the first time that the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand were invited to a NATO summit. They participated in a NATO session on new global challenges after holding a side meeting outside of the summit.

    On Wednesday, Zhao encouraged NATO to abandon its “zero-sum game and the practice of creating enemies, and not try to mess up Asia and the whole world after disrupting Europe.” Referring to NATO’s response to the war in Ukraine, Zhao said that “sanctions are not a way out of conflicts, and the continued delivery of weapons will not help realize peace.”

    During this week’s summit, Stoltenberg announced that “thousands of new troops would be deployed in eight countries on NATO’s eastern flank,” the New York Times reported Thursday. Biden, for his part, said that “Washington would deploy an Army garrison headquarters and a field support battalion in Poland, the first U.S. forces permanently located on NATO’s eastern flank.”

    Just before issuing its strategic blueprint, NATO also extended formal membership invitations to Finland and Sweden. Peace advocates have warned that the incorporation of the two previously neutral Nordic countries, one of which shares an 830-mile border with Russia, into NATO increases the likelihood of a direct confrontation that could spiral into a nuclear war.

    The Time of Our Time

    We have not been so ripe for regime change since 1776. A ruling Party of Chaos is doing absolutely everything to disorder our lives and there really is no generous interpretation for its motives.

    Let’s face it: most people will not read Justice Alito’s carefully crafted arguments about what the constitution says or doesn’t say about abortion, or the meaning of “ordered liberty” through our history.

    We do not live in history. We live in the time of our time.

    And, until just recently, this has been a time that discarded former modes of conduct between men, women, and children as inconvenient to the presumably greater project of self-actualization.

    To be-all-that-you-can-be is a stirring notion, and it seemed to work nicely within the colossal techno-industrial armature of the past century, with all its inducements to thrive personally, at least for the comfortable elites who pulled the levers of that system — though not so much for those below caught in the gears, who produced children despite all the novel means for avoiding it.

    For the fortunate, motherhood became just another “no” box to check off, while fatherhood merged into the odious mists of obsolete patriarchy.

    History is made up of things that seem like good ideas at the time. The hard part now is moving out of a familiar time into the undiscovered country of a new time.

    The support system for all that is going, going, gone and in the ensuing flux all that rousing self-actualization starts to look more like Thomas Hobbes’s war of all against all, a savage and pre-human state of nature. As this occurs, all human beings have to fall back on are modes of conduct that include a moral and ethical dimension, which is to say, what is right and what is wrong, not just what is allowed at a given moment.

    Which is also to say: maybe the time of smashing boundaries is over. As that scaffold of techno-industrial comfort and safety disintegrates, and all the dazzling promises of becoming transhuman dissolve — sorry, Klaus Schwab — we will likely have to settle for being human again, and in the best way, not the worst way. That includes a certain reverence for our nature and for each other. That suggests not killing children.

    These days, this place on the planet that used to be a nation groans under a tribulation of bad ideas, bad choices, bad conduct, bad management, and bad faith. We have not been so ripe for regime change since 1776.

    A ruling Party of Chaos is doing absolutely everything to disorder our lives and there really is no generous interpretation for its motives.

    Everything it touches breaks, wilts, withers, splinters, rots, poisons, and infects the body politic, driving it deeper into derangement. It doesn’t even pretend to make sense because that would require making distinctions between what is true and what’s not true. We follow-the-science into pure evil.

    What awaits is the abandoned scaffold of the family and the community as opposed to the brute hierarchies of mere lonely, forsaken persons under the leviathan state and the behemoth corporation, which have produced mainly new kinds of cruelties, such as: the deadly “vaccine” mandates, the no-knock FBI visitations, the surveillance cameras, the robotic phone trees with their interminable holds, the obtuse insults of the HR departments, the drag queens twerking in your children’s faces, and much more.

    You might not know it from the news — what is the news now, anyway, except mercenary shuck-and-jive — but these giant governments and corporations are thrashing in their death throes.

    Get out of their way if you possibly can.

    Form the bonds you can with people and cherish them. For many, they will be all you’ll have for a while.

    You can’t overstate the havoc that we’ll have to live with in the months ahead, short of blowing up the whole joint, one can hope.

    And it will happen just as a gigantic set of pretenses to a New Order of things rolls out to thumping failure. Forget about central bank digital currencies. Don’t believe that the very people who have severed the relationship between actual capital and money can just magically conjure a new order of money that they propose to control and you don’t.

    Meanwhile, the old-school money they created too much of is headed for the biggest gaping black hole imaginable because that’s what happens when money based on debt is not paid back. So, for a while, there will be too much money and then there will be not enough, and then nobody will have money.

    All that happens as the supply of every kind of stuff in the world stops moving from Point A to Point B, including replacement parts for every sort of machine, distribution of petroleum and its products, and food.

    And at the same time, it finally becomes too obvious to ignore the fact that many millions are dying or becoming disabled from the effects of the mRNA vaccines foisted on the public, especially in the USA and Europe.

    Out of all that suffering will eventually come a new respect for human life and reconstructed relations between men and women, with all the abstruse ambiguities, pretensions, and nebulosities about sex put aside for some future age of decadence.

    It won’t require further agonizing reappraisals by any high courts to figure it out. Children are the consequence of sex. Children are required to carry on the human project.


    American Chip Makers Stall On Building New Semiconductor Plants As Subsidies Bill Languishes

    Friday, Jul 01, 2022 – 12:10 AM

    The Biden administration is laser-focused on sending Ukraine billions of dollars in weapons, including the latest round of anti-ship systems, artillery rockets, and rounds of 105 mm ammo for howitzer cannons that it has entirely lost focus on reshoring efforts to boost semiconductor production Stateside.

    Multiple manufacturers of semiconductor wafers have announced plans for new multi-billion dollar factories across the U.S. but are contingent on Congress allocating funds to aid in building facilities under the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) for America Act. 

    Congress passed the CHIPS Act in January 2021 as part of last year’s National Defense Authorization Act, which proposed $52 billion in funding for increasing the domestic capacity of chip production, though the House and Senate have come to a standstill over disagreements on certain parts of the bill that have sparked so much uncertainty among companies set to build new factories.

    In a letter on June 15, dozens of technology executives from IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Analog Devices, Micron, Amazon, and Alphabet called on Congress to move quickly on the CHIPS Act. They wrote, “the rest of the world is not waiting for the U.S. to act,” and funding for new chip factories must be achieved immediately.

    The uncertainty around Congress not formally allocating any budget to finance the CHIPS Act is causing concern among top chipmakers planning to build massive factories that might have to delay expansion plans.

    Unfortunately, CHIPS Act funding has moved more slowly than we expected, and we still don’t know when it will get done. It is time for Congress to act so we can move forward at the speed and scale we have long envisioned for Ohio and our other projects to help restore U.S. semiconductor manufacturing leadership and build a more resilient semiconductor supply chain,” an Intel spokesperson recently said in a statement. 

    Taiwan’s GlobalWafers announced a new $5 billion factory in the U.S. on Monday, but contingent on subsidies from the federal government.

    "This investment that they're making is contingent upon Congress passing the CHIPS Act. The [GlobalWafers] CEO told me that herself, and they reiterated that today," U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told CNBC, the same day GlobalWafers announced its development plan.

    In 2020, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. announced a new $12 billion plant in Phoenix, Arizona, and said some of the building costs would have to be picked up by the U.S. and Taiwan.

    The Biden administration has hailed the president’s efforts to increase chip manufacturing capacity, but Congress appears to be holding things up, which may result in delays for planned expansion projects this fall.

    Currently, the U.S. only accounts for 12% of the world’s chip supplies, a 40% reduction since the 1990s. The CHIPS Act is supposed to restore America’s dominance in chipmaking — but expansion plans appear to be on hold as funding Ukraine seems to be the top priority in Washington.

    Asian herbal‐tobacco cigarettes: “not medicine but less harmful”?

    From HERE

    Introduction

    Smoking in Asia has become a public health crisis, with East Asian countries having 38% of the world’s smokers.1 The high smoking prevalence is complicated by the fact that many countries have state‐run tobacco monopolies, including China, with 360 million smokers.2 Japan Tobacco International is the world’s 3rd largest transnational tobacco company and is 2/3 owned by the Ministry of Finance.3 Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand all have had tobacco monopolies as well.4,5,6 The entry of transnational tobacco companies (TTCs) into the Asian markets in the 1980s has led to higher rates of cigarette consumption than would have been otherwise expected with the native tobacco monopolies alone;7 the TTCs are now particularly interested in entering the large Chinese market.8,9

    Asian herbs have been used for medicinal purposes for centuries10 and, beginning in 2000, several Asian countries started producing cigarettes that combine these herbs with tobacco. (The herbs used in Western herbal cigarettes, in contrast, use ingredients such as hazel and rose petals that are not considered medicinal nor are mixed with tobacco.11,12) Asian herbal‐tobacco cigarettes may appeal to Asian smokers who believe they are deriving a health benefit from smoking these products. Correspondingly, the TTCs and a 2001 Institute of Medicine report have encouraged the creation of potentially reduced exposure products (PREPs), which may deliver fewer toxins to smokers who are unwilling or unable to quit.13 The strategy of product modification as a form of tobacco control has been criticised by some public health groups and researchers, however, because there is no evidence of a public health benefit at the population level14,15 and this strategy may discourage current smokers from quitting.16

    Little is known about Asian herbal‐tobacco cigarettes, so we sought to describe their development and product characteristics by examining international news accounts and internet sites for product descriptions and health claims. We also used the TTCs documents to determine the level of awareness and interest in the development of these products. Asian herbal‐tobacco cigarettes that claim to reduce the harms of smoking have been developed in China since the 1970s and the TTCs have been tracking these products since the 1980s. In 2000, other Asian countries tried to develop similar products, which coincides with efforts by the TTCs17 to work with Asian tobacco companies in promoting their “harm reduction” strategy in Asia.

    Methods

    Analysis of international news sources, company websites, and the transnational tobacco companies’ (TTC) documents. PubMed searches of herbs and brands.

    Results

    Twenty‐three brands were identified, mainly from China. Many products claimed to relieve respiratory symptoms and reduce toxins, with four herb‐only products advertised for smoking cessation. No literature was found to verify the health claims, except one Korean trial of an herb‐only product. Asian herbal‐tobacco cigarettes were initially produced by China by the 1970s and introduced to Japan in the 1980s. Despite initial news about research demonstrating a safer cigarette, the TTC analyses of these cigarettes suggest that these early products were not palatable and had potentially toxic cardiovascular effects. By the late 1990s, China began producing more herbal‐tobacco cigarettes in a renewed effort to reduce harmful constituents in cigarettes. After 2000, tobacco companies from Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand began producing similar products. Tobacco control groups in Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand voiced concern over the health claims of herbal‐tobacco products. In 2005, China designated two herbal‐tobacco brands as key for development.

    Conclusion

    Asian herbal‐tobacco cigarettes claim to reduce harm, but no published literature is available to verify these claims or investigate unidentified toxicities.

    The increase in Asian herbal‐tobacco cigarette production by 2000 coincides with the Asian tobacco companies’ regular scientific meetings with TTCs and their interest in harm reduction. Asia faces additional challenges in tobacco control with these culturally concordant products that may discourage smokers from quitting.

    Rationing Has Already Started In Europe As The Entire Globe The West Plunges Into A Horrific Economic Nightmare

    .

    If countries in Europe are already beginning to ration certain things due to “supply problems”, how long will it be before it starts happening in the United States?

    Up until the past couple of years, many of us in the western world always considered shortages to be something that only “unsophisticated” poor countries on the other side of the planet had to deal with.

    But the last couple of years have shown us that painful shortages can happen to wealthy countries in the western world too.

    At first we were told that they were “just temporary”, but the months went by and we just kept having more shortages.

    In fact, in 2022 “supply problems” have become so serious that many supermarkets in Europe have been forced to strictly ration essential items at various times.  For example, it was being reported that due to the war in Ukraine flour, sunflower oil and sugar were all being rationed by stores in Greece

    After limiting the sale of some flours and sunflower oil online, Greek supermarkets are turning to rationing the sale of sugar as well, now including in their stores, over supply problems.
    
    The AB Vassilopoulos is setting a maximum limit on the purchase of all brands of corn and sunflower oil and of flour per customer while Mymarket put a ceiling on sunflower oil purchases and Sklavenitis has added sugar to the rationed sales of corn oil through its online store, with a maximum of four packs, the products in high demand from restaurants, some of which said they have to stop selling french fries and other fried foods.

    Over the past few months we have seen similar measures implemented in other major European nations as well.  For example, the war in Ukraine prompted some pretty severe rationing in Spain

    Sporadic shortages of products like eggs, milk, and other dairy products also hit Spain since the war in Ukraine began. And major supermarkets including Mercadona and Makro began rationing sunflower oil earlier this month.
    
    Now, stores will temporarily be allowed to limit “the number of goods that can be bought by a client,” according to information in the Official State Gazette published on Wednesday.

    Looking forward, natural gas rationing is the next big thing that many people in Europe are talking about.  The flow of Russian natural gas into Europe has been cut back, and it appears that this may soon cause widespread rationing in Italy

    Italy may start rationing natural-gas consumption to certain industrial giants, after Russia’s Gazprom halved supplies on Friday.
    
    On the weekend, the newspaper Corriere della Sera reported that the Italian government and energy industry would meet Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss the crisis, with the likely outcome being the introduction of a state of alert under the country’s gas emergency protocol.

    And CNN is reporting that Germany is “one step closer to rationing supplies” now that Russia has decided to reduce the flow of natural gas going to that country…

    Europe’s biggest economy is now officially running short of natural gas and is escalating a crisis plan to preserve supplies as Russia turns off the taps.
    
    Germany on Thursday activated the second phase of its three-stage gas emergency program, taking it one step closer to rationing supplies to industry — a step that would deliver a huge blow to the manufacturing heart of its economy.

    Of course there are other parts of the globe that are dealing with problems that are far, far more serious than what Europe is facing right now.

    As I discussed in an article that I posted earlier this week, significant numbers of people are starting to literally drop dead from starvation in portions of eastern Africa.  Global food supplies just keep getting tighter, and the head of the UN is openly telling us that the world is heading into an “unprecedented global hunger crisis”.

    So if you have plenty of food to eat tonight, you should be thankful.

    Here in the United States, economic conditions are deteriorating fairly rapidly, and most Americans are completely and totally unprepared for any sort of a major economic downturn.

    Earlier today, I came across yet another survey that shows that about 60 percent of all Americans are currently living paycheck to paycheck

    “We find that consumers in all income brackets — including those who make more than $100,000 annually — are living paycheck to paycheck. PYMNTS’ research finds that 61% of U.S. consumers were living paycheck to paycheck in April 2022, marking a 9 percentage point increase from 52% in April 2021, meaning that approximately three in five U.S. consumers devote nearly all of their salaries to expenses with little to nothing left over at the end of the month.”

    So what is going to happen when those people start losing their jobs in large numbers?

    Already, we have seen the number of tech layoffs greatly accelerate over the last couple of months.

    Sadly, the layoffs will get much worse in the months ahead.

    And as inflation continues to systematically eat away at our standard of living, Americans are turning to credit cards at a record pace

    As Americans grapple with the highest inflation in 40 years, the number of new credit cards have surged as more Americans rely on them to keep up with high prices. According to a recent report from the Federal Reserve, revolving credit (credit cards and lines of credit) increased by 19.6% from the previous year to $1.103 trillion.

    Going into credit card debt is not a solution.

    At best, it can buy you a little bit of time.

    And it is especially a bad idea to go into credit card debt as we plunge into a recession.

    At this point, almost everyone realizes that things are going to get bad.  According to one recent poll, a whopping 85 percent of all Americans believe that the U.S. is “headed in the wrong direction”

    The national dissatisfaction is bipartisan. Most Americans, 85%, say the country is headed in the wrong direction. A majority of Republicans have been unhappy with the direction of the country since Biden’s election. Democrats had been positive about how things were going, but now 78% say the country is headed in the wrong direction.

    I was astounded to see that 78 percent of Democrats believe that the U.S. is headed in the wrong direction with a Democrat in the White House.

    I have never seen a number like that ever before.

    But this is just another indication that the hour is late and that things are about to start getting really crazy out there.

    For the moment, life is still at least somewhat normal in the western world.

    Sadly, it won’t stay that way for long, and so I would recommend using your time wisely.

    European road connectivity has been completely cut from Russian GPS maps

    NATO sanctioned the world into self isolation. It is time for the civilized world to work and trade exclusively with each other without the crusader nations. 
    
    By taking away Russian foreign reserve money and private assets at will, the crusaders alerted the civilized world that their currencies are untrustworthy. 
    
    So, it is time for the civilized world to follow Putin the Great policy to stop accepting $, £, € as trading currencies as these currencies can become worthless anytime the looting civilization decided to take away from you. 
    
    In Chinese language, the term currency is called 货币,货 is goods, 币 is money. The meaning is, only when a money able to established it trust worthiness and values in a market in exchange for goods and services, can be called currency. 
    
    Apparently, putin the Great policy has effectively reduced the image of the crusaders currencies into its true form: untrustworthy, can become worthless anytime. The outcome is:
    
    When The crusaders make a few hundred billions fast money from robbing the Russian reserved currency and private assets inside their countries, they alerted the world that their so-called currency are untrustworthy. So, in a foreseeable future, the crusaders will become more and more isolated from the rest of the world. Their economy will drastically reduced in size, and that they can no longer relying on printing money to maintain their economy. 
    
    As a result , the money they print will turn into currency depreciation and domestic inflation as the civilized world no longer trust their currency. 
    
    The speed of the crusader nations internal chaos and disintegration will be so fast that beyond most people expectations. 
    
    The risk of the crusaders starting another world war is at all time high. However, my assessment is that, they have already lost the capability to win, so the chances of them starting another world war is reduced. Their economy will collapse sooner than they could start another war. 
    
    Z: the number of days the crusaders live on looting the world is coming to an end:

    Record numbers leaving Germany’s churches

    Hundreds of thousands of people have resigned their memberships in Germany’s Protestant and Catholic churches. Fifteen years ago, 61% of Germans belonged to churches, a number that has now dropped below 50%.
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    An important development toward the makeup of a new, new world order.
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    Full article HERE

    Chinese And Russian Navies Circle Japan In “Show Of Force”

    This article is curious in that it displays the absolute ignorance of the writer. -MM

    In yet another example of the increasingly close alliance between Russia and China, the Chinese Navy and Russia’s Pacific Fleet have been engaging in war game operations, seemingly in tandem around Japan, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry.

    Reports of coordinated military exercises have not been officially acknowledged by Russia or China, though Japan continues to post regular updates on ship movements.  The naval exercises were apparently focused around the islands of Miyako and Okinawa, which hold 50,000 US forces, as well as a 70-mile wide corridor between the island of Yonaguni and Taiwan.

    While not unheard of, military cooperation in the Pacific between Russia and China has grown in frequency, with naval exercises increasing over the past month.  While Japan calls these movements a “show of force,” they may very well be practice for a conflict planned in the near future.

    After the recent BRICS summit in Beijing and the reaffirmation of China’s economic support of Russia during its war with Ukraine and NATO sanctions, it only makes sense that the economic relationship would evolve into at least a loose military agreement.  The latest decision on the induction of Sweden and Finland into NATO as well as naval escalation in the South Pacific are only going to drive Eastern interests closer together over time.

    China is nursing a compulsive obsession when it comes to absorbing Taiwan into the CCP, and with the West overly focused on Russia and Ukraine, they may act soon.  If an invasion of Taiwan is planned it would have to take place sometime in September/October when weather conditions in the region are favorable to naval operations.  Leaked reports from Russian intel in March seem to indicate that a fall invasion of Taiwan was indeed in the works.  Some believe that the Russian war with Ukraine will force China to scuttle such plans, but there is also a chance that Ukraine will provide excellent cover for an action against Taiwan; forcing western governments to split their efforts and focus on two fronts instead of one.

    The bigger question is:  Will Russia and China form an official military alliance?  There is no debate now over their trade alliance, but the notion of military cooperation between the two countries will lead many people to scoff.  Keep in mind, however, that there were numerous skeptics that argued only a week ago that the Turkish government under Erdogen would “never” agree to Finland and Sweden joining NATO, and yet that is exactly what they did.

    The geopolitical landscape is changing fast and the old rules no longer seem to apply.

    The Most Optimistic Woman On Wall Street Now Says That The U.S. Economy Has Entered A Recession

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    Even the most wild optimists are starting to sound like “doom and gloomers”.  In fact, even the most optimistic woman on Wall Street is now telling us that the U.S. economy is in a recession right now.

    At one time, Cathie Wood seemed like she could do no wrong.  Many of her wildly optimistic stock predictions kept coming true, and she gained hordes of Internet followers that hung on her every word.

    In 2020, her ARK Innovation fund outperformed the S&P 500 by a very wide margin, and pundits such as Jim Cramer were calling her a “genius”

    In 2020, Wood’s predictions appeared to be on their way to coming true. She was riding high atop the Fed-driven bull market: Her ARK Innovation fund, often known by its ticker as ARKK, returned some 157 percent during that first year of the pandemic, compared to just 18 percent for the S&P 500 as a whole. It was a legendary performance that drew accolades from various market watchers, including CNBC’s Jim Cramer, who in February of last year tweeted, “Cathie Wood is a genius.”

    But these days Cathie Wood sounds like she could be writing for The Economic Collapse Blog.  The value of her ARK Innovation fund is down 67 percent over the past year, and she just did an interview with CNBC in which she stated that she believes that the U.S. economy has already plunged into a recession…

    Ark Invest CEO Cathie Wood said Tuesday that the U.S. is already in an economic downturn, and she admitted that she underestimated the severity and lasting power of inflation.
    
    “We think we are in a recession,” Wood said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Tuesday. “We think a big problem out there is inventories… the increase of which I’ve never seen this large in my career. I’ve been around for 45 years.”

    Of course she is far from alone.

    Economist Stephen Moore also believes that the U.S. economy has entered a recessionary period…

    Economist Stephen Moore warned on Monday that the United States is already in a “soft recession,” noting that the “real question” is now whether the Federal Reserve can achieve a soft landing.
    
    Moore, a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation, provided the insight on “Varney & Co.” Monday, reacting to former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers contradicting President Biden on Sunday by saying that a recession was “almost inevitable” in the next two years.

    Peter Schiff is even more pessimistic.

    In fact, he is using the word “crash” to describe what is ahead for our economy…

    Stockbroker Peter Schiff, the chief economist and global strategist of Euro Pacific Capital, went a step further a couple of weeks ago by tweeting that most citizens have given up on the thought of a soft landing for the economy after the Fed’s interest rate hikes and now expect a harder fall.
    
    “The only landing possible is a crash, where everyone on board dies,” Schiff tweeted. “That’s why the Fed won’t even attempt to land and give up its pretend inflation fight.”

    Sadly, all three of them are correct.

    At the moment, what we are currently experiencing could definitely be described as a “soft recession”, and it will inevitably get a whole lot worse.

    And U.S. consumers certainly are not hopeful about the future at this point.  On Friday, we learned that U.S. consumer confidence has now dropped to the lowest level ever recorded

    A closely followed University of Michigan survey released Friday found that US consumer sentiment hit a new record low in June -— the lowest recorded level since the university started collecting the data 70 years ago.
    
    The June index saw a 14.4% drop since May as consumers became increasingly alarmed about inflation. About 79% of those consumers said they expected bad times for business conditions in the upcoming year, the highest level for that metric since 2009.

    Just think about that for a moment.

    In 70 years, U.S. consumers have never been more pessimistic than they are right now.

    That is incredible.

    Unfortunately, most consumers are also highly vulnerable.

    One recent survey found that 58 percent of all Americans are living paycheck to paycheck.  So when harder times come and many start losing their jobs, a lot of them are going to be in financial trouble very rapidly.

    The pace at which things are now changing really is breathtaking.

    Exactly one year ago, it seemed like the U.S. economy was riding high and stock prices would keep going up forever.

    But now it appears that the first half of 2022 will end up being the worst first half of a year for the stock market since 1970

    Stocks are about to turn in the worst first half in fifty years when the second quarter wraps on Thursday as inflation sits at a 40-year high.
    
    The S&P 500, the broadest measure of stocks, is down nearly 18% this year the worst since 1970, as tracked by Dow Jones Market Data Group. That makes 2022 the fifth-worst half performance on record.

    Trillions upon trillions of dollars of paper wealth has already been wiped out, and we continue to get more bad economic news with each passing day.

    And now that the Federal Reserve has decided to foolishly raise rates just as an economic downturn is picking up speed, there is no hope that things will turn around any time soon.

    The reckless optimists on Wall Street didn’t see this coming in advance.  If Cathie Wood had understood which direction things were about to go, her fund would not be down 67 percent over the past year.

    But of course there are countless others on Wall Street that have been hit extremely hard as well.

    The end of a party can often come very abruptly.  In this case, many investors that didn’t get out in time are now feeling an extraordinary amount of pain.

    Unfortunately, a lot more pain is coming for Wall Street and for the economy as a whole.

    Irrelevance

    People from the first world get weirded out when they go to the third world (and its enclaves in the first world) and see people kill each other over even the mildest slight. If you disrespect someone, meaning do not acknowledge their relevance, you have basically ranked them as worthless.

    It is easy to make fun of these incidents until you understand why two pieces of chicken are worth killing for:

    The 57-year-old victim said he took two pieces of chicken from another resident and ate them. Akron police said the other man became upset, grabbing the victim by the throat and throwing him to the floor.

    Keeping with the chicken theme:

    In a Monday, June 27, Facebook statement an MPD spokesperson added: “Officers were advised by the staff that a customer was upset about $2 worth of change and chicken sandwiches.”
    
    “The suspect made threats to do bodily harm to the female employees, and knocked the cash registers off their stands onto the floor, causing $10,000 worth of damage.”

    Chicken is serious business. If you get in a dispute over it, you may end up getting shot:

    Around 8:30 p.m., two men pulled into the drive-thru lane of the KFC at 6301 15th Street E. in Sarasota and got into an argument with the restaurant’s employees at the window about the food they ordered, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
    
    Minutes later, two employees left the restaurant and met the customers in the parking lot, where the argument escalated. During the dispute, one of the employees was shot, the sheriff’s office said.

    These barbecue-related slayings seem to form a trope:

    “He said the food was too cold and he just started getting a real bad attitude about it so we were like OK, OK, if you don’t want it, we will give your money back to you. So that’s what we did,” said Bautista.
    
    “We started walking away and something told me to turn around. When I turned around he had gone inside the house and then comes back out and he had a gun,” said Bautista.

    You want more chicken-related violence?

    Bountiful Police say Suliafu’s father returned home with food for Suliafu. When he discovered the wings were not the variety he liked, Suliafu became upset and began arguing with his father. During the argument, police say Suliafu went into another room, retrieved a firearm from his father’s bag, and pointed the gun at his father.

    The chicken-related carnage continues:

    A female passenger in a car was reportedly involved in an altercation with employees over a spicy chicken sandwich.
    
    After the altercation, the pair left then returned in the car, firing multiple shots from the road into the parking lot, the affidavit said.

    And the stunner of chicken redrum:

    That’s when police say Munn’s mother got into a heated argument over “guests getting too many pieces of chicken” with another family member, according to court documents.
    
    The family continued the argument outside in the front yard, where police say Rogers pulled out two guns and shot Dandridge seven times.

    If you are following the mainstream narrative, you should pretend to be shocked here. These are seemingly pointless crimes over things of low value, so a modern citizen sees them as laughably absurd risk of jail for almost no gain.

    That is because modern societies do not understand our primitive origins as a human species.

    In those egalitarian or communal hunter-gatherer societies that Leftist praise in the science magazines, in theory when there is a hunt or harvest the people who found the food bring it back and share it equally with everyone in the tribe.

    But in reality, no food goes to those who are disrespected and irrelevant. At the very least, they stand in the back of the line because their social status is low. When food is scarce, they may simply die in the bush if they cannot snag some bush meat, pick fruit, or dig up edible roots.

    Under ideal conditions, this process works to gradually exclude those who are incompetent. They are after all “useless eaters” who want part of the profits of the hunt or harvest, but are unable to provide anything of value on their own.

    Some duck out of the process by being submissive. Homosexuals, for example, seem to exist in every society as a type of domestic help and source of labor for occupations shunned by aggressive males, like interior decorating and hair cutting.

    Other males accept their low status and form a gang around someone more powerful. Their loyalty and henchman status buys them some of the food, although they are usually angling for more whenever their boss starts looking weak, old, or confused.

    In this way the egalitarian tribe preserves hierarchy without formally doing so, which would offend its pretense of egalitarianism, which is how it keeps the tribe together. It is a soup line with a few added conditions, essentially, namely loyalty in time of attack.

    But because this society handles redistribution, your public image matters more than reality. The reality is that you do not really care about chicken that much, but if someone disrespect you, your status will get lowered if you do not fight back right away.

    Even if you lose and end up in the hospital, you retain your status as someone not to be messed with. If you walk away from a fight, everyone assumes that you were going to lose, and so they see you as a loser. Only those who enforce their status through pointless violence keep rising in the public eye.

    In primitive hunter-gatherer societies and many tropical societies today, you become irrelevant unless you are willing to step up over even a mildly symbolic slight. Like superstition, symbolism manipulates human minds with the belief that the symbol can be a universal, absolute cause like magic or divinity.

    In other words, you are the symbol. When your symbol ceases to mean a willingness to fight over trivial displays of status, you lose ground and are on your way toward irrelevance, starvation, and death. It was never about the fried chicken; it is about your standing in the community.

    The third world manages image by violence generally because this is understandable by even lower-IQ populations like we see in the third world and underclasses of the first world. The top quarter of the Bell Curve in the first world uses a different quantum of measurement.

    Where in the third world, individuals preserve status through violence, in the first world they manage their rank in the hierarchy by maintaining a group mental state of cooperation. When you make others feel hopeful about our ballistic trajectory, paranoid and superstitious egalitarianism, and inflated defensive sense of self-worth, then you gain status in the middle class West.

    To do that is to be seen as relevant, where those who oppose the current System are seen as irrelevant because nothing that they say or do helps anyone get ahead in the current regime. If you instill good feelings in everyone, they quiet down and do the obvious necessary things, which makes you a hero of the Party or local equivalent.

    When you exist in an egalitarian society, whether first world or third world, you have nothing permanent. Your role is subject to your obedience. Non-egalitarian societies do not have this problem because you exist in a niche and level of a hierarchy, so you always have a role and place.

    Relevance in nature comes from structural overlap. Different species in an ecosystem are relevant to each other; ideas which form continuous thoughts addressing some aspect of reality show relevance. Ideas unrelated to reality connect to nothing enduring and are irrelevant.

    When social pressures take over from thinking, a market for importance is created, as measured in popularity, media attention, wealth, and power, all of which combine to form a factor known as status. Unless you constantly generate status, you become irrelevant.

    Egalitarian societies therefore tend to be narcissistic and shape people to be narcissists. Since everyone must manipulate others in order to have status, manipulation becomes the psychology of that society and everyone follows that lead because it succeeds in the System.

    Eventually they become solipsists, or those who are entirely atomized and isolated from everything else. This makes them irrelevant, except in the eyes of others, so they become pathological manipulators who care nothing for those they manipulate or the results that are achieved.

    In this way, society in its end stages divides into two groups. The solipsists want to avoid inner change, and they will demand any amount of power for others to give them meaning through external influences like politics, pop culture, ideology, and symbolic religions.

    The other group, realists, want to escape all of the noise and get back to what is true and real in not just the world but their inner selves. Realism, since it forces thinking about consequences and end states, leads to an exploration of intuition to find what is good.

    Most people simply want jobs. There they are told what to do, and if something goes wrong, no real consequences come their way, like starving on a farm because of a failure to produce food. They succeed by being narcissistic and manipulating others but this is easy and does not require inner change.

    When enough people who simply want jobs appear in a society, which happens when it reaches success and also simultaneously loses sight of any objective because it has succeeded in its first objectives, it goes down the path to egalitarianism and narcissism.

    At that point, relevance contradicts reality, and so you get this silly End of Rome type stuff where people stunt and try to be as outlandish as possible in order to draw attention to themselves. It is the same impulse as killing a man over fried chicken, just buried in layers of abstraction and neurosis.

    Apple in-house 5G chip for iPhones fails – to continue with Qualcomm

    Earlier today, well-known Apple analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple’s 5G chip development may have failed. This means that the 2023 iPhones will still use Qualcomm chips. In fact, the American chip maker will still get 100% of Apple’s orders. According to previous reports from Kuo, Apple’s 2023 iPhones would use Apple-designed modem chips instead of Qualcomm chips. Furthermore, Otakara, citing sources from the industry chain claims that Apple has actually been developing its own baseband. However, this is a very long project. The source did not entirely describe it as a failure because it needs more time. The original plan is to use this chip in 2023 but this did not survive. Otakara claims that this is a delay in the production process.

    According to Apple’s plan, it will use self-developed baseband chips next year, while TSMC is still their exclusive foundry. The chip will use the 5nm process with an annual production capacity of 120,000 pieces. In fact, Qualcomm hints that Apple’s in-house baseband will soon be put into use. The company also hints that its share of iPhone baseband orders will drop to about 20% in 2023.

    Why is iPhone 5G baseband delaying

    Regarding the reason for the delay, people in the industry chain claim that the baseband is different from other chips. Since the design and production are not direct, there is a need for testing in a full range of different operators. This process is long, and the pandemic did not help matters. All these are slowing down Apple’s progress.

    In addition, the testing of Apple’s baseband by many operators around the world is also slower than Cook expected, so it will be postponed. At the close of U.S. stocks on March 29, Qualcomm (QCOM) shares rose 3.48% to $131.6 per share, with a total market value of $147.39 billion. One-day market capitalization increased by $4.95 billion. Apple (AAPL) fell 2.98% to $137.44 per share, with a total market value of $2.2 trillion, and a single-day market value of $68.3 billion evaporated.

    Article HERE

    Happy Cats, Coffee Shops And Carefree Times In TAO’s Cheerful, Detailed And Nostalgic Illustrations

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    As she explains on her Tumblr profile, Sapporo-based illustrator TAO is particularly fond of cats, Showa Era things, and sneakers. With their cheerful tone and kawaii characters enjoying relaxing moments, coffee mug in hand, her artwork will surely put a smile on your face or dispel any clouds hanging over your head.

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    Her most recent illustration perfectly encapsulates the feel-good, relaxing mood and Showa Era nostalgia that characterizes much of her work.

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    The happy, relaxed mood and the cute cats are an obvious plus, but the nostalgia factor can largely be attributed to the cocktail table mahjong video game. Previously a fixture in most Japanese coffee shops, they’re all but extinct.

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    Behind the Tin Curtain: BRICS+ vs NATO/G7

    Slow-Cooker Baked Ziti

    I don’t know one family that doesn’t have some crazy, hectic weeknights. This slow-cooker baked ziti recipe was a delicious, easy fix for a busy weeknight dinner for our family. —Christina Addison, Blanchester, Ohio

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    Ingredients

    • 1 container (15 ounces) whole-milk ricotta cheese
    • 1 large egg, beaten
    • 1 teaspoon dried basil
    • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
    • 1 jar (24 ounces) meatless pasta sauce
    • 2 cups uncooked ziti
    • 1/4 cup water
    • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
    • 1/4 cup minced fresh basil
    • Grated Parmesan cheese, optional

    Directions

    1. In a small bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, egg, basil, and if desired, red pepper flakes; set aside. Pour pasta sauce into a 5-qt. slow cooker. Evenly top sauce with pasta; pour water over top. Drop heaping tablespoons of ricotta cheese mixture over pasta. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
    2. Cover; cook on high until heated through and pasta is tender, 2 to 2-1/2 hours. Top with fresh basil and if desired, Parmesan cheese and additional red pepper flakes; serve immediately.

    Chinese PLA Navy transport aircraft hold simulated landing on carrier, ‘indicate 3rd carrier to be equipped with cargo planes’

    First in aircraft carrier history: Only deep thinker could come up with strategic deployment ideas beyond simply attack, bombing, and killing!

    The crusaders simply cannot comprehend ideas beyond killing, bullying and looting…

    China and Russia will change the currently unequal and brutal world controls by the crusaders within the next decade

    Full article HERE

    Poverty Rate in the United States

    U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplements (CPS ASEC), Report P60-273: Income and Poverty in the United States: 2020-Current Population Reports (September 14, 2021):

    Highlights, Poverty:

    • The official poverty rate in 2020 was 11.4 percent, up 1.0 percentage point from 10.5 percent in 2019. This is the first increase in poverty after five consecutive annual declines.
    • In 2020, there were 37.2 million people in poverty, approximately 3.3 million more than in 2019 .
    • Between 2019 and 2020, the poverty rate increased for non-Hispanic Whites and Hispanics. Among non-Hispanic Whites, 8.2 percent were in poverty in 2020, while Hispanics had a poverty rate of 17.0 percent. Among the major racial groups examined in this report, Blacks had the highest poverty rate (19.5 percent), but did not experience a significant change from 2019. The poverty rate for Asians (8.1 percent) in 2020 was not statistically different from 2019.
    • Poverty rates for people under the age of 18 increased from 14.4 percent in 2019 to 16.1 percent in 2020. Poverty rates also increased for people aged 18 to 64 from 9.4 percent in 2019 to 10.4 percent in 2020. The poverty rate for people aged 65 and older was 9.0 percent in 2020, not statistically different from 2019.
    • Between 2019 and 2020, poverty rates increased for married-couple families and families with a female householder.
    • The poverty rate for married-couple families increased from 4.0 percent in 2019 to 4.7 percent in 2020.
    • families with a female householder, the poverty rate increased from 22.2 percent to 23.4 percent. The poverty rate for families with a male householder was 11.4 percent in 2020, not statistically different from 2019.

    NYT equates China’s health workers with Adolf Eichmann

    A twisted narrative by a paper unhinged by China’s success with Covid-19

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    In a article on the front page of The New York Times on January 13, reporter Li Yuan equated the public health and medical personnel behind China’s successful battle against Covid-19 in the city of Xian to Adolf Eichmann, a principal architect of the Holocaust. The article’s opening sentence views these personnel as typical of “the millions of people who work diligently toward” containing Covid-19 in China.

    The anti-Covid campaign in Xian, a city of 13 million, has terminated the spread of Covid-19 without a single death and limited its spread to about 2,000 cases. The Nazi Holocaust designed and managed by Eichmann resulted in the extermination of millions of Jews.

    The piece takes aim at the millions of Chinese who have worked tirelessly to do the rapid mass testing, tracing, quarantining and vaccinations and to staffing the lockdowns including ensuring that those under lockdown were supplied with necessities of life.

    As a result of their work China has reported about 100,000 cases Covid-19 and fewer than 5,000 deaths. The mortality count has been verified by a count of excess deaths in a peer-reviewed article by a team from Oxford University and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the prestigious British Medical Journal; it is summarized here for the layman.

    Peter Hessler, who was living and teaching in Chengdu, Sichuan, during the first of the lockdowns, described these workers as follows in a New Yorker piece in March 2020:

    “When I asked if there had been much resistance to the new policies, he [the Communist Party official in charge of the lockdown in Hessler’s neighborhood in Chengdu] shook his head. ‘Ninety percent of the population agrees,’ he said. ‘We have some people who think it’s not convenient, and they want to go out and play mah-jongg or something. But most people follow the rules.’
    
    “From what I had seen, he wasn’t exaggerating. The overwhelming compliance was one of the most impressive features of the lockdown, along with the dedication of grassroots officials. In Wuhan, the government had sent 1,800 teams of epidemiologists, each consisting of at least five people, to trace the contacts of infected citizens. The WHO report noted that the containment effort had been possible because of ‘the deep commitment of the Chinese people to collective action.’” (Emphasis added.)

    Contrast that with this from Wikipedia’s entry on Eichmann:

    “Eichmann and his staff became responsible for Jewish deportations to extermination camps, where the victims were gassedGermany invaded Hungary in March 1944, and Eichmann oversaw the deportation of much of the Jewish population. Most of the victims were sent to Auschwitz concentration camp, where about 75% were murdered upon arrival.
    
    “By the time the transports were stopped in July 1944, 437,000 of Hungary’s 725,000 Jews had been killed. Dieter Wisliceny testified at Nuremberg that Eichmann told him he would ‘leap laughing into the grave because the feeling that he had 5 million people on his conscience would be for him a source of extraordinary satisfaction.'”

    How can the NYT’s Li Yuan equate the two? The polemic used to justify the equation deserves examination, because it demonstrates how the paper’s construction of the narrative of the day often works.

    The tone and target are set by the online headline, which reads ominously, “The Army of Millions Who Enforce China’s Zero-Covid Policy, at All Costs.” (Emphasis added.) Later the case for the Eichmann equation begins as follows:

    “The government has the help of a vast army of community workers who carry out the policy [of dynamic zero Covid] with zeal…. The tragedies in Xian have prompted some Chinese people to question how those enforcing the quarantine rules can behave like this.”

    What are these tragedies? The author comes up with three presented near the very beginning of the piece.

    First was a man with chest pains whose hospital admission was delayed by six hours and later died of a heart attack; the bureaucratic delay related to his living in a medium-risk district.

    Second, a pregnant woman whose admission was also delayed because her Covid test appeared invalid; after admission she miscarried.

    Third, a young man who was violating a curfew and got into an altercation with security guards.

    Certainly, each of the first two these events is a tragic and unacceptable error. The third is hard to judge – if it is true. But in a city of many millions threatened with a deadly outbreak of the Delta variant of Covid, there were bound to be some mistakes. And if these are the worst of them, then it would seem that praise should be heaped on Xian’s hospital and public health workers.

    Nevertheless, the first two of these incidents caused an outcry far and wide over the Internet, leading officials to take action. (Note that the disclosure and widespread discussion online belie the idea that there is no opening for criticism in China.)

    The mass complaints led to the temporary closure of the hospitals to examine their procedures and ultimately to the punishing of those in charge. A national declaration made it clear that no patient was to be turned away from a hospital under any circumstances.

    Building on these three anecdotes and neglecting any context up to this point, reporter Li continues:

    “‘The banality of evil’ is a concept Chinese intellectuals often invoke in moments like Xian. It was coined by the philosopher Hannah Arendt, who wrote that Adolf Eichmann, one of the chief architects of the Holocaust, was an ordinary man who was motivated by ‘an extraordinary diligence in looking out for his personal advancement.’
    
    “Chinese intellectuals are struck by how many officials and civilians – often driven by professional ambition or obedience – are willing to be the enablers of authoritarian policies.” 

    Who are these unnamed “intellectuals”? That is not clear. Certainly, there are a good many Chinese intellectuals in the country and abroad who are proud of China’s handling of the pandemic.

    In summary, the anatomy of the article is a headline, then a cherry-picked set of anecdotes to set the tone. It is important that this mood be set as arrestingly and strikingly as possible. The most outrageous exceptions to the rule must be presented as though they are the norm. Finally based on these anecdotes, far-fetched conclusions are drawn based on the assumption that the anecdotes are representative.

    Later on, buried deep in the article some context may be slipped in as a way to cover the writer’s derriere. Noam Chomsky many years ago suggested reading the NYT’s articles beginning with the end, since that is where the real information may lie. Often, any such qualifications are left out, resulting in a giant lie of omission.

    That is how it is done.

    There is a bright spot, however. Many if not most of the comments posted online, at least at the time of my reading, found Li’s polemic to be baseless, even downright absurd. Americans are not so easily deceived as the NYT editors may think. This is heartening, because the daily demonization of China in the US mass media, relentlessly and prominently so in the NYT, is a prelude to conflict and war.

    As author Caitlin Johnstone tells us, “Before they drop the bombs, they drop the narrative.”

    The NYT is carpet-bombing us Americans with an anti-China narrative these days.

    One must ask in the end, what is the animus that drives this anti-China diatribe? Is it fear of the loss of the US role as global hegemon? Is it the self-righteousness and arrogance of the Exceptionalists? Or is it simply careerism in the service of an evil agenda, the very thing Hannah Arendt deplored?

    Istanbul connectivity the new Russia-EU transit hub

    By Chris Devonshire-Ellis
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    European road connectivity has been completely cut from Russian GPS maps in an illustration of how serious Moscow views the EU’s perspective of the Ukraine conflict, and further evidence that Russia views the EU import and export markets as ‘dead.’
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    This of course has significant and long-term implications for all EU businesses conducting trade with Russia and vice-versa, and has made Istanbul (shown as a red dot) the new central point for EU-Russian trade. It is also the nearest and fastest access point between Russia and Europe. It is a 3.5 hour flight between Moscow and Istanbul, coupled with the required connecting flights between Istanbul and all European destinations.
    .
    2021 EU-Russia bilateral trade had reached €257.5 billion, with nearly all of that now looking to be sourced from new routes. Dezan Shira & Associates Chairman, Chris Devonshire-Ellis, is currently in Turkiye looking at facilitation opportunities.
    .

    Article HERE

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    RADIOACTIVITY – KRAFTWERK – HD Live

    Enjoy the stage show. LOL!

    Iran, Argentina apply to join BRICS bloc after recent summit

    China and Russia friendship circle continues to grow bigger and bigger.  Whereas the US and Europe friendship circle shrinks and thus, as we have observed, in the process of internal disintegration.

    Article HERE

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    Australia’s leading wine authority to close office in China as exports plunge

    Australia’s leading wine authority to close office in China as exports plunge.
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    Good riddance.

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    Here’s proof of how fast the state of Florida is growing these days. Just wow.

    Here is what is going on inside of Florida.

    Vladimir Putin ally warns London ‘will be bombed first’ if World War 3 breaks out

    Vladimir Putin ally warns London ‘will be bombed first’ if World War 3 breaks out. ‘It’s crystal clear that the threat to the world comes from the Anglo-Saxons,’ Andrey Gurulyov said.
    ,
    Emily Atkinson
    5 days ago
    London will be the first strategic Nato target to be hit by Russian missiles should a third world war erupt, a close ally of president Vladimir Putin has claimed.
    
    Speaking on Russian state TV, Andrey Gurulyov, an MP who sits on Moscow’s defence committee, described how a possible full-scale invasion of Nato’s Baltic state members would work.

    Paywall Article HERE

    China’s colonial past is reflected in Semantics

    For example, publicist Sima Nan, referring to the publications of a
    famous mathematical scientist who appears on social networks under the
    pseudonym Shanzhen Azhi, suggests that China’s colonial and
    semi-colonial past is reflected in the way some Western countries are
    referred to in modern Chinese. In a recent video posted on Chinese
    social networks, Sima Nan, discussing China’s history, points out that
    “once the Chinese sagged under Western pressure and consciously or
    unconsciously began to praise overseas oppressors” and chose
    semantically positive characters to name conquering countries. Without
    going into the hieroglyphics and phonetic features of the Chinese
    language, let us explain that, for example, the two hieroglyphs used to
    write down the United States are translated as “Wonderful State”,
    England as “Outstanding State”, France as “State of Law”, Germany,
    respectively, as “State of Virtue”. The pious names of some European
    powers and the United States, which once subjugated the decrepit
    imperial China, were reflected in the minds of the Chinese.

    According to Shanzhen Achzhi, England, which imposed the opium trade on
    China, was called Outstanding, whereas it should have been called Opium,
    leaving the sound, only changing the character. Virtuous Germany should
    be renamed the Land of Knives, based on the crimes committed by the
    “mustachioed artist” in the mid-20th century. We must discard the
    incorrectly attributed “legitimacy” of French statehood, which until
    very recently took part in the bombing of Libya, Iraq and Yugoslavia,
    and assign it the homonymic character “fu” – which has an emotionally
    colored negative meaning.

    “American statehood, built on land taken from the native population,
    would also do well to start writing it differently,” argues Sima Nan,
    who questions the “beauty” of American history and the virtues of all
    Western civilization. Of course, the above said is difficult to
    understand for a foreigner not experienced in the wisdom of Chinese
    hieroglyphics, but for the Chinese it all has deep meanings, i.e.,
    speaking in a more understandable way – “as you call a boat, so it will
    float” – the change of names of some European countries and the USA may
    be followed by a revaluation of the whole Western civilization by the
    Chinese.

    Since the middle of the nineteenth century, with the defeat in the Opium
    Wars, China became politically, economically and, consequently,
    culturally dependent on the West. Global changes in the political map of
    the world at the end of the twentieth century expanded China’s economic
    ties with the West, but again forced it to maneuver politically. All
    this, coupled with the increased mobility of the population and the
    advent of the Internet, had by the beginning of this century only
    increased the foreign influence on Chinese culture, which seems to have
    recently begun to cause open concern among thinking and patriotic
    people. Examples of China’s reassessment of values and purging its
    national culture of foreign influences abound.

    At the end of May, the Chinese segment of the Internet posted about
    teaching materials released by the People’s Education publishing house
    in 2013 and reprinted many times in the following years. The mother
    tongue textbooks used by Chinese schoolchildren for nearly 10 years
    appeared to contain a lot of “ideological subversion,” in short: Asian
    children in the textbook pictures have clear signs of Down syndrome,
    while the blond children are cheerful, red-cheeked, and dressed nicely
    and neatly. In the textbooks, the positive heroes have foreign names,
    while the bad kids are called by Chinese names. Heroic deeds are done in
    stories that took place in the West, and everything bad is given
    explicit references to China, etc. As many believe, the “harmful
    textbook” scandal is a manifestation of a fierce struggle between
    feuding forces in China itself and foreign forces interested in a change
    of power in the country.

    15 Exquisite Illustrations Which Sum Up Perfectly How Much We Love Our Pets

    Pets always fill our home with a carefree, cheerful, and joyful atmosphere, and they don’t expect anything in return. They’re quite simply devoted to us, every day, all day. If you’ve ever been luck enough to own one, then you understand what unconditional love means. You know this feeling from all those times when you waited the whole day to come back home and stroke your cat or pet your dog.

    So, we collected the 15 sweetest illustrations we could find which we think really show the incredible depth of love we have for our feline and canine friends. Go and hug your cat or dog right now! They deserve it.

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    F-35 Stealth Fighters ‘Suppressed’ By Russian Electronic Warfare; Missiles Fail To Hit Target

    Unverified reports and videos by local Russian media claim that Israeli F-35 stealth fighters missed hitting their target due to electronic interference.

    x
    x

    The reports claim that Israeli jets missed their target because of robust electronic suppression, which disrupted the weapon systems of the Lockheed Martin F-35 jets. According to reports, neither aircraft could strike the target during the military drills, which Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett attended.

    At the same time, the report notes that this demonstrates the severe vulnerability of the fifth-generation F-35 fighters to electronic countermeasures.

    Parth Satam, a defense analyst at the EurAsian Times, says: the video shows an air-to-ground munition, reportedly fired from an F-35, missing its target, which the website claims are owing to Electronic Warfare (EW) interference from Russian systems.

    While it certainly is true that Russian EW systems like the Krasukha-4 have been highly effective in jamming even US drones, Russia’s interference in Israeli military exercises within its territory seems highly unlikely.

    The only situation where Russia would interfere in Israeli air operations is in Syria, where they have a deconfliction mechanism to allow IAF to strike Iranian targets. They also helped shoot down Israeli AGMs with the Buk-M2/3 supplied to the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) a few months ago.

    But Russia would softly retaliate by electronically interfering in Israeli air operations only around its interests in Ukraine or Syria. The AviaPro report might be valid to the extent that GPS signal disruption has been observed in the Eastern Mediterranean since Russia specifically installed anti-drone and EW systems at its Khmeimem air base in Syria to protect from air and space surveillance.

    Russian electronic jammers can disrupt signals from GLONASS, American GPS, European Galileo, and Chinese BieDou satellite navigation systems. Thus aircraft, drones, or missiles will see their GPS receivers go awry.

    Even in March 2021, interference was reported on the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-1 satellite, which some OSINT experts and telecommunications specialists concluded was radar interference. It was over the Black Sea region.

    But assuming Russia did directly interfere in the Israeli domestic military drills, it could be because it calculated that the current tensions with Iran where Israel is trying to ramp up a regional coalition against it, conducting cyber attacks within the country and assassinating its military officers and nuclear scientists have gone out of hand.

    Article HERE

    Hiroshima ● 1985 ● Another Place (FULL ALBUM)

    Enjoy this great background music…

    NATO adopts tough line on China at Biden’s debut summit with alliance | Reuters

    BRUSSELS, June 14 (Reuters) – NATO leaders warned on Monday that China presents “systemic challenges,” taking a forceful stance towards Beijing in a communique at Joe Biden’s first summit with an alliance that Donald Trump openly disparaged.

    The new U.S. president has urged his fellow NATO leaders to stand up to China’s authoritarianism and growing military might, a change of focus for an alliance created to defend Europe from the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

    The language in the summit’s final communique, which will set the path for alliance policy, came a day after the Group of Seven (G7) rich nations issued a statement on human rights in China and Taiwan that Beijing said slandered its reputation.

    “China’s stated ambitions and assertive behaviour present systemic challenges to the rules-based international order and to areas relevant to alliance security,” NATO leaders said in the communique.

    Biden also told European allies that the alliance’s mutual defence pact was a “sacred obligation” for the United States – a marked shift in tone from his predecessor, Trump, who had threatened to withdraw from the alliance and accused Europeans of contributing too little to their own defence.

    “I want all Europe to know that the United States is there,” said Biden. “NATO is critically important to us.”

    Full Article HERE

    G7 Leaders’ Communiqué on June 28. The word “China” appears 14 times

    From HERE

    Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian’s Regular Press Conference on June 29, 2022

    2022-06-29 23:52

    CCTV: The 48th G7 Summit released a Leaders’ Communiqué on June 28. The word “China” appears 14 times in the text, which is largely critical of China on matters concerning Hong Kong, Xinjiang, human rights, the East China Sea, the South China Sea, peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, etc. What’s China’s comment?

    Zhao Lijian: Despite China’s solemn position and firm opposition, the G7 used the Leaders’ Communiqué to peddle the “democracy versus authoritarianism” narrative, interfere in China’s internal affairs, attack and smear China, and incite confrontational sentiments. This shows that the G7 has no intention of having dialogue and cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual respect, that the G7 remains entrenched in its Cold War mentality and ideological bias, and that the G7 prefers bloc politics that serves the group’s own interests.

    Hong Kong affairs are purely China’s internal affairs. Today, 25 years after Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, the democratic rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents guaranteed by law are fully protected. The Chinese government governs Hong Kong in accordance with the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China and the Basic Law of the Hong Kong SAR. On human rights, the G7 countries, with their own record being far from perfect, have no authority to lecture others or use human rights issues as a political tool to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. By attacking and smearing China on topics such as Xinjiang and Tibet, they are simply showing the world their hegemonic nature and hypocrisy. There is but one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. The Taiwan authorities are pushing the “Taiwan independence” separatist agenda, and the US and a few other Western countries are using Taiwan to contain China. This is the greatest threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. China has the right to take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard our sovereignty and security. China has been firmly committed to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and a staunch defender of world peace and development and regional security and stability. This stands in sharp contrast with the US, a warmonger and wielder of illegal unilateral sanctions.

    The G7 members have benefited the most from globalization. As such, they have a special responsibility to promote globalization, boost world economic growth and tackle global economic and financial challenges. However, at a critical juncture in the global pandemic response and economic recovery, the G7, rather than committing to solidarity and cooperation, is preoccupied with stoking division and confrontation and has shown absolutely no sense of responsibility or moral authority. I must also point out that for a group which accounts for about one tenth only of the world’s population, the G7 has no authority to speak for the whole world, still less to present its own values and standards as universal values and standards.

    We urge the G7 to earnestly step up to its responsibility and due international obligations, uphold true multilateralism, and stop applying double or even multiple standards, stop causing confrontation and division, stop discrediting and slandering China, and stop all forms of meddling in China’s domestic affairs.

    China Daily: French writer Maxime Vivas recently published his new book Les Divagations des Antichinois en France, or The Ramblings of Anti-China Forces in France. In this book, he has unmasked anti-China organizations like the World Uyghur Congress, the National Endowment for Democracy, and Human Rights Watch and wrote about how they made and spread lies against China with funding from the CIA. Do you have any comment?

    Zhao Lijian: I have seen relevant reports and noticed that Mr. Vivas said in an interview that he has faced repeated attacks, threats and slanders for his work on debunking the lies of Western anti-China forces.

    Over the years, the US and some Western countries have sought to manipulate international public opinion through propaganda machines and made up numerous lies on Xinjiang-related issues. These countries have not only been oblivious to the authoritative facts made available to the public by China, but also jointly attacked people like Mr. Vivas who speak the truth, and launched political witch-hunts against them. Is this what they call “freedom of speech” and “freedom of the press”? No, this is 21st-century McCarthyism.

    No matter what the anti-China forces do, nothing can hide the truth and reality from the world. Recently, Australian scholar Jaqueline James released reports on Xinjiang-related anti-China propaganda materials published by ASPI, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. She debunked and questioned the numerous lies and fallacies in those articles with detailed analysis. She asked these organizations to answer honestly whether their donors are paying for human rights advocacy or a “China bad” story?

    More people have now joined the effort to expose the fact that individuals and organizations like ASPI are funded by the US and Australian governments to falsely accuse and smear China. We believe that more and more thoughtful people will see through the dishonorable action of the US and some Western countries, who use Xinjiang to contain China and spread rumor and lies about China. We believe people will choose to stand on the side of justice and truth.

    MASTV: US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that NATO’s Strategic Concept will speak very directly and in a clear-eyed way to the multifaceted challenge posed by China. The number-one priority with respect to China, when it comes to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, is that China not become militarily supportive of Russia through the provision of equipment. Number two is that they not engage in undermining or evasion of US sanctions. He added that China has the responsibility to urge Russia to cease fire. Do you have any comment?

    Zhao Lijian: We have made our position clear on the developments concerning China with regard to NATO’s Strategic Concept. NATO has publicly stated on many occasions that it will remain a regional alliance, it does not seek a geopolitical breakthrough and it does not seek to expand to other regions. However, in recent years, NATO has repeatedly made forays into the Asia-Pacific region. Some NATO member states keep sending aircraft and warships to carry out military exercises in China’s nearby waters, creating tensions and fanning up disputes. NATO has sought to make advances into new areas and domains and clamored for bloc confrontation. The world needs to keep its vigilance and firmly reject it. NATO should stop drawing ideological lines, stoking political confrontation, or seeking to start a new Cold War. It should discard the Cold War mentality and zero-sum game mindset and stop making enemies. NATO has already disrupted Europe. It should not seek to destabilize Asia and the world.

    I want to stress that China consistently opposes unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdictions that have no basis in international law or mandate from the Security Council. Reality has shown that toughening sanctions is not an effective way to resolve conflict, nor can a continuous supply of weapons bring peace. The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict has taken a heavy toll on Europe politically, economically and socially, while the US benefits from it, with arms-dealers popping champagne and American grain and energy industries making exorbitant profits.

    As the one who started the Ukraine crisis and the biggest factor fueling it, the US needs to reflect on its disreputable role it has played in the Ukraine crisis and stop smearing China.

    CRI: We noticed that a report from the US Department of the Interior last month said a large number of Native American children died at Indian boarding schools. After that, more and more survivors and their descendants have spoken out and accused the US government of genocide against American Indians. Do you have any comment?

    Zhao Lijian: We are deeply sympathetic to the tragic experience of the Native American children. Those so-called boarding schools that carried the motto “Kill the Indian, save the man” were in essence crime scenes of the US cultural genocide against Native Americans. What happened at these schools is also important evidence of the racial genocide committed by the US against Native Americans. More and more facts have come to light and shown that the US committed systemic genocide against Native Americans in three dimensions, which has lasted hundreds of years and continues to this day.

    First, the US has committed physical genocide against the Native American population. Statistics show that since its independence in 1776, the US government has launched over 1,500 attacks on Indian tribes to slaughter the Indians. Before the arrival of white settlers in 1492, there were five million Indians, yet the number plummeted to 600,000 by 1800 and only 237,000 in 1900. Among them, more than a dozen tribes, such as the Pequot, Mohegan, and Massachusetts, were completely extinct. The US government also applied forced sterilization to Indians. Between 1930 and 1976, the US Bureau of Indian Affairs forcibly sterilized approximately 70,000 Indian women through the “Indian Health Service program”. In early 1970s, more than 42% of Indian women of childbearing age were sterilized.

    Second, the US has committed spiritual and cultural genocide against Native Americans. They have long suffered hostility, discrimination and oblivion. The inter-generational inheritance of indigenous spirits and culture of Native Americans have long been hindered. In the 1870s and ’80s, the US government adopted a policy of “forced assimilation” to obliterate the social fabric and culture of Indian tribes and destroy the ethnic and tribal identity of the Indians. To attain the dual goal of cultural assimilation and taking Indian lands for itself, the US government began with forcing Native American children into the Indian boarding schools, banning them from speaking their native language, wearing their traditional clothes, or carrying out traditional activities. The children also suffered serious abuse and torment. US-based scholar Preston McBride estimates that the total number of deaths could be as high as 40,000, adding that “basically every school had a graveyard.” Even today, the US is still trying to deliberately obliterate the historical memory and information of the indigenous people in education and media reports. According to a report by National Indian Education Association, 87% of state-level US history textbooks do not mention the post-1900 history of indigenous people.

    Third, the US has committed deprivation of the rights of Native Americans. The US has systematically deprived Native Americans and other ethnic minorities of a wide range of their rights, leaving them mired in a crisis of survival and scarcity of rights. A report by the Indian Health Service shows that Native Americans born today have a life expectancy that is 5.5 years less than the national average, and they have the highest infant mortality rate. The suicide rate of Native American adolescents is 1.9 times that of the national average. By June 2022, the COVID-19 mortality rate among Native Americans is about 2.1 times that of the White population. From 1969 to 2009, the US government conducted 928 nuclear tests in the Shoshone tribal region, resulting in nuclear fallout of around 620 kilotons. Cancer incidence rate in Native Americans’ reservations is far higher than other areas. High levels of radioactive substance has been detected in the systems of about a quarter of Navajo women and infants. According to 2018 US Census Data, the poverty rate among Native Americans was 25.4%, far higher than 8.1% among the White population.

    Genocide against Native Americans is an original sin of the US that can never be erased. The untold tragedies of Native Americans should never be forgotten. The US government has every reason to admit its crimes of genocide against Native Americans, and offer sincere apologies and repentance to the victims and their descendants. The US government should also credibly make up for the trauma Native Americans are suffering, and seriously face up to grave human rights issues and crimes of racism that exist within the US.

    Reuters: On the topic of NATO, leaders of South Korea and Japan will attend NATO Summit as observers for the first time. North Korean media said that this is a dangerous prelude to the creation of an Asian version of NATO. Does China share this view?

    Zhao Lijian: I have just restated China’s position on NATO. For years, NATO has sought to make advances into new areas and domains and clamored for bloc confrontation. The world needs to keep its vigilance and firmly reject it.

    Peace, development and cooperation represents the trend of the times and the shared aspiration of people around the world. Anyone who clings to the Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice, encourages bloc confrontation and form small circles or blocs will receive no support and will not succeed.

    CCTV: According to reports, at least 50 illegal migrants were found dead in San Antonio, Texas on June 27 local time. UN Secretary-General’s press office expressed sadness on this. Do you have any comment? 

    Zhao Lijian: I have noted the reports. The tragedy is heartrending. What is even more regrettable is that such tragic deaths of migrants did not happen by accident in the US.

    According to statistics, US law enforcement authorities arrested about 1.7 million migrants at the US southern border with Mexico for fiscal year 2021, a record high for 20 years. That included roughly 145,000 minors. The US locks up migrants in detention centers with dreadful living conditions, where migrants are often subject to abuse, violence and other types of inhumane treatment. The US’s brutal law enforcement led to 557 migrant deaths during fiscal year 2021, more than doubling the figure for fiscal year 2020. Amid COVID-19, the US speeded up the repatriation of tens of thousands of COVID-infected illegal migrants despite international opposition. This directly worsened the pandemic situation in many Latin American countries.

    The US needs to seriously reflect on and address its poor track record on migrant issues, take concrete actions to protect human rights and other basic rights of migrants, and prevent such tragedies from happening again.

    CNR: Newsweek recently cited a study published by the Denmark-based Alliance of Democracies Foundation and Germany-based Latana data tracking firm, which shows that in the US, only 49% of those asked said their country was a democracy and some 63% said their government mainly serves the interests of a minority. Do you have any comment?

    Zhao Lijian: The results show that in the eyes of the majority of the American people, the US-style democracy equals democracy for the minority and money-based democracy. What ties the minority to the government is nothing else but money.

    Mark Hanna, a US Senator, hit the nail on the head over a century ago when he said, “There are two things that are important in politics. The first is money and I can’t remember what the second one is.” Today, the US is spending increasingly larger sums on money-based democracy. The amount of money spent on presidential and congressional campaigns in the 2020 election reached $14 billion, more than doubling that of 2016. American writer Roxane Gay once said that in the US, “policy is sold to the highest bidder”. Obviously, in the game of money-based democracy, it is the politicians and those holding the purse strings who are the true beneficiaries of elections while the general public is merely the background.

    The big money the US spends on election campaigns stands in sharp contrast to the country’s yawning wealth chasm. According to statistics from the Federal Reserve, last year, the wealth of America’s top 1% hit $45.9 trillion, more than that of the bottom 90% combined. Between 1990 and 2021, the combined wealth of US billionaires increased 19-fold, while US median wealth only increased by 5.37%. More than 40 million people live in poverty in the US. Nearly 20% of all US households say they lost all their savings during the COVID-19 outbreak and more than 60,000 people had to live on the streets after losing their homes.

    When people are only allowed to get involved during elections and get brushed aside after casting their ballots, when people are showered with tantalizing promises on the campaign trail and completely lose their voice after the vote, when people are courted before elections and ignored afterwards, it’s not true democracy. US elections may appear to follow the “one person, one vote” rule, but in reality it’s more like “one dollar, one vote”, “one post, one vote”, and “one advertisement, one vote”. No wonder it has been said that the US-style democracy is fake democracy. The US government is now of, by and for only 1% of the US population. Such a government would eventually lose the trust of its people.

    Xinhua News Agency: We have learned that the Taiwan authorities failed to sneak into the UN Ocean Conference by trying to become part of the Tuvalu delegation. What is your comment?

    Zhao Lijian: We have stated our position on the issue yesterday. I would like to reiterate that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is part of China. The one-China principle is a basic norm in international relations and the shared understanding of the international community. It is also a fundamental principle affirmed in UNGA Resolution 2758. Certain country ignored the one-China principle and the overriding trend in the world. It facilitated the personnel of the Taiwan authorities to wedge into the conference, and deliberately hyped up this matter. China is firmly opposed to this. China practices true multilateralism and supports parties in attending the UN Ocean Conference in accordance with relevant laws and rules. We welcome the steps taken by the party concerned to correct the mistake and return to the conference. It is important that the conference focuses on the sustainable development of the ocean.

    I also want to say that the Taiwan authorities will only bring disgrace to itself when it stoops to joining a foreign entourage in order to tag along and wedge into international conferences.

    Dragon TV: According to reports, when talking about China’s COVID response in a recent interview with German media, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that unlike authoritarian state, it takes a while for democracy to respond to major issues, but by the end, they will get resolved. Do you have any comment?

    Zhao Lijian: China follows the dynamic zero-COVID approach. We have curbed the spread of the virus at top speed and with minimum cost. We have provided maximum protection to people’s lives and health and minimized COVID’s impact on socioeconomic development. This is the responsible thing to do for the Chinese people and for the world. For over two years since COVID first hit, the infection rate and mortality rate in China have remained the lowest in the world. At the same time, China’s economy has maintained steady growth on the whole. That’s why we say China’s epidemic prevention and control policy is science-based, correct and effective, and it has been a responsible choice for the Chinese people.

    The UK is among the first countries in the world to opt for “herd immunity”. But the cost for that is 22.61 million infections and 180,000 deaths. I noticed that according to media reports, a report published following an inquiry by two parliamentary committees last year found that the UK’s apparent decision to allow COVID to spread throughout the population in a bid to achieve “herd immunity” is a big mistake, which also delayed a comprehensive lockdown and could be called one of the country’s worst ever public health failures.

    Countries may differ in their national realities, but that should not stop governments from taking a responsible approach to fighting COVID-19. China has no intention to compare or compete with any country in terms of the way we deal with the virus, but we hope the UK side will put China’s approach to COVID-19 into proper perspective. To propagate the narrative of “democracy vs. authoritarianism” in the context of COVID-19 would only lead to more mistakes and could take an even heavier toll on the people.

    Bloomberg: Reuters has reported that China wants to host the video meeting with the ten nations of the Pacific Islands Forum during their gathering next month. Do you have any details to provide on this and have the specific islands nations agreed to this request?

    Zhao Lijian: I answered this question yesterday. China-Pacific Island Countries relations enjoy sound development. We have maintained close exchanges and cooperation between government departments, legislatures, political parties, civil groups and local governments. As for the specific event you mentioned, I would refer you to the competent authorities.

    MASTV: Following the inauguration ceremony of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge on June 25 in Bangladesh, Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming said in an interview that the project is a milestone of China-Bangladesh cooperation. It will connect with other projects under the Belt and Road Initiative and serve as an important link between China and the Trans-Asian Railway. Could you share more details with us?

    Zhao Lijian: We congratulate Bangladesh on the opening of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge. In recent years, under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh has focused on economic and social development and improving people’s livelihood, and continues to strengthen infrastructure construction. It is on track to graduate from the UN’s Least Developed Countries list soon with remarkable achievements. The Padma Bridge is funded by the Bangladeshi government and constructed by a Chinese company. Having been inaugurated, the bridge will now further connect Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, with the southern and southwestern parts of the country and inject new impetus into Bangladesh’s economic development.

    Reuters: The United States added five Chinese companies to a trade blacklist for allegedly supporting Russia’s military. Has China made checks into these five companies to verify whether they had sold goods to Russia’s military? 

    Zhao Lijian: The US sanctioned and blacklisted Chinese companies for alleged support to Russia’s military and defense industrial base. This has no basis in international law, nor is there a mandate of the UN Security Council allowing such moves. This is another example of US unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction. China firmly opposes that and has lodged a strong demarche to the US side.

    China and Russia conduct normal economic and trade cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit. This should not become the target of any intervention or restriction by a third party. In handling its relations with Russia, the US must in no way undermine China’s legitimate rights and interests.

    We urge the US to rectify these measures at once, revoke the sanctions and stop imposing long-arm jurisdiction and unilateral sanctions on Chinese businesses. China will take all necessary measures to resolutely protect lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies.

    Follow-up: Is China willing to let independent auditors check these companies to ascertain whether they had sold goods to Russia? Is it China’s position that even if the companies had sold goods to Russia’s military, they should not be sanctioned?

    Zhao Lijian: I have stated China’s full position on this just now. What the US needs to do is to revoke the sanctions and stop imposing long-arm jurisdiction and unilateral sanctions on Chinese businesses. There is no basis for the US to slap sanctions on Chinese companies by citing domestic laws. China firmly opposes this.

    Phoenix TV: The White House on June 28 released the fact sheet titled The United States Continues to Strengthen Cooperation with G7 on 21st Century Challenges, including those Posed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC). It reads that the G7 will include a commitment that represents their values as G7 partners compete with China and calls on G7 to remove all forms of forced labor from global supply chains, such as in Xinjiang. Do you have any comment?

    Zhao Lijian: The international community is now at a crucial juncture of combating COVID-19 and striving for economic recovery. The G7 needs to be open and inclusive, strengthen solidarity and cooperation with other parties, and take due responsibility to respond to global challenges, uphold true multilateralism and promote world economic recovery. The world needs the G7 to make positive contribution to world peace and development, instead of clinging to the Cold War mentality and ideological bias, or drawing ideological lines and forming small circles and blocs to promote bloc politics, antagonism and confrontation.

    I also want to stress that the so-called “forced labor” in Xinjiang is a huge lie made by anti-China forces to smear China. Their allegations do not stand up to scrutiny given the reality that the labor rights and interests of people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang are duly protected. For some time, to use Xinjiang to contain China, the US has been rehashing the false narrative of “forced labor” and seeking to engender forced unemployment in Xinjiang and make the world decouple with China. It is clear enough that the US is a hegemonic power that tramples human rights and rules in the name of protecting them. The US chooses to ignore facts and seeks to curb the development of Xinjiang and China as a whole. It has deliberately damaged international economic and trade rules, and disrupted international industrial and supply chains. China firmly opposes this. We will resolutely defend the lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies and citizens. None of these US attempts will succeed.

    Phoenix TV: Nepali President Bidya Devi Bhandari has appointed Bishnu Pukar Shrestha as the new ambassador to China. What is China’s comment?

    Zhao Lijian: China welcomes the new Nepali ambassador to China, and looks forward to his assumption of the post at an early date. China and Nepal are connected by mountains and rivers, and enjoy an ever-lasting friendship. China is ready to work with Nepal to follow through on the important consensus of the leaders of the two countries, deepen political mutual trust, promote mutually beneficial cooperation, and elevate the strategic partnership of cooperation featuring ever-lasting friendship for development and prosperity to new heights.

    China News Service: An official of the US National Security Council said on June 29 that the US isn’t asking countries in Latin America to pick between working with the US or China. The US is putting forward support that China and Russia can’t offer. It is committed to supporting democracy and reforming multilateral development banks, which contrasts with a lack of transparency in Chinese investments, as well as Chinese vaccines that were sold rather than donated. He also drew a distinction between the US practice and China’s focus on buying commodities from the region. Do you have any comment?

    Zhao Lijian: China has always pursued cooperation in a wide range of areas with Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries in line with the principles of mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit, openness and inclusiveness and on the basis of respecting each other’s needs and interests. We do not attach any political strings to such cooperation, nor do we make empty promises to these countries. We have honored our words and brought tangible benefits to the people of both sides.

    Since the US official tried to make a comparison between the practices of China and the US, perhaps I should reciprocate. In the case of COVID response cooperation, for instance, there is indeed a distinction between China and the US. While busy dealing with the COVID situation at home, the US did the opposite of helping Latin America by prohibiting some companies from exporting N95 masks to countries in Latin America and seizing or intercepting ventilators and other medical supplies purchased by Latin American countries during their transit in the US. By stark contrast, China overcame its own difficulties and took the lead in providing vaccines to Latin America and other developing countries. For many countries in the region, Chinese vaccines are the first vaccines they received, and the only vaccines they could obtain for many months that followed.

    China believes that different countries can carry out cooperation with LAC countries in a mutually non-exclusive, complementary and reinforcing way. If the US truly cares about the opinion of the region, it should abandon the Monroe Doctrine and hegemonic practice as soon as possible, and act upon what it has said about not asking LAC countries to pick between China and the US, instead of saying one thing and doing another, still less publicly or privately attacking and smearing China or sowing discord between China and LAC countries and hampering China-LAC cooperation.

    NATO invites Finland, Sweden to join and eyes ‘direct threat’ from Putin amid Ukraine war

    NATO has now officially invited Finland and Sweden to join the alliance, a sign of just how dramatically the Kremlin's war has upended the previous military landscape in Europe.
    
    Earlier in the day, at the start of a summit in Madrid, President Joe Biden announced an increased U.S. military presence in Europe headlined by the first permanent American forces on NATO’s eastern flank and more rotating troops in the Baltic states.
    
    The Western alliance also called Russia its "most significant and direct threat" in a joint statement, a notable shift from its description of Moscow as a "strategic partner" a decade ago.

    Article HERE

    Putin condemns NATO’s ‘imperial ambitions’, warns Finland, Sweden

    Russian President Vladimir Putin has condemned NATO’s “imperial ambitions”, accusing the military alliance of seeking to assert its “supremacy” through the Ukraine conflict.

    The Russian leader also said on Wednesday that he would respond in kind if NATO deployed troops and infrastructure in Finland and Sweden after the two Nordic countries join the military alliance.

    Putin made his comment a day after NATO member Turkey lifted its veto over the bid by Finland and Sweden to join the alliance when the three nations agreed to protect each other’s security.

    Helsinki and Stockholm joining NATO marks one of the biggest shifts in European security in decades.

    “With Sweden and Finland, we don’t have the problems that we have with Ukraine. They want to join NATO, go ahead,” Putin told Russian state television after talks with regional leaders in the central Asian ex-Soviet state of Turkmenistan.

    “But they must understand there was no threat before, while now, if military contingents and infrastructure are deployed there, we will have to respond in kind and create the same threats for the territories from which threats towards us are created,” he said.

    Moscow’s relations with Helsinki and Stockholm would inevitably sour over their NATO membership, he added.

    “Everything was fine between us, but now there might be some tensions, there certainly will,” Putin said.

    “It’s inevitable if there is a threat to us.”

    Article HERE

    India Cement Maker Pays For $26m Russian Coal Cargo in Yuan

    Dollar as world reserve currency is built on trust, however, the moment the crusaders looted Russian foreign currency reserve in their banks, the trust is gone. When trust is gone , the world will begin to turn away from the dollar and the Euro. The RMB will replace the dollar as the world number one reserve currency sooner than people can imagine.
    India’s biggest cement producer is to pay for a $26 million cargo of Russian coal with Chinese yuan.
    
    In what could be a groundbreaking move, UltraTech Cement’s purchase could help insulate Moscow from the effects of western sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine if others follow its lead.
    
    It could also bolster Beijing’s push to further internationalise its currency and chip away at the dominance of the US dollar in global trade.
    US economy is in big trouble.

    Full article HERE

    Stealth Killer! Russia’s Rezonans-NE Radar That Can Track F-35 Jets Deep Inside Finland & Norway Begins Construction — Reports

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    Russia has reportedly begun constructing a Rezonans-NE VHF radar on the hilltop of Korzunova air base, presumably to counter the F-35 fighter jets of the United States and its allies.  

    The location for installing the Rozonans-NE radar was first announced in 2020. According to the most recent claims, the construction work has been going on since July 2021, as seen in the latest satellite images.

    The facility is located near the Zapolyarny, a mining town about 10 kilometers from Russia’s border with Norway. The facility comprises four radar modules covering 90 degrees and can scan an entire circular area.

    According to reports, the complex is without rotating antennas and has a transmit antenna-feeder and elevation antenna-feeder devices, as well as radar data receiving and processing systems. 

    Once finished, the radar will have a sufficient field of operation to keep an eye on the skies above Rovaniemi in Finland and Evenes airport in Norway. These two places are current and future bases for the F-35.

    NATO already has a pair of F-35 fighter jets at Evenes. These jets are assigned for Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) missions to intercept Russian aircraft flying out of the Kola Peninsula. The first of Finland’s F-35s, scheduled to enter service in 2025, will be based in Rovaniemi.

    In 2020, a Rozonans-NE radar system sold to Iran, according to the Russian state-affiliated news agency TASS, had effectively located and tracked American F-35 fighter jets just outside the country’s borders.

    The new radar is one of at least six similar systems that have already been installed or will soon be installed along Russia’s Arctic coastline, from the Kola Peninsula in the west to the Bering Strait in the east. 

    Rozonans-NE Radar

    The radar system can identify and follow even the most complicated air targets. The Rezonans-NE is a high frequency [VHF] early warning phased-array radar.

    It is intended to detect various present and potential air targets, including low-observable cruise and ballistic missiles, hypersonic aircraft, and stealth aircraft, in environments with strong electronic countermeasures (ECM) and clutter.

    The radar can run in a predetermined sector or circular scan mode. In addition to tasks for peacetime, it can provide information support for air and air defense warfare operations as well as an early warning of an air attack. 

    The Rezonans-NE has four radar modules, each of which can operate independently and offers control in an azimuth sector of 90 degrees. The radar module includes transmit, azimuth, elevation antenna feeders, and the power amplifier. 

    The radar’s data reception and processing system collects and processes data in the four modules. The radar data receiving and processing apparatus, as well as the probe signal generator, are digital devices controlled by specialized processors. The four-module radar, which covers a 100 x 100-meter area, scans a 360-degree sector.

    Yuri Knutov, a Russian military expert, previously stated that Rezonans-NE is a highly effective radar system that incorporates artificial intelligence components. This technology enables the station to simulate an electronic image of a target and precisely identify its type with flight parameters.

    The Resonance-N radar’s technical capabilities enable it to identify and designate targets at distances up to 600 km for aerodynamic air targets and up to 1,200 kilometers for ballistic targets. The system finds targets at up to 100 kilometers in altitude simultaneously.

    The “Resonance-N” radar is being developed in modules. It significantly lowers the cost of its production because all of the station’s nodes are assembled into special containers afterward. The station has a friend-or-foe target recognition system and can function reliably in winds up to 50 m/s at the lowest and highest air temperatures.

    During combat operations, the radar is said to be able to track more than 500 targets simultaneously, giving early warning of an air attack and informing aviation and anti-aircraft defense systems about the air situation. The system does not have rotating antennas, typically used to provide all-around visibility. 

    Rezonans-NE is typically set up on the ground as a square of four modules. However, the radar can be built in one-module, two-module, or three variants with viewing segments of 90°, 180°, and 270°, respectively, upon the customer’s request.

    This system is also exported to a few countries. Presently, the system has already been acquired by Egypt and Iran. Algeria is also said to be a user of this system. It is assumed that the Egyptian Resonance-NE radar monitors all objects in the airspace over Israel, Syria, and other countries besides Egypt.

    In Huawei Battle, China Threatens Germany ‘Where It Hurts’: with German Automakers

    It’s no longer possible to hurt China without being hurt BADLY in retaliation.

    VW, Daimler and BMW sell more cars in China than anywhere else and many already cooperate with Huawei — a dependency Beijing is not shy to exploit.

    NYT Paywall. Article HERE

    China Orders Government, State Firms to Replace Foreign Computers – Bloomberg

    China has ordered central government agencies and state-backed corporations to replace foreign-branded personal computers with domestic alternatives within two years, marking one of Beijing’s most aggressive efforts so far to eradicate key overseas technology from within its most sensitive organs.
    
    Staff were asked after the week-long May break to turn in foreign PCs for local alternatives that run on operating software developed domestically, people familiar with the plan said. The exercise, which was mandated by central government authorities, is likely to eventually replace at least 50 million PCs on a central-government level alone, they said, asking to remain anonymous discussing a sensitive matter.

    Article HERE

    RCMP admits they hack Canadians’ devices to spy on them

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    In a breathtaking admission, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) say they’ve secretly used spyware on Canadians’ devices to get audio and visual recordings of Canadians without their knowledge.

    According to sources, the RCMP claim they only use such spyware in the most “serious cases,” such as when there are national security concerns. However, this is the first time the RCMP has openly admitted that they infiltrate mobile devices to collect data, despite having access to the technology for years.

    Their admission came after a Conservative MP questioned what government programs are used to gather data on Canadians last week.

    “This is a kind of capability that they have done everything possible to keep incredibly quiet,” said UofT senior research associate Christopher Parsons.

    “This is a remarkable finding and, for the first time, publicly reveals that the RCMP is using spyware to infiltrate mobile devices, as well as the broad capabilities of their spyware.” Parsons continues, saying that many security experts have been aware of these capabilities but that this is the first time the RCMP has admitted it. He added that this “is the cleanest, most straightforward explanation of what they’re capable of doing that I’m aware of.”

    The RCMP claims it only used this technology in 10 investigations between 2018 and 2020.

    According to the submitted RCMP document, the decision to use spyware to infiltrate Canadians’ personal devices is in response to new encryption services that make it difficult for officers to conduct court-authorized electronic surveillance.

    “In less than a generation, a high number of Canadians migrated their daily communications from a small number of large telecommunication service providers, all of which provided limited and centrally controlled services to customers, to countless organizations in Canada and elsewhere that provide a myriad of digital services to customers,” the document reads.

    “That decentralization, combined with the widespread use of end-to-end encrypted voice and text-based messaging services, make it exponentially more difficult for the RCMP to conduct court-authorized electronic surveillance.”

    As for the scope of the spyware used, the technology can gather pictures, videos, calendar entries, financial records, audio recordings, text messages, private communications, and “photographic images of persons, places and activities viewable by the camera(s) built into the targeted device.”

    What is not being said is that [1] the technology to spy was obtained from the United States, and [2] none of the Huawei systems and towers could be "backdoored". -MM

    The Economist rephrases controversial article comparing the amount of food consumption by Chinese with pigs

    By GT staff reporters
    Published: Jun 30, 2022 04:02 PM
    The Economist rephrases controversial article, clarifies it never intended to cause offense amid accusations of racism - Global Times

    Full article HERE

    The Economist magazine has rephrased the controversial comparison featured in one of their articles that compares pigs to Chinese people and clarified that it was not intended to cause offense, which, however, failed to convince Chinese netizens outraged by such racist and dehumanizing language.
    
    On Thursday, in an email reply to the Global Times, the magazine writes: "As our intention was never to cause offence, we have rephrased the article to make our meaning absolutely clear."
    
    "In a Graphic setting out how most of the world's grain is fed to animals or used to make biofuel, we observed that 431m tonnes of grain is eaten by pigs and that, if it were a stand-alone country, this would rank at the very top of the league tables for grain consumption. By way of comparison, we pointed out that this is 45% more than the real-life country that consumes the most rice and wheat, which is China," The Economist explained in the email. 
    
    The Economist said it had rephrased the article and attached a note at the bottom after being "contacted by Chinese readers, who object to the comparison."
    
    

     

    The now-deleted content was part of an article titled "Most of the world's grain is not eaten by humans" published on June 23. 
    
    "In 2019 pigs ate 432m tonnes of grain, 45% more than the people of China did," it read.
    
    On Thursday, the Global Times found that the comparison has been rephrased to "According to our calculations, if the world's pig population were a stand-alone country, it would rank at the very top of grain-consumption league tables, chomping through as much grain as 2bn people."
    
    In a clarification note attached at the bottom of the article on Wednesday, The Economist said "An earlier version of this article compared the grain-consumption rate of pigs with that of the people of China. We selected China solely because it is the world's leading consumer of both wheat and rice."
    
    However, the rephrase and clarification seemingly still failed to convince the outraged Chinese netizens, as The Economist did not make any apology for the mistake.
    
    "Spitting in our face and then 'rephrasing things,' what's the point??" said a user of China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo.
    
    The previous comparison triggered backlash among Chinese readers as well as overseas netizens after The Economist used it in a Tweet to promote the article on Tuesday.
    
    Although the article mainly focuses on analyzing data of food consumption per country, area, and year, the inappropriate comparison between pigs and the Chinese people was widely criticized for being "awful," "racist" and "dehumanizing."
    
    The Tweet has also been deleted as of Wednesday.
    On Thursday, the Global Times found that the comparison has been rephrased to “According to our calculations, if the world’s pig population were a stand-alone country, it would rank at the very top of grain-consumption league tables, chomping through as much grain as 2bn people.”.
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    California Just Leaked The Name, Address Of Every Concealed Carry Licensee In The State

    Friday, Jul 01, 2022 – 06:10 AM

    The California government has leaked an enormous volume of personal data on the state’s gun owners—including the name and address of every concealed carry permit holder in the stateThe data was posted to the internet on Monday—when the California Department of Justice launched its “2022 Firearms Dashboard Portal.”

    The readily-downloadable information included

    "names, birthdays, addresses, ages, the purchase date and type of firearm permit they possessed, and their Criminal Identification Index numbers, which are used to track state and federal criminal records,"

    according to GizmodoABC30 reports that gender and driver’s license numbers were also exposed.

    The state’s assault weapon registry and Dealer Record of Sale (DROS) data were also affected, but the DOJ has not yet determined to what extent associated personal data was compromised.

    The personal data was available for downloading with the click of a button on the site’s mapping feature, according to The Reload. The portal was accessible from Monday afternoon until sometime Tuesday morning.

    The breach potentially opened a Pandora’s box of harms for law-abiding Californians who acquired firearms and permits for self-protection. Those perils extend far beyond merely being ostracized by liberal coworkers and neighbors. For example:

    • A list of gun owners and their addresses is a treasure map for thieves seeking to steal firearms
    • Knowledge of an individual’s gun ownership can be used against them via the filing of spurious “red flag” complaints pursuant to the state’s Gun Violence Restraining Order system
    • Someone who obtained a firearm for protection from an abusive partner or ex-partner could be endangered if knowledge of that weapon acquisition sends the partner into a rage

    The leaked data identified who among the concealed carry permit holders is a police officer or a judge. The Reload studied the posted data for Los Angeles County and found 244 judge permits complete with addresses and other personal data. Another 2,891 ordinary concealed carry permit-holders in the county were also exposed.

    California issued 40,000 concealed carry permits in 2021, well off the 2016 peak of 100,000.

    In light of the state’s dangerous mass violation of gun owners’ privacy, Monday’s press release promoting the portal’s debut now reads like dark comedy. In it, state attorney general Rob Bonta said,

    “Transparency is key to increasing public trust between law enforcement and the communities we serve...Today’s announcement puts power and information into the hands of our communities."

    After the leak was discovered, Bonta said,

    “This unauthorized release of personal information is unacceptable and falls far short of my expectations for this department.”

    As this article is written, those attempting to access the portal are presented with a notice:

    "Website temporarily unavailable. Please try again in a few minutes."

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    California Rifle & Pistol Association (CRPA) president Chuck Michel told The Reload that …

    "vindictive sore loser bureaucrats have endangered people’s lives and invited conflict by illegally releasing confidential private information. CRPA is working with several legislators and sheriffs to determine the extent of the damage caused by DOJ’s doxing of law abiding gun owners. Litigation is likely.” 

    The portal is meant to provide data on dealer record of sales, Gun Violence Restraining Orders, concealed carry permits, firearms safety certificates, “assault weapons,” and a roster of “certified handguns.”

    The mass data dump was discovered by two California sheriffs who were using the new dashboard.

    This Japanese Artist Imagined What Cats Would Look Like As Anime Girls

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    Japanese artist known as DHK recreated funny cat pictures in an anime style, turning the kittens into girls. The recreations are cute and professional. The artist manages to keep the resemblance to the original picture while creating stylish and beautiful characters that will probably make you wonder how your pets would look as humans.

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    The Crisis Of Competence

    One of the subtexts to the current war in the Ukraine is the fact that the West has been wrong about every aspect of the conflict. None of the predictions about the actual fighting have been correct. Even the propaganda has been hilariously wrong, often making the West look foolish. The economic response, which was supposed to be a fatal blow to Russia, has gone horribly wrong. Europe now faces an unprecedented energy shortage this fall and winter.

    The bulk of the blame lies at the feet of the neoconservatives running foreign policy for the Global American Empire. The same cast of characters who were horrifically wrong about Iraq and Afghanistan in the Bush years have managed to turn a regional issue into a global disaster. London and Brussels, along with the provincials occupying legacy positions in national government share blame as well. They enthusiastically went along with a war plan that had no chance to succeed.

    The degree of wrongness is a thing of beauty, when you can look at it from a purely objective point of view. Rolling dice, flipping coins or pulling policy ideas out of a hat would have had a better result. One could be forgiven for thinking that maybe this series of errors is somehow deliberate. Maybe that ridiculous bald guy from the World Economic Forum really is a super villain. The masters of the universe are setting the West ablaze so they can build back better.

    The question that should be pondered is why has everything gone so terribly long for the collective West? One reason is competence. The Global American Empire is led by a man who barely knows where he is most of the time. In his prime, Joe Biden was known as an affable moron. In his dotage, he is a confused and incompetent old man unable to perform his duties. His handlers give him stage instructions for basic things like where and when to sit.

    Biden is the bit of the iceberg we see. There is a whole apparatus around him that was instrumental in getting him into office. The Washington political community thought a dementia patient was better than Trump. That says nothing about Trump and everything about the people who engineered Biden’s ascension. People forget that the Democratic Party had to rig its own primary to get Biden the nomination. They never stopped to think what this would mean after the election.

    Of course, this degree of incompetence is made possible by a political culture that is defensive, isolated and insulated. They picked Biden because he was the safest option to get rid of Trump. Biden’s primary appeal to the political class was that he was a vegetable they could move around however they pleased. Biden and his family were simply happy to fill the role and play their part. He also provided the best chance of liberating the city from the scourge of Trump people.

    That decision gets to the insularity of the political class, not just in Washington, but across the collective West. These are people without any understanding of the societies over which they rule. When you look at the resumes of these people, the common feature is no experience in the dreaded private sector. Politics has been their life since they were adults. In fact, we have reached a point where private sector experience raises suspicion in the political class.

    These are people who simply have no idea how things work. They just take for granted that things work. Like the heirs of a family business, the political class has spent their life in a system without ever having to think about how it came into being. The system of power they command is a permanent feature of life. The only variable is who will have control of the institutions of power. That is politics, the game of verbal chess which picks the winners and losers in the system.

    Therein lies the other cause of this unfolding disaster. The West is a collection of people who deal in words exclusively. They have never done anything, other than talk about making other people do things. Nancy Pelosi has been in Washington for eighty years and there is no single physical thing she can point to, other than her ten-thousand-dollar freezer, as a product of her political career. When she is dead, the next wave will wash away her footprints in the sand and she will be forgotten.

    On the other side of this fight is a different system, one that is the result of people doing things and rising in the ranks as a consequence. Putin is a man who had to navigate a world where failure meant prison or death. When that world collapsed, he had to navigate a world of chaos. When he gained power, he then had to impose order, often taking on powerful oligarchs backed by Western interests. Putin and his ruling circle are a collection of men who do things, not just talk about things.

    Six months ago, the West was prepared to give the Russians a good tongue lashing, cancel her from the internet and de-platform her from the financial system. On the other side, the Russians prepared to fight a war against a well-armed and prepared enemy in Ukraine and a well-armed and prepared West on the world stage. One side was ready for a battle of words while the other side was ready for a battle of actions. It turns out that words count for a lot less than actions.

    All civilizations have periods of incompetence. The Russians suffered through the Gorbachev and Yeltsin periods. The difference for the West is that the system has been selecting for bourgeois obsequiousness for a long time. The reason Washington is run by fossils is the next in line is much worse than the geezers. Mitch McConnell knows something about running the party. Kevin McCarthy was selected because no one in power worried that he would be a challenge.

    The crisis of the West is that it is now run by a managerial class that was selected for being the teacher’s pet, ticking the right box on a form and making sure to never utter a discouraging word around the boss. It is why presidents have been increasingly ridiculous since the Cold War. Clinton, Bush, Obama, Trump and now Biden are all mileposts in the decline of competence. Next up is Kamala Harris, an absurd manifestation of a system that selects against competence.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

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    Some witty single panel comics, the genius of Mortensen, coffee cakes, and global geopolitics

    So much change.

    The United States is disintegrating before our eyes.  Society has collapsed, the government is frail, ineffective, bloated, and acting insanely.

    Internal domestic conflict is in process as it is trying to “right the sinking ship” somewhat.

    Roe's demise marks new phase in state-by-state battle over abortion...
    The Court giveth and the Court taketh away!
    Ruling Highlights Diverging Paths of Roberts, Alito...
    Critics fear Thomas 'extreme' position on contraception...
    LGBTQ community braces for rollback of rights...
    Next big fight looms over pills...
    Biden confronts bombshell that could define presidency...
    Condemns But Has Few Powers...
    Trump Publicly Credits God -- Privately Says 'Bad'...
    Kavanaugh Gave Assurances. Collins Says He 'Misled' Her...
    World leaders call decision horrific...
    Corporations scramble to determine what will cover...
    Prosecutors vow not to go after women seeking procedures...

    However, it is ultimately going to fail. Simply because the United States is in such dept that if you sell everything, in the United States… EVERYTHING, the people would be still in trillions of dollars in debt.

    Historically, the only solution is to enslave the civilian survivors and have them work off their debts as serf / slaves to a conquering power.

    That’s clear as day.

    American “allies” and proxy militarized forces are all weak, yet still believing in their unwavering power (from God).

    Meanwhile, there is a massive ray of hope; BRICS has organized, planned, and implemented a structure that is being built upon the collapsing embers and rubble of the collapsing West.

    It is a superior structure.

    It is a long lasting one, and it is and will continue to be, a fair one.

    It’s an exciting time for those who are aware.

    Yet, this period is fraught with peril.

    "The US has at least two Soviet era nuclear weapons recovered by the CIA from submarine K-129 in "Operation Azorian" in 1974."

    The implication is a nuclear false flag. Big yikes.

    Let’s go through today’s article posting…

    Chicken Fricassee – quick French Chicken Stew

    Quick, simple and delicious. What’s not to love?

    CSIS

    The CSIS, funded by the American Military-Industrial Complex, advises the United States government on what to do. Obviously, that’s one (major) reason why nothing goes right.

    Here’s and example from the “brilliant advice” from CSIS:

    From Seth Jones, June 2022. Senior Vice President; Harold Brown Chair; and Director, International Security Program. Subject:  Russia’s Ill-Fated Invasion of Ukraine

    Lessons in Modern Warfare
    
    Russia has failed to achieve most of its objectives in Ukraine because of poor military planning, significant logistical problems, low combat readiness, and other deficiencies, which undermined Russian military effectiveness. 
    
    These and other challenges—including Ukrainian military efforts and Western aid—severely impacted Russian air, ground, cyber, and maritime operations. 
    
    Russia’s failures will force the Russian military to fundamentally rethink its training practices, organizational structure, culture, logistics, recruitment and retention policies, and planning efforts. 
    
    Nevertheless, Russia is still attempting a de facto annexation of parts of eastern and southern Ukraine that it controls. here

    Senior diplomat says relations with Japan at important juncture

    By MO JINGXI | CHINA DAILY | Updated: 2022-06-08 07:10 

    China-Japan relations involve a number of old and new problems, a senior Chinese diplomat said on Tuesday, adding that the difficulties and challenges faced by bilateral ties should not be ignored.

    Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, made the remark in a phone conversation with Takeo Akiba, secretary-general of Japan’s National Security Secretariat.

    Noting that China-Japan relations have reached an important point in history, with this year marking the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties between the two countries, Yang said China and Japan must stay on the right track, adhere to win-win cooperation, take a long-term perspective and enhance mutual trust on security.

    Stable ties

    He called on Tokyo to work with Beijing to ensure stable, healthy and resilient China-Japan relations over the next 50 years and jointly safeguard regional peace and prosperity.

    According to a statement on the Foreign Ministry’s website, Akiba told Wang that Japan stands ready to deepen cooperation with China, and appropriately handle differences and strengthen communications on sensitive bilateral issues and international hot spot issues in order to jointly build a constructive and stable Japan-China relationship.

    Yang also elaborated on China’s principled positions on the Taiwan question and issues related to Hong Kong and the Diaoyu Islands, among others, during the meeting.

    Experts said that the meeting came at a time when Japan has been closely following the United States’ “Indo-Pacific” strategy and is actively engaged in containing China and stirring up confrontation in the Asia-Pacific region.

    By doing so, Tokyo is also attempting to regain its status in Asia. However, such a practice is not conducive to regional peace, stability and the healthy development of China-Japan relations, and Japan will inevitably have to pay the price for this, they added.

    Last month, as US President Joe Biden made his first trip to Asia, Tokyo hosted the leaders’ meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, an anti-China grouping consisting of the US, Japan, India and Australia. Japan also endorsed the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework launched by Biden in Tokyo.

    Irresponsible remarks

    During Biden’s visit, Japan and the US made irresponsible remarks and groundless accusations on a series of issues related to China’s domestic affairs, including on the Taiwan question.

    Wang Junsheng, a researcher of East Asian studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that Japan is joining with the US to counter China as Tokyo is Washington’s close ally, and also because it misjudges China’s development.

    “Japan is unwilling to see a rising China because it mistakenly assumes that China’s development will harm its own interests,” Wang said. “However, the fact is that as close neighbors, both China and Japan will benefit from their good relationship in various areas including trade and the economy, regional cooperation and tackling climate change.”

    Xiang Haoyu, a distinguished research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, said in an article in Global Times that hyping up or creating so-called external threats for specific political purposes will not make Japan great again or bring it absolute security.

    Instead, it will only get Japan into greater security dilemmas, Xiang said.

    Artist Creates Witty Single-Panel Comics Depicting Odd And Absurd Situations In A Slightly Different Everyday Life

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    Let us introduce you to Jim Shoenbill, an illustrator who is on a mission to brighten people’s days with positive humor. He creates witty single-panel comics depicting weird and absurd situations in a slightly different everyday life.

    In this universe made by Jim, a deer can be a stand-up comedian, Jesus is no longer a miracle worker, but an optician, beverages can talk and more. As the artist described himself, he just channels his distractions and odd thoughts into funny cartoons “to make the world a better place”.

    Jim’s illustrations and writing have appeared in magazines such as The Oldie, Alta, Women’s World, American Legion Magazine and more. So, without further ado, scroll down to immerse yourself in the sea of humor and puns.

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    PCR’s latest. He says we are headed to war now:

    Source article HERE

    “War With the Russian Federation
    June 24, 2022

    Dear Readers, this website, the Institute for Political Economy is a 501c3 tax-exempt public foundation. For it to continue to exist, public support must comprise one-third of its operating costs. Currently, this is the case. However, public support has been falling. The backbone of the website are the monthly donors. But the response to the quarterly requests are weakening. The response in September is always weak, but this June the response is weak as well.
    
    Is this the situation — when truth is most needed, support for it is running out? Once the ruling elites control the narratives, liberty, freedom, life as Americans knew it is dead.
    
    It is increasingly difficult to tell the truth as Americans are punished for doing so. If you do not support those few of us who are addicted to truth, truth will die.

    War With the Russian Federation

    Paul Craig Roberts

    I remember when others tooted my horn. The French government of President Francois Mitterrand bestowed upon me the French Legion of Honor for the restoration of economic science. President Reagan sent his Budget Director, Jim Miller, to the award ceremony with a letter from Reagan giving me credit for Reagan’s successful economic policy that cured stagflation.

    The US Department of the Treasury gave me its Silver Medal for “outstanding contributions to US economic policy.” Who’s Who in America gave me the Lifetime Achievements Award. The Press Club of Mexico gave me its International Journalism Award. When my children were born congratulatory letters arrived from such luminaries as the Chief of Naval Operations and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. And so on.

    Today, my horn is not tooted unless I do it myself, which I have not done but now will. I have ruined myself by telling the truth, and I don’t even get credit for that.

    Yesterday (June 23, 2022) The Saker (Andrei Raevsky) wrote that it has become undeniable that what began as a Russian limited military operation in Ukraine has turned into an open and full-scale war between Russia and the West.

    I was the first person to put into print that the “limited” aspect of Russia’s intervention in Donbass was a delusion.

    Washington, I said, would never allow it to be limited.

    For this obviously correct insight, Andrei denounced me as anti-Russian. Dmitry Orlov dismissed me as a crank who wanted nuclear war. In other words, my pointing out a Kremlin miscalculation that would result in a wider war was unwelcome despite its obvious truthfulness.

    Well, as Andrei now acknowledges, the wider war I predicted is upon us.

    The Kremlin’s receptivity to provocations have brought them to the situation where an insignificant country, certainly militarily, but in all respects, has blocked Russia’s provision of part of Russia — Kaliningrad. If the Kremlin, ever tolerant of provocations, accepts this, Russia is finished. If the Kremlin doesn’t accept it, Lithuania is finished.

    As Lithuania is a NATO member–stupid decision–NATO will have to go to war or back down. The Jewish neoconservatives who control US foreign policy will not let them back down. Washington pays a lot for obedience and will expect NATO to comply.

    In other words, Europe’s “leaders” are likely soon to be faced with a decision: Do we destroy Europe or do we give up our American payments?

    They will take the money and run, but to where?

    As a former Cold Warrior, as a former member of a presidential investigatory committee to assess the CIA’s views of Soviet economic and military capability, I can say, with confidence, that there is nowhere to run.

    Unless the hegemony over US, and thereby the West’s, foreign policy that is held by the Jewish neoconservatives is broken, the West and Russia are headed into nuclear war.

    The war will be nuclear, because the West is too weak conventionally to confront Russia.

    The West is NOT aware of this, because the Russian Donbass intervention involves few Russian troops who are moving slowly using encirclement.

    Normally, an invasion force relies on a 3 to 1 superiority in manpower, but in the Donbass conflict the Ukrainians probably outnumbered the Russians, with the mass of the Russian Army waiting on the sidelines for any NATO troop intervention.

    There is no doubt whatsoever that Russia will clear Donbass of Ukrainian military forces. That job is almost over. But not the wider conflict.

    EU and NATO forming coalition ‘for war against Russia’ – Lavrov

    The Russian Foreign Minister said today: “Hitler rallied a significant part, if not most, of the European nations under his banner for a war against the Soviet Union,” adding that “now, the EU together with NATO are forming another – modern – coalition for a standoff and, ultimately, war with the Russian Federation.”

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    Commando Network Coordinates Flow of Weapons in Ukraine, Officials Say

    US miliatary fighting Russian military. And not a thought to the implications of what this means. -MM

    A secretive operation involving U.S. Special Operations forces hints at the scale of the effort to assist Ukraine’s still outgunned military.

    WASHINGTON — As Russian troops press ahead with a grinding campaign to seize eastern Ukraine, the nation’s ability to resist the onslaught depends more than ever on help from the United States and its allies — including a stealthy network of commandos and spies rushing to provide weapons, intelligence and training, according to U.S. and European officials.
    
    Much of this work happens outside Ukraine, at bases in Germany, France and Britain, for example. But even as the Biden administration has declared it will not deploy American troops to Ukraine, some C.I.A. personnel have continued to operate in the country secretly, mostly in the capital, Kyiv, directing much of the vast amounts of intelligence the United States is sharing with Ukrainian forces, according to current and former officials.
    
    At the same time, a few dozen commandos from other NATO countries, including Britain, France, Canada and Lithuania, also have been working inside Ukraine. The United States withdrew its own 150 military instructors before the war began in February, but commandos from these allies either remained or have gone in and out of the country since then, training and advising Ukrainian troops and providing an on-the-ground conduit for weapons and other aid, three U.S. officials said. . .here

    This Stray Cat Ask To Be Let Inside To Keep Her Kittens Safe | The Dodo

    A heartwarming kitty cat video.

    Ukraine SINKS Russian Rescue Ship on Black Sea

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    The Russian Black Sea Fleet Rescue Tug “Vasily Bekh” has been hit by Ukrainian-launched missiles and SUNK.

    Russian Black Sea Fleet Rescue Tug "Vasily Bekh"
    Russian Black Sea Fleet Rescue Tug “Vasily Bekh”

    The vessel was struck by two Harpoon anti ship missiles, a U.S. produced weapons system, manufactured by McDonnell Douglas.

    The 187 foot long ship sank within 18 seconds of being hit.

    At least ten (10) Russian sailors are dead, 23 others are wounded.

    Video, below, was taken by a Bayraktar Drone operated by the Ukraine military, shows the two missiles striking from the left, and the ship going under almost immediately after the explosions.

    The assault on the Vasily Bekh Rescue tugboat was first announced on the official Twitter account of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, and a few minutes later a video showing the assault was posted on social media.

    Nicaragua approves Russian troop access to country, defies US objection

    Hum. Interesting. The article seems to be blocked.

    Screenshot.

    Article HERE

    China ready to supply components for aircraft to Russia

    There are no restrictions from the Chinese side, Zhang Hanhui noted…
    MOSCOW, June 17. /TASS/. China is ready to supply components for aircraft to Russian airlines, Chinese Ambassador to Moscow Zhang Hanhui told TASS.
    
    "We are ready to supply components to Russia, we are organizing such cooperation," he said. "[Airlines] are currently addressing [it], they have certain channels, there are no restrictions from the Chinese side," the diplomat added.
    
    On February 26, the European Union prohibited sale and supply, including leasing, of aircraft and components to it for Russian air carriers, as well as provision of any insurance and reinsurance services to its aircraft, as well as repairs, over the situation in Ukraine. The Russian authorities responded by taking a number actions, particularly allowing local carriers to continue exploiting aircraft leased or rented from foreign companies.

    Full article from Tass HERE

    Decoupling from China is not a serious option – Google Search

    Of course.

    If the Empire could do it, they would already have done it. 
    
    I have a hunch that the powers that be in China are way ahead of the game before us mere mortals are aware of it. Perhaps the election of Xi to lead China is not an accident. Perhaps Xi's actions reining in the party and the PLA are not coincidences. Maybe his cleaning up of rampant corruption, strengthening of national defense, putting a lid on corporate malfeasance, and making term extensions possible are all for conducting a long and unspoken war. I await that moment when China finally is in firm possession of much needed technologies and resources, and then it can do what Russia has done, which is to demand payment in RMB for trade, stop measuring wealth or economics in USD, and sell 90% of USD reserves. 
    
    China to this day is still one of the strongest supporters of the USD, which provides the hege-money that makes the empire possible. Take that away and the house of cards will fall. Maybe a better system and more responsible government will emerge. That will of course be up to the American people. Much better for the world is that America will not be able to afford its military adventurism, flooding the world with weapons, and creating havoc all over the world. Hence we will have peace. Only by attacking the empire's foundation, the dollar hege-money, that the house of cards will buckle and collapse.
    
    PM

    Stunning Autochrome Portraits of Women Taken by Alfonse Van Besten From the Early 20th Century

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    Alfonse Van Besten (1865–1926) was a painter and took full advantage of the possibilities of the new color process. One can see that many of his autochromes were taken with a “painterly eye” e.g. Musing (Mrs.Van Besten) and Symphony in white. It was evident that he had a very good sense of composition.

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    During the First World War he was a refugee in Holland. Together with his friend A. Van Son, another Belgian autochromist and refugee, they gave countless lectures at Dutch photography societies. They were praised for their excellent autochrome work, e.g. on the 16th of April 1915 the photographic society “Meer Licht” from Nymegen paid an homage to Van Besten for his outstanding autochrome plates.

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    I could easily paint from these images. They are perfect to use as figurative guides.

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    Chinese tunnel boring machine shipped to Portugal

    Remark: Previously to this, Germany sold similar machinery to China at a very exorbitant expensive price. They included a super expensive repair cost structure, warranties and insurance that provided a very nice yearly income to the German manufacturers. Meanwhile, the Germans would also block any Chinese on-site efforts while they would repair the machinery.
    .
    Today China produces much more sophisticated and advanced TBM tunneling machinery. And, thus, it is winning business in Europe.
    Just wait and see. 
    
    The west always claimed that China steals their technology. But I know from very beginning that the West is using self deception. 
    
    I was a manager for four years in a village collectively owned factory of 175 years before I went to college. 
    
    The factory started in 1966, with less than thirty yuan investment with five workers. 
    
    By 1973 when I joined the factory as a fresh high school graduate, the factory had over 100 workers, with three lathes, two planers, three 60 ton presses, five big drills, more than thirty electric welders and two gas welders. 
    
    I started as a lathe operator, and then became the manager at the beginning of next year. 
    
    By the time I went to college in the spring of 1978, the factory had 175 people with a gross revenue of more than one million a year. 
    
    Most of the workers had very little technical background but everybody worked together to solve technical problems. 
    
    One time, we took an order which required technical standards that we did not have the equipment to do. 
    
    No factory in the Qingdao Areas had the equipment to do it. 
    
    But one of our old workers came up with a brilliant idea and told me that we could do the work without the necessary equipment.
    
    We eventually did the job, making two huge ventilation machines for a big textile factory in Qingdao, and made a lot of money out of it. 
    
    When the engineers came to see how we made it, they were shocked by the primitive ideas and technology we used to produce the parts and assembled the machines in the end. 
    
    The workers in my factory were all paid the same amount of work points. 
    
    Management and workers worked together to solve the problems. 
    
    If we needed to work ten hours, twelve hours, even sixteen hours a day, we would do it. The shared objective was to get things done as quickly, efficiently and economically as possible. Exactly because the manager did not get more pay than the workers, it was much easier to be a leader at that time.
    
    I left China to study in Singapore, then the U.S. and eventually stayed in the U.S. 
    
    After I came to the U.S. and learned how the system worked here, I was convinced that the West would never be able to compete with China if China stayed its track. 
    
    I have been teaching under five (college) presidents in the current university. 
    
    From my experience, except the first one who was a good leader. All the last four presidents were disasters. 
    
    They got paid five or six times more than the faculty, but did nothing good for the college and they were either left themselves or asked to leave after they did enough damages. 
    
    But most faculty and staff tolerated them until the last minutes. Our college has been going down hill because of their poor leadership. 
    
    I think my college's situation is very reflective of the whole country in the U.S. 
    
    The lack of good leadership with a big gap in the pay of the workers and management. 
    
    It would be fine for them when there was no competition. 
    
    But now China is a serious competition, and the U.S. and the west are still doing their business as usual. It will not be long when China leads the world in every aspect.
    
    Dongping
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    Journey – Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’ (Official Video – 1979)

    Time machine time…

    Member of Russian Parliament Says “London will be Bombed first”

    A Russian Member of Parliament, Andrey Gurulyov, has said that “London will be the first city to be bombed by Russia if the blockade of Kaliningrad leads to a war with NATO.”

    MP Andrey Gurulyov, 54, a member of Russian parliament’s defense committee, advocated the Russian invasion of the NATO Baltic countries.

    On state TV’s Channel 1 he said there was no other way to prevent the West blockading Russian exclave Kaliningrad.

    Such a move would trigger the NATO Treaty “Article five” which says “an attack upon one member of NATO is an attack upon all members” and spark World War Three.

    “We’ll destroy the entire group of enemy’s space satellites during the first air operation,” said Lt-Gen Gurulyov, a senior commander in the Russian Army who now represents United Russia, the main political party.

    “No-one will care if they are American or British, we would see them all as NATO.

    “Second, we’ll mitigate the entire system of anti-missile defense, everywhere and 100 per cent.

    “Third, we certainly won’t start from Warsaw, Paris or Berlin.

    “The first to be hit will be London.

    “It’s crystal clear that the threat to the world comes from the Anglo-Saxons.”

    Like other Moscow hardliners, he believes the West – especially on continental Europe – has no stomach for a real war.

    “As part of the operation to destroy critically important sites, Western Europe will be cut off from power supplies and immobilized.

    “All power supply sites will be destroyed.

    “And in the third stage, I shall see what the USA will tell Western Europe on continuing their fight in the cold, without food and electricity.

    “I wonder how they (the US) will manage to stay aside.

    “This is the rough plan, and I deliberately leave out certain moments because they are not to be discussed on TV.”

    Gurulyov is a former deputy commander of Russia’s southern military district.

    He served with Russian forces in Syria.

    He has been sanctioned by the US for his close links to Putin.

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    RUSSIANS CONQUER SEVERODONETSK; NEXT STOP: LYSYCHANSK

    Russia’s army has “fully occupied” the key Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk after weeks of fighting, its mayor said Saturday.

    The capture of the industrial hub of Severodonetsk is an important strategic win for Moscow as it seeks to gain full control over the east of the country.
    It has been the scene of weeks of running battles, but the Ukrainian army said Friday that its outgunned forces would withdraw to better defend the neighboring city of Lysychansk.

    “The city has been fully occupied by the Russians,” mayor Oleksandr Striuk said on Saturday.

    A few hours earlier, pro-Moscow separatists said Russian troops and their allies had entered Lysychansk, which faces Severodonetsk across the river.

    “Street fighting is currently taking place,” a representative of the separatists, Andrei Marochko, said on Telegram, in a claim that could not be independently verified at that time.   Now, however, the city is confirmed to have been conquered by the Russian Army.

    Grotesque, Occult, and Bizarre Images by William Mortensen, the Forgotten Hollywood Photographer

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    Photographer Ansel Adams, whose beautiful black and white landscapes full of mountains still grace both museum and office walls, called fellow photographer William Mortensen “the Anti-Christ” for what he did to the art of photography.

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    In a roll call of the pioneers of modern photography, one name is never invoked. From the late 1920s to the 1950s, William Mortensen was one of the most famous and celebrated photographers in America. However, his subject matter – which veered towards the savage, indecorous, gothic and grotesque – as well as his use of montage and illustration, made him a pariah among the puritanical new guard in photography, led by Ansel Adams, who tried to write him out of history.

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    Mortensen was the last of the great pictorialist photographers, the movement that dominated early 20th-century photography. Working in Hollywood, he shot many of the leading stars of his day: Rudolph Valentino, Lon Chaney, Fay Wray, Jean Harlow, Clara Bow and Peter Lorre all submitted themselves to the gaze of his lens.

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    Cat Trapped In A Sewer For 70 Days Is Almost Drowned From Heavy Rain

    Save the kitty! Hurry!

    Reality Check: Falsehoods in US perceptions of China

    fmprc.gov.cn | Updated: 2022-06-19 19:40 
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    US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has recently delivered a speech at Asia Society outlining the US administration’s approach to China.

    With a carefully calibrated language, he sought [1] to promote the “China threat” narrative, [2] continue American interference in China’s internal affairs, and  [3] smear China’s domestic and foreign policy, all in a continuing effort aimed at [4] full-blown containment and suppression of China.

    The following is the CHINESE RESPONSE.

    It is printed in FULL.

    You will NOT see this anywhere in American, or Western media.

    In what is to follow, we will use facts and figures to show to the world how deceptive, hypocritical and dangerous the US’s China policy is.

    Falsehood 1: China poses the most serious long-term challenge to the international order and is undermining it. The US will defend the international law, agreements, principles, and institutions that maintain peace and security, and protect the rights of individuals and sovereign nations.

    Reality Check: What the US has constantly vowed to preserve is a so-called international order designed to serve the US’s own interests and perpetuate its hegemony. The US itself is the largest source of disruption to the actual world order.

    ◆ China has been and always will be a defender of the international order. China is a founding member of the United Nations (UN) and the first country to put its signature on the UN Charter. China is committed to upholding the UN-centered international system, the international order underpinned by international law, and the basic norms governing international relations built on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence jointly championed by China, India and Myanmar have been widely recognized by the international community and have become the basic norms guiding state-to-state relations.

    China upholds true multilateralism and global strategic stability. China is the largest contributor of peacekeepers among the permanent members of the UN Security Council and the second largest contributor among all countries to the UN peacekeeping budget. China has taken an active part in international arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation processes. It has signed or acceded to more than 20 multilateral arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation treaties, including the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). China is against arms race.

    In the wake of the international financial crisis of 2008, China adopted a responsible macro policy, remained a “stabilizer” for the world economy and made important contribution to global recovery. China actively provides international public goods to various countries, and has signed BRI cooperation agreements with 149 countries and 32 international organizations.

    ◆ In recent years, President Xi Jinping’s vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind has been warmly received by the international community. It has been written into multiple important documents issued by the UN, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and other multilateral institutions. UN Secretary-General António Guterres hailed China as an important pillar for multilateralism, noting that the purpose for practicing multilateralism is to build a community with a shared future for mankind. Peter Thomson, president of the 71st Session of the UN General Assembly, said the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind advocated by China is the only future for humanity on this planet.

    In response to various new global challenges, President Xi Jinping put forward the Global Development Initiative (GDI) and the Global Security Initiative (GSI). They represent China’s proposals for making the global governance system fairer and more equitable, and have received positive response and wide support from the international community.

    ◆ The US has blatantly violated the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the norms governing international relations. With its military might, the US has launched wars in numerous parts of the world, stoking divisions and conflicts and bringing huge turmoil and disaster to the world. Throughout the 240-plus-year history of the US, there were only 16 years in which the US was not at war. The US might as well be called the most belligerent country in the history of the world. US magazine The National Interest quoted Dakota Wood, senior research fellow for defense programs at the Heritage Foundation, who wrote that the US consistently needed to deploy military force every 15 years or so.

    Since the end of World War II, the United States has either launched or participated in many wars overseas, including the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Afghan War and the Iraq War. Those wars caused extremely severe civilian casualties and property losses, and lead to colossal humanitarian disasters. Since 2001, US wars and military operations in the name of counterterrorism have killed more than 900,000 people, about 335,000 of whom were civilians, injured millions and displaced tens of millions.

    ◆ The US habitually puts its domestic law above the international law, and selectively applies international rules as it sees fit. Since the 1980s, the US had once withdrawn from 17 international organizations and treaties, including the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Paris Agreement, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty and the Treaty on Open Skies.

    Although the current US administration declared that “America is back” and the US has rejoined some international organizations and agreements, the administration has in essence not abandoned the “America First” policy, and is advancing “selective multilateralism”. The current administration has stayed out of institutions and agreements considered harmful to US interests such as the Treaty on Open Skies. European media have described it as “America First 2.0”.

    ◆ The US has abused its financial hegemony and technological clout and engaged in economic coercion in the name of protecting national security. The US has enacted some domestic laws, such as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, and issued a series of executive orders to target and sanction specific countries, entities or individuals. The ambiguous rules contained in these acts and executive orders, such as the “minimum contacts principle” and “doctrine of effects”, are a willful expansion of the jurisdiction of US domestic laws. The US also abuses its domestic channels of prosecution to exercise long-arm jurisdiction over entities and individuals in other countries.

    For more than 60 years, in total disregard of the many resolutions of the UN General Assembly, the US has continued its comprehensive blockade against Cuba based on its embargo policies and domestic laws such as the Torricelli Act and the Helms-Burton Act. The Cuba blockade is the longest and cruelest systemic trade embargo, economic blockade and financial sanctions in modern history. The blockade has been gravely detrimental to Cuba’s economic and social development, causing over 100 billion US dollars of direct losses to Cuba’s economy.

    The US has carried out blockade and sanctions against Iran since late 1970s. In May 2018, the US government announced its unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA, and soon after resumed and expanded sanctions against Iran. Many countries and relevant entities have been forced to give up their cooperation with Iran. A large number of foreign oil enterprises left the country. Iran’s manufacturing industry can hardly sustain normal operation. The country has suffered economic slowdown, coupled with heightened inflation and massive currency depreciation.

    The US has imposed unilateral sanctions on Belarus, Syria and Zimbabwe, among others, over the years, and ratcheted up ”maximum pressure” against the DPRK, Venezuela, etc.

    ◆ Statistics show that the previous US administration had imposed over 3,900 sanction measures, which means it wielded its “big stick” three times a day on average. As of fiscal year 2021, the entities and individuals on US sanction lists topped 9,421, which was 933 percent higher compared to the fiscal year 2000.

    The US’s illegal unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction have gravely undermined the sovereignty and security of other countries and severely impacted their economic development and people’s wellbeing. The sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction also constitute a gross violation of international law and basic norms of international relations.

    In an article published in the September/October 2021 issue of Foreign Affairs, Daniel Drezner, Professor at Tufts University and Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, criticizes successive US administrations for using “sanctions as the go-to solution for nearly every foreign policy problem.” He notes that sanctions not only are ineffective, but also “exert a humanitarian toll”, and that the United States of America has become the “United States of Sanctions”.

    ◆ The “rules-based international order” championed by the US is in fact another version of power politics. This is an attempt to impose one’s own will and standards on others, and to replace the commonly accepted international laws and norms with the house rules of a few countries.

    In the world, there is only one international system, i.e. the international system with the UN at its core. There is only one international order, i.e. the international order underpinned by international law. And there is only one set of rules, i.e. the basic norms governing international relations underpinned by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

    Before wanting to discuss rules and order, the US should first pay up its arrears of one billion US dollars for the UN’s regular budget and 1.4 billion US dollars peacekeeping assessments, ratify in a timely manner the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, stop single-handedly blocking the negotiations on a verification protocol under the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), lift illegal unilateral sanctions, earnestly fulfill its international obligations and set a good example for others in respecting laws and norms.

    Falsehood 2: The US is not looking for conflict or a new Cold War. It doesn’t seek to block China from its role as a major power, nor to stop China from growing its economy or advancing the interests of its people.

    Reality Check: Despite its claims that it doesn’t seek to block China from its role as a major power, nor to stop it from growing its economy, the US is actually deploying its domestic and external resources to unscrupulously contain and suppress China.

    ◆ Without producing any credible evidence, the US government uses national security as a catch-all pretext and all its apparatus to wantonly suppress and sanction Huawei, restricting its products’ entry into the US market, cutting off its access to chips and operating system, and coercing countries around the world into banning Huawei from their 5G rollout. The US also orchestrated and pressured Canada to hold Huawei’s CFO for nearly three years without cause.

    ◆ In violation of the principle of fair competition and market economy and international trading rules, the US seeks to hamstring competitive Chinese hi-tech companies under all kinds of trumped-up charges. To date, it has placed over 1,000 Chinese companies on various sanctions lists, subjected biotechnology and artificial intelligence technologies to enhanced export controls and stringent investment review, and sought to ban Chinese social media platforms including TikTok and WeChat.

    ◆ Under the pretext of protecting human rights, the US has fabricated misinformation and disinformation concerning Xinjiang such as the existence of ”forced labor” and, on the basis of those unfounded stories, has adopted the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act which maliciously targets Xinjiang’s competitive cotton, tomatoes and solar photovoltaic sectors to contain China’s growth. This has disrupted the international trade order and destabilized global industrial and supply chains.

    ◆ The previous US administration, in grave violation of WTO rules, waged a massive trade war on China. Based on its own Section 301 investigation, it imposed three rounds of steep tariffs on about 360 billion US dollars’ worth of Chinese imports. In September 2021, the current US administration initiated a Section 232 investigation to determine the effects on US national security from imports of neodymium-iron-boron permanent magnets at a time when global commodity prices were hovering at elevated levels.

    ◆ The US has a record of grossly interfering in China’s domestic affairs on issues concerning China’s core interests, including Taiwan, Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong. It seeks to undermine China’s security and stability by, both overtly and covertly, condoning and supporting separatist activities.

    ◆ The bipartisan innovation bills being debated in the US Congress, while professing to enhance US competitiveness, see China as a perceived rival. “China” appears more than 800 times in the text, which is packed with provisions detrimental to China’s interests.

    ◆ In a bid to maintain its power and predominance in international institutions, the US has attempted to smear and block the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind and the initiative of advancing Belt and Road cooperation, among others, in multilateral fora and also to remove references to them in UN and other international documents.

    ◆ Clinging to a Cold War mentality and the hegemon’s logic, the US pursues bloc politics, concocts the “democracy versus authoritarianism” narrative, cajoles other countries into forming exclusive cliques, strengthens the Five Eyes, peddles the Quad mechanism, puts together AUKUS with the UK and Australia and ramps up bilateral military alliances, in a clear attempt at countering China.

    ◆ The US pushes NATO to insert itself in Asia-Pacific affairs, fan the “China threat” narrative in the bloc’s new strategic concept, and include in its Madrid Summit such US allies in the Asia-Pacific as Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Australia, in a bid to build an “Asia-Pacific version of NATO”, which would disrupt security and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

    ◆ The development of state-to-state relations should be based on equality, mutual respect and win-win results. China-US relations have reached an important crossroads. The US should stop viewing this relationship through a Cold War, zero-sum mindset, follow the three principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, and reflect in its action the five assurances it has made to China (i.e. the US does not seek a new Cold War with China, the US does not seek to change China’s system, the revitalization of US alliances is not against China, the US does not support “Taiwan independence”, and the US is not looking for conflict with China) .

    Falsehood 3: Our diplomacy is based on partnership and respect for each other’s interests, while China practices coercive diplomacy against other countries and retaliates recklessly. Our task is to prove once again that all countries will be free to chart their own paths without coercion.

    Reality Check: It is the US that invented “coercive diplomacy” and excels at coercing countries. Over the years, by imposing economic blockade, unilateral sanctions and other means, the US has practiced coercive diplomacy around the world with textbook examples.

    ◆ In 1971, American scholar Alexander George first put forward the concept of “coercive diplomacy” to summarize the US policy toward Laos, Cuba and Vietnam at that time. The US government forced the military government of Haiti to step down in 1994, and referred to that as “a textbook example of coercive diplomacy”. In 2003, it explicitly characterized 30.3 billion US dollars additional military expenses for “coercive diplomacy” as incurred expenses.

    The US government froze seven billion US dollars assets of the Afghan central bank on the grounds of punishing the Afghan Taliban and even claimed the “life-saving money” of the Afghan people as its own, which resulted in the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. Mohammad Naeem, spokesman of the Taliban Political Office in Doha, said the seizure is “indicative of the lowest level of human and moral decay of a country and a nation”.

    In order to force the Nepalese parliament to approve the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) agreement, the US openly issued an “ultimatum”, saying that the US will review its ties with Nepal if it fails to ratify the compact.

    After the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict, the US Justice Department established the “Task Force KleptoCapture” to find, freeze and seize the yachts, apartments, private jets and huge deposits of Russian citizens in the US and Europe. This fully shows that the US-touted “inviolable and sacred right to property” is just a lie. The US has forced other countries to pick sides and pressured them to join sanctions against Russia. And those who refuse to do so will pay a “price”.

    After China and the Solomon Islands had signed a framework agreement on bilateral security cooperation, the US sent senior officials of the National Security Council to the country, doing whatever it can to obstruct the legitimate cooperation between China and Solomon Islands. A Solomn Star article pointed out, “Washington DC, which has literally forgotten Solomon Islands since World War II, has finally woken up and is applying the heat on the Solomon Islands to abandon the security pact.”

    In May 2022, on the eve of the High-Level Virtual Meeting of the Group of Friends of the GDI, the US exerted pressure on multiple UN development agencies to obstruct their attendance and threatened to “cut funding”.

    ◆ The “Clean Network” program launched by the previous administration is another textbook example of US coercive diplomacy. Under the pretext of upholding US national security and citizens’ privacy, the program explicitly requires that Chinese companies such as Huawei, Baidu and Alibaba to be purged from five areas: telecom operators, mobile app stores, mobile apps, cloud services and submarine optical cables. The then US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other US politicians lobbied all around the world, coercing countries and regions to join its so-called “Network”. A US senior official even threatened Cyprus and other countries not to work with Chinese 5G suppliers, or they would bear the consequence. Former UK Business and Industry Minister Vince Cable said the government’s decision to ban Huawei’s 5G equipment and services “had nothing to do with national security”, and was because “the Americans told us we should do it”.

    ◆ The US shows no mercy in coercing its allies. Out of its geopolitical and energy interests considerations, the US has imposed sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline project since December 2019. Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the US has imposed new sanctions on related companies and personnel even though Germany had announced the suspension of the certification process for the project.

    ◆ A US scholar pointed out that American foreign policy since World War II has been based on a simple idea: “Either you are with us or against us. America should lead, allies should follow, and woe be to countries that oppose its primacy”. His words lay bare the nature of US coercive diplomacy.

    ◆ China never engages in coercive diplomacy and firmly opposes coercive diplomacy by other countries. China never threatens other countries with force, never creates military alliance, never exports ideology, never meddles in others’ domestic affairs, never seeks a trade war, and never imposes unjustified oppression on foreign enterprises. That said, however, China has the right to make necessary and legitimate responses to actions that undermine China’s sovereignty, security and development rights and interests.

    Falsehood 4: The US democracy is one of the most powerful assets in this contest. Our task is to prove once again that democracy can meet urgent challenges and that the future belongs to those who believe in freedom.

    Reality Check: The US sets standards for democracy after its own system, does not allow other systems, paths and models to exist, and gangs up with others to wantonly interfere in other countries’ internal affairs in the name of democracy. This not just contravenes the spirit of democracy, but also spells disaster for democracy.

    ◆ The American-style democracy is a rich men’s game based on capital. Money politics penetrates the entire process of election, legislation and administration in the US. People in fact only have a restricted right to political participation. The inequality in economic status has turned into inequality in political status. According to statistics, winners of 91 percent of US congressional elections are the candidates with greater financial support. Big companies, a small group of rich people, and interest groups are more generous to offer financial support and have become the main source of electoral funding. The so-called representatives of people’s will, once elected, often serve the interests of their financial backers, and speak for vested interests rather than the ordinary people. A US Senator had a sharp observation, “Congress does not regulate Wall Street. Wall Street regulates Congress.”

    US Republican congressman from Alabama Mo Brooks publicly denounced ”corruption” of the US Congress in a video on social media. “If you want to be chairman of a major committee, you have to purchase it.” The purchase price depends on how important the committee is, with the minimum bid for a major committee being one million US dollars. Those who cannot afford it have to accept the contributions of special interest groups and then give ”quid pro quos” to the lobbyists. “Special interest groups run Washington. I don’t mean that metaphorically, I mean that literally.”

    ◆ According to a scholar in Singapore, the United States is clearly not functioning as a democracy. It is functioning as a plutocracy. A democracy is a government of the people, by the people, for the people. A plutocracy is a government of the one percent, by the one percent, for the one percent.

    ◆ The US presidential election follows the Electoral College system, where the president and vice president are elected by the Electoral College. The flaws of such an electoral system are self-evident. First, as the president-elect may not be the winner of the national popular vote, there is a lack of broad representation. Second, as each state gets to decide its own electoral rules, confusion and disorder often occur. Third, the winner-takes-all system exacerbates inequality among states and between political parties. It leads to a huge waste of votes and discourages voter turnout. Voters in deep blue and deep red states are often neglected, while swing states become disproportionately more important where both parties seek to woo more supporters. There have been five presidential elections in US history in which the winner of nationwide popular vote was not elected the president.

    The gerrymandering is widely recognized by the US public as a flaw of the electoral system. It refers to an unfair division of electoral districts in favor of a particular party to win as many seats as possible and cement its advantage. The US conducts a census every ten years. Following the completion of the census, redistricting or the redrawing of electoral district boundaries will take place under the principle of maintaining roughly equal population in every voting district while considering demographic shifts. Under the US Constitution, each state legislature has the power to redistrict. This leaves room for gerrymandering by the majority party in a state legislature. According to a YouGov poll in 2021, only 16 percent of US adult citizens say they think their states’ congressional maps would be drawn fairly, while 44 percent say they think the maps would be drawn unfairly and another 40 percent of adults say they are unsure if the maps will be fair.

    ◆ The American-style democracy is ”one person one vote” in name, yet “rule of a dominant minority” in reality. Political pluralism is only a facade. A small number of elites dominate the political, economic and military affairs. They control the state apparatus and policy-making process, manipulate public opinion, dominate the business community and enjoy all kinds of privileges.

    According to the Associated Press, 18.8 million people were missed in the 2020 US census. The black population had a net undercount of 3.3 percent, while it was almost five percent for Hispanics and 5.6 percent for American Indians and Native Alaskans living on reservations. The undercount robs them of their equal share of federal resources including in education, health care and housing and puts them in an unfavorable condition as to congressional apportionment. It reveals the hypocrisy in the US democracy and its “perpetuating systemic racism”.

    Noam Chomsky, a political commentator and social activist from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, points out that the US is a “really existing capitalist democracy”, where there is a positive correlation between people’s wealth and their influence on policy-making. For the lower 70 percent on the wealth/income scale, they have no influence on policy whatsoever. They are effectively disenfranchised.

    Wertheimer, President of the non-profit US organization Democracy 21, says that corruption in the US is systemic corruption of the process itself. “When you are dealing with billions and billions of dollars, much of that focused on buying influence, it overwhelms the system, and it is much harder to defend against and maintain representation for ordinary Americans.”

    Danny Haiphong, an independent journalist in the US, believes that Western-style democracy views the election itself as the highest achievement. The question of whether this system serves the needs of the broad masses of people is generally ignored in order to obscure the fact that powerful corporate interests set the policy agenda well before votes are cast.

    ◆ The checks and balances in the American-style democracy have resulted in a “vetocracy”. American political scientist Francis Fukuyama points out in his book Political Order and Political Decay that there is an entrenched political paralysis in the US. The US political system has far too many checks and balances, raising the cost of collective action and in some cases making it impossible altogether. The US democratic process is fragmented and lengthy, with a lot of veto points where individual veto players can block action by the whole body. The function of “checks and balances”, which was purportedly designed to prevent abuse of power, has been distorted in American political practice. Politicians in Washington, D.C. are preoccupied with securing their own partisan interests and no longer care about national development. The two parties are addicted to vetoing and caught in a vicious circle. The government efficacy is inevitably weakened, law and justice trampled upon, development and progress stalled, and social division widened.

    According to a Pew Research Center report in October 2021 based on a survey of 17 advanced economies including the US, Germany and the ROK, the US is more politically divided than the other economies surveyed. Nine in ten US respondents believe there are strong conflicts between people who support different political parties, and nearly 60 percent of Americans surveyed think their fellow citizens no longer disagree simply over policies, but also over basic facts.

    As political and partisan polarization continues to grow, more “opposition for opposition’s sake” is seen among Democrats and Republicans. Under its influence, voters of the two parties are increasingly antagonized over gun policy. Among Republican voters, 76 percent support the right to possess guns, while 81 percent of Democratic voters see gun control as more important. Hijacked by interest, partisan conflict and the public opinion, the legislation and law enforcement process of gun control is fraught with difficulties. For the past ten years, Democratic congressmen put forward dozens of bills on gun violence and gun control every year, but due to the continued obstruction from the Republican Party, only a handful of them successfully entered the plenary deliberation and debate stage at the Senate or the House of Representatives.

    The US National Rifle Association (NRA) has five million members and spends hundreds of millions of dollars on advertising and lobbying every year. Its tentacles penetrate deep into the fabric of the American society. The NRA is an important funder of the Republican Party. Since its establishment in 1871, the NRA has successfully attracted nine US presidents to join it. According to CNN statistics in 2018, 307 of the 535 US congressmen have received either direct campaign contributions from the NRA and its affiliates or benefited from independent NRA spending like advertising supporting their campaigns. In the face of huge profits, all kinds of gun control efforts have ended up in vain.

    ◆ The US is not a straight A student when it comes to democracy. Its practice of democracy has been messy and chaotic. On 6 January 2021, thousands of Americans gathered on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. and stormed the Capitol building in a bid to stop the joint session of the Congress from certifying the newly-elected president. The incident interrupted the transfer of US presidential power, leaving five dead and over 140 injured. It is the worst act of violence in Washington, D.C. since 1814 when the British troops set fire to the White House, and it sent shock waves throughout the international community. The US Senate Republican leader described it as a “failed insurrection”.

    A scholar from the US Council on Foreign Relations says that the US is not nearly as unique as many Americans believe, and that the Capitol riot should put an end to the notion of American exceptionalism, of an eternal shining city on a hill.

    An American expert on international issues wrote in The New York Times that while the US leader has reunited the West, he may not be able to reunite America. Trump and his supporters would be willing to depart from established constitutional rules and norms with his Big Lie. This may undermine the ability of the US government to transfer power peacefully and legitimately. Consequently none of the institutions will work for long, and the people will be thrust into political and financial chaos.

    ◆ The dysfunctional American-style democracy has triggered a trust crisis. Public commitments to the people come with behind-the-scene deals. Political infighting, money politics, and vetocracy make it virtually impossible for quality governance to be delivered as aspired by the general public. Americans are increasingly disillusioned with the US politics and pessimistic about the American-style democracy.

    A Gallup survey in October 2020 shows that only 19 percent of the Americans surveyed are “very confident” about the presidential election, a record low since the survey was first conducted in 2004. According to a poll conducted by The Wall Street Journal in June 2022, six out of 10 Americans feel pessimistic about achieving the American dream.

    A Pew Research in 2021 shows that 65 percent of Americans see a need for major reform to the American democracy. People’s confidence in the American democracy dropped in 16 developed countries, and 57 percent of respondents think that the American democracy is no longer a good example to follow.

    The Democracy Perception Index released in 2021 by a German polling agency reveals that 44 percent of respondents in the 53 countries surveyed are concerned that the US threatens democracy in their country.

    ◆ Over the years, despite the structural flaws and problematic practice of its democratic system, the US has been touting the “alliance of democracies” and hyping up the narrative of “democracy versus autocracy”. It is in essence attacking those who hold different views under the banner of democracy, using ideology and values as a tool to suppress others and advance its own geopolitical strategies. This is hegemony in the guise of democracy. A former CIA official openly stated: “We will intervene whenever we decide it’s in our national security interest to intervene. If you don’t like it, lump it.”

    The US has pushed for the neo-Monroe Doctrine in Latin America under the pretext of promoting democracy, incited color revolutions in Eurasia, and remotely controlled the Arab Spring in West Asia and North Africa. These moves have brought chaos and disasters to many countries, gravely undermining world peace, stability and development. As suggested by the French website Le Grand Soir, democracy has long become a weapon of massive destruction for the US to attack countries with different views.

    ◆ Whether a country is democratic or not depends on whether its people are truly the masters of the country. It depends on whether the people have the right to vote, and more importantly, the right to participate; what promises they are given during elections, and more importantly, how many of these promises are delivered after elections; what kind of political procedures and rules are set through state systems and laws, and more importantly, whether these systems and laws are truly enforced; and whether the rules and procedures for the exercise of power are democratic, and more importantly, whether the exercise of power is genuinely subject to public oversight and checks.

    ◆ The Communist Party of China (CPC) leads the Chinese people in carrying out the whole-process people’s democracy in China. It has not only a complete set of institutions and procedures, but also full-fledged civil participation. A comprehensive, extensive, and well-coordinated system of institutions has been formed to ensure that the people run the country, and diverse, open, and orderly channels for democracy are put into place. This allows the entire people to engage in law-based democratic elections, consultations, decision-making, management, and oversight and to manage state as well as economic, cultural, and social affairs in various ways and forms and in accordance with the law. The whole-process people’s democracy integrates process-oriented democracy with results-oriented democracy, procedural democracy with substantive democracy, direct democracy with indirect democracy, and people’s democracy with the will of the state. It is a model of socialist democracy that covers all aspects of the democratic process and all sectors of society. It is a true democracy that works. China’s whole-process people’s democracy is gaining wider recognition and acclaim from the international community.

    A British scholar says that electoral democracy does not breed a close relationship with the people and government, because the people are only called upon to be involved whenever to make elections take place. The Chinese approach is different in that there is a very important consultative component in the way China operates.

    ◆ Democracy is a concrete phenomenon that is constantly evolving. Rooted in history, culture and tradition, it takes diverse forms and develops along the paths chosen by different peoples based on their exploration and innovation. China stays committed to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, uphold non-interference in internal affairs, and respect the independent choices of development paths and social systems made by people in different countries. China has no intention to engage in systemic rivalry or ideological confrontation with the US. China never exports ideology, never interferes in other countries’ internal affairs, and never seeks to change the system of the US.

    Falsehood 5: The US has profound differences with the CPC and the Chinese Government. But those differences are between governments and systems – not between our people.

    Reality check: The CPC’s leadership is the choice of history and of the people. The CPC and the Chinese government enjoy the wholehearted support and endorsement of the Chinese people. The US’s attempt to drive wedges between the CPC and the Chinese people only serves to reveal its animosity against China’s system and path.

    ◆ The CPC has deep roots among and close ties with the Chinese people. This is what has kept the CPC full of vigor and vitality. By the end of 2021, the CPC had over 95 million members. The CPC is the largest party in the world that has exercised long-term governance in the world’s most populous country. Under the leadership of the CPC, China has created the two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability. Over 800 million people have been lifted out of poverty and 1.4 billion people are moving toward modernization. Over the course of just several decades, China has accomplished what took western developed countries hundreds of years.

    A Harvard University survey among the Chinese people spanning 13 years found that more than 90 percent of respondents are satisfied with the Party and their government, the highest rate among countries for years running. A trust and credibility survey released in 2022 by Edelman, a renowned US public relations consultancy firm, shows that as many as 91 percent Chinese citizens trust their government in 2021, the highest among all surveyed countries.

    ◆ The previous US administration, in a McCarthyism-style campaign, went all out to attack and discredit the CPC. It has attacked Chinese leaders and China’s domestic and foreign policies, sown discord between the CPC and the Chinese people, flagrantly challenged the leadership and governing position of the CPC, incited anti-China and anti-CPC sentiment, and imposed visa restrictions on CPC members and their families.

    The current administration, since its inauguration, has made no substantive changes to those policies. In June 2021, the US Senate passed the United States Innovation and Competition Act of 2021, which is more than 2,000 pages long. It regarded China as a strategic competitor and the main challenge to the US, slandered China’s development path and domestic and foreign policies, and malignantly urged actions to counter the “influence and malign activities” of the CPC. It asked for more than 200 billion US dollars of public funding to ensure US advantages in key technology sectors over China, and advocated mobilizing US resources in strategic, diplomatic, economic, and technological realms to engage in comprehensive strategic competition with China. The US Senate also proposed an appropriation of 300 million US dollars for each of the fiscal years 2022 through 2026 to “counter the malign influence” of the CPC and designated the US Department of State and Agency for International Development to train journalists on investigative techniques necessary to ensure public accountability related to the Belt and Road Initiative, including “supporting civil society and independent media”.

    The US continues to use the CPC background as a pretext for cracking down on normal people-to-people exchanges and cooperation. For some time, Chinese students and visiting scholars going to the US have been harassed and suppressed by the US. Most of them were asked whether they or their parents are CPC members. Some were repatriated on inconceivable grounds, such as being suspected of military connections simply because they had photos in their mobile phones of military training at college. These stop-and-search activities go far beyond what the US claims as “normal law enforcement”.

    ◆ The CPC, the Chinese government and the Chinese people share an inseparable bond. The US says it respects the Chinese people, then it should respect the development path and political system chosen by the Chinese people and respect the CPC that represents the fundamental interests of the Chinese people. By targeting the CPC and the Chinese government, the US is in effect targeting the Chinese people. Anything done to separate the CPC, the Chinese government and the Chinese people and pit the Chinese people against the CPC and the Chinese government will surely be met with the unanimous opposition and resolute response of the over 1.4 billion Chinese people.

    Falsehood 6: The United States raises human rights issues and calls for change – not to stand against China, but to stand up for peace, security, and human dignity.

    Reality Check: The human rights of the Chinese people are guaranteed like never before, with a notable increase in their sense of fulfillment, happiness and security. In contrast, the US has been engaged in grave human rights violations both at home and abroad, and its shocking track record makes it the biggest human rights abuser in the world.

    ◆ China always puts people’s right to subsistence on top of its agenda, prioritizes the work to enhance their right to development, regards the protection of citizens’ lawful rights and interests as its basic task, has made the safeguarding of the rights of ethnic groups an important part of its work, and considers the protection of people’s safety its long-term goal.

    Guided by a people-centered philosophy, since the day when it was founded, the CPC has made seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation its mission. For the past 100 years, the Party has been working tirelessly for the interest of the people, and has dedicated itself to realizing people’s aspirations for a better life. China has been advancing whole-process people’s democracy, promoting legal safeguard for human rights, and upholding social equity and justice. The Chinese people now enjoy fuller and more extensive and comprehensive democratic rights.

    ◆ China has created the miracle of eliminating absolute poverty. By the end of 2020, China has lifted all 98.99 million rural residents living below the current poverty line out of poverty. In 2021, China completed the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and historically resolved the problem of absolute poverty. Since the launch of reform and opening-up, 770 million impoverished rural residents have shaken off poverty as currently defined. Based on the international poverty line of the World Bank, China accounts for 70 percent of global poverty reduction over the same period. China met the poverty reduction goal of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ten years ahead of schedule, making major contributions to global poverty reduction and human rights progress. China has also put in place the world’s largest education system, the largest social security system and the largest health care system.

    ◆ Since COVID-19 started, China has been acting on the principle of putting the people and their lives first. Based on China’s national conditions, it has formulated and implemented a dynamic zero-COVID guideline, and has been constantly fine-tuning its response measures in light of the evolving situation, to best protect people’s life and health and at the same time, ensure sustained, sound and steady socioeconomic development with the pandemic under effective control. Both the infection rate and mortality rate of China are the lowest in the world.

    ◆ As an active participant in global human rights governance, China has made its contribution to and offered its initiatives on world human rights development. In recent years, the concept of “building a community of shared future” has been written into the resolutions of the UN Human Rights Council, and China-sponsored resolutions on “the contribution of development to the enjoyment of all human rights” and on “Promoting Mutually Beneficial Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights” were adopted multiple times at the Human Rights Council. China also made joint statements on behalf of developing countries on the implementation of the right to development, the promotion of human rights by poverty alleviation, equitable distribution of vaccines, among other subjects, contributing its share to safeguarding the basic human rights of developing countries, which has won it wide recognition and support from the international community.

    ◆ China has been an advocate and a doer in advancing the international human rights cause. A World Bank study estimates, if implemented fully, the Belt and Road Initiative could lift 32 million people out of moderate poverty — those who live on less than $3.2 a day. It shows how participating in Belt and Road cooperation can advance human rights in more countries. In the face of the pandemic, China launched its largest global humanitarian operation since the founding of the People’s Republic, and championed the building of a global community of health for all. To address the global development deficit, China proposed the Global Development Initiative (GDI) which sees improving people’s welfare and achieving well-rounded human development as the fundamental purpose and goal. The GDI has been echoed and supported by more than 100 countries and many international organizations including the UN. The Initiative galvanizes extensive international consensus for accelerated implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and builds up international synergy for coordinated development, thus providing a strong underpinning for the advancement of the international human rights cause.

    ◆ The right to life is of utmost importance, as survival is the basis of all human rights. Endowed with the world’s most advanced medical equipment and technologies, the US has registered the world’s largest number of COVID-19 infections and deaths. Pandemic response has been extremely politicized, and become a tool and lever to attack, undercut and oppose each other between the Republicans and the Democrats. Politicians only focus on political gains, with no regard to the life and health of the ordinary people. Its pandemic control, which has been unscientific, unequal and irresponsible, has gravely undermined American people’s right to life and health.

    So far, the COVID-19 death toll in the US has surpassed one million. The deaths are, according to The Atlantic, “unexpected, untimely, particularly painful, and, in many cases, preventable”. Some politician even suggested that old people may sacrifice themselves for the country and that saving the country’s economy is more important than old people’s lives. Data of the US Center for Disease Prevention and Control shows that most COVID victims are aged 65 years and above. USC and Princeton researchers project that due to the pandemic deaths last year, life expectancy at birth for Americans will shorten by 1.13 years, the sharpest decline since World War II. ”For Blacks, the life expectancy would shorten by 2.10 years, and for Latinos, by 3.05 years. Whites are also impacted, but their projected decline is much smaller – 0.68 years.”

    The Washington Post points to a far greater number behind the one million death toll: That number is 9 million – the number of Americans who have lost spouses, parents, grandparents, siblings and children to COVID. A study by the Imperial College London estimates that more than 250,000 US children had lost a parent or caregiver to COVID-19 by 23 May 2020. Figures released by the US Government Accountability Office in March 2022 show that up to 23 million people in the US may have developed “long COVID”, and an estimated one million people suffering from the symptoms may be pushed out of work.

    The US is the country most rampant with gun violence. Its population, totaling 333 million or 4 percent of the world’s total, own more than 400 million guns or 46 percent of all the private guns in the world. It tops the world in terms of gun ownership, and shooting incidents every now and then in the US takes away more than 110 lives on a daily average. Many people say it is easier to buy a gun than baby formula in the US.

    Data of the US website Gun Violence Archive show about 45,000 Americans are killed in gun violence incidents in 2021. On 24 May 2022, the Robb elementary school shooting in Texas claimed 21 lives, including 19 children. By US media counts, it is the 39th campus shooting this year. According to The Washington Post tally, 202 mass shootings took place in the US in the first five and half months this year. For decades, no substantive measures have been taken by the US government to address such problems. In the past 25 years, the US federal government fails to introduce any gun control act. The New York Times observed, “The United States has become ungovernable not because of political differences or protest or a lack of civility, but because this is a country unwilling to protect and care for its citizens – its women, its racial minorities and especially its children.”

    Despite the claim by US founding fathers that “All men are created equal”, slavery was preserved in its Constitution of 1789. Although the US has abolished segregation on the surface, white supremacy continues to wreak havoc, and systemic discrimination against racial minorities still exists even to this day. The entrenched racism, compounded by the coronavirus, has fueled a new spike of hate crimes against Asian-Americans. At the same time, racial persecution of the indigenous people persists, discrimination against the Muslim community worsens, racial economic divide yawns, and racial inequality aggravates day by day. Nearly 60 years on since Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech, people still see a brutal reality as reflected in George Floyd’s “I can’t breathe” plea.

    ◆ Through slaughter, expulsion, sterilization and forced assimilation, the US committed a genocide against Native Americans, resulting in a sharp drop in their population from five million in 1492 to 250,000 in the early 20th century. The Native American community has long been neglected and discriminated against. The indigenous culture was fundamentally crushed, and the inter-generational inheritance of indigenous lives and spirits was under severe threats. Many US government statistical programs either leave them out completely or simply classify them as “others”.

    Shannon Keller O’Loughlin, Chief Executive and Attorney of the Association on American Indian Affairs, said that Native Americans have diverse cultures and languages, but are often seen not as an ethnic group, but as a political stratum with limited autonomy based on treaties with the federal government. The Atlantic commented that from the expulsion, slaughter and forced assimilation back in history to the current widespread poverty and neglect, the American Indians, once the owner of this continent, now have a very weak voice in American society.

    The US government enforced the system of boarding schools in Native American areas to impose English and Christian education on Native American children. It also enacted laws prohibiting Native Americans from performing religious rituals which have been passed down through generations. An article titled “The United States Must Reckon With Its Own Genocides” carried by Foreign Policy website on 11 October 2021 noted that over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, there were more than 350 government funded indigenous boarding schools across the US. Hundreds of thousands of indigenous children passed through, or died in, these schools. The purpose of Indian boarding schools was to culturally assimilate indigenous children by forcibly relocating them from their families and communities to distant residential facilities where their American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian identities, languages, and beliefs were to be forcibly suppressed. The US was not just morally, but also legally responsible for the crime of genocide against its own people.

    Native American writer Rebecca Nagle believes that information about Native Americans has been systematically removed from mainstream media and popular culture. According to a report by National Indian Education Association, 87 percent of state-level US history textbooks do not mention the post-1900 history of indigenous people. According to the Smithsonian Institution, things taught about Native Americans in American schools are full of inaccurate information and fail to present the real picture of the sufferings of indigenous people. Rick Santorum, a former Republican senator, said publicly at the Young America’s Foundation that “We birthed a nation from nothing. I mean, there was nothing here … but candidly, there isn’t much Native American culture in American culture.”

    ◆ Islamphobia and the discrimination against and suppression of Muslims and Islam in US mainstream society has become more pronounced. A Bloomberg report on 9 September 2021 observed that discrimination against Muslims in the US increased in the two decades after 9/11. On the same day, the Associated Press cited a survey which found that 53 percent of Americans have negative views toward Islam. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said in its 2021 report that it receives an increasing number of complaints each year about bullying and hate speech against Muslims.

    According to the survey findings released by the Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley on 29 October 2021, 67.5 percent of Muslim respondents said they had experienced Islamophobia, and an even larger percent of those surveyed, 93.7 percent, said that anti-Muslim hatred had affected their mental or emotional well-being to some degree.

    ◆ The US has serious problems of human trafficking and forced labor. It still has not ratified the Forced Labour Convention (1930), the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Every year, nearly 100,000 people are smuggled into the US for forced labor. Today, there are at least half a million people enslaved in the US; roughly 240,000 to 325,000 women and children are victims of sexual slavery.

    ◆ Immigrants and refugees have become a tool of partisan feuding and political rivalry in the US. The government changes its rules and regulations capriciously, enforces laws violently, and immigrants have been subjected to inhuman treatment such as prolonged detention, torture and forced labor. Data released by US Border Patrol shows that in fiscal year 2021, as many as 557 migrants died on the southern border of the US, more than double the previous fiscal year, hitting the highest number since records began in 1998. That same year, the US detained more than 1.7 million immigrants at the southern border, including 45,000 children. In September 2021, more than 15,000 asylum seekers from Haiti crowded under a bridge in the Texas border town of Del Rio, sleeping in squalid tents or dirt in the sweltering heat, and surrounded by trash under dire living conditions. US border patrol authorities brutalized the asylum seekers, with patrols on horseback, brandishing horsewhips and charging toward the crowds to expel them into the river. CNN commented that this scene is reminiscent of the dark era in American history when slave patrols were used to control black slaves.

    ◆ Turning a blind eye to the systematic violation of the human rights of its own people, the US government has wilfully attacked other countries and interfered in their internal affairs in the name of human rights, challenging right with might and trampling on justice out of selfish interest.

    Since 2001, the US has waged war or conducted military operations in about 80 countries in the name of “war on terror”, resulting in the deaths of more than 900,000 people, including 300,000 civilians. The 20-year-long war waged by the US has left Afghanistan devastated and impoverished. A total of 47,245 Afghan civilians and 66,000 to 69,000 Afghan soldiers and police officers unrelated to 9/11 have been killed and more than 10 million displaced as a result of US operations. The War in Afghanistan has destroyed the foundation of economic development and impoverished the Afghan people. When the US withdrew from Afghanistan, it immediately froze billions of dollars in foreign exchange reserves at the Afghan central bank, pushing the Afghan economy to the brink of collapse and making things worse for the Afghan people.

    At the 48th session of the UN Human Rights Council, many countries denounced the US as “the biggest destroyer of human rights in the world” and urged it to address its own gross human rights problems.

    ◆ The US has been an expert in arbitrary detention and torture. Under the pretext of “war on terror”, the CIA has set up black sites in at least 54 countries and regions over the years, where more than 100,000 people are detained. A group of independent human rights experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council said in a statement released on 10 January 2022 that the US has arbitrarily detained people without trial and subjected them to torture or ill-treatment in Guantanamo Bay for 20 years in violation of international human rights law, calling this “a stain on the US Government’s commitment to the rule of law”. The US should face up to and resolve its own systemic and chronic human rights problems, reflect on the humanitarian disasters and crimes it has caused around the world, and give a responsible account of itself to the international community.

    Falsehood 7: The US remains committed to its ”one China” policy, which is guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the three Joint Communiques, the Six Assurances. Its policy on Taiwan has not changed.

    Reality Check: The one-China principle is an established norm of international relations and a universal consensus of the international community. The US has acted faithlessly, kept regressing from its own commitments and the consensus it reached with China, and attempted to weaken and undermine the one-China principle and use Taiwan to contain China. This is a major threat to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

    ◆ In October 1971, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted, with an overwhelming majority, Resolution 2758, which decided to restore the lawful seat of the People’s Republic of China in the UN, and has solved once and for all the issue of China’s representation in the UN in political, legal and procedural terms. The official legal opinions of the Office of Legal Affairs of the UN Secretariat pointed out explicitly that “the United Nations considers ‘Taiwan’ as a province of China with no separate status”, the “‘authorities’ in ‘Taipei’ are not considered to … enjoy any form of governmental status”, and “Reference to ‘Taiwan’ … should read ‘Taiwan, Province of China'”.

    On the basis of the one-China principle, China has established diplomatic relations with 181 countries, including the US.

    ◆ The US made the following commitments to China regarding the one-China principle in the three China-US joint communiqués.

    In the Shanghai Communiqué released in 1972, the US explicitly stated that “The United States acknowledges that all Chinese on either side of the Taiwan Strait maintain there is but one China and that Taiwan is a part of China. The United States Government does not challenge that position”.

    In the Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations released in 1978, the US clearly stated that “The United States of America recognizes the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal Government of China”; ”The Government of the United States of America acknowledges the Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China”.

    In the August 17 Communiqué released in 1982, the US unequivocally stated that “In the Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations on January 1, 1979, issued by the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of the United States of America, the United States of America recognized the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal Government of China, and it acknowledged the Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China”, and that “it has no intention of infringing on Chinese sovereignty and territorial integrity, or interfering in China’s internal affairs, or pursuing a policy of ‘two Chinas’ or ‘one China, one Taiwan'”.

    According to this Communiqué, “the United States Government states that it does not seek to carry out a long-term policy of arms sales to Taiwan, that its arms sales to Taiwan will not exceed, either in qualitative or in quantitative terms, the level of those supplied in recent years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and China, and that it intends gradually to reduce its sale of arms to Taiwan, leading, over a period of time, to a final resolution. In so stating, the United States acknowledges China’s consistent position regarding the thorough settlement of this issue”.

    ◆ Rather than faithfully abiding by its commitments on Taiwan, the US has kept backpedaling on history.

    On the political front, the US has added the so-called “Taiwan Relations Act” and the “Six Assurances” to the expression of its one-China policy, with a growing list of such prefixes. Both prefixes are unilaterally made by the US side in breach of its commitments in the three China-US joint communiqués as well as the one-China principle affirmed in the UNGA Resolution 2758 and widely observed by the international community. They are illegal, null and void from the very beginning, and China has never acknowledged and has firmly rejected them from the outset. The US has also violated its commitment of maintaining unofficial relations only with Taiwan and kept upgrading the level of engagement. In recent years, senior US officials including the Secretary of Health and Human Services and Under Secretary of State as well as members of Congress have visited Taiwan. US ambassadors overseas have also met with Taiwan’s so-called “representatives” in their host countries.

    In the military field, the US has reneged on its commitment “that it intends gradually to reduce its sale of arms to Taiwan, leading, over a period of time, to a final resolution”. Instead of ceasing the arms sales, it has sold weapons at a larger scale and with enhanced capability including assault weaponries such as anti-radiation missiles, heavy weight torpedoes, and F-16V fighter jets. To date, the total volume of US arms sales to Taiwan has exceeded 70 billion US dollars. According to reports by Reuters and other new agencies, US special operations forces have been rotating into Taiwan on a temporary basis to train with Taiwanese forces.

    Since 2021, the US leader has stated publicly on three occasions that the US would help defend Taiwan in case of a war in the Taiwan Strait.

    On the international stage, the US has been assisting Taiwan in expanding its so-called “international space”. Recently, the US has been spreading globally the fallacy that UNGA Resolution 2758 did not determine the status of Taiwan, and that each country should be able to determine the contours of its own “one China” policy. It has vigorously advocated support for Taiwan’s participation as an observer in the 75th session of the World Health Assembly, and even blatantly helped to consolidate Taiwan’s “diplomatic relations”.

    ◆ These US acts have breached its commitment that “it has no intention of … pursuing a policy of ‘two Chinas’ or ‘one China, one Taiwan'”. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2022, former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said, “my understanding of the agreement (China and the US reached upon the establishment of diplomatic relations) has been that the United States would uphold the principle of one China … it is essential that these principles be maintained, and the United States should not by subterfuge or a gradual process, develop something of a two-China solution”.

    ◆ The DPP authorities have been stubbornly advancing its “Taiwan independence” separatist agenda, and the US has been encouraging and supporting “Taiwan independence” forces overtly and covertly. This is the root cause of current tensions across the Taiwan Strait. To defend peace across the Taiwan Strait and beyond, we must forestall the growing tendency of “Taiwan independence” and the collusion between the US and Taiwan. The one-China principle must not be challenged. China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must not be infringed upon. And the red line that no one should pursue a policy of “two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan” must not be crossed. China is fully confident, capable and prepared to resolutely curb “Taiwan independence” separatist activities, resolutely foil all external interferences, and firmly safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity. The US should abide by the provisions in the three China-US joint communiqués, follow a true one-China policy, and act on its commitments including on not supporting “Taiwan independence”. The US needs to genuinely reflect on and redress its regressive and erroneous behavior, and stop playing with fire on the Taiwan question. Otherwise, it would gravely jeopardize peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, undermine China-US relations and incur an unbearable cost on itself.

    Falsehood 8: The United States stands with countries and people around the world against the genocide and crimes against humanity happening in the Xinjiang region, where more than a million people have been placed in detention camps because of their ethnic and religious identity.

    Reality Check: The human rights of the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang are fully protected. There is no “genocide” or “crimes against humanity” in Xinjiang. The US has been spreading disinformation about Xinjiang simply to create an excuse for discrediting and attacking China.

    ◆ Xinjiang-related issues are not about human rights, but about fighting violence, terrorism and separatism. According to figures available, between 1990 and the end of 2016, there were several thousand incidents of violent and terrorist attacks in Xinjiang, killing large numbers of innocent people and hundreds of police officers, and causing immeasurable property damage.

    In response to such real threats, Xinjiang has acted resolutely to fight terrorism and extremism in accordance with law. At the same time, a series of supporting measures have been taken, like improving people’s livelihoods, raising public awareness about law, and offering help through vocational education and training centers. The trend of frequent terrorist activities has thus been effectively curbed. There has been no violent act of terrorism in Xinjiang for five consecutive years and more. The region has enjoyed security, social stability and good development. The safety and security of people of all ethnic groups have been effectively protected.

    ◆ ”Genocide” in Xinjiang is a complete “lie of the century”. Over the past 60 years and more, the Uyghur population has increased from 2.2 million to about 12 million, and their average life expectancy has grown from 30 to 75 years.

    With stability prevailing in Xinjiang, local people live and work in peace and happiness. The region has made unprecedented progress in delivering economic and social development and in bettering people’s lives. Between 2014 and 2019, GDP in Xinjiang rose from 919.59 billion yuan to 1.36 trillion yuan, with an average annual growth rate of 7.2 percent, while per capita disposable income grew by an average annual rate of 9.1 percent. Remarkable achievements have been made in eliminating extreme poverty. All 3.09 million impoverished people by current standards have been lifted out of poverty, making absolute poverty a thing of the past in Xinjiang.

    The lawful rights and interests of the people of all ethnicities in Xinjiang have been protected effectively. All ethnic groups, regardless of their populations, have equal legal status and enjoy freedom of religious belief and various rights in accordance with law, including participating in the management of state affairs, receiving education, using their own languages, and preserving their traditional culture.

    ◆ In July 2019, permanent representatives of more than 50 countries in Geneva sent a joint letter to the President of the UN Human Rights Council and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, praising China’s achievements in fighting terrorism, deradicalization and human rights protection. In October 2019, more than 60 countries spoke at the Third Committee of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly, commending the tremendous human rights advancement in Xinjiang. In June 2021, more than 90 countries made joint or separate statements at the Human Rights Council in support of China. In the meantime, Canada took the lead in attacking China on issues related to Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Tibet. Just a little over 40 countries echoed Canada’s criticism, and none of them are from the Muslim world.

    ◆ In recent years, over 2,000 people from more than 100 countries, including experts, scholars, journalists, diplomats and religious figures, have visited Xinjiang, witnessing the unity, harmony and happiness of people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang.

    ◆ The so-called “genocide” in Xinjiang is a lie cooked up by anti-China forces represented by the anti-China German scholar Adrian Zenz. He is a member of the far-right group “Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation” sponsored by the US government, and a key figure in an anti-China organization set up by US intelligence agencies. He is also a racist. His “research” is full of inconsistencies, fabrications and data manipulation. It does not have any academic credibility and cannot be cleared for academic publication. For example, a chart in Zenz’s “paper” claims that new IUD placements in Xinjiang average between 800 and 1,400 per person each year, which means each woman in the region would have to undergo four to eight such insertion surgeries every day. This is totally against common sense.

    ◆ On 29 June 2020, the Jamestown Foundation of the US published a “research report” by Adrian Zenz, in which he falsely accused the Chinese government of committing “genocide” against ethnic minorities in Xinjiang.

    Upon the release of the report, US politicians including then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback, Senator Marco Rubio and House Representative Jim McGovern immediately pitched in to whip up the “genocide” accusation. Rubio, McGovern, Senator John Cornyn and Senator Robert Menendez went on to urge the administration to make a genocide determination of China’s policy on Xinjiang. Contradicting the conclusion reached by lawyers at the State Department Office of the Legal Adviser, Pompeo announced that ”I have determined that the People’s Republic of China is committing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, China, targeting Uyghur Muslims and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups” on 19 January 2021, the last day of the previous administration. The current administration has followed the same position and continued to allege “genocide” in Xinjiang. This further exposes the US’s real intention of political manipulation in the name of human rights.

    ◆ The World Uyghur Congress, an anti-China separatist organization, hired people like Sayragul Sauytbay and Tursunay Ziawudun to make false statements and spread all kinds of lies about ”persecution”. In the 70-plus press conferences held so far by the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, falsehoods spread by anti-China forces have been debunked with solid facts. For instance, some “performers” who claimed to be the victims of forced sterilization in vocational education and training centers have never been to one. The family members or friends reported by some “performers” as missing are actually living a normal life in Xinjiang.

    ◆ The false claim about ”millions of Uyghurs detained” in education and training centers was initiated and spread by “Chinese Human Rights Defenders”, an NGO supported by the US government. Based on interviews with eight Uyghurs and rough estimation, the organization came to the preposterous conclusion that at least 10 percent of the 20 million people in Xinjiang are detained in “reeducation camps”.

    The education and training centers in Xinjiang are no different in nature from deradicalization centers or community correction and desistance and disengagement programs in many other countries. It has been proven to be a successful exploration in preventative counter-terrorism and deradicalization, consistent with the principle and spirit of counter-terrorism resolutions including the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and the UN Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism. At the centers, trainees acquire greater proficiency in standard spoken and written Chinese language and employability, and gain a stronger sense of national identity, citizenship and rule of law. By October 2019, all trainees had graduated from the centers. Most of them have steady employment after finding jobs by themselves or with the help of the government, or starting up their own businesses.

    ◆ The US and some other Western countries have been making an issue of human rights in Xinjiang in total disregard of the basic reality of human rights protection and development there. It has become a means for them to achieve their strategic objective of using Xinjiang as a pretext to contain China. Lawrence Wilkerson, a retired US Army Colonel and chief of staff to former Secretary of State Colin Powell, said publicly in August 2018 that one of the three-fold purpose of the US military’s presence in Afghanistan is the containment of China — “If the CIA would want to destabilize China, that would be the best way to do it – to form an unrest, and join with those Uyghurs in pushing … Beijing from internal places rather than external”.

    Falsehood 9: The CPC has imposed harsh anti-democratic measures in Hong Kong under the guise of national security. Beijing’s quashing of freedom in Hong Kong violates its handover commitments, enshrined in the Sino-British Joint Declaration.

    Reality Check: By attacking and smearing the Law on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), what the US is really up to is to meddle in Hong Kong affairs and make Hong Kong a “bridgehead” for infiltration and interference against the mainland. Hong Kong is China’s Hong Kong. Hong Kong affairs are purely China’s internal affairs that brook no interference from the US.

    ◆ For a long time, the US has colluded with the anti-China, destabilizing forces in Hong Kong, interfered in Hong Kong’s political agenda, stoked up social tensions, and even directly intervened in Hong Kong affairs. The US Consul-General in Hong Kong publicly criticized the Hong Kong SAR government for the proposed legislative amendments in 2019 and the One Country, Two Systems. Officials from the US Consulate-General in Hong Kong also met with the so-called leaders of the rioters. The rioters openly admitted that they had discussed with the US the legislative process of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019 and urged the US to stop exporting tear gas and rubber bullets to the Hong Kong police.

    ◆ Funded and incited by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and other US government’s “white gloves”, anti-China rioters in Hong Kong committed vandalizing, looting and arson in the name of the so-called fight for “democracy” and “freedom”, and violently stormed the building of the Legislative Council (LegCo) of Hong Kong. NED even appeared publicly on the street to direct relevant activities, attempting to stage a “color revolution” in Hong Kong. NED contacted opposition parties, groups and organizations in Hong Kong through its affiliating National Democratic Institute for International Affairs or the National Democratic Institute (NDI). NDI funded the “1 July marches” orchestrated by the opposition to obstruct legislation on Article 23, funded the participation of opposition parties and groups at workshops and seminars, and provided personal counseling on campaigning skills for their leaders, ran a so-called “young political leaders program” to support emerging political groups in confronting the government, plotted, together with opposition members of LegCo, a “five-district referendum”, and directed and funded the opposition and young radicals in orchestrating the illegal “Occupy Central” movement.

    According to the NED website, two million US dollars were spent on 11 Hong Kong-related projects in 2020, with a particular focus on disrupting LegCo elections. Key projects include: “Strengthening Citizen Election Observation”, which offered technical and financial assistance to newly formed destabilizing groups in Hong Kong, and encouraged them to obstruct LegCo elections by means of election monitoring, get-out-the-vote methods, etc.; “Amplifying Citizens’ Perspectives on Political Participation”, which collected and disseminated survey findings on democratic development, and induced young Hong Kongers to share their political participation experiences on the Internet; “Supporting Unity Among Student Activists”, which called for better coordination among Hong Kong student groups prior to LegCo elections, and instructed and trained them to build capacity for “democratic change” and international communication and to play a role in disrupting electoral order; and “Building Regional Solidarity and Empowering the Hong Kong Movement”, which sought to strengthen Hong Kong’s “democratic movement” through network building, cultivate next-generation “leading activists” in Hong Kong, and set up a network of “democratic movement” in Asia.

    ◆ US officials used “violence” and “shame” to describe the storming of the Capitol building by protesters, but labeled the violent, criminal activities in Hong Kong that assaulted residents and damaged public facilities as “a beautiful sight to behold”. The US police used armored vehicles to disperse demonstrators, abused their force to beat and drive away sit-in demonstrators, and arrested demonstrators after deliberately inducing them to walk on vehicle lanes which constitutes violation of the law, while discrediting the Hong Kong SAR government’s law-based actions to protect people’s rights and the public order as “violation” of human rights. This is another display of US-style hypocritical double standards and exposes its intention to undermine prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and contain China under the pretext of human rights and democracy.

    ◆ During the 150-plus years of British colonial rule, there was no democracy in Hong Kong whatsoever. None of the governors was democratically elected by Hong Kong residents. For most of the time, Legco members were directly appointed by the governor. In stark contrast, after the return of Hong Kong, pursuant to the Basic Law, Hong Kong has come to enjoy the executive, legislative and independent judicial power, including that of final adjudication. Its residents are masters of the SAR as provided by law who manage their own affairs within the scope of the high degree of autonomy. They enjoy a wide range of democratic rights and freedoms like never before. This is a fact that every fair-minded person would recognize.

    ◆ The purpose of enacting the National Security Law in Hong Kong is to close the legal loopholes in safeguarding national security in the SAR. It is a legitimate and necessary move to respond to violent terrorist activities and illegal external interference in Hong Kong. Constitutions of more than 100 countries have stipulations that the exercise of fundamental rights and freedoms shall not endanger national security. According to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the rights to freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and public trial may be subject to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary to protect public safety and order. The European Convention on Human Rights has similar provisions.

    The national security law specifically targets four categories of crimes: secession, subversion, terrorist activities, and collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security. It seeks to punish a tiny number of criminals who seriously endanger national security and protect the vast majority of law-abiding Hong Kong citizens. It provides better protection for the rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong residents and the high degree of autonomy of Hong Kong enshrined in law. It creates the conditions needed for addressing the deep-seated problems in the economy and concerning people’s livelihood. It also helps maintain the rule of law and business environment in Hong Kong, ease the concerns of the business community about social disorder, and offer better conditions for people from around the world who want to work, invest and live in Hong Kong.

    Over the past two years or so since the National Security Law was enacted, the rule of law in Hong Kong has been strengthened and better guaranteed. Hong Kong’s rule of law index continues to stay among the top in the world. Foreign investors have stronger confidence in the city. Hong Kong is seeing a bright prospect transitioning from chaos to order and to prosperity. According to the 2022 AmCham Hong Kong Business Sentiment Survey released early this year, the number of businesses in Hong Kong optimistic about Hong Kong’s business outlook increased by 18 percent from the previous year, while the number of businesses that are pessimistic was down by 17 percent.

    ◆ The legal basis for the Chinese government to govern Hong Kong is the Chinese Constitution and the Basic Law of the HKSAR. The Sino-British Joint Declaration is not relevant in this regard. As China resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997, all provisions concerning the UK under the Joint Declaration had been fulfilled. The basic policies regarding Hong Kong stated by China in the Joint Declaration are China’s declaration of its policies, which have since been fully embodied in the Basic Law enacted by the National People’s Congress. These policies have not changed; they will continue to be upheld by China. The Joint Declaration does not assign the UK any responsibility over Hong Kong nor give it any right to intervene in Hong Kong affairs after the return of Hong Kong. The UK has no sovereignty, jurisdiction or “right of supervision” over Hong Kong after its return. The Joint Declaration is a bilateral instrument between China and the UK; it does not involve any other country or has anything to do with a third country. Sovereign equality and non-interference are enshrined in international law and are basic norms of international relations. Other countries and organizations have no right to meddle in Hong Kong affairs on the grounds of the Joint Declaration.

    The Central Government of China has unswervingly implemented the policy of One Country, Two Systems. Since Hong Kong’s return, the policy of One Country, Two Systems under which the people of Hong Kong administer Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy has been earnestly implemented with widely recognized achievements. Practice has fully proven that One Country, Two Systems is the best institutional arrangement for Hong Kong’s long-term prosperity and stability. The Central Government will continue to ensure that the policy of One Country, Two Systems remains unchanged, is unwaveringly upheld, and in practice is not bent or distorted.

    ◆ Turning a blind eye to the fact that Hong Kong’s democracy has improved in ways unseen before its return, the US has acted against Hong Kong’s mainstream public opinion for unity and progress and made irresponsible remarks on Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy, human rights and freedom as the “preacher” of democracy. This only exposes its hypocritical double standards and the agenda to destabilize Hong Kong and contain China.

    Falsehood 10: China purports to champion sovereignty and territorial integrity while standing with and defending the Russian government that brazenly violate them.

    Reality Check: On the Ukraine issue, China has always adhered to an objective and just position, a position shared by most countries. The Cold War mentality and power politics is the root cause of the Ukraine crisis. The US should earnestly shoulder its due responsibilities and take concrete actions to ease the situation and solve the problems.

    ◆ The US has betrayed its own promises and kept pushing for the eastward expansion of NATO,creating the Ukraine crisis.

    When meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev in 1990, the then US Secretary of State James Baker gave clear assurances that “there would be no extension of NATO’s jurisdiction for forces of NATO one inch to the east”. However, the US has led five rounds of NATO eastward expansion since 1999, increasing its membership from 16 to 30, and advancing NATO more than 1,000 kilometers eastward to the Russian border, forming a C-shaped encirclement of the Black Sea.

    In 1997, former US diplomat and observer on the Soviet Union George Kennan wrote in his New York Times Op-Ed that “expanding NATO would be the most fateful error of American policy in the entire post-cold-war era.”

    In 2014, former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger wrote in the Washington Post that if Ukraine is to survive and thrive, it should not join NATO, and that it must not be either side’s outpost against the other — it should function as a bridge between them.

    At the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2022 in Davos, Kissinger said that Ukraine should have been a bridge between Europe and Russia, but that opportunity does not now exist in the same manner. Russia has been for 400 years an essential part of Europe, and on a number of occasions as the guarantor by which the European balance could be re-established. Current policy should keep in mind the restoration of this role is important to develop.

    An American expert on international affairs points out in an article that the US government should bear considerable responsibility for the deterioration of relations with Russia caused by its major mistake of greenlighting the NATO expansion. Noting that “America and NATO aren’t innocent bystanders”, he also believed that it is “the height of folly” for some US officials to brag in public about leaks or even intelligence sharing between the US and Ukraine. He warned that such instigation on the US side could dangerously widen the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

    According to Clare Daly, Member of the European Parliament, the US has been adding fuel to the fire on Ukraine because they want to weaken Russia and benefit from the crisis, for which Europe will pay a heavy price. These is still no hope of peace in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, mainly because the US does not want Russia and Ukraine to reach a peace agreement.

    Former US Senator Bill Bradley said that “the fundamental blunder that the United States made in the late 80s, early 90s was the expansion of NATO”.

    Former US Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard said in an interview if Joe Biden simply promised not to include Ukraine into NATO, the war would have been prevented.

    Over the years, the US has pursued interventionism and grossly violated the sovereignty of Iraq, Afghanistan, Serbia, Syria and other countries. Alfred de Zayas, a senior UN expert, said in an exclusive interview that from the perspective of international law, Russia’s military actions in Ukraine violated the UN Charter, but the United States and NATO have broken international law so often over the years that “precedents of permissibility” have therefore been set for Russia’s current actions in terms of customary international law.

    ◆ The US has been fanning the flames on the Ukraine issue. Instead of promoting peace talks, the US continued to provide weapons to Ukraine, escalating tensions and expanding the conflict, making it more prolonged and complicated. This has sufficiently exposed the selfish nature of the US.

    On 25 April 2022, US Defense Secretary Austin said after a visit to Ukraine that the US wants to use the war to “see Russia weakened”.

    In late May 2022, on top of the original 13.6 billion dollars aid, the US Congress voted to approve another over 40 billion dollars in military and economic aid to Ukraine. The total assistance has exceeded 70 percent of the combined military expenditure of Russia and Ukraine in 2021.

    The ongoing crisis has cost Europe heavily in political, economic and social aspects, but the US is reaping dividends, with its arms dealers, food and energy companies gaining huge profits. For example, the market value of US military industrial giants has surged by hundreds of billions, and the price of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exported to Europe is more than 10 times higher than a year ago.

    As the result of the conflict, more than 6.5 million Ukrainians have fled into neighboring European countries, posing an unprecedented refugee crisis. But the US admitted only 12 refugees from Ukraine in March 2022. Thousands of Ukrainian refugees remain stranded on the US-Mexico border, and many were in US custody. Even when the UN and the international community are calling for an early end to the conflict, some in the US are still claiming that they would “fight to the last Ukrainian”.

    ◆ The relationship between China and Russia features non-alliance, non-confrontation and non-targeting at any third party. It is essentially different from the practice of the US and a small number of other Western countries, where they still stick to the Cold War mentality and a friend-or-foe dichotomy to draw ideological lines, form so-called “alliances” and “cliques”, pursue bloc politics and create confrontation and division.

    In the joint statement issued on 4 February 2022, China and Russia call on all to champion humanity’s common values of peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, respect the rights of all peoples to independently determine the development paths of their countries, and the sovereignty, security and development interests of all countries, protect the UN-centered international system, and the international order based on international law, seek true multilateralism with the UN and its Security Council playing a central and coordinating role, promote more democratic international relations, and ensure peace, stability and sustainable development across the world.

    ◆ As a responsible major country, China’s decisions and judgments on the Ukraine issue are made independently based on the merits of the matter. China has made great efforts to safeguard international peace and security, and has been committed to promoting talks for peace and deescalating tensions. China maintains that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected, that the purposes and principles of the UN Charter should be upheld, that legitimate security concerns of all countries should be taken seriously, and that all efforts conducive to a peaceful resolution of the crisis should be supported. China’s position is objective, fair and consistent with the aspirations of most countries.

    ◆ Of the 233 sovereign countries and regions in the world, 185 are not involved in sanctions on Russia. Among the more than 190 members of the UN, more than 140 countries, including NATO member state Turkey, have refused to impose sanctions on Russia. The combined population of countries and regions participating in sanctions against Russia and those not is 6.5 billion versus 1.1 billion. Among them, those openly oppose sanctions have a combined population of 4.8 billion.

    About two-thirds of the world’s population does not support Western positions on Ukraine, according to a report by the British Economist magazine.

    Falsehood 11: The US is setting up new coalitions in the Indo-Pacific for regional peace and stability, and has launched the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), as it “shares the vision that the regional countries and people across the region hold: one of a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

    Reality Check: The so-called US vision of a “free and open Indo-Pacific” is essentially a strategy to divide others, incite confrontation and undermine peace. It runs counter to the trend of the times in the Asia-Pacific, i.e., the trend of peaceful development and win-win cooperation.

    ◆ The US administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy is self-contradictory: the US claims to promote the region’s “freedom and openness” as its goal, while in reality co-opting with allies to forge a “five-four-three-two-one” formation made up of the Five Eyes, the Quad, AUKUS, bilateral alliances and IPEF, forming exclusive “small circles” and forcing countries in the region to take sides.

    AUKUS helps Australia build nuclear-powered submarines and develops hypersonic weapons, pushing up the risk for a regional arms race. Under the pretext of fighting illegal fishing and keeping supply chains resilient, the Quad has vigorously pursued military cooperation and intelligence sharing. The US has also encouraged NATO’s involvement in the Asia-Pacific. These are all attempts to materialize an “Asia-Pacific version of NATO” and promote “integrated deterrence” against China.

    ◆ The Indo-Pacific strategy has raised increasing alarm and concern of many countries, especially those in the Asia-Pacific. As BBC reported, in April 2021, New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta expressed New Zealand’s discomfort with expanding the Five Eyes’ remit by putting pressure on China in this way, and New Zealand still prefers to pursue bilateral relations with China. At the US-ASEAN Special Summit, ASEAN countries stressed their aspiration for peace and cooperation, not for taking sides, division or confrontation.

    ◆ The US has made clear that IPEF is to enable it to win the contest in the 21st century. This means that the IPEF is designed to serve the US economy. The US has shelved the development of the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP) for a long time, left the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and refused to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). This exposes the self-serving nature of the US and its selective approach to international institutions. It is all about the US’ self-interests, nothing mutually beneficial.

    IPEF is a political instrument of the US in propping up its hegemony in the regional economy. The essence is to dominate the supply chains, value chains and new economic sectors, and marginalize specific countries. The US has chosen to weaponize economic issues as political and ideological ones, using economy to coerce regional countries into taking sides between China and the US.

    US Trade Representative Katherine Tai publicly stated that IPEF is a standalone arrangement independent from China. US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said IPEF marks the US’s restoration of economic leadership in the region and presents Indo-Pacific countries an alternative to China’s approach. Previously, she also expressed that IPEF may harmonize export controls and other “poison pills”, such as limiting sensitive products export to China.

    IPEF seeks to establish US-led trade rules, restructure the industrial chain system and economically and scientifically “decouple” regional countries from China. Many countries in the region get concerned, and believe that the cost of such “decoupling” will be huge. Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad noted that any trade alliance that excludes the world’s second largest economy is not conducive to closer, multilateral trade cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. The US’s exclusion of China is not an economic issue but a political one.

    ◆ Hailed as “menu approach” cooperation, IPEF actually pays little regard to the development level and real needs of the regional countries. It barely gives concessions to developing countries on tariff reduction and market access, but forces participating countries to accept the so-called high standards of the US and its unilateral agenda. IPEF focuses solely on the US’s self-interests and cares little about the needs of other parties. There is no such thing as mutual benefit in IPEF.

    The Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) pointed out in its report “Regional Perspectives on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework” that IPEF has little more to offer than enlarging the US economic presence in the region. It fails to address the issues of the greater interests of regional countries. There is widespread concern that IPEF will only benefit the US, while saddling participating regional countries with a heavy burden.

    Falsehood 12: China has announced its ambition to create a sphere of influence in the Pacific region. It is advancing unlawful maritime claims in the South China Sea, undermining peace and security, freedom of navigation and commerce. The US will continue to oppose Beijing’s aggressive and unlawful activities in the South and East China Seas. It will support the region’s coastal states in upholding their maritime rights, work with allies and partners to uphold freedom of navigation and overflight, and will continue to fly and sail wherever international law allows.

    Reality Check: China is committed to the path of peaceful development, the five principles of peaceful coexistence and opposes the practice of the big and strong bullying the small and weak. The US, by painting China as a threat and using “freedom of navigation” as a pretext to undermine China’s sovereignty, security and maritime rights and interests, is actually the real threat to regional peace and security.

    ◆ China stands for equality among all countries irrespective of their size, respects every country’s choice of development path suited to its national condition, and does not seek any sphere of influence. China pursues a defense policy that is defensive in nature and a military strategy of active defense. In developing its defense capabilities, China aims to safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests, and does not target any other country. The growth of China’s defense capabilities amplifies the force for peace in the world.

    ◆ China is the first to have discovered, named, and explored and exploited Nanhai Zhudao and relevant waters, and the first to have exercised sovereignty and jurisdiction over them continuously, peacefully and effectively. China’s sovereignty over Nanhai Zhudao and its relevant rights and interests in the South China Sea have been established in the long course of history. They are solidly grounded in history and law, and have been upheld by successive Chinese governments and recognized by the international community. Pursuant to the 1943 Cairo Declaration and the 1945 Potsdam Proclamation, China recovered territories illegally occupied by Japan including Xisha Qundao and Nansha Qundao after WWII, and has since affirmed sovereignty and strengthened jurisdiction by establishing official names, publishing maps, creating administrative units and stationing troops. China’s resuming its exercise of sovereignty over Nanhai Zhudao is a legitimate and lawful act to inherit China’s rights established over the course of history. It is also part of the post-WWII international order, and has been recognized by countries around the world including the US.

    ◆ With the joint efforts of China and ASEAN countries, the overall situation in the South China Sea remains stable. With the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), the parties have increased dialogue, properly handled differences, deepened cooperation and enhanced mutual trust, and have made active progress in advancing consultations on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea, in an effort to jointly safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea and inject positive dynamics into regional and global security, stability and prosperity. Despite COVID-19, the parties have held offline Senior Officials’ Meetings on the implementation of the DOC and 10 joint working group meetings via video link to advance consultations on the COC text. Last month, the first face-to-face COC consultations since COVID-19 was held in Cambodia. Such positive progress speaks volumes about the resolve and commitment of regional countries to steadfastly advance consultations toward a COC.

    ◆ China respects and supports all countries’ freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea in accordance with international law, and actively safeguards the security of and unimpeded passage through international shipping lanes. In fact, the South China Sea is one of the world’s safest and freest sea lanes. Fifty percent of merchant vessels in the world and one-third of international maritime trade pass through it, and more than 100,000 merchant ships sail through it annually. Freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea has never been an issue.

    ◆ Diaoyu Dao and its affiliated islands are China’s inherent territory. China’s patrol and law enforcement missions in waters off the Diaoyu Dao are legitimate measures taken by China to exercise its sovereignty in accordance with law and are necessary responses to Japanese provocations in violation of China’s sovereignty. No country or force should misjudge the strong resolve of the Chinese government to safeguard sovereignty and territorial integrity. At the same time, China stays committed to properly handling and resolving issues through dialogue and consultation, and has made great efforts to maintain maritime stability. In 2014, a four-point principled consensus was reached between China and Japan to handle and improve China-Japan relations, which includes a clear understanding on managing the situation surrounding Diaoyu Dao and the East China Sea.

    ◆ Acting under the logic of the Monroe Doctrine, the US often uses power politics and hegemonic and bullying acts to flagrantly undermine the international maritime order, with a view to sustaining its maritime predominance. In the 240-plus-year history of the US, there were only 16 years when the country was not at war with others. The US operates over 800 military bases in 80 countries and regions. Its military expenditure, which has topped the world for many years in a row, accounts for one-fourth of the global total and is equivalent to the combined military spending of the next nine countries. Recently, the US has proposed a national defense budget request of about 813 billion US dollars for fiscal year 2023. Such massive military spending makes the US the real “pacing challenge” to the world.

    ◆ The US disregards the history and facts surrounding the South China Sea issue, deliberately stokes disputes on territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and sows discord among regional countries. It has become the biggest force undermining stability and fueling militarization in the South China Sea. Data from relevant organizations show that the number of US close-in reconnaissance activities targeting China has more than doubled over the past decade and more. Right now, an average of five US naval vessels cruise near China’s shore every day. This year, US naval vessels have been sailing through the Taiwan Strait about once a month, and large US reconnaissance planes have flown over 800 times close to China and repeatedly violated China’s airspace. Eager to stir up trouble in the South China Sea, the US has also encouraged its allies and partners to sail their naval vessels into the South China Sea.

    On 2 October 2021, USS Connecticut, a nuclear submarine, had an underwater collision in the South China Sea. It was not until a week later that the US issued a vague statement, claiming that the submarine hit an unknown object. One month after, it said that the submarine “grounded on an uncharted seamount”. A final report on the accident was eventually released by the US Navy on 23 May 2022, yet no clear explanation has been offered in response to the grave concerns and questions raised by many, including the intent of the submarine, the specific location of the accident, whether the submarine had entered exclusive economic zones (EEZ) and even territorial sea of other countries, and whether the accident had caused a nuclear leak or damaged marine environment.

    ◆ The US began its Freedom of Navigation (FON) Program in 1979 ahead of the signing of the UNCLOS. Challenging the new maritime order, the move sought to maximize the freedom of the US military to rampage through the oceans. The FON Program is not consistent with the universally recognized international law, disregards the sovereignty, security and maritime rights and interests of the many littoral countries, and seriously jeopardizes regional peace and stability. Its goal is to advance American maritime supremacy under the pretext of “freedom of navigation”. The FON Program has been firmly opposed by many members of the international community, especially the developing countries.

    Falsehood 13: Chinese government officials spread disinformation.

    Reality Check: China is the top victim of disinformation, while the US is the biggest source of spreading disinformation.

    ◆ With sharp confrontation between the Republicans and Democrats, habitual lying, finger-pointing and blame-shifting among politicians have become part of the US political ecology. A poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the Pearson Institute at the University of Chicago reveals that nearly half of the respondents blame the US government for the spread of misinformation.

    ◆ The US has used disinformation to launch multiple wars across the globe in pursuit of its hegemonic agenda. Colin Powell, the then US Secretary of State accused Iraq of possessing weapons of mass destruction with a test tube of “laundry powder”. The US blamed the Syrian government for using bio-chemical weapons against its own people with fake videos by the White Helmets.

    In 2019, the then US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo publicly claimed that “we lied, we cheated, we stole … we had entire training courses. It reminds you of the glory of the American experiment.”

    On 4 May 2022, Republican Senator Rand Paul spoke bluntly at a Senate hearing, “Do you know who the greatest propagator of disinformation in the history of the world is? The US government.”

    ◆ Manipulation by US politicians has seriously undercut the media’s credibility. A Gallup poll in 2020 shows that 60 percent of Americans remain largely distrustful of the media, among whom 33 percent have no trust at all, which is 5 percentage points higher than that of 2019.

    ◆ The US has on multiple occasions fabricated numerous lies and rumors on issues concerning origins-tracing, Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong, democracy and human rights, including the so-called “lab-leak theory”, “genocide” and “forced labor”, which have all been defeated by facts.

    Since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out, the US has kept spreading disinformation on China and made unfounded accusations against it, in order to shirk its responsibilities for triggering the conflict with NATO’s eastward expansion. The New York Times quoted from anonymous US senior officials who claimed that China had prior knowledge of Russian military operation in Ukraine. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US Representative to the UN, said at a Security Council meeting that China had been spreading disinformation in support of Russia. This is sheer fabrication and slandering. Meanwhile, as part of the fierce hunt of voices different from its own, the US has added special labels to Tweets sharing links of Chinese media reports, while turning a blind eye to the Western media that are actually telling the lies.

    ◆ The US has used disinformation as a political tool to attack and suppress China, and formed a supply chain of anti-China rhetoric combining dirty funding, fact-twisting stories and massive smear campaigns. On the surface, these anti-China rhetoric come from certain media outlets and politicians, but what lies underneath is a massive capital-driven supply chain — some institutions and organizations from the US and other Western countries provide dirty funding for political purposes to anti-China groups and individuals; some think-tanks and academic institutions make up fact-twisting stories to fuel anti-China rhetoric around the world through Western hegemony on public opinion; and politicians and media act as mouthpieces propagating lies and falsehoods about China in massive smear campaigns.

    Adrian Zenz and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), both fabricated numerous Xinjiang-related lies, are typical examples of such “lies manufacturers”.

    Adrian Zenz is a member of a far-right group founded by the US government and a key member of an anti-China research institute set up and manipulated by the US intelligence agency. His so-called reports on Xinjiang reflect no credibility, intellectual merit or academic integrity at all.

    As disclosed by the media, the US State Department and arms manufacturers are the primary foreign sponsors for the ASPI. Funding from the US State Department alone reached nearly 1.4 million Australian dollars a year, all directed to research projects attacking China. The ASPI disseminated a series of lies and disinformation on issues concerning origins-tracing, Xinjiang and data security.

    ◆ In addition to constantly spreading disinformation on China, the US has also rolled out measures to suppress and contain China based on such disinformation, including China-related bills and sanctions. In December 2021, under the pretext of its so-called concerns on “forced labor”, the US signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act into law, imposing a full ban on imports from Xinjiang. This is a malicious move to denigrate human rights situation in Xinjiang, and a serious violation of international law and basic norms of international relations.

    ◆ China has used facts and figures to tell the truth and refute the lies and rumors created and propagated by the US. It is aimed at making truth heard, not spreading disinformation. Instead of observing basic facts, the US has acted in its own interests and labeled all views different from its own as “disinformation”. This is, in essence, hegemony and bullying in the field of public opinion.

    Falsehood 14: China is circumventing or breaking trade rules and its economic manipulations have cost American workers millions of jobs, harming workers and companies in the United States but also around the world. The United States will push back on market-distorting policies and practices, like subsidies and market access barriers, which China’s government has used for years to gain competitive advantage.

    Reality Check: China has faithfully delivered on its commitments made upon accession to the WTO. China upholds, builds and contributes to the multilateral trading system. China-US economic and trade relations are mutually beneficial in nature. However, US’ wanton suppression of China in trade and investment areas has been the root cause of trade frictions between the two countries, which hurts others without benefiting oneself.

    ◆ Over the past 20-plus years since joining the WTO, China has earnestly fulfilled its commitments upon accession. It has rolled out nationwide the management system of pre-establishment national treatment plus a negative list, kept expanding market access, brought down overall tariff level from 15.3% to 7.4%, and opened up nearly 120 sectors in the service industry.

    In October 2021, the WTO conducted the eighth review of trade policies and practices of China. The report of the review fully recognized China’s efforts in upholding the multilateral trading system and its active role in the WTO. It spoke highly of China’s achievements in such areas as trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, greater opening-up and progress under the Belt and Road Initiative.

    A leading official of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development pointed out that, over the past two decades, China has steadfastly supported the rules-based multilateral trading system, practiced true multilateralism, participated fully in WTO negotiations, steered negotiations in areas such as investment facilitation and e-commerce, and worked for WTO rules keeping pace with the times.

    ◆ Embracing the trend of regional and global economic integration, China has deepened economic and trade ties with countries around the world, signing free trade agreements and stepping up the building of free trade zones. As of now, China has signed 19 free trade agreements with 26 countries and regions.

    ◆ China has actively deepened supply-side structural reform. It has met the target of phasing out 150 million tons of overcapacity in the steel industry set out in the 13th Five-Year Plan two years ahead of schedule, 1.14 times of the global total in slashing overcapacity of steels. The process involved the reemployment of 280,000 Chinese steel workers, more than the total number of steel workers in the US, Europe and Japan.

    ◆ China and the US have highly complementary economies, deeply integrated interests, and mutually beneficial economic and trade ties. In 2021, bilateral trade topped record-breaking 750 billion US dollars. The US Export Report 2022 issued by the US-China Business Council showed that, in 2021, goods exports to China grew by 21 percent to 149 billion US dollars, supporting 858,000 jobs in the US. The 2020 Annual Business Survey Report on Chinese Enterprises in the United States released by the China General Chamber of Commerce-USA indicated that, as of 2019, CGCC’s Chinese member companies cumulatively invested over 123 billion US dollars, employed more than 220,000 people, and supported over one million jobs throughout the United States. Research of the US-China Business Council showed that Chinese exports have helped bring down US consumer price by 1 to 1.5 percent, saving each US household 850 US dollars per year.

    ◆ By blaming China for its own economic problems, the US started a trade war and tariff war against China, which only backfired for itself. US tariffs against China have cost American companies more than 1.7 trillion US dollars in market capitalization and increased average household expenditure by 1,300 US dollars per year. A 2021 report by the US-China Business Council pointed out that the trade war with China has resulted in a loss of 245,000 jobs in the US. A report from Moody’s Investor Service was cited as saying that American consumers bear 92.4 percent of the cost of imposing tariffs on Chinese goods. Paul Krugman, a Nobel Prize laureate in economics, incisively pointed out that US trade policy toward China has failed and tariffs harm the US more than their intended targets.

    On 18 May 2022, the National Retail Federation (NRF) wrote to President Biden, calling for eliminating tariffs, which, as pointed out in the letter, could reduce consumer prices by as much as 1.3 percent. Janet Yellen, the US Treasury Secretary, said that some tariffs on China hurt American consumers and businesses, and that cutting tariffs was worth considering in order to lower US inflation.

    The obstacles to China-US economic and trade cooperation are mainly from the US side. Over 1,000 Chinese companies have been put on its lists for unfair suppression or sanction. The US Congress has put forth more than 300 negative China-related bills. The proposed Bipartisan Innovation Act, which is still being developed, essentially aims to hold back China’s economic growth.

    ◆ The US arbitrarily accuses China of its industrial subsidy policies, but the country itself was among the first to develop such policies, including subsidies and so on. Successive US administrations have rolled out plans to support emerging industries. Through tax relief, government procurement and other means, the US administrations have interfered in the market to push forward cooperation between government and enterprises and advance technology transfers. In the 1950s and 1960s, the US undertook special programs to promote the development of its aerospace and military industries. In the 1990s, the Clinton administration supported the growth of hi-tech industries with the Information Superhighway plan. Such industrial policies are still being practiced in the US today. A report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies noted that the US and its allies and partners in Europe and Asia have increased subsidies to industries such as semiconductors, electric-car batteries and pharmaceuticals to shore up support for domestic companies.

    ◆ The US poses the biggest challenge to the global trading system. Following “America First” policy, the US has refused to shoulder its due obligations under multilateral trading agreements, and withdrawn from international treaties and organizations, taking a heavy toll on the development and functioning of the global trading system. A WTO dispute settlement report has identified the US as the biggest rule-breaker, responsible for two-thirds of violations of WTO rules. The US also blocked the appointment of new judges in the WTO Appellate Body, leading to an impasse in the Appellate Body since December 2019.

    Falsehood 15: The US will give countries an alternative choice, so that they can be free from opaque investments that leave them in debt.

    Reality Check: In providing foreign assistance, China always respects the sovereignty of recipient countries, attaches no strings whatsoever and pursues win-win outcomes. Chinese assistance has delivered real benefits to the relevant developing countries and received their acclaim and appreciation.

    ◆ The so-called Chinese “debt trap” is a narrative trap that the US and some other Western countries use to defame and smear China and disrupt China’s cooperation with other developing countries. As a 2021 article in The Atlantic points out, the debt-trap narrative is just a lie fabricated by some Western politicians, and a powerful one.

    Western capital constitutes the largest creditor of developing countries. According to the 2022 statistics of the World Bank on international debt, 28.8 percent of Africa’s outstanding external debt is owed to multilateral financial institutions and 41.8 percent to commercial creditors mainly composed of Western financial institutions. These two types of institutions together hold nearly three-quarters of the debt, making them the primary creditors of Africa’s debt.

    According to the director of the China Africa Research Initiative (CARI) at Johns Hopkins University of the US, after scrutinizing thousands of Chinese loan documents, mostly for projects in Africa, CARI has not found any evidence that China deliberately pushes poor countries into debt as a way of seizing their assets or gaining a greater say in their internal affairs. CARI’s figures show that China holds 17 percent of Africa’s overall external debt, far less than that of the West.

    Not a single African country has been forced to use its strategic resources such as ports or mines as collateral for financing cooperation with China. DW points out that the default of African countries does not give China the right to use the relevant infrastructure.

    ◆ The debt issue is, in essence, a development issue. The key to resolving this issue lies in ensuring that the loans deliver real benefits.

    Take Africa as an example. Western countries’ financing for Africa is mainly concentrated in non-production fields, and most loans come with political strings attached, such as human rights and judicial reform. They have failed to truly promote economic development, boost government tax revenue and improve balance of payments. Rather, they have served as instruments for controlling and causing harm in Africa.

    China always respects the will of the African people and bears in mind the actual needs of African countries. Chinese investment in and financing for Africa are mainly in infrastructure building and production-related fields. Entering the 21st century, China has worked actively to support Africa’s economic development and provided an alternative to the traditional financing channels of the Paris Club. This  has helped Africa to strengthen its capacity of self-generated and self-reliant development and to usher in a golden age of high-speed economic growth for 20 years straight.

    Professor Deborah Brautigam of Johns Hopkins University noted the diversification of Chinese investment. In 2014 alone, Chinese companies signed over 70 billion US dollars in construction contracts in Africa that will yield vital infrastructure, including hospitals, oil and gas pipelines, and airports.

    According to preliminary statistics, between 2000 and 2020, China helped African countries build more than 13,000 kilometers of roads and railway and more than 80 large-scale power facilities, funded more than 130 medical facilities, 45 sports venues and more than 170 schools, and trained more than 160,000 professionals across various fields for Africa.

    The Nairobi Expressway project built by Chinese companies in Kenya through public-private partnership has created more than 6,000 local jobs and benefited more than 200 subcontractors and several hundred local suppliers. The Kenyan government speaks highly of the project, commending it as an important manifestation of the mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation between Kenya and China.

    Nigeria’s Lekki Deep Sea Port project, built with Chinese participation, has provided more than 1,200 local jobs and is expected to create, directly and indirectly, 170,000 more upon completion.

    A study conducted by Hong Kong scholars finds that more than 80 percent of the employees of Chinese companies in Africa surveyed are local Africans.

    A team at the London School of Economics and Political Science finds that Chinese investment in Africa has produced “significant and persistently positive long-term effects”.

    A study by RAND Corporation indicates that in the BRI region, having a rail connection between trading partners has improved total exports by 2.8 percent.

    ◆ China attaches high importance to the debt sustainability of projects. Back in 2017, it signed the Guiding Principles on Financing the Development of the Belt and Road with 26 countries participating in the BRI. In 2019, China released the Debt Sustainability Framework for Participating Countries of the Belt and Road Initiative. Based on the debt situation and repayment ability of debtor countries, and following the principles of equal-footed consultation, compliance with laws and regulations, openness and transparency, the framework aims to strengthen monitoring and assessment of the economic, social and livelihood benefits of the projects, and channels sovereign loans into areas with high yields, with a view to ensuring the long-term returns of the projects. China has also made proactive efforts to lessen the burden of debtor countries.

    According to the World Bank, between 2008 and 2021, China provided 71 debt restructurings for low-income countries. In 2020, China actively responded to the G20’s Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) by suspending the payment of more than 1.3 billion US dollars of debt that year alone, or nearly 30 percent of the G20’s total, making it the largest contributor among G20 members. China has signed debt suspension agreements or reached mutual understanding on debt suspension with 19 African countries, and actively participated in the case-based debt settlement for Chad and Ethiopia under the G20’s Common Framework.

    ◆ The US and some other Western countries, rather than taking actions themselves, point fingers at China for providing assistance. This has caused much displeasure among countries in the wider developing world.

    Professor Samita Hattige, adviser to the National Education Commission of Sri Lanka, said in an interview with Global Times that Chinese loans are based on the needs of the Sri Lankan government and for the purpose of improving Sri Lankan infrastructure. The loans have brought major changes to Sri Lanka’s economy and people’s livelihood, and there is no such thing as a “debt trap”. China’s share in Sri Lanka’s external debt is around a mere 10 percent. Apparently, some media have chosen to ignore this fact. While the “Chinese debt trap” hyped up by Western media seems apprehensible at a glance, it has deliberately evaded the huge economic values that infrastructure improvement has created, such as economic development and more jobs and investment.

    The article “Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal Need China for Development” published by Sri Lanka’s Daily News on 17 January 2022 says, “South Asia needs China in its development process because China is synonymous with the term ‘Development’. China’s … Belt and Road Initiative provides benefits for almost all South Asian countries.” “In the case of Sri Lanka,” the article writes, ”Sri Lanka is a beneficiary of Chinese projects. Many say only about the Chinese debt trap in this regard but no one mentions Chinese developmental activities in Sri Lanka.” “They have invested heavily in seaports, airports, … national highways, and power distribution centers. ”

    Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni stated in an interview with Nikkei in 2022 that “Africa has been having (debt) problems for the last 600 years due to the slave trade, colonialism, neocolonialism — and none of it was from China.” “China supported Africans’ fight against colonialism before starting economic activity on the continent.”

    Rwandan President Paul Kagame pointed out that China’s presence in Africa is different from that of other countries — “I don’t think China has forced any country in Africa to take their money to accumulate the kind of debt you may find with some countries.”

    Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama stated that Nigeria had chosen Chinese companies for infrastructure projects because they were experienced and provide competitive rates. “So the issue of Chinese influence really doesn’t come in.

    Falsehood 16: For too long, Chinese companies have enjoyed far greater access to our markets than our companies have in China. American companies operating in China have been subject to systematic forced technology transfer, while Chinese companies in America have been protected by our rule of law.

    Reality Check: China is committed to fostering an enabling business environment that is based on market principles, governed by law and up to international standard. While China’s business environment keeps improving, the business environment for Chinese companies operating in the US continues to deteriorate.

    ◆ China has seen the most substantial improvement in business environment among all economies. In recent years, China has made continuous efforts to shorten the negative list on foreign investment, improved the institutions for investment promotion and protection and for information reporting, and stepped up intellectual property protection, becoming one of the most-improved economies for ease of doing business. With the continuous improvement in business environment and its super-sized domestic market, China is a strong magnet for cross-border investment from around the world. The number of newly established foreign-invested enterprises is on a steady rise in China. From 2012 to 2021, the number of foreign-invested enterprises in China increased from 441,000 to 664,000, up by over 50 percent. According to the Doing Business 2020 report released by the World Bank Group, China ranked 31st on ease of doing business, moving up by 47 spots in two years. The European Business in China Business Confidence Survey 2021 released by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China (EUCCC) shows that a majority of the European companies surveyed found intellectual property rights enforcement to be “adequate” or “excellent” in China, marking a record high in satisfaction levels.

    ◆ It is the foreign companies, including the US companies operating in China, that can best tell whether China’s business environment is good or not. The 2022 China Business Climate Survey Report of the American Chamber of Commerce in China (AmCham China) shows that 58 percent of the US companies in China saw their operating revenue growing in 2021; 66 percent of the companies plan to increase their investment in China this year; and China remains a top-three priority of the global investment planning for 60 percent of the companies. The recently released USCBC 2021 Member Survey shows that 95 percent of the respondents remained profitable in their China operations; and 74 percent of the companies took China as a top priority or a top-five priority market in their business strategy. In the first four months of 2022, the actual US investment in China rose by 53.2 percent year on year. These figures speak volume about the optimism of foreign companies in China’s economic prospects, as well as their recognition of China’s sound business environment and confidence in building a long-term business in the Chinese market.

    ◆ To preserve its hegemony and economic interests, the US has abused its national power in violation of the principles of market economy and international trade rules, and resorted to every possible means to suppress and contain Chinese enterprises. The US government has fabricated all sorts of lies including “forced labor” in an attempt to bring down Xinjiang’s cotton, tomato and solar photovoltaic industries. According to preliminary statistics, in 2021, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued seven Withhold Release Orders (WROs) on the exports of goods made with “forced labor” to the US, including apparel, textiles, tomato seeds, canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, and other goods made with cotton or tomatoes, silica-based products and electronic products produced in Xinjiang, and detained or confiscated 485 million US dollars worth of goods, which are notably larger in both quantity and value compared to 2020. The current US administration has already outperformed its predecessor in terms of the scale and magnitude of sanctions imposed on China for Xinjiang-related issues.

    ◆ The US has imposed sweeping restrictions on the financing and operation of Chinese enterprises in the US through non-transparent and unfair administrative means. According to official US statistics, the US has up to now put 1,055 Chinese entities and individuals (overseas affiliated entities excluded) on various types of sanctions lists, including 467 on the Entity List, 306 on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN), 201 on the Unverified List (UVL), 68 on the Non-SDN Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Companies (NS-CMIC) List, and a few other entities. Last February, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) put WeChat and AliExpress on its latest Notorious Markets List, while Pinduoduo and other Chinese companies as well as nine physical markets located within China remained on the list.

    Falsehood 17: China takes advantage of the openness of the US economies to spy, to hack, to steal technology and know-how to advance China’s military innovation, entrench its surveillance state and increase other countries’ technological dependence. The US should make sure that technologies are rooted in democratic values.

    Reality check: China’s technological innovation and development is based on its own investment and efforts. The US is drawing ideological lines in scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation, and this embodies its Cold War mentality.

    ◆ China is a big innovator in the world with leading input and growth rate in innovation. According to statistics, China’s social R&D investment in 2021 reached 2.7864 trillion yuan, an increase of 14.2 percent over the previous year. A total of 696,000 invention patents were authorized in 2021, up by 31.3 percent year-on-year. The Global Innovation Index (GII) 2021 published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) shows that China’s world innovation performance ranking has moved up from the 35th place to the 12th. China is now home to 19 of the top 100 science and technology clusters worldwide, ranking the second globally. Chinese applicants submitted 69,500 international patent applications, making China the first in the world for three consecutive years. The European Patent Office (EPO) recorded 16,665 applications from China in 2021, registering a year-on-year increase of 24 percent and the biggest surge among leading patent filing countries.

    ◆ In recent years, China has been actively integrating into the global science and technology innovation network, and has enjoyed fruitful results in technological and people-to-people exchanges under the BRI. In addition, China has also actively worked to join the Hague Agreement and the Marrakesh Treaty, contributing its share to the global governance of intellectual property rights. The Business Confidence Survey 2021 published by the EUCCC shows that over half of interviewed companies view intellectual property rights enforcement in China as ”adequate” or “excellent”.

    ◆ Throughout history, the US has repeatedly stolen intellectual properties and reaped dividends from technological developments through various means, including prying out information, offering immigration status and monopolizing patents.

    After World War II, the US launched Operation Paperclip to plunder Germany of its technology patents, including those on advanced aircraft and guided missile control. Nearly all German government agencies, research and development institutes and large companies were looted, and German scientists were forced to immigrate to the US.

    In the 1990s, US intelligence agencies installed eavesdropping devices in the cars of Japanese negotiators during automobile trade talks to intercept internal information and gain the upper hand in the negotiations.

    In 2001, the European company Airbus sued the American company Boeing for tracking Airbus employees’ telephone, fax, and e-mails for business espionage using the electronic surveillance system named Echelon developed by the US National Security Agency (NSA).

    In 2013, the US DOJ detained four Alstom executives to force the French company into a fire sale of its core business, power and grid, to the US company General Electric.

    In 2021, Danish media exposed that the US NSA wiretapped senior officials and business leaders in European countries using internet facilities located in Denmark.

    In addition, using “chip shortages” as an excuse, the US has also set deadlines to force leading chip makers from different countries to submit key information, including orders, clients and inventory, in an effort to turn the table in the chip sector.

    ◆ While claiming to uphold “peace” and “openness”, the US has been wantonly setting up technological barriers, piecing together the so-called “democratic technology alliance”, politicizing science and technology and turning them into ideological issues, and forming exclusive small circles. Identifying nearly 20 categories as controlled critical technologies, including biotechnology and artificial intelligence, the US has tightened up export control and investment scrutiny. It has also overstretched the concept of national security to contain and even stranglehold the development of high-tech industries in other countries, which severely violates the rights of developing countries in pursuing science and technology advancement.

    Falsehood 18: Climate is not about ideology. It’s about math. If China sticks with its current plan and does not peak its emissions until 2030, then the rest of the world must go to zero by 2035. And that’s simply not possible.

    Reality Check: The US holds undeniable responsibilities for climate change and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction. It shouldn’t shift responsibilities onto others, nor should it practice “double standards”.

    ◆ Developed countries, due to their unconstrained emissions over more than two centuries of industrialization, bear undeniable historical responsibilities for climate change. From 1850 to 2011, developed countries contributed to 79 percent of global carbon emissions. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement all require developed countries to repay their historical debts.

    ◆ From a historical perspective, developing countries are not the primary emitters of GHG, but the victims of climate change. The principle of common but differentiated responsibilities is the cornerstone of global climate governance. As developed and developing countries do not bear the same historical responsibilities for climate change, and have different development needs and capabilities, it would be both inappropriate and unfair to apply the same restrictions on them. Wera Mori, Minister for Environment Conservation and Climate Change of Papua New Guinea (PNG) said on the sidelines of COP26 that countries like PNG have become victims of climate change caused by the industrialization of developed countries and are now bearing the consequences of their actions, which is absolutely unfair.

    ◆ In tackling climate change, China is not just a responsible participant, but also a serious doer. President Xi Jinping committed explicitly that China will strive to peak CO2 emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. That means China will move from carbon peak to neutrality in only 30 years, while the time the EU, the US and Japan give themselves is respectively 2.4, 1.4 and 1.2 times of China’s.

    China has made notable contribution to the global efforts in energy conservation, energy efficiency, renewable energy, transport and building, which are all in the range of 30 to 50 percent. By the end of 2020, China’s CO2 emissions per unit of GDP had dropped by 48.4 percent relative to the 2005 level. The proportion of coal in total energy consumption fell from 67 percent in 2005 to 56.8 percent in 2020. The cumulative installed capacity of renewable power generation exceeded 1 billion kilowatts, accounting for 43.5 percent of the national total. Chinese companies have taken 15 spots in the world’s top 20 PV companies list, including all the top five spots, and seven spots in the top 10 wind power companies list. In the past ten years, China phased out 120 million kilowatts of coal-fired power generation capacity, which is larger than the total installed power capacity of the UK. By the end of 2021, China’s new energy vehicle ownership had exceeded 7.84 million units, and 2.95 million units were newly registered in 2021, accounting for 11.25 percent of all newly registered vehicles that year.

    The share of renewable energy in China’s energy mix has already exceeded that of the US. By the end of 2019, the total installed capacity of China’s hydro, wind and solar power generation had reached 756 million kilowatts, 2.8 times that of the US. Renewable energy accounts for 12.7 percent of China’s primary energy consumption, approximately 1.4 times that of the US.

    ◆ The US is the world’s largest GHG emitter in cumulative terms, and its per capita carbon emissions are 3.3 times that of the global average. In the 270 years from 1750 to 2019, the US emitted a cumulative 412.5 billion tons of GHG, accounting for about 1/4 of the global total. The US has produced the world’s largest cumulative emissions, which are almost twice that of China’s. Here are some statistics: the historical peak of US per capita GHG emissions was 23.44 tons; in 2018, US per capita emissions were 16.85 tons, while China’s were 7.56 tons. Despite its status as a major manufacturing nation, China’s current per capita carbon emissions are not even half that of the US, and its per capita cumulative emissions are only around 1/8 that of the US. Even by the time of 2030, when China’s carbon emissions will have peaked, the country’s per capita carbon emissions will still just be around 7-8 tons. In comparison, when the US had its carbon peak in 2005, its per capita carbon emissions had already reached 14 tons.

    ◆ In June 2017, the US announced its decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, and in November 2020, it officially pulled out of the accord. Such a move seriously undermined the equity, efficiency and efficacy of global climate governance. The US had stayed outside the Paris Agreement until February 2021. Despite the improvement in political posture, the GHG emissions generated simply cannot be rolled back. Instead of cutting emissions, the US produced more emissions in 2021 than 2020, drifting further away from the course set by the Paris Agreement. With its flip-flopping on such an existential issue, the US has fully exposed its utilitarian approach to major issues of principles and lost its credibility in the family of nations.

    ◆ It is the unshirkable moral responsibility of developed countries to provide funding for developing countries to help them better cope with climate change. At Copenhagen in 2009 and Cancún in 2010, developed countries committed to a goal of mobilizing jointly 100 billion US dollars a year by 2020 to address the needs of developing countries. More than ten years have passed, developed countries have never truly delivered on their commitment. Report by a well-known international think tank shows that not only did developed countries fall short of their collective climate financing target every year, they also juggled the figures, providing far less funds than officially released figures. Most notably, the US only fulfilled less than 20 percent of its due contribution.

    ◆ For years, the US has been saying publicly that it wants to work with China on climate change, but its actions say otherwise. While demanding China to consume less coal, it asks China to continue buying coal from it; while appealing for the development of renewable energies, it imposes sanctions on Chinese PV businesses. Take PV products as an example, starting from 2012, the US has imposed anti-dumping and countervailing duties on Chinese PV products, with rates as high as 34 to 47 percent. In December 2014, the US conducted anti-dumping and countervailing investigations on Chinese PV manufacturers. In January 2018, the previous US administration decided to slap global safeguard tariffs on 8.5 billion US dollars’ worth of solar panel imports. In late 2021, the so-called “Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act” was signed into law by the US, which is yet another attempt to hobble the PV industry in Xinjiang under the disguise of human rights. Relevant US measures have not only impeded normal trade in PV products and disrupted normal supply chains, but also undermined global efforts in countering climate change. The US should correct its wrong practices in order to create an enabling environment for climate cooperation with China.

    ◆ Climate change has caused serious challenges to human survival and development, and must be tackled through global cooperation. Developed countries, the US included, should honor the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and follow the requirements of the Paris Agreement. They need to face up to their historical responsibilities, and level up their ambitions and actions. They need to take the lead in making substantial reductions of emissions and strive to achieve carbon neutrality before 2050. In the meantime, they need to give developing countries due space for development and emission, and deliver on their commitments of providing developing countries with adequate finance, technology and capacity-building support. On the basis of meeting financing pledges and leveraging public funds, efforts can be made to promote the development of green finance and bring private investment into low-carbon sectors. It is also important to build national, regional and global carbon markets and carbon pricing mechanisms, bring down the costs and raise the level of emissions reductions, promote technological innovation and sustainable development, and provide developing countries with stable sources of funding for mitigation and capacity-building through the benefit sharing mechanism of carbon markets.

    Falsehood 19: To counter illegal and illicit narcotics, especially synthetic opioids like fentanyl, we want to work with China to stop international drug trafficking organizations from getting precursor chemicals, many of which originate in China.

    Reality Check: The US has itself to blame for the root cause of fentanyl abuse in the country.

    ◆ Narcotics abuse, a chronic malaise plaguing the US, has deep historical and social roots.

    With five percent of the world’s population, the US consumes 80 percent of opioids in the world, making the country the world’s biggest market for narcotics. There is a prevalent tradition of prescription painkiller abuse in the US, undergirded by a complete chain of pharmaceutical companies, medical representatives and doctors. All-out marketing by pharmaceutical companies, over-prescription by doctors, ineffective government crackdowns and the negative implications of marijuana legalization are among the combination of factors behind an ever-growing market for narcotics. Opioid abuse in the US and its rising toll started with OxyContin, an opioid painkiller made by Purdue Pharma and approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1995. When it comes to discouraging demand and curbing production, the US should have done a lot more.

    While the US has the most acute fentanyl challenge in the world, it is also the biggest producer and consumer of fentanyl and has yet to officially schedule fentanyl-related substances as a class. Nevertheless, it kept demanding other countries to take actions. This is a typical example of “forcing others to take medicine for one’s own illness”.

    ◆The Chinese government takes a zero-tolerance approach to narcotics and strictly regulates anesthetics, psychotropic substances and their precursors. By the end of 2021, China has added 37 drug precursors and ephedrine-related substances to its control list, which became even longer than the UN list. China strictly regulates import and export of chemicals pursuant to international rules and its domestic laws, and its efforts and achievements in this regard are visible to all.

    On 1 May 2019, the Chinese government became the first country in the world to class schedule fentanyl-related substances, although there was no large-scale fentanyl abuse or immediate hazard in China. This is an important follow-up to the common understandings reached between the presidents of China and the US, and a concrete example of how China, keeping in mind the health, safety and well-being of humanity, actively responds to the US concern and helps it tackle its domestic opioid crisis.

    On 1 July 2021, China class scheduled all synthetic cannabinoids and another 18 psychoactive substances including fluoroketamine. On 20 September of the same year, another six chemicals, including methyl alpha-phenylacetoacetate (MAPA), were added as drug precursors. China is making continuous efforts to regulate precursors in accordance with law.

    China has taken a host of measures to crack down on the trafficking of fentanyl and other scheduled chemicals, like introducing real-name registration of senders and receivers, parcel examination and X-ray screening in the express delivery sector, and stepping up examination of cross-border parcels to certain destinations including the US. These measures have paid off.

    After class scheduling fentanyl-related substances, China’s National Narcotics Control Commission and Ministry of Public Security have maintained close, candid and in-depth coordination with their US counterparts including the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the State Department Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Since September 2019, the US has not seized any fentanyl-related substances coming from China. The US has expressed appreciation to China on many occasions and noted drug control as a highlight in bilateral law enforcement cooperation.

    As is known to all, the responsibility to prevent the entry of non-scheduled chemicals and their use in illicit drug-making falls on the import country. The US, however, would neither officially schedule fentanyl nor address the issue of domestic consumption. Instead, it chose to shift the blame by falsely claiming that “fentanyl precursors used by drug trafficking organizations originate in China” and making an issue out of non-scheduled chemicals. This reflects an ulterior motive and an extreme lack of responsibility for the life and health of its own people.

    ◆ In May 2020, without producing any evidence, the US added the Institute of Forensic Science of China’s Ministry of Public Security and the National Narcotics Laboratory to its “Entity List”. Such a practice of seeking China’s cooperation on the one hand while imposing sanctions on China’s narcotics control authorities has seriously hindered the operation of China’s fentanyl monitoring system and undermined the counter-narcotics cooperation between China and the US.

    While China and the rest of the world are tightening control over fentanyl-related substances, fentanyl-related problems are deteriorating in the US, causing a mounting death toll. It lays bare the US’s failure to get to the crux of the fentanyl abuse problem. China has acted out of goodwill and repeatedly advised the US to follow effective practices widely recognized by the international community, like stepping up regulation on fentanyl prescription and promoting public awareness

    Falsehood 20: As a global food crisis threatens people worldwide, we look to China — a country that’s achieved great things in agriculture — to help with a global response.

    Reality Check: The US has long been restricting grain exports and monopolizing grain trade. After the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the US expanded its arms assistance and abused unilateral sanctions, further aggravating the global food shortage. It bears unshirkable responsibility for the global food crisis.

    ◆ The US-driven deglobalization, its grain-for-energy production policies and food oligopolies are the root causes of global food crisis.

    Using its status as a major grain-producer, the US has been restricting its grain exports to other countries, causing disruptions to normal global grain trade. The 12 major grain producers such as the US, Canada and the European Union accounts for 70percent of the world’s total grain production and exportation. In global trade relations, the US and other Western countries weigh heavily on whether developing countries can buy grain and at what price.

    The US consumes grain to produce biofuels, straining global food supply, especially the supply of subsistence crops. Nearly one-third of the corn produced in the US is used for biofuels. Using grain as substitute for energy leads to fewer grain for global food supply, creating a vicious circle of food and energy prices pushing up each other.

    The four major grain suppliers —ADM, Bunge and Cargill and Louis Dreyfus — monopolize more than 80percent of the world’s grain trade, and control global agricultural raw materials as well as grain production, processing and supply. These four grain suppliers, three from the US, manipulate the international prices of grain and earn extra profits from global food price volatility. Since 2021, their net income has increased by 53 percent, 80 percent, 64 percent and 47.7 percent respectively, and the stock prices of ADM and Bunge have nearly tripled. These international food oligopolies are profit-seeking, and they won’t miss any opportunity to stir up food security issues and inflate food supply shortage to make bigger profits.

    ◆ The US has been stoking the flames in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and abusing economic sanctions. These have exacerbated global food shortage.

    The protracted conflict between Russia and Ukraine is a direct consequence of the constant instigation by the US and other Western countries. US military and arms assistance to Ukraine has increased to 53.6 billion US dollars, more than 70 percent of the combined military spending of Russia and Ukraine in 2021. The longer and bigger the conflict is, the greater its impact on global food production and supply will be, and the food crisis will further intensify.

    In the face of a global food crisis, major grain-producing countries such as the US have instead kept their “grain bags” tight. According to the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report released by the US Department of Agriculture this May, US wheat exports in 2021/22 will be 18.9 percent lower than the previous year. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the total amount of food exports affected by the restrictions has increased significantly, which now represents about 17 percent of total calories traded in the world

    The US food security initiative is more of empty words than concrete actions, only to fragment global food security governance. Russia is a major exporter of subsistence crops and the world’s largest exporter of fertilizers. Since the US and other Western countries imposed sanctions on Russia, the price index of various fertilizers has risen by more than 30 percent, which has seriously affected agricultural production. From 2021 to 2022, wheat and barley exports from Russia account for 16 percent and 12.9 percent of the world’s total respectively. Statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) show that since the US imposed sanctions on Russia, the Food Price Index in May this year has risen by 14 percent compared with February.

    ◆ Serious food waste in the US has worsened the global food shortage.

    First, the amount of food waste is astounding. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in the US, 30 to 40 percent of the food supply and 38 percent of grain products are never eaten each year. In 2018, the US had 103 million tons of its food wasted, worth 161 billion US dollars. In 2020, the country’s food waste per capita was 59 kilograms.

    Second, distribution is uneven. About 38 million people are food insecure in the US in 2020, and the majority of them are African Americans, Latin Americans and Native Americans. According to National Geographic, more than one-third of the low-income households do not have access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program introduced by the US government, and its benefits fall short of helping many families in high-cost areas enjoy a healthy and adequate diet.

    Third, secondary problems are prominent. Every year, the overproduction of food in the US puts a staggering burden on the environment and wastes numerous resources, including over 9.3 million hectares of arable land, 22 trillion liters of water, 350 million kilograms of pesticides, and 6.35 million tons of chemical fertilizers.

    ◆ China has made significant contributions to global food security. It has supported one-fifth of the world’s population with a quarter of the world’s total food, on less than 9 percent of the world’s arable land. The Global Development Initiative put forward by China has identified food security as one of the eight priority areas of cooperation. China will mobilize efforts from all parties across the globe to draw on each other’s strength, and form the greatest synergy to meet all sustainable development goals including food security. This initiative has received positive response from more than 100 countries around the world and international organizations such as the UN.

    ◆ The Chinese people cherish food and keep to the traditional virtue of thrift. President Xi Jinping attaches great importance to food security. He has called for thriftiness and opposes squandering, stressing on multiple occasions the need to stop food waste. Since the launch of the nationwide “Clear Your Plate” campaign in 2013, consumer food waste in China has been significantly reduced. According to the Nature magazine, the amount of food discarded by Chinese restaurants and eateries has decreased by 40 percent. In 2021, the International Conference on Food Loss and Waste hosted by China was well received by the international community, including members of the G20.

    ◆ China is an important strategic partner of FAO in South-South cooperation. In recent years, China has donated 130 million US dollars to the FAO South-South Cooperation Trust Fund. China has sent more than 1,100 agricultural experts and technical personnel to and trained nearly 100,000 farmers in more than 40 countries and regions. Under the framework of the FAO’s South-South Cooperation Programme, China has donated the largest amount of fund, sent the most experts, and undertaken the most projects among all developing countries.

    ◆ China has provided its own solutions to global food shortage. Chinese hybrid rice is being grown in dozens of countries and regions in Asia, Africa and the Americas, with an annual growth area of eight million hectares. This increased the world’s total grain output by 150 million tons, enough to feed 400 to 500 million more people. Yuan Longping, known as the “Father of Chinese Hybrid Rice”, and other Chinese researchers have offered advice and counsel in India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Myanmar, Bangladesh and many other countries. Through international training courses, China has trained over 14,000 hybrid rice technicians for more than 80 developing countries.

    Falsehood 21: Beijing has perfected mass surveillance and exported that technology to more than 80 countries.

    Reality Check: The US is the biggest empire of hacking.

    ◆ The use of video surveillance and big data technology is an important step taken by the Chinese government to improve social governance, and also a common practice across the world. It is necessary, legal and justified. Tianwang (Skynet), which is composed of video surveillance systems, effectively eliminates potential risks to public security and ensures the high percentage of solved criminal cases in China. With the increasingly digitized crime prevention and control system, 98.6 percent of the people in China felt safe in 2021, and China is widely recognized as one of the safest countries in the world. China ranked the third in the law and order index published by Gallup, a US consulting company, while the US 36th.

    ◆ Statistics show that there were some 70 million cameras installed in the US in 2018, one for every 4.6 people. For the US to accuse China of mass surveillance, it’s just double standard at work.

    ◆ For a long time, the US has carried out large-scale, organized and indiscriminate cyber espionage, surveillance and attacks on foreign governments, enterprises and individuals in violation of international law and the basic norms governing international relations. In June 2013, the Guardian and the Washington Post reported that NSA has been running PRISM, a clandestine electronic surveillance program, since 2007, whose targets include even its own allies. Der Spiegel reported that the US intelligence may have been monitoring the German Chancellor’s mobile phone communications for nearly a decade.

    ◆ In 2020, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) demanded Facebook to stop sending data of EU users to the US. The report comes just a few months after the European Court of Justice ruled the data transfer standard between the EU and the US doesn’t adequately protect European citizen’s privacy and concluded that EU citizens had no effective way to challenge US government surveillance. It is reported that US agencies such as NSA can theoretically ask internet companies like Facebook and Google to hand over data on an EU citizen and that EU citizen would be none-the-wiser.

    ◆ In December 2020, the Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL) of France stated that google.fr and amazon.fr websites violated relevant French regulations by placing tracking cookies on their users’ computers without obtaining prior consent and without providing adequate information.

    ◆ In 2021, Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) reported that between 2012 and 2014, NSA used information cables of Denmark to wiretap (spy on) senior officials of Sweden, Norway, France and Germany, including many political dignitaries such as former German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The US apparently broke its promise that it would stop wiretapping Merkel.

    ◆ The US abuses its leading position in internet and communication technology and is truly an empire of hacking, tapping and theft of secrets. From PRISM, the Irritant Horn project, and Stellar Wind, to Operation Telescreen, the Hive platform and the QUANTUM attack system, the US has violated the freedom of communication and speech of its citizens through digital surveillance, and has engaged in cyber attacks, surveillance and thefts of secrets across the world. Documents leaked by Edward Snowden of the Stateroom program show that the US has covertly installed eavesdropping devices in nearly 100 of its embassies and consulates to steal secrets from their host countries.

    ◆ A report on APT-C-39 released by Chinese cybersecurity company 360 in 2020 reveals that APT-C-39, a hacking group under the CIA, has conducted cyber infiltration attacks on China for 11 years targeting critical sectors including aviation and aerospace, research institutions, oil industry, large internet companies, and government agencies. Such attacks have seriously undermined China’s national security and the security of its economy, critical infrastructure as well as personal information of the general public.

    According to a report on the indiscriminate worldwide cyber attacks by NSA’s APT-C-40 over the past decade released by 360 in 2022, NSA has attacked, using cyber weapons, 403 targets in 47 countries and regions worldwide, including China, the UK, Germany, France, Poland, Japan, India, the ROK, the UAE, South Africa and Brazil.

    On 19 April 2022, China’s National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center (CVERC) issued an alert on cyber attacks by the US government against other countries and released a related report. It brings to light “Hive”, a lightweight cyber weapon used exclusively by the US government, and the fact that the US has deployed cyber attack platforms worldwide and has jumper servers and VPN channels in countries like France, Germany, Canada, Turkey and Malaysia.

    Putin: Russia Will Provide Modern Missiles to Belarus, Capable of Carrying Nuclear Warheads

    Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin announced this evening in Moscow, that Russia will be providing modern missiles to Belarus.  Such missiles will be capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

    President Putin also claimed that, according to Russian Covert Intelligence, America has prepared 257 planes in Europe for possible use of nuclear weapons.  Clearly those planes are meant to hit Russia.

    He went on to say that this is one, non-Diplomatic step in response to the European Embargo against the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.

    Specifically, Putin stated:

    – Russia will upgrade Belarus aircraft to carry nuclear weapons.
    – Russia will provide Belarus with Iskander-M missile systems (they can carry either conventional, or nuclear warhead).
    – Russia will train Belarus to use nuclear weapons.

    For his part, the President of Belarus added today “The policy pursued by our neighbors from Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia is causing us concern.”

    To that, Putin responded “the new missiles will be installed within months.”

    (HT REMARK:  Spreading-out the potential targets for NATO?)

    UPDATE 4:23 PM EDT —

    The Ukrainian Army is reporting missiles have been fired from BELARUS into Ukraine’s Chernigiv border region

    We Haven’t Seen Carnage Like This Since 2008

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    Trillions of dollars in market wealth has already been wiped out, and investors are bracing for a chaotic second half of 2022.  We truly haven’t seen anything like this since the financial crisis of 2008.  The early months of 2020 were volatile due to the eruption of the COVID pandemic, but the Federal Reserve quickly rushed to the rescue.  The Fed poured trillions of dollars into the system, and that spurred a rally that was absolutely breathtaking.  But this time around the Fed isn’t going to be riding to the rescue any time soon.  The Fed is committed to raising interest rates in a desperate attempt to get inflation under control, and the size of the Fed balance sheet is now being reduced.  So there will be no artificial life support for the financial markets for the foreseeable future, and that is really bad news for those that are seeing their portfolios get absolutely monkey-hammered.

    Things have been particularly brutal for crypto investors.

    Last November, the total global market cap for all cryptocurrencies peaked out at about 3.1 trillion dollars.

    Over the weekend, the total global market cap for all cryptocurrencies actually dipped below 850 billion dollars

    The crypto market suffered one of its most dramatic selloffs in years this week as the prices of top cryptocurrencies declined as much as 35% week-over-week as fears of a broad economic recession intensified.
    
    On Saturday, the total global market cap of cryptocurrencies sank below $850 billion as top tokens tumbled.

    Poof.

    More than two-thirds of all “crypto wealth” is already gone.

    CNBC is using the word “carnage” to describe what we have been witnessing in the crypto industry, and I think that fits the nightmare that is currently unfolding quite well…

    Carnage in the crypto market won’t let up, as token prices plummet, companies lay off employees in waves, and some of the most popular names in the industry go belly up. The chaos has spooked investors, erasing more than $2 trillion in value in a matter of months — and wiping out the life savings of retail traders who bet big on crypto projects billed as safe investments.

    It has been estimated that 16 percent of all U.S. adults either own or have owned a cryptocurrency.

    So a whole lot of people out there are really hurting right now.

    Bitcoin

    Last November, the price of Bitcoin peaked at $68,789.63.
    
    As I write this article, it is sitting at $20,170.10.

    Ethereum

    Last November, the price of Ethereum peaked at $4,891.70.
    
    As I write this article, it is sitting at $1,093.40.

    I feel really sorry for those that decided to pour their money into cryptos near the peak.

    Stock investors are also getting pummeled these days.

    In fact, U.S. retirement accounts have already declined in value by almost three trillion dollars thanks to rapidly falling stock prices…

    The U.S. stock market rout that has put U.S. equities in a bear market isn’t just reducing the net worth of billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. It’s also taking a toll on Americans’ retirement savings, wiping out trillions of dollars in value.
    
    The selloff has erased nearly $3 trillion from U.S. retirement accounts, according to Alicia Munnell, director of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. By her calculations, 401(k) plan participants have lost about $1.4 trillion from their accounts since the end of 2021. People with IRAs — most of which are 401(k) rollovers — have lost $2 trillion this year.

    Stocks have just kept falling and falling and falling.

    In fact, the S&P 500 has fallen for 10 of the last 11 weeks

    The S&P 500 posted its 10th down week in the last 11, and is now well into a bear market. On Thursday, all 11 of its sectors closed more than 10% below their recent highs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell below 30,000 for the first time since January 2021 this past week.

    Cryptos have already collapsed, but stocks theoretically still have a ton of room to keep falling.

    There are some that are speculating about what will happen if the Dow drops all the way to 20,000, and that would definitely be a crash of historic proportions.

    Of course the housing market is much larger than the stock market, and that is starting to implode too.

    If you can believe it, the total value of the U.S. housing market was valued at 43.4 trillion dollars earlier this year.

    Unfortunately, mortgage rates are absolutely skyrocketing and that is going to change everything.

    According to Redfin, home sellers are already dropping their prices at a rate that we have never seen before…
    
    The highest share of sellers on record dropped their list price during the four weeks ending June 12 as mortgage rates shot up to levels not seen since 2008, dwindling the pool of home shoppers.

    It is being reported that in some areas of the country home prices have already been reduced by as much as 20 percent.

    And this implosion is likely to accelerate as the Federal Reserve just pushes interest rates higher and higher and higher.

    How long will it be before millions upon millions of U.S. homeowners are underwater on their mortgages just like we saw in 2008?

    As I warned last week, those that do not learn from history are likely to end up repeating it.

    The U.S. economy was almost certainly heading into a recession anyway, but now a crypto crash, a stock market crash and a housing crash all at the same time will accelerate matters greatly.

    According to one recent survey, 60 percent of corporate executives expect a recession to begin “in the next 12 to 18 months”

    More than 60% of executives expect a recession in the next 12 to 18 months, according to a survey of CEOs and other C-suite executives conducted by the Conference Board, a business research firm. That’s a stunning increase from the end of 2021, when just 22% of executives forecast a recession.

    Sadly, we aren’t going to have to wait that long.

    As I detailed last week, there are lots of numbers that indicate that a major economic downturn is already here.

    It is time to batten down the hatches, because a “perfect storm” has arrived.

    Global events are accelerating at a frightening pace, and the months ahead are not going to be pleasant.

    US warned over ‘illusions’ about Taiwan

    By CAO DESHENG | China Daily | Updated: 2022-06-15 07:24

    Senior diplomat stresses China’s stand on safeguarding national sovereignty

    Beijing has warned Washington not to make any “misjudgments” or have “illusions” in playing the “Taiwan card” to contain China, saying that the nation is determined and capable of defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

    In a meeting with United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Luxembourg on Monday, senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi reiterated that the Taiwan question concerns the political foundation of China-US relations which, unless handled properly, will have a subversive impact.

    “The risk does not only exist, but will escalate as the United States attempts to contain China with the Taiwan question, and as the Taiwan authorities rely on the United States to seek its ‘independence’,” said Yang, who is a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee.

    Yang stressed that China takes an unambiguous and steadfast stand in safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

    China’s internal affairs brook no interference by other countries, and any attempts to thwart or undermine China’s national unity are doomed to fail, he said.

    Yang also stated China’s solemn position on issues concerning the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Tibet autonomous region, and the South China Sea, as well as human rights and religion.

    The meeting between Yang and Sullivan came three days after State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe met with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on the sidelines of the 19th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

    During that meeting, Wei also slammed the US for its wrongdoing on the Taiwan question, which is the most sensitive matter in China-US relations, saying that “the People’s Liberation Army will relentlessly safeguard China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and if anyone dares to separate Taiwan from the motherland, the Chinese military will definitely smash such attempts at any cost, even by going to war”.

    A statement issued by the White House said that the meeting between Sullivan and Yang included candid, substantive and productive discussion of a number of regional and global security issues, as well as key issues in US-China relations.

    Both sides agreed at the Luxembourg meeting that maintaining unimpeded channels for communication between the two sides is necessary and beneficial, Xinhua News Agency reported.

    During his meeting with Sullivan, Yang urged the US to correct its strategic perception about China, make the right choices, and translate US President Joe Biden’s commitments to President Xi Jinping during their virtual meeting in November into concrete actions.

    In November, Biden had promised Xi that the US does not seek a new Cold War with China, does not aim to change China’s system, does not target China with its alliances, does not support “Taiwan independence” and has no intention of seeking a conflict with China.

    However, the US administration has been insisting on further containing and suppressing China in an all-around way. It has kept using the Taiwan question to provoke China by selling arms to Taiwan or elevating “official” relations with the island while urging its allies and partners to contain China.

    Noting that China firmly opposes using competition to define bilateral ties, Yang said “mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation” are the correct approaches for China and the US to get along with each other.

    Analysts said that in the light of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, the interactions between the world’s two largest economies are necessary and beneficial for them to avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation and properly handle their differences, and their communication about the regional and international issues is also conducive to promoting global stability.

    However, they said that the US should keep in mind that the Taiwan question is a red line for China, and Washington needs to refrain from meddling in China’s domestic affairs and rationally view China’s development in order to ensure that the growing competition between them would not escalate into a much bigger conflict.

    Zhou Wenxing, an assistant professor at the School of International Studies at Nanjing University, said that while trying to establish new guardrails in terms of its relations with Beijing, Washington is simultaneously dismantling existing and other more important guardrails.

    “If Washington seeks to de-escalate rising tensions, and get its sour relations with China back to normal, it should preserve rather than destroy the guardrails they both share. The one-China principle is and will be a very significant guardrail guiding China-US ties,” Zhou said.

    Rabi Sankar Bosu, an Indian contributor to Chinese media outlets, said that the US, with the aim of preserving its own hegemony across the world, openly described China as a rival.

    There is no doubt that the US and China bear heavy responsibilities not only to their own people but to the world at large, so the China-US relationship should still be led by mutually beneficial cooperation, and feature healthy competition and avoid confrontation, Bosu wrote in an opinion article published on the website of China Global Television Network.

    Things They Don’t Tell You: Honest Guide To Life Brought To You By Cartoonist Winston Rowntree

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    Cartoonist Winston Rowntree created an honest guide to life about all those things that they don’t tell you (but should), all brought to you by adorable animals who try to deal with the harsh reality.

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    UPDATED 9:04 PM EDT — VIDEO: Russian President URGENTLY Brought to Kremlin 11:00 PM Moscow Time

    A motorcade carrying Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin was seen moving swiftly into the Kremlin late Saturday night.

    The specific reason for the sudden, late-night move to the Kremlin is described over Intel Channels as “A serious matter requiring Presidential decision.”

    Video of the Presidential motorcade arriving at the Kremlin, appears below.

    Video LINK

     

    UPDATE 8:19 PM EDT —

    Intel circuits saying “Something really serious has happened.”

    UPDATE 8:50 PM EDT —

    Russian Air Force strategic bomber voice net active 5648 Kilohertz USB and 6552 Kilohertz USB

    NOT CERTAIN IF THIS SUDDEN ACTIVITY ON RUSSIAN STRATEGIC BOMBER FREQUENCIES IS RELATED AT ALL TO PUTIN’S RETURN TO KREMLIN.  JUST REPORTING IT AS IT IS __IS__ UNUSUAL AT THIS HOUR ON A SATURDAY.

    8:53 PM EDT —

    CAN NOW CONFIRM RUSSIAN LONG-RANGE STRATEGIC BOMBERS ARE UP IN THE SKIES.

    UPDATE 9:04 PM EDT —

    Second video emerged of Putin Motorcade “hauling ass” to the Kremlin late Saturday night in Moscow.   Moving quite fast, as if an Emergency.

    Video HERE

    Abandoned Cat Was Antisocial Until A Tiny Kitten Forced Him To Play With Her

    A nice cute video

    China Just KILLED Mark Zuckerberg’s Metaverse

    Big, big, HUGE changes to the world are coming. Here’s just a little tiny taste of what China is doing RIGHT NOW! Jeeze!

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

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    BRICS is organizing, and it’s putting its collective power behind changing the world’s currency

    Some time ago, Lavrov stated the anglo west had launched (hybrid) war on Russia. He said we accept the challenge. 
    
    To me, the main result from the recent BRICS meeting was the announcement of a new international currency being formed based on a basket of commodities. 
    
    A large chunk of world GDP in BRICS. 
    
    Countries have already began trade with national currencies. 
    Many US dollars will be going home to roost. 
    
    US will be lucky if it does not break into several sections with the economic destruction and resulting political destruction that is heading its way.
    
    -Peter AU1

    Big stuff going on right now. BRICS is organizing, and it’s putting its collective power behind changing the world’s currency, and thus the economic balance of power in the world. The preamble to the meeting is further down in this article. It’s a must read. This is what is REALLY going on.

    But today, aside from this geopolitical stuff, I want to squeeze in some humanity. And nothing quite points to our shared humanity is how we treat other species. As such, I have placed a number of (hopefully) positive videos about cats, and dogs that I hope will help explore our sense of humanity, and why it is so very important to be a STO sentience.

    As well as a mix of other things…

    From Bad to Worse

    Jack Whittaker didn’t need to win the lottery; the West Virginian was a wealthy and successful businessman in the construction industry. But, in 2002, he won the then-largest jackpot in the Powerball multi-state lottery. His prize was worth around $315 million, but he opted to take the one-off cash payment option that left him with over $113 million after taxes.

    Whittaker was kind-hearted and well-meaning as he pledged 10% of his winnings to Christian charities and set up the Jack Whittaker Foundation to distribute food and clothing to the needy in rural West Virginia. He also rewarded the man who worked in the store where Whittaker had bought the winning ticket and threw handfuls of cash from his new sports car around the neighborhood.

    Then things started to go bad. In 2003, someone stole over $500,000 that Whittaker had left in his car in the parking lot of a strip club. Not a good look Whittaker, but things kept going from bad to worse.

    Next, his teenage granddaughter, Brandi, was lavished with cash and gifts, but in 2004, the body of Brandi’s eighteen-year-old boyfriend was found in Whittaker’s home. The boy had taken a cocktail of drugs leading to his death. Later that year, Brandi went missing, and her body turned up dumped on a friend’s property. She had been taking drugs, but the cause of death wasn’t clear, and authorities filed no charges.

    Unfortunately, Jack had problems with gambling, and his uninsured house burned to the ground. He died in 2020.

    Little Kittens Found Underneath The Floor But A Foul Odor Fills The Room..?

    We begin with this little story about a foul odor beneath the floorboards in a kindergarten.

    Did Obama really say that “the Earth can’t substain 1.4 billion Chinese having the same living standard as American and Australian, so we can’t allow China to be rich”, as many Chinese claimed?

    Yes, it’s possible.

    I didn’t find it on google, so had to search in Baidu. Here is what I tracked and finally found:

    “If over a billion Chinese citizens have the same living patterns as Australians and Americans do right now, then all of us are in for a very miserable time. The planet just can’t sustain it…”

    It is said this happened on an interview in an Australian TV program “The 7.30 Report”, April 14th, 2010.

    Keep in mind that really no one wants to have a life that like Americans have, except the ignorant, the destitute, and of course, Americans.

    Wine and other funny comix…

    There’s some real truths here.

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    Inaccurate, but funny as hell.

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    Yup. Accurate

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    Exile on Main Street: the Sound of the Unipolar World Fading Away

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    The future world order, already in progress, will be formed by strong sovereign states. The ship has sailed. There’s no turning back.

    Let’s cut to the chase and roll in the Putin Top Ten of the New Era, announced by the Russian President live at the St. Petersburg forum for both the Global North and South.

    The era of the unipolar world is over.

    The rupture with the West is irreversible and definitive. No pressure from the West will change it.

    Russia has renewed its sovereignty. Reinforcement of political and economic sovereignty is an absolute priority.

    The EU has completely lost its political sovereignty. The current crisis shows the EU is not ready to play the role of an independent, sovereign actor. It’s just en ensemble of American vassals deprived of any politico-military sovereignty.

    Sovereignty cannot be partial. Either you’re a sovereign or a colony.

    Hunger in the poorest nations will be on the conscience of the West and euro-democracy.

    Russia will supply grains to the poorer nations in Africa and the Middle East.

    Russia will invest in internal economic development and reorientation of trade towards nations independent of the U.S.

    The future world order, already in progress, will be formed by strong sovereign states.

    The ship has sailed. There’s no turning back.

    How does it feel, for the collective West, to be caught in such a crossfire hurricane? Well, it gets more devastating when we add to the new roadmap the latest on the energy front.

    Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin, in St. Petersburg, stressed that the global economic crisis is gaining momentum not because of sanctions, but exacerbated by them; Europe “commits energy suicide” by sanctioning Russia; sanctions against Russia have done away with the much lauded “green transition”, as that is no longer needed to manipulate markets; and Russia, with its vast energy potential, “is the Noah’s Ark of the world economy.”

    For his part Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller could not be more scathing on the sharp decline in the gas flow to the EU due to Siemens’ refusal and/or incapacity to repair the Nord Stream 1 pumping engine: “Well, of course, Gazprom was forced to reduce the volume of gas supplies to Europe by 20%+. But you know, prices have increased not by 20%+, but by several times! Therefore, I’m sorry if I say that we don’t feel offended by anyone, we are not particularly concerned by this situation.”

    If this pain dial overdrive was not enough to hurl the collective West – or NATOstan – into Terminal Hysteria, then Putin’s sharp comment on possibly allowing Mr. Sarmat to present his business card to “decision-making centers in Kiev”, those that are ordering the current shelling and killing of civilians in Donetsk, definitely did the trick:

    “As for the red lines, let me keep them to myself, because this will mean quite tough actions on the decision-making centers. But this is an area that shouldn’t be disclosed to people outside the military-political leadership of the country. Those who deserve appropriate actions on our part should draw a conclusion for themselves – what they may face if they cross the line.”

    Baby please, stop breaking down

    Alastair Crooke has masterfully outlined how the collective West’s zugzwang leaves it lumbering around, dazed and confused. Now let’s examine the state of play on the opposite side of the chessboard, focusing on the BRICS summit this Thursday in Beijing.

    As much as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Eurasia Economic Union (EAEU) and ASEAN, now it’s time for a reinvigorated BRICS to step up its game. In conjunction, these are the key organizations/instruments that will be carving the pathways towards the post-unipolar era.

    Both China and India (which between them were the largest economies in the world for centuries before the brief Western colonial interregnum) are already close and getting closer to “the Noah’s Ark of the world economy”.

    The G20 – hostages of the Michael Hudson-defined FIRE scam that is the core of the financialized neoliberal casino – is slowly fading away, while a potential new G8 ramps up: and that is directly connected to BRICS expansion, one of the key themes of this week’s summit. An expanded BRICS with a parallel G8 configuration is bound to easily overtake the Western-centric one in importance as well as GDP by purchasing power parity (PPP).

    BRICS in 2021 already added Bangladesh, Egypt, the UAE and Uruguay to its New Development Bank (NDB). In May, at Foreign Ministry-level debates, Argentina, Egypt, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Senegal and Thailand were added to the 5 BRICS members. Leaders of some of these nations will be connected to the Beijing summit.

    BRICS plays a completely different game from the G20. They aim for the grassroots, and it’s all about slowly “building trust” – a very Chinese concept. They are creating an independent Credit Rating Agency – away from the Anglo-American racket – and deepening a Currency Reserves Arrangement. The NDB – including its regional offices in India and South Africa – has been involved in hundreds of projects. Time will tell: one day the NDB will make the World Bank superfluous.

    Comparisons between BRICS and the Quad, a U.S. concoction, are silly. Quad is just another crude mechanism to contain China. Yet there’s no question India treads on tightrope walker territory, as it’s a member of both BRICS and Quad, and made a vastly misguided decision to walk out of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) – the largest free trade deal on the planet – opting instead to adhere to the American pie-in-the-sky Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF).

    Yet India, long term, skillfully guided by Russia, is being steered to find essential common ground with China in several key issues.

    BRICS, especially in its expanded BRICS+ version, is bound to increase cooperation on building truly stable supply chains, and a settlement mechanism for resources and raw material trade, which inevitably has to be based in local currencies. Then the path will be open for the Holy Grail: a BRICS payment system as a credible alternative to the weaponized U.S. dollar and SWIFT.

    Meanwhile, a torrent of bilateral investments from both China and India in the manufacturing and services sector around their neighbors is bound to lift up smaller players in both Southeast Asia and South Asia: think Cambodia and Bangladesh as important cogs in a vast supply wheel.

    Yaroslav Lissovolik had already proposed a BEAMS concept as the core of this BRICS integration drive, uniting “the key regional integration initiatives of BRICS economies such as BIMSTEC, EAEU, the ASEAN-China free trade agreement, Mercosur and SADC/SACU.”

    It’s only (BRICS) rock’n roll

    Now Beijing seems eager to promote “an inclusive format for dialogue spanning all the main regions of the Global South via aggregating the regional integration platforms in Eurasia, Africa and Latin America. Going forward this format may be further expanded to include other regional integration blocks from Eurasia, such as the GCC, EAEU and others.”

    Lissovolik notes how the ideal path from now on should be “the greater inclusivity of BRICS via the BRICS+ framework that allows smaller economies that are the regional partners of BRICS to have a say in the new global governance framework.”

    Before he addressed the St. Petersburg forum on video, President Xi called Putin personally to say, among other things, that he’s got China’s back on all “sovereignty and security” themes. They also, inevitably, discussed the relevance of BRICS as a key platform towards the multipolar world.

    Meanwhile, the collective West plunges deeper into the maelstrom. A massive national demonstration of trade unions this past Monday paralyzed Brussels – the capital of the EU and NATO – as 80,000 people expressed their anger at the rising and rising cost of living; called for elites to “spend money on salaries, not on weapons”; and yelled in unison “Stop NATO.”

    It’s zugzwang all over again. The EU’s “direct losses”, as Putin stressed, provoked by the sanctions hysteria, “could exceed $400 billion a year”. Russia’s energy earnings have hit record levels. The ruble is at a 7-year high against the euro.

    It’s a blast that arguably the most powerful cultural artifact of the entire Cold War – and Western supremacy – era, the perennial Rolling Stones, is currently on tour across a “caught in a crossfire hurricane” EU. On every show they play, for the first time live, one of their early classics: ‘Out of Time’.

    Sounds much like a requiem. So let’s all sing, “Baby baby baby / you’re out of time”, as one Vladimir “it’s a gas, gas, gas” Putin and his sidekick Dmitry “Under My Thumb” Medvedev seem to be the guys really getting their rocks off. It’s only (BRICS) rock’n roll, but we like it.

    Chili Mac and Cheese

    This almost-instant main dish combines the flavors of two favorite comfort foods. Taco-flavored cheese and mild chilis add an extra kick without too much spice.

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    Sky High to Rock Bottom

    We can’t know what would have happened if Edwards had won just enough money to turn his life around, but he won a lot.

    David Lee Edwards was a connected armed robber who had spent one-third of his 46 years in prison. Broke and unemployed, he borrowed some cash from a friend to pay a utility bill. Unfortunately, Edwards had some change left over that he spent on a pizza and a couple of lottery tickets. He won $27 million.

    At a press conference, Edwards swore that he would turn his life around and look after his daughter. Yet, he immediately began spending money left and right. His mansion in Florida was full of expensive gadgets, and his body was full of expensive drugs.

    Edwards supported his and his wife’s increasing dependence on drugs. He also paid for his friend’s drugs and funerals if they overdosed. Edwards did spoil his daughter, but by 2006, he and his wife were living in a storage unit surrounded by drug paraphernalia and their own body waste.

    Mrs. Edwards left him; he died penniless in a hospice in Kentucky. He was 58.

    Cute Cat Enjoys 60°C Sauna Everyday

    A nice cute little video to put a smile on your face.

    So accurate

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    Maureen O’Connor

    Maureen O’Connor, a native of San Diego, California, rose through the local political ranks to become the city’s first female mayor from 1986 to 1992. At the time, she was married to Robert O. Peterson—the founder of the Jack in the Box fast-food chain.

    When her husband died in 1994, O’Connor’s personal fortune stood somewhere between $40 and $50 million. In the cutthroat world of politics, all successful politicians are big risk-takers. O’Connor was a political winner, but she was a loser when she began to gamble in casinos.

    O’Connor lost around $13 million in casinos.

    She misappropriated over $2 million from her husband’s charitable foundation, which she immediately spent playing video poker.

    To raise more cash to fund her gambling, she liquidated all her savings and took out second and third mortgages on her home. She attempted to pay off her debts but found herself charged with wire fraud.

    She attributed her gambling addiction to a brain tumor. In 2015, a judge formally dropped all charges against her.

    Consider how the American media treats China

    All in process…

    1. Classification: People divided into “us & them”
    2. Symbolization: People FORCED to identify themselves
    3. Discrimination: People begin to face systemic discrimination
    4. Dehumanization: People are equated with animals, vermin or diseases
    5. Organization: Gov’t creates specific groups (police/military) to enforce policies
    6. Polarization: Gov’t creates propaganda to turn public against target group
    7. Preparation: Official action to remove/relocate people
    8. Persecution: Beginning of murders, theft of property, trial massacres
    9. Extermination: Wholesale elimination of target group. It’s not considered “extermination” or murder because target group are NOT considered human
    10. Denial: Gov’t denies it has committed any crime

    Norway

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    Supreme Court Overturns NY’s Concealed Carry Law, Expanding Gun Rights

    The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a New York law that regulated who is allowed to carry a concealed weapon in public, expanding gun rights nationwide.

    In a 6-3 decision by the court’s conservative majority, the justices ruled that requiring people to demonstrate a particular need for carrying a gun in order to get a license to carry one in public violated the Second Amendment right to “keep and bear arms.”

    Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for the majority that the Constitution protects “an individual’s right to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home.”

    In a dissent joined by his liberal colleagues, Justice Stephen Breyer focused on the toll taken by gun violence. “Since the start of this year alone (2022), there have already been 277 reported mass shootings—an average of more than one per day,“ Breyer wrote.

    The decision expected to ultimately allow more people to legally carry guns on the streets of the nation’s largest cities — including New York, Los Angeles and Boston — and elsewhere. About a quarter of the U.S. population lives in states expected to be affected by the ruling, the high court’s first major gun decision in more than a decade.

    Bat Cat

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    Abandoned Cat Became A Monk And Promised Buddha She Won’t Eat Meat

    Another cute kitty video.

    WTF?

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    Moderna and Pfizer Vaccines more dangerous than Covid

    The numbers are coming in.

    Stanford, UCLA, Louisiana study says that serious adverse effects from Moderna and Pfizer Vaccines exceed the risk reduction of serious adverse effects from Covid.

    The excess risk of serious adverse events of special interest surpassed the risk reduction for COVID-19 hospitalization relative to the placebo group in both Pfizer and Moderna trials (2.3 and 6.4 per 10,000 participants, respectively).

    Full paper HERE

    SUPREME COURT OVERTURNS “ROE V. WADE” – No federal constitutional Right to Abortion

    The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday, holding that there is no federal constitutional right to an abortion.   Widespread protests, maybe even riots and social upheaval, are expected beginning today, as the supporters of the right to kill babies, go on a rampage.

    The opinion is the most consequential Supreme Court decision in decades and will transform the landscape of women’s reproductive health in America.

    Going forward, abortion rights will be determined by states, unless Congress acts.

    Already, nearly half of the states have or will pass laws that ban abortion while others have enacted strict measures regulating the procedure.

    “Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote in his majority opinion. “Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences. And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division.”

    A Fall from Grace

    Eike Batista is not a rags-to-riches story since Batista’s father had been the Minister of Mines and Energy in two previous Brazilian governments. It was natural that Eike Batista made his living in mining, gas, and oil with his family background. It was then a logical step to finance large-scale infrastructure projects that would support his other concerns.

    At the beginning of 2012, Batista had a net worth of around $35 billion—this meant that he was the seventh wealthiest person in the world. Unfortunately, he didn’t last long in the world’s top ten. By the summer of 2013, his wealth stood at $200 million and, a year later, had fallen to minus $1 billion.

    There were various reasons for this dramatic drop, but not all of them were Batista’s fault. A general downturn in the precious metals industry, underperforming assets, and poor decisions played a part. But the biggest fall from grace may be that Batista is facing 30 years in jail for bribing the governor of Rio de Janeiro.

    So why should Batista never have become rich? The answer is simple. A capitalist economy relies on the operation of free markets that depend on trust. Someone who builds a business empire built on sand warps the economy, destroys confidence, and wipes out the investments that pay people’s pensions.

    Supreme Court Overturns NY’s Concealed Carry Law, Expanding Gun Rights

    The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a New York law that regulated who is allowed to carry a concealed weapon in public, expanding gun rights nationwide.

    In a 6-3 decision by the court’s conservative majority, the justices ruled that requiring people to demonstrate a particular need for carrying a gun in order to get a license to carry one in public violated the Second Amendment right to “keep and bear arms.”

    Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for the majority that the Constitution protects “an individual’s right to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home.”

    In a dissent joined by his liberal colleagues, Justice Stephen Breyer focused on the toll taken by gun violence. “Since the start of this year alone (2022), there have already been 277 reported mass shootings—an average of more than one per day,“ Breyer wrote.

    The decision expected to ultimately allow more people to legally carry guns on the streets of the nation’s largest cities — including New York, Los Angeles and Boston — and elsewhere. About a quarter of the U.S. population lives in states expected to be affected by the ruling, the high court’s first major gun decision in more than a decade.

    Harvey Norman declares bankruptcy after going whole month without government handout

    Australia biggest electronic retailer giants. They pretty much have been sourcing from China, and can no longer compete with the Australian tariffs and restrictions.
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    Wonder how long the new government will still want to act tough against (Australians biggest trading country) China like the Morrison’s government has?

    A Warning About The Coming Shortages Of Diesel Fuel, Diesel Exhaust Fluid And Diesel Engine Oil

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    What I am about to share with you is a developing situation, and I hope to share more once the facts become clearer.  It appears that a very serious diesel crisis is coming in the months ahead, and that will have a dramatic impact on our economy.  As you will see below, we are being warned that there will be shortages of diesel fuel, diesel exhaust fluid and diesel engine oil.  Most diesel vehicles require all three in order to run, and so a serious shortage of any of them would be a major disaster.  Needless to say, simultaneous shortages of all three could potentially be catastrophic.  Most Americans don’t spend much time thinking about diesel, but without it our supply chains collapse and we don’t have a functioning economy.  In a recent Time Magazine article discussing the coming diesel fuel shortage, we are told that “the U.S. economy runs on diesel”…

    Though most consumers shake their heads at the cost of gasoline and complain about the cost of filling up their car tanks, what they really should be worried about is the price of diesel. The U.S. economy runs on diesel. It’s what powers the container ships that bring goods from Asia and the trucks that collect goods from the ports and bring them to warehouses and then to your home. The farmers who grow the food you eat put diesel in their tractors to plow the fields, and the workers that bring construction equipment to build your home put diesel in their trucks.

    Since January, supplies of diesel fuel have been steadily getting tighter.

    As supplies have gotten tighter, prices have skyrocketed.  The average price of a gallon of diesel fuel hit $5.50 a gallon in early May, and it has remained above that level ever since.

    One of the biggest reasons for the supply crunch is a serious lack of refining capacity.  Back in 1980, the U.S. had twice as many refineries

    There are also fewer refineries, which process crude oil into diesel and other products, in the U.S. than were just a few years ago. There are just 124 now operating, down from twice as many in 1980, and down from 139 in 2016, according to the U.S. Energy Information Association. The northeast region is particularly spare, with just seven refineries today, down from 27 in 1982.

    There have already been some temporary outages of diesel fuel at a few locations around the country, and we are being warned that disruptions are likely to intensify during the summer months.

    But the good news is that we aren’t going to run out of diesel fuel.  It may become a lot more expensive, and there may be painful temporary shortages, but we won’t run out of it.

    Unfortunately, the crisis that we are facing with diesel exhaust fluid is potentially much more serious.

    If you have just been skimming this article, this is the part where you need to start really paying attention.

    Newsweek is telling us that the United States “could soon experience a severe shortage of diesel exhaust fluid”…

    The U.S. could soon experience a severe shortage of diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), impacting U.S. drivers already hit with soaring fuel prices.
    
    DEF is a solution made up of urea and de-ionized water that is needed for almost everything that runs on diesel. It reduces harmful gases being released into the atmosphere and works by converting nitrogen oxide produced by diesel engines into nitrogen and steam.

    If you have a diesel vehicle that was sold in the United States after 2010, your vehicle could technically run without DEF, but in most cases your vehicle will simply not let you start it if the DEF tank is dry

    Can we call it a DEF jam? Everything is in short supply as supply chains continue to unlink. The latest commodity reportedly hit is DEF, or the blue diesel exhaust fluid that every diesel sold in the U.S. after 2010 needs to cut emissions. This means that every diesel truck, diesel RV, SUV, and car owner will likely have to look harder, and pay more for, DEF. A diesel engine can technically run without DEF, but your diesel vehicle likely won’t let you start it if the DEF tank is empty.

    A lack of urea is the biggest reason for the growing shortage of DEF.

    The United States is one of the largest importers of urea in the world, and Russia and China are two of the largest exporters.  In previous years that wasn’t a problem, but now the war in Ukraine has dramatically changed things

    A major portion of our urea comes from Europe, and because of the war in Ukraine we’re seeing a shortage of it, according to Newsweek. Russia is one of the world’s major exporters of it. China, too, is a major exporter of it, and it has suspended exports. Weather, too, has caused supply chain disruptions. Since it’s also a major component in fertilizers, there’s intense competition for urea.

    Without enough DEF, our economy is going to be in for a world of hurt.

    Meanwhile, Mike Adams is reporting on the growing shortages of diesel engine oil that are starting to happen all over the nation…

    Retailers, customers and distributors are all reporting shortages in diesel engine oil. This is not an imaginary problem, it is a real problem that is so far entirely ignored by the corporate media.

    Apparently there are some diesel engine oil additives that are in extremely short supply, and one industry insider is telling us that this problem isn’t going to be resolved any time soon.

    So what this means is that people are going to start running out of diesel engine oil.

    In fact, it is already being reported that the trains in Sri Lanka will soon have to completely shut down because of a lack of diesel engine oil…

    Sri Lanka Railways said that it will NOT be possible to operate trains in the future due to the lack of engine oil. A senior official at Sri Lanka Railways said that the current level of engine oil would only last for another two months.
    
    That’s in line with the warning we’re hearing in the states: About 8 weeks of diesel engine oil remaining in the pipeline.

    Just solving one of the shortages that I have described in this article will not be enough.

    As I noted in the opening paragraph, a diesel vehicle requires diesel fuel, diesel exhaust fluid and diesel engine oil in order to operate.

    You need all three.

    This is a story that I will be following very closely.  Needless to say, there are enormous implications for our supply chains and for our economy as a whole if solutions cannot be found.

    XIV BRICS Summit Beijing Declaration

    This is a VERY IMPORTANT document. This is the preamble. It defines the new, new world order; a unipolar world. - MM

    Preamble

    1. We,the Leaders of the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Russian  Federation, the Republic of India, the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of South Africa held the XIV BRICS Summit under the theme “Foster High-quality BRICS Partnership, Usher in a New Era for Global Development” on 23-24 June 2022.

    2. We recall that in the past 16 years, upholding the BRICS spirit featuring  mutual respect and understanding, equality, solidarity, openness, inclusiveness, and consensus, BRICS countries have strengthened mutual trust,deepened intra-BRICS mutually beneficial cooperation,and closer  people-to-people exchanges, which has led to a series of significant  outcomes. We reiterate the importance of further enhancing BRICS  solidarity and cooperation based on our common interests and key priorities, to further strengthen our strategic partnership.

    3. We are glad to note that despite the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges, BRICS countries in 2022 have jointly continued enhancing solidarity and  deepening cooperation on, inter alia, economy, peace and security, people-to-people exchanges, public health, and sustainable development  by holding a series of meetings and activities, and contributed to tangible outcomes of BRICS cooperation.

    4. We welcome the High-level Dialogue on Global Development at this Summit as  a testimony to the open and inclusive nature of BRICS Partnership including BRICS Outreach/BRICS Plus cooperation. We look forward to the Dialogue injecting new impetus to strengthen international cooperation and solidarity on implementing the 2030 Agenda  for Sustainable Development.

    Strengthening and Reforming Global Governance

    5. We reiterate our commitment to multilateralism through upholding  international law, including the purposes and principles enshrined in  the Charter of the United Nations as its indispensable cornerstone, and  to the central role of the United Nations in an international system in  which sovereign states cooperate to maintain peace and security, advance  sustainable development, ensure the promotion and protection of  democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, and promoting  cooperation based on the spirit of mutual respect, justice and equality.

    6. Recalling the BRICS Joint Statement on Strengthening and Reforming the Multilateral System adopted by our Foreign Ministers in 2021 and the  principles outlined therein, we agree that the task of strengthening and  reforming multilateral system encompasses the following:

      • Making instruments of global governance more inclusive, representative and  participatory to facilitate greater and more meaningful participation of  developing and least developed countries, especially in Africa, in global decision-making processes and structures and make it better attuned to contemporary realities;
      • Being based on inclusive consultation and collaboration for the benefit of all, while respecting sovereign independence, equality, mutual  legitimate interests and concerns to make the multilateral organizations more responsive,effective,transparent and credible;
      • Making multilateral organizations more responsive, effective, transparent,  democratic, objective, action-oriented, solution-oriented and credible,  so as to  promote cooperation in building international relations based  on the  norms and principles of international law, and the spirit of  mutual  respect, justice, equality, mutual beneficial cooperation and  realities  of  the  contemporary  world;
      • Using  innovative  and inclusive solutions, including digital and technological  tools to  promote sustainable development and facilitate affordable and  equitable  access to global public goods for all;
      • Strengthening  capacities  of individual States and international organizations to  better respond  to new and emerging, traditional and non-traditional  challenges,  including those emanating from terrorism, money  laundering,  cyber-realm, infodemics and fake news;
      • Promoting  international  and regional peace and security, social and economic  development, and  preserve nature’s balance with people-centered  international cooperation at its core.

    7. We recall the UNGA Resolution 75/1 and reiterate the call for reforms of the principal  organs of the United Nations. We recommit to instill new life in the  discussions on reform of the UN Security Council and continue the work  to revitalize the General Assembly and strengthen the Economic and  Social Council. We recall the 2005 World Summit Outcome document and  reaffirm the need for a comprehensive reform of the UN, including its  Security Council, with a view to making it more representative,  effective and efficient, and to increase the representation of the  developing countries so that it can adequately respond to global  challenges. China and Russia reiterated the importance they attach to  the status and role of Brazil, India and South Africa in international  affairs and supported their aspiration to play a greater role in the UN. 

    8. We appreciate the role of India and Brazil as members of the UN Security Council for 2021-2022 and  2022-2023 respectively. The presence of four BRICS countries in the UN  Security Council provides an opportunity to further enhance the weight  of our dialogue on issue of international peace and security and for  continued cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including through regular exchanges amongst our permanent Mission to the United Nations and in other international fora.

    9. We  reiterate the need for all countries to cooperate in promoting and  protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms under the principles of  equality and mutual respect. We agree to continue to treat all human  rights including the right to development in a fair and equal manner, on  the same footing and with the same emphasis. We agree to strengthen  cooperation on issues of common interests both within BRICS and in  multilateral fora including the United Nations General Assembly and  Human Rights Council, taking into account the necessity to promote,  protect and fulfil human rights in a non-selective, non-politicised and  constructive manner and without double standards. We call for the  respect of democracy and human rights. In this regard, we underline that  they should be implemented on the level of global governance as well as  at national level. We reaffirm our commitment to ensuring the promotion  and protection of democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms for  all with the aim to build a brighter shared future for the international  community based on mutually beneficial cooperation.

    10. We  stress that global economic governance is of critical importance for  countries to ensure sustainable development and recall further our  support for broadening and strengthening the participation of emerging  markets and developing countries (EMDCs) in the international economic  decision-making and norm-setting processes. We reiterate our support for  G20’s leading role in global economic governance and underline that G20  shall remain intact and respond to current global challenges. We call  upon the international community to foster partnerships while  underlining that it is imperative to strengthen macro-policy  coordination in driving the world economy out of the crisis and shaping a  strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive post-pandemic economic  recovery. We urge major developed countries to adopt responsible  economic policies, while managing policy spillovers, to avoid severe  impacts on developing countries.

    11. We reaffirm our support for an open, transparent, inclusive,  non-discriminatory and rules-based multilateral trading system,as embodied in the World Trade Organization(WTO). We will engage  constructively to pursue the necessary WTO reform to build an open world  economy that supports trade and development, preserve the pre-eminent  role of the WTO for setting global trade rules and governance,  supporting inclusive development and promoting the rights and interests  of its members, including developing members and LDCs. We recognize that  special and differential treatment as established in WTO rules is a  tool to facilitate the achievement of WTO objectives with respect to  economic growth and development. We call upon all WTO members to avoid  unilateral and protectionist measures that run counter to the spirit and  rules of the WTO. We emphasize the top priority and urgency of  launching the selection process of the Appellate Body members to restore  the binding two-tier multilateral dispute settlement mechanism. We  agree that the Appellate Body crisis should be resolved without further  delay and should not be linked with other issues. We endorse BRICS  Statement on Strengthening the Multilateral Trading System and Reforming  the WTO. We commend the successful conclusion of MC12 that underscores  the value of multilateralism. We encourage WTO members to sustain  momentum and achieve further meaningful outcomes by MC13.

    12. We  reaffirm our commitment to maintaining a strong and effective Global  Financial Safety Net with a quota-based and adequately resourced IMF at  its center. We call for the timely and successful completion of the 16th  General Review of Quotas by 15 December 2023, to reduce the IMF’s  reliance on temporary resources, to address under-representation of  emerging markets and developing countries (EMDCs) for their meaningful  engagement in the governance of IMF and protect the voice and quota  shares of the poorest and smallest members. We welcome progress on  voluntary channeling of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) from countries  with strong external positions to support countries most in need, as  well as the IMF’s decision to establish the Resilience and  Sustainability Trust (RST). We look forward to early operationalization of the RST.

    13. We note that the  COVID-19 pandemic has caused serious shock and hardship to humanity,  unbalanced recovery is aggravating inequality across the world, the  global growth momentum has weakened, and the economic prospects have  declined. We are concerned that global development is suffering from  severe disruption, including the widening North-South development gap,  divergent recovery trajectories, pre-existing developmental fault-lines  and a technological divide. This is posing huge challenges to the  implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as  economic and health scarring, particularly for EMDCs, is projected to  persist beyond the current pandemic. We urge major developed countries  to adopt responsible economic policies, while managing policy  spillovers, to avoid severe impacts on developing countries. We  encourage multilateral financial institutions and international  organizations to play a constructive role in building global consensus  on economic policies and preventing systemic risks of economic  disruption and financial fragmentation. We welcome the actions to  accelerate the progress towards achieving the 2030 Agenda for  Sustainable Development.

    Working in Solidarity to Combat COVID-19

    14. We  reiterate that it was imperative to ensure the availability of safe,  efficacious, accessible and affordable diagnostics, medicines, vaccines  and essential medical products to people from different countries  especially developing countries, and equitable distribution of vaccines  and expeditious vaccination, to fill the immunization gap globally. We  support the leading role of the WHO in combating the pandemic, as well  as acknowledge initiatives such as the COVAX and the ACT-A. We recognize  the importance of the discussions in the WTO on relevant IP waiver  proposals, as well as capacity building and strengthening local  production of vaccines and other health tools, especially in developing  countries. We stress the need to continue to strengthen the cooperation  on testing methods, therapeutic, research, production and recognition of  vaccines, the research on their efficacy and safety in light of new  variants of COVID-19 virus and recognition of national document of  vaccination against COVID-19 and respective testing, especially for  purpose of international travel. 

    15. We  reaffirm our commitment to multilateralism and continue to support  World Health Organization (WHO) to play the leading role in the global  health governance, while supporting other UN relevant agencies’  activities. The BRICS countries will strengthen technical multilateral  cooperation aimed at enhancing capacities in the fields of responding to  major public health emergencies, Universal Health Coverage (UHC),  vaccine research and development, prevention & therapeutic health  care and digital health systems. We agree to deepen existing cooperation  through establishing closer cooperation ties among BRICS health  institutions and exploring opportunities for joint collaborative  projects in the health sector. 

    16. We welcome the convening of the BRICS High-Level Forum on Traditional Medicine.

    17. We  stress that BRICS countries should be better prepared for COVID-19 and  future public health emergencies, and enhance exchanges and cooperation  on public health emergency alert, pandemic prevention preparedness and  response, and best practices in medical treatment. We welcome the  virtual launch of the BRICS Vaccine Research and Development Center and  commend the “Initiative on Strengthening Vaccine Cooperation and Jointly  Building a Defensive Line against Pandemic”. We welcome  the participation of other countries, especially EMDCs, in the Center to  upgrade capacity for controlling and preventing infectious diseases. We  support and emphasize the urgent need for the establishment of the  BRICS Integrated Early Warning System for preventing mass infectious  diseases risks in accordance with the International Health  Regulations (2005) and the WHO’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response  Network, and emphasize that BRICS countries should jointly take  proactive and effective measures to prevent and reduce the risk of  cross-border transmission of infectious diseases and contribute to  improving global health.

    18. We support  continuing to hold the BRICS TB Research Network Meetings, which will  contribute to achieving the WHO goal of ending TB by 2030. We support  the early signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in  the Field of Regulation of Medical Products for Human Use among our drug  regulatory authorities and welcome the holding of a BRICS Seminar of  Officials and Experts in Population Development in the second half of  2022. 

    19. We call on international  agencies and philanthropists to procure vaccines and boosters from  manufacturers in developing countries, including in Africa, to ensure  that the manufacturing capabilities being developed are retained. This  is critical to build health system resilience and preparedness for  emerging variants and any future health emergencies including  pandemics. In this context access to diagnostics and therapeutics is  essential to adopt quality and affordable medical countermeasures  and develop overall surveillance capabilities. 

    Safeguarding Peace and Security

    20. We  welcome the BRICS Joint Statement on “Strengthen BRICS Solidarity and  Cooperation, Respond to New Features and Challenges in International  Situation” adopted by our Foreign Ministers on 19 May 2022, and the 12th  Meeting of BRICS National Security Advisers and High Representatives on  National Security, held on 15 June 2022, and commend their fruitful  discussions on various strategic issues. 

    21. We commit to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all  States, stress our commitment to the peaceful resolution of differences  and disputes between countries through dialogue and consultation,  support all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of crises.

    22. We  have discussed the situation in Ukraine and recall our national  positions as expressed at the appropriate fora, namely the UNSC and  UNGA. We support talks between Russia and Ukraine. We have also  discussed our concerns over the humanitarian situation in and around  Ukraine and expressed our support to efforts of the UN  Secretary-General, UN Agencies and ICRC to provide humanitarian  assistance in accordance with the basic principles of humanity, neutrality and impartiality established in UN General Assembly  resolution 46/182.

    23. We strongly  support a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan while emphasizing the  respect for its sovereignty, independence, territorial  integrity, national unity and non-interference in its internal affairs.  We emphasize the need for all sides to encourage the  Afghanistan authorities to achieve national reconciliation through  dialogue and negotiation, and to establish a broad-based and inclusive  and representative political structure. We reaffirm the significance of  relevant UNSC resolutions. We emphasize that the Afghan territory not to  be used to threaten or attack any country or to shelter or train  terrorists, or to plan to finance terrorist acts, and reiterate the  importance of combating terrorism in Afghanistan. We call on the  Afghanistan authorities to work towards combating drug-related crime to  free Afghanistan from the scourge of drugs. We stress the need to  provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people and to  safeguard the fundamental rights of all Afghans, including women, children, and different ethnic groups. 

    24. We  reiterate the need to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue through  peaceful and diplomatic means in accordance with the international law,  and stress the importance of preserving the JCPOA and the UNSCR 2231 to  international non-proliferation as well as wider peace and stability and  hope for success of diplomatic efforts towards the resumption of  the JCPOA.

    25. We express our support  for negotiations in bilateral and multilateral formats to resolve all  issues pertaining to the Korean Peninsula, including its complete  denuclearization, and maintaining peace and stability in Northeast Asia. We reaffirm the commitment to a comprehensive peaceful, diplomatic and  political solution to the situation.

    26. We  reaffirm our commitment to a peaceful and prosperous Middle East and  North Africa. We stress the importance of addressing development and  security challenges in the region. We call on the international  community to support efforts aimed at the stability and peace in the region.

    27. We commend efforts of  African countries, the African Union and sub-regional organizations to  address regional challenges, including maintaining peace and security,  post conflict reconstruction as well as development efforts, and call  for continued support by the international community to them. We  emphasize the collaboration of AU and UN in accordance with the UN Charter.

    28. We call for continued efforts to strengthen the system of arms control, disarmament and  non-proliferation treaties and agreements and to preserve its integrity  for maintaining global stability and international peace and security,  and stressed further the need to maintain the effectiveness and  efficiency as well as the consensus-based nature of the relevant  multilateral instruments in the field of disarmament, non-proliferation  and arms control.

    29. We call for  strengthening the system of arms control, disarmament and  non-proliferation, including the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological)  and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction (BTWC) and the Convention on  the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of  Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction (CWC), and for preserving  their integrity and effectiveness to maintain global stability and  international peace and security. We underline the need to comply with  and strengthen the BTWC, including by adopting a legally binding  Protocol to the Convention that provides for, inter alia, an efficient  verification mechanism. We reassert our support for ensuring the  long-term sustainability of outer space activities and prevention of an  arms race in outer space (PAROS) and of its weaponization, including  through negotiations to adopt a relevant legally binding multilateral  instrument. We recognize the value of the updated Draft Treaty on the  Prevention of the Placement of Weapons in Outer Space, the Threat or Use  of Force against Outer Space Objects (PPWT) submitted to the Conference  on Disarmament in 2014. We stress that practical Transparency and  Confidence-Building Measures (TCBMs), may also contribute to PAROS.

    30. We  reaffirm our commitment to a world free of nuclear weapons and stress  our strong commitment to nuclear disarmament and our support to the work  on this subject during the session of 2022 of the Conference on  Disarmament. We note the Joint Statement of the Leaders of the People’s  Republic of China, the French Republic, the Russian Federation, the  United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United  States on Preventing Nuclear War and Avoiding Arms Races on 3 January  2022, in particular the affirmation that a nuclear war cannot be won and  must never be fought.

    31. We reaffirm  our commitment to the promotion of an open, secure, stable, accessible  and peaceful ICT-environment, underscored the importance of enhancing  common understandings and intensifying cooperation in the use of ICTs  and Internet. We support the leading role of the United Nations in  promoting constructive dialogue on ensuring ICT-security, including  within the UN Open-Ended Working Group on security of and in the use of  ICTs 2021-2025, and developing a universal legal framework in this  realm. We call for a comprehensive, balanced, objective approach to the  development and security of ICT products and systems. We underscore the  importance of establishing legal frameworks of cooperation among BRICS  countries on ensuring security in the use of ICTs. We also acknowledge  the need to advance practical intra-BRICS cooperation through  implementation of the BRICS Roadmap of Practical Cooperation on ensuring  security in the use of ICTs and the activities of the BRICS Working  Group on security in the use of ICTs.

    32. We,  while emphasizing the formidable potential of the ICTs for growth and  development, recognize new associated possibilities they bring for  criminal activities and threats, and expressed concern over the rising  level and complexity of criminal misuse of ICTs. We welcome the ongoing  work in the UN Open-Ended Ad Hoc Committee of Experts to elaborate a  comprehensive international convention on countering the use of ICTs for  criminal purposes and reaffirm our commitment to cooperating in the  implementation of the mandate adopted by the UN General Assembly resolution 75/282.

    33. We express strong  condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations whenever,  wherever and by whomsoever committed. We recognize the threat emanating  from terrorism, extremism conducive to terrorism and radicalization. We  are committed to combating terrorism in all its forms and  manifestations, including the cross-border movement of terrorists, and  terrorism financing networks and safe havens. We reiterate that  terrorism should not be associated with any religion, nationality,  civilization or ethnic group. We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to  contribute further to the global efforts of preventing and countering  the threat of terrorism on the basis of respect for international law,  in particular the Charter of the United Nations, and human rights,  emphasizing that States have the primary responsibility in combating  terrorism with the United Nations continuing to play central and  coordinating role in this area. We also stress the need for a  comprehensive and balanced approach of the whole international community  to effectively curb the terrorist activities, which pose a serious  threat, including in the present-day pandemic environment. We reject  double standards in countering terrorism and extremism conducive to  terrorism. We call for an expeditious finalization and adoption of the  Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism within the UN  framework and for launching multilateral negotiations on an  international convention for the suppression of acts of chemical and  biological terrorism, at the Conference of Disarmament. We welcome the  outcomes of the Seventh BRICS Counter-Terrorism Working Group Plenary  Meeting and its five Subgroup Meetings. We commend the Chair for hosting  the Seminar on Targeted Financial Sanctions Related to Terrorism and  Terrorist Financing, and look forward to organization of the Seminar on  Strengthening Counter-Terrorism Capacity Building in Developing  Countries, and the BRICS Police Training Program. We also look forward  to further deepening counter-terrorism cooperation.

    34. We  look forward to further deepening counter-terrorism cooperation and  reaffirm the sole authority of the UN Security Council for imposing  sanctions and call for further consolidation and strengthening of the  working methods of UN Security Council Sanctions Committees to ensure  their effectiveness, responsiveness and transparency, while avoiding  politicization of any of their proceedings including listing proposals  objectively on evidence-based criteria.

    35. We  reaffirm our commitment to strengthening international cooperation  against corruption. While respecting the legal systems of our respective  countries, we are committed to strengthening experience sharing and  practical cooperation on issues related to anti-corruption law  enforcement, including on pursuit of economic and corruption offenders,  on mutual legal assistance in civil and administrative matters, and on  asset recovery. We welcome the BRICS Initiative on Denial of Safe Haven  to Corruption. We will further strengthen anti-corruption capacity  building through education and training programs and enhance  anti-corruption exchanges and cooperation within multilateral  frameworks. We welcome the first BRICS Anti-corruption Ministerial  Meeting. 

    36. We are concerned about the  serious drug situation in the world and reiterate our commitment to the  existing international drug control mechanism underpinned by the three  United Nations Drug Control Conventions and the various political  commitments. We appreciate BRICS Anti-Drug Working Group’s active role  in combating transnational drug trafficking and promoting global drug  governance and will further strengthen drug control cooperation.

    Promoting Economic Recovery

    37. We  recognize the important role of BRICS countries working together to  deal with risks and challenges to the world economy in achieving global  recovery and sustainable development. We reaffirm our commitment to  continuing to enhance macro-economic policy coordination, deepen  economic practical cooperation, and work to realize strong, sustainable,  balanced and inclusive post-COVID economic recovery. We emphasize the  importance of continued implementation of the Strategy for BRICS  Economic Partnership 2025 in all relevant ministerial tracks and working  groups.

    38. We recognize the dynamism  of the digital economy in mitigating the impact of COVID-19 and enabling  global economic recovery. We also recognize the positive role that  trade and investment can play in promoting sustainable development,  national and regional industrialization, the transition towards  sustainable consumption and production patterns. We take note of China’s  hosting the “Buy BRICS” online promotion event and endorse the BRICS  Digital Economy Partnership Framework, BRICS Initiative on Trade and  Investment for Sustainable Development and BRICS Initiative on Enhancing  Cooperation on Supply Chains. We recognize the challenges facing trade  and investment development in the digital era and acknowledge that BRICS  members are at different levels of digital development, and thus  recognize the need to address respective challenges including the  digital divide. We welcome the establishment of the Digital Economy  Working Group by upgrading the E-commerce Working Group. We also agree  to promote consumer protection in e-commerce by advancing the  implementation of BRICS Framework for Consumer Protection in  E-commerce. We reaffirm that openness, efficiency, stability,  transparency, reliability and resilience of the global, regional and  national production and supply chains are crucial in combating the  COVID-19 pandemic, tackling economic recovery challenges and boosting  international trade and investment. We encourage cooperation among BRICS  countries to enhance the interconnectivity of supply chains and promote  trade and investment flows. We agree to strengthen exchanges and  cooperation in trade in services and engagement of BRICS national focal  points, as established in the BRICS Framework for Cooperation on Trade  in Services, with the BRICS Business Council with the aim to promote  implementation of BRICS Trade in Services Cooperation Roadmap and  relevant documents including the BRICS Framework for cooperation in  Trade in Professional Services. We take note of the proposal of the  Chair to establish the BRICS Trade in Services Network (BTSN) and will  continue discussions. 

    39. We  congratulate New Development Bank (NDB) on its relocation to its  permanent headquarters building in Shanghai as well as the opening of  NDB’s regional office in India. We welcome the decisions on admission of  four new members to the NDB and look forward to further membership  expansion in a gradual and balanced manner in terms of geographic  representation and comprising of both developed and developing  countries, to enhance the NDB’s international influence as well as the  representation and voice of EMDCs in global governance. We support the  NDB’s goals of attaining the highest possible credit rating and  institutional development. We appreciate the vital role of the NDB in  addressing the impact of the pandemic and assisting in the economic  recovery in member countries. We note the second General Strategy  approved by the Board of Governors at its annual meeting and look  forward to its smooth implementation. We encourage the Bank to follow  the member-led and demand-driven principle, mobilize financing from  diversified sources, enhance innovation and knowledge exchange, assist  member countries in achieving sustainable development goals and further  improve efficiency and effectiveness to fulfill its mandate, aiming to  be a premier multilateral development institution.

    40. We  welcome the decision to establish the BRICS Think Tank Network for  Finance. We expect it to work independently and provide intellectual  support, as and when tasked, for knowledge sharing, exchange of  experiences and practices and cooperation on finance issues amongst  BRICS countries, aiming at addressing global challenges and serving the  interests of the EMDCs.

    41. We recognize  the key role that infrastructure investment can play in facilitating  sustainable development. We reaffirm our understanding that PPPs are an  effective approach to leveraging the private sector to address  infrastructure gaps, and scaling up infrastructure assets. We endorse  the Technical Report on Public Private Partnerships for Sustainable  Development. We welcome the exchange and sharing of good practices and  experiences, and encourage further cooperation on infrastructure  investment and PPPs. We look forward to resuming technical  engagements with the NDB and the BRICS Task Force on PPP and  Infrastructure on the Integrated Digital Platform on infrastructure  investment projects and call for intensification of work in this area.

    42. We  acknowledge the importance of strengthening the Contingent Reserve  Arrangement (CRA) mechanism, which contributes to strengthening the  global financial safety net and complements existing international  monetary and financial arrangements. We support the amendments to the  CRA Treaty, and welcome the progress in amending other relevant CRA  documents. We look forward to the finalization of the amendments which  would enhance the flexibility and responsiveness of the CRA mechanism.  We look forward to the successful completion of the fifth CRA test run  later in 2022. We support the work to improve the framework for  coordination between the CRA and the IMF. We welcome the progress in  developing the BRICS Economic Bulletin 2022 as part of our streamlined  CRA research program.

    43. We underscore  the importance of continued work under the existing work streams,  including information security in the financial sector, and the BRICS  Payments Task Force (BPTF) as a platform for exchanging experience and  knowledge, and welcome the central banks’ further cooperation on the  payments track. 

    44. We commit to  strengthening intra-BRICS cooperation to intensify the BRICS Partnership  on New Industrial Revolution (PartNIR) and collectively create new  opportunities for development. We encourage intra-BRICS cooperation in  human resource development through BRICS Centre for Industrial  Competences, BRICS PartNIR Innovation Centre (BPIC), BRICS Start-up  Events and collaboration with other relevant BRICS mechanisms, to carry  out training programmes to address challenges of NIR for inclusive and  sustainable industrialization. We support the BRICS PartNIR projects to  explore cooperation mechanisms with New Development Bank (NDB) and other  financial institutions based on market-driven principles. We recognize  the importance of BRICS Startup Events including BRICS Innovation  Launchpad and BRICS Startup Forum Meeting, aimed to promote networking,  interaction, mentorship among Startups in BRICS countries. We welcome  the events hosted by the BPIC including the 4th BRICS Forum on PartNIR,  the BRICS Industrial Innovation Contest 2022, and the BPIC training  programme, which are aimed at translating the vision of PartNIR into  real actions and benefits for all BRICS members. We welcome the BRICS  Forum on Development of Industrial Internet and Digital Manufacturing,  during which representatives from BRICS governments, industry and  academia participated and discussed the development of digital  manufacturing. We also welcome the release of the BRICS Initiative for  Cooperation on Digitalization of Manufacturing.

    45. We  acknowledge the progress of BRICS cooperation on STI, including  outcomes of BRICS STI Steering Committee, inter alia, on advancement of  flagship projects initiative aiming to find effective STI solutions to  global challenges. We encourage further work on proposals regarding the  polycentric BRICS Technology Transfer Center Network, iBRICS Network,  joint research projects including flagship projects, BRICS Young  Scientist Forum and Young Innovation Prize.

    46. We  commend the progress of cooperation in the field of ICTs, including the  adoption of the terms of reference of the Digital BRICS Task Force  (DBTF) and the decision to hold the Digital BRICS Forum in 2022. We  encourage the BRICS Institute of Future Networks and the DBTF to make  suitable working plans at an early date, and carry out cooperation on  R&D and application of new and emerging technologies. We look  forward to a fruitful and productive meeting of BRICS Communication  Ministers in July 2022. We support the coordination and interaction  among the Digital Economy Working Group and the Working Group on ICT  Cooperation, as well as the workstreams established within this track,  namely the DBTF and the BIFN as practicable to avoid any duplication for  advancing the BRICS digital economy in accordance with respective  advantages, and within respective domestic legal frameworks.

    47. We  commend our Customs authorities for the Agreement Between the  Governments of BRICS Countries on Cooperation and Mutual Administrative  Assistance in Customs Matters, and the progress made in areas of mutual  administrative assistance, capacity building and law enforcement  cooperation. We recognize the importance of BRICS customs enforcement  cooperation and will work together to further strengthen it. We support  our Customs authorities in holding the BRICS Workshop on Customs  Strategy and Capacity Building and the BRICS Workshop on Customs  Enforcement Cooperation, for smart cooperation and smart practice  sharing, as also for promoting partnership in customs under the theme of  “Smart Cooperation for a High-quality Partnership among BRICS Customs”.

    48. We  emphasize the fundamental role of energy security in achieving  sustainable development goals. While recognizing that the energy  transition of each country is unique according to national  circumstances, we underscore the prime importance of securing universal  access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy in line  with Sustainable Development Goal 7. We welcome the BRICS Energy Report  2022, support joint research and technical cooperation within the BRICS  Energy Research Cooperation Platform, and commend the holding of the  BRICS Youth Energy Summit and other related activities.

    49. We  encourage the BRICS Interbank Cooperation Mechanism to continue playing  an important role in supporting BRICS economic and trade cooperation,  and appreciate the renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding between  the Member Development Banks of BRICS Interbank Cooperation Mechanism  and the New Development Bank. We welcome the seventh edition of the  BRICS Economic Research Award to encourage and stimulate advanced  doctoral research by nationals of the BRICS countries on topics of  relevance to the BRICS nations.

    50. We reiterate the commitments to promote employment for sustainable  development, including to develop skills to ensure resilient recovery,  gender-responsive employment and social protection policies including  workers’ rights. We welcome research by the BRICS Network of Labour  Research Institutes on employment and income support in the context of  COVID-19 crisis outlining impact of the pandemic, response measures and  post-COVID-19 changes.

    51. We recognize  the crucial role that MSMEs play in the BRICS economies and reaffirm the  importance of their participation in production networks and value  chains. We agree to continue to deepen cooperation on competition  amongst BRICS countries and create a fair competition market environment  for international economic and trade cooperation. We agree to enhance  exchanges and cooperation in the field of standardization and make full  use of standards to advance sustainable development. We commit to  strengthen cooperation and coordination in areas of tax information  exchange, capacity building and innovation in tax administration, and  create a signature knowledge product called ‘the Best Tax Practices from  BRICS’ to serve as reference for other developing countries. We support  deepening IPR cooperation and promoting exchanges and mutual learning  on IPR protection system, and look forward to more practical outcomes in  such fields as patent, trademark, and industrial design. We support  enhancing BRICS statistical cooperation and continuing to release the  BRICS Joint Statistical Publication 2022.

    Expediting Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

    52. We  note with concern that the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted efforts to  achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and reversed years  of progress on poverty, hunger, health care, education, climate change,  access to clean water, and environmental protection. We reaffirm our  commitment to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in all its three  dimensions – economic, social and environmental – in a balanced and  integrated manner. We stress that the international community should  attach more importance to development, revitalize global development  partnerships and push for realization of all sustainable development  goals by pooling the necessary resources to instill fresh momentum into  implementing the 2030 Agenda. We urge donor countries to honour their  Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitments and to facilitate  capacity building and the transfer of technology along with additional  development resources to developing countries, in line with the national  policy objectives of recipients. We stress the importance of dialogue  between the relevant development agencies from the BRICS countries.

    53. We  commemorate the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Framework  Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and call on all parties to adhere  to the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and  respective capabilities, in the light of different national  circumstances and in accordance with the institutional arrangement of  nationally determined contributions, and to implement the UNFCCC and its  Paris Agreement in an accurate, balanced and comprehensive way, based  on existing consensus. We recall relevant provisions of the Paris  Agreement, emphasizing that the Paris Agreement aims to strengthen  global response to the threat of climate change in the context of  sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty, and that  peaking of Green House Gas (GHG) emissions will take longer for  developing countries. We underline that the developed countries have  historical responsibilities for global climate change, and should take  the lead in scaling up mitigation actions and scale up indispensable  support to developing countries on finance, technology and  capacity-building. We express our support to the incoming Egyptian  Presidency of COP27, working towards the success of COP27, and promote  COP27 to prioritize implementation and highlight the reinforcement of  adaptation and delivery and enhancement of developed countries’  commitments to provide financial support and technology transfer to  developing countries.

    54. We oppose  green trade barriers and reiterate our commitment to enhancing  coordination on these issues. We underline that all measures taken to  tackle climate change and bio-diversity loss must be designed, adopted  and implemented in full conformity with the WTO agreements and must not  constitute a means of arbitrary or unjustifiable discrimination or a  disguised restriction on international trade and must not create  unnecessary obstacles to international trade. We express our concern at  any discriminatory measure that will distort international trade, risk  new trade frictions and shift burden of addressing climate change to  other trading partners, developing countries and BRICS members. 

    55. We  acknowledge the positive outcomes of the first phase of the 15th  Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological  Diversity (COP15) and its Kunming Declaration. We welcome and support  China’s hosting of the second phase of COP15 and call on all parties to  jointly adopt an ambitious, balanced and practical Post-2020 Global  Biodiversity Framework.

    56. As BRICS  countries produce around 1/3 of the world’s food, we stress our  commitment to furthering agricultural cooperation and driving  sustainable agricultural and rural development of BRICS countries aimed  at safeguarding food security of BRICS countries and the world. We  emphasize the strategic importance of agriculture inputs, including,  inter alia, fertilizers, on ensuring global food security. We reiterate  the importance of implementing the Action Plan 2021-2024 for  Agricultural Cooperation of BRICS Countries, and welcome the Strategy on  Food Security Cooperation of the BRICS Countries.

    57. We  take note that the breakthroughs in the applications of digital  technologies, such as Big Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) may play  an important role towards sustainable development. We take note of the  BRICS Forum on Big Data for Sustainable Development. We support  information exchanges and technical cooperation on AI technology. We  recall the declaration of the 7th BRICS Communications Ministers meeting  recognizing the rapid developments and huge potential of Artificial  Intelligence technologies and its value to economic growth. We  acknowledge the need to cooperate with each other to build trust,  confidence and security, as well as transparency and accountability in  promoting trustworthy AI to maximize its potential for the benefit of  society and humanity as whole with specific emphasis on marginalized and  vulnerable groups of population. We express our concerns on the risk,  and ethical dilemma related to Artificial Intelligence, such as privacy,  manipulation, bias, human-robot interaction, employment, effects and  singularity among others. We encourage BRICS members to work together to  deal with such concerns, sharing best practices, conduct comparative  study on the subject toward developing a common governance approach  which would guide BRICS members on Ethical and responsible use of  Artificial Intelligence while facilitating the development of AI. 

    58. We  welcome the establishment of the BRICS Joint Committee on Space  Cooperation in line with the Agreement on Cooperation on BRICS Remote  Sensing Satellite Constellation and the convening of the first joint  committee meeting. We are satisfied with the formulation of working  procedures for data exchange and joint observation of the BRICS Remote  Sensing Satellite Constellation and appreciate the commissioning of data  sharing and exchange of the constellation. We encourage BRICS space  authorities to continue to effectively utilize the capacity of the  Constellation, and to widely promote application with data of the  Constellation, aimed at facilitating the sustainable development of  BRICS countries.

    59. We commend the  proposal to organize the BRICS High-level Forum on Sustainable  Development. Taking it as an opportunity, we look forward to deepening  cooperation on, inter alia, the fight against COVID-19, digital  transformation, resilience and stability of industrial and supply  chains and low-carbon development.

    60. We  reiterate the importance of exchanges and dialogues among BRICS  disaster management authorities. We encourage cooperation in key areas  including comprehensive disaster reduction capacity, disaster resilient  infrastructure and emergency rescue and response, with a view to  improving the global and regional disaster management response.

    61. We  express our support to the African Union Agenda 2063 and to Africa´s  efforts towards integration through the development of the African  Continental Free Trade Area and other means. We stress the importance of  issues including industrialization, infrastructure development, food  security, health-care, and tackling climate change for the sustainable  development of Africa. We support Africa in attaining economic recovery  and sustainable development in the post pandemic era.

    Deepening People-to-People Exchanges

    62. We  reaffirm the importance of BRICS people-to-people exchanges in  enhancing mutual understanding, friendship and cooperation amongst our  nations and people. We appreciate the progress made under China’s  Chairship in 2022, including in the fields of governance, culture,  education, sports, arts, films, media, youth and academic exchanges, and  look forward to further exchanges and cooperation in these areas. 

    63. We  appreciate the signing of the Action Plan for the Implementation of the  Agreement between the Governments of the BRICS States on cooperation in  the Field of Culture (2022-2026), encourage the BRICS countries to  promote the development of digitalization in the field of culture,  continue to deepen cooperation in the fields of, inter alia, arts and  culture, cultural heritage, cultural industry and cultural alliances  under the framework of the action plan, and establish a cultural  partnership featuring inclusiveness and mutual learning. 

    64. We  acknowledge the urgent need for tourism industry recovery and the  importance of increasing mutual tourist flows and will work towards  further strengthening the BRICS Alliance for Green Tourism to promote  measures, which can shape a more resilient, sustainable and inclusive tourism sector. 

    65. We appreciate the  progress on education and Technical and Vocational Education and  Training (TVET) cooperation, especially the establishment of the BRICS  TVET Cooperation Alliance which focuses on strengthening communication  and dialogue in TVET, promoting substantial cooperation in TVET,  integrating TVET with industry, enhancing research collaboration and  supporting recognition of TVET standards. Also, the launch of the BRICS  Skills Competition will strengthen exchanges and cooperation among the  nations. We support the digital transformation in education and  TVET space, and commit to ensure education accessibility and equity, and  promote the development of quality education. We reiterate the  importance of digitalization in education and development of a  sustainable education by strengthening the cooperation within BRICS  Network University and BRICS University League.

    66. We  commend the successful holding of the BRICS Business Forum and  welcome the Beijing Initiative of BRICS Business community. We encourage  the BRICS Business Council to strengthen cooperation, including in the  fields of agri-business, aviation, deregulation, digital economy, energy  and green economy, financial services, infrastructure, manufacturing,  and skills development. We appreciate contributions and activities of  the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance (WBA) to deepening BRICS economic  and trade cooperation. We welcome the holding of the second BRICS  Women’s Innovation Contest by the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance  towards empowering women’s innovation and entrepreneurship. 

    67. We commend the progress in sports exchanges and the role it plays in the  development of our athletes in a fair, inclusive and non-discriminatory  fashion. We look forward to the successful holding of BRICS Sports  Ministers Meeting in 2022.

    68. We  appreciate the holding of the fora pertaining to political parties,  think tanks, and civil society organizations. We also acknowledge the  proposal for institutionalization of the BRICS Civil Society  Organizations Forum.

    69. We support the  convening of the fifth BRICS Media Forum and the continuation of the  BRICS International Journalism Training Program within the framework of the Forum.

    70. We look forward to the  BRICS Youth Summit, support youth development as a priority and  encourage strengthened exchanges among BRICS youth. We welcome the BRICS  Film Festival in Shanghai and look forward to enhancing exchanges and  cooperation in the field of film. We commend the progress made by BRICS  countries in promoting urban development, and appreciate the  contribution of mechanisms including BRICS Urbanization Forum, BRICS  Friendship Cities and Local Governments Cooperation Forum and BRICS  International Municipal Forum to facilitating the building of more  friendship city relations among BRICS countries and promoting the  implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

    Institutional Development

    71. We  note with satisfaction the progress made in BRICS institutional  development and stress that BRICS cooperation needs to embrace changes  and keep abreast with the times. We shall continue to set clear  priorities in our wide-ranging cooperation, on the basis of consensus,  and make our strategic partnership more efficient, practical  and results-oriented. 

    72. We emphasize  the BRICS efforts of extending its cooperation to other EMDCs and  support further promoting the BRICS Outreach and BRICS Plus  Cooperation in line with the updated Terms of Reference adopted by the  BRICS Sherpas in 2021 through inclusive and equal-footed and flexible  practices and initiatives. We commend China’s Chairship for hosting the  Dialogue session under the theme ‘Increased Role of Emerging Markets and  Developing Countries in Global Governance’ during the Meeting of BRICS  Ministers of Foreign Affairs/International Relations on 19 May 2022. 

    73. We support promoting discussions among BRICS members on BRICS expansion  process. We stress the need to clarify the guiding principles,  standards, criteria and procedures for this expansion process through  Sherpas’ channel on the basis of full consultation and consensus.

    74. South Africa, Brazil, Russia and India commend China’s BRICS Chairship in  2022 and express their gratitude to the government and people of China  for holding the XIV BRICS Summit.

    75. Brazil, Russia, India and China extend full support to South Africa for its  BRICS Chairship in 2023 and the holding of the XV BRICS Summit.

    (Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China)

    Chinese ambassador hits out at Morrison’s ‘nonsense’ COVID inquiry

    China listed 14 graviences. All committed by Australia. And now we have the  Wuhan “smear campaign” by Morrison. Yeah. Sure, it’s only 1 of the 14 greviances, but the media continued to use their selective wording to continue to smear China.

    Article HERE

    Creamy Chicken Soup (THE BEST Chicken Soup Recipe)

    WOW! I’m going to try this tomorrow! Wow, oh wow oh wow!

    South Korea exposed the US military laboratory secretly made “biochemical weapons”? What do you intend to be so close to China?

    The zombie movie “Travel to Busan” was shown in the world a few years ago. In the film, the virus leaked by the Busan Biopharmaceutical Company in South Korea triggered a terrible zombie crisis. Now, with the exposure of the biochemical laboratory hidden by the United States in South Korea, Koreans have begun to chant that “Travel to Busan” is not a fiction, but a preview of reality.

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    Travel to Busan

    Recently, the United States has repeatedly sent biological warfare reagents to the Korean peninsula through the US military stationed in South Korea. After the incident was exposed, South Korean people and media investigations discovered that the US military had secretly established four biochemical laboratories in South Korea, one of which was in Busan. The sinister behavior of the United States has triggered many demonstrations by South Koreans.

    So, what secret weapon is the U.S. Biochemical Warfare Laboratory making? Is it related to the coronavirus pandemic that WHO is tracing? What does the US military intend to build the laboratory on the doorstep of China?

    Today, Xiaota will talk to everyone about the conspiracy of the United States in overseas biochemical laboratories.

    As early as last year, South Korea’s “Tong Shimbun” published an article that broke the news: “The U.S. Army in South Korea has set up Bacillus anthracis biological laboratories at four bases in Yongsan, Busan, Gunsan and Pyeongtaek.” Bacillus anthracis is a species that can pass through the skin and mucous membranes. The bacteria spread by the respiratory tract and the digestive tract, German and Japanese fascists, have tried to make it into biochemical weapons, but now, the U.S. military, which has inherited the Japanese biochemical warfare technology and experience, has vigorously developed this extermination weapon, even It has been made “more terrible than coronavirus”. This virus can not only kill people and animals, but can even survive and reproduce in the soil. As long as it is contaminated with Bacillus anthracis, the soil must be completely removed, otherwise it will always be a forbidden zone for life.

    The U.S. military has built extremely dangerous laboratories overseas, obviously not willing to allow its own country to bear unexpected risks. The United States’ wishful thinking is brilliant. Judging from the information that has been released so far, from 2009 to 2014, the US military conducted at least 15 anthrax experiments in South Korea, and there have indeed been at least one virus leak.

    It happened in May 2015. The bacillus anthracis was accidentally leaked at the U.S. Air Force Base in Osan, South Korea. 5 U.S. Air Force personnel, 10 U.S. Army personnel, 3 U.S. military members, and 4 Koreans who may be exposed to the virus He was treated in isolation, and his later situation is unknown.

    It was this leak that exposed the news of the US military at the Korean Biochemical Laboratory, which caused a violent shock in Korean society. Countless South Korean citizens took to the streets to launch protest marches, demanding a reply from the US, and disclosure of laboratory information, and the laboratory was immediately cancelled. Many South Korean civil organizations gathered to call for a comprehensive revision of the “Status of Forces Agreement in South Korea” to limit the privileges of US troops in South Korea. There are also calls for the South Korean government to conduct independent investigations to find out the truth of the incident.

    What the Americans say is better than what they sing. The United States says that “the American system is very safe”, but I’m sorry, the system cannot be built in the United States. The United States engages in biochemical experiments, but does not aim at biochemical experiments. The U.S. states that it will alert in time when it finds danger, but what is the use of such alert? It may be for the United States to block South Korea in time and prevent the virus from spreading to the United States. The United States says that the purpose of developing chemical weapons is to defend against biological and chemical threats, but the biggest threat in the world is the United States. The United States should still find a way to defend itself.

    Even more frightening is that in the surrounding area of ​​the US military laboratory, there have been outbreaks of uncommon local diseases many times. According to a 2019 report by the U.S. Audit Office, in the past 10 years, there have been 400 accidents in U.S. biosafety tertiary laboratories. Although the victims of these accidents are mainly confined to the staff in contact, the number of accidents Leakage, the harm will be to all mankind.

    Article HERE

    Dog’s Reaction After Seeing The Owner Who’s Abandoned Her Years Later

    So many people are without compassion and humanity. The owner couldn’t even pet her when she was jumping in happiness seeing him. How humans could be so calloused and cruel like this?  It’s so painful seeing animals waiting for their owners who abandoned them yet still wagging their tails upon seeing them. These people don’t deserve these kind of pure love from these animals. It’s so sad.

    My heart broke when I saw her jumping around her owner’s legs and he completely ignored her. It broke my heart and she walked back to that abandoned old house and looked over her shoulder to see if he was following her and I cried when I saw her hiding in the dry grass looking so frightened and lonely. How could anyone do that to such a sweet loving animal as her. Extremely heartbreaking….but so glad she was adopted.

    Hope she has a wonderful life now.

    A name?

    When Jason Sadler’s mom told him his stepfather was filing for divorce, Sadler responded to the news with a joke. Sadler told his mom he’d just have to sell off his last name to avoid being stuck with the family name of a third divorced dad.

    That joke became reality half a year later when Jason Sadler created a website called buymylastname.com. Sadler offered to change his last name to an advertising billboard for any company willing to pay for the privilege. What would happen if Nike wanted to change Jason’s name to Jason JustDoIt? Jason would just do it indeed, as long as the dubbing was for the highest price offered.

    Within 24 hours of the auction opening, his name’s selling price skyrocketed to thirty thousand dollars. Forty days later, Jason was paid forty-five thousand dollars to legally become Jason Headsetsdotcom.

    While “Mr. Headsetsdotcom” may be a memorable title, Jason decided he would not settle on that last name either. Headsetsdotcom did not go back to calling himself Jason Sadler. Instead, he auctioned off his last name again, and for fifty-thousand dollars Jason was now Jason Sufrapp.

    What is in a name? Almost one hundred thousand dollars, apparently.

    The United States- the Pacific bully

    Jun 24, 2022

    The US dominates the Pacific Islands to an extent China can never hope to achieve. With Australia’s support, the US is now engaged in an arms build-up in its Pacific territories and de-facto colonies in a little known boost to its containment of China.

    The US has three self-governing territories in the Pacific: Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands. Guam hosts some of the US’s most important bases the world. After a large scale military expansion on one of the main islands in the Northern Marianas, Tinian is expected to rival Guam in importance in coming years.

    The US also has Compacts of Free Association with three countries covering thousands of islands in the Pacific – the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau and the Marshall Islands. The compacts are a de-facto form of colonialism which gives the US exclusive military access to these countries’ land and maritime surrounds in return for defence guarantees and financial assistance.

    The Federated States of Micronesia has a population of around 100,000. It has a land area of 702  square km on 607 islands amid 2,600,000 square km of ocean. The US will build a new base there. The residents are concerned about the impact of the base as their islands are often tiny and the landscape important to their identity. The US is also establishing a new military base on Palau, which has 340 islands and a total population of just over 18,000. The Marshall Islands landmass is 181 square km amid 466,000 square km of ocean. Although the Kwajalein atoll is only 15 square km, it is exclusively a military base with an extraordinary array of US activities; including a key role in US testing interceptors aimed ballistic missiles.

    The Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi recently visited seven South Pacific countries and signed various agreements in some, including the provision of infrastructure and police training , but he failed to get support for a 10-country trade agreement. He did not seek permission to build a navy base in the Solomon Island or anywhere else. Nevertheless, some saw the visit as an act of Chinese aggression. It is an odd view of aggression compared to the damage done by US, British and French testing of thermonuclear (also called hydrogen) bombs on Pacific islands, or when Australia helped invade Iraq.

    The US conducted 105 nuclear tests in the Pacific, mainly in the Marshall islands, between 1946 and 1962, as part oftits program to develop thermonuclear bombs. Operational weapons were sometimes tested, including a submarine-launched war head. One test in 1952 completely vaporised the island of Eluglab. In 1954, a thermonuclear bomb tested on Bikini atoll exploded with force of 15 megatons – over 1,000 times bigger than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The radioactive cloud engulfed a Japanese fishing boat about 80 miles away in a white powder that poisoned the crew. One died from the exposure seven months later and 15 more in following years.

    The radioactivity affected the drinking water and food. Children played in the ash-like powder. Some ate it. Marshall Islanders over a wide area were subject to abnormal radiological doses. In 2005, the US National Cancer Institute reported that the risk of contracting cancer for those exposed to the fallout was over one in three.

    Nevertheless, in 1946, a US Navy Commodore had asked 167 people living on Bikini atoll to re-locate so their home could be used use “for the good of mankind”. They were resettled in 1969, but had to be evacuated again after high radiation levels were detected.

    There has been some increase in the pathetically low initial compensation. But it is hard to compensate for the environmental damage and loss of cultural heritage, traditional customs and skills. In 2014, the Marshall Islands attempted to sue the US and eight other nuclear armed nations, for failing to move towards nuclear disarmament as required by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. A US Court dismissed the suit in 2017.

    Britain tested 40 thermonuclear bombs on an islands in the Kiribati group between 1957 and 1962. Troops from Britain , Fiji (then a British colony), and New Zealand worked on the tests. Many were harmed by radiation and other causes. As usual, the locals were treated badly and their water and lands polluted.

    France conducted 41 atmospheric nuclear tests between 1966 and 1974 in French Polynesia. It then conducted 140 underground, primarily of thermonuclear bombs, until 1996. One of the islands used was subject to cracking. In an act of state terrorism, French secret service frogman killed a photographer when they bombed a Green Peace protest ship in Auckland harbour on its way to the French nuclear testing area.

    Labor’s defence minister, Richard Marles now refers to France as a Pacific county, despite the fact that it is a European country with a tenuous justification for holding onto its colonial possessions in the Pacific – New Caledonia and French Polynesia. Labor used to oppose colonialism. Now it seems it’s good if the colonial power opposes China.

    The South Pacific Forum comprises 18 members: Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Not all are normally considered to be in the South Pacific. The inclusion of three countries with Compacts of Free Association with the US and two French possessions basically guarantees they will vote for what the US or France wants.

    However, the legacy of the contemptuous disregard for the indigenous residents during massive hydrogen bomb tests ensures that  nuclear issues, including the passage of nuclear submarines, remain sensitive.

    At the time of the negotiation of the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty in 1985 Paul Malone wrote that it was for a “partial nuclear free zone”, as it did not prohibit the “passage of nuclear-armed ships or aircraft through the region”. Malone reported that some Pacific Island countries wanted to be Treaty to prohibit access to nuclear-armed warships. The then Prime Minister Bob Hawke insisted on that omission which reflected the wishes of the US. However, nuclear issues have been revived by the creation of the 2021AUKUS pact in which Australia is committed to buying nuclear powered submarines.

    A journalist and researcher based in the Pacific, Nic Maclellan says, “Any hope that Australia’s island neighbours will welcome further nuclearisation of the region is folly. Within days of the UKUS announcement, statements from Pacific leaders, community elders and media organisations highlighted the persistence of the deep antinuclear sentiment.

    The general secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches, Reverend James Bhagwa tweeted

    “Shame Australia, Shame.” The Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare told the UN General Assembly his nation “would like to keep our region nuclear-free . . . We do not support any form of militarisation in our region that could threaten regional and international peace and stability.”

    The Kiribati President Taneti Maamau told the ABC, “Our people are victims of nuclear testing. We still have trauma. With anything to do with nuclear, we thought it would be a courtesy to discuss it with your neighbours”. He said he was especially concerned about Australia developing nuclear powered submarines which he said “puts the region at risk”

    Fiji’s Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama tweeted that his father was among the Fijian soldiers the British sent to help with their nuclear bomb tests. He said, “To honour the sacrifice of all those who have suffered due to these weapons, Fiji will never stop working towards a global nuclear ban.”

    The New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern repeated that nuclear submarines “can’t come into our internal waters”. New Zealand and nine South Pacific Forum countries have ratified the new Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Australia hasn’t. The Samoa Observer wrote, “It is a relief seeing Prime Minister Ardern continuing to maintain the tradition of her predecessors by promoting a nuclear-free Pacific; probably she is the only true friend of the Pacific Islands.”

    Contemporary Art Paintings By Stanislav Plutenko

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    The artist Stanislav Plutenko plays on colour contrasts, his painting is very vigorous, illustrative and imbued through by sarcasm on the reality.

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    In spite of the fact that the characters of his pictures are fattened and absolutely earthly ones, they are always astir – running, fluttering and flying somewhere. Having awkward bodies and unprepossessing faces they feel themselves angels and we are sympathetic towards them with their naivete.

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    With an identical acuteness he presents images of the people and visual psychological surroundings. In each genre stage with elements of grotesque style we can find the small history of life with symbolical underlying theme. His pictures stimulate in the spectators the scale of feelings, down to the protest, but not the indifference.

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    “Save My Baby Who Fell Into A 10m-long Pipe” Mom Cat Cries Out For Help

    Be the Rufus! Help and save the poor trapped kitten!

    Summer Preview: Rolling Blackouts, Higher Gas Prices, Natural Gas Rationing In Europe And A Historic Diesel Crisis

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    Almost everyone has heard about the rapidly growing global energy crisis by now, but most people assume that this crisis will eventually go away because they think that authorities have everything under control.  Unfortunately, that is not true at all.  This crisis has taken our leaders by surprise, and now many of them have shifted into panic mode because they realize that there will be no easy fixes.  Decades of neglect and foolish decisions have brought us to the precipice of a nightmare, and many of us are going to be absolutely astonished by some of the things that happen in the months ahead.

    Here in the United States, we have neglected to properly invest in our power grids for a very long time, and now they are at a breaking point.

    We are being warned that there could be widespread “rolling blackouts” this summer, and the situation is particularly dire in Midwest states such as Michigan

    The Lansing Board of Water and Light, or BWL, warned in a press release on Tuesday that the company is preparing for potential ‘rolling black-outs’ this summer.
    
    The Mid-Continent Independent System Operator, or MISO, is Michigan’s power grid regulator. MISO will have to ‘load-shed’ if they see expected energy shortages during peak usage times due to hot weather. Load-shedding is purposefully shutting down electric power in some areas of a power-distribution system to prevent the entire system from failing when it is strained by high demand.

    Meanwhile, the price of gasoline is likely to continue to go up.

    For quite some time, the amount of oil that is being produced around the world each day has been lower than the amount of oil that is being used around the world each day, and as a result supplies have been getting tighter and tighter

    Fast forward to today, and where are we? Intrinsic demand is thought to be around 103 million barrels a day now, owing to 1% per year global population growth, plus increased wealth–and demand should keep growing at roughly that pace. But supplies aren’t nearly keeping up. We’re currently producing around 100.6 million barrels (reflecting the loss of about a million barrels from Russia), and the resulting spike in prices is already constraining demand to around 101 million barrels, according to Majcher.

    When demand is greater than supply, either prices go up or eventually you have shortages.

    And sometimes both things happen.

    Bank of America is telling us that oil inventories have reached a “dangerously low point”, and until that changes prices are likely to continue to rise…

    The result is a market that for the second straight year is under-supplied, and drawing down inventories as a result–on top of the drawdown in strategic reserves approved by political leaders to try and lower prices. Bank of America is already warning that global oil inventories have fallen to a “dangerously low point,” with certain gasoline and diesel supplies in particular at “precarious levels” as we head into peak U.S. driving season. U.S. oil inventories are already 14% below their five-year average, BofA notes, while distillates (like diesel) are 22% below.

    I wish that I could tell you that there is hope that things will turn around eventually.

    But at this point the CEO of Exxon is actually warning us to expect “up to five years of turbulent oil markets”

    Consumers must be prepared to endure up to five years of turbulent oil markets, the head of ExxonMobil said Tuesday, citing under-investment and the coronavirus pandemic.
    
    Energy markets have been roiled by the Ukraine war as Russia has reduced some exports and faced sanctions while Europe has announced plans to wean itself off dependency on Russian fossil fuels in coming years.

    If you think that things are bad now, just wait until you see what happens after a major war erupts in the Middle East.

    Then things will really start getting crazy.

    Speaking of war, over in Europe a looming natural gas shortage due to the war in Ukraine is likely to cause immense economic problems in the months ahead.

    Now that Russia has significantly reduced the flow of natural gas to Germany, it looks like the Germans will soon be forced to ration it, and the Wall Street Journal is telling us that authorities expect “a gas shortage by December”…

    The German government moved closer to rationing natural gas on Thursday after Russia cut deliveries to the country last week in an escalation of the economic war triggered by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
    
    Berlin triggered the second of its three-step plan to deal with gas shortages after the Kremlin-controlled energy giant Gazprom, the country’s biggest gas exporter, throttled delivery via the Nordstream pipeline by around 60% last week. Germany’s gas reserves are at 58% capacity, and the government now expects a gas shortage by December if supplies don’t pick up, Economy Minister Robert Habeck said.

    It would be difficult for me to overstate the seriousness of this problem.  Energy prices have already gone completely nuts in Europe, and one German official is actually comparing this crisis to the collapse of Lehman Brothers

    With energy suppliers piling up losses by being forced to cover volumes at high prices, there’s a danger of a spillover effect for local utilities and their customers, including consumers and businesses, Economy Minister Robert Habeck said Thursday after raising the country’s gas risk level to the second-highest “alarm” phase.
    
    “If this minus gets so big that they can’t carry it anymore, the whole market is in danger of collapsing at some point,” Habeck said at a news conference in Berlin, “so a Lehman effect in the energy system.”

    Needless to say, it isn’t just Germany that is being affected

    The crisis has spilled far beyond Germany, with 12 European Union member states affected and 10 issuing an early warning under gas security regulation, Frans Timmermans, the European Union’s climate chief, said in a speech to the European Parliament.
    
    “The risk of a full gas disruption is now more real than ever before,” he said. “All this is part of Russia’s strategy to undermine our unity.”

    If the war in Ukraine could be brought to a peaceful resolution, that would greatly help matters.

    But we all know that isn’t going to happen any time soon.

    On top of everything else, global supplies of diesel fuel get squeezed a little bit more with each passing day.  The price of diesel fuel is 75 percent higher than it was a year ago, and here in the United States we have been warned that the Northeast “is quietly running out of diesel”

    The upward pressure on diesel and jet fuel prices in particular is getting attention in the White House, Amrita Sen of Energy Aspects told Squawk Box yesterday. Diesel prices are up a whopping 75% from a year ago, and the spread between diesel and gasoline prices has also widened considerably. The high cost is creating huge strains on truckers and the supply chain; the Northeast “is quietly running out of diesel,” FreightWaves warned two weeks ago.

    Even though there could be a historic supply crunch, we won’t completely run out of diesel fuel.

    However, as I detailed in an article that has gone extremely viral, we are potentially facing really severe shortages of both diesel exhaust fluid and diesel engine oil if solutions cannot be found.

    Urea is required to produce diesel exhaust fluid, and the U.S. doesn’t produce enough.  We are normally one of the largest importers of urea in the entire world, and Russia and China are two of the largest exporters.  Our leaders have decided that we don’t want urea from Russia, and China has restricted exports.

    So that puts us in a really tough position.  If you have a diesel vehicle, I would highly recommend stocking up on diesel exhaust fluid while you still can.

    As for diesel engine oil, there are several key additives that are in short supply right now due to major problems at several manufacturers.  An article that Mike Adams just posted goes into the details.  This is a very serious situation that is not going to be resolved any time in the near future.

    The bottom line is that supplies of diesel fuel are going to get very tight, and there may be times when diesel exhaust fluid and diesel engine oil are not available at all.

    All three are required in order for diesel vehicles to operate, and as I explained yesterday, the U.S. economy runs on diesel.

    If we were suddenly unable to use our diesel vehicles, all of our supply chains would collapse and we would no longer have a functioning economy.

    So hopefully our leaders are working really hard to find some solutions.

    Because it looks like this summer could be quite difficult, and the outlook for the months beyond is even less promising.

    Millions to Manslaughter

    Ibi Roncaioli was Hungarian by birth but moved to Canada, where she married a successful gynecologist. She was not short of money but bought a ticket for a lotto game with a friend. In 1991, the two won $10 million and split the money.

    Roncaioli started spending her winnings without telling her husband, but she didn’t spend much of it on herself. Mainly, the money went to her three sons. One of these was the son that she had had with her husband, one from before she married, and the third was a child that even her husband of thirty years knew nothing about.

    Most people who knew the Roncaiolis described them as a happy, devoted older couple. However, in 2003, Ibi died. The authorities assumed that she had died from natural causes. Still, after careful examination, they found a toxic level of painkillers and alcohol in her body, and there were needle marks on her legs and feet.

    The court found her husband guilty of manslaughter. The couple’s net worth was just $300,000 despite Ibi’s winnings and her husband’s considerable earnings. Her 72-year-old husband was sentenced to seven years.

    Stranded Cat Cries In Despair As Her Last Canned Food Drops Down

    How to rescue this stranded little kitty?

    Too Much of a Good Thing

    Gerald Muswagon was not a well-educated man but was friendly and well-liked by his family and friends. Yet, he had had brushes with the law in his native Canada since 1981.

    In 1998, he bought a two-dollar lottery ticket that won him $10 million. He spent a lot of it on luxuries and gifts but did try to invest in his own lumber business. Unfortunately, his business lost money because of low sales. Muswagon was surrounded by hangers-on who were only interested in his money and never got the guidance that he needed about how to handle such a large sum.

    He continued to have problems with the police, and things got worse when his wife died suddenly in 2002. Muswagon hanged himself in his parent’s garage.

    “FORCE MAJEURE” DECLARED – Oil For Diesel Engines Gone in 8 Weeks

    A potentially catastrophic situation is emerging that threatens to wipe out the entire supply of diesel engine oil across the United States, leaving the country with no diesel engine oil until 2023.

    Chemical manufacturers of diesel engine oil additives have declared “force majeure” ( a force they cannot control)  and have ceased supply operations to the diesel engine oil manufacturers. Those manufacturers combine base oils with “additive packages” to create diesel engine oil.

    (This story is referring to the OIL that goes inside a diesel engine, and NOT Diesel “fuel.”)
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    Antioxidants, anti-corrosion agents, dispersing additives, antirust mechanisms, friction modifiers, EP additives, antifoaming agents, antioxidants, are all chemicals that must be added to the oil for diesel engines so they can operate.  Without these additives, diesel engine oil manufacturers cannot produce the final oil products that lubricate diesel engines.

    Because key manufacturers of these additives have ceased operations, diesel engine oil can apparently no longer be produced in the USA, at least not until these necessary chemicals are restored to full supply, which may not be until the year 2023.

    If trucks have to shut down because their engine oil is exhausted, ALL COMMERCE will cease, because everything in the country, except electricity and natural gas, MUST – at some point – be transported by truck.    No trucks means no products.   No products means no commerce.

    Full, complete, collapse.

    The TRUTH is coming out

    Great discussion. Tying together BRICS, inflation, and the American leadership.

    To the Bitter End

    John Werner Kluge (1914–2010) was a successful businessman who became a television mogul. At one time, he was the richest person in the United States. A hard-working philanthropist, he also found time to indulge in his hobby of getting married. He married four times, and Patricia was the third of his wives.

    When the couple divorced in 1990, Patricia kept the Albemarle estate near Charlottesville, Virginia. The couple had built a 45-room mansion on the property that hosted parties for the rich and famous. With her new husband, Patricia Kluge opened the Kluge Estate Winery in 1999. This was an excellent place for growing vines, and their ambition was to create a world-renowned winery that would produce some of the finest vintages in the world. To an extent, they succeeded.

    However, they had enough money to launch the project and were rich by most people’s standards, but their plans called for much more money than they had available. Patricia took out $65 million in loans but found that she was over-extended. When the economy crashed in 2008, she put the estate up for sale. Donald Trump eventually bought it for a fraction of the asking price. It is now known as the Trump Winery.

    It is possible to be rich but not quite rich enough. This is the trap that Patricia fell into.

    Kitten Trapped Inside A Pillar Wishes To Hold Mom’s Hand Before She Dies

    Save the little kitten!

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

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    Americans remain misinformed. They think China will collapse when the United States Empire stops buying their products

    Americans remain misinformed. They think China will collapse when the United States Empire stops buying their products. 
    
    In truth, only 3% of China's GDP is derived from exports to the USA. 
    
    Exports worldwide only make up 18.5% of China's GDP.
    
    In this light, it seems to me that Xi JP has the patience of a saint. If I were in his shoes, would just label all my products as having origins in Xinjiang. Then sit back and watch the riots happen when Americans can't afford not just their gasoline in their cars, but also that toaster in Walmart when they finally manage to walk there.
    
    It would be a Russian and Chinese one-two punch for the obnoxious teenage bully.
    
    -littlereddot

    Let’s plow on though this most crazy period of time. I do hope that you enjoy my collection of “news” insanity, and various contextual snippets. Have fun.

    The NGO “Hong Kong Watch” has FINALLY admitted to being funded by UK government

    It took them bloody long enough.

    For decades they were critical of the Hong Kong government, and were active in “uncovering crimes and human rights abuses” in China. Well, after a few of their members were decloaked as CIA assets, participants and organizers of the “pro-democracy” movements, rounded up and sent into prison, the “dust has settled”. And now the UK government admits that they were behind the organization that was instrumental in the “color revolution(s)” in Hong Kong.

    Video HERE

    Ukraine, Taiwan – Battle for US Hegemony Continues

    A pretty good video.

    Alexander Selkirk

    Alexander Selkirk is one of history’s most famous missing persons, but there’s a good chance you don’t recognize his name. That’s because his story became famous only after it was fictionalized and he was rebranded “Robinson Crusoe.”

    According to Smithsonian, Selkirk was really only sort-of missing. There were plenty of people who knew where he was, notably the 21-year-old ship captain who deliberately stranded him on an island 418 miles off the coast of Chile. At first, Selkirk was all, “Cool, just leave me here. I don’t like you and I don’t want to be on your leaky ship.” (Note: not an actual historical quote). When Selkirk realized no one else was going to join him on his 3-hour tour, though, he begged the captain to reconsider. And because 21-year-olds who have too much responsibility aren’t exactly known for their empathy, the captain rather predictably refused to take him back.

    The ship sailed away and Selkirk was left to fend for himself for four years and four months. Fortunately, the island was populated by feral animals, so he survived on a well-balanced diet of seafood, goats, watercress, and turnips. When he was finally picked up by a passing ship, his rescuers noted that he was so wild in appearance and mannerisms that he seemed to have “forgot his language for want of use, we could scarce understand him, for he seem’d to speak his words by halves.”

    Today’s propaganda of the day…

    It’s from UK “Intelligence experts”. Found on Drudge.

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    Yuppur. More examples of Russia “losing big” in Ukraine.

    Favorite Potato Salad

    Every home cook should have one go-to classic potato salad recipe on hand. It’s the perfect dish to bring to summer picnics, serve at grill-outs and take along to potluck suppers. But don’t just limit this simple potato salad to warm-weather months—this dish can be served year-round. The next time someone samples your delicious side dish and asks you how to make potato salad, just hand them this easy potato salad recipe.

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    Five possible strikes on Lithuania as a response to the blockade of Kaliningrad

    Is Russia being dragged into a war with NATO?

    From HERE

    Lithuania has decided to stop the transit of certain types of goods from the EU sanctions list by rail from June 18. Transit stopped. Now politicians and political scientists are busy thinking about how Moscow can respond to the transport blockade of one of the subjects of the Russian Federation – the Kaliningrad region. And if earlier the talk about the war with NATO was of an abstract nature within the framework of the discussion of an unlikely prospect, then Lithuania, by its actions, brought this probability closer.

    If cargo transit is not restored, Russia reserves the right to take action to protect its national interests, Maria Zakharova said.

    Russian Chargé d’Affaires in Lithuania Sergey Ryabokon said on the Russia-24 TV channel :

    “When the sanctions actions of the European Union began, they found the most fertile ground here in Lithuania. And Lithuania began to offer itself what could be done to inflict maximum damage on us .

    Ryabokon noted that this measure was developed by the European Union a month and a half ago, but it was not specified, and now Lithuania has moved forward. Lithuanian politicians have been saying for thirty years that they have a lever of pressure on Russia – transit to Kaliningrad. And on the night of June 17-18, this lever was activated. Among other things, the import of fertilizers, the need for which is very high, is prohibited.

    Commenting on the situation, the State Duma noted that the transport blockade could give serious grounds for the start of hostilities, but the Russian Federation would not use them. Another way of solving the problem is proposed – to speed up the procedure for canceling the decision of Lithuania to secede from the USSR and cease its existence as a subject of international law. It is assumed that in this case, the NATO protection regime will cease to operate on the territory of Lithuania.

    Blocking transit to the Russian region, Vilnius did not calculate the consequences. How Russia might respond, Alexander Nosovich, a political scientist based in Kaliningrad , explained :

    withdrawal of recognition of Lithuanian independence. The idea to recognize as illegitimate the secession of the Baltic republics from the USSR has been in the air since September 5, 1991, when this illegal secession took place;

    withdrawal from the agreements with the European Union on Lithuania. Russia recognized the borders of Lithuania in exchange for guarantees for the transit of Russian citizens and goods from Kaliningrad and to Kaliningrad. Thanks to this recognition, Lithuania was able to join the EU and NATO.

    “I would like to remind you that an integral part of the package of joint EU-RF-Lithuania decisions of 2002-2003 on guaranteed transit of Russian goods and, of course, citizens of the Russian Federation to/from the Kaliningrad region was a counter obligation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation to ratify the State Border Treaty with the Republic of Lithuania. I remember this very well, because then I headed the State Duma Committee on International Affairs and was the special representative of the President of Russia at these negotiations , ”

    writes the head of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin. –

    If Brussels and Vilnius initiatively and treacherously destroy the package of agreements they signed on the Kaliningrad transit, which entered into force on July 1, 2003, then the EU must understand the consequences of their suicidal decision for the legitimacy of their own eastern border .

    The measures are as follows:

    Russia’s demand to return Klaipeda. The current borders of Lithuania were established by the Soviet Union, and they have nothing to do with the Republic of Lithuania, which declares itself the legal successor of pre-Soviet Lithuania and rejects the Lithuanian SSR as a “Soviet occupation”. In fact, the only official successor of the USSR is the Russian Federation. This means that Moscow has the right to reconsider the ownership of the territories annexed to Lithuania during the Soviet period, in particular the ownership of the Klaipeda region;

    disconnection of Lithuania from the BRELL energy system (an energy ring that unites Belarus, Russia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania). This would be Moscow’s most painful economic response to Vilnius’ hostile move. So far, Lithuania is strenuously pretending that it does not need to be connected to BRELL, but it is not known how it will feel after a real shutdown and a rise in the price of everything from goods to fuel;

    creation of the Suwalki corridor. This is a land passage between Lithuania and Poland, which could connect the territory of Belarus with the Kaliningrad region of Russia.

    “As for gas, we have the Marshal Vasilevsky LNG terminal, which has already been tested in case Lithuania cuts off gas pipeline gas ,” says Nosovich. - Regarding transit, I talked with high officials of our region and representatives of the center, and they assure that the Russian civilian fleet in the Baltic Sea is quite enough to supply all the volumes of goods that Lithuania can block us by rail. The question is how quickly we can do it all. But I am sure that we will not have interruptions in supplies, empty shelves in stores . ”

    According to the governor of the region Anton Alikhanov, the ferries of the Kaliningrad region will cope with the new cargo. The transportation of oil products to the Kaliningrad region through Lithuania continues until August 10:

    “According to our preliminary estimates - we have not yet completed the analysis  - this is from 40% to 50% of the cargo that was transported between the Kaliningrad region and other regions of the Russian Federation. These are cargoes, including building materials, cement, metals. A range of other materials important for construction and manufacturing. Finished products that were exported from our territory. This will require us to urgently put new ships on the Ust-Luga-Baltiysk line , ”

    explained the head of the region.

    State Duma deputy Konstantin Zatulin suggested that with all these difficulties – violation of agreements, disregard for diplomatic norms, bombing of peaceful quarters of Donetsk and oil platforms – Russia is being tested and, possibly, provoked to open a second front in the Baltics, that is, they are being drawn into a war with NATO.

    Cynthia Ann Parker

    By the early to mid-1800s, European occupation was taking a toll on native villages. As their populations fell, some indigenous people turned to kidnapping as a way to increase their numbers. Sometimes, kidnapped white children were adopted by indigenous families who had lost their own children to diseases like cholera or smallpox (via HistoryNet). One of these children was Cynthia Ann Parker, who was abducted from her family farm in Texas when she was just nine years old (via Humanities Texas).

    Parker was missing for 24 years, though there were occasional sightings of her living among the Comanche. She eventually married and had three children, and probably would have stayed with the Comanche until her death, except some Texas Rangers decided to “rescue” her and her infant daughter. Her reunion with her white family was not a happy one, and Parker never adjusted to life in the white settlements. Despite being a grown woman capable of making her own choices, she was also not permitted to return to the Comanche and her two sons, one of whom — Quanah Parker — became one of the most influential Comanche leaders in history.

    There are some conflicting accounts about her eventual death sometime between 1864 and 1871. According to Texas Monthly, she is said to have starved herself to death.

    A little common sense about proxy war

    The question is: why does one person initiate confrontation with another person in an aggressive way?

    Isn’t it obvious? They think that they are going to win.

    Or they think that they will gain some advantage by it, and still survive. (I am not talking about defending yourself from real or imagined threats.)

    But you say; there are millions of examples where apparently weaker entities challenge an obviously stronger adversary. Are they just foolhardy to take on this risk? No, they still think that they are going to win, or gain some advantage. How so? Because they have “an uncle” at their back. I’ll just get Uncle to come in and save me. Or maybe Uncle wants to hobble that other entity, and they hired me to do it for them, (with certain guarantees for me of course).

    In the modern day of international relations, this is called the “Proxy War”. It is the most insidious activity on the planet, to hire different factions of poor people to kill each other. It is a kind of Cock-Fighting, and the sideline bets are enormous. For as long as I can remember, America is the unavowed champion at this game. They have these magic words “Plausible Deniability”, which they think is a garment that covers their naked aggression. They even brag about how good they are at it. I find it a dead give-away, and not plausible at all.

    Well, America has at least 800 military bases around the world, so there are at least 800 of these chickens (at various levels of readiness for cock fighting), those that are hosting these bases. Of course, they are paid to do this, but who is getting paid? Dictators are enriched, or Vassal type leaders, Criminal regimes and Gangster billionaires. Does any advantage filter down to the populations? Is threatening a bigger power in their interest in any way?

    Let’s look at the Ukraine, where average people live on $10/day, the below average people, (you can calculate that). That’s right, the GDP/capita is $3,500/year. Surely now it will be half of that, if not less.

    Ukraine does have an Uncle, actually many of them. They gave guarantees too, but what was Ukraine’s obligation with those guarantees? They had to win some battles; then everything could progress as planned. But it seems it is not happening that way, and the guarantees are getting thinner and thinner.

    I don’t have to make any claims about it, since it is moving so fast that we’ll all know very soon.

    So, what is the situation with their transaction at this time? Ukraine has managed the destruction of its infrastructure, Russia has started softly on some things. Can it be rebuilt, even in a generation? For one Trillion dollars? And for how many generations will the debts have to be paid off? They are also combining the death of one generation of men, it may soon arrive to that level of carnage if they don’t put on the brakes soon. To obtain such a result took 30 years of building the whole country on a foundation of HATE.

    It is based on the philosophy of Dmytro Dontsov, 1883 – 1973, author of the dogma behind Stepan Bandera. His two INITIAL postulates, without which “Ukrainian integral nationalism” is impossible, are namely the cultural opposition to “Moscow” and the social opposition to “socialism”. He built a philosophy where everything nationalistic is against Russia and against Jews. He has 24 books and they can be downloaded free from web sources. But they are all in Ukrainian, so I didn’t pursue it. Maybe Yandex could translate them.

    The reading of his works is mandatory for all nationalist Ukrainian soldiers, particularly for those of the Azov regiment. He is the guiding intellectual behind the Ukrainian regime and he’s been one of the best-selling authors in Ukraine these recent years.

    What the Ukraine must be hoping for is that their leaders would all become billionaires. Then after the ethnic cleansing of the Russian population, they would have all the mines, energy, minerals, farmland and industry of the Donbas, to divide among themselves. If they could get the Crimea, they would get an enormous rent from NATO for the Sevastopol Naval Base.

    Would they operate all these assets, or have land reform to include the common people? Highly unlikely, they would sell these assets on the cheap to westerners and to Monsanto, to further make the Ukrainian billionaires into multi-billionaires.

    The main product that they WOULD produce is terrorism and insurgency, which they would deliver across the Russian border. It’s exactly the same job Stepan Bandera was hired for 70 years ago by MI6 and the CIA. (Not a conspiracy theory, but it is proudly stated in the reports of MI5 and MI6, the British handlers of Bandera.)

    And NATO bases would be right next to them to supply and train the chickens.

    1965 Buick Riviera Gran Sport

    1965 Buick Riviera Gran Sport
    1965 Buick Riviera Gran Sport

    China says it’s ready to co-operate with Australia in the Pacific

    Wang told Samoan Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa that China was not seeking “exclusive rights” to help develop the area.
    
    “China is willing to enhance communication with all countries that care about Pacific Island Countries, especially Australia and New Zealand, and give full play to respective strengths to carry out more trilateral co-operation on the basis of respecting Pacific Island Countries’ wishes,” he said.
    
    Article HERE
    China says it is willing to co-operate with Australia in the Pacific, signalling a rhetorical and diplomatic shift following the election of the Labor government.
    
    China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday failed to get consensus from 10 Pacific nations to sign up for Beijing’s “Common Development Vision,” a regional security deal in exchange for trade and economic co-operation that sparked fears of China’s economic and military ambitions in Washington and Canberra. But at least half-a-dozen countries including Samoa, Kiribati and Niue have signed up for enhanced co-operation in Beijing’s trillion-dollar Belt and Road infrastructure investment program.
    
    Fiji’s Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, who hosted Wang for the Pacific foreign ministers meeting in Suva, said the region had to work together to face existential threats before signing up for any major multilateral deals.
    
    “We put consensus first,” said Bainimarama. “Geopolitical point scoring means less than little to anyone whose community is slipping beneath the rising seas, whose job has been lost to a pandemic.”
    
    The leak of China’s proposal to Reuters and a warning by David Panuelo, the President of the Federated States of Micronesia that it would shift the region “into Beijing’s orbit” put hopes of a deal being signed on Monday in peril. The region, which has found itself in the middle of a geopolitical contest between the United States, Australia and China, puts a high value on unity in its negotiations through the Pacific Islands Forum. Instead, Wang said that China would now pursue a policy position paper in the region as it looks to build multinational support for its vision of “common development, sovereignty and territorial integrity
    
    “Some have been questioning ‘why China has been so active in supporting Pacific countries’?” said Wang, who did not take any questions from reporters at the press conference.
    
    “China is a major developing country, and we do this with a great sense of responsibility.”
    
    Wang presented a message from President Xi Jinping stating China was willing to work with Pacific Island nations to build a “community with a shared future” – highlighting Beijing’s growing diplomatic investment in the region after signing a landmark security and trade deal with Solomon Islands in April.
    
    In his first direct mention of Australia during his 10-day, eight-country tour, Wang told Samoan Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa that China was not seeking “exclusive rights” to help develop the area.
    
    “China is willing to enhance communication with all countries that care about Pacific Island Countries, especially Australia and New Zealand, and give full play to respective strengths to carry out more trilateral co-operation on the basis of respecting Pacific Island Countries’ wishes,” he said.
    
    Wang’s comments followed a diplomatic blitz by Foreign Minister Penny Wong last week. Wong said it was up to individual nations to make sovereign decisions about their future but warned them that a region-wide deal with Beijing could sacrifice their independence, lead to unsustainable debt levels and endanger the Pacific’s security. The countries visited by Wang sit on a key strategic route between the United States, Australia and Asia and less than 2000 kilometres off the coast of Queensland that could block supply lines in the event of a conflict.
    
    Wang failed to get consensus on the Pacific-mega deal but halfway through his 10-day tour has signed dozens of bilateral agreements including police training in Samoa, COVID-19 economic recovery plans with Fiji, radio and television co-operation with Niue and climate change and marine protection programs with Kiribati
    
    Beijing’s top diplomat has positioned China in meetings with his Pacific counterparts as the leader of a growing group of developing countries that feel left out of the US-led international order that he argues is fuelled by Western geopolitical aims.
    
    “Developing countries need to strengthen solidarity,” Wang said on Sunday.
    
    “As the largest developing country, we have always stood by developing countries and stood firm for fairness and justice for small and medium-sized countries.”
    
    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has yet to publicly respond to a message from Chinese Premier Li Keqiang congratulating him on his election. Beijing’s tone since the Labor victory on May 20 has been trending softer but $20 billion in trade sanctions on Australian exports remain in place and Albanese has maintained that Australia would not begin negotiations until trade restrictions were lifted.

    Ukrainian soldiers take documents and things from the bodies of the dead, by which they can be identified

    MOSCOW, June 22 - RIA Novosti. Ukrainian troops opposing the allied forces in the LPR have been instructed to depersonalize the bodies of servicemen - all documents are taken from them, making it more difficult to identify foreign mercenaries, Lieutenant Colonel of the People's Militia of the LPR Andrey Marochko said on Wednesday. 
    
    "Instructions were given to Ukrainian servicemen to depersonalize the corpses of servicemen. They simply take away all identity documents so that they cannot be identified," Marochko said on the air of Rossiya 24, commenting on the issue of the origin of foreign mercenaries previously liquidated in the Gorsky area and Golden. 
    
    He added that the identification of the destroyed mercenaries is now underway.
    Article HERE

    World War III

    Most friends at this group may already know that I hold abnormal opinions. Here is my not very traditional view on World War III.
    
    1. Volunteers will not cause a World War. If they do, then Russia is already fighting one.
    
    2. People who are truly afraid of World War III are actually people who already own the world by virtue of their hege-money. If you have 100 billion dollars by which you can get whatever you want and do whatever you want with impunity, would you rather get into something that will turn your "wealth" and power into nothing and kill you and your family at the same time? If the powerless and enslaved people like us are afraid of World War III, then let us target the miscreants, not sing kumbaya and let the warmongers continue to murder, pillage, and rape with impunity. This is what the criminals want us to believe and how they want us to act. Never do what your enemy wants you to do. Why 99% are slaves of the 1%? Because 99% are craven and stupid, that's why.
    
    3. Don't be afraid of bullies. They will threaten fire and brimstone, including suicidal world destruction. Don't believe in their lies and don't be cowed. Bullies are usually cowards. They love living because their lives are good. Know your target, learn his weakness, have an objective, make a plan, strengthen yourself, bide your time, and the bully will be defeated. 
    
    4. I have many personal experiences with bullies. In grade five, I was the runt of the schoolyard wearing glasses. The school bully who had already beaten everyone up decided that he wanted to beat me up after school because I ignored him and he was running out of targets. Not only did he never lay a finger on me, but I was the only victim to have laid the bully flat on his back in front of all the other kids. It took me one and half years of planning and biding my time to get there. He never bullied anyone at school again. I have also stories of facing down the Chinese mafia, but maybe another time.
    
    5. How do we stop war then? It's not by being peaceful and throwing flowers at the warmongers. If the target is the 1%, why should anyone threaten to kill the 99% who have nothing? The whole kabuki show of suicidal world destruction by nuclear war by the 1% who controls the nuclear weapons is a farce meant to keep the stupified 99% in a stupor. Know your target. The 1% is not hard to find, their wealth and properties are no secret, and their loved ones are usually going around town in expensive cars with chauffeurs and bodyguards. But the 99% are too busy working at soul-crushing jobs, rallying for minimum wage to pay for the wars, and voting for more lying miscreants to defend their freedom.
    
    "Niemand ist hoffnungsloser versklavt als jene, die fälschlicherweise glauben, frei  zu sein." -- Goethe (None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free) Thanks to Frans for the more elegant German original.
    
    PM

    Another propaganda of the day…

    It’s just too delicious. LOL!

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    It’s going to be installed in kitchen appliances that are shipped to the United States!

    ‘Nothing Will Be As Before’

    By Batiushka for the Saker Blog

    Western Europe and North America are now in dire economic straits. Four EU leaders, from Germany, France, Italy and Romania, have just been to Kiev to plead with Zelensky to start negotiating again and make territorial concessions. The Western media did not much report on the fourth Romanian/German leader, Klaus Iohannis, and showed few photograph of him; possibly because the racists who work in the Western media despise Romania (https://www.bing.com/news/search?q=Romanian+Leader+In+Kiev&qpvt=romanian+leader+in+kiev&FORM=EWRE). What they all forgot to mention is that Russia has no need to negotiate and, given the way that it has been treated since 2014 (indeed, since 1991), it is not going to make concessions.

    The EU leaders once more made the illusory promise that the Ukraine might soon become a candidate for EU membership (despite the Dutch veto), if it restarts negotiations. This old carrot dangled before the Ukrainian donkey is irrelevant. The EU has more than four countries and four leaders, whatever promise that the Ukraine may become an EU member in 20 years time. Long before that, there will be no Ukraine and probably no EU. The day after their visit, the Johnson clown went to Kiev too, though we do not know what he spoke of. Presumably, he just wanted to show that the UK is a ‘Great Power’ – like the EU?

    It is all too late. Negotiations on the Donbass failed for eight years because the West forbade them. They failed again last March in Belarus and Istanbul, for the same reason. The West in its arrogance believed that it could crush Russia using its Ukrainian cannonfodder. This has been displayed for nearly four months now by the reports of State propaganda mouthpieces like CNN, the BBC etc. with their nonsense that President Putin is dying and that Russia is running out of fuel and ammunition! Wishful thinking all the time. Originally Russia just wanted to liberate the Donbass. However, pig-headedness in Kiev means that they will now be forced to take control of the whole country – and perhaps more, if aggression from outside the Ukraine continues. It was all so unnecessary…

    The West cannot go on with its suicidal and illegal sanctions against Russia – or rather against itself. The lack of oil, gas, fertilisers and essential raw materials is biting. Inflation is taking off all over the West. In the UK a wave of strikes is threatened. The incredibly unpopular Johnson’s days are numbered. The only problem for Russia is that the rouble keeps rising. Despite interest rate cuts from 15% to 8.5%, the rouble is again at 56 to the dollar. Clearly, further Russian interest rate cuts are, forgive the pun, in the pipeline. Meanwhile, African and Asian leaders have told Zelensky to stop fighting. They want grain (https://news.mail.ru/politics/ 51814770/ ?frommail=1).

    Of course, it is true that many of the West’s woes began well before this year, not least with the absurd and totalitarian ‘covid’ restrictions from 2020 on, which bankrupted many companies and led to it printing ever more money and to ever higher and unpayable debts. The West is desperate for the conflict in the Ukraine to end before the autumn cold sets in. Otherwise there are going to be popular revolts in Western countries, with scenes of looting on the streets.

    Western arms, usually third-rate from stocks anyway, are making hardly any difference in the Ukraine. Most, together with munitions, get destroyed before they can be used. Much that has been promised cannot be used because it will take months to instruct Ukrainians on how to use them. The rate of attrition of the Kiev Army, up to 1,000 a day according to Kuleba, the Kiev Interior Minister, is simply unsustainable. Once the fortifications in the Donbass, built by Kiev and NATO over the last eight years, have been overwhelmed, there will be a clear run to Odessa, Transdnestria, Kharkov and Kiev or indeed anywhere that Russia wants. This could happen soon.

    Yesterday, the Russian Ministry of Defence released figures on mercenaries (https://news.mail.ru/incident/51803470/?frommail=1). The picture is dismal for the Ukraine. Of some 6,000 mercenaries in the Ukraine from 64 different countries, some 2,000 have been killed and some 2,000 have fled. Perhaps they thought that they were going to fight in a Third World country, where the enemy just had Kalashnikovs and not world-beating hypersonic missiles? How long the remaining 2,000 or so will remain alive remains to be seen.

    Poland supplied the greatest number of mercenaries, with 1,831. Presumably as with other countries like Canada (601 mercenaries), USA (530), Romania (504), Germany and France, the majority of these were actually Ukrainians who have lived outside the Ukraine for some years, rather than native people. In third place for mercenaries from Europe comes the UK with 422, of whom 102 have been killed and 98 have fled. According to General Konashenkov who released the figures, the number of mercenaries coming has stopped and indeed been reversed. It is too dangerous to stay and get killed in the Ukraine.

    This leaves the two foolish British mercenaries, not killed in action with the 102 others, but taken prisoner. And also it leaves two captured US mercenaries. There is speculation that the British might plea for their release in exchange for Julian Assange. That would upset the Americans. On the other hand, the British mercenaries, Eslin and Pinner, have already been sentenced to death. If that sentenced is carried out, it is going to make Johnson even more unpopular than he already is. Perhaps that is why Johnson went to Kiev to plead.

    Thus, the first or military stage is coming to an end and should be over later this summer. However, this is only the start. The New Ukraine has to be formed. Then there is the demilitarisation and denazification of the rest of Eastern Europe. And there is the economic war, declared by the West, to be finished. On 17June at the International Economic Forum in his native Saint Petersburg, President Putin said:

    ‘After the Cold War the USA declared itself to be the emissaries of God on Earth, without any responsibility, only with interests….Today’s changes in economics and in international politics are tectonic and revolutionary. The Western elites are in a state of delusion, clinging on to the shadow of the past and denying changing reality…Nothing will be as before…The EU has definitively lost its political sovereignty. The current situation in Europe will lead to an outburst of radicalism and in the probable future a change of elites’.

    Here is the future.

    ’72 Mach 1 Mustang

    ’72 Mach 1 Mustang
    ’72 Mach 1 Mustang

    Russia Overtakes Saudi Arabia As China’s Top Oil Supplier

    Wednesday, Jun 22, 2022 – 09:00 AM

    Authored by Tsvetana Paraskova via OilPrice.com,

    • Chinese imports of Russian crude surged by 55 percent in May as the world’s biggest importer of oil took advantage of major discounts.
    • Russia has now overtaken Saudi Arabia as China’s top oil supplier.
    • While Russia is sending lots more crude to Asia, it is unlikely that the Asian market can absorb all 4 million barrels that were going to Europe.

    China imported a record volume of Russian crude in May, with arrivals surging by 55 percent to nearly 2 million barrels per day (bpd). This has made Russia the top oil supplier to the world’s leading crude importer—putting it ahead of Saudi Arabia for the first time in a year and a half.

    A record volume of cheap Russian oil, which sells at steep discounts to crude from other countries, made its way to Chinese refiners last month, according to figures from China’s General Administration of Customs cited by Reuters.

    China imported 1.98 million bpd of Russian crude oil in May, up by 55 percent from May last year and up from 1.59 million bpd of Russian oil imported in April 2022, the data showed.

    The high purchases of Russian oil outstripped supply from Saudi Arabia, Russia’s partner in the OPEC+ deal. Chinese imports of Saudi crude averaged 1.84 million bpd in May, up by 9 percent compared to May 2021, but down from 2.17 million bpd imported in April, according to the data cited by Reuters.

    Thanks to the increased shipments of cheap crude to China, Russia became the top supplier to the world’s biggest oil importer for the first time in 19 months, per Reuters estimates.

    Russia has been increasingly selling its crude to China and India after Western buyers shun Russian oil and the EU—Russia’s top oil customer before the war in Ukraine—prepares to launch a phased-out embargo on seaborne imports from Russia by the end of the year.

    Russia is also estimated to have overtaken Saudi Arabia to become India’s second-largest supplier of crude oil in May. The average daily rate of Russian oil exports to India stood at 819,000 barrels last month, compared with 277,000 bpd in April.

    Half of Russia’s crude is headed east to Asia. This compares to 75 percent of Russia’s oil exports which were being shipped to Europe earlier this year, Alexander Dyukov, chief executive of Gazprom Neft, said last week.

    Still, analysts doubt that the Asian market can absorb all 4 million bpd of oil that Russia was sending to Europe before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

    1967 Chevrolet Camaro RS LS3 6.2L V8

    1967 Chevrolet Camaro RS LS3 6.2L V8
    1967 Chevrolet Camaro RS LS3 6.2L V8

    Russia’s ‘Satan 2’ missile changes little for U.S., scholars say

    Summary;
    
    Russia has successfully tests the RS-28 Sarmat. This is a very large, heavy-duty ICBM, that carries [1] large nuclear weapon payloads, [2] shoots them using hyper-velocity missiles, and [3] the collective West has no defense for.
    
    The United States government says that this is of no concern. The US has nuclear weapons also.

    “This truly unique weapon will strengthen the combat potential of our armed forces, reliably ensure Russia’s security in the face of external threats, and will provide food for thought to those who in the heat of frenzied aggressive rhetoric try to threaten our country,” Putin said in televised remarks.

    The RS-28 Sarmat, which NATO has dubbed “Satan 2,” is considered Russia’s most powerful ICBM: a super-heavy, thermonuclear-armed intercontinental-range ballistic missile.

    The missile that was introduced during a 2018 Russian state-of-the-nation address was the “next generation” of weaponry that could breach “any missile defense” system, Putin claimed at the time.

    Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters Wednesday that the United States did not consider the weapon a threat to Washington or its allies.

    The Sarmat was intended to replace the Soviet-designed Voevoda, which was designed in 1962 with the capability to carry three warheads. The Sarmat weighs 200 metric tons (220 tons) and has a longer range, allowing it to fly over the North or South poles and strike targets anywhere in the world, Putin said in 2018. He added that the Sarmat carries a larger number of more powerful nuclear warheads. The Pentagon minimized the features of the weapon and said that “the American people should rest assured that we are fully prepared.”

    Russia initially planned to finish Sarmat trials in 2021 and begin deploying it to the army soon after, but several test launches, considered late-stage trials in arms development, were postponed until 2022, the state-run Tass news agency reported last year.

    “Sarmat is the most powerful missile with the longest range of destruction of targets in the world, which will significantly increase the combat power of our country’s strategic nuclear forces,” the Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday, announcing a successful test launch from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk region.

    Putin praised the Sarmat engineers in his speech Wednesday for creating a purely “domestic” product. Rounds of economic sanctions imposed on Russia over the years, most recently for its invasion of Ukraine, have essentially barred Russia from importing any dual-purpose goods that could help advance its military complex and have left many key industries that rely heavily on imports, such as aviation, vulnerable to production and maintenance disruptions.

    1966 Chevrolet Corvette 327ci

    1966 Chevrolet Corvette 327ci
    1966 Chevrolet Corvette 327ci

    China defiant on Australian trade sanctions

    China has defended its trade sanctions on $20 billion worth of Australian exports as “beyond reproach” in a rebuff to Anthony Albanese’s call for it to drop the tariffs as a precursor to repairing bilateral relations.
    .
    Unfortunately, this “Australian leader” is not very good in math. He is simply unable to workout who has the upper hand :

    Abstract Seinfeld Oil Paintings Are Perfect For Any Man Cave

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    If you’re looking to add something special to your man cave then you might want to think about getting one of these abstract Seinfeld paintings. Artist Morgan Blair is obsessed with the show and she’s found a way to turn her passion into art.

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    70 Shelby GT-500

    70 Shelby GT-500
    70 Shelby GT-500

    Cat Who Lost Her Kittens Cries When Embracing An Abandoned Kitten

    Show understanding. Show humanity.

    ’71 Barracuda

     

    ’71 Barracuda
    ’71 Barracuda

    Brazil: trade with China more than double that of the USA

    China’s Peaceful rise through a win-win trade relationship with the world.  Successful without firing a shot. Unprecedented in human history.
    .
    Look at what other civilizations do to become great power: Portuguese, Spain, Holland, France, UK, Germany, Japan, USSR, USA!
    .
    Should the CCP be awarded a noble prize for this effort?
    .
    China used to focus her relation with the “me-only” crusader nations such as US, EU, Australia etc as being the most important relationships to keep peace
    .
    However, these warmongering, unethical , greedy, lack of appreciative morale, looting civilizations have proven themselves,  time after time, to be unable to accept any kind of win-win trade relation.
    .
    Thus, since Xi came into power, he focused on developing strong relations with all other nations.
    .
    Trump’s effort to initiate an all-out trade and technological war against China has helped free up China’s market capacity. And this is benefiting the rest of the world.
    .

    .

    The People’s Republic of China has traditionally regarded Latin America as a zone for US interests and influence and has tended to tread carefully with countries in the region. But with the issuance in 2008 of the first ever State Council White Paper in Beijing on relations with Latin American countries, this attitude started to change. As a sign of acceleration, in 2016, a second paper came out, updating and enhancing what had gone before. This has been complemented by the number of visits to the region by Chinese President and Communist Party leader Xi Jinping since his appointment in 2012–13.
    
    Of all the places in Latin America, for China, Brazil is among the most important. As this paper makes clear with plentiful data, in terms of exports and trade, Chinese–Brazilian relations are very strong. This is particularly the case with raw materials such as iron
    
    ore and agricultural products. Even during the pandemic, from 2020, flows of meat, soybeans and oils have been maintained, meaning that Brazil ranks as China’s largest supplier in these areas.
    
    The paper also argues how, with China’s economic transition to a more service- sector-dominated structure, Brazil’s export pattern will need to evolve and change. China’s intensive manufacturing and high use of imported raw materials is still important, but there are new developments. The ‘dual circulation’ idea of 2020 issued from Beijing stressed the need for the government to develop Chinese consumption. It also showed how much China wished to become more autonomous in terms of research, development and technology.

    Full detailed report HERE

    ’72 Datsun Fairlady 240z

    ’72 Datsun Fairlady 240z
    ’72 Datsun Fairlady 240z

    How Russia responded to the Ukrainian strike on drilling rigs in the Black Sea

    The Ministry of Defense told in detail what the plan of Zelensky’s Nazis was when they hit civilian targets and what they got in return.

    Retaliation on our part was [1] the destroyed hangar with Bayraktar drones at the Shkolny airfield near Odessa. And, [2]  two more platoons of NATO howitzers M-777 on Kubansky Island, as well as [3] two launchers of the S-300 system in the Ochakovo and Tuzla regions of the Odessa region.

    This was stated by the official representative of the Ministry of Defense Igor Konashenkov.

    By the way, according to Konashenkov, the Chornomorneftegaz platforms were not the targets of the Ukrainian raid.

    They were hit rather out of desperation – they needed a bright picture for a TV show. The main task was Serpent’s Island, which the Ukrainians lost at the very beginning of the special operation and cannot get it back.

    Here’s how it was:

    According to the plan of the Ukrainian command, their forces were to first deliver massive air strikes and artillery on Serpent Island and then land troops there.

    Serious forces were thrown – 15 attack and reconnaissance drones, the gunner of which was two Bayraktars, the US Air Force Global Hawk RQ-4 strategic reconnaissance aircraft circling nearby, and all this under the cover of the S-300.

    Attacks on Serpentine were carried out by Tochka-U ballistic missiles, Uragan multiple launch rocket systems and M-777 howitzers.

    Russian troops were defended by anti-aircraft complexes “Pantsir” and “Tor”.

    Everything that flew in the direction of Zmeinoye – 4 Tochka-U and 21 Hurricane shells – was shot down, as were 13 drones.

    When the Ukrainians realized that they had achieved nothing, they abandoned the landing on the island and hit civilian drilling rigs. 7 of those who were on them are still considered missing.

    Read article HERE.

    Explain It to Me, Please

    If you want a war with Iran, Russia, China and Venezuela tell me why and how it would benefit Americans

    Lost Cat Found With Brain Damage Dying Alone In The Cement Room

    Tear jerker, but the cat recovered. The story is very interesting and tells us quite a bit about ourselves, and our humanity.

    How problem solving became the problem in the west

    by Denis A. Conroy for the Saker Blog

    Awoke this morning and thought it was time to review my political convictions as it had become apparent that the war in Ukraine was beholden to the usual ‘us-and-them’ arrangements that stood in for enlightened insight… Another day wherein the propaganda-controlled media confronted me with the power of its’ nuclear-ballistic narrative (based on fire power), to assure me that our ace-in-the hole superior mediation could slam dunk those who refused to acknowledge Western exceptionality-a clear sign that the Pentagon was in bed with The Chicago School of economics.

    My ruminations continued as I set about preparing breakfast…I found time for coffee despite the chaos beyond my boundaries. What was wrong with our market-oriented economy? Was our model up shit creek?

    We in the West have a problem it seems? People of the lesser than white pigmentation are no longer accepting the fact that we, the descendants of the first European industrial revolution, can be trusted. We, who colonized great swathes of the non-industrialized world are no longer being viewed as magnanimous partners in any sharing sense.

    The neo-conservative West tried exporting its’ Globalization (WTO) rules-based business-school mentality that underpins the theories of the Chicago School of Economics to the entire planet. The white man’s burden should be applied and set… and reset… according to the rules of the inchoate modernist unilateralist and utility-minded who eschew democracy over money.

    The dream; to regroup in order to grow the capitalist vision of capturing Eurasia in a muscular web of 800 military bases put there to inhibit the development of peer modelling, meant full spectrum dominance.

    On hearing the news that Washington was giving Ukraine a 64 billion super-duper military handout, the inner consultant took over from the inner muse and my mind went into equative overdrive.

    Do the righteous amongst us choose formulaic thinking over science-based deductive observation? Well, the answer to that seems to be a big yes!

    Shall we start with the Jewish controlled media? The Jewish ability to trade themselves to the center of power is impressive, but does it contain the seed of a truly universal outlook, or is it anchored in ethnic moorings that have succeeded in pulling off a coup par excellence that has taken the West by storm! The question is, does it require an arcane narrative in order to occupy the high moral ground? And, having acquired the moral high ground vis a vis alliance with power brokers, does this give them the right to LORD it over those who are told that they are checkmated vis a vis 800 military bases in Eurasia or the iron rim of the Gaza strip. All of this is precisely what Mainstreet Media is conniving at. Accept our ‘truth’ or we will execute great vengeance upon our enemies with furious rebukes (and Palestine and America are not the only counties that have an Anglo-Zionist problem). Think of what America and Israel have in common; exemption from the injurious consequences of their actions (what’s that line again about actions speaking louder than words and why are their cinematic art forms so bereft of human dignity?).

    PART 2

    For instance, PULP FICTION, released in 1994 as an American black comedy neo-noir crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, is from a story by Tarantino and Roger Avery. It was, and continues to be a cultural watershed…a great piece of cinematic art capturing the myopia within American culture. Samuel Jacksons treatment of Ezekiel’ passage 25:17 “And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them” is quintessentially, American hubris.

    Pulp Fiction grafts contemporary narrative on arcane roots in antiquity to create a novel way of resolving the delusions of myopic grandeur that beset Jules Winnfield, a thug in need of redemption. The society Tarantino presents to the public is one where hype and entertainment paralyse the human spirit as the market economy goes about its business shredding the wellbeing of its’ citizens…the sense that an intractable appetite for personal gratification has become America’s raison d’etre is all pervasive.

    Marsellus Wallace is a gang boss and husband to Mia Wallace. He is the boss of Vincent Vega, Jules Winnfield, Butch Coolidge and many other unknown gangsters. He famously states that the business he’s in “is filled with unrealistic motherfuckers” when addressing Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis), a pugilist being forced to “throw” a fight. The term motherfucker here implies the existence of somebody of indeterminate status and inevitably applies to all who get in the way of any dominant actor seeking power…hegemony…over others in a rat-race to the top. The three stories capture the ineluctable spread of corruption that seeps through to every nook and cranny of society…leaving Hollywood to capitalize on one unholy mess.

    So before leaving part two, a thought: Does Volodymyr Zelensky realize what the tide of neo-conservatism lapping at the shores of Ukraine would bring to that hapless country?

    PART 3

    When propaganda took control of macro-America, the media went along with the process of shoving Americas’ Foreign Policy ‘down the throat of all and sundry. It happened when America found itself the sole superpower on the planet. What followed was the marshaling of Anglo/Zionist forces to downplay the role of government in economics. With the help of Milton Friedman and the Chicago School of Economics, governments throughout the West became separated from governance. The Chicago School was libertarian and laissez-faire at its core, rejecting Keynesian notions of governments managing aggregate economic demand to promote growth. It was a 1930s form of economic unilateralism that succeeded in keeping finance out of the hands of the so-called ‘turbulent’ masses. It also became the political incarnation of colonial interference, aided and abetted by military overkill forever available to induct or vamoose main-street–ness.

    “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN” became the clarion call of muscular America in the service of promoting the United States of Americas’ dream of empire. But was anybody listening? When Biden said “America is back”, was anybody listening? When Putin said enough is enough, quit the provocation, was he or anybody in Bidens’ administration listening? When the nonaligned nations of the world rejected Americas sanctioning of Russia, was anybody in the West listening? Isn’t it time Americans consulted their inner jerks and gave a thought to the suffering their imperial obsession has wrought on Afghanistan and Palestine, to mention but two examples of the arcane mindset.

    Hollywood, the dream machine always gets it right. Life in America is about coupling in one way or another…couples struggling with their destinies are at the hub of the three stories that did it for Pulp Fiction in an extremely fractious way. Hollywood became Hollywood because it succeeded in identifying the American existential narrative as a drama belonging to couples or individuals compelled, by external social conditions, to trade their way through a dog-eat-dog system designed to produce winners and losers from within its protean boundaries.

    PART 4

    America and Palestine are not the only countries…nations…with an Anglo-Zionist problem!!

    As Europe squishes under the yoke of the pulpy Atlantic Alliance, there is little reason to believe that hope might spring eternally from the minds of its’ generally mediocre neo-conservative leadership.

    An Independent Inquiry Into the American Origins of Covid?

    As most are surely aware, for more than two years I have been pointing to the strong perhaps even overwhelming evidence that the Covid outbreak that devastated our own country and the world was very likely the result of an exceptionally reckless American biowarfare attack against China (and Iran).

    Under my analysis, the million American deaths and massive social disruption we have suffered would constitute the most disastrous blowback of any military operation in the history of the world, and if it became widely accepted, the domestic political consequences would be monumental.

    My suggestion of a central American role in the creation of this global epidemic has been excluded not only from the mainstream media but from virtually all of the alternative media as well, presumably because the possibility is simply too horrific to contemplate. However, this situation may now be starting to change.

    Last month, the prestigious journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences carried an opinion article authored by prominent Columbia University economist Jeffrey D. Sachs and a medical colleague suggesting an American role in the creation of the virus and arguing for an independent inquiry into that possibility.

    Their paper also presented some of the very considerable evidence that the virus had been artificially engineered in a laboratory, providing a comparison chart noting the striking difference in structure between Covid and all of its closest natural relatives. Indeed, the former seems to have the sort of human-insert sequence that American researchers had been exploring in their scientific papers.

    Sachs and his co-author also emphasized that the Eco-Health Alliance, heavily funded by our own Department of Defense, had been very active in organizing the collection of SARS-like bat-viruses from China, exactly the sort of viruses that probably would have constituted the precursor stock to a genetically-engineered Covid virus.

    These sorts of implications are hardly surprising to those who have been following my own writings of the last couple of years, but they obviously have vastly greater impact when made by top mainstream scholars writing in one of America’s most influential academic journals. Although the two authors are careful to avoid touching upon the central thesis of my own articles, their analysis is entirely consistent with that framework.

    So far, this potentially important paper seems to have received relatively little media coverage, but it may have already contributed to some renewed interest in my own work.

    In February I had presented my ideas at length in several video interviews, including Kevin Barrett’s Truth Jihad, Geopolitics & Empire, and Red Ice TV, totaling nearly four hours of discussion. During the last ten days or so, these videos have attracted a great deal of new interest, adding another 60,000 total views, and are now rapidly approaching the half-million mark. Shortly after my interview with Kevin Barrett, he told me he hoped that the viewership might eventually break 100,000, a possibility I considered wildly optimistic at the time, but that video is now actually at the verge of reaching 200,000 views. If these trends continue, at some point media outlets may finally be forced to recognize the likely reality of what befell America and the rest of the world a couple of years ago.

    Video Link

    Video Link

    Video Link

     

    Meanwhile, I have recently been preoccupied with different matters. In June 2018 I resumed my writing, and during the last four years I have published more than a half-million words of articles and columns, the bulk of them in my American Pravda series. That lengthy collection of essays, focusing on the lapses and lacunae in our mainstream coverage of important past events has gradually grown into a comprehensive historical counter-narrative of the last one hundred years of Western history.

    Back in early 2016 I had collected my previous articles, mostly on racial and ethnic issues, and published them as a 700 page hardcover book entitled The Myth of American Meritocracy and Other Essays. Although that volume had been partially intended as an adjunct to our unsuccessful Free Harvard/Fair Harvard political campaign for the university’s Board of Overseers, I was very pleased to have my book available in hard copy on Amazon. However, the publication project had involved a great deal of time and effort while sales soon dwindled away to scarcely even a trickle.

    Then last year I began collecting all my writings into a series of freely downloadable eBooks, available in both the ePub and Mobi/Kindle formats, and this seemed a much more cost-effective means of distribution.

    Since their release, these eBooks have been downloaded roughly 70,000 times, a total roughly 70,000 larger than my total print sales during that same time period. As a consequence, I had never considered investing the time and effort to produce any new hard copy editions of my work.

    However, while writing my recent retrospective survey on the Harvard campaign, I was reminded of the particular advantages of having a print book available for distribution, and I began reconsidering the idea, especially since various people over the years had expressed interest in obtaining my recent writings in print form.

    Obviously, a collection running 400,000 or 500,000 words would be completely unmanageable as a single text, but I discovered that Amazon’s KDP system provides a relatively easy means of creating professional-quality books using Print On Demand technology. So I decided to produce an series of shorter, more narrowly focused collections, with each generally running 50,000 to 100,000 words.

    Over the last few years my reading, research, and writing efforts have absorbed an enormous amount of my time, so applying another 1% or less to make this same material available in print editions seems a very cost-effective decision. A book that you can hold in your hand may often have considerably greater weight and impact than something merely read online or in some other electronic format.

    Two books in this new series are now available, each running less than 200 pages and reasonably priced at under $10 in paperback. They constitute short collections of essays that can easily be read in just a day or two, and over the next few weeks, I’m planning to release several additional ones.

    The first volume is entitled Encountering American Pravda, and represents something of a short introduction to my American Pravda series, with most of the essays coming from 2016 or earlier and the book priced at just $8.99. I think this particular collection would be an ideally effective means of introducing others to the material, while doing so in a relatively non-threatening manner.

    I have also now published Our Covid-19 Catastrophe, priced at $9.99. This contains my major Covid articles, presenting the American biowarfare hypothesis that has been the main focus of my writing and research efforts over the last two years.

    Busy individuals are continually bombarded with emails and links and hence tend to disregard nearly all of them. However, I think that someone who receives an attractively printed book in the mail is much more likely to examine it rather than just throw it into the trash. So purchasing these hard copy editions for friends and acquaintances may be effective and relatively inexpensive means of getting this important information into much wider circulation.

    I’m obviously eager to promote this material in reviews or podcasts. Therefore, I would be glad to provide complementary copies of my books to any bloggers or podcasters who think they would be interested in writing reviews or interviewing me. Just drop me an email with a link to your website or podcast and your mailing address, and I’ll have the copies sent right out.

    As an example of this, I was interviewed a few days ago by Edward Dutton on his Jolly Heretics podcast. Prof. Dutton had initially been quite skeptical of my Covid biowarfare hypothesis, but the information provided in my eBook greatly surprised him, and he decided to interview me as a consequence. The 90m session is available on the Odysee platform, and I’ve also reposted it on Rumble:

    Video Link

    In addition, I had another hour-long radio interview with Kevin Barrett, with a copy of the transcript now available in transcript form.

    Edward Curtin: Why is Everything Broken?

    Unfortunately, all these people, westerners, most of them Americans, are writing about all the disaster and trouble in the USA and elsewhere. And indeed, they’re right, there’s a bad moon rising in America. But none of them is aware of the fact that there’s another much bigger nation at the other side of the world; that the population of the USA is just a small fraction of the global population. That the economy and power of the USA is over, that they should prepare for third world situations in the USA.
    
    Are they, in spite of their vitriol on the American system, suffering from American exceptionalism ?
    
    What I dearly miss, is the broader viewpoint, the viewpoint from the rest of the globe. None of these writers realize that there is hope for humanity at the other side of the globe. -Frans

    Edward Curtin

    June 9, 2022

    “Begin then with a fracture, a cesura, a rent; 
    opening a crack in this fallen world, a shaft of light.”
    
    Norman O. Brown, Love’s Body

    Being sick for the past few weeks has had its advantages. It has forced me to take a break from writing since I could not concentrate enough to do so. It has gifted me with a deeper sympathy for the vast numbers of the seriously ill around the world, those suffering souls without succor except for desperate prayers for relief.

    And it has allowed thoughts to think me as I relinquished all efforts at control for a few miserable weeks of “doing nothing” except napping, reading short paragraphs in books, watching some sports and a documentary, and being receptive to the light coming through the cracks in my consciousness.

    I suppose you could say that my temporary illness forced me, as José Ortega Y Gasset described it, virtually and provisionally to withdraw myself from the world and take a stand inside myself – “or, to use a magnificent word which exists only in Spanish, that man can ensimismarse (‘be inside himself’).”

    But as I learned, being “inside myself” doesn’t mean the outside world doesn’t come visiting, both in its present and past manifestations. When you are sick, you feel most vulnerable; this sense of frailty breaks you open to strange and familiar thoughts, feelings, dreams and memories that you must catch on the fly, pin with words if you are quick enough. I’ve pinned some over these weeks as they came to me through the cracks.

    “Broken flesh, broken mind, broken speech,” wrote Norman Brown when he argued for aphoristic truth as opposed to methods or systematic form. These days the feeling that everything is broken is the norm, that madness reigns, that truth is being strangled and all we have are lies and more lies.

    Carefully constructed arguments fall on deaf ears as dissociation of the personality, post-modern attention-disorder, gender confusion, and corporate/intelligence mass media propaganda techniques are used daily to sow confusion. In simple colloquial language, people are badly fucked up.

    Much of the world is suffering from megrims.  Bob Dylan puts it simply:

    Who can disagree?  Everyone’s mind seems to be at the end of its tether.

    Why? There are obvious answers, and while so many are true, they are insufficient, for they usually scratch the surface of a worldwide crisis that has been developing for at least a century and a half.

    That crisis is spiritual. Many can feel it rumbling beneath the surface of world events. It’s a rumbling in the bowels. It’s unspoken. It’s something very dark, sinister, and satanic. It seems to be a form of systemic evil almost with a will of its own that is sweeping the world.

    For many decades I have studied, written, and taught in an effort to grasp the essence of what has been happening in our world. My tools have been philosophy, theology, literature, art, and sociology – all the disciplines really, including a careful study of popular culture. It was always a personal quest, for my “career” has been my vocation.

    Being trained in the classics from high school through college, and then the scientific method and textual analysis, I adhered for the most part to logical analyses in the classical style. Such an approach, while possessed of a certain elegance and balance, has serious limitations since it suggests the world follows a neat Aristotelian logic and that there is a method to the world’s madness that is easy to capture in logical argumentation.

    Romanticism and existentialism, to name two reactions to such thinking, arose in opposition. Each offered a needed corrective to the reductive, materialist nature of a scientific method that became deified while dismissing God, freedom, and the spiritual as leftover superstitions from olden times.

    But I have no sustained argument to offer here, just some scraps I gathered while enduring weeks in the doldrums. I sense these bits of seemingly digressive little flashes in the dark were telling me something about what I have been trying to understand for many years: the grasp the demonic has on our world today.

    It is easy to dismiss the use of such a word, for it sounds hyperbolic, and it easily plays into the ridiculous themes of popular Hollywood and tabloid entertainment, which have also become staples of the formerly “serious” media as well.

    It’s all entertainment now, life the movie, the unreality of endless propaganda, sick, sordid, and what can only be termed “The Weirdness,” a term my friend the writer and playwright Joe Green has suggested to me.

    I think it would be a serious mistake to dismiss the demonic nature of the forces at work in our world today:

    • Like Rip Van Winkle, I awoke one recent day, a few weeks after I wrote my last article before I got sick, to see that the corporate media/intelligence narrative on the war in Ukraine had taken an abrupt turn. I had written on May 13, 2022, that certain leftists were parroting the official U.S. propaganda that Russia was losing its battle with the Ukrainian forces.  Noam Chomsky had claimed the U.S. media were doing a good job reporting Russian war crimes in Ukraine and Chris Hedges had said that Russia had suffered “nine weeks of humiliating military failures.”  Now The New York Times, the Washington Post, etc. – mirabile dictu – have suddenly changed their tune and the Russians are winning after all.
      Who was asleep?  Or was it sleep that prompted such obviously false reporting?  For the Russians were clearly winning from the start. Yet we can be assured the authoritative voices will continue to flip the switch and play mind games, for shock and confusion are keys to effective propaganda, and American exceptionalism with its divine mission, its manifest destiny, is to demonically try to destroy Russia.
    • The slogan that I learned when I was a Marine before becoming a conscientious objector came to me when I was feverish. “My rifle is my life.”  I never thought so, but I did recall how when I was ten years old my cousin killed his brother with a rifle, and how I heard the news on the radio while talking with my father.  The New York Times reported: “A 9-year-old boy was fatally wounded last night by his brother, 7, while the two were playing with a rifle in a neighbour’s apartment in the northeast Bronx….[the rifle] “was secreted in a bedroom” [under the bed] and was loaded.
    • Report: Don McLean cancels his singing performance at the National Riffle Association’s convention following the Uvalde school shooting. What an act of moral courage! Ah, Don, “Now I understand/What you tried to say to me/And how you suffered for your sanity/And how you tried to set them free/They would not listen, they did not know how/Perhaps they’ll listen now.”
      Let’s hope not to you.
    • Watched the new documentary about George Carlin – “George Carlin’s American Dream.” I have always had a soft spot for George, a fellow New Yorker with a Catholic upbringing, and a good-hearted guy who generously offered to help me years ago when I was fired from a teaching position for ostensibly playing a recording of his seven words that you can never say on television.  The real reasons for my firing were that I was organizing a teacher’s union and had brought well-known anti-war activists to speak at the school.  But what struck me in this interesting documentary was George’s facile dismissal of God – “the God bullshit,” as he put it.  Funny, of course, and correct in certain ways, it was also jejune in significant ways and threw God out with the bathwater.
      It was something I had not previously noticed about his routine, but this time around it hit me as unworthy of his scathing critiques of American life.  It got laughs at the expense of deeper and important truths and probably has had deleterious effects on generations who have been beguiled and besotted by how George’s God critique consonantly fits with the shallow arguments of the new atheists.  George was overreacting to the ignorance of his superficial religious training and not distinguishing God from institutional religion.
    • Half-awake on the couch one day, I somehow remembered that when I was teaching at another school and involved in anti-war activities, a fellow teacher stopped me on a staircase on a late Friday afternoon when no one was around and tried to get me to join Army Intelligence. “You are exactly the type we could use,” he said, “since you are so outspoken in your anti-war positions.”  I will spare you my reply, which involved words you once could never say on TV.  But the encounter taught me an early lesson about distinguishing friend from foe; how treachery is real, and evil often wears a smiley face. The man who approached me was the head of social studies curricula for the Roman Catholic Brooklyn Diocese of New York.
    • Al Capone, while speaking to Cornelius Vanderbilt, Jr. in 1931: “People respect nothing nowadays….It is undermining the country. Virtue, honour, truth, and the law have all vanished from our life.”
    • I also read this from Literature and the Gods by Roberto Calasso: “… all the mythologies now pass a largely indolent life in a no-man’s-land haunted by gods and vagrant simulacra, by ghosts and Gypsy caravans in constant movement. They learn only to tell their stories again …. Yet it is precisely this ability that is so obviously lacking in the world around us. Behind the trembling curtains of what passes for ‘reality,’ the voices throng. If no one listens, they steal the costume of the first person they can grab and burst onto the stage in ways that can be devastating.  Violence is the expedient of what has been refused an audience.”
    • Lying in bed after a feverish night early on in my sickness, I looked up at the ceiling where a fly was buzzing. I remembered how years ago, when my father was in the hospital after a terrible car accident in which he smashed his head, he told me he was seeing monkeys all over the ceiling of the hospital room.  Later, when I was out of bed, I heard the news reports about monkeypox and thought I was also hallucinating.  I started laughing, a sardonic laughter brought to a feverish pitch after more than two years of Covid propaganda.  These are the same people who hope to create a transhuman future – mechanical monkeys.
    • On a table lay the third volume of a trilogy of books – Sinister Forces – by Peter Levenda. I opened it to a bookmarked page.  Anyone who has read these books with a half-way open mind will be shocked by the amount of documented history they contain, history so bizarre and disturbing that reading them is not advisable before bedtime.  Sinister forces that run through American history, indeed, but Levenda presents his material in a most reasonable and fair-minded way.  I read these paragraphs:
    “The historical model I am proposing in these volumes should be obvious by now. By tracing the darker elements of the American experience from the earliest days of the Adena and Hopewell cultures through the discovery by Columbus, the English settlers in Massachusetts and the Salem witchcraft episode, the rise of Joseph Smith, Jr. and the Mormons via ceremonial magic and Freemasonry, up to the twentieth century and the support of Nazism by American financiers and politicians before, during, and after World War II, and the UFO phenomenon coming on the heels of that war, we can see the outline of a political ectoplasm taking shape in this historical séance: politics as a continuation of religion by other means. 
    
    The ancillary events of the Charles Manson murders, the serial killer phenomenon, Jonestown, and the assassinations of Jack Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Marilyn Monroe are all the result of the demonic possession of the American psyche, like the obscenities spat out by little Regan [The Exorcist], tied to her bed and shrieking at the exorcists. It is said that demonic possession is a way of testing us, and making us aware of the real conflict taking place within us every day….
    
    The more I looked, however, the more I found men with bizarre beliefs and involved in questionable, occult practices at the highest levels of the American government, and buried deep within government agencies. I also discovered that occultism was embraced by the American military and intelligence establishments as a weapon to be used in the Cold War; and as they did so, they unleashed forces upon the American populace that cannot be called back….
    
    One inevitably was forced back to the CIA and the mind-control experiments that began in the late 1940s and extended nearly to the present day [no, to the present day]. Coincidence piled upon coincidence, indicating the existence of a powerful, subliminal force working at the level of chaos – at the quantum level – and struggling to manifest itself in our reality, our consciousness, our political agenda.”
    
    
    

    If that all sounds too bizarre for words, unbelievable really, I suggest that one read these books, for if only a minority of Levenda’s claims are true, we are in the grip of evil forces so depraved that fiction writers couldn’t imagine such reality.

    As I finish these notes, I am sitting outside on a small porch, watching the rain subside. The sun has just emerged. It is 5:30 P.M. and across the driveway and a lawn of grass, eight foxes have come through the bushes. The parents watch as the six kits jump and scamper around the ground-level porch of a cottage that is unoccupied.

    Interesting too?  Chris Hedges: America’s Death March

    The foxes have a den under the porch, and every day for a few months we have been privileged to watch them perform their antics in the mornings and evenings. Cute would be an appropriate word for the kits, especially when they were smaller. But they are growing fast and suddenly one sees and seizes a squirrel and worries it to death by shaking it in its mouth.

    Soon they are ripping it to pieces. Cute has turned deadly.  But as the aforementioned Ortega Y Gasset says, while people can be inside themselves, “The animal is pure alteraciόn. It cannot be within itself.”  This is because it has no self, “no chez soi, where it can withdraw and rest.”

    Foxes always live in pure exteriority, unlike me, who is sitting here with a small glass of wine and thinking about them and the various thoughts that have come to me over these past few weeks.

    Before I came outside, I read this from a powerful new article by Naomi Wolf – “Dear Friends, Sorry to Announce a Genocide” – “It is a time of demons sauntering around in human spaces, though they look human enough themselves, smug in their Italian suits on panels at the World Economic Forum.”

    In this piece, she writes about what is in the 55,000 internal Pfizer documents which the FDA had asked a court to keep under wraps for 75 years, but which a court has released as a result of outside pressure.

    These documents reveal evil so depraved that words would fail her if not for her moral conscience and her growing awareness – that I share – that we are dealing with a phenomenon that demands an analysis that is theological, not sociological. She writes:

    “Knowing as I now do, that Pfizer and the FDA knew that babies were dying and mothers’ milk discoloring by just looking at their own internal records; knowing as I do that they did not alert anyone let alone stop what they were doing, and that to this day Pfizer, the FDA and other demonic “public health” entities are pushing to MRNA-vaccinate more and more pregnant women; now that they are about to force this on women in Africa and other lower income nations who are not seeking the MRNA vaccines, per Pfizer CEO Bourla this past week at the WEF, and knowing that Pfizer is pushing and may even receive a US EUA for babies to five year olds — I must conclude that we are looking into an abyss of evil not seen since 1945.
    
    So I don’t know about you, but I must switch gears with this kind of unspeakable knowledge to another kind of discourse.”

    That discourse is religious, for Naomi has realized that our world is in satanic hands, and that only a recognition of that fact offers a way out. That those who wield weapons both medical and military can only be defeated by those who realize that a key part of the killers’ propaganda has been a long campaign to convince people, not only that God does not exist, but that Satan doesn’t either.

    Interesting too?  Forskellen mellem beskyldninger om dis- og misinformation er afgørende
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    This, while they assume the mantle of the evil one.

    She says:

    “This time could really be the last time; these monsters in the labs, on the transnational panels, are so very skilful; and so powerful; and their dark work is so extensive.
    
    If God is there — again — after all the times that we have tried his patience — and who indeed knows? – will we reach out a hand to him in return, will we take hold in the last moment out of this abyss, and simply find a way somehow to walk alongside him?”

    We will, but only if we also recognize the deeper forces informing our hidden history and haunting our present days. Sometimes an illness can crack you open to being receptive to shafts of light that can lead the way.

    Yet to do so we must go deep into very dark places.

    And since everyone and everything seems broken now – let’s say everyone is just sick in some way – maybe courage is what we need, the simple courage to open ourselves to the voices of the hungry ghosts that haunt this country.

    Norman O. Brown referred to them and our stage set this way:

    “Ancestral voices prophesying war; ancestral spirits in the danse macabre or war dance; Valhalla, ghostly warriors who kill each other and are reborn to fight again. All warfare is ghostly, every army an exercitus feralis (army of ghosts), every soldier a living corpse.”

    The U.S.A. and its allies are waging war on many fronts. It is a form of total war – cold, hot, medical, military, mind-control, spiritual, etc. – that demands a total response from us.

    None of us is completely innocent; we are all part of the deep evil that is happening all around us. But if we listen carefully, we might hear God asking for our help. For we need each other.

    I watch in horror as the cute foxes kill their prey. I must remind myself that that is their nature. As for my fellow humans, I know that it isn’t nature that drives them to kill, maim, hurt, lie, etc.

    Everything is truly broken, and I’m not joking.

    But someone is laughing.

    It’s not God.

    Two kinds of people

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    Jaycee Dugard

    When adolescent girls are abducted by strangers, there’s almost never a happy ending. Most of the time they turn up dead, if they turn up at all. When 11-year-old Jaycee Dugard disappeared while walking to the bus stop, police feared the worst, and they didn’t get any more hopeful when days turned into weeks, then into years.

    But Dugard was alive and living in a shed in Phillip and Nancy Garrido’s backyard in Antioch, California (via Biography). For 18 years, she was kept prisoner by the Garridos, who told her that her family didn’t love her and wasn’t looking for her.

    While in captivity she gave birth to two of Phillip Garrido’s children and eventually gave up hope of escaping.

    Then, Garrido got cocky.

    He brought Dugard’s two daughters with him to see the special events coordinator at the UC Berkeley campus, where he was hoping to stage a religious event of some kind. The special events manager thought something was off about Garrido and the girls and called his parole officer, and after that everything started to unravel for the Garridos.

    Dugard revealed her identity during a parole meeting and her long ordeal was over.

    Dugard was reunited with her family in 2009. Her family got a $20 million award from the State of California as an acknowledgment that Garrido’s parole supervision had maybe not been as thorough as it should have been.

    BRICS summit: Xi Jinping criticizes Western sanctions, analysis says China helped Putin return to the world

    In Chinese. Needs to be translated. Article HERE.

    US sanctions helping China supercharge its chip-making industry

    China has 19 of the world’s 20 fastest-growing chip industry firms over the past four quarters
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    Article HERE

    Jun 21, 2022 – 4.45pm
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    Hong Kong | China’s chip industry is growing faster than anywhere else in the world, after US sanctions on local champions from Huawei Technologies to Hikvision spurred appetite for home-grown components.
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    Nineteen of the world’s 20 fastest-growing chip industry firms over the past four quarters, on average, hail from the world’s second-biggest economy, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. That compared with just eight at the same point last year.
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    Those China-based suppliers of design software, processors and gear vital to chip making are expanding revenue at several times the likes of global leaders Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing or ASML Holding.
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    That supercharged growth underscores how tensions between Washington and Beijing are transforming the global $US550 billion ($789 billion) semiconductor industry – a sector that plays an outsized role in everything from defence to the advent of future technologies like AI and autonomous cars.
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    In 2020, the US began restricting sales of American technology to companies like Semiconductor Manufacturing International and Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology, successfully containing their growth – but also fuelling a boom in Chinese chip-making and supply.
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    Nineteen of the world’s 20 fastest-growing chip industry firms over the past four quarters, on average, hail from the world’s second-biggest economy, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. That compared with just eight at the same point last year.
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    Those China-based suppliers of design software, processors and gear vital to chip making are expanding revenue at several times the likes of global leaders Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing or ASML Holding.
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    That supercharged growth underscores how tensions between Washington and Beijing are transforming the global $US550 billion ($789 billion) semiconductor industry – a sector that plays an outsized role in everything from defence to the advent of future technologies like AI and autonomous cars.
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    In 2020, the US began restricting sales of American technology to companies like Semiconductor Manufacturing International and Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology, successfully containing their growth – but also fuelling a boom in Chinese chip-making and supply.
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    Beijing is expected to orchestrate billions of dollars of investment in the sector under ambitious programs such as its “Little Giants” blueprint to endorse and bankroll national tech champions, and encourage “buy China” tactics to sidestep US sanctions. The rise of indigenous names has caught the attention of some of the pickiest clients: Apple was said to consider Yangtze Memory Technologies as its latest supplier of iPhone flash memory.
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    “The biggest underlying trend is China’s quest for self-sufficiency in the supply chain, catalysed by COVID-related lockdowns,” Morningstar analyst Phelix Lee wrote in an email responding to inquiries from Bloomberg.
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    “Amid lockdowns, Chinese customers who mostly use imported semiconductors need to source homegrown alternatives to ensure smooth operations.”
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    At the heart of Beijing’s ambitions is the impetus to wean itself off a geopolitical rival and more than $US430 billion worth of imported chipsets in 2021. Orders for chip-manufacturing equipment from overseas suppliers rose 58 per cent last year as local plants expanded capacity, data provided by industry body Semi show.
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    That in turn is driving local business. Total sales from Chinese-based chipmakers and designers jumped 18 per cent in 2021 to a record of more than 1 trillion yuan ($215 billion), according to the China Semiconductor Industry Association.
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    A persistent chip shortage that’s curtailing output at the world’s largest makers of cars and consumer electronics is also working in local chipmakers’ favour, helping Chinese suppliers more easily access the international market – sometimes with premiums tacked onto the best-selling products, such as auto and PC chips.
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    SMIC and Hua Hong Semiconductor, the biggest contract chip-makers, have kept their Shanghai-based plants operating at almost full capacity even as the worst COVID-19 outbreak since 2020 paralyses factories and logistics across China.
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    Shanghai Fullhan Microelectronics’ revenue grew 37 per cent on average because of high demand for surveillance products. The video chip designer has pledged to expand into electric vehicles and AI after winning its “Little Giant” designation.
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    And design tool developer Primarius Technologies doubled sales on average over the past four quarters, saying it’s developed software that can be used in making 3-nanometer chips.
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    Putting aside long-term profitability concerns, Morningstar’s Mr Lee said the aggressive capacity build-up from Chinese players will elevate their presence globally.
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    “There’s little doubt Chinese chipmakers can achieve revenue growth over the next few years from cars, consumer electronics and other devices,” he said.

    The Empire Is Slipping. Get Ready for the Big Win-Win.

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    The American media is throwing a hissy-fit after two “Americans” (one of them is a Korean for some reason) have been captured while working as mercenaries in the Ukraine.

    Previously, two British mercenaries were sentenced to death by the Russians, and that will almost certainly happen to the Americans. This is totally in line with international law.

    Legally, there is no difference between a random American murdering or attempting to murder Russian civilians.

    NBC News interviewed Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Peskov about this, and he implied they would likely be sentenced to death, as they are not lawful combatants and they are not protected by the Geneva Conventions.

    CNBC:

     It’s a tense week for Ukraine as it awaits to see whether it will be granted the status of a candidate country for the European Union.
    
    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that he expects Russia to intensify its attacks on his country while it awaits the EU’s decision. Russia’s ground and tactical air operations continued to focus on the Donbas in eastern Ukraine over the weekend and more villages around the twin cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk were pummeled by Russian artillery on Monday.
    
    Elsewhere, there are growing concerns over the fate of two U.S. military veterans captured in Ukraine after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman said Moscow wouldn’t guarantee that they won’t face the death penalty.
    
    “It depends on the investigation,” Dmitry Peskov told NBC News senior international correspondent Keir Simmons when he was asked whether Alexander Drueke and Andy Huynh would “face the same fate” as two British citizens and a Moroccan who were sentenced to death in a pro-Russian separatist “court” (widely seen as a kangaroo court) in eastern Ukraine this month. 

    “Widely seen” by whom?

    They are following the Geneva Conventions on the laws of war. No one is claiming that these people are not mercenaries. Actually, the nervous and ridiculous Jew Antony Blinken claimed earlier this month that the Brits who were sentenced to death were somehow “lawful combatants.”

     

    But what does that mean? They are literally mercenaries, and no one anywhere claims that mercenaries are “lawful combatants.” So these are just ridiculous nonsense statements that the Jew Blinken can feel safe his kinsmen in the media are not going to analyze.

    Peskov is really good. His English is good and he acts like an adult in the way no American does. Imagine that his official role is the same as that of… Karine Frenchman.

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    Everyone around President Putin is very competent, and really makes America look ridiculous.

    I’m getting pretty tired of schizo theories about how there is some secret competent elite running America, and this is all part of the plan. It’s not part of the plan. They had a plan, and it is failing everywhere you look. This should be good news for everyone.

    Somehow, the schizo stuff is increasing across the internet.

    I think this is probably part of a conspiracy. Schizos view the Western elite as literal gods in any version of their stupid theories, and they are basically shilling for the American regime by claiming that all of its enormous, obvious mistakes are part of a secret plan.

    If you call them out, they just pretend to be retarded (I’m not sure if they’re actually pretending) and start talking about the World Economic Forum, and claiming that I’m denying that there is a plan at all.

    I am not denying that there is a plan.

    I am denying that this plan is working.

    It is obvious to everyone with a brain at this point, and not even a secret at all, that there is a plan to establish a one world government ruled by a tiny elite minority where a mass of peasants are treated like slaves and their population drastically reduced.

    Acknowledging that this plan exists does not somehow equal believing that it is infallible.

    Part of it is obviously just stupidity.

    When people find out about the World Economic Forum, or the Bilderberg Group, or the Club of Rome, or the Trilateral Commission, or the Council on Foreign Relations, or any of these globalist institutions that created a plan for a global government, they apparently assume that the fact they didn’t know about that plan before means it is ultra-competent.

    I’ve known about that plan for twenty years.

    I was myself accused of being schizophrenic by friends and family, because I started reading all of these books from all of these high-level technocrats and finding that it was all real.

    I didn’t “wake up” during Covid.

    I had to work my way through the sludge of fifty million tons of garbage theories to get to my current level of understanding, and I’m explaining it in the simplest terms I am able.

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    If people think that there is a secret agreement between Washington and Beijing, or that Jews secretly run the Bank of China, or that China is soon going to collapse, or any of these other theories that somehow explain why the West would be failing on purpose, they need to present some kind of counter-argument to what I’ve put forward that takes into account everything that I’ve argued.

    I’m not claiming to be God, I’m not claiming infallibility, but every single schizo just ignores every reply I give and comes back at me with “what if the Jews already infiltrated China though???” or “maybe the Chinese economy is going to collapse and the CIA will stage a revolution and install people from Taipei????”

    It all ultimately hinges on China.

    At this point, Russia is a de facto proxy state of China. China is the peer competitor for the United States. And all of these schizo theories about Jews infiltrating China, or a secret agreement with China, or an imminent collapse of China – none of them are backed with any facts at all.

    The simplest and most logical explanation, which takes into account all data, is that the Americans thought the Chinese were stupid and that if they gave them all of this free wealth in the form of exporting industry to China, China would become another “human rights anal democracy” vassal state.

    Instead, China became an ultranationalist superpower.

    The globalist agenda had no contingency plan for this eventuality, because they made these decisions about China without any real understanding of the Orient.

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    Stop idolizing Jewish power.

    By claiming it is infallible, you’re just saying the same thing the Jews are saying – that they are gods on earth, destined to rule you.

    They’ve screwed everything up, because God is real and God is not going to allow them to take over the world.

    We are in a pretty good spot.

    When the US is no longer the seat of global power, these people in Washington are no longer going to have the resources to force their will on us.

    If you go to any third world country, you will find that [1] people have a lot more personal freedom, that [2] families are much healthier, that [3] people are just generally doing better.

    The biggest reason for that is that a third world country simply doesn’t have any resources to micromanage people’s individual lives.

    When Washington falls, a strongman will rise from the ashes, and through blood and fire, we will begin to see the changes we want to see.

    There will be no security.

    Many will die. Many will die horribly. Your comfort zone will no longer exist, and you will never be able to return to it. But these things must come to pass and they will come to pass.

    We’re right on course here.

    Everything is fine, everything is exactly how it is supposed to be.

    No one man can understand the Golden Path until it shows itself, and yet, the Golden Path is always there, always moving the enemies of God into places where their actions will lead to their own demise.

    Chin up.

    (Republished from The Daily Stormer by permission of author or representative)

    Petra Pazsitka

    In 1984, a 24-year-old college student from Braunschweig, Germany, went to the dentist and never returned. Just in case that’s just giving you new reasons to be irrationally afraid of dental work, Petra Pazsitka didn’t die in a root canal gone wrong, she just never came home.

    As is often the case when a young woman disappears, police suspected murder. A massive search ensued, and Pazsitka was even featured on the German true-crime show “Aktenzeichen XY.” For a while there was a suspect — in 1987, a man identified only as Gunter K. said he’d killed Pazsitka (via The Telegraph), and since he’d also confessed to killing a 14-year-old girl in the same part of Germany, police had no reason to disbelieve him. He later withdrew his confession (via Independent), which didn’t necessarily mean he wasn’t the killer.

    Pazsitka was declared dead in 1989, and that was that — until 2015, when a woman in Dusseldorf named “Mrs. Scheider” called police to say her apartment had been burgled (via News.com.au). When unable to produce ID, she confessed to being the missing woman. Evidently, she’d managed to evade discovery by never opening a bank account or attempting to get a driver’s license or social security card. She also couldn’t be charged with a crime, because she’d never tried to use false documents. The reasons for Pazsitka’s disappearance are still not clear. She told police she was neither interested in discussing the matter publicly nor reuniting with her family.

    Disaster In The Heartland: Wheat Crops In Kansas Are Failing On A Massive Scale

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    Did you know that Kansas is known as “the Wheat State”?  In 2021, it produced nearly one-fourth of all wheat that was harvested in the United States.  Needless to say, we really need Kansas to come up big again this year because the war in Ukraine and a number of other factors have combined to bring us to the precipice of an absolutely horrifying global food crisis.  Unfortunately, things are not going well in Kansas this year.  In fact, wheat crops in much of the state are failing on a massive scale

    This time of year, the wheat growing in this part of western Kansas should be thigh-high and lush green.
    
    But as a months-long drought continues to parch the region, many fields tell a different story.
    
    “There’s nothing out there. It’s dead,” farmer Vance Ehmke said, surveying a wheat field near his land in Lane County. “It’s just ankle-high straw.”

    At this point, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is telling us that 41 percent of all wheat in Kansas is in “poor” or “very poor” condition.

    The situation is particularly dire in the western portion of the state.  It is being reported that many fields of wheat in western Kansas now resemble “barren wastelands”

    Across western Kansas, many fields planted with wheat months ago now look like barren wastelands. The gaping spaces between rows of brown, shriveled plants reveal hardened dirt that’s scarred with deep cracks from baking in the sun.
    
    Of all the years for drought to hit western Kansas wheat farmers, it couldn’t have come at a worse time.

    Even though the price of wheat has soared to crazy levels, it is being estimated that somewhere around 10 percent of all wheat fields in Kansas will not even grow enough crops to bother harvesting them.

    That is really bad news, but the truth is that things are even worse in Colorado and Texas

    To the west in Colorado, projections say nearly one-third of wheat fields won’t produce enough to bother harvesting. In Texas, around three-quarters of the crop will likely be abandoned.

    Please read that again.

    This is enormous news, and it is going to deeply affect all of us in the months ahead.

    At the worst possible time, wheat crops are failing on a massive scale all over the western half of the nation.

    We have been stuck in a pattern of drought that resembles the Dust Bowl days of the 1930s for many years now, and things are starting to happen which would have once been unthinkable.

    Lake Mead and Lake Powell have both dropped to all-time record lows, and the drinking water for tens of millions of Americans is now in jeopardy.

     

    I wish that more people would understand the gravity of what we are potentially facing.

    Down in Mexico, residents of Monterrey are already being limited to six hours of water a day because shortages have already become so severe…

    In the sprawling metropolitan area of Monterrey, home to some 5.3 million people, the drought and years of below-average rainfall have led to citywide water shortages.
    
    “We’re in an extreme climate crisis,” Nuevo Leon Governor Samuel Garcia said at a news conference last week. “Today, we’re all living it and suffering.”
    
    The city in June began limiting water access to six hours a day, forcing schools to adjust class schedules and sparking panic buying of bottled water that emptied supermarket shelves.

    The western half of North America is in the midst of the worst multi-year drought that it has experienced in 1,200 years, and experts are telling us that it isn’t going to end any time soon.

    Meanwhile, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed is warning us that the planet is potentially facing “a food crisis of global proportions” in 2023…

    First, time is short to prevent a food crisis of global proportions next year. We must stabilize global markets, reduce volatility and tackle the uncertainty of commodity prices. There can be no effective solution to the global food crisis without reintegrating Ukraine’s food production, as well as the food and fertilizer produced by the Russian Federation into world markets — despite the war. To avert a food availability crisis in 2023, we must restore fertilizer availability, especially for smallholder farmers now.

    Global food production is going to be way below expectations all over the world this year, and we really are heading into a nightmarish worldwide food crisis.

    I hope that you are preparing accordingly.

    Before I end this article, there is one more thing that I wanted to mention.

    Authorities are telling us that an absolutely massive sunspot known as AR3038 “is now facing Earth”

    An enormous sunspot that has doubled in size in only 24 hours is now facing Earth—meaning it could send a solar flare our way.

    This particular sunspot has actually doubled in size for each of the past three days, and at this point it is approximately 2.5 times the size of our entire planet.

    And we are being warned that it could “potentially send an M-class solar flare” directly at us…

    “Yesterday, sunspot AR3038 was big. Today, it’s enormous,” reads the SpaceWeather.com website. “The fast-growing sunspot has doubled in size in only 24 hours.”
    
    The magnetic field associated with the sunspot means it could potentially send an M-class solar flare at Earth—the second-strongest type. However, it is not known whether this will be the case.

    Scientists are assuring us that we probably don’t have anything to be concerned about, and hopefully they are correct.

    But let’s keep a close eye on this sunspot anyway.

    As I have always warned, it is just a matter of time before another Carrington Event comes along.

    We live during such unusual times, and things seem to be getting crazier with each passing week.

    The “perfect storm” that so many have been warning about is now here, and the months ahead will be filled with chaos and uncertainty.

    Russia and China back together again

    Some vintage posters.

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    This is what Putin REALLY wants, pay attention

    Talking about BRICS. This is super important news. It’s about the demise of the USD.

    ’69 Road Runner

    ’69 Road Runner
    ’69 Road Runner

    Cat Cries For Help To Save Her Kittens Stuck Inside The Cement Ground

    You must save the kittens!

    Make-Ahead Chicken and Dumplings

    We’ve devised a clever and no-fail way to make classic chicken and dumplings into a freezer-friendly meal. Make the chicken stew ahead of time, and when you’re ready to cook, simply add easy Bisquick™ dumplings, and dinner’s ready!

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    Toyota 2000GT

    Toyota 2000GT
    Toyota 2000GT

    World War 3 for dummies

    A brilliant piece. -MM

    By Gaius Baltar for the Saker Blog

    Some knowledgeable people, apparently including the Pope, are beginning to suspect that there may be more going on in the world than just the war in the Ukraine. They say that World War 3 has already started and things will get worse from now on. This can be difficult to determine while we are participating in the unfolding events and do not have the benefit of the historical perspective. It is doubtful that people back in 1939 realized that they were looking at the start of a major worldwide conflict, although some may have suspected it.

    The current global situation is in many ways like a giant jigsaw puzzle where the general public only sees a tiny part of the complete picture. Most don’t even realize that there may be more pieces and don’t even ask these simple questions: Why is all this happening and why is it happening now?

    Things are more complicated than most people realize. What they see is the evil wizard Vladimir Saruman Putin invading innocent Ukraine with his orc army – for absolutely no reason. This is a simplistic view, to say the least because nothing happens without a reason. Let’s put things in perspective and see what is really going on – and why the world is going crazy before our eyes. Let’s see what World War 3 is all about.

    The pressure cooker

    The West (which we can define here as the US and the EU and a few more) has been maintaining pressure on the entire world for decades. This does not only apply to countries outside the West, but also to Western countries which strayed from the diktats of the West’s rulers. This pressure has been discussed widely and attributed to all kinds of motives, including neocolonialism, forced financial hegemony, and so forth. What is interesting, particularly during the last 20 years, is which countries have been pressured and what they do not have in common.

    Among the pressured countries we find Russia, China, Cuba, Venezuela, Libya, Syria, Serbia, Thailand, and Iran to mention a few. There have also been recent additions, including India and Hungary. In order to understand why they have been pressured, we need to find out what they have in common. That’s not easy since they are extremely different in most ways. There are democracies and non-democracies, conservative and communist governments, Christian, Muslim and Buddhist countries, and so on. Still, many of them are very clearly allied. One must ask why conservative and religious countries such as Russia or Iran would ally themselves with Godless communists in Cuba and Venezuela.

    What all these countries have in common is their desire to run their own affairs; to be independent countries. This is unforgivable in the eyes of the West and must be tackled by any means necessary, including economic sanctions, color revolutions, and outright military aggression.

    The West and its NATO military arm had surrounded Russia with hostile countries and military bases, armed and manipulated Ukraine to be used as a hammer against it, and employed sanctions and threats. The same thing was and is happening in Asia where China is being surrounded by all means available. The same applies to all the Independents mentioned above to some extent. In the past 10 years or so the pressure has increased massively on the Independents and it reached almost a fever pitch in the year before the Russian invasion of the Ukraine.

    During the year before the Ukraine war, the US sent its diplomats around the world to tune up the pressure. They were like a traveling circus or a rock band on a tour, but instead of entertainment, they delivered threats: buy this from us and do what we tell you or there will be consequences. The urgency was absolute and palpable, but then came the Ukraine war and the pressure went up to 11. During the first month of the war, the entire West’s diplomatic corps was fully engaged in threats against the ‘rest of the world’ to engineer the isolation of Russia. This didn’t work, which resulted in panic in political and diplomatic circles in the US and Europe.

    All this pressure through the years, and all the fear and panic when it didn’t work, are clearly related to the events in the Ukraine. They are a part of the same ‘syndrome’ and have the same cause.

    The debt dimension

    There have been many explanations for what is going on and the most common is the fight between two possible futures; a multipolar world where there are several power centers in the world, and a unipolar world where the West governs the world. This is correct as far as it goes, but there is another reason which explains why this is happening now and all the urgency and panic in the West.

    Recently the New Zealand tech guru Kim Dotcom tweeted a thread about the debt situation in the US. According to him all debt and unfunded liabilities of the US exceed the total value of the entire country, including the land. This situation is not unique to the US. Most countries in the West have debt that can only be paid back by selling the entire country and everything it contains. On top of that, most non-western countries are buried in dollar-denominated debt and are practically owned by the same financiers who own the West.

    During the last few decades, the economy of the US and Europe has been falsified on a level that is difficult to believe. We in the West have been living far beyond our means and our currencies have been massively overvalued. We have been able to do this through two mechanisms:

    1. The first one is the reserve status of the dollar and the semi-reserve status of the euro which have enabled the West to export digital money and receive goods in return. This has created enormous financial power for the West and enabled it to function as a parasite on the world economy. We have been getting a lot of goods for free, to put it mildly.
    2. The second falsification mechanism is the increase in debt to a level where we have essentially pawned everything we own, including our houses and lands, to keep up our living standards. We own nothing now when the debt has been subtracted. The debt has long since become unserviceable – far beyond our ability to pay interests on – which explains why the interest rates in the West are in the neighborhood of zero. Any increase would make the debt unserviceable and we would all go formally bankrupt in a day.

    On top of all this, the falsification has created artificially strong currencies in the West which has boosted their purchasing power for goods priced in non-western currencies. These mechanisms have also enabled the West to run bloated and dysfunctional service economies where inefficiencies are beyond belief. We have giant groups of people in our economies that not only create no value but destroy value systematically. What maintains the West’s standard of living now is a small minority of productive people, constant debt increase, and parasitism of the rest of the world.

    The people who own all this debt actually own everything we think we own. We in the West own nothing at this point – we only think we do. But who are our real owners? We know more or less who they are because they meet every year at the World Economic Forum in Davos along with the western political elites who they also happen to own.

    It is clear that our owners have been getting increasingly worried, and their worries have been increasing in sync with the increased pressure applied by the West on the rest of the world, particularly the Independents. During the last Davos meeting, the mood was bleak and panicked at the same time, much like the panic among the western political elites when the isolation of Russia failed.

    What is about to happen

    The panic of our owners and their politicians is understandable because we have come to the end of the line. We can no longer keep up our living standards by debt increase and parasitism. The debt is reaching beyond what we own as collateral and our currencies are about to become worthless. We will no longer be able to get free stuff from the rest of the world, or pay back our debt – let alone pay interest on it. The entire West is about to go bankrupt and our standard of living is about to go down by a massive percentage. This is what has our owners panicked and they see only two scenarios:

    1. In the first scenario most countries in the West, and everything and everyone within them, declare bankruptcy and erase the debt by diktat – which sovereign states are able to do. This will also erase the wealth and political power of our owners.
    2. In the second scenario, our owners take over the collateral during the bankruptcy. The collateral is us and everything we own.

    It doesn’t take a genius to figure out which scenario was chosen. The plan for the second scenario is ready and being implemented as we speak. It is called ‘The Great Reset’ and was constructed by the people behind the World Economic Forum. This plan is not a secret and can be examined to a certain degree on the WEF website.

    The Great Reset is a mechanism for the seizing of all debt collateral which includes your assets, the assets of your city or municipality, the assets of your state, and most corporate assets not already held by our owners.

    This asset seizure mechanism has several components, but the most important are the following four:

    1. Abolishment of sovereignty: A sovereign (independent) country is a dangerous country because it can choose to default on its debt. The decrease in sovereignty has been a priority for our owners and various schemes have been attempted such as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The most successful scheme is undoubtedly the European Union itself.
    2. The down-tuning of the economy: The western economy (and indeed the global economy) must be tuned down by a very significant percentage. This down-tuning is necessary because the western economy is massively falsified now and must be taken down to its real level – which may be as low as half of what it is now – or more. The slow takedown has also the purpose of avoiding a sudden crash that would cause massive social unrest which would be a threat to our owners. A controlled takedown is therefore preferable to an uncontrolled crash. This controlled takedown is already happening and has been going on for quite some time. Many examples can be mentioned of this takedown, including the EU and US energy policy which is designed to sabotage the western economy, and the obvious attempts at demand destruction during and after the epidemic, including the fairly bizarre logistical problems which suddenly came out of nowhere.
    3. Asset harvesting (you will own nothing and be ‘happy’): All assets that can be considered to be collateral to our private and collective/public debt will be taken over. This is a clearly stated aim of the Great Reset but it is less clear how this would be carried out. Total control of western governments (and indeed all governments) would seem to be necessary for this. That precondition is closer than one might think because most western governments seem to be beholden to Davos at this point. The process will be sold as necessary social restructuring because of an economic crisis and global warming and will result in a massive decrease in living standards for regular people, although not the elites.
    4. Oppression: A great many people will not like this and an uprising is a likely response, even if the takedown is done gradually. To prevent this from happening, a social control mechanism is being implemented which will erase personal freedom, the freedom of speech, and privacy. It will also create absolute dependence of the individual on the state. This must be done before the economic takedown can be completed or there will be a revolution. This mechanism is already being implemented enthusiastically in the West as anybody with eyes and ears can see.

    Russia, China, and other Independents

    How do Russia and China, and the war in Ukraine, factor into all of this? Why all the pressure from the West throughout the years and why all this panic now? Part of the reason for the pressure on the Independents, particularly Russia and China, is simply that they have resisted western hegemony. That is enough for getting on the West’s naughty list. But why the increased pressure in recent years?

    The reason is that Russia and China cannot be subjugated through bankruptcy and their assets harvested. They do not have much debt in western currencies which means that the people who own the West through debt do not currently own Russia and China (like they own the West and the indebted ‘third world’) and cannot acquire them through debt. The only way to acquire them is through regime change. Their governments must be weakened by any means, including economic sanctions and military means if necessary -thus the use of Ukraine as a battering ram for Russia and Taiwan for China.

    Subjugating Russia and China is an existential issue for our Davos owners because when they take the western economy down, everything else must go down too. If the western economy is taken down and a large economic block doesn’t participate in the downfall, it will be a disaster for the West. The new block will gain massive economic power, and possibly unipolar hegemony of sorts, while the West descends into a feudal Dark Age and irrelevance. Therefore the entire world must go down for the Great Reset to work. Russia and China must be subjugated by any means, as well as India and other stubborn nations.

    This is what has fueled the situation we now find ourselves in and will fuel the continuation of World War 3. The western owner-elites are going to war to keep their wealth and power. Everyone who resists must be subjugated so they can follow the West into the planned Great Reset Dark Age.

    The reason for the current panic among western elites is that the Ukraine project isn’t going as planned. Instead of Russia being bled on the battlefield, it is Ukraine and the West that bleed. Instead of the Russian economy crashing resulting in Putin’s replacement by a Davos-compatible leader, it is the West’s economy that is crashing. Instead of Russia being isolated, it is the West that is being increasingly isolated. Noting is working, and to top it all off, Europe has given the Russians the means and motive to destroy the European economy by partly shutting down its industry. Without Russian resources, there is no European industry, and without industry, there are no taxes for paying for unemployment benefits, pensions, all the refugees, and pretty much everything else which holds European societies together. The Russians now have the ability to engineer an uncontrolled crash in Europe which is not what Davos planned. An uncontrolled crash might see Davos’s heads roll, literally, and that is causing fear and panic in elite circles. The only solution for them is to move on with World War 3 and hope for the best.

    What to do

    The Great Reset of the world economy is the direct cause of World War 3 – assuming that is what is going on. What can be done about this? From inside the West, little can be done. The only way is to somehow remove Davos from the equation, but that is most likely not going to happen for two reasons: The first one is that the Davos great resetters are too entwined in the western economy and politics. Davos is like an octopus with its arms and suckers inside every country’s elite circles, media, and government. They are too entrenched to be easily removed. The second reason is that the western population is too brainwashed and ignorant. The level of their brainwashing is such that a large part of them actually want to become poor – although they use the word ‘green’ for ‘poor’ because it sounds better. There are, however, some indications that there may be divisions within western elites. Some of them, particularly within the US, may be resisting the primarily Europe-designed Great Reset – but whether this opposition is real or effective remains to be seen.

    However, outside the West, there are certain measures that can be taken and must be taken. Some of those measures are drastic and some of them are being done as we speak. Among the measures are the following:

    1. The Independents, led by Russia, China, and India, must create a block to isolate themselves from the radioactive West. This isolation must not only be economic, but also political and social. Their economic systems must be divorced from the West and made autonomous. Their cultures and history must be defended against western influences and revisionism. This process appears to be underway.
    2. The Independents must immediately ban all western sponsored institutions and NGOs in their countries, regardless of whether they are sponsored by western states or individuals. Furthermore, they must ban all media receiving western sponsorship and strip every school and university of western sponsorship and influence.
    3. They must leave all international institutions up to and possibly including the United Nations because all international bodies are controlled by the West. They must then replace them with new institutions within their block.
    4. They must, at some point, declare the dollar and the euro currencies non grata. That means that they should declare default on all debts denominated in these currencies, but not other debts. This will most likely come at a later stage but is inevitable.

    This will create a situation where the West will descend into darkness without pulling others down with it – if we manage to escape the nuclear fire.

    Tired Of Being Asked To Work For Free, This Artist Started Drawing These Client Requests

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    @forexposure_txt is a Twitter account dedicated to compiling quotes from artists who were expected to work for free. It was created by artist and writer Ryan Estrada. An artist has decided to take some of those quotes and use them to inspire various portraits of what she imagines those people look like. They’re part of a series titled “For Exposure,” and they were created for Format Magazine by Emmie Tsumura, a Toronto-based illustrator and graphic designer. Check out some of our favorites below. If you’re an artist then chances are that more than a few of them will resonate with you!

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    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

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    Russian Anthrax, Texas Secession from the USA, Undersea submarine war near Taiwan, NATO and UK arming up for nuclear war with Russia

    Jesus! Shit the world seems to be a crumbling fast. Many changes. Many new ideas, and a collapse of the old. Things going on, but most are not being reported on. But we will touch on the items here.

    Let’s begin with a plea for help investing 27 million dollars. All she needs is a tiny retainer.

    Don’t you know…

    I am sending my greetings to you from the Sultanate of Oman, In the capital city of Muscat.
    
    May i use this medium to open a mutual communication with you, and seeking your acceptance towards investing in your country under your management as my partner, My name is Aisha Gaddafi and presently living in Oman, i am a Widow and single Mother with three Children, the only biological Daughter of late Libyan President (Late Colonel Muammar Gaddafi) and presently i am under political asylum protection by the Omani Government.
    
    I have funds worth "Twenty Seven Million Five Hundred Thousand United State Dollars" -$27.500.000.00 US Dollars which i want to entrust on you for investment project in your country.If you are willing to handle this project on my behalf, kindly reply urgent to enable me provide you more details to start the transfer process.
    
    Thanks
    Yours Truly Aisha

    China is involved in a massive undersea operation off the South Coast of Taiwan

    The flight paths are identical to the flight paths that were involved in…

    • The American Submarine “collision with a undersea mountain”.
    • The American “recovery effort” of a F-35 fighter jet in the ocean.

    The flight path of the military aircraft is shown below:

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    The type of aircraft that are involved included:  (All images are file photos, and NOT from today’s flights)

    1x Y-9 EW

    Starting from the 1980s, based on a Chinese cargo plane Y-8 (a localized version of the Soviet An-12 production Shaanxi Aircraft Industry Corporation) and its radically improved version of Y-9 was created 19 different versions of special aircraft, including 11 types of aircraft series “Gaoxin” (GX, 高新) for the Air Force and Air Force PLA Navy.

    “Gaoxin” – a designation for the aircraft carriers of special electronic equipment, in this family include aircraft EW, AWACS, electronic intelligence, psychological warfare and basic patrol.

    Older types of patrol and other special aircraft, which were created in the 1980s – 1990s, as well as the test platform used in the aviation industry, this designation does not carry.

    Also, refer to “Gaoxin” have no special plane on the basis of other platforms, such as AWACS aircraft KJ-2000 and electronic reconnaissance aircraft based on the Tu-154 (Tu-154D).

    From the bottom up: Airplane EW GX-1 (Y-8CB), electronic intelligence aircraft GX-2 (Y-8JB), jammer GX-3 (Y-8G)
    From the bottom up: Airplane EW GX-1 (Y-8CB), electronic intelligence aircraft GX-2 (Y-8JB), jammer GX-3 (Y-8G)

    From the bottom up: Airplane communication and control GX-4 (Y-8T). AWACS aircraft GX-5 (Y-8W, KJ-200), base patrol aircraft GX-6 (Y-8Q)
    From the bottom up: Airplane communication and control GX-4 (Y-8T). AWACS aircraft GX-5 (Y-8W, KJ-200), base patrol aircraft GX-6 (Y-8Q)

    From the bottom up: GX-7 (Y-8XZ) psychological warfare aircraft, functionally close to the US EC-130J Commando Solo, capable of performing radio and television broadcasting in the territory controlled by the enemy; GX-8 (Y-9JB) - air complex electronic warfare for the Navy; GX-9 (Y-9W, KJ-500) - AWACS aircraft of the new generation.
    From the bottom up: GX-7 (Y-8XZ) psychological warfare aircraft, functionally close to the US EC-130J Commando Solo, capable of performing radio and television broadcasting in the territory controlled by the enemy; GX-8 (Y-9JB) – air complex electronic warfare for the Navy; GX-9 (Y-9W, KJ-500) – AWACS aircraft of the new generation.

    From the bottom up: GX-10 (Y-9XZ) - psychological warfare aircraft of the second generation; GX-11 (Y-9G) - electronic reconnaissance aircraft the Air Force of the second generation.
    From the bottom up: GX-10 (Y-9XZ) – psychological warfare aircraft of the second generation; GX-11 (Y-9G) – electronic reconnaissance aircraft the Air Force of the second generation.

    All of the variants.

    All of the variants.
    All of the variants.

    1x Y-8 ELINT

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     6x H-6

    This is a bomber equipped with missiles that are designed to sink submarines.

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    1x Y-20 (tanker variant)

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     2x KJ-500 AEW&C

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     1x Y-8 ASW

    Anti-submarine hunter-killer aircraft.

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    All aircraft were supported by a strong presence of military aircraft in support. They included…

     8x J-16

    It’s sort of like a Chinese F-14 clone. Think the movie “Topgun” starring Tom Cruse.

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     4x Su-30

    This is sort of like the Chinese version of the American F-18. Think of the second Tom Cruse movie “Topgun: Maverick”.

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     5x J-11

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    Australia’s leading wine authority to close office in China as exports plunge

    Australia’s leading wine industry body Wine Australia will be closing its only physical office in China after sales to the greater China succumb to Beijing’s prohibitive duties.
    
    “Wine Australia has made the difficult decision to close our physical office in Shanghai. This decision follows extensive consultation with the Australian grape and wine sector and is based on the current environment and market opportunity,” a Wine Australia spokeswoman said.
    
    
    “Wine Australia will continue to maintain our brand presence in China via our wine trade and consumer facing social media channels, and will continue to work closely with in-market trade representatives on brand building and marketing campaigns.”
    
    The once 1.2 billion Australian dollar-a-year trade ($830 million) has whittled down to just over AU$200 million at the end of March, an alleged casualty of the tension between the two countries.
    
    Wine Australia said it will continue to operate in China as it does in other markets, through “relationships with key in-market agency and marketing partners, trade show organizers and education networks,” a format that tends to be used for smaller trading markets.

    The rest of the article HERE

    UKRAINE ATTACKS RUSSIAN DRILLING PLATFORM IN BLACK SEA OFF CRIMEA

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    The Ukrainian armed forces have attacked an Oil & Gas Drilling platform in the Black Sea off the coast of Crimea.

    A reported missile strike by Ukraine, blew up the Chernomorneftegaz drilling platforms.

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    The platforms of Chernomorneftegaz were hit this early morning, the head of the Crimea, Sergei Aksenov, says.

    “This morning, the drilling platforms of Chornomorneftegaz were attacked. I am in touch with colleagues from the Ministry of Defense and the FSB, we are working on saving people. Five people were rescued with three of them reported injured. The search for the rest of them continues. The Ministry of Defense ensures the conduct of a rescue operation with the involvement of patrol ships and aviation. We will provide updates on the events,” 
    

    The head of the Crimea said in his post.

    Chernomorneftegaz is an enterprise that independently carries out exploration and development of oil and gas fields in the Crimean sector of the Black and Azov Seas."

    Word on Intel Circuits is that Russia will launch retaliatory strikes on “Ukrainian decision making centers.”

    ‘Stop NATO,’ protesters chant at massive rally in heart of EU

    70,000 to 80,000 demonstrators packed the streets of Brussels on Monday, bringing the city to a standstill. In addition to expressing anger at the rising cost of living in Belgium, many condemned the US-led NATO alliance and its involvement in the Ukrainian conflict.

    Article HERE

    *****BULLETIN ***** COVERT INTEL – “The Decision has been taken . . .”

    This content is for Subscribers only —

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    Artist Imitators Thrive in China’s Famous Oil Painting Village

    When I lived in Shenzhen, I used to visit this village perhaps twice a year. It’s just awesome.

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    An artist working on his painting outside a gallery at the artist village on June 12, 2014 in Shenzhen, China. The Dafen Artist Village in Guangdong province, China, is home to thousands of artists who reproduce some of the world’s most iconic paintings as well as create their own works. The village, on the outskirts of Shenzhen, is becoming a major center for original Chinese art. (Photo by Palani Mohan/Getty images)

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    ***** BULLETIN ***** Covert Intel – “Attack against broad swaths of NATO”

    This content is for subscribers only —

    Morocco To Receive New Vaccine Production Equipment From China

    Morocco aims to position itself as a regional manufacturing hub for COVID-19 vaccines, supporting the continental vaccination campaign.

    Poroshenko: Minsk Agreement Was Only To Buy Time for Ukraine

    Former Ukraine President Poroshenko admitted on television that the Minsk Agreement was a complete deception; was only signed to buy time for Ukraine to build its army and economy.   He looked directly in the faces of Hollande of France, Merkel of Germany, and Putin of Russia,  and lied to them as he shook their hands.

    The Minsk Agreement of 2015 was a heartfelt and earnest effort by French President François Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and representatives from Luhansk and Donetsk, to make a peace deal to stop the battles between Ukraine and the Donbass (Luhansk and Donetsk) which had already killed thousands of civilians.

    It is now revealed that the Ukraine delegation, headed by Poroshenko, was there with the express intent to deceive.  They had no intention whatsoever of negotiating a true and lasting peace, they were only there to buy time to build Ukraine’s military.

    In the video below, Poroshenko, interviewed this past weekend, June 18-19, 2022, admits on TV the entire negotiation was to “buy time to build Ukraine’s army and buy time to build Ukraine’s economy.”   The entire presence of Ukraine at the peace negotiations was a complete, planned, deliberate, fraud.

    Ukraine did not implement even ONE aspect of the Minsk Agreement for eight years after it was signed.   Now, they wonder why there is war on their soil?

    VIDEO:

    Slow-Cooker Barbecue Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs

    Who needs a bun? These barbecue bacon cheeseburger meatballs simmer away in the slow cooker while you get the rest of your party prepped, then team up with pickles for a pretty presentation.

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    Ukraine SitRep – Lysichansk Cauldron – Sinking Morale – More Provocations

    From MoA

    The former CIA and intelligence bigwig Graham Fuller predicts a gloomy outcome of the U.S-Russia proxy war in Ukraine. Gloomy for Ukraine, the U.S. and Europe:

    Contrary to Washington’s triumphalist pronouncements, Russia is winning the war, Ukraine has lost the war. Any longer-term damage to Russia is open to debate.
    
    American sanctions against Russia have turned out to be far more devastating to Europe than to Russia. The global economy has slowed and many developing nations face serious food shortages and risk of broad starvation.
    
    There are already deep cracks in the European façade of so-called “NATO unity.” Western Europe will increasingly rue the day that it blindly followed the American Pied Piper to war against Russia. Indeed, this is not a Ukrainian-Russian war but an American-Russian war fought by proxy to the last Ukrainian.
    
    Contrary to optimistic declarations, NATO may in fact ultimately emerge weakened. Western Europeans will think long and hard about the wisdom and deep costs of provoking deeper long term confrontations with Russia or other “competitors”of the US.
    
    Europe will sooner or later return to the purchase of inexpensive Russian energy. Russia lies on the doorstep and a natural economic relationship with Russia will possess overwhelming logic in the end.
    
    Europe already perceives the US as a declining power with an erratic and hypocritical foreign policy “vision” premised upon the desperate need to preserve “American leadership” in the world. America’s willingness to go to war to this end is increasingly dangerous to others.

    All the above had already been said on this website in late February and March. But it is good to see that seasoned intelligence people are now coming to similar conclusions.

    Two weeks ago I wrote that the Ukrainians will soon reach a breaking point. Today’s ‘clobber list’ by the Russia Ministry of Defense has an additional part about Ukrainian troop loses that supports that take:

    Since May 19, during the month, only the 14th Mechanised Brigade of the AFU has lost 2,100 persons who resulted dead and wounded. Due to low moral and psychological conditions, 800 persons destined for replenishing the losses of this unit, refused to go to the operational area and accused officers of incompetence, bribery and cronyism in paying money allowance.
    
    About 100 servicemen of a reconnaissance unit of the 10th Mountain Assault Brigade have been relieved of combat duty and transported to Kremenchug for investigation.
    
    A considerable part of the commanders of the 30th Mechanised Brigade of the AFU have abstracted themselves from managing their units and refuse to fulfil combat tasks. All kinds of pretexts are used for simulating illness. The majority of units have already been left without any officers.

    A mechanized brigade has about 3,500 soldiers. In one month the Ukrainian 14th lost two third of its people. The replacements are not trained on mechanized equipment (tanks, APCs) that likely no longer exists and can only be used as unprotected infantry. It is no wonder that they reject to be send into a hopeless situation.

    Finland: NATO = “No Deal”

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    Finland could not reach an agreement with Turkey, over what the Turks want in order to approve Finland’s membership in NATO.  For now, it looks as though Finland will NOT be able to join NATO.

    Details are sketchy at this time.

    The information above comes from an Intel source in the Office of the President of Finland.

    More info as I get it.

    Texas is building up to leave the United States

    Oh, yes it is.

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    Throughout this document are strongly worded sentences and directions on how to leave the United States.

    A very interesting discussion on “Redacted”. It’s TEXAS SECESSION. The discussion starts at point 1:31:40 and well worth a listen to.

    Surface View: A Wallcovering with a Difference

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    Surface View is quite simple. It’s where images and your imagination come together to create stunning interiors. Surface View’s workshops are based in Reading, England, where they make every print to order. From sourcing, reproduction and design, to individually made prints and installation, here’s how it works. Surface View is all about combining cutting-edge technology with the curator’s eye, and skilled experts are the embodiment of that process.

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    MoA continues…

    The Russian side reported yesterday that it had killed 50 generals and higher officer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with a missile strike. The group was meeting to plan the further fight in the southern region of Odessa and Kherson. This now seems to have been confirmed:

    Management Impact Solutions Consulting, LP - @MiExecSearch - 15:10 UTC · Jun 20, 2022
    
    Russian Armed Forces beat out AFU generals, who were holed up in the rear. The military-civilian administration of Zaporozhye region confirmed results of a missile strike on AFU command post near the village of Shirokaya Dacha, 57 top-level officers were killed.

    Last night, probably in response to the strike on the officers, the Ukrainians fired a missile against a gas and oil production platform in the waters near Crimea. The installation was damaged. Russia considers that to be a direct attack on valuable infrastructure within Russian territory and will likely give a strong response.

    Yesterday Lithuania announced that it would immediately prohibit Russian goods under EU sanctions to cross from Belarus to the Kaliningrad enclave at the Baltic seas which is Russian territory. That is in breach of several international agreements which guarantee unhindered Russian access to the city. Russia has yet to announce a response to this new provocation.

    Social Class Identity

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    This project is concerned with our social class system operating within society and in particular the ‘1’ percent of our global population. A response to NextByDesign‘s call for posters relating to the Occupy movements worldwide, in which we are entering a year polarised by the ’99’ and ‘1’ percent inequalities.

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    An interesting discussion

    There must be some sane people at the Pentagon ...
    
    -Eighthman 
    
    
    Any sane people there who haven't already fled have no doubt been driven mad by all the lunatics in charge of their own military now protecting and defending what has become the world's first official Pathocracy.
    
    -Scorpion

    Anthrax Case in Russia

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    In the Stavropol region of southwest Russia, a local resident is confirmed to be infected with anthrax.

    Initial information out of the area says there’s no need for public alarm, but no one is saying how this person became infected or if anyone else is infected.

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    Illustrator Shows The Cultural Difference Between The East And The West

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    Berlin-based designer Yang Liu creates illustrations that show the cultural difference between the East and the West. Yang Liu was born in 1976 in Beijing. After studying at the University of Arts Berlin, she worked as a designer in Singapore, London, Berlin, and New York.

    Drawing on her own experiences of China and Europe, Yang Liu explores a rich range of differences between Eastern and Western experience, from sleeping patterns to the role of senior citizens, from leisure activities to attitudes towards beauty, property, and public space. With their clarity, insight, and fundamental fondness towards both cultures, Yang Liu’s work has become not only a social media and magazine darling, but also a favorite with professional training programs around the world.

    Blue = West, Red = East

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    Lithuania Warned – in Writing!

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    Russia has explicitly WARNED Lithuania that unless unrestricted rail passage is restored to the Russian state of Kaliningrad, immediately, “Russia will take action” against Lithuania.

    These words were written and handed to the charge d’ affaires of Lithuania, who was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry to receive the written warning today.

    The last time Russia warned a country they had “X” time to do something, was Ukraine.   Seven hours after being given that five hour deadline, the Russian Army entered Ukraine by force.

    Russia means business. No more "fun and games". This is exactly the kind of things that Got Germany, and Poland into war in 1939. -MM

    ‘HELP!’ Stray Cat Pleads For Helping His Friend Be Treated

    It’s important for us to be guardians for others. Whether animals or humans. Be the Rufus!

    Panic Buying in Kaliningrad as Lithuania “Sanctions” Russian Railroad

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    Video below shows panic-buying by Russians living in Kaliningrad, a portion of Russia detached from the mainland, nestled between Lithuania and Poland. The buying began because Lithuania cut-off Russian railroad shipments to the oblast (state).

    For more than thirty years, there has been an understanding between Russia and Lithuania that the oblast (state) of Kaliningrad would be supplied via the Russian railroad through a narrow strip of land called the Suwalki Gap, that runs from Russia, along the southeastern border of Lithuania.  The agreement held that the trains would be left alone, and act as a supply tunnel of sorts to the Russians living in Kaliningrad.

    All that ended 48 hours ago, when Lithuania took it upon itself, to say Sanctions against Russia (over its Ukraine special military operation) would be applied to trains to/from Kaliningrad.

    This means that virtually no transit can take place between Russia and its western-most state.

    People in Kaliningrad fear they may starve to death having been cut-off from Supplies.  That fear caused panic, and panic-buying took place yesterday and last night.

    HAL TURNER EDITORIAL OPINION

    It appears that Lithuania is trying to CAUSE Russia to attack them militarily over this new embargo.  They want this to take place because Lithuania is a member of NATO and once an attack takes place, Lithuania will invoke Article 5 of the NATO treaty, collective self defense.

    That would instantly place ALL the countries of NATO, at war with Russia, which is exactly what NATO wants, so as to be able to engage Russia directly to stop its operation in Ukraine.

    The trouble with this thinking is that the President of Russia made clear “it will be a war that nobody will win.”   That’s a euphemism for nuclear war.

    President Putin, commenting publicly at the start of Russia’s “special military operation” into Ukraine, made clear that Russia’s conventional forces are no match for NATO Conventional forces.   But, he said, “Russia is also a nuclear power.  And our technology is superior to everyone else’s.  So if NATO invokes Article 5, it will be a war no one will win.”

    Knowing this, Lithuania STILL enacted a sanctions embargo against Kaliningrad.

    They want nuclear war.

    UPDATE 8:58 AM EDT —

    “The UN needs to rectify the situation with the blockade of Kaliningrad, or Russia will be free to resolve the issue of transit in any way– the head of the Russian Federation Commission for the Protection of Sovereignty Klimov.

    (HT REMARK: This is almost identical to the wording used by Russia about resolving Security Guarantees, before it entered Ukraine.  Clearly, this remark is meant to warn Lithuania (and the world) that Russia will resort to armed force to open the Kaliningrad embargo.)

    UPDATE 10:27 AM EDT —

    Senator Klimov: the blockade of Kaliningrad by Lithuania can be regarded as direct aggression

    If the European Union does not correct the “impudent trick” of Lithuania, which banned the transit of almost half of the cargo to the Kaliningrad region, then Brussels itself will disavow the legitimacy of the documents on Lithuanian membership in the EU for Russia and thus “untie its hands” to solve the problem of Kaliningrad transit “by any means.” 

    Brief Recap with historical notes:

    Kaliningrad’s governor Alikhanov has already called on Russian federal authorities to prepare tit-for-tat measures against Lithuania in wake of the transit ban.

    Alikhanov cited a key condition in the 2004 agreement that was part of Lithuania’s accession to the EU:

    "that the Baltic state will apply in practice the principle of freedom of transit of goods, including energy, between the  Kaliningrad Region and the rest of Russian territory."
    
    "In particular, we confirm that there shall be freedom of such transit, and that the goods in such transit shall not be subject to unnecessary delays or restrictions and shall be exempt from customs duties and transit duties or other charges related to transit,"

    Then, in April…
    When the EU first proposed the blockage of goods as part of the last major sanctions package in early April, Kremlin officials warned of war given Moscow would have to “break the blockade” for the sake if its citizens.

    "I think that for now, this is a game, testing the waters <…>.

    In case of a blockade, as they are saying, the Soviet Union knows how to break the blockades, we (Russia as the successor of the Soviet Union – TASS) have vast experience,” the senator said.

    "If they want to go to the length of making us break this blockade to save the lives of our people, who live there, we can do this,"

    Ahead of the new Lithuanian transit ban taking effect, the state railways service was reportedly ‘awaiting final word’ from the European Commission.

    Then Brussels ruled that:

    "sanctioned goods and cargo should still be prohibited even if they travel from one part of Russia to another but through EU territory,"

    In Moscow’s eyes, this is tantamount to laying economic siege to part of Russia’s sovereign territory and one million of its citizens.

    What Is Your Plan To Make It Through The Worst Global Food Crisis In Any Of Our Lifetimes?

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    We are being warned well ahead of time that it is coming.  Joe Biden has publicly admitted that the coming food shortages are “going to be real”, and the head of the UN World Food Program is now telling us that we could soon see “hell on Earth” because the lack of food will be so severe.

    Food prices are already escalating dramatically all over the globe, and food riots have already erupted in Sri Lanka and elsewhere.  But most people in the western world are treating this crisis as if it is no big deal.  Many seem to assume that our leaders have everything under control and that things will work out just fine somehow.

    Unfortunately, the truth is that everything is not going to be okay.

    So far this year, the number of hungry people around the globe has risen to more than 800 million

    Currently around 811 million people are experiencing hunger. Levels of food insecurity have doubled from 2019, increasing from 135 million to 276 million. Of this total around 48.9 million people are facing acute or emergency levels of food insecurity that require humanitarian intervention.

    But this is just the tip of the iceberg.

    Much worse is ahead, and David Beasley is openly warning that “hell on Earth” is coming…

    The UN has warned that there could be “hell on earth” due to the global economic impacts of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
    
    The Guardian reports that David Beasley, director of the UN World Food Programme (WFP), has said that the war has been “devastating” in conjunction with various other factors.
    
    He said, “Even before the Ukraine crisis, we were facing an unprecedented global food crisis because of Covid and fuel price increases. Then, we thought it couldn’t get any worse, but this war has been devastating.”

    According to Beasley, we will soon see “frightening” shortages of food, and those shortages could potentially spark civil unrest in literally dozens of different nations…

    Dozens of countries risk protests, riots and political violence this year as food prices surge around the world, the head of the food-aid branch of the United Nations has warned.
    
    Speaking in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, on Thursday, David Beasley, director of the UN World Food Programme (WFP), said the world faced “frightening” shortages that could destabilise countries that depend on wheat exports from Ukraine and Russia.

    But most Americans are not paying much attention to this rapidly growing crisis because they don’t think that it will really impact them personally.

    For the vast majority of us, a lack of food is something that we have never had to be concerned about before.

    During “normal” times, we could always go to the grocery store and fill up our carts with mountains of super cheap food whenever we wanted.

    Unfortunately, things have changed.  Food production in the U.S. is going to be way below expectations this year, and the head of the National Black Farmers Association claims that we will soon see “a lot of empty shelves and a lot more high food prices”

    Three weeks ago John Boyd Jr., the President of the National Black Farmers Association, said “We are in a crisis right now as far as the food chain goes with the farmer in this country,” adding “We’re going to see a lot of empty shelves and a lot more high food prices.” 
    
    In his forty-year career as a farmer, Boyd said he never imagined he would be “paying $5.63 for a gallon of diesel fuel, $900 a ton for fertilizer, and all-time high prices for soybean seeds.” All of the prices he mentioned are at record highs, pressuring farmers’ margins.

    Of course we are already seeing widespread shortages of certain products around the country.

    For example, Fox Business is reporting on the serious shortage of tampons that has recently started making headlines…

    A spokesperson for Tampax, which is owned by P&G, told FOX Business in a statement that this is “a temporary situation, and the Tampax team is producing tampons 24/7 to meet the increased demand for our products.”

    Meanwhile, the ongoing shortage of baby formula just keeps getting even worse...

    Parents aren’t getting much of a break as the out-of-stock rate for baby formula rose to 73% nationwide for the week ending May 29, according to the most recent data by retail data firm Datasembly. It’s a significant increase from earlier in the month, when the national out-of-stock rate for baby formula stood at 45%.

    On top of everything else, we are now facing a shortage of hot sauce

    In April, Huy Fong Foods, Inc., the nation’s leading sriracha sauce manufacturer, sent a letter to customers about an impending shortage, which would directly impact retailers and restaurants.
    
    “Unfortunately, we can confirm that there is an unprecedented shortage of our products,” Huy Fong Foods told Fox News Digital in an email.

    These shortages are just a very small preview of what is approaching.

    As I have been warning on my website throughout 2022, conditions are going to deteriorate quite a bit more in the months ahead.

    So what is your plan to make it through the worst global food crisis in any of our lifetimes?

    Have you been stocking up?

    Earlier this year, I published a list of 50 basic items that I would recommend having on hand.  The following list is certainly not exhaustive, but it will help you cover many of the essentials…

    • #1 A Generator
    • #2 A Berkey Water Filter
    • #3 A Rainwater Collection System If You Do Not Have A Natural Supply Of Water Near Your Home
    • #4 An Emergency Medical Kit (Equipped with major medicines.)
    • #5 Rice
    • #6 Pasta
    • #7 Canned Soup
    • #8 Canned Vegetables
    • #9 Canned Fruit
    • #10 Canned Chicken
    • #11 Jars Of Peanut Butter
    • #12 Salt
    • #13 Sugar
    • #14 Powdered Milk
    • #15 Bags Of Flour
    • #16 Yeast
    • #17 Lots Of Extra Coffee (If You Drink It)
    • #18 Buckets Of Long-Term Storable Food
    • #19 Extra Vitamins
    • #20 Lighters Or Matches
    • #21 Candles
    • #22 Flashlights Or Lanterns
    • #23 Plenty Of Wood To Burn
    • #24 Extra Blankets
    • #25 Extra Sleeping Bags
    • #26 A Sun Oven
    • #27 An Extra Fan If You Live In A Hot Climate
    • #28 Hand Sanitizer
    • #29 Toilet Paper
    • #30 Extra Soap And Shampoo
    • #31 Extra Toothpaste
    • #32 Extra Razors
    • #33 Bottles Of Bleach
    • #34 A Battery-Powered Radio
    • #35 Extra Batteries
    • #36 Solar Chargers
    • #37 Trash Bags
    • #38 Tarps
    • #39 A Pocket Knife
    • #40 A Hammer
    • #41 An Axe
    • #42 A Shovel
    • #43 Work Gloves
    • #44 N95 Masks
    • #45 Seeds For A Garden
    • #46 Canning Jars
    • #47 Extra Supplies For Your Pets
    • #48 An Emergency Supply Of Cash
    • #49 Bibles For Every Member Of Your Family
    • #50 A “Bug Out Bag” For Every Member Of Your Family

    Many of the items on this list are now much more expensive than they were earlier this year.

    And if you wait, many of them will continue to become much more expensive.

    If you don’t like my list, come up with your own.

    The important thing is to have a plan.

    Global events are really starting to spiral out of control, and I expect the second half of this year to be even more chaotic than the first half of this year has been.

    Kyle Hilton’s Paper Dolls

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    A series of paper dolls, based on tv shows/characters, created by illustrator Kyle Hilton.

    This New Import Law Will Hurt U.S. Consumers

    Today the the U.S., suffering from high inflation caused by a lack of supplies, is launching the dumbest sanction regime ever:

    A new law, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, goes into effect in the United States on Tuesday and will bar products that were made in Xinjiang or have ties to the work programs there from entering the country. It requires importers with any ties to Xinjiang to produce documentation showing that their products, and every raw material they are made with, are free of forced labor — a tricky undertaking given the complexity and opacity of Chinese supply chains.
    ...
    In theory, the new U.S. law should block all goods made with any raw materials that are associated with Xinjiang until they are proven to be free of slavery or coercive labor practices. But it remains to be seen if the U.S. government is willing or able to turn away such an array of foreign goods.

    The 12 million Uighurs live predominantly in the south of China’s Xinjiang province. The area is arid and there is not enough water for the growing population. Over the years this had led to poverty, social unrest and, with the help of some Saudi educated Wahhabi preachers, to terrorism against non-Wahhabis.

    The Chinese government had launched a large scale program to solve the problem once and for all.

    It subsidized companies to move production facilities to Xinjiang. For geographic reasons these are now mostly in the northern part of Xinjiang. The government also organized large camps for vocational and language training. After people went through those they were offered jobs in the new factories where they work in exchange for normal wages.

    The U.S. anti-China propaganda campaign claims that these Uighur people were forced to take up their new jobs and calls that ‘forced labor’. It is not.

    Working in some industry far from home is normal in China. It is the reason why each year during the Spring Festival season 300 million  people in China travel to reunite with their families.

    Real forced labor is what one sees in the U.S. prison industry where prisoner have no choice but to work for a few pennies which the prison will in the end regain due to absurd prices for small necessities prisoners have to pay for.

    It is doubtful that the Biden administration will not apply the new law to many more products.

    Domestic producers competing with Chinese products can complain to the commerce department which would then have to detain imports at the border, launch an investigation and could eventually seize the products.

    Auxin, a small U.S. producer of solar panels, did exactly that in a tariff case causing chaos in the industry:

    The investigation will cut expected solar installations by 46 percent for 2022 and 2023 and could cost more than 100,000 solar jobs should the department impose the tariffs, according to an analysis released yesterday by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), which organized the congressional meetings.
    
    The probe is “already having a pretty devastating impact,” SEIA President and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper told The Climate 202.

    The new law will replace a Withhold Release Order (WRO) which the U.S. Custom and Border Protection (CBP) issued under the Trump administration in January 2021. The WRO applied to cotton products sourced from Xinjiang and has led to some chaos in the apparels industry.

    The new UFLPA law is much wider and will hit many more products. Many commodities like lithium and nickel are produced in Xinjiang and flow into many downstream products:

    Xinjiang Nonferrous and its subsidiaries have partnered with the Chinese authorities to take in hundreds of such [Uyghur] workers in recent years, according to articles displayed proudly in Chinese on the company’s social media account. These workers were eventually sent to work in the conglomerate’s mines, a smelter and factories that produce some of the most highly sought minerals on earth, including lithium, nickel, manganese, beryllium, copper and gold.
    
    It is difficult to trace precisely where the metals produced by Xinjiang Nonferrous go. But some have been exported to the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea and India, according to company statements and customs records. And some have gone to large Chinese battery makers, who in turn, directly or indirectly, supply major American entities, including automakers, energy companies and the U.S. military, according to Chinese news reports.

    The bureaucratic effort importers in the solar and other industry will have to make to avoid getting punished under the new law is extensive:

    CBP released UFLPA guidelines last week that includes a section on polysilicon imports. In order to comply with the UFLPA, CBP said solar companies must:
    
    [1]   Provide complete supply chain documentation that lists all entities involved in the exported good.
    
    [2]   Provide a flow chart mapping each step in production and identify the region where each material originated.
    
    [3]   Provide a list of all entities associated with each step of production, even if the exporting company did not directly work with them.
    
    The CBP guidelines also state that solar companies that source polysilicon both from within Xinjiang and outside the region risk being subject to detention, as it may be more difficult to verify the products did not co-mingle with Xinjiang polysilicon at any point in the manufacturing process.

    For small importers it will be impossible to do the above. Only big companies can afford to research and provide all that data and to take the risk of importing products that may get confiscated at the border. They will of course ask their customers to pay for all that.

    For the U.S. consumer this does not only mean higher prices but likely less access to products they need or want. The U.S. industry is not in state where it can provide on the scale that China can.

    To avoid the scrutiny Chinese producers may eventually move their factories. But they will move to countries in South Asia and not to the United States.

    Why the ‘green agenda’ Biden administration thought that this is a smart move is beyond me.

    Posted by b on June 21, 2022 at 17:09 UTC | Permalink

    Classic Album Covers Reimagined With Kittens

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    These copycats are feline in the mood for rock… Legendary albums from a world dominated by kittens! All kitteny album parodies by Alfra Martini of aymvisuals.

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    Kitten Reaches Out His Hand For People, Hoping They’d Save Him

    A fine kitten rescue story. All because a big adult cat led people to the trapped kitten. A Rufus cat!

    How to Make French Toast

    What’s not to love about battered and fried bread? Especially when there are so many ways to make it! Here’s everything you need to know to whip up fabulous French toast for just about any meal.

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    Types of French Toast

    As far back as the 15th century, Europeans were following recipes for French toast—a.k.a. pain perdu (French for “lost bread”)—a simple dish consisting of stale bread that’s soaked in an egg-and-milk mixture and cooked to a golden brown. That recipe isn’t too far from the French toast we know and love today.

    Nowadays, there are myriad ways to prepare this simple dish—and it doesn’t have to be relegated to the breakfast table either. Savory French toast variations, like stuffing it with ham and cheese, are perfect for cozy breakfasts, brunches, lunches, desserts or those special nights when breakfast for dinner is on the menu (hello, brinner!).

    What You Need to Make French Toast

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    Making French toast is simple; in fact, you probably already have everything you need!

    • Bread: Fantastic French toast starts with the right bread. Select bread that is thick enough to stand up to the egg mixture, such as Texas-toast style. The thicker cut allows the bread to soak up the egg without falling apart or becoming too mushy.
      • Many people prefer day-old bread, as stale bread will soak up more of the egg mixture without falling apart.
      • Try mixing things up with French or Italian bread, brioche, sourdough, cinnamon-raisin or banana bread, or whole-grain versions.
      • If you are gluten free or Celiac, there’s no reason you can’t get in on the French toast fun! Experiment with your favorite gluten-free bread varieties.
    • Eggs: Choose medium-size eggs that are nice and fresh. If you are vegan or don’t eat eggs, try some of these vegan egg substitutes. There is also a new product on the market called VeganEgg that is mixed with water to form an egg substitute.
    • Milk or cream: The liquid thins out the egg, allowing it to coat the bread and making it less “eggy.” If you’re allergic to milk or prefer milk alternatives, try soymilk, coconut milk or nut milks such as almond or cashew.
    • Batter extras: Many recipes, especially for classic French toast, call for additions such as nutmeg, cinnamon, sugar or vanilla (see below for more ideas). • Toppings: This is the really fun part! See below for creative topping ideas.
    • Something to grease the griddle: Use butter (watch it closely so it doesn’t burn!), cooking spray or a high heat-friendly oil like vegetable or canola. If you are using a nonstick surface, this step is optional.
    • Equipment: A mixing bowl for batter, cutting board and knife for bread if it’s not already sliced and either an electric skillet or large skillet.
    • Utensils: Whisk or fork to mix batter, heat-safe spatula for flipping the bread.

    How to Make French Toast Batter

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    Making the egg mixture doesn’t stop at beating a few eggs. This is where you add flavor that will infuse the French toast. Make your batter in a mixing bowl that is large enough for you to dip slices of bread in. Make sure the bread is coated on all sides before cooking it so it soaks up the batter and develops a nice crust as it cooks.

    For basic French toast, use one egg, ¼ to 1/3 cup milk (depending on desired thickness) and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract for every 2 slices of bread. So, if you were making French toast for four, you would whisk together 4 eggs, 1 to 1/3 cups milk, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

    How to Cook French Toast in a Skillet or Griddle

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    Cooking French toast in a skillet or griddle can get messy, but it’s worth it! Preheat a nonstick griddle to 375° on your stovetop (or heat skillet over medium heat), lightly oiling or buttering if desired. Once the pan is good and hot, dip the bread in the egg mixture on both sides, make sure it’s coated, and place onto the skillet. Cook until golden brown (2-4 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the bread) on both sides. Remove from the griddle and repeat the process until all of the bread has been cooked.

    To make the process less messy, place your batter bowl near the pan, and quickly move the bread from bowl to skillet. You’ll want to flip the toast carefully—batter can splash up and burn you if you do it too fast. Keep slices warm in the oven until you’re ready to serve them up.

    Other Ways to Make French Toast

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    Overnight French Toast: Soaking bread overnight infuses even more flavor and makes French toast extra soft and heavenly. To do this, dip the bread like normal, then place slices in an ungreased pan. Pour any remaining batter over the bread, cover loosely and refrigerate at least 8 hours but no longer than 24 hours before cooking the bread. Remember: There are raw eggs in the batter, so ensure that it’s covered and refrigerated properly!

    Coated French Toast: Dredge your bread in something crunchy after dipping it in the batter—like crushed French Toast Crunch cereal (um, yum!)—for extra flavor and texture.

    Baked French Toast: To avoid slaving over a hot stove or griddle while your guests await their brunch, try making French toast for a crowd in the oven as a bake or casserole!

    Slow-Cooker French Toast: Put your slow cooker to use on holidays, or whenever you want an easy French toast recipe for a crowd. Cooking it low and slow lets the bread soak up even more flavor.

    Stuffed French Toast: Chocolate, fruit, cream cheese or savory ingredients can all be stuffed inside French toast for extra flavor.

    China’s comprehensive, systematic and elaborate response to Secretary Antony Blinken’s China policy speech

    This is a comprehensive take down of Blinkens blunders about China and the US in general.  Full text on the Chinese Embassy of the USA website

    It is long, very long, as any list of US problems, and dishonesty must be.

    Please keep as a reference. The Chinese sound peeved, very very peeved.

    Reality Check: Falsehoods in US Perceptions of China

    2022/06/19 10:52

    Introduction

    US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has recently delivered a speech at Asia Society outlining the US administration’s approach to China. With carefully calibrated language, he sought to promote the “China threat” narrative, interfere in China’s internal affairs, and smear China’s domestic and foreign policy, all in an attempt at full-blown containment and suppression of China.

    In what is to follow, we will use facts and figures to show to the world how deceptive, hypocritical and dangerous the US’s China policy is.

    Falsehood 1: China poses the most serious long-term challenge to the international order and is undermining it. The US will defend the international law, agreements, principles, and institutions that maintain peace and security, and protect the rights of individuals and sovereign nations.

    Reality Check: What the US has constantly vowed to preserve is a so-called international order designed to serve the US’s own interests and perpetuate its hegemony. The US itself is the largest source of disruption to the actual world order.

    ◆ China has been and always will be a defender of the international order. China is a founding member of the United Nations (UN) and the first country to put its signature on the UN Charter. China is committed to upholding the UN-centered international system, the international order underpinned by international law, and the basic norms governing international relations built on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence jointly championed by China, India and Myanmar have been widely recognized by the international community and have become the basic norms guiding state-to-state relations.

    China upholds true multilateralism and global strategic stability. China is the largest contributor of peacekeepers among the permanent members of the UN Security Council and the second largest contributor among all countries to the UN peacekeeping budget. China has taken an active part in international arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation processes. It has signed or acceded to more than 20 multilateral arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation treaties, including the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). China is against arms race.

    In the wake of the international financial crisis of 2008, China adopted a responsible macro policy, remained a “stabilizer” for the world economy and made important contribution to global recovery. China actively provides international public goods to various countries, and has signed BRI cooperation agreements with 149 countries and 32 international organizations.

    ◆ In recent years, President Xi Jinping’s vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind has been warmly received by the international community. It has been written into multiple important documents issued by the UN, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and other multilateral institutions. UN Secretary-General António Guterres hailed China as an important pillar for multilateralism, noting that the purpose for practicing multilateralism is to build a community with a shared future for mankind. Peter Thomson, president of the 71st Session of the UN General Assembly, said the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind advocated by China is the only future for humanity on this planet.

    In response to various new global challenges, President Xi Jinping put forward the Global Development Initiative (GDI) and the Global Security Initiative (GSI). They represent China’s proposals for making the global governance system fairer and more equitable, and have received positive response and wide support from the international community.

    ◆ The US has blatantly violated the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the norms governing international relations. With its military might, the US has launched wars in numerous parts of the world, stoking divisions and conflicts and bringing huge turmoil and disaster to the world. Throughout the 240-plus-year history of the US, there were only 16 years in which the US was not at war. The US might as well be called the most belligerent country in the history of the world. US magazine The National Interest quoted Dakota Wood, senior research fellow for defense programs at the Heritage Foundation, who wrote that the US consistently needed to deploy military force every 15 years or so.

    Since the end of World War II, the United States has either launched or participated in many wars overseas, including the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Afghan War and the Iraq War. Those wars caused extremely severe civilian casualties and property losses, and lead to colossal humanitarian disasters. Since 2001, US wars and military operations in the name of counterterrorism have killed more than 900,000 people, about 335,000 of whom were civilians, injured millions and displaced tens of millions.

    ◆ The US habitually puts its domestic law above the international law, and selectively applies international rules as it sees fit. Since the 1980s, the US had once withdrawn from 17 international organizations and treaties, including the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Paris Agreement, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty and the Treaty on Open Skies.

    Although the current US administration declared that “America is back” and the US has rejoined some international organizations and agreements, the administration has in essence not abandoned the “America First” policy, and is advancing “selective multilateralism”. The current administration has stayed out of institutions and agreements considered harmful to US interests such as the Treaty on Open Skies. European media have described it as “America First 2.0”.

    ◆ The US has abused its financial hegemony and technological clout and engaged in economic coercion in the name of protecting national security. The US has enacted some domestic laws, such as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, and issued a series of executive orders to target and sanction specific countries, entities or individuals. The ambiguous rules contained in these acts and executive orders, such as the “minimum contacts principle” and “doctrine of effects”, are a willful expansion of the jurisdiction of US domestic laws. The US also abuses its domestic channels of prosecution to exercise long-arm jurisdiction over entities and individuals in other countries.

    For more than 60 years, in total disregard of the many resolutions of the UN General Assembly, the US has continued its comprehensive blockade against Cuba based on its embargo policies and domestic laws such as the Torricelli Act and the Helms-Burton Act. The Cuba blockade is the longest and cruelest systemic trade embargo, economic blockade and financial sanctions in modern history. The blockade has been gravely detrimental to Cuba’s economic and social development, causing over 100 billion US dollars of direct losses to Cuba’s economy.

    The US has carried out blockade and sanctions against Iran since late 1970s. In May 2018, the US government announced its unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA, and soon after resumed and expanded sanctions against Iran. Many countries and relevant entities have been forced to give up their cooperation with Iran. A large number of foreign oil enterprises left the country. Iran’s manufacturing industry can hardly sustain normal operation. The country has suffered economic slowdown, coupled with heightened inflation and massive currency depreciation.

    The US has imposed unilateral sanctions on Belarus, Syria and Zimbabwe, among others, over the years, and ratcheted up “maximum pressure” against the DPRK, Venezuela, etc.

    ◆ Statistics show that the previous US administration had imposed over 3,900 sanction measures, which means it wielded its “big stick” three times a day on average. As of fiscal year 2021, the entities and individuals on US sanction lists topped 9,421, which was 933 percent higher compared to the fiscal year 2000.

    The US’s illegal unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction have gravely undermined the sovereignty and security of other countries and severely impacted their economic development and people’s wellbeing. The sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction also constitute a gross violation of international law and basic norms of international relations.

    In an article published in the September/October 2021 issue of Foreign Affairs, Daniel Drezner, Professor at Tufts University and Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, criticizes successive US administrations for using “sanctions as the go-to solution for nearly every foreign policy problem.” He notes that sanctions not only are ineffective, but also “exert a humanitarian toll”, and that the United States of America has become the “United States of Sanctions”.

    ◆ The “rules-based international order” championed by the US is in fact another version of power politics. This is an attempt to impose one’s own will and standards on others, and to replace the commonly accepted international laws and norms with the house rules of a few countries.

    In the world, there is only one international system, i.e. the international system with the UN at its core. There is only one international order, i.e. the international order underpinned by international law. And there is only one set of rules, i.e. the basic norms governing international relations underpinned by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

    Before wanting to discuss rules and order, the US should first pay up its arrears of one billion US dollars for the UN’s regular budget and 1.4 billion US dollars peacekeeping assessments, ratify in a timely manner the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, stop single-handedly blocking the negotiations on a verification protocol under the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), lift illegal unilateral sanctions, earnestly fulfill its international obligations and set a good example for others in respecting laws and norms.

    Falsehood 2: The US is not looking for conflict or a new Cold War. It doesn’t seek to block China from its role as a major power, nor to stop China from growing its economy or advancing the interests of its people.

    Reality Check: Despite its claims that it doesn’t seek to block China from its role as a major power, nor to stop it from growing its economy, the US is actually deploying its domestic and external resources to unscrupulously contain and suppress China .

    ◆ Without producing any credible evidence, the US government uses national security as a catch-all pretext and all its apparatus to wantonly suppress and sanction Huawei, restricting its products’ entry into the US market, cutting off its access to chips and operating system, and coercing countries around the world into banning Huawei from their 5G rollout. The US also orchestrated and pressured Canada to hold Huawei’s CFO for nearly three years without cause.

    ◆ In violation of the principle of fair competition and market economy and international trading rules, the US seeks to hamstring competitive Chinese hi-tech companies under all kinds of trumped-up charges. To date, it has placed over 1,000 Chinese companies on various sanctions lists, subjected biotechnology and artificial intelligence technologies to enhanced export controls and stringent investment review, and sought to ban Chinese social media platforms including TikTok and WeChat.

    ◆ Under the pretext of protecting human rights, the US has fabricated misinformation and disinformation concerning Xinjiang such as the existence of “forced labor” and, on the basis of those unfounded stories, has adopted the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act which maliciously targets Xinjiang’s competitive cotton, tomatoes and solar photovoltaic sectors to contain China’s growth. This has disrupted the international trade order and destabilized global industrial and supply chains.

    ◆ The previous US administration, in grave violation of WTO rules, waged a massive trade war on China. Based on its own Section 301 investigation, it imposed three rounds of steep tariffs on about 360 billion US dollars’ worth of Chinese imports. In September 2021, the current US administration initiated a Section 232 investigation to determine the effects on US national security from imports of neodymium-iron-boron permanent magnets at a time when global commodity prices were hovering at elevated levels.

    ◆ The US has a record of grossly interfering in China’s domestic affairs on issues concerning China’s core interests, including Taiwan, Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong. It seeks to undermine China’s security and stability by, both overtly and covertly, condoning and supporting separatist activities.

    ◆ The bipartisan innovation bills being debated in the US Congress, while professing to enhance US competitiveness, see China as a perceived rival. “China” appears more than 800 times in the text, which is packed with provisions detrimental to China’s interests.

    ◆ In a bid to maintain its power and predominance in international institutions, the US has attempted to smear and block the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind and the initiative of advancing Belt and Road cooperation, among others, in multilateral fora and also to remove references to them in UN and other international documents.

    ◆ Clinging to a Cold War mentality and the hegemon’s logic, the US pursues bloc politics, concocts the “democracy versus authoritarianism” narrative, cajoles other countries into forming exclusive cliques, strengthens the Five Eyes, peddles the Quad mechanism, puts together AUKUS with the UK and Australia and ramps up bilateral military alliances, in a clear attempt at countering China.

    ◆ The US pushes NATO to insert itself in Asia-Pacific affairs, fan the “China threat” narrative in the bloc’s new strategic concept, and include in its Madrid Summit such US allies in the Asia-Pacific as Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Australia, in a bid to build an “Asia-Pacific version of NATO”, which would disrupt security and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

    ◆ The development of state-to-state relations should be based on equality, mutual respect and win-win results. China-US relations have reached an important crossroads. The US should stop viewing this relationship through a Cold War, zero-sum mindset, follow the three principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, and reflect in its action the five assurances it has made to China (i.e. the US does not seek a new Cold War with China, the US does not seek to change China’s system, the revitalization of US alliances is not against China, the US does not support “Taiwan independence”, and the US is not looking for conflict with China) .

    Falsehood 3: Our diplomacy is based on partnership and respect for each other’s interests, while China practices coercive diplomacy against other countries and retaliates recklessly. Our task is to prove once again that all countries will be free to chart their own paths without coercion.

    Reality Check: It is the US that invented “coercive diplomacy” and excels at coercing countries. Over the years, by imposing economic blockade, unilateral sanctions and other means, the US has practiced coercive diplomacy around the world with textbook examples.

    ◆ In 1971, American scholar Alexander George first put forward the concept of “coercive diplomacy” to summarize the US policy toward Laos, Cuba and Vietnam at that time. The US government forced the military government of Haiti to step down in 1994, and referred to that as “a textbook example of coercive diplomacy”. In 2003, it explicitly characterized 30.3 billion US dollars additional military expenses for “coercive diplomacy” as incurred expenses.

    The US government froze seven billion US dollars assets of the Afghan central bank on the grounds of punishing the Afghan Taliban and even claimed the “life-saving money” of the Afghan people as its own, which resulted in the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. Mohammad Naeem, spokesman of the Taliban Political Office in Doha, said the seizure is “indicative of the lowest level of human and moral decay of a country and a nation”.

    In order to force the Nepalese parliament to approve the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) agreement, the US openly issued an “ultimatum”, saying that the US will review its ties with Nepal if it fails to ratify the compact.

    After the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict, the US Justice Department established the “Task Force KleptoCapture” to find, freeze and seize the yachts, apartments, private jets and huge deposits of Russian citizens in the US and Europe. This fully shows that the US-touted “inviolable and sacred right to property” is just a lie. The US has forced other countries to pick sides and pressured them to join sanctions against Russia. And those who refuse to do so will pay a “price”.

    After China and the Solomon Islands had signed a framework agreement on bilateral security cooperation, the US sent senior officials of the National Security Council to the country, doing whatever it can to obstruct the legitimate cooperation between China and Solomon Islands. A Solomn Star article pointed out, “Washington DC, which has literally forgotten Solomon Islands since World War II, has finally woken up and is applying the heat on the Solomon Islands to abandon the security pact.”

    In May 2022, on the eve of the High-Level Virtual Meeting of the Group of Friends of the GDI, the US exerted pressure on multiple UN development agencies to obstruct their attendance and threatened to “cut funding”.

    ◆ The “Clean Network” program launched by the previous administration is another textbook example of US coercive diplomacy. Under the pretext of upholding US national security and citizens’ privacy, the program explicitly requires that Chinese companies such as Huawei, Baidu and Alibaba to be purged from five areas: telecom operators, mobile app stores, mobile apps, cloud services and submarine optical cables. The then US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other US politicians lobbied all around the world, coercing countries and regions to join its so-called “Network”. A US senior official even threatened Cyprus and other countries not to work with Chinese 5G suppliers, or they would bear the consequence. Former UK Business and Industry Minister Vince Cable said the government’s decision to ban Huawei’s 5G equipment and services “had nothing to do with national security”, and was because “the Americans told us we should do it”.

    ◆ The US shows no mercy in coercing its allies. Out of its geopolitical and energy interests considerations, the US has imposed sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline project since December 2019. Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the US has imposed new sanctions on related companies and personnel even though Germany had announced the suspension of the certification process for the project.

    ◆ A US scholar pointed out that American foreign policy since World War II has been based on a simple idea: “Either you are with us or against us. America should lead, allies should follow, and woe be to countries that oppose its primacy”. His words lay bare the nature of US coercive diplomacy.

    ◆ China never engages in coercive diplomacy and firmly opposes coercive diplomacy by other countries. China never threatens other countries with force, never creates military alliance, never exports ideology, never meddles in others’ domestic affairs, never seeks a trade war, and never imposes unjustified oppression on foreign enterprises. That said, however, China has the right to make necessary and legitimate responses to actions that undermine China’s sovereignty, security and development rights and interests.

    Falsehood 4: The US democracy is one of the most powerful assets in this contest. Our task is to prove once again that democracy can meet urgent challenges and that the future belongs to those who believe in freedom.

    Reality Check: The US sets standards for democracy after its own system, does not allow other systems, paths and models to exist, and gangs up with others to wantonly interfere in other countries’ internal affairs in the name of democracy. This not just contravenes the spirit of democracy, but also spells disaster for democracy.

    ◆ The American-style democracy is a rich men’s game based on capital. Money politics penetrates the entire process of election, legislation and administration in the US. People in fact only have a restricted right to political participation. The inequality in economic status has turned into inequality in political status. According to statistics, winners of 91 percent of US congressional elections are the candidates with greater financial support. Big companies, a small group of rich people, and interest groups are more generous to offer financial support and have become the main source of electoral funding. The so-called representatives of people’s will, once elected, often serve the interests of their financial backers, and speak for vested interests rather than the ordinary people. A US Senator had a sharp observation, “Congress does not regulate Wall Street. Wall Street regulates Congress.”

    US Republican congressman from Alabama Mo Brooks publicly denounced “corruption” of the US Congress in a video on social media. “If you want to be chairman of a major committee, you have to purchase it.” The purchase price depends on how important the committee is, with the minimum bid for a major committee being one million US dollars. Those who cannot afford it have to accept the contributions of special interest groups and then give “quid pro quos” to the lobbyists. “Special interest groups run Washington. I don’t mean that metaphorically, I mean that literally.”

    ◆ According to a scholar in Singapore, the United States is clearly not functioning as a democracy. It is functioning as a plutocracy. A democracy is a government of the people, by the people, for the people. A plutocracy is a government of the one percent, by the one percent, for the one percent.

    ◆ The US presidential election follows the Electoral College system, where the president and vice president are elected by the Electoral College. The flaws of such an electoral system are self-evident. First, as the president-elect may not be the winner of the national popular vote, there is a lack of broad representation. Second, as each state gets to decide its own electoral rules, confusion and disorder often occur. Third, the winner-takes-all system exacerbates inequality among states and between political parties. It leads to a huge waste of votes and discourages voter turnout. Voters in deep blue and deep red states are often neglected, while swing states become disproportionately more important where both parties seek to woo more supporters. There have been five presidential elections in US history in which the winner of nationwide popular vote was not elected the president.

    The gerrymandering is widely recognized by the US public as a flaw of the electoral system. It refers to an unfair division of electoral districts in favor of a particular party to win as many seats as possible and cement its advantage. The US conducts a census every ten years. Following the completion of the census, redistricting or the redrawing of electoral district boundaries will take place under the principle of maintaining roughly equal population in every voting district while considering demographic shifts. Under the US Constitution, each state legislature has the power to redistrict. This leaves room for gerrymandering by the majority party in a state legislature. According to a YouGov poll in 2021, only 16 percent of US adult citizens say they think their states’ congressional maps would be drawn fairly, while 44 percent say they think the maps would be drawn unfairly and another 40 percent of adults say they are unsure if the maps will be fair.

    ◆ The American-style democracy is “one person one vote” in name, yet “rule of a dominant minority” in reality. Political pluralism is only a facade. A small number of elites dominate the political, economic and military affairs. They control the state apparatus and policy-making process, manipulate public opinion, dominate the business community and enjoy all kinds of privileges.

    According to the Associated Press, 18.8 million people were missed in the 2020 US census. The black population had a net undercount of 3.3 percent, while it was almost five percent for Hispanics and 5.6 percent for American Indians and Native Alaskans living on reservations. The undercount robs them of their equal share of federal resources including in education, health care and housing and puts them in an unfavorable condition as to congressional apportionment. It reveals the hypocrisy in the US democracy and its “perpetuating systemic racism”.

    Noam Chomsky, a political commentator and social activist from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, points out that the US is a “really existing capitalist democracy”, where there is a positive correlation between people’s wealth and their influence on policy-making. For the lower 70 percent on the wealth/income scale, they have no influence on policy whatsoever. They are effectively disenfranchised.

    Wertheimer, President of the non-profit US organization Democracy 21, says that corruption in the US is systemic corruption of the process itself. “When you are dealing with billions and billions of dollars, much of that focused on buying influence, it overwhelms the system, and it is much harder to defend against and maintain representation for ordinary Americans.”

    Danny Haiphong, an independent journalist in the US, believes that Western-style democracy views the election itself as the highest achievement. The question of whether this system serves the needs of the broad masses of people is generally ignored in order to obscure the fact that powerful corporate interests set the policy agenda well before votes are cast.

    ◆ The checks and balances in the American-style democracy have resulted in a “vetocracy”. American political scientist Francis Fukuyama points out in his book Political Order and Political Decay that there is an entrenched political paralysis in the US. The US political system has far too many checks and balances, raising the cost of collective action and in some cases making it impossible altogether. The US democratic process is fragmented and lengthy, with a lot of veto points where individual veto players can block action by the whole body. The function of “checks and balances”, which was purportedly designed to prevent abuse of power, has been distorted in American political practice. Politicians in Washington, D.C. are preoccupied with securing their own partisan interests and no longer care about national development. The two parties are addicted to vetoing and caught in a vicious circle. The government efficacy is inevitably weakened, law and justice trampled upon, development and progress stalled, and social division widened.

    According to a Pew Research Center report in October 2021 based on a survey of 17 advanced economies including the US, Germany and the ROK, the US is more politically divided than the other economies surveyed. Nine in ten US respondents believe there are strong conflicts between people who support different political parties, and nearly 60 percent of Americans surveyed think their fellow citizens no longer disagree simply over policies, but also over basic facts.

    As political and partisan polarization continues to grow, more “opposition for opposition’s sake” is seen among Democrats and Republicans. Under its influence, voters of the two parties are increasingly antagonized over gun policy. Among Republican voters, 76 percent support the right to possess guns, while 81 percent of Democratic voters see gun control as more important. Hijacked by interest, partisan conflict and the public opinion, the legislation and law enforcement process of gun control is fraught with difficulties. For the past ten years, Democratic congressmen put forward dozens of bills on gun violence and gun control every year, but due to the continued obstruction from the Republican Party, only a handful of them successfully entered the plenary deliberation and debate stage at the Senate or the House of Representatives.

    The US National Rifle Association (NRA) has five million members and spends hundreds of millions of dollars on advertising and lobbying every year. Its tentacles penetrate deep into the fabric of the American society. The NRA is an important funder of the Republican Party. Since its establishment in 1871, the NRA has successfully attracted nine US presidents to join it. According to CNN statistics in 2018, 307 of the 535 US congressmen have received either direct campaign contributions from the NRA and its affiliates or benefited from independent NRA spending like advertising supporting their campaigns. In the face of huge profits, all kinds of gun control efforts have ended up in vain.

    ◆ The US is not a straight A student when it comes to democracy. Its practice of democracy has been messy and chaotic. On 6 January 2021, thousands of Americans gathered on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. and stormed the Capitol building in a bid to stop the joint session of the Congress from certifying the newly-elected president. The incident interrupted the transfer of US presidential power, leaving five dead and over 140 injured. It is the worst act of violence in Washington, D.C. since 1814 when the British troops set fire to the White House, and it sent shock waves throughout the international community. The US Senate Republican leader described it as a “failed insurrection”.

    A scholar from the US Council on Foreign Relations says that the US is not nearly as unique as many Americans believe, and that the Capitol riot should put an end to the notion of American exceptionalism, of an eternal shining city on a hill.

    An American expert on international issues wrote in The New York Times that while the US leader has reunited the West, he may not be able to reunite America. Trump and his supporters would be willing to depart from established constitutional rules and norms with his Big Lie. This may undermine the ability of the US government to transfer power peacefully and legitimately. Consequently none of the institutions will work for long, and the people will be thrust into political and financial chaos.

    ◆ The dysfunctional American-style democracy has triggered a trust crisis. Public commitments to the people come with behind-the-scene deals. Political infighting, money politics, and vetocracy make it virtually impossible for quality governance to be delivered as aspired by the general public. Americans are increasingly disillusioned with the US politics and pessimistic about the American-style democracy.

    A Gallup survey in October 2020 shows that only 19 percent of the Americans surveyed are “very confident” about the presidential election, a record low since the survey was first conducted in 2004. According to a poll conducted by The Wall Street Journal in June 2022, six out of 10 Americans feel pessimistic about achieving the American dream.

    A Pew Research in 2021 shows that 65 percent of Americans see a need for major reform to the American democracy. People’s confidence in the American democracy dropped in 16 developed countries, and 57 percent of respondents think that the American democracy is no longer a good example to follow.

    The Democracy Perception Index released in 2021 by a German polling agency reveals that 44 percent of respondents in the 53 countries surveyed are concerned that the US threatens democracy in their country.

    ◆ Over the years, despite the structural flaws and problematic practice of its democratic system, the US has been touting the “alliance of democracies” and hyping up the narrative of “democracy versus autocracy”. It is in essence attacking those who hold different views under the banner of democracy, using ideology and values as a tool to suppress others and advance its own geopolitical strategies. This is hegemony in the guise of democracy. A former CIA official openly stated: “We will intervene whenever we decide it’s in our national security interest to intervene. If you don’t like it, lump it.”

    The US has pushed for the neo-Monroe Doctrine in Latin America under the pretext of promoting democracy, incited color revolutions in Eurasia, and remotely controlled the Arab Spring in West Asia and North Africa. These moves have brought chaos and disasters to many countries, gravely undermining world peace, stability and development. As suggested by the French website Le Grand Soir, democracy has long become a weapon of massive destruction for the US to attack countries with different views.

    ◆ Whether a country is democratic or not depends on whether its people are truly the masters of the country. It depends on whether the people have the right to vote, and more importantly, the right to participate; what promises they are given during elections, and more importantly, how many of these promises are delivered after elections; what kind of political procedures and rules are set through state systems and laws, and more importantly, whether these systems and laws are truly enforced; and whether the rules and procedures for the exercise of power are democratic, and more importantly, whether the exercise of power is genuinely subject to public oversight and checks.

    ◆ The Communist Party of China (CPC) leads the Chinese people in carrying out the whole-process people’s democracy in China. It has not only a complete set of institutions and procedures, but also full-fledged civil participation. A comprehensive, extensive, and well-coordinated system of institutions has been formed to ensure that the people run the country, and diverse, open, and orderly channels for democracy are put into place. This allows the entire people to engage in law-based democratic elections, consultations, decision-making, management, and oversight and to manage state as well as economic, cultural, and social affairs in various ways and forms and in accordance with the law. The whole-process people’s democracy integrates process-oriented democracy with results-oriented democracy, procedural democracy with substantive democracy, direct democracy with indirect democracy, and people’s democracy with the will of the state. It is a model of socialist democracy that covers all aspects of the democratic process and all sectors of society. It is a true democracy that works. China’s whole-process people’s democracy is gaining wider recognition and acclaim from the international community.

    A British scholar says that electoral democracy does not breed a close relationship with the people and government, because the people are only called upon to be involved whenever to make elections take place. The Chinese approach is different in that there is a very important consultative component in the way China operates.

    ◆ Democracy is a concrete phenomenon that is constantly evolving. Rooted in history, culture and tradition, it takes diverse forms and develops along the paths chosen by different peoples based on their exploration and innovation. China stays committed to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, uphold non-interference in internal affairs, and respect the independent choices of development paths and social systems made by people in different countries. China has no intention to engage in systemic rivalry or ideological confrontation with the US. China never exports ideology, never interferes in other countries’ internal affairs, and never seeks to change the system of the US.

    Falsehood 5: The US has profound differences with the CPC and the Chinese Government. But those differences are between governments and systems – not between our people.

    Reality check: The CPC’s leadership is the choice of history and of the people. The CPC and the Chinese government enjoy the wholehearted support and endorsement of the Chinese people. The US’s attempt to drive wedges between the CPC and the Chinese people only serves to reveal its animosity against China’s system and path.

    ◆ The CPC has deep roots among and close ties with the Chinese people. This is what has kept the CPC full of vigor and vitality. By the end of 2021, the CPC had over 95 million members. The CPC is the largest party in the world that has exercised long-term governance in the world’s most populous country. Under the leadership of the CPC, China has created the two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability. Over 800 million people have been lifted out of poverty and 1.4 billion people are moving toward modernization. Over the course of just several decades, China has accomplished what took western developed countries hundreds of years.

    A Harvard University survey among the Chinese people spanning 13 years found that more than 90 percent of respondents are satisfied with the Party and their government, the highest rate among countries for years running. A trust and credibility survey released in 2022 by Edelman, a renowned US public relations consultancy firm, shows that as many as 91 percent Chinese citizens trust their government in 2021, the highest among all surveyed countries.

    ◆ The previous US administration, in a McCarthyism-style campaign, went all out to attack and discredit the CPC. It has attacked Chinese leaders and China’s domestic and foreign policies, sown discord between the CPC and the Chinese people, flagrantly challenged the leadership and governing position of the CPC, incited anti-China and anti-CPC sentiment, and imposed visa restrictions on CPC members and their families.

    The current administration, since its inauguration, has made no substantive changes to those policies. In June 2021, the US Senate passed the United States Innovation and Competition Act of 2021, which is more than 2,000 pages long. It regarded China as a strategic competitor and the main challenge to the US, slandered China’s development path and domestic and foreign policies, and malignantly urged actions to counter the “influence and malign activities” of the CPC. It asked for more than 200 billion US dollars of public funding to ensure US advantages in key technology sectors over China, and advocated mobilizing US resources in strategic, diplomatic, economic, and technological realms to engage in comprehensive strategic competition with China. The US Senate also proposed an appropriation of 300 million US dollars for each of the fiscal years 2022 through 2026 to “counter the malign influence” of the CPC and designated the US Department of State and Agency for International Development to train journalists on investigative techniques necessary to ensure public accountability related to the Belt and Road Initiative, including “supporting civil society and independent media”.

    The US continues to use the CPC background as a pretext for cracking down on normal people-to-people exchanges and cooperation. For some time, Chinese students and visiting scholars going to the US have been harassed and suppressed by the US. Most of them were asked whether they or their parents are CPC members. Some were repatriated on inconceivable grounds, such as being suspected of military connections simply because they had photos in their mobile phones of military training at college. These stop-and-search activities go far beyond what the US claims as “normal law enforcement”.

    ◆ The CPC, the Chinese government and the Chinese people share an inseparable bond. The US says it respects the Chinese people, then it should respect the development path and political system chosen by the Chinese people and respect the CPC that represents the fundamental interests of the Chinese people. By targeting the CPC and the Chinese government, the US is in effect targeting the Chinese people. Anything done to separate the CPC, the Chinese government and the Chinese people and pit the Chinese people against the CPC and the Chinese government will surely be met with the unanimous opposition and resolute response of the over 1.4 billion Chinese people.

    Falsehood 6: The United States raises human rights issues and calls for change – not to stand against China, but to stand up for peace, security, and human dignity.

    Reality Check: The human rights of the Chinese people are guaranteed like never before, with a notable increase in their sense of fulfillment, happiness and security. In contrast, the US has been engaged in grave human rights violations both at home and abroad, and its shocking track record makes it the biggest human rights abuser in the world.

    ◆ China always puts people’s right to subsistence on top of its agenda, prioritizes the work to enhance their right to development, regards the protection of citizens’ lawful rights and interests as its basic task, has made the safeguarding of the rights of ethnic groups an important part of its work, and considers the protection of people’s safety its long-term goal.

    Guided by a people-centered philosophy, since the day when it was founded, the CPC has made seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation its mission. For the past 100 years, the Party has been working tirelessly for the interest of the people, and has dedicated itself to realizing people’s aspirations for a better life. China has been advancing whole-process people’s democracy, promoting legal safeguard for human rights, and upholding social equity and justice. The Chinese people now enjoy fuller and more extensive and comprehensive democratic rights.

    ◆ China has created the miracle of eliminating absolute poverty. By the end of 2020, China has lifted all 98.99 million rural residents living below the current poverty line out of poverty. In 2021, China completed the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and historically resolved the problem of absolute poverty. Since the launch of reform and opening-up, 770 million impoverished rural residents have shaken off poverty as currently defined. Based on the international poverty line of the World Bank, China accounts for 70 percent of global poverty reduction over the same period. China met the poverty reduction goal of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ten years ahead of schedule, making major contributions to global poverty reduction and human rights progress. China has also put in place the world’s largest education system, the largest social security system and the largest health care system.

    ◆ Since COVID-19 started, China has been acting on the principle of putting the people and their lives first. Based on China’s national conditions, it has formulated and implemented a dynamic zero-COVID guideline, and has been constantly fine-tuning its response measures in light of the evolving situation, to best protect people’s life and health and at the same time, ensure sustained, sound and steady socioeconomic development with the pandemic under effective control. Both the infection rate and mortality rate of China are the lowest in the world.

    ◆ As an active participant in global human rights governance, China has made its contribution to and offered its initiatives on world human rights development. In recent years, the concept of “building a community of shared future” has been written into the resolutions of the UN Human Rights Council, and China-sponsored resolutions on “the contribution of development to the enjoyment of all human rights” and on “Promoting Mutually Beneficial Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights” were adopted multiple times at the Human Rights Council. China also made joint statements on behalf of developing countries on the implementation of the right to development, the promotion of human rights by poverty alleviation, equitable distribution of vaccines, among other subjects, contributing its share to safeguarding the basic human rights of developing countries, which has won it wide recognition and support from the international community.

    ◆ China has been an advocate and a doer in advancing the international human rights cause. A World Bank study estimates, if implemented fully, the Belt and Road Initiative could lift 32 million people out of moderate poverty — those who live on less than $3.2 a day. It shows how participating in Belt and Road cooperation can advance human rights in more countries. In the face of the pandemic, China launched its largest global humanitarian operation since the founding of the People’s Republic, and championed the building of a global community of health for all. To address the global development deficit, China proposed the Global Development Initiative (GDI) which sees improving people’s welfare and achieving well-rounded human development as the fundamental purpose and goal. The GDI has been echoed and supported by more than 100 countries and many international organizations including the UN. The Initiative galvanizes extensive international consensus for accelerated implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and builds up international synergy for coordinated development, thus providing a strong underpinning for the advancement of the international human rights cause.

    ◆ The right to life is of utmost importance, as survival is the basis of all human rights. Endowed with the world’s most advanced medical equipment and technologies, the US has registered the world’s largest number of COVID-19 infections and deaths. Pandemic response has been extremely politicized, and become a tool and lever to attack, undercut and oppose each other between the Republicans and the Democrats. Politicians only focus on political gains, with no regard to the life and health of the ordinary people. Its pandemic control, which has been unscientific, unequal and irresponsible, has gravely undermined American people’s right to life and health.

    So far, the COVID-19 death toll in the US has surpassed one million. The deaths are, according to The Atlantic, “unexpected, untimely, particularly painful, and, in many cases, preventable”. Some politician even suggested that old people may sacrifice themselves for the country and that saving the country’s economy is more important than old people’s lives. Data of the US Center for Disease Prevention and Control shows that most COVID victims are aged 65 years and above. USC and Princeton researchers project that due to the pandemic deaths last year, life expectancy at birth for Americans will shorten by 1.13 years, the sharpest decline since World War II. “For Blacks, the life expectancy would shorten by 2.10 years, and for Latinos, by 3.05 years. Whites are also impacted, but their projected decline is much smaller – 0.68 years.”

    The Washington Post points to a far greater number behind the one million death toll: That number is 9 million – the number of Americans who have lost spouses, parents, grandparents, siblings and children to COVID. A study by the Imperial College London estimates that more than 250,000 US children had lost a parent or caregiver to COVID-19 by 23 May 2020. Figures released by the US Government Accountability Office in March 2022 show that up to 23 million people in the US may have developed “long COVID”, and an estimated one million people suffering from the symptoms may be pushed out of work.

    The US is the country most rampant with gun violence. Its population, totaling 333 million or 4 percent of the world’s total, own more than 400 million guns or 46 percent of all the private guns in the world. It tops the world in terms of gun ownership, and shooting incidents every now and then in the US takes away more than 110 lives on a daily average. Many people say it is easier to buy a gun than baby formula in the US.

    Data of the US website Gun Violence Archive show about 45,000 Americans are killed in gun violence incidents in 2021. On 24 May 2022, the Robb elementary school shooting in Texas claimed 21 lives, including 19 children. By US media counts, it is the 39th campus shooting this year. According to The Washington Post tally, 202 mass shootings took place in the US in the first five and half months this year. For decades, no substantive measures have been taken by the US government to address such problems. In the past 25 years, the US federal government fails to introduce any gun control act. The New York Times observed, “The United States has become ungovernable not because of political differences or protest or a lack of civility, but because this is a country unwilling to protect and care for its citizens – its women, its racial minorities and especially its children.”

    Despite the claim by US founding fathers that “All men are created equal”, slavery was preserved in its Constitution of 1789. Although the US has abolished segregation on the surface, white supremacy continues to wreak havoc, and systemic discrimination against racial minorities still exists even to this day. The entrenched racism, compounded by the coronavirus, has fueled a new spike of hate crimes against Asian-Americans. At the same time, racial persecution of the indigenous people persists, discrimination against the Muslim community worsens, racial economic divide yawns, and racial inequality aggravates day by day. Nearly 60 years on since Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech, people still see a brutal reality as reflected in George Floyd’s “I can’t breathe” plea.

    ◆ Through slaughter, expulsion, sterilization and forced assimilation, the US committed a genocide against Native Americans, resulting in a sharp drop in their population from five million in 1492 to 250,000 in the early 20th century. The Native American community has long been neglected and discriminated against. The indigenous culture was fundamentally crushed, and the inter-generational inheritance of indigenous lives and spirits was under severe threats. Many US government statistical programs either leave them out completely or simply classify them as “others”.

    Shannon Keller O’Loughlin, Chief Executive and Attorney of the Association on American Indian Affairs, said that Native Americans have diverse cultures and languages, but are often seen not as an ethnic group, but as a political stratum with limited autonomy based on treaties with the federal government. The Atlantic commented that from the expulsion, slaughter and forced assimilation back in history to the current widespread poverty and neglect, the American Indians, once the owner of this continent, now have a very weak voice in American society.

    The US government enforced the system of boarding schools in Native American areas to impose English and Christian education on Native American children. It also enacted laws prohibiting Native Americans from performing religious rituals which have been passed down through generations. An article titled “The United States Must Reckon With Its Own Genocides” carried by Foreign Policy website on 11 October 2021 noted that over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, there were more than 350 government funded indigenous boarding schools across the US. Hundreds of thousands of indigenous children passed through, or died in, these schools. The purpose of Indian boarding schools was to culturally assimilate indigenous children by forcibly relocating them from their families and communities to distant residential facilities where their American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian identities, languages, and beliefs were to be forcibly suppressed. The US was not just morally, but also legally responsible for the crime of genocide against its own people.

    Native American writer Rebecca Nagle believes that information about Native Americans has been systematically removed from mainstream media and popular culture. According to a report by National Indian Education Association, 87 percent of state-level US history textbooks do not mention the post-1900 history of indigenous people. According to the Smithsonian Institution, things taught about Native Americans in American schools are full of inaccurate information and fail to present the real picture of the sufferings of indigenous people. Rick Santorum, a former Republican senator, said publicly at the Young America’s Foundation that “We birthed a nation from nothing. I mean, there was nothing here … but candidly, there isn’t much Native American culture in American culture.”

    ◆ Islamphobia and the discrimination against and suppression of Muslims and Islam in US mainstream society has become more pronounced. A Bloomberg report on 9 September 2021 observed that discrimination against Muslims in the US increased in the two decades after 9/11. On the same day, the Associated Press cited a survey which found that 53 percent of Americans have negative views toward Islam. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said in its 2021 report that it receives an increasing number of complaints each year about bullying and hate speech against Muslims.

    According to the survey findings released by the Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley on 29 October 2021, 67.5 percent of Muslim respondents said they had experienced Islamophobia, and an even larger percent of those surveyed, 93.7 percent, said that anti-Muslim hatred had affected their mental or emotional well-being to some degree.

    ◆ The US has serious problems of human trafficking and forced labor. It still has not ratified the Forced Labour Convention (1930), the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Every year, nearly 100,000 people are smuggled into the US for forced labor. Today, there are at least half a million people enslaved in the US; roughly 240,000 to 325,000 women and children are victims of sexual slavery.

    ◆ Immigrants and refugees have become a tool of partisan feuding and political rivalry in the US. The government changes its rules and regulations capriciously, enforces laws violently, and immigrants have been subjected to inhuman treatment such as prolonged detention, torture and forced labor. Data released by US Border Patrol shows that in fiscal year 2021, as many as 557 migrants died on the southern border of the US, more than double the previous fiscal year, hitting the highest number since records began in 1998. That same year, the US detained more than 1.7 million immigrants at the southern border, including 45,000 children. In September 2021, more than 15,000 asylum seekers from Haiti crowded under a bridge in the Texas border town of Del Rio, sleeping in squalid tents or dirt in the sweltering heat, and surrounded by trash under dire living conditions. US border patrol authorities brutalized the asylum seekers, with patrols on horseback, brandishing horsewhips and charging toward the crowds to expel them into the river. CNN commented that this scene is reminiscent of the dark era in American history when slave patrols were used to control black slaves.

    ◆ Turning a blind eye to the systematic violation of the human rights of its own people, the US government has wilfully attacked other countries and interfered in their internal affairs in the name of human rights, challenging right with might and trampling on justice out of selfish interest.

    Since 2001, the US has waged war or conducted military operations in about 80 countries in the name of “war on terror”, resulting in the deaths of more than 900,000 people, including 300,000 civilians. The 20-year-long war waged by the US has left Afghanistan devastated and impoverished. A total of 47,245 Afghan civilians and 66,000 to 69,000 Afghan soldiers and police officers unrelated to 9/11 have been killed and more than 10 million displaced as a result of US operations. The War in Afghanistan has destroyed the foundation of economic development and impoverished the Afghan people. When the US withdrew from Afghanistan, it immediately froze billions of dollars in foreign exchange reserves at the Afghan central bank, pushing the Afghan economy to the brink of collapse and making things worse for the Afghan people.

    At the 48th session of the UN Human Rights Council, many countries denounced the US as “the biggest destroyer of human rights in the world” and urged it to address its own gross human rights problems.

    ◆ The US has been an expert in arbitrary detention and torture. Under the pretext of “war on terror”, the CIA has set up black sites in at least 54 countries and regions over the years, where more than 100,000 people are detained. A group of independent human rights experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council said in a statement released on 10 January 2022 that the US has arbitrarily detained people without trial and subjected them to torture or ill-treatment in Guantanamo Bay for 20 years in violation of international human rights law, calling this “a stain on the US Government’s commitment to the rule of law”. The US should face up to and resolve its own systemic and chronic human rights problems, reflect on the humanitarian disasters and crimes it has caused around the world, and give a responsible account of itself to the international community.

    Falsehood 7: The US remains committed to its “one China” policy, which is guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the three Joint Communiques, the Six Assurances. Its policy on Taiwan has not changed. 

    Reality Check: The one-China principle is an established norm of international relations and a universal consensus of the international community. The US has acted faithlessly, kept regressing from its own commitments and the consensus it reached with China, and attempted to weaken and undermine the one-China principle and use Taiwan to contain China. This is a major threat to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

    ◆ In October 1971, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted, with an overwhelming majority, Resolution 2758, which decided to restore the lawful seat of the People’s Republic of China in the UN, and has solved once and for all the issue of China’s representation in the UN in political, legal and procedural terms. The official legal opinions of the Office of Legal Affairs of the UN Secretariat pointed out explicitly that “the United Nations considers ‘Taiwan’ as a province of China with no separate status”, the “‘authorities’ in ‘Taipei’ are not considered to … enjoy any form of governmental status”, and “Reference to ‘Taiwan’ … should read ‘Taiwan, Province of China’”.

    On the basis of the one-China principle, China has established diplomatic relations with 181 countries, including the US.

    ◆ The US made the following commitments to China regarding the one-China principle in the three China-US joint communiqués.

    In the Shanghai Communiqué released in 1972, the US explicitly stated that “The United States acknowledges that all Chinese on either side of the Taiwan Strait maintain there is but one China and that Taiwan is a part of China. The United States Government does not challenge that position”.

    In the Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations released in 1978, the US clearly stated that “The United States of America recognizes the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal Government of China”; “The Government of the United States of America acknowledges the Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China”.

    In the August 17 Communiqué released in 1982, the US unequivocally stated that “In the Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations on January 1, 1979, issued by the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of the United States of America, the United States of America recognized the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal Government of China, and it acknowledged the Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China”, and that “it has no intention of infringing on Chinese sovereignty and territorial integrity, or interfering in China’s internal affairs, or pursuing a policy of ‘two Chinas’ or ‘one China, one Taiwan’”.

    According to this Communiqué, “the United States Government states that it does not seek to carry out a long-term policy of arms sales to Taiwan, that its arms sales to Taiwan will not exceed, either in qualitative or in quantitative terms, the level of those supplied in recent years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and China, and that it intends gradually to reduce its sale of arms to Taiwan, leading, over a period of time, to a final resolution. In so stating, the United States acknowledges China’s consistent position regarding the thorough settlement of this issue”.

    ◆ Rather than faithfully abiding by its commitments on Taiwan, the US has kept backpedaling on history.

    On the political front, the US has added the so-called “Taiwan Relations Act” and the “Six Assurances” to the expression of its one-China policy, with a growing list of such prefixes. Both prefixes are unilaterally made by the US side in breach of its commitments in the three China-US joint communiqués as well as the one-China principle affirmed in the UNGA Resolution 2758 and widely observed by the international community. They are illegal, null and void from the very beginning, and China has never acknowledged and has firmly rejected them from the outset. The US has also violated its commitment of maintaining unofficial relations only with Taiwan and kept upgrading the level of engagement. In recent years, senior US officials including the Secretary of Health and Human Services and Under Secretary of State as well as members of Congress have visited Taiwan. US ambassadors overseas have also met with Taiwan’s so-called “representatives” in their host countries.

    In the military field, the US has reneged on its commitment “that it intends gradually to reduce its sale of arms to Taiwan, leading, over a period of time, to a final resolution”. Instead of ceasing the arms sales, it has sold weapons at a larger scale and with enhanced capability including assault weaponries such as anti-radiation missiles, heavy weight torpedoes, and F-16V fighter jets. To date, the total volume of US arms sales to Taiwan has exceeded 70 billion US dollars. According to reports by Reuters and other new agencies, US special operations forces have been rotating into Taiwan on a temporary basis to train with Taiwanese forces.

    Since 2021, the US leader has stated publicly on three occasions that the US would help defend Taiwan in case of a war in the Taiwan Strait.

    On the international stage, the US has been assisting Taiwan in expanding its so-called “international space”. Recently, the US has been spreading globally the fallacy that UNGA Resolution 2758 did not determine the status of Taiwan, and that each country should be able to determine the contours of its own “one China” policy. It has vigorously advocated support for Taiwan’s participation as an observer in the 75th session of the World Health Assembly, and even blatantly helped to consolidate Taiwan’s “diplomatic relations”.

    ◆ These US acts have breached its commitment that “it has no intention of … pursuing a policy of ‘two Chinas’ or ‘one China, one Taiwan’”. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2022, former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said, “my understanding of the agreement (China and the US reached upon the establishment of diplomatic relations) has been that the United States would uphold the principle of one China … it is essential that these principles be maintained, and the United States should not by subterfuge or a gradual process, develop something of a two-China solution”.

    ◆ The DPP authorities have been stubbornly advancing its “Taiwan independence” separatist agenda, and the US has been encouraging and supporting “Taiwan independence” forces overtly and covertly. This is the root cause of current tensions across the Taiwan Strait. To defend peace across the Taiwan Strait and beyond, we must forestall the growing tendency of “Taiwan independence” and the collusion between the US and Taiwan. The one-China principle must not be challenged. China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must not be infringed upon. And the red line that no one should pursue a policy of “two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan” must not be crossed. China is fully confident, capable and prepared to resolutely curb “Taiwan independence” separatist activities, resolutely foil all external interferences, and firmly safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity. The US should abide by the provisions in the three China-US joint communiqués, follow a true one-China policy, and act on its commitments including on not supporting “Taiwan independence”. The US needs to genuinely reflect on and redress its regressive and erroneous behavior, and stop playing with fire on the Taiwan question. Otherwise, it would gravely jeopardize peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, undermine China-US relations and incur an unbearable cost on itself.

    Falsehood 8: The United States stands with countries and people around the world against the genocide and crimes against humanity happening in the Xinjiang region, where more than a million people have been placed in detention camps because of their ethnic and religious identity.

    Reality Check: The human rights of the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang are fully protected. There is no “genocide” or “crimes against humanity” in Xinjiang. The US has been spreading disinformation about Xinjiang simply to create an excuse for discrediting and attacking China.

    ◆ Xinjiang-related issues are not about human rights, but about fighting violence, terrorism and separatism. According to figures available, between 1990 and the end of 2016, there were several thousand incidents of violent and terrorist attacks in Xinjiang, killing large numbers of innocent people and hundreds of police officers, and causing immeasurable property damage.

    In response to such real threats, Xinjiang has acted resolutely to fight terrorism and extremism in accordance with law. At the same time, a series of supporting measures have been taken, like improving people’s livelihoods, raising public awareness about law, and offering help through vocational education and training centers. The trend of frequent terrorist activities has thus been effectively curbed. There has been no violent act of terrorism in Xinjiang for five consecutive years and more. The region has enjoyed security, social stability and good development. The safety and security of people of all ethnic groups have been effectively protected.

    ◆ “Genocide” in Xinjiang is a complete “lie of the century”. Over the past 60 years and more, the Uyghur population has increased from 2.2 million to about 12 million, and their average life expectancy has grown from 30 to 75 years.

    With stability prevailing in Xinjiang, local people live and work in peace and happiness. The region has made unprecedented progress in delivering economic and social development and in bettering people’s lives. Between 2014 and 2019, GDP in Xinjiang rose from 919.59 billion yuan to 1.36 trillion yuan, with an average annual growth rate of 7.2 percent, while per capita disposable income grew by an average annual rate of 9.1 percent. Remarkable achievements have been made in eliminating extreme poverty. All 3.09 million impoverished people by current standards have been lifted out of poverty, making absolute poverty a thing of the past in Xinjiang.

    The lawful rights and interests of the people of all ethnicities in Xinjiang have been protected effectively. All ethnic groups, regardless of their populations, have equal legal status and enjoy freedom of religious belief and various rights in accordance with law, including participating in the management of state affairs, receiving education, using their own languages, and preserving their traditional culture.

    ◆ In July 2019, permanent representatives of more than 50 countries in Geneva sent a joint letter to the President of the UN Human Rights Council and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, praising China’s achievements in fighting terrorism, deradicalization and human rights protection. In October 2019, more than 60 countries spoke at the Third Committee of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly, commending the tremendous human rights advancement in Xinjiang. In June 2021, more than 90 countries made joint or separate statements at the Human Rights Council in support of China. In the meantime, Canada took the lead in attacking China on issues related to Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Tibet. Just a little over 40 countries echoed Canada’s criticism, and none of them are from the Muslim world.

    ◆ In recent years, over 2,000 people from more than 100 countries, including experts, scholars, journalists, diplomats and religious figures, have visited Xinjiang, witnessing the unity, harmony and happiness of people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang.

    ◆ The so-called “genocide” in Xinjiang is a lie cooked up by anti-China forces represented by the anti-China German scholar Adrian Zenz. He is a member of the far-right group “Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation” sponsored by the US government, and a key figure in an anti-China organization set up by US intelligence agencies. He is also a racist. His “research” is full of inconsistencies, fabrications and data manipulation. It does not have any academic credibility and cannot be cleared for academic publication. For example, a chart in Zenz’s “paper” claims that new IUD placements in Xinjiang average between 800 and 1,400 per person each year, which means each woman in the region would have to undergo four to eight such insertion surgeries every day. This is totally against common sense.

    ◆ On 29 June 2020, the Jamestown Foundation of the US published a “research report” by Adrian Zenz, in which he falsely accused the Chinese government of committing “genocide” against ethnic minorities in Xinjiang.

    Upon the release of the report, US politicians including then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback, Senator Marco Rubio and House Representative Jim McGovern immediately pitched in to whip up the “genocide” accusation. Rubio, McGovern, Senator John Cornyn and Senator Robert Menendez went on to urge the administration to make a genocide determination of China’s policy on Xinjiang. Contradicting the conclusion reached by lawyers at the State Department Office of the Legal Adviser, Pompeo announced that “I have determined that the People’s Republic of China is committing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, China, targeting Uyghur Muslims and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups” on 19 January 2021, the last day of the previous administration. The current administration has followed the same position and continued to allege “genocide” in Xinjiang. This further exposes the US’s real intention of political manipulation in the name of human rights.

    ◆ The World Uyghur Congress, an anti-China separatist organization, hired people like Sayragul Sauytbay and Tursunay Ziawudun to make false statements and spread all kinds of lies about “persecution”. In the 70-plus press conferences held so far by the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, falsehoods spread by anti-China forces have been debunked with solid facts. For instance, some “performers” who claimed to be the victims of forced sterilization in vocational education and training centers have never been to one. The family members or friends reported by some “performers” as missing are actually living a normal life in Xinjiang.

    ◆ The false claim about “millions of Uyghurs detained” in education and training centers was initiated and spread by “Chinese Human Rights Defenders”, an NGO supported by the US government. Based on interviews with eight Uyghurs and rough estimation, the organization came to the preposterous conclusion that at least 10 percent of the 20 million people in Xinjiang are detained in “reeducation camps”.

    The education and training centers in Xinjiang are no different in nature from deradicalization centers or community correction and desistance and disengagement programs in many other countries. It has been proven to be a successful exploration in preventative counter-terrorism and deradicalization, consistent with the principle and spirit of counter-terrorism resolutions including the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and the UN Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism. At the centers, trainees acquire greater proficiency in standard spoken and written Chinese language and employability, and gain a stronger sense of national identity, citizenship and rule of law. By October 2019, all trainees had graduated from the centers. Most of them have steady employment after finding jobs by themselves or with the help of the government, or starting up their own businesses.

    ◆ The US and some other Western countries have been making an issue of human rights in Xinjiang in total disregard of the basic reality of human rights protection and development there. It has become a means for them to achieve their strategic objective of using Xinjiang as a pretext to contain China. Lawrence Wilkerson, a retired US Army Colonel and chief of staff to former Secretary of State Colin Powell, said publicly in August 2018 that one of the three-fold purpose of the US military’s presence in Afghanistan is the containment of China — “If the CIA would want to destabilize China, that would be the best way to do it – to form an unrest, and join with those Uyghurs in pushing … Beijing from internal places rather than external”.

    Falsehood 9: The CPC has imposed harsh anti-democratic measures in Hong Kong under the guise of national security. Beijing’s quashing of freedom in Hong Kong violates its handover commitments, enshrined in the Sino-British Joint Declaration. 

    Reality Check: By attacking and smearing the Law on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), what the US is really up to is to meddle in Hong Kong affairs and make Hong Kong a “bridgehead” for infiltration and interference against the mainland. Hong Kong is China’s Hong Kong. Hong Kong affairs are purely China’s internal affairs that brook no interference from the US.

    ◆ For a long time, the US has colluded with the anti-China, destabilizing forces in Hong Kong, interfered in Hong Kong’s political agenda, stoked up social tensions, and even directly intervened in Hong Kong affairs. The US Consul-General in Hong Kong publicly criticized the Hong Kong SAR government for the proposed legislative amendments in 2019 and the One Country, Two Systems. Officials from the US Consulate-General in Hong Kong also met with the so-called leaders of the rioters. The rioters openly admitted that they had discussed with the US the legislative process of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019 and urged the US to stop exporting tear gas and rubber bullets to the Hong Kong police.

    ◆ Funded and incited by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and other US government’s “white gloves”, anti-China rioters in Hong Kong committed vandalizing, looting and arson in the name of the so-called fight for “democracy” and “freedom”, and violently stormed the building of the Legislative Council (LegCo) of Hong Kong. NED even appeared publicly on the street to direct relevant activities, attempting to stage a “color revolution” in Hong Kong. NED contacted opposition parties, groups and organizations in Hong Kong through its affiliating National Democratic Institute for International Affairs or the National Democratic Institute (NDI). NDI funded the “1 July marches” orchestrated by the opposition to obstruct legislation on Article 23, funded the participation of opposition parties and groups at workshops and seminars, and provided personal counseling on campaigning skills for their leaders, ran a so-called “young political leaders program” to support emerging political groups in confronting the government, plotted, together with opposition members of LegCo, a “five-district referendum”, and directed and funded the opposition and young radicals in orchestrating the illegal “Occupy Central” movement.

    According to the NED website, two million US dollars were spent on 11 Hong Kong-related projects in 2020, with a particular focus on disrupting LegCo elections. Key projects include: “Strengthening Citizen Election Observation”, which offered technical and financial assistance to newly formed destabilizing groups in Hong Kong, and encouraged them to obstruct LegCo elections by means of election monitoring, get-out-the-vote methods, etc.; “Amplifying Citizens’ Perspectives on Political Participation”, which collected and disseminated survey findings on democratic development, and induced young Hong Kongers to share their political participation experiences on the Internet; “Supporting Unity Among Student Activists”, which called for better coordination among Hong Kong student groups prior to LegCo elections, and instructed and trained them to build capacity for “democratic change” and international communication and to play a role in disrupting electoral order; and “Building Regional Solidarity and Empowering the Hong Kong Movement”, which sought to strengthen Hong Kong’s “democratic movement” through network building, cultivate next-generation “leading activists” in Hong Kong, and set up a network of “democratic movement” in Asia.

    ◆ US officials used “violence” and “shame” to describe the storming of the Capitol building by protesters, but labeled the violent, criminal activities in Hong Kong that assaulted residents and damaged public facilities as “a beautiful sight to behold”. The US police used armored vehicles to disperse demonstrators, abused their force to beat and drive away sit-in demonstrators, and arrested demonstrators after deliberately inducing them to walk on vehicle lanes which constitutes violation of the law, while discrediting the Hong Kong SAR government’s law-based actions to protect people’s rights and the public order as “violation” of human rights. This is another display of US-style hypocritical double standards and exposes its intention to undermine prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and contain China under the pretext of human rights and democracy.

    ◆ During the 150-plus years of British colonial rule, there was no democracy in Hong Kong whatsoever. None of the governors was democratically elected by Hong Kong residents. For most of the time, Legco members were directly appointed by the governor. In stark contrast, after the return of Hong Kong, pursuant to the Basic Law, Hong Kong has come to enjoy the executive, legislative and independent judicial power, including that of final adjudication. Its residents are masters of the SAR as provided by law who manage their own affairs within the scope of the high degree of autonomy. They enjoy a wide range of democratic rights and freedoms like never before. This is a fact that every fair-minded person would recognize.

    ◆ The purpose of enacting the National Security Law in Hong Kong is to close the legal loopholes in safeguarding national security in the SAR. It is a legitimate and necessary move to respond to violent terrorist activities and illegal external interference in Hong Kong. Constitutions of more than 100 countries have stipulations that the exercise of fundamental rights and freedoms shall not endanger national security. According to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the rights to freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and public trial may be subject to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary to protect public safety and order. The European Convention on Human Rights has similar provisions.

    The national security law specifically targets four categories of crimes: secession, subversion, terrorist activities, and collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security. It seeks to punish a tiny number of criminals who seriously endanger national security and protect the vast majority of law-abiding Hong Kong citizens. It provides better protection for the rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong residents and the high degree of autonomy of Hong Kong enshrined in law. It creates the conditions needed for addressing the deep-seated problems in the economy and concerning people’s livelihood. It also helps maintain the rule of law and business environment in Hong Kong, ease the concerns of the business community about social disorder, and offer better conditions for people from around the world who want to work, invest and live in Hong Kong.

    Over the past two years or so since the National Security Law was enacted, the rule of law in Hong Kong has been strengthened and better guaranteed. Hong Kong’s rule of law index continues to stay among the top in the world. Foreign investors have stronger confidence in the city. Hong Kong is seeing a bright prospect transitioning from chaos to order and to prosperity. According to the 2022 AmCham Hong Kong Business Sentiment Survey released early this year, the number of businesses in Hong Kong optimistic about Hong Kong’s business outlook increased by 18 percent from the previous year, while the number of businesses that are pessimistic was down by 17 percent.

    ◆ The legal basis for the Chinese government to govern Hong Kong is the Chinese Constitution and the Basic Law of the HKSAR. The Sino-British Joint Declaration is not relevant in this regard. As China resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997, all provisions concerning the UK under the Joint Declaration had been fulfilled. The basic policies regarding Hong Kong stated by China in the Joint Declaration are China’s declaration of its policies, which have since been fully embodied in the Basic Law enacted by the National People’s Congress. These policies have not changed; they will continue to be upheld by China. The Joint Declaration does not assign the UK any responsibility over Hong Kong nor give it any right to intervene in Hong Kong affairs after the return of Hong Kong. The UK has no sovereignty, jurisdiction or “right of supervision” over Hong Kong after its return. The Joint Declaration is a bilateral instrument between China and the UK; it does not involve any other country or has anything to do with a third country. Sovereign equality and non-interference are enshrined in international law and are basic norms of international relations. Other countries and organizations have no right to meddle in Hong Kong affairs on the grounds of the Joint Declaration.

    The Central Government of China has unswervingly implemented the policy of One Country, Two Systems. Since Hong Kong’s return, the policy of One Country, Two Systems under which the people of Hong Kong administer Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy has been earnestly implemented with widely recognized achievements. Practice has fully proven that One Country, Two Systems is the best institutional arrangement for Hong Kong’s long-term prosperity and stability. The Central Government will continue to ensure that the policy of One Country, Two Systems remains unchanged, is unwaveringly upheld, and in practice is not bent or distorted.

    ◆ Turning a blind eye to the fact that Hong Kong’s democracy has improved in ways unseen before its return, the US has acted against Hong Kong’s mainstream public opinion for unity and progress and made irresponsible remarks on Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy, human rights and freedom as the “preacher” of democracy. This only exposes its hypocritical double standards and the agenda to destabilize Hong Kong and contain China.

    Falsehood 10: China purports to champion sovereignty and territorial integrity while standing with and defending the Russian government that brazenly violate them.

    Reality Check: On the Ukraine issue, China has always adhered to an objective and just position, a position shared by most countries. The Cold War mentality and power politics is the root cause of the Ukraine crisis. The US should earnestly shoulder its due responsibilities and take concrete actions to ease the situation and solve the problems.

    ◆ The US has betrayed its own promises and kept pushing for the eastward expansion of NATO,creating the Ukraine crisis.

    When meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev in 1990, the then US Secretary of State James Baker gave clear assurances that “there would be no extension of NATO’s jurisdiction for forces of NATO one inch to the east”. However, the US has led five rounds of NATO eastward expansion since 1999, increasing its membership from 16 to 30, and advancing NATO more than 1,000 kilometers eastward to the Russian border, forming a C-shaped encirclement of the Black Sea.

    In 1997, former US diplomat and observer on the Soviet Union George Kennan wrote in his New York Times Op-Ed that “expanding NATO would be the most fateful error of American policy in the entire post-cold-war era.”

    In 2014, former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger wrote in the Washington Post that if Ukraine is to survive and thrive, it should not join NATO, and that it must not be either side’s outpost against the other — it should function as a bridge between them.

    At the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2022 in Davos, Kissinger said that Ukraine should have been a bridge between Europe and Russia, but that opportunity does not now exist in the same manner. Russia has been for 400 years an essential part of Europe, and on a number of occasions as the guarantor by which the European balance could be re-established. Current policy should keep in mind the restoration of this role is important to develop.

    An American expert on international affairs points out in an article that the US government should bear considerable responsibility for the deterioration of relations with Russia caused by its major mistake of greenlighting the NATO expansion. Noting that “America and NATO aren’t innocent bystanders”, he also believed that it is “the height of folly” for some US officials to brag in public about leaks or even intelligence sharing between the US and Ukraine. He warned that such instigation on the US side could dangerously widen the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

    According to Clare Daly, Member of the European Parliament, the US has been adding fuel to the fire on Ukraine because they want to weaken Russia and benefit from the crisis, for which Europe will pay a heavy price. These is still no hope of peace in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, mainly because the US does not want Russia and Ukraine to reach a peace agreement.

    Former US Senator Bill Bradley said that “the fundamental blunder that the United States made in the late 80s, early 90s was the expansion of NATO”.

    Former US Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard said in an interview if Joe Biden simply promised not to include Ukraine into NATO, the war would have been prevented.

    Over the years, the US has pursued interventionism and grossly violated the sovereignty of Iraq, Afghanistan, Serbia, Syria and other countries. Alfred de Zayas, a senior UN expert, said in an exclusive interview that from the perspective of international law, Russia’s military actions in Ukraine violated the UN Charter, but the United States and NATO have broken international law so often over the years that “precedents of permissibility” have therefore been set for Russia’s current actions in terms of customary international law.

    ◆ The US has been fanning the flames on the Ukraine issue. Instead of promoting peace talks, the US continued to provide weapons to Ukraine, escalating tensions and expanding the conflict, making it more prolonged and complicated. This has sufficiently exposed the selfish nature of the US.

    On 25 April 2022, US Defense Secretary Austin said after a visit to Ukraine that the US wants to use the war to “see Russia weakened”.

    In late May 2022, on top of the original 13.6 billion dollars aid, the US Congress voted to approve another over 40 billion dollars in military and economic aid to Ukraine. The total assistance has exceeded 70 percent of the combined military expenditure of Russia and Ukraine in 2021.

    The ongoing crisis has cost Europe heavily in political, economic and social aspects, but the US is reaping dividends, with its arms dealers, food and energy companies gaining huge profits. For example, the market value of US military industrial giants has surged by hundreds of billions, and the price of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exported to Europe is more than 10 times higher than a year ago.

    As the result of the conflict, more than 6.5 million Ukrainians have fled into neighboring European countries, posing an unprecedented refugee crisis. But the US admitted only 12 refugees from Ukraine in March 2022. Thousands of Ukrainian refugees remain stranded on the US-Mexico border, and many were in US custody. Even when the UN and the international community are calling for an early end to the conflict, some in the US are still claiming that they would “fight to the last Ukrainian”.

    ◆ The relationship between China and Russia features non-alliance, non-confrontation and non-targeting at any third party. It is essentially different from the practice of the US and a small number of other Western countries, where they still stick to the Cold War mentality and a friend-or-foe dichotomy to draw ideological lines, form so-called “alliances” and “cliques”, pursue bloc politics and create confrontation and division.

    In the joint statement issued on 4 February 2022, China and Russia call on all to champion humanity’s common values of peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, respect the rights of all peoples to independently determine the development paths of their countries, and the sovereignty, security and development interests of all countries, protect the UN-centered international system, and the international order based on international law, seek true multilateralism with the UN and its Security Council playing a central and coordinating role, promote more democratic international relations, and ensure peace, stability and sustainable development across the world.

    ◆ As a responsible major country, China’s decisions and judgments on the Ukraine issue are made independently based on the merits of the matter. China has made great efforts to safeguard international peace and security, and has been committed to promoting talks for peace and deescalating tensions. China maintains that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected, that the purposes and principles of the UN Charter should be upheld, that legitimate security concerns of all countries should be taken seriously, and that all efforts conducive to a peaceful resolution of the crisis should be supported. China’s position is objective, fair and consistent with the aspirations of most countries.

    ◆ Of the 233 sovereign countries and regions in the world, 185 are not involved in sanctions on Russia. Among the more than 190 members of the UN, more than 140 countries, including NATO member state Turkey, have refused to impose sanctions on Russia. The combined population of countries and regions participating in sanctions against Russia and those not is 6.5 billion versus 1.1 billion. Among them, those openly oppose sanctions have a combined population of 4.8 billion.

    About two-thirds of the world’s population does not support Western positions on Ukraine, according to a report by the British Economist magazine.

    Falsehood 11: The US is setting up new coalitions in the Indo-Pacific for regional peace and stability, and has launched the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), as it “shares the vision that the regional countries and people across the region hold: one of a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

    Reality Check: The so-called US vision of a “free and open Indo-Pacific” is essentially a strategy to divide others, incite confrontation and undermine peace. It runs counter to the trend of the times in the Asia-Pacific, i.e., the trend of peaceful development and win-win cooperation.

    ◆ The US administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy is self-contradictory: the US claims to promote the region’s “freedom and openness” as its goal, while in reality co-opting with allies to forge a “five-four-three-two-one” formation made up of the Five Eyes, the Quad, AUKUS, bilateral alliances and IPEF, forming exclusive “small circles” and forcing countries in the region to take sides.

    AUKUS helps Australia build nuclear-powered submarines and develops hypersonic weapons, pushing up the risk for a regional arms race. Under the pretext of fighting illegal fishing and keeping supply chains resilient, the Quad has vigorously pursued military cooperation and intelligence sharing. The US has also encouraged NATO’s involvement in the Asia-Pacific. These are all attempts to materialize an “Asia-Pacific version of NATO” and promote “integrated deterrence” against China.

    ◆ The Indo-Pacific strategy has raised increasing alarm and concern of many countries, especially those in the Asia-Pacific. As BBC reported, in April 2021, New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta expressed New Zealand’s discomfort with expanding the Five Eyes’ remit by putting pressure on China in this way, and New Zealand still prefers to pursue bilateral relations with China. At the US-ASEAN Special Summit, ASEAN countries stressed their aspiration for peace and cooperation, not for taking sides, division or confrontation.

    ◆ The US has made clear that IPEF is to enable it to win the contest in the 21st century. This means that the IPEF is designed to serve the US economy. The US has shelved the development of the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP) for a long time, left the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and refused to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). This exposes the self-serving nature of the US and its selective approach to international institutions. It is all about the US’ self-interests, nothing mutually beneficial.

    IPEF is a political instrument of the US in propping up its hegemony in the regional economy. The essence is to dominate the supply chains, value chains and new economic sectors, and marginalize specific countries. The US has chosen to weaponize economic issues as political and ideological ones, using economy to coerce regional countries into taking sides between China and the US.

    US Trade Representative Katherine Tai publicly stated that IPEF is a standalone arrangement independent from China. US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said IPEF marks the US’s restoration of economic leadership in the region and presents Indo-Pacific countries an alternative to China’s approach. Previously, she also expressed that IPEF may harmonize export controls and other “poison pills”, such as limiting sensitive products export to China.

    IPEF seeks to establish US-led trade rules, restructure the industrial chain system and economically and scientifically “decouple” regional countries from China. Many countries in the region get concerned, and believe that the cost of such “decoupling” will be huge. Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad noted that any trade alliance that excludes the world’s second largest economy is not conducive to closer, multilateral trade cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. The US’s exclusion of China is not an economic issue but a political one.

    ◆ Hailed as “menu approach” cooperation, IPEF actually pays little regard to the development level and real needs of the regional countries. It barely gives concessions to developing countries on tariff reduction and market access, but forces participating countries to accept the so-called high standards of the US and its unilateral agenda. IPEF focuses solely on the US’s self-interests and cares little about the needs of other parties. There is no such thing as mutual benefit in IPEF.

    The Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) pointed out in its report “Regional Perspectives on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework” that IPEF has little more to offer than enlarging the US economic presence in the region. It fails to address the issues of the greater interests of regional countries. There is widespread concern that IPEF will only benefit the US, while saddling participating regional countries with a heavy burden.

    Falsehood 12: China has announced its ambition to create a sphere of influence in the Pacific region. It is advancing unlawful maritime claims in the South China Sea, undermining peace and security, freedom of navigation and commerce. The US will continue to oppose Beijing’s aggressive and unlawful activities in the South and East China Seas. It will support the region’s coastal states in upholding their maritime rights, work with allies and partners to uphold freedom of navigation and overflight, and will continue to fly and sail wherever international law allows.

    Reality Check: China is committed to the path of peaceful development, the five principles of peaceful coexistence and opposes the practice of the big and strong bullying the small and weak. The US, by painting China as a threat and using “freedom of navigation” as a pretext to undermine China’s sovereignty, security and maritime rights and interests, is actually the real threat to regional peace and security.

    ◆ China stands for equality among all countries irrespective of their size, respects every country’s choice of development path suited to its national condition, and does not seek any sphere of influence. China pursues a defense policy that is defensive in nature and a military strategy of active defense. In developing its defense capabilities, China aims to safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests, and does not target any other country. The growth of China’s defense capabilities amplifies the force for peace in the world.

    ◆ China is the first to have discovered, named, and explored and exploited Nanhai Zhudao and relevant waters, and the first to have exercised sovereignty and jurisdiction over them continuously, peacefully and effectively. China’s sovereignty over Nanhai Zhudao and its relevant rights and interests in the South China Sea have been established in the long course of history. They are solidly grounded in history and law, and have been upheld by successive Chinese governments and recognized by the international community. Pursuant to the 1943 Cairo Declaration and the 1945 Potsdam Proclamation, China recovered territories illegally occupied by Japan including Xisha Qundao and Nansha Qundao after WWII, and has since affirmed sovereignty and strengthened jurisdiction by establishing official names, publishing maps, creating administrative units and stationing troops. China’s resuming its exercise of sovereignty over Nanhai Zhudao is a legitimate and lawful act to inherit China’s rights established over the course of history. It is also part of the post-WWII international order, and has been recognized by countries around the world including the US.

    ◆ With the joint efforts of China and ASEAN countries, the overall situation in the South China Sea remains stable. With the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), the parties have increased dialogue, properly handled differences, deepened cooperation and enhanced mutual trust, and have made active progress in advancing consultations on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea, in an effort to jointly safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea and inject positive dynamics into regional and global security, stability and prosperity. Despite COVID-19, the parties have held offline Senior Officials’ Meetings on the implementation of the DOC and 10 joint working group meetings via video link to advance consultations on the COC text. Last month, the first face-to-face COC consultations since COVID-19 was held in Cambodia. Such positive progress speaks volumes about the resolve and commitment of regional countries to steadfastly advance consultations toward a COC.

    ◆ China respects and supports all countries’ freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea in accordance with international law, and actively safeguards the security of and unimpeded passage through international shipping lanes. In fact, the South China Sea is one of the world’s safest and freest sea lanes. Fifty percent of merchant vessels in the world and one-third of international maritime trade pass through it, and more than 100,000 merchant ships sail through it annually. Freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea has never been an issue.

    ◆ Diaoyu Dao and its affiliated islands are China’s inherent territory. China’s patrol and law enforcement missions in waters off the Diaoyu Dao are legitimate measures taken by China to exercise its sovereignty in accordance with law and are necessary responses to Japanese provocations in violation of China’s sovereignty. No country or force should misjudge the strong resolve of the Chinese government to safeguard sovereignty and territorial integrity. At the same time, China stays committed to properly handling and resolving issues through dialogue and consultation, and has made great efforts to maintain maritime stability. In 2014, a four-point principled consensus was reached between China and Japan to handle and improve China-Japan relations, which includes a clear understanding on managing the situation surrounding Diaoyu Dao and the East China Sea.

    ◆ Acting under the logic of the Monroe Doctrine, the US often uses power politics and hegemonic and bullying acts to flagrantly undermine the international maritime order, with a view to sustaining its maritime predominance. In the 240-plus-year history of the US, there were only 16 years when the country was not at war with others. The US operates over 800 military bases in 80 countries and regions. Its military expenditure, which has topped the world for many years in a row, accounts for one-fourth of the global total and is equivalent to the combined military spending of the next nine countries. Recently, the US has proposed a national defense budget request of about 813 billion US dollars for fiscal year 2023. Such massive military spending makes the US the real “pacing challenge” to the world.

    ◆ The US disregards the history and facts surrounding the South China Sea issue, deliberately stokes disputes on territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and sows discord among regional countries. It has become the biggest force undermining stability and fueling militarization in the South China Sea. Data from relevant organizations show that the number of US close-in reconnaissance activities targeting China has more than doubled over the past decade and more. Right now, an average of five US naval vessels cruise near China’s shore every day. This year, US naval vessels have been sailing through the Taiwan Strait about once a month, and large US reconnaissance planes have flown over 800 times close to China and repeatedly violated China’s airspace. Eager to stir up trouble in the South China Sea, the US has also encouraged its allies and partners to sail their naval vessels into the South China Sea.

    On 2 October 2021, USS Connecticut, a nuclear submarine, had an underwater collision in the South China Sea. It was not until a week later that the US issued a vague statement, claiming that the submarine hit an unknown object. One month after, it said that the submarine “grounded on an uncharted seamount”. A final report on the accident was eventually released by the US Navy on 23 May 2022, yet no clear explanation has been offered in response to the grave concerns and questions raised by many, including the intent of the submarine, the specific location of the accident, whether the submarine had entered exclusive economic zones (EEZ) and even territorial sea of other countries, and whether the accident had caused a nuclear leak or damaged marine environment.

    ◆ The US began its Freedom of Navigation (FON) Program in 1979 ahead of the signing of the UNCLOS. Challenging the new maritime order, the move sought to maximize the freedom of the US military to rampage through the oceans. The FON Program is not consistent with the universally recognized international law, disregards the sovereignty, security and maritime rights and interests of the many littoral countries, and seriously jeopardizes regional peace and stability. Its goal is to advance American maritime supremacy under the pretext of “freedom of navigation”. The FON Program has been firmly opposed by many members of the international community, especially the developing countries.

    Falsehood 13: Chinese government officials spread disinformation.

    Reality Check: China is the top victim of disinformation, while the US is the biggest source of spreading disinformation.

    ◆ With sharp confrontation between the Republicans and Democrats, habitual lying, finger-pointing and blame-shifting among politicians have become part of the US political ecology. A poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the Pearson Institute at the University of Chicago reveals that nearly half of the respondents blame the US government for the spread of misinformation.

    ◆ The US has used disinformation to launch multiple wars across the globe in pursuit of its hegemonic agenda. Colin Powell, the then US Secretary of State accused Iraq of possessing weapons of mass destruction with a test tube of “laundry powder”. The US blamed the Syrian government for using bio-chemical weapons against its own people with fake videos by the White Helmets.

    In 2019, the then US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo publicly claimed that “we lied, we cheated, we stole … we had entire training courses. It reminds you of the glory of the American experiment.”

    On 4 May 2022, Republican Senator Rand Paul spoke bluntly at a Senate hearing, “Do you know who the greatest propagator of disinformation in the history of the world is? The US government.”

    ◆ Manipulation by US politicians has seriously undercut the media’s credibility. A Gallup poll in 2020 shows that 60 percent of Americans remain largely distrustful of the media, among whom 33 percent have no trust at all, which is 5 percentage points higher than that of 2019.

    ◆ The US has on multiple occasions fabricated numerous lies and rumors on issues concerning origins-tracing, Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong, democracy and human rights, including the so-called “lab-leak theory”, “genocide” and “forced labor”, which have all been defeated by facts.

    Since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out, the US has kept spreading disinformation on China and made unfounded accusations against it, in order to shirk its responsibilities for triggering the conflict with NATO’s eastward expansion. The New York Times quoted from anonymous US senior officials who claimed that China had prior knowledge of Russian military operation in Ukraine. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US Representative to the UN, said at a Security Council meeting that China had been spreading disinformation in support of Russia. This is sheer fabrication and slandering. Meanwhile, as part of the fierce hunt of voices different from its own, the US has added special labels to Tweets sharing links of Chinese media reports, while turning a blind eye to the Western media that are actually telling the lies.

    ◆ The US has used disinformation as a political tool to attack and suppress China, and formed a supply chain of anti-China rhetoric combining dirty funding, fact-twisting stories and massive smear campaigns. On the surface, these anti-China rhetoric come from certain media outlets and politicians, but what lies underneath is a massive capital-driven supply chain — some institutions and organizations from the US and other Western countries provide dirty funding for political purposes to anti-China groups and individuals; some think-tanks and academic institutions make up fact-twisting stories to fuel anti-China rhetoric around the world through Western hegemony on public opinion; and politicians and media act as mouthpieces propagating lies and falsehoods about China in massive smear campaigns.

    Adrian Zenz and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), both fabricated numerous Xinjiang-related lies, are typical examples of such “lies manufacturers”.

    Adrian Zenz is a member of a far-right group founded by the US government and a key member of an anti-China research institute set up and manipulated by the US intelligence agency. His so-called reports on Xinjiang reflect no credibility, intellectual merit or academic integrity at all.

    As disclosed by the media, the US State Department and arms manufacturers are the primary foreign sponsors for the ASPI. Funding from the US State Department alone reached nearly 1.4 million Australian dollars a year, all directed to research projects attacking China. The ASPI disseminated a series of lies and disinformation on issues concerning origins-tracing, Xinjiang and data security.

    ◆ In addition to constantly spreading disinformation on China, the US has also rolled out measures to suppress and contain China based on such disinformation, including China-related bills and sanctions. In December 2021, under the pretext of its so-called concerns on “forced labor”, the US signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act into law, imposing a full ban on imports from Xinjiang. This is a malicious move to denigrate human rights situation in Xinjiang, and a serious violation of international law and basic norms of international relations.

    ◆ China has used facts and figures to tell the truth and refute the lies and rumors created and propagated by the US. It is aimed at making truth heard, not spreading disinformation. Instead of observing basic facts, the US has acted in its own interests and labeled all views different from its own as “disinformation”. This is, in essence, hegemony and bullying in the field of public opinion.

    Falsehood 14: China is circumventing or breaking trade rules and its economic manipulations have cost American workers millions of jobs, harming workers and companies in the United States but also around the world. The United States will push back on market-distorting policies and practices, like subsidies and market access barriers, which China’s government has used for years to gain competitive advantage.

    Reality Check: China has faithfully delivered on its commitments made upon accession to the WTO. China upholds, builds and contributes to the multilateral trading system. China-US economic and trade relations are mutually beneficial in nature. However, US’ wanton suppression of China in trade and investment areas has been the root cause of trade frictions between the two countries, which hurts others without benefiting oneself.

    ◆ Over the past 20-plus years since joining the WTO, China has earnestly fulfilled its commitments upon accession. It has rolled out nationwide the management system of pre-establishment national treatment plus a negative list, kept expanding market access, brought down overall tariff level from 15.3% to 7.4%, and opened up nearly 120 sectors in the service industry.

    In October 2021, the WTO conducted the eighth review of trade policies and practices of China. The report of the review fully recognized China’s efforts in upholding the multilateral trading system and its active role in the WTO. It spoke highly of China’s achievements in such areas as trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, greater opening-up and progress under the Belt and Road Initiative.

    A leading official of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development pointed out that, over the past two decades, China has steadfastly supported the rules-based multilateral trading system, practiced true multilateralism, participated fully in WTO negotiations, steered negotiations in areas such as investment facilitation and e-commerce, and worked for WTO rules keeping pace with the times.

    ◆ Embracing the trend of regional and global economic integration, China has deepened economic and trade ties with countries around the world, signing free trade agreements and stepping up the building of free trade zones. As of now, China has signed 19 free trade agreements with 26 countries and regions.

    ◆ China has actively deepened supply-side structural reform. It has met the target of phasing out 150 million tons of overcapacity in the steel industry set out in the 13th Five-Year Plan two years ahead of schedule, 1.14 times of the global total in slashing overcapacity of steels. The process involved the reemployment of 280,000 Chinese steel workers, more than the total number of steel workers in the US, Europe and Japan.

    ◆ China and the US have highly complementary economies, deeply integrated interests, and mutually beneficial economic and trade ties. In 2021, bilateral trade topped record-breaking 750 billion US dollars. The US Export Report 2022 issued by the US-China Business Council showed that, in 2021, goods exports to China grew by 21 percent to 149 billion US dollars, supporting 858,000 jobs in the US. The 2020 Annual Business Survey Report on Chinese Enterprises in the United States released by the China General Chamber of Commerce-USA indicated that, as of 2019, CGCC’s Chinese member companies cumulatively invested over 123 billion US dollars, employed more than 220,000 people, and supported over one million jobs throughout the United States. Research of the US-China Business Council showed that Chinese exports have helped bring down US consumer price by 1 to 1.5 percent, saving each US household 850 US dollars per year.

    ◆ By blaming China for its own economic problems, the US started a trade war and tariff war against China, which only backfired for itself. US tariffs against China have cost American companies more than 1.7 trillion US dollars in market capitalization and increased average household expenditure by 1,300 US dollars per year. A 2021 report by the US-China Business Council pointed out that the trade war with China has resulted in a loss of 245,000 jobs in the US. A report from Moody’s Investor Service was cited as saying that American consumers bear 92.4 percent of the cost of imposing tariffs on Chinese goods. Paul Krugman, a Nobel Prize laureate in economics, incisively pointed out that US trade policy toward China has failed and tariffs harm the US more than their intended targets.

    On 18 May 2022, the National Retail Federation (NRF) wrote to President Biden, calling for eliminating tariffs, which, as pointed out in the letter, could reduce consumer prices by as much as 1.3 percent. Janet Yellen, the US Treasury Secretary, said that some tariffs on China hurt American consumers and businesses, and that cutting tariffs was worth considering in order to lower US inflation.

    The obstacles to China-US economic and trade cooperation are mainly from the US side. Over 1,000 Chinese companies have been put on its lists for unfair suppression or sanction. The US Congress has put forth more than 300 negative China-related bills. The proposed Bipartisan Innovation Act, which is still being developed, essentially aims to hold back China’s economic growth.

    ◆ The US arbitrarily accuses China of its industrial subsidy policies, but the country itself was among the first to develop such policies, including subsidies and so on. Successive US administrations have rolled out plans to support emerging industries. Through tax relief, government procurement and other means, the US administrations have interfered in the market to push forward cooperation between government and enterprises and advance technology transfers. In the 1950s and 1960s, the US undertook special programs to promote the development of its aerospace and military industries. In the 1990s, the Clinton administration supported the growth of hi-tech industries with the Information Superhighway plan. Such industrial policies are still being practiced in the US today. A report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies noted that the US and its allies and partners in Europe and Asia have increased subsidies to industries such as semiconductors, electric-car batteries and pharmaceuticals to shore up support for domestic companies.

    ◆ The US poses the biggest challenge to the global trading system. Following “America First” policy, the US has refused to shoulder its due obligations under multilateral trading agreements, and withdrawn from international treaties and organizations, taking a heavy toll on the development and functioning of the global trading system. A WTO dispute settlement report has identified the US as the biggest rule-breaker, responsible for two-thirds of violations of WTO rules. The US also blocked the appointment of new judges in the WTO Appellate Body, leading to an impasse in the Appellate Body since December 2019.

    Falsehood 15: The US will give countries an alternative choice, so that they can be free from opaque investments that leave them in debt.

    Reality Check: In providing foreign assistance, China always respects the sovereignty of recipient countries, attaches no strings whatsoever and pursues win-win outcomes. Chinese assistance has delivered real benefits to the relevant developing countries and received their acclaim and appreciation.

    ◆ The so-called Chinese “debt trap” is a narrative trap that the US and some other Western countries use to defame and smear China and disrupt China’s cooperation with other developing countries. As a 2021 article in The Atlantic points out, the debt-trap narrative is just a lie fabricated by some Western politicians, and a powerful one.

    Western capital constitutes the largest creditor of developing countries. According to the 2022 statistics of the World Bank on international debt, 28.8 percent of Africa’s outstanding external debt is owed to multilateral financial institutions and 41.8 percent to commercial creditors mainly composed of Western financial institutions. These two types of institutions together hold nearly three-quarters of the debt, making them the primary creditors of Africa’s debt.

    According to the director of the China Africa Research Initiative (CARI) at Johns Hopkins University of the US, after scrutinizing thousands of Chinese loan documents, mostly for projects in Africa, CARI has not found any evidence that China deliberately pushes poor countries into debt as a way of seizing their assets or gaining a greater say in their internal affairs. CARI’s figures show that China holds 17 percent of Africa’s overall external debt, far less than that of the West.

    Not a single African country has been forced to use its strategic resources such as ports or mines as collateral for financing cooperation with China. DW points out that the default of African countries does not give China the right to use the relevant infrastructure.

    ◆ The debt issue is, in essence, a development issue. The key to resolving this issue lies in ensuring that the loans deliver real benefits.

    Take Africa as an example. Western countries’ financing for Africa is mainly concentrated in non-production fields, and most loans come with political strings attached, such as human rights and judicial reform. They have failed to truly promote economic development, boost government tax revenue and improve balance of payments. Rather, they have served as instruments for controlling and causing harm in Africa.

    China always respects the will of the African people and bears in mind the actual needs of African countries. Chinese investment in and financing for Africa are mainly in infrastructure building and production-related fields. Entering the 21st century, China has worked actively to support Africa’s economic development and provided an alternative to the traditional financing channels of the Paris Club. This  has helped Africa to strengthen its capacity of self-generated and self-reliant development and to usher in a golden age of high-speed economic growth for 20 years straight.

    Professor Deborah Brautigam of Johns Hopkins University noted the diversification of Chinese investment. In 2014 alone, Chinese companies signed over 70 billion US dollars in construction contracts in Africa that will yield vital infrastructure, including hospitals, oil and gas pipelines, and airports.

    According to preliminary statistics, between 2000 and 2020, China helped African countries build more than 13,000 kilometers of roads and railway and more than 80 large-scale power facilities, funded more than 130 medical facilities, 45 sports venues and more than 170 schools, and trained more than 160,000 professionals across various fields for Africa.

    The Nairobi Expressway project built by Chinese companies in Kenya through public-private partnership has created more than 6,000 local jobs and benefited more than 200 subcontractors and several hundred local suppliers. The Kenyan government speaks highly of the project, commending it as an important manifestation of the mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation between Kenya and China.

    Nigeria’s Lekki Deep Sea Port project, built with Chinese participation, has provided more than 1,200 local jobs and is expected to create, directly and indirectly, 170,000 more upon completion.

    A study conducted by Hong Kong scholars finds that more than 80 percent of the employees of Chinese companies in Africa surveyed are local Africans.

    A team at the London School of Economics and Political Science finds that Chinese investment in Africa has produced “significant and persistently positive long-term effects”.

    A study by RAND Corporation indicates that in the BRI region, having a rail connection between trading partners has improved total exports by 2.8 percent.

    ◆ China attaches high importance to the debt sustainability of projects. Back in 2017, it signed the Guiding Principles on Financing the Development of the Belt and Road with 26 countries participating in the BRI. In 2019, China released the Debt Sustainability Framework for Participating Countries of the Belt and Road Initiative. Based on the debt situation and repayment ability of debtor countries, and following the principles of equal-footed consultation, compliance with laws and regulations, openness and transparency, the framework aims to strengthen monitoring and assessment of the economic, social and livelihood benefits of the projects, and channels sovereign loans into areas with high yields, with a view to ensuring the long-term returns of the projects. China has also made proactive efforts to lessen the burden of debtor countries.

    According to the World Bank, between 2008 and 2021, China provided 71 debt restructurings for low-income countries. In 2020, China actively responded to the G20’s Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) by suspending the payment of more than 1.3 billion US dollars of debt that year alone, or nearly 30 percent of the G20’s total, making it the largest contributor among G20 members. China has signed debt suspension agreements or reached mutual understanding on debt suspension with 19 African countries, and actively participated in the case-based debt settlement for Chad and Ethiopia under the G20’s Common Framework.

    ◆ The US and some other Western countries, rather than taking actions themselves, point fingers at China for providing assistance. This has caused much displeasure among countries in the wider developing world.

    Professor Samita Hattige, adviser to the National Education Commission of Sri Lanka, said in an interview with Global Times that Chinese loans are based on the needs of the Sri Lankan government and for the purpose of improving Sri Lankan infrastructure. The loans have brought major changes to Sri Lanka’s economy and people’s livelihood, and there is no such thing as a “debt trap”. China’s share in Sri Lanka’s external debt is around a mere 10 percent. Apparently, some media have chosen to ignore this fact. While the “Chinese debt trap” hyped up by Western media seems apprehensible at a glance, it has deliberately evaded the huge economic values that infrastructure improvement has created, such as economic development and more jobs and investment.

    The article “Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal Need China for Development” published by Sri Lanka’s Daily News on 17 January 2022 says, “South Asia needs China in its development process because China is synonymous with the term ‘Development’. China’s … Belt and Road Initiative provides benefits for almost all South Asian countries.” “In the case of Sri Lanka,” the article writes, “Sri Lanka is a beneficiary of Chinese projects. Many say only about the Chinese debt trap in this regard but no one mentions Chinese developmental activities in Sri Lanka.” “They have invested heavily in seaports, airports, … national highways, and power distribution centers. ”

    Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni stated in an interview with Nikkei in 2022 that “Africa has been having (debt) problems for the last 600 years due to the slave trade, colonialism, neocolonialism — and none of it was from China.” “China supported Africans’ fight against colonialism before starting economic activity on the continent.”

    Rwandan President Paul Kagame pointed out that China’s presence in Africa is different from that of other countries — “I don’t think China has forced any country in Africa to take their money to accumulate the kind of debt you may find with some countries.”

    Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama stated that Nigeria had chosen Chinese companies for infrastructure projects because they were experienced and provide competitive rates. “So the issue of Chinese influence really doesn’t come in.

    Falsehood 16: For too long, Chinese companies have enjoyed far greater access to our markets than our companies have in China. American companies operating in China have been subject to systematic forced technology transfer, while Chinese companies in America have been protected by our rule of law.

    Reality Check: China is committed to fostering an enabling business environment that is based on market principles, governed by law and up to international standard. While China’s business environment keeps improving, the business environment for Chinese companies operating in the US continues to deteriorate.

    ◆ China has seen the most substantial improvement in business environment among all economies. In recent years, China has made continuous efforts to shorten the negative list on foreign investment, improved the institutions for investment promotion and protection and for information reporting, and stepped up intellectual property protection, becoming one of the most-improved economies for ease of doing business. With the continuous improvement in business environment and its super-sized domestic market, China is a strong magnet for cross-border investment from around the world. The number of newly established foreign-invested enterprises is on a steady rise in China. From 2012 to 2021, the number of foreign-invested enterprises in China increased from 441,000 to 664,000, up by over 50 percent. According to the Doing Business 2020 report released by the World Bank Group, China ranked 31st on ease of doing business, moving up by 47 spots in two years. The European Business in China Business Confidence Survey 2021 released by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China (EUCCC) shows that a majority of the European companies surveyed found intellectual property rights enforcement to be “adequate” or “excellent” in China, marking a record high in satisfaction levels.

    ◆ It is the foreign companies, including the US companies operating in China, that can best tell whether China’s business environment is good or not. The 2022 China Business Climate Survey Report of the American Chamber of Commerce in China (AmCham China) shows that 58 percent of the US companies in China saw their operating revenue growing in 2021; 66 percent of the companies plan to increase their investment in China this year; and China remains a top-three priority of the global investment planning for 60 percent of the companies. The recently released USCBC 2021 Member Survey shows that 95 percent of the respondents remained profitable in their China operations; and 74 percent of the companies took China as a top priority or a top-five priority market in their business strategy. In the first four months of 2022, the actual US investment in China rose by 53.2 percent year on year. These figures speak volume about the optimism of foreign companies in China’s economic prospects, as well as their recognition of China’s sound business environment and confidence in building a long-term business in the Chinese market.

    ◆ To preserve its hegemony and economic interests, the US has abused its national power in violation of the principles of market economy and international trade rules, and resorted to every possible means to suppress and contain Chinese enterprises. The US government has fabricated all sorts of lies including “forced labor” in an attempt to bring down Xinjiang’s cotton, tomato and solar photovoltaic industries. According to preliminary statistics, in 2021, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued seven Withhold Release Orders (WROs) on the exports of goods made with “forced labor” to the US, including apparel, textiles, tomato seeds, canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, and other goods made with cotton or tomatoes, silica-based products and electronic products produced in Xinjiang, and detained or confiscated 485 million US dollars worth of goods, which are notably larger in both quantity and value compared to 2020. The current US administration has already outperformed its predecessor in terms of the scale and magnitude of sanctions imposed on China for Xinjiang-related issues.

    ◆ The US has imposed sweeping restrictions on the financing and operation of Chinese enterprises in the US through non-transparent and unfair administrative means. According to official US statistics, the US has up to now put 1,055 Chinese entities and individuals (overseas affiliated entities excluded) on various types of sanctions lists, including 467 on the Entity List, 306 on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN), 201 on the Unverified List (UVL), 68 on the Non-SDN Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Companies (NS-CMIC) List, and a few other entities. Last February, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) put WeChat and AliExpress on its latest Notorious Markets List, while Pinduoduo and other Chinese companies as well as nine physical markets located within China remained on the list.

    Falsehood 17: China takes advantage of the openness of the US economies to spy, to hack, to steal technology and know-how to advance China’s military innovation, entrench its surveillance state and increase other countries’ technological dependence. The US should make sure that technologies are rooted in democratic values.

    Reality check: China’s technological innovation and development is based on its own investment and efforts. The US is drawing ideological lines in scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation, and this embodies its Cold War mentality.

    ◆ China is a big innovator in the world with leading input and growth rate in innovation. According to statistics, China’s social R&D investment in 2021 reached 2.7864 trillion yuan, an increase of 14.2 percent over the previous year. A total of 696,000 invention patents were authorized in 2021, up by 31.3 percent year-on-year. The Global Innovation Index (GII) 2021 published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) shows that China’s world innovation performance ranking has moved up from the 35th place to the 12th. China is now home to 19 of the top 100 science and technology clusters worldwide, ranking the second globally. Chinese applicants submitted 69,500 international patent applications, making China the first in the world for three consecutive years. The European Patent Office (EPO) recorded 16,665 applications from China in 2021, registering a year-on-year increase of 24 percent and the biggest surge among leading patent filing countries.

    ◆ In recent years, China has been actively integrating into the global science and technology innovation network, and has enjoyed fruitful results in technological and people-to-people exchanges under the BRI. In addition, China has also actively worked to join the Hague Agreement and the Marrakesh Treaty, contributing its share to the global governance of intellectual property rights. The Business Confidence Survey 2021 published by the EUCCC shows that over half of interviewed companies view intellectual property rights enforcement in China as “adequate” or “excellent”.

    ◆ Throughout history, the US has repeatedly stolen intellectual properties and reaped dividends from technological developments through various means, including prying out information, offering immigration status and monopolizing patents.

    After World War II, the US launched Operation Paperclip to plunder Germany of its technology patents, including those on advanced aircraft and guided missile control. Nearly all German government agencies, research and development institutes and large companies were looted, and German scientists were forced to immigrate to the US.

    In the 1990s, US intelligence agencies installed eavesdropping devices in the cars of Japanese negotiators during automobile trade talks to intercept internal information and gain the upper hand in the negotiations.

    In 2001, the European company Airbus sued the American company Boeing for tracking Airbus employees’ telephone, fax, and e-mails for business espionage using the electronic surveillance system named Echelon developed by the US National Security Agency (NSA).

    In 2013, the US DOJ detained four Alstom executives to force the French company into a fire sale of its core business, power and grid, to the US company General Electric.

    In 2021, Danish media exposed that the US NSA wiretapped senior officials and business leaders in European countries using internet facilities located in Denmark.

    In addition, using “chip shortages” as an excuse, the US has also set deadlines to force leading chip makers from different countries to submit key information, including orders, clients and inventory, in an effort to turn the table in the chip sector.

    ◆ While claiming to uphold “peace” and “openness”, the US has been wantonly setting up technological barriers, piecing together the so-called “democratic technology alliance”, politicizing science and technology and turning them into ideological issues, and forming exclusive small circles. Identifying nearly 20 categories as controlled critical technologies, including biotechnology and artificial intelligence, the US has tightened up export control and investment scrutiny. It has also overstretched the concept of national security to contain and even stranglehold the development of high-tech industries in other countries, which severely violates the rights of developing countries in pursuing science and technology advancement.

    Falsehood 18: Climate is not about ideology. It’s about math. If China sticks with its current plan and does not peak its emissions until 2030, then the rest of the world must go to zero by 2035. And that’s simply not possible.

    Reality Check: The US holds undeniable responsibilities for climate change and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction. It shouldn’t shift responsibilities onto others, nor should it practice “double standards”.

    ◆ Developed countries, due to their unconstrained emissions over more than two centuries of industrialization, bear undeniable historical responsibilities for climate change. From 1850 to 2011, developed countries contributed to 79 percent of global carbon emissions. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement all require developed countries to repay their historical debts.

    ◆ From a historical perspective, developing countries are not the primary emitters of GHG, but the victims of climate change. The principle of common but differentiated responsibilities is the cornerstone of global climate governance. As developed and developing countries do not bear the same historical responsibilities for climate change, and have different development needs and capabilities, it would be both inappropriate and unfair to apply the same restrictions on them. Wera Mori, Minister for Environment Conservation and Climate Change of Papua New Guinea (PNG) said on the sidelines of COP26 that countries like PNG have become victims of climate change caused by the industrialization of developed countries and are now bearing the consequences of their actions, which is absolutely unfair.

    ◆ In tackling climate change, China is not just a responsible participant, but also a serious doer. President Xi Jinping committed explicitly that China will strive to peak CO2 emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. That means China will move from carbon peak to neutrality in only 30 years, while the time the EU, the US and Japan give themselves is respectively 2.4, 1.4 and 1.2 times of China’s.

    China has made notable contribution to the global efforts in energy conservation, energy efficiency, renewable energy, transport and building, which are all in the range of 30 to 50 percent. By the end of 2020, China’s CO2 emissions per unit of GDP had dropped by 48.4 percent relative to the 2005 level. The proportion of coal in total energy consumption fell from 67 percent in 2005 to 56.8 percent in 2020. The cumulative installed capacity of renewable power generation exceeded 1 billion kilowatts, accounting for 43.5 percent of the national total. Chinese companies have taken 15 spots in the world’s top 20 PV companies list, including all the top five spots, and seven spots in the top 10 wind power companies list. In the past ten years, China phased out 120 million kilowatts of coal-fired power generation capacity, which is larger than the total installed power capacity of the UK. By the end of 2021, China’s new energy vehicle ownership had exceeded 7.84 million units, and 2.95 million units were newly registered in 2021, accounting for 11.25 percent of all newly registered vehicles that year.

    The share of renewable energy in China’s energy mix has already exceeded that of the US. By the end of 2019, the total installed capacity of China’s hydro, wind and solar power generation had reached 756 million kilowatts, 2.8 times that of the US. Renewable energy accounts for 12.7 percent of China’s primary energy consumption, approximately 1.4 times that of the US.

    ◆ The US is the world’s largest GHG emitter in cumulative terms, and its per capita carbon emissions are 3.3 times that of the global average. In the 270 years from 1750 to 2019, the US emitted a cumulative 412.5 billion tons of GHG, accounting for about 1/4 of the global total. The US has produced the world’s largest cumulative emissions, which are almost twice that of China’s. Here are some statistics: the historical peak of US per capita GHG emissions was 23.44 tons; in 2018, US per capita emissions were 16.85 tons, while China’s were 7.56 tons. Despite its status as a major manufacturing nation, China’s current per capita carbon emissions are not even half that of the US, and its per capita cumulative emissions are only around 1/8 that of the US. Even by the time of 2030, when China’s carbon emissions will have peaked, the country’s per capita carbon emissions will still just be around 7-8 tons. In comparison, when the US had its carbon peak in 2005, its per capita carbon emissions had already reached 14 tons.

    ◆ In June 2017, the US announced its decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, and in November 2020, it officially pulled out of the accord. Such a move seriously undermined the equity, efficiency and efficacy of global climate governance. The US had stayed outside the Paris Agreement until February 2021. Despite the improvement in political posture, the GHG emissions generated simply cannot be rolled back. Instead of cutting emissions, the US produced more emissions in 2021 than 2020, drifting further away from the course set by the Paris Agreement. With its flip-flopping on such an existential issue, the US has fully exposed its utilitarian approach to major issues of principles and lost its credibility in the family of nations.

    ◆ It is the unshirkable moral responsibility of developed countries to provide funding for developing countries to help them better cope with climate change. At Copenhagen in 2009 and Cancún in 2010, developed countries committed to a goal of mobilizing jointly 100 billion US dollars a year by 2020 to address the needs of developing countries. More than ten years have passed, developed countries have never truly delivered on their commitment. Report by a well-known international think tank shows that not only did developed countries fall short of their collective climate financing target every year, they also juggled the figures, providing far less funds than officially released figures. Most notably, the US only fulfilled less than 20 percent of its due contribution.

    ◆ For years, the US has been saying publicly that it wants to work with China on climate change, but its actions say otherwise. While demanding China to consume less coal, it asks China to continue buying coal from it; while appealing for the development of renewable energies, it imposes sanctions on Chinese PV businesses. Take PV products as an example, starting from 2012, the US has imposed anti-dumping and countervailing duties on Chinese PV products, with rates as high as 34 to 47 percent. In December 2014, the US conducted anti-dumping and countervailing investigations on Chinese PV manufacturers. In January 2018, the previous US administration decided to slap global safeguard tariffs on 8.5 billion US dollars’ worth of solar panel imports. In late 2021, the so-called “Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act” was signed into law by the US, which is yet another attempt to hobble the PV industry in Xinjiang under the disguise of human rights. Relevant US measures have not only impeded normal trade in PV products and disrupted normal supply chains, but also undermined global efforts in countering climate change. The US should correct its wrong practices in order to create an enabling environment for climate cooperation with China.

    ◆ Climate change has caused serious challenges to human survival and development, and must be tackled through global cooperation. Developed countries, the US included, should honor the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and follow the requirements of the Paris Agreement. They need to face up to their historical responsibilities, and level up their ambitions and actions. They need to take the lead in making substantial reductions of emissions and strive to achieve carbon neutrality before 2050. In the meantime, they need to give developing countries due space for development and emission, and deliver on their commitments of providing developing countries with adequate finance, technology and capacity-building support. On the basis of meeting financing pledges and leveraging public funds, efforts can be made to promote the development of green finance and bring private investment into low-carbon sectors. It is also important to build national, regional and global carbon markets and carbon pricing mechanisms, bring down the costs and raise the level of emissions reductions, promote technological innovation and sustainable development, and provide developing countries with stable sources of funding for mitigation and capacity-building through the benefit sharing mechanism of carbon markets.

    Falsehood 19: To counter illegal and illicit narcotics, especially synthetic opioids like fentanyl, we want to work with China to stop international drug trafficking organizations from getting precursor chemicals, many of which originate in China.

    Reality Check: The US has itself to blame for the root cause of fentanyl abuse in the country.

    ◆ Narcotics abuse, a chronic malaise plaguing the US, has deep historical and social roots.

    With five percent of the world’s population, the US consumes 80 percent of opioids in the world, making the country the world’s biggest market for narcotics. There is a prevalent tradition of prescription painkiller abuse in the US, undergirded by a complete chain of pharmaceutical companies, medical representatives and doctors. All-out marketing by pharmaceutical companies, over-prescription by doctors, ineffective government crackdowns and the negative implications of marijuana legalization are among the combination of factors behind an ever-growing market for narcotics. Opioid abuse in the US and its rising toll started with OxyContin, an opioid painkiller made by Purdue Pharma and approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1995. When it comes to discouraging demand and curbing production, the US should have done a lot more.

    While the US has the most acute fentanyl challenge in the world, it is also the biggest producer and consumer of fentanyl and has yet to officially schedule fentanyl-related substances as a class. Nevertheless, it kept demanding other countries to take actions. This is a typical example of “forcing others to take medicine for one’s own illness”.

    ◆The Chinese government takes a zero-tolerance approach to narcotics and strictly regulates anesthetics, psychotropic substances and their precursors. By the end of 2021, China has added 37 drug precursors and ephedrine-related substances to its control list, which became even longer than the UN list. China strictly regulates import and export of chemicals pursuant to international rules and its domestic laws, and its efforts and achievements in this regard are visible to all.

    On 1 May 2019, the Chinese government became the first country in the world to class schedule fentanyl-related substances, although there was no large-scale fentanyl abuse or immediate hazard in China. This is an important follow-up to the common understandings reached between the presidents of China and the US, and a concrete example of how China, keeping in mind the health, safety and well-being of humanity, actively responds to the US concern and helps it tackle its domestic opioid crisis.

    On 1 July 2021, China class scheduled all synthetic cannabinoids and another 18 psychoactive substances including fluoroketamine. On 20 September of the same year, another six chemicals, including methyl alpha-phenylacetoacetate (MAPA), were added as drug precursors. China is making continuous efforts to regulate precursors in accordance with law.

    China has taken a host of measures to crack down on the trafficking of fentanyl and other scheduled chemicals, like introducing real-name registration of senders and receivers, parcel examination and X-ray screening in the express delivery sector, and stepping up examination of cross-border parcels to certain destinations including the US. These measures have paid off.

    After class scheduling fentanyl-related substances, China’s National Narcotics Control Commission and Ministry of Public Security have maintained close, candid and in-depth coordination with their US counterparts including the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the State Department Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Since September 2019, the US has not seized any fentanyl-related substances coming from China. The US has expressed appreciation to China on many occasions and noted drug control as a highlight in bilateral law enforcement cooperation.

    As is known to all, the responsibility to prevent the entry of non-scheduled chemicals and their use in illicit drug-making falls on the import country. The US, however, would neither officially schedule fentanyl nor address the issue of domestic consumption. Instead, it chose to shift the blame by falsely claiming that “fentanyl precursors used by drug trafficking organizations originate in China” and making an issue out of non-scheduled chemicals. This reflects an ulterior motive and an extreme lack of responsibility for the life and health of its own people.

    ◆ In May 2020, without producing any evidence, the US added the Institute of Forensic Science of China’s Ministry of Public Security and the National Narcotics Laboratory to its “Entity List”. Such a practice of seeking China’s cooperation on the one hand while imposing sanctions on China’s narcotics control authorities has seriously hindered the operation of China’s fentanyl monitoring system and undermined the counter-narcotics cooperation between China and the US.

    While China and the rest of the world are tightening control over fentanyl-related substances, fentanyl-related problems are deteriorating in the US, causing a mounting death toll. It lays bare the US’s failure to get to the crux of the fentanyl abuse problem. China has acted out of goodwill and repeatedly advised the US to follow effective practices widely recognized by the international community, like stepping up regulation on fentanyl prescription and promoting public awareness

    Falsehood 20: As a global food crisis threatens people worldwide, we look to China — a country that’s achieved great things in agriculture — to help with a global response. 

    Reality Check: The US has long been restricting grain exports and monopolizing grain trade. After the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the US expanded its arms assistance and abused unilateral sanctions, further aggravating the global food shortage. It bears unshirkable responsibility for the global food crisis.

    ◆ The US-driven deglobalization, its grain-for-energy production policies and food oligopolies are the root causes of global food crisis.

    Using its status as a major grain-producer, the US has been restricting its grain exports to other countries, causing disruptions to normal global grain trade. The 12 major grain producers such as the US, Canada and the European Union accounts for 70percent of the world’s total grain production and exportation. In global trade relations, the US and other Western countries weigh heavily on whether developing countries can buy grain and at what price.

    The US consumes grain to produce biofuels, straining global food supply, especially the supply of subsistence crops. Nearly one-third of the corn produced in the US is used for biofuels. Using grain as substitute for energy leads to fewer grain for global food supply, creating a vicious circle of food and energy prices pushing up each other.

    The four major grain suppliers —ADM, Bunge and Cargill and Louis Dreyfus — monopolize more than 80percent of the world’s grain trade, and control global agricultural raw materials as well as grain production, processing and supply. These four grain suppliers, three from the US, manipulate the international prices of grain and earn extra profits from global food price volatility. Since 2021, their net income has increased by 53 percent, 80 percent, 64 percent and 47.7 percent respectively, and the stock prices of ADM and Bunge have nearly tripled. These international food oligopolies are profit-seeking, and they won’t miss any opportunity to stir up food security issues and inflate food supply shortage to make bigger profits.

    ◆ The US has been stoking the flames in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and abusing economic sanctions. These have exacerbated global food shortage.

    The protracted conflict between Russia and Ukraine is a direct consequence of the constant instigation by the US and other Western countries. US military and arms assistance to Ukraine has increased to 53.6 billion US dollars, more than 70 percent of the combined military spending of Russia and Ukraine in 2021. The longer and bigger the conflict is, the greater its impact on global food production and supply will be, and the food crisis will further intensify.

    In the face of a global food crisis, major grain-producing countries such as the US have instead kept their “grain bags” tight. According to the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report released by the US Department of Agriculture this May, US wheat exports in 2021/22 will be 18.9 percent lower than the previous year. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the total amount of food exports affected by the restrictions has increased significantly, which now represents about 17 percent of total calories traded in the world

    The US food security initiative is more of empty words than concrete actions, only to fragment global food security governance. Russia is a major exporter of subsistence crops and the world’s largest exporter of fertilizers. Since the US and other Western countries imposed sanctions on Russia, the price index of various fertilizers has risen by more than 30 percent, which has seriously affected agricultural production. From 2021 to 2022, wheat and barley exports from Russia account for 16 percent and 12.9 percent of the world’s total respectively. Statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) show that since the US imposed sanctions on Russia, the Food Price Index in May this year has risen by 14 percent compared with February.

    ◆ Serious food waste in the US has worsened the global food shortage.

    First, the amount of food waste is astounding. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in the US, 30 to 40 percent of the food supply and 38 percent of grain products are never eaten each year. In 2018, the US had 103 million tons of its food wasted, worth 161 billion US dollars. In 2020, the country’s food waste per capita was 59 kilograms.

    Second, distribution is uneven. About 38 million people are food insecure in the US in 2020, and the majority of them are African Americans, Latin Americans and Native Americans. According to National Geographic, more than one-third of the low-income households do not have access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program introduced by the US government, and its benefits fall short of helping many families in high-cost areas enjoy a healthy and adequate diet.

    Third, secondary problems are prominent. Every year, the overproduction of food in the US puts a staggering burden on the environment and wastes numerous resources, including over 9.3 million hectares of arable land, 22 trillion liters of water, 350 million kilograms of pesticides, and 6.35 million tons of chemical fertilizers.

    ◆ China has made significant contributions to global food security. It has supported one-fifth of the world’s population with a quarter of the world’s total food, on less than 9 percent of the world’s arable land. The Global Development Initiative put forward by China has identified food security as one of the eight priority areas of cooperation. China will mobilize efforts from all parties across the globe to draw on each other’s strength, and form the greatest synergy to meet all sustainable development goals including food security. This initiative has received positive response from more than 100 countries around the world and international organizations such as the UN.

    ◆ The Chinese people cherish food and keep to the traditional virtue of thrift. President Xi Jinping attaches great importance to food security. He has called for thriftiness and opposes squandering, stressing on multiple occasions the need to stop food waste. Since the launch of the nationwide “Clear Your Plate” campaign in 2013, consumer food waste in China has been significantly reduced. According to the Nature magazine, the amount of food discarded by Chinese restaurants and eateries has decreased by 40 percent. In 2021, the International Conference on Food Loss and Waste hosted by China was well received by the international community, including members of the G20.

    ◆ China is an important strategic partner of FAO in South-South cooperation. In recent years, China has donated 130 million US dollars to the FAO South-South Cooperation Trust Fund. China has sent more than 1,100 agricultural experts and technical personnel to and trained nearly 100,000 farmers in more than 40 countries and regions. Under the framework of the FAO’s South-South Cooperation Programme, China has donated the largest amount of fund, sent the most experts, and undertaken the most projects among all developing countries.

    ◆ China has provided its own solutions to global food shortage. Chinese hybrid rice is being grown in dozens of countries and regions in Asia, Africa and the Americas, with an annual growth area of eight million hectares. This increased the world’s total grain output by 150 million tons, enough to feed 400 to 500 million more people. Yuan Longping, known as the “Father of Chinese Hybrid Rice”, and other Chinese researchers have offered advice and counsel in India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Myanmar, Bangladesh and many other countries. Through international training courses, China has trained over 14,000 hybrid rice technicians for more than 80 developing countries.

    Falsehood 21: Beijing has perfected mass surveillance and exported that technology to more than 80 countries.

    Reality Check: The US is the biggest empire of hacking.

    ◆ The use of video surveillance and big data technology is an important step taken by the Chinese government to improve social governance, and also a common practice across the world. It is necessary, legal and justified. Tianwang (Skynet), which is composed of video surveillance systems, effectively eliminates potential risks to public security and ensures the high percentage of solved criminal cases in China. With the increasingly digitized crime prevention and control system, 98.6 percent of the people in China felt safe in 2021, and China is widely recognized as one of the safest countries in the world. China ranked the third in the law and order index published by Gallup, a US consulting company, while the US 36th.

    ◆ Statistics show that there were some 70 million cameras installed in the US in 2018, one for every 4.6 people. For the US to accuse China of mass surveillance, it’s just double standard at work.

    ◆ For a long time, the US has carried out large-scale, organized and indiscriminate cyber espionage, surveillance and attacks on foreign governments, enterprises and individuals in violation of international law and the basic norms governing international relations. In June 2013, the Guardian and the Washington Post reported that NSA has been running PRISM, a clandestine electronic surveillance program, since 2007, whose targets include even its own allies. Der Spiegel reported that the US intelligence may have been monitoring the German Chancellor’s mobile phone communications for nearly a decade.

    ◆ In 2020, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) demanded Facebook to stop sending data of EU users to the US. The report comes just a few months after the European Court of Justice ruled the data transfer standard between the EU and the US doesn’t adequately protect European citizen’s privacy and concluded that EU citizens had no effective way to challenge US government surveillance. It is reported that US agencies such as NSA can theoretically ask internet companies like Facebook and Google to hand over data on an EU citizen and that EU citizen would be none-the-wiser.

    ◆ In December 2020, the Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL) of France stated that google.fr and amazon.fr websites violated relevant French regulations by placing tracking cookies on their users’ computers without obtaining prior consent and without providing adequate information.

    ◆ In 2021, Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) reported that between 2012 and 2014, NSA used information cables of Denmark to wiretap (spy on) senior officials of Sweden, Norway, France and Germany, including many political dignitaries such as former German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The US apparently broke its promise that it would stop wiretapping Merkel.

    ◆ The US abuses its leading position in internet and communication technology and is truly an empire of hacking, tapping and theft of secrets. From PRISM, the Irritant Horn project, and Stellar Wind, to Operation Telescreen, the Hive platform and the QUANTUM attack system, the US has violated the freedom of communication and speech of its citizens through digital surveillance, and has engaged in cyber attacks, surveillance and thefts of secrets across the world. Documents leaked by Edward Snowden of the Stateroom program show that the US has covertly installed eavesdropping devices in nearly 100 of its embassies and consulates to steal secrets from their host countries.

    ◆ A report on APT-C-39 released by Chinese cybersecurity company 360 in 2020 reveals that APT-C-39, a hacking group under the CIA, has conducted cyber infiltration attacks on China for 11 years targeting critical sectors including aviation and aerospace, research institutions, oil industry, large internet companies, and government agencies. Such attacks have seriously undermined China’s national security and the security of its economy, critical infrastructure as well as personal information of the general public.

    According to a report on the indiscriminate worldwide cyber attacks by NSA’s APT-C-40 over the past decade released by 360 in 2022, NSA has attacked, using cyber weapons, 403 targets in 47 countries and regions worldwide, including China, the UK, Germany, France, Poland, Japan, India, the ROK, the UAE, South Africa and Brazil.

    On 19 April 2022, China’s National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center (CVERC) issued an alert on cyber attacks by the US government against other countries and released a related report. It brings to light “Hive”, a lightweight cyber weapon used exclusively by the US government, and the fact that the US has deployed cyber attack platforms worldwide and has jumper servers and VPN channels in countries like France, Germany, Canada, Turkey and Malaysia.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
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    We are entering a peak transition period geopolitically

    What I like about China is that it points not to the superiority of its ideology but to RESULTS!  
    
    The US wants to make an argument based not on results, since it has little to offer in that regard, but on ideology which is infinitely flexible and demands only a control over the playing field, that is, the media.
    
    The Chinese approach is also better at winning over the people of the world.  
    
    -John V. Walsh

    We are entering a peak transition period geopolitically. This is coinciding with the makings of an American civil war – now that the United States society has collapsed. The drivers for all of these changes are (of course) the actions decided upon by the Oligarchy that controls the United States “leadership”. This is understood and expected by the Asian powers. The changes are going to (ultimately) be stunning, but during this period of change will appear to be “out of control”. Don’t worry, it’s not. It’s just that the entire “shebang” is simply not being reported on.

    Hang on tight. Don’t get too upset.

    In the eyes of others, the US is not the benign power it thinks it is

    • America’s foreign policy goals are often self-serving, while its designs for a rules-based international order primarily reflect the interests of its business and policy elites
    • What’s good for the US may not be good for the world. The sooner Washington recognises that, the better

    When I started teaching at Harvard’s Kennedy School in the mid-1980s, competition with Japan was the dominant preoccupation of US economic policy. The book Japan as Number One by Harvard’s premier Japan expert at the time, Ezra Vogel, set the tone of the debate.

    I remember being struck back then by the degree to which the discussion, even among academics, was tinged by a certain sense of American entitlement to international pre-eminence. The United States could not let Japan dominate key industries and had to respond with its own industrial and trade policies – not just because these might help the US economy, but also because the US simply could not be No 2.

    Until then, I had thought that aggressive nationalism was a feature of the Old World – insecure societies ill at ease with their international standing and reeling from real or perceived historical injustices. American elites, rich and secure, may have valued patriotism, but their global outlook tended towards cosmopolitanism.

    But zero-sum nationalism was not far from the surface, which became clear once America’s place atop the global economic totem pole was threatened.

    After three decades of US triumphalism following the fall of the Berlin Wall, a similar process is now playing out on a vastly greater scale. It is driven both by China’s rise – which represents a more significant economic challenge to America than Japan did in the 1980s and is also a geopolitical risk – and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    The US has responded to these developments by seeking to reassert its global primacy – a goal American policymakers readily conflate with that of establishing a more secure and prosperous world. They regard US leadership as central to the promotion of democracy, open markets and a rules-based international order.

    What could be more conducive to peace and prosperity than that? The view that US foreign policy goals are fundamentally benign underpins the myth of American exceptionalism: what is good for the US is good for the world.

    While this is undoubtedly true at times, the myth too often blinds American policymakers to the reality of how they exercise power. The US undermines other democracies when it suits its interests and has a long record of meddling in sovereign countries’ domestic politics. Its 2003 invasion of Iraq was as clear a violation of the United Nations Charter as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression against Ukraine.

    US designs for “open markets” and a “rules-based international order” often primarily reflect the interests of US business and policy elites rather than smaller countries’ aspirations. And when international rules diverge from those interests, the US simply stays away (as with the International Criminal Court, or most of the core International Labour Organization conventions).

    Many of these tensions were evident in a recent speech by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on America’s approach to China. Blinken described China as “the most serious long-term challenge to the international order”, arguing that “Beijing’s vision would move us away from the universal values that have sustained so much of the world’s progress”.

    Blinken is correct that many of the elements of the post-World-War-II order, such as the UN Charter, are not purely American or Western. But it is far from certain that China poses a greater threat to those truly universal constructs than the US does. For example, much of the trouble that US policymakers have with Chinese economic practices relates to domains – especially trade, investment and technology – where universal rules hardly prevail.

    According to Blinken, the US “will shape the strategic environment around Beijing to advance our vision for an open, inclusive international system”. Again, who could possibly oppose such a vision?

    But China and many others worry that US intentions are much less benign. To them, Blinken’s statement sounds like a threat to contain China and limit its options, while bullying other countries into siding with America.

    None of this is to claim an equivalence between current US actions and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or China’s gross human rights violations in Xinjiang and land grabs in the Himalayas and South China Sea.

    For all its faults, the US is a democracy where critics can openly criticise and oppose the government’s foreign policy. But that makes little difference to countries treated as pawns in America’s geopolitical competition with China, which often struggle to distinguish between the global actions of major powers.

    Blinken drew a clear link between China’s authoritarian practices and the country’s presumed threat to global order. This is a mirror-image projection of America’s belief in its own benign exceptionalism. But just as democracy at home does not imply goodwill abroad, domestic repression need not inevitably lead to external aggression. China also claims to be interested in a stable, prosperous global order – just not one arranged exclusively on US terms.

    The irony is that the more the US treats China as a threat and attempts to isolate it, the more China’s responses will seem to validate America’s fears.

    With the US seeking to convene a club of democracies openly opposing China, it is not surprising that President Xi Jinping cosied up to Putin just as Russia was preparing to invade Ukraine. As the journalist Robert Wright notes, countries excluded from such groupings will band together.

    To those who wonder why we should care about the decline of America’s relative power, US foreign policy elites respond with a rhetorical question: would you rather live in a world dominated by the US or by China?

    In truth, other countries would rather live in a world without domination, where smaller states retain a fair degree of autonomy, have good relations with all others, are not forced to choose sides, and do not become collateral damage when major powers fight it out.

    The sooner US leaders recognise that others do not view America’s global ambitions through the same rose-tinted glasses, the better it will be for everyone.

    Dani Rodrik is professor of international political economy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Copyright: Project Syndicate

    “Sic Transit Gloria Mundi”: Thus Passes The Glory Of The World

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    Standing nearly 20-feet-high, 43 U.S. Presidential busts rest on April 9, 2019 in Croaker, Virginia (previously). From George Washington to George W. Bush., these remnants of bankrupted Presidents Park are stored on the property of Howard Hankins.

    He has recently partnered with historian and photographer John Plashal to provide legal tour of the busts. According to multiple media reports, Hankins has said he is seeking to restore and transport the massive sculptures, but needs to fund more than $1.5 million in order to do so.

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    Alice In Chains – Down in a Hole (MTV Unplugged – HD Video)

    FINLAND Having Second Thoughts about Joining NATO

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    The President of Finland, Sauli Niinisto, said today “Finland will not join NATO without Sweden.” Looks like Finland is having second thoughts.

    Sweden is having serious trouble when it comes to joining NATO. It seems the Swedes took-in a whole slew of Middle East Refugees years back and among them are people that the nation of Turkey feels are a terrorist threat: PKK. a.k.a. “Kurds.”

    Turkey is invading parts of Syria for the past two years, trying to clear all Kurds out of northern Syria along the Turkish border because Turkey perceives the Kurds and their political movement called “PKK” within Turkey, as a terrorist threat.

    So Turkey will not vote to approve Sweden (or Finland) until those alleged “terrorists” are somehow purged from Sweden (and perhaps Finland).

    In order for a country to join NATO, the vote by existing NATO members must be unanimous. If Turkey holds to its position, that it will not vote to admit Sweden (or Finland) then neither of those two countries will be able to join NATO.

    Since Sweden seems to be in the most jeopardy from a Turkish “No” vote, the President of Finland took this opportunity to say “Finland will not join NATO without Sweden.”

    But his comment is likely not related AT ALL to Sweden. You see, it appears to many keen observers, that Finland now realizes it has made a series of very bad decisions about its large neighbor to the east, Russia.

    Those bad decisions included applying economic sanctions against Russia over the ongoing Ukraine Special Military Operation, and Finland refused to pay for Russian natural gas and oil in Rubles, which resulted in Russia cutting off energy supplies to Finland. Finland thought they could make it without Russian natural gas, and now it appears they cannot.

    Without Russian natural gas and oil, the Finland economy is starting to keel-over. As in other western countries that Sanctioned Russia, fuel prices in Finland are now skyrocketing. That is causing prices for things like food, to skyrocket because all the food has to be transported by truck, and fuel costs for trucks have skyrocketed.

    Moreover, Russia has begun moving considerable military hardware toward the border of Finland. The Russians say they have to make certain that their border is protected from NATO and if Finland is going to join NATO, then Russia has to increase its security along the Finland border.

    While the movement of Russian troops is not really a concern; there are no hostile issues between Russia and Finland, the move takes place as the Russian Army is literally chewing-up and spitting-out the much larger army of Ukraine.

    Neither NATO nor non-NATO countries like Finland and Sweden, ever thought that Russia was as powerful as they clearly are. Moreover, NATO trained the Ukraine Army for eight full years before hostilities broke out between Ukraine and Russia. And with all that high-tech, modern, NATO training . . . . Ukraine is getting its butt kicked.

    So whatever representations NATO made to Finland and Sweden about how NATO could protect them from Russia, are all starting to ring hollow at this point.

    Perhaps the President of Finland sees this as a very convenient chance to walk-back his nation’s effort to join NATO. After all, things between Russia and Finland are not bad at all. But life in Finland without Russian gas and oil, is not good at all. Maybe the Finnish President sees the obvious writing on the wall, and realizes it would be far better for Finland to walk away from NATO, and stay away . . . far away.

    Iran’s Khamenei on tanker seizures: ‘You stole our oil, we took it back from you’ | TradeWinds

    Supreme Leader makes plain the nation’s retaliatory motives in detaining two Greek suez-maxes.
    No longer looting without consequences. Long live 21st century :

    Full article HERE

    Awesome!

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    tYKHjAq

    Oil and Gas prices

    Found in a comment section on MoA. American Gasoline prices actually hit $5 yesterday.

    For gasoline

    • Current Avg. $5.010
    • Yesterday Avg. $5.004
    • Week Ago Avg. $4.848
    • Month Ago Avg. $4.418
    • Year Ago Avg. $3.077

    For diesel

    • Current Avg. $5.771
    • Yesterday Avg. $5.765
    • Week Ago Avg. $5.636
    • Month Ago Avg. $5.557
    • Year Ago Avg. $3.211

    Again, the US uses about 100 billion gallons of gasoline and 40 billion gallons of diesel – so the delta in prices from today vs. last year can be multiplied by the above numbers to arrive at just how much more money people are paying for transportation.

    China to use Civilian Cargo Ships to Stealth Invade Taiwan

    • .
      LOL. The actual situation is something else. -MM
    • ChinaCargoShips StealthInvasion large
      ChinaCargoShips StealthInvasion large
    • Preparations for what China is now calling “the de-americanization of Taiwan” are in full swing.

      Diversion and reconnaissance teams of one of the marine brigades of the 72nd Army Group of the Eastern Zone of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA)  Combat Command (the operational area of responsibility includes Taiwan) conducted exercises on covert penetration and seizure of a beachhead on the coast of a conventional enemy using civilian dry cargo ships.

      Video Below:

    Awesome!

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    xkglgn1sd3191

    Awesome!

    SFk05Dr
    SFk05Dr

    カネコアヤノ – ロマンス宣言 / Kaneko Ayano – Romance sengen

    Recommended by an influencer. Well worth the video. Check it out. She sure is cute.

    Awesome!

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    ompdaotpomx81

    Awesome!

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    ff

    A list of American Amendments that were never approved

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    f6fdx996pmu71

    Awesome!

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    283932997 524284979348125 5723383558574936274 n

    Is China MORE Democratic than America Now? Poll Results will SHOCK You

    Another very outstanding and great video.

    Awesome!

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    283207596 734239307732236 6243384667408970196 n

    The best video about America today…

    “How To Tell Your Husband You Accidentally Shrank His Favorite Wool Sweater”

    husbands sharing their wife fails 640 high 04
    husbands sharing their wife fails 640 high 04

    NASA is complaining that the Chinese Space organization is not sharing it’s technology

    Complaining that China Aerospace is not cooperating, the director forgot the Wolff clause? NASA is actually crying wolfe!
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    NASA administrator Nielsen borrowed the saying “it takes two people to dance the tango”, saying that China Aerospace does not offer cooperation and lacks transparency.
    .
    What? Have they forgot the 2011 Wolfe Clause?
    .

    From HERE

    None of the funds made available by this Act may be used for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) or the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to develop, design, plan, promulgate, implement, or execute a bilateral policy, program, order, or contract of any kind to participate, collaborate, or coordinate bilaterally in any way with China[1]
    
    ——Public Law 112-55, SEC. 539

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    This Chinese mall has a “husband depository” with massage chairs and phone chargers

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    l745hjk6eaa81

    Mountain Dew

    Racing fuel, Mountain Dew cocktail blamed in teens’ deaths
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    While the Mountain Dew we know today comes in 35 different flavors and is synonymous with “gamer fuel,” it was created for a much different purpose. Brothers Barney and Alley Hartman began bottling their lemon-lime creation in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1932. Its name was originally a slang term for mountain-made moonshine, and it was created to be a whiskey chaser.

    In order to make moonshine, a fermentation process is needed, which creates alcohol in two forms: ethanol and methanol. Ethanol is the drinkable version, but methanol is toxic. The human body converts methanol into formaldehyde. The formaldehyde is then converted into formic acid, which essentially poisons the body’s cells. Racing fuel contains almost 100% methanol, creating the same inebriated feeling that ethanol gives through alcohol consumption. While methanol is extremely poisonous, it is cheap and easy to access in the form of racing fuel, which makes it luring to underage drinkers.

    Four teenage boys at a party in January of 2016 created a deadly concoction called “Dewshine,” a mix of Mountain Dew and racing fuel. The teens created the mixture on purpose and drank it. Authorities were called to the home of sixteen-year-old Logan Stephenson on January 21, 2016, after he was found dead in his bed. Just a few minutes later, they were called to the home of his best friend, J.D. Byram, because he had begun having seizures. Byram died the following Monday.

    Concepts for polymer US dollars

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    kqvl6tx6uw091

    Denmark Inflation

    Inflation, its not just the US

    Food and Energy prices in Denmark hit 40 year high

    Prices for consumers have increased in Denmark by 6.7 percent across the last 12 months.

    So now the Danish can get high food and energy prices to go along with their highest electricity price in Europe distinction:

    Electricity prices, household in Denmark

    Denmark, the country with the most expensive electricity in Europe
    
    The average price of electricity in Denmark, in December of 2021, has been 0.3448€ per kilowatt hour. Electricity price has increased € 0.0548 kWh, 18.9% since the previous semester. Meanwhile, the average price of electricity without taxes in Denmark in that period was € 0.1485 per kilowatt hour, compared to € 0.104 kWh in the previous semester. The price of electricity excluding taxes increased by 42.79%.
    
    In the last twelve months the price of electricity in Denmark has increased by 63.55%.
    
    In Denmark, the price of electricity reached its maximum price, € 0.3448kWh, in December of 2021. Its minimum price was €0.2401 kWh, corresponding to December of 2007.
    
    Denmark is the country in Europe with the most expensive electricity.
    
    When looking at the difference between the price of electricity with and without taxes, we see that households in Denmark paid € 0.1963 in taxes for each kilowatt hour, which means that 56.92% of what consumers pay for electricity is in concept taxes.

    “My 39-Week Pregnant Wife Went To The Store To “Get Stuff For Dinner”. This Is What She Came Home With”

    husbands sharing their wife fails 640 03
    husbands sharing their wife fails 640 03

    A pretty interesting article

    How Amish use technology – wired.com

    Pretty interesting article, but the conclusion I drew was far removed from what the author was clearly trying to promote.

    Throughout the industrial age and now in the information age, the Amish have adhered to the long-standing tradition of making as a primary form of work.
    
    The fact that the Amish have also begun making digital technologies, such as the black-box phone that worked as an intended replacement for cell phones, should come as no surprise. The black-box phone, however, is just one of many examples of an increasing number of communication technologies developed for Amish people by Amish people. These devices are crafted to most precisely complete professional goals, while limiting the negative impacts that come with digital communication today. The Amish recognize that this most certainly has political implications. Making in general, and making of digital technologies in particular, further enables the Amish to exercise their creativity, resist surveillance, and control and sustain their way of life in the digital age.
    
    The manner in which the Amish put technologies to use reveals a great deal about the relationship that they want to have to the larger society. In addition to the black-box phone, I have observed an array of Amish workarounds that reflect local values and are determined by social context. The particular assemblage that comprises a workaround can also signal one’s Amishness or shared group identity.

    In particular, the capability to withstand technology is only possible with extremely tightly bound communities – and even then, it is quite clear that the “fence straddlers” that are the focus of this story are far more like those selling organic produce to rich non-believers than some progressive Amish variant.

    Awesome!

    3Ckanoe
    3Ckanoe

    US policies led to ‘new G8’ – China, India, Russia, Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico, Iran, Turkey

    Imagine that!

    China, India, Russia, Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico, Iran, Turkey – in terms of GDP at PPP is 24.4% ahead of the old group,”

    US policies led to ‘new G8’ – Moscow — RT Russia & Former Soviet Union The United States “with its own hands” pushed the countries that are not participating in “sanctions wars” to form a “new Big Eight” group with Russia, the Russian State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said on Saturday.

    Following the launch of Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine in late February, the US, EU, UK and many other countries imposed hard-hitting restrictions on Moscow, making Russia the most sanctioned country in the world.

    In a Telegram post, Volodin included a table with IMF data on GDP based on purchasing power parity of countries he calls the “new G8” and of countries forming the current G7 (after Russia’s participation in the bloc was suspended over Crimea’s vote to join the country in 2014, the G8 effectively turned into the G7).

    The group of eight countries not participating in the sanctions wars – China, India, Russia, Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico, Iran, Turkey – in terms of GDP at PPP is 24.4% ahead of the old group,” Volodin wrote.

    In his opinion, the economies of the G7 members – the United States, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Canada – continue “to crack under the weight of sanctions imposed against Russia.”

    Full article HERE

    Daddy Jack’s Sicilian Pasta

    "Daddy Jack has been a favorite of mine for 2-3 years. I was aware of my affection for his personality and respect for his cooking, but I was NOT prepared for how hard his passing hit me. I'm still surprised at the well of emotion when I watch certain videos, and this one might be the one that gets me the most, other than the last ones made at home with Lakisha, Titus, and Axle. I also love the ones where he speaks so lovingly about his mom, and those where he shares with the people in his life. What other chef on Youtube gave us this much? Think about it. Most just don't let us in. But Daddy Jack was happy to do it. Not making the trek to New London to meet this man and taste his food will always be a regret of mine. RIP Daddy Jack. You gave SO much more than you had to. THANK YOU."

    Kremlin Responds After Polish EU Official Says West Should Give Ukraine Nukes

    Monday, Jun 13, 2022 – 06:00 AM

    Starting in April, dangerous rhetoric related to regional nuclear aspirations began coming out of Poland – apparently directed as a ‘threat’ to Russia amid the invasion of Ukraine. Early that month, for example, ruling Polish party leader, Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski suggested that a “tougher” anti-Russian defense posture would include Poland being “open” to having nuclear weapons stationed in the country.

    But this weekend has seen the rhetoric heighten even further, eliciting a fierce response from Moscow, when Poland’s European Parliament Deputy and former Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski suggested that the West give nukes to Kiev. “The West has the right to give Ukraine nuclear warheads so that it can protect its independence,” Sikorski said according to regional sources.

    As also detailed in a Yahoo News/Ukrayinska Pravda report, “He argued that Russia broke the terms of the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances by refusing to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and integrity, so nuclear weapons should be returned to Kyiv, even though Ukrainians voluntarily disposed of them.”

    In response, a top Russian Duma official warned that such a scenario would mean central Europe would in effect “cease to exist” as it would surely trigger nuclear war:

    The Head of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, Viacheslav Volodin, threatens that if the suggestion by the former Foreign Minister of Poland Radoslaw Sikorski to provide Ukraine with nuclear weapons is fulfilled, then the possible nuclear conflict will destroy the European continent.

    Volodin said specifically in response to the Polish EU official: “Sikorski is provoking a nuclear conflict in the center of Europe. He doesn’t think neither about the future of Ukraine nor about the future of Poland. In case his suggestions are fulfilled, these countries will cease to exist, as will Europe as well.”

    Since 1994, Ukraine has voluntarily been a ‘nuclear-arms-free’ country based on being a signatory to the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances, which marked its accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

    In the days ahead of Russia’s Feb.24 invasion, President Vladimir Putin accused the Ukrainian government of seeking to revive nuclear capabilities based on Soviet technology still in its possession.

    “There have already been statements that Ukraine is going to create its own nuclear weapons… Ukraine does indeed still have Soviet nuclear technologies and [the] means of delivering such weapons,” Putin had said in televised address just days before the war against Ukraine started, listing it as a justification for Moscow’s actions to come.

    “Therefore, it would be much easier for Ukraine to obtain nuclear weapons than to some other states – I won’t name them now – who effectively carry out such research. Especially in case of technological support from abroad, and we must not rule this out as well,” Putin added in his speech at the time.

    Grape Soda Homicide

    This is one of the reasons why children MUST stay with their biological parents. There is a reason why "evil stepmother" meme's exist. My stepmother was a real fucking witch. Read what the fuck this step mother did... -MM

    Something about the term “forbidden” or “off-limits” seems to promote an insatiable desire to explore, especially as children. Whether it’s a particular room in the house, an area in the neighborhood, or simply an adult’s favorite treat, we’ve all been guilty at one point or another of letting our curiosity get the better of us. However, for five-year-old Alexa Linboom, stealing her stepmother’s grape soda would cost her her life.

    On January 1, 2012, Alexa stole “one or two grape drinks” from her stepmother Mary Vaughn and was forced to drink more than two liters of grape soda and water within a two-hour time frame as her punishment. The excessive amounts of fluid she ingested caused her sodium levels to drop and her brain to swell. Alexa began screaming in pain, and she later fell unconscious, but her father and stepmother waited several more hours before taking her to the hospital.

    She was declared brain dead and removed from life support just two short days later. Her death was declared a homicide due to acute fluid/water intoxication. Both her father, Randall Vaughn, and her stepmother were sentenced to life in prison without parole.

    “We’re Moving. This Is How My Wife Packed The Kid’s Dolls”

    husbands sharing their wife fails 640 07
    husbands sharing their wife fails 640 07

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    UPDATED: China Tells U.S. “Will not Hesitate to Start a War”

    FLASH– 7:31 PM EDT  Friday, June 10, 2022 — The Defense Ministry of the People’s Republic of China told their U.S. counterparts this evening “Beijing will not hesitate to start a war over Taiwan.”

    They used those exact words.

    UPDATE 6:32 AM EDT SATURDAY –

    Now they’re saying it in gentler words, but PUBLICLY:

    China will ‘smash to smithereens any Taiwan independence plot and resolutely uphold the unification of the motherland’ Chinese Defense Minister Fenghe told U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue conference in Singapore on Friday.

    ‘If anyone dares to split Taiwan from China, the Chinese army will definitely not hesitate to start a war no matter the cost’, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Col. Wu Qian quoted the Fenghe as saying during the meeting, in what is a escalating of tension, not least of which in the type of language being used.

    Austin met with his Chinese counterpart, Wei Fenghe who bemoaned new American arms sales to Taiwan announced this week, saying it ‘seriously undermined China’s sovereignty and security interests.’

     

    Awesome!

    • 8y5n2geit0091
      8y5n2geit0091

    Google Will Declare Bankruptcy In Russia, Says Russian Authorities Seized Bank Account

    The Russian subsidiary of Alphabet’s Google plans to file for bankruptcy after authorities seized its bank account, the company said Wednesday, in an apparent escalation of the Kremlin’s drive to cut Russians off from information about the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

    Key Facts

    Google Russia filed an intention to declare bankruptcy after the seizure of its bank account made it “untenable” to meet its financial obligations, a Google spokesperson said in a statement to Forbes and other outlets.

    Google’s intention to file for bankruptcy is already on Russia’s Fedresurs financial registry website, according to Reuters and Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti.

    A company spokesperson said Google will continue to operate free services including its search engine, YouTube and Gmail.

    Key Background

    Google has been arguably Russia’s greatest foe in challenging the war narrative advanced by Kremlin-controlled media within the country since Russia invaded Ukraine February 24.

    Google suspended all advertising in Russia in March, banned state-run Russian media YouTube channels worldwide and most critically has refused to remove information on the war deemed illegal from Youtube.

    The Russian communications regulator has repeatedly threatened to punish Google for not deleting certain content, and Russia banned Google News in the country last month for publishing “inauthentic” information on the war.

    Crucial Quote

    “People in Russia rely on our services to access quality information,” the Google spokesperson said in a statement explaining the company’s intention to keep YouTube and other services running.

    Tangent

    In addition to YouTube, the Russian government has another U.S.-based information foe: Wikipedia. The online encyclopedia has refused to delete information on the war, including information from the Ukrainian government on civilian and troop death tolls, causing the Russian government to threaten fines against Wikipedia. Russian President Vladimir Putin chimed in on the Kremlin’s war against Wikipedia earlier this month, telling Russians not to trust the crowd-sourced online encyclopedia in an interview with state media.

    MM Comments

    Forbes is a CIA mouthpiece, funded indirectly from the CIA via the NED organization. This is all well-known.

    Google, also, is indirectly funded by the NED, and thus the CIA out of the Pentagon. This is all well-known.

    Google was operating inside of Russia during a time of war, and promoting the Western “narrative” which is a mixture of lies, distortions and manipulations.

    Russia seized all of it’s funding.

    Google will be forced to stop operations inside of Russia.

    This runs counter to the desires of the United States Pentagon.

    The Verve Pipe – The Freshmen [Original Acoustic Version] [I’ve Suffered A Head Injury] [Track #10]

    [I’ve Suffered A Head Injury] [Track #10]”]

    “I’ve Accidentally Shrunk My Husband’s Jacket. Husband For Scale”

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    Zelensky: Ukraine is fine with China’s position on war with Russia

    Article HERE

    President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that China has chosen the policy of staying away from the Russian-Ukrainian war and Ukraine is currently satisfied with this policy.
    “China has chosen the policy of staying away. At the moment, Ukraine is satisfied with this policy. It is better than helping the Russian Federation in any case. And I want to believe that China will not pursue another policy. We are satisfied with this status quo, to be honest,” President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said at a video link during the Davos Ukrainian Breakfast, Ukrinform reports.
    Before the war with Russia, China was Ukraine’s largest trading partner, he added. And now, according to Zelensky, no China’s steps against Ukraine are observed. At the same time, the President admits that China has not taken any steps to support Ukraine.
    “Although there is a rather good and long history between the countries. Therefore, I would like to have an advantage in these relations compared to Russia,” he said
    .

    “My Wife Likes To Keep Dog Food Beside Coffee Beans. Guess What I Did At 5:30 Am This Morning”

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    husbands sharing their wife fails 640 high 17

    ASML’s growth in China a rebuttal to US interference in global chip sector

    Wang Yi23:12 Jun 07 2022

    .

    Dutch chip lithography leader ASML said Monday that all of its projects in China are progressing as scheduled, and it plans to recruit more than 200 employees this year to expand business in the market, according to Chinese news outlet The Paper.

    Against the backdrop of the US is trying every means to recklessly stop ASML from shipping any of its most cutting edge lithography systems to China, the company’s increasing investment in the market fully demonstrates that no matter how reluctant the US to see, global giants in the semiconductor sector like ASML are seeing business expansion in China, the world’s largest consumer of semiconductors.

    Business is business. From a return on investment point of view, it’s a perfectly reasonable choice for ASML to expand business in China. ASML’s sales in Chinese mainland took up 34 percent of its total lithography system sales in the first quarter of this year, according to media reports.

    China and the US are indeed in a fierce technological competition, and the semiconductor industry is bearing the brunt of that pressure. The US government has never bothered to hide its plans to stifle the development of China’s chip sector. Yet, the US chip hegemony has become the culprit in disrupting the global industrial chain. The arbitrary political interference of the US government in the industry has clearly become the biggest concern for many companies. The US chip hegemony has caused and escalated the global chip supply chain crunch.

    While former US President Donald Trump’s arbitrary sanctions on major Chinese tech giants like Huawei and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) have dealt heavy blows to the global chip industry chain, the Biden administration’s political interference in companies’ operation have also stirred strong backlashes.

    Last November, the Biden’s administration obstructed SK Hynix’s plan to import the advanced equipment to its chip factory in East China’s Jiangsu Province. The US’ move that put SK Hynix’s chip factory’s renovation plans in jeopardy has caused strong backlash from South Korean media outlets. If the US continues to intervene in this way, South Korean companies will suffer more losses. The purpose of an economic alliance is to promote mutual economic interests, but the US coerces its allies to suffer economic losses for its own political interests, some South Korean media outlets questioned.

    The US government’s political coercion and interference in attempting to split the global semiconductor sector will not stop China’s semiconductor sector from development, but only serve to further escalate the current chip shortage and stresses throughout the global industrial chain. What the US does may block US companies and other international companies from the Chinese market, and these companies are unwilling to bear the losses and pay for this kind of political scheming orchestrated by the US.

    Those politicians in Washington who are calling for tougher semiconductor export controls, secondary sanctions, and research blockades against China have clearly underestimated the costs of US-China semiconductor decoupling. According to estimates from the US Department of Commerce, if American business with China on semiconductors is cut off completely, it will probably cost anywhere between $80 to $100 billion in sales and 125,000 jobs in the US.

    China’s chip market occupies a large share of global industry value and has huge potential. It is increasingly regarded as an important market by related companies in the global chip industry chain and has strong manufacturing advantages. The Chinese market will continue to expand opening up, and concrete measures are being taken to improve the market’s business environment. Foreign companies like ASML are welcome to achieve mutual beneficial development in China.

    FADING FAST: UKRAINE RUNNING OUT OF AMMUNITION

    .

    The Russian Army, using its overwhelming firepower, is smashing the Ukraine army, sending Ukraine troops fleeing for their lives.  Now, things have gotten much worse because Ukraine is simply running out of ammunition.

    Newly promised Western weapons systems are arriving, but too slowly and in insufficient quantities to prevent incremental but inexorable Russian gains in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine, which is now the focus of the fight.

    Around 200 Ukrainian soldiers are now being killed every day, up from 100 late last month, an aide to President Volodymyr Zelensky told the BBC on Friday — meaning that as many as 1,000 Ukrainians are being taken out of the fight every day, including those who are injured.

    To the shock and dismay of Ukraine supporters, the overall trajectory of the war has unmistakably shifted away from one of unexpectedly dismal Russian failures and tilted in favor of Russia as the demonstrably stronger force.

    The odds against the Ukrainians are starting to look overwhelming, said Oleksandr V. Danylyuk, an adviser to the Ukrainian government on defense and intelligence issues.

    “The Russians are using long-range artillery against us, often without any response, because we don’t have the means,” he said. “They can attack from dozens of kilometers away and we can’t fire back. We know all the coordinates for all their important targets, but we don’t have the means to attack.”

    “The strategies and tactics of the Russians are completely different right now. They are being much more successful,” he said. “They have more resources than us and they are not in a rush.”

    “There’s much less space for optimism right now,” he added.

    Ukraine has now almost completely run out of ammunition for the Soviet-era weapons systems that were the mainstay of its arsenal, and the Eastern European countries that maintained the same systems have run out of surplus supplies to donate, Danylyuk said. Ukraine urgently needs to shift to longer-range and more sophisticated Western systems, but those have only recently been committed, and in insufficient quantities to match Russia’s immense firepower, he said.

    Russia is firing as many as 50,000 artillery rounds a day into Ukrainian positions, and the Ukrainians can only hit back with around 5,000 to 6,000 rounds a day, he said. The United States has committed to deliver 220,000 rounds of ammunition — enough to match Russian firepower for around four days.

    The Russians have meanwhile adapted their tactics in ways that have let them take full advantage of their firepower by remaining at a distance from Ukrainian positions, pounding them relentlessly, then taking territory once the Ukrainians have been forced to retreat.

    Hal Turner Editorial Opinion

    When this conflict erupted in February, I told listeners to my radio show, and readers of this web site, “Ukraine doesn’t stand a chance.”

    Of course at the time, I had no idea the west (NATO) would pour so much weaponry into Ukraine, which, at first thought, would dramatically change the equation in Ukraine’s favor.

    Then the ugly reality of American and NATO “smart weapons” struck:  Our advanced weaponry, is very, VERY, fragile.   Yes, it is sophisticated, and when it works, it is devastatingly effective, but quite often, our high tech gizmos DON’T work.   The electronics that make the weapons so smart, are not suited for the rough and tumble realities of the battlefield.

    That became evident when, after killing or capturing a number of Ukrainian regiments, the Russian Army found Ukrainian troop cell phones.  One the screens of those phones: Google Searches with the search terms “Why isn’t javelin working” “javelin won’t shoot” “javelin making noises”   

    Here, look at one of the phones from the Battle field:

    UkrainianArmyPhone GoogleSearches
    UkrainianArmyPhone GoogleSearches

    The equipment failures aside, there is another far more important reason Ukraine is losing, and losing badly: history.

    I am a sort of student of history and I know full well that it was the Russian Army that stormed Berlin in WW2. Not the Americans, not the British, not the French. It was the Russians that totally crushed Hitler, and at a staggering cost to the Russian nation and its people. But they DID IT.

    They paid the price, and won.

    The youngsters handling military strategy and intelligence analysis in the US and our NATO vasal states these days, seem to have ZERO knowledge of history. They game-out scenarios on their computers, and to them, they think they know how things will turn out. But it is blazingly clear they did not (and do not) factor-in historical realities. In this instance, the one historical reality they failed to consider is that the Russian Army is one of the two most fearsome fighting forces on planet earth.

    The other is China.

    As such, Ukraine never stood a chance. This was over the moment the Russian Army crossed the border into Ukraine.

    Ukraine’s best hope right now is to unconditionally surrender. To do anything else, will merely delay the inevitable, and cause the deaths of hundreds-of-thousands more Ukrainians, fighting against a force they have zero chance of defeating.

    Sadly, Ukraine cannot even NEGOTIATE a peace deal, because they’ve shown their word (in negotiations) is worthless. Ukraine negotiated the Minsk Agreement, then reneged and didn’t implement even ONE of the terms it agreed to. They did this for over five years!

    Moreover, when the fighting initially began, Ukraine announced they would not abide by the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war, they signed back in the 1940’s. So now, nobody can believe anything Ukraine says because they’ve proven their word is useless. Surrender is their only option.

    .

    Shelly West – Flight 309 To Tennessee

    “”It’s Always So Cold In Our House. Our Furnace Sucks” – Wife, Jan 2020, -32C”

    husbands sharing their wife fails 640 high 20
    husbands sharing their wife fails 640 high 20

    China’s PLAN Leaked — A Fleet Of VTOL Drones Spotted On Chinese PLA Navy’s Shandong Aircraft Carrier

     

    In a first, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have been spotted on the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) aircraft carrier, Shandong. According to reports in Chinese state media, Shangdong is currently at the Dalian Shipyard for maintenance and repairs.

    On June 1, Andreas Rupprecht, an expert on Chinese military aviation, shared an image of UAVs on Shandong’s deck suggesting that it could be the first time, drones have been spotted on board the aircraft carrier.

    In late April, the Chinese state-owned Global Times reported that Shandong was undergoing “its first scheduled maintenance and refurbishment” at the Dalian Shipyard after two years of service “to enhance the flattop’s usability”.

    Before that, in March, the aircraft carrier was reported to have sailed through the Taiwan Straits, near Taiwan’s Kinmen island opposite the Chinese mainland city of Xiamen. Reports at the time also noted that there were no aircraft on Shangdong’s flight deck.

     

    One of the UAVs spotted onboard Shangdong, has an inverted V-shaped tail and it bears resemblance to a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) UAV that was reportedly seen onboard the PLAN’s Type 075 LHD amphibious assault ship in December, last year.

    According to Chinese media reports, it was the CW-40 dual-purpose UAV, designed and developed by the Chinese company JOUAV, which made its first appearance during the 2021 edition of the China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition, also known as Zhuhai Airshow.

    The UAV was also showcased in March this year at the DSA 2022 defense exhibition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

    2022 06 03 17 40
    2022 06 03 17 40

    “My Lovely Wife Bought A New Screen And A Cat Door To Go In It. Took A Few Hours And She Was So So Proud Of Herself”

    husbands sharing their wife fails 640 high 44
    husbands sharing their wife fails 640 high 44

    Chris Isaak – Wicked Game (MTV Unplugged) [HD]

    ”]

    The CW-40 UAV 

    The CW-40 is designed to conduct reconnaissance, search and surveillance, participate in rescue operations, ensure security, monitor the environment, prevent forest fires and protect important facilities.

    The drone has a fuselage length of 2.3m and a wingspan of 4.6m. It can fly at an altitude of 4000m, has a take-off weight of 45kg, and carries a maximum payload of 10kg.

    According to the Chairman of JOUAV, Ren Bin, the CW-40 adopts a domestically made four-stroke EFI engine.

    The UAV is equipped with three light photo-electric pods for large areas, and long-distance video surveillance. The full CW-40 system can be assembled and disassembled in 15 minutes, according to claims by JOUAV.

    2022 06 03 17 41
    2022 06 03 17 41

    The PLA has been actively advancing its employment of UAVs into its force structure for various purposes, such as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, attack purposes, or even as target drones to simulate anti-aircraft combat scenarios.

    If the UAV spotted onboard the Shandong is CW-40, then it could fulfill a role similar to the ASN-209 medium-altitude, medium-endurance (MAME) UAV, known as the ‘Silver Eagle’ which has a range of 200km and a maximum endurance of 10 hours, just like the CW-40.

    2022 06 03 17 42
    2022 06 03 17 42

    The Sky Eagle is capable of Target Designation, Electronic Intelligence (ELINT), and Electronic Warfare (EW), and can even be used for guiding missiles to the target.

    Experts also suggest that PLAN might use this UAV, as a communications relay for accompanying surface or aerial forces in case the satellite communications are compromised.

    Life Is Worth Losing – Dumb Americans – George Carlin

    Don Bacon Logic

    General Austin in Singapore: “Do rules matter? Does sovereignty matter? Does the system that we have built together matter? I am here because I believe that it does. And I am here because the rules-based international order matters just as much in the Indo-Pacific as it does in Europe.”

    “We’re determined to uphold the status quo that has served this region so well for so long,” he said. “So let me be clear: We remain firmly committed to our longstanding one-China policy — guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the three Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances. We categorically oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side. We do not support Taiwan independence.

    UN Charter Article 2(1)
    The Organization is based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all its Members.

    So Taiwan is a domestic affair! China’s sovereignty matters!

    -Don Bacon

    Chinese PLA Navy Goes Unmanned?

    In addition to UAVs, the PLAN is known to have incorporated a wide array of unmanned systems such as unmanned surface and underwater vehicles.

    Moreover, the advancements in artificial intelligence in recent years have led China to envision a greater role for unmanned platforms in maritime security and competition for control of sea lanes and marine resources.

    Last month, China launched an unmanned ship, named Zhu Hai Yun that can be controlled remotely and navigate autonomously in open water and carry dozens of drones, submersibles, and other vessels for conducting ocean research.

    Also, China is currently working on a next-generation assault carrier, known as Type 076 LHD which is being developed as a successor to the Type 075 LHD. It is said to be capable of carrying Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs).

    Reports suggest that China’s stealthy GJ-11 Sharp Sword UCAV may be one of the drones being planned to board the Type 076 LHD, based on a CG simulation released last year by the China Aviation Industry Group at the Zhuhai Airshow.

    The GJ-11 UAV is 12.2m long, with a wingspan of 14.4m and a height of 2.7m, and has a maximum takeoff weight of over 10 tons with an estimated payload estimated of around 1.9 tons, and a combat radius of over 1,500km with an endurance of six hours.

    • U.S. gas prices hit $5 per gallon

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      2022 06 12 11 50
      2022 06 12 11 50

      This is the 31st “record high” in 33 days!   Way to go, Brandon!

      Stolen elections have consequences.

      But to those of you are were foolish enough to vote Democrat, if you keep voting how you’ve voted, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.

      Wise-up.   Fast.  Before they make you choose between eating and driving to work or heating your house.

      7-up poisoning

      The Dominican Republic is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean and has become a popular tourist destination due to its beautiful beaches, endless recreational options, and rich culture. Surrounded by the Caribbean Sea on the south and the Atlantic Ocean on the north, it seems like the perfect place for a family vacation, romantic getaway, or beachfront wedding.

      Awilda Montes had planned a romantic getaway to the Dominican Republic with her boyfriend in October of 2018. However, their stay at the Luxury Bahia Principe Bouganville Resort quickly became anything but romantic. Montes had only been at the resort for a few hours when she decided to grab a bottle of 7-Up from the mini bar. Upon opening the bottle, she noticed there was no “fizz” but carefully proceeded to take a sip. She immediately tasted bleach which caused her entire mouth and tongue to burn, and she began spitting up blood.

      While the resort claimed the incident was an “accidental mix-up” and tried to make things right with apology dinners, free nights, and couples massages, those “apologies” came with a price. The resort staff asked Montes to sign a disclaimer, which she refused. More disturbing is the fact that the three other Americans have also died at the same resort. A 41-year-old woman, Miranda Schaup-Werner, also died after drinking a beverage from the mini bar, and an engaged couple from Maryland were found dead in their room.

      Rodney Dangerfield Almost Makes Carson Fall Out of His Chair Laughing

      The Past can show us so much!

      14 6
      Adelaide Springett, Who Was So Ashamed At The State Of Her Boots She Took Them Off, Stand For A Photograph In London, 1901. Photo By Horace Warner

      15 6 1
      Isaac And Rosa, Emancipated Slave Children From New Orleans, 1863

       

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    China Won’t “Hesitate To Start A War” Over Taiwan As Series Of Private Warnings Conveyed To US

    Monday, Jun 13, 2022 – 11:00 AM

    A new report by Bloomberg on Sunday has detailed a series of instances that Chinese officials have privately conveyed to their American counterparts that the Taiwan Strait does not constitute international waters, upping tensions given the Biden administration has been sailing navy warships through the contested waters on a monthly basis.

    “The statement disputing the US view of international law has been delivered to the American government by Chinese officials on multiple occasions and at multiple levels, the person said,” Bloomberg writes. “The US and key allies say much of the strait constitutes international waters, and they routinely send naval vessels through the waterway as part of freedom of navigation exercises.”

    The Biden administration is said to be “alarmed” by the private warnings, given that “It’s not clear whether the recent assertions indicate that China will take more steps to confront naval vessels that enter transit the Taiwan Strait,” according to the report. This also suggests China could take a more assertive stance in the South China Sea, where US warships have also been conducting freedom of navigation exercises.

    On Friday during the first ever face-to-face meeting between US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and China’s defense minister Wei Fenghe, the latter warned his American counterpart that Beijing will “not hesitate to start a war” if Taiwan declares independence.

    Wei had warned Austin that “if anyone dares to split Taiwan from China, the Chinese army will definitely not hesitate to start a war no matter the cost“, defence ministry spokesman Wu Qian quoted the minister as saying during the meeting.

    Further Wei vowed that China woujld “smash to smithereens any ‘Taiwan independence’ plot and resolutely uphold the unification of the motherland,” as emphasized in a defense ministry statement issued following the conclusion of the meeting. He “stressed that Taiwan is China’s Taiwan… Using Taiwan to contain China will never prevail,” further according to the statement.

    For the US side, Defense Secretary Austin warned the Chinese defense minister in the Friday meeting to “refrain from further destabilizing actions” on Taiwan.

    “The Secretary reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability across the Strait, opposition to unilateral changes to the status quo, and called on the PRC to refrain from further destabilizing actions toward Taiwan,” according to the readout.

    The key takeways here:
    
    [1] China is treating the Taiwan strait as Chinese territory, not international waters.
    
    [2] China will "smash to smithereens" any attempts to get involved with a Chinese domestic dispute. This sounds like normal American political rhetoric, but it is NOT. In Chinese, these are very, very serious and nasty words, phrases and terms. This is serious, serious talk.

    Soldier From Germany (NATO) — Bearing Arms — Caught on TV in Severodonetsk, Ukraine

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    FlagOfGermany large
    FlagOfGermany large

    It has long been rumored that NATO already has active duty military troops from NATO countries, inside Ukraine ACTUALLY ENGAGED IN COMBAT against Russia.  NATO says they are only “training” Ukrainian forces.  So why is this German soldier bearing arms in Severodonetsk?

    Below is a still image taken from a FOX NEWS CHANNEL broadcast on Saturday, June 11, 2022 at 8:29 PM eastern U.S. time. (h/t to HTRS Reader/Listener “Rick” for providing this image) 

    The image clearly shows a soldier, wearing the uniform flag patch of Germany on his arm, in battle gear, carrying a launch tube for some type of weapon, in Severodonetsk, Ukraine, where utterly intense military battles have been taking place for the past week, between Ukraine and Russia.

    GermanSoldierOnSeverodonetskBattlefield armed
    GermanSoldierOnSeverodonetskBattlefield armed

    What is this German soldier doing there, carrying arms?

    He certainly isn’t training anyone given the gear he is seen wearing.

    This seems to be the first conclusive proof that NATO is covertly engaged in actual combat against Russia.

    Undeclared war?  By NATO?  Against Russia?

    World War 3 now appears closer than any of us knew.

    "My Wife Worked For An Hour On This Peach Crisp And Burst Into Tears Right Before My Parents Showed Up To Our House"

    husbands sharing their wife fails 640 high 42
    husbands sharing their wife fails 640 high 42

    Facebook fiasco
    Below is a quote from a posting at The Register
    Facebook and Instagram's parent biz, Meta, was hit with not one, not two, but eight different lawsuits accusing its social media algorithm of causing real harm to young users across the US.
    
    
    
    
    The complaints filed over the last week claim Meta's social media platforms have been designed to be dangerously addictive, driving children and teenagers to view content that increases the risk of eating disorders, suicide, depression, and sleep disorders.
    
    "Social media use among young people should be viewed as a major contributor to the mental health crisis we face in the country," said Andy Birchfield, an attorney representing the Beasley Allen Law Firm, leading the cases, in a statement.
    
    "These applications could have been designed to minimize any potential harm, but instead, a decision was made to aggressively addict adolescents in the name of corporate profits. It's time for this company to acknowledge the growing concerns around the impact of social media on the mental health and well-being of this most vulnerable portion of our society and alter the algorithms and business objectives that have caused so much damage."
    
    The lawsuits have been filed in federal courts in Texas, Tennessee, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois and Missouri, according to Bloomberg.

    So, how long before social media is reigned in within the West?

    Will these lawsuits get anywhere? Is there any limit on what might be done for profit?

    Filipinos urged ‘to take heart all the learnings from the past’

    The Philippines emphasis has prioritized friendship with China while celebrating the coming independence day from Spain and US.

    Article HERE

    Outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte has urged Filipinos to “take heart all the learnings from the past” in a speech ahead of the celebration of the 124th Philippine Independence Day.
    
    He delivered his speech during the virtual celebration of Independence Day and the 21st Filipino-Chinese Friendship Day organized by the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII).
    
    In his speech, Duterte reminded Filipinos about the importance of celebrating Independence Day on June 12 as a testament to how the country’s forefathers fought for the freedoms that Filipinos enjoy today.
    
    “May it inspire us to take after the courage of our heroes as well as encourage us to use our ability, skills and knowledge for the benefit of our community,” Duterte said.
    
    He also urged the public to “take heart all the learnings from the past”, especially the countless hardships that Filipinos had to endure as a nation.
    
    “Let our rich histories move to translate our love for this country into real acts of goodwill for all our fellow men. Let us also work together so that we could realize our vision of a more harmonious and progressive Philippines. May we have a meaningful commemoration,” he added.
    
    The country’s first president, Emilio Aguinaldo, proclaimed the Philippines’ independence from the Spanish colonial rule in Kawit, Cavite on June 12, 1898.
    
    From July 4, 1946, the Philippines celebrated Independence Day every July 4. However, the celebration was moved to June 12 by virtue of Proclamation 4166, issued by President Diosdado Macapagal.
    PH-China friendship
    Incoming President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., for his part, expressed hope that the centuries-old relationship and friendship between the Philippines and China will continue to be of great mutual benefit to their respective people.
    
    “From trade, arts, culture, athletics to regional peace and stability to the employment of opportunities for our people, and all the significantly generous efforts extended to us during the pandemic, the cooperative partnership of our nations continues to reach new heights,” he said.
    
    He said he looked forward to more years of not just diplomatic relations but of continuous, fruitful engagements between China and the Philippines.
    
    The Philippines and China established their diplomatic relations on June 9, 1975.
    
    June 9 of every year is also declared as Filipino-Chinese Friendship Day, by virtue of Proclamation 148 issued by former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2002.
    
    Aside from Duterte and Marcos, also in attendance were Vice-President-elect Sara Duterte, Macapagal-Arroyo, lawmakers, and other guests.
    
    The FFCCCII is the umbrella organization of Filipino Chinese entrepreneurs, which brings together over 170 business and trade associations from all over the Philippines. (PNA)

    Russia and China connected: first road bridge (2020 04) and first cross river railway bridge (2021 08)

    China’s endless infrastructure projects vs US endless wars, sanctions, military exercises, and verbal threats….
    Historic $307 million road link across the Amur River - known in China as the Heilongjiang River - will open in April 2020.

    Article HERE

    First cross-river railway bridge between China and Russia completed - UCLG-ASPAC BRLC . A new bridge that will link Russia and China’s railway systems was completed on August 17, 2021, seven years after its much-heralded groundbreaking.

    Mongolia wants to fuel Russia and China by rail – Business News

    The Belt and Road keeps connecting more and more parts of the world everyday without any participation from the “West”.
    .
    After a turbulent and conflicting politics around the potential security implications of expanding its freight logistics in China, Mongolia hopes to complete three important rail lines by the end of this year. These developments will have a massive impact on commodity markets, allowing China and Russia to look inland for trade, particularly in bulk commodities like coal and metals – making both countries more energy secure and less subject to sanctions pressure.
    .

    Article HERE

    Ukrainian Official Threatens THE WEST; Ukraine Could “Switch Sides”

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    ARESTOVICH THREATENS WEST; READY TO SWITCH SIDES!

    Oleksiy Mykolaiovych Arestovych is a Ukrainian presidential adviser and military columnist.  He is deep within the inner circle of Ukrainian President VOlodimir Zelensky.

    During a televised interview Arestovych said this:

    Machine translation: “If Putin wins, 500 thousand Ukrainians will fight for Russia and no one will be able to stop this force.”

    Zelensky’s representative explained why the West should supply more weapons and prevent Putin from winning.

    “…If Putin wins. And the 1.5 million Russian army will be joined by another 500,000 Ukrainian army. Everyone has seen how we can fight. And then where will the amusing American/NATO troops be able to stop this united force, plus Belarus?”

    The BEST Vietnamese PHO Recipe

    Outstanding! Look at how it cooks it! WOW!!!!!

    "I've never made pho before and I just made this recipe. The broth is incredible. The charring of the onions and ginger provides a subtle smokey flavor and the fish sauce and dried shrimp packs an umami punch that I looove. I was worried it would just taste fishy with these 2 ingredients but it didn't! Thank you for sharing with us, and shout out to the person in the comments who transcribed the recipe from the video! <3"

    The Benefits Of Economic Collapse

    Authored by Jeff Thomas via InternationalMan.com,

    I first began to predict a major economic collapse back in 1999. Although I understood that it was at least fifteen years off and possibly more, I believed that it would be wise to begin to prepare for it then, as the actual date of collapse could not be predicted. (Better to be a few years early than even one day too late.)

    Not surprisingly, back then, this prediction appeared to most people to not only be unlikely, but laughable.

    Today, we’re a good bit closer to the onset of an economic crisis and it now not only seems possible, but quite likely to an increasing number of those people who are paying attention.

    And not surprisingly, as so many people are now realising the inevitability of such a crisis, they’re also realising that they should have been preparing for it. Preparation for a major event such as this requires a fair bit of time and many people are belatedly coming to realise that they may be caught with their pants down when the initial crashes begin.

    Whenever the inevitability of such a debacle is first recognized, the first reaction for most people is to dive into denial, saying, “It simply can’t happen. Nobody would let it happen, because nobody benefits.”

    But that’s just it. Not only does someone benefit, they’ll benefit on a grand scale.

    The controllers of an economy always benefit from a collapse

    In 1814, Napoleon’s army went into battle at Waterloo, Belgium. The investment moguls at Capel Court in the City of London were biting their nails with worry, as the outcome of the battle would determine stock prices. If the French won, stock prices would drop dramatically. If Britain won, prices would rise dramatically.

    In those days, communication was slow. it would take considerable time for the official envoy to travel from the battlefield in Belgium to London with the news of the outcome of the battle.

    England’s foremost banker, Nathan Rothschild, had sent his own messenger to Waterloo with instructions to return by the fastest possible means with the news. Consequently, Mister Rothschild received the news many hours ahead of the return by official messenger.

    He then was seen at the stock exchange selling as much as he could as quickly as he could. The word went out: “Rothschild knows.” This elicited a panic and others sold as quickly as they could.

    Prices plummeted quickly; then, as the official envoy from Waterloo came up the Thames, Rothschild suddenly bought heavily at a rock-bottom price. Within the hour, the envoy provided the news that Britain had won the battle and prices shot through the roof, making enormous profits for Rothschild, all within one trading day.

    He later called it, “The best business I ever did.”

    The above tale is one that should be committed to memory, as it informs us that those who know of an economic event will most certainly capitalise on it.

    Those who pull the strings make tremendous profits by manipulating an economy over the length of prosperous times, but they make just as much in crisis periods. They simply wait until an economic collapse has been completed and the dust has settled, then they buy up the remaining companies at rock-bottom prices at a time when the average investor has been wiped out. Then, when the economy begins its recovery, they ride the next wave of prosperity.

    For this reason, anyone who’s in the economic driver’s seat understands that he’s best-served by creating false prosperity, then triggering its collapse, then cashing in on the collapse.

    When this realisation occurs to the average investor, he more often than not declares, “Well, if that’s true, I’m toast either way.”

    But this is only true if he takes a passive role in his economic future.

    You can benefit from a collapse

    The Mandarin word for “crisis” also means “opportunity.”

    Those who are able to understand this Chinese concept have a tremendous opportunity in terms of investment. They can recognise that the coming crisis is also an opportunity.

    Yes, there will be a collapse in the stock and bond markets. These will unquestionably be deflationary events, causing asset prices to crater.

    But this need not spell disaster. The game is not over, but the crisis is unquestionably a game-changer.

    It’s important to bear in mind that real wealth never disappears; it merely changes hands.

    To prepare for the new game, the objective would be to liquidate all or most stocks, bonds and hard assets such as real estate, in advance of a crash.

    Next you would wish to expatriate the proceeds to a jurisdiction that’s less likely to be a casualty of the crisis and, hopefully, would be a net-gainer at such a time.

    Like those who actually pull the strings, you’d not only avoid becoming a casualty of the economic collapse, you’d stand to gain from it.

    Rescue a drowning kitten waiting to die by the lake. miracle of god

    Gosh! He looks dead to me! But he’s alive!

    Mark Levin: We are staring tyranny in the face

    Meanwhile in America, it appears that a civil war is going to happen soon. This is HISTORIC TIMES.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
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    Super delicious Greek food, Zombie Gnomes, American freak-outs, Chinese moon bases, HST and other adventures

    We continue on our quest to find some sanity in the rapidly collapsing world. The easiest way to do so is to turn off news from USA, UK, Australia and Korea. Then everything becomes so peaceful. Don’t you know…

    Let’s continue down our stroll through the “news” at this point in time.

    BMW Group strengthens partnership in China: Extension of Joint Venture Contract until 2040 enters into force

    Another smart German company in defiance of the USA gov order to disconnect with China.

    From HERE

    Volkswagen going all-in on China’s EV future — 200EV manufacturer in china

    Not only BMW.

    “everyone agrees there are too many electric vehicle brands in China.” Officials in Beijing claim there are as many as 200
    
    VW act-locally-to-succeed-globally approach. That, it’s hoped, will win the trust and loyalty of Chinese motorists leaning toward supporting local job creation, much the way Japanese carmakers operate in the US.
    
    In the past, our approach was to develop in Germany and localize in China,” Brandstaetter told Nikkei Asia. “But this approach will be changed significantly by setting up more local resources for R&D, especially for software, to be faster, to be more independent in China.”
    
    Brandstaetter adds that “we’re also using these technology trends for the rest of the globe and our other entities.” That means a strong focus on the internet-connected vehicles preferred on the mainland and EV offerings with self-driving functions.
    
    The joint venture that’s majority-owned by Volkswagen will operate from a new plant in Anhui Province. By 2023, the facility hopes to churn out 300,000 vehicles annually
    
    Add in joint ventures with FAW Group and SAIC Motor and that puts Volkswagen at the 1 million cars-per-year mark. That will raise China to a 20% share of Volkswagen’s global production....

    Article HERE

    We face a global economic crisis. And no one knows what to do about it | Economics | The Guardian

    Ah. If the USA, and the UK, and Australia are experiencing it, it MUST be global. Eh? LOL. Hey! The World is not the UK / America, just like China is not Shanghai.  -MM

    Back in February, plenty of investors were betting that the buildup of Russian troops on Ukraine’s border was no more than an elaborate bluff.

    The Russian and Ukrainian currencies appreciated in value as hedge funds and private equity firms, signalling their faith in some form of peace deal emerging, confidently bought roubles and the Ukrainian hryvnia.

    Today there is a war going on that has effectively locked up the raw materials and food usually exported by both nations, and no one knows when the conflict will end.

    It is clear from the collapse in global stock markets and sliding cryptocurrency values that investors are panicked by the uncertainty. Shares in the US, where the S&P 500 index is down by almost a quarter since January, have suffered their worst start to a year for 60 years.

    We have seen panics before, notably after the 2008 crash. Investment firms, despite their reputations as the clever custodians of pension fund money, always press the sell button at the first sign of trouble. Collectively, it leads to a rout.

    Seasoned policymakers know how to react in such uncertain times, and that is to do whatever it takes to reassure investors that their money is safe. Western governments have dipped into their reserves, and when that well of cash has run dry, borrowed heavily to maintain a stable outlook for their economies. Vital support has arrived in the form of cheap borrowing from central banks. With low interest rates acting like the cavalry in a John Wayne film, everyone has been able to rest assured the panic will be shortlived.

    Not any more. This time there is a real war, not just a financial one, and no one quite knows what to do. The major powers cannot agree about how to fight it and policymakers cannot agree about how to handle the fallout, especially the shortages of raw materials and food from Ukraine and Russia that are pushing inflation to 10% and beyond.

    In particular, central banks have lost their nerve. Instead of being a reassuring presence, they are adding to the sense of panic by increasing the cost of borrowing. As one analyst said about the US central bank’s decision to raise interest rates by 0.75 percentage points last week: “The Federal Reserve is going to hike interest rates until policymakers break inflation, but the risk is that they also break the economy.”

    On Thursday, the Bank of England pushed its base rate to 1.25% after a period of more than a decade during which it had never climbed higher than 0.75%. Some analysts believe the base rate will increase to 3% by the end of next year after Threadneedle Street put tackling inflation above sustaining growth.

    Inflation is an affliction caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and to a lesser but important extent by China’s difficulties with Covid

    WTF?
    
    Inflation is Russia's fault.
    Inflation is also China's fault.
    
    And there you have the narrative! -MM

    We know that an increase in the cost of borrowing in the UK, the eurozone and the US, which is what we are now witnessing, will do nothing to bring down prices.

    Inflation is an affliction caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and to a lesser but important extent by China’s difficulties with Covid after its vaccine development failures, which have caused repeated lockdowns and holdups at ports. In the UK, Brexit adds a further big twist because it has damaged trade and cut the number of available workers.

    The justification for higher interest rates, then, must lie elsewhere, and central banks, to justify their spasm of action, argue they must go ahead to avert a wages spiral – one where pay exceeds inflation.

    In Britain, this argument presumes that the average worker, to prevent a fall in personal living standards, will be able to negotiate a pay deal that beats the Bank of England’s latest forecast for peak inflation later this year of 11%.

    When the government is expected to limit public sector pay rises to between 0% and 3% this year, that means private sector increases would have to be even higher – about 12% or 13% on average. These levels of pay rise are a fiction. Worker power, apart from in some discrete pockets of the labour market, is a mirage.

    Yet the Bank looks likely to press ahead anyway, which leaves anyone looking for reasons to remain confident turning to Rishi Sunak.

    The chancellor has made it clear he values fiscal rectitude above the “whatever it takes” open-ended commitments needed to foster confidence. He has warm words for investors about low business taxes, special visas for foreign entrepreneurs and a reheated Thatcherite plan to increase the number of workers by compelling more of those on benefits to look for work.

    That is a feeble collection of micro-policies that will do little to improve the mood of companies looking to invest in the UK. No wonder the pound has tumbled. Few investors want to buy British at the moment, and who can blame them?

    … as you’re joining us today from Japan, we have a small favour to ask. Tens of millions have placed their trust in the Guardian’s fearless journalism since we started publishing 200 years ago, turning to us in moments of crisis, uncertainty, solidarity and hope. More than 1.5 million supporters, from 180 countries, now power us financially – keeping us open to all, and fiercely independent.

    Unlike many others, the Guardian has no shareholders and no billionaire owner. Just the determination and passion to deliver high-impact global reporting, always free from commercial or political influence. Reporting like this is vital for democracy, for fairness and to demand better from the powerful.

    And we provide all this for free, for everyone to read. We do this because we believe in information equality. Greater numbers of people can keep track of the global events shaping our world, understand their impact on people and communities, and become inspired to take meaningful action. Millions can benefit from open access to quality, truthful news, regardless of their ability to pay for it.

    From HERE

    Ukrainian leaders integrated Ukrainians into Europe “piece by piece”. Transplantation center discovered in Mariupol.

    This issue was resolved in the office of the “International Red Cross” (Sweden), which was equipped as a bunker and stored everything mined behind heavy armored doors on the basement and basement floors.. Recently, Ukraine has been considered in Europe as its own transplantation base. In Mariupol, in the abandoned office of this organization, medical records of children were found, in which not their illnesses were indicated, but their healthy organs not affected by any diseases, as well as the addresses and contacts of their parents. The bunker was not left in a big hurry, but, one might say, “planned”, since a lot of equipment and documents were burned and deliberately destroyed. Bearing in mind the seriousness of the structures, one can rightfully assume that the organs extracted from these children were also stored there. On what grounds was the “International Red Cross” engaged in this activity in Mariupol?

    The fact is that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in December 2019 adopted the draft law No. 2457 “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine, which simplifies the transplantation of anatomical materials to humans.” Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Dmytro Kuleba welcomed him, calling him “an important step for our country towards European practice.” In March of the same year, this law “On the transplantation of human anatomical materials” came into force.

    As noted by Ukrainian specialists interviewed by Life at that time, who studied the law “On the transplantation of human anatomical materials” that had entered into Ukraine, there is an interesting clause in it – “If there are no recipients for anatomical materials in Ukraine, they can be offered to other states with which relevant international treaties. “There is no need for risk and smuggling: you just need to declare that there is no suitable recipient for a particular organ in Ukraine, and then send organs to other countries for a separate fee,” experts say. – And most importantly – everything is according to the law.

    At that time, the main volunteer of Ukraine, Miroslav Gai, even at that time suggested sending prisoners “for organs”: “I know why the Rada legalized the trade in human organs. We have many Russian prisoners, and the Russians slow down exchanges all the time. Their prisoners, like Lusvargi, accumulate and give burden on the budget. Otherwise, it will be of any use. From a black sheep, even kidneys … sorry, tufts of wool. ”

    According to the Ukrainian businessmen interviewed by Life, who earn on intermediary services, they bring together a potential donor – kidney, liver, etc. – with those foreign cliques in Europe and America, whose clients are ready to pay for “new” organs, for example, by selling a kidney, for example, you can earn up to 50 thousand dollars, part of the liver – 35-40 thousand dollars, a lung – up to 100 thousand dollars, and here the bone marrow is not very valued – from 5 to 10 thousand dollars

    According to Life’s interlocutors, who are familiar with the shadow business of selling human organs, most potential donors in Ukraine place ads on the Internet on specialized sites.

    This bill can be considered a continuation of law No. 2386a-1, which allows organ transplantation, which the Verkhovna Rada adopted on May 17, 2018, and  Petro Poroshenko  signed on June 19 of the same year. However, it did not work due to certain legal conflicts, the solution of which required the adoption of a new bill by the Servants of the People.

    “These idiots in the Verkhovna Rada adopted a law on transplantation. In a country at war, in a country of chaos and lawlessness, where they do not trust either the courts or the law enforcement system, they allowed organ transplantation, ”  Vadim Rabinovich , co-chairman of the Opposition Platform – For Life faction, said about the law .

    Although in Ukrainian society the attitude towards this law was mostly negative, but in the Ministry of Health, under the leadership of Ulyana Suprun, they decided to “adjust” society to the opinion of Europe. “The opinion of Europe, the opinion of the leading countries on transplantation is diametrically different from the opinion of our society. Therefore, society must come to the conclusion that this is good, ”  Konstantin Rudenko , an expert from the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, commented on the law .

    As Ukrainian observers noted at the time, “many people do need organ transplants, but in poor and corrupt countries there are huge risks associated with organ trafficking or the deliberate killing of a person in order to seize expensive “spare parts.” In the poorest countries, organ sales often become way to pay off debts or earn money at the cost of a threat to one’s own life or health. In this context, it should be noted that the simplification of the procedure for organ transplantation takes place against the backdrop of massive impoverishment of Ukrainians, many of whom have nothing to pay their utility bills.”

    Vadim Rabinovich also focused attention on this, commenting on the new bill: “Dear Ukrainians, I want to congratulate you on the fact that today for the first time the issues that need to be resolved by the new government have been submitted to the Verkhovna Rada session hall, the main of which will be the simplification of the procedure for organ transplantation. In a country where people have no money, where the tariffs are exorbitant, where land is sold, it is very important that you can sell your organs in order to pay for the “communal”. It was this law that was put first on the agenda of the work of deputies. Why not bring our tariff reduction bill to the floor? This simple law, which has already been voted on in the committee, can reduce tariffs for people tomorrow,” Rabinovich said. Why not bring our tariff reduction bill to the floor? This simple law, which has already been voted on in the committee, can reduce tariffs for people tomorrow,” Rabinovich said. Why not bring our tariff reduction bill to the floor? This simple law, which has already been voted on in the committee, can reduce tariffs for people tomorrow,” Rabinovich said.

    Ukrainian journalist  Irina Zaslavets  said on ObozTV that black transplants are very active in Ukraine precisely because of the poverty of many Ukrainians who are looking for buyers for their organs themselves.

    “Just yesterday, I saw a letter that came to the Shalimov Institute [National Institute of Surgery and Transplantology – Auth.] – “I am such and such a woman, buy a kidney from me, I really need money …” Such letters constantly come to the Shalimov Institute, and Ukrainians are looking for an opportunity to sell the organ. Periodically, such criminal cases are heard in the courts, ”said Zaslavets.

    In fact, as the Ukrainians themselves admitted, “such a legal conflict was created intentionally for the adoption of a new law that will work primarily for wealthy Western patients.”

    In contrast to the 1999 law “On the Transplantation of Organs and Other Anatomical Materials”, according to which only state institutions could perform organ harvesting, private clinics also received such a right. The same law specifically spells out the possibility of transferring these organs abroad. According to political scientist  Kirill Molchanov  , under Poroshenko, the law on transplantation was deliberately pushed through by groups of deputies who were vitally interested in the export of organs.

    “Fights went on for a long time in the Rada, who will control this rather profitable market for the sale of organs. The organs will be sold not only in Ukraine, but also for export. Certain groups of people’s deputies, after the adoption of this law, will simply divide all the cash flows among themselves, ”Molchanov argued.

    The same observers stated that, in fact, this law is the legalization of “black transplantation”.

    In general, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 10,000 organs are sold annually on the black market. Globally, about 10% of kidney transplants are due to international smuggling, and the leaders of the black market in organs are Kosovo, Mozambique, Israel, India, Pakistan, Egypt, China, Ukraine and Moldova. Globally, the illicit organ transplant business is estimated at between $1.5 billion and $8 billion a year. Human organs flow massively from poor countries to rich ones, and from poor people to rich ones.

    According to the international organization Organs Watch, which is trying to stop the illegal business, a typical kidney donor looks like this: a 28-29-year-old male from countries such as Brazil, South Africa, Ukraine, Romania, Afghanistan, the Philippines or India with an annual income of about $480.

    “The buying or selling of organs is illegal in most countries, including the United States, but a chronic shortage of organs for transplants has led to a thriving international black market. Typically, poor donors (usually from third world countries) are paid several thousand dollars for organs, which are then resold for more than $100,000 to wealthy recipients, usually from first world countries.

    Often, the financial interest of doctors in transplantation leads to cases when the life of a patient who is “suitable” according to the database for the role of a donor is simply not fought for, especially in cases of head injury only (a frequent result of an accident). The patient can be declared dead with a still beating heart, since surgical removal of still living organs is required, in which the survival rate is many times higher than that of organs removed from a corpse. Judicial proceedings and evidence in such cases are very problematic.

    Oleg Panasenko , chairman of the Free Trade Union of Medical Workers of Ukraine   , said that the inefficiency of law enforcement agencies in Ukraine and the poverty of ordinary citizens create a huge field for manipulation and criminal schemes in organ transplantation.

    “In order for there to be no “black” transplantation and people were not allowed to have organs, the law enforcement system should work at a high level in the country and there should be a good economic situation. What is not present in Ukraine today. Accordingly, there remains a field for manipulation, ”Panasenko said. According to the leader of the medical trade union, the purpose of the bill was initially to legalize “black transplantation”.

    Previously, they tried to fight against these facts in Ukraine.

    So, on October 18, 2019, the Kyiv police announced the exposure of a private clinic that was engaged in organ transplantation. In 2017, the press service of the prosecutor’s office of the Kyiv region also reported the arrest of four people who were taking Ukrainian citizens abroad, where they were seized for kidney transplantation.

    “Two citizens of Turkey and two citizens of Ukraine from September 2015 to April 2017, through the Internet, searched for victims with a difficult financial situation and persuaded the latter to sell their organ for a monetary reward,” the official statement said.

    According to the press service, people were not warned about the negative consequences of kidney deprivation, and organ donors were promised to pay from $10 to $15 thousand for a kidney, but after the removal of the organ they were given much less money. The price of a donor kidney on the world transplantation market ranges from $40,000 to $60,000. As a result, many Ukrainians integrated into Europe posthumously and by no means entirely. – said in an official statement. According to the press service, people were not warned about the negative consequences of kidney deprivation, and organ donors were promised to pay from $10 to $15 thousand for a kidney, but after the removal of the organ they were given much less money.

    The price of a donor kidney on the world transplantation market ranges from $40,000 to $60,000. As a result, many Ukrainians integrated into Europe posthumously and by no means entirely. – said in an official statement. According to the press service, people were not warned about the negative consequences of kidney deprivation, and organ donors were promised to pay from $10 to $15 thousand for a kidney, but after the removal of the organ they were given much less money. The price of a donor kidney on the world transplantation market ranges from $40,000 to $60,000. As a result, many Ukrainians integrated into Europe posthumously and by no means entirely.

    Full article HERE.

    Abandoned at 17 – new beginning for an elderly cat

    What a story…

    Zombie Gnomes Are A Perfect Way To Keep Everyone From Your Lawn

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    Getting sick and tired of trespassers destroying your beautiful lawn? Well, maybe it’s time you taught them a lesson. And what better way to do it than by scaring the bejeezus out of them!

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    For that, the Canadian group of artists RevenantFX, have created a perfect solution – zombie gnomes. These creepy undead garden decorations will make sure your Halloween-ready yard will be protected from unwanted visitors and may even turn some heads in your neighborhood.

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    Scott Ritter & Ray on Ukraine, Russia, China

    .

    Scott and I focused initially on President Biden’s just-completed Excellent Adventure in the Far East and the U.S. effort to woo countries away from China or, at least, pre-empt closer bilateral ties.

    I again posed the question (see my brief talk Thursday, embedded in Article HERE ), Why must China’s “win-win” approach be dismissed out of hand — especially when it was so mutually beneficial 50 years ago in reducing tension and keeping the peace?

    Recent developments, including talks with Chinese officials, have fortified Scott’s view that China remains extremely reluctant to go to war over Taiwan. Nevertheless, China will do so “in a heartbeat” if Taiwan declares independence and develops a more substantial military relationship with the U.S.

    Bottom line: Scott predicts that the U.S. will be at war with China within six months to a year — and will lose. This could be avoided if the U.S. takes the military aspect out of the equation in confronting China and does the sensible thing in limiting the competition to the economic sphere.

    Ray discussed the lemming-like bloc heads now leading the NATO bloc and compared them to statesmen and stateswomen of the past — the German Social Democratic Party’s Willy Brandt and Egon Bahr, for example; and Angela Merkel (no Socialist she), who told President Obama to his face that Germany would not join any effort to send offensive arms to Ukraine. Sadly, serious leaders of the past, experienced in foreign affairs as well as politics, have been replaced by political hacks with little or no experience (or even interest) in Ostpolitik, which yielded a peaceful, mutually beneficial detente in the 1970-80s.

    The economic sanctions are already making themselves felt, however, in Germany and elsewhere. And there are preliminary signs that even some bloc-head lemmings may be having serious second thoughts. Fissures are cracking open and expanding among the NATO countries — particularly among those most affected by the sanctions.

    Scott reiterated his longstanding view that Russian forces will prevail on the ground in Ukraine, adding that recently they have been performing in a very impressive, professional way. This, despite what the NY Times and Washington Post has been saying, (and even their narrative of Russian “blundering” has begun to change under the force of circumstances). One major question: If Establishment media find themselves forced to acknowledge strong Russian advances in the coming weeks, will they turn on the Biden administration as the mid-term November elections draw near? Snippets of truth have begun to appear in the likes of the NY Times and Washington Post.

    The way things have evolved on the ground, serious embarrassment may be unavoidable. Will Biden cut his loses? I suggest the answer to that is No. Rather, with no adults in the room, Biden may instead be persuaded to up the ante (see below). I do hope someone tells the president that the Russians will not back down in the face of escalatory steps they are capable of neutralizing, and that this includes what they call “offensive strike missiles” capable of reaching Russia.

    UPDATE

    In this context, the trial-balloon-type media reports yesterday afternoon, after our interview, that the U.S. is preparing to send long-range rocket systems to Ukraine, takes on added importance. A final decision by the White House is expected as early as next week. (See: Article HERE )

    One key weapons system under discussion is the U.S.-made Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) capable of firing a torrent of rockets 180 miles or more. This is much farther than the systems currently in Ukraine’s inventory, and could put Russia itself within range. This system has been sitting atop the long list of requests from Ukrainian officials, who say it is needed to curb advancing Russian forces in the Donbas. U.S. officials reportedly “have concerns” that Ukrainian forces might end up firing into Russian territory, causing major escalation.

    Meanwhile, CNN reports (See: Article HERE ) that Democratic Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado, who was part of a congressional delegation trip to Kyiv earlier this month, told CNN he believes the systems could help Ukraine gain significant momentum against Russia.

    Crowing About the MLRS

    “I think it could be a game-changer”, Crow** said, not only for offensive attacks but also for defense. He explained that Russian conventional artillery, which has a range of about 50km, “would not get close” to Ukrainian urban centers if MLRS systems were positioned there. “So it would take away their siege tactics,” he said of the Russians.

    The Kremlin has warned that any country providing advanced weaponry to Ukraine will face harsh repercussions. Yesterday Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the West has “declared total war” against Russia. The Russians would see any attempt to provide MLRS to Ukraine as additional proof of the West’s intent.

    I would expect any MLRS that make it into Ukraine to be neutralized as soon as they are detected.  And then Lockheed Martin (poor thing) would have to manufacture and sell still more! The money is there; the only problem is how fast it can be spent down.  And so it goes.

    ** Jason Crow styles himself as something of a specialist on Russia. He has asserted that: “Vladimir Putin wakes up every morning and goes to bed every night trying to figure out how to destroy American democracy.”

    UN Rights Chief Is Urged to Resign After China Visit

    Well, under the urging of the United States, the UN sent inspectors to visit China, and investigate the claims of “human rights violations”. They analyzed the situation, made  up a full report, and stated that they couldn’t find anything.

    The United States went into hysterics and a tizzy!

    Following her long-anticipated trip to China, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet's statement concerning the treatment of minority groups in Xinjiang prompted strong criticism from commenters on social media and in Western governments.
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    These Zoom Backgrounds Turn Your House Into the Cover of An IKEA Catalog

    The Swedish retailer has released a series of video-conference backgrounds pulled from the covers of Ikea catalogs of yesteryear. The backgrounds will make it look like you live in a house worthy of a catalog, even if it’s decidedly not.

    HandG ikea cat 1987 2
    HandG ikea cat 1987 2

    The 10 backgrounds capture a time before millennial pink: the ’80s, ’90s, and early 2000s. A time of rolled-arm couches with cream-colored slipcovers, glass and metal armoires, and aquamarine and tangerine accents. One background from a 2000 cover shows a mom and her son smiling over a Game Boy while sitting on one such cream-colored couch. Another from 2003 suggests you “Go Cubic!” much like the boxy TV featured in the lightly colored living room with a cherry-red and fuchsia abstract rug and green-apple accents.

    HandG ikea cat 1997 2
    HandG ikea cat 1997 2

    HandG ikea cat 1992 2
    HandG ikea cat 1992 2

    HandG ikea cat 1988 2
    HandG ikea cat 1988 2

    Greek chicken souvlaki | Akis Petretzikis

    Lunar Research Station: Russia, China Almost Ready To Ink Pact On ‘Moon Base’ That Will Rival Artemis Accords – Rogozin

    Russian space chief Dmitry Rogozin recently said that Moscow and Beijing were very close to signing the agreement on creating the joint Lunar Station.

    “We are now almost ready to sign an intergovernmental agreement on creating a lunar research base with China,” Rogozin said in an interview with the state-owned Rossiya 24 TV channel.

    The Artemis Accords

    As EurAsian Times has reported earlier, China and Russia are leading the opposition to the US-led space block, called the Artemis Accords.

    It consists of 19 countries, all of which include the United States and it’s proxy surrogates.

    The overall aim is to send a manned mission to the Moon by 2025.

    As well as establishing a governing framework for exploring and mining for natural resources, on Moon, Mars, and beyond.

    The mission intends (some day) to build a research station on the Moon’s south pole.

    The rough plans are also to have a supporting research station orbiting the Moon, called the Lunar Gateway.

    As part of that program, an uncrewed mission to Moon, Artemis 1, is planned to be launched as early as July 2022.

    2022 06 03 20 08
    2022 06 03 20 08

    China and Russia are promoting their own International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) as an alternative to the US-led Artemis program.

    This joint Sino-Russian mission aims to build a Moon base and install a space station in the lunar orbit. The station is planned to be a state-of-art experimental research facility created on the surface or in the orbit of the Moon.

    Roadmap For the IIRS; International Lunar Research Station

    Last June, Roscosmos and China National Space Administration (CNSA) presented a roadmap for the ILRS during the Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX 2021).

    According to the roadmap, divided into three phases, five facilities and nine modules are planned for the station to support long and short missions to the Moon’s surface and orbit. The construction of the station is expected to be completed by 2035.

    These facilities include a CisLunar Transport Facility to support round-trip transfer between Earth and the Moon, lunar orbiting, soft landing, a take-off on the lunar surface, and re-entry to Earth.

    2022 06 03 20 09 1
    2022 06 03 20 09 1

    On the surface, a long-term support facility will feature a command center, energy and supply modules, and thermal management. The lunar transport and operation facility will help modules move the surface and support excavation or sampling.

    The other two are the lunar scientific facility for in-orbit and surface experiments and the ground support and application facility.

    As for the modules, the designs reportedly include a “hopping robot” and smart mini-rovers that would move around the Moon’s surface.

    First Phase Of ILRS Construction

    The station is planned to be built in three phases, with the first phase involving six missions, including China’s Chang’e-4, 6, and 7 missions and Russia’s Luna 25, 26, and 27. The first phase involves gathering data and verifying high-precision soft-landings which is supposed to last till 2025.

    The Chang’e-4 (CE-4) mission delivered a landing platform and a rover named Yutu-2 to the Moon’s far side in January 2019, marking the first soft landing on the far side of the Moon by any country.

    Yutu-2 landed in Von Kármán crater, in the Moon’s South Pole-Aitken basin, in January 2019. The CE-4’s purpose is to explore the area’s geology. The CE-6 and CE-7 are expected to be launched around 2025.

    2022 06 03 20 10
    2022 06 03 20 10

    The CE-6 is supposed to bring back to Earth lunar samples with a mass of up to 2 kilograms, and CE-7 will be tasked with landing on the lunar South Pole and detecting local natural resources.

    CE-7 is comprised of five separate spacecraft, namely an orbiter, lander, rover, hopping probe, and a polar relay satellite.

    Meanwhile, Russia also plans to launch its Luna-25 mission in August 2022, thereby reactivating the Soviet-era series of robotic lunar missions that ended decades ago. The last in the series was Luna 24, which sent about 6 ounces (170 grams) of moon material back to Earth in 1976.

    The Luna-25 moon probe will launch atop a Soyuz-2.1b rocket with a Fregat upper stage from the Vostochny spaceport in the far eastern region of Amur. The probe’s primary destination for landing is the Moon’s South Polar region, specifically, a spot north of the Boguslavsky Crater.

    According to Russia’s rocket design bureau, NPO Lavochkin has constructed the Luna 25’s lander. There are three main tasks for this mission: to develop soft-landing technology; study the internal structure and exploration of natural resources, including water, in the circumpolar region of the Moon; and investigate the effects of cosmic rays and electromagnetic radiation on the Moon’s surface.

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    2022 06 03 20 11

    In addition, Luna 25 is also supposed to use a suite of sensors onboard to study the lunar topside and dust particles in the Moon’s exosphere.

    Luna 25 also had a camera called Pilot-D, a demonstrator terrain relative navigation system, developed by the European Space Agency (ESA). However, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, ESA announced its decision in April to discontinue cooperation on Russia’s Luna series of robotic moon missions. Now Pilot-D will not be a part of the Luna 25 mission.

    While the Luna 26 and Luna 27, which were earlier scheduled to launch in 2024 and 2025, respectively, will also be postponed, announced chief of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, shortly after ESA discontinued its cooperation.

    Second And Third Phases Of ILRS

    Following the completion of the first phase in 2025, which may get delayed considering the possible postponement of Luna 26 and Luna 27, phase two called the ‘construction’ phase, will begin in 2026, and this is supposed to go on till 2035.

    The construction phase will be divided into two sub-stages, the initial one from 2026 to 2030, which will involve technology verification, sample return, massive cargo delivery, and the start of joint operations. Two missions are planned during this period, the Chinese CE-8 and the Russian Luna-28.

    Stage two of the second phase will take place from 2030 to 2035 and involve completing the in-orbit and lunar surface infrastructure for energy, communication, actual resource utilization, and other technologies.

    Five joint missions are planned for this sub-stage, named ILRS-1 through 5 and Russian super heavy-lift launch vehicles are listed to launch the mission.

    Phase three will see the start of crewed landings after 2036, when the ILRS has been mostly completed and humans can conduct research and exploration.

    Meanwhile, China and Russia are looking to add more nations to ILRS and there have been reports of negotiations with the ESA, Thailand, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia. However, as the ESA has backed out of Russia’s Luna series of moon missions over the Ukraine war.

    Artemis Accords: why many countries are refusing to sign Moon exploration agreement

    So why so few nations want to join with the USA in their "moon exploration" effort? Well, this UK-centrist article tries to attempt explaining why all the other space-faring nations won't participate in it, and intends to go their own way. -MM

    Eight countries have signed the Artemis Accords, a set of guidelines surrounding the Artemis Program for crewed exploration of the Moon. The United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, Canada, Japan, Luxembourg, the United Arab Emirates and the US are now all participants in the project, which aims to return humans to the moon by 2024 and establish a crewed lunar base by 2030.

    This may sound like progress. Nations have for a number of years struggled with the issue of how to govern a human settlement on the Moon and deal with the management of any resources. But a number of key countries have serious concerns about the accords and have so far refused to sign them.

    Previous attempts to govern space have been through painstakingly negotiated international treaties. The Outer Space Treaty 1967 laid down the foundational principles for human space exploration – it should be peaceful and benefit all mankind, not just one country. But the treaty has little in the way of detail. The Moon Agreement of 1979 attempted to prevent commercial exploitation of outer-space resources, but only a small number of states have ratified it – the US, China and Russia haven’t.

    Now that the US is pursuing the Artemis Program, the question of how states will behave in exploring the Moon and using its resources has come to a head. The signing of the accords represents a significant political attempt to codify key principles of space law and apply them to the programme. You can hear more about some of the governance issues facing nations who want to explore the Moon in the podcast To the moon and beyond, see link below.

    The accords are bilateral agreements and not binding instruments of international law. But by establishing practice in the area, they could have a significant influence on any subsequent governance framework for human settlements on Mars and beyond.

    Natural allies

    All seven partners who have agreed to the accords with the US are natural collaborators on the Artemis Program and will easily adhere to the stated principles.

    Japan is keen to engage in lunar exploration.

    Luxembourg has dedicated legislation allowing for space mining and has also signed an additional collaborative agreement with the US.

    The UAE and Australia are both actively trying to establish collaborative links with the broader space industry, so this represents a perfect opportunity for them to build up capacity.

    Italy, the UK and Canada all have ambitions to develop their space manufacturing industries and will see this as a chance to grow their economies.

    The contents of the accords are relatively uncontentious.

    • Be subject to American laws, rules and regulations.
    • Pay a large fee for participation.
    • Host American Space Military forces.

    Throughout, there is reference to the existing Outer Space Treaty framework, so they are tied closely to existing norms of American space law.

    There is an explicit statement that the mining of space resources is in accordance with international law. This follows on from the controversial passing of the Space Act 2015, which put the right to use and trade space resources into American domestic law.

    But section 10(4) of the accords also commits to ongoing discussions at the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space as to how the legal framework should develop.

    The rest of the accords focus on safety in space operations, transparency and interoperability (which refers to the ability of space systems to work in conjunction with each other) under American law.

    Controversial issues

    If the substance is reassuring, the US promotion of the accords outside of the “normal” channels of international space law – such as the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space – will be a cause of consternation for some states.

    Duh!

    By requiring potential collaborators to sign bilateral agreements on behaviour instead, some nations will see the US as trying to impose their own quasi-legal rules.

    This is clearly seen as the US leveraging partnership agreements and lucrative financial contracts to reinforce its own dominant leadership position.

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    2022 06 04 13 48

    Non Participants

    Russia has already stated that the Artemis Program is too “US-centric” to sign it in its present form.

    China’s absence is explained by the US congressional prohibition on collaboration with the country.

    Concerns that this is a power grab by the US and its allies are fuelled by the lack of any African or South American countries amongst the founding partner states.

    Intriguingly Germany, France and India are also absent.

    These are countries with well developed space programmes that would surely have benefited from being involved in Project Artemis. Their opposition may be down to a preference for the Moon Agreement and a desire to see a properly negotiated treaty governing lunar exploration.

    The European Space Agency (ESA) as an organisation has not signed on to the accords either, but a number of ESA member states have. This is unsurprising. The ambitious US deadline for the project will clash with the lengthy consultation of the 17 member states required for the ESA to sign on as a whole.

    Summary

    Ultimately, the Artemis Accords are revolutionary in the field of space exploration. Using bilateral agreements that dictate norms of behaviour as a condition of involvement in a programme is a significant change in space governance. With Russia and China opposing them, the accords are sure to meet diplomatic resistance and their very existence may provoke antagonism in traditional UN forums.

    Questions also remain about the impact that the looming US election and the COVID-19 pandemic will have on the programme. We already know that President Trump is keen to see astronauts on the Moon by 2024. The approach of his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, is a lot less clear. He may well be less wedded to the 2024 deadline and instead aim for broader diplomatic consensus on behaviour through engagement at the UN.

    While broader international acceptance may be desirable, the US believes that the lure of the opportunities afforded by the Artemis Program will bring other partners on board soon enough.

    • Obey USA laws.
    • Be subject to USA regulations.
    • Be offered protection by the USA Space Force.

    Space-active states now face a stark choice: miss out on being the first to use the resources of the Moon, or accept the price of doing business and sign up to the Artemis Accords.

    Well, of course the writer ASSUMES that NASA will actually achieve it's goals of being the first to create a base on the moon. I have my doubts, as a long time observer of this issue. Which is why most of the rest of the world has decided to side up with China and Russia. -MM

     

    By Larry Romanoff

    Introduction

    China has the world’s longest high-speed rail (HSR) network with some 38,000 kilometers in operation,[1] which comprises nearly 70% of all the world’s high-speed lines[2] and more than three times that of the entire European Union.[3] China has more than 2,500 high-speed trains in operation, more than all the rest of the world combined,[4] and it also has the fastest trains in operation anywhere,[5] with several generations now operating at speeds between 350 Km/h and 400 Km/h. Shanghai’s Maglev is still the fastest operating train in the world,[6]
    with sustained speeds of 430 Km/h. China’s rail system carries about 3.5 billion passengers per year, nearly 70% of these on high-speed trains. During the 40 days of China’s Spring Festival (Chinese New Year), passenger volume reached a peak of more than 400 million.

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    2022 06 08 14 59

    The Chinese government planned the HSR program in part to compress passenger travel on these dedicated tracks and free much of the slower existing rail system for freight, to remove trucks from the nation’s highways, thus lowering costs and in turn making highways safer for automobiles. The Shanghai-Nanjing route for example has 38 trains each way each day – carrying perhaps 150,000 passengers, which frees a huge amount of track time for freight. China’s high-speed trains have dramatically reduced the travel time between most major centers. Shanghai-Beijing is down from 12 hours to 4; Shanghai-Nanjing from 4 hours to 1; Wuhan to Guangzhou from 14 hours to only 3 hours.

    There are always potential difficulties establishing routes due to the number of communities to serve and the consequent number of stops – which negate the advantage of high-speed trains. China seems to have arrived at an excellent solution. As an example, the 275 Km. route from Shanghai to Nanjing serves 6 communities between the two terminal stations, with some trains on this route travelling on an express basis and making no stops (1 hour), with others stopping at one or several cities on route, with different trains making different combinations of stops (1.5 hours). This has proven to be a convenient method to serve all cities on the route while still maintaining low average travel times.

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    2022 06 08 15 00

    Many of the statistics and other information available online on China’s (and other) train travel are inaccurate at best, one website claiming China in 2019 had 1.4 trillion train passengers. Even Statista is quite inaccurate, confusing test runs of experimental trains with regular operating speeds of scheduled rail.[7]

     France’s TGV is listed at its maximum one-time test speed of 575 Km/h, when it operates at only 300 Km/h. Statista has operating speeds wrong too, listing China’s Fuxing at 418 Km and Hexie at 486 Km/h, which normally operate at only 300 and 350 Km/h although they have proven capable of operating at these higher sustained speeds.

    Train and Passenger Classes

    China has three generations of high-speed trains in operation: G, D, and C. The G-trains are the fastest commercial-use high-speed trains in the world with speeds of 350 Km/h to 400 Km/h. The D-trains operate at 250 Km/h and the first-generation C at 200 Km/h. Below this, there are still the ‘normal’ trains with designations of Z, T, K, N and more. The Z, T and K trains run at 160 Km/h, 140 and 120. Slower trains are used for short rural trips where time is not so important.

    These train alphabets are not nothing. I once took a G-train from Shanghai to Haining (the world-famous leather market), a trip of maybe 30 minutes if I recall correctly. I didn’t have a return ticket since I wasn’t certain of my return time, so I simply asked the wicket lady to put me on “the next train to Shanghai”. That was a big mistake. N-train. Ten kilometers per hour on the flat, much less uphill. That train stopped at every town, village, pig farm and strawberry patch on its way to Shanghai, and many times we had to pull off the track to permit a faster train to go by. Two and half hours to return home. I wondered why the ticket was so cheap. The kind of mistake you make only once.

    I would note too that punctuality is a hallmark of Chinese transportation generally, this certainly applying to the HSR network. If the schedule states the departure time as 11:02, then at 11:02 the doors silently close and the train is moving. I’ve experienced a few departure delays, typically due to an arrival that is late, but usually by only 5 or 10 minutes. I don’t have available the percentage of on-time departures and arrivals but it must be in the high 90s.

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    2022 06 08 15 02

    .

    These high-speed trains typically have cars that are First-Class, Second-Class and Business Class, and trains not dedicated to short runs have sleeper cars which are very clean and perfectly comfortable even in older trains, the later generations offering lovely duvets, a separate TV for each bunk, electrical outlets, lights, Wi-Fi. Regular sleepers have four bunks to a room while the highest grade has only two berths to a compartment, suitable for couples, and equipped with a sofa, a wardrobe, and private bathroom. Sleepers typically carry a 25% or 30% cost premium over regular seats.

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    2022 06 08 15 03

    Business Class

    These offer a pleasant alternative to air travel for the typically rushed and pressurised one-day business trips, for example from Shanghai to Guangzhou or Hong Kong. We board our train in the evening after dinner, do a bit of work or watch TV, and awake at 7:00 AM downtown at our destination, with enough time for breakfast before our first meeting. On the return trip, we have a leisurely dinner with friends, board the train across the street, and awake at 7:00 AM back in Shanghai. With two full nights’ sleep, there is no jet lag and no residual fatigue.

    Here are some typical ticket prices:

    G-train

    • Beijing-Shanghai, 1,350 Kms; 350 Km/h (4 hours)
    • 2nd Class, 550 RMB ($80)
    • 1st Class, 900 RMB ($135)
    • Business Class, 1,700 ($250)

    D-Train

    • Kunming-Lijiang, 500 Kms; 250 Km/h (2 hours)
    • 2nd Class, 220 RMB ($30)
    • 1st Class, 350 RMB ($50)

    C-Train

    • Beijing-Tianjin, 125 Kms; 200 Km/h (1 hour+)
    • 2nd Class, 55 RMB ($8)
    • 1st Class, 90 RMB ($13)

    It’s almost impossible to compare train fares with the US because in China the fares vary only by distance and train type. Amtrak has a fare schedule that on first approach appears occult, apparently following the convoluted airline model of changing fares by time of departure and other secret paranormal factors, so a particular price could be almost anywhere. On some routes, twice the distance costs half the price. Still, they appear to be much higher than in China by a factor of perhaps 5 or more.

    China’s Maglev Trains

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    2022 06 08 15 0r3

    The first Maglev train in China was a Siemens design installed in Shanghai, with service beginning in 2004. It was until recently the world’s only regularly-scheduled operating Maglev (at 430 Km/h), but now they are becoming common in China. Maglev technology is simple in principle at low speeds, but smoothness and stability at high speed are exceptionally complicated. Maglevs have a higher level of safety in that they cannot be derailed since they ‘wrap around’ the track, and maintenance costs are low compared to rail trains because there is no wear on the track bed and few moving parts to degrade or require maintenance and replacement.

    Chinese engineers initially produced quite successful low-speed Maglevs (200 Km/h) entirely on their own IP, for use throughout China as city trains, done to gain experience and develop their own proprietary designs and technology. These trains are now operating in Beijing, Changsha, and other cities, running on short local routes. There are few other Maglev trains in existence. Korea built a Maglev track to shuttle visitors at the Daejeon Expo, which still runs the few kilometers between the Expo Park and the National Science Museum, but it is very slow, and another in 2016 that runs only a few kilometers between the airport and a subway station, also very slow. Japan built its first “commercial maglev line” in 2005, with a route less than 10 kilometers and a maximum speed of only 100 Km/h – about the same as Shanghai’s new subway lines.

    China’s 600 Km/h Maglev

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    2022 06 08 15 04

    .
    .

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    2022 06 08 15 05

    .

    In addition to billions poured into R&D for regular HSR trains, Chinese engineers continued their Maglev research at a brisk pace, and have pushed Maglev technology to the point where China is now beginning commercial production of a fabulous 600 Km/h (nearly 400 Mph) Maglev which will replace traditional high-speed rail on many routes.[8]

    [9]

    Engineers spent much time on wind tunnel testing of the design of the locomotives and cars to reduce air resistance to a minimum, greatly assisting both high speed and stability. Chinese engineers have managed, again on their own IP, to bring down the cost for this very fast train to only two-thirds that of regular high-speed trains. This new Maglev will help to fill the gap between regular HSR and airplanes that fly at 900 Km/h or more, and it is likely that this gap will be closed further.

    The Changes

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    2022 06 08 15 06

    .

    It is now legendary that when the Chinese government set its mind to an objective, it doesn’t waste time. Everything you have read above has happened in only the past 16 years. “At the beginning of the 21st century China had no high-speed railways. Slow and often uncomfortable trains plodded across this vast country, with low average speeds making journeys such as Shanghai-Beijing a test of travel endurance. Today, it’s a completely different picture. [China] has . . . the world’s largest network of high-speed railways, and all have been completed since 2008.”[10]

    An aside: A Brief Note on Subways

    Subways are not exactly high-speed rail, although China’s new trains are pushing the envelope in this area as well, at least up to 100 Km/h (almost as fast as American high-speed trains). However, another example of the Chinese not wasting time when they decide to do something. Shanghai and other major cities have set an objective that every place within the inner cities is within about 5 city blocks of a subway station. Here is a list of a few major cities with the current length of subway track and the time required to reach that level:[11]

    • London 131 years, 400 Kms.
    • Paris 122 years, 225 Kms.
    • Berlin 119 years, 148 Kms.
    • New York 113 years, 399 Kms.
    • Shanghai 28 years, 900 Kms.

    The Pleasures of Train Travel

    One of the great advantages of HSR (High-Speed Rail) train travel compared to flying is the saving in wasted time. A flight in most any country normally involves a one-hour trip to the airport with a requirement to arrive at least 1.5 hours prior to departure which is frequently subject to delays. At the arrival end, there is always the seemingly long wait to deplane, the long walk to the baggage carousels and the exits, then the one hour or more trip downtown.

    When we take into account the commute and the necessary pre-departure allowance for check-in and security clearance and the 2-Km walk to the departure gate, then the post-arrival delays and the commute downtown at our destination, trains are equal to flying in trips up to 1,500 Kms, and much faster than flying for shorter trips while also being less expensive. The frequency of departures, at least between major centers in China is astonishing, the Shanghai-Beijing route having some 75 or 80 HSR trains each way each day, often leaving less than 10 minutes apart with as many as 2,000 passengers (two trains linked into 16 cars). Many other routes are similar. The same is true with airlines in China, with flights seemingly departing from everywhere to everywhere every 30 minutes or so.

    In China (and in most cities everywhere), the railway stations are downtown so the commute is minimal, one arriving at the station with luggage in hand only 20 or 30 minutes before departure. There is no ‘check-in’ process as with the airlines, only the usual security check and luggage scanners when entering the station where you can spend time in comfortable waiting rooms or simply find the correct platform and board your train. Even though many stations are huge, walking distances are normally much shorter than in most airports. At the destination, since that station is also downtown, taxis and subways are conveniently at hand. Also, in many cities airports and train stations are next door to each other, conveniently facilitating travel continuation.

    Another advantage of train travel is the considerable convenience and comfort, trains being much superior in both categories with an absence of pressure and time apprehension. Trains eliminate most unpleasant elements of air travel, with the attraction of being able to see the countryside. On a plane, we are forced to adhere to a rigid schedule: the time for coffee or a meal, the time to close the window curtains and darken the cabin so the staff can rest. If the food cart is out, you cannot get up to walk around or go to the bathroom. Everything seems regulated and under pressure. Leaving your seat is often a major inconvenience. By contrast, on a train you are free to do as you please. Your luggage is accessible at any time, the food carts come by regularly, the dining car is always there, seats have twice the leg room, the aisles are wide enough to accommodate passengers; everything much more relaxed, pleasant, and enjoyable. And you have the advantage of constant Wi-Fi and GPS signals, with AC power and USB outlets usually available at your seat.

    China’s high-speed trains are very quiet, without wind noise, and mercifully free of the incessant hum of aircraft engines and, with the flawlessly-welded rails, even the soft clacking of the rails is gone (I rather miss that). The seats are as wide or wider than airline business class, they recline partially (recline fully in business class) and, with the comfort and silence, it is very easy to sleep on a train. I would add that you are more alert (and healthier) on a train because aircraft are pressurised to 8,000 feet; you don’t normally go above 10,000 feet without supplementary oxygen.

    They are also very steady. China has the highest standards for stabilising high-speed trains in their longitudinal, lateral and vertical dimensions, a rail expert stating “It is no exaggeration to say the Beijing-Shanghai rail lines were built with the highest standards in the modern world. China leads the world in rail stability.” Here is a Xinhua video of one of China’s high-speed trains where a coin rests on its edge on a windowsill for more than 8 minutes before it finally falls over – this at 350 Kms per hour. (12)

    A Bit of Background

    “High-speed rail” emerged first in Japan in the early 1960s with the construction of the Shinkansen ‘bullet train’ which wasn’t really all that fast at only 160 Km/h, but such speeds were unheard of in those days and the train was a world marvel. The European countries, led by Germany (Siemens) and France (Alstom), followed in the 1980s, with Canada’s Bombardier joining the group at about the same time. Nothing much was done outside of Europe, though the Europeans did embrace high-speed train travel and made good design progress.

    It was widely assumed initially that there was no market for train travel, that the world would follow the North American model and rely primarily on the auto with the airlines as long-distance backup. But more than 40 years ago Chinese government officials saw the potential and disagreed, and began planning what would become the world’s largest HSR network, with enormous sums invested in the project. One expert wrote, “Chinese engineers have exhibited enormous ingenuity and creativity and are still aggressively pushing the rail technology envelope.” It is generally agreed that China’s success in high-speed rail development and its cost reduction, has resulted in “validating the feasibility of widespread adoption and greater affordability. Developing countries are particularly grateful that China has brought the cost of HSR to affordable levels.” One expert wrote, “It appears now that China will dominate the HSR market for the foreseeable future.”

    And indeed, developing countries are increasingly attracted to the prospect of China’s affordable HSR trains as an impetus for their own economic development. At the time of writing, Chinese railway firms were building a high-speed line in Turkey linking Ankara and Istanbul, another project in Venezuela, and expecting contracts in Brazil, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Poland. Railway routes in China are expanding to mesh with new routes in Vietnam and Thailand, and there are plans to extend a route all the way to Singapore. Chinese rail officials are in the planning stages of a high-speed rail route passing through Xinjiang Province in Western China, through Kyrgyzstan and other ‘Stans’, connecting with lines in Turkey and proceeding Westward into Europe. It may soon be possible to travel by HSR all the way from Shanghai to London – at a fraction of the cost of flying, and with far more comfort and the ability to see maybe 15 countries on route.

    Chinese engineers have said it is well within the limits of today’s technology to build a high-speed rail line between China and North America, the line passing through Siberia, with a tunnel under the 55-mile Bering strait separating Russia from Alaska, then down the West Coast of Canada and the US. It would then be possible to take a fast train from San Diego to Paris and London. However, politics will make such a development impossible.

    Technology Transfer is not Free

    Whenever the subject of technology transfer arises, there seems to always surface a flurry of accusations about copying or stealing. Readers should carefully note that China did not “steal” anyone’s rail technology; instead, it was all purchased. China paid billions of dollars for that transfer of technology. It is the same in all important industries today. China has the money, and is willing to pay handsomely for technology it needs to further its development.

    To compensate for a late start, the Chinese government began (in only 2004) by purchasing rail technology abroad, signing agreements with Alstom and Kawasaki to build HSR train sets for China in cooperation with local firms. Kawasaki, who designed the original Hayate bullet train, signed a deal with the Chinese ministry of Railways for the transfer of a full spectrum of HSR technology. They began with Kawasaki manufacturing 50 HSR train sets in Japan and exporting these to China fully-assembled, then progressed to establishing factories in China where Kawasaki helped the Chinese manufacturers to produce another 50 train sets locally. China also paid Kawasaki for the training of manufacturing staff first in Japan and then at the factories in China. This process carried a heavy price; the arrangement with Kawasaki cost China around $800 million, plus countless millions for training and many technology updates. The contract with Kawasaki included “the transfer of the whole spectrum of technology and know-how for the bullet train”, so that these trains became in fact Chinese-owned IP.

    With this experience under its belt, China then duplicated the process with Siemens, Alstom and Bombardier, in similar deals for a full transfer of technology and IP rights so that China could freely manufacture these train sets domestically and sell them internationally. Similar to the procedure with Kawasaki, Chinese engineers were sent to Europe for extended periods of study and also had these firms assist China in establishing domestic manufacturing facilities. All the firms trained Chinese engineers while helping the country develop its own supply chain for train components, and all of this involved several billions of dollars in fees.

    But it wasn’t all gravy because the Chinese rail companies paid billions of dollars for was in fact old technology from those four companies. Knowing the Chinese wanted to produce trains based entirely on their own IP and technology, Kawasaki and Siemens in particular refused to sell their more advanced products and would sell China only rail technology that was already two or even three generations old. These foreign companies were actually planning to take full control of China’s vast market for HSR transportation, expecting to fully supply the “the most ambitious rapid rail system in history”, with rewards in the billions.

    That did not deter the Chinese. As a first step they disassembled, evaluated, and combined all those technologies into one train, combining the best features of each. Then, they applied their formidable R&D abilities to improve and enhance those features and create entirely new trains built exclusively on Chinese-owned IP. The result was trains that were faster, smoother, quieter, and less expensive than the newest generation of their former suppliers. To say that the foreign firms underestimated the power of Chinese innovation and the speed and quality of R&D in China, is an understatement of some magnitude, with both Kawasaki and Siemens finding themselves left at the starting gate only a few years later.

    “The Western firms confused their head start with their R&D capacity, attributing both to natural superiority, confidently assuming they were more innovative rather than simply having begun earlier. The assumption was that Japanese and German R&D capability coupled with their huge lead would maintain an impassable gap and permit them to capture the entire Chinese market.” Their willingness to sell their technology was from an expectation that the Chinese would need at least 30 years to absorb and implement it before being ready to proceed on their own. The reality was somewhat different: they found themselves having to compete with Chinese firms who adapted and improved their technology and produced superior products only three years later.

    And Some Sellers Remorse

    When China proved its ability to combine technologies from all firms and create a new, superior product, the Japanese appeared quite bitter, Kawasaki going so far as to claim that China’s trains were just ‘tweaked versions’ of its original bullet train with minor variations to the exterior paint scheme and interior trim. Even nastier, Japan’s Ministry of Transportation was quoted as saying that Japanese trains could be just as fast, but China’s trains were faster only because the Chinese ignored safety and didn’t care how many people died.

    Of course, the real problem was that it was impossible for Japan to compete with China on international markets since they hoarded their technology for too long and, by the time they changed their attitude, the world had passed them by and their technology was old, with Chinese trains much nicer, 100 Km/h faster, and considerably less expensive. As someone wrote, “Marketing is difficult when your only selling point is that the other guy’s fast and affordable trains are copies of your slow and expensive ones”. Something similar occurred with Shanghai’s Maglev train. Due to pride of authorship as with the Japanese, Siemens also refused to consider a sale of technology, preferring to hold out for astonishingly high prices of the finished product. The result was that Chinese engineers turned their full R&D attention to Maglevs and Siemens now finds itself permanently sidelined in the market.

    World Leader in Construction Quality

    China’s HSR system is built to an intense high quality. Chinese high-speed trains run on special dedicated, often elevated tracks laid on deep and heavily-reinforced beds of high-density concrete with vertical and horizontal deviations measured in millimeters, these tracks supported by massive columns of high-strength concrete spaced very closely. With high-speed trains there is no chugging uphill and racing downhill; HSR tracks are, insofar as is humanly and technologically possible, a straight and level line. Typically, a horizontal elevation is selected for a particular route, with the rail bed maintaining this throughout the route. Depressions and valleys are filled in with bridges, and mountains and hills are met with tunnels.

    2022 06 08 15 52
    2022 06 08 15 52

    This can be more difficult than appears at first glance. China has some astonishingly-beautiful landscapes that are perfect for tourist admiration but not so attractive to railway engineers. One such route is a line running through beautiful but challenging mountainous terrain from Wuhan and Yichang (the site of the Three Gorges Dam), to Wanzhou City, just East of Chongqing. This was China’s most difficult railway to build and is the world’s most expensive railway, costing 60 million RMB (roughly US$10 million) for each kilometer. It took a staggering seven years and 50,000 workers to complete. Of the route’s total length of 380 Kms, 75% percent or 280 Kms, consists of 253 bridges and 159 tunnels. Each and every kilometer of the railway contains at least one bridge or one tunnel, most often one of each, leading the locals to refer to the railway as the “tunnel and bridge museum”. It is ironic that this railway was meant to operate at the highest speeds of the day, but the terrain proved so difficult and consumed so much construction time that when completed the system was two generations old. And, given the immense difficulties, there is nobody interested in starting again to update the track and systems. But still, this railway reduced the Yichang-Wanzhou travel time from 22 hours to just five hours, bringing new opportunities for residents who live in the steep and remote Wuling mountains. One local resident said, “We used to pay 100 Yuan (US$15) for a one-day bus trip to Yichang before. Now, 30 Yuan can get us there in two hours.” I covered this in a brief article which you may enjoy reading.[13]

    A Note on Train Safety

    2022 06 08 15 53
    2022 06 08 15 53

    Chinese high-speed trains are often completely separated from the landscape, running on dedicated tracks elevated well above roadways, with no level crossings or cross-traffic, and thus no possibility of the common variety of vehicle accidents. These high-speed trains descend from their elevated perch only when approaching a station, utilising regular trackage for this purpose but only at very low speeds, thus permitting transportation literally from city center to city center. You can see the elevation and extreme support in the photo. There are of course sections of trackage at grade level in areas where safety is assured, but extreme precautions have been taken to avoid roadway crossings which are usually handled by either elevations or tunnels.

    As with every country, China does of course have its share of train accidents, with older trains derailing from landslides or other causes but, given the country’s massive rail network, the number of trains operating and the sheer number of trips taken, the country’s accident record is actually remarkably low, as are the fatalities.

    China’s railway system has dozens of installations across the country where every high-speed train is constantly monitored for many metrics like speed, axle temperatures, weather conditions, and obviously also for precise location and track position of every train. Their focus on safety is extreme. The country’s high-speed system has had only one accident since inception (at Wenzhou in 2011), one that was eerily reminiscent of Boeing’s 737 Max, where a major programming change was not covered in the operating manuals for the Japanese signaling systems. The Japanese, apparently feeling a concern that the Chinese could reverse-engineer the systems code, deliberately omitted some of the operating functions from the manuals, and so provided faulty documentation that left the Chinese operators with an imperfect and incomplete understanding of the signals systems.

    In this case, a train was hit by lightning and was stalled on the track. When this occurred, Chinese engineers immediately knew something was wrong and followed the operating manual, but they had no way of knowing the system was telling them that a train was stalled on the same track, because the manual was incomplete. This was the actual cause of the crash. It was true that local officials in Wenzhou panicked and stupidly tried to cover up the fact of the crash, but that doesn’t change the cause. I would note further that this was by no means the first time Chinese engineers had been deliberately misled on either the function or operation of IP they had bought and paid for. There are many tales of foreign engineers telling outright lies about the purpose or function of various components, leaving the Chinese to either figure it out for themselves or discover through adverse events the actual purpose.

    This accident was widely-reported in the Western media, but only to gloat at China’s misfortune. Forbes and the WSJ (and of course the NYT) ran articles that were particularly nasty, with the Carnegie Endowment publishing what seemed a very stupid political article claiming the train accident “Shows the Dangers of China’s Nuclear Power Ambitions”.[14]

     The point appeared to be that, since China had one rail accident, they could not be trusted to ever build anything. The child-writers at the Economist gleefully ran an article with the cute title of “Whoops!” and, in another context, the Economist wrote, “To err is human. To gloat, divinely satisfying.” Exactly.

    I would also add that on the event of that accident, the US media were so delirious with schadenfreude that few bothered to report the actual cause. It happens that most every opportunity to criticise China will be transformed into a proven failure of China’s one-party government. In reporting on this train accident, the entire Western media eagerly pinned the blame not on a Japanese signals failure but on China’s one-party system. But Wikipedia lists 70 pages of rail accidents for the US alone, having several major and a bunch of minor ones every year. Since theology must be universal to be credible, it seems clear where the fault lies for all these terrible disasters: democracy causes train crashes.

    The topic of rail safely seems heavily politicised. For some unknown reason, the Western news media persist in promulgating a fiction that Japan (unlike China) has a perfect train safety record, but the truth is that Japan’s bullet trains derail and crash with some regularity. Wikipedia obligingly provides a full listing of train accidents in China all on one page, but one must work very hard to find a similar convenient listing for Japan.

    Kawasaki Meets Godzilla

    2022 06 08 16 04
    2022 06 08 16 04

    Rail Infrastructure is a Public Good, not a Private Benefit

    Due to its unique government structure, China is able to plan and amend its entire travel infrastructure as a whole, considering air, rail and road, taking into account only the benefits to the entire country rather than having to appease a multitude of private interests. HSR trains have cut travel time so dramatically that airline services on many routes have been suspended in whole or in part. The airlines may not always be pleased, but China’s transportation system is designed for the maximum overall benefit to the nation, not to serve specific private interests or friends of the Administration.

    China has not succumbed to the sometimes-intense privatisation pressure from Western bankers and has retained control of its infrastructure, an enormous blessing for rapid and efficient development. Chinese leaders recognised from the beginning that economic development follows transportation, and thus maintaining control of the transportation infrastructure derives from a determination to distribute the benefits of development to the entire nation. The reality is that not all infrastructure is destined to be financially profitable – profitability being the only measure by Western standards. A privately-developed railway system would be built only on the most profitable routes, those likely to amass billions for their owners but that would leave perhaps half the nation destitute for transportation and sentenced to perpetual poverty. Thus, railway privatisation would saddle China’s central government with the costs of building and supporting all the unprofitable routes without benefitting from the profitable segments. This is one of Western capitalism’s main mantras: privatise the profits and socialise the losses. If you’re interested in this topic, here is an essay you might enjoy reading: Private Enterprise and the National Good.[15]

    In the absence of competing interests, a nationwide plan can be conceived, examined, discussed and approved in a much shorter time than in countries with a different system, and implementation times much reduced as well. China’s new HSR line from Shanghai to Beijing, a distance of about 1,300 Kms was a masterpiece of unobstructed planning and execution. For construction, the government hired almost 140,000 workers to build multiple sections simultaneously, the entire project completed in two years at a cost of less than $20 billion. By contrast, in the US, the cost of an HSR line along the Eastern seaboard, a distance only half as long, has been estimated at $120 billion and might require 20 years to complete. The province of Alberta in Canada is considering an HSR line of only 300 Kms connecting the two major cities, yet the planning stage is expected to take 5 years and cost $50 million; if approved, the subsequent construction process is projected to require another 5 years at least. The interim negotiations for right of way, the bidding processes, the dealing with all the various private interests as well as the cities involved, are expected to add 5 years to the process.

    It is critical to note that economic development follows transportation. Countries like Canada and the US would never have developed without the cross-country transportation systems being in place. But it is almost certainly too late for both Canada and the US with high-speed rail, too many decades of auto-dependent development condemning both countries to irreversible transport deficiencies. In the US, General Motors (aided by a few others) managed to convince the individual states to abandon all investment (and maintenance!) in railways and other public transport, and instead make huge public expenditures on highways that were useful only to those who owned private automobiles, effectively stranding all other citizens at home with no way to go anywhere and virtually forcing everyone to buy a car. This is not trivial, but instead a critical historical narrative. One observer wrote that “A theme likely to be emphasised in history will be the enormous strategic error made by both the US and Canada in enslaving themselves to individual motorized transportation.” Here is an article I strongly urge you to read:[16]

    As with most other subjects, the Internet is not lacking uninformed nonsense on HSR trains. One US source tells us, “The United States has no HSR corridors because high‐​speed rail is an obsolete technology that requires expensive and dedicated infrastructure that will serve no purpose other than moving passengers who could more economically travel by highway or air.” The preceding comment is incorrect in too many ways to count, ignoring the political factors that are actually responsible for the absence of HSR in the US. Rail is inevitably the least expensive form of land travel (except for bicycles), is provably less expensive than driving (sometimes much less), and generally less expensive than air travel.

    The American Experience

    In 2012 and 2013 the US wallowed in an anguish created by envy of China’s high-speed rail network, America’s rickety and accident-prone rail system suffering badly in comparison. When it became apparent that the Americans could never duplicate China’s success and, confronted with the imminent failure of their ambition to join the world of high-speed rail, the Americans revised the definition of high-speed trains from 400 Km/h to 250 and then 150, before abandoning their quest altogether. Then, rationalisation through the uniquely American moral lens of politics and religion: “Our slow rail network is the price we pay for the great things about America like our democratic political system and our freedom of religion.”

    An internet reader commented:

    “The American failure to realise an HSR system is not because China has better leadership, vision, planning and execution, and the wisdom to sacrifice short-term benefits and minority interests for the long-term gain and the greater good; it’s because Americans have democracy and love freedom. The bickering and indecision, the squabbling, the vacillation and eventual paralysis of all levels of US government on this issue, an impossibility in any sane country, are actually a badge of merit in America, evidence of their virtuous freedom. So, let China build its high-speed trains. The more trains they have, the less free they become. Americans would never be so foolish as to sacrifice freedom for good transportation or democracy for roads and bridges.”

    I don’t know the author of this brief passage below, but I want to share the quote with you because he captured perfectly the American situation:

    “At the end of 2013, California was still hoping to build the nation’s first high-speed rail line, an 830 Kms track from Los Angeles to San Francisco, that would be scheduled for completion in 2029 (more than 16 years) and would cost about $70 billion not including the inevitable cost over-runs. By contrast, China built its 1,320 Kms Shanghai-Beijing HSR line in only three years at a cost of 200 billion Yuan – about $32 billion. So, the US high-speed train – if it’s ever actually built – will be 60% slower than China’s, will take five times as long to build and cost almost five times as much for an equivalent distance. Of course, the Americans could just ask China to build their HSR in only 18 months at a cost of only $20 billion, but that would mean admitting Chinese superiority, and that means the US will never have high-speed rail.”

    Amtrak is the only intercity passenger rail in the US that operates at speeds higher than freight trains, but hasn’t been very popular, with its highest passenger numbers at around 30 million in a year compared to China’s nearly 4 billion. And Amtrak has never made a profit, requiring government subsidisation of about $1 billion per year. I have no explanation for the lack of popularity of train travel in the US. It isn’t primarily a love affair with the auto, since Europeans also love to drive but also love train travel. At least some US rail facilities are acceptable, so it would seem the problem is due to a sum of other factors.

    Amtrak

    2022 06 08 16 07
    2022 06 08 16 07

    Amtrak is a very strange duck, a high-speed wannabe that seems determined to get most of the important things wrong and, if I can use an analogy, is too busy reading to take the time to learn to speed-read. It is difficult to make positive statements about the company because the underlying negatives make positive statements seem almost surreal.

    Recent media reports that the introduction of Amtrak’s new Avelia Liberty trains (If it’s America, it’s always ‘liberty’ or ‘freedom’) manufactured by France’s Alstom are facing yet another delay of 18 months, pushing the total delay to more than three years. The cause? Surprising, to say the least. To begin, under new instructions to ban everything Chinese, the company had to turn to France to purchase their rolling stock, but what Amtrak has purchased is 3 generations old in China, at the very bottom of anything that today would be termed “high-speed rail”, and is old in France as well. Reading between the lines, it seems Alstom agreed to reproduce some older-technology equipment to match America’s abilities, but things haven’t gone so well.

    According to Amtrak executives, the need for more testing is the cause of things being behind schedule, with Amtrak citing “rigorous” testing “required by federal regulations”, somehow implying American safety standards of exceptional rigor, but the details seem to tell a different story. In fact, a review of the details reveals that the real cause was “the discovery of compatibility problems with the Northeast Corridor tracks that prompted modifications to the train design”, as well as “an incompatibility with . . . its catenary system” – which is the overhead electrical source that provides power to the trains.[17]

    If this isn’t clear, Amtrak executives discovered, no doubt to their complete amazement, that the trains they purchased didn’t fit the tracks on which those trains would run, nor could they connect with the available overhead power sources. The spin placed on this by Amtrak executives was that “The train had to be modified to work harmoniously with the infrastructure.” However, it wasn’t an issue of ‘working harmoniously’, but of working at all. Amtrak provided to Alstom the design necessities for 30 new train sets, which were manufactured to those specifications but, when delivered, the company discovered their design was so badly flawed that the new trains didn’t match the trackage or the power supply, and had to be modified. This sounds like a Three Stooges episode or a Jackie Gleason comedy. How is it possible for thinking persons to design and manufacture trains that can’t fit their own tracks?

    According to media reports these new Avelia trains are built under an FRA rule that establishes “new safety standards for high-speed trains, . . . to allow for operation at the highest speeds on shared tracks”. The intended insinuation is that these new so-called safety standards are more rigid, but it seems they are actually more relaxed, to accommodate Amtrak’s inability (or unwillingness) to comply. Part of the problem is that Amtrak runs almost exclusively on what they euphemistically call “shared tracks”, which means running on 60 year-old rail beds that are used primarily by slow freight trains, and that Amtrak wants to run its trains at speeds much higher than are safe. Hence the “new safety standards” created by the FRA “to allow for operation at the highest speeds”.

    Amtrak Also Meets Godzilla

    2022 06 08 16 08
    2022 06 08 16 08

    “Most American (rail) infrastructure was built in the early to mid-20th century (1920-1950), the continent having been simultaneously wired for electricity and phone service while constructing the interstate highway system along with thousands of bridges, tunnels and more. But the US has spent almost no money on maintenance and repairs on any of this infrastructure for almost 60 years now. The situation today is dire and, in many instances, critical, but money is no longer available (except for Israel and Ukraine). Derailments and other accidents occur almost daily on America’s dilapidated and unsafe rail network which, like the highways, has received only urgent patching rather than proper maintenance and repair.”[18]
    [19]
    [20]

    “In June of 2013 an Interstate bridge on a main commercial corridor between Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, Canada, collapsed and fell into the river below after being hit by a truck. This was not a high-speed collision; the truck simply bumped one of the main support pillars at low speed, but the weakened and dilapidated pillar broke from the strain and, without that extra bit of support, the entire bridge immediately collapsed. In prior examinations, the heavily-travelled bridge had not only been rated as functionally obsolete but structurally deficient and requiring replacement. This is only one of thousands; the great majority of the physical infrastructure of the US is in a similar condition, involving railroads, highways, dams, bridges and more. More than 160,000 bridges in the US are officially categorized as dangerous, at risk of collapse, with such collapses now regularly occurring.[21][22][23]

    The same is true for subways and elevated inner-city rail systems like that in New York City; rickety, dirty, dangerous, and looking for a reason to collapse.”[24]

    Welcome to New York

    2022 06 08 16 09
    2022 06 08 16 09

    .

    Back to Amtrak, the delivery delay “hiccups” will force the company to keep its “legacy fleet” in service, with this in turn causing severe revenue losses from the oddly-unexpected need for extra “mechanical investments” to “reduce train malfunctioning”. In non-propaganda English, this means that Amtrak’s old, one-foot-in-the-grave, trains needing badly to be scrapped before an imminent fatal collapse, will now require substantial maintenance and repair to hold out until executives can accurately measure the width of their tracks and modify the new trains they’ve purchased.

    This is not nothing. Amtrak experiences operating difficulties we don’t even read about in comic books. One Amtrak passenger train in Maryland recently broke apart while traveling, with some of the passenger cars separating from the rest of the train at 125 mph and going on their own merry way.[25]

     Until this, I thought I’d heard everything. Amtrak executives said, “We are currently investigating the cause of the car separation.” I guess I would be doing that, too.

    Would you like to travel at 250 Km/h on this track? Amtrak wants to.

    2022 06 08 16 11
    2022 06 08 16 11

    .

    But the most important issue is that no one in the US, neither the government nor the railways, seems prepared to maintain and repair rail tracks and beds to an acceptable standard, much less having the foresight to build dedicated trackage meant for high-speed trains. Attempting to run trains at speeds of 200 mph on 60 year-old un-maintained tracks that were built for freight trains at a maximum of 50 mph, is not only reckless but downright stupid. Yet, this is where we are. And Amtrak’s legacy of accidents and crashes is all the evidence necessary.

    Train speeds are constantly an issue with Amtrak. We can read much hype about Amtrak trains traveling at 200 or even 250 Km/h (150 mph), but in real life they barely average 75 or 80 mph, and this is the fastest train in America. This is partly the fault of the tracks, since Amtrak operates almost exclusively on freight train tracks and ‘shares’ the tracks with these freight trains, and is often held up by them. I’m told it is quite common for an Amtrak train to get stuck behind a slow freight train.[26]

     But even with all of this, very few of Amtrak’s locomotives have the ability to exceed 110 mph or 175 Km/h, which is well below anything considered as high-speed rail today.

    DC to Boston is roughly 700 Kms or 435 miles. Amtrak’s Acela Express Train 2150 takes nearly 7 hours, for an average speed of only 100 Km/h, or 60 miles per hour, not exactly high-speed. That’s not entirely the fault of the train, since it makes ten stops on the route, a case of bad planning if I ever saw one. As mentioned above, China’s solution to this is to have some trains run on an express basis with no stops between the two terminals while others make several different stops each, thus still serving all the communities but with a much higher average travel time.

    Similarly, Amtrak’s record of on-time arrivals is abysmal. According to Amtrak’s 2020 Annual Report, little more than 55% of trains arrived on time, and this can be blamed almost entirely on poor management. If China and many European countries can have on-time rates of up to 98%, so can anyone who knows how to plan.

    Richard Branson’s Brightline

    2022 06 08 16 13
    2022 06 08 16 13

    .

    However, unknown to the world at large, America does indeed have a “high-speed train”, Richard Branson’s new ‘Brightline’, that runs 100 Kms from Miami to West Palm Beach in Florida. According to the promotions, these are “sleek, neon-yellow trains, which travel at speeds of up to 127 Kms/hr (!!!)”.

    To be fair to the Americans, they initially promoted this as a “higher-speed train”, a small but worthy concession to reality that quickly disappeared. To be fair to the sleek, neon-yellow train, it is quite unable to reach its advertised top speed and in fact seldom reaches even 100 Km/h, faster than a freight train, but not by very much.

    Also unknown to the world, this American version of HSR has, in its first few years since inauguration, had numerous derailments, scores of accidents, and caused well over 100 deaths. In what should have been a surprising development, several of the accidents and deaths occurred during the train’s initial test run, after which it was inexplicably cleared for service. But perhaps no matter because Brightline assured us that “safety remains the company’s top priority”. Interestingly, the US Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) data show 60% fewer deaths than the media reports of actual fatalities because (if you can believe this) they inexplicably (and almost certainly unjustifiably) classify most of the deaths as “possible suicides”, and then sanctimoniously impose “reporting restrictions intended to safeguard privacy”.[27]

     If this isn’t clear, the FRA is claiming that 60% of Brightline train accident deaths were from motorists deliberately stopping on the tracks in order to kill themselves. Given all the options for committing suicide, this would not be my first choice. How can American authorities fabricate such preposterous lies and why would the media support them?

    Another Brightline “Assisted Suicide”

    2022 06 08 16 14
    2022 06 08 16 14

    .

    Also, according to the FRA, “a Brightline locomotive derailed … at four miles per hour …”. The report continued that this was the second derailment within two months, the main cause being that this US “high-speed train” is using tracks and rail beds built more than 60 years ago, intended only for slow-moving freight trains, and have not been maintained. In an astonishing display of arrogance and defiance, Brightline refused to confirm the accident for nearly six months, even during sworn testimony to a Senate Committee, then called the derailment “minor”, and dismissed the critics’ concern as a “baseless fear tactic”.[28]

     These issues are noteworthy in several ways: Running “higher-speed” trains through level crossings (at ground level), is reckless in the extreme and begging for fatalities. Even more, running passenger trains on dilapidated trackage and freight-rail beds that haven’t been maintained for 60 years, is worse.

    A second item is so illustrative of a pathological quirk that appears to exist only in the US. From Brightline’s home webpage:

    “Hand-stitched leather seats. Sit 2 or 4 together at a table. Relax pre-departure in our first-class SELECT lounge with an ever-changing lineup of enticing bites and beverages. Lounge business services including iPads, a scanner & printer. Access to conference rooms in our stations (a $50/hr value). Complimentary onboard Wi-Fi.[29]

    Hand-stitched leather seats and an ever-changing lineup of enticing bites on a train that derails at 4 miles per hour and has already killed more than 100 people. This is the way Americans design their cars. Appearance is everything and substance is nothing.

    American auto designers hold frequent market tests where they introduce citizens to new automobiles, the purpose being to see if the new degradations in quality and safety can pass these public tests undetected. A so-called high-speed train running on rickety tracks and derailing at 4 mph is glossed over for leather seats and Wi-Fi. Only in America. One internet commenter wrote, “This proves that Americans are too stupid for high-speed rail.”

    “How many more deaths do we need to read about before something is done.”

    Another news report stated that – according to the same FRA – this train has had “the most fatalities along the corridor in that time period”.[30][31] The situation is so bad that there are at least two Florida law firms now specialising in Brightline accident victim litigation.[32]

    A recent article in the Orlando Weekly called “almost-high-speed Brightline the deadliest train line mile-for-mile in the U.S.”,[33]

     because it apparently has the worst death rate of all 821 train lines in the US. Yet Branson plans to extend the line to Disneyworld and has obtained billions in tax-free bonds for the expansion, but there are current lawsuits to prevent this, determined “to ensure it never reaches Orlando”.[34]
     Nevertheless, and again, “the service intends to use existing freight lines that have not handled regular passenger service in nearly a half-century” and which haven’t been maintained for 60 years.[35]

    [36]

    Only in America.

    Does This Look Like a High-Speed Train to You?

    2022 06 08 16 16
    2022 06 08 16 16

    .

    This last item may contain research worthy of a Master’s thesis, this being a newspaper headline on one of the derailments: “Brightline accidents tragic, but is railway really to blame?”[37] The article stated that this “innovative high-speed passenger rail service has been in operation for only about a week and a half, and already people have died”, then went on to say that “most readers” put the blame not on the railway but on “the decision-making of people”. There was an almost irresistible poignancy about this claim. In reading the reports, I could not shake the feeling of listening to a small child, disappointed at some failure but lacking the maturity to see reality as it was, and making an excuse typical of an 8 year-old mind. I believe we could argue this to be the consciousness level of the typical adult American.

    Epilogue

    There was a sadness in my heart while writing much of this article. Putting aside any fleeting pleasure in criticising Americans, there was a kind of despondent cheerlessness in a realisation of what might have been but can never be. Today, not only Chinese and Europeans are enjoying the manifold benefits and pleasures of high-speed train travel, but also citizens of Vietnam, Turkey, Venezuela, Brazil, Singapore, Thailand, Poland, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia and many more. American citizens surely deserve this fine mode of travel as much as anyone else, and yet their own heavily-politicised and corrupt society prevents it, and there is no solution.

    The American government could easily make friends with China and have genuine high-speed trains (400 and 600 Km/h) everywhere, but Captain America doesn’t want to make friends. He would rather be the bully on the block and knock someone down, rather than building himself up.

    The US sacrificed real 5G communications for its entire population for the pleasure of hurting China and trashing Huawei, and to protect the continuing freedom to spy on them. This is happening in so many areas, all with the same cause. It has been partly comical but mostly painful to watch the US during the past 8 or so years, agonising over the prospect of high-speed railways and seeing so many efforts collapse due solely to petty political ideology. It is astonishing that such a large and important nation could have such immature and even infantile politicians – at every level.

    In only one or two decades, China has become a world leader or at least a peer in so many areas – IT, telecommunications, high-speed trains, quantum communications, DNA synthesising and mapping, green energy sources, space exploration, astronomy, mind-machine interfaces, small drones, aircraft production, 3-D printing.

    The Chinese have built their own space station, photographed every square meter of the moon, launched their own GPS system, built the deepest deep-sea submersibles, and much more, to say nothing of all the massive engineering projects. None of this was an accident and none of it happened overnight; all were the result of planning begun 20, 30, and even 40 years ago, the results only now becoming evident.

    The Americans especially, but really all Western countries, could never accomplish such speedy and successful development due primarily to the political system which prevents long-term planning and which is so indebted to a small group of elites that the common good and the welfare of the nation are lost.

    The only proposals that survive are those permitting a small group of bankers and industrialists to feed at the public trough, while all those benefiting the public are stillborn. Planning cannot be done for projects beyond the life of the current government, which might be only 4 years and often less, because the opposing party would most likely kill any project, either on ideological principles or to prevent credit being given to “the opposition”.

    And, on the high-speed trains themselves, it seems that no one in American government or industry has the good sense and political will to say not only “Let’s do it” but “Let’s do it right.” And that means a serious commitment to long-term adult-level planning of high-speed travel and the investment required to build a dedicated support infrastructure that can handle it. The continued pretense of having so-called “high-speed trains” running on dilapidated 60 year-old freight tracks, will lead to nothing but disaster.

    This entire process of Americans so desperate to “save face” is founded on a delusion of superficiality we seem to find only in America: I paint my Pinto red and pretend it’s a Ferrari.

    Mr. Romanoff’s writing has been translated into 32 languages and his articles posted on more than 150 foreign-language news and politics websites in more than 30 countries, as well as more than 100 English language platforms. Larry Romanoff is a retired management consultant and businessman. He has held senior executive positions in international consulting firms, and owned an international import-export business. He has been a visiting professor at Shanghai’s Fudan University, presenting case studies in international affairs to senior EMBA classes. Mr. Romanoff lives in Shanghai and is currently writing a series of ten books generally related to China and the West. He is one of the contributing authors to Cynthia McKinney’s new anthology ‘When China Sneezes’. (Chapt. 2 — Dealing with Demons). He often writes for Unz review where this article was first published.
    
    His full archive can be seen at
    
    https://www.bluemoonofshanghai.com/ and https://www.moonofshanghai.com/
    
    He can be contacted at:
    
    2186604556@qq.com
    
    Notes
    
    [1] https://english.www.gov.cn/archive/statistics/202101/10/content_WS5ffa36f3c6d0f725769438ad.html
    
    China’s high-speed rail lines top 37,900 km at end of 2020
    
    [2] https://www.theb1m.com/video/the-unstoppable-growth-of-chinas-high-speed-rail-network
    
    The Unstoppable Growth of China’s High-Speed Rail Network
    
    [3] https://www.statista.com/topics/7534/high-speed-rail-in-china/
    
    High-speed railway in China – statistics & facts
    
    [4] https://www.chinadiscovery.com/china-high-speed-train-tours/high-speed-train-facts.html
    
    China High Speed Train Facts – Longest, Fastest & Craziest
    
    [5] https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/07/worlds-high-speed-trains-railways/
    
    These are the fastest trains in the world
    
    [6] https://www.chinahighlights.com/shanghai/transportation/maglev-train.htm
    
    Shanghai Maglev Train — The Fastest Train in the World
    
    [7] https://www.statista.com/statistics/557186/high-speed-trains-maxmimum-speed/
    
    World’s fastest trains in 2021, ranked by record speed
    
    [8] https://youtu.be/cuc03kxeHQs
    
    China’s 600 Maglev Train; CCTV
    
    [9] https://youtu.be/a7VjaEUFWxk
    
    China’s 600 Maglev Train Rolled off the Production Line; CCTV 1:24
    
    [10] https://lite.cnn.com/en/article/h_5eed36d754a03637b1ec2f3074f2e805
    
    Past, present and future: The evolution of China’s incredible high-speed rail network
    
    [11] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_metro_systems
    
    List of Metro Systems
    
    [12] https://youtu.be/fumYdO9XknE
    
    Coin on Windowsill of Chinese High-Speed Train
    
    [13] https://www.bluemoonofshanghai.com/politics/3586/
    
    From Shanghai to Chongqing: The World’s Most Expensive Railway
    
    [14] https://carnegieendowment.org/2011/07/29/wenzhou-crash-shows-dangers-of-china-s-nuclear-power-ambitions-pub-45213
    
    Wenzhou Crash Shows the Dangers of China’s Nuclear Power Ambitions
    
    [15] https://www.bluemoonofshanghai.com/politics/5652/
    
    Private Enterprise and the National Good
    
    [16] https://www.bluemoonofshanghai.com/politics/the-american-love-affair-with-the-automobile-the-unspoken-history-of-the-electric-car-december-09-2019/
    
    The American Love Affair with the Automobile
    
    [17] https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/04/13/amtrak-acela-trains-delay/
    
    Amtrak’s faster, higher-tech Acela trains are delayed again
    
    [18] https://www.bluemoonofshanghai.com/politics/7172/
    
    Subscribe to New Columns
    
    The Crumbling of America
    
    [19] https://www.american-rails.com/1950s.html
    
    1950s Railroads, The Industry In Decline;
    
    [20] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_railroad_accidents
    
    American Railroad Accidents
    
    [21] Deadliest bridge collapses in the US in the last 50 yearshttps://www.cnn.com/2018/03/15/us/bridge-collapse-history-trnd
    
    [22] https://news.yahoo.com/government-keeps-american-bridges-collapsing-162153121.html
    
    [23] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/thousands-of-us-bridges-vulnerable-to-collapse
    
    [24] https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/18/nyregion/new-york-subway-system-failure-delays.html
    
    New York subway system
    
    [25] https://patch.com/maryland/havredegrace/amtrak-train-detaches-125-mph-near-havre-de-grace
    
    Amtrak train breaks apart traveling 125 mph along Acela corridor
    
    [26] https://www.trainconductorhq.com/how-fast-do-amtrak-trains-go/
    
    How Fast Do Amtrak Trains Go? Really? They’re Slow!
    
    [27] https://abcnews.go.com/Travel/wireStory/higher-speed-florida-train-highest-us-death-rate-67434427
    
    Brightline death rates
    
    [28] https://floridapolitics.com/archives/247058-brightline-february-train-car-derailment-comes-light-critics-call-disturbing
    
    Brightline derailments
    
    [29] http://newsite.gobrightline.com/homepage
    
    Brightline home page
    
    [30] https://www.injuryattorneyfla.com/brightline-train-accident.html
    
    [31] https://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/267542.aspx?page=2
    
    [32] https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/local/shaping-our-future/all-aboard-florida/2018/06/21/brightline-fatality-29-year-old-man-who-stepped-front-train/721236002/
    
    [33] https://www.orlandoweekly.com/news/mile-for-mile-floridas-brightline-is-the-nations-deadliest-train-line-26398130
    
    Mile for mile, Florida’s Brightline is the nation’s deadliest train line
    
    [34] https://www.orlandoweekly.com/news/new-lawsuit-would-keep-floridas-higher-speed-train-brightline-from-reaching-orlando-10824920
    
    New lawsuit would keep Florida’s ‘higher-speed’ train Brightline from reaching Orlando
    
    [35] https://www.orlandoweekly.com/news/brightline-deaths-in-south-florida-spur-push-for-state-oversight-10274789
    
    Brightline deaths in South Florida spur push for state oversight
    
    [36] https://www.orlandoweekly.com/news/floridas-high-speed-train-brightline-hit-a-pedestrian-for-the-sixth-time-10656101
    
    Florida’s ‘higher-speed’ train Brightline hit a pedestrian for the sixth time
    
    [37] https://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/opinion/letters-brightline-accidents-tragic-but-railway-really-blame/9evqeaR6V9bXTiqiZEJ0lK/

    Shakshuka | Akis Petretzikis

    The Ukrainian command actively uses drugs as psychostimulants.

    Even according to their own underestimated data, the Armed Forces of Ukraine lose from 100 to 200 people daily. Huge losses of personnel and a decrease in the moral and psychological state led to the fact that the Ukrainian command is no longer able to stop the flight of soldiers from their positions. Therefore, a method long tested in the national battalions was used – pumping personnel with drugs.

    Most often, Acupan is used in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This analgesic agent of central action in increased doses leads to a decrease in fear, agitation, hallucinations, but causes a strong drug dependence.

    Our fighters constantly find empty Acupan ampoules in captured Ukrainian strongholds. It is noteworthy that most Vushniks later switch to stronger drugs.

    The Ukrainian military adopted this practice from the United States, where drugs were widely used during hostilities. Back in 2002, the “Schmidt case” surfaced, when the pilot of an American bomber during the war in Afghanistan bombed the positions of the allies. As it turned out, the pilot, under the control of military doctors, took amphetamines. Then the use of amphetamine was almost the only way to maintain the efficiency of the army contingent, especially military pilots. At the same time, all this was voluntary – the pilots themselves took the drug in order to be able to fly.

    But alas, the action of psychostimulants cannot be fully predicted. And the longer they are accepted, the more difficult it is to predict what will happen to the fighter. According to narcologists, it is almost impossible to overcome addiction in combat conditions.

    All this once again shows the attitude of the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to its personnel. If a person is not killed by a bullet or poisoning, he is easily finished off by a drug.

    From HERE

    Singaporean Artist Gains International Following For Her Sculptures Of Body Parts

    A Singaporean student has gained an international following on social media for her macabre sculptures of body parts, including a pie with little hearts for filling, tiny baby faces in pistachio nut shells and miniature brains.

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    Artist Lim Qi Xuan, who goes by the moniker qimmyshimmy online, has more than 115,000 followers on Instagram from around the world. She finds inspiration from everyday objects, and pursues her hobby despite being a graphic designer by profession as “there is a part of me that just wants to make things that express my inner world and strangeness”.

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    Greek Meatball Soup – Yuvarlakia | Akis Petretzikis

    The Ongoing US-China Tensions Overshadowed by Ukraine Crisis

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 5

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
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    China goes long-duration with coronavirus, Kim dot com lays out what is going on, and why the USA wants a war with both Russia and China simultaneously

    If people think that there is a secret agreement between Washington and Beijing, or that Jews secretly run the Bank of China, or that China is soon going to collapse, or any of these other theories that somehow explain why the West would be failing on purpose, they need to present some kind of counter-argument to what I’ve put forward that takes into account everything that I’ve argued.
    
    I’m not claiming to be God, I’m not claiming infallibility, but every single schizo just ignores every reply I give and comes back at me with “what if the Jews already infiltrated China though???” or “maybe the Chinese economy is going to collapse and the CIA will stage a revolution and install people from Taipei????”
    
    It all ultimately hinges on China. At this point, Russia is a de facto proxy state of China. China is the peer competitor for the United States. And all of these schizo theories about Jews infiltrating China, or a secret agreement with China, or an imminent collapse of China – none of them are backed with any facts at all.
    
    The simplest and most logical explanation, which takes into account all data, is that the Americans thought the Chinese were stupid and that if they gave them all of this free wealth in the form of exporting industry to China, China would become another “human rights anal democracy” vassal state. Instead, China became an ultranationalist superpower. The globalist agenda had no contingency plan for this eventuality, because they made these decisions about China without any real understanding of the Orient.
    
    -UNZ
    

    Yah. It’s a big mystery why the United States “leadership” are acting so crazy. No one has any idea, though all agree that it seems to be some kind of mass insanity.

    Here, in this article, we will mosey down the various discussion trails, and end up exactly where we want to be. We with show you WHY, WHEN and HOW the plans by those in American leadership will “right the capsized boat” and reestablish American supremacy in the world on the global scene.

    I doubt that it will happen, but those in the leadership positions have other ideas.

    As always, we will mix other articles, subject and topics to throw off the troll armies, the spam ‘bots, and other robotic denizens of the powerful elite.

    China will normalize epidemic prevention and control as a long-term facet of Chinese life

    Cai Qi made a report to the party congress: Beijing will persevere in normalizing epidemic prevention and control
    2022-06-27 Source: Client of Beijing Daily Author: Gao Zhi
    This morning, the 13th Beijing Municipal Congress of the Communist Party of China opened. Comrade Cai Qi made a report to the Party Congress.
    Beijing will make unremitting efforts to normalize epidemic prevention and control. Unswervingly adhere to the general strategy of 
    
    [1] "foreign import, internal rebound". 
    
    [2] The general policy of "dynamic clearing". 
    
    [3] Compact the "four parties' responsibilities". 
    
    [4] Implement the "four early" requirements. 
    
    [5] Adopt fast, flexible, scientific and accurate comprehensive prevention and control measures. 
    
    [6] Fight the active battle of epidemic prevention and control. 
    
    [7] Give full play to the role of the capital’s strict entry into Beijing to manage the joint prevention and control coordination mechanism and the emergency response mechanism for epidemic-related risks.
    
    [8] Comprehensively improve the quality and efficiency of all links such as flow transfer, transfer, isolation, management and control, and respond quickly to new outbreaks. 
    
    [9] Control quickly and resolutely block the transmission channels of the epidemic. 
    
    [10] High-quality promotion of normalized nucleic acid testing.
    
    [11] Maintain key screening.
    
    [12] Maintain strict inspection of community (village), units and public places.
    
    [13] Maintain strict social prevention and control.
    
    [14] Maintain strict management of entry and exit from Beijing.
    
    [15] Build a strong barrier for epidemic prevention and control in the capital. 
    
    [16] Strengthen the construction of the public health emergency management system.
    
    [17] Implement the special plan for epidemic prevention facilities in the capital.
    
    [18] Promote the reform of the disease control system and the standardization of disease control institutions.
    
    [19] Continue to strengthen the reserve of epidemic prevention and emergency response capabilities. 
    
    [20] Intensify efforts to tackle scientific and technological problems in epidemic prevention and control and transform achievements. 
    
    [21] Carry out in-depth patriotic health campaigns, and ...
    
    [22] ...do a good job in creating "epidemic-free communities (village)".
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    Covid death toll vs China’s puts US to shame

    ‘History should judge us,’ opined one commentary – and it will
    .

    In May and June two milestones were passed in the world’s battle with Covid-19 and were widely noted in the press, one in the US and one in China. They invite a comparison between the two countries and their approach to combating the pandemic.

    The first milestone was passed on May 12 when the United States registered more than 1 million total deaths (1,008,377 as of June 19, 2022, when this article was written) due to Covid, the highest of any country in the world. Web MD expressed its sentiment in a piece headlined: “US Covid Deaths Hit 1 Million: ‘History Should Judge Us.’”

    Second, on June 1, China emerged from its 60-day lockdown in Shanghai in response to an outbreak there, the most serious since the Wuhan outbreak at the onset of the pandemic.  The total number of deaths in mainland China since the beginning of the epidemic in January 2020 now stands at 5.226 as of June 19, 2022.

    To put that in perspective, that is 3,042 deaths per million population in the US versus 3.7 deaths in China due to Covid: 3,042 vs 3.7! Had China followed the same course as the US, it would have experienced at least 4 million deaths. Had the US followed China’s course it would have had only 1,306 deaths total.

    The European Union did not fare not much better than the US. with 2,434 deaths per million as of June 19.

    When confronted with these numbers, the response of the Western media has all too often been denial that China’s numbers were valid. But China’s data have been backed by counts of excess deaths during the period of the pandemic, as The New York Times illustrated in a recent article.

    Actually this is old news. The validity of China’s numbers, as shown by counts of excess deaths, was validated long ago in a February 2021 study by a group at Oxford University and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. This was published in the prestigious British Medical Journal and is discussed in detail here.

    What about the economy?

    Clearly China put the saving of lives above the advance of the economy with its “dynamic zero-Covid policy.” But contrary to what was believed in the West at the time, saving lives also turned out to be better for the economy, as shown in the following data from the World Bank:

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    During the first year of the pandemic, 2020, China’s economy continued to grow, albeit at a slower rate. In contrast, the US economy contracted dramatically, dropping all the way back not simply to 2019 levels, but to pre-2018 levels.

    Interestingly, the plot also shows the year that the Chinese GDP based on purchasing power parity (PPP) surpassed that of the United States in 2017, heralding a new era for the Global South.

    The World Bank has not yet released data for 2021, but the International Monetary Fund has PPP-GDP data for 2021, shown here. The US economy grew at 5.97% and China’s at 8.02%.

    Unlike the World Bank data shown in the graph above for the years up to 2020, these data for 2021 are not corrected for inflation, which for 2021 ran at 4.7% in the US, whereas China’s was 0.85%. So China’s growth would be even greater in comparison to the US, were inflation taken into account.

    The bottom line is that for the first two years of the pandemic through 2021, China’s growth was always positive and greater than that of the US. China’s policy not only saved lives but protected the economy. Win-win, one might say.

    Is China’s dynamic zero Covid policy “sustainable”in the face of the Omicron variant?

    The Shanghai lockdown

    The period of the recent Shanghai lockdown, which we can date from April 1, 2022, ended on June 1, and followed the second-largest outbreak in China since the original outbreak in January 2020 in Wuhan. Each resulted in major lockdowns; the first in Wuhan lasted about 76 days and the second in Shanghai about 60 days. The first in Wuhan was due to the original variant and the second was due to the much more infectious Omicron.

    During the recent lockdown in Shanghai, the Western press was awash with proclamations, all too many laced with an unseemly Schadenfreude, that China’s dynamic zero-Covid policy was not sustainable.

    This is all too reminiscent of decades of predictions that China’s extraordinary success in developing its economy to number one in the world in terms of PPP-GDP was a passing phase, a Ponzi scheme that was – what else – “not sustainable.”

    Recently the same press has gone silent, always a sign that China has met with success. So what are the results?

    The Shanghai lockdown ended on June 1 and from that day until the day of this writing, June 19, there have been no deaths due to Covid on the Chinese mainland. Cases nationwide are also way down to 183 per day from the peak of 26,000 on April 15. That was the largest number of cases in a single day for the entire period of the pandemic in China.  For comparison, the peak in the US was 800,000 in a single day.

    Both the Wuhan and Shanghai lockdowns demanded sacrifices and patience over the roughly two-month period for each. However, these difficulties are generally exaggerated in the West and based on anecdotes of the worst of the difficulties encountered. Such sordid journalism reached rock bottom in a New York Times piece equating China’s hard-working health-care workers to Adolf Eichmann.

    As an antidote to this kind of hit piece and to gain a feeling of life in the cities that were under lockdown during the Wuhan outbreak, Peter Hessler’s March 2020 account in The New Yorker, “Life on Lockdown in China,” is enlightening and will dispel many misconceptions. Hessler was living and teaching in Chengdu, Sichuan, at the time.

    For the moment China’s approach has succeeded, although we cannot say what the future holds. But the public health measures that have worked so well in mainland China should not be lightly dismissed let alone be the subject of mean-spirited attacks. Such measures may be a means of saving millions of lives when the next variant or the next pandemic strikes.

    US needs a people’s tribunal

    Turning again to the US, what does it say when one of the richest nations in the world, spending more than $1 trillion a year on its “national security” budget, could not muster the means to deal with Covid-19 and ended up with more deaths than any other nation on Earth? China’s handling of the pandemic certainly shows a completely different outcome was possible. The US death toll was not an inescapable act of nature.

    That being so, should there not be a people’s gribunal to investigate those in charge in the US government over the course of three administrations? That that, and not an official whitewash, is certainly needed? And should not punishment appropriate for a crime against humanity be meted out? The 1 million dead deserve no less.

    “Free Like the Wind”: Sensual Illustrations Filled with Sunshine and Youth by Peijin Yang

    This art, not my preferred venue, speaks to me in soft breezes…

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    “Hi there! I’m Peijin, a self-taught freelancer illustrator based in Munich, Germany. Two years ago I gave up my engineering career and started my art journey. Drawing is my true love. I believe a lot of you feel the same way.”

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    Attemps to infringe upon Crimea could lead to WWIII: Former Russian President Medvedev

    Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that any attempt to infringe upon Crimea by a NATO country would mean a declaration of war on Russia, which could lead to World War III, agencies quoted him as saying.

    Russia will be strengthening its border if Finland and Sweden join NATO, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said, according to the agencies.

    Medvedev also added that any attempt to infringe upon Crimea by a NATO country would mean a declaration of war on Russia, which could lead to World War III, agencies quoted him as saying.

    “For us, Crimea is a part of Russia. And that means forever. Any attempt to encroach on Crimea is a declaration of war against our country,” Medvedev told the news website Argumenty i Fakty.

    “And if this is done by a NATO member-state, this means conflict with the entire North Atlantic alliance; a World War Three. A complete catastrophe.”

    Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, also said that if Finland and Sweden joined NATO, Russia would strengthen its borders and would be “ready for retaliatory steps,” and that could include the prospect of installing Iskander hypersonic missiles “on their threshold.”

    Grilled Bacon-Cheeseburgers (Crowd Size)

    Crispy bacon and tangy blue cheese dressing add their distinctive flavor to burgers cooked on the grill.

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    Crispy bacon and tangy blue cheese dressing add their distinctive flavor to burgers cooked on the grill.

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    Sitrep: International reserve currency based on a basket of BRICS currencies.

    This news just out – MAJOR!

    Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that banks from BRICS nations can freely connect to the System for Transfer of Financial Messages (SPFS), Russia’s alternative to SWIFT.

    While addressing a BRICS business forum, Putin said that together with its BRICS partners – Brazil, India, China and South Africa – Russia is developing reliable alternatives for international payments.

    “The Russian system for transmitting financial messages is open to connecting banks from the five countries,” he said, adding: “The geography of the use of the Russian payment system Mir is expanding.”

    The Russian president also noted that work is underway to create an international reserve currency based on a basket of BRICS currencies.

    From HERE

    Some thoughts

    If you go to any third world country, you will find that people have a lot more personal freedom, that families are much healthier, that people are just generally doing better. The biggest reason for that is that a third world country simply doesn’t have any resources to micromanage people’s individual lives.
    
    -UNZ

    NATO Announces Increase in “High-Readiness Troops” from 40,000 to 300,000

    The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has announced that they are increasing the number of troops on “High Readiness” from 40,000 to 300,000 given the situation in Ukraine.

    NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg made the announcement Monday morning in Brussels, adding “Extensive dialogue between NATO and Russia is no longer possible.”

    Units deployed across eight eastern and southeastern NATO countries to deter Russia hostilities will rise in size from 1,000-strong battlegroups to brigades, which comprise around 3,000-5,000 troops with more war-fighting equipment in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

    “We will transform the NATO Response Force and increase the number of our high readiness forces to well over 300,000,” the NATO chief said.

    The NATO Response Force – which are kept at varying degrees of readiness to mobilize, from two days’ notice to six months – is currently around 40,000 soldiers, sailors and air personnel.

    In addition to the increase in High-Readiness troops, the U.S. Air Force has deployed F-35 Stealth Fighter jets to the region, with the flight path of at least one such jet allowed to be visible on FlightRadar24:

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    Day by day the situation between NATO and Russia grows worse, almost as though NATO is TRYING to find a reason to get into direct war with Russia, over the Russian Special Military Operation in Ukraine.

    Trouble is, there is no NATO or U.S. national security interest in Ukraine. So it seems to many observers that NATO is sticking its nose where it doesn’t belong, and literally TRYING to start World War 3.

    At the end of this article

    I describe why the United States proxy nations are so fucking Hell-bent on getting in a war with Russia at the very end of this article. Just continue reading on…

    Here is a guy that does a great job on what is going on in the front lines in Ukraine

    Blackberry Cobbler

    Celebrate summer with a homemade cobbler filled with delicious blackberries! If you’re lucky enough to have access to fresh fruit, be sure to use it in this Blackberry Cobbler recipe. Otherwise, frozen berries will work just as well. Top off this delicious, easy Blackberry Cobbler dessert with homemade vanilla ice cream or even whipped cream for a special touch.

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    Ingredients

    • 2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen (thawed and drained) blackberries (do not use blueberries)
    • 1 cup sugar
    • 1 cup Gold Medal™ All-Purpose Flour
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup milk
    • 1/2 cup butter, melted
    • Cream, whipped cream or ice cream, if desired

    Steps

    • 1
      In medium bowl, stir together blackberries and sugar. Let stand about 20 minutes or until fruit syrup forms. Heat oven to 375°F.
    • 2
      In large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt and milk. Stir in melted butter until blended. Spread in ungreased 8-inch square pan. Spoon blackberry mixture over batter.
    • 3
      Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until dough rises and is golden. Serve warm with cream.

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    Global impact of the first year of COVID-19 vaccination: a mathematical modelling study

    Article HERE

    But, there is something missing from the study.

    With all due respect, I think you miss a major point here.
    
    Before the vaccines were rolled out, there were only public health measures throughout almost all of 2020. (It was only in December,2020, that vaccination began in China and the West.
    
    During that year, there were about half a million deaths in the US and about 5000 in China. 
    
    Most all those deaths occurred during the period of 76 days when the virus struck Wuhan and China after some confusion (always happens when an epidemic breaks out) responded with public health measures.
    
    There were essentially no deaths after April in China! And in the next year up until the Shanghai outbreak there were no deaths. (5 deaths in all from the end of the Wuhan lockdown in 2020 until the onset of the Shanghai outbreak in March 2022!). 
    
    The vaccines no doubt helped but the public health measures were so good that they made little difference until Shanghai when I suspect that they saved many lives. 
    
    And in the next pandemic again it will take time to get a vaccine rolled out. Until then there will be only public health measures. And the West has little interest in them. 
    
    They require a people's war on the virus and the West does not have the will, the values or the social organization provided by the CPC neighborhood committees and government funding to make it possible.

    Yes. This is correct.

    Exactly.
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    It are the neighborhood communities who saved millions of lives in China, not the vaccines.
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    It was these local communities who organized the massive testing, and put in place the tight mandatory lock-downs.
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    Chinese Propaganda Posters From The Cultural Revolution Ages, 1960s-1970s

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    In 1966 Mao Zedong, the Communist leader of China, started a political campaign that became known as the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). Mao called on China’s youth to help him purge capitalist influences and bourgeois thinking in government, teaching, the media and arts, and to reinvigorate the revolutionary spirit.

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    Calling themselves The Red Guards, radical students set out to destroy the “four olds”: old ideas, customs, habits and culture. They spearheaded the interrogation, humiliation and beatings of teachers and intellectuals, and traveled the country destroying cultural heritage. During the Cultural Revolution traditional artists were condemned as counter-revolutionaries and their work destroyed. A new style of art was required that supported the Maoist line and served the worker, peasant and soldier.

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    The decade was marked by purges and power struggles at the upper echelons of government, and the mobilization of masses of young people to enforce Maoist thought. One of the primary vessels for disseminating instructions and models of behavior was propaganda art. Vivid posters were created to inspire citizens to put forth their labor towards agriculture, industry and national defense, as well as concerns such as hygiene and family planning.

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    Slogans are often used alongside imagery in posters, usually written in bold, Chinese script. They include pro-revolution messages about “working hard”, “uniting for victory” and “working towards the general communist goal. “Bright” colors are used in many of the posters and red appears a lot as it is the color of communism and revolution. Much of the work that came out of the Cultural Revolution is attributed to committees or groups, rather than individuals. Thousands of copies of the posters were printed and sold cheaply as the establishment at the time wanted the posters to be something that everyone should have on their walls at home. Many of the posters were painted by hand and then printed as lithographs, a process involving using stone, oil and chemicals to create prints.

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    Ukrainian military destroy foreign instructors, fearing the disclosure of secret data

    From HERE
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    Ukrainian military destroy foreign instructors, fearing the disclosure of classified REUTERS data.
    .

    Groups of the Armed Forces of Ukraine remaining in Lysychansk and Severodonetsk have begun to liquidate foreign mercenaries.

    "Ukrainian militants received a command to eliminate foreign instructors in Lisichansk and Severodonetsk, since they have certain information about the activities of foreign special services in the Donbass so that they would not be captured and would not tell this information,"

    He said.  TASS source close to the People’s Militia of the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR).

    According to him, the LPR military has already discovered the burned bodies of several dead mercenaries.

    On the Eve of NATO Summit, Russian Space Agency Published Coordinates of “Decision-Making centers”

    On the eve of the NATO meeting in Madrid, at which Russia is expected to be declared the most dangerous threat in the world, the Russian Space Agency made an interesting post to their web site: The GPS Coordinates of certain “decision-making centers” around the world.

    While at the upcoming summit of the alliance, representatives of 30 participating countries and their sympathizers will declare Russia the number one evil, Roskosmos published entertaining satellite images – those same “decision centers” — or rather, their coordinates — just in case . . .

    ⠀⠀🇺🇸 38.897542, -77.036505
    ⠀⠀🇺🇸 38.870960, -77.055935
    ⠀⠀🇬🇧 51.503049, -0.127727
    ⠀⠀🇫🇷 48.870433, 2.316842
    ⠀⠀🇩🇪 52.519903, 13.368921
    ⠀⠀🇧🇪 50.879986, 4.425771

    The coordinates are for:

    • The White House in Washington, DC
    • The Pentagon
    • #10 Downing Street in London, England
    • Le Palais d’ Le Elysee in Paris, France
    • The German Chancellery (Bundeskanzleramt) in Berlin, Germany
    • NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium

    Now, most reasonable people would view this as a terse reminder that Russia can reach out and touch anyone they want; especially folks who are being intentionally “unfriendly” or even hostile.

    Of course, the political weaklings of the West will likely start whining that this is some sort of threat, while in actual fact, it is merely a statement of reality.

    Before the west goes and declares Russia to be the most evil one, perhaps they should look in the mirror at their own actions: Financing, inciting and fomenting the overthrow of the Ukraine government in 2014.   Installing a puppet regime in Ukraine.   Moving to bring Ukraine into NATO for the purpose of placing US missiles (aimed at Russia) on to Ukraine soil with a flight time of only about 5 minutes to Moscow.  Telling Ukraine to “ignore” Russia’s pre-special military operation ultimatum, and now, supplying deadly weapons to Ukraine, to be used to kill Russians.

    It is the West that has done all these things.

    It is the West who is the aggressor.

    Russia is reminding the West that Russia isn’t some backwards, third-world country like Iraq they’re playing around with.

    Russia isn’t playing.

    Oh Now They‘re Banning China Spreading Chinese In The UK!

    There is a concerted effort by the Western powers to contain the spread of Chinese and to prevent China from teaching Mandarin in the West

    By Thorsten J. Pattberg for the Saker Blog

    Much of the global media attention is on the sabotaging of everything ‘Russian’ in the West. However, at the same time there is a concerted Western attack on everything ‘Chinese’.

    The UK now is basically saying: ‘Chinese’ is the property of the West, and China has no business in teaching Chinese in the West. Something like that. It is definitely spooky.

    A British Member of Parliament (MP), Alicia Kearns, recently delivered a strong message to China at the Palace of Westminster, which was attended by maybe 20 of her social mores:

    “Our students, our kids, our under-18-years olds are taught Mandarin by the Confucius Institutes which are the arm of the Chinese state.”

    She goes on and bashes a 1.4 billion Chinese state just like that, for click-bait and going viral. So we believe MP Kearns is what the UK deserves, and want to promote her. She calls China “a genocidal regime” and demands the 30 UK Confucius Institutes to be punished or “banned.” Wow.

     

    Not knowing Mandarin, many British elites fear Chinese. Fear is a German concept: Angst. And Angst leads to Ohnmacht. Ohnmacht means “without power.”

    Did I just use a foreign language and it sounded like a political statement?

    The MP knows the effect a foreign language has on fearful natives. To her, language is of course always politics. Therefore, China must not spread Chinese, because it‘s all politics.

    She continued: “We recently discovered that Edinburgh University‘s Confucius Institute has representatives of the Chinese Communist Party‘s embassy on its board.“

    Oh there are Chinese on the board of the Confucius Institute for Scotland—is that it?!

    But the director is a German woman, trained and funded all her life by the powers in Berlin, and Berlin wants Scotland to break off from the UK and join the EU. Think about that, MP Kearns.

     

    British China Studies is heavy stuff, compared to German China Studies, I mean.

    This has to do with the British having bombarded Chinese ports in Guangzhou in 1839, the capture of Hong Kong in 1842, the burning down of the Summer Palace in 1860, and the drugging of 30 million Chinese with heavy narcotics.

    During the last 150 years of “exchange,” the British meddled in Tibet, Taiwan, Peking, Shanghai and Canton, but never learned Chinese. Call it an “import ban.”

    So the past is the past, and now ‘Global Britain’—the official UK slogan under MP Kearns—has this huge pent-up demand for Chinese culture, concepts and terms, right?

    Those Confucius Institutes our British MP wants to ban are providing the most authentic, accredited and prestigious Chinese language training there is.

    China has the best China Studies universities in the world, and the Confucius Institutes are the best places for learning Chinese outside of China. Period.

    I know that many British imperialists still believe No we British are China. But sorry, you are not—China is!

    Mastering Chinese requires thousands of hours of hard recitation, rote learning and love for China. Before the arrival of the Confucius Institutes in Europe in 2004, Western professors could not read or write Mandarin. Now they have to.

    And the MP continued, that China is “undermining the integrity of the Mandarin education in our country.”

    Mandarin education in your country can keep up with China precisely because it cooperates with China, for instance the London School of Economics or the School of Oriental and African Studies.

    Read the latter school’s slogan—’SOAS, the world’s leading institution for the study of Asia, Africa and the Middle East’.

    Well, SOAS wasn’t the world’s leading institution in any of these things, and certainly not China. China has the world’s leading institutions for the study of China. But now SOAS has a real Confucius Institute and things look much better.

    Back to our MP’s politics fear. She went on about how China’s Ministry of Education is a threat to freedom because it only selects qualified teachers.

    Think, what she is indirectly saying about UK teachers. She is saying that the UK does not vet its teachers! Just like that German director at Edinburgh University, got it? And just like MP Kearns, who doesn‘t know Chinese but wants to ban it.

     

    The British MP must know that the Confucius Institutes are partly funded by China and partly funded by the host university, and that they generate tuition fees and partner up with British culture makers. All this is transparent, so MP Kearns demands more transparency. She could also have demanded more weather.

    There are 100 million Mandarin learners in the world, and most will achieve proficiency when they visit China eventually. About 40% of them study Chinese not in China, and the best place for them to do that is with an accredited Confucius Institute. Britain has no expertness in teaching Chinese, China is best at that. Britain can teach… I don’t know, Irish best?

    British educators also fear its name—Confucius. Confucius lived some 2500 years ago, and this could indeed cause misunderstanding. We don’t name European institutes the “Jesus Christ Institutes.” Just saying.

    Last, a fair criticism is spies. Britain indeed has a James Bond agent 007 obsession with spies, which is a fiction. Here is how it really works. Before 2003, there were at most 300 China Studies masters graduates in the UK, and MI6, MI5 and DI intelligence services recruited from those because they could read Mandarin, also in Edinburgh.

    On the other hand, there were years with 100,000 Chinese students in the UK who could all read English, so everyone is paranoid now.

    Well done, if the British MP succeeds in keeping China out of China Studies, this could cancel ‘Global Britain’ once and for all. And Scotland is probably on its way out too.

    End.


    Shakedown Successful? Turkey To Green Light Sweden & Finland Entry into NATO

    Reports are coming in that a deal has been struck whereby the country of Turkey will agree to vote in favor or both Sweden and Finland joining NATO.  The Turks previously said they would never agree; seemingly dooming the entry of both countries.

    Turkey, Sweden and Finland signed a tripartite memorandum on the NATO membership processes of Finland and Sweden.

    A photo released from the meeting wherein the deal was allegedly struck, shows lots of outright frowns on the faces of attendees.

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    None of the attendees look happy . . . at all.

    One wonders who got how much, and from whom, to make THIS deal happen?

    Latest Twitter Alert when you click on “like” on sources link to China websites!!!

    From my in-box. -MM

    Latest Fascinating discovery on Twitter:

    I just posted this on twitter: https://twitter.com/OcastJournalist/status/1541228260595404800 (See the warning on the tweet)

    If you cannot access above link, simply go to: https://twitter.com/OcastJournalist (see 1st tweet)

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    When I clicked on like, there is this warning dialogue box pop up (see below or attached screenshot). Note the statement:

    “This Tweet links to a China state-affiliated media website. Help keep Twitter a place for reliable info. Find out more before liking this Tweet.”

    Welcome to the free world so afraid of real news!!!

    2 x news: Vladimir Putin says Russia’s trade with China, India, Brazil, and South Africa has jumped 38% amid sanctions and war in Ukraine

    Vladimir Putin says Russia’s trade with China, India, Brazil, and South Africa has jumped 38% amid sanctions and war in Ukraine.
    China and India now account for about 50% of Russia’s seaborne oil exports, as Asian demand props up Moscow’s energy revenues

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    A nice discussion on the USA going to war against Russia and China

    A good video.

    The Musket and the Noodle Stall: A Strategic Comparison

    By Fred Reed for the Saker Blog

    In big-chunk terms, in the world today we see a contest between the Chinese economy and the American military.

    It is between Chinese dynamism and American coercion.

    Sure, China has a military and the US has an economy. Yet the emphasis, and spirit are as described.

      • The United States gives priority to the military over civilian economy, with military spending increasing at the expense of internal infrastructure and social needs.
      • By contrast, China focuses on infrastructure within and trade without.

    I wonder whether Americans are aware of the extent of this. And its likely consequences.

    To read the Asian-based press—Asia Times, Nikkei Asia, the South China Morning Post, the Global Times, and various tech sites—is to see a constant stream of infrastructure projects in China and advancing trade outside.

    As perhaps many know China promotes the Belt and Road Initiative, a massive program to connect all of Eurasia, as well as Africa and Latin America in a huge trade zone connected by rail, highways, fiber optics, maritime links, and commercial treaties.

    If completed it will DWARF the United States.

    China, a rising technological center, leads the world in civil engineering, manufacturing, Five G, trade, and clearly intends to maintain the lead.

    All power ultimately rests on economic power.

    Below a few news stories more or less randomly chosen from around the web. Can you think of American equivalents?

    China Mandalay Rail Line

    “New international railway route from Southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality to Mandalay, southern Myanmar, has officially started operation, with the first freight train departing from Chongqing on Monday, which will arrive in Mandalay about 20 days earlier than what it takes on traditional routes.”

    The port will also further connectivity under the Belt and Road Initiative and increase Chinese influence in Myanmar.

    Key word: Trade

    America leads in phenomenally expensive aircraft carriers with serious developmental problems and no particular purpose. Google “Ford class carriers.”

    China’s High Speed Rail

    China’s high-speed rail network hit the 40,000-kilometer mark by the end of 2021, reaching out to 93 percent of domestic cities with a population of over 500,000, An Lusheng, deputy head of National Railway Administration, said on Friday. This comes as the country ramps up a push to build itself into a transportation power.”

    Fast, pervasive transportation greatly facilitates almost everything. Beijing has said it will have 30,000 miles in a few years.

    Key words: manufacturing, trade, connectivity.

    Russia – China Connections

    The first China-Russia highway bridge, which stretches from Heihe, a border city in Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, to the Russian city of Blagoveshchensk spanning the Heilongjiang River, opened to traffic on Friday, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported. It will open a new international highway that will boost the connectivity between cities in China and Russia.“

    A few days ago. Here we have more of China’s program to tie all of Eurasia into one interconnected web. Note that it says the “first” bridge.

    Key words: Trade, connectivity.

    China plans new high-volume space-launch facility

    “The new Ningbo spaceport, the nation’s fifth such facility, will give a crucial lift to Beijing’s new space programs as its rivalry with the United States reaches space. The spaceport is said to be tailor-made for Chinese commercial aerospace manufacturers and service providers to one day wrest business and foreign orders from US rivals.”

    Typical China. Planning five years in advance. If this follows the country’s pattern, construction will begin and continue without interruption until completed.

    Keyword: Commercial.

    America leads the world in overpriced fighter aircraft with a history of unending engineering problems. Google “F-35.”

    Cargo carried via New Land-Sea Corridor in western China grows 38% in Jan-May”

    “With the RCEP coming into effect, the corridor has played a bigger role in boosting trade between China and ASEAN. On April 8, four trains left Southwest China’s Sichuan Province, carrying aluminum products, agricultural equipment, industrial equipment, chemicals and food to Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia
    
    The RCEP, Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, is a vast commercial agreement among whose members are all of ASEAN, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and China.”

    Key word: Trade.

    Seabed Trencher

    Multi-functional modular seabed trencher developed by a Chinese firm has recently completed 100 kilometers of pipelines construction in “Bangladesh’s first marine pipeline project, setting two world records in directional drilling and deep trenching.”

    My knowledge of pipeline trenching would be zero even after three cups of coffee and a hearty breakfast. I note, though that it is in Bangladesh: More connection of China and everywhere else. It also sounds like good engineering.

    Key words: Trade, connectivity.

    CKU Rail

    The CKU Railways will create significant trade opportunities for Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan while linking China directly to the Middle East via Rail, with spin off benefits throughout the region.”

    China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan will be tied more into the Central Asian ecosystem. Construction begins next year.

    Key words: Trade, connectivity.

    America is unchallenged in funny-looking Batplane intercontinental nuclear bomber costing, says Aviation Week, $640 million a copy as America prepares to fill intense world demand for nuclear war. Google “B-21.”

    The China-Laos Railway: Yunnan to Vientiane by Bullet Train

    On December 3rd 2021, the 1,035-km (643-mile) China-Laos Railway was fully opened making possible a bullet train journey of only 10 hours from Kunming to Vientiane, capital of Laos.

    Key word: Trade.

    China-Europe freight train trips top 50,000, yearly growth of 55% from 2016 to 2021

    “The value of goods transported by the cargo service skyrocketed to $74.9 billion in 2021, up from $8 billion dollars in 2016, and its share in total trade between China and Europe has increased from 1.5 to 8 percent, according to the release China State Railway Group sent to the Global Times.” 

    America will probably try to block this traffic because it goes through Russia. Again, coercion over competition.

    Key word: Trade, connectivity.

    Proposed US military budget: $857 billion.

    Keywords: Profits, stupidity.

    China Hosts over Sixty Percent of World’s Five G Base Stations

    “China had set up a total of nearly 1.43 million 5G base stations as of the end of 2021….”

    And many more this year. As can be found by browsing tech sites, China leads in Five G patents, installed base, technology, and manufacturing capacity.

    Keywords: Trade, manufacturing.

    Many millions of Americans can’t read, a hundred thousand a year die of opioid overdoses, the economy is a trainwreck, and despair grows, but the Pentagon has Space Command to give America “Total Spectrum Dominance,” which presumably will pay our mortgages.

    China’s digital yuan extends usage into finance scenarios

    “SHANGHAI, June 17 (Reuters) – China’s digital yuan can now be used to buy wealth management products, pay for insurance policies, and extend bank loans, as the central bank further expands e-CNY’s application beyond retail shopping, though still only in pilot schemes.”

    China is the world’s leading major country in digital currency. Beijing is low-key about it but implications for global finance worry the US.

    Keywords: Money, connectivity.

    US leads world in pricey, unnecessary but glamorous and profitable nuclear-missile submarines. Google “Columbia class submarines.”

    China moves toward STEM leadership

    Worth reading.

    “American” prowess in technology increasingly rests on East Asian and Indian scientists and engineers as the US destroys its schools to further inclusiveness.

    Keywords: Abject, stupidity.

    Value of China-Vietnam Cross-border Freight Trains More Than Triples in Q1”

    US holds world lead in ratio of money given to the Ukraine to number of citizens living on sidewalks.

    China leader in supercomputers:

    “As of June 2021, 188 of the world’s 500 most powerful supercomputers were located in China, a figure which is a third more than that of its nearest competitor, the United States, which accounted for an additional 122 supercomputers. Together, the two nations account for around 60 percent of the world’s most powerful supercomputers.”

    This needs to be read with caution.

    How the two stack up in aggregate computing power, whatever that means, I don’t know. The US just announced the first exascale computer at Oak Ridge. The Sunway Oceanlight from China is on many websites said to be exascale, but isn’t quite.

    The important point is that it is entirely of Chinese design from architecture to chips, using silicon of Chinese design and manufacture. It is remarkable that China can manage this in the face of American attempts to strangle the country technologically.

    China Launches World’s Largest container Ship

    A gorgeous monster. Check photo. China also has seven of the world’s largest cargo ports.

    Keyword: Trade

    Trade deficit with China.

    Boring but worth a glance.

    “During 2021, the United States exported $151,065,200,000 in products to China, but then imported $506,366,900,000 in products from China, resulting in $657,432,100,000 in total trade between the two countries–and a $355,301,700,000 deficit for the United States.” 

    Keyword: Can you guess?

    Kim Dotcom Breaks Down the True Scale of US Government Debt

    New Zealand tech CEO, Kim Dotcom did the math on the United States’ sovereign debt and he tweeted a thread about it, saying it may the most important thread that he may ever make.

    Kim explains that US spending and debt have spiraled out of control and the Government can only raise the money it needs by printing more of it, which means that hyperinflation is guaranteed.

    He says this has been going on for decades and there’s no way to fix it and that the US got away with this for so long, because US dollar is the world’s reserve currency. When the US Government prints trillions, it is thereby robbing Americans and the entire world in what he calls the biggest theft in history.

    He says the total US debt is at $90 trillion, which together with $169 trillion in US unfunded liabilities totals $259 trillion, which is $778,000 per US citizen or $2,067,000 per US Taxpayer.

    Now, the value of all US assets combined: every piece of land, real estate, all savings, all companies, everything that all citizens, businesses, entities and the state own is worth $193 trillion.

    Our total debt, $259 trillion minus our total net worth, $193 trillion equals negative $66 trillion of debt and liabilities after every asset in the US has been sold off.

    So even if the US could sell all assets at the current value, which is impossible, it would still be broke.

    This is where the ‘Great Reset’ comes in and he asks, “Is it a controlled demolition of the global markets, economies and the world as we know it? A shift into a new dystopian future where the elites are the masters of the slaves without the cosmetics of democracy?”

    He notes how the world has changed so much in recent years and how nothing seems to make sense anymore. He sees the blatant corruption and the obvious gaslighting propaganda media and the erosion of our rights but he doesn’t know where it’s all going and he finishes the thread asking, “What’s the end game?”

    As Harrison Smith from the American Journal says, “It’s a pyramid scheme. The people perpetrating the pyramid scheme are in charge of everything…they’re going to sacrifice humanity in order to maintain their system…

    “The world economy is being collapsed, the food supply system is being destroyed, the energy that we rely on to maintain civilization is being curtailed and eliminated and we’ll be forced into the Great Reset where we will own nothing.”

    Former BlackRock stockpicker, Ed Dowd believes that the entire COVID sham was created as a cover for the financial collapse and that new lockdowns are coming, to try mitigate the inevitable violence and chaos that we can expect to be witnessing in the streets.

    We also saw how Dr Mike Yeadon, former Pfizer VP also believes that COVID and the death shot are an elaborate hoax to engineer a collapse of sovereign currencies to bring in the Great Reset and the introduction of programmable central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), for a wholly-controlled population, in which people will not be able to buy food, etc. unless the algorithms permit and the undesirables can basically be starved to death via artificial intelligence.

    Kim Dotcom June 5, 2022 Thread
    
    This may be the most important thread I ever make. Big picture stuff about the major global collapse that is coming.
    
    I will try to help you understand why the future is not what we’re hoping for. It’s worse than most can imagine.
    
    Our leaders know.
    But what are they planning?
    
    The United States did not have a surplus or a balanced budget since 2001. In the last 50 years the US only had 4 years of profit. In fact all the profit the US had would not be enough to pay for 6 months of the current yearly deficit. So how did the US pay for things?
    
    US spending and debt have spiraled out of control and the Govt can only raise the money it needs by printing it. That causes inflation. It’s like taxing you extra because you pay more for the things you need and all your assets decline in value.
    
    See the US money printing frenzy:
    
    The reason why the US got away with it for so long is because USD is the worlds reserve currency. Nations everywhere hold USD as a secure asset. So when the US Govt prints trillions it’s robbing Americans and the entire world. The biggest theft in history.
    
    The problem is that this has been going for decades and there’s now no way to fix it. The reality is that the US has been bankrupt for some time and what’s coming is a nightmare: Mass poverty and a new system of control. Let me explain why this isn’t just doom and gloom talk.
    
    Total US debt is at $90 trillion. US unfunded liabilities are at $169 trillion. Combined that’s $778,000 per US citizen or $2,067,000 per US tax payer 
    
    Remember, the only way the US Government can operate now is by printing more money. Which means hyperinflation is inevitable.
    
    The total value of ALL companies listed on the US stock market is $53 trillion. The real value is much lower because the US has been printing trillions to provide interest free loans to investment banks to pump up the stock market. It’s a scam.
    
    Most of the $53 trillion is air.
    
    The value of all US assets combined, every piece of land, real estate, all savings, all companies, everything that all citizens, businesses, entities and the state own is worth $193 trillion.
    
    That number is also full of air just like the US stock market.
    
    US total debt
    $90 trillion
    
    US unfunded liabilities
    $169 trillion
    
    Total
    $259 trillion
    
    Minus all US assets
    $193 trillion
    
    Balance
    $66 trillion
    
    That’s $66 trillion of debt and liabilities after every asset in the US has been sold off.
    
    Do you understand?
    
    So even if the US could sell all assets at the current value, which is impossible, it would still be broke.
    
    The US is beyond bankrupt.
    This patient is already dead.
    This patient is now a zombie.
    
    You probably wonder why are things still going? Why didn’t everything collapse yet.
    
    It’s all perception, denial and dependency.
    
    The perception is that the US has the largest economy and the strongest military in the world. But in reality the US is broke and can’t afford its army.
    
    The denial is that all nations depend on a strong USD or global markets collapse.
    
    The reason why the US zombie keeps going is because the end of the US is the end of western prosperity and an admission that the current system failed as a model for the world. It doesn’t change the reality. The collapse is inevitable and coming.
    
    What are our leaders planning?
    
    You may have heard about the ‘great reset’ or the ‘new world order’. Is it a controlled demolition of the global markets, economies and the world as we know it?
    
    A shift into a new dystopian future where the elites are the masters of the slaves without the cosmetics of democracy?
    
    Without a controlled demolition the world will collapse for all, including the elites. The world has changed so much and nothing seems to make sense anymore, the blatant corruption is out in the open, the obvious propaganda media, the erosion of our rights.
    
    What’s the end game?

    MM explains the “End Game”

    The United States, were it to sell EVERYTHING in the United States, it would still owe $66 Trillion dollars.

    However…

    The complete net value of everything in Russia is $ 3.4 Trillion dollars. HERE.

    It’s not enough to “make a dent” in America’s debt. But China is a big “juicy” target that can “do the job”. America needs to have a war with China, take it over, and sell it off so that it can become a stable nation again.

    The complete net value of everything in China is $ 510 Trillion dollars HERE.

    But the first step is to disarm Russia. By taking over Russia, it can break it up and disarm it so that it cannot assist China in defense.

    The wealth obtained from Russia (in the meantime) can be used to make payments on American debt while forces and pieces are moved into place for a “death blow” that will destroy China and make it easy to absorb and disassemble.

    • Destroy Russia, break it up. Use the wealth to continue to make interest payments on USA debt.

    Then, use the time to build up an enormous military force to…

    • Destroy China. Break it up. Loot it. Pay off the Debt and rebuild America!

    Now that you know the “end game”, doesn’t everything look clearer right now?

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
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    The truth about the Tiananmen square massacre and how the USA and planning to create more narratives in support of a hot war in the Pacific

    Black operations have been very busy as of late prepping the ground work for a long duration “hot war” centered on American proxy nations to engage China, while Russia is too preoccupied with NATO.

    I have covered this in great detail over the last few years.

    Here, in this article we will review the rewriting of history and how black operatives (out of the United States and the UK) are busy getting the world ready for a full onslaught engagement with China on proxy nation land. We will also include the anti-troll articles, the anti-shadow banning articles, and other techniques used to successfully throw-off the ‘bots that haunt the internet and search for targets.

    This includes, food, cats, social issues, stories, and other issues.

    We begin here…

    Tiananmen lies and such

    How psy-ops warriors fooled me about Tiananmen Square: a warning • Wenyahonline Journal.

    An outstanding article.

    1) NED In 1988, an office was set up in China by a relatively new organization with an innocent name – the National Endowment for Democracy.
    
    At that time, we reporters HAD NO IDEA it was a CIA spin-off, designed to build relationships with anti-government activists overseas for the purpose of spreading disinformation and destabilising communities in the interests of the US.
    
    2) CIA In the following months, CIA agents helped Chinese student activists form an anti-government movement, and even provided typewriters, fax machines and other equipment to help them spread their message—this information came from a US official.

    And it continues…

    3) The Pentagon. A key player was Colonel Robert Helvey, a 30-year Pentagon veteran of destabilization operations in Asia. He “trained, in Hong Kong, the student leaders from Beijing in mass demonstration techniques, which they were to subsequently use in the Tiananmen Square incident of June 1989,” according to a highly detailed academic paper by B. Raman, the former director of India’s foreign intelligence agency.
    
    4) A cry for more socialism. When protests broke out in China in April 1989, demonstrators were not calling for democracy, but purer socialism, free of corruption and inequality, which were endemic at the time. Students carried pictures of Chairman Mao and sang the Chinese national anthem repeatedly.
    
    Western hybrid warfare includes two key principles:
    
         a) Locate and amplify GENUINE local grievances, and
         b) Rebrand them as calls for western liberal democracy and freedom.
    
    5) Contact people rotated. The US State Department withdrew US ambassador Winston Lord, and replaced him with James Lilley, a veteran CIA agent who had run operations smuggling people in and out of China.
    
    6) Rebranding. The Chinese protesters were advised by persons unknown to add the word “democracy” in English to their banners, and say they were calling for “freedom”, rather than their actual goal, a purer form of communism.

    Such a great article. With loads of photos and quotes in the main article.

    7) Image creation. The protesters were advised to create a statue and began work on May 27. But, as good communists, students chose to make it as unlike the Statue of Liberty as possible, basing their statue (replica on the right) on the work of Russian revolutionary communist sculptor Vera Mukhina (above). The students were not at all a homogenous group, but they were socialists.
    
    8) American specialists called in. On May 28th, 1989, Gene Sharp, America’s top undercover street protest strategist, flew into Beijing with his assistant Bruce Jenkins to offer help. “The students in the square were operating with great commitment and bravery but they didn’t know what the hell they were doing,” Sharp later wrote.
    
    9) Injection of hate. As May turned into June, the energy level dropped and there was need to bring things to a head. Student leader Chai Ling gave her infamous talk, where she warned of a massacre “which would spill blood like a river through Tiananmen Square”. She added that she expected to die shortly – but confusingly also said that she no longer intended to stay in China, but wanted to move to the United States. What did that mean? It was baffling at the time, but it would all make sense later.
    
    We now know that student leaders were promised [1] US passports, [2] CIA-run safe passage out of China, and [3] enrollment in top US universities.
    
    10) China is patient. But there was a problem. Things were not coming to a head. The Chinese government was remaining remarkably restrained, as was the army. Because the main body of the protesters were asking for purer communism, people were politically on the same page – students and soldiers had good relationships, and even shared food and sang together.
    
    Violence finally started when a mysterious group of thugs, some from ethnic minorities, triggered a fight in Muxidi, five kilometers away, attacking army buses with petrol bombs and setting them alight, burning the occupants to death. This was unexpected, because gasoline was rationed and hard for ordinary people to obtain. Soldiers who managed to escape the burning buses were beaten to death. The word “massacre” could be used for this atrocity—although that doesn’t fit the western narrative, since it was soldiers who died. Other military men arrived in Muxidi and, infuriated at the sight of their slaughtered colleagues, shot at protesters (mostly unionists rather than students): there were many more tragic deaths, this time of civilians.
    
    11) Things ended peacefully. Back in Tiananmen Square, in the early hours of June 4, soldiers arrived and called on students to leave. Student leader Feng Congde worked to gauge protesters opinions, and concluded that the majority wanted to leave. “So I announced the decision to leave,” he said. Students left peacefully.
    
    12) A killing. At a different location on the periphery of the square, a fight broke out in which a soldier was killed, leading to some violence, according to a declassified report from the US Embassy.
    
    13) More killings. One student protester, a friend of the present writer, watched one man lose his life. In the following skirmishes, several lives were lost. But in the square itself, the only gunfire came from bullets used to silence the sound system.
    
    14) The lies begin. In contrast to this, a BBC reporter said he watched, from the Beijing Hotel, soldiers shooting at students in the center of the square. All eyewitness sources say this did not happen. It was also against the laws of physics – that location is not visible from the hotel.
    
    15) The lies turn outrageous. Now this is where it gets strange. Over the following hours and days, a very different story was circulated, saying that the peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations in China had come to a violent and bloody end. A cable from the British Embassy said the students in the square had been massacred with machine guns, their bodies pushed into piles with bulldozers, and then incinerated by troops with flamethrowers.
    
    16) More outrageous lies. A report was also sent out by the Australian Embassy delivering almost exactly the same information. “When all those who had not managed to get away were either dead or wounded, foot soldiers went through the square bayoneting or shooting anybody who was still alive,” said the report, read out loud by then Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke. “They had orders that nobody in the square be spared, and children and young girls were slaughtered, anti-personnel carriers and tanks then ran backwards and forwards over the bodies of the slain until they were reduced to pulp, after which, bulldozers moved in to push the remains into piles which were then incinerated by troops with flamethrowers.”
    
    17) The lies grow exponentially. An unknown (at the time) source was distributing related news “a minimum of 10,000 people had been massacred.” One document about this horrific (but fictional) massacre was sent to the Hong Kong office of the Wen Wei Po newspaper, from an anonymous source. In Beijing, a student, Wu’er Kaixi, said he could confirm that the story was true – he had watched it happen, he claimed.
    
    18) Lies become super-funded. Then came an astonishing split. The main newsrooms of the international media chose to canonize the fictional “Tiananmen Square massacre” story as fact. We ran it at great length (and came to ritually repeat it every year since). But individual reporters at the scene, often working for the same media companies, took a very different line over the days, weeks, months and years that followed.
    
    19) Truth is suppressed. The massacre story was quite wrong, said Jay Mathews, former Beijing bureau chief for the Washington Post.  “A few people may have been killed by random shooting on streets near the square, but all verified eyewitness accounts say that the students who remained in the square when troops arrived were allowed to leave peacefully.”
    
    20) The famous parrot the lies. New York Times reporter Nicholas Kristof, a bitter critic of China, wrote: “There is no massacre in Tiananmen Square, for example, although there is plenty of killing elsewhere.”
    
    21) The truth comes out 30 years later. Some told the truth years later. In 2009, James Miles, a senior BBC correspondent in Beijing at the time, admitted that he had “conveyed the wrong impression” and that “there was no massacre on Tiananmen Square.”
    
    22) More truths in small drips and dabs. Graham Earnshaw of Reuters, who was in the square, wrote a detailed report in his memoir explaining how the military came, negotiated with the students and made everyone, including himself, leave peacefully.
    
    23) Debunking the narrative is well known. Even the student protesters debunked the story. Wu’er Kaixi, who claimed to have seen the massacre with his own eyes, wasn’t even there, they said. He had left the Square hours earlier. It was later revealed that Wu’er was a Xinjiang Uyghur named Örkesh Dölet. He was spirited out of China through the Hong Kong-based “Operation Yellowbird” and taken to the US, where he was given a place at Harvard University.
    
    More recently, Wu’er Kaixi/ Örkesh Dölet drew parallels between the Tiananmen Square massacre and the Hong Kong 2019 riots—perhaps more accurately than he realized, both being heavily misreported using the exact same techniques, by the exact same unholy alliance of behind the scenes manipulators and anti-Chinese journalists.
    
    24) The true has been suppressed. Madrid’s ambassador to Eugenio Bregolat was filled with righteous anger. He noted that western journalists were reporting the massacre as fact from their hotel guestrooms, while Spain’s TVE channel had a television crew physically in the square that evening and knew it was false.
    
    25) Diplomats knew. In fact, most diplomats knew the Tiananmen Square massacre story was fake. “Within a few days, certainly within a week, it was clear that the information about what happened in the square itself was incorrect,” Professor Richard Rigby, a staff member at the Australian Embassy in 1989, told reporters on an ABC news show.
    
    26) The US completely knew. US Embassy officials interviewed a Chilean diplomat who had been present in the Square at the time of the alleged massacre. He confirmed that no such thing happened. The officials kept the information secret – until it was exposed by Julian Assange’s Wikileaks operation in 2011.
    
    27) Black Operations. Many diplomats strongly suspected that the Tiananmen Square fiction was “a black op”. Australia’s Professor Rigby later said: “I cannot entirely rule out the possibility that we were being fed some sort of a ‘line’.”
    
    28) USA and UK involvement. That, of course, was exactly what had happened. “The mystery report was very likely the work of the US and UK black information authorities ever keen to plant anti-Beijing stories in unsuspecting or cooperative media,” said Gregory Clark, a British-born Australian diplomat.
    
    29) History has been changed. A pair of human rights campaigners, again, harsh critics of the Chinese government, were also uncompromising. In a book, George Black and Robin Munro wrote: “The phrase ‘Tiananmen Square massacre’ is now fixed firmly in the political vocabulary of the late twentieth century. Yet it is inaccurate. There was no massacre in Tiananmen Square on the night of June 3.”
    
    30) Mainstream media. Still, almost all the mainstream media clung tightly to their fiction. On air, Tim Russert of NBC’s Meet the Press recalled the machine gun deaths of “ten thousand students”.
    
    31) Nothing to report. A group called the June Fourth victims’ network decided to gather the names of the ten thousand dead for publication by a New York group called Human Rights in China. After ten years of research, the list of victims was just 155 names long, one source said. The story seems to have disappeared.
    
    32) All debunked. In 2017, diplomatic papers quietly declassified by the British government showed that it was British Ambassador Sir Alan Donald in Beijing who had spread the debunked news that that a minimum of 10,000 citizens died. The BBC and other media continues to present this as if was a credible fact from a credible source, rather than a piece of discredited fiction almost certainly from a “black op”.
    
    The BBC newsroom gives credence to the story of 10,000 deaths in the square, even though it has been has been widely debunked, including by its own staff
    
    33) The lies live on. Western publishers of many types continue to present the massacre story as fact. The Lonely Planet series, one of the world’s best-selling travel books, includes this line in its volume on China: “Eyewitness accounts have indicated that hundreds died in the square alone, and it’s likely fighting in the streets around the square led to another several thousand casualties.”
    
    34) The lies get worse and worse with time. The “Encyclopedia of the World” (Houghton Mifflin Co, 2001) tells the children of the world, in shocked capital letters, a version of the tale even more extreme that the black op version: “June 3-4: PLA TROOPS ENTERED TIANANMEN SQUARE DURING THE NIGHT AND FIRED DIRECTLY INTO THE SLEEPING CROWD.”
    
    35) What to do? It appears there’s nothing that can be done. Western media simply swallows disinformation about mainland China or Hong Kong and spits it out as fact, and continues to do so on a daily basis. Gregory Clark notes the incalculable harm to humanity done by “CIA/MI6 black information massacre myths and Western media gullibility”. They have prevented, and continue to prevent, any sort of accurate understanding of the recent history of the most populous community on earth.
    
    “A major lesson from all this is the need to control our Western black information operations. Few seem to realize the depth of their penetration in Western media,” he wrote.
    
    
    GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE
    
    Now there are going to be some people who will not accept that the story we so long believed, that peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations in China came to a violent and bloody end, was a “psy-ops” operation by US disinformation specialists.
    
    To those people, I would point to a recruitment video by US military disinformation specialists released this year. It aims to introduce viewers to the world of international disinformation techniques. Called Ghosts in the Machine, it begins with black and white cartoonish images and words, and then we hear a newscaster speaking the following sentence:
    
    “As the world watches and listens in horror, the peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations in China come to a violent and bloody end.”

    Article HERE

    A kitty rescue

    Let’s begin on a positive note with this video about rescuing this beautiful feral kitten.

    New Reuters Survey Finds That Trust In Mainstream News Is Rapidly Declining

    Saturday, Jun 18, 2022 – 09:55 PM

    It probably does not come as much of a surprise to most people today, but it is now confirmed by the mainstream media’s own surveys – They are rapidly losing their audience and their influence.

    The Reuters Institute For The Study Of Journalism runs a yearly project designed to gauge public perceptions of media, specifically corporate media, and how much trust the MSM has garnered.  Spoiler Alert:  They haven’t garnered any.  In fact, over the course of the past two years establishment journalists have alienated a large portion of the general public.

    The latest survey finds that globally, 38% of people are avoiding most news altogether, indicating that coverage of specific subjects such as covid had become ‘repetitive’ and depressing.  This is an increase of almost 10% from 2017.  The more vital statistic, though, is the number of people that do not trust the media at all.

    Globally, only 42% of people said they trust the media most of the time.  In the US, only 26% said they trust the media, a three point dip from 2021.  This is reinforced by the exponential decline in mainstream news ratings in the past few years.

    CNN lost approximately 70% of its audience in key demographics this year, and the network recently suffered one of the smallest weekly audience ratings since 2015.  The collapse of the CNN+ paid membership program before it ever got off the ground also indicates a complete lack of public interest in the extreme leftist ideology pumped out by the network.

    MSNBC’s audience numbers were also down 32% this month as their prime time shows struggle to maintain a viewership of 1 million people.  Even the Jan 6th hearings, touted as a historic event for the US that would supposedly present “proof” of a planned “insurrection” of the federal government, only pulled in 20 million viewers across 12 networks; that’s around 6% of the American population that bothered to watch.  Fox New is the only corporate network that appears to be holding a steady audience.

    Is it any wonder that the establishment media has been working so closely with social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube to artificially push their content into top search results?  With the population thoroughly disgusted with the media’s constantly biased coverage of the pandemic event, the BLM riots, the Hunter Biden Laptop issue, the Ukraine war as well as the ongoing economic crisis, the only way the MSM can get people to watch them is when they work with Big Tech to force people to watch them.

    It’s simple, when you constantly lie to the public eventually they will ignore you.

    SWIFT dollar decline

    Lots of hyperlinks in this articles, good sources for citation

    Full article HERE

    SYDNEY and KUALA LUMPUR: U.S.-led sanctions are inadvertently undermining the dollar’s post-Second World War dominance. The growing number of countries threatened by U.S. and allied actions is forcing victims and potential targets to respond pro-actively.

    SWIFT strengthened dollar

    The instant messaging system of the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) informs users, both payers and payees, of payments made. Thus, it enables the smooth and rapid transfer of funds across borders.

    Created in 1973, and launched in 1977, SWIFT is headquartered in Belgium. It links 11,000 banks and financial institutions (BFIs) in more than 200 countries. The system sends over 40 million messages daily, as trillions of U.S. dollars (USD) change hands worldwide.

    Co-owned by more than 2,000 BFIs, it is run by the National Bank of Belgium, together with the G-10 central banks of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the U.S.. Joint ownership was supposed to avoid involvement in geopolitical disputes.

    Many parties use USD accounts to settle dollar-denominated transactions. Otherwise, banks of importing and exporting countries would need accounts in each other’s currencies in their respective countries in order to settle payments.

    SWIFT abuse

    U.S. and allied–including European Union (EU)–sanctions against Russia and Belarus followed their illegal invasion of Ukraine. Created during the U.S.-Soviet Cold War, SWIFT remains firmly under Western control. It is now used to block payments for Russian energy and agriculture exports

    But besides stopping income flows, it inadvertently erodes USD dominance. As sanctions are increasingly imposed, such actions intimidate others as well. While intimidation may work, it also prompts other actions.

    This includes preparing for contingencies, e.g., by joining other payments arrangements. Such alternatives may ensure not only smoother, but also more secure cross-border financial transfers.

    As part of U.S.-led sanctions against the Islamic Republic, the EU stopped SWIFT services to Iranian banks from 2012. This blocked foreign funds transfers to Iran until a compromise was struck in 2016.

    U.S. financial hegemony

    Based in Brussels, with a data centre in the U.S., SWIFT is a ‘financial panopticon’ for surveillance of cross-border financial flows. About 95% of world USD payments are settled through the private New York-based Clearing House Interbank Payments System (CHIPS), involving 43 financial institutions.

    About 40% of worldwide cross-border payments are in USD. CHIPS settles U.S.$1.8 trillion in claims daily. As all CHIPS members maintain U.S. offices, they are subject to U.S. law regardless of headquarters location or ownership.

    Hence, over nearly two decades, CHIPS members like BNP Paribas, Standard Chartered and others have paid nearly U.S.$13 billion in fines for Iran-related sanctions violations under U.S. law!

    Exorbitant privilege

    The USD remains the currency of choice for international trade and foreign reserve holdings. Hence, the U.S. has enjoyed an “exorbitant privilege” since World War Two after the 1944 Bretton Woods conference created the gold-based ‘dollar standard’–set at U.S.$35 for an ounce of gold.

    With the USD remaining the international currency of choice, the U.S. Treasury could pay low interest rates for bonds that other countries hold as reserves. It thus borrows cheaply to finance deficits and debt. Hence, it is able to spend more, e.g., on its military, while collecting less taxes.

    Due to USD popularity, the U.S. also profits from seigniorage, namely, the difference between the cost of printing dollar notes and their face value, i.e., the price one pays to obtain them.

    In August 1971, President Nixon unilaterally ‘ended’ U.S. obligations under the Bretton Woods international monetary system, e.g., to redeem gold for USD, as agreed. Soon, the fixed USD exchange rates of the old order–determining other currencies’ relative values–became flexible in the new ‘non-system’.

    In the ensuing uncertainty, the U.S. ‘persuaded’ Saudi King Feisal to ensure all oil and gas transactions are settled in USD. Thus, OPEC’s 1974 ‘petrodollar’ deal strengthened the USD following the uncertainties after the Nixon shock.

    Nevertheless, countries began diversifying their reserve portfolios, especially after the euro’s launch in 1999. Thus, the USD share of foreign currency reserves worldwide declined from 71% in 1999 to 59% in 2021.

    With U.S. rhetoric more belligerent, dollar apprehension has been spreading. On 20 April 2022, Israel–a staunch U.S. ally–decided to diversify its reserves, replacing part of its USD share with other major trading partners’ currencies, including China’s renminbi.

    Sanction reaction

    The EU decision to bar Iranian banks from SWIFT prompted China to develop its Cross-border Interbank Payment System (CIPS). Operational since 2015, CIPS is administered by China’s central bank. By 2021, CIPS had 80 financial institutions as members, including 23 Russian banks.

    At the end of 2021, Russia held nearly a third of world renminbi reserves. Some view the recent Russian sanctions as a turning point, as those not entrenched in the U.S. camp now have more reason to consider using other currencies instead.

    After all, before seizing about U.S.$300 billion in Russian assets, the U.S. had confiscated about U.S.$9.5 billion in Afghan reserves and U.S.$342 million of Venezuelan assets.

    Threatened with exclusion from SWIFT following the 2014 Crimea crisis, Russia developed its own SPFS (Financial Message Transfer System) messaging system. Launched in 2017, SPFS uses technology similar to SWIFT’s and CIPS’s.

    Both CIPS and SPFS are still developing, largely serving domestic BFIs. By April 2022, most Russian banks and 52 foreign institutions from 12 countries had access to SPFS. Ongoing developments may accelerate their progress or merger.

    The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has its own domestic payments systems, RuPay. It clears millions of daily transactions among domestic BFIs, and can be used for cross-border transactions.

    Sanctions cut both ways

    Unsurprisingly, those not allied to the U.S. want to change the system. Following the 2008-9 global financial crisis, China’s central bank head called for “an international reserve currency that is disconnected from individual nations”.

    Meanwhile, China’s USD assets have declined from 79% in 2005 to 58% in 2014, presumably falling further since then. More recently, China’s central bank has been progressively expanding use of its digital yuan or renminbi, e-CNY.

    With over 260 million users, its app is now ‘technically ready’ for cross-border use as no Western bank is needed to move funds across borders. Such payments for imports from China using e-CNY will bypass SWIFT, and CHIPS will not need to clear them.

    Russia has long complained of U.S. abuse of dollar hegemony. Moscow has tried to ‘de-dollarize’ by avoiding USD use in trade with other BRICS–i.e., Brazil, India, China and South Africa–and in its National Wealth Fund holdings.

    Last year, Vladimir Putin warned the U.S. is biting the hand feeding it, by undermining confidence in the U.S.-centric system. He warned, “the U.S. makes a huge mistake in using dollar as the sanction instrument”.

    The scope of U.S. financial payments surveillance and USD payments will decline, although not immediately. Thus, Western sanctions have unwittingly accelerated erosion of U.S. financial hegemony.

    Besides worsening stagflationary trends, such actions have prompted its targets–current and prospective–to take pre-emptive, defensive measures, with yet unknown consequences.

    Here’s The Best Combined Explanation For Surging Inflation: Cascading Idiocy

    Sunday, Jun 19, 2022 – 04:30 AM

    Authored by Mike Shedlock via MishTalk.com,

    Cascading Policy Errors

    1: Covid hit. Lockdowns that were arguably excusable in the beginning, lingered far too long, affecting far too many businesses. Policy error one.

    2: The Fed reacted with QE far to excessive and far too long, continuing all the way until March 2022. Policy error two.

    3. Free Money from Congress. Again excusable in the beginning, but the second round by Trump was excessive and the third by Biden was preposterous. Policy errors three and four with Biden getting far more of the blame.

    4. Demand shift to goods away from services as a result of the above three items.

    5. The demand shift to goods happened when there were fewer workers due to continuing lockdowns.

    6. The US meddled in Ukraine in 2014 setting the stage for war. And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy kept insisting to the bitter end it wanted to be in the EU and NATO, both red flags to Putin. Accurately label Zelenskyy’s statements a policy error. And blame Putin for the war, so that makes policy errors five, six, and seven counting US meddling in 2014.

    7: Let’s not leave Angela Merkel out of this. Kowtowing to the Greens, Merkel mothballed Germany’s nuclear plants creating greater dependence on energy from Russia. This is policy error number eight.

    8. And what about Biden and the US Greens telling Big Oil it wanted to put them out of business. Guess what? Energy investment plunged. Policy error number 9.

    9. Inane sanctions in response to the war busted supply chains in energy. Policy errors ten and eleven by the US and EU.

    10. Finally, please consider Biden’s stupid energy policy to rising oil price. Instead of taking actions to increase oil supply, Biden blamed oil companies, threated tax hikes, threated FTC involvement, blamed gouging, then with refinery capacity already crippled demanded more ethanol from corn. The ethanol demand will increase need for fertilizer, increase summer smog, and drive more small refiners out of business.

    I am not sure how many policy errors there are in point ten. Pick a number.

    Passing the Buck 

    Putin Tax

    Search for Enemies 

    Paul Krugman, No Policy Errors?!

    No, it’s not all Biden’s fault. It’s Biden, the Fed, Congress, Merkel, Putin, Trump, the EU, and Zelenskyy.

    Please apportion the blame, but here’s a simple way to start:

      • It’s mostly Progressive free money policies by Biden and Congress coupled with inane responses to to the war with the Fed providing excess stimulus all the way to March of 2022.
      • Key policy errors by Merkel and the US in 2014 set the stage for compounding everything that followed.

    Putin: “Previous World Order, Won’t Return”

    .

    Those who believe that things will go back to the way they were before the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine are wrong, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.

    “It is a mistake to suggest that the times of turbulent changes can be waited out and that things will return to normal; that everything will be as it was. It won’t,” Putin insisted during his speech at the the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Friday.

    The changes that the world is going through at the moment are fundamental, radical, and irreversible, he added.

    However, the ruling elites of some Western countries refuse to notice this obvious shift and choose to “cling to the shadows of the past,” he added.

    For example, they believe that the dominance of the West in global politics and economy is a constant, eternal value,” Putin said. But “nothing is eternal,” he reminded everyone.

    Since claiming victory in the Cold War in the early 1990s, the US has “declared itself the messenger of God on Earth, who has no obligations, but only interests, and those interests are pronounced to be sacred,” the president said.

    However, the idea of a unipolar world is flawed at its core, according to the Russian leader, as the norms of international relations can’t always be interpreted in favor of a single nation, “even if it’s a strong one.”

    It seems as if Washington refuses to see the new centers of power that have emerged in recent decades and which have every right to “protect their interests and ensure their national sovereignty,” he said.

    Putin’s June 2022 Speech

    I’m slowly moving through Putin’s speech pulling out gems to further illuminate and discuss them. Here’s yet another where he provides an interesting description of Neoliberalism:

    "Of course, perhaps we would be pleased to hear that we are so powerful and omnipotent: inflation is blown to the skies in the West, in the United States, in Europe, and we are doing something else that makes everyone nervous. 
    
    Maybe it would be nice for us to feel such power, but this is not true. 
    
    The situation has matured for years, spurred on by the short-sighted actions of those who are accustomed to solving their problems at someone else's expense, who relied and still rely on the mechanism of financial emission to buy, pull on trade flows and thereby exacerbate deficits and provoke humanitarian disasters in certain regions of the world. 
    
    I would like to add that this is essentially the same predatory and colonial policy, but, of course, in a new form, in a new edition, it is much more subtle and sophisticated. 
    
    You won't know what's going on right away."

    Yes, it’s been well hidden for decades; and in reality, for well over a century–since the 1880s. IMO, there’s only one method of slaying it: Proper education that leads to political then policy change. There’s hope that as usual economic pain will help remove the political blinders that keep the masses enslaved.

    Peach Crisp

    When you’re craving a taste of summer, reach for this beyond-easy recipe. All it takes is 10 minutes of prep, a few basic ingredients and your choice of fresh, frozen, or canned peaches to make this sweet fruit crisp. Oatmeal cookie mix creates the perfect texture and adds just the right amount of nuttiness, balancing out the juiciness from the peaches and richness from the butter. We recommend serving this dish warm with a hearty scoop of vanilla ice cream or even a drizzle of caramel for a perfectly peachy dessert!

    What you need.
    What you need.

    What you need.
    What you need.

    Tips
    Tips

    MoA has something interesting to say…

    Today, without any announcement, the British prime minister Boris Johnson, undoubtedly on order of Biden, appeared in Kiev to lobby for more war just like he did at the end of March when he told Ukraine’s president Zelensky to ditch the negotiations with Russia.

    That is why I fear that Michael Brenner is right and that Biden will escalate the war by attacking somewhere else:

    Necessity is the mother of invention — or so it is said. However, grasping what is “necessary” can be a very slippery business. An actual recasting of how one views a problematic situation normally is a last resort. Experience and history tell us that, as do behavioral experiments. 
    ...
    So, you are stuck with the albatross of a truncated, bankrupt Ukraine hung around your neck. There is nothing that you can do to cancel these givens — except a direct, perhaps suicidal test of force with Russia. Or, perhaps, a retaliatory challenge elsewhere. The latter is not readily available — for geographic reasons and because the West already has expended its arsenal of economic and political weaponry.
    
    Over the past year, the U.S. attempted to foment Maiden style regime changes in Belarus and Kazakhstan. Both were foiled. The latter was with the connivance of Turkey, which deployed a contingent of bashi bazouks from the stock of Syrian jihadis it keeps on call in Idlib (to be deployed as President Recep Erdogan did more successfully in Libya and Azerbaijan).
    
    There remains one conceivable sensitive target: Syria. There, the Israelis have become increasingly audacious in goading the Russians by airstrikes against Syrian infrastructure as well as military facilities.
    
    Now, we see signs that Moscow’s tolerance is wearing thin, suggesting that further provocations could spark retaliation which Washington then could exploit to ratchet up tensions. To what avail? Not obvious — unless the ultras in the Biden administration are looking for the kind of direct confrontation that they’ve avoided in Ukraine, until now.
    
    The implication is that the denial option and the incremental adjustment option are foreclosed. Serious rethinking is in order — logically speaking.
    
    The most worrisome scenario sees the frustration and anger and anxiety building in Washington to the point where it encourages a reckless impulse to demonstrate American prowess. That could take the form of an attack on Iran in the company of Israel and Saudi Arabia — the region’s new odd couple.
    
    Another, even grimmer prospect would be a contrived test of wills with China. Already we see growing evidence of that in the bellicose rhetoric of American leaders from U.S. President Joe Biden on down.

    The Pentagon is not ready for a war on China. Iran is too strong and would respond to an attack by launching its huge missile arsenal on Israel and U.S. allies in the Gulf. This leaves Syria. It is unlikely by chance that the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that the U.S. is coordinating Israeli airstrikes in that country:

    WASHINGTON—Israel secretly coordinates with the U.S. on many of the airstrikes it carries out in Syria as the allies face a battlefield crowded with militant groups, Iranian-backed militias and foreign militaries, according to current and former U.S. officials.

    I expect those airstrikes, like last week’s attack on the airport of Damascus, to intensify with the hope to divert Russian attention from Ukraine.

    Russia is of course 100% prepared for that but U.S. miscalculations that led to this are many and I do not expect that tendency to change anytime soon.

    In his latest talk about The causes and consequences of the Ukraine war (vid) John Mearsheimer also speaks of why he thinks that an escalation is likely, and what the potential results might be. Without the Q&A it is only one hour long and well worth your time.

    Posted by b on June 17, 2022 at 16:35 UTC | Permalink

    FRANCE CUT-OFF COMPLETELY FROM RUSSIAN NATURAL GAS

    .

    All flows of natural gas from Russia to France have suddenly HALTED via the Nord Stream Pipeline.

    France gets around 17 percent of its gas from Russia through network connections with Germany, which relies heavily on Russian supplies and has criticized Gazprom’s move as “political.”

    Gazprom said the supply reductions via the Nord Stream pipeline are the result of repair work, but EU officials believe Moscow is punishing allies of Ukraine, where Russian forces launched an invasion in February.

    Our American Economy In A Nutshell

    Authored by Charles Hugh Smith via OfTwoMinds blog,

    The economy has reached an inflection point where everything that is unsustainable finally starts unraveling.

    Our economy is in a crisis that’s been brewing for decades. The Chinese characters for the English word crisis are famously–and incorrectly–translated as danger and opportunity. The more accurate translation is precarious plus critical juncture or inflection point.

    Beneath its surface stability, our economy is precarious because the foundation of the global economy– cheap energy–has reached an inflection point: from now on, energy will become more expensive.

    The cost will be too low for energy producers to make enough money to invest in future energy production, and too high for consumers to have enough money left after paying for the essentials of energy, food, shelter, etc., to spend freely.

    For the hundred years that resources were cheap and abundant, we could waste everything and call it growth: when an appliance went to the landfill because it was designed to fail (planned obsolescence) so a new one would have to be purchased, that waste was called growth because the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) went up when the replacement was purchased.

    A million vehicles idling in a traffic jam was also called growth because more gasoline was consumed, even though the gasoline was wasted.

    This is why the global economy is a “waste is growth” Landfill Economy. The faster something ends up in the landfill, the higher the growth.

    Now that we’ve consumed all the easy-to-get resources, all that’s left is hard to get and expensive. For example, minerals buried in mountains hundreds of miles from paved roads and harbors require enormous investments in infrastructure just to reach the deposits, extract, process and ship them to distant mills and refineries. Oil deposits that are deep beneath the ocean floor are not cheap to get.

    Does it really make sense to expect that the human population can triple and our consumption of energy increase ten-fold and there will always be enough resources to keep supplies abundant and prices low? No, it doesn’t.

    Many people believe that nuclear power (fusion, thorium reactors, mini-reactors, etc.) will provide cheap, safe electricity that will replace hydrocarbons (oil and natural gas). But nuclear power is inherently costly, and there are presently no full-scale fusion or thorium reactors providing cheap electricity to thousands of households.

    Reactors take many years to construct and are costly to build and maintain. Cost over-runs are common. A new reactor in Finland, for example, is nine years behind schedule and costs have tripled.

    The U.S. has built only two new reactors in the past 25 years.

    The world’s 440 reactors supply about 10% of global electricity. There are currently 55 new reactors under construction in 19 countries, but it will take many years before they produce electricity. We would have to build a new reactor a week for many years to replace hydrocarbon-generated electricity. This scale of construction simply isn’t practical.

    Supplying all energy consumption globally–for all transportation, heating of buildings, etc.) would require over 10,000 reactors by some estimates–over 20 times the current number of reactors in service.

    Many believe so-called renewable energy such as solar and wind will replace hydrocarbons. But as analysts Nate Hagens has explained, these sources are not truly renewable, they are replaceable; all solar panels and wind turbines must be replaced at great expense every 20 to 25 years. These sources are less than 5% of all energy we consume, and it will take many decades of expansion to replace even half of the hydrocarbon fuels we currently consume.

    To double the energy generated by wind/solar in 25 years, we’ll need to build three for each one in service today: one to replace the existing one and two more to double the energy being produced.

    All these replacements for hydrocarbons require vast amounts of resources: diesel fuel for transport, materials for fabricating turbines, panels, concrete foundations, and so on.

    Humans are wired to want to believe that whatever we have now will still be ours in the future. We don’t like being told we’ll have less of anything in the future.

    The current solution is to create more money out of thin air in the belief that if we create more money, then more oil, copper, iron, etc. will be found and extracted.

    But this isn’t really a solution. What happens if we add a zero to all our currency? If we add a zero to a $10 bill so it becomes $100, do we suddenly get ten times more food, gasoline, etc. with the new bill? No.

    Prices quickly rise ten-fold so the new $100 bill buys the same amount as the old $10.

    Adding zeroes to our money (hyper-financialization) doesn’t make everything that’s scarce, expensive and hard to get suddenly cheap. It’s still scarce, expensive and hard to get no matter how many zeroes we add to our money.

    Many people feel good about recycling a small part of what we consume. But recycling is not cost-free, and the majority of what we consume is not recycled.

    The percentage of lithium batteries that are recycled, for example, is very low, less than 5%. We have to mine vast quantities of lithium because we dump 95% of lithium-ion batteries in the landfill. There are many reasons for this, one being that the batteries aren’t designed to be recycled because this would cost more money.

    The majority of all manufactured goods–goods that required immense amounts of hydrocarbons to make–are tossed in the landfill.

    Goods and services are commoditized and sourced from all over the world in long dependency chains (hyper-globalization): if one link breaks, the entire supply chain breaks.

    Our economy is precarious because it’s in a lose-lose dilemma: resource prices can’t stay high enough for producers to make a profit without impoverishing consumers. Prices can’t stay low enough to allow consumers to spend freely without producers losing money and shutting down, depriving the economy of essential resources.

    Playing hyper-financialized games–creating money out of thin air, borrowing from tomorrow to spend more today and inflating speculative bubbles in stocks, housing, etc.–won’t actually create more of what’s scarce. All these games make wealth inequality worse (hyper-inequality), undermining social stability.

    The economy has reached an inflection point where everything that is unsustainable finally starts unraveling. Each of these systems is dependent on all the other systems (what we call a tightly bound system), so when one critical system unravels, the crisis quickly spreads to the entire economic system: one domino falling knocks down all the dominoes snaking through the global economy.

    Those who understand how tightly interconnected, unsustainable systems are basically designed to unravel can prepare themselves by becoming antifragile: flexible, adaptable and open to the opportunities that arise when things are disorderly and unpredictable.

    20,000 Women and 100,000 Castrated Men to Serve the Emperor: The Imperial Harem of China

    In Imperial China, one of the important tasks that the emperor needed to do was to ensure the continuation of the dynasty, which was achieved by the production of a male heir. For this purpose, the emperors of Imperial China kept an enormous harem of women. There was a hierarchy in the emperor’s harem, and whilst the exact classes changed over the millennia, it may be said that in general there were three ranks – the empress, consorts, and concubines. In addition, the eunuchs who served these imperial women may be considered to be a part of this harem as well.

    Hierarchy in the Harem

    At the top of the hierarchy of the Imperial Chinese harem was the empress, who was the Emperor’s one ‘official wife’. The empress was the most venerated and revered figurehead for women in China, as she was considered to be the ‘mother of the world’. In the harem, only the emperor and the mother of the emperor were above the empress, all other individuals had to obey her orders. In addition to empresses, there was also the rank of empress dowager. Empresses who outlived their husbands were promoted to this rank. Some famous empress dowagers include Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty (who later became China’s first female emperor) and Cixi of the Qing Dynasty.

    Consorts in the Imperial Chinese Harem

    Underneath the empress were the consorts. The number and ranks of these consorts differed according to the ruling dynasty. During the Qing Dynasty, for example, an imperial harem would have had one Imperial Noble Consort, two Noble Consorts, and four Consorts. Below these consorts were the concubines, and this number varied according to each emperor. According to the Rites of Zhou , an emperor could have up to 9 high ranking concubines, 27 mid ranking ones and 81 low ranking ones. However, during the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD), there were no limits set for the number of consorts an Emperor could have, and during the reigns of Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling, there were more than 20,000 women living in the Forbidden City.

    Selection of Concubines

    During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), there was an official system for selecting concubines to join the emperor’s harem. The selection process would take place inside the Forbidden City every three years. Candidates ranged from 14 to 16 years of age and were chosen based on their background, virtues, behavior, character, appearance and body condition.

    Eunuchs – The Only Males Allowed in the Harem

    To ensure that any child born in the harem was fathered by the emperor, males were not allowed to serve the women of the emperor’s harem.

    The only exceptions to this rule were the eunuchs, men who had been castrated, thus rendering them impotent. Throughout the history of Imperial China, eunuchs have served the imperial family, including as servants in the harem. Far from being mere servants, however, these eunuchs could aspire to positions of power and wealth by involving themselves in the politics of the harem. During the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), there was an eye-opening 100,000 eunuchs serving the emperor and his harem.

    Rivalries in the Harem

    With so many women in the harem, it was inevitable that rivalries amongst the emperor’s women would arise, as they competed for the emperor’s attention. The most coveted position was, of course, that of the empress, and to bear a son for the emperor would certainly be a big bonus to a woman in the harem. At times, ambitious women in the harem who plotted against their rivals would form alliances with eunuchs. If an intrigue was successful, a woman in the harem could rise through the ranks. She, in turn, would reward the eunuchs who supported her by placing them in positions of authority.

    Such harem intrigues have happened often in Chinese history. For example, during the Tang Dynasty, one of the Emperor Gaozong’s consorts was Wu Zetian. According to popular belief, Wu Zetian had her new born child murdered, and placed the blame on the Empress Wang. As a result of this, the empress was demoted, and Wu Zetian became the new empress. Nevertheless, not all imperial harems were hotbeds of conspiracy. The semi-mythical Huangdi, for example, had four concubines, who were not chosen based on their looks, but on their competence. One of his secondary concubines, for instance, is regarded as the inventor of cooking and of the chopsticks, whilst another is believed to have invented the comb. Together, these concubines assisted Huangdi in ruling the country.

    Many concubines met a sad fate when their emperor died. They were sacrificed, often buried alive, to join their master in the afterlife.

    Dan Bongino: The Biden administration is slowly dying

    A decent enough FOX video.

    “Red Flag” laws as a way to abolish Habius Corpus

    Yeah. I know. “Democrats are gonna get  and ban guns”. Well, right now, it’s the uni-party; both Republicans and Democrats that want to do this.

    What this means, of course is that the USA is RIPE for a civil war. Look at the ingredients…

    • Ballistic inflation.
    • Banning gun ownership.
    • Disastrous international policies
    • Out of touch leadership
    "Let them drive electric cars!"
    • No domestic spending.
    • Insane levels of foreign spending.
    • Threat of nuclear war with Russia and China simultaneously.

    Third American captured in Ukraine fighting with the Nazis.

    A third former U.S. serviceman who has gone missing in Ukraine has been identified, but his whereabouts remain unknown.

    Family and friends of Grady Kurpasi, who served in the Marine Corps for 20 years, last heard from the veteran on April 24, according to a report. Kurpasi arrived in Ukraine to volunteer alongside Ukrainian forces on March 7. His last known location was in the Kherson region, in southeastern Ukraine, where he manned an observation post in late April. Kherson is occupied by Russian forces.

    “For him personally, he has a skill set that he feels he can give back,” George Heath, a family friend of Kurpasi’s, told CNN on Thursday. “He wanted to go and help the Ukrainian people. He wasn’t really planning on fighting.”

    State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Thursday that the department is aware of the third missing American in Ukraine and is “in touch with the family.”

    On Wednesday, reports emerged that two other former U.S. servicemen had been captured by Russian forces in Ukraine.

    A photo purportedly of the two volunteers, Alexander Drueke and Andy Huynh, was posted on the social media platform Telegram on Thursday by a Russian blogger. The image purported to show the two in the back of a Russian military truck with their hands apparently tied behind their backs.

    “We are aware of unconfirmed reports of two U.S. citizens captured in Ukraine,” a State Department official told reporters on Wednesday. “We are closely monitoring the situation and are in contact with Ukrainian authorities.”

    Article HERE

    Slow-Cooker Apple Butter

    All you need are Gala apples, brown sugar, salt and a cinnamon stick to make our yummy slow-cooker apple butter. Great for gifting!

    Apple butter.
    Apple butter.

    Apple butter.
    Apple butter.

    Apple butter.
    Apple butter.

    US to send heavy guided missiles to Ukraine

    Why not?

    .

    The USA is sending them anyways.
    The USA is sending them anyways.

    The US is sending Ukraine heavy guided missiles with a range of 70km for use with the HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl revealed on Tuesday. The White House previously said that HIMARS launchers would be provided with “battlefield munitions,” widely understood to be unguided rockets with a shorter range.

    The high-mobility artillery rocket system will come with GMLRS guided rockets, Kahl said on Tuesday, speaking at a conference hosted by the Center for New American Security (CNAS), a Democrat-linked think tank for which he used to work.

    “Sometimes when you see images of MLRS firing off, it’s like salvos of multiple rockets going off at the same time. That’s really not how this system is meant to operate,” Kahl said.

    “The GMLRS is a precision guided munition, and a big one – a 500 pound munition,” he added. “Think of GMLRS more like the effect of an airstrike rather than launching off whole salvos. So, in other words, you can do a lot with a little, or you don’t need a lot to have a significant effect.”

    When the White House first announced it was sending HIMARS launchers to Ukraine on June 1, it said they would be armed with “battlefield munitions,” which was widely taken to mean barrage rockets with a range of between 32km and 60km, considering that HIMARS is also capable of launching ballistic projectiles with a range of up to 300km.

    “The range does not depend on the system itself, but on the missiles that are used,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a TV interview earlier this month, adding that if the US sends long-range rockets Russia will “draw the appropriate conclusions and use our weapons, which we have enough of, in order to strike at those objects that we have not yet struck.”

    Even though the US initially promised four launchers and said they had been “pre-positioned” in Europe, they have yet to reach Ukraine, according to the Pentagon. The first group of Ukrainian artillerists are currently finishing their training on the launchers, Kahl said.

    The HIMARS launcher is equipped with one pod that can carry six GMLRS rockets, according to their maker, Lockheed Martin. The M270 launcher, which the UK has promised to Ukraine, carries two pods for double the payload. Kahl did not say how many rockets the US was sending.

    According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, since the start of the conflict Ukraine has lost over 500 multiple rocket launch systems and more than 1,900 pieces of artillery. Kiev has beseeched its allies in the West to provide more weapons and ammunition.

    “We’re going to provide the Ukrainians what they need to prosecute the targets inside Ukrainian territory that they’re looking to go after,” Kahl said at the end of his remarks about the HIMARS.

    On Monday, the authorities in the Donetsk People’s Republic reported the heaviest Ukrainian shelling since 2015, with “indiscriminate” strikes on the city of Donetsk resulting in five fatalities and almost 40 civilian injuries. Among the incoming shells were 155mm munitions used by howitzers provided to Ukraine by the US and other NATO allies, authorities in the Donbass republic said, requesting additional military assistance from Russia.

    Moscow has condemned the shelling of Donbass civilians as “absolutely barbaric.” A spokesman for the UN secretary-general called the shelling of a maternity hospital in Donetsk “an obvious breach of international humanitarian law.”

    The USA is "doubling down" and "going for broke" totally and completely ignorant of the resultant consequences. -MM

    House Democrats Propose 1,000% Tax On AR-15s

    If you cannot ban something, you can place a large tax on it making it prohibitive to own. -MM

    If Congress won’t ban AR-15s, Democratic Rep. Don Beyer (VA) wants to slap a 1,000% tax on them – which would of course mean only people with lots of money, such as drug dealers and rich people, could afford them, while punishing lower-income Americans.

    AR-15
    AR-15

    Introduced last week, Beyer’s Assault Weapons Excise Act has 36 Democratic co-sponsors, according to the Washington Post. The group hopes the idea might bypass the Senate filibuster, which would require the support of at least 10 Republicans.

    According to Beyer, the idea is to increase the price to such a degree that it significantly limits who’s able to buy them. The tax would also apply to high-capacity magazines.

    Wants to ban.
    Wants to make ownership prohibitive.
     

    “It’s trying to hit the sweet spot, where it’s not an all-out ban, but people’s independent purchasing decisions would be much more ‘no’ than ‘yes,’” Beyer told the Post, adding. “You want to shift the demand curve pretty significantly.”

    Beyer said part of the thinking behind the 1,000 percent figure was to have a high-enough fiscal impact that the Senate parliamentarian would find it qualifies for inclusion in a reconciliation package, meaning it could pass the Senate with a simple majority. -WaPo

    “In a nation crying out for progress on gun safety, we would present a plausible way forward in this Senate,” he said.

    The tax would only apply to newly purchased guns, and would not apply to government buyers. The proceeds would go into the general fund.

    As the Epoch Times notes, in an attempt to define what would be taxed, the bill says it would apply to “semiautomatic assault weapon[s],” which are semiautomatic rifles that have the capacity to use a magazine that isn’t a fixed magazine, a pistol grip, a forward grip, and a folding, telescoping, or detachable stock. Other items that fall under that definition include a semiautomatic rifle with a barrel shroud, a threaded barrel, and a “functional grenade launcher.”

    The excise tax would also apply to “a semiautomatic rifle that has a fixed magazine with the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds, except for an attached tubular device designed to accept, and capable of operating only with, .22 caliber rimfire ammunition,” as well as certain semiautomatic pistols, all belt-fed semiautomatic rifles, shotguns with revolving cylinders, and more.

    “Congress must take action to stem the flood of weapons of war into American communities, which have taken a terrible toll in Uvalde, Buffalo, Tulsa, and too many other places,” Beyer said in reference to widely reported mass shootings in recent weeks.

    About half of all rifles manufactured in the United States or imported in 2018 were AR-15-style weapons, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation trade group. The group said there are about 20 million of those firearms in circulation as of 2020.

    United States rent costs are exploding!

    Median rents in the US crossed the $2000 mark this past month for the first time ever, while rental markets surged 15% – 20% in a single year depending on the region.

    This is yet another trend which supports the position that official CPI is inaccurate and overall inflation is actually much higher than the central bank and the Biden White House reports.

    The latest CPI print indicates an “official” inflation rate of 8.6%, while REAL inflation is closer 17% according to pre-1990s calculations.  The continued denial of real inflation rates is causing confusion among Americans who are facing vastly larger price increases than are often reported by the government.

    Inflation apologists can’t seem to wrap their heads around the fact that the Fed and government use creative accounting to soften data and misrepresent the economic threat.

    • Rent prices jumped over 20% in Orange County, CA.
    • They are up 19.3% in the greater Cleveland area.
    • They are up 15.5% in the Cincinnati area.
    • Nashville and Seattle saw prices rise over 30%.
    • And, Austin, TX is witnessing epic rental inflation of over 50%.
    • New York’s median rent cost climbed to $4000 per month despite the fact that vast numbers of people have left the city in the course of the past two years.

    Officials including Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen have only just recently admitted that inflation is not transitory as they had insisted a year ago.  However, the public seems to be learning that establishment economic predictions cannot be trusted and they are already preparing for more pain in the near future.  A George Mason University poll indicates that the majority of Americans are cutting back on spending to adapt to higher prices.  Over 66% of participants polled expect inflation to climb even more this year.

    Inflation worries have continued to soar over the past several months while the populace has dealt with constant gaslighting from the media telling them that the economic instability they are facing is “not something they should be concerned about.”

    The relentless expansion of prices suggests that the Federal Reserve will enact sweeping interest rate hikes in the coming months, though there are many economists that continue to disbelieve the possibility.  Even with moderate hikes and slower spending, it is likely that inflation will climb unabated well beyond 2022.  Central bank stimulus printing has triggered an avalanche of too many dollars chasing too few goods and now prices are evolving to meet the supply crunch.

    The rent inflation issue is partially influenced by a number of factors including the mass migration of millions of Americans from blue states where covid restrictions and high taxes were strangling residents.  But, with that migration now over, prices remain high due to dollar devaluation pressures.

    The greatest danger is that this will translate to increased poverty and homelessness by 2023.

    It is unlikely that Fed actions on interest rates will affect any change in the current trend, at least not until rates are adjusted much higher than mainstream economists expect.

    FCC Says Most Requests for Funds to Replace Chinese Telecom Equipment Are Deficient

    Nothing better to do? Too much money no where to spend? 
    
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) told Congress on Wednesday it had found deficiencies in two-thirds of applications to reimburse U.S. carriers for removing equipment from Chinese companies deemed national security threats.
    
    FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel said of 181 applications filed by mostly rural carriers under a $1.9 billion program, 122 were found to be "initially materially deficient."
    
    The FCC told applicants they have 15 days to fix their applications, and it "expects to complete this process by July 15."
    
    The FCC currently estimates the cost estimate to remove the equipment from companies like Huawei and ZTE Corp from the "rip and replace" program is $5.3 billion, much higher than what Congress set aside.
    
    In July 2021, the FCC voted to finalize the program that had been funded by Congress in December 2020.
    
    The FCC designated Huawei and ZTE as national security threats to communications networks in July 2020 - a declaration that barred U.S. firms from tapping an $8.3 billion government fund to purchase equipment from the companies.
    
    The FCC in December 2020 adopted rules requiring carriers with ZTE or Huawei equipment to "rip and replace" that equipment.
    
    The issue is a big one for rural carriers that face high costs and difficulty finding workers to remove and replace equipment.
    
    Huawei said last year the "FCC initiative only creates extraordinary challenges for carriers in the most rural/remote areas of the U.S. to maintain the same high level and quality of service they provide to their customers without disruption."
    
    Rosenworcel's letter noted the FCC "will allocate funding first to approved applications that have 2 million or fewer customers."
    
    She said to date "all but one of the eligible applicants falls within the first prioritization group, and the collective demand of these applicants exceeds available funds for the program."
    
    (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie Adler and Raju Gopalakrishnan)

    Full article found HERE

    How China is Winning Its Battle Against Air Pollution

    Not at all reported in the Western media. -MM

    National air pollution action plans devised by China have seen significant reductions in pollution levels and associated health risks.

    China has lifted millions out of poverty like no other country on the planet. The price of that economic progress is demonstrated in the air pollution that has caused a public health crisis, killing more than 1.1 million people every year. It has also proved costly for the nation as the economy suffers an annual loss of $37 billion due to pollution-induced crop failure.

    China Air Pollution Solutions

    After Beijing’s ‘airpocalypse’ sparked a mass outpouring of anger and frustration among citizens, China set out to clean up the air quality of its cities. The government prohibited new coal-fired power plants and shut down a number of old plants in the most polluted regions including city clusters of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and the Pearl and Yangtze Deltas. Large cities like Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou restricted the number of cars on the road and started introducing all-electric bus fleets. The country reduced its iron-and steel-making capacity and shut down coal mines. …

    Full article HERE

    Reaching ‘Herd Immunity’ Is Unlikely in the U.S., Experts Now Believe

    Ya think? -MM

    Read paywall article HERE

    New Hong Kong school textbooks say city was not a British colony

    A fine neocon, anti-China publication. -MM

    New textbooks sent to Hong Kong secondary schools teach that the city was not a British colony, but rather an occupied territory.  Described (in the article) as a “recasting of history that is part of Beijing’s ideological clampdown in the city“.

    Full article found HERE

    Omm Sety – A British Woman Whose Life Was Lined by Reincarnation and Connected to a Pharaoh

    When Dorothy Eady arrived to Egypt for the first time, it was obvious to her that she had been there before. But her last visit near the Nile may have taken place thousands of years earlier.

    Dorothy was born on January 16, 1904 in the London suburb of Blackhearth. Doctors believed that she would not survive a terrible fall when she was three years old. However, it seems that the accident she faced was the beginning of her unbelievable life – a moment of opening the gate to the memories of a past life. Over the years, many skeptics tried to disprove Eady’s mystifying tale, but nobody could ever fully negate that she was one of pharaoh Seti I’s (c. 1290 – 1279 BC) lovers.

    An Ancient King’s Lover?

    Dorothy grew up in a Christian family and she attended church regularly when she was young. One day, her parents took her to the British Museum. While looking at the photograph of the temple of Seti I, a pharaoh of the 19th dynasty of the New Kingdom Period (and the father of Rameses II), she said that it was her home. She couldn’t understand why there were no gardens and trees around the temple, but she recognized the monuments and other artifacts in the rooms of the Egyptian collection. She kissed the feet of the statues, and very soon after, decided to study ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.

    One of her teachers was the famous E.A. Wallis Budge, who encouraged her to study the history of ancient Egypt. Dorothy was 15 years old when she described the first dream “meeting” she had with the mummy of Pharaoh Seti I. She claimed that he made her remember her past life. With time, she turned more and more to the ancient religion and stopped feeling attached to Christianity.

    Dorothy married the Egyptian Eman Abdel Meguid in 1931. This marriage was like a ticket to her beloved Egypt, where she became an English teacher. When her feet touched Egypt’s land for the first time she kissed the ground and felt like she was welcomed by her old home. She had a son who she called Sety. In this period, she reported having visions related to Hor-Ra. She also discovered her ancient Egyptian name – Bentreshyt meaning ‘Harp of Joy.’ In her visions she also saw her ancient family.

    Dorothy said that she was a daughter of one of Seti I’s soldiers and a woman who sold vegetables. Her mother died when she was three years old, and she was given to the temple in Abydos, where she grew up and became a priestess. At 12 years old, she claimed she became a consecrated virgin, but a few years later she met ‘a living god’ – pharaoh Seti I. They became lovers, and Bentreshyt got pregnant. Unfortunately, the lovers’ fate was not a happy one. The High Priest of the temple told her that the situation was a huge offense against Isis and would cause many problems for pharaoh, so she decided to commit suicide.

    The Eternal City of Abydos

    After 19 years of living in Cairo, Dorothy Eady decided to move to Abydos. She was 52 years old, and she set up a home near the mountain Pega-the-Gap. According to ancient beliefs, it was a mountain which was the road to the afterlife. At this stage of life, she started to be called Omm Sety , meaning ”mother of Sety”.

    Omm Sety believed she was finally back home. During one of her visits to the temple, the chief inspector from the Antiquities Department decided to check her knowledge. He was curious how realistic her explanations were. Dorothy was asked to stand next to the wall paintings in the darkness. She was then asked to identify them with what she remembered from her past life.

    When Eady accomplished the task without any mistakes, many people stopped doubting her story. Her life in Abydos was full of collaborations with Egyptologists who asked her for support. She published several books on her own, but also joined the works of other researchers. The most important subject of her works was, of course, the Temple of Seti I at Abydos. She helped to discover the garden, where she believed she met Seti I for the first time. The excavations uncovered the space, which would have looked exactly as she described during ancient times.

    Eady also told other researchers what the prayers and traditional rituals looked like. She knew the plot of many religious papyri even before she read them. Her descriptions of the monuments, reliefs, and other things she saw during her previous life were repeatedly confirmed by excavations.

    Researchers Couldn’t Believe it

    Moreover, many Egyptologists couldn’t negate her words. Eady had knowledge which was not available to specialists who had worked in Egypt for many years.

    One of them is famous British Egyptologist Kenneth Kitchen. Although he did not want to openly admit it, written resources suggest that he believed her.

    Nicholas Reeves also took her visions into account while searching for Nefertiti. According to Eady, the tomb is in the Valley of the Kings. She said:

    ''I did once ask His Majesty where it was, and he told me. He said, `Why do you want to know’? I said I would like to have it excavated, and he said, `No, you must not. We don’t want anything more of this family known`. But he did tell me where it was, and I can tell you this much. 
    
    It’s in the Valley of the Kings, and it’s quite near to the Tutankhamun tomb. But it’s in a place where nobody would ever think of looking for it," she laughed. "And apparently it is still intact" ... '' 

    For decades, Eady was an inspiration to many researchers. Her stories about life and death in the times of Seti I touched many hearts as well. Many discoveries were made based on her words. Following her information, researchers led by Otto Schaden discovered tomb KV63 in the Valley of the Kings, which is located near the tomb of Tutankhamun and contained burials of women from the times of the 18th dynasty.

    A Reunion of Two Souls

    Dorothy Eady died at age 81 and was buried in the Coptic cemetery in Abydos. She believed that death would allow her to reconnect with her beloved. Even now, researchers are still trying to prove that she was she a liar, who had somehow gotten access to the newest literature and had great acting skills. But others say that she was one of the most fascinating people they have ever met.

    Russia Cuts Natural Gas by 40% to Germany and Italy – Pump failures

    .

    Russia’s state-owned natural gas company, GAZPROM has been forced to reduce pumping of natural gas through the Nord Stream pipeline into German and Italy by 40% because Canada will NOT return a remanufactured gas compressor pump from Montreal, on account of economic sanctions.

    The remaining pumps on the Nord Stream pipeline cannot continue to handle the full load of 167 million cubic meters of gas per day, and must be scaled back to have continued service life.

    Siemans Energy said a gas turbine which powers a compressor station on the Nord Stream pipeline, had been in service for more than ten years.  It had been taken to Montreal for a scheduled overhaul.

    Because of economic sanctions imposed by Canada, the company has been unable to return the overhauled turbine to the customer, GAZPROM.

    Thus, Europe as a whole will only be able to get 100 million cubic meters of natural gas per day, instead of its needed 167 million per day.

    The price for European natural gas is surging this morning because of the forty percent cut by Russia.

    Russian gas supply to Europe fell further on Thursday, sparking concerns about refilling storage for winter….
    diplomatic tussle as Gazprom blames Western sanctions for hampering maintenance work…
    ►Supply via Nord Stream 1 to Germany cut to 40% capacity
    ►Europe’s benchmark gas price jumps 25% in morning trade

    Gazprom cutting supply to Germany is a warning signal that could cause problems for Europe’s biggest economy this winter.
    “It would significantly worsen our situation,” Klaus Mueller told the Rheinische Post daily. “We could perhaps get through the summer as the heating season is over. But it is imperative that we fill the storage facilities to get through the winter.”

    The cuts come as Nord Stream 1 is set to undergo annual maintenance on July 11-21 when supply will be cut off completely.

    HAL TURNER EDITORIAL OPINION

    Once again, western economic sanctions imposed against Russia, backfire and harm only the west.

    It should be noted that recently, German Chancellor Scholz publicly stated Germany was going to rebuild its army into the largest army in Europe; something that hasn’t happened since the time of Hitler.

    One wonders how Germany plans to build that army when it doesn’t have enough natural gas supply to even run the country?

    The people imposing these economic sanctions against Russia really do seem to me,  to be a special kind of stupid.

    U.S. Army Engineers Are Racing to Build Hypersonic Weapons

    A fine neocon, anti-China publication. -MM

    Hypersonic weapons are now being fired from U.S. Air Force planes and U.S. Army ground launchers while also being fast-tracked to fire from U.S. Navy destroyers by 2025 and submarines by 2028. These technological breakthroughs are already reshaping warfare tactics and concepts of operation.

    Projectiles that skip along the upper boundary of the earth’s atmosphere and descend upon targets at more than five times the speed of sound are no longer a “concept” for the future. The U.S. military is already in the process of arming major platforms with them. The U.S. Air Force, for example, has already fired its Air-Launched Rapid Response hypersonic weapon from a B-52 Stratofortress.

    What about hypersonic weapons ten or twenty years from now? What will they consist of? How fast will they fire? Will they maneuver in flight, perhaps traveling at now unimagined speeds?

    These questions are now being explored through cutting-edge basic research efforts at the Army Research Laboratory, where teams of engineers and scientists are experimenting with mixtures of ceramic, metal, polymer, and composite materials at the microscopic level to uncover better performing materials to engineer the weapons of the future. While the work could yield near-term applications in the event of breakthrough testing, much of the exploration is aimed at uncovering “disruptive” or paradigm-changing scientific breakthroughs.

    Specific materials built into weapons systems bring distinct properties such as being lighter in weight, more resistant to penetration or better equipped to maneuver and manage accurate flight at previously unimaginable temperatures.

    Nicholas Ku, a materials engineer working for the Ceramic and Transparent Materials Branch at DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory spends his time mixing, testing, heating, and experimenting with different combinations of materials in search of breakthrough discoverings.

    “Ceramics are of interest for hypersonics applications, through the way additive manufacturing has an ability to create complex shapes, decrease manufacturing costs as well as increase the design space in making new components,” Ku said.

    Ku was clear that much of the work involves simply creating different combinations and layers of materials. The process is called “additive manufacturing,” and Ku and other ARL scientists use it to uncover new materials for armored vehicles, body armor, and projectiles such as hypersonics. Ku explained that traditional methods of manufacturing greatly limit the complexity of the design when compared with options made available through additive manufacturing, a circumstance that introduces new dimensions of possibility.

    “By enabling additive manufacturing of these materials, we can increase the design space,” Ku said.

    The shape and composition of a hypersonic projectile determine key aerodynamic and performance variables of great consequence. Will yet-to-be-discovered materials will enable new hypersonic structures to travel as much as two or three times as fast as existing hypersonic projectiles? Perhaps new materials can enable a hypersonic weapon to achieve previously unprecedented precision flight path and targeting.

    The rest of the Article HERE in this Neocon publication

    Slow-Cooker Pork Chops with Apple Chutney

    Pork and apples have long been perfect partners. Dried cranberries add color and tartness.

    Pork and apples.
    Pork and apples.

    Pork and apples.
    Pork and apples.

    The ‘New G8’ Meets China’s ‘Three Rings’

    The G7 is falling into dust, while a new group; the G8 rises. -MM

    The coming of the new G8 points to the inevitable advent of BRICS +, one of the key themes to be discussed in the upcoming BRICS summit in China.

    By Pepe Escobar, posted with the author’s permission and widely cross-posted

    The speaker of the Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, may have created the defining acronym for the emerging multipolar world: “the new G8”.

    As Volodin noted, “the United States has created conditions with its own hands so that countries wishing to build an equal dialogue and mutually beneficial relations will actually form a ‘new G8’ together with Russia.”

    This non Russia-sanctioning G8, he added, is 24.4% ahead of the old one, which is in fact the G7, in terms of GDP in purchasing power parity (PPP), as G7 economies are on the verge of collapsing and the U.S. registers record inflation.

    The power of the acronym was confirmed by one of the researchers on Europe at the Russian Academy of Sciences, Sergei Fedorov: three BRICS members (Brazil, China and India) alongside Russia, plus Indonesia, Iran, Turkey and Mexico, all non adherents to the all-out Western economic war against Russia, will soon dominate global markets.

    Fedorov stressed the power of the new G8 in population as well as economically: “If the West, which restricted all international organizations, follows its own policies, and pressures everyone, then why are these organizations necessary? Russia does not follow these rules.”

    The new G8, instead, “does not impose anything on anyone, but tries to find common solutions.”

    The coming of the new G8 points to the inevitable advent of BRICS +, one of the key themes to be discussed in the upcoming BRICS summit in China. Argentina is very much interested in becoming part of the extended BRICS and those (informal) members of the new G8 – Indonesia, Iran, Turkey, Mexico – are all likely candidates.

    The intersection of the new G8 and BRICS + will lead Beijing to turbo-charge what has already been conceptualized as the Three Rings strategy by Cheng Yawen, from the Institute of International Relations and Public Affairs at the Shanghai International Studies University.

    Cheng argues that since the beginning of the 2018 U.S.-China trade war the Empire of Lies and its vassals have aimed to “decouple”; thus the Middle Kingdom should strategically downgrade its relations with the West and promote a new international system based on South-South cooperation.

    Looks like if it walks and talks like the new G8, that’s because it’s the real deal.

    The revolution reaches the “global countryside”

    Cheng stresses how “the center-periphery hierarchy of the West has been perpetuated as an implicit rule” in international relations; and how China and Russia, “because of their strict capital controls, are the last two obstacles to further U.S. control of the global periphery”.

    So how would the Three Rings – in fact a new global system – be deployed?

    The first ring “is China’s neighboring countries in East Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East; the second ring is the vast number of developing countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America; and the third ring extends to the traditional industrialized countries, mainly Europe and the United States.”

    The basis for building the Three Rings is deeper Global South integration. Cheng notes how “between 1980-2021, the economic volume of developing countries rose from 21 to 42.2 percent of the world’s total output.”

    And yet “current trade flows and mutual investments of developing countries are still heavily dependent on the financial and monetary institutions/networks controlled by the West. In order to break their dependence on the West and further enhance economic and political autonomy, a broader financial and monetary cooperation, and new sets of instruments among developing countries should be constructed”.

    This is a veiled reference to the current discussions inside the Eurasia Economic Union (EAEU), with Chinese participation, designing an alternative financial-monetary system not only for Eurasia but for the Global South – bypassing possible American attempts to enforce a sort of Bretton Woods 3.0.

    Cheng uses a Maoist metaphor to illustrate his point – referring to ‘the revolutionary path of ‘encircling the cities from the countryside’”. What is needed now, he argues, is for China and the Global South to “overcome the West’s preventive measures and cooperate with the ‘global countryside’ – the peripheral countries – in the same way.”

    So what seems to be in the horizon, as conceptualized by Chinese academia, is a “new G8/BRICS+” interaction as the revolutionary vanguard of the emerging multipolar world, designed to expand to the whole Global South.

    That of course will mean a deepened internationalization of Chinese geopolitical and geoeconomic power, including its currency. Cheng qualifies the creation of a “three ring “ international system as essential to “break through the [American] siege”.

    It’s more than evident that the Empire won’t take that lying down.

    The siege will continue. Enter the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), spun as yet another proverbial “effort” to – what else – contain China, but this time all the way from Northeast Asia to Southeast Asia, with Oceania thrown in as a bonus.

    The American spin on IPEF is heavy on “economic engagement”: fog of (hybrid) war disguising the real intent to divert as much trade as possible from China – which produces virtually everything – to the U.S. – which produces very little.

    The Americans give away the game by heavily focusing their strategy on 7 of the 10 ASEAN nations – as part of yet another desperate dash to control the American-denominated “Indo-Pacific”. Their logic: ASEAN after all needs a “stable partner”; the American economy is “comparatively stable”; thus ASEAN must subject itself to American geopolitical aims.

    IPEF, under the cover of trade and economics, plays the same old tune, with the U.S. going after China from three different angles.

    • – The South China Sea, instrumentalizing ASEAN.
    • – The Yellow and East China Seas, instrumentalizing Japan and South Korea to prevent direct Chinese access to the Pacific.
    • – The larger “Indo-Pacific” (that’s were India as a member of the Quad comes in).

    It’s all labeled as a sweet apple pie of “stronger and more resilient Indo-Pacific with diversified trade.”

    BRI corridors are back

    Beijing is hardly losing any sleep thinking about IPEF: after all most of its multiple trade connections across ASEAN are rock solid. Taiwan though is a completely different story.

    At the annual Shangri-La dialogue this past weekend in Singapore, Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe went straight to the point, actually defining Beijing’s vision for an East Asia order (not “rules-based”, of course).

    Taiwan independence is a “dead end”, said General Wei, as he asserted Beijing’s peaceful aims while vigorously slamming assorted U.S. “threats against China”. At any attempt at interference, “we will fight at all costs, and we will fight to the very end”. Wei also handily dismissed the U.S. drive to “hijack” Indo-Pacific nations, without even mentioning IPEF.

    China at it stands is firmly concentrated on stabilizing its western borders – which will allow it to devote more time to the South China Sea and the “Indo-Pacific” further on down the road.

    Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi went on a crucial trip to Kazakhstan – a full member of both BRI and the EAEU – where he met President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and all his counterparts from the Central Asian “stans” in a summit in Nur-Sultan. The group – billed as C+C5 – discussed everything from security, energy and transportation to Afghanistan and vaccines.

    In sum, this was all about developing much-needed corridors of BRI/ New Silk Roads – in sharp contrast to the proverbial Western lamentations about BRI reaching a dead end.

    Two BRI-to-the-bone projects will go on overdrive: the China-Central Asia Gas Pipeline Line D, and the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway. Both have been years in the making, but now have become absolutely essential, and will be the flagship BRI projects in the Central Asian corridor.

    The China-Central Asia Gas Pipeline Line D will link Turkmenistan’s gas fields to Xinjiang via Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. That was the main theme of the discussions when Turkmen President Berdimuhamedow visited Beijing for the Winter Olympics.

    The 523 km China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway for its part will crucially link the two Central Asian “stans” to the China-Europe freight rail network, via the existing rail networks in Turkmenistan.

    Considering the current incandescent geopolitical scenario in Ukraine, this is a bombshell in itself, because it will enable freight from China to travel via Iran or via Caspian ports, bypassing sanctioned Russia. No hard feelings, in terms of the Russia-China strategic partnership: just business.

    The Kyrgyz, predictably, were ecstatic. Construction begins next year. According to Kyrgyz President Zhaparov, “there will be jobs. Our economy will boom.”

    Talk about China acting decisively in its “first ring”, in Central Asia. Don’t expect anything of such geoeconomic breadth and scope being “offered” by IPEF anywhere in ASEAN.

    European Central Bank Calls Emergency Meeting; EURO Headed to valuation less than $1

    These are "leaders"?
    These are “leaders”?

    The European Central Bank has called an Emergency meeting because the value of the EURO is sliding downward (fast) and looks to be worth less than one US Dollar very soon.

    Countries around the world have begun unloading their supplies of EUROS because decisions made by Europe against Russia, show that Europe will not have much of a manufacturing base, or be able to sustain value of their currency much longer.

    Europe’s reliance upon Russian gas and oil, and subsequent embargo of its own energy supplies in an effort to “sanction” Russia, is backfiring on Europe in an extraordinary way.

    Put simply, Europe is cutting its own throat economically by embargoing Russian gas and oil.   Without cheap and plentiful energy, Europe cannot have industry.  Without industry, Europe cannot pay its bills and will collapse.

    Rather than wait, countries around the world are lessening their supplies of EUROS, causing the value of that currency to drop against the US dollar.

    Wells Fargo Bank in the U.S. made clear yesterday, they believe the EURO will fall to a value less than one US Dollar within a month:

    Strawberry Streusel Bars

    This sweet streusel-topped strawberry cookie bar is the perfect treat for summertime.

    If The Streets Of America Are This Chaotic Now, What Will They Be Like When Things Really Start Hitting The Fan?

    Sunday, Jun 19, 2022 – 03:30 AM

    Authored by Michael Snyder via The End of The American Dream blog,

    If you are not alarmed by what is happening to our largest cities, you should check to see if you still have a pulse.  Once upon a time, the beautiful new cities that our forefathers constructed were the envy of the entire planet, but now many of them have degenerated into crime-infested hellholes that are absolutely teeming with violent predators.  Shoplifting has essentially become a national pastime, open air drug markets operate freely right under the noses of indifferent authorities, and addicts pull down their pants and take a dump whenever and wherever they feel like doing so.  Thanks to record levels of illegal immigration, gang membership is absolutely exploding, and human trafficking has reached truly frightening levels.  Of course our steadily thinning police forces are overwhelmed at this point.  In fact, police in Seattle are stretched so thin that they often are not able “to take reports from rape victims”.  And if you are the victim of a non-violent crime in Seattle, good luck ever getting a police officer to pay attention to your case.  From coast to coast, communities are descending into a state of utter lawlessness.  So if things are this bad already, what will conditions be like when things really start hitting the fan?

    Continuing a trend that we have seen for the last couple of years, crime rates all over the nation just keep going higher and higher.

    For example, auto theft, grand larceny and transit crime are all up by more than 50 percent in New York City so far this year…

    Data released by the New York City Police Department showed Grand Larceny Auto increased by 51.1% with 5,420 incidents as of June 5 compared to just 3,587 incidents by the same time in 2021.
    
    That category had one of the largest upticks during the most recent crime statistic report covering May 30 to June 5. Grand larceny incidents spiked by 50.1% from 20,659 incidents reported to NYPD as of June 5, compared to the 13,713 reported during the same period last year.
    
    Meanwhile, overall transit crime surged by 53.6% so far this year.

    I thought that the new mayor was elected to end the crime wave.

    Instead, it appears that it has been supersized.

    One way to hide the rapid rise in crime is to decriminalize things that used to be major offenses.

    In Portland, voters decided to decriminalize hard drugs, but that just turned the city into an “open air drug market”

    The streets of Portland resemble an ‘open air drug market’ after state officials’ scheme to decriminalize hard drugs led to a surge in overdose deaths, critics claim.
    
    Law enforcement agents say that the streets of Portland are full of homeless addicts openly buying and selling drugs and that signs of drug addiction are actually increasing statewide, Fox News reported.
    
    Photos show the desperate situation in the liberal Pacific Northwest city, where people can be seen shooting up drugs or passed out in broad daylight.

    At one time, Portland was one of the most magnificent cities in the entire world.

    Now it is a horror show.

    On top of all the ordinary crime that is going on, now we are witnessing a very alarming rise in politically-motivated violence.

    The Supreme Court decision that will overturn Roe v. Wade is expected to be released this month, and a group known as “Jane’s Revenge” has announced that it is “open season” on those with pro-life views…

    The pro-abortion group Jane’s Revenge is declaring it “open season” on pro-life groups and crisis pregnancy centers.
    
    The group has a history of damaging property during their protests, and they took credit for the vandalization of a pregnancy resource center in Des Moines, Iowa earlier this month. In a message posted to social media, the group said they broke windows and left graffiti political messages all over the clinic. “It was easy and fun,” the message read.

    Sadly, even though the official Supreme Court decision has not even been released yet, there has already been quite a bit of violence.

    In fact, it is being reported that there have been more than three dozen attacks on pro-life groups, churches and crisis pregnancy centers in recent weeks…

    An armed would-be assassin’s alleged attempt on the life of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh last week is part of a wave of violence, arson, vandalism, and intimidation targeting pro-life groups and government officials since the leak last month of a draft Supreme Court opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade.
    
    There have been more than three dozen such incidents directed at crisis pregnancy centers and churches in at least 20 states and Washington, D.C., according to a tally maintained by LifeNews.com, an anti-abortion site.

    The thin veneer of civilization that we all take for granted on a daily basis is rapidly dissipating, and our streets are becoming more uncivilized with each passing day.

    If this is happening while economic conditions are still relatively stable, what will happen once things start getting really crazy out there?

    In some parts of the world, the food crisis has already reached critical levels.  For example, the government of Sri Lanka has actually shortened the work week so that workers will have more time to grow their own food

    Sri Lanka’s federal government on Monday approved a proposal that would shorten the work week of most public sector staff to four days so that workers will have time to farm their own crops, Reuters reported Tuesday, noting the measure aims to combat Sri Lanka’s worsening food shortages caused by a recent economic crisis.
    
    “Sri Lanka’s Cabinet late on Monday approved a proposal for public sector workers to be given leave every Friday for the next three months, partly because the fuel shortage made commuting difficult and also to encourage them to farm,” Reuters reported on June 14.

    Over in Africa, the United Nations has stopped feeding approximately 1.7 million citizens of South Sudan because they simply do not have enough funding to feed the rapidly growing throngs of desperately hungry people…

    The World Food Programme has been forced to stop providing food aid to around 1.7 million people in South Sudan, because of a lack of funding. The UN-run organization will still reach 4.5 million people, but many will miss out on vital resources.
    
    According to BBC News, over half the population of South Sudan is currently facing hunger due to floods, localized drought, continuing conflict, and rising food prices. Marwa Awad is from the World Food Programme and is in the northern town of Bentiu in South Sudan, where she has been talking to people about the effects the cuts to aid are having.

    All of the experts are telling us that the global food crisis is going to get a lot worse as the months roll along.

    If the UN has already reached the limit of what they are able to do, who is going to help the millions upon millions of hungry people that will soon need help in order to survive?

    Here in the U.S., food production has been affected by a bizarre series of disasters, and we are being warned that much less will be produced this year than originally anticipated.  I think that one expert summed up the current situation very well when he warned that “we are teetering on the edge right now”

    Pennsylvania farmers are being “crushed” by the record cost of diesel – so much so, that questions about a food crisis are starting to loom, the Morning Call reported.
    
    One farmer in Lehigh County is quoted as saying: “I’ve got a tractor hooked up to my corn planter out here, no diesel fuel, and I can’t afford to get any.”
    
    That farmer was airing his gripes to Kyle Kotzmoyer, a legislative affairs specialist for the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau. Kotzmoyer then turned around and testified to state lawmakers: “We have reached that point to where it is very close to being a sinking ship. We are teetering on the edge right now.”

    If we eventually get to a point where food prices spiral completely out of control and there are widespread shortages, do you think that those living in our core urban areas will respond with grace and patience?

    Of course not.

    Instead, people will go absolutely nuts.

    We got a small preview of what is to come during the Arab Spring of 2011.  There were serious food shortages around the world that year, and that resulted in tremendous civil unrest.

    Here in the United States, most people do not have large amounts of food stored up, and that is especially true in our largest cities.

    So we better hope that the rapidly growing global food crisis does not affect us too severely, because the truth is that we are definitely not equipped to handle such a scenario.

    An American “Green Revolution”

    This is out of Australia.They are discussing the outrageous costs that are going ballistic inside the United States.

    USA
    Outrageous costs.

    Everyone can see…

    The Engineered Stagflationary Collapse Has Arrived – Here’s What Happens Next

    Saturday, Jun 18, 2022 – 11:40 AM

    Authored by Brandon Smith via Alt-Market.us

    In my 16 years as an alternative economist and political writer I have spent around half that time warning that the ultimate outcome of the Federal Reserve’s stimulus model would be a stagflationary collapse. Not a deflationary collapse, or an inflationary collapse, but a stagflationary collapse. The reasons for this were very specific – Mass debt creation was being countered with MORE debt creation while many central banks have been simultaneously devaluing their currencies through QE measures. On top of that, the US is in the unique position of relying on the world reserve status of the dollar and that status is diminishing.

    It was only a matter of time before the to forces of deflation and inflation met in the middle to create stagflation. In my article ‘Infrastructure Bills Do Not Lead To Recovery, Only Increased Federal Control’, published in April of 2021, I stated that:

    Production of fiat money is not the same as real production within the economy… Trillions of dollars in public works programs might create more jobs, but it will also inflate prices as the dollar goes into decline. So, unless wages are adjusted constantly according to price increases, people will have jobs, but still won’t be able to afford a comfortable standard of living. This leads to stagflation, in which prices continue to rise while wages and consumption stagnate.
    
    Another Catch-22 to consider is that if inflation becomes rampant, the Federal Reserve may be compelled (or claim they are compelled) to raise interest rates significantly in a short span of time. This means an immediate slowdown in the flow of overnight loans to major banks, an immediate slowdown in loans to large and small businesses, an immediate crash in credit options for consumers, and an overall crash in consumer spending. You might recognize this as the recipe that created the 1981-1982 recession, the third-worst in the 20th century.
    
    In other words, the choice is stagflation, or deflationary depression.”

    It’s clear today what the Fed has chosen. It’s important to remember that throughout 2020 and 2021 the mainstream media, the central bank and most government officials were telling the public that inflation was “transitory.” Suddenly in the past few months this has changed and now even Janet Yellen has admitted that she was “wrong” on inflation. This is a misdirection, however, because the Fed knows exactly what it is doing and always has. Yellen denied reality, but she knew she was denying reality. In other words, she was not mistaken about the economic crisis, she lied about it.

    As I outlined last December in my article ‘The Fed’s Catch-22 Taper Is A Weapon, Not A Policy Error’:

    ‘First and foremost, no, the Fed is not motivated by profits, at least not primarily. The Fed is able to print wealth at will, they don’t care about profits – They care about power and centralization. Would they sacrifice “the golden goose” of US markets in order to gain more power and full bore globalism? Absolutely. Would central bankers sacrifice the dollar and blow up the Fed as an institution in order to force a global currency system on the masses? There is no doubt; they’ve put the US economy at risk in the past in order to get more centralization.’

    The Fed has known for years that the current path would lead to inflation and then market destruction, and here’s the proof – Fed Chairman Jerome Powell actually warned about this exact outcome in October of 2012:

    “I have concerns about more purchases. As others have pointed out, the dealer community is now assuming close to a $4 trillion balance sheet and purchases through the first quarter of 2014. I admit that is a much stronger reaction than I anticipated, and I am uncomfortable with it for a couple of reasons.First, the question, why stop at $4 trillion? The market in most cases will cheer us for doing more. It will never be enough for the market. Our models will always tell us that we are helping the economy, and I will probably always feel that those benefits are overestimated. And we will be able to tell ourselves that market function is not impaired and that inflation expectations are under control. What is to stop us, other than much faster economic growth, which it is probably not in our power to produce?
    
    When it is time for us to sell, or even to stop buying, the response could be quite strong; there is every reason to expect a strong response. So there are a couple of ways to look at it. It is about $1.2 trillion in sales; you take 60 months, you get about $20 billion a month. That is a very doable thing, it sounds like, in a market where the norm by the middle of next year is $80 billion a month. Another way to look at it, though, is that it’s not so much the sale, the duration; it’s also unloading our short volatility position.”

    As we all now know, the Fed waited until their balance sheet was far larger and until the economy was MUCH weaker than it was in 2012 to unleash tightening measures. They KNEW the whole time exactly what was going to happen.

    It is no coincidence that the culmination of the Fed’s stimulus bonanza has arrived right after the incredible damage done to the economy and the global supply chain by the covid lockdowns. It is no coincidence that these two events work together to create the perfect stagflationary scenario. And, it’s no coincidence that the only people who benefit from these conditions are proponents of the “Great Reset” ideology at the World Economic Forum and other globalist institutions. This is an engineered collapse that has been in the works for many years.

    The goal is to “reset” the world, to erase what’s left of free market systems, and to establish what they call the “Shared Economy” system. This system is one in which the people who survive the crash will be made utterly dependent on government through Universal Basic Income and one that will restrict all resource usage in the name of “carbon reduction.” According to the WEF, you will own nothing and you will like it.

    The collapse is engineered to create crisis conditions so frightening that they expect the majority of the public to submit to a collectivist hive mind lifestyle with greatly reduced standards. This would be accomplished through UBI, digital currency models, carbon taxation, population reduction, rationing of all commodities and a social credit system. The goal, in other words, is complete control through technocratic authoritarianism.

    All of this is dependent on the exploitation of crisis events to create fear in the population. Now that economic destabilization has arrived, what happens next? Here are my predictions…

    The Fed Will Hike Interest Rates More Than Expected, But Not Enough To Stop Inflation

    Today, we are witnessing the poisonous fruits of a decade-plus of massive fiat money creation and we are now at the stage where the Fed will reveal its true plan. Hiking interest rates fast, or hiking them slow. Fast hikes will mean an almost immediate crash in markets (beyond what we have already seen), slow hikes will mean a drawn out process of price inflation and general uncertainty.

    I believe the Fed will hike more than expected, but not enough to actually slow inflation in necessities. There will be an overall decline in luxury items, recreation commerce and non-essentials, but most other goods will continue to climb in cost. It is to the advantage of globalists to keep the inflation train running for another year or longer.

    In the end, though, the central bank WILL declare that the pace of interest rates is not enough to stop inflation and they will revert to a Volcker-like strategy, pushing rates up so high that the economy simply stops functioning altogether.

    Markets Will Crash And Unemployment Will Abruptly Spike

    Stock markets are utterly dependent on Fed stimulus and easy money through low interest rate loans – This is a fact. Without low rates and QE, corporations cannot engage in stock buybacks. Meaning, the tools for artificially inflating equities are disappearing. We are already seeing the effects of this now with markets dropping 20% or more.

    The Fed will not capitulate. They will continue to hike regardless of the market reaction.

    As far as jobs are concerned, Biden and many mainstream economists constantly applaud the low unemployment rate as proof that the American economy is “strong,” but this is an illusion. Covid stimulus measures temporarily created a dynamic in which businesses needed increased staff to deal with excess retail spending. Now, the covid checks have stopped and Americans have maxed out their credit cards. There is nothing left to keep the system afloat.

    Businesses will start making large job cuts throughout the last half of 2022.

    Price Controls

    I have no doubt that Joe Biden and Democrats will seek to enforce price controls on many goods as inflation continues, and there will be a handful of Republicans that will support the tactic. Price controls actually lead to a reduction in supply because they remove all profits and thus all incentive for manufacturers to keep producing goods. What usually happens at that point is government steps in to nationalize manufacturing, but this will be substandard production and at a much lower yield.

    In the end, supplies are reduced even further and prices go even higher on the black market because no one can get their hands on most goods anyway.

    Rationing

    Yes, rationing at the manufacturing and distribution level is going to happen, so be sure to buy what you need now before it does. Rationing occurs in the wake of price controls or supply chain disruptions, and usually this coincides with a government propaganda campaign against “hoarders.”

    They will hold up a few exaggerated examples of people who buy truckloads of merchandise to scalp prices on the black market. Then, not long after, they will accuse preppers and anyone who bought goods BEFORE the crisis of “hoarding” simply because they planned ahead.

    Rationing is not only about controlling the supply of necessities and thus controlling the population by proxy; it is also about creating an atmosphere of blame and suspicion within the public and getting them to snitch on or attack anyone that is prepared. Prepared people represent a threat to the establishment, so expect to be demonized in the media and organize with other prepared people to protect yourself.

    Be Ready, It Only Gets Worse From Here On

    It might sound like I am predicting success of the Great Reset program, but I actually believe the globalists will fail in the end. That’s not going to stop them from making the attempt. Also, the above scenarios are only predictions for the near term (within the next couple of years). There will be many other problems that stem from these situations.

    Naturally, food riots and other mob actions will become more commonplace, perhaps not this year, but by the end of 2023 they will definitely be a problem. This will coincide with the return of political unrest in the US as leftist factions, encouraged by globalist foundations, demand more government intervention in poverty. At the same time, conservatives will demand less government interference and less tyranny.

    At bottom, the people who are prepared might be called a lot of mean names, but as long as we organize and work together, we will survive. Many unprepared people will NOT survive. Understand that the economic conditions ahead of us are historically destructive; there is no way that serious consequences can be avoided for a large part of the population, if only because they refuse to listen and to take proper steps to protect themselves.

    The denial is over. The crash is here. Time to take action if you have not done so already.

    Japan to attend NATO summit for first time

    Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said he will attend this month’s NATO summit in Madrid, becoming the country’s first leader to join a top meeting of the transatlantic group.

    The announcement on Wednesday comes ahead of a June 28-30 gathering of the military alliance that is seen as a crunch moment for its 30 members, four months into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    Sweden and Finland, which have applied to join NATO, are sending delegations to the summit, and South Korea’s new President Yoon Suk-yeol will also be the first leader from his country to attend.

    Japan, a key United States ally and not a NATO member, has delivered defensive supplies to Ukraine and imposed tough sanctions on Russia in tandem with the other Group of Seven (G7) countries.

    “As the only Asian country in the G7, Japan’s diplomatic capabilities are being tested,” Kishida told reporters.

    His attendance at the NATO summit will be “the first time for a Japanese prime minister”, he said, adding that he intends to highlight the link between security concerns in Europe and Asia.

    HAL TURNER EDITORIAL OPINION

    Is it me, or is there something very wrong with this picture?

    The last time I checked, “NATO” stood for “North Atlantic Treaty Organization.”    Emphasis on “Atlantic.”

    In that same vein, the last time I checked, Japan was in the PACIFIC.

    How is there a “fit” for Japan and NATO, unless of course, Russia is 100% correct that NATO is simply an aggressive military alliance designed to encircle Russia?

    As if what NATO is doing with Ukraine isn’t aggressive enough, now they’ve moving to bring Japan into the fold?

    Clearly these people are not going to stop until they ARE stopped.

    When the move comes to put a stop to NATO, I hope Americans and Europeans understand, we brought this upon ourselves by allowing our public servants (in NATO and at home) to run wild and create an existential threat to Russia.

    We are in the wrong and we are setting the stage for a comeuppance for OURSELVES the likes of which humanity itself will be lucky to survive.

    A warning to Americans

    This following video is being passed forward through all the alternative websites. Gonzalo Lira has a warning, and while he is just repeating stuff that you all realize, this new “wrinkle” is actually frightening.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
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    Cool animal miniatures, Ukraine geopolitics, crazy America, and Ghana Dancing Pallbearers Figurines

    If you don't know what you're doing, neither does your enemy.
    - Joe Tzu

    The one thing that seems to me to be obvious is that Russia means it when they say the US is incapable of negotiation, and the Russians are not in any hurry because they are draining the west. They know that no promise is any more important than it is meaningless.

    So, I keep learning more by watching only what Russia does. Everyone else (except Turkey) are running around like recently decapitated chickens.

    They also appear to know (like China) that the only way to break the US/NATO is to be patient and watch them do it by themselves. Russia knows there is limited support for the governments of many of the “enemies of Russia” type nations. These same that have openly displayed their own form of Nazi behavior, some for many decades.

    The EU volunteered to be destroyed. The US also negatively affected everyone in Europe and Asia, Africa as well as the two America’s. These nations don’t make friends.

    A slow going, fewest casualties, most protecting the environment and housing, assisting in delivery of wheat to the world, clearing out a nest of Nazi’s out of control, rebuilding cities, controlling the nuclear plants to deliver electricity…

    This sounds more like the complaint about the Romans from “The Life of Brian” (what have the Romans ever done for us)

    The western nations that are being unfriendly are losing their shit watching Russia become what the US has ceased to be.

    HIMARS

    010 HIMARS in Jordan DVIDS 1170x610 1
    010 HIMARS in Jordan DVIDS 1170×610 1

    Do you all remember those HIMARS that the US has sent to Ukraine? The US wasn’t going to send the long range ammo so they couldn’t be used for terror bombing of Russian cities. Some of us have been cynical enough to suggest that the long range ammo would get there anyhow (in a plausibly deniable way of course) now look….

    Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak has announced that the country will acquire 500 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) to support its military modernization efforts.
    
    In a social media post, the minister revealed that he has signed a letter of request (LOR) to acquire US-made M142 HIMARS launchers.
    
    Poland-based factories will reportedly produce some significant components of the system to ensure a “high level of Polonization.”
    
    The country also seeks to ensure that the weapon system can easily be integrated with its battlefield management system.
    
    “We are increasing the capabilities of our rocket and artillery forces,” Błaszczak said. “I have signed an LOR related to the acquisition of about 500 M142 HIMARS launchers for more than 80 batteries of the Homar system.”
    
    Polish armaments agency spokesperson Lt. Col. Krzysztof Płatek said that the technology transfer for the production of HIMARS’ local components would go into a Polish domestic effort called HOMAR...

    From HERE

    Melt In Your Mouth Pork Belly That Makes U Go Mmm! Dong Po Rou 东坡肉 Chinese Braised Pork Belly Recipe

    Go ahead and eat like MM! Yum!

    Biden’s Foreign Policy Is One Big Mess

    "If you have two friends, better to make them both your enemies. 
    
    Then, in the future, you will be able to control your own people better by saying, "There are mean people over there. That is why we need your guns." 
    
    -Joe Tzu

    Over the last months I have written little about other U.S. foreign policy issues than the war in Ukraine.

    A short review shows that there is little that Secretary of State Anthony Blinken or his president could count as a success.

    Last month Biden traveled to Asia where he had meetings with the QUAD (Australia, Japan, India and the U.S.) as well as with South Asian leaders.

    The QUAD meeting was a failure as India showed no sign of joining the other three in their condemnation of Russia. Instead of sanctioning  Russia it is buying more oil from Russia which offers decent rebates. Such disunity does not look good for a U.S. designed anti-China coalition.

    Most noted though was that Biden came to Asia with empty hands:

    Months after U.S. President Joe Biden first indicated that his administration would launch a new Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) that would signal strengthened U.S. engagement with Asian economies, the president, together with the leaders of a dozen countries from across Asia, announced the launch of the IPEF in Tokyo on May 23. 
    ...
    The slow process of determining what will be in the four “pillars” of the IPEF, how negotiations will be handled due to a division of labor between the U.S. trade representative and the commerce secretary, and uncertainty about which governments would sign up have deepened the ambivalence.
    
    As a result of this ambivalence, the joint statement launching the framework referred to “collective discussions toward future negotiations,” indicating that there is more work to do to flesh out the initiative.
    
    Asian governments are not wrong to have mixed feelings about the IPEF. U.S. trade officials plan to seek higher labor and environmental performances from negotiating partners, but they have also indicated that they are not prepared to offer access to the U.S. market—let alone pursue a TPP-style free trade agreement.

    Malaysia’s Mahathir Mohamad said that the new US-led trade group IPEF is intended to ‘isolate China’. It will be unsuccessful doing that as it the whole idea is likely to fail.

    As a writer for the Lowy Institute in Sydney opined in the New York Times:

    Mr. Biden huddled last week with leaders of the four-nation “Quad” group formed to counter Beijing, vowed to defend Taiwan against China and introduced a new economic pact involving a dozen nations to shore up U.S. economic influence in the region.
    
    Yet China is already winning throughout much of Asia on both the economic and diplomatic fronts, and nothing the United States is doing seems likely to change that. 
    ...
    The Biden administration’s answer, unveiled last week in Tokyo, is its Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. It falls far short.
    
    The plan calls for cooperation on trade, supply chains, infrastructure and fighting corruption. But it does not include better access to the huge U.S. import market, a crucial carrot that normally underpins trade agreements. 
    ...
    Meanwhile, China has forged ahead. State-owned companies have locked up big projects around the region, often under the umbrella of China’s sprawling Belt and Road Initiative.
    
    China also practices persistent diplomacy. Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s travels in Southeast Asia and the Pacific have far outstripped the pace of his U.S. counterpart, Antony Blinken. Despite the fanfare of Mr. Biden’s recent trip to Asia, it was his first to the region since taking office 16 months ago and included visits only to close allies South Korea and Japan. 
    ...
    Competing with China in Asia will not be easy. But it starts with recognizing that right now the United States is losing.

    Those words, coming from a staunch U.S. ally, are pretty harsh.

    Another area where current U.S. foreign policy is failing is in the Americas. Biden is currently hosting the ‘summit’ of the Organization of American States. The head of states of at least 7 of the 34 OAS member states were not invited or declined to come:

    Mr. Biden’s insistence that the leaders of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela not attend the summit was seen in many capitals as a sign of U.S. imperialism and an unwillingness to address in an honest way the complex issues in the region.
    
    The three Central American nations known as the Northern Triangle — El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras — which along with Mexico are the source of about 66 percent of the illegal migration at the U.S. border, decided to send their foreign ministers to the summit as a signal of their displeasure.

    Biden’s (or Blinken’s) ideological argument that Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela are ‘dictatorships’ does not make much sense when one learns that the unelected acting president of Haiti, Ariel Henry, was invited even though he is under suspicion of having ordered the murder of his predecessor Jovenel Moïse.

    Biden again came with empty hands:

    Administration officials said that Mr. Biden would propose reforms to the Inter-American Development Bank to encourage more private investment in the region and investments of $300 million by the United States to combat food insecurity. On Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris announced pledges of $1.9 billion in investments by private companies over the next several years.
    
    But it is not clear that the investments will be robust enough to prevent those countries from turning to China for help, a key goal for Mr. Biden.

    The foreign policy establishment is not happy with this:

    Richard N. Haass @RichardHaass - 11:44 UTC · Jun 7, 2022
    
    The Summit of the Americas looks to be a debacle, a diplomatic own goal. The US has no trade proposal, no immigration policy, & no infrastructure package. Instead, the focus is on who will & will not be there. Unclear is why we pressed for it to happen.

    U.S. policy in the Middle East is stuck. The nuclear agreement with Iran is unlikely to be revived under Biden as he has rejected to lift Trump’s terror designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. His planned visit to Saudi Arabia, to beg for more and cheaper oil, has been moved to some uncertain future date. The leader of Saudi Arabia is still miffed about Biden previously snubbing him. He also wants to continue his OPEC+ agreement with Russia and others oil producer to prevent lower oil prices.

    It does not help that the Democratic leaning retired General John R. Allen is under investigation for having lobbied for Qatar, the arch rival of Saudi Arabia. Allen is leading the equally Democratic leaning Brookings Institute which has received major donations from Qatar.

    On its anti-China policy the Biden administration had two other setbacks. It had banned solar modules from China over alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang where the raw materials for making these modules is coming from. This, and a minor trade dispute, led to supply crisis for solar panels and stopped some major ‘green energy’ projects. Biden reacted to that by signing an emergency authorization to lift tariffs on solar modules from southeast Asian ‘producers’ which are in fact reselling Chinese produced ones.

    The State Department also seems confused about its own anti-China policy:

    The U.S. State Department has updated its fact sheet on Taiwan again, to reinstate a line about not supporting formal independence for the Chinese-claimed, democratically-governed island.

    One might argue that Biden’s plan to lure Russia into a war in Ukraine has worked well. NATO is at least temporarily united and the EU under strict U.S. control. But the monetary assault on Russia via sanctions has turned out to be a total failure with the ruble gaining new heights. The effects of the sanctions have instead created another supply shock with prices for oil, fertilizer and wheat going through the roof.

    The World Bank has downgraded its global growth predictions and is warning of stagflation. The average gasoline price in the U.S. has hit $5 per gallon and is likely to increase further. General inflation has markedly increased thought the causes get misidentified. This while the stock and house markets are more or less in free fall.

    It does not look good at all for the Democrats in the upcoming mid-term election or a reelection of Biden in 2024.

    Morale in the White House is down:

    President Joe Biden and his aides have grown increasingly frustrated by their inability to turn the tide against a cascade of challenges threatening to overwhelm the administration.
    
    Soaring global inflation. Rising fuel prices. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A Supreme Court poised to take away a constitutional right. A potentially resurgent pandemic. A Congress too deadlocked to tackle sweeping gun safety legislation even amid an onslaught of mass shootings.
    
    In crisis after crisis, the White House has found itself either limited or helpless in its efforts to combat the forces pummeling them. Morale inside 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. is plummeting amid growing fears that the parallels to Jimmy Carter, another first-term Democrat plagued by soaring prices and a foreign policy morass, will stick.

    Biden could still save his bacon by replacing his ideological minded secretary of state and national security advisor with capable realists. The above list includes enough reasons to do so.

    He also needs to shut down the war in Ukraine. He could tell Zelensky to end the senseless fighting and to submit to Russia’s demands. Sanctions against Russia could then be lifted and a further oil price increase prevented. (As the war has already moved off the front pages this is likely doable.)

    Biden though has never shown the necessary flexibility to do either.

    Posted by b on June 8, 2022 at 16:24 UTC | Permalink

    A comment

    Yesterday, I posted a comment aimed at proving the Outlaw US Empire misgoverns because it lives within a fantasy land of its own creation that ignores reality. 
    
    Today's article by b serves to prove and reinforce that contention. What's happening isn't just a result of Biden's misgovernance as it's been ongoing for decades. 
    
    The first manifestation of Fantasy Land was the creeping falsification of everything that began with WW2 censorship followed by the creation of an agency--CIA--whose activities had to be lied about as well as the actual thrust of US foreign--Imperial--policy. 
    
    And the federal government and the two major political parties were able to get away with their lies. Indeed, the 1948 lie of a War Scare was needed to keep Wallace from ousting Truman as president with Wallace splitting the D-Party vote. That's how long the crap's been ongoing. The lies were then escalated massively with the falsification of economic figures that really took-off at the behest of CIA-VEEP GHW Bush in 1981--Something had to be done to show "Voodoo Economics" was viable. Then Greenspan was brought in to further accelerate Neoliberal economic policies and the regulatory agencies were turned over to Wall Street for it to run and thus further ruin the USA's real economy.
    
    Real economic growth within the Outlaw US Empire ceased in the late 1990s with the bursting of the Dot.com bubble. Prior to that it was recognized that the Rentier Empire needed to increase the value of the collateral backing the dollar while a certain clique wanted to use that need as cover for executing the Zionist dream of expansion within Southwest Asia, but to do that a powerful justification needed to be supplied. Enter 911 and by 2003 the theft of Iraq's resource base. And the fantasy domestic economy seemed to boom, until 2007-8 when it went bust. There was a joke during Clinton's reign about the surge in the number of jobs, the quip being: Yeah, I have three of them. A long-term indicator of all that at the real economy level is displayed in this employment chart, the blue line being the real line that measures real unemployment prior to its falsification. From 2000 onward, that chart shows you why elections needed to be manipulated and the Duopoly solidified. The aberration, or perhaps better would be the hubristic overconfidence of Neoliberal Ds, was Trump's upset victory which in many respected threw off the Neoliberal timetable it planned to pursue. Trump's overt pointing out of the huge damage incurred by the real economy was excellent politics that attracted many voters, particularly many voters who usually don't vote, and that reality had to be quashed. Thus Russiagate, which provided proof of the great depth of corruption within the US Federal government.
    
    With H. Clinton damaged beyond repair, the Ds were left with Biden as their only malleable figurehead. It could be argued the pandemic was unleashed to discredit Trump and to provide the needed cover for the required 2020 election manipulations since Trump's mishandling of the pandemic couldn't be counted on to overcome his still very strong real economy popularity, although his policies there were just as bad as Biden's have proven. Currently, the politicos misgoverning are all ancient and beyond retirement. But who is out there that can replace them that isn't already a Deep State tool? The answer to that question requires new commentary.
    
    Posted by: karlof1 | Jun 8 2022 18:08 utc | 32

    I think I love You (2021 Version) by The Partridge Family

    A time machine to the late 1960s.

    China says all IAEA member states must agree before Aukus nuclear sub project begins

    • Chinese foreign ministry says IAEA decided to establish formal agenda to discuss issues that could affect Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
    • Australia could become the first non-nuclear weapon state to field a nuclear-powered submarine, absolutely creating a loophole in the IAEA inspection system
    The nuclear submarine project between Australia, the United States and Britain should not begin until ALL International Atomic Energy Agency members agree, China’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
    
    Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said that at China’s request, the IAEA had for the third time decided to establish a special formal agenda to discuss issues around the Aukus group’s nuclear submarine cooperation regarding the transfer, safeguarding and supervision of nuclear materials, which could affect the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
    
    “China has repeatedly stressed that the cooperation between the United States, Britain and Australia on nuclear submarines poses a serious nuclear proliferation risk, affects the international nuclear non-proliferation system, intensifies the arms race and undermines regional peace and stability,” Zhao said in Beijing.
    More HERE

    Giant Skull Armchair Designed By Gregory Besson

    "Never interrupt my nap while my State Department is in the middle of making a mistake." -Joe Tzu

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    Parisian designer Gregory Besson imagined an armchair that takes the shape of a skull, a theme that has been treated many times in the design area. Conceived with fiberglass and provided with a high quality leather seat, each creation is unique and will be made on demand.

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    Mazzy Star – Flowers in December (Live on 2 Meter Sessions)

    "The United States is also a one-party state but, with typical American extravagance, they have two of them."
    
    - Julius Nyerere

    Haunting and sweet. She has such a unique sound.

    A fine Joe Tzu quote

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    US imports from China rose to an all-time record after seasonal adjustment in April, despite the Shanghai lockdown and other Covid-related blockages

    The unrelenting and repeated efforts to talk down the Chinese economy has once again dismissed by the monthly, quarterly, or yearly raw data.

    China exports to US jump, contrary to press reports

    By David P. Goldman
    US imports from China rose to an all-time record after seasonal adjustment in April, despite the Shanghai lockdown and other Covid-related blockages in the Chinese economy. That isn’t what you read in Bloomberg News, whose 30 economists and 100 full-time economics reporters apparently haven’t learned the difference between seasonally adjusted and unadjusted data.

    From HERE

    Artist’s Stunning and Spooky Abandoned Movie Theater Diorama Is Too Real Not to Believe In

    When climbing stairs, better to fall repeatedly and make yourself look weak. That way, people will never be able to tell how weak you actually are."
    
    ~ Joe Tzu

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    Japanese model artist Takatsu breathtaking diorama is one that is taking us down memory lane with a bit of nostalgia–and also one that is so breathtakingly realistic we can’t believe they’re not photographs!

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    A Comment

    We say 'NATO' because it sounds a lot more impressive than "America and a pack of poodles."
    
    -Eugene Debs

    “Fix a knife”: US diplomats admit to deliberately hyping human rights in Xinjiang and the US counterattacks

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    China’s Qiantu K20 Two-Seater EV Costs Just $13,000 Yet Is Really Quick

    Andrei Nedelea – Tuesday

    Its top version has a dual-motor setup with 214 horsepower and it can sprint to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.7 seconds.

    Quiantu made quite a splash back in 2015 when it unveiled its fully-electric K50 sports car that went into production in 2018 and was later also made available as a drop-top. However, costing well over $100,000 to buy in its native China, it only found a few hundred buyers before being discontinued in 2020.。。。read more

    You Can Now Buy Ghana Dancing Pallbearers Figurines

    "We know they are lying, they know they are lying, they know we know they are lying, we kmow they know we know they are lying, but they are still lying."
    
     -- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

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    JMG 1/64 Miniatures, a Hong Kong based figurine workshop has released the “Funeral Coffin Dance” figurines. Dancing with the coffin is an ancient tradition common in Ghana. The inhabitants of this country hire special dancers for the funeral to cheerfully send the dead to the next world.

    93794424 524759605068530 6540214329769138511 n 650x650 1
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    There are two sets. Set A has 7 people with a coffin. Set B has 5 people, with 4 of them crawling on the floor with the coffin on their back.

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    Set A costs US$49 while set B costs US$40. They are available for preorder til April 24. The shop supports international shipping.

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    It Appears the Decision Has Been Made: There won’t be a “Ukraine” Anymore

    A small announcement made today inside Ukraine carries utterly enormous implications,  It now appears a decision may have been made that there won’t be a “Ukraine” anymore . . .

    The announcement of a small change was made by the head of the military-civilian administration of the region, Volodymyr Saldo.  He said quite simply “Residents of all Ukraine, regardless of the place of registration, will now be able to apply for a Russian passport in the Kherson region.”

    Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it?

    Yet the implications of this seemingly trivial announcement, are staggering:  If residents of “all Ukraine, regardless of the place of registration” can now apply for Russian Passports, then they would all be “Russian” and not “Ukrainian” anymore.

    If there is still to be in existence a “Ukraine” how will that be if their citizens are now all Russians?

    Looks as though there ISN’T going to be a “Ukraine” anymore.

    Life-Size 1964 Ford Mustang Recreated In Lego

    Damn! That’s a shit-load of legos!

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    Business Cards of German and Canadian Government Officials Found in Abandoned Azov Battalion Headquarters in Mariupol

    By Sonja Van den Ende on Jun 08, 2022 07:56 pm. LINK

    Points to wider western involvement in Ukraine war and association with Neo-Nazi Battalion
    
    [This article presents a Russian view of the war, based on first hand reporting by a journalist whose investigation was made possible by DPR and Russian military protection.—Editors]
    
    Left amidst the ruins of the Azov battalion’s headquarters in Mariupol were the business cards from the German embassy. One was of an attaché named Michael Faul, a Canadian colonel named Colonel Brian Irwin and the French Embassy staff member in Kyiv, First Secretary Christophe Boursin.
    
    According to the following information, Faul now works in the UK: "Michael Faul works at German Embassy London and Consulate General Edinburgh, which is a Federal company with an estimated 766 employees." So he has been relocated or has always been working there, probably for MI6, the UK Secret Service. Last Update: 3/10/2022 5:43 PM (move March 3 to UK), EMAIL: m***@london.diplo.de.
    
    Colonel Robert Brian Irwin, whose bio is interesting: From Ontario, Canada; Decorations for Meritorious Service - Military Division; Meritorious Service Cross; Issued: October 16, 2019; Invested on: May 27, 2021; Rank: Colonel...
    
    As Canada's Defense Attaché to Ukraine from August 2016 to July 2019, Colonel Irwin proved instrumental in achieving Canada's foreign policy goals. He quickly became an influential and important member of the [Canadian] mission [in Ukraine], where he advised successive commanders of the joint task force, promoted security sector reform and actively contributed to military cooperation between the two nations. Known for his professionalism and diplomacy, he has had an undeniable influence on the operations of the Canadian Forces in Ukraine.
    
    The likely authenticity of the documents is enhanced by the fact that in 2018, Irwin had been photographed shaking hands with a member of the Azov Battalion, indicating Canadian government support for the neo-Nazi outfit. […]
    
    The post Business Cards of German and Canadian Government Officials Found in Abandoned Azov Battalion Headquarters in Mariupolappeared first on CovertAction Magazine.

    Read in browser »

    An interesting observation…

    "Chinese ambassador to Moscow has said US hegemony must be ended. US now buying near double the oil from Russia compared to what it was buying prior to banning Russian oil... I suspect it would take very little to send US economy into a very fast death spiral."

    Artist Kerri Pajutee Creates Incredibly Realistic Miniature Animal Sculptures

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    Artist Kerri Pajutee creates incredibly beautiful, real-looking animal sculptures that are to 1:12 to actual size. Pajutee’s remarkable attention to detail imbues each of her miniatures with distinct personality and feeling, particularly when the animal appears to be in motion, with another animal or if something else is happening, such as a haircut. While Pajutee is self-taught, she has found great success in doing something she loves.

    “As a self-taught artist, I revel in the creative process. Sculpting has afforded me a means of expression and provided me with over four decades of never-ending trial and fascination. Inspired by the animals I have come to know, my art is motivated by my desire to capture and express that ‘spark’ of personality, while reflecting a personal encounter or endearing memory that will delight the heart and bring a smile to the face of the observer.”

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    Meanwhile…

    With so much happening, this announcement during Zakharova’s weekly briefing, here’s some stuff important enough to pass along:

    "On June 9-10, 2022, the XX International Likhachev Scientific Readings will be held in St. Petersburg. They are held in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin "On Perpetuating the Memory of D.S. Likhachev" No. 587 of May 23, 2001. The readings are held with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia.
    
    "From year to year, this authoritative forum gathers in the city on the Neva River representatives of the scientific and creative intelligentsia, prominent public figures, politicians and experts from different countries for a constructive exchange of views on a wide range of issues. For two decades, the International Likhachev Readings have established themselves as an authoritative discussion platform. In the current situation, such a format is more than in demand, a non-politicized discussion of trends in modern international relations and the development of world processes in various fields are more relevant than ever.
    
    "This year's Readings will be devoted to the important theme for the entire world community "Global conflict and the contours of the new world order"."

    Also there’s this important announcement:

    "As we reported at the last briefing, the XXV St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) will be held on June 15-18.
    
    "Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is scheduled to take part in the Forum's events. The relevant formats and bilateral talks between the Russian Foreign Minister are currently being worked out.
    
    "On June 16, as part of the business program, a panel discussion on the topic "The dictatorship of neoliberalism through the eyes of Russian compatriots abroad" will be organized by the Russian Foreign Ministry together with the Rossiya Segodnya International News Agency.
    
    "It is planned to discuss the devaluation of the values of the Western model of liberal democracy on specific examples, in order to talk not only about theory, but also based on practice. We will talk about gross violations of human rights, Russian citizens and our compatriots, but also in principle in the breakdown of all that the West takes credit for itself and what is the basis of the democratic development of the state. There will be interesting participants, experts. I invite everyone."

    COVERT INTEL; American Tactical Nukes SHIPPED!

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    PAYWALL. Article HERE.
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    Homeless cat sits by the road and waits for help

    A great story.

    A fine Joe Tzu quote

    JoeTzu2
    JoeTzu2

    Such a tiny man, but what a great voice!

    Ronnie James Dio singing Heaven & Hell Heaven and Hell -FHD.

    Kung Pao Chicken, how to make authentic Kung Pao sauce 宫保鸡丁

    Eat like MM! Yummy!

    American “Javelin” Anti-Tank Missiles Sent to Ukraine, Are Now FOR SALE on the Dark Web

    Javelin with checkout equipment large
    Javelin with checkout equipment large

    People from Ukraine have posted several American made FGM-148 “Javelins” (photo above) for sale on the Dark Web Marketplace, and on Thief Marketplace.

    One posting was made less than three hours ago and the seller advertised “shipping available from Ukraine, specifically Kyiv.”

    The seller is charging $30,000 USD for what seems to be just the tube. Unseen is the command Launch Unit, and it is unclear if there is a missile in the tube.

    The Sale photos posted with the offering are shown below:

    JavelinSalePhoto
    JavelinSalePhoto

    JavelinSalePhoto 2
    JavelinSalePhoto 2

     

    A full ensemble of the “Javelin” usually goes for $206,000 USD, with the Command Launch Unit valued at around  $120,000 USD and each missile at about 80K USD, so this posting is “a steal.”  I am not publishing the web address of this sale because I do NOT want these weapons out in public.

    Listeners to the Hal Turner Radio Show were told WEEKS AGO, that weapons shipped from the USA to Ukraine as “aid” for Ukraine’s war with Russia, were ending up on the Black Market inside Serbia.  The weapons are being STOLEN by Ukrainians when they arrive in the country, and those Ukrainians are offering the weapons for sale on the Dark Web, then pocketing the money.

    Listeners to the show were also told that a full TWO-THIRDS of the weapons being sent to Ukraine, were being stolen and sold on the black market.

    Hey America, where do you think your $40 BILLION in “aid” is actually going???   Yes, an awful lot of it is being outright stolen.

    In case any of you feel like calling your members of Congress to let them know what you think of what’s going on!

    UPDATE 5:24 PM EDT —

    The seller also has several other American weapon systems ranging from Stinger MANPADS, Phoenix Ghost Drones, and smalls arms and ammunition.

    The United States has reportedly sent 5,500 Javelin tubes to Ukraine, and an unspecified number of command launch units which are needed for firing. The United States has reportedly sent 1/3 of its Javelin inventory to Ukraine in order to combat Russian tanks and other ground vehicles since the February 24th invasion.

    COVERT INTEL – Central American Nation Gets Russian Troops & Planes

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    PAYWALL. Article HERE.
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    .

    The Wallflowers – One Headlight (Official Music Video)

    I still enjoy this song over all these years.

    A fine Joe Tzu quote

    JoeTzu3
    JoeTzu3

    Not Good Enough! US Could Sell Its ‘Lousy Warships’ To Allies That Were Designed To Fight China In SCS

    Earlier this month, US Naval Chief Admiral Michael Gilday advised the House Armed Services Committee that nine Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), some of which were recently commissioned, should be decommissioned owing to unsatisfactory performance.

    Despite attempting to outmatch China’s naval fleet, Admiral Gilday had justified plans to get rid of these vessels in the fiscal year 2023.

    “I refuse to put an additional dollar against a system that would not be able to track a high-end submarine in today’s environment,” he had told the Committee.

    Now, Admiral Gilday has suggested that the Navy can sell some of the vessels to friendly countries and allies, including countries in South America. He made these comments while testifying before the Defense Sub-Committee of the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations while responding to an alternative.

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    2022 06 03 20 00
    The Navy’s budget request for the Fiscal Year 2023 discloses that nine Freedom-class LCSs will be decommissioned by the end of 2024. Furthermore, two Independence-class LCS will also be decommissioned roughly around the same time, as per the long-term force plan.

    The Navy’s estimated FY23 budget has noted that decommissioning the ships will save the service $391 million. This, however, would only fund a fraction of the $3.2 billion costs of the nine littoral combat ships.

    This is probably where the idea of selling these ships to friendly countries comes into the picture. Though Admiral Gilday suggested that the ships could be sold, he offered little insight into how that process would take place.

    Admiral Gilday stated during the hearing that the decision to decommission the nine Freedom-class LCS — which are fairly young ships and cost billions to develop — was made to “stratify” the Navy’s range of capabilities. He contended, however, that the ships may prove to be beneficial to the navies of US allies and partners.

     

    “There are countries in South America which would be able to use these ships that have small crews. Instead of just considering scrapping them as a single option, I think there are others we can look at.”

    With high stakes for the US in any conflict that could erupt in the Indo Pacific region (against China), US Navy understandably wants to focus more on the quality of operations that its vessels are designed to undertake. Admiral Gilday admits that the LCS has failed in anti-submarine ops.

    Since the LCS was built to operate in shallow areas like the South China Sea, they were welcomed and lauded as part of the US deterrence against China. However, the decommissioning of so many in such a short time is an admission that the costly surface combatants have fallen far short of expectations, reported CNN.

    2022 06 03 20 02
    Littoral Combat Ship USS Gabrielle Giffords operated in the southern South China Sea near the drillship WestCapella in 2020- US Pacific Fleet

    The US Navy plans to decommission the vessels to free up funds for a more capable and combat-ready fleet in the face of the growing Chinese threats, especially in the wake of US President Joe Biden’s promise to counter China’s military if it were to attack Taiwan.

    A US congressional report has already admitted that the single biggest threat to its security at sea, China, has the largest Navy in the world by size. The millions of dollars spent on building these less than useful Littoral Combat Ships could thus be recovered by selling them to allies with limited offensive objectives than those of the US Navy.

    Why Decommission The Freedom-Class LCS?

    Admiral Gilday’s suggestion about selling the ships to friendly countries came as a response to Senator Jerry Moran requesting clarity on why the Navy wanted to decommission the Freedom-class LCS.

    The Senator questioned whether “other uses” for the ships could be figured out given their previous role in combating drug smuggling.

    Moran backed his argument by citing collaborative activities in 2021 between the Dominican Republic’s Navy and the USS Sioux City (LCS-11) in the busting narcotics trade.

    “One of the nine Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ships was involved in joint exercises with the Dominican Republic Navy, those exercises, as I understand, were successful and they interdicted drug smugglers.”

     

    Those navies that would be interested in acquiring Freedom-class LCS would want to make sure that they are combat-ready. However, Admiral Gilday made no pitch to potential buyers based on the vessel’s capabilities.

    He explained that the Navy’s decision to decommission the Freedom-class LCSs was based on a review of their “warfighting value,” or lack thereof, in the context of the fleet as a whole.

    Admiral Gilday went on to elaborate on the shortcomings of the vessel and its non-utility for the US Navy — a precedent that has been widely known and acknowledged by the service and politicians alike over the last few years.

    The Freedom-class LCSs’ “warfighting value” was eventually determined by concerns with its long-in-development anti-submarine warfare (ASW) suite, according to Admiral Gilday. He said that the ASW equipment designed to ‘plug into’ Freedom-class ships is “just ineffective.”

    Furthermore, the LCS program has been a non-starter in several ways apart from its inability to counter hostile submarines. There have been several recorded instances of the ship breaking down, one of the most famous ones occurring in 2020 when the USS Detroit broke down in South American waters due to a propulsion system failure.

     

    The Freedom-class has suffered several well-publicized mechanical breakdowns, including problems with the propulsion system and the highly complicated “combining gear,” according to The War Zone. In the case of the propulsion system, the US Navy stated last year that it would take years to remedy the problem across the Freedom-class ships, with accompanying costs in the tens of millions of dollars per ship.

     

     

    Furthermore, the over-the-horizon anti-ship missile that served as its “main battery” for surface combat was retired a decade ago.

    Who Will Buy The ‘Disappointing’ LCS From The US?

    Taiwan has been considering the acquisition of the soon-to-be-retired littoral combat ships (LCS) from the US Navy, Deputy Defense Minister Alex Poe had said in April this year. Besides, it had also expressed interest in buying the decommissioned US Warship USS Independence, an LCS with just 11 years of service record.

    Taiwan requires hulls to compete with China’s significant fleet size advantage, which continues to expand. The Littoral Combat Ships could be a good fit for the littoral warfighting environment that it is likely to experience. Taiwan has already made it known that it intends to employ asymmetric warfare against China.

    Taiwan is already testing anti-ship missiles on several of its high-speed Coast Guard ships. Compared to the ships used by Taiwan for the purpose, the Freedom-class would be a significant improvement. It’s feasible that they could become useful assets for Taiwan if the price was appropriate, especially since they’d be deployed on shorter missions close to home.

    2022 06 03 20 0ju2
    2022 06 03 20 0ju2

    However, all of this is contingent on the reliability of the ship, which has been abysmal. Furthermore, potential buyers of Freedom-class LCS in South America or elsewhere would be required to cover the exorbitant costs of simply operating these ships, which are, by any measure, exceedingly costly to operate.

    Furthermore, with no capacity to deploy anti-submarine capabilities, other mission packages in limbo, and a lack of capabilities in other core mission areas, the Freedom-class LCS delivers low operational value relative to the high operating expenses.

    So, while the Navy Chief’s suggestion to the Committee could be worth pondering over, there needs to be a detailed plan chalked out by the Navy Chief to make the vessel’s purchase seem like a profitable venture even to already interested buyers.

    Chicago Saturday In The Park / 25 Or 6 To 4 Live at Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

    Ah. What great memories.

    Now You Can Touch A Niceballs To Relieve The Stress At Work

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    Neil Young – Harvest Moon (unplugged)

    I am a long-time Neil Young fan from way, way back.

    Europol and CIA operate data mining in the SWIFT system

    European data from the SWIFT financial transaction system has been supplied in bulk by Europol to the US Treasury Department for data mining for years. This data ended up with the CIA.

    By Erich Moechel

    The plans of the EU Commission and the Council of Ministers for Europol to use data mining to monitor mass chats, online forums and e-mail boxes have caused an enormous stir. The fact that became known at the same time that Europol is constantly supplying massive data sets from the European SWIFT financial transaction system to the CIA for data mining has so far gone unnoticed by the public.

    Two official reports to the US Congress, available to ORF.at, reveal the amount of data that flows into the USA and the rules governing this transatlantic data mining partnership.

    2022 06 09 09 28
    2022 06 09 09 28

    The first document on the subject from the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) dates from November 2020. The PCLOB is an independent body in the US Congress that examines new laws and the implementation of projects already passed for possible violations of fundamental and civil rights. At the time of writing this report, the PCLOB was also unaware of the existence of a parallel CIA data mining program for European financial data.

    The SWIFT scandal and its aftermath

    The data transfers from Europol to the USA are based on the so-called “Terrorist Finance Tracking” agreement between the EU and the USA from 2009. Before that, the CIA had been systematically dealing with huge amounts of data from the SWIFT data center in Culpeper since 2001 , Virginia Self Serviced. Until then, all European transactions had also been mirrored at the SWIFT location in Culpeper. After this scandal broke out in 2006, the European SWIFT data was only processed and stored in the data center in Zoeterwoude (Netherlands) and since 2013 also at the new location in Diessenhofen (Switzerland).

    Since the signing of the TFTP agreement in 2009, data from the European SWIFT system has been supplied to the US by Europol, officially to the US Treasury, the US Treasury Department. The algorithms of the same AI applications that the US authorities use to sift through their own foreign payment transactions at SWIFT’s US headquarters in Culpeper were then unleashed on these data volumes from Europe. The results were then also sent to the customer, Europol, and in some cases also to national authorities in the EU area. That was the state of affairs until November 2020, and even the PCLOB, as the responsible supervisory authority, was not yet aware that copies of these massive amounts of data from Europe had been sent to the Central Intelligence Agency since 2016 at the latest.

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    2022 06 09 09 29

    “More than 40 percent of all searches under the TFTP program are based on inquiries from Europol or EU member states, according to the PCLOB report from the end of 2020. Since the start of the program, 2,750 reports have been sent to Europe, in addition to the report It also includes all datasets that are in any way related to the report.”As far as European data is concerned, the Treasury Department is acting as a de facto outsourced provider to the EU and its governments,” the PCLOB said.

    The ominous data sets from third countries

    Because Europol itself did not have the license for data mining, European financial transactions in third countries were delivered in bulk to the US Treasury Department for data mining. That should be different now, because at the end of January the European data protection officer ordered that Europol had to delete petabytes of stored data sets. Some of this “bulk data” comes from the national police data collections, since Europol is a service provider for European police authorities in the field of databases and information systems. However, this is a long way from reaching volumes in the petabyte range.

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    2022 06 09 09 2c9

    So most of it must come from third parties that constantly produce huge amounts of data, and the SWIFT system is of course the first candidate. The ominous “data records from third countries”, which are expressly mentioned several times in the documents accompanying the new Europol regulation and make up a large part of the data, should therefore largely be the transfers from foreign banks to accounts in the EU area. The entire SWIFT system processes 40 million such transactions every day, but these are not individual transfers but bulk interbank accounts that include all such individual transfers of funds or securities.

    More HERE

    Zero Fucks Coins Allow You To Literally Give Zero Fucks

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    What Russia Has To Do After Russia Wins

    One of the best from Gonzalo Lira.
    .

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 5

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

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    Global Mercy, Lagash, the Lost City of Mesopotamia, Ukraine, Western madness, and lots and lots of cats

    I am pretty well convinced that the alternative media, and their viewers are completely convinced that the Western “leadership” are bat-shit crazy. And the sad things about this, is that the “leadership” doesn’t have a single clue as to how insane they are. Well, today we will skim through the “news” and take a view of other marginal subjects to put a smile on our collective faces, and cause us to muse about our shared pasts.

    Have fun, you all.

    Earliest Social Drinking Evidence in the Middle East Found in Israel

    Israeli
    Israeli

    Israeli archaeologists working at the Tel Tsaf site in the Jordan valley have discovered the earliest evidence of social drinking in the Middle East, dating to 5000 BC. Source:  Nejron Photo  / Adobe Stock

    Social drinking history in the Middle East has been rewritten with finds at Tel Tsaf, Israel. According to the  Times of Israel  , Israeli archaeologists have found the first evidence of social drinking in the Middle East from a 7,000-year-old settlement site in Jordan Valley. Archaeologists from the University of Haifa came to this conclusion after finding the remains of cereal grains used to produce alcohol in ancient pottery at the ancient site located in the central Jordan Valley.

    According to Rosenberg, the Tel Tsaf find is very exciting because it is one of the few known  Chalcolithic sites  in the region, a period of transition from small, undifferentiated agricultural communities to larger, more complex ones that became urban settlements.

    “We can imagine Tsaf’s developing community holding largescale events in which large quantities of food and beer are consumed in a social context — and not just in a ceremonial context, ” said Rosenberg.

    Read more HERE

    Baby Lion Playing With Autumn Leaves

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    An adorable 11-week old lion cub named Karis had a very exciting day playing in a pile of autumn leaves that her keeper swept into her enclosure at the Blair Drummond Safari and Adventure Park in Scotland. This proved to be a very wise decision on her keeper’s part, as she seems to have had the time of her life frolicking around in the pile of leaves.

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    ​​​​​​​Axon Halts Stun-Gun Drone Project After Exodus Of Ethics Board

    Tuesday, Jun 07, 2022 – 10:40 AM

    Taser-maker Axon Enterprise Inc. says it will “pause” stun-gun-equipped drone development for schools after some members of its ethics advisory board resigned.

    Last Thursday, Axon announced stun-gun-equipped drones and artificial intelligence-powered surveillance systems for schools following the tragic May 24 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Hours after the release, the company’s AI Ethics Advisory Board released a statement specifying it instructed the company to limit a pilot program for the taser drone, only to be used by police. The board said a majority voted against moving forward with the project.

    2022 06 07 15 19
    2022 06 07 15 19

    “However, in light of feedback, we are pausing work on this project and refocusing to further engage with key constituencies to fully explore the best path forward,” Chief Executive Rick Smith said in a press release on Sunday.

    "It is unfortunate that some members of Axon's ethics advisory panel have chosen to withdraw from directly engaging on these issues before we heard or had a chance to address their technical questions. We respect their choice and will continue to seek diverse perspectives to challenge our thinking and help guide other technology options that we should be considering," Smith continued.

    One of the ethics board members, Wael Abd-Almageed, told Reuters he and eight members resigned from the 12-member panel. He said many on the board had significant concerns the drone could be used beyond schools and “exacerbate racial injustice, undermine privacy through surveillance and become more lethal if other weapons were added.”

    "What we have right now is just dangerous and irresponsible, and it's not very well thought of and it will have negative societal consequences," he said.

    Axon, formerly known as Taser, sells body-worn cameras and policing software to most police departments across the country.

    As for now, Axon appears to have shelved the taser drone but shows the dystopic technology coming down the pipe that could be misused by law enforcement and or government agencies against the American people.

    Birch Bark Letters Found in Russia are an Ancient Time Capsule

    Birch 0
    Birch 0

    Birch bark letter no. 497, (c. 1340 – 1390 AD) also discovered in Veliky Novgorod . (  Public domain  )

    Researchers excavating an estate dating back to the 12th and 15th century, have discovered a complete birch bark letter in the historic city center of Veliky Novgorod in north-western Russia. The letter was well-preserved thanks to the waterlogged clay soil in which it lay since the 12th century and adds to previous knowledge garnered from other birch bark letters found in the area.

    More than 1,000 birch bark texts written on bark between 11 th and 15 th centuries have been found to date. They have been immensely significant in changing traditional ideas about literacy rates in ancient Russia, opening a new page in the study of the Russian language, and shedding light on early northern  Russian culture.

    Most of the  letters deal with everyday usage, business and personal correspondence, such as instructions, complaints, contracts, news, reminders, and study exercises. They touch on family life and household management, trade and finance, crimes and legal proceedings, travel, military expeditions, and various other types of material, all of which reveal an enormous amount of details of medieval northern Russian life.

    Read more HERE

    Siberian Farm Cats Are Waiting For Spring To Come In Marvelous Photos By Alla Lebedeva

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    Alla loves nothing more than taking pictures of her beloved pets – and it seems the world can’t get enough of them either.

    Siberian farmer Alla Lebedeva loves seeing pictures of her pet cats, but it seems the world does too. Unbeknown to her, photographs she has taken of her litter have been reproduced on social media websites with some turned into humorous jokes.

    “A couple of years ago I noticed that my pictures had gone viral,” said Alla. “At first I spotted my photos on some website about Norwegian cats – they used my pics twice, without any credit – and now they are going around the world as ‘Norwegian cats’.”

    Alla lives with her husband Sergey on a farm in the settlement of Prigorodny, on the outskirts of Barnaul in western Siberia.

    They have raised cats for more than a decade, with their first pet, Babushka, becoming the ancestress for the rest of the ever-growing litter. She gave birth to five ginger kittens in 2004 and now the couple’s home is overrun with their furry friends.

    Even Alla herself jokes that they live in a Koshlandia (land of cats).

    She said: “How many do we have now? To such a question I usually answer ‘a million, maybe more’. They live in the henhouse, and sleep on the polati, and they have three ‘little bedrooms’ there where can they sleep according to how they feel. Our cats protect the chickens and rabbits from rats and mice.”

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    Ukrainian military: “Our enemy is not Russia, but Zelensky!”

    Ukrainian military: “Our enemy is not Russia, but Zelensky!”
    
    Soldiers and officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who were captured sent a video message to their "commander in chief"
    
    Igor Yakunin
    
    ...
    
    Immediately, dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war recorded a video message to Vladimir Zelensky (see our website KP.RU ). A one-minute video in which each of the recaptured Ukrainian soldiers says only one phrase. But the words add up to an accusation against the President of Ukraine.
    
    This, of course, must be seen - young and old, well-fed and exhausted, with bruises and with the faces of rested models. Various. But to the camera they say in unison:
    
    - Volodymyr Zelensky. People are turning to you. Soldiers and officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Who you left to die Like cannon fodder. You tricked us into fighting. Fight against your own people. You filled our homeland with corpses. You bombed schools and churches. You took a peaceful life from the Ukrainians. You left us without food. Without clothing. No connection.
    
    Zelensky appears in the frame for a moment and asks:
    
    - Who am I?
    
    The prisoners answer him:
    
    You are a murderer and a rapist. Marauder. Murderer. And a fascist.
    
    The only girl among the male choir says:
    
    - You have no forgiveness. You have ruined our country.
    
    Others echo her:
    
    - You will answer for it. Russia is not our enemy. Our enemy is you!
    
    The good actor Volodymyr Zelensky, who, by the will of fate and the oligarchs, became the leader of Ukraine, had a great chance in life to play the film role he had already played - the president. It was enough for him to give Ukraine a neutral status and implement the Minsk agreements. And guaranteed to avoid war. Yes, by doing so he would have doomed himself to the curse of the nationalists. And he could have lost his chair if he couldn't handle them.
    
    But he would have saved the country, including even the autonomous Donbass in its composition. And most importantly - thousands of lives.
    
    But Zelensky was more expensive chair.
    
    As a result, he reached the pinnacle of his acting career - he is a superstar, opens festivals in Cannes and makes speeches in a khaki T-shirt in front of the European Parliament.
    
    But Ukraine is on fire, millions of refugees, thousands of soldiers are dying and being taken prisoner. At the same time, the neutral status of the country (if it remains) will still have to be accepted - this is already recognized even by Kyiv's allies. And Donbass will never be part of Ukraine. Like, very similar, and a few more regions.
    
    Is it worth all the chairs and applause of Cannes?
    
    No, this is worth the curses of their own soldiers, their own people.
    
    Watch video
    
    Ukrainian military: “Our enemy is not Russia, but Zelensky!”
    Read on WWW.KP.RU: HERE
    .

    Your Show of Shows

    At least half the public is already onto the extravagant damage inflicted on our national life by the beneficiaries of the 2020 election….

    Clusterfuck Nation
    For your reading pleasure Mondays and Fridays

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    The unravelling of the USA gets its summer steroid booster shot this Thursday when the political twerk-fest known as the January 6th Select Committee commences prime-time televising of its inquiry into the so-called “insurrection” the day that Congress met to tally the 2020 electoral college vote when hundreds of protesters entered the US Capitol illegally, egged on and enabled by a squad of FBI plants larded through the crowd, and by shadowy figures inside the building who unlocked the doors for them.

    The objectives of this extravaganza are A) to soften up the remaining “purple” voters before the midterm election, B) to paint former president Donald Trump as an instigator of the uproar and an enemy-of-the-people so he won’t be able to run for office again, and C) to punish former White House employees and Trump partisans with onerous legal fees so as to knock them off the political game board.

    The Party of Chaos certainly doesn’t need to reinforce the mass formation psychosis of its base who maintain that the 2020 election was the fairest-and-squarest in US history. The committee members will chant the talismanic phrase “The Big Lie” ad nauseam to ward off reasonable suspicions that they are the ones doing the lying. Since a kind of maniacal stupidity attends all the party’s doings these days, it could easily backfire on them. Even two years later probes are still pending in several swing states, and only a few weeks ago, the documentary 2000 Mules released time-stamped videocam footage of blatant wholesale drop-box ballot-stuffing around the country.

    Lawsuits filed lately also claim the committee itself is illegally constituted, since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi disallowed (against the rules) the minority Republicans from appointing their own chosen members. Instead, she did it for them, planting the vehemently hostile rogues Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger on it, meaning no witnesses will be called who might refute pertinent details of the “insurrection” narrative already constructed. Much of the testimony presented will be videotaped interviews with Trump White House officials and there will be no accounting for what may be edited out. In other words, you have an obvious setup for a star chamber, a device for disregarding individual rights and fair procedure.

    The context, of course, as I aver above, is a country that is imploding six ways to Sunday — to paraphrase Chuck Schumer, the Party of Chaos’s Senate leader. At least half the public is already onto the extravagant damage inflicted upon our national life by the beneficiaries of the 2020 election. Thanks to “Joe Biden,” the dollar is hemorrhaging value, we instigated a war in Ukraine that will lead to global famine and mass refugee events, oil and natgas are unaffordable thanks to our destabilizing of global distribution networks, spare parts are unavailable for every imaginable machine in the land, the business model for farming is broken, real estate is groaning under rising mortgage interest rates, the CDC is still pushing Covid vaccines despite proof that they are ineffective and harmful, cities are overwhelmed with criminal violence and psychotic homeless drug fiends, and, as a final indignity — actually, an advertisement to the world of our depraved weakness — the US military is hosting drag queen shows at our European air bases.

    Are these the circumstances that American voters are expected to endorse in the November election when all these conditions are liable to get a lot worse? Apparently, the Party of Chaos thinks so, since they’re delivering exactly what they stand for. And yet, they’re clearly nervous about it, as if they suffer fugitive doubts that we-the-people are avid for cultural and economic collapse.

    My advice, then, is to take the televised January 6th hearings for the grand entertainment it’s intended to be. Enjoy the sob stories of the Capitol Police officers pretending to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Behold the terrible “threat to our Democracy” of the bare-chested interloper in a horned helmet chatting-up security guards in the Senate chamber. Note the “insurrectionists” taking seditious selfies in statuary hall and trying to fob off with souvenir furnishings. See Rep. Liz Cheney fulminate with scorn and disgust against her orange nemesis. Sympathize with committee Chair Bennie G. Thompson as he bangs his gavel and cries for order when any live witness utters the name Ashli Babbitt. Watch Rep. Adam Kinzinger turn on the waterworks. Take it all in and ask yourself: who exactly seeks to subvert this republic of ours?

    4,000 Years Ago, Chinese Advances Were Fueled By Mass Beer Production!

    mass beer production
    mass beer production

    What were the important forces and factors that led to notable evolutionary leaps in Chinese culture more than 4,000 years ago? New research identifies one major cultural development that helped initiate high-level civilizational change, and it is an eye-opener. These researchers claim that a significant innovation in brewing technology, which created the possibility for mass beer production, had a profound impact on ancient Chinese peoples, who truly enjoyed the chance to consume this fermented beverage at large-scale public events.

    Red rice beer would have been considered desirable for its flavor, its mind-altering effects, and its “sacred” red tint. A team of scientists from China and the United States published their study in the journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences and it revealed that mass beer production technology led to vigorous trading activity and knowledge exchanges between Neolithic peoples in ancient China, the scientists write in their journal article, and it was this shared excitement about a fermented alcohol product that ultimately helped trigger the birth of dynastic Chinese civilization.

    New social linkages produced by certain cultural practices are the seeds from which larger, more advanced, and more ambitious civilizations can emerge. And mass beer production in China thousands of years ago provided a key ingredient for big gatherings and thus bigger social networks. The ancient Chinese civilization began to grow more cohesive and united starting around the fourth millennium BC, as previous divisions were countered by various centralizing forces and factors.

    These circumstances set the stage for the ascension of China’s first ruling dynasty, the Xia Dynasty founded by Yu the Great around 2070 BC. Xia Dynasty leaders were able to rule effectively in a country that was now sharing a stronger sense of unified purpose and identity. And mass beer production was instrumental in this evolutionary leap forward in China about 4,000 years ago.

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    2022 06 07 16 30

    Dakougang vessels examined in the study, which led to the conclusion that mass beer production capabilities had a profound effect on Chinese development starting about 4,000 years ago. ( Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences )

    From Mass Beer Production to Unifying New Feast Networks

    Alcohol fermentation as a science was discovered in China at least 9,000 years ago. A Dartmouth College study published in 2021 showed that ceremonial drinking vessels excavated from an ancient burial site at Qiaotou in China’s Zhejiang province contained the preserved traces of red rice beer, confirming that this drink in particular had been consumed for a very long time.

    It took a few thousand years for the knowledge of how to make alcohol to spread more widely. The influence of mass beer production and consumption in ancient China created the conditions for meaningful “mass” cultural exchange and knowledge transfer to evolve rapidly.

    The Chinese Dawenkou culture , which was built by settlers in the area of modern-day Shandong province in eastern China between 4,600 and 6,700 years ago, created the fermentation recipe and methodology that facilitated mass beer production. They made their distinctive red rice beer in large clay basins known as dakougangs, which represented a major leap forward in alcohol-making technology. It was this technology that was the focus of the new study, which attempted to learn exactly how the dakougangs had been used and for how long.

    “Dakougangs were not made in every settlement but were mainly found in large elite burials ,” study co-author Li Liu, a professor in Chinese archaeology at Stanford University, told the South China Morning Post . “It is not clear exactly where dakougangs were made, how they were distributed or if they were traded as commercial items.”

    At that time, elites competed for recognition in part by throwing gigantic community feasts. Red rice beer, a specialized product believed to have sacred qualities, would have been highly coveted at such feasts, And consequently dakougang-style fermentation technology would have been in high demand as knowledge of it spread rapidly westward along growing trade networks.

    “Individuals who could provide large quantities of such beverages would have been more competitive for status and prestige in the community,” the authors wrote in their Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences article. “Particularly if the drinks were of an exotic type.”

    The dakougangs would have been placed out in the open during feasts and other public events. They would have been filled with enough red rice beer to keep the good spirits flowing all day long.

    “Feasts could have fostered an element of solidarity among participants, signaled various kinds of information to participants and the broader community, and enhanced prestige of the hosts,” Professor Liu wrote in a separate article on the subject in 2021.

    2022 06 07 16 31
    2022 06 07 16 31

    These vessels found at the Yuchisi site, Anhui province, China were analyzed in the mass beer production technology study . ( Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences )

    New Study Proves Chinese Dakougangs Held Fermented Elixir

    Chinese civilization six thousand years ago was altered by the development of what scholars refer to as an “interaction sphere.” The term was coined by archaeology professor Kwang—chih Chang in the 1980s, and it described a unique period where formerly separate societies were becoming more complex, layered, and interactive as they began to gradually form a more collective mindset.

    In their Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences study, the scientists identify the interaction sphere as a period starting in the fourth millennium BC when Neolithic cultures in China “experienced increased transregional interactions, characterized by artifacts with striking similarities being distributed over an unprecedentedly large area, including certain forms of ceramic vessels .” These vessels were the dakougangs, which had been unearthed during excavations of elite burials in all parts of the country.

    Previous to this new study, the actual purpose of the 16-28-inch (40-70-centimeter) tall dakougangs had eluded scholars. To determine how they were actually used, the scientists analyzed microfossil remains of fungi, starch, and phytoliths found in recovered dakougangs and from jars and cups removed during excavations at the late Dawenkou culture site of Yuchisi in Anhui province .

    These tests revealed the large basins and the drinking vessels had in fact contained a fermented beverage. This beverage was eventually identified as red rice beer, which would have been manufactured from an eclectic mixture of rice, millet, Job’s tears, Triticeae and snake’s gourd root. A fermentation starter named qu would have been created from a mold known as monascus, and this substance is still used to make this type of drink today.

    It was the monascus that gave the potent alcoholic beverage its red tint. This tint was seen as metaphysically important because of its resemblance to the color of blood.

    “The symbolic implication of red color associated with the seemingly magical transformation from cereal to alcohol, as well as the psychoactive effect of the beverage, may have contributed to the importance of red rice beer, which probably was regarded as a sacred substance,” the paper co-authors wrote.

    This would have been yet another reason why status-conscious elites across the country would have been interested in learning the secrets of mass beer production.

    China’s Elite-Centered Culture Was Strengthened by Beer!

    Ultimately, a shared interest in this beverage helped forge culturally unifying links between different peoples. But within the context of these broader alliances social stratification remained a very real thing, as the privilege of making this sacred drink was reserved by the elites.

    The community could enjoy mass produced alcohol during feasts. But common citizens wouldn’t have been granted the right to brew it on their own. People would have enjoyed attending the celebratory feasts of local elites, but they would not have been in a position to sponsor such feasts themselves.

    Mass beer production would have been useful as a way to increase power among the already powerful, and as a result monopolies over its mass production would have been zealously sought by the wealthy and the status-conscious in every region of the country.

    Americans ‘Deeply Pessimistic’ About US Economy, Inflation

    Tuesday, Jun 07, 2022 – 09:20 AM

    Last week President Biden insisted that “more Americans feel financially comfortable” since he took office.

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    2022 06 07 15 21

    Yet, according to a new poll, 83% of Americans are pessimistic about the US economy – describing it as “poor or not so good,” while 35% say they aren’t satisfied with their financial situation – the highest level of dissatisfaction in the 50 years since the Wall Street Journal-NORC (University of Chicago) poll began.

    The survey found Americans in a sour mood and registering some of the highest levels of economic dissatisfaction in years. The pessimism extended beyond the current economy to include doubts about the nation’s political system, its role as a global leader and its ability to help most people achieve the American dream. -WSJ

    The Journal frames sentiment as “deeply pessimistic,” and says Americans view the nation as sharply divided over its most important values.

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    2022 06 07 15 22

    Only 27% of the 1,071 adults polled say they have a good chance of improving their standard of living – a 20% drop from last year, while 46% said they don’t.

    Meanwhile, 38% said their financial situation had gotten worse in the past few years – marking the second time since the 2007-2009 recession that more than 30% of respondents said their finances were worse off, according to 50 years of data.

    Some 60% said they were pessimistic about the ability for most people to achieve the American dream.

    “The promise was this was a place where what you were born into did not determine who you could be. But I think we’ve failed deeply at that,” said Julie Olsen Edwards, an 83-year-old Soquel, Calif., retired community college teacher. “I find myself choking up saying it.”

    What’s driving the results? Inflation, of course.

    The survey results show that high inflation in particular is driving the dim economic outlook, said Jennifer Benz, vice president of public affairs and media research at NORC. Inflation is running at close to its fastest pace in four decades, at an 8.3% annual rate in April, one of several factors weighing on consumers. Households are digging into savings to support their spending, the Commerce Department has said, and the S&P 500 nearly closed in bear territory recently. -WSJ

    The poll does have a bright spot – namely the labor market, with the unemployment rate close to a multi-decade low at 3.6%. Around 2/3 of those polled said it would be ‘somewhat or very easy’ to find a new job with around the same income and benefits – the highest % since 1977.

    That said, the overall results of the poll suggest that Democrats ‘face a dispirited electorate heading into November’s elections,’ as respondents’ despondent view of things suggests that ‘a connective tissue of pessimism underlies Americans’ economic and social attitudes.”

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    2022 06 07 15 23

    According to the poll, 86% said that Americans are ‘greatly divided’ when it comes to key values, while over half said they expect the divisions to worsen over the next five years.

    “I’m angry,” said Robert Benda, a 69-year-old retired telecommunications worker who lives in Berthoud, Colo., who says freedom is the most important American value, which Democrats controlling Washington are trying to take away.

    Our government is doing what’s right for their special-interest groups, and everybody else be damned.”

    A Great White Shark Preserved In Formaldehyde In An Abandoned Wildlife Park

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    Rosie the Shark is a Great White Shark that was preserved in a tank filled with formaldehyde originally on display at the wildlife park called Wildlife Wonderland in Bass, Victoria which ceased business in 2012 due to animal welfare concerns and operating without appropriate licences.

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    Crystal World & Prehistoric Journeys director Tom Kapitany moved the shark to Crystal World in 2019 in response to trespassers of the derelict wildlife park vandalising the sharks vitrine, raising concerns of a potential biohazard.

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    The great white shark was humanely killed after becoming caught in the Lukin family’s tuna fishing nets on the coasts of South Australia in 1998. Seal Rocks Sea Life Centre initially showed interest in purchasing the shark from the Lukin family, but later decided against the purchase with Wildlife Wonderland purchasing the great white.

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    As the shark was being transported to Wildlife Wonderland in Victoria, frozen in a refrigerated truck, it was impounded by the Government of South Australia because a woman had been reported missing, requiring an autopsy of the shark at the South Australian Museum. Following the autopsy, the great white shark was stuffed with dacron and preserved in a formaldehyde solution in a custom built tank.

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    Founder of Wildlife Wonderland John Matthews recalled the operation of ownership as “It was a huge logistical operation, working with Melbourne Museum, and all up cost us about $500,000,” and further stating “We had to build a purpose-built room and the roof had to be removed and the shark craned in and put into a new, sealed tank.”

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    In 2012, Wildlife Wonderland were reported to have been operating their business without appropriate licenses, forcing the wildlife park to cease business and surrender all animals to RSPCA Australia and the Department of Sustainability and Environment Victoria.

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    7 43

    In November 2018, a video released on Youtube by urban explorer Luke McPherson showed inside the decaying wildlife park and later stumbling upon the shark tank. Months after, the Youtube video gained millions of views, prompting a rise in trespassing into the property to view the shark, with vandals also damaging and graffitiing the tank and its surroundings.

    1,000-Year-Old Chamber Burial on Polish Island Reveals Rare Treasures

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    Rare 0

    Rare amber ring found in a 1,000-year-old grave in Poland. Source:  Jerzy Sikora

    A 1,000-year-old grave on a remote island in northern Poland has been found to be richly furnished with grave goods, some of them extremely rare. Two amber rings, a bronze bowl, an iron knife in a leather holder and bronze buckles were found in the grave of a man near the village of Ostrowite, who lived between the 11th and 12th centuries, reports  The First News  .

    This is not the first time that ancient burials have been unearthed at the site at Ostrowite, which lies in Poland’s Pomeranian Voivodeship. Two burials with bronze bowls were found earlier, one in 2007 by a farmer working in his field and another by archaeologists in 2010. As fragments of bronze bowls continued to be found throughout the site, archaeologists decided to work with volunteer teams with metal detectors to pinpoint where to dig for other graves in 2020 and 2021.

    Dr. Jerzy Sikora from the University of Łódź, who has been leading the excavations at Ostrowite for years, said: “The deceased was most likely a representative of one of the  local Pomeranian elites.”

    Read more HERE

    Ukrainians, retreating, burn wheat

    Ukrainians, retreating, burn wheat
    Yan Gagin, an adviser to the head of the government of the DPR, said that Ukrainian troops burned tons of grain during the fighting, which was in the storage facilities of the Mariupol seaport. 
    
    As Gagin stated, “the enemy, retreating from the port, set fire to the granaries so that this grain would not go to the forces of the DPR.” 
    
    Moreover, "they extinguished it for several days, but to no avail." 
    
    And now wheat and corn are scattered in large quantities over the territory near the granaries, the smell of rot and burning is in the air. 
    
    When fully loaded, the storage could hold 57,000 tons. Bread show off, senseless and merciless. 
    Read on WWW.KP.RU: HERE

    NATO Countries Surrounding Serbia Blocked Russian FM’s Plane In “Hostile Action”

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    Tuesday, Jun 07, 2022 – 01:24 AM

    The Kremlin has denounced fresh airspace closures by three eastern European countries which blocked a top level Russian diplomatic flight as a “hostile action” in Monday statements.

    Russian Foreign Ministry Sergey Lavrov was set to fly Sunday for an official trip to Serbia, but his plane was blocked by the countries surrounding Serbia, which includes Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Montenegro. All three countries, including the tiny Serb breakaway nation of Montenegro, are NATO members.

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    2022 06 07 15 36

    IL-96 plane of the Russian presidential administration’s airline. Via Reuters

    Lavrov in follow-up called the move “unprecedented” and “unthinkable” – with a separate statement from Putin’s office saying such actions thwart essential diplomatic communications and contacts.

    “There were a lot of questions from the media last night and this morning regarding our reaction to the unprecedented decisions taken by some NATO member states and the decisions that prevented the Russian Foreign Minister from visiting the Republic of Serbia. The unthinkable has happened, of course; I understand the interest you are showing in our assessment of these outrageous actions,” Lavrov stated.

    “What has happened is basically a deprivation of a sovereign state’s right to conduct foreign policy. Serbia’s international activity is blocked, at least for the moment in the direction of Russia,” the top Russian diplomat emphasized.

    He added: “We are not going to beat around the bush here. This is another very clear and instructive demonstration of the extent to which NATO and the EU can go to use the most lowbrow ways to influence those who are guided by national interests and not ready to sacrifice their principles, their dignity in favor of the very rules that the West imposes instead of international law,” according to TASS.

    And separately a statement from Dmitry Peskov said “such actions could cause problems with the timing of high-level diplomatic meetings. But they would not prevent Moscow from maintaining contacts with friendly countries.”

    Additionally, foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova slammed the move as “another closed channel of communication” – in reference to ongoing tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats between Russia and the EU particularly.

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    2022 06 07 15 37

    But perhaps the most interesting comments came from Serbia. It should be recalled that during NATO’s 1999 bombing campaign of Yugoslavia under then US President Bill Clinton, Russia was Belgrade’s foremost ally in condemning the US-Western action. In response to Lavrov’s plane being blocked,  Serbia’s interior minister, Aleksandar Vulin, called it an “obstruction” of “a great and proven friend of Serbia.”

    “A world in which diplomats cannot seek peace is a world in which there is no peace. Those who prevented the arrival of Sergei Lavrov do not want peace, they dream of defeating Russia,” Vulin said. He added: “Serbia is proud that it is not part of the anti-Russian hysteria, and the countries that are, will have time to be ashamed.”

    The Kremlin later confirmed the trip has been canceled after the overnight airspace blockage. Within the first week of the Feb.24 Russian invasion of Ukraine, a number of European countries moved to preemptively close airspace to all Russian flights, including commercial traffic.

    Kitty Cat video of the day

    A nice rescue story.

    Slow-Cooker Italian Shredded Beef Hoagies

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    905c4cda 715d 45fb 8c36 e77454e8b9d6

    Ingredients

    • 2-lb beef boneless arm roast, trimmed of fat
    • 2 medium onions, sliced
    • 1 can (14.5 oz) Italian-seasoned diced tomatoes, undrained
    • 1/4 cup tomato paste
    • 8 hoagie buns, toasted if desired
    • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz)

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    2022 06 04 14 50

    Japanese Art Student’s Graduation Project Is A Lineup Of Cats Adorably Asking You For High Fives

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    1 81

    Japanese sculptor Sakura Hanafusa expertly crafted one that all cat lovers would love in their home. A lineup of seven cats extending their paws to high five you after you come home.

    Hanafusa made the sculptures as her graduation project from art university in 2016, and writes on Twitter that she “wanted to make a piece that people not only looked at and enjoyed, but could have fun interacting with.” She certainly did that with the project, titled “High-Seven” (seven cats, seven high fives, of course). Each cat is carved individually from camphor wood and oil painted, and in an interview with Yahoo News, Hanafusa says she modeled the individual expressions of 6 of the cats after a her family cats, and 1 after a friend’s.

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    The United States Moves To Seize 2 Luxury Jets From Roman Abramovich Valued North Of $400 Million

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    Tuesday, Jun 07, 2022 – 08:00 AM

    On Monday the US moved to seize two luxury private jets from Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. It marks one of the greatest single attempted seizures of a Russian oligarch’s personal assets in the wake of the Putin-ordered military invasion of Ukraine, at a total value north of $400 million.

    “U.S. authorities moved Monday to seize two luxury jets — a $60 million Gulfstream and a $350 million aircraft believed to be one of the world’s most expensive private airplanes — after linking both to Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich,” The Associated Press reports. One of the planes reportedly has an elaborate paper trail which attempted to shield and obscure Abramovich’s ownership, the DOJ investigators uncovered.

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    2022 06 07 15 27

    Illustrative: example of an interior room on a custom Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

    Before it underwent lavish upgrades and customizations, the initial value of his giant Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, currently believed to be parked in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was less than $100 million. While it perhaps could be easier for the much smaller Gulfstream to evade the long arm of US law, the Boeing Dreamliner is without doubt too big to hide, unless it makes its way to Russia.

    The warrant, signed by a federal magistrate judge Monday, indicates the aircraft are in violation of US sanctions given they were moved within a designated time period after sanctions took effect but without a US exemption license.

    “In explaining the move to seize the planes, an FBI agent wrote in an affidavit that the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft and the Gulfstream G650ER plane are subject to seizure because they have been moved between March 4 and March 15 without licenses being obtained in violation of sanctions placed against Russia,” AP explains.

    “According to the affidavit, Abramovich controlled the Gulfstream through a series of shell companies. The plane, it said, is believed to have been in Moscow since March 15,” the report added.

    And according to a profile last year of Abramovich’s huge Dreamliner in Forbes Russia, “For personal needs, such huge aircraft are used very rarely” and often the aviation industries of entire countries don’t have one.

    The Dec.2021 profile detailed:

    The Dreamliner, which Abramovich bought, was built in June 2015 for private Swiss airline Privateair but was never handed over to him. In 2019, its equipment began in accordance with the requests of the Russian billionaire. The plane reportedly can to carry up to 50 passengers: 10 seats are provided for security, 10 for staff and 30 for guests, says a Forbes source in the aviation market. 
    
    The flight range of the "dreamliner" is 18,418 km (with 25 passengers on board), the cabin area is 224.4 sq.m. The operator of the new vessel is the same as the previous one, owned by Abramovich - Global Jet Concept. At the same time, unlike its previous Boeing 767 aircraft, which received the code name "Bandit" due to the black "mask" on the cockpit windows, the new vessel is painted with extreme restraint. “It’s fashionable now – it helps to attract less attention,” the source explains.

    Given his high visibility in the West, it’s perhaps not a surprise that Abramovich’s assets (which, until very recently, included Chelsea Football Club, the popular English Premier League team which he recently placed in the hands of a trust ahead of a sale) have been the focus of particular attention.

    2022 06 07 15 28
    2022 06 07 15 28

    According to a recent FT report, he has at least five mega-yachts worth a combined total of about $1 billion. Two of the most expensive ones ended up in Turkey after fleeing European sanctions. At least one is believed to be in Montenegro.

    World’s Largest Floating Hospital, Built In China & Designed By European Contractors, Makes African Debut

    Even as geopolitical fault lines become stark due to tensions between China and the Western world, their noble collaboration in building the world’s largest civilian hospital ship aimed at helping the poor is nothing short of a silver lining.

    The ship ‘Global Mercy,’ the largest civilian hospital ship in the world, made its African debut on May 27 in Dakar, where it will train health personnel for four weeks, Chinese media CGTN reported.

    It is the latest entrant to the Mercy Ship Charity program that operates the largest non-governmental hospital ship in the world.

    The massive ship, constructed at the Tianjin Xingang shipyard of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) in northern China, had many sub-contractors involved in the project, including from Europe, America, and the wider Asian region.

    The ship is 174 meters long and 28.6 meters broad and has about 12 decks. It will remain in Senegal’s capital until June end before returning in 2023 to serve disadvantaged and poor people with surgical care.

    Global Mercy is Mercy Ships’ second vessel of its kind, set to join Africa Mercy serving in Africa since 2007.

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    2022 06 03 18 55
    Senegalese President Macky Sall welcomed the Global Mercy on May 30 at a ceremony attended by Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo and Comoros President Azali Assoumani.

    The arrival of the giant ship coincides with the latest tragedy that has rocked the country and exposed the flaws in the tits health care system, crushed under the weight of pandemic-induced distress.

    On May 25, eleven newborns were charred to death in a fire at a public hospital in Tivaouane noted Africa News.

    The crew onboard the ship plans to train 260 Senegalese health professionals during their stay in Senegal, alongside the crew of the Africa Mercy, which has been at the port of Dakar since February and plans to stay at least till November, performing surgeries on board.

    The Global Mercy will then return to the Canary Islands at the end of June for a “complete and final dressing of the ship.”

    Mercy Ships will make a come-back in early 2023 to provide training and surgery in areas such as maxillofacial and reconstructive surgery, tumor removal, cleft lip and palate repair, obstetric fistula repair, and more.

    Global Mercy — A Feather In CSSC’s Cap

    The complex vessel’s design, contracting, and construction oversight have all been handled by Stena RoRo, a company based out of Sweden.

    “We have applied one of our concepts on a ship from the RoPax-class, which are passenger and freighter vessels for international voyages, and modified her into a pure passenger ship with hospital capabilities,” said Per Westling, CEO of Stena RoRo AB.

    “Instead of a card deck, we’ve built operating rooms and hospital wards. The ship will have space for about 950 persons with everything needed for both patients and those who work onboard, including grade schools and nursery schools for the children of staff.”

    The role of the Chinese Ship Building Industry also comes into the focus, which was the ‘chosen one’ for building the world’s largest civilian hospital ship, despite the involvement of other subcontractors.

    China’s commercial shipbuilding industry — the largest in the world — has been engaged in the construction of ships along its shoreline for years. It has also acquired the capital and technological know-how to construct increasingly sophisticated models of all types of naval ships through foreign contracts over the years that it has been engaged in expanding its industry.

    “For a few years now, our team has consisted of up to 16 members, stationed at the Tianjin Xingang shipyard,” said Stena project leader and site manager Rikard Olsson, who has been working on the project in China since 2016.

    “For this shipyard, this is the first time this kind of ship, which can be compared to a cruise ship, has been built. We have worked hard to meet the required standard and everything has gone very well”, Maritime Executive reported.

    After several years of construction in Xinjiang, the mammoth ship completed its sea trials in May last year. In Sub-Saharan Africa, more than 93 percent of the population lacks access to quality surgical treatment, and the coronavirus pandemic has put local resources under strain. A civilian hospital ship with advanced features could thus fill the vacuum tremendously.

    Global Mercy

    The Global Mercy hospital covers about 7,000 square meters and includes “six operating theatres, 102 acute care beds, seven intensive care beds, and 90 convalescent beds,” according to a statement from Mercy Ships, which works relentlessly to improve access to health care in developing countries in Africa.

    The project began in 2013 with Stena RoRo, a Swedish shipping company, in charge of the project’s design, contracting, and execution.

    The broker was French Barry Rogliano Salles, BRS, the detailed design was done by Finnish Deltamarin, and the ship was built in China at the Tianjin Xingang shipyard. The Global Mercy will sail under the Maltese flag and operate along the African coast.

    Six operating theaters, 200 hospital beds, a laboratory, a patient clinic, and an eye and dental clinic are all available at the Global Mercy. The ship will have a total capacity of 950 persons, including 640 crew members.

    The ventilation system has been specifically tailored, with an emphasis on reducing vibration and noise. Since the ship would be in port for long periods, enormous cranes have been installed to allow it to take on containers containing provisions, vehicles, and other equipment. Four Wärtsilä 32 engines will power the vessel.

    Amid news of global animosity flooding the internet every day, an international collaboration for providing health care to the needy is a rather welcome development.

    Lagash, the Lost City of Mesopotamia

    Eagle 1
    Eagle 1

    ‘Eagle of Lagash’ symbol found on votive bas relief of Dudu in the Louvre Museum. Source: Louvre Museum /   CC BY-SA 2.0

    The historic region of Mesopotamia has been long regarded as one of the original cradles of civilization. Defined by the bountiful Tigris and Euphrates rivers, Mesopotamia gave birth to some truly prosperous and groundbreaking early civilizations. The foremost of these was the civilization of Sumer, well remembered for its revolutionary inventions, such as the early writing system. Sumerians were truly unique, and were defined by their powerful city-states that often competed for power and wealth. One of the most prominent of these city states was centered on the town of  Lagash, a major and influential player in the politics and economy of Sumer.

    Lagash had a long and diverse history, but eventually was lost to the passing of time. What little of it remains today is a true Pandora’s box for archaeologists. Excavations have yielded numerous significant finds and an important insight into the rich history of both Lagash, and the Sumerian civilization on the whole.

    Read more HERE

    MEDVEDEV TELLS UKRAINE TO CUT BACK ON COCAINE AND TO NEGOTIATE BEFORE IT LOSES SOVEREIGNTY

    Dmitry Medvedev has become one of the most hardcore Russian politicians.  The former President of Russia and now Deputy Chairman of the National Security Council told Ukraine leaders to stop using Cocaine and start negotiating.

    In the brief video below, Medvedev says: Ukraine risks losing its sovereignty if it continues refusing to negotiate on Moscow’s terms. He also advised authorities in Kiev to cut back on cocaine use and approach key decisions with a sober mind.

    Super-Easy Chicken Manicotti

    Super easy! No precooked noodles, just five ingredients and only three easy steps.

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    b010db92 5e8e 488c 9ca5 321a672f968a

    Ingredients

    • 1 jar (25.5 oz) Muir Glen™ organic pasta sauce (any variety)
    • 3/4 cup water
    • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
    • 1 1/2 lb uncooked chicken breast tenders (not breaded)
    • 14 uncooked manicotti shells (8 oz)
    • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz)
    • Chopped fresh basil leaves, if desired

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    2022 06 07 15 40

    4 Really Big Names That Are Warning That Major Economic Disaster Is Ahead

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    I hope that you are enjoying these beautiful summer weekends while you still can, because it appears that very troubled times are dead ahead.  Simultaneously, inflation continues to spiral out of control even as economic activity in the U.S. dramatically slows down.  Many have compared what we are currently experiencing to the “stagflation” of the 1970s, but the truth is that what we are facing will eventually be so much worse than anything that we went through back then.  A meltdown of historic proportions is here, and as you will see below, some of the biggest names in the entire country are talking about it.

    On Monday, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States set another all-time record high

    The gas price spike keeps getting worse.
    
    The national average jumped to $4.87 a gallon on Monday, according to AAA. That’s up 25 cents in the past week and 59 cents in the past month.
    
    There are now 10 states where the average price of gasoline is $5 a gallon or higher, with the latest being Michigan and Indiana. Washington, DC, is also above $5, according to CNN.

    A 25 cent increase in one week is just insane.

    If we continue on this trajectory, the price of gasoline would go up about a dollar a month.

    I can’t imagine that will be the case, but stranger things have happened.

    Overall, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States has now more than doubled since Joe Biden entered the White House.

    How high will it be a year from now?

    For a long time I warned my readers that the price of gasoline would eventually hit ten dollars a gallon, but now we have learned that it is already almost there at one gas station in California.

    Meanwhile, U.S. economic activity is really slowing down and we are being warned to brace ourselves for the worst.

    In fact, at this point some of the most prominent people in the entire country are starting to sound like they could be writing for The Economic Collapse Blog.  The following are four really big names that are warning that major economic disaster is ahead…

    #1 If you have a “bad feeling” about the U.S. economy, you are not alone.  Elon Musk says that he has a “super bad feeling” about where the U.S. economy is heading, and so he intends to reduce the Tesla workforce by approximately 10 percent…

    Tesla CEO Elon Musk has a “super bad feeling” about the economy and wants to cut about 10% of jobs at the electric carmaker, he said in an email to executives on Thursday seen by Reuters.
    
    The message came two days after the world’s richest man told employees to return to the workplace or leave the company.

    #2 I never imagined that I would write about something that rapper Cardi B said on this website, but that is precisely what I am about to do.  At one time she was a huge Biden supporter, but on Sunday she publicly suggested that the U.S. economy is about to enter a recession

    Rapper and Joe Biden supporter Cardi B took to Twitter on Sunday to ask when “they going to announce” that the United States is “going into a recession.”
    
    “When y’all think they going to announce that we going into a recession?” Cardi B wrote Sunday in a tweet, which has since garnered more than 120,000 likes, and over 16,000 retweets.

    Actually, the U.S. economy contracted during the first quarter of 2022, and if it contracts again in the second quarter then we are actually already in a recession right now.

    #3 I really admire author Robert Kiyosaki, and his advice has helped millions of people all over the globe.  In the past he was known for his relentless optimism, but now he is almost as pessimistic about our economic future as I am.  For example, he tweeted out the following back on March 8th

    DO YOU HAVE a PLAN “B”? We are in BIGGEST BUBBLE in world history. Bubbles in stocks, real estate, commodities & oil. FUTURE? Possible DEPRESSION with HYPER-INFLATION. My PLAN B: be an entrepreneur, stay out of stock market, create own assets, use debt as $, save G,S, BC, guns.

    Then he followed that up with this gem on March 13th

    BRANDON & FED want INFLATION to pay off trillions in debt. BEST INVESTMENT may be stocking products you will always use such as toilette paper, trash bags, canned goods, frozen foods, gold, silver, Bitcoin. I do not trust Brandon or Fed. They are Marxists. End the Fed & Brandon.

    And then on April 15th he boldly declared that a “hyper-inflation depression” has arrived…

    Wiley COYOTE moment coming. Biggest Bubble Bust coming. Baby Boomer’s retirements to be stolen. $10 trillion in fake money spending ending. Government, Wall Street & Fed are thieves. Hyper-inflation Depression here. Buy gold, silver, Bitcoin before the coyote wakes up. Take care

    Of course he is dead on accurate about where the economy is heading.  I don’t share his optimism about Bitcoin, but otherwise I think that the things that he has shared are very wise.

    #4 The crisis that we are now dealing with did not arrive overnight.  For years, many of us have been relentlessly warning about debt levels, the destruction of our currency, and the foolish decisions that our leaders were making.  Now we are facing the largest debt bubble in all of human history, and there is no easy way out.  On Monday, some thoughts that Kim Dotcom shared on Twitter went viral all over the Internet

    Let’s do the math:
    
    US total debt
    $90 trillion
    
    US unfunded liabilities
    $169 trillion
    
    Total
    $259 trillion
    
    Minus all US assets
    $193 trillion
    
    Balance
    – $66 trillion
    
    That’s $66 trillion of debt and liabilities after every asset in the US has been sold off.

    I might quibble with the precise numbers that he used a little bit, but overall Kim Dotcom is right on target.

    And I really like how he summarized the nightmare that is in front of us

    So even if the US could sell all assets at the current value, which is impossible, it would still be broke.
    
    The US is beyond bankrupt.
    This patient is already dead.
    This patient is now a zombie.
    
    You probably wonder why are things still going? Why didn’t everything collapse yet.
    
    It’s all perception, denial and dependency.

    Our leaders have tried to keep the party going for as long as they possibly could, and for a while that actually worked.

    But now a day of reckoning has arrived, and a horrifying economic meltdown has begun.

    We are NOT talking about a “recession” that will be here for a while followed by a return to the way that things used to be.

    No, NOT AT ALL. Instead, what we are heading for is the sort of immense economic nightmare that I have been warning about for years.

    Many Americans will be greatly surprised by how rapidly things totally fall apart, but the real surprise has been that it has taken us so long to get to this point.

    You can’t defy the laws of economics forever, and we are about to see the greatest debt pyramid that the planet has ever seen come crashing down all around us.

    A word to the wise…

    …leave the United States as fast as you can.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 5

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

    China so outclasses the United States its just crazy insane

    China so outclasses the US which is accustomed to putting so little thought into its policies since it has not had to do so since WWII by virtue of its overwhelming power in 1945, a power no longer based on its accomplishments but based on the destruction of its competitors and potential competitors in that conflict.
    
    -John Walsh

    The American Public has been held behind a nearly airtight Iron Curtain of media falsehoods for some time now. Fortunately, Americans have stopped watching the endless stream of lies emanating from “newrooms”. Sadly, for the average person this means there is no place to turn to for an accurate picture of the world.

    Simply put, the American People are being held hostage by the swarms of sociopaths that breed in DC’s fetid swamps

    Let’s avoid swimming in these boggy pools of shit and turn elsewhere…

    Daryl Hall & John Oates – Rich Girl • TopPop

    Top of the charts in 1976. Yeah. I had this album.

    CIA man’s ‘tell-all’ book reveals more about internal agency incompetence than Russian malfeasance

    In ‘The Fourth Man’, former CIA officer Robert Baer crafts a narrative full of speculation and short on facts
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    Scott Ritter is a former US Marine Corps intelligence officer and author of ‘Disarmament in the Time of Perestroika: Arms Control and the End of the Soviet Union.’ He served in the Soviet Union as an inspector implementing the INF Treaty, in General Schwarzkopf’s staff during the Gulf War, and from 1991-1998 as a UN weapons inspector. 

    In 1984, the CIA and the FBI were riding high. Each of these powerful organizations were managing portfolios of Soviet agents who were ostensibly doing their bidding, spying against the USSR, and providing the United States with troves of secret information about the inner workings of the former superpower.

    Then, between 1985 and 1986, the walls came tumbling down. Thanks to three American traitors, the entire portfolio of spies being run by the CIA and FBI were rounded up by Soviet authorities. Responsibility for this intelligence disaster would ultimately be assigned to two CIA officers (Edward Lee Howard, who gave away Adolf Tolkachev, the “billion dollar spy,” so named because the information he provided on Moscow’s military capabilities saved the US a billion dollars in research and development costs, and Aldrich Ames, who betrayed 25 Soviet moles, 10 of whom were allegedly arrested and subsequently executed for their crimes) and one FBI man (Robert Hansen, who betrayed scores of Soviet agents, along with the names of so-called double agents – Americans recruited by the Soviets to spy, but who were really working for either the CIA or FBI).

    The CIA never fully recovered from the impact of the betrayals inflicted by the trio of traitors – Howard, Ames, and Hansen – all of whom spied for the Soviets and together were responsible for the literal annihilation of the CIA’s human intelligence networks operating in the USSR during the mid-1980s.

    Instead of accepting responsibility for its failures, however, the CIA sought to blame a ghost who became known as the so-called “fourth man”, a spy that existed only in the imagination of those who spent years scouring the shadows for evidence of his existence and turning up nothing. It is the hunt for this mythical “fourth man” that is the subject of Robert Baer’s eponymously named book.

    Baer, himself a former CIA operations officer, has tapped into his former life, prying open the memories of his former colleagues at the CIA to breathe life into a tale of betrayal and deception-driven paranoia that does not cast a positive light on his former employer.

    The Fourth Man, supposedly an “explosive, never-before-told story of the thrilling hunt for a KGB spy in the top ranks of the CIA,” has been likened to a real-life version of John LeCarre’s classic tale of espionage and betrayal, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier…Spy. After reading it, I instead felt like I had experienced a Jerry Seinfeld-inspired tale from The Twighlight Zone – a tiresome story that promised much but, in the end, was about nothing.

    One disturbing aspect of Baer’s book is that he puts a name to the “fourth man” – Paul Redmond, a retired CIA counterintelligence officer whose job was to ostensibly hunt down the very spy Baer has tried to bring to life in his narrative. After reading Baer’s book, I walked away very uncomfortable about his assertion that Redmond – the man former CIA Director James Woolsey called “a voice crying out in the wilderness” regarding the existence of a Soviet “mole” inside the CIA who turned out to be Aldrich Ames – was himself not just a spy, but the spy.

    The one Baer claims was responsible not only for the inability of the CIA to reconstitute its human intelligence networks in Russia, but also the CIA’s inability to predict the rise of Vladimir Putin, and get a source close enough to Putin to better inform US policy makers about the Russian leader’s intentions. In short, according to Baer, Redmond is singularly responsible for the absolute failure of the CIA when it comes to producing quality intelligence about post-Soviet Russia.

    While Baer is open about the many failures of the CIA and the FBI when it came to allowing Howard, Ames, and Hanson to inflict such harm on US intelligence operations, the story he weaves about why the CIA was never able to regain its lost position in Russia – namely that the “fourth man,” a person whom Baer calls “the perfect spy,” was able to tip the Russians off about everything the CIA was doing and thinking of doing regarding Russia – comes off as too contrived, too speculative, and too incomplete to ever capture the imagination of the reader.

    For a layperson, Baer’s foray into the world of LeCarre-like quasi-intellectualism might be believable. But Baer – himself an experienced CIA case officer with experience in the former Soviet Union – provides too many clues as to the real reason behind the CIA’s failures, namely the incompetence of the people it tasked with penetrating targets in Moscow. Baer, perhaps unwittingly, regales his audience with two incidents that he was personally involved in – the unauthorized testing of a secret CIA satellite communications system in the Russian capital, and when he and other CIA agents in transit passed through a metal detector in Moscow on their way to destinations south, only to be casually waived through by the Russian customs officer – that together shed a light on the true reasons for the CIA’s many failures.

    Given what I know, and what Baer begrudgingly acknowledges, about the professionalism of the Russian security services, it is highly unlikely that either incident escaped the attention of Baer’s Russian hosts, guaranteeing that Baer and his fellow travelers were completely compromised. Simply put, if Baer’s actions were indicative of the lax tradecraft used by the CIA in post-Soviet Russia, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist or a crack CIA counterintelligence squad to understand that the “fourth man” was the agency itself – a fabrication derived from the collective imaginations of the amalgam of egotists, drunks, and schizophrenics that populated the CIA and who had been so unnerved by the consequences of the Howard, Ames, and Hansen betrayals that they allowed themselves to become paralyzed by fear, afraid to undertake any meaningful action against Russia target lest they fall victim to their own collective incompetence.

    The “fourth man,” Baer claims, was “more senior and better placed than [Aldrich Ames],” someone who spied for “the game” and not money, and who was never caught, let alone charged, with spying – the “Holy Grail” of American counterintelligence “who knew how to play the game to win.”

    I remain unconvinced. I look at the CIA’s abysmal track record in post-Soviet Russia, and I see an agency trapped by mediocrity and a lack of imagination, a Russia Department staffed by second-tier players (the first team was off fighting terrorists) and guided by erstwhile post-Soviet Russian “experts” who comprehended the rise of Vladimir Putin even less than they understood post-Soviet Russia as a whole, and who were more than willing to allow the fiction of the “fourth man” to be promulgated in order to absolve them of their utter incompetence.

    2022 06 14 18 00
    2022 06 14 18 00

    Stray Kitten Waits Outside Home of Family He Befriended, Asking for Help

    Russian report

    ⚡️ From the very beginning of the special operation in Ukraine, military experts undertook to analyze the tactics and further strategy of the RF Armed Forces. The guesses turned out to be wrong due to the dynamic development of events and the fact that our army tried different models of warfare. Today it is already possible to conduct an intermediate analysis of the situation that is developing within the framework of the NWO. In my estimation, everything is going as it should.

    The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have completely switched to the tactics of mobile assault groups and complex fire engagement, shifting the focus from high speed of advance to minimizing losses while maintaining damage to the enemy.

    Now an approximate algorithm of actions looks like this: Ukrainian positions are opened by UAVs and reconnaissance groups, then artillery and aircraft hit at the identified objects, after critical damage to the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, assault groups consisting of several tanks, other armored vehicles and infantry platoons are advanced in the direction of key objects. Point support is provided by artillery forces and mortars. If Ukraine tries to counterattack, or the offensive of our troops is slowed down, and the enemy’s points are again “polished” by artillery and fighters. Such tactics are systematically squeezing the Armed Forces of Ukraine out of cities, villages and fortified areas.

    ❗️In general, the Russian troops adopted a strategy to deplete the enemy’s resources. After the final retirement of the combat-ready backbone of the personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as the deprivation of the Ukrainian troops of the minimum number of heavy weapons, repair and fuel and lubricant resources, things will go faster.

    At the moment, the actions of Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups have been almost completely neutralized. First of all, due to the counter-ambush actions of our special forces. In addition, extensive work is being carried out in the rear of the RF Armed Forces to identify and capture / destroy Ukrainian DRGs. Additionally, there is a checkpoint system.

    As for the losses of Ukraine as a whole. With a change in tactics, the effectiveness of the liquidation of the personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine increased. On average, it is 300-500 people per day. The total amount of Ukrainian combat losses today is, in my opinion, up to 100,000 people. Of these, approximately 25-30 thousand were killed and up to 70 thousand were wounded and surrendered. To these 100 thousand one can add several tens of thousands more deserters.

    Russian long-range aviation and the Navy continue to regularly strike with long-range cruise missiles at enemy military targets, including deep in the rear. The calculation of Kyiv and the Western side that the Russian Armed Forces would run out of missiles did not materialize – our military industry provides a sufficient rate of production of these products.

    Speaking of aviation, our Air Force has now achieved operational air supremacy. It eliminates the possibility for any effective actions of Ukrainian aviation over the territories controlled by the Russian Federation, and also allows Russian pilots to operate effectively. At the same time, pockets of Ukrainian air defense remain, creating a high danger for our aircraft. The air defense system of the Ukraine was created according to Soviet principles, with deep separation, extensive use of maneuver and camouflage, and the use of anti-aircraft ambush tactics. In the history of wars, such a powerful and diverse air defense system operates for the first time.

    With regards to the supply of Western weapons. They turned out to be a tangible help for the Ukrainian troops, but not enough. There are few foreign weapons, ensuring their operation suffers due to the extremely short training period for Ukrainian combat crews. There is an ammunition shortage. In addition, a number of European countries are sabotaging supplies initiated by the United States, which leads to a low density of heavy equipment per kilometer of front and does not have a significant impact on hostilities.

    The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation use the theater of operations within the framework of the NMD to develop the latest weapons. At a minimum, the use of BMPTs, the Tornado-G and Tornado-S MLRS systems, and a flight of Su-57 fighters was noticed. For the first time, the Buk-M3 air defense system is used in combat conditions.

    – Colonel Khodarenok
    (machine translation)

    COLOMBIAN ARROZ CON POLLO (Rice with chicken)

    Today’s main meal entree hails from Columbia. It’s a very flavorful rice and chicken meal. Very delicious!

    “Top Gun: Maverick” is Military Propaganda. Official Documents Prove It

    BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF – “Top Gun: Maverick” is a box-office smash, a massive hit with both critics and the public alike. Navy and Air Force units across the country have set up recruitment stalls inside movie halls, hoping to sign up individuals buzzed after watching the high-paced aviation action. But documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that the movie was made only after an agreement was signed between Hollywood and the Pentagon, with the Navy insisting on “weav[ing] in” their “key talking points” in exchange for granting the production company extensive access to military hardware.

    Investigative journalist Tom Secker, author of “National Security Cinema: The Shocking New Evidence of Government Control in Hollywood,” was one of those who obtained the documents. Secker explained that “Top Gun: Maverick” was made with an explicit agenda behind it, telling MintPress:

    It’s about rehabilitation of the military’s image in the wake of numerous failed wars. The film also helps foreground human pilots flying an actual combat mission – something very rare in these days of high-altitude airstrikes and drone warfare. It helps distract from all the drone pilots who’ve spoken out about the misery and horror inherent in that job.”

    The sequel to the hit 1980s movie “Top Gun,” the new film follows the story of Pete “Maverick” Mitchell over 30 years later, as the renegade pilot who does not play by the rules is brought in to train the Navy’s best young pilots for a secret mission to blow up a uranium enrichment facility [a site implied to be in Iran]. Maverick instead shows that he is still the best pilot and is selected for the mission himself.

    The production agreement between the Department of Defense (DoD) and Paramount Pictures is an explicit quid pro quo. In exchange for all manner of technical support and access to military equipment and personnel, the Pentagon was allowed to “[a]ssign a senior staff, post-command Officer to review with public affairs the script’s thematics and weave in key talking points relevant to the aviation community.”

    Full Article HERE

    These 15 Maps Hilariously Explain the United States of America.

    Funny, but really good.

    Foreign English teachers requested to swear allegiance to Basic Law, ‘part of HK revamp plan’

    Published: Jun 13, 2022 09:11 PM
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    2022 06 14 14 46

    The Education Bureau (EDB) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) told the Global Times on Monday that the requirement for native-speaking English teachers (NETs) working in Hong Kong government schools to swear allegiance to the city accords with the law and would ensure effective governance, rebutting some foreign media hype of the city’s “increasing restrictions” and doubts over Hong Kong’s ability to retain educators.

    EDB on Saturday said NETs and advisors working in government-run schools whose contracts begin in the coming school year were recently informed of the declaration requirement and that they were required to return the signed declaration on or before June 21, Hong Kong media reported.

    EDB confirmed the latest requirement to the Global Times through an email on Monday, saying all government staff, including civil servants and staff appointed on non-civil service terms (non-civil service government staff) are required to declare that they will uphold the Basic Law, bear allegiance to the HKSAR, be dedicated to their duty, and be responsible to the HKSAR government.

    NETs currently employed by the EDB on non-civil service terms should sign the declaration, EDB explained, noting the requirement accords with Article 6 of the national security law for Hong Kong.

    The requirement is an open acknowledgement of the acceptance and a genuine manifestation of the responsibilities of and expectations on them, which will further safeguard and promote the core values that should be upheld by all government employees, and ensure the effective governance of the HKSAR Government.

    The authority also noted that “neglect, refusal or failure to sign and return the declaration by the deadline without a reasonable excuse” would lead to a contract termination.

    Since the waning of the social uproar and the enactment of the national security law for the HKSAR in 2020, oath-taking has been applied to the public sector like district councilors, civil servants and government staff.

    Hong Kong society wasn’t that satisfied with the ethics of some teachers, who exposed the students to hazardous ideas and remarks during the past social unrest, Tang Fei, vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers, told the Global Times on Monday. Liberal teaching materials in Hong Kong have also been criticized for containing obsolete and biased content that tarnishes the Chinese mainland.

    The requirement for NETs to swear allegiance is part of the Hong Kong government’s education revamp plan, as it hopes to prompt teachers to reflect on professional ethics, Tang said. “And it is natural for NETs in Hong Kong to abide by local laws and regulations.”

    Hong Kong started to recruit English teachers from abroad under the NETs scheme in 1997 to better improve children’s English language skills. The monthly salary of a foreign educator under NETs program exceeds HK$30,000 ($3,800).

    As for foreign media hype that “13% of NETs in secondary schools left in the 2020-21 school year,” analysts said this is not a big problem and that the HKSAR can further open up its education links with the Chinese mainland.

    Schools in Hong Kong can give priority to hiring foreign teachers from international schools and public schools in the mainland, as they are more familiar with all aspects of China and the oath-taking is unlikely to pose obstacles for them.

    NETs’ monthly salary is similar to that of local teachers, but the Hong Kong government needs to provide foreigners with additional housing allowance, which is of a high cost, Tang said.

    The distribution of NETs in Hong Kong is also uneven and not necessary for some schools, such as those focusing on Chinese language education, Tang said.

    Is this the Collapse of the Great American Empire?

    Another very good video. Please check it out. I’m a lovin’ this channel.

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    Was up all night working on the house

    Great personal story by Hal Turner. -MM

    So for the past week, I have been working on cleaning up (permanently) the cat damage to my mom’s house in Pennsylvania, that I am inheriting now that she’s gone.  Last night everything came to a head . . .

    When my mom died in November, I was to inherit the house in rural Pennsylvania.   I’ve been up here doing my radio show from here for a couple weeks now.

    I needed to do that because there’s lots of work that needed doing inside the house.  Chief among that work was ridding the house of cat pee smell.  Of course the gutters all had to be cleaned, they were all clogged.  The roof had moss/lichen growing on it, the vinyl siding had all manner of dead . . . bug . . . thingys. . .  Bore bees have eaten into the framing along the roof, the landscaping was a total disaster . . . lots to do.

    For some reason, known only to God, my mom (much to my chagrin) became an old cat lady.   She had at least four cats in the house, then started feeding strays outside, which brought another five or six hanging around the property.

    Before mom’s funeral, I let it be known that once I went back to New Jersey, there would be no one at the house to take care of the four cats, and they needed a new home right now.

    By the day mom was laid to rest,  we had arranged new homes for all four.

    Three of the four went into cat-carriers with little trouble.  The fourth proved to be the psycho-cat-from-hell.   Hissing, biting, clawing.  Drew blood from my neighbors hand even though he was wearing heavy leather gloves.  Long story short, the cat jumped onto a window sill and went out through the screen into the wild.  It was November 28 or 29 and it was cold up here.  The cat had only a house cat fur, so I doubt it survived the weather.

    Moreover, it was the nastiest cat imaginable.  Loved my mom; hated everyone and everything else.   So I figured with a disposition like that, even if it survived the cold, it wasn’t likely to survive an encounter with the actual wild animals out in the woods here.   A fox, or Bobcat, or even a Raccoon or two, would make short work of this little psycho-cat.

    After the cats were gone, I did the typical clearing out of old stuff.  Clothing, shoes, files.  OMG, how is it that people keep paper files for dozens of years, in drawers all over the house????  Then there are the knick-knacks.  Trivial little things that mean nothing, are worth nothing, but were apparently from some trip or event that gave mom some joy in her life.  And ALL those little knick-knacks, accumulated dust.  Lots of dust.   Oh, and nicotine.  Mom smoked and everything is covered with nicotine, too.

    All of it has to be either thrown out or washed.   The dishwasher has gotten an amazing and sustained workout!  It did a great job too.  All those little knick-knacks, all came out shiny clean.

    Then the kitchen cabinets.   OHHHHHHHHHH.   What a job those pots and pans.   It turned out that mice got into the kitchen cabinets at some point – don’t know when, but there was mouse pee and crap throughout the cabinets.  ARRRRGHHH, had to clean all that out, too.

    Anyway, this latest trip up here to Pennsylvania had to deal with the remaining ugliness of the cats:  specifically, the cat pee smell permeating the house.

    Just after mom died, I hired Stanley Steamer to come clean EVERYTING.  Floors, carpets, furniture.   It looked great and smelled great.  Until a few weeks later when that cat pee smell came roaring back.

    Tracking it down became an important task.

    Remember that psycho cat from hell?   It peed on mom’s queen size mattress, and lived under the box spring in her bedroom, where it peed in there too.  It had torn the underside of the box spring and was living up inside it!

    That mattress and box spring had to be burned.  Literally.   Took it out to the burn pit on the property and set it ablaze.

    Pillows from various parts of the house also had to go.

    But the smell persisted.

    So early last week, a neighbor of mine up here came and helped remove ALL the carpeting and padding beneath it.  We cut it out in strips so as to reduce the need to move the heavy furniture.  The only place we couldn’t cut it out was under loaded book cases in the living room.

    Once the carpeting and padding was gone, we could see massive stains in the wood subfloor, where the urine (and other waste) had penetrated both the carpeting and the padding.

    I have tried every known remedy for cat pee smell.   Cold water and dish soap.  Didn’t work.    Hydrogen peroxide. Fizzed like mad, over and over again, but didn’t work once it dried.  OxyClean, did an amazing job, but in the end, the smell remained.   White vinegar. Stunk the house up with a wretched smell, and when that cleared, the cat pee was back.   OMG there were moments that I thought I should hire a contractor and just bulldoze the house out of existence!

    I finally got told by two other people who went through similar things is that the ONLY thing that will work is a product called KILZ Original oil-based primer-sealer.  I kept that in mind as life went on.

    Now, there are several levels to what’s been going on and they all came to an apex last night.

    I ordered new carpeting a couple months ago from a local carpeting/flooring store.  I wanted to keep the colors and patterns close to – but not precisely as – what my mom had.   It’s a pretty little house in the country.  It’s for relaxing and not for putting on airs or social status.  Mom’s choice of colors and such was nice.  Comfortable.  Rural.  Country-esque, not gawdy or loud.

    While the carpeting for the bedrooms and hallway was common and easy to get, the carpet in the living room was special order.  Had to wait 6 weeks for it to be made.

    That was fine because an Appraisal had to be done on the house and I didn’t want all new everything in it – that I paid for – affecting the price.

    So the Appraisal gets done on May 13 and I then call the carpet vendor to schedule install.  He says, (today) June 13.,

    Well, there’s no sense in putting brand new carpeting over cat-pee-stained/smelling sub flooring.  So I had to deal with the stains and such THIS WEEKEND before the carpet guys came.

    But I also had to cut the grass and do this web site, and the radio show, and I get tired a lot faster than I used to, so I put it off and put it off and put it off until I couldn’t anymore.

    I got the KILZ Original oil-based primer sealer, and then had to move the furniture to actually do the work.

    Remember I mentioned book cases in the corner of the living room? They were absolutely LOADED with books.  So I had to give those away in order to move the book cases.  Thankfully, a local couple, long-time friends of my mom, stopped by each night and took a couple bags full.   By Saturday, the book cases were empty.

    I moved the book cases, pulled out the last remaining strip of carpeting and padding and found . . . . . . completely rotten plywood sub-flooring, damaged by years of water coming into the house from the rear deck.   The deck is at the same level where the wood frame of the house meets the cinder block foundation, and the water seeped into the house there.

    Oh, and when I tell you the wood was rotted, I mean it.  It was literally breaking apart.  I wondered why the book cases were leaning backwards . . . the floor was giving way.

    Well, THAT had to be fixed right now.  Couldn’t wait.  So all day Saturday was tear-out the rotted sub-floor, install a new 2″ x 10″ structural beam beneath it to augment the partially rotted one that was in there, seal the holes that developed in the exterior wall, re-install the insulation, and new plywood sub-flooring.

    That surprise repair set me back a full day.  The carpet guys were still coming this morning.

    Now, I liked the furniture that mom had in the house, but recently I took a nap on the couch.  Comfy cozy.  In my sleep, I rolled from facing the TV in the living room, to facing the rear of the couch.  WHAM.  Cat pee smell in the back cushions.  So I move to the love seat.  WHAM, cat pee smell.   OMG, this is horrifying.  So I move to the over-stuffed chair and ottoman, WHAM, cat pee smell.

    These “effin” cats, ruined all the furniture too!   While Stanley Steamer got the stains out of the fabric, it did nothing about what got into the inner cushioning.

    So I went to Raymour & Flannigan to order new furniture.  It won’t be in stock until mid-July, but I had to get rid of the existing furniture.

    The neighbor that helped me with the carpet said he’d take it.   I made it VERY CLEAR to him about the cat pee smell, and he said, no problem, he thought he could take care of that.   He has grand kids who have basically worn out HIS furniture, so this furniture, he said, would be an improvement.

    We loaded the couch, loveseat, overstuffed chair and ottoman into his pick-up truck late Saturday and off he went.

    He called me Sunday.   He parked the truck in an outdoor carport at his house, that has doors to keep out the weather.  When he went back into the carport later, it stunk of cat pee! 

    I reminded him that I had warned him about this.   I didn’t SELL the furniture, I GAVE it . . . and I don’t want it back.  So if he can’t get rid of the smell, I told him to throw the furniture in a dump.

    Sunday, with the rotted sub-floor fixed, I could begin moving the remaining furniture (end tables, coffee table, the thing the TV/Stereo/DVR/DVD player etc. sits on) to do the KILZ Primer Sealer.   This furniture is all Bassett.  Good stuff.  HEAVY stuff!

    What a job moving it.  I’m up here for weeks all alone.  I am not the spry young guy I used to be.  This physical work takes a toll on me very fast.  I did it nonetheless.

    Well, I started sealing the living room flooring.  The vapors given off by this oil-based primer sealer are God awful.  So I open all the windows to get fresh sir . . . . it starts raining.  Raining IN.  So I had to close the windows.

    Finished around 3:48 AM this morning.   Whacked from the vapors, and bone tired, I hit the bed,.   But I had to be up for the carpet guys. I  grabbed three hours sleep and was up around 6.

    The carpet guys arrived about 9:30.   They start installing new tack-strip around the perimeter of the living room and we’re having casual conversation, when I mention that the Forest green carpeting goes in the living room first, and the beige goes in the hallway, foyer, and three bedrooms second.  This way we can move the furniture from the two remaining bedrooms into the living room to allow install of the carpet into those bedrooms

    The guy says to me, “No one gave us any forest green carpeting, we only have the beige.”

    What?

    Yep.  Turns out the guy at the warehouse only gave them the rolls needed for the bedrooms, hallway and foyer; NOT the living room.  They LEAVE!   Will be back tomorrow to do the whole house in one shot.

    Which is actually a good thing for me because now, I can use the KILZ primer-sealer in the foyer and the two upstairs bedrooms.   I’ll have to do those tonight after my radio show.

    So if I’m a little off my game while on the air tonight, you know why!

    The Ghost Town of THURMOND, WV – A Good Town Gone Bad

    A very good video. It’s about typical America and what has happened to it.

    New York spent big on drag shows for kids – media

    Parents say they weren’t given the chance to excuse their kids from the performances

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    2022 06 14 16 37

    New York City Council has spent more than $200,000 in taxpayers money on drag queen shows at city schools since 2018, the New York Post reported on Saturday. The shows featured cross-dressing performers interacting with kids as young as three, and some parents are furious they weren’t given a chance to request an opt-out for their children.

    Since January, Drag Story Hour NYC has organized 49 events in 34 public elementary, middle and high schools in the city, the Post reported, noting that the group earned $46,000 last month alone. Since 2018, the group has received $207,000 from New York State and from the city’s departments of education, cultural affairs, youth, and even transportation.

    Most of this cash came from the discretionary budgets of city council members, and a further $80,000 has been set aside to bring cross-dressing men into classrooms and libraries this year.

    Drag Story Hour NYC shows are described by New York Public Libraries as “inclusive, gender-affirming programs,” in which colorfully-dressed men in women’s clothes give children a sample of “LGBTQ reads … with lots of songs and glitter along the way.” The group has put on shows at public libraries in the city since 2017.

    While some parents told the Post that they welcomed such shows in schools, others were furious. “I didn’t get any notice,” one parent told the paper. “My daughter actually came home and told me that a drag queen came to the school … I feel like it would have been better for that conversation to happen at home.”

    “Exposing children to drag queens in school is none other than an abuse of authority for the purpose of sexualizing children,” activist Dr. Elana Fishbein told the Post, calling the program “a flagrant disregard for the real needs of the students.” The Department of Education did not comment when asked by the outlet if performers had to pass background checks before interacting with children.

    Footage from a “child-friendly” drag show at a Texas gay bar last weekend went viral after children were seen waving dollar bills at performers and joining the queens on stage beneath a sign reading “it’s not gonna lick itself.” The footage prompted Republican lawmakers to introduce legislation banning such events, and follow-up shows at the same bar have been picketed by conservative protesters accusing the organizers of “grooming” children.

    Meanwhile in Washington, DC, footage showing children and toddlers marching in a ‘Pride’ parade behind a topless man with breasts caused outrage online over the weekend.

    Last year, the CEO of an LGBT advocacy group responsible for funding drag queen story hour events in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was arrested and charged with seven counts of child pornography. He was sentenced to nine years in prison.

    How To Make Aborrajados, A Colombian Street Food Snack

    A really DIFFERENT taste treat. You cannot use regular bananas on this you have to use their related fruit the plantain.

    Arctic Expedition Discover Mysterious Hole Cut Into The Ice

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    Looks uncannily like a scene from the movie “The Thing” but in fact this gigantic hole was recently been discovered by an Arctic expedition in Siberia.

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    This recently discovered Bermuda triangle type phenomenon is currently being inspected by a team of scientists who believe the huge gas explosions in the frozen Artic oceans although they admit that it is still too early to come to any conclusive facts about this and other similar holes found in the same area.

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    This huge hole in the ice with sheer sides looking like it was cute with a mechanical device was found in the Yamal Peninsula in northern Siberia.

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    The large team of scientists do not all agree on what has caused this strange event to happen or even how old it is and how common these holes are, currently they are studying satellite images going back to the 19080’s to just how many other holes they can find and how old the holes are.

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    The Cuban Sandwich – How to Make a Cubano Sandwich

    Yes. This is a very special sandwich. And yes, it is truly unique. OMG! Watch this video. Don’t you feel inspired to go ahead and make one RIGHT now?

    Monetary Madness

    A half century ago, President Richard Nixon closed the gold window. American citizens had been prohibited from owning gold since the early 1930s, but foreign governments could exchange their extra dollars for gold. France tried to make a run on the US gold supply so the American government was forced to break the final link between the dollar and gold, thus ending the gold standard. This set off a chain of events that eventually led to what has been known as the petro-dollar.

    Nixon was forced to break the gold peg because it was a fiction. In theory, the amount of dollars in circulation reflected the amount of gold held by the United States, but in reality, the American government had been printing as much money as they thought they needed. The reason the French were racing to redeem their dollars for gold was that they knew the peg was a lie. Once that lie was fully understood, a run on the dollar and global monetary collapse was possible.

    It is a good lesson about the reality of the gold standard.

    It was an example of the old adage that if you need a gold standard to control a corrupt government, that government is corrupt enough to find a way around it. Much of the good living of the post-war years was due to expansionary monetary policy. The cost of that was paid in the 1970’s with spasm of inflation and finally a recession in the early 1980’s that supposedly put monetary policy back in order.

    The thing is the money printing after the war was not a problem because those extra dollars could find a home in the expanding American economy and most especially in the rebuilding of Europe. The dollar was the world reserve currency so everyone in the world was willing to take dollars for payment. Europe was in rubble and needed rebuilding, so the demand for dollars seemed endless. As a result, the United States supplied as many dollars as was needed.

    The monetary crisis on the 1970’s was due in large part to the fact that Europe had recovered and no longer needed a flood of dollars. The trouble was the American economy was dependent on the expansion of the money supply. The subsequent negotiations that ended with the petro-dollar and the Louvre Accords was supposed to solve this problem. Instead, it merely shifted the target for extra dollars to low labor cost areas like Asia and South America.

    That has been the story of the last thirty years. American manufacturing, technology and services have been shifted to low cost areas. The extra dollars followed them in the form of investment, thus keeping inflation in the United States low. The dollars not soaked up in these countries came back in the form of investments in treasuries, equities and real estate. The system let the government expand and asset values to mushroom, without creating retail inflation.

    Like the 1970’s, the place for the extra dollars is drying up. That means they are flowing back in the form of inflation. China is no longer the cheap labor economy desperate for investments, so they are not soaking up extra dollars. In fact, China is a maturing economy determined to shift from exports to domestic consumption. It is also not willing to accept inflation from the United States and Europe. The result is too much money in the West creating an inflation spiral.

    It is not the only reason for inflation. Stimulus policies aimed at sustaining the standard of living against economic reality are a big driver. The supply chain crisis that is the result of decades of outsourcing is another driver. Then you have the berserk response to the crisis in Ukraine, which is creating havoc in fuel and energy markets. In a complex system like the global economy, there are always many contributing factors to the things we see in the marketplace.

    One way to look at the current economic crisis is as a consequence of the Second World War and the subsequent Cold War. The half century long state of war in the United States and the West resulted in an economic system designed to wage global war without operating a war economy. When the war ended, there was no great demobilization and normalization. The cost was seen as too high, so American leaders found what looked like a cheap way to avoid it.

    Unlike the 1970’s, the short term solution for the present inflation is not a contraction of the money supply. The Federal Reserve is carrying trillions of assets on its balance sheet which it has to unload. It will now be selling those into a rapidly declining market, as asset prices have been artificially sustained with the combination of free credit and the flows of extra dollars into assets. The Fed could easily set off a collapse in asset values and a global credit crisis if it is not cautious.

    The biggest problem facing the country is the lack of competence in the decision making areas of the ruling class.

    • The economic side is dominated by monetarists, who think an economy is just the sum of it money.
    • The political class is full of carny weirdos selected for their entertainment value.
    • Of course, the senior generation has been conditioned to seek good times, rather than make sacrifices.
    • America lacks the human capital to tackle the problems we face.

    The situation facing America is not unlike that which faced the Russians after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The cost of terrible governance over seventy years came home all at once and they lacked the political leaders to manage it. The Russians not only faced an economic catastrophe, but a political one as well. They went through a decade of chaos followed by a decade of slow recovery.

    That is what most likely awaits the United States and its European dependents.

    Pilot – It’s Magic • TopPop

    "Magic" is a 1974 song by Scottish pop rock band Pilot, and was the first hit single for the group. 
    
    It was written by band members David Paton and Billy Lyall for their debut album, From the Album of the Same Name. 
    
    Pilot were a Scottish rock group, formed in 1973 in Edinburgh by David Paton and Billy Lyall. 
    
    They are best known for their songs "January", "Magic", "Just A Smile" and "Call Me Round". 
    
    Both Paton and Lyall had briefly been substitute members of the Bay City Rollers before that band's breakthrough. 
    
    Joined by drummer Stuart Tosh, the band recorded several demos during 1972 and 1974. 
    
    They were signed to a management contract with Nick Heath and Tim Heath, sons of British bandleader Ted Heath, and John Cavanagh. In due course they signed to a worldwide recording deal with EMI Records. 
    
    After the recording of their debut album, From the Album of the Same Name, guitarist Ian Bairnson (who had played on the album as a session musician) joined the band permanently. 
    
    The 1974 single "Magic" from their first album, produced by Alan Parsons and written by Lyall and Paton, was a No. 11 UK and No. 5 US success. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in August 1975.

    Xi signs outlines that direct China’s military operations other than (for) war

    Liu XuanzunPublished: Jun 13, 2022 10:40 PM Updated: Jun 13, 2022 10:32 PM
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    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, recently signed an order to promulgate a set of trial outlines on military operations other than war, which will take effect on Wednesday.

    The outlines will standardize, and provide the legal basis for Chinese troops to carry out, missions like disaster relief, humanitarian aid, escort, and peacekeeping, and safeguard China’s national sovereignty, security and development interests, experts said.

    The outlines aim to prevent and neutralize risks and challenges, handle emergencies, protect people and property, and safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, and world peace and regional stability, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Monday.

    The outlines have important meanings for the Chinese armed forces to carry out their duties and missions in the new era, as they will make innovations in ways military forces are used and standardize the organization and implementation of the armed forces’ military operations other than war, Xinhua said.

    Military operations other than war refer to operations that do not involve war, like disaster relief and humanitarian aid, as well as operations that limit the scale of the use of force like maritime escorts and peacekeeping, a Chinese military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Monday.

    The Chinese armed forces have been engaged in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic since 2020. They also played a vital role in saving the people from natural disasters like earthquakes and floods, which often took place in China over the past years, the expert said, noting that the recipients of disaster relief and humanitarian aid from the Chinese armed forces have also expanded to other countries, including many that received medical equipment and vaccines against COVID-19, and Tonga that was heavily hit by a volcanic eruption and tsunami earlier this year.

    The Chinese armed forces are also responsible for counter-terrorism, anti-pirate and peacekeeping missions, including regular escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia as well as UN peacekeeping missions, providing public security goods to the international community, the expert said.

    By carrying out these operations overseas, in some cases, the Chinese troops can prevent spillover effects of regional instabilities from affecting China, secure vital transport routes for strategic materials like oil, or safeguard China’s overseas investments, projects and personnel, analysts said, noting that this is likely why Xinhua described the outlines as being capable of safeguarding China’s national sovereignty, security and development interests.

    With six chapters and 59 chapters, the outlines summarize experiences accumulated from past missions and practices, draw results from both military and civilian research, and standardize the basic principles, organization and command, types of activities, activity support and political work, providing the legal basis for the troops to carry out military operations other than war, according to Xinhua.

    Kittens Tied Up In Trash Bag Cry For Dear Life, Hoping People’d Save Them

    Jeeze!

    Soviet Mystery Amphibious Vehicle Has Been Discovered In Chelyabinsk

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    One local man, Ivan Ivanov, discovered the odd vehicle and shared it over VK, the Russian social network.

    He claim it weights around 600kg with a length of 4530mm, a width of 1900mm and a height of 1490mm. Aluminium chassis, slick james-bond design, amphibious, this is like real super hero vehicle. A mysterious amphibious vehicle created back in 1950’s by the Design Bureau of the Chelyabinsk tractor hydraulics plant.

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    China trains with its new security partner in Pacific

    Chinese police officers have begun training their Solomon Islands colleagues, the island nation has announced

    2022 06 14 16 39
    2022 06 14 16 39

    Chinese police have started training their Solomon Islands counterparts, the island nation announced on Sunday. The first round of exercises took place at the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) headquarters in Rove, a western suburb of the capital city of Honiara, between June 7 and 11.

    “The security challenges are evolving and still out there threatening this nation and therefore RSIPF must be well prepared to tackle these threats. That is why these trainings are critical and must be delivered to reach all RSIPF officers in Honiara and the provinces,” Deputy Commissioner Ian Vaevaso said during the opening ceremony ahead of the exercise.

    The training involved practicing “basic equipment handling skills, basic survive skills, self-defense and counterattack, posture and movement,” the Solomon Islands government said in a statement. The exercise was conducted by instructors with the China Police Liaison Team, it added.

    The drills come following a security pact inked by Beijing and Honiara in late April. The agreement further soured the already strained ties between Australia and China, alarming Canberra’s Western allies as well. The West accused Beijing of seeking to create a military base in the Solomon Islands, while then-Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison described such prospects as a “red line” for Canberra. US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink warned that Washington would have “significant concerns, and we would very naturally respond to those concerns” should such an outpost emerge.

    China, however, rejected the criticism, stating that it distorted “facts and slanders China’s regular cooperation with the countries of Oceania,” while denying harboring any plans to set up a military base in the Solomon Islands. In late May, Western media leaked a draft document suggesting that Beijing was planning to offer economic and security cooperation deals to 10 additional small island nations in the Pacific. The potential deals appeared to be very similar in nature to the pact inked with the Solomon Islands.

    Beijing maintains it will continue building ties with the Pacific nations despite the overseas pressure. The agreement with the Solomon Islands has become an example of “open” and “transparent” cooperation, China’s Deputy Foreign Minister Xie Feng said on Saturday.

    “The Pacific should be a stage of international cooperation, not an arena for geopolitical games,” Xie told China Media Group in an interview.

    Descend Into A Tomb Of Imprisoned Vehicles Frozen In Time

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    Nobody likes a visit to the car pound. It probably as one of my least favourite places to be on earth, but you wouldn’t have a hard time convincing me to pay a visit to this particular car pound, hidden 150ft below a piazza in the city of Naples, sealed off after WWII and forgotten about for more than 60 years.

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    The place is filled with vintage cars, motorcycles and scooters dating back to the 40s and 50s, but the walls and tunnels they’re entombed in look ancient. And they almost are. Built in 1853 by Ferdinand II of Bourbon, the multilevel subterranean network was conceived as a sort of emergency escape route for the unpopular monarch who feared revolution. The vast underground tunnels would serve as a passageway large enough for his troops and horses to escape the palace and make it to the military barracks. The revolution never came, at least not before Ferdinand’s death in 1859, and the network was never completed.

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    Chinese and Pakistani officials have agreed to increase their cooperation in countering terrorism and other security concerns, deepening their cooperation amid efforts by “outside forces” to divide the two countries.

    “Pakistan and China reaffirmed their strategic partnership in challenging times and agreed to continue regular exchange of perspectives on issues of mutual interest,” Islamabad’s military said in a statement on Sunday. The countries also vowed to enhance their ties on training, technology, and counterterrorism.

    The agreement followed talks during a four-day visit to Beijing by a Pakistani military delegation, headed by Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa. Their Chinese hosts were led by General Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission.

    The delegations discussed their perspectives on international and regional security. Beijing reportedly called on Bajwa to stop attacks in the Balochistan region against Chinese nationals who are working on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a collection of infrastructure projects valued at more than $60 billion.

    US officials have repeatedly criticized the CPEC, arguing that it will burden Pakistan with high-cost Chinese loans. Pakistani National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf last week said the CPEC was the target of a “malicious disinformation campaign” and that the initiative was Pakistan’s best opportunity to address its infrastructure woes and become a regional geo-economic hub.

    China’s top diplomat in Pakistan, Pang Chunxue, said earlier this month that the CPEC was threatened by a “Cold War mentality.”

    “Hostile forces are trying to undermine the development of CPEC as well as the unity and mutual trust between the two countries,” she told reporters in Islamabad.

    Baloch insurgents have reportedly targeted CPEC projects, including natural gas pipelines and electricity transmission towers, because they consider China an imperialist power that seeks to plunder the province’s natural resources.

    China seeks stronger security ties with Pakistan

    Beijing has reaffirmed its strategic partnership with Islamabad and agreed to enhance defense cooperation.

    2022 06 14 16 23
    2022 06 14 16 23

    Senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi warns US not to have miscalculation or illusion on Taiwan question

    Published: Jun 14, 2022 10:18 AM Updated: Jun 14, 2022 10:03 AM

    2022 06 14 14 41
    2022 06 14 14 41

    In talks with National Security Advisor of the US Jake Sullivan in Luxembourg, senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi said the US shouldn’t have miscalculation or illusion on the Taiwan question and warned that the Taiwan question, if inappropriately handled, will have a disruptive impact.

    The two held “frank, deep and constructive” dialogue and communication on questions that concern both, agreeing to strengthen communication and dialogue, reduce misunderstanding and miscalculation, and properly manage differences. Both of them said it is necessary and beneficial to keep communication channels open.

    Yang noted that US President Joe Biden had repeatedly stated that the US has no intention to seek a new Cold War or change China’s system, that the revitalization of US alliances is not anti-China, that the US does not support “Taiwan independence,” and that it is not looking for conflict or confrontation with China.

    However, the reality is that the US has been determined to step up all-round containment and repression against China for some time now. It doesn’t solve US’ domestic problems, but plunged China-US relations into a very difficult situation, greatly damaging bilateral exchanges and cooperation.

    Such a situation is not in the interests of China, the US and the rest of the world, Yang noted.

    Yang is a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee.

    China-US relations are at a critical crossroads, Yang said, noting that China is willing to approach China-US relations based on mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation.

    China firmly opposes defining China-US relations as competition.

    The senior Chinese diplomat said the US should correct its strategic perception of China to make the right choice, and adopt concrete actions to meet China half-way.

    In their talks,Yang stressed the Taiwan question concerns political foundation of China-US relations. It will have disruptive impacts if it is inappropriately handled.

    The US shouldn’t have miscalculation or illusion on this. It must abide by the One-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiques, and handle Taiwan related questions carefully and properly.

    China’s position on safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity is unequivocal and firm. China’s internal affairs brook no interference from other countries. Any attempt to obstruct or undermine China’s national unity will be doomed to fail, Yang said.

    The US should have positive interactions with China and make joint efforts for the prosperity, stability and development of the Asia-Pacific region.

    In their talks, Yang also expressed China’s solemn position on Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Xizang, the South China Sea, human rights, religion and other issues. They exchanged views on Ukraine and the nuclear issues on Korean Peninsula.

    Global Times

    Chris Hedges: No Way Out but War

    PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY (Scheerpost) — The United States, as the near unanimous vote to provide nearly $40 billion in aid to Ukraine illustrates, is trapped in the death spiral of unchecked militarism. No high speed trains. No universal health care. No viable Covid relief program. No respite from 8.3 percent inflation. No infrastructure programs to repair decaying roads and bridges, which require $41.8 billion to fix the 43,586 structurally deficient bridges, on average 68 years old. No forgiveness of $1.7 trillion in student debt. No addressing income inequality. No program to feed the 17 million children who go to bed each night hungry. No rational gun control or curbing of the epidemic of nihilistic violence and mass shootings. No help for the 100,000 Americans who die each year of drug overdoses. No minimum wage of $15 an hour to counter 44 years of wage stagnation. No respite from gas prices that are projected to hit $6 a gallon.

    The permanent war economy, implanted since the end of World War II, has destroyed the private economy, bankrupted the nation, and squandered trillions of dollars of taxpayer money. The monopolization of capital by the military has driven the US debt to $30 trillion, $ 6 trillion more than the US GDP of $ 24 trillion. Servicing this debt costs $300 billion a year. We spent more on the military, $ 813 billion for fiscal year 2023, than the next nine countries, including China and Russia, combined.

    We are paying a heavy social, political, and economic cost for our militarism. Washington watches passively as the U.S. rots, morally, politically, economically, and physically, while China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, India, and other countries extract themselves from the tyranny of the U.S. dollar and the international Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT), a messaging network banks and other financial institutions use to send and receive information, such as money transfer instructions. Once the U.S. dollar is no longer the world’s reserve currency, once there is an alternative to SWIFT, it will precipitate an internal economic collapse. It will force the immediate contraction of the U.S. empire shuttering most of its nearly 800 overseas military installations. It will signal the death of Pax Americana.

    Democrat or Republican. It does not matter. War is the raison d’état of the state. Extravagant military expenditures are justified in the name of “national security.” The nearly $40 billion allocated for Ukraine, most of it going into the hands of weapons manufacturers such as Raytheon Technologies, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, and Boeing, is only the beginning. Military strategists, who say the war will be long and protracted, are talking about infusions of $4 or $5 billion in military aid a month to Ukraine. We face existential threats. But these do not count. The proposed budget for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in fiscal year 2023 is $10.675 billion. The proposed budget for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is $11.881 billion. Ukraine alone gets more than double that amount. Pandemics and the climate emergency are afterthoughts. War is all that matters. This is a recipe for collective suicide.

    There were three restraints to the avarice and bloodlust of the permanent war economy that no longer exist. The first was the old liberal wing of the Democratic Party, led by politicians such as Senator George McGovern, Senator Eugene McCarthy, and Senator J. William Fulbright, who wrote The Pentagon Propaganda Machine. The self-identified progressives, a pitiful minority, in Congress today, from Barbara Lee, who was the single vote in the House and the Senate opposing a broad, open-ended authorization allowing the president to wage war in Afghanistan or anywhere else, to Ilhan Omar now dutifully line up to fund the latest proxy war. The second restraint was an independent media and academia, including journalists such as I.F Stone and Neil Sheehan along with scholars such as Seymour Melman, author of The Permanent War Economy and Pentagon Capitalism: The Political Economy of War. Third, and perhaps most important, was an organized anti-war movement, led by religious leaders such as Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King Jr. and Phil and Dan Berrigan as well as groups such as Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). They understood that unchecked militarism was a fatal disease.

    None of these opposition forces, which did not reverse the permanent war economy but curbed its excesses, now exist. The two ruling parties have been bought by corporations, especially military contractors. The press is anemic and obsequious to the war industry. Propagandists for permanent war, largely from right-wing think tanks lavishly funded by the war industry, along with former military and intelligence officials, are exclusively quoted or interviewed as military experts. NBC’s “Meet the Press” aired a segment May 13 where officials from Center for a New American Security (CNAS) simulated what a war with China over Taiwan might look like. The co-founder of CNAS, Michèle Flournoy, who appeared in the “Meet the Press” war games segment and was considered by Biden to run the Pentagon, wrote in 2020 in Foreign Affairs that the U.S. needs to develop “the capability to credibly threaten to sink all of China’s military vessels, submarines and merchant ships in the South China Sea within 72 hours.”

    The handful of anti-militarists and critics of empire from the left, such as Noam Chomsky, and the right, such as Ron Paul, have been declared persona non grata by a compliant media. The liberal class has retreated into boutique activism where issues of class, capitalism and militarism are jettisoned for “cancel culture,” multiculturalism and identity politics. Liberals are cheerleading the war in Ukraine. At least the inception of the war with Iraq saw them join significant street protests. Ukraine is embraced as the latest crusade for freedom and democracy against the new Hitler. There is little hope, I fear, of rolling back or restraining the disasters being orchestrated on a national and global level.  The neoconservatives and liberal interventionists chant in unison for war. Biden has appointed these war mongers, whose attitude to nuclear war is terrifyingly cavalier, to run the Pentagon, the National Security Council, and the State Department.

    Since all we do is war, all proposed solutions are military. This military adventurism accelerates the decline, as the defeat in Vietnam and the squandering of $8 trillion in the futile wars in the Middle East illustrate. War and sanctions, it is believed, will cripple Russia, rich in gas and natural resources. War, or the threat of war, will curb the growing economic and military clout of China.

    These are demented and dangerous fantasies, perpetrated by a ruling class that has severed itself from reality. No longer able to salvage their own society and economy, they seek to destroy those of their global competitors, especially Russia and China. Once the militarists cripple Russia, the plan goes, they will focus military aggression on the Indo-Pacific, dominating what Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, referring to the Pacific, called “the American Sea.”

    You cannot talk about war without talking about markets. The U.S., whose growth rate has fallen to below 2 percent, while China’s growth rate is 8.1 percent, has turned to military aggression to bolster its sagging economy. If the U.S. can sever Russian gas supplies to Europe, it will force Europeans to buy from the United States. U.S. firms, at the same time, would be happy to replace the Chinese Communist Party, even if they must do it through the threat of war, to open unfettered access to Chinese markets. War, if it did break out with China, would devastate the Chinese, American, and global economies, destroying free trade between countries as in World War I. But that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.

    Washington is desperately trying to build military and economic alliances to ward off a rising China, whose economy is expected by 2028 to overtake that of the United States, according to the UK’s Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR). The White House has said Biden’s current visit to Asia is about sending a “powerful message” to Beijing and others about what the world could look like if democracies “stand together to shape the rules of the road.” The Biden administration has invited South Korea and Japan to attend the NATO summit in Madrid.

    But fewer and fewer nations, even among European allies, are willing to be dominated by the United States. Washington’s veneer of democracy and supposed respect for human rights and civil liberties is so badly tarnished as to be irrecoverable. Its economic decline, with China’s manufacturing 70 percent higher than that of the U.S., is irreversible. War is a desperate Hail Mary, one employed by dying empires throughout history with catastrophic consequences. “It was the rise of Athens and the fear that this instilled in Sparta that made war inevitable,” Thucydides noted in the History of the Peloponnesian War.

    A key component to the sustenance of the permanent war state was the creation of the All-Volunteer Force. Without conscripts, the burden of fighting wars falls to the poor, the working class, and military families. This All-Volunteer Force allows the children of the middle class, who led the Vietnam anti-war movement, to avoid service. It protects the military from internal revolts, carried out by troops during the Vietnam War, which jeopardized the cohesion of the armed forces.

    The All-Volunteer Force, by limiting the pool of available troops, also makes the global ambitions of the militarists impossible. Desperate to maintain or increase troop levels in Iraq and Afghanistan, the military instituted the stop-loss policy that arbitrarily extended active-duty contracts. Its slang term was the backdoor draft. The effort to bolster the number of troops by hiring private military contractors, as well, had a negligible effect. Increased troop levels would not have won the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but the tiny percentage of those willing to serve in the military (only 7 percent of the U.S. population are veterans) is an unacknowledged Achilles heel for the militarists.

    “As a consequence, the problem of too much war and too few soldiers eludes serious scrutiny,” writes historian and retired Army Colonel Andrew Bacevich in After the Apocalypse: America’s Role in a World Transformed. “Expectations of technology bridging that gap provide an excuse to avoid asking the most fundamental questions: Does the United States possess the military wherewithal to oblige adversaries to endorse its claim of being history’s indispensable nation? And if the answer is no, as the post-9/11 wars in Afghanistan and Iraq suggest, wouldn’t it make sense for Washington to temper its ambitions accordingly?”

    This question, as Bacevich points out, is “anathema.” The military strategists work from the supposition that the coming wars won’t look anything like past wars. They invest in imaginary theories of future wars that ignore the lessons of the past, ensuring more fiascos.

    The political class is as self-deluded as the generals. It refuses to accept the emergence of a multi-polar world and the palpable decline of American power. It speaks in the outdated language of American exceptionalism and triumphalism, believing it has the right to impose its will as the leader of the “free world.” In his 1992 Defense Planning Guidance memorandum, U.S. Under Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz argued that the U.S. must ensure no rival superpower again arises. The U.S. should project its military strength to dominate a unipolar world in perpetuity. On February 19, 1998, on NBC’s “Today Show”, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright gave the Democratic version of this doctrine of unipolarity. “If we have to use force it is because we are Americans; we are the indispensable nation,” she said. “We stand tall, and we see further than other countries into the future.”

    This demented vision of unrivaled U.S. global supremacy, not to mention unrivaled goodness and virtue, blinds the establishment Republicans and Democrats. The military strikes they casually used to assert the doctrine of unipolarity, especially in the Middle East, swiftly spawned jihadist terror and prolonged warfare. None of them saw it coming until the hijacked jets slammed into the World Trade Center twin towers. That they cling to this absurd hallucination is the triumph of hope over experience.

    There is a deep loathing among the public for these elitist Ivy League architects of American imperialism. Imperialism was tolerated when it was able to project power abroad and produce rising living standards at home. It was tolerated when it restrained itself to covert interventions in countries such as Iran, Guatemala, and Indonesia. It went off the rails in Vietnam. The military defeats that followed accompanied a steady decline in living standards, wage stagnation, a crumbling infrastructure and eventually a series of economic policies and trade deals, orchestrated by the same ruling class, which deindustrialized and impoverished the country.

    The establishment oligarchs, now united in the Democratic Party, distrust Donald Trump. He commits the heresy of questioning the sanctity of the American empire. Trump derided the invasion of Iraq as a “big, fat mistake.” He promised “to keep us out of endless war.” Trump was repeatedly questioned about his relationship with Vladimir Putin. Putin was “a killer,” one interviewer told him. “There are a lot of killers,” Trump retorted. “You think our country’s so innocent?” Trump dared to speak a truth that was to be forever unspoken, the militarists had sold out the American people.

    Noam Chomsky took some heat for pointing out, correctly, that Trump is the “one statesman” who has laid out a “sensible” proposition to resolve the Russia-Ukraine crisis. The proposed solution included “facilitating negotiations instead of undermining them and moving toward establishing some kind of accommodation in Europe…in which there are no military alliances but just mutual accommodation.”

    Trump is too unfocused and mercurial to offer serious policy solutions. He did set a timetable to withdraw from Afghanistan, but he also ratcheted up the economic war against Venezuela and reinstituted crushing sanctions against Cuba and Iran, which the Obama administration had ended. He increased the military budget. He apparently flirted with carrying out a missile strike on Mexico to “destroy the drug labs.” But he acknowledges a distaste for imperial mismanagement that resonates with the public, one that has every right to loath the smug mandarins that plunge us into one war after another. Trump lies like he breathes. But so do they.

    The 57 Republicans who refused to support the $40 billion aid package to Ukraine, along with many of the 19 bills that included an earlier $13.6 billion in aid for Ukraine, come out of the kooky conspiratorial world of Trump. They, like Trump, repeat this heresy. They too are attacked and censored. But the longer Biden and the ruling class continue to pour resources into war at our expense, the more these proto fascists, already set to wipe out Democratic gains in the House and the Senate this fall, will be ascendant. Marjorie Taylor Greene, during the debate on the aid package to Ukraine, which most members were not given time to closely examine, said: “$40 billion dollars but there’s no baby formula for American mothers and babies.”

    “An unknown amount of money to the CIA and Ukraine supplemental bill but there’s no formula for American babies,” she added. “Stop funding regime change and money laundering scams. A US politician covers up their crimes in countries like Ukraine.”

    Democrat Jamie Raskin immediately attacked Greene for parroting the propaganda of Russian president Vladimir Putin.

    Greene, like Trump, spoke a truth that resonates with a beleaguered public. The opposition to permanent war should have come from the tiny progressive wing of the Democratic Party, which unfortunately sold out to the craven Democratic Party leadership to save their political careers. Greene is demented, but Raskin and the Democrats peddle their own brand of lunacy. We are going to pay a very steep price for this burlesque.

    MoA steals the show with REAL news…

    Now on towards real news: U.S. president Joe Biden has told NATO to end the proxy war in Ukraine as soon as possible.

    Dr. David Lütke @DrLuetke - 20:33 UTC · Jun 12, 2022
    
    Today #NATO's #Stoltenberg stated that #negotiations are needed for #peace in #Ukraine.
    
    Quote:
    "Peace is possible. The question is how much territory, how much independence...are [Ukraine] willing to sacrifice for peace."
    
    Rhetoric is changing:
    What happened to Ukraine winning?
    video

    This is the same Stoltenberg who in early April said that NATO must prepare for a ‘long haul’ in Ukraine. Who then said that the war could drag on for years. Jens Stoltenberg, who told us in May that we must put values over profits, is now talking about peace for territorial and sovereignty concessions.

    It seems that someone has told Biden that there is zero chance for the Democrats to win in the midterm elections if gas prices stay beyond 5 dollar per gallon. Or maybe this Saturday NYT piece really got under his skin:

    Should Biden Run in 2024? Democratic Whispers of ‘No’ Start to Rise.

    In interviews, dozens of frustrated Democratic officials, members of Congress and voters expressed doubts about the president’s ability to rescue his reeling party and take the fight to Republicans.

    Whatever.

    Russia is winning the war. The Ukraine has lost the war and will also lose a large chunk of its territory. Its western fueled ‘resistance’ against the inevitable has seen to that. The U.S. and NATO now acknowledge that much.

    Unfortunately some of Zelenski’s advisors are still unable to recognize that:

    Михайло Подоляк @Podolyak_M - 7:12 UTC · Jun 13, 2022
    
    Being straightforward – to end the war we need heavy weapons parity:
    1000 howitzers caliber 155 mm;
    300 MLRS;
    500 tanks;
    2000 armored vehicles;
    1000 drones.
    
    Contact Group of Defense Ministers meeting is held in #Brussels on June 15. We are waiting for a decision.

    “To end the war” … Ukraine needs as many weapons as it had when the war started? What happened to those weapons? Will it also need 50 pink unicorns?

    It is over. How much territory Ukraine will have to give will be decided by Russia.

    The Windover Bog Bodies, Among the Greatest Archeological Discoveries Ever Unearthed in the United States

    burial 0
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    It was only after the bones were declared very old and not the product of a mass murder that the 167 bodies found in a pond in Windover, Florida began to stir up excitement in the archeological world. Researchers from Florida State University came to the site, thinking some more Native American bones had been unearthed in the swamplands. They were guessing the bones were 500-600 years old. But then the bones were radiocarbon dated. It turns out the corpses ranged from 6,990 to 8,120 years old. It was then that the academic community became incredibly excited. The Windover Bog has proven to be one of the most important archeological finds in the United States.

    In 1982, Steve Vanderjagt, the man who made the find, was using a backhoe to demuck the pond for the development of a new subdivision located about halfway between Disney World and Cape Canaveral. Vanderjagt was confused by the large number of rocks in the pond as that area of Florida was not known to be particularly rocky. Getting out of his backhoe, Vanderjagt went to investigate and almost immediately realized that he had unearthed a huge pile of bones. He called the authorities right away. It was only thanks to his natural curiosity that the site was preserved. After the medical examiners declared them ancient, the specialists from Florida State University were summoned (another brilliant move by Vanderjagt- too often sites are ruined because experts are not called). Deeply intrigued, EKS Corporation, the developers of the site, financed the radiocarbon dating. Once the striking dates were revealed, the State of Florida providing a grant for the excavation.

    2022 06 14 18 29
    2022 06 14 18 29

    Unlike the human remains found in European bogs, the Florida bodies are only skeletons – no flesh remains on the bones. But this does not negate their significance. Nearly half of the skulls contained brain matter. The majority of the skeletons were found lying on their left sides with their heads pointing westward, perhaps toward the setting sun, and their faces pointing to the north. Most had their legs tucked up, as in the fetal position, however three were lying straight. Interestingly, each corpse had a stake thrust through the loose fabric that enshrouded them, presumably to prevent them from floating to the surface of the water as decomposition filled them with air. This practical step was what ultimately protected the bodies from scavengers (animals and grave robbers) and kept them in their intended positions.

    people digging
    people digging

    The find provides unparalleled insight into a hunter-gather community that existed 3,500 years before the Pyramids were built in Egypt. The skeletons and the artifacts found with them have been studied almost continuously in the decades since their discovery. The research paints a picture of a hard but good life in pre-Columbian Florida. Though living mainly off what they could hunt and gather, the community was sedentary, indicating that whatever hardships they may have faced were small compared with the benefits of the area they chose to settle in.

    Theirs was an incredibly caring society. Children’s bodies were almost all found to have small toys in their arms. One older woman, perhaps 50, showed signs of having several broken bones. The fractures occurred several years before her death, meaning that despite her handicap the other villagers cared for her and helped her even when she could no longer contribute significantly to the workload. Another body, that of a 15-year-old boy, showed that he was a victim of spina bifida, a crippling birth defect where the vertebrae do not grow together properly around the spinal cord. Despite his many deformed bones, evidence suggests he was loved and cared for throughout his life. These discoveries are mind boggling when one considers how many ancient (and even a few modern) societies abandon the weak and deformed.

    2022 06 14 18 30
    2022 06 14 18 30

    Contents found within the corpses’ as well as other organic remains found in the bog reveal an ecosystem rich in diversity. 30 species of edible and/or medicinal plants were identified by paleobotanists; berries and small fruits were particularly important to the community’s diet. One woman, perhaps 35 years old, was found with a concoction of elderberry, nightshade, and holly in the area where her stomach would have been, suggesting that she was eating medicinal herbs to try and combat an illness. Unfortunately, the combination did not work and whatever afflicted the woman ultimately took her life. Interestingly, the elderberry woman was one of the few bodies stretched out, as opposed to curled up, with her face pointing downward. In other Native American traditions, elderberries were used to fight viral infections.

    Another striking difference between the Windover bog people and their European counterparts is that none of the Floridians suffered violent deaths. The bodies include men, women, and children. Roughly half of the bodies were younger than 20 years old when they died but some were well over 70 years old. This was fairly good mortality rate for the place and time. The presence of brain matter in 91 of the bodies suggests that they were buried quickly, within 48 hours of death. Scientists know this because, given the hot humid climate of Florida, brains would have liquefied in bodies not buried quickly.

    Somewhat amazingly, DNA analysis of the remains show that these bodies share no biological affiliation with the more modern Native American groups known to have lived in the area. Recognizing the limitations of modern technology, about half of the Windover site was left intact, as a protected National Historic Landmark, so that in 50 or 100 years’ researchers could return to the bog and excavate untouched remains.

    A War on Homelessness

    Filmed in 2013 but seriously accurate today. A much watch!

    Cat Purrs Non-stop When She Finds a Quiet Home for Her Kittens and a Better Life for Them All

    French Amazing Food Dish! OMG!

    We finish up with this amazing dish which is local to France…

    2022 06 14 17 37
    2022 06 14 17 37

    I never heard of this, but if I lived in France, I would hike over and get this dish at some local restaurant or make it myself. It looks so very super delicious.

    Kitten Takes Care Of Her Mom’s Corpse

    Another cat story…

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

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    American media is reporting on (what looks like) a collapse of the Chinese banking system, but I’m not seeing any of it

    I’ve been dealing with a major website crash. I’ve thus been spending a heck of a lot of time trying to get it up and running. This has thus taken away from my video time, my patreon time, and my article generation time. Not to mention my time in regards to my life, my work, my career and my family… as well as my retirement time. Sheech!

    So if you noticed some holes in the daily output, now you know why they are there. I’m way to busy trying to “patch things up”

    It will take me quite some time to regain full daily functionality. There are many issues and holes that were electronically “punched” into my operations. In the meantime, I will continue on and adapt.

    I’m going to be wrapping up all this geopolitical stuff and going back to the standard MM fare. Right now, most are on Patreon videos, but I will have a transition period so that all may benefit.

    Moving on…

    Hal Turner has an article out that paints a very gloomy picture inside of China. He has no love for China, and his is part of the Intel community, no matter how he might appear otherwise. But that does not mean that he doesn’t have something good to say. It only means that he tends to color his “reporting” with a strong bias.

    Today he had an article that seems like an American Depression “bank run” inside of China. And he named a number of my banks that I hold accounts with. So after I read his article I went down the street, to my Bank of China (BOC) and talked to the manager there. They didn’t know what I was talking about. There just isn’t any runs in the banks at all here in the Guangzhou corridor.

    BANK RUNS IN PROGRESS WITHIN CHINA

    2022 06 15 18 43
    2022 06 15 18 43

    All banks in Shanghai have just restricted depositors from withdrawing money, causing people to line-up in panic at bank branches.  Banks in rural China have been delaying customer withdrawals for 60 Days, and media have been warned not to publish stories about this or risk prosecution for contributing to additional Bank runs!

    Multiple sources  have confirmed deposits at the following six banks have been frozen:

    • Yuzhou Xinminsheng Village Bank (located in Xuchang City, Henan Province)
    • Zhecheng Huanghuai Bank (City of Shangqui, Henan Province)
    • Shangcai Huimin Rural Bank (Zhumadian City, Henan Province)
    • New Oriental Village Bank (City of Kaifeng, Henan Province)
    • Huaihe River Village Bank (Bengbu City, Anhui Province)
    • Yixian County Village Bank (Huangshan City, Anhui Province)

    It’s understood the banks with branches across the Henan and Anhui Provinces successively issued announcements in April, stating they would suspend online banking and mobile banking services due to a system upgrade.

    At the same time, clients reported their electronic deposits in online accounts, mobile apps and third-party platforms could not be withdrawn.

    This led to depositors rushing to local bank branches, only to be told they were unable to withdraw funds.

    By late May, images emerged on Chinese social media of demonstrations at the front of numerous bank branches.

    According to one user on the Chinese social media platform WeChat, the protests are ongoing but are rarely mentioned in Chinese press.

    “It has caused widespread concern on the internet but the media attention is not high, the highest degree of concern is the four banks in Henan.”

    The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) has responded to the rural bank run. It issued a statement on April 25.

    “The People’s Bank of China is highly concerned… At present relevant departments have launched an investigation, the People’s Bank of China will cooperate with the relevant departments, to protect the rights of financial consumers.”

    Fraud scheme blamed

    Following the public protests and the PBOC statement, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission revealed it is investigating fraudulent activity carried out by the Henan New Fortune Group – the largest shareholder of the four banks listed above in the Henan Province. It’s understood the commission is working with police to investigate allegations that the Group colluded with bank insiders to misappropriate bank funds.

    Anti-CCP group, bannedbook.org, reported the following:

    “According to a call recording between depositors and police officers, a company named Henan New Fortune Group Investment Holdings Co., Ltd. is suspected of illegally absorbing public deposits, and the amount is huge.”

    Bank run contagion to “sweep across China”

    Regardless of the cause, the developments raise serious questions about the health of China’s banks and its regulatory oversight. The more immediate concern, however, is the prospect of contagion, which is now seeing bank runs spread to bigger cities.

    There’s evidence this is already happening.

    In one of the only mainstream international media articles to report on the unfolding situation, local residents highlighted the seriousness of the situation and the likelihood of contagion.

    From the Financial Times on June 9:

    Some depositors such as Xu have already lost trust in the system. The 39-year-old said he had withdrawn all of his deposits from 10 other small banks that had promised him an annualised yield of more than 4 per cent.

    “Another depositor, a 30-year-old father, said he had placed more than Rmb900,000 in his village’s banks since 2020 at a return of 4.1 per cent. “I felt like being slaughtered,” he said, declining to give his name. He drove overnight to negotiate with the banking regulator in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan, in mid-May. “This is the money my wife and I have saved together since we got married. I had to lie to her that I was away for work.”

    On Twitter, a video of a large line at an ICBC Bank in China (one of China’s largest state-owned banks) posted on Tuesday, June 9, suggest contagion is in progress.

    Translated to English, the tweet reads “The bank card system is locked, and these people are here to unlock it. Massive runs are coming.”

     

     

    Blogger, Jennifer Zeng, has reported major issues with withdrawing cash from banks in Shanghai in recent days. The uncertainty no doubt exacerbated by the prospect of more lockdowns as COVID cases again spike.

    All banks in Shanghai have restricted depositors from withdrawing money… A bank run is about to sweep China,” she said.

    The lack of reporting about the clear signs of a bank run in China is somewhat surprising.

    As HSBC China’s Xuefang Liu puts it, “The rise of China as a global economic power has caused concern that a crisis in Chinese banking could lead to a worldwide downturn similar to the Global Financial Crisis.”

    While many analysts believed China’s banking system was widely immune to the Evergrande Crisis, cracks are beginning to emerge and should this bank run intensify, already volatile global markets could be faced with a black swan event even more significant than Evergrande.

     

     

     

    HAL TURNER EDITORIAL OPINION

    In the anatomy of an economic crisis, a bank run is the point of no return.  China has just reached that point . . .

    Bank runs occur when people scramble to withdraw cash from banks in fear of collapse. In the worst cases, banks’ liquid cash reserves are exhausted, not everyone gets their money and the bank defaults.

    It’s a grim scenario which, fortunately, has occurred rarely in history.

    The most significant bank runs in the United States took place during the 1930’s Great Depression. More recently, there were runs on numerous U.S. banks during the Financial Crisis in 2008.

    In Asia, bank runs have also been rare. A run on Japanese banks in 1927 led to the collapse of dozens of institutions across the country. There was a banking crisis in Myanmar in 2003 which the country has never really fully recovered from.

    But perhaps since the Great Depression, none has been as significant compared to what is seemingly unfolding in China right now.

    The fact that some con artists scammed some small village banks into going broke would not ordinarily be a big deal, except in this case, the fear such revelations caused triggered mass withdrawal efforts at other small banks . . . which then had to DENY WITHDRAWALS to stay afloat.

    Word of these denials spread and people started panicking, going to still more banks to get THEIR money out.   Then, more denied withdrawals.

    Instead of containing this in the rural areas, China Regulatory Agencies “opened investigations” but did nothing to restore depositor money . . . which lead to more withdrawals from a wider geographic area.

    Now, Banks in Shanghai are denying withdrawals.  That’s it.  That’s the “big one.”

    I am told the Shanghai situation is deteriorating very rapidly today.    I was awoken at 3:03 this morning with Covert Intel sources saying there is panic in the streets in Shanghai over this.

    Shanghai means banks on other nations ***may*** be affected.   It would likely go first to Banks in eastern Europe, already flummoxed by the Russia-Ukraine hostilities, then move west to London, then to New York.

    It could all spread THIS WEEK.

    Having proper cash on hand for yourself and your family to get by for a month or two, is now highly advisable . . . just in case.   Remember, cash is NOT for paying bills; it is for SURVIVAL.   Buying food and fuel to get to/from work.  That’s it.

    A ding on your credit report is nothing compared to going hungry.   Don’t go hungry.  Have cash.

    MM Opinion

    This might be happening regionally. But it is not happening where I live, nor where my extended family lives. One of whom lives in Shanghai.

    If it IS HAPPENING…

    Don't be so sure that it is a random event that is the result of malfeasance. Instead consider the potential that it might be part of a grand "chess move" actuated by the Chinese government intentionally.

    If it is NOT happening…

    Then consider that this is just more of the same out of the American-controlled "news" media operation. It's an effort to generate fear, and to create the illusion that China is collapsing.

    Now a great opinion from Jeff Brown…

    A run on Chinese banks? Don’t believe the West’s Big Lie Propaganda Machine. It can’t happen, since the citizens own them all. China Rising Radio Sinoland 220622

    A must read HERE

    People with eyes with x-ray abilities

    Natasha Demkina has something unique, namely eyes with x-ray abilities. Her abilities began to manifest at the age of 10. “I was at home with my mother, and suddenly I had a vision. I could see inside my mother’s body, and I started telling her about the organs I could see. Now, I have to switch from ordinary vision to ‘medical vision.’ I see a colorful picture inside the person for a split second, and then I analyze it,” said Demkina.

    After describing her mother’s internal organs to her, Demkina’s story spread by word of mouth among the locals. People began to gather outside her door seeking medical consultation. This discovery attracted the interest of groups from London, New York, and Tokyo, all of whom invited Demkina to demonstrate her abilities.

    Demkina’s ability is super powerful. That said, many people and experts doubt her ability. Instead, they believed that Natasha was utilizing “cold reading,” a deceptively simple yet effective method commonly used by astrologers, psychics, and fortune-tellers.

    Regardless, Demkina claims she could see that one of her subjects had a prosthetic knee. She was also able to determine that another person has asymmetrical internal organ positions. She can also see the early stages of pregnancy and even the fetus in pregnant women. Remarkable, isn’t it?

    Another Cataclysmic Error Threatens To Plunge The U.S. Economy Into A Bottomless Abyss Of Pain And Suffering

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    I can’t believe that they actually did it.  Even though it is painfully obvious that the U.S. economy is slowing down dramatically and that we are heading into an excruciating repeat of the housing crash of 2008, the Federal Reserve decided to go ahead with the largest interest rate hike in 28 years anyway.

    History has shown us that raising rates just as an economy is entering a recession is an exceedingly foolish move, and many of us have been pleading with the Fed not to do it.  But of course if the Fed actually listened to people like us, we would not be facing such a dire crisis in the first place.

    Essentially, the Fed just killed any hopes of avoiding a recession.  The rate hike that was announced on Wednesday was the largest that we have seen since 1994

    The Fed raised its key short-term interest rates by three-quarters of a percentage point Wednesday – its largest hike since 1994 – to a range of 1.5% to 1.75. It also downgraded its economic forecast.
    
    And it signaled that more big moves may be coming. Fed officials forecast the federal funds rate will end 2022 at a range of 3.25% to 3.5% and next year at close to 4%, according to their median estimate.

    Fed Chair Jerome Powell insists that substantially raising rates will tame inflation.

    That worked in the early 1980s, but I am skeptical that the same playbook will work again for a couple of reasons.

    First of all, in the early 1980s the U.S. was one trillion dollars in debt.  Today, we are 30 trillion dollars in debt.  Our politicians have been on the greatest borrowing and spending binge in the history of the world during the last couple of years, and hiking interest rates cannot erase the trillions upon trillions of new dollars that have entered the economy.

    In addition, the Federal Reserve has pumped trillions of dollars that they created out of thin air into the system in recent years.  Hiking interest rates is not a “magic bullet” that can erase that colossal mistake either.

    But the Fed feels like it has been forced to do something to address the current crisis, because prices continue to spiral out of control.

    For example, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States hit a new record high for the 18th day in a row on Wednesday…

    Gas prices on Wednesday reached a record high for the eighteenth consecutive day.
    
    The national average price of gas reached $5.039, according to GasBuddy. On Tuesday, gas prices were around $5.02 per gallon.

    And survey after survey has shown that the American people are rapidly losing faith in the Federal Reserve…

    Even more concerning are new signs that families have lost faith in the Fed’s policies. Consumer sentiment in June sank to a low not seen since the 1980 recession, according to a University of Michigan survey. Similarly, a poll by The Washington Post and George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government found that most Americans expect inflation to worsen and are adjusting their spending habits, a mind-set that can make the surge in prices even worse.

    So I can understand why Powell and his minions felt a need to raise rates.

    But you simply can’t raise rates as the economy enters a recession.  That is suicidal.

    At this point, even the Fed’s own numbers show that the economy is really slowing down…

    After a week of rampant jawboning to adjust the market’s expectation for The Fed’s actions later today (after last Friday’s unexpected resurgence in CPI), the continued erosion in economic data (most notably retail sales this morning) has prompted The Atlanta Fed to slash its forecast for Q2 GDP growth from +0.9% to 0.0%, meaning the US is now right on the verge of a technical recession (after Q1’s contraction).

    If U.S. GDP goes negative again in the second quarter, then we are already officially in a recession right now.

    And what the Fed just did is going to make it much worse, because it is about to become a lot more expensive to borrow money…

    Every time the Fed raises rates, it becomes more expensive to borrow. That means higher interest costs for mortgages, home equity lines of credit, credit cards, student debt and car loans. Business loans will also get pricier, for businesses large and small.
    
    The most tangible way this is playing out is with mortgages, where rate hikes have already driven up rates and slowed down sales activity.

    In particular, higher rates are going to absolutely eviscerate the housing market.  In fact, yesterday I discussed the fact that another housing crash has already begun.  Right now there is a tremendous amount of panic out there as those that work in the industry come to grips with what is now taking place.

     

    A year ago, the housing market in the U.S. was red hot, but now the environment has completely changed.

    Compared to the same period a year ago, total mortgage application volume was down a whopping 52.7 percent last week…

    Total mortgage application volume was 52.7% lower last week than the same week one year ago, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index. Sharply rising interest rates are decimating refinance volume, and those rates, along with sky-high home prices and a shortage of houses for sale, are hitting demand from potential buyers.

    In 2008, the Federal Reserve played a major role in bursting the most epic housing bubble in the history of our country.

    Now it is happening again, only this time the housing bubble is even larger than the one that imploded over a decade ago.

    Most Americans may not realize it, but this is truly a very sad day for the United States.

    An immensely painful economic crisis has essentially been guaranteed, and beyond that we are going to see things happen that once would have been unthinkable.

    But things didn’t have to turn out this way.

    If we would have made better decisions, we could have had much different results.

    Unfortunately, the Fed has come up with an endless series of colossal errors in recent years, and this latest error is one of the biggest of them all.

    MidJourney Neural Algorythm Sharpens Style of AI Art

    MidJourney is a new art-making tool in closed beta. Though both mysterious and obvious—the output suggests AI-powered generative networks trained to perform style transfer—the resulting art is breathtaking.

    As test participants write, invitations come much more often compared to DALL-E 2, because the neural network is more focused on creating amateur art.

    Art 1
    Art 1

    Art 2
    Art 2

    Art 3
    Art 3

    Stunning and disturbing "hands" 1
    Stunning and disturbing “hands” 1

    Stunning and disturbing "hands" 2
    Stunning and disturbing “hands” 2

    Stunning and disturbing "hands" 3
    Stunning and disturbing “hands” 3

    Art 4
    Art 4

    Art 5
    Art 5

    Art 6
    Art 6

    Art 7
    Art 7

    Art 8
    Art 8

    Art 9
    Art 9

    Witch
    Witch

    China’s top trade official fails to meet Australia minister at WTO conference | The Straits Times

    The heading should actually be “China refused meeting with the self indulgence arrogant Aussie minister”.

    GENEVA (BLOOMBERG) - China's Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao was not available to meet Australia's new Trade Minister Don Farrell during a visit to Geneva, potentially delaying a reset in relations between the two countries.
    
    Canberra and Beijing ended a diplomatic deep freeze lasting more than two years on Sunday (June 12), when Australia's Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Defence Minister Wei Fenghe met in Singapore during an international summit.

    Full article HERE

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    Superior canal dehiscence syndrome (SCDS)

    Pam Gilbert began to hear things that others couldn’t. The noises then seized control of her life. Pam Gilbert’s hearing appeared to be a superpower ability at first. When she was on the second story of her house, she could hear the faucet in the basement trickling or her kids turning over in the next room. But it rapidly became a nightmare when she realized she could hear the noises of her own body—her heart pounding in her ears and even her eyeballs shifting from side to side.

    Superior canal dehiscence syndrome (SCDS) is a devastating and rare inner ear condition that impairs Gilbert’s hearing and balance. Gilbert describes the sounds she’s hearing as “unshakable noises.”

    “They never went away, and there was no way to turn them down. The bones in my neck were breaking like sandpaper, and I could hear it. I could hear my eyeballs moving at one point,” Pam Gilbert detailed the situation. Gilbert confesses that her sanity is eroding as a result of her condition.

    Gilbert, fortunately, had surgery on March 4th, 2011. The operation went well. Gilbert felt a sensation of serenity and that her hearing had returned to normal.

    How US ‘debt-trap’ diplomacy backfired in Cambodia | South China Morning Post

    Both sides could have settled on long-standing loans made to the corrupt regime of Lon Nol in the early 1970s. Instead, US intransigence pushed Phnom Penh further into the embrace of Beijing at a time of intensifying rivalry between the two superpowers

    Article HERE

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    Confessions Of A Woman In A Polygamous Marriage

    How did you end up in a polygamous marriage?

    I was born and was raised in Saudi Arabia, in Riyadh. A few months before my seventeenth birthday, my father, due to the Guardian System, told me that he had arranged a marriage for me to a foreign businessman in Dubai, and that I would be married within a few weeks.

    At the beginning of 2017, I was married to my new husband in Dubai, and became his second wife. I didn’t ever realize that I wouldn’t be his first wife until a few days before the wedding, and I can only remember crying for an entire afternoon the day I found out I would be his second wife. It would not be until the end of last year that our husband took his 3rd and most recent wife.

    How old is your husband?

    Early 50s

    How soon before the wedding did you meet him? What would have happened if you didn’t like him/he didn’t like you?

    I met him about a week before the wedding for the first time. If he hadn’t like me, it’s not likely anything would happen since he had already talked to my father, but if i hadn’t liked him there was not much I could have done about it. At that point I was such a mess of nervous teenage anxiety and emotion that there wasn’t much I could have even thought or said.

    Why did he marry you?

    I’m not sure why exactly, it could have been for my looks or age, since his first wife is quite a bit older than i am, but I’m sure it was also due to the social connections between him and my father that would be forged because of the marriage.

    Has your husband mentioned how many wives he plans on having?

    He legally can’t marry more than 4 according to Sharia Law, but I can’t imagine he would marry someone else, especially at this point in his life. But who knows, he certainly could. I hope not, but it is a possibility.

    Do you have a good relationship with him?

    We have a fairly good relationship. Although he doesn’t spend as much time with me as his new wife, he’s very polite and nice to me, and doesn’t mistreat me at all.

    Do you love him? Does he love you?

    In a way I think I love him; even though I don’t think he married me for love, and I didn’t have much of a choice, I’ve learned to love him for what he is. I know he cares for me in his own way, and I know he wants me to be happy and provided for, which I am very thankful for.

    Do you guys have children?

    Yes, we have one child, a beautiful two-year old baby girl!

    How does your husband treat you? Does he treat all his wives equally or is he biased?

    It depends; he treats his first wife and I pretty much the same, or at least spends the same amount of time with us, but ever since his third marriage he’s spent most nights with his new wife. I try not to feel jealous, but it is hard not to resent him and her for it.

    How old are his first and third wife?

    His first wife is 36, and his most recent wife is only 16. Even though 18 is legally the marriable age in the UAE, a judge can approve a younger marriage, and our husband is wealthy enough to ensure that it happens.

    What do you think of a man in his early 50s marrying a girl of 16?

    I personally don’t think it’s right for such a marriage to take place. Even though legally it was allowed, the odds are she’ll be widowed before she even turns 40, which is really tragic for her.

    Why are you more concerned for her after he dies than what might happen during the marriage?

    I don’t think it’s right for him to marry someone so young, but at least this way she is provided for. Once he dies, I’m not sure what’s going to happen to any of us once he dies.

    What typically happens to the wives once their husband dies? Say you are 50. Do you get an inheritance?

    I would most likely be sent to live with a male relative, and perhaps receive an inheritance or something similar. I would have to follow ‘Iddah’ under Shariah Law and wait before remarrying though. If I an widowed while still young, I could probably remarry, but if I was older I might just live as a widow with my relatives.

    He must be very rich to afford 3 wives, 3 households. Are you allowed to spend any money?

    He is, as far as I know, fairly wealthy, even though he never talks about business or finances with us. Each of us gets a monthly allowance for groceries, clothes, shopping, and anything else we might need, but it’s never enough to make any really extravagant purchases; for anything like that, like jewelry or really nice clothes; anything really expensive, we have to ask him for permission.

    What do you enjoy spending your allowance on?

    Well, its usually not enough to buy anything more than the essentials, but I love cooking and buying new ingredients, and i always put a little aside to buy paints and art supplies with.

    Are you allowed to work?

    No, we aren’t allowed to work, or at least not for money. I love painting and art, so I do work on that a lot, but my husband would never let me sell them or earn a living myself. For the most part I have to rely on my husband to provide for me and our daughter.

    How are mealtimes? Do you cook? Do you all eat together?

    I usually cook meals for myself and daughter, and maybe a few friends, but we usually I don’t eat with our sister wives, except for on Friday, when we usually eat a meal together with our husband.

    When it comes to sex, is it only ever you and him? Or is part of it that the four of you have sexual relations?

    It is always only him and one of us, he has never asked any of us to have relations with him at the same time. It’s a very private affair.

    Do you spend time with the other wives? Are they your friends? Or do you keep separate lives?

    For the most part we are like separate families, we each have our own apartment, cook our own meals, and have our own beds, but fortunately his first wife and I do get along very well; since I left Saudi Arabia she’s been almost like a sister to me. His third wife though, she is very rude to us, since she is the youngest, and we definitely don’t get along.

    How is she rude to you?

    It feels like since our husband spends more time with her than the rest of us, she has a more privileged relationship with him than we do. She can get him to do things to us that he wouldn’t do otherwise, like punish us for doing innocent things, like going out without his permission, he is usually fine with, but if his youngest wife convinced him to, he will get angry and even hit us, even very softly. It’s more of symbolic than anything, but it still makes me feel awful. She also doesn’t miss an opportunity to bring me down or insult me.

    What’s the best thing about your marriage?

    Probably having such a good relationship with his first wife. It’s almost like having another sister, and it definitely helps make up for some of the worse parts of my marriage. Either that or being provided for so well. I’m not mistreated or neglected, and it gives me a chance to raise our daughter.

    If he were to die soon, would you still be friends with the first wife?

    I think we would. Even if we didn’t share a husband, I think we would have been friends anyway, and I think we would stay friends even if we weren’t married to the same man.

    What is the worst part about living in such a relationship?

    The worst part of my relationship is probably just the stress it brings. For instance, he spends most nights with his new wife, and she knows she is his favorite right now and uses that to treat his first wife and I very badly. I try not to hold it against her or our husband, but it’s hard not to.

    Do you feel any resentment towards your father for putting you in a situation you may not have necessarily chosen for yourself?

    I do sometimes. He never really gave me a choice in the matter, so I do sometimes feel resentful towards him for putting me into this situation, but it’s the culture he knew growing up, and i know he had my best interests at heart. He wanted to be sure I would be provided for, and I know that despite everything he loves me and wants what’s best for me. But it’s not easy to forgive him.

    If you were given a chance to, would you get out of the marriage?

    Although under Sharia Law divorce is allowed, the only way it could realistically happen for me is if my husband wanted a divorce as well, which he does not. And if I did divorce him, I don’t know what I would do or where I would go, especially since I would have trouble finding anyone willing to marry a divorced single mother. But honestly, I really don’t want to leave, although I wish it hadn’t happened at all, now that I’m married, I’m fairly well off and happy, and although it’s hard, it’s something I have to live with, and I am alright with that.

    Would you prefer a different future for your daughter?

    Absolutely. I would never want anyone, least of all my daughter, to be in the same relationship as me.

    I would like to see the attitudes towards marriage become more western, and allow women more of a say in who they marry. I also pray that plural marriage continues to become more and more rare as time goes on.

    Did you have a childhood sweetheart/relationship before your marriage?

    I did have a sweetheart before I got married, he was a family friend, and I thought I was going to marry him for the longest time. I was actually looking forward to it, and I stroll sometimes regret not being able to spend my life with him. But I never had a choice in the matter, so I’ve learned to live with it.

    How do you feel about the fact that a lot of the world (at least a lot of the Western world) looks down upon plural marriages. Do you ever question your own lifestyle?

    I definitely question my lifestyle, and if I had the choice, I don’t think I would want to be in a plural marriage. Since I do live in Dubai, I do get exposed to more western culture than I did before, and I generally think that the west is right about the negative aspects of polygamy. Despite this, I’ve lived my whole life this way, and I’m not unhappy like many people in the west think. It’s not ideal, and certainly causes more stress and emotional strain on everyone, but it’s not all bad.

    How has your life changed because of the marriage?

    Before I was married, I lived with my family, and, because of the laws in Saudi Arabia, I had very little freedom of movement, and had to ask permission to do or go anywhere. Even while I was at home my parents, and especially my father, had absolute control over what I did.

    Now that I’m married, I don’t have to ask permission to go out, as long as I am accompanied by another woman or male guardian, and I have more control over how I spend the small allowance I get. I also have more freedom at home, to raise our child and to talk and spend time with female friends. Despite this, if he wanted to, or if I made him unhappy with me, my husband could control me just like my father, did and monitor my every move, but fortunately he allows his wives to be fairly independent as long as we obey.

    Russia may withdraw recognition of the independence of the Baltic republics and Ukraine

    Article HERE

    Russian State Duma deputy Yevgeny Fedorov, in an interview with the Sputnik Latvia news agency, said that Russia could withdraw recognition of the independence of Latvia, Estonia and Ukraine in the future. Earlier, Fedorov submitted to the State Duma a draft law on the abolition of the resolution of the USSR State Council of September 6, 1991 - "On the recognition of the independence of the Republic of Lithuania." The explanatory note to the document states that the decision is illegal, since it was adopted by an unconstitutional body in violation of the requirements of several articles of the Constitution of the Soviet Union.
    
    The MP also noted that after Lithuania, such a scenario is possible for Estonia, Latvia and Ukraine. “ We just started with Lithuania. And it is clear why - Lithuania is more dangerous for the Russian Federation in terms of the situation related to the Kaliningrad region, and in the confrontation with NATO and the United States. Therefore, Lithuania is now more important, but this does not mean that we will stop there ,” Fedorov said.
    
    In an interview with the International Affairs magazine, Fedorov spoke about the consequences of the withdrawal of recognition of the independence of Lithuania by the Russian Federation:
    
    "First, Lithuania, in accordance with international law, will automatically cease to be a nation like Kosovo. Someone recognizes Kosovo, someone does not, but Kosovo is not in the UN. It's not a nation, it's a disputed territory. The status of a disputed territory means that this territory cannot be part of NATO, because there is paragraph five there, which states that disputed states and territories cannot be part of NATO. In this case, we proceed from the fact that NATO did not know about this, we did not raise the issue of the dispute, but either after this law or a court decision, by the way, there is such a procedure for canceling the decision of the State Council to recognize the independence of Lithuania, NATO will be obliged to return to this issue due to newly discovered circumstances. In the process of our negotiations with NATO, there will be a legitimate basis for excluding Lithuania from the Alliance in accordance with the fifth paragraph of the NATO Charter.
    
    We are in a constant cycle of conflicts. The operation on the territory of Ukraine is already the hundredth military conflict in thirty years, and the basis for this is the violation of the law in 1990-1991. It was then that territorial international law was violated following the results of the Second World War,” Yevgeny Fedoro said .
    
    From the material of the information portal of the Izvestia newspaper - IZ.RU:
    
    “ Similar measures should also be applied to other countries of the post-Soviet space, in respect of which there are questions about the legal grounds for their withdrawal from the Soviet Union and which show hostility towards Russia. At the same time, Fedorov emphasized, this is not about the return of territories, but about “eliminating threats” for the Russian Federation.
    
    Director General of the Center for the Study of Integration Prospects Sergey Rekeda commented on Fedorov's initiative, calling it a signal to Lithuania and other Baltic countries about their political inferiority. He also added that the decisions to divide the territory of the USSR were not flawless from a legal point of view. In them, according to Rekeda, the factual rather than the formal side prevailed, later consolidated by the consensus between the elites in Moscow and the former Soviet republics, which was violated.
    
    On June 14, the head of the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry, in an interview with Foreign Policy, expressed Vilnius' concerns about the bill introduced by Fedorov. According to him, despite the fact that the initiative to revoke the recognition of Lithuanian independence does not come from top Russian officials, the Lithuanian authorities perceive it as a direct threat to the country .”

    A Nightmare On Wall Street

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    This is bad.

    This is really, really bad.

    Investors loved the ride up, but now the Federal Reserve is helping to destroy the bubble that it once so eagerly created, and trillions of dollars in paper wealth is being wiped out in the process.  Unfortunately, our system is not really designed to handle this sort of carnage.

    So many in the financial world live right on the edge, and when things go really, really bad the dominoes can start falling at a pace that is absolutely breathtaking.  We witnessed this back in 2008, and it could soon happen again.

    On Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 880 points, and many were deeply concerned about what Monday would bring.

    Well, the pessimists turned out to be correct, because the Dow plunged another 876 points on Monday.

    Overall, the Dow is now down approximately 17 percent from its record high, and so it has almost reached bear market territory.

    Of course the S&P 500 is already there

    The S&P 500 fell 3.88% to 3,749.63, marking its lowest level since March 2021 and bringing its losses from its January record to more than 21%. The benchmark closed in bear market territory (down more than 20% from its high) after trading there briefly on an intraday basis about three weeks ago. Some on Wall Street say it’s not an official bear market until the index closes there and that’s what happened on Monday. The last time stocks were in a bear market was in March 2020 at the onset of the pandemic.

    Needless to say, the Nasdaq has them both beat.  Tech stocks were on the cutting edge on the way up, and now they are on the bleeding edge on the way down.  The Nasdaq dropped another 4.68% on Monday, and at this point it has already dropped over 33 percent from the all-time high.

    Just think about that.

    A third of the value of the Nasdaq has already been obliterated.

    Wow.

    As I write this article, investors are extremely concerned that the Fed could raise rates by 75 basis points on Wednesday…

    Major averages hit their lows of the session in the final 30 minutes after a Wall Street Journal report suggested the Fed would consider raising rates by 0.75% on Wednesday, more than the half-point increase currently expected.

    And Fox Business is reporting that some traders believe that we could actually see a 100 basis point increase in July….

    While market consensus is for a half-point interest rate hike at the Fed’s policy-setting meeting this week, the odds for a larger increase next month are surging, with a potential 75-basis point or 100-basis point jump on the table in July. About 16% of traders are penciling in a 100-basis point jump next month, compared to 53% forecasting a 75-basis point increase, according to the CME Group’s FedWatch tool, which tracks trading.

    Of course the Fed should not be raising rates at all.

    The U.S. economy is clearly heading into a very painful recession, and you don’t raise rates as a recession is starting.

    Unfortunately, Fed officials feel like their hands are tied because inflation is completely out of control.  Last week we learned that the consumer price index has risen to 8.6 percent, and we were told that was the highest that it has been since December 1981.

    But if the inflation rate was still calculated the way that it was back in 1980, it would actually be well over 15 percent at this point.

    So the Fed is going to bring down the hammer, and that is going to continue to roil financial markets.

    And right now cryptocurrencies are being hit harder than anything else.

    In fact, the price of Bitcoin plunged 15 percent in just 24 hours…

    Bitcoin, the world’s most valuable cryptocurrency, has lost 15% in the last 24 hours — putting it about 66% below its all-time high in November last year, when it traded around $69,000, according to data from Coinbase. Bitcoin fell below $24,000 Monday, sending the crypto to its lowest level since December 2020.
    
    Ether, the second-most-valuable digital coin, plunged 17%, and has now lost about 75% of its value since November.

    At the peak, just about every Bitcoin investor was in the green.

    But as I have warned my readers over and over again, you only make money in the financial markets if you get out in time.

    There was quite a bit of panic among crypto investors after the Celsius Network announced that it was being forced to temporarily pause “withdrawals, swaps and transfers”

    Celsius Network Ltd., one of the biggest lenders in crypto and a key player in the world of decentralized finance, said late Sunday that it was pausing withdrawals, swaps and transfers following weeks of speculation over its ability to make good on the outsize returns it offered on certain of its products, including yields as high as 17%. The move effectively halted a platform with registered entities across the globe and billions of dollars worth of digital coins under management, accelerating a selloff in the broader market that was already in progress on concern over prospects for tightening monetary policy ahead of a Federal Reserve meeting this week.

    We should watch some of these big players in the cryptocurrency industry very carefully.

    In the end, I have a feeling that some people that thought that they were “crypto millionaires” will actually walk away with nothing or next to nothing.

    Of course it isn’t just crypto investors that are going to get eviscerated.

    In recent years our financial markets have been transformed into the biggest casino in the history of the world.

    And a lot of investors had become convinced that the Federal Reserve had decided to permanently rig the game in their favor.

    Now the rug is being pulled out from under them, and the losses are piling up fast.

    Hopefully the markets will stabilize after the Fed decision comes out.

    But the outlook for the months ahead is terrible, and my regular readers already know what I believe is coming beyond that.

    It took years to get to the top of the rollercoaster, but the ride down will go much, much faster.

    Russian Spares for Airbus and Boeing aircraft – Airline Ratings

    Russia plans to manufacture unauthorized and unapproved spare parts for Airbus and Boeing aircraft, as their supply lines have been cut by economic sanctions.

    This could further deteriorate the value of leased western aircraft operating in Russia, as the use of unauthorized Russian spares would render the aircraft not airworthy in western countries.

    The Russian aviation authority, Rostaviatsia, has issued developer certificates to five companies that authorize them to perform modification, certification of minor changes, and issuance of technical documentation, including approval of repair documentation and changes. The five companies include the State Civil Aviation Research Institute, S7 Technics, the Ural Civil Aviation plant, Aviation Engineering Solutions, and the Navigator Institute of Aeronautical Instrumentation. This certification will enable them to manufacture Russian spares. However, those spares would not be recognized as airworthy outside Russia.

    Article HERE

    Propaganda award of the day…

    Yeah. Just add the word “possibly” and include a statement by an “unnamed expert”. LOL!

    By the way, the Chinese don’t brew coffee at home. No one owns coffee makers. They drink tea. And if they want a cup of coffee they go to McDonald’s, KFC, or Starbucks for one.

    This is just silly…

    Can you believve this?
    Lies. Lies. Lies.

    UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet says will not seek second term | United Nations News | Al Jazeera

    The cost of telling the truth!

    Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations human rights chief, has said she will not seek a second four-year term after her current one expires at the end of August, ending weeks of speculation.

    The 70-year-old made a trip to China last month for which she was criticised by rights groups as well as some Western governments for not doing enough to act against alleged abuses against Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in the western region of Xinjiang.

    Full article HERE

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    China’s hostile environment for Western tech pushed out Amazon and Airbnb, but competition remains the biggest challenge | South China Morning Post

    On platforms like Airbnb, Amazon and Uber were out competed by local Chinese rivals.
    China’s hostile environment for Western tech pushed out Amazon and Airbnb, but competition remains the biggest challenge
    
    An increasing number of Western internet firms are calling it quits in the world’s second largest economy, citing Covid-19 and a tougher regulatory environment
    
    More recent challenges just tell part of the story, according to analysts, who say platforms like Airbnb, Amazon and Uber were outcompeted by local rivals

    Full article HERE

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    Setback For Airbus-Led Consortium: After 20 Years Of Frustration, Norway Goes The Australia Way & Dumps Its Rotorcraft

    Not a lot of countries able to develop their own high tech industry, eg. AUSTRALIA; a TOTAL FAILURE AGAIN AND AGAIN TO BUILD IT OWN SUBMARINE :
    Norway has terminated its two-decade-old contract with an Airbus-led consortium of European aircraft and defense manufacturers, NATO Helicopter Industries (NHI), to acquire 14 NH90 medium-lift helicopters, citing 20 years of frustration with the delays, errors, and time-consuming maintenance.
    
    “Regrettably we have reached the conclusion that no matter how many hours our technicians work, and how many parts we order, it will never make the NH90 capable of meeting the requirements of the Norwegian Armed Forces,” said Norwegian Minister of Defence, Bjørn Arild Gram, in a statement released on June 10.
    
    “Based on a joint recommendation by the Armed Forces and associated departments and agencies, the Norwegian Government has therefore decided to end the introduction of the NH90 and has authorized the Norwegian Defence Material Agency to terminate the contract.”

    Article HERE

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    Ukraine latest updates: Moscow ‘destroys’ Western weapons depot | Russia-Ukraine war News | Al Jazeera

    Of course.

    Ukraine latest updates: Moscow ‘destroys’ Western weapons depot full of high-technology, expensive, weapons systems.

    Full Article HERE

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    U.S. paid 2 bln in rubles for astronaut’s trip via Russian spacecraft – CGTN

    Russian Space Agency official said U.S. has already paid in ruble for its astronaut's flight on Russian spacecraft in an interview on Saturday, according to China Media Group.
    
    Dmitry Rogozin, head of the Russia's state space corporation Roscosmos, said the U.S. has paid the full amount of the cost of the flight to the International Space Station for the crewmate Mark Vande Hei on the Russia "Soyuz" spacecraft in an interview with the Russia 24 news channel.
    
    NASA has chosen the Axiom Space Corporation as a middle man to purchase a seat for the American astronaut under pressure from Congress.
    
    NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei returned to Earth with two Russian cosmonauts aboard Russia's Soyuz MS-19 Spacecraft in the end of March.
    
    The payment was a month later than planned, according to Rogozin. He said Axiom Space is the direct payer who made the payment of 2 billion rubles, not NASA.
    
    In March, Rogozin said Roscosmos will switch to ruble-denominated contracts with other countries, according to TASS state news agency.
    
    The move came after Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia will seek payment in rubles for gas sales from "unfriendly" countries as part of countermeasures against Western countries freezing Russia's overseas assets.

    Article HERE

    Two Culinary Students Made Gigantic, Chocolate Covered Rock Candy Geodes

    At the Culinary Institute of America, two students—Alex Yeatts and Abby Lee Wilcox—have spent the last six months creating a collection of chocolate-covered, rock candy geodes and they look absolutely amazing.

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    Taiwan

    Recently, China starts to make it clear that Taiwan straight is NOT the so-called international water. Chinese MFA spokeperson said as follows on 2022/06/13 (source).

    Bloomberg: We reported that Chinese military officials have repeatedly asserted that the Taiwan Strait is not international waters in recent months during meetings with US counterparts. Does the foreign ministry have any comment on this?
    Wang Wenbin: Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. The Taiwan Strait ranges in width from about 70 nautical miles at its narrowest and 220 nautical miles at its widest. According to UNCLOS and Chinese laws, the waters of the Taiwan Strait, extending from both shores toward the middle of the Strait, are divided into several zones including internal waters, territorial sea, contiguous zone, and the Exclusive Economic Zone. China has sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the Taiwan Strait. At the same time, it respects the lawful rights of other countries in relevant waters.
    There is no legal basis of “international waters” in the international law of the sea. It is a false claim when certain countries call the Taiwan Strait “international waters” in order to find a pretext for manipulating issues related to Taiwan and threatening China’s sovereignty and security. China is firmly against this.

    This QnA was 2 days ago but I didn’t see this in any western media, especially in anglo sphere. It seems to me that China has put Taiwan reunification on schedule.

    China’s President Signs Decree: “Special Military Operations”

    World Hal Turner

    President Xi Jinping of China signed an order on the right to conduct a “special military operation” without declaring war.  It seems clear, he has Taiwan in mind.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, recently signed an order to promulgate a set of trial outlines on military operations other than war, which will take effect on Wednesday.

    The outlines will standardize, and provide the legal basis for Chinese troops to carry out, missions like disaster relief, humanitarian aid, escort, peacekeeping, and safeguarding China’s national sovereignty, security and development interests, experts said.

    The outlines aim to prevent and neutralize risks and challenges, handle emergencies, protect people and property.  They also deal with safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests, world peace and regional stability.

    The outlines have important meanings for the Chinese armed forces to carry out their duties and missions in the new era, as they will make innovations in ways military forces are used and standardize the organization and implementation of the armed forces’ military operations other than war, sources say.

    Military operations other than war refer to operations that do not involve war, like disaster relief and humanitarian aid, as well as operations that limit the scale of the use of force like maritime escorts and peacekeeping, a Chinese military expert who requested anonymity said today.

    The Chinese armed forces have been engaged in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic since 2020. They also played a vital role in saving the people from natural disasters like earthquakes and floods, which often took place in China over the past years, the expert said.

    The Chinese armed forces are also responsible for counter-terrorism, anti-pirate and peacekeeping missions, including regular escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia as well as UN peacekeeping missions, providing public security goods to the international community, the expert said.

    By carrying out these operations overseas, in some cases, the Chinese troops can prevent spillover effects of regional instabilities from affecting China, secure vital transport routes for strategic materials like oil, or safeguard China’s overseas investments, projects and personnel, analysts said.

    With six chapters and 59 pages, the outlines summarize experiences accumulated from past missions and practices, draw results from both military and civilian research, and standardize the basic principles, organization and command, types of activities, activity support and political work, providing the legal basis for the troops to carry out military operations other than war.

    Atop all those matters, the issue of Taiwan seems to be the real focus of the President’s new Decree.

    In the same way that Russia is now engaged in a Special Military Operation in Ukraine, China now has the legal basis for it to do the same with Taiwan.

    A Conflict inside of China

    The main actions of the world conflict will take place around China—expert (EurAsia Daily, Alan Pukhaev, June 13, 2022 — in Russian)

    It is practically no secret to anyone anymore that the big game started by the West in the context of the ongoing geopolitical confrontation is pursuing global goals. The fate of the world order is at stake. At the same time, the West, which is defending its hegemony, in its usual manner, is trying to act by proxy, creating problems along the perimeter of its geopolitical enemies—Russia and China.
    
    East and South Asia
    
    Outwardly, this looks rather confusing, but not for those who developed the ingenious schemes used today.
    
    Today, the main direction of the front of the geopolitical struggle is the Ukraine, where Russia is conducting a special military operation, and where the collective West is investing huge financial resources. In this situation, it may seem that Russia is acting alone and China has taken a wait-and-see attitude.
    
    However, according to the renowned sinologist Nikolay Vavilov, this is by no means the case. China is acting. Moreover, it is actively, conscientiously fulfilling the part of the tasks assigned to it.
    
    The aggravation of the situation in the Taiwan Strait can serve as evidence of this. Despite U.S. dissatisfaction, Chinese Air Force planes are flying into the island zone more and more frequently, getting on the nerves of the Taiwanese administration and irritating the United States. This does not allow Washington to fully focus on the Ukraine, which is an obvious help for Russia.
    
    At the same time, it can be noted that today, along the entire perimeter of the Chinese border, the hot phase of the Cold War unleashed by the U.S. against China has unfolded.
    
    “Imran Khan flew to the opening of the Olympics in Beijing. After that, he flew to Moscow. In response, the United States initiated the overthrow of Imran Khan, bringing the pro-American opposition to power. And now a civil war is flaring up in Pakistan,” Nikolay Vavilov wrote in his Telegram channel. “Pakistan is China’s most important ally. The route from western China through Pakistan and on to the Persian Gulf is a strategic hydrocarbon supply route. Basically, a territory bordering China was struck.”
    
    The sinologist draws attention to the fact that quite recently the pro-Chinese regime in the state of Sri Lanka was swept away with the support of the U.S. A government crisis is brewing in Nepal, which directly borders China.
    
    “There was an active struggle for the President in the Philippines as well,” the expert continued. “The winner is a politician associated with Chinese monopolies. But the Philippine military department is pursuing its own pro-U.S. policy. Recently, the head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, visited there. During his visit, a framework agreement on maritime security was signed between the Philippines and the U.S. In addition, the United States is trying to draw Vietnam into the anti-Chinese coalition, taking advantage of the fact that it has territorial disputes with China.”
    
    He recalls that Biden has visited South Korea and Japan in May. These are the closest allies of the U.S. And many analysts believe that during his visit a proposal was made to expand Washington’s military cooperation with Seoul and Tokyo with the possibility of transforming Japan into a nuclear power and deploying tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of South Korea.
    
    “We see that Biden is flying not to the Ukraine, but to East Asia,” continues Vavilov. “Meeting with leaders of Southeast Asian countries, focusing efforts in that region.”
    
    The sinologist points out that nearly at the same time there was a coup attempt in the Solomon Islands, where China basically helped the government to stay in power by signing a bilateral security agreement. In addition, according to U.S. media reports, China intends to sign similar agreements with Kiribati and Vanuatu. This is how, according to the expert, Beijing is responding to Washington’s actions—by creating a security belt in the Pacific Ocean.
    
    In addition, it is worth paying attention to NATO’s intentions to grant membership the countries of East Asia. Obviously, this is solely an anti-Chinese measure.
    
    Central Asia
    
    As a confirmation of the expert’s opinion, we can also recall the situation in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region of Tajikistan, which also directly borders China. Recall that on May 17–18 this year, the Tajik security forces carried out an anti-terrorist operation there against organized armed gangs.
    
    The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic has officially stated that the actions of the militants were coordinated from abroad via extremists wanted by the state, the main figure among whom is the leader of the National Alliance and the Islamic Renaissance Party (banned in Tajikistan) Muhiddin Kabiri.
    
    Also bordering China, Kyrgyzstan was visited last month by British representative Richard Chalk (Richard Edward Oliver Chalk. Since 2011, he was heading UK special unit RICU—Research, Information and Communication—a secret service that is part of the Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism under the UK Home Office. He is now running UK NGO REOC Communications — EurAsia Daily). According to Kyrgyz sources, the main purpose of his visit was to convince the Kyrgyz authorities to start accepting Afghan refugees.
    
    Of course, one cannot ignore the January events in Kazakhstan, which brought the country to the brink of civil war.
    
    Thus, as Nikolay Vavilov noted, destabilization is taking place along the entire perimeter of the Chinese border, with the exception of Mongolia. At the same time, the weakest links, in his opinion, are Pakistan, Kazakhstan and Myanmar. Therefore, it can’t be said that China is sitting on the sidelines. It is fighting a cold war against the U.S.
    
    “Another thing is that this war is still being waged via proxies, via allied political forces, but it is no less fierce,” Nikolay Vavilov continues. “Entire regimes are being demolished, governments are being replaced, and preparations are underway for a large-scale conflict.”
    
    In view of the foregoing, there are reasons to believe that the main actions of the current world conflict will unfold in the Asia-Pacific region. And the Ukraine is a maneuver to distracts Russia.

    In Germany

    Sanctions going really well: 1 in 6 Germans skipping meals due to inflation price increases on food

    Nearly one in six Germans (16 percent) have been forced to go without regular meals to make ends meet, and another 13 percent may face a similar situation if food prices continue to rise, a new survey by the Institute for New Social Answers (INSA) for Germany’s Bild newspaper has found.

    Electricity in Australia

    Sydney suburbs plunged into darkness as more power outages

    Entire suburbs in Sydney were sent into darkness on Monday night, with concerns more power outages could hit areas of both New South Wales and Queensland over the next 24 hours.

    It appears at least part of the problem is price controls imposed on electricity suppliers such that some are turning off generation rather than lose money on every kWh generated.

    Remember 2008? Another Terrifying Housing Crash Is Now In Progress

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    It is often said that those that refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.  More than a decade ago, the Federal Reserve created the most epic housing bubble in American history and everyone was happy until 2008 came along.

    The economy slowed down, home prices crashed and the ensuing chaos on Wall Street spawned an endless series of movies, television specials and documentaries.

    But instead of learning our lessons, we did it again.

    The Federal Reserve created an even larger housing bubble, and I have been relentlessly warning that it would inevitably burst.  Now home sales have fallen for six months in a row and prices are crashing again.  In fact, in some parts of the country we have already seen prices plunge by as much as 20 percent

    Property prices have fallen by up to 20 percent across parts of the US as buyers shun the market amid ‘Bidenflation’ and spiking interest rates.
    
    Asking prices have plummeted by up to $400,000 in wealthy areas while poorer neighborhoods have seen house values nosedive by as much as $115,000.

    Do you remember last time around when millions of homeowners ended up “underwater” on their mortgages?

    If we continue on this current trajectory, it is going to happen again.

    Last year at this time, the housing market was extremely hot, but now a new report from Redfin is telling us that things have dramatically changed

    A May study by Redfin found that about 19 percent of sellers dropped the prices on their homes in a four week period between April and May. The outlet said that the report indicated an end to the country’s pandemic-era housing boom.
    
    Their report found that Google searches for ‘homes for sale’ were down 13 percent from the same time last year.
    
    It also found that requests for home tours were down 12 percent, and that mortgage applications dropped 16 percent from a year prior.

    And the higher mortgage rates go, the worse things are going to get.

    Unfortunately, mortgage rates are spiking at a rate that is absolutely breathtaking this month

    Mortgage rates jumped sharply this week, as fears of a potentially more aggressive rate hike from the Federal Reserve upset financial markets.
    
    The average rate on the popular 30-year fixed mortgage rose 10 basis points to 6.28% Tuesday, according to Mortgage News Daily. That followed a 33 basis point jump Monday. The rate was 5.55% one week ago.

    The last time we saw mortgage rates this high was during the last housing crash.

    Unfortunately, they are only going to go higher because the Federal Reserve wants interest rates throughout our economy to rise in order to fight inflation.

    But as I have warned repeatedly in recent months, a high rate environment is going to absolutely eviscerate the housing market.  Already, higher rates have had a colossal impact on home affordability…

    Higher home prices and rates have crushed home affordability.
    
    For instance, on a $400,000 home, with a 20% down payment, the monthly mortgage payment went from $1,399 at the start of January to $1,976 today, a difference of $577. That does not include homeowners insurance nor property taxes.
    
    It also does not include the fact that the home is about 20% more expensive than it was a year ago.

    Vast multitudes of potential home buyers will be forced out of the market until home prices comes down dramatically.

    If you are one of those people, you could try to rent a place while you wait, but apartment rents are 15 percent higher than they were a year ago…

    A new report from Redfin shows that nationally listed rents for available apartments rose 15% from a year ago. And the median listed rent for an available apartment rose above $2,000 a month for the first time.
    
    Rents are up more than 30% in Austin, Seattle, and Cincinnati. In Los Angeles the median asking rent is $3,400. Even in formerly affordable cities such as Nashville it’s now $2,140, up 32% from last year.

    I am so thankful that Redfin gives us these numbers, but it turns out that Redfin is in deep trouble too.

    In fact, Redfin just announced that they will be laying off 8 percent of their workers…

    Real estate firms Redfin and Compass are laying off workers, as mortgage rates rise sharply and home sales drop.
    
    In filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Compass announced a 10% cut to its workforce, and Redfin announced an 8% cut.
    
    Shares of both companies fell Tuesday. Redfin’s stock touched a new 52-week low.

    So many of the exact same things that we witnessed back in 2008 are happening again.

    The economy is slowing down.

    Big corporations are starting to lay off workers.

    Home prices are starting to collapse.

    And there is a tremendous amount of pessimism about what is ahead.  In fact, one new survey has found that small business owners are “feeling their gloomiest in nearly five decades”

    Small business owners in America are feeling their gloomiest in nearly five decades, a survey released Tuesday morning showed.
    
    The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) said its gauge of businesses expecting better business conditions over the next six months fell to the worst reading in the 48-year history of the survey.

    When things got really bad in 2008 and 2009, the Federal Reserve responded by pushing interest rates all the way to the floor, and that certainly helped.

    But now the Federal Reserve doesn’t have that option.

    In fact, the Federal Reserve seems quite determined to dramatically raise rates in a desperate attempt to fight the inflation monster that they had a major role in helping to create.

    And the higher that rates go, the worse things will get for the housing market and for the economy as a whole.

    If we would have learned some lessons from the last crisis, all of this could have been avoided.  But instead we are now moving into a future which is going to be extraordinarily painful.

    At this point, the Federal Reserve is stuck between a rock and a hard place.

    If they don’t raise rates, inflation will continue to spiral out of control.

    But if they do raise rates, they will crush the housing market and make the coming recession far worse.

    For years, they assured all of us that they had everything under control and that they knew exactly what they were doing.

    Now everyone can see the truth, but unfortunately it is too late to reverse course.

    Tetrachromacy

    The majority of us can only perceive a limited number of hues or colors from our surroundings, which may number in the millions. If you think that is already a lot, consider someone who can see 99 million more colors than you. Concetta Antico, the world’s only tetrachromatic artist, is an example.

    Tetrachromacy is a hereditary condition in which a small percentage of the global population has more receptors in their eyes than a normal person, allowing them to detect more colors.

    Concetta Antico perceives more than green in a tree leaf, stating, “around the rim, I see orange, crimson, or purple; in the shadow, you may see dark green, but I see violet, turquoise, or blue.”

    Antoci’s tetrachromacy translates to her vibrant and colorful paintings, and you can see them on her website, concettaantico.com. The crazy part is that her parents first mistook her for color blind or daltonic since she detailed hundreds of hues that only she could see!

    Q&A: Indonesia’s defence minister on China in the Asia-Pacific

    China has always been the leading civilization in Asia. Many of our sultans, kings, our princes in those days, they would marry princesses from China. We have hundreds of years of relationship.
    
    Al Jazeera: In your speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, you spoke about the “Asian way”. Where does Indonesia fit into that idea?
    
    Subianto: That is our culture that we always try to resolve problems with negotiations, with interactions, with engagement, and we keep on engaging, we keep on discussing until we come to an amicable, mutually beneficial solution. That is the Asian way.
    
    And it is the Indonesian way. We call it musyawarah mufakat (discussion to reach a solution) and we call it gotong royong (working together). We look for common interests; if we always talk about the differences, we might not even meet.
    
    Al Jazeera: A big focus during this summit has been on US-China tensions. What do you see as Indonesia’s role in dealing with those tensions?
    
    Subianto: We are in the real and actual position that we respect and we are friendly, and we are good friends. We have good cooperation with both powers — I have said that many times. The United States has helped us many times, in our critical moments. But China has also helped us. China has also defended us and China is now a very close partner with Indonesia. And actually, China has always been the leading civilization in Asia. Many of our sultans, kings, our princes in those days, they would marry princesses from China. We have hundreds of years of relationship.
    
    

    So it’s natural. So, you asked me, what is our position, as good friends we try to be, maybe a good common bridge. If not, then we maintain the good relationships

    And we are convinced that both powers will have wise leadership. I’m optimistic on that front, many people, of course, understandably are concerned, and yes there are dangers. But I believe the leader of China will be wise, and the leader of the US also. They are great powers. The world will expect them to give us good leadership.
    
    Al Jazeera: What about some of the aspects of Indonesia-China relationships, where there are differences of opinions… for example the South China Sea. How do you navigate those challenges?
    
    Subianto: As I said with good relations, good communication with direct contacts, we can come to an amicable understanding that’s mutually beneficial.
    
    Q&A: Indonesia’s defence minister on security in the Asia-Pacific

    Article HERE

    Strawberry Shortcake Poke Bundt Cake

    This fun poke bundt cake puts a whole new spin on strawberry shortcake!

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    Ingredients

    Cake

    Strawberry Poke Mixture

    • 1 1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
    • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
    • 2 teaspoons lemon juice

    Cream Cheese Glaze

    • 3/4 cups powdered sugar
    • 2 tablespoons butter, softened
    • 1 oz cream cheese, softened
    • 1 to 2 tablespoons milk
    • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

    Garnish

    • 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries

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    Russia, Ukraine, China, Taiwan, NATO w/Gonzalo Lira (Live)

    "A conflict with China is a catastrophe."

    An outstanding, but very long (4 hours) talk about geopolitics including Russia and China. The China section starts around 1:40:00. A must listen to. Listen to the the entire broadcast if you are able to.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 5

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

    Jus primae noctis, household treasures, Elvis Presley and his love mobile, China lays the line, 1970s tunes, and delicious food

    The accusation of Xinjiang genocide is so ludicrous as to insult the intelligence of the audiences being preached to, yet highly placed scholars/politicians/scientists/journalists of the west would still echo every silly comment coming from State Department, or MI6, or that propaganda outfit in Mid-town Manhattan. 
    
    -Oriental Voice

    It is CLEAR that the United States want to “pull an Iraq WMD” excuse to invade / do battle with China. They are pushing, pushing and pushing about the “Xinjiang genocide”. And they are not going to stop, as they seem to have invested much in this avenue to attack China.

    What am I talking about? HERE, and here…

    Fury at UN human rights chief over ‘whitewash’ of Uyghur repression

    Dozens of scholars have accused the UN human rights chief of having ignored or contradicted academic findings on abuses in Xinjiang with her statements on the region.
    
    In an open letter published this week, 39 academics from across Europe, the US and Australia called on Michelle Bachelet to release a long-awaited UN report on human rights abuses in China.
    
    The letter, published online, included some academics with whom Bachelet had consulted prior to her visit to Xinjiang. The letter’s signatories expressed gratitude for this, but said they were “deeply disturbed” by her official statement, delivered at a press conference in Guangzhou at the end of her six-day tour.

    Set the tone for this article.

    The Band! Need I say more?

    Dilbert

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    China puts it’s foot down.

    China will fight to prevent any effort to split Taiwan from China. Splitting is yet precisely defined. It would be at China's discretion. It could even mean the sale of offensive weapons to China's traitors.
    
    Xi Jinping has recently elevated the irritable antics of Japan to very high profile.
    
    It has defined the air surveillance zones including the Diaoyutai, and unfriendly entities will be fended off; China is holding high profile memoriam for Nanjing Massacre; China is explicitly pointing finger at Japan's emperor during WW2 as the number 1 war criminal, and ask for accountability.
    
    China will perpetuate these, and perhaps even increase the frequency.
    
    Afterall, there was 731 biolab issue and the 3-burn/kill/plunder war crimes yet to be addressed as yet. Take Russia's strategy: demilitarization; denazification, indemnification, on Japan!!!
    
    First Japan. Then Uncle Sam next.
    
    - Oriental Voice

    Fresh Berry Cobbler

    Don’t forget the ice cream.

    23acf2e0 e351 42e9 a9d3 a9969516d90c
    23acf2e0 e351 42e9 a9d3 a9969516d90c

    Pssst, for an impressive dessert that guests will love and is simple to make, try our easy berry cobbler. It’s ready in a snap and tastes like summer. In our berry cobbler recipe, we love using Bisquick™ to achieve the perfect tender top layer. Top your warm Bisquick™ berry cobbler with whipped topping, homemade whipped cream—it’s super easy to make—or ice cream.

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    Steps

    • 1
      Heat the oven to 425°F.
    • 2
      In 2-quart saucepan, mix 1/2 cup sugar and cornstarch. Stir in raspberries, water and lemon juice. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue boiling 1 minute, stirring constantly. Pour berry mixture into 8- or 9-inch (2 quart) glass baking dish.
    • 3
      In medium bowl, stir Bisquick™ mix, milk, 1 tablespoon sugar and melted butter just until blended and a dough forms. Drop dough by 6 spoonfuls onto hot berry mixture.
    • 4
      Bake about 15 minutes or until berry mixture is bubbly and topping is light brown.
    • 5
      Place baking dish on a wire cooling rack. Cool slightly. Serve warm.

    China draws security red line to US at defense ministers’ longer-than-expected first meeting

    Published: Jun 10, 2022 10:46 PM Updated: Jun 10, 2022 11:17 PM
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    The Chinese military won’t hesitate to fight anyone who dares to separate the island of Taiwan from China, China’s State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe told US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during their first meeting in Singapore at the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ (IISS) 19th Shangri-La Dialogue on Friday.

    With the purpose to use Taiwan island and topics on the South China Sea to hype “China threat,” the US seeks to build an iron curtain between China and other Asian countries and to implement its “Indo-Pacific Strategy” by rallying allies, analysts said, noting that China is drawing a bottom line by reiterating its firm stance on the Taiwan question.

    After being canceled for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the IISS 19th Shangri-La Dialogue is taking place in Singapore from Friday to Sunday. The talks between Wei and Austin on Friday were the first meeting between Chinese and US defense ministers since Austin took office in January 2021.

    Topics on the island of Taiwan, South China Sea, and the Ukraine crisis had been discussed at the defense ministers’ meeting.

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    Two Su-35 fighter jets and a H-6K bomber fly in formation on May 11, 2018. Photo:China Military

    There is only one China, and Taiwan is a sacred, inalienable part of China’s territory, Wei told Austin, noting that if anyone dares to separate Taiwan from China, the Chinese military will not hesitate to fight, and will resolutely crush any “Taiwan independence” attempts at all cost to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, senior Colonel Wu Qian, a spokesperson at China’s Ministry of National Defense, said at a press conference after the meeting.

    Austin reiterated to Wei that the US remains committed to its longstanding one-China policy, which is guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the Three US-China Joint Communiqués, and the Six Assurances. However, he also “reaffirmed” opposition to “unilateral changes to the status quo,” according to a press release from the US Department of Defense.

    The Chinese defense minister’s remarks stressed China’s bottom line for the US as Washington has ramped up efforts to link the Russia-Ukraine conflict with the Taiwan question and create tensions in the region, analysts said. They lashed out at the US for taking “a sausage cutting” strategy to hollow out its one-China policy gradually and intensify the situation at the Taiwan Straits.

    Analysts said the US is attempting to shift its EU allies’ focus to the Asia-Pacific region and also consolidate its alliance in Asia.

    Japan is the one that closely follows the US in using the current Russia-Ukraine crisis to hype the Chinese mainland’s “threat” to the island of Taiwan. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida used the Russia-Ukraine conflict as an example to oppose “unilateral changes” to the status quo by force and unveil a plan to raise Japan’s defense budget

    The US and its allies have stepped up efforts to promote the implementation of the “Indo-Pacific Strategy” this year, as it is trying to build an iron curtain between China and others in the Asia-Pacific region, Yang Xiyu, a senior research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Friday.

    Yang said that the biggest difference in this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue is that the Asia-Pacific region is now facing an unprecedented strategic instability. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has spilled over to the world. NATO is going global, and Western countries have deliberately added fuel to the fire by linking Ukraine with Taiwan, which are irrelevant.

    The US had built QUAD, AUKUS, and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, but China decided to confidently face them or integrate into them, Yang said, pointing out that China’s choice to send its top defense official this year at this sensitive time shows China’s confidence and strategic focus, as well as China’s strategic sincerity of pushing the Asia-Pacific to integration and cooperation standing at the crossroads.

    Frank exchangesWei and Austin’s meeting on Friday is of significance to implementing the important consensus between the two countries’ top leaders and pushing forward the development of the two countries’ military ties, said Senior Colonel Wu, noting the conversation was a frank, positive and constructive strategic communication.

    Both sides agreed that the two militaries should carefully implement the key consensus reached by the two countries’ top leaders, keep frequent communication and manage risks and crises, Wu noted.

    The meeting between Chinese and US defense ministers is an exchange of views at this historic moment, as China pushes the region toward integration and cooperation and away from separation and Cold War, Yang said.

    The significance of the meeting is that it proved the two countries’ high-level conversation is sustainable. Even if the two sides crossed swords with words, being able to exchange views in a frank manner means both sides are willing to implement the consensus reached by the two countries’ top leaders, Yang said.

    The conversation between the Chinese and US defense ministers has a positive meaning to the deepening of strategic communication, the exploration in the construction of a “guardrail” for China-US relations, as well as the management of risk, Cao Yanzhong, a research fellow at the Academy of Military Sciences of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), told the Global Times on Friday.

    When it comes to the “guardrail” for  China-US relations the US wants to build, China has already drawn three bottom lines the US should not cross during the two countries’ meetings in Anchorage and Tianjin. The US should keep its promises, stop making provocations on the Taiwan question, stop expanding and enhancing military alliances and partnerships in its attempt to “shape security environment of China,” and stop trade sanctions and technology blockades, and take real actions to stabilize China-US relations and promote peace, Cao said.

    However, as the US insists on defining the bilateral relations with major power competition, there are two options for such competition to evolve: it can escalate to conflict, or it can pave the way for cooperation, Zhang Yingli, former professor at the International College of Defense Studies at the PLA’s National Defense University, told the Global Times on Friday.

    The US military frequently carries out close-in reconnaissance and make provocations on China, and China’s frontline troops have garnered rich experience and skills as they deal with them. This means Chinese troops can carry out their duties in safeguarding national sovereignty very professionally and avoid possible accidents that could lead to crises from happening as much as possible, Zhang said.

    Analysts noted the US should also immediately stop arms sales to and military cooperation with the island of Taiwan, stop the highly frequent close-in reconnaissance on China as well as stop stirring up regional confrontation and security tensions in the Indo-Pacific region.

    How this is reported in the West...

    FLASH: China Tells U.S. “Will not Hesitate to Start a War”

    FLASH– 7:31 PM EDT  Friday, June 10, 2022 — The Defense Ministry of the People’s Republic of China told their U.S. counterparts this evening “Beijing will not hesitate to start a war over Taiwan.”

    They used those exact words.

    Developing  . . .

    Neocons warn American leadership that you cannot take what China says at “face value”

    “The US doesn’t have to believe anything China says, but it doesn’t have to pick a fight with China either.”

    From HERE

    Dilbert

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    NEWS ALERT! China Will Not Hesitate To Start A War If US Does Not Follow One-China Policy — Beijing

    Ah. For those of you who have not been paying attention. -MM

    China will not hesitate to start a war if Taiwan is pulled away from China, Chinese Defense Ministry Spokesperson Wu Qian said on Friday.

    “If anyone dares to rip Taiwan away from our country, the People’s Liberation Army of China will not hesitate to start a war,” Wu Qian was quoted by the CCTV as saying after a meeting between Defense Minister Wei Fenghe and his US counterpart Lloyd Austin in Singapore.

    “We will firmly defend our country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

    Meanwhile, Austin and Wei discussed the need to responsibly manage competition and maintain open lines of communication, the Pentagon said.

    “Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III met today with the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) Minister of National Defense General Wei Fenghe on the margins of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. Secretary Austin and General Wei discussed US-PRC defense relations and regional security issues,” the statement said.

    According to the Pentagon, Austin focused on “the need to responsibly manage competition and maintain open lines of communication.”

    “The Secretary underscored the importance of the People’s Liberation Army engaging in substantive dialogue on improving crisis communications and reducing strategic risk,” it added.

    The two also discussed North Korea and the Russia-Ukraine crisis. During the talks, the Pentagon chief reaffirmed US commitment to “our longstanding One-China policy,” according to the statement.

    The meeting was the first in-person meeting between Austin and Wei, who last spoke with each other over the phone on April 20, which was itself the first such call since the Biden administration took office.

    China, last month, in response to a US congressional delegation visit to Taiwan, sent 30 warplanes near the island and urged the US to avoid sending signals of Taiwanese independence.

    The Shangri-La Dialogue is an annual event designed to allow heads of state and top defense officials to meet in person to discuss security challenges. The event did not take place in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Urban Exploration Photographer Reveals Abandoned Ferrari & MG Sports Car. Bonus: Lamborghini Diablo Goat Edition

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    Dibert

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    A comment

    Marie-Antoinette, 1770: "Let them eat cake!"
    Von der Leyen, 2022: "Let them drive electric!"
    
    -Passerby

    CIA spycraft

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    Developed by CIA’s Office of Research and Development in the 1970s, this micro Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) was the first flight of an insect-sized aerial vehicle (Insectothopter). It was an initiative to explore the concept of intelligence collection by miniaturized platforms. (Photo by Central Intelligence Agency)

    Dilbert

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    US Navy aircraft carriers may be useless in a war with China

    “The days of the carrier on the modern battlefield may be numbered.”

    Aircraft carriers such as the $13 billion USS Gerald R. Ford are floating symbols of the United States’ military power. They are built to dissuade adversaries from attacking American interests, reassure allies in times of crisis, and provide lifesaving close air support to U.S. troops in combat.

    Yet these capital ships are also large and tempting targets for anti-ship missiles. Now China, which has missiles that can strike ships up to 2,500 miles away, has reportedly found a way to track U.S. aircraft carriers in real-time.

    Last June, a Chinese satellite equipped with artificial intelligence detected the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman during naval exercises off the coast of Long Island, New York, allowing China’s military to follow the ship’s movements, The South China Morning Post first revealed.

    Task & Purpose has not independently verified the claim made by Chinese space scientists that they had spotted the Harry S. Truman. The Navy referred questions about the possible implications of this claim to the Pentagon, which did not provide a comment for this story.

    If this reporting is accurate, it could indicate the Navy would be unable to dispatch aircraft carriers to Taiwan in response to a Chinese invasion, said Timothy Heath, a senior international defense researcher at the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit research organization.

    “Given China’s long-range anti-ship ballistic missiles, the only hope that a U.S. carrier has for surviving a battle near Taiwan is to hide from Chinese sensors,” Heath told Task & Purpose. “If this report is true, then the carriers’ last defense against anti-ship ballistic missiles is now gone. The carrier can be found, identified, and tracked, and that data undoubtedly can be passed to Chinese targeteers who could then target the warship.”

    In the past, Chinese analysts have had to pore over a massive number of satellite images to locate U.S. aircraft carriers, Heath said. By using artificial intelligence, the Chinese military could greatly accelerate that process.

    Even if this particular story about how China tracked the Harry S. Truman turns out not to be true, military analysts have long expected that artificial intelligence would make it much easier for China and other adversaries to sift through satellite images and identify targets, he said.

    “I think there is an understanding that the future battlefield is going to be highly transparent in the sense that the proliferation of satellites and AI [artificial intelligence] will make it increasingly difficult for major combatant ships like a carrier to hide. In fact, it’s almost a given that the days of the carrier on the modern battlefield may be numbered.”

    China already has a variety of ground-based radars, airborne sensors, and satellites that have made U.S. military planners apprehensive about sending aircraft carriers anywhere near Taiwan, Heath said.

    “The military officers I’ve talked to said they have been planning for years to deploy carriers so far away from Taiwan that they’re out of range of the [Chinese] missiles, but frankly, also irrelevant to the combat,” Heath said. “The bottom line is if the U.S. is relying on carriers to save Taiwan, that’s a lost cause. It’s just not viable.”

    Retired Navy. Capt. Jerry Hendrix said he has been worried about how U.S. aircraft carriers can be detected from space. Hendrix is a Navy expert who spent 26 years on active duty, during which he served on aircraft carriers and as a strategist on the Chief of Naval Operations staff.

    Hendrix recounted to Task & Purpose how he read a news story years ago about an astronaut who spotted his former carrier while he was serving on a space station. From far above the Earth, the astronaut was still able to see the ship’s hull number through one of the station’s telescopes.

    “It occurred to me that if a human astronaut in the space station was able to do this, that it probably is not that hard to look for aircraft carriers,” Hendrix said.

    Indeed, there are not that many ships in the world that are as large, as fast, or that displace as much water as U.S. aircraft carriers, so Chinese satellites have plenty of clues to look for, Hendrix said. Even though super tankers are larger than aircraft carriers, they do not turn into the wind to launch aircraft.

    “If you’re programming in through AI-specific attributes of an aircraft carrier that an aircraft carrier would do but a merchant ship of a similar size would not, then you’re able to make that detection from overhead imagery more quickly,” Hendrix said.

    Artificial intelligence would also allow Chinese satellites to quickly distinguish an aircraft carrier’s electronic signature from background noise on the electromagnetic spectrum, he said.

    To keep aircraft carriers relevant in future wars, the Navy needs to invest in carrier-based aircraft that can fly much further without refueling than F-35C Joint Strike Fighters, Hendrix said.

    Hendrix said he estimates the F-35C can fly up to 650 nautical miles before it needs to be refueled. While the Navy is developing the MQ-25 drone to refuel carrier-based aircraft, not enough of those drones will be on individual aircraft carriers to refuel a lot of F-35Cs for a large strike, he said.

    The Navy really needs an unmanned combat aircraft, Hendrix said. The service had been developing such a drone, the X-47B, but decided to move forward with the MQ-25 program first.

    There’s no doubt that threats against aircraft carriers are growing, but it’s also worth noting that experts have been writing the aircraft carrier’s obituary for a century. Indeed, the U.S. Naval Institute has compiled a list of articles from its “Proceedings” magazine going back to 1922 that debate the carrier’s worth.

    One naysayer argued in 1925 that the Navy should use large dirigibles instead of ships to carry aircraft because airships can fly over both sea and land. A 1959 commentary questioned whether the Navy would get better use out of its money if it built more submarines instead of carrier strike groups. And one author wrote in 1999 that the cruise missile attacks on Al Qaeda in Sudan and Afghanistan the previous year marked the beginning of the end for aircraft carriers.

    “As we enter the new millennium it will become more and more obvious, however, that technology that earlier favored the aircraft carrier will dictate its demise,” wrote the author, whose name was not included in the USNI list.

    Retired Navy Capt. Brent Sadler said he does not believe the U.S. Navy’s aircraft carriers are so vulnerable to detection that they could not take part in a military response to a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

    “These Chinese kill chains are long and carrier strike groups are hard targets,” said Sadler, the senior fellow for naval warfare and advanced technology at the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank in Washington, D.C. “They can and will operate within threat ranges.”

    In other words: Just because Chinese satellites detect U.S. aircraft carriers does not mean that the Chinese military can get the ships’ location in time to successfully hit them with missiles.

    In 1981, the U.S. Navy exercise Ocean Venture demonstrated that American aircraft carriers could avoid being detected by Soviet satellites, thus disproving that the carriers had to stay far away from Soviet territory to survive, said Sadler,  the senior fellow for naval warfare and advanced technology at the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank in Washington, D.C.

    “Same is true today, but we just have not really demonstrated this in a way like Ocean Venture did,” Sadler told Task & Purpose.

    With that said, the U.S. military has a lot of work in preparation for a possible war with China triggered by an invasion of Taiwan, Salder said That includes practicing how it would fight such a war, expanding the defense industrial base, and investing in more ships to be able to wage a long war.

    “Bottom line – carrier strike groups, long-range aircraft and submarines will all be active if such a war occurs,” Sadler said.

    Stunning Photos Of The Installation Process For Chinese 5G Network Equipment On  Mount Everest

    Not reported in “The West”.

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    China Mobile Hong Kong and Huawei have jointly taken 5G connectivity to the highest-altitude base station to the north of Mount Everest. Built at an altitude of 6,500 meters, the highest 5G antenna installation in the world will enable China Mobile to run its dual Gigabit network.

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    The base station, along with previously built stations at altitudes of 5300 meters and 5800 meters, is designed to provide full coverage of 5G signals on the North Ridge as well as the Summit of Mount Everest. The network is being maintained by network specialists stationed 24/7 at the altitudes of 5,300 meters and above.

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    Apart from this, Zhou Min, general manager of Tibet branch of China Mobile, told the media that the trio of basecamps would ensure telecommunication for the activities of mountain climbing, scientific research, environmental monitoring, and high-definition live streaming by providing download speeds that top 1.66 Gbps and upload speeds higher than 215 Mbps.

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    China Mobile Hong Kong revealed the project last month and recently announced its completion via a Facebook post. The team consisted of 150 engineers, network analysts, construction workers, and a couple of Yaks who lugged the 8-ton equipment to the highest base camp. They also plan to use the network in order to properly measure the true height of Mount Everest.

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    Approximately 25 km of fiber optic cables were laid as part of the project on top of the 177 km transmission trunk line and the route along with Everest.

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    6 16

    Chinese 5G is everywhere, except inside the USA and their western proxy nations.

    A-10 pilot explains how the Air Force can outfit the beloved ‘Warthog’ to take on China

    The most delusional article of the day.-MM

    2022 06 11 09 40
    2022 06 11 09 40

    "In order to survive, the A-10 Warthog must adapt and overcome."

    Throughout my 10-year flying career in the United States Air Force, the A-10C Thunderbolt II, affectionately dubbed the Warthog, has been the subject of divestment. There is a joke amongst the A-10 community that discussions of getting rid of the A-10 started 2.5 minutes after the last one rolled off the Fairchild-Republic assembly line in 1984. Despite such quips, there is one resounding fact that defines our community; the mission comes before the plane. Now don’t get me wrong, with more than 2,000 hours and two deployments in the A-10, I love the jet with all my heart. But the mission will always come first. So herein lies the paradox: how does a jet under constant threat of divestment adapt and evolve to support the ever-changing mission?

    In August of 2020 Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. C.Q. Brown published a white paper titled “Accelerate Change or Lose,” wherein he asserts that for the Air Force to retain the ability to project power and establish air supremacy anywhere in the world, we must embrace rapid growth and adaptability. Gen. Brown followed his white paper up with action orders, published in December 2020 and revised in February 2022. The action orders were a charge to Air Force leaders to embrace the ideas laid out in the paper, stating “these action orders provide the what. It’s the way we address these action orders that will provide the how. It is all of us … our talented airmen … that are key to cutting unnecessary bureaucracy, recognizing and understanding our competition, and thinking of creative ways we can reshape the design of our Air Force.” With Brown’s charge in mind, the A-10 community set out to analyze and identify how to support the Air Force’s strategic, operational, and tactical goals.

    The notion of integrating stand-off weapons (SOWs) on the A-10 was first hatched 10 years ago, but never gained traction due to the threat of divestment. Now, a decade later, and congressionally mandated to remain in service despite divestment efforts in each of the last 10 budget requests, the idea of integrating SOWs on the A-10 was revisited. In July 2021, a group of A-10 tactical experts gathered ‘round the infamous Hog Trough — an informal gathering area where A-10 pilots and crew have mission-related discussions — and postulated on how the A-10C could better help our 4th, 5th, and soon to be 6th-gen brothers and sisters win in the air. The first proposal was the ADM-160 Miniature Air-Launched Decoy, also known as MALD. Carried by the F-16 and B-52, the MALD is a low-cost combat capability that offers mission and combatant commanders the opportunity to saturate an air defense picture and increase the survivability of our 5th-gen assets. When planned and utilized properly, a few dozen decoys can wreak havoc on the defenses of a sophisticated potential enemy like Russia or China.

    The A-10C has up to 10 weapons stations available. In today’s Air Force, where new fighters have fewer weapons stations in order to prioritize internal carriage and stealth, the A-10’s sheer volume of available weapons stations is a force multiplier. The MALD weighs about 300 pounds and has a range of approximately 500 miles. It is programmable and aims to duplicate the signatures and flight profiles of combat aircraft, inducing confusion and noise into the enemy air defense picture and complicating their tactical decision-making. A single MALD can be loaded directly onto a station, or two MALD can be loaded on a triple-ejector rack. This enables a single A-10 to carry up to 16 MALD, which is as many as a B-52 can hold and 12 more than an F-16 can. To further break it down, a four-ship formation of A-10s could bring up to 64 MALD to a fight. The A-10’s robust, agile combat employment capabilities (low maintenance footprint and ability to operate from unimproved or makeshift runway surfaces) combined with the ability to carry 16 MALD per aircraft, provides combatant commanders the ability to create multi-axis problems, target saturation, and horizontal escalation options for adversaries. No software integration with the jet’s central computer is required. Carriage and separation testing is the only cost to consider.

    After about seven months of research, building a roadmap, rallying A-10 community support and being told ‘no’ at least 50 times, the 127th Wing from Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan, borrowed some load-training versions of the MALD and ground fit checked the ADM-160 on the A-10C at Volk Field Air National Guard Base, Wisconsin. This happened the same day the A-10 chief engineer signed off on the project. The motivation, creativity, and perseverance of our airmen, paired with a mission-oriented community proved that we can accelerate change. Hopefully, the effort will gain the support of Air Combat Command (ACC) and Headquarters Air Force (HAF). With their support, the MALD can go through separation testing and complete its integration on the A-10 in the next few months. Integration of the MALD on the A-10C provides a unique method to use the austere capabilities of the airframe to increase the survivability of every aircraft in the fight.

    The second proposal, the AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile or JASSM, is the next step in the A-10’s evolution of mission support. The JASSM is a low-observable, air-launched cruise missile, which has become so strategically important to combatant commanders, that it has been integrated onto the F-15E, F-16, F/A-18, F-35, B-1, B-52, and even the B-2. Initial assessments and theorizing suggests that the A-10 could potentially carry four to five of the missiles. For comparison, the F-15E is the only fighter that can carry more than two JASSM (the Strike Eagle can carry up to five JASSM), while the bomber fleet can carry between 12 and 24 of the munitions, depending on the platform. Although this may not have the same sticker shock associated with the MALD, the A-10 can offer combatant commanders an additional four to five JASSM per sortie, and leverage integrated combat turns (ICTs) to increase sortie production. Risk mitigation demands more SOWs employment, and the carriage capacity combined with the quick-turn capability of the A-10C should be considered as a means to increase the Mass the USAF can provide to a combatant commander. This is not about taking the JASSM away from bombers and other fighters. This is about bringing more weapons to bear in a shorter span of time, which is a critical component of massing fires.

    The A-10 is not a nuclear-capable asset, so deployment should not carry the same level of strategic threat as assets that are nuclear-capable. This provides an opportunity for combatant commanders to forward stage long range fires without potentially triggering a change in strategic posture. Unlike the MALD, the JASSM will require software integration in addition to ground fitting and separation testing, however, given the fact that the A-10 and the JASSM are currently available, with support, the timeline could encourage rapid capability offerings to combatant commanders to integrate into plans right away.

    Imagine a rapidly-deployable force of non-nuclear fighters that can operate from the most austere locations with a minimal footprint while providing long range fires, decoys, electronic attack, and mission support. That vision is achievable at minimal cost by using assets and capabilities that the Air Force already has, but simply needs to integrate. That is what stand-off weapon integration on the A-10 can provide to combatant commanders.

    In the end, should we be called to militarily defend democracy and the freedoms we hold dear, we are going to fight with the force we have, not the force we want. Without a suitable replacement aircraft, the A-10 is likely to remain a congressionally-mandated part of the Air Force, as noted in Gen. Brown’s “4+1” fighter force structure. The integration of the MALD and the JASSM are merely two ways the A-10 community is evolving to best support the Air Force in future fights. Gen. Brown charged airmen with embracing the idea of thinking outside the box and working to counter our adversaries with new and unique methods. The innovative spirit and “get it done” attitude of the A-10 community is an example of accelerating change to not lose. Good luck to our adversaries trying to sort and pick through the 64 MALD delivered by a four-ship flight of A-10s.

    CIA operations inside of China

    950
    950

    Dru Blair, Mixed Media on Illustration Board, 2010, Donated Courtesy of Alan Seigrist.

    November 1950 marked the entry of Chinese Communist military forces into the Korean War.

    The Truman Administration tasked CIA to conduct covert-action programs on the Chinese mainland.

    One particularly sensitive and dangerous one involved CIA’s Civil Air Transport (CAT) flying agent-exfiltration missions in which low-altitude, slow-moving planes hoisted agents from the ground.

    The painting depicts an ill-fated flight on November 29, 1952 when Norman A. Schwartz and C flew such a mission into Manchuria, unaware that Chinese Communist units had been tipped off about the flight and were waiting in ambush.

    Their plane was shot down, and they were killed.

    Their two crewmen, John T. Downey and Richard G. Fecteau, however, were not seriously hurt.They were captured by the PLA.

    They were convicted of espionage and imprisoned.

    Fecteau was eventually released nearly a year shy of his 20-year sentence, and Downey was released after serving just over 20 years of his life sentence.

    (Photo by Central Intelligence Agency)

    Steve Winwood Dear Mr. Fantasy Live-Crossroads 2007 (High Quality)

    I’m jamming to 1970s tunes…

    ‘Assume you can be jammed’ — What US troops are learning about electronic warfare in Ukraine

    “We are really not prepared for that level of electronic warfare.”

    Russia’s use of electronic warfare in eastern Ukraine provides a preview to U.S. troops about what it will be like to fight an adversary that can intercept and jam their communications, sever all links to their drones flying overhead, and blind their radars and other sensors.

    “Electronic warfare is almost by definition one of the hardest things to discern on the battlefield,” Russian military analyst Michael Kofman told Task & Purpose. “It seems early on Russia was not well prepared to employ these capabilities, but now there are numerous stories of localized jamming and disabling of drones.”

    Open source analysts such as Oryx Blog suggest the Ukrainians have destroyed several Russian jammers and deception systems, including the Krasukha mobile electronic warfare system, which is meant to jam drones and other weapons systems guided by radar, said Kofman, director of the Russia Studies Program at CNA, a federally funded research and development center.

    However, the Russians have still been able to jam Ukraine’s military communications as well as the Global Positioning Receivers on the drones that the Ukrainians use as artillery spotters, the Associated Press recently reported.

    “They are jamming everything their systems can reach,” an unnamed official with a civilian organization that provides the Ukrainian military with intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance told the Associated Press. “We can’t say they dominate, but they hinder us greatly.”

    The ongoing battle in Eastern Ukraine shows that electronic warfare does not distinguish between inside and outside of the wire. Russia’s tactics in Ukraine may indicate that the days when U.S. troops could comfortably sit in a tactical operations center with perfect communications are coming to an end.

    Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran would likely try to jam and intercept U.S. troops’ communications and block or deceive navigation systems in a war, said Lt. Col. Tyson Wetzel, senior Air Force fellow with the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington, D.C.

    2022 06 11 09 42
    2022 06 11 09 42

    Under an electronic attack, American service members may need to resort to seemingly anachronistic forms of communications. For example, the Ukrainians use analog landline field phones because they cannot be jammed by the Russians, Coffee or Die reporter Nolan Peterson revealed.

    A contested electronic environment could also make it more difficult for U.S. military aircraft to strike their targets. In 2018, Army Gen. Tony Thomas, who led U.S. Special Operations Command, said during a speech that an AC-130 gunship over Syria had been temporarily disabled by an electronic warfare attack.

    Thomas told Task & Purpose on Monday that the AC-130 was still able to carry out its mission despite the electronic jamming. It is unclear whether the electronic attack was launched by Syria, Russia, or the Islamic State group.

    “But we had to work around in a ‘dirty’ battlefield as opposed to some of the areas in which we had been operating in previous years,” Thomas said, referring to the contested electromagnetic environment.  “It also reminded us that our peer adversaries have that capability in large quantities.”

    The threat of electronic warfare remains “an ever-present reality” for U.S. troops in Syria, said Air Force Lt. Col. Gina McKeen, a spokeswoman for Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve.

    “U.S. troops and coalition partners are working together to minimize the electronic warfare threat to operations in the Levant in order to ensure the enduring defeat of Daesh [ISIS],” McKeen told Task & Purpose.

    In October 2020, the Defense Department released its “Electromagnetic Spectrum Superiority Strategy,” which calls for investing in “revolutionary, leap-ahead technologies” to combat electronic warfare.

    “Recognizing U.S. reliance on the EMS [electromagnetic spectrum], our adversaries have spent 30 years studying, investing, and implementing policies, capabilities, and procedures with the single focus of gaining military advantage over U.S. forces,” the strategy says. “These adversaries are developing and fielding advanced technology that targets U.S. capabilities across the EMS.”

    For junior enlisted U.S. service members and noncommissioned officers, Russia’s use of electronic warfare in Ukraine is a reminder that they have an electronic signature – just as they have heat and visual signatures – that can be detected, targeted, and hit, said retired Army Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, former commander of U.S. Army Europe.

    “We should expect that the Russians will jam/intercept our communications,” Hodges told Task & Purpose. “They already do this occasionally. That’s why it’s important we train on this at our training centers and home station so that soldiers are disciplined to minimize Russian EW [electronic warfare] effects.”

    2022 06 11 09 43
    2022 06 11 09 43

    U.S. troops must also continue to practice proper procedures to make sure that they are always clear and concise whenever they communicate in a contested electronic warfare environment, he said.

    “Assume that you can be jammed and/or intercepted and thus targeted, no matter what system you are using,” Hodges said.

    The Russians have learned that lesson the hard way by using cell phones when their communications systems failed. That has made it easy for the Ukainians to find, target, and strike Russian troops, including general officers.

    Right now, the Russians have effectively put their jammers on blast so that regions of Eastern Ukraine are electromagnetic dead zones, where neither the Ukrainians nor Russians have access to communications, radars, and other sensors, said retired Air Force Lt. Col. Glenn “Powder” Carlson, president of the Association of Old Crows, a professional organization for electronic and cyber warfare professionals.

    Carlson compared the situation to a scene in the movie “The Hunt for Red October,” in which a Navy officer describes how the Soviet fleet was moving too quickly to detect anything on active sonar: “They could run over my daughter’s stereo and not hear it.”

    If U.S. troops had to fight in such an environment, they would likely need to use High, Very High, and Ultra High Frequency radios to communicate with each other, Carlson told Task & Purpose.

    “EW [electronic warfare] is very much a chess match,” Carlson said. “There’s always moves and counter moves. When I came into it, it was called ‘electronic countermeasures.’ And then you had electronic counter-countermeasures. From those terms, we’ve changed to ‘electronic support,’ ‘electronic attack,’ ‘electronic protect,’ because otherwise we end up with too many ‘counters’ in there.”

    The Russians have long been known for their prowess in electronic warfare. Philip Karber, a Marine veteran and national security analyst, has made 39 trips to Ukraine since March 2014, spending a total of 189 days with Ukrainian combat troops. He remembers one incident years ago when the Ukrainians he was with not only came under Russian artillery fire, but the Russians also called the Ukrainian commander on his cell phone to taunt him.

    However, even though Russia’s latest invasion of Ukraine began in late February, it has only been recently that Russian electronic warfare efforts have become increasingly effective, said Karber, president of the Potomac Foundation, a think tank in Washington, D.C.

    That is partially because the Russian forces that took part in the initial assault on Kyiv may not have been properly trained how to use electronic warfare systems, Karber told Task & Purpose. Those forces may have also been too dispersed and moving too quickly to launch effective electronic warfare attacks. And it is possible that the Russians found they were inadvertently jamming their own systems.

    One lesson of the war in Ukraine is that American troops are vulnerable to electronic warfare attacks, said Karber, who argued the U.S. military is too narrowly focused on countering cyber threats.

    “We have not addressed the vulnerability – particularly of our command posts – that are dependent on communication, which has grown exponentially,” Karber said. “We have not gotten used to operating without electronic communication, either using land wires or runners, which both the Russians and Ukrainians have learned to adapt to as well. We are really not prepared for that level of electronic warfare, in my opinion.”

    Well then…

    I posted this in another article and a software update somehow erased the content. So here it is again. I hope that you enjoy it.

    Airmen with Comic Sans name tapes are testing the limits of Air Force regulations

    This is the modern United States military. It's what is going on throughout the military, and is clear and complete evidence for a wholesale rot and decay of all pillars of American structure. -MM

    “First sergeants everywhere just sensed a disturbance in the Force.”

    The Air Force has a long tradition of defying the odds and pushing the envelope. Take Brig. Gen. Chuck Yeager, a hero of World War II who became the first human to fly at supersonic speeds; or Col. John Boyd, who defied his own service to create the F-16 fighter jet. And now, in an era where Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown Jr. is encouraging his branch to “accelerate change or lose,” airmen are taking up the challenge by printing out their uniform name tape in Comic Sans, Wingdings and Old English instead of the standard block sans serif lettering used by everyone else in the service.

    Why stand out from the herd like this? Well, airmen argue that Air Force Instruction 36-2903, which regulates uniforms and appearance, does not technically prohibit them from doing so.

    “Most airmen are familiar with AFI 36-2903 (Dress and appearance), but I had a good amount of time to read over it while in training,” said an anonymous cyber warfare officer who posted to Reddit last month an image of his name tape in Comic Sans. “I noticed that the [operational camouflage pattern] name tapes lacked the descriptions that the other tapes had.”

    Indeed, while AFI 36-2903 states that name tapes for the outdated airman battle uniform must be “dark blue block lettering,” for the current operational camouflage pattern, it states only that the name tape must be “stitched in Spice Brown block lettering, centered on an OCP background tape and affixed over the right chest pocket with velcro fastener,” for the airman’s last name, and that a separate name tape saying “U.S. Air Force” must be affixed over the left chest pocket. It does not specifically mention which font or typeface that lettering must be in. It specifies only that it must be “block,” where each letter is uniform and distinct and disconnected from others.

    2022 06 11 09 48
    2022 06 11 09 48

    The Air Force disagrees with that interpretation, however. Tech Sgt. Deana Heitzman, an Air Force spokesperson, pointed out that Figure 5.2 in AFI 36-2903 clearly shows an example of the operational camouflage pattern uniform top with standard block lettering for the name tapes. And “the omission of a specific item or appearance standard does not automatically permit its wear,” Heitzman said, referring to section 1.5.1.2, which also says “any item not mentioned in this Air Force Instruction (AFI) is not authorized for wear.”

    When asked about those points, the cyber officer said that there is often some type of catch-all like that in the regulations.

    “These situations usually boil down to commander’s intent, which I predict precludes Comic Sans in this scenario,” he said. “Ultimately, it is of course up to [Air Force Headquarters] whether or not something will fly, and we all respect that decision.”

    Still, last month it was worth giving Comic Sans a shot. The officer said the catalyst came when he waited two weeks for new name tapes to arrive from the Army & Air Force Exchange Service only for them to spell his name wrong. That made him want to take the Comic Sans typeface, which has long been mocked for looking juvenile, for a spin. The airman asked a buddy with an embroidery machine to make a set of Comic Sans typeface name tapes for him. He then posted a shot of it to the unofficial Air Force reddit, and it received far more attention than he had expected.

    “I thought it might get a few dozen comments, but then I woke up to thousands of upvotes and comments,” the airman told Task & Purpose. “It actually sparked some good discussion on regulations and professional image.”

    Like he said, some commenters took the opportunity to discuss the subjectivity of what counts as professional military image. One pointed out that the five elements of the Air Force’s dress and appearance standards are “neatness, cleanliness, safety, uniformity and military image.” While the first four are “absolutely, objective criteria,” the fifth “is subjective, but necessary,” the regulation says.

    While “military image” is subjective, one commenter argued that Comic Sans is actually more legible than the usual typeface. There is also a claim among Comic Sans fans that the typeface is easier for people with dyslexia to read, though there does not appear to be any solid scientific evidence supporting that claim.

    Of course, there were plenty of joke comments too, and solicitations from others who wanted special name tapes too.

    “First sergeants everywhere just sensed a disturbance in the Force,” wrote one reader.

    “Papyrus for me!” wrote another.

    For his part, the officer said he did not encounter much resistance to his new name tape on base during the one day he wore it.

    “Nobody noticed unless I brought it up,” he said, adding that he was not chewed out for the style choice because “Thankfully I have really good leadership.”

    2022 06 11 09 49
    2022 06 11 09 49

    The cyber warfare officer actually kicked off a small trend, as other airmen inspired by his post made custom name tapes of their own.

    “I see your Comic Sans and raise you Old English,” said one anonymous senior airman who posted a shot of his ye olde-style name tape to Reddit last week. Turns out, many of his fellow airmen did not have a problem with it.

    “My immediate peers and leadership liked them and didn’t have anything negative to say only ‘of course you would’ (I’ve read 36-2903 for various uniform things and new updates, more than I would like to admit),” he wrote to Task & Purpose.

    The only negative response the Old English airman received was from his senior leadership, who asked if he was making some kind of a joke. The senior airman pointed out that the AFI did not specify the typeface, but he was told that he could not wear the name tape because he did not buy it from an Army & Air Force Exchange Service or an authorized military clothing store.

    “So the reign of the Old English tapes ended after 3/4 of the day,” after which he switched back to the normal ones, the airman said. However, he later checked with the Army & Air Force Exchange Service and found that they could in fact make the name tape in Old English. The airman said he plans to bring it back once he makes sure he can barracks lawyer his way out of similar encounters in the future.

    “I didn’t intend to come off as making a joke or being one,” he said. “My intentions were to do something that was unique and within the given guidance. And if I made some people smile and laugh on the way even better.”

    Old English may have been short-lived, but Wingdings, the 1990s predecessor to emojis, received a warm welcome in name tape form.

    “Most people when they saw them said ‘ha! I saw some of those on Reddit. Wait. Was that your post?!’” said Tech Sgt. Tom Burright, a cyber warfare operator who posted a picture to Reddit last week of his name tape with U.S. Air Force written in Wingdings.

    “Most people didn’t even notice,” Burright said. “We were at a group lunch at a restaurant and it took about 20 mins for the guy across from me to say “oh my god I didn’t even notice your name tapes!”

    Even the higher ranks above Burright laughed and said they loved it, and it was only one fellow tech sergeant who “didn’t really like it but also accepted that it wasn’t breaking any rules and shrugged it off,” he said. One of the highlights of Burright’s time wearing it was a personnel worker looking at his name tape to get his last name and saying “oh my god,” he recalled.

    Some of the warm reception might be due to cyber warfare’s unique culture in the Air Force. Like the Old English airman, Burright was inspired by the original Comic Sans Reddit poster, whose uniform and Reddit username sports a cyber warfare badge.

    “[Of course] it’s cyber too [laughing my ass off],” one commenter wrote about the original post.

    “Typical cyber airman,” wrote another..

    “Definitely some wiggle room in there, so I got a martial arts ‘karate’ type black belt, purchased some black reflective fabric on Amazon, and took it to uniform alterations on the base to have them wrap the entire black belt in the black fabric,” he said. “The result was a belt that was completely reflective and worn comfortably around my waist.”

    Burright wore the karate belt every day, and while some higher-ranked individuals tried to argue with him about it, a quick citation of the AFIs convinced them to “just accept it and move on with their life,” he said.

    Most folks Burright encountered got a good laugh from it, including Iraqi civilians who were initially confused, but then would call the airman Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee and show off their best karate moves. Burright said his Wingdings name tape is in the same spirit of harmless fun.

    “I’m still smart about it and don’t want to make the Air Force look bad or reflect badly on my unit,” said the airman, who wears the usual name tapes at public or off-base events.

    There could soon be more airmen following in Burright’s and the other Reddit users’ footsteps. The airman said he had received several messages from other airmen asking how they could make special typeface name tapes too. He has thought about making name tapes in elvish, the language of elves in “The Lord of the Rings,” or hieroglyphics. Hopefully the Reddit posts about those will be just as fun as Wingdings.

    A common saying in the military is that regulations are written in blood, meaning that every regulation in the book came from a prior service member’s suffering or, in some cases, their intentional trolling. While the regulation on name tapes does not seem to be written in blood or in Wingdings, many commenters on Reddit anticipated it may be in the near future.

    “We are seeing the birth of those rules and it’s beautiful,” said one commenter. “Some airman is going to read the AFI one day and it’s going to say ‘US Air Force name tapes must be in English and in (font name). Examples of unacceptable fonts are wingdings, comic sans, papyrus, etc.’ Then they’re going to wonder what someone did to make that get added to the reg.”

    Yet those rules may take longer to emerge than service members might expect. Tech Sgt. Deana Heitzman, the Air Force spokesperson, said the Air Force directorate for manpower, personnel and services had not heard of airmen wearing name tapes with unusual typefaces before, but it does not plan on developing any new language about the issue, considering the existing language she pointed out earlier.

    “No, we are not currently developing any language to specify a typeface,” she said. “Nametapes are developed primarily by Military Clothing Sales Stores using manufacturer drawings developed by the Institute of Heraldry and the drawings utilize blocked lettering as required.”

    Airmen who hope to sport Papyrus, Baskerville, Press Start 2P and other silly typefaces may get the book thrown at them in the future, but for now, viva la Comic Sans.

    “It was a nice little laugh,” Burright said. “Work continued as usual.”

    Steely Dan – Aja {Remastered} [Full Album]

    This takes me back to the late 1970’s. My GTO. Cleaning out the stems , twigs and seeds, from the “nickel bag” on the open album.  I had these HUGE “Technique®” speakers that stood maybe a meter (a yard) tall, and were two feet thick. I also had a “Panasonic®” stereo equalizer. And we would gather… smoke, drink whiskey sours, play chess and jam out…

    ”]

    CIA in French Indo-China

    2514
    2514

    Jeffrey W. Bass, Oil on Canvas, 2006, Donated by the Fairchild Corporation. This painting commemorates air operations of Civil Air Transport (CAT, an Agency proprietary) and its CIA contract pilots in support of French forces at Dien Bien Phu during the final days of the conflict between the French and Viet Minh in 1954.

    In Fairchild C-119s with US Air Force markings hurriedly painted over with French Air Force roundels, 37 CAT pilots volunteered to fly supplies from the French airbase at Haiphong to the battlefield near Vietnam’s border with Laos. (Photo by Central Intelligence Agency)

    How will history remember you?

    By your photos or by your deeds?

    low budget glamour shots22
    low budget glamour shots22

    2022 06 10 16 23
    2022 06 10 16 23

    low budget glamour shots4
    low budget glamour shots4

    2022 06 10 16 2c3
    2022 06 10 16 2c3

    low budget glamour shots1
    low budget glamour shots1

    America can beat those terrible Chinese commies…

    2022 06 11 12 11
    2022 06 11 12 11

    How the Army once got its own soldiers stoned out of their minds

    Talk about a bad trip.

    During the Cold War, an Army sergeant with a Combat Infantry Badge on his uniform stumbled through the woods and was apparently unable to comprehend a tree branch in front of him while being led around an obstacle course.

    “No, I’m not cold at all,” said another soldier who was, to put it mildly, tweaking out of his mind while speaking to a couple of Army doctors, despite not seeming to know where he was. “I could run 100 miles right now.”

    These were some of the test subjects from medical experiments conducted for two decades at the Edgewood Arsenal, a section of Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland. And by “medical experiments” we mean that the Army spent years getting its soldiers high.

    The study is the subject of the new documentary “Doctor Delirium and the Edgewood Experiments,” debuting this week on Discovery+.

    The question at the heart of these experiments was, bluntly, can you fight a war if you are on a drug trip? Or, if you want to put it in language that’ll pass muster at a closed session in Congress: can psychochemical warfare be used to incapacitate enemy troops?

    And in trying to figure that out, thousands of soldiers were used as test subjects while knowingly and unknowingly given a variety of substances, from tear gas to Phencyclidine (PCP) to psychoactive drugs including lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and 3-Quinuclidinyl benzilate, known as “BZ.”

    “This was the Cold War, and I was assigned to the Cold War at its height,” says Dr. James Ketchum, an Army psychiatrist who oversaw many of the experiments, in archival footage.

    Beginning in the early 1960s, BZ became a central focus of testing.

    “It’s more like psychosis or delirium,” says one researcher of the effects of the drug.

    In one test, four soldiers were given varying doses of the drug and spent the next several days trying — and generally failing — to perform basic tasks like donning a gas mask. One man stayed awake and suffered hallucinations the entire time, completely unable to function.

    BZ was eventually weaponized, although it was never employed in combat and the military destroyed all stockpiles at the end of the Cold War. The testing continued until 1975 when the program was shut down amid congressional investigations.

    The soldiers were generally recruited by being told that they would mostly be testing equipment for the U.S. Army Chemical Corps. Coupled with the promise of no guard shifts or weekend duty, it might seem like a nice way to spend a couple of months in the Army. While assigned to the temporary duty, as one soldier described it, certain names would be called for that day’s experiments. Because of the classified nature of the program, however, they were rarely told exactly what they were being exposed to.

    This also meant that years later, these soldiers found it difficult or impossible to file medical claims with the Department of Veterans Affairs for the after-effects of the experiments.

    At the time, the Feres Doctrine also prohibited service members from suing the government for negligence or wrongdoing.

    In 2009, though, several of the Edgewood veterans filed a lawsuit against the Central Intelligence Agency, citing the government’s failure to follow the Nuremberg Code, a set of ethical guidelines for medical testing developed following the discovery of Nazi experiments conducted during World War II.

    The court ultimately ruled in favor of the veterans, saying that they were eligible for full medical benefits and that the government had a duty to continue warning them of any potential side effects of the tests.

    However, many of the test subjects interviewed in the documentary, say that it has still been difficult to get a clear picture of what was done to them. Many have likely never been contacted by the government, while others in the film showed consent forms with dates that don’t even match their service records.

    In the archival interviews, Ketchum, who passed away in 2019, is more sanguine about the tests.

    “I’ve got regrets about a number of things I’ve done,” says Ketchum. “But that would not apply to the work I did at Edgewood.”

    Inside A 1947 Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, The Largest And Fastest Aircraft In Commercial Service

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    After World War II, Boeing reentered the commercial market with a new long-range airliner, the Stratocruiser (Model 377). It was the first Boeing commercial transport since the Stratoliner, and like its military counterpart, the C-97, was based on the B-29 Bomber. It possessed all the speed and technical improvements available to bombers at the end of the war.

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    The Stratocruiser’s first flight was on July 8, 1947. Its design was advanced for its day; its innovative features included two passenger decks and a pressurized cabin, a relatively new feature on transport aircraft. It could carry up to 100 passengers on the main deck plus 14 in the lower deck lounge; typical seating was for 63 or 84 passengers or 28 berthed and five seated passengers.

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    Separate men’s and women’s dressing rooms provided a place for passengers to prepare for sleep or the dawning day.

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    During the early 1960s, Aero Space Lines ballooned the Stratocruiser’s fuselage into a whale-like shape to carry spacecraft sections. Nine of the variants were assembled. The first was called the “Pregnant Guppy,” followed by five larger “Superguppies” and three smaller “Miniguppies.”

    A unique feature of the Boeing 377 Stratocruiser was its lower-level lounge and bar, reached via a spiral staircase.

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    Aboard the double decker Boeing 377, passengers could descend the spiral staircase from the main deck to a fabulous lounge. This was the most deluxe feature of the luxurious Stratocruiser. Here passengers could socialize and enjoy an after-dinner drink and perhaps a game of cards. Although other aircraft of the era had these, none were as large and opulent as the lounge aboard the Pan American World Airways Stratocruiser.

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    A Pan Am Boeing 377 Stratocruiser at Honolulu International Airport.

     

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    This drawing shows the Boeing 377’s sleeping berths, dressing rooms, galley, lower-deck lounge, and private luxury compartment.

    Get Your Monkeypox On

    It’s a dangerous game trying to beat down the population this way, and to what end, exactly?
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    The made-for-TV January 6th Capitol Riot hearings kicked off last night with tribute video of a whole lot of pissed-off ordinary Americans marching on the stately building where, that fateful day, the final certification ceremony of a blatantly dishonest election was underway after, mind you, four years of seditious machinations by a weaponized bureaucracy aimed at disabling and destroying the sitting chief executive — in case it’s unclear why the huge crowd flocked to the capital city in the first place.

    The Party of Chaos is playing its hand: a select committee of seven deuces and two jokers. Do they look like they’re going to get through this extravaganza without humiliating themselves? You never know what might come out of some witness’s mouth, despite the orchestrations of former ABC’s Good Morning America producer James Goldston, brought in to cement the narrative in the collective public brain, pre-softened with years of manifold media mind-fuckeries.

    It’s the centerpiece of their midterm campaign. And I submit that it may be just a little premature as it becomes increasingly clear that the Party of Chaos, led by the “winner” of the 2020 election, “Joe Biden” and unseen handlers, have nearly completed their mission of destroying the USA as an ongoing enterprise. Broken economy, broken health, broken military, broken law enforcement, broken culture, broken morale. They sure got’er done. Do they think nobody noticed?

    If the January 6th Committee show is short-and-sweet, say a few weeks, it will be quickly forgotten in the welling summertime heat as the great masses of America groan under $5… $7… maybe $10-a-gallon gasoline prices (or maybe no gas at all) while diesel prices at $6.50 today are already destroying the trucking industry — and thus the entire system for delivering all goods around the country. The zeitgeist is quivering with intimations of food shortages and the philosopher reminds us that any given body politic is just nine missed meals away from bloody rebellion. Have another look at that motley January 6th committee group photo and consider the lampposts along Pennsylvania Avenue.

    It’s a dangerous game trying to beat down the population this way, and to what end, exactly? I doubt that even the Blue Team could articulate it… or would dare to… because at this point their sole aim, really, is to hide their many acts of criminality over a span of the past six years and escape prosecution, a compelling motive. And it’s getting harder and harder to conceal all that, especially their campaign to physically harm over 200-million people with mRNA “vaccines.” The body-count is rising — way higher even than deaths from the hypothetical “pandemic” that the “vaccines” were supposedly concocted to vanquish, and spectacularly failed to.

    And was this Covid-19 “pandemic” itself cooked up tacitly to disorder the 2020 election with mail-in ballots so easily replicated, harvested, and stuffed by the bale into drop-boxes under cover of night? Kind of looks like it, more and more. And now, the Party of Chaos is so keenly desperate to stay out of prison that they apparently seek to repeat the trick in the fall midterm, which is otherwise quite certain to sweep them ignominiously off the game board like so many misplayed quoits.

    Thus: monkeypox, the visitation of weeping pustules far more visually horrifying than was Covid-19 in all its spikey iterations, if actually hardly lethal. The hopelessly corrupt CDC has already gotten into the act with its guidance to mask-up on airplanes against this new plague. Perhaps travelers would do better wearing condoms on their noses. Apparently, monkeypox spreads by means of intensely intimate flesh-to-flesh contact. The current outbreak popped up following a giant sex rave in the Canary Islands, men having rough sex with other men. Suspicions abound that this monkeypox bears the earmarks of something engineered in a lab. Jeez, d’ya think?

    If there is a God, when judgment is at hand, a jury in the court of the angels will bum-rush this Party of Chaos into a special hell of an eternal drag queen story hour, featuring Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) reading Uncle Remus to an assembled multitude of howling Jacobins, Bolsheviks, and Maoist Red Guards. Refreshments will not be served. Ever.

    Jus primae noctis: Did Medieval Lords Really Sleep With Serf Brides First?

    The jus primae noctis , droit du seigneur , or “right of the first night,” is an alleged medieval custom which permitted lords to engage in sexual intercourse with the brides of their male subjects on the first night after marriage.

    Spanning centuries, this seedy exercise of male domination has been referenced across the eons, yet the reality of its existence remains unclear.

    It is a topic that has been hotly discussed by anthropologists and historians, who have debated whether the jus primae noctis is a custom, a law, or a simply a sordid myth.

    Ancient and Medieval References to jus primae noctis

    Jus primae noctis is a phenomenon that has been documented throughout history, stretching back nearly 2,000 years. The earliest textual reference can be found in the Epic of Gilgamesh , written in 1900 BC, where Gilgamesh, who was king of Uruk, enjoyed many privileges over his male subordinates and their newlyweds:

    “He cohabits with the betrothed bride–He first, The husband afterwards.” (Epic of Gilgamesh as cited in Wettlaufer, p. 112.) 

    In 450 BC, the same practice was reported by the Greek historian Herodotus in his Historiae, who wrote of a similar power dynamic in the society of the Adrymachidae, a Lybian tribe. Before virgins were married, he chronicled how the king had the right to deflower them before their husbands could “have” them.

    The Greek scholar Herakleides Pontikos, writing in 400 BC, outlined the same benefits for the ruler of the Greek island of Kepahlonia. Next, during a slave revolt at Volsinii, an ancient Italian city, Valerius Maximus in 20 AD would note how free men were unable to marry a women who had not been deflowered by a slave first.

    Several centuries later, in 300 AD, this sexual entitlement privilege was attributed to Emperor Maximin. In the Middle East, the Romans and Greeks, both occupiers at various times, were said to engage in the practice, according to the Talmud, an ancient Jewish text.

    The tradition would purportedly continue into the early medieval age. The Annals of Clonmacnosie in Ireland from the 8th century AD, for instance, recorded how the Vikings believed they were entitled to jus primae noctis with Christian brides:

    “The cheefe Gouvernour of them should have the bestowinge of any woman in the k’dom the first night after her marriage, so before her own husband should have carnal knowledge of her, to whom he pleased or keep her to himself by night, to satisfy his lust.” (Annals of Clonmacnosie as cited in Wettlauger, p. 112.) 

    The idea of jus primae noctis would be maintained into the 14th century, when a French tale, called Baudouin de Sebourc mentioned it as a lord’s right if the bride couldn’t provide a sufficient dowry to his male serf. By the 16th century, evidence suggested a widespread belief in the existence of jus primae noctis , with many European lords using the notion to legitimize customs of sexual harassment. In 1543, a charter in a Swiss village outside of Zurich read:

    “…and when the wedding starts, the bridegroom shall allow the sergeant to lie with his bride for the first night, or he shall buy her off with 5 pounds and 4 pennies.” (Staatsarchiv des Kantons Zürich as cited in Wettlaufer, p. 115.) 

    Sometimes, however, the lord would go too far, and peasants would be forced to act. At the end the 15th century, in the only successful peasant revolt of the Middle Ages, the serfs of Catalonia in Spain rose up against their abusive liege lords. The lords had introduced various coercive acts on the wedding nights of their serfs, including climbing into the bed of the bride for their own sexual gratification. In a similarly perverted manner, landed aristocrats in France permitted themselves to place their bare leg on the bride’s bed.

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    In this 1874 AD painting by Vasily Polenov, Le droit du Seigneur, a synonym for Jus primae noctis, shows an old man is bringing his young daughters to his feudal lord. (Vasily Polenov / Public domain )

    Ritual Defloration and the Anthropologists’ View

    In prehistoric times, the ritual defloration of virgins by elites, such as priests or kings, was a common occurrence. In Indian and South American tribes , taking the virginity of young women and girls before marriage was a recurrent practice, and was viewed not as a privilege but as a duty, as primeval peoples remained very superstitious about hymenal blood. In the primordial tribes of Hawaii, it was usually the chief who had to perform what was seen as a sacred duty:

    “With many of the families, who were admitted to the royal court because of blood relationship, the virginity of the daughters was strictly guarded and when a girl became of a marriageable age and was spoken for as a wife, she was taken to the chief who would remove her virginity.” (The Polynesian Family System in Ka'u Hawai'i, Tokio, Rutland as cited in Wettlaufer, p. 117.) 

    Any baby that was produced as a result of this action was often celebrated by the husband, who found great honor in knowing that his wife bore the child of his chief.

    The holy priests of India, the Brahmins, were said to offer the same service. Hamilton, an early modern traveler, outlined the details and motivations of such a ceremony in the tribes of the Zamorin:

    “When the Zamorin marries, he must not cohabit with his bride till the Nambudri, or chief priest, has enjoyed her, and he, if he pleases, may have three nights of her company, because the first fruits of her nuptials must be a holy oblation to the god she worships.” (A New Account of the East Indies as cited in Wettlaufer, p. 117.) 

    In 1903, German anthropologist German Wilutsky stressed that:

    “Every link in the chain of evidence must be followed in order to understand the most recent form of a custom.” (Vorgeschichte des Rechts as cited in Howarth, p. 294.) 

    Consequently, anthropologists believe that jus primae noctis and its reported episodes in the ancient and medieval eras originated from these early ritual defloration ceremonies.

    Comparing them to jus primae noctis , they point to the fact that both feature the sexual exploitation of subservient virgins under the dominion of a powerful master.

    As a result, anthropologists tend to believe in the existence of jus primae noctis because it supports their view that humans gradually shifted from polygamous to monogamous societies. To them, jus primae noctis in ancient and medieval society appears as one of the last vestiges of this ancient tradition.

    The Historian’s View

    In contrast to anthropologists, historians, who have scoured the archival records of the human race, postulate that the jus primae noctis is simply a myth and a gratuitous misinterpretation of two documented medieval systems of obligation in Europe.

    The first, known by various names including culagium, jambage, cuissage, and drench de pernada , stipulated that if a slave wanted to marry a free woman, he was required to pay a fee, called a dowry, which he would often acquire through a loan from his lord.

    Legal codas state that the lord, after the lending of money, would simply gain the right to have the amount repaid.

    This customary payment was erroneously connected with a right given to the lord which permitted him to have intercourse first with the new bride in exchange for his help in securing the dowry payment for his serf.

    In practice, however, this unusual right was simply symbolic, and in reality, copulation never occurred and was not part of the written legal directives.

    The second involved the Church and its procedures relating to marriage. At the Council of Carthage in 298, an ecclesiastical ban was issued ordering couples to refrain from consummating the marriage for the first three days. The prohibition stemmed from passage in the Book of Tobit, in which Tobias married his wife Sarah. The holy scripture relates how Sarah had been married 7 times previously, and that all her husbands had been killed by the Devil before their marriage could be consummated. To fend off the advances of the Devil, it was instructed that the newlyweds should engage in prayer and other such holy activities for up to three days after the marriage before confirming the union.

    However, many husbands, impatient at waiting for three days, would often bribe ecclesiastical authorities for the privilege of copulating with their wife on the first night, which was subsequently misconstrued as the fabled jus primae noctis of the lord. It is unclear how widespread this practice was in medieval times, although in the 14th century it is reported that this became such a problem for the King Phillip IV and Charles VI in France that they demanded the Bishop of Amiens revoke such illicit payments.

    In fact, in their search for the existence of the jus primae noctis , historians have found no strong evidence to suggest the practice was legally codified. The only example that even touches on the subject, and which is obviously fabricated, come from the Chronicle of Boece , a fictional history of the early kings of Scotland published in 1526 by Hector Boece. It reports how a King Ewen III of Scotland, in 875, legally sanctioned the right of the first night:

    “And othir law he maid, that wiffs of the commonis sal be fre to nobilis; and the lord of the ground sal have the maidinheid of all v dwelling on the same.” (Chronicle of Boece as cited in Bullough, p. 164.) 

    The author goes on to state that the practice remained in existence until 1061, when it was repealed by King Malcom Canmore. Despite being an obvious invention, the Chronicle of Boece remains the most traceable source for later references to the custom in early modern works, where it is repeated multiple times. In 1666, Sir John Skene would reiterate this piece of fake history in his Exposition:

    “King Evenus did wicked lie ordaine, that the Lord or maister of the ground, or land, suld have the first nicht of ilk maried woman within the samin. The quhilk ordinance was after abrogate be King Malcolme the Thrid; quha ordained, that the Bride-groome sulde have the use of his awin wife.” (Exposition of the termes and difficill mordes, conteined in the foure Buikes of Regiam Majestatem as cited in Howarth p. 298.) 

    In a later story from 1773 tome The Journey to the Western Islands , Johnson and Boswell would conveniently re-discover traces of this ancient tradition on their travels around Scotland, this time referenced as the “ mercheta mulierum ”:

    “M’Quarrie insisted that the Mercheta Mulierum, mentioned in our old charters, did really mean the privilege which the lord of a manor, or a baron, had, to have the first night of all his vassals’ wives.” (Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides as cited in Howarth p. 299.)

    The Myth of jus primae noctis

    The propagation of the jus primae noctis myth was aided by its mention in many famous literary works, where it became a staple by authors searching for a sensationalist plot-line or a literary device as a convenient obstruction to marriage. In Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part II, Jack Cade uses the right to try and discourage rebellion:

    “The proudest peer in the realm shall not wear a head on his shoulders, unless he pay me tribute; there shall not maid be married, but she shall pay to me her maidenhead ere they shall have it.” (Henry IV, Part II as cited in Howarth p. 300.) 

    Although being a regular literary device, the historical basis for the jus primae noctis , a term that only started appearing in the 18th century, remains very weak, and implies that it was likely a myth stemming from a depraved misinterpretation of the obligations of peasants to their lords and the fake history of Scotland written by Hector Boece in 1526.

    In reality, the unsavory implication of the “right of the first night” was probably a medieval joke that went too far and was grounded in the traditional superiority that lords exercised over their subjects, especially if they were female.

    The very few references to customs or laws that involved the sexual exploitation of women vassals were not legally enforceable mandates, but simply sleazy exercises in male power displays over the less powerful classes.

    Thus, anthropologists are correct to identify jus primae noctis as more of a custom, rather than a law, which has sadly occurred repeatedly in human history.

    CIA Blood Chit in flights in and around China

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    This silk blood chit was issued for use by the Office of Strategic Services in the China-Burma-India Theater.

    Written in several native languages, it reads, “This foreign person (American) has come to China to help the war effort. Soldiers and civilians, one and all, should save and protect him”. (Photo by Central Intelligence Agency)

    CIA “alterations” to building codes

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    What looked like a concrete ball was actually a “gap-jumping antenna” removed from one of the preformed concrete columns in the embassy office building. US investigators called it “gap-jumping” because it coupled magnetically with a matching antenna in the adjacent column. This allowed data to be transmitted without a physical electrical connection. (Photo by Central Intelligence Agency)

    Automatic Man 1977

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    OMG! I had this album when in High School and I must have played it until the grooves were worn out on the platter.

    "Remnants of both Steely Dan and Earth Wind & Fire! So much more vocal based than their debut album..."

    CIA extraction plans

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    To rescue six American diplomats who evaded capture during the seizure of the United States embassy in Tehran, Iran, on 4 November 1979, CIA technical specialists created a fake movie-production company in Hollywood and delivered disguises and documents that made possible the diplomats’ escape from Iran in 1980.

    The team set up “Studio Six Productions” and titled its new production “Argo”. This document includes an Introduction, Story Treatment & Locations, and Visuals. (Photo by Central Intelligence Agency)

    Stunning Photos of Elvis Presley’s 1960 Luxury Gold Cadillac

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    And finally, here is “The King” with some of his (rotating) travel companions. I’m sure that every trip was an enjoyable one in this massive vehicle.

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    Grilled Three-Cheese Bacon Sandwiches

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    Grilled cheese goes gourmet with this elevated take on the classic sandwich. Made with Gruyère, cheddar and American cheeses, this three-cheese grilled cheese sandwich with bacon takes a childhood favorite to new, delicious levels.

    Ingredients

    • 8 teaspoons mayonnaise
    • 4 slices sourdough sandwich bread
    • 2 slices deli sliced American cheese (2 oz)
    • 4 slices cooked bacon
    • 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (2 oz)
    • 1/2 cup shredded Gruyère cheese (2 oz)

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    Dilbert

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    Uh Oh! Bank of England Says Top Banks “No Longer Too Big To Fail”

    The Bank of England (BoE) said on Friday it was satisfied that Britain’s top banks could be shut down without putting at risk the stability of the financial system or disrupting customers . . . as it found “shortcomings” at three major lenders.

    In its first public assessment of how failing lenders could be dismantled in a crisis without taxpayer handouts, the BoE said it had also identified “areas or further enhancement” for six firms.

    The three banks found to have shortcomings were Lloyds, Standard Chartered,  and HSBC. All three banks said in separate statements on Friday they were improving their so-called resolution plans.

    The BoE is aiming to stop banks from being “too big to fail,” potentially requiring taxpayers to bail them out as happened in the 2007-09 global financial crisis.

    The other lenders included in the review were Barclays, NatWest, Nationwide, Santander UK and Virgin Money UK.

    The Bank of England said it would repeat its assessment in 2024 and review progress made by the lenders every two years after that.

    Hal Turner Editorial Opinion

    Sooooooo . . . BoE says their top banks are no longer “too Big to Fail.”     OK.  Who asked them?

    I mean, who asked the BoE about this, that they issue a statement of this nature late on a Friday afternoon?

    The mere existence of this public statement raised the hair on the the back of my neck.

    It says to me . . . and it’s just my hunch . . .  they know something gigantic is coming, and they’re already “setting the narrative” for when it hits.

    The real problem is that the whole world is financially inter-connected.  What happens in Beijing Affects London.  What happens in London, affects New York.  What happens in New York affects . . . . . everyone!

    Whatever their motivation for issuing this statement today, we little guys need to pay close attention.  In the end, it is us that gets the shaft.

    Dilbert

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    Kitten Can’t Let Go Of His Dead Father, Kneading Him Until He Wakes Up (Part 1) | Animal in Crisis

    A very heartwarming story.

    Defeating the oligarchs

    Consortium News has an article by Chris Hedges about Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant.

    How to Defeat the Billionaire Class

    Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant and the Socialist Alternative (SA) party have, for nearly a decade, waged one of the most effective battles against the city’s moneyed elites. She and the SA have adopted a series of unorthodox methods to fight the ruling oligarchs and, in that confrontation, exposed the Democratic Party leadership as craven tools of the billionaire class. Her success is one that should be closely studied and replicated in city after city if we are to dismantle corporate tyranny.

     

    Sawant, who lives on $40,000 of her $140,000 salary and places the rest into a political fund that she uses for social justice campaigns, helped lead the fight in 2014 that made Seattle the first major American city to mandate a $15 an hour minimum wage.

    Following a three-year struggle against Jeff Bezos, one of the world’s richest men, she and her allies pushed through a tax on big business that increased city revenues by an estimated $231 million a year.

    “The way to run a strong electoral campaign is to, as I said, completely reject personality politics, completely reject careerism, and build political organizations like Socialist Alternative. Except we need far bigger organizations where we can hold our elected representatives and other leaders in the organization accountable in the program of demands that we are fighting around. This becomes the central focus, not those individuals who could then use those positions to build their own careers by making themselves useful to the ruling class. That’s what we need to reject.”

    Excellent reporting, and the piece emphasizes her stance that the Democratic Party is not an ally of the people. It also touches on other successful grassroots movements including the successful unionization of a Staten Island Amazon workplace, which won a $30 minimum wage and the right to work fulltime, which is a win against the common strategy to leave workers without healthcare and other benefits by classifying them as part time workers.

    CIA reading your personal letters

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    In this “flaps and seals” kit for advanced users, tools handmade of ivory in a travel roll were used for the surreptitious opening of letters and packages during the 1960s. (Photo by Central Intelligence Agency)

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    The Death of the QUAD

    This article informs us AUKUS was called out for its violations of the NPT. So, we have the Outlaw US Empire violating the Biological Weapons Treaty and the Non Proliferation Treaty along with its continual violations of the UN Charter.

    “The three countries cannot repeatedly stick heads in the sand and must earnestly fulfill their legal obligations on non-proliferation. As a nonnuclear weapon state under the NPT, Australia must promptly and comprehensively declare its nuclear weapons materials and related facilities at all stages, Wang said, noting paper cannot wrap up fire.”

    IMO, this isn’t a case of sticking heads in sand; rather, it’s a case of thumbing their noses to the entire world–Fuck You!! We’ll do whatever we want!! is the message as usual.

    CIA in China

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    An essential part of the survival kit for American forces in the Philippines, China and Burma, this knife was ideal for cutting through jungle brush.

    It also had potential as a combat knife – its manufacturer provided instructions on how to use the Woodsman’s Pal to defeat a Japanese soldier armed with a samurai sword. (Photo by Central Intelligence Agency)

    Central Asia

    Putin met today with the President of Turkmenistan, which some may not know is a declared Neutral Nation. For years, the Outlaw US Empire has tried to pry it away from its very longstanding close affiliation with Russia. Fortunately, its attempts have failed while relations between Russia and Turkmenistan continue to deepen. At the top of the transcript of their talks are links to the two sets of documents, the most important being the Declaration on Deepening the Strategic Partnership between the Russian Federation and Turkmenistan. Of greater interest is Putin’s statement to the press after their meeting. Putin’s opening remarks:

    “This year is significant for Russian-Turkmen relations. April marked the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, as well as the 20th anniversary of the signing of the fundamental Treaty between the Russian Federation and Turkmenistan on Friendship and Cooperation, which serves as a solid foundation for the entire complex of multifaceted interaction between our countries.

    “The Declaration on Deepening Strategic Partnership, which we have just signed, sets out the priorities for joint work for the future in the political, trade, investment, cultural and humanitarian fields, and in the field of security, including biological and informational.”

    IMO, Russia’s Central Asian “soft underside” is more secure than at anytime since 1991. Russia’s economic development is being shared with all Central Asian nations and also stimulated by China’s BRI.

    CIA communications equipment

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    US Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan used the AN/PEQ-1A SOFLAM to direct exact delivery of ordnance. The SOFLAM was an important tool in the battle for Tora Bora where a CIA US Special Forces team directed 72 hours of unrelenting air strikes – sometimes dangerously close to their own position – killing hundreds of al Qa’ida terrorists. (Photo by Central Intelligence Agency)

    World’s 1st Anti-Hypersonic System? China Says It Is Ready With An AI-Powered Defense Against Mach 5+ Missiles

    While Beijing has repeatedly demonstrated its hypersonic offensive capabilities, it is now time for a ‘Chinese defense system’ against hypersonic missiles.

    Chinese military researchers claim to have developed Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology that can predict the trajectory of a hypersonic glide missile as it approaches a target at speeds exceeding five times that of sound, South China Morning Post reported.

    A rocket is used to launch a hypersonic glide vehicle to hit a target. The glide vehicle subsequently separates from the rocket and moves toward its target at a speed of at least Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound.

    It is extremely difficult to track a hypersonic glide missile due to its unpredictable trajectory and the ability to enter space and re-enter the atmosphere in a very short period. Countries like the US are also relentlessly working on developing air missile defense against hypersonic missiles.

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    Artist rendering of a hypersonic missile.

    The Chinese researchers, however, seem to be several steps ahead of their American counterparts. According to them, a Chinese AI-powered air defense system can predict the potential kill trajectory of an incoming weapon and launch a swift counterattack with a three-minute advance time.

    The typical missile stays within an 8-kilometer (5-mile) target zone, which is quite small for a weapon that can travel that distance in under two seconds.

    “The world’s military powers are currently engaging in a fierce arms race around the development of hypersonic glide vehicles, bringing new and severe challenges to air and space safety,” said Zhang Junbiao, a computer scientist from the early warning intelligence department of the Air Force Early Warning Academy in Wuhan.

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    The trajectory of Ballistic vs. Hypersonic missile- US Government Accountability Office (GAO)

    “Trajectory prediction is of great significance to combat intent assessment and aerospace defense interception,” wrote Zhang and his team in the Journal of Astronautics, a peer-reviewed publication run by the Chinese Society of Astronautics.

    These Chinese claims come at the heel of a dedicated effort in the United States to build and test a hypersonic weapon system to match the capabilities of its adversaries, China and Russia.

    Meanwhile, the US recently carried out a successful test of an Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) hypersonic missile, a few days after it had successfully tested its Hypersonic Air-Breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC).

    Though efforts in the US are ongoing, there could be some time before a weapon is fielded. However, that has not deterred China’s quest to develop a defense against it in advance.

    China, S.Korea defense chiefs agree to enhance exchanges, as a peaceful peninsula is in their interests

    Should manage risks, overcome external noise and cooperate on regional security

    Published: Jun 10, 2022 04:54 PM Updated: Jun 10, 2022 11:15 PM
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    Chinese and South Korea defense ministers exchanged views on Friday at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, which observers saw as an important and timely occasion for the two to have a comprehensive communication to better understand each other and jointly work toward regional peace and security which is facing great challenges amid external interference. 
    
    Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe and South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup's meeting, the first since November 2019, came as tensions rise on the Korean Peninsula. Wei reiterated China's stance to maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula and hopes China and South Korea will cooperate on realizing the denuclearization of the peninsula.
    
    2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of China-South Korea diplomatic relations, and Wei and Lee noted both sides should enhance practical cooperation based on mutual respect and shared interests, Yonhap reported.
    
    Wei hopes exchanges will be deepened between the defense authorities and militaries of the two countries. They also agreed to push forward mutual visits of defense ministers, strategic dialogue and other exchange activities. 
    
    On June 2, the two countries set two new military hotlines, bringing the total number to five. 
    
    The same day, China's top diplomat Yang Jiechi had a phone conversation with South Korea's Head of the Office of National Security Kim Sung-han, noting bilateral relations are off to a good start since the new South Korean government took office. 
    
    Wei and Lee's meeting, with the Korean Peninsula issue on top of the agenda, also provided an opportunity for China and the Yoon government to have comprehensive communication to better understand each other's policies and avoid unilateral moves that could bring obstacles to hard-fought bilateral friendliness or further shaken regional security, Lü Chao, an expert on the Korean Peninsula issue at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday. 
    
    The latest peninsula tension was sparked by combined military exercises of South Korea and the US last week involving an American aircraft carrier, the first in more than four years, after which North Korea launched missiles on Sunday in response. 
    
    As the Korean Peninsula issue enters a dangerous downward spiral, Chinese observers stressed that any party should be restrained to prevent further tensions. 
    
    Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator, believes there is an important message China wants to deliver — a peaceful peninsula is consistent with both China and South Korea's interests and the issue should be handled in a peaceful way rather than "setting the wolf to keep the sheep" and allow the US to exert maximum pressure on North Korea. 
    
    As a non-regional power, the US won't care about playing out of the tensions and the costs to China, South and North Korea when conflicts over the Peninsula issue get out of control, experts said, citing the Russia-Ukraine crisis. 
    
    China, upholding the principle of pushing for dialogue and political solution to the peninsula issue, vetoed a US-backed resolution to impose more sanctions against North Korea at the UN Security Council. 
    
    Blindly adding sanctions will not help solve the problem and it's inhumane. Dialogue is the only feasible way, Xing Haiming, Chinese Ambassador to South Korea, explained China's decision during a TV interview with South Korean media on Thursday.
    
    China respects South Korea's traditional alliance with the US, and is happy to see regional countries develop bilateral and multilateral relations based on friendly cooperation, but only if such relations do not target China, Xing said, stressing that "the Asia-Pacific should be a high ground for peaceful development, not a geopolitical arena."
    
    South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol had pledged to deploy an additional THAAD battery in South Korea during the election campaign. According to Korea Times on Friday, Seoul is thinking of enabling the full-fledged operation of a THAAD anti-missile unit, which has been in "temporary installation" pending an environmental impact assessment.
    
    South Korea has been claiming the THAAD is defensive. However, Song said the system is equipped with radar that can effectively detect China's objectives of strategic depth. It is not only an interception system, but also a monitoring and early warning system, posing a serious threat to China's national security, the expert said.
    
    Such a system will break the power balance in Northeast and East Asia, seed unrest and threaten China's security environment, and add fuel to the current tensions, even risking a military conflict on the Korean Peninsula, Song warned.
    
    Xing said in the televised interview that on the THAAD issue, the most sensitive topic in China-South Korea relations, China understands South Korea's security demand but South Korea should also understand China's concerns.
    
    Xing said the lessons from the past must be learned and the two sides should properly manage the issue and avoid making it a prominent point or impact the hard-fought friendliness in bilateral relations.
    
    According to Yonhap, Wei raised concerns over South Korea's engagement with the US' Indo-Pacific Strategy to contain China, and the deployment of THAAD.
    
    The meeting lasted 75 minutes, longer than the scheduled 40 minutes and Lee told reporters the talks "were very useful, and it was such a good opportunity for the two sides to understand each other."

    How Does AI Defend Against Hypersonic Missile?

    A hypersonic glide weapon, unlike a normal ballistic missile, may move through the atmosphere like a stone skipping across water and bank to the left or right, making it more difficult to detect and intercept, according to SCMP.

    At Mach 5 or higher speed, there is little time for an air defense system to respond to the threat, and it is widely assumed that current technology will be unable to intercept a hypersonic glide missile.

    Zhang, on the other hand, believes Artificial Intelligence is capable of handling such unpredictable tasks and develops a defense against an unpredictable trajectory and incredibly high speed.

    The defending side normally has no idea about the mass, size, shape, aerodynamic control system, or purpose of hostile weapons, but by analyzing observed flight data, the AI may make a fairly accurate assumption. According to the researchers, every move a missile makes will give off some modest but useful signals about its design, capabilities, and mission, regardless of how advanced or fast it is.

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    As a result, a machine learning system may learn from data collected during the early phases of a hypersonic flight and utilize that information to forecast the most likely trajectory during the flight’s later stages.

    Zhang and his colleagues acknowledged that translating this idea into a working model was difficult. They claim that the raw data collected by an early warning system contains a lot of noise that might confuse AI and that too much data can also overload the computer.

    To combat the problem of unwanted and overwhelming noise that could mislead the AI, the Chinese researchers devised a novel deep learning method that could automatically eliminate noise from observed signals. The algorithm similarly simulates the human brain’s activity by focusing just on the most recent, most important data to save calculation resources.

    The new system can run on a laptop computer and produce a result in 15 seconds, according to the study, despite being more advanced than any previous AI for hypersonic trajectory prediction. Simulated experiments indicated that the system is still effective against a wide spectrum of weapons traveling at up to Mach 12 speeds.

    Earlier in March, China’s Aerospace Defense industry had claimed that Beijing had made significant progress in building an AI (artificial intelligence) system that could even design new hypersonic weapons autonomously.

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    Type 055 ‘Lhasa’ Destroyer

    CIA doing “fishy things”

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    CIA’s Office of Advanced Technologies and Programs developed the Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) fish to study aquatic robot technology. The UUV fish contains a pressure hull, ballast system, and communications system in the body and a propulsion system in the tail. It is controlled by a wireless line-of-sight radio handset. (Photo by Central Intelligence Agency)

    Double Whammy For The US?

    As tensions continue to rise between the US and China in the Indo-Pacific region with an aggressive Beijing practicing dangerous military maneuvers, policymakers and military are alive to the challenges posed by the Chinese hypersonic missiles.

    The US is currently reworking the defenses of its strategic assets in the Indo-Pacific against a Chinese offense. The EurAsian Times recently reported how the US was putting in place a dedicated layered missile defense system in Guam to protect its territory and valuable military assets against Chinese missile strikes in the event of hostility.

     

    Chinese Researchers had earlier claimed that its hypersonic missile with advanced infrared homing capability would allow it to hunt down a stealth fighter like the F-22 and even a moving car on the street with precision.

    Therefore, these advanced would be able to destroy a target in an adversarial country over super long distances with absolute precision.

    If the Chinese claims are anything to go by, it’s double trouble for the US, which lags far behind China in the hypersonic weapons race. As of now, the US neither has an operational hypersonic missile nor a workable defense against hypersonic missiles.

    China, on the other hand, claims that it has both!

    Stunning and Rare Images of The 1935 Adler Diplomat 8 Wheels

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    The Adler Diplomat is a substantial six-cylinder “limousine” built by the Frankfurt auto-maker, Adler. It was introduced in March 1934 as a direct replacement for the manufacturer’s Standard 6. Less directly the six-cylinder Diplomat also replaced the Adler Standard 8 since Adler’s large eight-cylinder car was discontinued in 1934 without a direct replacement of its own.

    The Diplomat initially, in 1934, took over the body from the previous year’s Adler Standard 6. However, the Standard Six had received an all new body for its final year of production, and for keen eyed observers the final year’s Standard Six was differentiated from the first year’s Diplomat by redesigned fender aprons. The chassis which had been a defining feature of the 1933 Standard 6 had been of an underslung design whereby the axles emerged directly above the principal chassis members: this allowed for a lower centre of gravity and a lower-bodied car than the overslung chassis, with axles mounted directly below the chassis, which had left the earlier Standard Six looking unfashionably high-bodied in the early 1930s.

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    ‘The State is no longer working to serve us and to protect our shared heritage’: Neil Oliver

    A very great video. It’s most certainly worth a view.

    More pictures from the past…

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    High school class.

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    The 1970’s it’s how we rolled!

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    American CIA in Taiwan

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    CAT travelers received flight bags as complementary gifts. Once a Chinese Nationalists Airline, was owned by the CIA for covert operations. (Photo by Central Intelligence Agency)

    Americans Will Never Forget The Historic Economic Collapse During Joe Biden’s Presidency

    We have faced a lot of significant challenges in modern American history, but nobody will ever forget the economic horror that is breaking loose during Joe Biden’s time in the White House.  For years, we were warned that the policies that our leaders were pursuing would destroy the value of our currency and unleash rampant inflation.  Now it has happened.  For years, we were warned of a looming global energy crisis that would inevitably hit us.  Now it is here.  But what we have been through already is just the beginning.  The shortages that we are experiencing now will get worse.  Many of the ridiculously high prices that we are seeing now will seem like bargains by the end of the year.  And right now the U.S. economy appears to be rapidly slowing down at the exact same moment that economies all over the globe are moving in the wrong direction.  The CEO of Goldman Sachs just told us that “there’s going to be tougher economic times ahead”, and he is not exaggerating one bit.

    On Thursday, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States reached yet another brand new all-time record high

    US gas prices have hit a new high of $4.71, just a day after hitting the record as seven states top off at $5 a gallon as inflation soars.
    
    The national average jumped four cents overnight, leaving drivers in even more despair as gas prices continue to skyrocket emptying their wallets.

    If Americans don’t like paying about five bucks a gallon, how are they going to feel when it takes about 10 bucks to buy a gallon of gas?

    Fortunately, we did just get a bit of good news that should provide some temporary relief

    OPEC and its oil-producing allies agreed on Thursday to hike output in July and August by a larger-than-expected amount as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine wreaks havoc on global energy markets.
    
    OPEC+ will increase production by 648,000 barrels per day in both July and August, bringing forward the end of the historic output cuts OPEC+ implemented during the throes of the Covid pandemic.

    Unfortunately, this isn’t really going to change the trajectory of where we are heading.

    In fact, one energy expert says that this is essentially just a symbolic gesture

    Robert McNally, president of Rapidan Energy Group and a former energy adviser to President George W. Bush, said prices rallied Thursday because the OPEC move was “more symbolic than fundamentally significant.”
    
    “I wouldn’t call it a drop in the bucket. It’s basically a gesture… an important one symbolically,” he told CNN Business.

    What we really need are long-term solutions, and there aren’t any on the horizon.

    And the truth is that we aren’t just facing an oil crisis.  At this stage, the balance between supply and demand has reached a crisis point for all traditional forms of energy simultaneously

    “Now we have an oil crisis, a gas crisis and an electricity crisis at the same time,” Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency watchdog group, told Der Spiegel in an interview published this week. “This energy crisis is much bigger than the oil crises of the 1970s and 1980s. And it will probably last longer.”
    
    The global economy has largely been able to withstand surging energy prices so far. But prices could continue to rise to unsustainable levels as Europe attempts to wean itself off Russian oil and, potentially, gas. Supply shortages could lead to some difficult choices in Europe, including rationing.

    What do you think the European economy will look like when there is widespread rationing of natural gas six months from now?

    Can anyone out there answer that question?

    We have never faced anything like this before, and one industry insider is referring to this as a “perfect storm”

    Joe McMonigle, secretary general of the International Energy Forum, said he agrees with this depressing forecast from the IEA.
    
    “We have a serious problem around the world that I think policymakers are just waking up to. It’s kind of a perfect storm,” McMonigle, whose group serves as a go-between for energy producing and consuming nations, told CNN in a phone interview.

    Isn’t it funny how that term keeps popping up?

    For years, I warned that a “perfect storm” was coming over and over again, and now that term has constantly been in the news throughout this year.

    Another element of the “perfect storm” that we are facing is the rapidly growing global food crisis.

    Here in the United States, the bird flu pandemic that has erupted in 2022 has resulted in 38 million chickens and turkeys being wiped out.

    As a consequence, the price of eggs has been soaring to unprecedented levels

    The price of eggs increased 10.3% in April. The UDSA predicts an increase between 19.5% and 20.5% year over year in 2022. That could mean $1.00 an egg. Poultry prices will rise as much as 9.5%.

    Did you ever imagine that you would be paying a dollar for a single egg?

    I still remember when you could get an entire carton of eggs for one dollar.

    Chicken meat and turkey meat will be getting more expensive too, and now we are being warned that shortages are coming.

    In fact, the CEO of Hormel Foods is openly telling us that “large supply gaps in the Jennie-O Turkey Store will begin in the third quarter”

    A top US food processing company warned of an upcoming shortage of its turkey products at supermarkets following one of the worst bird flu outbreaks.
    
    “Our Jennie-O Turkey Store team is facing an uncertain period ahead,” Hormel Foods Corporation CEO Jim Snee told investors in an earnings call. “Similar to what we experienced in 2015, (avian influenza) is expected to have a meaningful impact on poultry supplies over the coming months.”
    
    Snee said the “large supply gaps in the Jennie-O Turkey Store will begin in the third quarter.” He said highly pathogenic avian influenza was confirmed in “our supply chain” in March.

    In case you didn’t get the point of what he was saying, “large supply gaps” is a politically correct way of saying “widespread shortages”.

    Speaking of shortages, the baby formula shortage in the United States is now worse than ever

    But, as Bloomberg reports, out-of-stock rates climbed to 74% nationally for the week ending May 28, according to data on 130,000 stores followed by Datasembly. The increase comes after rates spiked to 70% for the week ending May 21 from 45% the week prior.
    
    Even more stunningly, ten states now have shortage rates at 90% or greater, with Georgia hardest hit at 94%.

    The Biden administration made a really big deal out of the fact that they were flying in baby formula from Europe, but once again that turned out to mostly be a symbolic gesture.

    As economic conditions continue to deteriorate, an increasing number of Americans will fall into poverty and hunger.  In fact, according to NPR “demand at food banks is way up again”, and many of those food banks are already at a crisis point

    Fitzgerald, of Feeding America, says providers around the country are dipping into emergency reserves, switching to cheaper products, limiting how often people can visit or how much food they can get, and “stretching their inventory to be able to meet more people’s needs.”

    If our food banks are in such distress now, what will things be like six months or a year from today?

    Because the truth is that food supplies are only going to get tighter.

    The winter wheat harvest in the U.S. is going to come in way, way below original expectations.  In fact, we are being told that the winter wheat harvest in Kansas could be down “by more than 25%”

    The U.S. winter wheat harvest potential in Kansas has dipped by more than 25% because of severe drought, and farmers in the state may leave thousands of acres of wheat in fields this year instead of paying to harvest the grain hit by the dry winter.

    Looking ahead, a lot less wheat is being planted for the coming growing season because of extremely bizarre weather patterns in some areas.

    For example, the amount of wheat that is currently being planted in North Dakota is expected to be the smallest ever recorded

    Some farmers in North Dakota are unable to plant as much wheat as they normally would because of heavy rain across the state.
    
    Government data shows the state is expected to plant wheat over the smallest recorded share of its farmland.

    For much more on why U.S. food production is going to continue to shrink in the months ahead, please see this article.

    The bottom line is that we are facing really severe problems that are not going to go away any time soon.

    And if you are waiting for Joe Biden to come to the rescue, you are going to be waiting for a very long time

    The president of the United States says he understands that inflation is impacting family budgets. But on Wednesday, he said he’s not “aware” of any “immediate action” that would reduce food and fuel prices.
    
    “[W]e can’t take immediate action, that I’m aware of yet, to figure out how we bring down the price of gasoline back to three dollars a gallon. And we can’t do that immediately with regard to food prices, either,” Biden said.

    A historic economic nightmare is here, and the guy in the White House is all out of answers.

    So buckle up and try to enjoy the ride.

    The months ahead are going to be quite chaotic, and you probably don’t even want to think about what is coming after that.

    The illegal transfer of nuclear weapons materials involved in AUKUS cannot be denied: Chinese envoy

    Published: Jun 10, 2022 10:04 AM
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    The Australia-UK-US (AUKUS) trilateral nuclear submarine cooperation violated…

    [1] the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT),

    [2] the comprehensive safeguards agreement of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

    [3] and additional protocol signed between Australia and the IAEA,

    China’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Vienna Wang Qun said on Thursday, noting the US, the UK and Australia must give an account to the international community.

    No matter what name the three countries give to the AUKUS and how they handle relevant nuclear weapon materials, the essence of the illegal transfer of nuclear weapon materials involved in AUKUS cannot be denied, Wang said.

    Wang made the remarks when addressing a meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors, which deliberated the issue of the transfer of nuclear materials in the context of AUKUS and its safeguards in all aspects under the NPT.

    The Chinese envoy said the AUKUS has a far-reaching negative impact on global strategic stability, security order and regional peace and stability, which should be politically responded to by relevant international and regional security mechanisms.

    The three countries cannot repeatedly stick heads in the sand and must earnestly fulfill their legal obligations on non-proliferation. As a nonnuclear weapon state under the NPT, Australia must promptly and comprehensively declare its nuclear weapons materials and related facilities at all stages, Wang said, noting paper cannot wrap up fire.

    The US and the UK have applied double standards on nuclear proliferation issues, as they imposed unilateral sanctions on civilian nuclear programs of some nonnuclear weapon states, while at the same time blatantly transferred nuclear weapon material to Australia, Wang said.

    Such double standards have a disastrous impact on the international non-proliferation regime and the resolution of hotspot issues, including the Iran nuclear issue and the Korean Peninsula’s nuclear issue, the Chinese envoy said.

    Some countries insist on “centralism” and “exceptionalism,” Cold War mentality and hegemony and pursue bloc politics, which goes against the trend of history and will only trigger conflicts and split the international community, Wang said.

    In September 2021, the US, the UK and Australia announced the establishment of AUKUS, under which the US and the UK will assist Australia in its acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines.

    CIA in Laos

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    Keith Woodcock, 2008, Oil on Canvas, Donated Courtesy of the Air America Association Board.

    When President Kennedy decided in 1961 to forcefully resist rising Communist aggression against the remote but strategically located Kingdom of Laos, the CIA – and its proprietary airline Air America – were ready.

    Flying in a mountainous land-locked country with few roads, continually shifting weather conditions, and virtually no navigational aids, Air America crews routinely conducted hazardous resupply missions to hundreds of government outposts.

    This aerial lifeline provided essential assistance to Royal Lao and US-directed forces battling North Vietnamese and Pathet Lao Communist troops. (Photo by Central Intelligence Agency)

    Showing ‘not hesitant to fight’ attitude helps peace across Taiwan Straits: Global Times editorial

    Published: Jun 11, 2022 12:44 AM

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    This year’s Shangri-La Dialogue kicked off on Friday and will run through Sunday. Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe will deliver an address on Sunday. On Friday, Wei held talks with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. Senior Colonel Wu Qian, a spokesperson of China’s Ministry of National Defense, said at a press conference after the meeting that the meeting was not long but yielded positive effect. Overall, it was a frank, positive and constructive strategic communication.

    During the meeting, Wei reiterated China’s firm stance on the Taiwan question, stressing if anyone dares to split Taiwan from China, the Chinese military will not hesitate to fight, and will resolutely crush any “Taiwan independence” attempts to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity at any cost.

    Austin reiterated that the US “remains committed to our longstanding one-China policy.”

    The two sides believe that the two militaries should maintain high-level strategic communication, enhance their strategic mutual trust, manage and control conflicts and differences, and not turn conflicts and differences into confrontations.

    Objectively speaking, against the background in which China-US tensions continue and the two countries have conflicts in many fields, effective face-to-face exchanges between the defense ministers of China and the US are of great significance for managing differences and stabilizing ties between the two militaries.

    What needs to be underlined in particular is that Wei has drawn a red line on the Taiwan question and once again showed China’s attitude and will, which will help avoid dangerous misjudgments by the US and other relevant parties. This is the genuine safeguard of peace across the Taiwan Straits.

    Taiwan is part of China.

    This is a universally recognized international consensus, which is generally accepted and clearly bolstered by the majority of countries and people across the world, except for some forces pretending to be deaf and blind and deliberately distorting its meaning.

    Any deceptive rhetoric under the banner of peace that puts aside or distorts this international consensus is a breach of regional peace and a misjudgment of China’s determination. China has repeatedly emphasized that “relying on the US to seek independence” and “exploiting Taiwan island to control China” is playing with fire. If the Taiwan question is not properly handled, it will have a “subversive impact” on China-US relations. All these serious remarks are purposely oriented.

    We noticed that the US announced a $120 million arms sale to Taiwan before Austin’s trip, while US public opinion is keen to hype the People’s Liberation Army’s legitimate response to the provocation of the Australian military aircraft, confusing right and wrong and claiming that China’s “provocative behavior” in the Asia-Pacific region has exacerbated the tension. At the same time, US Defense Department officials told media that one of the main goals for Washington this time is to set “guardrails” on the relationship between the two militaries to manage crises and ensure the competition between the two countries doesn’t escalate into conflict. But the fact is that it is the US’ moves that have constantly increased the risk of military conflict in the Asia-Pacific region.

    Washington now puts a lot of emphasis on the so-called guardrails and crisis management between the two militaries, but not to realize long-term peace and stability. It wants to implement its salami slicing strategy so it won’t choke while enjoying the slices.

    The US has no intention to stop manipulating the Taiwan question or creating divisions in the Asia-Pacific region.

    Instead, it is becoming increasingly imperious.

    While taking a confrontational stance that it must subjugate China, the US doesn’t want to pay the high cost to defeat its opponent. This could be the genuine intent behind Washington’s rhetoric about “guardrails” and “preventing competition from escalating.”

    It is important to note that the risks in the Asia-Pacific region have reached a point where they must be managed. But this can never be achieved by forcing China to give up its core interests.

    Washington has always proclaimed itself an Asia-Pacific country and considers itself responsible for the region’s security. If that is the case, it should be its responsibility to eliminate the origin of the crises and abandon its Cold War mentality and sense of a zero-sum game.

    The US should truly fulfill its commitment: The US does not seek to have a new Cold War with China, to change China’s system, or to revitalize alliances against China, and that the US does not support “Taiwan independence” or intend to seek a conflict with China. It should also become a constructive force in the Asia-Pacific region. In this case, is there any need for a “guardrail?”

    The Shangri-La Dialogue focuses on military security agenda, the most sensitive area in relations between countries. This US-Western-dominated forum has left a deep impression on people that it has been targeting China. China sent its defense minister to this dialogue, demonstrating Beijing’s sincerity in managing differences and its role as a responsible power for regional security.

    It is hoped that Wei’s solemn statement of “smashing it even at any price, including war” can make some forces restrain their impulse and enable some countries to stay sober.

    CIA in Vietnam / Cambodia

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    CIA technicians invented and used this unusual device in the 1960s to keep track of the enemy in Southeast Asia.

    The mission was to count people and supplies moving down the Ho Chi Minh Trail from North Vietnam to South Vietnam along the borders of Laos and Cambodia.

    Many of the Laotian trail watchers whom CIA recruited could not read or write, let alone understand English. And so the device featured “pictograms,” such as symbols representing troops, trucks, motorcycles, carts, bicycles, tanks, cannons, small artillery, missiles, donkeys, and yes, occasionally elephants, a common beast of burden in Laos.

    Alongside each pictogram was a knob that could be set to a number, and then the data could be transmitted to an airplane by activating a toggle switch. (Photo by Central Intelligence Agency)

    GT Voice: Why do Chinese prices remain stable amid global inflation?

    Yeah. My food and gas prices inside of China hasn't bulged at all. The stories about inflation in the West seen so odd =, strange and far away. -MM
    Published: Jun 09, 2022 10:09 PM
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    China’s major commodities imports were generally characterized by declined volume and a sharp price increases in the first five months of this year, according to the latest data released by the General Administration of Customs on Thursday.

    Specifically, Chinese imports of crude oil, coal, natural gas, and soybeans in the January-May period were down by 1.7 percent, 13.6 percent, 9.3 percent, and 0.4 percent year-on-year in terms of import volume, with their average import prices rising 55.6 percent, 105.3 percent, 70.3 percent, and 23.3 percent, respectively.

    To a certain extent, the considerable rise in commodities prices shows that China has been facing much imported inflationary pressure from overseas markets in recent months. Nevertheless, despite the global high inflation, Chinese goods prices have remained within a reasonable range.

    The country’s consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, rose 2.1 percent year-on-year in April, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), which is due to release the May CPI data on Friday.

    Why can China keep domestic prices basically stable amid soaring global inflation?

    For starters, the disruption of global supply chains caused by COVID-19 is a reason for high inflation. However, since the early days of the pandemic, China has effectively brought the epidemic under control, ensuring the normal operation of domestic industrial chains and leading to relatively small shocks to China’s supply chains compared with other countries.

    Moreover, developed economies, led by the US, adopted expansionary monetary and fiscal policies, and the huge liquidity they injected into the market is another important cause of global inflation. By comparison, China has been pursuing relatively modest monetary and fiscal policies.

    Even though the current COVID-19 epidemic resurgence has caused some difficulties for the Chinese economy, the government still appears relatively cautious in choosing the right stimulus tools, indicating its reluctance to see some long-term economic problem exacerbated due to improper short-term policies.

    The difference between China and the US in terms of inflation and monetary policy underscores the different cycle and trend of economic development in the world’s two largest economies. For instance, taming inflation has become the top priority of the US at the moment, while rate hikes have led to concerns over the growing risk of a recession in the US economy. In China, with relatively low inflation, the most important economic priority now is to stabilize growth.

    Of course, there is no denying that China will continue to face great inflationary pressure from overseas, which will be challenge to China’s economic policy choice in the future. The country needs to take precautions when it comes to the continuing issue of global inflation.

    It needs to be pointed out that some Western media outlets have accused of China of adding to global inflation fears, citing its soaring factory prices. China’s producer price index (PPI), which measures costs for goods at the factory gate, went up 8 percent year-on-year in April. But the PPI increase was due in large part to the surge in global raw materials prices.

    In fact, China has actually played an active role in stabilizing global prices in recent months. This is because China has, to a certain extent, absorbed some of the imported inflationary pressure thanks to the massive industrial scale and complete industrial systems of its manufacturing sector.

    This is also the unique advantage of Chinese exports, which has not only ensured the country’s export growth, but also strengthened the status of Chinese manufacturing throughout the global industrial chain.

    This is why the US cannot really decouple from China, and why the US must rely on Chinese manufacturing when it comes to reining in its elevated inflation.

    Man Develops 120-Year-Old Photos Of Cats Discovered Inside A Time Capsule

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    Mathieu later colored the photo using Photoshop.

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    He repeated the process for the second negative.

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    And produced another cat photo!

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    This time it revealed one more kitten along with an adorable puppy.

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    The SOS Band Live Studio A5621

    Wow! They got so much better as they aged. They all look great, and their sound takes me back to the early 1980’s. Just an awesome experience!

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

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    Kitty control and a global situation that has the Western elite all in disarray, an American presidential idiot, and some delicious food

    Today’s mix of news and pleasures reflect this strange point in time. I hope that you all enjoy it. Things are shaping up nicely, and we are beginning to see some form take shape, and that defines clarity to what will happen next. I hope that you enjoy this article.

    Indian FM Jaishankar Calls Out West Again

    Highlights (7 minutes): HERE

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    BUT sadly, it also shows at the very end that India will deal with the devil himself, US imperialism, in its differences with China.  I hope that this was just a point of diplomacy – it was not spoken with the same indignation that the FM reserved for the rather ugly comments of the interviewer.  So maybe it is a passing phase.  Let’s hope so.

    India should be concerned about the US.  The Wolfowitz Doctrine dictates that any country that grows too powerful will be targeted and brought down by the US.  Right now India has the number three PPP- GDP in the world.  If China is brought down, India will be the next target for the US.  Bank on it.

    The longer version is revealing in that it shows the blindness of the West to the Global South in the snarky neocolonial attitude of the interviewer and of the questioner from the Baltics.

    US-China trade war: ‘all options’ on table in tariff review, Washington seeking ‘structure that makes sense’

    Deputy US Trade Representative Sarah Bianchi says Washington is seeking to address long-term challenges from China and ‘getting a tariff structure that really makes sense’ US President Joe Biden has said he is considering removing some of the tariffs imposed on Chinese goods by predecessor Donald

    Article HERE

    UKRAINE FIRING MLRS AT DOWNTOWN DONETSK – TOTAL CIVILIAN AREA!

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    6:45 PM EDT — BOUT FOUR HOURS AGO, The Ukraine Armed Forces launched a horrifying attack with Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) against ALL CIVILIAN TARGETS in downtown Donetsk, the city center!   Large explosions in rapid succession seen on video below.

    There are no Russian forces operating inside the city and there have been no outbound firing of weapons from that city.   Today’s attack was deliberate targeting of a completely civilian area.   Here, look:

     

    This is precisely what Ukraine was doing from the year 2014 until 2016, paused when President Trump was sworn in, but resumed when Biden stole the US presidency.

    They are attacking civilians because those civilians speak Russian, and want to be independent of Ukraine.

    This is a war crime – again – by Ukraine . . . . again.

    Funny

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    How Russia, And Putin, Are Weaponizing, Losing And Running Out Of … Everything

    The Western "news" is so silly. -MM

    Moon of Alabama earlier explored how Russia was weaponizing everything. This after Donald Trump had done so many good things for Russia. Then Putin lost everything he ever might have had.

    It has been getting worse since.

    Now Russia, and Putin himself, are ‘running out’ of whatever may have been left.

    Posted by b on June 3, 2022 at 7:46 UTC | Permalink

    RUMORS: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to Face “No Confidence” Vote

    United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Boris Jonson is RUMORED to be on his way out of power, as 65 letters of “No Confidence” have allegedly been filed in Parliament.   Under UK rules, 54 such letters are required to force a vote.

    If the tally of letters has reached 65, then Johnson could be ejected as Prime Minster.

    Sir Graham Stuart Brady is RUMORED to be ready to announce the tally of letters on Monday.

    Brady is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament for Altrincham and Sale West since 1997.

    A member of the Conservative Party, he has been Chairman of the 1922 Committee since 2020, previously holding the position from 2010 to 2019.

    It is that Committee that has the power to call a “No Confidence” vote within the Party.

    Roman Abramovich’s UK Telecoms Firm to Be Sold for $1: Report

    New form of looting. Singapore tiger Air was sold for A$1 after Australia abuse airsafety regulation to damage the airline reputation in Australia to kill an Asian competition. Now UK did the same to Russian investment:
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    • Roman Abramovich’s Truphone is being sold for about $1 to two European entrepreneurs, a report says.
    • The company had been worth $512 million in 2020, according to The Times.
    • Abramovich is among the individuals sanctioned by the west following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
    A British telecoms company owned by Roman Abramovich is being sold to two European tech entrepreneurs for about $1, The Times reported.
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    Truphone, valued at $512 million ($410 million) in 2020, has received almost $375 million of investment from Abramovich and two business partners, Alexander Abramov and Alexander Frolov. According to the newspaper, Abramovich owns 23% of the company.
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    Truphone hired the advisory firm FRP in April to review its “strategic options” following the sanctions imposed on the former owner of Chelsea FC.
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    Hakan Koc is one of the two entrepreneurs who has emerged as one of the preferred bidders for Truphone, according to The Times…. More
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    Full article HERE

    Very Interesting Video

    Rare video of the Russian TOS-1 MRLS system in use at shorter range. The launch and impact sites are both visible and about 1 km apart. You can see why Ukrainian fighters are terrified of the 220mm fuel-air explosive rockets. A trench is not sufficient to shield soldiers from the long thermobaric blast wave produced – lethal (in this video) at least to the extent of the shockwave ‘fog’ front. The visible shockwave is a function of the relatively low temperature and high humidity – it’s not normally visible in most situations.

    View the Video here

    Javelin ATGM missiles have an effective range of 2.5 km, so the TOS-1 launcher in the above video is easily close enough to be counter-attacked. You have to be able to see the Javelin target to fire on it, so the launcher is probably positioned behind trees or terrain. The TOS-1 rockets are ballistic and able to arc over such cover even at very low trajectories.

    Cake Mix Gooey Butter Lemon Cookies

    Lemony, soft cookies topped with a sweet citrus glaze using a genius shortcut — cake mix!

    df9dcf7b f755 4faa ab6e 01ff935c9bc1
    df9dcf7b f755 4faa ab6e 01ff935c9bc1

    Ingredients

    Cookies

    • 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
    • 1/2 cup butter, softened
    • 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon peel
    • 1 egg
    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
    • 1 box Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ lemon cake mix

    Glaze

    • 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
    • 3 to 4 tablespoons lemon juice

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    North Korea Fires Missiles into Sea of Japan

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    At about 1:00 AM eastern US time Sunday, North Korea fired at least one, and perhaps multiple, ballistic missiles.  The missile(s) were fired from the east coast of North Korea toward the Sea of Japan.

    UPDATE 8:00 AM EDT —

    North Korea fired eight (8) short range ballistic missile from Sunan, near Pyongyang.   The missiles flew at various altitudes and distances, presumably to test targeting and range.  Missiles flew 110-670 km at top altitude of 25-90 km.

    It now appears that North Korea did this IN RESPONSE TO South Korea and the United States staging their first combined military exercises involving an American aircraft carrier in more than four years.

    Grief days with changes in Narrative… or why Trolls are Doomed

    By F(unny) MAN for the Saker Blog

    In the last days we have been observing some important developments:

    The MSM defecators (1) are changing the Narrative from:

    • Weeeeeeeeee, we are the best of the best.
    • 404 Super-army of Call-of-duty soldiers are defeating the Russian Zombie hordes.
    • Russian Army is losing millions of men, thousands of tanks, hundredths of aircrafts.
    • Russia has no more men, ammo, missiles, whatever, and they will have to stop the offensive
    • United we will win (Ha! this, a very good one)

    To admit that, something is happening (or could happen) that is closer to the reality that is developing in the Real World and on the ground (You know what I mean…) such as:

    • The “Diplomatic Solutions to the conflict that, 404 can and should find (from a position of Force) with Russia”
    • The “Shocking Victory that Putin the magician is about to pull off his hat”
    • The (at minimum) “600 daily casualties of the 404 army in the Donbass”
    • The “We will never pay in Rubles! But please, can we open an account in Gazprombank“
    • Et cetera…

    As my grandpa always said; when you enter into conflict with reality, no matter how your wishes, your paranoia, or your narcissistic self-appreciation and wokeism are… you are in for a hard punch in the face.

    We are slowly but surely seeing some kind of collective grief at play, because you can observe all phases developing (2) in front of you. You only have to look carefully at their, now serious, faces (not happy and cheering anymore) and declarations. Be they politicians in the zone A, MSM hosts, opinion makers, general analysts, vassals and puppets, or any other fauna of this political and informational ecosystem (3).

    Every time I hear or read the reports about 404, I do have the feeling that what they are just bitterly saying can be resumed in this sentence: United we fight against Russia, from Victory to Victory till the final Defeat.

    I suppose their days should be terrible because looks like the Russian have a never-ending supply of Tanks, Men, Talent, Aircraft, and Missiles. But what should you expect? The incredible hat of Putin the magician has no bottom end.

    But let me tell you that, this grief, is also found in the troll scene. What many people might have been noticing lately is that the level of trolling has been reduced significantly in the last weeks. I have been observing a decline in the quantity and quality of troll commenting on those websites and Alternative Media (4) that some people use to look for real (I mean REAL) information, opinion, and analyses. I have the feeling that many of the trolls should also be in (or close to) the Depression phase of the grief.

    I have contacted some of my troll-friends that, unfortunately, have to work as troll-commentators(5) fundamentally in well-known 3-letter-agencies such as CENSORED, CENSORED or CENSORED, and made a little bit of research and interviews… their words were stunning.

    They speak about unhealthy conditions, miserable and delayed payment, alienation, abusive and violent working atmosphere, overworking hours, lack of respect at work, anxiety, psychological trauma, and ptsd (the answer to their trolling comments is terrible to their self-esteem) high incidence of suicide, high incidence of divorce, obesity, stress, sleep deprivation, fatigue, anxiety (again) and other problems. They openly state that they cannot work much longer under such pressure conditions. One of them even claimed to need more than 36 hours of psychological treatment after realizing he started to believe that the answers to their trolling comments seemed to be quite reasonable and articulated, and more likely truth worthy that the official narrative they have to push (as that it is obviously impossible).

    One of my (closest) troll-friends is also considering leaving his Job in CENSORED after more than 25 years of trolling. With his experience and qualifications, he can always find a high-skilled job somewhere as a Self-Storage Manager or as Restroom Attendant.

    I have to inform you that no trolls were harmed or exposed to light in the investigative research that was conducted to the writing of this article.

    In the time you invested in reading this article, 26 trolls have died, 96 have quit, 238 have to get a two-week sick leave due to due to the problems, hardness, and complications related to their job.

    1.) It is quite a gross definition, but… they defecate through one of the orifices in their body, just not the traditional one (6)

    2.) The five stages of grief:

    • Denial
    • Anger
    • Bargaining
    • Depression
    • Paying in Rubles

    3.) To get more information about these Fauna and Ecosystem, you just have to switch on your Television, there is a 24/7 documentary going on, all the time, nonstop… geeeez! do it at your own risk.

    4.) Websites like this one CENSORED you are reading, or those of Mr. Martyanov CENSORED or Mr. Bernhard CENSORED just to mention some.

    5.) They say you have to have friends even in Hell, and Hey! Trolls do have to eat too. They have Families, Troll-Wives and Troll-Kids. So long they do not work in the light of the day (with you-know-what-consequences) they have to make something productive of their lives and provide for those they are responsible for. Also, garden dwarves are not that abundant anymore.

    6.) I know, self-referencing is not a good idea, but… I just Wonder… if they defecate through the mouth… they should get the Feed through the…

    Show Your Feline The Respect It Deserves With A “Game of Thrones” Cat Bed

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    Your cat rules your life and only lets you live because you feed it, empty its litter tray, and sometimes you can be quite amusing. So isn’t it time you just admit who’s boss in your household?

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    The First Financial Domino Just Fell; China’s EVERGRANDE is now OFFICIALLY in “Default”

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    At Midnight U.S. east coast time Friday night-into-Saturday, China’s second largest Real Estate developer, EVERGRANDE, officially entered “DEFAULT” status on its massive global debt.  This is the first Domino in the coming financial collapse, and it has just fallen, hard.

    The China Evergrande Group is the second largest property developer in China by sales.

    It is ranked 122nd on the Fortune Global 500.

    It is incorporated in the Cayman Islands, a British Overseas Territory, and headquartered in the Houhai Financial Center in Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China.

    According to Citibank as of Saturday June 4th, EVERGRANDE is more than 30 days past due on interest payments.

    This means that hundreds of billions of Dollars will get removed from market makers and banks on Monday  6th June.

    Most G20 nation banks, Money Market  funds, some State pension funds will have direct or secondary counterparty exposure to this.

    China Will only bail out China…by CCP takeover of Evergrande companies.

    Foreigners are left holding the bag.

    More or less the same thing happened in Ireland not too long ago and MANY Irish banks went bust overnight because of it.

    A full 2/3rds of China’s domestic wealth and economy is tied up in residential and commercial real estate.  It is the largest single asset class of any nation in the world.

    As China Evergrande reportedly begins negotiating creative ways to repay billions owed to offshore bondholders, a paying agent of one of the embattled property giant’s USD-denominated bonds has sent a letter to investors officially confirming default.

    Dr Marco Meltzer, a respected German financial analysts and outspoken critic of the handling of Evergrande’s debt crisis, says he received a letter from Citi earlier this week all but confirming the company is broke.

    Citigroup serves as a paying agent for a number of Evergrande’s offshore bonds. Paying agents are intermediaries which accept payments from bond issuers and distribute the funds among the bond holders.

    “Just this week, I received an official letter from the agent Citibank that Evergrande has defaulted on our bond and I will never see my money again,” said Dr Meltzer.

    “I had bought bonds last year in November to see if the media coverage of the real estate giant was accurate, as they repeatedly reported that Evergrande was doing well.

    “Unfortunately, it appears this media coverage is taking its course.”

    Meltzer shared a copy of the letter (published in the feature image of this article) which states Evergrande and its Subsidiaries “have not made payment of interest that was due and payable on April 11, 2022”.

    Last year, an Asia Markets’ investigation highlighted a litany of examples in which missed Evergrande offshore bond payments were sugar-coated in the financial press through anonymous sources claiming that default had been avoided, thus leading to many investors overlooking the risk the crisis poses to global financial markets.

    HAL TURNER EDITORIAL OPINION

    All the stories in the media about Evergrande negotiating its way out of default and paying bond holders were lies . . .  from or through, the media.

    You see, its cheaper to pay the media to run a bs story than it is to pay $300 Billion worth of debt.

    So here we see that media PROPAGANDA lured people into investing money, which they have now lost.

    Think about that the next time you watch any so-called “main stream” media outlet.  It is no longer the exception to the rule to have media outright lie.  Many of you found that out with COVID.   Now investors are finding out the hard way.

    The Takeaway: DON’T TRUST THE MAIN STREAM MEDIA.

    Now, we all get to see what kind of rhetorical “blood-bath” takes place in Asian markets when they re-open later tonight (Sunday).   If it is as bad as I think it will be, the contagion will spread rapidly to Europe and to the US.   This could be quite a week.

    WARNING SIGNS on JUNE 2

    There was a major, red flag warning sign, that something wicked was coming when Fitch Rating Service announced on June 2 they would cease rating Evergrande and its subsidiaries.

    They announced “Fitch Ratings has decided to withdraw the credit rating for Communist China’s real estate Evergrande and its two subsidiaries on June 2nd, as there is not enough information to maintain the rating.

    Foreign media reported that the rating agencies downgraded China Evergrande Group and its subsidiaries, Hengda Real Estate Group Co Ltd, and Tianji Holding Ltd to “restricted default” last December, saying the companies’ offshore bonds, including loans and private placement, had defaulted. However, as there is not enough information to maintain these ratings anymore, Fitch said. “No further ratings or analysis will be provided to Evergrande and its subsidiaries.” they added.

     BANK CRASH?

    When Ireland saw similar major crash, MANY banks in Ireland found themselves book-broke overnight.

    Ireland is tiny.  China is gigantic.

    The amount of Evergrande debt is at least $300 Billion.   How many banks globally may now be tipped-over into being book-broke?   We start to see tomorrow.

    Worst case, global bank runs.

    The Numerology people will be going nuts over the date:  06-06-2022 . . . but when they add the 2’s  in the year, it becomes 6-6-6.   Just sayin . . .

    What Australia Looks Like In The Winter

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    Australia turns white in the winter time but not from the snow. Some places still turn white due to creatures that spin massive webs around that time of year and they look like this.

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    VIDEO: University of Minnesota Being “Culturally-Enriched” by “Diversity”

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    Students and others on University Avenue near the University of Minnesota got “culturally enriched” last night as “Diversity” opened-fire.  Video below:

     

    Ain’t “Diversity” grand?!?!?!?

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    Bilderberg does China

    When Davos and Bilderberg messenger boys look at The Grand Chessboard, they realize that their era of perpetual free lunch is over.

    By Pepe Escobar posted with his permission and widely cross-posted. 

    Discreetly, as under the radar as a looming virus, the 68th Bilderberg meeting  is currently underway in Washington, D.C. Nothing to see here. No conspiracy theories about a “secret cabal”, please. This is just a docile, “diverse group of political leaders and experts” having a chat, a laugh, and a bubbly.

    Still, one cannot but notice that the choice of venue speaks more volumes than the entire – burned to the ground – Library of Alexandria. In the year heralding the explosion of a much-awaited NATO vs. Russia proxy war, discussing its myriad ramifications does suit the capital of the Empire of Lies, much more than Davos a few weeks ago, where one Henry Kissinger sent them into a frenzy by advancing the necessity of a toxic compromise named “diplomacy”.

    The list of Bilderberg 2022 participants is a joy to peruse. Here are just some of the stalwarts:

    James Baker, Consigliere extraordinaire, now a mere Director of the Office of Net Assessment at the Pentagon.

    José Manuel Barroso, former head of the European Commission, later the recipient of a golden parachute in the form of Chairman of Goldman Sachs International.

    Albert Bourla, the Pfizer Big Guy.

    William Burns, CIA director.

    Kurt Campbell, the guy who invented the Obama/Hillary “pivot to Asia”, now White House Coordinator for Indo-Pacific.

    Mark Carney, former Bank of England, one of the designers of the Great Reset, now Vice Chair of Brookfield Asset Management.

    Henry Kissinger, The Establishment’s Voice (or a war criminal: take your pick).

    Charles Michel, President of the European Council.

    Minton Beddoes, Editor-in-Chief of The Economist, which will duly relay all major Bilderberg directives in the magazine’s upcoming cover stories.

    David Petraeus, certified loser of endless surges and Chairman of KKR Global Institute.

    Mark Rutte, hawkish Prime Minister of the Netherlands.

    Jens Stoltenberg, NATO top parrot, sorry, secretary-general.

    Jake Sullivan, Director of the National Security Council.

    The ideological and geopolitical affiliations of these members of the “diverse group” need no further elaboration. It gets positively sexier when we see what they will be discussing.

    Among other issues we find “NATO challenges”;

    • “Indo-Pacific realignment”;
    • “continuity of government and economy” (Conspirationists: continuity in case of nuclear war?);
    • “disruption of global financial system” (already on);
    • “post-pandemic health” (Conspirationists: how to engineer the next pandemic?);
    • “trade and deglobalization”; and of course, the choice wagyu beef steaks:
    • Russia and China.

    As Bilderberg follows Chatham House Rules, mere mortals won’t have a clue of what they actually “proposed” or approved, and none of the participants will be allowed to talk about it with anyone else.

    One of my top New York sources, with direct access to most of the Masters of the Universe, loves to quip that Davos and Bilderberg are just for the messenger boys: the guys who really run the show don’t even bother to show up, ensconced in their uber-private meetings in uber-private clubs, where the real decisions are made.

    Still, anyone following in some detail the rotten state of the “rules-based international order” will have a pretty good idea about the 2022 Bilderberg chatter.

    The statements and position postures…

    Secretary of State Little Blinken – Sullivan’s sidekick in the ongoing Crash Test Dummy administration’s Dumb and Dumber remake – has recently claimed that China “supports” Russia on Ukraine instead of remaining neutral.

    What really matters here is that Little Blinken is implying that Beijing wants to destabilize Asia-Pacific – which is a notorious absurdity. Yet that’s the master narrative that must pave the way for the US to muscle up its “Indo-Pacific” concoction. And that’s the briefing Sullivan and Kurt Campbell will be delivering to the “diverse group”.

    Davos – with its new self-billed mantra, “The Great Narrative” – completely excluded Russia.

    Bilderberg is mostly about containment of China – which after all is the number one existential threat to the Empire of Lies and its satrapies.

    Rather than wait for Bilderberg morsels dispensed by The Economist, it’s much more productive to check out what a cross-section of fact-based Chinese intelligentsia thinks about the new “collective West” racket.

    What the Chinese say

    Let’s start with Justin Lin Yifu, former Chief Economist of the World Bank and now Dean of the Institute of New Structural Economics at Peking University, and Sheng Songcheng, former head of the Financial Survey and Statistic Dept. a the Bank of China.

    They advance that if China achieves “dynamic zero infection” on Covid-19 by the end of May (that actually happened: see the end of the Shanghai lockdown), China’s economy may grow by 5.5% in 2022.

    They dismiss the imperial attempt to establish an “Asian version of NATO”: “As long as China continues to grow at a higher rate and to open up, European and ASEAN countries would not participate in the US’s decoupling trap so as to ensure their economic growth and job creation.”

    Three academics from the Shanghai Institute of International Studies and Fudan University touch on the same point: the American-announced “Indo-Pacific Economic Framework”, supposed to be the economic pillar of the Indo-Pacific strategy, is nothing but a cumbersome attempt to “weaken the internal cohesion and regional autonomy of ASEAN.”

    Liu Zongyi stresses that China’s position at the heart of the vastly inter-connected Asian supply chains “has been consolidated”, especially now with the onset of the largest trade deal on the planet, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

    Chen Wengling, Chief Economist of a think tank under the key National Development and Reform Commission, notes  the “comprehensive ideological and technological war against China” launched by the Americans.

    But he’s keen to stress how they are “not ready for a hot war as the US and Chinese economies are so closely linked.” The crucial vector is that “the US has not yet made substantial progress in strengthening its supply chain focusing on four key fields including semiconductors.”

    Chen worries about “China’s energy security”; “China’s silence” on US sanctions on Russia, which “may result in US retaliation”; and crucially, how “China’s plan of building the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with Ukraine and EU countries will be affected.” What will happen in practice is BRI will be privileging economic corridors across Iran and West Asia, as well as the Maritime Silk Road, instead of the Trans-Siberian corridor across Russia.

    It’s up to Yu Yongding, from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and a former member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank, to go for the jugular, noting how” the global financial system and the US dollar have been weaponized into geopolitical tools. The nefarious behavior of the US in freezing foreign exchange reserves has not only seriously damaged the international credibility of the US but has also shaken the credit foundation of the dominant international financial system in the West.”

    He expresses the consensus among Chinese intel, that “if there is a geopolitical conflict between the US and China, then China’s overseas assets will be seriously threatened, especially its huge reserves. Therefore, the composition of China’s external financial assets and liabilities urgently needs to be adjusted and the portion of US dollar denominated assets in its reserves portfolio should be reduced.”

    This chessboard sucks

    A serious debate is raging across virtually all sectors of Chinese society on the American weaponization of the world financial casino. The conclusions are inevitable: get rid of US Treasuries, fast, by any means necessary; more imports of commodities and strategic materials (thus the importance of the Russia-China strategic partnership); and firmly secure overseas assets, especially those foreign currency reserves.

    Meanwhile Bilderberg’s “diverse group”, on the other side of the pond, is discussing, among other things, what will really happen in case they force the IMF racket to blow up (a key plan to implement The Great Reset, or “Great Narrative”).

    They are starting to literally freak out with the slowly but surely emergence of an alternative, resource-based monetary/financial system: exactly what the Eurasia Economic Union (EAEU) is currently discussing and designing, with Chinese input.

    Imagine a counter-Bilderberg system where a basket of Global South actors, resource-rich but economically poor, are able to issue their own currencies backed by commodities, and finally get rid of their status of IMF hostages. They are all paying close attention to the Russia gas-for-rubles experiment.

    And in China’s particular case, what will always matter is loads of productive capital underpinning a massive, extremely deep industrial and civil infrastructure.

    No wonder Davos and Bilderberg messenger boys, when they look at The Grand Chessboard, are filled with dread: their era of perpetual free lunch is over. What would delight cynics, skeptics, neoplatonists and Taoists galore is that it was Davos-Bilderberg Men (and Women) who actually boxed themselves into zugzwang.

    All dressed up – with nowhere to go. Even JP Morgan’s Jamie Dimon – who didn’t even bother to go to Bilderberg – is scared, saying an economic “hurricane” is coming. And overturning the chessboard is no remedy: at best that may invite a ceremonious tuxedo visit by Mr. Sarmat and Mr. Zircon carrying some hypersonic bubbly.

    ‘Demonic’ AI generating its own secret written language that nobody can understand

    An image AI called DALL-E has sparked debate among AI experts who claim it is creating a secret language to categorise images – the words look like gibberish but have a hidden meaning.

    From HERE

    A popular AI tool that turns text into images appears to be creating its ‘own language’ of indecipherable gibberish and using it to categorise different pictures.

    The DALL-E tool, which uses AI to generate images from text, is seemingly generating nonsense text when instructed to create images featuring printed words.

    Computer science PhD student Giannis Daras took to Twitter to share examples of the ‘language’, including phrases the AI had created to identify birds and insects.

    “Apoploe vesrreaitais” means ‘birds’, while “Contarra ccetnxniams luryca tanniounons” means insects.

    Daras claimed in the viral thread that if you enter the gibberish words created by the AI back into the system, it will generate images linked to those phrases.

    In a research paper which is yet to be peer-reviewed, Daras and his colleague Alexandros G. Dimakis said: ““[T]ext prompts such as: ‘An image of the word airplane’ often lead to generated images that depict gibberish text.

    “We discover that this produced text is not random, but rather reveals a hidden vocabulary that the model seems to have developed internally.

    “For example, when fed with this gibberish text, the model frequently produces airplanes.”

    The academics believe that the AI generates its own words to make sense of the images it creates, and can then understand these words when they are read back to it.

    The claims sparked debate on Twitter. One user, Dmitriy Mandel, said: “Hmm, time to brush up on signs of demonic possession.”

    Another person said :”Is this an actual LANGUAGE? With grammar and stuff?”

    However, other AI experts remain highly sceptical of the claims.

    Thomas Woodside said: “I do not believe this is accurate. At the very least, it is a lot more complicated than this thread / paper makes it out to be,” before sharing a thread where he explained issues with the claims.

    Another user went further, saying: “This is not science, this nonsense is **tarot card reading**… trying to find meaning in random noise.”

    DALL-E is a machine learning system that allows you to generate images just by typing short descriptions into a text box. You can find out more about it here.

    No Chinese Engines Please! Thailand ‘Rejects’ To Buy Yuan-Class Submarines From Beijing Sans German Tech

    Amid concerns about the missing German engines in Chinese submarines, Thailand’s Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha had warned in April that the planned procurement deal with China could be shelved if Beijing was unable to fit the engines specified in the original purchase agreement.

    The EurAsian Times had reported that the German engine manufacturing company Motoren- und Turbinen-Union (MTU) had refused to supply MTU396 diesel engines to China to be fitted into the S26T Yuan-class submarine being built for the Royal Thai Navy (RTN).

    To resolve the issue, the Royal Thai Navy and China Shipbuilding & Offshore International Co (CSOC) have scheduled a meeting on June 9 to settle the dispute, Thai media outlet Pattaya Mail reported.

    The vice president of CSOC is due to meet with Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Tharoengsak Sirisawat to discuss the situation.

    The Chinese firm has asked the Royal Thai Navy to change the contract to allow it to employ a Chinese-made alternative, such as the MWM 620, which it claims is of comparable quality.

    The Royal Thai Navy, on the other hand, is sticking to the contract’s original provisions, which it feels are non-negotiable.

     

    Negotiations on the issue were initially set to take place in May but were repeatedly postponed due to the Covid-19 situation in China. According to observers, CSOC may give the Navy revised terms to complete the contract.

    However, if no headway is made, the agreement could even be terminated.

    “What do we do with a submarine with no engines? Why should we purchase it?” Prayut had told journalists in April. The submarine that China wants to outfit with its home-grown engines is expected to be delivered in 2024.

    Under the terms of the agreement, China Shipbuilding & Offshore International Co (CSOC), a state-owned shipbuilding conglomerate, is supposed to build and sell three advanced export variants of Type 039B Yuan-class submarine – to be called the S26T – for a total cost of 36 billion baht (1.16 billion) to be paid in 11 annual installments.

    Will The Deal Fall Through?

    The Thai government approved the purchase of three Yuan-class submarines from China for $1.05 billion in April 2017. However, due to budget constraints, the purchase of only one submarine was allowed — valued at $403 million, while the other two were shelved.

    While Germany bypassed the terms of the European Union embargo by taking advantage of some loopholes, it had to terminate the dealing after an investigation exposed how Germany was violating a comprehensive EU arms embargo and benefiting China, a common European adversary that has been challenging its power.

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    After the abrupt suspension of German engine delivery, China reportedly offered reverse-engineered Chinese-made engines certified by German MTU to the Thai Navy.

    However, the Thailand officials rejected the offer, insisting that the Chinese side adheres to the original terms of the agreement. They also turned down the Chinese offer to transfer two of its decommissioned submarines, according to Thai PBS World.

    The Chinese have demonstrated well-known capabilities in reverse engineering technology obtained by foreign countries to develop their system. However, the dearth of examples of home-grown propulsion technology could be understood as the object of Thailand’s doubt regarding Chinese engines.

    Even though Thailand has indicated that terminating the purchase will not affect bilateral relations, China’s inability to equip the submarine with the original engine could risk future submarine sales. The explanation for this is simple: German engines are not coming and new Chinese engines are not trustworthy yet.

    Will Thailand Accept China’s Offer? 

    While China has made significant advances in engine manufacture for fighter jets such as the J-20 and wind tunnels for hypersonic technologies, it lags far behind in submarine propulsion.

    Since the majority of engines used in Chinese submarines are foreign-made, propulsion engineering is one of the military industry’s most serious weaknesses.

    The Song and Yuan-class attack submarines, for instance, which account for the majority of China’s conventional submarine fleet, are powered by MTU 396 SE84 series diesel engines manufactured in Germany.

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    Professor Andrew Erickson of the US Naval War College’s China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI) said at a 2015 conference on the Chinese Navy’s capabilities that propulsion engineering in the PLAN’s [People’s Liberation Army Navy’s] underwater force is still a work in progress.

    Due to diesel engines that are specifically designed to minimize vibration and noise to avoid sonar detection, diesel-electric submarines are far stealthier than nuclear submarines. MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH of Friedrichshafen, Germany’s 396 SE84 series of state-of-the-art diesel engines, for example, power both the Song– and Yuan–class attack submarines.

    According to The Diplomat, each Song and Yuan–class battleship has three of these engines, which have been built under license by Chinese defense contractors since 1986.

    The Yuan-class submarines are also thought to be equipped with Stirling air-independent propulsion and quieting technologies from Russian-designed submarines.

    It has made some advancements in reverse engineering in the past few years; however, the Chinese engine has been rejected by the Thailand authorities despite the certification received by MTU. As of now, the deal hangs in the balance, and so does China’s standing as a regional exporter of arms.

    More Pictures from the Past

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    “Sits Down Spotted”- Crow Nation, Fort Keogh, Montana, 1881. Photo By L.A. Huffman

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    Another Lira: What Happens To Europe When Russia Wins

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    I invite you to compare this with Batiuska’s article newly posted.  Other video HERE

    Same thing .. very differently expressed.  Is it the end of the imbeciles?

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 5

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
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    Murder hornets, US and Britain in a tussle over weapon technology, Penis Pendants, Tiananmen Square, and the Grave of Scotia

    Life is crazy and the idiots running the West are the craziest of them all. I hope that you all are being prudent and collecting firewood, having a wood stove, riding a bicycle, and learning how to can and tend to your gardens. The madness from above will trickle down and saturate your life in a flood. Do not be caught “flat footed”.

    Here’s some articles, art, fun, and amusements for today. have fun. -MM

    Wearing Futuristic Protective Suits, Washington State Crews Destroy First US Murder Hornet Nest

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    Heavily protected crews worked in Washington state on Saturday to destroy the first nest of so-called murder hornets discovered in the United States.

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    Race Against Time to Save the 33,000-Year-Old Underwater Cosquer Cave

    During glacial Pleistocene, the entry to the famous Cosquer Cave was 100 meters (330 ft) above sea level, but the Holocene sea level rise, propelled lately by climate change, has meant that the entrance to the cave is now 37 meters (121 ft) below sea level. Renowned for being the only place in the world where prehistoric underwater marine art can be found, scientists are now racing against time to save the art from climate change and pollution, reports  Agence France-Presse (AFP) .

    Over 30,000 years old and created over 15 millennia, the spectacular cave art at Cosquer Cave is in grave danger, with a 12 cm (almost 5 in) rise in sea level in 2011 alone. With sea levels rising a few millimeters every year, and the combination of water and plastic pollution is doing more and more damage to the art, archaeologist and diver Luc Vanrell and his colleagues have taken matters into their own hands.

    Cosquer Cave: A Fortuitous Discovery and an Artistic Language

    Discovered by Henri Cosquer in 1985, Cosquer Cave was only revealed to the public in 1991. In that interim six-year period dozens of interested explorers, divers and amateur enthusiasts tried to visit the cave, with three divers losing their lives in the process. It was after this tragic incident that the entrance to the cave was made public. Luc Vanrell explored the cave in 1994, and by 1995 had taken on all the scientific and technical work related to the preservation of this Upper Palaeolithic marvel.

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    While in use, Cosquer Cave was 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) away from the coast. “At the time we were in the middle of an ice age and the sea was 135 meters [443 ft] lower” than it is today, highlighted archaeologist Michel Olive in  AFP. “The entrance to the cave was on a little promontory facing south over grassland protected by cliffs. It was an extremely good place for prehistoric man.” Olive has been put in charge of the academic research and study of the cave.

    Though four-fifths of the cave has inadvertently been lost or submerged due to the passage of time, 229  rock art  figures depicting 13 species remain on the wall. An added bonus is 69 red or black  hand prints , including three that have been left by mistake, some of these made by  children. In total, 600 signs, images and rock carvings, which include aquatic life never seen before in  cave paintings  have been found. The cave was occupied between 33,000 and 18,500 years ago, but no traces or evidence of people having lived there have been found, reports  The Daily Mail .

    To access the cave, visitors first need to dive to the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of southern France, at the gorgeous Calanques inlets east of  Marseille. After that, they have to navigate a 137 meter (450 ft) tunnel, before arriving at a submerged cavern. The cavern leads to the 2,500 square meter (27,000 sq. ft.) Cosquer Cave.

    On 4 June 2022 a life-sized replica cave, known as  Cosquer Méditerranée , is being opened up a few kilometers away in Marseille. The replica will confirm the bountiful coastal wildlife that must have once graced the Mediterranean – horses, deer,  bison, ibex, prehistoric auroch cows, saiga antelopes, seals, fish, penguins, and even a cat and a  bear. There are also hundreds of geometric signs, and eight depictions of male and female body parts.

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    Digital Mapping and Preservation at Cosquer Cave

    As of now, Vanrell and his team are rushing to beat the clock to prepare a 3D reconstruction of the cave through digital mapping. “We fantasized about bringing the cave to the surface. When it is finished, our virtual Cosquer cavern—which is accurate to within millimeters—will be indispensable for researchers and archaeologists who will not be able to physically get inside,” said diver Bertrand Chazaly, who is in charge of the operation to digitalize what has come to be known as the “underwater Lascaux” cave. The  replica cave , slightly smaller than the original, has cost a whopping $24 million.

    In fact, in terms of importance and size Cosquer Cave is right up there with  Lascaux, Altamira, and  Chauvet, three of the largest cave sites in the world. “And because the cave walls that are today  underwater were probably also once decorated, nothing else in Europe compares to its size,” says Vanrell.

    Having said that, the alarming rise in sea levels, exacerbated by the pace of anthropocenic activity in the past few decades, has caused the walls to rinse and be leeched out. It has also finally gained the attention of the French government, who have launched a major push to record all available data before it’s too late.

    In the meantime, Vanrell and his team are hoping to discover what the purpose of the cave was, in order to understand the ways of our ancestors and their artistic pursuits. After all, examples of Palaeolithic  cave art  have been located across all continents, including cave art created as far back as  45,000 years ago in Indonesia . Clearly, cave art, which predates human language, is the first form of symbolic visual communication that developed into more complex forms of language much later on.

    “The peace dividend has ended, and it is time for China to prepare for a complete decoupling”

    No more illusions exist in China.  The "barbarians" will NOT accept coexistence and win-win situations with the rest of the world.

    Full article is found HERE

    "The peace dividend is over, it's time for China to have to prepare for a full decoupling"
    
    School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Shanghai International Studies University
    
    [Introduction] Since the change between China and the United States in 2018, the world situation has been in turmoil, and various "decoupling theories" at home and abroad have become popular. Especially since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the international situation has shown a clear camp-like pattern, and the United States has targeted China from all aspects of its domestic and foreign affairs. Although many people believe that globalization is irreversible and do not believe that there will be a day of complete decoupling, if there is a complete decoupling in the future, how should we deal with it?
    
    This article argues that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is a symbolic event in the end of the globalization tide led by the United States, which means that China no longer has the peaceful external development environment of the past 40 years. The author points out that the current seemingly "rule-based order" is actually a center-periphery hierarchical international order dominated by Western countries. Because of their strong ability to manage and control capital, China and Russia have become the last two obstacles for the United States to further control the global periphery, and it is inevitable that they will be fully suppressed by the West. Therefore, China must re-examine the past tradition of multilateralism, adjust the spatial priority of foreign exchanges, and reshape a new international environment that is conducive to China's national security and long-term development.
    
    The author believes that in the future, China will promote the construction of a new global system, that is, a "three-ring" international system to ensure China's national security and development : the first ring is East Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East around China. Form a system of close industrial division of labor, and obtain stable energy supply and reliable security barriers through them; the second ring is the developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, with which China exchanges raw materials and industrial products, and assists their development; the third ring is Expand to traditional industrialized countries dominated by Europe and the United States. Among them, the "first ring" is the key to China's construction of the "new third ring" international system. In recent decades, developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America have formed a new global system. The solid foundations of developing countries in terms of economic volume, trade exchanges, and economic cooperation are not what they used to be. To further enhance economic and political autonomy, we must get rid of financial and monetary dependence on Western countries. Therefore, to build the "new three-ring" international system, a higher level and wider range of financial and monetary cooperation should be developed among developing countries
    
    This article was originally published in the 3rd issue of "Cultural Landscape" in 2022 (June issue), with the original title "Constructing the "New Three Rings": Facing the Possible China's Choice for Comprehensive Decoupling" , which only represents the author's point of view for everyone to think about.
    
    Building the "New Three Rings": China's Choice in the Face of a Possible Comprehensive Decoupling
    
    Russia's "special military operation" against Ukraine, and the ensuing full-scale confrontation between Western countries and Russia, is a landmark event in the end of the globalization tide since the 1980s. The United States has hijacked its allies to impose deadly sanctions on Russia, and coerced other countries in the world to choose sides between Western countries and Russia. The world is reappearing the scene of life-and-death battles a hundred years ago, and it also brings huge challenges to China. The "end of globalization" makes China no longer have the external development environment of the past 40 years to use. The United States promotes the process of rebuilding the international system dominated by it and "decoupling" from China and Russia, which is very likely to be further strengthened in the future. The characteristics of the times in today's world have undergone a paradigm change. Faced with the possibility of passive and comprehensive decoupling, China needs to actively adjust its foreign strategic arrangements and make a new choice on the priority of state exchanges, so as to shape a new type of international system that is conducive to hedging the negative impact of Western countries' decoupling from China.
    
    ▍The unspoken rule of the international order is the center-periphery power structure
    
    In the 30 years since the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Russia has moved from actively moving toward the United States and Western countries at first, to gradually alienating them, and even now fighting fiercely, highlighting the political limits of globalization. Contrary to people's romantic imagination of globalization, the latest round of globalization was originally an investment of American hegemony, partially serving the purpose of dismantling the Soviet Union and the socialist bloc, which made it impossible to expand indefinitely. From the perspective of the relationship between the leading countries and following countries of globalization, or the developed countries and developing countries, there is a limit of equality in international politics: when globalization backfires on the initiators and threatens their power advantages, the global The transformation will inevitably be "reversed", and the operating path will be redesigned. The process of globalization in recent decades and America's pursuit of power advantage are two sides of the same coin. The two are mutually conditional and mutually advanced. Russia's "special military operation" against Ukraine is the result of this round of globalization that has completely exposed its power and brought an end to the globalization led by the United States
    
    The eastward expansion of NATO is the main reason for Russia to take the initiative. This appears to be a security issue, but in fact it is also an economic issue in the process of globalization. Peripheralizing the Soviet Union in the global system is the goal of the globalization process initiated by the United States. Russia’s desire to use globalization to achieve national rejuvenation and become a central country is obviously contrary to the logic of its occurrence and evolution. Global capital, especially financial capital's interest in Russia, is more concentrated in energy, food and minerals, which are areas where financial capital can make huge profits. However, since Putin came to power, Russia has strengthened its control over key industries related to national security and basic people's livelihood, and is committed to building the Eurasian Economic Union and creating an economic development space suitable for itself, which is not welcome by external capital. The eastward expansion of NATO is the embodiment of capital’s influence on politics to achieve market expansion. It constantly squeezes Russia’s development space and aggravates Russia’s externalization. If no effective response is made, Russia will be further fixed in the position of primary product provider and lose its position as a primary product provider. The ability to participate in great power politics, and even a domestic crisis. This is what the Russian elite does not want to see.
    
    The eastward expansion of NATO and the current frenzied sanctions against Russia by Western countries have revealed the power structure of the contemporary world. After the end of World War II, the European colonial system gradually disintegrated. Since the second half of the 20th century, the clear rules of the international order have been centered on the United Nations and international law, and embody the principle of sovereign equality of states. However, the center-periphery hierarchical international order under the European colonial system has not really disappeared, but has continued to this day as an unspoken rule and an implicit order, but the absolute hierarchical power relations characterized by direct drive in the past no longer exist. It is based on the "common but differentiated" international order, that is, all countries have equal sovereignty on the surface, but there are still power differences in actual operation. "Rule-based order" is the main expression of this order, all countries need to abide by the same rules, but the real connotation of this rule is not centered on the United Nations and international law, but centered on Western countries.
    
    U.S. hegemony since the postwar period and the G7 established after the 1970s are the main manifestations of the contemporary version of the global center-periphery order. The annual meeting of the G7 discusses more than just seven countries. The matter is also the matter of the whole world, and they are negotiated and then pushed to be transformed into global rules. The "rule-based order" is actually "the rule-based order established by Western countries", and who is the rule maker is the key. In the global division of labor system, rule-making, money supply and industrial product production are the affairs of a few countries in the center. If other countries want to join in, they may disintegrate the dominant position of a few countries. This is the mastery of the rules. Countries that have the right to formulate and dominate the currency and maintain a technological advantage with intellectual property do not want to see it. China's unexpected economic growth in recent decades has broken the center-periphery international order since the postwar period, threatening the unspoken rules centered on Western countries. In recent years, the United States has defined China as a major "strategic competitor" "The main reason is that China's development has touched the cheese of the United States and other Western countries. The latter never imagined that China can also "enter the center of the world stage", even now It's actually just "getting closer".
    
    Whether it is the eastward expansion of NATO or the US's selection of China as a key target of suppression, it all reflects that the US and Western countries want to maintain and strengthen their own power advantages. The Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the Ukrainian sanctions against Russia are further highlighted by the fact that most countries in the world are in the "rural areas" in the periphery, a few countries are in the "cities" in the center, and the United States is the "Downtown", "city" in the global "urban center" does not want to see "rural" become "urban" like them. The hindrance of China and Russia to the global "city center" lies not only in their strong ability to control capital, making them the last two largest undisciplined places of capitalist globalization; much greater national power, and become an obstacle for the "urban center" to gain further control over the "rural" fringes of the world. In the process of this round of globalization, China, with its strong economic growth and comprehensive national strength, has shown a trend of moving from "rural" to "urban". In recent years, it has become the leader of "de-globalization", which has exposed the "common" limits of the post-war international order. China has also become a member of the "city" that the heartland countries cannot tolerate.
    
    ▍The basic plate of China's multilateral cooperation lies in non-Western countries
    
    In "An Analysis of All Classes in Chinese Society", the first chapter of "Selected Works of Mao Zedong", the opening question asks: "Who are our enemies? Who are our friends? This question is the primary question of the revolution." In the past few years, the reform and opening up, and the proposal to build a community with a shared future for mankind in recent years, no longer deliberately emphasize the distinction between enemies and friends in international exchanges, but hope to promote "the beauty of the United States and the beauty of the world" in the "beauty of each, and the beauty of the beautiful". ". But whether the world can achieve "Great Harmony" is not determined by the wishes of the Chinese family. With the US-led Western countries showing an all-round confrontation with Russia and China, the characteristics of the contemporary world can no longer be regarded as "peace and development" mechanically, but "competition" and even "war" need to be seriously considered ——Even if the war can be ruled out, it is impossible to achieve better development in the globalization system dominated by Western countries as always. China has to rethink the "primary question" in its foreign exchanges: who are the possible partners of China at present and in the future, and who are the partners that China cannot hold?
    
    Birds of a feather flock together. The same is true of countries. Countries with similar experiences, situations and demands are more likely to form long-term cooperative relationships. In the contemporary discourse system of international relations, Western countries vs non-Western countries, developed countries vs developing countries, northern countries vs southern countries are common distinctions between countries. Developed countries and northern countries are mostly Western countries, while southern countries and developing countries are mostly Western countries. The countries are all non-Western countries. Unlike the distinction between developed countries and developing countries, and northern countries and southern countries, which is biased toward the economic level, the distinction between Western countries and non-Western countries also points to the political and cultural level, which implies global power relations. Since the 19th century, under the influence of three key elements, industrialization, rational state building and "progressive ideology", the world has undergone a "Global Transformation" : a "centerless and pluralistic world" that used to be in a discrete state. , turned to a highly interconnected and hierarchical "center-periphery" global international system, with the West at the center of this order. In the revolutionary era from the late 19th century to the first half of the 20th century, the frequently discussed "imperialism" was the description and characterization of this order relationship. Imperialism and globalization in the middle and late 19th century to the early 20th century are two sides of the same body. Imperialism comes with globalization, while globalization strengthens imperialism. Barrel array", trying to escape from it is not easy. Western countries used to be the center of the global system and the birthplace of imperialism. The colonial order in the modern world and the hegemony of the United States since the mid-to-late 20th century have all come from this; at the same time, many revolutions in modern times, including the 20 What the anti-colonial movement in the mid-to-late century was trying to break was this center-periphery power structure of inequality and injustice.
    
    In the center-periphery global power structure, it is impossible for the countries in the heartland to truly help the revolution of the countries in the peripheral regions, nor would they welcome the countries in the peripheral regions to join the countries in the central region in an equal manner. The fate of being deprived can only rely on the grouping of countries in the peripheral areas to keep warm, and in occasional situations, the gaps between the countries in the central area must be used to strive for cooperation with the latter in the struggle. During the Chinese revolution in the first half of the 20th century and the consolidation of the regime in the second half of the 20th century, the main external forces that China relied on came from the periphery of the global system. The Communist International network, which the Communist Party of China once participated in, was an alliance between the non-regime forces of the colonized and oppressed nations at that time; during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, China took the opportunity of participating in the World Anti-Fascist War to continue the "anti-imperialist" demands of the previous Chinese revolution. , to further promote the abolition of the various unequal rights imposed on China by imperialist countries; after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, China attached great importance to cooperation with "Third World" countries, and supported anti-colonial movements and anti-colonial movements in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The country building after independence, especially the active participation in the Bandung Conference in 1955 and the proposal of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, has been well echoed by the Asian, African and Latin American countries, and has also become an important node in the virtuous circle of relations between China and the Asian, African and Latin American countries. With the support of the latter, China returned to the United Nations in 1971 and became a permanent member of the Security Council.
    
    The mutual solidarity and assistance between China and the Asian, African and Latin American countries in resisting colonial rule and in national construction has laid a key feature of China's multilateralism since modern times, that is, attaching great importance to cooperation with non-Western developing countries and building a common resistance against central countries. Defend national independence and development and progress in the unequal and unjust international order. In its all-round diplomacy based on non-Western developing countries, China does not exclude exchanges and even the development of friendly and cooperative relations with Western developed countries and other major powers. However, it should also be noted that in the past, China's exchanges and cooperation with countries in the heartland have always had two preconditions: First, from the perspective of China, China insists on developing its foreign relations on the basis of independence, equality and mutual benefit, and opposes the development of foreign relations in international relations. Power hierarchy; second, from the perspective of countries in the center, they always have a ceiling in cooperation with China, that is, they cannot shake the global power structure centered on Western countries. When either of these two premises changes, it will be difficult for China, as a developing country, to continue to develop in-depth cooperative relations, especially political cooperative relations, with Western countries.
    
    ▍Adjusting the spatial priority of China's foreign exchanges
    
    In the past 40 years, China has abandoned ideological differences and avoided differences in national systems, and has been committed to cooperation with all countries, gradually forming a foreign exchange in which "big powers are the key, neighboring countries are the primary, developing countries are the foundation, and multilateralism is an important stage". pattern. But this pattern has encountered many obstacles at the time of the "end of globalization". The "decoupling" initiated by the United States coercing other Western countries with China in terms of economy, technology, knowledge, and personnel exchanges is unlikely to be withdrawn due to the war between Russia and Ukraine. On the contrary, it may intensify.
    
    Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, it has experienced many changes in the direction of its diplomacy, from the "one-sidedness" at the time of the founding of the People's Republic of China, to the division of "one line, one large area" and "three worlds" in the 1970s, to the division of "three worlds" after 1978. Turning to reform and opening up, focusing on development and cooperation with Western countries, all responded to the situation at that time. At the time of the current "big changes unseen in a century", Western countries have shown a stronger and stronger intention to suppress potential challengers. Especially after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, groups of Western countries have assembled to suppress non-Western countries in all aspects. The situation is fully exposed and will become the structural presence of international relations for a long time to come. China cannot but be highly vigilant that Western countries' all-encompassing sanctions and suppression measures against Russia will be imitated on China in the future. Therefore, it is urgent to re-examine China's past tradition of multilateralism, adjust the spatial pattern of foreign exchanges, and strengthen cooperation with non-Western developing countries, so as to create a new international environment conducive to safeguarding China's national security and long-term development.
    
    In 1974, Mao Zedong proposed the division of "three worlds", and made a distinction and analysis of the three types of countries in the world at that time and the ways China could interact with them. It is also a member of the "Third World" countries. The Chinese government and people firmly support the just struggle of all oppressed people and nations. The "Three Worlds" theory inherits the previous experience of China's foreign exchanges and ranks the spatial priority of China's foreign exchanges at that time. It is also an important ideological guide for China's participation in South-South cooperation in the past. The spatial priority still has strong instructive significance. Compared with the fact that China has attached more importance to cooperation with Western countries since the reform and opening up, China will put the promotion of South-South cooperation in a prominent position in the future. Whether it is seeking diplomatic breakthrough, long-term development or national rejuvenation, for a long time to come, China's foreign strategic arrangements will focus on promoting the construction of a new global system based on Asia and its surrounding regions. The final result is to form a "three-ring" international system to ensure China's national security and development: the first ring is East Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East around China. East Asia connects the world's financial resources, and China and countries in this region have formed close industries. The division of labor system, Central Asia and the Middle East connect the world's resources, China must rely on the countries in this region to obtain stable energy supply and reliable security barriers; the second link is the vast developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, with which China supplies raw materials and industrial products. China's foreign aid should also be mainly aimed at these countries; the third ring extends to traditional industrialized countries dominated by Europe and the United States, with which China exchanges industrial products, technologies and knowledge. Based on this "three-ring" structure, we should arrange the priorities and front and back of external exchanges, and re-plan the direction and content of external exchanges.
    The first and the 。。。。。Read more…
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    Home Natural Gas Price DOUBLED in last 6 months

    As regular readers to this web site know, I inherited my mother’s house in northeastern, rural, Pennsylvania when she died last November.   I’ve been spending time up here doing clean-up and maintenance work because this house can be a fall-back (Bug-Out) location if needed due to economic collapse, social upheaval, or war.

    There is no Municipal water supply, or sewer, or natural gas supply up here; everyone has to take care of such things on their own.

    As such, the house has Well water, a Septic system and tanks to hold natural gas/propane for heating and cooking.

    The local gas supply company knows how large the tanks are at each customer home.  Their computers monitor “Degree Days” which are days where the temperature outside is such that a typical family would be using a furnace, and they automatically send a delivery truck, similar to the generic one shown above, to come refill the tanks as the Degree Days warrant.  Of course, you can call for a delivery if you feel you need one, but they track all this stuff pretty good, and we have yet to ever run out of gas.

    Based on actual, annual, gas use, the company projects the use for each coming year, projects the future cost of gas,  and sets up a budget plan for each customer so they pay the same amount each month, and at the end of the year, it all pretty much averages out to a zero balance.  Sometime you owe a little, other times they owe you.

    The budget for this house for the past few years, based upon ACTUAL usage was $180 a month.

    I got a letter from the gas company yesterday.  Based on this house’s actual use, and more importantly, the projected future price of gas, this year’s budget jumped to $345. a month! ! !

    Folks, that’s almost DOUBLE . . .  and get this: “Due to the volatile nature of the natural gas markets, this price may DOUBLE AGAIN OR MORE ! ! ! ! “

    Joe Biden and Democrats did this.   Just a reminder.

    Germany to change constitution to enable $110 billion defense fund

    Only 70+ years after committed war crimes, Germany is back… Should the world worry?
    BERLIN, May 29 (Reuters) - Germany has agreed to change its constitution to allow for a credit-based special defense fund of 100 billion euros ($107.35 billion) proposed after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the German finance ministry announced on Sunday.  read more 
    Germany's centre-right opposition and ruling coalition with centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) said they reached the required two-thirds majority to exempt the defense fund from a constitutional debt brake.
    
    According to sources familiar with the matter, the negotiations were led by FDP leader Christian Lindner, SPD's Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht, Greens leader Annalena Baerbock and the opposition's vice whip Mathias Middelberg.
    
    The money is to be used over several years to increase Germany's regular defense budget of around 50 billion euros and enable the country to meet the NATO target of spending 2% of its economic output on defense each year.

    Article HERE

    Japan has yet to change constitution but their military already on the way back…
    .

    HISTORIC: NYC Cancer Treatment Results in “Complete Remission” of Colon Cancer

    A small NYC-led cancer trial has achieved a result reportedly never before seen – the total remission of cancer in all of its patients.

    To be sure, the trial — led by doctors at Memorial Sloan Kettering and backed by drug maker GlaxoSmithKline — has only completed treatment of 12 patients, with a specific cancer in its early stages and with a rare mutation as well.

    But the results, reported Sunday in the New England Journal of Medicine and the New York Times, were still striking enough to prompt multiple physicians to tell the paper they were believed to be unprecedented.

    One cancer specialist told the Times it was an “unheard-of” result.

    According to the NEJM paper and the Times report, all 12 patients had rectal cancer that had not spread beyond the local area, and their tumors all exhibited a mutation affecting the ability of cells to repair damage to DNA.

    After being treated with the drug, dostarlimab, all 12 are now in complete remission, with no surgery or chemotherapy, no severe side effects — and no trace of cancer whatsoever anywhere in their body.

    Doctors quoted by the Times said that while the results were promising, they would need to be replicated and expanded – nor was it clear if the medication in question would be useful beyond this specific application.

    Japanese Artist’s Maddeningly Realistic Food Illustrations Have Our Mouths Watering

    0 21
    0 21

    This Japanese artist says that he gets a lot of joy from hearing that his work looks tasty, and it’s a compliment he receives often. Yoshinobu Saito worked previously as a character designer, but recently it was his artistic forays into the world of gastronomy which have gained him attention online.

    And it’s easy to see why. His work is almost maddeningly realistic. In particular, he seems to specialise in the tantalising glisten that many delicious foods have, the one that relentlessly and unforgivingly triggers our hunger pangs.

    11 4w7
    11 4w7

    1 w85
    1 w85

    2 w82
    2 w82

    3 8w2
    3 8w2

    4 78w
    4 78w

    6 w67
    6 w67

    Tiananmen Square: The Failure of an American-instigated 1989 Color Revolution

    Article HERE

    By Larry Romanoff

    There are few places in China that seem more burned into the consciousness of typical Westerners than Tiananmen Square, and few events more commonly mentioned than the student protests of 1989. But the stories are wrong on several levels. It was never reported in the Western media that there were two separate events that occurred in Beijing on June 4, 1989. One was a student protest that culminated in a sit-in in Tiananmen Square by several thousand university students, which had lasted for several weeks and finally terminated on June 4. The other was a one-day worker strike that occurred (perhaps not by chance) also on June 4, when a group of workers unhappy with their lot in life, organised their own protest independently of the students, and in a different place. For reasons that will become apparent, the workers’ protest is the necessary focus for understanding the events of that date, so I will begin there.

    The Workers’ Revolt

    A group of workers gathered, and barricaded several streets in Muxidi, an area in Beijing five or six kilometers from Tiananmen Square, the barricades attended by several hundred mostly adult workers, with an undetermined few young people. However, there was a third quite large group present that to my knowledge has never been clearly identified, though it is obvious from the photos they were not workers and certainly not young students. (1) Thugs or anarchists might be an appropriate adjective, but the facts seem to support the conclusion (and my own personal judgment) that they were mercenaries. (2)

    The government sent in busloads of soldiers, accompanied by a few APCs to clear the barricades and re-open the streets to traffic. (3) The violence began when the third group attacked the young men attempting to clear the barricades. They were well-prepared, armed with at least hundreds and perhaps thousands of gasoline bombs, and immediately torched dozens of buses and the few APCs – with the soldiers still inside. Many soldiers in both types of vehicles escaped, but many others did not, and many burned to death. There are countless photos of dead soldiers burned to a crisp, some hung by the thugs from lampposts, others lying in the street or on stairs or sidewalks where they died, others hanging out of bus windows or the APCs, having only partially escaped before being overcome by the flames. There are documented reports and photos showing that the group of thugs managed to get control of one APC, and drove it through the streets while firing the machine guns on the turret. (4) It was only then that the government sent in armed soldiers and military equipment.

    Government reports and independent media personnel generally claim a total of 250 to 300 civilian deaths before the violence subsided, but a similar number of soldiers had already been killed. When police or military are attacked in this way, they will surely use force to defend themselves and cannot be faulted for that. If you or I were the military commander on the scene, watching our men being attacked and burned to death, we would have done the same. From everything I know, I can find no fault here.

    Here is an eyewitness report from someone who was there, an excerpt from the book ‘Tiananmen Moon’: (5)

    “There was a new element I hadn’t noticed much of before, young punks decidedly less than student-like in appearance. In the place of headbands and signed shirts with university pins they wore cheap, ill-fitting polyester clothes and loose windbreakers. Under our lights, their eyes gleaming with mischief, they brazenly revealed hidden Molotov cocktails. Who were these punks in shorts and sandals, carrying petrol bombs? Gasoline is tightly rationed, so they could not have come up with these things spontaneously. Who taught them to make bottle bombs and for whom were the incendiary devices intended?

    Someone shouted that another APC was heading our way. My pace quickened as I approached the stalled vehicle, infected by the toxic glee of the mob, but then I caught myself. Why was I rushing towards trouble? Because everyone else was? I slowed down to a trot in the wake of a thundering herd of one mass mind. Breaking with the pack, I stopped running. Someone tossed a Molotov cocktail, setting the APC on fire. Flames spread quickly over the top of the vehicle and spilled onto the pavement. I thought, there’s somebody still inside of that, it’s not just a machine! There must be people inside.

    Someone protectively pulled me away to join a handful of head-banded students who sought to exert some control. Expending what little moral capital his hunger strike signature saturated shirt still exerted, he spoke up for the soldier. “Let the man out,” he cried. “Help the soldier, help him get out!” The agitated congregation was in no mood for mercy. Angry, blood-curdling voices ricocheted around us. “Kill the mother fucker!” one said. Then another voice, even more chilling than the first screamed, “He is not human, he is a thing.” “Kill it, kill it!” shouted bystanders, bloody enthusiasm now whipped up to a high pitch. “Stop! Don’t hurt him!” Meng pleaded, leaving me behind as he tried to reason with the vigilantes. “Stop, he is just a soldier!” “He is not human, kill him, kill him!” said a voice. “Get back, get back!” someone screamed at the top of his lungs. “Leave him alone, the soldiers are not our enemy!” After the limp bodies of the soldiers were put into an ambulance, the thugs attacked the ambulance, almost ripping off the rear doors in an attempt to remove the burned soldier and finish him off. After that, charred bodies of soldiers were hung from a lamp post, and a large amount of ammunition was taken from the APC.” (6)

    From a Government Report on the Worker’s Riot:

    “Rioters blocked military and other vehicles before they smashed and burned them. They also seized guns, ammunition and transceivers. Several rioters seized an armored car and fired its guns as they drove it along the street. Rioters also assaulted civilian installations and public buildings. Several rioters even drove a public bus loaded with gasoline drums towards the Tiananmen gatetower in an attempt to set fire to it. When a military vehicle suddenly broke down on Chang’An Avenue, rioters surrounded it and crushed the driver with bricks. The rioters savagely beat and killed many soldiers and officers. At Chongwenmen, a soldier was thrown down from the flyover and burned alive. At Fuchengmen, a soldier’s body was hung upside down on the overpass balustrade after he had been killed. Near a cinema, an officer was beaten to death, and his body strung up on a burning bus.

    Over 1,280 vehicles were burned or damaged in the rebellion, including over 1,000 military trucks, more than 60 armored cars, over 30 police cars, over 120 public buses and trolley buses and over 70 motor vehicles of other kinds. The martial law troops, having suffered heavy casualties before being forced to fire into the air to clear the way forward. During the counter-attack, some rioters were killed, some onlookers were hit by stray bullets and some wounded or killed by armed ruffians. According to reliable statistics, more than 3,000 civilians were wounded and over 200, including 36 college students, were killed. As well, more than 6,000 law officers and soldiers were injured and scores of them killed.” (Cables from the US Embassy in Beijing confirmed the basics of this report as well as the casualty estimates). (4)

    Though conclusive direct evidence is still thin, it appears a certainty the revolt had considerable outside help. In addition to the curious timing, there is too much evidence of advance preparation for violence and supply of the weaponry used. Gasoline was tightly rationed at the time, and unavailable in the volume required for this event. Black hands arranged the supply lines and provided instructions for the manufacture and use of the gasoline bombs which were almost unheard of in China before that time.

    There are also too many signs of external incitement in the still-unidentified third group, whose violent actions in no way represented the sentiment of the attending public. The enormity of violence unleashed at Muxidi requires considerable prior emotional programming and could not possibly have originated spontaneously from a simple workers’ strike, almost a guarantee of external interference. Disaffected citizens in any country may parade and protest from real or imagined grievances, but burning young soldiers to death and stringing their charred bodies from lampposts, are not the acts of naive students wanting “democracy” or of workers protesting an inadequate social contract. (7) They are almost always the result of substantial programmed incitement from behind the scenes, usually directed to regime change.

    The Student Protest

    Briefly, the students congregated in the Square and waited for an opportunity to present various petitions dealing with social policy, perceived corruption, idealism, in fact the same things that we as students all had on our list of changes we wanted to make in the world. Since the government did not immediately respond, the students camped in the square and waited. Government officials held talks with the students for several weeks, and finally set a June 4 deadline for evacuation of the Square. Soldiers were sent to the Square on the day prior, but they were unarmed and carried only billy sticks. By all reports, there was no animosity between the students and the soldiers. Neither had a philosophical dispute with the other, nor did they see each other as enemies. In fact, photos and reports show the students protecting the soldiers from angry bystanders.

    Discussions were held between the students and the soldiers at repeated times during the evening and throughout the night. Almost all of the students were persuaded to leave the Square during the evening, and the small remainder left the following morning. Tanks and bulldozers did enter the Square the following morning, flattening all the tents and rubbish that had piled up during the previous three weeks, pushing the garbage into huge piles and setting them afire. This was the apparent origin of claims that “thousands of students” were crushed by tanks streaming through the Square, but this was just the clean-up crew and the students were long gone when the bulldozers and heavy machinery arrived. There is overwhelming documented evidence from a multitude of reputable sources (8-15) that no violence occurred in the Square, that no students were killed, and that there never was any “Tiananmen Square Massacre”. Gunfire was apparently heard in the distance, but the few reports of gunfire from within the Square itself were later quickly discredited and, as mentioned above, the soldiers in the Square were not armed. (16)

    VIDEO

    Clearance of the Tiananmen Square on June 4 1989 – EN from Roberto Petitpas on Vimeo.
    
    Subtitled in CH, DE, EN, FI, FR, HZ, NL, PT, RO, SI, SP, RU

    The Ever-Present Black Hand

    It seems plausible that the student movement in China during the late 1980s may, at its origin, have generated spontaneously, but there is no shortage of evidence that the entire movement was quickly hijacked by agencies of the US government long before the students gathered at Tiananmen Square. It has taken some time to open locked doors and ferret out details, but it is no longer in dispute that the leaders of China’s student movement were trained in Hong Kong and Guangdong by Col. Robert Helvey, an officer of the Defense Intelligence Agency of the Pentagon, who spent 30 years instigating revolutions throughout Asia on behalf of the military and the CIA. (17)

    There is little reason to question the assertion that a major part of US foreign policy then, as today, lay in attempts to destabilise China and perhaps instigate a massive revolution that would open the door to US influence and control. It is increasingly clear today that the student movement in 1989 was a major part of that strategy, orchestrated by the US State Department with the full approval of then President George Bush. (18)

    I live in China and was for many years the editor of a widely-read newsletter that gave me trusted access to about 2,500 middle and high-level corporate executives who were university students in China during the period in question, many of whom were involved in the student movement, and more than a few of whom were at Tiananmen Square. I’ve spoken to many of them at length about the student movement and the events of the time. In addition to confirming my observations and conclusions, their comments and testimony strongly suggest that the very idea of a mass confrontation with the government, and the selection of Tiananmen Square as the venue, did not originate with them but were orchestrated ”from somewhere outside”.

    It is necessary to understand that the student movement in China in 1989 was categorically not a “pro-democracy movement”. At its origin the student protest was primarily pragmatic civics, and secondly Chinese cultural. The students visioned themselves intellectual protesters, not political activists, with no thought of their government replicating the political structure of the West. From my discussions with many former students, the references to ‘democracy’ were imposed upon them by their CIA handlers as the best method of realising their practical and cultural ends. And these cultural ends were not necessarily very deep. Wu’er Kaixi, one of the student leaders, responded to questions about his participation by saying (in different words) “Because we want to wear Western brands and take our girlfriends to bars like the Americans do.”

    Many of the students with whom I spoke, particularly those who were actually present at the Square, have told me of the supplies provided for them by various US government sources. They especially mentioned the countless hundreds of Coleman camp stoves – which at the time were far too expensive for students in China to acquire, and many commented on the well-established supply lines of these and other items. Adding to the student supplies were manuals, instructions, training, strategy and tactics, and the patiently inflammatory rhetoric of the VOA broadcasts from Hong Kong. It is not possible to sensibly challenge the assertion that the puppet-masters were American.

    According to a government report, many Americans were active in stage-managing the student leaders, in violation of the martial law decrees operative in parts of Beijing at the time. John Pomfret, now of the Washington Post, was an AP correspondent in Beijing, and an important information conduit for the ringleaders, and Alan Pessin, a VOA correspondent in Beijing at the time, violated the restrictions by his illegal VOA news coverage, and repeatedly dispatched distorted reports, spreading false rumors and encouraging both rebellion and violence among the students. (19)

    What Really Happened in Tiananmen Square 25 Years Ago

    Most university students of that day will tell you of the influence of the VOA and the picture it painted of “freedom and democracy”. They tell of listening to the VOA in their dorms late into the night, building in their imaginations a happy world of freedom and light. The Voice of America:

    “The world’s most trusted source for news and information from the United States and around the world.”

    They also confirm that the VOA was broadcasting to the students 24 hours a day from their Hong Kong station during the weeks of the sit-in at Tiananmen Square, offering provocative encouragement and giving advice on strategy and tactics.

    One of the original participants in the student sit-in wrote this:

    “We settled down and continued with our study. We dated, found our loved ones, and many sought to go abroad. By the time we graduated there was almost no discussion about the student movement and we no longer listened to the VOA. One thing I have been kept thinking was the role of the VOA. Many students were the fans of the radio station before, during and shortly after the student movement. Even when we were on the square many students were listening to their programs as if only they could tell us what was going on. I remember at one stage . . . I realized how stupid I was . . .”

    Another student made these comments:

    “But it was true that the 1989 student movement was being manipulated by someone, wasn’t it? The students had nothing but emotions and superficial knowledge of politics. We started only demanding the cleaning up of corruption by officials, yet the slogans were somehow led through a transformation into ones “demanding democracy”.

    There is a huge difference in political implication between these two classes of demands. So what was democracy? What kind of democracy was practiced in the west? What kind of democracy would befit China? Frankly, I (we) didn’t have clue. In other words, I didn’t know what I really wanted. I simply had this … resulting impulse to go onto the street and shout slogans. It was as if I participated just to participate and I was moved by the simple fact of experiencing a students movement. And then things got out of control. But because the student leaders refused to change stance, the students wouldn’t back off. So the whole thing dragged on. Yet a miracle happened, those “leaders” somehow managed to escape unharmed. For many years since 1989, I had been reluctant to accept that I and the other students were actually so stupid and naive to be truly manipulated by others behind the scene.”

    The perception in the West, and also in China, has always been that the student congregation in Tiananmen Square was spontaneous, idealistic and, above all, peaceful. It may at its origin have been idealistic, but it was in no way spontaneous and, by May and June, the underlying peacefulness was rapidly coming to an end. In 1995, two American filmmakers at the Longbow Group, Dr. Carma Hinton and Richard Gordon, released a now-famous documentary on Tiananmen Square titled “The Gate of Heavenly Peace”. (20) Chai Ling, the Tiananmen students’ self-proclaimed “Supreme Commander”, for years pursued lawsuits against the film company (21), primarily because the documentary included incriminating video dated May 28, 1989, of her in an interview with American journalist Philip Cunningham:

    “The students kept asking, ‘What should we do next? What can we accomplish?’ I feel so sad, because how can I tell them that what we are actually hoping for is bloodshed, for the moment when the government has no choice but to brazenly butcher the people (i.e. the students: Ed.). Only when the Square is awash with blood will the people of China open their eyes. Only then will they really be united. But how can I explain this to my fellow students? I can’t say all this to my fellow students. I can’t tell them straight out that we must use our blood and our lives to call on the people to rise up. Of course, the students will be willing. But they are still such young children! And what is truly sad is that some students, and famous well-connected people, are working hard to help the government, to prevent it from taking such measures. For the sake of their selfish interests and their private dealings they are trying to cause our movement to collapse and get us out of the Square before the government becomes so desperate that it takes action.”

    If this isn’t clear, Chai Ling is openly stating her intention to provoke the government to a violent military solution, filling Tiananmen Square with the blood of the students – for the express purpose of “uniting the people” to incite a widespread political revolution. She then laments that (1) she cannot reveal to the students that their lives are meant to be sacrificed for this cause, and (2) “what is truly sad” is that some people, “for the sake of their selfish interests” are seeking to avoid bloodshed by preventing the government from resorting to violent measures, and seeking to disband the student protests before they themselves turn violent.

    Cunningham then asked, “Are you going to stay in the Square yourself?” “No, I won’t.” “Why?” Chai replied, “Because my situation is different. I want to live. . . . I believe that others have to continue the work I have started. A democracy movement can’t succeed with only one person!” And finally, “I might as well say it – you, the Chinese, you are not worth my struggle! You are not worth my sacrifice!”

    In the video there is a damning reference to American cold-bloodedness in directing the student protests, a literal confession by Chai Ling that, after the students had already voted to end their protest and leave the Square, her Hong Kong handlers still pushed her and the students to remain in the square and continue to agitate until they provoked their own bloodshed, encouraging them to sacrifice their lives as the only way to attract the world attention and sympathy which had somehow now become crucial to their cause. Transcripts and video of her entire interview along with reader comments are available online. (22)

    The American plan was to incite the students to not only irritate but eventually enrage the Chinese government sufficiently to provoke a violent crackdown against the students, with the expectation this would in turn provoke the general population into a ‘color revolution’ resulting in the overthrow of the government and the collapse of China. In accord with this plan, the students were pushed to begin demanding “democracy”, quickly followed by insistent and intractable demands that the government step down. As part of the process, the students were given details on the construction of a huge papier-mâché “goddess of democracy” statue in the Square. In an intelligence summary prepared for then US Secretary of State James A. Baker dated June 2, 1989, the hope was noted that the statue would “anger top leaders and prompt a response”, stating that the students (or, factually more likely, the US government) hoped the erection of the statue would provoke “an overreaction by authorities (and) breathe new life into their flagging movement.” (23) In all cases in all countries, students and young people are co-opted into a US attempt at regime change. Westerners may not easily appreciate that Beijing in 1989 was not different in any material aspect.

    After the Government declared martial law, Chai Ling’s American puppet-masters rapidly escalated their offensive by having her distribute leaflets inciting armed rebellion against the Government, calling upon the students and the general public to “organize armed forces and oppose the Communist Party and its government”, going so far as to actually make a list of names of government officials they planned to kill, encouraging the students to obtain firearms for the purpose. She claimed they would never yield and “would fight to the finish” with the government, scheming until past the end to provoke a bloody incident in Tiananmen Square.

    China was spared a national catastrophe primarily by the patient and non-threatening stance of the government which served to dampen the inflammatory rhetoric emerging from the VOA and their handlers in Beijing and the urging toward bloodshed by their stage managers in Hong Kong. The result was that when the deadline approached for the evacuation of the Square, the students abandoned their “Supreme Commander” and agreed to leave peacefully, meaning that the Americans simply ran out of time. My feeling is that China was protected by Providence, because the specter of violence and bloodshed may have been very near indeed. (24)

    Intricate plans had been made in advance to spirit the student leaders out of China when the hoped-for bloodshed began. Operation Yellowbird (25)was a Hong Kong-based CIA scheme to help the leaders of the student protests and of the violence at Muxidi to escape arrest under the diplomatic protection of the American Embassy, by offering political sanctuary, by the advance issue of US passports, and by arranging their escape from China. The CIA was central in this, but the UK MI6 and the French intelligence agencies were also involved. When the protests failed and the students dispersed, the primary leaders fled first to Hong Kong, then to the US. (26) Some of the leaders of the violence in Muxidi were helped to flee, while others where sheltered in the American Embassy in Beijing, the Americans refusing to surrender them to the Chinese authorities. (27)

    As well, for their efforts to destroy their own country, these student leaders were handsomely rewarded by the Americans with prestigious university degrees, good jobs, and CIA salaries for continuing to incite political instability in China. Chai Ling was given an honorary degree in political science from Princeton university and a job with the management consultancy of Bain & Co., as well as being the salaried head of an NGO especially created for her and tasked with condemning China’s then one-child policy. Wu’er Kaixi, who was actually a troublesome and unstable Uigur named Uerkesh Daolet, was rewarded with a free pass to Harvard university. Liu Xiaobo remained in China on a CIA stipend of $30,000 per year, tasked with irritating the Chinese government under direction from the US State Department.

    The Path Forward

    The Americans succeeded, perhaps beyond their wildest expectations, with the inflamed violence in Muxidi, but failed miserably in their main effort which was the provocation of bloodshed in Tiananmen Square, which offered the possible prize of a revolution and the overthrow of the government.

    The most immediate problem faced by the US State Department was that their success in Muxidi was not a particularly useful victory from a political standpoint since it had no long-term propaganda value. Nobody in the West, especially when seeing photos of the carnage produced, would have much sympathy for a workers’ revolt in a far-away country, and it would have ceased being news within a day or two. What the Americans wanted, and badly needed, the prize they were hoping for, was photos of dead student bodies and student blood in thestreets since these infallibly draw universal condemnation. But, with the peaceful resolution in Tiananmen Square, these didn’t exist, so they gathered the photos of the carnage and dead bodies from Muxidi and presented those to the world as evidence of a student massacre in Tiananmen Square by the Chinese government, a totally fabricated story.

    By the time the students voted to evacuate the Square and even before the violence in Muxidi had subsided, plans were already well in place for more than the evacuation of the leaders. Without exception, the Western media in all countries immediately published identical claims and photos, consistently omitting all the contradictory evidence. Every photographer who took photos at Muxidi knew where he took them, and he and the media editors knew full well those photos were not taken in Tiananmen Square. It is not possible that more than 200 newspaper editors and more than 100 TV station news managers in more than 30 countries mis-captioned the same photos in the same way by carelessness or accident. This is why the Western media suppressed entirely the facts of the violence in Muxidi, and unanimously refused to publish photos of the soldiers burned to a crisp and hanging from lamp posts. They needed the facts and photos for their already-planned “Tiananmen Square Student Massacre” story.

    It has been 30 years since the June 4, 1989 student protests in Tiananmen Square. In spite of all the categorical documentation proving there was never any student massacre in China, the US Government and its handlers refuse to let go of their prize because of its powerful political propaganda value, having enabled the West for decades to define China as being “ruled by the jackboot, the rifle, and the thought police”. This has been unquestionably one of the greatest propaganda victories in history, turning a US State Department-sponsored color revolution, albeit a failed one, into a whip that could lash China non-stop for 30 years. It was so successful that the Western media, led by the NYT but followed by nearly everyone, publish in June of every year a kind of “anniversary story” to continue to milk it for its residual propaganda value. This false story has been hammered into the consciousness of Westerners for 30 years, to the point where it is nearly impossible to discuss Tiananmen Square due to the enormous emotional baggage it carries.

    Some missing pieces of this story began to fall into place when, in 2011, Wikileaks released all the cables sent to Washington from the US Embassy in Beijing on June 4, 1989, confirming that the student movement ended peacefully and that there had been no violence, no student massacre in Tiananmen Square and, importantly, confirming some important basics of the violence at Muxidi. As well, some highly-respected international journalists, as well as foreign camera crews, and some foreign diplomats, who were present in Tiananmen Square at the time of the student dispersal, have written books and articles testifying that the student sit-in ended peacefully and that the stories of a student massacre at Tiananmen Square are pure fiction.

    Faced with this release of evidence, Western media editors and prominent columnists are attempting to prolong this myth by fabricating an entirely new one, this being that it was the students who rigged and manned the barricades at Muxidi to prevent the military from proceeding to Tiananmen Square to kill the students there,so the Chinese government instead massacred the students at Muxidi. (28) There is no evidence whatever to support those claims, and it should be obvious from the above narrative that they are false on all counts. (29) (30)

    If there were a massacre in Beijing on June. 4, 1989, it was at Muxidi, not at Tiananmen Square, and the massacre was of soldiers, not students, with all evidence indicating it was engineered by the US Department of State and the CIA. While the American government deserves to take the blame for orchestrating these events, the blame must be shared since the Americans were themselves puppets. The conspiracy against China was wider and deeper than I’ve indicated here.

    Larry Romanoff is a retired management consultant and businessman. He has held senior executive positions in international consulting firms, and owned an international import-export business. He has been a visiting professor at Shanghai’s Fudan University, presenting case studies in international affairs to senior EMBA classes. Mr. Romanoff lives in Shanghai and is currently writing a series of ten books generally related to China and the West. His writing has been translated into more than 20 languages and is available on more than 100 foreign-language websites around the world.  He can be contacted at: 2186604556@qq.com.

    Notes:

    (1) From the photos, some appear to be Xinjiang Uigurs, of which there are five distinct groups, four being eminently sociable, the last seeming genetically predisposed to almost any kind of crime.
    
    (2) To produce a unit of this kind would normally involve prior training and cash payment. One reason the US Consulates in China insist on cash-only payments for US visa applications from Chinese citizens (1,000 RMB each) is that this money bypasses the banking system and is freely available for black operations, today producing more than 800 million RMB per year that leaves no paper trail.
    
    (3) Military use for civilian purposes is a normal operation in China for typhoon and flood evacuations, landslide and earthquake rescues, and other similar emergencies. These are not armed soldiers in military vehicles, but simply able-bodied men available on command in the large numbers often required for such occasions. In Muxidi, these were all young men, most appearing from the photos to be perhaps in their early 20s. They were not armed, and arrived at the scene in ordinary city buses. 
    
    (4) The Morning Intelligence Summary for June 4, 1989, for US Secretary of State Baker, described the violence in Muxidi, and referred to how civilians “swarmed around military vehicles. APCs were set on fire, and demonstrators besieged troops with rocks, bottles, and Molotov cocktails.”
    
    (5) I haven’t a link for the availability of this book. I believe it is out of print but may be obtainable as a download from secondary or tertiary websites. 
    
    (6) If we read carefully, it is evident from even this minuscule report that the third group, the ‘mercenaries’, were not acting in concert with either the workers or the students but were unknown outsiders acting against and above the public wishes and pursuing their own agenda of violence for which they had come prepared, and functioning as a team in the carnage they unleashed.
    
    (7) The strikingly similar pattern of uncontrolled violence by China’s Xinjiang Uigurs several years ago, where they bombed police stations, randomly burned hundreds of cars and buses, and killed indiscriminately hundreds of people (mostly police), were not, as the Western media claimed, spontaneous rebellions against intolerance by Beijing, but the result of a deliberate process of emotional programming. After the rebellion was put down, the government found in the hands of these people thousands of foreign-supplied “Otpor” manuals, inflammatory DVDs, instructions on bomb-making, and more, all clearly part of a planned program. The rioting in Hong Kong today exhibits the same fundamentals.
    
    (8) A mere glance at any of the published photos displaying violence or mayhem, will permit anyone with even a passing familiarity with Beijing to see instantly that none of those photos were taken in Tiananmen Square. It was only the world’s lack of knowledge of China that permitted the US government and the international media to perpetrate this enormous fraud. 
    
    (9) One cable sent on June 22, 1989 from the US Embassy in Beijing to the US Department of State in Washington, was a document that, in the words of its authors, “attempts to set the record straight” about the events of the night of June 3-4. It claims that, contrary to the reports in the Western media, any deaths did not occur in Tiananmen Square, but elsewhere. It also confirmed the casualty estimates. The contents of this cable were suppressed for more than 20 years until Wikileaks released it.
    
    (10) In addition to the reports and chronicles from the Chinese government, the cables from the US Embassy in Beijing, and the written testimony of a number of respected journalists and diplomats who were present at the Square, a Spanish News camera crew took live video, which I believe is still available, of the peaceful clearing of the square. The video has never been shown.
    
    (11) The Spanish Ambassador to China, Eugenio Bregolat, was present at the Square with the camera crew and wrote a book on the event, in which he vents his anger at the Western media for fabricating the massacre story. Publishers in English-speaking countries unanimously refuse to print a translation, and Amazon refuses to carry the original.
    
    (12) The Columbia Journalism Review conducted a detailed study in 1998, and published an article written by Jay Matthews, titled “The Myth of Tiananmen And the Price of a Passive Press”; the Columbia Journalism Review; June 4, 2010; https://archives.cjr.org/behind_the_news/the_myth_of_tiananmen.php?page=all
    
    (13) In 2009, James Miles, who was the BBC correspondent in Beijing at the time, admitted he had “conveyed the wrong impression” and that “there was no massacre on Tiananmen Square”, claiming “we got the main story right, but some of the details wrong”.
    
    (14) New York Times, June 05, 1989. Article by Nicholas Kristoff confirming a peaceful end to the student sit-in.
    
    (15) Birth of a Massacre Myth; How the West Manufactured an Event that Never Occurred; Japan Times; Monday, July 21, 2008, By Gregory Clark; https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2008/07/21/commentary/birth-of-a-massacre-myth/
    
    (16) “Live Reports” were published from some Western reporters detailing the view from their windows of the Beijing hotel of hundreds of students being mowed down by machine guns. Their reports were ridiculed and condemned by others who revealed that the Square cannot be seen from the Beijing Hotel. Similar claims were made by Wu’er Kaixi, the Uigur student leader, also discredited when foreign reporters stated that he was seen in a far side of Beijing at the time he claimed to have seen those events.
    
    (17) Helvey organised student revolutions in Vietnam and Myanmar, along with Otpor! in Serbia, Kmara! in Georgia, Pora! in Ukraine, Czechoslovakia’s “Velvet revolution” in 1989, then spreading his talents to Africa and South America. Helvey was associated with Gene Sharp in the George Soros-funded Einstein Institute, formed in 1983 as an offshoot of Harvard University to specialise in organising student political protests as a form of US colonial warfare. It was Sharp and Helvey who created the Otpor manuals that began the process of the destruction of Jugoslavia. 
    
    (18) Near the end of May, 1989, Wan Li, the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, was in Washington for a meeting with then President George Bush, in which Wan raised the issue of the student protest in Beijing. The record of the meeting is too heavily redacted to create much understanding or draw conclusions but, after the meeting, Wan abruptly cut short his US visit, returned home, and publicly supported the dire necessity for the government’s prior declaration of martial law. 
    
    (19) The VOA is operated by the NED – the National Endowment for Democracy – a front company funded by the CIA that does much of that agency’s dirty work not involving actual killing – although sometimes it does that, too. The VOA is funded for its public activities by the US State Department, and by the CIA for its participation in black ops.
    
    (20)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen _(documentary) 
    
    (21) Longbow lawsuit: The New Yorker; May 7, 2009 The American Dream: The Lawsuit
    
    (22) TAM Transcript Index; Chai Ling; http://www.tsquare.tv/film/transcript_complete.php
    
    (23) Tiananmen Square, 1989: The Declassified History; Edited By Jeffrey T. Richelson and Michael L. Evans; National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 16; Published – June 1, 1999; http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/index.html 
    
    (24) For the potential showdown in Tiananmen Square, the workers’ protest, and the mercenary violence in Muxidi, it is difficult to believe the simultaneity was accidental. The theory that appears to fit all the known facts is that the workers’ revolt, with the mercenary violence separately coordinated and injected into the picture, was timed to coincide with the hoped-for Tiananmen bloodshed with the intent of reducing much of Beijing to violence and anarchy, resulting in a range of unpleasant possibilities. It nearly happened just this way.
    
    (25) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Yellowbird
    
    (26) In those days, travel to Hong Kong was not quick and easy as today, so some clever logistics were necessary, Chai Ling claiming to have been shipped to Hong Kong in a suitcase.
    
    (27) Many diplomatic problems resulted from the US government’s interference in China’s internal affairs at the time. In addition to stoking revolutionary fires in the students and fueling the violence at Muxidi, the US government was condemned for providing sanctuary in the US Embassy for several of the Chinese riot leaders, and on June 11 a US Embassy cable reported that Chinese radio and TV stations read official letters on the air, accusing the US government of not only actively supporting political rebels but providing refuge for the “criminals who created the violence” at Muxidi. (18) The Western media entirely censored all such news.
    
    (28) US Embassy confirms China’s version of Tiananmen Square events; Cables obtained by Wikileaks confirm China’s account. UK Telegraph, By Malcolm Moore, Shanghai; 04 Jun 2011;
    
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/wikileaks/8555142/Wikileaks-no-bloodshed-inside-Tiananmen-Square-cables-claim.html 
    
    (29) Students were not involved in arranging the protest at Muxidi though a few may have been in attendance. The square already had a contingent of soldiers and was in no need of reinforcement, the military may have entered Muxidi with guns firing, but students were not the target, and in any case the students had already voted to clear the square before the violence erupted at Muxidi.
    
    (30) It should be noted that the truncated version of the famous “tank man” photo, which was taken a day or two later, of a single young man apparently defying several military tanks, was used to embellish the hoax. The wide-angle view of that photo shows a long string of military vehicles on a totally unrelated passage down Chang’An Avenue and through the Square and, in any case, they were clearly leaving, not arriving.
    
    Interview with Juan Restrepo – RTVE correspondent for more than three decades and a direct witness to the events in Tiananmen Square.
    
    ROLL the page until you find the interview
    
    The original source of this article is Global Research

    Larry Romanoff is one of the contributing authors to Cynthia McKinney’s new COVID-19 anthology ”When China Sneezes”.

    This article is republished with permission from the author- Copyright © Larry RomanoffMoon of Shanghai, 2020

    Latvia Selling “Insect Protein” Bars

    Many people know the so-called “Elite” want us to “own nothing and be happy.”  Apparently, they also want us to eat bugs instead of, you know, meat.

    In Latvia, stores have begun selling the “Better Bar”

    OIP.Il4 yCnX8IdPFtaxjzu5fQHaD4
    OIP.Il4 yCnX8IdPFtaxjzu5fQHaD4

    On the label, prominently displayed, is one ingredient:  INSECT PROTEIN.

    HAL TURNER EDITORIAL OPINION

    Still think the so-called “Elite” aren’t crazy?

    These people have to be stopped.  Scorned.  Rejected.  If need be, coerced.

    Their agenda is mentally sick.  I will not partake.

    US slaps new sanctions on Bosnia and Herzegovina officials

    The United States has imposed sanctions on the president of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Bosniak-Croat federation and an official of the Bosnian-Serb entity, accusing them of threatening the country’s democratic institutions. In a statement on Monday, the US Department of the Treasury said it was blacklisting Marinko Cavara, a member of a nationalist Bosnian-Croat party, and Alen Seranic, the Serb Republic’s minister of health and social welfare.

    Article HERE

    US suspends tariffs on some solar panel imports for two years, but leaves China out

    Waivers are issued for Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam but not China. Which is odd, as China has indeed, the largest manufacturer of solar panels and related systems.

    Article HERE

    Finland Wants to Join NATO — But LOOK at Finland’s Military Swastika Flags!

    Much ado has been made of late that Finland and Sweden seek to join NATO after Russia began its Special Military Operation to de-militarize and de-Nazify Ukraine.

    Now, as we look harder into Finland, we see SWASTIKA Flags of their military units . . .  just like in Ukraine!

    The images below tell the story far better than can be written.  This is the Finland Military of today:

    fINLAND nAZI uNIT mARCHING
    fINLAND nAZI uNIT mARCHING

    So what’s with the Swastika and why would NATO even consider accepting Finland given its current, official, endorsement of literal Nazi ideology?

    fINLAND nAZImILITARYgRADUATION
    fINLAND nAZImILITARYgRADUATION

    HAL TURNER EDITORIAL OPINION

    I thought Nazis were the bad guys.   I thought tens of millions of people DIED fighting the Nazis in World War 2.

    Yet here we are, in the year 2022, and what do we see in Ukraine  and now, in Finland?  Nazis!

    From at least 2014 through 2022, we watched the AZOV Regiment of the Ukraine Armed Forces, wearing Waffen SS lightning logos on their government issued uniforms, wearing helmets with Swastikas emblazoned on them, and doing so much harm and damage, that Russia realized the need to enter Ukraine to protect Russian-Speaking people in Luhansk and Donetsk, from these Nazi units in Ukraine.

    Once Russia entered Ukraine, what did the west do?  We sided with Ukraine.   An odd thing to do given that government embraces Nazi ideology and symbolism in its army, in its police and in its government officials.

    Then, Finland and Sweden got spooked by Russia entering Ukraine, and both Finland and Sweden want to join NATO.

    Now, we see that in Finland too, their official military units openly march with Swastika flags!

    Again, I thought Nazis were the bad guys.  What am I missing here?

    Was World War 2 not dispositive of Nazis?   Was that war, which killed 90-100 Million people, merely a battle in some kind of never-ending war?

    Because as I sit here on June 7, 2022, what I see is the rise of Nazi ideology, embraced by sitting governments, and marching under Nazi symbols in public.  First in Ukraine, now in Finland.

    If Nazis are the bad guys, why are we associating with them?  Why would we even consider bringing Finland or Ukraine into NATO?

    Quest for the Grave of Scotia, the Pharaoh’s Daughter Who Founded Scotland and Ireland

    A short distance from the bustling Irish town of Tralee in County Kerry there is an otherworldly looking glen which is known as Scotia’s Grave. According to Irish folklore, the glen was the location of a battle known as Sliabh Mish which took place between the Celtic Milesians and a supernatural race called the Tuatha Dé Danann (tribe of the gods).

    Although it was the Milesians who were victorious in battle it was a triumph at the expense of their queen, Scotia, who is reputed to have been buried in the glen.

    Who Was Queen Scotia?

    Queen Scotia appears in a chronical called the Book of Leinster , a medieval Irish manuscript which was compiled in around 1160 AD. The book was compiled by an abbot named Áed Ua Crimthainn who deeply respected the traditions and history of Ireland, even when they were at odds with his views as a Christian or his reasonable beliefs as a well-educated man.

    She is described as the daughter of an Egyptian Pharaoh, the wife of a Greek king, and a contemporary of the Biblical Moses who allegedly cured her husband after he was bitten by a venomous snake.

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    2022 06 07 20 50

    Queen Scotia was the daughter of an Egyptian Pharaoh. (Rama / CC BY-SA 3.0 )

    Both Scotia and her husband King Gaythelos were exiled from Egypt for unspecified reasons during a time of great upheaval, and it is after this that they traveled to Europe where they founded both the Scots in modern day Scotland and the Gaels in Ireland. Scotia gave her name to the Scots and to Scotland and Gaythelos gave his name to the Gaels.

    Scotia’s death in battle was supposedly the result of the pregnant woman attempting to jump a bank on horseback.

    A Traditional Interpretation of the Myth of Scotia

    The myth of Queen Scotia has traditionally been regarded by historians as entirely fictitious. It was recorded by an abbot at a time where people in Christian countries wanted to assert their ancient roots, and links to important Biblical figures. It is particularly noteworthy that Scotia’s husband was said to have been healed by Moses.

    The site of Scotia’s Grave itself could be a way for a place so remote from the original locations in the Bible to steak a believable claim to having Biblical links. ‘Burial place of the wife of a man who once met Moses’ is vague enough to be believable and unremarkable enough that it does not warrant extensive investigation to verify it, while still referencing one of the more important figures in the Old Testament .

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    2022 06 07 20 51

    The glen where Queen Scotia’s grave is said to be. (John M / CC BY-SA 2.0 )

    Although the myth of Queen Scotia (also Scota) is fantastical it is not out of the realms of possibility and controversial historian Ralph Ellis believes he has found evidence that Scotia really did exist.

    The History of Egypt

    Ellis claims the myth of Scotia does not originate in the Book of Leinster but far earlier, in a text called The History of Egypt ( Aegyptiaca) written in 300 BC by a Greco-Egyptian author called Manetho. Evidence in Aegyptiaca may point to Scotia being an identity of Ankhesenamun, a daughter of Akhenaton and Nefertiti, and both half-sister and widow of Tutankhamen

    According to Ellis, Ankhesenamun went on to marry a Pharaoh named Ay, whom he claims is actually Gaythelos. After Ay’s reign was cut short, the couple were sent in to exile where they made their way to Europe and settled in Iberia. Rather than Scotia herself making the journey to Ireland, Ellis believes it was her descendants who migrated, four generations after she settled in Iberia. Of course, this interpretation does not explain the existence of Scotia’s Grave or the references to Queen Scotia in Medieval Irish literature .

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    2022 06 07 20 52

    “Queen Scotia unfurls the sacred banner”, illustration from an 1867 book of Irish history. (Nicknack009 / Public Domain )

    Archaeological Evidence?

    Although Ellis’ bold claims are extremely controversial, he is not the only one to find evidence the myth may be at least partially true. Lorraine Evans, who studied Egyptology at one of the world’s top universities, also believes the myth of Queen Scotia cannot be entirely debunked.

    She points to the remains of an ancient boat found in Yorkshire, which is of a type found in the Mediterranean at around the time the myth is set, as just one piece of archaeological evidence proving a link between Egypt and ancient Britain and Ireland.

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    2022 06 07 20 53

    Signpost of Scotia’s grave by-road, south of Tralee. (Fenitharbour / Public Domain )

    It is often the case that myths and legends have a kernel of truth at their core and there is no reason the story of Scotia should be any different. The legend may have grown up around the desire to find links to Biblical figures but if you strip back the layers it becomes more plausible. Maybe Scotia didn’t ever meet Moses and maybe she was not an exiled Egyptian queen. Perhaps, if she was real, she was just an extraordinary woman who made an exceptional journey across continents almost 4000 years ago.

    Slow-Cooker Tangy Italian Beef Sandwiches

    Take just 10 minutes to prep this recipe. You’ll not only get great sandwiches but if you’re lucky, you’ll have leftovers, too.

    e9adacd4 a705 4192 b7ec ad57be6b97c2
    e9adacd4 a705 4192 b7ec ad57be6b97c2

    Ingredients

    • 1 boneless beef sirloin tip roast (3 to 4 lb), trimmed of fat
    • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
    • 1 bottle (16 oz) Italian dressing
    • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
    • 12 burger buns, split

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    2022 06 04 14 30

    Kitty Cat video of the day

    A couple abandons a cat as they move away. And a neighbor rescues the cat. A great video.

    Disturbing Red Painted Curse Discovered In Jerusalem Catacomb

    painted curse Jerusalem
    painted curse Jerusalem

    An ancient painted curse has been discovered in a tomb in Beit She’arim. Representing the first such discovery in 65 years, the timeworn Greek text warns thieves that Yaakov (Jacob) “the Proselyte” will curse them.

    Yaakov lived about 1,800 years ago. His title, “the Proselyte,” means he converted to Judaism. After having died at around 60 years of age Jacob was interred in a cave at Beit She’arim, the ancient Jewish town and necropolis in Lower Galilee during the Roman period. The park-like area around the necropolis is about 100 kilometers or 62 miles northwest of Tel Aviv and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2015.

    After Jerusalem’s destruction in 70 AD the Sanhedrin Jewish council moved to Beit She’arim, and it became the new Jewish center of education and learning. Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority ( IAA) and University of Haifa revealed on Wednesday that the curse was found painted in a catacomb in the Beit She’arim necropolis that was only discovered last year.

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    2022 06 08 10 37

    The Red Painted Curse or Hex Was Written in Greek

    According to a report in Haaretz, it was Jonathan Price, professor of ancient history at Tel Aviv University, who discovered the two Greek inscriptions inside the innermost chamber of an unexplored tomb. The painted curse, or hex, was written in Greek, in red paint, on a wall near the burial lodge. It was specifically designed to deter grave robbers , and as such it says: “Jacob the Proselyte vows to curse anybody who would open this grave, so nobody will open it. He was 60.”

    2022 06 08 10 38
    2022 06 08 10 38

    The curse, written in red paint on stone at an ancient grave in Beit She’arim. It reads “Jacob the Proselyte vows to curse anybody who would open this grave, so nobody will open it. He was 60.” As translated by Jonathan Price, professor of ancient history at Tel Aviv University. (יבגני אוסטרובסקי/ IAA)

    The researchers suspect his age, 60, was written by someone after Jacob had died. Prof. Adi Erlich of the Zinman Institute of Archeology at the University of Haifa, who leads the excavations at Beit She’arim, said the inscription dates to the Late Roman or Early Byzantine period (i.e. circa 390-400 AD). Prof. Erlich also explains that Jacob, or Yaakov the Proselyte, was probably a Christian, or had belonged to one of the popular cults of Isis or Mithra.

    The “Life-changing” Conversion of Jacob To Judaism

    What exactly did Jacob have to do to convert to Judaism? Firstly, according to an article in the BBC, converting to Judaism “is not easy” and involves many serious lifestyle changes. After about a year of studying Jewish law converts not only have to wholeheartedly accept the Jewish faith, but they become a member of the Jewish People, and they must embrace the totality of Jewish history , and the culture that grows from it.

    Even when a prospective candidate’s heart is in the right place, the process of conversion to Judaism is governed by Jewish religious law in a religious court. And while many changes must be made in diet and lifestyle, perhaps the hardest is that male converts must undergo circumcision. And even if a man is already circumcised, this is all about ritual, and blood must again be drawn, as the whole ordeal is symbolic of the covenant between God and Abraham described in the Old Testament.

    From Ancient to Contemporary Grave Robbers in Israel

    Jacob’s curse was aimed directly at tomb robbers over 1,500 years ago, but looting is still a problem in Israel today. In 2012, the Times of Israel reported on a small squad from the Israel Antiquities Authority “who rappelled to the bottom of an ancient well, crawled through a narrow entrance into a 2,000-year-old horizontal tunnel and surprised two Palestinian men scouring the passageway for artifacts.”

    A stolen and recovered Greek vase painted in the red-figure style, looted from Israel, with Head of the Anti-Theft Unit at the IAA Amir Ganor. (Yuli Schwartz / IAA)

    A stolen and recovered Greek vase painted in the red-figure style, looted from Israel, with Head of the Anti-Theft Unit at the IAA Amir Ganor. (Yuli Schwartz / IAA)

    Only last year Amir Ganor, Head of the Anti-Theft Unit at the IAA, told the Jerusalem Post about “one of the most significant operations undertaken in the history of the country to fight the unlawful trade in artifacts .” A criminal ring had stolen ceramic pottery, coins, jewels and protomas (representation of the head and neck of an animal) of Roman deities “valued at roughly tens of millions of shekels.” Ganor said many of the objects were “left in tombs as offerings to the dead and were meant to serve the departed in the life beyond.”

    It seems that as the age of science progresses, curse effectiveness diminishes and grave robbing increases.

    US Threatens Britain (UK) With Curtailed Military Cooperation As ‘War Of Word’ Erupts Over Submarine Tech

    In a dispute between staunch allies – the US & UK over the supplier of classified technology to nuclear submarines, US authorities have warned to curtail defense cooperation with Britain, reported the UK-based Telegraph.

    Intelligence sources told the media outlet that if the business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, blocks the £2.6 billion ($3.28) deal of Ultra Electronics to Boston-based private equity firm Advent International, it would undermine the future collaboration between the two countries, the report said.

    Last year, Kwarteng directed regulators to probe the acquisition of British defense contractor Ultra Electronics by a US private equity firm on national security concerns. The takeover bid is lodged by another UK-based firm, Cobham, owned by the American private equity group Advent.

    The US-based sources accused Kwarteng of intentionally discriminating against US corporations after ordering a national security probe into a buyout of Ultra.

    The acquisition has caused quite a stir in the United Kingdom because the firm manufactures key military communications technology, including the highly classified Trident nuclear submarine kit.

    2022 06 03 19 00
    2022 06 03 19 00

    A senior US Congressional intelligence source said: “At a time when allies like the US and the UK are looking to deepen defense cooperation, we need to remove obstacles, not create them.”

    “Congress has already taken action to ease some of the restrictions on British defense companies operating in the US,” the source added, referring to recently lifted limitations on British companies such as BAE Systems and Rolls Royce. This allows them to conduct more freely across the Atlantic.

    “But instead of adopting a similar approach, it seems the British government is determined to impose unnecessary obstacles that make it harder for American defense firms to operate in the UK.”

    Meanwhile, Kwarteng obtained an initial report on the deal last month and decided to continue negotiations with Advent in order to find a compromise that would allow it to proceed.

    If these negotiations fail, the Business Secretary is expected to urge the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to conduct a rare in-depth phase two examination, which would make it difficult to meet Advent’s August 4 target for completion of the deal and might ultimately prevent the takeover from taking place.

    Is The UK Being Fussy? 

    The British government already had the right to engage in mergers and acquisitions on national security grounds. However, the new National Security and Investment Act, adopted on January 4, gave the business secretary wide-ranging powers to interfere in such deals.

    According to previous reports, the UK government has already indicated that they may ban China’s state-owned nuclear energy corporation from developing a nuclear reactor in the UK, citing national security concerns.

    Boris Johnson’s administration has begun to adopt a tougher stance on foreign ownership of critical defense and nuclear assets.

    Officials from the United States claim that the British government is exploiting powers enacted in January to restrict hostile states’ ability to acquire companies with connections to British security services.

    They argue that these powers should not be extended to close allies such as the United States because the UK and the US already have intelligence-sharing agreements as part of the Five Eyes alliance.

    Furthermore, the two countries work closely together to preserve the British nuclear deterrent. Last year, the United States signed the AUKUS, a trilateral security pact with the United Kingdom and Australia, to collaborate on the development of a new generation of nuclear submarines.

    Other military research initiatives, such as the development of hypersonic weapons, are also being discussed as part of the agreement’s expansion.

    A senior US official said: “We do not distinguish between a British investor in a US company for reasons of national security. “It’s not fair that the British government treats American firms this way.”

    US officials are concerned that any prolonged delay may exacerbate the Ultra takeover. According to officials from the Department of Trade, Energy, and Industrial Strategy, the deal may still be authorized if Advent is willing to make commitments to resolve national security concerns.

    Ultra’s representative said the company was preparing an “appropriate undertaking to protect British national security interests” in cooperation with British officials.

    Nevertheless, it appears to be challenging at times to find a middle ground between the UK’s aim to oversee a “global Britain” that is open to global investment while also attempting to protect British industries.

    Goats Take Over Empty Streets Of Seaside Town In Wales During The Coronavirus Outbrake

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    1 71

    A herd of goats has taken over a deserted town centre, eating hedges and flowers from gardens. Usually, the wild herd of about 122 Kashmiri goats venture from the Great Orme into Llandudno, Wales, England during bad weather. But town councillor Carol Marubbi believes the lack of people around because of coronavirus has drawn them down.

    “They are curious, goats are, and I think they are wondering what’s going on like everybody else,” she said.

    The goats – some of which have recently had kids – have been spotted nibbling flowers. She said everyone in Llandudno was “very proud” of the animals and they had been providing “free entertainment” to people from their windows.

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    Roman Penis Pendant Found in Britain Declared a “National Treasure”

    “Only in England”.

    2022 06 07 20 54
    2022 06 07 20 54

    A Roman “penis pendant,” or more accurately a phallic amulet, found in England 18 months ago, has been declared a national treasure. Described as a first-of-its-kind find, it was discovered by metal detectorist Wendy Thompson on December 31st, 2020 while searching a farm in Higham, near Gravesend and Strood, in Kent, reports The Sun UK . It is believed to date back to between 43 AD and 410 AD, when Britain was occupied by the Romans.

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    2022 06 07 21 25

    Wendy Thompson found the penis pendant while metal-detecting. (Wendy Thompson)

    First-of-It’s-Kind Penis Pendant Find for Britain

    “The rarity of it is that it’s a silver example of a penis pendant,” explained Thompson. “I’ve got other bronze ones that I have found in the past but they’re nowhere near as significant.” The 73-year-old added that she was going about her job, scouring the field end to end rather meticulously with her metal detector , when she found it wedged 8 inches (20.32 cm) into the earth.

    “The last person to hold it was back in that era,” said Thompson excitedly. “It’s a long, long time it’s been lying in the ground waiting for me to come along and find it.” She instantly dated it to 2,000 years old, which was verified later by the coroner’s report from the British Museum, though the exact date is difficult to ascertain.

    The penis pendant measures 1.2 inches (3 cm) and weighs 0.3 ounces (9.7 g), and is complete with a detailed “foreskin, shaft, and pubes,” according to Coroner Roger Hatch, though it conspicuously lacks testicles. In the same report, he classified it as a “ national treasure .” For an item to be classified as a “treasure” in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, as per the British Museum, it can be a metallic object, other than a coin, whose weight is at least 10 percent precious metal, and is at least 300 years old when found.

    Hatch also added that the Roman Empire is renowned for its “large corpus of phallic imagery”. In fact, there are 451 phallic objects recorded in Roman Britain alone. As per a report published in The Daily Mail , experts at the British Museum described the artifact as having a reverse triangular top section with “ribbed decoration, presumably pubic hair, narrowing to a tapering shaft and terminating in a raised band foreskin.”

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    2022 06 07 21 26

    Greco-Roman Obsession with the Phallus

    In Greco-Roman culture the phallus or the penis had virile regenerative powers, enabling fertility and domination. To an empire that was preoccupied with territorial expansion, sex was conceptually seen as an unequal exchange led by a man who would dominate an “inferior” or “weaker” being – women, girls, boys, male slaves, to name a few. The phallic symbol was so common that it was associated with the worship of male gods like Dionysus and Hephaestus. It was also a good luck charm used to ward off evil, seen on mosaics and tiles all across the empire.

    In ancient Roman religion and magic, the fascinus or fascinum was the embodiment of the divine phallus. The fascinum was worn by children around their necks to ward off illnesses. They were sometimes used to indicate the social standing of the wearer as well. “Infants are under the especial guardianship of the god Fascinus, the protector, not of infants only, but of generals as well,” wrote legendary Roman philosopher and historian, Pliny the Elder .

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    2022 06 07 21 27

    The fascinum, or penis pendants, were worn by children to ward off illness. (David Perez / CC BY 4.0 )

    When Roman generals entered battle, the penis was the symbol used to announce a grand and powerful entry. “It is the image of this divinity that is attached beneath the triumphant car of the victorious general, protecting him, like some attendant physician, against the effects of envy,” added Pliny on the mythical phalluses that represented domination.

    “It is likely that this pendant is depicting a flaccid macrophallus, rather than an erect one, with the possibility that, rather than representing the ability to target and defeat the evil eye , a lack of control and an almost barbaric sexuality is suggested,” stated a report by the British Museum which confirms this phallocentric Roman obsession. “The archaeological contexts of stratified examples, along with phallic wall carvings, such as at Hadrian’s wall , suggest a close association with military sites.”

    Human Builds A Dragon-Shaped Cardboard House For His Cat In Order To Please His Master

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    One creative guy named Sam just took cardboard cat houses to the next level. Inspired by his beloved kitty Denni, the entire thing is made out of cardboard and held by hot glue. “I love making things, especially out of cardboard. My cat also loves cardboard and I love my cat,” Sam writes on his website.

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    The structure is actually more advanced than one may think.

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    “I designed this new cardboard cat tower with moving parts, giving Dinni alternative movement around the tower: some stepping planks that can be pulled out, ramps, sliding windows and some storage draws for his toys”.

    4 51
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    Sam’s other passions include DIY cat toys and homemade feline food, so if you’re a cat’s person, Sam is definitely someone to follow.

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    Now they’re starting a war with China right before our eyes

    Very accurate. A must watch video.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 5

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
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    .

    The United States continues with dangerous provocations.

    China seems not to be mincing words as of late, calling out US dastardly deeds as they see them. 

    I suspect that when the bluffs begin getting called in the Pacific theater, Uncle Sam & Friends are going to take a beating.

    It comes back to the notion that the bully manipulator sociopath will never listen to reason or be "agreement capable".

    They will back away only when hurt.

    Mother Nature has seen to this for millions of years and domesticated primates merely amplify this principle with their technological toys.

    Much like the Russian resolve in Ukraine, I'll bet China will clearly state their aims, warn a few times and when the US stumbles over the red line, simply sink a carrier or vaporize Diego Garcia.


    -Chevrus

    The United States continues with it’s never ending, dangerous, and serious,  provocations against China. These latest events are obviously probing events. Perhaps a look at a map might clarify what is going on, eh?

    Map
    Where the American made P3, led by American generals inside of Korea, was probing Chinese airspace.

    Bernard has a very good write up on this…

    Canadian Spy Plane Air Patrols Near China Are Not On ‘UN Mission’

    Canada falsely claims that it is implementing international law when its airplanes are in fact spying on China.

    On June 2 the Canadian Globe & Mail reported of a Chinese interdiction of a Canadian reconnaissance aircraft:

    Canadian military accuses Chinese warplanes of harassing its patrol aircraft on North Korea sanctions mission

    Canada’s military has accused Chinese warplanes of harassing its patrol aircraft as they monitor North Korea sanction evasions, sometimes forcing Canadian planes to divert from their flight paths.

    On several occasions from April 26 to May 26, aircraft of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) approached a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CP-140 Aurora long-range patrol aircraft, the Canadian Armed Forces said in a statement on Wednesday.
    ...
    Such interactions are of concern and of increasing frequency, the Canadian military said, noting that the missions occur during United Nations-approved operations to implement sanctions on North Korea.

    The Canadian aircraft were part of Ottawa’s “Operation NEON”, which sees military ships, aircraft and personnel deployed to identify suspected sanctions evasions at sea, including ship-to-ship transfers of fuel and other supplies banned by United Nations Security Council resolutions.

    Did the United Nations really give Canada a mission or even a right to identify sanction evasions at high sea or near North Korea? I would find that astonishing.

    Four days later the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked about the incidents. His answers came after China had explained its position:

    China’s foreign ministry is warning Canada that provoking Beijing could bring “grave consequences” after the Canadian military last week accused Chinese warplanes of harassing its aircraft, which are monitoring North Korea’s compliance with United Nations sanctions.

    Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Zhao Lijian suggested during a media briefing in Beijing on Monday that these patrols by Canadian and allied aircraft are illegal.

    “The UN Security Council has never authorized any country to carry out military surveillance in the seas and airspace of other countries in the name of enforcing sanctions,” he told reporters.

    Trudeau’s response to that is somewhat muddled:

    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in response, defended the patrols, which he said are part of a multinational effort to enforce UN sanctions. He warned Beijing that pilots on both sides are in danger of behind hurt or killed by China’s behaviour.

    “China’s actions are irresponsible and provocative in this case, and we will continue to register strongly that they are putting people at risk while at the same time not respecting decisions by the UN to enforce UN sanctions on North Korea,” he told reporters during a press conference in Ottawa with Chile’s President on Monday.

    Chinese fighter pilots have recently stepped up aggressive behaviour against Canadian military aircraft flying in international airspace near North Korea.

    A “a multinational effort to enforce UN sanctions” is something different than a “United Nations-approved operations to implement sanctions on North Korea” which the Canadian military claimed.

    Since 2019, Canada has from time to time dispatched a naval frigate or long-range patrol aircraft to help monitor ocean approaches to North Korea as part of a multinational approach, with the United States and other allies, to enforce sanctions against Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons program. The area under patrol includes the contested East China Sea, above which China established an aircraft defence identification zone in 2013.

    The ‘multinational’ behind the effort are the U.S. and its usual proxies. But if that were a UN or UN approved mission China and Russia must have agreed to it at the UN Security Council. They never did.

    Still Trudeau insists on the UN smoke screen:

    “Canada is participating in a UN mission designed to interdict and intercept and ensure the respect of sanctions on North Korea’s murderous regime,” the Prime Minister said. “Canada continues to stand up for the rule of law. We continue to stand up for multilateralism. We continue to stand up for the principles of the UN Charter.”

    I find no news of formal paper that says the UN has ever designed or asked for any such mission.

    There are a total of nine UN Security Council resolutions against North Korea. The relevant here is UNSCR 1718 from 2006. In paragraph 8 it asks member countries to implement certain sanctions:

    Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, and taking measures under its Article 41 ... 
    ...
    8. Decides that:

    (a) All Member States shall prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer to the DPRK, through their territories or by their nationals, or using their flag vessels or aircraft, and whether or not originating in their territories, of:

    [... a list of certain weapon systems and materials.]

    That paragraph restricts any measure countries can take with UNSC agreement to territory, nationals or vessels under their control. It does not authorize to do anything to other territories, nationals or to foreign flagged vessels or to act against such vessels at high sea.

    Paragraph 8d, which is about financial sanctions, has similar restrictions:

    d) All Member States shall, in accordance with their respective legal processes, freeze immediately the funds, other financial assets and economic resources which are on their territories at the date of the adoption of this resolution or at any time thereafter, ...

    UNSC resolution 2094 from 2013 added additional sanctions but included the same territorial restrictions:

    11. Decides that Member States shall, in addition to implementing their obligations pursuant to paragraphs 8 (d) and (e) of resolution 1718 (2006), prevent the provision of financial services or the transfer to, through, or from their territory, or to or by their nationals or entities organized under their laws (including branches abroad), or persons or financial institutions in their territory, ...

    In fact all UNSC resolutions I am aware of, except those few which directly allow for a war, have similar restrictions. Orders or request to UN member countries for implementing sanctions or to take other measure are always restricted to those things or persons the country legally controls. The reasons for that are obvious. It would breach the rights of other countries if the UN would allow Canada or anyone else to interfere outside of their own legal realm.

    The Canadian military’s claim that its planes are on a “United Nations-approved operations” is false. There is no UN approval for such operations.

    The Canadian Prime Minister’s claim of participating in a “UN mission” is false. There is no such mission with regard to the DPRK.

    The Canadian spy planes flying near the Chinese border are not implementing international law. That is simply a subterfuge of their real mission which is in fact spying on China.

    Trudeau should be reminded of the 2001 incident near Hainan Island where a Chinese jet collided with a U.S. spy plane which then had to make an emergency landing in China:

    The 24 crew members (21 men and 3 women) were detained for 10 days in total, and were released shortly after the U.S. issued the "letter of the two sorries" to the Chinese. 

    The crew was only partially successful in their destruction of classified material, and some of the material they failed to destroy included cryptographic keys, signals intelligence manuals, and the names of National Security Agency employees.

    Some of the captured computers contained detailed information for processing PROFORMA communications from North Korea, Russia, Vietnam, China and other countries.

    The plane also carried information on the emitter parameters for U.S.-allied radar systems worldwide. The fact that the United States could track PLAN submarines via signal transmission was also revealed to China.

    The U.S. now largely avoids such missions. It instead ordered Canada (and Australia) to do these, passing the risk to them. Pissing off China by making false claims of flying these in support of international law will only up the risk for another serious incident.

    Posted by b on June 16, 2022 at 12:28 UTC | Permalink

    In Australia

    I don't know if you are aware, that's what an Australian Surveillance plane did in the South China Sea and the Chinese did a flight interdiction and Australia went mental about it here in Australia. For all concerned not in Australia the "New" Labor Government is no different from the former Conservative ratbags because the US has them by the short and curly's! The difference is the Australian Labor Government portrays themselves as "More Caring"? 

    - William Edward Kiera

    This is just a long string of probing incidents that are attempting to locate Chinese air defenses…

    Australian Spy Plane Engines Ingested Chinese Chaff During Intercept in South China Sea, Canberra Claims

    .

    The allegation comes on the heels of grievances by the Canadian Armed Forces earlier this week that People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) jets were “buzzing” a Canadian maritime patrol aircraft enforcing sanctions against North Korea and approaching close enough to give the plane’s crew the finger.
    .
    A Chinese fighter jet drew up near an Australian Royal Air Force Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft operating in the South China Sea and released aluminum-based countermeasures which got sucked into the plane’s engines, the Defence Ministry reported Sunday.
    .
    “Defence advises that on 26 May 2022, a RAAF P-8 maritime surveillance aircraft was intercepted by a Chinese J-16 fighter aircraft during a routine maritime surveillance activity in international airspace in the South China Sea region. The intercept resulted in a dangerous manoeuvre which posed a safety threat to the P-8 aircraft and its crew,” the ministry said in a statement.
    .
    Later in the day, Defence Minister Richard Marles provided additional details on the suspected incident, saying that after approaching the Australian aircraft and firing flares, “the J-16 then accelerated and cut across the nose of the P-8, settling in front of the P-8 at very close distance” and releasing a “bundle of chaff, which contains small pieces of aluminum.” Some of these pieces “were ingested into the engine of the P-8 aircraft,” he said.
    Marles vowed that the incident “will not deter” Canberra from continuing its maritime surveillance activities in the South China Sea, saying that “freedom of navigation” in the maritime region was “fundamentally in our nation’s interest.”
    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed that he had been briefed on the incident, and that Canberra had “raised” its concerns with Beijing.
    .
    Chinese officials have not commented on Australia’s allegations. The People’s Republic is also yet to respond to Canadian accusations made earlier this week that PLAAF fighter pilots were regularly giving a Canadian spy plane operating near North Korea the finger while performing what Ottawa called “unsafe and unprofessional” intercepts.
    .
    China lays claim to wide swathes of the South China Sea, with Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and the Philippines making their own claims to parts of the strategic shipping artery, which also happens to be rich in hydrocarbons and fishing resources. The United States and its allies, including Australia and Britain, have challenged Beijing’s claims, and have spent more than a decade conducting “freedom of navigation” missions in the body of water and forging bilateral security agreements with other claimants.
    .
    China has repeatedly slammed the US and its allies over these activities, urging them to mind their own business and moving to negotiate with South China Sea-adjacent nations on the creation of a regional maritime “code of conduct.”
    .
    Occasionally, Chinese warships and aircraft are directed to challenge US and allied planes’ and navy vessels’ ‘freedom of navigation’ jaunts. In October 2018, a Chinese warship nearly collided with a US Navy ship while chasing it through the body of water. Chinese military pilots have also been accused of trolling their US counterparts by “meowing” at US spy planes patrolling in disputed areas.

    Science

    Science
    Science

    US Department of Defense Finally Comes Clean – Admits in Public Document that There Are 46 US Military-Funded Biolabs in Ukraine

    “There are 25+ US-funded biolabs in Ukraine which if breached would release and spread deadly pathogens to US/world.” Gabbard said on Sunday.

    “We must take action now to prevent disaster. US/Russia/Ukraine/NATO/UN/EU must implement a ceasefire now around these labs until they’re secured and pathogens destroyed,” she added.

     

    VIDEO:

     

    Tulsi Gabbard made her statement based on testimony from the Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs in Eurasia, Victoria Nuland.

    Victoria Nuland admitted during testimony before a US Senate committee the existence of biological research labs in Ukraine.

    Less than 24 hours later, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that reports of biolabs in Ukraine were fake news propagated by Russia.

    The Democrat-fake news-media complex then attacked anyone who brought up the biolabs in Ukraine.

    Mitt Romney lashed out at Tulsi Gabbard, saying, “Tulsi Gabbard is parroting false Russian propaganda. Her treasonous lies may well cost lives.”

    Then this happened– Russia released alleged captured documents from Ukraine exposing evidence of US Military Biolabs in Ukraine.

    Russia made the accusations in front of the United Nations General Assembly.

    Now this–

    The Pentagon on Thursday finally admitted in a public statement that there are 46 US-funded biolabs in Ukraine.

    This is after months of lies and denials by Democrats, the Biden regime and their fake news mainstream media!

    The Pentagon FINALLY came clean.

    The United States has also worked collaboratively to improve Ukraine’s biological safety, security, and disease surveillance for both human and animal health, providing support to 46 peaceful Ukrainian laboratories, health facilities, and disease diagnostic sites over the last two decades. The collaborative programs have focused on improving public health and agricultural safety measures at the nexus of nonproliferation.

    Here is a screengrab from the US Department of Defense website.

     

    Not good.
    Not good.

     

    Monkeypox will be renamed, says World Health Organization

    Is the WHO trying to help erase the idea that a US lab monkey escaped in Pennsylvania? (Article HERE ) and the spread of monkeypox?
     
    The World Health Organization (WHO) says it is working with experts to officially rename monkeypox, amid concerns over stigma and racism around the "discriminatory" name of the virus.
    
    Key points:
    
    WHO says it will rename "monkeypox virus, its clades and the disease it causes"
    
    More than 30 scientists last week alerted health officials to the need for a name that was neither discriminatory nor stigmatising
    
    Director-General of the WHO made the announcement during an emergency committee that was held after "unusual" recent behaviour of the virus

    Article HERE

    Galaxy Quest images

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    Xi Pledges China Will Keep Backing Russian “Sovereignty, Security” In Putin Call

    China has once again issued a pledge of verbal support to Moscow amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. A Wednesday phone call between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin included Xi saying China backs Russia on “sovereignty and security”.

    China is “willing to continue to offer mutual support (to Russia) on issues concerning core interests and major concerns such as sovereignty and security,” Chinese state broadcaster CCTV quoted Xi as saying.

    Significantly, it was the second such ‘positive’ call between the two leaders since the Ukraine invasion began on Feb.24. Over the past years the two have become obviously closer amid increasing US economic measures intent on isolating both countries.

    The Moscow Times reports the following on the contents of the call:

    According to CCTV, Xi praised the "good momentum of development" in bilateral relations since the start of the year "in the face of global turmoil and changes."

    Beijing was willing to "intensify strategic coordination between the two countries," Xi reportedly said.

    China was ready to "strengthen communication and coordination" with Russia in international organizations and "push the international order and global governance towards more just and reasonable development," he added.

    And noticeably absent in the state media readout was apparently any explicit mention Russia’s war in Ukraine, and the resultant global crises unleashed such as the impact on global wheat and food supply, as well as fuel prices. However, the wording of Xi’s support for Russian “sovereignty and security” has clear enough implications, and certainly sends a message to the West.

    The huge economies of China and India not only have refused to jump on board the West’s retaliatory measures targeting Moscow, but have sought to siphon more cheap Russian oil, which has helped Russia blunt Western sanctions.

    Additionally, Beijing has at every turn refused to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine, while also denying earlier Biden administration charges that it’s helping thwart anti-Russia sanctions, or the more inflammatory accusation of supplying replenishing weapons and munitions related to Ukraine operations.

    Witchcraft? Tributes to Murder Victims? The Uncertain Origins of 17 Miniature Coffins in Scotland

    17 miniature coffins were discovered in a small cave on the mystical Arthur’s Seat outside of Edinburgh, Scotland in 1836. Today, only eight remain and are now on display at the National Museum of Scotland. Despite the passage of 181 years, researchers are no closer to ascertaining the creator or the purpose of the coffins, each of which contains a tiny, carefully dressed human figure.

    Some say that it is witchcraft. Others claim it is a symbolic burial of men lost at sea. One of the most intriguing theories is that the coffins were made in a kindly attempt to quiet the wandering souls of 17 people who were murdered for the dissection table by the notorious serial killers Burke and Hare.

    According to The Scotsman , the first paper to write about the story, “a number [of the coffins] were destroyed by the boys pelting them at each other as unmeaning and contemptible trifles” (Dash, 2013). As described by The Scotsman , each of the coffins “contained a miniature figure of the human form cut out in wood, the faces in particular being pretty well executed. They were dressed from head to foot in cotton clothes, and decently laid out with a mimic representation of all the funeral trappings which usually form the last habiliments of the dead.

    The coffins are about three or four inches in length, regularly shaped, and cut out from a single piece of wood, with the exception of the lids, which are nailed down with wire sprigs or common brass pins. The lid and sides of each are profusely studded with ornaments, formed with small pieces of tin, and inserted in the wood with great care and regularity” (Dash, 2013).

     

     

    New Insights on the Creators

    Since that description was written in the 19th century, further research has determined that the figures were most likely made by the same craftsman and the coffins were made by two different people. In addition, “the materials and tools used – wood, iron embellishments, nails, a sharp, hooked knife – indicate the coffins could have been fashioned by a shoemaker” (Scottish History and Archeology, 2017). Moreover, “the figures seem to form a set, and their upright bearing, flat feet, and swinging arms suggest they may have been toy soldiers. Their eyes are open, making it unlikely they were originally designed as corpses” (Scottish History and Archeology, 2017).

    Finally, a closer examination of the cotton used in the figures’ dressing dates their creation to the early 1830s. This means that they could not have been buried for long before being discovered by the school children. Yet such close scrutiny has not brought people any closer to understanding the effigies’ purpose. According to the Museum of Scotland, to understand why these coffins were made, one must examine what was happening at the time.

    An Unexpected Discovery – 17 Miniature Coffins

    In June of 1836, a group of local school children was roaming the hills of Arthur’s Seat in search of rabbits. In a secluded area on the northeast side, they found a small cave (or possibly a large hole) hidden behind three slabs of slate. Inside were 17 little coffins, each nailed shut, arranged neatly in two rows of eight, with the 17th resting on top as if to start a third row.

    Body Snatchers and Murderers

    In the 1820s and 30s, Edinburgh was a cultural center renowned for its medical prowess. The city’s medical schools turned out some of the best doctors and each year more and more students enrolled. This influx created a problem. In the 19th century, the key to the healing arts was to understand human anatomy.

    And the only way this was possible was through dissection. Yet, as Edinburgh progressed, there were fewer criminals being sent to death at the gallows (the typical source of cadavers). Thus, the infamous practices of body snatching and grave robbing came into vogue.

    While highly profitable, the crime scandalized the Scottish public. It was conventional wisdom at the time that in order for one to rise again to life on the day of the Last Judgment, a person must have his or her body intact. This prevailing sentiment led to a number of innovations to prevent robbers from making off with corpses, such as iron clad coffins and all night vigils. This is important to bear in mind because it may also have contributed to why somebody would make the tiny surrogate bodies.

    Among the most devious body snatchers in history were William Burke and William Hare , both Irish immigrants, as well as the famous Edinburgh anatomist and scholar Dr. Robert Knox. As a once-popular children’s rhyme retells, “Up the close and doun the stair/ But and ben wi’ Burke and Hare. Burke’s the butcher, Hare’s the thief/ Knox the boy that buys the beef” (Scottish History and Archeology, 2017).

    Burke and Hare’s first transaction with Dr. Knox occurred when an elderly tenant at Hare’s boarding house died before paying off a debt to Hare. In order to recoup his losses, Burke and Hare sold the man’s body to the doctor’s anatomy school in Surgeon’s Square. It was such easy money.

    “But with no-one else in the boarding house prepared to drop dead of their own accord, the pair thought they’d hurry the process along a bit. And so began a vicious killing spree that lasted 10 months, during which Burke and Hare dispatched at least 16 victims [12 of whom were female] and earned around £150 (roughly £12,000 now – no mean sum)” (Scottish History and Archeology, 2017).

    On the offset, they only killed vagrants who they believed would not be missed. But then they grew careless and began to kill local residents who were not only missed but also recognized at the school.

     

     

    In November 1928, the men were arrested. Hare agreed to testify against Burke and was therefore granted immunity. On January 28, 1828, Burke was hanged before a crowd of thousands. His body was then sent to be dissected at the University of Edinburgh Medical School, who (on the orders of the court) preserved Burke’s skeleton as a testament to his atrocious crimes.

    Dr. Knox was cleared of any wrongdoing; however, the incident ruined his illustrious career. Hare was never heard from again. Most likely he went back to Ireland but there is a folk legend that says he made off to London where he fell into a lime pit and was permanently blinded.

    17 Coffins for the Victims?

    A popular theory holds that the 17 coffins were buried for the 17 victims. “It just seems like a particularly Edinburgh kind of thing, to try and lay these ghosts to rest by creating a symbolic image of the victims to place and give a proper burial to. Even if nobody every learned about it, it just seemed like something somebody who had known somebody who had disappeared in Edinburgh might have done to give their friend a bit of peace” (Henderson quoted in Scottish History and Archeology, 2017).

    Today, the remaining eight little coffins still have a grip on the popular imagination and have been on display to the public consistently since their donation to the Museum in 1901.

    An Alternative Explanation

    According to The Scotsman , author and amateur historian Jeff Nisbet believes the miniature coffins were created to keep the “flames of rebellion lit” following the Radical war of 1820.

    He suggests the coffins were meant to serve as a memorial honoring the Radicals who were killed.

    The Scotsman explains the background for the situation:

    “many poorly paid workers and weavers from the area were arrested following a series of protests and strikes aimed at improving their working conditions and securing better pay. Many of those arrested were exiled to Australia, while several of the ring leaders were executed. Following the event, many of those who agreed with the movement were put to work building a path that would become known as the ‘Radical Road’ around Arthur’s seat.” 

    The mystery of the meaning behind the miniature coffins continues to draw in curious researchers.

    Italian Baked Pasta

    Italian Baked Pasta
    Italian Baked Pasta

    A very nice old cottage

    UKRAINE ARMY DEATHS: 70,000 Plus 210,000 Wounded!

    .
     
    Collecting the dead.
    Collecting the dead.

    The magnitude of Ukraine’s losses in its fight against Russia have now been exposed as staggering. Based on actual cemetery grave count: Seventy-Thousand Ukraine troops are dead, According to numerous other reporting, another 210,000 Ukraine troops have been wounded.

    Currently Russia is holding 8,500 Ukrainian POWs. Most are in POW camps in Donbass. Ukraine is holding 325 Russian POWs at this time

    US shoe company Skechers forced to prove ‘no forced labor’ ahead of US discriminative act on Xinjiang – Global Times

    "The crusaders run their country based on political agenda, politicking, and fake news against others without any basic sense of ethics and honesty. They engage in single way thinking without doing the math and often suffer from boomerang effects:"
    US shoe company Skechers has had a batch of its products manufactured in China seized by US customs, which cited the so-called Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, the Global Times learned from sources.
    .
    In order to appeal to the US customs, Skechers organized an independent investigation conducted by a third party, which found no evidence to support so-called forced labor allegations.
    .
    In December, 2021, US President Joe Biden signed a legislation titled the “Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act,” which bans products made in China’s Xinjiang, citing “oppression” of the Uygur and other minority populations.
    .
    The new law creates a “rebuttable presumption” that all goods partially or wholly produced in the Xinjiang region are “tainted by forced labor.” It also requires corporations to prove with “clear and convincing evidence” that imports from the region are not made by forced labor.
    .

    Article found HERE

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    Harry Nilsson – Me and My Arrow

    1971. Extracted from the cartoon called “The Point”. It became a hit ten years or so later.

    Serious Development in Ukraine: DPR Leader Says Will March to Lviv

    .

    A very serious development has taken place regarding ongoing hostilities in Ukraine.  The Leader of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Denis Pushilin, says the decision has been made to fight all the way to Lviv; there may not BE a “Ukraine” anymore.

    Pushilin is the elected leader of the now-independent Donetsk People’s Republic, which was formerly a state (Oblast) of Ukraine.   The people there voted in the year 2014, to leave Ukraine and join Russia.  They did this after the European Union (EU) and the United States fomented, incited, and financed the forcible overthrow of Ukraine’s democratically-elected President, Viktor Yanukovich, and installed a puppet regime in Kiev, favorable to the West.

    Rather than allow Donetsk (and its northern neighbor, Luhansk) to peacefully leave Ukraine, Kiev sent troops to force those two states to remain in Ukraine.  War began.

    From 2014 to 2022, more than fourteen thousand (14,000) civilians in Donetsk and Luhansk, were killed by Ukraine army troops.   Russia intervened on February 24, 2022, to stop that killing, and to protect the Russian-speaking population of those two states, which had, in the interim, declared their Independence from Ukraine.

    Pushilin says the DPR will continue pushing on; they will not stop at DPR’s borders!   The Denazification of Ukraine will continue to Dnipro, Kiev, and Lviv!

    Pushilin hopes to complete the special operation in Ukraine by the end of the year.

    The head of the DPR gave an interview to @rian_ru on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). The main point:
    Ukraine as a state may simply not be, in the foreseeable future.

    The supply of new weapons by the West to Ukraine Pshilin says, has forced the decision that DPR troops not stop at the border of the republic.

    The decision on the referendum on the accession of the DPR to Russia will be made after the completion of the special operation.

    Pushilin also said it is planned to ship about one million tons of cargo through the Mariupol port by the end of the year, now that Mariupol is cleared of Nazis and Ukraine military.

    The DPR Embassy in Russia will be opened in late June – early July.

    A very nice house

    Oh. Yes it is.

    Dozens more Australians banned from entering Russia over Ukrainian invasion sanctions

    The list of 121 names, which includes billionaires, newspaper bosses, chief executives, professors and military officers, builds on the 228 Australians including then leader Scott Morrison and current Prime Minister Anthony Albanese banned from Russia in April.
    
    The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed the banned people formed part of Australia's "Russophobic" agenda and warned more would be added to the country's "stop list".

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    The B-52’s – Rock Lobster

    THE song that was played at every college party at university.

    Explosion Rocks Russia’s Largest Natural Gas Field. Sabotage?

    .

    A massive explosion tore through a 1400mm natural gas pipeline at Russia’s largest natural gas field in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug in Siberia today.   The fire is presently burning out of control.

    A source reports the fire is burning in the area of GP 8, skip 8832 which is in the Gazprom Dobycha Urengoy section, between gas fields 7-8.

    The cause of the explosion is being investigated, but a source says it appears this was a DELIBERATE ACT of Sabotage.  Investigators are already saying someone is trying to send a message to Russia, that infrastructure even deep inside their country “can be gotten to.”  The trouble with sending a message to Russia, is that the Russian then need to send a message back.

    The Urengoy field is one of the largest fields in the world,  with the only two larger gas fields being the North/South Pars (Qatar/Iran) in terms of reserves. The recoverable reserves of this Russian gas field amount to 10 trillion cubic meters of gas.

    Last August, a large-scale fire at Gazprom’s gas chemical complex in Novy Urengoi reduced gas deliveries via the Yamal-Europe pipeline. This caused prices on the European market to jump by 6%.

    With Europe now trying to embargo Russian natural gas, the Yamal Pipeline is already shut down to several countries in Europe, but today’s explosion and fire could still result in market driven price increases.

    Youdao does a good job of translating Wei’s speech

    From HERE

    Full text of speech by Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe in Shangri-La Forum in Singapore

    Wei expounded his position on the Taiwan issue in his speech, saying that the Taiwan issue bears on China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. No country in the world will tolerate national division. When I visited the United States last year, My American friends told me that Lincoln is the greatest president in The history of the United States because he led and won the Civil War and prevented the division of the United States. The United States is indivisible, and China is indivisible. China must and will be reunified. Why not?
    
    'If anyone dares to separate Taiwan from China, the Chinese military has no choice but to fight at all costs and resolutely safeguard the reunification of the motherland,' Wei said. "I want to warn the DPP authorities and external interfering forces: First, any attempt to split China will never succeed. Second, any attempt to interfere in the Taiwan question is doomed to failure. Third, any underestimation of the Chinese military's resolve is extremely dangerous. We are willing to strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification with utmost sincerity and utmost efforts, but we will never promise to renounce the use of force. It is the sacred duty of the armed forces to safeguard national unity. If the PLA cannot safeguard the reunification of the motherland, what is the PLA for? !"
    
    With regard to the recent economic and trade frictions launched by the United States against China, Wei fenghe said in his speech that the Chinese people are now talking about nine words: talk, yes; Fight, accompany; Deceit, delusion!
    
    He said China has always maintained that all countries, big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, are equal members of the international community and should respect and accommodate each other's legitimate security concerns. China always understands and respects the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries, and supports the social system and development path independently chosen by all countries. China cannot develop in isolation from the world, and the world cannot develop in isolation from China. China does not covet other countries' interests or envy their development, but we will never give up our legitimate rights and interests. No country should expect us to swallow the bitter fruit of undermining China's sovereignty, security and development interests. Just as the US recently launched economic and trade frictions against China, the door is open for negotiations. If you fight, you fight to the end. The nine words that have become popular among the Chinese people are: talk, yes; Fight, accompany; Deceit, delusion!

    Full text of speech by Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe

    It gives me great pleasure to attend the 18th Shangri-La Dialogue. I would like to thank Dr. David Chipman, Director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, for the invitation and the Singapore Government and the Ministry of Defence for their warm hospitality. I also wish to congratulate Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on his wonderful speech. This is my first time to attend the incense gathering as Defense Minister. I have come here for exchanges and mutual trust, cooperation and peace. Next, I would like to speak on China’s cooperation with international security.

    First, human society is at a crossroads. Building a community with a shared future for mankind is the right path and the trend of The Times

    The world today is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, with increasing uncertainties, destabilizing factors and challenges. President Xi Jinping’s vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind is simple. It is the right choice for the people of the world to live together in harmony and effectively solve global issues. It is the right way to achieve world peace and stability and prosperity and development of mankind. We have noted that the US side talked about its vision on regional affairs in its speech to the CONFERENCE yesterday. We believe that any proposal should fully take into account the common security and interests of countries in the region, and should not be in the nature of a military alliance or undermine the interests of other countries. We have different views on some of the views of the US side. We firmly oppose the wrong words and deeds of the US side on the Taiwan and South China Sea issues. Now, LET me talk about a few questions to think about with you.

    What choice should we make between peaceful development and conflict and confrontation? Peace and development are the theme of our times and the trend of history. At present, hotspot issues in the world and in the region keep flaring up, and there is always the risk of conflict or even war. How are wars and conflicts in regional countries, rampant terrorism, chaos in the Middle East and the Refugee crisis in Europe caused? Who caused it? Where are the roots? It is worth reflecting on. Whose interests are these acts of dividing camps, deliberately creating confrontation, meddling in and stirring up troubles, wanton interference in other countries’ internal affairs and even wanton resort to force? At the expense of whose interests?

    What choice should we make between openness, inclusiveness and exclusion? We should approach the world with an open and inclusive mind and be full of friends and partners. Seeing the world through a narrow and exclusive lens, filled with enemies and adversaries, is called “self-fulfilling prophecy.” At present, anti-globalization and protectionism are on the rise. Some countries are resorting to unilateralism, putting themselves first and ignoring the interests of others. They have either broken contracts or withdrawn from groups.

    What choice should we make between win-win cooperation and a zero-sum game? Win-win cooperation will make the pie bigger and bring more benefits to all. A zero-sum game can only hurt both sides. More than 150 countries and international organizations have taken an active part in China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Not long ago, more than 6,000 delegates from 150 countries and 92 international organizations came to China to attend the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. The axioms are self-evident.

    What choice should we make between mutual learning among civilizations and arrogance and prejudice? A few days ago, China successfully hosted the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations. Civilizations are colorful, equal, inclusive and learn from each other. No one civilization should be singled out or disparaged. The slavery of the Black people, the expulsion of the Indians, the colonization of Asia, Africa and Latin America, and the mutilation of the Jews in history are all irremediable wounds and tragedies in the history of human civilization. At present, some people are reviving the “clash of civilizations” argument, viewing other civilizations in a narrow view and reeking of decadent racism. This is quite wrong. How can history allow such a retreat?

    Ii. In the face of complex and volatile international security situation, the Chinese government and military are firmly committed to safeguarding regional and global prosperity and stability

    Anyone familiar with China’s modern history knows that the poor and weak Old China suffered a lot of sufferings. The Chinese people know better than anyone the essence of peace and the cruelty and disaster of war. Over the years, some people have deliberately hyped up and exaggerated the “China threat theory”. This may be out of ignorance of China’s history, culture and current policies, but most of it is out of misunderstanding and prejudice, or even out of their ulterior motives.

    China is committed to the path of peaceful development.

    China’s nature as a socialist country, its independent foreign policy of peace and the Chinese cultural tradition that “peace is most precious” have determined that China will always follow the path of peaceful development. This is a solemn commitment made to the Chinese people and the people of the world. It has been explicitly written into the Constitution of the COMMUNIST Party of China and the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China. This is the will of our Party and country. If someone can’t believe that, what can they believe? Over the past 70 years, China has never initiated a single war or conflict, invaded any country, or occupied an inch of other people’s land. No matter how developed it may become, China will never threaten anyone, seek hegemony or hegemony, or seek to establish spheres of influence. History has proved and will continue to prove that China will not follow the beaten path of “a strong country will seek hegemony”. Seeking hegemony is not in line with China’s values and national interests.

    China has always pursued a military strategy of active defense.

    China’s military strategy has always adhered to the principle of defense, self-defense and post-strike strike, emphasizing that “we will not attack unless attacked, but we will certainly attack if attacked.” The development of the Chinese armed forces is purely for self-defense, to protect national security and the peaceful work of the Chinese people, so that the Chinese people can avoid the scourge of war and live a better life. China has never bullied, pillaged or invaded anyone. Of course, We will not allow anyone to bully, pillage or invade us. The development of China’s military is in response to security threats, just as we were forced to develop nuclear forces when we were threatened by nuclear weapons. China’s defense spending is reasonable and moderate. China’s national defense construction and development has always been based on the legitimate need to safeguard its own security and contribute to the growth of the force for world peace.

    The Chinese armed forces resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests.

    The PLA is a people’s army under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. In the face of aggression, might and difficulties, the Chinese military has always been courageous and moved from victory to victory. The Chinese people grow stronger and stronger under pressure. They grow stronger and stronger under setbacks. In times of adversity, they become more united and break out into amazing strength. In the face of complex and severe security threats, the Chinese armed forces always bear in mind that not a single inch of the sacred territory of the motherland should be lost, and not even a penny of others’ possessions should be taken away. The Chinese military does not make troubles, but it is not afraid of them either. If anyone dares to take risks and cross our bottom line, the Chinese military will definitely strike decisively and defeat all intruders.

    The Chinese military is firmly committed to safeguarding regional and global security and stability.

    China has actively supported UN peacekeeping operations. It is the largest troop contributor among the permanent members of the UN Security Council and a major contributor of funds. For a long time, China actively participates in bilateral and multilateral security cooperation and high level of comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Russia, China and the United States military relations remained stable after twists and turns and difficult but overall, we were positively correlated with asean countries, and India, and south Asian countries, such as traditional friendship deepened, and the surrounding countries remain peaceful coexistence and good-neighborly friendship for a long time, It has maintained good relations with the armed forces of African and Latin American countries. This October, China will host the 9th Beijing Xiangshan Forum. Military leaders and scholars from all countries are welcome to attend the forum.

    In the historical process of achieving common prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region, the core interests and security concerns of all countries must be respected and safeguarded

    China always maintains that all countries, big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, are equal members of the international community and should respect and accommodate each other’s legitimate security concerns. China always understands and respects the sovereignty, independence and integrity of all countries, and supports the social system and development path independently chosen by all countries. China cannot develop in isolation from the world, and the world cannot develop in isolation from China. China does not covet other countries’ interests or envy their development. But we will never give up our legitimate rights and interests. No country should expect us to swallow the bitter fruit of undermining China’s sovereignty, security and development interests. Just as the US recently launched economic and trade frictions against China, the door is open for negotiations. If you fight, you fight to the end. What the Chinese people are now saying is: Talk, yes; Fight, accompany; Deceit, delusion. Now, I would like to clarify China’s position on several issues of common concern.

    On the Taiwan Question.

    The Taiwan question concerns China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. No country in the world will tolerate national division. When I visited the United States last year, My American friends told me that Lincoln is the greatest president in The history of the United States because he led and won the Civil War and prevented the division of the United States.

    The United States is indivisible, and China is indivisible.

    China must and will be reunified.

    Why not? If anyone dares to separate Taiwan from China, the Chinese military will have no choice but to fight war and resolutely safeguard national reunification at all costs.

    Here, I want to warn the DPP authorities and external interference forces;

    First, any attempt to split China will never succeed.

    Second, any attempt to interfere in the Taiwan question is doomed to failure.

    I have noted the remarks made by the US side. Does the Taiwan Relations Law belong to Taiwan? American law? Is it Chinese law? Or the law of the world? Or the LAW of the United Nations?

    The US is using its domestic law to interfere in China’s internal affairs.

    Third, any underestimation of the Chinese military’s resolve is extremely dangerous. We are willing to strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification with utmost sincerity and utmost efforts, but we will never promise to renounce the use of force. It is the sacred duty of the armed forces to safeguard national unity. If the PLA cannot safeguard the reunification of the motherland, what is the PLA for? !

    On the South China Sea issue. The situation in the South China Sea is on the whole stable and improving. This is thanks to the efforts of all of us, especially countries in the region. But there are always those who want to make waves in the South China Sea for their own profit. Here I’d like to discuss a few issues with you.

    First, who is threatening security and stability in the South China Sea?

    More than 100,000 ships pass through the South China Sea every year, and no one has ever faced any threat. On the contrary, in recent years, some countries outside the region have flexing their muscles in the South China Sea under the pretext of safeguarding “freedom of navigation”.

    This rampage of massive military forces in the South China Sea is the biggest destabilizing and uncertain factor in the South China Sea.

    Second, who will be hurt and who will benefit from the turmoil in the South China Sea?

    Once chaos breaks out in the South China Sea, of course, it is the countries in the South China Sea that will suffer. What is the purpose of some countries sending warships and fighter jets to the South China Sea from afar?

    Are there too few cases in which a major country interferes in regional affairs, creates chaos and eventually leaves a mess behind?

    Third, does stability in the South China Sea depend on countries within or outside the region?

    We hope relevant parties will not underestimate the wisdom and capability of the neighboring countries in the South China Sea to properly handle differences and maintain peace. We also welcome constructive suggestions from all countries.

    Fourth, is China’s construction on islands and reefs in the South China Sea militarized?

    China’s construction on its own territory is the legitimate right of a sovereign state. China has built some defensive facilities on the islands and reefs for self-defense. Where there is a threat, there is self-defense. In the face of super armed military aircraft and ships, how can we not build some defense facilities?

    On the Korean Nuclear issue.

    China is committed to achieving denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, maintaining peace and stability on the Peninsula, and resolving issues through dialogue and consultation. China is committed to promoting peace talks and has played an irreplaceable constructive role. We hope that the US and the DPRK can be rational and patient, accommodate each other’s legitimate concerns, meet each other halfway and restart dialogue as soon as possible. The US and the DPRK should follow the dual-track approach and combine denuclearization with the establishment of a peace regime. We hope that the international community will actively respond to the DPRK’s legitimate concerns, activate the reversible provisions of the UN Security Council sanctions resolution at an appropriate time, promote the issuance of a declaration on the end of the war and actively build mutual trust among all parties.

    On China-Us relations.

    This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States. Over the past 40 years, our relations have gone through ups and downs, but overall progress has been made.

    The biggest lesson we have learned is that cooperation benefits both sides while confrontation hurts both.

    Look ahead.

    The two sides should jointly advance china-us relations based on coordination, cooperation and stability in accordance with the consensus reached by the two heads of state. At present, the two militaries maintain continuous communication and reach consensus on many major issues.

    First, on implementing the consensus reached by the two heads of state. It is to make the military-to-military relationship a stabilizer of bilateral relations.

    Second, to maintain regular strategic communication. The day before yesterday, I had a candid and pragmatic exchange with Acting Secretary Shanahan. Both sides agreed to maintain communication and develop constructive military-to-military relations.

    Third, managing risks and crises and preventing conflicts and frictions. We are all aware that a conflict or even a war between China and the US would be disastrous for both countries and the whole world. Cooperation requires the joint efforts of both sides, and the struggle begins as long as one side initiates it. China hopes that the United States will work with us towards the same direction, with no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, so as to push forward China-Us relations along the right track.

    China’s great achievements in the past 70 years since the founding of the People’s Republic did not come from heaven, nor did they depend on the handout of others, nor did they depend on military expansion or colonial plunder.

    They are the result of the hard work, wisdom and courage of the Chinese people.

    They are also the result of China’s reform and opening-up and win-win cooperation with the rest of the world.

    At present, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, China enjoys political stability, social stability and steady economic development. It is fair to say that the country enjoys peace, people enjoy harmony, and all industries are thriving. The Chinese people are working hard to realize the Chinese dream of great national renewal.

    What Life Is Like Before And After You Get A Dog

    If you decide to get a dog or any other animal as a pet, experienced owners have something to tell you. The owner of a golden retriever, John, shows how his life has changed after getting his pup Maimai — whom he describes as ’’a cute little furry devil’’.

    As pup’s owner explains, everyone who has a dog soon starts feeling guilty that they don’t share their food or buy new toys for it. And you can forget about having a tidy apartment — ever again. But it’s all worth it. Because there’s no one else who’s happier than the person who sees their dog greeting them every evening in the hallway.

    Life with a dog.
    Life with a dog.
    Life with a dog.
    Life with a dog.
    Life with a dog.
    Life with a dog.
    Life with a dog.
    Life with a dog.
    Life with a dog.
    Life with a dog.
    Life with a dog.
    Life with a dog.
    Life with a dog.
    Life with a dog.
    Life with a dog.
    Life with a dog.

    Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin’s Regular Press Conference on June 15, 2022

    Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin
    Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin

    The 12th Meeting of BRICS National Security Advisers and High Representatives on National Security will be held virtually on June 15. Yang Jiechi, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, will chair the meeting in Beijing. National security advisers and high representatives on national security of South Africa, Brazil, Russia and India will attend the event.

    Al Jazeera: It is reported that the US Air Force’s RC-135V reconnaissance aircraft today conducted what was suspected to be reconnaissance on China over the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea. Do you have any comment?

    Wang Wenbin: For quite some time, the US side has frequently sent aircraft and vessels to conduct close-in reconnaissance on China. Such acts cause serious danger to China’s defense security. China urges the US to immediately stop such dangerous acts of provocation. We will continue to take necessary measures to firmly safeguard our sovereignty and security interests.

    People’s Daily: Could you share with us China’s expectations for the 12th Meeting of BRICS National Security Advisers and High Representatives on National Security? 

    Wang Wenbin: The Meeting of BRICS National Security Advisers and High Representatives on National Security is an important platform for BRICS countries to enhance political and security cooperation. At the upcoming meeting, national security advisers and high representatives on national security of the five BRICS countries will have an in-depth exchange of views, coordinate positions and build consensus on a range of issues including multilateralism and global governance, new threats and challenges to national security, and governance in new domains.

    With profound changes in the international landscape interwoven with a pandemic unseen in a century, our world has entered a new phase of turbulence and transformation. As the current BRICS chair, China looks forward to working with fellow BRICS members to achieve positive results through this meeting, further consolidate political mutual trust, deepen political and security cooperation, uphold the five countries’ security and development interests, and contribute to world peace and stability.

    Associated Press of Pakistan: The seventh China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Media Forum was recently held offline and online. Leaders and officials from China and Pakistan attended the forum. Do you have any comment on that?

    Wang Wenbin: The seventh CPEC Media Forum was recently hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan and sponsored by China Economic Net and Pakistan-China Institute in an online plus offline format. Around 200 people from various sectors in China and Pakistan including senior officials, diplomats, media practitioners and think tank representatives attended the forum virtually. The theme of this forum is “Enhance New Media Cooperation to Depict the Multidimensional and Comprehensive CPEC”. In-depth exchange and discussion was held on such topics as “Pakistan, Global Development Initiative, and the Role of Media”, the latest update on the Belt and Road Initiative and CPEC development, and “Give Scope to Media to Objectively and Fairly Report CPEC”. A ceremony was held to present the book “China-Pakistan Economic Corridor: Stories Behind” and the “CPEC Communication Award”. The Chinese Embassy in Pakistan has put out a press release on the event.

    We hope Chinese and Pakistani media will continue to be a bridge connecting the two countries, do a good job in telling the story of China-Pakistan cooperation, jointly reject disinformation, and contribute more to CPEC development, socioeconomic progress in both countries and closer people-to-people exchange.

    Formal Questions.
    Formal Questions.

     

    Reuters: Officials in Taiwan have complained to organizers of the 2022 Qatar World Cup about the fact that football fans for the World Cup currently have to select an option saying that they are part of Taiwan as a province of China. And there’s no option for Taiwan being a separate option when they buy their tickets. And they have asked the Qatar World Cup organizers to rectify this. Does the Chinese foreign ministry have a comment?

    Wang Wenbin: I am not aware of what you mentioned. I would like to reiterate that Taiwan is part of China and adhering to the one-China principle is a basic norm governing international relations and shared consensus of the international community. 

    CCTV: According to US media reports, during the US troops’ withdrawal from Afghanistan last August, at least two Afghans fell to their deaths from a US C-17 cargo airplane which hastily took off from Kabul airport. Nearly 10 months later, the US military announced the conclusion of investigations of the incident which said that the aircrew was in compliance with applicable rules. Do you have any comment?

    Wang Wenbin: Impunity of US military personnel over wrongdoings is nothing new. There have been too many cases where the US shields and exonerates the military from its crimes. 

    On August 29, 2021, the US military stationed in Afghanistan launched a drone attack on a civilian residence in Kabul on counter-terrorism grounds which killed 10 civilians, the youngest of whom were only two years old. However, the US announced that US military personnel involved in this drone attack in Kabul would not face any form of punishment. 

    In September 2020, in retaliation to the International Criminal Court’s investigation into the US military’s war crimes in Afghanistan, the US announced sanctions against two ICC high-ranking officials. 

    In November 2019, the US granted clemency to three US service members who had committed war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq. 

    These cold, ruthless cases are evidence that the US couldn’t care less about lives in other countries and their people’s human rights. The reality seems to suggest that the US military can enjoy impunity over wrong killings simply because the US is a mighty power, while people in countries like Afghanistan and Iraq are wrongly killed and yet cannot receive justice just because their countries are weaker. This is what the US’s rules are really about — a 21st-century law of the jungle. 

    However, hegemony will not last and justice will prevail. People across the world have now seen through the hypocrisy of the US on “protecting human rights”. The US must and will be held accountable and duly punished for the harm it has done to the human rights of people in other countries. 

    Bloomberg: Do you have any comment on the recent Sheffield Hallam University report that polyvinyl chloride factories in Xinjiang are employing forced labor?

    Wang Wenbin: The so-called “forced labor” in Xinjiang is a big lie made by anti-China forces. It is a lie against logic, against facts and against legal principles.

    No one have been forced to become “transferred laborers” in Xinjiang. Workers of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang choose their professions according to their own will. Labor contracts are signed between workers and companies on an equal and voluntary basis in accordance with laws and regulations, including the Labour Law of the People’s Republic of China, and the workers are paid accordingly. They are free to choose where they want to work. Their right to obtain remunerations for labor, take rests, have holidays and leaves, receive labor safety and sanitation protection and enjoy social insurance and welfare treatment are protected in accordance with law.

    For many months, anti-China forces have falsely alleged that the cotton industry in Xinjiang uses “forced labor”. The fact, however, is that large-scale mechanized and industrialized production has become the norm in Xinjiang. In cotton production for example, more than 98 percent of seed-sowing is done through comprehensive mechanized methods in most areas. In some places, BeiDou Navigation and auto pilot technologies have been applied to sowing machines. Cotton farming has evolved from using primitive methods such as irrigation ditches and manual harvesting in the early days to today’s modern methods of efficient drip irrigation and mechanical harvesters. It is absurd to create the false impression that today’s Xinjiang is like the US in the 19th century where plantation owners forced black slaves to pick cotton. Are those responsible for the allegations indicating that mechanical labor is also a type of forced labor?

    As we have seen, some people have lately come up with new lies about “forced labor” in the building material industry in Xinjiang. Although the script keeps changing, their approach and narratives are similarly clumsy. 

    I must point out that the term “forced labor” has a clear legal definition. It is stipulated in the International Labour Organization’s Forced Labour Convention (1930). According to the convention, “the term forced or compulsory labour shall mean all work or service which is exacted from any person under the menace of any penalty and for which the said person has not offered himself voluntarily”. The Chinese government has ratified 28 ILO conventions including the Forced Labour Convention (1930) and is in faithful compliance with the obligations of international conventions. China applies international labor and human rights standards in its legislation, policymaking and policy implementation, to effectively safeguard workers’ rights. China opposes forced labor. Article 29 in the Regulations of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region on the Protection of Labor Rights and Interests explicitly prohibits employers and management personnel from forcing employees to work with violence, threats and by other illegal means. It is a far cry from facts to say that there is “forced labor” in Xinjiang. 

    I noticed that the report you cited also mentioned the US’s Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. The so-called act is not based on facts at all. Under the legislation, importers are required to provide evidence that demonstrates that relevant goods do not involve forced labor. Such acts of presumption of guilt runs counter to the basic legal principle of presumption of innocence. This only serves to prove that the allegation of “forced labor” is nothing but a pretext used by the US side in an effort to seek political manipulation for the sheer purpose of destabilizing Xinjiang and containing China’s development. 

    The fact is, forced labor exists not in Xinjiang, but in the US. The US still has not ratified the Forced Labour Convention (1930). In the US’s immigration detention system, over 70 percent of detainees are held in private detention centers, where they are required to participate in labor through the so-called “voluntary work programs”. Voluntary in name, the program is in fact about forced labor, as inmates who do not take part will be deprived of the access to necessities and put in solitary confinement as criminals. And those who comply are only paid one dollar for every eight hours of intensive labor. The US is also the only country in the world that has not ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. And still about 500,000 child farmworkers are toiling in the fields. The Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations of ILO has criticized child labor and forced labor in the US for many years running. And the Committee on the Application of Standards of ILO examined the US among individual country cases related to the observance of the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention at the 103rd Session of the International Labour Conference.

    We urge the international community to look into the crimes of forced labor in the US so that justice can be upheld.

    Wang Wenbin
    Wang Wenbin

     

    Shenzhen TV: We have noticed that the International Forum for Trilateral Cooperation 2022 was held in the Republic of Korea (ROK) on June 14. Foreign ministers of China, Japan and the ROK sent congratulatory messages to the Forum. Can you share more information on that? What’s China’s expectations for the trilateral cooperation?

    Wang Wenbin: The International Forum for Trilateral Cooperation 2022 was held in the ROK on June 14 in an online and offline format. China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the ROK’s Foreign Minister Park Jin and Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi sent congratulatory messages to the Forum. The three foreign ministers agreed that as permanent close neighbors and important cooperation partners, China, Japan and the ROK need to enhance mutual trust, work in solidarity and coordination, jointly inject more positive energy into regional peace and economic recovery and friendship between the peoples, and continuously move forward the trilateral cooperation. Renowned representatives in the political, business and academic sectors attended the Forum and former Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Zhang Ping attended the opening ceremony via video link and delivered a keynote speech. Participants of the three countries had in-depth discussions under the theme “Future-Oriented Trilateral Cooperation: Lasting Peace, Common Prosperity, Shared Culture” and put forward suggestions for improving the cooperation mechanism, promoting inclusive growth and stepping up cultural exchanges. 

    China, Japan and the ROK are close neighbors and important development partners. Since its inception more than 20 years ago, the trilateral cooperation has played a positive role in maintaining peace and stability in Northeast Asia, guiding regional economic cooperation and promoting world development and prosperity. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the ROK and the 50th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan relations. As important countries in the region and major economies in the world, the three countries need to enhance mutual trust, actively conduct positive interactions and release useful messages of long-term peace, friendship and cooperation among the three countries. We need to expand common interests and make the pie of cooperation bigger in digital economy, green development and public health. We need to promote closer people-to-people ties, guide people of the three countries, especially young people, to enhance mutual understanding and friendship, and create a positive, steady and healthy social atmosphere. 

    China is ready to work with the ROK and Japan to advance the trilateral cooperation with an eye on the fundamental and long-term interests of the people in the three countries and the region and in the spirit of partnership, and help build a more secure, stable, open and prosperous Northeast Asia.

    Reuters: Comments have emerged from the White House suggesting that the US is considering changing some of what it calls “irresponsible tariffs on Chinese goods”. What’s Chinese foreign ministry’s comment?

    Wang Wenbin: I would like to refer you to competent authorities for these specific questions. 

    To reiterate our principled position, China-US economic and trade cooperation is mutually beneficial and win-win in nature. No one will emerge as a winner in a trade war or tariff war. With inflation rates running high across the globe, the US needs to lift all the additional tariffs imposed on China, as this will serve the interests of businesses and consumers and benefit both countries and the world at large. 

    Beijing Youth Daily: It is reported that in its latest report, Anzer, a cybersecurity information platform, revealed that the Office of Tailored Access Operations (TAO), a unit under the US National Security Agency (NSA), has indiscriminately “grabbed” data from internet users around the world and that the US uses submarines to tap undersea fiber-optic cables and cables. TAO has handed cyber weapons over to the US and other “Five Eyes” countries, and the British government has engaged in cyber theft against the EU headquarters through infiltration into its telecommunications provider. Besides, the US government has also asked American Internet companies to work with them in the research and development of cyber weapons, including those targeting Chinese telecommunications equipment. Do you have any comment?

    Wang Wenbin: We’ve noted the report. It shows once again that the US has become the primary threat to cybersecurity for not only China, but also the world at large. 

    The information revealed by the report demonstrates that the cyber agencies of the UK and other “Five Eyes” countries as well as some European countries have assisted and participated in the US’s cyber theft operations around the globe. This indicates that the US has been building an “axis of cyber theft” with the US at its center.

    It is worth noticing that the report pointed out that some US-based software and hardware companies have been involved in almost each and every stage of the US’s cyber weapons research and development. A report released by China’s National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center not long ago points out that for the existing international internet backbone network and critical information infrastructure that contain software or hardware provided by US companies, it is highly likely that various types of backdoor could be installed, making them targets of US government cyberattacks wherever they are. It’s obvious that the US’s attack and smear against China citing national security grounds is aimed for nothing but facilitating its irresponsible cyber theft.

    China urges the US to immediately stop malicious cyber activities around the world and be responsible in cyberspace.

    Questions.
    Questions being asked.

     

    China News Service: At the 50th session of the UN Human Rights Council on June 14, Cuba delivered a joint statement on behalf of nearly 70 countries to voice support for China’s position on issues related to Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Tibet and to express opposition to interference in China’s internal affairs under the pretext of human rights. Do you have any comment on this? 

    Wang Wenbin: On June 14, Cuba delivered a joint statement on behalf of nearly 70 countries at the 50th session of the UN Human Rights Council. The joint statement stressed that Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Tibetan affairs are China’s internal affairs; we oppose politicization of human rights and double standards, or interference in China’s internal affairs under the pretext of human rights; we maintain that all parties should abide by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and respect the right of the people of each state to choose independently the path for development in accordance with their national conditions; the international community should uphold multilateralism, strengthen solidarity and coordination, respond jointly to global challenges, advance world peace and development, and promote and protect human rights. Dozens more countries either have voiced or are ready to voice their support to China’s justified position in their separate statements or by sending joint letters.

    As an old Chinese saying goes, “A virtuous mind is not alone. It can always find company.” Once again, nearly a hundred countries at the Human Rights Council spoke up for justice. And once again, the attempt of a handful of Western countries to attack and smear China on Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Tibet has been thwarted. This fully shows that political manipulation through human rights issues and interference in other countries’ internal affairs will find no support and will never succeed. For those very few Western countries, desperately repeating the lies and rumors only further exposes their hidden political agenda and malicious intention. Whatever stunt they pull, they would never stop the Chinese people’s solid steps toward development and progress. China will not waver in its resolve to uphold its sovereignty, security and development interests. 

    There is a Chinese proverb, “A thief crying ‘stop the thief’.” Facts show that it is those few Western countries that ignore and trample upon human rights. Oblivious to the serious human rights problems at home, they often criticize and lecture other countries condescendingly on human rights. They have waged numerous wars to invade other countries that killed nearly a million people and displaced tens of thousands. They are the No.1 origin of human rights tragedies in the world. A word of advice for these Western countries: Please keep your hypocrisy, arrogance and prejudice to yourselves and stop using human rights as a pretext to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs and hold back their development. The days are over for you to ride roughshod over the developing countries. 

    Phoenix TV: According to a Bloomberg report, a study by the University of Chicago found that “China has reduced air pollution nearly as much in seven years as the US did in three decades, helping to bring down average global smog levels in the process”. This “would add about two years to average life expectancy if sustained”in China. It is “a strong indication of the opportunities that could lie ahead for other nations if they were to impose strong pollution policies”. Do you have any comment?

    Wang Wenbin: The report provides evidence of the good progress China has achieved in reducing its air pollution and its significant contribution to global environmental governance. For those of you who are posted here foreign journalists, I’m sure you have also seen and felt the improvement in China’s air quality. We are seeing fewer hazy days, more clear blue skies, cleaner waters and greener hills. People are benefiting tangibly from the conservation efforts. I would like to share with you some figures. In 2021, across 339 cities at or above the prefecture level, the air quality was either good or excellent on 87.5 percent of the days, 0.5 percentage point higher than 2020; Up to 64.3 percent of Chinese cities met the national air quality standard; The average PM2.5 concentration was 30 micrograms per cubic meter, down 9.1 percent year-on-year. 

    I would like to take this opportunity to say that this week is the 32nd National Energy Conservation Week in China. Today, June 15, is this year’s national low-carbon day with the theme of “actions toward carbon peak and carbon neutrality to jointly build a beautiful homeland”. Improving the awareness and capacity of the whole society in energy conservation, promoting a green way of living and production, and encouraging the whole society to take part in low-carbon actions is a vital part of the efforts to build an ecological civilization and build a beautiful China. China upholds the vision to build a community of life for man and Nature, and follows a development path that prioritizes ecological conservation and pursues green and low-carbon growth. A clean, beautiful and green planet is an ideal shared by people of all countries. We will join this common effort, start by making personal contribution and start with small things in our daily life to raise the awareness of energy conservation and emission reduction and lead a green and low-carbon lifestyle. Let’s each play our part in protecting the planet we all call home and promoting sustainable development.

    Reuters: The British government has decided to buy 20 percent stake in the Sizewell nuclear power plant, which would mean that it no longer requires the funding from the China General Nuclear Power. What’s the Chinese foreign ministry’s comment?

    Wang Wenbin: I am not aware of what you mentioned. We hope the UK will provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies. 

    Italian Sausage Lasagna

    Italian Sausage Lasagna
    Italian Sausage Lasagna

    Dear Friends, Sorry to Announce a Genocide: Dr. Naomi Wolf on the Pfizer “Confidential Report”

    It’s Really True: They Know they are Killing the Babies

    First published by Global Research on May 31, 2022

    I’ve been silent for some weeks. Forgive me.

    The truth is: I’ve been rendered almost speechless — or the literary equivalent of that — because recently I’ve had the unenviable task of trying to announce to the world that indeed, a genocide — or what I’ve called, clumsily but urgently, a “baby die-off” — is underway.

    The WarRoom/DailyClout Pfizer Documents Research Volunteers, a group of 3000 highly credentialled doctors, RNs, biostatisticians, medical fraud investigators, lab clinicians and research scientists, have been turning out report after report, as you may know, to tell the world what is in the 55,000 internal Pfizer documents which the FDA had asked a court to keep under wraps for 75 years.

    By court order, these documents were forcibly disclosed. And our experts are serving humanity by reading through these documents and explaining them in lay terms. You can find all of the Volunteers’ reports on DailyClout.io.

    The lies revealed are stunning.

    The WarRoom/DailyClout Volunteers have confirmed:

    that Pfizer (and thus the FDA) knew by December 2020 that the MRNA vaccines did not work — that they “waned in efficacy” and presented “vaccine failure.” One side effect of getting vaccinated, as they knew by one month after the mass 2020 rollout, was “COVID.”

    Pfizer knew in May of 2021 that 35 minors’ hearts had been damaged a week after MRNA injection — but the FDA rolled out the EUA for teens a month later anyway, and parents did not get a press release from the US government about heart harms til August of 2021, after thousands of teens were vaccinated. [See this]

    Pfizer (and thus the FDA; many of the documents say “FDA: CONFIDENTIAL” at the lower boundary) knew that, contrary to what the highly paid spokesmodels and bought-off physicians were assuring people, the MRNA, spike protein and lipid nanoparticles did not stay in the injection site in the deltoid, but rather went, within 48 hours, into the bloodstream, from there to lodge in the liver, spleen, adrenals, lymph nodes, and, if you are a woman, in the ovaries. [See this]

    Pfizer (and thus the FDA) knew that the Moderna vaccine had 100 mcg of MRNA, lipid nanoparticles and spike protein, which was more than three times the 30 mcg of the adult Pfizer dose; the company’s internal documents show a higher rate of adverse events with the 100 mcg dose, so they stopped experimenting with that amount internally due to its “reactogenicity” — Pfizer’s words — but no one told all of the millions of Americans who all got the first and second 100 mcg Moderna dose, and the boosters.

    Pfizer skewed the trial subjects so that almost three quarters were female — a gender that is less prone to cardiac damage. Pfizer lost the records of what became of hundreds of their trial subjects.

    In the internal trials, there were over 42,000 adverse events and more than 1200 people died. Four of the people who died, died on the day they were injected.

    Adverse events tallied up in the internal Pfizer documents are completely different from those reported on the CDC website or announced by corrupted physicians and medical organizations and hospitals. These include vast columns of joint pain, muscle pain (myalgia), masses of neurological effects include MS, Guillain Barre and Bell’s Palsy, encephaly, every iteration possible of blood clotting, thrombocytopenia at scale, strokes, hemorrhages, and many kinds of ruptures of membranes throughout the human body.

    The side effects about which Pfizer and the FDA knew but you did not, include blistering problems, rashes, shingles, and herpetic conditions (indeed, a range of blistering conditions oddly foreshadowing the symptoms of monkeypox).

    The internal documents show that Pfizer (and thus the FDA) knew that angry red welts or hives were a common reaction to the PEG, a petroleum-derived allergen in the vaccine ingredients — one that you are certainly not supposed to ingest. Indeed, PEG is an allergen so severe that many people can go into anaphylactic shock if they are exposed to it. But people with a PEG allergy were not warned away from the vaccines or even carefully watched by their doctors, EpiPen in hand. They were left to their shock.

    Pfizer knew that “exposure” to the vaccine was defined — in their own words – as sexual contact (especially at time of conception), skin contact, inhalation or lactation. [See this]. ‘Fact-checkers’ can deny this all they want. The documents speak for themselves.

    Of course, people who have tried to raise any of these issues have been deplatformed, scolded by the President, called insane, and roundly punished.

    Athletes and college students and teenagers are collapsing on football and soccer fields. Doctors wring their hands and express mystification. But BioNTech’s SEC filing shows a fact about which the CDC and the AMA breathe not a word: fainting so violently that you may hurt yourself is one of the side effects important enough for BioNTech to highlight to the SEC.

    But not to highlight to you and me.

    I was able to process all of this and keep simply reporting. But in the last few weeks the horror overcame me. Because now, the Volunteers, under the excellent leadership of Program Manager Amy Kelly, have confirmed that there is a genocide underway, intentionally driven or not. And Israeli journalist Etana Hecht has added her own superb analysis. Here is Ms Hecht’s summary of the Volunteers’ findings:

    It seems that there can indeed be a happenstance genocide. Reproduction itself is targeted, intentionally or not, by the mRNA vaccines. And if you know that reproduction is harmed, and babies and fetuses are harmed, and you know that this is at scale, which everyone at Pfizer and at the FDA who read these documents, knew —and if you do not stop — then does that not ultimately become a genocide?

    The WarRoom/DailyClout volunteers have confirmed that lipid nanoparticles, the tiny hard fatty casings that contain the MRNA, traverse the amniotic membrane. That means that they enter the fetal environment, of course. (They also traverse the blood-brain barrier, which may help explain the post-MRNA vaccination strokes and cognitive issues we are seeing). The Volunteers have drilled deep into the Pfizer documents’ reports about pregnancy and found that the assurance that the vaccine is “safe and effective” for pregnant women, was based on a study of 44 French rats, followed for 42 days (the scientists who ran the study are shareholders or employees of BioNTech). [See this]

    The Volunteers found that while pregnant women were excluded from the internal studies, and thus from the EUA on which basis all pregnant women were assured the vaccine was “safe and effective”, nonetheless about 270 women got pregnant during the study. More than 230 of them were lost somehow to history. But of the 36 pregnant women whose outcomes were followed – 28 lost their babies.

    The Volunteers found that a baby died after nursing from a vaccinated lactating mother, and was found to have had an inflamed liver. Many babies nursing from vaccinated mothers showed agitation, gastrointestinal distress, and failure to thrive (to grow), and were inconsolable.

    I am hearing anecdotal reports of these symptoms in babies nursing from vaccinated mothers, now, from across the country.

    The Pfizer documents also show that some vaccinated mothers had suppressed lactation, or could produce no milk at all.

    Doctors, of course, are stumped by all this. Stumped.

    The NIH database has a preprint study making the case that there are negligible amounts of PEG in the breast milk of vaccinated women. [See this]

    But what is a negligible amount of a petroleum product in mother’s milk, when you are a tiny newborn with no immunities, just arriving in the world? The NIH preprint itself reported higher levels of GI distress and sleeplessness in the infants studied, and one mother had elevated PEG levels in breast milk, and the fine print concludes that more study is needed:

    “Larger studies are needed to increase our understanding of transfer of PEG into human milk, and potential effects after ingestion by the infant. Although expert consensus states there is minimal or no potential risk for the infant from maternal COVID-19 vaccination(20,21), the minor symptoms that were reported (sleep changes and gastrointestinal symptoms) could be further investigated in future studies to determine if they are related to vaccination.”

    Since no babies died in the brief time frame of the tiny study, the study concluded that nursing babies suffered no real ill effects from vaccinated mothers. But the study did not follow these poor babies, with their acknowledged sleeplessness and their confirmed GI distress, to see if they actually “thrived” — gained weight and developed normally.

    On such faulty science were women assured that the vaccines were “safe and effective” for them and their nursing babies.

    But — four of the lactating vaccinated women in the Pfizer documents reported “blue-green” breast milk. I am not making this up. And the nursing baby who died, with an inflamed liver — the case has been buried; has not made headlines.

    Coincidentally — or not — the SAME FDA that turned a blind eye to vast harms to humans, and to the subcategory of moms and babies, in the Pfizer documents, declared that Abbot, a major producer of baby formula in the US, had to close its factory. [See this]

    Coincidentally, with little formula available and with some or many (we don’t know) vaccinated moms having compromised breast milk, it turns out that Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, and Mark Zuckerberg have all invested in a startup called “BioMilq” — which produces lab grown breast milk from mammary cells. [See this]. Reports of this startup include this Frankenstein-like language as if this is normal:

    “The BIOMILQ team creates its product from cells taken from human breast tissue and milk, donated by women in the local community, who get a Target giftcard in return.” [See this]

    As if all of this is not horrific enough, Ms Hecht drew studies from three countries — Canada, Scotland and now Israel – -to show that babies are dying disproportionately, during and after 2021, in highly vaccinated countries, and that newborns are dying disproportionately if they have vaccinated mothers versus unvaccinated mothers.

    In highly vaccinated Scotland, almost twice the number of babies died in 2021 as died in baseline numbers. 

    In Ontario, Canada, 86 babies died in 2021, versus a baseline of four or five; this was a baby die-off so severe that a brave Parliamentarian brought the issue to Parliament. [See this].

    In Israel, at RamBam Hospital in Haifa, there were 34% more spontaneous abortions and stillbirths to vaccinated women as to unvaccinated women.

    Ms Hecht also notes that menstrual dysregulation in vaccinated women is fully confirmed now by many studies, with an average of one extra day of bleeding a month (a side effect about which I warned about in March of 2021, which in turn got me called names by a CNN commentator and permanently deplatformed from Twitter).

    You don’t have to know more than eighth grade biology to know that a dysregulated menstrual cycle, not to mention spike protein accumulating in the ovaries, not to mention the traversing of the bodies’ membranes, including the amniotic sac, by tiny hard fatty lipid nanoparticles, not to mention PEG in breast milk, is all going to affect fertility, fetal health, childbirth, and babies’ GI wellbeing or distress, and thus their ability or failure to thrive (let alone to bond).

    And now, the babies are dying. Now scale the data from Canada, Scotland and Israel to all the vaccinated nations in the world.

    What do we do with all of this?

    Knowing as I now do, that Pfizer and the FDA knew that babies were dying and mothers’ milk discoloring by just looking at their own internal records; knowing as I do that they did not alert anyone let alone stop what they were doing, and that to this day Pfizer, the FDA and other demonic “public health” entities are pushing to MRNA-vaccinate more and more pregnant women; now that they are about to force this on women in Africa and other lower income nations who are not seeking the MRNA vaccines, per Pfizer CEO Bourla this past week at the WEF, and knowing that Pfizer is pushing and may even receive a US EUA for babies to five year olds — I must conclude that we are looking into an abyss of evil not seen since 1945.

    So I don’t know about you, but I must switch gears with this kind of unspeakable knowledge to another kind of discourse.

    I am not saying that this is exactly like finding evidence of Dr Mengele’s experiments; but I am saying, with these findings, that now the comparison may not be that excessive.

    These anti-humans at Pfizer, speaking at the WEF; these anti-humans at the FDA; knowing what they know; are targeting the miraculous female body, with its ability to conceive, gestate, birth and nurture life. They are targeting the female body’s ability to sustain a newborn human being with nothing but itself. They are targeting the amniotic membrane, the ovaries that release the ovum, they are targeting the lymph and blood that help support the building up of mother’s milk, they are targeting the fetus in utero, helpless.

    They are targeting the human fetus’ very environment, one of the most sacred spaces on this earth, if not the most sacred.

    And they know it.

    I don’t know about you, and I am not proselytizing, but as you may know if you read me here, these apocalyptic days, I turn to prayer. I have started to say in public, once I had to face the fact of the die-off of the babies, that this is a Biblical time; and I mean Old Testament Biblical.

    It is a time like that of the construction of the Tower of Babel — of massive arrogance against divine plans. Men such Bill Gates tamper with and seek to outdo God’s best works in lab after lab, and Tech Bros “disrupt” the human competition for their unsought-after goods and services, by targeting human processes and by ruining the bodies made in the image of God.

    It is a time like that when the ten plagues assailed the Egyptians in Exodus 11:4-6:

    “4 So Moses said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt.Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the female slave, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt—worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. 7”

    This was the worst plague of all, the slaying of the firstborn.

    It is a time of ha-Satan — Satan — “going to and fro in the earth, and […] walking up and down in it”, as Job 2 describes him.

    It is a time of demons sauntering around in human spaces, though they look human enough themselves, smug in their Italian suits on panels at the World Economic Forum.

    Ha-Satan – and his armies: ruining the conception, the milk, the menses, the touch, the cradling of the infant by its mother, ruining the feeding of the infant; ruining the babies themselves.

    I read the Prophets a lot these days — because how could I not? I am looking for what writer Annie Lamott called “Operating Instructions.” What do you do when humanity itself is threatened? When there are professional battalions and bureaucratic departments of people who act with anathema toward the human race?

    Surely there must be a clue.

    So I reread the story of Noah, and the Book of Esther, a lot these days; I reread Jeremiah.

    We’ve been here before. Embarrassingly often, when it comes to that.

    The story is always the same, at least in the Hebrew Bible (in the New Testament, of course, God skips to the end and upends the plot).

    At least in the Hebrew Bible, God is always trying to get our attention, always, it seems, simply asking us just to walk alongside him; simply asking us to keep his not–too-challenging commandments; not, indeed, asking a lot.

    Jeremiah 1:13:

    The word of the Lord came to me again: “What do you see?”

    “I see a pot that is boiling,” I answered. “It is tilting toward us from the north.”

    14 The Lord said to me, “From the north disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land. 15 I am about to summon all the peoples of the northern kingdoms,” declares the Lord.

    “Their kings will come and set up their thrones
    in the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem;
    they will come against all her surrounding walls
    and against all the towns of Judah.
    16 I will pronounce my judgments on my people
    because of their wickedness in forsaking me,
    in burning incense to other gods
    and in worshiping what their hands have made.”

    In the Hebrew Bible, anyway, the math is simple. We turn, we listen, and we are saved; or we carry on heedlessly, worshipping what our own hands have made, sluts to other gods — to “the science,” to media lies; to the narcissism of convention, these days, one might say — and thus we are lost.

    We have been nearly lost, time after time after time.

    This time could really be the last time; these monsters in the labs, on the transnational panels, are so very skillful; and so powerful; and their dark work is so extensive.

    If God is there — again — after all the times that we have tried his patience — and who indeed knows? – will we reach out a hand to him in return, will we take hold in the last moment out of this abyss, and simply find a way somehow to walk alongside him?

    Or will we this time, in losing the babies, and heedlessly carrying on nonetheless — be truly lost ourselves?

    Enigma MCMXC a.d (Full Album)

    I’ve been a fan from 1990. One of a kind of music! And it never gets old! It’s just timeless! Still listening and will ’till the end of days…

    How to Make Blueberry Pie Filling

    A fine inspiration for some delicious blueberry pie to charm your family and surprise your friends with. Oh, and don’t forget to have some quality ice cream in the freezer. -MM

    Quick and easy blueberry pie filling recipe that’s made with only 5 ingredients: blueberries, sugar, vanilla, lemon, cornstarch. It can be used as topping or filling in many desserts.

    For the longest time, I used to be intimidated by making HOMEMADE blueberry pie filling or any fillings, whatsoever. However, after a bit of practice and my mom guiding me along, I really enjoy making pie fillings from scratch now.

    They taste so much BETTER than canned fillings and you can ADJUST the flavors and extracts, based on your preference.

    They also always have a wonderful FRESH flavor and aroma that’s intoxicating in desserts.

    How do you make blueberry pie filling with frozen blueberries?

    Add blueberries in a nonstick saucepan and cook until they release their juices. Separately, whisk together sugar and cornstarch and add this into the saucepan. Continue mixing until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and add vanilla extract and lemon juice.

    How do you make blueberry sauce?

    It’s made the same way as blueberry pie filling but it is sweeter and more sugar should be added to this recipe. Many people also believe that both are the same and there is no difference.

    How do you make a blueberry pie?

    1. Bake a pie crust (store-bought or homemade).
    2. Fill it with this blueberry pie filling.
    3. Top it off with whipped cream.
    4. Decorate with chocolate shavings.

    What thickens pie filling?

    There are many options:

    1. Use CORNSTARCH as a thickener. It’s best to dissolve it in some water first so there are no lumps.
    2. Make blueberry pie filling with TAPIOCA FLOUR.
    3. Use regular ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR. I have noticed that this leaves a subtle after-taste and makes the filling a bit cloudy.
    4. Use CLERAR JEL/CLEAR GEL, which thickens very well and also prevents the cloudy appearance.

    If you are planning on making blueberry pie filling without cornstarch because of allergies or intolerances, tapioca flour, all-purpose flour and Clear Jel would all be good choices.

    Tips for homemade blueberry pie filling:

    • If you are knowledgable on canning, you can easily follow those techniques to make canned blueberry pie filling and enjoy it for months.
    • I used cornstarch to thicken this pie filling but you can also use tapioca flour, all-purpose flour or Clear Jel.
    • This FROZEN blueberry pie filling can also be made with FRESH blueberries.
    • ADJUST the amount of sugar, based on your preference. More sugar makes a sweet pie filling. less sugar makes a slightly tart pie filling.
    • Add a little lemon zest, lime zest or even orange zest to give this filling a slight citrus kick.
    • Add a little cinnamon powder to add a little spice to this filling.
    • You must use a NON-STICK saucepan to prevent the filling from burning or sticking.
    • This filling will THICKEN a bit more as it cools down.
    • This filling is enough for a 9 inch pie.

    Blueberry pie filling uses:

    There are MANY recipes using blueberry pie filling and below are some blueberry pie filling desserts that I have tried and enjoyed.

    • Blueberry pie filling crisp: Use your family’s no fail crisp recipe and replace the canned filling with this homemade blueberry version.
    • Blueberry pie filling bread: Use it as a topping on the bread or slice the bread in half and use it as a filling.
    • Blueberry pie filling bars: Use your favorite bars recipe and replace whatever fruit filling you are using with this one.
    • Blueberry pie filling muffins: After your muffins have baked, make a hole in teh center and fill it with a spoonful of this filling. It would be a nice fruity surprise to bite into.
    • Blueberry pie filling coffee cake: Use your favorite fruit coffee cake and replace the fruit filling with this blueberry one.
    • Blueberry pie filling cobbler: Use your family’s no fail crisp recipe and replace the canned filling with this homemade blueberry version.
    • Blueberry pie filling dump cake: This is a very easy cake that’s usually made it the slow cooker with a cake mix and canned filling. Just replace the canned filling with my recipe.
    • Crepe, waffle or pancake filling or topping
    • Cake filling
    • Cupcake filling
    • Scone topping
    • Ice cream topping
    • Trifles
    • Yogurt topping
    • Cheesecake topping

     

    How to make it happen.

    VIDEO: Miami Shootout Looks Like War Zone (Jesus H. Christ!)

    One minute surveillance video (below) from a private home doorbell camera portrays some of the nearly 200 shots fired in NW Miami-Dade, Florida.

    The shooters killed one and wounded several others near 99th St and 21st Ct.

    Police have made arrests. Those arrested are linked to other high-profile crimes in Miami-Dade.

     

    HAL TURNER EDITORIAL OPINION

    If this is how things are now, here in parts of the U.S., just TRY to imagine how ferocious they will be when everything falls apart economically, and with the food supply.

    To say we’re in for a “shit storm” is a massive understatement.

    Look at how fast this started and stopped.

    A quiet residential neighborhood.  Presumably a reasonably safe area.

    In come the hoodlums.  They get out of their car and within seconds. war zone.

    This is how fast it can happen where YOU live.

    And I fear that, for very many of us, this is exactly how fast, and how ferocious, it will be.

    I’m not certain how you can “prepare” for this level of violence happening so quickly.

    I guess it’s a state of mind, more than anything.  You know, having it down pat that if you hear gunshots you will get to whatever firearm you have, where ever you have it, and try to defend.

    But seeing how fast this began and ended, and knowing the sheer terror that a human being feels when he’s being shot at, with bullets teraing holes in walls, debris flying all over, the noise, the smell of gunpowder . . . its instant chaos on an emotional level.

    I am of the personal opinion that in many areas of the U.S., this is what will come when the food runs out, or the economy finally falls-over, dead.

    These people want what they want and are willing to take it by force.

    Will YOU be the one they do this too?  Will I be the one?

    None of us know.

    But at least with the video above, you get a real glimpse of how fast, and how ferocious, it can be.

    Depeche Mode – Personal Jesus (Official Video)

    Enjoy.

    FIRST TWO AMERICANS CAPTURED IN UKRAINE

    .

    Americans Robert Drueke, 39, and Andy Huynh, 27.
    Americans Robert Drueke, 39, and Andy Huynh, 27.

    Americans Robert Drueke, 39, and Andy Huynh, 27, have been captured by the Russian Army, fightng inside Ukraine.   Word is out they were captured last week.

    The pair were part of a ten-men squad which encountered Russian forces in Kharkiv.

    They disabled a Russian tank but then were lost in the fog of return fire and disappeared, comrades say.

    Drueke served in Iraq in the US Army but Huynh, a former Marine, has never been in active combat before.

    He gave an interview before he ventured to the region in which he said he was prepared to die.

    Developing . . .

    Two American Fighters Are Believed Captured By Russia In Ukraine

    wo American citizens and military veterans who were fighting alongside Ukraine forces against the Russian invasion are feared captured, CNN and other major media are reporting Thursday.

    Alexander John-Robert Drueke, 39, from Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh, 27, from Hartselle, Alabama are currently “missing” from the battlefield, however, their precise fate is as yet unconfirmed, according to a State Department official. 

    If their capture by the Russian army is confirmed, it would mark the first known instance that American volunteers have been taken into custody by Russia, raising the stakes and tensions significantly between Washington and Moscow.

    White House national security spokesman John Kirby didn’t confirm the reports, but strongly hinted that it’s the administration’s belief they were likely captured, given he stated to reporters the US government “will do everything we can” to get Huynh and Drueke back.

    The men’s families have sounded the alarm over their likely capture, describing that they lost all contact with the pair a week ago. Further CNN in a fresh report has revealed the following details of their last known whereabouts as follows

    A man who is acting as the team’s sergeant, who wished to remain anonymous for security reasons, provided CNN with photos of both men’s passports and their entry stamps into Ukraine. The man said that their unit was fighting under the command of Ukraine’s 92nd mechanized brigade on June 9, near the town of Izbytske.

    Drueke and Huynh, he said, went missing during the battle and subsequent search missions failed to find any remains. A post on a Russian propaganda channel on Telegram the following day claimed that two Americans had been captured near Kharkiv. “It was absolute chaos,” he told CNN. “There was about a hundred plus infantry advancing on our positions. We had a T72 firing on people from 30, 40 meters away.”

    Drueke’s modter said to CNN that “they are presumed to be prisoners of war, but that has not been confirmed.”

    Throughout Thursday morning the reports received such international attention that the Kremlin formally addressed the allegations of American foreign fighters in its custody:

    Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on June 16 in a televised program that Washington had not contacted Moscow regarding the two U.S. citizens.

    Huynh is a Marine veteran, while Drueke is an Army veteran – though little has as yet been revealed by the respective branches about their service record at this point.

    The US State Dept. now says the US is “closely monitoring the situation” and are “in contact with Ukrainian authorities” – but issued no further details based on “privacy considerations”. Likely if US officials had anything to make them believe that the Russian Telegram reports and claims are false, they would deny it.

    Last week there was shock and outrage in the West after a pair of British fighters that were in the Ukrainian army were handed death sentences after their capture during battles in the Donbas region by a pro-Russian Donetsk court. 28-year old Aiden Aslin and 48-year old Shaun Pinner were charged with “terrorism” and “being a mercenary”. A third foreigner, a Moroccan, was also tried alongside them and given the same sentence.

    Proud of Yourselves?

    Five-year-old children generally have no idea what adult sexuality is about….

    America has an eating disorder — have you noticed? — and a touch of the old sexual dysphoria — am I a boy or a girl? — and has been caught in its room playing with razor blades. Ergo: America is a thirteen-year-old girl in need of some therapeutic assistance. Who will answer the call for help?

    Here we are in the fat middle of Pride Month. Why is it, then, that the authorities have sent squadrons of drag queens out across the land like so many flying monkeys, flapping and shrieking from the candy-colored forests of Oz, to conduct “story hours” for children? Is America not sufficiently confused these days? Are drag queens really the best interlocutors for the doctrine of Diversity and Inclusion? Have we nothing better on offer to occupy childrens’ minds, say, learning to bake bread or build a bird-house? Practical skills they will need when the economy of Western Civ completes its disorienting descent out of Modern Times into the New Medieval?

    Does anyone actually know what children think about a drag queen reading, say, My Princess Boy by Cheryl Kilodavis to a roomful of five-year-old boys and girls? I mean, apart from what the parents who take them there tell us their children think. (“They were enchanted!”) We know that the parents are pretending that this is a wholesome developmental exercise. And yet, let’s face it: is it not the whole point of being a drag queen to present a horrifying parody of an adult female human? Something like women-as-monsters?

    A new progressive America.

    Do any of the mommies who bring their children to the drag queen story hour present themselves in public as women the way the drag queens do? As, above all, sexually super-available? Would, say, the Palo Alto mommy of a five-year-old pause to twerk in the frozen food section of the supermarket on any given afternoon? In that context, what might be the reaction of other mommies shopping for hot pockets and Ben and Jerry’s Chubby Hubby?

    Five-year-old children generally have no idea what adult sexuality is about. Should perhaps their first exposure to a realm so fraught and complex that many adults do not understand it be the presentation of women as monsters? And why are the mommies so avid for their children to be introduced to sexuality this way? Are some of the children perceptive and astute enough to suspect that drag queens on display are not really women? That, for instance, they might be… men? (A beard can be a give-away.) And might they take that thought a step or two further and ask themselves: why does this man want to pretend to be a monster-woman? Why doesn’t he want to be a daddy? Are mommies monsters? Can they turn into something like this when I’m not around? Are daddies who try to act like mommies monsters?

    How exactly is a child supposed to process all of this? All on its own, without any inversions, distortions, and misconstructions, sex is difficult for some young humans to process. By the time they reach the threshold of puberty — say, age thirteen for girls — the onset of sexual development is so alarming that they attempt to starve their way out of it and cut themselves up.

    Of course, we have not begun to probe what might animate a man to present himself to the world as a monstrous parody of a woman. Suffice it to say that such behavior suggests some complicated psychodynamics. And why, exactly, are they suddenly on-display so extravagantly now across the country, supposedly for the edification of children? I’ll tell you why: It’s not actually for the sake of the children. The children are just pawns in what is actually a national political psychodrama. Or rather, they are hostages.

    What you’re seeing is the Party of Chaos sending a message to the rest of us — those who are not members of the Party of Chaos. The message is: we will take your children and destroy their minds, and pretend that it’s just another module of their education… and you will know, and we will know, and you will know that we know that this is just a malicious shuck-and-jive to humiliate you while we wreck the machinery of civilization, which we hate because it requires boundaries and norms to function.

    And think of it: just days ago the FDA announced that it accepted Pfizer’s application for a Covid-19 vaccine for children between six months and five years old. That’s the same “safe and effective” vaccine they have been giving to the rest of you for over a year, which has produced adverse reactions and illnesses in rather striking numbers. Do you know why they did that? I’ll tell you why: to extend the emergency use authorization that shields Pfizer from legal liability for their mRNA vaccines. They are not content with wrecking civilization. They want to kill you and your children too.

    “The Economy Is Going To Collapse” – Here Are 18 Signs That The Economic Meltdown We Have Been Waiting For Has Already Begun

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    In all my years of writing, I have never seen more economic pessimism than I am seeing right now.  Over the past couple of months there has been a monumental shift in public sentiment, and now just about everyone realizes that we are heading into very troubled economic times. 

    Of course there were still a few economic optimists that were searching for a ray of hope, but the Federal Reserve left no room for optimism when it announced the largest interest rate hike in 28 years on Wednesday.  When the Fed aggressively raised rates in the early 1980s, it resulted in one of the most painful recessions in American history.  Unfortunately, many believe that what is ahead of us is going to be even worse.

    For example, legendary Wall Street investor Michael Novogratz is openly warning that “the economy is going to collapse”

    “The economy is going to collapse,” he told MarketWatch. “We are going to go into a really fast recession, and you can see that in lots of ways,” he added.

    “Housing is starting to roll over,” he said. “Inventories have exploded. There are layoffs in multiple industries, and the Fed is stuck [with a position of having to] hike [interest rates] until inflation rolls over.”

    Novogratz is correct, but I think that it would be more accurate to say that “the economy is already starting to collapse”.  The following are 18 signs that the economic meltdown we have been waiting for has already begun…

    #1 Stock prices have been plummeting in recent weeks, and that has resulted in almost 3 trillion dollars being erased from retirement accounts in the United States…

    The U.S. stock market rout that has put U.S. equities in a bear market isn’t just reducing the net worth of billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. It’s also taking a toll on Americans’ retirement savings, wiping out trillions of dollars in value.

    The selloff has erased nearly $3 trillion from U.S. retirement accounts, according to Alicia Munnell, director of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. By her calculations, 401(k) plan participants have lost about $1.4 trillion from their accounts since the end of 2021. People with IRAs — most of which are 401(k) rollovers — have lost $2 trillion this year.

    #2 The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell beneath the psychologically important 30,000 barrier for the first time in more than a year on Thursday.  If it cannot return to that level within the next few trading sessions, a lot of investors are really going to start to panic.

    #3 The Dow is now down 19 percent from the all-time high.

    #4 The S&P 500 is now down 24 percent from the all-time high.

    #5 The Nasdaq is now down 34 percent from the all-time high.  Just think about that for a moment.  A third of the value of the Nasdaq has already been wiped out.

    #6 Two-thirds of the value of all cryptocurrencies has already been wiped out since the peak of the market.  Last November, the total value of all cryptocurrencies had soared past the three trillion dollar mark.  As I write this article, that number has fallen to less than a trillion.

    #7 This week we witnessed the fastest rise in mortgage rates since 1987.  Needless to say, this is going to absolutely devastate the housing market…

    Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rate on the 30-year loan this week rose to 5.78% from 5.23%, the latest in a series of rapid increases and the biggest one-week jump since 1987. The rate is well above the 2.93% recorded just one year ago and marks the steepest level since November 2008.

    #8 The largest percentage of sellers ever recorded reduced the list price on their homes during the four week period ending June 12th.

    #9 In some parts of the nation, home prices have already fallen by as much as 20 percent.

    #10 Compared to the same period a year ago, the total number of mortgage applications was down 52.7 percent last week.

    #11 We just learned that housing starts in the U.S. fell 14.4 percent in May.

    #12 The number of permits for the construction of new homes was down 7 percent in May.

    #13 Wholesale prices continue to accelerate at a very alarming pace

    Wholesale prices rose at a brisk pace in May as inflation pressures mounted on the U.S. economy, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday.

    The producer price index, a measure of the prices paid to producers of goods and services, rose 0.8% for the month and 10.8% over the past year. The monthly rise was in line with Dow Jones estimates and a doubling of the 0.4% pace in April.

    #14 The Atlanta Fed’s GDPNow tracker is now projecting that economic growth during the second quarter will be 0 percent.

    #15 The Philadelphia Fed Business Index came in at a negative 3.3 reading for the month of June.  This represents the first contraction since the early days of the COVID pandemic.

    #16 One recent survey discovered that small business owners are “feeling their gloomiest in nearly five decades”.

    #17 At this point, 59 percent of manufacturers in the United States believe that a recession is coming.

    #18 Bloomberg is projecting that the probability of a recession during the next 24 months is 98.5 percent.

    But this was not supposed to happen.

    Last year, the talking heads on television assured us that a golden new age of prosperity was just around the corner and that the stock market could just keep going up indefinitely.

    In fact, many of those talking heads were telling us things that now look completely and utterly ridiculous in retrospect.

    Our leaders thought that they could defy the laws of economics, and for a while their “economic voodoo” seemed to be working.

    But the truth is that every time they kicked the can down the road they just made our long-term problems even worse.

    Now we have reached a point where the immediate future looks extremely bleak, and the outlook for our long-term future is absolutely nightmarish.

    If we would have made much different decisions along the way, we would not be facing such a horrifying crisis today.

    Unfortunately, what is done is done, and now we get to reap the consequences for the very foolish decisions that our leaders have been making.

    Deep Forest 1992 (Sound Enhanced) High Quality

    This fantastic Album is the first musical sensation from French duo Eric Mouquet and Michel Sanchez. The album mixes New Age electronics with UNESCO field recordings of music from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Solomon Islands, Burundi, Tibesti, and the Sahel.

    Some profits from this album go to the Pygmy Fund, a California-based organisation committed to helping the natives of central Africa cope with environmental threats to their homeland.

    Wherein I Use Greek Mythology To Show How Screwed We Are

    “Would Homer cut away from Odysseus’s journey just as he was being enticed by the siren’s song?” – BoJack Horseman

    We’ve reached the Scylla and Charybdis stage of our economy.

    Scylla was, in Greek mythology, a six-headed monster that was probably less scary than the average half-dozen Congresscritters, and certainly less dangerous.

    Charybdis was a whirlpool that sucked inside everything that got close to it three times a day, so it was pretty much exactly like Kamala Harris.

    The idea is that if you’re between Scylla and Charybdis, life is on the edge because there are dangers on either side. When Odysseus tried to sneak between the two, he lost six crewmembers, one to each head of Scylla. Thankfully they didn’t go too close to Charybdis, since Kamala has a mean-looking canker sore, and some gifts last forever.

    Trying to thread the fine line between Scylla and Charybdis: that’s where our economy is now.

    Could it be that the Odyssey is just a made-up excuse by a husband as to why he’s ten years late?

    As inflation rages through the system, every minute that we have an interest rate well below the rate of inflation, inflation is being fed.  To quote Joe Biden from January 24, 2022, “It’s a great asset – more inflation.  What a stupid son of a bitch.”  You can tell he’s excited to Build Back Better!

    Oddly, it’s not inflation in everything.  Some items are starting to deflate now.  Houses, for instance.  The price of a house is tied to the interest rate – the more interest wrapped into a monthly payment, the fewer the number of buyers that can afford or qualify for a loan.  And in Biden’s America® people have to qualify for more important things, like a Quarter Pounder™ or a tank of gas.

    But back to home loans:  fewer people qualify?  Less demand.  Less demand?  Lower home prices.

    When we moved to Modern Mayberry in the middle of the Great Recession, some houses had been on the market for longer than 350 days.  These were decent houses, but there just wasn’t any demand.  Recently, as people began to take my advice and flee the cities, houses disappeared off the market in days here in Modern Mayberry.  With all the city folk moving in, at least I know what a hipster weighs:  an Instagram®.

    One hipster I knew poured water from an ice tray into his beverage.  He liked ice before it was cool.

    Now?  Interest rates for mortgages are going up, so demand for houses will be going down.  Eventually, the market for houses will go back to where it was when I got here.  That’s okay, I never expected to walk away from Stately Wilder Mansion with a single dime of profit.  For me, a house is where I live, not an investment.

    So, interest rates up, housing prices down.  Simple.

    Also, interest rates up, stock prices down.  For the last decade, stocks have been just about the only game for people who were trying to keep up with inflation.  This was a continual pressure upwards on stocks.  Now as interest rates go up, there are other options.

    Traditionally, there was (this was something I read in an article a long time ago) a formula showing the value of a stock in relation to the interest rate:  Maximum P/E=20-Prime Rate.  That meant, with an interest rate of 0%, a stock was at fair value with a Price to Earnings ratio of 20.  Likewise, if the interest rate was 10%, the fair market P/E would be about 10.

    Obviously, it’s such a one-dimensional analysis that it was made back when “digital computing” meant counting on your fingers.  There’s no way I’d suggest anyone use it to pick stocks (nor would I suggest taking the advice of an Internet humorist on any investment advice no matter how witty, charming, and handsome he might be), but it does show how the relationship between interest rates and stock prices and earnings was thought about once upon a time.  But it summarizes the same idea – interest rates up, stocks down.

    Heck, it even led me to a never-fail way to manipulate individual stocks: if I buy a stock, it goes down.

    There are other impacts, too. For instance, it makes debt harder to pay back for people around the planet. If Egypt owes money to ChaseAmericanFargo™ Bank and the interest rate is variable, that means that Egypt will have to start selling items to pay back New York, or London, or Beijing. Heck, the British would already have the Pyramids, but they wouldn’t fit in the British Museum

    More money to the banking centers? Less money for chow for the Egyptians. We saw this exact scenario play out in the Arab Spring in 2012. Expensive stuff caused people to go hungry and then hungry people with no hope do what they always do when they can’t watch Netflix™ and buy Twinkies©.

    They swap out the government. The new boss looks a lot like the old boss in Egypt, and it’s exactly the same boss as it was in Syria. Some things don’t change. If it’s bad enough, it also craters the economies in South America and, even Canada might have its assets frozen. Or, more frozen.

    But when the interest rates go up, it’s not just the government in Egypt that gets squeezed.  The current debt in the United States is $30.5 trillion.  The total US debt, including personal debt, student loans, credit cards, and I.O.U.s to me from that one guy that owes me $20 is about $91 trillion.  (All numbers from usdebtclock.org)

    When the interest rates go up, the payments on interest go up.  That means less money available for everything else.  When last I looked, the mandatory payments the Federal government were as much as or more than the amount of money that they took in.  That means that printing more money is now the only way the system can work.  It’s like having a tobacco cessation class with a two-cigar minimum.

    That leads to the difficult bit – the hall of mirrors.  If we don’t raise interest rates, and raise them quickly and raise them high enough, inflation will devastate the economy.  If we do raise them, interest payments will freeze the economy and dry up all the PEZ®, pantyhose, and elephant rides the government buys daily.  We are in a classic trap, but it is a trap entirely devised by the Fed® and the politicians working long-term problems on short-term incentives.

    By attempting to push back the moment of financial reckoning by any means possible, we’ve created a failure that is much, much larger.  If we would have let financial companies fail in 2000 and 2008, and fixed the structural problems with Medicare, perhaps, just perhaps we wouldn’t be here today.

    But we are.

    How bad are things?

    Again, people have been trying to gauge when things in the stock market are out of whack – Gregory Mannarino came up with a market risk index that he called the Mannarino Market Risk Index, which was modified by Nobody Special Finance into the Modified Mannarino Market Risk Index.  You can watch the video on what makes it up here (LINK).  It’s only twelve minutes, and it’s pretty simple.  The MMMRI is simple, but it’s still quite a bit more sophisticated than the 20=P/E-Interest rate formula from back in the Stone Age.  The summary is of selected past MMMRIs is:

    • Black Monday (1987),              MMMRI    234
    • Dotcom Bubble Pop (2000),    MMMRI    208
    • Great Recession (2008),           MMMRI    169

    Right now?

    Yup. MMMRI is screaming loudly that the stock market is really, really messed up. But you knew that. Things are broken, and they’re breaking faster as things go downhill.

    So, whatever you do, don’t buy canned goods and storage food and precious metals and PEZ® and ammo.

    Nope.

    I’m sure that the team of Biden and Harris along with Janet Yellen, Treasury Secretary, (who had no idea that inflation was even a problem) or Jennifer Granholm, Energy Secretary, (who said that high gas prices are “a very compelling case” to buy an electric car) will be here to help us charter a safe course between Scylla and Charybdis.

    Oh, wait, Biden and Harris are Scylla and Charybdis.

    Golden Earring – “When The Bullet Hits The Bone” (Twilight Zone) Live at Rockpalast, 1982

    Appropriate. Welcome to mid-year 2022.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

     

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

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    A Gorgeous Colossal Millennium Falcon, Graphic Motifs, pulled beef Arepas, and daddy fanny packs for beer transport

    I hope and trust that you all are also visiting my Metallicman You-Tube, and considering my Metallicman Patreon site . As well as this (here) MM site.

    The You-tube Metallicman is (of course) all free. Videos discuss various subjects ranging from Geopolitical issues, to China, to cats, and social issues of the day.

    And the Metallicman Patreon focuses on the world-line travel, souls, extraterrestrials, mysteries, the Domain, Prayer Affirmations, and OOPARTS aspects of Metallicman. While many of the videos and content provided there are for subscribers, not all are.

    All in all, I hope that you will gain some benefit in visiting this trio of web-sites.

    We continue on our daily briefing of the crazy discord that is flooding and saturating the world right now.

    Daegon Magus

    First up; DM was interviewed on You-Tube. He’s still “alive and kicking”, and doing well. He is embroiled in a ton load of changes (and of course, I associate that they are tied to his affirmation campaigns of the last year or so). But he’s doing well. So go ahead and watch his interview…

    Pabellon Criollo – Venezuela’s National Dish

    "...My take on the national dish with lots of variations. Tender, stewed cumin flavored beef with bacon-y black beans, caramelised plantain and rice. to mop up the juices. Cook this up next Independence Day!"

    Expectations

    I fully expect an almost exact repeat of the Ukraine debacle in Taiwan. Before the next U.S. Presidential election, the Neocon idiots in the Biden administration will deliberately or accidentally trigger a proxy war with China, which the U.S. will lose. 
    
    Until the toxic Neocon ideology of the Washington Blob is exorcised, the U.S. will face an unending series of foreign policy disasters.
    
    -HH

    Jeff and his Hemi-Sync / Self-Hypnosis explorations

    I like Jeff and he writes on a great number of Go-Political issues. I have linked to him on numerous occasions. He has taken advice on the self-hypnosis, and mind centering techniques that I promote and he has told me that he doesn’t really know whats going on, but that he feels far better using the techniques.

    Today, I got this from him…

    Really fascinating. My Huawei watch analyzes sleep. Check out the right side of the attached graph, starting at 6:02, when I started my self-hypnosis.
    
    It is impossible for me to sleep on my back, yet my hypnosis mimics deep/light sleep and I even have REM! Don’t know where the semi-consciousness periods happen, but I am clearly not in an awakened state.
    
    Thought you might find this interesting.

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    2022 06 10 07 55

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    LEGO’s Gorgeous Colossal Millennium Falcon Set Is A Mind-Numbing 7,541 Pieces

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    Lego has released a new Millennium Falcon set that’s bound to impress any Star Wars fan. This was released a few years back, but gosh! What a kit!

    Coming in at 7,541 pieces, Lego said that it’s the biggest Millennium Falcon set it’s ever released—the second-largest set, which was released in 2007, had 5,195 pieces—and when built will measure 8 inches high, 33 inches long, and 22 inches wide. Even before you build it, it’s big enough that Lego has suggested rolling it out on wheels. (In comparison, the Lego Millennium Falcon set released ahead of The Force Awakens had a respectable 1,329 pieces.)

    The Millennium Falcon has touches of its roots in the original Star Wars trilogy as well as the newer one. It comes with both the circular and rectangular dishes that go on top of the ship, 11 buildable characters including two different Han Solo’s, Leia Organa, Chewbacca, Rey, Finn, BB-8, and two porgs, and plenty of the touches that are essential to the Falcon’s interior decorations. There’s even a few new additions made to the Falcon that may end up in The Last Jedi.

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    4 Really Big Names That Are Warning That Major Economic Disaster Is Ahead

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    I hope that you are enjoying these beautiful summer weekends while you still can, because it appears that very troubled times are dead ahead.  Simultaneously, inflation continues to spiral out of control even as economic activity in the U.S. dramatically slows down.  Many have compared what we are currently experiencing to the “stagflation” of the 1970s, but the truth is that what we are facing will eventually be so much worse than anything that we went through back then.  A meltdown of historic proportions is here, and as you will see below, some of the biggest names in the entire country are talking about it.

    On Monday, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States set another all-time record high

    The gas price spike keeps getting worse.
    
    The national average jumped to $4.87 a gallon on Monday, according to AAA. That’s up 25 cents in the past week and 59 cents in the past month.
    
    There are now 10 states where the average price of gasoline is $5 a gallon or higher, with the latest being Michigan and Indiana. Washington, DC, is also above $5, according to CNN.

    A 25 cent increase in one week is just insane.

    If we continue on this trajectory, the price of gasoline would go up about a dollar a month.

    I can’t imagine that will be the case, but stranger things have happened.

    Overall, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States has now more than doubled since Joe Biden entered the White House.

    How high will it be a year from now?

    For a long time I warned my readers that the price of gasoline would eventually hit ten dollars a gallon, but now we have learned that it is already almost there at one gas station in California.

    Meanwhile, U.S. economic activity is really slowing down and we are being warned to brace ourselves for the worst.

    In fact, at this point some of the most prominent people in the entire country are starting to sound like they could be writing for The Economic Collapse Blog.  The following are four really big names that are warning that major economic disaster is ahead…

    #1 If you have a “bad feeling” about the U.S. economy, you are not alone.  Elon Musk says that he has a “super bad feeling” about where the U.S. economy is heading, and so he intends to reduce the Tesla workforce by approximately 10 percent…

    Tesla CEO Elon Musk has a “super bad feeling” about the economy and wants to cut about 10% of jobs at the electric carmaker, he said in an email to executives on Thursday seen by Reuters.
    
    The message came two days after the world’s richest man told employees to return to the workplace or leave the company.

    #2 I never imagined that I would write about something that rapper Cardi B said on this website, but that is precisely what I am about to do.  At one time she was a huge Biden supporter, but on Sunday she publicly suggested that the U.S. economy is about to enter a recession

    Rapper and Joe Biden supporter Cardi B took to Twitter on Sunday to ask when “they going to announce” that the United States is “going into a recession.”
    
    “When y’all think they going to announce that we going into a recession?” Cardi B wrote Sunday in a tweet, which has since garnered more than 120,000 likes, and over 16,000 retweets.

    Actually, the U.S. economy contracted during the first quarter of 2022, and if it contracts again in the second quarter then we are actually already in a recession right now.

    #3 I really admire author Robert Kiyosaki, and his advice has helped millions of people all over the globe.  In the past he was known for his relentless optimism, but now he is almost as pessimistic about our economic future as I am.  For example, he tweeted out the following back on March 8th

    DO YOU HAVE a PLAN “B”? We are in BIGGEST BUBBLE in world history. Bubbles in stocks, real estate, commodities & oil. FUTURE? Possible DEPRESSION with HYPER-INFLATION. My PLAN B: be an entrepreneur, stay out of stock market, create own assets, use debt as $, save G,S, BC, guns.

    Then he followed that up with this gem on March 13th

    BRANDON & FED want INFLATION to pay off trillions in debt. BEST INVESTMENT may be stocking products you will always use such as toilette paper, trash bags, canned goods, frozen foods, gold, silver, Bitcoin. I do not trust Brandon or Fed. They are Marxists. End the Fed & Brandon.

    And then on April 15th he boldly declared that a “hyper-inflation depression” has arrived…

    Wiley COYOTE moment coming. Biggest Bubble Bust coming. Baby Boomer’s retirements to be stolen. $10 trillion in fake money spending ending. Government, Wall Street & Fed are thieves. Hyper-inflation Depression here. Buy gold, silver, Bitcoin before the coyote wakes up. Take care

    Of course he is dead on accurate about where the economy is heading.  I don’t share his optimism about Bitcoin, but otherwise I think that the things that he has shared are very wise.

    #4 The crisis that we are now dealing with did not arrive overnight.  For years, many of us have been relentlessly warning about debt levels, the destruction of our currency, and the foolish decisions that our leaders were making.  Now we are facing the largest debt bubble in all of human history, and there is no easy way out.  On Monday, some thoughts that Kim Dotcom shared on Twitter went viral all over the Internet

    Let’s do the math:
    
    US total debt
    $90 trillion
    
    US unfunded liabilities
    $169 trillion
    
    Total
    $259 trillion
    
    Minus all US assets
    $193 trillion
    
    Balance
    – $66 trillion
    
    That’s $66 trillion of debt and liabilities after every asset in the US has been sold off.

    I might quibble with the precise numbers that he used a little bit, but overall Kim Dotcom is right on target.

    And I really like how he summarized the nightmare that is in front of us

    So even if the US could sell all assets at the current value, which is impossible, it would still be broke.
    
    The US is beyond bankrupt.
    This patient is already dead.
    This patient is now a zombie.
    
    You probably wonder why are things still going? Why didn’t everything collapse yet.
    
    It’s all perception, denial and dependency.

    Our leaders have tried to keep the party going for as long as they possibly could, and for a while that actually worked.

    But now a day of reckoning has arrived, and a horrifying economic meltdown has begun.

    We aren’t talking about a “recession” that will be here for a while followed by a return to the way that things used to be.

    No, what we are heading for is the sort of immense economic nightmare that I have been warning about for years.

    Many Americans will be greatly surprised by how rapidly things totally fall apart, but the real surprise has been that it has taken us so long to get to this point.

    You can’t defy the laws of economics forever, and we are about to see the greatest debt pyramid that the planet has ever seen come crashing down all around us.

    Barflies bantering about Ukraine…

    Biden's best bet now is to topple Zelensky, say there's been a coup then head off to try his luck with China. :) 
    
    Who knows, Perhaps the Biden admin and the Euro twits will be foolish enough to sanction China as well.
    
    -Peter AU1

    US imports from China rose to an all-time record after seasonal adjustment in April, despite the Shanghai lockdown

    China exports to US jump, contrary to press reports
    
    By David P. Goldman 
    
    US imports from China rose to an all-time record after seasonal adjustment in April, despite the Shanghai lockdown and other Covid-related blockages in the Chinese economy. That isn’t what you read in Bloomberg News, whose 30 economists and 100 full-time economics reporters apparently haven’t learned the difference between seasonally adjusted and unadjusted data.

    Found HERE

    This Modern Japanese Fishing Boat Designed With Graphic Motifs

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    Have you ever seen a fishing boat with so much style? Nendo design studio has transformed the Japanese fishing boat Shofukumaru into a true work of art.

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    The crew of such a ship usually stays at sea for about ten months, a heavy ordeal both physically and mentally. Most of the young crew members do not come back on a second mission. It was therefore asked to create a ship that would attract young members and reduce their stress.

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    The ship was covered by a linear pattern that emphasizes the curve of the hull. The rest was decorated with Japanese patterns from the hull to the interior of the ship.

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    The design has a lot of straight lines, a shape that could remind of life ashore (straight lines of buildings, windows, screens…) which could then comfort the crew. A beautiful story proving that art is an element that can improve the comfort at work.

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    Military aircraft crashes in California

    A military aircraft, originally reported to be carrying nuclear material, but subsequently reported to NOT be carrying nuclear material, has crashed in California, leaving officials to believe all five passengers are dead.

    The plane crashed in Imperial County near Highway 78, preliminary reports indicate.

    Officials believe at least five people were aboard at the time of the crash.

    Investigators have presumed all passengers are dead.

    It is unknown what caused the crash.

    Original reports claimed the plane was carrying  nuclear material.  The military now says that is false.  They now say the plane DID NOT have any nuclear material onboard.

    Military officials are currently at the scene of the crash and an investigation is underway.

    The crash happened near Highway 78 and Coachella Canal Road.

    I don't know what to think. But disinformation; contel is normal with the United States today. -MM

    Long term consequences…

    Europe and Russia are natural trading partners, so the U.S. has accomplished, at great expense, a gross distortion of trade relationships that is inflicting major damage on the EU economy. This is likely to result in political turmoil in EU states as economic conditions worsen. When Europeans awaken to the fact that they have been played by the U.S., the blowback may result in the disbanding of NATO.
    
    The U.S. oligarchs who backed the Neocon project of global liberal hegemony will eventually realize that they have created an ideological monster that will seriously damage the U.S. economy. The toxic Neocon foreign policy that benefits only the defense sector (5% of the U.S. economy) will increasingly disrupt the global commerce on which much of the rest of the U.S. economy depends. The only question is how much damage the U.S. sustains before the Neocons are finally driven out of power.
    
    - HH

    ASML looks to expand China operations in Beijing and Shanghai

    What’s all this United States nonsense about keeping high end chip fabricators out of the hands of the Chinese?

    BEIJING — ASM Lithography of the Netherlands is expanding its presence in China by setting up its first direct sales office in Tianjin, and the Dutch company is also working on plans for locations in Beijing and Shanghai, according to ASML officials.
    
    In the port city of Tianjin, ASML has a significant installed base of exposure tools at Motorola Inc.'s new MOS17 fab. This month, Motorola is expected to begin processing its first 8-inch (200-mm wafers in MOS17, which is being prepared for chip processing with 0.35- and eventually 0.25-micron technology.
    
    ASML is also in the hunt for new business in Shanghai and Beijing. “The China market looks good for us,” said Rodney Chisholm, technical sales support manager for Asia at ASML, in an interview at last week's Semicon China 2001 trade show in Beijing.
    Found HERE

    Ukraine President’s Inner Circle Buying Multi-Million $ Mansions in Switzerland!

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    If Ukraine is winning the war with Russia, then why are key people in President Zelensky’s inner circle buying houses in Switzerland? Oh, and how are they affording $9 million for those houses? Is U.S. “foreign aid” being stolen so they can buy multi-million dollar mansions?

    Like most countries, Switzerland has land registry records showing who owns a particular property, how much it sold for, and what taxes are paid on it. Extracts from those land registries can be accessed by the general public.

    Among the owners of luxury real estate in the country of banks and alpine meadows, are high-ranking officials from Zelensky’s entourage.

    We begin with Dmitry Razumkov, a Ukrainian politician and former Chairman of the Verkhovna (Legislature).

    According to land registry extract Mr. Razumkov seems to have bought himself a luxurious home for 8,954,621.00 Swiss Francs, which are about equal to the value of a U.S. Dollar. His name is at the bottom of the property sale record:

    SwitzerlandTaxData Razumkov
    SwitzerlandTaxData Razumkov

    Next is Oleksandr Danyliuk (Daniljuk) former Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine. His name appears as the buyer of the 9,126,538.00 CHF home shown on the record below:

    SwitzerlandTaxData 2
    SwitzerlandTaxData 2

    Next is the record for Lyudmila Denisova, the same ombudsman who was fired because of false reports about the atrocities of the Russian army against children.

    SwitzerlandTaxData 1
    SwitzerlandTaxData 1

    The cost of each home is about 9 million Swiss francs. The franc is currently almost equivalent to the dollar.

    They love Ukraine so much that they decided not to live in it.

    Not only that, where did these “public servants” come up with about $9 million to get themselves mansions in Switzerland?

    Most of these homes were purchased just BEFORE Russia began its Special Military Operation into Ukraine.

    Were these homes some sort of Bribe or Payoff to these public officials to get them to sell-out Ukraine by stoking the fires until war broke out? Were these public officials paid-off by someone to get them to help start a war?

    Or worse, did foreign aid to Ukraine get stolen so these people could buy luxurious mansions for themselves, far away from the war they helped start?

    Inquiring minds want to know.

    The Dadbag, A Fanny Pack That Looks Like An Exposed Daddy’s Belly

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    This is the Dadbag, the brainchild of designer Albert Pukies, which I did just a little bit in my mouth right now. Each bag looks like the exposed stomach of a man, and come in a variety of skin tones, hairiness, and plumpness.

    At the time of this writing, the Dadbag isn’t commercially available yet (Pukies is still looking for production partners), which is a shame for everybody who saw this and thought, “I must have one of those,” and a real blessing to everyone who didn’t.

    Keep going for several more shots including the different options.

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    David Cross: Why America Sucks at Everything

    The video resonates with me. Sorry.

    Healthy young people are dying suddenly and unexpectedly from a mysterious syndrome – as doctors seek answers through a new national register

    • People aged under the age of 40 being urged to go and get their hearts checked
    • May potentially be at risk of having Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS)
    • SADS is an ‘umbrella term to describe unexpected deaths in young people’
    • A 31-year-old woman who died in her sleep last year may have had SADs

    People aged under 40 are being urged to have their hearts checked because they may potentially be at risk of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome.

    The syndrome, known as SADS, has been fatal for all kinds of people regardless of whether they maintain a fit and healthy lifestyle.

    SADS is an ‘umbrella term to describe unexpected deaths in young people’, said The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, most commonly occurring in people under 40 years of age.

    Article HERE

    Russia Deploys S-400 Air Defense on “Snake Island”

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    SnakeIslandMap large
    SnakeIslandMap large

    Snake Island, also known as Serpent Island or Zmiinyi Island, is an island located in the Black Sea off the coast of (what used to be) Ukraine, near the Danube Delta, with an important role in delimiting what (used to be) Ukrainian territorial waters. It is now Russian and Russia means to keep it.

    The island has been known since classical antiquity, and during that era hosted a Greek temple to Achilles.

    In the Special Military Operation that Russia began in February to de-militarize and de-Nazify Ukraine, the island became the focus of storied battles; with Ukraine claiming their soldiers bravely faced-off against Russian naval vessels, which allegedly killed all the Ukrainian defenders.

    Of course, that story proved false, when Russia released unharmed, all the soldiers from Ukraine they had taken prisoner when Russia conquered the island.

    During the ongoing hostilities between Ukraine and Russia, several high profile attempts were made by Ukraine to retake the island. All failed.

    This week, Russia deployed its famous S-400 air defense system on the island. The S-400 is widely known as the most accurate and deadliest air defense system in the world.

    Looks as though Russia means to keep what it has, and the S-400 seems perfectly able to make sure it does.

    India-US to hold high-altitude military exercise amid China’s ‘alarming’ build-up along LAC

    This REEKS of CIA disinformation. -MM

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    2022 06 10 10 43

    New Delhi: Noting that the Chinese military’s infrastructure build-up under its Western Theatre Command — that looks after India — was “eye-opening and alarming”, a top visiting US Army officer Wednesday said the Indian and American Army will train together this year at 9,000-10,000 feet to increase interoperability for high-altitude warfare.

    Pitching for a strong operational bond between the two armies in the Indo-Pacific region instead of only focusing on the naval interoperability, US Army Pacific Commanding General Charles Flynn termed China’s build-up near Ladakh and strengthening of its military infrastructure as part of Beijing’s “corrosive and destabilising behaviour”.

    Pointing out that he has been part of the Pacific Command since 2014 under various ranks, Gen Flynn said, “When I sort of look back on what the CPC (Communist Party of China) and the PRC (People’s Republic of China) were doing, compared to what they are doing today, they have taken an incremental and insidious path and destabilizing and corrosive behaviours that they project into the region are simply not helpful”.

    Interacting with a select group of journalists, the senior US Army officer who will be visiting the crucial Eastern Command tomorrow also spoke on the Ladakh situation.

    When asked about the Chinese buildup along the Line of Control (LAC) and construction of villages in Bhutan, the officer said he believed “that activity level is eye-opening”.

    “Some of the infrastructures that is being created in Western Theatre Command (WTC) is alarming. And so much like across all of their military arsenal, one has to ask the question why. I don’t have a crystal ball to say how it is going to end or where it will be but I will say, it is worthy of asking that question and trying to get a response as to what their intentions are,” he said.

    Talking about the ongoing military and diplomatic talks between India and China to resolve the Ladakh crisis that has entered its third year, he said it is helpful but Chinese actions and words don’t match.

    “I think the talks that are going on are helpful but behaviour matters here as well. I think my understanding is that what they are saying is one thing but the way they are acting and behaving in a way of build-up is concerning and it is concerning to everyone. Obviously, there has been tension and we have to pay attention to that,” he said.

    Article HERE

    The Worst Economic Gloom In 50 Years

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    We haven’t seen anything like this in decades.  Energy prices are soaring to unprecedented heights.  Food shortages in some parts of the world are starting to become quite severe.  Rampant inflation is out of control all over the globe.  Meanwhile, economic activity is slowing down everywhere that you look.  Some are comparing this current crisis to the “stagflation” of the 1970s, but I believe that is a far too optimistic assessment.  Just about everyone can see that economic conditions are rapidly deteriorating, and there is a tremendous amount of alarm about what the months ahead will bring.

    According to a brand new Wall Street Journal-NORC survey that was just released, the percentage of Americans that believe that the state of the U.S. economy is “poor or not so good” is 83 times larger than the percentage of Americans that believe that the state of the U.S. economy is “excellent”…

    A severe pessimism grips the U.S. economy and Americans report the highest level of dissatisfaction with their financial situation in at least half a century, poll results released Monday show.
    
    Eighty-three percent of Americans describe the state of the economy as poor or not so good, according to a Wall Street Journal-NORC Poll. Only one percent describe the economy as “excellent.”

    I would like to talk to someone from the one percent of Americans that still believe that the U.S. economy is in “excellent shape”.

    To me, it is always fascinating to find someone that can completely deny reality even when all of the evidence points in the other direction.

    The same survey found that the percentage of Americans that are “not at all satisfied with their financial condition” is the highest in at least 50 years

    Thirty-five percent said they are not at all satisfied with their financial condition, the highest level of dissatisfaction since NORC began asking the question every few years starting in 1972.
    
    Sixty-three percent of Americans say they are extremely or very concerned about the price of gas. Fifty-four percent say they are extremely or very concerned about the impact of high grocery prices on their household’s financial situation. Just 13 percent say they not very or not at all concerned about gas prices and 19 percent about grocery prices.

    In other words, this is the gloomiest that Americans have been about their own personal finances in at least five decades.

    Wow.

    One of the big reasons why people feel this way is because the price of just about everything is going up.

    In particular, the price of gasoline has been making national headlines just about every day.  On Tuesday, it set another brand new record

    The national average price of gas is now $4.955, reflecting an over three-cent jump overnight, 28-cent rise in the last week, and nearly 64-cent rise in the last month. Diesel also hit another record on Tuesday, reaching $5.719.
    
    Currently, 16 states are experiencing an average price of gas of $5.00 or more. That includes Maine ($5.023), Massachusetts ($5.21), New Jersey ($5.032), Pennsylvania ($5.031), Michigan ($5.214), Ohio ($5.061), Indiana ($5.234), Illinois ($5.532), Idaho ($5.025), Alaska ($5.469), Hawaii ($5.493), Washington ($5.489), Oregon ($5.485), Nevada ($5.564), Arizona ($5.181), and California ($6.390). California’s Mono County appears to be reporting the highest gas price average in the Golden State — $7.213.

    Unfortunately, there is a growing consensus among the experts that this is just the beginning.  Here is one example

    With the summer travel season just getting underway, demand for gasoline, coupled with the cut-off of Russian oil shipments due to the war in Ukraine, is sending oil prices higher on global markets.
    
    The national average for gasoline could be close to $6 by later this summer according to Tom Kloza, global head of energy analysis for the OPIS, which tracks gas prices for AAA.

    And here is another example

    GasBuddy head of petroleum analysis Patrick De Haan provided insight into record-high gas prices, warning on Wednesday that “we’re going to be swimming in these high prices for a while.”
    
    Speaking on “Varney & Co.” on Wednesday, De Haan also revealed his forecasts for how high prices at the pump will climb, arguing that they could reach a national average of $6 a gallon in the coming months, but “what seems like more of a guarantee is that $5 mark.”

    Others are even more pessimistic.  In fact, the head of commodity trading giant Trafigura just warned that the price of oil could actually make a “parabolic ” move in the months ahead.

    Needless to say, energy prices have a domino effect throughout the entire economy.  When commentator Anthony B. Sanders contacted moving companies about his coming move out of state, he could hardly believe the quotes that he was given

    As I line up my move from Fairfax VA to Columbus OH, I am getting a variety of quotes from moving companies. And wow! The cost of moving using a national moving company for a 4 bedroom house is $15,000 to $20,500. That includes International, North American and Bekins.
    
    One of the reasons for the high cost of moving is the massive increase in diesel fuel used for trucking. Diesel fuel under Biden has risen 117%. And since it was revealed that natural gas often is used for electric charging stations, and NATGAS is up 281% under Biden (but there aren’t many electric moving trucks yet).

    Could you imagine paying $20,000 to move from Virginia to Ohio?

    In the old days, you could purchase your own new vehicle for that much money.

    In this crazy environment, some companies are attempting to hide inflation by shrinking their package sizes

    “Joining the parade of downsized products is cereal stalwart Honey Bunches of Oats, which has seen the weight of its standard box, previously 14.5 ounces, lessen to 12 ounces — a reduction of roughly 17 percent,” the U.K. paper said.
    
    Angel Soft toilet paper has also reduced its size from 425 sheets per roll to 320, while Bounty paper towels have cut their rolls from 165 sheets per roll to 147 late last year. Gatorade also cut its bottle size from 32 ounces to 28 ounces.

    Do they actually believe that we will not notice that the packages have changed?

    And this isn’t just happening here in the United States.  At this point, this is taking place all over the globe

    In the U.S., a small box of Kleenex now has 60 tissues; a few months ago, it had 65. Chobani Flips yogurts have shrunk from 5.3 ounces to 4.5 ounces. In the U.K., Nestle slimmed down its Nescafe Azera Americano coffee tins from 100 grams to 90 grams. In India, a bar of Vim dish soap has shrunk from 155 grams to 135 grams.

    Our standard of living is falling with each passing day, and that process is only going to accelerate during the second half of this year.

    In a desperate attempt to keep living the way that they always have, many Americans are turning to their credit cards at an alarming rate.

    Needless to say, that is only a short-term solution.

    And at the same time, overall economic activity continues to slow down

    A closely followed measurement from the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank suggests the economy could be headed for a second-quarter decline in gross domestic product, the broadest measure of goods and services produced in a country. The GDPNow tracker shows the economy grew at an annualized pace of just 0.9% in the spring, a steep decline from its previous estimate of 1.3% on June 1.

    If U.S. GDP is actually negative for the second quarter, that will be two quarters in a row, and that will mean that we are officially in a recession right now.

    But what we are heading into in 2023 and beyond is not going to be just a “recession”.

    Ultimately, we are heading into the sort of “nightmare scenario” that I have warned about for years.

    It took decades of very foolish decisions for us to reach this point, and our leaders in Washington continue to make very foolish decisions.

    So the truth is that there are no long-term solutions in sight.

    Only pain.

    So if the American people are this upset about the economy now, how will they be feeling six months down the road?

    China deployment of missiles system in Cambodia

    Tiktok video HERE.

    Venezuelan Arepas | The Frugal Chef

    This is easy to make and a great unique taste!

    BRITISH MERCENARIES IN UKRAINE SENTENCED TO DEATH

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    BritsSentencedToDeath large

    Two British mercenaries, Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner, who went to assist Ukraine in the attacks against Luhansk and Donetsk, have been found guilty of “trying to seize power” and have been sentenced to DEATH by the Supreme Court of Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR).

    “We have said continually that prisoners of war shouldn’t be exploited for political purposes,” a spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.

    “Under the Geneva Convention prisoners of war are entitled to combatant immunity and they should not be prosecuted for participation in hostilities.

    “So we will continue to work with the Ukrainian authorities to try to secure the release of any British nationals who were serving in the Ukrainian armed forces and who are being held as prisoners of war.”

    Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the court verdict was a “sham judgment with absolutely no legitimacy”.

    Aslin, 28, and Pinner, 48, and Moroccan national Saaudun Brahim, have been found guilty of being mercenaries and taking action towards violent seizure of power.

    They were sentenced in a court in the Russian-backed self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic that is not internationally recognized.

    HAL TURNER EDITORIAL OPINION

    I bet when they’re executed, they will be just as dead as if the Donetsk People’s Republic WAS “internationally recognized.”

    This is what happens when people stick their nose into the affairs of others.   Aslin and Pinner are not Ukrainian; they’re British.   Both men went to Ukraine with the express intent to side with Ukraine in a war zone, yet neither man joined the Ukraine military.  As such, they are not covered by the Geneva Convention because they were not members of a sovereign military engaged in war.

    Put simply, these two guys thought it would be cool to live action role play (LARP) and now they’re going to be executed for what they did.

    Clearly, had they minded their own business, none of this would be happening.   This is what can happen to people who don’t mind their own business.

    Venezuelan Pulled Beef Recipe – Easy Arepa Recipe

    To go with the delicious Arepas presented earlier.

    Why?

    Well people… This is why.

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    2022 06 10 13 31

    Execution for war crimes: Ukrainian foreign mercenaries sentenced to death

    From HERE
    They have a month to appeal the verdict, and then the lawyers can still apply for a pardon.
    The trial of British and Moroccan mercenaries in Donetsk turned out to be very quick.
    
    The trial of British and Moroccan mercenaries in Donetsk turned out to be very quick. It took the Supreme Court of the DPR just a few days to sentence two subjects of the British crown - 48-year-old Sean Pinner and 27-year-old Aiden Eslin - and a citizen of the Kingdom of Morocco to capital punishment - the death penalty. 
    
    Recall that it exists in the DPR (and in the LPR) in wartime. Apparently, the reason for such efficiency lies in the good work of the investigation at the preliminary stage. Moreover, the investigators had a very rich evidence base.
    
    All three mercenaries surrendered in Mariupol as part of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, leaving the cellars of Azovstal. And with them, thousands of witnesses of their service surrendered. It was their testimony that made it possible to establish that Sean Pinner, who spoke about his work as an instructor, was on the staff list as a sniper.
    
    No one was touched by the lyrical story of Aiden Eslin, who ended up in Ukraine after he fell in love with a girl from Ukrainian Nikolaev and decided to join his life with her. For which he could not think of anything better than to serve as a mercenary and kill the tribesmen of his beloved.
    
    The Moroccan Saadoun Brahim, as his father said, came to study as an astronaut, but, due to the absence of an astronaut in Ukraine as such, and training in this profession, he also became a mercenary. The Moroccan had no luck with space, but it seems that the earth called him to her. By the way, all of them admitted partially their guilt in committing the charges brought against them.
    
    According to the legislation of the DPR, all those sentenced must be shot. At the same time, it is clear that this will not happen tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. The convicts have a month to appeal the verdict, then it will take some time to consider the complaint, then they will be given the right to file a request for pardon. And only after all these procedures are completed, the sentence will be carried out.

    NATO JUST GOT THE BAD NEWS: EUROPEAN TANK PRODUCTION HALTED, LACK OF TITANIUM – FROM RUSSIA

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    The NATO Military alliance just got the rug pulled out from beneath its entire operation.  It seems that Europe no longer has any Titanium, which is essential for the armor of tanks.  In years past, Europe bought its Titanium from . . .  Russia.   They can’t buy it anymore. As such, tank production – in Germany – has stopped.

    Yes, you read that correctly, Tank building in Germany, has stopped.

    Hints that there was some type of undisclosed problem with European militaries started being visible when Ukraine asked for tanks, Armored Personnel Carriers and more from Europe and the United States, to fight Russia.

    Germany refused to donate tanks to Ukraine, or to augment Poland, which did donate tanks to Ukraine.

    Germany’s refusal to supply its heavy tanks to Poland was not at all caused by Berlin’s attempt to deceive Warsaw, but by the fact that Germany simply does not have titanium to build new tanks.

    Some of my former colleagues in the Intelligence Community from my years working with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) tell me “due to the lack of titanium supplies from Russia, it is extremely problematic to establish the production of tanks in any required quantity today.”

    Tanks require a fairly large amount of titanium, which is a component of the armor. However, due to the lack of supplies from Russia, this caused an almost complete halt in German tank building.

    Moreover, a similar situation will soon occur in the UK, France, and other European countries.

    HAL TURNER EDITORIAL OPINION

    Bottom line: If Russia were to engage NATO in actual war, then NATO would be completely unable to build _any_ replacement tanks, once existing tanks were destroyed in battle.

    The short and sweet of it: NATO cannot afford to fight Russia because NATO countries don’t have Titanium to use for armor in tanks and without tanks, NATO would flatly lose the war.

    Period.  Full stop.

    This is kinda funny. Almost all of NATO is out there screeching like an old wash woman that “Russia baaaad.”

    Then they all realized “Uh oh they supplied the materials we need to go kill them.”

    Bahaha.  The governments of the west: Fucking morons.

    An outstanding discussion

    You all must watch this lecture.

    National Guard Placed on Ready-Go Alert for Supreme Court Abortion Ruling

    The National Guard in all fifty (50) U.S. states has been told to adopt a “Ready-Go” posture for deployment in preparation for the soon-to-be-released US Supreme Court ruling on Abortion.

    The Court is expected to overturn the precedent of Roe v. Wade” which made Abortion legal.

    If and when such a ruling comes out, it is widely speculated that the pro-abortion, kill-the-babies-on-demand crowd of spoiled brats. will take to the streets and riot, nationwide.

    While overturning Roe v. Wade will NOT make Abortion automatically ILLEGAL, it will put the issue back under state control, instead of the federal government, so individual state legislators can craft laws their citizens deem appropriate.

    Developing . . . .

    Russia’s nuclear threat has worked | The Strategist

    The war in Ukraine has reasserted the relevance of nuclear weapons as a major deterrent in global conflicts. For the first time since the end of the Cold War, a great power has publicly threatened to deploy tactical nuclear weapons. And the threat worked: the West has been carefully calibrating its arms supply to Ukraine in order to avoid giving Russia reason to resort to nuclear escalation. Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine wouldn’t have happened had Ukraine not surrendered its nuclear arsenal under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances, which included American and Russian guarantees to respect and defend its territorial integrity.

    Revolutionary powers such as North Korea and Iran have watched these developments closely. For Iran, a rising Shia power, its nuclear program represents an insurance policy against the surrounding Sunni powers, all allies of Israel and the United States. North Korea’s nuclear logic isn’t much different.

    There are few realistic options for stemming the trend towards nuclear proliferation. One development that would make a difference would be for the five big nuclear powers to lead by example and start reducing their arsenals drastically. The obstacle here arises from the disparity between American conventional military might and that of China and Russia. For France and Britain, meanwhile, maintaining nuclear weapons is an issue of status.

    If leaders of the calibre of Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev—capable of overruling their respective security establishments—re-emerged, they could potentially lead such a non-proliferation movement. But such leadership doesn’t seem to be imminent.

    Another possibility would be to establish a zone free of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East. But that could happen only if agreements were reached on the major conflicts in the region, and Israel surrendered its supposed nuclear capabilities.

    I’m not optimistic about any of these scenarios. Ultimately, however, whether a regime has nuclear weapons isn’t the main issue. It’s the nature of the regime that counts.

    Ukraine made a mistake in entering negotiations with Russia at a very early stage of the war, when the impression was still that Russia’s military was unstoppable. A mutually harmful deadlock offers a better opportunity to reach a peace agreement. Unless Russia introduces nuclear weapons into the equation, we may be nearing such a deadlock, owing partly to the fact that the US and its allies have wisely calibrated their arms supply to prevent a Ukrainian defeat while not provoking Russia to escalate.

    The Ukrainians should not enter negotiations if the price of admission is accepting Russia’s demand that they not join NATO. This should be a concession in a negotiating process, not a precondition to it.

    That said, as I’ve argued recently, peace is about equilibrium and stability, not justice. The just outcome—Russia’s full withdrawal from Ukraine and reversal of its annexation of Crimea—would be political suicide for Putin and a tremendous setback for Russia’s international standing. Far from being a cooperative participant in a European security system, a defeated Russia, as a humiliated nuclear-armed superpower, would pose an enduring threat to it.

    Western powers should be part of the peace process, not only because they are part of the conflict, but also because they are the ones with the power to compensate Russia for any concessions it makes. That compensation should come in the form of a European security system that addresses key Russian concerns and upholds the neutrality and territorial integrity of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. Finally, to deal with Ukraine’s dual identity, the ethnic Russian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk would have to enjoy significant autonomy within a federal state, as was stipulated by the 2015 Minsk II settlement.

    For far too long, Europe has remained comfortably embedded in a ‘post-historical’ world, while outsourcing its security to American taxpayers. The war in Ukraine marks the end of the myth that history ‘ended’ with the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. It also vindicates the Latin adage, Si vis pacem, para bellum (‘If you want peace, prepare for war’). A strong and united NATO would help secure peace.

    But any European security architecture that emerges from the Ukraine war must include buffer areas between Russia and NATO. Ukraine, which will probably have to abandon its aspirations for NATO membership as part of any peace settlement, should be one such zone. Sweden and Finland, with its 1,340-kilometre border with Russia, should be two more. The alternative is a long border in a permanent state of friction, war or the imminent threat of war.

    For the foreseeable future, peace must be based on disengagement. The end of Europe’s dependence on Russian energy would contribute to peace, as it would force Russia to diversify its economic model, increase Russia’s stake in global stability, and drive the country to become a more active participant in the global economy.

    Article HERE

    US Threatens China With ‘Military Action’ If It Breaches The Red Line; Can US Navy Fight PLA On Its Home Turf?

    Here's an "armchair warrior" analysis out of an anti-China publication out of India. Pretty pro-USA. Worth a read, and then a vomit. 
    
    After all, since WHEN is Chinese territory a "Red Line"?  
    
    As to the question being raised; "can the USN fight the PL"? Well, this was answered in 1950. Then the USA fought China in Korea. And the USA lost. And lost terribly. -MM

    US President Joe Biden has said twice over the last year that Washington will militarily defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion attempt. His latest explicit security guarantee to Taiwan was made in Tokyo last week.

    But does America have the military superiority over China in this part of the world to deliver what President Biden pledged?

    This is a question that many security analysts in the US are asking, given the fact that the US Navy, which has to play the most important role in case China attacks Taiwan, is undergoing structural changes because of budgetary constraints that many consider will weaken both its capacity and capability in the near term.

    Critics are pointing out that given the current threat, the fleet is not growing fast enough to meet the potential challenge of fighting competitors like China and Russia.

    The US Navy recently released its long-awaited 30-year shipbuilding blueprint, providing three options for future fleet force structure.

    The first option would yield an inventory of 316 ships by FY 2052, the second would yield 327 ships by FY 2052 and the third would yield 367 ships by FY 2052. However, the document of the blueprint notes that “the ability of the industrial base to support” the third option with the largest fleet size “has not been independently assessed,” this has worried the analysts.

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    Big Changes On The Anvil

    The new shipbuilding plans show the Navy decommissioning two Independence-class LCS – USS Jackson (LCS-6) and USS Montgomery (LCS-8) – in FY 2024. Jackson entered the fleet in 2015, while Montgomery was commissioned in 2016. Both ships were built by Austal USA.

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    2022 06 03 19 55

    The Navy also wants to continue decommissioning its aging Ticonderoga-class cruiser fleet, starting with USS Antietam (CG-54), USS Leyte Gulf (CG-55), and USS Shiloh (CG-67) in FY 2024. Under the proposal, the Navy would decommission the entire cruiser fleet by the end of FY 2027, including the ones that are currently in the cruiser modernization program.

    The blueprint shows the Navy decommissioning USS Nimitz (CVN-68) in FY 2025 and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) in FY 2027, which aligns with the 50-year service lives for the Nimitz-class carriers.

    According to the blueprint, the first two options would be for “a budget with no real growth,” while the third option “represents an additional $75 billion real growth beyond the [Future Years Defense Program] in FY2022 constant dollars.”

    The document says that “The increased procurement level, informed by industrial base capacity and on-time and on-budget performance, achieves 326 manned battle force ships in the mid-2030s, and ultimately achieves 363 manned battle force ships in FY2045.”

    Overall, the long-range plan shows the Navy decommissioning 13 ships in FY 2024, another 13 in FY 2025, 14 ships in FY 2026, and 13 in FY 2027. FY 2027 would also see the service decommission of USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51), the lead ship of the class.

    Fresh Procurement Schemes

    The three procurement schemes show what ships the Navy could purchase between FY 2028 and FY 2032, a time frame the service is calling a “transition” period after the FY 2023 five-year spending plan, and between FY 2033 and FY 2052, which the Navy is calling the “future force design” time frame.

    While the first two options only show the Navy buying one Ford-class aircraft carrier between FY 2028 and FY 2032, the third option shows the service purchasing one in FY 2028 and another in FY 2032.

    “A decision on CVN 82/83 two-ship buy is required no later than FY25 and will be evaluated during upcoming force structure and industrial base studies,” the document reads. “The Department is reviewing Large and Small Surface Combatant and Attack Submarine procurement quantities in FY 2028-2032.”

    The blueprint makes it clear that the US Navy is “prioritizing readiness before capacity”. It says, “Assuming no real budget growth, the two low ranges of the plan do not procure all platforms at the desired rate (e.g., DDGs, SSNs, and FFGs at two ships per year), which industry needs to demonstrate the ability to achieve, but do maximize capability within projected resources, industrial factors, and technology constraints to build the most capable force. Overall, this approach accepts risk in capacity to field a more capable and ready force.”

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    2022 06 03 19 5n5

    The 30-year blueprint talks of the US Navy having 327 ships by FY 2052. The Navy has always planned a goal of having more than 300 ships. But then the fact remains that the fleet has never achieved that goal since 2003.

    China’s Massive Strength

    In the year 2018, it had been said that with the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) adding more than 120 battle-force ships, the US should have at least 355 ships of which it was short of 57.

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    2022 06 03 19 5mm5

    Over the last four years, the PLAN has further increased its strength. The Chinese have built a large fleet including aircraft carriers, cruise missile-armed surface ships, and several submarines. The PLAN is supported by land-based missiles and aircraft.

    And that prompted the Trump administration in its final days to encourage the Navy to have a fresh force structure assessment. The Navy said accordingly that given the rising profile of the PLAN, it should have a figure between 382 and 446 manned ships and an additional 143 to 242 unmanned ships.

    But within two years, the Navy seems to have changed its assessment. The US is driving down fleet numbers and ship production, the critics point out. They say that the average gap between ordered and achieved battle fleet size over the last five years was roughly 10 ships.

    “Integrating the precipitous drop from 2022 to 2023 and loosely projecting that magnitude of 50 ships over five years shows a battle force of 275 ships or smaller”. It may be noted that at the moment the US Navy has 298 ships.

    Major Gaps

    Further, buried within the FY23 capacity gap is a lethality gap. As Congresswoman Elaine Luria (Democrat), who represents Coastal Virginia, home to the world’s largest naval base and who before running for Congress had served two decades in the US Navy, points out, “the U.S. Navy is suffering a clear disadvantage in anti-ship weapons concerning China, which is fielding supersonic anti-ship weapons across its surface forces, bombers, land-based forces, and undersea forces in high numbers.

    By comparison, almost all the anti-ship capability of the US armed forces reside in a limited number of surface and air-launched Harpoon missiles, whose fundamental design is 45 years old.

    The surface fleet’s launch cells are mostly filled with defensive anti-air weapons, but newer weapons such as Naval Strike Missile, Long-Range Anti-Surface Missiles, Maritime Strike Tomahawks (MST), and SM-6 missiles”. Only procuring them in higher numbers in the near term could close the gap that currently exists between the PLAN and US Navy, she argues.

    Of course, the fate of the latest blueprint for the next 30 years, that is, which ships to purchase and which ships to retire, rests ultimately with the members of US  Congress like  Elaine  Luria. Many in Congress, incidentally, have repeatedly criticized the service for decommissioning ships at a faster rate than it can build new ones. 

    It seems that for adversaries like China, the Biden administration prefers the theory of “deterrence by punishment” to the theory of “deterrence by denial” that the Trump regime pursued. In a denial strategy, the adversary is deterred from aggression by introducing significant doubt in its mind about whether its ultimate military objective can be achieved.

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    Need For A Fresh Strategy

    This doubt is based on the threat of overwhelming military force being brought to bear at a time early in the conflict that will make the goals of the aggressor unachievable. A denial strategy requires the will of the defending nation to back up its rhetoric with action when necessary.

    This strategy is believed to be more expensive because it requires more ready deployed forces, and it may also require the will to potentially use these forces in pre-aggression phases of conflict.

    On the other hand, a punishment strategy seeks to deter an aggressor by the threat of pain if they take aggressive action. This strategy does not reveal one’s strength fully and keeps the adversary guessing.

    This strategy implies that a nation will not or cannot decisively foreclose objectives to the adversary, and instead hopes that an adversary’s pain threshold can be overwhelmed into submission.

    In a sense, it is an ambiguous proposition. But this is said to be cheaper because it requires fewer forward-deployed forces, thus less force structure. It is also politically more palatable because popular support will be more forthcoming after adversaries initiate aggression.

    Most importantly, this strategy facilitates what Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Admiral Mike Gilday says “divest to invest” so that the US navy is more capable and more lethal. But the issue is that its eventual success rests on many “assumptions”, which the US Congress wants to be clarified.

    Nanking Cargo: Riches From the Orient

    Article HERE

    It’s the kingdom of power and awe where the winds wail, the gulls cry and the sea surges. Only the bold will brave it. Gales may blast it, rains may flood it and tides may churn it, but it is and always will be…the South China Sea.

    Ask Michael Hatcher and he’ll tell you about raging storms, dark waters and pirates that he faced in an unforgiving environment unwilling to give up its treasure even to the bravest of souls. Hatcher never considered himself brave. Lucky perhaps, but not the daring swashbuckler portrayed in Hollywood productions. His demeanor, quiet, cordial and determined, was a perfect match for his line of work: Professional Treasure Hunter.

    The South China Sea wasn’t unfamiliar to the Yorkshire, UK, orphan who grew up on a farm in the Australian outback. He picked up various jobs on land until age 27 when he bought his first boat. It took a lot of time and hard work, but by 1977 he had formed his own company and was salvaging scrap metal from sunken WWII vessels. Avoiding monsoons and standing up to modern-day pirates was standard operating procedure for the adventurer called “Hatch” by friends and crew.

    Hatch greeted Lady Luck with a smile in 1983 when he stumbled upon a 17th century Chinese junk that went down on Admiral Stellingwerf Reef in the South China Sea. He and his crew salvaged more than 20,000 pieces of late Ming and Traditional Period Chinese porcelain that netted $2 million at Christie’s Auction House in Amsterdam. Hatch was ecstatic. Money to operate the boat, pay the crew and purchase high tech equipment was always a concern, but now he had the resources. Now he could make a mighty push in trying to locate the big “G.”

    The Geldermalsen, a Dutch East India company merchant vessel, sank in a storm in 1752. The 1,150 ton vessel was on a return voyage from Canton to Amsterdam laden with Chinese porcelain, tea, raw silk and gold. Accounts from the survivors verified the shipment along with records in Holland whose trade with Asia for two centuries was dubbed the Golden Age. Along with his partner, Max de Rham—an engineer skilled in high technology and marine surveys—Hatch researched the merchantman. Both agreed to begin the search in the area where the Chinese junk was found. Using satellite navigation, proton magnetometers and side-scan sonar, they swept a five mile perimeter, but came up empty handed. After two months of fruitless effort, Hatcher wanted to quit, but de Rham begged for one more day. Bingo! The very next day, May 11, 1985, the prize appeared on sonar—an image of a shipwreck showing mastheads, cannons and deck contours.

    Hatch and de Rham were the first down and right off the bat found shards with the luster of cobalt blue beneath a ceramic glaze. Their expectations soared as pairs of dive teams uncovered crate upon crate of blue and white teacups, bowls, butter tubs, dinner plates, teapots and more. Serendipity kicked in when the divers realized the crates of porcelain had been cushioned upon impact by the bags of tea. More good fortune emerged when they recovered 127 gold bars in the captain’s cabin.

    Diving conditions were hazardous. Silt swirled around as cargo was removed, forcing divers to work by feel. Large bags of tea leaves broke free from their containers prompting Hatch to declare, “It was like swimming around in a giant black teapot.” The 132-foot depth and dark waters were ominous. Using surface air supply, hoses had to be monitored and bottom time computed. Getting the bends was always possible, but the salvors were experienced divers who stressed safety first. Divers entered a decompression chamber after each turn on the wreck. Storms delayed progress and lookouts packing guns stood guard against interlopers. After 10 weeks of long hours and intense labor, a container ship arrived to haul off 1,400 cartons of the Hatch’s cache. Upon arrival in Holland, it took six people, working steadily for one month, to unpack, clean and stack more than 170,000 pieces of china.

    The payoff came in April, 1986, when Christie’s of Amsterdam opened a five day auction of the “Nanking Cargo.” An official from Christie’s coined the name, Nanking, the main distribution center for Chinese porcelain shipped to Europe throughout the years. It had an appealing ring to it and helped prices soar beyond auction forecasts. More than 20,000 people attended the auction, many harboring a desperate desire to own a memento from this romantic treasure trove. An anonymous bidder paid $332,786 for a 144-place dinner setting, while a Swiss banker bought a pair of butter tubs for $15,275. A small stoneware jug went for $5,251. In all, the sale brought in $15.3 million, double the pre-auction estimates. Gold soared as well, netting a Midas touch that bordered on $2 million.

    As for Hatch, the 45-year-old salvage entrepreneur, this was a happy moment, but one he never looked back upon. Like all steadfast adventurers, he went off searching for another wreck in the untamed South China Sea. When asked by a reporter to give up one of his secrets to success, he responded with one word: “experience.” His mantra throughout all of his exploits has been, “Experience is the best teacher.” That being the case, Hatch, the student, continues to earn straight A’s.

    China and Singapore to resume military exercises, cooperate on defence education

    Article HERE

    • Analysts say the developments are a ‘natural progression’ of warming defence ties between China and the city state, which also has strong strategic ties with the US
    • A question that will be raised is ‘the level of exposure both sides would have to each other’s doctrine and equipment’, one observer says

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    2022 06 10 10 54

    China and Singapore’s defence ministers on Thursday said joint military exercises suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic were set to resume, and pledged to deepen defence ties in their first face-to-face meeting since 2019.

    Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe and his Singaporean counterpart Ng Eng Hen held talks at the inaugural Singapore-China Defence Ministers’ Dialogue, where they discussed global security issues, a statement from the city’s defence ministry said.

    The two defence ministers also shared their respective views on bolstering defence exchanges between China and Asean, the statement said.

    A Survey Of Corporate Financial Officers Found That 100 Percent Of Them Expect A Recession To Start In The Months Ahead

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    Have you ever heard of a survey where 100 percent of the respondents agree?  I can’t ever recall seeing one like that, but as you will see below, 100 percent of the corporate CFOs that were just surveyed by CNBC believe that a recession is coming by the end of next year.  At this point, our economic troubles are growing so rapidly that you would have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to see what is happening.  A meltdown of historic proportions has already begun, and there is economic gloom just about everywhere that you look.

    But even though the U.S. economy is clearly moving in one direction, I still didn’t expect to see this sort of a consensus among corporate financial executives…

    According to the majority (68%) of CFOs responding to the survey, a recession will occur during the first half of 2023. No CFO forecast a recession any later than the second half of next year, and no CFO thinks the economy will avoid a recession.
    
    The CNBC CFO Council Q2 survey is a sample of the current outlook among top financial officers. It was conducted among 22 chief financial officers at major organizations between May 12-June 6.

    Of course they are right on target.

    The months ahead are going to be very difficult.

    And with each passing day we continue to get more evidence that the economic slowdown is accelerating.  For example, it appears that a “transportation recession” has already begun

    A downturn, if not a full-on recession, is clear in the transportation world. While the rest of the economy debates whether things are that bad, it’s been clear for months to logistics providers that the situation has worsened — and the velocity of that change is still stunning.
    
    The cost to move a container from Asia to a major port in North America or Europe has sunk by 23% since the beginning of this year, according to maritime research firm Drewry. Spot rates have plummeted even faster; marketplace Freightos said rates from China to the West Coast are down 38% month-over-month. FreightWaves forecast this week that ocean shipping volumes will “drop off a cliff” by this summer, based on slumping bookings out of China.

    Meanwhile, the most absurd housing bubble in the history of our country is clearly starting to burst.  Compared to a year ago, mortgage applications were down a whopping 21 percent last week…

    This just keeps getting worse: Applications for mortgages to purchase a home dropped 7% for the week, and were down 21% from a year ago, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported today. An indicator of future home sales: Potential homebuyers try to get pre-approved for a mortgage, lock in a mortgage rate, and then start house-hunting.
    
    Mortgage rates have soared this year, and home prices have soared for years to ridiculous levels, causing layers and layers of potential buyers to abandon the market, amid “worsening affordability challenges,” as the MBA called it.

    On top of everything else, jobless claims just shot up to their highest level in almost six months

    The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits unexpectedly jumped last week, spiking to the highest level since mid-January in a sign the hot labor market could be starting to cool.
    
    Figures released Thursday by the Labor Department show that applications for the week ended June 4 rose to 229,000 from an upwardly revised 202,000 a week earlier, missing the 210,000 forecast by Refinitiv analysts. It marked the biggest one-week increase since last July. The four-week average of new claims, which smooths volatility in the weekly figures, also increased slightly to 215,000 last week.

    But even though all of these numbers clearly indicate that a “recession” is coming, a potential “recession” is not the number one economic concern for most Americans.

    That is because the worst inflation crisis in modern American history is hitting all of us extremely hard.

    According to a FiveThirtyEight/Ipsos poll that was just released, 52 percent of Americans believe that inflation is “the most important issue facing the country” right now…

    At this point, the answer to what Americans are most worried about is pretty straightforward: inflation. In the first FiveThirtyEight/Ipsos poll, 52 percent of Americans said the most important issue facing the country was inflation. We asked Americans this question in a variety of ways, but regardless of how we asked it, the top answer was always the same: inflation.

    Other surveys have come up with similar results.  For example, just check out these numbers from the Pew Research Center…

    Seven-in-ten Americans view inflation as a very big problem for the country, followed by the affordability of health care (55%) and violent crime (54%).
    
    About half say gun violence and the federal budget deficit are very big problems (51% each), according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted April 25-May 1 among 5,074 U.S. adults.

    Inflation is something that the American people can see on a daily basis.

    On Thursday, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States hit five dollars a gallon for the first time ever.

    And as I pointed out the other day, experts are warning that it will soon cross the six dollar threshold.

    The grocery store is another place where all of us can clearly see the rampant inflation that is happening.  A single shopping cart of food can easily cost $300 these days, and that is absolutely insane.

    Unfortunately, this is just the beginning, and most Americans realize this.  In fact, one survey just discovered that approximately two-thirds of us expect inflation to get even worse over the next year

    The Federal Reserve, the Biden administration, and Wall Street’s economists are confident that inflation will be brought down over the coming year. The American public disagrees.
    
    Two-thirds of Americans say they expect inflation to get worse over the next year, according to a poll conducted by The Washington Post and George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government.

    Some of us have been warning for years that the decisions that our leaders were making would destroy the stability of our currency.

    Now nightmarish inflation is officially here.

    And some of us have been warning for years that our rapidly growing long-term economic problems would eventually result in a meltdown of epic proportions.

    Now that meltdown has begun.

    Our fate could have been very different if we would have chosen a much different path while we still had the chance.

    But now it is too late, and the pain that is ahead is going to be greater than many Americans will be able to handle.

    1957 America. Some Say This Time Was Paradise.

    A great look at what once was…
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    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 5

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

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    Cats, nuclear bombs, robot mice, and incredible hulk hamsters

    It’s an awful strange time that we are living though. Indeed, the entire world seems to be upside down. The United States is arming Nazis with nuclear delivery systems for freedom, and is willing to risk global world war 3 over transgender queer rights while at the same time President Biden plans on allowing the second amendment to be enforced but not allowing anyone to buy or sell anything related to a firearm.  I calls it the Canadian influence. Perhaps it’s time to play with the kitties and turn off the “news” for a change. Eh? What do you think?

    The tanker fallout from impending Russian insurance ban

    The likely insurance ban that both the UK and the European Union are looking to put on any tankers carrying Russian oil anywhere in the world is expected to create a huge further shake-up in tanker fortunes. The insurance ban follows swiftly on from news the EU is to stop taking seaborne imports of Russian oil this year.
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    Crunching the numbers on what the outcome could be is Poten & Partners, the New York-based tanker brokers, which has predicted that all the sanctions, especially with the extra pressure of the insurance ban, could see Russia cut its exports from the Black Sea and the Baltic by 50% to 1m barrels per day each.
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    Aframaxes and suezmaxes are the preferred tankers to export crude from the Baltic and the Black Sea. If an insurance ban takes most of the international tanker fleet out the equation, Russia, China and India will have to use domestically owned or controlled tonnage to move the crude, Poten pointed out in its latest weekly report.
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    For the Baltic exports, Poten reckons。。。
    .

    Article HERE

    US-China relations: East Timor isn’t ‘taking sides’ but it wants Beijing’s help, says president

    Note: anyone aware that Australia bullied and looted East Timor 18 years of oil in their joint venture in the East Timor part of the seas, until East Timor successfully make the case to UN in recent years. During that period, East Timor entered failed state listing.
    Independence hero Jose Ramos-Horta has his sights set on expanding cooperation with China via the ‘extraordinary vision’ of the Belt and Road Initiative.  The 72-year-old hero maintains his country won’t get involved in any US-China rivalry, but analysts say it’s going to be a tough balancing act to pull off.
    ...that the aim was to maintain an equal distance from all major powers, while still keeping the door open to trade and investment.
    
    “What we want is the best for our own national interests. In my case, I will make decisions that are in the best interests of the people of Timor Leste,” Ramos-Horta said, using the country’s official name. “We welcome strong ties with all, the US, China, Australia, Indonesia and … [other] Asean countries, we are not going to say we are taking anyone’s side.”

    Article HERE

    This Fuffy Cat Has A Better Life Than Most Of Us

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    Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur. Very hot photo series by the Vietnamese photographer Lữ Phúc Anh Dũng. Purr-lease…

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    Ukraine war: FOUR UK squaddies go AWOL to fight Putin’s forces including 19-year-old Queen’s Guard

    AWOL? Apparently, UK dare not official admit it directly involved in war against the Russians in Ukraine.
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    FOUR UK squaddies go AWOL to fight in Ukraine: MoD launches desperate hunt to find 19-year-old Queen’s Guard last heard of on the Polish border and three colleagues amid fears Putin could claim Britain has entered the war if they are captured

    Article HERE

    VW defends Xinjiang operations amid alleged rights abuses

    Ignored all the agenda based language, the reality of this report is, western companies voted for China:

    The German car giant has claimed its presence in Xinjiang has a positive impact despite reports of ongoing human rights abuses. VW is also facing accusations of using slave labor in Brazil under the former dictatorship.
    
    The CEO of German car manufacturer Volkswagenhas defended the presence of a Volkwagen factory in the Chinese province of Xinjiang, where Beijing has been accused of carrying out human rights abuses, during an interview with German newspaper Handelsblatt.
    
    While several major corporations ended their operations in Xinjiang following US claims that China is committing "genocide" against the Muslim Uyghur minority, VW boss Herbert Diess said that the joint-venture partner SAIC Volkswagen would not close its factory there.
    
    In comments published Monday, he said the company had been active in Xinjiang for years, but that the "small factory" there was economically "insignificant."
    
    Asked whether VW would end operations in protest, Diess told Handelsblatt: "We could do that. But we won't, because we believe that our presence has a positive impact."

    Article HERE

    The United States continues to poke and taunt Russia

    People! This is NOT how you diffuse a dangerous situation.

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    2022 06 05 11 47

    Hong-Kong Based Company Makes Cat ‘LEGOS’ For People Who Love All Things Cat

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    If Lego and cats are among your favorite things in this world, now you can order a playful statue made of ‘Legos’ to liven up even the dullest office space or a living room. Hong-Kong-based company Jekca offers mini Lego sculptures for ‘kidults’ that come around 1.6 ft each – and their variety will surprise even the pickiest of customers.

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    Available in a variety of colours and patterns the 1.6 ft high cats aren’t available in different breeds however they do come in various positions, whether that’s perched on a table top or playfully stretching on the sofa. The good news is that the LEGO sculptures won’t fall part either –

    “These cats are like real sculptures and will not collapse or break apart,” the company writes over on its Facebook page. So there you have it – purrfect if you love all things ‘cat’.”

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    Creamy Ground Beef Noodle Casserole

    “Comfort” is the key word for this creamy ground beef and noodle casserole that makes a memorable meal out of simple ingredients.

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    fe6e9467 247e 4b3d 9694 973a818eeab1

    Ingredients

    • 8 oz uncooked farfalle pasta (about 2 1/2 cups)
    • 1 lb ground beef
    • 1 can (15 oz) Muir Glen™ organic tomato sauce
    • 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
    • 1 cup sour cream
    • 1 cup cottage cheese
    • 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
    • 3/4 cup sliced green onions
    • 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (12 oz)

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    2022 06 03 20 35

    ‘Shooting themselves in the foot’: Western sanctions on Russia

    Moscow has diversified its commodities exports as the EU faces the difficult task of replacing Russia as its energy supplier, analysts say.

    Article HERE

    New UK Gov. report confirms COVID Vaccination significantly increases the risk of Death and kills hundreds of thousands after five months

    I don’t normally post about the mRNA stuff, but jeeze!

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    2022 06 05 20 06

    This is not a conspiracy theory. Even the UK government admits that mRNA injections are deadly.

    On the 17th May, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published its latest dataset on deaths by vaccination status in England, and it has revealed a whole host of shocking findings.
    
    For example we now know that according to the ONS, 70,000 people have died within 28 days of Covid-19 vaccination in England, and 179,000 people have died within 60 days.
    
    We also now know that Covid-19 vaccination increases children’s risk of death between 8,100% and 30,200%.
    
    But it turns out that once you dig a little deeper into data, you find that Covid-19 vaccination actually increases the mortality rate of everyone within approximately 5 months.

    2022 06 05 20 07
    2022 06 05 20 07

    Article HERE

    .

    Capable Of Striking Any Part Of US, Russia Conducts ‘Massive Drills’ With Nuclear-Capable Yars 24 Missile

    Russia’s forces are conducting nuclear drills in the Ivanovo province, northeast of Moscow, involving some 1,000 servicemen and over 100 vehicles, including Yars intercontinental ballistic missile launchers, the Russian defense ministry has said.

    “In the Ivanovo region, autonomous launchers of the Yars mobile ground-based missile system of the Strategic Missile Forces (Teikovsky formation) are performing intensive maneuvering actions on combat patrol routes as part of the exercises,” the Russian Defense Ministry was cited as saying by the Interfax news agency.

    The Strategic Missile Forces are the main component of Russia’s nuclear forces, whose purpose is nuclear deterrence.

    The equipment used by Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN) included the ‘RS-24 Yars’ an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with a range of up to 11,000 km (6,500 miles), equipped with multiple warheads having individual guidance units.

    Such a range can enable Russia to strike any target in the US.

    In addition, the drill also involves the use of new Typhoon-M Combat anti-sabotage vehicles to detect, block and destroy threats to Yars.

    It is said to be equipped with the latest reconnaissance technology as well as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and is supposed to destroy subversion and reconnaissance groups of the enemy.

    During the maneuvers, the MDR Listva remote demining vehicle was used to escort the Yars mobile ground-based missile system on combat patrol routes. The MDR neutralized the remotely controlled explosive devices planted along the route of the column by conditional saboteurs.

    Reports suggest that one of the top priorities of this exercise was to simulate a wide array of scenarios relating to searching and destroying conditional sabotage and reconnaissance formations of the enemy in the daytime and at night.

    2022 06 03 20 15
    2022 06 03 20 15

    “The exercise makes it possible to improve the level of training of personnel, the coherence of formations and military units of the Strategic Missile Forces,” the Russian Ministry of Defense said.

    Japanese Company Releases Line Of ‘Crotch Charms’ For Women To Dangle From Their Swimsuits Between Their Legs

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    A Japanese company is selling what might be one of the most uncomfortable and impracticable pieces of jewelry ever dreamed up.

    BoDivas, based in Tokyo, is offering the strange item, which they call the ‘Beachtail’ and describe as ‘sexy charms for bikini crotch’. The metallic charms are meant to be worn through the crotch of bikini bottoms, so the decorations dangle between a woman’s legs.

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    Russia’s Nuclear Threat To NATO Countries

    Russian nuclear forces have been on a high alert since the onset of the Ukraine war and some of the top Kremlin officials and state-owned media have repeatedly threatened nuclear strikes on NATO countries.

    2022 06 03 20 16
    2022 06 03 20 16

    In late May, the head of Russia’s space agency, Dmitry Rogozin, warned that Russia would have about 50 Sarmat missiles by autumn 2022, capable of reducing all enemies to a “nuclear crater.”

    Earlier, a Russian state-backed television channel had simulated a terrifying nuclear attack on Europe and issued a warning that there would be “no survivors”.

    “One Sarmat missile and the British Isles will be no more,” nationalist politician Aleksey Zhuravlyov told Channel One’s ’60 Minutes, a show hosted by Evgeny Popov and Olga Skabeyeva, also known as the ‘Iron Doll of Putin TV’.

    The show presented a diagram of how the missiles could be launched from Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave sandwiched between Poland, Lithuania, and the Baltic Sea. It stated that a nuclear strike could destroy Berlin in 106 seconds, Paris in 200 seconds, and London in 202 seconds.

    .

    Mystery Orbs and Wobbulating Beams

    The following is an excerpt from Saucers, Spooks and Kooks: UFO Disinformation in the Age of Aquarius

    On one occasion, Bill Moore and Paul Bennewitz were on the deck of Bennewitz’s condo when he instructed Moore to set the shutter speed of his camera to 1000 and snap some random photos of the general landscape which encompassed Kirtland AFB and Manzano Mountain. When Moore later developed these photos, several shots revealed a curious tube of light that was only visible at this 1000th of a second setting. By using this shutter setting, Bennewitz had presumably employed a method of photographing images otherwise unseen by the naked eye.

    Another oddity Bennewitz observed were orange orbs that frequently materialized in his home. Bill Moore later confirmed seeing one of these softball-sized orbs, which he described as three dimensional and self-illuminating, hovering near the ceiling. According to film maker Mark Pilkington:

    “Others had noticed the orbs too. On one of his many trips out to the Bennewitz home to check up on things when the family was out (i.e., break-ins) Doty and two NSA operatives had disconnected the alarm system and were just about to start snooping around when they noticed one of the balls floating underneath a central stairway in the large entry room. “It was orange and had sparkles in it,” said Doty. “I asked the other guys: ‘Is it one of yours?’” But the NSA men were mystified as well, and the trio tried to see if the phenomenon was projected from outside of the house somewhere. No dice. ‘We never did figure out what that was,’ said Doty. Perhaps the NSA was in fact responsible, but if so, they never admitted this to anyone outside their circle.” 1 

    Orbs weren’t the only weird things buzzing about Bennewitz. National Security Agency (NSA) operatives had moved into a vacant building across the street from Bennewitz’s home in an attempt to monitor his activities. Although Bennewitz didn’t know if the strangers across the street were actually government agents, or aliens in disguise, he somehow determined that they were scanning him with high tech equipment. Bennewitz said he could “sense their sweep” and that it caused a stinging sensation on his body. Over time, Bennewitz grew to suspect that this “sweep” had been performed by an ET beam. On one occasion, Bill Moore was visiting Bennewitz and also experienced this sensation, describing it as a beam that scanned his body.

    To combat this perceived ET beam, Bennewitz constructed his very own spacegun. “The speed of my weapon exceeds that of their weapons and in its most sophisticated form can be readily computer controlled to allow extremely rapid tracking and lock-on regardless of speed along with electronic wobbulation of the beam.” 2 Bennewitz further claimed that: “Two small prototypes have been funded and constructed by my Company. Tests conducted to date indicate they do work and work rather well considering their small size…” 3

    The beam or “scan” that Bennewitz and Moore experienced could have conceivably been a form of directed-energy weapon that was first reported in development during the late 1990s by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Kirtland Air Force Base. According to researcher Christian Lambright:

    “In 2001, the AFRL publicly revealed the existence of Active Denial Technology (ADT), which was referred to, behind closed doors, as the ‘pain beam,’ a science fiction sounding “microwave beam that heats the water in the surface layer of the skin where the pain-sensing nerves are, and can do so from a considerable distance…By all accounts, the sudden and intense pain is enough to cause virtual panic as people desperately try to get away from the beam. Research into such ‘non-lethal’ weapons has reportedly been going on since the mid-1980s, though it is an outgrowth of research into radar and electromagnetic pulse technology.” 4

    During the ADT’s 2001 public roll-out, a contraption called the Active Denial System (ADS) was demonstrated, which consisted of a large antenna mounted atop a military transport. In 2003, Eric Adams—an associate editor with Popular Science Magazine—volunteered himself, guinea pig style, to test the effects of this technology. According to Lambright:

    “[Adams] had the system fired at him from a half mile away with the directed-energy beam controlled to hit him only in the middle of his back. In less than two seconds, he experienced a warm sensation that quickly grew to feel like an ‘electric burner.’ Though in this demonstration the purpose was to show that the ADS could generate only enough pain to motivate someone to leave the area, in a 2007 accident at Moody AFB, Georgia, an exposure of four seconds at 100% power injured one person seriously enough to require being flown to a local burn center. However, at lower power levels the beam can produce only a mild feeling of warmth and, as the above demonstration showed, it can be focused on a relatively small area even over a substantial distance…” 5

    Lambright notes the existence of “man-portable” ADS-like systems in development as far back as the early 1970s. A 1972 Time Magazine article entitled “The Death Ray” described “a portable chemically-powered laser” that could “silently burn a fatal, quarter-inch-wide hole in the body of an enemy soldier up to five miles away…Much of the Pentagon’s laser weaponry research is being conducted in great secrecy at Kirtland Air Force Base, outside Albuquerque.” Lambright goes on to say:

    “The above Time Magazine article was written forty years ago, and we are left to wonder how the research may have developed since then. Perhaps it melded into the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Directed Energy Directorate and a little-known research group located at Kirtland Air Force Base…Even more interesting, is word of the Portable Efficient Laser Testbed (PELT), which was described in the above New Scientist article…as the ‘first man-portable heat compliance weapon of its kind.’ Cursory information on this weapon appeared in a Department of Defense (DoD) document titled Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Exercise Reference Book published in 2003, which listed the PELT laser rifle as a classified program. Included in the document is an illustration of this decidedly futuristic looking weapon and, if you look closely, it sports the unique logo of the ScorpWorks…

    “What about the choice of the unusual name ‘ScorpWorks’? It was one of the questions I addressed to the AFRL Public Relations Office and, as expected, they acknowledged that the name is a play on the infamous Skunkworks, the secretive advanced aircraft division of Lockheed. The reference to a scorpion is supposed to reflect the Southwest flavor of their New Mexico location. But a scorpion being selected to symbolize the types of weapons the ScorpWorks develops, directed energy beam weapons with painful effects, also brought to mind what Paul Bennewitz complained about. It is what scorpions do. When a scorpion strikes… it stings… “ 6 

    ADS was subsequently deployed to Afghanistan during the 2010 Iraq War, but never used due to “ethical and safety concerns” and was “deemed too unpredictable to use in war zones.” 7 However, as recently as the Summer of 2020, the Trump administration was toying with the idea of using ADS on its own citizenry. According to a National Public Radio (NPR) article dated September 16, 2020:

    “… Joint Forces Headquarters Command in Washington, D.C., confirmed to NPR that hours before federal police officers cleared a crowded park near the White House with smoke and tear gas on June 1, a military police staff officer asked if the D.C. National Guard had a kind of ‘heat ray’ weapon that might be deployed against demonstrators in the nation’s capital.” The command “inquired informally about capabilities across the full-spectrum of non-lethal systems, to include the Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) and Active Denial System (ADS)…” 8 

    Soon after, The Washington Post matched NPR’s reporting citing the congressional testimony of Major Adam D. DeMarco, the senior-most D.C. National Guard officer on the ground when the hammer went down in Lafayette Square. Not only did DeMarco contradict White House denials that they hadn’t used tear gas on protestors, but DeMarco also provided an email from June 1, 2020 that stated:

    “…the Defense Department’s top military police officer in the Washington region… asked whether the unit had a Long Range Acoustic Device, also known as an LRAD, or a microwave-like weapon called the Active Denial System, which was designed by the military to make people feel as if their skin is burning when in range of its invisible rays…”

    The email went on to describe ADS in glowing terms:

    “ …the ability to reach out and engage potential adversaries at distances well beyond small arms range, and in a safe, effective, and nonlethal manner…The ADS can immediately compel an individual to cease threatening behavior or depart through application of a directed energy beam that provides a sensation of intense heat on the surface of the skin. The effect is overwhelming, causing an immediate repel response by the targeted individual.”

    Ultimately, federal officials were unable to get their hands on an ADS device and instead opted for tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd from Lafayette Square so that President Trump could stage a photo op of himself holding a bible in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church.

    The former guy, preparing to burst into flames, after placing his tiny fingers on a Bible.
    .

    Apparently, this wasn’t the first such instance in which the Trump admin contemplated using ADS on civilians. According to reporter Michael D. Shear in the August 26, 2020 edition of The New York Times:

    “Fifteen days before the 2018 midterm elections, as President Trump sought to motivate Republicans with dark warnings about caravans heading to the U.S. border, he gathered his homeland security secretary and White House staff to deliver a message: “extreme action” was needed to stop the migrants….That afternoon, at a separate meeting with top leaders of the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection officials suggested deploying a microwave weapon — a “heat ray” designed by the military to make people’s skin feel as if it is burning when they get within range of its invisible beams… Two former officials who attended the afternoon meeting at the Department of Homeland Security on Oct. 22, 2018, said the suggestion that the device be installed at the border shocked attendees, even if it would have satisfied the president…”

    The Most Expensive Cat Toy That Your Cat Might Actually Play With

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    Mousr is the only toy designed from the wheels up to play the way your cat wants. Mousr’s variety of tail attachments means he’s customizable to match just about any cat’s play style. With a switch of his tail, it’ll be like your cat is meeting Mousr for the very first time!

    Bring the excitement of a cartoon cat and mouse chase right into your living room! Mousr’s suite of sensors and built-in artificial intelligence make him the most sophisticated cat toy on the market. Can your cat outsmart Mousr?

    Started from $149.99 USD.

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    New Milestone For China – World’s ‘Largest’ Amphibious Aircraft AG600 Conducts Its First Flight With New Configuration

    On May 31, a new-configuration variant of China’s AG600 large amphibious aircraft flew for the first time over Zhuhai, South China’s Guangdong Province, reported state-run media, CGTN. 

    The AG600, codenamed “Kunlong,” took off from Zhuhai Jinwan Airport at 10:55 am and conducted a series of test flight missions. It flew for 20 minutes before landing safely, with its entire control system functioning normally.

    According to the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the successful flight heralds a new milestone for the AG600 project and a substantial breakthrough in improving the large amphibious aircraft’s firefighting functional model.

    With a maximum take-off weight of 60 tones and a maximum water-storage capacity of up to 12 tones, this new configuration AG600 aircraft is specifically designed for firefighting missions. It meets China’s need for a large firefighting plane.

    The aircraft is equipped with a pressure cabin, fly-by-wire flight control system, integrated avionics system, and systems for its future firefighting missions.

    Key Part Of China’s Emergency-Rescue System

    The AG600, along with the Y-20 heavy transporter and the C919 single-aisle passenger plane, is part of China’s major initiative to build a “large aircraft family” independently.

    2022 06 03 17 55
    2022 06 03 17 55

    The aircraft is a critical piece of aviation equipment in China’s emergency-rescue system. According to the AVIC, it is also the first Chinese-made large specialized aircraft built under civil-aircraft airworthiness requirements.

    This new-configuration AG600 amphibious aircraft conducted a successful maiden flight on Tuesday, according to the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). Due to the sophisticated nature of the aircraft’s future operations, it will require a variety of testing and must meet stringent standards.

    It can operate in complex weather and environmental circumstances and rescue up to 50 people in a single mission.

    The plane is expected to perform firefighting duties and enter service in 2023. The firefighting and rescue variants of the AG600 will be certified by the Civil Aviation Administration of China and delivered in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

    AVIC said that it would aid in the development of the Chinese domestic air-emergency-rescue-product system, with the AG600 project serving as the driving force.

    Capable of supporting China’s Ambitions  

    China’s most recent five-year plan, spanning the years 2021 to 2025, recognized the AG600 as a vital program due to the country’s pressing need for an emergency rescue aircraft, as well as the strategic necessity for equipment that can support its bases in the South China Sea.

    2022 06 03 17 56
    2022 06 03 17 56
    The AG600 is a hybrid aircraft that can take off and land on both land and water. It is intended for use in suppressing forest fires, maritime patrols, and search and rescue missions. It might also be used to observe the oceanic environment, explore resources, and transport people between islands.

    The aircraft, if stationed in the southern island province of Hainan, will be likely to reach anywhere in the South China Sea in four hours. It might potentially operate as a cargo or passenger carrier between the region’s Chinese-controlled islands.

    The propeller-driven plane, once finished, will be the world’s largest amphibious aircraft, surpassing Japan’s US-2 and Russia’s BE-200.

    Another movie personality runs for office..

    In a backwards run nation under mob-rule, only the television personalities stand a chance at “joining the club” of wealthy power elite. Like the head of Ukraine, and Donald Trump, these actors play roles that they script out and pretend to occupy. It’s the future of the West manifesting here and now.

    Pennsylvania Republicans have rallied behind a celebrity former TV host and political neophyte, choosing a charismatic convert to conservatism over a rival who espoused a purer form of the party’s modern doctrine.
    
    The above sentence could have been written in 2016, when Donald Trump defeated Senator Ted Cruz in Pennsylvania’s presidential primary on his way to receiving the GOP nomination. But tonight it’s a description of Mehmet Oz, America’s favorite living-room M.D., who has finally won the Keystone State’s Republican nomination for Senate with help from the former president. Oz narrowly topped the financier David McCormick after McCormick unexpectedly conceded in the middle of a statewide recount.

    From HERE

    Four B-1B Bone Bombers Have Arrived At Andersen AFB In Guam

    Tyler Rogoway
    Article HERE

    2022 06 05 11 45
    2022 06 05 11 45

    .

    A quartet of B-1B Bone bombers just arrived at Andersen Air Force Base on the island of Guam today. It isn’t clear if the bombers will be staying as part of the now sporadic bomber presence deployments to the Indo-Pacific region or if they are there to take part in a major exercise, or both. Valiant Shield, a series of large multi-domain wargames is getting underway in the region. There have also been some rumors that a B-1 deployment was imminent as a deterrent and hedge against North Korean actions, including a potential nuclear test.

    In 2020, it was announced that after 16 years of fulfilling the Continous Bomber Presence mission to Guam, the Pentagon would opt for a far less predictable deployment plan to the region for its bombers.

    What came after was a flurry of extremely long-range bomber patrols, many from the continental United States, to Russia’s eastern borders and the tumultuous South China Sea, as well as shorter deployments to Guam or Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean by the USAF’s B-1, B-52, and B-2 bomber force.

    More pictures from the past…

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    A “dream kitchen”…

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    You know…

    The “news” has become silly.

    Scientists accidentally create super-vicious HAMSTERS in a lab after gene editing experiment goes wrong and makes aggressive rodents chase, bite and pin each other down

    • Gene editing lab test inadvertently makes horde of rage-fuelled hamsters
    • Scientists removed key hormone in the hope it would boost animals’ cooperation
    • But it turned them wild, prompting chasing, biting and pinning among hamsters
    • ‘We [thought] it would reduce aggression. But the opposite happened’: test chief
    • ‘We don’t understand this system as well as we thought we did’, Professor added 

    Scientists inadvertently bred a horde of unusually aggressive hamsters after a gene editing experiment to ‘reduce aggression’ went wrong.

    Researchers at Georgia State University produced new rodents without hormone vasopressin in an effort to raise ‘social communication’ between the rodents.

    Yet the chemical change turned the Syrian hamsters wild, prompting fights inside cages.

    The ultra-vicious hamsters were pictured pinning, biting and chasing each other.

    2022 06 05 11 38
    2022 06 05 11 38

    Lead researcher Professor Elliott Albers said: ‘We anticipated […] we would reduce both aggression and social communication — but the opposite happened.’

    They key hormone Avpr1a was thought to regulate friendship and bonding, with its removal expected to increase harmony between the animals.

    Instead, the lab experiment recorded ‘high levels of aggression towards other same-sex individuals’.

    Professor Albers said: ‘We were really surprised at the results.’

    It was thought that vasopressin affects the social behaviours of hamsters including aggression and communication.

    To investigate further, scientists deactivated Avpr1a, removing a receptor that interacts with vasopressin in key regions of the brain.

    Now immune to the hormone, it was thought the rodents would become friendlier.

    The results were anything but, with a heightened frequency of fighting, biting, chasing and pinning down among the hamsters in their cages.

    The study’s striking conclusions challenge scientists’ understanding of the relationship between biology and behaviour.

    The professor added: We don’t understand this system as well as we thought we did.

    ‘The counterintuitive findings tell us we need to start thinking about the actions of these receptors across entire circuits of the brain, not just in specific brain regions.

    ‘Developing gene-edited hamsters was not easy. But it is important to understand that the neurocircuitry involved in human social behaviour and our model has […] relevance for human health.’

    Professor Albers said the gene editing tests are intended to help find solutions to neuropsychiatric disorders including autism and depression.

    2022 06 05 11 40
    2022 06 05 11 40

    The West’s Big Lie Propaganda Machine never rests.

    Unfortunately, brainwashed citizens in Eurangloland accept it as fact…

    Russia Will Strike Decision-Making Centers – Not in Kiev — if U.S. Arms to Ukraine hit Russia

    .

    The Deputy Chairman of Russia’s National Security Council (Their equivalent of a Senate) has warned that the Kremlin could target western cities if Ukraine uses rockets supplied by the US to carry out strikes on Russia.

    President Joe Biden announced this week that his administration was sending long-range missiles to Ukraine, backtracking on an earlier statement that the US would not be giving the war-torn country advanced weaponry.

    Dmitry Medvedev, a former President of Russia and current chairman of the national security council, warned there would be consequences if these were used against Russian soil.

    He told Al Jazeera: ‘If, God forbid, these weapons are used against Russian territory then our armed forces will have no other choice but to strike decision-making centers. ‘Of course, it needs to be understood that the final decision-making centers in this case, unfortunately, are not located on the territory of Kyiv.’

    The rocket systems being sent over to Ukraine will be able to strike enemy targets about 50 miles away.

    Biden said it would help Ukraine on the battlefield as fighting intensifies in the east of the country.

    The White House said it had agreed to provide Ukraine with the new missiles after receiving assurances from President Zelensky that they would not be used to hit targets inside Russia.

    However, the Kremlin said it did not believe Zelensky.

    ‘The United States is directly and intentionally adding fuel to the fire,’ Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, said.

    .
    Silly, as the USA makes all the decisions for Ukraine. It's a puppet. 
    
    When the USA sends missile systems that are nuclear capable, and range capable, and it's puppet promises not to use them... how fucking stupid do you think we are? -MM
    .
    Meanwhile in the United States…

    .

    Are You Upset About Inflation? If So, You Aren’t Alone.

    .

    All of a sudden, just about everyone is upset about inflation.  It would have been nice if everyone would have been this upset back when our leaders were making the exceedingly foolish decisions that resulted in this crisis.  In May 2012, the federal government was 15 trillion dollars in debt.  Now we are 30 trillion dollars in debt, but our politicians continue to spend money as if tomorrow will never come.  Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve has pumped trillions of dollars that they created out of thin air into the financial system in recent years.  For a very long time, I passionately denounced what our leaders were doing, because I knew what would happen.  Now a day of reckoning has arrived, and millions upon millions of Americans are absolutely desperate for things to return to normal.  Unfortunately, that simply is not going to happen.

    In May 2020, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States was less than two dollars.

    Today, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States reached a brand new record high of $4.62, and we are being warned that it could soon go to “$5 a gallon or more”

    The national average for unleaded gas hit another new high of $4.62 per gallon Tuesday, according to AAA data. Prices are up more than 50% compared with last year.
    
    Analysts say gasoline prices usually peak by mid-May, but this year prices at the pump could continue to rise into July and reach about $5 a gallon or more.

    Most of the time, the vast majority of the population doesn’t pay much attention to economics.

    But this is where the rubber meets the road, and two recent polls show very clearly that Americans are becoming increasingly frustrated…

    An NBC News poll released earlier this month found that 33 percent of Americans approve of Biden’s handling of the economy, while 23 percent approve of his handling of the cost of living.
    
    A Washington Post-ABC News poll in early May found that more than 9 in 10 Americans are concerned, at a minimum, about the rate of inflation, which has been at a 40-year high for months. That included 44 percent who say they are “upset” about the problem.

    In addition, Gallup’s Economic Confidence Index has now fallen to the lowest reading that we have seen since the end of the Great Recession

    Gallup’s Economic Confidence Index measured -45 in May, down from -39 in each of the previous two months. It is the lowest reading in Gallup’s trend during the coronavirus pandemic, and likely the lowest confidence has been since the tail end of the Great Recession in early 2009.

    When things go bad, who are people going to blame?

    More than anyone else, people are going to blame the guy in the White House.

    And right now the Biden administration is absolutely desperate “to contain the political damage caused by inflation”

    The White House launched a new push Tuesday to contain the political damage caused by inflation after President Biden complained for weeks to aides that his administration was not doing enough to publicly explain the fastest price increases in roughly four decades.
    
    Aiming to demonstrate to the public that it is responding to its concerns, Biden met with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell in the Oval Office, wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal about inflation and sent top aides across major networks to push the administration’s economic message.

    What is Biden’s “economic message” exactly?

    I have been sitting here pondering that question, and I honestly cannot answer it.

    Every day, the story seems to change.  A while back, Biden promised to do all that he could to lower gasoline prices, and he foolishly released a million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

    That didn’t work.

    So what now?

    One insider told Politico that high gasoline prices are “a really difficult issue to message around”, because “you can’t deny the reality”

    The White House’s focus on gas prices is bred from two sobering political conclusions top officials have made. The first is that they have little control over the problem. The second is that as prices rise at the pump, so do Democrats’ odds of a midterm wipeout — especially as the average U.S. gallon of gas hits fresh record highs.
    
    “There really isn’t one silver bullet,” said one person familiar with the discussions. “It’s a really difficult issue to message around when you can’t deny the reality.”

    If Joe Biden asked me what he should do in order to reduce gasoline prices, the first thing I would say would be to stop doing things that are counterproductive.  The following comes from a recent editorial by Marc A. Thiessen

    If the Biden administration cared about high gas prices, they would be doing everything in their power to increase domestic production. After a federal judge invalidated an offshore oil and gas lease sale in January, the administration chose not to appeal and has since canceled three transactions in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Alaska — taking millions of acres off the auction block. The Post called the move “a victory for climate activists intent on curbing U.S. fossil fuel leasing,” which “effectively ends the possibility of the federal government holding a lease sale in coastal waters this year.” Worse, the administration is about to let the nationwide offshore drilling program expire next month without a new plan in place.

    Moving forward, we need to remove mountains of regulations that have made it extremely difficult to build and operate new refineries in the United States.

    And we need far more exploration and far more drilling as soon as possible.

    Of course the truth is that this isn’t just a U.S. problem.

    Energy prices are out of control all over the world, and they are actually much higher in Europe than they are here.

    In fact, soaring energy prices are a big reason why inflation in the European Union just hit a brand new record high

    Following Germany’s post-Weimar record high inflation print, the European Union’s consumer price inflation data this morning surged to a record high at +8.1% YoY (notably hotter than the +7.8% YoY expected).

    Most Americans don’t realize this, but Europe is actually much closer to a full-blown economic meltdown than we are.

    I expect the euro to fall below parity with the dollar in the not too distant future.

    And I expect a nightmarish energy crunch in Europe as supplies from Russia are restricted or cut off completely.  Unless something changes, next winter is going to be a really challenging time for many European nations.

    We have entered the worst energy crisis in modern history, but what we have experienced so far is just the beginning.

    Much worse is ahead, and the American people will become increasingly frustrated as prices just keep going higher and higher.

    BBC offers a classic case of “smooth propaganda”. Can you spot the lies and layers of deception?

    Elegant and devious, punctuated with half-truths, their brand of insidious “journalism” is a textbook of effective disinformation.

    The BBC (like the New York Times) excels at disinformation with an authoritative touch. 
    
    These media engines do not shout. 
    
    Who wants to use a vulgar ax when innuendo, used as a stiletto, can accomplish so much more? 
    
    Not surprising, then, that their "facts" and "arguments" —calibrated for a refined audience, and slyly embedded in many layers of deception not liable to be spotted by the untrained eye—are couched in what appears to be established truths and impeccable reasoning. 
    
    Yet, as this piece so efficiently illustrates, almost every paragraph is tainted with a lie. 
    
    Can you identify the lies? 
    
    We'll give you a hint: the article uses one major stratagem to inject its poison—reality inversion. 
    
    Almost everything in it is upside down. 
    
    The people attacked are actually the truthtellers; the lonely few pushing against the vileness of tyrannical plutocratic elites masquerading as zealous champions of peace, freedom, and democracy. 
    
    The people defended—like the notorious White Helmets, long exposed as a creation of British intelligence to facilitate regime change ops—are vectors for the lies upholding the Western imperialist order. 
    
    For good measure, the pain of the "victims" is also exaggerated. 
    
    And it doesn't help any that, by design, the discourse is also conducted in a contextual miasma in which some witnesses—like Dr Schlosberg—is seen loftily casting a curse on both warring houses. 
    
    (Progressives of this type, who always end up carrying water for the Empire, are a regular fixture in Western political debates). 
    
    It's also ironic but to be expected for these avatars of priggish "journalistic integrity", that while they are quick to mention in ominous tones that Dr Schlosberg (in connection with the largely debunked Bucha story) has been using some "Russian state media", they conveniently forget that the BBC itself is a huge media and propaganda instrument of the British state, an aggressive participant in many of the topics and events discussed in this story.
    
    So give it a try. We'd like to hear what you have to say.

    From HERE

    Three-Cheese Beef Pasta Shells

    These Three-Cheese Beef Pasta Shells can be ready to impress in no time at all. Perfect for company and cozy nights at home, this hearty dish only looks like you spent all day in the kitchen. In fact, you can pull stuffed pasta shells with ground beef together with just 25 minutes of prep time, then get the rest of the meal ready while it bakes. These stuffed shells with cream cheese, ground beef, melty cheese and pasta sauce bring a whole new meaning to the term “comfort food.” No matter the occasion, nothing satisfies quite like a warm dish of Three-Cheese Beef Pasta Shells.

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    3526ddd5 fc58 4b9d 871e ca902621a15f

    Ingredients

    • 24 uncooked jumbo pasta shells
    • 1 lb ground beef (at least 80% lean)
    • 1 jar (25.5 oz) Muir Glen™ organic chunky tomato & herb pasta sauce
    • 1/4 cup water
    • 1 container (8 oz) chive and onion cream cheese spread
    • 1 1/2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend (6 oz)
    • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
    • 1 egg
    • 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, if desired

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    Killdozer

    Out of the dust-bin, one of my long forgotten articles has gotten legs; The Tale of the Killdozer. My guess is that this is because it is approaching the anniversary of the event. In any event, I have got more than a random flood of visitors to the article.

    Perhaps you all might want to mozy on over and check out this post; indeed, it is one of my better posts. It’s probably associated with the domestic insanity of the Biden Administration. Maybe that’s why so many people are visiting that article.

    The Tale of the Killdozer.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 5

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

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    The Horsemen of the Apocalypse are galloping ahead

    Yah. The West is in collapse. It is obvious to everyone (except the deluded). And everyone is now “hunkering down”. Everyone has their “heads down”, and watching their actions, internet footprint, and activity. It’s the calm before the storm. It’s gathering. It’s gonna be nasty.

    Watch out!

    Uh Oh! Medvedev: “The Horsemen of the Apocalypse are galloping ahead”

    .

    In a TV interview with Al Jazeera Television, Dimitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, said “This is not a forecast, but what’s already in play.  The Horsemen of the Apocalypse are galloping ahead, and we can only look towards God.”

    Here is the video:

     

     

    Medvedev was elected president of Russia in the 2008 election. He was regarded as more liberal than his predecessor, Vladimir Putin, who was also appointed prime minister during Medvedev’s presidency.

    Medvedev’s top agenda as president was a wide-ranging modernization program, aiming at modernizing Russia’s economy and society, and lessening the country’s reliance on oil and gas.

    During Medvedev’s tenure, the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty was signed by Russia and the United States, Russia emerged victorious in the Russo-Georgian War, and recovered from the Great Recession. Medvedev also launched an anti-corruption campaign, despite later being accused of corruption himself.

    He served a single term in office and was succeeded by Putin following the 2012 presidential election. Medvedev was then appointed by Putin as prime minister. He resigned along with the rest of the government on 15 January 2020 to allow Putin to make sweeping constitutional changes; he was succeeded by Mikhail Mishustin on 16 January 2020. On the same day, Putin appointed Medvedev to the new office of deputy chairman of the Security Council.

    The fact that Medvedev made direct reference to the “Horsemen of the Apocalypse” is utterly stunning to may observers because it signals how the leadership of Russia sees actual developments in the world.  Medvedev made clear “This is not a forecast, but what’s already in play.”

    The Horsemen of the Apocalypse

    (From Wikipedia) 
    
    The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (often referred to as the Four Horsemen) are figures in the Christian religion, first appearing in the Old Testament's prophetic Book of Zechariah and in the Book of Ezekiel, where they are named as punishments from God. They later appear in the New Testament's final book, Revelation, an apocalypse written by John of Patmos.
    
    Revelation 6 tells of a book or scroll in God's right hand that is sealed with seven seals. The Lamb of God/Lion of Judah opens the first four of the seven seals, which summons four beings that ride out on white, red, black, and pale horses. Zechariah describes them as "the ones whom the Lord has sent to patrol the earth," causing it to rest quietly. Ezekiel lists them as "sword, famine, wild beasts, and plague".
    
    In John's revelation, the first horseman rides on a white horse, carries a bow, and is given a crown – he rides forward as a figure of Conquest,[1][2] perhaps invoking PestilenceChrist, or the Antichrist. The second horseman carries a sword and rides a red horse and is the creator of (civil) War.[3] The third horseman, a food-merchant riding upon a black horse, symbolizes Famine. He carries The Scales.[4] The fourth and final horse is pale, and upon it rides Death.[5] "They were given authority over a quarter of the earth, to kill with sword, famine, and plague, and by means of the beasts of the earth."[6]
    Apocalyptic Christianity sometimes interprets the Four Horsemen as a vision of harbingers of the Last Judgment, setting a divine end-time upon the world.[7][8]

    HAL TURNER EDITORIAL OPINION

    Given the “wars and rumors of war from the east” as well as the ongoing pestilence of COVID and now, Monkeypox, as well as “signs in the Heavens and upon the earth” in the form of earthquakes, entire bodies of water turning blood red without explanation, and similar strange events,  it is not hard to see why Medvedev said what he said.

    While the U.S. and its NATO vasal partners view things as mere “strategy” and “political positioning,” the leaders of Russia are viewing things from the perspective of the literal end of the world.  This  variance in the approach of national leadership may explain why the sides aren’t stopping the craziness going on over the special military operation to de-Nazify and de-militarize Ukraine.  Instead of de-escalating, pausing, or even taking a step back to reconsider, mankind is moving ahead toward the frightening reality of Armageddon.

    Circumstances seem to keep pushing the United States and Russia closer and closer to a horrifying showdown.

    If I was in the White House, I would be doing all that I could to try to find a way out of this mess.

    Unfortunately, the guy currently leading our nation is a hothead in an advanced state of mental decline, and he is surrounded by the worst foreign policy team in U.S. history.  That is a recipe for disaster, but most Americans seem to be entirely convinced that a full-blown war with Russia is extremely unlikely.  Most of us seem to think that we can keep escalating the conflict in Ukraine without ever suffering any serious consequences.

    Unfortunately, the Russians see things very differently.

    On Russian television, there is constant discussion about how the conflict in Ukraine is really a proxy war between the United States and Russia.

    On the state TV show 60 Minutes, host Olga Skabeeva announced: “I have some unpleasant news… Even though we are methodically destroying the weapons that are being delivered [to Ukraine], but the quantities in which the United States are sending them force us to come up with some global conclusions. Perhaps it’s time to acknowledge that maybe Russia’s special operation in Ukraine has come to an end, in a sense that a real war had started: WWIII. We’re forced to conduct the demilitarization not only of Ukraine, but of the entire NATO alliance.”

    Sadly, she is quite correct that World War III has now begun.

    Let us hope that a way to stop it can be found before it goes nuclear.

    Nuclear war is NOT a topic that is brought up much on American news channels, but in Russia it is regularly proposed as a potential option…

    Vladimir Avatkov, from the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said: “You mentioned WWIII and the way Americans and Poles are acting on the territory of Ukraine—indeed, we need to remember the words of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, who said that anyone who tries to interfere in the special military operation will pay a heavy price.” Skabeeva interrupted: “We never forget about these words of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, but a great number of people are already standing in line, trying to interfere in Russia’s special operation on the territory of Ukraine. Turns out, we have to act—but we’re yet to figure out how we can act without conducting a nuclear strike.”

    Reading something like that should chill you to the core.

    When Russian journalists and politicians say stuff like this, why won’t we take them seriously?

    Just the other day, one prominent Russian politician openly talked about destroying both coasts of the United States with Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles…

    The politician, Alexie Zhuravlev, was joined on the talk show by fellow MP and Russian-state mouthpiece Yevgeny Popov, the host of the Rossiya 1 channel show.
    
    The lawmaker claimed that two of Russia’s Sarmat  missiles would destroy the entirety of America’s east coast – before adding it would take just “two missiles for the west coast” as well.
    
    “Four missiles and there’ll be nothing left.”

    Russia’s Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles are far superior to anything that we have, and we have no defense against them.

    If push comes to shove, I believe that the Russians will not hesitate to use their nuclear weapons.

    Our leaders should be trying to find a peaceful way out of this crisis, but instead both sides just continue to escalate matters.

    In fact, for the very first time Joe Biden has just promised to give long-range rocket systems that are capable of hitting targets inside Russia to Ukraine…

    U.S. President Joe Biden has agreed to provide Ukraine with advanced rocket systems that can strike with precision at long-range Russian targets as part of a $700 million weapons package expected to be unveiled on Wednesday.
    
    The United States is providing Ukraine with high mobility artillery rocket systems that can accurately hit targets as far away as 80 km (50 miles) after Ukraine gave “assurances” they will not use the missiles to strike inside Russia, senior administration officials said.

    What an incredibly foolish move.

    Has Biden gone completely insane?

    In response, the Russians are holding missile drills…

    The nuclear forces of Russia are holding drills in a region just northeast of Moscow.
    
    The decision to begin these drills comes just one day after President Joe Biden announced his decision to send advanced missile system to Ukraine, the New York Post reported.
    
    According to an independent news agency in Russia, around 1,000 Russian soldiers are taking part in intense maneuvers using more than 100 military vehicles, including Yars intercontinental missile launchers.

    Yikes!

    At this point, the U.S. is providing most of the new military equipment for the war in Ukraine, most of the intelligence for the war in Ukraine, and U.S. Secretary of State Lloyd Austin has publicly admitted that we are actually bringing Ukrainians into the United States to train them to go back and fight in the war.

    And now we have learned that the U.S. has actually been conducting “offensive hacking operations” against Russia…

    General Nakasone confirmed for the first time that the US was conducting offensive hacking operations in support of Ukraine in response to the Russian invasion.
    He told Sky News: “We’ve conducted a series of operations across the full spectrum; offensive, defensive, [and] information operations.”

    What are we thinking?

    Have our leaders really become this reckless?

    Once a full-blown war with Russia starts, there will be no going back.

    But right now many Americans are so self-obsessed that they don’t even realize that our leaders in Washington have brought us to the brink of the unthinkable.

    We have become a country full of self-destructive degenerates that are so out of it that we don’t even realize what we are doing to ourselves.

    There is a small minority of the population that is awake, but most Americans are in a deep state of sleep.  I am doing my best to try to wake them up, but most of the population simply does not want to listen.

    The corporate media is telling them to hate Russia, and so most of them are going to keep cheering for more escalation until it is far too late to reverse course.

    If we keep escalating the conflict in Ukraine, the Russians could eventually be put into a position where they feel like they are forced to make a very difficult decision.

    And when that day finally arrives, you better hope that they don’t decide to pull the trigger.

    Economic fiasco, nuclear fiasco, societal fiasco, the truth is clear…

    The American (and western) societies have collapsed. Their governments are on “zombie autopilot”, and those in (functional) control are hard-line religious technocrat zealots. You all should be in your “life boat” right now. The fight for life-preservers will be on-going over the next few months. -MM

    We start with what will happen on a day to day basis…

    Pay for play for the rest of us

    You know how “pay-to-play” works: contribute a couple of million dollars to key political players, and then get your tax break, subsidy, no-bid contract, etc., slipped into some nook or cranny of the legislative process that few (if any) will notice because the legislation is hundreds of pages long or a “gut and replace” magic wand was wielded at the last minute.

    As the essential systems of everyday life break down and become increasingly dysfunctional, I predict the rise of what I’m calling “pay-to-play” for the rest of us: if you pay for expedited service, concierge service, etc., you will get the kind of service everyone used to get, i.e. functional, prompt and efficient.

    As I detailed in Who’s Going to Fix What’s Broken?, systems such as vehicle registration and tax collection are becoming kafkaesque quagmires where the expected (or promised) services are not provided or are botched.

    Waiting for services at the DMV, IRS, et al. and the county welfare office are identical experiences. Poor people have no choice but to put up with long waits and bureaucratic quagmires, but the top 10% who earn almost half of all income and are responsible for roughly half the consumer spending are not amused by services that are equivalent to what the bottom 10% must tolerate out of necessity.

    Since nobody in power is truly interested in fixing these large-scale, complex systems, then it’s easy to predict the rise of “pay-to-play” for the rest of us: pay an extra fee, get much better service.

    There are already examples of this trend. For example, if you want expedited processing of your U.S. passport renewal, that will cost you $60. Given my previous experience with passport renewals, I was happy to pay the extra $60 just to have some additional assurance I was actually going to receive the new passport in a timely manner.

    Would I have paid an extra $100 for “expedited processing” of my DMV registration to avoid a 7-month descent into bureaucratic Heck? Yes, with no hesitation whatsoever. Would I have paid $200 for “expedited processing” of my federal tax return to bypass that 7-month kafkaesque quagmire? Gladly, without hesitation.

    How about a $500 “expedited processing” of your building permit? Given that those long months of slogging through the quagmire cost real money, a $500 “concierge service” fee to get your permit in 8 weeks rather than 8 months would be a bargain.

    “Pay-to-play” is inherently unfair: the wealthy get their interests served, the rest of us tax donkeys and debt-serfs slog through kafkaesque quagmires. “Pay-to-play” for the rest of us will also be inherently unfair, but at least it will democratize “pay-to-play” to the degree that a couple hundred bucks will actually buy better service, and that’s within reach of many more households than the million dollars required to access political “pay-to-play.”

    If systems can’t or won’t be fixed, then having access to the 10% which still functions is worth a great deal. The more kafkaesque quagmires you’ve slogged through, the more you hope “pay-to-play” for the rest of us becomes ubiquitous.

    How much would you pay for expedited emergency services?

    Ponder that thought as you check out some funny cartoons…

    What Would Animals Say If They Could Speak?

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    All of us have already wondered what animals think and what they would say to us if they could talk. Jimmy Craig tried to answer this question with these amusing comics which are part of a series called “They Can Talk.”

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    Amusing, huh?Consider that Hunter Biden is a multi-millionaire. that he makes a living for “being in the club” and arranging the mass deaths of “enemies of the Untied States” by WMD. Now consider how others “in the club” get by.Nope. You can never aspire to be part of this club…

    Top-Paid LA Lifeguards Earned Up To $510,283 In 2022

    Wednesday, Jun 01, 2022 – 05:00 AM

    By Adam Andrzejewski of Open The Books substack

    Who knew that LA lifeguards – who work in the sun, ocean surf, and golden sands of California – could reap such unbelievable financial rewards?

    2022 06 04 10 24
    2022 06 04 10 24

    It’s time we put Baywatch on pay watch. In 2019, we found top-paid lifeguards made up to $392,000.

    Unfortunately, today, the pay and benefits are even more lucrative.

    Daniel Douglas was the most highly paid and earned $510,283, an increase from $442,712 in 2020. As the “lifeguard captain,” he out-earned 1,000 of his peers: salary ($150,054), perks ($28,661), benefits ($85,508), and a whopping $246,060 in overtime pay.

    The second highest paid, lifeguard chief Fernando Boiteux, pulled down $463,517 – up from $393,137 last year.

    Our auditors at OpenTheBooks.com found 98 LA lifeguards earned at least $200,000 including benefits last year, and 20 made between $300,000 and $510,283. Thirty-seven lifeguards made between $50,000 and $247,000 in overtime alone.

    And it’s not only about the cash compensation. After 30 years of service, LA lifeguards can retire as young as 55 on 79-percent of their pay.

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    2022 06 04 10 25

    Furthermore, we found that most of the top-paid lifeguards were men. In fact, only two of the top 20 high-earners were women: Virginia Rupe ($307,664; 16th highest paid), a lifeguard captain, and Lauren Dale ($303,518; 19th highest paid), an ocean lifeguard specialist.

    Overtime pay drove earnings into the corporate executive range.

    Last year alone, 37 lifeguards made overtime in amounts between $50,000 and $247,000. For example, Daniel Douglas (overtime: $246,060); James Orr (overtime: 146,506); Patrick O’Neil (overtime: $133,235); and five others each made six-figures plus.

    However, in a six-year period, between 2016 and 2021, the LA lifeguard corps made a fortune in overtime. The top three high earners made between $505,579 and $980,007 in overtime alone: Daniel Douglas ($980,007); Jaro Spopek ($513,365); and James Orr ($505,579).

    2022 06 04 10 27
    2022 06 04 10 27

    Some high-earning lifeguards also win awards for heroism. However, we found many lifeguards winning Valor Awards failed to crack the top of the payroll.

    In 2020, the Medal of Valor winner, Edward “Nick” Macko (salary: $134,144), an ocean lifeguard, jumped into the rough waters in a remote Palos Verdes gorge and pulled a man to safety through potentially skull-crushing swells and over razor-sharp rocks.

    In 2021, the Exemplary Service Award for EMS went to lifeguards Todd Ribera (comp: $184,676); Stephen Leon Jr. (comp: $36,597); Max Malamed (comp: $130,952); and Blake Hubbell (comp: $170,956).

    Also winning Exemplary Service Awards were high-earners: ocean lifeguard specialist Lauren Dale ($303,518), the 19th highest paid lifeguard, and lifeguard captain Roque Roque ($319,566), the sixth highest paid in 2020.

    Beach lifeguard pay dwarfs that of their colleagues at the pools. The highest paid “pool lifeguard” made $45,030, including pay and benefits.

    During the pandemic, lifeguards continued to work and took additional precautions doing water rescues. Many traded their trunks and sunscreen for masks and scrubs at Covid testing sites. In some cases, lifeguards acted as police, enforcing stay-at-home orders, keeping people off the beaches and out of the water.

    Why beach lifeguards earn so much money is an open question the L.A. taxpayer might start asking.

    A lifeguard’s job can be dangerous, but it’s unclear why they are now paid up to a half million dollars a year.

    Really?

    Consider the payment rates of “diversity officers”.

    How much does a Director, Diversity & Inclusion make in the United States? 
    
    The average Director, Diversity & Inclusion salary in the United States is $106,958 as of , but the salary range typically falls between $91,540 and $123,411. 
    
    Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education, certifications, additional skills, the number of years you have spent in your profession. 
    
    With more online, real-time compensation data than any other website, Salary.com helps you determine your exact pay target.

    2022 06 04 11 46
    2022 06 04 11 46

    Ugh. Makes me sick.

    Here, enjoy a nice unique burger flavor…

    Grilled Italian Sausage Burgers

    Inject come spice into your next barbecue with quick and easy Italian sausage burgers, fresh off the grill. Thick slices of mozzarella and sun-dried tomato mayo make simple, savory finishing touches.

    db5bc70d 726d 4741 b728 86d8495b4a5d
    db5bc70d 726d 4741 b728 86d8495b4a5d

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound lean ground beef
    • 1/2 pound bulk mild or hot Italian sausage
    • 2 tablespoons Progresso™ Italian-style bread crumbs
    • 6 slices (3/4 ounce each) mozzarella cheese
    • 12 slices Italian bread, 1/2 inch thick
    • 1/2 cup sun-dried tomato mayonnaise
    • 1 cup shredded lettuce
    • 1 medium tomato, thinly sliced

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    2022 06 03 20 49

    Why America Decays: The Tyranny Of Self-Interest

    Wednesday, Jun 01, 2022 – 04:30 AM

    Authored by Charles Hugh Smith via OfTwoMinds blog,

    Only those societies which still have a functional public interest / common good will survive; those ruled by the tyranny of self-interest will fall.

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    2022 06 04 10 30

    I’ve discussed the moral rot consuming the American Project in blog posts and my books. This moral rot–perhaps better described as civic decay–is so pervasive and ubiquitous that we are forgiven for assuming “this is the way it’s always been.”

    This inability to discern the rot is the result of the gradualness of the decay. There are many analogies: the slowly boiled frog, the way in which weight gain creeps up on us, and so on. This is the result of humanity’s finely tuned knack to habituate to any new environment and normalize what would have been intolerable in the recent past.

    We adapt to changing expectations, incentives, values and realities over time and forget the way our world functioned in previous eras.

    There are many examples of this. Many of the changes in our society, politics and economy can be traced back to the early 1980s, when financialization (and its offspring, regulatory capture and pay-to-play) began its rise to supremacy.

    Forty years ago, student loans were unknown and healthcare costs did not bankrupt households. Forty years ago, relatively few Americans were obese. Go back a decade further, prior to the explosion of fast-food outlets, and a small percentage of the money Americans spent on food went to eating out / away from home, i.e. fast-food and restaurants. Eating out was a treat reserved for special occasions, not a daily ritual / birthright.

    In the post-Vietnam era, Americans were wary of foreign entanglements. The Presidency wasn’t quite as Imperial as it is today. Congress still held some modest power over foreign entanglements. This is no longer the case.

    The most insightful way to grasp the pervasive moral rot is to examine the tyranny of self-interest: in the past, the public interest / common good still had a foothold in the nation’s values, incentives and expectations. Now the public interest / common good are nothing but paper-thin PR cover for maximizing private gains by any means available, i.e. the supremacy of self-interest.

    Our ability to discern the difference between serving the public interest / common good and making a modest profit doing so and harming the common good to maximize private gains has been lost. There are many such examples. The financialized self-interest behind student loans, healthcare, national defense, Big Pharma, Big Ag, Big Everything–i.e. cartels and monopolies–is visible in every nook and cranny of the U.S. economy, political structure and economy.

    Synthetic opioids offer a good example. Under the preposterously false guise of “serving the common good” with painkillers, Big Pharma caused the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans and ruined the lives of hundreds of thousands more via the devastation of addiction– addiction which Big Pharma was pleased to promote as non-addictive because this served to maximize profits.

    As is now the norm, no one is held personally responsible for this completely needless public health catastrophe. A few wrist-slap fines are administered and life in America goes back to the relentless urgency to maximize private gains by any means available: fraud, deception, overbilling, embezzlement, regulatory capture, pay-to-play, and so on.

    The phony PR cover for the the tyranny of self-interest is that the pursuit of maximizing profits by any means available magically benefits the public. The apologists trot out various example of planned obsolescence as “proof” that the supremacy of self-interest is the golden road to a glorious society, but all this careful cherry-picking doesn’t make the moral rot and civic decay go away.

    America is doomed to decay as long as we can’t tell the difference between the public interest / common good and self-interest. The two are not the same, but we’ve lost the ability to discern the difference. Only those societies which still have a functional public interest / common good will survive; those ruled by the tyranny of self-interest will fall.

    China’s J-20, Russia’s Su-57 Stealth Fighters Ready For Joint ‘Combat Patrols’ To Challenge US Hegemony – State Media

    At a time when Russia is facing isolation from the West, its Iron Brother’ China, has been cementing closer ties with Moscow. In the latest revelation, the Chinese PLA Air Force (PLAAF) has said that its J-20 and Russia’s Su-57, both stealth fighter jets, could participate in a joint combat patrol.

    Helpless Against Hypersonic Missile! US To Boost Its Military Base That China Is ‘Practicing To Obliterate’ With Deadly Missiles

    Last week, China’s Ministry of National Defense announced that the Air Forces of China and Russia conducted a joint strategic patrol above the Sea of Japan, the East China Sea, and the West Pacific Ocean as part of their annual military cooperation plan.

    While the Chinese PLA Air Force sent its advanced H-6K strategic bombers, the Russian Aerospace Forces dispatched its Tu-95MS strategic missile carriers for the joint strategic patrol.

    However, in a startling development, Chinese military experts have indicated that the stealth fighters of the two Air Forces, the J-20 and the Su-57, could soon be leading these joint patrols.

    The development gains significance in the light of unhindered Chinese-Russian cooperation, which has been perceived as a security threat by the US.

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    2022 06 03 11 37

    File Image: J-20 Stealth Aircraft

    Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times recently that to deal with the constantly changing battlefield environment and to improve combat capability, China needs enough fighter jets to ensure that strategic aerial patrols can be carried out reliably, effectively, and safely.

    He indicated that more advanced equipment, such as China’s J-20 stealth fighter jet and Russia’s Su-57 stealth fighter jet, could participate in the next joint patrol. According to Song, this would result in a significant increase in the fleet’s overall combat capability.

    Though heavy bombers are formidable assets, fighter jets are often required to escort these bombers as they are not designed for air to air combat. However, on the other hand, a stealth fighter jet could effectively engage in air combat with far great success due to its ability to evade radars.

     

    The threat of J-20 patrolling with Su-57 becomes even more perilous as the PLAAF J-20 stealth fighter was already deployed for training patrols in the East China Sea and the South China Sea in April.

    The move was aimed at countering the presence of American stealth fighters making an appearance in the contested region, as previously reported by the EurAsian Times.

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    2022 06 03 11 3e7
    Geopolitical commentary by the Indian-based journalist...
    
    The presence of stealth fighters in the same region where the Chinese and Russian bombers flew last week could lead to an escalation in tensions especially as both Beijing and Moscow remain locked in a tussle with Japan.
    
    China’s consistent belligerence against Taiwan and a spate of military drills that took place in April also paint a rather dangerous picture.
    
    President Joe Biden had recently stated that the US would intervene militarily in case China was to launch an invasion of Taiwan. The stealth fighters of the adversarial Air Force patrolling the region inhabited by staunch US allies could escalate tensions manifold at a time when the region has become a major flashpoint.

    Additionally, the Global Times report also revealed that the Chinese bombers on their recent joint patrol were not alone in their voyage. The PLAAF J-16 fighter jet, which is the most frequent visitor to Taiwan’s ADIZ, escorted the H-6K bombers.

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    China should give up ‘illusion’ of avoiding US rivalry, Beijing think tank says

    The US behavior against China, after the Chinese helped get the US out of the 2008 GFC, has reminded the Chinese people what the USA is; and what it represents.
    
    It has no appreciative culture, and can NEVER be trusted. 
    
    So, since Xi took over China leadership, he has been active preparing the PLA for war, as well as, seeking bilateral cooperation to avoid war. 

    Ukraine war fallout has heightened risks of all out US-China military confrontation, Renmin University think tank warns.  China should prepare for the worst, but seek bilateral cooperation to avoid it, institute urges in recent report.

    J-16 Cover For Bombers 

    China’s J-16 fighter jets were observed participating in a China-Russia joint patrol for the first time on Sunday, according to China Central Television (CCTV), which showed a photo of two J-16s flying alongside a Chinese H-6K bomber and a Russian Tu-95MS bomber.

    According to Chinese military experts, Russia’s Defense Ministry said it dispatched Su-30SM fighter jets as an escort, implying that China’s J-16 deployment was deployed as a reciprocal arrangement.

     

    Since the strategic bombers are not designed to participate in air-to-air combat, observers stated that having fighter jets as escorts is also battle-oriented, noting that both China’s J-16 and Russia’s Su-30 are heavy fighter jets that may contribute to the joint patrol’s overall combat readiness.

    As seen in the photo, each J-16 was equipped with two PL-10 close-range combat missiles; however, the J-16 can also carry long-range air-to-air missiles, as the unnamed expert pointed out.

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    2022 06 03 11 3b9

    The J-16’s high range, dual engines, twin seats, enormous fuel capacity, and in-flight refueling capability make it ideal for long-range escort operations, according to the expert.

    The Japan Air Self-Defense Force had been monitoring the China-Russia joint patrol, according to the Ministry of Defense Joint Staff, although the presence of the J-16s and Su-30s was not mentioned in the press statement.

    Analysts speculated that the Chinese and Russian fighter jets may have only partially escorted the bombers and did not reach close enough to Japan’s identification zone or that Japan simply missed them.

    More pictures from the past…

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    Russia imposed retaliatory sanctions. It’ll be a knockout right from the first pack

    From HERE

    Many of our fellow citizens, in a thirst for universal justice, asked Putin to impose retaliatory sanctions against the West. Are you Vladimir Putin or Leo Tolstoy? How long can one or the other cheek be turned under the sixth package of sanctions already in a row? When will we finally bang something – so much so that the whole West is in dust? And finally, our answer followed.

    No, Russia did not launch Sarmats in the US, as some recommended – apparently those who have a personal bunker in their dacha. And she did not turn off the gas valve to Europe, as others loudly demanded, probably very rich people who are not dependent on social obligations from the state and have a lot of currency to buy everything for themselves.

    You don’t know Putin well if you thought that he would become like Western leaders, shooting himself in the foot and attacking the interests of Russian citizens, just to harm the West, and still achieve nothing.

    This is how Western sanctions can be characterized. They have already introduced six packages, but they did not achieve the desired effect, they only disgraced themselves, dispersed record inflation and ruined the lives of their own fellow citizens.

    And Russia continues to go its own way, the sanctions did not stop us. Which means one thing – European politicians have publicly got into a puddle with their sanctions packages. Of course, it is foolish to deny that these sanctions hit us. Nobody denies. The irony here is that these sanctions hit them no less. And the big question is who suffered more.

    I don’t know what kind of style of martial art it is when the enemy hits his head so hard that your ears start to ring, but our president is engaged in more traditional and effective martial arts.

    Our authorities quietly and calmly, without unnecessary pathos and PR, decided to knock out the Western economy with just one sanctions package – they banned the export of inert gases from Russia. What are these gases and why is it deadly for the West – now I will try to explain everything.

    Inert gases include neon, xenon, krypton, argon and others. Neon is used for the production of microcircuits, xenon in headlights, and krypton is used to fill double-glazed windows. And this is only a part of the scope of these gases. But even this small part is enough to understand that without these gases it is impossible to produce modern technological goods.

    Whether it’s at least a whole car or just an ordinary electric kettle. Because almost every modern household appliance has microcircuits. And in fact, almost the entire Western economy is based on the production of electronics. And a shortage of one component is enough to stop huge production there.

    For us, the price of the issue of these sanctions is a penny. The revenue of our companies from the sale of these gases amounted to literally tens of millions of dollars. This is not even close to the billions from the sale of oil and gas. That is why I said at the beginning that Putin did not shoot the Russian economy in the foot, but dealt a more measured blow.

    Let’s say the West will be able to produce a conditional car – the body itself and the seats. But he can’t sell it if it doesn’t have the necessary chips or headlights to make it work. And they will not be, because in their production inert gases are used, the export of which has been banned by Russia.

    Yes, Russia does not have a complete monopoly on these gases. For example, in neon we have a market share of approximately 50%. However, the Chinese have about 30% more, and they will not share with the West, they themselves will not have enough. By the way, that is why there is such a comment in the text of the decree:

    Russia decided to remind unfriendly countries of their import dependence. Now the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade will determine who will have access to neon, krypton, xenon – key and critical gases for the production of semiconductors.

    We’re talking about the Chinese here. We will sell to them, and to the West – shish. And this is not out of love for the Chinese, but simply so that when production crashes in the West, we ourselves will not be left without goods. China will supply them to us, receiving from us the supplies of these gases necessary for production.

    And the Western economy, meanwhile, will really crash. About 75% of our neon went to Taiwan – to TSMC and South Korean Samsung, i.e. in companies producing products for Western brands. And without neon and other important components from Russia, they will soon be unable to produce it. And it is important here that all gases go “in one package”.

    If we were talking about one more gas, then it would be possible to replace it, and even then not immediately. For example, in the USA, the terms for replacing neon are estimated to be anywhere from a year to two. And then, if someone invests in it. But for this you need to be sure that Russia will not return to the world market, otherwise the new capacities will simply be superfluous.

    And our authorities acted quite cunningly, saying that the ban is valid until “the end of 2022”, and then it is not known, maybe we will resume it, maybe not. This creates a sense of insecurity among potential investors and a reluctance to risk money by investing it in a potentially losing business.

    How this uncertainty works in practice, we saw in 2020, when Russia and Saudi Arabia discouraged investors from investing in shale oil production in the United States, because at prices in the region of $20 per barrel, many shale companies then went bankrupt.

    And now the risk that we will repeat this number is scaring off investors. But the problem isn’t just finding replacement investors.

    Given that we banned all types of inert gases at once, the situation for the West is even more difficult – to replace such a large number of industries at once, it will take not one or two years, but about ten years. But the Western economy simply does not have this time. On the account of months at most.

    There are certainly some stocks of components necessary for the production in warehouses. They will last for several months. But what’s next? During this time, it is impossible to build your own production of such gases. And no one will buy “semi-finished” products – do you need a non-working iPhone or a car that will stand in the garage waiting for the chip?

    And people at the enterprises need to pay salaries. You also have to pay for the energy consumed by this enterprise. And how to pay if the products are not fully assembled, which means they cannot be sold? And where to store such “semi-finished products”? All warehouses will quickly fill up.

    Let me put the question even a little broader: what money can we use to buy gas and oil from Russia if the West has nothing to sell in return? Putin warned in advance that there would be no free gas, and all kinds of joke bank tickets – euros and dollars – we will no longer accept this.

    So it turns out such an interesting situation, when a conditional European, to whom the enterprise will stop paying wages, will not even have anything to pay for gas in an apartment, not to mention refueling a car and other excesses. No one has rubles hidden under a mattress.

    Therefore, the further development of the situation is something like this – the West spends the last components in warehouses over the coming months and sells off the remnants of finished products. And then, if he wants to eat, warm up and fill up the car, he will have to pay in kind – various kinds of machine tools and other valuable equipment.

    It’s time for us to raise the national economy. And the Western machine tools of Russia will come in handy in this matter. We will gladly exchange them for rubles. And in Gazprombank, Chancellor Scholz will be able to hand these rubles to the cashier with his trembling hand from the cold so that Gazprom will supply gas to the Germans.

    Massive Fire Breaks Out At Poultry Farm That Supplies Eggs To Major Supermarkets

    Wednesday, Jun 01, 2022 – 02:00 AM

    A poultry farm in Howard Lake, Minnesota, that supplies the nation’s largest supermarkets with three million eggs per day experienced a devastating fire over the weekend.

    Forsman Farms spokesperson Jon Austin told local media outlet KARE that estimates aren’t firm yet, but anywhere between “tens of thousands of chickens were killed, up to a couple hundreds of thousands.” The spokesperson continued and said chickens in adjacent barns were affected by smoke inhalation.

    Video posted on YouTube by Eddie Olson shows massive flames lighting up the night sky on Saturday.

    “It’s a lot of chickens. It’s a hit to the egg market, it’s people’s jobs, it’s a local community. So any time anything big like that happens, it’s not good,” Olson said.

    It’s unclear exactly how the fire started though impacts could be felt at supermarkets. This year alone, retail egg prices have soared 41% because of the deadly bird flu wreaking havoc on the country’s egg-laying hen flock.

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    2022 06 04 10 37

    Since January, the outbreak has spread to 32 states, killing more than 37 million chickens and turkeys. Of that, 29 million egg-laying hens have died, or about 10% of the U.S.’ total flock of 300 million. Bloomberg recently reported the bird flu is “shaping up to be the worst outbreak of its kind.”

    The blaze at the commercial egg farm in Minnesota comes as dozens of food processing facilities across Canada and the U.S. have experienced mystery fires and explosions over the past year, helping to strain the North American food supply chain.

    A Black Cat Interrupted A Football Match And Unsurprisingly Refused To Leave

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    Over the weekend, the Premier League match between Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers had a short delay as a black cat had wandered onto the pitch – and refused to leave.

    The game, which took place at Goodison Park in Liverpool, saw the four-legged spectator wandering around the goal and sidelines. The crowd looked on in delight as none of the players or officials even tried to chase away the feline. Perhaps they all forgot their laser pointers and balls of yarn?

    Thankfully, the cat eventually got bored and scampered to the sideline. Everton, however, eventually lost the match, going down 3-1, to the visiting team.

    Sorry lads, better luck next time.

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    Putin’s war on the West is only just beginning

    By unleashing brutal force against Kyiv, the Russian president essentially announced a de facto divorce from Western civilization. And as many divorces tend to go it is likely to be a messy, costly and drawn-out affair...
    
    Two assumptions keep driving the debate since the start of the invasion back in late February 2022.
    
    First, Vladimir Putin's army is technologically backward, comprising poorly trained and lowly-motivated deserters who are only capable of pillaging and drinking.
    
    As a result, Russia's detractors say it is about to run out of capacity to fight and has no chance of winning the war.
    
    Second, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is gravely ill, has no sense of reality or the capacity to lead, and will transit into a different world in due course.
    
    Both of these assumptions continue to dominate the Western information media space. (note: like US funded NGOs and individuals unrelenting smeared campaign against China, and decades of Golden Chiang prediction of the collapsed of China economy, the Russia's money driven western funded traitors also did a good job in helping to hide the real strength of Russia till the day, when the west realised, it is too late for the crusaders to do anything.)
    
    They also resonate well across the West and beyond as the majority of the free world look at Russia now as a shameless aggressor and an immediate threat to Western liberal values and freedoms.
    
    As a result, we tend to treat the Russia-Ukraine war as our war, in which we naturally want the aggressor to lose.
    
    However, our expectations of the outcome of this war should not be based on just hopes and wishes but on the detailed analysis of the cold-hearted battlefield reality, which should not give the Western allies sufficient grounds for unconditional optimism.
    
    Being a different kind of Dr, I cannot comment on Putin’s state of health. But the battlefield analysis comes to a similar conclusion.
    
    After a vital strategic win over the battle for Mariupol, which resulted in the unconditional surrender of the elite Ukrainian units, the Russian forces have systematically stepped up their offensive across the Donbass region.
    
    What seemed initially to be a slow advance was in reality the reflection of two key factors.
    
    Firstly, the continuous ferocious resistance of the Ukrainian defenders. Their will to push the Russian invaders back despite taking very heavy losses deserves full recognition.
    
    There was also a vast and sophisticated fortifications network - which has been gradually extended by the Ukrainian military along the lines of confrontation in eastern Ukraine since 2015.
    
    Breaking through these layered defensive barriers was a massive challenge for the Russians, even with their overwhelming firepower and tactical air dominance.
    
    Still, the Russian military is slowly gaining pace.
    
    Since the launch of their proper offensive in Donbass on 19 April, they have seized control of some of the most important military nerve centres that make up that massive defensive barrier... Read more...

    From HERE

    Now Even The Elite Are Openly Admitting That America Is Facing An Absolutely Enormous Economic Crisis

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    Not too long ago, the elite were trying to put a happy face on our growing economic problems.  It was obvious that things were trending in a very alarming direction, but they kept assuring us that any bumps in the road were just temporary and that a new golden age of prosperity was just around the corner.  Needless to say, there were dead wrong, and now some of them are publicly admitting the truth.  For example, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon just publicly stated that an economic “hurricane” is rapidly approaching…

    Jamie Dimon is no meteorologist, but the JPMorgan Chase CEO is predicting an economic “hurricane” caused by the war in Ukraine, rising inflation pressures and interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve.
    
    “Right now it’s kind of sunny, things are doing fine. Everyone thinks the Fed can handle this,” Dimon said at a Bernstein conference. “That hurricane is right out there down the road coming our way.”

    JPMorgan Chase is one of the most important financial institutions in the entire world.

    So it is a really big thing for Dimon to make a statement like this.

    Of course he is right on target.  An economic hurricane is coming, and it is going to be far more horrible than most Americans could possibly imagine right now.

    Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also just said something that is making a lot of headlines.

    Last year she insisted that high inflation would just be “transitory”, but now she is openly admitting that she “was wrong”

    “I was wrong then about the path that inflation would take. As I mentioned, there have been unanticipated and large shocks to the economy […] that I, at the time, didn’t fully understand.”

     

    It isn’t exactly a surprise that she turned out to be completely wrong about high inflation being transitory.

    We knew that she was wrong when she said it.

    But I will give her credit for publicly admitting a mistake.  Many in Washington will never do such a thing under any circumstances.

    At this point, it should be obvious to everyone that we are in the midst of an absolutely horrifying inflation crisis.

    On Wednesday, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States jumped another nickel to $4.67.  But the real story is the crazy prices that we are starting to see out on the west coast.  For instance, one gas station in Los Angeles is now charging more than 8 dollars a gallon for regular gasoline…

    A Chevron station in downtown Los Angeles on the corner of Alameda Street and Cesar E. Chavez Avenue is charging customers over $8 for regular gasoline causing some locals to complain about price gouging, KTTV Los Angeles reported on Tuesday.
    
    In a statement to KTTV, Chevron pointed out that the majority of its California branded stations are independently owned and that “unique” factors are contributing to gas prices in the Golden State.

    How soon will we see someone break the 10 dollar a gallon threshold?

    Will it be by the end of the summer?

    In some cities, the price of a gallon of gasoline is already higher than the hourly minimum wage.

    That is nuts!

    Of course diesel prices have been rising even faster, and this is putting a tremendous amount of financial strain on America’s farmers.  If you doubt this, just check out what Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller just told Maria Bartiromo

    When Bartiromo noted “filling a tractor daily now costs farmers $1,000 – twice what it was a year ago,” Miller responded, “it’s through the roof, but it’s not just diesel.”
    
    “It’s fertilizer prices. It’s parts. We can’t get new tractors, new combines. We can’t get new tillage equipment,” he stressed. “So we have to keep running our older equipment, which we can’t get parts for. And so it’s just a whole comedy of errors, and it just multiplies on top of itself.”

    When costs go up for farmers, they inevitably get passed on to consumers.

    And we have already been seeing food prices spike dramatically.  Just check out these numbers from April

    Food grains—including corn and wheat—were up 2.8 percent for the month and 45 percent compared with a year ago. Feed grain prices increased 7.8 percent from the prior month and 33 percent from a year ago.
    
    The poultry and egg index jumped 22 percent from March and 94 percent from a year earlier. The April market egg price, at $2.21 per dozen, is 81.0 cents higher than March and $1.64 higher than April 2021. The price of chickens raised for meat, at $1.05 per pound, is 15.3 cents higher than March and 49.7 cents higher than a year ago. At 95.3 cents per pound, the April turkey price is 2.5 cents higher than the previous month and 18.5 cents higher than April 2021.
    
    Milk prices climbed 4.12 percent in April and are up 47 percent compared with a year earlier.

    In the entire history of our nation, we have never seen anything like this.

    But as I keep warning my readers, this is just the beginning.

    In fact, one prominent Texas farmer is warning that food prices “are going to double”

    “People don’t realize what’s fixing to hit them,” said Texas farmer Lynn “Bugsy” Allen.
    
    “They think it’s tough right now, you give it until October. Food prices are going to double.”

    Can you imagine that?

    Can you imagine what it will do to our country if food prices double from their already extremely inflated levels?

    People will go absolutely bananas.

    But this is exactly the type of scenario that I have been warning about for years.

    Eventually, food will become such a prime target for thieves that we will actually see armed guards escorting grocery store delivery trucks.

    And civil unrest will erupt all over the planet as millions upon millions of poor people get hungrier and hungrier.

    Unfortunately, even though so many are now sounding the alarm, the vast majority of the population still has no idea what is coming our way.

    Lemon-Garlic Shrimp Orzo Skillet

    You know that phrase, “a little goes a long way?” Well, that absolutely applies to this dish, which tastes rich and buttery but actually only includes 2 tablespoons of butter!

    The trick is waiting until the end to add the butter when it can enrich the orzo, which has already been flavored by cooking in broth, and the zucchini, which has a naturally buttery taste when sautéed.

    The shrimp, also added at the end, gets infused with all the flavors already in the pan, so the whole dish is redolent of garlic and butter and only needs a squeeze of lemon and sprinkle of fresh herbs for contrast. Garnishing with a bit of nutty Parmesan takes it all over the top.

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    25a8d453 0f4c 4aff 82d6 a3bb2ec06902

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • 1 large zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and into 1/4-inch slices (about 2 cups)
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped (about 4 teaspoons)
    • 3/4 cup uncooked orzo pasta (about 5 oz)
    • 1 1/2 cups Progresso™ reduced sodium chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)
    • 1 lb uncooked large shrimp (21 to 30 ct), peeled, deveined, tail shells removed
    • 2 tablespoons butter
    • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
    • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
    • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
    • 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

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    The Algonquin Hotel In NYC Has A Kitty Concierge Named Matilda

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    The Algonquin Hotel in New York City offers a unique amenity in the form of Matilda, a cat concierge whose main outpost is laying above the luxury hotel’s welcome desk. The experience is aimed at replicating the comforts of home and the Algonquin Hotel is one of many incorporating such mascots or concierges.

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    For those looking to spend a bit more time with Matilda than a hangout in the lobby, guests have the option of booking the ‘Friends of Matilda’ package. The ‘Friends of Matilda’ package includes a plush toy replica of Matilda, a personalized welcome letter from the feline herself and a book containing health and beauty secrets for the pampered kitty.

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    Why separations between humans and guardian angels are necessary

    This following video is one of the early Patrion videos. Subscription has been  necessary to watch it. However, it is presented here for all MM “followers” to watch for free.I hope that you gain some insight, as well as to see the benefits on contributing to MM via the Patrion page.

    Please check it out…

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

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    Lemon-Dijon Chicken, Russian Oil, 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Touring Berlinetta, and lots of old pictures.

    I have to tell youse guys that I am having a drop-off in participation once I switched my format. I have been spending much of my time on the geopolitical stuff and mixed it all up with food, pictures and odd and ends. I have since supplemented the written content with videos. The videos cover china, world-line travel, souls, the nature of the universe and all sorts of other things. I hope that you all don’t give up on MM during this period. Please have some faith.

    Let’s start off with something delicious. Seriously easy to make, and certainly one of the many, many reasons why “home cooked” meals for your family and loved-ones are important.

    Lemon-Dijon Chicken Skillet

    This tender chicken in a luscious lemon-Dijon sauce might look like it came from a nice restaurant, but it’s a dish you can cook up in your own kitchen, while staying within budget (and under 400 calories!).

    The trick is using the cooking juices as the base of the rich-tasting sauce and upping its flavor further with a couple of impactful ingredients, like Dijon, rosemary and lemon.

    While we often like cooking with boneless chicken thighs for the sake of convenience, bone-in chicken ensures extra flavor in this recipe.

    Remember to remove the chicken from the pan, so it doesn’t overcook while you finish the sauce. Keep the chicken warm, and then plate it all up beautifully.

    When you serve up this meal, your dinner companions will be impressed, and you can congratulate yourself on pulling off such a nice meal without any extra fuss.

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    6532e17c 982d 4036 a125 d5bd63e6339d

    Ingredients

    • 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
    • 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary plus 2 sprigs rosemary
    • 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
    • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
    • 6 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed (about 1 1/2 lb)
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
    • 1/2 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
    • 1 1/2 cups Progresso™ reduced sodium chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)
    • 1 tablespoon butter
    • 1 tablespoon Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
    • 1 tablespoon chopped Italian (flat-leaf) parsley

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    Europe Bans Insuring any Oil Tankers Carrying Russian Oil; Russia Responds with Inert Gas cut-off (Argon, Neon, etc.)

    Europe has enacted another round of Sanctions against Russia; these forbid insuring tanker ships carrying Russian Oil.   Ship owners will be unwilling to risk an uninsured vessel simply because of its cargo, so this will likely have a massive effect upon Russia.

    In response, Russia announced Thursday they are restricting supplies of neon, argon, helium and other inert gases to foreign markets. 

    A Decree by the Government restricts the export of inert gases from Russia until the end of this year.

    These gases are used for the production of semiconductors, from which microchips are made. Microchips are needed for electronics in many types of products: for the manufacture of gadgets, cars, navigation systems, etc.

    Thirty percent (30%) of the world’s neon is provided by Russia. Now, its export will be available only by the decision of the Government.

    According to experts, this may be very sensitive for the countries that imposed sanctions against  Russia.

    Put simply, with their new Sanctions against insuring vessels carrying Russian Oil, Europe just fucked their entire industrial base, which now will not be able to get semiconductors to run their machinery and businesses.   In this one small step, Europe has wiped out its own manufacturing sector.

    Brutal 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Touring Berlinetta

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    First shown at the 1935 London Motor Show, the 8C 2900A was a sports racer targeted to the gentleman driver, powered by a supercharged 2.9-liter inline eight-cylinder engine rated at 220 horsepower.

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    In the hands of Scuderia Ferrari, Alfa Romeo 8C 2900A models swept the podium at the 1936 Mille Miglia, backing up this performance by finishing 1-2 in the 1937 race. Not every buyer needed (or wanted) a car with this level of performance, so in response Alfa Romeo created the the slightly more relaxed 8C 2900B in 1937.

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    The 8C 2900B was detuned for greater reliability, producing 180 horsepower thanks in part to a drop in compression from 6.5:1 to 5.75:1. Though the eight-cylinder engine retained its 2.9-liter displacement and Roots-type supercharger, aluminum was substituted for magnesium on certain engine castings and the wheelbase was lengthened slightly from 2.75 meters (roughly 108 inches) to 2.8 meters (roughly 110 inches) on corto (short) chassis examples. The 8C 2900B also debuted a new lungo chassis variant, which utilized a wheelbase of 3.0 meters (roughly 118 inches).

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    Just 10 lungo chassis 8C 2900B models were ever built, including the five aforementioned examples wearing enclosed Berlinetta bodywork from Carrozzeria Touring. Chassis 412020 was the first completed, and displayed at motor shows across Europe in late 1937 and early 1938.

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    Israel simulates massive strike against Iran with hundreds of aircraft

    Hundreds of Israel Air Force (IAF) aircraft, including fighter jets and refueling planes, took off overnight Wednesday from various bases to simulate striking targets far from Israel’s borders, including in Iran.

    The exercise, part of the IDF’s monthlong Chariots of Fire drill, saw fighter jets, transport planes and refueling aircraft take off from several bases in Israel for Cyprus.

    Israel has significantly increased its readiness level and has taken steps throughout the past year to prepare a credible military option against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

    The IDF, which is planning several military options against Iran should the nuclear talks between the West and the Islamic Republic fail, is carrying out its largest drill ever with thousands of soldiers and reservists.

    One of the possible military options has been simulated during the exercise.

    IAF platforms, Israeli naval units and troops from the elite Shayetet 13, Yahalom special combat engineering unit, Oketz canine unit, Intelligence Corps and the C4I and Cyber Defense Directorate are also taking part in the drill, which will end on Friday.

    USAF’s New Stealth Bomber “Strides Toward Flight Readiness” After Successful Load Test

    Saturday, May 28, 2022 – 10:40 AM

    Northrop Grumman tweeted Wednesday that its new stealth bomber “made strides toward flight readiness with a successful loads calibration test.”

    A press release from Northrop Grumman described how the B-21 Raider “completed the first — and most critical — loads calibration test.” The first of three ground test before the aircraft takes to the skies in 2023.

    The next two tests will be engine testing and low-speed and high-speed taxi tests. Air Force Magazine noted the B-21 was initially supposed to take flight in the second half of this year, though Northrop Grumman has pushed that back to 2023 (cause of delays weren’t cited).

    "The B-21 test aircraft is the most production-representative aircraft, both structurally and in its mission systems, at this point in a program, that I've observed in my career," Randy Walden, director of the Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office and program executive officer of the B-21 Raider program, recently said. 

    Northrop Grumman said the stealth bomber would be unveiled later this year.

    KALIBR CRUISE MISSILES HAVE DESTROYED BESKYDY RAIL TUNNEL – MAJOR NATO WEAPONS ROUTE!!

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    Kalibr cruise missiles fired from a Russian naval vessel in the Black Sea, entered into – and flew deeply inside – the Beskydy Railway Tunnel near Lviv, Ukraine, and detonated, destroying the tunnel.   It was a key rail route for NATO weapons being shipped into Ukraine.

    The 1.8km long tunnel, travels beneath the Carpathian Mountains.  It is the second longest (after Lutuginsky ). It is part of the Lviv railway .

    A historic single-track tunnel was built in 1886 during the Austro-Hungarian period . In 2007, due to the emergency condition of the old tunnel, it was decided to build a new, double-track tunnel, which was laid 22 meters south of the old one and parallel to it.

    The official opening of the new tunnel took place on May 24, 2018 with the participation of the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko; train traffic on it began on May 25.

    For Ukraine, the new Beskydy Tunnel is of strategic importance, since this route transports goods towards the western border of the country, as well as more than 60% of transit cargo towards Western and Central Europe .

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    2022 06 03 10 26

    Its construction was a magnificent feat of engineering.

    One month ago, on May 2, Ukraine strengthened the security of the Beskydy Tunnel, which provides railroad deliveries of weapons, equipment, fuels, and lubricants, from Central Europe to Ukraine. In Kyiv, they feared that Russia would strike at the facility to cut-off NATO weapon shipments.

    “The goal is to try to disrupt the railway and stop the supply of fuel and weapons from our allies,” said Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the Ukraine’s Interior Minister

    Now, the tunnel has, in fact, been destroyed.

    Sweet City Woman

    It was a different time, don’t you know.

    Thanks to Climate-Change Fanatics and Green-Energy Whackos, 2/3rds of US Faces blackouts this Summer

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    2022 06 03 10 28

    Tough news keeps coming for Americans struggling with high energy prices. Not only have gas prices broken records for the past several weeks, now a good portion of the country is being told they should expect rolling blackouts, as we enter the hot summer months.

    The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) officially released its summer report last week and almost two-thirds of the country should prepare for a possible blackout.

    The report from NERC includes a harrowing map that shows most of the nation should stand ready for possible blackouts this summer.

    The reason for these coming blackouts is clear: a mandated transition to clean energy. The Wall Street Journal editorial board writes:

    “Welcome to the “green energy transition.” We’ve been warning for years that climate policies would make the grid more vulnerable to vacillations in supply and demand. And here we are. Some of the mainstream press are belatedly catching on that blackouts are coming, but they still don’t grasp the real problem: The forced transition to green energy is distorting energy markets and destabilizing the grid.”

    One of the chief proponents of forcing a transition to clean energy has been Richard Glick, the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). In February, he and the other Democrat commissioners at FERC tried to force through a policy that would have made building new natural gas pipelines and infrastructure almost impossible. Thankfully, the leadership of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee blasted the move. Senators Joe Manchin and John Barrasso made clear they wouldn’t stand for it. FERC pulled back the rule, for now.

    Glick has been renominated as the chair of FERC. The Journal editorial board continues: “His re-nomination is a clear and present danger to the U.S. electricity supply.

    The war in Ukraine and surging energy prices haven’t deterred Democrats from their anti-fossil fuels campaign. Will widespread power outages finally make them realize they’re harming all of us?”

    The Biden administration’s policies are resulting in a hot, dark summer for millions of Americans. With the summer heat just getting started, there is no relief in sight.

    People Are Sharing Pics Of Life 50-100 Years Ago And They Might Put Things In A New Perspective

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    “My Grandfather And His Horse, Ruby. 1940’s”

    How would you describe normal, everyday life? Well, for a modern person, it’s anything from brushing their teeth to… commuting to work. Oh wait, not anymore. Coronavirus has shaken up quite a few things, and made us work from home, stay in more, keep distances and whatnot. The change is dramatic and it’s only been like two years (almost three!, o-m-g) since it first started in late 2019.

    So yep, time is flying like a hadron collider, changing things beyond recognition on the way. But today would look nothing like a day 20, 50, or even 100 years ago. And we mean it. Thanks to the miscellaneous corner of Reddit “The Way We Were,” which is home to a stunning collection of old photos, scanned documents, articles, and personal anecdotes, we can all secure our seat belts and travel to the past.

    The community was created back in 2012, and will celebrate its ten-year anniversary in less than a month.

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    “My Grandma And Uncle In Iran, April 1971”

    Nancy Darling is a professor and chair at the Department of Psychology at Oberlin College and the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Adolescence and she happily shared some very interesting insights.

    It turns out that people tend to judge the passage of time as a function of how many things happen. In that sense, our perception of time is purely subjective. “I find it interesting that when my days are packed, I feel time passes both very fast and very slow.” For example: “During a busy week, events a week ago seem in the far, distant past because so many things have intervened since.” Simultaneously, we feel like time is flying by because so many things are happening every hour.

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    “Cairo Mary,” Bouncer At Shanghai Reds (5th And Beacon In San Pedro, Ca) Escorts A Customer To The Door. 1953

    Interestingly, as we get older, the way we perceive time may change as well. It has to do with the usual things, “like cooking a meal or grocery shopping, that start taking longer for you to do.”Most importantly, “the passage of time just marks age and accomplishment,” according to Nancy. “I just got an email this morning reminding me I’d promised to do something in July. That seems both forever ago (I’ve done a thousand things since) and very close (every day, I keep saying I’ll do it ’tomorrow.’)”

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    4 11

    Interestingly, we can do that with life as well. Just think of your kids being tiny and dependent, urges the professor. “How can my son be living in Manhattan and getting ready to teach in the public schools? Time flies,” she said. At the same time, Nancy said that she feels like “there are many things I’d always planned to do, but haven’t gotten to (yet).” And she added: “I am too old now?”

    5 10
    “This Is My Great Aunt In Front Of Their House In Boston, 1964. The House Was Bought On A Milkman’s Salary”

    The key challenge is to keep time on our side, and don’t let yourself fall into the trap of one day turning into the whole year. According to Nancy, there are things that can be done about it. “If you regularly review what your priorities are and focus on those, you feel like a lot has gotten done and you don’t regret the fact that you’ve wasted your days,” she suggested.

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    6 9

    The sense of accomplishment, whether big or small, creates invisible gaps in time that makes it feel like time stretches. “Days when I accomplish a lot are full and satisfying, but also feel long. A productive week feels like it’s lasted forever. It also feels good,” Nancy concluded.

    TSMC And Intel Are In A Mad Dash To Hire Semiconductor Technicians For Their New Plants In Arizona

    Saturday, May 28, 2022 – 09:20 AM

    To solve the semiconductor shortage, companies now have to deal with a labor shortage…

    We have extensively covered how major semiconductor companies have been responding to the global chip shortage over the last couple of years. One of the most notable companies to take action has been TSMC, who is in the process of building a $12 billion chip fab in Arizona, not far from where Intel is expanding their campus.

    TSMC’s project is racing to come online by 2024, but there remains a major obstacle for both companies: securing labor. “Simply finding enough workers to build the facilities has already proved a challenge,” according to a new report from Nikkei.

    Over 6,000 workers are currently on site trying to get the facility up and running by its targeted 2024 timeline, the report says. While it was tough to find construction workers, finding the skilled technicians necessary to work at a chip plant is proving even tougher.

    Kweilin Waller, deputy human services director at the Phoenix Business and Workforce Development Board, commented: “You say ‘semiconductor manufacturing’ [to potential recruits], people look at you like you have two heads. It’s just unfamiliar.”

    “I think those students that we are trying to recruit to ultimately become employees don’t know what they don’t know. So even before we give consideration to the seven semiconductor manufacturers that they could work with, they need to understand, ‘What is a semiconductor technician?'” added Daniel Barajas, a careers director at the Maricopa County Community Colleges District.

    Intel is trying to tackle the problem by creating a close relationship with The Schools of Engineering at ASU, which have about 27,000 students enrolled.

    TSMC doesn’t have the history that Intel does with the university to attract such talent as easily.

    Kyle Squires, the school’s dean, said: “Indeed, it’s more of a challenge [for TSMC to attract students]. The informal networking [among students] starts to really grab on.”

    One associate professor at ASU said: “TSMC recruiters have been very heavily present on campus. TSMC is presently negotiating with the university for some extended collaborations, both in research and in workforce development, and broader training programs.”

    TSMC only had plans of hiring in the U.S. before sending employees to train in Taiwan, but now the company is considering hiring directly from Taiwan, the Nikkei report says. “TSMC is focused on hiring employees, including technicians, locally in the U.S. for our Arizona fab,” a spokesperson said.

    Jennifer Mellor, chief innovation officer at the Greater Phoenix Chamber, concluded: “I think TSMC is really trying to get their name known in the market, and they’re actually doing a really good job of trying to connect with different education partners.”

    LOL. They should look at China. That's where they all went, you fucking stupid jackasses. -MM

    Rare And Amazing Color Photographs Of Behind The Scenes From The Set Of ‘Alien’, 1979

    An iconic film which shaped generations of sci-fi / horror films to come. Alien is a masterpiece and a film that can still invoke fear and wonder even after repeated viewings.

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    8 32

    Alien received both critical acclaim and box office success, receiving an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, Saturn Awards for Best Science Fiction Film, along with numerous other award nominations. It has remained highly praised in subsequent decades, being considered one of the greatest films of all time.

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    38 5

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    40 5

    The success of Alien spawned a media franchise of novels, comic books, video games, and toys. It also launched Sigourney Weaver’s acting career by providing her with her first lead role, and the story of her character Ellen Ripley’s encounters with the Alien creatures became the thematic thread that ran through the sequels Aliens (1986), Alien 3 (1992) and Alien: Resurrection (1997).

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    US Seizes Russia-Flagged Tanker Full Of Iranian Oil Near Greece

    Friday, May 27, 2022 – 06:30 PM

    Authored by Jason Ditz via AntiWar.com,

    Fresh off of the US targeting a series of companies involved in an Iran-linked oil smuggling network, the US has now seized an oil tanker near Greece, taking the Iranian oil within to be sent to the US.

    The oil was on a Russian-operated ship, which had been singled out for US targeting in February. It was then called the Pegas. The company renamed the ship the Lana and was Russian flagged. Greece had impounded the Pegas and its Russian crew last month over the invasion of Ukraine, but ultimately released it.

    The Russian-flagged oil tanker Pegas previously shown off Turkey, via Reuters

    Neither the US nor Russia is commenting. Greece says the US informed them the oil was Iranian, and that the US hired a different ship to take the oil to America. Iran has summoned the Greek charges d’affaires and called the incident a “clear example of piracy.”

    The US accused the tanker of loading 700,000 Bbls of oil from Iran in August 2021. The tanker mostly sent oil to China.

    Earlier in the week The Maritime Executive detailed that “The story of a shadowy Russian oil tanker took a new turn… as the U.S. Department of Justice seized the oil aboard the vessel and according to reports is in the process of transferring the oil to the United States on a chartered tanker.”

    “The vessel was detained nearly seven weeks ago in Greece when authorities thought it was covered by the European Union sanctions on Russian assets, but later held for mechanical deficiencies while watchdog groups announced that it was actually smuggling sanctioned Iranian oil.”

    The report continued: “The Aframax tanker arrived off Greece early in April with reports of a possible mechanical failure and indications that they were looking for assistance to make repairs to continue their voyage. When she anchored south of the Greek island of Evia the 115,520 dwt tanker was being identified as the Russian-flagged Pegas.” And the initial “assumption at the time was that it was laden with a Russian crude oil cargo,” according to the report.

    The seizure of the tanker, and oil, comes amid tensions on the ongoing nuclear talks. Iran believes, and not unfairly, that the oil was just stolen from them, and the US position, while yet to be public, is that the oil is now theirs.

    It’s not a great precedent, but generally Iran can’t do much about it, and the US is keen to have the oil.

    Iran Seizes 2 Greek Tankers In Gulf As Retaliation For US Taking Oil

    Saturday, May 28, 2022 – 12:36 AM
    .

    Iranian military operatives have seized two Greek oil tankers in the Persian Gulf on Friday. The Associated Press initially reported that the US Navy is “looking into” the reports. The tankers were boarded in international waters in the gulf, with the AP in follow-up saying that IRGC operatives now have control of the ships.

    The IRGC has announced it is in possession of the seized vessels, with Bloomberg reporting, “The Guard’s announcement comes as tensions remain high between Iran and the West over stalled negotiations regarding its rapidly advancing nuclear program.” And more according to the AP:

    The Guard issued a statement on its website, accusing the unnamed tankers of unspecified violations.
    
    Greece’s Foreign Ministry said Iranian authorities “violently took over” the two ships in an “act of piracy.”
    Delta Poseidon, via Lloyd’s List

    Industry monitor Lloyd’s List maritime intelligence describes that its “sources confirmed that in two seemingly similar operations the suezmaxes Delta Poseidon (IMO: 9468671) and Prudent Warrior (IMO: 9753545), both under Greek flag, were approached by Iranian helicopters on Friday afternoon.”

    “They were both boarded by military personnel and later escorted by naval vessels from international traffic lanes to Iranian waters a few miles off the coast,” the report continues.

    Earlier in the day Tehran threated “punitive measures” after the United States seized a Russian flagged tanker transporting Iranian oil off Greece.

    Iranian sources stated following the tanker seizure in the Mediterranean, “The Islamic Republic has decided to take punitive measures against Greece after it seized an Iranian tanker and let the US government confiscate its crude oil, Nour News, affiliated to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, reports.

    Russian senator urges missile strikes on U.S. bases in Europe

    A Russian senator has suggested that his country should attack U.S. military bases in Europe in response to the Biden administration’s decision to send rocket systems to Ukraine.

    Senator Frants Klintsevich told Russian state TV that Russia should “wreck” American bases using the country’s “high-precision long-range weapons” after the U.S. announced it will send Ukraine the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).

    A clip of Klintsevich’s remarks was shared by Francis Scarr of BBC Monitoring on Thursday, who monitors Russian state TV. The senator’s comments come ahead of the 100th day of the invasion of Ukraine on Friday.

     

     

    Klintsevich was part of a panel discussing the Biden administration’s decision to send HIMARS to Ukraine and said it was “complete nonsense” for Ukraine to claim the rocket system would only be used in defense.

    He argued that it was “impossible to talk to the Americans and Ukrainians in these conditions.”

    The senator said that Russia was speaking to the West “from a position of tolerance” and “giving signals when we say that line cannot be crossed.”

    “But unfortunately, they view our tolerance and integrity as weakness,” Klintsevich said. “And now, the places where the arms shipments are arriving, in particular in Europe, taking into consideration Russia’s high precision long-range weaponry, it’s about time we took steps to warn them.”

    Klintsevich said that Russia had shot down U.S. aircraft during the Korean War in the early 1950s. It’s likely he was referring to Soviet pilots who flew in planes bearing Chinese and North Korean markings during the conflict. The U.S. and the former Soviet Union were not officially at war at the time.

    The senator said that when the Soviets shot down American planes “the world didn’t end.”

    “It’s time to wreck American bases, for now, the ones in Europe,” Klintsevich went on.

    “Unfortunately, that’s just my personal opinion,” he said,

    More pictures from the past…

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    Russia’s Necessary and Legal Military Response to US/ NATO Aggression in Ukraine

    Easily the best summation of the Russian operation’s moral logic.

    Evidence shows that Russia’s special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine is a legally justified, critically necessary, and predictable response to the US’ recent escalation of its decades-long aggression against Russia in Ukraine–militarily, in the international corporate media, in cyberspace, and in the political-economic arena.  The US’ hostile actions against Russia were summarized in a 2019 US-Army funded RAND Corporation blueprint for “Over Extending and Unbalancing Russia.”  Underlying US actions is its aim is to dismember and asset-strip Russia–to appropriate its coveted oil, gas, and mineral resources and vast agricultural lands–and to enable US investors’ access to Russia’s economy. This is a step towards the US’ overarching goals of controlling Central Asia and achieving full spectrum dominance or global hegemony. Although the US war against Russia in Ukraine started years ago, US aggression escalated under the Biden administration and created conditions that posed an immediate existential threat to Russia and necessitated its military response.

    In 2014, the US initiated a proxy war against Russia by engineering the violent overthrow of Ukraine’s democratically-elected president. This ignited a bloody civil war on Russia’s border in which the US-installed and US-armed Kiev regime attacked the eastern provinces of Luhansk and Donetsk whose largely ethnically Russian residents opposed the US coup. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) documented the Kiev regime’s attacks that killed thousands of civilians and terrorized the populace. In 2015, the US-installed then-president, Petro Poroshenko, publicly articulated Kiev’s anti-Russia stance and its policy for the Donbass:

    “We will have jobs—they will not. We will have pensions—they will not. [….] Our children will go to schools and kindergartens—theirs will hide in the basements.”  Popular Ukraine pundits openly called for Donbas residents’ extermination. In 2015, Congress lifted its ban on funding Ukraine’s neo Nazi militias and placed US military trainers on the ground inside Ukraine. NATO and the CIA also began training Ukraine regime forces–effectively establishing Ukraine as a de facto US/NATO mercenary state. During the past eight years, Russia exhibited enormous restraint as the US and Ukraine violated the Minsk Protocols and rejected requests for diplomacy. In 2021, US aggression against Russia increased dramatically once Biden took office–in Ukraine and in the Black Sea. US actions and Ukraine President Zelensky’s public statements generated immediate threats to the survival of the Russian nation-state.

    Russia’s Military Response Was Over-Determined By Four Existential Threats 

    The US government and the corporate media falsely characterize Russia’s special operation as entirely ‘unprovoked’ and an ‘illegal invasion’. These allegations ignore four conditions which each independently compelled President Putin and the Duma to initiate Russia’s denazification and demilitarization operation and which establish this intervention as consistent with international legal norms.

    Chief among the factors necessitating Russia’s immediate military response were indications of an imminent new massacre as 125,000 Ukraine forces amassed along the border of Donbass in December of 2021. This was never reported in the US corporate press.  Instead, the US government and corporate media repeatedly stated that Russian troops were gathering on Ukraine’s border (inside Russia) and predicted an impending Russian invasion. In hindsight, US intelligence could make this accurate claim because it was aware of the menacing buildup of Ukraine forces. Anticipating an imminent massacre, Russia was obligated to intervene militarily because it had a Responsibility to Protect (R2P) the citizens of Donbass.  R2P is a political commitment to prevent genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity; it was endorsed by the United Nations at its 2005 world summit.

    Second, on February 19, 2022, Ukraine President Zelensky announced that Ukraine would seek to acquire nuclear weapons, saying, “I want to believe that the North Atlantic Treaty and Article 5 will be more effective than the Budapest Memorandum.” Zelensky’s expressed desire to acquire nuclear weapons represented a dangerous threat to Moscow and signaled that the window of opportunity for conventional military intervention was closing.  It is unlikely that Zelensky operates completely autonomously; Biden publicly bragged about his control over Ukraine government policies and has remunerated Zelensky following Zelensky’s implementation of anti-Russia policies and actions.

    Third, Zelensky’s repudiation of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances was a reminder of Ukraine’s intent to join NATO. For years, US President Biden advocated NATO membership for Ukraine, assuring Zelensky as recently as December 11, 2021 that this was in Ukraine’s own hands. NATO membership would entail NATO nuclear missiles inside Ukraine, aimed at Moscow. Ukraine’s geographic proximity to Russia eliminates the crucial minutes in which Moscow could verify and respond to an attack and would effectively place Russia and the US at DEFCON Level Two. The US dismissed Russia’s December 17, 2021 verbal and written requests for a diplomatic response to its security concerns. Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken deliberately rejected Russia’s entreaties and ignored the predictable consequences of Ukraine’s potential NATO membership. Renowned international relations scholars, diplomats and politicians, including John Mearsheimer, Jack Matlock, George Kennan, Henry Kissinger, and William Perry warned that NATO membership for Ukraine was a dangerous provocation which would trigger Russia’s military response.

    A fourth threat requiring Russia’s intervention was the presence of US Department of Defense-operated biolabs inside Ukraine. Russia’s concerns were validated on March 11, 2022 when Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland admitted during Congressional questioning that the Ukraine biolabs contained ‘biological materials’ which the US ‘did not want to fall into Russian hands’. While the pathogenic biological agents in these biolabs do not technically constitute bioweapons, they can become bioweapons once there is a ‘mechanism for spreading the agent.’ A delivery mechanism need not be sophisticated to be effective.  Bioweapons researcher, Jeffrey Kaye, described the extreme level of US secrecy surrounding the biolabs. Kaye noted that the Director of the Pentagon’s Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, Robert Pope, did not reassure when he stated that, “the Ukraine biolabs currently did not have the ability to manufacture bioweapons.”

    Russia’s Intervention Is Consistent with International Law

    These four US-generated conditions represented urgent existential threats to the Donbas and to the Russian nation-state and contradict US claims that Russia ‘illegally invaded Ukraine’ and that Russia’s intervention was unprovoked. Russia was compelled to intervene militarily to neutralize these threats and its response is consistent with the United Nations Charter of 1945 concerning international rules governing a state’s use of military force. The United Nations allows two exceptions to its prohibition of the use of force in international law: “self-defence under Article 51, and military measures authorised by the Security Council in response to “any threat to the peace, breach of the peace or act of aggression.” In particular, the UN Charter notes, “there is no problem – and never has been – with that state, without first seeking Security Council approval, using military force ‘preemptively’.’ Both exceptions apply to Russia’s intervention in Ukraine: Russia perceived an imminent threat to the Donbas and an imminent threat to the Russian nation-state.  The immediacy of these threats obviated any requirement that Russia seek prior UN Security Council approval. Seeking UN approval would be futile, in any case, because the United States, a permanent UN Security Council member, is the principal combatant generating the hostilities.


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    2022 06 03 10 43


    Under the Biden administration, what began in 2014 as a US proxy war against Russia in Ukraine transformed into the US’ direct war against Russia. The US’ covert and overt military actions establish it as a legal “co-belligerent.” Now, the US continues to flood Ukraine with billions of dollars of heavy weapons and provides intelligence to guide Ukraine’s attacks on Russian forces. The US blatantly states that it wants to “weaken” Russia and that Russia must be defeated.  This is the US whose regime change wars in the Middle East killed 5 million; whose 1955-1975 war against Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia cost 3.4 million military and civilian lives. This is the US CIA whose coups and illegal interventions around the globe since its 1947 inception left a trail of bloodshed and chaos. Russia is legally and crucially defending the Donbas and the Russian nation-state against the US quest for global domination. The US generated four existential threats to the Donbas and to the Russian nation-state that necessitated Russia’s immediate intervention. The US—not Russia—is the illegal aggressor in Ukraine.

    Never Been Any Reason

    This song was playing about the time when I was entering the US Navy.

    Tears For Fears – Everybody Wants To Rule The World (Official Music Video)

    This song was used in an awesome 1980’s movie. Do you remember it?

    New York street interviews are frightening…

    These New Yorkers don’t know how many states there are in the US, who fought in the Civil War, who the Vice President is, and much much worse!

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    2022 05 23 21 36

    Horrific. You MUST check out this video…

    Hold Your Head Up

    This song carries me back to seventh grade. LOL.

    Roasted Sweet Potato Pie

    When it comes to bringing smooth and silky flavor to the table, our Roasted Sweet Potato Pie should be at the top of your list. This incredibly effortless dessert is brought together with the help of a pre-made pie crust and loaded with bourbon or vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, roasted sweet potatoes, butter, brown sugar and whipping cream. No matter the occasion, you can’t go wrong with a cozy dessert bursting with flavor.

    e74e56f1 c580 430c bc0e 93450f9eddd2
    e74e56f1 c580 430c bc0e 93450f9eddd2

    Ingredients

    • 1 1/2 lb dark-orange sweet potatoes (about 2 medium-large)
    • 1 crust from 1 box (14.1 oz) refrigerated Pillsbury™ Pie Crusts (2 Count), softened as directed on box
    • 1/2 cup butter, softened
    • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
    • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
    • 1/2 cup whipping cream
    • 2 tablespoons bourbon or 1 teaspoon vanilla
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 2 eggs

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    2022 05 23 21 32

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

    No efforts are being made by the USA to calm things down. They act like they WANT a global nuclear war!

    Where are diplomats when you need them? The USA have given up on any pretense of controlling the world and avoiding war. It’s all obvious to everyone. Check out all the flashing warning signs. Sheech!

    Historic times.

    Official Warning: “Direct US-Russia Conflict”

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    Russia today officially warned the United States it is now risking “direct conflict with Russia” after the US announced it is sending still heavier, longer-range weapons to Ukraine.

    Washington’s arming of Ukraine with heavier weapons increases the risk of direct US-Russia confrontation regardless of American statements about mitigating such a possibility, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Wednesday.

    The diplomat was commenting on the news that the US has decided to supply HIMARS multiple rocket launchers to Ukraine. Washington has insisted that the weapons system will not allow Ukrainian forces to attack Russia and argues it prevents a scenario in which Moscow would consider the US a party to the conflict.

    “We’re not providing any weapons that will allow the Ukrainians to attack Russia from inside of Ukraine, and President [Joe] Biden has been very clear on that,” US representative to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said of the deliveries. “We’re not going to become [a] party to the war.”

    Ryabkov disagreed with the rationale, saying the US was making the conflict more dangerous.

    “Any arms supplies, which continue and escalate, increase the risk of such a development,” Ryabkov told journalists, referring to the possibility of a direct confrontation between Russia and the US.

    The diplomat added that the US for years has done nothing to prevent an escalation of tensions with Russia over Ukraine. It stonewalled Moscow’s last-ditch attempts to negotiate a legally binding deal that would have addressed Russian concerns over NATO expansion in Europe, he pointed out. After open hostilities broke out in February, “the remnants of a healthy attitude to the situation were shattered,” he said.

    Washington “maintains its course of what we characterized many times as an intention to wage war to the last Ukrainian, which reflects the goal of inflicting – as they say themselves – the strategic defeat of Russia. This is unprecedented. This is dangerous,” Ryabkov said.

    The latest ramping up of arms supplies to Ukraine does not fundamentally alter the situation, only raises the risks, he stated.

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    2022 06 02 12 28

    Cat Found in a Carrier with Her Kittens on Sidewalk, Is So Happy to Be Helped by Kind Neighbors

    Europe beefs up trade armoury for long-term fight with China

    Suicidal Europe: It will be ruined by politicians who know no consequences. :
    
    Europe beefs up trade armoury for a long-term fight with China.
    
    The "Trade weapons"  in the works will tackle everything from market access to forced labour, but getting them through will be ‘the litmus test’...
    
    It’s being driven by [1] a geopolitical shift amid Russia’s war in Ukraine, [2] frustration with the WTO and [3] hardening attitudes towards Beijing driving by American industrial-military / neocon interests.

    Article (paywall)  HERE

    Freezer Breakfast Sandwiches

    Weekday breakfasts will be no problem with these make-ahead freezer-friendly breakfast sandwiches.

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    b058e479 e314 415c be75 5e44f596a0d1

    Ingredients

    • 6 eggs
    • Salt and pepper to taste
    • 6 English muffins, split
    • Butter, softened
    • 6 slices Cheddar cheese
    • 12 slices Canadian bacon

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    2022 06 02 14 20

    Russian Foreign Minister Says 3rd Country “Could Become Involved” in Ukraine Conflict

    .

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov publicly stated late this evening (Moscow time) that “A third country could become involved in the Ukraine conflict, now that the U.S. is sending long-range missiles to Ukraine.”

    Lavrov did NOT expand on his meaning.

    The possibilities being SPECULATED over this remark are:

    1) Another country, like Belarus, might join the fight against Ukraine to assist Russia against the onslaught of NATO weaponry being sent into Ukraine, OR;

    2) The country SUPPLYING the new long-range missiles to Ukraine, could become involved by being ATTACKED for sending the weapons.  If this is the possibility, then the U.S. might be the one “becoming involved” or a European nation trans-shipping US missiles to Ukraine could be the third country Lavrov speaks about.

    Lavrov’s remarks are not clear about what he means, and this type of ambiguity is very unusual for Lavrov and for Russia.

    Perhaps that’s the point; within the ambiguity are severe escalation possibilities. Perhaps Russia is allowing that ambiguity to sink-in before letting on what they actually mean.

    Either way, Lavrov’s remarks clearly mean one solid thing: escalation.

    Again.

    Yakuza

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    A real life photo story by the photographer Anton Kusters.

    YAKUZA is a personal visual account of the life inside an inaccessible subculture: a traditional Japanese crime family that controls the streets of Kabukicho, in the heart of Tokyo, Japan. Through 10 months of negotiations with the Shinseikai, my brother Malik and I became one of the only westerners ever to be granted this kind of access to the closed world of Japanese organized crime.

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    Russia threatens to wipe out the entire US with just four Satan II missiles in chilling warning over Ukraine

    From HERE

    A chilling moment on Russian state TV on Monday saw hosts issue the latest in a long line of threats, this time warning Putin could “destroy the entire east cost of the US” with just two missiles.

    In footage from Russia’s flagship propaganda show, a member of Russia’s parliament boasts about the nation’s military might, before also labelling 2 million Ukrainians as “incurable.”

    The politician, Alexie Zhuravlev, was joined on the talk show by fellow MP and Russian-state mouthpiece Yevgeny Popov, the host of the Rossiya 1 channel show.

    The lawmaker claimed that two of Russia’s Sarmat ‘Satan 2’ missiles would destroy the entirety of America’s east coast – before adding it would take just “two missiles for the west coast” as well.

    “Four missiles and there’ll be nothing left.

    “They think the mushroom cloud will be taller than a high rise. That mushroom cloud will be visible from Mexico” said Zhuravlev.

    Standing at the colossal height of a 14-storey tower block, the 208 ton RS-28 Sarmat missile, also known as the ‘Satan 2’, is capable of striking targets at almost 16,000mph.

    The world-ending nuke can also carry 15 warheads and has the potential to obliterate an area the size of the UK in a single blast.

    Putin-cronies have claimed the Russian military could have as many as 50 Sarmat missiles in their arsenal, and have even bizarrely threatened to use them to drown the UK in a radioactive tsunami.

    Each of the Sarmat missile’s 15 nuclear warheads are over 100 times more powerful than the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima in World War 2.

    Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has also said that his Satan 2 missiles “can break through all modern anti-missile defences.”

    However, while these kinds of threats have become increasingly common on Russian propaganda shows since the invasion of Ukraine, the risk of mutually assured destruction undercuts much of the danger.

    As well as threatening to wipe out the United States with their nuclear capabilities, the unsettling conversation also covered the crisis in Ukraine, as the hosts repeated the ‘nazification’ theme of Russia’s invasion.

    Describing them as “incurable,” Zhuralev stated that two million Ukrainians should “be de-nazified, which means to be destroyed.”

    The talk show discussed a study that found 40% of Ukrainians do not support tearing down Soviet era statues in the nation, which is being carried out in some areas.

    Zhuralev claimed that the 36% with “no opinion” on the matter were too afraid to share their opinion, making the case that: “three quarters of Ukrainians are against tearing down monuments, only 19 per cent support it.”

    “If we re-install their brains correctly, 12-15 per cent will also believe it shouldn’t be done. So the maximum of 5 per cent are incurable,” said the Russian lawmaker, arguing that they must be “destroyed.”

    Bizarre Hospital Images From A Very Strange Cache Of Japanese Stock Photos

    0

    There’s a website called “Sukima Nurse” that offers pictures of a Japanese nurse holding unusual objects in a hospital and similar locales. The pictures fall generally into the stock photo category, although with a very, very narrow focus.

    It’s difficult to imagine anyone having any reason to use a picture of a Japanese nurse blowing through a conch shell, but that is the very thing that makes the pictures so hilarious.

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    cut47 baseball 1200×801 1

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    cut2 udedokei 1200×801 1

    Russian Members of Parliament Say On TV “Four Sarmat Missiles Could Wipe Out Entire USA”

    .

    Politician, Alexie Zhuravlev, was joined on a talk show by fellow Member of Parliament Yevgeny Popov, the host of a popular Rossiya 1 TV channel show, and made clear Russia can “wipe out” the US with just four (4) of their new, nuclear, missiles.

    The lawmaker claimed that two of Russia’s Sarmat ‘Satan 2’ missiles would destroy the entirety of America’s east coast – before adding it would take just “two missiles for the west coast” as well.

    “Four missiles and there’ll be nothing left.

    The discussion centered on U.S. interference in the Russia-Ukraine special military operation to de-Nazify and de-militarize Ukraine, and what Russia may have to do to stop that interference.

    The U.S. has interfered severely by supplying money and weapons to Ukraine, even though the U.S. has no national interest in that country whatsoever.

    The US weapons are enabling the KILLING of Russian soldiers, and the Russian government is getting more and more aggravated by the interference from the U.S. and its NATO vasal state partners.

    Standing at the colossal height of a 14-storey tower block, the 208 ton RS-28 Sarmat missile, also known as the ‘Satan 2’, is capable of striking targets at almost 16,000mph.

    The world-ending missiles can carry 15 warheads and have the potential to obliterate an area the size of the United Kingdom in a single strike.

    Each of the Sarmat missile’s 15 nuclear warheads are over 100 times more powerful than the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima in World War 2.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin has also said that his missiles “can break through all modern anti-missile defenses.”

    They achieve this not only through the speed at which they travel, but also by being able to maneuver in-flight specifically to avoid incoming missile defenses, which cannot change course and cannot fly as fast as the Sarmat. Quite simply, there is presently no protection and no defense against such missiles. The US and NATO could literally be wiped-out by them.

    Experienced observers say while these kinds of threats have become increasingly common on Russian TV news shows since the invasion of Ukraine, the risk of mutually assured destruction undercuts much of the danger. Those experienced observers, however, turned out to be wrong.

    Russia has a national system of nuclear bomb shelters for its population. The US does not.

    Russia’s blast shelters are stocked with food, water, medicine, tools, and have emergency generators for electric, with fuel to run those generators. The US does not.

    Russia performs regular nuclear attack drills with its civilian population, and has successfully seen forty million (40,000,000) of their citizens arrive at shelters within minutes, to survive a US or NATO nuclear attack. Neither the US not any of its NATO partners ever conduct such drills.

    These facts kind of take the “mutual” out of of “mutual assured destruction.” Put simply, the US and NATO would be wiped out, while Russia and its citizens will survive in great numbers, with food, electric, and tools, to rebuild afterwards. The US and NATO would not survive or be able to rebuild.

    The Russian politicians know this and they are going to great lengths to make clear what the world faces.

    Why the US and NATO continue to interfere, when there is no national security interest at all with Ukraine, seems to many, to be suicidal.

    Yet the mass-media in the US and its NATO vasal partner states in Europe, conceal this information from the general public; leaving citizens blissfully unaware that western governments are sleepwalking them into nuclear Armageddon.

    Lovely Vintage Photos of Rock Stars Posing With Their Kitty Cats

    ewrew1
    Johnny Ramone

    Who doesn’t like rock stars and cute kitty cats?

    Though their contributions rarely receive credit, pets have played their part across pop history. An animal’s presence can offer comfort, laughter, inspiration, or annoyance, and earning a pet’s affection can be one of the most rewarding experiences in life. Naturally, those emotions can’t help but bleed into an artist’s work.

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    Patti Smith

    But owning a pet is also a great responsibility, and for musicians who spend much of their time on the road, bringing a furry friend into the family can lead to difficulties. What do you do with the little critter while on tour? Can it come along? If so, how? Will it be forced to stay in the car or bus?…

    Behind many great musicians exists a great pet… Here’s a collection of a few  adorable vintage photos of rock stars posing with their beloved cats:

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    Debbie Harry

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    John Lennon

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    Janis Joplin

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    Tom Waits

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    Brian Eno

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    Keith Moon

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    Joey Ramone

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    Johnny Cash

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    Frank Zappa

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    Joan Baez

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    Freddie Mercury

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    Bob Dylan

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    Phil Collins

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    David Bowie

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    Kurt Cobain

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    George Harrison

    YELLEN: “large shocks to the economy […] that I, at the time, didn’t fully understand.”

    .

    The Secretary of the Treasury, Janet Yellen, said today that the so-called “transitory” inflation, may not be so transitory . . . signaling things will get very much worse.

    Appearing on TV, Yellen finally admitted in an interview on Tuesday that she was “wrong” about “the path that inflation would take,” as the lagging COVID-19 pandemic and economic sanctions imposed against Russia for its special military operation in Ukraine, have kept prices persistently high.

    During an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, the network played a clip of previous comments she made in 2021, in which she said inflation would be a “small risk” and added that she didn’t “anticipate that inflation is going to be a problem.”

    “Well, look, I think I was wrong then about the path that inflation would take,”

    the Treasury secretary said when asked about her previous comments.

    “As I mentioned, there have been unanticipated and large shocks to the economy that have boosted energy and food prices and supply bottlenecks that have affected our economy badly that I didn’t — at the time didn’t fully understand. But we recognize that now.”
    “The Federal Reserve is taking the steps that it needs to take. It’s up to them to decide what to do. And, for our part, President Biden is focused on supplementing what the Fed does with actions we can take to lower the cost that Americans face for important expenditures they have in their budgets,”

    she added.

    We’ll see.

     

     

    David Gilmour – Raise My Rent

    My university days. I hope this transporter takes you to happy places…

    Russia’s Necessary and Legal Military Response to US/ NATO Aggression in Ukraine

    Easily the best summation of the Russian operation's moral logic.
    .

    Evidence shows that Russia’s special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine is a legally justified, critically necessary, and predictable response to the US’ recent escalation of its decades-long aggression against Russia in Ukraine–militarily, in the international corporate media, in cyberspace, and in the political-economic arena.  The US’ hostile actions against Russia were summarized in a 2019 US-Army funded RAND Corporation blueprint for “Over Extending and Unbalancing Russia.”  Underlying US actions is its aim is to dismember and asset-strip Russia–to appropriate its coveted oil, gas, and mineral resources and vast agricultural lands–and to enable US investors’ access to Russia’s economy. This is a step towards the US’ overarching goals of controlling Central Asia and achieving full spectrum dominance or global hegemony. Although the US war against Russia in Ukraine started years ago, US aggression escalated under the Biden administration and created conditions that posed an immediate existential threat to Russia and necessitated its military response.

    In 2014, the US initiated a proxy war against Russia by engineering the violent overthrow of Ukraine’s democratically-elected president. This ignited a bloody civil war on Russia’s border in which the US-installed and US-armed Kiev regime attacked the eastern provinces of Luhansk and Donetsk whose largely ethnically Russian residents opposed the US coup. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) documented the Kiev regime’s attacks that killed thousands of civilians and terrorized the populace. In 2015, the US-installed then-president, Petro Poroshenko, publicly articulated Kiev’s anti-Russia stance and its policy for the Donbass:

    “We will have jobs—they will not. We will have pensions—they will not. [….] Our children will go to schools and kindergartens—theirs will hide in the basements.”  Popular Ukraine pundits openly called for Donbas residents’ extermination. In 2015, Congress lifted its ban on funding Ukraine’s neo Nazi militias and placed US military trainers on the ground inside Ukraine. NATO and the CIA also began training Ukraine regime forces–effectively establishing Ukraine as a de facto US/NATO mercenary state. During the past eight years, Russia exhibited enormous restraint as the US and Ukraine violated the Minsk Protocols and rejected requests for diplomacy. In 2021, US aggression against Russia increased dramatically once Biden took office–in Ukraine and in the Black Sea. US actions and Ukraine President Zelensky’s public statements generated immediate threats to the survival of the Russian nation-state.

    Russia’s Military Response Was Over-Determined By Four Existential Threats 

    The US government and the corporate media falsely characterize Russia’s special operation as entirely ‘unprovoked’ and an ‘illegal invasion’. These allegations ignore four conditions which each independently compelled President Putin and the Duma to initiate Russia’s denazification and demilitarization operation and which establish this intervention as consistent with international legal norms.

    Chief among the factors necessitating Russia’s immediate military response were indications of an imminent new massacre as 125,000 Ukraine forces amassed along the border of Donbass in December of 2021. This was never reported in the US corporate press.  Instead, the US government and corporate media repeatedly stated that Russian troops were gathering on Ukraine’s border (inside Russia) and predicted an impending Russian invasion. In hindsight, US intelligence could make this accurate claim because it was aware of the menacing buildup of Ukraine forces. Anticipating an imminent massacre, Russia was obligated to intervene militarily because it had a Responsibility to Protect (R2P) the citizens of Donbass.  R2P is a political commitment to prevent genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity; it was endorsed by the United Nations at its 2005 world summit.

    Second, on February 19, 2022, Ukraine President Zelensky announced that Ukraine would seek to acquire nuclear weapons, saying, “I want to believe that the North Atlantic Treaty and Article 5 will be more effective than the Budapest Memorandum.” Zelensky’s expressed desire to acquire nuclear weapons represented a dangerous threat to Moscow and signaled that the window of opportunity for conventional military intervention was closing.  It is unlikely that Zelensky operates completely autonomously; Biden publicly bragged about his control over Ukraine government policies and has remunerated Zelensky following Zelensky’s implementation of anti-Russia policies and actions.

    Third, Zelensky’s repudiation of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances was a reminder of Ukraine’s intent to join NATO. For years, US President Biden advocated NATO membership for Ukraine, assuring Zelensky as recently as December 11, 2021 that this was in Ukraine’s own hands. NATO membership would entail NATO nuclear missiles inside Ukraine, aimed at Moscow. Ukraine’s geographic proximity to Russia eliminates the crucial minutes in which Moscow could verify and respond to an attack and would effectively place Russia and the US at DEFCON Level Two. The US dismissed Russia’s December 17, 2021 verbal and written requests for a diplomatic response to its security concerns. Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken deliberately rejected Russia’s entreaties and ignored the predictable consequences of Ukraine’s potential NATO membership. Renowned international relations scholars, diplomats and politicians, including John Mearsheimer, Jack Matlock, George Kennan, Henry Kissinger, and William Perry warned that NATO membership for Ukraine was a dangerous provocation which would trigger Russia’s military response.

    A fourth threat requiring Russia’s intervention was the presence of US Department of Defense-operated biolabs inside Ukraine. Russia’s concerns were validated on March 11, 2022 when Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland admitted during Congressional questioning that the Ukraine biolabs contained ‘biological materials’ which the US ‘did not want to fall into Russian hands’. While the pathogenic biological agents in these biolabs do not technically constitute bioweapons, they can become bioweapons once there is a ‘mechanism for spreading the agent.’ A delivery mechanism need not be sophisticated to be effective.  Bioweapons researcher, Jeffrey Kaye, described the extreme level of US secrecy surrounding the biolabs. Kaye noted that the Director of the Pentagon’s Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, Robert Pope, did not reassure when he stated that, “the Ukraine biolabs currently did not have the ability to manufacture bioweapons.”

    Russia’s Intervention Is Consistent with International Law

    These four US-generated conditions represented urgent existential threats to the Donbas and to the Russian nation-state and contradict US claims that Russia ‘illegally invaded Ukraine’ and that Russia’s intervention was unprovoked. Russia was compelled to intervene militarily to neutralize these threats and its response is consistent with the United Nations Charter of 1945 concerning international rules governing a state’s use of military force. The United Nations allows two exceptions to its prohibition of the use of force in international law: “self-defence under Article 51, and military measures authorised by the Security Council in response to “any threat to the peace, breach of the peace or act of aggression.” In particular, the UN Charter notes, “there is no problem – and never has been – with that state, without first seeking Security Council approval, using military force ‘preemptively’.’ Both exceptions apply to Russia’s intervention in Ukraine: Russia perceived an imminent threat to the Donbas and an imminent threat to the Russian nation-state.  The immediacy of these threats obviated any requirement that Russia seek prior UN Security Council approval. Seeking UN approval would be futile, in any case, because the United States, a permanent UN Security Council member, is the principal combatant generating the hostilities.

    Under the Biden administration, what began in 2014 as a US proxy war against Russia in Ukraine transformed into the US’ direct war against Russia. The US’ covert and overt military actions establish it as a legal “co-belligerent.” Now, the US continues to flood Ukraine with billions of dollars of heavy weapons and provides intelligence to guide Ukraine’s attacks on Russian forces. The US blatantly states that it wants to “weaken” Russia and that Russia must be defeated.  This is the US whose regime change wars in the Middle East killed 5 million; whose 1955-1975 war against Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia cost 3.4 million military and civilian lives. This is the US CIA whose coups and illegal interventions around the globe since its 1947 inception left a trail of bloodshed and chaos. Russia is legally and crucially defending the Donbas and the Russian nation-state against the US quest for global domination. The US generated four existential threats to the Donbas and to the Russian nation-state that necessitated Russia’s immediate intervention. The US—not Russia—is the illegal aggressor in Ukraine.

    Bacon, Chile and Cream Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

    Jalapeño poppers are the inspiration for these addictive, crispy baked chicken breasts.

    0a55c520 6ba0 4f85 8945 43641ca4ae8c
    0a55c520 6ba0 4f85 8945 43641ca4ae8c

    Ingredients

    • 2 slices bacon, chopped
    • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
    • 1 poblano chile, cored, seeded and diced
    • 4 oz cream cheese, softened
    • 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (2 oz)
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
    • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (6 to 8 oz each)
    • 1/4 cup butter, melted
    • 1 cup Progresso™ plain panko crispy bread crumbs

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    2022 05 30 15 39

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    2022 05 30 15 40 1

    A document of the war

    The story of a Ukrainian interpreter who was drafted into military service against the Russian attack
    By Yuri Movchan*

    *Name is known to the editors

    I want to tell you my personal story about this war. I call them “The Adventures of Cannon Fodder” or “How I Ended Up at the Front in Jeans and a Set of Band-Aids.”

    Late in the evening of March 1, I drove with my wife and child to Uzhhorod, on the border with Slovakia. In my naivety I also went along because I thought I wasn’t fit for military service. The provisional certificate issued to me as a replacement for my military ID card read “peacetime unfit, restricted military service.” When I inquired, I immediately received a summons to the draft office. I was told to call a cab and drive to the recruitment office in the middle of the night. Although I hadn’t done anything illegal—I hadn’t offered a bribe, nor attempted to sneak across the border, I was just asking—I knew from the way they spoke to me that I would never get out of there.

    I kissed my son who was sleeping in the Red Cross tent, hugged my wife goodbye and went back to my homeland. “How am I going to fight with my eyesight?” I asked the man in uniform, purely rhetorically and to keep the conversation going while I waited for a cab. “There are many different jobs and roles in the army, not necessarily just shooting,” he explained.

    Nobody seemed to be listening to me in the recruiting office. They told me to report to the counter, get some forms and queue for a medical exam. The kind-hearted ophthalmologist, noting that my short-sightedness had increased since the last examination, scribbled a number of medical phrases on a form, based on which the head of the commission declared me fit for duty and sent me on my way.

    From interpreter to shooter

    In Uzhgorod, long queues formed in front of the registration and draft office. Volunteers offered water and sandwiches, many people sat there for days and then set off in groups. I waited in line until closing time and received a new subpoena for tomorrow. On March 4th, my documents were written, I was put on a yellow shuttle along with the others who were “caught.” A priest came in to pray for us and bless us – then we drove off.

    It turned out that in my group there were many people who, like me, had health problems, people who, like me, were no longer young and who, like me, had no experience of military service. “You will be something like territorial defense,” we were assured when we got to the unit, “you will stay in the Zakarpattia region and, for example, stand at roadblocks and guard some facilities.” “But,” added the soothing voice casually added, “if there is an order to that effect, you may be assigned other targets…” (Looking back after a month and a half of absurdity and criminal negligence, it can be seen that the order was already on an employee’s desk, only undated and undated ).

    That’s how I ended up as a rifleman in the newly founded Fifth Rifle Battalion. I was listed as a clerk on my ID card. I had worked as an English translator for 20 years, including as an interpreter for the British military instructors of our troops in Operation Orbital. But the people organizing home defense got the impression that I would be more useful in digging trenches and shooting from AK-74s. My staff included three programmers from Kyiv. They were occasionally used to type endless lists of personal information into Excel spreadsheets. But the rest of the time they were like everyone else—lawyers, teachers, farmers, builders—learning to disassemble machine guns, dig fortifications, and throw grenades.

    But it must be said that there was not much training. In the first two weeks we did various tasks: moving boxes around, getting uniforms and shoes. However, because not all sizes were available, a dozen other men and I were never outfitted with uniforms—neither “pixel” (jacket and pants) nor boots. After a month we were told to buy them for our money – “You get your wages,” remarked the company commander. Somehow I was reluctant to make these purchases (especially since the items were rarely and reluctantly given out), so I went to the front in jeans and black winter boots. But it was my own fault, as the saying goes. However, the overalls were distributed to everyone – used ones provided by the Slovak army.

    The squad leader warned that there weren’t enough body armor for everyone and suggested that those who were wealthier should buy them at their own expense. But in the last few days before the hasty departure, protective vests were brought for everyone. And even old rubber gas masks and chemical protective coats OZK with holes in the seams were handed out. We had to carry this extra cargo everywhere. Shortly before marching off to the position, however, the company commander said that we could not take OZK protective coats with us (although they could also help against rain). We were also given sleeping mats and sleeping bags but they were mixed as they had all been donated by volunteers.

    So for the first two weeks we arranged our way of life, mud and tobacco smoke were omnipresent as the obligatory background. The training began around the third week. The first two days were meaningful: showing how to disassemble the Kalashnikov assault rifles, then also how to use the PKM (a modernized Kalashnikov machine gun) – affectionately called “Pokemon” – and two types of grenade launchers. It wasn’t entirely clear why there were grenade launchers at the checkpoints, and why everyone in the squad was enlisted as a gunner, grenade launcher, machine gunner, communicator and medic – but extra knowledge never hurts, right?

    Then it was shown how to stop heavy bleeding with a large rubber band (of the kind often attached to bicycle loads). And they explained how to move in groups with machine guns. We then spent a few more weeks “solidifying” what we had learned: walking in single file around an abandoned training ground with submachine guns, or sometimes with batons mimicking them. Or we’d just “dance” around and sunbathe when one of the so-called instructors would honestly say, “Guys, go and imitate something so your superiors don’t screw you up.” Others, more “conscientious,” insisted that we “consolidate” the “knowledge” we had acquired. They repeated meaningfully, “Guys, be careful, your life may depend on it.”

    There were not enough instructors for us poor people. And those assigned to teach didn’t quite know what to do. No wonder, because almost all platoon leaders (and the company commander himself) had never served; at best they had a military department at a college. Half, if not more, of all members of our company (I’m sure it was the entire battalion) had never served.

    The paramedic was a phlegmatic and indifferent guy named Anton, a former vet I think. His first lesson was, “This shit, boys, goes in this damn thing… If it’s a throat wound, there’s nothing you can do about it. Even experienced doctors can’t always help… A fractured pelvis can be recognized by a clear crunch when pressing. A special splint is used for such cases, but you won’t have one… Your job is to get the injured person to a safer ‘yellow’ area where people like me will provide assistance.’ Which was small consolation. But we weren’t too concerned about this “competence” of our medics – no one seriously believed they would be going to the battlefield any time soon. So these courses gave us the opportunity to to have fun and not get bored so much. One of the officers found combat training materials in the textbooks written in inarticulate Chancery language. I, as a man of higher education, read the general information about patrols and convoys of armored vehicles to the soldiers sleeping on the lawn.

    The corporal took a more lively approach: He watched lots of videos on Youtube before the class and taught everything in simple language, with a healthy dose of swear words. But even that seemed either far removed from our duties or inaccessible without much practice. So it all turned into a friendly chat about who had heard what about mines, snipers and ambushes. When even the dense cigarette smoke couldn’t hide the tired facial expression, the foreman repeated the leitmotif: “Your life may depend on it.”

    After half a month we started going to the shooting range once a week. I’ve heard that a military handbook states how many times a soldier must pull the trigger before being considered ready for action. So I’d been to the range three times and fired about 70 rounds in total (and thrown a practice grenade once – not counting the practice where we threw rocks through the windows of a landfill that used to be a tank training ground) and was done ready for active combat in April.

    The three of us took turns shooting standing, kneeling and lying down. We had to remember when to release the safety, when to engage the breech, and check to see if there was a cartridge left in the gun. We got a little confused, the bosses got a little angry and yelled at the “morons”. So we tried it even faster, not caring about accuracy or aiming, just the formal smoothness of the exercise. The superior, who for some reason called himself a psychologist, was pleased and said indulgently: “There is war in the country, no time for study. So let’s go to battle!’ And right on the rainy ground we were provided with stew, apples and even chocolate from humanitarian aid supplies. That was admittedly more interesting than the sticky noodles,

    Healthy is who does not fall over

    In mid-March, air raid alarms apparently began to sound regularly in the distant Transcarpathian Mountains. During the alert, we had to spread out (so that one rocket didn’t kill everyone at once) and lie close to the ground (so the shrapnel would fly through without hitting us). For some reason, our unit didn’t have an air raid shelter, and we had to walk around the parade ground and sports field several times every night, crouching on the ground. Eventually we got smart and started taking pack blankets and sleeping bags, dressing warmer, and stocking up on candy and cigarettes during the alarms.

    Soon almost everyone was coughing, choking on snot and running a fever. The paramedics considered any case with a fever of less than 40 degrees as a trifle. In fact, even one man who had the coronavirus was deemed immediately fit to work and sent to our overcrowded barracks. So we stoically choked back our coughs, swallowed the phlegm and prepared for the constellation ritual. We waited for the officers to confer on the sidelines and split into their platoons to convey our task ahead: ‘Anyway folks. Now we will reinforce yesterday’s lesson. Until noon. And then we’ll clean our guns.”

    The stoic contempt for the mortal body in the service of a higher purpose led annoyingly to acute and chronic pain. But that didn’t stop us either. In early April, when I was already tired of swallowing every second of snot and disturbing my comrades with monstrous snoring at night, I went to see real doctors. They determined that I had chronic maxillary sinusitis and acute tracheobronchitis and prescribed antibiotics, among other things. But a march and shooting at the firing range was planned in two days, so I, along with all the other relatively healthy soldiers (since I was not on IV fluids and not getting burned in the heat), walked five kilometers to the firing range and the same distance at heavy rain back. there was no place

    The first military unit, as I said, was overcrowded. The bunk beds were quickly set up, but even faster they were filled with the fresh catch from the Uzhgorod conscription office, which was sometimes brought in in the middle of the night. Once I got up in the night to go to the bathroom and had trouble making my way through the darkness between the recruits sleeping on the floor. Soon the beds filled all the rooms and closets and lined the corridors in tight rows. The glorious Fifth Rifle Battalion took full form. The soldiers had two washbasins and two showers for over 400 men of the battalion, but once a week they were given socks and trousers marked “ZSU” (Ukrainian Ground Forces, jW ).

    After the rocket attacks in the Lviv region, it was decided to take the soldiers out of the easily identifiable unit and disperse them. At first they were housed in separate rooms, which were terribly cold but spacious. But after a few days we decided that it’s easier to manage the herd when it’s in the same barn, so we set up “boxes” in large rooms (apparently meeting rooms) on the ground floor. The same bunk beds were brought in, but here we had to huddle even closer—three people on two mattresses (which made our team even closer). Unfortunately, in this fraternal community there have also been unfortunate incidents: arguments over a place for a bag under the bed, or confusion about whose coat or shoes went where. But in the army you learn an important principle early on: “You don’t steal, you break it.” And it teaches personal responsibility and the careful handling of things.

    Our morale was boosted not only by cheering on the formation every day, but also by the power of the art. Once Viktor Pavlik (well-known Ukrainian musician, JV) brought to the department, sang with his guitar in the lobby and took pictures with the people. The most suspicious of us thought that such exorbitant luxuries were a sign of impending departure, but that too was wrong. In general, there was a lot of rumors and speculation. ‘Well, they can’t really send us to the front, we’re zeros!’ ‘We don’t have armored vehicles, we’re deployed at checkpoints and guards.’ ‘Our people are deployed separately in other units, and only those who agree to go there.” “None of our people are trained to work with ‘javelins’ and without that they definitely won’t be sent to a combat zone,” and so on. There have been many hypotheses and conjectures, but reality has trumped them.

    Three days of field exercises were on the program before Easter: digging out fortifications, building shelters, sleeping in the fresh forest air, simulated patrols and combat, and finally a day at the firing range. Everything indicated that we would spend some more time at home (or rather, out of unit) at Easter and then be sent elsewhere. There was even another cultural event that disturbed our souls: on the Sunday a week before Easter, when we had barely eaten two spoons, the conductor burst into the canteen and ordered us to form up.

    We were immediately taken in pairs to the Institute for Culture and Art and took a seat in the auditorium. At first the students of this school danced in their national costumes, then other students sang patriotic songs mixing the traditional tropes “Cossacks” and “Wolf and Nightingale” with new TV jargon like “Bayraktars” and some ridiculous insults to the enemy. Then the lead singer of Shablya performed. The band, as we have learned, since the beginning of the ATO (“anti-terrorist operation” in Donbass, jW) found their niche and roams military units across the country with martial and sometimes melancholic songs to keep up the fighting spirit of the Cossacks. After the concert we were treated to cookies, pastries and coffee and then returned to our cold soup at leisure.

    On the eve of the “conclusion” of the training, the administrative and economic hectic intensified: we were rushed to receive ancient OZKs, first-aid kits (only with bandages, gauze and plasters in them) and a good imported tourniquet (instead of the promised three , but thanks) that they didn’t want to give out before (“You’ll twist them and break them before you even get out!”). The military ID cards were collected again to create new lists. There are some mystical problems with these lists – no matter how many times they make them, they still issue certificates with misspelled names, mix up the dates in the accounts, forget to put stamps or signatures… I wish there were accountants and businessmen in the Army,

    To the front

    And so it was Tuesday, a day of lengthy training on the field. We were routinely woken up at 5am so we could patiently wait until 8am for the first group to gather and leave. On site we had already dug enviable holes, almost completed the communal shelter, built a fire and waited for the meat to cook for the Bograch when the order came to drop everything and head back. The Bograch was dumped on the ground, we made our way back to the unit. There we were lined up and told with beaming smiles: »Guys, it’s finally time that we too defend our homeland!« It was a warm evening on April 19th. “Pack up, we’re leaving tonight when the kamazes (trucks,jW ) arrive. Only take the essentials with you: OZK, gas mask, BK (ammunition set), weapons, gloves, sleeping bag, underwear and a pair of socks … Don’t take anything extra with you!«

    But we couldn’t go that fast. We got bulletproof vests. Then everyone got four full magazines (120 rounds of ammunition, with no additional forms or signatures), our automatic rifles, dry rations for three days. We didn’t leave until two o’clock in the afternoon on Wednesday. In two big buses. There were also two Kamaz trucks in the convoy: one with personal belongings and one with additional BKs, machine guns, shovels, saws, other infantry tools and kitchen utensils… The bosses with pistols on their belts also rode in a pickup truck.

    No one told us where we were going or what the task was. “Guys, I’m not going to tell you. Because I do not know. Honestly, I don’t know,” swore the captain, a company commander who had never served.

    We drove very slowly: someone fell behind the column and we had to wait for him, then one of the trucks boiled over and the other had to be repaired. Given these delays, the commander was understandably annoyed by the soldiers’ requests to use a restroom, smoke, or eat. More than once he rigorously suppressed these whims. By the end of the first day, we had barely left the Zakarpattia region. On the second day we left Ivano-Frankivsk. Everyone guessed that the route went to the Dnipro.

    We were told to only take one dry meal per bus (and where else would gas masks and other items go). The food, dubbed »Palianitsa«, was made by Britain for the heroes of Ukraine: tasteless sausages, a simple stew (no side dish or at least bread), assorted nuts, dark chocolate and a good dessert of oatmeal flavored with caramel and toffee. There was also a bag of instant fruit drinks and water purification tablets.

    In the following days we had to ask for help in the shops where the locals gave us many things for free and generously brought us bottled water, coffee, groceries, Easter buns, apples etc. Some people tried to give us money. “I have a son there myself,” said one of them. It was a little embarrassing to accept this undeserved participation and help.

    The landscape changed. At rest stops we wiped our bare feet with wet wipes. We finally reached Dnipro on the Saturday before Easter, but passed the city and took the Donetsk highway. Every fork in the road jolted our weary brains anew. At the exit of the city we stopped and stood for a long time. After the meetings, the commanders informed us about a plan for further action. We were almost there, but the final leg of the journey would be very close to the front line in places. “We’re going to help a unit that’s waiting for us in the morning. We’ll go out in the dark, in body armor and helmets, with loaded machine guns in hand. The bus will drive slowly and with the doors open. Some of the soldiers look out the window and when they spot flashing lights, the bus stops and everyone quickly gets off and lies down in the street behind them. Don’t go to the curb. There could be mines there!”

    I was so exhausted from this endless drive that I took it all with indifference and almost fell asleep. (The assignment was clear and concise, but it still raises questions like: “What if we were lying behind the bus on the tarmac? Attack the attackers from the darkness, behind the mined roadside? Go through the night and one leave the shot-up bus behind? Where? Are you waiting for backup? From who?’) I pushed these idle thoughts aside and surrendered to the warm current of sleepy apathy.
    However, for some reason my comrades grew restless. The group leader, who always seemed smart and experienced, approached me. “We will speak to the commanders that we do not agree with this order.”

    “And what are your arguments?” I asked. I chose my words carefully so as not to betray my amazement: I am not the only one who recognizes the absurdity of what is happening! There are sane people around me… (no cogs obeying the system). “The order seems silly to many,” explained my group leader, Sanya. ‘Is there a connection to those we ask for support? Do they know we are coming and won’t they open fire on us themselves? And one more thing: our battery (120 cartridges) is enough for only ten minutes of combat. And then what? Some are asking how can we conduct a combat mission when many of them still don’t have ID cards to assign them to their unit?”

    “What do you think, should we go or not?” he finished. “I agree that we don’t have to go there,” I said and he left.

    At four in the morning I went with three other guys to guard the area around our campsite. Around five o’clock the soldiers began to gather between the buses and trucks. Officials from the authorities spoke to them. We on duty were completely forgotten. I only caught snippets of sentences being said: “I know Colonel A. personally and he would never give a crazy order… He’s worried about each and every one of you… I understand you’re scared… but out there wait guys like you…” At six-thirty I realized there was no point in standing guard. “What have you decided?” Sanya asked when he saw me. “About what? I didn’t really hear what was said.” Then came the order: “If you don’t want to go, stand here on the left,

    I murmured, “I don’t think it’s worth going there with my level of education,” and wandered to the left while Sanya walked to the right. I looked at both groups with amazement. There were more leftists, but not much more, by no means an overwhelming majority. The bosses told everyone to form groups of three or four and for some reason counted the gray men in the wet morning light.

    Then something was said. We got on our buses and went somewhere. “Don’t worry,” Sanya leaned towards me, “you did the right thing.”

    I stared in silence, struggling with an odd mix of emotions. As time went on, the mixture of anger and laughter, an unfriendly laugh, grew sharper and sharper. “What’s changed?” I asked, in my most neutral and sleepy voice, “You were against it, and now you’re for it.”

    ‘There was a lot of confusion, but it’s more or less settled now. The paperwork will be sorted, and no one will be sent anywhere without their military record stamped. Our task will be to cover the artillery. Nobody’s going to put us in the front row,’ Sanya explained, adding simply and without much emotion, ‘unless they screw it up’.

    The bus kept going on and on. We drove to the Donetsk region and looked sullenly out of the windows. We reached the city of Pokrovsk. Here we stopped at the end of a road bridge and everyone was ordered to get out and line up under the bridge with tanks and machine guns. In front of us were the political instructors, the commanders, the lawyer and the VSP (Ukrainian Military Law Enforcement Service, jW ). The “soft” political official answered a few questions. Then someone else spoke up, “I understand it’s scary. In the beginning everyone is afraid. But you will get used to it. Before you there were groups where some people didn’t serve at all, and now nothing…”

    “We’ve got half the men who didn’t serve,” rumbled someone in the crowd. “That’s okay,” the officer said calmly, “you’ll see, after the first shot, it’s all over. You will get used to it.”
    Then the VSP (or just its mouthpiece) took the floor. He began by listing crimes that multiply in times of war. He began pointing out “problems” and “eyesores.” A goofy smile spread across my face and I could barely contain my laughter. “So I want to ask you once again to think about what you vote for, I want the left to make the right decision after all,” the loving political officer called out again. “If you don’t want to go, go to this side.” Nobody moved. “So everyone is ready?” he asked in a more solemn tone. “That’s right!” answered the line, drowning out my “Sure, dammit!”

    Then we got back to our buses and drove on. We arrived in the Lugansk region. We drove on. Then we reached our new “apartments,” but we still seemed to be on the move. I slept comfortably on a pallet under a lathe in an abandoned factory building. We unloaded our backpacks from the kamaz, and there was a whole feast of various canned goods. I quietly pooped in the concrete ditch and looked at the factory landscape. I found that there was still water in the boiler room and used it to wash my feet and socks. I hung them in the sun. Every little thing made me happy. I even found a generator and charged my phone to the brim. I squinted at the sun-drenched concrete and the almost perfectly clear sky. only on the horizon

    Postscript
    The platoon commander has just informed me that we will be resting all day today and will leave for our positions in the evening. We may also get our own generator, but when we leave we turn off our phones and turn them in. They are kept in a kind of box. “Phones won’t do much good there anyway,” he remarked sensibly, sipping on his e-cigarette.

    I’m leaving the text as is, although much could be added and corrections made (I typed it on my phone at night). Just now, at 10:00 am on April 26th, there was a line-up and it was officially announced that we are going to fortify our positions tonight.

    So I’m sending him as he is. I want my voice to be heard in the depths of this absurdity and hell. It’s not death itself that’s scary, it’s senseless and stupid death. If I don’t come back, maybe this text will help someone solve this crime (and probably many others).

    I want my voice to be heard.

    Mysterious Mummified Predator Baffles Experts

    2022 06 02 16 13
    2022 06 02 16 13

    Some people may not be aware, but animals have been mummified throughout history in various places, including Turkey in the Middle Ages. Niğde, Turkey is a site were researchers have recently found mummified remains of an apparent carnivore – that has defied classification so far.

    “We are examining pictures of the skeleton and it seems to be a carnivore,” Aydin Topcu, Natural History professor at Niğde University, told the Daily Mail . “But we need more time to conduct further tests. After the examinations we will be able to tell what species it belongs to and of which period of time it is.”

    The Daily Mail wrote in its article that it had sent photos of the find to the Zoological Society of London, the Horniman Museum, the Natural History Museum and the British Museum, the last of which refused to comment on the photos. The news agent says the creature could be a hoax, but it resembles a cat. Some experts told them it could be a prehistoric animal.

    2022 06 02 16 1v4
    2022 06 02 16 1v4

    There is a history of cats and children being mummified in Anatolia from the 10th to the 13th centuries AD, the Daily Mail said. This particular specimen, 1 meter long (3 feet) from nose to tail tip, was found by a locksmith in an old cellar of his shop in Niğde. He has put the creature on display.

    Cats were revered and mummified in ancient Egypt, and some experts think Anatolia was influenced by the practice. One reason cats were so loved in Egypt was because they could eat the rodents that threatened the grain supplies. A cat could also take on a cobra, the Daily Mail says.

    Some ancient Egyptians adorned their cats with gold jewelry and allowed them to eat off their plates.

    2022 06 02 16 1b4
    2022 06 02 16 1b4

    Millions upon millions of animal mummies have been found in the dark, carved stone tunnels beneath the location of Egypt’s earliest pyramid at Saqqara. The necropolis of Saqqara is the burial site of kings, commoners and sacred animals.

    The astounding piles of preserved animal remains not only signify a cultural and religious phenomenon, but also speak to the mammoth industry that operated to maintain a source of constant tributes to the gods.

    The Catacombs of Anubis at North Saqqara ,” a study published in 2015 in the archaeological journal Antiquity, examines the underground world associated with the temples dedicated to animal deities of ancient Egypt.

    The Saqqara catacombs served as the burial places of animal tributes to the jackal-headed deity Anubis. Between this study, and other studies by Egyptologists from University of Manchester , it can be seen that the millions of dogs sacrificed and mummified to the canine deity were only one part of a wider practice of sacred animal cults.

    2022 06 02 16 1n4
    2022 06 02 16 1n4

    But the Egyptians mummified many cats too, though they are not the only people in the world to have buried felines with elaborate ceremony and in recognition of status or symbolism.

    In 2015, archaeologists found the remains of a bobcat in an important mound burial from 2,000 years ago. The mound was usually reserved for humans, but the feline was important enough to the Hopewell people of western Illinois to be included. The bobcat had been decorated with sea shells and bear-teeth pendants, and found with its paws placed together. It was included in the human burial mound, while dogs were buried around the village. Researchers speculate the bobcat was a beloved pet, not sacrificed or violently killed, and that it held spiritual significance to the Native Americans.

    Captured according to instructions. Their commanders have already begun to agree on the surrender of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

    From HERE

    When there were battles for Mariupol, hundreds of soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were taken prisoner, and then thousands. After the “evacuation” (this is how Kyiv came up with the idea of ​​calling the surrender) from Azovstal, it might seem that the trickle of Ukrainian soldiers ready to lay down their arms had dried up. But it’s not. Kyiv throws new units to the front line almost daily, where the vast majority of fighters are yesterday’s civilians. The mobilized are not ready to die for no reason, and the flow of prisoners from the areas of Krasny Liman, Popasna, Severodonetsk is again stable.

    Warm and satisfying

    “We made a decision for ourselves not to leave, because it’s scary, but just to give up. The best option for us,” says prisoner of war Andrei Kaminsky from Lutsk. He, in a group of 16 people, was sitting in the basement of the church during the shelling, they surrendered at the first opportunity. The man tells for a long time how good it is in captivity and how well they are fed, which, according to him, was not only on the front line, but even in Lutsk at checkpoints.

    There are already a lot of videos in which prisoners of war talk about the inhuman attitude of their fathers-commanders, how they are not fed and armed properly, and even about detachments that shoot those who run back and surrender. Each one is about the same thing: they were forced to fight, they are thrown to the front naked and barefoot and without heavy weapons, they call themselves cannon fodder, they call on other fighters not to sacrifice their lives and to surrender. However, the stories of military personnel are about the same.

    or example, UAF Lieutenant Oleksandr Lukhanin says Ukrainian soldiers have nothing to fear from Russians unless they have committed war crimes. “Nothing will happen to them if they have not committed any actions against the civilian population,” he says. “They will figure it out for you, and you will go to your families, to your relatives – children, mom, dad.”

    Sergeant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Serhiy Sidorchuk surrendered voluntarily and says that his colleagues have long wanted to do the same. “Morale has dropped. Everyone just wants to go home to the point that they are ready to lay down their arms. They were afraid of persecution, but now it doesn’t matter to them either,” he admits. Sidorchuk is sure that “it is better to go to jail than to die.” And he shares his first impressions of captivity: “How did I get here, the guys said: “That’s it, we fought back. Lucky you will live. Our conditions are normal.” The sergeant was surprised that the prisoners were not only fed, but also given warm clothes and blankets, because the room was a little cool.

    Increasingly, the Ukrainian military come out to surrender in groups. As a graduate of the Kharkov Phystech Valery Grishko . He himself enlisted in the defense to avoid mobilization. He says he thought that he would “sit at the headquarters at the computer”, but he was thrown to the front line. IT specialists were instructed to scan radio frequencies and listen to the conversations of the military. The newly-minted radio intelligence understood the whole delusional nature of the task – household walkie-talkies cannot detect closed channels, and they did not show official zeal. But they quickly found the positions of the NVO troops and five of them surrendered.

    We must surrender together

    Among the Ukrainian soldiers, and not only on the front line, instructions on how to surrender correctly walk from hand to hand. Three rules. Advise to go en masse, entire military formations. So there is less chance that the command will write down the entire unit as deserters. But before doing this, it is better to “isolate political officers from the national battalions and the SBU.” And also unanimously record a video message led by an officer. Well, the route of capturing should be chosen carefully so as not to run into a detachment of nationalists.

    In practice, especially when artillery is constantly working, it does not always work according to the instructions. But the scheme is working. How it happens in life, according to Russian servicemen fighting in the Donetsk region, military commander Alexander Kots told. At night, a Ukrainian fighter came to the checkpoint and asked to speak with the commander. “We are now being drafted only because otherwise we will go to jail, and here we can’t retreat, behind the cadre or nationalists, we will get a bullet from them,” he said. He described two weeks in the training manual, when the charters are crammed and they give 30 rounds of ammunition for everything about everything, and then immediately to the front. He said that the mood in the unit is sad – “everyone is afraid, both those who are in front and those who are behind.” And he asked to tell how to surrender: “We do not want to fight for the oligarchs sitting abroad, and our corrupt government! Why is it possible for the “Azovites”*, but not for us?” A day after the start of the next assault, the platoon of this Ukrainian commander surrendered in full force.

    Forgotten and no one needs

    In early May, information appeared that naive Ukrainian fighters did not follow instructions from the enemy, but sent relatives to “intermediaries” who, for money, “agreed” with the RF Armed Forces on a safe exit into captivity. Military commander Alexander Sladkov admitted that such a scheme could be quite working: “Surely there is such a “matchmaker for prisoners”. And not alone. For money.” But in reality, especially now, when Kyiv is trying to cling to a piece of land in the Donbass at any cost, you have to negotiate at your own peril and risk, without intermediaries.

    However, Ukrainian prisoners of war have to take care of their own future. Without waiting for help from the Ukrainian authorities, the Ukrainian Armed Forces, who were captured a month or two ago, recorded an appeal to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky demanding to stop ignoring their duties and return them home to their families. “We have been here for more than a month and no one is taking care of us. Everyone is puzzled only by the Azov regiment. For some reason, no one asks all the presidents of Europe, the Pope , Elon Musk to assist in our exchange. We also have families, there are children who need us very much, they say. — When there was a need for us, we honestly performed our duty, stood as a “human shield”. Why are we just forgotten and no one needs us now?

    Judging by the way events are developing, this appeal is unlikely to have the desired effect on prisoners of war. So, both on the front line and in captivity, in order to save their lives and return home to their families, both the regular soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and those mobilized will have to solve problems themselves. And before that, think hard about what they are fighting for.

    More Pictures from the Past

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    Caprese Chicken and Orzo Skillet

    One-and-done dinners are where it’s at in the summertime, and this one is particularly well suited to the season. Featuring all the flavors of a caprese salad—including tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil—but on a hearty bed of orzo and chicken breasts, this meal will fill up the whole family. And perhaps best of all, it’s an easy way to make a weeknight dinner extra special in under an hour!

    9774520f ad0b 42a1 b25a 81ac721c24da
    9774520f ad0b 42a1 b25a 81ac721c24da

    Ingredients

    • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 1/4 lb)
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 cup Progresso™ chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)
    • 1 can (14.5 oz) Muir Glen™ organic fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
    • 1 cup uncooked orzo or rosamarina pasta
    • 1 package (8 oz) fresh mozzarella pearls, drained
    • 1/4 cup shredded fresh basil leaves

    2022 05 30 15 43
    2022 05 30 15 43

    2022 05 30 15 44
    2022 05 30 15 44

    Some fantastic posters from China…

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    A depiction of Dong Cunrui, who sacrificed his own life in 1949 during the Chinese Civil War while detonating explosives in an enemy bunker. c. 1960.

    28 8
    “Follow the Constitution to Achieve Greater Industrial Victory.” c. 1970.

    29 8
    “Have the Whole Country in Mind and Have the Whole World in View.” c. 1970.

    30 8
    “Win Honor For Our Socialist Country, Win Honor For Our Great Leader Chairman Mao.” c. 1970.

    31 8
    “American Imperialism Must Be Driven Out of Southern Vietnam!” c. 1970.

    32 7
    “Strive to Collect Scrap Metal and Other Waste Materials!” c. 1970.

    33 6
    “Vigilance, Defend the Motherland!” 1968.

    Are You Upset About Inflation? If So, You Aren’t Alone.

    All of a sudden, just about everyone is upset about inflation.  It would have been nice if everyone would have been this upset back when our leaders were making the exceedingly foolish decisions that resulted in this crisis.  In May 2012, the federal government was 15 trillion dollars in debt.  Now we are 30 trillion dollars in debt, but our politicians continue to spend money as if tomorrow will never come.  Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve has pumped trillions of dollars that they created out of thin air into the financial system in recent years.  For a very long time, I passionately denounced what our leaders were doing, because I knew what would happen.  Now a day of reckoning has arrived, and millions upon millions of Americans are absolutely desperate for things to return to normal.  Unfortunately, that simply is not going to happen.

    In May 2020, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States was less than two dollars.

    Today, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States reached a brand new record high of $4.62, and we are being warned that it could soon go to “$5 a gallon or more”

    The national average for unleaded gas hit another new high of $4.62 per gallon Tuesday, according to AAA data. Prices are up more than 50% compared with last year.
    
    Analysts say gasoline prices usually peak by mid-May, but this year prices at the pump could continue to rise into July and reach about $5 a gallon or more.

    Most of the time, the vast majority of the population doesn’t pay much attention to economics.

    But this is where the rubber meets the road, and two recent polls show very clearly that Americans are becoming increasingly frustrated…

    An NBC News poll released earlier this month found that 33 percent of Americans approve of Biden’s handling of the economy, while 23 percent approve of his handling of the cost of living.
    
    A Washington Post-ABC News poll in early May found that more than 9 in 10 Americans are concerned, at a minimum, about the rate of inflation, which has been at a 40-year high for months. That included 44 percent who say they are “upset” about the problem.

    In addition, Gallup’s Economic Confidence Index has now fallen to the lowest reading that we have seen since the end of the Great Recession

    Gallup’s Economic Confidence Index measured -45 in May, down from -39 in each of the previous two months. It is the lowest reading in Gallup’s trend during the coronavirus pandemic, and likely the lowest confidence has been since the tail end of the Great Recession in early 2009.

    When things go bad, who are people going to blame?

    More than anyone else, people are going to blame the guy in the White House.

    And right now the Biden administration is absolutely desperate “to contain the political damage caused by inflation”

    The White House launched a new push Tuesday to contain the political damage caused by inflation after President Biden complained for weeks to aides that his administration was not doing enough to publicly explain the fastest price increases in roughly four decades.
    
    Aiming to demonstrate to the public that it is responding to its concerns, Biden met with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell in the Oval Office, wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal about inflation and sent top aides across major networks to push the administration’s economic message.

    What is Biden’s “economic message” exactly?

    I have been sitting here pondering that question, and I honestly cannot answer it.

    Every day, the story seems to change.  A while back, Biden promised to do all that he could to lower gasoline prices, and he foolishly released a million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

    That didn’t work.

    So what now?

    One insider told Politico that high gasoline prices are “a really difficult issue to message around”, because “you can’t deny the reality”

    The White House’s focus on gas prices is bred from two sobering political conclusions top officials have made. The first is that they have little control over the problem. The second is that as prices rise at the pump, so do Democrats’ odds of a midterm wipeout — especially as the average U.S. gallon of gas hits fresh record highs.
    
    “There really isn’t one silver bullet,” said one person familiar with the discussions. “It’s a really difficult issue to message around when you can’t deny the reality.”

    If Joe Biden asked me what he should do in order to reduce gasoline prices, the first thing I would say would be to stop doing things that are counterproductive.  The following comes from a recent editorial by Marc A. Thiessen

    If the Biden administration cared about high gas prices, they would be doing everything in their power to increase domestic production. After a federal judge invalidated an offshore oil and gas lease sale in January, the administration chose not to appeal and has since canceled three transactions in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Alaska — taking millions of acres off the auction block. The Post called the move “a victory for climate activists intent on curbing U.S. fossil fuel leasing,” which “effectively ends the possibility of the federal government holding a lease sale in coastal waters this year.” Worse, the administration is about to let the nationwide offshore drilling program expire next month without a new plan in place.

    Moving forward, we need to remove mountains of regulations that have made it extremely difficult to build and operate new refineries in the United States.

    And we need far more exploration and far more drilling as soon as possible.

    Of course the truth is that this isn’t just a U.S. problem.

    Energy prices are out of control all over the world, and they are actually much higher in Europe than they are here.

    In fact, soaring energy prices are a big reason why inflation in the European Union just hit a brand new record high

    Following Germany’s post-Weimar record high inflation print, the European Union’s consumer price inflation data this morning surged to a record high at +8.1% YoY (notably hotter than the +7.8% YoY expected).

    Most Americans don’t realize this, but Europe is actually much closer to a full-blown economic meltdown than we are.

    I expect the euro to fall below parity with the dollar in the not too distant future.

    And I expect a nightmarish energy crunch in Europe as supplies from Russia are restricted or cut off completely.  Unless something changes, next winter is going to be a really challenging time for many European nations.

    We have entered the worst energy crisis in modern history, but what we have experienced so far is just the beginning.

    Much worse is ahead, and the American people will become increasingly frustrated as prices just keep going higher and higher.

    Blinken Lays out Washington’s Anti-China Agenda

    It’s very well done, how he breaks down the hidden messages, and lies out of Washington DC…

    Paper Models Of The Most Controversial Buildings Erected Behind The Iron Curtain

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    0 17 1

    Zupagrafika, creators of make-your-own-paper-model sets of “brut-iful” architecture in London, Paris, Warsaw, and Katowice, have released their newest set, ‘Brutal East’. The creators’ selection captures the “certainly brutal” charm of the “functionalist panelák estates and otherworldly concrete grand designs” of the Eastern Bloc. With ‘Brutal East’ you can build your own East European city.

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    Russian propaganda declares ‘WW3 has started’ in terrifying Kremlin TV threat

    Propaganda from a Russian TV show has claimed that the war in Ukraine is over, and that the new goal of Russian forces is to ‘demilitarise’ NATO, with a news anchor saying a ‘real war’ has started.

    From HERE

    A Kremlin TV propaganda piece has claimed World War Three has started, and that Russia’s horrifying task is now to “demilitarise” NATO.

    Russian television anchor Olga Skabeyeva of Putin mouthpiece Rossiya-1 claimed on camera that the war in Ukraine, known in Russia as a special military operation, "is now over".
    
    Skabeyeva argued that the West's provisions of arms to Ukraine meant that the special operation had spilled over into a global conflict as Ukraine showcased new British Wolfhound heavy tactical support vehicles.

    The anchor’s tirade was broadcast on Rossiya-1, where she claimed Russia were being “forced to demilitarise” both Ukraine and NATO.

    Skabayeva said: "It's time to admit, perhaps, that Russia's special operation in Ukraine is now over. In the sense that a real war has started, World War III. We are being forced to demilitarise, not just Ukraine but NATO as a whole.
    
    "It was not only Smerch MLRS with cluster munitions that struck Donetsk. The strikes were carried out with... American M777 howitzers."

    Separate claims made by Lugansk People’s Republic head Leonid Pasechnik, who alleged that Ukrainian propaganda was to blame for hatred of Russian activities.

    He said: “Most people, of course, meet us as liberators, with tears in their eyes, seeking to thank the military in person. Many come outside, hug republican, Russian servicemen, saying that they were anticipating liberation.

    “Hatred towards everything Russian was promoted in Ukraine: language, culture, people and Russia in general. To our great regret, Kyiv and the US were able to raise an entire generation, a nation even, a nation of nationalists, in such a short time.

    “Despite that, there are tens of thousands of people in Ukraine who support the Russian world, friendship with the brotherly people of Russia.”

    The Prisoner 15;  “The Girl Who Was Death”.

    This is episode 15. I hope that you enjoy it.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

    Oh man, are we in the deep right now. Lets stroll and ponder our fates.

    We continue with the historic glimpse in the great global upheavals that we are all part of. I know you all want more on the core topics of MM, but we are living though historic times. Please bear with me. In the mean time, please enjoy this article.

    Here’s some truth…

    Instant Pot® Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

    Chopped onions, mushrooms, carrots and celery are the fresh and flavorful base of this creamy and savory soup that stars a hearty helping of wild rice and chicken. This Instant Pot® spin on classic chicken and wild rice soup will be your go-to update on a universally loved recipe.

    60c3ebda 50a7 415e 8c66 14f6c9b93034
    60c3ebda 50a7 415e 8c66 14f6c9b93034

    Ingredients

    • 1 package (20 oz) boneless skinless chicken thighs, patted dry
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
    • 2 tablespoons butter
    • 2 cups chopped onions
    • 1 package (8 oz) white mushrooms, chopped
    • 1 carton (32 oz) Progresso™ chicken broth
    • 2 cups peeled, sliced carrots
    • 1/2 cup sliced celery
    • 1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
    • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
    • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
    • Chopped fresh thyme leaves, if desired

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    2022 05 30 16 39

    Elite San Francisco School Sees Record D’s And F’s After Ditching ‘Racist’ Merit-Based Admissions

    Tuesday, May 31, 2022 – 07:45 AM

    A record number of freshman students at San Francisco’s elite Lowell High School earned D and F grades this past fall – the first semester after the school board eliminated merit-based admissions that were deemed “racist” by former SF Board of Education Commissioner, Alison Collins – who was ousted along with two other school board members in a February recall over the admissions debate and other issues – including a series of 2016 tweets by Collins targeting Asian Americans.

    Of the 620 freshman students at Lowell, 24.4% received at least one D or F during the fall semester, which compared with just 7.9% of first-year students in fall 2020 and 7.7% in fall 2019, according to internal SF Unified School District figures obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle. Overall, the number of 9th graders at Lowell with a D or F tripled from 51 in 2020 to 152 in 2021 – bringing the figures closer to those at other high schools in the city.

    Lowell students in grades 10 through 12 – who were admitted under the old merit-based system, saw a “slight” drop in grades over the same time period, while other city high schools did not see similar rises in D’s and F’s. In fact, freshman receiving low grades at other schools declined citywide between fall 2019 and 2021.

    The lower grades, while expected by many, are likely to become part of a fervid debate over Lowell that touches on race, equity and achievement. The grades raise questions about how students — and the school’s teachers and administrators — are adapting to the changes.
    
    However, it’s unclear exactly how much the change in admissions policy factored into the rise in D’s and F’s among Lowell’s ninth-graders, compared with other possible factors such as the pandemic. -SF Chronicle

    In 2020, Collins notably said merit-based achievement and standardized testing are “racist systems” and the “antithesis of fair” – prompting the school to change their admissions policy to a lottery system similar to all other SF city high schools, vs. test scores and grades.

    After the school dropped merit-based admissions, Lowell High accepted fewer asian (-4.4%) and white students (-6.5%), and more hispanic (+10%) and black students (+2.9%).

    2022 05 31 19 29
    2022 05 31 19 29

    According to outgoing Lowell High principal Joe Ryan Dominguez, there are “way too many variables that contributed” to the rise.

    “Over a year of distance learning, half of our student body new to in-person instruction at the high school level and absences among students/staff for COVID all explain this dip in performance,” he said – without addressing the fact that students admitted under the merit-based system were doing better than those admitted under the lottery. “It is important not to insinuate a cause on such a sensitive topic at the risk of shaming our students and teachers who have worked very hard in a difficult year.”

    Pressured by the pandemic, the school board approved a fast-tracked switch from merit- to lottery-based admissions at Lowell starting this school year, citing COVID disruptions to the tests and grades that underpin applications to the school. Lowell’s freshman class this year was the most diverse in decades, with more Black and Latino students.
    
    Both before and since the board’s decision, Lowell’s students, parents, educators and alumni have been locked in a debate over how the school should admit its students in the future.
    
    Lowell has long been one of the top performing public schools in the country, whose alumni include prominent figures in politics, entertainment, literature and science. It’s viewed as a high-pressure launchpad to elite colleges and has offered more advanced placement courses than other San Francisco high schools. -SF Chronicle

    Those opposed to the new lottery-based system say it disproportionately hurts Asian American students, who were ‘overrepresented’ at Lowell vs. other SFUSD schools, and that it ignores the benefits of a competitive school afforded to high-achievers.

    During a Tuesday school board meeting, departing district Superintendent Vincent Matthews proposed extending the lottery-based admissions system at Lowell through the 2023-2024 school year while the district launches a public process to determine a long-term solution.

    Mysterious Inscription Baffles French Village, Prize Offered to Crack the Code

    From HERE

    A recently discovered engraving is baffling local people in the small village in north-west France. The locals have made various attempts to decipher the inscription and have enlisted the help of many local experts to no avail. Now they are offering a prize to anyone who can decipher the mysterious inscription.

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    2022 06 01 11 38

    The inscription is near the small village of  Plougastel-Daoulas, Brittany, on the north-west of France near the Atlantic coast . The engraving is on a rock that is as ‘high as a man’ and is only seen when the tide is low. According to Newsweek, ‘the rock is accessible via a path from the hamlet of Illien ar Gwenn just to the north of Corbeau point’.  Its remoteness and the fact that it is completely submerged at high tide mean that it only came to light four years ago. The Mayor of Plougastel-Daoulas  Dominique Cap, has stated that no one has been able to understand the meaning of the engraving, despite their best efforts.

    A Baffling Set of Words

    The enigmatic inscription consists of a number of letters and some symbols, one depicts a boat with sails. Not all of the inscription is legible, but the letters are definitely from the Latin alphabet, used in modern French.

    Newsweek reports that it has been suggesting that it is ‘written in Basque or in an archaic version of Breton, a Celtic language still spoken in Brittany’. Some of the engraving reads “ROC AR B… DRE AR GRIO SE EVELOH AR VIRIONES BAOAVE,”  according to CNN.

    The locals have become increasingly frustrated at being unable to decipher the inscription. CNN quotes Michel Paugam, a local councilor as saying, “there are a lot of words….., but we can’t read them, we can’t make them out.”

    The village has enlisted the help of local linguists, academics, and epigraphers, but even these experts who are familiar with Breton history and culture have been baffled by the words and the symbols. This is despite the fact that the date of the writing is only just over two centuries old.

    There are two dates in the inscription, and these are 1786 and 1787, a time just before the French Revolution. At that time the Royal government in Paris had ordered the construction of batteries and fortifications to protect the harbor at Brest. This was France’s most important Atlantic port at the time.

    There is the possibility that it was a memorial left by one of the builders who worked on the project at Brest. Romantics believe that it may have been some sort of love message. Some villagers have even begun to call the inscription their ‘ Rosetta Stone ,’ reports Channel News Asia.

    The Competition to Decipher the Mysterious Inscription

    The local community has now decided to ask for the help of experts from beyond Brittany to help them to break the code. They have decided to launch a competition that is open to linguists, students, epigraphers, and anyone who thinks that they can solve the mystery. Both professional and amateur code breakers can enter the competition.

    Those who do manage to decipher the mysterious words will receive a prize of 2000 euro (2240 USD). A local official, Veronique Martin, is managing the competition and she has assembled a team to help her.

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    2022 06 01 1d1 38

    The village will examine all of the entries and the proposed solution to the mystery. NDTV reports that a ‘ jury will then meet to choose the most plausible suggestion and award the prize’. How they will actually determine which is the most plausible solution has not been stated.

    There is the possibility that given the nature of the inscription it may not be deciphered and the prize not awarded. It is also possible that the engraving may never be deciphered. It can be said though that the village of Plougastel-Daoulas has been put on the map thanks to the enigmatic words engraved on the rocks .

     

    2022 06 01 11 3ff8
    2022 06 01 11 3ff8

    Escobar: The Eurasian Economic Union Steps Up

    Monday, May 30, 2022 – 04:00 PM

    Authored by Pepe Escobar,

    The Eurasian Economic Forum has shown once again that this high-speed – economic integration – train has already left the station…

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    2022 05 31 19 39

    The first Eurasian Economic Forum, in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, took place this week at a very sensitive geopolitical juncture, as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov keeps stressing that, “the West has declared total war against us, against the entire Russian world. Nobody even hides this now.”

    It’s always important to remember that before Maidan in 2014, Ukraine had the option to become a full member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), and even balance it with a loose association with the EU.

    The EAEU comprises five full members – Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus and Armenia – yet 14 nations sent delegations to the forum, including China, Vietnam and Latin American nations.

    There was much rumbling that the proceedings would be jeopardized by the serial sanctions packages imposed on Russia by the collective West.

    There’s no question that some EAEU members – such as Kazakhstan – seem to be more worried about the effects of the sanctions than about fine-tuning business with Russia.

    Yet that’s not the point.

    The crucial point is that by 2025 they have to harmonize their legislation concerning financial markets. And that’s directly connected to what the executive body of the EAEU, led by Sergey Glazyev, is working on, extensively: designing the lineaments of an alternative financial/economic system  to what the West would rather coin as Bretton Woods 3.

    The Eurasian Economic Forum was established by the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council explicitly to further deepen economic cooperation between EAEU members.

    No wonder the official theme of the forum was Eurasian Economic Integration in the Era of Global Shifts: New Investment Opportunities, focusing on strategic development in the industrial, energy, transport, financial, and digital areas.

    So Many Converging Strategies

    President Putin’s speech to the plenary session was quite revealing. To really appreciate the scope of what’s implied, it’s important to remember that the Greater Eurasian Partnership concept was presented by Putin in 2016 at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, focused on a “more extensive Eurasian partnership involving the Eurasian Economic Union” and including China, Pakistan, Iran and India.

    Putin stressed how the drive for developing ties “within the framework of the Greater Eurasian Partnership” (…) “was not the political situation but global economic trends, because the centre of economic development is gradually – we are aware of this, and our businesspeople are aware of this – is gradually moving, continues to move into the Asia-Pacific Region.”

    He added, “in the current international conditions when, unfortunately, traditional trade and economic links and supply chains are being disrupted”, the Greater Eurasian Partnership “is gaining a special meaning.”

    Putin established a direct connection not only between the Greater Eurasian Partnership and EAEU members but also “BRICS members such as China and India”, “the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, ASEAN and other organizations.”

    And that’s the core of the whole, ongoing, multi-layered process of Eurasia integration, with the China-led New Silk Roads intersecting with the Eurasia Economic Union, the SCO, BRICS+, and other converging strategies.

    Lavrov this week said that Argentina and Saudi Arabia want to join BRICS, whose next summer in China is being meticulously prepared.

    Not only that: Lavrov mentioned how quite a few Arab nations want to join the SCO. He was careful to describe this process of converging alliances as “not antagonistic”.

    Putin for his part was careful to define the Greater Eurasian Partnership as “a big civilizational project. The main idea is to create a common space for equitable cooperation for regional organizations”, changing “the political and economic architecture on the entire continent.”

    Thus, the necessity to “draft a comprehensive strategy for developing large-scale Eurasian partnership”, including “a roadmap for industrialization”. That translates in practice as developing “engineering centers and research centers. This is inevitable for any country that wants to increase its economic, financial, and ultimately political sovereignty. It is inevitable.”

    Yaroslav Lissovolik  at the Valdai Club is one of the top analysts tracking how this convergence may profit the whole Global South. He stresses that among the “variability and diversity in the platforms that may be launched by Global South economies, the most sizeable and comprehensive of which could include the aggregation of CELAC (Latin America), African Union (Africa)”, and the SCO in Eurasia.

    And an even more diverse set of “regional blocs that targets deeper integration could feature a BRICS+ platform that comprises the South African Development Community (SADC), MERCOSUR, BIMSTEC”, the China-ASEAN free trade agreement, and the EAEU.

    The Eurasian Economic Forum has shown once again that this high-speed – economic integration – train has already left the station. It’s quite enlightening to notice the sharp contrast with the endless doom and gloom afflicting a collective West prone to inflation, energy shortages, food shortages, fictional “narratives” and the defense of neo-Nazis under the banner of liberal “democracy”.

    Stunning Photographs Of The Old Cincinnati Library Before Being Demolished, 1874-1955

    Built in 1874 on the site reserved for an opera house, the Old Cincinnati Library was a thing of wonder. With five levels of cast iron shelving, a fabulous foyer, checker board marble floors and an atrium lit by a skylight ceiling, the place was breathtaking. Unfortunately that magnificent maze of books is now lost forever.

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    One of the large cast-iron book alcoves that lined the Main Hall.

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    The Old Main in an early picture.

    Patrons entered on Vine Street beneath busts of William Shakespeare, John Milton and Benjamin Franklin. A vestibule led to the cathedral-like main hall, four stories tall, topped with a massive skylight roof. The floor was checkerboard marble tile. Five levels of bookshelves jammed the walls. Shafts of sunlight cut through the windows to provide ample illumination. “The main hall is a splendid work”, The Enquirer reported at the opening. “The hollow square within the columns is lighted by an arched clear roof of prismatic glass set in iron, the light of which is broken and softened by a paneled ceiling of richly-colored glass. One is impressed not only with the magnitude and beauty of the interior, but with its adaptation to the purpose it is to serve”.

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    A glimpse of the Main Hall can be seen through vestibule.

    The cost of the lot and building was $383,594.53, about $7.7 million today. The Public Library contained 60,000 volumes, with an estimated capacity of 300,000. So why this building demolished? Talks for a new library building had already begun 30 years earlier when the book collection had started to outgrow the building. Books were stacked beyond reach. Ventilation was poor, the air stuffy. The paint was peeling.

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    The Newspaper Room (photo circa 1899).

    In January of 1955, a new contemporary library opened at 800 Vine Street. The old building was sold to Leyman Corp for about $100,000 today, and by June that year, the magnificent library was razed. The site is now a parking garage. The three heads that once guarded the main entrance of the library were the only original features of the building that were saved and placed in the new library’s garden.

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    People reading books.

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    Another view of the hall.

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    Children inside the Old Main.

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    Looking down at the reading area in the Main Hall.

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    Over the years the library wasn’t able to accommodate all the readers.

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    The library’s main entrance.

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    The welcoming booth.

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    This photo of the Main Hall was taken about a year before the building was closed.

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    Readers.

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    Completed in 1874, originally intended to be an opera house before the project went bankrupt, the modestly-sized building did not do justice to to the magnitude and beauty of the interior designed by architect J.W. McLaughlin.

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    The Main Hall featured five tiers of cast-iron alcoves that housed over 200,000 books.

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    The beautiful main hall.

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    Young readers.

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    Young readers.

     

    The Rocks Of War

    The Z-man


    Wars often turn over rocks exposing truths about the age that have either been ignored or hidden from the world. Old tactics, in the case of the Great War, were exposed as obsolete by modern weapons. Sometimes it is in war that the hollowness of a great power is exposed. This was the case of the Soviets in Afghanistan. That war exposed the internal weakness of the regime. The war in Ukraine is similarly exposing problems in the collective West.

    The first lesson of this war so far is that Western intelligence has been exposed as useless in understanding modern Russia. At every turn, the information provided to political leaders about what Russia is doing and planning to do has turned out to be more fantasy than reality. The West has been operating on assumptions that may have been true twenty-five years ago but are no longer true today. The result has been a total political failure in response to the invasion.

    The big example of this was the claim that the Russians could only support their army in Ukraine for a couple of months. Western strategy was built on the assumption that the Ukrainians just had to hold out for a month or two. They would dig into fortified positions and wait out the Russian assault. Instead, a highly mobile and patient Russian assault is slowly decimating the Ukrainian army. Three months into the conflict and the Russians are on the cusp of victory.

    This is another rock turned over in this war. The West has been preparing for a war with a Russian army than has not existed since the Cold War. The Soviet way of war was something called deep battle doctrine. This is based on a highly mobile, combined arms approach to fighting. The Russians would find a weak spot in the enemy front, concentrate forces there, break through the lines and then flood the zone with armor and infantry, creating chaos in the enemy rear.

    The Soviet approach required large numbers of men. It imagined millions of men mobilized to fight in the West. This is not the new Russian way of war. The Russians, like everyone else in the West, have been living in the age of low fertility and rising standards of living. Mobilizing millions of men and throwing them into battle like Stalin did against the Nazis is no longer acceptable. Instead, the Russians have organized around reducing casualties to the minimum.

    As a practical matter, what those hunkered down Ukrainians have been facing is something like what the Mongols brought to the fight. Instead of one massive army centrally controlled from the rear, it is a collection of small units, self contained and self-directed toward narrow goals. These units combine infantry, armor, mobile artillery and air support, along with the use of drones. This is combined arms warfare reduced to small units working independently.

    Because these units are smaller, they are more intolerant of personnel losses, so they are more cautious. A unit that loses its tanks is no longer effective as a unit, so the premium is on reducing losses. The goal is to use speed and mobility to find weak spots in the enemy and quickly exploit them, with minimum losses. Overall, this is a much slower approach to fighting, but once a weakness is exposed, it can be exploited much faster due to the improved mobility and flexibility.

    This is on display in the Donbas. The Russians used artillery and airpower to break down the Ukrainian defenses at Popasnaya, which is a strategic town in the middle of the contact line. The Russians were then able to rush units into this breech and employ the modern version of deep battle doctrine. These small units combined to turn the contact line into a series of pockets surrounded by Russian units. Now the Russians are pounding these cauldrons with artillery and air power.

    The result is the West, primarily Washington, prepared the Ukrainians to fight the wrong war against the wrong army. Instead of a short defense against a Soviet siege, they are getting a war of attrition against a highly mobile and flexible army using the right weapons for such a fight. That is another aspect of this war that should be a wake up call to Western planners. The Russian weapons are better and more useful than the Western weapons supplied to the Ukrainians.

    In line with the new way of fighting, the Russians have developed weapons that can be incredibly useful with small, combined arms units. They do not require a complex information grid so that commanders in the rear can direct the action. Modern technology is used to make it easy for these small units to fight effectively on their own or quickly combine with other units on the fly. The Russians have also done their homework and have evolved effective counter measures.

    This is why the many “game changers” the West has sent to the Ukrainians have failed to do much damage to the Russian forces. The javelin has been a bust. The Man-portable air defense systems (ManPads) are worthless. The Russians have made these weapons obsolete. The big shock is their drone defense. The kamikaze drones and the Turkish TB2 have not been the game changer that was promised because the Russians have evolved effective jamming tools.

    Probably the biggest rocks turned over in this war are economic. The assumption of the West when they instigated this war was that the Russian economy had not changed since the end of the Cold War. For a long time, the West has looked at Russia as a gas station masquerading as a country. It was a version of Venezuela, wholly dependent on selling natural resources to the West. If the sale of those resources slowed just a bit, then the Russian economy would collapse.

    This has turned out to be wildly wrong. Now, part of this failure is due to the raging bigotry of the neocons behind the war. Their seething hatred for the Russian people has blinded them to many things. The economic revolution that has taken place in Russia is the biggest one. It turns out that the Russian economy is much more resilient and flexible than anyone in the West realized. As a result, the sanctions regime has turned out to be a disastrous failure.

    That has turned over another economic rock. The European economy has been revealed to be a house of cards. The sanctions regime is creating havoc for the Europeans, because their economy was based on the assumption that the Russians would always supply them with cheap necessities. The EU is a mommy economy where Mother Russia makes sure her babies are warm and fed. Shortages and spirally prices are bringing this reality home to Europeans.

    In total, what the war in Ukraine is revealing is that the collective West has been living in a fantasy world for the last few decades. Without a real challenge, they have been allowed to indulge in whatever fantasies they liked. Like trust fund babies raised in insular opulence, Western leaders are unprepared for a world where they have to perform their role as elites. The war is exposing them as a toxic blend of self-indulgence, stupidity and ignorance.

    The truth about war is that the rocks that it turns over cannot be turned back over to hide the truth underneath. The West will now have to face this new reality, especially on the economic front. The grand schemes for creating a new world order in the image of Western elites will now have to give way to this new realty. What has been revealed is that the new world order is one in which the West must compete in a multipolar world of civilizational equals. That means a new elite for this new age.

    Some posters from China …

    Some great posters and fantastic art.

    14 23
    “Go to the Big Ocean To Exercise.” c. 1970.

    15 22
    “Let Mao’s Philosophy Be Our Strongest Weapon.” c. 1970.

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    “The Cadre Should Mix With the Workers.” c. 1970.

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    “Be Prepared Now.” c. 1970.

    18 16 1
    “Be on Guard, 100 Times Alert.” c. 1970.

    19 13
    “Celebrate the 9th Congress of the Industrial Union.” c. 1960.

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    “Learning Dai Qi by Making More Contributions!” c. 1970.

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    “Annihilate the Invading Enemy.” c. 1970.

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    “Grasp Revolution, Promote Production.” 1976.

    23 8
    “Enhance the Coastal Defense of the Motherland.” 1962.

    24 8
    “Shipyard Industry Workers Learn From Da Qing.” 1976.

    25 8 1
    “Pay Attention to Hygiene.” c. 1970.

    Three Dog Night – One (1969)

    History lesson. MM was in seventh grade. This is called a “Time Machine”. Enjoy…

    Washington Floods Taiwan With Weapons

    The United States treads on Beijing’s red line and continues its military supply policy in Taiwan. This is the third supply in three years. Exactly fifty years have passed since US President Richard Nixon’s visit to China. That meeting between Nixon and Mao Dse Dong paved the way for stable diplomatic relations. Since then, one of the crucial issues has been the status of Taiwan.

    The administration led by Joe Biden, however, pretends to forget the past and aims to create tension between the two sides of China. It is yet another demonstration that Washington uses diplomatic agreements only when it is clearly convenient.

    Thus, the Beijing government is on alert. In recent weeks, a delegation of former US officials led by Admiral Michael Glenn Mullen has arrived in Taipei. A clear sign of support for Taiwan that Beijing has described as “useless”. Now, China is contesting the US State Department’s decision to authorize the supply of military equipment to Taiwan for $ 95 million.

    For Beijing, arms sales to Taipei “seriously undermine the nation’s sovereignty, interests and development”. Beijing’s position was illustrated by Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, according to which US assistance in Taiwan will end up damaging the bilateral China-US relationship and jeopardizing stability in the Strait. The spokesman thus urged Washington to cease trade with the island and to honor the commitments set out in the three joint China-US communiques.

    What joint press releases is Zhao talking about? The reference is to the diplomatic correspondence that dates back to the time of Nixon’s visit to Beijing in 1972. In those joint communiques, which cover the period from 1972 to the early 1980s, the issue of the island’s sovereignty was first of all addressed of Taiwan.

    In the Shanghai communiqué, issued at the end of Nixon’s visit, Beijing called the Taiwan question “crucial” to normalize relations with the United States. For China, Taiwan is “a province” and its “liberation” is an internal issue of China on which no interference is allowed.

    In the same document, the United States recognized, however, that “all Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait believe that there is only one China and that Taiwan is part of China and reaffirms its interest in a” peaceful resolution. ”

    “The ultimate goal,” reads the February 1972 communiqué, is the withdrawal of all US forces and military installations from the island. The second joint statement dates back to 15 December 1978, the US “recognizes the government of the People’s Republic of China as the only legal government of China”. In this context, however, “the people of the United States will maintain commercial, cultural and other unofficial relations with the people of Taiwan”.

    The issue of arms sales to Taiwan is the main theme of thethird joint communiqué between China and the United States, that of August 17,1982, which starts from the failure to resolve the issue of arms sales to Taiwan, due to “different positions “of Beijing and Washington.

    This is the diplomatic context from which one should start.

    Meanwhile, the United States continues its campaign to strengthen Taiwan’s military. With the decision of the US State Department to sell weapons to Taiwan, the line of the Taiwan relations act, with which Washington ensures that military items and services are made available to Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capacity, are continued.

    The new military aid package would include training, planning, deployment and maintenance services for the Island’s Patriot air defense systems, the Pentagon has notified Congress.

    “This proposed sale serves the national, economic and security interests of the United States by supporting the beneficiary’s efforts to modernize its military and maintain credible defensive capability,” the Pentagon statement said referring to Taiwan.

    The United States, under the Taiwan relations act, feels bound by law to provide defense assistance to Taiwan, despite the absence of formal diplomatic relations between Washington and Taipei. This is the third military aid package announced by President Joe Biden’s administration to benefit the Island.

    Putting The Shanghai Lockdown Into Context: China Sees This As A Bioweapon

    Written by Matthew Ehret

    Over the course of the past 10 days, I have noticed that many smart folks are freaking out over the events in Shanghai.

    I’m not sure why people have forgotten that the Chinese government has been in Defcon-2 since the start of the pandemic over two years ago treating this like a US bio terror attack targetting Han chinese who have been struck disproportionately by this thing from the get go for which there is ample evidence which will be treated in the following report and interview with Jesse Zurawell on TNT Radio:

    The Launch of the Pandemic

    Ever since the earliest days of the Coronavirus pandemic, evidence emerged that the pathogen being used to justify a complete shut down of the world economy in preparation for a supposed Great Reset was not a naturally occurring evolutionary phenomenon as asserted by the WHO, Nature Magazine, and editors at the Lancet, but had other origins.

    Among the earliest of those who found themselves supporting this theory was the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lijian Zhao who made international waves by sharing two articles by Professor Larry Romanov on the possibility of “gene targeting” of the virus which was having a disproportionately bad effect on Iranians, Italians and various Asian genotypes.

    Larry Romanoff’s work on this particular topic are of extremely high value, the most recent of which develops a conclusive study of the genetic targetting operations underlying the global Pentagon-run bioweapons complex that have had a disproportionately devastating effect on Han Chinese.

    His most recent piece on this topic is found on the Canadian Patriot Review:

    COVID-19 – A Biological Weapon Targeting Ethnicity and Body Systems

    Zhao was soon joined by bioweapons experts like Francis Boyle, prominent virologists Luc Montagnier and Judy Mikovits, followed by a growing array of scholars, scientists and academics from around the world who all assessed that the virus’ apparent gene sequencing implied human handiwork. While all agreed that COVID appeared to have originated from a lab, it was still unclear whether that lab was Chinese or controlled by the USA.

    Another obvious question arose with this lab theory: Was it an accidental leak or was it consciously deployed?

    Since pandemic war game operations had become a normalized part of western geopolitical life from the early days of Dark Winter in 2000 to the Rockefeller Foundation’s 2011 Lock Step to the World Economic Forum’s Event 201 (and dozens more in between), the likelihood of conscious deployment was a very serious possibility.

    Who had the motive, means and modus operandi to carry out such a global operation?

    The Wuhan Theory Begins

    By February 2020, the Wuhan lab leak hypothesis began to make headlines fed by evidence that Dr. Anthony Fauci had exported certain gain of function coronavirus experiments from US bioweapons laboratories to Wuhan’s Institute of Virology- one of two BSL-4 labs in China equipped to conduct this sort of research.

    When Sir Richard Dearlove (former head of MI6) became a loud proponent of the Wuhan lab leak hypothesis in June 2020, something seemed amiss.

    Dearlove certainly knew a thing or two about bioweapons. He knew very well of the Pentagon’s vast array of internationally extended bioweapons labs peppered across the world, and he certainly understood the art of misdirection being himself a byzantine shadow creature who operated at the highest echelons of British intelligence.

    Dearlove was after all in charge of the “yellowcake” dodgy dossier that launched an Iraq war, he knew of the fallacious reports of nerve gases used by the governments of Libya and Syria sponsored by MI6, had even overseen major components of Russiagate that drove a color revolutionary process in the USA. Dearlove also knew a thing or two about the Porton Down labs that manufactured Novichok used in the Skripal Affair.

    While Dearlove’s cheerleading of the Wuhan lab theory raised alarm bells, as time passed, no smoking gun evidence of an alternative lab-leak hypothesis surfaced that one could fully “take to court”. In this respect, Dearlove’s operation had the upper hand since receipts from Fauci’s NIH to the Wuhan Lab did conveniently make headlines, and acted as a “smoking gun” in the minds of many.

    Before going into the next phase of the story, it is important to recall that the absence of empirical evidence is not by itself a proof of one party’s innocence, just as the existence of a piece of empirical evidence is not a proof of another party’s guilt.

    Wuhan Lab Origins Go Viral Again

    In recent weeks, the Wuhan lab leak hypothesis has once again become all the rage.

    Rand Paul’s May 10 showdown with Fauci over this the latter’s funding of the Wuhan Institute of Virology added fuel to the fire. Sky News’ May 7 reporting of public Chinese policy papers discussing covid-based bioweapons have gone viral.

    On March 26, former Center of Disease Control head Robert Redfield asserted his support for the Wuhan lab leak theory. While the scanned receipts of the funds transfer from Fauci’s NIH to research in China via Eco Health Alliance ($600 thousand went to Wuhan) for coronavirus research, had been available since last February, one must wonder why it is now over a year later that this fact is being spread across the perception landscape on all levels.

    Both mainstream and alternative media across the western world representing both the left and right have jumped on board the bandwagon blaming China for leaking the virus whether by accident or intent (though obviously, intent is the conclusion which anyone is expected to draw once the Wuhan lab leak theory is accepted).

    But again, I must ask: In a world of misdirection, psychological warfare and perception management, do the clues that we are being given force us to conclude that the Chinese government is behind the global pandemic or is another culprit likely to be found?

    Chinese Leaders Blame the CIA

    Zeng Guang, a chief epidemiologist at China’s Center of Disease Control recently joined the conspiracy club on February 9, 2021 in an interview with Chinese media. While denying that the Chinese Wuhan lab is the source of the virus as so many in the west have claimed, Guang asserted that SarsCov2’s origins in a laboratory should not be discounted. Pointing to the vast globally extended US bioweapons labs littering the earth (and citing the USA’s proven track record of deploying bioweapons as part of its asymmetrical war arsenal since WWII), Guang asked:

    “Why are there so many laboratories in the United States when biology labs are all over the world? What is the purpose? 
    
    On many things, the United States requires others to be open and transparent, only to find that it is the United States itself that is often the most opaque. 
    
    Whether or not the United States has any special fame on the issue of the new corona virus this time, it should have the courage to be open and transparent. 
    
    The United States should take responsibility for proving itself to the world, rather than being caught up in hegemonic thinking, hiding itself from the virus and dumping others.”

    Guang was himself joined by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying who had also pointed to the Pentagon’s globally extended array of bioweapons laboratories saying:

    “I’d like to stress that if the United States truly respects facts, it should open the biological lab at Fort Detrick, give more transparency to issues like its 200-plus overseas bio-labs, invite WHO experts to conduct origin-tracing in the United States, and respond to the concerns from the international community with real actions.”

    Those who tend to avoid looking at the history and scope of Pentagon controlled bioweapon warfare tend to ignore the content of such remarks cited by those Chinese officials above for a multitude of reasons. For one: it is easy to believe that Fauci and Gates are corrupt, and this theory not only implicates both men but also ties them to a Chinese government which most westerners have been brainwashed to fear as a bastion of global debt-trappery, genocide, and communist imperialism out to destroy western values.

    After conducting a short review of some of the fundamental facts of recent world history alongside certain geopolitical realities of our present world order referenced by the head of the Chinese CDC, I believe that China’s Wuhan Lab is being set up. Here are five facts to support my case…

    Fact #1) Depopulation Then and Now

    While many people may wish to avoid looking at this fact, depopulation is a driving factor behind international unipolar policy today as it had been during the days of WW2 when Rockefeller Foundation, Macy Foundation, City of London and Wall Street interests gave their backing to both the rise of fascism as an economic miracle solution for the economic woes of the great depression and eugenics (the science of population control) as the governing religion of a new scientific priesthood.

    Today, this agenda masquerades behind a new transhumanist movement, shaped by words like “Fourth Industrial Revolution”, “decarbonized economies”, and “Great Resets”. The primary targets of this agenda remain: 1) the Institution of the sovereign nation states, and 2) the “overpopulated zones” of the world with a focus on China, India, South America and Africa.

    For anyone who would find themselves instinctively inclined to brush aside such claims as “conspiracy theorizing”, I would encourage a brief review of Sir Henry Kissinger’s infamous NSSM-200 report: Implications of Worldwide Population Growth for U.S. Security and Overseas Interests published in 1974. This declassified report went far to transform US foreign policy from a pro-development philosophy to a new paradigm of population control. In his report, Kissinger warned that…

    “if future numbers are to be kept within reasonable bounds, it is urgent that measures to reduce fertility be started and made effective in the 1970s and 1980s….
    
    (Financial) assistance will be given to other countries, considering such factors as population growth… 
    
    Food and agricultural assistance is vital for any population sensitive development strategy… 
    
    Allocation of scarce resources should take account of what steps a country is taking in population control… 
    
    There is an alternative view that mandatory programs may be needed….”

    In Kissinger’s twisted logic, US Foreign Policy doctrine had too often foolishly sought to end hunger by providing the means of industrial and scientific development to poor nations.

    A true Malthusian through and through, Kissinger believed that aiding the poor to stand on their own feet would result in global disequilibrium as the new middle classes would consume more, and use the strategic resources found under their own soil, which would set the world system accelerated entropy.

    This was deemed unacceptable to the mind of Kissinger and any misanthropic follower of Malthus who shared his views of humanity and government.

    Kissinger’s Master-Slave Global Society

    At the time of Kissinger’s ascent to power as Secretary of State under Nixon, a new grand strategy was unleashed designed to create a new “master-slave” dependency between the developed and undeveloped sectors of the world… with a special emphasis on the 13 nations targeted by NSSM 200 plus China.

    China itself was only permitted to acquire western tech needed to start climbing out of abject poverty on the condition that they obeyed the Rockefeller-World Bank demands that one child policy programs were imposed to curb population growth.

    Kissinger began organizing for this new set of relations in society around “Have”, post-industrial consumers and a massive “Have-Not” class of poor laborers with access to industry, but remaining stagnant, cheap and without the means of purchasing the goods they produced. The other darker skinned parts of the world would be even more worse off, having neither the means of production, nor consumption while remaining in constant states of famine, war and backwardness. These dark age zones would be largely made up of Sub Saharan Africa and would find their resource-rich lands exploited by the corporate middle men and financiers trying to run the world order above the “obsolete order” of nation states.

    Kissinger’s model of a world order was absolutely static with no room for population growth or technological progress. Mao and the Gang of Four which ran the cultural revolution appeared to be highly compatible with Kissinger’s agenda. But when Mao died and the Gang of Four were rightfully imprisoned, a new long-term strategy known as the Four Modernizations shaped by Zhou Enlai and carried out by Deng Xiaoping was launched. This program was far more foresighted than Kissinger realized.

    Fact #2) China is currently a leading force of pro-population growth.

    While the west has been accelerating into a decaying path on every measurable level, China is quickly moving in an opposing trajectory via extending long term investments and advanced tech development into its own society as well as to its neighbors through such comprehensive projects as the Belt and Road Initiative.

    While its own population has not healed from the disastrous 1979 one child policy and is far from achieving the 2.1 children per couple needed for replacement fertility, it did lift the one child limit to two in 2015 and three in 2021. Today leading Bank of China economists have called for a total elimination of all limits in the near term future. Meanwhile, the top-down national orientation of China towards increasing the free energy needed to support and grow the economy is unlike anything we have seen in the closed-system western world for many decades.

    A vital fact often forgotten is that together China and India were instrumental in sabotaging the December 2009 COP-14 program in Copenhagen which had promised to establish legally binding emission target cuts to guide the de-carbonization (and de-industrialization) of much of society.

    The London Guardian had reported in 2009 that

    “Copenhagen was a disaster. That much is agreed. But the truth about what actually happened is in danger of being lost amid the spin and inevitable mutual recriminations. 
    
    The truth is this: China wrecked the talks, intentionally humiliated Barack Obama, and insisted on an awful “deal” so western leaders would walk away carrying the blame.”

    Apparently China and India, along with African governments like Sudan (which had not yet been carved up on the careful watch of Rhodes Scholar Susan Rice) did not wish to sacrifice their industry and national sovereignty on the altar of climate change models and technocrats that had only weeks earlier been publicly exposed as frauds by East Anglia University researchers during the embarrassing Climategate scandal.

    While China and India should be celebrated for having sabotaged this effort 11 years ago, very few people have been able to hold this drama in their memory, and fewer still realize how this fight over sovereignty was in any way connected to China’s 2013 creation of the Belt and Road Initiative as the vital force behind the emerging Multipolar Alliance.

    Fact #3) Soros at Davos 2020: The two greatest threats to Open Society: 1) Donald Trump’s USA and 2) Xi Jinping’s China.

    During his January 2020 Davos speech, Soros took aim at both Trump and Xi Jinping as the two greatest threats to his Open Society who had to be stopped at all costs. In September 2019 (just as Event 201 was happening) Soros wrote in the Wall Street Journal:

    “As founder of the Open Society Foundations, my interest in defeating Xi Jinping’s China goes beyond U.S. national interests. 
    
    As I explained in a speech in Davos earlier this year, I believe that the social-credit system Beijing is building, if allowed to expand, could sound the death knell of open societies not only in China but also around the globe.”

    Before becoming mired into the “China virus” narrative, Donald Trump had worked exceptionally hard to emphasize good relations with China and even managed one of the most important trade deals that had successfully moved into phase one the week Soros spoke at Davos.

    This first phase involved China creating a market to purchase US finished goods as part of the program to rebuild America’s lost manufacturing sector that had been hollowed out over 5 decades of “post industrialism”.

    Where Kissinger called NAFTA “the most creative step toward a new world order taken by any group of countries since the end of the Cold War” Trump went far to renegotiate the anti-nation state treaty giving nation states a role to play in shaping economic policy for the first time in over 25 years.

    It is important to also recall that Trump resisted the war hawks pushing a total military encirclement of China begun under Obama’s Asia Pivot which is today threating nuclear war.

    He took the fuel out of the THAAD missile encirclement of China which has justified its expansion based on the “North Korean threat” for over a decade- always denying the truth that the real targets were both Russia and China.

    Trump’s push to build friendly relations with Kim Jong Un had much greater ramifications in changing US Pacific military policy than many realized, although that fact was certainly not missed by the Chinese intelligentsia.

    While the Soros/CIA-driven color revolutionary operations have so far failed to divide up China in Hong Kong, Tibet and Xinjiang, they have been successful in the USA.

    Fact #4) The Pentagon’s Global Bioweapons Complex Is a Fact

    While China is the proud owner of a total of TWO BSL-4 labs (both within its own borders), a vast array of dozens of Pentagon-run bioweapons labs litter the international landscape. Exactly how many is hard to estimate as Alexei Mukhin (Director General of Russia’s Center for Political Information) stated in a May 2020 interview:

    “According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, in the post-Soviet space, 65 American secret bio-laboratories operate: 
    
    15 – in Ukraine, 
    12 – in Armenia, 
    15 – in Georgia, 
    4 – in Kazakhstan. 
    
    In the United States, such activity is prohibited . 
    
    Accordingly, the Pentagon, in its own laws, is engaged in illegal activities (in spirit, not in letter). The goal is the creation of biological weapons directed against the peoples who inhabited the territory of the USSR.”

    In 2018, investigative journalist Dilya Gaytandzhieva documented the Pentagon’s multibillion dollar budget that sustains bioweapons labs in 25 nations (and 11 within the USA itself) which grew exponentially since the December 2001 bioweaponized anthrax attack killed five Americans and justified a hyperbolic increase of bioweapon warfare to rise from $5 billion when Cheney’s Bioshield Act was passed in 2004 to over $50 billion today.

    Additionally, an October 2000 policy document co-authored by William Kristol, John Bolton, Richard Perle, Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz, Elliot Abrams, and Donald Rumsfeld titled Rebuilding America’s Defenses (RAD) explicitly stated that in the new American Century, “combat will likely take place in new dimensions: In space, cyber-space and perhaps the world of microbes… advanced forms of biological warfare that can “target” specific genotypes may transform biological warfare from the realm of terror to a politically useful tool”.

    Fact #5) International Pandemic War Game Scenarios Laid the groundwork for the international response to Covid. Not China

    The driving force behind such bioweapon war game exercises such as the June 2000 Operation Dark Winter, the May 2010 Rockefeller Foundation report Operation Lock step, and the World Economic Forum/Gates Foundation/CIA Event 201 pandemic exercises indicate that China is not the causal nexus.

    All in all, these facts have persuaded me that China is being set up and is in fact a primary target for destruction.

    How China would find itself the beneficiary of such an irresponsible unleashing of a novel virus that hammered its own economy, accelerated the blow out of the world financial bubble economy and annihilated the foundations of international stability is absurd to the extreme… especially considering the fact that everything China has done for the past decades has indicated a consistent desire to create stability, long term development and win-win cooperation with the international community.

    Nothing similar has been seen among members of the Five Eyes or their Trans Atlantic network of over bloated imperialists.

    The oligarchy running the Trans Atlantic System certainly loves the centralized control found in the Chinese system, and they adore the behaviorist social credit stuff, but that is where their admiration ends. The Kissinger, Gates, Carney or Schwab-types hate and fear everything China has actually done for development, ending poverty, population growth, national banking, long term credit generation, building full spectrum industrial economies and defending sovereignty along with Russia whom they are tightly bonded with in the Eurasian Multipolar alliance.

    Matthew Ehret is the Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Patriot Review , a BRI Expert on Tactical talk, and Senior Fellow at the American University in Moscow. He is author of the‘Untold History of Canada’ book series and in 2019 he co-founded the Montreal-based Rising Tide Foundation .

    More pictures from the past…

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    The Best Thai Coconut Soup

    Authentic, bold, and delicious Thai flavors make this soup irresistible! This is the best Thai coconut soup I’ve had. You won’t be disappointed with this one! Serve over steamed rice.

    OIP.WzP8BUF BeZ1XBohiIIarQHaJQ
    OIP.WzP8BUF BeZ1XBohiIIarQHaJQ

    Ingredients

    Original recipe yields 8 servings
    Ingredient Checklist

    Directions

    Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir the ginger, lemongrass, and curry paste in the heated oil for 1 minute. Slowly pour the chicken broth over the mixture, stirring continually. Stir in the fish sauce and brown sugar; simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and mushrooms; cook and stir until the mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp; cook until no longer translucent about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice; season with salt; garnish with cilantro.

    Locations Of US Carrier Strike Groups – May 31, 2022

    This is the newest update of the ‘U.S. Carrier Strike Groups Locations Map’ exclusive series showing the approximate locations of U.S. Carrier Strike Groups. SouthFront: Analysis & Intelligence tracks locations of U.S. aircraft carriers using the available open-source information. No classified information was used in production of the map.

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    2022 06 01 20 06

    2022 06 01 20 0v7
    2022 06 01 20 0v7

    The Prisoner S01E13 Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling

    We continue with the series. I hope that you enjoy it.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

    The United States has made one mistake too many, and the end is approaching close.

    There’s a big bunch of disturbing things going on geopolitically. All of which revolves around the United States. They have openly announced complete formal war with China and Russia simultaneously to be conducted via proxy. This simply cannot end well.

    I am under the impression that the “leadership” are all delusional fools who somehow believe that they will not be personally affected by the wrath and rage that they will unleash.

    Chechen leader, staunch Putin ally, threatens Poland over support for Ukraine

    These Chechen fighters in Ukraine (fighting as part of the Russian forces) are pissed off that Poland has decided to fight alongside the Ukraine Nazi's. Here is their warning. If you read the "news article" you wouldn't be aware of this backstory. -MM

    LONDON — Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a staunch ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, threatened to attack Poland over its support for Ukraine.

    Speaking in a video that was posted to social media on Wednesday, the warlord warned that Poland had “better take back” the weapons it supplied to its neighbor.

    “The issue of Ukraine is closed,” said Kadyrov, via a translation from a BBC reporter. “I’m interested in Poland. Poland, what is it trying to achieve?”

    He added: “After Ukraine, if we’re given the command, in six seconds we’ll show you what we’re capable of. You should better take back your weapons and your mercenaries and beg official forgiveness for what you did to our ambassador.”

    Article HERE

    Philippines president-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr says Manila and Beijing to expand relationship

    From HERE

    Philippines president-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr says his country’s ties with China will expand and “shift to a higher gear” when he takes power, signalling an intent to advance outgoing leader Rodrigo Duterte’s pro-Beijing agenda.

    Key points:

    • Mr Marcos said China and the Philippines should expand their relationship in the realms of diplomacy, trade, culture, education, knowledge and health
    • He said the two countries’ current conflicts should not be allowed to “become historically important”
    • The Chinese embassy in Manila said the phone conversation focused on bilateral ties and regional development

    Mr Marcos, who won last week’s election by a landslide, said he held “very substantial” talks by phone on Wednesday with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who assured him of support for his “independent foreign policy”, and agreed to hold more comprehensive discussions.

    The 64-year-old son and namesake of the notorious former Philippines dictator said Mr Xi also acknowledged his late father’s role in opening diplomatic relations between the two countries.

    “The way forward is to expand our relationship not only diplomatic, not only trade, but also in culture, even in education, even in knowledge, even in health to address whatever minor disagreements that we have right now,” Mr Marcos said in a statement.

    “I told him, we must not allow what conflicts or difficulties we have now between our two countries to become historically important.”

    Mr Marcos has been in Melbourne this week, reportedly to help his youngest son settle into the University of Melbourne, where he is enrolled to study.

    Several members of the Australian Filipino community on Tuesday protested outside the accommodation where Mr Marcos was believed to be staying.

    A spokesman said the president-elect would fly back to Manila on Thursday.

    What Filipino Australians say about the Marcos revival

    This is what the Filipino community in Australia are saying about their future.

    The Philippines and China have had a rocky relationship in recent years over Beijing’s vast territorial claims and actions of its coast guard and fishing fleets in the South China Sea, through which at least $4.84 trillion of annual trade passes.

    Their phone conversation focused on bilateral ties and regional development, the Chinese embassy in Manila said in a separate statement.

    “President Xi said the two countries should also grasp the general trend, write a grand story on the China-Philippines friendship in the new era and follow through the blueprint for bilateral friendly cooperation, so as to usher in an even brighter future for the bilateral ties,” the embassy said.

    Mr Marcos won the presidency with nearly 59 per cent of the votes last week. He will take office late in June.

    Many analysts expect Marcos to seek stronger ties with Beijing, but say maintaining close relations with defence ally Washington will be essential in keeping the military and the public onside in a country with historically strong links to the United States.

    China was among the first to congratulate Marcos, who was the first to win a presidential election by an outright majority since a 1986 revolution that toppled his late father’s two-decade dictatorship.

    Kurt Campbell, the White House coordinator for the Indo-Pacific, last week said the US would seek early engagement with the Marcos administration but said there were “historical considerations” that could pose challenges.

    Mr Marcos said Mr Xi had expressed a desire to talk privately.

    “We are both looking forward to having further dialogue,” Mr Marcos said.

    “He said both of us should talk, without the others.”

    REPORTS: Russia to Cut-Off Denmark from Natural Gas on Tuesday

    Intel circuits are blazing as of 10:24 PM EDT Monday night, with reports that Russia has told Denmark all natural gas to that country will be CUT-OFF tomorrow (Tuesday, 31 May 2022) because Copenhagen refuses to pay for Russian gas in Rubles.

    Denmark holds 0.57 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of proven gas reserves as of 2017, ranking 66th in the world and accounting for about 0.008% of the world’s total natural gas reserves of 6,923 Tcf.

    Denmark has proven reserves equivalent to 5.1 times its annual consumption, but they can’t get it out of the ground fast enough because most of it comes from rigs in the North Sea.  So Denmark must import about 12% of their annual natural gas usage.

    Of course, Denmark is saying the Russia cut-off won’t matter much.  Finland said the same thing just before they were cut-off.  Here’s what’s actually taking place now in Finland as a direct result:

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    2022 05 31 11 27

    Gee, suddenly it doesn’t look like Finland is doing so well. No bread? No gas in commercial bakeries anywhere in the country to bake bread?????

    HMMMMM. Seems like the politicians in Finland LIED.

    Gee whiz. Ain’t that just too bad . . . .

    Pay in Rubles and you can eat bread again!

    Gai Pad Prik Gaeng Recipe (วิธีทำ ไก่ผัดพริกแกง)

    gai pad prik gaeng recipe
    gai pad prik gaeng recipe

    If you love the flavor of the curry, but the stir fry cooking method, you’ll love this Thai recipe.

    Along with chicken stir fried with holy basil, chicken stir fried in red curry paste, known as gai pad prik gaeng (ไก่ผัดพริกแกง) in Thai, is one of my favorite quick and easy Thai street food dishes.

    The best thing about this dish is that it’s available at nearly every single Thai stir fry street food restaurant, and while it’s excellent on the streets, it’s even better when you make it at home using freshly made red curry paste.

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    2022 05 30 20 43

    This gai pad prik gaeng recipe (ไก่ผัดพริกแกง) is really easy to make, as long as you already have some Thai red curry paste (เครื่องแกงเผ็ด) available.

    The Thai red curry paste forms the base of flavor for this gai pad prik gaeng (chicken fried with red curry paste ไก่ผัดพริกแกง).

    Ingredients you’ll need:

    Note: If you want to get straight to the directions of this recipe, you can scroll below to the recipe box, otherwise keep reading for a more thorough explanation of how to cook this Thai chicken stir fried curry recipe.

    Note #2: Making your own red curry paste is the best option, but if you’re not able to, you can try using red curry paste in a jar, my recommendation is for Mae Ploy red curry paste, but you’ll have to alter the salt and other seasonings in the recipe depending on the flavor of the packaged curry paste.

    Once you have your Thai red curry paste ready to go, either freshly made, or from a can or bottle (but fresh is of course going to taste better), you’ve just got to fry it up with some chicken and a few other ingredients, and you’re ready to go.

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    2022 05 30 20 44

    I used about 300 grams of chicken breast, which was 1.5 chicken breasts altogether.

    First slice the chicken into small bite sizes pieces – I like to slice it pretty small because more flavor gets coated on each piece of chicken, plus it’s faster to fry.

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    2022 05 30 20 45

    Along with Thai red curry paste and chicken (ไก่), for this recipe I used Chinese long beans (ถั่วฝักยาว, but I think green beans will also work fine), and kaffir lime leaves.

    I used about 3 strands of long beans, cut into 1 inch pieces, and it equaled out to about 1/3 of a cup of them. So if you use green beans, chop up enough for about 1/3 of a cup.

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    2022 05 30 2d0 45

    Since most of the amazing flavors are already taken care of the in red curry paste, you barely need any other seasoning.

    Other than the paste, you’ll just need about 1 teaspoon of fish sauce (น้ำปลา taste it though, it depends on how salty your red curry paste is from the start), and normal Thais would add about 1 teaspoon of sugar, but when I make this recipe for myself I add just a pinch, if any, and that’s all.

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    2022 05 30 20 46

    Stir fry

    Stir frying food is one of my favorite things to do in the world, it’s such a fast way to cook, and all the flavors remain in the pan and with the ingredients you fry.

    For this gai pad prik gaeng recipe (ไก่ผัดพริกแกง), once all your ingredients are ready to go, turn on your stove to low heat.

    Add about 1 tablespoon of oil (น้ำมัน) to your wok or pan, keeping it on low heat, and you can add in about 3 tablespoons of Thai red curry paste before the oil heats up too much.

    If your pan is too hot the curry paste will burn, so keep it on low heat and just stir fry for about 30 seconds.

    After your red curry paste is hot sizzling and fragrant, toss in your chicken, and season with a bit of fish sauce (red curry pastes can taste different and be of different saltiness, so make sure you taste test and see how it is before adding fish sauce), and a pinch of sugar, and fry until the chicken is all the way cooked.

    Finally, at the end, toss in your long beans and kaffir lime leaves, stir fry for about 30 more seconds and your marvelous gai pad prik gaeng (ไก่ผัดพริกแกง) is ready.

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    2022 05 30 20 47

    You can either serve gai pad prik gaeng (ไก่ผัดพริกแกง) directly over a plate of rice, or you can put it all onto a communal plate accompanied by a separate plate of rice.

    Either way tastes just as good.

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    2022 05 30 20 48

    In Thailand when you order a dish like gai pad prik gaeng (ไก่ผัดพริกแกง), or any other stir fry dish, you have the choice to get a fried egg on the side.

    This is not a requirement, but a fried egg on top of your rice along with the red curry paste chicken sure tastes incredible.

    Before we get started making this recipe, be sure to watch the video below for all the cooking instructions and details.

    Gai pad prik gaeng recipe (วิธีทำ ไก่ผัดพริกแกง)

    (Thai recipe for chicken stir fried with red curry paste)

    Time: about 15 – 20 minutes (if you have the red curry paste already prepared)
    Recipe size: 1 plate of stir fried chicken, 1 – 2 people
    Cooking utensils: wok, stir fry
    Flavors: salty and spicy
    Eat it with: fresh steamed rice and a fried egg on the side if you’d like

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    2022 05 30 20 53

     

    To make your dish extra authentic, you can make a small bowl of prik nam pla, or fish sauce and chilies. Just dice up a few Thai chilies, and a clove of garlic, and add a couple tablespoons of fish sauce, and if you like, a squeeze of lime juice.

    With each bite, you can scoop on a few pieces of chili and a drizzle of fish sauce – tastes especially wonderful on the egg.

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    2022 05 30 20 54

    Gai pad prik gaeng (ไก่ผัดพริกแกง) has such a wonderful fresh and pungent flavor. You’ll taste the dry chilies, garlic, shallots, and the lime zest from the kaffir limes leaves, and the kaffir lime peel in the paste.

    It’s an extremely flavorful Thai dish.

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    2022 05 30 20 55

    Conclusion

    Gai pad prik gaeng (ไก่ผัดพริกแกง) is a Thai dish that includes chicken stir fried in curry paste with long beans and kaffir lime leaves.

    It’s one of my personal go-to Thai dishes in Bangkok, and so I’m excited to share with you this quick and simple recipe that tastes so incredibly delicious.

    Eating gai pad prik gaeng (ไก่ผัดพริกแกง) is like having all the curry flavor coated onto pieces of chicken, and it’s absolutely delicious!

    Chinese space centre finds jamming device weeks before launch of latest space station mission in first reported incident of its kind

    Staff at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in Inner Mongolia found the item in a car ahead of the launch of the Shenzhou 14 mission. It was not clear if there had been a deliberate attempt at sabotage or not.

    Article HERE

    GDP USA vs. China

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    2022 05 31 11 06

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    Childhood’s End

    America has become a malfunctioning pageant without feasible roles that children can realistically project themselves into….

    The phoniest trope in American life goes like this: We must find the cause of X so that it never happens again.

    Of course, it will happen again.

    We only pretend that the cause is a mystery. Let’s count the ways that school massacres happen.

    American schools are fantastically depressing places. They are designed to look like medium security prisons and insecticide factories. They send the message: Enter here and be psychologically brutalized. They are too big, overwhelmingly alienating, ugly, devoid of visible symbolism signaling the value of being human. The interiors of the schools are designed for the convenience of janitors, hard surfaces of tile and linoleum that can be hosed down easily like the quarters of zoo animals. Children act accordingly.

    The “facilities,” as we call them, are deployed in the illegible landscape of a demolition derby, separated from all the other activities of daily life, which themselves have reached a culminating state of meaninglessness: big box shopping, national chain franchise food installations, strip malls of empty storefronts, parking lot wastelands, nothing that will excite a child’s imagination with emotions other than bewilderment, anxiety, and aversion.

    The “teaching” that supposedly goes on in schools is a broken remnant of preparation for an economy that no longer exists. We’re no longer a society of people who do things, but rather a society of people to whom things are done, many of them harmful, humiliating, and arbitrary. America’s demoralized teaching corps is so unhinged by their own anomie that they resort to imposing sadistic fantasies on the children in their charge.

    Thus, all the inappropriate curricula around adult preoccupations with sex, such as the Drag Queen Story Hour, for which mentally ill men are invited to act-out impersonations of women-as-monsters for young people who can’t possibly be expected to make sense of the spectacle. (I suspect that even six-year-olds, hard-wired to function as successful animals in this world, understand it as some kind of affront to reality.) Otherwise, American teachers are out of ideas, and are themselves damaged by the same forces in culture that they are now asked to direct.

    America has become a malfunctioning pageant without feasible roles that children can realistically project themselves into. What ten-year-old longs to become the Burger King fry-o-later boss in a brown apron and an asinine cardboard crown? Rather, they are prompted to aspire to become sports star millionaires, of which there are perhaps fewer than 5,000 positions in a land of 340-million. By age twelve, they probably comprehend the unlikelihood of that outcome, or of becoming the next Kardashian… or Spiderman. (Superheroes are supplied by the entertainment cartels to occupy the imaginative realm of children because American culture is bereft of reality-based roles worth aspiring to.)

    In this tumult of cultural impoverishment, psychotic grandiosity creeps in. Be big if you can’t be anything else. Hence, one achievable role for young persons in American life is mass murderer. It is a way of becoming important, of having an effect on other people and society in general. Your name may be forgotten, but the act itself will endure in the collective memory of a people. It will be some kind of a mark in history, even better remembered, perhaps, than whoever played third-base for the Atlanta Braves in 1994… or the woman who once capered down the red carpet at the Oscars in a dress fashioned on a slaughtered swan.

    The mayhem unleashed in a school shooting is just the rectified essence of the manifold derangements in our national life. Everything is out-of-whack, including our perception of what’s going on and what it means.

    There is almost nothing left of childhood in this land, in the way of young, unformed creatures assisted by adults who love them into a future worth being part of.

    We have forgotten how to be grateful for coming into this world at all, leaving us unworthy of being here.

    The quality of virtue, meaning that some things and some doings are recognizably better than others, was deceitfully replaced by the equity of nothing being allowed to be better than anything else.

    Truth and beauty have gone outlaw. Bad faith and wickedness rule, led by a Party of Chaos.

    So, really, what do you expect?

    And what do you deserve?

    Verizon statement on Huawei litigation settlement

    After 1.5 year, finally: Verizon statement on Huawei litigation settlement | About Verizon
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    Article One HERE
    .
    2019 Huawei asks Verizon to pay more than $1 billion for over 230 patents: Source
    .
    Article Two HERE

    The Best Live Perform Ever!!! Jeff Beck – A Day In The Life | HD

    I had this album, and traded it for another back while in university. What was I thinking?

    Australian Leader Dutton issues grim China warning in first appearance as Liberal leader

    Peter Dutton urges Labor Party to stand strong against Beijing as he labels China the ‘biggest issue’ facing Australia. Newly elected Liberal leader Peter Dutton has doubled down on his strong statements towards Beijing and said China’s rise was the “biggest issue” Australia will face in the future.
    “The issue of China under President Xi is the biggest issue our country will face in our lifetimes. That's the reality,” he said.
    
    “I will support policies which help to defend our country, decisions made by the new government in relation to rolling out AUKUS … and other policies which will help keep us safe.
    
    “I don't want interference in our electoral outcomes, I don't want there to be threats on university campuses.
    
    “I want us to have a productive relationship with China. I want it to be restored but that is an issue for China.”
    
    During his time as defence minister Mr Dutton came under fire for his strong stance on China and his rhetoric around war in the Pacific.
    
    Last year, Mr Dutton said it would be “inconceivable” that Australia would not send troops in the event of US involvement in a war between China and Taiwan.
    
    He has also said Australians should “prepare for war” during an address on Anzac Day this year, which was lashed by Labor and also Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan.

    Meet Elena Deligioz, Probably The Most Beautiful Female Cosplay Soldier In The World

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    Meet Elena Deligoiz from Russia. She is not really a soldier but her good looks and uncanny addiction to military equipment will make most men fall in love with her. Her followers believe that she could have been the most beautiful woman in the military had she joined the army. Elena Deligioz was dubbed the ‘world’s most famous soldier’ and she is currently breaking the internet.

    Her photographs have gone viral in various social media websites around the world, making her extremely famous. Who knows maybe after this article she gets an offer from the military!

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    Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian’s Regular Press Conference on May 30, 2022

    From HERE

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    Beijing Youth Daily: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a statement on May 28, saying that the US is concerned about the conditions China imposed on the visit to China by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet and China’s efforts to restrict and manipulate the visit. What is China’s comment?

    Zhao Lijian: At the invitation of the Chinese government, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet visited China from May 23 to 28. China believes that this visit has enhanced understanding and cooperation, and clarified misinformation. After meetings and talks, conversations and field trips in Guangzhou and Xinjiang, the High Commissioner had a deeper understanding and recognition of China’s path for human rights development, and had first-hand experience of Xinjiang’s reality with social security and stability, sound and sustained development and people’s well-being.

    All lies and rumors related to Xinjiang have fallen apart in front of facts and truth. But as the saying goes, “You cannot wake up someone who is only pretending to be asleep.” Turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to the facts and truth about Xinjiang, the US rehashed the false claims that had already been debunked countless times in an attempt to smear and attack China. Ridiculously, this time they made up new lies that China has restricted and manipulated the visit. In fact, all the activities and arrangements of High Commissioner Bachelet during her stay in China were decided in accordance with her will and based on full consultation. The High Commissioner also said at the press conference that she had unsupervised and extensive meetings during the visit. Where is restriction and manipulation to speak of? Look no further than the US to find the one trying to manipulate this visit. It is the one and the same US that was most vocal about the High Commissioner’s visit to China at first, imposed various kinds of conditions for the agreed visit, and ultimately attacked and slandered the visit after it was made. This once again proves that the US does not care about human rights conditions whatsoever. What it really wants is to use human rights as a pretext to constantly denigrate China and hold it down. Such hypocrisy and political scheme of the US has long been seen through by the whole world.

    By contrast, the human rights conditions in the US are like “the emperor’s new clothes”. The recent mass shooting at a school in Texas is particularly heart-wrenching. The right to life of ordinary people, including children and teenagers, cannot be guaranteed. I’d like to share some figures with you. Since 2001, the US waged wars or conducted military operations in about 80 countries in the name of counterterrorism, which killed more than 800,000 people including about 300,000 civilians. The US set up black sites like the Guantanamo Bay prison across the world, where people are arbitrarily detained without trial for long periods of time and subject to torture and ill treatment. Racism in the US is deeply entrenched and racial minorities like African Americans and Asian Americans have to live with systemic racism. Shutting eyes to grave human rights violations at home, what rights does the US have to act like a patronizing judge and interfere in other countries’ affairs? We ask the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to conduct investigations into and submit reports on US’ human rights problems.

    Bloomberg: In relation to the press conference on Saturday evening, what’s the takeaway for China on this? There were some recommendations from the High Commissioner. For example, she talked about how anti-terrorism and deradicalization should not be in conflict with human rights. What’s your comment?

    Zhao Lijian: I briefed you on High Commissioner Bachelet’s visit to China just now. She also held a press conference on that. During High Commissioner Bachelet’s visit here, especially in Xinjiang, the authorities of the Autonomous Region has made comprehensive presentation on the measures and results of counter-terrorism and deradicalization. High Commissioner Bachelet toured an exhibition on counter-terrorism and de-radicalization, learning in detail the legal and policy frameworks, practices, and results of counter-terrorism and deradicalization in Xinjiang. Violence and terrorism have inflicted the greatest harm on the human rights of people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, and counter-terrorism and de-radicalization is the greatest protection for the human rights of people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang. I can tell you that there has been no violent terrorist attack in Xinjiang for five consecutive years and the region has enjoyed security, stability, development, and prosperity. This is the best illustration of the effectiveness of Xinjiang’s counter-terrorism and deradicalization efforts. I believe that foreign people from all walks of life who have visited Xinjiang, like the High Commissioner herself, will be able to draw objective and fair conclusions.

    I also want to say that China attaches great importance to the UN human rights affairs and stands ready to contribute to advancing the international human rights cause. During the visit, the Chinese side and the OHCHR had thorough exchange on deepening cooperation and reached broad consensus. The two sides have agreed to establish an Annual Senior Strategic Meeting, to discuss national, regional and international human rights issues of common interest. And the two sides have agreed to establish a working group to facilitate human rights cooperation in such areas as development, business, poverty reduction, counter-terrorism, minority groups, digital space, and judicial safeguard. China is willing to provide greater support to the human rights work of the United Nations. Such concrete measures not only are conducive to the cooperation between China and the OHCHR, but also represent China’s new contribution to the international human rights cause.

    Shenzhen TV: In his recent speech on the US administration’s approach to China, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that China poses “the most serious long-term challenge to the international order” and that the US “must defend and reform the rules-based international order”.  Do you have any comment?

    Zhao Lijian: This speech misrepresents facts with a long list of lies. The attacks on China mirror exactly what the US has been doing. It is no other than the US that poses “the most serious long-term challenge to the international order”. The “rules-based international order” it touts is actually the “US rules-based international order”, a hegemonic order to dominate the world with the house rules of its clique. Last week my colleague already responded to the speech. Today I would like to take this opportunity to further reveal the hypocrisy of the US by debunking some of its lies and fallacies with facts and figures.

    To start, the US has zero reverence for the international order underpinned by the UN Charter and international law. Throughout its over two-century-long history, the country has only witnessed 16 years free from war. It is the largest source of disruption threatening the international peace and stability and the greatest destabilizing element in the international order. The US claims that it will defend “concepts like self-determination, sovereignty, the peaceful settlement of disputes” enshrined in the UN Charter. However, it always says one thing and does another. As William Blum pointed out in his book America’s Deadliest Export: Democracy, since the end of World War II, the US has attempted to overthrow more than 50 foreign governments and grossly interfered in democratic elections in at least 30 countries. According to a report by the Brown University, since 2001, the US-waged wars and military operations in the name of counter-terrorism have claimed over 800,000 lives and turned more than 20 million people into refugees in countries including Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria alone.

    Second, the US is the top saboteur of the international order, who sticks to US centrism and exceptionalism and wantonly withdraws from treaties and organizations. It refuses to sign or ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, voted against the Global Compact for Migration and the Global Compact on Refugees, and remains the sole party obstructing negotiations for a verification protocol to the Biological Weapons Convention. Since the 1980s, the US has withdrawn from 17 international organizations or treaties, including the UN Human Rights Council, the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Paris Agreement, the Iran nuclear deal, the Arms Trade Treaty, the INF Treaty, the Open Skies Treaty, among others with flip-flops regarding some of them. Such a country now shamelessly disguises itself as a referee of international rules, shining a spotlight on where others come short while turning a blind eye to its outright violations. When American politicians eloquently cite the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to criticize other countries, are they aware of the fact that the US is not even a state party to the Convention?

    Third, the US is in no position whatsoever to talk about rules. In the eyes of the US, international rules must be subordinate to and serve its interests. When international rules happen to be consistent with US interests, they are cited as authority. Otherwise they are simply ignored. Here are some questions for the US to answer: when the US flagrantly waged wars on sovereign nations and instigated color revolutions, was it following rules? When the US grossly slapped illegal unilateral sanctions, plunging people in the affected countries into disaster, was it following rules? When the US refuses to pay its long overdue $1 billion assessed contributions to the UN regular budget and $1.4 billion peacekeeping assessments, is it following rules? When the US strengthens AUKUS and Quad, and attempts to build an Indo-Pacific version of NATO to mess up the Asia-Pacific and undermine the international nuclear non-proliferation system, is it following rules? When the US hosted the so-called Summit for Democracy, which divided the world into two camps by inviting half and excluding the other half, was it following rules? When the US refused to implement the WTO ruling that its tariff war against China violates global trade rules, and blocked the appointment of new judges to the WTO’s Appellate Body, was it following rules?

    The US places its domestic law above international law and international rules and willfully resorts to illegal unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Venezuela, Syria and Iran have been grappling with severe difficulties with a struggling economy and strained medical resources due to prolonged US sanctions. Under such circumstances, the US, rather than halting those sanctions, redoubled them, making things even worse for these countries. The international community sees with increasing clarity that the US only complies with the market competition principle and international trade rules it claims to champion when it suits US interests. While talking about a level playing field and free trade, US politicians actually believe in “America first” and wield a big stick of sanctions.

    I also want to stress that over the 70-plus years since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, we have not initiated any war or taken an inch of land from other countries. We call for resolving disputes through dialogue and negotiation, and has completely resolved all land boundary issues with 12 out of the 14 neighbors. As the second largest economy in the world, China has been contributing to over 30% to the world economic growth, ranking the top for 15 years running. China is now the second largest contributor to UN regular budget and peacekeeping assessments, actively participated in the building and reform of the global governance system, and taken real actions to honor the spirit of the UN Charter and the authority of the UN. It is fair to say that China remains a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development and a guardian of international order. We will always stand in solidarity with all peace-loving and justice-pursing countries under the UN flag, uphold real multilateralism, and continuously contribute confidence, wisdom and strength to universal prosperity of the world and common progress of the humanity.

    Al Jazeera: Yesterday, Israeli extremists, protected by police, attacked Palestinians in East Jerusalem and prevented them from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Israeli Prime Minister Bennett said that the whole of Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. China has always supported the two-state solution and East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine. May I ask if you condemn the Israeli Prime Minister’s remarks? Now that the Palestinian-Israeli situation is gradually deteriorating. If Israeli atrocities are not stopped in time, a serious humanitarian disaster is inevitable. Is China considering taking substantive action to protect the Palestinians and protect regional peace and stability?

    Zhao Lijian: Lately there has been ongoing tension between Palestine and Israel, particularly in Jerusalem. China is deeply concerned over this. Parties concerned should act in accordance with relevant UN resolutions, respect and maintain the historical status quo of the holy sites in Jerusalem, and avoid taking any unilateral and provocative actions that change the historical status quo of the holy sites in Jerusalem. China has stressed many times that the underlying reason for the recurring conflicts between Israel and Palestine is the absence of the implementation of the “two-state solution” and long denial of the Palestinian people’s legitimate appeal of establishing an independent state. The international community should have a greater sense of urgency and work for the early resumption of peace talks between Palestine and Israel on the basis of the two-state solution, so as to achieve the comprehensive, just and lasting resolution of the Palestine question at an early date.

    Hubei Media Group: May 29, 2022 was the 20th International Day of UN Peacekeepers. Could you talk about China’s participation in UN peacekeeping missions?

    Zhao Lijian: UN peacekeeping missions are important means to advance international peace and security. Over the past seven decades or so, the UN has conducted over 70 missions, rallying more than one million peacekeepers under the UN flag and making outstanding contributions to safeguarding and restoring regional peace and assisting in the resolution of regional conflicts. The Blue Helmets have become a symbol of peace and hope, winning wide acclaim from the international community.

    In 1990, China sent military observers to the UN, which marked the beginning of its participation in UN peacekeeping operations (UNPKOs). In 1992, China dispatched its first formed military unit of Blue Helmets to participate in UNPKOs. Over the past three decades, China has sent nearly 50,000 peacekeepers to participate in UNPKOs in more than 20 countries and regions. A total of 16 Chinese peacekeepers have made the ultimate sacrifice serving under the UN flag. China is the second largest contributor to UN peacekeeping assessments and the largest troop contributor to peacekeeping operations among the five permanent members of the Security Council. As we speak, more than 2,200 Chinese officers are working in eight peacekeeping mission areas. Chinese Blue Helmets have become a key force in the UN’s peacekeeping efforts. Chinese peacekeepers adhere to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, act in strict accordance with their mandate, and faithfully fulfill peacekeeping missions, making important contributions to safeguarding world peace and promoting common development.

    Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic overlapping with a host of threats including regional hotspot issues, ethnic strife and terrorism, the role and significance of UNPKOs have become more prominent. China will continue to work in close cooperation with the international community to increase the efficacy and efficiency of UNPKOs so that they can play a bigger role in safeguarding international peace and security. At the same time, UNPKOs rely on the support of all member states. We hope a certain country will pay its overdue $1.4 billion peacekeeping assessments in full without further delay and avoid hindering the normal operation of UNPKOs for selfish interests.

    Associated Press of Pakistan: On May 27, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif visited Karot Hydropower project, being completed under China Pakistan Economic Corridor. Talking to engineers and workers there, he said this project will generate cheap electricity and also promote green development in Pakistan. Do you have any comment on that?

    Zhao Lijian: The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a key pilot project under the Belt and Road Initiative and an important platform for all-round practical cooperation between the two countries. It is guided by the concept of green, open and clean development and committed to realizing sustainable, livelihood-oriented and high-standard growth. Since its launch, CPEC has delivered fruitful outcomes in energy cooperation, which helps Pakistan to effectively tackle energy shortage and provides reliable energy supply for its economic and industrial development.

    The Karot hydropower plant is a major energy cooperation project under CPEC between China and Pakistan. Once installed and put into operation, it will not only generate steady and affordable energy supply, meet the electricity needs of approximately five million local residents, and further improve Pakistan’s energy structure, but also boost the country’s sustainable development as well as global efforts towards carbon neutrality by reducing an estimated amount of 3.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, thus contributing to the global response to climate change. We are looking forward to the completion of the hydropower plant and hope that it can be put into use at an early date.

    Bloomberg: A question about a joint document between China and the Pacific nations, which according to news reports was not adopted. Do you have any comment?

    Zhao Lijian: You’ve been closely following the situation. In fact, I just got some relevant information and would like to share with you some information briefly.

    The second China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was successfully held. The parties had an in-depth discussion about how to deepen cooperation between the two sides in a united and friendly manner, and reached wide new consensus. After the meeting, China will release a position paper on cooperation between China and the Pacific Island countries in response to the expectations of the latter. Please stay tuned to the relevant press release from China.

    As for the joint document you mentioned, it involves an ongoing process of discussion. Not every meeting has to issue a joint document. At the foreign Ministers’ meeting this time, all parties reached new consensus on this, making an important step towards reaching the final agreement.  The parties agreed to continue to engage in active and practical discussions in order to build more consensus.

    CCTV: The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-People’s Trade Agreement (ALBA-TCP), held its 21st Summit in Havana, Cuba on May 27, 2022. The Final Declaration adopted by the alliance’s member states denounces the exclusionary and discriminatory treatment by the United States as the host country of the so-called Summit of the Americas against some countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, rejects the imposition of coercive unilateral measures against Venezuela and Nicaragua, and the economic, commercial, and financial blockade against Cuba and calls on the genuine regional integration led by the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). Do you have any comment?

    Zhao Lijian: The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-People’s Trade Agreement (ALBA-TCP) represents a useful exploration by countries in Latin America and the Caribbean for promoting regional integration. Since its founding, the organization has been committed to seeking development through solidarity among regional countries and encouraging its member states to follow a path of independent development.

    Since its founding, CELAC has been committed to multilateralism and played an important role in upholding multilateralism, safeguarding regional peace and stability, promoting economic and social development and protecting the rights and interests of developing countries. China appreciates this and supports countries in the region in actively seeking a development model suited to the region and their efforts to promote integration.

    Under the pretext of so-called democracy and human rights, the US has been ganging up to suppress countries that have different opinions, wantonly abused unilateral sanctions and interfered in and manipulated the internal affairs of countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. This is typical hegemony that gravely violates the purposes of the UN Charter and the basic norms governing international relations, and seriously contravenes the sovereignty and dignity of countries in the region. China firmly rejects this. I would like to stress that Latin America is by no means a front court or backyard of a certain country, and the Summit of the Americas is not a “Summit of the United States of America”. The US scheme to interfere in regional affairs by taking advantage of its capacity as the host of the Summit of the Americas is doomed to fail.

    China Daily: According to media reports, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, commenting on some negative remarks by the US side on Taiwan, stressed that Taiwan is a Chinese province and an inalienable part of China’s territory and that pushing Taiwan to declare independence is a dangerous adventure. He called on all sides to respect China’s sovereignty and avoid adding fuel to the flame. Do you have any comment?

    Zhao Lijian: China highly appreciates Prime Minister Hun Sen’s remarks on Taiwan. There is but one China in the world, Taiwan is part of China, and the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. This is a consensus of the international community. The Taiwan question is purely China’s domestic affair and brooks no foreign interference. The Chinese side’s just cause of safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity, opposing secession, and realizing national reunification has received and will surely continue to receive understanding and support from Cambodia and the rest of the international community.

    Reuters: The World Health Organization recently organized the World Health Assembly meeting and they reached agreement on reforming global health emergency rules. Did China take part and did China also agree to this reform?

    Zhao Lijian: I’m not aware of what you mentioned.

    The Paper: Last week, the fourth regional security dialogue on Afghanistan was hosted by Tajikistan and the Dushanbe Statement was released. We learned that a Chinese representative attended the meeting. Can you share more information?

    Zhao Lijian: The fourth regional security dialogue on Afghanistan was held in Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan, on May 27. Senior representatives from China, Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan attended the meeting. Cheng Guoping, External Security Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, represented China at the meeting.

    Commissioner Cheng said, Afghanistan is the “Heart of Asia”. The development of the situation in Afghanistan, especially its security situation, has a major impact on regional security and stability. The Global Security Initiative, put forward by President Xi Jinping not long ago, stressed the importance of upholding the new vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and jointly upholding world peace and security. China is ready to honor this spirit, work in concert with regional countries and support the whole system of Afghanistan in well responding to challenges.

    The Dushanbe Statement released at the meeting welcomes the Tunxi Initiative of the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan on Supporting Economic Reconstruction in and Practical Cooperation with Afghanistan adopted at the Third Foreign Ministers’ Meeting Among the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan in late March, calls on all parties to provide more support for Afghanistan in economy, humanitarian assistance, connectivity, trade and internal capacity building. It reiterates non-interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs and the “Afghan-led, Afghan-owned” principle, urges countries bearing responsibilities for Afghanistan to seriously fulfill the commitment of economic reconstruction and future development of Afghanistan, and opposes politicization of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. The statement particularly pointed out that international terrorist organizations should never be allowed to use the Afghan territory to hide, train, plot and sponsor any terrorist activities targeting any country in the region to make sure that Afghanistan will not become a hotbed, harbor or source of terrorist forces.

    Afghanistan is now at a critical stage from chaos to stability. Security is the prerequisite for development. China is ready to continue to work with regional countries to strengthen communication and coordination, build consensus and form synergy, and make relentless efforts to help Afghanistan achieve lasting peace and stability.

    Bloomberg: Do you have any more details on the agreements that were signed between China and Kiribati and Samoa? Is there anything you could offer on those agreements?

    Zhao Lijian: Our delegation is there on their trip. Relevant information has been released, and you can check it out.

    Dragon TV: Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said at the 27th “International Conference on the Future of Asia” that the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) is not an economic but a political grouping that is intended to isolate and exclude China. China has contributed to other countries’ economic growth but has been left out in the IPEF. Economic development requires stability and no conflict. The United States seems enthusiastic about shutting out China and is sending ships to the South China Sea. This may one day cause an accident, resulting in violence or war, which is not good for the economic development of ASEAN countries. It’s necessary to avoid intensifying conflict between the United States and China and maintain regional stability. Do you have any comment?

    Zhao Lijian: That’s very well put. Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad spoke the thoughts of the vast majority of countries in the region and clearly indicated what they care most about and want most. That is peace, stability and economic development in the region. It represents the overriding trend and people’s aspiration. However, the US has deviated from this direction and politicized economic issues for its own selfish ends, even at the cost of the interests of other countries and the region at large. It wins support and is doomed to fail. The key to success in the Asia-Pacific is win-win cooperation, not zero-sum confrontation. China is ready to work with other countries in the region to practice true multilateralism, build an open regional economy and make the Asia-Pacific our better home.

    Reuters: According to reports in Swiss media, efforts by the Swiss government to update its free trade agreement with China have stalled as Switzerland is taking a more critical view of China’s human rights record. What’s China’s comment?

    Zhao Lijian: Since its implementation in 2014, the China-Switzerland free trade agreement has brought enormous tangible benefits to both countries and peoples. To upgrade the agreement will help both sides to further tap into the potential for economic and trade cooperation and revitalize and grow the economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

    I would like to stress that the free trade agreement is a mutually-beneficial arrangement, not a favor bestowed by either side. The two sides have maintained close communication and active negotiation in the spirit of mutual respect and equality regarding the upgrading of the agreement. China will be delighted to have the agreement upgraded and hopes that the Swiss side could stay clear of disruptive elements and meet China halfway.

    Bloomberg: Just to go back to my earlier question, I want to make sure that I was clear. Basically I was asking about agreements with Kiribati, but also with Samoa. So I was asking on the two countries. Could you give us more details on China’s agreements with the two countries?

    Zhao Lijian: As I said just now, the Chinese side has issue the press release on the visit. Just before the press conference, we released information about the talks between Fijian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Frank Bainimarama and State Councilor Wang Yi. The press release can be found on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. China will soon release relevant information on the China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. Please stay tuned.

    Reuters: Recently, the WHO held its first in-person since the COVID-19 outbreak. Did China attend the meeting? Does China support any reform measures mentioned at this conference?

    Zhao Lijian: As I just said, I am not aware of relevant situation. I may come back to you after I learn more about it. According to my initial information, China participated in relevant discussions, but I am not aware of the details.

    And yet more pictures from the past

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    Miniature UFO Wreckage Discovered in Science Museum Archive?

    From HERE

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    Wreckage from a “miniature” UFO crash in North Yorkshire sixty years ago has been rediscovered in the archives of the Science Museum in London.

    Or has it?

    Known as Britain’s “answer to America’s Roswell incident,” the Silpho Saucer story broke on December 9, 1957 in  The Yorkshire Post when ‘a mystery’ disc was found on Yorkshire moor. Scarborough businessman Frank Dickenson and two friends were driving up Reasty Hill, near the village of Silpho, and their car stalled as ‘a glowing object in the sky’ landed in Borax Forest.

    Mr. Dickenson found the metallic saucer in a patch of bracken, but when he returned with his friend the object was gone, so he placed a classified advert in the Scarborough newspaper and eventually bought it for £10. When the artifact was cut open a tiny book was found made of “17 thin copper sheets” covered in 2000 hieroglyphs.”  Scarborough café owner, Philip Longbottom studied the disc and claimed it been sent to Earth by an alien called “Ullo” and the message warned: ‘You will improve or disappear’. Hieroglyphics were also found on the wreckage of the UFO that allegedly crashed at Roswell, New Mexico, in June 1947.

    Measuring 45 cm (17.72 inches) in diameter and weighing 15 kg (33.07 lbs.), for half a century, UFO enthusiasts have speculated as to the destiny of this missing artifact. Now, parts of the “wreckage” have been rediscovered inside a tin cigarette box at the  Science Museum Group ’s archive.

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    The remains of the ‘Silpho Moor Object’ were sent to London for examination in 1963 and included a “fused section of the metal and plastic from the outer casing, a length of hollow copper tubing and pieces from the copper booklet discovered inside.” Gordon Claringbull of the Natural History Museum, who specialized in meteorites and explosives said in a memo to the Science Museum that he was ‘prepared to wager anything’ that the pieces of metal were made on Earth, reported the Yorkshire Post.

    A BBC report  this week revealed how tests carried out at the time in Manchester University found the object’s shell “contained lead and the copper parts […] of unusual high purity.” This raised expectations in the UFO community, but a metallurgist soon concluded that because the disc had not been exposed to high temperatures it “could not have come from space.”

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    According to the Yorkshire Post , UFO expert Jenny Randles believes this metallic disc ‘is the most costly and well organized hoax that has ever taken place in Britain.”

    Although the scientific community was skeptical, Air Chief Marshall Lord Dowding, who led the RAF during the Battle of Britain during WW2, examined the Silpho Saucer in 1958 and believed it was “genuine.” Describing it as a ‘a miniature pilot flying saucer’ – Lord Dowding was openly convinced it was “a genuine artefact from space,” according to the report in the Yorkshire Post.

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    Since the discovery, skeptics have claimed the ‘saucer’ was made from a “domestic hot water cylinder in a back-street garage and planted on the moor as an elaborate hoax.” And this wouldn’t be the first time that a shiny part from a water cylinder has grabbed the world’s headlines – in 1974 another UFO part ‘allegedly’ crashed in Florida. Antoine and Jerri Betz, accompanied by their 21-year-old son Terry, discovered ‘’a bright metal globe, about the size of a bowling ball, just sitting there in the grass.”

    When Terry played his guitar the ball “strangely resonated the music” and began to “move around, all on its own.” The media stir eventually caused scientists from NASA to inspect the Betz Sphere, and even some of them were convinced it had “otherworldly” origins. However, similarly to the Silpho Saucer story, the skeptics’ evidence was much stronger and came in the form of the “sphere’s owner.”

    2022 06 01 15 3g3
    2022 06 01 15 3g3

    A skeptiod.com article tells that after the story broke, artist James Durling-Jones in Taos, New Mexico came forward claiming that he had used similar spheres in several sculptures. He had made a trip in his Volkswagen bus collecting scrap “industrial ball valves” in two sizes: 10-inch (25.4 cm) balls weighing about 70 pounds (31.75 kg) and 8-inch (20.32 cm) balls weighing about 22 pounds (9.98 kg), exactly the same weight and dimensions as the Betz Sphere. Durling-Jones had strapped the metal balls on his luggage rack and drove through Jacksonville around Easter of 1971 when “a few of the balls rolled off the luggage rack and were lost,” until three years later when the Betzes came along.

    It can be concluded that the Silpho Saucer and the Beta Sphere are unquestionably two of most famous INFOs (identified non-flying objects) in the world.

    U.S. bill would bar Google, Apple from hosting apps that accept China’s digital yuan

    Such insane self-defeating behavior!

    Republican senators want to bar U.S. app stores including Apple and Google from hosting apps that allow payments to be made with China's digital currency, amid fears the payment system could allow Beijing to spy on Americans.
    
    The bill, unveiled Thursday and first reported by Reuters, states that companies that own or control app stores "shall not carry or support any app in [their] app store(s) within the United States that supports or enables transactions in e-CNY." It is sponsored by Senators Tom Cotton, Marco Rubio and Mike Braun.
    
    According to Cotton's office, digital yuan could provide the Chinese government with "real-time visibility into all transactions on the network, posing privacy and security concerns for American persons who join this network."
    
    The Center for a New American Security, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, said in a January 2021 report that China's digital currency and electronic payments system was "likely to be a boon for CCP surveillance in the economy and for government interference in the lives of Chinese citizens," noting that "transactions will contain precise data about users and their financial activity."

    Article HERE

    A Winter Tour of the Hidden Corners of a Little Town in Upstate NY

    “I moved here in November and have been exploring it through this weird, snowless winter of 2012.”

    A look at what rural America is. This is the real deal. I can name countless towns throughout the United States that resembles this... -MM

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    This is what MOST of rural and small-town America looks like. I can confirm that this is exactly how parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Mississippi looked ten years ago.

    Couple that with what the cities look like today. The United States is a nation in Crisis. So, given that, can you actually believe that the leadership are so delusional that they want to take on Russia and China simultaneously?

    The Prisoner 16 Once Upon a Time

    I do hope that you all enjoy this episode.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

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    Japan, Korea, Australia and Ukraine. The world is changing. We discuss this with some pretty Gibson girls.

    An American vet, long living down under, told me, "I have heard everything about America since I lived here from: 'I hate America to I love America', now it is: 'I feel sorry for America'..."

    The world is changing. Here’s a collection of videos, articles, and stuff for you all to check out and chill-out with. I hope that you enjoy this particular article.

    A thought about Japan and the QUAD

    Japan is an American attack dog. It's not wise to lay all the blame on the dog. When someone sets his dog on you, what will you do? You can kick the shit out of the dog, but you will suffer bites. Or you can feed the dog with its favorite food and beat the shit out of its owner. After a while, the stupid dogs will get killed and the smart dogs will stay out of the fray. 
    
    PM

    Interesting quote

    Sociopaths are very concerned with maintaining control over their "inferiors" in the present moment. They don't have the cognitive ability to make long term plans. They just "go with the flow".
    
    They will keep going with this attitude until a bigger gangster comes along and tells them to lay off, or else.
    
    This general atmosphere of sociopathy propagates through western society, as the fish rots from the head down.

    School dance in the 1950s

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    As Things Fall Apart Biden May Want To Escalate

    Is reality setting in? Is that why a Washington Post reporter, who has been on the frontline in Ukraine, was allowed to write this?

    Ukrainian volunteer fighters in the east feel abandoned

    [A]fter three months of war, this company of 120 men is down to 54 because of deaths, injuries and desertions.
    
    The volunteers were civilians before Russia invaded on Feb. 24, and they never expected to be dispatched to one of the most dangerous front lines in eastern Ukraine. They quickly found themselves in the crosshairs of war, feeling abandoned by their military superiors and struggling to survive.

    In mid February these people were still civilians in some town in west Ukraine. They then ‘volunteered’, to avoid a draft into the army, for the territorial defense forces with the hope to serve near their homes:

    Lapko, built like a wrestler, was made a company commander in the 5th Separate Rifle Battalion, in charge of 120 men. The similarly burly Khrus became a platoon commander under Lapko. All of their comrades were from western Ukraine. They were handed AK-47 rifles and given training that lasted less than a half-hour.
    
    “We shot 30 bullets and then they said, ‘You can’t get more; too expensive,’ ” Lapko said.
    
    They were given orders to head to the western city of Lviv. When they got there, they were ordered to go south and then east into Luhansk province in Donbas, portions of which were already under the control of Moscow-backed separatists and are now occupied by Russian forces.

    The men were put into a frontline ditch and have since been shelled again and again without any ability to respond. They then disregarded the orders from above and left. They have now be arrested.

    The military value of such units was zero to begin with. Untrained men under command of an inexperienced civilian and with no real weapons have no chance to hold out against a professional military force like the Russian army.

    That 60 or so of them got killed or wounded for no good reason is the responsibility of the servant of the corrupt (recommended), President Vlodomir Zelenski, and those ‘western’ politicians, like Boris Johnson, who egg him on.

    But the biggest part of the responsibility for the life of those men falls to the Biden administration. It tried to push Zelensky to invade Donbas in early 2021.

    Back then Russia started large scale maneuvers and made clear that they would intervene. Zelensky got cold feet and pulled back. As the Carnegie Endowment’s Dmitri Tretin reported at that time:

    In February [2021], Zelensky ordered troops (as part of the rotation process) and heavy weapons (as a show of force) to go near to the conflict zone in Donbas. 
    
    He did not venture out as far as Poroshenko, who dispatched small Ukrainian naval vessels through the Russian-controlled waters near the Kerch Strait in late 2018, but it was enough to get him noticed in Moscow. 
    
    The fact of the matter is that even if Ukraine cannot seriously hope to win the war in Donbas, it can successfully provoke Russia into action. 
    
    This, in turn, would produce a knee-jerk reaction from Ukraine’s Western supporters and further aggravate Moscow’s relations, particularly with Europe. 
    
    One way or another, the fate of Nord Stream II will directly affect Ukraine’s interests. Being seen as a victim of Russian aggression and presenting itself as a frontline state checking Russia’s further advance toward Europe is a major asset of Kyiv’s foreign policy.

    When the 2021 attempt had failed the Biden administration did not change its general plan as it is part of a larger strategy to push the ‘west’ into a new cold war with Russia and China.

    After the 2021 attempt on Donbas had failed the U.S. immediately prepared for a new attempt to provoke Russia in Ukraine in spring 2022.

    The first instruction that Secretary of State Antony Blinken got from President Biden was to “reset” America’s alliances and partnerships abroad so that the United States could deal with the challenges ahead. That strategy would prove decisive in combating Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
    
    Blinken and other officials gave me new details this week, describing a series of behind-the-scenes meetings over the past year that helped forge the U.S.-led coalition to support Ukraine.
     
    ...
    
    The Biden administration’s secret planning began in April 2021 when Russia massed about 100,000 troops on the Ukrainian border. The buildup turned out to be a feint, but Blinken and other officials discussed U.S. intelligence about Russia’s actions with leaders of Britain, France and Germany at a NATO meeting in Brussels that month. Their message was, “We need to get ourselves prepared,” a senior State Department official said. 
    
    ...
    
    The Ukraine threat got red-hot in October, when the United States gathered intelligence about a renewed Russian buildup on the border, along with “some detail about what Russian plans for those forces actually were,” Blinken said. This operational detail “was really the eye opener.” The Group of 20 nations were meeting at the end of October in Rome, and Biden pulled aside the leaders of Britain, France and Germany and gave them a detailed readout on the top-secret evidence.
    
    “It was galvanizing enough that there was an agreement … to fleshing out the consequences for Russia if it went ahead with the aggression,” Blinken said. 
    
    ...
    
    Threatening sanctions can be an empty diplomatic ritual. But in December, Blinken and his colleagues began seriously discussing with allies what steps they would take. The initial venue was a Group of Seven foreign ministers meeting in Liverpool, England, on Dec. 11. The attendees publicly committed that there would be “massive consequences and severe costs,” Blinken remembered. As a result, he said, “when the aggression actually happened, we were able to move immediately.”
    
    NATO military planning accelerated along with the diplomacy. Air Force Gen. Tod Wolters, the NATO commander, told me that his colleagues began preparing in December and January the “ground lines of communication” that would allow rapid shipment of arms into Ukraine. They studied entry points for supplies and other practical details. This weapons pipeline delivered Stinger and Javelin missiles before the invasion began Feb. 24 and has transferred huge numbers of heavier weapons since then.

    That narrative is of course deeply misleading. The U.S. did not know of a ‘Russian invasion’. What it knew was that Zelensky, pushed by the U.S., would make another attempt to invade the Donbas republics with overwhelming force and that Russia’s leadership would have to react to such an assault on its compatriots.

    The Ukrainian assault began on February 16 when over several days Ukrainian artillery increased its bombardment of Donbas by a factor of 40. Russia reacted to that and on February 24 preempted the planned ground assault.

    The above part of Biden’s plan to provoke Russia into a war as a means to strengthen the U.S. position in Europe has worked well.

    But how long will the coalition of the ‘west’ hold when inflation, energy scarcity and hunger set in? European unity is already falling apart with each country scrambling to fulfill its own energy needs.

    Everyone can now see that the Ukraine, and with it the U.S., is losing the war. Meanwhile Russia is doing much better than anyone had expected.

    What is Biden’s plan now as things fall apart? Escalating towards a wider war is an option but the risk of it is much higher than potential gains.

    Still, for Biden it may be the only way he is willing to go.

    Posted by b on May 27, 2022 at 15:36 UTC | Permalink

    Huevos Rancheros Hash Brown Skillet

    Crispy hash browns take center stage in this skillet breakfast topped with eggs, salsa and plenty of cheese. Who wouldn’t love this tasty take on a favorite Mexican breakfast?

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    Ingredients

    • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
    • 1 medium onion, chopped (1 cup)
    • 1 tablespoon chili powder
    • 3/4 teaspoon salt
    • 6 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes (from 30-oz bag)
    • 4 eggs
    • 1 cup salsa
    • 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz)

    Make it FRESH toppings, as desired

    • Sour cream
    • Sliced avocado
    • Chopped red onion
    • Cilantro leaves
    • Salsa

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    It Is Worse Than We Thought

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    The U.S. economy is slowing down more quickly than almost all of the experts had anticipated.  As I detailed yesterday, U.S. consumers have been getting hit extremely hard by this economic slowdown, and at this point most Americans believe that a recession is coming.

    But could it be possible that a recession has already begun?

    As you will see below, the numbers seem to indicate that such a scenario is quite likely.  But whether we are already officially in a recession or not, the truth is that whatever we are experiencing now is nothing compared to the pain that is eventually coming down the road.

    Do you remember how painful it was for our society when the first housing bubble spectacularly imploded back in 2008?

    Well, it is starting to happen again.  On Thursday we learned that pending home sales in the United States have now fallen for six months in a row

    Pending home sales slipped in April, as contract activity decreased for the sixth consecutive month, the National Association of Realtors® reported. Only the Midwest region saw signings increase month-over-month, while the other three major regions reported declines. Each of the four regions registered a drop in year-over-year contract activity.
    
    The Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI),* www.nar.realtor/pending-home-sales, a forward-looking indicator of home sales based on contract signings, slid 3.9% to 99.3 in April. Year-over-year, transactions fell 9.1%. An index of 100 is equal to the level of contract activity in 2001.
    
    Earlier in the week, I discussed the fact that new home sales were 26.9 percent lower this April than they were last April.

    We are clearly past the peak of the housing bubble, and now the rollercoaster is very rapidly headed in a downward direction.

    Of course the economy as a whole is starting to head in a downward direction.  On Thursday we also learned that U.S. GDP for the first quarter of 2022 had been revised even lower

    First-quarter gross domestic product declined at a 1.5% annual pace, according to the second estimate from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. That was worse than the 1.3% Dow Jones estimate and a write-down from the initially reported 1.4%.
    
    Downward revisions for both private inventory and residential investment offset an upward change in consumer spending. A swelling trade deficit also subtracted from the GDP total.

    Many experts are assuring us that GDP growth will bounce back into the green for the second quarter.

    But it if doesn’t, that would mean that GDP has contracted for two quarters in a row, and that would officially confirm that we are in a recession right now.

    Of course even if GDP does bounce back this quarter, the outlook for the months ahead is not promising at all.

    In fact, a survey of 500 prominent CEOs just found that 75 percent of them expect a recession to begin by the end of next year…

    At this time last year, the Fortune 500 CEOs we surveyed were breathing a collective sigh of relief as profits and revenues came roaring back from the ravages of the pandemic. This spring, that roar sounds uncomfortably loud, as companies cope with soaring inflation and the growing likelihood that sky-high prices and labor shortages will help tip the economy into recession. In all, 75% said they expected the next recession to begin by the end of 2023, though only 32% believed it would start in this calendar year.

    Just about everyone can feel that economic troubles are in our future, and that will especially be true if the Federal Reserve keeps raising interest rates.

    Unfortunately, the Fed feels forced to raise rates because inflation has gotten wildly out of control.

    If you can believe it, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States has risen by 47 cents in just the past month alone…

    Gas prices have increased by over 47 cents in the last month alone as the U.S. continues to smash gas price records day by day under President Joe Biden’s leadership.
    
    On Wednesday, May 25, the U.S. recorded yet another all-time high, as the average price of gas stands at $4.599 for regular gas. This reflects an over 47 cent rise in the last month alone. One month ago, the gas price average stood at $4.123.

    That is insane!

    And U.S. natural gas prices have risen almost 150 percent so far in 2022…

    U.S. natural gas prices have skyrocketed nearly 150% this year while inventory levels have shrunk, signaling more consumer pain ahead of the summer season.
    
    The Henry Hub natural gas spot price, an indicator of nationwide prices, stormed past $9.30 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) Thursday, up from its early January price of $3.74 per MMBtu and the highest level since 2008, according to government data.

    Food prices continue to soar into unthinkable territory as well.

    This week, a single trip to the grocery store cost me 309 dollars, and I was trying to be very frugal.

    309 dollars!

    I remember a time when you could buy a used vehicle for that kind of money.

    For years, I have been warning that our leaders were destroying our currency and setting the stage for nightmarish inflation, and now that time has arrived.

    And all of the borrowing and spending that our politicians have been doing has made our national long-term financial problems exponentially worse

    Over the past two years, $4.6 trillion has been provided by Congress in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The impact on inflation, particularly the timing of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act in March 2021, is subject to some debate, but what cannot be denied is the impact this spending has had on the interest paid on the national debt. 
    
    Between 2011-2018, interest on debt held by the public averaged $272 billion annually. Between 2019-2021, annual interest on the debt averaged $389 billion, an increase of $117 billion, or 43 percent. 
    
    The president’s fiscal 2022 budget, which is the first to project deficits of more than $1 trillion for 10 consecutive years, estimates that FY 2022 interest on debt of $26.3 trillion will be $305 billion and reach $941 billion in FY 2031, or more than triple the amount for the current fiscal year. 
    
    By that time, interest payments will account for 59 percent of the projected $1.6 trillion deficit.

    We could have avoided all of this if we had taken a different path.

    But we didn’t.

    Instead, we kept sending the big spenders back to Washington time after time.

    We thought that we could keep kicking the can down the road and get away with it, but instead we have literally destroyed America’s financial future.

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    Richard Says…

    The US is a kleptocracy run by the kleptomaniacal. The sum total of their activity is called GDP. 
    
    The government has to keep things churning while simultaneously inflating the currency on a compound basis in order to finance the dollar printing presses. This is known as economics. 
    
    Ordinary people are in a daily cat fight for survival with government always posed to seize their homes for non-payment of taxes. Economic crime is epidemic. 
    
    What a country. The Ukraine war, with stammering Brandon at the helm, is the latest kleptocratic scam. 
    
    Can anyone tell me I am exaggerating?
    
    - Richard

    Grace JonesI’m Not Perfect But I’m Perfect For You

    Please enjoy this bit of crazy 1990’s America…

    Another valuable quote…

    "The various talking heads--Biden, Blinken, Sullivan, Yellen, etc.--should be ignored...
    
    ... as the actual policy aim ...
    
    ... is to reduce Russia so severely...
    
    ... so that China can then also be reduced.
    
    This is what remains the United States genuine policy goal."
    
    
    -vetinLA

    Nonresident alien border ID, 1943

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    Countering China’s ‘Greatest & Longest’ Hypersonic Missile – US Says Its ‘Missile Killer’ Program Just Not Ready

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    The head of the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) recently said that its Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI) program, designed to eliminate Hypersonic missiles, may not be ready even in the next decade.

    “We’re just getting started,” said Vice Adm. Jon Hill at an event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

    The MDA is working on a wide array of missile tracking sensors and defeat capabilities to build a “layered” defense against incoming ballistic and hypersonic missiles.

    The GPI is one of them which is supposed to target hypersonic missiles during the glide phase of flight (once a missile has re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and is heading toward its target), which is challenging to forecast, as the missiles travel at five times the speed of sound while making rapid evasive maneuvers.

    The interceptors will be integrated into the current Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense destroyers in the US Navy which would involve the interceptor being launched from its regular Vertical Launch System (VLS), connected with the Baseline 9 Aegis Weapon System that detects, tracks, controls, and engages hypersonic threats.

    Last year in November, the MDA-selected Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon to design Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI). Raytheon Missiles and Defense was granted $20.97 million, Lockheed Martin $20.94 million, and Northrop Grumman $18.95 million respectively. Each vendor is supposed to provide concept designs for prototypes by September 2022.

    “We’ve got three great proposals, and we may decide to stay on three, may drop to two, may drop to one. So it just really kind of depends,” said Hill.

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    2022 05 28 13 31

    Chinese, Russian Hypersonic Missile

    In recent times, the US is increasingly becoming worried about the threat posed by hypersonic weapons from China and Russia.

    In July of last year, China tested its hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV), sparking widespread concern and panic among the US military’s brass. The glide vehicle traveled around 24,800 miles (39,911 km) in space before re-entering the atmosphere and striking the ground target, according to a report by US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).

    The DIA report reads that the flight test lasted more than 100 minutes, making it “the greatest distance flew and longest flight time of any Chinese land-attack weapons system to date.”

    China is known to have a medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM), known as Dong Feng-17 (DF-17) which is capable of carrying the DF-ZF HGV. The missile itself can travel at a speed of Mach 5-10 and carry conventional or nuclear weapons. It has a range of 1,800-2,500km and a launch weight of 15,000kgs.

    2022 05 28 13 33
    2022 05 28 13 33

    The DF-ZF HGV can travel at speeds between Mach 5-10 and is said to be capable of performing evasive maneuvers to tackle the enemy defenses. The DF-17 is a ground-launched missile; an air-launched version may be developed that can be deployed on the Xian H-6N bomber – the latest variant of the H-6 series bombers based on the Soviet Tupolev Tu-16 twin-engine jet bombers.

    The H-6N has a range of 8,000 km and if armed with DF-17, its range can extend up to 10,000 – 11,000 km bringing the key enemy installations across the entire Indo-Pacific within its range.

    A video surfaced in 2020 showing the H-6N bomber landing at an unknown airfield carrying a missile with a warhead and booster section on the bottom of its fuselage, which appeared to be similar to the DF-17 hypersonic missile.

    2022 05 28 13 34
    2022 05 28 13 34

    Meanwhile, Russia has also developed the Avangard HGV with a range of over 6,000 km, capable of carrying both nuclear and conventional payloads. According to a TASS report, the HGV’s nuclear warhead is “more than two megatons in TNT equivalent.”

    Currently, the Avangard is carried by the SS-19 “Stiletto” (UR-100NUTTH) ballistic missile but it is slated to be replaced by the R-28 Sarmat that has just been successfully tested and planned to be deployed later this year.

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    2022 05 28 13 35

    Also, MDA and the Space Development Agency are currently working on the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS) satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) that would assist the current missile warning/tracking satellites that could lose hypersonic missiles after their boost phase.

    The HBTSS is supposed to be able to detect a missile launch, as well as the first, second, and third-stage separation. Once the GPI is fired by the Aegis BMD system on a Navy destroyer, it would be connected to HBTSS for updated tracking data and the interceptor would kill the threat before it got too close to its intended target.

    The HBTSS is planned to be launched into orbit next year for a demonstration.

    The ‘Mysterious’ Tully Monster Fossil Just Got More Mysterious

    By Chris Rogers / The Conversation

    2022 06 01 10 57
    2022 06 01 10 57

    Every now and again, scientists discover fossils that are so bizarre they defy classification, their body make-up is unlike any other living animals or plants. Tullimonstrum (also known as the Tully Monster), a 300 year-old fossil discovered in the Mazon Creek fossil beds in Illinois, US, is one such creature.

    At first glance, Tully looks superficially slug-like. But where you would expect its mouth to be, the creature has a long thin appendage ending in what looks like a pair of grasping claws. Then there are its eyes, which protrude outward from its body on stalks.

    Tully is so strange that scientists have never been unable to agree on whether it is a vertebrate (with a backbone, like mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish) or an invertebrate (without a backbone, like insects, crustaceans, octopuses, and all other animals). In 2016, a group of scientists claimed to have solved the mystery of Tully, providing the strongest evidence yet that it was a vertebrate. But my colleagues and I have conducted a new study that calls this conclusion into question, meaning this monster is as mysterious as ever.

    When Was the Tully Monster Discovered?

    The Tully Monster was originally discovered in the 1950s by a fossil collector named Francis Tully. Ever since its discovery scientists have puzzled over which group of modern animals Tully belongs to. The enigma of Tully’s true evolutionary relationships has added to its popularity, ultimately leading it to become the state fossil of Illinois.

    2022 06 01 10 5f7
    2022 06 01 10 5f7

    There have been many attempts to classify the Tully Monster . The majority of these studies have focused on the appearance of some of its more prominent features. These include a linear feature in the fossil interpreted as evidence of a gut, the light and dark banding of the fossil, and the peculiar grasping claws of its mouth. The body plan of the Tully Monster is so unusual in its entirety that it will greatly expand the diversity of whatever group it ultimately belongs to, changing the way we think about that group of animals.

    The 2016 research argued the animal should be grouped with vertebrates because its eyes contain pigment granules called melanosomes, which are arranged by shape and size in the same way as those in vertebrate eyes . But our research shows that the eyes of some invertebrates such as octopus and squid also contain melanosomes partitioned by shape and size in a similar way to Tully’s eyes, and that these can also be preserved in fossils.

    2022 06 01 10 rr58
    2022 06 01 10 rr58

    Particle Accelerator Research on the Tully Monster Fossil

    To do this, we used a type of particle accelerator called a synchrotron radiation lightsource located at Stanford University in California. This allowed us to explore the chemical makeup of samples from fossils and from animals living today.

    The synchrotron bombards specimens with intense bursts of radiation to ‘excite’ the elements within them. When excited, each element releases X-rays with a specific signature. By detecting the emitted X-ray signatures, we can tell what elements were excited and ultimately what the specimen we are studying is made of.

    First we found that melanosomes from the eyes of modern vertebrates have a higher ratio of zinc to copper than the modern invertebrates we studied. To our surprise, we then found the same pattern could be seen in fossilized vertebrates and invertebrates found at Mazon Creek.

    We then analyzed the chemistry of Tully’s eyes and the ratio of zinc to copper was more similar to that of invertebrates than vertebrates. This suggests the animal may not have been a vertebrate, contradicting previous efforts to classify it.

    2022 06 01 10 58
    2022 06 01 10 58

    We also found that Tully’s eyes contain different type of copper to that found in vertebrate eyes. But the copper also wasn’t identical to that in the invertebrates we studied. So, while our work adds weight to the idea that Tully is not a vertebrate, it doesn’t clearly identify it as an invertebrate either.

    The Tully Monster Remains Unclassified

    Where do we go from here? A broader analysis of the chemistry of melanosomes and other pigments in the eyes of a wider range of invertebrates would be a good next step. This may help to further narrow down the group of animals to which Tully belongs.

    2022 06 01 10 5gh8
    2022 06 01 10 5gh8

     

    Futuristic car design by Bob Riley

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    The truth about American weapons in Ukraine you won’t believe | Redacted with Clayton Morris

    Interesting. Check it out.

    Breakfast in Bed: Extraordinary Color Photographs Revealed the First Class of Air France in the 1950s

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    Air France, in full Compagnie Nationale Air France, French international airline originally formed in 1933 and today serving all parts of the globe. With British Airways, it was the first to fly the supersonic Concorde. Headquarters are in Paris.

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    By 1948 Air France operated 130 aircraft, one of the largest fleets in the world. Between 1947 and 1965 the airline operated Lockheed Constellations on passenger and cargo services worldwide.

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    During the mid-1950s it also operated the Vickers Viscount turboprop, with twelve entering services between May 1953 and August 1954 on the European routes. On September 26, 1953, the government instructed Air France to share long-distance routes with new private airlines. This was followed by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport’s imposition of an accord on Air France, Aigle Azur, TAI and UAT, under which some routes to Africa, Asia and the Pacific region were transferred to private carriers.

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    In 1957, Eugene Louis Kammerman (1920–1961) took a series of photographs for an advertising campaign for Air France. Photographer for the United States Army, he married a French woman and decided to stay in France. A reporter for the Saturday Evening Post, he collaborated to the young newspaper L’Express, then too “poor” to pay him. He started to work on advertising campaigns and did reportages on the major fashion houses, his images were published in magazines such as Elle, Paris Match and Life…

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    Made In America: Goods Exports By State

    Saturday, May 28, 2022 – 08:40 AM

    After China, the U.S. is the next largest exporter of goods in the world, shipping out $1.8 trillion worth of goods in 2021 – an increase of 23% over the previous year.

    Of course, as Visual Capitalist’s Raul Amoros and Jennifer West detail below, that massive number doesn’t tell the whole story. The U.S. economy is multifaceted, with varying levels of trade activity taking place all across the nation.

    Using the latest data on international trade from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, we’ve visualized the value of America’s goods exports by state.

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    2022 05 29 12 23

    Top 10 Exporter States

    Here are the top 10 American states that exported the highest dollar value worth of goods during 2021. Combined, these export-leading states represent 59.4% of the nation’s total exports.

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    2022 05 29 12 26

    Texas has been the top exporting state in the U.S. for an incredible 20 years in a row.

    Last year, Texas exported $375 billion worth of goods, which is more than California ($175 billion), New York ($85 billion), and Louisiana ($77 billion) combined. The state’s largest manufacturing export category is petroleum and coal products, but it’s also important to mention that Texas led the nation in tech exports for the ninth straight year.

    California was the second highest exporter of goods in 2021 with a total value of $175 billion, an increase of 12% from the previous year. The state’s main export by value was computer and electronic product manufacturing, representing 17.8% of the total U.S. exports of that industry. California was also second among all states in exports of machinery manufacturing, accounting for 13.9% of the U.S. total.

    What Type of Goods are Exported?

    Here is a breakdown of the biggest U.S. export categories by value in 2021.

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    2022 05 29 12 27

    These top 10 export categories alone represent almost 70% of America’s total exports.

    The biggest grower among this list is mineral fuels, up by 59% from last year. Pharmaceuticals saw the second biggest one-year increase (45%).

    Top 10 U.S. Exports by Country of Destination

    So who is buying “Made in America” products?

    Unsurprisingly, neighboring countries Canada (17.5%) and Mexico (15.8%) are the two biggest buyers of American goods. Together, they purchase one-third of American exports.

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    2022 05 29 12 2f8

    Three Asian countries round out the top five list: China (8.6%), Japan (4.3%), and South Korea (3.7%). Together, the top five countries account for around half of all goods exports.

    Atlas space station in 1958

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    Gravitas: China retaliates after Biden’s Taiwan comment

    Very serious.

    NASA scientists pose with their board of calculations

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    Is Yoon prepared for the consequences of cold-shouldering China?

    South Korea elected a new President. Apparently, hearsay has it that many of the younger people were stunned that such a Pro-America "dinosaur" would be elected. 
    
    Promptly after taking the reigns of power, he started "pulling a Ukraine" and embracing a pro-USA, and hate-China stance. Here is an editorial on this subject. -MM

    From HERE

    As South Korea formalizes its economic security alliance with the US and participates in the US-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), its trade policy stance is coming to a major turning point.

    The presidential office explains this as a ramping up of the change from the existing framework of the US being Korea’s main security ally and China being its strongest economic partner to a framework of relying on the US for security and working with the world on economic matters. However, this is misleading. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the Yoon administration perceives the US as Korea’s most important partner in both the fields of security and the economy.

    It goes without saying that the Korean economy is highly dependent on China and market diversification is necessary. However, sudden changes without the necessary preparation will inevitably come with costs.

    China accounts for about one-quarter of Korea’s total imports and exports. In particular, an interdependent division of labor structure is currently held tightly in place with intermediate goods. Intermediate goods account for 64% of Korea’s imports from China and 80% of exports.

    In addition, of the items Korea considers vulnerable to supply chain disruptions — which account for more than 70% of imports from specific countries among all imported items in Korea — 2,434 are sourced from China, 601 from the US, and 565 from Japan. China’s share is overwhelmingly larger than that of other countries.

    As was seen with the urea crisis late last year, Korean industries can end up paralyzed without China. The same goes for high-tech industries. Lest we forget 60% of Korea’s semiconductor exports go to China.

    The IPEF is a grand plan by the US to artificially reorganize the division of labor in high-tech industries mainly in Northeast Asian countries such as Korea, China, Japan, and Taiwan. The goal is to have Southeast Asian countries and India take over the role of China. If the US’ plan becomes a reality, it’s only a matter of time before Korean industry and trade are dealt a big shock.

    Companies that seize opportunities in the transition process can reap the benefits, but those that do not adapt properly will suffer damage.

    Regarding Korea’s involvement in the IPEF, President Yoon Suk-yeol told CNN in an interview on Monday, “Even if we strengthen our alliances with the United States in security and technology, it does not mean that we think our economic cooperation with China is unimportant.”

    Yoon also said that, since both South Korea and China depend on their mutual cooperation, he does “not believe it is reasonable for China to be overly sensitive about this matter,” revealing the very easy-going way of thinking of the president.

    The IPEF is based on the US intention to exclude China from the global supply chain.

    A plan is needed that puts the characteristics of the Korean industry and the ecosystem into perspective. For Korea, which heavily depends on trade to keep its economy strong, fully excluding either the US or China is far too risky.

    First selfie, 1900

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    Rand Paul: “Elitists Want A One World Government; It’s Not A Conspiracy Theory”

    Saturday, May 28, 2022 – 05:40 AM

    Authored by Steve Watson via Summit News,

    Senator Rand Paul appeared on Fox News Thursday and discussed the ongoing World Economic Forum gathering in Davos Switzerland, remarking that it is not a conspiracy theory to suggest the organisation is seeking a one world government, rather it is “in their mission statement.”

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    2022 05 29 12 16

    Paul urged that “The real danger here that’s even more dangerous than all their phony caring about carbon footprint, the real danger is this; look how bad your government is in a country where you get to vote for these people.”

    “This would be a government, a world government where you don’t get to vote on anybody. This is everybody’s worst nightmare,” Paul asserted, referring to the ‘penetration’ of the WEF, to quote its head Klaus Schwab, into national governments.

    “The bureaucracy that we have trouble in our United States because we don’t get to vote on them, we vote indirectly,” Paul said, adding “Can you imagine the one-world bureaucracy of all these elitists and their private jets that would rule our country and we wouldn’t get to vote?”

    The Senator continued, “So I’m dead set against this and they used to call people that talked about one-world government used to say it’s a conspiracy. We would always say no, it’s in their mission statement.”

    “They say it at every meeting. That’s what they’re for,” Paul proclaimed, adding “lack of sovereignty means lack of freedom, it means lack of responsiveness and it’s completely antithetical to everything our country stands for.”

    Watch:

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    The Best Photos Of The Spectacular One-Off 1965 Dodge Deora Pickup Truck

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    The Deora is a 1965 Dodge A100 pickup truck that was heavily customized by Mike and Larry Alexander in Detroit for the 1967 Detroit Autorama, also known as “America’s Greatest Hot Rod Show.” Believe it or not, after winning many awards, including the Ridler in 1967, it became the prototype for a Hot Wheels car, and plastic model kit.

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    Based on a 1965 Dodge A100 compact pickup truck, the Deora was heavily modified by a Detroit-based custom house run by two brothers. The A100’s roofline was chopped, while the body was sectioned and channeled. One of the neat features of the Deora was the front windshield that would lift up and the lower gate would swivel, allowing the driver/passenger access into the car through the front of the cab. The result was a futuristic-looking pickup that looked like it came out of a scene from the Jetsons.

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    Despite its 21st century looks, which would’ve been considered light years away in 1967, it was powered with a basically stock slant-six engine and a three-speed manual transmission, which were moved rearward 15 inches to allow for the severely customized cab. The bed was covered with a hard tonneau cover and the truck was emblazoned in gold paint complemented by chrome wheels while the interior featured some pretty trick modifications for the era.

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    Because of its outrageous design, a major plastic model car company and a diecast toy manufacturer offered scaled-down versions for sale to the growing youth market. To help promote the launch of the model version, the model car company ran a naming contest, and it was a 13-year-old who came up with the name “Deora.” Loosely translated, it’s Spanish for “golden.” Other toy manufacturers quickly offered miniature versions of the Deora in plastic and metal, and soon it was one of the hottest-selling toy cars of the late 1960s.

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    The Deora made its public debut at the 1967 Detroit Autorama and won the prestigious Ridler award that recognizes the skill and creativity of custom cars and their builders within the industry. It also caught the attention of the Chrysler marketing folks who really loved the look of the Deora. They leased it for two years and put it on tour going around the United States with other factory concept cars to complement the Dodge displays at the new car shows during the late 1960s.

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    After its tour of duty on the show circuit, the Deora was sold and put in storage for more than 30 years. Finally, after a light restoration, the Deora reappeared and made its “second debut” at the 50th anniversary Detroit Autorama in 2002.

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    In 2009 the Deora was put up for auction in California and was sold for $324,500. It was described as featuring a 101 bhp (75 kW; 102 PS) 6-cylinder 170 cu in (2,800 cc) engine.

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    Watch: Mysterious South China Sea Missile Launch Came Dangerously Close To Commercial Airliner

    Saturday, May 28, 2022 – 12:30 AM

    An unknown foreign military in southeast Asia has reportedly test launched an SLBM, or submarine-launched ballistic missile, which appears to have endangered a nearby commercial aircraft full of people. Stunning video taken from a Cathay Pacific Boeing 777 as it flew over the South China Sea just as the unidentified submarine launched the missile shows the airliner remarkably closeThe Drive reports that it was likely a test of either the Chinese or South Korean military, but not even the precise date of the event has been confirmed at this point:

    Twitter user @jchovernut, a pilot for U.S.-based airline Allegiant Air and a veteran of the U.S. Navy's submarine community, posted the video, seen below, online on Tuesday. "They were over the South China Sea & were issued a last-minute hectic call from ATC: 'turn left 90 degrees immediately!!,'" according to one Tweet accompanying the video.

    That a commercial aircraft was so close to an SLBM launch that a passenger could get rare, crystal clear video of the projectile as it shot out of the submarine is unprecedented.

    The pilot who posted the original clip further described, “To their bewilderment, they spotted a SLBM emerging from the sea below their previously intended flight path!! PLAN Missile Submarine launch with very little regard to Commercial Air Traffic in the area!! That would’ve been me on the ‘delivery end’ of that Missile 30 years ago!”

    China in particular has been known over the years to conduct unannounced missile launches which creates last-minute flight delays.

    However, The Drive admits that the location and timing of the video cannot be verified at this point, with a statement from Cathay Pacific also saying it can’t confirm any details of the event or the passenger that filmed it.

    “The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) did announce that it would be conducting drills in the South China Sea between May 19 and May 23, which coincided with U.S. President Joe Biden’s visits to South Korea and Japan, but did not mention any planned live-fire missile launches,” the report notes, speculating on possibilities.

    A number of observers have asserted that China’s PLA Navy launched the missile…

    Further, on the possibility that Pyongyang might be behind it, given the recent spate of ballistic missile launches which have caught the West’s attention: “On May 7, North Korea did test a submarine-launched ballistic missile, but in the East Sea, hundreds of miles away from the South China Sea,” The Drive writes.

    “In 2017, the crew of Cathay Pacific flight flying north of Japan observed a portion of a North Korean missile test. However, it is unlikely that this video shows that previous incident, as the airline said at the time that what the aircrew saw was parts of the missile falling back to Earth, not being launched.”

    Thus the above video clip could mark a significant first of an airline observing a full launch and flight path from the ocean’s surface into the atmosphere, and was able to catch it all on film at a close proximity.

    Permanent Wave Machine, 1935

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    SpongeWax Ecstatic (To Sell Angelina)

    A great rock video, and some fish oil promise for a wonderful life, eh?

    A comment…

    “…today I encountered a discouraging comment from a foreign visitor (to the United States) which is really an accurate view of of a terribly faulty government …

    My 50 days road trip in America is almost over (today is my last day)
    It was pure fun and it was great seeing all these places, going to events and having such experience, meeting people.
    
    It was 98% enjoyment.
    
    I want to share some other thoughts though. Thoughts that bugged my mind for some time now. I don’t want it sound like a rant, because it isn’t.
    
    But I think your country and people should address that ASAP.
    
    Most of my trip went through the country, visiting nature and wild life.
    
    But driving 7000 miles and walking 400 made me see also another picture.
    
    What have you done to your cities people?
    
    LA, San Francisco downtown looked like where Mad Max went to buy his water in the movies. Junkies, homeless, crazy people living on the streets. Endless tents, trash, misery, smell of urine and shit. It’s I don’t know … unbelievable. 
    
    My friends in Europe had totally different image about LA, SF, Portland…any major west coast city I visit was like that. 
    
    I don’t want to go to the politic side of things, because I am not local...but let me tell you. Misery on such level in the center of the cities it’s just not normal. 
    
    It ruins business, tourism, everything.
    
    Talking about business …every place I went, bar, eatery, restaurants, hotels …are short staffed and have “we are hiring” sign. Like almost every freaking place.
    
    So reason for this people to be on the streets is not unemployment…
    
    ...there is work literally on every corner. 
    
    So what is it? What’s wrong? 
    
    These people should be like moved out of the Center of the city, crisis shelter should be build in the perimeter where this people can get like a cheap hot meal, maybe some help, shower, haircut and send to find a job…and judging by the above it should NOT be hard. 
    
    Even if you are not qualified, those places look just for people with will you work, they will provide training.
    
    I don’t know what’s your opinion on this…but as a foreigner visiting your country I can tell you are already on a slippery slope. If you don’t fix that somehow …it maybe not able to be reverted.
    
    Just my 2 cents.
    
    And because I don’t want to be off topic and to finish on a positive note, posting my top selection pictures from my travel in USA. Some of them I already posted but yeah. Enjoy. And thank you for the adventure your country unveiled for me.

    Why Asia Pacific Chose China (You Won’t Believe What America Did)

    A very good video…

    Law-Abiding West Virginian Woman With Concealed Firearm Stops A Mass Shooting

    Saturday, May 28, 2022 – 08:45 PM

    Instead of waiting for the police to arrive, a woman with a concealed carry license in West Virginia acted fast to stop a crazed man with an AR-15-style rifle who was about to kill dozens of people at a graduation party.

    "Instead of running from the threat, she engaged with the threat and saved several lives last night," Charleston Police Department Chief of Detectives Tony Hazelett told local news WCHSTV

    The incident occurred Wednesday when Dennis Butler,37, was angered by a group of people hosting a graduation party who told him to slow down through an apartment complex in Charleston. He returned 30 minutes later, parked his vehicle, jumped in the backseat, and discharged his weapon toward the group of 30-40 people.

    Unbeknownst to the shooter, a law-abiding citizen with a CCW was within the group and quickly drew her weapon and engaged Bulter with direct fire, fatally wounding him.

    "There was a graduation party, a party with kids," Hazelett said at a press conference. "So obviously somebody just graduated high school and another birthday party. We could have had a casualty shooting there." He estimated between 30 to 40 people attended the parties.

    There were no injuries reported besides the gunman. Police have yet to release the woman’s name, though they said she’s not part of law enforcement and is just an average law-abiding citizen.

    Charleston police discuss the incident.

    So a good woman with a gun prevents a bad person with evil intentions and an extensive criminal record from committing a mass shooting. Should society consider her a hero for saving the lives of dozens of people?

    Gibson Girls: The Sexiest Women Of All Time

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    The Gibson Girl began appearing in the 1890s and was the personification of the feminine ideal of physical attractiveness portrayed by the satirical pen-and-ink illustrations of illustrator Charles Dana Gibson during a 20-year period that spanned the late 19th and early 20th century in the United States and Canada. The artist saw his creation as representing the composite of “thousands of American girls.” The Gibson girl’s neck was thin and her hair piled high upon her head in the contemporary bouffant, pompadour, and chignon fashions.

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    China is not in good mood…

    China will take no crap from NATO’s Stoltenberg:

    "Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg has been making groundless accusations and smearing attacks against China, making reckless comments on China's political system and domestic and foreign policies, and promoting a 'China-threat' theory, which China firmly opposes and strongly condemns, declared the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Thursday.
    
    "Wang Wenbin, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, made the remarks during a routine press conference on Thursday, responding to inquiries on the NATO chief's recent remarks calling China an 'authoritarian regime' and a threat to the alliance security during an interview on Tuesday....
    
    "Wang also questioned that China does not use force to threaten other countries like some NATO countries do, it does not engage in military alliances, does not export ideologies, and is never the one to take the initiative in initiating trade wars, has never meddled with other country's internal affairs and has never unreasonably suppressed other countries' enterprises. So how can China threaten NATO security in any way?"

    China then showed it can also diplomatically tell NATO’s chief propagandist to shut the fuck up:

    "Wang urged Stoltenberg to immediately stop spreading unfounded rumors against China, and abandon the practice of drawing imaginary ideological lines. 'NATO has already messed up Europe, and it must not be allowed to do the same to Asia and the rest of the world.'"

    That’s the most direct truth told to NATO that will certainly be heeded by the Global South.

    Sophie B. HawkinsDamn I Wish I Was Your Lover

    Do you all remember this tune?

    Make-Ahead Breakfast Burritos

    This best breakfast burrito is ready to go when you are! Prepare the night before, bake them in the morning, and start your family’s day the right way—with hearty, filling ingredients that come to life with a touch of salsa.

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    d4176b9f e90e 496b b4bd 6441b53604a3

    Ingredients

    • 1 lb bulk pork sausage
    • 2 green onions, chopped
    • 8 eggs
    • 1 tablespoon butter
    • 1 package (11 oz) Old El Paso™ flour tortillas for burritos (8 tortillas; 8 inch)
    • 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz)
    • Old El Paso™ Thick ‘n Chunky salsa
    • Sour cream

    2022 05 27 11 17
    2022 05 27 11 17

    Here Are 11 Statistics That Show How U.S. Consumers Are Faring In This Rapidly Deteriorating Economy

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    Prices are soaring, there are widespread shortages of certain items such as baby formula all over the nation, and at the same time U.S. economic activity appears to be really slowing down.

    Considering all of that, it makes perfect sense why the American people are feeling so negative about the economy right now.

    In fact, a whopping 85 percent of all Americans believe that there will be a recession within the next year.  These days, it is virtually impossible to get Americans to overwhelmingly agree about anything, and so the fact that 85 percent of us are anticipating a recession is a really big deal.

    Just about everyone realizes that economic conditions are going to get worse, but for those of you that still doubt where we are headed here are 11 statistics that show how U.S. consumers are faring in this rapidly deteriorating economy…

    #1 According to a Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll that was recently conducted, 56 percent of Americans say that their financial situations are getting worse, and only 20 percent of Americans say that their financial situations are improving.

    #2 Another new survey has just discovered that 66 percent of Americans “have avoided social events because they’ve felt embarrassed or uncomfortable” about their financial situations.

    #3 The housing bubble appears to be bursting.  At this point, sales of new single family homes are falling at a very frightening pace

    Sales of new single-family houses in April plunged by 16.6% from March and by 26.9% from a year ago, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 591,000 houses, the lowest since lockdown April 2020, according to the Census Bureau today. Sales of new houses are registered when contracts are signed, not when deals close, and can serve as an early indicator of the overall housing market.

    #4 After breaking the all-time national record in March, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States has gone 42 cents above the old record and is now sitting at $4.59.

    #5 The average age of a car on U.S. roads has reached an all-time record high of 12.2 years.  Many Americans continue to delay replacing their current vehicles because new vehicles have become so unaffordable.

    #6 Millions of American families are struggling with rapidly rising food prices

    The index for food away from home increased 7.2% over the last year, the Labor Department reported earlier this month. Food prices were up 9.4% in April from the same time last year — the biggest jump since April 1981, the Bureau of Labor Statistics recently reported. And grocery store prices increased 10.8% for the year ended in April.

    #7 U.S. natural gas futures just crossed the nine dollar threshold – the highest level that we have seen since the financial crisis of 2008.  That means that much higher energy costs are on the way for U.S. consumers.

    #8 Multiple Fed surveys are showing that manufacturing activity in the U.S. is really slowing down

    The slowdown in manufacturing activity on display in reports from the Federal Reserve banks of New York and Philadelphia was confirmed by a survey from the Richmond Fed indicating that factory activity contracted in the mid-Atlantic region in May.
    
    The Fifth District Survey of Manufacturing Activity index dropped 23 points from a positive reading of 14 in April to a minus nine, the lowest reading since May 2020, when much of the economy was still reeling from the onset of the pandemic and lockdowns.

    #9 Zero Hedge is reporting extremely depressing news about U.S. macro data: “Other than April 2020 – when the entire economy was closed – May’s serial disappointment in US Macro data is the worst since Lehman”

    #10 Thanks to plunging stock prices, approximately 20 trillion dollars in household net worth has been “wiped out” so far this year.

    #11 A new CBS News/YouGov survey has found that 74 percent of Americans believe that things are going badly in this country and that 51 percent of Americans actually believe that Joe Biden is “incompetent”.

    Right now, conditions are so similar to what we witnessed just before the financial crisis of 2008.

    If we had addressed our long-term problems back then, perhaps we would be in a much different place at the moment.

    But instead, we appear to be poised to repeat history in a lot of ways.

    In fact, many experts believe that the crisis that is staring us in the face will be even worse than what we went through more than a decade ago.  For example, just check out what Peter Schiff is saying

    This one is going to be even bigger because the economy has a lot more debt now than it did in 2008. And Americans are less able to pay it when interest rates rise because the balances are much greater. So, we’re in much worse shape as a result of all the bailouts and all the stimulus that papered over the last crisis. So, now the one we’re dealing with is going to be much worse because we kicked the can down the road instead of solving the problem when we had a chance.”

    He makes some really great points.

    Every time there has been some sort of a crisis in our society, our leaders responded by showering the system with even more money.

    In 2008, the U.S. national debt crossed the 10 trillion dollar threshold.

    In 2022, the U.S. national debt has crossed the 30 trillion dollar threshold.

    Our politicians have been systematically destroying our future, and most Americans didn’t seem to care.

    Now a day of reckoning has arrived, and it is going to be immensely painful.

    There is no silver bullet that is going to cure inflation.

    The Federal Reserve is going to try to tame inflation by hiking interest rates, but that will just destroy the housing bubble and dramatically slow down the economy.

    And there is no silver bullet that is going to end the shortages that we are currently facing.

    We are now experiencing some of the consequences of decades of mismanagement, and a lot more pain is on the way.

    SpongeGiants (Lyrics On Screen)

    This song played over and over in my mind when I was serving time in the ADC Brickeys.

    Putin says ‘Thank God’ some foreign companies have left Russia

    From HERE

    LONDON (Reuters) -President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that he was glad some foreign companies had left Russia because home-grown businesses could take their place, and he warned the West that Moscow would still find ways to acquire advanced technology and luxury goods.

    Putin has cast the invasion of Ukraine as a turning point in Russian history: a revolt by Moscow against the United States, which he says has humiliated Russia since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union. Ukraine says it is fighting for its survival.

    Besides the death and horror of war, the conflict and the West’s attempt to isolate Russia as punishment have crimped global economic growth and triggered a wave of inflation as the prices of grain, cooking oil, fertiliser and energy soar.

    Since the war, a host of major foreign investors – ranging from BP to McDonald’s Corp – have exited just as the Russian economy faces its worst contraction since the years following the turmoil of the Soviet collapse.

    Sometimes when you look at those who leave – thank God, perhaps? We will occupy their niches: our business, our production – it has already grown, and it will safely sit on the ground prepared by our partners,” Putin said.

    Speaking by video link to leaders of ex-Soviet states, Putin quipped that luxuries such as the Mercedes favoured by bandits in the chaos of post-Soviet Russia would still be available, though he admitted they might be a little more expensive.

    “It will be a little more expensive for them but these are people who already drove Mercedes 600s and they will still do so. I can assure you they will bring them in from wherever, from whichever country.”

    Putin said Russia still needed access to the advanced technologies of developed economies.

    “We are not going to cut ourselves off from this – they want to squeeze us out a bit, but in the modern world this is simply unrealistic, impossible.”

    He did not elaborate on how Russia would find ways to maintain access to western components and software.

    Putin promised that Western attempts to isolate Russia would fail, saying developed economies were grappling with an inflationary spiral, broken supply chains and a food crisis just as the centre of global economic power had moved to Asia.

    Western sanctions have stoked Russian inflation while snarling supply chains, though Putin said the country is coping well and that Russia is turning away from the West in favour of China, India and other powers.

    “Representatives of our businesses face problems, of course, especially in the field of supply chains and transport. But nevertheless, everything can be adjusted, everything can be built in a new way,” Putin said.

    Not without losses at a certain stage, but it helps us in a way to become stronger. In any case, we are definitely acquiring new competencies, we are starting to concentrate our economic, financial and administrative resources on breakthrough areas

    Russia’s central bank slashed its key interest rate to 11% on Thursday and said it saw room for more cuts this year, as inflation slows from more than 20-year highs and the economy heads towards a contraction.

    Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine has killed thousands of people, displaced millions more and raised fears of the most serious confrontation between Russia and the United States since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

    Putin says the United States was using Ukraine to threaten Russia through NATO enlargement and Moscow had to defend against the persecution of Russian-speaking people.

    Ukraine and its Western allies reject these as baseless pretexts to invade a sovereign country.

    The Prisoner S1E11 It’s Your Funeral

    The latest installment of the 1960s television show The Prisoner.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

    The united West are drunk on power and have decided to “go for broke”. Lord help us!

    Well, today I had another you-tube video censored. The video was about the town where I grew up in, and where I am now. I hoped that it was inspirational. But apparently the You-tube censors felt otherwise. They believed that comparing my town in the United States to my town in China would generate people to kill themselves. No. I am not being “funny”. I am speaking the truth…

    2022 05 31 13 26
    2022 05 31 13 26

    It’s actually kind of funny when you think about it. Well, I will generate a second replacement video. And I will pay attention so that I don’t inspire anyone to kill themselves. Sheech!

    Let’s get on with the news…

    MAJOR DEVELOPMENT: NATO Says “Previous Commitments to Russia no longer valid”

    BREAKING NEWS 7:48 AM EDT — Deputy Secretary-General of NATO: The alliance is free from its previous commitments with Russia not to deploy its forces in Eastern Europe.

    UPDATE 8:11 AM EDT —

    VILNIUS, lITHUANIA — NATO is no longer bound by past commitments to hold back from deploying its forces in eastern Europe, the US-led alliance’s deputy secretary general said Sunday.

    Moscow itself has “voided of any content” the NATO-Russia Founding Act, by attacking Ukraine and halting dialogue with the alliance, Mircea Geoana told AFP.

    Under the 1997 Founding Act, intended to reset the relationship between Russia and the Alliance, both sides agreed to work to “prevent any potentially threatening build-up of conventional forces in agreed regions of Europe, to include Central and Eastern Europe.”

    “They took decisions, they made obligations there not to aggress neighbors, which they are doing, and to have regular consultations with NATO, which they don’t,” said Geoana, speaking in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.

    “So I think that in fact this founding act is basically not functioning because of Russia,” he added.

    Russia, he said, had effectively moved away from the terms of the 1997 agreement.

    “Now we have no restrictions to have robust posture in the eastern flank and to ensure that every square inch of NATO’s territory is protected by Article 5 and our allies.”

    NATO’s article 5 is the one referring to collective defense, which says that an attack on one member is an attack on all of them.

    Geoana did not give details of any such planned deployment, but said he anticipated “a robust, flexible and sustainable presence.”

    In 2017, NATO had already deployed multinational tactical groups to the Baltic states and Poland as a dissuasive measure. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at the end of February, it sent reinforcements there.

    The Baltic states have called for a greater presence of its allies there, including for the development of brigades to replace the smaller tactical groups.

    NATO defense ministers will meet in mid-June to discuss this and other questions, and the leaders of the NATO members states will meet to approve any changes at a NATO summit in Madrid at the end of June.

    Texas, 1977

    5 4
    5 4

    Authentic Thai Basil Chicken Recipe (ผัดกระเพราไก่)

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    R.de80c7863ef78732fa699bd514bedf43

    In this Thai basil chicken recipe, you’ll learn to cook an authentic Thai street version of the dish.

    Thai basil chicken, better known in Thai as pad kra pao gai (ผัดกระเพราไก่ pad ka prao gai), is a contender for the most popular, and the most beloved Thai street food dish of all time.

    You know sometimes when you go to a restaurant and you have no idea what to order, or even what you want to eat?

    When that happens in Thailand, pad kra pao gai (ผัดกระเพราไก่, with chicken), or any type of meat stir fried with Thai holy basil, is a dish that comes to the rescue!

    thai chicken basil recipe 4 X3
    thai chicken basil recipe 4 X3

    Ingredients you’ll need

    For the fried egg (optional, but I think it’s mandatory)

    • 1 egg
    • 2 tablespoons of oil for frying

    For the basil chicken

    • 1 chicken breast (or any other cut of boneless chicken, about 200 grams)
    • 5 cloves of garlic
    • 4 – 10 Thai chilies – when you fry the chilies, they aren’t as spicy
    • 1 tablespoon oil for frying
    • 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce
    • 1/2 teaspoon light soy sauce
    • 1 splash of dark sweet soy sauce (you can use Indonesian kecap manis)
    • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
    • 1 handful of Thai holy basil leaves (really try to get holy basil)

    You can make your pad see ew with chicken, pork, squid, shrimp, or even tofu, but this time I’ll be making this Thai basil recipes with chicken. However, feel free to substitute chicken with whatever meat you want.

    Note: To see the exact steps for making this Thai basil chicken recipe, scroll down below to the recipe box, or keep reading for more of an explanation of this amazing Thai dish and an in-depth look into some of the ingredients.

    2022 05 30 20 00
    2022 05 30 20 00

    Let’s quickly talk about Thai basil…

    There are three main types of basil used in Thai cooking: Thai sweet basil (ใบโหระพา bai horapa – this one is often just referred to as Thai basil), lemon basil (ใบแมงลัก bai maenglak), and holy basil (ใบกะเพรา bai kra prao).

    This Thai basil chicken recipes uses holy basil (ใบกะเพรา).

    But, can I use Thai sweet basil for this recipe?

    Unfortunately it can be challenging to find holy basil outside of Thailand, and I’ve found that Thai restaurants in the United States often substitute Thai sweet basil for Thai holy basil and call it basil chicken.

    However, sweet basil doesn’t have the vibrant peppery flavor that holy basil has, and so to get this dish to taste the way it tastes in Thailand, you really can’t substitute another type of basil for holy basil.

    But if you simply cannot find holy basil (you could grow some yourself) and can only find Thai sweet basil, you can still make this recipe, and though it won’t have that peppery flavor, it will still probably taste good.

    For a little reassurance, on my latest visit to the United States, one day at the Asian supermarket I came across a big box of holy basil, I think grown in California – so it can be found in the US.

    2022 05 30 20 01
    2022 05 30 20 01

    Another way you can really elevate the flavor of this Thai basil chicken recipe is by using a mortar and pestle to hand grind your garlic and chilies. A garlic press would also do the job well.

    Unlike mincing, grinding really releases all the juices and oils of the chilies and garlic and it brings out an extra depth of flavor, which in return makes the entire dish of chicken basil more vibrant, garlicky and spicy.

    You don’t need to crush the garlic and chilies down to a curry paste, but you’re just looking for just a coarse crush, like in the photo above.

    But no worries if you don’t have a mortar and pestle, mincing is still adequate.

    2022 05 30 20 02
    2022 05 30 20 02

    Before getting started on this Thai basil chicken recipe, often my very first step is to begin by cooking a pot of rice. That way it’s finished and freshly cooked as soon as the chicken and egg are ready.

    The first step is to fry the egg. Thai fried eggs are more like deep fried eggs, cooked in lots of oil. The extra oil gives them a lovely crispiness on the outside edges, and they taste so incredibly good mixed with the rice and chicken.

    After the egg is finished cooking, lay it aside and get started cooking the chicken.

    Finally, just like all of my Thai recipes, the ingredients listed (and the quantities) are a guide – it’s what I used – but use it loosely as a guide. Thai food is made to taste the way you want it to.

    Thai basil chicken recipe

    Time: About 30 minutes or less
    Recipe size: 1 plate meal, and to be honest, it tastes best when cooked in a single portion. You could multiply this recipe a few times to make enough for a few people at once, or you could make individual portions.
    Utensils: wok, frying pan
    Flavors: Salty stir fry, complete meal deal, fragrant from the chilies, garlic, and holy basil
    Eat it with: Pad kra pao gai (ผัดกระเพราไก่) is normally eaten on top of a pile of plain steamed jasmine rice with a fried egg on the side.

    2022 05 30 20 04
    2022 05 30 20 04

    Dish out a plate of freshly steamed jasmine rice, scoop the hot Thai basil chicken (pad kra pao gai ผัดกระเพราไก่) onto one side of your rice, and nestle your fried egg on the other side of the plate.

    And there you have one of the most widely loved Thai street food dishes in Thailand.

    Try this recipe out, let me know if you have any questions or comments below, and if you enjoyed this recipes, I would really appreciate it if you would share this with a friend you know who loves Thai food as well – thank you!

    2022 05 30 20 05
    2022 05 30 20 05

    Toronto, Canada, 1972

    3 4
    3 4

    Reality Sets-in: Europe Cracking; CANNOT agree on Russia Oil Embargo

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    EDITORIAL OPINION —

    Superficial European “unity” over Russia’s entry into Ukraine to De-Nazify and De-militarize” that regime, which resulted in Europe sanctioning Russia, is falling apart.

    The European Union CANNOT get unanimous agreement to embargo Russian Oil or gas into Europe.   The reality, that Europe actually needs inexpensive, reliable energy, is finally taking hold.

    The knee-jerk reaction by European Union countries to “sanction” Russia, was poorly thought out from its beginning.  By sanctioning Russia, Europe was actually siding WITH the Nazi-infested regime of Ukraine.

    That was downright foolish on every level.

    But ever-willing to contort reality, politicians in Europe chose to call their actions “defending democracy” and “defending Ukraine sovereignty.”  That flew until Ukraine outlawed opposition political parties, which is not “democracy” and was exposed as using heavy artillery against civilians in Luhansk and Donetsk, WHO THEY BURIED IN MASS GRAVES, which is not something any “sovereign” can legally do.

    More directly though, Europe came to realize that their countries actually DEPEND on Russian natural gas and Russian oil.

    Their economies require inexpensive, reliable energy, which Russia provides.

    As the initial “sanctions” took effect, prices for petrol in Europe skyrocketed to over $10 a gallon.  Home heating oil — and natural gas — are also skyrocketing in price.

    Europeans simply cannot afford it.

    When winter comes this year, people in Europe will face the mind-numbing choice of heating their home to stay alive, or eating.   That’s a choice no one NEEDS to be forced into; except that “sanctions” on Russia are forcing that precise choice upon citizens.

    The whole situation is untenable.

    The politicians in Europe, shielded from the ugly reality of the decisions they make, actually want to make things worse by adopting a Europe-wide embargo of Russian oil.  Discussion to achieve that have been ongoing, but finally fell apart this past weekend.

    Many (but not all) European nations simply cannot survive with viable, normal, societies, and thriving businesses, if Russia is embargoed.  The efforts to embargo have, finally, fallen apart.

    Just today, Britain announced they expect rolling electric blackouts this coming winter.

    As many as six million British households could be subjected to power cuts this winter if Russian gas supplies to Europe stop, The Times reported Sunday, citing a Whitehall document.

    It said that imports of natural gas from Norway could halve next winter amid surging EU demand. Britain buys around half of its total supplies from the Nordic country.

    Shipments of liquified natural gas from major producers such as the United States and Qatar could also halve this winter, the UK government warned, pointing to fierce global competition for supplies of the fuel.

    Meanwhile, interconnectors from the Netherlands and Belgium could also be cut off in winter, as the two countries struggle meeting their own demand.

    The UK, which has vowed to end the importation of Russian oil by the end of the year, is now seeking to bolster electricity supply by extending the life of its coal and aging nuclear power stations

    This is a good thing.

    The whole issue of “sanctions” upon Russia, was poorly thought out from it inception.  Russia is not in the wrong on Ukraine.   It is Ukraine that is in the wrong.

    To their credit, Russia made Herculean diplomatic efforts – for years — to try to avoid what is now taking place.   Even as recently as December 2021 into January of this year, Russia put forth Diplomatic proposals for “iron-clad-legally enforceable, security guarantees” which would have avoided all the bloodshed and destruction now taking place.

    Both Europe and America WILLFULLY chose to ignore/reject those Russian Diplomatic efforts.

    Then the fighting began on February 24.

    Politicians in Europe and America, unaccustomed to anyone daring to disagree with them, or acting with force in opposition to them, got their skirts in a twist, and tried to manhandle Russia with economic sanctions.  Worse, both the US and EU then outright STOLE Russia’s investments here in the West.  They literally seized billions in Russia’s bank reserves and sovereign wealth funds.   It was outright theft. The US Congress, Senate and US Treasury Office of Foreign Asset Control are nothing more than brazen thieves.  They seem to think that stealing someone else’s money, without due process of law, is somehow “OK” when a government does it.   It’s not OK.  It’s theft.

    All of it backfired.

    The only nations being harmed by the Sanctions are European countries, and the USA.   Fuel costs for gasoline and diesel have skyrocketed to outright unaffordable levels.

    Commerce is rapidly stopping because companies cannot afford shipping costs or even energy costs for manufacturing.

    These are not “Putin Price Hikes” as the politicians love to claim; they are artificially-induced price increases because economic sanctions were imposed.  We in America and in Europe, did this to ourselves!

    That reality is finally sinking in.  This past weekend, Europe could not come to unanimous agreement to embargo Russian oil.

    Oh, did I mention, it gets worse for the Europeans too.

    Over the weekend, Italy Army General Leonardo Tricarico publicly urged not to provoke Russia. Tricarico believes that the EU should leave the “crazy idea to win in Ukraine.”

    He then went on to say publicly “If we want to reach an agreement with Putin on Ukraine, then we must avoid provocations and useless things, such as NATO expansion.”

    Then, the coup de gras, when he said “We must force Ukraine to capitulate and not provoke Russia.”

    FINALLY!  Someone actually stated the obvious!!!

    Kudos to General Tricarico!!!!!

    What has gone on here with Russia-Ukraine-Europe-US-NATO has been a travesty of mis-management and deliberate provocation of Russia by the West.

    It needs to stop.

    Fast.

    Before the ongoing hostilities explode into a much larger, and far deadlier World War.

    14 Immortal Black And White Film Scenes Tastefully Colored By Austrian Artist

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    Buster Keaton in the film ‘The General’ (1926)

    The exquisite and elegant beauty of monochrome film and photography is unparalleled. At the same time, it would be extremely curious and fun to see what some of the most iconic movie scenes in film history would look like in color, wouldn’t it?

    If you agree with that sentiment, the works of Austrian photographer and photo editor Mario Unger (previously here, here and here) is just what the doctor prescribed to satiate that curiosity. The photo magician that he is, Mario meticulously colorized 14 of the most iconic film scenes and portraits of famous film personas, artists and musicians, and gave them new life.

    2 10
    A scene from ‘Abbott And Costello Go To Mars’ (1953)

    3 10
    A scene from ‘You Only Live Once’ (1937) Featuring Sylvia Sidney and Henry Fonda

    4 10
    The Beautiful Grace Kelly in the film ‘Rear Window’ (1954)

    5 1tt0
    Signed Autograph of Mary Pickford (c.1914)

    6 aqw9
    A scene from ‘The Seahawk’ (1940) Featuring Errol Flynn

    s7 9
    The Famous Mexican Painter Frida Kahlo at the age of 11 (1919)

    8 9
    A scene from the Movie ‘Their First Mistake’ (1932) with Laurel and Hardy

    9 9
    Portrait of Ella Fitzgerald in 1946 by William P. Gottlieb

    10 7 1
    A Scene from the Film ‘Stake Uncle Sam To Play Your Hand’ (1918) Featuring Mae Marsh in the Role of a Belgian Girl and A.C.Gibbons in the Role of a German Soldier

    11 7
    A scene from the film ‘The Big Sleep’ (1946) with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall

    12 7
    Portrait of the Virtuous Fred Astaire

    13 6
    Portrait of Kay Aldridge

    14 d6
    A scene from ‘Angel And The Badman’ (1947) with John Wayne and Gail Russel

    China urges UN rights chief to look into school shootings in US

    From HERE

    The Global Times made the suggestion in an editorial Tuesday (May 31), a day after Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a regular briefing in Beijing that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights should produce a report on problems the US faces.
    
    "The US system is equally incapable, or lacks interest, motivation, and courage, to address these problems thoroughly," said the Communist Party newspaper, which added that US domestic issues have "intensified its external aggression."
    
    China has ramped up criticism of the US's human rights record around a trip to the Asian nation by UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet, and the fault-finding escalated after the recent killings at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, and at a school in Uvalde, Texas.
    
    The party's flagship People's Daily ran a commentary under the headline "Racism a poison running through American body politic," that referenced the killing of Blacks in Buffalo, and the official Xinhua News Agency and English-language China Daily published similar articles.

    Of course, the usual reporting trick used by “news” is to redirect the criticism away from the United States and blame the accuser…

    The commentaries appear to be an effort to hit back at the US, which along with lawmakers in other nations, has accused China of carrying out genocide in Xinjiang. Beijing calls the accusations "the lie of the century."
    
    The US has also criticised China for how it handled Ms Bachelet's recent trip.
    Secretary of State Antony Blinken's press office said in a statement that authorities "did not enable a complete and independent assessment of the human rights environment" in the world's No. 2 economy and that it had reports Xinjiang residents were warned not to complain.
    
    Human rights groups were also critical of Ms Bachelet and her six-day trip, which she repeatedly said wasn't an "investigation" of Chinese practices in Xinjiang or elsewhere.

    What the U.S. just said about China is TERRIFYING | Redacted with Clayton Morris

    A very, VERY good video. A must watch.

    But you know... China has been at war with the USA since 2014, and China has never forgotten the bio-weapon "carpet bombing" of it's livestock. China does "tit-for-tat" actions prior to a formal war-declaration. I can only wonder what China is doing about all this... -MM

    Tens Of Thousands Of Chickens Killed In 3 Million Eggs Per day Egg Farm Fire

    .

    The united States of America is obviously under planned attack of its food supply and food distribution network.  The people doing this must be found and “stopped” by any means necessary.

    Massive flames burned down a barn with tens of thousands of chickens in Wright County, Minnesota over the weekend.

    The fire started late Saturday night at Forsman Farms in Howard Lake, causing major damage.

    The Trebesch family thought they would spend Saturday night around their bonfire, but just after 10 p.m. they noticed massive flames across the field at Forsman Farms.

    “It was unbelievable how quick it grew, it was insane,” Andy Trebesch said. “It was the whole sky, it was quite large.”

    They called 911. Firefighters from multiple agencies across Wright County showed up, many volunteer firefighters. A barn housing tens of thousands of chickens was leveled, in what a farm spokesperson called a “tragic accident.”

    According to Forsman Farms website, the farm started in 1918, and now the fourth-generation family farm sells more than three million eggs a day to some of the nation’s largest retailers.

    “Overnight, a fire destroyed one of our barns at our Howard Lake farm. No one was injured and we are grateful that first responders were quickly on scene to put out the fire. Unfortunately, chickens were lost because of the fire. We are evaluating the extent of the damage – which appears to be confined to a single structure – as well as investigating the cause of the fire,” a Forsman Farms spokesperson said.

    NUMEROUS OTHER FOOD – SUPPLY ALSO TORCHED THIS YEAR

    In April, the tragic destruction by fire of the headquarters of Azure Standard in Oregon shocked millions of people, and since that news broke quite a few readers have been reaching out to me about the long string of unusual blazes that we have been witnessing from coast to coast in recent months.

    I decided to look into this phenomenon for myself, and I am sharing what I have discovered so far in this article.  Dr. Benjamin Braddock and others had already been digging into this, and their research proved quite valuable as I began my investigation.

    Some of the incidents that people have reported I was not able to independently verify, and others I felt were too minor to be put on this list.  With all that being said, the following is a list of 16 major fires that have occurred at key food industry facilities in the U.S. since the start of 2022…

    #1 Salinas, California

    As the smoke settles near Taylor Farms, questions remain on the future of the business and the roughly 1,000 people employed at the Abbott Street facility.
    
    There is little to nothing left of the processing facility due to fire and smoke damages caused by Wednesday night’s blaze, according to Deputy Fire Chief Sam Klemek.
    
    “About 85% to 95% of the building is a total loss,” he said.

    #2 Hermiston, Oregon

    Multiple workers are hospitalized following an explosion at a food processing facility that has nearby residents on alert for possible evacuation.
    
    The explosion occurred Tuesday evening at Shearer’s Foods in Hermiston, a city in agriculturally rich eastern Oregon. No deaths have been reported from the blast, but the extent of the damage to the plant and its future were not clear. City officials are concerned what the fire could mean for the community and local economy.

    #3 Conway, New Hampshire

    Neighbors banded together to support crews as they battled a fire in Conway for about 16 hours Monday night.
    
    More than 12 departments and agencies worked together to put out the fire at East Conway Beef and Pork.

    #4 San Juan, Texas

    On March 31, 2022, a structure fire significantly damaged a large portion of the largest fresh onion packing facilities in South Texas.

    #5 Jonesboro, Arkansas

    “The situation at our Jonesboro factory is under control and we are looking into the cause of the fire,” a Nestle spokesperson said. “Thankfully, no employees were injured and all are safe. We appreciate the quick response of the Jonesboro Fire Department and emergency response teams. The factory will remain closed as we assess the damage and return the factory to full operation. We plan to continue to support our employees financially during this time.”
    
    Nestle opened the plant in 2002 and in December 2020 the company unveiled plans to invest more than $100 million to expand the frozen foods plant, including the addition of 90,000 square feet and a new production line for Hot Pockets frozen sandwiches. In addition to Hot Pockets, Nestle makes products under the Stouffer’s, Lean Cuisine, DiGiorno, Tombstone and Sweet Earth brands at the plant.

    #6 Mauston, Wisconsin

    A portion of Mauston’s Wisconsin River Meats burnt down during an overnight fire Feb. 2-3, with the cause of the fire still under investigation.
    
    “The old portion of the plant is a total loss,” Wisconsin River Meats said in a Facebook post about the fire. “We humbly ask that you be patient and please give us some time to sort out the cause of the fire and for us to transition some of our business and invoicing to our warehouse.”

    #7 Fayetteville, Illinois

    Operating from what company officials referred to as the command center at Deli Star Corp.’s St. Louis Innovation Center, the Siegel family-led operations and executive team have spent the week scrambling to fulfill customers’ orders and work with local officials investigating a Jan. 11 fire that destroyed its 75,000-square-foot processing plant in Fayetteville, about 40 miles southeast of them.

    #8 Belfast, Maine

    Fire crews from several towns have been battling a fire at the Penobscot McCrum potato processing plant in Belfast. Crews were called to the scene at 28 Pierce Street around 3:30 a.m., according to Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss.

    #9 Leoti, Kansas

    A fire at a fertilizer company in western Kansas prompted evacuations Tuesday afternoon because hazardous materials were involved, officials said.
    
    The Ford County Regional Hazardous Materials Team deployed to Leoti for the fire and was fighting the blaze and removing hazardous material, Wichita County Clerk Lynda Goodrich said.

    #10 Claypool, Indiana

    Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) said on Wednesday a fire had broken out in a bag house at its Claypool, Indiana, soybean processing and biodiesel plant on Tuesday and the affected systems had been suspended.
    
    No employees were injured and the fire was put out by 9:15 p.m. central time on Tuesday, LDC said in a statement. LDC’s website said soybean deliveries were suspended at the plant on Wednesday. LDC says Claypool is the largest fully integrated soybean processing and biodiesel plant in the United States.

    #11 Winston-Salem, Carolina

    An uncontrolled fire at a fertilizer plant in North Carolina forced thousands of people to evacuate as firefighters stood back Tuesday because of the danger of a large explosion.
    
    Authorities drove through neighborhoods and knocked on doors asking residents to leave within a one-mile radius (1.6 km) of the Winston Weaver Company fertilizer plant on the north side of Winston-Salem, where the fire started Monday night. Overnight, bright orange flames and thick plumes of smoke could be seen shooting into the sky. No injuries were reported.

    #12 Sunnyside, Washington

    A smoldering pile of sulfur quickly became a raging chemical fire just after 1 p.m. Monday at Nutrien Ag Solutions, 1101 Midvale Road, Sunnyside Fire Chief Ken Anderson said.
    
    The fire destroyed one storage building on the southeast corner of the fertilizer storage facility in the Port of Sunnyside and damaged others, but adjacent Nutrien buildings and storage tanks containing hazardous chemicals were spared, Anderson said Monday evening.

    #13 Lecompte, Louisiana

    A fire started at the Cargill-Nutrena feed mill in Lecompte, LA in the early hours of Thursday morning and burned for 12 hours, coverage by local television news station KALB said. An explosion reportedly occurred as firefighters were working the scene.

    #14 Maricopa, Arizona

    It’s a long road to recovery for Maricopa Food Pantry after a fire destroyed around 50,000 lb of food. The fire happened just 15 minutes after their food bank closed on Monday morning. Smoke was still coming from the rubble 24 hours later. “It had to be 40-50 feet in the air, just pure black smoke. It engulfed the entire neighborhood,” said Maricopa Food Pantry President Mike Connelly. “The heat we could feel down at the corner.”

    #15 Dufur, Oregon

    The headquarters of Azure Standard, the nation’s premier independent distributor of organic and healthy food, was destroyed by fire overnight. There were no injuries. The cause of the fire is unknown and under investigation. The loss of the facility and the impact on companywide operations is being assessed and expected to be limited and temporary. No other Azure Standard facilities were affected.

    #16 Planfield, Indiana

    Investigators from the ATF’s National Response Team began its on-scene investigation on Friday into the massive fire at a Walmart facility in Plainfield.
    
    The team, led by Supervisor Christopher Forkner, is working with the Plainfield Fire Territory, Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Plainfield Police Department, according to a press release. ATF special agents from the Indianapolis Offices of the Columbus Field Division will also be assisting.

    Of course it is not unusual for there to be fires at food industry facilities, and fire departments are accustomed to responding to such fires and putting them out.

    But in many of these cases, we are talking about absolutely uncontrollable fires that seemed to erupt very suddenly.

    And in many of these cases the firefighters that responded were not able to save the structures because the fires were so enormous.

    Needless to say, the collective loss of all of these facilities will make the coming food shortages quite a bit worse.

    It seems to many people this string of fires is not accidental.   It seems the American people are under attack.

    Whoever is perpetrating this, needs to be “ended.”

    Utah state vet warns of cattle disease outbreak

    From HERE

    Utah is warning of a disease outbreak in cattle. The state veterinarian says that several bulls tested positive for trichomoniasis after grazing in a southern Idaho pasture last summer.

    Ten herds grazed in that field and the state vet calls the discovery a concern.

    Trich is a parasite that is spread through breeding. Bulls remain infected for life.

    There is no treatment, and it can be economically devastating to a herd.

    Biden’s New Boondoggle

    A potential trade deal with 12 Indo-Pacific countries threatens to further hurt the American middle class.

    From HERE

    Earlier this week, President Joe Biden unveiled the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), a potential new trade deal with 12 Indo-Pacific countries.

    While the details of the deal remain murky, some have raised serious concerns based on the little information that has become public. The IPEF does not seem to focus on lifting tariff barriers like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which other countries have suggested the U.S. rejoin instead of going forward with the IPEF.

    Instead, Biden’s new trade deal appears to be a handout to Big Tech, big online retailers like Amazon, and express shippers.

    The U.S. and the 12 partner nations—Australia, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam—released a joint statement Monday announcing the framework.

    “We share a commitment to a free, open, fair, inclusive, interconnected, resilient, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region that has the potential to achieve sustainable and inclusive economic growth,” the statement read. “We acknowledge our economic policy interests in the region are intertwined, and deepening economic engagement among partners is crucial for continued growth, peace, and prosperity.”

    The pandemic, the nations added, has “emphasized the importance of strengthening economic competitiveness and cooperation and securing critical supply chains,” and underscores the importance of “stimulating job growth and improving economic opportunities, including for our workers, women, medium- and small-enterprises, and our societies’ most vulnerable groups.”

    Some conservatives, such as American Compass executive director Oren Cass, are uneasy about the deal.

    “We should support the idea of assembling a regional economic bloc that includes U.S. allies and excludes China,” Cass told The American Conservative via email. “But it could also turn into a boondoggle that mostly just benefits multinational corporations.”

    “The question,” he added, “is what everyone is intending to agree to, and what leverage the U.S. has to shape an agreement that benefits us. I worry that we are still caught in the neoliberal framework that takes access to the U.S. market as the unquestioned starting point.”

    The vague language used in the nations’ joint statement suggests Cass’s fears are well-founded. For example, the signatory nations argued that, in the long run, “economic competitiveness will be largely defined by our ability to harness technology, promote innovation, participate in the digital economy, justly transition energy systems and achieve energy security, and tackle the climate crisis in a manner that produces equitable, inclusive growth and improves socio-economic welfare.”

    What those platitudes will mean in practice is yet to be seen, but the deal appears to be centered around four pillars: trade, supply chains, clean energy, and anti-corruption. The White House’s fact sheet for the IPEF gives those components of the plan slightly different names, detailing the sorts of provisions that could be included under each pillar.

    To foster a “connected economy,” the IPEF members “will pursue high-standard rules of the road in the digital economy, including standards on cross-border data flows and data localization.” The deal will also focus on “the region’s rapidly growing e-commerce sector, while addressing issues is [sic] such as online privacy,” and “seek strong labor and environment standards and corporate accountability provisions.”

    While that language may seem benign, Charles Benoit, trade counsel at the Coalition for a Prosperous America, spots some red flags.

    “Big Tech, when TPP started, wasn’t a big part of the trade scene,” Benoit said. “They very much are now, and they’ve got big trade-policy goals.” While “Big Tech sees that there’s not much appetite for tariffs to be cut, they think, ‘Why should that stop us from achieving our policy goals?’”

    The biggest policy goal for Big Tech companies in the trade space, according to Benoit, “is stopping data-localization requirements, which mean you have to have a server within the country’s borders.”

    The IPEF’s stated commitment to pursue multilateral standards on data flows and localization, Benoit fears, could strip away requirements to keep data security and maintenance operations on U.S. soil, and incentivize those operations to move to Asia. Removing data-localization requirements would not only be a bad deal for the American workers currently tasked with manning these facilities. It would pose a national-security risk, given China’s ambitions for regional hegemony and rapidly increasing cyber capabilities.

    Benoit also expressed concerns about the fact sheet’s explanation of the second pillar, the creation of a “resilient economy,” focused on stabilizing supply chains. The IPEF’s purported focus on supply chains, paired with its enthusiasm for a growing e-commerce sector, has the makings of another push to increase the de minimis threshold, a rule that currently allows shipments with a declared value of less than $800 to enter the U.S. without undergoing tariff evaluations.

    When Congress established the de minimis threshold in the 20th century, it created three separate categories of goods that could enter tariff-free under a certain value: souvenirs, bonafide gifts, and certain mail orders. De minimis standards were created, Benoit told TAC, “because we didn’t want to use regular customs officers’ judgment or discretion on what to waive through. So, Congress said, ‘We’re going to tell you what’s worth your time and what’s not.’”

    “The first two categories were $10 for most of that time period,” Benoit said. “The mail-order category was originally just $1. Everything over a dollar would have to get a tariff assessment.”

    But NAFTA blew the lid off of de minimis thresholds in 1995. The de minimis threshold for the mail-order category, which has become known as the e-commerce category today, increased from about $5 to $200. It was a “huge win for express shippers like FedEx and UPS,” Benoit explained.

    “When I see e-commerce, I see them pushing all the other IPEF nations to have higher de minimis thresholds.” Benoit told TAC. “The express shippers love this because they’re displacing a whole business segment, what used to be traditional import wholesalers,” and “can continue displacing” other small and medium businesses.

    “The Jake Sullivan types don’t care at all about competition and don’t have real antitrust concerns at all,” Benoit claimed. “A lot of what we see in this policy area is securing pathways for entrenched big business and monopolies in the name of securing access, while actually making it harder for other businesses to compete in a given field.”

    The IPEF has a significant environmental component. The signatories tout future “first-of-their-kind commitments on clean energy, decarbonization, and infrastructure that promote good-paying jobs” to “accelerate efforts to tackle the climate crisis.”

    If the past is prologue with respect to clean energy provisions, then the IPEF’s clean-energy chapter entail be a massive tariff cut in favor of big businesses that off-shore or outsource manufacturing.

    “For a long time there was a proposed WTO environmental-goods agreement,” Benoit explained. “It’s basically an effort to cut tariffs on thousands of machine components under the rubric of making clean energy cheaper. But it’s not like these provisions are limited to wind turbines and solar panels. They cover pretty standard machine components.

    “So, a lot of other goods could get their tariffs cut under an environmental-goods agreement in the IPEF,” he said, if the IPEF is styled after previous attempts to make clean energy more cost-effective via trade agreements. “We could end up cutting tariffs on thousands of goods that are only tangentially related to clean energy.”

    Nevertheless, the White House says the IPEF will create a “fair economy,” by tackling bribery, money laundering, and other forms of corruption. That’s all well and good, but when Americans cry out for fair trade, their foremost concern is not money laundering; it is the propensity of multinational corporations and other countries take advantage of deals like the IPEF to undercut America’s middle and working classes. The problem isn’t limited to individual actors failing to play by the rules of the game. The larger problem is that the rules of the game themselves are rotten.

    While things could change, the IPEF is looking like another rotten deal for the American worker.

    Be prepared for an animal disease outbreak

    Hopefully, infectious diseases don’t appear in Canada but the industry needs to have a plan in place
    If there ever is a foreign animal disease outbreak in Canada, we all know it could be devastating to the industry.
    
    Contagious pathogens such as foot and mouth in bovines, sheep and swine, or African Swine Fever (ASF) in pigs, can cost individual producers in lost production and animal deaths, as well as closing the borders to all exports.
    
    The older farming generation might remember the British 2001 foot and mouth disease outbreak that required the destruction of more than six million animals to control the disease.
    
    In Canada, AHEM (Animal Health Emergency Management Project) is an organization created to meet with the different production-animal groups and provide advice on how the Canadian industry can be better prepared in the event of a foreign animal disease outbreak. To read more about the four-year initiative that runs until 2023, visit https://animalhealth.ca.
    
    If you run across AHEM information please take it seriously. This work could potentially benefit us all immensely. The COVID-19 pandemic has made us appreciate how quickly a contagious disease can spread through a population.
    
    African Swine Fever would do the same with a tremendous mortality rate in the hog industry.
    
    The AHEM group has already developed a producer handbook as well as a fact sheet on what to do if, for example, your herd was quarantined. It’s very good information to use if ever needed — get the producer handbook and give it a read.

    Incredible Futuristic-Looking 1939 Duesenberg Coupe Simone Midnight Ghost

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    1 a74

    Duesenberg ceased production in 1937 after Cord’s financial empire collapsed. However, between 1937 and 1940, one automobile put the final touch to this historical marque. It it took three years to complete both the tailor-made interior and futuristic body.

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    2 7s3

    By command of the owner, it was to be painted in a two-tone grey paint scheme so it would look like a ghost in the night. Finished in 1939, this legendary masterpiece was christened as “Duesenberg Coupé Simone Midnight Ghost.” It was both the longest Duesenberg and the last one delivered; and finally the last one ever made.

    3 d71
    3 d71

    Inspired by the modernist lines of the Art Deco movement, it captures all the romance of a bygone era. The graceful sweep of the fenders, the luxuriously appointed interior complete with a crystal-clear steering wheel.

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    4 66

    The car was made by the American car body designer Emmet-Armand on the basis of the Duesenberg Type J. They only made one of them which was ordered by the French cosmetics king Gui De LaRouche.

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    5 64

    Gui De LaRouche had always believed that a man must succumb to his passions. So he commissioned Emmett and Armand to create an exotic-bodied Coupé on a Duesenberg chassis. The new automobile would be a gift to his lover, a beauty called Simone.

    6 60 1
    6 60 1

    As the drums of war were beating and Hitler was moving into France, many automobiles were stored in hide-a-ways to keep them out of the hands of the Nazis. The “Duezy” was lost somewhere on the French countryside at the beginning of World War II. The stranger part of the story is that Emmet disappeared with it. There still is a chance that some day “Simone Midnight Ghost” will be found in a shabby old barn however it’s also possible that it was destroyed during the war.

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    7 52 1

    Nevertheless it’s probably one of the most stunning designs of the 20th century and it will be kept in our memories.

    Syphilis-ridden Spanish Skeletons Found at Lima’s First Hospital

    From HERE

    The remains of 42 syphilis-ridden, colonial Spaniards have been unearthed at a 500-year-old hospital in Lima. But it’s suspected that beneath these poor afflicted souls, might lie the lost mummified bodies of the three last rulers of the Inca Empire.

    Lima, the capital city of Peru, is located on the country’s arid Pacific coast and represents one of the largest population centers in South America. The city was founded with the building of a church on January 18, 1535, after Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro had successfully subdued the Inca population.

    2022 06 01 10 07
    2022 06 01 10 07

    The city’s foundation date, January 18, 1535, marked the 16th-century Catholic ‘Epiphany’ holiday, celebrating the Three Kings visiting baby Jesus. Therefore, Lima became known as Ciudad de los Reyes, the “City of the Kings” and the capital of 16th-century Spanish Peru. It was at a site downtown that archaeologists discovered what is probably Lima’s first hospital, and the unfortunate Spanish syphilis patients.

    First Spanish Hospital Built 20 Years After Pizarro Founded Lima

    The Hospital Real (royal) of San Andres was founded only 20 years after Pizarro established the city of Lima. The story began when Francisco de Molina selflessly cared for poor patients through the 1530s and 40s at his home in the modern Barrios Altos area of Lima. The Peruvian hospital was formally founded in 1552 AD by Spanish viceroy , Andres Hurtado de Wildoso, after whom it was named. Today, this historic building is one of the oldest hospitals in Peru, and one of the oldest in the Americas.

    Having slowly risen to the surface over five centuries, most of the 42 bodies were discovered only 30 centimeters (12 inches) beneath ground level, in a courtyard cemetery next to the 16th-century Spanish hospital. Within the sepulchral structure the researchers also discovered and mapped “a pharmacy, a psychiatric ward , a walled garden and the burial ground.” They also discovered fragments of ceramic bowls, containers, and bottles wrapped in cotton wool.

    2022 06 01 10 0v7
    2022 06 01 10 0v7

    Syphilis from the America’s Killed European Colonialists

    Héctor Walde, chief archaeologist for the Lima municipality, and his team of archaeologists discovered a copper cross on a chain around the neck of one of the male skeletons. This was a form of spiritual protection against the devilish disease that was discovered in most of the bodies: syphilis. This sexually transmitted disease is caused by the Treponema Pallidum bacterium. And while we are all taught at school that Spaniards brought syphilis to the new world, The Columbian hypothesis states that navigators in Columbus’ fleet “brought the previously unknown affliction back to Europe on their return from the New World in 1493 AD.”

    Whatever the origins of syphilis, Christians in the new world rightfully associated it with sexual promiscuity, and therefore, with the devil . And with the new Spanish city of Lima awash with syphilis it is no wonder Professor Walde said “the ritual and religiosity in Lima was very strong.”

    In fact, so strong were beliefs in the protective powers of the crucifixion tool of Christ that the Hospital Real de San Andrés was designed in the shape of a cross, with its altar located at the very center, a location symbolic of the heart of Christ. Therefore, this church is a wonderful example of 16th-century architectural sacred geometry in a sacred healing context.

    2022 06 01 10 0b8
    2022 06 01 10 0b8

    Are The Three Lost Royal Inca Mummies Beneath The Spaniards?

    While the story of the 42 syphilis ridden bodies is grabbing media headlines, the researchers also identified an “underground crypt containing pre-Hispanic Inca ceramics.” And while all of the bodies recovered so far belong to mostly male immigrant Spaniards, according to a Daily Mail report Walde believes the site might contain the “mummies of the last three Inca kings, Pachacutec, Huayna Capac and Tupac Yupanqui.”

    Let’s get something clear here. No matter what you read out there, there were no kingdoms or “kings” in Pre-Columbian Peru. The word “king” was a European thing. The sovereign ruler of the Inca Empire was called the Sapa, which in the Quechua language of ancient Peru meant “son of the Sun.”

    Héctor Walde told the Associated Press that 16th-century Spanish chroniclers noted that three mummies were sent from Cusco, the capital of the Inca Empire, to Viceroy Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza in Lima.

    However, Walde indicated caution, saying several archaeological research projects over the last 200 years have failed to locate these three royal mummies. It is pure speculation that the three mummies are at the Lima hospital site. However, there weren’t that many administrative buildings in the area at the time, and the thinking is that these lost three Inca Sapas are hidden somewhere beneath Lima.

     

    “Accidental Fires” Continue To Happen At Food Processing Facilities All Over The United States

    We are supposed to believe that what we are witnessing is just one “tragic accident” after another.  We aren’t supposed to see any sort of a pattern, and we aren’t supposed to ask any questions.  Last month, I wrote an article about 16 mysterious fires that have happened at important food industry facilities in the United States since the start of 2022.  Unfortunately, this trend has continued since that time.  In fact, there have been more “accidental fires” in recent days, and I believe that the American people deserve some answers.

    On Saturday night, a “massive” fire erupted at a commercial egg farm in Minnesota.

    We are being told that the structure that burned down contained “tens of thousands of chickens”

    Massive flames burned down a barn with tens of thousands of chickens in Wright County.
    
    The fire started late Saturday night at Forsman Farms in Howard Lake, causing major damage.

    Like so many of the other mysterious fires that I have reported on, this fire grew to an absolutely enormous size very, very rapidly

    The Trebesch family thought they would spend Saturday night around their bonfire, but just after 10 p.m. they noticed massive flames across the field at Forsman Farms.
    
    “It was unbelievable how quick it grew, it was insane,” Andy Trebesch said. “It was the whole sky, it was quite large.”

    We are being told that there was no foul play.

    Just another senseless accident.

    Nothing to see here.

    Of course the same explanation is being given for a “dramatic fireball” that burned a grain silo to the ground in Washington state just a few days ago…

    A spectacular fire demolished M & E Seed and Grain Co. in Prosser and left one person with burns.
    
    A smoldering pile of twisted metal and charred lumber was all that remained Thursday morning after firefighters battled the blaze in downtown Prosser all night.
    
    A few firefighters remained at the scene to monitor the fire.

    They are assuring us that this sort of thing happens all the time.

    So don’t try to apply common sense to any of this, because that will just confuse you.

    A few days before that tragedy in Washington state, 43 rail cars that were carrying much needed potash derailed in Alberta

    About 43 westbound Canadian Pacific (CP) Rail cars carrying potash derailed northeast of Fort Macleod, Alta., Sunday morning, RCMP say.
    
    At 8:15 a.m., Mounties responded to a train derailment between Range Roads 251 and 252, near Highway 3. Fire crews and CP Rail also came to the scene, according to police.

    So what are Canadian authorities telling us about this incident?

    You guessed it!

    Apparently it was just another “accident”.

     

    People sure are getting careless these days, because “accidents” just keep happening time after time after time.

    And all of this is taking place at a moment in history when we are being told that we are about to enter an absolutely horrifying global food crisis.

    During recent testimony in front of the UN Security Council, the CEO of Gro Intelligence warned that “the lowest grain inventory levels the world has ever seen” are getting even lower…

    Menker said estimates from official government agencies from across the world show that wheat inventories at 33% of annual consumption, but added that models created by Gro Intelligence show that the figure may actually be closer to 20%, a level not seen since 2007 and 2008.
    
    “It is important to note that the lowest grain inventory levels the world has ever seen are now occurring while access to fertilizers is highly constrained,” she said. “And drought in wheat growing regions around the world is the most extreme it’s been in over 20 years. Similar inventory concerns also apply to corn and other grains.”

    In other words, there isn’t going to be enough food for everyone.

    As I noted yesterday, we are being told that one-fifth of the entire population of the globe could soon descend into poverty and hunger

    For months, the specter of a global hunger crisis has been looming. The war in Ukraine is a compounding factor, blocking key value chains for food and fertilizer just as the world reckons with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on global hunger.
    
    Add the pervasive effects of climate change to the mix, and the result is what the United Nations is calling a “perfect storm” that risks one-fifth of the global population – as many as 1.7 billion people – falling into poverty and hunger.

    I am not the one saying that one-fifth of the global population is heading into poverty and hunger.

    It is the United Nations that is saying this.

    Of course it is quite true that I have been warning that a “global famine” was coming for a very long time, and now it is here.

    David Beasley, the head of the UN World Food Program, says that his organization is already taking food away from the hungry to feed the starving.

    So what is he going to do when countless millions are starving all over the planet?

    Global trends have been pushing us in this direction for years, but now the events of 2022 have greatly accelerated the development of the “perfect storm” that we are now facing.

    We are being told that things will be far worse by the end of 2022 than they are now, and you probably don’t even want to hear about what the outlook for 2023 looks like.

    You can try to ignore this growing crisis if you want, but it is not going away.

    A nightmare of epic proportions has begun.  Unfortunately, this is a nightmare that is not going to end any time soon.

    New Orleans, 1976

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    Cause We’ve Ended as Lovers – Jeff Beck

    Classic Jeff Beck. I hope you all enjoy this. Screaming guitar solos. Great stuff this.

    An interesting quote

    I don’t have Telegram, but someone posted this on his social media. It sounds about right to me.

    "There has long been a group of NATO advisers within the staff [Ukrainian] who is planning military operations. 
    
    Recently, a strong confrontation has started due to the attitude of American generals who consider our (Ukrainian) troops as cannon fodder sent to be slaughtered on the eastern front. 
    
    Mr. Zaluzhny disagrees on this issue with the political leaders of the country, who support the opinion of the [NATO] advisers”, writes the Ukrainian Telegram channel “Resident”.
    
    " As stated earlier the chain Telegram Legitimniy, a group of officers of the US armed forces were deployed in Ukraine. 
    
    These officers have the power to issue direct orders to units and Ukrainian formations, and to cancel the orders of command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the National Guard. 
    
    In case of disobedience to American orders, kyiv may be left without financial and military support from Washington." '

    California – Early 1980’s

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    10 3 1

    Why denazification?

    From HERE

    Talking to Ukrainian friends… Each of us today is faced with this terrible and painful necessity. Because our troops are bombarding Kyiv, and this is such a monstrous darkness that none of us could even think of yesterday. And let these be strikes on military targets, but civilians are dying, ours are dying - our common ones! - Soldiers and cadets. And the chaos on the streets of Ukrainian cities, albeit aggravated by the uncontrolled distribution of weapons, would not have begun if Russia had not opened hostilities.

    How to talk with Ukrainian friends, when exactly we, Russians, having crushed an abscess in Donbass, flooded vast areas of Ukrainian land from Kharkov to Odessa with pus and blood?

    We are not Nazis! our friends and relatives shout to us in despair and horror. We just want to live in our own land! Why did you come to us with your denazification??

    Just today, a Ukrainian friend wrote to me that there are no more than 10% of Nazis in Ukraine (yesterday it was 2%, but this is not the essence of it), and this was not a problem of society. Like, the problems started now, when you aggressively attacked Ukraine, plunging it into bloody chaos and terror. Almost everyone says that the last sympathy for the Russians is buried under this ashes, we will never be forgiven, and the Russian troops have achieved unity of Ukraine against a common enemy much more effectively than any Maidan, any Nazis and Western partners.

    And all this is true. Most of the inhabitants of today’s Ukraine do not profess Nazi ideology. They are not Nazis, they often hate Nazism. So does denazification mean a lie, a fabricated pretext for invading and seizing territories?

    NO.

    The problem is that modern Ukraine is a passive element of the Nazi project, conceived and implemented by the new all-powerful Reich - the Western political and financial elite. And Ukrainians are modern Jews, that is, a political, economic, ideological resource and a lever.

    Just as the majority of the Jewish population of the Third Reich did not profess the Nazi ideology, but passively participated in its implementation, so today’s Ukraine is a necessary cog in the cynical world order, in which the colonial system acquired precisely Nazi features and methods, albeit in a somewhat softened way.

    And when Ukrainian friends tell us: “We are not Nazis! Bandera and other henchmen of Hitler are not our heroes!” – One cannot but agree with this. Yes, they are not your heroes. But they were appointed to you, and you accepted this appointment with criminal carelessness, not understanding what they were molding out of you.

    And they are molding – or rather, they have already blinded – from Ukraine, of course, not a new Reich, but a completely structured, working and quite effective concentration camp for its functions, similar to the “open ghetto”, which serves as an important support for maintaining the power of the new Reich. Through long-term manipulations and a series of crises, including the last Maidan, Ukraine has turned into an absolutely manageable and controlled system that only imitates the functions of society and the state.

    To clarify my idea, I will turn to the history of Jewish ghettos in the occupied territories during the Great Patriotic War.

    Why did the Germans create ghettos and concentration camps? First of all, to control the rather large masses of the population, which suddenly came under German rule during the Drang nach Osten.

    The process of creating a ghetto in the overwhelming majority of cases took place in two stages. At the first stage, the Nazis created a place of compact residence of a mono-ethnic minority (Jews) or a multinational people declared mono-ethnic (Ukrainians) in a specially allocated territory. In your case, national segregation was used much more sophisticatedly. Jews were declared pariahs and victims, Ukrainians were declared God’s Chosen .

    Being God's Chosen is flattering, no one will refuse this mission, and the entire Ukrainian cultural elite rushed to look for and invent justifications for this new Nazi theory, the purpose of which was only to forever cut the Russian and Ukrainian peoples. I will not enumerate the heaps of lies and nonsense that fell on your heads to strengthen this primitive scam. From “Ukraine is not Russia” to “Kievan Rus is Ukraine”.

    What was it for, you ask? It was for delineating the boundaries of an open concentration camp, inside which new rules for controlling the population were established. Brilliant and simple – everyone who felt falsehood and forgery felt the pressure of the rest of society, reveling in their chosenness, and were forced to either leave the country or submit to the general mood. Those who actively tried to resist were eliminated in one way or another, and a rather serious consolidation of society gradually arose around the idea of ​​a “speciality” of the Ukrainian nation, which appropriated all the heroic achievements of the Russian Empire and the USSR, while at the same time portraying itself as a victim of their machinations.

    Not noticing the paradoxical nature of such a position, the Ukrainians rushed to match the hypostasis invented for them, pulling out archaic or simply sham attributes into the light of day. Vyshyvankas (shirts with national embroidery), wreaths, “mova” (the Ukrainian language), a virus separate from the despised “Rusnya” (derogatory “Russians”) and other labels of belonging to a chosen race. At the same time, no one really asked the question for what purposes she was chosen – especially since all these ‘dances in little boots’ infinitely touched Western partners, who all these years applauded Ukraine-not-Russia as passionately as they recently applauded the fake president Zelensky in European Parliament.

    Why was Ukraine chosen? Of course, for entry into the European family of higher peoples. This entry began immediately after the collapse of the USSR and continues to this day, miraculously making no progress in the process. No, individual parties of Ukrainians managed to almost catch up, if not with the Anglo-Saxons, then with the Poles and Czechs, gain a foothold in the orbit of the European Union and discard the take-off stage of Ukrainianism as an unnecessary vestige. But the rest were inspired by the very promise of equal rights and opportunities with the civilized peoples of Europe and the USA.

    The fact that this promise was only a means of manipulation and control occurred to only a few – and these few also had to either leave or die.

    The control over the Jews in the concentration camps was carried out much more primitively, but the scheme was worked out even then. Fake self-government bodies were created – the Judenrats, absolutely controlled by the Reich, consisting of loyal Jews, imitating the protection of the rights and freedoms of the ghetto population. To maintain order, the Jewish police were created and armed, supplemented by separate brigades of declassed bastards who did not disdain any methods of intimidation, including torture, rape of children and mass murders for their own pleasure.

    This rot, which unfortunately exists in any nation, self-destructs in healthy societies or is re-educated in strict regime colonies. But in the ghetto, as well as in the Reichskommisariat, Ukraine performs the necessary function of keeping the population in complete obedience and fear. Because if you know that at any moment you can come to you with weapons of the down-and-out scum, that they can mock you and your family, they can torture and kill with impunity on the basis that you did not follow certain rules and rituals imposed from the outside – you will not once again raise your voice in defense of a neighbor.

    You will think “ugh, it has passed”, and then you will justify someone else’s torment with objective reasons. After all, the neighbor really refused to dance at the vyshyvanka festival or uttered the word “palyanytsia” in the Moscow language. That he should not provoke the new masters of the situation - and the masters of the situation in such a community inevitably turned out to be scum with weapons in their hands.

    Who armed them? Those who appointed you, Ukrainians, new heroes and gods, new founding fathers, a new faith and new ideals.

    And when the work on redrawing your image was completed – with the loyalty of the absolute majority, although not fully accepted, but not rejecting this absolutely archaic image of a Ukrainian with a forelock, in trousers and with a yellow-blue flag, the same signal and identification as yellow star, it was already possible to do anything with you.

    And the new Reich, by and large, wants only one thing: to pump out other people's resources. Absolutely all resources representing at least some value.

    After 2014, when the Ukrainian society and its nominal government were completely taken under the control of the United States and NATO and actually cut off from Russia, the pumping went on without any restrictions. As at all stages of the existence of the ghetto – and the Nazis did not hide that this was a temporary formation – the Jews were seized by robbery and indemnities, first cash, then hidden gold, then things and clothes, gold crowns, the last household items. In the same way, while you forced the Russians to learn the preposition “in” (in Russian, the preposition “on” is used with the word Ukraine. The word “Ukraine” means “edge of the country”, therefore “on” the edge of the country, and not “in”) and applaud the “revolution of hydness” invented personally for you (but in fact, bad swagger), national incomes and natural wealth, labor resources and brains were pumped dry from / to Ukraine , technologies and works of art, including priceless antique gold, which is rich in yours – and in fact our common Russian land.

    Yes, I share the point of view that the state of Ukraine is a simulacrum assembled from different parts of our common space of Ancient Russia, the direct successor of Constantinople. But the point is not only and not so much in the heterogeneity of parts of Ukraine or in ethnic differences. The rights to certain historical territories can be claimed by any neighbors anywhere in the world, and the peaceful existence of various ethnic groups and nationalities in one country is far from uncommon. Let me remind you that 190 nationalities coexist in Russia, the American in general is all tied together with the world – and Wyoming does not bomb Texas.

    This was not the cause of the Ukrainian catastrophe. Namely, that social form of existence, which was not born naturally, but was prudently and ruthlessly organized by the new Reich.

    In today’s circumstances, I have no right to talk about the reasons for what happened and blame someone for this – of course, except for the inhuman machine for the destruction of countries and peoples called the United States and NATO, which adopted Nazi methods. But with a pain in my heart, I urge you to wake up! It’s too late, it was late yesterday, but there is still a chance for salvation.

    I understand that this is a huge national humiliation - to understand that you were sucked out and thrown away like an empty shell, pumped up with weapons for the last use - a fratricidal war with Russia. Do not try to bleed this pain! Because those who brought your country to this state are now putting a machine gun in your hands and cynically whipping them up with slogans that all of us, originally from the USSR, have sewn into the matrix of consciousness.

    This matrix is ​​assembled on the platform of the war of liberation, and it is this leverage that Western manipulators use to make us kill each other. It was as if a mirror was placed between the Russian and the Ukrainian and the same slogans were broadcast – “not an inch of their native land”, “death to the invaders”, “they fought for their homeland”. And I perfectly understand your shock, your pain and resentment from the fact that today Russia has become an enemy and occupier for you.

    Our propagandists are making a terrible mistake when they press on the fact that Ukraine deserved its suffering. An even more monstrous mistake is to say that we invaded Ukraine in order to prevent a NATO strike and save ourselves .

    NO! UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING!

    I think I know why Putin committed this radical act, which many attribute to his madness. And why is he talking about denazification.

    Ukraine is a victim of an inhuman experiment of Western intelligence agencies and financial centers. And only the dismantling of the system of its internal structure can save this country and its population. Russia went to war not with the people of Ukraine, not with a gang of local Nazis, and not with an army pumped up and infected with nationalist ideas . This is a war with the world order that made a concentration camp out of Ukraine – with a lured ruling elite and an uncomplaining population.

    In some mystical way, this is understood and felt by all people in Russia - with the exception of the cultural and financial elite bred in the West, who were bred just for the same purpose.

    Dear, beloved Ukrainian friends, everything that happened to you yesterday should have happened to us tomorrow, because we are just as easy to be trapped in political manipulation, and only a miracle and our huge size did not allow it to happen to Russia as quickly. and successfully, as they did to you.

    The dismantling of the Nazi concentration camp, in which you were imperceptibly placed – this is the goal of denazification, and not punishment, or – God forbid – lustration, which the frenzied “patriots” are calling for here. I hope – or rather not, I see that this is the task that the Russian Army has to solve today.

    When in 1943-1945 the army of the USSR liberated the cities captured by the Nazis, it also unwittingly brought with it grief, death and destruction. And people who got used to the Germans also suffered from the fact that the liberators were destroying their usual life. Sometimes, when a concentration camp is liberated, not only policemen, but also prisoners die – this is our common tragedy.

    But the way your government behaves under these conditions only indicates that these bloody clowns are just a props for the mighty world forces that created the Reich Commissar of Ukraine, so that under sweet speeches about freedom and democracy it would be easier to rob you, rape you, and then destroy, erasing the traces of their crimes.

    What to do with it further - I do not know. But if you continue to live in the illusion that you were almost taken to Europe, and bloody Putin prevented your free choice, as the scoundrels who gutted the country suggest to you, we will not be able to help. No army can make people realize their mistakes and change their lives. I can only say one thing - there is oriental wisdom, which personally helped me many times in my life.

    No matter how far you go down the wrong path, come back. The road will be long and difficult, but sooner or later you will reach your goal. If you don’t come back, you’re going nowhere.

    And the last.

    While the Nazis of the Third Reich were herding Jews into ghettos and appointing fake “institutions of democracy” for them, a few residents of the occupied territories (including Jews) went into the forests and began to partisan. They blew up trains and killed Nazi chiefs. Many hated them – because after each such attack, the Nazis burned villages as punishment, hanged civilians. In the same way and for the same reason, you began to hate the LNR and the DNR, which did not submit to the concentration camp. It seemed to you – and it still seems to many now – that all your problems are because of the partisans, and if they had sat quietly, then everything would have worked out. And you can live under the Nazis. Or maybe, if it were not for the partisans, you would have been taken to Europe – as the Jews from Bremen, Hamburg and Cologne were promised that they could return and live in Germany, if only they would serve the masters of the Aryan race well. They were promised this in the Minsk ghetto in 1941. In December 1943, the Minsk ghetto with its entire population was already destroyed – the Germans so brilliantly simply solved the “Jewish question”.

    What to do with the “Ukrainian issue” is up to you and me to decide. Therefore, the Western hosts have already seen you off with applause. To their pleasant surprise, you dug your own hole almost resignedly and are already standing on its edge. Fireworks for these funerals are still being delivered. And “Putin’s invasion”, which they so condemn in words, in fact suits them perfectly. Because they do NOTHING to save you except talking and pumping weapons. You are not even allowed to sign a surrender – they want to push you into the pit so that you drag us along with you.

    Yes, they applaud your death. But pay attention – with what horror they exchange glances at the same time. Because the smartest ones understand that if they cannot devour Russia, tomorrow they will have to eat each other.

    Personally, I really, really look forward to seeing it.

    Author Olga Pogodina-Kuzmina

    New Orleans, 1981

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    Chicken Cordon Bleu Roll-Ups

    A clever technique and a few lightened-up touches let you indulge in all the flavor of Chicken Cordon Bleu, without all the fuss or the fat. It all starts with skipping the stuffed chicken breasts. Instead, pound your chicken breasts flat and layer with Swiss cheese, ham and spinach (for an extra boost of veggies). Then, roll them up, so the flavors can melt together. Coating the outside of your chicken roll-ups with a toasty, herby panko crust and baking them, instead of frying, keeps calories down without sacrificing crispy texture. So, you end up with crunchy-on-the-outside and melty-on-the-inside chicken roll-ups packed with classic flavor and fewer than 400 calories per serving!

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    c626139b b5be 40aa 9369 4670b924d387

    Ingredients

    Topping

    • 1/3 cup Progresso™ plain panko crispy bread crumbs
    • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
    • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1/8 teaspoon salt
    • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

    Chicken Rolls

    • 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (8 oz each)
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 cup baby spinach
    • 4 slices (0.75 oz each) Swiss cheese
    • 4 slices (0.5 oz each) deli ham
    • 1 egg white, beaten with 1 tablespoon water

    2022 05 30 16 32
    2022 05 30 16 32

    The Worst Energy Crisis In U.S. History Is Going To Get Even Worse In The Months Ahead

    Are you ready for what is coming next?  Are you ready to pay six dollars for a gallon of gasoline?  Are you ready to pay much higher prices for everything at our major stores as the price of diesel goes haywire?  Are you ready for widespread blackouts all over the U.S. this summer?  Unfortunately, we are being warned that all of these things are coming.  The worst energy crisis in U.S. history is poised to get even worse in the months ahead, and there is no “silver bullet” on the horizon which is going to magically solve our problems.  The refineries that we need are not being built and the drilling that needs to be done is not really happening.  Of course energy supplies are getting tighter and tighter all over the globe, and things will go to an entirely new level once the next major war starts.

    Needless to say, things are bad enough already.  On Sunday, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States set a brand new all-time record high of $4.61 a gallon

    Gas prices in the US soared to record heights again Sunday, reaching an all-time high of $4.61 per gallon.
    
    The number is more than 50 percent higher than the cost of a gallon a year ago. It comes as gas prices have continued to climb during Joe Biden’s presidency, and as millions of Americans are poised to travel by road for Memorial Day weekend.

    A 50 percent increase in just one year.

    Just think about that.

    To my knowledge, we have never seen anything like this before.

    If you can believe it, the average price of a gallon of gasoline has jumped 25 cents over the past six weeks.

    That is crazy, but we are being warned to expect significantly higher prices “by the end of the summer”

    Experts say that number will likely surpass the $6 mark by the end of the summer – as pump costs in West Coast cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco already meeting that mark earlier this month.

    I still remember when I could get 20 gallons of gas for 20 dollars.

    Soon, 20 gallons of gas will cost all of us 120 dollars.

    Who can afford that?

    The price of diesel has been increasing at an even faster pace.

    In fact, it has risen a staggering 75 percent since last Memorial Day…

    Diesel prices are up as well – by a whopping 75 percent from Memorial Day last year – at around $5.50 a gallon, also an all-time record.
    
    The rising cost of the fuel – commonly used by truckers for their rigs – has further hampered America’s embattled economy, driving up prices of good being transported cross-country by truckers, who are now electing for shorter routes due to the ‘unprecedented’ increase.
    
    ‘I can pretty much count on setting on fire $5-$700 a day…minimum,’ 22-wheel driver Eric Jammer told NPR Saturday of the rise in diesel costs seen over the past 12 months.

    The trucks and trains that bring our goods to the stores run on diesel.

    Diesel is only going to get more expensive from here, and America’s companies are going to pass those costs along to the consumers.

    Yes, that will be quite painful.

    Thanks to the soaring cost of fuel, airline fares are also shooting up dramatically

    Domestic airline fares for summer are averaging more than $400 for a round trip, 24 percent percent higher than this time in 2019, before the pandemic, and a full 45 percent higher than a year ago, according to travel-data firm Hopper.

    One survey that was conducted just a few days ago found that approximately a third of all Americans say that their travel plans for Memorial Day were affected by high energy prices.

    Joe Biden promised to do all that he could to drive down gasoline prices, and in order to try to keep that promise he foolishly took enormous amounts of fuel out of our strategic reserve.

    Obviously that didn’t work, and now we are being told that Biden is running out of options

    President Joe Biden has vowed to do everything in his power to fight record-setting gasoline and diesel prices, but he’s up against a stark reality: There are few options for taming the surge.
    
    While Biden has unleashed an unprecedented amount of oil from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve, other tools at the administration’s disposal would come at the expense of environmental protection and have little effect on fuel costs stoked by strained crude supplies and a global shortage of refining capacity. And the one sure-fire fix — for Americans to stop driving so much — is largely outside his control.

    In case you haven’t figured it out by now, Joe Biden is not going to save us from this crisis.

    In the short-term, nobody is going to save us from this crisis.

    We need more refineries, we need more drilling, and ultimately we are going to need some major technological breakthroughs because the way that we are currently doing things is not even close to sustainable.

    On top of everything else, our rapidly aging power grids were never designed to handle so much demand.  According to CBS News, we could potentially be facing widespread outages during the summer of 2022…

    In its annual summer assessment released this week, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation noted that the Upper Midwest is facing a capacity shortfall leading to a “high risk of energy emergencies.” The entire Western U.S. also could face a power outage emergency in the event of spikes in energy use.
    
    “We’ve been doing this for close to 30 years. This is probably one of the grimmest pictures we’ve painted in a while,” John Moura, NERC’s director of reliability assessment and performance analysis, told CBS MoneyWatch.

    What will you do if the power in your area goes out for an extended period of time?

    We all know that California has been experiencing problems for years, but in 2022 we are being told that the middle of the nation is actually at greatest risk

    In a large swath of the grid stretching from Illinois to Minnesota, the summer’s power demands are projected to exceed the grid’s capacity. That’s because this area of the grid — known as the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, or MISO — has lost about 2% of its generation capacity since last year as plants have retired; a key transmission line is also down for maintenance.

    Perhaps you think that my headline is a little too dramatic.

    Perhaps you do not yet believe that we are facing the worst energy crisis in U.S. history.

    If that is the case, give it a few months.

    By the end of the summer, I think that everyone will understand that we truly have entered a nightmare with no end in sight.

    More pictures from the past…

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    2022.05.30 The Crazy Policies Are Going To Get (A Lot) Worse

    Good video from Gonzalo Lira.

    Portland, Oregon, 1973

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    8 4

    Harpoon Missiles Arrive in Ukraine

    The Odessa, Ukraine Regional Military Authority said Sunday “So many Harpoon missiles have been handed over to us, we can sink the entire Russian Black Sea Fleet.”

    The Harpoon is an all-weather, over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile developed and manufactured by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing Defense, Space & Security). The AGM-84E Standoff Land Attack Missile (SLAM) and later AGM-84H/K SLAM-ER (Standoff Land Attack Missile – Expanded Response) are cruise missile variants.

    The regular Harpoon uses active radar homing and flies just above the water to evade defenses. The missile can be launched from:

    • Fixed-wing aircraft (the AGM-84, without the solid-fuel rocket booster)
    • Surface ships (the RGM-84, fitted with a solid-fuel rocket booster that detaches when expended, to allow the missile’s main turbojet to maintain flight)
    • Submarines (the UGM-84, fitted with a solid-fuel rocket booster and encapsulated in a container to enable submerged launch through a torpedo tube);
    • Coastal defense batteries, from which it would be fired with a solid-fuel rocket booster.

    It has not (yet) been revealed which type of Harpoon missiles have been sent to Ukraine and there is GIGANTIC RISK for NATO countries depending upon the type of Harpoon sent.  You see, at least one of the Harpoon variants has the ability to use net-enabled networking for in-flight target updating.

    That updating would have to come from a NATO ship or aircraft as the missiles flew, once launched by Ukraine.

    If a NATO ship or aircraft provided in-flight target updating, that would constitute active participation in the war, and would be an “act of war” against Russia.

    Here are the various types of Harpoon Missile:

    Harpoon Block 1D

    This version featured a larger fuel tank and re-attack capability, but was not produced in large numbers because its intended mission (warfare with the Warsaw Pact countries of Eastern Europe) was considered to be unlikely following the Dissolution of the Soviet Union. Range is 278 kilometers (173 mi). Block 1D missiles were designated RGM/AGM-84F.

    SLAM ATA (Block 1G)

    This version, under development, gives the SLAM a re-attack capability, as well as an image comparison capability similar to the Tomahawk cruise missile; that is, the weapon can compare the target scene in front of it with an image stored in its onboard computer during terminal phase target acquisition and lock on (this is known as DSMAC). Block 1G missiles AGM/RGM/UGM-84G; the original SLAM-ER missiles were designated AGM-84H (2000-2002) and later ones the AGM-84K (2002 onwards).

    Harpoon Block 1J

    Block 1J was a proposal for a further upgrade, AGM/RGM/UGM-84J Harpoon (or Harpoon 2000), for use against both ship and land targets.

    Harpoon Block II

    In production at Boeing facilities in Saint Charles, Missouri, is the Harpoon Block II, intended to offer an expanded engagement envelope, enhanced resistance to electronic countermeasures and improved targeting. Specifically, the Harpoon was initially designed as an open-ocean weapon. The Block II missiles continue progress begun with Block IE, and the Block II missile provides the Harpoon with a littoral-water anti-ship capability.
    
    The key improvements of the Harpoon Block II are obtained by incorporating the inertial measurement unit from the Joint Direct Attack Munition program, and the software, computer, Global Positioning System (GPS)/inertial navigation system and GPS antenna/receiver from the SLAM Expanded Response (SLAM-ER), an upgrade to the SLAM.
    
    The US Navy awarded a $120 million contract to Boeing in July 2011 for the production of about 60 Block II Harpoon missiles, including missiles for 6 foreign militaries.
    
    India acquired 24 Harpoon Block II missiles to arm its maritime strike Jaguar fighters in a deal worth $170 million through the Foreign Military Sales system. In December 2010, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified U.S. Congress of a possible sale of 21 additional AGM-84L Harpoon Block II Missiles and associated equipment, parts and logistical support for a complete package worth approximately $200 million; the Indian government intends to use these missiles on its Indian Navy P-8I Neptune maritime patrol aircraft. The Indian Navy is also planning to upgrade the fleet of four submarines – Shishumar class – with tube-launched Harpoon missiles.
    
    Harpoon Block II missiles are designated AGM/RGM/UGM-84L.
    
    In early 2018, the U.S. State Department approved the sale of Harpoon Block II to the Mexican Navy for use on their future Sigma-class design frigates, the first of which is being built by Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding.

    Harpoon Block II+

    On 18 November 2015, the U.S. Navy tested the AGM-84N Harpoon Block II+ missile against a moving ship target. The Block II+ incorporates an improved GPS guidance kit and a net-enabled data-link that allows the missile to receive in-flight targeting updates. The Block II+ is planned to enter service in 2017.
    
    The USN intends to deploy the Harpoon Block II+ in late FY2018[24] by upgrading its existing inventory of Harpoon IC missiles.

    Harpoon Block III

    Harpoon Block III was intended to be an upgrade package to the existing USN Block 1C missiles and Command Launch Systems (CLS) for guided missile cruisers, guided missile destroyers, and the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter aircraft. After experiencing an increase in the scope of required government ship integration, test and evaluation, and a delay in development of a data-link, the Harpoon Block III program was canceled by the U.S. Navy in April 2009.[citation needed]

    Harpoon Block II+ ER

    In April 2015, Boeing unveiled a modified version of the RGM-84 it called the Harpoon Next Generation. It increases the ship-launched Harpoon missile's range from the Block II's 70 nmi (81 mi; 130 km) to 167.5 nmi (192.8 mi; 310.2 km), along with a new lighter 300 lb (140 kg) warhead and a more fuel-efficient engine with electronic fuel controls. Boeing offered the missile as the U.S. Navy's Littoral Combat Ship frigate upgrade over-the-horizon anti-ship missile as a cost-effective missile upgrade option; complete Next Gen Harpoons would cost approximately as much as a Block II at $1.2 million each, with upgrades for an existing missile costing half that. The version is also called the Harpoon Block II+ ER. Boeing claims the Block II+ ER is superior to the Naval Strike Missile through its improved turbojet giving it greater range and active radar-homing seeker for all-weather operation, as well as a lighter but "more lethal" warhead. Test shots in 2017 had been confirmed. In May 2017, Boeing revealed it was no longer offering the upgraded Harpoon for the frigate OTH missile requirement, but would continue development of it.
    
    Radio frequencies used for the net-enabled, in-flight target updating for the Harpoon missile, ARE KNOWN to the Russians.  They can monitor those frequencies for in-flight target updates, and they WILL know if a NATO plane or ship participated in a missile strike upon a Russian Naval vessel.

    Chicken Parmesan Skillet Casserole

    This hearty skillet dinner is an easy, deconstructed version of chicken Parmesan that makes the classic achievable, even on the most rushed weeknight. Still cheesy, still crunchy, still saucy—just easier to assemble and made right on the stovetop!

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    b3e09018 03e1 49bc 8d8d 98e958527bf5

    Ingredients

    • 3 tablespoons butter
    • 1/2 cup Progresso™ Panko Italian style crispy bread crumbs
    • 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
    • 1 package (16 oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in 1-inch pieces, patted dry
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
    • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
    • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
    • 1 1/2 cups Muir Glen™ organic tomato basil pasta sauce (from 24.5-oz jar)
    • 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (6 oz)
    • 2 tablespoons thinly shredded fresh basil leaves

    2022 05 30 16 36
    2022 05 30 16 36

    The Prisoner 2.0 – ep14: FALL OUT [Series Finale, Part 2] (SirQ Audiovisual Restoration)

    This is supposed to be the final episode of “The Prisoner”. Numerically, it should be episode 17, but this refers to an episode 14. So I am a tad confused.

    This is the end of the series. I hope that you like it.

    (SirQ Audiovisual Restoration)”]

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

    NZBZ and American insanity, cute kitty cats, Thunder Island, and some great Quick Lasagna

    I am seriously considering changing everything that represents MM here. Keeping the website up but only making bi-monthly or single articles (say) one article per week, and cutting down on the you-tube videos. Instead, focusing on my Paetron site, and posting articles on MM core subjects. Such as world-line travel, affirmation campaigns, and fate forecasting. Maybe some extraterrestrial stuff too.

    I have noticed that many regular MM readers are unaware of all the MM you-tube videos. So I will post the videos as embed in separate MM articles as time moves forward. Like what I did for the missing children video that I posted yesterday.

    I will accept donations to both MM and Patreon.

    In general, I post one thick, juicy enormous “New Beginning” article a day, with periodic extra MM articles. I post form one to three You-Tube videos per day on You-Tube Metallicman, and one very, very juicy MM article on souls and Domain on patreon every day.

    So have fun today…

    Thunder Island

    I had this album when I attended university and would play it on my record player while I studied. I’m surprised that I found it on you-tube.

    US Military Journal Suggests Taiwan Should Destroy Its Semiconductor Industry To Deter Chinese Invasion Plan

    Jeeze! Idiotic American neocons. -MM
    .

    A new deterrence strategy proposed by American scholars has turned the argument of Chinese plans to invade Taiwan on its head.

    A paper, titled ‘Broken Nest: Deterring China from Invading Taiwan’ written by Jared McKinney and co-authored by Peter Harris in US Army War College’s quarterly academic journal Parameters, has urged Taipei to follow a “scorched earth policy” and destroy its semiconductor industry if China decided to invade Taiwan.

    It was the most downloaded academic paper of 2021 from Parameters, reported The Register. The authors urged that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the biggest chipmaker in the world and the largest chip supplier for Beijing, should be destroyed.

    McKinney is the chair of the Department of Strategy and Security Studies at the eSchool of Graduate Professional Military Education, Air University, and co-author Peter Harris is an associate professor of political science at Colorado State University.

    Article HERE

    Quick Lasagna

    Very terrible picture. But very delicious meal.

    Looking for an Italian-inspired dinner? Then check out this ground beef lasagna packed with three types of cheese – a scrumptious meal!

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    a657a870 5204 42ee 8dee 6be6de82f440

    Ingredients

    • 1 clove garlic
    • 1/2 pound ground beef
    • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
    • 1 cup spaghetti sauce
    • 6 purchased precooked or oven-ready lasagna noodles (each about 7×3 inches)
    • 1 container (12 ounces) reduced-fat cottage cheese (1 1/2 cups)
    • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 ounces)
    • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

    2022 05 27 14 57
    2022 05 27 14 57

    Ukraine Military Situation

    Meanwhile the war is progressing in Russia’s favor. I do not have time to show detailed maps of what is happening but there are two reasonable Youtube channels which provide good daily reports based on multiple sources. These are Military Summary and Defense Politics Aaaaasia.

    In the north Lyman has fallen with reports of Ukrainian troops withdrawing after a short fight. In the east the Ukrainian held city Severodonetsk is mostly isolated and now under fierce attack. Several more towns around the Popasna bulge have been taken by the Russian side. South of it the city Svetlodarsk has fallen after the Ukrainian tried but failed to destroy a nearby dam. The Ukrainian troops retreated without a fight.

    Instead of holding the lines by all means Ukrainian units now seem more interested in running away. That is more healthy for them and also solves their serious supply issues. Like other supply lines the Bakhmut-Lisichansk road is now under Russian fire control. This video shows what that means.

    What we are seeing now are the effects of nearly three months of Russian artillery war. The Ukrainian troops at the frontline have been ground down and those who are left are moving out before being destroyed too. The front begins to move at several points. When those points merge we may next see the tactical deep battle phase of a classic Russian deep operation:

    Deep battle envisaged the breaking of the enemy's forward defenses, or tactical zones, through combined arms assaults, which would be followed up by fresh uncommitted mobile operational reserves sent to exploit the strategic depth of an enemy front. The goal of a deep operation was to inflict a decisive strategic defeat on the enemy's logistical abilities and render the defence of their front more difficult, impossible, or indeed irrelevant. Unlike most other doctrines, deep battle stressed combined arms cooperation at all levels: strategic, operational, and tactical.

    18may2022 Ukraine map
    18may2022 Ukraine map

    Blinken Lays out Washington’s Anti-China Agenda

    This is a really, REALLY great video. It’s a MUST watch.

    URME: Your Personal Surveillance Identity Prosthetic

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    The URME Personal Surveillance Identity Prosthetic demonstrates the latest in 3D printing technology. Made from a pigmented hard resin, this mask is both a 3D scan of artist Leo Selvaggio’s face, as well as photo realistic rendering of his features, such as skin tone, texture and hair.

    URME belongs to artist Leo Selvaggio and founder of URME Surveillance. As an artist Leo has been interested in identity and how it can be thought of as data: highly manipulable, editable, and corruptible. In 2013 he applied this idea to surveillance, using his own identity as a guinne pig and realized its applications for the larger public. It was then that URME was born.

    People have been hiding from surveillance since the begining of networked cameras. Unfortunately wearing a ski mask in public makes you a pretty easy target. its fairly easy to track on camera, and even if the camera doesn’t see you, EVERYONE else will. “Why is that dude wearing a ski mask?” Etc, etc. In response, URME Surveillance has developed a state of the art identity replacement tech in the Personal Surveillance Identity Prosthetic. The basic gist is that rather than hide from cameras, simply give them a face other than your own to track without drawing attention to yourself in a crowd. In other words, when your out in the world doing whatever you are doing, all your actions, which are being recorded are documented as the actions of someone other than yourself, freeing you from any threat of surveillance.

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    UKRAINE BIOLABS: “Illicit Ebola and Smallpox researches run by US”. Alert by Russian Lawmaker. Shadows of Gates, NATO & CIA

    International Intrigue behind Pentagon’s bacteriological experiments on SARS too.

    .

    by Fabio Giuseppe Carlo Carisio for VT Europe

    VERSIONE IN ITALIANO

    The US researched Ebola and smallpox viruses in Ukraine, says Irina Yarovaya, Co-Chair of the Parliamentary Commission on Investigation of US Biological Laboratories in Ukraine, according TASS Russian News Agency.

    The alert is particularly disturbing for various reasons that the keenest readers of Gospa News’ WuhanGates inquiries will easily remember.

    First of all, it should be noted that this report on smallpox trials comes just in the week in which numerous cases of monkeypox have been recorded which, although mild, have already led British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to relaunch the use of vaccines against smallpox produced by multinationals that often collaborate with the Pentagon, or the US Department of Defense.

    But even more disturbing are other episodes. Among them is the mysterious and untimely death, just discovered the pandemic virus, of the Canadian scientist Frank Plummer who was working on experimenting with recombinant chimeric viruses, with Dual Use vaccine and military bioweapon purposes, on SARS, MERS, ancestors of SARS -Cov-2, on HIV, of which traces have been found in the Covid-19 virus, and finally on Ebola.

    «In July 2019, a rare event occurred in Canada. Suspected of espionage for China, a group of Chinese virologists was forcibly evicted from the Canadian National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) in Winnipeg (directed by the late Plummer – ed), where they had been running parts of the Special Pathogen Program of Canada’s public health agency. One of the procedures conducted by the team was the infection of monkeys with the most lethal viruses found on Earth. Four months prior to the Chinese team’s eviction, a shipment containing two exceptionally virulent viruses—Ebola and Nipah—was sent from the NML to China. When the shipment was traced, it was held to be improper and a “possible policy breach.” ».

    The Lieutenant Colonel (res.) Dr. Dany Shoham, a microbiologist and chemical and biological warfare expert in the Middle East and formerly an Israeli Army (IDF) military intelligence analyst, wrote it on January 29, 2020. He was among the first to argue that all counterintelligence agencies in the world know of the origin of laboratory SARS-Cov-2.

    INTRIGUE BETWEEN EBOLA VACCINES, GAVI ALLIANCE OF GATES AND NATO

    Finally, it should not be forgotten that one of the world’s leading experts in virology and vaccines, Geert Vanden Bossche worked in the Global Health Discovery team of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle (USA) as Senior Program Officer; before moving to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization GAVI, founded by Bill Gates, as Senior Ebola Program Manager in Geneva

    In 2015, he questioned the safety of the Ebola vaccine used in the ring vaccination studies conducted by the WHO in Guinea and broke off his collaboration with Gates becoming one of the staunchest supporters of the danger of anti-Covid gene serums.

    It should be remembered that a former director of Gates’ Ngo GAVI, which today manages the Covax vaccination plan against Covid in poor countries, was Jens Stoltenberg, who later became NATO secretary.

    This organization, in addition to fomenting the current war in Ukraine, in 2014 collaborated in the coup in Ukraine orchestrated by George Soros, an investor in Big Pharma Gilead who manages the Richard Lugar Center in Tbilisi, Georgia, on contract from the Pentagon and under supervision of the Central Intelligence Agency, the American counterintelligence.

    In about twenty lines we explained why the alarm raised by the Russian parliamentarian Irina Yarovaya, co-chairman of the Parliamentary Investigation Commission on US biological laboratories in Ukraine, however biased it may appear as her nation is at war with Ukraine, must be taken absolutely with extreme attention …

    Also in the light of the evidential clues on the construction of SARS-Cov-2 in the laboratory in an EU-US-China deal,through the Shanghai Gang defeated by the current leaders of the Chinese Communist Party, which would then pass through the Moderna Big Pharma funded by Gates and the Pentagon.

    THE ALERT OF THE RUSSIAN LAWMAKER

    “Today, we presented an analysis of which pathogens the US was particularly interested in in Ukraine,” she told reporters Friday, according TASS Russian News Agency..

    “Aside from the pathogens that are territorially bound to Ukraine, [the laboratories] researched viruses and pathogens that are endemically very far from Ukraine, such as Ebola and smallpox.”

    WHOLE ARTICLE CONTINUES HERE

    Kitten with Big Bear Paws and Fearless Nature is So Excited to Run Around for the First Time

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    2022 05 27 20 56

    A kitten with big bear paws and fearless nature is so happy to run around freely for the first time.

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    2022 05 27 20 58

    Late last month, a polydactyl kitten with curled ears and a bobtail was brought into Friends for Life Rescue Network, an animal rescue in Los Angeles. She was four weeks old and came with an extremely bent ankle.

    “She was born with the bent front leg. Polydactyl cats’ paws are too big in utero and can result in the arm being bent at an abnormal angle when there isn’t enough room,” Jacqueline DeAmor, founder of Friends for Life Rescue Network, told Love Meow.

    “In her case, she came from a bigger litter so there wasn’t enough room to accommodate her paw size. This caused the tendons to be stuck over constricted.”

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    2022 05 27 21 00

    The kitten whom they named Indira (Indy), was walking on her forearm with limited mobility. Fortunately, she was very young and her condition could be significantly improved through physical therapy.

    “Usually this can be corrected with massaging and stretching as a newborn for the first few weeks of life if noticed early. Four weeks was prime age to splint and correct the leg before her bones calcified and before the tendons became too short to be stretched,” Jacqueline shared with Love Meow.

    2022 05 27 21 02
    2022 05 27 21 02

    After just one week of leg wraps, Indy was able to land on her four paws and began to walk a lot more steadily. As she built enough strength, she turned into a ball of energy with a lot of sass.

    Indy adores people and loves being catered to. Adam and Margaux, foster liaisons of the rescue, syringe-fed the kitten during the day and were completely enamored with the little tabby.

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    2022 05 27 21 03

    “Every time I sat down to feed her, Indy would jump right into my lap and wait for food. It melted my heart,” the couple shared with Love Meow.

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    2022 05 27 21 06

    “I was also very impressed at how much she adapted to having her leg wrapped — it didn’t slow her down at all! And her leg straightened out so quickly that she only needed wraps for a week.”

    Watch Indy and her journey in this cute video:

    Kitten with big bear pawswww.youtube.com

    “Now, she gets 10 minutes of leg massaging and stretching after each meal,” Adam and Margaux told Love Meow.

    2022 05 27 21 08
    2022 05 27 21 08

    At almost seven weeks old, Indy can stand up completely on her paws and run around just like any other kitten.

    “Now that she’s gotten so steady on her feet, you can really see her playful side coming out. She loves to jump around, chase things, and wrestle with toys. Once she’s good and tired, she comes right up for cuddles.”

    2022 05 27 21 09
    2022 05 27 21 09

    Indy enjoys scampering around at full speed while trying to pounce on all the resident cats, who are much larger in size. When she is ready to take a break and recharge, she likes to put herself to bed.

    “She goes here every time she feels tired,” Jacqueline shared with Love Meow.

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    2022 05 27 21 10

    If she finds a soft blanket, she will go to town and make (knead) the sweetest biscuits while purring up a storm.

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    2022 05 27 21 11

    Indy is so thrilled to be able to run around without a care in the world. She is brave, playful and adventurous, and enjoys every little thing in life.

    2022 05 27 21 12
    2022 05 27 21 12

    Government meeting on stabilizing economy lifts market sentiment, with experts feeling upbeat about GDP rebound after COVID wanes

    By GT staff reportersPublished: May 26, 2022 10:12 PM

    China holds unprecedented meeting on stabilizing economy with focus on policy implementation
    
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    also:
    
    And HERE

    Soon after China convened what has been seen as an unprecedented national video teleconference on stabilizing the economy, entities ranging from central departments to local governments spared no time to map out their economy-lifting missions, while the stock market also edged up after investors received a message of determination from the government to guide the economy back to normal  after a marked slowdown.

    The instant reaction also mirrors the market’s eagerness for a clear policy  from the top to stimulate economic growth, as many businesspeople still feel a sense of uncertainty for future prospects after they encountered headwinds like coronavirus lockdowns and the Ukraine crisis, experts said.

    At the teleconference held by China’s State Council on Wednesday and reportedly included around 100,000 participants, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang stressed that the country must “grasp a time window” and strive to get the economy back to normal.

    The premier stressed that stabilizing growth needs to be given a higher priority as the country focuses on ensuring market entities, employment and people’s livelihood.

    Experts interpreted the meeting as marking a top-down resolution in safeguarding the momentum of the world’s second-largest economy, while presenting a unified spirit will help the country overcome the headwinds.

    “It’s better early than late to map out economic work, in case the recent kind of black swan events hap-pen again in China,” said Ye Qing, former deputy head of the Hubei Provincial Statistics Bureau, adding that one major objective of the recent arrangement is to achieve positive GDP growth in the second quarter.

    Market response

    Along with the meeting, different entities ranging from central departments to local governments have moved to align economic-lifting work in accordance with what has been instructed in the aforementioned meeting. 

    The People’s Bank of China, China’s central bank, issued a notice saying that it will push for the establishment of a long-term mechanism that makes financial institutions capable of and willing to lend loans to micro enterprises, the bank said on Thursday.

    The State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission issued 27 measures to help alleviate small companies’ difficulties, including reducing web fees for small enterprises.

    China also launched 13 measures to support the trade sector including safeguarding production stability and increasing fiscal support to trade firms, according to a document published by the general office of the State Council, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

    Local governments also took instant action. The Nanjing city government convened a meeting on Wednesday to study the allocation of work for stimulating the city’s economy. The city’s officials were requested to make clear work responsibilities and make efforts to achieve targets for the first half of this year.

    China’s stock markets edged up on Thursday, with the Shanghai Composite Index rising  0.5 percent, while the Shenzhen market rose  0.57 percent.

    Several companies interviewed by the Global Times applauded the government’s action to help domestic companies cope with difficulties, saying they still have confidence in a business rebound soon in spite of a business contraction recently.

    A manager of a logistics company based in Shanghai surnamed Zhao told the Global Times on Thursday that the company’s business has dropped by at least 50 percent in April due to the lockdown, but he expects the company’s revenue to pick up by about 10 percent in May compared with the previous month as the city gradually lifts closed-loop management. His company engages in foreign trade.

    According to Zhao, the growing complexity of the external environment including the US’ Indo-Pacific strategy, high inflation abroad and the rising interest rate of the dollar, is casting a shadow of uncer-tainty on foreign trade companies. But he still holds confidence and believes that the epidemic will be brought under control soon.

    “It would take another 2-3 months or more for the industry to recover to pre-epidemic level,” Zhao said.

    Liu Hongyuan, CEO of a compression socks maker and exporter Hangzhou Zhongzhi Industry Co., told the Global Times that he feels a mix of uncertainty and confidence in the future.

    “I have confidence in the long-term development prospects of the sports industry (which boosts de-mands for our products), but our business pressure is heavy currently,” he said.

    This feeling of uncertainty has arisen from diminishing purchasing power or willingness from overseas clients, he said, which caused the company’s exports to drop compared to last year.

    He said that the company has benefited from the government’s VAT credit refund policy, and he hopes more such support from the authorities, like favorable policies on loans to medium and small companies.

    Future outlook 

    Although China is going through tremendous economic pressure, many economists are still upbeat about a rebound soon, as they pointed out that the fundamentals of China’s economy have not been damaged by the recent difficulties.

    Cong Yi, a professor at the Tianjin University of Finance and Economics, told the Global Times on Thursday that the current downward pressure is due to the sudden outbreak of the Omicron virus, rather than any fundamental problems.

    “Our confidence and efforts to maintain growth comes from  stable fundamentals-backed by China’s huge market, strong production capability and domestic demand. Those will not disappear because of the temporary coronavirus resurgence,” Cong said.

    Cao Heping, an economist at Peking University, also told the Global Times on Thursday that if Shanghai can gradually recover by the end of May and seize the June window, China’s economic growth can remain positive in the second quarter.

    He said that in order to stabilize growth and market entities, stimulus ranging from tax cuts to other support measures have to be “extremely efficient,” “quite precise” and go to those who need them most.

    A report of the Economic Daily published on Thursday noted that China should not only face up to the current pressure, but should also recognize the internal economic rules in the long term, pointing out that China’s economy is full of potential and resilience.

    Experts also stressed that the government is looking to prepare for an “accurate” stimulus policy in the second quarter by mapping out and studying China’s economic indicators.

    Premier Li noted that major economic indicators for the second quarter across different parts of the country would be published by national statistics departments in a  truthful manner.

    “The government is attaching great importance to second quarter GDP data, being stricter about its calculations and hoping the numbers reflect China’s genuine economic situation,” Ye said.

    Huo Jianguo, vice chairman of the China Society for World Trade Organization Studies in Beijing, told the Global Times on Thursday that there’s no need to adjust the full-year growth target of 5.5 percent, although it means challenges for the third and fourth quarter’s economic performance.

    How to Design a Nuclear Reactor – an Illustrated Rough Guide, 1956-1998

    I just LOVE the line art.

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    The University of New Mexico’s Centennial Science and Engineering Library hosts these images of Nuclear Engineering Wall Charts. The graphics appeared in Nuclear Engineering International magazine from it inception in 1956 to 1998. Nuclear power has had its successes and disasters – but it’s rarely looked better.

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    Western Civilization at a Crossroads: Mythical Hegemony or Win-Win Paradigm?

    “I was honored to discover that my recent piece co-authored by Dr Edward Lozansky was just published on The American Committee for US-Russia Accord tackling the big question of WHICH western civilization is shaping the current Neoliberal Rules Based disorder? “
    As the world is moving slowly but surely to the edge of the abyss, there is a parallel crisis going within the nations that claim to exemplify the best of “western values” while undermining and violating them at every point.
    
    Of course, the West blames all the problems of the world on the East, particularly Russia and China but there are some “dissident” voices that need to be heard at least for the sake of those who are interested in searching for ideas that might avoid Armageddon. 
    
    Rudyard Kipling once wrote: “East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet, Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God’s great Judgment Seat.”
    
    In his poem, Kipling was expressing his belief that cultures of the East and West were so intrinsically different that any hope for harmony or mutual interest was little more than a delusion.
    
    How could such a worldview possibly mesh with the cultures of Orthodox Russia, Confucian China, or the Islamic world? To the degree that those cultures maintained their ancient traditions and values, it obviously could not, as only total submission to a hegemon could resolve the conflict.

    Impossibly Easy Bacon Cheeseburger Pie

    Come on!

    What’s stopping you from giving this dish a try-out? Eh?

    Ground beef combines with bacon to add a delicious flavor to this easy cheeseburger pie – perfect when you want dinner to be ready in 50 minutes.

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    a5acb451 564e 4b8a 9bbd 0bc045af4dae

    Ingredients

    • 6 slices bacon
    • 1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
    • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
    • 1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
    • 1/4 cup ketchup
    • 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz)
    • 1/2 cup Original Bisquick™ mix
    • 1 cup milk
    • 2 eggs

    2022 05 23 21 29
    2022 05 23 21 29

    HD】南征北戰NZBZ – 《生來倔强》巡迴演唱會_我的天空 (Live) [Official Music Video] 官方LIVE版

    Enjoy a taste of contemporaneous Chinese culture…

    官方LIVE版”]

    The Intelligence Service Owl From Russia

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    A Russian technopolis ERA presents a remotely piloted vehicle that looks like an owl. The intelligence service drone can stay in the air for forty minutes and overcome a distance up to twenty kilometers. Besides, it can recognize ground targets from a distance up to ten meters.

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    2 3rrt1

    The vehicle determines the cordinates of ground reconnaissance objects with use of a laser target marker ranger and the Global navigation satellite system “Glonass”. The weight of the owl is 5 kg, it can be launched by one person. The producer of the vehicle notes that it’s also possible to make similar remote-piloted vehicles that would look like falcons or other birds of prey.

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    The Prisoner S1E2 Part 1

    This is the second episode of The Prisoner. It is in two parts because it is so long. This is the first part. I hope you enjoy it. It took me forever to find.

    The Prisoner S1E2 Part 2

    This is the second episode of The Prisoner. This is the second part. I hope you enjoy it. It took me forever to find.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

    Fooling around, mysteries, new geopolitical alignments in the Pacific Rim, and Beef and Green Chile Enchiladas

    My wife just got a cute little yellow envelope in the mail from an organization called "Project Hope". They were soliciting donations for Ukraine. Yeah right. There's a scam for everything in the USA. 
    
    So I looked up their executive compensation. Get dafuq outta here!
    
    1. Thomas Kenyon, M.D. $415,652
    2. Alan Weil $406,419
    3. Rabih Torbay $347,437
    
    -Tom_Q_Collins

    I hope youse guys are all doing well. Things are warming up here in Zhuhai. Still funky weather. That’s for certain, here in this installment of MM mixed up subjects we are going to though out numerous songs and some history with food and other fun subjects. I hope you all enjoy this edition.

    But first, I want to give a “shout out” to Ohio Guy. He’s one of the handful of special contributors that have been supporting MM all these years. I feel bad that I lumped him in with the many, many who just hop in and go along “for the ride” without a kind note, a friendly wave, or a dollar in the tip jar.

    I want all of you to know that I try to make this MM site free for everyone, but those that contribute in some funds, and donations, that place some comments, and that send me some private emails are THE ENGINE that keeps MM humming along.

    And it’s really important.

    We all have good days, and bad days, just like you do. And MM is no exception, but you know what? It’s that super kind comment that turns my day around. It’s that heart-felt email that I get that put a shine on my cheeks, and it’s that little donation that make me stand a little taller, and makes the day a little brighter.

    So, with this in mind, I dedicate this entire post to “Ohio Guy”! Take a bow. My hat’s off to you!

    You are the guy who dragged me back to the chair, and kept me working. You are the guy; the man, who inspired me to keep on, going on.

    I salute you.

    Beef and Green Chile Enchiladas

    Try these easy, cheesy ground-beef enchiladas, complete with sassy sauce and mild chiles.

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    2b23cf23 2d3b 48a3 93b1 912004fbe8d0

    Ingredients

    • 1 lb. lean (at least 80%) ground beef
    • 1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
    • 1 cup frozen corn
    • 1/2 cup sour cream
    • 1 (4.5-oz.) can Old El Paso™ Chopped Green Chiles
    • 8 oz. (2 cups) shredded colby-Monterey Jack cheese
    • 1 (10-oz.) can Old El Paso™ Enchilada Sauce
    • 6 (8-inch) flour tortillas
    • Shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes and additional sour cream, if desired

    2022 05 25 19 48
    2022 05 25 19 48

    Philippines’ Marcos wants China ties to ‘shift to higher gear’ under his presidency

    • Xi, Marcos to hold more comprehensive talks
    • China will respect an “independent” foreign policy -Marcos
    • Philippines an issue in U.S.-China strategic rivalry
    • Marcos widely expected to lean towards China

    MANILA, May 18 (Reuters) – Philippines president-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Wednesday said his country’s ties with China will expand and “shift to a higher gear” when he takes power, signalling intent to advance outgoing leader Rodrigo Duterte’s pro-Beijing agenda.

    Reporting by Karen Lema and Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by Martin Petty

    The article is HERE

    Elvin Bishop | Fooled Around and Fell in Love

    Yousa! I love this…. It must have been awesome in concert. It was just so and so when I was growing up. But watching the live video is something else.

    Vladimir Putin signs legislation allowing him to hold office until 2036 – ABC News

    Long live Putin
    .

    Key points:

    • New legislation allows Mr Putin to hold office for two additional six-year terms
    • The amendments emphasise Russian law over international norms, outlaw same-sex marriages and mention “a belief in God” as a core value
    • The opposition has criticised the legislation, arguing that it lacks transparency and hinders independent monitoring
    Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed legislation allowing him to hold office for two additional six-year terms — a move that means he may stay in power until 2036.
    
    If Mr Putin remains in power until 2036, his tenure will surpass even that of Joseph Stalin, who ruled the Soviet Union for 29 years, making him the country's longest-serving leader since the Russian empire.
    
    Mr Putin has served twice as president, from 2000-08 and 2012-present, as well as serving as de facto leader while prime minister from 2008-12.
    
    Last year, Mr Putin signed additional legislation granting former presidents a lifetime seat in the federation council or senate, a position that assured immunity from prosecution upon leaving the presidency.
    
    The 68-year-old Russian President, who has held power for more than two decades, said he would decide later whether to run in 2024 when his current six-year term ended.

    Article HERE.

    Someone Found An Old Photo Album Full Of Pics Of This strange Woman And Hollywood Celebrities In A Thrift Shop

    It’s a mystery.

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    Bruce Willis

    A thrift shop in Belgium has caused quite a stir on the Internet. People at Opnieuw & Co, a local establishment in Mortsel, discovered an old photo album where a woman posed next to the biggest stars in Hollywood.

    After they shared some of the pictures, the online community immediately started their investigation.

    Who was this woman hugging Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Bruce Willis, and other A-list celebrities?

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    Patrick Stewart

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    Lawrence Fishburn

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    Harrison Ford

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    Nicolas Cage

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    Sam Neill and Robert Downey Jr

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    Kevin Costner

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    Tom Seleck

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    Tom Cruise

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    Richard Dreyfuss

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    Kristin Davis

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    Jon Bon Jovi

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    Cuba Gooding Jr, Lawrence Fishburn

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    Drew Barrymore

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    Ed Harris

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    Keanu Reeves

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    Tim Roth

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    Heather Locklear

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    Antonio Banderas

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    Johnny Depp

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    Kevin Costner, find yourself someone looking at you like Kevin Costner looks at her.

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    Hugh Grant

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    Kevin Bacon and Tom Hanks

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    Rutger Hauer

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    The Cast of “The Bold & The Beautiful”.

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    William Shatner

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    Young Elijah Wood

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    Will Smith

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    Meg Ryan and Andy Garcia

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    Kirk Douglas

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    Luke Perry

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    Andy Garcia

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    Emilio Estevez

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    Clarence Williams III, Kyle Maclachlan and Samuel L Jackson

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    Helen Hunt

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    Kate Winslett

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    Liam Neeson

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    Jack Nicholson

    35 3
    Faye Dunaway

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    Robert Duvall

    36 3
    The Cast of “Melrose Place”

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    Christopher Walken

    37 2
    Steven Spielberg

    38 2
    Walter Matthau

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    Jack Lemmon and Sophia Loren

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    Tommy Lee Jones

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    Gerard Depardieu and Claude Berri

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    Sir Anthony Hopkins and Richard Attenborough

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    Julia Roberts

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    Johnny Depp and Juliette Lewis

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    Michael Douglas

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    Andrew Shue

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    Denzel Washington

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    Cary Elwes

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    Matt Dillon

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    Danny Glover

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    Nicole Kidman and Michael Keaton

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    Cast of Saved By The Bell

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    Cast of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Women

    After a while, someone noticed a tag she had in one of the photos. Turns out, the ‘mysterious’ woman is actually Maria Snoeys-Lagler, a former member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). It’s a non-profit organization of journalists and photographers who report on the entertainment industry. The HFPA consists of about 90 members from around 55 countries, and they’re the ones conducting the annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony in Los Angeles every January.

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    Looking at these pictures, it’s clear that Maria Snoeys-Lagler has met virtually everyone dominating the biggest screens and stages. Or is it the other way around? Maybe, just maybe, there’s a secret club in Hollywood of all the celebrities who have had their picture taken with Maria Snoeys-Lagler?

    S O S Band Take Your Time Do It Right 1980

    Gosh this girl is so darn HOT!

    China is pursuing a Pacific-wide pact with 10 island nations on security, policing and data – report

    Federated States of Micronesia wants deal rejected because it could spark new cold war between China and west while Australia admits ‘we’ve got a lot of work to do’

    Wed 25 May 2022 18.44 AEST
    
    China will pursue a Pacific-wide deal with almost a dozen island nations covering policing, security and data communications cooperation when the foreign minister, Wang Yi, hosts a meeting in Fiji next week, documents show.
    
    A draft communique and five-year action plan sent by Beijing to 10 Pacific islands ahead of a foreign ministers meeting on 30 May has prompted pushback from at least one of the invited nations, which said it showed China’s intent to control the region and “threatens regional stability”.
    
    In a letter to 21 Pacific leaders seen by Reuters, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) president, David Panuelo, said his nation would argue the “pre-determined joint communique” should be rejected because he feared it could spark a new “cold war” between China and the west.
    
    Wang will visit eight Pacific island nations that China holds diplomatic ties with between 26 May and 4 June.
    
    He arrives on Thursday in Solomon Islands, which recently signed a security pact with China despite objections from Australia, the US, Japan and New Zealand, which fear it could upset regional security arrangements and give China a military foothold in the Pacific.
    
    Beijing rejects this, saying the pact is focused on domestic policing and criticism by western countries was interfering in Solomon Island’s sovereign decision-making.
    
    China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the document.
    
    The FSM government, which has a defence agreement with the US as well as an economic cooperation agreement with China, declined to comment on the letter.
    
    Australia’s new foreign minister, Penny Wong, on Wednesday said: “China has made its intentions clear [but] so too are the intentions of the new Australian government.”
    
    Wong declared the incoming Labor government had a lot of work to do to recover Australia’s status as the partner of choice in the Pacific after a “lost decade” of Coalition rule.
    
    New vision
    
    A region-wide agreement covering security and trade between China and Pacific islands would represent a shift in Beijing’s focus from bilateral relationships to dealing with the Pacific on a multilateral basis – and would likely increase concerns by Washington and its allies.
    
    The China-Pacific Island Countries Common Development Vision draft document, as well as a five-year action plan, has been circulated by Beijing ahead of the meeting in Fiji.
    
    It states China and the Pacific islands will “strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the fields of traditional and non-traditional security”.
    
    “China will hold intermediate and high-level police training for Pacific Island countries through bilateral and multilateral means,” the document seen by Reuters states.
    
    The action plan outlines a ministerial dialogue on law enforcement capacity and police cooperation to be held in 2022, and China providing forensic police laboratories.
    
    The draft communique also pledges cooperation on data networks, cybersecurity, smart customs systems, and for Pacific islands to “take a balanced approach to technological progress, economic development and protection of national security”.
    
    Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei, which is barred from 5G networks run by several US allies, has been repeatedly thwarted in attempts to build submarine cables or run mobile networks in the Pacific islands by Australia and the US offering rival bids for the sensitive infrastructure, citing national security concerns.
    
    China’s provision of customs systems would lead to “biodata collection and mass surveillance of those residing in, entering and leaving our islands”, he added.
    
    The letter was also critical of Australia’s lack of action on climate change, which Panuelo said was the greatest security threat to the region.
    
    The new Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, pledged this week to increase climate financing to Pacific islands, saying climate change was the main economic and security challenge for low-lying island countries.

    Tommy James + The Shondells – Crystal Blue Persuasion

    Dust off this lost great…

    Ukraine Propaganda – BBC Tries To Sell Telegram Rumors That Make No Sense

    From MoA

    Do they really think that the people are dumb enough to believe such shit?

    Russian media: retired Russian major general killed in skies over Ukraine

     

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    2022 05 26 15 30

    Which ‘Russian media’ one might asks:

    A [Russian] fighter has been shot down in the skies over Ukraine, and Kanamat Botashev, a retired Major General of the Russian Air Force, was killed.Source: Russian edition of BBC with reference to Botashov’s three former subordinates

    Details: Subordinates who had kept in touch with Botashev after leaving the service agreed to comment on condition of anonymity for reasons of personal safety.

    Oh, the ‘Russian media’ is in fact the Russian language site of the BBC World Service which is financed and directed by the British government’s Foreign Office. The same BBC World Service which since March has suspended its operation and which had its its website blocked in Russia.

    That BBC World Service will surly have reliable sources for making such nonsense claims:

    One of Botashev’s former colleagues confirmed that a retired general was carrying out missions in a Su-25 aircraft in Ukraine.In one of the Russian Telegram channels, this participant reported on Botashev’s death …

     

    ‘Russian Telegram channels’ are anonymous and also widely used by Ukrainians. They are often unreliable.

    The picture above is somewhat curious too. Its resolution is too low to read the name patch of the pictured officer who does totally not look like 63 year old retired man.

    The plane the Ukrainians allegedly shot down was a Su-25 ground attack aircraft. Why then is the ‘retired Major-General Botashev’, should he actually exist, pictured in front of an Su-34, a supersonic fighter-bomber. According to Tineye the photo was first published on May 23 by a news site in Tbilisi, Georgia. There is no metadata in the picture and I am unable to find any caption for it.

    The whole story makes absolutely no sense:

    It is unclear how the 63-year-old retired general found himself at the controls of the Su-25 in Ukraine.


    Botashev commanded a regiment of the Guards Air Base in Voronezh. His military career came to an end in June 2012, when he was accused of crashing a Su-27 fighter near Petrozavodsk. The general asked his friend-colonel to let him fly a Su-27, a flight permit he did not have.

     

    So the dude was kicked out of the military? He hasn’t flown military planes for 10 years? Somehow he steals an Su-25, which he probably did not know how to fly, and gets shot down over Ukraine? Yeah, that makes totally sense …

    What will the BBC World Service editors try to sell us next? Bridges?

    Posted by b on May 25, 2022 at 16:03 UTC | Permalink

    Underwater Graveyard Full Of WWII Planes Is Otherworldly

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    For 70 years, World War II planes have been resting in peace at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Although divers have enjoyed exploring the underwater graveyard since the 1960s, Brandi Mueller‘s photos allow us to admire these treasures without a wetsuit.

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    “I find diving [to see] the airplanes really exciting,” Mueller, a scuba diving instructor and boat captain, told Mashable. “It’s a strange thing to see airplanes underwater. Shipwrecks you expect, but not airplanes.”

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    The planes didn’t actually crash at this particular location near the Marshall Islands, though. They were discarded there after WWII because it was too expensive to transport them back to the United States from the Kwajalein Atoll, according to Mueller.

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    The site includes Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers, F4U Corsairs, TBF/TBM Avengers, Helldivers, B-25 Mitchells, Curtiss C-46 Commandos and F4F Wildcats, which sit in the sand about 130 feet below the surface.

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    Here Are 11 Statistics That Show How U.S. Consumers Are Faring In This Rapidly Deteriorating Economy

    .

    Prices are soaring, there are widespread shortages of certain items such as baby formula all over the nation, and at the same time U.S. economic activity appears to be really slowing down.  Considering all of that, it makes perfect sense why the American people are feeling so negative about the economy right now.  In fact, a whopping 85 percent of all Americans believe that there will be a recession within the next year.

    These days, it is virtually impossible to get Americans to overwhelmingly agree about anything, and so the fact that 85 percent of us are anticipating a recession is a really big deal.

    Just about everyone realizes that economic conditions are going to get worse, but for those of you that still doubt where we are headed here are 11 statistics that show how U.S. consumers are faring in this rapidly deteriorating economy…

    #1 According to a Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll that was recently conducted, 56 percent of Americans say that their financial situations are getting worse, and only 20 percent of Americans say that their financial situations are improving.

    #2 Another new survey has just discovered that 66 percent of Americans “have avoided social events because they’ve felt embarrassed or uncomfortable” about their financial situations.

    #3 The housing bubble appears to be bursting.  At this point, sales of new single family homes are falling at a very frightening pace

    Sales of new single-family houses in April plunged by 16.6% from March and by 26.9% from a year ago, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 591,000 houses, the lowest since lockdown April 2020, according to the Census Bureau today. Sales of new houses are registered when contracts are signed, not when deals close, and can serve as an early indicator of the overall housing market.

    #4 After breaking the all-time national record in March, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States has gone 42 cents above the old record and is now sitting at $4.59.

    #5 The average age of a car on U.S. roads has reached an all-time record high of 12.2 years.  Many Americans continue to delay replacing their current vehicles because new vehicles have become so unaffordable.

    #6 Millions of American families are struggling with rapidly rising food prices

    The index for food away from home increased 7.2% over the last year, the Labor Department reported earlier this month. Food prices were up 9.4% in April from the same time last year — the biggest jump since April 1981, the Bureau of Labor Statistics recently reported. And grocery store prices increased 10.8% for the year ended in April.

    #7 U.S. natural gas futures just crossed the nine dollar threshold – the highest level that we have seen since the financial crisis of 2008.  That means that much higher energy costs are on the way for U.S. consumers.

    #8 Multiple Fed surveys are showing that manufacturing activity in the U.S. is really slowing down

    The slowdown in manufacturing activity on display in reports from the Federal Reserve banks of New York and Philadelphia was confirmed by a survey from the Richmond Fed indicating that factory activity contracted in the mid-Atlantic region in May.
    
    The Fifth District Survey of Manufacturing Activity index dropped 23 points from a positive reading of 14 in April to a minus nine, the lowest reading since May 2020, when much of the economy was still reeling from the onset of the pandemic and lockdowns.

    #9 Zero Hedge is reporting extremely depressing news about U.S. macro data: “Other than April 2020 – when the entire economy was closed – May’s serial disappointment in US Macro data is the worst since Lehman”

    #10 Thanks to plunging stock prices, approximately 20 trillion dollars in household net worth has been “wiped out” so far this year.

    #11 A new CBS News/YouGov survey has found that 74 percent of Americans believe that things are going badly in this country and that 51 percent of Americans actually believe that Joe Biden is “incompetent”.

    Right now, conditions are so similar to what we witnessed just before the financial crisis of 2008.

    If we had addressed our long-term problems back then, perhaps we would be in a much different place at the moment.

    But instead, we appear to be poised to repeat history in a lot of ways.

    In fact, many experts believe that the crisis that is staring us in the face will be even worse than what we went through more than a decade ago.  For example, just check out what Peter Schiff is saying

    This one is going to be even bigger because the economy has a lot more debt now than it did in 2008. And Americans are less able to pay it when interest rates rise because the balances are much greater. So, we’re in much worse shape as a result of all the bailouts and all the stimulus that papered over the last crisis. So, now the one we’re dealing with is going to be much worse because we kicked the can down the road instead of solving the problem when we had a chance.”

    He makes some really great points.

    Every time there has been some sort of a crisis in our society, our leaders responded by showering the system with even more money.

    In 2008, the U.S. national debt crossed the 10 trillion dollar threshold.

    In 2022, the U.S. national debt has crossed the 30 trillion dollar threshold.

    Our politicians have been systematically destroying our future, and most Americans didn’t seem to care.

    Now a day of reckoning has arrived, and it is going to be immensely painful.

    There is no silver bullet that is going to cure inflation.

    The Federal Reserve is going to try to tame inflation by hiking interest rates, but that will just destroy the housing bubble and dramatically slow down the economy.

    And there is no silver bullet that is going to end the shortages that we are currently facing.

    We are now experiencing some of the consequences of decades of mismanagement, and a lot more pain is on the way.

    Rita Hayworth & Fred Astaire dance to Led Zeppelin

    Genius. Worth a watch.

    Journey in the Search for the American Dream

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    Photographer Pavel Prokopchik plans to travel across the USA trying to capture the essence of the American life today. He’d like to find out what “The American Dream” means to people in the USA today. The project he has in mind is one that will shape itself as it proceeds, and is essentially elastic, where unexpected meeting can easily deviate him from my original route.

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    Chaka Khan and Rufus – Tell me something Good (RE-MASTERED) Official Video HD

    Rufus! Chaka Khan is awesome!

    The Level Of Evil In Our Society Is Off The Charts

    .

    What in the world has happened to our society?  Every day I scour dozens of news websites as I do research for my articles and upcoming books, and every day I am horrified by all of the evil that I encounter.

    We are a deeply, deeply sick society, and more symptoms emerge with each passing day.  For example, what would cause an 18-year-old to walk into an elementary school and start gunning down young children?

    When I was growing up, I never once imagined something like that could possibly ever happen in any of the public schools that I attended.  But now this sort of thing is becoming a regular occurrence in America, and the great tragedy that we witnessed on Tuesday quickly made headlines all over the nation

    A gunman opened fire at an elementary school in Uvalde on Tuesday, killing 14 students and one teacher, Gov. Greg Abbott said. The gunman, identified by law enforcement as 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, was also killed, Abbott said. Ramos was reportedly a student at Uvalde High School or was a former student, Abbott said. Uvalde Police Chief Pete Arredondo said it appears that Ramos acted alone.
    
    It was not immediately clear how many people, in addition to the dead, were wounded, but Arredondo said there were “several injuries.”

    It is also being reported that Ramos actually shot his own grandmother before going over to the school…

    The suspect also allegedly shot his grandmother before entering the school and again opening fire, Abbott said. He did not say anything further about her condition.

    Decades ago, this sort of incident would have been talked about for years.

    But most Americans will forget all about this shooting a few days from now, and that is because school shootings have become incredibly common in our day and time.

    In fact, this was the 27th school shooting in the United States so far this year.

    How many of them can you name?

    Our schools are not safe anymore, and this is one of the big reasons why so many parents are turning to homeschooling.

    Of course it isn’t just our schools that have become danger zones.  At this point, major urban areas all over the country are rapidly being transformed into war zones.  According to the CDC, the number of firearm homicides jumped almost 35 percent just from 2019 to 2020…

    The United States suffered 19,350 firearm homicides in 2020, up nearly 35 percent compared to 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in its latest data.

    Sadly, getting shot and killed is not the only thing our kids have to be concerned about these days.

    There is also the possibility that they could be abducted and forced into sex slavery.  This actually happened to one extremely unfortunate 15-year-old girl that attended a Dallas Mavericks game a few weeks ago

    A 15-year-old Texas girl was rescued by police 10 days after she was kidnapped at a basketball game while using the bathroom, then trafficked by pedophiles.
    
    The unidentified teenager’s father raised the alarm shortly after she left to use the restroom and didn’t return to her seat at a Dallas Maverick game in the American Airline Center on April 8.

    She was one of the lucky ones.

    There are countless others that are never rescued.

    But at least our kids should be safe in church, right?

    Wrong.

    There are sexual predators there too, and sometimes they are even in the pulpit.

    On Sunday, a woman named Bobi Gephart that had her virginity taken by a pastor when she was just 16 years old confronted him in front of the entire congregation

    Turning to Lowe, she continued: ‘I was just 16 when you took my virginity on your office floor. Do you remember that? I know you do.
    
    ‘You did things to to my teenage body that should have never been done. If you can’t admit the truth, you have to answer to God. You are not the victim here.’

    I can’t even begin to describe how evil this is.

    And her husband stated that this abuse lasted for a total of nine years

    Bobi’s husband Nate then added: ‘This is a lie. This is not just adultery.
    
    ‘It’s another level. It happened for nine years. When she was 15, 16, the grooming started.’

    I wish that this was an isolated incident, but it isn’t.

    In fact, a new report has revealed widespread sexual misconduct in one of the largest Christian denominations in the entire nation…

    Leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention publicly apologized to victims of sexual abuse within the denomination and vowed to make public a private database of offenders in response to an explosive report detailing allegations of sexual misconduct and cover-up.
    
    On Tuesday, SBC leaders gathered to discuss a historic investigation report from Guidepost Solutions that found that the denomination’s leadership mishandled widespread sexual abuse allegations, ignored and silenced victims and engaged in an abusive pattern of intimidation largely to avoid liability.

    This shouldn’t be happening.

    People go to church to find God, but in way too many instances they are encountering predators instead.

    We have become a deeply, deeply wicked country, and it is getting worse with each passing year.

    It is in this sort of environment that exceedingly wicked leaders can emerge.  In fact, the guy currently in the White House has been telling mammoth lie after mammoth lie for decades

     

    If we lived in a just society filled with decent people, such a man could never have a career in politics.

    Of course the entire world is headed in the same direction, and that has enabled someone like Klaus Schwab to become one of the most important leaders on the entire planet…

     

    This week, Schwab boldly told the elite gathered at Davos that “the future is being built by us”

     

    Sadly, to a very large degree he is correct.

    They are trying to construct their version of “utopia”, but their plans are starting to crumble as a “perfect storm” of war, economic troubles, food shortages, energy problems and major pestilences hammers their efforts from all sides.

    As I have tried to explain for many years, ultimately they will fail.

    They have destroyed everything that our forefathers worked so hard to build, and in the end their efforts will be destroyed as well.

    But right now just about every form of evil that you can possibly imagine is flourishing in our American society, and that should deeply sicken all of us Americans.

    Strawberry Alarm Clock – Incense & Peppermints (1967)

    So very groovy!

    Double Cheese and Bean Nachos

    It’s hard to resist a platter of crunchy, gooey nachos, especially this jalapeño-studded version loaded with cheese.

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    293d716c a039 4cca be93 4846b06b3b2f

    Ingredients

    • 4 cups small round corn tortilla chips
    • 1 cup Old El Paso™ refried beans (from 16-oz can)
    • 1/2 cup Old El Paso™ Thick ‘n Chunky salsa
    • 2 tablespoons from 1 jar (12 oz) Old El Paso™ Hot Jalapeño Slices
    • 1/2 cup chopped green onions (8 medium)
    • 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (8 oz)

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    2022 05 25 19 51

    S1 Episode 8 Schizoid Man – Patrick McGoohan’s The Prisoner

    We continue with this episode…

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

    Bio-weapons, small American towns in ruin, delicious muffins, and old photos of kitty cats.

    This article is much longer than what I intended, but I hope that you enjoy it. It’s got a whole bunch of good stuff, and some really hidden treats that (I hope) will have you all running back for more. When you make the muffins, please make sure that you use real butter and make sure that they are hot right out of the oven! It’s a word to the wise, eh?

    The Answer is the Coming Small-Town Revival

    The post-COVID recovery will be change, not restoration. We’ll be forced to rebuild where we are.

    From HERE

    Years ago, I moved from a somewhat larger small town (pop. 30,000) in upstate New York to a smaller small town (pop. 2,500) 15 miles east in order to establish a little homestead with gardens, fruit trees, and chickens. I found this three-acre property literally on the edge of town, a five-minute walk to the center of Main Street.

    If you’ve been following this column on urban design the past year, you know I’ve said we’re entering an era of stark economic contraction that will change the terms of daily life in America, and one feature of it is that the action will shift from the big cities and sprawling suburbs back to America’s small towns.

    The COVID-19 virus has accelerated this trend, actually drawing a sharp dividing line between “then” and “now” that historians will recognize—but that many contemporary observers are missing.

    My little town was badly beaten down when I got here in 2011 and actually sank a bit lower over the years since.

    The last Main Street shops that sold anything not previously owned shut down. The two last suppertime restaurants folded. The tiny local newspaper ceased publication, and the DOT put a concrete barrier across the tracks of the little railroad spur line, which hadn’t run trains, anyway, since the 1980s.

    The several factories on the river that runs through town—a tributary of the mighty Hudson—had all shuttered in the 1970s, and only one even still stands in the form of ruins, the rest demolished, wiped off the map and out of memory.

    In the century and a half previous, they’d gone through iterations of making textiles—first linen, which was grown here, then cotton, which was not—and then paper products (finally, and not without irony, toilet tissue).

    What’s left in the town is a phantom armature of everyday life tuned to a bygone era with all its economic and social functionality removed, like a fine old piano with all its string cut.

    The bones are still there in the form of buildings, but the activities, relationships, and institutions are gone.

    The commerce is gone, the jobs are gone, the social and economic roles have no players, the places for fraternizing and public entertainment gone, the churches nearly empty.

    There’s a post-1980 shopping strip on the highway leaving the west end of town.

    That’s where the supermarket is (it replaced a 1960s IGA closer to the center, which replaced the various greengrocers, butchers, and dry goods establishments of yore on Main Street).

    There’s a chain pharmacy, a Tractor Supply, a pizza shop and a Chinese take-out place out there, too.

    The Kmart closed in 2017 and two years later a Big Lots (overstocked merch) took its place.

    The local school system may be the town’s largest employer these days; it’s also the town’s leading levier of taxes.

    Some people drive long distances to work in other towns, even as far as the state capital, Albany, where jobs with good pay, real medical benefits, and fat pensions still exist—though you can’t claim they produce anything of value.

    Quite a few people scrambled for years with marginal small home-based businesses (making art, massage, home bakeries, etc.), but the virus creamed a lot of them.

    It’s hard these days to find a plumber or a carpenter.

    A few dozen farmers hang on.

    There is a lively drug underground here, which some can make a living at—if they can stay off their own product—but it’s not what you’d call a plus for the common good.

    Federal cash supports of one sort or other account for many of the rest who live here: social security, disability, SNAP cards, plain old family welfare payments, and COVID-19 checks (for now), adding up to a quasi-zombie economy.

    In short, what appears to be a town now bears no resemblance to the rich set of social and economic relationships and modes of production that existed here a hundred years ago, a local network of complex interdependencies based on local capital and local resources—with robust connections (the railroad! The Hudson River and Champlain Canal!) to other towns that operated similarly, and even linkage to some distant big city markets.

    The question I’m building up to is:

    How do we get back to anything that resembles that kind of high-functioning society?

    The answer is trauma, a set of circumstances that will disrupt all the easy and dishonest work-arounds which have determined the low state of our current arrangements.

    You can be sure this is coming; it’s already in motion:

    • collapsing oil production due to the insupportable costs of the shale “miracle,”
    • the end of industrial growth as we’ve known it,
    • the limits of borrowing from the future to pay today’s bills (i.e., debt that will never be paid back),
    • widespread household bankruptcy and unemployment,
    • and the consequent social disorder all that will entail.

    That reality will compel us to reorganize American life, starting with how we inhabit the landscape, and you can bet that three things will drive it:

    • the necessity to produce food locally,
    • the need to organize the activities that support food production locally,
    • and the need—as when starting anything—to begin at a small and manageable scale.

    It will happen emergently, which is to say without any committee of experts, savants, or commissars directing it, because the need will be self-evident.

    For now, the broad public remains bamboozled, distracted by the terrors of COVID-19, the uproars of race-and-gender tension, the dazzle of Federal Reserve hocus-pocus, the anxiety over climate change, and, of course, the worsening struggle of so many ordinary citizens to just keep paying the bills.

    When you’re in a ditch, you don’t call the President of the United States. You need a handful of friends and neighbors with a come-along.

    That’s how it’s going to work to bring our small towns back to life.

    When the chain stores choke on their broken supply chains, some attentive persons will see an advantage in figuring out how to get and sell necessities by rebuilding local networks of supply and retail.

    Farming will be rescued from its artificially induced senility when the trucks stop delivering pallets of frozen pizza and Captain Crunch as dependably as they used to.

    And then the need for many other businesses that support farming and value-added production will find willing, earnest go-getters.

    The river still runs through town and it runs year-round, powerfully enough to make some things, if there was a reason to, and a will, and a way.

    And after a while, you’ll have a fully functioning town again, built on social and economic roles that give people a reason to think that life is worth living.

    Wait for it.

    I completely endorse this thought and prediction. -MM

    What do you think? DO you think that the United States can adapt and revitalize the nation after the fiasco that the current government structure created, or do you think that massive destruction and fiasco must occur to force change?

    America declares war on China

    From HERE.

    US secretary of state declares China the “most serious long-term challenge”
    
    Despite the eruption of military conflict between the United States and Russia over Ukraine, the central aim of US foreign policy is to [1] cripple, [2] isolate and [3] contain China, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a major policy speech Thursday.
    
    Blinken’s remarks, which have been delayed for months following the eruption of the war in Ukraine, represent a public presentation of the Biden administration’s internal strategy document on China, which declares that Beijing is the central target of the US military.
    
    “Even as President Putin’s war continues, we will remain focused on the most serious long-term challenge to the international order—and that’s posed by the People’s Republic of China,” Blinken said.
    
    He continued, “China is the only country with both the intent to reshape the international order and, increasingly, the economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to do it.”
    
    “We will defend our interests against any threat,” Blinken said.
    
    Although he did not use the term, Blinken’s statement embraces the framework of economic “decoupling” developed under Trump. Blinken explicitly repudiated the efforts by the Nixon administration to engage with Beijing. The “China of today is very different from the China of 50 years ago, when President Nixon broke decades of strained relations to become the first US president to visit the country,” he declared.
    
    Blinken continued, “Now, China is a global power with extraordinary reach, influence, and ambition. It’s the second largest economy… it seeks to dominate the technologies and industries of the future. It’s rapidly modernized its military and intends to become a top tier fighting force with global reach. And it has announced its ambition to create a sphere of influence in the Indo-Pacific and to become the world’s leading power.”
    
    Blinken’s statement constitutes yet another embrace of the central foreign policy aim of the Trump administration: preparations for conflict with China. Notably, Blinken invoked the racist conspiracy theory developed by the Trump administration, that COVID-19 was a man-made virus, condemning China’s alleged efforts to block an “independent inquiry into COVID’s origin.”
    
    Modeling his tone and delivery on the rhetoric of former President Obama, Blinken repeatedly made completely contradictory assertions with a straight face. Blinken delivered blood-curdling threats, followed immediately by a declaration that the United States is not threatening anyone.

    The war declaration is treated as a “nothing burger” in the United States

    From HERE.

    Blinken China policy speech: Nothing new to see here
    
    The Secretary’s remarks were a rehash of old statements and the usual mixed messages about US competition with Beijing.
    
    Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivered a frankly underwhelming address outlining the Biden administration’s policy towards China on Thursday.
    
    The speech at George Washington University had been scheduled for earlier in the month, but it was postponed because Blinken tested positive for COVID the day before he was set to give it. Coming on the heels of Biden’s visit to Asia and his controversial remarks committing the U.S. to intervene to defend Taiwan, Blinken’s speech offered little more than a rehashing of previous administration statements. 
    
    Administration officials had of course emphasized to reporters in the weeks leading up to the speech that it would not contain any new announcements, and it did not. The speech served mainly as an occasion to give an overview of Biden’s China policy without providing much useful detail of how they intend to execute it. 
    
    Biden’s China policy is modeled closely on that of the Trump administration, and it is arguably the one policy where there is the greatest continuity between Biden and his predecessor. There is good reason why Biden’s policy so far has been perceived as little more than “Trump lite”: not only are there very few substantive changes from the previous administration’s approach, but the Biden administration also fails to emphasize the differences that do exist.

    It was some twenty years after the end of the Vietnam war that a security conference was held between leading military figures from both America and Vietnam. Following the conference a U.S. Air Force General approached a Vietnamese General.

    The American had been a fighter pilot captain during the conflict, the Vietnamese general had been a Colonel in the N.V.A. The American asked (paraphrasing): “You have to tell me, we knew your Army was continually crossing the Mekong, we flew sorties up and down the river and could never find your bridges.” “I know,” said the Vietnamese, “we built them three feet under water.”

    In that instant the American understood why America lost the war. His “Road to Damascus” moment was informed by how the different combatants approached problems. Had that been an American problem, how an Army crosses a wide, deep and fast flowing river, they would have solved the problem differently. They would have built a suspension bridge, they would have had bases on either side to protect it. They would have had Bowling alleys and Burger Kings and would have been flying in Bob Hope to entertain the troops. Why? Because they could, when you have resources they become the answer to every problem. The Vietnamese didn’t have resources, so they were resourceful.

    And that, as the American realized, was why the Vietnamese won, and America lost.

    The general may have learned a lesson, but if he told anyone, no one listened. Many of the same mistakes were repeated in Afghanistan, with the same results. Resources are not the answer to every problem. As with Americas war on drugs, war on crime, war on poverty, all resources do is obscure the underlying problem and present false, ineffective solutions.

    War, and the threat of war is America’s solution to everything. To the man with the hammer, every problem is a nail. America does indeed have a formidable war machine. However, as with all machines it requires fuel to run it, that fuel is the U.S. dollar. Since the Bretton Woods accord at the end of WWII, America has had the privilege of possessing the world’s reserve currency. This enabled America to dictate to all countries outside the Soviet bloc how the global financial system would work. The so-called “free world” was anything but free, it was handcuffed by a system that effectively exercised control over their domestic economies.

    In 1973 Richard Nixon took the dollar off the gold standard, much to the chagrin of the rest of the world. Despite protests no country was in a position to do much about it. Under its proxies, the IMF and World Bank, it enslaved much of the developing world and prevented it from post-colonial development. The resentment towards America and the weaponisation of its dollar resource should not be underestimated.

    Iraq had resources, mainly oil, but what should have been a blessing for the country turned into a curse. Saddam Hussein decided to break from the petrodollar system and sell his oil in other currencies, we all know how that turned out. Similarly, when Ghadafi decided to sell his oil in the newly launched gold-backed dinar, it turned out badly for him and the Libyan people too. Both countries were deliberately destroyed, Tripoli, the once vibrant capital city of Africa’s most prosperous country, now has open slave markets. None should doubt how seriously America takes the subject of the dollar. These were lessons learned by national leaders everywhere. For those curious as to why America needs 1000 foreign military bases in more than 100 countries, that’s why, so no country attempts to stray from the dollar plantation.

    The trillions of foreign debt owed by America was never intended to be repaid, just rolled over indefinitely. Fair to say, most countries understand that the monies they were compelled to invest in U.S. treasuries is a sunk cost, and they are not getting it back. With every turn of the printing press the dollar further loses credibility and the asset value of their holdings diminishes further. Every country is looking for alternative ways of doing business that don’t involve the dollar. China and Russia, China and Iran and China with many of its Asian neighbours have been using reciprocal currencies for several years. This amounts to trillions in trade that the Dollar is no longer a party too. Once this is understood it can help provide a context for current events.

    Russia has complete control over its central bank and minimal foreign debt. It also possesses immense gold reserves. President Putin has wisely made Russia virtually “sanction proof”. Sure, the West can sanction a few overseas oligarchs, but who cares? Not the Russian people. Removing Russia from the SWIFT payment system will result in come short-term inconvenience, but alternatives are available. Both Russia and China have developed their own interbank payment systems and are now making them available to other countries who wish to by-pass the dollar altogether.

    The use of the dollar as a weapon of war has worked well for America, until now. But when a country becomes overly reliant on its resources, it becomes a “one trick pony”, see Saudi Arabia. Stripped of oil, what kind of economy would the Saudis have? They wouldn’t have one at all. America stripped of its unique resource will be in the same position.

    The dollar could crash any day, the government has long known this. A government-issued digital currency is planned to replace it. That may work in America, but few countries will want to entangle themselves in another American-dominated financial system. The resource is running dry, and American leadership shows no sign of any resourcefulness.

    Interesting times…

    The United States is freaking out that resources, and trade are controlled by “enemies”…

    From HERE

    While proponents of renewables — including President Biden, top White House officials and Democratic lawmakers — have suggested that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shown the foolishness of relying on fossil fuels, the crisis has also roiled green tech. Renewable technology such as wind turbines, solar panels, industrial-scale battery storage and electric vehicles require a wide range of critical minerals sourced from around the world.
    
    Russia, China and other hostile nations control most of the global critical mineral supply chain, according to a 2021 White House report on supply chains. 
    
    Following the invasion of Ukraine, the price of nickel surged more than 100%, reaching $100,000 per metric ton because of the threat of sanctions on Russian commodity markets.
    
    “The media hasn’t covered the cost of nickel, cobalt, aluminum, manganese or lithium,” Kish told the DCNF. “Lithium batteries, for example — if you want to call gasoline the fuel of internal combustion engines, lithium is the fuel of electric vehicles.”
    
    Recent volatility in commodity markets triggered by the Ukraine crisis, though, could “engender potentially long-lasting change,” according to Wood Mackenzie.

    4 Minute Video of Actual TRENCH FIGHT Between Russian and Ukraine Soldiers – Brutal Bravery

    .

    The ongoing Special Military Operation by Russia into Ukraine, is accurately described as “war.”  We’ve all seen the images and the videos, but few have ever caught the actual moments of bravery by BOTH sides.  The 4m20s video below shows it for all to see.  Russian soldiers entering a Ukrainian army TRENCH.  The bravery by both sides is stunning.  The killing is up-close and real.  This is the reality of actual war.

    The video begins with an aerial drone view of a trench, which – for the purposes of this description – I will refer to as a north-south trench line.  Russian soldiers enter from the south.  Ukrainians are along the way toward the north.

    As the Russian move slowly northward, Ukrainians begin to move southward.  Think about the actual bravery it takes for men on BOTH sides to do what you will see being done.  The bravery of knowing there are armed men facing you in that very trench, and either you kill them, or they will kill you . . . . and yet soldiers from BOTH sides proceed along anyway.  THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is effin bravery.

    As the Russians move northward and the Ukrainians move southward, they cannot see each other for a bit.  Once they get within eye sight, oh dear God how brutal it gets.

    The first two soldiers catch a glimpse of each other and shots get fired.  The Ukrainian retreats northward, to no avail.  Fractions of a second later, he goes down.  Shot.  Dead.

    Other Ukrainians, in side trenches off the main trench, then one-by-one, engage the advancing Russians.  Machine gun fire hits the sides of the trench.  Grenades get hurled, but most miss.

    The battle goes on.

    At one point, a grenade lands within arms reach of a Ukrainian; he grabs it and throw it OUT of the trench just in time to save his own life.  Then another.

    Then . . .  the grenades hit their mark.  The Ukrainians are killed.

    It only last four minutes and twenty seconds.  But the sheer bravery of men on BOTH sides is amazing. While I support RUSSIA, I have an amazing respect for men on BOTH sides.  True bravery exists on BOTH sides. They know death is coming for them, yet they proceed nonetheless.  And some of them die nonetheless.

    This is actual war.  Horrifying in its violence, while showing the bravery that mere mortal men, actually have inside.

    WOW.

    Beehive Banana Muffins

    Muffin mix and Cheerios® cereal partner in an easy crunchy-topped treat.

    21f7fc1f 2dab 46ce b928 51cbd04633e7
    21f7fc1f 2dab 46ce b928 51cbd04633e7

    Ingredients

    Streusel

    • 1/4 cup Honey Nut Cheerios™ cereal
    • 2 teaspoons Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
    • 2 teaspoons packed light brown sugar
    • 2 teaspoons butter or margarine, softened

    Muffins

    • 1 1/2 cups Honey Nut Cheerios™ cereal
    • 1 pouch (6.4 oz) Betty Crocker™ Banana Nut Muffin Mix
    • 1/2 cup milk
    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • 1 egg

    2022 05 30 21 21
    2022 05 30 21 21

    Lovely Snaps Capture People With Their Cats Over 100 Years Ago

    Along with dogs, cats have been also close friends with humans since a long time. These vintage lovely pics will prove this.

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    Malaysia’s Mahathir Mohamad says new US-led trade group IPEF intended to ‘isolate China’

    From HERE

    • He was referring to the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework set up by President Joe Biden for the US and Asian countries to work closely together
    • ‘China is a big trading partner for Malaysia, we don’t want to see any tension, any conflict,’ the former prime minister said
    Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad criticised a new US-led economic grouping on Friday, saying it is intended to isolate China, and will not benefit regional economic growth without Beijing.
    
    US President Joe Biden launched the 13-nation Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) during a visit to Japan earlier this week. He said it would help the United States work more closely with Asian countries in areas including supply chains, digital trade, clean energy and anti-corruption
    
    “The US will always want to use groupings like this in order to isolate China,” Mahathir said at an international conference in Tokyo. “Many countries recognise that this is not an economic grouping but it is truly a political grouping.”

    Comfortably Numb – Pink Floyd – The Wall – 4K Remastered

    One of the best movie scenes / rock music combos of all time.

    Singapore’s Lee Hsien Loong warns against nuclear ‘arms race’ on Asian soil, isolating China during Tokyo conference

    From HERE

    • Singapore’s PM Lee warned that any talk about deploying or developing nuclear weapons in Asia could lead to an unstable outcome in the region
    • Lee also urged that China remain integrated in the region, days after US President Joe Biden visited Asia to launch an Indo-Pacific plan that excludes Beijing
    Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has sounded the alarm over ongoing public debate on whether US treaty allies South Korea and Japan should deploy or develop their own nuclear weapons.
    
    Speaking at Nikkei’s Future of Asia conference on Thursday, Lee questioned if public discussions would contribute to an “arms race” in the region, amid a refocus on territorial defence capabilities following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
    
    “In Japan and South Korea, sensitive issues are being raised publicly, including whether to allow nuclear weapons to be deployed on their soil, or even go a step further and build capabilities to develop such weapons,” Lee said.

    The USA is in control of the South Korean military

    China withdrew its military from North Korea after the Korean war. Today it has no control of North Korea in either the political or the military establishment. However, it is a completely different story for the USA :
    Why US control of the South Korean military is here to stay | The Interpreter
    In late October, the US and South Korea agreed to delay the issue of who would control the Republic of Korea Army (ROKA) in the event of a war on the Korean Peninsula. In the argot of Korean security, this is known as the reversion of operational control or 'OPCON'. The debate on this issue has raged for a decade. It now appears over; indefinite extensions mean it is probably no longer a meaningful option.
    
    Since the war in the 1950s, the US had maintained control over the entire South Korean military. US Forces Korea (USFK) were integrated with ROK forces into a Combined Forces Command, which was in turned integrated into the United Nations Command. All three commands are headed by the same person – a four-star US general. The current commander is Curtis Scaparotti.
    
    This command structure is unique. Nowhere else does a US commander operate under multiple jurisdictions like this – not in Japan or NATO. (A nice review here.)
    
    Unfortunately, this structure also implicated the US military in Korea's earlier dictatorships. When leftist critics of the US position in Korea argue that the US 'runs' Korean foreign policy or that Washington is responsible for past Korean dictatorial repressions (most notably in Kwangju), this is usually what they mean. US defenders have argued that if dictators like Park Chung-Hee or Chun Doo-Hwan had exercised full control of the South Korean military, the repressions would have been much worse.

    The Full Article HERE

    China’s Share of Global Chip Sales Now Surpasses Taiwan’s, Closing in on Europe’s and Japan’s

    Global chip sales from Chinese companies are on the rise, largely due to increasing U.S.-China tensions and a whole-of-nation effort to advance China’s chip sector, including government subsidies, procurement preferences, and other preferential policies.

    Just five years ago, China’s semiconductor device sales were $13 billion, accounting for only 3.8% of global chip sales. In 2020, however, the Chinese semiconductor industry registered an unprecedented annual growth rate of 30.6% to reach $39.8 billion in total annual sales, according to an SIA analysis [1]. The jump in growth helped China capture 9% of the global semiconductor market in 2020, surpassing Taiwan for two consecutive years (2018, and 2019) and closely following Japan and the EU, which each took 10% of market share.

    Sales data for 2021 are not yet available.

    2022 05 30 21 05
    2022 05 30 21 05

    If China’s semiconductor development continues its strong momentum – maintaining 30% CAGR over the next three years – and assuming growth rates of industries in other countries stay the same, the Chinese semiconductor industry could generate $116 billion in annual revenue by 2024, capturing upwards of 17.4% of global market share [2]. This would place China behind only the United States and South Korea in global market share.

    2022 05 30 21 11
    2022 05 30 21 11

    Chinese Semiconductor Firms Post Impressive Growth

    Across all four subsegments of the Chinese semiconductor supply chain – fabless, IDM, foundry, and OSAT – Chinese firms recorded rapid increases in revenue last year, representing annual growth rates of 36%, 23%, 32%, 23%, respectively, based on an SIA analysis. Leading Chinese semiconductor firms are on track to expand domestically, and even globally, in several submarkets.

    2022 05 30 21 12
    2022 05 30 21 12

    SIA analysis further shows that in 2020, China held an impressive 16% market share in the global fabless semiconductor segment, ranking third after the U.S. and Taiwan, and up from 10% in 2015 [7]. Benefiting from China’s massive consumer and 5G market, Huawei’s HiSilicon, China’s largest chip designer, generated nearly $10 billion in revenue in 2020, despite tightened export control restrictions (largely due to significant stockpiling suggested by official Chinese trade data). Other Chinese fabless firms, such as communications chip supplier UNISOC, MCU and NOR flash designer GigaDevice, fingerprint chip firm Goodix, and image sensor designers Galaxycore and OmniVision (a U.S.-headquartered corporation acquired by China), have all reported a 20-40% annual growth rate to become China’s top fabless firms. Moreover, in addition to supplying Chinese OMEs, GigaDevice, OmniVision, and Goodix have entered top 3 global smartphone vendors’ supply chains [8].

    2022 05 30 21 13
    2022 05 30 21 13

    Meanwhile, Chinese consumer electronics and home appliance OEMs and leading internet firms have also been ramping up efforts to expand into the semiconductor sector by designing chips in-house and making investments in established semiconductor firms, with notable progress made in designing advanced chips and building domestic supply chains over the past two years [9].

    China’s Chip Manufacturing Expansion Continues

    China also maintains robust growth in building out its semiconductor manufacturing supply chain, with 28 additional fab construction projects totaling $26 billion in new planned funding announced in 2021 [10]. SMIC and other Chinese semiconductor leaders have further expanded their partnerships with local governments to construct additional joint venture fabs, with a focus on mature technology nodes [11]. Wafer manufacturing startups are continuing to spring up in the trailing-edge fabrication field, backed by government incentives [12].

    2022 05 30 21 15
    2022 05 30 21 15

    On the chip manufacturing front, due to the inclusion of Huawei and SMIC on the U.S. government’s Entity List (China’s most advanced chip designer and foundry, respectively), the Chinese semiconductor industry has largely suspended advanced logic node manufacturing development and redirected most capital to mature fabrication technology. As a result of this change, from September 2020 to November 2021, Chinese wafer manufacturers have added nearly 500K wafer per month (WPM) capacities in trailing nodes (>=14nm), and only an additional 10K in capacity for advanced nodes. China’s wafer capacity increase alone accounted for 26% of the worldwide total [13]. In 2021, China also started commercial shipments of indigenously manufactured mobile 19nm DDR4 DRAM devices, and 64-layer 3D NAND Flash chips and started 128-layer products [14]. While the Chinese memory industry is still at an early stage of development, Chinese memory firms are expected to achieve a compound annual growth rate of 40-50% in output and become highly competitive over the next five years [15]. Regarding backend production, China is a global leader in outsourced assembly, packaging, and testing (OSAT), with its top three OSAT players collectively holding more than 35% of the global market share [16].

    All indications are that China’s rapid growth in semiconductor chip sales is likely to continue due in large part to the unwavering commitment from the central government and robust policy support in the face of deteriorating U.S-China relations. While there remains a long way to go for China to catch up with existing industry leaders – especially in advanced node foundry production, equipment, and materials – the gap is expected to narrow over the next decade as Beijing sharpens its focus on semiconductor self-reliance during the current 14th Five-Year Plan [17].

    From HERE

    Chinese scientists call for plan to destroy Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites

    Chinese military researchers have called for the development of a “hard kill” weapon to destroy Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite system if it threatens China’s national security.

    The researchers drew attention to Starlink’s “huge potential for military applications” and the need for China to develop countermeasures to surveill, disable or even destroy the growing satellite megaconstellation. Their paper was published last month in the journal China’s Modern Defence Technology. A translated copy of the paper is available here.

    There are ONLY 70 days left until catastrophe | Redacted with Clayton Morris

    If you live in the West, you need to pay attention to this.

    More Pictures from the Past

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    2022 05 29 17 28
    2022 05 29 17 28

    A monkeypox virus particle captured via a coloured transmission electron micrograph UK HEALTH SECURITY AGENCY / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

     

    The Russian military has spent over two months now detailing the extent and reach of the US military-biological research effort in Ukraine, revealing that the Pentagon has used the country as a testing ground for the study of deadly bioagents, and uncovering the tangled web of military, corporate, and political interests behind these activities.

    Russian Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Defence Troops chief Igor Kirillov issued a fresh briefing on Friday, providing new information on US military biological activities in Ukraine, as well as details on what his troops know about monkeypox, a smallpox cousin which has caused a global health scare in recent weeks.

     The Pentagon, he said, introduced a mandatory smallpox vaccination back in 2003, with US diplomats and medical personnel also required to be jabbed against the infectious disease.

     “This indicates that the United States considers the smallpox pathogen a priority pathogenic agent for combat use, and ongoing vaccination measures are aimed at protecting their own military contingents”, Kirillov said.

    2022 05 29 17 29
    2022 05 29 17 29

    Excerpt from 2003 memorandum on Pentagon’s mandatory smallpox vaccination programme.
    © Photo : Russian Ministry of Defence

     

    The complete 2003 US “Army Smallpox Preparedness and Vaccination Program Implementation Plan” document can be found here.

    “The Pentagon’s interest in this infection is far from accidental. The return of the causative agent of smallpox would be a global catastrophe for all of humanity”, Kirillov suggested, emphasising that smallpox is 10 times more lethal than COVID-19.

    Citing seized documentation, Kirillov revealed that American instructors trained employees of biolabs in Ukraine on how to respond to an emergency smallpox outbreak. Ukrainian-language documents on this training can be found here.

    Smallpox was eradicated in the late 1970s thanks to global efforts, with vaccinations against the disease subsequently halted by most countries. However, health authorities in countries around the world have recently begun expressing concerns about monkeypox, after cases began to spread earlier this month.

    Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins

    All natural fat free yogurt helps make these muffins moist and delicious!

    0bd24196 5f9b 414c 9fb4 cdfc6d22027f
    0bd24196 5f9b 414c 9fb4 cdfc6d22027f

    Ingredients

    • 3/4 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 small)
    • 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
    • 3/4 cup Yoplait® All Natural Fat Free plain yogurt (from 2-lb container)
    • 1 egg
    • 1 3/4 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
    • 1/4 cup sugar
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 2/3 cup chocolate chips

    2022 05 30 21 23
    2022 05 30 21 23

    A Secret Roswell Journal Becomes The Focus Of A New UFO Documentary

    From HERE

    I saw this article, and consider it interesting. I thought that I would share the article with everyone. -MM

    A secret journal offers new clues about the nature of the alleged 1947 AD UFO crash at Roswell in the New Mexico desert, or does it? Before we kick off, this isn’t one of these Reddit stories that emerged from some basement decorated with posters of the Starship Enterprise and Chewbacca. Quite the opposite.

    Live Science is one off the internet’s more respected academic media outlets and today they tell the story of a hitherto unknown personal diary belonging to Major Jesse Marcel, a head intelligence officer at the Roswell Army Air Field. The secret Roswell journal could change the narrative of this famous UFO event. In particular, the secret Roswell journal may contain secret coded observations that will help to “clarify” what really happened in Roswell in 1947 AD.

    Marcel investigated the famous Roswell site in New Mexico where in 1947 a UFO is believed by many to have crashed. Furthermore, he claimed to have recovered some of the debris from whatever ditched in the desert that July night near the Roswell Army Air Field (RAAF). Newspaper photos at the time showed Marcel with pieces of metallic material and on the afternoon of July 8, 1947 AD he disclosed to the media “the crash and recovery of a flying disc.” However, the following day, an army official made a statement saying that a weather balloon had fallen to earth, “not a flying saucer.”

    Will The Secret Roswell Journal Change Everything?

    The Roswell story now takes a new turn since Major Marcel’s family revealed they had kept his personal secret Roswell journal which contains “hitherto unknown clues about the crash.”

    The secret diary and its equally secret contents will soon be presented on History Channel´s History’s Greatest Mysteries series in an episode called Roswell: The First Witness .

    The episode was released on December 12th, Saturday, 2020 AD.

    The show host, Ben Smith, is a former CIA operative and the show’s lead investigator. He thinks it is very unusual that the day after the government claimed they had recovered a UFO they switched stories and maintained it was merely “a weather balloon,” Smith told Live Science .

    This story is another in a long line of recent reports pertaining to UFOs. According to The Guardian in 2017 AD a former Pentagon official confirmed the existence of a federal agency that had been “secretly investigating UFOs since 2007.”

    Then, in 2018, U.S. Navy pilots reported “three encounters with fast-moving UAP, or unidentified aerial phenomena” better known to us civies as UFOs.

    And building up this emerging alien narrative, officially declassified videos of these occurrences were published in April of this year, as previously reported on Live Science .

    Secret Roswell Journal: A Problem Of Might, May And Could

    Let´s now return to Major Jesse Marcel, the author of the secret Roswell journal.

    He investigated the site at Roswell and recovered what he believed to be debris from a flying saucer . In 1997 AD, Time published an article saying Marcel told an interviewer at the time that “he believed” the object that crashed in the New Mexico desert had extraterrestrial origins.

    Now, a forensic analysis of Marcel´s secret Roswell journal “could reveal” coded messages that he wrote about the crash at the time that it happened, Ben Smith said.

    This application of the word “could” will no doubt have skeptics raging, because they all know what’s most probably coming here. If the diary really contained any actual evidence that the Roswell incident was nothing more than a collapsed weather balloon we would certainly have heard about it by now. Unless of course thousands of unpaid interns and staff at the network have all kept quiet, doubters can argue. Perhaps the skeptics greatest argument is presented in plain sight in the newspaper photograph of Marcel on the evening of the crash. To all but the most committed believers in extraterrestrials it is perfectly clear that Marcel is holding a piece of a crumpled (crashed) weather balloon.

    When the History Channel episode airs and unavoidably “no evidence” of extraterrestrials is offered, perhaps then maybe some “believers” will consider the content of the Ancient Origins news article I wrote about this only last month.

    A team of Oxford University researchers recently applied statistics to the question “are we alone” and concluded that “life on earth is probably a unique universal phenomena, and that it´s ‘extremely unlikely’ that any other intelligent life exists anywhere else in the universe.” This is a profound claim that sceptics love and believers loathe.

    And the same extreme opinions are likely to flood across social media channels when the details of Major Marcel’s secret Roswell journal are revealed.

    US Biolabs in Nigeria

    Kirillov took note of the World Health Organisation’s recent determination that the causative agent of the monkeypox virus being met today originated in Nigeria, and pointed out that this is “another state upon whose territory the United States has deployed its biological infrastructure”.

    “According to available information, there are at least four US-controlled biolabs” in the African nation”, Kirillov said.

    2022 05 29 17 30
    2022 05 29 17 30

    Cropped excerpt from Russian Defence Ministry briefing slide showing locations of suspected US-controlled biolabs in Nigeria,
    including two in Abuja, one in Zaria, and one in Lagos. © Photo : Russian Ministry of Defence

     

    Kirillov also pointed to media reports on the 2021 Munich Security Conference-Nuclear Threat Initiative simulation modelling the outbreak of a bioengineered, highly deadly strain of monkeypox by terrorists, calling the exercise “an odd coincidence which needs additional verification by specialists”.

    2022 05 29 17 33
    2022 05 29 17 33

    The officer emphasised that against the backdrop of repeated US violations of biosafety requirements and evidence of the careless storage of pathogenic biomaterials, including smallpox, the WHO should investigate the activities of US-funded labs in the cities of Abuja, Zaria, and Lagos, Nigeria, and inform the international community on their findings.

    The RCB Defence Troops chief also expressed concerns about the safety of smallpox virus samples inside the United States itself.

    “The lack of proper control and the violation of biosecurity requirements in the United States could lead to the use of this pathogen for terrorist purposes. Between 2014 and 2021, unaccounted for vials containing the virus were repeatedly found in the laboratories of the US Food and Drug Administration, the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases in Maryland, and the Centre for Vaccine Research in Pennsylvania”, Kirillov said.

    Kirillov stressed that the work of these labs violated a 1996 resolution by the WHO, which prohibited smallpox’s causative agent from being stored in all but one US-based laboratory – the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

    2022 05 29 17 34
    2022 05 29 17 34

    1996 resolution by the Forty-Ninth World Health Assembly requiring the United States and Russia to hold
    smallpox virus samples at only one facility per country. © Photo : Russian Ministry of Defence

    New Details on Pentagon-Funded Labs in Ukraine

    During Friday’s presentation, Kirillov also provided new documentation on the operation of nearly a dozen military-biological projects organised by the Pentagon in Ukraine, including deadly agents and “economically significant” infections, funded to the tune of over $8.01 million between 2008 and 2019.

    The officer drew attention to a 2007 memorandum prepared by the Office of the US Secretary of Defence regarding UP-2, a project mapping dangerous pathogens in Ukraine, whose “main purpose”, in Kirillov’s words, was “to collect information on the molecular composition of pathogens characteristic to Ukraine, and to transfer strain samples”.

    2022 05 29 17 36
    2022 05 29 17 36

    DTRA document on the approval of project concept UP-2 (Multi-pathogen Mapping), to be carried out in accordance with the
    2005 “Policy Guidance for the Cooperative Threat Reduction Biological Weapons Proliferation Prevention Program in Ukraine.”
    © Photo : Russian Ministry of Defence

     

    The complete six-page “Partner Project Agreement” on UP-2 can be found here.

    A similar memorandum was prepared for project UP-1, studying rickettsia and other diseases spread by arthropods, Kirillov said, pointing out that the document required for all of the dangerous pathogens collected to be transferred to the Central Reference Laboratory in Kiev, allowing them to be transferred to the US.

    The “Partner Project Agreement” on project UP-1 can be found here.

    2022 05 29 17 3r6
    2022 05 29 17 3r6

    DoD Memorandum approving project UP-1 dated 19 February, 2008.
    © Photo : Russian Ministry of Defence
    The RCB Defence Troops also published documentation on UP-4, a programme investigating the possibility of spreading dangerous infections through migratory birds, which the MoD has already previously reported on at length. The “UP-4 Project Option Year 2 Quarterly Report” for the period from October 2019-January 2020 shows that a total of 991 specimens from wild birds were collected by researchers.

    2022 05 29 17 37
    2022 05 29 17 37

    Excerpt from Defense Threat Reduction Agency report on project UP-4.

    © Photo : Russian Ministry of Defence

     

    Nine pages of the 50+ page DTRA report, prepared by Pentagon contractor Black & Veatch Special Projects Corp in collaboration with Metabiota, can be found here.

    The documents released Friday by the RCB Defence Troops also included a detailed 2019 Black & Veatch report for the DTRA detailing its activities in Ukraine, including work on some 19 separate research projects, and collaboration with a host of Ukrainian and international organisations, including the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, the USDA, the CDC, several American universities, and Western pharmaceutical giants. Dozens of pages from the 63-page document, containing a goldmine of important details, can be found and downloaded here.

    2022 05 29 17 39
    2022 05 29 17 39

    Page from 2019 report by Pentagon contractor Black & Veatch on some of the company’s many projects in Ukraine.
    © Photo : Russian Ministry of Defence
    .

    Chinese Propaganda Posters From The Cultural Revolution Ages, 1960s-1970s

    1 45 1
    “Speed Up Agriculture Using Modern Machinery.” 1971.

    In 1966 Mao Zedong, the Communist leader of China, started a political campaign that became known as the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). Mao called on China’s youth to help him purge capitalist influences and bourgeois thinking in government, teaching, the media and arts, and to reinvigorate the revolutionary spirit.

    2 46 2
    “Fully criticize the Chinese Khrushchev from a political, ideological, and theoretical perspective.” 1967.

    Calling themselves The Red Guards, radical students set out to destroy the “four olds”: old ideas, customs, habits and culture. They spearheaded the interrogation, humiliation and beatings of teachers and intellectuals, and traveled the country destroying cultural heritage. During the Cultural Revolution traditional artists were condemned as counter-revolutionaries and their work destroyed. A new style of art was required that supported the Maoist line and served the worker, peasant and soldier.

    3 43
    “Greet the 1970s with the new victories of revolution and production.” 1970.

    The decade was marked by purges and power struggles at the upper echelons of government, and the mobilization of masses of young people to enforce Maoist thought. One of the primary vessels for disseminating instructions and models of behavior was propaganda art. Vivid posters were created to inspire citizens to put forth their labor towards agriculture, industry and national defense, as well as concerns such as hygiene and family planning.

    4 42
    “Produce More Coal and Support the Socialist Construction.” c. 1970.

    Slogans are often used alongside imagery in posters, usually written in bold, Chinese script. They include pro-revolution messages about “working hard”, “uniting for victory” and “working towards the general communist goal. “Bright” colors are used in many of the posters and red appears a lot as it is the color of communism and revolution. Much of the work that came out of the Cultural Revolution is attributed to committees or groups, rather than individuals. Thousands of copies of the posters were printed and sold cheaply as the establishment at the time wanted the posters to be something that everyone should have on their walls at home. Many of the posters were painted by hand and then printed as lithographs, a process involving using stone, oil and chemicals to create prints.

    5 40 1
    “Never Tire of Training to Destroy The Enemy.” c. 1970.

    6 39 1
    “Grow Strongly Under the Broad Sky and Earth.” c. 1970.

    7 38
    “Protect the Forest.” c. 1970.

    8 34
    “Prepare for Struggle, Prepare for Famine, Work for the People.” c. 1970.

    9 33
    “If You Want to Prosper, You Must Control The Population.” c. 1970.

    10 e29
    “Prevent Hepatitis by Washing.” c. 1970.

    11 26
    “Learn Science, Build The Country.” c. 1970.

    12 25
    “Set a Good Example, Fight Corruption.” c. 1970.

    13 23
    “Teach the Younger Generation.” c. 1970.

    Intel: Ukraine Losing 1500 Soldiers per day to death, wounding, capture, surrender, or desertion

    “Intercepted communications from the Ukrainian command reveal their aim to build a layered defense from Poltava through Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhia, Krivoy Rog, and Nikolaev – which happens to be a shield for the already fortified Odessa. None of that guarantees success against the incoming Russian onslaught.

    It’s always important to remember that Operation Z started on February 24 with around 150,000 or so fighters – and definitely not Russia’s elite forces. And yet they liberated Mariupol and destroyed the elite neo-Nazi Azov battalion in a matter of only fifty days, cleaning up a city of 400,000 people with minimal casualties.

    While fighting a real war on the ground – not those indiscriminate US bombings from the air – in a huge country against a large army, facing multiple technical, financial and logistical challenges, the Russians also managed to liberate Kherson, Zaporizhia and virtually the whole area of the ‘baby twins,’ the popular republics of Donetsk and Luhansk.

    Russia’s ground forces commander, General Aleksandr Dvornikov, has turbo-charged missile, artillery and air strikes to a pace five times faster than during the first phase of Operation Z, while the Ukrainians, overall, are low or very low on fuel, ammo for artillery, trained specialists, drones, and radars.

    What American armchair and TV generals simply cannot comprehend is that in Russia’s view of this war – which military expert Andrei Martyanov defines as a “combined arms and police operation” – the two top targets are the destruction of all military assets of the enemy while preserving the life of its own soldiers.

    So while losing tanks is not a big deal for Moscow, losing lives is. And that accounts for those massive Russian bombings; each military target must be conclusively destroyed. Precision strikes are crucial.

    There is a raging debate among Russian military experts on why the Ministry of Defense does not go for a fast strategic victory. They could have reduced Ukraine to rubble – American style – in no time. That’s not going to happen. The Russians prefer to advance slowly and surely, in a sort of steamroller pattern. They only advance after sappers have fully surveilled the terrain; after all there are mines everywhere.

    The overall pattern is unmistakable, whatever the NATO spin barrage. Ukrainian losses are becoming exponential – as many as 1,500 killed or wounded each day, everyday. If there are 50,000 Ukrainians in the several Donbass cauldrons, they will be gone by the end of June.

    Ukraine must have lost as many as 20,000 soldiers in and around Mariupol alone. That’s a massive military defeat, largely surpassing Debaltsevo in 2015 and previously Ilovaisk in 2014. The losses near Izyum may be even higher than in Mariupol. And now come the losses in the Severodonetsk corner.

    We’re talking here about the best Ukrainian forces. It doesn’t even matter that only 70 percent of Western weapons sent by NATO ever make it to the battlefield: the major problem is that the best soldiers are going…going…gone, and won’t be replaced. Azov neo-Nazis, the 24th Brigade, the 36th Brigade, various Air Assault brigades – they all suffered losses of 60+ percent or have been completely demolished.

    So the key question, as several Russian military experts have stressed, is not when Kiev will ‘lose’ as a point of no return; it is how many soldiers Moscow is prepared to lose to get to this point.

    The entire Ukrainian defense is based on artillery. So the key battles ahead involve long-range artillery. There will be problems, because the US is about to deliver M270 MLRS systems with precision-guided ammunition, capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 70 kilometers or more.

    Russia, though, has a counterpunch: the Hermes Small Operational-Tactical Complex, using high precision munitions, possibility of laser guidance, and a range of more than 100 kilometers. And they can work in conjunction with the already mass-produced Pantsir air defense systems….

    …the imminent loss of Severodonetsk and Lysichansk will ring serious alarm bells in Washington and Brussels, because that will represent the beginning of the end of the current regime in Kiev. And that, for all practical purposes – and beyond all the lofty rhetoric of ‘the west stands with you’ – means heavy players won’t be exactly encouraged to bet on a sinking ship…

    …Zelensky will be fine. He’s protected by British and American special forces. The family is reportedly living in an $8 million mansion in Israel. He owns a $34 million villa in Miami Beach, and another in Tuscany. Average Ukrainians were lied to, robbed, and in many cases, murdered, by the Kiev gang he presides over – oligarchs, security service (SBU) fanatics, neo-Nazis. And those Ukrainians that remain (10 million have already fled) will continue to be treated as expendable.”

    Put simply, Ukraine is losing the war.  They are losing fast. They are losing big.

    Short of direct NATO intervention, there is no hope at all for Ukraine to prevail militarily.

    Ukraine’s Own Security Service Warned About Dangers of Cooperation With US

    Friday’s document dump also included a letter by a Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) officer expressing concern about epidemiological threats posed by US involvement in biological activities in Ukraine.

    The letter, written by Col. A.A. Lemeshov, deputy head of the SBU Directorate in the Kherson Region and addressed to Col G.I. Kuznetsov, deputy chief of the Anti-Terrorist Centre and Analytical Department head Col. S.I. Shanaida, was sent on 28 February 2017, and focused on the safety of Ukrainian laboratories and the threat of biological terrorism.

    Lemeshov bluntly warned that;

    "recently, the potential threat to the epidemiological and epizootic situation in our country has taken on increasing importance, due to attempts by the US Defence Threat Reduction Agency through the Black & Veatch Special Projects Corp to establish control over the operations of microbiological laboratories in Ukraine for the study of pathogens of especially dangerous infectious diseases which can be used to create new biological weapons or improve old ones".

    The officer stressed that “in order to maintain the stability of biosecurity in Ukraine, and to prevent attempts to accumulate pathogen samples in its territories under the pretext of ‘studying the specifics of local strains and determining the degree of virulence of the obtained samples among the population’, it is advisable to track the activity of Black & Veatch Special Project Corp’s ‘programmes of involvement in joint biological activities'”.

    The original, Ukrainian-language document can be found here. A Russian-language translation can be found here.

    2022 05 29 17 41
    2022 05 29 17 41

    Russian Defence Ministry photograph of document by Ukrainian Security Service officer explicitly warning of the dangers
    created by US military-biological activities in Ukraine to the nation’s security. © Photo : Russian Ministry of Defence

     

    Kirillov’s RCB Defence Troops have spent months briefing media on the extent of US military biological activities in Ukraine, citing seized documents and other materials to reveal how the Pentagon, US government agencies and corporations have cooperated with their Ukrainian counterparts to engage in dangerous research on Ukrainian territory.

    Earlier this month, Russian Senator Konstantin Kosachev indicated that Moscow intends to initiate a formal probe at the United Nations into possible US violations of the Biological Weapons Convention in Ukraine.

    2022 05 29 17 4d1
    2022 05 29 17 4d1

     [Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya]

     

    In a document-filled briefing earlier this month, Kirillov revealed that in addition to its use by the US military to study deadly pathogens, Ukraine has acted as a guinea pig for Western drug companies, including Pfizer, Battelle, Gilead, Dynaport Vaccine, AbbVie, Eli Lilly & Co, Merck, Moderna, and others, to test medicines which could not be tested in their home countries for safety reasons.

    The Danger of Underestimating Russia

    .

    When I was a wee young thing on Wall Street, I would hear a warning regularly from colleagues at Lazard, about “believing your own PR”. Interesting, this phrase was not a part of the general Wall Street lexicon. It was important at Lazard because it was a top M&A boutique (this was in the days of Felix Rohatyn) and therefore made its living off managing the abnormal psychology of CEOs. Specifically, the firm’s deal flow depended on maintaining these personal relationships. Therefore Lazard partners did what they could to prevent CEO self-destruction.

    Unfortunately, it’s become painfully obvious that in just the same way the West has become hoist on its Russia sanctions petard, so too has it blinded itself with its anti-Russia propaganda. The jingoism and fabrications have become so extreme and relentless that any erstwhile realist has to go to non-mainstream, or at least non-US/non-European MSM sources. And even then, if you don’t buy what Ukraine is spinning, and is being amplified uncritically in the Western media, you must be some sort of turncoat.

    Admittedly, we’re seeing some signs of cracks, such as a New York Times editorial telling Team Biden that Ukraine needs to negotiate. Similarly, at the World Economic Forum, Henry Kissinger also said negotiations needed to start in the next two months, and Italy has devised a proposal and even sent it to Russia.

    But there’s massive denial about facts on the ground. The militias and Russia have cleared Mariupol, control the Donetsk oblast and are very close to taking Lugansk…and with it, thousands to as many as 20,000 of Ukraine’s best fighting forces. Russia has started shelling military targets in Zaporizhzhia, a major industrial city in the Zaporizhzhia oblast, just to the west of the Donetsk oblast on the Black Sea coast.

    Kissinger proposed returning to status quo ante, when Russia’s red lines as of the end of March, at the time of the last serious negotiating session in Istanbul, were much higher than that. Russia had also made clear that the longer the war went on, the more its demands would increase. Yet Italy, which is getting unhappy about the costs of the conflict, is also now seeking a settlement and apparently put forward a proposal. I have yet to see it but it’s already been rejected by former President and deputy chairman Dmitry Medvedev….of all things on Telegram. Admittedly Medvedev is speaking out of school; Lavrov said the government was studying it. Nevertheless (see starting at 6:50, courtesy Alex Christoforu):

    But no, it’s just pure stream of consciousness by European graphomaniacs….One has the feeling it was prepared not by diplomats but by local political analysts who have read too many provincial newspapers and use only Ukrainian fakes.

    Medvedev then goes through three of the four major points and dismisses each. For instance:

    3. The full autonomy of Crimea within Ukraine
    
    This is direct boorishness toward Russia, a threat to its territorial integrity and a pretext for starting a full-fledged war. There is not and never will be a political force in Russia that would agree even to discuss the fate of Crimea. That would be a national betrayal.
    
    There is no point in analyzing it further. This is just an attempt to save Ukraine some face….However, Ukraine does not want to negotiate at all. They chose to forget about the Russian draft peace treaty long ago. It is as if there is no such thing at all. They are counting only on the flow of money and weapons from Western countries. War until the victorious end.
    
    In vain.

    The cognitive dissonance is impressive. German chancellor Olaf Scholz and US Defense Secretary LLoyd Austin both called Russia seeking a ceasefire. You don’t do that if you are winning. But the Western media has so inflated the position of Ukraine and its supposedly invincible military that keeps kicking Russian ass that it would take a massive change in media messaging just to get the public to accept that Ukraine would have to cede territory, let alone make other concessions like neutrality.

    The US and Ukraine have both proven so “agreement incapable” that Russia has likely concluded it needs to take matters into its own hands and execute rather than negotiate demilitarization and denazification. In this blogger’s humble opinion, that means at a minimum taking Odessa, since that’s another big nest of Azovities and other nasty types. And as much as Russia’s seemingly leisurely prosecution of the war has enabled the Western press to denigrate it, it’s probably the only sound way to deal with Ukraine’s bunkers in Donbass. Plus the sanctions blowback gets ever more painful as the military campaign grinds on.

    Most of this will be familiar ground to regular readers. I wanted to widen the frame a bit. The Western ‘tude towards Russia, that it should be willing to go full Emily Litella “Never mind” and simply walk away from its successes so far and its underlying security concerns, seems to be rooted in US/Anglo chauvinism and persistent underestimation of Russia. If you managed to miss it yesterday, be sure to see Dimitri Orlov’s The Secret American Plan to Make Russia Great Again.

    Below are two different examples of US misappraisal. The first, embedded at the end of this post, is the latest Defense Intelligence Agency Threat Estimate. We wrote about it shortly after it was presented, in early May. What seemed noteworthy then was its pointed failure to say much about Ukraine, particularly its capabilities and prospects. This seemed like damning with faint praise. We also took note of quite a few reality-challenged claims, such as Russia wanting to challenge the US and undermine American democracy.

    Reader scarnoc voiced broader concerns:

    It is quite frightening to me that this is a threat assessment that is used to explain things to congress-lizards and their staffers. The assessment underplays Russian conventional and strategic military capabilities. Current capabilities (particularly strategic nuclear ones) are downplayed or explained as possible future developments instead of current realities.There is a false pretense that sanctions are slowing or harming Russian military-industrial output. There is no detailed description of Russia’s very public and oft-repeated war aims, or of their medium and long term diplomatic aims, none of which have been withdrawn or changed by Moscow. The Russians still intend to push NATO back to its 90s borders, for example. If anything, those medium/long term goals have expanded.
    
    The special relationship between Beijing and Moscow is described as a series of formal agreements instead of an informal but very close ‘friendship’ that both sides have repeatedly called ‘better than an alliance’. A relatively uninformed reader would conclude that there is space between Mr. Xi and Mr. Putin that USA can exploit. Lizards and their staffers, being creatures who live primarily on TV news, are by definition uninformed, and they will draw all the wrong lessons from these parts of the report.
    
    The section on Iran does not mention the depth of friendship and cooperation between Iran and Russia, nor the depth of Iran’s growing relationship with PRC.
    
    There is little in this assessment that explains to the reader just how immense the Russian threat to American unipolarity is right now, today. Given how American congressional and executive leadership talks about Russia like it needs to be completely erased and destroyed, I don’t see any mechanism in front of us that will de-escalate this conflict. Russia will continue to act in accordance with it’s own power and sense of national destiny, stupid American elites will continue to discount and misunderstand that Russian power and overestimate their own power, until at some point we arrive at nuclear exchange. I really, dearly hope I am wrong. I’m putting curtains up in the bunker at this point.

    Another example is Putin’s speech at the 2007 Munich Security Conference. This is an important speech and I urge you to watch it in full.

    This event was in the time frame where Putin still harbored hopes of Russia being able to operate like a normal advanced economy and having cooperative relations with other countries. But those in the US/NATO defense community who hadn’t already taken a dislike to him already used this talk as an excuse. Putin had the temerity to speak directly as opposed to deferentially, pointed out the world was moving to multipolarity by virtue of the growing economic heft of countries like China and India, and worst of all, that the US was threatening the notion of international law by launching wars without getting UN approval. That in turn jeopardized stability since no country could feel safe. I am sure quite a few leaders year later took note of how Gadaffi was our friend until suddenly he wasn’t.

    Putin also used the bully pulpit to call out NATO installing new bases closer to Russia even as Russia was honoring commitments as a provocation that reduced, not enhanced security. And he also called out how WTO/Western development programs for poor countries asked them to open their markets, particularly to subsidized agricultural goods, yet held back higher-tech goods:

    On the one hand, financial resources are allocated for programs to help the world’s poorest countries – and at times substantial financial resources. But – and many here know this – linked with the development of the same donor country’s companies….one hand distributes charitable help and the other hand not only preserves economic backwardness but also reaps the profits thereof.

    Ouch.

    John McCain reportedly looked daggers at Putin the entire time. Apparently pointing out what should have been an obvious trajectory of events, as well as risks of the current course of US action, was seen as presumptuous. Countries like Russia are supposed to know their place. The reason Putin’s remarks stung was that they were on target. The US of 2007 wasn’t even secure enough to laugh off Putin’s observations as that of an arriviste who didn’t know enough of secret dealings to render judgement.

    And the US and the West continue to act to our own detriment out of a distorted sense of amour propre.

    The Prisoner 14

    Here it is again, in case you missed it.

    “Living in Harmony”.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

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    Jay Chou and one toke over the line with Pork Ragu, nonsense about Ukraine, and a giant strawberry

    It’s pouring rain out today. I mean that it is a deluge. The weather, as of late, has been very unusual. But we are all fine. I hear that this May it snowed a few feet in Colorado. Indeed that is odd, but between the Monkey-pox, and Joe Biden deciding to start world war 3 with China and Russia simultaneously, and the lack of baby formula, I mean… what are you going to do?

    Perhaps a giant strawberry is what you need right now.

    Howdy. Buckle up and enjoy yourself here today.

    FLASH: BELARUS PRESIDENTIAL ORDER — UKRAINE

    Lukashenko large
    Lukashenko large

    Something very unusual, big, and serious, is happening . . .

    President Viktor Lukashenko of Belarus has ordered the armed forces of Belarus to immediately create an operational command to handle “the Ukrainian direction.”

    Appearing on national television in his full military uniform, Lukashenko told the nation trouble is coming.

    The fact that he put on his uniform for this says it all.

    UPDATE 3:11 PM EDT —

    Lukashenko also saying that Belarus expects “pressure” from Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia, in particular, with the help of NATO troops stationed there.

    Hal Turner Remarks

    As readers of this site will recall, it was just Tuesday into Wednesday of this week that the country of Hungary, enacted  a “WARTIME EMERGENCY” declaration despite no hostilities in or near Hungary.  (Story Here)

    Now, we have Belarus ordering its military to stand-up a new Ukrainian Command . . . .

    Something wicked this way comes . . . .

    Slow-Cooker Pork Ragu

    This slow-cooked pasta sauce goes well beyond the average spaghetti topper with all-day slow-cooked flavor. Pork shoulder, bacon and aromatic vegetables cook in a crushed tomato sauce and thicken to a hearty, rich consistency that pairs well with rigatoni pasta in particular. Make it a day ahead when you have some extra time, and let the flavors mellow and meld—or just be sure to save some leftovers! This take on a classic Italian sauce is sure to impress your dinner table regulars and special guests alike.

     

    3750c57e 0977 4ef3 8052 46768c6e20d5 1
    3750c57e 0977 4ef3 8052 46768c6e20d5 1

    Ingredients

    • 8 slices applewood smoked bacon, chopped (half of a 12-oz package)
    • 1 1/2 lb boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
    • 3/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
    • 1 1/2 cups chopped onions
    • 2 cups chopped carrots
    • 5 cloves garlic, chopped
    • 2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
    • 1/2 cup Progresso™ chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)
    • 1 can (28 oz) Muir Glen™ organic fire roasted crushed tomatoes, undrained
    • 6 cups cooked rigatoni pasta (about 4 1/2 cups uncooked)
    • Shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired
    • Chopped fresh oregano leaves, basil or Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, if desired

    2022 05 25 19 23
    2022 05 25 19 23

    One Toke Over the Line

    Welcome to the 1970s.

    The United States has long demonstrated to the global community its disregard for international regulations, along with its readiness to unleash a war with the use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) anywhere in the world. This is what the Americans did in Japan, when they dropped nuclear bombs on civilians in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.

    There have subsequently been many other incidents documented and reported to the UN which involved the use of chemical and bacteriological weapons by the United States against its opponents not only in Korea, but also in other regions of the world. Thus, in the period from 1949 to 1988 the Soviet Union submitted to the UN evidence about 13 facts of large- and small-scale use of WMDs with the US involvement. Here are just some of them.

    • – In 1951-1953, the USSR forwarded to the UN the documented evidence about the US’s use of bioweapons against North Korea and China during the Korean War. Those crimes garnered broad media coverage even in the US itself, and were proved by declassified documentary information;
    • – in 1948-1960, the UN received some documented evidence of the application of “scorched earth” tactics by the British army, backed by the United States, with the use of chemical and bioweapons against civilians in Malaya;
    • – in 1961-1971, the UN received evidence of the use of the same policy by the US Armed Forces in South Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand;
    • – In 1982, Moscow forwarded to the UN documentary evidence of CIA’s financial support to breeding and proliferation of genetically modified malaria-carrying mosquitoes in Afghanistan. The biolabs in Pakistan were used for these R&D activities;
    • – in 1985, the USSR submitted to the UN evidence of the activities of US secret biolabs in South Africa and Israel, studying the impact of certain biological agents on certain racial (Negroid) and ethnic (Arab) groups;
    • – at the same period, the Soviet Union submitted to the UN incriminating evidence, supported by 25 countries, about the possible involvement of the US military laboratory at Fort Detrick (Maryland, USA) in the development of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), as well as in deliberate distribution of this virus in Africa;
    • – in the 1990s and 2000s, the UN agencies had already been investigating the “leak” of dangerous pathogens from the US military bases in Spain and Kenya, following which it was proved that the above “leaks” were clearly purposeful and planned.

    All materials on these war crimes have been registered with the UN and are at the disposal of this organization!

    Most recently, The Exposé, a British publication, published the results of its investigation into the direct involvement of the United States and Ukraine in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic…

    Recently, new documentary evidence of the US criminal activities aimed at unleashing a global biological war has been obtained by the Russian Ministry of Defense during the special military operation in Ukraine.

    In particular, Igor Kirillov, the Head of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Forces of the Russian Armed Forces (RCBPF), has disclosed new information revealing the details of the Pentagon’s inhumane experiments on Ukrainian citizens in a psychiatric hospital in Kharkov region (Strelechye village). The test subjects included a group of male patients aged 40-60 with a high stage of physical exhaustion. “The received information proved the fact that the United States was launching an offensive military biological program in Ukraine, the purpose of which was to study the possibility of initiating controlled outbreaks of diseases on particular territories,” Kirillov said.

    Documented evidence was received about an attempt to infect the residents of the Lugansk People’s Republic (LNR) with tuberculosis by means of fake banknotes contaminated with the tuberculosis causative agent. The infected notes were distributed among the minors in the village of Stepovoye in 2020. “The criminal masterminds exploited the behavior of children who are prone to tasting everything and eating without washing their hands,” Kirillov said. Aside from this, some additional information about the incidents associated with the use of bioweapons in Ukraine was obtained during the special military operation: documentary evidence was studied about the deliberate use of a multidrug-resistant tuberculosis pathogen in 2020 to infect the population of Slavyanoserbsky district in the LPR.

    According to Igor Kirillov, the results of bacteriological tests proved the resistance of extracted bacteria to Tier 1 and Tier 2 anti-tuberculosis drugs. The disease caused by them would be much more difficult to treat, and the cost of such treatment would be much higher. The Lugansk Republican Sanitary and Epidemiological Service made a conclusion about the artificial nature of infection found on the banknotes, as extremely dangerous strains were found and their “concentration capable of guaranteeing infection and development of the tuberculosis process.”

    Along with this, the Russian Armed Forces have discovered more than a dozen unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with tanks and nozzles for spraying bioweapon agents. In particular, on March 9, in the territory of Kherson region, three UAVs were detected with 30-liter tanks and equipment for spraying malicious agents. In late April, ten more similar UAVs were detected near the settlement of Kakhovka. At the same time, Igor Kirillov, the Head of RCBPF, added that, as a result of the special military operation in Ukraine, facts came to light evidencing the work carried out with pathogens that are potential agents of bioweapons.

    At the same time, not only the United States, but also a number of its NATO allies, such as Germany, Poland and 10 other Western allies of Washington, are running their military biological projects in Ukraine. Thus, the Polish Institute of Veterinary Medicine took part in the studies of rabies virus in Ukraine together with the Battelle Institute, one of the Pentagon contractors, said the Head of the RCBPF.

    According to Kirillov, the ideologists of American military biological operations in Ukraine are the leaders of the US Democratic Party who “formed the legislative framework for funding military biological research directly from the federal budget.” “Non-governmental organizations controlled by the leadership of the US Democratic Party, submitted their funds including the investment funds owned by the Clintons, Rockefellers, Soros, Biden, under the state guarantees,” the representative of the Ministry of Defense said. Major pharma companies, such as Pfizer, Moderna, Merck, as well as Gilead, a Pentagon-affiliated company, were also involved in this scheme. “US specialists are testing new medicines bypassing the international safety standards,” Kirillov added.

    It should be noted that Washington has been involved in those activities for many decades, with the obvious connivance of the UN and other international organizations who were submitted incriminating evidence of the criminal use of bioweapons by the US. Instead of ensuring compliance with the international regulations and international conventions signed by the United States to combat the development and use of chemical and bacteriological weapons, Washington regularly arranges fake news campaigns accusing other countries of alleged use of prohibited WMDs. And these campaigns, unfortunately, are actively promoted and supported by the US-funded media and representatives of a number of Western political parties and governments around the world, thereby shielding official revelations of the US criminal activities.

    Today, US military biolabs are located not only in Ukraine, but also in many other countries of the world that are facing a similar danger of Washington using bioweapons. And the US does not seem to be ashamed telling the global community about its “right” to make plans for changing political regimes “in authoritarian countries if they pose a threat to US security.” In particular, Henry Kissinger, one of the most respected veterans of the US politics, the former US Secretary of State and national Security Adviser to the US President, recently made this statement in his interview to the Financial Times.

    Given all of the above, every country in the world should be asking one question today: Why is the United States getting away with unleashing a global biological war?

    周杰倫 Jay Chou千里之外 Far Away (feat.費玉清 Fei Yu-ching)】-Official Music Video

    A classic Jay Chou movie out of China. All these videos date from his first album around 2002 or so. And they are videos that tell a story. You don’t need to understand the lyrics to figure out what is happening…

    Dollar is dying there is no question about it

    A great talk.

    Texas School Shooter May Have Been ARRESTED in 2018 for “Terror Attack Plot in 2022” at SCHOOL, Years before Shooting that Left 21 Dead!

    An active shooter situation in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday, left 19 children and two adults dead.   Now, however, we find the shooter may have been one of two juveniles arrested in 2018 for plotting such an attack . . . . to be carried out in the year 2022!

    A hospital report from the area states that in addition to 19 kids and two adults who were killed, 14 other children and at least one other adult are being treated by hospitals in Uvalde and San Antonio.

    The shooter was killed by responding police, according to Texas Governor Abbott.

    The Hal Turner Radio Show has now found that in 2018 two teens were arrested for planning a mass shouting at their school in Uvalde Texas.

    Their plan was to carry out the shooting in their senior year which would be 2022.

    The teens were 13 and 14 years old when they were arrested. The youth were evaluated by mental health professionals and the older of the children was released to his mother. Here is the statement made by the Uvalde school system back in 2018:

    Our school district is committed to the safety and education of all our students and we want to clearly communicate about safety issues when they arise. One of our Morales Junior High students was experiencing a crisis. Upon rendering aid and support, the student revealed a future plan to conduct a school shooting in the year of 2022. With the type of detailed information that was revealed by the student to law enforcement and confirmed in their investigation, the student has been arrested and will not be returning to our school. 
    
    Our school district has a strong partnership with our local law enforcement agencies and emergency responders. They share our commitment to student safety, and we are working closely with them to ensure all information is thoroughly evaluated and our school is as safe as possible.
    
    We ask our parents to assist us in reminding their child/children of the importance of telling a staff member if they ever become aware of a plan to harm individuals or of a weapon at school. The STOPit app may be utilized by parents or students to inform administration of any inappropriate behavior. In this way, we are all working together to keep our schools safe.

     

    A press release obtained by TV Station KENS-5 thoroughly chronicles events leading up to an investigation performed by the Uvalde Police Department and the Texas Rangers.

    <p”>In the press release, Uvalde Chief of Police Daniel Rodriguez said that a Morales Junior High School student,14, and a former Morales student, 13, had specifically targeted numerous students in what they described as a plan to perform a “mass casualty event against the school.”

    Authorities said the students were motivated in large part by the Columbine shootings:

    The investigation revealed that the students were infatuated with the Columbine High School shootings and identified themselves to the shooters. The investigation uncovered that the students even referred to themselves using the Columbine shooter’s names.”

    Investigators also believe the students were planning to hold the attacks years from now during their senior year, on the anniversary of the Columbine shooting. However, one of the students began to convince the other that they should move the attacks up to this year.

    “One of the students had numerous writings and drawings which depicted weapons capable of causing mass destruction. He wrote about being “God-like” and killing police and other persons. He had an academic analysis of one of the Columbine shooter’s journals,” the release stated.

    According to the release, the teens were also planning on detonating IED’s before killing students from a list ‘ranked by priority.’

    After that, the release states the pair were going to kill at random before eventually turning the guns on themselves.

    “Any kids that had talked bad about them or said anything they did not like, basically, they said they were going to go and kill them,” one student said. You just felt unsafe. And teachers have been bringing it to our attention that you can’t be saying those things anymore. We can’t do that. It is wrong.”

    “It was scary. We hear it everywhere else, but you don’t expect for it to happen in your town,” one parent said. “I am glad they were able to control the situation before anything does happen. And that they actually did something about it. Sometimes you think they’re just going to hear it, and say it won’t happen and dust it under the rug, and they actually did something.”

    Both students were reportedly evaluated by mental health services on April 19, when the investigation led officials to the pair. The older of the two was released on April 23 into his mother’s care.

    On April 25, the pair were taken into custody again, and this time arrested for Conspiracy to Commit Murder.

    Because Juvenile Arrest records are SEALED, it is not yet known if Tuesday’s shooter in that same town, was one of the Juveniles arrested for such a plot back in 2018.

     

    Hal Turner Editorial Opinion

    This is a tragedy of unimaginable proportions.

    The children shot and killed on Tuesday, were in the Second, Third, and Fourth grade.  That would make most of them between the ages 7 and 9 years old.

    What kind of a monster deliberately chooses to kill such helpless, innocent, children?  Who created this monster, and who didn’t report him before he killed so many?

    If Tuesday’s gunman WAS, in fact, one of the two arrested in 2018, what was he doing out of custody and what kind of mental health “professionals” turned this beast loose?

    If, however, Tuesday’s shooter was NOT one of the kids arrested back in 2018, then what the hell is going on in the schools of that town, that so many kids are having fantasies of – and now actually becoming – mass shooters?

    There are an awful lot of questions to be answered here.

    One such question is this:  If the threat back in 2018 was for an attack to be done in April or May of 2022, where was the extra security at schools to guard against such an attack?

    Seems to me the local Board of Education has a lot of explaining to do about that.

    My bet, and this is just personal opinion and conjecture: I think this shooter WAS one of the kids arrested in 2018.  After all, what are the odds it would be someone else?

    I’d Love to Change the WorldAlvin Lee & Ten Years After

    1970s. We all wish to return to those days; to be freed from the craziness of the 2020s.

    America’s Crumbling Infrastructure | 60 Minutes Archive

    This is reality.

    China Builds World’s First AI-Powered Drone Carrier For Maritime Operations

    The latest observation of how China aims to use artificial intelligence to conquer the Pacific is the launching of the world’s first autonomous drone carrier.

    According to the South China Morning Post, the intelligent, unmanned 88-meter drone carrier named Zhu Hai Yun will bring revolutionary changes to ocean surveillance, deploying a swarm of aerial, sea, and or submersible drones.

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    2022 05 26 22 17

    The Zhu Hai Yun is powered by an artificial intelligence system called the Intelligent Mobile Ocean Stereo Observing System (IMOSOS). The vessel can navigate autonomously in open water and or be controlled remotely while releasing various types of drones.

    "The intelligent, unmanned ship is a beautiful, new 'marine species' that will bring revolutionary changes for ocean observation," Chen Dake, director of the laboratory responsible for the ship, was quoted as saying by the Science and Technology Daily in 2021 when the shipbuilding began. 

    The ship was built by Guangzhou of the Huangpu Wenchong Shipyard, a subsidiary of China’s top shipbuilding company, the China State Shipbuilding Corporation. Sea trials will happen in the second half of the year.

    Aside from these civilian uses, the drone carrier could be used for military operations.

    Suppose the autonomous drone carrier is transferred to the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). In that case, it could be used as a surveillance craft to patrol the country’s militarized islands in the South China Sea.

    China’s primary strategy is to defeat the US by expanding its artificial intelligence military capabilities. So this could be the beginning of the world’s second-largest superpower building out a fleet of intelligent drone carriers to patrol highly contested waters.

    Meanwhile, the US Navy has piloted drone ships in the Pacific, though only equipped for anti-submarine warfare.

    Photos of America today

    A picture tells a complete story.

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    Creedence Clearwater RevivalWho’ll Stop The Rain

    MelanieLay Down (Candles in the Rain (1970)

    Remember this big hit from the past?

    ‘Go f**k yourselves’, Zelensky aide tells Western officials

    .
    Ukrainian presidential adviser Alexey Arestovich had the nerve to cuss-out the Benefactors who have given his country over $50 BILLION; because some are now saying Ukraine must cede territory to restore peace to that region.
    
    “Go f**k yourselves with such proposals, you dumb f**ks, to trade Ukrainian territory a little bit! Are you f**king crazy? Our children are dying, soldiers are stopping shells with their own bodies, and they are telling us how to sacrifice our territories. This will never happen,” he insisted in an interview on Wednesday.
    
    Arestovich criticized the logic of “bleating” voices encouraging Ukraine “to curb its appetite” and to give Russia the territories it supposedly wants, as this would allow Kiev to “establish a comprehensive peace and to return to business as usual.”
    
    Another adviser of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Mikhail Podoliak, took to Telegram on Wednesday to address the “pro-Russian lobbyists in Europe.”
    
    “We do not sell our citizens, territories or sovereignty. This is a clear red line. Ukrainian society has paid a terrible price and will not allow anyone to even take a step in this direction – no government and no country,” Podoliak said.
    
    While no one wants a long military action or a food crisis, “the shortest way to end the war is with weapons, sanctions and financial assistance to Ukraine,” he argued.
    
    “The Ukrainians defended Kiev, liberated three regions and are completing the liberation of the fourth. Today, the same people offer us to give Russia the east and the south. Thanks for the advice, but we'll probably take up arms,” the adviser said.
    
    Neither man seems willing to accept the fact that Ukraine is LOSING the conflict with Russia and unless Ukraine wises-up - fast - they may not have a country left at all.
    
    The statements from Arestovich and Podoliak come after former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Monday. Kissinger urged Ukraine to make peace quickly, warning that if the conflict is not resolved within two months, Russia may become a “permanent ally” of China in its stand-off with the US.
    
    President Volodymyr Zelensky also criticized Kissinger, calling him out by name, while speaking in more polite terms than Arestovich, saying the American statesman “emerged” from the long gone past and spoke “as if it is 1938 and not 2022. And he thought he was talking to an audience in Munich of that time and not Davos.”
    
    He was apparently referring to the Munich Agreement, a deal that the UK and France made with Axis powers Germany and Italy in 1938, in which the Nazis were given a free hand to invade Czechoslovakia. Comparing modern Russia with Nazi Germany is a favorite rhetorical device of many Ukrainian officials.
    
    Ukraine has insisted that it will not agree to any peace proposals that do not respect its pre-2014 borders.
    
    Moscow has made it clear that the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, as well as the status of Crimea as a Russian region, are not up for discussion. 
    
    Russia attacked the neighboring state in late February, following Ukraine’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, first signed in 2014, and Moscow’s eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The German- and French-brokered protocols were designed to give the breakaway regions special status within the Ukrainian state.
    
    The Kremlin has since demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join the US-led NATO military bloc. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked and has denied claims it was planning to retake the two republics by force.
    .

    Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork

    Bring out your inner BBQ master with this Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork recipe. Just 10 easy minutes of prep, and then let the slow cooker do most of the work for you. Once the pork roast is cooked and tender, shred it up and choose your level of spice by adding in your family’s favorite BBQ sauce for delicious smoky or spicy pulled pork that makes you the kitchen hero.

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    ee73b878 86ad 42cb 988b ec99c0815887

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    2022 05 25 19 25

    China Responds to Joe Biden’s Declaration of War

    周杰倫 Jay Chou青花瓷 Blue and White Porcelain】-Official Music Video

    Another classic Jay Chou music video story. This shows and illustrates the Chinese belief in cycles, and reincarnation, as well as the yin / yang.

    A Giant Abandoned Stawberry Is Becoming More And More Popular Among Urban Explorers In Poland

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    Have you ever seen “James and the Giant Peach”? Ok, so now it’s the time for a Polish version – Alex and the Giant Strawberry. Traveling from Modlin to Warsaw you can find this amazing object. The strawberry lies next road and it’s easy to find. Actually, it’s hard not to see the strawberry, because it’s giant.

    Probably you have a lot of questions now…

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    Well, you know, the fruit was the symbol of a huge farm called Sadpol.

    The Sadpol’s owner had a 700-hectares field and he grew there strawberries, of course. That was big business.

    He sold thousands of kilograms of strawberries each year. His clients came not only from Poland but also from other European countries. It may have been the most powerful strawberry business. Unfortunately, the farm’s owner lost his employees.

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    They quit their jobs and they didn’t want to return.

    What happened? We don’t know.

    We cannot judge him as an employer. Maybe people choose social security benefits instead of honest work. No one really knows.

    The farm had to be closed and only the giant strawberry remains.

    It is a relic of the glory days of Sadpol.

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    Nowadays, the strawberry is abandoned so it’s a nice goal for urban explorers. It’s not a building but it’s special in its own way.

    Traveling there you can have interesting urbex photos.

    In the summertime, you can take colorful photos. If you prefer to have gloomy photos of the abandoned strawberry, you can visit this place in winter.

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    S1E7 A B and C – Patrick McGoohan’s The Prisoner

    We continue with the the adventure known as “The Prisoner”. This is episode 7 from series 1.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

    United States is scrambling, and starting to go completely and totally mad.

    I hope that you all enjoy this article of frolic, fun and “news”. Let’s try to keep things light. Truly insane people are running the West right now, and it’s best that we try to keep positive and concentrate on ourselves instead.

    Some “news”…

    Pfizer & Moderna Investors Run for the Exits

    Wall Street investors are dumping their Moderna and Pfizer stock faster than the world can drop the mandates. Moderna is down 70 percent from its high, while Pfizer is off 19 percent. Former Blackrock Executive and investment adviser Edward Dowd calls for Moderna to go to zero and Pfizer to end under ten dollars per share.

    Article

    How to Cook Beef Tapa Recipe | Tapsilog Recipe

    Want to try something new and tasty?

    Thailand’s NGO Law vs US Meddling

    A very good video. It discusses how the USA has been trying to take over Thailand.

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    2022 05 29 16 11

    Video here, a must watch…

    Russia Conquers Severodonetsk – Then Grabs 85km west to Slovyansk!

    2022 05 29 14 00
    2022 05 29 14 00

    The Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk has been won by the Russian Army. More stunning, they moved with astonishing speed toward Slovyansk, 85km farther west.

    Fighting is now raging on the outskirts of Slovyansk in a smaller city called Raihorodok, shown on the map below:

    2022 05 29 14 01
    2022 05 29 14 01

    Ukraine is losing the war, very badly.

    I don’t know what type of munitions Russia is using, but OMG look at just this single blast crater:

     

     

     

    Roxy Music Both Ends Burning live at The Apollo London 2001

    Oh, how I love those go-go cheerleader dancers. Enjoy this live performance out of the dusty files… To quote another viewer “This is so good, I cried”. It really, REALLY is great.

    They are having so, so much fun on stage! It’s so darn obvious.

    And those go-go girls are all wearing “go-go boots”, and doing 1960’s dances like “the monkey”, and the “mashed potato”. Seriously, it’s worth the time to watch the go-go girls alone.

    Banana-Blueberry Muffins

    This one is for the Banana-Blueberry Muffin lovers. Ready in 30 minutes–these perfect-for-anytime muffins will not disappoint. When whipping up a batch of blueberry and banana muffins, don’t overstir or overthink these simple muffins. Overstirring can cause little “mountain peaks” to form on your delightfully delicious Banana-Blueberry Muffins. Add these to your next at-home brunch menu for a surefire hit. Nothing beats muffins from scratch.

    a7940cdc 37eb 4a49 a00c 2f54f96ed403
    a7940cdc 37eb 4a49 a00c 2f54f96ed403

    Ingredients

    • 2/3 cup milk
    • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
    • 1/2 cup mashed very ripe banana (1 medium)
    • 1 egg
    • 2 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
    • 2/3 cup sugar
    • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • 1 cup fresh or frozen (thawed and well drained) blueberries

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    2022 05 29 13 55

    Terrifying Video Shows ‘Bubble-like Clouds’ After Russia Fired Its Thermobaric Bomb On Ukraine – Watch

    Phil Manzanera – Out of the Blue (en vivo en CCK)

    I hope that you enjoy this video.

    Horrific Footage Of ‘Chinese Sub-Launched Missile’ Flying Near A Passenger Aircraft Gets Caught On Video

    .

    In a dramatic video circulating on social media, an airliner narrowly avoided being hit by a missile, reportedly launched from a Chinese submarine in the disputed South China Sea.

    The plane was flying over the South China Sea when Air Traffic Control (ATC) issued a frantic call, “Turn left 90 degrees immediately!!.”

    The gravity of the situation can be grasped by listening to unknown persons in the video discussing whether or not the missile is heading their way.

    The projectile can be seen emerging from the sea’s surface and soaring to a high altitude at the front of the aircraft. The footage was shared online by Twitter user @jchovernut, a pilot for Allegiant Air and a veteran of the US Navy’s submarine community.

     

    The clip was purportedly recorded from a Cathay Pacific Boeing 777, according to a subsequent post of the video on Facebook. Cathay Pacific, however, stated that no such incident had taken place.

    Meanwhile, the actual date and location of the video’s shooting remain unknown. There are no noticeable Notices to Airmen (NOTAM) or other pictures linked to missile or rocket launches in the region.

    The regional tensions are already high because of the intense maneuvering of the Chinese military and North Korean military. Between May 19 and May 23, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) announced that it would undertake drills in the South China Sea.

    These overlapped with US President Joe Biden’s visit to South Korea and Japan. However, no live-fire missile tests were mentioned in Beijing’s announcement.

    Pyongyang did conduct a submarine-launched ballistic missile test on May 7, but the site was kilometers away from the South China Sea.

    In 2017, a North Korean missile launch was seen by the crew of a Cathay Pacific plane heading north of Japan. However, it’s unclear if this video depicts the past event. Yet, if it is an unannounced missile launch, such an incident might spark a major confrontation in the region and jeopardize the passenger plane’s safety.

    A few odd paintings that might make your home “pop out”…

    Michael Sowa (b.1945) is a German artist known for his whimsical, surreal and stunning paintings often featuring animals. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin for seven years, spent a brief time as an art teacher and then became a painter.

    His art might make great conversation pieces to hang in your living rooms…

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    Hindi ITO Beefsteak

    Ok. I cannot understand a word he is saying, but the directions are clear, and it looks like a LOT of fun to make. A must try, you all!

    Oligarchy vs. Colony for Dummies:

    From ReadingJunkie…

    I keep hearing that Russia is [just another] oligarchy. The main argument is that there are [VERY] rich people in Russia. True, though compared to Elon Musk or Bill Gates they are beggars. But are they oligarchs in the proper sense of the word? I don’t think so. Maybe they were proxy rulers with limited authority. I’ll try to explain.

    Article HERE

    This is a follow-up of my earlier post I Finally Understand Why We Hate Russia. Now I argue that under the European model of post-modern European supremacy, I mean liberalism, the enemy within is worse than the enemy outside. I am referring not to geography or borders, but to ethnicity.

    Article HERE

    Appreciate What You Have And Stop Comparing Yourself To Others

    We live in a society in which, in one way or another, everyone compares themselves to others. This in turn gives rise to a devastating feeling — jealousy. The following comic strip really helps you think about how this feeling is actually meaningless, and how important it is to appreciate what we have.

    We love the simplicity of the ideas expressed here by the author, Igor Kalashnikov, and we just had to share them with you. Take a look.

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    The Truth About Michael Pompeo and China

    It’s a very good video.

    “Cops & Corgis”: New Russian Social Media Bot Puts Riot Police Where You Least Expect Them

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    FreeOmon is a bot account based in the social network Telegram. Its sole function is to add Russian riot police to preexisting images. Any user who sends the bot an image file immediately receives a new-and-improved, highly secured version in return.

    Thanks to Twitter users, the police proceeded to round up the Avengers, a group of kindhearted corgis, an extremely sad Moscow cat who has recently taken Russian social media networks by storm, and many, many other threats to public safety.

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    US Biolabs created MonkeyPox

    Russia: US labs in Nigeria responsible for monkey outbreak, Saturday, 28 May 2022 10:03 AM [Last Update: Saturday, 28 May 2022 10:23AM)

    Article HERE, 28 May 2022 10:03 AM [ Last Update: Saturday, 28 May 2022 10:23 AM ]

    The world’s monkeypox outbreak apparently originated from US military bioweapons labs in Nigeria. This is not tinfoil-hat stuff. This is from the Russian MoD, summarized by Saker:

    According to a WHO report, the West African strain of monkeypox originated in Nigeria, another state in which the US has deployed its biological infrastructure...
    
    Against the backdrop of multiple US biosafety violations and the negligent storage of pathogenic biomaterials, we call on the World Health Organisation leadership to investigate the US-funded Nigerian laboratories in Abuja, Zaria, Lagos and inform the global community of the results.

    The Saker article HERE

    The most disturbing aspect of this report concerns a planned smallpox outbreak:

    "The Pentagon’s interest in this infection is far from accidental: the return of the smallpox pathogen would be a global catastrophe for all mankind."

    Beautiful Photo Session In Traditional Costume From The Region Of Łowicz In Central Poland

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    When we come upon some interesting photo-shoots we are usually eager to share them with you. This was one such “nostalgia” driven photo spectacle by Polish blogger Wiktoria Nowak. She was a folk dancer for 11 years in her younger age, because of that dance has been a large part of her personality and life. You know there is a thing about these folk gatherings, or what we mean they will leave you filled with good memories such as events, dances, trips, camps and culture preserving.

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    New York bearing signs of ‘societal decay’

    This is what the United States is today. Painful to watch.

    NYC – STAY AWAY FROM HERE; THE CITY IS MORE DANGEROUS THAN EVER

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    For over a year I have been warning readers of this website and listeners to my radio show to STAY AWAY FROM NEW YORK CITY because the crime is so widespread, brazen, and violent.  Below, two videos of about one minute each, showing you the latest.

    We begin with this: Just another day in New York City’s safest subway system, where innocent people are being harassed and assaulted.

    But the mayor wants you to ride the subway instead of driving, to save the environment.

    Then, at night, this is a neighborhood uptown.  Look at what they do when cars are caught mid-block by a traffic light, and vehicles stopped ahead of them:

    THIS is what takes place each and every day in New York City.  And worse.   Armed robberies at gunpoint are taking place in the open, on crowded Manhattan streets.  Unprovoked beatings of people who are merely walking down streets.  Brazen shoot-outs between rival gangs.

    New York City does not seem safe to me — at all.   I say that as someone who has lived in this region almost all my life.

    AVOID NEW YORK CITY AT ALL COSTS.  It is dangerous here.

    This is kind of big news.

    First look at AZOV Battalion in Russian lockdown center. They are all facing 15 to life and in some cases the death penalty

    Video can be found HERE

    85-Year-Old Farmer Given Makeover By Grandson And Is Transformed Into Fashion Icon

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    The young creative, who goes by the name XiaoYeJieXi (@小野杰西) on Weibo, dressed the octogenarian in fashionable pieces like colorful three-piece suits, felted hats, and tailored denim. XiaoYeJieXi then photographed his grandfather among a vibrant cityscape, resulting in series that looks like it’s on the pages of a glossy magazine.

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    Despite the polished look of these images, XiaoYeJieXi’s intention wasn’t for commercial fame. He simply wanted to give his grandfather a makeover and take him for a tour around the city. It’s in contrast to the elderly man’s regular life in the rural Fujian Province, where he gardens and farms vegetables.

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    Kaoma – Lambada (Official Video) 1989 HD

    Oh my. Enjoy this great trip to Brazil…

    Custard Pie

    Bring back memories of Grandma’s kitchen with this traditional custard pie in a homemade pastry crust.

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    9a8a63c9 959d 4565 a0f1 27bc958167d5

    Ingredients

    Pastry

    • 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour*
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1/3 cup cold shortening
    • 3 to 5 tablespoons ice-cold water

    Filling

    • 3 eggs
    • 3/4 cup sugar
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla
    • 2 1/2 cups hot whole milk or half-and-half

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    TWICE “LIKEY” M/V

    I’ve mentioned this video before. This is the Korean K-pop group known as “Twice”. My daughter loves to dance to their songs. There are two great aspects of this video. First, that it is filmed in Boston… I LOVE Boston… secondly, the fantastic smiles on the pretty girls. Smiles make things happen…

    …oh yeah. And the girls are all Han Chinese.

    Why Taiwan is NOT the Next Ukraine

    Chris made a nice video. It’s pretty good, but not the entire story. Watch it. He omits the Guangzhou corridor. And what it means to the equation.

    Anti-Surveillance Fashion Designed To Trigger And Inject Junk Data In To Automated License Plate Readers

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    The fabric on this garment is designed to trigger Automated License Plate Readers, adding unhelpful data to the systems used to surveil our communities. Look fabulous in an all-over printed, body-hugging crop top.

    For the pattern to have a maximum effect, it’s ideal for the fabric to hang straight so that the text is not excessively warped. For this reason, you may want to consider sizing up if you intend for it to read in to ALPRs effectively.

    How It Works

    The patterns on this shirt were generated by testing a series of modified license plate images with commercial ALPR APIs, working to generate aesthetic fabric patterns that read in to devices and services as if they were real plates.

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    The patterns are designed to trigger Automated License Plate Readers, injecting junk data in to the systems used by the State and its contractors to monitor and track civilians and their locations.

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    M777

    This article gives a reasonable account of twists in the M777 debacle in Ukraine: Article.

    Summary:

    – ammunition (U.S. and Canadian) destroyed in Ukraine ammo dumps before making it to front
    – only 20km range, 40km [ed: should be ’30km’] with rocket-assisted projectiles which Ukraine does not have
    – 7-man crew that normally requires nine weeks of training for basic gun skills
    – months of additional training for M777 units to gain proficiency
    – 80% of guns arrived in Ukraine without targeting electronics (DFCS system)
    – Canadian electronics used as hasty replacement
    – Canadian units fail in field due to wall of Russian electronic warfare
    – Operating M777s usually located in under 30 minutes by Russian drones or counter-battery due to unique acoustic signature
    – Ukriane M777s might get off four or five rounds on a good day before being destroyed or crew killed

    Amazing Vintage Photos Of 1937 Cadillac V16 Series 90 Hartmann Cabriolet

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    This custom Cadillac is probably the most extreme cabriolet ever built. The car was originally commissioned by wealthy playboy Philippe Barraud. He wanted a custom car constructed on a grand scale and in late 1936 ordered a 452 cu in Cadillac V16 chassis through the Edelweiss Garage in Lausanne, Switzerland.

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    Cadillac shipped a bare chassis, one of only two that year, around the world to Switzerland and there it was bodied in Lausanne by Willy Hartmann. Barraud wanted to body the chassis in his own home town so he could personally supervise the work.

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    After two year’s war broke out and the Cadillac was stored for ten years. It was then brought back to life and Phillipe had it repainted white over pale blue to use it over the next ten years. It was again repainted light over dark brown after a crash which destroyed the front end and its lights. New bullet lights were fitted to replace the small driving lights that did little for the grace of the design. Additionally a full width bumper was constructed.

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    Abandoned by its owner in the mid-sixties, the car was “discovered” 31 years later, in derelict condition, in a field near Geneva, Switzerland. That was in the summer of 1968. It was acquired in April the following year by the 2nd owner, Mr. Jean-Jacques Belet of Lausanne, for just CHF4000 (the equivalent at that time of approximately $925).

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    The car has changed hands 10 times since then. Restored four times (the last time in 2017–18) and probably owing in a large part to a “tampered” dash-mounted coachbuilder’s nameplate (added around 1985), the value of the Hartmann roadster has soared out of all normal proportions. The actual price paid by the current owner has not been disclosed but may be estimated to be around “a few million” dollars.

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    The Prisoner Series 1 Episode 4

    Enjoy this latest installment.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

    Classic Blueberry Pie, CIA, Chinese and American mobile phone systems and the ugliest car in the world

    Do you know the difference between poisonous and venomous? See the picture above. America has become poisonous, where China and Russia are both Venomous.

    Two widely circulated reports from the UK are now demanding escalation of the confrontation with both Russia and China: The Henry Jackson Society is demanding total “decoupling” and economic warfare against China; while the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) is calling for directing the NATO-armed Ukraine to retake Crimea, forcing a nuclear showdown with Russia, arguing that “a nuclear crisis of this sort could make it easier for leaders to make difficult compromises.”

    Such madness must be stopped.

    But you know, the insanity has to occur and increase in measured madness until it hits a brick wall and dies.

    I, and many others, are all convinced that this is the fate for the United States.

    Chinese and American Mobile Phone Systems

    At the risk of appearing to be a shill, I think it is safe to say that China arguably has the best mobile phone service in the world, certainly second to none, while the US and Canada have arguably the worst, surely the most fragmented and dysfunctional, and certainly the most expensive. Let’s look at some details.

    I’m uncertain about the US but, so far as I am aware, in Canada and many European countries, mobile phones can be purchased only from a telecom company, one of the more clever but clearly anti-social provisions in Western communications legislation. This gives the phone companies a truly ‘captive market’ in that, if you want a particular phone, you have no choice but to submit to all that company’s policies and to pay their demanded prices. A major difference in the communications landscape is that Chinese phone companies do not have a monopoly on the sale of mobile phones and are in fact minority sellers.

    To buy a mobile phone in China, you go to any one of thousands of shops in your city, each selling hundreds of different brands and models of mobile phones, and negotiate the best price you can get for the phone you want. And you CAN negotiate: “There are three shops across the street selling this same phone. Either give me a better price (or a free expensive umbrella, or a nice stuffed animal), or I’ll go there instead.” Some Americans will recognise this as “competition”.

    After you buy the phone, you buy a SIM card (about $3.00), which contains your phone number, network connection authorisation, and some free air time. You insert the SIM card, turn on the phone, and begin making calls while still in the shop. That’s the whole process. Except for the SIM card, it’s the same as buying a toaster.

    You can choose from various phone companies to provide service, but everything is pretty much the same and, while there are many various “usage plans”, you needn’t subscribe to them and can simply use your phone on a pay-as-you-go basis. Noteworthy is that in China you can change phone companies without changing your phone or your number. If you buy a new phone, you simply insert your old SIM card and everything is as it was. You can purchase a second (or third) SIM card and have different local numbers to use in different cities, if you want to do that.

    For sure one of the best features is that the entire country is wired, even in remote locations. Some time back I was on holiday in Inner Mongolia and could happily send photos on WeChat while riding my camel in the desert. Given the extensiveness of wireless coverage, in more than 17 years in China I could count the number of dropped calls on the fingers of one hand. And it isn’t only China itself, but the entire Asian region that is seamlessly connected. I recently called a friend in Shanghai to invite him for lunch, and he said, “I can’t. I’m in Vietnam”.

    If anyone from anywhere in the world calls me, the system knows where I am and my phone rings. I never have to think about service provider compatibility, roaming, and all the other restrictions that exist in Canada or the US. If I travel to Beijing, I receive a text message welcoming me and telling me my calls are now local calls. And in a sense, all mobile phone calls in China are ‘local’. The landline system still uses area codes, but the mobile phone system abandoned them decades ago and simply uses an 11-digit phone number, so calling anywhere in the country is the same. The system is so functionally useful that I cannot recall ever meeting anyone in China who had a personal or home land line.

    The system also monitors abuses, presenting warning notices upon receiving a call from a number reported to belong to telemarketers or telephone scam operators. As well, the SMS system is used very effectively for some kinds of public notices like a simultaneous warning to 100 million citizens of an approaching typhoon.

    Phone calls in China cost maybe $0.01 per minute, and SMS messages are the same for sending; receiving is free. The typical monthly cost for a smart phone in China, including typical internet usage, is maybe $15.00, compared to around $100.00 in the US or Canada, and sometimes as much as $200.00. Many young kids in China stream movies on their phones and can run up higher bills, but the $15.00 cost is probably typical and maybe even high. I should add that in China the ‘basic phone bill’ includes all the ancillaries which are usually sold at extra cost in the West: caller ID, call-holding, and many others.

    International calls have a special provision: I first dial a 5-digit number before the phone number I’m calling and that automatically places me on some kind of heavy discount basis. Perhaps other countries have this feature now, but I can speak to a friend halfway around the world for less than $1.00 per hour.

    Once on an extended trip to Canada I thought I’d buy a Canadian SIM card for my phone for the sake of convenience. That was a mistake. The phone company charged me $30 for the SIM card and another $30 as a “connection fee”. That last one rankled. In the days of land lines, the phone company had to send a man out to your house to physically connect your phone, so you paid a connection charge. But today there is no such thing as a ‘connection’. When you turn on your phone, the SIM card pings the tower and you’re connected. On my return to China, I discovered I’d lost my China SIM card; not a big deal but I didn’t want to lose my phone number. Happily, for 5 RMB (about $0.75), the nice girl at China Mobile reprogrammed a new SIM card with my old number and life was normal again.

    There is one other item I would raise that seems to be primarily an American phenomenon: dirty tricks. One such was Marriott Hotels a few years back using illegal frequency jammers to block guests’ Wi-Fi hotspots and other such devices, shutting them out from the Internet entirely, then charging them between $250.00 and $1,000.00 per device to connect to the hotel’s own wireless network. A Marriott spokesperson with the unlikely name of Gaylord Opryland, claimed it was only “a security precaution” to protect hotel guests from “rogue Wi-Fi hotspots”, and that the hotel used only “FCC-authorized equipment provided by well-known, reputable manufacturers”, i.e., the CIA. The claim apparently didn’t fly with the FCC who fined the hotel chain $600,000 for the scam.[1]

    [2]

    I suppose it’s possible this kind of thing happens in China too, but I have never heard of it.

    I once had that experience on a cruise ship traveling from Shanghai to Tokyo. As soon as we boarded the ship, even while still in port, all signals disappeared and we had no choice but to pay the cruise line’s exorbitant fees to be able to use our own phones. I refused just on principle, but I discovered there was one small portion of one lower deck where the jamming wasn’t effective, and I could still communicate with Shanghai until we were more than 300 miles out of port. No idea how the signal could carry that far, but it did.

    Also, there is something unreal about the mobile phone market in North America. I don’t know if I can define it well enough to make it sensible, but it has overtones (or undertones) of what appears to be some combination of religion and ‘national security’. It suggests there exists something intrinsically mystical or inherently menacing about mobile phones and thus the rapacious practices of the phone companies are disguised as necessities to save the country from unspecified evils. Yet a mobile phone is nothing but a toaster with a SIM card (minus the toaster part). The propaganda of greed.

    Of course, capitalists in China are just as greedy as capitalists everywhere, so the phone companies are usually on the lookout for a way to raise the price of something, and occasionally make attempts, furtive or otherwise, to raise rates or sneak in more charges. But if the people begin complaining, the government is not at all bashful about kicking the telecoms in the shins and telling them to roll back the price increases. And they do.

    For a long time, it wasn’t possible to buy a Wi-Fi hotspot in the US, Canada, or Europe; these devices had to be rented at a cost of around $50.00 per month, and with about an equivalent monthly cost for usage. It seems they are now available for purchase, at prices ranging from around $100.00 to many hundreds, plus usage charges. In Canada, they seem to cost between about $300.00 and $650.00. Perhaps readers can update this.

    In Shanghai, I have two phones and I tether them, using one as the Wi-Fi hotspot for the other and also for my laptop, so I always have my own Wi-Fi wherever I am. It’s possible to buy a dedicated Wi-Fi hotspot for $25 or $30, and pay around another $10 for usage, but my way is more convenient since my other devices connect automatically and I don’t have yet one more device to carry or one more battery to die when I need it. Plus, I have no bandwidth limitations, and never any service disruptions.

    This is partially an aside, and you will no doubt hate me for telling you this, but the high-speed internet connection (DSL) for my home in Shanghai costs 500 RMB (about US$75.00) for two years, and that comes with at least 300 TV channels; I haven’t made an accurate count. On the other hand, Canada has the world’s highest internet costs at around $100 per month and showing no signs of decreasing.

    The price disparities are not primarily from lower costs or wages, but that the mobile phone systems in Western (capitalist) countries were not designed for the people but for the mobile phone companies, resulting in the exclusive assigned regions, the resulting network and frequency fragmentation, à la carte menus, high costs and poor service. The few companies (with their assigned and protected markets) collaborate to keep prices high and prevent customers from escaping the trap. And US government protection of the telecom monopolies has been vicious: at least until recently, Americans would pay $500,000 and spend ten years in prison for unlocking a phone, the act represented as some kind of abhorrent immoral felony when it was merely a justifiable act of self-defense against a grossly-predatorial system.

    China recognised that rapid communications and transportation were vital to increasing economic development, some estimates claiming China’s GDP is 15% higher than would otherwise have been without its current mobile phone system, and another 30% attributed to its nearly universal rapid transportation, especially the high-speed trains.

    The World of 5G

    China seems to have taken the lead in rolling out the new generation of mobile networks with about 2 million 5G base stations operating now, and covering 60 or 70 major urban centers, essentially all those with a population of one million or more. The country installed more than 650,000 of them in 2021 alone, and the pace is increasing if anything. The number of 5G subscribers is over 500 million and climbing quickly. Also, in 2021 5G smartphones accounted for more than 80% of all handset shipments with nearly 300 new models released.[3][4][5] Not only that, but China is already heavily into research for 6G, the next much-faster generation of mobile communications.

    According to a recent article in the WSJ,[6]

    “At this point, football fans have seen so many ads from AT&T and Verizon claiming to have the fastest and most reliable 5G service on the planet that those without a 5G smartphone might think they are really missing something. Don’t be misled. Unless you are traveling internationally, you won’t enjoy faster speeds with a new 5G-enabled smartphone than you’d get on a 4G phone streaming games from New York, Los Angeles or many other U.S. cities.

    AT&T’s and Verizon’s new 5G networks are often significantly slower than the 4G networks they replace. America is far behind in almost every dimension of 5G while other nations – including China – race ahead. America’s average 5G mobile internet speed is roughly 75 megabits per second, which is abysmal. In China’s urban centers 5G phones get average speeds of 300 megabits per second. . . fast enough to download a high-definition movie in two minutes.”

    Many MSM media articles attempt to explain why the US has fallen so far behind in this area, but this is mostly propaganda with everyone avoiding the elephant in the room. Americans have a right to be disappointed in the performance of their telecom companies whose marketing hype much exceeded their ability to deliver, but this wasn’t really their fault and the blame lies elsewhere – in the world of politics and espionage, unfortunately.

    Eric Schmidt, Google’s former CEO, wrote in a recent WSJ article[7]

    that “The U.S. government’s “dithering” has left the country “well behind” China in the race to build out 5G technology,” but that’s a dishonest presentation. The US is indeed far behind China, but “dithering” was not the cause. I will try to explain.

    The Trouble With Huawei

    There are two major issues here, both political. The first involves Huawei, the Chinese IT giant. Huawei was far ahead of the rest of the world in 5G, holds a large portion of the most useful and critical patents in this area, and had the current capacity to ship almost unlimited numbers of base stations and the rest of the 5G infrastructure to the world.

    The first and most obvious problem was that (in the eyes of the US Administration) China was “eating America’s lunch” in IT innovation and invention and the White House wanted to derail this by destroying Huawei and clearly made every possible effort in this regard, including bullying and threatening half the known world against using Huawei’s products. Unfortunately, the US telecom companies conducted their marketing campaigns on the expectation of installing Huawei’s equipment, which hopes were dashed by the sudden violent attacks on Huawei and the eventual banning of their equipment. This left the US telecoms with literally nothing to offer and no place to go. Ericsson and others did have equipment available, but most of it was quite inferior and with little production capacity, leaving the US telecoms with no option but to goose their 4G infrastructure and present it as “5G”, which it wasn’t. They did their best, but the results were mediocre.

    Huawei was suddenly promoted as unreliable and a grave threat to US national security, and the US telecoms thus became one of the innocent victims of the trade war with China. But what was behind this? Huawei had already been in all the Western countries during 1G, 2G, 3G and 4G, and there had never been a whisper of technical issues nor any concern with data security or espionage, so what suddenly changed with 5G? As it happened, Huawei’s ‘lunch menu’ was the smallest part of the problem.[8]

    The Five Eyes

    The real issue was espionage, and not by China. It is so widely-known and accepted that there is no practical value in disputing the assertion that Cisco and other American hardware and software firms install back doors to all their equipment for the convenience of CIA and NSA access. There is a video on YouTube where a Microsoft executive is challenged during a speech to explain why Windows had a built-in back door specifically identified in the program code as “NSA Back Door”. The Microsoft executive did not deny the existence of this feature, nor could he have done because he knew that the man asking the question was the person who discovered it. In the event, he refused to respond and changed the subject. And it’s widely-known that as far back as 30 and 40 years ago all Xerox machines and fax machines delivered to foreign embassies and consulates in the US were “espionage-ready”.

    All of Cisco’s equipment, and that of most other American manufacturers, were designed to accommodate wide-spread NSA information-gathering on Americans, as evidenced by Edward Snowden, but even this was the smaller part of the problem. The real issue was the US’ creation of the “Five Eyes” espionage network that included Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Briefly, this was set up to break every law in the book while pretending no laws were being broken. It is generally against the law for a government to spy on its own citizens, but that law doesn’t apply to a foreign government. So, Canada spies on Australian citizens and sends the information to the Australian spooks who can claim they did nothing wrong. Rinse and repeat.

    According to Snowden, the Five Eyes was a “supra-national intelligence organisation that does not answer to the known laws of its own countries”, his documents clearly revealing that these five countries were “spying on one another’s citizens and sharing the collected information with each other in order to circumvent restrictive domestic regulations on surveillance of citizens”.

    But suddenly Huawei is replacing Cisco and those other American firms with its better and less expensive products and filling the American mobile phone landscape with Huawei equipment. This part might be troublesome but manageable, but the CIA and NSA can hardly approach Huawei and ask the company to build back doors into their equipment so the US can spy on everybody including China. There is no solution to this problem. With the installation of Huawei equipment into these five countries, Five Eyes is dead in the water, and the US government was forced to make a decision between providing world-class 5G communications for the benefit of the country or to protect the functioning espionage network. They chose the latter. And it wasn’t sufficient to ban Huawei only from the US because this company’s equipment would castrate the NSA’s effort in the other four nations. Thus, US bullying to ensure each of its five eyes is Huawei-free.

    There was no way to explain this to the public. We could not have an NYT article telling the American people that they cannot have a 5G phone system because that would prevent NSA and CIA spying, so the only option was to trash Huawei’s reputation as a grave security threat, and hype that ridiculous accusation to the point where the public would accept an inferior service. And that’s the entire story, like it or not.

    Mr. Romanoff’s writing has been translated into 32 languages and his articles posted on more than 150 foreign-language news and politics websites in more than 30 countries, as well as more than 100 English language platforms. Larry Romanoff is a retired management consultant and businessman. He has held senior executive positions in international consulting firms, and owned an international import-export business. He has been a visiting professor at Shanghai’s Fudan University, presenting case studies in international affairs to senior EMBA classes. Mr. Romanoff lives in Shanghai and is currently writing a series of ten books generally related to China and the West. He is one of the contributing authors to Cynthia McKinney’s new anthology ‘When China Sneezes’. (Chapt. 2 — Dealing with Demons). Archive

    His full archive can be seen at: HERE and Over HERE

    He can be contacted at: 2186604556@qq.com

    Notes

    [1] Article
    Marriott Illegally Blocked People’s Internet Access And Charged Them Up To $1,000 Instead
    
    [2] Article
    Marriott Whacked for $600,000 for War on Rogue Wi-Fi Hotspots
    
    [3] Article
    
    [4] Article
    
    [5] Article
    
    [6] Article
    
    China’s 5G Soars Over America’s; In some U.S. cities, it’s slower than the old 4G system.
    
    [7] Article- behind-china-in-5g-race-ex-google-ceo-eric-schmidt-says.html
    
    ‘Pathetic’ performance has left U.S. ‘well behind’ China in 5G race, ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt says
    
    [8] Article
    
    Huawei, Tik-Tok and WeChat

    Wartime Emergency

    The country of Hungary will declare a “WARTIME EMERGENCY” at midnight tonight.

    Hal Turner advises…

    Prime Minister Orban says "the government will declare a state of war from midnight today" to "protect Hungary and Hungarian families by all possible means" in a video posted on Facebook.
    
    So clearly he knows something gigantic is about to take place.   The "something" must clearly be actual "war" because they're actually saying it!
    
    This seems to be "it" folks.   
    
    Be prepared by tonight to BE ABLE TO bug-out at a moment's notice to any backup shelter you may have, and make sure you have food, water, medicine, and COMMS for that bugout shelter location. If this thing goes wild weasel between Russia-Ukraine/NATO, it will happen so fast people won't even have time to think.

    Slow-Cooker Beef Roast with Onions and Potatoes

    Onion and potatoes add Old-World flavor to a family favorite beef roast.

    59f10fa4 69bd 44ff 827e 953fbbc1d94a
    59f10fa4 69bd 44ff 827e 953fbbc1d94at.

    Ingredients

    • 1 large sweet onion, cut in half, then cut into thin slices
    • 3-lb boneless beef bottom round roast
    • 3 baking potatoes, cut into 1 1/2- to 2-inch cubes
    • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
    • 1 3/4 cups Progresso™ beef flavored broth (from 32-oz carton)
    • 1 package (1 oz) onion soup mix (from 2-oz box)
    • 1/4 cup Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

    2022 05 24 15 40
    2022 05 24 15 40

    Lavrov Outlines Russia’s Future Geopolitical Strategy

    Right now the West is “reacting furiously” to Russia defending its “absolutely legitimate, fundamental interests,” Lavrov said. Western leaders “chant spells” and declare they must “defeat Russia,” or make Russia “lose on the battlefield,”
    without understanding the history or nature of Russia, “They must have done poorly in school,” said Lavrov.

    “I am convinced this will eventually end. The West will eventually recognize reality on the ground. It will be forced to admit that it can’t constantly attack the vital interests of Russia – or Russians, wherever they live – with impunity,” he added.

    If and when the West comes to its senses and wants to offer something in terms of resuming relations, Russia will “seriously consider whether we will need it or not,” the foreign minister told high-schoolers.

    Moscow isn’t just implementing a strategy of import substitution in response to anti-Russian sanctions, but “must stop in any way being dependent on the supply of anything from the West” and rely on its own capabilities, and those of countries that have “proven their reliability” and act independently, Lavrov explained.

    (HT REMARK: So clearly, the Russians are settling-in for the very long term.  This does not bode well for __any__ other countries that have wronged Russia.  It also shows the Russians are not going to back down - at all - with the Ukraine thing and as such, the only people being harmed by western Sanction . . .  are those of us in the West.
    
    We need to immediately stop sticking our nose into what's going on between Ukraine and Russia.  Those two countries are literally like brothers.  Sometimes, brothers fight.  It's best to stay OUT of family squabbles.)

    The RoAcH CoAcH: How the Designer Imagined the Cars of The Future from The 1970s

    1 20 1
    1 20 1

    The RoAcH CoAcH, originally built by RoAcH, Inc in the 70′s is alive and well and living in Dayton, OH. The brainchild of RoAcH, Inc., the custom show car was designed by Ed Newton and built by Dan Woods, Don Boeke, and a band of merry men. The car was a ISC show-car for years.

    After hundreds of hours over six years, the RoAcH CoAcHwas born. The debut was a monster party during the 1978 NHRA Spring Nationals. The party celebrated the opening of RoAcH, Inc.’s new 100,000 sq ft. facility.

    2 18 1
    2 18 1

    Designer: Ed Newton
    Body: Dan Woods & Ed Newton custom fiberglass sculpture
    Chassis: Granatelli Indy Car
    Paint: Egyptian Body Shop
    Interior: Egyptian Body Shop
    Assembly: Egyptian Body Shop

    7 17
    7 17

    6 17
    6 17

    5 17 1
    5 17 1

    Ugliest car I have ever seen. -MM

    Two Front World War: Biden Says He’ll Attack China in Defense of Taiwan!

    Classic Blueberry Pie

    This Classic Blueberry Pie is amazingly delicious without the fuss of peeling and pitting needed for other fruit pie recipes. Plus, our blueberry pie recipe from scratch is easier than you think and a great way to celebrate summer. When selecting your blueberries, look for ones that are uniform in size with a smooth exterior. No stress if you don’t have fresh blueberries, frozen blueberries work just as well in this homemade blueberry pie. Eliminate some elbow grease and cut down on time, pick up Betty Crocker™ pie crust mix. Enjoy a slice, or two!

    2022 05 23 21 20
    2022 05 23 21 20

    Ingredients

    Pastry

    • 2 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 2/3 cup shortening
    • 4 to 6 tablespoons cold water

    Filling

    • 3/4 cup sugar
    • 1/2 cup Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, if desired
    • 6 cups fresh blueberries
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 1 tablespoon butter, if desired

    2022 05 23 21 17
    2022 05 23 21 17

    2022 05 23 21 18
    2022 05 23 21 18

    Russian and Chinese War Planes Enter South Korea Air Defense ID Zone Without Notice

    .

    Korea is approximately 13 hours ahead of the US East Coast Time Zone. At approximately 7:00 PM Korea Time, war planes from both Russia and China entered South Korea’s Air Defense Identification Zone without notice.

    HT REMARK: This stunned the South Koreans and reminded the world that NATO is no longer the only game in town.

    Details are sketchy right now, and this story will be updated as details become available.

    EU Weapons Smuggling Truck Grabbed in Luhansk by Russian Allied Troops

    .

    LPRTroops EU Truck Weapons large
    LPRTroops EU Truck Weapons large

    After heavy fighting around Izyum, Ukraine, soldiers of the Luhansk People’s Republic, fighting alongside Russian Army troops for the Independence and freedom of Luhansk and Donetosk, found a burned pickup truck with ammunition boxes in the bed.

    The Nissan pick-up has an EU License button and  German license plate with the abbreviation MOL for Märkisch-Oderland district from the state of Brandenburg, Germany!

    “The most interesting thing is that the German car number appears. Brandenburg. No idea who that was and why there are Nissans with EU numbers here”  said one of the soldiers who came upon the truck.

    The vehicle tail lights, and license plate lights, were taped-over with blue painters masking tape, so the vehicle could travel unseen at night.

    Clearly, this is the manner in which NATO countries have been smuggling weapons and supplies into Ukraine, to kill Russian Army troops.

    One wonders how much longer Russia will sit back and allow this to go on before smashing the countries that are doing it?

    The Prisoner S1E6 The General – Patrick McGoohan’s The Prisoner

    I really hope that you enjoy this episode. Seriously, pay attention to how the media controls the prisoner. And note how everyone is controlled by the media. Written and presented in the early 1960s.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

    Number Six, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Asov HQ, 1959 Cadillac DeVille, and Ukraine War

    Another daily dose of fun, frolic and an engagement in the geopolitical thoughts of the day. I hope that this article finds you well and that you enjoy it’s content.

    Let’s start here…

    Russia Rewrites the Art of Hybrid War

    May 22, 2022 Pepe Escobar Original Article Here

    Hybrid War is being fought predominantly in the economic/financial battleground – and the pain dial for the collective West will only go up.

    The ironclad fictional “narrative” imposed all across NATOstan is that Ukraine is “winning”.

    So why would weapons peddler retrofitted as Pentagon head Lloyd “Raytheon” Austin literally beg since late February to have his phone calls answered by Russian Defense Minister Shoigu, only to have his wish finally granted?

    It’s now confirmed by one of my top intel sources. The call was a direct consequence of panic. The United States Government (USG) by all means wants to scotch the detailed Russian investigation – and accumulation of evidence – on the US bioweapon labs in Ukraine, as I outlined in a previous column.

    This phone call happened exactly after an official Russian statement to the UN Security Council on May 13: we will use articles 5 and 6 of the Convention on the Prohibition of Bioweapons to investigate the Pentagon’s biological “experiments” in Ukraine.

    That was reiterated by Under Secretary-General of the UN in charge of disarmament, Thomas Markram, even as all ambassadors of NATO member countries predictably denied the collected evidence as “Russian disinformation”.

    Shoigu cold see the call coming eons away. Reuters, merely quoting the proverbial “Pentagon official”, spun that the allegedly one-hour-long call led to nothing. Nonsense. Austin, according to the Americans, demanded a “ceasefire” – which must have originated a Siberian cat smirk on Shoigu’s face.

    Shoigu knows exactly which way the wind is blowing on the ground – for Ukrainian Armed Forces and UkroNazis alike. It’s not only the Azovstal debacle – and Kiev’s all-around army breakdown.

    After the fall of Popasnaya – the crucial, most fortified Ukrainian stronghold in Donbass – the Russians and Donetsk/Luhansk forces have breached defenses along four different vectors to north, northwest, west and south. What’s left of the Ukrainian front is crumbling – fast, with a massive cauldron subdivided in a maze of mini-cauldrons: a military disaster the USG cannot possibly spin.

    Now, in parallel, we can also expect full exposure – on overdrive – of the Pentagon bioweapons racket. The only “offer you can’t refuse” left to the USG would be to present something tangible to the Russians to avoid a full investigation.

    That’s not gonna happen. Moscow is fully aware that going public with illegal work on banned biological weapons is an existential threat to the US Deep State. Especially when documents seized by the Russians show that Big Pharma – via Pfizer, Moderna, Merck and Gilead – was involved in several “experiments”. Fully exposing the whole maze, from the start, was one of Putin’s stated objectives.

    More “military-technical measures”?

    Three days after the UN presentation, the board of the Russian Foreign Ministry held a special session to discuss “the radically changed geopolitical realities that have developed as a result of the hybrid war against our country unleashed by the West – under the pretext of the situation in Ukraine – unprecedented in scale and ferocity, including the revival in Europe of a racist worldview in the form of cave Russophobia, an open course for the ‘abolition’ of Russia and everything Russian.”

    So it’s no wonder “the aggressive revisionist course of the West requires a radical revision of Russia’s relations with unfriendly states.”

    We should expect “a new edition of the Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation” coming out soon.

    This new Foreign Policy Concept will elaborate on what Foreign Minister Lavrov once again stressed at a meeting honoring the 30th Assembly of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy: the US has declared an all-round Hybrid War on Russia. The only thing lacking, as it stands, is a formal declaration of war.

    Beyond the disinformation fog veiling the application of Finland and Sweden – call them the Dumb and Dumber Nordics – to join NATO, what really matters is another instance of declaration of war: the prospect of missiles with nuclear warheads stationed really close to Russian borders. Moscow already warned the Finns and Swedes, politely, that this would be dealt with it via “military-technical measures”. That’s exactly what Washington – and NATO minions – were told would happen before the start of Operation Z.

    And of course this goes much deeper, involving Romania and Poland as well. Bucharest already has Aegis Ashore missile launchers capable of sending Tomahawks with nuclear warheads at Russia, while Warsaw is receiving the same systems. To cut to the chase, if there’s no de-escalation, they will all eventually end up receiving Mr. Khinzal’s hypersonic business card.

    NATO member Turkey, meanwhile, plays a deft game, issuing its own list of demands before even considering the Nordics’ gamble. Ankara wants no more sanctions on its purchase of S-400s and on top if be re-included in the F-35 program. It will be fascinating to watch what His Master’s Voice will come up with to seduce the Sultan. The Nordics engaged in a self-correcting “clear unequivocal stance” against the PKK and the PYD is clearly not enough for the Sultan, who relished muddying the waters even more as he stressed that buying Russian energy is a “strategic” issue for Turkey.

    Counteracting financial Shock’n Awe

    By now it’s evidently clear that open-ended Operation Z targets unipolar Hegemon power, the infinite expansion of vassalized NATO, and the world’s financial architecture – an intertwined combo that largely transcends the Ukraine battleground.

    Serial Western sanctions package hysteria ended up triggering Russia’s so far quite successful counter-financial moves. Hybrid War is being fought predominantly in the economic/financial battleground – and the pain dial for the collective West will only go up: inflation, higher commodity prices, breakdown of supply chains, exploding cost of living, impoverishment of the middle classes, and unfortunately for great swathes of the Global South, outright poverty and starvation.

    In the near future, as insider evidence surfaces, a convincing case will be made that the Russian leadership even gamed the Western financial gamble/ blatant robbery of over $300 billion in Russian reserves.

    This implies that already years ago – let’s say, at least from 2016, based on analyses by Sergey Glazyev – the Kremlin knew this would inevitably happen. As trust remains a rigid foundation of a monetary system, the Russian leadership may have calculated that the Americans and their vassals, driven by blind Russophobia, would play all their cards at once when push came to shove – utterly demolishing global trust on “their” system.

    Because of Russia’s infinite natural resources, the Kremlin may have factored that the nation would eventually survive the financial Shock’n Awe – and even profit from it (ruble appreciation included). The reward is just too sweet: opening the way to The Doomed Dollar – without having to ask Mr. Sarmat to present his nuclear business card.

    Russia could even entertain the hypothesis of getting a mighty return on those stolen funds. A great deal of Western assets – totaling as much as $500 billion – may be nationalized if the Kremlin so chooses.

    So Russia is winning not only militarily but also to a large extent geopolitically – 88% of the planet does not align with NATOstan hysteria – and of course in the economic/financial sphere.

    This in fact is the key Hybrid War battleground where the collective West is being checkmated. One of the next key steps will be an expanded BRICS coordinating their dollar-bypassing strategy.

    None of the above should overshadow the still to be measured interconnected repercussions of the mass surrender of Azov neo-Nazis at UkroNazistan Central in Azovstal.

    The mythical Western “narrative” about freedom-fighting heroes imposed since February by NATOstan media collapsed with a single blow. Cue to the thunderous silence all over the Western infowar front, where no mutts even attempted to sing that crappy, “winning” Eurovision song.

    What happened, in essence, is that the creme de la creme of NATO-trained neo-Nazis, “advised” by top Western experts, weaponized to death, entrenched in deep concrete anti-nuclear bunkers in the bowels of Azovstal, was either pulverized or forced to surrender like cornered rats.

    Novorossiya as a game-changer

    The Russian General Staff will be adjusting their tactics for the major follow-up in Donbass – as the best Russian analysts and war correspondents incessantly debate. They will have to face an inescapable problem: as much as the Russian methodically grind down the – disaggregated – Ukrainian Army in Donbass, a new NATO army is being trained and weaponized in western Ukraine.

    So there is a real danger that depending on the ultimate long-term aims of Operation Z – which are only shared by the Russian military leadership – Moscow runs the risk of encountering, in a few months, a mobile and better weaponized incarnation of the demoralized army it is now destroying. And this is exactly what the Americans mean by “weakening” Russia.

    As it stands, there are several reasons why a new Novorossiya reality may turn out to be a positive game-changer for Russia. Among them:

    1. The economic/logistics complex from Kharkov to Odessa – along Donetsk, Luhansk, Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhye, Kherson, Nikolaev – is intimately linked with Russian industry.
    2. By controlling the Sea of Azov – already a de facto “Russian lake” – and subsequently the Black Sea, Russia will have total control of export routes for the region’s world-class grain production. Extra bonus: total exclusion of NATO.
    3. All of the above suggests a concerted drive for the development of an integrated agro-heavy industry complex – with the extra bonus of serious tourism potential.

    Under this scenario, a remaining Kiev-Lviv rump Ukraine, not incorporated to Russia, and of course not rebuilt, would be at best subjected to a no-fly zone plus selected artillery/missile/drone strikes in case NATO continues to entertain funny ideas.

    This would be a logical conclusion for a Special Military Operation focused on precision strikes and a deliberate emphasis on sparing civilian lives and infrastructure while methodically disabling the Ukrainian military/logistics spectrum. All of that takes time. Yet Russia may have all the time in the world, as we all keep listening to the sound of the collective West spiraling down.

    Pepe ESCOBAR is an independent geopolitical analyst, writer and journalist.

    Journalists get their first look inside the abandoned Azov headquarters.

    They had Member I.D cards and worked directly with the Ukraine Government, making Zelensky an accomplice to their hate crimes.

    There are already videos of the interior of the Azovstal bunkers where the crem of the crem of the Ukrainian Marines and nazi battallions remained without knowing what a fight is..

    The rooms had air conditioning, and for what it shows the collection of objects exposed, they passed the time reading books like Mein Kmapf, and the like…

    Their documents show they were all linked to the Zelensky administration as official soldiers, included some Polish ones.

    Then, it is calls from the people in Lvov willing to give the Russians the coordinates on the customs where trucks full of luxury cars that are entering Ukraine…

    Article One HERE

    Biden´s new Minsiter of Truth photographed working along into the Zelensky´s campaign HQ…

    Article Two HERE

    The Wallflowers – One Headlight (Official Music Video)

    Subject: What Australia did to China

    Professor James Laurenceson, Director,
    Australia-China Relations Institute, UT Sydney.
     
    Dear Dr. Laurencson,
     
    In your recent ACRI newsletter you asserted, “After all, in 2020 it was Beijing’s decision and Beijing’s decision alone to respond to political disagreements by cutting off senior level dialogue and hitting Australia’s exports”.
     
    A dispassionate review of our behavior, including our unprovoked invasions of four of China’s neighbors, suggests that Beijing’s response is fully justified. Let us count the ways.
     
    In late 2017, the Solomon Islands featured in aggressive Australian efforts to influence the award of the contract to lay internet cable between Honiara and Sydney.  Said the Lowy Institute’s Jonathan Pryke: “This was seen as a red line that Australia would not cross and so we jumped in with a better deal providing the cable as a grant that would be implemented with a procurement partner of Australia’s choosing – that wouldn’t be Chinese.”

    Our stigmatizing normal cooperation and imposing restrictions, like the revocation of Chinese scholars’ visas, caused a scandal in China, as did our intimidatory predawn searches and reckless seizures of Chinese journalists’ homes and properties without charge or explanation.

    Then the CSIRO told staff it will not renew its climate research partnership with the Qingdao National Marine Laboratory, following an unsupported ASIO assertion that ocean temperature modelling could assist submarine operations against Australia–a pronouncement met with robust criticism by Australian scientists.

    We targeted China with one-third of our ongoing WTO actions and two-thirds of current measures, despite our Productivity Commission finding ‘no convincing justifications for the measures,’ and imposed hefty duties on their steel (144%), aluminium, and chemicals. China consistently lowered tariffs on our products to the point that ninety-five percent of our exports enjoyed zero duties, yet we initiated one-hundred six anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations of Chinese products, complaining bitterly when Beijing finally resorted to the WTO, for the first time, with barley and wine tariffs.
    When Rep. Shaoquett Moselmane repeated the WHO’s praise for China’s coronavirus response, Mark Latham MP called his approval ‘disgusting’ and, at dawn on June 26, 2020, forty police arrived at Moselmane’s home and stayed until 1:30 am the next morning. They brought sniffer dogs, took hair and dust samples from his car, searched the car engine and door rubbers, had a helicopter hovering and raided his parliamentary office, and froze the Moselmane family’s bank accounts. Despite Peter Dutton’s obvious, public allegiance to the United States, he told Ray Hadley, “You can’t have an allegiance to another country and pretend to have an allegiance to this country at the same time”.
     
    Our international attack on Huawei, however, was particularly cruel, since it is China’s first international tech leader. Malcolm Turnbull loudly campaigned against its domestic adoption, contravening our trade agreements on unjustified, unstated ‘national security’ grounds, then lobbied the British Government on the specious grounds that Beijing can compel companies to provide information. This ignores identical Australian, American, European laws and the technical impossibility of so doing. We further revealed our hypocrisy by ignoring Huawei’s offer to base its network security division in Australia.
     

    When China listed its concerns, Canberra concealed China’s fourteen concerns from public scrutiny, and DFAT lied: “The fourteen items identified by the Chinese embassy document are seen by the Department of Foreign Affairs as key to Australia’s national interest and non-negotiable.. the government makes sound decisions in our national interest and in accordance with our values and open democratic processes”. No democratic process was involved, of course. The points, still unanswered, are

    1. In contravention of ChAFTA, we rejected a dozen Chinese investment projects, and restricted areas like infrastructure, agriculture and animal husbandry on ambiguous, unfounded (and ludicrously insulting) “national security concerns”.
    2. We launched 107 anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations of Chinese products, more than any of China’s other trading partners. 
    3. We politicized and stigmatized normal exchanges and cooperation, created barriers, and imposed restrictions like revoking visas for Chinese scholars, in parallel with America’s identical, failed witch hunt.
    4. Though Covid-19 was endemic in Europe and the US before it reached China, PM Morrison loudly demanded a weapons-style inspection into its Chinese origins–then fell silent when the US refused to sign the UN resolution to investigate its source.
    5. We spearheaded a crusade against China in multilateral forums.
    6. We legislated against Victoria’s participation in BRI.
    7. We paid anti-China think tanks to spread false reports, and peddle unsubstantiated allegations about Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
    8. Canberra funded investigations into so-called ‘China infiltration’ designed to manipulate public opinion against the country.
    9. Our police made pre-dawn searches and conducted reckless seizures in Chinese journalists’ homes without charge, explanation, or apology.
    10. Our politicians made repeated, false allegations about Chinese cyber attacks. 
    11. We condoned and repeated government-funded NGOs’ outrageous condemnations of the governing party of China. 
    12. We shrugged off hundreds of racist attacks against Chinese and Asian people.
    13. We permitted our media to repeat unfounded reports about China and made no effort to correct them.
    14. We were the first non littoral country to condemn China’s behavior in the South China Sea at the United Nations.

    The Chinese see a pattern of bad-faith dealings, discrimination, and unprovoked hostility, best illustrated by our consistent opposition to their United Nations initiatives:

    I am curious as to why you have not discussed any of these matters in your newsletter. Could it be that doing so would jeopardize your job?

    Sincerely,

    Godfree Roberts

    No response was ever returned.

    Gluten-Free Fruit Swirl Coffee Cake

    Glazed fruit swirl coffee cake – a delicious dessert that’s ready in 45 minutes. Serve it warm or cold – it’s a delight either ways.

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    c172fd05 0600 47f7 90de 045e5c1b977e

    Ingredients

    Coffee Cake

    • 4 eggs
    • 3/4 cup milk
    • 1/2 cup butter, melted
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla
    • 1 box Bisquick™ Gluten Free mix (3 cups)
    • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
    • 1 can (21 oz) fruit pie filling (any flavor)

    Glaze

    • 1 cup powdered sugar
    • 2 tablespoons milk

    2022 05 23 20 57
    2022 05 23 20 57

    The ASEAN-US summit: rhetoric versus reality

    May 23, 2022

    .
    ASEAN wants the U.S. to make its actions consistent with its rhetoric of supporting ASEAN centrality in regional security affairs. Image: Pixabay

    When the US-ASEAN Summit was first announced, there were great expectations on both sides. However fond hopes foundered on the rocks of reality.

    When the US-ASEAN Summit was first announced, there were great expectations on both sides. But after a postponement due to disagreements on dates, Kurt Campbell, czar and architect of US Asia Policy, quipped “We just hope they show up.” The leaders of Myanmar and the Philippines did not but the rest did come. However fond hopes foundered on the rocks of reality.

    The U.S. wanted to win over ASEAN and its members to its side in its struggle with China for regional domination. ASEAN wanted to extract robust US commitments to its regional centrality in political and economic affairs as well as to actions that demonstrate that the US interest in it will not fade in favor of Europe.

    Some had hoped that the U.S. would court ASEAN for its own merits rather than as a pawn in its strategic struggle with China for regional dominance. But the summit did little to dispel their concern.

    The highlight of the meeting was an agreement to establish a US-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The U.S. needed this to place its relations with ASEAN on the same level as that of ASEAN’s with China. Ironically this symbolized their intensifying competition for ASEAN’s hearts and minds. But it is unclear what this new formality will mean in practice.

    The U.S. has previously made its intentions crystal clear. The goal of its Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS) is to prevent China’s regional hegemony by building greater coordination with allies and partners “across war-fighting domains” to ensure allies can dissuade or defeat aggression in any form_.” This means that its success depends on a US-centric network of security allies and partners and their willingness to go along with it in confronting China. The summit was part of this US effort to build a united front against China.

    But ASEAN and the U.S. have fundamentally different visions for the region. The U.S. vision of an implicitly anti-China, security-oriented Free and Open Indo-Pacific contrasts with ASEAN’s inclusive [including China], more economic, less militaristic Outlook on the Indo-Pacific. ASEAN hopes the US and China can coexist and refrain from raising tensions that hurt them.

    ASEAN wants the U.S. to make its actions consistent with its rhetoric of supporting ASEAN centrality in regional security affairs. ‘Centrality’ here “refers to the role of ASEAN as a regional leader or driver, convenor or facilitator, hub or key node_ _”. US President Joe Biden declared that “strengthening the US relationship with ASEAN is “at the very heart of [US] foreign policy strategy”. Perhaps that is so. But the goal of that strategy is to constrain and contain China and that is not necessarily in the interests of ASEAN or its members.

    ASEAN and its members were already wary of US-driven realpolitik strategic moves like AUKUS and the Quad that have been initiated to counter what the U.S. sees as the “China threat’ to its hegemony in Asia. The U.S. and its allies went around and over ASEAN to form these pacts. In doing so ASEAN has been split and weakened.

    The Joint Vision Statement issued by the meeting reflects these contradictions. It is remarkable more for what is missing or left ambiguous rather than included and clear. The parties agreed to “appropriately [emphasis added] cooperate in international and regional fora”. But what is ‘inappropriate’ cooperation? Clearly, either or both had reservations regarding certain types of cooperation . But which types and why?

    They declared that they “look forward to further strengthening cooperation including through relevant initiatives or frameworks of the United States or ASEAN.” This ambiguity appears to reflect real differences or uncertainties as to which side should take the initiative on what issues. For example, the U.S. seems to want to fit ASEAN in to the ‘Quad”—the ad hoc security dialogue between India, Japan Australia and the U.S.. But ASEAN centrality means its security architecture and forums should take precedence and the Quad should take direction from them. Despite its rhetoric to the contrary, this meeting was still all about China and the U.S. effort to form a united front against it.

    ASEAN wants the U.S. to place more emphasis on US-ASEAN economic relations. Indeed, the most important single thing the U.S. could do to appeal to ASEAN members would be to lead and coordinate a multinational effort of economic assistance in a strategic manner focusing on needs defined by the recipients.

    Yet it missed the opportunity to announce its long awaited Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF). It was not even mentioned in the Joint Vision Statement. This only reinforced the notion that “ASEAN is not a fulcrum for US economic co-operation in the Indo-Pacific”. Moreover there is concern that the IPEF will be focused on issues more important to the U.S. and its strategy to contain China rather than ASEAN members’ urgent needs. Because of the ephemeral nature of previous US commitments to Asia like the ‘pivot’, there is suspicion that the IPEF will not outlast the Biden administration. This concern was reinforced by the US announcement of a paltry US 150 million aid pledge, including 60 million for US Coast Guard assistance in training, presence and equipment to ASEAN countries. This will increase maritime domain awareness that is to the U.S. advantage in its long term struggle against China. The total is ridiculously small compared to China’s 1.5 billion aid pledge and the many US billions in aid to Ukraine.

    As another example of US centrism, the US managed to insert in the Joint Vision Statement its concern with “ensuring “freedom of navigation and over flight and other lawful uses of the seas”. The latter is code for asserting what it considers to be its right to undertake provocative intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance probes against China.

    Perhaps the most egregious US hypocrisy in the Joint Vision Statement is “we support ASEAN’s efforts to preserve the Southeast Asian region as a nuclear weapon free zone_ _as enshrined in the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Treaty. In addition to frequently transporting nuclear weapons through the region, the U.S. has declined to become a party. Meanwhile China has declared that it is ready to sign—apparently in response to the AUKUS agreement which will likely bring more nuclear powered and nuclear weapon capable submarines into the region.

    On the interpersonal level, Mr. Biden declined bilateral meetings with the leaders. His administration claimed this was to emphasize that he was meeting with ASEAN as an institution. Given that they had traveled half way around the world to meet him, I suspect some were miffed.

    A major flaw in this approach is that ASEAN is not united on political issues. This is clearly demonstrated by its members’ diverse responses to the crisis in Myanmar and Ukraine and even to China’s behavior in the South China Sea.

    They are only united in that they do not want to be forced to choose between China and the U.S..

    Indeed, they do not want to become puppets or designated proxies for either one as happened during the US-Soviet Union Cold War with disastrous results for some of them—like Vietnam. But it is not clear from this summit that the U.S. will help them avoid that fate.

    This piece first appeared in the Asia Times.

    Italian Dressing

    Why buy salad dressing, when you can make your own, and it’s cheaper and far better tasting.

    7eb7741a 6996 4abf afea 46bf9e20f2fe
    7eb7741a 6996 4abf afea 46bf9e20f2fe

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup olive or vegetable oil
    • 1/4 cup white or cider vinegar
    • 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
    • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
    • 1 teaspoon sugar
    • 1 teaspoon ground mustard
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
    • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
    • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

    Steps

    • 1 Shake all ingredients in tightly covered container. Shake before serving.

    They tried to escape

    Ukrainian Nazi’s tried to get past the RF at the Azovstal complex dressed as civilians when the civilians were eventually released they were picked out after questioning and detained.

    "Chechen special forces showed suspects of participating in hostilities against the allied forces of the Russian Federation and the DPR - according to the Russian side, the detainees tried to escape from Mariupol, dressed in civilian clothes.
    
    Video showing the commander of the special police regiment named after Akhmata Kadyrova Zamid Chalaev conducts initial interrogation of detainees, the head of Chechnya published Ramzan Kadyrov in his Telegram channel. "Ukrainian Nazis, disguised as civilians, wanted to slip past the Russian military. My dear brother Zamid Chalaev asks simple questions, but the prisoner is so confused that he does not understand the first time," Kadyrov signed this publication. The head of the republic suggests that he is probably afraid of retribution for crimes and this point has yet to be clarified."

    Article HERE

    Cool Pics Of The 1959 Cadillac DeVille Series

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    The 1959 Cadillac is remembered for its huge sharp tailfins with dual bullet tail lights, two distinctive rooflines and roof pillar configurations, new jewel-like grille patterns and matching deck lid beauty panels.

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    In 1959, the Series 62 were moved from the Series 62 to their own series, the Series 6200. DeVilles and 2-door Eldorados became the Series 6300 and Series 6400 respectively, though they all, including the 4-door Eldorado Brougham (which was moved from the Series 70 to Series 6900), shared the same 130 in (3,302 mm) wheelbase.

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    D3 18

    Engine output was an even 325 hp (242 kW) from the 390 cu in (6.4 L) engine. Standard equipment included power brakes, power steering, automatic transmission, back-up lamps, windshield wipers, two-speed wipers, wheel discs, outside rearview mirror, vanity mirror, oil filter, power windows and two-way power seats.

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    D6 16

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    FF16 7

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    FF13 9

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    FF9 11

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    FF7 13

    “Girded with barbed wire”: the wild atrocities of the Finns in World War II are revealed

    Killed every third Red Army soldier who was captured by them

    From HERE
    .

    During World War II, Finland became one of the allies of Nazi Germany, which attacked the Soviet Union. This pastoral country managed to distinguish itself then in a very specific way. The Finns were able to surpass even the Germans in terms of creating hellish conditions for Soviet prisoners of war and civilians who found themselves in the occupied territories.

    Juvenile prisoners of the camps. Photo: wikipedia@sa-kava@archives

    The principles of cultural conduct of hostilities on the Eastern Front against the Red Army were “turned off” in advance not only by the leadership of the German Wehrmacht, but also by other allies of the Third Reich, who sent their troops to fight the Soviets. However, the degree of cruelty shown to the enemy by soldiers from the country of Suomi gave odds to almost all other members of the Nazi bloc.

    boiled alive

    Historians are unanimous: Russophobia was a policy in those years, officially approved by the leaders of the Land of a Thousand Lakes. Among the population, a hostile attitude towards the Russ was actively promoted (such a contemptuous designation was popular). Many joined the ranks of the civil guards – shutskor, which was originally created to fight those Russians who lived on the territory of Finland that separated from the Russian Empire.

    The confessions given during interrogation by Lieutenant Pelkonen, the captured deputy head of the Olonets camp No. 17 for prisoners of war, are indicative: “I completely shared the fascist propaganda carried out by the Finns. In the person of the Russian nationality, I saw the primordial enemies of my country. With this opinion, I went to fight against the Russians. My boss, lieutenant Soininen, said that the Russians, even in captivity, continue to be enemies for the Finns.

    However, even taking into account all the mentioned atrocities of the White Finns in relation to the captured Soviet soldiers, they are taken aback. Even their colleagues from among the German monsters with SS stripes give in to the Finnish shoulder craftsmen.

    Here are just some of the evidence recorded in documents, in publications of that time.

    “The Red Army soldier Sergey Pavlovich Terentyev, who escaped from the White Finnish captivity, spoke about the unbearable suffering of Soviet prisoners of war languishing in a camp near the city of Pitkyaranta. “In this camp,” said Terentiev, “wounded Red Army soldiers are kept. They are not provided with any medical care. … We were given a mug of flour stew a day. Finnish executioners came up with a terrible torture for us. They girded the prisoner with barbed wire and dragged him along the ground. Every day, the corpses of tortured Soviet soldiers are taken out of the camp.” (From the message of the Soviet Information Bureau on October 7, 1942)

    “The Red Army soldier Lazarenko, who fell into the clutches of the Mannerheims, was subjected to monstrous torture. Finnish executioners drove cartridges into his nostrils, and burned a five-pointed star on his chest with a red-hot ramrod. But even this seemed not enough to vile sadists. They smashed their victim’s skull and stuffed crackers inside.” (Pravda, July 25, 1944)

    “Dear comrade editor! Take a look at this photo. It shows Lieutenant of the Finnish army Olkinuorya. In his hands is the skull of a Red Army soldier tortured and killed by him. As the prisoners testified, this beast in uniform decided to keep the skull of his victim “as a keepsake” and ordered the soldiers to boil it in a cauldron and clean it. And in the suitcase of the captured Finn Saari, we found photographs like this. Saari tortured the prisoners, cut off their arms and legs, and ripped open their stomachs. He even established a system: first he cut off the feet, hands, then the shins, forearms, and only then cut off the head. (From a letter from senior lieutenant V. Andreev, published in Komsomolskaya Pravda on August 11, 1944)

    “… Many of the found corpses of tortured Soviet officers and soldiers have stab wounds, many have their ears and noses cut off, their eyes gouged out, their limbs turned out of their joints, skin strips and five-pointed stars were cut out on the body. Finnish monsters practiced burning people alive at the stake…

    … The act and resolution of the military investigator on the corpse of an unknown Red Army soldier found on the shore of Lake Ladoga on June 25, 1944, boiled alive on a fire in a large iron barrel, testifies to what vile, sophisticated torture Finnish sadists reach …

    … A regime was established in the concentration camps, designed for the extinction of prisoners of war by a slow, painful death. They were starved. The barracks in which the prisoners were placed, as a rule, were not heated all year round. The appalling unsanitary living conditions of prisoners of war and rotten, inedible food were the cause of massive stomach and other illnesses. The most common disease, most often fatal, was general exhaustion …

    … There are not isolated cases when the guards of the camps arranged vile, bloody fun, setting dogs on defenseless people.

    Prisoners are used as experimental material in medical experiments. The Swedish newspaper Volksviljan wrote at the beginning of this year: “It is known among doctors in Stockholm that in Finland Russian prisoners of war are used as subjects for medical experiments. Finnish doctors use Russian prisoners of war to determine how much air can be injected into a person’s blood. This inflicts terrible torment on the victims during the “research”, after which death occurs. In experiments on Russian prisoners, they are also trying to find out how much drugs the human body can withstand. (From the Report on the atrocities of the White Finns in the temporarily occupied territory of the USSR, sent to the head of the GlavPU of the Red Army A.S. Shcherbakov by his deputy I.V. Shikin on July 28, 1944)

    50,000 “extra” Russians

    In the spring of 2020, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation opened a criminal case of genocide on the death of thousands of civilians in Finnish concentration camps in the occupied part of Karelia during the Great Patriotic War

    The beginning of this horror, which lasted almost four years, was laid by the Supreme Commander of the Army of Finland, Marshal Mannerheim. In his secret order No. 132, signed on July 8, 1941, he ordered the Finnish soldiers and officers: “The Russian population should be detained and sent to concentration camps.”

    We talked about what happened next with the director of the Institute of History, Political and Social Sciences of Petrozavodsk State University, Professor, Doctor of Historical Sciences Sergey Verigin.

    – Even before the start of hostilities against the USSR, the Finnish authorities approved the concept of creating Greater Finland. It was supposed to include part of the Soviet lands – Karelia, the Kola Peninsula. Moreover, in such an expanded Finnish state, in addition to representatives of the titular nation, only their “younger brothers” — Karelians, Ingrians, Vepsians — were supposed to live. The Russians, according to the doctrine then prevailing in the country of Suomi, are for all these territories an alien people who have no place there. Therefore, the Finnish leadership decided to act on an ethnic basis. Drive the aliens to concentration camps, and after the final victory over the USSR, send them away – to the Slavic regions captured by Germany.

    Entering the war, the Finns were able to occupy two-thirds of Soviet Karelia. 86,000 civilians remained in the territory they occupied. Of this number, about 36,000 turned out to be representatives of kindred peoples – Karelians, Vepsians … And the remaining 50,000 are the very “extra” Russian-speaking population.

    As a result of the efforts of the Finnish military to carry out Mannerheim’s order, almost half of these people were sent to concentration camps. Thousands of them died.

    Can this really qualify as genocide?

    – In my opinion, that’s right. Of course, at the level of everyday consciousness, genocide is associated with mass executions, with gas chambers, executions … But in this case, we are dealing with genocide carried out virtually without the use of weapons or any special technical means.

    Civilians – and mostly they were women, old people, children – were herded into concentration camps. Living conditions there were harsh. The prisoners were used for hard work, and food was provided very poorly. Weakened people were mowed down by diseases, epidemics …

    The result was a terrible record. In 1942, the mortality rate in Finnish concentration camps was even higher than in German concentration camps: 13.75% versus 10%. Later, however, the conditions for campers were slightly improved. This began in 1943, when a clear turning point occurred in the course of the war. The Finnish leadership then realized that the prospects for it were sad, they were frightened. To further disguise their “sins”, they even decided to rename the concentration camps to camps for displaced persons, and a certain number of people who were there were released. But in general, such cosmetic measures did not change the situation in any way.

    On the occupied territory of Karelia, the White Finns created a hundred places of detention: 14 concentration camps, 34 labor camps, 42 prisoner of war camps, 9 prisons and one colony. I even find it difficult to name any other occupied territory where such a high density of camps for its inhabitants was created during the Second World War.

    What was the labor camp like?

    – Those who were there, it seems, were not formally considered prisoners. But the life of these unfortunates was akin to a concentration camp. People lived in villages, although not behind barbed wire, but under constant guard and without the possibility of free movement. Fearing that the “trudoviks” might join the partisans, the Finnish soldiers forbade them even to go to the neighboring forest. In addition, adult residents of such a camp were required to travel to work daily. Moreover, the invaders prepared for them the most difficult types of it: these people paved the roads, felled the forest … Of course, many could not withstand such difficult conditions.

    Facts from the past:
    
    “Shortly after the occupation of the Karelian-Finnish SSR by the White Finnish invaders ... they drove most of the civilian population, mainly Russians, into concentration camps. The camps housed Soviet citizens of all ages, from infants to the elderly. The regime, in essence, was no different from the regime in concentration camps for Soviet prisoners of war: starvation rations, illness, dirt, beatings, abuse, executions. The regime in the Olonets camp No. 8 and in the Kutizhma camp was especially cruel. Exhausted by constant hunger, people were forced to work 12-14 hours a day. Those who were unable to move were dragged to the place of work, and at the end of the working day they were again dragged to the camp. Beatings were commonplace. The camps had a whole set of tools for torture: whips, rubber clubs, gas mask tubes filled with sand. Torture was carried out alone and in groups. For failure to comply with unbearable work norms, women and girls were cut bald. For the slightest deviation from the established order, for going beyond the fence without an escort, execution was threatened. In Camp No. 8, on average, 2–3 people died daily.
    
    Mocking Soviet citizens, the head of Camp No. 8 ordered every week, under the pretext of fighting lice, to drive men, women and children together, stripped naked, into a very hot heated bathhouse and keep them there for 45 minutes. with tightly closed windows and doors. People were going crazy...
    
    The doctor of the Kutizhma camp, Beino Kolykhmainen, turned the hospital into a dungeon, which the prisoners were more afraid of than the punishment cell. The sick preferred to hide their illness so as not to fall into the clutches of this beast. He used to line up the sick in a line and beat them with a stick, saying "work, work." He often poisoned patients who developed edema from exhaustion by mixing poison into the medicine.
    
    ... On March 10, 1942, a new batch of 600 prisoners was sent to Kutizhma. By July 13, 1942, only 160 people from this party remained alive.
    
    Wild arbitrariness reigned not only in the camps, but also outside their fences. For "unauthorized absence" from the village, for walking around the city after 10 o'clock - execution. (From the Report on the atrocities of the White Finns in the temporarily occupied territory of the USSR, sent to the head of the GlavPU of the Red Army A.S. Shcherbakov by his deputy I.V. Shikin on July 28, 1944)
    
    “In the first days of June 1944, I was in Petrozavodsk. The camp accommodated children from 5 to 15 years old. The kids were creepy to watch. They were small living skeletons, dressed in unimaginable rags. The children were so exhausted that they forgot how to cry and looked at everything with indifferent eyes. (From the testimony of a captured Finnish soldier of the 20th Infantry Brigade Toivo Arvid Laine.)
    
    “In the village of Palalahta, Vedlozersky district, the White Finns arrested the Karelian Anna Gumbarova, “suspected of sympathy for the partisans.” The girl was thrown into prison, starved, tortured. The Soviet patriot steadfastly endured all the torment and bullying. She was locked up for 20 days in a dead room, where the corpses lay. When this did not help, Anna Gumbarova was taken to the cemetery, forced to dig her own grave and shot in front of the entire population of the village.
    
    ... The Mannerheimians created several concentration camps in the occupied areas, in which Soviet people languish. One of these camps is located in Petrozavodsk. It's in spooky mode. The police systematically arrange drunken orgies, during which the prisoners are subjected to wild abuse. Recently, a new monstrous torture has been invented here: after beating a prisoner until he loses consciousness, the police undress him, wrap the wounded body in a sheet soaked in salt, and leave him in this position for several hours, and sometimes even days. ("Red Star", November 28, 1943)

    “Unusual Invaders”

    – How many Soviet people – prisoners of war and civilians – passed through these Finnish “millstones”? I ask Sergei Verigin.

    – According to the State Emergency Commission, which worked in 1944-1945, about 8,000 civilians, including 2,000 children, died in the Finnish concentration camps created on the territory of Soviet Karelia during the war years. To this should be added also at least 7,000 dead and killed prisoners of war held in Karelian concentration camps.

    However, these are only very approximate figures. It should also be taken into account that some of the captured Red Army soldiers were sent to camps located on the territory of Finland itself. Historian Antti Kujala, associate professor at the University of Helsinki, based on the latest updated data, came to the conclusion that a total of 22,000 people died from among the prisoners of war.

    Although this needs to be corrected. Indeed, as far as I know, there were frequent cases when the Finns did not send a captured Red Army soldier to their rear – to a concentration camp. They were simply afraid to organize such a convoy under shelling, bombing, and therefore resorted to a much more convenient solution to the problem: they simply shot these people right there, on the front line.

    5-6 years ago, Finnish researchers provided us with a database in which information was collected about 19.5 thousand Soviet prisoners of war. However, they themselves admit that this is far from a complete list, they say: we do not know exactly how many of your prisoners and civilians died in those years. Indeed, during the war, the accounting of Russian camp inmates was carried out very carelessly. Looking through these documents, you see that some surnames are crossed out, others are entered additionally … Sometimes there are omissions in the accounts, covering whole months. Such a negligent attitude of the Finnish “owners” to the accounting of the “living souls” who ended up in their camps is quite understandable. After all, for them, Russian people – aliens – were worthless consumables.

    Now the same Kuyala gives the total number of Soviet soldiers and officers who went through Finnish captivity during the war years, 67,000 people. I emphasize once again: of this number, 22,000 died. That is, every third prisoner of the concentration camp did not live to see liberation.

    – What caused such a large percentage of victims?

    “First of all, people died of starvation. After all, as eyewitnesses testify, the food in the concentration camps was very bad. Secondly, people could not stand the harsh working conditions. Particularly terrible memories were preserved of the forest camps in the Medvezhyegorsk region. There, sometimes the composition of prisoners was completely renewed after six months: the entire first batch of prisoners of war was mowed down, and they were replaced by others. In addition, the camp guards also did not stand on ceremony. People were beaten, even shot. There were no such mass executions as the Germans had, but they practiced demonstrative executions of those who tried to escape. The fugitives caught – five, nine people – were placed in front of the formation of campers and shot as a warning to the rest, so that they would not even try to break free.

    — Why is the case about the Karelian genocide during the war years initiated right now?

    – In the spring of 2020, about 4,000 documents related to those events were declassified, which were preserved in the regional department of the FSB. This event received a great response in the republic. The researchers were able to find out many hitherto unknown facts about what the Mannerheimians were doing. On the basis of the now available documentary information, we managed to find out the names of several dozen “heroes” who are guilty of mocking prisoners and in their death – these are the heads of concentration camps, commandants, guards …

    In addition, at the same time, the surviving juvenile prisoners of the Finnish concentration camps turned to the Investigative Committee. The result of all these events was the decision to initiate proceedings on the grounds of genocide.

    In Finland itself, the epic with the documents now declassified in our country also made a lot of noise. Many local experts published articles and gave interviews. They tried in every possible way to whitewash the military regime of the first half of the 1940s. Like, the Finns were occupiers, but “unusual occupiers”, not like the Germans: they opened schools in the villages and cities of Karelia, created medical aid points, fed and clothed children … But at the same time, the gentlemen forget to make one small clarification. All this was indeed done in the territories occupied by the Finns, but only for representatives of the Finno-Ugric nationalities “related” to them. But the “wrong” Russians instead of household goods from the invaders got only camp bunks, beatings, exhausting labor, hunger, bullying.

    Not very happy with the Asov’s leadership

    The head of the Nazi’s in the Azovstal taken out in armoured car as the civilians in Mariupol wanted to murder him.

    “The operation to liberate the Azovstal plant in Mariupol from the militants of the nationalist formation Azov has been completed. The leader of the group Denis Prokopenko (“Radish”) was taken out in a special armored car, said May 20, the official representative of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Major General Igor Konashenkov.

    Mariupol has been completely liberated from Ukrainian militants.
    “The so-called “commander” of the Nazis “Azov” because of the hatred of Mariupol residents and the desire to massacre him citizens for numerous atrocities was taken out of the territory of the plant in a special armored car,” Konashenkov said.

    Konashenkov reported on the complete liberation of Azovstal Iron and Steel Works earlier in the day. On May 20, the last group of 531 militants surrendered. In total, since May 16, 2439 Azov Nazis and servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), blocked on the territory of Azovstal, have laid down their arms and surrendered.”

    From HERE

    Laser Grinding of SpaceX: Why the US Is Alarmed by the Abrupt Failure of Military Satellites Over Ukraine

    May 20, 2022

    Commercial systems remain the only channel for obtaining data for the Pentagon and the UAF, but they may soon “go out”.

    Combat lasers

    On May 18, Deputy Prime Minister of the government and curator of the Russian defence industry, Yury Borisov, said that the “Peresvet” combat laser system has already been serially supplied to the Russian troops. According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the laser can disable satellites in orbits up to 1,500 kilometres high. Such technologies were previously considered impossible. A significant number of experiments in this area were conducted by two superpowers of the world.

    Several similar programs have been active in the US for some time. One of the most promising was considered to be the development work on the topic of the YAL-1 “flying laser” based on the Boeing 747 aircraft. As a result, $12 billion was spent on a high-energy weapons program to intercept ballistic missile warheads, but the work was completed to no avail.

    In the USSR, they went the other way. Few people know, but it was the mock-up of the “Skif-DM” combat laser complex, or “Index 17F19DM”, better known as “Polyus”, that was the first “passenger” of the superheavy “Energiya” rocket back in 1987. As with modern anti-satellite weapons, its principle was based on the defeat of the optical elements of enemy satellites – visors and lenses. The second, cheaper and simpler project in this direction is the A-60 chemical laser based on the Il-76 transport aircraft.

    “Peresvet” laser and secret “Zadira”

    Work on the “Peresvet” combat laser complex was first announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The exact composition of the equipment inside the complex is not disclosed, however, it is known that “Peresvet” is a high-energy laser in a mobile version: a generator and a combat readiness maintenance system, a radiator and a surveillance system are located in several sections. According to some reports, the complex is effective against all surveillance means, including RQ-4 Global Hawk high-altitude unmanned vehicles, as well as most spacecraft of the American IMINT species reconnaissance system. According to some reports, commercial structures are also periodically connected to it. The most famous example is MAXAR, which provides high-resolution intelligence to the US military. The other two participants in this program are slightly less well known, but Planet Labs and SkyBox have the most high-tech devices.

    Back in 2014, with the help of a complex optical circuit, ultra-sensitive matrices and software processing, Skybox was able to achieve outstanding performance. From a height of 600 km, their devices can film the surface of the planet with a detail of about 1 meter, while it’s not only about photos, but also about video. The project turned out to be so impressive that the entire company was bought out by the IT giant Google, and the satellites formed the basis of the Terra Bella surveillance system. Another company, Planet Labs, received the first “spy grant” back in 2016, and since then it has been commercial structures that have been spying on the most important objects of a likely enemy, including in Russia.

    The capabilities of the “Peresvet” laser are designed just for such means of reconnaissance. The principle of operation of the weapon is not disclosed, however, it is known that the previous complexes, designed in the USSR and Russia, could operate in several modes. The two most important ones are the “local impact” mode on a specific vehicle flying over a restricted zone, as well as the “continuous defeat” mode, when over a certain zone (a square of several hundred kilometres) a so-called laser curtain is being put up.

    There is no detailed data on the combat deployment of the “Peresvet” complexes during the special military operation in Ukraine, however, in early March, Wired reported that American satellites were “experiencing difficulties” in working when flying over the border areas of Russia and Ukraine. According to Wired, the intelligence department of the US Department of Defence could not get any pictures of the desired area at all before the start of hostilities, and the advanced units of Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine were noticed from space only a few hours after the start of “Operation Z”. Neither civilian analysts nor representatives of the Pentagon specify why this happened.

    And on February 28, 4 days after the start of the special military operation in Ukraine, Google satellites “fell off”. The company even had to issue a statement informing users about the “temporary shutdown” of updates for images in areas of concentration and movement of Russian troops. In total, according to Professor Todd Humphreys of the University of Texas, at least 50 different synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) satellites were deployed over Ukraine after the start of its military operation by the Russian Army.

    It is curious that the combat protection of such objects as the “Peresvet” laser is carried out not only by electronic warfare troops and air defence units, but also by fully-fledged “Zadira” combat lasers. This complex was developed at the Russian Federal Nuclear Center (Russian Federal Nuclear Center — All-Russian Research Institute of Experimental Physics) in Sarov. The power of the weapon is not disclosed, however, according to some reports, a few seconds of radiation is enough to “cut” a small reconnaissance drone into two parts.

    Starlink to Ukraine

    According to some reports, the American and Ukrainian military had several simultaneous serious problems.

    Firstly, a significant part of the equipment of the US surveillance satellites “failed” in the first few days of the special operation in Ukraine. The reasons why this happened are not disclosed in the United States, just as in Russia they do not make statements on the combat use of “Peresvet” lasers capable of burning out the powerful optics of satellites in orbits up to 1,500 kilometres high.

    Secondly, the transmission of data from Maxar Technologies’ WorldView-2 satellites to Ukrainian spacecraft was difficult, since the latter, as it turned out, were not designed for such a volume of information. Data overload has led to the fact that a significant part of telecommunications satellites simply failed. It is not possible to restore their functionality at the moment, so the spacecraft are just hanging out in orbit like garbage.

    It is for this reason that Elon Musk was urgently brought into the arena. Starlink communications satellites, previously tested at military exercises of the US Army and the Strategic Command, turned out to be the most convenient channel for data transmission. If it were not for the data transmission network that SpaceX deployed in orbit, the UAF would have lost all intelligence — both its own and those transmitted to them by American intelligence.

    Russia steps up its banning list of American’s now not allowed into Russia.

    "US President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and CIA chief William Burns have been banned from entry to Russia as relations between the two world powers continue a constant downward spiral over the crisis in Ukraine.
    
    The Russian Foreign Ministry on Saturday published a blacklist containing 963 US nationals, including Biden, Blinken and Burns, banned from entering the country due to anti-Russian activities.
    
    “In response to the continuously imposed anti-Russian sanctions from the US and incoming requests about the exact composition of our national ‘stop list’, the Russian Foreign Ministry has published a list of American citizens who are permanently banned from entering Russia,” the ministry announced in a statement.
    
    Joe Biden's son, Hunter, Vice President Kamala Harris, actor Morgan Freeman and many US congressmen and journalists were named on the blacklist."

    1970s Zingers! Full-Sized Toy Vehicles

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    These are the Zingers!, the “hairiest, scariest fistfuls of muscle yet,” according to the ads for the line of MPC plastic models introduced in 1971.

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    In the days when wild show cars reigned, legendary promoter Bob Larivee Sr. drew crowds by commissioning full-scale versions of top-selling toys. Perhaps the most well-known is the Red Baron, built in 1:1 scale in 1969 by Chuck Miller of Styline Customs based on the Tom Daniel-designed Monogram model.

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    When Larivee wanted fullsize Zingers!, he called on Styline to build the VW, the van, and the Vettes shown here in these Mike Brenner photo outtakes from a story in the July ’71 HOT ROD. The dune buggy was built by show-car builder and drag-racer Steve Tansy.

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    The life-size Zingers used real engines with half-scale bodies, and others on the show circuit (and in the model-car line) included a ’57 Chevy and a Super Drag dragster.

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    The Asov Facility Tour

    John Mark Dougan touring an Azov-facility in the vicinity of Mariupol.

    And this video also…

    It Is Foolish for Finland and Sweden to Join NATO and Ignore Both the Real Causes and Consequences

    From HERE

    By Jan OBERG

    Here’s what the West is intellectually unable – in the midst of its boundlessly self-righteous, militarist mood to see:

    NATO’s expansion policy created – and is responsible for – the conflict. Russia created – and is responsible for – the war. There exists no violence which is not rooted in underlying conflicts. Conflict and peace literate people, therefore, talk about both.

    And if they want peace, they do not increase the symptoms – the war – they address the real cause, the conflict and ask the conflicting parties to tell what they fear and what they want and then move, step-by-step towards a sustainable solution.

    But neither the mainstream media nor politicians have the civil courage to address the conflict. It’s only about the war and only about Russia/Putin who must be punished, no matter the price to be paid by future generations. If we survive.

    It’s a banality to point out that it takes at least two to conflict. But that’s the intellectual and moral level decision-makers, media and much of academia operate in these dark times.

    This approach has no future and can never bring peace. Period.

    Decisions taken with this irrational approach and emotionalism will only make things worse. Such as Sweden and Finland joining NATO based on the hysteric panic of the moment: There simply exists no credible, realistic scenario that would lead to an isolated, out-of-the-blue Russian attack on either of them if they remained non-aligned as they’ve been for decades.

    That some less knowledgeable people – or people who speak for NATO membership – have been talking about even an isolated, out-of-the-blue attack on the Swedish island of Gotland is Monty Python politics.

    Why will Sweden and Finland join?

    So why will Finland and Sweden now make a disastrous, tension-increasing decision to join NATO? Here are some of the possible reasons:

    • Both have been under heavy pressure by NATO and the US in particular. Sweden’s prime minister, Olof Palme, was murdered – a man who stood for the UN goal of international disarmament, nuclear abolition and the intelligent concept of common security. US ambassadors have held secret meetings with Swedish MP, there are many channels, demands and rewards.

    • Sweden’s single worst security challenge was the Russian submarine, U 137 Whisky on the Rocks. It was Russian, yes, but the operation was an American PSYOP – Psychological Operation – conducted by the “Navigation Expert” on board who was the only one never interviewed in Sweden and who soon after disappeared.

    It was a PSYOP intended to make Sweden recognise that the Soviet Union was a threat, that its defence against the East was deficient and that it should seek protection from the West itself. This is extremely well-documented by professor emeritus, Ola Tunander’s, eminent multi-decade research, latest published in the book, “Navigations-Experten. Hur Sverige lät sig bedras av U 137” (The Navigation Expert. On how Sweden accepted to be deceived by U 137).
    Step by step, Sweden was guided in the right direction. Certain Swedish politicians knew what was going on, but the media and the people didn’t.

    • Both countries have moved to be wooed by the US and NATO. They have, over the last 20 years, become engaged with NATO in all kinds of ways – so, as the saying goes, why not marry now? In other words, Finland and Sweden now join because they have – incrementally – made one wrong decision after the other, painted themselves into a “no-choice-but-NATO” corner and abdicated every ounce of their historical, independent-minded creative foreign policy thinking. And stopped criticism of warfare and militarism.

    That has also been possible because critical, or alternative, independent intellectual input into ministries of foreign affairs has been cut out and substituted by various types of pro-American marketing of policies. For decades, the NATO Echo Chamber has defined the national pro-NATO Groupthink. Nobody was allowed in to ask: Where on earth are we heading in, say, 25 years from now?

    • Further, Sweden and Finland are now joining because elites related to the Military-Industrial-Media-Academic Complex, MIMAC, in both countries – rather than the people – decide security and foreign policy matters. Of course, there was extremely little open public discussion; it wasn’t wanted. Decision-makers knew that NATO’s nuclear weapons foundation and its members’ contact wars, particular in the Middle East were seen as basically evil among the citizenry.

    • Liberal media suggest that there cannot be a referendum because there is such a time pressure – presumably before that Russian invasion of Sweden and Finland – and, so, just make the most important foreign and security political decision since 1945 in a hurry now there is popular outrage at Russia – the beloved, necessary enemy.

    The Swedish decision-makers of course know that there will never be a 75% or so majority for NATO – which is what there should be to make such a fundamental, fateful decision. So much, you may say, for democracy – but no new NATO member has held a referendum where NATO and other alternatives were freely discussed and a 75% majority came out in favour. (According to the Swedish Svenska Dagbladet daily of May 6, 2022, 48% think that Sweden shall join, but in just one week those who are not sure what to think have increased from 22 to 27%).
    Finland’s pro-NATO opinion seems to have grown from 53% in February to 76% in May 2022. It was 19% in 2017 according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. Ukraine has played its role.

    • A further reason to join is the intellectual disarmament that decision-makers have unified around one alternative, forgotten to leave other doors open and deliberately quelled alternatives. The discourse of peace – in media, politics and research – has been disappeared. Peace has come to mean weapons, deterrence, more and more of it coupled to blind loyalty with every US/NATO war. For instance, then Social Democratic prime minister Göran Persson’s government quickly decided to disable Sweden’s weapons export prohibition legislation in 2001 in order to be able to continue exporting weapons to the US during its invasion of Iraq.

    This multi-year intellectual disarmament is manifest – and always tends to favour military over civilian means as well as diplomacy. And not only in these countries, of course.

    An institute such as SIPRI – Stockholm International Peace Research Institute – has decayed intellectually into something that should rather be named Stockholm International Military Security Research, SIMSI – as I have suggested years ago.

    In other words, the political creativity that was needed to run an independent policy of neutrality, non-alignment and global disarmament coupled with a strong belief in international law vanished years ago.

    It’s easier to follow the flock – particularly when, as it seems, the Social Democratic party today exists only by name.

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    • Without exhausting all those – tragic – reasons, one final reason to mention is the role of the media. Like everywhere else, media from left to right have unified around a pro-Western, non-neutral policy. The present pro-NATO propaganda, not the least in the liberal Dagens Nyheter, is pervasive. Critical voices are marginalised and public information “explainers” are reduced to some high school-like basic facts coupled with FOSI, Fake + Omission + Source Ignorance. Sweden is able to have televised panel discussions where, de facto, all the participants are more or less pro-NATO thus leaving out a large part of public opinion. *)

    What will be the consequences of Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO membership?

    There are potentially so many – some more likely than others – that they cannot all be listed in a short pointed analysis like this. But let me mention:

    • The Swedes and the Finns will become less secure. Why? Because there will be harder confrontation and polarisation instead of soft borders and mediating attitudes. In a serious crisis, they will, for all practical purposes, be occupied and told what to do by the US/NATO.

    • To the degree that, at some point in the future, the two countries will be asked to host US bases – like Norway and Denmark now – they won’t be able to say ‘No’! Such bases will be Russia’s first-order targets in a war situation.

    • From a Russian point of view, of course, their NATO membership is extremely tension-increasing and confrontational. Russia has 8% (US$ 66 billion) of the military expenditures of the 30 NATO members. Now there will be a huge re-armament throughout NATO; Germany alone plans to increase to almost twice as much as Russia’s expenditures. Ukraine will receive about US$ 50 billion. Add a re-armed Sweden and Finland and we shall see Russia rush down to 4% of NATO’s expenditures – and still be called a formidable threat.

    • There will be virtually no confidence-building and conflict-resolution mechanisms left in Europe. No discussion will be possible about a new all-European peace and security system. And whether it is understood and respected or not, Russia will feel even more intimidated, isolated and – in a certain situation – become even more desperate. As does, normally, the weaker party in an a-symmetric conflict. We are living in very dangerous times and these two countries in NATO will only increase the danger, there is no way it could reduce it.

    • If Finland and Sweden so strongly want to be “protected” by the United States and/or NATO, it is completely unnecessary for these two countries to join because, if there is a serious crisis, the US/NATO will under all circumstances come to “protect” or rather use their territories to be closer to the Baltic republics. That’s what the Host Nation Support agreements are about.
    The only reason to join would be paragraph 5 – but the disadvantage is that paragraph 5 requires that Finland and Sweden will be expected to participate in wars that are not about their defence and perhaps even in future international law-violating wars à la those in Yugoslavia, Iraq and Libya. So, will Finnish and Swedish young people be killed in future NATO-country wars? Are they ready for that?

    • It will cost a fortune to convert their military infrastructure to full NATO membership – and when they have joined, they cannot not pay whatever the price will turn out to be. In addition, there will be much less de facto sovereign decision-making possible – here de jure is almost irrelevant. And it was already very self-limited before they joined.

    • As NATO members, Finland and Sweden cannot but share the responsibility for nuclear weapons – the deterrence and possible use of them by NATO. It’s also obvious that NATO vessels may bring nuclear weapons into their ports – but they will of course not even ask – they know the arrogant US response is that “we neither confirm nor deny that sort of thing.”
    This goes against every fibre of the Swedish people – and Sweden’s decision to not develop nuclear weapons dating some 70 years back.

    • The days when Sweden and Finland can – in principle, at least – work for alternatives are numbered. That is, for the UN Treaty on nuclear abolition and the UN goals of general and complete disarmament, any alternative policy concepts like common security, human security, a strong UN etc. They won’t be able to serve as mediators – like, say, Austria and Switzerland. No NATO member can pay anything but lip service to such noble goals. NATO is not an organisation that encourages alternatives. Instead, it seeks monopoly as well as regional and global dominance.

    • Finland and Sweden say yes to militarist thinking, to a ‘peace’ paradigm that is imbued with weapons, armament, offensiveness (long-range + large destructive capacity), deterrence and constant threatening: NATO is human history’s most militaristic organisation. Its leader, the United States of America, has been at war 225 out of 243 years since 1776. Every idea about nonviolence, the UN Charter provision of making peace by predominantly peaceful means (Article 1 in the Charter) will be out of the window.

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    • The political attention, as well as funds, will tend to switch to military matters, away from contributing to solving humanity’s most urgent problems. But – we know it now – the excuse will be Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Is there any huge change that cannot be justified with reference to that?

    2022 05 17 15 26
    2022 05 17 15 26

    • While everybody knows that the Arctic is going to be a region of central security and peace concerns in the near future, this issue has hardly been discussed in relation to the two countries’ NATO membership. However, it doesn’t require much expertise to see that US/NATO access to Sweden and Finland is a clear advantage in the future confrontation with Russia and China there.

     

    • As NATO members, Sweden and Finland not only accept but reinforce decades of hate of the Russian people, everything Russia including Russian-European culture. It will say yes to the West’s reckless, knee-jerk collective (illegal) punishment of everything Russia, the cancellation of Russia on all dimensions.

    Once upon a time, in contrast, Finland’s President Kekkonen stood for policies of active neutrality, a go-between role and initiating the OSCE. Finland was proud that its people felt that neither the East nor the West was an enemy, various kinds of equidistance prevailing. And that was during the height of the First Cold war when the Warsaw Pact was about 10 times stronger vis-a-vis NATO than Russia is today. How and why? One reason was that policies had an intellectual foundation and leaders a consciousness about what war meant. Not so today.

    • The prospect that no NATO advocates talk about is this: In all likelihood, we have only seen the hard beginning of an extremely Cold War with an ever-increasing risk of a Hot War too. It is the stated purpose of the US – and that means NATO – to weaken Russia militarily in Ukraine so it can’t rise ever again and to undermine its economy back home through history’s hardest, time-unlimited and unconditional sanctions – that is, sanctions that will not be lifted in a lifetime or more.

    • And, finally, by joining NATO, the two countries will be forced to side with the larger West in the future world order change in which China, the Middle East, Africa and South America as well as huge non-Western regional associations will gain strength.

    The US priority Number One is China. As NATO members, Sweden and Finland will be unable to walk on two legs in the future, a Western and a Non-Western, and will decline and fall with the West – the US Empire and NATO in particular.

    If you think that’s a too daring and pessimistic scenario, you’re not following developments and trends outside the West itself. Also, please consider that a split and problem-torn US, EU and NATO have just come together for one reason: the negative policy of hating Russia and cover-up for its crystal clear co-responsibility for the conflict that brought us where we now are.
    The West has no positive vision anymore – its actions are about re-armament, threats, sanctions, demonisation, the self-righteous “we-never-did-anything-wrong” and the concomitant projection of its own dark sides upon others, China in particular.

    For small countries to put all their eggs in one basket when they do have alternatives and acting without a clue about the next five-to-ten years has always been a recipe for disaster, for war.

    Both NATO and the EU act these days as the passengers did in the restaurant of the elegant, luxurious RMS Titanic.

    There were huge problems which should have been solved for humanity to survive: climate, environment, poverty, inequality, militarism, nukes, etc. They are now forgotten. Economic crisis and disruptions followed, and then came the Corona and took a heavy toll on all kinds of resources and energies. And, finally, now this war in Europe with its underlying NATO-created conflict.

    This is not the time to make decisions in a moment of historical hysteria and panic. This is indeed a moment to keep cool.

    One can only regret that Sweden and Finland lack the intellectual power to see the larger picture in time and space. NATO has had the time since 1949 to prove that it can make peace. We know now that it can’t. Joining it, therefore, is one big gift to militarism and future warfare.

    (*) Rest assured that an analysis like this will cause no reaction in any NATO country’s media or among decision-makers although sent to thousands of them.

    How To Make Easy Stuffed Bell Peppers | Chef Jean-Pierre

    Running On Empty

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    Well, we definitely seem to have passed a threshold of sorts. For most of the sixteen years since I started blogging, one of the things I had to point out constantly to my readers was the slow pace of historical change.  Whenever I posted an essay on the twilight of industrial society, I could count on fielding at least one comment from a reader who expected the entire modern world to crash and burn in the next few months.  I’d have to patiently remind them that Rome wasn’t sacked in a day—that it takes years of breathtakingly moronic decisions motivated by mindless greed, vicious partisan hatred, blind ideological dogmatism, and a total unwillingness to think about the long-term consequences of short-term decisions, to bring a civilization down.

    Now of course all through the years while I was telling people this, decisions of the kind I’ve just described, guided by motives of the sort I’ve just characterized, were standard operating procedure throughout the industrial world.  Those proceeded to have their usual effect. I still don’t expect modern civilization to crash to ruin in the next few months, but it’s reached the point that I no longer have to tell people that the Long Descent won’t show up as soon as they think. No, at this point it’s my ironic duty to suggest that they make whatever preparations they have in mind sooner rather than later, because the world shows no signs of waiting for them.

    As I write this, the most obvious set of problems has to do with the economies of the United States and its client states. Those of my readers who follow financial media already know that signs of economic trouble are elbowing one another out of the way to get to the front pages. The cryptocurrency market has racked up gargantuan losses; the stocks listed on NASDAQ have shed something like $7 trillion in value so far this year; the massively overinflated US real estate market has sprung a leak and is showing signs of deflation, and layoffs are spreading through the economy as corporations shed jobs at a rapid pace. It’s shaping up to be a real mess.

    Part of this is the ordinary rhythm of idiotic excess followed by equally idiotic panic—up with the rocket and down with the stick—that sets the beat of economic life in a neoliberal economy. That said, I think there may be more going on here than that. I don’t know how many of my readers are aware that the simmering hostility between the US government and the oil-producing nations of OPEC is coming to a brisk boil just now. The steady rise in oil prices over the last year or so has caused stark panic in the White House, since increased gas prices correlate rather nicely with the fading of Joe Biden’s last dim hopes of reelection. Repeated attempts to pressure the OPEC nations to increase oil production and drive prices down have gotten no response, not least because the Biden administration isn’t offering anything in return, and has been noticeably hostile to the interests of several leading OPEC nations.

    Cue the gibbering inmates of the US Congress to draft a bill that would make it possible for plaintiffs to sue OPEC nations for price fixing in American courts. Normally there’s a thing called sovereign immunity—in plain English, the governments of other nations can’t be held accountable to US laws—but this bill, the cutely named NOPEC Act, would strip OPEC nations of sovereign immunity in US courts for any decision that some US lawyer could label price-fixing. The target of this project, of course, is the gargantuan amount of money that OPEC nations have invested in assets in the United States and its client states, which could be seized to pay off judgments under the new law. Since governments in the US and Europe have engaged in exactly that sort of piracy toward Russian assets this year, this isn’t an empty threat.

    So, dear reader, if you were a high-ranking official in a petroleum-producing country, and you picked up the newspaper and read about the NOPEC Act, what would you do?

    That’s right. You would start quietly cashing out of your investments in the United States and its client states, so those investments wouldn’t be available for US courts to seize. Those asset sales would of course result in a general softening of market conditions, and might well trigger a crash in asset prices, but at least you’d get some of your money back, you know.

    Meanwhile there are countries outside the US sphere of influence that would be happy to provide a home for your investment money—Russia, China, and India come to mind, just for starters—and if the US and its client states get obstreperous, why, you can always do what your grandfather did in 1973, refuse to sell petroleum to the American market, and watch the price of oil soar in response.

    I don’t know for a fact that this is what’s happening to asset markets in the US and Europe. Nor do I know for a fact that this is part of what’s behind the remarkable robustness of the Russian economy in the face of US sanctions:  that would make perfect sense if there was a covert flow of OPEC wealth into Russian banks and securities, but doubtless there are other factors involved.  If the OPEC nations have the brains the gods gave geese, they’re using plenty of financial shenanigans to camouflage their reallocation of assets as long as possible, and so it’ll be very difficult to tell what’s happening until a lot of money is gone.  It could just be that the markets are insanely overinflated and what went up is now on its way back down.  It could be that China is doing the same sort of asset shuffle to free up funds to deal with its imploding real estate sector and the long term costs of its Covid policies. It could be that something completely different is going on.

    Still, it’s pretty clear that it has never occurred to anybody in the US Congress that OPEC nations might, you know, have their own interests in mind, and might respond to a hamfisted attempt at bullying by doing something other than groveling at Uncle Sam’s feet.

    I’ve noted before that the elite classes in the US and Europe today seem incapable of understanding that the rest of the human race doesn’t consist of little automatons that will always and only do as they’re told. That failure of basic reasoning is fairly common in senile aristocracies, and it very often plays a large and colorful role in the collapse of empires. It may well play such a role in the collapse of ours.

    One way or another, of course, sky-high energy prices are an important element in the fix we’re in, and that brings me circling back around to one of the themes I sketched out last week—the complex twilight of fossil fuel resources summed up in the phrase “peak oil.”

    Let’s start with the basics. Petroleum is a nonrenewable resource. Yes, I’m aware that there’s a cornucopian fringe out there insisting, under the label “abiotic oil,” that the Earth is full of oil and any oil field drained of oil will promptly be replenished from further underground. Do you recall the 2008 oil spike, when old oil fields in Pennsylvania, California, and a hundred other places that had been capped decades ago were opened up again, since crude oil was worth upwards of $100 a barrel?  Not one of those fields had refilled, as the abiotic oil theory predicted.  There’s a good simple word for a theory that makes predictions that don’t pan out. That word is “wrong.”

    Petroleum is a nonrenewable resource.  It provides around 40% of all energy used by human beings on this planet, including nearly all the energy for transportation. (Electric cars and trains have a negligible share worldwide.) It’s fairly rare in the Earth’s crust, all things considered, and it’s been extracted at a breakneck pace for more than a century. The rate of new discoveries has been far behind the rate of annual extraction for decades.  Do you see the problem there?

    The obvious solution, if you happen to want to sustain an industrial society of the current sort, is to find some other energy source to replace petroleum. The other fossil fuels won’t cut it—they’re also being used at breakneck rates, and facing the same depletion problems as oil. More coal is being mined and burnt today, for example, than at the peak of the coal age a century and a quarter ago, and most of the coal that’s being burnt now is low-quality brown coal because all the good stuff got shoveled up and burnt decades ago.

    That means that some new energy resource has to be discovered and deployed in a hurry. That’s why scientists have been hard at work on that project for well over fifty years now, and the one minor difficulty is that they haven’t found one yet.  More to the point, they’ve found any number of supposed replacements for petroleum, which have soaked up a great many investment dollars and then failed to perform as advertised. There are two primary reasons why all attempts at a substitute for petroleum have failed: scale and net energy.

    Let’s start with issues of scale. To cite one example that took up a great deal of attention and investment money back in the day, you can grow corn, ferment it into ethanol—that’s spelled “corn likker” in the flyover states, and it’s great stuff if you don’t mind the hangover—and burn that in an engine along with, or instead of, gasoline.

    Back when I was first blogging, there were ethanol trolls all over the peak oil end of the internet, loudly proclaiming that all us peak oil bloggers were as wrong as wrong could be, because corn-based ethanol would make up the shortfall. The one small problem with this analysis is a matter of scale. If you planted every acre of farmland in the United States with corn, leaving no room for food or anything else, and turn it into fuel ethanol, you’d replace only a small fraction of the gasoline we use every single year. (And that doesn’t even begin to deal with the need for diesel fuel, jet fuel, or any of the other fuels made from petroleum.)

    Similar difficulties show up with many other proposed replacements for any of the fossil fuels, because fossil fuels are far more concentrated than any other energy resource on this planet. You get petroleum when huge accumulations of dead sea life in anoxic conditions get squeezed and roasted deep inside the earth for millions of years, a process that soaks up vast amounts of energy that no human being has to pay for. That’s why to match the energy in a single gallon of gasoline, for example, you need around one ton of fully charged auto batteries. That’s one of the problems with renewables, by the way: they depend on the diffuse and intermittent flows of energy we get from the sun right now, instead of the highly concentrated resources the earth has stashed away in her sediments over the last half billion years or so.

    Issues of scale, though, are only one set of challenges that have to be faced to replace petroleum. The second is net energy. It takes energy to extract, process, and transport energy, and to build the devices that use energy. Take the total energy in a resource and subtract the energy that has to be used for all these purposes, and what’s left is net energy. It’s exactly the same, conceptually, as net income: take your gross income and subtract your expenses, and you’ve got your net, which is the amount of money you can actually do something with.

    You can have a huge gross income and still go broke.  All that’s necessary is that your expenses have to be just a little bit larger than your income. (Watch the tech industry over the next few years if you want to see that assertion proved in a very colorful manner.)  In exactly the same way, your gross energy doesn’t matter two farts in a Cat-5 hurricane if the energy inputs you need are too high. The poster child here is algal biodiesel, another supposed substitute for petroleum that boomed and went bust a decade ago. On paper, it looks great: you farm vast amounts of oil-rich pond scum, process it into diesel, and away you go. In practice, the net energy ranges well into negative numbers—in other words, it makes exactly as much sense as trying to get a profit by buying dollar bills for $1.50 each.

    Net energy is very difficult to calculate. Fortunately there’s a convenient proxy, which is price. The more expensive an energy resource turns out to be in practice, the worse the net energy turns out to be. Nuclear power is a great example here. Yes, I know there’s always some exciting new nuclear technology that’s sure to change that, and provide abundant, cheap electrity into the far future.  There’s always one of those on the drawing boards, or more than one, and it’s funny how reliably it turns out that every nuclear technology is affordable until it gets built. Then it turns out to be another gargantuan white elephant that can only keep going with huge and ongoing government subsidies.

    The secret is that the net energy of nuclear power is very, very low. You have to process vast amounts of raw material to produce the fuel rods, and that takes energy; you have to build and maintain a huge and complex power plant, and that takes energy; you have to deal with the wastes, and that takes energy, and so on through a very long list of energy sinks. That’s another problem with renewables, by the way. Most renewable technologies yield very modest net energy, because so much energy has to go into gathering and concentrating the diffuse energy flows that power renewables. That’s why they require the same sort of constant subsidies as nuclear plants.

    Keep track of the economic dimension, in fact, and you can filter out most of the nonsolutions to the accelerating depletion of conventional petroleum. Keeping track of the economic dimension, in turn, is something that cheerleaders for purported replacements for petroleum inevitably will not do. They love to talk about technical feasibility, and of course it’s quite true that you can come up with any number of technically feasible gimmicks to replace petroleum. The problem is that none of them can pay for themselves.

    It’s usually about this point in a discussion of peak oil that somebody gets angry and starts yelling, “Look, there has to be some replacement for petroleum!” That’s an understandable belief. Unfortunately, it also happens to be dead wrong. No law of nature requires another cheap, abundant, highly concentrated energy source to pop up in time to save us from the consequences of wasting the one we had. Most people figure out fairly early in life that if you spend your entire paycheck on booze, no good fairy is going to come up with the rent money in time to keep your rump from landing on the street. The same rule applies to energy, but for complex reasons rooted in our collective psychology, this isn’t something that most people want to hear.

    That brings us around to our current situation. Despite the crumbling economy, petroleum is running well above $100 a barrel these days, because—ahem—we’re running out:  not all at once, but slowly, one dry oil well at a time. The fracking frenzy that briefly boosted US oil production over the last decade is sputtering, because oil is a nonrenewable resource, and even if you don’t have to worry about the bottom line because the Fed is printing money hand over fist and funneling it to you, eventually you run out of shale deposits that can be fracked.

    Again, this doesn’t mean that we’re going to run out suddenly. It means that oil production firms have to run faster and faster, invest more and more money and resources, and struggle harder and harder against geological reality to keep the market supplied with oil—and this means that an ever-growing share of economic output has to be funneled into the energy industry, leaving an ever-shrinking share for everything else.

    That’s the future we’ve backed ourselves into. We’re running on empty, and the last gas station is somewhere back there in the blue distance.

    I mentioned two weeks ago when I announced this sequence of posts that I was going to talk about what individuals, families, and community groups could do about all this. Fortunately, what to do about an energy crisis was explored in great detail half a century ago, during the oil crises of the 1970s, and before then in the severe shortages during the two world wars. The difficulty we face is very simple.  Energy—all forms of it—will become much more expensive than you expect, and everything made with energy—in other words, most goods and services, across the board—will also become much more expensive than you expect. Meanwhile jobs will become scarcer and economies will contract as energy costs bite deeper into every form of economic activity. That’s called stagflation: stagnation plus inflation. It’s what happens when the price of energy spikes, and it’s happening now.

    So you have two straightforward tasks ahead of you, dear reader. The first is to use much less energy than you do right now. The second is to cut your expenditures on everything you can, to free up the money you’ll need to deal with soaring energy costs and price inflation generally.

    Using less energy is easy if you’re American. It’s easy because we waste energy so profligately. Go here and you can download a set of basic energy conservation papers that were drawn up during the oil crisis of the 1970s. (They’re the lessons I studied when I was getting my Master Conservers certificate in the very early 1980s. Yes, they had Master Conserver programs back then.) If you rent, you can use weatherstripping and cheap window insulation; if you own your own home, there’s much more that you can do. You can change your habits to cut energy costs, and you can also pick up the grand old 1970s habit of doing more for yourself instead of buying things, since here again energy goes into most goods and services, and prices will rise accordingly.

    If you have the chance to pick up some do-it-yourself books from back in the day,  you’ll be better off still. The self-sufficiency books listed for sale in old issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and other resources of the same era?  Worth their weight in gold.  It also helps to know people who can teach you how to do things for yourself, and to put plenty of time and effort as soon as possible into applying that fine old country saying, “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.”  People thought they could afford to neglect that during the heyday of the fossil fuel era. Now we get to learn better.

    Oh, and make sure to have backups for anything that depends on energy you don’t produce yourself. With its usual monumental stupidity, the US Congress is already talking about price controls, and those are among the best ways known to our species to turn price hikes into actual shortages. (The US isn’t self-sufficient in energy resources, not by a long shot, and nobody will be in a hurry to sell oil to us at artificially low prices, you know.) If price controls go through, expect gas stations to run out of fuel, diesel shortages to play merry hob with product delivery to stores, and rolling blackouts if the price controls get applied to natural gas. Fun times!

    One more detail. This isn’t going to last forever; energy crises never do.  My working guess at this point is that the US and Europe are facing a decade or so of economic crisis and soaring energy costs before demand destruction, sharp increases in energy efficiency, and a modest helping of new technologies bring renewed stability in energy markets. Mind you, by then we’ll have other things to worry about. I’ll discuss those in the posts ahead.

    Toad the Wet Sprocket – Crazy Life – Live in San Francisco

    One of my all time favorite songs, and groups. Dating way back to my years in Boston.

    Aerial Photographer Created A Miniature Utopian Village And It Took Him 2 Years To Finish

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    Ognyan Stefanov is an accomplished aviation photojournalist and graduate of the prestigious National Academy for Theater and Film Art in his native town of Sofia, Bulgaria. His award-winning aerial photographs have been featured at exhibitions and appeared in numerous global publications.

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    Stefanov has an impressive resume of roles including an official photographer for the Bulgarian Air Force and exclusive photographer to the President of the Republic of Bulgaria. He achieved as much success with his work in miniature by winning scale modeling awards in featured competitions around the world.

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    The city features lush gardens and jewel-toned landscapes with a community filled with homes, shops, a barn, and an apartment building.

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    4 15

    Stefanov says: “I wanted to create a self-contained utopia where people have everything they need to live, surrounded by greenery and gardens and even a local inn offering traditional hospitality.”

    5 14
    5 14

    A number of unique structures are interconnected by a series of multi-level paths, pulleys, stairways, and bridges that join the various areas together.

    8 e13
    8 e13

    7 13
    7 13

    6 14
    6 14

    13e 8
    13e 8

    1e2 9
    1e2 9

    11 9r
    11 9r

    10 12
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    Kate Bush /David Gilmour – ” Running Up That Hill “

    A fantastic concert / stage performance. Awesome.

    Former Ukrainian deputy Kiva accused Zelensky of exporting state grain reserves to Poland

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    The ex-deputy of the Verkhovna Rada said that Western countries began the robbery of Ukraine, writing it off and sentencing it as a state
    .
    President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has begun exporting grain from the state reserves of Ukraine to the West. This was stated by the former Ukrainian MP Ilya Kiva, citing his own sources.
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    “Zelensky urgently gathered relevant state structures and security officials to immediately organize the export of the state grain reserve to Poland,” Kiva wrote on his Telegram channel on Thursday, May 12.
    .
    According to Kiva, the first ten thousand tons of Ukrainian grain have already been transported across the Polish border.
    .
    The former deputy is alarmed by the fact that, according to him, Western countries have begun to plunder Ukraine.
    .
    “Ukraine was sentenced and written off as a state – now there is a robbery of what else can be taken away, leaving with you! Leaving scorched earth, destroyed infrastructure and hungry, distraught people,” Kiva said, adding that, according to the information he received, deforestation in Ukraine and its supply to Europe has tripled over the past month.
    .
    Earlier it was reported that the United States is looking for an opportunity to export 20 million tons of grain from Ukraine. Details.
    .
    In response, the Chairman of the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, said that the United States wanted to arrange a famine in Ukraine. “Instead of real help, they take away the most necessary, in fact, setting up a surplus appraisal,” Volodin said.
    .
    Earlier, Biden said that the withdrawal of Russia and Ukraine from the world grain market could provoke a total food shortage in the world. Details. At the same time, back in April, Biden promised to provide Ukraine with another $800 million in military aid. On May 9, Biden signed a law on the supply of weapons to Ukraine under Lend-Lease. The law provides for accelerated procedures for lending or leasing weapons to Ukraine.

    .

    EU Shift Away from Russian Oil And Gas To Cost $220 Billion

    By Irina Slav – May 18, 2022, 8:30 AM CDT

    The European Union’s plan to reduce imports of Russian oil, gas, and coal to zero by 2027 will cost it some $220 billion (210 billion euros), according to a draft plan cited by Reuters.

    The three pillars of the plan include switching to other oil and gas suppliers, expanding wind and solar generation capacity, and reducing energy consumption, the document showed

    From HERE

    War with China despite their immense military capabilities?

    May 6, 2021

    Five years ago, I would’ve said that the possibility of a “kinetic war” in the Indo-Pacific was very unlikely, now it is more likely than it was then. This is something that you and I may well have to confront in the next 5 to 10 years, Christopher Pyne.

    Does Mr Pyne know that, seventy years ago, a Chinese volunteer force, lacking air cover and communicating with bugles, humiliated the US Army? That China enjoys the same advantages–shorter supply lines, higher morale, greater maneuverability, stronger popular support–now as then? That China’s neighbour and ally, Russia, can simultaneously threaten any combination of forces in Europe and Japan?

    Has he forgotten that, while fleets win battles, economies win wars? That China’s economy is thirty per cent bigger than America’s, grows three times faster, has twice the manufacturing capacity, and launches a new warship every month? That, adjusted for purchasing power, China’s discretionary defence budget equals America’s?

    Is Mr Pyne aware that China’s President is the son of a famous general and was himself Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for three years?

    Who can blame the Chinese for being eager for a rematch with America? In 1944 the US Air Force firebombed Wuhan, killed 44,000 civilians and left the city burning for a week. In 1992, the US Navy held the Yinhe, a Chinese freighter, at gunpoint in international waters for three weeks, falsely claiming she was carrying contraband. Two years later the US sent the most powerful fleet ever assembled through the Taiwan Strait and, in 1998, the USAF dropped five precision bombs on China’s Belgrade embassy, killing three diplomats and seriously wounding twenty. CIA director George Tenet told Congress, “It was the only target we nominated”.

    In 2018 the US Navy practised blocking the Malacca Strait to cut off China’s oil but, says analyst Michael Thim, the gesture was meaningless, “Even in 1996, China’s Navy had sufficient capabilities such that sending Carrier Strike Groups into the Taiwan Strait would be suicidal. The situation has only become more challenging for the Navy in recent years, not because the PLAN has acquired aircraft carriers of its own, but because China has greatly enhanced and modernized its existing anti-access/area-denial capabilities”.

    China’s Maritime Militia, its first line of defence, counts 180,000 ocean-going fishing boats and 4,000 merchant freighters–some towing sonar detectors–crewed by a million experienced sailors transmitting detailed information around the clock on every warship afloat. Shore bases fuse their reports with automated Beidou transmissions and forward the data to ‘vessel management platforms’ that collate, format, and send actionable information up the PLAN command chain. Ashore, eight million coastal reservists train constantly in seamanship, emergency ship repairs, anti-air missile defence, light weapons, and naval sabotage.

    The PLAN’s fleet composition is fascinating.

    Commander Yang Yi, the youngest (and first female) Chief Designer in naval history, designed its eighty Type 022 missile patrol boats on Australian-designed hulls. 400 feet long, with a range of 300 miles, they carry eight C-802 anti-ship missiles tipped with 500lb. warheads that travel fifteen feet above the surface at 650 mph to targets a hundred miles away (an early version disabled an Israeli warship off Lebanon’s coast in 2006). Four of her little boats, she says, can cover the entire Taiwan Strait while sheltering behind China’s coastal islands.

    Supporting them are thirty Type 056 frigates with a range of 2,500 miles, each armed with YJ-83 anti-ship missiles and six torpedo tubes, and protected by eight SAM launchers. One frigate can sink Taiwan’s entire navy without coming within range of its American-supplied weapons. Behind the frigates are 20 Type 052D Arleigh Burkeclass destroyers. Their 64 missile tubes fire–among others–unique Yu-8 anti-submarine missiles that fly 20 miles then release torpedoes into the water near unsuspecting targets.

    Type 055 cruisers, the most powerful surface combatants afloat, carry 128 missile tubes armed with surface-to-air, anti-ship, land-attack and anti-submarine missiles.

    Below them, 70 nuclear and conventional submarines carry YJ-12 anti-ship cruise missiles and wake-homing torpedoes that deliver 500-pound warheads at 60 mph from fifteen miles away. Their CM-401 high-supersonic ballistic missiles make precision strikes against medium-size ships, naval task forces, and offshore facilities within two hundred miles. Their CJ-10 subsonic missiles carry a half-ton payload – with a forty-foot radius of accuracy – 2,000 miles. Without leaving Chinese waters, the PLAN’s nuclear subs carry JL-3 missiles that can strike targets in the United States.

    But the greatest threat to hostile fleets was born when the US Navy invited a Chinese admiral to visit the carrier Nimitz. Upon his return, he told colleagues, “I’ve just seen the world’s biggest target. If we can’t hit an aircraft carrier we can’t hit anything”.

    Thrifty engineers designed novel guidance systems for existing, million-dollar rockets and created the first anti-ship, ballistic ‘carrier killer,’ the DF-21D. It lofts a half-ton warhead one thousand miles into the stratosphere, then it falls, vertically, at 7,500 mph, onto $12 billion aircraft carriers. US Navy analysts say it can destroy a carrier in one strike and that there is currently no defence against it. Its new sibling, the DF-26D, carries twice the payload twice as far.

    The last US carrier to pass through the Taiwan Strait was the USS Kitty Hawk in 2007. “We are at a disadvantage with regard to China today in the sense that China’s ground-based ballistic missiles threaten our basing and our ships in the Western Pacific,” Admiral Harry Harris told the US Senate in 2018. The following year Robert Haddick warned, “China’s anti-ship missile capability exceeds America’s in terms of range, speed, and sensor performance,” and Captain James Fanell added, “We know that China has the most advanced ballistic missile force in the world. They have the capacity to overwhelm the defensive systems we are pursuing”.

    US Navy officers say they risk defeat in a serious conflict off China’s coast and avoid provoking the PLAN in the ‘Three Seas,’; South China, East China, and Yellow Seas.

    The Rand Corporation says that, for conflicts close to the mainland or Taiwan, the PLAAF can deploy more fifth-generation J-20 fighters than the US. The J-20 costs half as much, flies twice as far and carries twice the payload of America’s F-35C or F-22 Raptor. Its YJ-12 anti-ship cruise missiles travel 200 miles and deliver thousand-pound warheads at supersonic speed in a corkscrew trajectory. The US Navy says one strike will render any vessel inoperable and warned that, even against alerted warships, one-third of missiles score hits.

    The J-20 also carries the specialized PLA-15 air-to-air missile. Propelled by novel dual pulse rocket motors on a semi-ballistic trajectory, it homes on AWACS and airborne tankers loitering behind battle lines. General Herbert Carlisle, warning Congress that his two hundred F-22 Raptors carry six missiles each while the PLAAF’s J-20s carry twelve, added, “Look at the PLA-15, at the range of that weapon. How do we counter that?” The PLA-15’s smaller sibling, the PLA-10, is no less deadly, says airpower specialist Douglas Barrie, “For the notional Western combat aircraft pilot, there is no obvious respite to be found in keeping beyond visual range of the PLA-10. The PLAAF can mount increasingly credible challenges at engagement ranges against some targets that would previously have been considered safe. As one former USAF tanker pilot drily noted, ‘That’s aimed right at me.’”

    As if to prove the point, the US Air Force cancelled its E-8C AWACS recapitalization program because it would be easy prey for the PLA-15, and the Pentagon withdrew its entire strategic bomber fleet from Guam in 2020.

    Chinese hyperspectral detection satellites oversee the Western Pacific battlespace and airborne lasers detect wave and temperature variations generated by moving targets. The West Pacific Surveillance and Targeting satellite, along with fifteen Yaogan-30 satellites in low-earth orbit–operating as triplets positioned in close proximity–geo-locate military platforms by measuring the angular or time difference of arrival of their intercepted electromagnetic signals. Below them, the Caihong-T4, a massive, solar-powered drone, loiters for months at a cloudless altitude of 65,000 feet, while below, the fifteen-ton, 150-foot wingspan Divine Eagle High Altitude Stealth-Hunting Drone reads electronic signals from aircraft long before they approach their targets. Below the drones AWACS, whose solid-state detectors have twice the range of the US AWACS rotating domes, relay targeting information to Russian-built S-400 anti-aircraft/anti-missile batteries. Jin Canrong, the PRC’s senior defence policy advisor, says China’s shore-based weapons can see all stealth bombers and submarines, destroy every military base in its region within minutes, and take out every aircraft carrier within two thousand miles.

    China’s three-stage, solid-fuel DF-41 ICBM, with a 12,000-mile range and a top speed of 20,000 mph, far outranges its American counterpart. Road-mobile, it launches on four minutes’ warning, is faster than any American weapon, and delivers ten independently targetable nuclear warheads.

    The DF-ZF Hypersonic Glide Vehicle–whose significance Russian Defence Minister Rogozin compared to the first atom bomb–is operational. Launched six miles above the earth from a missile travelling at 16,000 mph, the DF-ZF rides its own shockwave to the target.

    Says RAND,

    “With the ability to fly at unpredictable trajectories, these missiles will hold extremely large areas at risk throughout much of their flight”.

    A Congressional report concludes,

    “The very high speeds of these weapons combined with their maneuverability and ability to travel at lower, radar-evading altitudes would make them far less vulnerable to current defences than existing missiles”.

    What is Mr Pyne thinking?

    Scott Ritter: Live-Action Role Play in Ukraine

    From HERE

    Malcolm Nance, Dennis Diaz and Willy Joseph Cancel: Their experiences — one fatal — offer a sobering view of Americans in the International Legion of the Territorial Defense of Ukraine.

    By Scott RITTER

    It was — literally — a made-for-television moment. A former U.S. Navy chief petty officer turned cable news pundit, dressed in a fresh out-of-the-box camouflage uniform replete with body armor and magazine pouches, wearing matching camouflage helmet and gloves, and cradling an automatic rifle, stared into the camera and announced “I am here to help this country [Ukraine] fight what is essentially a war of extermination.”

    With a Ukrainian flag on his left shoulder, and a U.S. flag emblazoned on his body armor, the man, Malcolm Nance, declared that “This is an existential war, and Russia has brought it to these people and is mass murdering civilians.”

    A day before, Nance had tweeted a black-and-white photograph of himself, similarly clad, announcing “I’m DONE talking.”

    I’m DONE talking. #JoinTheLegion #StopRussia #SlavaUkraini pic.twitter.com/ob3gL1cZ7P
    
    — Malcolm Nance (@MalcolmNance) April 19, 2022

    Nance spent 20 years in the U.S. Navy as a cryptologic technician, interpretive (CTI), specializing in the Arabic language, and has turned his career into a thing of legend, so much so that when he speaks of his journey from news desk to Ukraine, it almost sounds convincing.

    “Ukraine announced that there was an international force on Feb. 27,” Nance told one reporter,

    “and I started looking into it on Feb. 28 … I called the Ukrainian embassy in Washington, and I said: ‘Hey, I want an appointment.’ They were a little slow, so I just went down there and put in my application. The guy asked if I had combat experience and I said ‘Yep.’ Then he looked at my application and said, ‘You’re on the team.’”

    Just like that.

    But the hype doesn’t match the reality. Although he sports a combat action ribbon on the lapel of his coat jacket (when not attired in full combat regalia), Nance has never actually participated in ground combat operations, according to a serviceman who served with him. His “combat” experience was limited to providing linguistic support onboard a U.S. Navy ship off the coast of Beirut in 1983. Important work, but not combat.

    Despite this resume enhancement, Nance was — according to Nance — a natural for recruitment by Ukraine. In the days before the Russian invasion, Nance was in Ukraine, reporting for MSNBC.

    But being Malcolm Nance, he claimed to be doing so much more. “I spent a month in Ukraine,” Nance recalled, “driving around, mapping out the Russian order of battle, driving up and down the highways and analyzing where the invasion routes would come and go. So I knew the country backward and forwards by the time of the invasion.”

    (It might be time to remind the reader that Nance’s Navy specialism in Arabic gave him neither the training nor the experience to conduct the kind of battlefield intelligence preparation that he described.)

    The Ukrainians know this. So why would they take on a 61-year old Arabic linguist whose physical presence on any battlefield would be seen as a detriment?

    ‘Not an Infantry Guy’

    2022 05 17 15 30
    2022 05 17 15 30

    “I’m not an infantry guy,” Nance is quick to admit. However,

    “combat isn’t about being a murdering, Seal Team Six assassin; it’s mainly about precision, accurate fire, selective fire, keeping people calm, getting on the line and moving forward.”

    None of which are skill sets in Nance’s real-life resume.

    Despite his larger-than-life televised send-off, and his proclivity for dressing and acting like an aging LARP (live action role play) warrior on a weekend airsoft reenactment, Nance’s real-world duties mimic those he was performing with MSNBC.

    2022 05 17 15 31
    2022 05 17 15 31

    “Right now, part of my duty is to the press,” Nance admitted during a recent interview.

    “They [the Ukrainians] were well aware that I was a high-level asset. So, instead of putting me out on the line, I’m in a safe house talking to people like you.”

    Today, Nance is little more than a poorly paid newsroom producer (the Ukrainians pay him and other Legionnaires $600 per month). “I get up at 4 and what I do is I read, I read the news. I try to feel the battlefront based on Ukrainian news and reporting. And then I look at expert analysis from the previous night in the West.”

    But he is always hopeful for some action.

    “No matter where I am, no matter what I’m doing, I constantly check my gear. If I’m in a safe house on a press junket, like I am now, I go over all of my gear. I reorganize my pack. I assume that I will have to take everything, get up and run with it or move to a forward location.”

    This would all be pathetic if it were not irresponsibly dangerous.

    Nance fronts for the International Legion of the Territorial Defense of Ukraine, which he describes as “a branch of the Ukrainian army.”

    According to Nance, the International Legion is “an organized combat element with contracts signed by the Ukrainian army. We are paid by the Ukrainian army and get a Geneva convention ID card.”

    And the mission of the International Brigade? Simply put, per Nance, if a Ukrainian unit is “on the line and they need more reinforcement, they will get a legion unit to give them more manpower.”

    Dennis Diaz

    Dennis Diaz enlisted in the U.S. Marines in 2000. He was deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq, before being honorably discharged in 2004.

    In early March, Diaz, an entrepreneur and former 2020 candidate for U.S. president from Waterbury, Connecticut, now 39 and the father of four, volunteered to serve in the International Legion.

    “I’m ready to roll,” he told local media before leaving the U.S. “Whatever I have to bring, I’m going to pack it up and we’re going to take care of business.”

    https://t.co/Cc66tuUIfm
    — Dennis A. Diaz (@RealDennisDiaz) April 4, 2022

    His age and obvious lack of physical conditioning did not seem to be an obstacle for the one-time combat Marine. “War,” he told the press, “is 90 percent mental, 10 percent physical.”

    Diaz says he has a lot to offer Ukraine. “I have a lot of military experience,” he said, “I did go to Iraq and Afghanistan … I have some flight experience. Also, I was field artillery in the Marine Corps. Also, I’ve got some experience driving tanks. Enough to be a valuable asset to Ukraine.”

    According to his Tik Tok page, Diaz spent some $2,700 of his own money purchasing uniforms and field equipment, including a flak vest and helmet, to take with him to Ukraine.

    But by late March, Diaz was still in the U.S., waiting further instructions from the Ukrainian embassy. He never made the trip.

    The Ukrainians, it seemed, had cooled to the idea of Americans fighting for the International Legion. Where once they were welcoming (“Foreigners willing to defend Ukraine and world order as part of the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine, I invite you to contact foreign diplomatic missions of Ukraine in your respective countries,” the Ukrainian foreign minister tweeted in early March), by the end of March the Ukrainian embassy stopped publicly commenting on U.S. applications.

    The primary reason for this newfound publicity shyness appears to be the poor performance of the International Legion during its first combat experiences, fighting Russian troops in the Kiev suburb of Irpin in mid-March.

    Haphazard Approach

    The haphazard approach to recruitment was the norm, it seemed, for the entire intake and training processes associated with the legion.

    Potential recruits made their own way to Poland, from where they were told to head to the western Ukrainian city of Lvov. The candidate legionnaires were then taken to Livorov, a military camp outside Lvov, where they were subjected to a rudimentary selection process that sought to separate those with and without combat experience.

    Those with combat experience were issued weapons and ammunition and sent straight to the front, where they were integrated with Ukrainian Territorial Defense Units. Those without were given a rudimentary four-week basic training course.

    2022 Spring Fund Drive

    The first group of “combat tested” legionnaires were sent to Irpin, where they were tasked with conducting a “hasty defense” against a Russian attack.

    While the Ukrainians held, the performance of the legion was “uneven,” resulting in many of the newly minted legionnaires being unceremoniously released from service and sent home. The lackluster performance of the legion had become a domestic political issue, prompting the Ukrainian government to halt recruitment due in large part to the lack of weapons and the lack of military experience.

    Some legionnaires, however, were asked to stay, including a four-man team led by a veteran U.S. Army combat engineer with two deployments to Afghanistan named Cameron Van Camp.

    Willy Joseph Cancel

    One of the Americans under Van Camp’s charge was a 22-year-old former U.S. Marine named Willy Joseph Cancel.

    Cancel had enlisted in the Maines in 2017, where he underwent basic training before being trained as an infantryman. Cancel never saw combat and was given a bad conduct discharge. In 2020 he was given a bad conduct discharge from the Marines after serving five months in jail for disobeying a direct order. Upon being discharged, Cancel got married, had a son, and gained employment as a corrections officer in Tennessee.

    For whatever reason, Cancel, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, left his job and his family and, on March 12, at his own expense, flew to Warsaw, Poland, where he met up with Van Camp.

    Together the two Americans travelled to Ukraine, where they were sent directly to the front lines in Kiev due to their status as “combat veterans.” though Cancel n ever served in a combat zone.)

    Embellishment appeared to be the name of the game with the Americans and the legion; according to Van Camp, he and Cancel were sent to Irpin to assist the Ukrainian military in counter-battery and “sniper” operations, even though neither of them had ever been trained in these highly specialized military occupations, something that would have been painfully obvious to anyone involved.

    In any event, Van Camp was able to keep his four-man team in the legion following the post-Irpin “purge” and subsequently his unit saw combat in southern Ukraine, fighting in Kherson and Nikolaev. It was here, sometime in late April, that Cancel lost his life; his remains were not recovered from the battlefield.

    BREAKING: U.S. citizen Willy Joseph Cancel was killed in Ukraine while fighting alongside Ukrainian troops against invading Russian forces, his family confirms to @ABC News. https://t.co/fLWXAt2tQ0 pic.twitter.com/HaQJ8L6ksH
    
    — ABC News (@ABC) April 29, 2022

    Van Camp and the other Americans who had fought with Cancel left Ukraine in early May to bring the deceased former Marines’ belongings home and to speak with Cancel’s widow and family.

    Cancel’s presence on the battlefield raises numerous questions about the screening process used by the International Legion.

    One of the easiest ways to check the relevant military experience of a U.S. veteran is through an examination of his or her DD 214, or record of service, a copy of which is provided to every veteran upon discharge.

    Cancel’s DD-214 would not only have shown that he lacked any combat experience, but that he had not been trained in any relevant combat arms skill set other than basic infantryman — especially sniper or counter-battery operations. Moreover, his bad conduct discharge would have been a red flag for any professional military organization.

    Cancel’s death on the front line as part of the International Legion directly contradicted the legion’s own stated standards.

    “What we want is for people to come that have already been in the line of fire,” a corporal in the International Legion who was responsible for training declared.

    Americans, however, could apparently pass themselves as having what the corporal called “concrete combat experience,” making them “very attractive candidates” for the legion.

    This inability to effectively screen genuine combat veterans from LARPers points to a lack of professionalism on the part of the International Legion.

    A Canadian who had travelled to Ukraine to help train the Territorial Defense Force in urban combat said he wasn’t impressed by what he had seen; with recruits lacking experience, equipment and proper motivation. In true LARP fashion, they seemed only interested in gaining what the Canadian described as “quick combat exposure.”

    “I think that the international legion was something that was conceived to be a propaganda tool to push forward the message that this is the world against [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and that they’re fighting for more than just Ukraine,” the Canadian said. “They don’t have the infrastructure, or the time, to really properly do any sort of international unit.”

    This message should be heard by anyone who might be caught up in the “romance” of fighting side-by-side with the Ukrainian army against the Russian invader. It should be used to counter the propaganda being generated by over-the-hill want-to-be heroes like Nance. It would have been useful for aging veterans such as Diaz before they spent nearly $3,000 outfitting themselves for a war in which they were never going to participate.

    But, most importantly, it should have been heard by Cancel and his family, so that he could have been dissuaded from embarking on his one-way journey of personal redemption.

    Easy Artisan Ciabatta Bread Recipe/Rustic Italian Bread/No Knead Rustic Bread

    US is having trouble finding Asian countries willing to shoot missiles at China

    May 12, 2022 Bradley Blankenship

    Original Article Here

    What was supposed to be a satirical headline is actually just an instance of saying the quiet part out loud.

    A satirical impression of a headline in the ‘Foreign Policy’ magazine, authored by one Raymond L. Bloodthirst Jr., began circulating around the internet recently. It read as follows: ‘We’re Having Trouble Finding Asian Countries Willing to Shoot Missiles at China.’ The subheading then lambasted China’s neighbors for not being “democratic enough” to potentially sacrifice thousands of lives in this endeavor.

    It’s very clearly fake, although some people who shared it didn’t examine it too closely and believed it was real – and one journalist on the “disinformation” beat, who apparently works for Voice of America, made a Twitter thread about the post. Well, it may be hard to really blame users who circulated the satirical headline since it is, at least in part, based in reality.

    As it turns out, a recent article by the decidedly non-satirical RAND Corporation, a highly influential American nonprofit global policy think tank, had the exact same take as the satirical headline. RAND wrote on Twitter about its report: “A U.S. strategy in the Indo-Pacific that relies on an ally agreeing to permanently host ground-based intermediate-range missiles risks failing because of an inability to find a willing partner.”

    The section of the report outlining the key findings goes on to list US allies in the region, such as Thailand, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Japan and Australia, and discuss how each of them would be reluctant to accept US GBIRMs – either because of “historical” reluctance or opposition from China. It does, however, suggest that “the most likely strategy to succeed would be helping Japan develop an arsenal of ground-based, anti-ship missile capabilities.” This would be the first step in getting Japan to accept GBIRMs, it says.

    It appears that the satire was not too far off the mark. Indeed, what it succeeded in doing was critique RAND’s position by bringing the unsaid to the fore, which is the mark of good satire. It invites us to ridicule this position because of how patently absurd it is. Yes, the idea of the US placing intermediate-range missiles in China’s neighborhood is ridiculous, and when you mention the logical conclusion of this policy then it does appear just stupid.

    I am reminded of one dramatic principle, Chekhov’s gun. The idea goes that a writer must make every detail of a story or play contribute to the overall narrative. Writers should not make false promises in narrative works: details that may create misleading expectations should be omitted, whereas those that are included should ultimately be involved in the narrative’s resolution. To sum it up, you should never introduce a gun in a story that you aren’t prepared to use.

    Reality doesn’t always conform to art (though we can see that actual news headlines and satire are sometimes not far apart), but one has to wonder whether these GBIRMs aren’t one of Chekhov’s guns. Why else would the US want to place such weapons near China if it isn’t prepared to actually use them?

    This is why it is such a provocative move – because placing these missiles in China’s neighborhood necessarily implies that they could be used against China. If anything, just the threat of that force is inherently coercive and undermines China’s sovereignty and independence. It also necessarily implies that whichever country might choose to house such weapons would be complicit in this threat, i.e., they’d have to be “Willing to Shoot Missiles at China.”

    Such a policy is extraordinarily destructive and undermines global peace. China is a nuclear-armed state that, although having a very restrained nuclear policy compared to other nuclear powers, would still use them if they are introduced into a conflict. Meanwhile, the United States would probably go to any lengths to win an outright conflict against China. The US remains, after all, the only country to have ever actually used nuclear weapons in a war, having dropped two atomic bombs on Japan at the conclusion of World War II.

    We can see that provoking a conflict between these two countries could lead to a terminal nuclear war, which is an outcome that benefits no one and only endangers our existence as an organized form of life on this planet. That’s why people are excoriating this policy – because it is absolutely deranged. If no countries in China’s neighborhood end up wanting to house US intermediate-range missiles, that would be a positive development for humanity.

    Canadian Patriot’s Cynthia Chung and Matt Ehret host Jeff J. Brown-The Ugly Truth of US WMD Biowarfare in Ukraine and Beyond.

    Great discussion.

    From HERE

    NBC Fantasizes About Nuclear War With China

    May 20, 2022

    Jimmy Dore and The Grayzone’s Aaron Maté (Video)

    It’s no secret that the various tentacles of the United States’ military industrial complex are all doing whatever they can to whip up interest in a war with China. The latest effort comes from NBC’s Meet the Press host Chuck Todd, who all but openly drooled during a segment imagining what a 2027 conflict between the two powers over a Chinese invasion of Taiwan might look like.

    Jimmy and The Grayzone’s Aaron Maté (https://mate.substack.com) discuss the growing fervor for war with China as some of the excitement over the Ukraine conflict begins to abate.

    The prisoner Season 1 Episode 5

    I do hope that you all enjoy this episode…

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Mysterious Viking caves, Some cool vintage moms, Baked Steak Burritos. Automotive discoveries, and the war in Ukraine

    Continuing on the unwinding of the world’s global situation. It’s a crazy time, but no need to freak out, eh? We will cover some selected articles, some delicious food, some vintage photos and some cool discoveries. I hope that you all enjoy this.

    Mysterious Viking Era Cave Network Found in Iceland is Enormous

    From HERE

    Last summer, a series of man-made Viking era caves were discovered southwest of Oddi in southern Iceland dated to the 10th century AD. Excavations have now revealed a massive system of interconnected caves that are both larger and older than previously thought. Much mystery still surrounds the caves and the true purpose for their construction.

    Iceland’s Latest Viking Era Caves: Vast and Challenging!

    “You really have no words to describe this,” says archaeologist Kristborg Þórsdóttir about her experience of standing amongst one of the holiest and best-preserved man-made caves from the Viking era. “The size of these structures is just so vast, there hasn’t been a study of such large structures, and definitely not from this time period in Iceland,” she added. Kristborg has been leading the study and working on this site since 2020.

    It was in 2018 when the man-made cave system was found in the Oddi area in southern Iceland, during a joint 3-year mission led by Kristborg and the Archaeological Institute, after the making a test ditch, reports Iceland Review . The mission had been initiated in 2017, as per a report published last year published by MBL.is. The man-made cave had an adjoining, even larger cave connected to it, which became the focus of Kristborg and her team’s research.

    Securing the cave and ensuring it doesn’t collapse on people working in it has been a huge challenge for her team. The texture of the rock is prone to crumbling and the cave is deep, which can lead to dangerous outcomes.

    Time is of the essence for the team, who feel any delay would result in the loss of precious artifacts and data. The entire system of man-made caves was not used for very long because they are inherently unstable.

    Oddi: Ruled by the Powerful Oddverjar Viking Clan

    Oddi itself is a historically and culturally relevant location that was once home to one of Iceland’s most important political seats, ruled by the powerful Oddverjar clan. The current archaeological study near Oddi has been ongoing for two years now.

    So far, a historic church, farm, and vicarage have been unearthed. In fact, when Christianity came to Iceland around 1000 AD, Oddi was one of the first places to build a church.

    “There was not any place that could support the making of literary works in the Middle Ages , as Oddi is believed to have done,” said Kristborg. “Although we are not looking for direct evidence of scriptwriting or writing, the study is about looking at the environment and the foundations of the center of power that was there.”

    Culturally, Oddi peaked between the 11th and 12th centuries AD, with a vibrant writing culture that coincided with the rise of the Oddverjar clan. The catch is that the current man-made cave under investigation seems to have been buried before this cultural development peak, as evidenced from the study of the cave’s volcanic layers .

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    2022 06 01 10 00

    The most famous Oddverjar clan member was Sæmundur fróði, or Sæmundur the Learned (1056-1133 AD). Having studied in France, he was one of the earliest chroniclers of history of the Norwegian kings.

    Sæmundur the Learned’s grandson, Jon Loftsson, a powerful chieftain himself, gave patronage to Snorri Sturluson, the legendary historian and poet, who is widely recognized as the man behind the chronicling of modern Norse mythology . This partly authored work is called the Prose Edda . He is also responsible for the Heimskringla, a saga of the Norwegian kings, which is likely based on the lost chronicled manuscript written by Sæmundur.

    Mythological Bull’s Cave or Just A Livestock Pen?

    The cave was likely used for livestock according to Kristborg. It also has a mythological mention in Bishop Þorlákur’s “Legends of Saints,” which dates to the first half of the 13th century. In this fable, it was called Nautahellir, Bull Cave, which collapsed with 12 bulls in it. One of the bulls was rescued from the rubble. Interestingly, even the fable deals with the fragility of the cave!

    However, there is still a lot we don’t know about this man-made cave. It was likely used for something else before becoming a livestock pen.

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    2022 06 01 09 59

    Since the man-made cave network near Oddi is so big, the focus of the study has to be narrow. Kristborg has admitted to it being an almost overwhelming uphill task to deconstruct the historical usage of each cave. With further research, and a bigger crew, should the structures of the cave permit, more will be ascertained about the history of this man-made Viking era cave system. Nonetheless, a lot of information about the technology and traditions of Viking era Icelanders have been understood from this fantastic discovery.

    “But then this is a longer and more complex story here in the use of these caves and we are only just beginning to see it, but it is so extensive that we can only look at a small part now. Then we would have to start a much, much larger study here with a much larger crew if we are to get to the bottom of this and trace this story completely, this use history of the caves here,” concluded Kristborg.

    No More NATO Expansion

    One day, the US will be called on to honor commitments that were carelessly made, and we will all come to regret that no one bothered to consider the costs.

    “Mom, wearing orange chenille in July ’67”

    Not my mom, but pretty exciting.

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    19 5

    French Volunteer Outraged by Lies of Western Media, revealed truth about War Crimes in Ukraine

    Boquet confirmed that the Bucha massacre was staged. He added that a lot of reporters from the US are working in Ukraine, filming the staged scenes

    .
    Dear US/NATO officials, This is from a French TV interview with a former NATO French officer, that Southfront did a story on as part of their daily Ukraine war coverage. The source is really the officer himself, and next the TV interview itself, which made it to YouTube, but seemed to be blocked in the US when I tried to embed it here.
    
    So I clicked off the ‘Russian source’ box in WordPress because I used some of SF’s text.
    
    We need a US/NATO/EU official website with all the ins and outs on reporting on the war that have been cleared by free press experts so we do not have to deal with overzealous claims of aiding and abetting a participant in this nasty war simply by reporting the various views on it.
    
    It is all just a,b,c reporting on published source material with some commentary, which I see all the time on MSM, but of course with their picking and choosing what they want to report and how, with no fears of ‘aiding or abetting’ claims.
    
    BTW, this French veteran seemed to me to be cut from Vietnam Vets Against the War cloth, and as I remember, their critical comments about that war did not expose them to official sanction. Proof of that is their GI bill benefits rolled on just fine until the Agent Orange scandal broke and the government then became their adversary. Gordon was at Michigan State with thousands of them.. Thank you…JD.

    Introduction

    This is Day whatever of the Ukraine war and Western media will still not mention a word about how the Maidan Coup birthed this current crisis. The Minsk 1 and Minsk 2 failures seemed to have been swallowed by a Black Memory Hole with France and Germany acting like they know nothing about it when they were guarantors.

    And the NeoNazis, some trained by the US and I suspect some other NATO countries, went to the Donbass perimeter and shelled it for eight years killing 14,000 people there, and virtuall all of Western MSM seems to think that had nothing to do with the current conflict which is claimed to be Russian aggression.

    So dear readers, if you see any mention of these huge oversights published in MSM please send me to them as may folder for them is still empty. Go to the board and staff link on the font page and my email will be in my bio. Thanks.   

    [ Editor’s Note: This is quite a catch, a somewhat disabled French officer who went to help out in Ukraine and was not happy with what he saw going on. Think about all the others that have gone over, and certainly seen much of the same horrors, and don’t utter a peep about it when they return.
    
    That is a very poor reflection on Western society that I would describe as a rot. I found this on Mr. Boquet.
    
    Adrien Boquet is a retired military officer, writer and journalist from France, and author of the book “Get Up and Walk Thanks to Science”. Several years ago he suffered a severe spinal injury.
    
    He spent three weeks in Ukraine on a humanitarian mission, and after returning home, he gave an interview to French Sud Radio and spoke, without any cuts, about the numerous war crimes of the AFU, the neo-Nazis from AZOV and the supply of Western arms to Ukraine. He separately mentioned the events in Bucha.
    
    The Ukrainian Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Darya Herasymchuk, exposed the fakes of Ukrainian propaganda. She said that the information spread about the alleged abuse of small children by “occupants” is a fake.
    
    The interview is in French, but subtitled so you can get the gist. It’s thirteen minutes to watch, and with Southfront’s overview text below… Jim W. Dean ]

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    2022 05 19 16 59

    First published May 12, 2022

    A French volunteer Adrien Boquet told in an interview with French media about the war crimes committed by the Nazi militants of the Azov regimen in Ukraine. He described the real situation in the war-torn country which is hidden by the Western media.

    Adrien Boquet is a former French serviceman, author of the book “Get Up and Walk Through Science”. He described his experience of his three-week humanitarian mission in Ukraine in an interview on Sud Radio France.

    “I am fully responsible for what I say. There on the spot I witnessed war crimes. I’ve seen a lot of war crimes. I am talking only about those that I saw myself on the spot, and only those that were committed by the Ukrainian military. But not the Russian military… I do not claim that the Russians did nothing… But I confirm the war crimes committed by the Ukrainian military.” he said.

    “Azov fighters are everywhere. With neo-Nazi stripes. It shocks me that Europe supplies weapons to neo-Nazis. The symbols of the SS are embroidered everywhere on their uniforms. They not hide their views. They advertise them. I worked with these people and treated them. They openly say that they are ready to destroy blacks and Jews,” he added.

    The French military confirmed the war crimes of Ukrainian militants including against prisoners of war. He confirmed that the AFU militants are using civilians as a “human shield”, hiding ammunition in residential buildings at night, without even informing residents.

    “I witnessed how the Ukrainian military shot through the knees of captured Russian soldiers and shot at the head of employees with a rank higher than officer.”

    During the interview Boquet confirmed that the Bucha massacre was staged. He added that a lot of reporters from the US are working in Ukraine, filming the staged scenes.

    “Butcha was staged. The bodies of the victims were moved from other places and deliberately placed in such a way as to produce a shocking shooting,” he stated.

    Adrien Boquet emphasised that he was shocked by the fact that French TV channels invite as experts people who have not been to Ukraine and do not know anything about what is happening there. In conclusion, he assured that he would use his photos and videos taken during the humanitarian mission as evidence of Ukraine’s crimes.

    Three young ladies prepare to have their pictures taken in Manhattan photo booths in April 1954.

    Love that dress.

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    1 91

    “Mom, 1965”

    Not my mom, but very nice.

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    17 5

    MonkeyPox Outbreak Traced to GAY PRIDE FESTIVAL on Canary Islands

    .

    The sudden and fast-spreading outbreak of MonekyPox seems to have been traced to a GAY PRIDE FESTIVAL held from May 5 to May 15, in the city of Maspalomas, on Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands.  Upwards of 80,000 attended the “festival” and now that many have returned to their home countries, those countries are seeing a very sudden and significant outbreak of Monkeypox.  Exactly as the Bible warned:

    Romans 1:27, CSB: The men in the same way also left natural relations with women and were inflamed in their lust for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the appropriate penalty of their error.

    MONKEYPOX cases in Spain and Italy have been traced to an island festival attended by 80,000 revelers.

    Authorities are trying to halt an outbreak that has exploded across Europe and beyond, with 92 cases now confirmed and dozens more suspected.

    Cases of monkeypox in the UK have doubled in just a week after a total of 20 cases were reported.

    And doctors warned that number will rise significantly as the virus spreads through Europe and as far as the US, Canada and Australia.

    Spain now has the highest number of infections, outside places in Africa where the virus is endemic, with more than 50 known cases.

    Now authorities are investigating a festival in Gran Canaria after it was linked with a number of cases in Madrid, Tenerife, and Italy.

    The Canaria Pride festival, held in the town of Maspalomas between May 5 and 15, has become a hotspot for the monkeypox outbreak, reports El País.

    The massive party was attended by over 80,000 people, including three Italian men who later tested positive for the virus.

    A health source told the newspaper: “Among the 30 or so diagnosed in Madrid, there are several who attended the event, although it is not yet possible to know if one of them is patient zero of this outbreak or if they all got infected there.”

    Public health services are currently investigating whether there have been more infections during the celebrations including a suspected case detected in Tenerife.

    UPDATE 7:18 PM EDT —

    Here are the documented number of cases Internationally at this time:

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    2022 05 23 15 12

    Baked Steak Burritos

    A spicy beef and bean filling is all bundled up in a south-of-the-border burrito.

    OIP.OlYPlSIEs0eeaqsYhRl3mgHaEK
    OIP.OlYPlSIEs0eeaqsYhRl3mgHaEK

    Ingredients

    • 1/2 cup butter
    • 1 package (1 oz) Old El Paso™ taco seasoning mix
    • 1 1/2 lb beef boneless sirloin tip steak, cut into thin bite-size strips
    • 1 can (16 oz) Old El Paso™ refried beans
    • 12 Old El Paso™ flour tortillas for soft tacos & fajitas (6 inch; from two 8.2-oz packages)
    • 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (8 oz)
    • 3 medium green onions, thinly sliced (3 tablespoons)
    • 1 can (10 oz) Old El Paso™ enchilada sauce
    • 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend (4 oz)

    Steps

    • 1
      Heat oven to 400°F. In 10-inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in taco seasoning mix. Add beef strips; cook 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until desired doneness; drain.
    • 2
      Meanwhile, place refried beans in microwavable dish. Microwave uncovered on High 2 minutes, stirring once or twice.
    • 3
      Spread each tortilla with refried beans to within 1/4 inch of edge. Top each with beef, Cheddar cheese and onions. Roll up, folding in sides. In ungreased 13×9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish, place burritos with seam sides down. Pour enchilada sauce over burritos. Sprinkle with Mexican cheese blend.
    • 4
      Bake uncovered 7 to 12 minutes or until burritos are thoroughly heated and cheese is melted.

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    2022 05 17 16 57

    “Mom with a cat, 1968”

    Not my mom, but what a nice picture.

    15 10g
    15 10g

    BULLETIN: POLISH TROOPS HAVE ENTERED UKRAINE WAR

    PolandEntersWar large
    PolandEntersWar large

    Staggering reports are coming in claiming two (2) battalions of Polish Army troops have entered Ukraine covertly.   Overnight, 2 battalions of Polish infantry moved out from Kyiv the day before and have already reached Pavlograd.

    Two or more companies make up a battalion, which has 400 to 1,200 troops and is commanded by a lieutenant colonel. The battalion is the smallest unit to have a staff of officers (in charge of personnel, operations, intelligence, and logistics) to assist the commander.

    Each battalion inside Ukraine is said to have 4 Rapira anti-tank guns, armored personnel carriers, and American armored personnel carriers.

    Currently, the Polish infantry is being prepared for the transfer to the Avdeevsky front.

    Whether we are talking about regular troops or mercenaries, it is difficult to say now.   Some reports are claiming the Poles are Mercenaries, who were waiting for the US $40 Billion in Ukrainian “aid” to be approved before moving into action.  That was approved formally late this past week.

    MORE:

    Additional reports are openly saying The British SAS has been inside Ukraine carrying out special commando ops against the Russians  as well.

    WORSE, the reports now admit the US is on the ground inside eastern Ukraine doing targeting mapping and other things.

    UPDATE 10:27 AM EDT —

    U.S. SENATOR TELLS NATO “PREPARE FOR RUSSIAN NUCLEAR ACTION”

    The US and its NATO allies should prepare a “devastating” response to potential Russian nuclear action, Sen. Mitt Romney said on Saturday.

    The call to action comes on the heels of threats from the Kremlin and warnings from Russian diplomats that the country’s Ukraine invasion could lead to a nuclear strike, the Utah Republican wrote in an op-ed for The New York Times.

    “Russia’s use of a nuclear weapon would unarguably be a redefining, reorienting geopolitical event,” Romney, 75, wrote.

    “We should imagine the unimaginable, specifically how we would respond militarily and economically to such a seismic shift in the global geopolitical terrain.”

    The former presidential candidate presented several options available to western allies in addition to a nuclear response if a “cornered and delusional” Russian President Vladimir Putin deployed a nuclear weapon.

    (HT REMARK: Romney is in "The Club" if he is making this warning there is definitely something behind it.  His now-public remarks are a signal - at least to me - they already KNOW what's coming.  I think guys like Romney are going to get a slew of us KILLED.   The voters of Utah would do well to get their Senator back under control before he causes a whole bunch of us to get nuked.)

    The Ultimate 1980s Barn Find: This Guy Found A Lamborghini Countach Hiding In Grandma’s Garage For 20 Years

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    1 26

    The lucky guy is Reddit user named eriegin, who posted these photos along with the caption “Despite the rust and dust, grandma’s 1981 Lamborghini Countach is the coolest.”

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    7 18

    This isn’t an ordinary Countach. The images posted on Reddit suggest that we are looking at a Countach 500S, one of just 321 examples built.

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    5 23

    According to Carscoops, the car is powered by a naturally-aspirated 4.8-liter V12, and while the Redditor claims that it is in poor condition, it could easily be worth $300,000 – or, if restored, more than $500,000.

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    4 25

    The Reddit user says that the Countach was purchased by his late grandfather in 1989, “but after insurance costs became too high for him to operate the company, he kept the car (and many others including the Ferrari 308 in front of the Lambo) outside/in leaky garages for 20+ years instead of selling them,” he wrote. “Don’t ask me why, I have no clue.”

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    2 25

    While it’s sad to see a car as iconic as the Countach being locked up for so long, it’s refreshing to see it coming out to the real world again.

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    6 19

    The Daily Stormer shut down!

    I guess that their acceptance of Nazi-leaning contributors was too much for the Pro-Ukraine (Asov Nazi) Progressive American liberals to accept.

    “Daily Stormer” is a website that the world-shaking Buffalo shooting’s perpetrator Payton Gendron claimed had a strong influence on him. The website surprisingly had a .cn country code domain, which led some in the media and the public to accuse China of being involved in the incident and even “supporting the American far right and neo-Nazism.”

    From HERE.

    Meet The Globalists: Here Is The Full Roster Of Davos 2022 Attendees

    The infamous World Economic Forum (WEF) will host its annual meeting in Davos this week, and Jordan Schachtel,via ‘The Dossier’ Substack, is going to make sure you know who is attending the invite-only gathering.

    For those of you who are new to this nefarious organization:

    The World Economic Forum (WEF), through its annual Davos conference, acts as the go-to policy and ideas shop for the ruling class. The NGO is led by a comic book villain-like character in Klaus Schwab, its megalomaniac president who articulates a truly insane, extremist political agenda for our future.

    2022 05 23 15 28
    Klaus Schwab

    How about the “Great Reset?”

    All of those bumper sticker political narratives were popularized by the World Economic Forum.

    Have you read about the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) movement?

    That’s also a WEF favorite.

    Davos 2022 includes the usual components of WEF’s “you’ll own nothing and you’ll be happy” totalitarian eco statist agenda. Topics discussed and panels at the 2022 meeting will include:

    • Experience the future of cooperation: The Global Collaboration Village
    • Staying on Course for Nature Action
    • Future-proofing Health Systems
    • Accelerating the Reskilling Revolution (for the “green transition”)
    • The ‘Net’ in Net Zero
    • The Future of Globalization
    • Unlocking Carbon Markets
    • And of course, a Special Address by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine

    The American contingent will include 25 politicians and Biden Administration officials. US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo will join Climate Czar John Kerry as the White House representatives there. They will be joined by 12 democrat and 10 republican politicians, including 7 senators and two state governors

    Without further delay, I’ve provided the entire list of attendees who are showing up to Davos next week. I’ll list the Americans below and the rest are linked below that in an attached document.

    • Gina Raimondo Secretary of Commerce of USA USA
    • John F. Kerry Special Presidential Envoy for Climate of the United States of America
    • Bill Keating Congressman from Massachusetts (D)
    • Daniel Meuser Congressman from Pennsylvania (R)
    • Madeleine Dean Congresswoman from Pennsylvania (D
    • Ted Lieu Congressman from California (D)
    • Ann Wagner Congresswoman from Missouri (R)
    • Christopher A. Coons Senator from Delaware (D)
    • Darrell Issa Congressman from California (R)
    • Dean Phillips Congressman from Minnesota (D)
    • Debra Fischer Senator from Nebraska (R)
    • Eric Holcomb Governor of Indiana (R)
    • Gregory W. Meeks Congressman from New York (D)
    • John W. Hickenlooper Senator from Colorado (D)
    • Larry Hogan Governor of Maryland (R)
    • Michael McCaul Congressman from Texas (R)
    • Pat Toomey Senator from Pennsylvania (R)
    • Patrick J. Leahy Senator from Vermont (D)
    • Robert Menendez Senator from New Jersey (D)
    • Roger F. Wicker Senator from Mississippi (R)
    • Seth Moulton Congressman from Massachusetts (D)
    • Sheldon Whitehouse Senator from Rhode Island (D)
    • Ted Deutch Congressman from Florida (D)
    • Francis Suarez Mayor of Miami (R)
    • Al Gore Vice-President of the United States (1993-2001) (D)

    Full list of confirmed attendees of 2022 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting

    Here’s the PDF File in case the link goes down.

    There is one member of the ‘elites’ that is not going to be there (and never has).

    As Mohamed El-Erian writes in an op-ed at Bloomberg, Davos meetings are full of potential but rarely full of solutions.

    I have never taken up the opportunity to attend the Davos meeting and I will pass again this year.

    That, however, does not mean that I do not follow its evolution and outcomes. I am certainly interested in what could emerge from a meeting that brings together so many leaders of governments, civil society and business.

    In an ideal world, this year’s meeting would prove catalytic in two important ways. 

    • First, it would trigger greater awareness of ongoing watershed developments in the global economy and draw attention to how differently these are viewed around the world.
    • And second, it would point to ways in which an increasingly “zero-sum” view of international coordination can be reshaped to contribute to collective resilience and inclusive prosperity.

    The list of ongoing watershed developments in the global economy is long, extending well beyond the horrific war in Ukraine and the associated human tragedies. Here is an example of what is on such a list:

    • Due to the convergence of food, energy, debt and growth crises, a growing number of poorer countries face a rising threat of famine — and this is but one part of the “little fires everywhere” phenomenon undermining lives and livelihoods around the world.
    • Inflation at 40-year highs in wealthier countries is undermining standards of living and growth engines, hitting the poor particularly hard, fueling political anger, eroding institutional credibility, and undermining the effectiveness of economic and financial policy.
    • The inability to deal with critical secular challenges, including climate change, is seeing short-term distractions compound what already are meaningful long-term challenges.
    • Private- and public-sector efforts to strike a better balance between highly interconnected supply chains and national/corporate resilience are complicated by a global economy that lacks sufficient momentum for this to be done in an orderly fashion.
    • The western weaponization of international finance, while effective in bringing the eleventh largest economy in the world to its knees, has been pursued without a global framework of standards, guidelines and safeguards.

    I suspect that, while the vast majority of Davos participants will agree on this list (and, indeed, add a few more items), there will be quite a bit of disagreement on the causes and longer-term consequences. Such disagreement is problematic in two ways.

    • First, it undermines the shared responsibility needed to address challenges with important international dimensions;
    • and second, it erodes even more trust in the existing international order. Unless the disagreements can be resolved, the damaging effects will deepen and spread.

    On paper, the upcoming Davos meeting would be perfectly suited for resolving these conflicts. History, however, does not provide much encouragement or optimism.

    Time and time again, Davos has fallen victim to a lack of focus and actionable unifying vision. Individual and collective interests have remained unreconciled. Distractions abound. As a result, the output has been, at best, backward-leaning.

    Given the multiple crossroads facing the global economy, this would be a particularly good time for Davos to fulfill its considerable potential — to look ahead, not back. To identify solutions instead of just problems. Otherwise, the forum will evolve even more into a network and social club that is, and is widely perceived to be, even more decoupled from the realities of many and the challenges of most.

    “Mom sun bathing in backyard, 1961”

    Not my mom, but still…

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    14 10

    It’s the War Mobilization, Stupid!

    From HERE

     

    Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign defeated incumbent president George HW Bush with the help of Ross Perot and an unrelenting focus on the be-all end-all of presidential campaigns: “It’s the economy, stupid.” Clinton’s slogan pithily summarized the accumulated wisdom of more than two centuries of presidential politics: Voters identify the incumbent president and incumbent party with their perception of the current state of the economy. If times are good, the president and/or his party will likely be re-relected. If not, it’s time to “throw the bums out.”

    I learned this in 1979 in a course on American Economic History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. According to the professor, it was an open secret that every president tries to strong-arm the Fed into juicing up the economy prior to his re-election campaign, usually with some success.

    The 2020 election provided a classic example of the power of current economic trends over national election results. As of late 2019, the US economy was booming and Donald Trump was cruising toward an easy victory. Then COVID-19 hit, the economy imploded, and suddenly Trump no longer looked like a “very stable genius” to the crucial tranches of undecided, uninformed, and/or independent voters. Also, thanks to COVID and the economic implosion, Democrats could be whipped into a much more hysterical anti-Trump frenzy than would have been otherwise possible, leading to frenetic and heavily-funded get-out-the-vote efforts. So whether or not Trump is correct about alleged vote padding in swing states, he is certainly right that absent the COVID pandemic he would have won an easy re-election.

    Now that we have established the crucial connection between economic trends and incumbent parties’ prospects in national elections, it’s time to ask the million dollar question: What the @&# are the Democrats thinking?! The Biden Administration, facing very tough midterm contests this year and at least equally monumental challenges in the 2024 presidential race, has made the apparently idiotic decision to blow up the US and global economies by provoking war with Russia.

    As I write this, stocks, crypto, and even the bond market aren’t just swirling around the porcelain bowl, they’re plunging through the pipes and well on their way to the sewage treatment facility. The worst inflation in 40 years, driven in part by higher food and energy costs from Biden’s war on Russia, has forced the Fed to start ratcheting interest rates upward, pushing America towards 1970s-style stagflation at best, or a 2008 or even 1929 scenario at worst. Biden’s ever-escalating giveaway of US tax dollars to Ukraine is contributing to the economic as well as military mayhem.

    Is Biden senile? Is Harris an idiot? Are the Democrats suicidal? Though the answer to the first two questions is undoubtedly “yes,” I’m not sure that the Democratic Party leadership and the oligarchs who own it are entirely bent on political self-destruction. There must be some sort of method in their apparent madness. And I think I know what it is:

    “It’s the war mobilization, stupid!”

    The oligarchs who own the Democratic Party (who may overlap somewhat with the ones that own the Republicans) aren’t going to seek success in 2022 and 2024 by riding a strong economy. Instead, they are hoping to win by dragging us into war and pounding their chests and telling us to support our fearless wartime leaders—and if you don’t you’re a treasonous unpatriotic Russia-loving Putin-loving Trump-loving transphobic white nationalist conspiracy theorist scumbag.

    If the war gets bad enough, and the propaganda gets loud enough, people will put up with just about any amount of economic devastation. Consider World War II. Even though the US didn’t enter the war until more than two years after it started, and never experienced the level of combat and losses other nations suffered, the American people were quickly convinced to endure draconian rationing, forced conscription, virtual slave labor in war factories, and various and sundry economic unpleasantness, all in the name of defeating the evil racially-inferior slanty-eyed Japs and the evil white supremacist Adolf Hitler. FDR, who had cruised to re-election in 1940 by promising to keep America out of the war, had no problem winning in 1944 despite his broken promise (and his Pearl Harbor treason). When the nation is on a total war footing, people snap to attention and salute and do what they’re told and don’t ask questions, and the incumbent party and president enjoy almost godlike status.

    My parents were children during World War II, and they (and my grandparents) experienced food rationing, gasoline rationing, and the near-total unavailability of all sorts of consumer goods, from appliances to automobiles. Sounds familiar? It’s like what we’re heading into now—only in 2022 we’re merely facing de facto rationing as many people can no longer buy their customary allotments of food, gas, and goods. Fortunately the authorities probably won’t start issuing ration coupons until the war really heats up.

    And heat up it will. Biden’s seemingly crazy policies, foreign as well as domestic, make sense only on the assumption that we’re heading into all-out World War III. Why would the US refuse Russia’s repeated entreaties to negotiate Ukrainian neutrality and cap NATO expansion, thereby provoking a ruinous war? Why would US leaders refuse Russia’s (and Zelensky’s) overtures for a negotiated solution? Why would they create what will soon become a 100-billion-dollar arms pipeline to Ukraine, while pushing Finland and Sweden to join NATO—a move that Russia will inevitably greet with military strikes?

    The real rulers of the US empire, the neoconservatives who overthrew the Republic on 9/11/2001, are bent on world conquest. A decision has apparently been made behind the scenes to fight World War III sooner rather than later, in service to the Wolfowitz Doctrine that the US will tolerate no challenges to its global hegemony.

    The neocons have made their position clear: They will either rule the planet unilaterally or destroy it. That is why the Empire and its vassals are inflicting economic devastation on their own people, and the people of the world, as they frantically mobilize for the biggest and most destructive war in human history.

    If we are going to stop it, the time is now. Once NATO is officially at war with Russia, dissent will be ruthlessly quashed. And once the nukes start flying, we will spend whatever is left of our lives wishing we had done more to stop the neocon Strangeloves from pursuing their mad dream of world conquest.

    2 x news: Europe olive branch to Putin

    2022 05 23
    Now, Italy begins backtracking on its promises and extending an olive branch toward Russia – TFIGlobal
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    2022 05 13
    Opinion | On Ukraine, good-cop France is offering Putin a way out – The Washington Post
    .
    Enter the good cop. In a speech shortly after Putin’s Victory Day fizzle, French President Emmanuel Macron offered an olive branch to Moscow …
    .

    From HERE

    “Mom in reflection, December 1960”

    Cool mom. Not mine, though…

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    10 10

    Hawaiian Ham and Bacon Pasta Salad

    Sweet, salty, smoky and a little bit spicy, there’s a whole lot of flavor going on here, and with surprisingly few ingredients. That’s the genius of this recipe: It combines a few complementary ingredients to scrumptious effect. Pineapple bits, ham chunks, bacon crumbles and diced jalapeño folded into the creamy pasta base make for a mouthwatering meal that you can probably pull together without running to the store.

    It’s a great use of leftover ham, but also beautiful enough to feature on your Easter brunch table. Whether you’re making it for tonight’s dinner or a major holiday, prep it ahead of time and stash it in the fridge, so it’s quick to assemble when it’s time to come to the table.

    162b9eec 66ba 45ac bc3e afb4a94bce8e
    162b9eec 66ba 45ac bc3e afb4a94bce8e

    Ingredients

    • 1 box Betty Crocker™ Suddenly Salad™ classic pasta salad mix
    • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
    • 1/2 cup pineapple tidbits (from 8-oz can, drained and juice reserved)
    • 1 cup diced ham
    • 1/2 cup crumbled cooked bacon (5 slices)
    • 1 cup packed baby spinach
    • 1/4 cup sliced green onions (about 4)
    • 2 tablespoons seeded, chopped jalapeño chile (1/2 large)
    • 1/2 cup cubed block mozzarella cheese (2 oz)

    2022 05 23 16 59
    2022 05 23 16 59

    2022 05 23 17 00
    2022 05 23 17 00

    The Proliferation Of Nostalgia-Inducing LEGO Sets Indicates That They’re Far More Than Just A Child’s Toy

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    1 9

    LEGO FORMA is a premium LEGO experience designed for adults looking for a fun, engaging way to reconnect with their creative side. LEGO FORMA mechanical models are cleverly designed but simple to assemble. Sturdy rods and parts combine with customizable skins to create a joyful creative challenge. Taking design cues from nature, LEGO FORMA incorporates life-like movement, colors, and patterns. The result is an elegant conversation piece that’s a tasteful addition to any room.

    The beauty of nature. The simple pleasure of building. A thoughtful creative challenge. These are at the core of LEGO FORMA, a premium LEGO experience for adults looking for a simple, fun way to disconnect from their screens and reconnect with their creative side. LEGO FORMA models feature beautiful, customizable skins that allow for personal expression. Choose from the Koi Skin, Shark Skin, Splash Koi Skin, or decorate your own with the Ink Koi Skin.

    Two hundred and ninety four elements come together to form a dynamic model. A clever gear system generates life-like movement that’s as satisfying to put together as it is to see. The sum is a thoughtful creative challenge that’s relaxing yet creatively stimulating.

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    2 8

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    Supply chains are never returning to ‘normal’

    BeyondWords

    The conventional wisdom at this time is that most of the world has moved on from the pandemic (except for China); therefore, supply chains will return to “normal.” Unfortunately, this is not the case. The world has permanently changed and supply chains are going to face continuing challenges for decades to come. Among those challenges are:

    • Supply chains will remain under constant threat of disruption for the next decade
    • Supply chains operate best when the world is peaceful and stable
    • A smoothly running supply chain requires “buffer stock,” which is challenging with declining population demographics
    • There is a conflict between environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals and supply chains optimized for cost and speed. If we prioritize ESG, we will need to contend with supply chain risks
    • Supply chain technology will become the big venture capital category winner as companies continue to make investments in technologies that can help them mitigate their supply chain challenges

    In a world faced with the prospect of tightening supplies, higher energy costs, heightened geopolitical risk, and strained transportation networks, advanced supply chain technologies will become mission-critical for many more companies.

    Supply chains benefit from times of peace

    Anyone that has been a part of the supply chain industry can attest to the fact that supply chains have always been subject to disruptions. Natural disasters, terrorism, economic cycles, and capacity shortages have created challenges since the beginning of trade.

    Since the end of the Cold War, global supply chains have benefited from peaceful trade between developed and developing countries. Many poorer and less developed countries that were previously ruled by Communist or autocratic regimes took advantage of new markets in the developed world and used global trade to move beyond subsistence economies to prosperous ones. Some of these countries developed into capitalistic and democratic countries, while other governments exploited the free market system to solely benefit those already in power, and became wealthy and powerful enough to threaten the very system that enabled their ascension.

    The Eastern European countries that were formerly part of the Soviet bloc are examples of the countries that embraced capitalism and shifted toward democracy, while China did the opposite.

    Labor is key in supply chains

    The arbitrage between the developed and developing countries has been massive. The cost of producing goods in countries with cheap labor, lax environmental and labor regulations, and little regard for sustainable natural resources has enabled the world to enjoy unprecedented prosperity and peace.

    Because the goods produced in these parts of the world were so cheap, it made sense that they would be produced in excess. This buffer stock kept inflation in check and provided supply chains with ample supplies that could fend off short-term fluctuations and disruptions. Think about how the cost of televisions and computing hardware has fallen over the past few decades, and how auto prices haven’t risen as significantly as the many improvements in product features and quality were made.

    This all happened at a time when the United States was the only superpower and the only expectation that the U.S. had of other nations is that trade should be unobstructed.

    Cheap labor is becoming scarcer, particularly in Asia. This is largely due to aging populations – the average age continues to increase and there are fewer people to work in these manufacturing jobs.

    ESG requirements hamper the stability of supply chains

    Companies have instituted ESG requirements that require disclosures and monitoring of how and where products have been sourced. This pressure means that goods that are produced in factories that don’t match Western standards for environmental controls and human rights may not be available to Western consumers. The factories that do produce goods that match Western standards will often be more expensive and therefore there will be less buffer stock in the system.

    The same ESG standards also create challenges for commodity producers, as the cost of adhering to environmental and social disclosures makes it more expensive and less productive. It also discourages investment in the production of environmentally sensitive commodities – most obviously in energy.

    Environmental concerns and regulations that have prevented exploration and production and killed pipeline projects are largely the reason that the world currently lacks sufficient energy resources to buffer against the consequences of the Russia-Ukraine war.

    In the previous three decades, supply chains have operated relatively smoothly because companies could source from around the world and not have to worry about global military conflict or autocratic regimes shutting down manufacturing. While international trade regulations were complicated to navigate, the world overall was trending toward larger, more open trading blocs – not just in North America, but in Europe and Asia as well.

    As the United States has become more insular and has pulled back from being the world’s policeman, and China has started to flex its muscles and create a global competitor to the United States, the world has become far more unstable and less peaceful. This global friction is unlikely to go away. China desires to take Taiwan as its own, risking sending the world into a geopolitical crisis that is more dangerous than at any point since World War II.

    Buffer stocks of products are far less likely in the future, as the cost of producing those items continues to rise. Cheap labor, offered by large populations of young people, is largely a thing of the past. This will make it more expensive for companies to produce buffer stock and far less likely that supply chains will enjoy the ability to absorb short-term shocks that are inherent to complex global networks.

    Supply chain technology will be the big winner

    Companies will look closer to home for product sourcing. They will prioritize production in countries that are far more stable and friendly to the United States. The Freedom Trade movement will drive supply chain professionals to prioritize production and sourcing in the Americas.

    Latin America will become a big winner, as it benefits greatly from having direct land transportation networks with North America and seas that are well protected by the U.S. Navy.

    The American South and Midwest will also see an acceleration in manufacturing and production, as they can offer predictable and resilient sourcing, without the geopolitical risks of foreign suppliers or the labor unions of the Rust Belt.

    Automation, including robotics, will become more important. Nearshoring manufacturers will try to offset higher production costs with robotics and other automated production systems.

    Supply chain market intelligence systems, a data category that monitors developments around supply and demand, will be critical for supply chain professionals who are trying to navigate increasingly complex and opaque markets. Materials and product supplies are no longer guaranteed, so the need for constantly refreshed data models that track the balance of supply and demand will be critical to the success of companies.

    FreightWaves SONAR provides near real-time market intelligence information, which has seen explosive growth in recent months as shippers have realized that supply chains are not returning to normal and the need for high-frequency data is increasingly critical for success. Historical models no longer work – as the world becomes far less predictable, peaceful, and safe – and supply chains are far more exposed to supply and demand shocks.

    “Mom in 1969. Pregnant with me”

    Not my mom, but very nice.

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    9 1n4

    Inflation in the United States

    2022 05 17 15 48
    2022 05 17 15 48

    McDonalds Leaves Russia—Russians Gain Four Years of Life Expectancy

    This is funny. Please do not take seriously. -MM

    Dissociated Press

    The Russian Ministry of Health announced Tuesday that McDonalds’ decision to leave Russia is expected to add more than four years to the average Russian’s life expectancy.

    Studies undertaken by the University of Moscow School of Health Issues and Troubles (UMSHIT) show that when the drunken buffoon Boris Yeltsin took over Russia after the CIA coup of 1991, Russian men lost almost a decade of life expectancy. Originally it was thought that the looting of Russia by CIA-affiliated Zionist billionaire oligarchs had destroyed life-support systems for food, utilities, and other infrastructure, and that Russians were so depressed about being ruled by an evil American-owned clown like Yeltsin that they started drinking themselves to death.

    But more recent research has revealed that McDonalds also played a role. “We discovered that the high-calorie, high-carb, addictive-chemical-drenched drek served by McDonalds was responsible for almost half of the massive loss of life expectancy suffered by Russia after its defeat in the Cold War,” said UMSHIT researcher Morgansky Spurlockovich. “That means that during the past three decades, McDonalds has killed nearly as many Russians as Hitler did. Expelling McDonalds from Russia will save millions of Russian lives and go a long way toward addressing our demographic deficit.”

    Sources close to Vladimir Putin say that Russia will not only send McDonalds back to the US, but also covertly fund its operations there.  By spending a fraction of the vast wealth Russia is earning due to higher energy prices to open even more McDonalds franchises in America, sources say, Putin will further feminize American men, render them obese and unable to fight, and ultimate kill millions of Americans at a fraction of the cost of a single 9M730 Burevestnik radioactive-tidal-wave-causing cruise missile.

    Meanwhile, rumors that the Russian Air Force has begun dropping Big Macs with fries and soda on decision-making centers in Kiev have not yet been confirmed by official sources.

    “Mom & 1961 Chevy Impala, September 1961”

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    General Motors’ Miraculously Surviving Electric Car Found in A Parking Lot — May Be the Last EV1 in The World

    2022 05 17 15 54
    2022 05 17 15 54

    In one of Atlanta’s usual multi-level parking lots, an EV1, developed by General Motors in the late 1990s, was found in 2019. The entire run was later recalled and put under the press, but one car miraculously survived.

    The General Motors EV1 was an electric car produced and leased by General Motors from 1996 to 1999. It was the first mass-produced and purpose-designed electric vehicle of the modern era from a major automaker and the first GM car designed to be an electric vehicle from the outset. The EV1 was made available through limited lease-only agreements, initially to residents of the cities of Los Angeles, California, and Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona.

    2022 05 17 15 55
    2022 05 17 15 55

    While customer reaction to the EV1 was positive, GM believed that electric cars occupied an unprofitable niche of the automobile market, and ended up crushing most of the cars, regardless of protesting customers.

    Furthermore, an alliance of the major automakers litigated the CARB regulation in court, resulting in a slackening of the ZEV stipulation, permitting the companies to produce super-low-emissions vehicles, natural gas vehicles, and hybrid cars in place of pure electrics. The EV1 program was subsequently discontinued in 2002, and all cars on the road were taken back by the company, under the terms of the lease. Lessees were not given the option to purchase their cars from GM, which cited parts, service, and liability regulations.

    The majority of the EV1s taken back were crushed, with about 40 delivered to museums and educational institutes with their electric powertrains deactivated, under the agreement that the cars were not to be reactivated and driven on the road. The only intact EV1 was donated to the Smithsonian Institution. General Motors also allegedly gave models to research institutions with EV1s being found in the wild near universities often in states of disrepair.

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    2022 05 17 15e 55

    The EV1’s discontinuation remains controversial, with electric car enthusiasts, environmental interest groups and former EV1 lessees accusing GM of self-sabotaging its electric car program to avoid potential losses in spare parts sales (sales forced by government regulations), while also blaming the oil industry for conspiring to keep electric cars off the road. During the discontinuation movie director Francis Ford Coppola hid his EV1 from General Motors and was ultimately able to keep his EV1. As a result of GM taking the cars back as the leases ended and the subsequent destruction of the majority of EV1s, an intact and working EV1 is one of the rarest cars from the 1990s.

    Azovstal Ukrainian fighters continue to surrender

    There were over 2500 hundred AFU servicemen in the industrial zone, 404 of them were wounded, 200 corpses of dead fighters were frozen in refrigerators

    ScreenHunter 7020
    ScreenHunter 7020

    On May 17, the Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed that the surrender of the militants of the nationalist Azov regiment and Ukrainian servicemen, who were blocked at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol began.

    Over the past day, 265 militants have laid down their arms and surrendered, including 51 seriously wounded. All those in need of medical care were sent for treatment to the hospital in Novoazovsk, Donetsk People’s Republic. The other were transferred to the village of Elenovka in the Donetsk People’s republic.

    The surrender of the “garrison of Mariupol” continues. The Ukrainian fighters are disarmed, then they are sent to Novoazovsk or Elenovka.

    On May 17, a Russian military reporter in Mariupol claimed that as of May 16, there were over 2.5 thousand AFU servicemen in the industrial zone, 404 of them were wounded. 55 servicemen were seriously injured. 200 corpses of dead fighters were frozen in refrigerators.

    There were also three Russian prisoners, including an officer and two soldiers.

    In total, 804 members of the Azov nationalist regiment were hiding in Azovstal. The others were servicemen of the 53rd, 54th, 56th separate brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the 36th separate brigade of Marines, 501st and 503 separate battalions of marines and 12 brigade The National Guard, which included “Azov”.

    The military reporter added that the decision was made not to comment on the situation in Azovstal. The officials claims will be made by the Russian Ministry of Defence.

    In an attempt to justify the fall of the Ukrainian fortress, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine called the surrender of the AFU remnants from Azovstal a “delicate situation.”

    The Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine stated that the GUR, the AFU, the border service, the National Guard, the SBU, the National Police and Azov are carrying out a special operation to rescue defenders of Mariupol blocked on the territory of the Azovstal plant. If the operation was aimed at the transfer of the nazi fighters to the Russian military, it likely succeeded.

    The Kiev regime continuesly claims that all the Ukrainian militants should be exchanged for the Russian prisoners of war. The Russian military officials have not confirmed any exchange so far.

    Moreover, on May 17, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin ordered to work on the proposal of the members of the State Duma to prohibit the exchange of all Ukrainian Nazis to Ukraine. He added that this issue should be worked out jointly with the Defense and Security Committee.

    “You are making the right offer. Nazi criminals should not be exchanged. These are war criminals. We must do everything to ensure that they face trial” Volodin summed up.

    “Mama and us at Yosemite, California, 1963”

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    Leaked Vietnam video

    Leaked Vietnam video: Showing Vietnam PM cursing America saying Ukraine war created by US.
    .

    Short Video HERE

    Taiwan TVS media reported a leaked video footage showing Vietnam PM privately cursed America , saying he is not afraid of America, and that Ukraine war has been created by the Americans. This was filmed during the recent US organized ASEAN meeting.
    .

    The Ultimate Brownie

    This is Betty’s all-time favorite homemade brownie!

    Ultimate Brownies 1
    Ultimate Brownies 1

    Ingredients

    • 2/3 cup butter or margarine
    • 5 oz unsweetened baking chocolate, cut into pieces
    • 1 3/4 cups sugar
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla
    • 3 eggs
    • 1 cup Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
    • 1 cup chopped walnuts

    Steps

    • 1
      Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom and sides of 9-inch square pan. In 1-quart saucepan, melt butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly. Cool slightly.
    • 2
      In medium bowl, beat sugar, vanilla and eggs with electric mixer on high speed 5 minutes. Beat in chocolate mixture on low speed. Beat in flour just until blended. Stir in walnuts. Spread in pan.
    • 3
      Bake 40 to 45 minutes or just until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on cooling rack. For brownies, cut into 4 rows by 4 rows.

    2022 05 17 17 04
    2022 05 17 17 04

    After the NATO War is Over

    By Batiushka for the Saker Blog

    Make no mistake about it: The tragic war that is currently taking place on Ukrainian battlefields is not between the Russian Federation and the Ukraine, but between the Russian Federation and the US-controlled NATO. The latter, also called ‘the collective West’, promotes an aggressive ideology of organised violence, a politically- economically- and militarily-enforced doctrine euphemistically known as ‘Globalism’. This means hegemony by the Western world, which arrogantly calls itself ‘the international community’, over the whole planet. NATO is losing that war, which uses NATO-trained Ukrainians as its proxy cannon fodder, in three spheres, political, economic and military.

    Firstly, politically, the West has finally understood that it cannot execute regime change in Moscow. Its pipedream of replacing the highly popular President Putin with is CIA stooge Navalny is not going to happen. As for the West’s puppet-president in Kiev, he is only a creature of Washington and its oligarchs. A professional actor, he is unable to speak for himself, but is a spokesman for the NATO which he loves.

    Secondly, economically, the West faces serious resistance to the 6,000 sanctions it has imposed on Russia and Russians. Those sanctions have backfired. In the West, we can testify to this every time we buy fuel or food. The combination of high inflation (10% +) and even higher energy prices, caused almost solely by these illegal anti-Russian sanctions, are threatening the collapse of Western economies, much more than threatening Russia or China. As a result of this reverse effect of sanctions against Russia, the rouble is at a three-year high, standing at about 64 to the US dollar and rising, though immediately after the sanctions it had briefly gone down to 150 to the dollar.

    After strenuously denying that they would do it, already most countries in Europe (at least 17 for now), including Germany and Italy, have agreed to open accounts with Gazprombank, as Russia advised them to do and to pay for oil and gas in roubles. And this number is growing by the week. The problems will be even greater with food shortages, as the world food chain is highly integrated and the agricultural production of Russia and the Ukraine (now controlled by Russia) is at least 40% of the world’s grain production.  Just days ago it was announced that Russia expects record grain production this year (130 million tonnes). Russia may yet demand payment in roubles for all this as well.

    The sanctions against Russia have divided Europe and are threatening to divide NATO.  President Erdogan of Turkey, a NATO member, has announced that he would veto the entry to NATO of Finland and Sweden into NATO. At the same time, Russia has announced that it will cut off Finland’s natural gas supply. Swedish leaders are re-thinking their entry to NATO.

    Thirdly, militarily, it is clear that the Ukraine, with huge numbers of desertions and surrenders, has no chance of winning the war against Russia. Most of its military equipment has already been wiped out and newly-delivered and often antiquated Western equipment will make little difference, even if it is not destroyed by Russian missiles as soon as it reaches the Ukraine. The conflict could now be over within weeks, rather than months. The US ‘Defense Secretary’ (= Minister for Offense), Lloyd Austin, has desperately called the Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu to beg for a ceasefire. Would you agree to a ceasefire when in less than three months and with only 10% of your military forces you have already occupied an area greater than England inside the Ukraine, an area that produces 75% of Ukrainian GDP?

    The panic of financial disaster in the West has begun to set in. As a result, the French President Macron has told President Zelensky (that is, told Washington) to give up part of Ukraine’s sovereignty and at last start serious negotiations with Russia. Macron is also trying to free French mercenaries from Azovstal in Mariupol, but the problem is much bigger than this, as the whole of Europe is facing economic meltdown. And the Italian Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, has asked President Biden to contact President Putin and ‘give peace a chance’. Note that Mario Draghi is a former president of the European Central Bank and a Goldman Sachs puppet – just as Macron is a Rothschild puppet.

    There have always been empires and invasions throughout history. However, they have always been local and not been justified as the only possible global ideology, a ‘New World Order’, to be imposed by violence all over the planet. After the NATO war is over, lost by ‘the collective West’, NATO Centralism, the ideology of a ‘Unipolar World’, controlled from Washington, must end. However, Centralism must also come to an end everywhere else, like that under Soviet-period Moscow (1).

    However, Nationalism must also come to an end. Here we should remember that the very word ‘Nazism’ comes from the German words for ‘National Socialism’. (Nationalism entails hatred for others, whereas Patriotism means the ability not only to love your own country, but also love the countries of others, not hate their countries). And the Ukraine has a history of Nazism, stretching back over eighty years. Moreover, today’s leading Kiev soldiery are Nazi nationalists and represent the tribalism so typical of Western Europe, responsible in the twentieth century for two huge wars which it spread worldwide. The Nazi Ukrainian cries of ‘Glory to the Ukraine’ and their slogan of ‘Ukraine above Everything’ are slogans of Nazism.

    Let us move to a world that is multipolar and multicentric, which has unity in diversity and diversity in unity. If we do not move towards this, we will probably be lost. For a multipolar, multicivilisational and multicultural world, the world of seven billion human beings already, is the only civilized world, the only true international community.

    Note:
    
    1. Here anti-Semites will tell you that the Centralism of Soviet-period Moscow was founded by the Bolsheviks, of whom over 80% were Jews. Firstly, it should be pointed out that they were atheist Jews, internationalists like Bronstein/Trotsky, who supported the ‘Third International’. In other words, they were political Zionists (not religious Zionists, indeed, they were anti-religious). And let us recall that a huge number of Jews were and are anti-Zionists and a huge number of Zionists were and are not at all Jews. This is why the Saker rightly uses the term ‘Anglo-Zionism’ for these unipolar centralisers.

    Streusel Coffee Cake

    Everyone needs a classic coffee cake recipe. Simple to make and a treat to eat, this is it! Our cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake recipe is the perfect one to wake up and create for a holiday brunch. It only takes 10 minutes of prep time and is made easy with Bisquick™ Original Pancake & Baking Mix.

    0dfa7d9b d6d8 4fe1 a13f fa5f938a1b3b
    0dfa7d9b d6d8 4fe1 a13f fa5f938a1b3b

    Ingredients

    Cinnamon Streusel

    • 1/3 cup Bisquick™ Original pancake & baking mix
    • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 2 tablespoons firm butter or margarine

    Coffee Cake

    • 2 cups Bisquick™ Original pancake & baking mix
    • 2/3 cup milk or water
    • 2 tablespoons sugar
    • 1 egg

    2022 05 23 17 09
    2022 05 23 17 09

    “Mom when in Madrid, 1961”

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    Cambodia Demands British Museums Return Stolen Khmer Artifacts

    Khmer artifacts
    Khmer artifacts

    It's just a beginning. -MM

    Stolen Khmer artifacts from ancient Cambodian temples should be returned now. This is what Cambodian heritage authorities have told London’s Victoria & Albert and British Museum who currently profit from scores of once looted Khmer artifacts.

    Until the 7th century AD, Cambodian (Khmer) arts were greatly influenced by Indian Hindu themes. By the 10th century, however, Khmer artisans had formulated their own distinct style of sculpting which scholars say is closer to the wholeness of Egyptian sculpture than it is to Indian styles. Standing sentinel among thousands of jungle temples is the massive Angkor Wat representing the largest religious complex ever built, and Banteay Srei, a comparatively tiny hospital temple.

    All Khmer temples are completely covered with sculpted deities, spirits and demons. Garuda is part man and part bird, Apsaras are celestial dancing girls, Dvarapalas are demonic temple guardians with clubs and Gajasimha is a mythical animal with the body of a lion and the head of an elephant. These figures and many more were among the hundreds of sculptures smashed from their plinths, looted, and sold to British and US museums. Now Cambodia wants them back!

    2022 05 19 16 41
    2022 05 19 16 41

    When Stolen Khmer Artifacts Become War Crimes

    Cambodia’s culture minister appealed to the Victoria & Albert (V&A) and British Museums (BM) to return scores of Khmer artifacts it claims were “ stolen from its temples.” Believed to enshrine the souls of their kings and ancestors, many of these temple statues were illegally removed from Cambodia by the late Douglas Latchford.

    According to the Washington Post , beginning in the 1970s, Latchford, an English explorer, arts connoisseur and author, helicoptered into remote Cambodia and amassed “one of the world’s largest private collections of Khmer treasures.” The Cambodian Ministry of Culture’s chief legal counsel and the head of its investigative team, Brad Gordon, told the BBC that trading in these items should be “considered a war crime”.

    Plundering Ancient Treasures In The Fog Of Modern War

    Members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (Khmer Rouge) ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979 and murdered more than two million citizens. They controlled swathes of Cambodia up to the early 90s, and most of the temples were looted during these three chaotic decades. In 2012, Lachford was identified by US prosecutors in a case targeting a New York artifacts dealers , and in 2019 he was charged for smuggling stolen antiquities, but he died in 2020 before going to trial.

    Phoeurng Sackona, the Cambodian Ministry of Culture, recently wrote to Nadine Dorries, her British equivalent, informing her that around 100 important cultural treasures that were stolen from sacred temples are now in two London museums. The letter reminded Dorries of the Hague Convention document signed on 14 May 1954 which protects cultural property seized during armed conflicts.

    Museologists at the Victoria and Albert Museum said they “welcomed constructive dialogue” and staff at the BM said they would “consider the requests carefully and respectfully.”

    2022 05 19 16 42
    2022 05 19 16 42

    A High Class, Low Minded, British Criminal

    Brad Gordon said Lachford tried to offload his collection “right up until he went into the hospital and died.” Julia Latchford, Douglas’s daughter, says she has already transferred her entire collection to the Cambodian authorities with five major objects already repatriated. However, about 50 pieces are currently on display at the two London museums generating cash income from tourists.

    Sopheap Meas, an archaeologist on the investigative team, said Cambodians believe the statues contain the “soul of a king, a god or maybe an ancestor.” Brad Gordon told the BBC that everyone in the world knew what was happening in Cambodia and that the BM and the V&A “shouldn’t have accepted these pieces.” There is little room for excuses here as Gordon added most of the hundred plus artifacts have “no export licence or permit,” therefore, the two museums are holding “stolen property that needs to come back to Cambodia,” says Gordon.

    By Ashley Cowie

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

    Jack London, Dreamy Landscape Photographs, Muslim Lolita Fashion and New York Style Pizza

    More articles, and comments as we dance and observe the world in transition. The united West (United States, the UK, and all the proxy nations) are in “free fall”, while the “global South”, the “East” are doing just fine. We will continue to report on this great period of historical change. Hopefully it should calm down and achieve stability within the next few years.

    Check it out…

    Chinese efforts to replenish reserves with Russian oil would not violate U.S. sanctions -White House

    Imagine that.

    White house: China is allowed to import oil from Russia, but not from the rest of the world.
    .
    Apparently, there are positive outcomes from Trump all out trade assault on China. US no longer dares to start another round of an all-out trade assault against China
    .

    From HERE

    The Drive: Russia “caught by surprise” US intelligence during an unprecedented operation

    .

    By Sergey Ignatiev

    The United States organized an unprecedented reconnaissance operation with RC-135S aircraft off the Russian coast. This is reported by The Drive, an exclusive retelling of the publication of which is presented by PolitRussia.

    Columnist Thomas Newdick notes that the US Air Force decided on a “highly unusual move” by arranging an “unprecedented espionage operation” off the eastern coast of Russia. We are talking about the flight in the Pacific Ocean of two strategic reconnaissance aircraft Boeing RC-135S Cobra Ball, specialized in tracking ballistic missiles.

    The reason for such a mission was the test of the new RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, which, according to Newdick, is one of the six superweapons announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of the message to the Federal Assembly in March 2018.

    The launch of the complex was carried out at the Plesetsk cosmodrome (Arkhangelsk region) to confirm the calculated characteristics and hit the target at the Kura test site (Kamchatka Peninsula). Actually, it was the final destination that interested American intelligence.

    2022 05 22 17 51
    2022 05 22 17 51

    Two RC-135S aircraft took off from the US Air Force Base in Alaska (Eielson) in the direction of the Far East coast of Russia.

    “Flight tracking services have spotted [aircraft] near St. Matthew Island, a remote, uninhabited outpost of Alaska in the Bering Sea,” writes The Drive.

    2022 05 22 17 52
    2022 05 22 17 52

    The aircraft, which have been known for their reconnaissance activities since the Cold War, are designed to collect information about missile systems. They are equipped with spectrometers, a camera system, antennas for intercepting telemetry data and other equipment. Newdick suggests that the planes were supposed to collect information about the flight of the Sarmat training warheads, however, apparently, something went wrong.

    “Usually, Cobra Ball takes a position much closer to the Russian coast, with a focus on Klyuchi (the village in the vicinity of which the Kura test site is located – ed.). Therefore, most likely, two RC-135S aircraft were “caught by surprise”, since the arrival [of blocks in a given area] occurred before the aircraft reached their planned position, ”the publication notes.

    It is noteworthy that the distance from the Keys to the island of St. Matthew is almost 1,500 kilometers. And the capabilities of the RC-135S to detect and track complexes are limited to 500-600 kilometers. It is entirely possible that the unprecedented air mission was wasted, even though the Pentagon says it was given advance notice of the Sarmat test.

    2022 05 22 17 53
    2022 05 22 17 53

    Nevertheless, as noted by aviation historian Robert Hopkins III, who served in the Air Force for 17 years, the United States took the unprecedented step of organizing the flight of two strategic reconnaissance aircraft at once.

    “The immediate takeaway from the flight seems to be that US intelligence was so desperate to collect data on this first-of-its-kind ICBM test that they sent two RC-135S aircraft to monitor it,” The Drive summarizes.

    Earlier, PolitRussia told what signal the Russian Federation sent to NATO from Kaliningrad.

    Red beans and rice | Southern U.S. style

    The World Through Jack London’s Eyes

    When most people hear the name Jack London, they think of one of the most widely read American writers who produced 50 books including Call of the Wild and The Sea Wolf; some may also know him as an adventurer or social activist.

    But most don’t realize that Jack London was a prolific photographer producing nearly 12,000 photographs during his lifetime, ranging from the poignant images of the ragged homeless living in London’s East End; images of the Russo-Japanese War while he was on assignment for the Hearst Syndicate; sensitive images of the South Seas islanders during his voyage aboard the Snark to the 1906 San Francisco earth quake devastation.

    In his photography, London showed his powers of perception and revealed his compassion, respect and love for humanity. Most of his photographs remained unpublished until 2010 when authors Jeanne Campbell Reesman, Sara S. Hodson and Philip Adam published Jack London Photographer with 200 images.

    London lived during the first true mass-media era, when the use of photographic images ushered in a new way of covering the news. With his discerning eye, London recorded historical moments through the faces and bodies of the people who lived them, creating memorable portraits of individuals whose cultural differences pale beside their common humanity.

    1 1
    White Chapel on a bank Holiday, London, 1902.

    2 1
    Men spending the night outdoors on the Thames embankment, London, 1902.

    3 1
    Homeless women sleeping in Spitalfields Garden, London, 1902.

    4 1
    Salvation Army barracks in London during Sunday morning rush – men who had been given tickets during the night queuing for free breakfast, 1902.

    5 1
    London, 1902.

    8 1
    The devastation caused by the San Francisco earthquake on Kearny Street, 1906.

    10 1
    The ruins after the San Francisco earthquake, 1906.

    PeeWee Herman gets High with Phill Hartman

    Seven Mary Three – My My

    Some thoughts on SARS and SARS-COV-2 in regards to them being bioweapons

    To begin with, SARS-CoV-2 did not first appear in China. It appeared in the US and France prior to China; China was just the first to report it to the WHO. The Wuhan market appears to have been a source of transmission, cold chain transmissions being documented numerous times by Chinese scientists. Different clades appeared rapidly on different continents (Chart B), something uncharacteristic of a natural virus but obvious for one spread from those continents.
    
    
    
    
    
    To state unequivocally COVID "was not genetically engineered" seems quite naive, given geopolitics over the past decade and the exponential rise in BSL labs worldwide this century - along with the exponential rise in diseases and "pandemics" (Chart, p 44). Logic and probability simply must be applied:  How many times during the past 100 years has China attacked another country?  Used a biological or chemical weapons against any people?  How many times during the past 100 year has the US attacked (intentional destabilization is included as an attack) another country? How many times has the US used biological or chemical weapons against any people?  How about the AngloZionist Empire (US/UK/Israel)?
    
    Qui bono?
    
    Sellin presents no special credentials or research to uphold opinions on COVID. Working at Ft. Detrick alone is insufficient. In the past, his opinions have gotten him kicked out of military positions due at least in part to his presenting them as fact in mainstream media rather than as his opinions in a blog.  One of his published opinions states that the third of the US' three mistakes in Afghanistan was "Misstep No. 3: Our inability to manage, let alone solve, Afghanistan’s illicit narcotics trade.”  "Solve"?  For any student of geopolitics, this would appear as direct obfuscation, since it's widely assumed that Afghanistan's poppy trade was encouraged by the US, not the Taliban (who again banned immediately upon assuming leadership this year), and that the funds were used by the CIA for global psyops, including the addicting of US and UK publics.  While Sellin's words do not convince, neither, for me, do his bio or prior publications.  His opinions regarding SARS-CoV-2 require a great deal of substantiation prior to consideration.
    
    Caren

    US Regime Change in Pakistan

    The West’s war against any and all competitors to its domination seems to be in full steam now

    .

    Part 1

    Brig. General Asif Haroon Raja

    This is a longer editor’s note than usual, a result of the intensely changing times we find ourselves in now where we have to see and understand clearly what is going on to avoid becoming roadkill…JD

    [ Editor’s Note: General Raja from Pakistan has been a long time geopolitical writer, one of a number of Pakistani military, Intel and civilian leaders that Gordon came to know during his trips to Pakistan. He spent an evening once with Imran Khan at his campaign headquarters when he was losing one of his political races for president.
    
    There are no social promotions in the Pakistani military, government, and diplomatic orgs. Education levels are very high, based originally on the British model. Language ability begins at three, not 3 years of age, but being able to converse fluently in three languages.
    
    Although VT has published several articles already on the US inspired and backed coup to remove Khan as Prime Minister, Raja has compiled the saga into one read, long yes, but easier to read and get a better handle on what is going on, versus reading a half dozen of the earlier articles.
    
    The West’s war against any and all competitors to its domination seems to be in full steam now, despite China being the only peer competitor to US hegemony. John Mearsheimer, the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago, has long lectured that the US should focus attention on China, with Russia being a diversion.
    
    But it seems that the US and NATO have chosen to cull Russia from the Asian alliance, with Ukraine being the doorway to upsetting Russia’s more vulnerable economy due to the substantial trade it has with the EU in goods and services.
    
    Before the decision to put the squeeze on Russia, due to the US wanting the EU gas market all to itself, the $100 billion in oil and gas sales to the EU balanced Russia’s imports from the EU, a flourishing level of trade that kept both sides happy.
    
    The geopolitical gangsters have now stepped in, and those regions’ trade is now thrown to the wind just when we are all trying to come out of the Covid drain of resources, putting the future economic standing of all of us at risk; and mind you, no one asked our permission to do this.
    
    Although it gets less publicity in the US, Biden is moving on China. Recent moves to stir up Taiwan issues are progressing to give the Navy something to do, while Hong Kong tries to emerge from a drawn out Covid debacle.
    
    China has kept a low profile on the Ukraine-NATO-Russia war, despite highly public threats from Biden against China with his silly threats to not assist Moscow in avoiding sanctions, the modern form of Western pirate activities.
    
    So here we are with the usual suspect ‘asset strippers’ having decided that it is time to go shopping, all paid for by more debt on the American people who were not really consulted on the new offensive plan, one being launched in the middle of an intense US political war.
    
    I am not sure that America understands that we are being asset stripped ourselves. I hope I am wrong, but one clue that I am right is the total absence of any anti-war and anti-asset stripping factions emerging to challenge what is being rammed down our throats… Jim W. Dean ]

    2022 05 22 17 58
    2022 05 22 17 58

    First published April 21, 2022

    The US high-handed tactics

    The US in its bid to keep the world under its hegemony, uses its military might, diplomatic clout and other coercive tools to terrify the third world countries and till now has been quite successful. It has managed to install puppet regimes in the developing countries and whichever ruler defied its dictates was either removed from power or assassinated.

    Regimes have been changed by the US either through invasions, or fomenting insurgency or a political movement, or with the help of the military or the politicians in opposition.

    Ups & downs in Pak-US relations

    Pakistan has remained in the camp of the US since 1954 and had become its most allied ally. Pakistan first leaned towards China after seeing the discriminatory behavior of the US in the aftermath of Sino-India border clash in 1962, and then in the 1965 war. Pak-China friendship steadily grew stronger because the US preferred India over Pakistan.

    The US tilt toward India became more pronounced after 1990 and both became strategic partners. Pakistan became the most sanctioned country due to which its robust economy dwindled and never stabilized. The US highly discriminatory policy compelled Pakistan to forge strategic relationship with China and to normalize relations with Russia.

    It is in this backdrop that Pakistan under former PM Imran Khan (IK) started shedding off the magic spell of Washington by making its foreign policy independent. The change came from ‘do more to no more to absolutely not’ and refusal to give a military base to the imperious USA.

    IK declined the invitation of Biden to attend the democracy summit, attended Olympics ceremony in Beijing and visited Moscow last February against the wishes of the US. Pakistan adopted a neutral policy over the issue of Ukraine and abstained from voting in the UN.

    Pakistan is extending support to Afghanistan which is undergoing humanitarian crisis. All these acts coupled with IK’s inclination to make Pakistan an Islamic welfare state displeased Joe Biden and in anger he never phoned him.

    In keeping with its old tradition, the US launched a regime change operation in order to replace the IK regime with a compliant regime. The regime change is a prelude to the bigger game plan, the objectives of which were framed after 9/11. Before going for Pakistan’s nuclear program, the next objective would be to separate Baluchistan.

    Pakistan’s inanities and dependence upon the USA

    Ever since Pakistan got wedded with the USA, it has gone through painful experiences. It has paid a heavy price for its mistake to put all its eggs in the basket of double-dealing USA. The US has used it for achieving its short term objectives and then discarded it like a used tissue paper. It has been constantly meddling into the internal affairs of Pakistan to keep it in line.

    It was easy for the US to treat Pakistan as its satellite state since all the military and political leaders of Pakistan pursued a policy of appeasement to keep the imperialist USA in good humor.

    The politicians and the media in Pakistan sell their souls and make compromises on national interests cheaply. Our political leaders have been seeking American help whenever in distress, or blamed the military establishment for their misfortunes. Some even sought India’s help.

    PTI-PDM tussle

    The 9-party Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), which later on morphed into a 13-party alliance built a narrative against the ruling PTI regime that it was a party selected by the military establishment and due to its incompetence, inflation and prices spiraled to record breaking levels in its 3 ½ years tenure, the economy slumped, and the lives of the people became wretched. The establishment was jeered over its poor selection.

    Once the ruling regime failed to fulfil its tall promises and couldn’t provide any relief to the masses, the narrative of the PDM began to appeal to the senses of the disillusioned people. Their growing resentment galvanized the spirits of the PDM.

    As long as the military was on one-page with the ruling party, the PDM remained weak and divided, but no sooner the military became neutral, the squabbling opposition rived in infighting parties got united.

    Suspected financial support of the US to the PDM could be another reason of their boosted spirits. The two major parties PML-N and PPP used the dirty money generously on horse trading to win over the loyalties of PTI’s dissident MNAs and to entice the allies of the PTI — MQM-P, PML-Q and BAP as well as Jahangir Tareen-Aleem groups to their side.

    The conspiratorial letter

    Pakistan’s outgoing Ambassador in Washington Asad Majeed sent a telegraphic cable to the Foreign Office on March 7, giving details of his meeting with the US undersecretary of South Asian Affairs Donald Lu.

    The latter expressed his discomfiture over IK’s visit to Moscow and Pakistan abstaining from voting in the UN to condemn Russian invasion of Ukraine. He stated that if he didn’t mend his ways, a No-Confidence Motion (NCM) would be brought against him.

    He summed up by saying that any regime other than IK would be acceptable and forgivable. The threat was conveyed openly since never before any Pakistani civil or military leader had defied the dictates of Washington.

    Battle for regime change

    The battle for regime change started after the PDM moved a NCM on March 8. The PTI didn’t attach much importance to the ‘letter-gate’, since such threats had been a routine affair. Above all, it didn’t want to lose the support of some of its MNAs suspected of being part of the conspiracy.

    Alarm bells sounded when ten dissidents of PTI took refuge in Sindh House (SH) Islamabad on March 18. The renegades were shifted to Marriott Hotel after the SH was stormed by the activists of PTI. The opposition claimed that as many as 25 PTI members had been taken on board.

    The PTI after failing to win back the loyalties of the deserters, moved a case in the apex court to disqualify the floor crossers but couldn’t evoke a positive response since the accusation was based on conjectures. The other reason given was that the court didn’t want to meddle into the parliamentary affairs.

    Foreign conspiracy card

    Learning that loyalties of some of the PTI allies had become doubtful, it became obvious that the dice had upturned in favor of the opposition. IK and his core team decided to play the foreign conspiracy narrative as a rearguard action, which was not a concoction. This narrative was played since the military establishment and the ISI had decided to remain neutral and to stay out of politics.

    IK assembled a huge crowd of his fans at Islamabad on March 27 and waved a letter stating that the US had hatched a conspiracy to remove him from power. Evidence of all the meetings of PDM leaders with the US officials in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi was collected. A campaign was launched against the floor crossers propagating that crores of Rupees had been doled out to them and the fence sitters.

    Purpose was to establish a connection of the masterminds with the PDM leaders and the dissidents, to put the USA on the defensive, shame the conspirators, to put fear into the hearts of the dissidents, and build a narrative to win the sympathies of the public that he was being punished on account of pursuing an independent foreign policy.

    IK didn’t explain as to why this important letter was not discussed in the right quarters from March 8 to March 29. One reason could be that he was hopeful of winning back the loyalties of his party dissidents.

    The contents of the letter were eventually discussed in the National Security Council (NSC) on March 30. The participants agreed that the language of the letter was undiplomatic. Based on their inputs, the case was brought before the Parliamentary Security Committee on March 31. A demarche was given to the US charge d’ affairs in Islamabad, and also in Washington, which happened for the first time.

    Foreign Minister Qureshi during his visit to Beijing brought the matter into the notice of his counterpart. China made an announcement that it will not accept another round of cold war in this region.

    Last ditch effort to save the crown

    Seeing the writing on the wall that the PDM had won the number game, instead of getting depressed or exercising one of the options of resigning, or dissolving the National Assembly (NA), or facing the NCM, IK remained in a fighting mood and asserted that he will fight till the last ball. He also talked of a big surprise.

    No one could guess as to what surprise he could spring. Most thought that having lost the political battle, he was bluffing.

    Vote of no-confidence – April 3

    The session of the NA was held in the morning of April 3, but to the utter surprise of the opposition leaders who were 100% sure of victory in the voting, the deputy Speaker Qasim Suri after listening to the charge sheet of conspiracy and treason under Article 5 of the constitution by the newly appointed law minister Fawad Choudhry, read out the prepared script and rejected the NCM in a huff.

    It left the 190 members of the opposition gaping in disbelief. The Speaker reconfirmed the ruling of his deputy.  Soon after, the PM dissolved the NA. The waiting President completed the last formality by issuing the dissolution notification. All this was preplanned and executed within minutes.

    The opposition leaders had remained so engrossed in buying the loyalties of MNAs and in completing the numbers, and were so excited to have collected much more votes than was required that they never took into consideration this sort of a bombshell which would paralyze them.

    What was intriguing was that instead of rejoicing the exit of the PTI which had become a nightmare for them, the whole lot of opposition members along with the turncoats got demoralized as if victory had been stolen from them. What was most disquieting for them was that the tag of ‘Ghadars’ (traitors) was added to the tag of ‘Thieves & Looters’. Master stroke played by IK left his opponents and their patrons aghast.

    What worried the opposition was that things had gone against the script. IK had come out of the ‘do or die battle’ as a victor since he had built a strong narrative to win the empathies of his voters.

    His theme of ‘victim of foreign conspiracy’, and his boldness to expose the conspirators would help him to sweep the next elections. His popularity graph had fallen considerably, shot up as was seen from the recent local body’s poll results.

    Court battle

    There was complete political breakdown compounded by a constitutional crisis. Finding themselves in a quandary, the legal wizards of the two mainstream opposition parties rushed to the Supreme Court (SC) and submitted petitions to declare the ruling of Qasim Suri illegal and to reincarnate the dead government.

    The SC Bar Council insisted upon the SC to take suo-moto notice and take up the issue on Sunday. The 190 PDM legislators and defectors raved mad for being dubbed as traitors. They argued that if the matter was so sensitive, why such a belated action, and why only a demarche, and why not an apology was sought from the US?

    The battle shifted from the parliament to the SC. It was quite strange that the SC which had rejected the petition of the PTI seeking decision over the defection clause saying that it was the internal matter of the parliament, this time agreed within an hour to assemble a bench on Sunday to discuss the verdict given by the deputy speaker duly authenticated by the speaker.

    The chief justice Bandiyal called a meeting of senior judges at his house on holiday and held discussions with them. The five-member bench held sessions daily and gave the unanimous ruling on April 7.

    It declared the ruling of the deputy speaker unconstitutional and against the law. It restored the NA and directed the Speaker to complete the process of voting on April 9, starting 10.30 am. It was now the turn of the opposition leaders to celebrate and for the PTI to feel dejected.

    The ‘letter-gate’ bomb was not considered a serious matter by the SC. Washington denied the allegation. IK after losing the legal battle complained that the US-inspired conspiracy had been legitimized and the traitors let off the hook.

    Day of high drama

    April 9 was a day of high drama. The proceedings of NA started on time but the Speaker Qaiser instead of holding voting allowed the PTI legislators to resort to delaying tactics by playing up the conspiracy theory and further ratcheting the jangled nerves of the opposition and provoking them to create a ruckus.

    The hide and seek play went on until near midnight. The purpose could be either to avoid the voting, which was not possible since the SC had given the date and cutout time of voting. The Speaker knew that if he didn’t comply with the court orders before 2400 hours, he would be proceeded against under the charge of contempt of court.

    The only possible motive behind the inordinate delay could be to cause nervous breakdown to the dissidents, forcing them in sheer panic to revert to the treasury benches.

    The jittery NCM movers contemplated approaching the apex court to arrest the obstinate Speaker. After 2300 hours, the doors of the SC and of the IHC opened up; additional security forces and prisoner buses arrived. At about 2330 hours, the COAS and the DG ISI landed in the PM House in a helicopter and held a meeting with the PM. These fast paced developments gave rise to many tantalizing rumors.

    At that belated stage the Speaker after meeting the PM stated that the PM had handed him the US letter which can be read by any member in his chamber. He ended the proceedings melodramatically minutes before 2400 hours by resigning from his seat and inviting former Speaker of PML-N Ayaz Sadiq to complete the proceedings. The latter conducted the voting in which the opposition bagged 174 votes.

    For the first time in Pakistan’s history an elected PM was voted out of power through NCM. IK’s premature ouster upheld the track record that no PM could complete five years tenure.

     

    Regime change in Pakistan

    Part 2

    Asif Haroon Raja

    Change of guards

    On April 11, the opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif (SS) was elected as the new PM; he secured 174 votes. The PTI boycotted the voting. SS straightaway announced a relief package in the form of 10% increase in pensions and fixed Rs 25000 as minimum wage for the laborer effective from April, but soon the date was shifted from April to May.

    When President Alvi regretted conducting the oath taking ceremony of the PM on April 12, the Chairman Senate Sanjrani performed this duty. Stock exchange became bullish and the Rupee value appreciated.

    Oath taking ceremony of the new cabinet members numbering 34 from different coalition partners was again performed by the Senate Chairman.

    People’s backlash

    Responding to the call given by Imran Khan (IK), the people came out on the streets on the night of 10/11 April. Huge rallies were taken out all over the country and in western countries to record their protest against the decision of the Supreme Court (SC).

    They glowed their mobile torches, carried placards and chanted slogans in favor of IK and against the army, the US and the incoming rulers. Social media launched a vicious propaganda campaign to smear the image of Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa. The BBC issued a frivolous report giving manufactured details of the happenings in the PM House on the night of April 9.

    An impression has been built as if the army’s top leadership was part of the plot of regime change. Concocted stories and fake audio tapes of senior generals circulated on social media to discredit the army. Letter-gate scandal is being drummed up fiercely.

    Establishment’s response

    The top brass of the army took a serious note of the anti-army vilification campaign and the circulating myths and notions by some quarters to malign the institution, aimed at driving a wedge between army and the society.

    They expressed their concern in the annual formation commanders conference presided by Gen Bajwa on April 12 and pledged to uphold the constitution and rule of law at all costs and to defend the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Pakistan against all external and external threats with full force.

    DG ISPR’s Press Briefing

    After the conference in GHQ, the DG ISPR Maj Gen Iftikhar Babar held a press briefing on April 14 and made an effort to put the record straight and to dispel the misperceptions. An impression has been built by the ousted PTI that Gen Bajwa was part of the conspiracy to make the vote of no confidence successful. The factor of ‘establishment’s neutrality’ has become a sour point.

    He clarified that the US had never asked for a military base; there will be no martial law; Gen Bajwa didn’t seek extension in service; there is no division within the army; army stays out of politics.

    Options were not given to the former PM by the army chief, but those were put forward by the government and the establishment was asked to resolve the political crisis; the PM visit to Moscow was in consultation with the GHQ; the word ‘conspiracy’ was not written in the cable sent by Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington.

    A demarche was sent to Washington on account of the undiplomatic language used by the US undersecretary, which was noted as interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs. Lastly, the nuclear program is in safe hands.

    Veterans tilt towards Imran Khan

    The briefing did help in deflecting the anti-army tirade but didn’t cool down the tempers of the PTI activists and fans inside and outside the country. A new debate over the subtle difference between the words ‘conspiracy’ and ‘interference’ has been generated. For many, it amounts to the same.

    What is worrying for the army top brass is that never before the veterans openly expressed their affections for IK and their resentment against the establishment’s interference or neutrality. These feelings were discernible within a segment of serving officers as well.

    Gen Bajwa’s speech at Islamabad Security Dialogue on April 17 favoring the US and condemning Russian invasion of Ukraine at a time when the alleged US conspiracy theory was the hottest topic was not well received.

    Gen Bajwa’s address in Lahore

    To cool down their emotions, Gen Bajwa had to address officers in Rawalpindi and Lahore garrisons. At Lahore the interaction went on for over four hours during which he had to answer hundreds of loaded questions.

    The crux of his briefing was that IK had been helped in forming governments in Islamabad and in Punjab, he was guided at every step to improve his policies, and he stood committed to the one-page doctrine, ignoring the banter and accusations leveled by the opposition.

    He shared his difficulties saying that IK never listened to the advice rendered, didn’t change the chief ministers of KP and Punjab, and wasted all his energies in chasing his political opponents instead of focusing on economics and governance. He candidly admitted that the tiff developed over the posting out of DG ISI Lt Gen Faiz in last August.

    His concluding remarks that he will welcome IK if he gets elected in next elections which are not far and will extend full cooperation raised eyebrows. By the time the elections are held, either he would be attending farewell dinners in Oct/Nov or would have joined the retired club. The onus of cooperation or non-cooperation will be on the new chief and not him.

    The PTI ex minister Fawad spilled the beans and laid to rest the conspiracy theory on April 20 by stating that his party’s ouster was the result of strained ties with the establishment which couldn’t be repaired despite concerted efforts.

    Imran Khan’s backlash

    Imran Khan in the meanwhile gave a call to his party activists, followers and fans to stage a protest over the ouster of his party on the night of 10/11 April. The response was overwhelming.

    His narrative is that he had been punished for refusing to toe the US dictates, to meet the CIA Director and to give a base to the CIA, to condemn Russia and to make Pakistan’s foreign policy independent. He is lashing out at his political opponents and his party dissidents who had floored his party with the help of the USA. He has held public meetings in Peshawar, Karachi and Lahore in which the attendance was mammoth.

    IK fiery speeches in the public meetings were emotive and provocative and amounted to incitement to violence. IK’s charisma that had peaked in Oct 2011 has once again catapulted with a big bang.

    He will keep increasing the temperature and will restart politics of non-cooperation and agitation to fail the government. He is demanding early elections, or else he would block the whole country. True to his words, he is proving more dangerous to his opponents after being ousted from power.

    While he abstained from ridiculing the army, he stated that neither the army nor any external power could safeguard the country and democracy but the people were the real defenders and saviors.

    New Government’s challenges

    For the new government, the plate is full to the brim with a plethora of compound problems. Each member has to remove the tag of ‘traitor’ for which a probe committee has been formed. Immediate challenges will be depleting foreign exchange reserves, soaring public debt, foreign debt, trade imbalance, fiscal deficit, current account deficit, and the new budget in May.

    Managing the cabal of 12 political parties that were part of the PDM, each hungering for lucrative cabinet seats will be taxing for the new PM SS who took oath on April 12. He had to labor hard for a week to convince the coalition partners to accept the allotted ministries and take oaths of their offices. The PPP got the lion’s share and is still aspiring for the seats of President, Chairman Senate and at least two seats of governors.

    Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir, the two leaders of PTM showed their intent by brazenly expressing their resentment over the air strikes carried out against the hideouts of the TTP in Khost and Kunar. Akhtar Mengal felt so bitter over the security forces operation against the terrorists in Chaghi that he didn’t attend the oath taking ceremony.

    The BNP-M, and ANP didn’t accept any portfolios in the cabinet due to their reservations. Cooperation of BNP-M and PTM will be conditional to Pak Army’s disassociation from counter terrorism, and support of the MQM-P will be subject to meeting their 7-point demands, most important of which is reopening their offices in Karachi.

    In other words, Akhtar Mengal would insist upon withdrawal of Frontier Corps and ISI/MI from interior Balochistan. The PTM would seek withdrawal of the army from former FATA, and the MQM would like the wings of Sindh Rangers to be clipped and influence of Altaf’s unit/sector commanders to return.

    Both the PPP and the PML-N would be interested in defanging the NAB, and in civilianizing the ISI. The ANP is still tied to the agenda of Pashtunistan. The PTM and the ANP are likely to get close to the Taliban regime in Kabul, ignite Pakhtun nationalism, and foment misgivings between Pakistan and Afghanistan. They would thus facilitate the CIA’s job to do the rest.

    While restoring the health of the sick economy is the biggest challenge, SS main worry would be how to keep the greedy allies appeased and united, and above all how to deal with the confrontational politics of PTI. The government is pinning hopes on the foreign funding case against the PTI pending in the ECP court since 2016 which is being concluded within a month. It is hoping that if the decision goes against the party, it could pave the way for its disbandment.

    As a tit-for-tat, a series of corruption cases would be initiated against the PTI leaders. Unlike the last tenure of PML-N in which it was very soft towards the vandalism of the PTI, this time it would handle them more firmly. They will be dealt with the way the TLP activists were brutalized by the former regime.

    The political situation in Punjab is still in choppy waters. After the physical brawl in the provincial assembly in which the Deputy Speaker and the Speaker Pervez Elahi were injured on the day of voting, the Governor Punjab Cheema belonging to PTI refused to give oath to the newly elected Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz son of SS.

    He cancelled the resignation of former chief minister Buzdar on technical grounds. The PTI’s President Alvi has so far ignored the request of the PM to de-notify Cheema. It’s a complete muddle.

    Points to ponder over

    Would it not have been better if the PTI was allowed to complete its tenure? There would have been no conspiracy card, horse trading, upwelling of anti-army emotions and character assassination of the army chief, IK’s popularity wouldn’t have got a shot in the arm, and Pakistan would have been saved from a national regime comprising ill-reputed parliamentarians. Barring the newcomers, almost all other cabinet ministers are on bail and court cases are pending against them.

    Interestingly, the IMF wants the entire federal cabinet to declare their assets, bank accounts, tax returns and business details. This is the biggest bombshell dropped upon the plunderers.

    The big question is whether fresh elections would resolve the chronic problems? Whenever elections are held, the losers will not accept the results and the tug of war will recommence. With tainted institutions, and soiled politicians and bureaucrats, no progress is possible, whether the next regime will be of PML-N or the PTI.

    It will suffer a similar fate with zero results. Pakistan will continue to lurch from one crisis to another and the foreign conspirators will continue to play the game of snake and ladders with our mini mind leaders.

    The only way out is to carry out electoral, judicial, bureaucratic, police, economic and education reforms. These cannot be done by a single political party or a weak coalition. The incumbent regime comprising politicians from different parties, backgrounds and ideologies, with some branded as anti-Pakistan, looters, money launderers and criminals, not much can be expected. The case is akin to the adage, “too many cooks will spoil the broth”.

    SS’s speed and efficiency would be hugely hindered by the selfish coalition partners, confrontational politics of the PTI, and the tainted reputation of the judiciary and the police.

    Would the conciliatory comments of Gen Qamar Bajwa and change in regime ease tensions with the US and alter the interventionist and bossy policy of Washington? The answer is a big NO. The only possible change could be that the US, IMF and the EU become helpful and a bit more generous, the FATF removes Pakistan from the grey list.

    Generosity of the US will of course not be cost free. Would Pakistan cede to the US demand for a military base or airspace, and if so, what impact will it have on Pakistan’s relations with Afghanistan and China?

    What effects Gen Bajwa’s harsh comments will have upon Pakistan’s relations with Russia, which promised oil and grains at a cheap price, and resolving gas shortages? Vladimir Putin instead of reacting, showed grace by congratulating the new PM.

    Would falling back into the magic spell of the US change the objectives of the Indo-US-Israel nexus against Pakistan? Do we still consider the trio harmless and friends of Pakistan?

    So far the vibes from China are positive. Rejuvenation of CPEC at a faster pace is the only way to recover our economy and to make Pakistan self-reliant.

    If the incumbent regime tries to delay elections, the PTI is likely to again repeat its old tactics of long march after Ramadhan, and this time stage sit-in at Islamabad, Peshawar, Lahore, Karachi and Quetta in an attempt to paralyze the state machinery. If so, will it be possible for the law enforcement agencies to block the sea of people from different directions?

    Taking into consideration the exceptionally high emotions of the people, is the stage not getting set for chaos and anarchy? Will the establishment remain neutral in the face of building volcanoes?

    The writer is retired Brig Gen, war veteran, defence, security & political analyst, international columnist, author of five books, Chairman Thinkers Forum Pakistan, Director Measac Research Centre, takes part in TV talk shows, and delivers talks. asifharoonraja@gmail.com  

    How to Survive the First 90 Days After the Collapse

    A tad gloomy, and fear-mongering. However, the content is valuable.

    Have some fun, check this oldie out…

    Dragnet 1967 – The Big Explosion

    Hot Damn! It’s The Soggy Bottom Boys! | O Brother, Where Art Thou?

    Reminds me how Morrison lost his election…

    When Photos Looked Like Paintings: Dreamy Landscape Photographs Taken By Leonard Misonne

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    Belgian photographer Leonard Misonne (1870-1943) trained as an engineer before discovering photography. Raised in Gilly, Belgium, the photographer traveled throughout his homeland and beyond to capture the landscape and people of Europe in the Pictorialist style.

    Photographs, characterized by soft, painterly scenes, were created through alternative printing processes that utilize materials such as oil and gum bichromate. The Pictorialist movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries sought to elevate photography to the level of other fine arts such as painting and sculpture.

    Misonne said, “The sky is the key to the landscape.”

    This philosophy is clear in many of Misonne’s images, often filled with billowing clouds, early morning fog, or rays of sunlight. The artist excelled at capturing his subjects in dramatic, directional light, illuminating figures from behind, which resulted in a halo effect. Favoring stormy weather conditions, Misonne often found his subjects navigating the streets under umbrellas or braced against the gusts of a winter blizzard.

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    Survival Bugout – Survival Scenarios

    EMP attack.

    Why is China suddenly buying up so much Australian wheat?

    Yesterday, I wrote a mention of a news article regarding “China increased wheat import from Australia by over 500%”.
    .
    And now we know the reason…
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    When searching “China aid to Afghanistan”, and you will notice that China has been delivering all types of food to Afghanistan provinces. This has been the case in every Afghanistan province ever since the Western “crusaders” (the United States and it’s proxies) left Afghanistan.
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    Below is a search using China give Afghanistan rice:
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    China distributes rice to Afghanistan, every person (family) 100kg, 50kg per bag.
    http://greads.net/post/3085499.html
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    YouTube footage:
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    The US looted the entire Afghanistan bank account, but China is now helping  Afghanistan rebuild by delivering food to save lives.
    .
    A lot of goodwill that china did and is still doing (across the world) is never reported by the Western  propaganda machine, they will only tell you that China building roads, rail, school … across the world are debt traps. You know the drill “What aobut the cost?”
    .
    Welcome to world world order and propaganda control by the Western governments.

    US Drawing Up Plans To Sink the Russian Black Sea Fleet: Ukrainian Official

    Moscow has offered a diplomatic solution to the Black Sea standoff.

    JEA: The US is really trying to start World War III with Russia by planning to sink Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. If they think that Russia isn’t going to respond, then they’ve got another thing coming.

    By Kyle Anzalone

    Shortly after Reuters published an exclusive story that the White House was looking to move advanced anti-ship missiles to Ukraine, an official in Kiev said that the US is making a plan to sink Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.

    Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs adviser Anton Gerashchenko tweeted, “The US is preparing a plan to destroy the [Russian] Black Sea Fleet. The effective work of the Ukrainians on [Russian] warships convinced [the US] to prepare a plan to unblock the [Ukrainian] ports. Deliveries of powerful anti-ship weapons are being discussed.”

    Gerashchenko cited the Reuters report on Washington’s effort to ship Harpoon and Naval Strike Missiles to Ukraine. The missiles have a range of up to 300 km and cost $1.5 million each.

    Three US officials and two Congressional sources told the outlet the White House was still working out the details for sending the advanced weapons to Ukraine. Logistical issues and the possibility the US would have to remove a launcher from one of its ships to send to Ukraine are current obstacles to completing the transfer.

    Responding to a question from Newsweek, the State Department did not deny it was working on a plan to take out the Russian fleet. “As the conflict is changing, so too is our military assistance to deliver the critical capabilities Ukraine needs for today’s fight as Russia’s forces engage in a renewed offensive in eastern Ukraine,” a spokesperson said.

    However, the Department of Defense issued a sharp denial of the claims made by the Ukrainians official. “I can tell you definitively that that’s not true,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters Thursday afternoon. The Pentagon denial applied only to the Ukrainian official’s assertion the US was helping sink the Black Sea fleet, and did not refer to the proposed anti-ship weapons transfer.

    Gerashchenko said the attack would help to open up Ukraine’s ports. Russia currently controls the Black Sea and maintains a blockade. The UN has called for an easing of restrictions in the sea to allow food exports from Ukraine to help alleviate global food shortages.

    Moscow has offered a diplomatic solution to the Black Sea standoff. On Thursday, the Kremlin proposed lifting the blockage in exchange for sanctions relief. The Russian Foreign Ministry said the problem goes beyond the blockade and includes Western sanctions restricting fertilizer exports. “You have to not only appeal to the Russian Federation but also look deeply at the whole complex of reasons that caused the current food crisis. [Sanctions] interfere with normal free trade, encompassing food products including wheat, fertilizers and others,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said.

    New York-style pizza at home, v2.0

    A MUST watch video.

    Muslim Lolita Fashion Is A New Trend Inspired By Japan

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    In an awesome fashion mash-up that nobody could’ve foreseen, Muslim fans of the Japanese lolita fashion trend have begun pairing these sweet-as-candy outfits with their hijabs, creating a unique new style that Japanese lolita fans are falling in love with.

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    The lolita trend, at its most basic, involves wearing modernized Victorian- or Rococo-style dresses and outfits that are heavily accessorized and painstakingly coordinated into elaborate costumes. The trend’s fans (called ‘lolitas’) then meet up at various events to spend time together and appreciate each others’ outfits (or, as they call them, ‘coords’).

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    Two Muslim lolitas, Noor and Alyssa, have pioneered the combination of lolita costumes with their Muslim hijabs. While fittingly stylish and flamboyant, their costumes still fully adhere to their religious principles.

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    EMP (a short film)

    One Guy Changed My Pizza Game Forever

    Seven Mary Three – Cumbersome (Official Video)

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

    Big changes in Australia, LEGO Colosseum, Northlandz, Good Charlotte, Dragnet, and Creamy Tomato and Tortellini Soup

    We continue with the global geo-political changes. The world is changing, and we can see this. The entire Pacific energy balance has been or is in the process of reshaping with the loss of Morrison, but don’t hold your breath. The USA owns Australia. Never the less, depending on the new leadership, you will see a changing power alignment transform the Pracific rim.

    First up…

    Bye Bye Morrison

    Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison conceded defeat in a national election Saturday, saying, while vote counting was incomplete, the opposition Labor party looked likely to form a government.

    “Tonight I have spoken to the Leader of the Opposition and the incoming Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, and I’ve congratulated him on his election victory this evening,” Morrison said at a televised speech in Sydney.

    Morrison added he would stand down as leader of the Liberal party.

    The capitulation ends eight years and nine months in power for Morrison’s conservative coalition. Morrison became prime minister in 2018 after several leadership changes.

    Lithuania To Be Cut Off From Russian Oil, Gas, and electricity, Sunday!

    Lithuania large
    Lithuania large

    The country of Lithuania will be cut-off from all Russian oil, natural gas flows, and electricity, starting Sunday morning.

    Developing . . . check back.

    No global grain shortage, says India, defends curbs on export

    India is right. I believe that it was the 4 world major nasty western capitalist food companies running scare campaign to increase profits.

    Article HERE

    China’s April imports of Australian wheat surge 525.72% despite hostility from Canberra – Global Times

    National food security interests and peoples well-being come before politics. Perhaps, preparing for the next United States / proxy brainless extreme move…

    From HERE

    Dragnet 1967 Season 3 Episode 12

    Oh, what memories! You all are going to love this!

    UTTER CARNAGE: The Stock Market Is Coming Apart Like A 20 Dollar Suit As Fear Sweeps Through Wall Street

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    This is starting to get really bad.  By now, you have probably heard that the stock market crashed again on Wednesday.  The carnage was immense, and the big names on Wall Street are deeply concerned about what will happen next.  But this wasn’t supposed to happen.  After falling for six weeks in a row, this was supposed to be the week when stock prices finally bounced back.  Needless to say, that isn’t what we are witnessing.  In fact, we just witnessed the worst day for the Dow since the early days of the COVID pandemic

    The Dow shed 1,164.52 points, or 3.57%, to 31,490.07, or the average’s biggest decline since June 2020. The S&P 500 traded 4.04% lower to 3,923.68, also the worst drop since 2020. The Nasdaq Composite slipped 4.73% to 11,418.15, which is the largest fall in the tech-heavy index since May 5. The selling was broad and intense on Wall Street with just eight members of the S&P 500 in the green.

    If the Dow breaks below the all-important 30,000 psychological barrier, this steady slide in stock prices could quickly evolve into a full-blown avalanche.

    There is already a tremendous amount of fear on Wall Street, and at this point it won’t take much of a push to set off a colossal wave of panic.

    On Wednesday, disappointing results from two of our largest retailers were being blamed for the renewed wave of selling.  Target “reported a stunning 52% drop in profit for the first quarter”, and Walmart stock “had its worst day in 35 years” after reporting numbers that were well below expectations.

    It turns out that U.S. consumers have a lot less discretionary income to spend at retailers these days because they are having to spend so much more on basics such as food and gasoline.  And we are being warned that all retailers are likely to suffer as long as this highly inflationary environment persists…

    “Any company that relies on households and discretionary purchases will likely suffer this quarter because a lot of discretionary income has been funneled to food and energy prices,” said Jack Ablin, founding partner of Cresset Capital.

    There is only so much money to go around, and as I explained a few days ago, this inflationary spiral is systematically destroying our standard of living.

    If prices stay at their current levels, the average U.S. household will spend approximately $5,000 a year just on gasoline…

    U.S. households are now spending the equivalent of $5,000 a year on gasoline, up from $2,800 a year ago, according to Yardeni Research.

    Of course gasoline prices are not going to stay at their current levels.

    They just keep going higher and higher and higher.

    In fact, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States has now hit a brand new record high for nine days in a row

    Wednesday was the 9th straight day that gas prices hit an all-time record high!
    
    9 DAYS IN A ROW–
    
    The price at the pump is now $4.56 per a gallon of regular gas.
    
    Diesel also hit a new record. The price of diesel is now at $5.57 per gallon.

    But if you think that $4.56 is bad, just wait until we get to the end of the summer.

    JPMorgan is warning that the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States could hit 6 bucks just a few months from now…

    The average price for gasoline in California hit $6 a gallon Tuesday for the first time — and analysts at JPMorgan are warning that price could be the national average before the end of the summer.
    
    The startling forecast comes as US gas prices have surged to record highs in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, casting a shadow over the economy.
    
    “There is a real risk the price could reach $6+ a gallon by August,” Natasha Kaneva, head of global oil and commodities research at JPMorgan, told CNN in an email on Tuesday.

    In a desperate attempt to get the inflationary spiral that they created under control, the Federal Reserve has started to recklessly raise interest rates.

    Of course this is going to cause the housing market to crash, and we just got even more evidence that this is already starting to happen…

    Homebuyer demand for mortgages tumbled last week as the average interest rate on the most popular U.S. home loan hovered near a 13-year high, a sign the red-hot housing market may be starting to cool off, according to new data from the Mortgage Bankers Association.
    
    Mortgage applications to purchase a home dropped 12% on a weekly basis and are down 15% compared with the same week one year ago.

    The housing bubble will not survive without low interest rates.

    Neither will the stock market bubble.

    But Fed Chair Jerome Powell doesn’t seem to care.

    He is so spooked by inflation that he can’t seem to see any of our other rapidly growing problems.  In fact, he is now telling us that his institution may need “to consider moving more aggressively” in the months ahead…

    Fed Chair Jerome Powell told a Wall Street Journal conference that the U.S. central bank will “have to consider moving more aggressively” if inflation that is running at a four-decade high fails to ease after earlier rate hikes.

    In other words, Powell is openly admitting that the Fed may raise rates at an even faster pace by the end of this calendar year.

    Oh boy.

    The only reason why stock prices ever got so ridiculously high is because the Fed kept interest rates way too low for way too long, and because the Fed kept pumping trillions of fresh dollars into the system.

    Now the Fed is taking away the punch bowl and is aggressively raising interest rates.

    This is inevitably going to cause the bubble that they created to completely and utterly implode.

    So if you want to know who to blame for the coming financial crisis, just look at the Federal Reserve.

    Those that follow my work on a regular basis know that I have been a severe critic of the Fed for a very long time.

    They got us into this mess, and now everyone is hoping that they can get us out of it.

    You can put your faith in them if you want, but meanwhile I would highly advise that you brace yourself for the giant crash that has now started to happen.

    In This Place (2007 Remaster)

    This song takes me back to when I was 16 years old.

    Slow-Cooker Creamy Tomato and Tortellini Soup

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    506c551e 58e2 43e6 8e15 05bd3af904f8

    As they say, opposites attract. That’s certainly the case with sweet, acidic tomatoes and creamy dairy—in all its many forms. After all, it’s this better-together combination that makes lasagna so luxurious, pizza so mouthwatering and grilled cheese and tomato soup so irresistible. So when we set out to make an extra-easy slow-cooker soup, we knew we wanted it to feature this combo. But hold on—dairy in the slow cooker? That’s usually a less-than-ideal combination (dairy can easily curdle in the slow cooker). That’s why the trick to this recipe is waiting until the end to add the cream and cheesy tortellini. That’s right, we decided a double-dose of dairy would be the perfect complement to the tomatoes in this soup, and the result is rich, velvety and very comforting! And that’s not all, the dollop of fresh pesto adds bright, anise-tinged notes and the sprinkle of shredded Parmesan adds nutty richness that take this simple soup to the next level!

    Ingredients

    • 2 cans (28 oz each) Muir Glen™ organic fire roasted crushed tomatoes, undrained
    • 1 1/2 cups Progresso™ chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)
    • 1/2 cup finely chopped green onions, white parts only
    • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
    • 1 tablespoon sugar
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
    • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
    • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
    • 1 package (9 oz) refrigerated cheese tortellini
    • 1/4 cup refrigerated basil pesto
    • 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (2 oz)

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    2022 05 21 21 1b5

    U.S. CREDIT CARD SYSTEMS — DOWN

    This is in accordance and in coordination with the Russian hacking group that warned that they would shut down Western financial systems. -MM
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    A massive problem has arisen in the past hour, nationwide, in the USA; Credit Card processor terminals are “down” all over the country.   From a supermarket in northeastern New Jersey, to gas stations in Ohio, to LOWES in Florida, and even stores in California, consumers are standing in line not knowing what to do because they cannot pay for their purchases.

    The Hal Turner Radio Show is getting reports from listeners and website readers all over the country that this is taking place. Reports started coming in about 3:30 eastern US time and are continuing to come in.

    This is a fast-developing story but the bottom line is simple: Cash is king.  People with cash money can get what they choose to buy, people with plastic cards cannot.

    VISA and MASTERCARD are showing as having a sudden surge of problems as reported to DownDetector.com

    UPDATE 6:16 PM EDT —

    VISA continues to suffer severe outages

    Dollar is dying there is no question about it

    We are not idiots

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    Green Tambourine – The Lemon Pipers

    Oh yeah. You just had to experience the 60’s to believe and understand what it was like.

    Why were there patents on SARS and SARS-COV-2 before they were “discovered”?

    Why were there patents on SARS and SARS-COV-2 before they were “discovered”?

    From HERE

    Ralph Baric got $46 million from Fauci & Co. to weaponize SARS-COV-2 and Wuhan got $3.7 million. It’s like saying the peanut gallery hit the grand slam. See the attached timeline.

    China was happy to get its hands on the genome, to prepare for the expected US bio-attack, which they have suffered repeatedly since 1935, covered here… (Complete found HERE).

    But, it cost them getting tarred with the Wuhan Virus/Kung Flu tag around the world, which Baric and Fauci started propagandizing in 2016. See the attached paper and its title. Baric is the paper’s principle author and he and Fauci thank Wuhan in the acknowledgements.

    By getting their hands on SARS-COV-2 early on, the Chinese could get a jump on rapid vaccine development and were well-prepared for the 2019 Military World Games.

    It possibly saved millions of Chinese lives.

    12 Nightmarish Economic Trends That We Should Expect To See During The 2nd Half Of 2022

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    If you thought that the economic news was crazy during the first half of 2022, just wait until we get to the second half.  So many of the problems that we are experiencing now are going to continue to intensify, and Americans are becoming more pessimistic about economic conditions with each passing day.  In fact, as you will see below, a whopping 85 percent of us believe that it is “very likely” or “somewhat likely” that the economy will go through a recession at some point during the next year.  Of course the truth is that if all we have to suffer through is a “recession”, we would be extremely fortunate.  Our leaders have lost control of the economy, and many of us are extremely concerned about what is coming next.  The following are 12 nightmarish economic trends that we should expect to see during the second half of 2022…

    #1 Gas prices will continue to surge higher, and many Americans will be shocked by how high they eventually go.  If you can believe it, in Washington State at least one gas station has now reprogrammed their gas pumps “to make room for double-digit pricing”

    At the 76 Gas Station in Auburn, Washington located at 1725 Auburn Way North, gas pumps have been reprogrammed to make room for double-digit pricing. In March, they still had single-digit programming.
    
    A spokesperson at 76 confirmed to The Post Millennial that the gas pumps were reprogrammed to allocate for double-digit pricing. Although not confirming that they are expecting prices to increase up to $10.00 or more, the current trend suggests the possibility.

    Supplies of fuel will continue to get even tighter in the months ahead.  Earlier today, I heard from a reader on the east coast and a reader in the middle of the country that both said that diesel is now being rationed where they live.  So far, I have not been able to confirm that this is happening on a widespread basis.

    #2 We are being warned that there could be extended blackouts in some parts of the nation during the summer months.  It is being reported that the middle of the country is particularly at risk

    About 100 million Americans face power blackouts this summer as roasting weather, overstretched powerplants and unreliable green energy sources combine to create a perfect storm of problems.
    
    States stretching from the Great Lakes to the Pacific Ocean which are home to tens of millions of Americans could have a hard time producing enough power for their residents this summer.
    
    The ‘MISO’ part of America’s power grid – whose full name is the Midcontinent Independent System Operator is at greatest risk of a large-scale outage.

    #3 Everyone pretty much agrees that food prices will continue to rise.  Of course they have already reached levels that are absolutely insane

    Take the case of Jeff Good, who co-founded three restaurants in Jackson, Mississippi. Around 18 months ago, a 40-pound box of chicken wings cost him about $85. Now, it can go as high as roughly $150. Expenses for cooking oil and flour have nearly doubled in the past five months, he said. But it’s not just ingredient prices going up. He’s paying more for labor and services, too. Even the company that maintains his air conditioners has tacked on a $40 fuel charge per visit. To cope, he’s raised menu prices.
    
    A 15-piece order of chicken wings, a signature dish at his Sal and Mookie’s pizzeria, went for $13.95 before Covid hit. Now, wing costs can vary so much they’re labeled at “market price,” like some restaurants do with lobster. At peaks, the menu price can be be about $27.95 — but that represents a barely-there margin — and Good estimates the “real cost” is closer to about $34. He’s trying to decide whether to keep raising prices or take wings off the menu.

    I don’t know about you, but I don’t ever see myself paying 34 dollars for an order of chicken wings.

    #4 As our supply chains endure even more stress, shortages will continue to intensify.  The extreme baby formula shortage that we are witnessing right now is just a preview of coming attractions

    Two children in Memphis have been hospitalized after needing IV fluids and nutritional support due to the baby formula shortage.
    
    The preschooler and toddler, both from different families, were rushed to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital after their parents failed to secure formula as shelves across America go bare.

    #5 The UN is telling us that we are heading into the worst global food crisis since World War II.  In some parts of Africa, the number of people suffering from “extreme hunger” has already more than doubled

    More than 23 million people are experiencing extreme hunger in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya, according to a new report by Oxfam and Save the Children. That’s up from over 10 million last year.
    
    The region’s worst drought in 40 years is being exacerbated by conflict and the pandemic. And the war in Ukraine has sent food prices soaring to record levels.

    #6 Widespread hunger will almost certainly lead to more civil unrest.  Recent events in Sri Lanka give us an indication of what may be coming…

    Protesters in Sri Lanka have burned down homes belonging to 38 politicians as the crisis-hit country plunged further into chaos, with the government ordering troops to “shoot on sight.”
    
    Police in the island nation said Tuesday that in addition to the destroyed homes, 75 others have been damaged as angry Sri Lankans continue to defy a nationwide curfew to protest against what they say is the government’s mishandling of the country’s worst economic crisis since 1948.

    #7 The Federal Reserve is likely to continue to aggressively raise interest rates.  In fact, Fed Chair Jerome Powell is openly admitting that his institution’s battle against inflation could cause “some pain” in the months ahead…

    Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell warned Tuesday the U.S. could feel “some pain” as the central bank raises interest rates to fight inflation, insisting the Fed would do whatever it takes to curb price growth.
    
    During a live interview for The Wall Street Journal’s “Future of Everything” summit, Powell said the Fed will continue to raise interest rates until inflation starts to fall and the forces driving prices higher fade, even at the risk of a deeper economic slowdown.

    #8 Higher interest rates will be devastating for the housing market in the United States.  And that is very troubling news, because home sales have already fallen for three months in a row

    Home sales fell for the third consecutive month in April as rising mortgage rates and affordability challenges pushed many would-be home buyers out of the market.

    #9 Defaults are likely to continue to rise higher.  Just like we saw right before the last financial crisis, defaults on subprime loans are really starting to surge

    Consumers with low credit scores are falling behind on payments for car loans, personal loans and credit cards, a sign that the healthiest consumer lending environment on record in the U.S. is coming to an end.
    
    The share of subprime credit cards and personal loans that are at least 60 days late is rising faster than normal, according to credit-reporting firm Equifax. In March, those delinquencies rose month over month for the eighth time in a row, nearing their prepandemic levels. Delinquencies on subprime car loans and leases hit an all-time high in February, based on Equifax’s tracking that goes back to 2007.

    #10 As the economy slows down, we should expect layoffs to increase and jobless claims will eventually start to spike.  In fact, we just learned that they have now hit a four month high.

    #11 Needless to say, all of this bad economic news is going to be really bad for stock prices.  The S&P 500 has already nearly fallen into bear market territory, and many believe that what we have witnessed so far is just the beginning.

    #12 Many are warning that a recession is either already here or will arrive soon.  And Americans are increasingly becoming more pessimistic about the economy.  One survey that was recently conducted found that 85 percent of Americans believe that it is “very likely” or “somewhat likely” that there will be a recession at some point in the next year…

    An overwhelming majority of Americans are expecting there to be a recession within the next year, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday.
    
    The poll found that 85 percent of Americans think it is likely for the country to go through an economic recession in the next year. Of those who responded, 45 percent said it is “very likely,” and 40 percent said “somewhat likely” for a recession.

    The sort of historic economic meltdown that I have been warning about for years is rapidly approaching, and the mood of the nation will dramatically shift as conditions greatly deteriorate.

    Already, we are starting to see a tremendous amount of anger out there.  Earlier today, I came across the following post on a very popular Internet discussion forum

    Just want to vent. I am from middle Missouri, I am a single mom of 2 teens. My day job pays well and pays the bills well, a year ago my income would support us, bills, food, gas etc. i now have to work a second job just to feed us and put gas in my car. Eggs here went from .99 a carton to 1.99, ground beef went from 2.89 a pound to 4.99, and it goes on and on. Gas went from 1.90 to 4.29 a gallon. 
    
    I am out of my mind scared it will only get worse. I have democrat friends that say “that’s how the economy works”. No it’s because Biden was giving out “covid” bucks to non working people taking advantage of the system, giving our money to Ukraine, shutting down gas lines in the US etc.

    I can understand her anger.

    Most Americans are working as hard as they can, but our standard of living is being systematically destroyed by the very foolish policies of our leaders.

    Unfortunately, we are still only in the very early chapters of this crisis.

    It looks like the second half of this year will be even more challenging than the first half, and that is going to have enormous implications for all of us.

    Northlandz: The World’s Biggest Model Railroad

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    The world’s biggest model railroad Northlandz in Flemington, New Jersey, was created by Bruce Williams Zaccagnino. (Butterworth/SplashNews)

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    It boasts more than eight miles of track and features more than 100 trains, as well as almost 400 bridges. (Butterworth/SplashNews)

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    The attraction, called Northlandz, in Flemington, New Jersey, contains more than 3,000 miniature buildings in cities and villages, 50,000 trees and 40-foot bridges spanning huge canyons, meaning it’s anything but small-scale. (Butterworth/SplashNew)

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    The owner and creator Bruce Williams Zaccagnino, not only built the 52,000 sq ft building it is housed in but also painstakingly designed and handcrafted almost all of the scenery. (Butterworth/SplashNews)

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    It has even attracted several celebrity visitors, including famed model railroad fan, rocker Rod Stewart, and rocker Neil Young, who went to the attraction in disguise. (Butterworth/SplashNews)

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    The path through the exhibit, spread across 16 acres, is almost one mile long. Visitors are told it will take at least two hours to make their way through the whole thing. (Butterworth/SplashNews)

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    These handcrafted soldiers highlight creator Bruce Williams Zaccagnino’s attention to detail. (Butterworth/SplashNews)

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    Aeroplanes line up for take off. (Butterworth/SplashNews)

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    Owner and creator Bruce Williams Zaccagnino’s vast control room. (Butterworth/SplashNews)

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    An intricate city scape. (Butterworth/SplashNews)

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    Good Charlotte – I Don’t Wanna Be In Love (Dance Floor Anthem) (Video)

    I hope that you all appreciate this video…

    Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (3/10) Movie CLIP – The Hotel on Acid (1998) HD

    A real classic.

    Skillet Spinach Alfredo Chicken Pot Pie

    With just a few ingredients and 50 minutes, you can serve up this creamy Italian riff on chicken pot pie for a skillet dinner that’s big on flavor and low on fuss.

    d85f9c82 ac94 4a5e 8dec a660a0a53f11
    d85f9c82 ac94 4a5e 8dec a660a0a53f11

    Ingredients

    • 1 jar (15 oz) Alfredo pasta sauce
    • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
    • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
    • 3 cups chopped cooked chicken
    • 3 cups lightly packed fresh baby spinach leaves
    • 1 crust from 1 box (14.1 oz) refrigerated Pillsbury™ Pie Crusts (2 Count), softened as directed on box
    • 1 tablespoon butter, melted

    2022 05 21 21 19
    2022 05 21 21 19

    Shanghai Lockdown

    An interesting point: In fact, the Shanghai Lockdown occurred in sync with Russian SMO; Feb. 24, Feb. 28! What a coinicidence!
    [Go HERE]

    Thus the Chinese in effect are sabotaging NATOstan’s efforts to ramp-up their production…

    Smart move 😉 Comment on the Saker’s latest publication of Pepe Escobar today:

    Found HERE.

    More NATO brass caught in Azovstal

    Is anyone really surprised?

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    2022 05 22 11 50

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    2022 05 22 12 12

    From HERE.

    6 x news from 2022 01 to 05: Monkey on loose in Pennsylvania after crash on way to laboratory

    Origin of monkeypox?
     

    2022 05 21: Australia reports ‘probable’ case of monkeypox in returned traveller from Europe | 7NEWS

    2022 05 20: Monkeypox cases investigated in Europe, US, Canada and Australia – BBC News

    HERE

     

    2022 05 20; Monkeypox confirmed in Melbourne and Sydney – ABC News

    2022 05 19 US buys millions of Monkeypox vaccines after Massachusetts case
     

    2022 01 26: Woman who helped after truck carrying monkeys crashed has fallen ill after monkey hissed at her | The Independent

    Wednesday 26 January 2022 12:25

    2022 01 22: Monkey on loose in Pennsylvania after crash on way to laboratory | Pennsylvania | The Guardian
    Police advise people not to approach cynomolgus monkey believed to be on the loose near Danville after Friday crash
    
    Staff and agencies
    
    Sat 22 Jan 2022 11.41 EST
    
    Residents of a Pennsylvania county were warned on Saturday not to approach a monkey still missing after a crash involving a pickup towing a trailer taking about 100 of the animals to a research laboratory.
    
    State troopers urged people not to look for or capture the cynomolgus monkey following the Friday afternoon crash on a state highway near an Interstate 80 exit in Montour county.
    
    “Anyone who sees or locates the monkey is asked not to approach, attempt to catch, or come in contact with the monkey. Please call 911 immediately,” a tweet said.

    HERE

    .
    In belgium, they could trace all monkeypox cases back to the Darkland festival, an international festival for homosexuals.
    .

    LEGO Colosseum by Ryan McNaught

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    There’s nothing we love more than a finely crafted LEGO project, and that’s exactly what we have here from Ryan McNaught, one of the best certified LEGO builders in the game.

    McNaught has built the world’s first Colosseum built entirely from LEGOs. The project took nearly 200,000 LEGO bricks to put together, and is currently on display at the Nicholson Museum in Melbourne, Australia until January 2013. The project is displayed in a half and half form, showcasing the Colosseum in its present day form on one side along with Rome’s original Colosseum circa 80 AD on the other half.

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    Sweet – Fox On The Run – 45 (OFFICIAL)

    If you are old enough, you will appreciate this.

    Creamy Feta, Bacon and Spinach Dip

    Bacon and feta take spinach dip to a whole new level. Fair warning: Once your friends and family taste this addictive dip, you’ll be asked to make it for every get-together.

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    0f2cd972 a17f 458c b400 ab37b53b12cf

    Ingredients

    • 1 can (11 oz) refrigerated Pillsbury™ Original French Bread
    • 6 slices bacon, chopped
    • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
    • 1 bag (5 oz) baby spinach
    • 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
    • 6 oz crumbled feta cheese
    • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
    • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
    • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
    • 1/2 cup Progresso™ plain panko crispy bread crumbs

    2022 05 21 21 23
    2022 05 21 21 23

    The leaders of the Azov Battalion* who surrendered in Mariupol are facing the death penalty

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    Readovka
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    May 18 at 12:50
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    The leaders of the Azov Battalion* who surrendered in Mariupol are facing the death penalty. At least if they are tried according to the laws of the DPR
    .
    The laws of the DPR do not ratify the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which provides for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty. This means that if the trial takes place on the territory of the DPR and LPR, and the crimes of the Azov militants are confirmed, they will be shot.
    .
    This is also confirmed by the statements of a number of Russian figures, including Senator Andrei Klishas, ​​who noted that all neo-Nazis from Azov should be tried for crimes committed in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. The militants committed crimes on the territory of the DPR, which is why they must be tried in accordance with the laws of the Republic, said State Duma deputy Artyom Turov. The State Duma also announced the need to judge the Azovites – today a draft resolution prohibiting the exchange of “Nazi criminals” will be considered.
    .
    * – banned in the Russian Federation

    Will The First Public UFO Hearing In Congress In 50 Years Help Set The Stage For A Great Delusion Of Epic Proportions?

    .

    Why have they suddenly decided to reveal so much?  For decades, a very thick cloak of secrecy has surrounded what the government really knows about UFOs, but now our politicians are talking openly about such things.  In fact, Congress just held their very first public hearing about UFOs in 50 years.  So what has changed?  If anything happens in Washington, it is usually because someone has an underlying agenda.  Could it be possible that we are being prepared for some sort of a huge revelation?

    To me, it is clear that something is up.

    And I think that it says a lot that the power structures in our society are now treating this topic very seriously.  At this point, even CNN is admitting that UFOs are no longer being “relegated to the fringes of public policy”…

    Key lawmakers warned at a House hearing on Tuesday that unidentified aerial phenomena — popularly known as UFOs — must be investigated and taken seriously as a potential threat to national security.
    
    The event marked the first congressional public hearing on UFOs in decades, a high-profile moment for a controversial topic that has long been relegated to the fringes of public policy.

    During the hearing on Tuesday, U.S. officials confessed that there have been at least 400 “unexplained sightings” by members of our military…

    US SPY chiefs were grilled by lawmakers in a historic hearing on UFOs as dramatic videos of two sightings were shown.
    
    Security officials were forced to admit there have been 400 unexplained sightings reported by the US military .

    That number is very different from the number that we were given in 2021.

    Late last year, the Pentagon told us that there were just 144 unexplained sightings.

    But now we are being told that the real number is nearly triple the original number.

    And on Tuesday we were also told that there have been “11 near misses” with U.S. military aircraft…

    They also confessed there have been 11 near misses with unidentified objects and US military aircraft, and they are probing incidents where craft may have attempted “jam” US planes.

    So let me get this straight.

    11 different times our aircraft were almost hit by other aircraft that we simply cannot identify?

    Why weren’t we told about this a long time ago?

    Of course there is so much more that the Pentagon is choosing not to tell us.  According to Politico, one Defense Department official is freely admitting that there is a great deal that is not being publicly revealed…

    “Without forcing peoples’ hand, it is going to be very difficult to uncover legacy ventures and programs that we know about based on oral interviews we dug up,” said a Defense Department official who is involved in the new effort but was not authorized to speak publicly. “There has to be a forcing mechanism.”
    
    “There has to be something to hold people accountable but also give them a chance to come out clean for a period of time,” the official added, noting that in his experience the Pentagon oversight group has been “stonewalled.”

    That same official went on to explain that the people that are refusing to come forward are protecting some “very interesting information”.

    I would definitely like to know what that “very interesting information” is.

    Wouldn’t you?

    I think that most of the population would be completely floored if everything that the government knows was finally put on the table.

    According to one member of Congress, our military has actually recovered physical wreckage from a UFO that crashed…

    A CONGRESSMAN has claimed the US has wreckage recovered from a UFO as the phenomena takes centre stage today in Washington.
    
    Rep. Tim Burchett – a long term advocate for disclosure – told The Sun Online he has been informed by reliable sources that “material” has been recovered from the objects or craft that have been reported in skies over the US.

    So why can’t the American people know about this?

    What are they trying to hide from us?

    Burchett says that he can’t say more because this information was given to him in a “classified setting”

    The Tennessee Republican declined to elaborate further as he said the information had been passed to him in a “classified setting”.
    
    “I’ve been told by multiple sources we have recovered something from these [crafts or objects],” Mr Burchett told The Sun Online.

    It is so frustrating to hear about this and know that we will probably never be given the specific details.

    The American people deserve the truth, but so much is being purposely hidden.

    Lue Elizondo, a former senior staffer at the Pentagon, says that there has been much speculation in military circles about the true source of these unidentified craft

    ‘People jump to speculation that it’s from the Pleiades or something like that, when in fact one of the hypothesis when I was in AATIP was this could be as natural to Earth as we are, but we are just at a point where technologically we aren’t advanced enough we can collect information on it and begin to try to figure out what it is,’ he said.
    
    ‘There’s been another hypothesis that these things are possibly from underwater and as outlandish as it may seem, there is some anecdotal evidence that supports all of these observations, so what we want to do is try to get as much data on the table as we can before we start eliminating,’ said Elizondo.

    He said way too much right there, because he got way too close to details that we aren’t supposed to know about.

    If he keeps talking like that, he could end up being killed.

    Because even though our officials are now talking more openly about UFOs, there are still many things that they would very much prefer to keep secret.

    These unidentified aircraft are very real, and every year they are spotted thousands upon thousands of times all over the globe.

    Now this subject is being brought out into the spotlight, and that should make all of us very nervous.

    The prisoner Episode 14

    “Living in harmony.”

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

    The collapse of Ukraine is not far away

    The collapse of Ukraine is not far away. Soon the full-on “pivot to Asia” will begin in force. That is not going to be so nice and polite as Putin did with Ukraine. It will be harsh and in-your-face. Already the USA is lining up it’s war “chess pieces”, and last week Anthony Blinkedin made a speech that was a declaration of War in every way except formally speaking the words out loud.

    Welcome to the next phase of world war three. I hope you are all ready for it…

    US stock plunge has Asia bracing for a fall – Asia Times

    Asian governments and investors remember all too well the carnage wrought in 2008 by US market failure and excess
    TOKYO – A bloodbath in US stocks wasn’t high on Asia’s risk list for 2022. But as Wall Street’s stumble pivots from correction to death-dive territory, Asia’s markets are increasingly in harm’s way.
    .
    The losses reverberating around the globe indicate that the biggest economy is about to go through a rough patch of unknown proportions. It’s already been through plenty, to name but a few: inflation at 40-year highs; Covid-19 traumatized consumers; a geopolitical minefield sending intensifying headwinds its way; legislative paralysis in Washington; war in Europe; a Federal Reserve behind the inflation curve.
    .
    This last riddle — a woeful monetary response — stands out as the US flashes signals that seem ripped from the headlines of 2008 when Lehman Brothers collapsed, setting off the concatenation of events that led to the global financial crisis.
    .

    Full article HERE

    Brigitte Bardot on set during filming of Lady and the Puppet.

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    ABC’s ‘brave and independent’ journalists seem to have vanished

    It seems that those journalists who once championed the idea of brave public interest journalism have descended into a pack of fawning cheerleaders, gushing over the rule of their new leaders.

    This entire sordid tale being explained away as “independent and brave reporting” would be much easier to swallow if it didn’t appear one side of politics was being targeted by such aggressive reporting.
    
    Now that the Coalition has been turfed can we expect the same brave independence to flow through to their reporting on the actions of Anthony Albanese and his team?
    
    If the first few days of his government are anything to go by, no.
    
    Those journalists who enjoyed defending their activism as independent journalism are now in the process of transitioning to the role of government stenographers.
    
    ABC’s 7.30 chief political correspondent Laura Tingle now spends her time retweeting, uncritically, messages from Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong who this week declared “we will listen because we care what the Pacific has to say”.

    Favorite Potato Salad

    Every home cook should have one go-to classic potato salad recipe on hand. It’s the perfect dish to bring to summer picnics, serve at grill-outs and take along to potluck suppers. But don’t just limit this simple potato salad to warm-weather months—this dish can be served year-round. The next time someone samples your delicious side dish and asks you how to make potato salad, just hand them this easy potato salad recipe.

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    b4856949 30a8 42d9 bec7 e061ace4d00e

    Ingredients

    • 6 medium boiling potatoes (2 pounds)
    • 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise or salad dressing
    • 1 tablespoon white or cider vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
    • 2 medium celery stalks, chopped (1 cup)
    • 1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
    • 4 hard cooked eggs, chopped

    2022 05 27 15 11
    2022 05 27 15 11

    A President Salutes Another Country’s Flag… What A Protocol Mistake Means – Kurdo

    It not only appears that this new Korean "President" is a CIA plant, but also his loyalty is to the United States. Not to Korea. -MM
    South Korea : an American puppet regime.
    .

    From HERE

    .
    A picture of President Yoon Seok-yeol appearing to be saluting the American flag at the Korea-US summit dinner on the 21st was posted on the US President’s Instagram.
    
    The diplomatic protocol is established in the international community, and it is difficult for even the head of state to change and apply it at will. Because it is disrespectful to the other country. In order to make changes to the ceremony, it is necessary to consult with the other country in advance. However, as in this case, it is unlikely that the summit will be regarded as disrespectful for the leader to salute the flag of the other country.
    
    But it can be disappointing to the people of the country. Most people want their president to act proudly without bowing his head no matter where he goes in the world. This applies to anyone who voted for president in an election or who didn’t. Because the president represents the country.
    
    It is highly likely that President Yoon Seok-yeol, who cannot be unaware of this fact, saluted the American flag was a simple mistake caused by lack of experience rather than intentional.
    
    However, this simple mistake symbolizes this summit between Korea and the United States. If the preparations were meticulous, there is a high possibility that the president’s diplomatic mistake would not have occurred. Here, it is clearly revealed that it has only been 12 days (at the time of the 21st) since President Yoon took office. It gives the impression to the other country that the new government is not yet ready. This is the reason why diplomatic protocols that seem insignificant are so important and require a lot of preparation.
    
    Looking at the contents of the summit, from the point of view of US President Biden, there is much to be gained from this summit. He drew active participation in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) and sanctions against Russia, and stipulated that cooperation with Japan as well as South Korea-US cooperation is important for North Korea. It also explicitly obtained South Korea’s commitment to investment in the US. President Yun achieved the success of making it easier for the US strategic forces to mobilize to the Korean Peninsula. However, US semiconductor technology companies’ investment in Korea and membership in the four unofficial security council quads of the US, India, Japan and Australia did not take place.
    
    If the new government’s diplomatic and security strategy is ‘as the United States wants’, it can be said that the summit has achieved great results. If not, it is questionable whether the summit was held with a meticulous negotiating strategy in a state where a foreign and security strategy was established.
    
    The new government emphasized that, contrary to the usual order of the US president’s East Asian tour, he visited Korea before Japan. The joint statement between the leaders of the Republic of Korea and the United States also added meaning, saying, “This summit was recorded as the earliest meeting held with the President of the United States during the term of the President of the Republic of Korea.” There was also an evaluation saying, “One president has changed, but the dignity of the Republic of Korea is rising” (Lee Jun-seok, representative of the People’s......

    One Of About 50 Fiat 599 Ferves Rangers Still Around!

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    Manufactured between 1967 and 1971. Approximately ten of 50 survivors are in the United States. Made by Turin-based coachbuilder Ferves (acronym of Ferrari Veicoli Speciali), where mechanical components borrowed from various models – Fiat 500F, 600D, 850, Autobianchi Primula – were assembled. This charming 4-seater flaunted four-wheel drive and “Cargo” work versions; some have described it as a small-size SUV or mini jeep… and yet today it is one of some collectors’ biggest dreams.

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    China urges Indonesia to cut out ‘interference’ as host of G20 summit after calls to discuss Ukraine war

    China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi tells Indonesia’s Retno Marsudi the summit in November should discuss the economy, not politics.  Wang hails the arrival of the ‘Asian moment’ for global governance, suggesting Asian nations should form a tighter bond.

    Roll with the Changes (REO Speedwagon) | Classic Rock Cover – Kelly and the Ding Dongs

    What I really love about this is that everyone is in lock down, and through use of the internet they play the song together and sync it together. Actually really good. I cannot help but get a smile on my face.

    And here they are jamming to Traffic’s Dear Mr. Fantasy…

    Photographer Finds Charming Japanese Countryside Scenes that Look Right Out of an Anime

    Really? Photographs? I find it difficult to believe…

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    It can sometimes sound silly to pass through a place in Japan and remark that “it looks like an anime”, because after all, many anime feature intricately researched and illustrated recreations of real locations in Japan.

    Talented photographer Akine Coco proves that at just the right moment, the saying has a lot of truth in it. In what appear to be particularly countryside settings in Japan, Akine writes in their Twitter profile that they “show the anime-esque world through photographs”, and their latest beautiful photography certainly does that!

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    While many of Akine’s subjects are of everyday scenery and found around Japan, they seem to be able to capture them in a light and from angle that really do make them seem as if they were lifted from an anime directed by Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli, or perhaps a Makoto Shinkai work.

    That’s why Akine posts them usually with the caption “Just like a scene from an anime,” here are a few of Akine’s standout shots!

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    Japan to enable fighter jet and missile exports to 12 nations – Nikkei Asia

    The source is Nikkei (the mouthpiece of the CIA in the Pacific).

    The Japanese government plans to allow exports of fighter jets, missiles and other arms to 12 countries, including India, Australia as well as some European and Southeast Asian nations, Nikkei has learned. Regulatory changes to allow for the exports could come by next March.

    Actress Rita Hayworth looks stunning – wearing her trademark charming, nonchalant look – in a nightgown in 1941.

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    China-Australia relations: ex-Australian PM Kevin Rudd tells West to offer alternatives to Pacific islands, not ‘lectures’.

    Duh!

    Some Western nations have criticized the Solomon Islands-China pact, claiming the move will lead to Beijing bolstering its military presence in the region. Kevin Rudd said the West must offer better and more development-friendly proposals to Pacific Island nations, rather than a ‘stern moral lecture’
    .

    Full article HERE.

    RATS FLEEING THE SINKING SHIP: FORMER UKRAINE PRESIDENT CAUGHT AT BORDER TRYING TO FLEE UKRAINE

    2022 05 28 12 20
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    Former President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, is at the Rava-Russkaya checkpoint of the Lvov customs and is trying to leave Ukraine for Poland in a Range Rover vehicle.

    "Poroshenko is trying to escape from Ukraine!"
    
     - Customs Service.

    MORE:

    The Prosecutor General’s Office in Kiev has announced the issuance of an Arrest Warrant for the former Chairman of Ukraine’s Constitutional Court, Oleksandr Tupytskiy, on charges of . . .  Fleeing Ukraine.

    The former head of Ukraine’s highest court is said to have fled the country into Poland.

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    Gee, if Ukraine is actually winning the war, then why are all these top people FLEEING?

    Oh, maybe this is why:

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    Cat Waited Her Whole Life to Be Indoors, is Now Living the Dream Life with Her Kitten

    Albanese: China must remove its sanctions on Australian products to have any chance of improving relations between the two countries…

    China must remove its sanctions on Australian products to have any chance of improving relations between the two countries, (the new Australian) Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declared after joining the QUAD summit in Tokyo with regional leaders to endorse a firm line against the Chinese.
    .
    .
    Australia’s new government has urged China to lift trade sanctions if it wants to reset a bilateral relationship that plumbed new depths under the previous administration.
    .

    As reported in America. HERE

    .
    Penny Wong urges Pacific nations to weigh up ‘consequences’ of China security offers | Australian foreign policy | The Guardian
    .

    Ukraine Foreign Minister Admits He Has NOW Been Told to “Negotiate” with Russia

    .

    UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER KULEBA SAYS THEY WANT HIM TO NEGOTIATE. . .

    After this morning’s news that the Ukraine Army is COLLAPSING (Story Here), we now have official confirmation from Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba himself, that he is being told to begin negotiating with Russia to end the war.

    HAL TURNER EDITORIAL OPINION

    Well, well, well . . . all the Ukraine hype about how they were winning, and beating the Russians at every turn, seems to have suddenly fallen apart.

    All the TV news reports about Ukraine victories, all the videos put out by public relations firms touting Ukraine’s strength . . . all turned out to be propaganda . . . and boatloads of people in countries around the world, fell-for-it, hook, line, and sinker.

    That didn’t take long!

    Here is Kuleba in Ukraine language admitting he has now been told to negotiate:

    Reading between the lines, though, is what’s far more interesting: all those hawks in EU are starting to capitulate after they saw what Russians did to a NATO-trained army.

    Even they realize that NATO . . . is a paper tiger at this point.

    NATO trained and equipped Ukraine for EIGHT FULL YEARS . . . and Ukraine was the largest standing army in all of Europe.  Yet the Ukraine Army is collapsing after only 90 (or so) days of actual war.

    What does this tell Europe about NATO?    NATO Training?    NATO Tactics?   NATO equipment?

    It’s not what they were told NATO was ! ! ! ! 

    Now, Europe realizes they have to act fast to save face; they need to avoid a complete collapse of Ukraine in coming weeks.

    Kuleba complains about the EU, which now requires Kiev to negotiate with Moscow.

    “If everything is so difficult, then we need to sit down and negotiate, whatever the price of these agreements,” the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry informs Europe.

    According to him, he has already heard this “very painful position” repeatedly.

    Twice Baked Potatoes

    You don’t have to wait for dinner at a fancy steakhouse to enjoy cheesy, gooey twice baked potatoes. They’re surprisingly easy to make at home. Once assembled, the finished potatoes are super-easy to make ahead and store in the fridge or freezer.

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    ca1e1e91 fb1c 484b 8cee a30abb70d94f

    Ingredients

    • 4 large unpeeled Idaho or russet baking potatoes (8 to 10 oz each)
    • 1/4 to 1/2 cup milk
    • 1/4 cup butter, softened
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • Dash pepper
    • 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz)
    • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

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    Singapore wholesaler allegedly exported Pokka drinks to N Korea

    Singapore MUST obey America or else…!

    A wholesale supplier was charged on Wednesday (25 May) with exporting Pokka drinks to North Korea, in breach of United Nations sanctions.
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    123 Duty Free was handed five charges under Singapore’s Regulation of Imports and Exports Regulations for importing assorted Pokka drinks worth around S$341,318 to the hermit state on five occasions between 10 April and 8 August 2018. The flavours under the brand include Melon Milk, Strawberry Milk, and Milk Coffee.
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    Full article HERE

    Beautiful Photos Of The 1971 DeTomaso Pantera

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    The De Tomaso Pantera is a mid-engine sports car produced by Italian automobile manufacturer De Tomaso from 1971 to 1993. Italian for “Panther”, the Pantera was the automaker’s most popular model, with over 7,000 manufactured over its twenty-year production run.

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    The first 1971 Pantera models were powered by a 5.8 L (351 cu in) Ford Cleveland V8 engine having a power output of 335 PS (246 kW; 330 hp). The high torque provided by the Ford engine reduced the need for excessive gear changing at low speeds: this made the car much less demanding to drive in urban conditions than many of the locally built offerings.

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    The 1971 Pantera could accelerate to 97 km/h (60 mph) in 5.5 seconds according to Car and Driver.

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    ‘International robbery’: Greece agrees to send Iranian oil from seized aframax to the US | TradeWinds

    You see, Greece acts as a proxy, and then robs ships at will… sending the products to the United States.

    From HERE.

    Ukraine Army COLLAPSING; Zelensky (Now) Saying “Must Face Reality . . .”

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    2022 05 28 12 25

    The Armed Forces of Ukraine are collapsing on the battlefield and the defeats are happening so fast, over such a wide area, that today, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky told the country “Ukraine is not eager to talk to Russia’s Vladimir Putin but that it has to face the reality that this will likely be necessary to end the war.”

    Quite a turnaround from just a week ago when Zelensky said Ukraine will never give up any territory, and would “win” against the Russian Army.

    Over the past two weeks, the situation for Ukraine has gotten almost dire.   Its armed forces are being decimated on almost every battlefield.  Russian long range artillery is smashing thousands of Ukraine troops, and causing those still alive to surrender.

    In fact, the number of Ukraine troops surrendering has gotten so enormous, the Ukraine legislature voted on a Bill allowing military officers to SHOOT SURRENDERING TROOPS to stop the mass-surrenders!

    In the brief video below, Ukraine troops who SURRENDERED, report to the world that their commanding officers DID, in fact, SHOOT THEIR OWN TROOPS IN THE BACK to prevent the surrender!

    The reality on the battlefield is so dire for Ukraine troops, many seasoned observers believe the Ukrainian Army cannot survive even another two weeks.

    Moreover, the opinion of the general public is taking a very significant turn; in favor of Russia.

    Citizens of almost all western nations, now becoming aware that Nazis are in the Ukraine government, police, and military, are no longer so quick to support Ukraine.

    And when those same Western citizens see the video of Ukraine President Zelensky admitting on TV he uses cocaine because it gives him energy all day – they realize that Ukraine is being run by a drug-addled guy who may actually be so disconnected from reality (by drugs) that he’s perhaps a madman!

    Even an Archbishop speaking from the Altar in the Church of England told Parishioners  “Putin is the only one standing-up against the New World Order” and that “Russia was provoked into this war! ”

    Here, listen for yourselves:

     

    Judging by the speed with which the Armed Forces of Ukraine are fleeing from the cities of the Donbass, specifically from the Donetsk area, a moral breakdown has occurred.

    This is certainly not the final Russian victory, but it is clearly a very serious success.

    In recent history, we have not yet seen such wars in dense urban areas, with the use of all types of weapons, excluding nuclear weapons, and in which so many personnel and equipment are involved.

    Ukraine is now losing the war, losing fast, and losing badly.

    Below, video shows dozens of dead Ukraine troops, some with giant pieces of shrapnel protruding from their cracked open skulls — VERY GRAPHIC:

    Just this morning (Friday) Zelensky Advisor Alexey Arestovich reported on TV  “THE CITY OF LYMAN HAS BEEN LOST”
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    He went on to say “According to reports, the city of Liman has been lost. The way the Russian army captured it shows that there have very talented commanders, and this shows the increased level of operational management and skills of the Russian army.”
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    Residents of Krasny Liman report the retreat of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the southern outskirts of the city and the railway station, in the area of which fierce battles had been going on since yesterday..

    Another Ukrainian battalion had to Mutiny to save their own lives.  The brief video below shows them explaining why they fled:

     

    BELOW, A UKRAINIAN POW SAYS HIS COMMANDER LEFT THEM “FOR A MEETING” AND NEVER CAME BACK!

    Again and again, stories are repeated about how commanders leave their subordinates on the battlefield and leave “for a meeting.” And not a single bad word about being kept in a POW camp.

    Overnight, a Ukraine military cargo plane was shot down near Odessa.   All of its western-supplied military weaponry was destroyed.   Here’s the crash site:

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    Meanwhile, it is quickly becoming clear that western military aid into Ukraine, is being stolen and re-routed to be sold in Serbia on the Black Market!!   Upwards of TWO-THIRDS of the ManPad surface-to-air, man-portable anti-aircraft weapons, are now in Serbia for sale.

    This includes American STINGER missiles!

    Worse, all manner of other weapons of war are also being offered on the Black market, including mortars, rocket propelled grenades, land mines, and armor-piercing ammunition in such vast quantities, the smugglers can’t even find place to store their ill-gotten goods.   It’s like a terrorist bazaar; where anyone can go buy any weapons they want!

    The Ukrainians are literally STEALING the west-supplied weapons so they can sell them on the black market and put the cash in their own pockets.

    So much for the forty billion in U.S. aid approved by Congress.  It is highly likely much of that aid is already stolen.

    Perhaps the facts reported above are why President Zelensky today, told his countrymen “Ukraine is not eager to talk to Russia’s Vladimir Putin but that it has to face the reality that this will likely be necessary to end the war.”

    Many people are starting to realize the only words Zelensky is going to soon be able to say to Putin are “Ukraine surrenders.”

    UPDATE 3:55 PM EDT —

    Ukraine Foreign Minister reveals he has NOW been told to negotiate with Russia to end the war .

    KC and the Sunshine Band (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty DOLLY PARTON 1976 HQ

    Now watching with though my older eyes of experience, I can see it’s true face. It’s a great stage show, though at the time, I wasn’t really fond of the song. Now, I see that as being such a cultural icon.

    The prisoner episode 12

    Another great episode from the series.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

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    Monkey Pox, Eli’s Coming, Doner Kebabs, Finland, Mafia boss Joe Masseria, $10 a gallon gasoline, boxing and The Doobie Brothers

    Some real treats here. Please enjoy this nice stroll though the past, and a look at the present, as well as some great food to try and sample. i hope that all of you get something of benefit from this latest article. Have fun!

    I’ll tell you what!

    First Electricity, Now Natural Gas; Russia To Halt Gas Flow to Finland 21MAY22

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    NordStream large

    Russia is cutting off its supply of natural gas to Finland as of Saturday as Helsinki moves forward with its effort to join NATO in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

    Finnish energy company Gasum on Friday said it had been notified by the Russian energy giant Gazprom that it would shut off its supply of gas the next day.

    The announcement comes as Russia demands that Finland pay for the natural gas in rubles, which Finland has refused to do.

    It also adds a new layer to an escalating energy fight between Russia and much of Europe fueled by the war in Ukraine.

    The European Union earlier this month proposed an oil ban on imports from Russia. This week, the EU unveiled additional details on its plan to reduce its dependence on Russian natural gas.

    Russia has already cut off gas to Poland and Bulgaria.

    President Biden has hailed the efforts of Finland and Sweden to join NATO after decades outside the bloc. Both countries took steps to join the military alliance after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February. The leaders of Sweden and Finland met with Biden at the White House on Thursday.

    Mafia boss Joe Masseria lays dead on a Brooklyn restaurant floor holding the ace of spades, 1931.

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    Mafia boss Joe Masseria lays dead on a Brooklyn restaurant floor holding the ace of spades, 1931.

    Insane Tyranny: EU ‘Needs’ Lockdown-like Restrictions to Curb Russian Oil Use

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    Measures akin to a COVID lockdown are needed according to an apparently insane European official, in order to curb the EU’s reliance on Russian oil.

    Lockdown-like measures should be implemented across the European Union to curb the bloc’s reliance on Russian oil, Luxembourg’s energy minister has said.

    The demand comes as the transnational bloc prepares to publish a plan aimed at weaning the EU off of fossil fuels supplied from Russia, with some nation-states such as Germany being badly addicted to the likes of natural gas provided by the state.

    According to a report by Der Spiegel, Luxembourg believes that such a plan should include the introduction of an EU-wide mandatory speed limit, a bloc-wide work-from-home mandate for at least two days of the week, and for every major EU city to ban the use of cars on the weekends.

    This, the minister argues, would curb the use of oil in Europe and, in turn, lower reliance on Russian fuel imports.

    “What we need at EU level is an EU-wide coordinated speed limit and two days of home office per week,” said the Luxembourgish Energy Minister Claude Turmes.

    “I urge the Commission not to miss the opportunity to set Europe on this path,” he continued.

    How to Make a Doner Kebab

    have you ever wanted to make some “Greek food”? Here’s your chance.

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    Washington state gas stations run out of fuel, prep for $10 a gallon

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    Gas stations in Washington state are resetting their price boards to accommodate double digits in preparation for fuel prices potentially reaching $10 a gallon.

    The move comes as several gas stations in the Evergreen State ran out of fuel.

    At the 76 gas station in Auburn, about 30 miles south of Seattle, gas pumps were reprogrammed so the display could indicate a price of at least $10 a gallon.

    The displays were limited to single digits as recently as March, but the surging price of gas has led to the change.

    A 76 spokesperson told the Post Millennial that the change did not necessarily mean the company was predicting gas prices would reach $10 a gallon.

    The station in Auburn also sells race fuel, which is more expensive than the fuel that is used by ordinary citizens.

    Race fuel costs more due to the high-octane, premium fuel that is required to enable the engine to have a higher compression ratio, giving it a more energetic explosion and improving the performance of turbocharger and supercharger engines.

    Washingtonians are also having to contend with gas stations that are running out of fuel.

    Motorists who drive up to gas pumps in Kennewick, Pasco and West Richland are met with notes indicating that the station does not have any fuel to sell — except diesel.

    On Facebook, local residents are reporting more than 10 gas stations that are out of fuel.

    The average price of a gallon of gas in Washington state is $5.18 — well above the national average of $4.59 as of Thursday, according to AAA.

    Jennie MacGregor, arrested by Minneapolis police on April 10, 1924 for dispensing alcoholic beverages from life-preserver flasks .

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    Jennie MacGregor, arrested by Minneapolis police on April 10, 1924 for dispensing alcoholic beverages from life-preserver flasks .

    The United States is no longer an accurate reflection of who and what we are

    The Republican planets are beginning their alignment to leverage their political gravity to strangle our democracy

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    Lawrence: Minority Rule Is Killing The ‘United’ in The United States

    [ Editor’s note: Mr. O’Donnell cuts right to the chase. We need a name change, as the one we have no long fits, because the ‘minority rule’ gang has abandoned future attempts, due to its policies, to win the right to rule over the country by winning the most votes.

    I knew the game was up when the Repubs broadcast their mantra, “we will win the presidency in 2024 one way or the other”. It was no subtle message, but a declaration of war. It was basically a pledge to attach limpet mines on the hull of our ship of state.

    The Republican plans may strangle our democracy, because they have told us they are going to rig the President electoral count by having states legislate their ability to make the final determination on the electoral count.

    The Insurrectionists, in hindsight, see this as their mistake in 2020, by not having already set up the state rigging process earlier, but they have the time now.

    This includes the Congressmen that could be charged for aiding and abetting the Jan 6 sedition. This could be a ‘get out of jail card’ for them and all the Jan6’ers who might be indicted.

    I cannot imagine a more dedicated campaign mob. The top Republicans constructing this new political coup strategy seem confident that they have the best Supreme Court in history to make sure they don’t have any deal killer legal issues.

    The military and Intel branches stood firm on the last coup attempt, but will they on the next one? Are we on the road to becoming the biggest banana republic in history? I certainly hope not, but we will have to fight like hell, to borrow a Trump phrase, or I doubt we will have a country anymore… Jim W. Dean ]

    Vaccine study of 23 million shows risk of ‘heart problems’ from Moderna or Pfizer jab

    Vaccine study of 23 million shows risk of ‘heart problems’ from Moderna or Pfizer jab – Google Search
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    From HERE

    The Mississippi Slugburger – How to Make America’s Strangest Hamburger – Food Wishes

    What do you think about this? Check out the video.

    Hungarian Jews being selected by Nazis to be sent to the gas chamber at Auschwitz concentration camp, Auschwitz Album May-June 1944.

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    Hall & Oates – Sara Smile

    In March, 2021, the “Nuclear Threat Initiative” Held a “Drill” for MonkeyPox Terror Attack — May 15, 2022 . . . now we have one

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    In March 2021, the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) partnered with the Munich Security Conference to conduct a “tabletop exercise” simulating a global pandemic involving an unusual strain of monkeypox caused by a terrorist attack using a pathogen engineered in a laboratory.  In the “exercise” the terror Monkey pox attack took place in May, 2022.   Well, it is now May, 2022, and we now have . . .  an outbreak of actual Monkeypox.   These “exercises” aren’t exercises, they’re plans!

    The exercise was allegedly designed to examine gaps in national and international biosecurity and pandemic preparedness architectures—exploring opportunities to improve prevention and response capabilities for high-consequence biological events. Participants included 19 senior leaders and experts from across Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe with decades of combined experience in public health, biotechnology industry, international security, and philanthropy.

    This report, Strengthening Global Systems to Prevent and Respond to High-Consequence Biological Threats: Results from the 2021 Tabletop Exercise Conducted in Partnership with the Munich Security Conference, written by Jaime M. Yassif, Ph.D., Kevin P. O’Prey, Ph.D., and Christopher R. Isaac, M.Sc., summarizes key findings from the exercise and offers actionable recommendations for the international community.

    Developed in consultation with technical and policy experts, the fictional exercise scenario portrayed a deadly, global pandemic involving an unusual strain of monkeypox virus that first emerged in the fictional nation of Brinia and spread globally over 18 months. Ultimately, the exercise scenario revealed that the initial outbreak was caused by a terrorist attack using a pathogen engineered in a laboratory with inadequate biosafety and biosecurity provisions and weak oversight. By the end of the exercise, the fictional pandemic resulted in more than three billion cases and 270 million fatalities worldwide.

    Discussions throughout the tabletop exercise generated a range of valuable insights and key findings. Most significantly, exercise participants agreed that, notwithstanding improvements following the global response to COVID-19, the international system of pandemic prevention, detection, analysis, warning, and response is woefully inadequate to address current and anticipated future challenges. Gaps in the international biosecurity and pandemic preparedness architecture are extensive and fundamental, undermining the ability of the international community to prevent and mount effective responses to future biological events—including those that could match the impacts of COVID-19 or cause damage that is significantly more severe.

    Report Findings and Recommendations

    Discussion among exercise participants led to the following key findings:

    (The full findings are available on page 14 of the report.)

    • Weak global detection, assessment, and warning of pandemic risks. The international community needs a more robust, transparent detection, evaluation, and early warning system that can rapidly communicate actionable information about pandemic risks.
    • Gaps in national-level preparedness. National governments should improve preparedness by developing national-level pandemic response plans built upon a coherent system of “triggers” that prompt anticipatory action, despite uncertainty and near-term costs—in other words, on a “no-regrets” basis.
    • Gaps in biological research governance. The international system for governing dual-use biological research is neither prepared to meet today’s security requirements, nor is it ready for significantly expanded challenges in the future. There are risk reduction needs throughout the bioscience research and development life cycle.
    • Insufficient financing of international preparedness for pandemics. Many countries around the world lack financing to make the essential national investments in pandemic preparedness.

    To address these findings, the report authors developed the following recommendations:

    (The full recommendations are available on page 22 of the report.)

    1. Bolster international systems for pandemic risk assessment, warning, and investigating outbreak origins
      • The WHO should establish a graded, transparent, international public health alert system.
      • The United Nations (UN) system should establish a new mechanism for investigating high-consequence biological events of unknown origin, which we refer to as a “Joint Assessment Mechanism.”
    2. Develop and institute national-level triggers for early, proactive pandemic response
      • National governments must adopt a “no-regrets” approach to pandemic response, taking anticipatory action—as opposed to reacting to mounting case counts and fatalities, which are lagging indicators.
      • To facilitate anticipatory action on a no-regrets basis, national governments should develop national-level plans that define and incorporate “triggers” for responding to high-consequence biological events.
    3. Establish an international entity dedicated to reducing emerging biological risks associated with rapid technology advances
      • The international community should establish an entity dedicated to reducing the risk of catastrophic events due to accidental misuse or deliberate abuse of bioscience and biotechnology.
      • To meaningfully reduce risk, the entity should support interventions throughout the bioscience and biotechnology research and development life cycle—from funding, through execution, and on to publication or commercialization.
    4. Develop a catalytic global health security fund to accelerate pandemic preparedness capacity building in countries around the world
      • National leaders, development banks, philanthropic donors, and the private sector should establish and resource a new financing mechanism to bolster global health security and pandemic preparedness.
      • The design and operations of the fund should be catalytic—incentivizing national governments to invest in their own preparedness over the long term.
    5. Establish a robust international process to tackle the challenge of supply chain resilience
      • The UN Secretary General should convene a high-level panel to develop recommendations for critical measures to bolster global supply chain resilience for medical and public health supplies.

    Click here to learn more about the November 23, 2021 launch event for this report on the margins of the Biological Weapons Convention Meeting of States Parties.

    To learn more about NTI’s previous tabletop exercises at the Munich Security Conference, see the 2019 report, “A Spreading Plague,” and our 2020 report,  “Preventing Global Catastrophic Biological Risks.”

    HAL TURNER EDITORIAL OPINION

    It seems to me personally that these “exercises” are not “exercises” at all.  I think they are actual PLANS.

    Here.  Look at this page from their own  Monkeypox “Exercise” simulation:

    MonkeypoxAttackExercise Plan
    MonkeypoxAttackExercise Plan

    So here we are, in May, 2022, and what are the headlines?

    First Case of Monkeypox CONFIRMED in USA  (May 18 Story)

    and:

    ALERT: MONKEY POX IN MANHATTAN, NYC (May 19 Story)

    Just like the “exercise” said would happen . . . right down to the precise month and even the precise WEEK!

    This is not the first time some “exercise” turned out real.

    The attacks of 9/11 took place during an “exercise” which simulated the hijacking of aircraft . . .  and became the real thing.

    Now,   these other “exercises” are turning out to be the same real things.

    Of course, the people doing these things would have us believe its all “coincidence.”

    Coincidence my ass.  I say these people are intentionally attacking us, and now, they’ve escalated from airplanes-into-buildings, to bio-weapons attacks.

    COVID-19 Was An ATTACK, TOO!

    I believe there is actual proof that COVID-19 was planned.  I think it was a bio-attack.  Here’s why:

    Richard A. Rothschild applied for a Patent on a Test for COVID-19 on 10-13-2015 when COVID-19 didn’t exist yet.

    How do you apply, in 2015, for a Patent on a testing system for a disease, almost four years before the disease had even been named?  (Full Story HERE)

    But wait . . . there’s more . . .

    Boxes of COVID-19 Vaccine from AstraZeneca show a Manufacture Date of July 15, 2018 . . . But “COVID-19” wasn’t discovered until 2019 and wasn’t NAMED until February 11, 2020.

    How Did Astra-Zeneca Manufacture “COVID-19 Vaccine” in July of 2018 Before the Disease Was Even Discovered or Named?  (Full Story HERE)

    There’s even MORE. . . .

    ‘The world first started to hear about a novel coronavirus in early January 2020, with reports of an alleged new pneumonia-like illness spreading across Wuhan, China. However, the world did not actually know of Covid-19 until February 2020, because it was not until the 11th of that month that the World Health Organization officially named the novel coronavirus disease “Covid-19.”

    So with this being the official truth, why does United States Government data show that the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) awarded a contract on the 12th November 2019 to Labyrinth Global Health INC. for ‘COVID-19 Research’, at least one month before the alleged emergence of the novel coronavirus, and three months before it was officially dubbed Covid-19?  (Full Story HERE)

    Moving farther along in this brief foray into inconvenient truth, I offer you this little gem:

    Confidential documents surfaced in a Confidentiality Agreement between the U.S. National Institutes of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and Moderna showing they transferred “potential coronavirus vaccine candidates” to the University of North Carolina, on December 12, 2019

    . . . which was nineteen (19) days BEFORE the outbreak of novel coronavirus in China!

    How could they know they would need a Coronavirus Vaccine BEFORE the outbreak, unless they had knowledge the outbreak was going to happen?   (Full Story HERE)

    Last but not least,

    France Gov’t Printed “VACCINE PASSPORT” Signs 4 days BEFORE France Ever Had a Case of COVID-19. How did the French Government know there would need to be a “Vaccine Passport” for COVID four days before the disease ever hit France?

    It seems to me personally that the only logical conclusion is that they knew, because they planned the whole thing.   (Full Story HERE)

    So now, we have this “tabletop exercise” involving a terrorist attack using Monkeypox, and the exercise says the “attack” takes place on May 15, 2022. Lo and behold, by May 18, 2022, we have an ACTUAL outbreak of Monkeypox.

    In my view, these “exercises” are, in fact, plans.

    Bio-weapon attack plans.

    And we . . .  you and me . . .  are the targets.

    I don’t know about you, but I’ve had quite enough of this shit.   I’ve had enough of the overt planning.  I’ve had enough of them actually carrying-out these attacks.  And I’ve had more than enough of law enforcement at every level, local, county, state and federal, doing absolutely nothing about any of it.

    When will we collectively step-up and put and end to this shit?

    Or do we sit idly-by and wait to get murdered by these psychopaths?

    There’s an old axiom: “Turnabout is fair play”

    And there’s another: “What’s good for the Goose, is good for the Gander.”

    They attacked first.

    Magical Slavic Photography From Russia Is So Impressive That It Looks Unreal

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    Russia culture is just one off spring branch of greater Slavic culture that is shared by 360 million Slavs worldwide. Vibrant images filled with electric series of Slavic folklore is a colorful photography mix that comes from Moscow artistic direction study of Yakovlev & Aleeva. These pieces show a interesting mixture of traditionalism, high fashion and certain degree of modernity. These stunning Russian women models are all dressed in what is know as traditional clothing plus they are adorned in bright colored jewelry and lipstick, which fits Russian culture as we know it today.

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    It’s beyond just fashion, it’s a blend of orthodoxy along with a classical love of opulence that together reveal an actual historically influenced images made for the contemporary world of ours. The eggs are also lavishly decked and share the spotlight with the gorgeous backdrops.

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    Boxing match aboard the U.S.S. New York, July 3, 1899.

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    Tsar Nicholas II allows his daughter, the Grand Duchess Anastasia, to smoke.

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    The Doobie Brothers – China Groove

    Cool Photos of Teenage Girls in the 1970s

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    Teenage girls’ fashion in the 1970s continued the “do-your-own-thing” look of the late 1960s for the early years of the decade.

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    Girls’ clothing styles were dominated by the disco look during the latter half of the 1970s. Girls’ clothes transitioned from costume-like hippie garb to styles influenced by disco party dresses, evening wear and the preppie look.

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    Towards the end of the decade, the decadent punk look began to catch on. Take a look at these cool photos to see what fashion styles of teenage girls looked like in the 1970s.

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    Tubes – White Punks On Dope (1977 R0X M1X)

    What a great show!

    Gosh! I can smell the spilled bong water all the way through the years!

    Bob Dylan with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards at Jaggers 29th birthday party, July 1972.

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    An American evacuee punches a South Vietnamese man for a place on the last chopper out of the US embassy during the evacuation of Saigon in 1975.

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    Breakfast advertisement

    My favorite television show in the early 1970’s.

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    The Statue of Liberty under construction in Paris in 1884.

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    How to Make Parmesan Cheese (Italian Hard Cheese) at Home

    Crew of the Japanese carrier Zuikaku give one final banzai cheer before the ship sinks, 1944.

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    All Ukraine NAZIS at Azovstal Have Now Surrendered and are in Custody

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    LastAzovstalNazisSurrender large

    The entire territory of the Azovstal steel mill and factory complex in Mariupol has been liberated, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Friday.

    More than 2,400 people hiding inside for almost a month, including Ukrainian servicemen and members of the neo-Nazi Azov unit, have laid down their arms and surrendered.

    “The last group of 531 militants surrendered today,” the Russian military spokesman, Major-General Igor Konashenkov, said in a statement.

    He added that a total of “2,439 Azov Nazis” and Ukrainian servicemen had laid down their arms since May 16, and that the entire Azovstal complex is now under control of Russian armed forces.

    Richard Nixon’s last meal at the White House, in 1974.

    On the day that he announced his resignation, Nixon ordered cottage cheese, pineapple slices and a glass of milk.

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    R-100 Airship: Inside a British “Flying Hotel”, 1929-1930

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    The R100 airship was built as part of a British government programme to develop airships to provide passenger and mail transport between Britain and the countries of the British Empire, including India, Australia and Canada. Originally, it was proposed that two airships be constructed: one, R101, to be designed and constructed under the direction of the Air Ministry, and the other, R100, to be built by a private company under a fixed price contract.

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    The R-100 nears completion in its hangar in Yorkshire. 1929.

    The R100, designed by Barnes Wallis, was the first to be finished in Howden, Yorkshire in 1929. The airframe was made of duralumin, an early aluminum alloy, and covered with a giant 5-acre fabric coating stitched together in pieces and stretched into place. Inside the cavernous 146,000 cubic metre shell, 17 gas bags made from oxen intestines provided the all-important buoyancy.

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    Passengers lounge in the grand salon of the R-100. 1930.

    After the 7 successful trial flights and flights checking the outer cover ripple effect, the decision was made for a transatlantic flight or long distance proving flight by one of the two new airships. As the R101 had been put back in Shed Number 1 for further changes to the design to increase the disposable lift, the R100 was tasked with a trip to Canada, successfully crossing the Atlantic to Montreal to the newly erected mast. The ship slipped the moorings from the Cardington mast at 02.48am on the morning of 29th July 1930. The ship flew over the Atlantic and headed down the Newfoundland coast.

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    Passengers admire the view from the veranda deck of the R-100. 1929.

    After R101 crashed and burned in France, en route to India on 5 October 1930, the Air Ministry ordered R100 grounded. It was deflated and hung up in its shed at Cardington for a year whilst three options were considered: a complete refit of R100 and continuation of tests for the eventual construction of R102; static testing of R100 and retention of about 300 staff to keep the programme “ticking over”; or retention of staff and the scrapping of the airship. In November 1931, it was decided to sell R100 for scrap. The entire framework of the ship was flattened by steamrollers and sold for less than £600.

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    Passengers pass the time in the R-100’s lounge. 1929.

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    A maid prepares a dish in the airship’s galley. 1929.

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    Passengers enjoying the views from above. 1929.

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    A maid sets up a table for lunch in the lounge. 1929.

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    A passenger looking outside the R-100 panoramic windows.

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    Passengers hang around the salon and upper gallery. 1930.

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    Maids set up tables in the lounge for a meal. 1929.

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    The lounge is rearranged as a dining room for meals. 1929.

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    R-100 airship (interior).

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    Reading and playing cards in R-100’s deck.

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    The R-100 leaves her mooring on her maiden voyage.

    A group of men posing in front of Lynch’s Slave Market, St. Louis, Missouri, 1852.

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    [ SCHOOL UNIFORM ] China, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam.

    Great video. Learn something. It’s fun.

    China, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam.”]

    Scottish piper in a Kilt on the battlefield during World War One.

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    Three Dog Night – Eli’s Coming (1969)

    It makes me want to put on my old leather vest with the long fringes…

    The Prisoner S01E13 Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling

    A great episode of the prisoner.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
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    Nazi life, hamster homes, Nord Stream gas-lines, motorcycle riding, Oklahoma Onion Burgers, and no Holy Communion for you

    Today we present some fun subjects and some delicious food. Oh, yes, and we also include some geopolitical stuff too. For you all who don’t want to read that “news”, you can go ahead and gloss or jump over it. There is no shame in skim reading if that is your want. I say, go for it! If it makes your boat float!

    Have some fun here. Enjoy yourself.

    Europe will need Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline one day, Kremlin says

    Common sense is a luxury among NATO, EU, and Anglo-Saxon countries leadership.

    From HERE

    A pair of kids from Ohio rest on their motorcycles after arriving at Daytona Beach in 1975.

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    Oklahoma Onion Burgers are SHOCKINGLY Good

    Looks delicious! Doesn’t it?

    Shrimpton: Russo-Ukrainian War (6)

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    2022 05 20 20 30

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    The war goes on, although it hasn’t quite yet reached the intensity of the libel battle between Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney in the High Court in London. I still think that ‘Russo-Ukrainian War’ is the best title. At any rate the MSM haven’t come up with anything better. It’s turned into a war of attrition with moderate to heavy casualties on both sides. Assessing just how heavy the casualties have been is very far from straightforward, although it still seems safe to divide the Ukrainian figure for Russian casualties by ten. I think that the Ukrainians will do less well in the war than in the Eurovision Song Contest.

    Russia is right to complain that they are effectively fighting the whole of NATO. Aside from the British and American ground troops (special forces) deployed, crazily, inside Ukraine, NATO countries are supplying Ukraine with enormous quantities of weapons. Indeed US stocks of precision guided munitions are reported to be running low.

    I expect a formal Russian declaration of war on the Ukraine in the next few months, possibly weeks, followed by general mobilisation. As Ukrainian stocks of precision anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles run low Russia is likely to regain control of the battlefield and Ukrainian airspace.

    The Azov battalion continues to hold out in the Azovstal steelworks, desperate to protect its dirty secrets. Conditions are now reported to be worse than on the Beltway at rush hour, with bodies piled up everywhere. They can’t hold out for much longer. I hold no more brief for the Azov battalion than I do for the Waffen-SS but they are brave men and should be treated as such when they finally surrender. There’s been nothing like it since World War II.

    NATO strategy is to get as many Ukrainians killed as possible by prolonging the war for as long as possible. So far as I can tell NATO is not trying to start World War III, but they might want to think twice about accepting Finland and Sweden into membership. If the Russian Government goes public on the intelligence yield then support for Ukraine in the West will fall away.

    At the moment we are close to what NASA might term ‘Max Q’. The venom and lies being directed at Russia have understandably angered her elected president and government. Western precision weapons have dramatically increased Russian casualties. Anglo-Russian relations haven’t been this bad since the Crimean War.

    Russian troops are now being accused of carrying out mass rapes, in what is undoubtedly intended to be an echo of 1945. There is no doubt that Russian soldiers raped a great many German women, sadly, at the end of the last world war, but the rapes were sanctioned by the notorious German agent Josef Stalin, who was not of course Russian.

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    2022 05 20 20 31

    Stalin’s intent seems to have been to damage the reputation of the Red Army. I doubt that he was anxious to let the boys get their leg over, as it were, or desirous of getting back at the Germans for the mass rape of Russian women. Rape is wrong of course and never justified, either in peace or war.

    However I sense increased scepticism about Ukrainian claims of Russian war crimes, which are starting to assume the proportions of a blood libel. Thankfully the Russophobes Boris Johnson and Simon Case aren’t likely to remain in power in London for much longer. Their resignations should pave the way for a UK climbdown on false claims about GRU officers poisoning the Skripals in 2018 in Salisbury and Lt-Colonel Litvinenko in 2006, and of Russian involvement in the murderous shoot-down of MH17 in 2014.

    Revelation of the German GO2’s role in poisoning and probably murdering the Skripals would considerably ease tensions between London and Moscow. (Litvinenko poisoned himself of course, being killed by the antidote which he swallowed at the same time as the polonium.) It’s unlikely that the fanatically anti-Russian Liz Truss will continue to serve as Foreign Secretary, thankfully.

    Will the Ukraine survive?

    It’s now clear that when President Zelensky rejected President Putin’s fair peace terms back in March he bet the farm. There is now reporting that Poland is planning to participate in the dismemberment of the Ukraine, which would reflect the historical position, Western Ukraine being incorporated in the Polish/Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Poles of course participated in the break-up of Czechoslovakia after Munich.

    I imagine that Russia will want to incorporate the whole of the Ukraine east of the Dneiper into Russia, along with a land bridge to Transnistria. Ethnic Ukrainian hatred for Russia and Russians is such that a negotiated solution is unlikely to work. Moscow will want a deep buffer zone around the Donbas.

    Incorporating Western Ukraine into Poland is likely to prove more stable in the long run than having a rump Ukrainian republic endlessly plotting revenge against Russia. I fail to see how Russia could ever trust the Ukraine again.

    American People In The 1950s

    Here is a wonderful photograph collection of people in America taken by photographer Stevel in the 1950s.

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    Atomic clocks put China’s BeiDou satnav system ahead of the rest, study finds

    Of course. They learn from the United States on what NOT to do.

    From HERE.

    The New Disguise of the Russian Armed Forces used in Ukraine

    RF Armed Forces use new radio-thermal camouflage as part of a special operation in Ukraine

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    MOSCOW, April 26 – RIA NovostiThe Russian Armed Forces, as part of a special military operation in Ukraine, are using a new type of camouflage that reduces the visibility of combat vehicles in the infrared and radar ranges, an informed source told RIA Novosti.

    Camouflage is a synthetic material that is worn on top of equipment in the form of covers or coatings. The material reduces the level of thermal radiation, for example, from a tank by several times, so that it practically merges with the background surface. In the radar range, it is significantly reduced detection range of equipment,” the source said.

    He explained that, first of all, this disguise is intended to reduce the visibility of equipment by enemy UAVs and reconnaissance aircraft.

    According to the source, the coating can also be painted in camouflage colors, reducing the visibility of military equipment in the visible optical range.

    “As part of the special operation, various types of such camouflage are used on the Iskander operational-tactical missile systems, as well as on the latest T-90M Proryv tanks,” the source said.

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    2022 05 20 20 35

    A pair of young women sunbathe at Coney Island in 1977.

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    How to Make Italian Sausage, Peppers, and Onions | Allrecipes.com

    Must listen: a very powerful speech by a former Singapore UN diplomat

    Why Europe and US must change their me-only security mentality…
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    From HERE

    Crowds of beachgoers enjoy the sun at Deerfield Beach, Florida, 1976.

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    1vj3 43

    ALERT: MONKEY POX IN MANHATTAN, NYC

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    The New York City health department is investigating a possible case of monkeypox in the Big Apple.

    The unnamed patient is currently being treated at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan, city health officials confirmed on Thursday.

    Medical officials have implemented appropriate isolation protocols and are conducted preliminary tests in an effort to confirm the diagnosis.

    If positive, the tests will be sent to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for confirmatory testing.

    The health department’s epidemiologists will also follow-up with all those who may have been in contact with the patient during their infectious period.

    Monkeypox, which mostly occurs in west and central Africa, is a rare viral infection similar to smallpox, though milder. Cases of the disease have now been confirmed in seven countries outside of Africa, including the U.S., Canada, UK, Portugal, Spain, Italy and Sweden.

    The Massachusetts Department of Public Health on Wednesday confirmed a single case of monkeypox virus infection in a man who had recently traveled to Canada.

    He has been hospitalized, but is in good condition, officials report.

    The Massachusetts agency said it was working with the CDC and relevant local boards of health to carry out contact tracing, adding that ‘the case poses no risk to the public.’

    America joins five European countries: Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the UK in confirmed cases. At least 13 suspected cases are also being investigated in Quebec, Canada.

    U.S. officials are also probing six people who were on a place ride with a Briton that later tested positive for the virus. No deaths have been tied to the virus during this outbreak.

    Monkeypox was first recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the 1970s. The number of cases in West Africa has increased in the last decade.

    Symptoms include fever, headaches and skin rashes starting on the face and spreading to the rest of the body.

    Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, told DailyMail.com Thursday that the virus is spreading via physical touch – and that it only spreads through respiratory droplets in the air in people that are already exhibiting symptoms.

    This changes the formula for how the virus spreads compared to what Americans are typically used to after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    It also gives an explanation as to why many of the cases detected in Europe are among gay and bisexual men.

    A group of friends take a break from roller-skating at Venice Beach, 1979.

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    PELOSI FORMALLY AND PUBLICALLY EXCOMMUNICATED BY SAN FRANCISCO ARCHBISHOP

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    San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone announced on Friday that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is forbidden to receive Holy Communion because of her increasingly “extreme” pro-abortion views.

    Cordileone wrote:

    After numerous attempts to speak with her to help her understand the grave evil she is perpetrating, the scandal she is causing, and the danger to her own soul she is risking, I have determined that the point has come in which I must make a public declaration that she is not to be admitted to Holy Communion unless and until she publicly repudiate her support for abortion “rights” and confess and receive absolution for her cooperation in this evil in the sacrament of Penance. I have accordingly sent her a Notification to this effect, which I have now made public.

    In his letter, Cordileone said he wrote to Pelosi on April 7, telling her that she must publicly disavow her pro-abortion stance “or else refrain from referring to your Catholic faith in public and receiving Holy Communion, I would have no choice but to make a declaration, in keeping with canon 915, that you are not to be admitted to Holy Communion.” Cordileone said since sending that letter that Pelosi has not abided by his request. He wrote:

    Therefore, in light of my responsibility as the Archbishop of San Francisco to be ‘concerned for all the Christian faithful entrusted to [my] care” (Code of Canon Law, can. 383, §1), by means of this communication I am hereby notifying you that you are not to present yourself for Holy Communion and, should you do so, you are not to be admitted to Holy Communion, until such time as you publicly repudiate your advocacy for the legitimacy of abortion and confess and receive absolution of this grave sin in the sacrament of Penance.

    He also said a Catholic legislator who supports abortion after knowing the teaching of the Church, “commits a manifestly grave sin which is a cause of most serious scandal to others.  Therefore, universal Church law provides that such persons ‘are not to be admitted to Holy Communion.”

    The Catechism of the Catholic Church explicitly bans both obtaining an abortion and assisting with one, saying “since the first century, the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion….”

    “This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law,” the catechism says.

    Cordileone wrote in his announcement that he has received many letters over the years “expressing distress over the scandal” of Catholics in public life — like Pelosi and President Joe Biden — promoting “such grievously evil practices as abortion.” He said in part:

    I have responded that conversion is always better than exclusion, and before any such action can be taken it must be preceded by sincere and diligent efforts at dialogue and persuasion.  With regard to Speaker Pelosi, I have striven to follow this wise route, as delineated by then-Cardinal Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) in a letter to U.S. bishops regarding Holy Communion and Catholic politicians who cooperate in the grave evils of abortion and euthanasia.

    The announcement continues:

    Unfortunately, Speaker Pelosi’s position on abortion has become only more extreme over the years, especially in the last few months.  Just earlier this month she once again, as she has many times before, explicitly cited her Catholic faith while justifying abortion as a “choice,” this time setting herself in direct opposition to Pope Francis: “The very idea that they would be telling women the size, timing or whatever of their family, the personal nature of this is so appalling, and I say that as a devout Catholic”; “They say to me, ‘Nancy Pelosi thinks she knows more about having babies than the Pope.’  Yes I do.  Are you stupid?

    Cordileone said he took “no pleasure whatsoever” in fulfilling his pastoral duty and said his action is “not political.”

    It’s the War Mobilization, Stupid!

    Watch the new False Flag Weekly News on Rumble or watch alongside the links to stories we’re discussing

    By Kevin Barrett, Veterans Today Editor

    Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign defeated incumbent president George HW Bush with the help of Ross Perot and an unrelenting focus on the be-all-end-all of presidential campaigns: “It’s the economy, stupid.” Clinton’s slogan pithily summarized the accumulated wisdom of more than two centuries of presidential politics: Voters identify the incumbent president and incumbent party with their perception of the current state of the economy. If times are good, the president and/or his party will likely be re-elected. If not, it’s time to “throw the bums out.”

    I learned this in 1979 in a course on American Economic History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. According to the professor, it was an open secret that every president tries to strong-arm the Fed into juicing up the economy prior to his re-election campaign, usually with some success.

    The 2020 election provided a classic example of the power of current economic trends over national election results. As of late 2019, the US economy was booming and Donald Trump was cruising toward an easy victory. Then COVID-19 hit, the economy imploded, and suddenly Trump no longer looked like a “very stable genius” to the crucial tranches of undecided, uninformed, and/or independent voters. Also, thanks to COVID and the economic implosion, Democrats could be whipped into a much more hysterical anti-Trump frenzy than would have been otherwise possible, leading to frenetic and heavily-funded get-out-the-vote efforts. So whether or not Trump is correct about alleged vote padding in swing states, he is certainly right that absent the COVID pandemic he would have won easy re-election.

    Now that we have established the crucial connection between economic trends and incumbent parties’ prospects in national elections, it’s time to ask the million-dollar question: What the @&# are the Democrats thinking?! The Biden Administration, facing very tough midterm contests this year and at least equally monumental challenges in the 2024 presidential race, has made the apparently idiotic decision to blow up the US and global economies by provoking war with Russia.

    As I write this, stocks, crypto, and even the bond market aren’t just swirling around the porcelain bowl, they’re plunging through the pipes and well on their way to the sewage treatment facility. The worst inflation in 40 years, driven in part by higher food and energy costs from Biden’s war on Russia, has forced the Fed to start ratcheting interest rates upward, pushing America towards 1970s-style stagflation at best, or a 2008 or even 1929 scenario at worst. Biden’s ever-escalating giveaway of US tax dollars to Ukraine is contributing to the economic as well as military mayhem.

    Is Biden senile? Is Harris an idiot? Are the Democrats suicidal? Though the answer to the first two questions is undoubted “yes,” I’m not sure that the Democratic Party leadership and the oligarchs who own it are entirely bent on political self-destruction. There must be some sort of method in their apparent madness. And I think I know what it is:

    “It’s the war mobilization, stupid!”

    The oligarchs who own the Democratic Party (who may overlap somewhat with the ones that own the Republicans) aren’t going to seek success in 2022 and 2024 by riding a strong economy. Instead, they are hoping to win by dragging us into war and pounding their chests and telling us to support our fearless wartime leaders—and if you don’t you’re a treasonous unpatriotic Russia-loving Putin-loving Trump-loving transphobic white nationalist conspiracy theorist scumbag.

    If the war gets bad enough, and the propaganda gets loud enough, people will put up with just about any amount of economic devastation. Consider World War II. Even though the US didn’t enter the war until more than two years after it started, and never experienced the level of combat and losses other nations suffered, the American people were quickly convinced to endure draconian rationing, forced conscription, virtual slave labor in war factories, and various and sundry economic unpleasantness, all in the name of defeating the evil racially-inferior slanty-eyed Japs and the evil white supremacist Adolf Hitler. FDR, who had cruised to re-election in 1940 by promising to keep America out of the war, had no problem winning in 1944 despite his broken promise (and his Pearl Harbor treason). When the nation is on a total war footing, people snap to attention and salute and do what they’re told and don’t ask questions, and the incumbent party and president enjoy almost godlike status.

    My parents were children during World War II, and they (and my grandparents) experienced food rationing, gasoline rationing, and the near-total unavailability of all sorts of consumer goods, from appliances to automobiles. Sounds familiar? It’s like what we’re heading into now—only in 2022, we’re merely facing de facto rationing as many people can no longer buy their customary allotments of food, gas, and goods. Fortunately, the authorities probably won’t start issuing ration coupons until the war really heats up.

    And heat up it will. Biden’s seemingly crazy policies, foreign as well as domestic, make sense only on the assumption that we’re heading into all-out World War III. Why would the US refuse Russia’s repeated entreaties to negotiate Ukrainian neutrality and cap NATO expansion, thereby provoking a ruinous war? Why would US leaders refuse Russia’s (and Zelensky’s) overtures for a negotiated solution? Why would they create what will soon become a 100-billion-dollar arms pipeline to Ukraine, while pushing Finland and Sweden to join NATO—a move that Russia will inevitably greet with military strikes?

    The real rulers of the US empire, the neoconservatives who overthrew the Republic on 9/11/2001, are bent on world conquest. A decision has apparently been made behind the scenes to fight World War III sooner rather than later, in service to the Wolfowitz Doctrine that the US will tolerate no challenges to its global hegemony.

    The neocons have made their position clear: They will either rule the planet unilaterally or destroy it. That is why the Empire and its vassals are inflicting economic devastation on their own people, and the people of the world, as they frantically mobilize for the biggest and most destructive war in human history.

    If we are going to stop it, the time is now. Once NATO is officially at war with Russia, dissent will be ruthlessly quashed. And once the nukes start flying, we will spend whatever is left of our lives wishing we had done more to stop the neocon Strangeloves from pursuing their mad dream of world conquest.

    Barry White – Just The Way You Are (Official Music Video)

    Luxury Villas For Your Hamster

    A design studio based in South Korea, studio ZIT, just launched a new incredible product: a miniature series of luxury villas for your hamsters! A fascinating and minutious concept that will allows you to choose a more comfy house than a simple cage for your lovely pets.

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    Homemade Soft Pretzels!! How to Make Pretzels Recipe

    Old Fashioned Love Song (1975) – Three Dog Night

    First time I have heard this song in fifty years! LOL. Great presentation.

    A woman (left) roller-skates, and a group of girls (right) get ready for a skate, at Venice Beach, California, 1979.

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    Israeli media confirming CIA trained Ukrainian Nazi Paramilitary

    Like a muddied spring, a ruined fountain, Is a righteous man fallen before a wicked one. Proverbs 25:26 (The Israel BibleTM)

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    New evidence reveals CIA trained, armed Ukrainian Nazi paramilitary now leading the fight against Russia

    …fom Israel 365 News

    [ Editor’s Note: I surely couldn’t pass this up, coming from an Israeli source. No one in the US government or media would dare trash it, so here it is.

    It’s a little late, but better than never. We have a long history of reporting on the neo-Nazis and Azov, going back to 2014. When this current fighting is over, there will be time to write a fuller history of it all.

    The Cold War foreign intelligence agencies have always been wanting to keep a finger in the destabilization pies of countries by building ‘friendly forces’ with a combat capacity for when the big coup day comes.

    When people don’t have money, but have low self esteem, it’s a big draw for them to become a player on the world stage. One just needs a suitable enemy to rage against. It took some time for NATO to grow this current Ukraine war, and here it is.

    The only people who seen to be benefiting from it so far are the usual grifter types that always crawl out from under their rocks in times like these… Jim W. Dean ]

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    2022 05 20 20 45

    First published May 13, 2022

    Russian President Vladimir Putin’s accusation that Ukraine advocated Nazism, the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion seemed proof of his claim. But further research seems to implicate the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in establishing and funding the white supremacist paramilitary.

    Sputnik News, a Russian state-owned news agency that is now inaccessible in the US, reported last week that Putin’s claims of ties between the US government and the Ukrainian neo-Nazi Azov Battalion were true.

    Formed in 2014, the Azov Special Operations Detachment is a right-wing extremist, neo-Nazi, formerly paramilitary, unit of the National Guard of Ukraine, based in Mariupol, in the Azov Sea coastal region.

    2016 report issued by the Office of the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights details accusations against the Azov movement’s use of torture and other war crimes in the ensuing conflict after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.

    The battalion’s sources of funding have always been unclear but the report cited the battalion’s online claims of receiving training from foreign military forces including those of Canada, Germany, the US, and the U.K.

    10 Hammer into Anvil – Patrick McGoohan’s The Prisoner

    Episode 10 of The Prisoner.

    “Music begins where the words leave off…”

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

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    Four potential outcomes for the fourth turning and the change to a New World Order Mark Two

    We continue on our stroll though the “news” as the West slowly enters it’s nose dive towards the enormous dark and damp black hole that it has created. In this installment, we enjoy the curious and the interesting as well as suggest some tasty food adventures that might well result in some fine and delicious food experiences. Experiences, mind you, that would be glorious to share with friends. Hint. Hint.

    I hope you all have fun here today.

    “My mother, Pat Clark, photographed by my father, Honolulu, 1965”

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    “The Real President Is Whoever Controls The Teleprompter”: Musk Delivers Scathing Criticism Of Biden

    Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times,

    Tech billionaire Elon Musk this week warned that the United States must take steps to address inflation or it will end up like socialist Venezuela.

    Musk, who is currently in the process of acquiring Twitter, told a virtual conference that he believes the government has printed too much money in recent years.

    “I mean, the obvious reason for inflation is that the government printed a zillion amount of more money than it had, obviously,” Musk said, likely referring to COVID-19 relief stimulus packages worth trillions of dollars that were passed in recent years.

    U.S. inflation rose by 8.3 percent in April, compared with the previous year. That’s slightly lower than the 8.5 percent spike in March, but it’s still near the 40-year high.

    “So it’s like the government can’t … issue checks far in excess of revenue without there being inflation, you know, velocity of money held constant,” the Tesla CEO said. 
    
    “If the federal government writes checks, they never bounce. So that is effectively creation of more dollars. And if there are more dollars created, then the increase in the goods and services across the economy, then you have inflation, again, velocity of money held constant.”

    If governments could merely “issue massive amounts of money and deficits didn’t matter, then, well, why don’t we just make the deficit 100 times bigger,” Musk asked. “The answer is, you can’t because it will basically turn the dollar into something that is worthless.”

    “Various countries have tried this experiment multiple times,” Musk said.
    
    “Have you seen Venezuela? Like the poor, poor people of Venezuela are, you know, have been just run roughshod by their government.”

    In 2018, Venezuela, a country with significant reserves of oil and gas, saw its inflation rise more than 65,000 percent amid an economic crash that included plummeting oil prices and government price controls. The regime of Nicolas Maduro then started printing money, thereby devaluing its currency, which caused prices to rapidly increase.

    During the conference, Musk also said the Biden administration “doesn’t seem to get a lot done” and questioned who is actually in charge.

    “The real president is whoever controls the teleprompter,” he said.

    “The path to power is the path to the teleprompter.”
    
    “The Trump administration, leaving Trump aside, there were a lot of people in the administration who were effective at getting things done,” he remarked.

    And it appears that Musk has seen enough of Democratic Party politicking to know who he will vote for from now on…

    Musk’s comment about the White House comes as Jeff Bezos, also one of the richest people in the world, has increasingly started to target the administration’s economic policies. Bezos, in a series of Twitter posts, said the rapid increase in federal spending is the reason why inflation is as high as it is.

    “Remember the Administration tried their best to add another $3.5 TRILLION to federal spending,” Bezos wrote on Monday, drawing rebuke from several White House officials.

    “They failed, but if they had succeeded, inflation would be even higher than it is today, and inflation today is at a 40-year high.”

    An Artist Has Made This Badass Raven Costume Entirely By Hand

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    1 18wettt1

    According to Rah-Bop, an illustrator and video game artist living in Seattle: “Since I get the impression it’s acceptable to dress up as an animal person at AC I took the opportunity to make a costume out of Rue, my D&D character, which I’ve been wanting to do for a while. If you see me, please feel free to say hi.”

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    Investigation Launched After ‘Mystery’ Surge In Deaths Of Newborn Babies

    Authored by Paul Joseph Watson via Summit News,

    Health authorities in Scotland have launched an investigation after a mystery surge in deaths of newborn babies, the second time the phenomenon has been recorded in the space of six months.

    A report by the Herald newspaper highlights the “very unusual” spike in deaths of babies, with the alarm being raised after 18 infants died within four weeks of birth in March.

    That same control limit was also breached in September last year, when 21 neonatal deaths were reported, the first time this had occurred since records began.

    “The neonatal mortality rate was 5.1 per 1,000 live births in September and 4.6 per 1,000 in March, against an average of 1.49 per 1000 in 2019,” reports the newspaper.

    Public Health Scotland (PHS) said the deaths could not have been down to chance, while the cause behind the previous spike in September also “remained a mystery.”

    The report notes that vaccination uptake has increased in expectant mothers and that COVID infections during pregnancy are associated with a higher chance of premature birth, but found no “direct link” between COVID surges and the deaths.

    PHS Scotland says COVID infections “did not appear to have played a role” in the September spate of deaths.

    Edinburgh University’s Dr. Sarah Stock said, “The numbers are really troubling,” but admitted she didn’t know the cause of the deaths.

    Impossibly Easy Banana Bread Coffee Cake (With Make-Ahead Directions)

    This banana bread coffee cake is a tasty new take on breakfast! It goes wonderfully with coffee. Sliced and mashed bananas make this cake extra moist and delicious.

    db5d451b87dba2128c431b4726391152
    db5d451b87dba2128c431b4726391152

    Ingredients

    Coffee Cake

    • 2 to 3 large ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/3 cups), plus 1 large banana, sliced
    • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
    • 1/4 cup milk
    • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 3 eggs
    • 2 2/3 cups Original Bisquick™ mix
    • 3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

    Streusel

    • 1 cup Original Bisquick™ mix
    • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
    • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
    • 6 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

    Serve-With, If Desired

    • Maple syrup

    Steps

    • 1
      Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom and sides of 13×9-inch pan with shortening or cooking spray.
    • 2
      In large bowl, stir mashed bananas, granulated sugar, milk, oil, cinnamon and eggs. Stir in 2 2/3 cups Bisquick mix and 3/4 cup walnuts; fold in banana slices. Pour mixture into pan.
    • 3
      In medium bowl, mix Streusel ingredients, cutting in butter with pastry blender or fork until crumbly. Sprinkle over mixture in pan.
    • 4
      Bake 30 to 36 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cut into 4 rows by 3 rows. Drizzle with maple syrup just before serving.
    • 5
      Make-Ahead Directions: Make as directed through step 3. Cover and refrigerate up to 12 hours. Uncover, and bake as directed in step 4.

    “My mother, Ritva, 1960s”

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    McConnell Says Congress Hopes To Approve Sweden’s NATO Bid By August

    Authored by Katabella Roberts via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has promised that approval of Sweden’s application to join NATO will be fast-tracked by Congress and could be done within months.

    McConnell made the comments to reporters in Stockholm on Monday after Sweden officially announced it will apply to NATO to provide better security for the country in the wake of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

    Sweden shares a maritime border with Russia.

    “We anticipate moving this rapid—in a more rapid fashion than past applications for NATO,” McConnell told reporters in Stockholm, where the Kentucky Republican was visiting with a delegation of GOP senators in a show of support amid the ongoing Russia–Ukraine conflict.

    “We hope to approve it before August,” he said. “We are confident it will be approved.”

    McConnell also shared a statement on Monday following his visit to both Sweden and Finland where he reiterated his support for both nations joining NATO, stating that both would “bring tremendous value as new NATO members and would strengthen the alliance significantly.”

    “Sweden and Finland already have long track records as two of the United States and NATO’s most capable friends and partners, even from outside the alliance,” the Senate Republican leader said.

    “Both countries have massive geographic importance, professional and well-equipped armed forces, strong military industrial bases, and significant interoperability with U.S. and NATO forces. Both nations’ robust commitments to defense funding mean that their accession would directly address longstanding concerns about burden-sharing and the financial contributions of our allies,” McConnell said.

    He added that he would do “everything in my power to ensure that our part of their accession process moves smoothly and expeditiously.”

    Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson told reporters in Stockholm on Monday that the decision to join NATO was driven in part by Finland’s recent move to join the alliance.

    Finnish leaders, with backing from lawmakers in the country, announced plans to officially seek NATO membership over the weekend.

    “Should Sweden be the only country in the Baltic Sea region that was not a member of NATO, we would be in a very vulnerable position. We can’t rule out that Russia would then increase pressure on Sweden,” Andersson said.

    The vote to approve new membership into NATO must be unanimous among all members.

    However, Turkey has threatened to block the bid by Sweden and Finland, citing their alleged willingness to support terrorist organizations, including the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), and followers of Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara accuses of being behind the 2016 attempted coup in Turkey.

    “Neither of these countries has a clear, open attitude toward terrorist organizations,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a joint news conference with his Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Monday. “How can we trust them?”

    Erdogan also described Sweden as an “incubation center for terrorist organizations,” and claimed that some members of Sweden’s Parliament supported the PKK.

    He also pointed to the fact that both Sweden and Finland imposed arms export embargoes on Turkey in 2019 after its incursion into Syria.

    “First of all, we cannot say ‘yes’ to those who impose sanctions on Turkey, on joining NATO which is a security organization,” Erdogan also noted.

    The Turkish president added that NATO would become “a place where representatives of terrorist organizations are concentrated” if both Sweden and Finland were to join.

    Numerous other NATO members have signaled support for the two nations to join.

    America the Feckless

    How low can we go?

    Shireen funeral 600x400 1
    Shireen funeral 600×400 1

    There have been several particularly disturbing stories in the media over the past week even if one chooses to tune out the US Congress’s pending astonishing overwhelming approval of a grant of $39.8 billion to Ukraine to continue the war to “weaken” Russia. Even so-called progressives in the Democratic Party voted for the war. So now the United States will be at war with Russia through proxy, like it or not, and the consequences could be devastating, particularly if NATO member Poland intervenes directly, as it has been threatening, but few in Washington seem to be awake to that reality. And only Senator Rand Paul, who is asking for an inspector general to supervise the cash flow, is seriously wondering how much of the “aid” will be stolen by President Volodymyr Zelensky and his cronies. Ukraine has long been distinguished as the most corrupt country in Europe.

    Another revolting story concerns the murder of a Palestinian Christian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who also happens to be an American citizen. She was shot dead by an Israeli sniper who hit her in the neck in the small gap between a protective helmet and vest. She was covering Israeli Army violence directed against protesting Palestinians in the West Bank town of Jenin for al-Jazeera and the vest was labelled “Press” in large letters. Israel initially sought to blame her death on Palestinian “gunmen” who allegedly were in the area, but that story would not wash when confronted with the eyewitness testimony of others who were on the scene and it was eventually conceded that an Israeli soldier “might have” fired the fatal shot. Last Friday, preceding Shireen’s funeral at the Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Virgin in occupied East Jerusalem, Israeli police providing “security” were seen kicking and using batons to beat mourners seeking to carry the coffin from the hospital to the church. The police also hurled stun and smoke grenades into the crowd after several plastic water bottles were allegedly thrown in their direction. Abu Akleh’s home was also searched by police and it will no doubt be claimed that she was a “terrorist,” standard Israeli practice for many of those whom they murder.

    Whenever an American citizen is killed under questionable circumstances overseas it is the responsibility of the local US Embassy to demand an investigation and explanation of what occurred. To be sure, the ardently Zionist US Ambassador Thomas Nides in Jerusalem has called for an inquiry, but let’s see what happens in this case as the mainstream media conspires to make the story disappear even though a number of Democratic congressmen (and no Republicans) have called for a response. Former Israeli army spokesman Avi Benayahu has already opined that “Let’s assume Shireen Abu Akleh was shot dead by IDF. No need to apologize for that.” Nevertheless, some form of inquiry acceptable to Israel will no doubt take place, but the Israeli government and the country’s courts have a history of exonerating soldiers and armed settlers when they kill Palestinians. Recently, a Palestinian was sentenced to nine months in prison for slapping an armed settler who was threatening his family while Israeli soldiers and settlers who have killed non-threatening Palestinians, including children, rarely receive any punishment at all.

    And being an American citizen makes no difference. History tells us that Israel can kill Americans with impunity judging from the massacre of 34 American sailors on board the USS Liberty in 1967 and the Rachel Corrie murder-by-bulldozer in 2003. A Turkish-American boy Furkan Dogan who was on an aid ship to Gaza in 2010 was also murdered by Israeli soldiers who boarded the vessel, also killing eight others. No Israeli has been punished for any of the deaths.

    This has to stop but the problem is in Washington, not in Jerusalem. Israel kills and kills because it knows it can get away with it due to American enabling of the process. It is an embarrassment that a series of US Ambassadors to Israel have been little more than apologists for the Jewish state. And we have House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declaring “I have said to people when they ask me if this Capitol crumbled to the ground, the one thing that would remain is our commitment to our aid…and I don’t even call it aid…our cooperation with Israel. That’s fundamental to who we are.” Meanwhile President Joe Biden has self-declared as a “Zionist” while Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer calls himself in Hebrew the “shomer yisroel” or defender of Israel in the Senate. And then there is House Intelligence Committee head Adam Schiff’s son sporting a Mossad t-shirt. And what about the regular mass “pilgrimages” by groups of Congressmen to Israel during recesses, an exercise in obtaining the approval of whichever unindicted felon is in charge of that rogue country that pretends to pass for a “democracy”?

    As much as one would like to see all the traitors in Congress and the White House who give Israel a free pass on its monstrous behavior held accountable, such an outcome is unimaginable because enough of them have been bought or intimidated to such an extent that they remain silent or chant like a chorus in a Greek tragedy that “Israel has a right to defend itself.” And there is also the Jewish dominated mainstream media: the NY Times report on this latest murder had a headline reading that Shireen Abu Akleh had somehow “Died,” not that she was murdered by the Israelis, to whom the American taxpayer gives $10 million every single day! It is shameful and disgusting!

    A related tale also concerns Israel and the United States. David Brog is running for Congress from Nevada. Brog is the former executive director of Pastor John Hagee’s Texas-based Christians United For Israel even though he is Jewish. Indeed, he has made Israel the focal point of his campaign based on his contention that “he brings a lifetime of dedication and a depth of knowledge to lead on pro-Israel causes.” He has said “I don’t just want to be a friend of Israel. I want to be a leader on Israel and a champion of Israel… We have to be very quick to reach out and broaden our coalition to all people of goodwill who love Israel and hate antisemitism.”

    Brog, who is not from Nevada, has not surprisingly raised considerably more money than other GOP candidates vying for the position and he has also received the backing of former Trump administration Jewish officials, including David Friedman, the ex-US Ambassador to Israel, and Elan Carr, the special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism. Friedman and Carr co-hosted a virtual fundraiser for Brog two weeks ago.

    Brog is a one trick pony and his trick is to keep saying Israel over and over again to bring in the Shekels from the likes of Israel born Miriam Adelson, who inherited her husband’s casino fortune and lives in Las Vegas. It is disconcerting to see a politician running for national office in the United States so he can advance the interests of a foreign country, yet that is what Brog is doing openly. One would hope a lot of Nevada voters will see the issue in the same fashion, but Brog will have big bucks and the pro-Israel media supporting him. In any event, I have to wish the “malocchio” or evil eye on Brog and I hope he loses in his run and loses big. The United States does not need yet another ardent Israel booster in Congress or anywhere else in the public space!

    Another tale that is developing surrounds the publication of the latest tell-all book by a survivor of the Donald Trump administration. Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who was fired by Trump after the 2020 election, has described a series of catastrophic proposals by the president relating to national security and defense, including using missiles fired from the US to take on Mexican drug cartels. Another idea floated by Trump, if Esper is not lying, was to use soldiers to shoot protesters in Washington in the wake of the George Floyd death in Minneapolis in May 2020. Other former senior Trump officials have also been claiming that Trump often asked whether China had developed a top-secret hurricane gun that could be firing storms at the United States. And John Bolton, in his book, asserts that Trump asked if Finland were part of Russia.

    But to my mind the most interesting revelation made by Esper is the back story, also set in the Middle East, relating to the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in January 2020, which illustrates much that is wrong with the national security state that the United States has evolved into. According to Esper, Trump lied after the assassination was criticized by saying that Soleimani was actively preparing attacks on four American Embassies in the Mideast region. Esper confirms that there was no intelligence to back up that claim, but interestingly goes beyond that to make clear that there was no specific intelligence at all suggesting that such an attack was imminent or even being planned. There were only generic regional security threats that many embassies in the world respond to and make preparations to defend against.

    One recalls the back story at the time, with the Iraqi government claiming that Soleimani, widely regarded as the second most powerful official in Iran after the Ayatollah, was in Baghdad to discuss peace arrangements and that the US Embassy had been informed of his planned trip and had raised no objection to it. Instead, the US used the opportunity to launch an armed drone to kill him and nine Iraqi militia members that were accompanying him from the airport. In other words, there was no imminent threat, nor even a plausible threat, and the US went ahead any way and killed a senior Iranian government official. That is unambiguously a war crime. Will anyone be held accountable? Of course not!

    But finally there is also a bit of good news. The White House press secretary who is replacing Jen Psaki is Karine Jean-Pierre. She is a woman, black and lesbian, so clearly she passes the Democratic Party template for such a position but she lacks the mandatory Israel connection. It turns out that she once criticized the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and even called for it to be boycotted. She is already being attacked by the usual groups and individuals, so let’s see how long she lasts!

    Wooden Sculptures That Are So Realistic They’ll Leave Everyone With Goosebumps

    “I saw the image in a piece of material, and then I just set it free.” This is how many famous sculptors describe their work. Sometimes their creations are so uncannily realistic that you might feel a little scared looking at them, yet you’re unable to drag your gaze away.

    19s 30
    19s 30

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    18 30d

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    Fwd: Interview with US Col. Richard Black (ret.)

    Richard Black
    Richard Black

    “I found this interview of a Col. Richard Black (ret.) extremely interesting.  This guy is a US military man  who served 31 years in the Marines and in the Army, then served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1998 to 2006, and in the Virginia Senate from 2012 to 2020.
    It lasts over an hour, covers the US intervention in Syria, post-Yeltsin Russia, US political military strategy, Ukraine and US victory at all costs, and more.”
    .
    -Irene

    .

    Mike Billington with Executive Intelligence Review interviews Col. Richard Black (ret.).

    BILLINGTON: Hi, this is this is Mike Billington with Executive Intelligence Review and the Schiller Institute. I am here today with Col. Richard Black, Sen. Richard Black, who, after serving 31 years in the Marines and in the Army, then served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1998 to 2006, and in the Virginia Senate from 2012 to 2020. I’ll also allow Colonel Black to describe his military service himself.

    So, Colonel Black, welcome. With the with the U.S. and U.K. and NATO surrogate war with Russia, which is taking place in Ukraine, and the economic warfare being carried out directly against Russia, this has been accompanied by an information war which is intended to demonize Russia and especially President Vladimir Putin. One repeated theme is that the Russian military is carrying out ruthless campaigns of murder against civilians and destruction of residential areas, often referring to the Russian military operations in Syria, claiming that they had done the same thing in Syria, especially against Aleppo. These are supposedly examples of their war crimes and crimes against humanity.

    You have been a leading spokesman internationally for many years, exposing the lies about what took place in Syria and the war on Syria. So first, let me ask: How and why did Russia get involved in Syria militarily? And how does that contrast with the U.S. and NATO supposed justification for their military intervention in Syria?

    BLACK: Well, let me begin, if I could, by telling our listeners that I’m very patriotic: I volunteered to join the Marines and I volunteered to go to Vietnam. I fought in the bloodiest Marine campaign of the entire war. And I was a helicopter pilot who flew 269 combat missions. My aircraft was hit by ground fire on four missions. I, then, fought on the ground with the First Marine Division, and during one of the 70 combat patrols that I made, my radioman were both killed, and I was wounded while we were attacking and trying to rescue a surrounded Marine outpost.

    So I’m very pro-American. I actually was a part of NATO and was prepared to die in Germany, to defend against an attack by the Soviet Union.

    But Russia is not the Soviet Union at all. People don’t understand that because the media have not made it clear. But Russia is not a communist state; the Soviet Union was a communist state.

    Now, one of the things that I’ve seen claimed, that has been particularly irritating to me because of my experience with Syria: I have I have been in Aleppo city. Aleppo city is the biggest city in Syria, or it was at least before the war began. And there was a tremendous battle. Some some call it the “Stalingrad of the Syrian war,” which is not a bad comparison. It was a terribly bitter battle that went on from 2012 until 2016. In the course of urban combat, any forces that are fighting are forced to destroy buildings. Buildings are blown down on a massive scale. And this happens any time that you have urban combat. So I have walked the streets of Aleppo, while combat was still in progress. I have looked across, through a slit in the sandbags at enemy controlled territory; I’ve stood on tanks that were blown out and this type of thing.

    What I do know, and I can tell you about Aleppo is that Russia was extremely reluctant to get involved in combat in Syria. The war began in 2011, when the United States landed Central Intelligence operatives to begin coordinating with Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. And we had been unwavering supporters of Al Qaeda, since before the war formally began. We are supporters of Al Qaeda today, where they’re bottled up in Idlib province. The CIA supplied them under secret Operation Timber Sycamore. We gave them all of their anti-tank weapons, all of their anti air- missiles. And Al Qaeda has always been our proxy force on the ground. They, together with ISIS, have carried out the mission of the United States, together with a great number of affiliates that really are kind of interchangeable. You have the Free Syrian Army soldiers move from ISIS to Al Qaeda to Free Syrian Army, rather fluidly. And so we started that war.

    But the United States has a strategic policy of using proxies to engage in war. And our objective was to overthrow the legitimate government of Syria, and in order to do that, we employed proxy soldiers who were the most vile of all terrorists. Something very similar is happening right now in in Ukraine.

    But going back to Aleppo, the Syrian army, together with Hezbollah, which was very effective; there were some troops that were organized by Iran also, but it was pretty much a Syrian show, certainly directed by Syrian generals. And they had fought this bitter urban combat, very brutal, very deadly. And they had fought it for four years, before Russia ever joined the battle. So after four years, the city of Aleppo had enormous destruction. And at that point, the Russians, at the invitation of the legitimate government of Syria, entered the war. But unlike many of the media reports, they did not enter the war as a ground force.  Now, they had some small ground forces. They had military police, they had a few artillery units, a few special operations people, and quite a number of advisers and that sort of thing. But they were not a significant ground force.

    On the other hand, they were a significant and very effective air force, that supplemented the Syrian Air Force. But it really was just the last year of the war, the battle for Aleppo, just the last year, that they entered and their air power was very effective. And by this time, the Syrians had pretty well worn down the terrorist forces. And the Russian assistance was able to tip the balance, and Aleppo was the grand victory of the entire Syrian war.

    But to blame the Russians for the massive destruction that took place within Aleppo, it’s bizarre: Because they were not there, they were not even present when this happened. So this is simply another part of the propaganda narrative, which is which hasbeen very effective for the West, demonizing Russia, and making claims that have no substance. But people don’t remember the history of these things—they’re rather complex. So, no: Russia was not in any respect responsible for the massive destruction of the city of Aleppo.

    BILLINGTON: How would you contrast the methods of warfare followed by Russia, as opposed to the U.S. and allied forces in Syria?

    BLACK: Well, first of all, the American involvement, the United States war against Syria is a war of aggression. We put a highly secretive CIA special activities center—these are kind of the James Bond guys of the Central Intelligence Agency, total Machiavellian; they will do anything, there’s no it’s no holds barred with these guys. We sent them in and we started the war in Syria. The war didn’t exist until we sent the CIA to coordinate with Al Qaeda elements. So we began the war and we were not invited into Syria.

    In fact, the United States has seized, two significant parts of Syria. One is a very major part, the Euphrates River, carves off about a third of the northern part of Syria: The United States invaded that portion. We actually put troops on the ground, illegal—against any standard international law of war—it was it was a just a seizure. And this was this was something that was referred to by John Kerry, who was then the Secretary of State, and he was frustrated at the tremendous victory by the Syrian Armed Forces against Al Qaeda and ISIS. And he said, well, we probably need to move to Plan B. He didn’t announce what Plan B was, but it had it unfolded over time: Plan B was the American seizure of that northern portion of Syria. The importance of taking that part of Syria is, that it is the bread basket for all of the Syrian people. That is where the wheat—Syria actually had a significant wheat surplus and the people were very well fed in Syria, before the war. We wanted to take the wheat away, to cause famine among the Syrian people.

    The other thing we were able to do, is to seize the major part of the oil and natural gas fields. Those also were produced in that northern portion beyond the Euphrates River. And the idea was that, by stealing the oil and then the gas, we would be able to shut down the transportation system, and at the same time, during the Syrian winters, we could freeze to death the Syrian civilian population, which in many cases were living in rubble, where these terrorist armies, with mechanized divisions had attacked and just totally destroyed these cities, and left people just living in little pockets of rubble.

    We wanted to starve and we wanted to freeze to death the people of Syria, and that was Plan B.

    Now, we became frustrated at a certain point that somehow these Syrians, these darned Syrians—it’s a tiny little country, and why are these people resilient? They’re fighting against two-thirds of the entire military and industrial force of the world. How can a nation of 23 million people possibly withstand this for over a decade? And so we decided we had to take action or we were going totally lose Syria. And so the U.S. Congress imposed the Caesar sanctions. The Caesar sanctions were the most brutal sanctions ever imposed on any nation. During the Second World War, sanctions were not nearly as strict as they were on Syria.

    We weren’t at war with Syria! And yet we had a naval blockade around the country. We devalued their currency through the SWIFT system for international payments, making it impossible for them to purchase medications. So you had Syrian women who would contract breast cancer, just like we have here in this country. But instead, where in this country where breast cancer has become relatively treatable, we cut off the medical supplies so that the women in Syria would die of breast cancer because they could not get the medications, because we slam their dollars through the SWIFT system.

    One of the last things that we did and the evidence is vague on it, but there was a mysterious explosion in the harbor in Lebanon, and it was a massive explosion of a shipload of ammonium nitrate fertilizer. It killed hundreds of Lebanese people. It wounded thousands and thousands, destroyed the economy of Lebanon. And, most importantly, it destroyed the banking system of Lebanon, which was one of the few lifelines remaining to Syria. I don’t think that explosion was accidental. I think it was orchestrated, and I suspect that the Central Intelligence Agency was aware of the nation that carried out that action to destroy Beirut Harbor.

    But throughout you see this this Machiavellian approach, where we use unlimited force and violence. And at the same time, we control the global media, to where we erase all discussions of what’s truly happening. So, to the man or the woman in the street, they think things are fine. Everything is being done for altruistic reasons, but it’s not.

    BILLINGTON: Part of your military service was as a JAG officer, and for a period of time, you were the Army’s head of the criminal law division at the Pentagon. And in that light, what do you see as of how these Caesar sanctions—how would you look at those from the perspective of international law and military law?

    BLACK: Well, now, I was not the international law expert. I was the criminal law expert. But I would say that making war on a civilian population is a crime of grave significance in the law of war.

    One of the things that we did as we as we allied ourselves with Al Qaeda, and on and off with ISIS; I mean, we fought ISIS in a very serious way, but at the same time, we often employed them to use against the Syrian government. So it’s kind of a love-hate. But we have always worked with the terrorists. They were the core.

    One of the policies that was followed was that under this extreme version of Islam, this Wahhabism, there was this notion that you possess a woman that you seize with your strong right arm in battle. And this goes back to the seventh century. And so we facilitated the movement of Islamic terrorists from 100 countries, and they came and they joined ISIS, they joined Al Qaeda, they joined the Free Syrian Army, all of these different ones. And one of the things that they knew when they arrived is that they were lawfully entitled to murder the husbands—I’m not talking about military people, I’m talking about civilians—they could murder the husbands, they could kill them, and then they could possess and own their wives and their children.

    And they did it in vast numbers.

    And so there was there was a campaign of rape, it was an organized campaign of rape across the nation of Syria. And there actually were slave markets that that arose in certain of these rebel areas where they actually had price lists of the different women.

    And interestingly, the highest prices went to the youngest children, because there were a great number of pedophiles. And the pedophiles wanted to possess small children, because under the laws that were applied, they were permitted to rape these children repeatedly. They were able to rape the widows of the slain soldiers or the slain civilians, and possess them and buy them and sell them among themselves. This went on.

    I’m not saying that the CIA created this policy, but they understood that it was a widespread policy, and they condoned it. They never criticized it in any way.

    This was so bad, that I spoke with President Assad, who shared with me that they were in the process—when I visited in 2016; I was in a number of battle zones, and in the capital. And I met with the President, and he said that at that time, they were working on legislation in the parliament, to change the law of citizenship. They had always followed the Islamic law, which was that that a child citizenship derived from the father. But there were so many tens, hundreds of thousands of Syrian women impregnated by these terrorists who were imported into Syria, that it was necessary to change the law, so that they would have Syrian citizenship and they wouldn’t have to be returned to their ISIS father in Saudi Arabia, or in Tunisia. They could be retained in Syria. And I checked later and that law was passed and was implemented.

    But it just shows the utter cruelty. When we fight these wars, we have no limits on the cruelty and the inhumanity that we’re prepared to impose on the people, making them suffer, so that somehow that will translate into overthrowing the government, and perhaps taking their oil, taking their resources.

    BILLINGTON: Clearly, the policy against Russia today, by the current administration.

    BLACK: Yes. Yes. You know, Russia is, perhaps more blessed with natural resources than any other nation on Earth. They are a major producer of grain, of oil, of aluminum, of fertilizers, of an immense number of things that tie into the whole global economy. And no doubt there are people who look at this and say, “if we could somehow break up Russia itself, there will be fortunes made, to where trillionaires will be made by the dozens.” And there’s some attraction to that. Certainly you’ve seen some of this taking place already, with foreign interests taking over Ukraine, and taking their vast resources.

    But, we began a drive towards Russia, almost immediately after the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. The Soviet Union dissolved, the Warsaw Pact dissolved. And unfortunately, one of the great tragedies of history is that we failed to dissolve NATO. The sole purpose of NATO was to defend against the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union no longer existed. NATO went toe toe with the Warsaw Pact. The Warsaw Pact was gone; it no longer existed. There was no purpose in NATO’s continuing to exist. However, we retained it, and it could not exist unless it had an enemy. Russia was desperate to become part of the West.

    I met with the head of Gazprom, the largest corporation in Russia, And this was shortly after the demise of the Soviet Union, and he described for me how they were struggling to have their media be as free as it was in the West. And they perceived us as being much more free and open than we were. And he said, you know, we’ve got this problem because we have this uprising in Chechnya, which is part of Russia. And he said the Chechnyan rebels send videos to Russian television and we play them on Russian television, because that’s the way freedom of speech works.

    And I said, “Are you kidding me?” I said, “You’re publishing the enemy propaganda films?” He said, “Yeah.” He said, “Isn’t that the way you do it in the United States?” I said, “No.  In the Second World War, we took the head of the Associated Press and we put him in charge of wartime censorship, and it was very strict.”

    So but this is just an example of how they were struggling. They went from being an officially atheist country, to where they became the most Christianized major nation in Europe, by far. Not only were the people, the most Christianized people in any major country in Europe, but the government itself was very supportive of the church, of the Christian faith.

    They altered their Constitution to say that marriage was the union of one man and one woman.

    They became very restrictive on the practice of abortion. They ended the practice of overseas adoptions, where some people were going to Russia and adopting little boys for immoral purposes. So they became a totally different culture and.

    In any event, the United States has this long-standing strategy, this political-military strategy, of expanding the empire. We did it in the Middle East, where we attempted to create a massive neocolonial empire. It’s it became rather frayed. The people did not want it. And it seems to be doomed to extinction sometime—but it may go on for another 100 years. But in any event, we are trying to do something similar, as we roll to the East, right up virtually to the Russian border.

    BILLINGTON:  So, the U.S. and U.K. position on the war in Ukraine, just over these last few weeks has now become not only supporting the war, but victory at all costs. This has been declared by Defense Secretary Austin and others. And they are pumping in huge quantities of not only defensive but offensive military weaponry to the Kyiv regime. What do you see as the consequence of this policy?

    BLACK: I think one thing that it will do is it will ensure that a tremendous number of innocent Ukrainian soldiers will die needlessly. A lot of Russian soldiers will die needlessly. These are kids. You know, kids go off to war. I went off to war as a kid. You think your country, right or wrong, everything they’re doing is fine. It just it breaks my heart, when I look at the faces of young Russian boys, who have been who have been gunned down—in some cases very criminally by Ukrainian forces. And likewise, I see Ukrainian young men, who are being slaughtered on the battlefield.

    We don’t care!

    The United States and NATO, we do not care how many Ukrainians die.

    Not civilians, not women, not children, not soldiers. We do not care. It’s become a great football game. You know, we’ve got our team. They’ve got their team, rah rah. We want to get the biggest score and run it up. And, you know, we don’t care how many how many of our players get crippled on the playing field, as long as we win.

    Now, we are shipping fantastic quantities of weapons, and it’s caused the stock of Raytheon, which creates missiles, and Northrop Grumman, which creates aircraft and missiles, all of these defense industries have become tremendously bloated with tax dollars. I don’t think it’s ultimately going to change the outcome.

    I think that Russia will prevail.

    The Ukrainians are in a very awkward strategic position in the East.

    But if you look at the way that this unfolded, President Putin made a desperate effort to stop the march towards war back in December of 2021. He went so far as to put specific written proposals on the table with NATO, peace proposals to defuse what was coming about.

    Because at this point, Ukraine was massing troops to attack the Donbas. And so, he was trying to head this off.

    He didn’t want war.

    And NATO just blew it off, just dismissed it; never took it seriously, never went into serious negotiations.

    At that point, Putin seeing that armed Ukrainians, with weapons to kill Russian troops were literally on their borders, decided he had to strike first.

    Now, you could see, that this was not this was not some preplanned attack. This was not like Hitler’s attack into Poland, where the standard rule of thumb, is that you always have a 3-to-1 advantage when you are the attacker. You have to mass three times as many tanks and artillery and planes and men, as the other side has. In fact, when Russia went in, they went in with what they had, what they could cobble together on short notice.

    And they were outnumbered by the Ukrainian forces.

    The Ukrainian forces had about 250,000.

    The Russians had perhaps 160,000. So instead of having three times as many, they actually had fewer troops than the Ukrainians. But they were forced to attack, to try to preempt the battle that was looming, where the Ukrainians had massed these forces against the Donbas.

    Now, the Donbas is adjacent to Russia.

    It is a portion of Ukraine that did not join with the revolutionary government that conducted the coup in 2014 and overthrew the government of Ukraine. They refused to become a part of the new revolutionary government of Ukraine. And so they declared their independence.

    And Ukraine had massed this enormous army to attack against the Donbas.

    And so Russia was forced to go in to preempt that planned attack by Ukraine.

    And you could see that Russia very much hoped that they could conduct this special operation without unduly causing casualties for the Ukrainians, because they think of the Ukrainians, or at least they did think of the Ukrainians as brother Slavs; that they wanted to have good relations.

    But there is a famous picture with a Russian tank, that had been stopped by a gathering of maybe 40 civilians who just walked out in the road and blocked the road and the tank stopped.

    I can tell you, in Vietnam, if we had had a bunch of people who stood in the way of an American tank, going through, that tank would not have slowed down, in the slightest!

    It wouldn’t honk the horn, it wouldn’t have done anything; wouldn’t have fired a warning shot. It would have just gone on. And I think that’s more typical—I’m not I’m not criticizing the Americans. I was there and I was fighting, and I probably would have would have driven the tank straight through myself.

    But what I’m saying is that the rules of engagement for the Russians were very, very cautious.

    They didn’t want to create a great deal of hatred and animosity.

    The Russians did not go in—they did not bomb the electrical system, the media systems, the water systems, the bridges and so forth. They tried to retain the infrastructure of Ukraine in good shape because they wanted it to get back. They just wanted this to be over with and get back to normal. It didn’t work. The Ukrainians, the resistance was unexpectedly hard. The Ukrainian soldiers fought with great, great valor, great heroism. And. And so now the game has been upped and it’s become much more serious.

    But it is amazing to look and to see that Russia dominates the air. They haven’t knocked out the train systems. They haven’t knocked out power plants. They haven’t knocked out so many things. They’ve never bombed the buildings in the center of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine; they haven’t bombed the buildings where the parliament meets. They’ve been incredibly reserved about these things, hoping against hope that peace could be achieved.

    But I don’t think I don’t think Ukraine has anything to do with the decision about peace or war.

    I think the decision about peace or war is made in Washington, D.C. As long as we want the war to continue, we will fight that war, using Ukrainians as proxies, and we will fight it to the last Ukrainian death.

    BILLINGTON: How do you project the potential of a war breaking out directly between the United States and Russia? And what would that be like?

    BLACK: You know, if you go back to the First World War in 1914, you had the assassination of the Archduke of Austria-Hungary. He and his wife were killed. As a result of those two people being killed, you had a domino effect of all of these alliances, and anger, and media hysteria. And before it was over, I think it was 14 million people had been killed. It’s always hard to get true numbers, but anyway, it was an enormous number of millions of people who died as a result of that.

    We need to recognize the risk of playing these games of chicken. Where, for example, the Turkish media just published an article saying that at Mariupol, where there was a great siege, that the Russians ultimately won.

    The one area they haven’t taken over is this tremendous steel plant.

    There are a lot of Ukrainian soldiers who are holed up there. And now it has come to light that apparently there are 50 French senior officers, who are trapped in that steel plant along with the Ukrainians.

    The French soldiers have been on the ground fighting, directing the battle. And this was kept under wraps, ultra-secret, because of the French elections that just occurred. Had the French people known that there were a large number of French officers trapped and probably going to die in that steel plant, the elections would have gone the other way: Marine Le Pen would have won. And so it was very important that for the entire deep state, that it not come to light that these French officers were there.

    We know that there are NATO officers who are present on the ground in Ukraine as advisors and so forth. We run the risk. Now, my guess is—and this is this is a guess, I could be wrong—but the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the Moskva, was sunk as a result of being struck by anti-ship missiles.

    My guess is that those missiles, I think there’s a good chance they were fired by the French. Now, I could be wrong, but those missiles are so ultra-sensitive and so dangerous to our ships, that I don’t think that NATO would trust the missiles to Ukrainians, or to anybody else. I think I think they have to be maintained under NATO control and operation.

    So I think that it was probably NATO forces that actually sunk the Moskva.

    And you can see we’re taking these very reckless actions, and each time we sort of up the ante—I happen to be a Republican—but we have two Republican U.S. senators who have said that, “well, we might just need to use nuclear weapons against Russia.”

    That is insane.

    I think it’s important that people begin to discuss what a thermonuclear war would mean.

    Now, we need to understand, we think, “oh, we’re big, and we’re bad, and we have all this stuff.”

    Russia is roughly comparable to the United States in nuclear power.

    They have hypersonic missiles, that we do not have. They can absolutely evade any timely detection, and they can fire missiles from Russia and reach San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., New York City.

    And if you think about just Virginia, where I happen to live, if there were a nuclear war—and keep in mind, they also have a very large and effective fleet of nuclear submarines that lie off the coast of the United States.

    They have a great number of nuclear-tipped missiles, and they can evade any defenses we have.

    So just in Virginia, if you look at it, all of Northern Virginia would be essentially annihilated.

    There would hardly be any human life remaining in Loudoun County, Prince William County, Fairfax County, Arlington, Alexandria. The Pentagon lies in in Arlington County:

    The Pentagon would simply be a glowing mass of molten sand.

    There would be no human life there.

    And there would be no human life for many miles around it. Just across the Potomac, the nation’s capital, there would be no life remaining in the nation’s capital. The Capitol building would disappear forever.

    All of the monuments, all of these glorious things—nothing would remain.

    If you go to the coast of Virginia, you have the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, you have the Port of Norfolk. You have you have the greatest accumulation of naval power on the face of the Earth. This is where we park all of our aircraft carriers, our nuclear submarines, all of those things. There would be nothing remaining.

    There would be nothing remaining of any of those shipping industries there.

    And you can carry this on.

    You talk about New York City, probably New York City itself, not only would everybody be killed, but it would probably be impossible for people to inhabit New York City for hundreds of years afterwards. But not only would it cease to be a place of vibrant human life, but probably going out for maybe half a millennium, it would not recover any sort of civilization.

    We need to understand the gravity of what we’re doing.

    Perhaps if it were a matter of life and death for the United States, what happens in Ukraine, that would be one thing. Certainly when the Soviet Union put missiles in Cuba, that targeted the United States, that was worth taking the risk, because it was right on our border and it threatened us. And it was it was a battle worth fighting for and a risk worth taking.

    The Russians are in this in exactly the mirror image of that situation, because for them, the life of Russia depends on stopping NATO from advancing further right into Ukraine, right to their borders.

    They cannot afford not to fight this war.

    They cannot afford not to win this war.

    So I think, toying with this constant escalation in a war that, really, in a place that has no significance to Americans—Ukraine is meaningless to Americans; it has no impact on our day-to-day lives. And yet we’re playing this reckless game that risks the lives of all people in the United States and Western Europe for nothing! Just absolutely for nothing!

    BILLINGTON: Many flag grade officers certainly understand the consequences that you just described in a rather hair-raising way. Why is it that, while there are some generals speaking out in Italy, in France, in Germany, warning that we are pursuing a course that could lead to nuclear war, why are there not such voices from flag grade officers—retired, perhaps—saying what you’re saying here today?

    BLACK: You know, there’s been a tremendous deterioration in the quality of flag officers, going back to, well, certainly the 1990s.

    We had very, very fine flag officers, during the time I was on active duty—I left in ‘94—just superior quality people.

    But what happened is, subsequently, we had President Clinton take over, later, we had Obama. We’ve got Biden now. And they apply a very strict political screen to their military officers.

    And so, we now have “yes men.”

    These are not people whose principal devotion is to the United States and its people. Their principal devotion is to their careers and their ability to network with other military officers upon retirement. There’s a very strong network that can place military generals into think tanks, where they promote war, into organizations like Raytheon and Northrop Grumman, and all of these defense operations, where they can get on boards and things like that.

    So there’s quite a personal price that you pay for saying, “Hey, stop. War is not in the interests of the American people.” If we had a better quality of individual, we would have people with the courage who would say, “I don’t care what it costs me personally.”

    But it is very difficult to get into the senior ranks, if you are an individual guided by principle, and patriotism, and devotion to the people of this nation. That’s just not how it works. And at some point, we need a President who will go in and shake the tree, and bring a lot of these people falling down from it, because they’re dangerous.

    They’re very dangerous to America.

    BILLINGTON: Helga Zepp-LaRouche and the Schiller Institute have a petition — and we held a conference on April 9th on the same theme — that the only way to really stop this descent into hell and into potential nuclear holocaust is for a new Peace of Westphalia. In this case, an international conference to secure a new security architecture and a new development architecture, the right to development for all countries. And like the Peace of Westphalia, one in which all sides sit down together, recognize their interests, their sovereign interests, as including the sovereign interests of the others, and forgiving all past crimes. Anything short of that is going to keep this division of the world into warring blocs. Just like I asked what’s keeping the generals from speaking out, why, and what will it take, to get Americans to recognize that we can and must sit down with Russians, and with Chinese, and with all other nations and establish a true, just world based on the dignity of man and the right to development and security?

    BLACK: I think, unfortunately, there’s going to have to be enormous pain to drive that, just as there was with the Peace of Westphalia. A nuclear war would do it; an economic cataclysm of unprecedented proportions, resulting from the unbridled printing of money that we’ve engaged in over the last 20 years, there are things that could bring it about.

    But at this point, the media have been so totally censored and so biased that the American people really don’t have a perception of the need for anything of that sort. It’s going to be difficult.

    You know, here’s something that’s interesting that has happened. Here in this country, you would think the entire world is against Russia.

    It’s not.

    In fact, there are major countries of the world that lean towards Russia in this war, starting with China, but then Brazil, you’ve got South Africa, Saudi Arabia—a wide array of countries. India. India is tremendously supportive of Russia.

    The idea that somehow we have this enormously just cause, it doesn’t strike a great deal of the world that it is just, and much of the world does not accept the latest propaganda about war crimes: this thing about Bucha. That’s probably the most prominent of all the war crimes discussions.

    And what was Bucha?

    There was a film taken of a vehicle driving down the road in Bucha, which had been recaptured from the Russians. And every hundred feet or so there was some person with his hands, zip tied behind his back, and he’d been killed. It was not announced until four days after the Ukrainians had retaken Bucha.

    Now, we knew almost nothing about it. We actually didn’t even have proof that people had been killed. But assuming they had, we didn’t know where they had been killed. We did not know who they were. We did not know who killed them. We did not know why they were killed. No one could provide an adequate motive for the Russians to have killed them. The Russians held Bucha for a month. If they were going to kill them, why didn’t they kill them during that month? And if you’re going to slaughter a bunch of people, wouldn’t they all be in one place and wouldn’t you gun them all down there? Why would they be distributed along a roadside, a mile along the way? It makes no sense!

    What we do know is that four days after the mayor of Bucha joyously announced that the city was liberated, four days after the Ukrainian army had moved in, and their special propaganda arm of the Ukrainian military were there, all of a sudden there were these dead people on the road. How come they weren’t there when the Russians were there? How come they only appeared after the Russians were gone?

    If I were looking at it as simply a standard criminal case, and I was talking to Criminal Investigation Division or the FBI, or military police or something, I’d say, “OK, the first thing, let’s take a look at the Ukrainians.” My guess would be, and you start with a hunch when you’re investigating a crime—my hunch is that the Ukrainians killed off these people after they moved in, and after they looked around, and said, “OK, who was friendly towards the Russian troops while the Russians were here? We’re going to execute them.” That would be my guess. Because I don’t see any motive for the Russians to have just killed a few people on their way out of town.

    And nobody questions this, because the corporate media are so monolithic. We know for a fact, from the mouth of the head of a Ukrainian hospital, the guy who ran the hospital, he boasted that he had given strict orders to all of his doctors, that when wounded Russian POWs, when casualties were brought in, they were to be castrated. Now, this is a horrific war crime, admitted from the mouth of the hospital administrator, and the Ukrainian government said, “we’ll kind of look into that,” Like it’s no big thing.

    I can’t think of a more horrific, horrific war crime, ever.

    Where did you hear about it, on ABC and MSNBC and CNN and FOX News? Not a whisper. And yet the proof is undeniable. We had another clip where there was a POW gathering point, where the Ukrainians would bring POWs to a central point for processing—and this is about a seven-minute video—and the Ukrainian soldiers simply gunned them all down. And they had probably 30 of these wounded Russian soldiers lying on the ground, some of them clearly dying from their wounds. Some of them, they put plastic bags over their heads.

    Now, these are these are guys who are laying there, sometimes fatally wounded with their hands zip-tied behind their backs, and they’ve got plastic bags over their heads, making it difficult to breathe. And because they can’t raise their hands, they can’t take the bags off, so that they can breathe. At the end of the video, the Ukrainians bring in a van, and there are three unwounded Russian POWs.

    Without the slightest thought or hesitation, as the three come off, and their hands are bound behind their backs, they gunned down two of them, right on camera and they fall over. And the third one gets on his knees, and begs that they won’t hurt him. And then they gun him down!

    These are crimes.

    And these were not refuted by the Ukrainian government. But you’d never even know that they occurred! So far, I will tell you that the only proven—I’m not saying that there aren’t war crimes happening on both sides. I’m just telling you, that the only ones where I have seen, fairly irrefutable proof of war crimes, have been on the Ukrainian side.

    Now, often you hear it said, well, the Russians have destroyed this or destroyed that. Well, I’ve got to tell you, you go back to the wars that we fought when we invaded Iraq, the “Shock and Awe,” we destroyed virtually everything in Iraq, everything of significance. We bombed military and civilian targets without much discrimination.

    The coalition flew 100,000 sorties in 42 days. You compare that to the Russians, who have only flown 8,000 sorties in about the same period of time. 100,000 American sorties versus 8,000, in about the same time.  I think the Russians have tended to be more selective.

    Whereas we went out — the philosophy of Shock and Awe is that you destroy everything that is needed to sustain human life and for a city to function. You knock out the water supply, the electrical supply, the heat, the oil, the gasoline; so that you knock out all of the major bridges. And then you just continue to destroy everything.

    So it’s really ironic. And keep in mind, Iraq is a relatively small country. Ukraine is a huge country. 100,000 sorties in 42 days, 8,000 sorties in about the same time. A tremendous difference in violence between what we did in Iraq, and what they have done in Ukraine. So there’s simply no credibility when you actually get down to the facts and you look at the way that the war has been conducted.

    BILLINGTON: Well. Senator Black, Colonel Black.  I think the way you have described the horror that’s already taking place, and considering that we can’t wait for a nuclear war to provoke a new a Peace of Westphalia, I would suggest that what you have described is already horrific enough. And when combined with the hyperinflationary breakdown now sweeping the Western world, with everybody being affected, we believe that we have to take that as the adequate horror, and a recognition of a descent into a dark age, to motivate citizens in Europe, in the United States.

    We are finding that there is a waking up of people who have not wanted to look at their responsibility to the human race as a whole in the past, but who now are forced to consider that, which is the basis on which we’ve called for this, in this petition, for an international conference of all nations, with the U.S., Russia, China, India and so forth, sitting down to end this horror; but to also bring about a true peace for mankind and an era of peace through development.

    And we thank you for giving this breath of ugly truth to a population which needs to hear it. If you have any final thoughts, I ask you to give your final greetings.

    BLACK:  I’ll just add one thing, and I thank the Schiller Institute for the tremendous effort that you’ve made towards achieving world peace. It is one of the most important efforts ever made, and I certainly applaud that.

    If you look at Russia, the Russian troops that went into battle in Ukraine, for the most part had never experienced combat. This is a peacetime army. Russia doesn’t fight overseas wars. Syria is the only significant overseas engagement that they have had. You compare that with the United States, where literally speaking, if a soldier retires today after a 30-year career in the military, he will not have served a single day when the United States was at peace. Kind of an amazing thing. And you contrast that with the Russian military, where, with few exceptions, the country has been at peace.

    So we really need to start thinking about peace and about the limits of warfare, this idea that somehow we need a zero sum game where we take from you and that enhances us. We’re in a world where everyone can gain and prosper by peace. But I’m concerned that the hyperinflation may be the wake-up call that jolts the world into a recognition that we must have a new paradigm for the future, and I think the Peace of Westphalia at that point might become a possibility.

    So thank you again for the opportunity to be here. There’s always hope and I think there’ll be good things in the future, with the blessings of God.

    BILLINGTON: And thank you very much from Schiller Institute, The LaRouche Organization, and EIR.  We’ll get this posted as quickly as we possibly can, because it’s going to have a tremendous impact. Thank you.

    BLACK: Thank you very much.

    1981 SAAB 906 Turbo, Sweden’s 6-Wheeled Colossal With Full Variety of Gadgets

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    There aren’t a lot of six-wheeled cars out there and often they’re one-of-a-kind mods like this Saab 906 Turbo. It was built by designer Leif Mellberg and it’s the biggest Saab that was ever built.

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    The car started its life as a 1981 900 GLS, which he then extended by nearly two feet, giving the car a total length of 209 inches. Mellberg wasn’t content to only make his creation longer. He also made it wider, so this 906 Turbo was a beast.

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    A car this impressive in size needed to have an equally impressive interior, so it’s loaded up with all sorts of features that were very high-end when the car was built back in 1984. It had a video screen, a 16-speaker stereo system, fridge/freezer/heater cabinets, a police radio, and radar detector. Probably, at the time, most well-equipped car in Sweden.

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    The car did not serve as a transport vehicle such as Leif originally planned, and became a rolling advertisement for his company Mellbergs custom. Unfortunately, the car was 20 years ago ended up at the junkyard in Varberg.

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    Bacon-Wrapped Barbecue Pork Tenderloin

    This sure-to-please roast is quick and simple to prepare, but guaranteed to impress. Pork tenderloin is wrapped in bacon and glazed with a smoky, slightly spicy, slightly sweet barbecue sauce.

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    cce10f50 4884 4ded 8086 5a291fa280f6

    Ingredients

    • 8 slices bacon
    • 2 pork tenderloins (about 1 lb each)
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
    • 1/3 cup Annie’s™ Naturals organic sweet & spicy BBQ sauce
    • 1 tablespoon finely chopped chipotle chile in adobo sauce
    • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

    Steps

    • 1
      Heat oven to 425°F. Line 15x10x1-inch pan with heavy-duty foil; spray foil with cooking spray.
    • 2
      Microwave bacon between layers of microwavable paper towels on microwavable plate 3 to 4 minutes or just until edges begin to brown but are still soft and pliable. Cut each piece in half crosswise.
    • 3
      Season tenderloins with salt and pepper; place in pan. Arrange bacon pieces diagonally over top of pork, pressing bacon over sides.
    • 4
      In small bowl, mix barbecue sauce, chipotle chile and cumin. Brush tops of each tenderloin with glaze. Bake tenderloins 30 to 35 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted in center of pork reads 145°F. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

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    2022 05 19 16 31

    Will The First Public UFO Hearing In Congress In 50 Years Help Set The Stage For A Great Delusion Of Epic Proportions?

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    MM, comment: do not hold your breath. -MM

    Why have they suddenly decided to reveal so much?  For decades, a very thick cloak of secrecy has surrounded what the government really knows about UFOs, but now our politicians are talking openly about such things.  In fact, Congress just held their very first public hearing about UFOs in 50 years.  So what has changed?  If anything happens in Washington, it is usually because someone has an underlying agenda.  Could it be possible that we are being prepared for some sort of a huge revelation?

    To me, it is clear that something is up.

    And I think that it says a lot that the power structures in our society are now treating this topic very seriously.  At this point, even CNN is admitting that UFOs are no longer being “relegated to the fringes of public policy”…

    Key lawmakers warned at a House hearing on Tuesday that unidentified aerial phenomena — popularly known as UFOs — must be investigated and taken seriously as a potential threat to national security.
    
    The event marked the first congressional public hearing on UFOs in decades, a high-profile moment for a controversial topic that has long been relegated to the fringes of public policy.

    During the hearing on Tuesday, U.S. officials confessed that there have been at least 400 “unexplained sightings” by members of our military…

    US SPY chiefs were grilled by lawmakers in a historic hearing on UFOs as dramatic videos of two sightings were shown.
    
    Security officials were forced to admit there have been 400 unexplained sightings reported by the US military .

    That number is very different from the number that we were given in 2021.

    Late last year, the Pentagon told us that there were just 144 unexplained sightings.

    But now we are being told that the real number is nearly triple the original number.

    And on Tuesday we were also told that there have been “11 near misses” with U.S. military aircraft…

    They also confessed there have been 11 near misses with unidentified objects and US military aircraft, and they are probing incidents where craft may have attempted “jam” US planes.

    So let me get this straight.

    11 different times our aircraft were almost hit by other aircraft that we simply cannot identify?

    Why weren’t we told about this a long time ago?

    Of course there is so much more that the Pentagon is choosing not to tell us.  According to Politico, one Defense Department official is freely admitting that there is a great deal that is not being publicly revealed…

    “Without forcing peoples’ hand, it is going to be very difficult to uncover legacy ventures and programs that we know about based on oral interviews we dug up,” said a Defense Department official who is involved in the new effort but was not authorized to speak publicly. “There has to be a forcing mechanism.”
    
    “There has to be something to hold people accountable but also give them a chance to come out clean for a period of time,” the official added, noting that in his experience the Pentagon oversight group has been “stonewalled.”

    That same official went on to explain that the people that are refusing to come forward are protecting some “very interesting information”.

    I would definitely like to know what that “very interesting information” is.

    Wouldn’t you?

    I think that most of the population would be completely floored if everything that the government knows was finally put on the table.

    According to one member of Congress, our military has actually recovered physical wreckage from a UFO that crashed…

    A CONGRESSMAN has claimed the US has wreckage recovered from a UFO as the phenomena takes centre stage today in Washington.
    
    Rep. Tim Burchett – a long term advocate for disclosure – told The Sun Online he has been informed by reliable sources that “material” has been recovered from the objects or craft that have been reported in skies over the US.

    So why can’t the American people know about this?

    What are they trying to hide from us?

    Burchett says that he can’t say more because this information was given to him in a “classified setting”

    The Tennessee Republican declined to elaborate further as he said the information had been passed to him in a “classified setting”.
    
    “I’ve been told by multiple sources we have recovered something from these [crafts or objects],” Mr Burchett told The Sun Online.

    It is so frustrating to hear about this and know that we will probably never be given the specific details.

    The American people deserve the truth, but so much is being purposely hidden.

    Lue Elizondo, a former senior staffer at the Pentagon, says that there has been much speculation in military circles about the true source of these unidentified craft

    ‘People jump to speculation that it’s from the Pleiades or something like that, when in fact one of the hypothesis when I was in AATIP was this could be as natural to Earth as we are, but we are just at a point where technologically we aren’t advanced enough we can collect information on it and begin to try to figure out what it is,’ he said.
    
    ‘There’s been another hypothesis that these things are possibly from underwater and as outlandish as it may seem, there is some anecdotal evidence that supports all of these observations, so what we want to do is try to get as much data on the table as we can before we start eliminating,’ said Elizondo.

    He said way too much right there, because he got way too close to details that we aren’t supposed to know about.

    If he keeps talking like that, he could end up being killed.

    Because even though our officials are now talking more openly about UFOs, there are still many things that they would very much prefer to keep secret.

    In my latest book, I talk extensively about the great deception that I believe is coming.

    These unidentified aircraft are very real, and every year they are spotted thousands upon thousands of times all over the globe.

    Now this subject is being brought out into the spotlight, and that should make all of us very nervous.

    Mother Creates An Amazing Cardboard Kitchen For Her Daughter

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    Rodessa Villanueva-Reyes went above and beyond to create a play kitchen for her young daughter. It may look like a store-bought kitchen, but it was crafted almost entirely from cardboard boxes! It’s a beautiful DIY project that every kid would love to have, and Rodessa was kind enough to share the instructions with anyone interested in making something like this for their own child.

    The first step was determining a shape and organizing the boxes accordingly.

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    Then draw the outlines each box where you want to place the doors.

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    A combination of vinyl stickers and paper cover the cardboard.

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    Just add your children’s kitchen toys.

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    Add your child’s name and they’ll have their own little restaurant!

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    To install a sink, cut a circle in the cardboard and fill it with a pot. The “faucet” is just an old soap dispenser.

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    Jar caps can be used for the dials on the stove.

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    How cool is this?

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    “Smiling mom sitting on the grass, 1960s”

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    British Government Admits: COVID-19 Vaccines PERMANENTLY DAMAGE Natural Immune System

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    The UK government admits that the COVID-19 Experimental mRNA “vaccine” has damaged the natural immune system of those who have been double-dosed.

    The government has confessed that double-vaxxed (or more) people, will never  — ever  — be able to acquire full natural immunity to COVID variants – or possibly any other virus.

    Keen observers of this COVID debacle are now saying “The real pandemic will now begin”  because all the people whose immune systems are permanently damaged, may not be able to fight-off __any__ future viral infection!

    In its Week 42 “COVID-19 Vaccine Surveillance Report,” (Direct Link HERE) the UK Department of Health admits on page 23 that:

    N antibody levels appear to be lower in people who become infected after two doses of [the vax].”

    It goes on to say that this drop in antibodies is essentially – get this – permanent.

    What does this mean? Well, we know that the wacky vax does not prevent infection or transmission of the China virus (indeed, the report elsewhere shows that vaxxed adults are now much more likely to be infected than unvaxxed ones).

    The British now find that the vax interferes with the body’s ability to make antibodies after infection not only against the spike protein but also against other parts of the virus.

    In particular, vaxxed persons do not appear to form antibodies against the nucleocapsid protein – the envelope of the virus (which is a crucial part of the response in unvaccinated people).

    In the long term, the vaxxed are far more susceptible to any mutations in the COVID spike protein, even if they have already been infected and cured once or more.

    The unvaccinated, on the other hand, gain lasting – if not permanent – immunity to all strains of the alleged virus after being naturally infected with it even once.

    A win-win for those who kept their heads, and didn’t buy-into all the COVID hype.

    A no-win for those who went with the crowd, or were willfully obtuse, intellectually lazy, or arrogant.

    Scott Ritter’s Switcheroo: “Why I Radically Changed My Overall Assessment”

    From HERE

    On Sunday, the foreign policy blogs were abuzz with the news that Scott Ritter had done “an about-face in his assessment of the war”. It appears that the ex-Marine had examined recent developments in Ukraine and concluded that it’s going to be much harder for Russia to win than he had originally thought..

    Naturally, the news of Ritter’s reversal sent shockwaves across the internet, especially among the people who follow events in Ukraine closely and who greatly admire his even-handed analysis. Some of these people clearly felt betrayed by Ritter’s comments and blasted him as a “concern troll” which refers to a person who feigns sympathy while actually feeling the opposite. This is a terrible way to treat a guy who’s devoted so much of his time to informing people about an issue of which they might know very little without his research. Besides, Ritter is no hypocrite. Quite the contrary.

    It’s fair to say, however, that Ritter has probably been the most outspoken proponent of the “Russia is winning” theory, a hypothesis that runs counter to everything we read in the legacy media or see on the cable news channels. Unfortunately, Ritter’s views on the matter have changed dramatically, and that’s due almost entirely to developments on the ground. As Ritter candidly admits, “The military aid the west is providing to Ukraine is changing the dynamic and if Russia doesn’t find a way to address this meaningfully… the conflict will never end.”

    That’s quite a turnaround from a statement he made just weeks earlier that, “Russia is winning the war, and winning it decisively.”

    So, what changed? What are the so-called developments that led to Ritter’s volte-face?

    Here are a few excerpts from the interview that triggered the fracas. Ritter was joined by Ray McGovern and host Garland Nixon on Saturday Morning Live. (The quotes are copied from video. I accept blame for any mistakes.)

     Scott Ritter (start at 47:50 minute mark) — “The thing that frustrates me… is that, it was my assessment that it would be very hard for Ukraine to absorb this new equipment and material (Material– the additional lethal weapons that have recently been shipped to Ukraine) but the howitzers are already operating against Russia. (And) They are having an effect in the Kharkov region. Not all 90 of them, but they have several batteries in place that are being used.
    
    How did this happen?
    
    And this is why I have radically changed my overall assessment, because I had been operating on the assumption that Russia would be able to interdict the vast majority of this equipment, but Russia has shown itself unable or unwilling to do this and– as a result– the Ukrainians are having meaningful impact on the battlefield. Not in the areas of main contention, like the Donbass, but on the periphery. This is why Russia has carried out tactical withdrawals north of Kharkov, because in order to match Ukraine’s best capabilities, Russia would have to divert resources from its main effort which Russia has decided not to do. So, they are re-configuring the battlefield. (trading land in different areas)…(“Saturday Morning Live with Scott Ritter and Ray McGovern, You Tube) 

    So, while Ritter’s sympathies have not changed in the slightest, it’s clear that his analysis has. At first, he didn’t think that the deluge of lethal weaponry would affect the outcome of the war. Now he’s not so sure. It’s a honest mistake but, still, he needed to ‘come clean’ and explain the factors that contributed to his U-turn. Here’s more from the same interview:

     Scott Ritter– This is a transformative moment in the war, because what it means is that demilitarization is not taking place. For all the forces Russia is destroying in the east, Ukraine is rebuilding significant capability (in the west) I liken this to Moscow in December 1941, when the Germans were moving towards Moscow and the Russians just started throwing things at them., sacrificing everything to slow the German offensive. until General Winter and the combination of Siberian divisions gave them the ability to counterattack. The Germans were bled white and they were stopped and turned back. If Russia doesn’t change the calculation, then that is the trajectory we are heading on., because 200,000 troops–however capable they may be, are only capable of doing so much. And the fighting that’s taking place right now –even though it is slaughtering Ukrainians– it isn’t cost free to the Russians. They’re losing equipment, they’re losing men, they’re losing material, and unless Putin mobilizes or transfers forces in, those aren’t being replaced. So, instead of having 200,000 online, Russia might have 180,000 men. And if you don’t think removing 20,000 men doesn’t change the options available to the Russian leadership, then you don’t know anything about war.”
    
    So, I believe Russia is going to win in the east, they are grinding them down as we speak, they are slaughtering them; the amount of death and destruction that is being dealt to the Ukrainians is unimaginable, but I believe the Ukrainians are willing to take these losses in order to buy time to reconstitute a military that will challenge Russia Because unless Russia is willing to jump across the Dnieper River and head into western Ukraine where it can eliminate the strategic depth that the Ukrainians are being gifted by the Russians, then demilitarization of Ukraine is not going to take place. It can’t take place when tens of billions of dollars of equipment is pouring in and Russia is not able to interdict it. The fact that these advanced howitzers are operating on the front lines right now, shows there’s something wrong with the Russian methodology. And–unless they alter that methodology– I think we’re in for a very long summer.” (“Saturday Morning Live with Scott Ritter and Ray McGovern, You Tube) 

    It’s hard to grasp what Ritter is saying here. Is he actually suggesting that Putin expand the current “special operation” into a full-blown World War? At one point, he casually opines that Russia will have to mobilize 1 and a half million men (Note: Russia currently only has 200,000 in Ukraine) if they want to prevail in Ukraine and then move on to Finland. It’s impossible to tell by Ritter’s tone whether he is simply making an objective observation of ‘what is needed’ to succeed or if he is making an explicit recommendation that he thinks Russia’s High Command should consider. I can’t answer that. Here’s more from the interview:

     Scott Ritter(5:20 mark)– “The idea that the Ukrainian military has been eliminated as an effective fighting force is a flawed concept, and unless Russia broadens its special military operation– probably to the point of changing it form a special military operation to a war which includes the totality of Ukrainian battle-space–(then) this is a conflict that is dangerously close to becoming unwinnable by Russia which means that while they can complete their objectives in the east with 200,000 troops, they aren’t able to prevent Ukraine from rearming and reequipping when Ukraine is being provided with tens of billions of dollars of equipment by NATO —Whenever you provide your enemy with “safe space” to rebuild military capability, you’re never going to win. …
    
    Yes, Russia is winning in the east which is what they said their objective was all along. And they are accomplishing that. That is the special Military Operation. But now we’re talking about “war”, and I don’t think Russia has made that transition yet. This is a defacto proxy war between the west and Russia using Ukrainian forces as NATO’s sword. The object of this is to “bleed Russia dry”. And if Russia doesn’t change the dynamic, Russia will be bled dry.” Zelensky has indicated that he’s willing to mobilize a million people, at a time when the west is ready to provide the funding and equipment to turn those million men into a real military threat. 
    
    So, I see what has been happening in the last few weeks as being decisive. 
    
    The military aid the west is providing is changing the dynamic and if Russia doesn’t find a way to address this meaningfully, and to eliminate it as a military capability… then the conflict will never end.” (“Saturday Morning Live with Scott Ritter and Ray McGovern, You Tube)  

    There it is from the horse’s mouth. Readers will have to draw their own conclusions.

    IMHO, Scott Ritter is gradually adjusting to the idea that the conflict in Ukraine is not a just regional skirmish between two quarrelsome neighbors, nor is it a proxy-war between NATO and Russia.

    No.

    Ukraine is the first phase of a broader plan for crushing Russia, collapsing its economy, removing its leaders, seizing its natural resources, splintering its territory, and projecting US power across Central Asia to the Pacific Rim.

    Ukraine is about hegemony, empire, and pure, unalloyed power.

    Most important, Ukraine is the first battle in a Third World War, a war that was concocted and launched by Washington to ensure another unchallenged century of American primacy.

    Miyu Kojima Creates Miniature Replicas Of Lonely Deaths

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    Twenty six-year old Miyu Kojima works for a company that cleans up after kodokushi (孤独死) or lonely deaths: a Japanese phenomenon of people dying alone and remaining undiscovered for a long period of time.

    The instances first began to be reported around 2000, and are thought to be a product of increased social isolation coupled with a greying population.

    Part art therapy and part public service campaign, Kojima spends a large portion of her free time recreating detailed miniature replicas of the rooms she has cleaned. A word of caution: although recreated without the corpses, some of the replicas can be quite disturbing.

    “I mainly clean up these flats, apartments, houses where lonely death had happened and also organise their mementos,” says Miyu. On average, those whose homes she cleans, she says, may have been lying undiscovered for a month or two; the longest, eight months.

    Sometimes, they clean the homes of people who died in hospital, were murdered or committed suicide.

    At first, Miyu found the work tough. The scenes could be grotesque. Even after the body has been removed, hair and seepage from the corpse sometimes remain. The work can be physically demanding. But “what I find most difficult,” she explains, “is to talk to the family. I don’t know how much I can really ask or talk.”

    To preserve and document the scene, the company always takes photographs of the rooms in case relatives want to see them. However, Kojima noticed that the photographs really don’t capture the sadness of the incident. And while she had no formal art training, she decided to go to her local craft store and buy supplies, which she used to create her replicas.

    She sometimes uses color-copies of the photographs, which she then sculpts into miniature objects.

    Kojima says that she spends about 1 month on each replica.

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    “This is my mother before the prom. I think she looks like Jackie O in this picture, 1960s”

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    Bank of England Governor Warns of “APOCALYPTIC” Food Price Increases

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    The governor of the Bank of England has warned of “apocalyptic” food prices, saying he is “helpless” to thwart soaring inflation.

    Andrew Bailey hit back at criticism that the Bank acted too slowly to tackle inflation, blaming a “bad situation” on a series of external shocks including the war in Ukraine and the lockdown in China.

    “We can’t predict things like wars – that’s not in anybody’s power,” he said.

    He said he does not think the Bank could have done anything differently to prevent soaring prices.

    He said the conflict in Ukraine has pushed up energy prices, which are the biggest driver of inflation – while the lockdown in Shanghai has exacerbated increases in the cost of goods due to its effect on supply chains.

    Mr. Bailey said the Bank also underestimated the number of people who would leave the labor market after the threat of the pandemic receded, which is leading to labor shortages that affect inflation.

    The consumer price index (CPI) measure of inflation hit 7% in England during March and is expected to pass 10% later this year.

    Americans can expect exactly the same situation.

    Four Potential Outcomes

    Strauss and Howe laid out four potential outcomes, which I have presented many times before in previous articles.

    Three of the four are not positive. The only positive outcome is #4; the last outcome listed. In it, the United States of America is transformed into something better and greater.

    The previous three are all bad, and only vary by degree…

    • The entire world is destroyed (Senario #1)
    • Humanity survives, but enters a very dark time, and regresses. (Senario #2)
    • The United States is destroyed, but the rest of the world continues on (Senario #3)

    If you asked me a few years ago, I would have selected outcome three as the most likely, as the American Empire died with a whimper, much like the British Empire after World War II.

    Others, fixiated on the belief that the world revolves around the United States and it’s proxy nations cannot imagine a world without the United States. But I tell you what, the entire rest of the world can.

    I believe outcome three is inevitable. The United States will die in a firery end, and the rest of the world, while damaged and “dinged” will continue on. As the dominant nation (America) has chosen to take a course which will engulf the planet in a war with an unknowable outcome.

    However, given [1] the enormous advantage in leadership, economies, resources, social stability and military comparatively of a unified China / Russia to that of the United States, as well as [2] the historical trends that illustrate complete destruction of the nation hosting the global reserve currency, there is no question that the United States must and will die for a new global world order to be birthed.

    We can only hope that in America cooler heads will prevail, but observing what is considered Western “leadership” in this day and age, I’m not optimistic. The only real leaders are found in Russia, China, and the rest of Asia. America, and Europe are acting like drug addicted, mentally ill, evil, psychopaths, with bullying behaviors and an over-inflated ego based on reinforced ignorance.

    From Strauss and Howe…

    1. This Fourth Turning could mark the end of man. It could be an omnicidal Armageddon, destroying everything, leaving nothing. If mankind ever extinguishes itself, this will probably happen when its dominant civilization triggers a Fourth Turning that ends horribly. For this Fourth Turning to put an end to all this would require an extremely unlikely blend of social disaster, human malevolence, technological perfection, and bad luck.
    2. The Fourth Turning could mark the end of modernity. The Western saecular rhythm – which began in the mid-fifteenth century with the Renaissance – could come to an abrupt terminus. The seventh modern saeculum would be the last. This too could come from total war, terrible but not final. There could be a complete collapse of science, culture, politics, and society. Such a dire result would probably happen only when a dominant nation (like today’s America) lets a Fourth Turning ekpyrosis engulf the planet. But this outcome is well within the reach of foreseeable technology and malevolence.
    3. The Fourth Turning could spare modernity but mark the end of the United States as a nation. It could close the book on the political constitution, popular culture, and moral standing that the word America has come to signify. The nation has endured for three saecula; Rome lasted twelve, the Soviet Union only one. Fourth Turnings are critical thresholds for national survival. Each of the last three American Crises produced moments of extreme danger: In the Revolution, the very birth of the republic hung by a thread in more than one battle. In the Civil War, the union barely survived a four-year slaughter that in its own time was regarded as the most lethal war in history. In World War II, the nation destroyed an enemy of democracy that for a time was winning; had the enemy won, America might have itself been destroyed. In all likelihood, the next Crisis will present the nation with a threat and a consequence on a similar scale.
    4. Or the Fourth Turning could simply mark the end of the Millennial Saeculum. Mankind, modernity, and America would all persevere. Afterward, there would be a new mood, a new High, and a new saeculum. America would be reborn. But, reborn, it would not be the same.

    I’ve always preached preparedness and combining forces with like-minded people, but can you really prepare for a world where outcome one or two is the climax of this Fourth Turning? I know many bloggers make money off of doom, but I simply cannot conceive of a more American-positive outcome based on the current dynamics driving the world towards war.

    I’d love to give a Knute Rockne speech to inspire the team to rally around someone who can lead us to victory. But, as far as the United States and it’s proxy nations are concerned, all I see are monkeys with matches in a room full of dynamite.

    It’s only a matter of time until it explodes.

    The decline of the American Military Empire is awful to watch and even worse to live through. To you Americans trapped inside the seething cauldron, watching your world crumble around you, I offer my sympathies, and wish you Godspeed in what the future may have in store for you.

    So, thank you for reading my ramblings. I hope I’m wrong.

    S1E9- Its Your Funeral – Patrick MxGoohan’s The Prisoner

    Provided to all you “prisoners” out there, desperately trying to figure out a way off this “prison planet”…

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
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    A new revised direction on Geopolitics out of the United States. It’s very clear now.

    Enjoy this article and be careful with the USA/Ukie propaganda. It is everywhere.

    Well, today is 24MAY22 and the Chinese understands, and we all know, what the direction and the revised thinking of the United States is (Geopolitically speaking). That is crystal clear after the Biden meetings with South Korea, Japan, and Australia. We now fully understand the pans for global dominance out of the USA.

    This is the manifestation and implementation of the “unipolar” (rules-based order) world.

    The original plan is out. It is obsolete. It is not possible.

    The original plan; to first [1] destroy Russia, and then [2] destroy China is “off the table”. That plan is not feasible.

    So the plan has become to one of isolation; to isolate Russia from the rest of the world, and to isolate China from the rest of the world. Both of them together. The way to accomplish this is simple.

    First by cutting off and interrupting the systems of communication, trade, and interaction… and if that fails, to place harsh embargoes on Asia and punish all those that dare disobey the Untied States.

    Russia

    The American plan to [1] suppress Russia, [2] invade (parts of it) and [3] topple Russian leadership though domestic discord and [4] to isolate Russia have all failed.

    Ukraine

    Discussions and manipulations on how to carve up Ukraine into something other than a nation is in the works. We can see this with Poland’s involvement at this time.

    Iron Curtain

    The USA intends to put up another “Iron Curtain” to isolate Asia (Russia and China together). One half of this curtain is already up and complete. That is the part around Russia. And, you know,  nations such as Sweden and Finland don’t want to be on the Asian side of that curtain.

    All of Asia

    This curtain will surround all of Asia, and that was the purpose of the Biden meeting; to set up work-around systems so that no one trades or interacts with China, Russia or any of their friends.

    China

    But China is trying to be peaceful. How to justify putting it behind a curtain? Certainly, of course there will need to be a “reason” to enact “Sanctions from Hell”.

    Which of course, are just the first stages of a full-on military embargo. And that will involve the crossing of one or more “red lines” regarding Taiwan.

    The USA will scream, and holler.  The MSM propaganda machine will be working overtime (again), but you know, the USA will start sailing up and down the Chinese coast, but will refrain from getting involved in a “Hot war”. The “Sanctions from Hell” will appear, and that will lead up to the Pacific Rim nations choosing sides.

    The “Wet Dream” of the United States

    If the USA gets their way, Russia and China will become isolated and alone, and will eventually collapse domestically, as the USA will continue to wage bio-warfare carpet bombing, engage in “color revolutions”, and do everything in their ability to crush Russia and China simultaneously. Eventually, within a year, a “NEW Iron Curtain” will be up and policed by the nations of the world.

    Judging from past historical precedents, I do not believe that this will turn out as planned.

    What probably will happen…

    We do not know what will happen.

    Certainly the concerns of a full-scale thermonuclear war is still possible, but I personally believe that something different, something easier, but scarier, will emerge. I don’t know what it is.

    But I do know, that war or no war, isolation of no isolation, the following points will factor into the way the future will unfold…

    • The vast remaining manufacturing in the USA is in the defense industry. This requires a war, a constant and steady war to do battle with.
    • The value of the USD is going towards absolute zero.
    • The American population are corrupt, ignorant, manipulated, and armed. As the government raises the intensity level on them in regards to lies and propaganda, there will be consequences.
    • Japan’s and Korea’s manufacturing has all been off-shored to China. If isolation does occur, a great deal of discomfort will manifest in these nations.
    • Russia and China are led by merit, and they have certainly planned for this sequence of events. Do not be under the impression that they are not ready to deal with them, and retaliate.
    • Retaliation to the USA and it’s allies, whether through military or other means, will be painful for the West. I argue and suspect that the pain “dial” will be pinging red.
    • Domestic American politics will play a large role in the Geopolitical situation.

    And that’s where we are today. Let’s see what unfolds.

    In the meantime, let’s continue our daily mix…

    Gasoline hits $7.29/Gal. in Los Angeles

    Gasoline7 29Gallon LosAngeles 05 23 2022 large
    Gasoline7 29Gallon LosAngeles 05 23 2022 large

    Gasoline has hit a record high of $7.29 per gallon in Los Angeles, CA as of May 23, 2022.

    This is what Democrats did when they stole the US Presidency in November 2020, through rampant and brazen election fraud, aided and abetted by weak-minded Republicans in states like Georgia and Arizona, who were more concerned with President Trump’s “mean tweets” than public policy.

    Once the Democrats and Republicans-In-Name-Only (RINOS) ousted Trump through a stolen election, the Democrats imposed their Green Agenda to wage war against fossil fuels under the fraudulent guise of “Climate Change.”

    They know that earth’s climate is changing because earth’s magnetic field is moving west, and is now farther west than it has been in about ten thousand years.

    Instead, they blame Fossil fuel emissions, which is total fraud.

    The war against fossil fuels resulted in canceled oil pipelines, closed oil drilling leases, and enormous regulation of existing oil-production.  Those changes reduced gasoline supplies and as such, the prices are skyrocketing.

    (Hal Turner Remark: This is what politicians who are supposed to SERVE us, have done TO us. If you keep voting the way you've voted, you'll keep getting what you're now getting.  Wise-up.)

    Zelensky “nationalizes” the Polish army to send it to fight under the flag of Ukraine

    Zelensky “nationalizes” the Polish army to send it to fight under the flag of Ukraine
    .
    In Ukraine , a law comes into force, according to which anyone who supports the Russian special operation, or at least agrees with it, will be deprived of all property.
    .
    And the wording “in one way or another” in the text of the law finally unties the hands of the punitive machine. At the same time, the Ukrainian authorities do not hide their goals. For them, the main thing is to replenish the treasury at the expense of those who have an excellent opinion: the law “will allow you to quickly and effectively replenish the Ukrainian budget at the expense of enemies,” according to the website of the President of Ukraine.
    .
    So why in Ukraine it is possible to deprive everything acquired by overwork?
    .
    The entire list of actions is about 30 points. Among them:
    • – causing significant damage to the national security of Ukraine and its sovereignty,
    • – financing the “aggressor”, including by collecting donations,
    • – investing in securities,
    • – “glorification of persons” involved in the SVO (that is, praise – ed.),
    • – maintaining the policy of “non-recognition of the right of the Ukrainian people to self-identification and self-determination”,
    • – comparison of Ukrainian patriotism with Nazism “or other misanthropic ideologies”,
    • – “incitement of hatred towards the Ukrainian people, their culture, state language, national identity.”
    This law is not about those who take a pro-Russian position, but about everyone who does not agree with Zelensky and his henchmen, said Vladimir Shapovalov, deputy director of the Institute of History and Politics of Moscow State Pedagogical University , in an interview with Radio KP .
    .
    This is an extremely serious danger for the entire Russian, Russian-speaking population of Ukraine. Not only representatives of the business elite, not only opposition politicians like Medvedchuk, but also ordinary citizens, and representatives of various public organizations, representatives of the church, representatives of various local communities will fall under this norm. A significant part of the population of Ukraine will be declared enemies of the people.
    .
    Another law, which will be adopted in the near future, is urgently written in the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry. Zelensky offered a special status to the Poles . And essentially equalize their rights with the citizens of their country.
    .
    Under this law, Polish citizens will be able to:
    .
    • – to hold elected office in Ukraine;
    • – be appointed to state authorities and to the leadership of defense enterprises in Ukraine;
    • – get access to secret data of Ukraine;
    • – to be judges inside of Ukraine;
    In other words, they are given every right except to vote in elections. And most importantly, the Polish police are literally equal in rights and powers with the Ukrainian police on the territory of Ukraine!
    .
    Zelensky has one goal – to legalize Polish troops on the territory of his country and thus surrender the country to a neighbor, says Marat Bashirov, a political scientist and author of the Politjoystick telegram channel:
    .
    Mr. Zelensky can form a new military unit from Polish citizens and appoint Poles as commanders there. It turns out that, on the one hand, this is a Ukrainian military unit, but it will be completely Polish. Of course, they will import NATO weapons, which they know how to use, unlike Ukrainian soldiers. On the territory where they will be placed, it will be such a hidden occupation.
    It is worth emphasizing that the military units consisting of Polish citizens will be Ukrainian. That is, Article 5 of the NATO Charter (when an attack on one of the members of the Alliance is considered as an attack on all its members) will not work, although without a doubt the Polish command will try to draw the Alliance into hostilities in Ukraine:
    The Poles, if it is hard, of course, will try to start talking with NATO member countries, - says Bashirov. - But large countries such as Germany and France, of course, will rest against the horn. If they agreed, now in Ukraine such a garden would not be fenced. And this design bypasses just the resistance of Germany and France.
    The bill on the resignation of rights to Polish citizens on the territory of Ukraine is the seizure of the country, Igor Dimitriev, a political strategist, is sure.
    .
    “At the present time, it is possible to seize countries without a military invasion. Economic and political instruments, entering the management of numerous grant structures and specialist training programs, Dimitriev writes in his Telegram channel. – Let me remind you that Turkey is doing the same when planning its Turan. This is how some states capture others in the 21st century, this is exactly what an offensive weapon is. And the army, tanks, planes and other scrap metal are defensive weapons. Which is included in order to protect their grant-eaters, political consultants and other agents-007. In those cases when they are not allowed to work by all sorts of dictators.
    .

    Biden escalates tensions with China. One step closer to conflict in South Pacific

    This is a MUST WATCH.

    "All of this is extremely dangerous, and the Chinese are reacting very dangerously to this. They see this as a challenge, and one that they MUST face."
    
    ...
    
    "What a freaking disaster if this happens. What a freaking disaster..."
    

    This is the situation right NOW.

    CEO of an insurance group , indicted for trafficking in minor human beings, rape of minors, and participation in a criminal activity

    Who’s this guy ?

    From HERE

    INFO RTL – The CEO of an insurance group imprisoned for exploitation and rape of minors.

    One of the largest fortunes in France has been placed in pre-trial detention since Saturday, indicted for trafficking in minor human beings, rape of minors, and participation in a criminal association with a view to committing kidnapping or kidnapping. organized.

    He is 75 years old and is one of the 500 largest French fortunes.

    This entrepreneur in the insurance field has been placed in pre-trial detention since Saturday May 21, indicted – among other things – for trafficking in minor human beings, rape of minors, and participation in a criminal association with a view to commit kidnapping or organized forcible confinement.

    After a meticulous investigation which mobilized a good part of the staff of the Brigade for the Protection of Minors (BPM) of the Parisian PJ, a whole system was discovered by the police.

    According to information from RTL, a 22-year-old woman presented herself to the Parisian police last March.

    She explained to them that for 5 years, she had been “captive” of a very wealthy man, who lodged her in one of his apartments and raped her on several occasions.

    Worse still, while according to her, she was becoming “too old for him”, the young woman would have been forced to find a “substitute” to take over.

    This is how a 14-year-old girl was then housed in this apartment.

    The complainant managed to film the CEO and the 14-year-old girl together in bed. This video was turned over to investigators.

    Relatives also incarcerated.

    The story does not end there.

    While the CEO is aware of the existence of this video, he will try to silence the complainant.

    Justice suspects him of having wanted to set up a team to kidnap the young woman, seize the video, and force her to leave France.

    For this, the septuagenarian would have asked his wife, two employees of his company, a young woman close to the complainant, as well as a former gendarme member of the GIGN.

    All five were arrested last week, and indicted on Saturday for “failure to report sexual assault on a minor, and participation in a criminal association to commit kidnapping or kidnapping in an organized gang”.

    They were also placed in pre-trial detention, confirmed the Paris prosecutor’s office to RTL.

    Their respective roles and objectives have yet to be determined at this stage.

    A system that had been repeated for many years.

    According to our information, the investigators also traced the past of this man.

    They discovered the existence of at least 7 young women, minors or young adults, who succeeded each other in this apartment.

    The investigation determined that they were young girls with similar profiles: unemployed or runaways, at odds with their family or society.

    Always the same mechanism in place, once they reached their twenties, the CEO said he was not interested in them and asked them to find a younger girl to take their place in the apartment.

    RTL has tried to reach the lawyer for the main respondent who has not yet responded to our requests.

    “My mom was Homecoming Queen, 1965”

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    21d 5

    White House Rejects President’s Foreign Policy

    From MoA

    U.S. President Joe Biden apparently pursues different foreign policies than the White House.

    October 23 2021:

    ‘Strategic Ambiguity’ on Taiwan Apparent as White House Walks Back Biden Comments

    White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Friday appeared to walk back President Joe Biden's statement on Thursday that the United States was committed to defending Taiwan should it come under Chinese attack.
    
    "The president was not announcing any change in our policy, nor has he made a decision to change our policy," Psaki said during a White House news briefing. "Our defense relationship with Taiwan is guided by the Taiwan Relations Act."
    
    The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act states that the U.S. will provide arms for Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability. It does not say the U.S. would intervene militarily to protect Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack.
    
    Psaki's statement stands in contradiction to Biden's comment at a CNN town hall Thursday night. When asked if the U.S. would come to the defense of Taiwan, Biden said, "Yes, we have a commitment to do that."

    November 17 2021:

    Biden Struggles to Stick to the Script on Taiwan

    Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, and three times is habit—or so the saying goes.
    
    Amid escalating tensions with China, U.S. President Joe Biden has misspoken about U.S. policy toward the self-governed island of Taiwan at least four times since August, fueling speculation as to whether the president is subtly trying to signal an evolving U.S. policy toward Taiwan or just fumbling the details.

    March 27 2022:

    Biden’s Putin remark, White House walk-back faces scrutiny

    President Biden’s remark that Russian President Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power” reverberated throughout Washington on Sunday, with some current and former officials and lawmakers scrutinizing the reported ad-lib while others slammed the White House for its subsequent walk-back.
    
    Biden turned heads on Saturday when, at the end of a speech in Warsaw, Poland, he said, “for God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power.”
    
    The White House quickly tried to walk back the comment, claiming that Biden was referring to Putin exercising power outside of Russia, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken affirmed that the U.S. has no plans for regime change in Moscow.

    May 23 2022:

    US would defend Taiwan if attacked by China, says Joe Biden

    Joe Biden has said the US would intervene militarily to defend Taiwan if it came under attack from China – a statement that is likely to enrage Beijing as concern grows over Chinese military activity in the region.
    
    Speaking in Tokyo on the second day of his visit to Japan, Biden said the US’s responsibility to protect the self-ruled island – which China considers a renegade province – was “even stronger” after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in one of the most forceful statements in support of Taiwan in decades.

    Amichai Stein @AmichaiStein1 - 6:32 UTC · May 23, 2022
    White House official: Biden’s statement that the US would get involved militarily to defend Taiwan is NOT a departure from long-standing US policy of strategic ambiguity
    
    Quoted Tweet 
    Amichai Stein @AmichaiStein1 - 6:01 UTC · May 23, 2022
    #BREAKING: President Biden says would be willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan from China aggression

    They urgently need to shut up that warmongering idiot.

    A candid moment of school girls in 1953.

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    The United States and Taiwan

    The reason Biden is coming out the way he has is because the US Dept. of State apparently carte blanche issued this declaration, which is essentially a declaration of war against China:
    
    US state department updates fact sheet on Taiwan ties
    A bilateral relations fact sheet on Taiwan-US relations published on the US Department of State Web site ...
    
    ...was recently updated...
    
    ...to remove statements saying that it [1] acknowledged Beijing’s “one China” position, and that [2] the US does not support Taiwanese independence.
    
    The fact sheet is produced by the department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
    My guess is that this is a pre-emptive salvo issued by the John Bolton (always the dumbest) part of the Dept of State staff.
    
    -Pacifica Advocate

    “My mother, 1967”

    Not my mom, but a great picture anyways…

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    Banana Bread French Toast

    Turn banana bread into your favorite breakfast with this dish. The tangy Buttermilk Syrup is a perfect make-ahead touch. It goes wonderfully with a fine morning cup of coffee.

    banana bread french toast 10
    banana bread french toast 10

    Ingredients

    Buttermilk Syrup

    • 1 1/2 cups sugar
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 3/4 cups buttermilk
    • 1/3 cup butter
    • 1 tablespoon vanilla

    French Toast

    • 1 loaf banana bread
    • 2 eggs
    • 1/4 cup milk

    Garnish, if desired

    • 1 cup fresh berries

    Steps

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      To make buttermilk syrup, in 2-quart saucepan, stir syrup ingredients until well blended. Heat to boiling. Cook 7 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; beat in vanilla with whisk. Keep warm.
    • 2
      Heat nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Cut banana bread into 1-inch-thick slices. In shallow dish or pan, beat eggs and milk until well mixed. Coat bread slices on both sides with egg mixture; place in hot skillet. Cook until golden brown on each side. Serve with buttermilk syrup and garnish with berries. Enjoy!

    “My mother in Florida while early in her Nursing career, 1967”

    Not my mom. But I can well imagine the moment.

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    What “Iskander” Missiles Are & How They Differ From “Kalibr” & “Kinzhal”

    May 19, 2022

    Some NATO experts call these missiles Russia’s most terrifying weapon, apart from nuclear weapons. Although, “Iskander” can be equipped with a nuclear warhead, and then it really becomes a “sentence” for Europe.

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    Let’s start with the fact that “Iskander” is not a missile in itself (like “Kinzhal” or “Kalibr“) – it is a whole missile system. That is, in addition to the launcher, it also includes a bunch of other equipment: a loading vehicle, a command post, a repair vehicle, a life support vehicle (barracks on wheels), a reconnaissance vehicle, etc.

    At the same time, this missile system is operational and tactical. What does it mean?

    Traditionally, missile weapons are divided into three types.

    • First: strategic missiles. They fly directly into enemy territory thousands of kilometres from the front line. This includes, for example, the famous “Sarmat” or “Bulava”.
    • Second: tactical missiles. They are used directly at the frontline. That is, their range is small. This includes, for example, MLRS “Grad” or the same “Katyusha”, during the Great Patriotic War.
    • Third: operational-tactical missiles (OTM). They occupy an intermediate position between strategic and tactical ones. Their task is to hit behind the front line (up to about 500 km) at the rear of the enemy group’s support: railway junctions, air defence systems, warehouses, headquarters, airfields, etc.
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      2022 05 24 11 33

    One of the first OTMs was, for example, the Soviet “Luna” and “Temp-S”.

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    “Temp-S”, adopted in 1965

    They were replaced by the “Tochka” missile system, followed by a more advanced one “Tochka-U“. We often hear about this “U” now, but it is already outdated and is not in service with the Russian Federation.

    It was just replaced by “Iskander” – as a new generation of operational-tactical missile systems.

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    2022 05 24 11 35

    Iskander is the next stage of development after Tochka-U

    “Restricted Access Zone”

    This term was coined by NATO and it refers to the territory on which, in the event of a war with Russia, NATO troops will not be able to stay without receiving unacceptable damage.

    Well, that is, in the event of a war with the Bedouin in the desert, the United States can afford to fly and drive anywhere. With Russia, this trick will not work, because our country is able to create not just threats, but to cause catastrophic damage if the enemy is in the “Access Ban Zone”.

    This zone is ensured, for example, by the most advanced S-400 air defence system in the world (as well as the latest S-500 and the promising S-550) – it covers us from the air.

    From the sea, the “Bastion” coastal complex provides cover. But the “Iskander” is designed to work on enemy ground targets. In total, this trio creates extremely uncomfortable conditions for the enemy on our territory.

    READ:  Poroshenko Inadvertently Helped the Modernisation of the Russian Navy

    At the same time, “Iskander”, in fact, has two varieties that are absolutely opposite to each other. These are “Iskander-M” and “Iskander-K”.

    Iskander-M

    It fires a rocket that flies at a high altitude (up to 100 km, that is, touches space) and manoeuvres very strongly.

    The maneuverability of the rocket is such that overloads of up to 30 G are created during flight! Let me remind you that:

    • when riding a roller coaster, a person experiences an overload of up to 4 G;
    • Formula 1 drivers experience up to 6 G when braking sharply;
    • cosmonauts experience up to 8 G at rocket launch;
    • in fighter planes, up to 12 G is generated during the sharpest manoeuvres.

    30 G is deadly not only for humans, but also for almost any equipment. Thus, at 30 G a fighter jet can simply fall apart.

    The “Iskander-M” missile can withstand such overloads. This is despite the fact that at 30 G body weight increases by 30 times. That is, for example, if you weigh 60 kg, but at 30 G your body will start to weigh 1800 kg. Naturally, even the bones can’t withstand such an overload.

    The super-maneuverability of the “Iskander-M” missile is necessary so that it is not shot down. In addition, the missile has stealth technologies, throws out false targets in flight, and also conducts radio-electronic warfare with enemy air defence systems.

    That is why it is considered that it is almost impossible to shoot down this missile.

    Iskander-K

    But this type of missile, on the contrary, flies very low – at an altitude of 6-10 meters from the earth’s surface. Naturally, skirting the terrain.

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    2022 05 24 11 3sd6

    An important advantage of “Iskander” is that both types of missiles can be launched from the same launcher. That is, “Iskander” can fire two types of missiles at a target at once: one will fly high and unpredictably, and the second will fly low and extremely imperceptibly.

    All this together makes the probability of hitting the target close to 100%.

    The stated range of both missiles is up to 500 km. However, many experts (including those in NATO) believe that this figure is greatly underestimated. The Russian military simply declares it, so as not to fall under the terms of the treaty on the elimination of intermediate-range and short-range missiles.

    The actual flight range of “Iskander” can be up to 5000 km. However, it will be possible to check this only in the conditions of a real war.

    What is the difference between “Kalibr” and “Kinzhal”?

    You may have noticed that the “Iskander-M” behaves roughly like “Kinzhal”, and the “Iskander-K” behaves roughly like “Kalibr”.

    READ:  What Has Moscow Achieved…and Did It Fail After Imposing Two Ceasefires?

    And there is not just some truth in this, but a very large amount. The fact is that the hypersonic “Kinzhal”, in fact, is an improved “Iskander-M”.

    Just “Iskander-M” starts from the ground and spends a huge part of its energy on acceleration and climb. But “Kinzhal” is raised to a height in advance and accelerated by a fighter jet, so it spends most of its energy on gaining hypersonic speed.

    As for the similarity of the second version of “Iskander” (“K”) with “Kalibr”, this is exactly the similarity. There is no direct relationship between the missiles, although both of them are cruise missiles.

    What is “Iskander” capable of?

    Flying 500 km beyond the horizon, “Iskander” is able to hit the target with an accuracy of up to 5 meters.

    At the same time, the mass of the missile’s warhead is 500 kg. That is, it’s possible to cram either half a ton of explosives or a fairly decent nuclear bomb into it, and then a deviation from the target of even 50 meters will not matter much.

    The speed of the high-altitude missile is 2100 m/s (over Mach 6). That is, it is hypersonic (like “Kinzhal”, whose speed is 2 times higher, up to 4000 m/s).

    In the non-nuclear version, “Iskander” is capable of carrying one of three types of warheads:

    • High-explosive shrapnel. This is the most popular type for hitting most targets, from warehouses to airfields. It can be described simply as a “large grenade” (under 500 kg), which creates a powerful shock wave and scatters fragments
    • Concrete cutting. This is for breaking through underground bunkers
    • Cluster. This is for hitting large areas with shrapnel. One Iskander cluster missile covers approximately 15,000 m2 of ground with a cloud of shrapnel, which means two football fields.

    In the nuclear version, “Iskander” is capable of carrying a warhead of up to 50 kilotons. This is 3 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

    Given that the range of “Iskander” can really reach 2-3 thousand kilometres, this weapon is not just a nightmare for Europe. This is its verdict if it comes to a large-scale conflict.

    They understand this and therefore they are now acting with someone else’s hands, pushing forward naive guys who have hung their ears in front of a “bright European future”. A future in which they will not be taken in any case.

    Let me remind you that “Iskander” is not called the most formidable by me, but by NATO experts. Now I want to mix military affairs with geography a little, that is, show on the map where these very Iskanders are located at all.

    And so. Just as soldiers are organised into platoons, companies, battalions, and regiments, “Iskanders” have a certain organisational structure.

    Much more can be found HERE.

    A Photo Set of The 1960 Dodge Dart Phoenix D-500, a Reflection of The Jet-Age Styling of The Late 1950s

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    The 1960s opened with great promise. The Dodge Dart was a new model that year, based on a mid-sized 118-inch wheelbase unibody design adopted from Plymouth, and the Phoenix was the premium trim package for it. This special Phoenix was further equipped with the performance-oriented D500 package; indeed, this amazing motorcar features not only its original drivetrain and sheet-metal, but nearly every available option that could be added to this vehicle platform in 1960.

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    1 35

    Dodge created 586 Phoenix D500-optioned Darts in 1960, but few were as spectacular as this one. The car is equipped with the 383/330 HP V-8 engine with Chrysler’s special long-tube D500 ram induction, which featured dual 4-barrel carburetors mounted on sonically tuned cast manifolds that looped across each opposing valve cover. It is backed by the pushbutton-activated TorqueFlite automatic transmission.

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    2 34

    The car, featuring its Ghia-inspired finned-and-piped panels as executed by designer Virgil Exner, is painted red and augmented by front bumper guards, backup lights, door-edge moldings and dual side mirrors; lower-body stone shields and deluxe wheel covers complete the picture of Dodge luxury.

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    3 32

    Inside are red interior components, complete with rare power-swivel front seats, power windows, factory electric clock, foam-cushioned rear seat and an Astrophonic AM Radio with rear-seat speaker. Driving ease was accomplished with power steering and power brakes.

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    4 32

    Here is a photo set of the 1960 Dodge Dart Phoenix D-500, a reflection of the jet-age styling of the late 1950s and the cataclysms that brought about the legendary Chrysler products of the 1960s.

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    Chris Hedges: No Way Out but War

    PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY (Scheerpost) — The United States, as the near unanimous vote to provide nearly $40 billion in aid to Ukraine illustrates, is trapped in the death spiral of unchecked militarism. No high speed trains. No universal health care. No viable Covid relief program. No respite from 8.3 percent inflation. No infrastructure programs to repair decaying roads and bridges, which require $41.8 billion to fix the 43,586 structurally deficient bridges, on average 68 years old. No forgiveness of $1.7 trillion in student debt. No addressing income inequality. No program to feed the 17 million children who go to bed each night hungry. No rational gun control or curbing of the epidemic of nihilistic violence and mass shootings. No help for the 100,000 Americans who die each year of drug overdoses. No minimum wage of $15 an hour to counter 44 years of wage stagnation. No respite from gas prices that are projected to hit $6 a gallon.

    The permanent war economy, implanted since the end of World War II, has destroyed the private economy, bankrupted the nation, and squandered trillions of dollars of taxpayer money. The monopolization of capital by the military has driven the US debt to $30 trillion, $ 6 trillion more than the US GDP of $ 24 trillion. Servicing this debt costs $300 billion a year. We spent more on the military, $ 813 billion for fiscal year 2023, than the next nine countries, including China and Russia, combined.

    We are paying a heavy social, political, and economic cost for our militarism. Washington watches passively as the U.S. rots, morally, politically, economically, and physically, while China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, India, and other countries extract themselves from the tyranny of the U.S. dollar and the international Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT), a messaging network banks and other financial institutions use to send and receive information, such as money transfer instructions. Once the U.S. dollar is no longer the world’s reserve currency, once there is an alternative to SWIFT, it will precipitate an internal economic collapse. It will force the immediate contraction of the U.S. empire shuttering most of its nearly 800 overseas military installations. It will signal the death of Pax Americana.

    Democrat or Republican. It does not matter. War is the raison d’état of the state. Extravagant military expenditures are justified in the name of “national security.” The nearly $40 billion allocated for Ukraine, most of it going into the hands of weapons manufacturers such as Raytheon Technologies, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, and Boeing, is only the beginning. Military strategists, who say the war will be long and protracted, are talking about infusions of $4 or $5 billion in military aid a month to Ukraine. We face existential threats. But these do not count. The proposed budget for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in fiscal year 2023 is $10.675 billion. The proposed budget for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is $11.881 billion. Ukraine alone gets more than double that amount. Pandemics and the climate emergency are afterthoughts. War is all that matters. This is a recipe for collective suicide.

    There were three restraints to the avarice and bloodlust of the permanent war economy that no longer exist. The first was the old liberal wing of the Democratic Party, led by politicians such as Senator George McGovern, Senator Eugene McCarthy, and Senator J. William Fulbright, who wrote The Pentagon Propaganda Machine. The self-identified progressives, a pitiful minority, in Congress today, from Barbara Lee, who was the single vote in the House and the Senate opposing a broad, open-ended authorization allowing the president to wage war in Afghanistan or anywhere else, to Ilhan Omar now dutifully line up to fund the latest proxy war. The second restraint was an independent media and academia, including journalists such as I.F Stone and Neil Sheehan along with scholars such as Seymour Melman, author of The Permanent War Economy and Pentagon Capitalism: The Political Economy of War. Third, and perhaps most important, was an organized anti-war movement, led by religious leaders such as Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King Jr. and Phil and Dan Berrigan as well as groups such as Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). They understood that unchecked militarism was a fatal disease.

    None of these opposition forces, which did not reverse the permanent war economy but curbed its excesses, now exist. The two ruling parties have been bought by corporations, especially military contractors. The press is anemic and obsequious to the war industry. Propagandists for permanent war, largely from right-wing think tanks lavishly funded by the war industry, along with former military and intelligence officials, are exclusively quoted or interviewed as military experts. NBC’s “Meet the Press” aired a segment May 13 where officials from Center for a New American Security (CNAS) simulated what a war with China over Taiwan might look like. The co-founder of CNAS, Michèle Flournoy, who appeared in the “Meet the Press” war games segment and was considered by Biden to run the Pentagon, wrote in 2020 in Foreign Affairs that the U.S. needs to develop “the capability to credibly threaten to sink all of China’s military vessels, submarines and merchant ships in the South China Sea within 72 hours.”

    The handful of anti-militarists and critics of empire from the left, such as Noam Chomsky, and the right, such as Ron Paul, have been declared persona non grata by a compliant media. The liberal class has retreated into boutique activism where issues of class, capitalism and militarism are jettisoned for “cancel culture,” multiculturalism and identity politics. Liberals are cheerleading the war in Ukraine. At least the inception of the war with Iraq saw them join significant street protests. Ukraine is embraced as the latest crusade for freedom and democracy against the new Hitler. There is little hope, I fear, of rolling back or restraining the disasters being orchestrated on a national and global level.  The neoconservatives and liberal interventionists chant in unison for war. Biden has appointed these war mongers, whose attitude to nuclear war is terrifyingly cavalier, to run the Pentagon, the National Security Council, and the State Department.

    Since all we do is war, all proposed solutions are military. This military adventurism accelerates the decline, as the defeat in Vietnam and the squandering of $8 trillion in the futile wars in the Middle East illustrate. War and sanctions, it is believed, will cripple Russia, rich in gas and natural resources. War, or the threat of war, will curb the growing economic and military clout of China.

    These are demented and dangerous fantasies, perpetrated by a ruling class that has severed itself from reality. No longer able to salvage their own society and economy, they seek to destroy those of their global competitors, especially Russia and China. Once the militarists cripple Russia, the plan goes, they will focus military aggression on the Indo-Pacific, dominating what Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, referring to the Pacific, called “the American Sea.”

    You cannot talk about war without talking about markets. The U.S., whose growth rate has fallen to below 2 percent, while China’s growth rate is 8.1 percent, has turned to military aggression to bolster its sagging economy. If the U.S. can sever Russian gas supplies to Europe, it will force Europeans to buy from the United States. U.S. firms, at the same time, would be happy to replace the Chinese Communist Party, even if they must do it through the threat of war, to open unfettered access to Chinese markets. War, if it did break out with China, would devastate the Chinese, American, and global economies, destroying free trade between countries as in World War I. But that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.

    Washington is desperately trying to build military and economic alliances to ward off a rising China, whose economy is expected by 2028 to overtake that of the United States, according to the UK’s Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR). The White House has said Biden’s current visit to Asia is about sending a “powerful message” to Beijing and others about what the world could look like if democracies “stand together to shape the rules of the road.” The Biden administration has invited South Korea and Japan to attend the NATO summit in Madrid.

    But fewer and fewer nations, even among European allies, are willing to be dominated by the United States. Washington’s veneer of democracy and supposed respect for human rights and civil liberties is so badly tarnished as to be irrecoverable. Its economic decline, with China’s manufacturing 70 percent higher than that of the U.S., is irreversible. War is a desperate Hail Mary, one employed by dying empires throughout history with catastrophic consequences. “It was the rise of Athens and the fear that this instilled in Sparta that made war inevitable,” Thucydides noted in the History of the Peloponnesian War.

    A key component to the sustenance of the permanent war state was the creation of the All-Volunteer Force. Without conscripts, the burden of fighting wars falls to the poor, the working class, and military families. This All-Volunteer Force allows the children of the middle class, who led the Vietnam anti-war movement, to avoid service. It protects the military from internal revolts, carried out by troops during the Vietnam War, which jeopardized the cohesion of the armed forces.

    The All-Volunteer Force, by limiting the pool of available troops, also makes the global ambitions of the militarists impossible. Desperate to maintain or increase troop levels in Iraq and Afghanistan, the military instituted the stop-loss policy that arbitrarily extended active-duty contracts. Its slang term was the backdoor draft. The effort to bolster the number of troops by hiring private military contractors, as well, had a negligible effect. Increased troop levels would not have won the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but the tiny percentage of those willing to serve in the military (only 7 percent of the U.S. population are veterans) is an unacknowledged Achilles heel for the militarists.

    “As a consequence, the problem of too much war and too few soldiers eludes serious scrutiny,” writes historian and retired Army Colonel Andrew Bacevich in After the Apocalypse: America’s Role in a World Transformed. “Expectations of technology bridging that gap provide an excuse to avoid asking the most fundamental questions: Does the United States possess the military wherewithal to oblige adversaries to endorse its claim of being history’s indispensable nation? And if the answer is no, as the post-9/11 wars in Afghanistan and Iraq suggest, wouldn’t it make sense for Washington to temper its ambitions accordingly?”

    This question, as Bacevich points out, is “anathema.” The military strategists work from the supposition that the coming wars won’t look anything like past wars. They invest in imaginary theories of future wars that ignore the lessons of the past, ensuring more fiascos.

    The political class is as self-deluded as the generals. It refuses to accept the emergence of a multi-polar world and the palpable decline of American power. It speaks in the outdated language of American exceptionalism and triumphalism, believing it has the right to impose its will as the leader of the “free world.” In his 1992 Defense Planning Guidance memorandum, U.S. Under Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz argued that the U.S. must ensure no rival superpower again arises. The U.S. should project its military strength to dominate a unipolar world in perpetuity. On February 19, 1998, on NBC’s “Today Show”, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright gave the Democratic version of this doctrine of unipolarity. “If we have to use force it is because we are Americans; we are the indispensable nation,” she said. “We stand tall, and we see further than other countries into the future.”

    This demented vision of unrivaled U.S. global supremacy, not to mention unrivaled goodness and virtue, blinds the establishment Republicans and Democrats. The military strikes they casually used to assert the doctrine of unipolarity, especially in the Middle East, swiftly spawned jihadist terror and prolonged warfare. None of them saw it coming until the hijacked jets slammed into the World Trade Center twin towers. That they cling to this absurd hallucination is the triumph of hope over experience.

    There is a deep loathing among the public for these elitist Ivy League architects of American imperialism. Imperialism was tolerated when it was able to project power abroad and produce rising living standards at home. It was tolerated when it restrained itself to covert interventions in countries such as Iran, Guatemala, and Indonesia. It went off the rails in Vietnam. The military defeats that followed accompanied a steady decline in living standards, wage stagnation, a crumbling infrastructure and eventually a series of economic policies and trade deals, orchestrated by the same ruling class, which deindustrialized and impoverished the country.

    The establishment oligarchs, now united in the Democratic Party, distrust Donald Trump. He commits the heresy of questioning the sanctity of the American empire. Trump derided the invasion of Iraq as a “big, fat mistake.” He promised “to keep us out of endless war.” Trump was repeatedly questioned about his relationship with Vladimir Putin. Putin was “a killer,” one interviewer told him. “There are a lot of killers,” Trump retorted. “You think our country’s so innocent?” Trump dared to speak a truth that was to be forever unspoken, the militarists had sold out the American people.

    Noam Chomsky took some heat for pointing out, correctly, that Trump is the “one statesman” who has laid out a “sensible” proposition to resolve the Russia-Ukraine crisis. The proposed solution included “facilitating negotiations instead of undermining them and moving toward establishing some kind of accommodation in Europe…in which there are no military alliances but just mutual accommodation.”

    Trump is too unfocused and mercurial to offer serious policy solutions. He did set a timetable to withdraw from Afghanistan, but he also ratcheted up the economic war against Venezuela and reinstituted crushing sanctions against Cuba and Iran, which the Obama administration had ended. He increased the military budget. He apparently flirted with carrying out a missile strike on Mexico to “destroy the drug labs.” But he acknowledges a distaste for imperial mismanagement that resonates with the public, one that has every right to loath the smug mandarins that plunge us into one war after another. Trump lies like he breathes. But so do they.

    The 57 Republicans who refused to support the $40 billion aid package to Ukraine, along with many of the 19 bills that included an earlier $13.6 billion in aid for Ukraine, come out of the kooky conspiratorial world of Trump. They, like Trump, repeat this heresy. They too are attacked and censored. But the longer Biden and the ruling class continue to pour resources into war at our expense, the more these proto fascists, already set to wipe out Democratic gains in the House and the Senate this fall, will be ascendant. Marjorie Taylor Greene, during the debate on the aid package to Ukraine, which most members were not given time to closely examine, said: “$40 billion dollars but there’s no baby formula for American mothers and babies.”

    “An unknown amount of money to the CIA and Ukraine supplemental bill but there’s no formula for American babies,” she added. “Stop funding regime change and money laundering scams. A US politician covers up their crimes in countries like Ukraine.”

    Democrat Jamie Raskin immediately attacked Greene for parroting the propaganda of Russian president Vladimir Putin.

    Greene, like Trump, spoke a truth that resonates with a beleaguered public. The opposition to permanent war should have come from the tiny progressive wing of the Democratic Party, which unfortunately sold out to the craven Democratic Party leadership to save their political careers. Greene is demented, but Raskin and the Democrats peddle their own brand of lunacy. We are going to pay a very steep price for this burlesque.

    Wuhan Lab Did Gain of Function Research on . . . Monkeypox

    WuhanMonkeypox Header large
    WuhanMonkeypox Header large

    The very same Biolab that performed gain of function research into Coronaviruses, and is widely believed to have spawned the outbreak of COVID-19, is now shown to have ALSO done that research on Monkeypox; which the world is seeing outbreaks of right now.

    Virologica Sinica is an international journal which aims at presenting the cutting-edge research on viruses all over the world. The journal publishes peer-reviewed original research articles, reviews, and letters to the editor, to encompass the latest developments in all branches of virology.

    In February 2022, Virologica Sinica published a recent gain of function research project on Monkeypox,  performed by scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in August 2021 while the COVID-19 pandemic was still raging around the world.

    The Wuhan Institute of Virology assembled a monkeypox virus genome, allowing the virus to be identified through PCR tests, using a method researchers flagged for potentially creating a “contagious pathogen”

    The study was published in February 2022.  (Link to Study)

    So now the world is seeing the SECOND outbreak of a strange and dangerous new virus, and it is also seeing this from the exact same laboratory that did Gain of Function research into both those now-in-the-wild Viruses.

    Is this carelessness, or deliberate bio-warfare against the world by China?

    China’s No.2 surprises Anthony Albanese with congratulations before PM’s first big test

    Apparently, this is China’s New foreign policy: stop communication with any  hostile nation until they lost office, then initiate good-will with the new leadership. If the new establishment still behaves in a hostile and barbaric manner, then they will continue to stop communicating until the leadership is then replaced.
    .
    This, in the long run, will shape the national geopolitical alignments.

    Mr Albanese has been sworn in. Now he must meet his first big challenge.

    James Robertson
    Political Editor
    7:52pm, May 23
    China has ended a block on communicating officially with Australia after Premier Li Keqiang – second to President Xi Jinping – congratulated Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hours after he took office, state media reported.
    
    The olive branch came as Mr Albanese was flying to his first major foreign policy engagement, a regional security summit formed to be a counterweight to China’s influence in the region.
    
    State news agency Xinhua quoted Premier Li as saying he hoped that this year’s 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties would be an occasion to review relations between the two countries.

    From HERE

    Amazing Colorized Photos Show What Kitchens Looked Like In The First Half Of The 20th Century

    An amazing set of colorized photographs from Color Me Six Ways to Sunday that show what kitchens looked like from the first half of the 20th century.

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    China Insists Party Elites Shed Overseas Assets, Eyeing Western Sanctions on Russia – WSJ

    An internal Communist Party directive bars senior officials from owning property abroad or stakes in overseas entities, whether directly or through spouses and children

    From HERE

    OSCE Satellite Phone Found in NAZI Lair Beneath Azovstal

    OSCE Sat Phone ID large
    OSCE Sat Phone ID large

    For over a month, the Russian Army surrounded NAZIS from Ukraine at the Azovstal Steel Mill in Mariupol. The NAZIS finally surrendered last week. Now, the Russians have found a Satellite Phone from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in EUROPE (OSCE) inside the NAZI Lair. Why was OSCE facilitating the NAZIS in Ukraine?

    Here’s a full image of the Satellite Phone found by the Russian Army in the catacombs of the Azovstal Steel Mill:

    OSCE Sat Phone Found Beneath Azovstal Mill NAZIS used it
    OSCE Sat Phone Found Beneath Azovstal Mill NAZIS used it

    This phone made it possible for an actual Army Unit from Ukraine, composed of actual NAZIS who perpetrated barbaric war crimes upon innocent civilians in Donetsk and Luhansk, to maintain contact with their bosses in Kiev for further instructions and supplies.

    Why would the OSCE have provided such a communications device to actual NAZIS?

    OSCE cannot claim it was “lost” or “stolen” — the phone still works. The account is still active.

    So again, why was OSCE facilitating actual NAZIS?

    No comment has been received back to our inquiring email from OSCE.

    Asian countries have good ties with US, China and other major powers, don’t need Nato-equivalent, Singapore’s PM Lee says

    • •US President Biden said on Saturday that stronger ties among like-minded nations is needed amid ‘competition between democracies and autocracies’
    • •But Singapore’s PM Lee Hsien Loong said in an interview that a ‘better configuration’ is one that does not involve countries joining opposing blocs
    Updated: 10:20am, 24 May, 2022
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    Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said it is in Asia’s interest to avoid forming a security bloc like Europe’s Nato, noting the region’s history and circumstances make such a military alliance unnecessary.
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    Lee’s remarks in an interview with Nikkei Asia published on Monday come amid calls from US President Joe Biden for Washington’s partners in the region to shore up cooperation amid escalating rivalry against the world’s “autocracies”.
    That rhetoric has largely been described by observers as aimed at getting countries aligned with the US and the West to cooperate and gird themselves against China and Russia.
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    Biden, currently on his maiden Asia tour as US president, said on Saturday that stronger ties among like-minded nations were necessary amid an inevitable “competition between democracies and autocracies”.
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    Asked by Nikkei’s editor Tetsuya Iguchi if Asia needed a “collective security equivalent” to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato), Lee pointed out that Asia’s circumstances were not the same as Europe’s.
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    The region did not have Europe’s history, where Western countries were split from Soviet Union-backing “Warsaw Pact” nations during the Cold War.
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    “In Asia, the history is different. There was never a grouping in Asia which was the equivalent of Nato,” Lee said. “And countries in Asia, many of them enjoy good ties with China, as well as with the US and the US’ treaty allies,” he said, naming US treaty allies Japan, South Korea and Australia.
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    “Many more are not, but are friends of the US, like Singapore – we are a major security cooperation partner. But even many of the allies maintain important relations with China,” said the Singapore prime minister.
    He added: “So I think that that is a better configuration than one where countries are divided along a line and one bloc confronts another. That is the history in Europe, but it has not been the history in Asia. And I think it is better that it remains not.”
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    In the interview, Iguchi said “many countries rely too much on trade with China” and that “if China stops importing from Asian countries, the effect would be devastating”.
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    In response, Lee said “you cannot afford not to do business with China”.
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    “The opportunities are there, the markets are there, and you want to trade with them, and soon, many countries will be welcoming their investments as well,” he said.
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    While countries will want to grow their trade links with the rest of the world, “China is now a bigger part of the world economy and therefore proportionately you would expect more of your trade to go with China,” Lee added.
    Russia, China seeking to ‘rewrite international rule book’: Nato chief
    .
    “If you say China is a big part, but I do not want to trade with them, it will not only be very costly, but you are setting up for more friction and less chances of maintaining the peace.”
    .
    In the wide-ranging interview, Lee also touched on the question of China and self-ruled Taiwan’s recent application to join the 11-nation Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) trade pact.
    Singapore is this year’s chair of the group’s decision-making body. In September Taiwan, which China views as a renegade province, applied to join the CPTPP a week after Beijing did so.
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    “We are the Chair, but we do not decide. We are the traffic police,” Lee said.
    .
    “It is an open grouping where economies can join if they meet the standard, which are quite high, and the decision is made by consensus,” Lee said.
    “That means the Chair will consult the member economies, and they will have their views, and if there is a consensus to start the accession process, it will begin,” he said.
    .
    The consultations will “take a while” as individual economies may have different views and would have separate discussions with the nations applying to join.
    .
    Lee said Singapore, for its part, would welcome China to the CPTPP. He said the world’s second-largest economy would need to meet the standards of the pact. “But in the end, the decision is made by the consensus of the members so the other members may well have different views,” he said.
    .

    Possible Nato membership for Finland and Sweden sparks concern in Russia

    On the US-initiated Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) launched by President Biden on Monday in Tokyo, Lee said Singapore – a participant in the initiative – was “positive” about its formation.
    .
    So far 12 countries – Australia, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam and the US – have signed up and account for 40 per cent of the world’s GDP, according to the White House.
    .
    The countries said in a joint statement the framework would help them collectively “prepare our economies for the future” following disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
    .
    The IPEF, which involves supply chains, the digital economy and green economy cooperation, was an alternative to a multilateral trade pact involving the US, and reflects Washington’s “intent to cooperate on economic issues which are relevant to the region,” Lee said.

    “My mom, looking gorgeous as usual, Fremont, CA, mid-1960s”

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    Sitrep 180 Hot Potato : Ritter, Lira, Johnson and Martyanov

    By Amarynth for the Saker Blog

    Let me first give the links to the debate in question (and this is a sitrep, so it is more freewheeling than a serious article for the Saker blog).

    We’ve been talking about Ritter’s 180 swing in his coverage on both the SMO-404 and the Russian capabilities.

    This article, titled “Ukraine War Has No End in Sight” gives the Ritter view post his 180: HERE and there were three prior videos where this view developed.  But this written form is good enough.

    Andrei Martynov weighed in and Larry Johnson weighed in on various occasions and on a professional basis.  Gonzalo Lira weighed in his casual style.  On the Saker Blog, I weighed in during discussions and even analyzed a few paragraphs of Ritter’s article.

    Even Pepe Escobar had to retract a quasi ‘Ritter sentence’ that he used.  This was his short and creative retraction.  “Martyanov is right on Western Ukraine. I should have emphasized the conditionalities – as it stands a 404 “New Model Army” is American wishful thinking.”

    All of these people (including myself) were 180 opposite to Ritter’s view and I for one asked for evidence of this New Scary NATO army because clearly, Wunderwaffe came to mind.

    Yet, there is no discussion and Ritter did it again.  This time in an interview with Sputnik here:

    Article HERE

    Both Andrei Martyanov as well as Larry Johnson weighed in again.

    Before I quote from their work, let’s try to answer the question of Why?  Why are we responding to Ritter in this manner?  I will give you only my personal perception.  I view Ritter’s 180 as pushing NATO talking points and even spreading Ukrainian manure.   He assumes a static position from Russia.  After his 180, his tone changed and he presents NATO as the All Powerful and backed by the US Money Machine and Weapons Machine, as Invincible.  He creates new armies out of thin air, and professes knowledge of the Russian thinking and possible future actions which he cannot possibly know.  We can then discuss whether this is pure deception of his mainly western audience, or purely disingenuous, or a project based on a think-tank or something.  I hope it is none of those, and that he will enter into discussion and debate with his peers.  (Note Johnson’s article quoted later in this report).  If not, we have to question his whole basis for pumping American Wishful Thinking, as well as the substance of his presentation.

    I’ll go back to an older quote from Martyanov:  “That is why when I hear that some piece of metal and a pile of increasingly diminishing US Dollars are going to make any real tactical, operational, let alone strategic difference in 404, other than being blown up or taken as trophies, I smile. Even LDNR people today complain (in Russian) that most of the US equipment when even not-expired and up to date, often doesn’t work and breaks down.

    I know, for true American patriot such as Scott it is difficult to accept this fact but in the last 20 years it goes without saying that institutional rot completely engulfed America’s strategic and operational thought and, and I wrote three books on that, US increasingly produced weapons which like Javelins or Littoral Combat Ships, or F-35 or Patriot PAC 3s are not really suited for a serious war against competent enemy who, in addition, like Russia, has all means to see the enemy and destroy it.”  Article HERE

    Let’s go to Larry Johnson’s latest titled:  Debating Scott Ritter.

    He deals with the new funding, western weapons supply, training and intelligence sharing.  And he posts a video of Gonzalo Lira, who in his casual format understands these matters.  Here are some points but read the whole article:

    • Money may make the world go around but it does not magically produce trained, enthusiastic troops willing and capable of using such weapons.
    • Ukraine’s problem right now is not a lack of equipment. They had combat aircraft, helicopters, tanks, artillery and drones. Russia destroyed a significant amount of that materiel and killed the soldiers and pilots who were trained to operate those systems.
    • Scott Ritter sees the training of Ukrainian troops in Poland and Germany as a critical variable that could really hurt the Russians. Training reinforcements on new technology might be a potential game-changer if the situation on the ground in Ukraine was static. It is not.
    • Scott also asserts that intelligence sharing gives the Ukrainians an edge. When you provide intelligence on Russian troop movements, locations or plans, there is an assumption that the recipients of that intelligence will be able to do something to hurt the Russians. How did that work out in Mariupol? How about fending off the Russian missile attack in Desna. In my view, sharing intelligence with Ukraine is an effort in futility. Am empty gesture that will not change anything on the ground.

    How to actually understand this Hot Potato?, and it is an important one.  The Ukraine SMO is only but a small representation of what Russia means by stopping the growth of NATO, indivisibility of security, the security balance in Europe, and most important, military-technical measures.   And then, one has to bring into the calculus that China is solid behind Russia in the thinking, and further, that the US pre-amble to actual kinetic action in the Ukraine, is now being duplicated around China.  The dead give-away is that SHOULD in Biden’s sentence.  Remember the many ‘ifs’ and ‘shoulds’ that we saw in the runup to Russia entering the Ukraine.  “President Joe Biden said Washington could be directly involved in conflict should China try to take the island by force.”  They are again trying to project and create a condition that is not necessarily there.

    And this is the tone change in Ritter’s work.  He is projecting a condition that is not necessarily existent and presents it as fact. 

    We have to understand that NATO is now being presented as the ultimate force projection by the small collective west.  Those familiar with Martyanov’s work understand that this is but a paper tiger and the boogyman (although with destructive ability) under the bed.  This is a projection and the small collective west only has a boogyman left to threaten the world.

    Here is another such projection, this time with a clown:  Klaus Schwab has just introduced President Zelensky of Ukraine to the World Economic Forum in Davos with a glowing tribute saying that all of Europe and the international order stands with him.

    Lira’s view is important here, albeit not professional.  He asks the question, Why is it Absurd that the Ukraine is standing up a million man new army?  (Short, 7 minutes or so).

    For comments, I remind you, that this is not a personality contest.  As Johnson says – it is a substantive matter.  So commentators, please be reasonable and kind, and don’t tell us who you like most.  At least present knowledge of the substance of this matter.  From the commentariat, let’s keep this one closely focused on the topic.

    There is a bigger picture here.  From here and there in Europe, we see that everyone is now desperately scrambling for a peace plan.  A contributor sent me this one from Italy titled Now, Italy begins backtracking on its promises and extending an olive branch toward Russia.  HERE

    I smiled, on two accounts.  This peace plan is Minsk redux!

    And secondly, why this reach for a peace plan now?  Besides worrying about economics and gas and oil, it is another containment of Russia.  They all know Russia will win in the Ukraine, the way Russia perceives it, handsomely.   So, everyone desperately wants to devise new conditions, because the fear is that Russia will not stop.  So, they want to devise peace now, and send Russia back to Russia.  The news is that we are in a world-changing epoch, and Russia will not stop but take her full part in this world-changing epoch, preferably peacefully, but if not, military-technical.

    What’s Behind Biden’s Resolve to Defend Taiwan Against Beijing?

    Jeff J. Brown on Sputnik News. China Rising Radio Sinoland 220524  . It’s an audio track. Interesting stuff. Jeff’s stuff always is.

    From HERE

    This 19th-Century Tool Box Is Meticulously Designed To Hold 300 Tools

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    The look of tool chests can tell us much about workers and workplaces. While their purpose is to organize, carry, and protect tools, this chest also suggests what a worker thinks of himself and how society measures the value of his work.

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    If the workmanship in a tool chest is any indication of the maker’s talent, then the craftsmanship of Master carpenter and Freemason H. O. Studley must have been awe-inspiring. Brother Henry O. Studley (1838-1925) built this magnificent wall-hung chest while employed by the Poole Piano Company of Quincy, Massachusetts.

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    In an oak clamshell box adorned with rosewood, ebony, pearl and ivory, Studley kept both tools he made and a collection of the finest hand tools made prior to 1900, including a complete set of woodworking tools as well as machinist and stonemasonry tools. To pack the 300-plus tools into a case only 19 1/2 inches wide, 39 inches long and 9 1/2 inches deep, Studley devised a jigsaw puzzle arrangement of flip-up trays, fold-out layers and hidden compartments. Maine native Pete Hardwick originally owned the chest, which had been in his family since it was bequeathed to his grandfather by Studley.

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    Hardwick acquired the chest from his brother by trading a 1934 Ford sedan for it. A good trade? It would seem so: just one tool – the Stanley No. 1 plane housed in the ebony archway in the upper-left part of the chest – was appraised at $700.00 in 1993.

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    This tool chest was carefully restored to its original splendor and glory, loaned to the Smithsonian Institution, then displayed in the National Museum of American History as the centerpiece of woodworking and other tradesman tool chests. Studley’s chest then changed hands again (for an undisclosed $$$ amount) to another private collector.

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    The Prisoner Episode 3

    Enjoy this episode. I will continue to add these episodes in the future articles.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
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    .

    I warned you. It’s NOW in process. China is now on full war mobilization and red alert status.

    The US Air Force has the F35, a fighter plane that is invisible to radar. The F35 is so invisible no-one in Ukraine has seen it.
    
    -Passerby

    We interrupt the normal flow of opinion, articles and news on MM for this breaking and concerning alert. But first, some background. Watch the video that I made on Saturday morning…

    MM Warning on Saturday 21MAY22

    This is the video that I made on Saturday morning. Watch it.

    China DEFCON moves from Orange to Red Status

    Update: This is FAKE NEWS. Sorry for presenting it. Sources inside of the Chiense govnerment has confirmed that the high state of readiness has not decreased since 2019. I am ashamed for being so taken in by the bullshit. Apologies all around. -MM

    Hal Turner Comments…

    From HERE.

    The China Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee has issued a “National Mobilization Order” to switch China from peacetime to Wartime economy. This is now formal preparation to seize Taiwan and fight-off U.S. protection of that island.

    Audio from a Provincial government meeting in the Province of Guangdong was recorded, making explicitly clear they have been ordered to immediately switch to a wartime operating status.

    Support of frontline troops, through coordination of industrial production, is now being implemented.

    We now return back to our regular programming…

    Elegant Photos That Defined Edwardian Fashion Styles Of Young Women

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    One of the primary changes of the Edwardian Era included the change in clothes of the women.

    A typical Edwardian Woman was very fashion conscious and this era hence brought about remarkable new trends in women’s attire. Curvy hips and fuller low chests were the unique characteristics of this era because they emphasised slim and trim fits.

    In short, Edwardian women’s fashion is actually a simplification from Victorian era, but pretty more creativity and innovation. These elegant photos below that defined Edwardian fashion styles of young women.

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    Pepe Escobar, in “Russia Rewrites The Art of Hybrid War” at SCF:

    So why would weapons peddler retrofitted as Pentagon head Lloyd “Raytheon” Austin literally beg since late February to have his phone calls answered by Russian Defense Minister Shoigu, only to have his wish finally granted?
    
    It’s now confirmed by one of my top intel sources. The call was a direct consequence of panic. The United States Government (USG) by all means wants to scotch the detailed Russian investigation – and accumulation of evidence – on the US bioweapon labs in Ukraine, as I outlined in a previous column.
    
    This phone call happened exactly after an official Russian statement to the UN Security Council on May 13: we will use articles 5 and 6 of the Convention on the Prohibition of Bioweapons to investigate the Pentagon’s biological “experiments” in Ukraine.
    
    ...
    
    Shoigu cold see the call coming eons away. Reuters, merely quoting the proverbial “ Pentagon official”, spun that the allegedly one-hour-long call led to nothing. Nonsense. Austin, according to the Americans, demanded a “ ceasefire” – which must have originated a Siberian cat smirk on Shoigu’s face.

    So, according to Escobar, it’s not primarily the disastrous surrender of 2,000 Azov prisoners at Avostal or the possible NATO remainders there that so terrifies the deep state, but the fact that Russia has irrefutable documentation of US war crimes against Humanity in its bioweapons labs — the 30 or so in Ukraine plus ~300 worldwide. The origin of Covid-19 as possible biowarfare against China and Iran also risks exposure.

    Scandinavian Airlines Pulled Out Vintage Images Of Old Menu Cards And In-Flight Meals

    1xcv 18
    1xcv 18

    Scandinavian Airlines, usually known as SAS, is the flag carrier of Sweden, Norway and Denmark, which together form Scandinavia. SAS is an abbreviation of the company’s full name, Scandinavian Airlines System. Founded on August 1, 1946. A few years ago for their seventieth anniversary they pulled out some old menu cards and and pictures of in-flight meals. Times have changed…

    It all looks glorious. Of course it does. These pictures were taken to advertise the marvel of flying with SAS. What we do see are the chefs, who with flourishes of impressive blades carve slices of meat from the grinning hostesses’ well-stocked trolley. The sommelier stands by, ready to suggest the best vintage to accompany the smogasbord of mile-high delights.

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    Expert says Putin’s demand for rubles is the “most serious blow” to American interests in Ukraine

    From HERE

    An expert has said that the demand by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s for rubles if “unfriendly countries” want gas is the “most serious blow” to American interests in Ukraine.

    European countries were stunned by Russia’s demand that gas be paid in rubles as they seemingly expected the Eurasian country to be sanctioned and locked out of Western financial mechanisms without retaliation. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on March 31 that he had signed a decree forcing buyers from “unfriendly countries” to pay for Russian gas in rubles from April 1, warning that contracts would be halted if these payments were not made.

    Although the companies and governments of “unfriendly countries” have rejected the move as a breach of existing contracts, which are set in euros or dollars, French economy minister Bruno Le Maire said his country and Germany were preparing for a possible scenario that Russian gas flows are halted – something that would plunge Europe into a full-blown energy and economic crisis.

    Although the halt of gas supplies to Europe could see Gazprom lose about half of its profits and reduce investment, it will have an even greater negative consequence on the European energy sector. Europe will not be able to quickly replace Russian gas with LNG supplies from the United States and Qatar, and as a result, European gas prices could rise to $5,000 per 1,000 cubic meters or even higher, which will force a consumption reduction and hit the economy.

    Charles Michel, head of the Council of Europe, presented the EU Programme on ensuring energy security. He stressed that eliminating dependence on Russian energy sources is at the heart of the program as, according to him, it is necessary to quickly get rid of Russian carbon hydrogen and then fossil fuels in general.

    However, it is clear that even without the current global energy crisis caused by the lack of gas supplies, it would still be impossible to find a short to medium term solution to replace Russian sources. In this way, EU states, the UK, the US and other listed unfriendly countries will have no choice but to engage in rubles trade if they want to continue receiving Russian energy and not let their economic situations worsen.

    Speaking about changes in the global economic system following sanctions and Russia’s responses to the financial hostilities, Serbian geopolitical analyst Borislav Korkodelovic said: “IMF and World Bank data also show that it is becoming increasingly easy for the rest of the world to reject the demands of the West because it is no longer as economically omnipotent as it once was.”

    “Even when it comes to nominal GDP, the difference between the BRICS countries on the one hand, and the EU and the US on the other, is narrower (24% to 30% before the pandemic and now it is even smaller). When the GDP is calculated relative to the parity of purchasing power, the stakes have already been replaced: 45% to 44.1% in favor of BRICS.”

    For his part, Serbian lawyer Branko Pavlović said that Russia, China and India had a key part in building a new global economic system that is more equitable, as it should have been after the Second World War.

    “This is a fight for a whole new international relationship and a return to multilateralism with respect to the sovereignty and equality of states, as envisioned after World War II, but now with incredible economic momentum to the general benefit. Everyone around the world understands that America and the West have been exploitative so far. We are now witnessing a new internationalism of liberation,” said Pavlović.

    This sentiment was shared by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov who said that BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) will be at the center of a new world order and stressed that the demand for rubles “is not a change in the terms of [energy] contracts,” but rather “a protection of Russian interests.”

    It is this very drive to protect Russian interests that has forced Putin’s hand to demand rubles for energy. In fact, sanctions against Russia have only forced an accelerated change to the global economic system as de-Dollarization is being explored by nearly every major non-Western country.

    Alfredo Jalife-Rahme, a Mexican political scientist, said that London, Washington and Beijing agree that there is a weakening of globalization. He stressed that “Moscow’s demand that your gas is paid in rubles” is an example of “the dismantling of the globalized model in the energy framework.”

    Jalife-Rahme also explained that “the financial globalization with the predominance of the dollar generated annual profits of 1 trillion dollars for the United States, about 10% of the global GDP. The change of this paradigm may be one of the most serious blows of the Ukrainian situation to American interests.”

    The West thought that it could economically collapse Russia, ignoring that sanctions failed to topple Saddam Hussein, Bashar al-Assad, Iran’s Ayatollah’s, Kim Jong-Un and Nicolás Maduro. Rather, sanctions have only forced an acceleration of the de-Dollarization of the global economy. In effect, the demand for rubles for gas is pushing forward a multipolar and more equitable global economic system.

    THE WARS OF THE 21ST CENTURY

    I would now like to offer you some thoughts that do not commit you to this or that conflict, and even less to this or that side. I will just lift a veil and invite you to look at what it hides. What I am about to say may shock you, but we can only find peace by accepting reality.
    
    Wars are changing. I am not talking about weapons and military strategies, but about the reasons for conflicts, about their human dimension. Just as the transition from industrial capitalism to financial globalization is transforming our societies and pulverizing the principles that organized them, so this evolution is changing wars. The problem is that we are already incapable of adapting our societies to this structural change and therefore even less capable of thinking about the evolution of war.
    
    War always seeks to solve the problems that politics has failed to solve. It does not happen when we are ready for it, but when we have eliminated all other solutions.
    
    This is exactly what is happening today. The US Straussians have inexorably cornered Russia in Ukraine, leaving it no option but to go to war. If the Allies insist on pushing her back, they will provoke a World War.

    Thierry is always good:

    From HERE

    Ukraine update & Wheat for Rubles has collective west in panic mode

    A Big Lie

    The NY Times publishes a Big Lie,

    "In the end, it is the Ukrainians who must make the hard decisions."

    No, the opposite is true–all decisions are made in DC and have since 2014.

    The phone calls are pathetic since they’re being made by those who lack the power to initiate negotiation. Blinken, Sullivan and Nuland are the ones killing Ukrainians since they refuse to allow any attempts at peace. And those three believe their own swill.

    karlof1

    Placebo – English Summer Rain [Soulmates Never Die HD]

    Takes me back…

    ”]

    May Ukraine SitRep – Russians Break Through U.S. Bolsterism

    From MoA.

    On May 14 I noted that the U.S. had asked Russia for a ceasefire in Ukraine:

    The U.S. readout of the call says:
    
    On May 13, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke with Russian Minister of Defense Sergey Shoygu for the first time since February 18. Secretary Austin urged an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and emphasized the importance of maintaining lines of communication.
    
    Austin initiated the call and the U.S. is seeking a ceasefire in Ukraine!!!

    Yesterday the top officers of the U.S. and Russia had a call which, again, the U.S. side had initiated:

    Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian General Staff, held a conversation that the Pentagon declined to further detail beyond acknowledging it had happened.

    Thinks must be bad in Ukraine for this to have happened. Indeed if one trusts the daily ‘clobber list’ the Russian Ministry of Defense puts out all positions of the Ukrainian army are under heavy artillery fire and it is losing about 500 men per day. There are additional Russian effective strikes on training camps, weapon storage sites and transport hubs all over the country.

    On top of that the tactical situation at the eastern frontline has changed after Russian forces broke through the heavily fortified frontline.

    2022 05 21 11 23
    2022 05 21 11 23

    Source: liveuamap.combigger A few days ago the Russian army went forward along the H-32 road, broke through the line in the direction of Propasna and took the town. It has since extended the bulge by taking several villages to the north, west and south.

    2022 05 21 11 2z3
    2022 05 21 11 2z3

    biggerThis breakthrough gives the chance to roll up the Ukrainian fortifications along the frontline through flank attacks or from behind. By cutting the supply lines of the Ukrainian troops to the north and south envelopes can be created which will eventual lead to cauldrons with no way out for the Ukrainian troops.

    This is especially dangerous for the several thousand soldiers north of the bulge which currently defend the cities of Sieverodonetsk and Lysychansk in the north eastern part of the upper bubble.

    2022 05 21 11 2s4
    2022 05 21 11 2s4

    biggerThe Russian plan was to have another breakthrough from the north pushing to Siversk to then close the upper envelope. But after several failed attempts to cross the forest area and the Seversky Donets river that breakthrough has still to happen.

    Russia is now likely to push fresh troops into the Propasna bulge to extend its reach into all directions. Reports of current actions show that the heavy fighting and bombing on the frontline continues and that bombing also continues to target traffic nodes.

    2022 05 21 11 24
    2022 05 21 11 24

    biggerOther fronts in Ukraine are currently relatively quiet with little direct fire. Still daily Russian artillery attacks hits all Ukrainian front lines and will cost daily casualties.

    Some 2,000 Azov militia and Ukrainian army troops have left the catacombs of Azovstal in Mariupol. Another thousand may still be down there. The Russian army is filtering these prisoners. Members of Azov and other militia will be put to court. Ukrainian army soldiers will become prisoners of war.

    The gasoline and diesel scarcity in Ukraine is currently having severe impacts. Even the Ukrainian military is now rationing its fuel. Since about six weeks ago Russia has systematically attacked refineries and fuel storage sites in Ukraine. It also disabled railroad bridges along the lines that brought fuel from Moldova and Romania.

    At the same time the Ukrainian government had held up price regulations for fuel. The consumer sale prices for diesel and gasoline were fixed. The cost of fuel brought in by private trucks from Poland exceeded the price gas station owners could ask for. In consequence gas stations ran dry as their owners refrained from purchasing new fuel.

    Three days ago the Zelensky regime in Kiev finally ended the fuel price control:

    According to [economy minister] Svyrydenko, the government expects that the maximum prices for diesel will not exceed UAH 58 ($1.97), for gasoline — UAH 52 ($1.76) per liter, once controls are lifted.
    
    “As soon as we feel that market operators are abusing their position, we will impose sanctions on them,” she added.
    
    “We will monitor the situation on a daily basis”.

    The expected prices are lower than what is currently asked for in Germany and that is without trucking the fuel the 600 kilometer from Poland to Kiev. The threat of sanctions also means that local wholesalers will have little incentives to actually deal in fuel. With the average wages in Ukraine being about $480 per months the real fuel prices will soon become another economic shock.

    The Ukrainian government also continues its attacks on unions and labor laws:

    In March, the Ukrainian parliament passed wartime legislation that severely curtailed the ability of trade unions to represent their members, introduced ‘suspension of employment’ (meaning employees are not fired, but their work and wages are suspended) and gave employers the right to unilaterally suspend collective agreements.
    ...
    But beyond this temporary measure, a group of Ukrainian MPs and officials are now aiming to further ‘liberalise’ and ‘de-Sovietise’ the country’s labour laws. Under a draft law, people who work in small and medium-sized firms – those which have up to 250 employees – would, in effect, be removed from the country’s existing labour laws and covered by individual contracts negotiated with their employer. More than 70% of the Ukrainian workforce would be affected by this change.
    
    Against a background of concerns that Ukrainian officials are using Russia’s invasion to push through a long-awaited radical deregulation of labour laws, one expert has warned that the introduction of civil law into labour relations risks opening a “Pandora’s box” for workers.

    In total the social-economic situation for Ukraine is catastrophic. The military situation is even worse. Mariupol has fallen and Russian troops working there will soon be able to go elsewhere. The Propasna bulge is threatening to envelope the whole northern frontline together with the core of the Ukrainian army.

    There is no more talk of the Ukrainian army ‘winning’ like in Kiev or Karkov where the Russian troops retreated in good order after finishing their task of holding Ukrainian forces in place.

    The Ukrainian command has sent several territorial brigades to the front lines. These units were supposed to defend their home towns. They consist of middle age men drafted into service. They have little fighting experience and lack heavy weapons. Several of these units have published videos saying they were giving up. They are lamenting that their commanders left them when their situation became critical.

    That the Ukrainian army is now using such units as cannon fodder shows that it has only few reserves left.

    Weapons that come in from the ‘west’ have difficulties reaching the front lines and had so far very little effect. They amount to drops of water on a hot plate.

    All the above are the reasons why Austin and Milley have phoned up their Russian equivalents. They are also the reasons why the New York Times editors call on the Biden administration to end its bluster and to take a more realistic position:

    Recent bellicose statements from Washington — President Biden’s assertion that Mr. Putin “cannot remain in power,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s comment that Russia must be “weakened” and the pledge by the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, that the United States would support Ukraine “until victory is won” — may be rousing proclamations of support, but they do not bring negotiations any closer.
    In the end, it is the Ukrainians who must make the hard decisions: They are the ones fighting, dying and losing their homes to Russian aggression, and it is they who must decide what an end to the war might look like. If the conflict does lead to real negotiations, it will be Ukrainian leaders who will have to make the painful territorial decisions that any compromise will demand.
    ...
    [A]s the war continues, Mr. Biden should also make clear to President Volodymyr Zelensky and his people that there is a limit to how far the United States and NATO will go to confront Russia, and limits to the arms, money and political support they can muster. It is imperative that the Ukrainian government’s decisions be based on a realistic assessment of its means and how much more destruction Ukraine can sustain.
    
    Confronting this reality may be painful, but it is not appeasement. This is what governments are duty bound to do, not chase after an illusory “win.” Russia will be feeling the pain of isolation and debilitating economic sanctions for years to come, and Mr. Putin will go down in history as a butcher. The challenge now is to shake off the euphoria, stop the taunting and focus on defining and completing the mission. America’s support for Ukraine is a test of its place in the world in the 21st century, and Mr. Biden has an opportunity and an obligation to help define what that will be.

    Posted by b on May 20, 2022 at 16:49 UTC | Permalink

    The Gregg Allman Band 1982 – Queen of Hearts – Saenger Theatre New Orleans

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

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    Killer bunny rabbits, Economic Suicide, Haiti, Sri Lanka, Mariupol, and delicious home-made bagels

    I’ve been spending more time than I would like on the Metallicman you-tube channel. However, it’s a venue that seems to fit me personally. I just need to work on my learning curve and improve on my presentation skills, my video editing skills, and my Marketing skills. That will come. It’s all a matter of time.

    This installment concentrates on the crazy “news” that is flowing through the airwaves today, and mixed with my anti-troll, and anti-‘bot articles that really zeroes out the effectiveness of the government, and corporate entities that wish to confuse and control the narratives that MM produces. I hope you enjoy this article.

    The bold and brazen truth is exposed

    Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov:

    “Ukraine… No one wants Ukraine. They are an expendable country in this hybrid war against Russian Federation. No one has doubts anymore”.

    The language from Russian sources has changed and they now say clearly that Ukraine is a tool and the fight is against Russia by the West.

    How Europe Was Pushed Towards Economic Suicide

    A decent piece from MoA

    With the active help from Europe’s ‘leadership’ the U.S. is succeeding in ruining Europe.

    As Michael Hudson, a research professor of Economics at University of Missouri, Kansas City, wrote in early February, before Russia’s intervention in Ukraine:

    America no longer has the monetary power and seemingly chronic trade and balance-of-payments surplus that enabled it to draw up the world’s trade and investment rules in 1944-45. The threat to U.S. dominance is that China, Russia and Mackinder’s Eurasian World Island heartland are offering better trade and investment opportunities than are available from the United States with its increasingly desperate demand for sacrifices from its NATO and other allies.
    
    The most glaring example is the U.S. drive to block Germany from authorizing the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to obtain Russian gas for the coming cold weather. Angela Merkel agreed with Donald Trump to spend $1 billion building a new LNG port to become more dependent on highly priced U.S. LNG. (The plan was cancelled after the U.S. and German elections changed both leaders.) But Germany has no other way of heating many of its houses and office buildings (or supplying its fertilizer companies) than with Russian gas.
    
    The only way left for U.S. diplomats to block European purchases is to goad Russia into a military response and then claim that avenging this response outweighs any purely national economic interest. As hawkish Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Victoria Nuland, explained in a State Department press briefing on January 27: “If Russia invades Ukraine one way or another Nord Stream 2 will not move forward.” The problem is to create a suitably offensive incident and depict Russia as the aggressor.

    In mid February OSCE observer noted that the artillery bombardment of Donbas by the Ukrainians increased from a handful to over 2,000 explosions per day. Russia reacted to these attack preparations by recognizing the Donbas republics, signing defense agreements with them and by finally coming to their help.

    Shortly after the launch of the Russian military operation Professor Hudson further developed his earlier thoughts:

    The recent prodding of Russia by expanding Ukrainian anti-Russian ethnic violence by Ukraine’s neo-Nazi post-2014 Maiden regime aims at forcing a showdown. It comes in response to the fear by U.S. interests that they are losing their economic and political hold on their NATO allies and other Dollar Area satellites as these countries have seen their major opportunities for gain to lie in increasing trade and investment with China and Russia. 
    ...
    As President Biden explained, the current military escalation (“Prodding the Bear”) is not really about Ukraine. Biden promised at the outset that no U.S. troops would be involved. But he has been demanding for over a year that Germany prevent the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from supplying its industry and housing with low-priced gas and turn to the much higher-priced U.S. suppliers. 
    ...
    [T]he most pressing U.S. strategic aim of NATO confrontation with Russia is soaring oil and gas prices. In addition to creating profits and stock-market gains for U.S. companies, higher energy prices will take much of the steam out of the German economy.

    In early April Professor Hudson took another look at the situation:

    It is now clear that the New Cold War was planned over a year ago, with serious strategy associated with America’s perceived to block Nord Stream 2 as part of its aim of barring Western Europe (“NATO”) from seeking prosperity by mutual trade and investment with China and Russia. 
    ...
    So the Russian-speaking Donetsk and Luhansk regions were shelled with increasing intensity, and when Russia still refrained from responding, plans reportedly were drawn up for a great showdown last February – a heavy Western Ukrainian attack organized by U.S. advisors and armed by NATO.
    ...
    European trade and investment prior to the War to Create Sanctions had promised a rising mutual prosperity among Germany, France and other NATO countries vis-à-vis Russia and China. Russia was providing abundant energy at a competitive price, and this energy supply was to make a quantum leap with Nord Stream 2. Europe was to earn the foreign exchange to pay for this rising import trade by a combination of exporting more industrial manufactures to Russia and capital investment in rebuilding the Russian economy, e.g. by German auto companies, aircraft and financial investment. This bilateral trade and investment is now stopped – for many, many years, given NATO’s confiscation of Russia’s foreign reserves kept in euros and British sterling.

    The European response to the U.S. proxy war against Russia was based on media driven hysteric moralizing or maybe moralizing hysteria. It was and is neither rational nor realistic.

    The European ‘leadership’ decided that nothing but the economic suicide of Europe was sufficient to show Russia that Brussels was seriously miffed. Dimwit national governments, including the German one, followed that program. Should they stay on their course the result will be a complete de-industrialization of western Europe.

    In the words of one serious observer:

    Today, we see that for purely political reasons, driven by their own ambitions, and under pressure from their US overlord, the European countries are imposing more sanctions on the oil and gas markets which will lead to more inflation. Instead of admitting their mistakes, they are looking for a guilty party elsewhere. 
    ...
    One gets the impression that Western politicians and economists simply forget basic economic laws or just choose to ignore them. 
    ...
    [S]aying no to Russian energy means that Europe will systemically and for the long term become the world’s most costly region for energy resources. Yes, prices will rise, and resources will go to counter these price hikes, but this will not change the situation significantly. Some analysts are saying that it will seriously or even irrevocably undermine the competitiveness of a significant portion of European industry, which is already losing ground to companies from other parts of the world. Now, these processes will certainly pick up pace. Clearly, the opportunities for economic activity, with its improvements, will leave Europe for other regions, as will Russia’s energy resources.
    
    This economic auto-da-fe… suicide is, of course, the internal affair of the European countries. 
    ...
    Now our partners’ erratic actions – this is what they are – have resulted in a de facto growth in revenue in the Russian oil-and-gas sector in addition to the damage to the European economy. 
    ...
    Understanding what steps the West will take in the near future, we must reach conclusions in advance and be proactive, turning the thoughtless chaotic steps of some of our partners to our advantage for the benefit of our country. Naturally, we should not hope for their endless mistakes. We should simply, practically proceed from current realities, as I said.
    
    Vladimir Putin, Meeting on oil industry development, May 17 2020, Kremlin, Moscow

    Posted by b on May 18, 2022 at 14:01 UTC | Permalink

    Weapons arrive in Ukraine

    Incoming weapons.  On the Polish-Ukrainian border, seven South African-made Mamba Mk2 EE armored vehicles transferred to Ukraine by Estonia as military assistance were seen. These vehicles were specifically produced for the Estonian army.

    2022 05 19 14 38
    2022 05 19 14 38

     

    We have to conclude if we can see these armored vehicles via telegram channel on the Polish border, then the Russian forces can see them too.  And ditto for all other incoming weapons.

    China Eastern black box indicates 737 crash was intentional

    ***   The Offical Chinese government says that this article is FAKE NEWS and to ignore it.   ***

    May 18, 2022.

    .
    The crash occured within two days of Mr. Blinkedin, and President Biden WARNED China that "serious consequences" would occur unless China sanctioned Russia.

    The Wall Street Journal is reporting that someone intentionally put flight China Eastern Airlines flight MU5735 into a nose dive killing all 132 aboard.

    “Data from a black box recovered in the crash suggests inputs to the controls pushed the plane into the fatal dive,”

    …the WSJ said.

    The paper is quoting people familiar with US officials’ preliminary assessment of what led to the accident.
    
    Chinese authorities, who are leading the investigation, also have not flagged any mechanical or flight control problems with the plane involved in the March 21 crash.
    
    What is not clear is whether it was one of the pilots or a passenger.
    
    China Eastern Flight MU 5735 crashed on March 21, 2022.
    
    Flight MU 5735 a Boeing 737-800, of China Eastern Airlines, took off from Kunming Changshui Airport at 13:16 Beijing time and climbed to an altitude of 8900m.
    
    At 14:20:55 Guangzhou area control radar showed a “deviation” warning, as the aircraft left the cruise altitude.
    
    ATC called the crew but received no reply.

    Haiti

    2247
    2247

    A Haitian walks by a murdered man on the sidewalk near the Catholic Cathedral, Sunday, September 18, 1994 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. An American invasion of Haiti was averted Sunday night in the most dramatic fashion as President Clinton’s negotiators reached an 11th-hour compromise with Army commander Raoul Cedras. Clinton said Haiti’s military rulers would leave power by October 15. (Photo by Bebeto Matthews/AP Photo)

    Don’t ignore what’s happening in Sri Lanka, it’s coming for all of us | Redacted

    Take notice of Sri Lanka.

    OIP.rptLVrzrxWSw3vbxQvt 8wHaJP
    OIP.rptLVrzrxWSw3vbxQvt 8wHaJP

    Coming to the collective West.

    No Knead Crusty Rolls – Easier Than You Think!

    Mariupol Liberated… Western Media Silence Amid Their Big Lie Exposure

    From HERE

    For anyone who has been seriously following the conflict in Ukraine it is obvious that Western governments and media have been a total travesty in what they are claiming about that country.

    The Western news media were made to look like laughing stocks this week with the evacuation of civilians from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, the Black Sea port city in southern Ukraine.

    Not just laughing stocks, but actually proponents of deceitful war propaganda. This should be a matter of excruciatingly deep shame for the Western media and indeed the basis for future prosecution over war crimes complicity.

    Up to 100 civilians were released from the sprawling industrial factory and taken into care by Russian forces in conjunction with United Nations rescue officials and the International Red Cross. Their testimonies flatly contradict the claims that were being blared by Western news media for several weeks.

    Amplifying the narrative of the NATO-backed Kiev regime, the Western media had been making out that the civilians were voluntarily in the Azovstal plant to help defend it along with Ukrainian soldiers. The Russian military surrounding the factory was said to be besieging the site and threatening the safety of civilians.

    However, it turns out, based on their own testimonies, that the civilians were being held hostage as human shields by the Ukrainian combatants. While the Western media had been extolling the “heroic” defenders of the Azovstal factory, it has now become apparent that these “heroes” were grossly violating laws of war by systematically using non-combatants as human sandbags to deter a Russian assault.

    We should not be surprised by the criminal and degenerate conduct. For the “brave defenders” at the Azovstal plant that the Western media have been eulogizing are none other than the Nazi-affiliated Azov battalion. These militants are the frontline troops of the Ukrainian armed forces. They have been trained and armed by NATO powers, including the United States, Britain, Canada, and Poland. There is speculation that there may even be NATO special forces still holed up in the steel plant along with their Azov battalion charges.

    It remains to be seen what the residual 1,000 militants in the factory will do now that their siege is finally doomed. One of the fighters even put out a bizarre appeal this week to SpaceX billionaire Elon Musk to help mediate their escape. How appropriate for the weird times we live in!

    Contrary to Western media claims, the Ukrainian forces have been routinely using schools, hospitals, residential apartments, and other civilian centers as cover for fighting against Russian troops.

    The sudden fall-off in Western media coverage this week is in stark contrast to the near-hysterical saturation reporting in previous weeks when it was being claimed that the Ukrainian port city was cruelly besieged by Russian forces. Consumers of Western media were led to believe that Russia’s military was about to perpetrate a heinous crime of mass murder. The hysteria being generated is part of the manufacturing of consent from the public for Western governments to funnel taxpayer money and military aid to prop up the Kiev regime. This week, the Biden administration is set to send a $40 billion military aid package to the Kiev regime; this largesse is while one million Americans have died from the Covid-19 pandemic.

    For anyone who has been seriously following the conflict in Ukraine it is obvious that Western governments and media have been a total travesty in what they are claiming about that country. The regime in Kiev that seized power in 2014 through a CIA-backed coup against an elected president has actually been an international disgrace only given cover by the Western media and fawning Western governments. The regime may currently have a Jewish president as a figurehead, but for eight years it has been infested with Nazis, fascists and other anti-Russian radicals. This regime and its foot soldiers in the Azov battalion and other such formations openly glorify the memory of Second World War collaborators with the Third Reich in the prosecution of its Final Solution genocide.

    The Western media had previously acknowledged the “Nazi problem” in Ukraine. But since the US-led NATO bloc ramped up its war agenda against Russia over the past six months, all such pejorative mention of the Kiev regime has been expunged. The Western public is inculcated to believe that Washington and its European allies are defending democracy in Ukraine. The conflict has been completely shorn of any factual context, from the origins of the Kiev coup to the past eight years of relentless deadly aggression against the Russian-speaking people in the breakaway Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk.

    A major reason why Moscow ordered the military intervention into Ukraine on February 24 was to defend the Russian people of the southeast Donbass region from the ravages of the NATO-backed Kiev regime forces and their Nazi hatred.

    Nearly three months on, the Donbass provinces have been largely liberated by the Russian military. The Azov Nazis have been pushed back. The southern port city of Mariupol is a key strategic gain to link up the Donbass territory under the control of Russian forces in alliance with the armies of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics.

    The Western media tell their consumers that Russia’s military operation in Ukraine has been a failure; that it has involved massive war crimes; that the “brave defenders” are holding out.

    The facts are that the Kiev regime has callously and cynically used its own population as cannon fodder to cling on to power and as emotive pawns to facilitate the NATO weaponizing of the country as a catspaw against Russia. That is exactly what the NATO powers want. The United States and its NATO accomplices – the ultimate architects of this conflict – are funneling tens of billions of dollars into the Ukraine, supplying covert forces and military intelligence that is recklessly risking a direct conflict with nuclear-armed Russia.

    One can be bamboozled by the cornucopia of narratives and propaganda. The Bucha (false-flag) massacre that allegedly happened in March was a classic example of media gaslighting psyops, as was the bombing of the maternity hospital in Mariupol – all covertly perpetrated by NATO-backed Nazis but blamed on Russia by the Western media.

    But perhaps the clearest test case of lies from facts surely is the liberation of Mariupol by Russia. The city is returning to normal after weeks of heavy fighting. Humanitarian aid is being provided by Russian forces in coordination with the UN and Red Cross. As with other parts of liberated Donbass, civilians are expressing relief and gratitude for having gotten rid of militants who had been holding them under siege with their hateful Nazi ideology.

    There is a vivid parallel with Syria’s northern city of Aleppo when it was liberated by Russian forces in late 2016 from jihadist militants. Recall how for weeks before Aleppo was retaken, the Western media were declaring that a bloodbath was imminent against innocent civilians and “brave rebels”.

    Just like Mariupol and the rest of the Donbass, the civilian population has been liberated from a siege of terror that Western-backed proxies had imposed. In the case of Aleppo, Western media conspicuously did not follow up on their tall stories and wild claims. When did they ever visit Aleppo to find out what became of the civilians under siege?

    It is therefore fitting – albeit damning – that Western media have suddenly dropped their coverage of Ukraine this week. It is truly astounding how such Western media have reacted. There is a mass denial of reality because otherwise, they are exposing themselves as the liars and purveyors of propaganda that they shamelessly are. Why aren’t the BBC and CNN and so on in Mariupol, Donetsk and Lugansk to enquire about people’s conditions and views? That’s because the Western media would be exposing themselves as witting conduits of war propaganda. It is more prudent for them to simply just shut up and pretend nothing has happened.

    The dogs bark and the Western media caravan trundles on… to some other dutiful destination.

    Is it any wonder that Western governments are massively censoring all critical, independent media? Searching the internet now just brings up approved Western media sources. Hardly any Russian media views are permitted and neither are critical, independent Western perspectives. This draconian suppression of free speech and information by the West is part of their war propaganda campaign aimed at giving the warmongering media free rein to spout their preposterous and pernicious lies unchecked. The implications are shocking. Western states are devolving into totalitarian regimes that at the same time have the audacity to pontificate about democracy and freedom. They largely get away with this absurd audacity because the profiteering corporate media are bought and paid for to be dutifully dumb and obsequious. There is an increasingly vicious circle of toxic Western militarism aided and abetted by so-called media that more accurately should be referred to as the “ministry of truth”.

    There are many nails going into the coffin of Western corporate-controlled media as far as their public credibility and respect are concerned. Another nail just slammed in this week from the exposure of their Big Lie about Mariupol.

    Vietnam

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    A medic gives blood transfusion to unidentified 101st airborne brigade soldier in futile effort to save his life at An Ninh, South Viet Nam on September 18, 1965. Victim was wounded when helicopters bringing in his unit for battle against Viet Cong were hit by heavy fire. The Americans were pinned down for 24 hours, preventing evacuation of casualties. This soldier died three hours after he was wounded. (Photo by AP Photo)

    The American Biolabs

    Russia’s First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy gives key takeaways from the last UN Security Council meeting on US biolabs in Ukraine:

    1. The US refuses to explain its engagement in military bio activities in Ukraine. Keeps shrugging off several hundred pages of evidence. “These are all lies and Russia’s propaganda, and we are good guys because it can’t be otherwise”. Not a word on the point of discussion.
    2. Western delegations are praising the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) and calling on us to make use of its mechanisms. They fail to mention however that it is the US who is blocking the elaboration of BWC verification mechanism. Such a hypocricy!
    3. The US refuses to explain why it doesn’t want an effective international verification mechanism for bio weapons. Why act like this unless you are trying to conceal something? Why does Washington position itself above the international law? American exceptionalism at its best.
    Main conclusion: we have definitely hit their soft spot. It’s clear for any unbiased observer that they are obscuring the issue and trying to divert attention from this uncomfortable topic trying to discourage us to raise it by repeating mantras on “Russian aggression” etc.
    
    So stay tuned, there’s more evidence on US military biological programs to follow!

    Top level headline in China’s Global Times today:  “‘Neo-Nazism’ poisons Ukraine, Europe under US, West’s connivance”.

    Amazing Photographs Of Trees Growing Through Classic Cars

    For unknown reasons trees seem to like the apocalypse-style of growing through abandoned vehicles. Why? Good protection for seedlings?

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    Toward a Theory of Impossibility: Column Upends Science

    By Fred Reed for the Saker Blog

    In today’s column, we will revolutionize science, and establish that much of what we believe, at least regarding living things, is at best improbable and likely impossible. Science won’t notice, so no harm will be done.

    As we explicate the Theory of Impossibility, we must begin with particle physics. This will give the column a touch of class. Specifically, the Fundamental Theorem of Quantum Mechanics states, “If a thing makes no sense at all, wait until you get used to it, and then it will.” For example, the idea that a particle can simultaneously be a wave is absurd, but is now everywhere accepted, like potatoes. The EPR effect, holding that if one of a pair of entangled photons, in Scarsdale, changes polarity, its entangled partner, in Alpha Centauri, will simultaneously change polarity, is ridiculous. How would it know? Neither of these things can happen. But they do, so we regard them as reasonable. Here we enunciate and underlying principle: A thing is not necessarily possible merely because it happens.

    Unless something is going on that we do not know about.

    Scientists see the universe as if it were a gigantic crossword puzzle. Crosswords are inherently solvable. While the great puzzle of life and existence has not been entirely elucidated, we assume that it can be, given time and effort. We may not know a five-letter word ending in Q that means “seventh-century Persian coin,” but we assume that it exists and can one day be found. But…is this so?

    This reminds me that when I was in college, before the invention of fire, sophomores quoted Gödel’s Theorem as saying that in a logical system of sufficient complexity, there were questions that could not be answered within the system. Whether the theorem actually says this, I forget, but we said it said it, and felt very wise.

    Here we come to one of my favorite clichés, by the British biologist J.B.S. Haldane, “The world is not only queerer than we think, but queerer than we can think.” Just so. Perhaps there are questions that can’t be answered, and therefore won’t be. This cannot be a comforting thought to a new-minted chemist as he rushes forth from CalTech, which may be why anything suggesting inherent unanswerability is rejected. But it may be that we just aren’t smart enough to understand everything, or maybe even much of it. Here we come to another cliché by my favorite philosopher (me): The smartest of a large number of hamsters is still a hamster.

    Now, impossibility. Suppose I showed you a pair of tiny gears and said, “See? When I turn this one, it meshes with the other and makes it turn too.” You would respond with a lack of surprise. Suppose I then showed you fifty such little gears in an old-fashioned Swiss watch in which they all turned to make the hands move. You might say, “Isn’t that ingenious.” Suppose that I then told you that someone had assembled, literally, a cubic mile of such tiny gears and that they meshed perfectly for fifty years to do many complex things. You would ask me what I was smoking.

    Even though each step in a cubic-mile process could be shown to be possible—gear A turns gear B, which turns gears C and D—you would sense that the entire complex wouldn’t work, however plausible each sub-process might be. You would be unconsciously applying the law that the improbability of the whole is greater than the sum of the improbabilities of the parts. The improbability is not a linear function of the number of parts but increases without limit as the number of parts goes above, say, one thousand.

    Does that sound dreadfully portentous, or what? One day it will be the foundation of ponderous overpriced textbooks to extract money from sophomores. At least I hope so. I could use the money.

    To a neophyte of biochemistry, the textbook description of a cell seems the mapping of a robotic Japanese factory onto a swamp. For example, in what sounds like a computer-controlled assembly line, enzymes uncoil the DNA, others unzip it, complementary nucleotides snap into place, a zipper-upper enzyme glues them together, click, click, click, whereupon the mRNA rushes purposefully off to a ribosome where, click, click, click. This is probably AP biology in decent high schools, if any, and has been verified thousands of times by biochemists. But…it sounds like mechanical engineering, not mindless undirected glop in solution.

    You say, “But Fred, you don’t know anything about biochemistry.” True, but so what? You don’t have to know anything about it to know that it is impossible. Too many little wheels. You’ve got mRNA and microRNA and rRNA all rushing about, or sometimes holding still, and doing complex and purposeful things, and tRNA codons and anticodons coupling like drunken teenagers, and busybody enzymes editing this or that on the fly in the manner of bioschoolmarms or splicing this and some other thing and ribosomes and lysosomes and spliceosomes and palindromes and maybe aerodromes and really twisty long molecules with names like 2,4-diethyl-polywannacrackerene—and all of this is said to run with the efficiency of a Mexican drug cartel. All of this in a tiny space where everything ought to bang into everything else and just lie there in smoking rubble.

    To us barbarians on the outside, the cell looks like a microscopic globule of goop with sticky stuff diffusing mindlessly about. I do not doubt that biochemists, whom I respect, have shown all of this to happen by careful experiments. I just don’t believe it. It’s the cubic mile of gears again. You have hundreds of reactive species in close proximity doing extraordinarily complicated things for sometimes a hundred years with what sounds like precisely coordinated purposefulness–instead of congealing immediately into a droplet of disagreeable mush. I do not doubt that lab folk have proved that it happens. I just don’t think it is possible. Unless something is going on that we don’t understand.

    The foregoing is not orthodox biochemistry and may encounter initial resistance in the trade.

    A problem of biology for years has been the inability of evolutionists to explain how life or many of its manifestations can have evolved, irreducible complexity and all that, the usual response being ok, we aren’t sure, but any day now we will have the answer. The check is in the mail. But in fact the inexplicability grows ever greater year on year as more and more complexity is discovered, such as epigenetics, and the more complexity, the less likelihood of coming about by chance. But we advocates of Impossibility Theory assert that not only can living things not have evolved, but also that they can’t function. Too many little gear wheels. Therefore life doesn’t exist.

    Consider the retina, a very thin membrane consisting of ten distinct sublayers engaging in appallingly complex biochemistry, somehow maintaining position and function for, occasionally, a hundred years. These layers consist of millions of cells doing the impossibly tricky chemical dance mentioned above, more or less perfectly. In the rest of the eye you have the three layers of the eyeball, sclera, choroid, retina, and the five layers of the cornea, epithelium, Bowman’s membrane, stroma, Descemet’s membrane, and posterior lamina. And a lens consisting of a proteinaceous goop contained in a capsule, attached to the muscular ciliary body by suspensory ligaments, and an iris of radial and circumferential fibers innervated competitively by the sympathetic and parasympathetic subsystems of the autonomic nervous system. No way exists of explaining how this purportedly evolved—or how it works for many years without the layers of intricacy, biochemical through mechanical, collapsing. (I know this stuff because I have eye problems connected with Washington’s foreign policy.)

    The intricacy of life is layered. We start with a zygote which, being a cell, is bogglingly complex. This little time bomb develops into a baby, which is impossible. If you don’t think so, try reading a textbook of embryology. The migration of cells, this control gradient, that control gradient, DGRNs, perfect inerrant specialization to form implausibly precise and complex things like incus, malleus, stapes, tympanum in the ear and (very) numerous other examples, all impossible individually and more so in aggregate.

    Impossible, at least, unless we can come up with an auxiliary explanation. Magic seems a good candidate.

    All of the organs of the baby are in varying degrees impossibly complicated and, even more impossible, almost always all of them are perfect at once. Everyone knows Murphy’s Law: If something can go wrong, it will. A baby should bring joy to Murphy because the opportunities of disaster are nearly infinite—yet things almost never go wrong. It is like a federal program that actually works.

    The functioning of said baby is as mysterious as its formation. Babies grow. Children grow. How does this happen? For example, the baby has various small, hollow bones which grow year after year into large hollow bones. For this to work, cells (osteoclasts) eat away the bone from the inside, making the hollow larger, while other cells (osteoblasts) lay down new bone on the outside. Complex and wildly implausible communication between blast and clast purportedly makes this work. Medical researchers, honest people, no fools, assure me that this happens, and I believe them. Sort of. The idea that this evolved by random mutation is, if I may use a technical term, nuts. So, according to Impossibility Theory, is its precise, inerrant functioning. We come back to magic.

    The whole baby does this sort of thing. The skull grows. Kidneys grow. The heart grows. All, with few exceptions, perfectly. Meanwhile, kidneys excrete, endocrine glands secrete, neurons weirdly but correctly link up, skin grows in perfect layers, nervous system deploys—perfectly. Do you believe this? It isn’t possible.

    Unless there is something we haven’t figured out, and perhaps can’t.

    I don’t know much about anything (readers delight in assuring me of this). However, I don’t know less about computers than I don’t know about biology. I want an engineering information-flow analysis of cells and a baby. Probably there are courses and books about this, and I just haven’t heard of them.

    Consider a drill, perhaps in a factory, controlled by a computer. The total information involved in this transaction presumably consists of information flowing from sensors on the drill to the computer, and from the computer to the drill. Digital bits are easy to understand if you have at least two fingers. Cells are dauntingly analog.

    A whole lot of things have to happen in a cell at the right time and produce the right amounts of all sorts of stuff. But to my naïve gaze, not only do processes have to produce things in correct amounts, but the systems that tell them how much to produce have to know how much that is, and these interrelationships all have to interrelate with each other. How much is that in gigabytes? Again, I am a barbarian of such things, but I wish a software engineer would reduce the whole shebang to data-flow diagrams, including how it knows when things are wearing out and the information paths needed to repair them. And why everything doesn’t just stick to everything else.

    Thee you have the elements of a theory of impossibility. Doubtless it will rank with general relativity and Watson and Crick. You saw it here first.

    The Astonishing Cinematic Autochrome Photography From The 1890s By Heinrich Kühn

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    The rise of photography in the mid-late 19th-century began the move away from an oral and literary tradition towards one based on image. A photograph can describe a moment in time more viscerally than the written word.

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    Technology dictates form. When cameras were big box brutes – heavy, unwieldy things that took an age to process an image -photography was best served by landscape, as little moved other than the trees under the breath of the wind.

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    As cameras slowly changed during the 1890s, becoming lighter, more manoeuvrable, there grew a desire among photographs to create more artistic images. pictures that rivalled painting for their impressionistic beauty. One pioneer of this trend was Heinrich Kühn, a German-born amateur photographer. Back then, most photographers were amateurs. It was an expensive hobby. Only those who could afford to pay for the technology, the processing, the darkroom, and the time necessary indulge their hobby.

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    Kühn was the son of successful merchants. He was born in Dresden and studied medicine and science. He gave up his studies to focus on photography. He was able to do this because of an allowance he inherited from his father. He moved to Vienna and became part of the Vienna Camera Club, where he was influenced by the city’s Secession artists who believed in creating Getsumkunstwerk or a total work of art.

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    From 1890 onwards, Kühn started working on creating his “total art” photographs. His pictures were described as “painterly” and “impressionistic” but to our modern eye look more like movie stills from some great, unreleased film.

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    Dressed in his linen suit, Panama hat, gold-rimmed spectacles and luxuriant moustache, Kühn directed his wife and children to perform for his camera.

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    You Don’t Know Whether to Laugh or to Cry. The EU Now Has a Masterplan to Hit Putin Where It Hurts

    From HERE

    Hit Putin where it hurts? He’s more likely to hurt himself from laughing. Try harder, Ursula.

    The EU is about to unveil its own sanctions plan to wean its own member states off Russian oil. But getting backing from all EU governments might be harder to push it through. Try not to laugh.

    On the foreign policy circuit the EU doesn’t have an impressive track record. For anything. More, if anything, for leaving a trail of havoc in its wake when it dabbles in international politics. The problem is simply that the EU, while quite capable at agreeing on new directives for the size of your windscreen wipers, or the size or shape of a given piece of fruit, struggles with the big stuff. There simply isn’t the support from member states yet to hand over to Brussels how those same governments unilaterally deal with conflict around the world. The result is actually quite comical as who can forget Federica Mogherini’s offer to both President Assad of Syria and opposition fighters of cash from the EU to stop the war? Or for the same office to suggest using British frigates off the coast of Libya to literally blow out of the water smuggler boats laden with African migrants trying to get to Europe. Or that unforgettable foray into conflict resolution on the Chad border in 2001 where French officers under a so-called peacekeeping mission from the EU fled for their lives when rebels actually started firing live rounds at them? Imagine. Live rounds.

    And then there was the EU police force in Afghanistan which was so terrified of the streets of Kabul that they simply decided it would be safer for them, even though they were armed, to stay in their barracks. And then the fiasco of Covid where the EU couldn’t even get an agreement from its own governments on how to proceed with a rescue plan and so did nothing, while thousands of its own citizens died. Even Brexit was a catastrophe for the EU, given that after all that drama over the negotiations and the empty threats by Brussels, Britain turns out to be not merely a survivor but a champion with economic growth the envy of the 26-member bloc.

    The list just goes on and on. Someone really should write a book about the EU’s comical attempt to be a superpower and how it fails every single time.

    And it will be the same with the latest escapade from the European Commission’s own President who seems to have set a new record for being especially ineffective – even for European Commission presidents. Ursula von der Leyen, an unremarkable German politician, bereft of any real dynamism and a particularly obscure foreign minister when she held the post, is grasping the nettle and facing Russia head on. Oh yes she is. Dear Ursula has a new draft directive which will ensure that all EU member states will abandon their deals with Russia oil, or at least phase them out over a period of time. We don’t know what the timeline is but the ambitious plan will have to have the support of all member states and this where it might run into some obstacles. Given that some EU member states have made it pretty clear that they don’t have the means or resources to look for alternative sources of gas, for example, it’s hard to see how an EU directive is going to make any differences. Some might argue that an EU directive is a by-product of a lack of unity in the first place and so the failed superstate needs to look to the bureaucrats to find a fix. But contrary to popular belief, the EU Commission isn’t as powerful as it likes to believe and cannot impose draft legislation on member states or the European parliament for that matter.

    Realistically, the Russia move is an act of desperation following the EU’s grotesque support for U.S. and British objectives in Ukraine, i.e the toppling of Putin. The announcement shouldn’t therefore be taken seriously and given the recent Covid ordeal which lost von der Leyen considerable credibility it’s hard to see how she can galvanise opinion across 26 member states. What’s more likely is that this latest ruse will be a rod for her own back as more independently-minded EU member states who have made the headlines of late for not getting in line, will use it as a political tool to hit back at Brussels. And time is also a factor. If, say, it takes a year to be adopted – which is fast tracked – has the Commission president considered the present financial hardship that many EU citizens themselves are facing due to the Ukraine war and the political blowback that this directive would have, if adopted? While Joe Biden says remarkably stupid things like the U.S. is looking to Qatar for a solution to Europe’s energy dependency (they haven’t got any spare capacity to ship to Europe), it seems the EU is duty bound to follow the trend of talking nonsense and producing fake news. Hit Putin where it hurts? He’s more likely to hurt himself from laughing. Try harder, Ursula.

    Make ANY Bagel With THIS Recipe ( Plain/Everything/Egg/Onion/Poppy/Sesame ) New York Bagels Recipe

    The Luxury Apartment On Wheels: Camping In Style In A 1930s Jungle Yacht

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    The Jungle Yacht was created for and used by Italian explorer Commander Attilio Gatti and his wife, who both traveled extensively to the African Congo as a deluxe apartment “for his 1937-1940 (his 10th) and 1947 (his 11th) expeditions” and “equipped them quite lavishly.”

    The expedition used two streamlined trailers designed by Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky and using 1937 International Harvester D-35 chassis, and were 44 feet long and weighed 9 tons. The vehicles were built by the International Harvester company, who was evidently one of the sponsors of the expedition.

    The trailers were pretty luxurious accommodations for camping out in the boonies of British East Africa. They were joined together in camp as a deluxe 5-room apartment on wheels, and served as headquarters while the expedition’s personnel sought out the secrets of the dim heart of Africa.

    The camps were equipped with electricity and air conditioning and had a workshop, a photographic lab, and a ham radio station (Gatti was an enthusiastic ham radio operator). Electricity was supplied by a 110 volt generator mounted behind the cabs of the trucks. Each night a single wire 4500 volt electric fence was put up to dissuade the large specimens of the local wildlife from approaching the camp.

    One of the vehicles in transit from the International Harvester factory to New York.

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    Cocktails in the deepest heart of Africa.

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    The living room.

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    The Commander’s desk in the living room.

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    The bedroom.

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    An International Trucks brochure heralds the first journey of the five-room convoy.

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    Major Fail, other than war. 

    Washington failed to get the summit with the ASEAN countries to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    ASEAN nations are Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines.

    Failure in freezing Russian Money

    Another failure of freezing funds:  Switzerland released $6.33 billion of Russia’s frozen funds.

    US, Japan Prepare Statement Pledging To Jointly ‘Deter’ China Militarily

    From the “news” outlet Zero Hedge quoting propaganda outlets Bloomberg and Nikki. Thursday, May 19, 2022 – 09:05 AM
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    Tensions between Beijing and Tokyo are about to ratchet further amid widespread reports that the United States and Japan have prepared a statement calling for both to “deter and respond to” China’s aggressive military activities in the Indo-Pacific region.

    The statement is expected to be released as President Joe Biden visits Tokyo to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida early next week. Biden will travel to South Korea and Japan from May 20 to May 24, the White House previously announced.

    Crucially, according to Nikkei, “The statement to be released after their Monday meeting in Tokyo will also clarify America’s resolve to defend Japan if it is attacked, including with nuclear weapons.”

    The meeting will mark Biden’s first face-to-face meeting with the Japanese PM Kishida, coming at a crucial moment that the anti-China stance of both countries have steadily growing over recent years.

    When Biden last year met with then-Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, the two issue a joint statement calling for stability in the “Taiwan Strait” – which was viewed as a provocative term by China given it was the first joint US-Japan statement to invoke Taiwan in many decades.

    Next week’s Asia trip will include Biden rolling out his administration’s Indo-Pacific Economic Framework – which is a plan to counter China economically.

    Anticipating the Tokyo meeting, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday warned Japan, stressing that US-Japan cooperation must not “hurt China’s sovereignty, security and development interests” – as quoted in Bloomberg. “China hopes that Japan acts cautiously and learns a lesson from history,” the Chinese foreign ministry was cited further as saying.

    Killer Rabbits Terrorized the Pages of Medieval Manuscripts

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    From HERE

    In early medieval art and literature fluffy white rabbits, bunnies, and hares were typically motifs of innocence, venerability, and purity. However, more in sync with these animals’ rate of reproduction they later came to represent fertility. But as well as these classic archetypes of world mythology the rabbit was sometimes portrayed as a horrifically murderous killer.

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    Entering the Medieval Magical Inverse World

    Fans of Monty Python and the Holy Grail will recall the vicious killer bunny that attacked King Arthur and his valiant knights, however, only a few will know that this farcical scene has its origins in real-world medieval manuscripts. Hand-written animal skin books were first created by monks in 11th century monasteries and those with illustrations in gold and silver decorations are known as ‘Illuminated.’ A research article in a 2016 ‘ Daily Art Magazine’ explains that the ‘marginalia’ or margins of some illuminated texts feature a range of mythological creatures known as ‘the drolleries,’ the painting of which peaked between 1250 AD to the 15th century.

    While rabbits began their symbolic journey in this world as markers of purity and helplessness the mythological dimension of drolleries was inverted, therefore, in illuminated texts rabbits were often depicted as armor-wearing sadistic, cruel, and unpredictably violent creatures which murdered animals and people in the most awful ways.

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    According to art historian Margaret Rickert’s 1954 book ‘ Painting in Britain: The Middle Ages ,’ medieval scribes painted ‘cocks with human heads, dogs carrying human masks, archers winding out of a fish’s mouth and bird-like dragons with an elephant’s head on the back.’ Dr. Jorn Gunther says the idea of an inverse world in which everything is upside down ‘reaches back to antiquity’ when people ritually fought the perceived evils of winter.

    A more recent 2022 article in ‘ Art Magazine Daily’ suggests that in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance ‘the culture of laughter was trying to make the regular world full of mysticism, dogmatism, and seriousness more bearable.’ Furthermore, carnival celebrations and jokes ‘dramatized the comic and relative side of absolute truths and supreme authorities highlighted the ambivalence of reality, coming to represent the power of both absolute liberty and farce.’ This would suggest killer rabbits were simply medieval jokes and mirrors of culture at that time, but they are much, much more.

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    Rabbit Courts and Beheaded Human Hunters

    An entry on ‘ Mediaeval Manuscripts Blog ‘ says that during the Harley Cataloguing Project , while re-cataloguing the ‘ Arnstein Passional ’ that was made at Arnstein Abbey in Germany around the 1170s, researchers spotted a particularly early killer bunny. Regarded as the earliest killer rabbit ever discovered, a decorated letter ‘T’ doubles as a gallows on which two rabbits have hung a human hunter. The killers in this instance are standing on their hindlegs pointing and jeering with their front paws at the murdered man.

    To interpret this apparently awful scene we must think in reverse, so as to better suit the topsy-turvy environment of the magical inverse world. Rabbits in this world are fluffy and innocent prey animals so it makes perfect sense that they would become violent administrators of justice, punishing human hunters who killed rabbits, in the upside-down world.

    This is certainly the case in the ‘ Smithfield Decretals’ that were illuminated in London in the 1340s AD and are currently kept at the British Library in London.

    The marginal scenes in these illuminated texts depict a group of giant overweight rabbits waging hyper-violence on a human hunter and his hound. The first rabbit is an archer and it shoots the hunter in his spine before the other rabbits tie him up and haul him before a rabbit judge. After an inevitable guilty verdict, the gang of rabbits haul the hunter away and joyously behead him.

    But this was only the beginning of the rabbit’s bloodlust, which after murdering the hunter set about catching his dog which was the number one enemy of rabbits in this world and a perfect motif for the violence of rabbits in the upside down world. The dog met a similar fate to its master and was beheaded after being found guilty in a rigged rabbit court.

    All That is Impossible Here, Happens There

    It can be concluded that the killer rabbit motif has many possible interpretations, but they all unite in that they reflect a reversal of morals in the medieval upside down world. But what exactly did ‘upside down’ and ‘inverted’ mean in the sixteenth century?

    According to Vincent Robert-Nicoud ’s 2018 book ‘ Introduction The Sixteenth-Century World Upside Down’ the words ‘upside down’ and ‘inverse’ were used in the same way we might use the words ‘weird’ or ‘freaky,’ most often to describe abnormal or unnatural objects or occurrences. ‘The topos of the world upside down,’ wrote Robert-Nicoud, ‘brings to mind a world returned to its initial state of primaeval chaos, in which everything is inside-out, topsy-turvy and out of bounds.’

    Now that you are aware of it, keep an eye out for this medieval ‘world upside down’ rhetorical device for it appears in hundreds of texts, poems, paintings, and adages which collectively describe a place where natural impossibilities in this world, or dimension, are everyday occurrences.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
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    .

    Gumbo, Girls, Ghosts, and a Heck of a thing to just have sitting around

    Gosh. It’s a really crazy world right now, eh? I’ve really been shaken by some of the writings by the United States neocons. They are advocating limited nuclear strikes to “put China in line, and in its place”. Jesus. H. Christ. They have absolutely no idea of what they advocating. It’s horrific.

    I’m convinced, now more than ever, that these people have NEVER actually ever been in a situation where they had to deal with blood-thirsty, dead-ass serious, lethal, killers with their back to the wall…

    …they are fixing to discover what it is like.

    ‘Ghost of Kyiv’ hero fighter pilot was myth, Ukraine admits

    Of course.

    But, it’s nice to know that some one in the many thousands of writers for the big mainsteam media has dusted off their journalistic diplomas and doing some actual “reporting”, for a change.

    From HERE.

    Mike Pompeo advocates crossing China’s RED LINES

    He’s a grandstanding idiot who is going to get many, many Americans killed.

    This is an immediate trigger for war. This is a Chinese RED LINE, and will result in immediate war.

     

    2022 05 02 14 12
    war 2022 05 02 14 12

    He must believe that he has a seat reserved inside some kind of a nuclear bunker. Eh?

    Russia is under attack by Western military operating inside of Russia

    .

    Vladimir Putin has officially declared a state of emergency in the Belgorod region for 60 days.  Reason: The Russian Federation is “under attack” from either foreign military, mercenaries of that foreign military, or terrorists.”  Key point: Russia is “under attack.”

    Machine auto-translated from image, so font size and scaling is “off.”

    2022 05 02 15 03
    2022 05 02 15 03

    It isn’t hard to see where this is leading.  If Russia is “under attack” they have a right to defend themselves, right?  A formal declaration of war, perhaps?

    On the Edge of a Nuclear Abyss

    .

    Two days after Russia attacked Ukraine and the day before Vladimir Putin put Russia on nuclear alert, I wrote a little article whose first sentence was: “Not wanting to sound hyperbolic, but I am starting to conclude that the nuclear madmen running the U.S./NATO New Cold War they started decades ago are itching to start a nuclear war with Russia.”

    It was an intuition based on my knowledge of U.S./Russia history, including the U.S engineered coup in Ukraine in 2014, and a reading of current events. I refer to it as intuition, yet it is based on a lifetime’s study and teaching of political sociology and writing against war. I am not a Russian scholar, simply a writer with a sociological, historical, and artistic imagination, although my first graduate academic study in the late 1960s was a thesis on nuclear weapons and why they might be someday used again.

    It no longer sounds hyperbolic to me that madmen in the declining U.S. Empire might resort, like rats in a sinking ship, to first strike use of nuclear weapons, which is official U.S. policy. My stomach is churning at the thought, despite what most experts say: that the chances of a nuclear war are slight. And despite what others say about the Ukraine war: that it is an intentional diversion from the Covid propaganda and the Great Reset (although I agree it achieves that goal).

    My gut tells me no; it is very real, sui generis, and very, very dangerous now.

    The eminent scholar Michel Chossudovsky of Global Research agrees that we are very close to the unthinkable. In a recent historical analysis of U.S.-Russia relations and nuclear weapons, he writes the following before quoting Vladimir Putin’s recent statement on the matter. “Vladimir Putin’s statement on February 21st, 2022 was a response to U.S. threats to use nuclear weapons on a preemptive basis against Russia, despite Joe Biden’s “reassurance” that the U.S. would not be resorting to ‘A first strike’ nuclear attack against an enemy of America”:

    Let me [Putin] explain that U.S. strategic planning documents contain the possibility of a so-called preemptive strike against enemy missile systems. And who is the main enemy for the U.S. and NATO? We know that too. It’s Russia. In NATO documents, our country is officially and directly declared the main threat to North Atlantic security. And Ukraine will serve as a forward springboard for the strike.” (Putin Speech, February 21, 2022, emphasis added) 

    Putin is absolutely correct. It is why he put Russia’s nuclear forces on full alert. Only those ignorant of history, which sadly includes most U.S. Americans, don’t know this.

    I believe that today we are in the greatest danger of a nuclear war since the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962, something I vividly remember as a teenager. The same feelings return. Dread. Anxiety. Breathlessness. I do not think these feelings are misplaced nor they are simply an emotional response. I try to continue writing on other projects that I have started but feel stymied. The possibility of nuclear war, whether intentional or accidental, obsesses me.

    In order to grasp this stomach-churning possibility within the context of Ukraine, we need to put aside all talk of morality, rights, international law, and think in terms of great power politics, as John Mearsheimer has so clearly articulated. As he says, when a great power feels its existence is threatened, might makes right. You simply can’t understand world politics without thinking at this level. Doing so does not mean justifying the use of might; it is a means of clarifying the causes of wars, which start long before the first shots are fired.

    In the present crisis over Ukraine, Russia clearly feels existentially threatened by U.S./NATO military moves in Ukraine and in eastern Europe where they have positioned missiles that can be very quickly converted to nuclear and are within a few minutes range of Russia. (And of course there are U.S./NATO nuclear missiles throughout western and southern Europe.) Vladimir Putin has been talking about this for many years and is factually correct. He has reiterated that this is unacceptable to Russia and must stop. He has pushed for negotiations to end this situation.

    The United States, despite its own Monroe Doctrine that prohibits another great power from putting weapons or military forces close to its borders, has blocked its ears and kept upping the ante, provoking Russian fears. This fact is not in dispute but is shrugged off by U.S./NATO as of little consequence. Such an attitude is pure provocation as anyone with a smidgeon of historical awareness knows.

    The world was very lucky sixty years ago this October when JFK and Nikita Khrushchev negotiated the end of the Cuban Missile Crisis before the world was incinerated. Kennedy, of course, was intensely pressured by the military and CIA to bomb Cuba, but he resisted. He also rejected the insane military desire to nuke the Soviet Union, calling such people crazy; at a National Security Council meeting on September 12, 1963, when the Joint Chiefs of Staff presented a report about a nuclear first strike against the Soviet Union which they wanted for that fall, he said, “Preemption is not possible for us.”

    Such leadership, together with the nuclear test ban treaty he negotiated with the USSR that month, inter alia (such treaties have now been abrogated by the U.S. government), assured his assassination organized by the CIA. These days, the U.S. is led by deluded men who espouse a nuclear first strike policy, which tells one all one needs to know about the danger the world is in. The U.S. has been very sick with Russia hatred for a long time.

    After the terror of the Cuban Missile Crisis, many more people took the threat of nuclear war seriously. Today very few do. It has receded into the ”unimaginable.” In 1962, however, as James W. Douglass writes in JFK and the Unspeakable:

    Kennedy saw that, at least outside Washington, D.C., people were living with a deeper awareness of the ultimate choice they faced. Nuclear weapons were real. So, too, was the prospect of peace. Shocked by the Cuban Missile Crisis into recognizing a real choice, people preferred peace to annihilation. 

    Today the reality of nuclear annihilation has receded into unconsciousness. This despite the recent statements by U.S. generals and the U.S. Ukrainian puppet Zelensky about nuclear weapons and their use that have extremely inflamed Russia’s fears, which clearly is intentional. The game is to have some officials say it and then deny it while having a policy that contradicts your denial. Keep pushing the envelope is U.S. policy. Obama-Biden reigned over the U.S. 2014 coup in Ukraine, Trump increased weapon sales to Ukraine in 2017, and Biden has picked up the baton from his partner (not his enemy) in this most deadly game. It is a bi-partisan Cold War 2, getting very hot. And it is the reason why Russia, its back to the wall, attacked Ukraine. It is obvious that this is exactly what the U.S. wanted or it would have acted very differently in the leadup to this tragedy. All the current ringing of hands is pure hypocrisy, the nihilism of a nuclear power never for one moment threatened but whose designs were calculated to threaten Russia at its borders.

    The media propaganda against Russia and Putin is the most extreme and extensive propaganda in my lifetime. Patrick Lawrence has astutely examined this in a recent essay, where he writes the same is true for him:

    Many people of many different ages have remarked in recent days that they cannot recall in their lifetimes a more pervasive, suffocating barrage of propaganda than what has engulfed us since the months that preceded Russia’s intervention. In my case it has come to supersede the worst of what I remember from the Cold War decades. 

    Engulfed is an appropriate word. Lawrence rightly points to this propaganda as cognitive warfare directed at the U.S. population (and the rest of the world) and notes its connection to the January 2021 final draft of a “diabolic” NATO study called “Cognitive Warfare.” He quotes it thus: “The brain will be the battlefield of the 21st century,” . . . “Humans are the contested domain. Cognitive warfare’s objective is to make everyone a weapon.”

    This cognitive warfare, however, has a longer history in cutting edge science. For each successive decade beginning with the 1990s and a declaration from President (and ex-Director of the CIA) George H. W. Bush that the 1990s would be the Decade of Brain Research, presidents have announced additional decades long projects involving the brain, with 2000-2010 being the Decade of Behavior Project, followed by mapping of the brain, artificial intelligence, etc. all organized and funded through the Office of Science and Technology Project (OSTP) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). This medical, military, and scientific research has been part of a long range plan to extend MK-Ultra’s mind control to the population at large under the cover of medical science, and it has been simultaneously connected to the development and funding of the pharmaceutical industries research and development of new brain-altering drugs. RFK, Jr. has documented the CIA’s extensive connection to germ and mind research and promotion in his book, The Real Anthony Fauci: Bill Gates, Big Pharma, and the Global War on Democracy and Public Health. It is why his book is banned from the mainstream media, who do the prime work of cognitive warfare for the government. To put it clearly: these media are the CIA. And the issue of U.S. bio-weapons research and development is central to these many matters, including in Ukraine.

    In other words, the cognitive warfare we are now being subjected to has many tentacles connected to much more than today’s fanatical anti-Russian propaganda over Ukraine. All the U.S. wars of aggression have been promoted under its aegis, as have the lies about the attacks of September 11, 2001, the economic warfare by the elites, the COVID crisis, etc. It’s one piece.

    Take, for example, a book written in 2010 by David Ray Griffin, a renown theologian who has written more than a dozen books about 9/11. The book is Cognitive Infiltration: An Obama Appointee’s Plan to Undermine the 9/11 Conspiracy Theory. It is a critique of law professor Cass Sunstein, appointed by Obama to be the Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. Sunstein had written an article with a plan for the government to prevent the spread of anti-government “conspiracy theories” in which he promoted the use of anonymous government agents to use secret “cognitive infiltration” of these groups in order to break them up; to use media plants to disparage their arguments. He was particularly referring to those who questioned the official 9/11 narrative but his point obviously extended much further. He was working in the tradition of the great propagandists. Griffin took a scalpel to this call for cognitive warfare and was of course a victim of it as well. Sunstein has since worked for the World Health Organization (WHO) on COVID psychological responses and other COVID committees. It’s all one piece.

    Sunstein’s wife is Samantha Power, Obama’s Ambassador to the United Nations and war hawk extraordinaire. She gleefully promoted the U.S. destruction of Libya under the appellation of the “responsibility to protect,” a “humane” cover for imperialism. Now she is Biden’s Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), an arm of the CIA throughout the world. It’s all one piece.

    The merry-go-round goes round and round.

    I have gone off on this slight tangent to emphasize how vast and interconnected are the players and groups on Team Cognitive Warfare. They have been leading the league for quite some time and are hoping their game plan against Team Russia will keep them there. So far they are winning, as Patrick Lawrence says:

    Look at what has become of us. Most Americans seem to approve of these things, or at least are unstirred to object. We have lost all sense of decency, of ordinary morality, of proportion. Can anyone listen to the din of the past couple of weeks without wondering if we have made of ourselves a nation of grotesques?
    
    It is common to observe that in war the enemy is always dehumanized. We are now face to face with another reality: Those who dehumanize others dehumanize themselves more profoundly. 

    Perhaps people are too ignorant to see through the propaganda. To have some group to hate is always “uplifting.” But we are all responsible for the consequences of our actions, even when those actions are just buying the propaganda and hating those one is told to hate. It is very hard to accept that the leaders of your own country commit and contemplate unspeakable evil deeds and that they wish to control your mind. To contemplate that they might once again use nuclear weapons is unspeakable but necessary if we are to prevent it.

    I hope my fears are unfounded. I agree with Gilbert Doctorow that the Ukraine-Russia war separates the sheep from the goats, that there is no middle ground. This is not to celebrate war and the death of innocent people, but it does demand placing the blame squarely where it belongs and not trying to have it both ways. People like him, John Mearsheimer, the late badly missed Stephen Cohen, Ray McGovern, Scott Ritter, Pepe Escobar, Patrick Lawrence, Jack Matlock, Ted Postol, et al. are all cutting through the propaganda and delivering truth in opposition to all the lies. They go gentile with fears of nuclear war, however, as if it is somewhat possible but highly unlikely, as if their deepest thoughts are unspeakable, for to utter them would be an act of despondency.

    The consensus of the experts tends to be that the U.S. wishes to draw the Russians into a long protracted guerrilla war along the lines of its secret use of mujahideen in Afghanistan in 1979 and after. There is evidence that this is already happening. But I think the U.S. strategists know that the Russians are too smart for that; that they have learned their lesson; and that they will withdraw once they feel they have accomplished their goals. Therefore, from the U.S./NATO perspective, time is reasonably short and they must act quickly, perhaps by doing a false flag operation that will justify a drastic response, or upping the tempo in some other way that would seem to justify the use of nuclear weapons, perhaps tactical at first.

    I appreciate the input of the Russia experts I mentioned above. Their expertise dwarfs mine, but I disagree. Perhaps I am an excitable sort; perhaps I am one of those Patrick Lawrence refers to, quoting Carl Jung, as too emotional and therefore incapable of clear thinking. (I will leave the issue of this long held but erroneous western philosophical belief in the division of emotions and thoughts for another day.) Perhaps I can’t see the obvious that a nuclear war will profit no one and therefore it cannot happen. Yet Ted Postol, MIT professor of technology and international security, while perhaps agreeing that an intentional nuclear war is very unlikely, has been warning of an accidental one for many years. He is surely right on that score and well worth listening to.

    But either way, I am sorry to say, perhaps because my perspective is that of a generalist, not an expert, and my thinking is informed by art as much as social science and history, my antennae pick up a very disturbing message. A voice tells me that the danger is very, very real today. It says:

     Beware, we are on the edge of a nuclear abyss. 

    The AXIS Act, a Step toward World War III

    .

    The Axis powers, including Germany and Japan, were the foes of the United States and other Allied powers in World War II. Decades later, President George W. Bush chose to term some other nations — Iraq, Iran, and North Korea — as a new “axis of evil.” That was followed by a US invasion and overthrow in Iraq. Decades later, US troops remain in Iraq, and US sanctions and hostility directed at the other two nations continue.

    This week, the United States House of Representatives is set to bring the Axis designation back to the big time — seeking to lump China in with Russia as the new Axis powers the US should be devoted to opposing. The movement toward a new world war — the first one with nuclear powers on both sides — grows stronger.

    The House is scheduled to consider the AXIS Act (HR 7314) this week. “AXIS” in the title is the kind of ridiculous acronym that has become common in US legislation. It stands for “Assessing Xi’s Interference and Subversion.” “Xi” is Xi Jinping, the leader of China’s government.

    The AXIS Act is being considered under suspension of the rules. Legislation deemed noncontroversial by House leadership can be considered under suspension of the rules in which there is usually a relatively brief House floor debate. Suspension legislation is also often passed by voice vote on a nearly empty house floor. Pressing forward toward World War III is not controversial? For many oblivious House members that probably is the case.

    The AXIS Act starts off with a series of findings attempting to paint China as an aider of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The accusations included are underwhelming: China and Russia made a strategic partnership announcement a few weeks before the invasion; China abstained from voting on resolutions condemning the invasion in the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly; China has not publicly condemned the invasion.

    That’s it. The resolution implicitly admits its backers cannot really tie China to supporting the invasion of Ukraine. Still the resolution proceeds, in what it states is the “sense of Congress,” to bluster that …

    “the People’s Republic of China’s disinformation efforts relating to the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine make it culpable in whitewashing Russia’s war crimes, which include the indiscriminate killing of countless Ukrainian men, women, and children.”

    It is the second and final listed “sense of Congress” that is the heart of the resolution and that holds the threat of increased animosity toward China and the potential eruption of World War III. It states that it is the sense of Congress that,

    “if China is found to be materially supporting Russia in its war against Ukraine, there should be swift and stringent consequences for China.”

    Swift and stringent consequences have already been imposed against Russia. They amount to nearly everything short of US troops fighting against the Russian military, though, with US history as a guide, it should be suspected that US troops are engaged covertly in some military actions against Russians. The US has established expansive sanctions on Russia, extensively blocked investment in and commerce with Russia, and excluded Russia from financial systems including SWIFT that facilitate participation in international trade. The US has also been funding, supplying, and training Ukraine military forces that are fighting against Russians.

    In an apparent effort to justify the US treating China similarly, the AXIS Act requires the real experts at depicting other nations as enemies — the Department of State — to…

    “submit to the appropriate congressional committees” within 30 days and then every 90 days thereafter “a report on whether and how the People’s Republic of China, including the Government of the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese Communist Party, any Chinese state-owned enterprise, and any other Chinese entity, has provided support to the Russian Federation with respect to its unprovoked invasion of and full-scale war against Ukraine.”

    These reports will provide House members keen on ramping up hostilities against China with the steady stream of pro-war propaganda they desire. And have no doubt that the executive branch will be happy to provide such. The Biden administration’s interests are in the same direction as the House members raging at China. President Joe Biden has already been out using the Ukraine War as a reason for threatening China. Indeed, the AXIS Act notes one example of this:

    “In his call with Xi Jinping on March 18, 25 2022, President Joe Biden communicated that there would be ‘implications and consequences if China provides material support to Russia as it conducts brutal attacks against Ukrainian cities and civilians’.”

    The AXIS Act is a significant step in the effort by Congress members and the Biden administration, using the Ukraine War as an excuse, to direct against China hostilities already directed against Russia, and maybe more.

    Most of the backers of this effort probably expect that such actions will not lead to World War III. Hopefully, they are correct in that assessment.

    Even if they are correct that the most dire consequences will be avoided, the toll of expanding hostilities against China will still be harsh for people across the world.

    For what gain? None is clear.

    What is clear is that there is much potential danger ahead and that US politicians are propelling Americans and the world toward it.

    Chinese brainstorming…

    Think about the implications of this, big picture. The stock market and economy are shaky. China may have to dump everything they own in the US, along with Treasuries. All triggered by the sanctions on Russia from Ukraine.

    Chinese state regulators held an emergency conference with major domestic and foreign banks to discuss means to protect the People’s Republic’s assets should the US impose sanctions similar to those it slapped on Russia in February, the Financial Times reports, citing people said to be familiar with the situation.
    
    The meeting, said to have taken place on 22 April, reportedly involved officials from the People’s Bank of China, the country’s powerful central bank, as well as the Finance Ministry. Representatives from every major national bank took part, as did major foreign lenders operating in the Asian nation, such as HSBC, according to the paper’s sources.
    
    An unnamed "senior finance ministry official" was said to have kicked off the meeting by saying Beijing had been "put on alert" of the West’s ability to seize foreign assets by observing what the US and its allies did to Russia.
    
    In March, officials from the Russian Central Bank and the Ministry of Finance reported that the United States and its allies had seized "about $300 billion" of the country’s estimated $642 billion reserve cushion, with the US alone accounting for roughly $100 billion of that. In recent weeks, officials and lawmakers in Washington and Brussels have threatened to confiscate these assets, or transfer them to Ukraine.

    Found HERE.

    Yes. If China disengages from US, the US is without a prayer. 
    
    We need them far more than they need us. 
    
    For decades they sent us manufactured goods, we gave them pieces of paper called Treasury Bills. That is over.
    
    Then they started taking businesses and land. If they can’t operate a business or make use of the land there is no reason for them to play with us.
    
    In theory US could do what it used to do and make stuff. 
    
    Before such an adjustment is made the largest part of the population would be dead. 
    
    Only reason for China or Russia to engage with US at all is to preserve stability. 
    
    When US policy amounts to throwing all the cards in the air and kicking over the table they can’t much help us with stability.
    
    -oldhippie
    So the Chinese have received a wake up call- they watched as the US/UK walked away with Afghani bank assets, with Venezuelan Gold (Guido seems happy), with Libyan, and Serbian Gold, with Iranian Assets, and of late with Russian bank assets to the tune of $300 Billion.
    
    So what can be a rational game plan for the Chinese who have ? $1.5 Trillion in Assets/T bills tied up in the US. 
    
    How does one back out of this predicament, and reclaim their value, before the US preys on them???
    
    -AParadiseLost

    Caught RED-HANDED!

    China recently introduced a new law and policy that discloses the IP address of all Internet users.

    Now, as a result of this, many people claiming to be inside of Shanghai and upset about the Coronavirus restrictions have been unmasked.

    This policy resulted in the discovery of “Shanghai residents” who have been vocally complaining about their dissatisfaction with China, actually being outside of China, and constructing narratives that paints China in a horrible light.

    There are many, many “Chinese accounts” originating out of Taiwan, a handful out of Australia and Japan, and a large group from both the UK, and Canada. All of which pretend to be Chinese residents inside of Shanghai.

    This has forced Chinese social media, as well as foreign social media (operating inside of China) to suspend many of these fake accounts. As a result, many of these individuals are suddenly stopping their Internet activities using China social media.

    So anyone on wechat etc, will now notice that there are suddenly less rubbish materials and postings critical of China.

    One such “caught” faux-Shanghai “resident”…

    An Dong, an IT support staffer for the EU delegation, often expressed candid political takes and spoke in favor of democratic principles on WeChat. His account has previously been suspended “likely as a result of his political views,” per the Wall Street Journal.

    Ten countries open accounts to pay for gas from Russia, Hungary says – The Frontier Post

    MOSCOW (RIA Novosti): In addition to Hungary, nine European countries have opened Russian bank accounts to pay for natural gas under the scheme proposed by Moscow, Gergely Gouyash, head of Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s office, told Rádió Kossuth.
    .
    “Hungary has opened a euro account, to which the price of gas in euros is credited, and then the bank converts it into rubles… In addition to us, nine other countries do this, but they do not say that they do the same, simply because in Europe now “being good for Europe” means that the leadership of the country does not speak honestly with its people and in international life,” he said.
    .
    The politician once again reminded that the European Union has not adopted any sanctions that make it impossible to pay for Russian gas in rubles, this is regulated by a civil law agreement between states and companies.
    .
    Earlier, Hungarian Foreign Minister Szijjarto also emphasized that some European companies importing natural gas from Russia agreed to the payment scheme proposed by Russia, but they do not talk about it honestly and spread false information about the position of Hungary with the help of Western media.
    In turn, Orban noted that the country is ready to pay for Russian gas in rubles, and Szijjártó pointed out that the cessation of supplies to Bulgaria will not affect transit to Hungary.
    .
    On March 23, Russian President Putin announced the transfer of payment for natural gas supplies to the EU countries and other states that have introduced restrictive measures against Russia into rubles in order to abandon the use of dollars and euros in calculations. Then the president si-gned a corresponding dec-ree and said that if unfriendly countries did not pay in rubles from April 1, then Russia would consider this a default on gas contracts.
    .
    According to the new scheme, Gazprombank will open special currency and ruble accounts for foreign buyers to pay for gas. The buyer will be able to transfer funds to the first acc-ount in the currency specified in the contract for the supply of “blue fuel”, the b-ank will sell it on the Mos-cow Exchange, after which it will credit rubles to the account of the buyer of gas and from this account settlements will be made with gas supplier – Gazprom”.ARTICLE

    German energy firm Uniper ready to meet Russian pay demand – BBC News

    You don’t say?

    Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview with the Xinhua News Agency (China), April 30, 2022

    From HERE

    Question: What do you think is at the root of the Ukrainian crisis? What can the international community do to solve this problem?

    Sergey Lavrov:  When we talk about the Ukrainian crisis, first of all we need to look at the destructive policy of the Western states conducted over many years and led by the United States, which set a course to knock together a unipolar world order after the end of the Cold War. NATO’s reckless expansion to the East was a key component of those actions, despite the political obligations to the Soviet leadership on the non-expansion of the Alliance. As you know, those promises were just empty words. All these years, NATO infrastructure has been moving closer and closer to the Russian borders.

    The West was never concerned about the fact that their actions grossly violated their international obligations not to strengthen their own security at the expense of the security of others. In particular, Washington and Brussels arrogantly rejected the initiatives put forward by Russia in December 2021 to ensure our country’s security guarantees in the west: to stop the expansion of NATO, not to deploy armaments that pose a threat to Russia in Ukraine and to return the Alliance’s military infrastructure to the 1997 configuration, when the NATO-Russia Founding Act was signed.

    It is well-known that the United States and NATO member states have always viewed Ukraine as a tool to contain Russia. Over the years, they have actively fuelled anti-Russia sentiments there, forcing Kiev to make an artificial and false choice: to be either with the West or with Moscow.

    It was the collective West that first provoked and then supported the anti-constitutional coup d’etat in Kiev in February 2014. Nationalists came to power in Ukraine and immediately unleashed a bloody massacre in Donbass, and set the course on the destruction of everything Russian in the rest of the country. Let me remind you that it was precisely because of this threat that the people of Crimea voted in a referendum for the reunification with Russia in 2014.

    Over these past years, the United States and its allies have done nothing to stop the intra-Ukrainian conflict. Instead of encouraging Kiev to settle it politically based on the Minsk Complex of Measures, they sent weapons, trained and armed the Ukrainian army and nationalist battalions, and generally carried out the military-political development of Ukraine’s territory. They encouraged the aggressive anti-Russia course pursued by the Kiev authorities. In fact, they pushed the Ukrainian nationalists to undermine the negotiating process and resolve the Donbass issue by force.

    We were deeply concerned about the undeclared biological programmes implemented in Ukraine with Pentagon’s support in close proximity to the Russian borders. And, of course, we could not disregard the Kiev leadership’s undisguised intentions to acquire a military nuclear potential, which would create an unacceptable threat to Russia’s national security.

    In these conditions, we had no other choice but to recognise the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics and launch the special military operation. Its aim is to protect people from genocide by the neo-Nazis, as well as to demilitarise and denazify Ukraine. I would like to stress that Russia is acting to fulfil its obligations under bilateral agreements on cooperation and mutual assistance with the DPR and LPR, at the official request of Donetsk and Lugansk under Article 51 of the UN Charter on the right to self-defence.

    The special military operation launched on February 24 is progressing strictly in accordance with the plan. All its goals will be achieved in spite of our opponents’ counteractions. At the moment we are witnessing a classic case of double standards and hypocrisy of the Western establishment. By publicly supporting the Kiev regime, NATO member states are doing everything in their power to prevent the completion of the operation by reaching political agreements. Various weapons are flowing endlessly into Ukraine through Poland and other NATO countries. All of this is being done under the pretext of “fighting the invasion”, but in fact the United States and the European Union intend to fight Russia “to the last Ukrainian.” They do not care at all about the fate of Ukraine as an independent subject of international relations.

    The West is ready to jeopardise the energy and food security of entire regions of the globe to satisfy its own geopolitical ambitions.What ither explanation is there for the unrestrained flywheel of anti-Russian sanctions launched by the West with the start of the operation and which they aren’t thinking of stopping?

    If the United States and NATO are truly interested in settling the Ukrainian crisis, then, first, they must come to their senses and stop supplying weapons and ammunition to Kiev. The Ukrainian people do not need Stingers and Javelins; what they need is a solution to urgent humanitarian issues.Russia has been doing this since 2014. During this time, tens of thousands of tonnes of humanitarian cargo have been delivered to Donbass, and about 15,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid have already arrived in the part of Ukraine liberated from the Kiev regime, the DPR and the LPR, since the launch of the special military operation.

    Second, it is essential that the Kiev regime stops cynical provocations, including in the information space. Ukrainian armed formations are barbarically shelling cities using civilians as living shields. We saw examples of this in Donetsk and Kramatorsk. Captured Russian servicemen are being abused with animal cruelty, and these atrocities are being posted online. At the same time, they use their Western patrons and global media controlled by the West to accuse the Russian army of war crimes. As they say, laying the blame at somebody else’s door.

    It is high time for the West to stop unconditionally whitewashing and covering up for Kiev. Otherwise, … Washington, Brussels and other Western capitals should consider their responsibility for complicity in the bloody crimes perpetrated by the Ukrainian nationalists.

    Question: What measures has Russia taken to protect the lives and property of civilians? What efforts has it made to establish humanitarian corridors?

    Sergey Lavrov: As I mentioned earlier, the special military operation is proceeding according to plan. Under this plan, the Russian military personnel are doing everything in their power to avoid victims among civilians. Blows are carried out with high-precision weapons, first of all at military infrastructure facilities and places where armoured vehicles are concentrated. Unlike the Ukrainian army and nationalist armed groups that use people as living shields, the Russian army provides the locals with all kinds of assistance and support.

    Humanitarian corridors open daily from Kharkov and Mariupol to evacuate people from dangerous districts, but the Kiev regime demands that the “national battalions” in control of those areas do not release the civilians. Nevertheless, many are able to leave with the assistance of Russian, DPR and LPR servicemen. During the special military operation, the hotline of the Interdepartmental Coordination Headquarters of the Russian Federation for Humanitarian Response in Ukraine has received requests for assistance in evacuating 2.8 million people to Russia, including 16,000 foreign citizens and employees of UN and OSCE international missions. In total, 1.02 million people have been evacuated from Ukraine, the DPR and LPR, of which over 120,000 are citizens of third countries, including over 300 Chinese nationals. There are over 9,500 temporary accommodation facilities operating in Russian regions. They have space for rest and hot meals, and everything that may be necessary. Newly arrived refugees are provided with qualified medical and psychological assistance.

    Russia is taking measures to ensure civilian navigation in the Black and Azov seas. A humanitarian corridor opens daily, a safe lane for ships. However, Ukraine continues to block foreign ships, creating a threat of shelling in its internal waters and territorial sea. Moreover, Ukrainian naval units have mined the shore, the ports and territorial waters. These explosive devices disconnect from their anchor lines and drift into the open sea, so they pose a serious danger to both the fleets and the port infrastructure of the Black Sea countries.

    Question: Since the special military operation was launched in Ukraine, Western counties have adopted a large number of unprecedented sanctions against Moscow. How do you think these sanctions will affect Russia? What are the main countermeasures taken by Russia? Some say that a new Cold War has begun. How would you comment on that?

    Sergey Lavrov: It is true that the special military operation was used by the collective West as a pretext to unleash numerous restrictions against Russia, as well as its legal entities and individuals. The United States, Great Britain, Canada and EU countries do not conceal that their goal is to strangle our economy by undermining its competitiveness and blocking Russia’s progressive development. At the same time, the Western ruling circles are not embarrassed by the fact that anti-Russian sanctions are already beginning to harm ordinary people in their own countries. I mean the declining economic trends in the United States and many European countries, including growing inflation and unemployment.

    It is clear that there can be no excuse for this anti-Russian line and it has no future. As President Vladimir Putin said, Russia has withstood this unprecedented pressure. Now the situation is stabilising, though, of course, not all risks are behind us.

    In any case, they will not succeed in weakening us. I am confident that we will restructure the economy and protect ourselves from our opponents’ possible illegitimate and hostile actions in the future. We will continue to give a fitting and adequate response to the imposed restrictions, guided by the goal of maintaining the stability of the Russian economy and its financial system, as well as the interests of domestic businesses and the entire nation. We will focus our efforts on de-dollarisation, de-offshorisation, import substitution, and promotion of technological independence.We will continue to adapt to external challenges and step up development programmes for promising and competitive industries.

    During the period of turbulence, our retaliatory special economic measures needed to ensure the normal functioning of the Russian economy will be continued and expanded. As a responsible player on the international market, Russia intends to continue scrupulously fulfilling its obligations under international contracts on export deliveries of agricultural products, fertilisers, energy carriers and other critical products. We are deeply concerned about a possible food crisis provoked by the anti-Russian sanctions, and we are well aware how important the deliveries of essential goods, such as food, are for the socioeconomic development of Asian, African, Latin American, and Middle Eastern countries.

    I will be brief as regards the second part of your question. Today we are not talking about a new “cold war,” but, as I said earlier, about the persistent desire to impose a US-centric model of the world order coming from Washington and its satellites, who imagine themselves to be “arbiters of humankind’s fate.” It has reached the point where the … Western minority is trying to replace the UN-centric architecture and international law formed after World War II with their own “rule-based order.” These rules are written by Washington and its allies and then imposed on the international community as binding.

    We must realise that the United States has been carrying out this destructive policy for several decades now. It is enough to recall NATO’s aggression against Yugoslavia, attacks on Iraq and Libya, attempts to destroy Syria, as well as the colour revolutions that Western capitals staged in a number of countries, including Ukraine. All of this came at the cost of hundreds of thousands of lives and resulted in chaos in various regions of the planet.

    The West tries to crudely suppress those who carry out an independent course in their domestic and foreign policy. Not just Russia. We can see how bloc thinking is being imposed in the Asian-Pacific Region. We can recall the Indo-Pacific strategy promoted by the United States, which has a pronounced anti-China tendency. The US seeks to dictate the standards according to which Latin America should live, in the spirit of the outdated Monroe Doctrine. This explains many years of the illegal trade embargo on Cuba, sanctions against Venezuela, as well as attempts to undermine stability in Nicaragua and other countries. The pressure on Belarus continues in the same context. This list can go on.

    It is clear that the collective West’s efforts to oppose the natural course of history and solve its problems at the expense of others are doomed. Today the world has several decision-making centres; it is multipolar. We can see how quickly Asian, African, and Latin American countries are developing. Everyone is getting a real freedom of choice, including where it comes to choosing their development models and participation in integration projects. Our special military operation in Ukraine also contributes to the process of freeing the world from the West’s neocolonial oppression heavily mixed with racism and a complex of exceptionalism.

    The faster the West accepts the new geopolitical situation, the better it will be for the West itself and for the entire international community.

    As President Xi Jinping said at the Boao Forum for Asia, “We need to uphold the principle of indivisible security, build a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture, and oppose the pursuit of one’s own security at the cost of others’ security.”

    Question: Russian-Ukrainian talks have attracted close attention of the international community. What are the main obstacles to the talks today? How do you regard the prospects of a peace treaty between the two parties? What kind of bilateral relations does Russia intend to have with Ukraine in the future?

    Sergey Lavrov: At present the Russian and Ukrainian delegations are holding discussions on the possible draft almost daily, via videoconference. This document should contain such elements of the post-conflict situation as permanent neutrality, the non-nuclear, non-bloc and demilitarised status of Ukraine, as well as guarantees of its security. The agenda of the talks also includes denazification, recognition of the new geopolitical reality, the lifting of sanctions and the status of the Russian language, among other things. Settling the situation in Ukraine will make a significant contribution to the de-escalation of the military and political tensions in Europe and the world in general. The establishment of an institution of guarantor states is envisaged as a possible option. First of all, they will be the permanent members of the UN Security Council, including Russia and China. We share information on the progress in the talks with Chinese diplomats. We are grateful to Beijing and other BRICS partners for their balanced position on the Ukrainian issue.

    We are in favour of continuing the talks, although the process is difficult.

    You are right to ask about the obstacles. For example, they include the militant rhetoric and incendiary actions of Kiev’s Western patrons. They are actually encouraging Kiev to “fight to the last Ukrainian,” pumping the country with weapons and sending mercenaries there. Let me note that the Ukrainian security services staged a crude bloody provocation in Bucha with the help of the West, to complicate the negotiation process among other things.

    I am confident that agreements can only be reached when Kiev starts to be guided by the interests of the Ukrainian people, and not the advisors from far away.

    Speaking about Russian-Ukrainian relations, Russia is interested in a peaceful, free, neutral, prosperous and friendly Ukraine. Despite the current administration’s anti-Russian course, we remember the many centuries of all-embracing cultural, spiritual, economic and family ties between Russians and Ukrainians. We will definitely restore these ties.

    Simple Cajun Seasoning

    Here is a simple way to make Cajun seasoning using normal kitchen spices.

    seasoning mix
    seasoning mix

    Ingredients

    Original recipe yields 20 servings
    Ingredient Checklist

    Directions

    Instructions Checklist
    • Combine the salt, oregano, paprika, cayenne pepper, and black pepper in a plastic bag and shake to mix.

    .

    Poland and NATO: Sneaking Troops Around; Forbids Public Photos/Videos!

    .

    The Polish Government has announced that Large-Scale Military Exercises will be taking place across the Country beginning today involving the Polish Military and multiple NATO Member States.  Heavy Military Equipment is expected to be seen on Highways and roads around the Country.

    This, the world already knew about.   What’s very different this time is as follows:

    The Polish State Security Service has requested that people refrain from Photographing or Posting about Military Movements including Aircraft landings and take-offs, people who do continue to publicly document Allied Military Movements are subject to prosecution.

    The Polish State Security Ministry has threatened Fines and Jail Time for posting pictures and announcing Force Movements over Social Media since the Russian Invasion of Ukraine began, though so far no Polish Citizens have been prosecuted.

    There has been covert intelligence coming out of Poland which CLAIMS (not yet confirmed) that Poland and perhaps other nations are planning to put armed troops into western Ukraine as “peace keepers.”   HOWEVER, along with such rumors are other CLAIMS (also not verified) that Poland intends a land grab f western Ukraine; to reincorporate what was once actual Polish territory before World War 2, back into Poland.     These claims are Furiously DENIED by the Poland government.

    Yet, given the announcement by Polish security services, that the public must not take photos, video or make troop movement postings on social media, one has to wonder why all the secrecy?  If Poland is not going to send troops into Ukraine, why the secrecy?

    It is widely believed by many seasoned observers that if Poland tries to insert troops into Ukraine, they would be immediately engaged by Russian armed forces, regardless of Poland’s stated purposes.

    American Georgetown professor advocates doubling the United States defense spending so as to have a war with both China and Russia simultaneously

    Current spending; United States budget is…

    2022 05 02 15 09
    2022 05 02 15 09

    So it’s not enough. More military spending must occur! Double the spending. Is this even possible?

    Ok. I knew that the United States was run by idiots, but this is over the top.

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    2022 05 02 14 16

    Russia’s chip technology is backward, why is its weaponry advanced?

    2022-05-02 13:08 HKT

    As we all know, chips are the soul of information-based weapons and equipment. A country’s chip level directly determines the advanced level of weapons and equipment. If the ranking is based on revenue, in 2020, the United States will account for 6 of the world’s top ten semiconductor manufacturers. , South Korea accounted for 2, Japan accounted for 1, Xiaowan accounted for 1.

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    2022 05 02 14 39

     

    If the ranking is based on R&D expenditure, personnel size, etc., the ranking is different, but without exception, no Russian company can make the list.

    From the current point of view, Russia’s chip research capabilities are not strong. Compared with the United States and Europe, its chip level is at least 10 years different.

    Due to this, you can’t see any popular mobile phones, cars and household appliances in Russia. Many civilian products in Russia are subject to chip technology, and there are almost no sales in the world, and of course there is no sense of existence.

    Although Russia’s chip technology is not strong, its weapons and equipment are extremely advanced. This is also an important reason why Russia’s arms trade has been ranked second in the world for many years.

    According to Western media reports, in 2019, the GPS system of the United States covering the Middle East was suppressed by the interference of mysterious electromagnetic waves, and it was completely paralyzed in a period of time, which interrupted civil and military communications in Israel and other countries. reached thousands of square kilometers.

    The U.S. military immediately analyzed it and believed that the electronic interference was carried out by Russia, because Russia has a Khomeimim air base in Syria, which contains the Russian electronic warfare system. The U.S. military judged the distance and believed that the interference signal was the Khomemim airbase. Sent from Memim Air Force Base.

    The Russian army was able to use the electronic warfare system to effectively interfere with the GPS of the US military, causing many of the US military’s precision-guided weapons to fail under the interference of the Russian army. This also shows that the Russian military’s electronic warfare equipment is still extremely advanced.

    Russian weapons and equipment have always given people the impression of being stupid and clumsy, and it is difficult to create very small and delicate electronic warfare equipment.

    Chip technology is listed as a key technology by the United States. The United States and other Western countries not only block chip technology from Russia, but also impose embargoes on high-performance chips. Russia’s chip technology is backward, and Russia, which does not have high-performance chips, why is its weaponry so advanced?

    To figure this out, we have to figure out why Russia’s chip technology lags behind?

    Russia’s chip technology and foundation were inherited from the Soviet Union, which implemented a planned economic system, and the Soviet Union divided labor among countries and regions, such as East Germany producing precision instruments, Vietnam planting rice, Ukraine farming and raising cattle, and Kazakhstan picking cotton. Belarus-made trucks, etc.

    At that time, microelectronics was an absolute high-tech, and all the republics wanted to develop. In order to balance the interests of the various republics, the Soviet Union split and distributed the production of microelectronics to the republics. This led to the disintegration of the Soviet Union. The electronics industry is very fragmented in various republics and cannot form a complete industrial chain.

    Because the Soviet Union implemented a planned economic system, all microelectronics units and enterprises belong to the state, and of course they all eat financially, so it doesn’t matter if they make money or not. The key microelectronics products must be able to ensure national defense and security, because there is no market competition. , so the efficiency is not high.

    At the beginning of the Cold War, integrated circuit technology was just emerging, and integrated circuits had two development routes, namely the transistor route and the electron tube route.

    As far as electronic tubes and transistors are concerned, transistors are small in size, low in power consumption and long in service life, and have obvious advantages over electronic tubes. It can be said that transistors are a more advanced form of electronic tubes.

    2022 05 02 14 40
    2022 05 02 14 40

     

    But also because transistors are small and advanced, there are many failures, and the anti-interference and anti-radiation capabilities are weak. Under the conditions of nuclear war, the anti-radiation capabilities of electron tubes are much stronger than that of transistors. At that time, in terms of volume, transistors were smaller than electron tubes, but The technology back then was not much smaller.

    Although the technology of electron tubes and transistors has developed, the development of transistor technology is faster, especially the miniaturization of transistors, and later it has developed to the nanometer level, which is probably not expected by the Russians.

    The disintegration of the Soviet Union has left Russia with a mess. The development of light and heavy industries is uneven, and the semiconductor industry is lagging behind, especially in chip technology. Russia wants to catch up, but it has more than enough energy.

    Compared with other industries, the semiconductor industry requires continuous technological iteration. It is not only a technology-intensive industry, but also a capital-intensive industry. It not only requires a large amount of investment, but also requires a certain market scale, and requires a long period of accumulation.

    When Russia was first established, shock therapy was implemented. As a result, the economy was seriously regressed, and private enterprises were even more backward. In addition to the troubles in Chechnya, Russia was forced to launch two Chechnya wars in 1994 and 1999. Although Chechnya was eventually conquered by Russia, it also cost a fortune. Russia’s treasury is empty.

    After 2000, Russia’s economy began to recover, but in 2008, it fought a war in Georgia. In 2011, the economy just turned a few years ago. In 2014, the Crimea crisis occurred again. emptied the treasury.

    Coupled with the constant sanctions by the United States, a large number of scientific and technological talents have been lost, and without capital injection, most of the budding private enterprises have died prematurely.

    For example, there is a Yoga Devices mobile phone company in Russia, which produces the YotaPhone series of smartphones, and its YotaPhone 3 mobile phone also won the 2018 German iF Design Award.

    2022 05 02 14 4e0
    2022 05 02 14 4e0

    But the company went bankrupt in 2019. Because the Russian domestic market is limited, mobile phones from China, the United States and South Korea are very competitive, and there is not much capital injection, the Russian mobile phone company eventually went bankrupt.

    The premature death of this Russian mobile phone company is just a microcosm of the development of the Russian electronics industry.

    Because Russia does not have many civilian electronic products, there is not much demand for chips. Today’s Russian civilian consumer electronics market only accounts for less than 2% of the global share.

    The American Semiconductor Industry Association released a research report in which Americans estimated that Russia’s semiconductor purchases accounted for less than one thousandth of the global total.

    Most of today’s consumer goods require chips, such as mobile phones, automobiles, home appliances, computers, etc. It is precisely because Russia’s chip technology is backward and the United States has imposed a strict blockade on high-performance chips, which has led to the development of civilian products that require chips in Russia. If it fails, Russia’s economy can only be supported by energy and military industries.

    This creates a vicious circle, and it is expected that Russia’s economy will become increasingly difficult due to chip technology.

    Russia’s chip technology is backward, but why is the military industry developed? This is related to Russia’s anti-sky system engineering capabilities.

    What is systems engineering capability? To use an analogy, with the same stack of wood, ordinary people can build houses, but experts can build warships, planes, and cannons. This is the ability of systems engineering.

    Anyone who has watched Romance of the Three Kingdoms knows that Zhuge Liang can use ordinary wood to create a wooden cow and a horse. This wooden cow and horse can be used to transport military rations and is a means of transportation that surpasses the level of technology at the same time. Zhuge Liang’s ability to create a wooden cow and a horse depends on the system engineering ability.

    We can compare the phased array radars of the United States and Russia. The signal processing part of the American Patriot phased array radar uses advanced digital chips, so the flight speed of the detection target can be quickly calculated.

    Russia does not have high-end chips at all, so it replaced the chip with an “other-excited crystal oscillator”. This “other-excited crystal oscillator” is an outdated analog circuit design. Integrated circuits are smaller.

    Therefore, Russia’s air defense missile phased array radar is larger than that of the United States, and it looks a bit stupid and bulky, but from the perspective of core indicators, it is at the same level as the United States, and its anti-jamming performance is stronger than that of the United States.

    Americans have specially studied the Russian S300 radar, and they are full of praise for the performance of this radar. They believe that this radar is “high-performance, low-cost, and low-power consumption”, and they evaluate the Russians’ ability to innovate independently.

    2022 05 02 14 41
    2022 05 02 14 41

     

    That is to say, Americans use the most advanced components and advanced assembly technology to create advanced equipment, while Russian components are not advanced, but relying on the system engineering capabilities against the sky, they can also create advanced equipment.

    Russian equipment can be said to be cheap and not beautiful, but it is very easy to use.

    Some people say that if you give the Russians a pile of scrap metal, the Americans can only sell it as scrap iron, but the Russians can become a big killer that sweeps away thousands of troops.

    On September 6, 1976, Belenko, a pilot of the Soviet Air Defense Air Force, flew a MiG-25 fighter through Japan’s tight air defense network and stopped at Hakodate Airport in Japan, which surprised Japan and the United States. In front of 25 fighters, Japan’s air defense system is useless.

    After the Americans got the news, they immediately sent technicians to Japan to study the MiG-25 fighter plane. The plane was disassembled and transported to the Baili Air Force Base in central Japan.

    As a result, the American technicians were very surprised that the material of this fighter was very common, mainly made of stainless steel, only a little titanium alloy was used for the key parts, and the welding was done by hand, and the workmanship was relatively rough.

    The radar of the aircraft has a huge power of 600 kilowatts, but the main components are outdated vacuum tube components, not advanced solid-state electronic components, so the radar volume is large, but it is more suitable for extreme high temperature, and also reduces the avionics equipment compartment. cooling requirements.

    Americans looked at these backward technology and rough parts, but they couldn’t figure out how the Soviets turned it into a fighter with excellent performance. The Americans adjusted the performance parameters of the next-generation heavy fighter based on the performance of the MiG-25, and finally gave birth to the F-15 fighter.

    2022 05 02 14 42
    2022 05 02 14 42

    There are two main reasons why the Russians have such incredible systems engineering capabilities:

    One is that Russia’s high-end manufacturing industry is underdeveloped, and it cannot make the most advanced weapons with the most advanced chips like the Americans. Instead, it can only use less advanced chips to make weapons and equipment that can compete with the West.

    This dilemma of “smart women can’t cook without rice” made the Russians have to improve their systems engineering capabilities to solve the problems, and the Russians’ systems engineering capabilities were also forced out.

    Today’s Russia can make low-end chips, mainly to meet the needs of the military, because the military’s demand is small and cannot be produced on a large scale, and of course it cannot be industrialized.

    Practice has proved that it is feasible to solve a specific problem with super system engineering capabilities, but after all, this is not a long-term solution. For any industry, the return on investment must be considered. Can not increase R & D investment, is not conducive to long-term development.

    China’s early chip development also encountered this problem. To solve this problem, marketization can only be implemented under the guidance of the state.

    Second, Russia’s super-strong systems engineering capabilities benefit from Russia’s solid level of basic theoretical research, because only by mastering basic theoretical knowledge can we support the ideas and assumptions of systems engineering.

    For example, the Italian painter Leonardo da Vinci, the teacher always asked him to repeat the painting of eggs. In fact, the teacher asked him to do basic skills, and Da Vinci felt very tired at first.

    The teacher told Da Vinci that eggs in the world are not absolutely the same. Even if it is the same egg, standing at different angles, the projected light is different, and the drawing is also different. Therefore, painting eggs is a basic skill. Once you have mastered it, you can draw anything.

    Da Vinci, who was very intelligent, listened to the teacher’s words, and began to paint eggs carefully and patiently. Eventually, he laid a good foundation for painting and became a world-renowned painter.

    The author is an engineering graduate. The author has a feeling that if you want to find a paper with a certain degree of mathematical foundation, then you can find references in the paper, and then find the references in the paper. Within five steps of iteration, it must be Russian. Literature.

    Don’t look at American higher education, but when it comes to basic education, especially basic mathematics education, Russia is stronger, and basic education in the United States cannot even (?) keep up with China.

    2022 05 02 14 43
    2022 05 02 14 43

    If the basic theory is regarded as the starting point and the product is regarded as the end point, only by thoroughly understanding the basic theory can we design the best route from the starting point to the end point of the product.

    Russia has its own unique features in this regard, which are worthy of our study and reference, and also worthy of our deep reflection.

    Chinese girl with a “to die for” tummy

    Look at that waist! Wow. video 3MB

    America Wants War with China – Why This American is Saying No!

    Pretty damn good.

    Cheeseburger Buns

    My mom stuffs soft homemade yeast rolls with ground beef, tomato sauce and cheese to make these tasty sandwiches. They’re great leftovers, too. My son takes them in his lunch the next day. —Nancy Holland, Morgan Hill, California

    545ee1f52fcc602c7dca743d9aadb6f4
    545ee1f52fcc602c7dca743d9aadb6f4

    Ingredients

    • 2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
    • 1/2 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
    • 3/4 cup warm whole milk (110° to 115°)
    • 1/4 cup sugar
    • 1/4 cup shortening
    • 1 large egg
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 3-1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1-1/2 pounds ground beef
    • 1/4 cup chopped onion
    • 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
    • 8 slices process American cheese, quartered

    R.cc7773a4e60cf1ab7cd9c21b0597d775
    R.cc7773a4e60cf1ab7cd9c21b0597d775

    Directions

    1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, sugar, shortening, egg, salt and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
    2. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 4-6 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.
    3. In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomato sauce. Remove from the heat; set aside.
    4. Punch dough down; divide into 16 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, gently roll out and stretch each piece into a 5-in. circle. Top each circle with two pieces of cheese and about 3 tablespoons beef mixture. Bring dough over filling to center; pinch edges to seal.
    5. Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 20 minutes. Bake at 400° for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers.

    American neocon leadership advocate nuclear war with China to “put them in their place”

    That will trigger a MASSIVE bludgeoning of the United States by both Russia and China simultaneously.

    2022 05 02 14 19
    2022 05 02 14 19

    An e-mail from You-Tube explaining things…

    2022 05 02 20 14
    2022 05 02 20 14

    RUSSIAN TV 

    Tonight (Sunday) Russian television broadcast a simulation of Russia launching a SARMAT missile, with its fifteen nuclear warheads, against Britain!  The TV commentator says the UK – their little island – will be wiped out.   Here, look:

    video 7MB

    BUT WAIT . . . THERE’S MORE!

    Not only did the Russian Television network show this to the entire country, but they went even farther . . . finally admitting what has long been rumored about Russia having developed a 100 MEGA-ton nuclear drone torpedo.    Look at what the Russian people were told on their TV’s tonight: Plunge Britain into the sea by Tsunami from a nuclear torpedo drone!

    video 9MB

    In the U.S., perhaps one of the most useful idiots in Congress, Representative Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, a complete political moron the best part of whom likely dripped down his father’s leg,  has introduced a Joint Resolution in Congress authorizing the Use of military force (AUMF) inside Ukraine “if Russia uses chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons.”

    In my opinion, that Joint Resolution would _really_ be a US declaration of war on Russia.  Let’s not fool ourselves with the diplomatic language.
    By the time that law is passed, the USA will likely already be at war with Russia, everything else is diplomatic trifles.

     

    A Giant Statue From Old Trash Movies Is Now Rests In Someone’s Backyard

    According to a Tumblr user trulyunpleasant:

    “This statue is a couple miles from where I live, just sitting in someones backyard. It was in two crappy Atlantis sword-and-sandal movies back in the 50′s/60′s. Then it sat on top of a bar (or club) for a few years, and then someone bought it for their house.”

    It’s a Hell of a thing to have lying around.

    2 54
    2 54

    Video: Col. Richard Black: U.S. Leading World to Nuclear War

    Mike Billington of the Schiller Institute interviewed  (former) Senator and Col. (ret) Richard Black, who served 31 years in the US Marines and Army.

    Sen. Black talked about his military service in Syria, how and why Russia got involved in the war militarily, and how such involvement contrasts with the US’ and NATO’s justification for military intervention in the said war. 

    Sen. Black also addresses the recent Russian military invasion of Ukraine and the failure to dissolve NATO.

    40.12: Colonel Black focusses on the risk of World War III. 

    “The decision of Peace or War is made in Washington DC,

    As long as we [US government] want the war to continue, we will fight using the Ukrainians as proxies, and we will fight it to last Urainian death”

    *

    Good New Orleans Creole Gumbo

    This is a fine Creole gumbo recipe.

    "I learned to cook from my mother and grandmother who were born and raised in New Orleans and really knew how to cook. Most of the time, you could not get them to write down their recipes because they used a 'pinch' of this and 'just enough of that' and 'two fingers of water,' and so on. This recipe is a combination of both of their recipes which I have added to over the years. Serve over hot cooked rice. The gumbo can be frozen or refrigerated and many people like it better the next day. Bon appetit!"

    delicious gumbo
    A delicious gumbo.

    New Orleans-style gumbo is a true taste of Southern tradition. This boldly flavored stew is bursting with fresh, filling ingredients like bell pepper, sausage, stewed tomatoes, and crabmeat. Hot sauce ad Cajun seasonings add a kick that makes this Lousiana dish a favorite amongst our community of home cooks. Learn how to make the best homestyle gumbo right here.

    What Is Gumbo?

    Gumbo is one of the most famous dishes to result from Louisiana’s shared Creole-Cajun heritage. Gumbo falls somewhere between a thick stew and a hearty soup and can contain ingredients such as chicken, sausage, ham, seafood, okra, tomatoes, and greens.

    As varied as the recipes can be, there are a few ingredients that all gumbos have in common: homemade stock; the “holy trinity” of celery, onions, and green peppers; and roux.

    gumbo
    New Orleans Creole Gumbo

    How to Make Gumbo

    Boldly delicious New Orleans-style gumbo is surprisingly easy to make at home. You’ll find the full recipe below with step-by-step instructions, but here’s what you can expect when you make this top-rated recipe:

    Great gumbo starts with roux, a flavorful thickening agent made from equal parts fat and flour. Once the roux is a deep golden color, add diced veggies and sausage to the mix. Then, incorporate beef bouillon, hot sauce, tomatoes, and seasonings to intensify the flavor.

    Let the gumbo simmer for 45 minutes before adding file powder, okra, and seafood. The result will be a lusciously hearty stew packed with Creole spice.

    What Is Gumbo File?

    Gumbo file, or file powder, is made from dried sassafras leaves. This ingredient was first used by Choctaw Indians and was later adopted by Acadians (Cajuns) when they arrived in the American South.

    Gumbo file has a deep, earthy flavor similar to thyme and should be added to gumbo in the last minutes of cooking — it helps to thicken and enrich the stew for an authentic taste of New Orleans.

    Serving suggestions

    You serve it with rice.

    OIP.iHUimyQd9866dA27NI2OHQHaFK
    New Orleans Creole Gumbo.

    How to Store Leftover Gumbo

    Leftover gumbo can be stored safely in the refrigerator for three to four days. Let the dish come to room temperature before placing it in an airtight container to enjoy later. Gently reheat on the stovetop for best results.

    Community Tips and Praise

    “This is one of the best gumbos I’ve ever had and my family is from the South so that is saying a lot — just don’t tell my mother or grandmother,” shares reviewer mellie18_99. “I added shrimp, sausage, chicken, and crab meat.”

    “This recipe is the real deal,” raves home cook Pat. “Don’t forget the file gumbo at the very end, it makes a big difference. You will know when the roux is done when it has the color of a Hershey’s milk chocolate bar.”

    “This was my very first time making gumbo and my guests who had come over for a King Party loved it!” says Shaw Kitty. “Some of these guests were born and raised Louisianans and they gave their approval as well!”

    R.ccacbd783423f0f2596f10f81d84d7e1
    R.ccacbd783423f0f2596f10f81d84d7e1

    Serve with rice!

    Ingredients

    Original recipe yields 20 servings
    Ingredient Checklist

    Directions

    Roux:
    • Whisk together flour and 3/4 cup bacon drippings in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat until smooth. Cook roux, whisking constantly, until it turns a rich mahogany brown color. This can take 20 to 30 minutes; watch heat carefully and whisk constantly or roux will burn. Remove from heat; continue whisking until mixture stops cooking.

    Gumbo:
    • Place celery, onion, green bell pepper, and garlic into the work bowl of a food processor, and pulse until all vegetables are very finely chopped. Stir vegetables into the roux, and mix in sausage. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat, and cook until vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.

    • Combine water and beef bouillon cubes in a large Dutch oven or soup pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir until bouillon cubes dissolve, then whisk roux mixture into the boiling water.

    • Reduce heat to a simmer, and mix in sugar, salt, hot pepper sauce, Cajun seasoning, bay leaves, thyme, stewed tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Simmer soup over low heat for 1 hour; mix in 2 teaspoons of file gumbo powder at the 45-minute mark.

    • Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons bacon drippings in a skillet over medium heat. Add okra and vinegar and cook for 15 minutes; remove okra with a slotted spoon, and stir into the simmering gumbo.

    • Mix in crabmeat, shrimp, and Worcestershire sauce, and simmer until flavors have blended, 45 more minutes. Stir in 2 more teaspoons of file gumbo powder just before serving.

    German gas contract with Russia

    Even if German stop buying from Russia, German has the contracted obligation to pay $140b through to 2030 independent of Force Majure.

    2022 05 03 11 30
    2022 05 03 11 30

    Pretty Chinese Girl

    In a scooter park. video 3MB

    Destroying China requires the defeat of  Russia first

    Read the neocon writings. Moscow’s war in Ukraine  isn’t a distraction. It’s part of a plan. It’s part and parcel of a plan to destroy China.

    Apparently, the United States neocons have targeted Russia in the belief that she is an easy target to defeat. Then, once “suppressed”, the full weight of combined efforts can then move on to China…
    .
    That is my thought also.
    Russia without China is endangered and vice versa.
    I heard a saying on The Duran Channel on YouTube which has the knowledgeable and wise Alexander Mercouris as main speaker.
    
    "Russia and China do not stand so much shoulder to shoulder but back to back."
    
    p.s. My piece on CounterPunch and Asia Times today has drawn a lot of commentary. Many said that they felt alone and isolated in their opinion on the US proxy war on Russia in Ukraine. They felt better on reading the piece, because they did not feel alone. I think these people are a little bit more likely to speak their opinions and spread them. I feel good about the essay for that reason.
    
    -John V. Walsh

    Russian TV Is Talking Very Frankly About Nuclear War (While America Stands with Ukranus)

    The Americans will push until there is a disaster. 
    
    -Leander

    Again, it is just this kind of “hahahaha – LOL” attitude.

    I don’t really know why Westerners are spamming these clips – “look – Russia doesn’t even care about nuclear war and they think it’s funny” does not seem like a good argument in support of pressing for war with Russia.

    It’s like if you were trying to get someone to fight someone else and you were like “just go start shit talking that guy – he’s got a gun and he’s not at all afraid of dying or going to prison.”

    That’s probably the purpose of these segments – to have them disseminated in the West and show that Russians are really blasé about nuclear war. Julia Davis and many others can’t help but do the thing.

    Domestically, telling people “nuclear war is lolz” is just hilarious and intelligent. Having a population that responds to “we’re all going to die in a massive war” with “ikr, roflmao” is extremely advantageous. While the US is talking about “our values of who we are in a democracy rules based order of stolen yachts,” Russia is saying “well, we’re all going to die some day anyway.”

    For the record, there is zero evidence or reason to believe that a nuclear war would “kill everyone on earth.” Primarily, this is because of the gibberish surrounding the idea of “nuclear fallout,” and even more goofy stuff like “nuclear winter.”

    I like the Fallout video games series, but this isn’t real life. As the Russians say – and this is true – there is not even any evidence that if Russia started firing nukes, the West would even respond. They would more likely just start crying and looking for a safe space for their snowflakes.

    American B61 Mini-nukes Deployed in Western Europe

    From HERE.

    The latest B61-12 “mini nuke” is slated to be deployed in Western Europe, aimed at Russia and the Middle East (replacing the existing of B61 nuclear bombs).

    B-61-12 is portrayed as a “more usable” “low yield” “humanitarian bomb” “‘harmless to civilians”. That’s the ideology. The reality is “Mutual Assured Destruction” (MAD).

    The B61-12 has a maximum yield of 50 kilotons which is more than three times that of a Hiroshima bomb (15 kilotons) which resulted in excess of 100,000 deaths in matter of minutes.

    If a preemptive attack using a so-called mini nuke were to succeed, targeted against Russia or Iran, this could potentially lead humanity into a WW III scenario. Of course these details are not highlighted in mainstream media reports.

    F-15E Eagle Strike Eagle Fighter for the Delivery of the B-61-12 

    Low Yield Nukes: Humanitarian Warfare Goes Live

    And when the characteristics of this “harmless” low yield nuclear bomb are inserted into the military manuals, “humanitarian warfare” goes live: “It’s low yield and safe for civilians, let’s use it” [paraphrase].

    The US arsenal of B61 nuclear bombs directed against the Russian Federation are currently under the national command of 5 non-nuclear states (Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Turkey). The command structure pertaining to the B61-12 is yet to be confirmed. The situation with regard to Turkey’s Incirlik base is unclear.

    2022 05 02 14 26
    2022 05 02 14 26

    The Prodigal.

    Yeah. This is the name of the movie that the statue comes from.

    2 3
    2 3

    This movie’s title is The Prodigal.

    The Prodigal is a 1955 Biblical epic film made by MGM starring Edmund Purdom and Lana Turner. It was based on the New Testament parable about a selfish son who leaves his family to pursue a life of pleasure. The film also features James Mitchell, Louis Calhern, Joseph Wiseman, Cecil Kellaway and Walter Hampden. The dancer Taina Elg made her film debut.

    2 1
    2 1

    The story is loosely based on Jesus Christ’s parable of the prodigal son, from the Biblical New Testament Gospels, although considerable liberties are taken with the source material, chief among them being the addition of a female lead in the form of the high priestess of Astarte, Samarra.

    2 54 1
    2 54 1

    It’s About Time

    .

    Isn’t it always?

    With the start of World War III by the United States “declaring” war against Russia by its actions in Ukraine, we have entered a time when the end of time has become very possible. I am speaking of nuclear annihilation.

    I look down at my great-uncle’s gold Elgin pocket watch from the 19th century. His name was John Patrick Whalen, an Irish immigrant to the U.S. who fled England’s colonialist created famine in Ireland. It tells me it is 5:15 PM on April 21, 2022, a date, coincidentally, with a history. No doubt John looked at his watch on this date in 1898 when the United States, after the USS Maine exploded from within in Havana harbor (a possible false flag attack), declared war on Spain in order to confiscate Spanish territories – Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. One colonial power replaced another and then proceeded over the long decades to wage war and slaughter these island peoples. Imperialism never dies. It is timeless.

    One hundred-and twenty-four years go by in a flash and it’s still the same old story. In 1898 the yellow press screamed Spanish devils and today it screams Russian devils. Then and now the press called for war. If the human race is still here in another 124 years, time and the corporate media will no doubt have told the same story – war and propaganda’s lies to an insouciant and ignorant population too hypnotized by propaganda to oppose them. This despite the apocalyptic sense that permeates our lives because of demonic technology and its use to transform humans into machines who can’t think clearly enough to perceive reality and realize the threat posed by that quintessential technological invention – nuclear weapons.

    This is not uplifting, but it’s true. The nuclear weapons are primed and ready to fly. The U.S. insists on its first-strike right to launch them. It openly declares it is seeking the overthrow of the Russian government. Russia says it will use nuclear weapons only if its existence is threatened, which has become increasingly so because of U.S. provocations over a long time period and its current expanding arming of Ukraine’s government and its neo-Nazi forces.

    The Russian President Vladimir Putin and its Foreign Secretary Sergei Lavrov have just warned the U.S. that such involvement has made nuclear war a “serious” and “real” risk, in Lavrov’s words “we must not underestimate it,” which is a mild form of diplomatic speech. Putin said that Russia has made all the preparations to respond if it senses a strategic threat to Russia and that response will be “instant, it will be quick.” The U.S. response is to shrug these statements off, just as it has done so for many years with Putin’s complaints about NATO forces moving up to its border. Incredibly, Biden has said, “For God’s sake, this man (Putin) cannot remain in power.”

    Despite endless media/intelligence anti-Russian propaganda – “a vast tapestry of lies,” to use Harold Pinter’s phrase – many fine writers have provided the historical details to confirm the truth that the U.S. has purposely provoked the Russian war in Ukraine by its actions there and throughout Eastern Europe, which the mainstream media avoid completely. This U.S. aggressive history against Russia is part of a much larger history of imperial hubris extending back to the 19th century. I will therefore here follow Thoreau’s advice – “If you are acquainted with the principle, what do you care for a myriad instances and applications?” – since how many times do people need to hear lies such as “Iraq has weapons of mass destruction” in order to justify wars of aggression around the world. The historical facts are very clear, but facts and history don’t seem to matter to many people. Pinter again, in his Nobel Address, bluntly told the truth about the U.S.’s history of systematic and remorseless war crimes: “Nothing ever happened. Even while it was happening it wasn’t happening. It didn’t matter. It was of no interest.” Which is still the case.

    So time is my focus, for the last days have arrived unless there occurs a radical awakening to the obvious truth that the U.S. government is pushing the world to the brink of disaster in full awareness of the consequences. Its actions are insane, yet insanity has become the norm. Insane leaders and a catatonic, hypnotized public lead to disaster.

    I write these words with an old fountain pen, a high school graduation gift, to somehow comfort and remind myself that when we were this close once before in October 1962, Kennedy and Khrushchev miraculously found a solution to the Cuban Missile Crisis; and to find hope now, and that when my time is up and I join John Patrick in the other world, things will have changed for my children and grand-children. It is admittedly the hope of a desperado.

    The last few years of the Covid-19 propaganda have served to further distort people’s sense of time, a distortion years in the making through the introduction of digital technology with its accompanying numerical time clicks and its severing of our natural sense of time that is tied to the rising and falling of the tides and the turning of the days and seasons, a feeling that is being lost. Such felt sense of time’s texture could be slow or faster, but it had limits. We now live in a world without limits, which, as the ancient Greeks knew, demands payback.

    For years before Covid-19, the sense of speed time was dominant, supported by the politically-introduced state of a constant emergency after September 11, 2001 with the urgency to hurry and keep up or one would fall behind. Keep up with what was never explained. Hurry why? Fast and faster was the rule with constant busyness that served the very useful social function of leaving no time for thinking, which was the point, but it made many feel as though they were engaged. And constantly alert for “terrorists” to come knocking. Thus the long wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen, etc., all of which continue via various subterfuges.

    Then, presto, all this frenzied time sense came to a stop with the 2020 lockdowns, when time got very slow, but not slow in the natural sense but an enforced slowness. People were locked up. Not only was it stupefying but stultifying and an existential drag. This went on for two years with the prisoners allowed short respites only to be rounded back up and locked down again. Jabbed and jolted was the plan. When will it ever end? was the common cry, as despair and depression spread and scrambled minds led to suicides and mindless screen entertainment. This was planned education for a trans-human future in which the cell phone will be central to totalitarian control if people do not rebel.

    Those behind the Covid-19 and war propaganda are fanatical technocrats who seek total control of the world’s population through digital technology. Now they have temporarily let the people out of one type of cell and dramatically sped up time with frantic war propaganda against Russia. The great English writer John Berger said it perfectly:

    Every ruling minority needs to numb, and, if possible, to kill the time-sense of those whom it exploits. This is the authoritarian secret of all methods of imprisonment. 

    Everyone is now doing time while scrolling messages on the walls of their cell phones. A twisted, convoluted, distorted, mechanical time in which it seems that there is no history and the future is an endless road of more of the same.

    Some say we have all the time in the world. I say no, that we have entered a new time, perhaps the end-time, when the world’s end is a very real possibility. Hypnotized people can agree to anything, even mass-suicide, unless they snap out of it. This can only happen with a return to slowness in the old sense, when people once felt time in their hearts’ rhythms attuned to the rising and falling of nature’s reality. Time to think and contemplate the fate of the earth when nuclear war is contemplated. Yes, “We must not underestimate it.”

    It’s about time.

    Isn’t it always?

    Chinese Style Meat Buns

    char siu 1 11 750x422 1
    char siu 1 11 750×422 1

    If you’ve ever been to a Chinese bakery, you have seen this type of meat buns among many other delicious goodies. These buns are also called pork buns, or Char Siu Bao which basically is a barbecued pork filled bun. They can be either steamed or baked, as in this write-up.

    I love both versions, and here in Southern China the steamed buns are the most common. Up North and to the West, the baked buns are very common.

    These buns are pretty easy to make. You should love them and they will turn out amazing, and they were gone in no time.

    The dough is quite a simple dough with simple ingredients.

    In a small bowl, mix the warm water, sugar and yeast and let it sit until it starts foaming, for about 15 minutes. In a large bowl add the flour and to it add the egg, oil, salt and the yeast mixture.

    char siu 1 750x422 1
    char siu 1 750×422 1

    Mix it all together using your hands, if you find the dough too sticky just add more flour. Knead the dough on a floured surface for a few more minutes, until it becomes elastic. Â Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and let it rise until doubled in size, in a warm spot.

    char siu 1 2 750x422 1
    char siu 1 2 750×422 1

    While the dough is resting we can make the filling. I used one pork loin that was about 1 1/2 lb in weight. To make the marinade, is simple as well. Cut up the pork loin in small pieces and set aside. In a medium sized bowl, add the garlic and ginger paste, vegetable oil, honey, Hoisin sauce, soy sauce, wine, pepper, salt, five spice powder, and sesame oil. Whisk everything all together and add the pork to it. Let the pork marinate for about 1 hour, or until the dough is almost ready.

    char siu 1 3 750x422 1
    char siu 1 3 750×422 1

    Heat a skillet, over medium heat and add a tablespoon of vegetable oil to it. When the oil is hot add the pork mixture including the marinade to it and cook until the pork is cooked thoroughly, for about 5 minutes. Before removing it from heat, add the green onions to it and mix well.

    char siu 1 4 750x422 1
    char siu 1 4 750×422 1

    After all this is said and done the dough should have doubled in size nicely.

    char siu 1 5 750x422 1
    char siu 1 5 750×422 1

    Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball.

    char siu 1 6 750x422 1
    char siu 1 6 750×422 1

    Using a rolling pin, roll out each ball into a disc, so that it’s about 4 or 5 inches in diameter. Place heaping tablespoon of the meat mixture in the middle of it.

    char siu 1 7 750x422 1
    char siu 1 7 750×422 1

    Seal the bun by gathering up the edges of the disc.

    char siu 1 8 750x422 1
    char siu 1 8 750×422 1

    Place the sealed side down bun, on an ungreased baking sheet. Repeat with remaining balls and meat mixture.

    char siu 1 9 750x422 1
    char siu 1 9 750×422 1

    Brush the buns with egg wash and bake in a preheated oven at 350 F degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the buns are nice and golden brown.

    char siu 1 10 750x422 1
    char siu 1 10 750×422 1

    They look so good and are so delicious, you will love them.

    char siu 1 12 750x422 1
    char siu 1 12 750×422 1

    These Chinese Style Meat Buns also known as Char Siu Bao are delicious pork filled buns, made incredibly easy and so delicious!
    .

    Ingredients

    Dough

    • 1/2 cup water water
    • 2 1/2 teaspoon dry yeast
    • 1/4 cup sugar
    • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 large egg beaten
    • 3 tablespoon oil
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt

    Filling

    • 1 pork loin 1 1/2 lb
    • 2 teaspoon garlic and ginger paste
    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • 2 tablespoon honey
    • 2 tablespoon hoisin sauce
    • 2 tablespoon soy sauce low sodium
    • 1 tablespoon red wine
    • 1/2 teaspoon pepper freshly ground
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon five spice powder
    • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • 2 sprigs green onion finely chopped

    Egg wash

    • 1 egg beaten

    Instructions

    • In a small bowl, mix the warm water, sugar and yeast and let it sit until it starts foaming, for about 15 minutes. In a large bowl add the flour and to it add the egg, oil, salt and the yeast mixture.
    • Mix it all together using your hands, if you find the dough too sticky just add more flour. Knead the dough on a floured surface for a few more minutes, until it becomes elastic. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and let it rise until doubled in size, in a warm spot.
    • Cut up the pork loin in small pieces and set aside. In a medium sized bowl, add the garlic and ginger paste, vegetable oil, honey, Hoisin sauce, soy sauce, wine, pepper, salt, five spice powder, and sesame oil. Whisk everything all together and add the pork to it. Let the pork marinate for about 1 hour, or until the dough is almost ready.
    • eat a skillet, over medium heat and add a tablespoon of vegetable oil to it. When the oil is hot add the pork mixture including the marinade to it and cook until the pork is cooked thoroughly, for about 5 minutes. Before removing it from heat, add the green onions to it and mix well.
    • Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
    • Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball.
    • Using a rolling pin, roll out each ball into a disc, so that it’s about 4 or 5 inches in diameter. Place heaping tablespoon of the meat mixture in the middle of it.
    • Seal the bun by gathering up the edges of the disc.
    • Place the sealed side down bun, on an ungreased baking sheet. Repeat with remaining balls and meat mixture.
    • Brush the buns with egg wash and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the buns are nice and golden brown.
    These were FANTASTIC and I only used ground beef, onion, red pepper flakes, salt and extra monterey jack and mozzarella cheese. The roll is very light and not heavy on the bread like other recipes I've seen. These could be stuffed with pretty much anything. Next time I'm trying chicken and mushroom. I baked an extra 5 minutes to get the right golden color. HIGHLY recommended! YUM. 
    
    - Kristi

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    3 54

    Clash of Christianities: Why Europe cannot understand Russia

    By Pepe Escobar, posted with the Author’s permission and cross-posted with The Cradle

    Under an ubiquitous, toxic atmosphere of cognitive dissonance drenched in Russophobia, it’s absolutely impossible to have a meaningful discussion on finer points of Russian history and culture across the NATO space – a phenomenon I’m experiencing back in Paris right now, fresh from a long stint in Istanbul.

    At best, in a semblance of civilized dialogue, Russia is pigeonholed in the reductionist view of a threatening, irrational, ever-expanding empire – a way more wicked version of Ancient Rome, Achaemenid Persia, Ottoman Turkey or Mughal India.

    The fall of the USSR a little over three decades ago did hurl Russia back three centuries – to its borders in the 17th century. Russia, historically, had been interpreted as a secular empire – immense, multiple and multinational. This is all informed by history, very much alive even today in the Russian collective unconscious.

    When Operation Z started I was in Istanbul – the Second Rome. I spent a considerable time of my late night walks around Hagia Sophia reflecting on the historical correlations of the Second Rome with the Third Rome – which happens to be Moscow, since the concept was first enounced at the start of the 16th century.

    Later, back in Paris, banishment to soliloquy territory seemed inevitable until an academic pointed me to some substance, although heavily distorted by political correctness, available in the French magazine Historia.

    There’s at least an attempt to discuss the Third Rome. The significance of the concept was initially religious before becoming political – encapsulating the Russian drive to become the leader of the Orthodox world in contrast with Catholicism. This has to be understood also in the context of pan-Slavic theories springing up under the first Romanov and then reaching their apogee in the 19th century.

    Eurasianism – and its several declinations – treats the complex Russian identity as double-faced, between east and west. Western liberal democracies simply can’t understand that these ideas – infusing varied brands of Russian nationalism – do not imply hostility to “enlightened” Europe, but an affirmation of Difference (they could learn a bit from reading more Gilles Deleuze for that matter). Eurasianism also weighs on closer relations with Central Asia and necessary alliances, in various degrees, with China and Turkey.

    A perplexed liberal west remains hostage to a vortex of Russian images which it can’t properly decode – from the two-headed eagle, which is the symbol of the Russian state since Peter the Great, to the Kremlin cathedrals, the St. Petersburg citadel, the Red Army entering Berlin in 1945, the May 9 parades (the next one will be particularly meaningful), and historical figures from Ivan the Terrible to Peter the Great. At best – and we’re talking academic level ‘experts’ – they identify all of the above as “flamboyant and confused” imagery.

    The Christian/Orthodox divide

    The apparently monolithic liberal west itself also cannot be understood if we forget how, historically, Europe is also a two-headed beast: one head may be tracked from Charlemagne all the way to the awful Brussels Eurocrat machine; and the other one comes from Athens and Rome, and via Byzantium/Constantinople (the Second Rome) reaches all the way to Moscow (the Third Rome).

    Latin Europe, for the Orthodox, is seen as a hybrid usurper, preaching a distorted Christianity which only refers to St. Augustine, practicing absurd rites and neglecting the very important Holy Ghost. The Europe of Christian Popes invented what is considered a historical hydra – Byzantium – where Byzantines were actually Greeks living under the Roman Empire.

    Western Europeans for their part see the Orthodox and the Christians from the East (see how they were abandoned by the west in Syria under ISIS and Al Qaeda) as satraps and a bunch of smugglers – while the Orthodox regard the Crusaders, the Teutonic chevaliers and the Jesuits – correctly, we must say – as barbarian usurpers bent on world conquest.

    In the Orthodox canon, a major trauma is the fourth Crusade in 1204 which utterly destroyed Constantinople. The Frankish chevaliers happened to eviscerate the most dazzling metropolis in the world, which congregated at the time all the riches from Asia.

    That was the definition of cultural genocide. The Frankish also happened to be aligned with some notorious serial plunderers: the Venetians. No wonder, from that historical juncture onwards, a slogan was born: “Better the Sultan’s turban than the Pope’s tiara.”

    So since the 8th century, Carolingian and Byzantine Europe were de facto at war across an Iron Curtain from the Baltics to the Mediterranean (compare it with the emerging New Iron Curtain of Cold War 2.0). After the barbarian invasions, they neither spoke the same language nor practiced the same writing, rites or theology.

    This fracture, significantly, also trespassed Kiev. The west was Catholic – 15% of Greek catholics and 3% of Latins – and in the center and the east, 70% Orthodox, who became hegemonic in the 20th century after the elimination of Jewish minorities by mainly the Waffen-SS of the Galicia division, the precursors of Ukraine’s Azov batallion.

    Constantinople, even in decline, managed to pull off a sophisticated geo-strategic game to seduce the Slavs, betting on Muscovy against the Catholic Polish-Lithuanian combo. The fall of Constantinople in 1453 allowed Muscovy to denounce the treason of Greeks and Byzantine Armenians who rallied around the Roman Pope, who badly wanted a reunified Christianity.

    Afterward, Russia ends up constituting itself as the only Orthodox nation that did not fall under Ottoman domination. Moscow regards itself – as Byzantium – as a unique symphony between spiritual and temporal powers.

    Third Rome becomes a political concept only in the 19th century – after Peter the Great and Catherine the Great had vastly expanded Russian power. The key concepts of Russia, Empire and Orthodoxy are fused. That always implies Russia needs a ‘near abroad’ – and that bears similarities with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s vision (which, significantly, is not imperial, but cultural).

    As the vast Russian space has been in constant flow for centuries, that also implies the central role of the concept of encirclement. Every Russian is very much aware of territorial vulnerability (remember, for starters, Napoleon and Hitler). Once the western borderland is trespassed, it’s an easy ride all the way to Moscow. Thus, this very unstable line must be protected; the current correlation is the real threat of Ukraine made to host NATO bases.

    Onward to Odessa

    With the fall of the USSR, Russia found itself in a geopolitical situation last encountered in the 17th century. The slow and painful reconstruction was spearheaded from two fronts: the KGB – later FSB – and the Orthodox church. The highest-level interaction between the Orthodox clergy and the Kremlin was conducted by Patriarch Kirill – who later became Putin’s minister of religious affairs.

    Ukraine for its part had become a de facto Moscow protectorate way back in 1654 under the Treaty of Pereyaslav: much more than a strategic alliance, it was a natural fusion, in progress for ages by two Orthodox Slav nations.

    Ukraine then falls under the Russian orbit. Russian domination expands until 1764, when the last Ukrainian hetman (commander-in-chief) is officially deposed by Catherine the Great: that’s when Ukraine becomes a province of the Russian empire.

    As Putin made it quite clear this week: “Russia cannot allow the creation of anti-Russian territories around the country.” Operation Z will inevitably encompass Odessa, founded in 1794 by Catherine the Great.

    The Russians at the time had just expelled the Ottomans from the northwest of the Black Sea, which had been successively run by Goths, Bulgars, Hungarians and then Turkish peoples – all the way to the Tatars. Odessa at the start was peopled, believe it or not, by Romanians who were encouraged to settle there after the 16th century by the Ottoman sultans.

    Catherine chose a Greek name for the city – which at the start was not Slav at all. And very much like St. Petersburg, founded a century earlier by Peter the Great, Odessa never stopped flirting with the west.

    Tsar Alexander I, in the early 19th century, decides to turn Odessa into a great trading port – developed by a Frenchman, the Duke of Richelieu. It was from the port of Odessa that Ukrainian wheat started to reach Europe. By the turn of the 20th century, Odessa is truly multinational – after having attracted, among others, the genius of Pushkin.

    Odessa is not Ukrainian: it’s an intrinsic part of the Russian soul. And soon the trials and tribulations of history will make it so again: as an independent republic; as part of a Novorossiya confederation; or attached to the Russian Federation. The people of Odessa will decide.

    Louisiana Crawfish Étouffée

    In Louisiana, there’s nothing better than this classic during crawfish season. This recipe is easy and can be substituted with shrimp when crawfish are out of season. Even better when served with hot garlic French bread! Start cooking the rice first since this is a quick and easy dish.

    meal
    Louisiana Crawfish Étouffée.

    Ingredients

    Original recipe yields 6 servings
    Ingredient Checklist

    Directions

    Instructions Checklist
    • Combine the rice and 6 cups water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until rice is tender and water has been absorbed.

    • While the rice is cooking, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and saute until transparent. Stir in the garlic, and cook for a minute. Stir in the flour until well blended. Gradually stir in the tomato sauce and remaining 1 cup water, then add the crawfish tails and bring to a simmer. Add the green onions and season with salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes over low heat, until the crawfish is cooked but not tough. Serve over hot cooked rice.

    Pretty Chinese Girl

    She’s advertising clothes on a a treadmill. video 3MB

     

    America is Preparing for Something Bigger than Russia Ukraine…

    Yes. It is VERY disturbing. Especially, as I know how China will react.

    Do you want more?

    I have more articles like this one in my Art Index here…

    ART

    .

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 4

    .

    MM Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
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    Strolling onto the battlefield of world war three

    We continue our stroll though this very strange and surreal period of time. Here we cover various “buried” news items, and mix it up with various other subjects used to shake off the troll armies, the robo-‘bots, and the SJW shrills. It works.

    We start with some delicious food…

    Beef & Rice Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

    Just like your parents, and grandparents made. All completely awesome! It’s a fine taste of home. And it fills the house up with a most wonderful aroma.

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    Beef & Rice Stuffed Cabbage Rolls.

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    2022 04 22 17 57

    Directions

    1. In batches, cook cabbage in boiling water 3-5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain; cool slightly. Trim the thick vein from the bottom of each cabbage leaf, making a V-shaped cut.
    2. In a large bowl, combine rice, onion, egg, milk, salt and pepper. Add beef; mix lightly but thoroughly. Place about 1/4 cup beef mixture on each cabbage leaf. Pull together cut edges of leaf to overlap; fold over filling. Fold in sides and roll up.
    3. Place 6 rolls in a 4- or 5-qt. slow cooker, seam side down. In a bowl, mix sauce ingredients; pour half of the sauce over cabbage rolls. Top with remaining rolls and sauce. Cook, covered, on low 6-8 hours or until a thermometer inserted in beef reads 160° and cabbage is tender.

    Life as an American

    If you are an American, you will understand this. However, if you are Chinese, where there are laws against this sort of thing, it NEVER happens, and so you will remain clueless…

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    2022 04 22 15 03 1

    China is almost ready with Fusion Energy

    China has finished researching and developing more than 80 percent of the key technology in fusion energy, and is expected to use the fusion power in 30 to 50 years, a Chinese scientist told the Global Times in an exclusive interview.
    
    China is constructing a new grand research facility for fusion technology, the Comprehensive Research Facility for Fusion Technology (CRAFT), which is expected to be completed by 2025. Based on the CRAFT and experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST), or the Chinese "artificial sun," we are planning to build a compact fusion energy experimental reactor to realize the burning of plasma and produce fusion energy, laying a solid foundation for future fusion reactor construction, Hu Jiansheng, deputy director of Institute of Plasma Physics at Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, told the Global Times.
    
    After the compact experimental reactor, Hu said he hopes the construction of Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR) could be started as soon as possible aiming at future fusion development and application.
    
    "With all these years of development all over the world, the scientific feasibility of fusion power has been proved. So far China has finished more than 80 percent of the key technology research and development. If the construction of CFETR gets a 'green light,' it's expected that we could achieve the application of fusion energy in about 30 to 50 years," Hu said.

    Yes, I know. The cat-callers will say “That’s what they’ve been saying about fusion for the last 50 years, that it will become available 30-50 years hence.” And while that’s true, there was never the experimental successes to back that prognosis; now there are. Just imagine the materials breakthroughs required that weren’t at all possible 10-30 years ago. And with CRAFT, their pace will increase.

    With Russian, Chinese and South Korean scientists and engineers doing the primary work on the project, I know it will continue moving forward as the bankrupt and corrupt West can’t afford it nor does it have the technical expertise anymore.

    Fusion Power Update

    China DOES NOT play

    Notice how everything is planned, and then China goes in with force. This is how the Chinese operates. There is no gradual build up of hostilities. They plan. Then they come in in FORCE…This is how it is done!

    video 3MB

    Night light from Hell

    1644556673 morning 12
    Night light.

    Wall Street

    A nice vintage photo of Wall Street in New York City.

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    Wall Street.

    Know your axe heads

    daaf36d1d00d238fbc14518d2581a3b7
    daaf36d1d00d238fbc14518d2581a3b7

    How China’s intersections work

    I’ll bet that you never realized this, have you? video 8MB

    CLAIM: U.S. Navy P-8 Spy Plane Provided Coordinates for Ukraine to Attack Russian Ship

    World Hal Turner

    Information is leaking out of the United Kingdom that the US Navy used its new marine surveillance aircraft to provide accurate targeting data to Ukrainian forces to sink the Russian Black Sea flag ship Moskva on April 13.

    Ukraine claimed it fired two Neptune missiles at the Russian warship which was patrolling south of Odesa.

    Russia initially claimed the vessel, which had more than 500 crew on board had blown up after a fire onboard.

    Later, the Kremlin was forced to admit the vessel – named in honour of the Russian capital – had been taken out by hostile action.

    According to information coming out through the British press, a US surveillance P-8 “Poseidon” aircraft, was tracking Moskva in the hours before it was attacked before supplying its location to the Ukrainian military.

    The Boeing-made aircraft is based upon the Boeing 737-800 jet – which is widely used by airlines such as Ryanair.

    However, instead of passengers, the Poseidon is packed with state-of-the-art surveillance equipment which can track surface vessels and submarines at ranges of more than 100 miles.

    According to the claims in British media outlets, the P-8 took off from Italy and took up station on the Romanian Black Sea coast where it attempted to locate the position of the Russian Black Sea fleet.

    The P-8 left US Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily on April 13, hours before the attack.

    Before reaching the Black Sea coastline, the Poseidon turned off its trackers, so it could no longer be followed online.

    The aircraft was ‘hidden’ for almost three hours before it returned to Flight Radar 24.

    Aviation data analysis Amelia Smith says there were slightly more US aircraft covering the Black Sea coast on the day of the attack.

    However, the US Navy refused to confirm if they assisted Ukraine with the attack by providing intelligence data.

    A Defense source added: ‘In keeping with our support to NATO’s eastern flank, we have been conducting some limited air patrols off the coast of Romania. But we will not speak to the details of operational matters.’

    A fine watch

    I really do like this wrist watch.

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    A fine watch.

    .

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    image 71Qle4vEIkIxJ73d

    He felt like he was being boiled alive while Maya basked in the scorching water. It seems like women tend to have a higher threshold for pain.

    Know your hand signals

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    9706aad3a8aca4715b17ec604402efd0

    Hallstatt, Austria

    It certainly looks like a fine place to visit. Don’t you think?

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    Hallstatt, Austria.

    Chinese girl

    video 4.1MB

    Xi Peng’s important speech

    Late yesterday, psychohistorian posted Xi’s speech at the Boao Forum as reported by Xinhua News to the week in review thread. Here’s Global Times recap and here’s the full transcript in English from cgtn. When I read what was posted last night, it was clear that much of the content was straight from the China/Russia 4 February Joint Declaration.

    After a preamble dealing with the Covid pandemic, Xi digs into the interrelated issues of security, peace and development:

    We need to work together to maintain peace and stability in the world. An ancient Chinese philosopher observed, "Stability brings a country prosperity while instability leads a country to poverty." Security is the precondition for development. We humanity are living in an indivisible security community. It has been proven time and again that the Cold War mentality would only wreck the global peace framework, that hegemonism and power politics would only endanger world peace and that bloc confrontation would only exacerbate security challenges in the 21st century. To promote security for all in the world, China would like to propose a Global Security Initiative as follows:
    
    It is important that we stay committed to the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and work together to maintain world peace and security; stay committed to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, uphold non-interference in internal affairs, and respect the independent choices of development paths and social systems made by people in different countries; stay committed to abiding by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, reject the Cold War mentality, oppose unilateralism, and say no to group politics and bloc confrontation; stay committed to taking the legitimate security concerns of all countries seriously, uphold the principle of indivisible security, build a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture, and oppose the pursuit of one's own security at the cost of others' security; stay committed to peacefully resolving differences and disputes between countries through dialogue and consultation, support all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of crises, reject double standards, and oppose the wanton use of unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction; stay committed to maintaining security in both traditional and non-traditional domains, and work together on regional disputes and global challenges such as terrorism, climate change, cybersecurity and biosecurity.
    
    We need to work together to tackle global governance challenges. Countries around the world are like passengers aboard the same ship who share the same destiny. For the ship to navigate the storm and sail toward a bright future, all passengers must pull together. The thought of throwing anyone overboard is simply not acceptable. In this day and age, the international community has evolved so much that it has become a sophisticated and integrated apparatus. Acts to remove any single part will cause serious problems to its operation. When that happens, both the victims and the initiators of such acts will stand to lose. In today's world, unilateralism and excessive pursuit of self-interest are doomed to fail, so are the practices of decoupling, supply disruption and maximum pressure and the attempts to forge "small circles" or to stoke conflict and confrontation along ideological lines. Instead, we need to embrace a global governance philosophy that emphasizes extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, promotes the common values of humanity, and advocates exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations. We need to uphold true multilateralism and firmly safeguard the international system with the UN at its core and the international order underpinned by international law. It is particularly important for major countries to lead by example in honoring equality, cooperation, good faith and the rule of law and act in a way befitting their status.

    The rest of the speech is tailored to his audience and speaks of China’s development and how China will contribute to humanity’s progress. It’s only seven more paragraphs after the above passage, so it’s not nearly as long as the Joint Declaration.

    IMO, the speech is very timely and needed, and ought to soothe the Global South and Eurasia’s mind. Of course, the Outlaw US Empire and its NATO vassals won’t like it since they’re called out as the main problem facing humanity–which of course is 100% correct.

    I didn’t give it emphasis, but do take note that China’s security proposal for the world is based on Russia’s security proposal for Europe. And that global governance must be based on the primacy of the equal sovereignty of all nations, which is the primary UN Charter principle and foundation for International Law.

    Taco cheat sheet

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    Taco land.

    Pretty Chinese girl

    video 1MB

    Canada

    Funny, but true.

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    1647783528 fn 18

    What a find!

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    2022 04 22 21 22

    The border between Vietnam and China

    Yes. This is exactly what the border looks like.

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    Border.

    Oh DARPA what have your wrought?

    Escobar deviates from his geopolitical norm to write “Big Tech’s ‘Cancel Culture’ Love Affair”:

    “Cancel culture is inbuilt in the techno-feudalist project: conform to the hegemonic narrative, or else. Journalism that does not conform must be taken down.”

    He asks that it be made viral. Just this portion ought to be reason enough:

    Every silicon fragment in the valley connects Facebook as a direct extension of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)’s LifeLog project, a Pentagon attempt to “build a database tracking a person’s entire existence.” Facebook launched its website exactly on the same day – Feb. 4, 2004 – that DARPA and the Pentagon shuttered LifeLog.
    
    No explanation by DARPA was ever provided. The MIT’s David Karger, at the time, remarked, “I am sure that such research will continue to be funded under some other title. I can’t imagine DARPA ‘dropping out’ of such a key research area.”
    
    Of course a smokin’ gun directly connecting Facebook to DARPA will never be allowed to surface. But occasionally some key players speak out, such as Douglas Gage, none other than LifeLog’s conceptualizer: “Facebook is the real face of pseudo-LifeLog at this point (…) We have ended up providing the same kind of detailed personal information to advertisers and data brokers and without arousing the kind of opposition that LifeLog provoked.”
    
    So Facebook has absolutely nothing to do with journalism. Not to mention pontificating over a journalist’s work, or assuming it’s entitled to cancel him or her. Facebook is an “ecosystem” built to sell private data at a huge profit, offering a public service as a private enterprise, but most of all sharing the accumulated data of its billions of users with the U.S. national security state.

    IMO it’s safe to assume Twitter has similar genetics. And of course, there’s more. I don’t plug VK as much as I might, but I’ve found it helpful in my pursuit. Telegram now seems essential as Twitter’s usefulness implodes. Fear of other nations doing the same as the Outlaw US Empire used as reasons to not drop Meta or Twitter are stupifidic.

    Secrets of various ketchups

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    Make your own.

    USA targeting of Moskva ship is Russia’s “Pearl Harbor”, retaliation is next

    It has now been revealed that the US military ran the entire operation to sink the Moskva, including running the tracking of the ship via a P-8 Poseidon surveillance aircraft, which then handed off fire solutions to the Ukrainians who were all trained by the US military as well. Thus, the United States provided the weapons, the training, the tracking and the fire solution to sink the Moskva.

    By sinking the Moskva, the US just handed Putin something akin to “Russia’s Pearl Harbor moment,” in which Putin can claim to his people that the USA initiated an attack on the Russian Navy, sinking one of their ships and killing hundreds of their people. This news has, of course, been paraded all across Russian media, driving domestic support for Putin even higher than before.

    Just like with Pearl Harbor in the United States, the people of Russia are now demanding “payback” from the aggressors, whom they see as the United States. In effect, the USA just handed Putin the final piece of the puzzle that he needs to launch retaliatory nuclear strikes against the West.

    Podcast

    Negative Waves Scenes from Kelly’s Heroes Movie

    I remember watching this movie back in the 1960s. Now as a much older adult, it just is curiously charming. Check out these few minutes of colorful dialog.

    Catalan

    A view from a BnB. Everything shown is local and under $10 combined.

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    Catalan

    Meanwhile in Hong Kong

    Hong Kong is electing new Chief of SAR on May 8, 2022 and there is only one candidate on the ballot. He is viewed as being pro-China. Sure enough his Twitter account was sanctioned right after he was nominated as a candidate.

    The Empire acts in ways very petty these days. It reflects on the quality of their leadership.

    Chinese-Australians and their influence

    An excellent article that sums up the feelings of Chinese Australians, the China/Australia relationship and the current Australian elections. By Teow Loon Ti . (Teow Loon Ti was a researcher in aquaculture; and a teacher. Teow Loon Ti has a BSc.(Hon) in Zoology, an MA(Lit. & Comm.) and a PhD in Education. )

    Full Article HERE

    I noticed the many Asian and Chinese – Australian people at the massive anti Iraq war demonstrations in 2003. One really had to be there to appreciate the broad cross section of society represented and its size and scope. A member of parliament’s spouse told me the demonstrations were, “the largest gathering of people ever in Sydney, including the 2000 Sydney olympic games”. Of course the numbers were downplayed by the MSM.

    People are sick of cynical and endless wars of choice then and more so now. Political parties ignore this at their peril.

    Pretty Chinese Girl

    video 2MB

    Kaliber missile strike

    There was a large Kaliber missile strike on Lyvov and we are now seeing confirmations from several places of what was struck:

    “A stockpile of American, German and British anti-tank missiles was destroyed at a military depot in Lvov. According to our source in the SBU, the attack on the logistics base in Lvov was a complete surprise. Several tens of tons of various anti-tank weapons were destroyed at the facility, including German PanzerFausts, British NLAWs and American Javelins. It was expected that these funds should be enough for a month of active hostilities against Russian troops. According to our source, the plant was carried out secretly on commercial and civilian vehicles. Therefore, an investigation is now underway as to how the Russians were able to figure out all three storage sites.”

    Poland

    “Poland is secretly preparing a “liberation campaign” against Ukraine. For this purpose, a set of measures is being carried out – the supply of weapons, equipment and mercenaries across the Polish-Ukrainian border. Several formations of the Polish Army – the 18th motorized rifle division and the 6th airborne brigade – are preparing for a “peacekeeping mission”

    BULLETIN — Russia Informs Citizens to Prepare for NATO Retaliatory Nuclear Attack, THIS SUNDAY

    World Hal Turner Hits: 35588

    This content was previously for Subscribers only but is now UNLOCKED for the general public.

    As of 7:00 AM Moscow time TODAY (Thursday), the Russian Ministry of Emergencies published information on their web site instructing Russian citizens to prepare for a NATO Retaliatory NUCLEAR Attack this Sunday, 24 April 2022.

    As any thinking person is aware, the only way NATO would make a “RETALIATORY” nuclear strike, is if Russia launched a First Strike.  So what does that tell you about this coming weekend?

    The official notice placed on the Russian Ministry of Emergencies web site.

    What it is like to be arrested in China

    This is the real deal and what it is actually like. video 10MB

    3-Ingredient Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake

    “I have made this several times for potlucks or family dinners. It is always a hit. Like eating a brownie with cherries. Tastes almost like the cherry chocolates you buy around Christmas.”

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    3-Ingredient Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake

    From Betty Crocker, and so easy to make and so VERY delicious.

    Our Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake brings together the dream team – sweet cherries and rich chocolate. This cherry dump cake recipe calls for only three ingredients and is best served warm with a scoop (or two!) of vanilla ice cream. While this cake is easy to make, the flavor is out-of-this-world and sure to become a family favorite. Whip up this cherry dump cake recipe for an ooey, gooey weekday dessert or for a special occasion!

    Ingredients

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    1

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    2

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    Tips

    Bioweapon birds; death from above

    Migratory birds of mass destruction and US bio labs around the globe, some nuggets:

    “The UN Security Council held an extraordinary event on April 6 under the rubric Arria Formula Meeting on Biological Security regarding the biological activities in countries including Ukraine. Predictably, the US and UK representatives didn’t show up at the event and the western media also blacked out the proceeding.”
    
    “A mind-boggling “discovery” that Russian forces in Ukraine stumbled upon is the use of numbered birds by the Pentagon-funded labs. This almost falls out of science fiction and Sir Alfred Hitchcock could have made an epic movie out of it where deception mixes with innocence and man’s cruelty to nature becomes unbearably grotesque. The project works like this…”
    
    “…the US has so far point-blank refused to accept any supervision and verification of such incriminatory evidences and has stonewalled the demand for a verification mechanism. It is unlikely that the US will permit an international verification process that holds the potential to expose it as indulging in crimes against humanity…”

    From HERE.

    Zelenksy get JFK award for defending democracy with Storm Trooper Nazis

    I just shake my head in disbelief.

    From HERE

    Retro 1960 horrors

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    I remember the 1960s.

    Beautiful Norway

    It would be a grand place to visit. But you know, it’s terribly expensive.

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    Norway

    Volodimir Zelensky nominated for the Nobel Prize

    The European Parliament has nominated the president for his heroic bravery in the face of unleashed evil agression.

    Although we are aware that this is a break with procedure, we believe that this break is justified by the current unprecedented situation. It is our democratic duty to confront authoritarianism and support a people fighting for democracy and their right to self-government.
    
    The veneer of civilization is paper thin, we are its guardians and we can never rest."

    From HERE.

    Huge Sell-off of United States treasury bonds

    Thirty year US treasury bond reached today the highest yield in last fifty years, indicating a huge sell off ahead of expected FEDs three quarter point increase. For me, this by itself is the most important news today.

    What’s gonna happen with tens of trillions of printed fiat money?

    Only applies to women

    I suppose that men can try this technique as well.

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    2022 04 22 15 10

    Europe to deepen military ties with the US.

    Duh.

    “The pact would allow routine interactions between American and EU institutions on defense issues and open the door for U.S. defense contractors to participate in the bloc’s growing defense spending under certain conditions.”

    From HERE.

    Lovely Chinese girl

    Shes a favorite. video 2MB

    Adorable Scene from Barbarella (1968)

    Well, spaceships of the future have shag carpeting, what do you know. Here’s a clip from the most groovy movie Barbarella.

    A List Of 16 Major Fires That Have Occurred At Key Food Industry Facilities In The U.S. Since The Start Of 2022

    by Michael

    Can anyone explain why absolutely massive fires just keep erupting again and again at critical facilities all over America?  The tragic destruction by fire of the headquarters of Azure Standard in Oregon shocked millions of people, and since that news broke quite a few readers have been reaching out to me about the long string of unusual blazes that we have been witnessing from coast to coast in recent months.

    I decided to look into this phenomenon for myself, and I am sharing what I have discovered so far in this article.  Dr. Benjamin Braddock and others had already been digging into this, and their research proved quite valuable as I began my investigation.  Some of the incidents that people have reported I was not able to independently verify, and others I felt were too minor to be put on this list.  With all that being said, the following is a list of 16 major fires that have occurred at key food industry facilities in the U.S. since the start of 2022…

    #1 Salinas, California

    As the smoke settles near Taylor Farms, questions remain on the future of the business and the roughly 1,000 people employed at the Abbott Street facility.
    
    There is little to nothing left of the processing facility due to fire and smoke damages caused by Wednesday night’s blaze, according to Deputy Fire Chief Sam Klemek.
    
    “About 85% to 95% of the building is a total loss,” he said.

    #2 Hermiston, Oregon

    Multiple workers are hospitalized following an explosion at a food processing facility that has nearby residents on alert for possible evacuation.
    
    The explosion occurred Tuesday evening at Shearer’s Foods in Hermiston, a city in agriculturally rich eastern Oregon. No deaths have been reported from the blast, but the extent of the damage to the plant and its future were not clear. City officials are concerned what the fire could mean for the community and local economy.

    #3 Conway, New Hampshire

    Neighbors banded together to support crews as they battled a fire in Conway for about 16 hours Monday night.
    
    More than 12 departments and agencies worked together to put out the fire at East Conway Beef and Pork.

    #4 San Juan, Texas

    On March 31, 2022, a structure fire significantly damaged a large portion of the largest fresh onion packing facilities in South Texas.

    #5 Jonesboro, Arkansas

    “The situation at our Jonesboro factory is under control and we are looking into the cause of the fire,” a Nestle spokesperson said. “Thankfully, no employees were injured and all are safe. We appreciate the quick response of the Jonesboro Fire Department and emergency response teams. The factory will remain closed as we assess the damage and return the factory to full operation. We plan to continue to support our employees financially during this time.”
    
    Nestle opened the plant in 2002 and in December 2020 the company unveiled plans to invest more than $100 million to expand the frozen foods plant, including the addition of 90,000 square feet and a new production line for Hot Pockets frozen sandwiches. In addition to Hot Pockets, Nestle makes products under the Stouffer’s, Lean Cuisine, DiGiorno, Tombstone and Sweet Earth brands at the plant.

    #6 Mauston, Wisconsin

    A portion of Mauston’s Wisconsin River Meats burnt down during an overnight fire Feb. 2-3, with the cause of the fire still under investigation.
    
    “The old portion of the plant is a total loss,” Wisconsin River Meats said in a Facebook post about the fire. “We humbly ask that you be patient and please give us some time to sort out the cause of the fire and for us to transition some of our business and invoicing to our warehouse.”

    #7 Fayetteville, Illinois

    Operating from what company officials referred to as the command center at Deli Star Corp.’s St. Louis Innovation Center, the Siegel family-led operations and executive team have spent the week scrambling to fulfill customers’ orders and work with local officials investigating a Jan. 11 fire that destroyed its 75,000-square-foot processing plant in Fayetteville, about 40 miles southeast of them.

    #8 Belfast, Maine

    Fire crews from several towns have been battling a fire at the Penobscot McCrum potato processing plant in Belfast. Crews were called to the scene at 28 Pierce Street around 3:30 a.m., according to Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss.

    #9 Leoti, Kansas

    A fire at a fertilizer company in western Kansas prompted evacuations Tuesday afternoon because hazardous materials were involved, officials said.
    
    The Ford County Regional Hazardous Materials Team deployed to Leoti for the fire and was fighting the blaze and removing hazardous material, Wichita County Clerk Lynda Goodrich said.

    #10 Claypool, Indiana

    Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) said on Wednesday a fire had broken out in a bag house at its Claypool, Indiana, soybean processing and biodiesel plant on Tuesday and the affected systems had been suspended.
    
    No employees were injured and the fire was put out by 9:15 p.m. central time on Tuesday, LDC said in a statement. LDC’s website said soybean deliveries were suspended at the plant on Wednesday. LDC says Claypool is the largest fully integrated soybean processing and biodiesel plant in the United States.

    #11 Winston-Salem, Carolina

    An uncontrolled fire at a fertilizer plant in North Carolina forced thousands of people to evacuate as firefighters stood back Tuesday because of the danger of a large explosion.
    
    Authorities drove through neighborhoods and knocked on doors asking residents to leave within a one-mile radius (1.6 km) of the Winston Weaver Company fertilizer plant on the north side of Winston-Salem, where the fire started Monday night. Overnight, bright orange flames and thick plumes of smoke could be seen shooting into the sky. No injuries were reported.

    #12 Sunnyside, Washington

    A smoldering pile of sulfur quickly became a raging chemical fire just after 1 p.m. Monday at Nutrien Ag Solutions, 1101 Midvale Road, Sunnyside Fire Chief Ken Anderson said.
    
    The fire destroyed one storage building on the southeast corner of the fertilizer storage facility in the Port of Sunnyside and damaged others, but adjacent Nutrien buildings and storage tanks containing hazardous chemicals were spared, Anderson said Monday evening.

    #13 Lecompte, Louisiana

    A fire started at the Cargill-Nutrena feed mill in Lecompte, LA in the early hours of Thursday morning and burned for 12 hours, coverage by local television news station KALB said. An explosion reportedly occurred as firefighters were working the scene.

    #14 Maricopa, Arizona

    It’s a long road to recovery for Maricopa Food Pantry after a fire destroyed around 50,000 lb of food. The fire happened just 15 minutes after their food bank closed on Monday morning. Smoke was still coming from the rubble 24 hours later. “It had to be 40-50 feet in the air, just pure black smoke. It engulfed the entire neighborhood,” said Maricopa Food Pantry President Mike Connelly. “The heat we could feel down at the corner.”

    #15 Dufur, Oregon

    The headquarters of Azure Standard, the nation’s premier independent distributor of organic and healthy food, was destroyed by fire overnight. There were no injuries. The cause of the fire is unknown and under investigation. The loss of the facility and the impact on companywide operations is being assessed and expected to be limited and temporary. No other Azure Standard facilities were affected.

    #16 Planfield, Indiana

    Investigators from the ATF’s National Response Team began its on-scene investigation on Friday into the massive fire at a Walmart facility in Plainfield.
    
    The team, led by Supervisor Christopher Forkner, is working with the Plainfield Fire Territory, Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Plainfield Police Department, according to a press release. ATF special agents from the Indianapolis Offices of the Columbus Field Division will also be assisting.

    Of course it is not unusual for there to be fires at food industry facilities, and fire departments are accustomed to responding to such fires and putting them out.

    But in many of these cases, we are talking about absolutely uncontrollable fires that seemed to erupt very suddenly.

    And in many of these cases the firefighters that responded were not able to save the structures because the fires were so enormous.

    Needless to say, the collective loss of all of these facilities will make the coming food shortages that I have extensively written about quite a bit worse.

    MM Comment

    Remember that the Trump administration, under the direction of John Bolton, was active in trying to create mind-numbing famine inside of China from 2017 through 2019. That is a full two to three years.

    Chinese always respond “tit for tat”.

    China different boxing technique

    The Chinese have many differnt ways to box and fight. Here’s one. video 3MB

    Pretty Chinese Girl

    video 4MB

    Cappadocia

    I like this picture. You got a cat, good food, pouring coffee and a killer view. I hardly think life could be any better than this.

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    Appreciate what you have.

    Record-setting cold snap hits Europe, France

    A historically intense April cold snap has descended on Europe, with temperatures plummeting to 20 to 30 degrees (11 to 18 degrees Celsius) below normal. The record-breaking cold has triggered harsh frosts, shocking early-blooming plants and crops in several countries.

    Article

    Slovak minister says paying in roubles an option, country needs gas

    PRAGUE, April 3 (Reuters) – The economy minister of Slovakia, which relies on Russian gas for around 85% of its demand, said the country could not be cut off from Russian gas flows and if it had to pay in roubles it would, although it backed taking a common European Union stance.

    From HERE.

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    Chinese girl

    Another one “for the road”. video 2MB

    Going to work when newly married

    “That’s what makes mornings so tricky. Getting out of bed and ready for work is already a challenging task, but having to leave your significant other behind is much worse. So trying to squeeze in just 5 more minutes is totally worth being a little late for work.”

    image XztJkVMsm6tBg4a9
    Waking up…

    Blueberry Cobbler

    “I love this recipe! I made a few changes such as using triple berry’s and so I had to add a little more auger over the top but Oh My God it’s delicious!”

    7b62ac5c f44f 4d01 a838 c688f76f5d17
    Blueberry Cobbler.

    Make the most of summer's fresh fruit and mix up an easy Blueberry Cobbler. With a tender topping and a berry filling, this easy Blueberry Cobbler with Bisquick™ Original Pancake & Baking Mix is a dessert you'll be asked to make again and again. If you don't have fresh blueberries on hand, frozen blueberries achieve the same, great taste. For this Blueberry Cobbler recipe, just make sure the total volume of fruit remains the same if using frozen blueberries. Spoons up and enjoy.

    Ingredients

    Steps

    1. Heat oven to 350°F.
    2. Pour melted butter into 8 or 9-inch square baking dish.
    3. In medium bowl, whisk together Bisquick™ mix, sugar, and milk; pour over melted butter.
    4. Sprinkle blueberries evenly over Bisquick™ batter.
    5. Bake 42 to 47 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.

    2022 04 22 18 50
    Tips

    Kitty playing with an HO scale railroad

    1644556710 daily 15
    Kitty at play.

    Kung Fu Clowns

    Enjoy this old television commerical. It’s a hoot!

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 3

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

    We are in World War Three

    I often remember the embarrassing events in my life. I suppose that all of us have these memories. Mine are deep scars.  The memories are just painful. Sorry. And though from time to time, I feel a need to tell my story (s) I find it difficult to do so. The embarrasment is just too severe.

    But you know… I learned form them. As we all have.

    We are going to continue on our mish mash of articles here today to describe a world in turmoil and one on fire with hidden wars, secretive plans, mind control, bioweapons, and a total luntic-ruled Western society.

    We start with Truth

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    2022 04 21 21 05

    Mistakes in judgement part 1

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    1440173410311491587 png 700 1

    Chinese media: 2 British fighting for Ukraine captured by Russia

    One is widely available on the Saker Website, and Graham Phillips Youtube channel.  The other is at the RT.com website, posted as “interview”.

    I’ve seen both. The critical question was not asked: Did you kill anyone? As mercenaries, both know that they could be subject to the death penalty and aren’t protected by international prisoner of war law….a bit of an oversight when looking for employment…

    They don’t seem to be Azov Nazi types, just soldier of fortune types who didn’t think hard enough about what they were doing in Ukraine. But they don’t seem much stupider than most Western supporters of the coup regime.

    Attached text hyperlink and video.

    两名在乌克兰被俘英国人出镜向英首相求“人员交换”|乌克兰|英国人|俄罗斯_新浪军事_新浪网

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    Article

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    The entire interview, learn from the horse’s mouth.

    The ‘messy middle’

    2022-04-20 00:40:46
    Ian Prasad Philbrick, The New York Times
    .
    No pay Wall here:

    https://bdnews24.com/world/2022/04/20/the-messy-middle

    If you live in most any Western country, your government’s support for Ukraine, including sending weapons and imposing sanctions on Russia, can give the impression of a united global response to President Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
    .
    But that isn’t the case. Most of the world’s 195 countries have not shipped aid to Ukraine or joined in sanctions. A handful have actively supported Russia. Far more occupy the “messy middle,” as Carisa Nietsche of the Centre for a New American Security calls it, taking neither Ukraine’s nor Russia’s side.
    .
    “We live (Americans) in a bubble, here in the US and Europe, where we think the very stark moral and geopolitical stakes, and framework of what we’re seeing unfolding, is a universal cause,” Barry Pavel, a senior vice president at the Atlantic Council, told me. “Actually, most of the governments of the world are not with us.”
    .
    India and Israel are prominent democracies that ally with the United States on many issues, particularly security. But they rely on Russia for security as well and have avoided arming Ukraine or imposing sanctions on Moscow. “In both cases, the key factor isn’t ideology but national interests,” says my New York Times colleague Max Fisher, who has written about Russia’s invasion.
    .
    India is the world’s largest buyer of Russian weapons, seeking to protect itself from Pakistan and China. India joined 34 other countries in abstaining from a United Nations vote that condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. And India appears to be rebuffing Western pleas to take a harder line.
    .
    Israel coordinates with Russia on Iran, its chief adversary, and in neighboring Syria (with which Russia has a strong relationship). Russian-speaking émigrés from the former Soviet Union also make up a sizable chunk of the Israeli electorate. Israel’s prime minister has avoided directly criticising Putin, and although its government has mediated between Ukraine and Russia, little has come out of the effort.
    .
    Several Latin American, Southeast Asian and African countries have made similar choices. Bolivia, Vietnam and almost half of Africa’s 54 countries declined to support the UN resolution condemning Russia. Some rely on Russian military assistance, said Bruce Jones, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Others don’t want to risk jeopardising trade relations with China, which has parroted Russian propaganda about the war.
    .
    Those countries “might be more accurately described as disinterested,” Fisher says, unwilling to risk their security or economies “for the sake of a struggle that they see as mostly irrelevant.”
    .
    Some countries, citing the West’s history of imperialism and past failures to respect human rights, have justified opposing its response to Ukraine. South Africa’s president blamed NATO for Russia’s invasion, and its UN ambassador criticized the US invasion of Iraq during a debate last month about Ukraine’s humanitarian crisis.
    .
    Other countries, including some that voted to condemn Russia’s invasion, accuse the West of acting counterproductively. Brazil’s UN ambassador has suggested that arming Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Russia risk escalating the war.
    .
    “There’s nothing intellectually incoherent between viewing Russia’s actions as outrageous and not necessarily fully siding with the West’s reaction to it,” Jones told me.
    .
    Autocratic leaders — including in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Nicaragua — may also feel threatened by Ukraine’s resistance and the West’s framing of the invasion as a struggle between democracy and authoritarianism, experts said. “They’re concerned that this could inspire opposition movements in their own countries,” Nietsche said.
    .
    China, with all its economic and military might, has seen the war as a chance to enhance its own geopolitical standing as a counterweight to the United States while still maintaining ties to Russia. The countries recently issued a joint statement proclaiming a friendship with “no limits.” But China has struggled with the delicate balancing act of honoring that commitment without fully endorsing Russia’s invasion: Beijing has denounced Western sanctions but has not appeared to have given Russia weapons or economic aid.
    ..
    “China’s support for Russia, while very important, is also carefully hedged and measured,” Fisher says.
    .
    Four countries — North Korea, Eritrea, Syria and Belarus — outright voted with Russia against the UN resolution condemning the invasion of Ukraine. Belarus is a former Soviet state whose autocratic leader asked Putin to help suppress protests in 2020 and allowed Russia to launch part of its invasion from within Belarus.
    .
    Russia intervened in Syria’s civil war on behalf of the Moscow-aligned government there, and Syria is sending fighters who may aid Russian forces in Ukraine.
    .
    It’s not unusual for countries to avoid picking sides on big global issues. Several stayed neutral during World War II; dozens sought to remain free of both United States and Soviet influence during the Cold War.
    .
    But if the war in Ukraine drags on, Jones said, neutral countries could come under stronger international pressure to condemn Moscow. And for countries with close ties to Russia, even neutrality can be an act of courage.

    Mistakes in judgement part 2

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    1396831520631963651 png 700

    The Russian military says it has successfully performed the first test of a new intercontinental ballistic missile.

    President Vladimir Putin said the weapon would make the West “think twice” before harbouring any aggressive intentions against Russia.
    .
    (note: Sunzi: the art of war 不战而屈人之兵,crippled the enemy war intention without war is the highest form of war strategy. China often opening released new weapons whenever she perceived a possible US aggression, apparently, putin is doing the same thing. )
    .
    The test launch of the Sarmat missile came amid soaring tensions between Moscow and the West over the Russian invasion of Ukraine and underlined the Kremlin’s emphasis on the country’s nuclear forces.
    .

    The RS-28 Sarmat, colloquially known to the West as the “Satan II”, is a Russian liquid-fueled, MIRV-equipped super-heavy intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) under development by the Makeyev Rocket Design Bureau since 2009. It is intended to replace the R-36M ICBM (SS-18 ‘Satan’) in Russia’s arsenal.

    The Sarmat is one of the six new Russian strategic weapons unveiled by Russian President Vladimir Putin on 1 March 2018. The RS-28 Sarmat was expected to make its first test flight in 2022, and enter service later this year.

    The RS-28 Sarmat is capable of carrying about 10 tons of payload for either up to 10 heavy, or 15 light, MIRV warheads,  as well as an unspecified number of Avangard hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs) or a combination of warheads.  It also carries several countermeasures against anti-ballistic missile systems. The Russian ministry of Defense said that the missile is Russia’s response to the U.S. Prompt Global Strike system.

    Sarmat has a short boost phase, which shortens the interval when it can be tracked by satellites with infrared sensors, such as the U.S. Space-Based Infrared System, making it more difficult to intercept. It is speculated that the Sarmat could fly a trajectory over the South Pole, completely immune to any current missile defense system, and that it has the Fractional Orbital Bombardment (FOBS) capability.

    According to various sources, RS-28’s launch sites are to be equipped with the “Mozyr” active protection system, designed to negate potential adversary’s first strike advantage by kinetically destroying incoming bombs, cruise missiles and ICBM warheads at altitudes of up to 6 km.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin remarked today “The missile will provide food for thought for those who try to threaten Russia.”

    UPDATE:

    Russia SAYS THE TEST WAS SUCCESSFUL.

    “All calculated characteristics are confirmed. Training warheads arrived in a given area in Kamchatka” according to the Ministry of Defense.

    The agency recalls that the Sarmat is the most powerful missile in the world with the longest range of targets. It will greatly enhance the military power of the country.

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    Article

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    Japan approves ban on luxury car exports to Russia

    Japan approved Tuesday a ban on exports of luxury cars and other items to Russia as part of economic sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine. The Cabinet of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida revised a relevant ordinance to implement the embargo on April 5 that will also cover jewelry and artworks.
    .

    Article

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    Quick Pepper Steak

    Do you want something good, quick and tasty for your family? Try this.

    2022 04 20 20 34
    2022 04 20 20 34

    2022 04 20 20 3a4
    2022 04 20 20 3a4

    Directions

    1. In a bowl, combine the cornstarch, brown sugar, ginger and garlic powder. Stir in broth until smooth. Add soy sauce and molasses; set aside.
    2. In a nonstick skillet or wok, stir-fry steak in oil for 4-5 minutes; remove and keep warm. Stir-fry peppers, celery and onions until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Stir broth mixture and add to the vegetables. Return meat to the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Serve over noodles if desired.

    Germany says Serbia should align with EU policies if it wants to join bloc | Reuters

    It’s from Reuters. It’s hard to tell if this is actual reporting or just another narrative out of the West.

    Article

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    Chinese media: 2 British fighting for Ukraine captured by Russia

    Cannot find any report in English. Attached text hyperlink and video.

    两名在乌克兰被俘英国人出镜向英首相求“人员交换”|乌克兰|英国人|俄罗斯_新浪军事_新浪网

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    Mistakes in judgement part 3

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    1397207943813160963 png 700

    Ukraine Claims Russian Phase 2 Has Begun

    18 April 2022 by Larry Johnson From HERE

    It looks like Ukrainian officials are not blowing smoke on this. During the past 24 hours Russian military operations in the Donbas and in Western Ukraine have increased markedly.

    I want to share with you some videos from the Intel Slava Z channel on Telegram. While there always is the possibility these are staged propaganda pieces, they appear legitimate.

    First up is the shootdown of a Ukrainian combat jet. Thermal footage shows Ukrainian Su-25 attack jet firing flares, in vain, trying to escape an incoming Russian missile. The jet was shot down on 15th of April by Russian Air Defense units.

    The second video shows a Chechen in Mariupol inside one of the buildings at Ilyich plant where elements of the Azov battalion hid. This is probably from Saturday, 16 April. It did not turn out well for the Azov thugs:

    Chechens Inspect bodies of AZOV battalion in Ilyich Plant in Mariupol

    The Russians are busy on several fronts. Let’s start on the southern coast of Ukraine:

    • Mariupol is under the control of Russia, only a small element of the AZOV battalion is holed up in the Avostol steel plant with their backs to the sea.
    • The Russians have secured Berdyansk, which is 60 miles west of Mariupol.
    • There are explosions in Kherson, which is 220 miles west of Berdyansk.
    • The night sky over Nikolaev (aka Mykolaiv) is on fire with a barrage of airborne explosives. From Nikolaev it is only 80 miles to Odesa.

    At present, Russia is controlling the southern coast of Ukraine with a combination of naval and ground forces. Once Odesa falls (and it will fall), Russia will have completely cut off Ukraine from its southern ports. (There is no commercial activity now because it is a war zone.)

    Then there is the action in the west along the border with Poland. Russia is destroying the military equipment that the United States and NATO are sending to Ukraine. Here is a remarkable video showing three weapon collection sites being hit in Lviv (I do not think this is from a video game because even Fox News reported the strikes). According to Intel Slava Z:

    Aviation strikes with high-precision missiles at the 124th Joint Logistics Support Center of the Logistics Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Lviv, – Defense Ministry

    The logistics center and the large consignments of foreign weapons that were delivered to Ukraine over the past 6 days from the United States and European countries were destroyed.

    But center stage for Russian military operations is to the east in Donbas. Popasnaya sits halfway between Luhansk and Kramatorsk (the site of the missile that killed civilians at the train station a week ago). Russian tanks reportedly are bombarding Ukrainian positions:

    If the Ukrainian Army still had intact artillery it would be firing counter-battery rounds at the Russian tanks. That is not happening. When you are fighting a comparable force, doctrine dictates that the tanks fire and then move. (Counter battery fire means that the unit being shelled can fire back and hit the position where the shell originated.) I add the caveat that this video could be an elaborate propaganda production, but comments from Zelensky and his toadies indicate the offensive is underway.

    There also are press reports that Russian artillery is firing on Ukrainian units around Kharkov (which is a 160 miles northwest of Popasnaya). The limited ability of the Ukrainian forces to respond in kind means the units are hunkered down and taking a brutal beating. If they poke their heads out of their bunkers they are likely to lose their noggin.

    Besides physically killing the Ukrainian soldiers, the Russian sustained bombardments are also killing the will to fight among some of the units. Significant numbers are surrendering to Russian units. The first video shows more than 80 Ukrainians who are now under Russian control:

    Here is another group of more than 300 Ukrainian soldiers who gave up:

    If Ukraine was succeeding on the ground I am sure we would be seeing daily briefings from the Ukrainian generals touting their latest triumph over Russian forces. The absence of such reports is not the product of some clever Ukrainian plot to deceive the Russians into complacency. The inability to maintain robust lines of communication with the front line units and ensure they are fully supplied with ammunition, weapons and food is a death spiral for any military organization.

    Recent new reports in the west state that there are limitations on what the United States and NATO can supply. Here is Bloombergs “rosy” picture:

    America is following an “arsenal of democracy” strategy in Ukraine: It has avoided direct intervention against the Russian invaders, while working with allies and partners to provide the Kyiv government with money and guns. . . .
    
    Yet as the war reaches a critical stage, with the Russians preparing to consolidate their grip on eastern Ukraine, the arsenal of democracy is being depleted. . . .
    
    General Mark Milley, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Congress that the West has delivered 60,000 antitank weapons and 25,000 anti-aircraft weapons to Kyiv. The Pentagon is now laying plans to rush additional artillery, coastal defense drones and other materiel to Ukraine. The White House on Wednesday announced a new $800 million package including helicopters and armored personnel carriers. . . .
    
    Pentagon officials say that Kyiv is blowing through a week’s worth of deliveries of antitank munitions every day. It is also running short of usable aircraft as Russian airstrikes and combat losses take their toll. Ammunition has become scarce in Mariupol and other areas.  
    
    This is presenting Western countries with a stark choice between pouring more supplies into Ukraine or husbanding finite capabilities they may need for their own defense.

    What the Bloomberg reporter forgot to mention is that Russia is blowing up many of those munitions in western Ukraine even before they can be sent to the front.

    In writing this hard truth I am frequently accused of simply passing on Russian propaganda. Not true. If you have the videos of the Ukrainians wreaking havoc on the Russians please let me know. I have not seen it.

    And as I noted above, I do not doubt for a minute that U.S. news media would be showing these videos if they existed. This may be a decisive week for the continued existence of organized Ukrainian military operations. The Russian military appears to be following Putin’s directive–demilitarize Ukraine.

    Australia among biggest new Cold War economic losers

    By Rod Tyers and Yixiao Zhou
    If tensions between the Western world and China and Russia led to a split into two separate financial and trading systems, Australia would be among the countries most hurt. Proportionately, the hypothetical negative effect on Australia would be larger than on the world as a whole, due to Australia’s relative affluence and dependence on trade

    Article

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    What To Do When China And Russia Jam GPS?

    From American neocon publication “Forbes”…

    China’s Orbital Nuclear Bombs Are A Bluff
    Covid-19 Gives China And Russia A Strategic Advantage, Says U.S. Army

    Ukraine: Greece’s military has seized Russian oil tanker

    Article

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    Zone B exists, thus there is hope, I promise you!

    [this column was written for the Unz Review]

    Dear friends,

    Today it appears that the triumph of our adversaries is total.  I want to post this column saying that I don’t believe for one second that this is true.  All I want to do today is explain why.  Thus, just to make clear to those alternatively gifted, this is not a comprehensive analysis and I will be leaving many things out.

    So, here we go:

    First, notice how totally paranoid our adversaries are!  Depending on how you count and whom you ask, they had 25k to 65k folks in arms “defending” them.  Of course, the primary goal of this nonsense is to make it appear as if there was a terrible domestic terrorist force out there, ready to take over DC and open Gulags for minorities.  This, in turn, will make it easier to sell a massive crackdown on civil liberties under the guise of “protecting” the (supposed but, in reality, already defunct) “democracy”.  But the fact that they had to engage into a witch hunt even to carefully vet every national guardsman (and probably even more people) shows that they are truly afraid.  I think that they are wrong, there is no credible domestic terrorist threat in the USA, other than the government itself, of course.  But what matters here is not what I think, but what they think, and they seem to have developed a serious case of paranoia.

    Second, while I don’t believe in the existence of US domestic terrorists, I do believe that millions of US citizens are convinced that the vote was stolen.  These people are understandably disgusted and angry.  Many might be desperate or even despondent.  Let’s call them the “deplorables” and consider it a badge of honor.  Well, these deporables won’t take DC by force, but they will never trust a Dem or GOP politician again, and neither will they ever trust the corporate media.  One of the blessings in disguise of this stolen election is that the GOP and Fox News have shown their true faces, and their faces are evil, stupid and ugly.  4 years ago millions of US citizens did not so much vote for Trump as much as they voted against Hillary whom they (correctly) saw as a symbol and metaphor for the entire “deep state”, or “swamp” or “ZOG” or whatever other expression you prefer.  These deplorables first trusted Obama (“change we can believe in”) and, later, Trump (MAGA).  Now they know that both sides are equally evil and false.

    In the past, both factions of the Big Money Party had safety valves (Tea Party, Occupy Wall Street, Rand Paul, Tulsi Gabbard, Bernie Sanders, etc.).  I think that now the two parties are literally standing naked and boy is that an ugly sight!

    Third, and this point I primarily address to my readers in the USA and that will force me to make a sidebar primarily directed at them:

    [Sidebar: the planet can be divided into 2 rough parts: ZONE A full controlled by the AngloZionist Empire (Unipolar United States led and it’s proxy naitons) and, ZONE B, which includes everybody else.  The vast majority of US Americans are only really aware of Zone A.

    • Zone A = The West – USA and it’s proxy nations.
    • Zone B = The East – Russia / China / India / Africa, South America, Middle East

    Why?  For the following reasons:

    • Most US Americans have never traveled outside Zone A.
    • Those US Americans who have traveled outside Zone A typically did so without speaking the local language, thus cutting themselves off the locals and the local media.
    • Most US Americans get their news from US-based outlets, often combined with a few from elsewhere in the Anglosphere (UK, AUS).
    • US media outlets lie even more about what happens in Zone B than they lie about Zone A.
    • US schools have pretty much stopped teaching history, and when they do, it is all propaganda about the “city on the hill” and all the rest of the imperialist claptrap about how exceptional the US is.  As a result, when most US Americans are exposed to factoids about Zone B they are not equipped to understand their meaning or importance.
    • Most US Americans simply assume that people in Zone B are very similar to those in Zone A.  Most US Americans also assume that most governments in Zone B are even more evil than Uncle Shmuel.
    • Most US Americans also believe in what I call the “immigration fallacy”: the belief that people come to the USA from all over the planet because they prefer the USA to their home country and people.  Anybody living in the USA and speaking Spanish knows that totally false this belief is, of course.  But few non-Hispanic US Americans ever speak in Spanish to the Hispanics in the USA (FYI – I do).  Anglos generally seem to have a hard time with languages…
    • Sadly, most US Americans are not educated by their parents, their religious leaders, their communities, or their schools.  Most US Americans get most of their education from watching TV.  Since all the US TV channels offer almost the exact same mix of vulgar entertainment, propaganda and commercials, this “education” resulted in a huge amount of massively dysfunctional families and communities.  This addiction to a flickering screen (be it the Idiot Tube or You Tube – same difference) gives them a very short attention span and a limited ability to process large amounts of written information, which is what is needed to be able to analyze a situation]

    As a direct consequence of these factors, most US Americans live in a “mental space” where Zone B simply does not exist, and when it is mentioned, it is invariable in the “same old clichés” mode.

    Finally, considering all of the above, it is truly a miracle that the deplorables completely ignored a massive brainwashing campaign (waaaay worse than anything the Commies or the Nazis ever came up with!) against “Trump the New Hitler” and still voted for him twice, both in 2016 and 2020!  It really goes to show that most US Americans quietly but passionately hate the regime in DC and that they use every opportunity they get to at least to try to change their country and their lives by means of voting.  Makes you wonder what these “disobedient” deplorables will do the next time around now that voting became clearly a waste of time, don’t it?]

    Now here is the good news: Zone B does exist!  In fact, it is huge, rich, truly diverse and it has long figured out that both the AngloZionist Empire and even the USA as we knew them have basically died, all that’s left from it is some residual momentum and many bad habits by ignorant, arrogant and delusional US politicians.

    Why is that so important?

    Because if we allow the Great Satan (actually a very good and exact expression, I think that it fits the new regime perfectly, I will use it more often) to convince us that reality is all contained in Zone A, we could really fall into despair.  Yeah, the USA is screwed, and so is all of the EU.

    As for US colonies like AUS or NZ, not only are they screwed (say by siding with the USA against a much, MUCH more powerful China), they also seem to have a morbid desire to outstupid even the USA in terms of crazy laws and insane ideological positions (say on COVID, for example).

    But all this in ONLY true inside Zone A.  Very few people in Zone B still believe that the USA matters a great deal.  Most of them already know otherwise, even if this is never reported by Zone A media.

    There is even more good news: neither the (rump) AngloZionist Empire nor the (rump) USA represent any credible threat to most countries in Zone B.

    Oh sure, US politicians can call Russia a “gas station masquerading as a country” or a “regional power”, the truth is that the united West has completely failed to break, or even meaningfully hurt Russia, despite 46 sanction packages (that’s just by Trump, not counting the “change we can believe in” crook).

    Heck, even COVID only marginally hurt Russia (which, unlike the flag-waving pseudo-patriotic crap spewed by western politicians took COVID seriously, very seriously in fact, as early as March and prepared the country for no less than two major outbreaks, both which happened, and both which Russia successfully dealt with; this is why the EU is now in full COVID-hysteria mode, while Russia does not bother to impose any lockdowns at all!).

    Now let’s place two US propaganda items side by side and take a look, ok?

    1. The USA has the most powerful economy on the planet.
    2. Russia is the #1 adversary of the USA (at least according to the Dems, the GOP places China as #1 and Russia only as #2)

    Do you see the problem?

    If the USA is so powerful, how is it that it failed to crush Russia?  What about Iran?  Or, in extremis, Venezuela?  Yet, even the the last case, the “best” this supposed World Hegemon did was send a few clueless ex-special ops to get caught and give case of hysterical laughter to the entire Latin American continent!

    And these folks want to take on China or Russia?!

    Peuhleeze!

    So here is the other very good news: Zone A presents no real threat to Zone B!!!

    Yes, of course, the USA can still nuke China, Russia, Iran, Venezuela or some other country.  But let’s look at the consequences of such a strike:

    • Against Russia: the USA simply vanishes as a country.  Completely and forever.
    • Against China: the USA as a society completely collapses for a very, very, VERY  long time.

    And then we have…

    • Against Iran: the USA gets stuck in a major regional war it can only lose with massive geostrategic consequences (still, the new regime might try to pull this one off, never say never, no matter how stupid this idea can seem to you – always remember that the ignoramuses in DC are as delusional as they are ignorant!)
    • Against North Korea: the USA gets stuck in a major regional war it can only lose with massive geostrategic consequences.
    • Against Venezuela: the USA gets stuck in a counter-insurgency war it can only lose.  The comprador regime in Bogota will not survive such a war and Colombia will also “fall”.
    • Against any other Zone B country: the US successfully nukes this/these country/countries only to find itself being treated like a pariah by the entire planet (including quite a few US colonies), including the real military powers.  NATO and the EU will also collapse is that happens (the US being their cornerstone).

    The bottom line is that while the US triad is still fully functional and capable of waging a full-scale nuclear war against any adversary (including Russia and, even more so, China), the truth is that all this triad really achieves is making it impossible for another nuclear power to use nukes against the USA.

    Which is not minor or irrelevant, the problem here being that the US nuclear triad provides with exactly zero help when trying to deal with any adversary not using nukes (either because this adversary choose not to use nukes due to the effective deterrence of the US nuclear triad or simply because it has no nukes in the first place).

    As I have mentioned in the past, the US submarine force is, along with the nuclear triad, the other truly effective and powerful force which the US can count on in case of war.

    However, other than launching large numbers of outdated and, therefore, easily countered cruise missiles there is little this force can do to assist a US ground (or, for that matter) air operation against anything but a very weak adversary.

    The problem with so-called “sub-peer” adversaries is that they have relatively few lucrative targets to strike with cruise missiles (think Venezuela here).  Most of these subpeer adversaries do not have the air defenses needed to deal with any halfway determined US missile and bomb attack and the US can quickly destroy whatever air defenses such “sub-peer” countries have.

    So yes, I admit it.

    If tomorrow the USA wants a “short and triumphant war”, say to boost morale or distract from internal problems, they could still attack countries like, say, Antigua and Barbuda or Santa Lucia, but such a farce will hardly would qualify as “brilliant victory” of the “best armed forces in the galaxy”, now would it?

    Or maybe would, who knows?

    If the united propaganda machine wants to present that as a triumph for US forces, like they did with the Grenada invasion (one of the worst military operation in history!) they can do that, of course.

    But that would only serve to further ridicule that propaganda machine since 2021 is not 1983, there are now millions of deplorables out there who will never buy this kind of silly nonsense.

    Besides, considering how the joint efforts of the USA, Israel and Saudi Arabia (the “Axis of Kindness”) completely failed to deal with the Houthis, my money would not be on any US invasion force in the Caribbean (with the possible exception of a re-invasion of Haiti or the Dominican Republic, but these are already US protectorates, what would be the point?!).

    Why does all that matter so much?

    Because the Democrats are clearly up to no good.

    Next, not only will we see a wave of repression against free speech internally, but the Dems are already making noises about, you guessed it, China and Russia (again!) and, when that inevitably yield exactly zero results, they will turn to “hate on” Iran and Venezuela again.

    But even these comparatively weaker countries are now very much capable of making Uncle Shmuel pay an immense price in blood and hell to pay in terms of political blowback on too many fronts to count.

    The “power” of a nation (or a coalition of nations) can be measured using very many different type of metrics, but the three most common ones would probably be: economic power, military power and political power.  If we use those three to compare Zone A to Zone B, it would be reasonable to posit the following:

    • Economic power: more more or less equal, with Zone A quickly going down and Zone B quickly rising.  Zone A still has A LOT of comprador regimes willing to defend it not only at the UN, but in most international bodies (including non-government ones like the IOC for example, or WADA).
    • Military power: Zone A very much weaker than Zone B (just think RU+CN+IN for starters!)
    • Political power: Zone A still stronger, but that is also changing fast.  You can say that most world rulers are still serfs for Zone A, but most people worldwide have long switched their support for Zone B countries.  The recent triumph of the people of Bolivia over their oppressors is a very telling sign of this trend.

    And here is the key factor to keep in mind: there is nothing, absolutely nothing, the Biden/Harris Admin can do to change these trends.  It is simply too late and when the initiation of the internal collapse of the USA, these trends will only accelerate.

    ===>In other words, there is hope!<===

    Yes, the bad guys did win, but only over Trump and his clueless pseudo-allies (did they betray him faster than he betrayed them, or was it the other way around?), but they only won one a battle against the deplorables and they have won exactly nothing against Zone B.

    The Dems are now busy with vengeance in all its forms.

    They also relish in humiliating Trump and those who dared to support him.  This is the political equivalent of torturing people in basements, not winning glorious battles.  But they don’t realize that, they are too vain, too ideologically hateful, and too cowardly to understand that.

    Still, brainwashing, like torture (including mental torture!), is real.

    In this case, this is a battle for the minds of the deplorables who now have to be beaten down into a catatonic state of total submission and compliance.  The Dems are using lies, their favorite weapon, but their assault is real, nonetheless.  And this is the battle which we, those who opposed imperialism, have to fight – the battle for the minds of the people in Zone A: we need to show them that the pseudo-reality of Zone A has no real existence outside the Idiot Box and the vapid rhetoric of US decision makers.

    We have to mentally prepare for a sharp increase in the amount and scope of the lies the US propaganda machine will be telling us (if you thought the last 4 years were bad, prepare for much, much worse; good example here).

    And, of course, expect LOTS of false flags, especially to demonstrate the reality of the alleged danger coming from the “domestic terrorists”.  That will all go down against a background of a full-spectrum attack on free speech, dissent and any form of actual (as opposed to pretend) thought, really.

    The irony is, of course, that the coming witch hunt (it will be way worse than Salem or McCarthy) will be waged in the name of diversity and ostensibly against “hate”.  In reality, of course, what the regime wants is to crush real diversity because the leaders of the US Nomenklatura absolutely hate everything besides their sorry selves.

    Like all ideologues, what these folks want is 1) total power and 2) total uniformity.  All those rejecting these modern dogmas will be branded as criminals, terrorists, heretics, racist and, of course, Russian and Chinese agents.

    And that is why this regime will also fail.

    Conclusion: diversity WILL win.  The REAL diversity, of course!

    Our planet is wonderfully diverse, especially outside the uniformity sector of Zone A.  There IS a Zone B out there, and the leaders of Zone A will be defeated by our real common and shared humanity (and their hatred for us!).

    Somewhere between Obama and Trump, the world has moved on, and it is now very busy dealing with the immense challenges and opportunities facing it in Zone B.

    And no, neither Russia nor China is busy trying to sabotage or undermine the USA – US leaders are doing that much better job of that than any Russian or Chinese ever could.  So why even bother (and nevermind the risks!)?

    We cannot predict what will happen next, there are simply too many variables to do that.  But what we can do is predict with a great degree of confidence that the new regime in power in DC will do no better than all the other regimes which came to power by means of color revolutions in the past couple of decades.

    There is no hope left for the Empire.

    As for the USA people, there will be plenty of hope left for them, but only after a long and painful process of collapse and rebirth (both of which are inevitable by now).

    The truth is that US is not that unique as empires go.

    Sorry, it is just your typical arrogant and narcissistic empire. An empire which will collapse just as all the other arrogant and narcissistic empires in history have collapsed. That being, mostly under their own obscene weight.

    And those poor souls who sincerely believe that China (or Russia) want to replace the USA simply don’t understand that these two countries already have been empires, it was a disaster, thank you very much, and they have no desire to repeat their past mistakes.

    This desire for non-exceptionalism and normalcy will, with time, also become the object of a large social consensus in the USA.

    And, with time, the USA will finally be welcomed into a truly free Zone B or, should I say, a Zone-free world.

    The Saker

    Mistakes in judgement part 4

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    Britain’s elite SAS reported back “on the ground” in Kyiv

    British Special Air Service (SAS) troops have reportedly been on the ground in Kyiv for the first time since the war with Russia began, Ukrainian commanders have told The Times.

    Officers from two Ukrainian battalions stationed in and around the capital said they had undergone military training from serving British special forces, one last week and the other the week before.

    Captain Yuriy Myronenko, whose battalion is stationed in Obolon on the northern outskirts of Kyiv, said that military trainers had come to instruct new and returning military recruits to use Next generation Light Anti-tank Weapons( NLAWs) British-supplied anti-tank missiles that were delivered in February as the invasion was beginning.

    Since February, the United Kingdom has delivered more than 3,600 NLAWs to Ukraine, with Kyiv requesting more following reports that they had proven highly effective against Russian armour.

    The United States announced this week that it would also resume training by American troops, however the Pentagon said explicitly that the training would not be conducted on Ukrainian territory.

    Article

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    German Industry Fears Immediate Russian Gas Ban | OilPrice.com

    Moron leadership is a threat not only to world peace but to the wellbeing of its own economy and people.
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    One way thinking and zero sum mentality resulted in Europe being the most war monger, aggressive continent in human history. EU and NATO is nothing more than a mafia organisation designs to bully the world and smaller European nation member state. Such organisations should be dismantled for the well being of the world.
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    Article

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    COVID Moneytrail

    This landed on my desk from <redacted> sources. Content is detailed and extensive. I’d suggest downloading it and keeping it in a safe place. It’s heavy with names, dates and  activity.

    Full PDF

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    Solomon Islands and China sign security pact, despite Australia and US efforts to intervene

    A leader of a tiny nation, stepping out with leadership and bravery.

    Article

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    Expectations and reality

    1650391050 fn 25
    The United States sure has “improved”.

    Be the Rufus

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    Hawaiian Pork Roast with Pineapple

    How about a nice and special meal for the family this Sunday. Try this…

    2022 04 20 20 38
    2022 04 20 20 38

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    2022 04 20 20 38a

    Directions

    1. Mix first six ingredients. Cut roast in half; sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat; brown roast on all sides.
    2. Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker. Pour pineapple mixture over top. Cook, covered, until a thermometer inserted in roast reads at least 145°, 3-4 hours.
    3. Remove roast from slow cooker; keep warm. Transfer cooking juices to a saucepan; bring to a boil. Mix cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into cooking juices. Return to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, 1-2 minutes. Serve with roast.

    Mistakes in judgement part 5

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    1495380813583691777 png 700

    Americans; Things Are Bad Now, But You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet

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    At this moment, food prices all over America are at incredibly low levels.  I know what many of you must be thinking.  You must be thinking that I have lost my mind, because food prices have been rising at a very rapid rate all over the country.  But when I say that food prices are at “incredibly low levels”, I am not comparing them to where they were in the past.  Rather, I am comparing current prices to where they will be in the future.  Yes, things are bad now, but food prices will be much higher a year or two from now.

    The global fertilizer crisis certainly isn’t going anywhere.  If anything, it is only going to intensify.

    The same thing could be said about the war in Ukraine.  Peace talks are absolutely dead, and so it looks like fighting between two of the most critical breadbaskets in the world will continue for months to come.

    Meanwhile, the bird flu pandemic continues to wipe out millions of chickens and turkeys all over the globe all over the United States.

    We have never seen a “perfect storm” quite like this, but of course some of the factors that will be driving up food prices are entirely self-inflicted.

    For example, the Chinese government didn’t need to lock down nearly 400 million people in a desperate attempt to prevent the spread of COVID.  The past two years have provided ample evidence that such lockdowns are quite foolish, but the Chinese went ahead anyway.

    China is participating in the decoupling from the United States, and that includes food, and farming materials.

    As a result, there are now hundreds of commercial ships waiting impatiently off the coast of Shanghai.

    MAP: Commercial ships waiting offshore after Shanghai strict lockdown pic.twitter.com/m0qST4v92Y
    — Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) April 19, 2022

    Those are giant cargo ships that bring stuff across the Pacific Ocean to us.

    If the Chinese don’t loosen up, many of our store shelves will become quite empty in the months ahead.

    And it isn’t just commercial ships that are sitting idle

    Shanghai is one of the largest manufacturing centers in China, with heavy concentrations of automotive and electronics suppliers. It is home to the largest container port in the world and a major airport that serves inbound and outbound air cargo. Exports produced in Shanghai account for 7.2% of China’s total volume and about 20% of China’s export container throughput moves through the port there, according to the BBVA report.
    
    Most warehouses and plants are closed, nine out of 10 trucks are sidelined, the port and airport have limited function, shipping units are stranded in the wrong places, and freight is piling up.

    Needless to say, many of our major retailers simply could not operate without the goods that they import from China.

    So we better hope that this potential nightmare gets resolved very soon.

    Here in the United States, food prices have been moving higher for months.  Just check out these numbersThe average price of butter grew 11.9% in the last year. 
    
    Meat has been especially affected by supply chain issues, with 100% meat frankfurters jumping 35.2% since March of 2021 to an average price of $5.18 per pound. 
    
    Ground chuck, pork chops, and whole chicken showed year-over-year price increases of 11.3%, 15%, and 11.7%, respectively.

    Those figures may look bad to you, but the truth is that they only represent the very early chapters of this crisis.

    Things are going to get much worse, and here in April anecdotal reports seem to indicate that food price increases seem to be accelerating.

    Earlier today, my attention was drawn to a thread on a popular Internet forum where people were discussing recent price increases that they had seen at their local stores.  The following are a few examples that I pulled out of that thread…

    -“$10. for 1 lb. Bacon”

    -“5.19 for one pound of land o lakes butter”

    -“a 34 oz can of coffee was $6.99 now is $9.99”

    -“$1.09 for a single avocado”

    -“$2.31 for a head of iceberg lettuce”

    -“I shop for my elderly parents they buy Butterscotch Krimpets every week. Were 2.49 a box now 4.49.”

    -“I saw 15.99 per pound for ribeye steak at a grocery store in northeast Tennessee.”

    -“Paid $12.95 for a pack of raw chicken thighs a few days ago. Normally they are $3.00 – $4.00”

    And thanks to the horrifying bird flu pandemic which is sweeping the nation, the price of eggs is going completely nuts

    The losses to egg-laying flocks have led to producers desperately racing to meet market demands for eggs and egg products, with egg prices increasing as a result. The average price of a dozen eggs is now close to $3.00, up from $1.60 at the beginning of the year, according to the USDA’s national egg report.

    If you think that these prices are wild, just wait until they double from their current levels.

    All over the world the United States, a great battle for food resources has begun.  The Chinese saw this coming in advance, and so they have been engaged in the largest stockpiling program that any of us have ever seen.  I wrote about this back in December, but back then most people didn’t understand the true significance of that article.

    At that time, the amount of food that the Chinese had already accumulated was already extremely impressive

    Less than 20% of the world’s population has managed to stockpile more than half of the globe’s maize and other grains, leading to steep price increases across the planet and dropping more countries into famine.
    
    The hoarding is taking place in China.

    Has the U.S. been doing something similar?

    Of course not.

    When things get really bad in this country, you will be on your own.

    So I hope that you have been preparing for that.

    Since the war in Ukraine started, nation after nation has started to implement export restrictions, and a global scramble for agricultural commodities has steadily pushed up prices.

    Nobody wants to be caught empty-handed when the music stops, and so there is a race to secure precious supplies while it is still possible to do so.

    Sadly, the poorest parts of the world will end up suffering the most as the wealthy countries grab what they can.  The dramatic spike that we will soon see in global hunger will be absolutely heartbreaking.

    But nobody can say that we weren’t warned in advance.  This sort of collapse has been coming for a long time, and now it has arrived.

    I would encourage you to stockpile food at these “relatively low prices” while you have the opportunity to do so, because they are only going to go higher from here.

    Build a Woodworker’s Toolbox

    Build a Woodworker’s Toolbox: If you’re a mechanic, finding a toolbox is no problem – there are dozens on the market, from huge roll-around shop cases to small metal boxes. Framers, plumbers and electricians are well served, too, with everything from pickup-truck storage to tool…
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    c062e12338980d56058c2afe3beaa28c

    Be the Rufus

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    72n8l18z2fo81

    Mistakes in judgement part 6

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    Russia says Kiev regime employed 6,824 foreign mercenaries since special operation started – Military & Defense – TASS

    Most mercenaries came from Poland, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said
    MOSCOW, April 17. /TASS/. Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov on Sunday said Kiev employed more than 6,800 foreign mercenaries from 63 countries since Russia started its special operation.
    
    "The Kiev nationalist regime has employed a total of 6,824 foreign mercenaries from 63 countries since the start of the special military operation," he said.
    
    Most mercenaries - 1,717 people - came from Poland, about 1,500 from the US, Canada and Romania, the spokesman said. Up to 300 people arrived from the UK and Georgia each while 193 people came from the areas of Syria that are controlled by Turkey, Konashenkov said.

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    Santa Fe Skillet

    As a mother who works full-time, I’m always looking for quick, easy meals to prepare. This is a timeless recipe. —Lorie VanHorn, Waddell, Arizona

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    2022 04 20 20 49

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    2022 04 20 20 51

    Directions

    1. In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; crumble meat; drain. Stir in the pasta, contents of seasoning packet, salsa, water, chili powder, salt and cayenne.
    2. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes, adding more water if necessary. Stir in tomatoes; sprinkle with olives and cheese. Cover and simmer until heated through, 3-4 minutes. Serve with sour cream if desired.

    Duck Duck Go gone with the wind..

    “Can we not just have ONE thing that isn’t actively working against us?”

    Article

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    Old Door into Headboard

    Restore your old doors into a beautiful DIY headboard. Recondition your old door, like remove the hardware from it, gunk and ugly scratches, and simply add it up with a top mantle. Paint it in your favorite color and install the hardware to fix it as the decorative head of your bed. Full guide and tutorial here infarrantlycreative.

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    2022 04 21 20 32

    How to decorate your cubicle

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    Done with style.

    Russia’s military is on full display in Google Maps satellite view

    The satellite images may be a boon to open source intelligence analysts.

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    The ex-deputy of the Rada showed Zelensky’s Russian passport. Screen

    Marina Fedorovskikh
    April 20, 2022 at 12:23 pm
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    Former deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ilya Kiva showed the Russian passport of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. Kiva believes that this should help in initiating a criminal case against him.

    “The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation should prosecute and put on the wanted list a citizen of Russia – Zelensky V.A. For his terrorist activities and as a suspect in committing terrorist attacks and killing thousands of citizens of Russia and Ukraine,” he said in his telegram channel.

    Kiva also mentioned the possible dual citizenship of the Ukrainian leader. “Zelensky had no right to be admitted to the presidential elections with dual citizenship and his tenure as president is illegal,” the ex-deputy added.

    The Investigative Committee of Russia has already begun checking against the Ukrainian president . The reason was the words of the latter about preparing for a war with Russia. Zelensky himself gave the interview to the American television channel CNN. During the conversation, he made a number of controversial statements. thus, Zelensky abandoned his promises about the status of Donbass. Kiev does not want to recognize the DPR and LPR as independent territories in the eastern part of the country in order to put an end to disputes with Russia, Nation News notes . In his opinion, the chances of successful negotiations with Russia are declining “every day,” the Federal News Agency adds .

    Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special operation on the territory of Ukraine on February 24 . The actions of the Russian troops are aimed at the demilitarization and denazification of the territory, as well as the protection of the civilian population, including those living in the DPR and LPR. The military hit the objects of the military infrastructure, equipment and weapons of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the national battalions with high-precision means.

    Article

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    Why doesn’t this ever happen to me?

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    Why not me?

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    White House sells Historic Moments Coin, Honoring President Volodymyr Zelenskyy #31 in series

    2022 04 20 15 30
    2022 04 20 15 30

    On Sale!

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    Greens say China isn’t a threat | Sky News Australia

    The Greens do not see China as a threat to Australia and have no reservations over its security pact with the Solomon Islands. The party’s Peace and Disarmament spokesperson Jordon Steele-John told The Australian newspaper the government’s concerns over the Solomon Islands-China deal were racist…
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    Article

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    Google shutdown Pro beijing Hong Kong chief executive election candidate 李家超 YouTube election campaign account.

    If you are pro-China, just about EVERY American-based social media account will ban you. Read the English at the bottom of the page.

    Article

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    Be the Rufus

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    Pretty Chinese girl

    Nice video. video 2MB

    China’s space station first to be open to all UN member states

    China is implementing its first batch of international cooperation programs on board the Tiangong space station, and will hopefully upload those experiments by the end of the year. Foreign astronauts are welcome to Tiangong to make greater contributions to the shared future of mankind, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Monday.

    The Shenzhou-13 crew safely returned to Earth on Saturday after staying 183 days in orbit, doubling the previous record set by Shenzhou-12 to become the country’s longest single-flight space mission.
    .
    Wang said that the mission was a breakthrough journey with many highlights and firsts. These achievements suggest that China’s space station has completed its key technology verification stage, laying a solid foundation for the next phase of in-orbit construction.
    .
    During their six-month stay, the Shenzhou-13 crew for the first time carried out a radial rendezvous and docking with the space station’s Tianhe core cabin that verified the station’s capability to receive visiting spaceships in different positions.
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    Article

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    Be the Rufus

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    The Dam Is Finally Cracking

    Wednesday, Apr 20, 2022 – 10:45 AM

    Authored by Charles Hugh Smith via The Daily Reckoning,

    We all sense the global order has cracked. The existing order is breaking down on multiple fronts.

    Those who have benefited from this arrangement are doing everything in their power to patch the cracks, while those who chafed under the old order’s chains seek a new order that suits their interests.

    The task now is to make sense of this complex inflection point in history. Two statements summarize the transition from the existing global order to the next iteration:

    1. Finance dominated resources in the old order. Now the roles will reverse and real-world resources will dominate finance. We can’t “print our way” out of scarcities.
    
    2. Reshuffling currencies and credit will not stop the breakdown of the global order’s “waste is growth” Landfill Economy Model.

    Playing financial tricks has extended the life of an unsustainable economic model that glorified “growth” from wasting resources. By expanding credit “money,” the current global order fueled unsustainable consumption driven by unsustainable speculation.

    Stop expanding “money” and credit and the global order of “growth” implodes.

    Pretty Chinese girl

    She is. video 4MB

    The Dam Is Finally Cracking

    Unfortunately for all those who benefited from soaring wealth and income inequality, the trick of expanding “money” and credit has reached systemic limits. The dam holding all the toxic debt, leverage and fraud is finally cracking.

    The dominance of resources over finance leads to a multipolar global order, an order that has the potential to be far more stable and sustainable than the unsustainable, destabilizing “waste is growth” model that depends on financial fraud to maintain the illusion of “growth.”

    As I explain in my book Global Crisis, National Renewal, scarcity leads to either social disorder or rationing. This article explains how government’s role will shift from boosting demand (the Keynesian Cargo Cult) to limiting demand in ways that maintain the social contract.

    Nations that fail to adapt to the end of financialization and globalization will unravel. Every nation has a choice which path it takes:

    Cling on to the doomed existing order of financialization, globalization and the “waste is growth” Landfill Economy or embrace a multipolar world and a degrowth model of doing more with less and incentivizing efficiency and durability rather than the shoddy planned obsolescence of the debt-dependent Landfill Economy.

    Free Money Is the Solution

    Under various guises, labels and rationalizations, “free money” has now been established as the default policy fix for any problem. Stock market falters? The solution: free money! Economy falters? The solution: free money! Bankers face collapse from ruinously risky bets? The solution: free money! Infrastructure crumbling?

    The solution: free money!

    Inflation raging? The solution: free money! Ruh-roh. We have a problem free money won’t fix. Instead, free money accelerates the conflagration. Dang, this is inconvenient; the solution to every problem makes this problem worse. Now what do we do?

    Despite the apparent surprise of the policy-makers, pundits and apologists, this was common sense. Create trillions of dollars out of thin air and spread the money around indiscriminately (fraudsters and scammers getting more than the honest, of course) after global supply chains were disrupted and shelves were bare, then open the floodgates of speculative gambling in stocks, cryptos, housing, used cars, bat guano, quatloos, etc., and what do you think will happen?

    Supply can’t catch up with free-money-boosted demand, prices rise, people instinctively over-order and over-buy, and “don’t fight the Fed” speculative betting begets more betting: the inflation rocket booster ignites, wages soar as workers try to keep pace with rising expenses, speculative bubbles inflate to unprecedented extremes, and all this “wealth without work or productivity” gooses spending and gross domestic product (GDP).

    “Once the Bubbles Pop, GDP Crashes and the Ratio Blows Out”

    Forty years ago, the total debt-to-GDP ratio was 1.6: debt was $4.8 trillion and GDP was $3 trillion. Then the policy solutions of fiscal “borrow and spend” and Federal Reserve “balance sheet expansion.” a.k.a. free money, became the policy default.

    The ratio rose to 2.76 in 2000 and has wobbled around 3.7 for the past decade, a decade that just so happened to see the stock market quadruple and the housing bubble reinflate to new heights as the Federal Reserve kept interest rates near zero as part of the “free money” policy:

    If we’re going to borrow tens of trillions of dollars to squander, we need near-zero interest rates to keep costs of borrowing down.

    Though no one in a position of power or influence dares admit it, the ratio of debt to GDP hasn’t blown out for one reason: speculative bubbles have pushed GDP higher in a massive, sustained distortion of “wealth effect” and winner take most gains for those who knew how to extract the majority of gains from the bubbles.

    Once the bubbles pop, GDP crashes and the ratio blows out. The belief that adding trillions in debt magically adds GDP will be revealed as delusional fantasy.

    Two Paths

    Completely forgotten in the era of Free money as the solution to all problems is the discipline of frugality, which can best be defined as discipline over spending as a means of building long-term financial stability and general well-being.

    Financial discipline (frugality) has been set aside as a needless discomfort: why make difficult tradeoffs and sacrifices when the solution is just to borrow/create more free money? Indeed. Along the same lines, why bother with all the hassles of healthy food and fitness? Just pig out and swallow a couple handfuls of “free” (heh) meds.

    Discipline isn’t just about limiting waste. It’s about investing capital and labor wisely to secure future gains in productivity which is the only real source of income and wealth. Creating “money” out of thin air and spreading it around to satisfy every constituency doesn’t increase productivity. It destroys productivity by incentivizing waste – the waste is growth Landfill Economy – and speculative bets on bubbles never popping.

    Alas, all bubbles pop, and now that creating free money only makes costs rise faster, there is no solution other than – oh, dear, dear, dear – the unforgiving discipline of frugality and investing for productivity gains rather than for speculative bubble “wealth.”

    Which path leads to doom? Free money. Which path leads to revival? Frugality and discipline.

    That’s not what everyone wants to hear, but clinging to delusional fantasies of “free wealth” won’t lead to positive outcomes, any more than swallowing handfuls of meds leads to “free health.”

    Be the Rufus

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    270230748 610351773356329 698889770590334877 n

    Document reveals $14 billion backlog of US defense transfers to Taiwan

    Pandemic-related acquisition issues have sparked a backlog in the U.S. delivering $14.2 billion worth of military equipment to Taiwan that the island has purchased since 2019.
    With much of Washington’s attention focused on how to rapidly deploy a steady stream of military aid to Ukraine, some lawmakers are concerned the Taiwan delay is undermining its ability to deter a potential Chinese invasion….
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    Article

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    Mistakes in judgement part 7

    Mistake or intentional lie?

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    1425128003051347971 png 700

    Good news can actually happen

    2022 04 20 13 45
    2022 04 20 13 45

    Russia says it will no longer disclose the names of organizations that use its alternative to the SWIFT payment system

    Russia’s central bank will stop disclosing the names of those participating in its alternative to the SWIFT payment system, according to Reuters.
    .
    Russia has been touting its alternative payment system — the System for Transfer of Financial Messages (SPFS), which was set up in 2014.
    .
    Most Russian banks, as well as 52 foreign organizations from 12 countries, have access to SPFS, Russian Central Bank governor Elvira Nabiullina said on Monday, per Reuters.
    .
    Banks from the Germany, Switzerland, France, Japan, Sweden, Turkey, and Cuba were among those connected to SPFS, according to a March report from Coface, a French credit insurer.
    .
    “Until there was such a threat of being cut off from SWIFT, foreign partners weren’t in much of a rush to join, but now we expect their readiness to be greater,” Nabiullina said of SPFS, according to Bloomberg.
    .
    The Indian government was considering a Russian proposal to use the SPFS for payments in rubles, Bloomberg reported in March. India has been buying cargoes of cheap Russian oil amid international sanctions and boycotts of products from the energy powerhouse. Russian oil accounted for just 2% of India’s total imports in 2021.

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    A Pretty Chinese girl

    Very nice. video 3MB

    Dogs and cats

    sarcasm only 16
    Dogs and cats.

    Biden Having An Increasingly Difficult Time With G-20 Fissures

    Wednesday, Apr 20, 2022 – 06:45 AM

    Authored by Mike Shedlock via MishTalk.com,

    Biden made sanction demands on G-20 nations. He hit a BRIC+ wall.

    Map of G-20 countries.

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    2022 04 20 14 20

    G-20 Pressure Failing 

    The G-20 members are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, MexicoRussiaSaudi ArabiaSouth Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union. Spain is also invited as a permanent guest.

    The Biden administration wants to increase pressure on Russia, but finds increasing resistance to do more.

    Brazil, Russia, India, and China widely known as BRICs have not bowed to US pressure. Nor have Mexico, Saudi Arabia, or South Africa. 

    The 2022 G-20 meets in November but those nations are also at an IMF summit right now.

    Treasury secretary Janet Yellen plans to avoid Russian officials at meetings this week, while engaging with countries that haven’t joined in sanctions.

    Janet Yellen Faces Challenge to Keep Pressure on Russia, While Addressing Global Consequences

    The Wall Street Journal reports Janet Yellen Faces Challenge to Keep Pressure on Russia, While Addressing Global Consequences

    Hanging over gatherings of finance ministers from around the world at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings in Washington this week will be Russia’s war in Ukraine, as well as the sanctions campaign the U.S. and its allies have waged in response. As those sanctions efforts have brought the U.S. and its allies closer together, they are also laying bare deep differences in the broader Group of 20 major economies, which includes Russia, China and India, as well as European allies.
    
    Ms. Yellen is expected to boycott some G-20 meetings this week that include Russian officials, and she last week warned countries against deepening their economic ties with Russia after the sanctions, singling out China.
    
    In addition, Ms Yellen’s attempts to build support for an international tax agreement that was the focus of international economic diplomacy last year may not gain traction. Agreement on the deal still faces hurdles both in Congress and among European countries.

    US Boycott

    Yellen will IMF boycott meetings this week that include Russia. But what does that say about the G-20 summit in November. Will the US even go?

    On March 22, Biden proposed booting Russia from the G-20. Reuters comments on the difficulty.

    "It's impossible to remove Russia from G20" unless Moscow makes such a decision on its own, said an official of a G20 member country in Asia.
    
    "There's simply no procedure to deprive Russia of G20 membership."

    With Spain there are 21 G-20 nations so a US boycott would get the group size correct.

    Pretty Chinese girl

    I guess that I am offending people by posting attractive ladies of China. Tough titties. If you don’t like it … LEAVE.

    video 1MB

    G-Whatever Meetings Are Useless

    These G-7, G-20, G-Whatever meetings have always been useless.

    G-Whatever meetings typically fail over agriculture, but with little fanfare.

    Failure is again a given, but usually there is no spotlight on that failure. Now there is.

    Seven G-20 nations, Brazil, Russia India, China, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa, refuse to salute US demands.

    Sanction Limits 

    We are at the limits of sanctions and they have failed. There is little else to do.

    The sanctions did nothing to deter Russia, they have only increased costs and added to inflation across the board.

    Another cute girl of China

    She’s young. My guess is 16 years old. I’m sure that when she grows up she’ll be a fine beautiful lady. video

    Russian Invasion Pushes Oil Prices to 10-Year High

    Brent crude, the international benchmark for crude oil prices, rose to $130 a barrel on Tuesday, after the U.S. and U.K. announced a ban on Russian oil imports and the EU said it would cut its dependency on Russian gas by two-thirds this year. West Texas Intermediate crude futures, the U.S. marker, rose to around $125 a barrel.

    Global oil prices have risen 58% since the beginning of the year, initially amid concerns about inflation. Russia is the world’s third-largest oil producer, supplying about 7% of global demand. Europe is Russia’s main market for oil and natural gas and bought roughly 25% of its oil from Russia in 2021. Gas prices in the EU have already risen by more than 70% since the last week of February. About 8% of U.S. oil imports came from Russia last year.

    The International Energy Agency agreed to release 60 million barrels of oil from its members’ strategic reserves, which is equal to the amount of oil the U.S. consumes in three days. Large Western oil companies like BP, ExxonMobil, and Shell have halted operations in Russia. European refiners are also looking elsewhere for supply, in places like Saudi Arabia. To compensate, Russia is trying to sell crude oil to refineries in China and other Asian countries at a discount.

    This week is the deadline for millions of U.S. taxpayers to pay their taxes. According to IRS data on income taxes in 2019, U.S. taxpayers paid $1.6 trillion in income taxes — and 96.9% of the taxes were paid by half of American taxpayers. The top one percent — Americans who earn $546,434 or more — earned one-fifth of all total adjusted gross income and paid 38.8% of all federal income taxes.

    The share of income taxes paid by the high-income earners (the 1%) has increased over time. From 2001 to 2019, the 1% share rose from 33% to 38.8%. Over the same time period, their share of adjusted gross income also increased, from 17.4% to 20.1%.

    The top 50% of taxpayers paid 97% of all income taxes, while the bottom 50% paid the remaining 3%. The bottom half of taxpayers — who earn below $44,269 a year — paid 3%, or slightly over $48 billion, of all federal individual income taxes. Their share of reported income decreased from 2001 to 2019, from 14.4% to 11.5%.

    Sixty-eight percent of Americans approve of labor unions, the highest level of approval in over 57 years, according to Gallup’s annual Work and Education poll. Americans’ approval of unions has been increasing over the last few years and is now at its highest point in more than half a century.

    Gallup has been conducting surveys on labor unions since 1936; this year, Gallup measured the highest level of support since 1965 (71%). On average, more Americans approve of unions than disapprove — 2009 was the only year that approval for unions fell below majority level (48%).

    Support for unions is highest among Democrats (90%), union members (86%), younger Americans between the ages of 18-34 (77%), and people with incomes under $40,000 a year (72%). Over half of Independents favor unions (66%), and Republicans are least likely to approve of them (47%).

    Despite this approval rating, only 9% of U.S. adults report they are part of a union. Another 8% of U.S. adults say they live with a union member. Union members are more likely to have higher incomes than non-union workers: one in 10 adults with household incomes of $40,000 or more are union members.

    Ukrainian officials took Germany to task this week for not leveling an energy embargo on Russia, six weeks into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The EU has leveled sanctions against Russia in response to the conflict, but it has yet to sanction Russian oil and gas, which comprised 45% of the EU’s gas imports last year. Since the start of the conflict, the EU has paid Russia about 20 billion euros ($22 billion) for gas, according to German economic adviser Veronika Grimm.

    Germany is one of Russia’s main energy consumers; last year, one-third of its gas imports came from Russia. Other sources estimate that 55% of the country’s gas came from Russia in 2021. Russia also supplied Germany with 34% of its crude oil and 53% of its hard coal last year.

    The German government has already implemented a national gas emergency plan that could lead to the rationing of natural gas. Gas is primarily used in industry (36%), by households (31%), and by trade and commerce (13%). Industry will be the first to feel rationing, followed by households, and lastly, hospitals and other public sector institutions.

    France’s sitting president Emmanuel Macron won the first round of the French presidential elections, with 28% of the vote. However, right-wing candidate Marine Le Pen came in a close second with 23%. Left-wing candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon came in third with a surprisingly strong 22% of the vote, but not enough to qualify for the runoff. Since no candidate won the majority of the vote in the first round, the elections will head to a runoff on April 24.

    The results from Sunday night set up a repeat of the 2017 runoff between Macron and Le Pen, when Macron won the presidency. But opinion polls show that Le Pen is closer to Macron in this election, with only a few percentage points difference between the two candidates. The two traditional French political parties, the Socialists and the Republicans, got less than 10% of the vote, showing the continuing rise in the popularity of more extreme parties on the left and the right.

    The French presidential election results will have a significant impact on European politics, as EU leaders respond to Russia’s continued attacks on Ukraine. Macron has backed sanctions against Russia, while Le Pen has raised the impact they have on the rising cost of living.

    Pathetic Chinese Apparently Cannot Even THINK, Nevermind Question What’s Being Done to their kids

    This is what happens when American writers believe the narrative that Covid is a hoax, and are completely unaware that China is under bioweapon assault. Read this article to see, how ignorance, plus distortions fuel a narrative. - MM
    .

    We here in the West have finally come to the realization that the whole “COVID” thing was a gigantic scam.  Much ado was made of a virus that turned out to be not much worse than a nasty Flu.  COVID has a 99.7% survival rate.  It was not and is not a “Pandemic.”

    Entire countries were shut down over the fuss about this illness.  People were literally locked in their homes. Some businesses were deemed “non-essential” and forced to close on the mere speculation that someone, somewhere, MIGHT spread COVID by visiting those businesses.

    The economic destruction from such government over-reach has destroyed countless businesses and ruined the income of many families.

    People were encouraged to wear masks when out in public, even though masks are completely, totally, unable to prevent the spread of a virus.  The pores on even the finest masks are four microns wide for air to get through the mask.  The novel coronavirus which causes COVID-19, is only 0.04 microns in size; one hundred times smaller than the pores on the masks.  As such, they are totally incapable of reducing or halting the spread of this virus.

    Did those facts matter?  No.

    Government told people to do it anyway, and most obeyed, like good little drones.

    Citizens in western nations, still slightly anchored to the reality of individual liberty, started questioning what was being demanded by government.  They started suing in court.  Worse for the government, people started ignoring the ridiculous demands by so-called public health officials.   Lo and behold, COVID went away.

    Not in China.

    Look at what the Communist Party government is requiring of school children in that slave-state-nation, and observe how parents do not even question the absurdity:

    2022 04 21 11 27
    2022 04 21 11 27

    The people in China, appear to be insane.

    So says Hal Turner.

    Obviously he is unaware of the bioweapon carpetbombing of China because the USA warned China; “You WILL sanction Russia, or face the consequences!”

    China said no.

    Two days later, all up and down China were major outbreaks of COVID. The worst hit areas were those with the highest percentages of expats. Curious fact.

    Jack!

    Ah, that’s it for now. I hope that you enjoyed this little mix of contemporaneous life. Now go back to what you all have been doing, and remember… always be the Rufus.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 3

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

     

    Snapshot of geopolitical events and changes

    As I have discussed on my you-tube video, the United States assaults on the united Asia continues. All you need to do is see the big picture, and look at the overviews. It’s really crystal clear.

    • The United States provoked a Russian military action in Ukraine.
    • The United States failed at a color revolution in Pakastan.
    • The United States failed at a color revolution in Kazakhstan.
    • The United States is provoking a Chinese military action in Taiwan.
    • The United States failed at a color revolution in Belarus.

    This article collects a host of loose-end articles associated with this particular time event sequence. Just hop on in and wander around. I hope that you find one or two things of interest.

    Updated on

    Finland has seized more than 42 million euros ($46 million) worth of art en route to Russia under European Union sanctions after President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

    The art was being returned from museums in Italy and Japan where the works had been on loan, the Finnish Customs told reporters in Helsinki on Wednesday. They arrived in three shipments and were taken into custody at the Finnish-Russian border on April 2 and 3.

    Article

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    Glorious

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    6233227a983b7

    The World need to up it’s game

    This is from London. Seriously, let the rest of the world be STS, you must be the STO Rufus.

    People Acting Like Jerks 3
    People Acting Like Jerks

    Pretty Chinese Girl

    She’s a healthy lass. Robust. Fine.

    video 1MB

    A Lifetime Of Regret

    Heads up! Don’t be like this man.

    From <redacted>

    I was born into a normal family. I wasn’t abused. I wasn’t dirt poor, I didn’t grow up devoid of opportunities.
    
    Physically I am a perfectly average man, around six feet tall, normal physique. I have all my hair still, got all my teeth and everything.
    
    You could walk past me on the street and you wouldn’t have a clue that I’m a lonely man. You wouldn’t know I’m miserable.
    
    You wouldn’t know I’m deathly shy, because if you talked to me, I could make some small talk, but if you never approached me, I’d never dare to speak up.
    
    For all my life I have been so terribly scared of making mistakes, that I tried desperately to avoid making any, ever. I didn’t want to make any form of social faux pas, I didn’t want to do anything I would be ashamed of remembering.
    
    The only times I could ever let go, was when I was intoxicated… that’s when I would feel human. It’s when I go the courage to actually make jokes, be funny, be friendly, be an actual person for a moment until I sobered up.
    
    I’ve only approached very few women in my life with romantic intentions, and when I did, I would fail inevitably.
    
    I did not even manage to befriend any, not really anyway… I had a female friend, once, who I drifted away from. She was married and her husband was also my friend, also briefly. He was a seaman and a great guy. We had some drinks together when both of us were in our twenties.
    
    It now seems like a lifetime away, but I remember how I envied his life… he had a wife who was an intelligent and charming young woman, he himself was a handsome, tall, robust fellow. They had a lovely young daughter who was mildly disabled intellectually due to a lack of air at birth, but who was so sweet and wonderful and ended up largely growing over her issues.
    
    Eventually this couple, my only two friends, moved far away. After five years of working for a foreign shipping company as an officer, my friend was able to relocate to another country where he moved his wife and daughter. We tried to meet several more times. But it never materialized. Just two days ago I received the news that my only friend has died. It’s been almost twenty-five years since we last had a beer together in his backyard… I loved that man and I miss him.
    
    That’s my entire social life of sixty-four years right there. Besides my brother and his family, there is no one I interact with anymore. Co-workers and I were always cordial at best, distant, professional but reserved.
    
    That’s my entire life… reserved. Controlled. Never let my emotions show.
    
    Three decades ago my friend and I, we drank and talked of the good things in life… but we never let go of our emotions. I never shed a tear. I never gave him a manly hug. I wish I did. I wish I had shed a tear. I wish I had let go of my emotions. But I never did.
    
    As I am writing this I am realizing that I really loved my friend. He was a great man and a wonderful man and he was sweet. He was the only one, in my life, who was truly sweet… his wife didn’t treat him right. I remember my friend would come to my apartment and bring food he had made.
    
    He would prepare fish, meat, delicious dishes. The barbeque gatherings we had in his backyard were always wonderful. I wish on that one last night we shared in the house of his in-laws, when the other guests had left and it was just the two of us sitting there… I wish I had told him, right there and then, as he told me in tears of his father’s mistreatment of him and the rejection he felt, that I loved him. Because I realize now did I did.
    
    I married at the age of fifty. I was a virgin when I married. And perhaps underuse of equipment causes malfunction, because I was unable to have a child with her. Which is why she decided to leave me. I understand it. I was broken, truly, and she saw it. I’ve been alone for too long to be with anyone, really.
    
    And besides, to be completely honest, I did not love her and I am pretty sure she did not love me either. She loved the idea of me. Of what I could, in theory, have offered her. A house. Family. Stability and a future. But the family part was important, too important for her to give up on. She would have resented me had she stayed with me. So she didn’t.
    
    I never loved my wife. She left me within two years, and I have never been with another soul since. Never tried, either. The will to try has left me long ago. The only one I think I ever truly loved was my friend. But he was a married man and he moved away to Europe.
    
    Now I just want to die in peace. But my health is decent and I am not suicidal so I will have to wait a little while longer.
    
    When I do, I hope I will see my friend again. I find the idea of an afterlife soothing, although I am not fully sold on it, I would love it to be true, so I could actually tell him what I have always felt and never could bring myself to say.
    
    The fact that I never did will always haunt me forever. But if I had told him and he felt it too, what good would it have been for me to end a marriage? His daughter deserved better. She is married now and has a family. She never knew. And she never will. But now you do.
    
    Don’t do what I did. Don’t be so scared to be yourself. Don’t be so terrified to take risks. Don’t wait endlessly for life to put something good on your path, because life won’t do any such thing.
    
    Please do not grow old and let the years pass by uneventfully. Don’t wait for golden years to arrive without effort, without risk, without ups and downs and struggles.
    
    I tried so hard to avoid struggles out of that crippling fear and anxiety I always felt, and it got me nowhere.
    
    Gordon if you can read this from wherever you are now, I love you and I am sorry I was such a coward.

    First grade military training

    China first grade. I think the kids are enjoying it. video 9MB

    The world needs people who act like Rufus’s

    You must make the world a better place. Don’t allow the perpetually ill, selfish and mean to be part of your reality. You ahve the power of changing things. So make it so.

    People Acting Like Jerks 8
    People Acting Like Jerks

    Shanghai Residents Rebel As Cases Surge, Lockdown Extended ‘Indefinitely’

    This article is so typical of the lies that spew out of the West regarding China. It’s so much bullshit. It’s amazing.

    "To be sure, the surge in cases is partially a factor of the latest mass-testing regime, but that hasn't stopped the CCP from imposing the most draconian lockdown since Wuhan (as we explained earlier, backing down would be an intolerable capitulation for President Xi and local authorities, whose careers are now in jeopardy due to factors that are completely out of their control).
    
    Following an unceasing torrent of scandals, including separating COVID positive children from their parents, covering up nursing home deaths and failing to address shortages of food and medicine, the population of Shanghai has reached its breaking point."

    Bullshit Article

    And my rebuttal to it…

    MM Rebuttal

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    Pretty Chinese Girly outfit

    Nice, comfortable and easy outfit. I like it. It looks fresh and clean. This video is a Chinese clothing advertisement on Douxing.

    video 3MB

    The Global Fertilizer Shortage Means That Far Less Food Will Be Grown All Over The Planet In 2022

    From HERE.

    I never imagined that I would be writing so much about fertilizer in 2022.  When I was growing up, there were only two things that I knew about fertilizer.  I knew that it helped stuff grow and I knew that it smelled bad.  But these days, experts are telling us that a global shortage of fertilizer could result in horrifying famines all over the world.  Right now, to a very large degree we are still eating food that was produced in 2021.  But by the end of the year, to a very large degree we will be eating food that was produced in 2022.  Unfortunately for all of us, it appears that a lack of fertilizer will mean that far less food is grown in 2022 than originally anticipated.

    Thanks to an unprecedented explosion in energy prices, we were already facing a fertilizer crisis even before the war in Ukraine, but now that war has definitely taken things to the next level.

    Under normal conditions, a great deal of the world’s fertilizer comes from either Russia, Belarus or Ukraine

    A fertilizer shortage has added to growing concerns about the Ukraine war’s impact on the price and scarcity of certain basic foods.
    
    Combined, Russia and Belarus had provided about 40% of the world’s exports of potash, according to Morgan Stanley. Russia’s exports were hit by sanctions. Further, in February, a major Belarus producer declared force majeure — a statement that it wouldn’t be able to uphold its contracts due to forces beyond its control.
    
    Russia also exported 11% of the world’s urea, and 48% of the ammonium nitrate. Russia and Ukraine together export 28% of fertilizers made from nitrogen and phosphorous, as well as potassium, according to Morgan Stanley.

    Global hunger rose significantly in both 2020 and 2021, but what we are going to be dealing with in the months ahead is going to be completely unlike anything that we have dealt with in the past.

    In fact, one commodity expert that was interviewed by CNBC is extremely pessimistic about what is ahead…

    “All of this is a double whammy, if not a triple whammy,” said Bart Melek, global head of commodity strategy at TD Securities. “We have geopolitical risk, higher input costs and basically shortages.”

    We have never seen anything like this before.

    Since the beginning of 2021, some fertilizer prices have “more than doubled”, and some fertilizer prices have more than tripled

    Some fertilizers have more than doubled in price. For instance, Melek said potash traded in Vancouver was priced at about $210 per metric tons at the beginning of 2021, and it’s now valued at $565. He added that urea for delivery to the Middle East was trading at $268 per metric ton on the Chicago Board of Trade in early 2021 and was valued at $887.50 on Tuesday.

    And in some parts of the globe it is even worse.

    In Peru, fertilizer prices have experienced an “almost fourfold” increase

    The global fertilizer squeeze exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is imperiling rice production in Peru, where the seed is a staple for tens of millions of people.
    
    Prices of the crop nutrient urea have surged almost fourfold amid supply scarcities, adding to cost inflation for growers, according to the Peruvian Association of Rice Producers.

    That same article goes on to explain that many farmers in Peru won’t be able to afford to plant crops at all this year.

    If that sounds familiar, that is because this is something that I have been warning about for months.

    In particular, here in the United States it simply is not going to be profitable for many farmers to grow corn this year, because corn needs a high amount of fertilizer.

    All over the world, far less fertilizer will be used in 2022, and that means that far less food will be grown.

    There will be famines, and one expert is even warning that food scarcity will “touch people in the lower income distribution in North America”

    “We’re talking about an erosion of food security on a scale we have not seen for a long time, and I think it will touch people in the lower income distribution in North America,” he added.

    But as long as you have a decent income, you will still be able to go to the store and buy food in the months ahead.

    It just might cost you a lot more.

    During a recent interview with Tucker Carlson, farmer Ben Riensche warned that Americans could soon be paying a thousand dollars more a month for their groceries…

    “Soaring fertilizer prices are likely to bring spiked food prices. If you’re upset that gas is up a dollar or two a gallon, wait until your grocery bill is up $1,000.00 a month, and it might not just manifest itself in terms of price. It could be quantity as well. Empty Shelf syndrome may be starting.”

    Can you afford to pay $1,000 more for groceries every month?

    If not, you better stock up now while prices are still relatively reasonable.

    Of course there are certain things that you will not be able to stock up on because they simply aren’t there.

    Shortages are intensifying all over the country, and in particular we have seen an alarming shortage of pasta begin to happen in certain stores.  The following comes from an article that was just posted on All News Pipeline

    First, it was Eggs and now it’s also Pasta.
    
    The eggs have been missing for well over a week now and yesterday morning I was surprised to see the pasta was also mostly bare. Also, some of the shelves have the old COVID trick of pushing everything together and up to the front of the shelf!
    
    This is Sioux Fall SD!
    
    No eggs for over a week!
    
    Very little pasta left!

    Of course the shortage of eggs is related to the shortage of pasta, because eggs are used in making pasta.

    I have been trying to explain to my readers that this new bird flu pandemic is going to be a really, really big deal.  As I mentioned yesterday, 28 million chickens and turkeys are already dead in less than two months, and things are already so bad that pasta is starting to disappear from our store shelves.

    If things are this crazy already, what will conditions be like six months from now?

    You might want to think about that.

    I have been trying to sound the alarm about a coming global famine for years, and now it is here.

    Global food riots have already started, but what we have seen so far is just the tip of the iceberg.

    Like I said at the top of this article, for now we are still eating food that was produced last year to a large degree.

    Just wait until we get to the end of this year and beyond.

    It won’t be pretty.

    Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures, and I hope that this article will give you a sense of urgency to take action.

    Unfortunately, most people still assume that everything will turn out just fine somehow, and so they won’t do anything to get prepared until it is far too late.

    Behaviors of Service-to-self people

    They don’t care, and they make it difficult for the rest of society. It’s all me-me-me like spoiled three year old children.

    People Acting Like Jerks 12
    People Acting Like Jerks

    Rest stop in China

    This is how China does highway Rest-stops. Pretty typical. Soak it in. video 40MB

    The “Doomsday Preppers” Were Right

    .

    For years, there was a great debate about what the future of our society would look like.  The irrational optimists kept assuring us that we would never suffer any serious consequences for decades of incredibly foolish decisions, and they kept promising that a new golden age of peace and prosperity for humanity was just around the corner.  Meanwhile, others were warning that humanity would soon be plunging into an abyss filled with endless nightmares.  Instead of a utopian new chapter in our history, we were warned that war, hunger, pestilence and relentless economic problems were on the horizon.

    Prior to 2020, to a lot of people it seemed like the irrational optimists might be right after all.

    Yes, there were lots of serious problems simmering in the background, but overall life seemed to be rolling along pretty good for most of the population.

    But then 2020 came along, and everything started to change.

    As I write this article in April 2022, war, hunger, pestilence and relentless economic problems have all materialized.  In fact, things are already so bad in Europe that rationing has now been instituted in some areas…

    Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has threatened the supply of critical commodities in Europe and thrown global supply chains, which were already struggling amid COVID-19, into complete chaos.
    
    As a result, the prices of everything from wheat to oil have soared, leading to multi-decade high inflation rates in places like Germany and Spain. The supply crunch in Europe is now so bad it’s causing governments to begin laying the groundwork for rationing, with some stores already limiting supplies.

    This isn’t Africa that we are talking about.

    If rationing is already taking place in Europe, how bad is it going to be for the poorer nations in the months ahead?

    Well, UN Secretary-General António Guterres is telling us that “the world’s most vulnerable people and countries” are heading into a “hurricane of hunger”

    UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned urgently of the global consequences of the war as early as mid-March. The breadbasket is being bombed and a “hurricane of hunger” is threatening, he stated. Given Ukraine’s great importance as a food exporter, the invasion was “also an attack on the world’s most vulnerable people and countries.”

    Sadly, he is not exaggerating one bit.

    As I discussed yesterday, at this point even Joe Biden is admitting that the coming food shortages are “going to be real”.

    But even though global leaders are openly telling us that things are going to get really bad, most people still don’t seem very alarmed.

    This greatly frustrates me, because this is not a false alarm.

    There are 45 different nations that normally get “at least one-third of their wheat from Ukraine or Russia”

    The world’s 45 least developed countries import at least one-third of their wheat from Ukraine or Russia, and 18 countries among them import more than 50 percent. These include Egypt, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. These are all countries that are already dependent on humanitarian aid and food supplies because millions of people are currently suffering from massive hunger.

    How are all of those countries supposed to feed their people without that wheat?

    I keep asking that question, and not a single person has been able to answer it.

    Just look at the crisis that has erupted in Lebanon.  They normally get approximately 75 percent of their wheat from either Russia or Ukraine, and so far they have been unable to procure supplies from alternate sources…

    Lebanon, which obtains 75 percent of its wheat from Russia and especially Ukraine, is also desperately seeking other wheat exporters, but so far without success. The government turned to the international community with a call for help. There are now fears of rationing and sharp price increases, which will hit the already hard-pressed population hard.

    Meanwhile, the global bird flu plague just continues to intensify.

    Here in the United States, the total death toll is now just short of 28 million

    The new cases mean that across the nation, farmers have had to kill about 22 million egg-laying chickens, 1.8 million broiler chickens, 1.9 million pullet and other commercial chickens, and 1.9 million turkeys.

    It has taken less than two months to go from the first confirmed case in the U.S. to nearly 28 million dead.

    So what will the death toll look like six months from now?

    And can you imagine what this will do to food prices?

    It is being reported that the price of a dozen eggs has already risen 52 percent since the start of this new pandemic…

    Egg prices are skyrocketing as a bird-flu outbreak ravages commercial chicken flocks in the U.S., with the price of a dozen large eggs spiking more than 52% in just under two months.

    For much more on this crisis, please see the article that I posted yesterday entitled “20 Facts About The Emerging Global Food Shortage That Should Chill You To The Core”.  I wish that I had sufficient words to properly convey the urgency that we should all be feeling in this hour.  We are heading into a complete and total nightmare, and I wish that I could get more people to understand this.

    Mike Adams is sounding the alarm too.  The following comes from an article that was published a few days ago in the Epoch Times

    Food scarcity. Food vouchers. Food riots and flash mobs.
    
    All of that’s coming—and soon, says Texas-based food scientist and “Health Ranger” podcaster Mike Adams, who sees dire events unfolding in America in the short term.
    
    His advice: people need to get prepared now.

    Of course he is right on target.

    In fact, I have specifically been warning for years that all of these things were coming.

    At this point, it is clear that the “great debate” is over.

    The irrational optimists were wrong.  There will be no golden new era of peace and prosperity for humanity.

    Instead, we have entered a “perfect storm” of pain, suffering and horror.

    For many years, society laughed at the “doomsday preppers”, but they were right.

    And if you plan to make it through the extremely chaotic times that are coming, I would recommend that you become a “doomsday prepper” too.

    Pretty Chinese Girl

    Playing Majong with her son. It’s very popular in China. video 1MB

    Waynes World Window shade

    Fans of the movie rejoyce! Party On!

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    awesome photo

    Here Is How The Pentagon Comes Up With Code Words And Secret Project Nicknames

    By Tim McMillan August 9, 2019 HERE

    If there’s one place one can find plenty of nicknames, it’s within the sprawling landscape of the armed forces. When it comes to the greater civilian world, there’s no historical precedent or agreed upon social norm for how someone or something gains a substitute informal title. However, given the Department of Defense’s fondness of rigid structure, it should be no surprise that when it comes to nicknames, there’s a policy for them, too.

    Meet NICKA

    Prior to 1975, names for military operations and projects were exclusively chosen at the behest of military commanders. As a result, within the annals of American military history one can find a diverse range of interesting titles from Operation Killer—a major 1951 counter-offensive during the Korean War—to Operation Beaver Cage—a U.S. Marine Corps operation that occurred during the spring of 1967 as part of the Vietnam War.

    However, shortly after the close of the Vietnam War, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) decided it was time to formalize the use of code words and nicknames by unveiling the Code Word Nickname and Exercise Term System, colloquially known as NICKA.

    For the Department of Defense (DoD), NICKA is both a set of policies governing the selection of defense monikers and a military-wide computer system that archives and prevents duplication of terms.

    Important to note, NICKA is primarily used for Department of Defense-related endeavors. Many operations or programs emerging from within the intelligence community use their own separate naming system.

    For example, the Central Intelligence Agency uses the Cryptonym system for developing code words and names. It is also worth noting that the National Security Agency (NSA), National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) all use the NICKA system

    NICKA outlines three distinctive types of monikers that can be used within the DoD:

    • Code Words
    • Nicknames
    • Exercise Terms

    Code Words

    In NICKA, a code word is a single word that’s assigned to any program or operational plan that’s classified confidential or higher. Each component agency in the Department of Defense are assigned blocks of code words by the Joint Staff. When needed, the NICKA computer program will randomly select and assign a code word from the originating agency’s allocated block of terms.

    For example, in the lead up to the Gulf War, when the Combat Aviation Brigade of the 1st Armored Division needed a code word for their forward assembly area, the NICKA computer system pulled from one of the Army’s predetermined block designations and selected the amusingly mundane code word—LARRY.

    Essentially a password for entry in an exclusive club, the preeminent role of code words is to restrict access to sensitive national security information to only those who have a need to know. Assisting security, a code word itself will be safeguarded by being classified by one of the three security classifications—confidential, secret, or top secret—based on the security level of the associated program.

    Virtually anything conceivably classified, including programs, projects, locations, operations, objectives, missions, or plans, can be assigned a code word. One particular area code words can be highly prevalent is with Special Access Programs (SAP). As mentioned in The War Zone’s in-depth look at Special Access Programs, multiple components, sub-components, and projects can sprawl out from a single SAP “umbrella.” In this compartmentalized system of security, each of the different appendages of one SAP can potentially be assigned their own specific code word.

    Once NICKA assigns a code word, it’s considered active. An active code word will remain unchanged for the life of a program and cannot be altered by its users. The one exception being if there’s a concern a code word had been compromised. In this instance, a new code word would be issued. Equally, in certain situations, an unclassified cover term may get applied to a program for counterintelligence purposes.

    In addition to the obvious security and oversight reasons, the principal reason for a code word’s permanence relates to the significant role NICKA serves as an archive of all active and inactive code words. The system uses its database of terms to prevent any potential conflicts that could arise due to similarities or duplication of previous code words.

    As a Department of Defense system, NICKA will only assign single-word code words. However, in some instances, the Pentagon may take over a project or program that originated outside of the DoD, such as from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Department of Energy (DOE), commercial companies, or even foreign governments. In these instances, already assigned code words may not follow NICKA guidelines. In these occurrences, a program may be reassigned a new NICKA code word or the previous unregulated code name may be maintained.
    Regardless, of whether it’s kept or not, the non-NICKA code name may still be added to the program’s database to stem off any future confusion or conflict.

    For example, technically before NICKA’s time and not a DoD project, the 1960s A-12 reconnaissance plane was developed and operated under the CIA code word “OXCART”. However, Kelly Johnson and his pioneering team of engineers at Lockheed Skunk Works used the code word “ARCHANGEL” for the A-12. Furthering the spy plane’s eventual identity crisis, flight crews would nickname the A-12 “Cygnus.”

    Though OXCART was the only officially assigned government code word, under NICKA, both the contract code word, “ARCHANGEL” and the A-12’s nickname “Cygnus,” would equally be archived to prevent duplicate use.

    When it comes to code words. Many real-world military operations and programs, for example, “HAVE BLUE,“ “ACID GAMBIT,” “AUTUMN RETURN,” “SENIOR TREND,” or the infamous “YELLOW FRUIT,” are often reported as being the “code word” for a classified operation or program. However, per DoD and the Joint Chiefs NICKA policy, a code word always consist of just a single word. By NICKA, the above named examples would be “nicknames” and not code words.

    This does not mean that multiple code words cannot apply to a certain entity. Any intelligence product that contains Top-Secret NATO information would carry the code word “COSMIC” in addition to any other applicable ones. Certain categories of sensitive activities can even involve code words that become intrinsically linked and enter common usage linked together. “TALENT,” an overarching code word for aerial intelligence-gathering assets, such as the U-2 Dragon Lady and SR-71 Blackbird spy planes, and “KEYHOLE,” which covers intelligence-gathering satellites, are no longer treated as separate from each other officially and one will routinely see documents marked “TALENT KEYHOLE,” or using the abbreviation “TK,” as a single term.

    Nicknames

    As we briefly mentioned, when it comes to the designation of nicknames, NICKA offers some flexibility and gives military commanders the ability to be a little more creative.

    Whereas NICKA only assigns single-word code words, by policy, nicknames must be comprised of two separate words. Similar to the code word process, each DoD component agency is assigned a set of designated numerical block assignments by NICKA. In turn, the agency’s numerical block assignment will correspond to “alphabetical assignment list,” which is a range of two-letter alphabetical sets. The first word of any nickname must come from within an agency’s assigned alphabetical range.

    For example, using the now obsolete and unclassified NICKA block assignments, if a program within the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) needed to come up with a nickname, one would start by identifying the four numerical blocks assigned to the DIA (15, 33, 51, and 76).

    2022 04 07 15 25
    2022 04 07 15 25

    The next step would be identifying what ranges of two-letter combinations would be associated with an agency’s assigned blocks. Following along with the previous example, based on the alphabetical assignment list, the first word of a DIA program nickname would have to start with:

    Block 15 – Letters DM – DR

    Block 33 – Letters IA – IF

    Block 51 – Letters MM-MR

    Block 76 – Letters SS – SZ

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    2022 04 07 15 26

    Once the alphabetical block assignments are determined, for military commanders, the process then becomes a word-search of sorts in order to come up with an appropriate first word for a nickname that fits within the designated letter combinations. In our example, the words “DOOM,” “IDEAL,” “MOON,” or “STEREO” would all fit the criteria as being acceptable first words for a DIA nickname.

    Below is a more specific set of examples straight from the U.S. Central Command’s (CENTCOM) regulation regarding NICKA:

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    2022 04 07 15 27

    When it comes to the second portion of the two-word requirement for nicknames, military planners have the unrestricted ability to get creative, provided phrases are not “improper” or “counterproductive.”

    By NICKA guidelines, improper nicknames would be terms that are:

    • Inconsistent with traditional American ideals or current foreign policy.
    • Offensive to good taste or derogatory to a particular group, sect, or creed.
    • Offensive to U.S. allies or other free world nations.

    Additionally, NICKA forbids nicknames from being:

    • Any two-word combination voice call sign found in the Joint Army Navy Air Force Publication Call Sign Book (JANAP-119).
    • Include the words, “Project, Exercise, or Operation.”
    • Words that may be used correctly either as a single word or as two words, such as “moonlight.”
    • Exotic words, trite expressions or well-known commercial trademarks.

    By military standards—where one can often find rules for rules—NICKA guidelines on nicknames are fairly limited and debatably common sense. Thanks to the tempered flexibility NICKA gives to nicknames, the system still affords for some bellicose poetry like “Beast Master”—a 2006 Army operation to clear the Baghdad suburb of Ghazaliya—an area itself (unofficially) nicknamed “IED Alley East,” or “Viking Snatch”—a 2007 counterinsurgency operation in Iraq. Still, especially at lower levels of command and for short-duration operations, one still often sees nicknames that do not comply with NICKA, including ones with single words.

    2022 04 07 15 28
    2022 04 07 15 28

    In contrast to code words, nicknames, including their descriptions, meanings, and relationship, are also, by policy, supposed to remain unclassified, though the branches of the U.S. military still routinely classify them on the ground of national security. In addition, NICKA guidelines stipulate nicknames are not required, but can be assigned to actual real-world events, projects, or activities. One caveat to “not required” being with Special Access Programs, which are required to have an unclassified nickname assigned to them.

    Exercise Terms

    Rounding out NICKA’s trifecta of officially sanctioned phrases, are exercise terms. As the name implies, exercise terms are monikers assigned to tests, drills, or exercises, which are assigned for the purpose of emphasizing the event is not an actual real-world operation. That said, the military has a bad habit of not sticking to DoD rules when it comes to publicizing or describing training exercises, often describing them as “operations.”

    For example, “Llama Fury” was a week-long Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) training exercise at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in late summer of 2015. By NICKA policies, Llama Fury should have carried the “exercise” moniker. However, in press releases, multiple Air Force Public Affairs Offices described the event as “Operation Llama Fury.”

    Though technically their own classification, exercise terms are more or less an extension of NICKA nicknames, with their selection and regulation falling under the same agency assigned alphabetical block system as the nicknaming process.

    Since some military training evolutions are regularly repeated, certain specific exercises will carry the same name with an added numerical postfix indicating the month or year the event occurs. For example, held annually from 2006 to 2018, some of the largest U.S. military war games ever performed in the Pacific Ocean were all conducted under the exercise term “Valiant Shield.” Since this training event was repeated for twelve-years, a four-digit identifier for the year training maneuvers were performed would accompany the exercise term, producing “Exercise Valiant Shield 2017,” and so on and so forth.

    For exercises that occur multiple times in a fiscal year, like “Swift Response,” a large training event between the U.S. and its European allies, the second iteration of the exercise in 2017 would be called “Swift Response 17-2.”

    Least ambiguous of NICKA’s trio, code words play an essential role safeguarding extremely sensitive secrets. However, when it comes to nicknames and exercise terms, this aspect of NICKA is arguably more significant.

    For example, “Enduring Freedom,” (the U.S. Global War on Terrorism, though often applied solely to operations in Afghanistan), “Iraqi Freedom,” (the 2003 invasion of Iraq and subsequent occupation), or “Inherent Resolve,” (the U.S. military intervention in Iraq and Syria to combat ISIS), are not merely nicknames, these phrases are meant to inspire and express the overarching intent of military involvement.

    More than just iconic inscriptions on military ribbons, medals, and service records, the perceptions associated with a few major military nicknames or terms become ingrained in the public’s collective conscious and often end up being enduring aspects of American history.

    So, there you have it. All those cool-sounding program nicknames, secretive code words, and intense sounding military exercises you probably heard of over the years, all likely came from a highly structured, yet obscure Department of Defense system puzzlingly named NICKA.

    Rufus police rescues a little baby

    He helps those in need like a real Rufus. video 3MB

    Perception vs. Reality

    .

    If you only get your news from the mainstream media, you would be tempted to believe that global conditions are relatively stable right now.  Yes, there is a war between Russia and Ukraine, but the mainstream media is assuring us that Ukraine is winning that war.  Other than that, the mainstream media seems to think that everything is just fine.  Of course the truth is that our planet is facing a whole host of extremely challenging problems at the moment.  The UN has warned that we are entering the worst global food crisis since World War II, inflation has started to spiral out of control all over the world, the war in Ukraine is making our supply chain nightmares even worse and an absolutely horrifying bird flu plague is killing millions upon millions of chickens and turkeys.

    But if you flip on one of the corporate news channels tonight, they will be focusing on other things.

    And you probably won’t even hear them talk about the food riots that have suddenly begun erupting around the world at all.

    For example, a “curfew” has just been imposed on the capital of Peru after a series of extremely passionate protests that were sparked by rapidly rising fuel and food prices…

    Peruvian President Pedro Castillo announced a curfew for Tuesday in the capital Lima and neighboring port city Callao, after demonstrations across the country over fuel prices caused roadblocks and “acts of violence”.
    
    Protests had erupted across Peru in recent days due to a hike in fuel prices and tolls, during a time of rising food prices.

    Is this the first time that you have heard about this?

    For many of you it will be, and that is because the mainstream media in the U.S. is largely ignoring this.

    In Sri Lanka, severe shortages of “food, medicine and fuel” have caused a full-blown economic collapse and tremendous chaos in the streets…

    In Sri Lanka, where an economic crisis is growing, more than 40 lawmakers walked out of the ruling coalition today. That leaves the government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the minority in Parliament. There have been new calls today for both the president and prime minister to step down after the entire Cabinet resigned on Sunday. Shortages of food, medicine and fuel have sparked countrywide protests, and security forces have fired tear gas and water cannons at protesters marching on the president’s home.

    Most of you have probably not heard about that either, and that is because our largest news outlets are being really quiet about it.

    But USA Today wants to make sure that you know about a new promotion that McDonald’s is running: “McDonald’s brings back Spicy Chicken McNuggets to select restaurants for a limited time”.

    More than ever before, our perception of the world around us is shaped by the corporate elite.  Americans get more than 90 percent of the “television news” that they consume from just five giant media corporations, and so that gives those corporations an incredible amount of influence over how our society views reality.

    For example, far more Americans are talking about “the slap” at the Academy Awards than about the fact that North Korea just threatened South Korea with nuclear war

    North Korea opposes war but would use nuclear weapons if South Korea attacked, Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said on Tuesday, in a warning that analysts said is probably aimed at the South’s incoming conservative president.
    
    Kim Yo Jong, a senior official in the government and ruling party, said it was a “very big mistake” for South Korea’s minister of defence to make recent remarks discussing attacks on the North, state news agency KCNA reported.

    The war in Ukraine is not going to be the last war that erupts.  I believe that China is very strongly considering an invasion of Taiwan in the not too distant future, and a major war between Israel and Iran could literally start at any time.

    But instead of alarming the American people about such things, CNN wants you to know that Coke has a brand new flavor: “Coke’s latest flavor is here. And it’s a weird one”.

    I suppose that we should be thankful to CNN, because I probably never would have heard about that new flavor unless they ran that story.

    Meanwhile, the number of poultry flocks in Minnesota that have been hit by the new bird flu pandemic just doubled

    The Minnesota Board of Animal Health on Tuesday reported the latest outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the state is now affecting a total of 15 poultry flocks — up from seven last Friday.

    Minnesota is the number one state for turkey production, and so this is a really big deal.

    Overall, the national death toll just continues to climb.  The first case at a commercial facility in the United States was confirmed less than two months ago, and now the death toll has risen to nearly 28 million

    The new cases mean that across the nation, farmers have had to kill about 22 million egg-laying chickens, 1.8 million broiler chickens, 1.9 million pullet and other commercial chickens, and 1.9 million turkeys.

    Will MSNBC lead with this story tonight?

    Of course not.

    But I did find the following story on MSNBC’s homepage earlier today: “Garlic cloves up your nose? What to know about the health trends taking TikTok by storm”.

    What a bunch of nonsense.

    I am so grateful for the alternative media, because they often cover stories that the mainstream media never talks about.

    For example, our friends at Zero Hedge have informed us that the price of jet fuel in New York has risen “more than 162% since mid-March”

    Wholesale jet fuel prices in New York have risen more than 162% since mid-March, as buyers at some of the world’s busiest airports, located on the US East Coast, anticipate dwindling supplies as Western sanctions shun Russian energy exports.
    
    On Monday, jet fuel prices jumped 93 cents to $7.61 a gallon, a new record high, according to Bloomberg data going back to 1988.

    That is crazy.

    We are seeing so much inflation all throughout the system right now.  A few hours ago, I came across a post by a supermarket employee on a very popular Internet forum that really got my attention.  According to this employee, workers at this particular store were given 52 pages of price changes just this week…

    Tyson Chicken strip jumped up $3
    Eggs went up to $3.50 they were 2.25
    32 pack of water went to $5.50 originally 3.75
    There was 35 pages of price changes on the dry side and 17 pages in freezer and cooler they are planning to have that many pages or more next week also

    A trip to the grocery store is going to become very, very painful in the months ahead.

    But just be thankful that you don’t live in one of the poorest countries on the planet.

    At this point, even Vladimir Putin is telling us that the food shortages that we are now witnessing are going to get even worse

    Putin said higher energy prices and fertilizer shortages would mean Western nations would have to print more money to buy supplies, which would cause food shortages in poorer countries.
    
    They will inevitably exacerbate food shortages in the poorest regions of the world, spur new waves of migration, and, in general, drive food prices even higher,” Putin said in a meeting on developing food production, Reuters reported.

    A full-blown global meltdown has now begun, and it is going to go to an entirely new level in the months ahead.

    But the mainstream media will try to distract you with stories about Will Smith, Kourtney Kardashian and other celebrities for as long as they can.

    Personally, I don’t really care that Kourtney Kardashian just married Travis Barker in Las Vegas.  What I do care about is the fact that our society is coming apart at the seams all around us.

    The news that you get from the corporate media has been carefully designed to promote certain narratives, and these days much of it is wildly inaccurate.

    But most of the population will continue to blindly believe whatever they are told to believe by our “professional journalists”, and that is extremely unfortunate.

    Video in front of MM office

    This is what it is like on the road right in front of my office.  video 14MB

    Confessions of a Woman Who Suffers From Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality)

    When did you first learn or suspect that you had DID?

    The first signs that something was wrong were that she was losing track of big chunks of time, people were telling her that she had said or done things that she couldn’t remember doing, people she didn’t know were acting like they knew her, and she was finding journals, poetry, and art that she didn’t recognize.

    The first signs that something was wrong were that she was losing track of big chunks of time, people were telling her that she had said or done things that she couldn’t remember doing, people she didn’t know were acting like they knew her, and she was finding journals, poetry, and art that she didn’t recognize.

    What causes someone to have DID?

    DID is a trauma-based disorder.

    The most popular explanation for the etiology of DID is that when a child experiences truly horrific trauma, they invent other identities to cope with that trauma. The child essentially says to themselves, “That didn’t happen to me. That happened to another little girl. It wasn’t me.”

    Dissociation during traumatic events is fairly common. You’ll hear survivors of car crashes say that it all felt surreal, like it was in slow motion, like they remember it as if they were detached from their body or viewing it from a detached perspective. Now imagine being in a car crash over and over, every single day. If you enter that detached state over and over again at a young age when your sense of self and your concept of identity is being formed, you develop a fragmented sense of self. Being a child, you give names to those fragments. Over time, the fragments develop their own sense of self.

    Have you been diagnosed by a professional? What was that process like? 

    I feel really fortunate that the diagnosis process for us was shorter than most. DID is a very stigmatized disorder so it can be a slow process for most people.

    At 14 we were referred to therapy because of problems at school. Our initial diagnosis was PTSD, but our therapist quickly began to suspect a dissociative disorder. Because of our young age, she chose to formally diagnose us with Dissociative Disorder Not Otherwise Specified rather than DID. She wanted to take a “wait and see” approach to diagnosis. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to continue therapy with her for long because we lost our insurance.

    In college we were formally diagnosed, but by that point it was not a surprise at all. By then, we were very aware of each other and had been working on improving our communication and working together.

    How do you feel about the fact that you have DID?

    I guess acceptance is the best way to describe it. I don’t know anything else, so this is normal for me.

    How many alters do you have? Are you comfortable describing them or any of their traits? How are they different from you?

    I’ll start with myself. My name is Quin. I am not the original identity, but I think I have been around the longest. I currently do most of the fronting. I keep everyone organized and try to keep this system running smoothly.

    Morgan is our original identity. Until we moved away from our family of origin, she was the one fronting most of the time. Ever since we moved away, she stopped fronting. Right now we don’t know if that’s a temporary thing or if it’s permanent, but it seems like the best decision for everyone.

    Emma is a childlike alter who will tell you that she is four years old. She likes to play with toys and play Facebook games like Candy Crush.

    Hailey is our other childlike alter. We think that she is emotionally about eight. She likes to watch Disney movies, but also likes to watch upsetting TV shows that are way too mature for her.

    Storm has the emotional maturity of a teenager. I have previously joked about her being a little edgelord with a name to match, but that’s a bit mean. I honestly don’t know what she’s into at the moment.

    Caden is a little ball of sunshine, according to one of our friends. I don’t actually know how old Caden is? He gets along with everyone. He’s silly and friendly and impossible to dislike, even when he’s being a bit of a jerk. I think he does it so that he can get away with doing whatever he wants to do.

    Zoe is creative and smart. I’ve previously said she wasn’t very friendly, but that’s not very accurate. She’s not very friendly to me and she’s not very trusting, but she’s actually very social and more interested in socializing than I am. Zoe is very emotional and a little hot-headed.

    Hannah is one of the most mature alters in our group. For a long time I couldn’t get a read on her and I didn’t know what was going on with her. She kept herself closed off from me for some reason, but I’ve gotten to know her more recently. She holds a lot of our memories and seems to be trying to figure out what to do with them. When she fronts, she takes care of lots of self-care type tasks and household things. She seems kind of like the mom of the group.

    Carrie is an alter that I know exists, but I haven’t interacted with in a long time. I don’t really know much about her.

    Arlo is one of our newest alters. They still haven’t told us if they are are a boy or a girl, but maybe they aren’t either? Arlo fronts when we are overwhelmed. They like to play video games. Arlo is extremely stubborn.

    We also have an unnamed alter who exists mainly to harass and persecute us, but since they don’t front, I won’t go into detail about them.

    Describe your relationship with your alters.

    Our relationships with each other vary quite a bit, but I think we are a lot like a family. There’s some occasional friction and tension, but everyone has the same goal. We’re all just trying to survive.

    What does it feel like to switch to another alter?

    I absolutely hate answering this question every time it’s asked, so I’m going to skip it.

    Do you always change clothes/hair/makeup/hats when you switch?

    No, that’s really more of a media thing. I think it’s done in film and tv so that the audience can tell which alter is present. In reality, it would be exhausting to run to our closet for a wardrobe change every time there was a switch.

    That said, we do have some different clothing preferences. If Zoe is planning on being in control all day long, she might dress more feminine than I would normally dress. If Arlo is fronting, they are almost always wearing their favorite hoodie. But it’s not like wearing that hoodie is a for sure indication that Arlo is currently fronting.

    Do you have any abilities or skills that your alters don’t, or vice versa?

    Only myself and a few others are able to do our work tasks. Hannah is a better cook than most. Only Hailey knows how to play the flute. Zoe is a creative writer.

    Do different alters have different physical conditions or traits (for example, different eyesight, allergies or hand preference)?

    No, and others may disagree with me on this but I personally believe that this is (for the most part) a media myth. The physical body is the physical body. The only physical differences that you can have between alters are the ones that can be impacted by emotional/psychological state, like placebo and conversion disorders. It’s not like the movie Split where one alter can be diabetic when the others aren’t. However, if the body has diabetes then different alters could have different blood sugar levels because your stress levels can cause your blood sugar to go up and down.

    How frequently do you experience gaps in your memory? What is that like? How do you cope with it on a daily basis?

    This really depends on how well we are coping with our current life stress. When we’re doing well, memories are shared and co-consciousness is common. When the stress level rises and we’re struggling to cope, amnesia and memory gaps become more common.

    Amnesia can be really frightening, especially “waking up” some place you don’t expect to be. It’s not so bad if I’m just at home and I’ve lost a few hours, but if I’m suddenly at the grocery store and the last thing I remember is being at home in bed, it’s pretty alarming.

    I cope with it by trying to stick to a schedule, journaling, using notes and calendars to keep track of everything. I try to stay really organized to compensate for everything.

    How do you communicate with your alters?

    This sounds ridiculous, but internal communication is as simple as “thinking at” the other alters. When internal communication breaks down, we use journals and things like Google Keep to talk to each other.

    Do your alters have different relationships, i.e. friendships or romantic partners? If you’re married or in a relationship, how do your alters feel about your SO?

    We basically have the same friends, but we have different relationships with those friends.

    All of us have a good relationship with our SO.

    Are you co-conscious with any/all of your alters? What does co-consciousness feel like?

    Most of us are able to experience co-consciousness with each other. Not all of us are “drift compatible” with each other, to borrow a term from Pacific Rim.

    Are you aware of an internal world or inside space?

    No, we have never experienced an internal world.

    Have you told friends/family about your diagnosis? Why or why not?

    When we were in our early 20s we were more open about our diagnosis, but we experienced some real negative consequences because of that. People tend to see us only as our diagnosis. It’s very difficult for people to understand. It’s hard to live a normal life when people know. We much prefer that people don’t know.

    What do you wish everyone without DID knew or understood better about you?

    It’s nothing like (most of) the media depictions. When it’s what you’ve lived with your whole life, it just feels normal.

    What is the worst or most embarrassing thing to ever happen to you as the result of an alter’s actions?

    I won’t embarrass myself by going into details, but it can be hard having childlike alters. It was a bigger problem when we were younger, and things are much better controlled now, but there were some embarrassing moments.

    Describe a time when one of your alters saved your ass.

    I don’t give her enough credit, so I’ll use this opportunity to talk about Storm. We’ve been joking lately about how Storm is a “fire alarm” that goes off when something isn’t right, but she’s kind of a shitty fire alarm because if you don’t pay attention to her fast enough she’ll just spray gasoline in the whole building and burn the whole place down (metaphorically, of course) to make sure you are really aware of the fire.

    But the truth is, Storm probably has saved my ass dozens of times and she would have saved my ass dozens more if I had just listened to her more. She’s really good at knowing when situations are unsafe and knowing when something is wrong. She’s one of the few of us who is brave enough to use her voice and really scream and stand up for herself. I’m sure that at least a few of the times she’s screamed “Get the fuck away from me!” could have turned out really badly if she hadn’t.

    Has an alter ever done something illegal or immoral?

    Illegal? No. Immoral? Depending on your standards of morality, absolutely. We have disagreements about moral behavior all the time. Zoe constantly does things that I find unacceptable.

    Have you experienced bullying, discrimination or stigma because of your DID?

    When we were open about it, yes. That’s why we have chosen not to tell most people.

    Does DID interfere with your ability to have a family, a career, or to achieve the kind of life you want?

    This isn’t the feel good answer people probably want, but yes.

    We are childfree mostly because of DID. There are alters in our system who wanted children very badly, but we felt that having children was the wrong choice for us because of our condition.

    DID also interfered with our education throughout high school and college. We were able to finish our undergraduate degree, but ultimately it did stop us from completing our masters program and working in the field that we intended to work in.

    At our current level of functioning, I don’t think we could hold down a traditional 9 to 5 job. We currently work from home and are really happy with our career, but we are lucky that this is an option for us.

    I don’t know if this is the case for everyone else with DID, but we choose not to drive because of the severity of our dissociation. The risk of dissociating while driving is just too much for us, so we are reliant on other people for transportation.

    What are your biggest challenges living with DID?

    Honestly, it’s not the DID itself, it’s working through the underlying issues that caused the DID. Unpacking all of that trauma can be exhausting and disruptive. Just when you think you’ve found homeostasis with your system, someone finds a bunch of new baggage to unpack.

    What are some of the positives that have come out of having DID?

    We survived.

    A cat sized couch…

    2022 04 07 18 52
    2022 04 07 18 52

    Places where birthright Citizenship is based on land and places where it is based on blood

    Very interesting.

    iu80ec4rcx171
    iu80ec4rcx171

    Pretty Chinese Girl

    Very nice desert scene. China has some very large and beautiful deserts.

    video 1MB

    Spandau Ballet – True (HD Remastered)

    This should teleport you all to the 1980s. With all the shit going on in the world today, I think we all need a vacation eh?

    Total News Blackout: US General Captured Leading Azov Nazis in Mariupol (confirmations coming in)

    .

    2022 04 07 19 15
    2022 04 07 19 15

    .

    Warning: A NATO/Internet wide National Security Letter has been issued blocking all reporting of the alleged capture of an American general in Mariupol.

    Our sources on the ground report that the last two helicopters trying to evacuate foreign VIPs from Mariupol were shot down this morning. They were sent on a suicide mission to collect Lt.General Coultier, who was, we are told, hiding in a huge industrial complex with some Special Forces staffers and about 30 Ukrainian Army, not Azov, soldiers. This hours old story from Tass is below.

    2022 04 07 19 16
    2022 04 07 19 16

    From KP.Ru:

    On the morning of April 5, another attempt by the Kiev regime to evacuate the leaders of the Azov nationalist battalion and “others” was thwarted near Mariupol. Two Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopters, which tried to break through to the city from the sea, were shot down from man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems, Igor Konashenkov, spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, said at a briefing.
    
    Note that this is the third attempt by Kyiv to pull its war criminals from the crime scene. But it ended the same as the previous ones: the helicopters did not reach Mariupol.
    
    Читайте на WWW.KP.RU: https://www.kp.ru/daily/27375/4568448/

    Reports from our friends in the Pentagon say “something’s up” and panic has set in at the White House.

    Minutes ago, the general showed up on his Linkdin account and we are told that the ranks of retirees and crisis actors (yes they exist) are being scoured for fat bald types that can be green-screened into a show and tell with Zelensky, believed to be hiding in Poland.

    2022 04 07 19 19
    2022 04 07 19 19

    Twitter, YouTube and Facebook are busy erasing all posts tied to this, even faster than usual.  We await broader confirmation but, if Russia is holding him, they are unlikely to announce it but rather use it as a secret bargaining chip to hold over Biden’s head.

    Based on this, and having seen similar issues where an Israeli general was captured in Syria (confirmed, they sent us his ID card)…and VT helped negotiate his return to his family (for millions paid to Shiite militias).

    We have sources that claim Cloutier had been in and out of Syria through Turkey, working with ISIS and al Qaeda there as well and with terrorist groups in Africa.

    We say “no denial can be believed…we are now in ‘new territory’”

    There are numerous reports currently circulating claiming that U.S. Army Lieutenant General Roger L. Cloutier was captured by Russian forces in or near Mariupol, Ukraine, where reports claim he was assisting the Azov battalion, which is the official Nazi unit of Ukraine.

    Confirmation that as early as March 7, US Lieutenant General Roger Cloutier was in Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/0eiJYrAcHZ
    
    — TheRepublic (@_TheRepublic_) April 5, 2022

    According to Wikipedia, Lt. Gen. Roger L. Cloutier:

    Roger L. Cloutier Jr. is a lieutenant general in the U.S. Army and commander of Allied Land Command . He previously served as commander of the United States Army in Africa.

    Allied Land Command (LANDCOM) formerly Allied Land Forces South East Europe

    Oh boy. US General Roger Cloutier was most definitely involved in training Ukrainian soldiers, as this photo attests.
    
    Two days ago, a Bulgarian news source claimed he was visiting Bulgaria — pic.twitter.com/gOMBDRgmTQ
    — OldGuyOnTheMove (@old_move) April 5, 2022

    (LANDSOUTHEAST) is a permanent headquarters for NATO land forces that can be appointed as needed. The commander of LANDCOM is the Alliance’s chief ground warfare advisor. When directed by the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, he provides the core of the headquarters responsible for ground operations.

    The command is based at Shirinya (Buka), Izmir in Turkey.

    Unconfirmed sources from #Russia Military:
    
    The #Russian army captured the U.S Major General Roger L. Cloutier Jr. Maj. Gen. Roger L. Cloutier, the #USA Africa Command HQ Chief of Staff in the besieged Ukrainian Azov camp in Mariupol !https://t.co/7Y8Jd2qU9X
    
    — Su-57 5th Gen Fighter (@5thSu) April 5, 2022

    A letter to the Pentagon sent a few hours ago went unanswered, which, from a media perspective, is very unusual. If the message had been false, the Pentagon would have denied it immediately. They did NOT deny it. But there has been no official response from the Pentagon as of 6:10 p.m. EDT on Monday.

    Links:

    Lieutenant General Roger L. Cloutier Jr. assumed command of Allied Land Command in August 2020. Prior to this he served as the commander of U.S. Army Africa / Southern European Task Force. https://lc.nato.int/about-us/biographies/commander


    Russian Defense Ministry: two more Mi-8s sent to evacuate Azov leaders were shot down near Mariupol

    According to the department, this happened on the morning of April 5.

    MOSCOW, 5 April. /TASS/. Two Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopters sent to evacuate the leaders of the Azov nationalist battalion were shot down near Mariupol on Tuesday morning.

    Igor Konashenkov, official representative of the Russian Defense Ministry, told reporters about this.

    “On the morning of April 5, another attempt by the Kiev regime to evacuate the leaders of the Azov nationalist battalion was thwarted in the Mariupol region. Two Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopters that tried to break through to the city from the sea were shot down from man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems,”

    Collecting Uranium Glass

    2022 04 07 19 04
    2022 04 07 19 04

    Rufus police helps girl.

    No time to waste. Be the Rufus. video 12MB

    Russia’s Unfriendly List

    rnnx8yo2e0m81
    rnnx8yo2e0m81

    First Grade Roll Call

    This is in China. Not in the United States. This is how China teaches it’s students. video 10MB

    Rufus Cat protects the child on the porch

    I really love this kitty. Good cat. video 2MB

    The Dead Don’t die

    I got a big kick when my home town; East Brady was mentioned in the movie as one of the sources of the zombie outbreaks. LOL.

    awesome 1
    awesome 1

    Pretty Chinese Girl

    Nice girl in a white top.

    video 2MB

    Breakfast sandwich

    Oh my!

    awesome photos 9
    awesome photos 9

    Demons exist

    I worked at a Juvenile Detention Facility in New Mexico. The absolute scariest thing I ever saw was a young boy, 9 years old, booked in for murdering both of his parents. There was nothing there. I fail to call this thing even human. I looked into this child’s eyes and felt more fear than I ever have to this day. This was no child, it was a monster. Pure evil, condensed and given human form.
    
    And to clarify: I have booked and looked after murder suspects before, it was nothing new. But this kid was different. Very different. He never broke any rules and always followed commands but never, ever spoke unless directly asked something. And then it was curt, short. Just to answer a question. He never cried, either. Which is highly unusual for a 9 year old kid in jail. He was eventually tried and transferred to mental facility. But I’ll never forget the kid’s eyes. It haunts me to this day.

    High school track meet

    1960s obviously. But that hair! Can you just imagine?

    bnse3z2rhkq81
    bnse3z2rhkq81

    For those who want to contribute to their community

    I always tell everyone to become part of their community. Volunteer. Smile. Contribute and to have a skill or a resource that they can contribute to the rest of the community when times get hard. Like being a handiman, or a medical tech. Well, how about a home craft beer beermeister?

    That could be a great skill…

    270817685 1034658263764632 3536859058856973969 n
    Make your own home craft beer.

    An image for inspiration

    What is stopping you?

    6rl4w6l2ifn81
    6rl4w6l2ifn81

    A Flock Of Seagulls – Space Age Love Song

    The scenes are from one of my long-forgotten mid-1990s movies. Brings back a flood of memories. Jennifer Connelly was 20 years old in this video, and it’s been 30 years since. But, yes, she was absolutely stunning here. Falling in love with her would have been the easiest thing in the world. The Flock of Seagulls song was perfect.

    Scenes are from the movie Career Opportunities (1991). At that time, she was one of the most beautiful young woman on the planet and this movie captures her innocence in a very beautiful manner. She mesmerizes with her raw charm and superb natural talent throughout the film.

    Conclusions

    There’s a higher than average prevalence of “ready to leave” this prison complex  than in the general human population. This need,; this desire, is very strong, but it is most especially difficult at this point of time of great change.

    Nothing is guaranteed. Remember that the things that you desire are a function of your thoughts. COntrol your thoughts and you can control your reality. This is true whether you are in the physical reality or elsewhere.

    Control your thoughts. You will control your life.

    The world seems to be going down the drain. Seems to… Maybe so. Maybe not. But it’s all a perception. You must change that perception to achieve your goals.

    So, just be good. Be calm. And maybe go to a yard sale or thrift store and find a treasure or two. It’s time, don’t you think?

    2022 04 07 20 19
    “The Perfect Yardsale Find $13.00 In Kerrville Tx .. Beetlejuice meets Mary Poppins”

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 3

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

    The art of Sam Yang

    Normally, digital art doesn’t really do anything for me. But this art is different. Please kindly enjoy his work. I hope it makes you feel clean, and new, and reminds you of special times, like it does for me.

    It speaks to me; my God, it really, really does.

    Sam Yang is a digital artist. He lives in Toronto. He has a Youtube channel, an Instagram account and a patrean account. He draws digitally. That guy focused more on the characters.

    Although he is quite young, he makes great drawings that can be used in many places! His talent is at an uncommon value. His drawings can be used in many areas such as computer games and animes. He has a youtube channel. And he shares the stages of his drawings on this channel. Thus, it sets an example for people who are interested in drawing like him. This generosity he has done also gives him a reputation!

    More: Instagram, Patreon

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    2022 03 01 21 42
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    Conclusion

    I love his art. It’s special and he has real skill.

    It speaks to me. It takes me to other places, and carries me away. That is special, and unique. And thus, I present this here. I hope that you have enjoyed this article.

    Do you want more?

    I have more articles like this one in my Art Index here…

    ART

    .

    MM Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
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    The calm period before all Hell breaks loose (with a 1980s tribute)

    Lately I have been playing around with the You-Tube platform. I have added a few videos and am busy learning video editing and production. I have up loaded three videos so far, and I am learning so much by my myrid of mistakes. Hopefully, I will be able to provide MM readership with a steady flow of videos to suppliment the writings herein. Well. That’s my goal anyways.

    We are in a “funny time”. The main stream American media (along wiht the Western media) are still playing the nonsense, but you know… the “worm has turned“. Ah. It’s all different now. The East is now going to rule, while the West slowly fades into the background.

    Oh, don’t misunderstand, it’s still a dangerous time, but the verdict is in. A new world order is emerging out of the old, and there’s very few things that the old order can do to change things.

    Here, we will continue on the collection of narratives as we document this great period of change, but keep in mind (as dangerous as this time actually is) the future is a foregone conclusion. The only issue at this time is the death count, and the speed at which the collapse of the West will occur.

    .

    Escobar: Meet The New, Resource-Based Global Reserve Currency

    Saturday, Apr 02, 2022 – 04:20 AM

    Authored by Pepe Escobar,

    A new reality is being formed:
    
    the unipolar world is irrevocably becoming a thing of the past,
    
    a multipolar one is taking shape.

    It was something to behold. Dmitri Medvedev, former Russian President, unrepentant Atlanticist, current deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, decided to go totally unplugged in an outburst matching the combat star turn of Mr. Khinzal that delivered palpable shock and awe all across NATOstan.

    Medvedev said “hellish” Western sanctions not only have failed to cripple Russia, but are instead “returning to the West like a boomerang.” Confidence in reserve currencies is “fading like the morning mist”, and ditching the US dollar and the euro is not unrealistic anymore: “The era of regional currencies is coming.”

    After all, he added, “no matter if they want it or not, they’ll have to negotiate a new financial order (…) And the decisive voice will then be with those countries that have a strong and advanced economy, healthy public finances and a reliable monetary system.”

    Medvedev relayed his succinct analysis even before D Day – as in the deadline this Thursday established by President Putin after which payments for Russian gas by “unfriendly nations” will only be accepted in rubles.

    The G7, predictably, had struck a (collective) pose: we won’t pay. “We” means the 4 that are not large Russian gas importers. “We”, moreover, means the Empire of Lies dictating the rules. As for the 3 that will be in dire straits, not only they are major importers but also happen to be WWII losers – Germany, Italy and Japan, still de facto occupied territories. History does have a habit of playing perverted tricks.

    Denial didn’t last long. Germany was the first to break – even before industrialists from Ruhr to Bavaria staged a mass revolt. Scholz, the puny Chancellor, called Putin, who had to explain the obvious:  payments are being converted into rubles because the EU froze Russia’s foreign exchange reserves – in a crass violation of international law.

    With Taoist patience, Putin also expressed hope this would not represent a deterioration in contract terms for European importers. Russian and German experts should sit down together and discuss the new terms.

    Moscow is working on a set of documents defining the new deal. Essentially, that spells out no rubles, no gas. Contracts become null and void once you violate trust. The US and the EU broke legally biding agreements with unilateral sanctions and on top of it confiscated foreign reserves of a – nuclear – G20 nation.

    The unilateral sanctions made dollars and euros worthless to Russia. Hysteria fits won’t cut it: this will be resolved – but under Russia’s terms. Period. The Foreign Ministry had already warned that refusal to pay for gas in rubles would lead to a serious global crisis of non-payments and serial global-level bankruptcies, a hellish chain reaction of blocked transactions, freezing of collateral assets and closures of credit lines.

    What will happen next is partially predictable. EU companies will receive the new set of rules. They will have time to examine the documents and make a decision. Those that say “no” will be automatically excluded from receiving direct Russian gas shipments – all politico-economic consequences included.

    There will be some compromise, of course. For instance, quite a few EU nations will accept to use rubles and increase their gas acquisitions so they may resell the surplus to their neighbors and make a profit. And some may also decide to buy gas on the go on energy exchanges.

    So Russia is not imposing an ultimatum on anybody. The whole thing will take time – a rolling process. With some sideway action as well. The Duma is contemplating the extension of payment in rubles to other essential products – such as oil, metals, timber, wheat. It will depend on the collective voracity of the EU chihuahuas. Everyone knows that their non-stop hysteria may translate into a colossal rupture of supply chains across the West.

    Bye bye oligarchs

    While the Atlanticist ruling classes have gone totally berserk but still remain focused on fighting to the last European to extract any remaining, palpable EU wealth, Russia is playing it cool. Moscow has been quite lenient in fact, brandishing the specter of no gas in Spring rather than Winter.

    The Russian Central Bank nationalized foreign exchange earnings of all major exporters. There was no default. The ruble keeps rising – and is now back to roughly the same level before Operation Z.  Russia remains self-sufficient, food-wise. American hysteria over “isolated” Russia is laughable. Every actor that matters across Eurasia – not to mention the other 4 BRICS and virtually the whole Global South – did not demonize and/or sanction Russia.

    As an extra bonus, arguably the last oligarch capable of influence in Moscow, Anatoly Chubais, is gone. Call it another momentous historical trickery: Western sanction hysteria de facto dismembered Russian oligarchy – Putin’s pet project since 2000. What that implies is the strengthening of the Russian state and the consolidation of Russian society.

    We still don’t have all the facts, but a case can be made that after years of careful evaluation Putin opted to really go for broke and break the West’s back – using that trifecta (imminent blitzkrieg on Donbass; US bioweapon labs; Ukraine working on nuclear weapons)  as the casus belli.

    The freezing of foreign reserves had to have been forecasted, especially because the Russian Central Bank had been increasing its reserves of US Treasuries since November last year. Then there’s the serious possibility of Moscow being able to access “secret” offshore foreign reserves – a complex matrix built with Chinese insider help.

    The sudden switch from dollars/euros to rubles was hardcore, Olympic-level geoeconomic judo. Putin enticed the collective West to unleash its demented hysteria sanction attack – and turned it against the opponent with a single, swift move.

    And here we all are now trying to absorb so many in-synch game-changing developments following the weaponization of dollar assets:  rupee-ruble with India, the Saudi petroyuan, co-badged Mir-UnionPay cards issued by Russian banks, the Russia-Iran SWIFT alternative, the EAEU-China project of an independent monetary/financial system.

    Not to mention the master coup by the Russian Central Bank, pegging 1 gram of gold to 5,000 rubles – which is already around $60, and climbing.

    Coupled with No Rubles No Gas, what we have here is energy de facto pegged to gold.

    The EU Chihuahuas and the Japanese colony will need to buy a lot of rubles in gold or buy a lot of gold to have their gas. And it gets better. Russia may re-peg the ruble to gold in the near future. Could go to 2,000 rubles, 1,000 rubles, even 500 rubles for a gram of gold.

    Time to be sovereign

    The Holy Grail in the evolving discussions about a multipolar world, since the BRICS summits in the 2000s featuring Putin, Hu Jintao and Lula, has always been how to bypass dollar hegemony. It’s now right in front of the whole Global South, as a benign apparition bearing a Cheshire cat’s smile: the golden ruble, or ruble backed by oil, gas, minerals, commodity exports.

    The Russian Central Bank, unlike the Fed, does not practice QE and won’t export toxic inflation to the rest of the planet. The Russian Navy not only secures all Russian sea lines, but Russian nuclear-powered submarines are capable of popping up all over the planet unannounced.

    Russia is far, far ahead already implementing the concept of “continental naval power”. December 2015, in the Syrian theater, was the strategic game-changer. The Black Sea-based submarine 4th division is the star of the show.

    Russian naval fleets may now employ Kalibr missiles across a space comprehending Eastern Europe, West Asia and Central Asia. The Caspian Sea and the Black Sea, linked by the Don-Volga canal, offer a space of maneuver comparable to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf combined. 6,000 km-long. And you don’t even need to access warm waters.

    That covers around 30 nations: the traditional Russian sphere of influence; historical borders of the Russian empire; and current political/energy rivalry spheres.

    No wonder the Beltway is berserk.

    Russia guarantees shipping across Asia, the Arctic and Europe, in tandem with the Eurasia-wide BRI railway network.

    And last but not least, don’t mess with a Nuclear Bear.

    Essentially, this is what hardcore power politics is all about. Medvedev was not bragging when he said the era of a single reserve currency is over. The advent of a resource-based global reserve currency means, in a nutshell, that 13% of the planet will not dominate the other 87% anymore.

    It’s NATOstan vs. Eurasia redux. Cold War 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 and even 5.0. It doesn’t matter. All the previous Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) nations see which way the geopolitical and geo-economic winds are blowing: the time to assert their real sovereignty is at hand as the “rules-based international order” bites the dust.

    Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in China, after meeting several counterparts from across Eurasia, could not have outlined it better:

    “A new reality is being formed: the unipolar world is irrevocably becoming a thing of the past, a multipolar one is taking shape. It’s an objective process. It’s unstoppable. In this reality, more than one power will “rule” – it will be necessary to negotiate between all the key states that today have a decisive influence on the world economy and politics. At the same time, realizing their special situation, these countries ensure compliance with the basic principles of the UN Charter, including the fundamental one – the sovereign equality of states. No one on this Earth should be seen as a minor player. Everyone is equal and sovereign.”

    Welcome to the birth of the new world system.

    Tears For Fears – Head Over Heels (Official Music Video)

    Ok. So I’m out of MAJestic on my own and waiting to be called in for “training”. At this time, we (my first wife and I) were living in the nice seaside community of San Louis Obispo in California. It was the middle to late 1980’s. We were living in a broken down van stuck in the end of a church parking lot, and I was working two jobs as a breakfast cook and janitor.

    It was at that time that MAJestic tracked me down and called me into the base with work. But before that happened, we were living hand to mouth at the poverty level.

    It was a special time. It was Spring and we lived in a “college town”, and the music of that time was unique. One of the songs of that time was “Head over Heels” by Tears for Fears. Here’s the MV of it. Please enjoy my flashback to the past.

    What do you think of this flash back in time?

    Goldman Sachs warns the dollar is at risk of losing its dominance, and could end up a lesser player like the UK pound

    • Goldman Sachs has said the US dollar faces a number of risks, and could become a lesser currency like the UK pound.
    • The US’ tough sanctions on Russia have raised concerns that countries around the world could try to move away from the dollar.
    • Goldman said the US’ foreign debts mean that foreign investors may become reluctant to hold dollar assets.

    Here 1
    .

    Here 2

    Do you think that it is too late?

    Simple Minds – Alive And Kicking (Live)

    This is another one of thes songs of that particular period in time. Fast forward two years later, maybe three, and I am out of MAJestic and I am off trying to start yet again anew. Sheech! And this is the song that is playing all over the radio 24-7…

    Homemade Biscuits and Gravy

    Homemade Biscuits and Gravy ArticleImage CategoryPage ID 1138783
    Homemade Biscuits and Gravy

    This recipe will take your taste buds down South, to where good old-fashioned recipes are still king. Our Homemade Biscuits and Gravy recipe is full of so much down-home goodness, you’ll want to eat these homemade biscuits at breakfast AND dinner, which is perfectly all right by us!

    What You’ll Need

    • 2 cups pancake and baking mix
    • 2/3 cup buttermilk
    • 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter, melted, plus 2 tablespoons butter
    • 1 (16-ounce) package hot pork sausage
    • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
    • 1 1/2 cups milk
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

    What to Do

    1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
    2. In a medium bowl, stir baking mix, buttermilk, and the 1/2 stick melted butter until soft dough forms. Drop 8 equal spoonfuls of dough onto an ungreased baking sheet.
    3. Bake 14 to 16 minutes, or until golden brown.
    4. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt remaining butter; cook 1 to 1-1/2 minutes, or until browned. Add sausage and cook 6 to 8 minutes, or until no pink remains, stirring to crumble sausage. Add flour; mix well. Add Worcestershire sauce, milk, salt, and pepper; mix well. Cook 2 to 4 minutes, or until gravy thickens, stirring constantly.
    5. Cut biscuits in half and spoon sausage mixture evenly on bottom halves. Replace tops and serve.

    The captured General in Ukraine is being rewritten

    From an influencer, the background wikipedia on the captured American Major General Roger L. Cloutier, that I wrote about HERE, is being rewritten as we speak. Poof! New numbers. New dates. New backgrounds.

    White board. That’s what the internet is today. A big white board.

    Grow Alum Crystals That Resemble Simulated Diamonds

    2022 04 06 21 34
    Home-made.

    Alum is found in the spices section of the grocery store. That little jar contains small white crystals that, with a bit of time and effort, grow a big alum crystal that looks a bit like a diamond. It only takes about an hour to grow small alum crystals, but getting a big crystals takes days to weeks.

    All you need to grow alum crystals are alum, hot water, and a container. Choose a clear container so you can watch the crystals grow. While not strictly necessary, it helps having a way to tie and suspend a crystal in the liquid. This helps it keep an ideal shape. A coffee filter or paper towel keeps dust out of your project, while still allowing good air circulation.

    • 1/2 cups hot tap water
    • 2-1/2 tablespoons alum
    • nylon fishing line
    • pencil, ruler, or knife
    • 2 clean jars
    • spoon
    • coffee filter/paper towel

    There are actually a few different kinds of alum. The edible one in the grocery store is potassium alum. It grows clear crystals. Other types of alum include sodium, ammonium, selenium, and chrome alum. Chrome alum grows deep purple crystals. If you have access to the other chemicals, feel free to combine them to see what colors you get. But, check the labels for safety information. Some types of alum are non-toxic, but others are irritants and not edible.

    Grow the Crystals

      1. Pour 1/2 cup of hot tap water into a clean jar.
      2. Slowly stir in alum, a little at a time, until it stops dissolving. Don’t add the whole amount; just enough to saturate the water.
      3. Loosely cover the jar with a coffee filter or paper towel (to keep dust out) and allow the jar to sit undisturbed overnight.
      4. The next day, pour the alum solution from the first jar into the clean jar. You will see small alum crystals at the bottom of the jar. These are ‘seed’ crystals that you will use to grow a big crystal.
      5. Tie nylon fishing line around the largest, best-shaped crystal. Tie the other end to a flat object (e.g., popsicle stick, ruler, pencil, butter knife). You will hang the seed crystal by this flat object into the jar far enough so that it will be covered in liquid, but won’t touch the bottom or sides of the jar. It may take a few tries to get the length just right.
      6. When you have the right string length, hang the seed crystal in the jar with the alum solution. Cover it with the coffee filter and grow a crystal!
    1. Grow your crystal until you are satisfied with its size. If you see crystals starting to grow on the sides or bottom of your jar, carefully remove your crystal, pour the liquid into the clean jar, and put the crystal in the new jar. Other crystals in the jar will compete with your crystal for alum, so it won’t be able to get as big if you let these crystals grow.

    Solving Common Problems

    The most common problem people experience growing alum crystals is that crystals not growing. If you don’t see crystal growth within a day or two, there isn’t enough alum in the liquid. Gently heat the liquid over a stove or in the microwave and try adding more alum powder. Crystals only grow if the solution is saturated. This is the point where no more solid dissolves.

    Crystal Growing Tips

    1. You can use sewing thread or other string instead of nylon fishing line, but crystals will grow on the entire length of the submerged string. Crystals don’t adhere to nylon, so if you use it, you can get bigger and better crystals.
    2. Alum is an ingredient used to make pickles. It makes them crispy.
    3. Don’t worry if you don’t want to bother with the string! Crystals grow just fine on the bottom of the container. Use a spoon to scrape crystals away from each other so they won’t grow together. The shape of crystals growing on a flat surface differs from the shapes that form when crystals are suspended.

    From Hal Turner

    I happen to be in the morbidity business; I'm the CEO of a large insurance group... Based on what it is we are seeing, the rates right now are excess mortality of 84% and excess of every kind of disease at 1100%. 
    
    We are expecting a 5000% or so increase in excess mortality for this year (2022). 
    
    An enormous number. 
    
    I don't think that it's by coincidence, by the way, that Moderna has now just received licensure of their emergency use authorization HIV vaccine. So they gave everybody AIDS, and here's your salvation, another vaccine."  
    
    -- Attorney Todd Callender

    The video below is Attorney Todd Callender, whose comments are shown above.

    When he says “So they gave everybody AIDS . . . ” he’s talking about the mRNA injections given out under the guise of COVID-19.

    Quick investigation of the Preliminary USA mortality data for 2021 from the CDC reveals:

    Total deaths – 3,447,405
    Expected deaths – 2,948,273
    Excess deaths – 499,132

    0% increase = 1X, 100% increase = 2X, 200% increase = 3X, etc. 5000% increase = 51X.

    499,132 X 51 = 25,455,732 excess deaths.  That is what Attorney Todd Callendar indicates the USA could see !

    Add to that the 2.95 million expected deaths, and the result is:

    28,405,732 total deaths for 2022.

    At this rate all the injected will be gone by 2025, just as was forecasted by the population reduction charts posted on the Deagel web site for many years.

    Deagel.com last original 2025 population forecast (before scrubbing it all) for Germany was 28 million.  For the USA, the chart that was “scrubbed” is shown below:

    2022 04 06 15 51
    2022 04 06 15 51

    About one third of Germanys population remain unvaxxed. Today’s population is 83 million, so Deagel’s report may be quite accurate.

    So the DoD guy who ran the Deagel website † 2021 knew about this “plandemic” since 2015? CIA connections huh?

    Deagle has always had the forecast at the year 2025. The numbers may have fluctuated but the date never did.

    Qualudes again

    Well, is he right? Or is he fear-mongering? It’s hard to say. I am not a doctor, but I can read tables. I guess we will have to wait and see.

    In the meantime, let’s go back to 1976. This song topped the Country and Western chart at that time. It’s about a hyptnomic sedative that was very popular at that time for recreational use. Known as the Qualude. I can tell you first hand, that it was an awesome drug.

    It made you so very relaxed, but at the same time, so very lively. You just wanted to dance and have a great time. Don’t drive though. You are not safe behind the wheel of anything.

    It was banned in the United States.

    Pakastan thwarted a United States coup

    Pakistan just narrowly thwarted the US’ regime change campaign against Prime Minister Imran Khan that was launched against him as punishment for his independent foreign policy.
    .
    “Imran Khan claimed that Donald Lu warned the Pakistani envoy to the US, Asad Majeed, that there would be implications if the Pakistan PM survived the no-trust vote in the National Assembly.
    PM Khan said that the no-confidence motion against him was a “foreign conspiracy” and he thanked Allah that it failed.”
    .
    Why invest in diplomacy or in projects like BRI ? The return of investment is way way higher if Uncle Sam just perform regime change here and there and if successful, the interests of US will be taken care of by the puppet gov’t in place.

    Article

    .

    The Nations on Russia’s “Unfriendly List”

    1649204301750
    1649204301750

    .

    Voyage to the bottom of the sea: Terror

    A fine throw-back to 1960s television fare. It’s well worth at least a ten minute watch. I lvoe the acting, the costumes, and the premise of a B-grade science fiction movie. Great for laughs.

    Doomsday ‘Preppers’ Warn Of Hard Times Ahead As Preparedness Goes Mainstream

    Authored by Allan Stein via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    Food scarcity. Food vouchers. Food riots and flash mobs.

    All of that’s coming – and soon, says Texas-based food scientist and “Health Ranger” podcaster Mike Adams, who sees dire events unfolding in America in the short term.

    Texas-based food scientist Mike Adams, known online as the “Health Ranger,” sees food shortages and heightened security later in 2022. (Courtesy of Mike Adams)
    .

    His advice: people need to get prepared now.

    The thing to really watch for is the food inflation,” Adams said.
    
    My position is we’re going to see food riots in America before the end of this year. We’re going to see flash mobs in grocery stores—especially for meat products.

    “Grocery stores are going to respond with increased security and checkpoints. At some point, we’re probably going to see an attempt at price controls and rationing. 

    And not on everything—certain types of things. It’s almost certain that the rationing they will attempt to enforce with a vaccine passport app that becomes a food rationing app,” Adams told The Epoch Times.

    Adams is not alone in his predictions of hard times coming to America—and the world.

    With food production buckling under the weight of runaway inflation, skyrocketing fuel costs, and fertilizer shortages, much of what’s in store is already “built-in.”

    What Do You Want From Life?

    The tubes was a group that was hitting the audiences when I was graduating out of university. They probably had one hell of a stage show. I don’t actually know, as I never watched them perform. However their album was a real hoot. As this particular song clearly indicates.

    Unfertile Ground

    In North America two years ago, it cost around $200 an acre to fertilize a 1,000-acre commercial farm, Adams said. Right now, with spring planting, farmers can expect to pay $1,200 to $2,000 an acre.

    And consumers will pay for it in higher prices for basic necessities.

    “Many farmers are deciding not to plant. In addition, the diesel fuel prices and diesel fuel scarcity is going into their equation whether they should plant,” Adams said.

    The upshot, he said, is that fewer farmers are planting, which means less food to go around.

    As a food scientist Adams is a big proponent of clean, organically grown food free of heavy metals, which he makes available through the online sale of “Ranger Buckets.” The demand for his products has seen extremely high since the COVID-19 lockdown began in 2020.

    Adams said it takes on average six to eight weeks to produce 2,000 buckets, which typically sell out within 30 minutes to three hours.

    Even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the demand for survival food in the United States has been on the increase among a number of national suppliers.

    “The supply chain in the United States continues to crumble. More Americans are realizing it takes four trips to different home improvement stores for parts to make home repairs, instead of all their needs being in one store,” said Lori Hunt at Practical Preppers in South Carolina.

    “That is making folks realize this extends to everything: food, books, solar equipment—and considering Ukraine is a source for critical raw materials in the solar industry, this is going to get much worse in the coming months,” she told The Epoch Times.

    “Many of our customers are moving toward energy independence, and this is making a greater demand and diminishing supply situation. We are urging our customers to be prepared for a 2–4 month wait to amass all parts needed for their systems. Many installers around the United States are telling us they are experiencing the same.”

    Byron Walker, Founder and CEO of Survival Frog in Denver, told the Epoch Times, “We have struggled with supply chain issues and things only appear to be getting worse.”

    Allied Marketing Research (AMR) reported that the global incident and emergency market, valued at $75.5 billion in 2017, is projected to reach $423 billion by 2025.

    “Factors such as rise in need for safety and security solutions, owing to increase in natural calamities and terrorist attacks, implementation of regulatory policies for public safety, and the necessity for emergency preparedness drive the growth of the global incident and emergency management market,” AMR said on its website.

    “In addition, the surge in smart cities is expected to drive the adoption of intelligent evacuation systems and surveillance systems, thereby fueling the incident and emergency management market growth.”

    Miami Vice – IN THE AIR TONIGHT | Tribute Video

    If you lived though the 1980s then you would really appreciate the television show “Miami Vice”. It defined cool. It was a mix of rock music, detective action, drugs, and fashion. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, was hooked on this show. In this this clip here, you will see so many famous actors when they were young and not yet famous. In hindsight, it’s all pretty silly. But, the video is great and well worth the three minutes to watch.

    Price Hikes ‘Here to Stay’

    In recent weeks YouTube survival “preppers” such as City Prepping and Alaska Prepper have been sounding the alarm that hard times are just ahead.

    Matt the “Magic Prepper,” in North Dakota, said being prepared continues to go mainstream as a “financial and scarcity genre” in view of current global events.

    “With food production issues, supply chain problems, a slow economic recovery from the pandemic, and the cascading effects of an overseas conflict, it seems rather clear that shortages, disruptions, and price hikes are here to stay,” Matt told The Epoch Times.

    He said the situation in Ukraine has revived interest in preparedness in case of a nuclear, biological, or chemical attack.

    “With the conflict creating volatile rhetoric from multiple global superpowers, we find ourselves closer to such an event than any point in recent history,” Matt said. “I operate under the assumption that there is and will likely always be more time to prepare.”

    Still, the state of being prepared is “exponentially limited” by the length of time it takes to get prepared, and other factors, he said.

    “Every dollar spent today is worth less in value toward preparations than a dollar you would have spent three years ago. Therefore, by waiting to begin, you’ll inherently be able to prepare less and less.

    YouTube’s Matt the “Magic Prepper” in North Dakota says it’s not too late to begin preparing for difficult economic times ahead. (Courtesy of Matt the “Magic Prepper”)
    .

    “This is most obviously apparent when you relate it to items such as ammunition. Stocking up on it now provides you with anywhere from 50 percent [to] 75 percent less ammunition for the same amount spent on it three years ago.

    “Even if we find ourselves in the midst of a full-on economic collapse or hot conflict, training and learning skills will likely still be accessible,” he said.

    Preparedness also requires the ability to network and communication, having supplies in sufficient quantity, a “hardened” location, and knowledge on how to survive an economic collapse.

    “I have suggested to keep moving forward regardless of the events unfolding currently. If things finally fall apart to the point of relying on our preparedness efforts, we will have prepared as best as we could up to that point.

    “I am making phone calls, appointments, and plans every day to try and enhance my own personal preparedness,” Matt said.

    Given the economic protectionism of halting food exports from countries like Hungary, Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus, the world supply of grain is going to be severely limited, Adams said.

    This, he said, will result in the “most extreme food shortages we’ve seen in our lifetime.”

    Better Now Than Never

    “It will begin about August and continue until the end of the year. A lot of this depends on [President Joe] Biden’s economic decisions on whether he allows U.S. oil companies to finish pipelines and do more drilling. If he does not we are going to see even more shortages throughout 2023.”

    Out of chaos, however, Adams foresees a reawakening of freedom and self-reliance in the way we grow and produce food.

    “I think this is a red pill moment for the people of the world that they need to be more self-reliant. We need decentralization of food production. I’m a big proponent of decentralization—food grown locally.”

    The bad news is that only about 5 percent of people in the United State are prepared. But “the more people prepare, the less they panic when shortages appear,” Adams said.

    Star Trek – Missile Alert

    And here’s a nice brief section of a 1960s Star Trek show. It’s also a fun watch. Just enjoy the five minute vision of the past.

    Its about “Gary 7” and his cat.

    Rick Wakeman Journey to the Centre of the Earth Full Album 1974 YouTube

    Oh my teenage years. This album brought my father and me together musically. He loved it due ot the classical influences, and I loved it for the blend of rock music. Not to mention the great story line.

    Simple Minds – Someone Somewhere In Summertime

    Another glimpse to my early years right out from the Navy after MAJestic implantation. Enjoy this look back in time.

    Conclusion

    Yah. It’s a funny time. Don’t get too worked up with and about it. Things are unfolding to the plans set forth. To us “peons” it seems like everything is going to shit, but if you step back, and look at the big picture, just maybe… just MAYBE the West won’t be able to turn the world into an inferno if these various indicators play out as they appear to.

    Hold on but not too tightly.

    .

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 3

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

    About the 18APR22 false flag attack in New York City that will be used to trigger a kinetic HOT war between the USA and Russia.

    I made the mistake just this moment of looking at the Sydney Morning Herald (smh.com.au) to see what it was saying. There's not enough soap in the world to wash out my eyes. 
    
    Stay away from the MSM if you don't want an anger management issue.
    
    -Patroklos

    Lots of things going on right now. We continue with a sitrep on the various points of confusion, and various other matters. And we highlight this article with a claim from the Bit Chute venue.

    This claim argues that a false flag attack in New York City will occur on the 18th of April 2022. And it will be used to trigger a hot kinetic war between the USA and Russia.

    That’s what?  A week away.

    Ah. Such spicy subjects we have today!

    We begin with some articles that are easy on the eyes.

    Russian Defense Ministry on the attempted breakthrough by the Apache dry cargo ship to Mariupol.

    At 22:38 Moscow time, 30 km southeast of Mariupol, the dry cargo ship abruptly changed its course and tried to break through to the Mariupol seaport blocked from the sea by the Black Sea Fleet.

    The Ukrainian dry cargo ship did not respond to the demands of the Russian border ships to contact them through the international channel and continued moving in the direction of the port of MARIUPOL.

    Warning artillery fire from two border guard ships towards the ship didn’t change the course of the ship and slowed her down.

    While moving to the port of MARIUPOL, the vessel was engaged in radio communication, transmitting the message “I am Maniak, coming to you. At the same time, signal fires were observed on shore.

    To block the movement of the intruder ship, the ship of the Black Sea Fleet and the Border Patrol ships opened artillery fire at the Apache dry cargo ship from 22:53 to 23:30.

    As a result of the direct hit, a fire broke out on the stern of the ship.

    After that, the Ukrainian cargo ship went adrift and the crew communicated with the border guard ships with a request to cease fire and confirmed their readiness to comply with all the demands of the Russian sailors.

    The fire did not cause any casualties among the crew of the ship. The fire was extinguished by the ship’s crew on their own.

    After the inspection, the Ukrainian dry cargo ship and its crew are escorted to the port of Yeysk.

    While the end of the world approaches, it’s time for all of us to be the best Rufus possible

    I remember when I was a little child. Would you believe that I would climb out of my crib and stand on the edge, and then stand there for a moment or two before I fell and landed on my head?

    Yeah. Good times.

    I was normal. Not an exception.

    In this post we will continue with the onslaught of major global changes that are all in full swing RIGHT here and RIGHT now. Whoa! Things are moving hot heavy.

    China to restrict visas for US officials

    The tit-for-tat move comes after Washington placed similar restrictions on the Chinese, citing “human rights abuses”

    China has decided to restrict visas for a number of US officials in response to similar measures introduced by Washington earlier this month over alleged human rights abuses.

    "The Chinese side decided to impose retaliatory visa restrictions on certain US officials who spread lies on the issue of human rights, imposed sanctions against China and harmed China's interests," stated Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Thursday. Wang said the move was made "to protect the sovereignty, security and development interests of the PRC.

    The spokesperson claims that the US used, what he called, the false pretext of human rights issues to [1] interfere in the internal affairs of China, [2] discredit Beijing, and [3] put pressure on Chinese officials. Wang stated that such actions are a serious violation of the basic principles of international law and international relations.

    China’s foreign ministry has so far not confirmed which exact officials will fall under these new restrictions, but the spokesperson said that those who invented the “lies” surrounding the issue of human rights and harmed China’s national interests already know who they are themselves.

    The announcement comes after The US State Department imposed visa restrictions on Chinese officials who Washington claims are responsible for the intimidation and harassment of human rights activists and dissidents in China and around the world.

    Secretary of State Antony Blinken cited the alleged “genocide” of Uighur muslims and repression of dissidents in Hong Kong and Tibet, saying the US

    “rejects efforts by [People’s Republic of China] officials to harass, intimidate, surveil and abduct members of ethnic and religious minority groups, including those who seek safety abroad, and US citizens, who speak out on behalf of these vulnerable populations."

    The US urged China to…

    end its ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, repressive policies in Tibet, crackdown on fundamental freedoms in Kong Kong,” and other abuses elsewhere.

    .

    Tit 4 Tat

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    A Rufus takes responsibility

    Do you take ownership, and responsibility for your community? Or, are you going to stand by and do nothing? The future belongs to the unselfish, the members of a community that participate. video 3MB

    Singapore appears to embrace the West

    Remark by a Singapore friend :
    Lee Hsien Loong is that piece of shit who betrayed his father and his siblings by colluding with the enemy — racist UMNO — which gleefully kicked Singapore (the little red dot on the map) out of the Malaysian Federation and caused LKY so much tears and grief!
    When LKY was Singapore’s PM, he made it clear to Washington that US troops will never be allowed to make use of Singapore as a military base or a staging post in the event of a war between America and China.
    Yet, the spineless HS Loong is now running head over heels to lick Yankee Joe Biden’s boots before the world press! How low and despicable can anybody get?
    .
    .

    .

    Poland wants to cut-up Ukraine and sever ties with Russia

    Medvedev for more than the past week has leveled consistent criticism that Washington is a “puppeteer” behind modern Poland.

    Earlier in the month The Washington Examiner related Medvedev’s words as posted in an essay to social media channels as follows:

    The essay, posted on Medvedev's Telegram channel, claimed that Poland and Russia have a long and "common history" that destines them to work together but that the Poles had been led astray by the U.S., "their puppeteers from across the ocean with clear signs of senile insanity."

    This had been followed by Russian Ambassador to Poland Sergei Andreev just days ago saying it’s a possibility that Moscow might be forced to shutter its embassy in Warsaw in response to Polish authorities moving to expel 45 Russian diplomats who stand accused of spying, or are at least under suspicion, with the Ukraine war ongoing.

    In particular Medvedev’s newest comments take aim at Poland’s reneging on crucial gas contracts…

    “In 2020, Warsaw imported up to 10 billion cubic meters of Russian gas, but now it intends to abandon previous contracts. The volume of gas supplies from Russia to Poland this year has already decreased by 13% compared to last year,” Medvedev  explained. “Reverse supplies of the same Russian gas have been proposed as a replacement from Germany, as well as imports of LNG from Qatar, Norway and the United States. Economic benefits have fallen victim to bad political decisions.”

    .

    Wants a war!

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    Trump: The U.S. Is Now “Like A Third World Country” As The Supply Chain Crisis Gets Even WORSE

    .

    A message by an American for Americans…

    They keep promising us that things will start getting better.  When will that actually happen?  Once winter was over, the supply chain crisis was supposed to be on the way out.  Instead, as you will see below, even CNN is being forced to admit that it is getting even worse.  The war in Ukraine and a new wave of COVID lockdowns in China are being blamed, but those are only two pieces of the puzzle.  The truth is that we are now in the third year of this epic supply chain crisis, and there is no end in sight.

    On Tuesday, Donald Trump told an interviewer that he is greatly disturbed by what he is currently witnessing

    ‘You go to a store, you don’t have bread. We’re like a third world country. They don’t have things. You go to buy something at Tiffany, you go to buy something at a hardware store — high, low — they don’t have product.’

    Of course Trump is 100 percent correct.

    Throughout our entire economy, there are shortages, delays and backlogs.

    Trump himself has been personally affected by this.  In fact, in the interview he appeared to refer to a wait of “nine months” for something that he had ordered…

    ‘They say — even me, when I order things, like for furnishings, for a building or something — they say it’s going to take nine months to get it,’ Trump said. ‘Used to be like, same day service.’

    Prior to 2020, most Americans never would have imagined that this sort of supply chain crisis could be possible.

    But here we are.

    And according to CNN, experts are openly admitting that our supply chain problems are now “getting worse”…

    Problems with global supply chains were supposed to be getting better by now. Instead, experts say they are getting worse.
    
    Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which cut off exports from Ukraine and put Russian businesses under sanction, has set off a series of new supply-chain bottlenecks. So has a surge in Covid cases in China, which has led to temporary lockdowns in parts of the country.

    So when will things finally start getting better?

    When the war in Ukraine ends?

    I wouldn’t hold my breath on that one.

    When the COVID pandemic is over?

    If you are waiting for that to happen, you are going to be waiting for an awfully long time.

    And what is going to happen if another major “black swan event” comes along?

    We are so vulnerable right now, and we should have never allowed ourselves to become so deeply dependent on other nations.

    For example, once upon a time the U.S. had a dominant position in global computer chip manufacturing.  But now the vast majority of our chips come from overseas, and the war in Ukraine is threatening to take the chip shortage to an entirely new level

    Ukraine and Russia don’t produce computer chips used by global automakers. But Ukraine is the world’s leading source of neon, a gas needed for the lasers used in the chip-making process. While some chipmakers have stockpiled neon ahead of the fighting, there are concerns about the long-term availability of the gas.
    
    “People expected the semiconductor shortage to continue. But nobody predicted Ukraine,” said Bernard Swiecki, director of research at the Center for Automotive Research, a Michigan think tank.

    The chip shortage is already affecting almost every industry in America to at least a certain degree, and now we are being told that it could get a lot worse in the months ahead.

    That is really bad news.

    As shortages intensify, that is going to make our raging inflation crisis even more severe as well.  There is way too much money chasing way too few goods and services, and that will remain the case for the foreseeable future.

    What this means is the standard of living for most Americans is going to continue to go down.  According to two prominent economists, “the average American should budget an extra $5,200 this year for higher prices”

    Meanwhile, economists with Bloomberg are warning that the average American should budget an extra $5,200 this year for higher prices – or an extra $433 every month.
    
    Economists Andrew Husby and Anna Wong write that households can expect to pay thousands more in 2022 for the same basket of goods and services they used last year.

    Needless to say, this is just the beginning.

    This inflationary spiral is going to continue to escalate until we have a full-blown nightmare on our hands.

    And with each passing month, money will just get tighter and tighter for hard working American families.  In fact, one survey has found that 20 percent of all U.S. workers are now completely running out of money between paychecks…

    Now, workers are running out of money faster, Salary Finance found.
    
    Roughly 20% of employees regularly run out of money between paychecks, up from 15% last year, according to the survey of more than 3,000 working adults in February.

    Making ends meet is going to become increasingly painful, and the shortages and the price hikes are just going to intensify in the months ahead.

    Some of the things that we will soon see will be absolutely unprecedented.  For example, one of Steve Quayle’s readers says that the price of eggs is about to double at her local store…

    I know I sent an email out to you both in regard to the warnings I was given by several different store managers. Well I have another one. Yesterday the store manager at Price Less Foods told me that the price of eggs will be doubling and there will be a massive shortage of eggs. I am lucky to live in an area where I can purchase fresh eggs from several different people who have chickens, not everyone can.

    The reason why the price of eggs is going to rise so dramatically is because of the new bird flu pandemic that has already killed more than 14 million chickens and turkeys.

    We are being hit by so many things at once, and the American people are becoming quite restless.

    Just this week, a new survey found that just 33 percent of Americans approve of Biden’s handling of the economy.

    In April 2021, 52 percent of Americans approved of his handling of the economy.

    So much has changed over the past year, and a lot of people out there think that things can’t possibly get any worse than they are right now.

    But they will, because the truth is that we are only in the very early chapters of this nightmare.

    Vicki says…

    The shooting war has been won by Russia.
    
    The economic war is reaching the same ending, at a bit slower pace.
    
    Not that any of this is apparent in the US news reporting.

    China in Africa

    Business, factories, labor and economy are far better than selling F-35 fighter jets and bombs to African dictators. Don’t you think? video 81MB

    Sanctionistas go shopping for rubles

    2022-03-26

    As the situation stands today:

    1. Russia has announced that since the US and the EU have defaulted on their US dollar and euro obligations, respectively, by freezing Russian reserves, Russia will now only sell natural gas for rubles.

    2. There is no other source of sufficient quantities of natural gas available; thus, the EU has no choice but to continue importing natural gas from Russia.

    3. The EU has to keep the gas flowing or it will be unable to make it through next winter without shutting down all industrial production or letting the housing stock go unheated.

    How will the EU get the required quantities of rubles? Good question!

    The following comprehensive analysis (credit: “adventurist”) answers it pretty well.

    Oil for rubles

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    Grandmother Rufus

    So cute, but true. Show some appreciation for all sides and help others as only you know how. Let others laugh and make fun. You are unique. Be the best that you can be and always be the Rufus. video 8MB

    The Western World Has Had Its Run

    Gold ruble, Ukraine military collapse
    • March 29, 2022

    Lots of startling changes yesterday. Russia announced, apparently, a gold-backed or gold-related ruble. I haven’t had time to think about all the implications. Information is hard to come by, because the US blocks Russian news in order to control the Ukraine narrative and war propaganda. The Bretton Woods system collapsed when the West seized Russian central bank reserves, and it seems that the gold ruble adds to the end of the US dollar as world reserve currency under Bretton Woods. The implications could be vast, and the Washington idiots might very well wish they had left the Russians alone. I told them over and over that Russia had had enough of them, but the arrogant idiots didn’t listen. The sanctions, it seems, have brought about regime change in the West, reducing its power and influence.

    Another big development is that apparently Ukraine has agreed to be a neutral country, no NATO, no foreign bases, no nuclear weapons, and accepts eastern Ukraine gong its own way. We will see if US puppet Zelensky is permitted to sign what Ukraine has agreed. Meanwhile, Russia has stopped its assault on Kiev, and is focused on clearing the remaining Nazi militias out of the Donbass region. I think the low-intelligence governments in Poland and Romania will get the message, and the US missile bases in those countries will be closed before too long.

    These are major developments with many large implications. The World Economic Forum’s “reset” has likely been replaced by a Russian-Chinese reset.

    The US ran on arrogance for so long that it has hollowed itself out. The Western world’s fate is unclear. It seems no one in intellectual, business, or political leadership positions believes in freedom and civil liberty. The US certainly is busy at work cancelling itself:

    Here.

    .

    Present generations of Americans will not recognize their country. Rivers, mountains, streets, schools, public spaces, even towns are losing their names and acquiring new politically correct names. Normally, this is what outside conquerors do to a country, but we are doing it to ourselves. A country that destroys its own monuments and history is lost.

    My conclusion is that the days of the West are over. The West is drowning in accumulated mistakes and degeneracy. The moral fiber in the leadership ranks is gone

    MM describes a local BBQ / Seafood place

    Good place for some cheap food. You can eat your fill for under $15 USD. I go though the show and tell here. Enjoy video 110MB

    Ukraine: US Biowarfare Labs Developed Disease Delivering Drones (DDD?)

    It’s not just used in China, apparently.

    Documents and other evidence from US funded laboratories in Ukraine suggest that Kiev was planning to use drones to deploy pathogens against the Donbass as well as Russia, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

    Moscow has also identified specific US officials involved in the development of bioweapons in Ukraine.

    Vector Drone – Very interesting BioLab Thread ty @GPlayer5150 https://t.co/OrYXszje52
    
    — Kuts1 (@Kuts110) March 8, 2022

    Of particular interest to Russian investigators are “documents testifying to the plans of the Kiev regime to use unmanned aerial vehicles capable of carrying and spraying deadly substances,” military spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said during a briefing.

    #disinformation #agitprop#SouthOssetia KGB accuses #Georgia of spreading diseases via UAV's and drones, linked with US and #Lugar Biolab Tbilisi. https://t.co/JajVHeRpLX
    — Jelger Groeneveld (@jelger_) June 7, 2020

    Facts in the possession of the Russian military “prove that the Kiev regime was seriously considering the possibility of using biological weapons against the population of the Donbass and the Russian Federation,” Konashenkov added.

    Russia has also identified “specific officials who took part in the creation of components of biological weapons,” the general added. He did not name any of them, however, saying only they were “the heads of divisions and employees of the US Department of Defense, as well as its main contractors.”

    Een US biolab met een vreemde verzameling, Rusisch DNA.
    Drones om muggen die besmet zijn los te laten.https://t.co/iEcQu7TrhG
    — Petr@ (@Nomediocre_P) March 1, 2022

    These campaigns were “directly related to the son of the current US president, Hunter Biden,” Konashenkov added, citing investigations in the Western media. Last week, the Daily Mail published emails showing Biden’s ties to the Pentagon contractor Metabiota, which specialized in researching pandemic causing pathogens that could be used as bioweapons.

    Among other things, 🧵reports Ukraine documents on drones transporting biolab substances:
    
    "Regarding biological weapons laboratories, the documents that reveal the plans of the Ukrainian regime 🇺🇦 to use drones to transport and disperse substances are particularly interesting."
    
    — Pipers Creek (@piperscreekway) March 30, 2022

    Hunter Biden’s involvement in the US funding of Ukrainian biolabs was brought up by Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, commander of the Russian Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Forces, in a briefing last Thursday.

    The results of the further analysis of documents and other evidence obtained from Ukrainian biolabs will be shared in more detail “in the near future at a special briefing,” Konashenkov promised.

    More...

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    Nice Chinese Girl

    video. She’s on her porch. 4MB

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    Highly Pathogenic Avian Flu Detected In Five More US States

    An outbreak of the deadly strain of bird flu is quickly spreading across the U.S. The risk to humans is low, but bird flu could wreak havoc in the nation’s poultry industry ahead of Easter.

    The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced on Wednesday that highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was detected in five new states.

    • A non-commercial, mixed-species backyard flock (non-poultry) in Berkshire County, Massachusetts;
    • A non-commercial, mixed-species backyard flock (non-poultry) in Johnson County, Wyoming;
    • commercial poultry flock in Johnston County, North Carolina;
    • A non-commercial, backyard chicken flock (non-poultry) in Franklin County, Ohio;
    • And a backyard chicken flock (poultry) in Kidder County, North Dakota.

    According to Bloomberg, USDA data shows the bird flu has been found in 23 states in flocks totaling about 17 million birds up and down Mid-Atlantic and Northeast and across the Midwest.

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    More...

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    Poll: 83% of Russians support Putin.

    Russia’s independent sociological research organization Levada Center’s poll conducted between March 24-30 showed that Russian public’s support for the actions of their president rose by more than 10% compared to the figures in January or February. It was 69% in January and 71% in February.

    Poll details

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    Discarded hopes and dreams.

    Poor guy.

    2022 04 01 10 12
    She said no.

    Don’t worry dude.

    It happened to me also. But I did elict a ton load of sympathy from all the attractive chicks in the jewlery store when I returned the ring. Don’t you know.

    Regime-ology

    Regime-ology is a new field of study so the practitioners are still working out the tools and methods for interpreting regime activity. Unlike Kremlinology, on which regime-ology is modeled, the focus is not on a hierarchical structure. The Soviet empire was run by a vertical organization that operated like a corporation. The American empire is a horizontal organization modeled on the Mafia. It is a collection of elite gangster organizations jostling for power within the elite.

    With Kremlinology, events could be interpreted as either a signal from the party elite or representing internal party changes. If someone disappeared from the public eye, it meant he had fallen out of favor with the party leaders. If party media reported something hanky about a party member, it was assumed to have been done with the permission of the party leaders to prepare the public for a change. The target was being shaped as a scoundrel so he could be denounced.

    Regime-ology is a bit more complicated. If someone disappears for a while, it could mean nothing more than he is having a blood transfusion at one of Google’s secret rejuvenation centers. On the other hand, disparaging information about an oligarch in regime media could simply mean that one mob family is unhappy with another mob family and this is how they are communicating it. Using the media promotes the interests of the gangster class and delivers the message.

    That is probably how to interpret the sudden interest by regime media in the famous Hunter Biden laptop from two years ago. For those not interested, this was the laptop that President Biden’s drug-addled son abandoned at a Delaware computer shop, which contained a trove of embarrassing information about the family. In addition to thousands of naked selfies and pics of Hunter smoking crack and meth with prostitutes, it had details of the Biden family criminal dealings.

    Regime media dutifully covered this up by declaring it Russian propaganda and going as far as to imply it was a Trump campaign dirty trick. The New York Post, which was the first to report the laptop story, came under withering assault from the Silicon Valley crime families until they dropped the story. Facebook started banning people from their site for mentioning the story. Like the people air brushed from official photos in the Soviet Union, this story was erased from public view.

    This is nothing new. The power of regime media is in what they can make the public ignore and this was a typical example. They do this by framing the issue as good guys versus bad guys, which is catnip for the American moralizer. Then they declare the thing to be ignored as the black hat and let the moralizers do the rest. Anyone mentioning the laptop on-line or even in private conversation was declared a crazy QAnon conspiracy theorist by others in their circle.

    For no reason at all, the laptop story is back. First the intel community told the New York Times to admit they lied two years ago about it being fake. They did not mention that it was the intel community that lied, of course. Then the Washington Post was told to write about the Biden family’s criminal dealings that were on the laptop. The Post is the official organ of the intelligence community. You will recall that the Post was instrumental in the Russian collusion hoax in 2016.

    Even more interesting, the scandal ridden outlet CNN has been given the green light to unleash their nutters on the story. This is a story posted by Dean Obeidallah, a former circus clown and far-left conspiracy theorist. In addition to being a conspiracy hub, CNN is also a popular landing spot for disgraced members of the intel community. Andrew McCabe and Josh Campbell landed there after being forced out of their jobs. The FBI uses CNN to control the Antifa/BLM community.

    Taken together, this new interest in the Hunter Biden laptop story suggests the intel community is unhappy with the Biden crime family. It could be a warning shot about the recent rantings by Biden in Poland. This has created huge problems for the foreign policy gangsters running the war with Russia. They have been forced to spend their time telling European leaders that Biden should be ignored. This is not a good look for the Global American Empire in the middle of a crisis.

    One way to look at this is that they are preparing the way for Biden to be removed from office this year. The plan was for him to pretend to be in charge through the midterm then hand things off to strong diverse female. Team Biden has been making plans for him to run again in 2024, while he is clearly in rapid decline. The Hunter Biden story could be the leverage to force Team Biden to stick to the deal. He takes the blame for the midterms, retires for health reasons and the laptop disappears.

    On the other hand, this could be the start of a plot to hang the Ukraine debacle on Biden and his crooked son. The regime media is being told to sell the Ukraine war as a smashing success, but that can only go on for another month. Reality in the ground says the Russians are slowly grinding up the Ukrainian army. In a month, there will be little of it left in the east. Whether it is by force or by negotiations, the Russians will get the terms they laid out last month.

    Then there are the economic sanctions. This is proving to be a disaster for the Global American Empire. The Germans just cut a deal with the Russians to buy gas in rubles, even through both sides are pretending otherwise. The Germans will buy the gas in Euros from Gazprom, which will then convert them immediately into rubles at the agreed upon exchange rate. This is de facto acceptance by Germany that they will buy gas from Russia in rubles. The rest of Europe will now follow.

    What we could be seeing here is Afghanistan 2.0. The military industrial complex, the intel community and the foreign policy establishment opposed the withdraw from Afghanistan, but team Biden insisted on it. They let Afghanistan collapse and then let Team Biden take the blame for it. Notice that no one actually responsible in the military, intelligence of foreign policy realm was fired. We could be seeing the same thing afoot with the looming Ukraine disaster.

    Again, regime-ology is a new field. We do not know what we do not know, so we are left to our imaginations. Maybe Hunter Biden is so mobbed up that even the thoroughly corrupt FBI has to acknowledge it. Maybe this is a feint to distract from something much worse that is in the wind. All we can know is that Hunter Biden will never be charged and we will never know the truth about the Biden family corruption. In a gangster state like America, those things are handled internally.

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    Rufus delivery boy

    He does it for country and family. Wow! video 4MB

    Nice Chinese Girl

    video. This girl reminds me of my sister-in-law. She’s short, thin and busty. Yeah. This is what China is like. 4MB

    US Dollar Hegemony Ended Abruptly Last Wednesday

    Interview with Margaret Flowers, Clearing the Fog

    Margaret Flowers: You’re listening to Clearing the FOG, speaking truth to expose the forces of greed, with Margaret Flowers. And now I turn to my guest, Michael Hudson. Michael is the president of the Institute for the Study of Long-term, Economic Trends, ISLET. He’s a Wall Street financial analyst and a distinguished research professor of Economics at the University of Missouri, in Kansas City. He’s also the author of numerous books and recently updated his book, “Super Imperialism: The economic strategy of American Empire.” Thank you for taking time to speak with me today, Michael.

    Michael Hudson: Well, thanks for having me on Margaret.

    MF: You’ve talked a lot and written a lot about dollar hegemony and what’s happening now with de-dollarization. Can you start out by explaining to my listeners what dollar hegemony is and how it has benefited the wealthy class in the United States?

    MH: Dollar hegemony seems to be the position that has just ended as of this week very abruptly. Dollar hegemony was when America’s war in Vietnam and the military spending of the 1960s and 70s drove the United States off gold. The entire US balance of payments deficit was military spending, and it began to run down the gold supply. So, in 1971, President Nixon took the dollar off gold. Well, everybody thought America has been controlling the world economy since World War I by having most of the gold and by being the creditor to the world. And they thought what is going to happen now that the United States is running a deficit, instead of being a creditor.

    Well, what happened was that, as I’ve described in Super Imperialism, when the United States went off gold, foreign central banks didn’t have anything to buy with their dollars that were flowing into their countries – again, mainly from the US military deficit but also from the investment takeovers. And they found that these dollars came in, the only thing they could do would be to recycle them to the United States. And what do central banks hold? They don’t buy property, usually, back then they didn’t. They buy Treasury bonds. And so, the United States would be spending dollars abroad and foreign central banks didn’t really have anything to do but send it right back to buy treasury bonds to finance not only the balance of payments deficit, but also the budget deficit that was largely military in character. So, dollar hegemony was the system where foreign central banks keep their monetary and international savings reserves in dollars and the dollars are used to finance the military bases around the world, almost eight hundred military bases surrounding them. So, basically central banks have to keep their savings by weaponizing them, by militarizing them, by lending them to the United States, to keep spending abroad.

    This gave America a free ride. Imagine if you went to the grocery store and you just paid by giving them an IOU. And then the next week you want to buy more groceries and you give them another IOU. And they say, wait a minute, you have an IOU before and you say, well just use the IOU to pay the milk company that delivers, or the farmers that deliver. You can use this as your money and just you’ll as a customer, keep writing IOU’s and you never have to pay anything because your IOU is other people’s money. Well, that’s what dollar hegemony was, and it was a free ride. And it all ended last Wednesday when the United States grabbed Russia’s reserves having grabbed Afghanistan’s foreign reserves and Venezuela’s foreign reserves and those of other countries.

    And all of a sudden, this means that other countries can no longer safely hold their reserves by sending their money back, depositing them in US banks or buying US Treasury Securities, or having other US investments because they could simply be grabbed as happened to Russia. So, all of a sudden this last week, you’re seeing the world economy fracture into two parts, a dollarized part and other countries that do not follow the neoliberal policies that the United States insists that its allies follow. We’re seeing the birth of a new dual World economy.

    MF: Wow, there’s a lot to unpack there. So, are we seeing then other countries starting to disinvest in US dollars? You’ve written about how the treasury bonds that these central banks buy up have been basically funding our domestic economy. Are they starting to shed those bonds or what’s happening?

    MH: No, they haven’t been funding our domestic economy because the Federal Reserve can create its own money to fund the domestic economy. We don’t need to borrow from foreign countries to fund our economy. We can print it ourselves. What the dollar hegemony does is fund the balance of payments deficit. It funds our spending in other economies, our spending abroad. It doesn’t help our economy, but it does help us get a free ride from other countries. The more dollars we spend in making a military base, all these military expenditures get turned over to the local Central Bank that turns and sends them back to the Federal Reserve or deposits them in US bank accounts. So, it’s the international free ride we get, not a domestic free ride.

    MF: Okay. So are we seeing countries now, since this past week, starting to move their assets back to repatriate them because I know for Afghanistan, a big problem is that most of the government’s money was outside of the country and that has been used as a weapon against Afghanistan by seizing those assets and not allowing the Central Bank of Afghanistan to have them. Are we starting to see other countries repatriating their money and gold?

    MH: Well, figures are only available at the end of each month, reported at the end of each month and then there’s a two-month delay, so we don’t have any idea what’s happening. But I’ve been talking to people all over the world in the last few days and the consensus is that everybody is now deciding the only place, certainly if you’re China or Russia or Kazakhstan or you’re in the Eurasian orbit, South Asia, East Asia, you realize, wait a minute, if all we have to do is something like Allende did in Chile or all we have to do is refuse to sell off our industry to American investors and they can treat us like they’ve treated Venezuela. So you can imagine that everybody’s watching this and there’s an expectation that as a result of the war in Ukraine, that’s really America’s NATO war, that this is going to create a balance-of-payments crisis throughout the whole Global South as their energy prices go up, oil prices soar, food prices are going to soar and this is going to make it impossible for them to pay their foreign debts unless they go without food and energy. Obviously, this is a political crisis. That is, the only result can be to split the world in two.

    MF: You’ve been writing about this happening. You’ve written that the de-dollarization has been happening relatively quickly in recent years. So, are we now we’re now just seeing the end result of that? I mean, people said it could happen quickly. Is that exactly what we’re seeing right now?

    MH: Yes, and nobody expected that it would happen this quickly. Nobody expected that it would be the United States itself that ends de-dollarization. People thought that, well, most of the sales of my book describing this super imperialism were bought by the Defense Department and they looked at it as a how -to-do-it book. And I was brought down to the White House and the Defense Department to explain to them how imperialism works.

    I had expected that maybe China, Russia, and other countries would say, “We don’t want to give America free rides.” And yet it was the United States itself that broke all of this, by grabbing Russia’s reserves right after it grabbed Afghanistan’s and Venezuela’s reserves.

    Nothing like this has happened in modern history, even in the 19th century wars. In the Crimean War in the mid-19th century, Russia, England and Germany, everybody kept paying the debts to the countries they were fighting against because the idea is that debts were sacrosanct. And now, all of a sudden, not only are debts are not sacrosanct, but countries can just grab foreign savings. I guess the problem began after the Shah of Iran fell and the United States grabbed Iran’s money and refused to let it pay its bond holders and started the whole war against Iran for trying to take control of its own oil resources. So, all of a sudden, the United States grabbing this has ended what everybody thought was an immutable morality.

    MF: So that was in 1979 that the Shah fell in Iran and, and over the last number of decades, the United States has been increasingly using economic warfare against countries through what people call sanctions, but they’re actually, illegal unilateral coercive measures, has that been kind of driving and setting the stage for what is happening today?

    MH: Yes, the International Monetary Fund has operated, basically, as an arm of the Defense Department. It’s been bailing out dictatorships, bailing out Ukraine, lending money to countries whose client oligarchies America wants to support, and not lending any money to countries that America doesn’t want to support, like Venezuela. So, its job is basically to promote neoliberal policies, and to insist that other countries balance their payments by undergoing a class war against labor.

    The conditionality that the IMF insists upon for foreign borrowing is that countries devalue their currency and lower their wage rates and pass anti-labor legislation. Well, when you lower the currency’s exchange rate, what do you really lower? Food prices are set in dollars internationally, raw materials prices are, and prices for machinery and many goods. The only economic variable devalued is domestic labor (and domestic rents). The IMF has been using this kind of junk-economic free-trade policy as a means of keeping the wage rates in the Global South down. You could say it’s a financialization of an ultimately military conflict to promote neoliberal ideology.

    MF: And you mentioned the lowering wages and things like that. And this is actually done because it’s favorable to US investors and US business, right? I mean, the World Bank actually has an index, the cost of doing business index, that helps inform large corporations about laws that countries pass that make them more favorable to businesses to come in.

    MH: It’s even worse than that. The central aim of the World Bank is to prevent other countries from growing their own food. That is the prime directive. It will only make loans for countries to earn foreign currency and it has insisted ever since about 1950 that countries that borrow from it must shift their agriculture to plantation export crops to grow tropical crops that cannot be grown in the United States for environmental and weather reasons. And the countries must not grow their own food and must not undertake Land Reform or small family-based farming. So, it insisted on foreign-owned agribusiness in large plantation agriculture. And what that means is that countries that have borrowed for agricultural loans have not been loans to produce their own food. It’s been to compete with each other producing tropical export crops while being increasingly dependent on the United States for their food supplies, and for their grain. And that’s part of the corner they painted them into that is going to be creating such a world famine this summer.

    MF: I definitely want to get into that as well as the energy situation and the climate crisis, but before we do that, I just want you to comment quickly on how this has also been driving countries to seek alternatives. The United States removed Russia from the SWIFT system, which is the international mechanism for doing trading and finance. It threatened China if they didn’t denounce what was happening with Russia and Ukraine to kick them out of the SWIFT system. So, this hubris of the United States is also kind of driving countries away to seek other alternatives, right?

    MH: That’s the whole point. Well, fortunately they’ve been threatening to kick Russia out of SWIFT for the last two years. And so, Russia and China have been putting in place an alternative system. So, they almost pretty smoothly are shifting over to using their own currency with each other instead of using the dollar. And that’s part of what has ended the dollar standard and ended dollar hegemony.

    If the way you have dollar hegemony is to have other countries deposit your money in your banks and handle their oil trade with each other by financing it in dollars, but all of a sudden you grab all their dollars and you don’t let them use US banks to pay for their oil and their trade with each other, then they’re going to shift to a different system. And that’s exactly what has ended the dollar hegemony, as you just pointed out.

    MF: So, let’s get a little bit into where things are headed with this new situation, a rapidly changing situation. It may be hard to say what’s happening, but you talked about a food crisis this summer. Can you talk a little bit about more about that and does the conflict in Ukraine feed into that?

    MH: Well, as President Putin and Lavrov have said, the fighting in Ukraine isn’t really over Ukraine at all. It’s a fight over what shape the world will take and whether the world will be unipolar or, as it now appears, multipolar. The US, for the last year before it began to escalate attacks on the Russian-speaking Ukraine, was trying to block Europe from, and especially Germany, from buying Russia gas and oil.

    There are three pillars of American foreign policy that base American power. The first pillar is the oil industry. That’s the most powerful industry next to banking in the United States. And United States throughout the 20th century, along with Britain and France, have controlled the world oil trade.

    That has benefited the United States in two ways. Number one, we are a major oil exporter because we have a big oil and gas industry. But, number two, our US companies control the foreign oil trade. So that if some country, say Chile or Venezuela, does something that the United States doesn’t like, like growing their own food or pursuing a socialist policy, the United States can simply cut off their oil and sanction them. Without oil, they don’t have energy to drive the cars or power their factories or drive their GDP.

    So, the American war in Ukraine is really a war against Germany. Russia is not the enemy. Germany and Europe are the enemy and the United States made it very clear. This is a war to lock in our allies so they cannot trade with Russia. They cannot buy Russian oil. They must be dependent on American oil for which they will have to pay three or four times as much. They will have to be dependent on American liquefied natural gas for fertilizer. If they don’t buy American gas for fertilizer, and we don’t let them buy from Russia, then they cannot put fertilizer on the land and the crop yield will fall by about 50% without fertilizer.

    So, the, the war in Ukraine was to make Russia look so bad by defending itself against the attacks by the Ukrainian right wing in the Russian-speaking areas that the US has said, look at how bad Russia is. You’ve got to forego buying oil and gas or grain or titanium or palladium or anything else from Russia.

    And so, the effect of this war has been to lock the NATO countries into dependency on the United States because the great fear of the United States in the last few years is that as America is de-industrializing, these countries are looking to the part of the world that’s growing, China, Central Asia, Russia, South Asia. And the United States feared losing control of its satellites mainly in NATO, but also in South America. So, it sanctioned and blocked their ability to buy non-US energy. They’re blocking their ability to buy non-US food, blocking their ability to invest in or use their surplus to get prosperous by investing in China, Russia, or Eurasia.

    So, this is basically a war of America to lock in its allies. Well, the result is that oil prices, now that you can’t get Russian oil, are going to go way, way up, and that is going to create a crisis for many of the Global South countries that are oil deficit countries. The fertilizer companies in Germany have already been closing down because they say, without Russian gas, we make our fertilizer out of gas, and if we can’t get Russian gas, we can’t produce the fertilizer that. So, world fertilizer prices are going way up.

    Russia is the largest grain exporter. And now that grain exports are being blocked by the sanctions, the question is, what are North Africa and the Near East going to do that have been depending very largely on Russian grain exports? Their food prices are going to go way up.

    You can imagine just from seeing what’s happening in the United States when gas prices go up here, food prices go up here, not only does it put a squeeze on individual family budgets, but throughout the world, it puts the squeeze on the balance of payments of other countries. And so, they’re desperate. How are they going to pay the higher prices unless they borrow even more money from US banks? And of course, that’s another arm of US policy. The US banks hope to make a killing in making loans at rising interest rates to third world countries.

    And of course, arms exports. NATO in the last few days has agreed to make American arms exports to increase their purchase of arms. So, the stock market has been soaring in the last few days. They say this, the world famine, the world crisis is a bonanza for Wall Street. The oil company stocks are going way up, the military, industrial stocks, Boeing Raytheon way up, the bank stocks. This is America’s great power grab, and it realizes, when it can create a crisis and tell the Global South or poor countries your money or your life. This is how most of the great property grabs and conquests have been made throughout history.

    MF: And just this week at the NATO meetings, President Biden basically said food prices are going to go up in the United States and Europe as a result of what’s happening. And that’s just the price we have to pay.

    MH: Well, what he should have said, this is the price they have to pay us. That’s how the stock market took it. When he said this is the price we have to pay, this is the price consumers have to pay to the American oil companies, to the American Agricultural food distribution companies. It’s the price other countries have to pay to the United States.

    This is to say to the rest of the world, you know, we’ve got you completely, I don’t know how to put it, what phrase to use, but you don’t have any choice, your money or your life. We’ve got you trapped. And he’s crowing over the fact that this resulting inflation is exactly what was intended by the war in Ukraine that has led to the isolation of Russia and other countries following a non-US policy.

    MF: But more and more countries in Latin America, in Africa, are turning to countries like China for partnerships, for investment. Do you see a point coming where there is just this real shunning of the United States and turning to these alternatives?

    MH: That is exactly what’s going to happen. What’s going to happen is, China’s investment is very different from US investment. US and European investment will give financial investments to countries at interest that the whole country is liable for to repay. China’s investment is taking place by means of the Belt and Road Initiative and direct capital investment in developing ports, infrastructure and railways. And instead of having a general financial claim against these countries, China has an equity claim, a property claim backed by the physical means of production that it puts in place.

    Well, this summer, when countries say they cannot afford to pay their foreign debts, the United States has as a backup plan, okay, let’s write down everybody’s debts, government debts, to each other so that governments can pay the private bond holders and the banks. And they’re going to try to, essentially the US will forgive its debts so that Latin America can pay Chase Manhattan Bank and Citibank and the bondholders. And China is going to say, wait a minute, we don’t have any financial claim against these countries. We didn’t lend them dollars. We didn’t lend them our foreign currency at all. We built assets there and the assets are still in place. There’s no problem there.

    So, the question is, whose debts are going to be written down to whom? And all of this is going to lead to, as you can imagine, destabilization. The United States is probably going to try to push regime change on countries that try to trade with China as it’s already threatened China with. And the more sanctions the United States imposes on Latin America, Africa and the Near East and South Asia, they will be creating a crisis, but the crisis will lead the rest of the world to treat the United States in the same way that Russia and China are treating the United States as just the enemy threatening the entire world with their neoliberal power grab. So, the United States in a way is isolating itself from the rest of the world by declaring war on it.

    MF: And I think that’s not going to be good for us here at home in the United States. You’ve talked about the way that the current economy has been structured. You’ve also raised a lot of concern about the climate crisis. And of course, we have the recent IPCC report basically saying that we’re way behind in taking action to even adapt to the climate crisis or the warming that we’re going to be experiencing. So now in this new situation, how do you see that impacting the climate crisis?

    MH: Here’s what Biden said, in effect: “We’re way behind in the pace of global warming.” American policy is based on increasing and accelerating global warming. That has been a central point of US policy ever since I joined the Hudson Institute in the 1970s. The United States is opposing any attempt at trying to prevent global warming because you can imagine what would happen if other countries go to solar energy and renewable energy. That will reduce their dependency on the US oil industry. If you look at American policy, it is being run basically by the oil industry to establish dependence of other countries on oil. Then obviously the last thing the United States is ever going to do is prevent global warming. So, if we’re behind in global warming, it’s that the sea level is not rising fast enough. The world is not getting hot fast enough not to lock in foreign reliance on America’s oil.

    And I think you’ve seen what in the last few weeks, what President Biden has said, the fuel of the future is coal and oil. Right now, he’s in Poland. I think he’s suggesting that Polish coal, which is one of its major products, should be used in Europe instead of Russian gas. So, American foreign policy is based on the accelerated use of coal and oil, not renewable energy.

    Now, that’s why I think the environmental movement should become an anti-war movement and the movement against this neoliberal dollar hegemony. You’re not going to avoid global warming unless you stop the dominance of American foreign policy by the oil industry.

    MF: I think we’ve been seeing that shift over the last few years where the climate movement is starting to understand we can’t address this crisis without addressing the US military. So just in the last minutes that I have with you, what do you have to say to the listeners about where this is going for us materially as people living in the United States, a country that has been showing itself to be a failing state? The Covid-19 pandemic, I think, has really exposed that in so many ways, the financial insecurity that people are facing, housing, education, health care, all of the failures of the government to meet the basic needs of the people. How do you think that’s going to change with this new situation?

    MH: Well, the United States has been getting a free ride internationally. So, much of the prosperity here has been the result of our not having to pay for our own military spending, not having to pay for many of the foreign investments that we’ve got that supply the US with low priced foreign raw materials. All that is being ended by President Biden’s policy, which, of course, the Republicans support just as much as the Democrats.

    So, there’s really a political movement that is ending up impoverishing, I’d say, 99% of Americans. While the Federal Reserve saves the stock and bond market for the 1%, there’s going to be a huge squeeze that’s going to force, I think, most American families into debt leading to probably a close down of a lot of businesses just as you had the Covid crisis closing down a lot of businesses. You’re going to have the rising fuel prices, the rising food prices utterly force families into default and an inability to be self-supporting without either running into debt or selling their homes and becoming renters.

    MF: And that’s a whole other problem with the buying up of the housing in the United States by these investment corporations so that they can then control those rent prices. It sounds like difficult days are ahead.

    MH: Yes. Well, and nobody can really ,it’s really Uncharted Territory because nobody thought there was an alternative. The economic view was as Margaret Thatcher said, “There is no alternative.” Well, now, America’s forced the world to find its own alternative.

    MF: Well, thank you for sharing that wisdom with me. I encourage people to continue to follow you and read your books and follow your writing. Where’s the best place to find you?

    MH: I have a website: Michael-Hudson.com. And I’m on Patreon. I post my articles on the website and on Patreon.

    MF: Well, thank you so much for taking time to speak with me today, and for the important work that you’re doing.

    MH: Well, I’m awfully glad we had to talk about this, Margaret.

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    Crushed ideas and hopes

    It happens to the best made plans of mice and men.

    2022 04 01 10 e12
    It is not going to happen.

    The ISS Space Station

    A highly anticipated change of command ceremony between the United States and Russia has taken place on the International Space Station.
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    Despite mounting tensions between the two countries, NASA has repeatedly reaffirmed that it continues to work closely with Russian space agency Roscosmos.
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    Eyes have been on the ISS since war broke out in Ukraine but tensions on the earth did not reach into space.
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    Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov in his handover address affirmed those on the space station were “one crew”.
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    “I think ISS is like (a) symbol of the friendship and cooperations and like symbol of future of exploration of space,” he said.

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    More...

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    The Media Is The Number One Cause Of War Since 1898

    In 1895, a 32-year old entrepreneur in New York City bought a failing newspaper and hatched a bold plan to turn it around.

    The newspaper industry was cutthroat, especially in New York. There were at least 16 other daily newspapers in circulation, and there was fierce competition for readers’ attention.

    But the young entrepreneur had an idea: thrill readers with tales of death, destruction, and brutality in the Cuban War for Independence against Spain.

    Cuba was a Spanish colony at the time, but revolutionary forces had been fighting for independence for several years. Few people in the US really cared about Cuba. But the new publisher vowed to make them care.

    His name was William Randolph Hearst. And his paper, the New York Morning Journal, constantly thrust Cuba in his readers’ faces.

    Their stories were full-blown sensationalism. By early 1898, Hearst’s Journal was printing outright fabrications of atrocities committed by Spanish troops in Cuba, in an effort to whip up public support for the United States to join the war.

    The government played along. While ‘war crimes’ did not yet exist, US President William McKinley escalated tensions by accusing Spain of atrocities, saying in a speech that “the civilized code of warfare has been disregarded.”

    Then, on February 15, 1898, a US naval vessel known as the Maine exploded and sank in Havana Harbor off the coast of Cuba. 268 sailors died.

    Several investigations were conducted, and to this day there is still nothing conclusive explaining how the explosion took place. It’s entirely possible that the explosion was caused by the Maine’s on-board fuel.

    But Hearst (along with many other papers) jumped to publish stories claiming the Maine was sunk by a Spanish torpedo, and they continued agitating for the US to join the war.

    Thanks to the effective media propaganda, most Americans were in favor of war. The newspapers had cast Spain as the evil aggressor, and its commanding general, Valeriano Weyler, was routinely called a “butcher”.

    The newspapers told Americans that the fight against Spain was a necessary one… that it was a matter of moral righteousness— a crusade of good against evil.

    They finally got their wish in April 1898 when the Spanish-American War broke out.

    There are a lot of similarities with the media today.

    The level of trust in the media is already laughably low. There was the obvious Hunter Biden laptop coverup, which most mainstream media refused to even mention during the US Presidential election in 2020.

    Then there were the outright lies in the Russia collusion hoax, for which the New York Times was even awarded the ‘esteemed’ Pulitzer Prize.

    (Coincidentally, the Pulitzer is named after Joseph Pulitzer, a newspaper publisher who also fabricated lies in the late 1800s and agitated for war against Spain.)

    Then there’s the case of Biden appointee Tracy Stone-Manning, who was nominated last year to head up the federal government’s Bureau of Land Management.

    Stone-Manning is a former eco-terrorist who participated in violent campaigns against forestry workers in her youth.

    This isn’t some wild conspiracy theory; Stone-Manning has admitted to wrongdoing, including sending violent threats to the US federal Forestry Service. She ultimately avoided prosecution and saved herself by ratting out her associates.

    But a recent Freedom of Information Act request revealed that NBC News colluded with the Biden Administration to go easy on Tracy Stone-Manning during her confirmation hearing, and whitewash over her terrorist history.

    This is pretty incredible…

    Think about the media circus a few years ago when US Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh was accused of sexually assaulting someone when he was a teenager.

    There was no promise from NBC News (and other mainstream propagandists) to go easy on the allegations against Justice Kavanaugh that went back 30+ years.

    Instead, they smeared his name and deemed him guilty.

    It’s also noteworthy that, during Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing, several protestors stormed the Capital and physically accosted United States Senators in order to prevent the Constitutional voting process from occurring.

    Yet NBC News declined to label those protestors ‘domestic terrorists’, or to claim that democracy was ‘under attack’ because they had criminally trespassed into the Capitol.

    This is the same media which acted as the government mouthpiece during COVID, justifying  the public health dictatorship that took over the world.

    This is the same media which watched cities burn in 2020 and said the protests were “mostly peaceful”.

    And, yes, this is the same media that has routinely pushed America into war. It wasn’t just Spain in 1898.

    The United States joined the Vietnam War based on a Gulf of Tonkin skirmish with the North Vietnamese which never actually occurred. But the Johnson administration and intelligence sources said it happened, so the media reported it as fact.

    Then there were those supposed Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq, which the media dutifully reported without question and helped push the US into war back in 2003.

    Today many in the media are calling for an escalation against Russia. They want a no-fly zone. They cheer the President’s dementia-ridden foreign policy and praise him for impromptu comments that only escalate tensions.

    Most of all, they force feed the war in Ukraine, 24/7, as if that’s supposed to be our #1 priority.

    Forget about the economy, rising prices, and supply chain dysfunction… and forget about conflict anywhere else in the world. We’re only allowed to care about Ukraine and Putin.

    Historically speaking, it is not far-fetched to think the media could help push the world into a major war… and one with potential nuclear ramifications.

    It’s not inevitable, but we are closer today than any other time since at least 1962— and certainly closer than even a week ago.

    That’s why it is more important than ever to be prepared for whatever the world has in store for us.

    And that means crafting a rock solid Plan B to make sure you can respond from a position of strength, whatever crisis comes next.

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    Simon Black

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    Nice Chinese Girl

    video. She’s a personal favorite. I love that dress, by the way. Who would figure that mustard would be a good color? 4MB

    US accuses China of ‘choking’ Taiwan

    Washington’s top diplomat in Taipei attacks Beijing for “destabilizing” the region and threatening “all democracies”

    The head of the de facto US embassy in Taiwan has accused China of “provocative” military moves near the island. Sandra Oudkirk claimed that Beijing has undermined regional peace while vowing to “strengthen” security ties with Taipei.

    Oudkirk – who directs the American Institute in Taiwan, the unofficial US embassy – castigated Beijing during a speech at the local American Chamber of Commerce, on Wednesday, singling out its policies toward Taipei.

    “The [People’s Republic of China’s] increasingly aggressive behavior is nowhere more evident than in relation to Taiwan, where the PRC has continued to exert military, diplomatic, and economic pressure,” she said, adding that “provocative military activities” near Taiwan are “destabilizing, risk miscalculation, and undermine regional peace and stability.”

    Continued efforts by Beijing to choke Taiwan’s international space, pressure its friends, and interfere in Taiwan’s democratic system represent a threat to all democracies.

    With Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in attendance at the event, Oudkirk went on to voice “deep concerns” over “China’s alignment with Russia” following Moscow’s attack on Ukraine, appearing to draw parallels between the conflict in Eastern Europe and tensions between Taiwan and the mainland.

    “China is already on the wrong side of history when it comes to Ukraine and the aggression being committed by Russia,” she said, echoing previous comments from Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

    Though US officials have pressured Beijing to sever its ties with Russia and join a punitive sanctions campaign, China has so far refused to budge, maintaining a neutral stance toward the conflict while urging for diplomacy and an end to the fighting.

    Oudkirk said Washington would continue to “strengthen Taiwan’s role as a regional security partner” – part of the Joe Biden administration’s increased outreach to the island. Late last year, the president declared that the US is “committed” to defending Taiwan from any potential Chinese attack, in what appeared to be a break with a long-standing policy of ‘strategic ambiguity.’ White House officials soon walked back his comments, however.

    The United States has also approved a number of arms sales to Taiwan in recent months, and continues to sail warships through the contested Taiwan Strait on a near-monthly basis despite repeated warnings from Beijing to stay out of its “internal affairs.” China considers Taiwan to be its sovereign territory, though the island has long been self-governed and refers to itself as the Republic of China.

    Founded as a non-profit corporation, the American Institute in Taiwan now serves as the informal US embassy and has received most of its funding from the State Department since the United States ended diplomatic recognition of Taipei with the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979. Currently, only a handful of nations recognize Taiwan as a sovereign country, among them Guatemala, Honduras, Haiti and the Vatican City.

    How America is viewed by the rest of the world

    pay attention. This is what the next 100 years will be like… video 6MB

    TRAPPED!!! AMERICAN AND UK MILITARY “ADVISORS”, PLUS FRANCE INTEL OPERATIVES WITH AZOV NAZIS IN MARIUPOL – NOW TRAPPED BY RUSSIAN FORCES

    At present, whatever remains of Ukrainian Army AZOV Regiment (the Actual NAZI Regiment) is holed-up inside the vast Azovstal Industrial Area  in Mariupol, Ukraine. The group totaling 20 — of US and UK military advisors as well as several Ukrainian SBU (secret police) advisors—is holed up, together with Azov fighters.

    Despite being offered several prior chances to evacuate Mariupol, they chose to stay.  Now, they are too late to evacuate as Russian forces pummel that area to De-Nazify it.

    Overnight, Ukraine sent two military helicopters to Mariupol to try to rescue the trapped US, UK, and Ukrainian Secret Police persons.   Both those helicopters landed without incident, but when they took off, both were SHOT DOWN.

    One of those helicopters had 17 aboard, 15 of whom died when the chopper was hit and crashed into the earth.  The two survivors have been taken prisoner by Russian forces.

    The second helicopter was hit several kilometers off the coast of Mariupol, and fell into the Sea of Azov.  Rescue craft were sent, but no word yet on finding anything or anyone in the water.

    One of the Mi-8 helicopters was shot down by . . . . . . . An American STINGER anti-aircraft, man-launched missile, supplied to Ukraine by the United States and later captured from the Ukrainian forces by Russian forces.

    MORE!

    From the helicopter that crashed into the earth, COVERT INTEL SOURCES now tell me,  the bodies of two French Intelligence operatives, allegedly with DGSE credentials, were also said to have been recovered.

    If true, this would explain French President Macron’s desperate attempts to have a French-led evacuation out of Mariupol last week!  Macron’s requests to Putin were declined.  If French Intelligence Agents were embedded with AZOV NAZI troops, then this is a massive PR problem for both France and for NATO.

    HAL TURNER EDITORIAL OPINION

    At some point, the presence of foreign military “Advisors” and foreign Intelligence “operatives” is going to transform this from a Ukraine-Russia conflict, to a NATO-Russia conflict.  Once that threshold is officially crossed (and it is solely up to Russia to decide) then war is upon us all.

    A bunch of US and British military men being present right on the front line would confirm not only how intricately involved with Azov the NATO countries are, but the fact that Ukraine is a US puppet state being used to wage a proxy war on Russia.

    .

    Grandma’s Favorite Cabbage Rolls

    R C.902e2234a56edd9b345d16af9826c6be
    Cabbage Rolls

    No one knows good old-fashioned home cooking like Grandma, which is why this recipe for cabbage rolls is one of the best there is, period. Made with ground beef, onion, white rice and seasonings, Grandma’s Favorite Cabbage Rolls are sure to make your mouth water.

    Top ’em off with a homemade sauce of tomato, brown sugar, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce and you’ll have yourself a winning dinner the whole family will love.

    Even the pickiest of eaters will gobble up these delicious old fashioned cabbage rolls! Plus, this recipe is a favorite of Grandma’s because it only costs a few dollars to make. It’s one of our favorite budget-friendly recipes, and we think it will be one of yours, too.

    INGREDIENTS

    2 cups white rice, cooked
    1 12 lbs raw ground sirloin or 1 1/2 lbs ground round
    1 onion, diced
    2 garlic cloves, minced
    2 raw eggs
    1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
    Sauce to pour over rolls
    4 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce tomatoes, diced
    2 tablespoons brown sugar 
     tomato juice (optional)
    .
    • Core head of cabbage by cutting around the core and removing as much as possible. Boil large pot of water (fill pot only 1/4 or 1/2 full — when boiling put cabbage into water and cover with top. Leave cabbage in water and every so often as leaves loosen up remove leaves and place in collander in sink to cool — when all leaves are removed turn off water and throw away — (if you have any little pieces of cabbage left at end of core, you can save them to place on top of leaves if you would like.
    • In a large bowl mix cooked rice, ground meat, onion, garlic, raw eggs 1/2 can tomato sauce and oregano and a little pinch of kosher salt. Mix well with your hands –.
    • Spray 9 X 13 inch pans with Pam. Take cabbage leaves and fill with 1/4 to 1/2 cup meat mixture (depending on how big hour leaves are). Place with seam side down in pans — Turn oven on 350 degrees. Make up sauce (depending on how many rolls you get from your cabbage and how much sauce you want,you can use between 4 to 6 cans of diced or stewed tomatoes for your sauce), if you like cabbage rolls to have more sauce, you can add a little tomato juice to your sauce. Pour sauce over top of rolls. Sprinkle with kosher salt over top of rolls.
    • Bake uncovered to 2 1/2 hours or until browned on top, you may need to add a tomato juice to them once in a while so they do not dry out –.
    • Freezes well.

    Vaccine Schedule for the United States

    Interesting.

    Covid Vaccine schedule for children kids
    Covid Vaccine schedule for American children

    Fine Chinese Girl

    Here’s yet another fine Chinese woman. They are all over China, don’t you know. Of course, if you believe the Western narrative, China has no girls or women. They have been all killed as the result of the one-baby policy. LOL. Only an idiot would believe that bullshit. What bullshit are you believing out of the American / UK “news” today? Eh? Video 2MB

    China warns of ‘worst consequences’ over Taiwan

    Beijing says nothing will stand in the way of “national reunification” with Taipei

    China has warned that no foreign powers or militaries will succeed in interfering with Taiwan, cautioning that any country attempting to offer military support to Taipei will face “consequences.”

    “The Taiwan question is a purely internal affair of China,” Defense Ministry spokesman Senior Colonel Tan Kefei told reporters on Friday.

    “No one and no force can stop” Beijing from a “complete national reunification” with Taiwan, Tan said, adding that anyone who tries to do so, “will suffer the worst consequences in the end.” 

    Tan said the Chinese military stood ready to thwart any outside interference on the matter. His statement came days after Australia’s defense minister, Peter Dutton, argued that it would be “inconceivable” for Canberra not to join with the US should Washington decide to defend Taiwan.

    Kiev claims NATO will defend arms convoys to Ukraine against Russia

    Dutton later softened his language, saying on Sunday that the Australian response would be based on “our country’s best interests.”

    Last month, Australia accused a Chinese warship of pointing a laser at one of its surveillance planes. Beijing said the allegation was “false.” 

    While the government in Beijing insists Taiwan is part of China’s territory, the US has typically taken a non-committal position, unofficially supporting Taiwanese independence and supplying weapons to Taipei, while at the same time acknowledging China’s claim to the island.

    .

    Fair Warning

    .

    The Bodyguard of Lies

    Here’s the official U.S. narrative as echoed by the mainstream media: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was unprovoked, Putin’s three-day blitzkrieg of Kyiv has failed, Russian forces are bogged down and valiant Ukrainian troops are putting up a powerful defense and regaining lost ground with the help of weapons from NATO.

    In this version, President Zelenskyy is the new Churchill rallying patriots against an evil dictator. All of that is either entirely or mostly false.

    Here’s the real story: Russia’s invasion is the end result of 14 years of provocation by the West, including repeated declarations that Ukraine will join NATO and a U.S.-backed coup d’état in 2014 that displaced a pro-Russian president.

    Russia never planned a blitzkrieg on Kyiv. That’s a Western invention intended to make Putin look like a failure. In fact, Russia is slowly and methodically taking territory in the south and east of Ukraine in order to control the seacoasts, eliminate pro-fascist elements in Mariupol and establish pro-Russian autonomous zones in Donbas.

    .

    Full Article

    .

    Rufus kitty cat

    This cat knows what family and community are. Do you? video 1MB

    Ukraine Military Update

    here is a breakdown of what is going on according to Scott Ritter:

    1/ Big Arrow War—a primer. For all those scratching their heads in confusion, or dusting off their dress uniforms for the Ukrainian victory parade in Kiev, over the news about Russia’s “strategic shift”, you might want to re-familiarize yourself with basic military concepts.
    
    2/ Maneuver warfare is a good place to start. Understand Russia started its “special military operation” with a severe manpower deficit—200,000 attackers to some 600,000 defenders (or more). Classic attritional conflict was never an option. Russian victory required maneuver.
    
    3/ Maneuver war is more psychological than physical and focuses more on the operational than on the tactical level. Maneuver is relational movement—how you deploy and move your forces in relation to your opponent. Russian maneuver in the first phase of its operation support this.
    
    4/ The Russians needed to shape the battlefield to their advantage. In order to do this, they needed to control how Ukraine employed it’s numerically superior forces, while distributing their own smaller combat power to best accomplish this objective.
    
    5/ Land Bridge. Strategically, to facilitate the ability to maneuver between the southern, central, and northern fronts, Russia needed to secure a land bridge between Crimea and Russia. The seizure of the coastal city of Mariupol was critical to this effort. Russia has accomplished this task.
    
    6/ Control. While this complex operation unfolded, Russia needed to keep Ukraine from maneuvering its numerically superior forces in a manner that disrupted the Mariupol operation. This entailed the use of several strategic supporting operations—feints, fixing operations, and deep attack.
    
    7/ Feint warfare. The concept of a feint is simple—a military force either is seen as preparing to attack a given location, or actually conducts an attack, for the purpose of deceiving an opponent into committing resources in response to the perceived or actual actions.
    
    8/ Example of use. The use of the feint played a major role in Desert Storm, where Marine Amphibious forces threatened the Kuwaiti coast, forcing Iraq to defend against an attack that never came, and where the 1st Cavalry Division actually attacked Wadi Al Batin to pin down the Republican Guard.
    
    9/ Ukraine use of a feint. The Russians made extensive use of the feint in Ukraine, with Amphibious forces off Odessa freezing Ukrainian forces there, and a major feint attack toward Kiev compelling Ukraine to reinforce their forces there. Ukraine was never able to reinforce their forces in the east.
    
    10/ Fixing operations were also critical. Ukraine had assembled some 60,000-100,000 troops in the east, opposite Donbas. Russia carried out a broad fixing attack designed to keep these forces fully engaged and unable to maneuver in respect to other Russian operations.
    
    11/ History. During Desert Storm, two Marine Divisions were ordered to carry out similar fixing attacks against Iraqi forces deployed along the Kuwaiti-Saudi border, tying down significant numbers of men and material that could not be used to counter the main US attack out west.
    
    12/ Pinned Down. The Russian fixing attack pinned the main Ukrainian concentration of forces in the east, and drove them away from Mariupol, which was invested and reduced. Supporting operations out of Crimea against Kherson expanded the Russian land bridge. This phase is now complete.
    
    13/ Strategic Deep Attacks. Russia also engaged in a campaign of strategic deep attack designed to disrupt and destroy Ukrainian logistics, command & control, and air power and long-range fire support. Ukraine is running out of fuel and ammo, cannot coordinate maneuver, and has no meaningful Air Force.
    
    14/ Redeployments. Russia is redeploying some of its premier units from where they had been engaged in feint operations in northern Kiev to where they can support the next phase of the operation, namely the liberation of the Donbas and the destruction of the main Ukrainian force in the east.
    
    15/ This is classic maneuver warfare. Russia will now hold Ukraine in the north and south while its main forces, reinforced by the northern units, Marines, and forces freed up by the capture of Mariupol, seek to envelope and destroy 60,000 Ukrainian forces in the east.
    
    16/ This is Big Arrow War at its finest, something Americans used to know but forgot in the deserts and mountains of Afghanistan and Iraq. It also explains how 200,000 Russians have been able to defeat 600,000 Ukrainians. Thus ends the primer on maneuver warfare, Russian style.

    Rufus Kind action

    When the time comes, what are you going to do? Be a spectator, or take action. Your actions determine your sentience. Service-to-yourself, or service-for-others. And please don’t be a NPC service-to-another.  Your actions, in this life, are a reflection of who you are. It’s binary. White or black. There is no gray area. video 3MB

    Chinese community in action

    This would never happen in the United States. In the USA, most people whould be inside their cars watching on as spectators. Maybe taking videos. With some slamming on their horns making noises. video 3MB

    Rufus Immediate action

    You don’t know when there will be a calling, but it will happen. Are your ready for it? Or will you pretend that nothing is going on? Will you sit by passively and allow others to become service-to-others sentience, while you are firmly and affixed as a service-to-self selfish, alone, greedy and “independent” asshole? video 9MB

    How a Rufus Community Operates

    Everyone in the community works together as one organism. If they “feel” something is wrong, they talk to others, they investigate, and they get help. In this case, we have gas station attendents, bus drivers, and construction workers working with the polcie to prevent a child abduction. video 14MB

    Rufus reminder

    When the world is treating others unkindly, it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to reset things. Do not wait for others to take action. Do not wait for the police, fire or medical care to come. Do not wait for others, or watch while doing nothing. You were not born to be a spectator. You were born to be a participant. So act the part. God damn it! video 13MB

    ..

    Scene From By Dawns Early Light – HBO – Nuclear War – World War 3 Movie

    An end of the world movie that involves nuclear launches. This is a 30-minute segment, and it is chilling how much it matches what is going on RIGHT NOW.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 3

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    The United States is tipping at the edge of a cliff. It’s fall will be soon, sudden, and absolute.

    The United States is poised to hit the most horrific economic collapse in history. It will be stunning and absolute. This video discusses that reality. Buckle up.

    This guy, Gonzalo Lira has laid it all out.

    All of it. From the educational system, to society, to economic, Geo-political, economic, in very easy and clear terms.  It’s easy to understand. It makes sense, and it’s probably the best description ever as to the horror that is unfolding before our very eyes today.

    MM agrees 100% with his assessment.

    Outstanding video.

    The Video

    Found on You-Tube.

    2022 03 26 13 08
    Gonzalo Lira

     

     

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 3

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

    American general captured in Ukraine leading Nazi’s along with the influences of Robin Trower, pretty girls and chicken fried steak

    Lots of stuff going on. Generally, the world feels strange. Like it’s  the “calm before the storm”, or that there is some kind of huge under-current going on that we all can feel, but cannot vocalize. Yeah. In all of this unusualness, I am throwing out some articles, thoughts, impressions and stuff that should assist one in  treading water during this great period of geopolitical upheaval.

    US General

    The big news is the capture of an American army general leading the Nazi Asov batallion in Ukraine. Obviously this nation was a NATO outpost in all ways and forms except “official”. We will cover this and the implications that it has for everyone later on in the body of this article.

    Music, Girls, China, and other stuff

    I mix up content in these articles. If I do not, then the articles and the venure is flagged for interruption, shadow banning, and other internet manipulations. Tired of trolls, add some food-related content to your articles. Watch them flee!

    Trolls thwarted by content mixing

    I will continue to proceed tracing the changes along with a mish-mash of other subjects. Why you might ask. Well, guys, I can positively affirm that I have 100% success in throwing off the trolls and DDOS attacks, and ‘bots since I have incorporated this methodology.

    It breaks apart whatever system is in place. Whether it is a computer algorithm that matches trolls with targets, or whether it just  the simple minds of trolls, is unknown. All I know is that it works. And that is just hunky-dory for me.

    I hope you enjoy this article. Have fun.

    Why US’ ‘sanctions threat’ to India is counter-productive on the China front

    Not just against Russia, but it’s China as well. It’s not in India’s best interests.

    India says no!
    .

    Half scale models

    Large scale models are simply diabolical.  Models of any scale can play with your imagination, but you always know what’s real and what’s fake.   When that train, plane, or car model is, say, 14 inches long–normal scale model size, more or less–your mind quickly adapts to the concept because it knows this is a model.  And your mind deposits what you’re seeing into its familiar, convenient file folder called “scale models.”

    But when the scale is large, your cognition wavers on the real vs. fake question.  When your logical mind and eye look at a 1:2 (or 1/2, half) scale model, it will register the model as fake–but not as rapidly as with smaller scale models.  It takes a second, and in that second your mind falls into an uncanny valley of questioning.

    Half scale models of large objects like tanks, trucks, and cars are not common, as Fred Heim himself admits.  Full scale (1:1) is common, but only with small items like guns.

    Check this out…

    Fred Heim Scale ModelFred Heim Scale Model

    This half-scale Peterbilt truck was Fred Heim’s first large scale model. Frame is aluminum, sides are powder coated mahogany. Since half-sized truck parts are in short supply (as in: non-existent), Heim had to make practically everything by scratch.

    Without Heim and the garage acting as measuring devices, this Peterbilt could easily be mistaken for the real thing.

    Pretty Chinese girl

    Robust with an EMORMOUS and inviting smile. (I tell you over and over. It’s your SMILE that opens up opportunities for you.) What’s not to love? And her outfit is nice, eh? video 5MB

    Sanctions against Russia hit a brick wall

    A country with huge natural resources and agriculture sector with the military ability to deter the temptation of the United States preemptive strike will be the last man stand in this NATO expansionism saga.
    .
    Putin should have realised by now his power to sanction the west is more powerful than western ability to sanction his country.
    .
    2022 will be remembered as a historic turning point of the United States losing their notorious sanction power against Russia, and suffered greatly from their victim (Russia) counter sanction policy.
    .
    .
    .

    Meanwhile in Mongolia

    Yes. Mongolia is a very nice, if cold area. Nice people, and a beautiful landscape. video 5MB

    Meet Nancy Kovack, Forgotten Siren of the Sixties

    nancy kovack 2
    Nancy Kovack

    Nancy Kovack is long retired, no need to act anymore, and firmly married to conductor Zubin Mehta. But in her day, she graced both the big screen and the cathode ray screen with her elegantly sleek looks reminiscent of Honor Blackman.

    Nancy Kovack is also the one who got away. With big-star quality looks and acting chops, she was destined for greatness. Instead, she chose a different path.

    The first the world saw of Nancy Kovack was in 1955, as the 19-year-old Queen of the Romeo Peach Pie Festival, in Michigan. She was tasked with distributing 50 peach pies around the U.S. to various luminaries. One pie that she delivered went to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

    After that, Kovack made the usual round of Sixties-era TV shows: Love, American Style, Bewitched, Mannix, I Spy. If a casting director ever needed a beautiful face and a refined look, Kovack led the way in their Rolodex.

    To compound matters–and it’s here where the faint-of-heart should clutch their pearls and avert their gaze–Miss Kovack owned a fantastically voluptuous body.

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    Nancy Kovack

    Directly or indirectly, it’s Mehta we have to blame for taking Nancy off the screen and out of circulation. After her marriage to him in 1969, her filmography drops off to only five or six more credits before disappearing altogether in 1976.

    While it seems crazy that Zubie would cheat on Kovack, cheat he did. In 1991, when Mehta was 55 years old (and Kovack about the same age), Mehta fathered a child in Israel.

    An article in the Jewish Telegraphic Agency relates the rumor of “a smattering of illegitimate children from various affairs.” Mehta admits to just that one boy.

    Now 86, Nancy Kovack-Mehta and her husband Zubin Mehta live in Los Angeles, where he is Conductor Emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

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    Nancy Kovack

    No choice but to pay in rubber, rmb or gold.

    Meanwhile on the geopolitical scene we have the USA sanctioning the entire globe (except for itself and its toadies).
    .
    There are few options. Not many choices. German politician warns that boycotting Russian gas could lead to mass poverty.
    .
    The right mentality is a win-win mentality. The world should move away from the United States desire to control and make easy money from being a parasites to all none western nations resources, labours, and low end economy (allowed by the crusaders) .
    
    Everybody needs to learn to work hard, study hard and trade with each other from a win win, mutual prosperity economic model.
    
    Life is not that difficult if capitalism with Western characteristics that allow 0.1% to control the livelihood of the 99.9% are destroyed.
    
    Basic human rights such as housing, public transport, water, electricity, Internet, food, Medicare etc should become affordable that ensure every citizen with a job are able to enjoy.
    
    The aging, and young, and the sick and handicap should be taken care of.
    
    Notorious Capitalism with looting DNA is coming to an end.
    
    -A Chinese perspective from <redacted>
    .
    .

    A nice Chinese girl

    She’s been making the rounds on Douxing. She’s very popular becuase of her fish-shaped body and nice eyes and smile. video. 6.4MB

    The East is going Chinese OS; the West “hunkers down”…

    Google continues to sanction, Russia begins to test Harmony system, Huawei HarmonyOS ushered in a good opportunity for development – iNEWS
    When a door is shut by the United States, the other door is opened. The United States are in the process of sanctioning the world into self isolation.
    .

    Chinese girl with beautiful eyes

    They are nice, don’t you think? video 3MB

    Springtime as painted by a few unknown  Russian Painters

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    16592481

    This next one really appeals to me…

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    16592502

    And this one … well, you can just smell the fresh spring air…

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    16592498

    Robin Trower “Too Rolling Stoned”

    Robin Trower is a blues guitarist who came into the public light in the 1970s. He’s still going strong and has many followers.

    Trower is 75 and still touring. And still playin' smokin' guitar. One of the greats, and under appreciated. His original bass man James Dewar had such a great voice. Sadly he's gone. You have to check out several of his other tracks. Bridge of Sighs is so good. (Most people have no idea what the song is about.) And of course Day of the Eagle.
    
    -Zabbo Daborba

    I (MM, don’t you know) was introduced to him back in 1976 when I smoked a joint of “Thai-stick” in the High School parking lot with a friend. We got high, and my first exposure to Robin Trower was the song “Too Rolling Stoned”. I’ve been a fan ever since.

    Honestly, I really don’t listen to him very much these days. As I prefer Chinese pop music, and American Country and Western music. But that’s just me.

    Anyways, here’s two You-tube videos of the song “Too Rolling Stoned”.

    All the theory in the world doesn’t prevent you from being schooled by one of the great masters... Robin is about the most underrated rock guitarists ever.
    
    -Eddie
    

    The first is the entire song observed by a music critic. He is now a Robin Trower fan. The look on his face, as he jams to the music is priceless.

    The second, is a breakdown of his musical style (of the exact same song in a different video clip).  Very interesting. You do not need to know the technical details to appreciate what he has to say.  This study is done by someone who has never listened to Robin Trower before. Indeed, it seems like Michael has just turned into a fan, and Robin Trower is growing a fan base just by being alive.

    Michael, Welcome to the land of Trower. 
    
    I'm 62 years old and a guitar player. I'm self-taught and first picked up the guitar and started teaching myself from cheat books and 45 records when I was around 8 years old. 
    
    my first live performance was 1966/67 in front of my class in 4th grade with two other friends. 
    
    I've played in cover bands all my life. Still do. 
    
    I've covered Trower on and off over the years since the mid-'70s when I first heard him myself. 
    
    I learned his "Day of the Eagle" classic hit from a 33rpm album (Live from Winterland} around 1974/75. Watching and learning from guitarist is just part of my DNA. 
    
    I love watching you and learning, watching you unpack "Too Rolling Stone" from Trower on video was a treat for me, Trower in the wild no less, (Live), this has truly made my day. 
    
    Your expressions in this video at times are priceless. 
    
    You kind of started with a mild approach towards the whole "Trower" thing at the beginning, and I giggled at that. and as you listened and dissected not only the song but his body movements, the Wha Wha approach, then Robin hits what I call his Jazz "Drop dead chords", modulates up a half step, then the typical shifting of gears into "Trower mode" I call it, and drops the tempo of the song to a slow blues groove that he's typically and noted for. 
    
    Such phrasings are his signature style, the look on your face and reaction was better than that first cup of coffee I was drinking for this morning. 
    
    I said out loud with a big belly laugh, "Welcome to the land of Trower teacher". my wife wanted to know who the heck I was talking to. hahha. 
    
    I say all this as someone who has done the same thing while learning Trower songs, only without YouTube video's which are worth their weight in gold themselves. 
    
    Starting and stopping a song on a vinyl record over and over is something you just have had to live through to get. 
    
    Anyway. Thank you for staying with us and continuing in sharing your passion which is also our passion. and for exploring Robin Trower. I hope you look into other great songs of his like: "Day of the Eagle" or Bridge of Sighs". any of his tunes are worthy of time.
    
    - Charles Harshbarger 

    What do you think of Robin Trowers blues?

    Vietnam girls drinking beer during a factory lunch

    A common enough scene all over South-East Asia. It’s nice to see people enjoying freedom, instead of that pretend socially-acceptable corporate-system freedom™ that is so prevalent in the West.  video 5MB

    Why Propaganda is Vital In Upholding The Illusion of a Democracy

    Cynthia Chung

    “Whenever the government of the United States shall break up, it will probably be in consequence of a false direction having been given to public opinion. This is the weak point of our defenses, and the part to which the enemies of the system will direct all their attacks. Opinion can be so perverted as to cause the false to seem true; the enemy, a friend, and the friend, an enemy; the best interests of the nation to appear insignificant, and the trifles of moment; in a word, the right the wrong, the wrong the right. In a country where opinion has sway, to seize upon it, is to seize upon power. As it is a rule of humanity that the upright and well-intentioned are comparatively passive, while the designing, dishonest, and selfish are the most untiring in their efforts, the danger of public opinion’s getting a false direction is four-fold, since few men think for themselves.”
    
    -James Fenimore Cooper

    Democracy is something that has been completely taken for granted here in the West. There is an ongoing triumph over past laurels, without paying heed to the road we have strayed from.

    We criticize others for failing to uphold a standard we consider ourselves the leaders of, but democracy is not something simply “acquired” and subsequently “retained,” it is not a “possession.” This is because a system of democracy is at every moment of its existence defined by the character of its citizenry. Democracy only exists if it is upheld, and if a citizenry fails to do so, it renders itself defenseless to an ever-creeping tyranny.

    For such a “creeping tyranny,” control is conditional to whether the citizenry is satisfied with an ever-growing “illusion of democracy.” Such a construct needs to give its subjects the impression that they have “free choice” in what shapes their future and their way of life, including: who will be their “friends” and who will be their “foes.”

    And thus, War has always depended on a reliable system to spread its propaganda.

    The Arthashastra written by Chankya (350-283 BCE) who was chief advisor to the Emperor Chandragupta (the first ruler of the Mauryan Empire) discusses propaganda and how to disperse and apply it in warfare. It is one of the oldest accounts of the essentialism of propaganda in warfare.

    Propaganda is vital in times of war because it is absolutely imperative that the people, who often need to make the greatest sacrifices and suffer the most, believe that such a war is justified.

    Security

    As such, they will believe that such a war will provide them security. To the degree that they believe this to be true, the greater the degree of sacrifice and suffering they are willing to submit themselves for said “promised security”.

    Enemy is not human

    It is crucial that when the people look at the “enemy” they see something sub-human, for if they recognise that said “enemy” has in fact humanity, the jig is up so to speak.

    And thus we are bombarded day after day, hour after hour of reminders as to why the “enemy” is not human like us, not compassionate like us, not patient, just and wise like us.

    No doubt, war has been a necessary response when tyranny has formed an army to fight for its cause, but I would put forth that most wars have been rather unnecessary and downright manipulated for the design of a small group of people.

    During WWI, on Dec 25th 1914, something rather unexpected occurred and a series of widespread unofficial ceasefires along the Western Front took place between the French/British soldiers and the German soldiers. Some even ventured into “no man’s land”, given its name since none left it alive, to mingle with the “enemy” and exchange food and souvenirs. There were joint burial ceremonies and prisoner swaps. A game of football took place as well. It is said that these truces were not unique to the Christmas period but that they were much more widespread during the holiday season.

    These fraternisations would understandably make it quite difficult to return to combat against one another…for no apparently good reason. Some units needed to be relocated since they had developed friendships with the opposing side and now refused to fight them.

    The lesson was quickly learned and propaganda was heavily pumped down the throats of the Allied countries, and by the course of just a few years, they no longer viewed the Germans as human.

    American infrastructure

    This is not one isolated incident. It’s everywhere. The money is being used in wars, and in the wallets of the wealthy. Not on the American citizenry. video 1MB

    A beautiful girl in Hong Kong

    Beautiful girls are everywhere. I have to tell you that I really like how clean and crisp that this girl looks as she hangs out in Mong Kok. video 5MB

    The Battle For Your Mind

    “Politicians, Priests, and psychiatrists often face the same problem: how to find the most rapid and permanent means of changing a man’s belief…The problem of the doctor and his nervously ill patient, and that of the religious leader who sets out to gain and hold new converts, has now become the problem of whole groups of nations, who wish not only to confirm certain political beliefs within their boundaries, but to proselytize the outside world.”
    
    – William Sargant “Battle of the Mind”

    Mass propaganda is the very reason why in this so-called “age of information”, we are more confused and divided from each other than ever…

    It had been commonly thought in the past, and not without basis, that tyranny could only exist on the condition that the people were kept illiterate and ignorant of their oppression. To recognise that one was “oppressed” meant they must first have an idea of what was “freedom”, and if one were allowed the “privilege” to learn how to read, this discovery was inevitable.

    If education of the masses could turn the majority of a population literate, it was thought that the higher ideas, the sort of “dangerous ideas” that Mustapha Mond for instance expresses in “The Brave New World”, would quickly organise the masses and revolution against their “controllers” would be inevitable. In other words, knowledge is freedom, and you cannot enslave those who learn how to “think”.

    However, it hasn’t exactly played out that way has it?

    The greater majority of us are free to read whatever we wish to, in terms of the once “forbidden books”, such as those listed by The Index Librorum Prohibitorum. We can read any of the writings that were banned in “The Brave New World”, notably the works of Shakespeare which were named as absolutely dangerous forms of “knowledge”.

    We are now very much free to “educate” ourselves on the very “ideas” that were recognised by tyrants of the past as the “antidote” to a life of slavery. And yet, today, there is a fear of that very thing, that to “know” will label you an outcast from a “healthy” society. That the simple desire to know is the beginning of rebellion.

    It is recognised, albeit superficially, that who controls the past, controls the present and thereby the future. George Orwell’s book “1984”, hammers this as the essential feature that allows the Big Brother apparatus to maintain absolute control over fear, perception and loyalty to the Party cause, and yet despite its popularity, there still remains today a lack of interest in actually informing oneself about the past.

    What does it matter anyway, if the past is controlled and rewritten to suit the present? As the Big Brother interrogator O’Brien states to Winston, “We, the Party, control all records, and we control all memories. Then we control the past, do we not? [And thus, are free to rewrite it as we choose…]”

    Of course, we are not in the same situation as Winston…we are much better off. We can study and learn about the “past” if we so desire, unfortunately, it is a choice that many take for granted. And thus, by our failure to ask the right questions and seek the appropriate answers, we find ourselves increasingly in the unsettling position of a Winston…we are enslaved by the very lack of our own will.

    In Orwell’s “1984”, there are three main super states in the world: Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia that are in one combination or another constantly at war with each other and have been so for the last 25 years.

    In the case of Winston, he has only known Oceania (the British commonwealths and U.S.), he knows essentially nothing of either Eurasia or Eastasia, except that sometimes Oceania is at war with Eurasia and sometimes it is at war with Eastasia. In fact, even this memory, that the enemy is not constant, is not something Winston is supposed to recollect or acknowledge. Just by doing this very thing, he is committing a “thoughtcrime”.

    Winston’s experience begs the questions, if one were born into a fascist, totalitarian state would they know it? Of course, the state itself would not describe itself as such. How would you be able to compare your “freedom” with the “oppression” of the enemy, when all you were given was what the state chose to give to you?

    How do you know that what has come to shape your convictions, your beliefs, your fears really belong to you, and were not placed there by another?

    We are all very sensitive to this unsettling question because ironically, that has also been placed in us. It was what started this whole business of “mind control”, you see, it had to be done…for our “protection”.

     

    Chinese girl inside of her apartment

    Yeah. This is all pretty typical. The homes are clean cool, spotless. If they have pets, they might keep them locked up in their cages for a while while the owners are busy doing other things. And dancing in the living room is normal. video 4MB

    Warfare in the 21st Century

    For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the pinnacle of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the pinnacle of skill.
    
    – Sun Tzu

    There are many different forms of warfare, but namely there is warfare that exists in the physical domain of aggression vs defense and warfare that exists in the mental domain of ideas.

    The majority of tyrants from the ancient times to present day, have always had a network of powerful people behind them (whether they were aware of it or not) that opened up a path for them to sit on the throne so to speak. For example, we now know that there was a very direct support of Hitler coming from the Bank of England amongst other very influential institutions. That is, Hitler did not arise to power ‘naturally’ or by his mere merit.

    The desperation of that economic environment in Germany was predictably formulated as a direct consequence of the Treaty of Versailles which was essentially a death sentence to the German people. And Hitler who had started to make a small name for himself was selected and endorsed as the ‘face’ of what had already been decided would be the fate of Germany.

    Wars have almost always been the result of funding and organising from powerful groups with geopolitical interests, often of empire, who create an environment of disinformation and desperation amongst the people through economic and military warfare along with color revolutions.

    However, once there was the creation of nuclear bombs, geopolitical warfare was changed forever.

    Though we still use much of the same old strategies today, war is ever more located on the plane of ideas, and along with this the ever increasing focus on the manipulation of information and the populace’s perspective of who is good and who is bad.

    The war that needs to be fought against the present tyranny is thus increasingly a mental war. In the case of the populace, all together they hold more power than they realise. The real crisis of today’s western thinking is that the people have forgotten how to think. Attention spans have gone down drastically along with a functional vocabulary. People are becoming more and more dominated by image based messages rather than content that requires more than a 10 minute attention span. Articles in the news keep getting shorter and shorter because people seemingly cannot be bothered with too much reading. Along with the serious decline in reading in replacement for quick entertainment (more successful than any book burning in history), people no longer bother to work for a comprehensive viewpoint. Information becomes an annoying barrage of ad campaigns, each yelling louder and more frequently than the other.

    The solutions to our problems such as the oncoming economic collapse (in case you haven’t noticed we are doing everything the same as pre-2008), have their solutions in what Russia and China are presenting.

    The initiation of war has almost always been presented as a false ‘necessity’, that is in response to the dominating geopolitical ‘balance’, which is basically meant to service the present system of empire, and the erroneous belief in zero sum game.

    However, the idea that humans exist in a zero sum game, doomed to battle forever over a diminishing return of resources, was disproven time and again in modern history through the application of successful principles of national political economy. Notable examples of which include Colbert’s dirigisme of France’s 17th century (later revived during the presidency of Charles De Gaulle), the Hamiltonian system of America as exemplified by Abraham Lincoln’s Greenbacks, FDR’s New Deal, and JFK’s space program as well as its most recent expression of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

    This system understands that fast money is parasitical and acts in direct opposition to the long-term investments required for projects that will revolutionise a nation’s infrastructure, including science-driver programs.

    That debt for such long-term projects is not qualitatively the same as the present debt we see accruing today, and that debt towards investing for the future will always yield a higher return than the cost over time. This is why debt towards long-term investment on infrastructure and science driver projects, such as space exploration, will always be sustainable with a massive return quantitatively and qualitatively. Whereas, the gambling of fast money will very predictably lead to a collapse as was clearly indicated by the 2008 financial crisis, and which insanely has yet to be addressed with a serious bank reform.

    The higher battle ground is being fought on the plane of ideas and which proposed ‘new system’ will replace the current collapsing one we are presently in. On the one side the hegemonic rule of a one world government who thinks that they can use force and oppression to rule and on the other side a multi-polar system of cooperating nation states committed to progress that will offer a real qualitative return for the future.

    Little girl wants a father

    Her mother is a single mom. She doesn’t have a father. She wants a photo with this stranger on the bus as she thinks that this is what her father must look like. video 5MB

    Chinese girl getting ready to cook

    Pretty girl. Food. Cooking…. Sheech! Oh so sexy. video 2MB

    Speaking of cooking and food, let’s talk about some Chicken Fried Steak. Personally, I love it with two over-easy eggs and rye toast (with a freshly brewed cup of coffee) don’t you know…

    Chicken Fried Steak with Creamy Gravy Recipe

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    Chicken Fried Steak

    Steaks are a familiar dish on the dining table. Some people prefer their steaks roasted, and others prefer it prepared inside the oven like the classic oven-baked steak and potatoes. However, to some, steaks are a traditional culinary staple. The Southerners in America have a secret recipe, the chicken fried steak recipe. In this Southern cuisine, the steaks are deep-fried in a pan and served with creamy gravy.

    But why is it called chicken fried steak when there’s no chicken? Well, the steak is cooked in a similar way to fried chicken, hence the dish’s name. This dish is made with a piece of tender beef steak that’s breaded with eggs, pan-fried, then topped with some creamy gravy.

    There is nothing like this steak. People love serving it, and everyone loves to eat it! The best chicken fried steak is the one that’s cooked to golden perfection and topped with the most flavorful and creamy gravy. Using this recipe, the only difficult thing that comes is deciding whether to prepare it for lunch or dinner.

    Skip the usual roasted steak. Prepare a fried steak that’s topped with creamy and flavorful gravy instead.

    Ingredients

    For Steaks:

    • 4 steaks (¼ lb each), pre-tenderized, preferably cube steaks
    • cups all purpose flour
    • 2 tsp salt
    • tsp garlic powder
    • ½ tsp cayenne
    • 2 eggs beaten
    • ½ cup milk
    • oil for frying

    For Gravy:

    • 3 tbsp pan drippings
    • 3 tbsp all purpose flour
    • cup whipping cream
    • cups milk
    • salt and pepper

    To Serve:

    • 2 sunny side-up eggs
    • ¾ cup mixed vegetables of your choice

    To Garnish:

    • 2 tsp parsley chopped

    Instructions

    Steaks

    • Use a meat mallet, rubber mallet, or rolling pin to flatten and thin out the steaks until they are less than ¼ inches thick. Season each steak with a pinch of salt.
    • Heat the oven to 200 degrees F.
    • Put a wire rack over a baking sheet, and set it aside. Prepare two shallow baking dishes.
    • In a bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together. In another bowl, mix the salt, garlic powder, cayenne, and flour.
    • Dredge the steak in the flour mix one by one. Using your hands, press each side of the steak onto the flour mix.
    • Shake off the excess and dip the steak in the egg wash, coating every side. Repeat the process until all sides are well covered and coated. Set aside.
    • In a large pan, pour oil until it reaches ¼ inches deep for frying. Heat the oil until the oil sizzles when flour is dropped into it.
    • Lay the prepared steak one by one into the oil and cover the steak with oil. Fry for about 2 minutes until the edges turn golden brown.
    • When done, remove the steaks using a slotted spatula, and place them on the wire rack in the oven to keep warm.
    • Strain off any excess oil to get the drippings.

    Gravy

    • Turn off the heat in the pan and pour out all but 3 tablespoons of oil and fat from the pan.
    • Whisk in 3 tablespoons of flour and stir constantly on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the mixture turns light brown.
    • Slowly add the cream and milk, whisking continuously until the desired consistency is reached.
    • Season the gravy with a pinch of salt and pepper. Adjust accordingly.
    • Serve over the steak with eggs and mixed vegetables. Garnish.

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    Chicken Fried Steak

    The Art of Doublethink

    “WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH”
    
    George Orwell’s “1984” (Big Brother Mantra)

    A truly immersive system of propaganda, which necessarily will be full of contradictions to the truth, absolutely requires that its subjects are compliant with “doublethink,” that is, the ability to accept two contradictory thoughts in your mind without acknowledging that they are in fact opposites.

    Orwell identifies this under two forms of “doublethink”, which are “crimestop” and “blackwhite”. “Crimestop” meaning the faculty of stopping short, as though by instinct, at the threshold of a dangerous thought.

    Orwell further states

    “It includes the power of not grasping analogies, of failing to perceive logical errors, of misunderstanding the simplest arguments…and of being bored or repelled by any train of thought which is capable of leading in a heretical direction. Crimestop in short, means protective stupidity.”

    “Blackwhite”, is the act of contradiction of plain facts, applied to an opponent. And when applied to the Party, it is the willingness to say black is white when the Party discipline demands it so.

    As Orwell describes it

    “it means the ability to believe that black is white, and more, to know that black is white, and to forget that one has ever believed the contrary. This demands a continuous alteration of the past…The alteration of the past is necessary for two reasons…The subsidiary reason is that…he must be cut off from the past, just as he must be cut off from foreign countries, because it is necessary for him to believe that he is better off… [the precautionary reason] by far the more important reason for the readjustment of the past is the need to safeguard the infallibility of the Party.”

    Orwell continues

    “The splitting of the intelligence which the Party requires of its members, and which is more easily achieved in an atmosphere of war, is now almost universal, but the higher up the ranks one goes, the more marked it becomes. It is precisely in the Inner Party that war hysteria and hatred of the enemy are strongest.”

    That is, it is the Inner Party members who are the most indoctrinated, the best at inducing “mind control” or “doublethink” on themselves, and at the same time believe that it is the best and right thing to do.

    Orwell describes “doublethink” thus:

    “The process has to be conscious , or it would not be carried out with sufficient precision, but it also has to be unconscious, or it would bring with it a feeling of falsity and hence guilt…To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then, when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just so long as it is needed, to deny the existence of objective reality and all the while to take account of the reality which one denies – all this is indispensably necessary. Even in using the word doublethink it is necessary to exercise doublethink.”

    What many fail to grasp when reading “1984” is that Orwell is not only the character Winston, he is also the character O’Brien. He is the Outer Party member-turned-revolutionary, and he is the Inner Party disciplinarian.

    He is simultaneously the tormentor-programmer as well as the tormented-programmed.

    Winston eventually breaks and releases the one thing that kept him human, his love and loyalty to Julia. In the end, an announcement is made that Oceania is ever nearer to winning the war and Winston looks up at a large poster of Big Brother and cries gin-filled tears of joy and relief, for he had finally come to love Big Brother.

    He had become O’Brien.

    Chinese girl in a Japanese sushi restaurant

    These restaurants are very popular in China. Asian people do love their seafood. And China is no exception. You can see the little sushi dishes going round and round on the railroad tracks behind her. If you ever decide to go, might I suggest the warm saki with it. Yum! video 3MB

    Thailand / Cambodia lunch time

    A great view of a normal day in the rural inland areas outside of China and in the more impovershed South East Asian nations. The United States wants to give billions of dollars to the rulers of these nations to build American miltiary bases, and start importing all sort of weapons there.

    These nations said “No!”.

    Instead, the nations elected to go with China who are building trains, roads, hospitals, clinics, and setting up industry in these remote and tranquil rural areas. Sure, the Western propaganda is promoting the idea of “you’ll be sorry” for building those hopsitals, high speed trains, roads, tunnels, bridges, social and community centers, and communication infrastructure. But you know, it sure beats having the wealthy get wealthier while the people live in poverty next to American bases ready to shoot up villages, sheep and cabbage patches.

    video 17MB

    So Who is the Said “Enemy”?

    The enemy is our lesser selves.

    Our most base fears, desires and obsessions. The voice that whispers in our ears telling us not to believe in anything genuine or honest, that the world we live in will ultimately destroy itself and thus it is all about looking out for number one. That it is our fate to be the playthings of higher powers.

    This is the voice of a prisoner of Plato’s cave, neck shackled and looking at only shadows on a wall. This is not reality. This is the voice of someone who has been enslaved for most of their life. The voice of someone who has become so disempowered that they wholly accept whatever ugly condition is imposed upon them and will even work to defend it as necessary.

    There is a way out of all of this, but you will have to become an optimist in order to see the solution.

    “We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”
    
    – Abraham Lincoln

    Chinese girl on the street

    Thin. Leggy with a nice Guicci purse. Very typical. video 3MB

    Rural girls on a boat somewhere on the Laos-China border

    It’s poor right now, but these times are changing. The Chinese BRI are bringing money, health and education to millions of people in South East Asia. video

    China 1973

    As strange as it seems, this is how many Americans and their leadership believe what China is today.

    Yeah. It’s strange. But there you have it. Look at the pictures from fifty years ago, and you can easily see that this is the image that the Main Stram Media are busy promoting as to what China is. video 5MB

    Rainbow – L. A. Connection (Live) HD

    When I was attending university, I took a heavy course load. Seriously, 21 credits of all technical subjects is rough. Aerospace-Mechanical Engineering. And while my friends would half-heartedly attend class, and then party on, I would tromp through the Syracuse snow to go to class, and then study in the Law Library until it closed at 2am.

    I had a grueling schedule. Up at six in the morning. Then, 200 push-ups, and a three-mile run, then to the house where I lived. Then it’s a nice Northern European breakfast of toast and coffee, followed by a bus ride to the campus where I would attend school. (When I wasn’t riding my motorcycle, that is.)

    And even at that, I had my failures. For instance, I completely failed my “mechanics of deformable bodies” class and had to take it two times. Though, on the second time, I aced the class.

    It’s called life.

    You move forward, and fall on your face. Then you get up. You dust yourself off, and then try again.

    If you are thick-headed like MM here, you might have to go through twenty or thirty times before you get it right.

    Anyway, it was stressful. Aside from my weight-lifting, and drinking with my close group of friends, I didn’t really have much in the way of escape. I think all of us fall into this routine cycle from time to time. We work towards a goal, and we sacrifice other things to make it there. It doesn’t matter what it is, really. We push ourselves. And, you know, it’s stressful.

    This video is one of the songs that I used to listen to, and do push-ups to, when I was a student attending university. I hope you enjoy my little snapshot into my life at that time.

    Warning, it’s 70s era hard rock and the video is of 1970s quality. Just imagine me doing push-ups to this music, getting ready to be a Naval Aviator in a few months. Totally motivated. I had a nice body when I was in my early 20’s. I should have been using it in more sexual persuits, but at that time, I was a goal-oriented fellow, and sex with pretty girls was not on the agenda.

    I missed out on a lot of fun. I’ll tell you what.

    Again. Such is life.

    Girl in white halter

    She’s made a big impression on Douxing. Partly becuase of her following and partly for her fish shaped body. video 3MB

    Be the Rufus

    The answer to help you go through this period of change is to always be the Rufus. video 243MB

    Western society controls us by fear

    Its fear of change. It’s fear of the unknown. It’s fear of what others think. It’s fear of rejection. Don’t be afraid. Make your move. If they don’t like it, let them howl.

    video 9MB

    Chinese Military Swarm Drones

    It’s pretty cool and the Chinese have mass produced these machines. video 2MB

    NUMEROUS REPORTS: U.S. Army General CAPTURED in Mariupol with AZOV Nazis!

    .

    Numerous reports are now circulating claiming that United States Army Major General Roger L. Cloutier has been CAPTURED by Russian forces in or around Mariupol, Ukraine where, the reports claim, he was helping the AZOV Battalion which is Ukraine’s official NAZI unit.

    2022 04 05 20 14
    US Army General captured leading Nazis against Russians in Ukraine.

    According to Wikipedia, Major General Roger L. Cloutier:

    Roger L. Cloutier Jr. is a United States Army lieutenant general who serves as the Commander of the Allied Land Command. Previously, he served as the Commander of the United States Army Africa.
    
    Allied Land Command (LANDCOM) formerly Allied Land Forces South-Eastern Europe (LANDSOUTHEAST) is the standing headquarters for NATO land forces which may be assigned as necessary. The Commander LANDCOM is the prime land warfare advisor to the Alliance. When directed by the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, it provides the core of the headquarters responsible for the conduct of land operations. The command is based at Şirinyer (Buca), İzmir in Turkey.

    Email to the Pentagon sent several HOURS ago, has gone unanswered which, from a media perspective, is very unusual.  If this report was false, the Pentagon would deny it immediately.  They have NOT denied it.  But no official answer has come from the Pentagon either way as of 6:10 PM EDT Monday.

    UPDATE 10:49 PM EDT, TUESDAY APRIL 5 —

    I received an email tonight after my radio show, telling me that the Wikipedia page for General Roger L. Cloutier has been changed to say he DIED on March 28.  The images below were sent to me with that email:

    Screenshot 20220405 004924
    Screenshot 20220405 004924

    And…

    Screenshot 20220405 001125
    Screenshot 20220405 001125

    MM Notes

    Everything that the Russians have dealt with in Ukraine, and all the systems that they are encountering is now present in Taiwan. Taiwan is a carbon copy of Ukraine.

    All of this is going to create some very NASTY lashback from Asia.

    Do not be afraid of change!

    All the Western news is so filled with fear, and of course, here on MM, I also point out the various directions where the world can turn. But know this;

    • The primary driver for the world collapse are elites in the West (United States).
    • Their plans negate the influence of the collective East because their egos cannot admit that they are large, powerful, and smart.
    • This is dangerous as all their actions are now hurting the West, and we are just now collectively “watching the boat fill with water” in real time.
    • The East are lead with merit driven leaders who are determined and serious.
    • The East also has the backing of The Domain.
    • While there could be WMB detonations (keep in mind that The Domain did NOT stop any of the multiple bioweapon attacks), it will be geographically limited. It will not go full-on MAD.
    • The Deagal Report of the remote viewing of 2025 is approaching 100% validity.
    • The impression that I am getting from The Commander, is that in ten years, we all will collectively look back on this time and say “Phew! We just narrowly missed THE BIG ONE.” That’s the impression that I have, but I can be wrong.
    • And I want to tell everyone, the glimpses that I have of the future are not distopian.

    It’s more like this… video 14MB. 

    It will be a new start and a new beginning.

    .

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 3

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

    Ukraine trigger to global-political change along with HO trains, Chinese girls, and Euroweenie Trolls

    There’s quite a bit going on in the world today. And if you listen to the “news”, well, it’s all very frightening. It just seems like the entire world is going to shit. Well, it seems that way, but don’t be so sure that that is the case. Actually, the people in control are actually very smart, and they live in Asia.

    But the USA, well, it’s going to Hell in a handbasket.

    Here we are just going to throw out some representative articles about the global Geo-political situation mixed up with other tidbits of a MM interest. I hope that  you enjoy this adventure.

    Rufus gets wet

    You have to stop being a spectator and start participating in life. Stop watching and start doing. Here is what happens when you make that change. you become a Rufus, and your entire life changes. video 2MB

    American Consumers Ditch Brand Names For Generic Food As Inflation, Shortages Hit Supermarkets

    U.S. consumers’ loyalty to brand names at supermarkets is quickly evolving as they try new grocery products amid snarled supply chains and high inflation.

    Top food companies like Kraft Heinz Co. and Kellogg Co. are at dire risk of losing market share as supermarket operators grapple with shortages and fill empty store shelves with lower-cost brands, industry insiders told WSJ.

    American households are money-conscious more than ever as inflation hits four-decade highs and takes a bite out of their monthly spending budgets. Some consumers have broken ranks of years and years of brand loyalty only to buy whatever is on the shelf, often generic brands.

    “We see people make more choices on items because they are available,” said Tony Sarsam, chief executive officer of grocery chain SpartanNash Co.

    Sarsam said SpartanNash had reduced shelf space for food products from major brands because of shortages, allowing it to expand room for local brands, which had more dependable supply.

    Private-label consulting company Daymon Worldwide Inc. conducted a survey between May 2020 and August 2021 and found 70% of U.S. consumers bought new or tried different brands in a post-pandemic world. This means brand loyalty could be collapsing as consumers buy what is available and the cheapest.

    Even though consumers generally buy familiar brands, industry analysts show high inflation and belt-tightening by households have forced many to find a better deal to make their dollars go further, even if that means buying generic brands.

    84.51 LLC, a data analysis business of supermarket giant Kroger Co., also confirms consumers are switching to low-cost brands.

    Kroger’s 84.51 said that 90% of consumers are willing to try another brand if their primary brand is unavailable.

    WSJ spoke with one consumer in Fort Lauderdale who has been, like many other Americans, trying out new brands because the ones they wanted were out of stock or because prices were too high.

    The days of supermarkets carrying only top-shelf brands could be over as shortages and inflation open new opportunities for food companies that can deliver low-cost products.

    The shift in shopping behavior is a significant warning for major brands as supermarkets are desperately trying to fill shelf space amid shortages. People are more inclined to try new brands, and many seek low-cost ones.

    “There hasn’t been a lot of customer resistance,” said Jonathan Weis, chief executive of Weis Markets Inc., referring to consumers trying generic brands. “They’d rather get orange juice than no orange juice,” he added.

    Your comments please.

    Old-Fashioned Tangy Cabbage

    Here’s something fun and super easy to make.

    When was the last time that you had a side of cabbage with your meal? Probably in ages. I’ll tell you what, you are not going to get this in a restrurant as you will have to make it yourself. There is not a single fast-food establishment that will serve this great dish. But don’t worry. It’s delicious and easy to make.

    Old Fashioned Tangy Cabbage ArticleImage CategoryPage ID 1157697
    Old Fashioned Tangy Cabbage

    Old-Fashioned Tangy Cabbage is the perfect go-along for almost any main dish. It’s a simply delicious combination of cabbage and apples, simmered in cider and a few other great seasonings, too!

    Your comments please.

    What You’ll Need

    • 1 green cabbage, shredded (about 12 cups)
    • 2 red apples, cored, seeds removed, and cut into 1-inch chunks
    • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1/4 cup apple juice
    • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

    What to Do

    1. In a soup pot, combine all ingredients.
    2. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium, and cook 25 to 30 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed and cabbage is tender.

    People have hardships

    Oh, yes they do, and a Rufus is aware of them. This is becuase a Rufus has experienced them himor herself. We know. We understand, and we are there to help. Be the helping-hand Rufus. Show empathy and understanding. video

    Your comments please.

    The United States should have heeded Lee Hsien Loong’s advice.

    Published: Apr 01, 2022 12:21 AM
    .

    Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is on an eight-day visit to the US. Lee mentioned many times the solidarity and cooperation of the international community.

    He reminded Washington that if the US cuts off China, “the price is very high.”

    He also emphasized that the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework should be built “on a win-win basis,” and “as a way to engage the region and not just on strategic or security and potentially hostile basis.”

    This is not the first time that Lee raised kind reminder to Washington.

    He has expressed similar views many times before, including describing the two superpowers, China and the US, as “conjoined twins,” and warning that clash between the two powers would be a disaster for the world.

    In addition, Lee has many times expressed the attitude that Singapore cannot take sides.

    Singapore is one of the US’ closest partners in Southeast Asia, though not a formal treaty ally. Former US president Barack Obama once said Singapore is an anchor for the US presence in the region. At the same time, Singapore has  significant influence in ASEAN. Therefore, Lee’s remarks are sincere to Washington and representative and symbolic in ASEAN.

    “When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.” This phrase is being brought up more and more frequently today, which reflects a sense of realistic anxiety. ASEAN countries are reluctant to be forced to take sides between China and the US, and they are more worried about becoming a wrestling ring in the game of major powers.

    Singapore can be regarded as one of the countries that have achieved a relatively good balance between China and the US.

    But with the promotion of the US’ strategic containment against China, it has become more and more difficult to maintain this balance. It is noticeable that when Lee made objective remarks on China-US ties this time, he was labeled a “Beijing whisperer.”

    But in any case, even if the US covers its ears, wears a blindfold and exerts brute force, it still cannot change the reality that the US’ Indo-Pacific strategy is unpopular in the region.

    Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi recently said publicly that the US needs a stronger economic agenda for the Asia-Pacific region, as opposed to its current focus on security issues. “What the people want is prosperity, not only security… our people will ask what is the meaning of developing the concept if [‘the Indo-Pacific strategy’] doesn’t bring economic benefits for the people,” she noted. ASEAN countries are generally aware that the US only wants to create a “bridgehead” against China in the region.

    For a while in the past, some countries believed that if they made enough concessions, the US could provide enough support to them. However, it has been proven time and again that US promises are like window paper.

    Washington’s “America First” agenda, which only cares about itself and not others, has made some countries suffer and made others more alert. Singapore had actively embraced the US-sponsored Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), but it ended in vain, with the US withdrawing from the agreement. Today, the US is trying to promote another NATO in the Asia-Pacific and expand NATO to the region, embedding more risks of conflict in the region.

    As a country embedded in globalization, Singapore cannot afford a geopolitical confrontation between major powers and attaches particular importance to the security and stability of its surrounding environment. Thus, it is extraordinarily sensitive to geopolitical risks and has a forward-looking judgment on the situation. In the past two years, Singaporean politicians have warned on various occasions that the Asia-Pacific region is moving in a very dangerous direction and have repeatedly expressed their call for the US to accept China’s rise, and that they “don’t wish to be forced into making invidious choices,” while stressing that this is also in the fundamental interests of the US. Such voices of reason, however, are often ignored by Washington.

    An unavoidable reality is that though the US wants to weave a tight net to besiege China, the net cannot withstand scrutiny. Be it the Five Eyes alliance, Quad or AUKUS, none of the members are ASEAN countries. Public opinion has noticed that at the press conference after US President Joe Biden met with Lee Hsien Loong, Biden mentioned the Indo-Pacific six times, but Lee hardly used this term which is an American concept that carries strong bloc politics, and chose “Asia Pacific,” a clear indication of a gap with the US’ stance.

    A just cause has many helpers while an unjust one finds few followers. No force can run counter to the trends and hearts and minds. Even though Washington can continue to fool the public opinion, it cannot fill up the hollowing out of the Indo-Pacific strategy. If Washington cannot even listen to the advice of Singapore, a close ally, reality will teach it a profound lesson.

    Barry White

    He has been such an inspiration in my life. Seriously. Most especially his later stuff. And unfortunately he died young. Be that kind of inspiration.

    Learning about China by looking at the Chinese girls here

    This is a great and a fun way to get a snapshot of another nation. You take a look at the society, and in this case, you look at the women and girls there. Of course, if all you do is watch American “mainstream media” you might think that Chinese girls are flat-chested, thin waifs that tremble becuse they are overwhelmed by the great mass of horny menfolk (due to the one child policy). Of course, it’s a massive lie, but heck. If you want to be stupid, stay that way. I just don’t give a fuck. Here’s what Chinese girls really look like. Video.

    Girl one Nice cityscape. 4MB

    Girl two – Girl in a tight black top. 4MB

    Girl three A nice lass in yellow. 4MB

    Girl four – Pale in browns and tans. Still, nice. 4MB

    Girl Five – Nice friendly and approachable girl in her livingroom. 5MB

    Do these girls look like they are downtrodden, helpless, thin, look like little girls desirous of American democracy?

    Model Trains

    About twenty five years ago I subscribed to a HO scale catalog. This was sort of my dream book. There, I would leaf through the pages in this 30mm thick (one inch think… telephone sized book) catalog with all sorts of glossy images of toy trains and homes, and buildings.

    2022 04 02 17 07
    Farm supply building.

    Its not that I actively had a HO layout or was involved in this hobby. Instead, it was a fantasy that I employed to relax with.

    I would go to the bathroom, and take a nice dump while I would leaf though the pages. There, I would imagine the model layouts that I could construct, were I to have thousands of dollars in disposible income. Alas, it never happened, but it was a nice escape.

    Though, for me, instead of visualizing trains, and train lines, I actually visualized building towns, bridges, farms, and tiny, tiny communities. All peopled with tiny, tiny people.

    2022 04 02 17 0r7
    Used Book Store.

    You can visit their web page here, and get lost in the latest in cool minitures and tiny, tiny people.

    2022 04 02 17 08
    Barber Shop.

    Of course, there are locomotives and train cars galore.

    2022 04 02 17 24
    Box car.

    Did you ever have a train set growing up? How old were you and what kind was it?

    Chinese patriotism

    The big lie parroted and regurgitated thoughout the Western media is that the Chinese are downtrodden, unhappy and yearning for democracy. All that needs to happen is a “regime change” and then the United States can come on into China and fix things the “American Way”. It’s a big bunch of sloppy, juicy bullshit. The Chinese approval ratings for the Communist Party are around 98%.

    Here’s some glimpses of just how overwhelmingly patriotic the Chinese are about their Communist Government. video 74MB

    The United States is supposed to be the beacon for the world. Why isn’t this level of patriotism experienced inside the ‘States?

    Inside Info: Israeli Pay Sheet for Internet TROLLS

    Israel pays people to be Internet TROLLS, and to intentionally “steer” Internet conversations and information in a pro-Israel direction. The pay sheet below shows what these TROLLS are being paid to do:

    2022 04 02 16 02
    Paid Troll.

    So while YOU are out on the net, perusing public opinion about issues and news, these folks seem to be out there intentionally steering content to achieve THEIR goals.

    They don’t have to tell the truth. They don’t have to actually believe what they’re posting. They get paid to post.

    Remember that as you peruse the Internet. There are people and groups and entities deliberately manipulating what you read to manipulate YOUR opinion and views.

    As I have clearly stated, the algorithms that decide which websites to harrass are totally flummoxed by the MM systems of multiple subjects covering a wide variety of topics.

    Australia’s big new move on China: Major announcement expected

    A major announcement is expected to be made in response to a controversial decision involving China and a crucial Australian site. It appears the Australia is going to place a massive American logistics base near Darwin port, or break their contract with the Chinese. Why would they do such a thing?

    .
    The door has been left open to building a new port facility in Darwin port amid concerns over a Chinese company leasing the existing port.
    
    A Defence review found there was no national security grounds to recommend the Morrison government to overturn the port’s 99-year agreement with China’s Landbridge Group.
    
    Buried in a media release from Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce was the inclusion of $1.5bn for “new port infrastructure” in Darwin.
    
    Asked if it was for a new Darwin port, to be announced as an election commitment, Defence Minister Peter Dutton did not rule it out.
    
    “There's a massive commitment from the government into the Northern Territory and that does look at port development and ways in which we might be able to look at support through contracts in defence for example,” Mr Dutton told reporters in Canberra.

    .

    More War!

    .

    Italian Style Sourdough Melt

    It seems “new” and fancy. When really, it’s a flavor experiment that is really a fun thing to make up on a nice lazy weekend.

    Italian Style Sourdough Melt ArticleImage CategoryPage ID 1143406
    Italian Style Sourdough Melt

    Sourdough bread adds a special artisan touch to this easy Italian Style Sourdough Melt. Inspired by a famous San Francisco sourdough bread, this sandwich is easily made at home.

    What You’ll Need

    • 2 tablespoons pesto
    • 4 slices sourdough bread
    • 1/4 pound sliced deli ham
    • 1/4 pound sliced deli salami
    • 1 tomato, sliced
    • 4 slices provolone cheese

    What to Do

    1. Spread pesto evenly over one side of each bread slice. Equally divide the ham, salami, tomato, and provolone cheese on two slices of the bread.
    2. Heat sandwiches open-faced in a toaster oven, or on a baking sheet in a 350 degree F. oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
    3. Top with remaining 2 slices of bread, and serve.

    MM discusses public services

    It’s a nice walk around near my house. I just chat some about public services, streets, easy transportation access. Maintenance. Public toilets. Trash pickup. Etc.

    Video 105MB

    Do you like my walk abouts? If so, then tell me your thoughts.

    The Euro-weenies to order China to sanction Russia

    The European Union and China will hold a virtual summit today. Before the summit started Brussels has strewn rumors that it would pressure China to not support Russia. That’s not going to happen. As of 4FED22, Russia and China are one single nation; a United Asia.

    China is of course rejecting any pressure and retaliates by pointing out Europe’s weak strategic autonomy:

    Hours before the China-EU leaders' meetings on Friday, Chinese analysts warned that China-EU relations cannot be kidnapped by the Ukraine crisis, and Europe should no longer be abducted by the US in foreign policy, as it will greatly undermine the EU's own interests, making it difficult to ensure economic recovery and people's livelihood, and runs counter to Europe's aim of pursuing strategic independence. 
    ...
    As the Russia-Ukraine conflict stretches to over a month, Europe has sustained great pressure resulting from sanctions against Russia and its over-reliance on US-led NATO security structure.
    
    "The EU is now kidnapped by the US on security, but that does not conform to the strategic independence EU has pursued," [Cui Hongjian, director of the Department of European Studies at the China Institute of International Studies] said.
    
    To avoid being caught in hot water again, the EU must take control of its own destiny. And developing ties with China provides the EU an opportunity to develop in a more balanced and comprehensive way in the long term, he said.

    Its reliance on the U.S./NATO is Europe’s core strategic weakness. The U.S. has used it to infiltrate Europe’s decision making structures.

    How could EU possibly consider that they have any persuasive power to dictate to China? The truth is easy to see. China shall satisfy its national interests. Nothing more, and nothing less. Meanwhile, the EU will satisfy its master’s interests; The Unittied States.

    These bucco’s are all a bunch of hallucinating fruit-cases.

    I am not at all exaggerating. This is the absolute definition of insanity.  When you have repeatable experiences that has time and time again, proven a repeatable result, and yet, a person (or organization) insists on a different result. Sheech! Didn’t China reject Europe’s requests of abandoning Russia multiple times in the past?

    Schools in Finland

    Think about this.

    1646927442 1
    1646927442 1

    Good idea or bad one?

    In Ukraine

    From: https://twitter.com/realGonzaloLira/status/1509807142634766338

    >The recent failed attempt by 3 Ukrainian helicopters to evacuate troops from Mariupol was a desperate mission with very low chances of success. This raises the question why would Ukraine risk what little is left of its airforce for something so suicidal?
    
    >Macron started spamming Putin with calls, demanding permission to carry out a "humanitarian evacuation" in Mariupol with the help of French, Greek forces.
    
    >The head of the French military intelligence is getting fired for "failures" to "proper assess" the situation in Ukraine.
    
    So we have:
    
    >.ua suicide mission to evacuate someone
    >Macron shitting bricks and begging Putin
    >Head of French military intelligence getting sacked

    From: https://twitter.com/gbazov/status/1509555914449293317

    Further sources indicate the presence of two #France intelligence #DGSE operatives (both said to be dead) on board the crashed helicopter. This would explain #Macron's desperate please to #Putin as of late to organize a French-led evacuation from #Mariupol
    
    #MARIUPOL—With respect to the 2nd chopper shot down, it fell several kilometres off the coast of Mariupol, in the #Azov sea. The location is currently being investigated.
    
    #MARIUPOL—Sources indicate that, at #Azovstal, a group totaling 20—of #US (#American) & #UK (#British) military advisors of #Azov defenders, as well as several UK #SBU (#Ukraine|ian secrete police) advisors—is holed up, together with Azov fighters. They were too late to evacuate.

    And a video of Ukrainian woman speaking the truth: https://twitter.com/backtolife_2022/status/1509569989321318400

    It’s a woman thing

    You get this great item of clothing on the internet, and you can’t wait until it arrives. You check the size and and put it on, and this is what happens…

    8739c45cafbebece7938e2d811
    Not quite ideal.

    Women can add their thoughts.

    Secrets

    Everyone has a story to tell. Some are good, and some are not so good. But that’s life. It’s what makes us human. Here’s a story from a man that holds a secret inside that he can never let out.

    A while back, I was cheating on my wife with a coworker. It went on for months, and I never really cared for the woman I was cheating with. She was super hot, though. 
    
    After a while my coworker started getting really crazy and threatening to tell my wife (whom I had a child with and a baby on the way) about everything. Obviously, I kept trying to cut things off because I realized I was making a mistake. 
    
    She lost it one night and was freaking out and texting me telling me she was going to come to my house, and a drunk driver hit her. She died instantly. 
    
    No one knows I was having an affair, and my family went to her funeral.

    Some secrets are left buried. There’s no need to tell anyone about this, and there’s no justifiable reason to do so.

    Oh Hell no!

    Yikes!

    1646830419 9
    1646830419 9

    Your comments.

    Why Chinese audiences don’t love Hollywood blockbusters any more?

    A new change By Chen XiPublished: Mar 30, 2022 07:24 PM

    March is coming to an end, but the three highly anticipated foreign language films The Batman, Moonfall and Uncharted have failed to inject new life into the current stagnant Chinese mainland box office.

    As of Wednesday, the total box office of the three films has not been able to surpass the 300 million yuan ($47 million) mark, with The Batman, Moonfall and Uncharted grossing 117 million yuan, 74.68 million yuan and 90.31 million yuan respectively, according to China’s ticketing platform Maoyan.

    The current surge in COVID-19 cases nationally has probably been a large barrier preventing them from maximizing their box office as Maoyan shows that as of Tuesday only 46.8 percent of mainland theaters are open.

    Pessimistic outlook

    China’s Qingming Festival holiday is set to kick off in the beginning of April. In recent years, more small and medium-budget domestic films have chosen to debut during this time because, unlike the Spring Festival, they do not have to worry about competing against big blockbusters.

    For example, Sister took home 860 million yuan when it was released during the Qingming Festival period in 2021, driving the overall box office of this period to a record high.

    However, due to the current COVID-19 outbreak in China, four domestic films that were set to debut during the Qingming Festival have delayed their release dates. This has allowed two foreign language films Escape Room: Tournament of Champions and Hotel Transylvania 4: Transformania to take the lead in the schedule, although they may find the Chinese film market a tough nut to crack, according to a report from Maoyan on Wednesday.

    The report noted that more domestic films are likely to be released in April only after the outbreak is brought under control.

    Looking at the overall schedule, only one to two foreign language movies are set to be released each week throughout April in the mainland film market, including the highly anticipated The Secrets of Dumbledore, US action thriller film Ambulance and Indian blockbuster Drishyam.

    Inevitable trend

    Chinese film observers, however, say that the COVID-19 pandemic has only been a “catalyst” and that it is inevitable for Chinese audiences to eventually lose interest in Hollywood movies.

    According to industry insiders, there are many reasons behind this trend.

    First of all, Hollywood has been producing fewer original stories in recent years as the industrialization of Hollywood has caused it to focus more on movie franchises, comic book adaptations and visual effects blockbusters, Shi Wenxue, a film critic based in Beijing, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

    “Whether it is The Batman or Spider-Man, Hollywood only captivates audiences through nostalgia without any creative expression about the current international situation and the impact of the pandemic on human beings,” he added.

    Shi is not the only one to think this way.

    The hashtag “Why does the Chinese audience dislike watching Hollywood movies?” began trending on China’s Twitter-like Sina Weibo recently. Some netizens said they feel the main reason is that Hollywood has indeed become too commercialized, producing routine “fast-food”-like movies without any innovation by assembly line, and that the current Hollywood output is incomparable with past classics such as The Godfather, Forrest Gump and Avatar.

    Shi Chuan, vice chairman of the Shanghai Film Association, told the Global Times on Wednesday that films from other countries, especially those made in Japan, South Korea and India, also pose a threat to Hollywood movies in China.

    “Movies like Japanese film Shoplifters and Indian blockbuster Dangal achieved huge success in the Chinese film market, as the stories from neighboring countries resonate more with Chinese audiences. This shows that only good stories can hit people’s hearts,” he said.

    He added that in the past, when the China’s economy was lagging behind the rest of the world, people only had access to simple means of entertainment, and so were naturally attracted to the technology and culture of economically developed regions. However, now that Chinese audiences are more open-minded and confident, their taste in movies has improved.

    The huge successes of Wolf Warrior 2, The Wandering Earth and The Battle at Lake Changjin prove that the Chinese film market has been rapidly developing.

    “We create our own heroes and most of them are adapted from real historical stories, which makes them more convincing.”

    In 2020, China surpassed North America to become the world’s largest film market in terms of box office.

    Shi pointed out that a deeply rooted reason for the decline may also stem from Chinese audiences questioning the US-centric ideology on display in Hollywood films, which tend to be about the American Dream or portray the ideological embodiment of US hegemony.

    “Chinese no longer believe in US heroes in their stories. In the current international context, we don’t seem to need this kind of salvation, let alone fully identify with what they value,” he said.

    Diversity by law

    Meanwhile in the United States…

    • NFL Orders Teams To Hire Minority Or Female Offensive Assistant Coaches For 2022 Season
      The policy was adopted by NFL owners during their annual meeting on March 28 and requires all 32 NFL teams to hire an offensive assistant coach who is “a female or a member of an ethnic or racial minority,” regardless of whether or not the team already has a coach who satisfies those requirements among their staff.

      In the Clinton 1990s, the wisdom circulated that White America was getting replaced and therefore, business needed to cater to the New Americans.

    Various comically condescending attempts followed, after which point they finally hit on a solution of sorts: continue affirmative action but through private industry.

    To be part of the goodthinker club in the coastal cosmopolitan metroplexes where the executives, publicists, journalists, and investors live, therefore, it seemed like a logical rationalization from precedent to start with more of these programs, even though it is steadily driving away their core audience.

    It is one hell of a piss-boor business model.

    The curse of the white cat.

    daily picdump 23 5
    The curse of the white cat.

    White cat owners please chime in.

    Why it is important to not use cheap measuring tapes

    This is shocking!

    1646830403 11
    1646830403 11

    It gives “China” a bad name. Though, actually the white tape looks to be from Vietnam.

    Confessions Of A Father With A Psychopathic Son

    From HERE.

    My son was very troubled. VERY troubled. If you have seen the movie “We Need To Talk About Kevin”, it will really help to understand what I’m talking about, because I swear to God when I watched that film I thought I was watching a documentary of my life, I felt like the writer must have had cameras hidden in my damn house, that’s how accurate it was. The only difference is that in the movie, the boy appears normal to his father and only reveals his true nature to his mother, with my son he didn’t have that mask. His insane behavior was the same with everyone.

    From the day he was born, my son just came out wrong. He was planned, my wife and I tried to get pregnant and were ecstatic when he was born. He was wanted and loved. We showered affection on him and really tried to give him a happy childhood. But from the day we brought him home from the hospital, he was miserable. He cried for 13 months straight. I’m not exaggerating, 13 months without a break, he cried until he had no voice left and kept crying, you could see his little face scrunched up and no sound coming out, totally hoarse. There were times he would literally be crying in his sleep, I’ve never seen or heard of any other kid able to do that. We brought him to doctors, specialists, tried changing his diet, held him, rocked him, toys, swaddling, music, mobiles, everything we could think of. Nothing worked. 13 months of grating, grinding, no sleep hell.

    Once he got over the crying stage, we thought we were out of the woods. But it quickly became clear that for some unknown reason, he was just angry at being alive. I never saw that kid have a genuine, joyous smile once in the time I knew him. I saw him grin a vicious, horrible grin many times, taking a perverse pleasure from causing pain or suffering or breaking a rule, but a smile from real pleasure at something nice? No, never. Not once. He had no interest in anything positive; he was fueled by hate, and everything he did was bent toward that.

    As soon as he could walk, his mission in life was to destroy things. He would break or try to break anything that came in his range, smash it, chew it, throw it in the toilet, whatever he could. After a while he figured out how to get his diaper off and took great pleasure in shitting and pissing anywhere he could. After a while he figured out he could hide it, and started pissing and shitting in places we wouldn’t find right away, grinding it into carpets making it even more of a problem to clean and making the house stink. When he got older, (ages 9-15) he would piss and shit in our bed, until we got a lock on our door and he wasn’t able to get in anymore; then he’d just take a dump in the hallway in front of our room. That biological warfare started around a 2 and a half years old and he never grew out of it.

    I’ll try to speed it up as I could literally go on for days about this stuff, but as he grew older, he became more and more unmanageable. He would bite, kick, scream, scratch and spit at anyone trying to do anything with him. He was kicked out of school twice before he was 9, then let him back in and then kicked him out for good, he had to change schools. The next one put him in a special class that kept him away from the other students. We had to install a door and lock on the kitchen because he would steal knives and use them to gouge the walls/furniture or chase people with them. When he was 10, he stabbed me pretty good in the hip and ass, I still have the scars. As he grew older, he grew darker. He moved into setting things on fire, and torturing local animals. There was a stray dog that hung out around the park near our house, my son blinded it in one eye with a BBQ fork. He would dip cat’s tails in gasoline and light them on fire. He became a violent, stinking, vicious beast that lived in our house. We couldn’t do anything with him.

    YES, we had the kid in fucking therapy. He saw a psychiatrist twice a week, and had god knows how many different medications prescribed to him over the years. Nothing worked. Therapy didn’t work. Meds didn’t work. Nothing fucking worked. He was like a poison cloud of hate and fury lashing out at anything in his reach.

    When my son was 16, my wife got pregnant again. I can’t tell you how different our reaction was. Instead of joy, we felt horror. This pregnancy had not been planned, and we really were at a loss over what to do. My son had been such an unending nightmare for 16 years, we couldn’t take the idea of starting again from the beginning. We talked a lot about terminating, but a) access to abortion was not as easy in those days as it is now, and b) my wife was very against it. We talked about many options. In the end, we decided that my wife would have the baby, and if it turned out evil we would put it up for adoption. We knew we just couldn’t do it again with another child like our son.

    We had a daughter. She was normal. Suddenly we saw what our lives should have been like the whole time, how things would have been had our son not been himself. She laughed at things. She breast fed without biting (she didn’t have teeth yet anyway, but you could tell she was just trying to eat, not tear her mom’s breast off). After 4 months she was sleeping through the night. She was happy. She was NORMAL. I can’t describe the relief and happiness that we both felt, I don’t have the words for it.

    This where I believe I may have started really pulling back from my son. Up until that time, whatever mistakes I made, I had always tried to do the best for my son, I am convinced of that. I tried to help him and love him and care for him, I really tried. But when my daughter was born, my wife and I both instinctively just turned toward her. She became our focus, not from malice, but just because she was so much EASIER. She was so happy and sweet, every moment we were with her was like magic. I understand this was wrong, but we honestly couldn’t help it. I don’t have a better explanation than that.

    My son hadn’t given a shit about my wife being pregnant, I honestly don’t know if he really understood it, but when we brought our daughter home he started acting out even more. I didn’t think it was possible, but he took it up another notch. At this time he was 17, and we were having blow-out screaming matches daily. Usually after we fought, he would storm out of the house and disappear for hours at a time, or come back the next morning. It was a relief. I started to actually look forward to our fights because it would get him away from us for a while.

    After the birth of our daughter, my relationship with my son was almost entirely gone, our only real interactions were screaming at each other. My wife was even worse with him, she just had nothing left. By that time, if our son even came in to the same room as her, she would just stop whatever she was doing and start screaming “GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME! GET AWAY! GET THE FUCK OUT!” until he left. He started spending more and more time out of the house, which was a blessing for us. I have no idea what he got up to out in the world, but we were just happy it wasn’t being inflicted on us.

    As a consequence of our son’s behavior, we had invested heavily in locks around our house. All of the cheap, thin interior doors in our home had been replaced with think, dense wood doors that couldn’t be kicked through, equipped with keyed locks that my wife and I carried keys to. I know it sounds extreme, but locks and heavy doors were the best way we had found to create safe spaces from him. I was not locking my son in rooms like a prisoner, he had free reign of the house and could come and go as he pleased. My wife and I would lock OURSELVES in rooms to protect ourselves from him, if anything WE were the prisoners in our own home.

    On the day in question, I had fought with my son in the morning and he had left the house in a rage. My wife and I were enjoying some peace and quiet in the kitchen while our daughter napped in our bedroom. And then my daughter began crying. Any parent who has young children can tell you, you get used to your child’s cries and you can tell after a while what they need, they cry differently if they are hungry, or need changing, or are just restless and want to be held. Babies can communicate pretty well before they can speak. This cry was none of those things. This cry was terror. The second we heard it my wife and I were both up out of our chairs and running to the room. The door was locked of course, and it took a few seconds to get the right key and get it open.

    My son was in the room. We lived in a bungalow, and the bastard had climbed in the window to get to her. He was standing over her crib with a steak knife in his hand. I have no idea where he got it, it wasn’t one of ours; we controlled our knives very carefully and always kept them in locked drawers. I think he may have stolen it from one of our neighbor’s houses. He had broken her skin twice already, once in the belly area and once on her arm. I could see blood running down. When I entered the room he was dragging the back of the knife down her face, not cutting, almost tickling her with it, teasing her while she screamed. He looked up at us and smiled.

    Before I knew what I was doing, I was already moving, running to put myself between them. I didn’t think about it, I just moved instinctively. Even with that, my wife got there faster, it was like a movie on fast forward, she got to our son and bashed his hand away, knocking the knife across the room and then shoved him with her whole body weight, so hard that he flew away from the crib and bounced off the wall. I picked up my daughter and held her while my wife screened us. I could see her shaking, almost convulsing. I can remember the smell of the room, the sound of my daughter screaming and wailing. The look on my son’s face as he stood there. Just nothing. Blank, dead, there was nothing in his eyes, no emotion. He looked like an alien to me. I watched my wife take a step toward him. I could have reached out and stopped her, but I didn’t. She stepped forward again, very close to him. I could have stopped her again. But I didn’t. She waited, looking at him for maybe 3 to 5 seconds without moving. And then she punched him in the face.

    Now until this point, you may have been picturing my wife as a typical woman, small frame, dainty, delicate. This is not the case. My wife does have a small frame, but dainty and delicate she is not, never has been since I’ve known her. Since her early teens, my wife has been a boxer. MMA didn’t exist back then, but karate and boxing were big in those days, and my wife was a VERY talented amateur. She was about 130 pounds, she carried a lot of muscle and she knew how to punch. I had 70 pounds on her back then, and I have no doubt that in a real fight between me and her she could have and would have pounded me flat. Neither of us had ever laid a hand on our son in anger before, but something broke in her that day, and all the years of anger and pain and sorrow and frustration just came pouring out. When she hit him his head snapped back and blood started pouring out of his nose. He hardly reacted, he just looked at her with this shocked expression like he didn’t know how to process what had just happened. She waited another second. And then she hit him again.

    I could have reached out and stopped her. I could have dragged her out of the room, taken her away, calmed her. I didn’t. I just stood there and watched while she systematically started to pound him to a pulp. Every time he brought his hands to cover one part she would blast him somewhere else, body, head, body, head, over and over. He started screaming, crying out, yelling for her to stop. It’s the most genuine reaction I’d ever seen him have to anything in his whole life. But she wasn’t stopping. I watched her ramping up, hitting harder, faster, working him like a heavy bag. He tried to swing at her and she slipped him easily. She was on auto pilot, sinking down into her training. I stood there watching for a minute. Then I turned my back on them and took my daughter out of the room.

    I brought my daughter to the kitchen and gave her a bath in the sink. I found that he had cut her a third time on the sole of her foot. All the cuts were superficial. I cleaned her up and held her until she calmed. I put Polysporin and Band-Aids on her cuts. In our bedroom, I could hear my son screaming, calling my wife horrible names, telling her he would cut her head off and fuck her corpse. After a while, I didn’t hear him saying anything anymore, didn’t even hear him crying out. I assumed that he must have been knocked out. But I could still hear her beating him.

    That went on for a long time. Long enough for my daughter to drift off to sleep in my arms. I just sat at the kitchen table waiting for her to finish. Finally she came out and sat down across from me. Her hands were swollen and red. Her face and arms were splattered with blood. Her chest was heaving. We just stared at each other without saying anything. After a while I asked her “Is he dead?” She looked back at me and answered “I fucking hope so”. I nodded. That was all there was to say about that. I understood how she felt perfectly. I felt the same. I didn’t know what to do, so we just sat there waiting silently. Eventually my wife started crying and went to go take a shower. I just stayed where I was holding our daughter.

    After a long while, I heard moaning and sobbing coming from our room. It turned out that my son wasn’t dead. I went in to see how bad it was, and it was… pretty bad. I’ve never seen a more merciless beating laid onto anyone, before or since. He was lying on the floor, rolling around with blood leaking out of his face, lying in a pool of vomit. His nose was squashed flat out across his face, both of his eyes were completely swollen shut and starting to blacken already. I could see that a couple of his fingers were bent out at weird angles and he had pissed his pants. I think he must have been missing teeth, but I couldn’t see any on the floor and I couldn’t see inside his mouth, his lips were all puffed up and swollen. From talking to my wife about it later, I know now that she had systematically beaten every part of his body, focusing heavily on his legs. She told me she kicked him in the groin repeatedly until her legs got tired, and had kept beating his body long after he had passed out.

    When my wife came out of the shower, I still didn’t know what to do about our son. I didn’t know whether to call the police or an ambulance, take him to the hospital myself, I honestly didn’t have any idea what to do. After a while I realized that I simply didn’t care what happened to him anymore, and we decided to just let him live or die on his own. There was an in-law suite in the basement that we had never really used, and my wife, my daughter and I just moved down there. We simply ceded the top floor of the house to my son and locked everything down, separated our lives entirely. There was plenty of food in the upstairs cabinets, enough for a couple weeks or more, he had a washroom and bedrooms to use. We had a washroom in the basement, a small kitchenette, and a separate entrance so we just stopped going upstairs. We just decided we were done with him. I figured we’d let his food run out and see what happened.

    Over the next week we could hear him moving around upstairs sometimes. I think he just spent most of time lying in bed recovering. I went to work, watching on high alert in case he attacked me in the driveway, but he never did. My wife stayed home with our daughter. She was never out of our sight. One night we heard him going ballistic, smashing things and banging. We didn’t respond. He never tried to get downstairs or get near us though. I think he was afraid that if he got near us again, my wife might finish the job on him. After three weeks down in the basement, we hadn’t heard anything from up above for a few days, and I ventured upstairs to the main floor of the house.

    The place was demolished, and there was no sign of my son. He was gone. It took months to repair the damage he had done and get the main floor back to normal again. There was food and shit smeared all over the walls and broken glass on the floor, big holes in the dry wall, he had ripped the place apart. He tore up the linoleum in a corner of the kitchen and emptied an entire foam fire extinguisher into the living room. I feel thankful that he didn’t burn the house down with us in it, I’m honestly not sure why he didn’t, the kid wasn’t shy about lighting things on fire. After that, I lived in fear every day that he would come back, that he would ambush us out of the blue and try to kill us. We moved house about 3 years later and I finally stopped being afraid that he would show up again, as now he had no idea where we were. I finally felt safe from him.

    All this happened a long time ago. My son was born in the spring of 1971, my daughter was born in ’88. I’m an old man now, I’ll be 70 this year and my wife passed from cancer in 2016. My daughter is 31 now, I moved in with her and her husband after my wife passed. I’ve got two granddaughters and they are the joy of my life. I see a therapist a couple times a month to talk about all this. I don’t know where my son is. The last time I saw him was when he was lying on the floor of our bedroom, bleeding and smashed. I haven’t heard from him since he left, more than 30 years now. I don’t want to.

    I carry a lot of guilt from that time, and a lot of conflicted emotions. I didn’t beat him myself, but I allowed him to be beaten, and I thought he deserved it. I was happy it happened. I didn’t try to kill him, but I would have been happy if he died. I will say that I do hope he was able to overcome his demons and go live a normal life somewhere. If he wasn’t able to do that, if he stayed the way he was, then I truly do hope someone out there killed him. When I knew him he was a rabid dog, and whichever way it went I just hope he isn’t still out there hurting anyone else.

    This entire write up has shooken me. As someone who was married to a mentally ill person, I could very much relate to the situation that I found myself in when her personality went Dr Jekkle and Mr Hyde. Comments?

    MM commentary

    I’m sure that he moved into politics, and is probably in a great position of power inside Washington DC today.

    A great deal on a “fixer Upper”.

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    A great deal on a “fixer Upper”.

    It looks like a lot of work, don’t you know.

    ‘Tattooed Lady”, Rory Gallagher performs live at Rockpalast (1977)

    When asked how it felt to be the greatest guitar player in the world, Jimi Hendrex responded “Ask Rory Gallagher”. Please enjoy this section of one of the guitar greats from my youth.

    This ornament has a hole for a light to poke through so it mimics the lit lighter from Die Hard.

    Die Hard is a classic Christmas movie. Don’t you think?

    577f07516e8e4b04300b1cf16e
    Die Hard Christmas.

    Remember to be the Rufus

    It defines your sentience. When the going gets tough, the survivors are those that are members in a community. The idea that the lone-wolf can win and survive is just a Hollysood fantasy. History celarly tells us otherwise. Be that Rufus. video.

    Woman gives birth on a stairway. video of Rufus help. 4MB

    Be the Rufus

    The alarm bells are ringing. Are you going to step up to the plate and participate in life, or are you going to still stand by and be a spectator? Be a Rufus. video 2MB

    “Russia is Succeeding Wildly in its Objectives!” Scott Ritter on the War in Ukraine

    Outstanding interview! Read this and get a fresh perspective. -MM

    Transcript – Interview with Scott Ritter, March 23, 2022

    Global Research: The last time you were on the show, about a month before Russia authorized a military incursion into Ukraine you mentioned that if it did happen it would not be trying to occupy the country. It would be in your words “lancing the boil.” An attempt to demilitarize and destroy Ukraine as a modern nation-state. It seems based on mainstream media coverage that it is in fact trying to occupy the country. Millions of Ukrainians are literally leaving the country as we speak, and this is not an operation that would end in days. It’s now approaching a month. Several Russian soldiers have been killed. They seem to be bogged down outside of cities. Certainly NATO is not yet going to engage them it’s true. Russia isn’t succeeding, no doubt due in part, it seems, to the resistance of the Ukrainian soldiers.

    So let me ask you if you’ve changed your mind about what you said two months ago. I mean, did you err in your assessment of the Russian logistics in the situation?

    Scott Ritter: NO! I’m a hundred percent correct! I mean, the fact of the matter is Russia isn’t occupying Ukraine!

    Ukraine is a nation of forty one million people. Now, they say ten million of those are displaced, some internally some have fled. That still leaves thirty million people occupying expansive areas of terrain, including cities such as Kiev where you have over three million people. Russia came in with two hundred thousand troops. Military math just simply says no, you’re not occupying Ukraine with two hundred thousand troops!

    So, let’s just stop that kind of nonsense right off the bat! This is politicized rhetoric, what people say, that Russia is trying to occu – because what you’ve done now is create a straw man that says therefore Russia has failed in its objectives!

    Russia is succeeding wildly in its objectives! I don’t have to speculate. Russia has stated what its objectives are! There are two military objectives that will lead to one political objective.

    The first military objective is de-Nazification. That is, the absolute destruction, liquidation, annihilation of the neo-Nazi and ultra-right wing nationalist military formations and the political parties that sustain them, along with any legislation that empowers them.

    For instance, legislation passed in January of 2021 which made Stepan Bandera, a right wing Nazi supporting, Jew killing Ukrainian nationalist, elevated him to the status of national hero! And then went around – they passed additional legislation which named streets after him, named boulevards, named places, raised monuments and then also brought back into the mainstream people of his ilk. Nazis, people who had enlisted and served in Waffen SS units during World War II. People who had served in Einsatzgruppen that killed Jews during World War II. These people are now rehabilitated, and their names are put up in places of honour!

    The Russians want to eliminate this. They want legislation passed in Ukraine which de-legitimizes Nazis instead of praising Nazis.

    The Russians are doing very well on this front! They’re in the process of finishing off the last Nazi defenders of the city of Mariupol. This is where the Azov battalion, now a regiment, was headquartered. These are right-wing neo-Nazi extremists, many of whom have swastikas and other Nazi symbols tattooed on their bodies. This is where they tormented the Russian speaking population for the past eight years! They are now in the process of being killed, or captured by the Russians.

    That is what de-Nazification looks like. Similar de-Nazification processes are taking place elsewhere in Ukraine anywhere where the Russian forces find a neo-Nazi national unit of Ukrainian army. So anybody who thinks that the Nazis are doing well against the Russians, think again!

    The second is de-militarization! This means that Russia is going to dismantle the NATO army that had been built in Ukraine. A lot of people don’t realize that there were 260,000 active duty Ukrainian military personnel, most of whom have been trained by NATO in the past eight years to NATO standards. That means that Ukrainian military units were inter-operable with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. You could take a battalion, a NATO trained Ukrainian troops, and place them under NATO command and they would perform well.

    This isn’t theory. This is reality. Ukrainian troops participated in numerous NATO-led operations around the world and in Europe. So, Russia has said that this – the existence of a NATO proxy-force is unacceptable, and that its goal is to de-militarize Ukraine.

    Now, this could be done peacefully with Ukrainian soldiers staying in their barracks, while the Russians dismantled and removed from Ukraine all NATO provided equipment and oversaw the reorganization of Ukrainian military in a manner which made it no longer a de-facto proxy of NATO. Or if they wanted to resist, Russia would destroy them.

    Now Russia came in a little soft handed early on. They didn’t bomb the barracks. They went out of their way to avoid unnecessary deaths among the Ukrainian troops. But the Ukrainians decided to fight!

    Lets be clear here. This is a big army: 260,000 active duty, 310,000 reservists and security forces. Normally in the military if you want to launch an offensive operation, you want a three-to-one advantage. That is, for every single defender, you want three of your own troops. Russia went into Ukraine with a three to one disadvantage! Meaning for every single Russian, there were three Ukrainians. And yet, Russia is winning on the battlefield. They are advancing at a rate faster than the German army advanced during the Blitzkrieg of World War II! They are engaging the Ukrainian forces on large scale combat operations the likes of which have not been seen in Europe since World War II. And they are prevailing.

    They are in the process of entrapping 60-100 thousand Ukrainian troops in Eastern Ukraine, one of the largest bedlam development cauldron type operations seen since World War II. They are doing the same around Kiev. And they are doing the same in the area of Odessa.

    A lot of people will look at video-tapes that have been put out on YouTube and elsewhere showing destroyed Russian columns, dead Russian troops. This is war on a scale that people can’t imagine! It’s well beyond anything the United States and its allies undertook in Iraq and Afghanistan. When you have war on this level, there will be tactical setbacks.

    Ukrainians who are extremely hard fighting, well-trained, well equipped groups are capable of limited combat success. And they are enjoying limited combat success on the battlefield. There is multiple occasions where they had defeated the Russians. Where they have inflicted serious casualties on the Russians. But from an operational and strategic stand-point, the Russians are winning and winning decisively. Ukrainians cannot sustain their defence. They lacked a logistical depth. They’re running out of gas. They’re running out of ammunition. They’re running out of food and water. Their troops are worn out, worn down, and are rapidly disintegrating as we speak. As we speak!

    The Ukrainian defences in Eastern Ukraine are collapsing. They’re starting a panicked retreat westward. They’re going to be cut off by the Russians, and probably killed by the Russians if they don’t surrender to the Russians. So no, the Russians are doing quite well. People are…

    GR: Did you say the Russians, I mean, put on your military and analyst glasses for a moment. Is Russia going to prevail? And how far away is the victory? IS it weeks away, or…

    SR: Russia will prevail. And I believe that Russia is closer to victory than they were starting this conflict. Meaning that Ukrainian military is collapsing as we speak, and the ability for Ukraine to sustain large scale resistance is diminishing if not being eliminated.

    This war’s over! It’s all over but the shouting! That’s all just a statement of fact.

    GR: If you’re right about this, then what do you make of the role of Zelensky in this situation? Because he’s been speaking to governments around the world, and he’s a national hero and everything. But dies he think that he can still win this? The forces will, you know, “close the sky” and all the other things? Or is there something more going on in terms of seeing the writing on the wall as it were?

    SR: Well, Zelensky knows what the outcome of this will be.

    Think about it for a second. Every time he says, “if you just close the skies, if you just give us a no-fly-zone, we can win!” But what’s he really saying? That the Russians are winning the war! Okay? I mean there’s no other way of interpreting that!

    GR: Yeah…

    SR: He’s not saying, “hey, don’t worry about not closing the skies because we’re doing pretty well on the battlefield. We’re going to win this thing!” He’s saying that if you don’t close the skies, we have lost this war!

    GR: Ahhh! Okay…

    SR: And that’s exactly what’s happening. Because NATO is not going to close down the skies, and Ukraine is losing the war. He knows this. His generals know this. His troops know this. This is why at every single chance, everybody involved in the Ukrainian resistance is demanding a no-fly-zone because without this, they’re doomed, and they know it!

    GR: What about the sanctions aspect of it. I mean, are they going to wear down the Russian public over time? Or will the boomerang effect of the sanctions wear down the US, Canada, and the EU first? How do you see that the sanctions aspect playing out?

    SR: Well, let’s look at this strategically for a second. Joe Biden looked Vladimir Putin in the eye last June and threatened him with massive sanctions should he act on Ukraine. Sanctions like you’ve never seen before! Alright, now Putin as soon as he got done changing his pants and everything because I’m sure that just scared him to death. He had months to sit down with his inner circle and say, “how do we prepare for this?” Nothing the U.S. and its allies are doing has taken the Russians by surprise. NOTHING! They anticipated EVERYTHING! And they have a plan in response.

    As for instance today, when the sanctions came out, remember Russia had 650 billion dollars in sovereign fund in reserves – foreign reserves, gold reserves – and half of that was dispersed in banks around the world. And people went, “why would you do that?” Because the West is going to freeze them, which the West did. And the answer is because Russia was setting the West up for a trap, which was sprung today.

    2022 04 02 18 41
    2022 04 02 18 41

    Today, Vladimir Putin gave a speech in which he said the following: “Because you froze our assets illegally, you have defaulted on every obligation you have in regard to Russia. Therefore, Russia will not only never again accept foreign currency, you know, for payment for Russian services or goods, we are going to demand from this moment on that all nations that are on the non-friendly list that is everybody who sanctioned them must now pay in Russian Rubles for natural gas.

    Okay Europe cannot survive! One of the big things that came out of this economic sanctions was that the United States had been promising Europe, “Don’t worry about Russia gas! We have a plan B! We will be able to bring together resources and make sure that you have the gas you need!”

    Well, there is no plan B. There aren’t the resources available. There’s not enough gas. And Europe will shut down immediately.

    Now, Russia hasn’t shut off the pipelines. Because Russia was laying a trap. Russia now has confirmed that Europe is addicted. Germany has admitted right now that if Russia turns off the gas pipelines, Germany won’t have any gas for next winter. It’s over! All she wrote! Their economy will collapse! The French economy will collapse! Every economy in Europe will collapse! And there will be a rebounding effect in Canada and the United States.

    So now, Europe is in the difficult position of if they want to keep the gas going, that they must keep going in order to survive, they’ve got to pay in Russian Rubles. Take a look at what’s happened to the Russian Ruble just today! IT’s rebounding! Everbody said the Ruble is collapsing. No! It’s the dollar that’s collapsing right now! Because the Russians have laid a trap. They set the trap. And this is just the first of many! The Russians have many other traps out there that they have set, and they can initiate at a time of their choosing. So, the notion that the sanctions…

    Look, the sanctions are hurting Russians right now. There’s no doubt about that. But the sanctions also liberated Putin for the first time since he took power to be able to divorce Russia from the Western economy. And in doing so, eliminate in totality any leverage the West had over Russian domestic political affairs. The West used to be able to threaten sanctions. And the Russians are saying, “gosh, maybe we don’t want to do that so we’ll…” The West no longer has – the West has sanctioned everything. It’s over!

    Putin has said, “thank you very much! Thank you! You’ve done me a big favour! The first thing you’ve done by freezing all the assets is that you have disembowelled the oligarchs!” You know that corrupt class of Russian businessmen that came to life during Boris Yeltsin’s ten years as a president. That Putin inherited!

    Putin was able to neuter them politically by telling them that if they get involved in domestic politics he will destroy them, and he did. Several of them have been forced to flee to London and elsewhere because Putin will put them in jail for life.

    The others that remained were able to retain their riches and continue to get rich, but they were not allowed to be involved in politics. But their existence has always been a thorn in Putin’s side. He doesn’t like them. He doesn’t want them. And he hates the fact that he needed them.

    But now that the West has gone in and seized all their assets, they’re bankrupt and broke! And guess what! Putin doesn’t want them now! He’s told them to get the heck out of Russia! HE has no use for them! Go live where you wanted to live over there! You’re no longer welcome here!

    The other thing that’s happened is about 20 percent of the Russian population that was relatively apolitical, who tended to vote for the status quo, meaning vote for Putin would have turned on Putin had Putin initiated a divorce with the West. These are the Russian middle class whose economic well-being had become so intertwined with the West that there could be no thought of breaking with the West. If any move by Russia, by Putin, by anybody, to do so would have caused a backlash that any democracy, and Russia is a democracy, would have cost the incumbent the vote. Putin would have been voted out.

    But now that the West has sanctioned Russia, it is not Putin that has made the divorce, it’s the West!

    Putin is now applying shock therapy to these people, seeking to rapidly reinstate their middle class status, by pivoting eastward to China, to India, to elsewhere, to recapitalize the Russian economy. And now that he has made gas based upon the Ruble standard, those Rubles that these Russians had in the bank that last week were worth nothing, they’re worth twice as much today! And this time next week, they’ll double in value again! And the middle class is going to forget the West ever existed.

    GR: Amazing analysis! Scott Ritter, it’s been a pleasure hearing your unique take on this situation. We thank you so much for your time!

    SR: Thanks for having me!

    Do you think that Scott is right?

    The United States spending tax dollars

    So true.

    did it ever happen to you when 01

    Don’t Rely on fate

    It is up to YOU, no one else, to adjust to change, and make and forge a great wonderful life to live in. That means control of your thoughts, and control over your actions. Don’t rely on others. Don’t rely on fate. Don’t pretend that somehow space aliens are going to come down and prevent a nuclear war. (They sure as fuck didn’t stop any of the bioweapons attacks, and pretending that Bioweapon World War III isn’t in process; it’s a “pandemic”, is just a childhood fantasy.) Stop living childish dreams. Now is your time. NOW IS YOUR TIME. Make a difference today.

    video 23MB

    A fine example of good, solid Rufus behaviors.

    You have to do kind, just and maningful things. Sure, it’s nice to watch heroes in action, but just smiling, buying a cup of coffee for a co-worker, inviditng a co-worker to your home for cards, or volunteering at an animal shelter are all fine Rufus actions. Make a difference. Now is that time. video 6MB

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 3

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Why the Western leadership are making amazingly bad decisions

    You just cannot deny it. The collective West (led by the United States) are making the absolute worst decisions possible, and observers (outside the manipulative “news” media) are absolutely horrified.

    This guy, Gonzalo Lira has laid it all out.

    All of it. From the educational system, to society, to economic, Geo-political, economic, in very easy and clear terms.  It’s easy to understand. It makes sense, and it’s probably the best description ever as to the horror that is unfolding before our very eyes today.

    MM agrees 100% with his assessment.

    Outstanding video.

    The Video

    Found on You-Tube.

    2022 03 26 13 08
    Gonzalo Lira

     

     

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 3

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

    Some notes on how the Comm with The Domain Commander works

    I’ve really got to spend more time on the MAJestic / Domain stuff.

    This article describes what it is like when I communicate via the EPB to The Domain Commander. I have placed this here to help clarify things. I think that most MM readers are aware of these facts and issues, but newbies are probably ignorant of the issues involved and how things work.

    Quick Review

    Que science-fictiony “grade B” music here…

    MM, as part of his entry in MAJestic, had seven ELF probes placed in his brain, and then used a dimensional teleporter to enter a facility of The Domain. Then, by using the portal, his non-physical body was modified and an EBP was implanted in his physical body.

    MM was an active participant in MAJestic from 1983 until the ELF probes were shut off in 2006. MM is retired from MAJestic. The ELF probes have been mothballed.

    Retirement lasted from 2006 to 2011. However, EBP implant became dominant in 2006, and resulted in a cornucopia of writings.. MM internet presence began in 2019.

    In 2021, MM reviewed Alien Interview and parsed it. It answered many of the missing “puzzle pieces” in MAJestic operations, and opened up a clear connection between the entities present during the EBP medical probe, and present day MM life inside of China.

    This connection opened up a clear comm bridge. Active comm with the Domain Commander occured in 2021.

    First MM books published in 2022.

    Presently, MM uses the EBP to continue to communicate with the Domain Commander. MM has no dealings with MAJestic.

    This article discusses how the EBP operates during comm.

    Some points

    • Only those with an EBP installed can communicate in this matter.
    • Further, you have to be “attuned” to the fact that communication is going on.
    • It is not automatic. It is something that you acquire from practice. The more I do it, the better at it, I become.

    Orders not words

    Communication is in an array of images, thoughts, emotions, physical feelings, and expressions that are difficult to put into words. They are rarely transmitted into words.

    For instance I would image a bottle of “Lydia E. Pinkham” and depending on the context, I would transcribe that as either…

    • Woman’s medical issues.
    • A need for MM to calm down and not be upset.
    • The start of industrial mass production.
    • A need for medical care.

    It would depend on the context, and my nudges towards the meanings.

    In the instances where I tried to capture exact words or phrases, I would be images that I would assemble into words. Often generating nonsensical words.

    Ma + Des. Esc / ap + Leon.

    Any and all things could be used to generate impressions that I would then translate onto paper…

        • Pictures
        • Memories
        • False memories
        • Scenes from my life
        • Scenes from movies
        • Slide shows
        • Diagrams
        • Songs
        • Music
        • Talking, chatting
        • Feelings, emotions, senses
        • Smelling things.
        • Physical reactions.

    We can only communicate with that I understand

    If you want the Commander to explain to you what happened to your mother when you were a girl of 7, I will not be able to help you out.

    The Commander is not omniscient. It reads my thoughts and responds back to them in images, emotions or feelings. Never exact words.

    When I translate what I see or experience, they are my interpretations of what the Commander expressed to me.

    When I comm with the Commander, it is based in an understanding that I have. Thus, I try to transcribe it. If I know a person, such as yourself (the reader), in greater detail, I can get more accurate responses. Otherwise, all that I can provide is generalities. As the information that I get, while accurate, can be misunderstood by myself. (I am sure that you understand.)
    .
    But there is something else.
    .
    When the comm opens up, there’s something else. Man, it is hard and difficult to describe. He / it / she is not speaking to me. It is data transfer with emotions. Multiple channels. I feel things, while I get “understandings”. Sometimes I get pictures, images, slide-shows, movies, memories of my past events. It’s like the commander is running a “show and tell” for me.
    .
    So instead of “hearing” words and phrases, something else is happening. I am getting ideas and concepts all tangled up with emotion and feelings. No one is “talking” to me. No one is EVER talking to me.
    .
    If anything, it’s a thought impression. Although, such “prepackaged” statements are easy to read. Such as…
    .
    • You’re Welcome.
    • No.
    • Yes.
    • Don’t do THAT!
    .
    So when I understand you better, I can translate what the answers are, better keyed to your very being. It’s important.

    The Commander has a personality

    This is absolutely true. He / it / she has a sense of humor and can express emotive actions to me. These add a better dimension to the feelings that I am experiencing.  For instance, a “bad feeling” can be “Horrible”, or “minor inconvenience” depending on the data stream provided to me.

    It’s personality shines, and “tickles” me from time to time, and that results in some odd responses that I record down on paper.

    The strongest emotions

    The strongest emotions that I have felt had to do with the “Lost Battalion” members of The Domain. It was like watching your first love dying before your eyes. It was that gut / heart-wrenching.

    I can honestly say that it is profoundly unlike anything that I have ever experienced. There’s real anger, want, need, turmoil, emotion, angst in these question and answer sessions.

    Additionally, I am in communication with some half-awoke members of the Domain that are in full realization now. I can tell which ones are who, simply by the emotional responses and the intensity of that connection with the Commander. It is a close attachment that is indescribable.

    How I know that I am with an active COMM

    Well, it’s not like I am talking with myself, or getting answers from myself. It’s not like that at all. There is a physical feeling that occurs. I absolutely know that I am in contact. It’s sort of like wearing a very tight pair of jeans and a minuscule tee shirt. You feel lightly squeezed.

    Further comm is clear. Messages and data flows easily, and emotions and physical things like goosebumps hit me strongly. Sometimes, my wife (Ms. MM)  comes up and wonders why my face is all bright red.

    It is nothing at all like the ELF probes. This is like my entire being is all engaged.

    Can I picture the Commander during the COMM?

    No. It’s not like I can “see” him in my “mind’s eye”. I can image listening to him / it / she being intimate near me. Like being RIGHT THERE.

    IT is difficult to describe. It’s like he is like a thin transparent jello that surrounds me and I feel “saturated” at the time. Couple that saturation with the feeling of being squeezed, and you know kind of what it is like. I am it, it is me. Boom!

    Not really sudden, instead it is, as in; “realized”.

    What about other events going on…

    The Commander will open up a COMM and communicate, and the world might be in turmoil all around me. He won’t stop.

    The baby is screaming, the dog is shitting, the Mrs is upset about something, there is a fire on the stove. It doesn’t matter. The Commander continues on. And it’s up to me to retain it or not.

    That suggests many things. But I don’t know the real reason for it.

    I can tell youse guys that a lot of good intel fell to the wayside while I was cleaning up dog shit, an emergency with my staff hit, or when the waitress poured hot grease on my lap accidentally.

    This can be a pain in the ass sometimes. Like when I am picking up some obviously thick detailed intel, but I have to go to the head and take a dump, or there’s a knock at the door, and the police are checking my visa status, or my kid thought it was a good idea to  start banging pots and pans with my cellphone.

    Those with small children will understand.

    What it’s like when I do a Q&A

    I generally try to do it when things are settled and peaceful. It’s a heck of a lot easier that way.

    I am open to COMM and I open up a channel.

    It’s actually automatic. Literally. I just think of the Commander and read the questions, and responsive images and thoughts flow towards me.

    Finding quiet time is often not possible. Which is why I prefer to perform the Q&A sessions late at night.

    Sequence of events

    How I, MM,  got to where I am now. Another Commander explanation. Thrown to me while I was walking in a mall.

    • I had to experience events. Thus, my entire stint in MAJestic up to and including “retirement” was about obtaining experiences, and obtaining vocabulary to transpose.
    • Then, I had to set down and start writing. I was instructed to write, and write and write. During this time, the Commander guided my thought process.
    • Then came the narratives about how the reality universe works and all that.
    • Then, Alien Interview, and that got me thinking, and when my thoughts were ripe…
    • The Commander opened up a direct Channel. And so here we are.

    It wasn’t at all like you might assume.

    Other Points

    If the Commander wants to make a point, or tell me to “underline” something, or respond to a personal “Hello” or what ever, he / it / she “pinches” me with a physical event. Many times it’s a wave of “goosebumps”, or a sudden slap of emotion.

    Limitations

    Obviously, I cannot communicate on subjects that I know nothing about. I also am limited in explaining new and complex subjects that are brand new to me.

    So since I know nothing about the construction of dolls, or the history of pet lizards, or the latest theories in universal mathematics topography, don’t expect me to find out the “secrets” regarding those items.

    I also do not want to spend too much time on the reasons for inmates’ imprisonment. Often the images transmitted to me are very disturbing, even if I do not know what is going on. I have had some kind MM followers ask me sincerly, and they described a very happy and healthy home life. I asked, and got a picture of a very bad life in the Old Empire. I am sure that this knowledge really upset the questioner, and they never returned.

    Do not ask about things you do not want to hear about.

    I know that I have lost more than one follower when the answer was ugly and not what they wanted to hear. I am sorry for that. But, if you ask, and the Commander answers, I just record what he says. Nothing more.

    The Domain Commander can discuss the Prison Complex, Space, the Universe, and his society within the Domain. Asking questions about personal marriage troubles, or any of that issue, such as cancer or illness, is beyond his ability. I’m sure that he can try to answer, but that’s not really optimal  use of this resource. And I am not well versed in those issues either.

    The Process

    Generally, when I sit down, and read the Questions, I am given immediate feedback. I then collect that feedback as it comes. Then later, I clean up the impressions and add and tighten up the responses to something readable.

    When I put the questions down on the WordPress template, I do so without the names or background of who asked the question. So for me, it’s really a double-blind inquiry. There are, however, certain individuals who I obviously know who asked the question. This is due to the content in the question, or the context. But overall, I do not know who asked the questions.

    I just throw out answers as they come to me.

    Discomfort

    Doing this takes time. It’s emotionally and physically draining, and occupies a great deal of my own personal time and private time. Don’t expect me to do it all the time for free.

    Sometimes, I feel like some novelty, like a side-show clown act, used to amuse a curious 17 year old.

    In the pipe

    When I am asked a question, I place it on my wordpress template, and when time permits, I go down the list. Oldest first. I refer to this as “putting the questions in the pipe”.

    Right now with all the Geo-political shit going on, this has moved off to the side for a spell.

    Some of the questions are insulting

    It is like some of youse guys are fucking with me. In fact, I had to DEL a troll who was asking all sorts of bullshit.

    Be serious or shut the fuck up.

    The easy solution is to charge $100 per question. Since each question takes around five hours to do, wirte, parse and transcribe, that means my answer rate of pay is a very reasonable $20/hour.

    I am not planning to do it.

    Right now my thoughts on this matter are binary.

    • I answer sincere questions.
    • If I am provided with bullshit, I throw the questioner into the cornfield harshly.

    Conclusion

    This is just a quick and simple write-up on what it is like to participate in the COMM with the Domain Commander. I do hope that this provides some insight to the searcher and in future questions.

    Do you want more?

    You can find many more videos in my “Domain index” over here…

    The Domain

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

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    A heavy dose of situation reports on geopolitics with Rufus actions, food and pretty girls

    Why do we seek answers? I don’t really know, but so many people want to understand the world how it really works, and when I tell them exactly what is the situation, they go behind a curtain and throw up. They really don’t want the truth. They want reassurance. They want confirmation that the people, and the belief structures that they believe are valid and factual.

    I think that this is a function of human nature. We want to believe in things that show order, control and reason. And when we do not see those things, we get frightened and afraid.

    Here’s just take a slow stroll though the “news” and comments / opinions as it is presented to us today. There are a lot of things going on, and I am trying to unpack them in a way that shows meaning and substance. I hope that you all parreciate it.

    Warning: This article is heavy with embeds. It's worth your while to watch each and every one. If the embed does not appear, you can click on the link above the embed to open the video in a new tab.

    The Rise of the East, and the Decline of the West

    During the pandemic, senior Communist Party officials conceived a new political slogan: dōngshēng xījiàng, meaning the rise of the east and the descent of the west. 
    
    The reasoning behind it included China’s belief that it has had “systemic advantages” in tackling the coronavirus, as well as a long-held belief that the country’s state-backed technological advancement will soon put it in a position to overturn the Western world order.
    
    It is in this lens that China’s strategic alignment with Russia was born. 
    
    Putin’s last trip out of Russia before the war was to Beijing, where he attended the Winter Olympics and signed what the Chinese call a “no-limits” partnership agreement with Xi. 
    
    The agreement between the two men declared an intention to challenge the Western order, based on democracy, freedoms and human rights. 
    
    It was quickly denounced by European officials.

    But who cares. It’s a United Asia, and the rest of the weeny-eurolizards can howl.

    .

    Full Article

    .

    The Big, big, BIG news…

    Remember, today is Friday, April 1st 2022.

    WELCOME TO THE NEW WORLD SYSTEM

    This is the end result of an accelerated historical process having lasted 4 years after [1] Russia announced to the world her new weapons on Thursday March 1st 2018, [2] China created the Petroyuan at the Shanghai Stock Exchange on Monday March 26, 2018. And [3] Russia and China together formed a United Asia on February 4, 2022.

    US Navy Surveillance Plane Crashes Off Virginia Coast

    Strange happenings in the USA. Sure there are near-routine crashes of American military planes often enough, that they hardly get a peep from MM. But this one is different.

    It’s a surveillance plane. That was flying on American domestic soil.

    You can read about it here…

    .

    Mystery crash

    .

    But the thing that I want to point out, is something that I stated two weeks ago with the highly unusual crash of the Chinese domestic airliner that killed 132 people on board.

    "It appears that this was the immidiate and direct consequences for China not obeying the Biden threat not to support Russia in sanctions. 
    
    If China believes that the United States are at fault in this instance...
    
    ... you can expect an equal response; a tit-for-tat response, within the next six months." 
    
    -MM

    Shenzhen, China ferry port

    This is what the inside of the Shenzhen ferry port (Shekou) looks like. Like all of China, it’s clean and nice. State of art and brand new. It costs about one fifth of the cost of a United States F-35 fighter jet. video 60MB

    Hollywood seems to be falling apart

    Well, it does.

    Bruce Willis steps away from acting after years of struggle; Chris Rock tells cheering fans that he’s “still processing” but to expect some jokes soon; and did Will Smith refused to leave the Oscars? All in today’s Movie News Rundown, which you can sign up for here.

    You can’t say that it was immune.

    .

    Going crazy!

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    US ‘Chips Alliance’ scheme will exacerbate global chip crunch – Global Times

    The US government has been touting a so-called Chips Alliance proposal to chip manufacturing powerhouses in the Asia-Pacific region – South Korea, Japan and the island of Taiwan – in apparent attempt to kick the Chinese mainland out of the global chip supply chain. But South Korean government and chip manufacturers may find the scheme hard to accept, South Korean news outlets reported on Monday.
    Washington’s latest political coercion will burden South Korean semiconductor companies such as Samsung Electronics Co and SK Hynix Inc, because they have significant business operations in the Chinese mainland. As it is impossible to separate the supply chain and various trade and tariff issues, the South Korean government may be put in a tough situation if the US forces it to take sides, reports said.
    The US has long attempted to corral Japan, South Korea and the island of Taiwan with various attempts to build a US-led semiconductor supply chain alliance excluding the Chinese mainland. Yet, South Korea’s concerns show that a harder push from the US on the “Chips Alliance” scheme will likely encounter significant pushback. Rather than cementing US semiconductor dominance, such moves could further exacerbate the global chip shortage, which will eventually bite back on US companies.
    An increasing gallery of evidence is pointing to the US’ political disruption that were designed to stifle China’s chip sector is one of the major causes of the global chip shortage that could be traced back to the first half of 2020 and has rattled a slew of industries.
    Against the backdrop of tight chip production capacity and soaring demand amid the COVID-19 pandemic, former US President Donald Trump’s arbitrary sanctions on major Chinese tech giants like Huawei and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) have dealt at least two heavy blows to the global chip industry chain, according to some reports.
    An auto component maker admitted that after it was banned to deal with SMIC amid Trump administration’s last frenzy against Chinese companies, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) couldn’t at once fill the demand gap SMIC left, said an RFI report.
    The US’ chip hegemony has endangered the global chip industrial chain, prompting criticism from companies from all over the world. Since the Trump era, the US government has tried all possible means to obstruct chip makers to import Dutch company ASML’s EUV lithography equipment – a complicated machine that US policymakers view as a key lever to strangle China’s progress in the semiconductor sector. The US’ relentless political interference has overwhelmed global businesses.
    Last November, US President Joe Biden’s administration obstructed SK Hynix’s plan to import the advanced equipment to its chip factory in East China’s Jiangsu Province, according to Reuters. In response to the US’ arbitrary ban, ASML CEO Peter Wennink said export controls against China will not only fail to halt its technological progress but also hurt the US economy. But Biden has apparently chosen to tone deaf to such warnings.
    While US politicians are busy concocting its CHIPS Act and splitting the global semiconductor sector to stifle China’s chip development, it apparently didn’t pay much attention to the collateral damage forced upon its own economy. Because chips are one of the core components of almost every consumer goods from mobile phones to cars, the impact of chip supply shortages on the US economy is comprehensive and huge.
    Data shows that the global chip supply crisis’ impacts on the US auto industry have led to skyrocketing vehicle prices – which in turn drove one-third of all of the painful inflation Americans saw in 2021, according to a US media report.
    In a recent letter to US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, the US Chamber of Commerce said the semiconductor industry is global in nature and reliant on open markets and supply chains that span the world. In this inseparable global chip industry chain, China is obviously playing an increasingly important role. While the US share of global semiconductor manufacturing capacity has declined from 37 percent in 1990 to 12 percent in 2020, Chinese mainland’s chip production capacity has reached 15 percent of the global capacity, surpassing the US and ranking the third.
    Given Asian economies’ complementary strengths when it comes to semiconductors, the US’ attempt to exclude the Chinese mainland from the global chip supply chain is unrealistic and counterproductive. If the Biden administration continues to recklessly impose the “Chips Alliance” proposal on regional economies, it will encounter backfire from economic laws and severer economic impacts from a worse chip supply shortage.

    .

    Article

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    Newest psychedelic drug — is sound? How people are using binaural beats to get high

    Uh oh. Perhaps the USA is going to ban it, or turn Hemi-sync into a for-profit or NSA manipulated medium.

    “We’re starting to see digital experiences defined as drugs, but they could also be seen as complementary practices alongside drug use,” the study author adds. “Maybe a drug doesn’t have to be a substance you consume, it could be to do with how an activity affects your brain.”
    
    Despite binaural beat listeners typically being younger people, the study says it’s unlikely these clips will act as a gateway drug to other substances.
    
    “In the survey, we found most people who listen were already using ingestible substances,” Barratt continues. “But that doesn’t discount the need for more research, particularly to document and negate possible harms.”
    
    On a positive note, audio clips like these could find a purpose in the medical world as a new therapy option.
    
    “Evidence is mounting but it’s still unclear, which is why more research is needed into any possible side effects,” the researcher concludes.
    
    The study is published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Review.

    .

    Hemi-sync danger

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    US veteran who volunteered to fight for Ukraine describes ‘suicide mission’

    Not surprised. No “plinking” of Commies fromt he comfort of American helocopters. Don’t you know.

    The Georgians apparently learned that Hoeft and company had drawn a line in the sand, and were incensed.
    
    “A Ukrainian soldier came up to us while we were having, like one of our little meetings, and he was like, ‘Hey, the Georgians know you’re not going… they’re pissed,’” Hoeft said. The Ukrainian told them that the Georgians were “threatening to shoot you in the back.”
    
    As The Grayzone previously reported, the ratline of armaments from the West to Ukraine has amounted to “one of the largest and fastest arms transfers in history.” Yet, Hoeft was not the only foreign volunteer to describe his role in Ukraine as cannon fodder.
    
    “I think most of the Western equipment is going directly to the Ukrainian military,” Hoeft told The Grayzone. “They want to keep the casualties of their people to a minimum. So if you have a bunch of foreigners that come to volunteer, send them first.”
    
    Once he and his group were told that the Georgians had plans to execute them and pass off the killings as combat-related, they hurriedly gathered their gear, hid in the back of an ambulance and headed straight for Lviv. Before long, they were crossing back over the Polish border.
    
    On their way out of the country, Hoeft said he and  “two or three” were approached by “a couple of British guys that were doing other things,” Hoeft said.
    
    Hoeft was reluctant to divulge exactly what the Brits were up to. “They took us to a secure location and they gave us contacts to, you know, American special forces guys,” was all he would say.
    
    Hoeft recalled the British fighters warning them about a foreign legion tent near the border crossing that was full of fighters turning back anyone attempting to cross with military gear.
    
    “They’re basically sending them back and they’re taking their passports and sending them back,” the Brits told him. 
    
    Now that Hoeft is back in the United States, he says he is determined to warn other American veterans considering taking the trip to Ukraine that this conflict is dramatically different than the more familiar counter-insurgencies of Iraq and Afghanistan. 
    
    “The last time maybe we got into something this bad could have been Vietnam, but we even had air support then,” he said. ”You don’t have air support [in Ukraine], you don’t have the superiority of the artillery. You know, Russia’s the one with the rockets, they’re the ones with the cruise missiles, they’re the ones with the jets flying overhead, drones, all that. And I just think everyone needs to carefully think about every possible scenario.”
    
    “I just want to make sure that everyone takes that into account and knows that, hey, you’re not a Ukrainian soldier, you are a foreign fighter,” Hoeft emphasized. “They’re going to probably use you first.”

    Sad. Very sad.

    .

    GreyZone

    .

    Why?

    Some things defy explaination.

    2022 04 01 10 4why4
    Why?

    Chinese school and teacher placing a demand on the students

    This would never happen in the United States. No one really cares. Not so in China. Teacher failure is students failure is national failure is Han Race failure. video 5MB

    Are the White Boys Willing to Die in Defense of the Gay Disco?

    .

    As if determined to lend credence those who claim he is suffering from dementia, President Biden logged on to his Twitter account and opined:

    Putin has the gall to claim that he is de-Nazifying Ukraine. This lie isn’t just cynical; it’s obscene. President Zelensky was democratically elected. He is Jewish; his father’s family was wiped out in the Nazi Holocaust.

    Biden is giving expression to what could be called the a priori school of foreign policy, according to which he can deduce a statement about reality from abstract principles.

    So, there can be no Nazis in Ukraine because its president is Jewish.

    Another member of this school of foreign policy is Catholic neocon pundit George Weigel, who said much the same thing, dismissing any references to actual Nazis in Ukrainian army units like the Azov Brigade as chimeras evoked by conspiracy theories.

    One of the most puzzling features of the current war in the Ukraine is the alliance between Jews and Nazis which makes up its current government.

    More...

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    Shenzhen, China subway station

    MM showing the readership what it’s like in China. According to ZeroHedge, everyone in China is starving under Famine, and that it is a dark and dingy place where everyone yearns for freedom™ and democracy™. Nope. This is what it is like. Pssst. Don’t tell anyone that you see this. You will be targeted as a non-compliant free-thinker, and the thought-crime police will come after you. video 60MB

    Rufus Heroic action

    When the time comes, what are you going to do? Be a spectator, or take action. Your actions determine your sentience. Service-to-yourself, or service-for-others. And please don’t be a NPC service-to-another.  Your actions, in this life, are a reflection of who you are. It’s binary. White or black. There is no gray area. video 2MB

    Black man sucker-punches Chinese grandmother

    It’s in America.  It’s called freedom™. video 3MB

    Norway offers more help for Ukraine

    Adding the oil to the fire. Eh?

    Norways help

    .

    Norway Grapples With Potential Windfall From Ukraine War

    Speaking of Norway…

    “There are times when it’s not fun to make money,” said Petroleum and Energy Minister Terje Aasland in an interview with television channel TV2 earlier in March. “And given the situation, this is one of them.”
    
    Norway produces about 2% of the global market’s crude oil, and, as the supplier of 20% to 25% of Europe’s natural gas, it is the second largest exporter to the region after Russia. Since 1996, the country has invested the revenues from the petroleum industry into its Government Pension Fund, a sovereign wealth fund designed, “to shield the Norwegian economy from ups and downs in the oil revenues,” Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum said in an interview with TIME over email. “It serves as a financial tool and a long-term saving plan for current and future generations.” Although its value recently decreased because of market volatility brought on by the crisis, it is still worth about $1.3 trillion—or $227,000 per citizen.

    Norway seems to be “virtue signalling” to the EU that it stands with NATO, eh?

    [maxbutton id="30" url="https://time.com/6161024/norway-gas-windfall-ukraine-war/" text="Norway makes money" ]

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    How China works

    Facial scanning is mature thoughout China. It’s been implemented about six years ago, and many places use it. Modern systems peer though face masks and identify you immediately. Pretty cool tech. video 6MB

    [video width="720" height="1280" mp4="https://metallicman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/how-facial-scanning-works-in-china.mp4"][/video]

    Chinese girl

    video. Here is a Chinese girl in a white bikini. You will notice that the pool is part of her housing complex. This is normal in China. All homes pretty much come with a pool. Also, stop getting on my case for busty girls. I happen to like all women in all sizes and shapes, and I like this girl especially.  I think that it is the smile that really does it for me. A smile is your most effective and powerful aspect of your personality. Use it wisely. video 4MB

    [video width="540" height="960" mp4="https://metallicman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/girl-white-bikini.mp4"][/video]

    Proposal for an alternative “Are you a Robot?” question…

    It’s well, curious.

    [caption id="attachment_72444" align="aligncenter" width="660"]2022 04 01 10 45 Are you a Robot?[/caption]

    How the rest of the world views Asia and America

    Not so flattering. video 15MB

    [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://metallicman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/chinese-adventure-movie-3.mp4"][/video]

    Russia: The New World Order has come to an end

    "The Americans are no longer the masters of planet Earth."
    From HERE.
    .

    Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev has recently made a devastating statement about the so-called “unipolar world.” That world, he said, “has come to an end.”

    He added that “the Americans are no longer the masters of planet Earth.”[1] Medvedev also talked about “the hypocritical white-toothed smiles of politicians and diplomats who said one thing and did something completely different.”[2]

    With respect to Russia being a European country, Medvedev said:“In terms of its geography and history, Russia is a European country. Also, we’re European in terms of our cultural identity, because a good part of our population represents the European civilization, which is closely linked to the Christian civilization. But we also have a lot of people that belong to the Muslim faith, as well as to Russia’s other major religions: Buddhism and Judaism.”[3] These questions and answers are from an interview that Russia Today conducted with Medvedev:

    Q: Obviously, we’re not talking about geography here. Today, many Russians, including the country’s top officials – if you listen to what they are saying – feel that we setting ourselves up against Europe, as its opposite.

    A: No, it’s them who are setting themselves up against us, trying to distinguish themselves from us. They don’t have a monopoly on ‘Europeanness’. The European civilization developed steadily all across the continent. Sure, we are not, in that sense, successors to the Roman Empire, unlike a number of other European countries that belong to the Germanic language group. We have our own history, but our history is just as European as theirs. So, when they say to us that we are no longer considered European, that sounds ridiculous, frankly. That’s all I have to say about our identity. That’s no reason to make any judgments – you asked me a question, and I told you that we are even more ‘European’ than they are. That’s all.

    Q: The scale of anti-Russian sentiment in this situation is staggering. It’s like all of Europe, even the countries we believed were our friends and partners, are united in their deep hatred for our country, and it’s manifesting at every level.

    And now Europeans, who always claimed they were so tolerant and committed to the principles of democracy, say such terrible things about Russia and Russians, about our leaders. Not to mention Biden – I don’t think we’ve ever heard any rhetoric like that from a top official of his caliber. On the other hand, if we take Poland, maybe Biden is not so bad after all.

    And if I may ask a question about Poland, if we could move on for a moment from discussing the main issue – what’s your assessment of Warsaw’s position in this situation? Because it feels like Poland is not only aspiring to play a key role here, but also to have Lvov and the western parts of Ukraine as some kind of protectorate. I understand that this is two questions in one, so may ask you both?

    A: The rhetoric is definitely very sharp. It’s no doubt defined by current events, and all the political forces in Europe are trying to use this situation to their advantage and achieve their own goals in terms of domestic policy. Every country has something to deal with, be it elections or a crisis, or the need to create a coalition. And so they need a target or an enemy.

    In this case, Russia is the designated enemy, so I’m not surprised by the rhetoric. You’re right, though, when you say that sometimes it defies comprehension, or, as they say, goes beyond good and evil.

    At an everyday level we also see this Russophobic rhetoric manifesting, although I would say it differs case by case. It also has to do with new communication methods, such as social media platforms, because the patterns that were less common before can now take root instantly.

    Russophobic rhetoric is nothing new, though. Recently I quoted Russian poet Fyodor Tyutchev, who talked about how the West ganged up on Russia 150 years ago and did everything in their power to turn us into outcasts and pariahs. Tyutchev noted that this witch hunt lasted for 30 years.

    I can’t help but see certain similarities between those times and modern Russia. Russia in its current form is just over 30 years old, and for these 30 years we’ve been blamed for everything, especially in the last 20 years or so. They said we’ve picked up everything from the USSR, including its ideology, even though that’s not true, and they criticize us for this and that. So the Russophobic rhetoric we’re seeing from the West now is nothing new.

    From time to time, we hear absolutely astonishing remarks, but we’re polite and we never get personal. No one points out that there are some people who exhibit clear signs of dementia or old-age senility. No one talks about grandpas who lose their balance while climbing the stairs to board a plane or forget which way their office is and go straight into the bushes. No one points this out, because we’re polite and we refrain from mentioning these things. But all that boils down to ethics and good manners.

    As for Poland, I did have to speak on the subject recently because of the role Poland is trying to take on now.

    Poland is more than just a loyal liege subject of the United States of America that seeks to prove its loyalty every step of the way, to show that it’s the United States’ rock and main ally in Europe. In essence – in this way or another – Poland has been trying to win back hundreds of years rather than decades of its failed attempts to restore the former glory of Rzeсzpоspolita. And if it can’t do that, then to at least remind the world of the fact that Poland used to be a very serious power both in Europe and globally, almost an empire in the making. Today, the country’s elite is represented by the Law and Justice party with Mr. Kaczyński at its helm, and they have been on a pro-American and aggressively anti-Russian path for the past ten years.

    I can recall a different time – when Poland and Russia actively tried to restore their relationship, especially in the wake of the tragic death of the Polish president, and it looked quite doable because there were no impassable obstacles between us. But once the opposition party I just mentioned rose to power, the country’s vector changed dramatically, it became wildly rusophobic. I cannot call it anything but political imbecility since there’s nothing more to it.

    They are trying to consolidate the voters that are very anti-Russian, and it’s no secret that Poland has quite a number of such people, as there are historical reasons for that, so they’re trying to take advantage of that and put their finger in Ukraine’s affairs. Especially since Poland is now hosting a fairly large number of refugees from Ukraine, and Poland is trying to use that for its own benefit.

    They are adopting some measures that do not only aim to support the refugees (because naturally one can only want to help them) but also to find yet another way to punish Russia. They are proposing some new schemes, even amending the Constitution in order to be able to confiscate Russia’s property. Yesterday, they expelled a large number of Russian diplomats.

    I don’t really understand what they’re trying to achieve with all that, because if Russia were to expel a matching number of diplomats, Poland would have to close down its entire embassy. Is that good? At the end of the day, it’s up to each sovereign state to decide whether to maintain diplomatic relations or not. But this kind of policy is utterly destructive.

    I’d like to recap that Polish authorities are simply trying to prove their utmost loyalty to the United States and get more points for it by way of financial and economic support, as well as to get more political support domestically.

    This is all sad, and it’s not going to end well. Quite naturally, they can expect a symmetrical reaction to their actions or counter-measures dictated by international law. We will simply end up in a situation where we stop talking to each other completely. Is it good for Poland? I don’t know, it’s Poland’s decision at the end of the day.

    When will the Ukraine conflict end?

    Q: Of course, we are not at the General Staff, and I am not a representative of the Ministry of Defense, but I will tell you honestly, my friends and acquaintances constantly ask how long the offensive will last. But as I said, we are not on Frunzenskaya Embankment, but the Security Council of the Russian Federation is here. Can I ask you what you personally think about the course of the operation and how much it actually meets the goals that were announced.

    A: The operation took place primarily because the goals that the Russian state set for itself were not achieved through diplomacy. The President said this at the start.

    The course of the operation, the plans for its implementation are determined by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. According to the Constitution, it is the President. The President gave his assessments. The operation is progressing according to plan. This plan was prepared and approved by the Supreme Commander. Therefore, I will not give any additional assessments now, it seems to me that this is a completely exhaustive assessment that was given by the President.

    But it is obvious that the operation will continue until the goals set by the President of the country are achieved. These goals concern the future of Ukraine; the status of Ukraine as a neutral state, a state that does not pursue an anti-Russian policy, a state that is not militarized, and a state that should be our normal neighbour.

    Therefore, until the results of the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine are achieved, the operation must continue – as it was conceived by the President of the country, as it was decided.

    The US thinks it’s above the law

    Q: The US has taken similar actions on a multiple of occasions in the past and in the regions that are in no way part of their immediate interests. These countries are not their neighbours or a threat to the US. Take Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan. But the US’s military action has never resulted in such a massive and consolidated response from the West.

    No one responded to a bombed wedding party in Afghanistan by shutting down European clothes shops in the US. There were no other repercussions, either. Why? Why are we witnessing such a powerful response to Russia’s moves that you say are fully justified in terms of our security?

    A: Now this is not going to sound as an insight, but clearly the US believes it is a nation outside international law, above everyone else.

    Following the collapse of the USSR and an end to the bipolar world order based on the standoff between NATO and the Warsaw Pact, the US saw itself as the winner and the sole beneficiary of the Soviet Union’s demise.

    While in reality the Soviet Union broke up not because of NATO’s activities, but for internal reasons. And that’s why they behave accordingly: they believe they cannot be brought to justice, but they have the right to judge everyone, they are the ultimate decision-makers, they have the right to do whatever they want.

    There are a number of drivers behind this behaviour. First of all, economically the US is a very strong country. Secondly, it issues the main reserve currency with vengeance, continuing to pile up its domestic debt. In fact, it is the whole world that is the US’s creditor. The entire world could be struggling, plunging into crises, while the Americans are printing dollars.

    That is why they now feel completely unpunished in this respect as well. Exactly for that reason the US’s actions in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Vietnam a few decades ago, have never come under any legal scrutiny by the international community.

    However, at the time of the Vietnam War, the Soviet Union was still alive, pushing for quite heavy debates at multilateral platforms. The Soviet Union, as you know, was helping Vietnam back then. The US pursued its policy for a long time.

    We all remember the way it ended. Mind you, Vietnam is thousands of kilometers away from the US. Now, it’s a fact few people remember, even in this country, because it was a long time ago, but my Vietnamese friends said the US intervention in Vietnam throughout much of the 1960s killed over one million Vietnamese.

    Just think about it. Over a million! Take a look at the map and see for yourself where the US is and where Vietnam is. Still, the US went in, and over a million people died as a result.

    Even then it was never widely condemned although we had the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union in place.

    And after the Soviet Union disappeared from the world map, along with the Warsaw Pact, the US got absolutely out of control.

    They think they can do whatever they want. Yugoslavia is a case in point. We saw utter disregard for international law, the use of the armed forces and weapons by a number of countries including depleted uranium ammunition.

    Was there any uproar? No. They realized they could go ahead, concocted a justification, and got away with it. Today, some European leaders admit “Well, yes, maybe they overreacted a little”. But it does not go beyond that.

    Again, the US behaves this way around the world because they think there is no longer any competition. But they are wrong. Life does not stand still, prompting new developments in international relations and new countries emerging as strong powerhouses.

    It means new centers of gravity in international relations are being shaped. Take the People’s Republic of China, India, and the Russian Federation.

    The unipolar world is over. The US is no longer the master of planet Earth.

    Russians who left are welcome to return, but not traitors

    Q: You must be aware that some Russians packed their belongings and left the country immediately after the special operation started in the Donbass. Do you think they will return, or is it a one-way ticket?

    A:How should I know?

    Q: What can you say to those people who decided to leave Russia?

    A: Every man is the architect of his own fortune. It’s their right to make such decisions. Some people have left for the time being, as I understand. Others have left for good, fearing that the current situation may affect their lives in the future. It’s their decision. I won’t comment or criticize these people.

    It’s obvious, for me personally, that a significant part of these people will return to Russia eventually. This military operation affects everyone’s psychological state, you see. People keep thinking about it. I believe this may have been one of the reasons, for some people. But that’s it.

    I believe what is more important for the country is, for example, the way programmers treat current events. These businesses are international, and now they have ended up being cut off from everything – payment systems, banking operations, major foreign customers. For them the consequences are really harsh. And I can understand their motives, why they are trying to find a better place under the sun.

    The government has prepared a number of proposals to this end, and the President has already signed a decree. Let’s hope that we will succeed in mitigating the negative consequences for IT specialists and keep them in the country. Let’s hope that most of them will stay in Russia. This is a real problem. And I am really sorry for these people, on a personal level, because they are in a dire situation. And although it wasn’t us who introduced these limitations, but we still have to think how to make things better for these people.

    Western sanctions are uniting, not dividing Russians

     

    Q: And if we talk about entrepreneurs, about big businessmen, do they have support amid the military offensive? Taking into account the fact that now, a huge number of measures are being taken against them. Their houses, vehicles, yachts and everything else have been taken from them. How do you feel about this, taking into account the fact that the West used to say that private property should be honored. And, in general, is it normal to block accounts and populate houses with refugees – this would be unpleasant to anyone.

    A: If we talk about business, this is also a part of our society, including big business – they are, as they say, guilty without any guilt.

    Let’s ask ourselves a question: in general, at least someone from this big business is – to some extent – capable of influencing a small fraction, one iota, on the position of the country’s leadership. I can tell you right away: no, no way. Because we have different tasks.

    Anyone who manages the state, first of all, focuses on the interests of the whole country, on the interests of the people of Russia. One who manages his own business (this is a very important task), only does this.

    Therefore, the calculations that, by limiting Russian business, they will somehow influence the authorities, are absolutely meaningless, they are simply stupid. They are also trying to influence the sectors of the economy that are behind this big business. And these are hundreds of thousands, millions of our people.

    In fact, with these sanctions, the Western world is trying to influence the citizens of our country, to hurt them. And, of course, try to incite them to turn against the course of the state’s leadership, against the course of the President, in the hope that in the end, it will result in some kind of trouble, some problems for the authorities.

    But it seems to me that the people who generate these decisions absolutely do not understand our mentality, they do not understand the attitude of the Russian people in the broadest sense of the word. They do not understand the incentives that when such pressure is applied (and this pressure is not on large entrepreneurs, not on big business, this is pressure on anyone and everyone), society is consolidated.

    Even those who were hard done by in some way or believed that they received little support, or some wrong decisions were made, in this situation says: “Well, yes, yes, they probably made a mistake in something. But in general, in this situation, I will stand for the state”.

    This, it seems to me, they are absolutely unable to understand, just as they were not able to understand 70 years ago, and 100 years ago, and during various kinds of armed campaigns that were carried out, including against our country. This kind of restrictions and deprivations – only unite people, consolidate people, but do not divide them. And this is their main miscalculation, this is the weak spot of these stupid sanctions.

    The death penalty doesn’t have to come back

    Q: Let’s recall that the Council of Europe tried to impose restrictions on Russia for many years. You said recently that there is not much holding us back now, particularly on the issue of the death penalty. Russia has renounced capital punishment by acceding to a number of the Council of Europe’s conventions. Since this is an important issue for our nation, here is my question: how probable is a return to the death penalty? Does Russia need it?

    A: This is a very complex issue. It depends on the worldview in general. It’s a philosophical and moral dilemma. There are divergent views on the death penalty. And it is natural, it has always been the case.

    There is one thing I know for sure. The Russian Constitutional Court was definitely swayed in some of its rulings by this country’s participation in the Council of Europe’s conventions. These conventions are no longer binding for us.

    Nevertheless, there are legal guidelines provided by the Constitutional Court on this issue. And this is a completely sovereign decision, not a direct outcome of our membership in the Council of Europe. There is an obvious implicit connection, though.

    Today, there are no restrictions in this regard. However, it is still a very thorny issue. There is not only a legal side to it but also a moral one. Even the basic, canonical sources of religions provide opposing answers to this question.

    The religious view on this issue is one of the basic arguments surrounding the debate on the death penalty in any country. Europe abandoned capital punishment at some point. So did we.

    Unlike the US, China, and a number of other countries. They still keep it as punishment for those who have committed particularly grave crimes, first of all, murder.

    Again, today international provisions are no longer binding, but there are domestic legal provisions set out by the Constitutional Court. They reflect the current crime rate.

    If it does not get out of control, I believe this legal posture could remain the same.

    But legal postures are not eternal either. A shift in our society could force a revision of the legal posture. The decisions of the Constitutional Court are not sacred writ, they may change.

    We’ve seen it throughout Russia’s history. The Soviet Union abolished the death penalty after the war. But it did not last long, and the death penalty was restored pretty fast. This was due to a spike in violent crimes, including murders.

    I don’t know how it will pan out going forward.

    Russians will remember the West’s hatred forever

    Q: Mr. Medvedev, do you think a lot about the pressure that Russian nationals now have to deal with abroad? Often, they face real danger.

    I saw a video online showing what happened to the Russian Embassy in Ireland – I lived there for a bit as a kid, my father was posted there – and it was covered in spray paint and a driver crashed his car into the gates. It’s just unimaginable. Something like this could happen to any Russian national abroad. Meanwhile, the UN says that a ceasefire in Ukraine would bring the levels of Russophobia down. What’s your take on that position and does this connection make sense?

    A: I wouldn’t call it the UN position. The UN is an international organization comprised of more than 200 nation-states. If we’re talking about what the UN officials said, well, that may be so.

    Let me openly say that recently the UN governing bodies, and Secretary-General Guterres as well, have made several statements that I would call questionable from the point of view of international law. The UN should be above conflicts instead of taking sides. Of course, the levels of Russophobia these days are through the roof, as we’ve already discussed. These are manifested in the form of attacks on the Russian people and pressure exerted on our diplomatic missions.

    What is there to say on the subject? If we take diplomatic missions, the responsibility lies with the country where the diplomatic mission is located. This is the host country’s task. As soon as the host country becomes indifferent to the fate of an embassy, diplomatic ties are usually either suspended or severed. So the incident in Dublin that you mentioned is fully Ireland’s responsibility. They just have to take proper steps in response.

    It happens to ordinary people, too – I see it and read about it, it’s clear from the online and social media content where they criticize Russia a lot. I guess it’s to do with current events. Some genuinely feel that way, some are doing it for the hype or because everyone else does it. It’s their own personal choice. Sooner or later the tide will subside, that’s how it works. But the memories will remain.

    We will remember it, too, including the Russian people who got stuck abroad while on vacation or on a business trip. It will be etched in everyone’s memory. They say they don’t want Russians there, and it’s only natural that our people who happened to be abroad at the time will remember that. I doubt that they will think higher of Europeans now than they used to.

    What about the hospitality, tolerance, and neutrality that you spoke of? All of it evaporated instantly, which means it never existed in the first place. It means there was no culture and no values. It was just a façade, and now all the filth has come to the surface, which we see in the behavior of every person spewing Russophobic ideas.

    We will remember it too. We won’t forget anyone who did it – in their official capacity or just in personal interactions. These days, everything is recorded. We all have a digital footprint. That’s something everyone should remember when they write nasty things about Russia, our policies or our people. It will be engraved in our people’s collective memory forever. And I’m not exaggerating here.

    International sports behaving in the ‘worst possible way’

    Q: Let’s talk about something else. You mentioned IT specialists who have been gravely affected and who will get assistance, but I want to ask you about our athletes. What’s happening to them is unprecedented: they are not allowed to compete or they are forced to do so under a neutral flag, they are pressured into signing petitions and making statements.

    We all know that in some sports, an athlete’s career is fleeting. Won’t Russia end up on the sidelines of international sports? Competition is very important – it’s crucial for athletes to go up against talented opponents. Now it seems that the doping scandal was just a trial run. 

    A: Correct. Elena, Ilya, you’re right too. First, let me say that of course, it’s tough on our athletes – same as on our IT specialists. But for the latter, the challenges started fairly recently, when our ‘friends’ started trying to restrict us in every way and erect an iron curtain when it comes to finances and law. For athletes, the situation has been dire since 2014.

    You’re right, our athletes train hard, but they are not allowed to compete. If they are, they have to basically compete anonymously – no Russian flag, no Russian anthem. They are forced to distance themselves from their country, saying that they only represent themselves. This is cynical and amoral, and don’t even get me started on the IOC decision regarding our Paralympic team. It’s simply incomprehensible. It’s monstrous and disgraceful.

    So our main goal is to support parathletes, to make sure they feel involved in social life on par with everyone else. But they get told, “No, your government is awful and so we don’t care about you.” That goes against any moral code. I think that the IOC behaved in the worst way possible here.

    Yes, it all started eight years ago with the doping scandal. We admitted that we had a doping problem in our country, we are at fault here. But saying that Russia, I mean Russian coaches and athletes were the only ones to use doping is outrageous and cynical. Other countries did it too, but it’s Russia that everyone turned on. The objective that our ‘friends’, from the Anglo-Saxon world predominantly, set was to push Russia out of international competitive sports.

    What for? Again, that was to stir resentment within Russia and incite people to do something about it. So our athletes have been suffering since 2014. We will continue to support them in every way and to organize as many competitions domestically as we can. We will seek to defend their rights in all organizations, even though that’s a huge challenge these days.

    These decisions were made by specific people in the IOC, the EU, the US, and the UK, which is not part of the EU anymore. It’s clear that certain people are behind these decisions, and those deprived of competitive sports will channel their bitterness in their direction.

    Moscow’s rules on using nuclear weapons

    Q: President Putin has often insisted that Russia only acts to defend itself against the hostile actions of the West. And in a recent interview, you said that our country has enough ‘might’ to put our enemies in their place. This implies that Russia has considered some kind of retaliation in the event of aggression. What exactly did you mean by that, Mr. Medvedev?

    A: We both know exactly what I meant. Russia is not your average country – it’s a permanent member of the UN Security Council. And, as a side-note, let me say that all the ill-conceived plans to try and remove us from the Security Council are completely groundless. This would go against the UN Charter and the entirety of international law, for that matter. We are talking about the whims of individual states. This is my first point.

    And my second point is, Russia is a nuclear power with the largest stockpile of strategic nuclear weapons on the planet. Naturally, no one is threatening anyone, but you mentioned the remarks made by President Putin… A few weeks ago, our country’s nuclear deterrence forces were put on high alert. It was a simple message so that any country that tries to interfere with Russia’s foreign policy would know what to expect. They heard us and said they wouldn’t try anything.

    I certainly hope this has helped cool down some of the hotter heads in Poland and other US satellites. Still, they do occasionally come up with ridiculous ideas like closing the airspace over Ukraine. Luckily, there are cool-headed and reasonable analysts at the Pentagon and elsewhere who say this is absolutely out of the question as it would lead to a direct military confrontation with Russia.

    I think this will be enough, for now. Although we do have a special document on nuclear deterrence which states explicitly the circumstances under which the Russian Federation has the right to use nuclear weapons. There are several such conditions, let me remind you what they are.

    First is the launch of ballistic nuclear missiles to attack Russian territory. Second is the use of nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction by an adversary against Russian territory or its allies. The third has to do with an attack on critical infrastructure resulting in the crippling of our nuclear deterrence forces. And, finally, the fourth is when an act of aggression is committed against the Russian Federation or its allies – whether with nuclear or conventional weapons – which threatens the very existence of the state.

    All these conditions are listed in the document which was approved by the President’s executive order. This testifies to our determination to uphold the independence and sovereignty of Russia. Let no one have even the slightest reason to doubt that we are capable of giving a proper response to any attack or encroachment on our country, its independence, or its policies.

    But keep in mind that I am saying all this because you asked the question. Obviously, our position is that however complicated, any situation must be approached using diplomatic tools. And in the case of Ukraine, negotiations remain the most constructive and reasonable course of action. We realize that diplomacy does not always result in success, but this is still the right way to go.

    The US had ‘more brains’ during the Cuban Missile Crisis

    Q: You just mentioned something that terrifies everyone on the planet – the prospect of a nuclear war. Another scary prospect is the military confrontation between Russia and NATO. In many ways, these two scenarios are similar – in fact, they may be one and the same. Do you believe there is a risk of such a war breaking out? Would you compare the current situation to the Cuban Missile Crisis, when the world also seemed like it was teetering on edge? Back then, we referred to this standoff as the ‘Cold War’. What would you call the current state of relations between Russia and the collective West?

    A: Nobody wants war. Nuclear war is a threat to the very existence of human civilization. In this sense, those analysts who say, perhaps somewhat cynically, that the invention of nuclear weapons has prevented a huge number of conflicts in the 20th and 21st centuries, are right. This is true.

    So obviously there is always a threat. As a former commander-in-chief, I am well aware of its scale. Our people know that NATO’s nuclear weapons target facilities in this country and our warheads are aimed at targets in Europe and the US. But that is life. We must always keep this in mind and act in a responsible manner. As simple as that.

    As for the Cuban Missile Crisis, for obvious reasons, I don’t have any personal memories, I only know about it from history books. But I had a chance to talk to one of the witnesses, Fidel Castro.

    Today, we live in another reality, in a different world. There is no Soviet Union, no Warsaw Pact, many illusions are gone.

    A lot of things are not in place anymore, but the lessons of the Cuban Missile Crisis sank in pretty well back then. It had a sobering effect on everyone, including the leadership of the US, NATO, the Soviet Union, and the Warsaw Pact.

    The world was living through a Cold War then but right now the situation is somehow worse, in my view. Back then our opponents did not try to bring the situation in the Soviet Union to a boiling point so aggressively.

    True, their actions may have been disguised, but no sanctions were imposed on entire industries or agriculture, let alone personal sanctions.

    It never occurred to anybody to impose sanctions on Brezhnev, Podgorny, and Kosygin. They understood, of course, that it made no sense, just as they do now, but at least they had the brains not to do it then.

    Now everyone is in an awkward position. They have imposed sanctions, but it is still necessary to communicate if only to prevent all sorts of undesirable consequences, including such terrible ones as, say, a conflict between Russia and NATO. It’s like everyone is under sanctions, everyone is on some kind of list.

    I signed the well-known START III, or Start Treaty, with President Obama. That treaty was extended by President Putin and President Biden. Why make it so embarrassing? The treaties were signed, but it was done by individuals who are on the sanctions list. If the Russian leadership were irresponsible in this regard, you could probably say: “If that’s the way you treat us, then that’s it, goodbye.”

    There is a legal doctrine known as clausula rebus sic stantibus, which means that international treaties are valid as long as the circumstances that gave rise to them exist. Those circumstances have disappeared. You are not treating us as counterparts anymore. The persons who signed the treaty are on your sanctions list. Maybe it’s time to pull out of it? I am just trying to point out that these sanctions do not make any sense, they are absurd.

    This was not the case during the Cold War. And it’s a reality now. The relationship between the Russian Federation and the West, the US-led Anglo-Saxon civilization in the broad sense of the word, is probably in a worse state than in the 1960s and 1970s. There is no doubt about that.

    Fixing up Yalta for new world order talks

    Q: Now, about the talks with Ukraine… how would you assess the progress? It appears that some arrangements are still possible. How will these agreements be guaranteed? Will the West need to bear some kind of responsibility in this regard? Once the special operation is over, given all the factors, would we need a new Yalta Conference to formalize the new world order, which, as you say, has ceased to be unipolar?

    A: It’s an unrewarding task to comment on negotiations, and it’s wrong. Talks need silence. And it’s not without reason that the sides are negotiating via videoconference, almost daily, and not in the face-to-face format that requires more time. That is why I won’t comment on the talks. I don’t want to create problems for the negotiators or give ground to excessive hopes or emotional responses that such comments on my part could generate.

    The goal of these talks is clear – to solidify the results which the Russian special operation pursues, in particular the neutral status of Ukraine, its demilitarization, and the repeal of the laws driven by Nazi ideology that were introduced by the Ukrainian government. Whatever they say about these laws, they effectively divide the people by their national identity. Some are called people of the right nationality, others are practically excluded. And there are also a number of other goals Russia is seeking to achieve.

    Ukraine is pursuing its own goals, of course, and hopes to achieve them in the course of the talks. They include, primarily, retaining its sovereignty and securing further development of the country.

    As for the guarantees that the negotiated terms will be implemented, there are two types. Firstly, there are guarantees provided by the signatories of the agreements. In the long run, those who will sign the documents, have the authority and responsibility to see to their implementation. And secondly, there are guarantees related to various international mechanisms. I will not overstate their importance here, of course, because there are a lot of agreements that were signed but not implemented. But, in any case, this is better than legal uncertainty or repeated attempts by Ukraine to weave its way into NATO in order to create a direct threat at Russia’s borders. In that respect, an agreement and the legal guarantees it provides are way better than no agreement. And this is the way to resolve the conflict.

    You mentioned Yalta. I can only say that we will be happy to welcome foreign delegations in the Russian city of Yalta for talks. The palace that was used in the past for this purpose is not in ideal state, but it can still be used to accommodate guests.

    An attack on their own economic values

    Q: Mr. Medvedev, one does not need to be Fidel Castro to…

    A: Fidel Castro can’t be replaced, he was unique.

    Q: …to talk about the events of 1998. Let me share my observations with you. Even people who were born after 1998 keep asking me as a journalist – they seem to think that I am competent to answer this question…

    A: But you are competent. Journalists know everything. They know more than politicians.

    Q: Thank you. So they keep asking me if we are going back to 1998. And they mention the default. We have avoided the default scenario for now, as we were allowed to make payments on our sovereign debt. But still?

    A: Do you remember 1998, personally?

    Q: I remember that the ruble depreciated four times against the US dollar.

    A: I see. Yes, it’s a memory that is not easily forgotten.

    You cannot step into the same river twice. I was not related to state governance back in 1998 and saw everything through the lens of a common citizen, a businessman if you like. But the Russian state and society were much less protected back then.

    But I remember 2008 and 2009 very well when I personally had to tackle the financial crisis. I also have an excellent recollection of 2014 and all the years that followed, when I had to address the issues as the chairman of the Russian government.

    Every crisis is unique, in its way. In 2008, we created G20. They want to remove Russia from G20 now. But I remember how it was born right in front of me. The decision to create G20 was collective. First President Bush participated, then Barack Obama. Everyone was delighted that representatives from so many different countries were sitting at the same table – Russia, the US, China, India. G20 was a format that was born from consensus, based on unanimity. And now they suggest removing us from G20. No, guys, you can’t do that!

    You asked us to join G7, to be the eighth-member state. That’s right. But it’s different. G7 is your private club and if don’t want us to be part of it, we will go. And we did, we were “ushered out”. But this club is not important any longer. G20 is a different story. It was G20 that helped us out of the 2008 financial crisis.

    Why am I talking about this right now? Because the situation we are in is different. Back then, all of us were trying to overcome the global financial crisis, caused by the financial bubble in the United States of America. Our common goal was to stand against it. And we achieved that goal, by the way.

    With varying degrees of success, we pulled the Russian and global economy out of that crisis in a relatively short period of time. What’s happening now, however, is an economic war that the West declared against Russia – to quote a French minister. They declared an economic war against Russia. And they are trying to wage this war without rules.

    Why? You asked, but I didn’t get a chance to answer. What’s written on the banners of any capitalist society, any market economy? Utter respect for private property rights! This is sacred! The world may perish, but justice will prevail. Everything may perish, but the private property will remain.

    And what are they doing? They are blocking the assets of our financial institutions, even the Central Bank. They are even talking about confiscating these assets, i.e. nationalizing them. Listen, this is a real war without rules. What will be the consequences of this war? Destruction of the whole global economic order. This is an attack on the economic values of our planet – ironically, these values were first formed in Europe and the United States of America, in our country, and later, at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, in Asian countries as well. Now we see how the founding principles of the market economy are being rejected. What can we say then? If they don’t value these principles, let them do whatever they plan to do, but, naturally, this will force Russia to respond with symmetric measures.

    But, on the other hand, this new challenge and the reaction that must follow could be very effective. I’ve said it many times before, and this is true – had sanctions not been imposed on Russia in 2014, we would’ve had a worse situation in our agriculture right now. Everybody understands it well. We stopped their imports, and now our food security is at a very high level.

    I hope that even in this situation, our colleagues in the government will be able to find adequate solutions that would foster the development of our industry, including aircraft engineering, the automotive industry, and key sectors like microelectronics and IT. We will have to deal with these issues anyway. Yes, it will be harder now, but, on the other hand, there is no one else we can count on. This time we will have to do everything ourselves.

    Rubles for oil was a ‘pretty obvious’ move

    Q: Let’s move to a very important issue. Ironically, the West says they will cut us off everything, but they can’t cut themselves off from our gas and oil, simply because it would backfire, they would freeze. They will now try to use less energy and come up with new proposals. Nevertheless, they have so far refrained from sanctions against our oil and gas.

    But going forward they say they would like to stop using gas and oil from Russia. How realistic is it? Should we just sit and wait for that to happen, or rather take some action? The Russian president announced a move to the Russian rouble as the settlement currency. How will it work out? What will it look like in practice?

    A: Well, let them buy it as long as they want. No one wants to lose money, right? This is all bravado and chest-beating.

    Well, it could work for the US since they have an array of suppliers, they are isolated from Europe, they are not so dependent on our deliveries.

    The US has banned our oil, though it hasn’t gone that well. The Americans will keep reminding President Biden about the price of a gallon. Ukraine is very far away and gasoline prices somewhere in the Midwest are at a record high right now. Inflation is 10 percent. It’s a mind-blowing number for the US.

    So this decision will haunt the US administration. Its consumers will say a big ‘thank you’ for what their government is doing to their domestic economy as a side effect of attempts to sway the Russians.

    Overall, I’m philosophical about it. It’s our natural wealth, it’s our gas and oil. We have to trade it with Europeans, with Asia. Generally, there has been a global energy shift every 50-70 years. I do not know what will be the main energy source in 2050 – hydrogen or any other technology. I simply do not know. So we have to prepare for that as well.

    But right now, this is a significant part of our income, and we have to get the full compensation for it. Certainly, we are looking at Asian markets in the current environment, and are figuring out ways to diversify our supplies.

    Our European friends appear to be in a big hurry to give up oil and gas supplies from Russia. But in reality, it is a very challenging task. 40 percent of their gas supplies come from Russia. Russian oil accounts for about one-third of their imports.

    But in any case, it is up to them. If they want to get rid of it, they will. The only question is, when. That’s something that we also need to respond to.

    As for President Putin’s decision to switch to rouble settlements, I think it is a pretty obvious move. They shut down the correspondent accounts for our commercial banks, made settlements in dollars and euros impossible, and disconnected the banks on the sanctions list from SWIFT, at least some of them. What did they think we were going to do?

    The only legal tender in the Russian Federation is the rouble. So it’s a simple offer: since there is no other way, you have to pay in roubles. So let them find a way to pay.

    Anyway, consultations are underway. We’ll see how it works out. But it was a very intuitive decision.

    Q: What about Nord Stream? The Americans are rushing to bury it…

    A: They are rushing.

    Q: They call it “a hunk of metal”, using some peculiar words to describe it. Do you think this project still has some potential? And if we talk about the infrastructure, how long will it stay in shape without being used or serviced, without pumping gas?

    A: I am not an expert on the subject, I can’t assess the durability of the Nord Stream infrastructure. I am sure it’s durable, but I don’t know the degree – we are not talking about months, obviously. As far as large-scale economic projects go, I tend to be optimistic – despite our current circumstances and the emotionally charged context that we are dealing with when passions run high.

    The thing is, there are certain laws that can’t be ignored, even if our friends are trying to violate them right now. There have been significant financial investments, this is a very important and beneficial project, profitable for all partners. Conflicts come and go, but the economy and money stay.

    I think the Nord Stream 2 project has a good future. It will happen if our partners decide to start using their heads at some point and remember that they have taxpayers and voters to answer to, that there are certain social obligations that they have to fulfill. Their responsibility is not simply to hurt Russia but to solve key problems in their economy. They need to think about helping their own people, making sure that their taxpayers’ utility bills are not through the roof.

    And I have to say this. What happened right after they made their decision concerning Nord Stream 2? What we said would happen. Utility bills went up to unprecedented levels. As high as two thousand euros in some instances.

    Let me remind you that just recently, a few years ago, we talked about pipeline gas, not the spot market. However, anything over 400-500 dollars or euros seemed like an outrageous price. And now we see these numbers. Is it a good situation? Of course not. That’s why I tend to be cautiously optimistic when we talk about this.

    Capitalism means they’ll come back

    Q: Do you think we’ll see Western companies returning to Russia at some point, I mean those companies that are withdrawing or suspending their operation in Russia now?

    A: Of course, we will. It’s only a question of when they will return and what it’ll cost them in terms of losses. You see, Russia is a fairly large market, some say a premium market. So if they are willing to lose a share of their income, it’s up to them. We can do without them, but the thing is they don’t want to lose it, they keep telling us that they’re waiting and hoping for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine. And they keep asking us not to take over or appoint external management to or nationalize their operations because they want to return.

    I think one of the press secretaries, either of the United States or another country, said that the administration had nothing to do with this decision made by major businesses – that it was solely their own decision, their civic position, that they put their heads in that noose of their own will. They wanted to give up this market – I say they need to read Karl Marx. Marx explains very well that capital will never forego a chance to increase profit.

    This means that unless they were under tremendous pressure from their own governments, I mean the governments of the West, none of these companies would ever even think of giving up Russia as a market. This was a political decision. And political decisions have an expiry date. The economy is, on the other hand, perpetual.

    The US is the real ‘rogue state’

    Q: So, the sanctions have been applied to put pressure on every sector of our economy. It feels as if now, in contrast to the situation when the Soviet Union put up the Iron Curtain to shut itself off from the West of its own will, Russia is being forced to put that curtain up and become some sort of a new North Korea. It’s like people don’t want it, no one wants it, but the big powerful machine is already working, and someone is pushing the buttons. I’m saying it’s like North Korea because North Korea was buried under the sanctions, or it’s like Cuba where people still drive cars made in the 1960s. So maybe someone wants Russians to start going through scrap metal and repairing old ZAZ “Zaporozhets” cars to drive them…

    A: What a shame that I sold mine. I used to own a Zhiguli car from the 80s. I guess I could use it now.

    Q: That was probably the idea. So what do you think – as a worst-case scenario – could this kind of thing happen in Russia?

    A: I think everyone understands that it can’t. Even though in the course of this interview I did question the intellectual abilities of the people who come up with all these sanctions against Russia, I must say there are different people there, and some realize very well what’s going on.

    You see, all of them understand that, with all due and utmost respect to our friends in Cuba and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Russia is no Cuba and no North Korea. Russia is Russia, the world’s largest country, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, a huge economy, and nuclear power, which is why all these ideas that Russia can be curbed like Cuba or North Korea once were and that it could just be kept that way don’t have a leg to stand on. It’s impossible. It’s just utterly impossible. Even if some in the political circles and elites of the West would want it that way.

    Yes, there are obviously challenges and we’ll have to overcome them. Unfortunately, they exist both at the governmental and everyday levels. Still, it’s nothing new for us, and it’s not catastrophic. It pales in comparison to the hardships that our country had to go through in the 20th century. I tell you what – it’s not even in the same league as the problems we faced during the coronavirus pandemic.

    Back then, we really felt uneasy from time to time, because we had no idea how this virus would behave, regardless of where it came from. Could it kill off most of humanity, like in some sci-fi books? So back then things were much tenser, I’d say. The tragedy of course is that the virus caused so many deaths.

    But this is a different story, and there can be no illusions here. They are trying to put us into the ‘rogue nation’ or ‘rogue country’ category. As for its etymology, I think it was Reagan who came up with the term. The Russian translation for it is ‘outcast’, but ‘rogue’ is actually closer in meaning to ‘outlaw’.

    In fact, it’s the US that’s the rogue nation here. It’s not because we don’t like Americans. It’s because the US is constantly launching wars of conquest across the world. They are the outcast and the outlaw.

    [1] “‘The unipolar world has come to an end,’ Russia’s former president says,” Russia Today, March 24, 2022.

    [2] Ibid.

    [3] “Post-Cold War world order is over, former Russian president says (FULL INTERVIEW),” Russia Today, March 26, 2022.

    British “news” reports that China will use Facebook Metaverse to recruit for communism

    Funny. As Facebook and Metaverse are BANNED in China. Where do they get such mind-rot bullshit?

    Chinese authorities are set to build a Communist education school in virtual reality in a bid to get top party officials into VR.
    
    According to Chinese virtual reality firm Mengke VR, the CCCP's metaverse will run history lectures and courses, host meetings and virtual events, and even let people explore virtual exhibits.
    
    You'll be able to put down the videogames for something better, as Beijing's metaverse will include fun-filled courses such as "The Great New Era - Major Achievements of the Party and the Country Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China" and "The Code of Leadership of the Communist Party of China".

    .

    [maxbutton id="30" url="https://www.dailystar.co.uk/tech/news/beijing-building-communist-party-training-26582069" text="China Facebook?" ]

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    State Department will soon allow ‘X’ passport gender markers

    Americans will be able to mark their gender as “X” on their passports instead of “M” or “F” starting next month, the State Department announced Thursday.
    
    The “X” gender marker would identify passport holders who have an “unspecified or another gender identity,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement announcing the change, adding that the option will be available for other forms of documentation next year. 
    
    Non-binary, intersex and other gender non-conforming Americans will be able to use the “X” gender marker on their passports starting April 11. Americans who wish to change their gender on their passports will not need to provide any documentation to do so. 
    
    “The Department is setting a precedent as the first federal government agency to offer the X gender marker on an identity document,” said Blinken, who called the move a “milestone” in efforts to “better serve all US citizens.

    But this might not be accepted as a valid gender to visit a host of other nations.

    .

    [maxbutton id="30" url="https://nypost.com/2022/03/31/state-department-will-soon-allow-x-passport-gender-markers/" text="To better serve you..." ]

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    Why Alibaba is being broken up

    China does not play. You cannot grow a big company to compete with the government. It’s not going to happen inside of China. video 5MB

    [video width="720" height="1280" mp4="https://metallicman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/America-big-business-fiasco.mp4"][/video]

    Coming soon to the United States near you.

    It’s a gloomy prediction.

    [caption id="attachment_72445" align="aligncenter" width="660"]2022 04 01 10 46 America.[/caption]

    Welcome to China

    Yes. It is like this. video 2MB

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    Rufus driver and the Rufus that saves her

    Be the Rufus. Nothing else even comes close. video 4MB

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    Rufus Grandmother stops an abduction

    There is no excuse worthy of stopping someone from helping others. NONE. You are either a service-to-others sentience Rufus or you are a selfish slimeball who love paper and bling-bling more. video 2MB

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    How Mariupol will become a key hub of Eurasian integration

    By Pepe Escobar, posted with the author’s permission and cross posted with The Cradle

    Mariupol was battered by Ukraine’s right-wing Azov battalion well before Moscow launched its military ops. In Russian hands, this strategic steelworks port can transform into a hub of Eurasian connectivity.

    Mariupol, the strategic Sea of Azov port, remains in the eye of the storm in Ukraine.

    The NATO narrative is that Azovstal – one of Europe’s biggest iron and steel works – was nearly destroyed by the Russian Army and its allied Donetsk forces who “lay siege” to Mariupol.

    The true story is that the neo-Nazi Azov batallion took scores of Mariupol civilians as human shields since the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, and retreated to Azovstal as a last stand. After an ultimatum delivered last week, they are now being completely exterminated by the Russian and Donetsk forces and Chechen Spetsnaz.

    Azovstal, part of the Metinvest group controlled by Ukraine’s wealthiest oligarch, Rinat Akhmetov, is indeed one of the biggest metallurgic plants in Europe, self-described as a “high-performance integrated metallurgical enterprise that produces coke and sinter, steel as well as high-quality rolled products, bars and shapes.”

    Amidst a flurry of testimonials detailing the horrors inflicted by the Azov neo-Nazis on Mariupol’s civilian population, a way more auspicious, invisible story bodes well for the immediate future.

    Russia is the world’s fifth largest steel producer, apart from holding huge iron and coal deposits. Mariupol – a steel Mecca – used to source coal from Donbass, but under de facto neo-Nazi rule since the 2014 Maidan events, was turned into an importer. Iron, for instance, started to be supplied from Krivbas in Ukraine, over 200 kilometers away.

    After Donetsk solidifies itself as an independent republic or, via referendum, chooses to become part of the Russian Federation, this situation is bound to change.

    Azovstal is invested in a broad product line of very useful stuff: structural steel, rail for railroads, hardened steel for chains, mining equipment, rolled steel used in factory apparatus, trucks and railroad cars. Parts of the factory complex are quite modern while some, decades old, are badly in need of upgrading, which Russian industry can certainly provide.

    Strategically, this is a huge complex, right at the Sea of Azov, which is now, for all practical purposes, incorporated into the Donetsk People’s Republic, and close to the Black Sea. That implies a short trip to the Eastern Mediterranean, including many potential customers in West Asia. And crossing Suez and reaching the Indian Ocean, are customers all across South and Southeast Asia.

    So the Donetsk People’s Republic, possibly part of the future Novorossiya, and even part of Russia, will be in control of a lot of steel-making capacity for southern Europe, West Asia, and beyond.

    One of the inevitable consequences is that it will be able to supply a real freight railroad construction boom in Russia, China and the Central Asian ‘stans.’ Railroad construction happens to be the privileged connectivity mode for Beijing’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). And, crucially, of the increasingly turbo-charged International North South Transportation Corridor (INSTC).

    So, mid-term, Mariupol should expect to become one of the key hubs of a boom in north-south routes – INSTC across Russia and linking with the ‘stans’ – as well as major BRI upgrades east-west and sub-BRI corridors.

    Interlocked Eurasia

    The INSTC’s main players are Russia, Iran and India – which are now, post-NATO sanctions, in advanced interconnection mode, complete with devising mechanisms to bypass the US dollar in their trade. Azerbaijan is another important INSTC player, yet more volatile because it privileges Turkey’s connectivity designs in the Caucasus.

    The INSTC network will also be progressively interconnecting with Pakistan – and that means the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a key BRI hub, which is slowly but surely expanding to Afghanistan. Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s impromptu visit to Kabul late last week was to advance the incorporation of Afghanistan to the New Silk Roads.

    All that is happening as Moscow – extremely close to New Delhi – is simultaneously expanding trade relations with Islamabad. All three, crucially, are Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members.

    So the grand North-South design spells out fluent connectivity from the Russian mainland to the Caucasus (Azerbaijan), to West Asia (Iran) all the way to South Asia (India and Pakistan). None of these key players have demonized or sanctioned Russia despite ongoing US pressures to do so.

    Strategically, that represents the Russian multipolar concept of Greater Eurasian Partnership in action in terms of trade and connectivity – in parallel and complimentary with BRI because India, eager to install a rupee-ruble mechanism to buy energy, in this case is an absolutely crucial Russia partner, matching China’s reported $400 billion strategic deal with Iran. In practice, the Greater Eurasia Partnership will facilitate smoother connectivity between Russia, Iran, Pakistan and India.

    The NATO universe, meanwhile, is congenitally incapable of even recognizing the complexity of the alignment, not to mention analyze its implications. What we have is the interlocking of BRI, INTSC and the Greater Eurasia Partnership on the ground – all notions that are regarded as anathema in the Washington Beltway.

    All that of course is being designed amidst a game-changing geoeconomic moment, as Russia, starting this Thursday, will only accept payment for its gas in rubles from “unfriendly” nations.

    Parallel to the Greater Eurasia Partnership, BRI, since it was launched in 2013, is also progressively weaving a complex, integrated Eurasian network of partnerships: financial/economic, connectivity, physical infrastructure building, economic/trade corridors. BRI’s role as a co-shaper of institutions of global governance, including normative foundations, has also been crucial, much to the despair of the NATO alliance.

    Time to de-westernize

    Yet only now the Global South, especially, will start to observe the full spectrum of the China-Russia play across the Eurasian sphere. Moscow and Beijing are deeply involved in a joint drive to de-westernize globalist governance, if not shatter it altogether.

    Russia from now on will be even more meticulous in its institution-building, coalescing the Eurasia Economic Union (EAEU), the SCO and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) – a Eurasian military alliance of select post-Soviet states – in a geopolitical context of irreversible institutional and normative divide between Russia and the West.

    At the same time, the Greater Eurasia Partnership will be solidifying Russia as the ultimate Eurasian bridge, creating a common space across Eurasia which could even ignore vassalized Europe.

    Meanwhile in real life, BRI, as much as the INSTC, will be increasingly plugged into the Black Sea (hello, Mariupol). And BRI itself may even be prone to re-evaluation in its emphasis of linking western China to western Europe’s shrinking industrial base.

    There will be no point in privileging the northern BRI corridors – China-Mongolia-Russia via the Trans-Siberian, and the Eurasian land bridge via Kazakhstan – when you have Europe descending into medieval dementia.

    BRI’s renewed focus will be on gaining access to irreplaceable commodities – and that means Russia – as well as securing essential supplies for Chinese production. Commodity-rich nations, such as Kazakhstan and many players in Africa, shall become the top future markets for China.

    In a pre-Covid loop across Central Asia, one constantly heard that China builds plants and high-speed railways while Europe at best writes white papers. It can always get worse.

    The EU as occupied American territory is now descending, fast, from center of global power to the status of inconsequential peripheral player, a mere struggling market in the far periphery of China’s “community of shared destiny.”

    Rufus emergency handled well

    Great video. Seriously. 7MB

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    Rufus daughter

    How would you be able to stand up to this fine example of Rufus action? video 2MB

    [video width="720" height="1272" mp4="https://metallicman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/rufus-daughter.mp4"][/video]

    U.S. Death Toll Rises To 14.6 Million As The New Bird Flu Plague Spreads Like Wildfire All Over The United States

    .

    In the United States and all across the world, millions upon millions of chickens and turkeys are dying as a result of an absolutely horrifying new bird flu plague.  Considering the fact that global food supplies have become extremely tight and even Joe Biden is admitting that food shortages are looming, this is definitely something that we don’t need right now.  The very first confirmed case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a commercial flock in the U.S. was confirmed on February 8th, and in less than two months it has spread to facilities all over the nation.  Sadly, we have just learned that it has now even reached the top turkey-producing state in the entire country

    For the first time, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was confirmed in Minnesota, the top turkey-producing state in the nation, said agricultural officials over the weekend. Some 14.6 million birds in domestic flocks have died of HPAI or in culling of infected herds to reduce the spread of the viral disease this year.

    To me, that death toll is extremely alarming.

    In less than two months, over 14 million chickens and turkeys in the United States have already been wiped out by this plague.

    If things are this bad already, what will the total death toll look like six months from now?

    One expert that was interviewed by NBC News says that he is anticipating an “explosion” of new cases in the weeks ahead…

    The measures may do little to stop the spread of the virus, according to Henry Niman, a virologist and biochemist in Pittsburgh who has been tracking the bird flu’s spread. He is expecting an “explosion” of bird flu cases in birds in the coming weeks.
    
    “This outbreak I think is likely going to be bigger than 2015,” he said, noting that the disease is already widespread in other regions of the world, such as Europe and Canada.

    If he is correct, we are potentially facing a true national catastrophe.

    Of course it isn’t just the U.S. that is dealing with this.  In Canada, HPAI has now been confirmed in southern Ontario

    The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says bird flu has been found at a poultry farm in southern Ontario.
    
    The agency says the farm is under a strict quarantine, and the CFIA is establishing movement controls and recommending higher biosecurity at nearby farms.

    Europe and Asia are being hit really hard as well.  Canda and Europe are being hit.

    For example, a new outbreak was just detected at a large facility in Bulgaria

    An outbreak of bird flu on a Bulgarian farm with over 177,000 laying hens has forced authorities to begin slaughtering the remaining flock, the country’s food safety agency said on Monday.
    
    The outbreak in the town of Asenovgrad is the sixth industrial farm hit by the highly pathogenic avian influenza type A in southern Bulgaria since December.

    As you read this article, you may be wondering what this plague is going to do to the price of chicken and the price of turkey.

    Needless to say, we are headed into unprecedented territory.  Just look at what happened to the price of chicken wings in just one week

    Chicken wings averaged $3.82 per pound according to the USDA’s National Retail report last week, compared to $2.99 the week prior and $2.54 last year.

    Normally, Americans eat an enormous amount of chicken and an enormous amount of turkey.

    But now that we are facing potential shortages and much higher prices, both chicken and turkey may soon be considered “luxury meats”.

    For our entire lives, most of us have been able to take extremely cheap meat for granted.  It was always there in the grocery stores whenever we wanted it, and before the last couple of years I don’t remember ever hearing about any shortages.

    But now everything is changing.

    At first, U.S. consumers were willing to absorb higher prices as inflation began to ravage our economy, but now we are starting to witness a shift

    U.S. households have until recently mostly absorbed higher prices on everything from coffee to chicken to clothes, helping companies maintain fat profit margins despite higher input. But that doesn’t mean consumers were happy about paying more for the same goods, which is why the University of Michigan’s sentiment index has steadily deteriorated to the lowest since 2011.

    A trip to the grocery store is becoming increasingly painful for most Americans.

    If you have been lately, than you know exactly what I am talking about.

    But the food inflation that we have seen so far is just the tip of the iceberg.

    Let’s just hope that this new bird flu plague stays only in birds.  According to the official CDC website, the death rate for H5N1 in humans can be extremely high…

    More than 700 human infections with Asian HPAI H5N1 viruses have been reported to WHO from primarily 15 countries in Asia, Africa, the Pacific, Europe and the Near East since November 2003. Indonesia, Vietnam and Egypt have reported the highest number of human HPAI Asian H5N1 cases to date.
    
    The first report of a human infection with Asian H5N1 in the Americas was in Canada on January 8, 2014 and occurred in a traveler recently returning from China. Although human infections with this virus are rare, approximately 60% of the cases have died.

    The good news is that authorities are telling us that it is “unlikely” that a strain will emerge that can spread widely among humans.

    But I think that it is interesting to note that the CDC has already “produced a candidate vaccine virus as a precaution”

    But H5N1 has a very high mortality rate, and the longer and larger the wave of outbreaks, the higher the chances it could mutate into a strain that is more infectious to humans. So US health officials are closely monitoring the situation.
    
    The CDC has also produced a candidate vaccine virus as a precaution.

    Needless to say, this new bird flu plague that is killing millions of chickens and turkeys is only one piece of the puzzle.

    The truth is that we are in the midst of a “perfect storm” which just continues to increase in size and scope.

    I recently heard from a farmer that told me that many in his industry are scared to death of this bird flu.

    Once it is detected at a facility, all of the birds must be put down.

    If that happens, that can be financially catastrophic for a farm.

    I am going to keep a very close eye on this story, because this is really big.

    Of course so many big things are happening right now, and I expect global events to accelerate even more throughout the rest of 2022.

    Something interesting has happened

    There is this strange faith in the United States government. Why and how? video 3MB

    [video width="720" height="1280" mp4="https://metallicman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Mind-COntrol-for-the-fed.mp4"][/video]

    Rufus Community

    We must work together to make the world a better place. We just simply can no longer think ME-me-me. We have to participate in community and help others. The world needs us. Are you ready? video 1MB

    [video width="720" height="1280" mp4="https://metallicman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/rufus-community.mp4"][/video]

    What does China teach?

    It teaches many things. You all might be surprised in how the Chinese school kids learn patriotic songs. Sure as Hell beats diversity training, trans-gen LGBT freedom, and ebonics.

    Video 1 – 14MB

    [video width="590" height="1280" mp4="https://metallicman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/chinese-classroom-1.mp4"][/video]

    video 2 – 20MB

    [video width="590" height="1280" mp4="https://metallicman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/chinese-classroom-2.mp4"][/video]

    Video 3 – 17MB

    [video width="590" height="1280" mp4="https://metallicman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/chinese-classroom-3.mp4"][/video]

     

    What do you think? It’s all pretty wild huh!!!! [wpdiscuz-feedback id="pl6e487x2j" question="Do you think that this is cool or silly?" opened="0"]

    Fighting Time

    One of the puzzles from the Great War is how the leaders on both sides allowed themselves to get drawn into the war. There are plenty of reasons why each country would want war, including the infamous one that caused a certain Austrian fellow to coin the term “the big lie.” The problem with all of the reasons is they made little sense in light of the obvious costs of war. As a result, the Great War is a great example of how events can tale on a life of their own.

    The remarkable thing about that war is that once it settled into trench warfare no one realized the hopelessness of it. One can understand how the initial events would spiral into a global conflict. That is not a new phenomenon. Similarly, you can see how the initial moves in the war made a lot of sense to the leaders on both sides. This was the first industrial war, so they had a lot to learn. New weapons needed new tactics but few people realized that at the start of the war.

    The great puzzle of the war is that the sides did not see the hopelessness of the situation once in settled into a stalemate. Both sides were losing tens of thousands of men with each attack, only to gain a few yards of ground. The Battle of the Marne and the subsequent race to the sea made sense. The losses were high, but both sides had hope for quick victory. Two years later the French and Germans lost over a million men at Verdun and the winner got nothing for their trouble.

    A century on and we are getting some fresh insight into why the Western leaders in the Great War were incapable of seeing things clearly. The war in Ukraine is proving to be nothing like Western planners imagined. They assumed the Ukrainians would stall the Russians into a stalemate of urban warfare. The world would rally to the sanctions regime and it would quickly be a question of how long the Russians could suffer the economic consequences of the sanctions.

    After just one month it is clear this is not happening. The Russians did not fight like the NATO planners imagined. Instead of rushing to Kiev, they pinned the Ukrainian army in the north, using classic maneuver tactics. Meanwhile their main army is systematically destroying the Ukrainian army in the south and east. It also appears the Russians were well prepared for the Ukrainian tactic of digging into urban areas. It is now just a matter of time before the Ukrainian army in the east is lost.

    That is just one miscalculation by the West, but it should be concerning. The Russians are not doing anything novel in Ukraine. They are using classic tactics that have been used in Europe since Napoleon. Further, they are following a doctrine they evolved in the Second Chechen war. That was a doctrine Vladimir Putin created as the guy running that war for Russia. It seems that no one in the west bothered to study the man they claim is the new Hitler.

    That is only one small part of the miscalculation. The decision to cutoff the Russian central bank appears to have been a massive blunder. The Russians, faced with the threat of their dollar and Euro assets being seized by Western banks have told the West they must pay for goods in rubles. Otherwise, they are forced to send product to the West but not be paid for it. Alternatively, they would have to make concessions in order to get their assets unfrozen by the West.

    Why anyone in the West thought this was a good idea is a mystery. It turns out that the Biden administration did not consult with the Federal Reserve. Europe appears to have just followed along without questioning the policy. Now that Russia has countered their move, Europe is in a terrible position. They either support the ruble with massive purchases or they face an imminent shortage of natural gas. That means rationing of energy products could happen as soon as next month.

    Of course, the words “shortage” and “rationing” will trigger the natural response, which is hording and price gouging. That will also mean a political response. The German political elite appear to be embracing their inner Marie Antoinette by telling the Germans to wear a sweater as they shiver in the dark. Presumably, they will tell the people to eat bugs when the food shortages hit this summer. Maybe German TV will start celebrating the Turnip Winter as a way to motivate the public.

    In fairness, we have to no idea how the Russians and Chinese are viewing this thing as Western media refuses to cover that aspect. We should assume the lack of food riots and social unrest in Russia means they are not teetering on collapse. This was the prediction at the start of this war. The best and brightest in the American managerial elite predicted the Russians would have collapsed by now. They also assumed China would be wavering in their support at this stage.

    The point is, we are seeing in real time how supposedly clever political leaders can stagger from one blunder to the next. Unlike the Great War, this war has one side that seems to have updated its thinking since the last century. The Russians are planning for tomorrow, while the West is planning for 1985. The Biden people actually thought his speech in Poland would be his Brandenburg Gate moment. That is the most terrifying event of this crisis so far.

    There we see the best parallel to the Great War. The men moving pieces on the board were men of a prior age. They were trying to fight the old wars. Similarly, the political leaders were operating in a 19th century mindset. The trouble was they were armed with 20th century weaponry. Today, the West is led by 20th century men desperate to maintain 20th century arrangements. Their opponent is not Russian, China or the new world order, but the passage of time.

    Chinese girl

    video. She’s walking in a tight outfit. I really am not fond of the two blue pockets on her ass, but the rest of the outfit looks nice. This is what China is like. Nice new buildings and clean and spacious public areas, all filled with attractive people without tattoos and piercings.  Video 5MB

    A very attractive bigger gal

    I think that she is just perfect. But some like the thinner and more fragile appearing women. I find a fine robust woman quite attractive. video 4MB

    Chinese take out

    This is a video of DIY take-out wraps. video 4MB

    Girl in a pink top

    She’s very typical. Nice look. video 1MB

    Grandma’s Tomato Aspic

    Grandma’s Tomato Aspic is a recipe you probably either love or hate. The last time that I had this was in the 1960s. It died a death well before the time when I would be able to appreciate the food.

    This recipe was very popular during the 1950s along with meat aspics, in which cooks aimed to show off their culinary creativity by placing various foods, mainly savory, in a gelatin casing.

    Later on, fruit aspics became staples at potlucks and luncheons. This tomato aspic will bring you back to this unique food era and evoke some nostalgia in your home. Bring this savory aspic to a potluck and see if it causes a stir among the younger generation.

    Preparation Time25 min

    Chilling Time4 hr

    Ingredients

    • 1 (28-ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes, undrained
    • 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
    • salt and pepper
    • 1/2 lemon (juice)
    • 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
    • 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
    • 1 small stalk celery with leaves, finely chopped
    • sour cream for garnish

    Girl in a Wet Market

    It’s pretty typical. And she and the Wet market can be seen all over China. It’s almost the entire template found everywhere. video 3MB

    Girl in grey inside of a car

    I think she is cute, and I really do love her top. Video 18MB

    MM eating some local food

    This is in a small mom-and-pop restaurant local to where I live in Zhuhai, China. This is what local food is like. Of course, if you read American (Western) media such as the great disinfo site ZeroHedge, you would believe that everyone in China is starving, and it’s a big famine. No. LOL. You have to be a fucking idiot to believe that pack of nonsense. Here’s what the meals are like in the poor sections of China. video 40MB

    Fishing in China

    It’s like this. Man, he has a live one. video 9MB

    Believe in yourself

    You can do it. Believe in yourself. Let the rest of the world HOWL! video 13MB

    Be the Rufus

    Are you worthy of living on this earth? Do not laugh. Well, are you? You have to up your game, and being fat, slovenly and expecting handouts is no longer tolerable. Be the Rufus and help others. video 21MB

    Another Cute Chinese Girl

    I like her. She’s cute, attractive, and fun. Nice outfit too. video 2MB

    Chinese girl

    video. Soft pink sweater. Nice thick long black hair. Beautiful eyes. Yup. I’ts China. 2MB

    Rufus defends the weak

    Yes that’s what a Rufus does. video 2MB

    Rufus rescues those in need.

    Yes, that’s how it is done. A Rufus is not a spectator. A Rufus is a participant. video. 5MB

    Rufus Australia

    No time to waste. Take control over the situation and help out those in need. video 5MB

    .

    ..

     

    The Day After (1983) film – less in 8 minutes

    Let’s keep in mid of the madness that is the United States today. Watch this eight minute summary of the 1983 movie that inspired Ronald Reagan to make peace with Russia.

    .

    A Final note…

    When the shit hits the fan, your will need to be a Rufus. Are you up for the task? Or are you going to be a selfish evil fuck? video 7MB

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 3

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

    How Ukraine and Taiwan are similar and why both are being used as pawns to destroy Asia

    It’s just not feasible to have a government, or any large institution, that is so totally based on lies as the current Western system to last very long. 
    
    Right now, the West is running on fumes. 
    
    A machine was built by serious people, and it is now being managed by unhinged lunatics, morons, and unrepentant fiends. 
    
    They are crashing the ship. 
    
    -The UNZ
    

    No. Ukraine and Taiwan are not really identical. They are two different situations. But there actually is a similarity between the two. And that similarity is the United States.

    • The US involvement in both is identical.
    • The systems employed by the control and manipulation are identical.
    • Color revolutions took control of both at the same time, identically.
    • The ruling government is owned and controlled by the United States with the same, identical systems.
    • And both are used to “suppress” the giant nation next to them identically.

    This is obvious.

    Now, I am not going to go through all the background, others have. Instead, I am presenting a fine video for your review, and then we will go from there.

    Yeah, unhinged America is torching what took a century to build: the global economy, global finance, international trade, international relations, international law, et al. There is no coming back from where things are now. Best case scenario is total clusterfuck. Worst is thermonuclear war and end of Western civilization. I’m better on the latter. 
    
    -Anonymous

    First the video

    Short video from you-tube.  

    .

    He’s right.

    There are many, many, MANY similarities between what is going on in Taiwan and Ukraine. So let’s cut the bullshit.

    The systems used to engage Russia are identical to the systems that will be used to engage China.

    So, yes, the United States will cross a Chinese RED LINE and start a war

    It’s not if. It’s when.

    Putin looks clinical and professional.
    Kim looks unsure.
    And Xi should be avoided at all costs.
    
    -<redacted>

    Remember…

    The United States (and it’s proxy nations) are proceeding in their plans to “suppress” Russia and then “pivot to Asia” to “suppress” China.

    The United States (leading the West) are still following the same tired-old “take over the world” script written decades ago, and implementing the plans set forth. (Follow the links for the RAND plans to initiate war. When you read them, you will discover that the US government has been following them exactly, word for word, precisely to the letter.)

    Russia suppression via a RED LINE tripwire event (Ukraine), and a false flag for involvement. The RAND operational plan for war via Ukraine.

    Then, a “pivot to Asia” with a …

    China suppression via a RED LINE tripwire event (Taiwan), and a false flag for involvement. The RAND operational plan for war via Taiwan.

    These plans have been telegraphed, and well understood by the Russian and Chinese leadership. And since the United States is following that old script, they are easy to anticipate and handle.

    And they will use Japan and Australia to make it happen. How do we know? Well, the RAND report on how to suppress China clearly makes this point.

    Australia’s defense spending tops $500b

    That’s a lot of money. Money that could end all poverty in Australia and cut the prices of food, gas and rent by 35% for everyone! But no. It’s going towards American-manufactured weapons and weapons systems. Sheech!

    Dominic Giannini

    More than half a trillion dollars will go towards Australia's defence forces by the end of the decade to combat "a period of profound uncertainty and disruption", according to the 2022/23 budget papers.
    
    Almost half of the $575 billion spend will be pumped into defence capabilities, including $38 billion to boost the workforce by 18,500 personnel, $50 billion for frigates and destroyers, and $10 billion for naval infrastructure.
    
    There is also $6.4 billion for Collins class submarines, $3.5 billion for up to 75 Abrams tanks and armoured vehicles and $1 billion for howitzers and resupply vehicles…

    AUS Defense

    .

    But the “news” is being wishy-washy on everything. There’s “no proof” don’t you know. It’s all opinion and alleged. Everything is suspect. Nothing is real, and it’s an onslaught of lies that work to avoid the simple truth of matters, and disguise them in vague terms.

    Consider Russia.

    Is the United States at war with Russia?

    Easy question. Easy answer.

    Yes it is.

    It is also at war with China. Call it economic war, hybrid-war, cyber-war, social war, color-revolution war, proxy war… but a war is a war. Stop pretending that it isn’t. You all should be ashamed. Really, really ashamed of yourselves.

    A war, is a war.

    Stop pretending that it is not.

    Finian Cunningham
    March 23, 2022
    The Pentagon has admitted it is providing the Ukrainian military with “actionable intelligence” in combat operations against Russian forces. If that is confirmed then the United States is at war with Russia. The implications are grave for two nuclear powers.
    
    The admission came last week during congressional testimony by Ronald Moultrie, the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security. He was speaking to the House Armed Services Committee, proudly telling Congress members how the Pentagon was helping the Ukrainian military fight Russian forces: “We are making a difference in accurate, actionable, and timely intel.”
    
    That indicates the Americans are involved in providing information to the Ukrainians for lethal targeting of Russian troops.
    
    It is an incredibly sensitive admission. Only two weeks before Moultrie’s testimony, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee had reportedly sought to downplay any such informational exchange between American and Ukrainian forces. “We are providing some intelligence” to Ukraine, but we’re “not providing the kind of real-time targeting,” said Representative Adam Smith who chairs the committee. The downplaying is understandable because such intelligence-sharing implies that the U.S. is a direct participant in the conflict.
    
    One possible area where the Pentagon is “making a difference” is the reported high number of senior Russian commanders who have been killed on the battlefield. Since the Russian intervention in Ukraine on February 24, it is claimed in Western media reports that up to six top-ranking officers have been killed.
    
    The latest reported victim was the deputy commander of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, Andrey Paliy. The governor of Sevastopol, Crimea, was quoted by Reuters as acknowledging the death of the naval chief on Sunday. He was apparently killed during the battle for the port city of Mariupol.

    War is war!

    .

    Yes, The United States is at war. It is fighting both Russia and China right now, and the battles are a raging all over. But, in this article, I want to discuss the idea that all three nations fight wars differently.

    United States

    It follows plans made by think-tanks. it employs figurehead puppets to seduce the people, while the actual decisions ae mde behind closed doors in corporate offices, and smoking private rooms.

    In action, the United States acts as a crazed lunatic, and uses mass resources to destroy everything. It is like a plague of locusts. Destroy everything, then come in and take what you want, and salt the earth beahind.

    Russia

    While Russia might be strong, powerful and nuclear, they are careful and humane.They have the power to destroy the world fifteen times over, but refrain from doing so. They still hope that some day, they will be respected in the East. So they try to be proper, kind and modest. But, if they are backed in a corner, they will be absolutely ruthless. They are like hard-core bikers on meth.

    China

    China, on the other hand…

    … are lethal and nasty. Merit driven. Work together as one singular organism, and utilize cutting edge technology in massive numbers. They are like a cat after a rat. It’ll be over in seconds.

    Why?

    Well, the Chinese don’t think like Europeans, Westerners, or Russians. They are different.

    It was some twenty years after the end of the Vietnam war that a security conference was held between leading military figures from both America and Vietnam. Following the conference a U.S. Air Force General approached a Vietnamese General. 
    
    The American had been a fighter pilot captain during the conflict, the Vietnamese general had been a Colonel in the N.V.A. The American asked (paraphrasing): “You have to tell me, we knew your Army was continually crossing the Mekong, we flew sorties up and down the river and could never find your bridges.” “I know,” said the Vietnamese, “we built them three feet under water.”
    
    In that instant the American understood why America lost the war. His “Road to Damascus” moment was informed by how the different combatants approached problems. Had that been an American problem, how an Army crosses a wide, deep and fast flowing river, they would have solved the problem differently. They would have built a suspension bridge, they would have had bases on either side to protect it. They would have had Bowling alleys and Burger Kings and would have been flying in Bob Hope to entertain the troops. Why? Because they could, when you have resources they become the answer to every problem. The Vietnamese didn’t have resources, so they were resourceful.
    
    And that, as the American realized, was why the Vietnamese won, and America lost.
    
    The general may have learned a lesson, but if he told anyone, no one listened. Many of the same mistakes were repeated in Afghanistan, with the same results. Resources are not the answer to every problem. As with Americas war on drugs, war on crime, war on poverty, all resources do is obscure the underlying problem and present false, ineffective solutions.
    
    
    -Strategic Culture

    Chinese girl – Fish body

    The Chinese idea of beauty is to have a body like a fish. Also known as an “S” shape. This woman shows it off.  video 1MB

    Quick summary before we move on…

    Both Russia and China have formed a new nation. It is a united Asia. They share trade, technology and intelligence.

    Both Russia and China are being attacked by the United States.

    It is on a host of levels and avenues, and as much as possible, proxy nations and entities are being used to disguise the United States from culpibility.  That’s the situation. The entire world knows this, it’s just that (for some reason) it’s taboo to speak the truth.

    • I argue that World War III is being fought right now.
    • I argue that it has been going on, at least since 2008.
    • I argue that China and Russia are aware of this.
    • I also argue that they have waited until after their 4FEB22 agreement to take the necessary actions…

    So what is next?

    Offensive actions.

    We’ve been on the road to perdition for a long time, but we came to a peak on that highway in 2019 and the path has been straight down since, with our chariot of fire accelerating at breakneck speed towards its final destination with catastrophe and ruin. 
    
    The rise and fall of the American Empire will be far more rapid than the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. 
    
    With the inept and reckless leadership in place presently, I only hope we still have a nation after they successfully provoke World War 3.
    
    -Burning Platform
    

    Both China and Russia, are not “punching bags”. They can only take so much bullshit before they decide to “turn the tables” and go on the offensive.

    No. I am not really talking about Ukraine. That’s a military-technical measure that occurred on the border of Russia. What I am talking about is offensive actions against the source of the conflict.

    The source of the conflict is the United States.

    And it has to be within a near-by timetable. It cannot be delayed. The United States is building a large number of Aircraft Carriers, building and setting up a Pacific-NATO known as the QUAD, and the longer this action is delayed, the greater the rist of a massive, and horrific Mutual Assured Destruction fiasco.

    Both Russia and China have to be smart; be timely, and be proactive in their actions.

    Bioweapons labs in the Ukraine

    Russia has lost all of it’s biological weapons, research and systems upon the fall of the Soviet Union. The ONLY nation that maintains the technology, the labs, and the systems to inject them into societies is the Untied States.

    And they have hundreds of these labs, and bases all around the world.

    During the invasion of the Ukraine, the Russians have been able to capture, and secure a large number of the labs and study them…

    Igor Kirillov, Head of the Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defense Forces of the Russian Armed Forces, explained this week the results of the analysis of documents found in Ukrainian military biolabs:

    • The U.S. funded biolabs in Kiev, Odessa, Lvov and Kharkov, awarding $32 million, in order to “study” pathogens of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, leptospirosis and hantaviruses. Their use can be disguised as natural disease outbreaks.
    • Six families of viruses (including coronaviruses) and three types of pathogenic bacteria (causative agents of plague, brucellosis and leptospirosis) have been identified as having characteristics suitable for infecting humans from animals. Research has even been carried out on the transmission of diseases through bats.
    • There are a number of documents confirming the transfer of biological samples taken in Ukraine to the territory of third countries, including Germany, Great Britain and Georgia.
    • The transmission of highly pathogenic avian influenza by wild birds was studied at the Kharkiv Institute of Veterinary Medicine.
    • The transfer of 5,000 blood serum samples taken from Ukrainian residents to the Pentagon-supported Richard Lugar Center in Tbilisi, Georgia, was confirmed.
    • Another 773 assays were transferred to the United Kingdom, while an agreement was signed to transfer “unlimited quantities” of infectious supplies to the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, Germany’s leading animal disease center.

    The findings of these biolabs cannot be ignored.

    Ukraine as one of the satellite states of the United States served as a space for biological weapons to start gaining ground in the new forms of warfare against Russia (and the world, looking at it in perspective).

    It is suspicious that the Ukrainian-US biolabs are located along the perimeter of the Russian border, considering that these facilities were also reported to have used samples from people of different ethnicities living in the Russian Federation and other Eurasian countries. It should be considered to be an attack vector, and very nefarious one at that.

    If you were a responsible leader, you would recognize the reality of this threat vector. Obtain the materials and technology, and add it to your arsenal of weaponary.

    History of using Bioweapons to “suppress” China, Russia and Iran.

    I have covered this elsewhere. I have discussed this on multible levels, and in various media. Including video interviews, television, radio, and my articles on MM.

    The United States waged biowarfare on China starting (maybe longer, but I did not go that far back) in 2017. This was by direction of John Bolton, and under the permission of President Donald Trump.

    There were eight bioweapons (min) that were used against livestock. The goal was to create a famine inside of China. They were dispersed in a selection of ways and means, with the use of drones to contaminate and infect the widely spread out pig farms of great interest. As the drone componentry had tooling marks indicative of United States or UK manufacture.

    Sloppy. Very sloppy guys.

    When these did not work, three bioweapons were used to “suppress” the Chinese people. The first was COVID on CNY. I suppose you could argue that it was the “crown jewel”. As the “B strain” that hit China was particuliarly lethal and really caused a mess. While the “A strain” was released inside the United States and it’s allies six months early so that those nations would obtain “herd immunity”.

    The other two bioweapons were really very bad.

    They were two really nasty lethal viruses that both caused your internal organs to liquify and forced the compromised to vomit them out, or shit them out. The first was a mutiated tick virus with HIV inserts that broke out in Beijing; a city that has no ticks what so ever.  And the second a modification of a swine flu but was airborne, also had HIV inserts, and high transmissibility.

    But of course, China was at DEFCON 1.

    China found the bioweapons, tracked them to their sources, and went full lock-down. And as soon as they were discovered, well…

    …Donald Trump was evacuated, and the USA went to DEFCON 1. As the “news” said, “as a precaution” and “the President had contacted coronavirus.”

    When nothing happened by China, three days later, Donald Trump left from his bunker, and declared that he was “cured” or coronavirus within three days. And nothing was presented to the public in the “news” media.

    But China… heh, heh…

    …China does things on it’s own timetable, and at it’s own pace for it’s own advantage. And they never forget.

    They MIGHT forgive, but they will not forget.

    Lethal Chicken virus

    And right now, things are still in process. The United States is all in alarm and proceeding in their attacks against China, and Russia. It’s active. It’s full-spectrum. It’s everything (except the kitchen sink) full spectrum (minus overt kintetic fighting USA to Asia) and very active on all levels.

    So, if you watch the Western “news” you won’t be aware of any of this. (There’s) Thousands of articles investigating every single nuiance about how Russia is losing the war in the Ukraine, the effect of how great the sanctions against Russia are, and how evil and villainous China is.

    But NOTHING about China and Russia making offensive moves against the “bright and shiny house on the Hill”; Washington DC and the United States.

    But there is some UNRELATED NEWS.

    News about chickens. News about Turkeys. News about Pigeons.

    Odd news. Seemingly unimportant news.

    From the CDC…

    March 7, 2022—To date, highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses (“H5N1 bird flu viruses”) have been detected in U.S. wild birds in 14 states  and in commercial and backyard poultry in 13 states, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspective Service (APHIS). 
    
    Based on available epidemiologic and virologic information about these viruses, CDC believes that the risk to the general public’s health from current H5N1 bird flu viruses is low, however some people may have job-related or recreational exposures to birds that put them at higher risk of infection. 
    
    CDC is watching this situation closely and taking routine preparedness and prevention measures in case this virus changes to pose a greater human health risk.
    
    Right now, the H5N1 bird flu situation is primarily an animal health issue. The U.S. Department of Interior and USDA APHIS are the lead federal agencies for this situation. 
    
    They are respectively responsible for outbreak investigation and control of bird flu in wild birds and in domestic birds (poultry). USDA has publicly posted the genetic sequences of several of the recently detected U.S. H5N1 bird flu viruses. These viruses are from clade 2.3.4.4b, which is the most common H5N1 bird flu virus worldwide at this time. Comparing information about these newer viruses to previously circulating H5N1 bird flu viruses helps inform the human health risk assessment.
    
    Background on H5N1
    
    Ancestors of the H5N1 bird flu viruses infecting wild birds and poultry in the U.S. beginning in 2021 first emerged in southern China in 1996 and caused large poultry outbreaks in Hong Kong in 1997, which resulted in 18 human infections. 
    
    The bird outbreak was controlled, but H5N1 bird flu viruses re-surfaced in 2003 to spread widely in birds throughout Asia, and later in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, causing poultry outbreaks and sporadic human infections. 
    
    Related H5N1 bird flu viruses were even found in wild birds and poultry in the U.S. and Canada during 2014 and 2015, causing large poultry outbreaks, but then they disappeared. Since 2003, the World Health Organization (WHO) external icon, has received reports from 19 countries of more than 860 human infections with H5N1 bird flu viruses, with about 53 percent of those resulting in death. CDC has spent many years studying the properties of H5N1 viruses over the years.

    Once detected in polutry, the entire farm must be killed off. There is no way to stop the virus. Once infected, the entire population becomes infected and dies.

    It has a very high rate of transmissibly. It is quick and infects the entire bird population within days.

    The outbreak is in 13 states within the United States. The CDC says that there is nothing to be concerned about.

    The death rate for those unfortunate humans who have contacted this virus is 53%

    Roughly 53% of people diagnosed with H5N1 and 50% of people diagnosed with H7N9 have died.
    
    -Avian Flu

    Daegal report review

    I do not know what lies in the future. But I do know that the future has been remote viewed. And the results were presented in The Deagal Report.

    The Deagel corporation is a minor branch of US military intelligence, one of the many secretive organizations which collects data for high-level decision-making purposes and prepares confidential briefing documents for agencies like the National Security Agency, the United Nations, and the World Bank.

    It’s a work of “love” from some retired intelligence assets, and like most of us ex-spooks, it’s hosted outside of the United States. Just like MM here. We have VERY good reasons to do so. Reasons that are far too complex to get involved in right this moment. But we DO KNOW what we are doing. Never doubt that.

    Deagel is known, for example, to have contributed to a Stratfor report on North Korea. With this kind of pedigree, Deagel should be seen as a legitimate player in the intelligence community and not merely a disinformation asset.

    If so, then it must be assumed that its population predictions for 2025, as well as its industrial output predictions on a nation-by-nation basis, are based on strategic assumptions which are shared and well understood by other players in the intelligence community.

    Deagel predictions.

    Until the start of the Covid ‘pandemic’ many commentators were perplexed by the Deagel spreadsheets.

    Perhaps they were part of a psychological operation?

    However, in light of recent events, we are obliged to consider a possible connection between the projected massive reduction in the population of certain countries, forecast by Deagel, and other trends going on right now.

    Trends?

    What trends?

    • Devaluation of the Dollar with an out of control American Congress.
    • Strange insistence in using a mRNA vaccine instead of a traditional “dead host” vaccine.
    • A global pandemic that America is just fucking up royally.
    • Desire for a war with China.
    • Desire for a war with Russia.
    • Desire for a war with Iran.
    • China, Russia and Iran forming a unified Asian block.
    • Race war in the United States.
    • Progressive onslaught and control of all electronic media.
    • Looming bubbles in just about every facet of American life.

    And so on and so forth…

    And then, theres the nuclear angle

    Russia is on full nuclear alert. China is on full nuclear alert, and the United States is moving it’s nuclear weapons all around Asia. Just like it was depicted in the movie Threads (2.5 minutes)

    ”]

    The Deagel scenario

    The Deagel corporation was asked to explain the thinking behind its strange set of population and output figures. While we cannot take its response at face value, it nonetheless paints a picture that is very similar to the world we now see. And this is not an exaggeration at all.

    Consider…

    [1] A fake American GDP

    In short, they argued that the US government has greatly over-stated the real level of US GDP. This means the country will be fatally exposed when the next economic crisis strikes. And an economic crisis is striking.

    How can the GDP be so high that a full 61% of Americans are so poor that they do not pay Federal Income Taxes? 
    
    It defies rational understanding.

    [2] A Pandemic Scenario

    They also take into account a “pandemic scenario” – their term – caused by Ebola or a similar pathogen. This, they say, would cause an exceptionally high death rate, placing extreme pressure on healthcare providers across America and greatly reducing economic output.

    [3] A financial crisis with the US Dollar

    This pandemic could quickly spiral out of control and create an international financial crisis:

    “The collapse of the Western financial system will wipe out the standard of living of its population while ending Ponzi schemes such as the Stock Exchange and the pension funds.” 

    Trying to figure it out…

    They try to explain the predicted dramatic fall in the population of the US by reference to a massive outward migration of millions of Americans seeking economic relief in other countries, but this is unconvincing.

    They seem to concede this themselves when they add a further explanatory factor – widespread suicide in response to economic distress. But this too is unsatisfactory.

    Their primary reason for predicting a colossal drop in the population of the US by 2025 – a fall of up to 70 percent – is the scale and severity of the alleged pandemic.

    As they put it,

    “the death toll will be horrible.” 

    Map

    Here’s a map showing the predictions made in the forecast. You see that Asia is unscathed, while America and the West suffer horribly.

    • Japan will lose 1/5th of it’s population!
    • Australia will lose a full 1/3rd of it’s population!
    • Canada will lose 1/4th of it’s population!
    • The United States will lose almost 3/4ths of it’s population!

    Map

    Timing

    By all accounts, historically, the massive drop in population at this time is validated by the “Fourth Turning” predictions. The date and timing all agree with the Strauss and Howe model for America.

    This model is United States centrist, and acknowledges that different societies and different cultures have different “turnings” and generational changes.

    Casualty Figures

    The casualty figures are gargantuan. And they are all centered around the Western block.

        • United States
        • Europe / NATO
        • QUAD (minus India that opted out)

    What a coincidence!

    This 2012 remote viewing would associate such an enormous death toll with a bi-polar world, and that the East (Asia) would be unscathed, while the West (The USA) would have massive casualties.

    It’s an American centered fiasco

        • USA Leadership = 70% drop in population
        • Europe / NATO = 50 – 70% drop in population
        • QUAD = 20 – 35% drop in population
    Based on historical precedents, and the Deagel predictions, these kinds of numbers and figures can only be associated with an American centered disaster. Not really a global one. Because if it was a global disaster, then the causality figures would be more uniform.

    .

    Europe

    The countries that will suffer the greatest reduction in population, according to Deagel (as per 2014), are:

    Aside from massive devistation in Europe, you have to admit… the numbers are horrific. They are pretty darn specific. Don’t you know.

    In 2020, Deagel revised their assessment of the 2012 forecast. They did not change the data nor the results. They reviewed the possible causes as things developed…

    Deagel 2020 revision to the original 2012 Deagel Forecast

    BlueNarwhal:
    Forecast disclaimer revision in 2020:

    In 2014 we published a disclaimer about the forecast. In six years the scenario has changed dramatically.

    This new disclaimer is meant to single out the situation from 2020 on-wards.

    Talking about the United States and the European Union as separated entities no longer makes sense. Both are the Western block, keep printing money and will share the same fate.

    After COVID we can draw two major conclusions:

    [1] The Western world success model has been built over societies with no resilience that can barely withstand any hardship, even a low intensity one. It was assumed but now we’ve got the full hard confirmation beyond any doubt.
    [2] The COVID crisis will be used to extend the life of this dying economic system through the so called “Great Reset.”

    The Great Reset; like the climate change, extinction rebellion, planetary crisis, green revolution, shale oil (…) hoaxes promoted by the system; is another attempt to slow down dramatically the consumption of natural resources and therefore extend the lifetime of the current system.

    It can be effective for awhile but finally won’t address the bottom-line problem and will only delay the inevitable.

    The core ruling elites hope to stay in power which is in effect the only thing that really worries them.

    The collapse of the Western financial system – and ultimately the Western civilization – has been the major driver in the 2012 forecast along with a confluence of crisis with a devastating outcome.

    As COVID has proven Western societies embracing multiculturalism and extreme liberalism are unable to deal with any real hardship.

    The Spanish flu one century ago represented the death of 40-50 million people.

    Today the world’s population is four times greater with air travel in full swing which is by definition a super spreader.

    The death casualties in today’s World would represent 160 to 200 million in relative terms but more likely 300-400 million taking into consideration the air travel factor that did not exist one century ago.

    So far, COVID death toll is roughly 1 million people.

    It is quite likely that the economic crisis due to the lock-downs will cause more deaths than the virus worldwide.

    The Soviet system was less able to deliver goodies to the people than the Western one. Nevertheless Soviet society was more compact and resilient under an authoritarian regime. That in mind, the collapse of the Soviet system wiped out 10 percent of the population.

    The stark reality of diverse and multicultural Western societies is that a collapse will have a toll of 50 to 80 percent depending on several factors.

    But in general terms the most diverse, multicultural, indebted and wealthy (highest standard of living) will suffer the highest toll.

    The only glue that keeps united such aberrant collage from falling apart is over-consumption with heavy doses of bottomless degeneracy disguised as virtue.

    Nevertheless the widespread censorship, hate laws and contradictory signals mean that even that glue is not working any more.

    Not everybody has to die.

    Migration can also play a positive role in this.

    The formerly (known as) second and third world nations are an unknown at this point. Their fate will depend upon the decisions they take in the future.

    Western powers are not going to take over them as they did in the past because these (Western) countries won’t be able to control their very own cities let alone those countries that are far away.

    If they remain tied to the former World Order they will go down along with the Western powers. However, they won’t experience the same kind of brutal decline that the Western powers will experience so brazenly. This is partially because they are poorer and (obviously) not diverse enough. Instead they are stronger than the Western powers because they are actually quite homogeneous. This is their advantage. And that they are used to deal with some sort of hardship. Though,  not precisely the one that is coming.

    If they switch to China they can get a chance to stabilize but will need to depend upon the management of their own resources.

    We expected this situation to unfold and actually is unfolding right now.

    With the November election triggering a major bomb if Trump is re-elected. (Did not happen.)

    If Biden is elected there will very bad consequences as well.

    There is a lot of bad blood in the Western societies and the protests, demonstrations, rioting and looting are only the first symptoms of what is coming.

    However a new trend is taking place overshadowing this one.

    The situation between the three great powers has changed dramatically.

    The only relevant achievement of the Western powers during the past decade has been the formation of a strategic alliance, both military and economic, between Russia and China.

    Right now the potential partnership between Russia and the European Union (EU) is dead with Russia turning definitively towards China. That was from the beginning the most likely outcome.

    Airbus never tried to establish a real partnership but rather a strategy to fade away the Russian aerospace industry.

    Actually Russia and China have formed a new alliance to build a long haul airliner.

    Western Europe (not to mention the United States) was never interested in the development of Russia or forming anything other than a master slave relationship with Russia providing raw materials and toeing the line of the West.

    It was clear then and today is a fact.

    Russia has been preparing for a major war since 2008 and China has been increasing her military capabilities for the last 20 years. Today China is not a second tier power compared with the United States. Both in military and economic terms China is at the same level and in some specific areas are far ahead.

    In the domain of high-tech 5G has been a success in the commercial realm but the Type 055 destroyer is also another breakthrough with the US gaining a similar capability (DDG 51 Flight IIII) by mid of this decade (more likely by 2030).

    Nanchang, the lead ship of the Type 055 class, was commissioned amid the pandemic and lockdown in China.

    Six years ago the likelihood of a major war was tiny.

    Since then it has grown steadily and dramatically and today is by far the most likely major event in the 2020s.

    The ultimate conflict can come from two ways.

    [1] A conventional conflict involving at least two major powers that escalates into an open nuclear war.

    [2] A second scenario is possible in the 2025-2030 time-frame. A Russian sneak first strike against the United States and its allies with the new S-500, strategic missile defenses, Yasen-M submarines, INF Zircon and Kalibr missiles and some new space asset playing the key role.

    The sneaky first strike would involve all Russian missile strategic forces branches (bombers and ground-based missiles) at the different stages of such attack that would be strategic translation of what was seen in Syria in November 2015.

    There was no report that the Russian had such a capability of launching a high precision, multiple, combined arms attack at targets 2,000+ kilometers away.

    Western intelligence had no clue.

    The irony is that since the end of the Cold War the United States has been maneuvering through NATO to achieve a position to be able to execute a first strike (nuclear) over Russia and now it seems that the first strike may still occur but the country finished would be the United States.

    Another particularity of the Western system is that its individuals have been brainwashed to the point that the majority accept their moral high ground and technological edge as a given.

    This has given the rise of the supremacy of the emotional arguments over the rational ones which are ignored or deprecated.

    That mindset can play a key role in the upcoming catastrophic events.

    At least in the Soviet system the silent majority of the people were aware of the fallacies they were fed up.

    We can see the United States claims about 5G being stolen from them by China or hypersonic technology being stolen by Russia as the evidence that the Western elites are also infected by that hubris.

    Over the next decade it will become obvious that the West is falling behind the Russia-China block and the malaise might grow into desperation.

    Going to war might seem a quick and easy solution to restore the lost hegemony to finally find them into a France 1940 moment. Back then France did not have nuclear weapons to turn a defeat into a victory. The West might try that swap because the unpleasant prospect of not being Mars and Venus but rather a bully and his dirty bitch running away in fear while the rest of the world is laughing at them.

    If there is not a dramatic change of course the world is going to witness the first nuclear war.

    The Western block collapse may come before, during or after the war.

    It does not matter.

    A nuclear war is a game with billions of casualties and the collapse plays in the hundreds of millions.

    Spinach and Cheese Stromboli

    Spinach and Cheese Stromboli updated Large400 ID 3415831
    Spinach and Cheese Stromboli

    Need something that’s classically Italian? Try a Spinach and Cheese Stromboli. Refrigerated pizza dough is our shortcut to making this tasty meal in less than 15 minutes. It’s a quick and easy vegetarian stromboli recipe that’s guaranteed to fill you up. We’re sure you’ll agree, this simple Italian dinner is unquestionably tasty.

    What You’ll Need

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
    • 4 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 cup ricotta cheese
    • 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
    • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1 (13.8-ounce) package refrigerated pizza dough

    What to Do

    1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
    2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add spinach and garlic and sauté 3 to 5 minutes, or until garlic is golden. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
    3. In a large bowl, combine ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, the oregano, and salt. Add spinach mixture and stir until well blended.
    4. Unroll pizza dough and with your fingertips or the heel of your hand, spread dough out to a 10- x 15-inch rectangle. Cut in half lengthwise to make two 5- x 15-inch rectangles. Spread half the spinach mixture onto each piece of dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge. Fold each piece of dough over and pinch the edges to seal securely. Place on prepared baking sheet.
    5. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

    Statements of prediction

    Including remote viewing into the calculus, and taking into account all the knowns…

    • The American leadership class does not contain diplomatic professionals. Instead there are unskilled political donors who are making life and death decisions.
    • The mRNA vaccination is a real mystery, and there HAS to be a reason behind using it instead of the traditional “Dead Host” vaccination.
    • The approved 2021 Federal budget includes an enormous military funding outlay that is obviously in preparation for a major war.
    • The American government, and their media are all talking about an upcoming major war with China.
    • American military is retreating from Afghanistan, and four bases in Korea, while making QUAD arrangements with Australia and Japan.
    • Red Line violations with Russia provoking a war in Ukraine.
    • Red Line posturing with China concerning Taiwan.
    • The end of the USD.
    • Sanction-crazy United States and threatening the entire world with “consequences”.
    • A unified Asian block to include Russia, China, India and Iran.

    All of this is very disturbing, and considered alone would be cause enough to suggest that a major war is just on the horizon.

    But…

    America (The United States) is crumbling from rot from within…

    • Racial hate.
    • Proliferation of firearms, and the establishment of armed groups.
    • Balkanization.
    • Economic bubbles.
    • Social bubbles.
    • The wealth gap is enormous.
    • Infrastructure funding is too late.
    • Rules, regulations and laws are all off the charts.

    Couple that with a failed bio-weapons attack on China, and the fiasco which was the Trump neocon administration, followed by the bumbling Biden administration… and hard-core neocon Religious extremists, and industry interests desiring of conflict, war and strife (all for various reasons), and you have a poisonous stew.

    The “Genie is out of the bottle”, and I do not think that the looming “mountains” on the horizon can be avoided. The inertia associated with the clustering of world-lines is way too strong. So my guess (and I hope that I am wrong) is that the United States will sleep-walk into a war with Asia, and then before it happens, Asia will strike preemptively.

    No matter what the details are, the remote viewing forecast is quite clear.

    The United States Military Empire is going to start another major war. It is intended to be a distraction from the domestic failures, and regardless as to how much money President Biden is plowing into the economy, it’s not going to make any difference.

    America is toast.

    Burnt to a crisp; blackened, burned toast.

    America today.

    And it’s only a matter of time…

    And then when the moron, presses the button, flicks the switch, or twists the knob, all Hell will break loose.

    • Engage Russia in warfare via proxy.
    • Engage China in warfare via proxy.

    All in all, the USA will suffer horribly, and the combination of everything else will only turn a fiasco into an Hellish nightmare.

    Ooey-Gooey Bacon Grilled Cheese

    Ooey Gooey Bacon Grilled Cheese ArticleImage CategoryPage ID 2150599
    Ooey Gooey Bacon Grilled Cheese

    A classic grilled cheese sandwich is good, but a grilled cheese sandwich that’s made with three different kinds of cheeses, and a creamy, bacony dip is even better. This Ooey-Gooey Bacon Grilled Cheese is going to blow you away with its incredible taste. Once you’ve had a taste of it this way, you’ll find it hard to go back to the old way!

    What You’ll Need

    • 1/2 cup refrigerated cheddar and bacon dip
    • 1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
    • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
    • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
    • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 8 slices homestyle white bread
    • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, softened

    Senario Flush Out

    It appears, assuming that…

    • Degal remote viewing is correct (and it appears to be)
    • The USA continues on the Ukraine proxy attack. (Certainly appears that way.)
    • The USA continues with the Taiwan proxy attacks… (All evidence confirm…)

    Then, we can expect a confluence of a number of calamity vectors. Economic, Medical and Military.

    Economic

    • Economic; Loss of USD as a global currency.
    • Economic; Deshrouding of the fake GDP towards it’s actual value.
    • Economic; Collapse of the Western trade / logistic systems. (I hope not.)
    • Economic; Sanction blowback. (The US cannot sanction the world.)
    • Economic; Energy strangulation. (And the domino effect…)

    Medical

    • Bioweapon / pandemic effects. (Not just Covid.)
    • Lack of serious quarantine and containment procedures. (It’s binary.)
    • A decrease in the access to medicines (because of trade / sanctions).
    • Overwhelmed medical care facilities. (Largest contributor.)

    Military

    • Nuclear strikes. (Actual or threat vectors.)
    • Shipping blockages. (Part of the USA plan, but sanctions can enable.)
    • Regional conflicts and revolutions.

    I argue that we are looking at the confluence of these three vectors and they center like a target reticle cross-hair on the United States and it’s allies. All of them can contribute synergistically towards a regional catastrophic result.

    But… Keep in mind.

    You can control YOUR reality. And maybe this mountain of turmoil is sitting off somewhere on your world-line template, you can still navigate around it. Remember, after all, for all the turmoil and strife during World War II, Canada, South America, and Africa was relatively left alone.

    Maybe you don’t want to move to Greenland, Patagonia, or Zambia. But you don’t really need to. All you need to do is control your little bit of reality. And if you do that, then everything will work out just fine.

    Some final thoughts

    Keep in mind that the Deagel remote viewed the future correctly. They printed their results in 2012. 
    
    They PREDICTED a bio-warfare induced pandemic. 
    They PREDICTED an Australian military alliance with the United States.
    They PREDICTED that America would start entering a period of "popping" of the various economic bubbles.
    They PREDICTED a bio-polar world separated into East and West.
    
    All of which came true by 2020.

    Deagel did NOT change their forecast for 2025. It still stands. They just changed their thinking on how it would come about.

    They remote viewed 2025 in great detail.

    There will be [1] a massive die off of people in America, and Australia. The rest of the world will fare much better. And, most importantly, a [2] bio-weapon or pandemic figured predominantly in their calculus.

    In 2012, they believed that there would be some kind of bio-weapon or pandemic that would kill off so many Americans. But they couldn’t (for the life of them) answer why Australia of all places would also have a large die-off. At that time they never could of imagined the QUAD set up by Mike Pompeo, and that the Morrison government would wholeheartedly want to declare war on China. Instead, they figured that it must be a very serious pandemic with some other mystery event that complicated things in a negative manner.

    In 2020, in the midst of the (three agent) bio-weapon attacks on China, and the absolute failure of America in securing it’s homeland, as well as the strong alignment of the Australian Morrison government to the war-loving neocons in Washington DC, the revised reasoning became one of nuclear war. Thus they reasoned that since the 2020 pandemic wasn’t that bad (being in the United States, and getting the “safe” bioweapon), and the drums of war were beating so loudly, that it must be nuclear war with bio-weapons used simultaneously.

    Whether there is a nuclear event, or a bio-weapon event, no matter who caused it, or who instigated it, America will be absolutely and totally devastated. A 70% kill off implies that America would indeed be thrown back to the bronze age.

    My advice?

    You cannot change what is going to happen. It is pretty much set in stone. The only thing that you can do is to save yourself.

    Flee the United States as fast as you can.

    Go to a nation with a safer rating on the Deagel scale.

    Consider fleeing any nation that is allied with the United States as well. The UK, and those European nations that are part of NATO perform very poorly. Though you will probably have an easier time of it than being the United States, it will still be a very rough life in those places.

    It will be a scene out of the movie “Threads“, and you all should get a copy of this movie and watch it right now.

    Threads Nuclear Detonation Scene

    And when you watch it, keep in mind that what it portrays is EXACTLY what Deagal predicts will happen to America and it’s allies. Watch it and realize that you have two to three short years to save yourself and your family.

    Bugging out.

    A final comment

    Everyone is aware that nuclear war is horrible and undesirable. However, the American leadership are making ZERO efforts to deescalate tensions in the Ukraine. Instead they are throwing weapons there. They are making ZERO efforts to deescalate tensions around Taiwan.

    Russia and China have formed a major block. THEY DO NOT PLAY.

    I cannot predict the future.

    But others have.

    This is what they predicted… 10 minute video. It is well worth viewing.

    .

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 3

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    Russia and China has become one nation

    Not reported that way in the West, eh? But, yeah. That’s exactly what has happened.

    This article is VERY IMPORTANT.

    I am configuring it using my MM "huge smorgasbord technique". Thus, it includes food, girls, and other things. It's fun, interesting, and it absolutely stops Trolls and 'Bots.  You will find these little green comment boxes throughout the article, and I welcome you all to comment using them. Because if you wait until the end of the article, you will have forgotten much of the various, diverse content provided.
    
    The comment boxes look like this...

    Warning: A lot of videos here. To watch them either reload the embedded video (most are under one minute long) or click on the link above the video. They are well worth the time to watch.

    I came across this excellent TASS article summarizing the 4 February 2022 Russia/China Joint Declaration.  It’s a helpful reminder, on  just how far-reaching the Declaration is and the principles it’s based upon.

    These are some the many, many key paragraphs, although there are more:

    "This declaration formalizes the de facto established union of Russia and China. We have been talking a great deal about strategic interaction. This is a real embodiment of this interaction," Maslov said.
    

    Given the rejection by the West of everything Russian and Chinese, it actually seems probable that the Declaration went unread by American “high officials”, meaning Blinken, Austin and Sullivan, since they already had formalized their escalation plans.

    The American “leadership” are still following their check-lists and scripts.

    But the reality is something very different. Russia and China have unified. They are as one singular nation, and they coordinate as one singular nation.

    It’s not just a treaty. It is the de facto union of Russia and China together.

    It is the formation of a new POWER BLOCK.

    It is equivalent to when the 13 American states formed the “United States” of America in 1776. It is equivalent to when the European Union was formed, and NATO was created. It is really, really BIG news.

    Yet…

    The entire West is pretending, or unaware, of the reality. They still are treating Asia as separate nations. They think there’s Russia. They deal deal with Russia. Then once dealt with, they “pivot” to China. Then they deal with China. Then once, Russia and China are done with, they take on India. Then, once India is finished, the “mop up” with Iran.

    That’s the plan.

    And it relies on a world that does not exist any longer.

    Let’s look at how important this unification of Asia is. We will do so through the lens of history.

    The formation of the United States

    The 13 colonies were the group of colonies that rebelled against Great Britain, fought in the Revolutionary War, and founded the United States of America. Here’s the 13 colonies list:

        • Connecticut
        • Delaware
        • Georgia
        • Maryland
        • Massachusetts Bay
        • New Hampshire
        • New Jersey
        • New York
        • North Carolina
        • Pennsylvania
        • Rhode Island
        • South Carolina
        • Virginia

    In late 1774, a group of Patriot leaders at the Continental Congress meeting set up their own government to resist Great Britain, and, on April 19, 1775, the first battles of the Revolutionary War were fought at Lexington and Concord. During the war, each of the 13 colonies formed a Provincial Congress to lead them, now that they no longer accepted the laws of Great Britain.

    On July 4, 1776, the thirteen colonies declared themselves free and independent states at the Second Continental Congress by signing the Declaration of Independence. This document unified the thirteen colonies into one nation known as “The United States of America”.

    In many ways, this is exactly what has just occurred in Asia.

    There are two nations;

        • Russia
        • China

    On February 4, 2022, a very signifigant document was signed that unified the two nations into one solid singular nation. The treaty and agreements are tighter and stronger, and more substantive that the US Constitution that binds the United States together. The agreement if far stronger than the EU that bonds Europe together. It is a new kind of agreement. Better. Stronger. More detailed, than anything ever seen on this planet previously.

    Russia-China Partnership Agreement

    On February 4, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping have signed a joint statement in Beijing before the Winter Olympics opening ceremony held in China.

    This statement was accepted as a bold declaration of the “New World Order” and the partnership between the two states without any limitations.

    The statement can be divided into four parts:

        • the manifest on the new world order,
        • Grand Eurasian Partnership,
        • the United States (US) aggression, and
        • cooperation against US aggression.

    It should be noted that it is much more than just an inclusive agreement and it will change the balance of power in world politics.

    The content of the contract can be summarized as in the following:

    • About the New World Order, the sides believed that a new period has started in international relations, and global society demands a new international order based on development in a multi-polar world. Also, the sides suggested that multi-lateral ties have been quite significant in foreign policy and aimed at developing global governance. In addition to that, they offered a powerful United Nations is needed to provide multi-polar in international relations. In addition to that, the G20 format was supported instead of G7 since it is much more inclusive. Also, China and Russia believed that they played and will play an active role in the WTO.
    • On Grand Eurasian Partnership, the sides have declared that the relations between the two countries are much stronger than it was in the Cold War Period. Also, China’s continuing economic and political project is known as the “Belt and Road” Initiative (BRI). In the statement, it was claimed that following the BRI, a new Grand Eurasian Partnership would be established, contributing to cultural, economic, political, and historical relations of the region.
    • Russa and China against NATO. China and Russia have declared that they are against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as it approached the Black Sea region and started to try to contain Russia in the latest Ukraine-Russia conflict. The sides believe that NATO is following the mentality of the Cold War period; however, as mentioned before, the world order is changing, as they suggested. Besides NATO, the sides indicated that the policies of the US in the India-Pacific region are dangerous and threatening the peace-building attempts in the Asia-Pacific region. They claimed that Russia and China are concerned about the trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom (AUKUS), which provides for deeper cooperation between its members in areas involving strategic stability, in particular their decision to initiate collaboration in the field of nuclear-powered submarines.
    • Against the United States. On the other hand, the most crucial element of the joint declaration was the alliance against the US. The sides declared that the US could escalate the colorful revolutions in the region and stand against that. Also, the sides have put their views on contrasting against terrorism, that they will not let politicization of terrorism, and using terrorism as a tool of interrupting the domestic politics of any country. The two countries highlighted that they would stand against the sanctions of the US by struggling with economic inequality.

    Responses

    Some responses were given after the declaration of that Joint Statement.

    United States. It says (paraphrasing) “It’s a trivial attempt to circumvent our power and influence.” The US officials stated that, with the Joint Statement, that it was of no real consequence. They said that, China’s Xi Jinping could not protect Russia from sanctions. That, in their mind, was the sole purpose of the agreement.

    Australia. The Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Marise Payne criticized the Agreement. Australia stated,

    “The joint statement lays out a vision of the world that differs from Australia’s and our allies’ and partners’, and I’m convinced it includes all of our Quad partners.”

    Also, in an interview with the ABC on Wednesday, she claimed that the tight security situation at the Russia-Ukraine border did not overshadow the importance the US places on the Indo-Pacific region. Further, Russia and China have slammed the United States’ Indo-Pacific Strategy, rejecting the establishment of closed bloc structures and opposing camps in the Asia-Pacific region. She said Australia is very worried about the Russian military build-up along the Ukraine border and called for a reciprocal conversation to de-escalate the situation.

    United Kingdom. The chair of the UK’s parliamentary defense committee, Tobias Ellwood, also claimed that “Russia provides oil, gas and military hardware. China, in return, provides advanced technology,” he wrote, adding that:

    “Today, we are seeing the birth of a potent anti-democratic alliance. It is on track to see the world shear into two spheres of competing influence. And we have let it happen.”

    Which has me scratching my head. has this Bozo Tobias Ellwood actually read the document. It actually clearly states…

    "The sides believe that democracy is a means of citizens' participation in the government of their country with the view to improving the well-being of population and implementing the principle of popular government."

    Joint statement by Russia, China formalizes bilateral alliance — analyst

    "This declaration formalizes the de facto established union of Russia and China."-Maslov
    In their joint statement two countries described the principles they would rely on in developing global cooperation, Alexey Maslov notes

    MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/. The joint statement Russia and China adopted on Friday outlines the principles of new global cooperation and formalizes their bilateral alliance, the director of the Moscow State University’s Asia and Africa Institute, expert of the discussion club Valdai, Alexey Maslov, told TASS on Friday.

    “This declaration formalizes the de facto established union of Russia and China. We have been talking a great deal about strategic interaction. This is a real embodiment of this interaction,” Maslov said.

    He stressed that in their joint statement Russia and China described the principles they would rely on in developing global cooperation.

    “These principles are absolutely not new ones,” he remarked. “In fact, the statement heralds a return to the original UN principles that were laid down back in the 1940s and 1950s.”

    The expert believes that the document is a clear sign the countries “share common values, a common understanding of democracy and the idea of the national nature of this democracy, pool together many international projects, the EAEU and the One Belt-One Road and also discuss interaction in the Arctic.”

    Maslov stressed that the security issues mentioned in the statement were the most important of all. “A whole list of new types of security was determined there, including cybersecurity, on which the countries will cooperate,” he said.

    The analyst stressed that the countries respected each other’s positions. “China does not threaten the interests of Russia and avoids intervention in Russian affairs. Likewise, Russia does not meddle in China’s affairs,” Maslov said.

    New era of international relations

    "This declaration formalizes the de facto established union of Russia and China."-Maslov

    Maslov explained that the “new era” of cooperation was characterized by the need to restore trust in the broadest sense: in world trade, in the military field, in the economy and so on.

    “The countries propose if not a program, then at least a declaration of principles a future world is to be based on,” he added.

    The expert stressed that this statement “formalizes polarization of forces, and not a confrontation,” because the countries merely declare the principles they rely upon. Maslov stated that other countries were free to join in.

    “If some other countries, not necessarily Western ones, for instance, countries in Southeast Asia are prepared for joining the statement or beginning discussions, they will find that this declaration as such is not a closed one for the simple reason other countries may pledge to adhere to the same principles,” he stated.

    Maslov sees no risk this statement might cause an escalation of tensions in relations with the West, because it concerns an absolutely parallel process.

    “In this respect the document will by no means trigger an escalation. On the contrary, it will rather show that the issue has another side to it. At least, the fact that Russia and China adhere to a different stance,” Maslov concluded.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday arrived in Beijing and held a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. This is Putin’s first visit to China since the beginning of the novel coronavirus pandemic. The Russian-Chinese summit level negotiations ended with the adoption of a joint statement on international relations that were entering a new era and on global sustainable development…

    This massive document outlines a framework for unity between Russia and China. It does the EXACT SAME THING as what the document which unified the thirteen colonies into one nation known as “The United States of America”.

    Old-Fashioned Patty Melts

    Sure everyone has eaten a thousand hamburgers, but how many patty melts have you eaten?

    2022 03 28 09 18
    Patty Melt done properly.

    Everything about these Old-Fashioned Patty Melts is perfect, from the beef patty smothered in cheesy, oniony goodness, to the toasted and buttery rye bread. This sandwich is sure to have you saying “Ooh, it’s so GOUDA!”

    What You’ll Need

    • 2 tablespoons butter, divided
    • 1 small onion, thinly sliced
    • 3/4 pound ground beef
    • Salt to taste
    • Pepper to taste
    • 4 slices rye bread
    • 4 slices Gouda cheese
    • 1/4 cup Thousand Island salad dressing

    What to Do

    1. In a large skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter; saute onion 6 to 8 minutes, or until it starts to brown. Remove to a bowl and cover.
    2. Shape beef into 2 oval patties; sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
    3. In the same skillet over medium heat, cook patties 5 to 7 minutes per side, or until no longer pink in center. Remove from skillet and keep warm.
    4. Spread remaining butter over one side of each slice of bread. Place in skillet buttered side down, and toast until lightly browned.
    5. To assemble a sandwich, place a slice of cheese on a piece of toast, top with a beef patty, half the onion slices, and half the salad dressing. Top with another slice of cheese and piece of toast; repeat with second sandwich, then serve immediately.

    Notes

    We love some coleslaw as a go-along to this delicious sandwich, so why not make your own by whipping up a batch of some delicious Country Coleslaw!

    .

    Read this. This is the actual document and translated…

    Joint Statement of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China on the International Relations Entering a New Era and the Global Sustainable Development

    February 4, 2022

    Background

    At the invitation of President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir V. Putin visited China on 4 February 2022. The Heads of State held talks in Beijing and took part in the opening ceremony of the XXIV Olympic Winter Games.

    The Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China, hereinafter referred to as the sides, state as follows.

    The Statement on the New Union

    Today, the world is going through momentous changes, and humanity is entering a new era of rapid development and profound transformation.

    It sees the development of such processes and phenomena as

    • multipolarity,
    • economic globalization,
    • the advent of information society,
    • cultural diversity,
    • transformation of the global governance architecture
    • and world order;
      • there is increasing interrelation and interdependence between the States;
      • a trend has emerged towards redistribution of power in the world;
      • and the international community is showing a growing demand for the leadership aiming at peaceful and gradual development.

    At the same time, as the pandemic of the new coronavirus infection continues, the international and regional security situation is complicating and the number of global challenges and threats is growing from day to day.

    Some actors representing but the minority (on the international scale) continue to advocate unilateral approaches to addressing international issues and resort to force;

    • they interfere in the internal affairs of other states,
    • infringing their legitimate rights and interests,
    • and incite contradictions, differences and confrontation,
    • thus hampering the development and progress of mankind, against the opposition from the international community.

    The sides call on all States to pursue well-being for all and, with these ends, to

    • build dialogue and mutual trust,
    • strengthen mutual understanding,
    • champion such universal human values as
      • peace,
      • development,
      • equality,
      • justice,
      • democracy and freedom,
      • respect the rights of peoples to independently determine the development paths of their countries
      • and the sovereignty and the security and development interests of States,
        • to protect the United Nations-driven international architecture
        • and the international law-based world order,
        • seek genuine multipolarity with the United Nations
        • and its Security Council playing a central and coordinating role,
        • promote more democratic international relations,
        • and ensure peace, stability and sustainable development across the world.

    I

    The sides share the understanding that democracy is a universal human value, rather than a privilege of a limited number of States, and that its promotion and protection is a common responsibility of the entire world community.

    The sides believe that democracy is a means of citizens’ participation in the government of their country with the view to improving the well-being of population and implementing the principle of popular government.

    Democracy is exercised in all spheres of public life as part of a nation-wide process and reflects the interests of all the people, its will, guarantees its rights, meets its needs and protects its interests.

    There is no one-size-fits-all template to guide countries in establishing democracy.

    A nation can choose such forms and methods of implementing democracy that would best suit its particular state, based on

          • its social and political system,
          • its historical background,
          • traditions and unique cultural characteristics.
          • It is only up to the people of the country to decide whether their State is a democratic one.

    The sides note that Russia and China as world powers with rich cultural and historical heritage have long-standing traditions of democracy, which rely on

          • thousand-years of experience of development,
          • broad popular support and
          • consideration of the needs and interests of citizens.

    Russia and China guarantee their people the right to take part through various means and in various forms in the administration of the State and public life in accordance with the law.

    The people of both countries are certain of the way they have chosen and respect the democratic systems and traditions of other States.

    The sides note that democratic principles are implemented at the global level, as well as in administration of State.

    Certain States’ attempts to impose their own ”democratic standards“ on other countries,

        • to monopolize the right to assess the level of compliance with democratic criteria,
        • to draw dividing lines based on the grounds of ideology,
          • including by establishing exclusive blocs and alliances of convenience,

    prove to be nothing but flouting of democracy and go against the spirit and true values of democracy.

    Such attempts at hegemony pose serious threats to global and regional peace and stability and undermine the stability of the world order.

    The sides believe that the advocacy of democracy and human rights must not be used to put pressure on other countries.

        • They oppose the abuse of democratic values and interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states under the pretext of protecting democracy and human rights, and any attempts to incite divisions and confrontation in the world.
        • The sides call on the international community to respect cultural and civilizational diversity and the rights of peoples of different countries to self-determination.
        • They stand ready to work together with all the interested partners to promote genuine democracy.

    The sides note that the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights set noble goals in the area of universal human rights, set forth fundamental principles, which all the States must comply with and observe in deeds.

    At the same time, as every nation has its own unique national features, history, culture, social system and level of social and economic development, universal nature of human rights should be seen through the prism of the real situation in every particular country, and human rights should be protected in accordance with the specific situation in each country and the needs of its population.

    Promotion and protection of human rights is a shared responsibility of the international community.

    The states should equally prioritize all categories of human rights and promote them in a systemic manner.

    The international human rights cooperation should be carried out as a dialogue between the equals involving all countries.

    All States must have equal access to the right to development. Interaction and cooperation on human rights matters should be based on the principle of equality of all countries and mutual respect for the sake of strengthening the international human rights architecture.

    II

    The sides believe that peace, development and cooperation lie at the core of the modern international system.

    Development is a key driver in ensuring the prosperity of the nations.

    The ongoing pandemic of the new coronavirus infection poses a serious challenge to the fulfilment of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

    It is vital to enhance partnership relations for the sake of global development and make sure that the new stage of global development is defined by balance, harmony and inclusiveness.

    The sides are seeking to advance their work to link the development plans for the Eurasian Economic Union and the Belt and Road Initiative with a view to intensifying practical cooperation between the EAEU and China in various areas and promoting greater interconnectedness between the Asia Pacific and Eurasian regions.

    The sides reaffirm their focus on building the Greater Eurasian Partnership in parallel and in coordination with the Belt and Road construction to foster the development of regional associations as well as bilateral and multilateral integration processes for the benefit of the peoples on the Eurasian continent.

    The sides agreed to continue consistently intensifying practical cooperation for the sustainable development of the Arctic.

    The sides will strengthen cooperation within multilateral mechanisms, including the United Nations, and encourage the international community to prioritize development issues in the global macro-policy coordination.

    They call on the developed countries to implement in good faith their formal commitments on

        • development assistance,
        • provide more resources to developing countries,
        • address the uneven development of States,
        • work to offset such imbalances within States, and advance global and international development cooperation.

    The Russian side confirms its readiness to continue working on the China-proposed Global Development Initiative, including participation in the activities of the Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative under the UN auspices.

    In order to accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the sides call on the international community to take practical steps in key areas of

        • cooperation such as poverty reduction,
        • food security,
        • vaccines and epidemics control,
        • financing for development,
        • climate change,
        • sustainable development,
        • including green development,
        • industrialization,
        • digital economy, and
        • infrastructure connectivity.

    The sides call on the international community to

        • create open, equal, fair and non-discriminatory conditions for scientific and technological development,
        • to step up practical implementation of scientific and technological advances in order to identify new drivers of economic growth.

    The sides call upon all countries to strengthen cooperation in

        • sustainable transport,
        • actively build contacts and share knowledge in the construction of transport facilities,
        • including smart transport and sustainable transport,
        • development and use of Arctic routes,
        • as well as to develop other areas to support global post-epidemic recovery.

    The sides are taking serious action and making an important contribution to the fight against climate change.

    Jointly celebrating the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, they reaffirm their commitment to this Convention as well as to the goals, principles and provisions of the Paris Agreement, including the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.

    The sides work together to ensure the full and effective implementation of the Paris Agreement, remain committed to fulfilling the obligations they have undertaken and expect that developed countries will actually ensure the annual provision of $100 billion of climate finance to developing states. The sides oppose setting up new barriers in international trade under the pretext of fighting climate change.

    The sides strongly support the development of international cooperation and exchanges in the field of biological diversity, actively participating in the relevant global governance process, and intend to jointly promote the harmonious development of humankind and nature as well as green transformation to ensure sustainable global development.

    The Heads of State positively assess the effective interaction between Russia and China in the bilateral and multilateral formats focusing on

        • the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic,
        • protection of life and health of the population of the two countries and the peoples of the world.
        • They will further increase cooperation in the development and manufacture of vaccines against the new coronavirus infection,
        • as well as medical drugs for its treatment,
        • and enhance collaboration in public health and modern medicine.

    The sides plan to strengthen coordination on epidemiological measures to ensure strong protection of health, safety and order in contacts between citizens of the two countries.

    The sides have commended the work of the competent authorities and regions of the two countries on implementing quarantine measures in the border areas and ensuring the stable operation of the border crossing points, and intend to consider establishing a joint mechanism for epidemic control and prevention in the border areas to jointly plan anti-epidemic measures to be taken at the border checkpoints, share information, build infrastructure and improve the efficiency of customs clearance of goods.

    The sides emphasize that ascertaining the origin of the new coronavirus infection is a matter of science.

    Research on this topic must be based on global knowledge, and that requires cooperation among scientists from all over the world.

    The sides oppose politicization of this issue. The Russian side welcomes the work carried out jointly by China and WHO to identify the source of the new coronavirus infection and supports the China – WHO joint report on the matter. The sides call on the global community to jointly promote a serious scientific approach to the study of the coronavirus origin.

    The Russian side supports a successful hosting by the Chinese side of the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing in 2022.

    The sides highly appreciate the level of bilateral cooperation in sports and the Olympic movement and express their readiness to contribute to its further progressive development.

    III

    The sides are gravely concerned about serious international security challenges and believe that the fates of all nations are interconnected.

    No State can or should ensure its own security separately from the security of the rest of the world and at the expense of the security of other States. The international community should actively engage in global governance to ensure universal, comprehensive, indivisible and lasting security.

    The sides reaffirm their strong mutual support for the protection

        • of their core interests,
        • state sovereignty and territorial integrity,
        • and oppose interference by external forces in their internal affairs.

    The Russian side reaffirms its support for the One-China principle, confirms that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, and opposes any forms of independence of Taiwan.

    Russia and China stand against attempts by external forces to

        • undermine security and stability in their common adjacent regions,
        • intend to counter interference by outside forces in the internal affairs of sovereign countries under any pretext,
        • oppose colour revolutions, and
        • will increase cooperation in the aforementioned areas.

    The sides condemn terrorism in all its manifestations, promote the idea of creating a single global anti-terrorism front, with the United Nations playing a central role, advocate stronger political coordination and constructive engagement in multilateral counterterrorism efforts.

    The sides oppose politicization of the issues of combating terrorism and their use as instruments of policy of double standards, condemn the practice of interference in the internal affairs of other States for geopolitical purposes through the use of terrorist and extremist groups as well as under the guise of combating international terrorism and extremism.

    The sides believe that certain States, military and political alliances and coalitions seek to obtain, directly or indirectly, unilateral military advantages to the detriment of the security of others, including

        • by employing unfair competition practices,
        • intensify geopolitical rivalry,
        • fuel antagonism and confrontation, and
        • seriously undermine the international security order and global strategic stability.

    The sides oppose further enlargement of NATO and call on the North Atlantic Alliance to abandon its ideologized cold war approaches, to respect the sovereignty, security and interests of other countries, the diversity of their civilizational, cultural and historical backgrounds, and to exercise a fair and objective attitude towards the peaceful development of other States.

    The sides stand against the formation of closed bloc structures and opposing camps in the Asia-Pacific region and remain highly vigilant about the negative impact of the United States’ Indo-Pacific strategy on peace and stability in the region. Russia and China have made consistent efforts to build an equitable, open and inclusive security system in the Asia-Pacific Region (APR) that is not directed against third countries and that promotes peace, stability and prosperity.

    The sides welcome the Joint Statement of the Leaders of the Five Nuclear-Weapons States on Preventing Nuclear War and Avoiding Arms Races.

    And believe that all nuclear-weapons States should abandon the cold war mentality and zero-sum games, reduce the role of nuclear weapons in their national security policies, withdraw nuclear weapons deployed abroad, eliminate the unrestricted development of global anti-ballistic missile defense (ABM) system, and take effective steps to reduce the risks of nuclear wars and any armed conflicts between countries with military nuclear capabilities.

    The sides reaffirm that the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons is the cornerstone of the international disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation system, an important part of the post-war international security system, and plays an indispensable role in world peace and development. The international community should promote the balanced implementation of the three pillars of the Treaty and work together to protect the credibility, effectiveness and the universal nature of the instrument.

    The sides are seriously concerned about the trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom (AUKUS), which provides for deeper cooperation between its members in areas involving strategic stability, in particular their decision to initiate cooperation in the field of nuclear-powered submarines.

    Russia and China believe that such actions are

        • contrary to the objectives of security and sustainable development of the Asia-Pacific region,
        • increase the danger of an arms race in the region, and
        • pose serious risks of nuclear proliferation.

    The sides strongly condemn such moves and call on AUKUS participants to fulfil their nuclear and missile non-proliferation commitments in good faith and to work together to safeguard peace, stability, and development in the region.

    Japan’s plans to release nuclear contaminated water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean and the potential environmental impact of such actions are of deep concern to the sides.

    The sides emphasize that the disposal of nuclear contaminated water should be handled with responsibility and carried out in a proper manner based on arrangements between the Japanese side and neighbouring States, other interested parties, and relevant international agencies while ensuring transparency, scientific reasoning, and in accordance with international law.

    The sides believe that

        • the U.S. withdrawal from the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles,
        • the acceleration of research and the development of intermediate-range and shorter-range ground-based missiles
        • and the desire to deploy them in the Asia-Pacific and European regions,
        • as well as their transfer to the allies,

    …entail an increase in tension and distrust, increase risks to international and regional security, lead to the weakening of international non-proliferation and arms control system, undermining global strategic stability.

    The sides call on the United States to respond positively to the Russian initiative and abandon its plans to deploy intermediate-range and shorter-range ground-based missiles in the Asia-Pacific region and Europe.

    The sides will continue to maintain contacts and strengthen coordination on this issue.

    The Chinese side is sympathetic to and supports the proposals put forward by the Russian Federation to create long-term legally binding security guarantees in Europe.

    The sides note that the denunciation by the United States of a number of important international arms control agreements has an extremely negative impact on international and regional security and stability.

    The sides express concern over the advancement of U.S. plans to develop global missile defence and deploy its elements in various regions of the world, combined with capacity building of high-precision non-nuclear weapons for disarming strikes and other strategic objectives.

    The sides stress the importance of the peaceful uses of outer space, strongly support the central role of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space in promoting international cooperation, maintaining and developing international space law and regulation in the field of space activities. Russia and China will continue to increase cooperation on such matters of mutual interest as the long-term sustainability of space activities and the development and use of space resources.

    The sides oppose attempts by some States to turn outer space into an arena of armed confrontation and reiterate their intention to make all necessary efforts to prevent the weaponization of space and an arms race in outer space. They will counteract activities aimed at achieving military superiority in space and using it for combat operations.

    The sides affirm the need for the early launch of negotiations to conclude a legally binding multilateral instrument based on the Russian-Chinese draft treaty on the prevention of placement of weapons in outer space and the use or threat of force against space objects that would provide fundamental and reliable guarantees against an arms race and the weaponization of outer space.

    Russia and China emphasize that appropriate transparency and confidence-building measures, including an international initiative/political commitment not to be the first to place weapons in space, can also contribute to the goal of preventing an arms race in outer space, but such measures should complement and not substitute the effective legally binding regime governing space activities.

    The sides reaffirm their belief that the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction (BWC) is an essential pillar of international peace and security. Russia and China underscore their determination to preserve the credibility and effectiveness of the Convention.

    The sides affirm the need to fully respect and further strengthen the BWC, including by institutionalizing it, strengthening its mechanisms, and adopting a legally binding Protocol to the Convention with an effective verification mechanism, as well as through regular consultation and cooperation in addressing any issues related to the implementation of the Convention.

    The sides emphasize that domestic and foreign bioweapons activities by the United States and its allies raise serious concerns and questions for the international community regarding their compliance with the BWC.

    The sides share the view that such activities pose a serious threat to the national security of the Russian Federation and China and are detrimental to the security of the respective regions.

    The sides call on the U.S. and its allies to act in an open, transparent, and responsible manner by properly reporting on their military biological activities conducted overseas and on their national territory, and by supporting the resumption of negotiations on a legally binding BWC Protocol with an effective verification mechanism.

    The sides, reaffirming their commitment to the goal of a world free of chemical weapons, call upon all parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention to work together to uphold its credibility and effectiveness.

    Russia and China are deeply concerned about the politicization of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and call on all of its members to strengthen solidarity and cooperation and protect the tradition of consensual decision-making.

    Russia and China insist that the United States, as the sole State Party to the Convention that has not yet completed the process of eliminating chemical weapons, accelerate the elimination of its stockpiles of chemical weapons.

    The sides emphasize the importance of balancing the non-proliferation obligations of states with the interests of legitimate international cooperation in the use of advanced technology and related materials and equipment for peaceful purposes.

    The sides note the resolution entitled ”Promoting international Cooperation on Peaceful Uses in the Context of International Security“ adopted at the 76th session of the UN General Assembly on the initiative of China and co‑sponsored by Russia, and look forward to its consistent implementation in accordance with the goals set forth therein.

    The sides attach great importance to the issues of governance in the field of artificial intelligence. The sides are ready to strengthen dialogue and contacts on artificial intelligence.

    The sides reiterate their readiness to deepen cooperation in the field of international information security and to contribute to building an open, secure, sustainable and accessible ICT environment.

    The sides emphasize that the principles of the non-use of force, respect for national sovereignty and fundamental human rights and freedoms, and non-interference in the internal affairs of other States, as enshrined in the UN Charter, are applicable to the information space.

    Russia and China reaffirm the key role of the UN in responding to threats to international information security and express their support for the Organization in developing new norms of conduct of states in this area.

    The sides welcome the implementation of the global negotiation process on international information security within a single mechanism and support in this context the work of the UN Open-ended Working Group on security of and in the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) 2021–2025 (OEWG) and express their willingness to speak with one voice within it.

    The sides consider it necessary to consolidate the efforts of the international community to develop new norms of responsible behaviour of States, including legal ones, as well as a universal international legal instrument regulating the activities of States in the field of ICT.

    The sides believe that the Global Initiative on Data Security, proposed by the Chinese side and supported, in principle, by the Russian side, provides a basis for the Working Group to discuss and elaborate responses to data security threats and other threats to international information security.

    The sides reiterate their support of United Nations General Assembly resolutions 74/247 and 75/282, support the work of the relevant Ad Hoc Committee of Governmental Experts, facilitate the negotiations within the United Nations for the elaboration of an international convention on countering the use of ICTs for criminal purposes.

    The sides encourage constructive participation of all sides in the negotiations in order to agree as soon as possible on a credible, universal, and comprehensive convention and provide it to the United Nations General Assembly at its 78th session in strict compliance with resolution 75/282. For these purposes, Russia and China have presented a joint draft convention as a basis for negotiations.

    The sides support the internationalization of Internet governance, advocate equal rights to its governance, believe that any attempts to limit their sovereign right to regulate national segments of the Internet and ensure their security are unacceptable, are interested in greater participation of the International Telecommunication Union in addressing these issues.

    The sides intend to deepen bilateral cooperation in international information security on the basis of the relevant 2015 intergovernmental agreement. To this end, the sides have agreed to adopt in the near future a plan for cooperation between Russia and China in this area.

    IV

    The sides underline that Russia and China, as world powers and permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, intend to

        • firmly adhere to moral principles and accept their responsibility,
        • strongly advocate the international system with the central coordinating role of the United Nations in international affairs,
        • defend the world order based on international law,
        • including the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,
        • advance multipolarity and
        • promote the democratization of international relations, together create an even more prospering, stable, and just world, jointly build international relations of a new type.

    The Russian side notes the significance of the concept of constructing a ”community of common destiny for mankind“ proposed by the Chinese side to ensure greater solidarity of the international community and consolidation of efforts in responding to common challenges.

    The Chinese side notes the significance of the efforts taken by the Russian side to establish a just multipolar system of international relations.

    The sides intend to strongly uphold the outcomes of the Second World War and the existing post-war world order, defend the authority of the United Nations and justice in international relations, resist attempts to deny, distort, and falsify the history of the Second World War.

    In order to prevent the recurrence of the tragedy of the world war, the sides will strongly condemn actions aimed at denying the responsibility for atrocities of Nazi aggressors, militarist invaders, and their accomplices, besmirch and tarnish the honour of the victorious countries.

    The sides call for the establishment of a new kind of relationships between world powers on the basis of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation.

    They reaffirm that the new inter-State relations between Russia and China are superior to political and military alliances of the Cold War era.

    Friendship between the two States has no limits.

    There are no ”forbidden“ areas of cooperation, strengthening of bilateral strategic cooperation is neither aimed against third countries nor affected by the changing international environment and circumstantial changes in third countries.

    The sides reiterate the need for consolidation, not division of the international community, the need for cooperation, not confrontation.

    The sides oppose the return of international relations to the state of confrontation between major powers, when the weak fall prey to the strong.

    The sides intend to resist attempts to substitute universally recognized formats and mechanisms that are consistent with international law for rules elaborated in private by certain nations or blocs of nations, and are against addressing international problems indirectly and without consensus, oppose power politics, bullying, unilateral sanctions, and extraterritorial application of jurisdiction, as well as the abuse of export control policies, and support trade facilitation in line with the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

    The sides reaffirmed their intention to strengthen foreign policy coordination, pursue true multilateralism, strengthen cooperation on multilateral platforms, defend common interests, support the international and regional balance of power, and improve global governance.

    The sides support and defend the multilateral trade system based on the central role of the World Trade Organization (WTO), take an active part in the WTO reform, opposing unilateral approaches and protectionism. The sides are ready to strengthen dialogue between partners and coordinate positions on trade and economic issues of common concern, contribute to ensuring the sustainable and stable operation of global and regional value chains, promote a more open, inclusive, transparent, non-discriminatory system of international trade and economic rules.

    The sides support the G20 format as an important forum for discussing international economic cooperation issues and anti-crisis response measures, jointly promote the invigorated spirit of solidarity and cooperation within the G20, support the leading role of the association in such areas as the international fight against epidemics, world economic recovery, inclusive sustainable development, improving the global economic governance system in a fair and rational manner to collectively address global challenges.

    The sides support the deepened strategic partnership within BRICS, promote the expanded cooperation in three main areas: politics and security, economy and finance, and humanitarian exchanges.

    In particular, Russia and China intend to encourage interaction in the fields of

        • public health,
        • digital economy,
        • science,
        • innovation and technology,
        • including artificial intelligence technologies,
        • as well as the increased coordination between BRICS countries on international platforms.

    The sides strive to further strengthen the BRICS Plus/Outreach format as an effective mechanism of dialogue with regional integration associations and organizations of developing countries and States with emerging markets.

    The Russian side will fully support the Chinese side chairing the association in 2022, and assist in the fruitful holding of the XIV BRICS summit.

    Russia and China aim to comprehensively strengthen the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and further enhance its role in shaping a polycentric world order based on the universally recognized principles of international law, multilateralism, equal, joint, indivisible, comprehensive and sustainable security.

    They consider it important to consistently implement the agreements on improved mechanisms to counter challenges and threats to the security of SCO member states and, in the context of addressing this task, advocate expanded functionality of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure.

    The sides will contribute to imparting a new quality and dynamics to the economic interaction between the SCO member States in the fields of

        • trade,
        • manufacturing,
        • transport,
        • energy,
        • finance,
        • investment,
        • agriculture,
        • customs,
        • telecommunications,
        • innovation and
        • other areas of mutual interest, including through the use of advanced, resource-saving, energy efficient and ”green“ technologies.

    The sides note the fruitful interaction within the SCO under the 2009 Agreement between the Governments of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member States on cooperation in the field of international information security, as well as within the specialized Group of Experts. In this context, they welcome the adoption of the SCO Joint Action Plan on Ensuring International Information Security for 2022–2023 by the Council of Heads of State of SCO Member States on September 17, 2021 in Dushanbe.

    Russia and China proceed from the ever-increasing importance of cultural and humanitarian cooperation for the progressive development of the SCO. In order to strengthen mutual understanding between the people of the SCO member States, they will continue to effectively foster interaction in such areas as cultural ties, education, science and technology, healthcare, environmental protection, tourism, people-to-people contacts, sports.

    Russia and China will continue to work to strengthen the role of APEC as the leading platform for multilateral dialogue on economic issues in the Asia-Pacific region.

    The sides intend to step up coordinated action to successfully implement the ”Putrajaya guidelines for the development of APEC until 2040“ with a focus on creating a free, open, fair, non-discriminatory, transparent and predictable trade and investment environment in the region. Particular emphasis will be placed on the fight against the novel coronavirus infection pandemic and economic recovery, digitalization of a wide range of different spheres of life, economic growth in remote territories and the establishment of interaction between APEC and other regional multilateral associations with a similar agenda.

    The sides intend to develop cooperation within the ”Russia-India-China“ format, as well as to

        • strengthen interaction on such venues as the East Asia Summit,
        • ASEAN Regional Forum on Security,
        • Meeting of Defense Ministers of the ASEAN Member States and Dialogue Partners.

    Russia and China support ASEAN’s central role in developing cooperation in East Asia, continue to increase coordination on deepened cooperation with ASEAN, and jointly promote cooperation in the areas of public health, sustainable development, combating terrorism and countering transnational crime.

    The sides intend to continue to work in the interest of a strengthened role of ASEAN as a key element of the regional architecture.

    It’s very straight-forward. This document lays out the actions and behaviors of the two nations (Russia and China), their interaction with the rest of the work, how the two nations interact with each other, and areas where they will jointly work together.

    It is, a de facto. constitution for a unified Asia.

    Now, let’s see how this document was presented to Americans. My guess is that they are far too stupid to understand what is going on.

    • My guess is that they will interject the article with boilerplate negatives, distortions of the text, and gloss over the actual content and meaning behind it.
    • They will also include disparaging comments, and attempt to detrail the content.

    Russia and China Unveil a Pact Against America and the West

    In a sweeping long-term agreement, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, the two most powerful autocrats, challenge the current political and military order.

    .

    In their matching mauve ties, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping last week declared a “new era” in the global order and, at least in the short term, endorsed their respective territorial ambitions in Ukraine and Taiwan. The world’s two most powerful autocrats unveiled a sweeping long-term agreement that also challenges the United States as a global power, NATO as a cornerstone of international security, and liberal democracy as a model for the world. “Friendship between the two States has no limits,” they vowed in the communiqué, released after the two leaders met on the eve of the Beijing Winter Olympics. “There are no ‘forbidden’ areas of cooperation.”

    Agreements between Moscow and Beijing, including the Treaty of Friendship of 2001, have traditionally been laden with lofty, if vague, rhetoric that faded into forgotten history. But the new and detailed five-thousand-word agreement is more than a collection of the usual tropes, Robert Daly, the director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States, at the Wilson Center, in Washington, told me.

    Although it falls short of a formal alliance, like NATO, the agreement reflects a more elaborate show of solidarity than anytime in the past. “This is a pledge to stand shoulder to shoulder against America and the West, ideologically as well as militarily,” Daly said. “This statement might be looked back on as the beginning of Cold War Two.” The timing and clarity of the communiqué—amid tensions on Russia’s border with Europe and China’s aggression around Taiwan—will “give historians the kind of specific event that they often focus on.”

    Beyond security, the declaration also pledged collaboration on space, climate change, the Internet, and artificial intelligence. Politically, the document claimed that there is “no one-size-fits-all” type of democracy, and heralded both forms of authoritarian rule in Moscow and Beijing as successful democracies. “It’s a pretty striking step closer to an alliance and shows that they’re very much aligned in their vision of the world order in the twenty-first century,” Alexander Vershbow, a former U.S. Ambassador to Russia, told me.

    Putin described the broader strategic partnership with China as “unprecedented.”

    Xi said that their joint strategy would have a “far-reaching influence on China, Russia, and the world.”

    U.S. experts described the lengthy statement, which was riddled with false and accusatory language, as startling. “I’ve never seen a joint statement from both leaders using this kind of language.

    They’ve joined forces,” Angela Stent, a Russia expert who served at the National Intelligence Council and wrote “Putin’s World: Russia Against the West and with the Rest,” told me.

    She described the communiqué as “quite Orwellian” and called it an “inflection point” in which Russia and China are challenging the balance of power that has defined the global order since the Cold War ended, three decades ago. “We could be at the beginning of a new era as the Russian relationship with the West deteriorates and China’s does as well.”

    The agreement puts Washington and its key allies “in a terrible bind,” she added. “The fact is, whatever we do to counter what Russia is doing only reinforces its reliance on China.”

    The joint statement is, at least for the moment, a diplomatic boon for Putin amid his showdown with the United States and Europe over Ukraine. For the first time in any of Russia’s recent aggressions, Putin has won the open support of China’s leader. China did not back Russia’s war in Georgia in 2008, or its invasion of Ukraine in 2014, nor has it recognized Russia’s annexation of Crimea. Now Moscow and Beijing, which both have the ability to veto any resolution at the United Nations, have declared their opposition to further enlargement of NATO and to the formation of other regional security alliances. “Russia and China stand against attempts by external forces to undermine security and stability in their common adjacent regions, intend to counter interference by outside forces in the internal affairs of sovereign countries under any pretext, oppose colour revolutions, and will increase cooperation,” the often unwieldy statement declared. “This is where they pledge their troth,” Daly said.

    Washington had been pressuring Beijing, including in a call last month between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in an attempt to keep China neutral or out of the Ukraine crisis. Now, at least on paper and in public voice, it has budged, Andrew Weiss, a former National Security Council official who is currently at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told me. “Russia now has China as an endorser of the egregious and inflammatory position that Putin has staked out on Ukraine.”

    Hints of China’s shift have been emerging in the past two weeks, as the Ukraine crisis began spilling over onto already tense U.S.-China relations. President Biden’s foreign policy had hoped to steer relations with Beijing toward stable and manageable competition.

    Instead, China, which is normally discreet in its diplomacy, is visibly pushing back.

    After his conversation with Blinken last month, the Chinese foreign minister said publicly that Russia’s security concern about NATO expansion is legitimate and must be addressed. The Biden Administration countered last week with an admonition. The State Department warned that the West has “an array of tools” to deploy against foreign companies—including in China—that help Russia evade punitive sanctions.

    In the new agreement, Russia, in turn, reaffirmed its support for Beijing’s One China policy that Taiwan is “an inalienable part of China, and opposes any forms of independence.” The joint communiqué also supported Beijing’s ruthless crackdown on dissidents in Hong Kong in the past two years. The bold assertions in the joint statement follow deepening military ties between the two nations in the past decade, Weiss noted. Russia and China have conducted dozens of joint exercises and war games that have involved as many as ten thousand troops to hone tactical and operational capabilities.

    Russian officials have boasted that the growing defense partnership was designed to warn the United States and NATO not to pressure Moscow. The naval operations have included mock seizures of islands, patrols by long-range bombers over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea, and surface-to-air missile targeting.

    Last summer, Putin and Xi both witnessed military exercises in China. In October, they held joint naval exercises off Russia’s far-eastern coast. “The frequency, complexity, and geographic scope has steadily increased, reflecting the growth in the overall bilateral defense relationship,” the U.S. Naval Institute reported last year. As two nuclear-armed countries that span Europe and Asia, the more muscular alignment between Russia and China could be a game changer militarily and diplomatically. “They want this to be as threatening as a formal alliance to the West, but don’t want to formally commit to mutual defense,” Daly said. “They don’t have to. The spectre of their mutual aid will serve as a deterrent.”

    The joint announcement reflects a shift in the balance of power between Russia and China as well. “The Russians for the longest time were condescending in their view of China as an uninteresting rural society,” Weiss said. “Now China looks at Russia and says, ‘What are you good for?’

    China’s ambitions do not run through Moscow.” China has become “canny” in exploiting Russia’s neediness, he said. “It uses Russia as a cat’s paw to disrupt the U.S. pivot to Asia. The fact that we have to keep coming back to Putin, as the neighborhood bully, is beneficial to China.”

    Putin was the highest-profile leader to show up for the opening of the Winter Olympics in Beijing. The U.S. and other major powers opted not to send high-profile delegations, to protest China’s human-rights abuses, particularly against its Uyghur minority. Russia had received a two-year ban from officially sending teams to the Olympics after conducting a years-long, state-sponsored doping scheme. Russian athletes—who are not supposed to carry their nation’s flag, wear the Russian insignia, or play the national anthem—instead compete as part of the Russian Olympic Committee. After his meeting with Xi, Putin applauded the team during the opening ceremony’s Parade of Nations on Friday. But his visit clearly had another purpose.

    The question now is how far Russia and China will take their agreement. “Words are one thing,” Vershbow, the former Ambassador, said. “We still have to see if the statement will translate into greater tangible Chinese support for Russia’s aggressive behavior—or whether they’ll say, ‘We’re with you, good luck,’ and then turn the other way.” The Chinese have different and sometimes more pragmatic interests in their relations with the U.S. and Europe, which are vital to their economy. “They don’t want to burn all bridges for the sake of a relationship with Russia.”

    Oh, fine and dandy, but…

    Let’s stop playing around.

    • The United States set up identical conditions for war in both Ukraine and Taiwan simultaneously.
    • This began in 2014 under President Obama.
    • This action was planned long before that. Perhaps as early as 2004.
    • The USA set up pro-United States governments in 2014 by NED sponsored activity.
    • The USA has since poured billions of dollars in weapons to those areas.
    • And has established bioweapons labs in both areas.
    • Both governments possess a hatred of their larger neighbor.
    • And both will try to provoke their neighbor according to the RAND directions.

    The United States WILL create a contexual reason to drag China into a terrible and long-duration conventional war on the border of China identically to what has occurred in Ukraine.

    So stop pretending.

    Right now Russia is in complete control of the Ukraine situation, no matter what the Western “news” says, and a “false flag” event is scheduled to drag the USA and NATO into the conflict. With NATO being a light-weight serrogate for the USA battle forces.

    Then the USA will “pivot to Asia” and take out China.

    So the conflict in Taiwan will be similiar.

    It is planned to be a long drawn out conventional war, and a “false flag” will be a justification for invasion by Japanese, Australian and United States forces.

    Now, I’m not too swift a Geo-Political strategist. However, if I can see this, then you can well expect that China and Russia see this as well.

    Do you think that they have plans, and are aware of the big and larger plans that are in place and the systems that are set in motion?

    .

    And with that understood, please keep in mind that…

    "This declaration formalizes the de facto established union of Russia and China."-Maslov

    With this understood, now let’s see what is going on today.

    The United States demands that China sever economic ties with Russia or else!

    Now, consider the reality about the domestic situation inside of America right now…

    From here “Joe Biden warns Xi Jinping of ‘consequences’ if China backs Russia

    A White House account of the call on Friday said that the US president “described the implications and consequences if China provides material support to Russia as it conducts brutal attacks against Ukrainian cities and civilians”.
    
    A senior administration official said there would be consequences “not just for China’s relationship with the United States, but for the wider world”, but would not give more details on whether Biden had gone into specifics on possible sanctions, other than to point out what had happened to Russia as an example.

    There was nothing specific. Just warnings of “serious consequences” if China and Russia maintain their close relationship.

    Obviously, the United States is acting like a pentulant child that is hold his ears and shutting his eyes and screaming as he tries to force the world to go away.

    It appears that the United States does not recognize the agreement just forged last month between Russia and China.

    Just a reminder to the reader that you now understand thngs far better than the American “leadership” does;

    "This declaration formalizes the de facto established union of Russia and China."-Maslov

    China is READY

    China and Russia are BOTH aware what is going on. They know that the United States plans to destroy both nations and then pick over the carcass like vultures. It’s very clear. It’s very plain. So let’s stop playing games. Let’s stop pretending.

    The United States and its allies are getting ready to go full-spectrum war when they are ready to “pivot to Asia”.

    It will begin [1] with crossing one of China’s “RED LINES”, just like the USA did with Ukraine. [2] China will react, then [3] a “False Flag” will be tripped, and (of course, to plan, [4] the United States will use it as an excuse to engage in a full war on Chinese soil. Becuase, after all, Taiwan is de facto Chinese soil. No matter what propagandized narrative the West wishes to create.

    But… you know…

    China is ready.

    Video 1 – China knows that America wants a war. – Adults

    The pretext will be Taiwan. Just like it was with Ukraine. And  China considers it an American invasion of it’s land. They will fight to the death, and employ great weapons of mass, mass, destruction.

    You all had wish you were not on the recieving side of this onslaught of rage. I can tell you, and so can other expats inside of China, the Chinese are very quiet and studious, but when they get angry… when they get angry… they will unleash a rage that is indescribable. They will unleash… slaughter.

    video 10MB

    Video 2 -First grade military training – 5 / 6 year olds

    Inside of China, very first grade, and many Kindergardens begin their day with roll-call, and reporting. Such as this. video 5 MB

    Video 3 – Elementary school training – 9 year olds

    Hey! Do you notice that these are not cheap AK-47 clones. They do not exist in China. REAL GUNS exist in China.

    These are real deal full-auto Chinese military weapons. These are fourth grade kids. Nope. They probably couldn’t take on American SEALs or Green Berets.  But that is not the point. The point is everyone in China is trained to fight. It is the law. And they are merit driven and they work together as one. Everyone in a town or villiage acts as a fully managed army unit. Let that soak in. All 1.4 billion of them.

    That’s 1,400,000,000,000,000 people.

    How many military forces do you think that the United States can throw together to invade China? 60,000? 90,000? Even including Japan and Australia? Watch the video. This is all over China. video 31MB

    Video 4 – EVERYONE in China has combat training  – 17 year olds

    Oh, you don’t beleive me, eh?  What, you think that this is basic training, huh? No. It isn’t. It’s High School drills. High School drills. Let that sink in.

    While the United States has “pepe rallies”, diversity training, ebonics, and soft subjects like fund-raising, China teaches basics, drills and trains over and over and over. They train with real weapons with real live ammo. video a must watch. Know the context. Filmed at their High School complex. video 11MB

    Video 5 – Middle School exercises. 14 year old kids

    Every Summer, the middle school students go on training exercises. Some resemble “Boot Camp”, while others are “actual maneuvres” and “War Games”. Here’s one such event.

    Sure, they cannot take an American Green Beret one-on-one or an SAS fighter. But what about 20-to-1, or 200-to-1, or maybe 2000-to-1. How do you think the United States invasion of Taiwan will work out?

    video 11MB

    Video 6 – Middle school (14 year old) target practice

    Using real government issued weapons, and ammo. Tell me about the firearm training that the United States, the UK, or Australia provides in middle school. I would like to hear it.

    Video 6MB

    Video 7 – China hasn’t forgotten, and they haven’t forgiven.

    All of China remembers the “great humiliation” inflicted on them by Europe and America, and they well remember the atrocities of Japan, as this video clearly show.

    I can tell you truthfully, if Japan engages China, Japan will become radioactive waste.

    video 3MB

    Video 8 – What the start of world war III might look like

    You know, Hollywood has been glorifying war for decades. And China is always considered an enemy and an easy target. Ever watch the latest “Red Dawn” remake?

    Here we see a mashup with Hollywood movies, and Chinese movies trying to suggest what the start of world war III looks like when the United States places a Naval Battle Group between the mainland and Taiwan.

    video 50MB

    Americans Are In So Much Trouble

    .

    What we are witnessing is truly the beginning of the end.  In recent months I have focused a lot on the economic implosion that is now taking place, but what we are facing is so much broader than that.

    Our society is literally falling to pieces all around us, and now World War 3 has begun.  Many regard the war that has erupted on the other side of the globe as just a conflict between Ukraine and Russia, but the truth is that it is really a proxy war between the United States and Russia.  And since neither side seems much interested in diplomacy at this point, this proxy war could eventually become a shooting war between the two greatest nuclear powers on the entire planet.

    Before the war started, events were already starting to accelerate substantially.  Inflation was out of control, a new energy crisis had flared up, and global food supplies were getting tighter and tighter.  But now we are truly in unprecedented territory.  If you doubt this, just look at what is happening to the price of fertilizer.

    2022 03 28 09 47
    2022 03 28 09 47

    That chart should chill you to the core, because it clearly tells us that food shortages are coming.

    In fact, even Joe Biden is now publicly admitting that food shortages are coming.  On his show the other night, Tucker Carlson broke this down in a way that only Tucker Carlson can…

     

    Before the war, some fertilizers had doubled in price and some had tripled in price.

    In the video that you just watched, we are told that some fertilizer prices are now four to five times higher than they were a year ago.

    Here in the western world, most farmers will simply bite the bullet and pay the higher prices.  In turn, we will pay higher prices for food at the grocery store.

    But in poorer parts of the globe, many farmers will use a whole lot less fertilizer or none at all.  As a result, global food production will be way down in the months ahead.

    To turn this crisis around, what we really need is for the proxy war in Ukraine to end.  Unfortunately, both sides just continue to escalate matters instead.

    For example, on Saturday Joe Biden shocked the entire world when he stated that Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power”

    President Joe Biden on Saturday said Russian leader Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power,” ratcheting up international pressure and further uniting NATO allies against Putin over his invasion of Ukraine.
    
    “A dictator, bent on rebuilding an empire, will never erase the people’s love for liberty,” Biden said at the end of a sweeping speech in Poland. “Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia, for free people refuse to live in a world of hopelessness and darkness.”

    That was a call for regime change in Russia.

    Russian leaders were already paranoid about western intentions before, and now their paranoia is going to be off the charts.

    Biden administration officials are trying to walk back Biden’s comments, but the damage has already been done.

    Meanwhile, we just learned that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have not spoken at all since February 15th

    Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov have not spoken since February 15over a week before Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the State Department told Antiwar.com on Friday.
    
    Earlier this week The Washington Post cited US officials who said Blinken hasn’t attempted to speak with Lavrov since the start of the conflict. When asked to confirm the story, a State Department spokesperson said, “We can confirm that the last time Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Lavrov spoke was on February 15.”

    Even during the darkest days of the Cuban missile crisis, U.S. officials always kept talking to the Russians.

    So this is something that should alarm all of us greatly.

    On top of everything else, Joe Biden just told U.S. troops in Poland that they will see what conditions in Ukraine are like “when you’re there”

    According to The Associated Press, Biden’s remarks were given in front of U.S. troops who “had been sent near Poland’s border [with Ukraine] to assist with the humanitarian emergency and to bolster the U.S. military presence on the eastern flank of NATO.” The words, “and you’re gonna see when you’re there,” were spoken right after the president mentioned the bravery of Ukrainian citizens. Later, the White House once again told reporters that U.S. troops would not be deployed to fight in the war in Ukraine.

    Every time Biden opens his mouth, he makes things even worse.

    If he isn’t careful, he could drag the entire world into a global war.  Earlier today, I was horrified to learn that Biden has decided to reaffirm “America’s right to use nukes in a first-strike scenario” at such a tense moment…

    President Joe Biden is abandoning a campaign vow to alter longstanding US nuclear doctrine, and will instead embrace existing policy that reserves America’s right to use nukes in a first-strike scenario, according to multiple reports.
    
    As Russian forces continue their bloody assault on Ukraine, Biden is under pressure from NATO allies not to abandon the right to use nuclear weapons to deter conventional attacks.

    Many had thought that the war in Ukraine would help to unite America and would provide a boost to Biden’s extremely poor approval ratings.

    And in the initial days of the war, that seemed to happen.

    But now Biden’s approval ratings are falling once again

    President Joe Biden’s job approval ratings keep falling in his second year in the White House, with just 40% of Americans approving of the job that he is doing, a new NBC News survey finds.
    
    That is the lowest rating Biden has seen in his presidency.

    We were warned that 2022 would be a very troubled year, and we are still in the very early chapters.

    If the Biden administration continues with all of this insanity, things are going to get a whole lot worse.  I really like how Gerald Celente summarized matters during his recent interview with Greg Hunter

    “We are headed for an economic calamity the likes of which we have never seen in our lifetime. They are getting our minds off it with the war in Ukraine. . . . You know, I wrote in the magazine in the beginning of the year, we said that the Covid war would wind down by late March and mid-April. It’s winding down. . . . So, now, as we said in the magazine, we went from the Covid war to the Ukraine war, and now to world war. We are headed to World War III. . . . There is not a peep about a cease-fire. Biden is only bragging about more weapons being sent in. Biden says we are going to defeat the Russians. We are not backing down. No one is talking about a cease-fire, and no one is talking about peace. If we don’t unite for peace, we are all going to die in war.”

    A thermonuclear war with Russia would be more horrible than most people could possibly imagine, and our leaders should be doing all that they can to prevent that from happening.

    But right now Biden administration officials apparently don’t even see any point in talking with the Russians.

    We are steamrolling down a road that leads to nuclear war, and meanwhile the global economy is starting to implode at frightening speed.

    If you are still delusional enough to believe that everything will work out “just fine” somehow, then I really feel sorry for you.

    Taiwan

    Keep in mind again…

    Taiwan is part of China. China thinks so, The UN thinks so, and even Taiwan thinks so.

    But that does not matter.

    The Untied States NEEDS a war and is going to have one. They are going to “pull a Ukraine” on China, and they are almost ready. And you know what? Just like Russia, China is going to move befor the United States can “make its move”. It’s probably going to be undercover, and hidden, but I’m not sure.

    One thing that we are learning right now is that the “government” of the Ukraine is just a robot entity. It is a bought-for, and paid-for actor that the Untied State put in charge of things so that it could move it’s military, and it’s forces, and it’s systems onto the border of Russia. It is NOT an independent, democratically elected, goverment. It is a proxy puppet; bought and owned by the United States.

    We have to assume that that exact thing is going on in Taiwan.

    There is no “government in Taiwan”. There are instead American robots who do whatever Washington DC tells them to do.

    So stop all the nonsense and fact the facts.

    And China knows this.

    Maybe not exactly as I have described, but yeah, they get the picture. In fact, I would arge that they understand the nuiances far better than MM here.

    Of course, you would NEVER hear about this in the Western “news” media. China has a military force that is peer-capable, and lethal. And if you are Japanese or a cocky Australian American-lover they will decapitate you. The Chinese DO NOT PLAY.

    video 2MB

    More Chinese youth

    The Chinese have two things that are found nowhere else in the world; [1] Social unity. They work in groups together as one organism, and [2] They are merit-dren and always do their best.

    If you take those two things, and then organize it towards military action. From an early age, then the formation of military actions; defensive actions all become automatic. That is China.

    Video – More Chinese elementary schools students video 8MB

    Video – Rifle disipline.

    Taught with “training weapons”. Lighter, and firing a low recoil projectile instead of a full cartridge. Second and third grade students. China. video 6MB

    Video -They fight for family. They fight for survival.

    Unlike the American and British “soy-boys” that went to the Ukraine to plink at Russians, and ran home crying after one simple missile barriage, the youth of China are disiplined, and prepared. They will fight to the death. All for their family; their parents and their friends. video 4MB

    Video – Chinese youth training

    Resembles American Green Beret and SEAL training. Yeah. They get it starting in first grade.

    video 2MB

    Video -Why am I so fixiated on Chinese Youth?

    Because the flat slobs in the West, in their easy-chairs, coffered hair, riding their nice cars, and making royal decrees like some kind of bloted evil and corrupt spoiled brat are planning on causing hardship, hurt, turmoil to THESE PEOPLE. And I am here to tell you that is will not work. Instead, it will make them very, very, VERY angry.

    There is a reason why China is considered THE DRAGON. And no, it’s not just public relations. China will slice you up and spit you all out. Do not poke the dragon. video 7MB

    Video – But it’s the military that China has that is peer capable and lethal

    You do not want to fuck with them. All state of the art. Peer capable, or better than what the United States fields, and they love, just love their AI-guided missiles and rockets. Do NOT FUCK with them. video 3MB

    Video – 2MB

    Video – 3MB

    Video – 3MB

    Now keep in mind that if it comes down to the Chinese having to use these systems, they will do so with their enemies cites in radioactive rubble. The Chinese do not play around. They are lethal and they will go after enemies with everything they have.

    You don’t want to poke the dragon.

    Why does the United States want to anger the dragon?

    Why?

    Because the American “leadership” are psychopaths. They have no understanding of the world, and ideological monsters that are following a dangerous script that will eventually result in the absolute shredding of the Untied States, and a tumble into poverty for all the the West. video 7MB

    Ok. Enough of this. Let’s calm down a tad.

    Cute Chinese Girl

    I think that she is pretty. Nice girl with an umbrella. Video 2MB

    Fake UFO video

    It’s fun to check out UFO videos. You find them all over the internet, and many are very interesting, but most have no context and thus provide zero information.

    The following video is filmed near the “fisher girl” statue here in Zhuhai next to my house where I live. It takes me about seven minutes to walk to it from my front door.

    I can positively tell you all that it is a fake.

    video 1MB

    Let’s talk about food.

    Old-Fashioned Roast Beef

    2022 03 28 09 20
    Yummy roast beef sandwich.

    Nothing beats Old-Fashioned Roast Beef the way mama used to make it!

    With this roast beef recipe you can bet there’ll be lots of good eatin’. Just remember to let it rest, slice it thinly across the grain, and finish it off with the pan drippings – that’s what makes it absolutely perfect. Oh, and add some potatoes and gravy.

    What You’ll Need

    • 1 (4-pound) beef bottom round roast
    • 1 teaspoon paprika
    • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

    R.90f580e455ca44c8d4965c4077a28773
    A beef bottom round roast.

    What to Do

    1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place roasting rack in large roasting pan and coat with cooking spray. Place roast on rack, fat side up.
    2. In small bowl, combine remaining ingredients; mix well. Rub spice mixture over entire roast, covering completely.
    3. Roast 30 minutes. Reduce oven to 300 degrees and continue roasting beef 70 to 75 minutes, or until a meat thermometer registers 135 degrees for medium-rare, or until desired doneness beyond that. Let stand 15 to 20 minutes before slicing.

    Notes

    To make a tasty sauce for your roast beef, just add 1 cup beef broth to roasting pan and heat over high heat, scraping the bottom to loosen any brown bits.

    And sandwiches…

    Open Faced Reuben Sandwiches

    2022 03 28 09 25
    It’s an awfully delicious sandwich.

    Ever find yourself wondering how to make a Reuben sandwich with some style? Some of the biggest and best delis serve their Reubens open-faced, just like in this recipe that we got from a deli in Central New York. We loved these Open Faced Reuben Sandwiches  and we had to pass along the recipe for you to enjoy! There’s something about this sandwich that just makes your mouth water.

    What You’ll Need

    • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
    • 2 tablespoons ketchup
    • 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
    • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1/8 teaspoon salt
    • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
    • 8 slices rye bread
    • 1 pound sliced deli corned beef
    • 2 (14-ounce) cans sauerkraut, rinsed and well drained
    • 8 slices (6 ounces) Swiss cheese

    What to Do

    1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
    2. In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, ketchup, relish, garlic powder, salt, and pepper; mix well.
    3. Arrange the bread on two baking sheets. Spread dressing mixture on each slice. Top each with corned beef, sauerkraut, and a slice of Swiss cheese.
    4. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until heated through, and the cheese is melted. Place 2 pieces on each plate and serve open-faced.

    Test Kitchen Tips

    • You might want to use only half of the Thousand Island dressing on the sandwiches before baking them. Then just top each slice with a dollop of dressing before serving. Our mouths are already watering!

    China is a major force

    If you are in the West, it’s easy to get overwhelmed in the lies and bullshit about China.

    China is advanced, a manufacturing powerhouse, run on merit and disipline. They are successful and they “ain’t stopping for shit”. If you take them on, they WILL FUCKING SLAUGHTER YOU.

    Remember that word.

    Slaughter.

    video. High Speed Trains. 4MB

    The rest of the world appears lazy in comparison. Chinese are hard drivers. video 4MB

    China military. Don’t be so sure that they would be an easy nation to conquer. video 4MB

    And this fool, in Hong Kong, obviously influenced by the Pro-Democracy NED “color revolution” decided to harass the Chinese guards. The Chinese DON’T PLAY. Down and drawn in 1.5 seconds.  video 3MB

    China is fighting to exist. Just like Russia. And if you think , and believe that they are not taking the THREATs from the United States seriously, you are deluded. It’s no mistake that they have a mass production of hyper-velocity nuclear missiles all with the United States targets plastered on them.

    Listen up. video 25MB

    Wrap up

    Oh, you think that I am kidding? Oh, you think that I am being alarmist? Look at this quote out of the Kremlin directly from President Putin…

    PUTIN: 
    
    "I am now instructing our 4 combat regions that if USA and NATO dare to provoke us (around the Black Sea) and try to hit us with even ONE guided missile then you must hit them back as hard as possible. 
    
    Hit them fiercely until they kneel down for mercy. 
    
    If they retaliate, I command you to use nuclear weapons to hit their countries. 
    
    No need to think about the consequences. 
    
    I will be solely responsible. 
    
    Your duty is just to hit them hard until they kneel down begging for mercy. 
    
    Once the war has started I expect you to subdue Europe within 5 days. 
    
    No need to think... just take over the 8 capitals of Europe. 
    
    From now on our Air, Land and Navy armed forces are on full alert. 
    
    I want the world to know who is the leader of the world. 
    
    What is USA... I am telling them they will be trembling in front of us. 
    
    They have been belittling and making fun of many countries but don't they dare to try us. 
    
    Go to hell. 
    
    My view is that if the Russians have to live under USA's mercy then what good is there left in this world!!"
    
    -Kremlin
    
    [This link is blocked in the usa, france, hungary, serbia, moldova, switzerland, and singapore. Heck, even the russian language website is blocked.]
    .

    In June 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree stating,

    “The Russian Federation reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in response to the use of nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction against it and/or its allies… 
    
    ...and also in the case of aggression against the Russian Federation with the use of conventional weapons, when the very existence of the state is put under threat.

    Clearly, the United States has pushed Russia to a state where they beleive this is the case.

    Clearly, though not reported in the Western media, both Russia and China are at a high state of military readiness.

    • Russia is at the highest state; DEFCON 1. (Open Warfare)
    • China is at second highest state DEFCON 2. (Full readiness; no open warfare).
    • USA is at DEFCON 3. (Alert for orders.)

    No American pre-emptive nuclear strikes are possible without immediate unleashing of MAD upon the entirety of the West.

    Out of necessity, Russia and China have banded together and created a new nation. It’s a United Asia. Other nations are drifiting towards it. For now, you can consider it to be similiar to the USA, or the EU in unity.

    Presently, the comprehensive document is only between Russia and China. However, Iran is interested in generating similiar agreements, and India is working towards joining the block as well.

        • That’s 70% of the world’s population.
        • 85% of the world’s manufacturing.
        • 65-70% of the world’s energy resources.

    All of the rest of the nations in Asia are moving towards this group.

    It’s a new nation.

    And the Untied States (and it’s proxy nations) are pretending that this is not the case. They are pretending that they can treat China separately from Russia, India from Russia, Iran from China, and so on and so forth.

    They  cannot face the reality; the truth.

    So, without plans and “expert” guidance from RAND, the United States (leading the West) are still following the same tired-old “take over the world” script written decades ago, and implementing the plans set forth. (Follow the links for the RAND plans to initiate war. When you read them, you will discover that the US government has been following them to the letter.)

    Russia suppression via a RED LINE tripwire event (Ukraine), and a false flag for involvement. The RAND operational plan for war via Ukraine.

    Then, a “pivot to Asia” with a …

    China suppression via a RED LINE tripwire event (Taiwan), and a false flag for involvement. The RAND operational plan for war via Taiwan.

    These plans have been telegraphed, and well understood by the Russian and Chinese leadership. And since the United States is following that old script, they are easy to anticipate and handle.

    However, the unifed Russia and China block was unexpected, and it doesn not fit in with the plan. So the way that the United States has decided to handle this issue is to IGNORE IT and pretend that this reality does not exist.

    They will continue their assaults and probing actions.

    Now it’s Russia. Russia has issued strike orders, and telegraphed them to the West, but you know, eventually they will engage China, and when that happens, China WILL ENGAGE THEM RIGHT BACK. Unlike Russia, China will not telegraph any warning.

    It will be on American soil, by the way. It will not be so nice.

    It will be a slaughter.

    Goodnight from MM

    View from my home. Goodnight. video 3MB

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 3

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
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    The Third Expedition by Ray Bradbury (with thoughts on the tunnel of light)

    Imagine that you died. And there, as you are leaving your body, you are welcomed with long dead friends, and relatives. They welcome you, and it is a joyous time. They take you by the hand and lead you towards the bright tunnel of light.

    Would you go with them?

    This is a story that ponders that question.

    Without a doubt one of the Bradbury stories that has made the biggest impression on me. It’s about strategy.

    And horror.

    The story is taken from Bradbury’s amazing The Martian Chronicles, a collection of short stories strung together to tell the story of what happens when human beings try to colonize Mars.

    In this particular tale, an expedition from Earth to Mars encounters a town that seems eerily, yet comfortingly, familiar to them. It’s even populated by long-lost relatives and family.

    But, of course, it doesn’t have a happy ending.

    The Third Expedition by Ray Bradbury

    The ship came down from space. It came from the stars and

    the black velocities, and the shining movements, and the silent

    gulfs of space. It was a new ship; it had fire in its body and

    men in its metal cells, and it moved with a clean silence,

    fiery and warm. In it were seventeen men, induding a captain.

    The crowd at the Ohio field had shouted and waved their hands

    up into the sunlight, and the rocket had bloomed out great

    flowers of heat and color and run away into space on the

    _third_ voyage to Mars!

    Now it was decelerating with metal efficiency in the

    upper Martian atmospheres. It was still a thing of beauty

    and strength. It had moved in the midnight waters of space like

    a pale sea leviathan; it had passed the ancient moon and thrown

    itself onward into one nothingness following another. The men

    within it had been battered, thrown about, sickened, made well

    again, each in his turn. One man had died, but now the

    remaining sixteen, with their eyes clear in their heads and

    their faces pressed to the thick glass ports, watched Mars

    swing up under them.

    “Mars!” cried Navigator Lustig.

    “Good old Mars!” said Samuel Hinkston, archaeologist.

    “Well,” said Captain John Black.

    The rocket landed on a lawn of green grass. Outside, upon

    this lawn, stood an iron deer. Further up on the green stood

    a tall brown Victorian house, quiet in the sunlight, all

    covered with scrolls and rococo, its windows made of blue and

    pink and yellow and green colored glass. Upon the porch were

    hairy geraniums and an old swing which was hooked into the

    porch ceiling and which now swung back and forth, back and

    forth, in a little breeze. At the summit of the house was a

    cupola with diamond leaded-glass windows and a dunce-cap roof!

    Through the front window you could see a piece of music

    titled “Beautiful Ohio” sitting on the music rest.

    Around the rocket in four directions spread the little

    town, green and motionless in the Martian spring. There were

    white houses and red brick ones, and tall elm trees blowing in

    the wind, and tall maples and horse chestnuts. And church

    steeples with golden bells silent in them.

    The rocket men looked out and saw this. Then they looked

    at one another and then they looked out again. They held to

    each other’s elbows, suddenly unable to breathe, it seemed,

    Their faces grew pale.

    “I’ll be damned,” whispered Lustig, rubbing his face with

    his numb fingers. “I’ll be damned.”

    “It just can’t be,” said Samuel Hinkston.

    “Lord,” said Captain John Black.

    There was a call from the chemist. “Sir, the atmosphere

    is thin for breathing. But there’s enough oxygen. It’s safe.”

    “Then we’ll go out,” said Lustig.

    “Hold on,” said Captain John Black. “How do we know what

    this is?”

    “It’s a small town with thin but breathable air in it,

    sir.”

    “And it’s a small town the like of Earth towns,” said

    Hinkston, the archaeologist “Incredible. It can’t be, but it

    _is_.”

    Captain John Black looked at him idly. “Do you think that

    the civilizations of two planets can progress at the same rate

    and evolve in the same way, Hinkston?”

    “I wouldn’t have thought so, sir.”

    Captain Black stood by the port. “Look out there.

    The geraniums. A specialized plant. That specific variety has

    only been known on Earth for fifty years. Think of the

    thousands of years it takes to evolve plants. Then tell me if

    it is logical that the Martians should have: one, leaded-glass

    windows; two, cupolas; three, porch swings; four, an instrument

    that looks like a piano and probably is a piano; and five, if

    you look closely through this telescopic lens here, is it

    logical that a Martian composer would have published a piece

    of music titled, strangely enough, ‘Beautiful Ohio’? All of

    which means that we have an Ohio River on Mars!”

    “Captain Williams, of course!” cried Hinkston,

    “What?”

    “Captain Williams and his crew of three men! Or Nathaniel

    York and his partner. That would explain it!”

    “That would explain absolutely nothing. As far as we’ve

    been able to figure, the York expedition exploded the day

    it reached Mars, killing York and his partner. As for Williams

    and his three men, their ship exploded the second day after

    their arrival. At least the pulsations from their radios ceased

    at that time, so we figure that if the men were alive after

    that they’d have contacted us. And anyway, the York expedition

    was only a year ago, while Captain Williams and his men landed

    here some time during last August. Theorizing that they are

    still alive, could they, even with the help of a brilliant

    Martian race, have built such a town as this and _aged_ it in

    so short a time? Look at that town out there; why, it’s been

    standing here for the last seventy years. Look at the wood on

    the porch newel; look at the trees, a century old, all of them!

    No, this isn’t York’s work or Williams’. It’s something else.

    I don’t like it. And I’m not leaving the ship until I know what

    it is.”

    “For that matter,” said Lustig, nodding, “Williams and his

    men, as well as York, landed on the _opposite_ side of Mars.

    We were very careful to land on _this_ side.”

    “An excellent point. Just in case a hostile local tribe

    of Martians killed off York and Williams, we have instructions

    to land in a further region, to forestall a recurrence of such

    a disaster. So here we are, as far as we know, in a land

    that Williams and York never saw.”

    “Damn it,” said Hinkston, “I want to get out into this

    town, sir, with your permission. It may be there are similar

    thought patterns, civilization graphs on every planet in our

    sun system. We may be on the threshold of the greatest

    psychological and metaphysical discovery of our age!”

    “I’m willing to wait a moment,” said Captain John Black.

    “It may be, sir, that we’re looking upon a phenomenon

    that, for the first time, would absolutely prove the existence

    of God, sir.”

    “There are many people who are of good faith without such

    proof, Mr. Hinkston.”

    “I’m one myself, sir. But certainly a town like this could

    not occur without divine intervention. The _detail_. It fills

    me with such feelings that I don’t know whether to laugh or

    cry.”

    “Do neither, then, until we know what we’re up against.”

    “Up against?” Lustig broke in. “Against nothing, Captain.

    It’s a good, quiet green town, a lot like the old-fashioned one

    I was born in. I like the looks of it.”

    “When were you born, Lustig?”

    “Nineteen-fifty, sir.”

    “And you, Hinkston?”

    “Nineteen fifty-five, sir. Grinnell, Iowa. And this looks

    like home to me.”

    “Hinkston, Lustig, I could be either of your fathers. I’m

    just eighty years old. Born in 1920 in Illinois, and through

    the grace of God and a science that, in the last fifty years,

    knows how to make _some_ old men young again, here I am on

    Mars, not any more tired than the rest of you, but infinitely

    more suspicious. This town out here looks very peaceful and

    cool, and so much like Green Bluff, Illinois, that it frightens

    me. It’s too _much_ like Green Bluff.” He turned to the

    radioman. “Radio Earth. Tell them we’ve landed. That’s all.

    Tell them we’ll radio a full report tomorrow.”

    “Yes, sir.”

    Captain Black looked out the rocket port with his face

    that should have been the face of a man eighty but seemed like

    the face of a man in his fortieth year. “Tell you what we’ll

    do, Lustig; you and I and Hinkston’ll look the town over. The

    other men’ll stay aboard. If anything happens they can get the

    hell out. A loss of three men’s better than a whole ship.

    If something bad happens, our crew can warn the next rocket.

    That’s Captain Wilder’s rocket, I think, due to be ready to

    take off next Christmas. if there’s something hostile about

    Mars we certainly want the next rocket to be well armed.”

    “So are we. We’ve got a regular arsenal with us.”

    “Tell the men to stand by the guns then. Come on,

    Lustig, Hinkston.”

    The three men walked together down through the levels of

    the ship.

    It was a beautiful spring day. A robin sat on a blossoming

    apple tree and sang continuously. Showers of petal snow sifted

    down when the wind touched the green branches, and the blossom

    scent drifted upon the air. Somewhere in the town someone

    was playing the piano and the music came and went, came and

    went, softly, drowsily. The song was “Beautiful Dreamer.”

    Somewhere else a phonograph, scratchy and faded, was hissing

    out a record of “Roamin’ in the Gloamin’,” sung by Harry

    Lauder.

    The three men stood outside the ship. They sucked and

    gasped at the thin, thin air and moved slowly so as not to

    tire themselves.

    Now the phonograph record being played was:

    “_Oh, give me a June night

    The moonlight and you_ . . .”

    Lustig began to tremble. Samuel Hinkston did likewise.

    The sky was serene and quiet, and somewhere a stream of

    water ran through the cool caverns and tree shadings of a

    ravine. Somewhere a horse and wagon trotted and rolled by,

    bumping.

    “Sir,” said Samuel Hinkston, “it must be, it _has_ to be,

    that rocket travel to Mars began in the years before the first

    World War!”

    “No.”

    “How else can you explain these houses, the iron deer,

    the pianos, the music?” Hinkston took the captain’s elbow

    persuasively and looked into the captain’s face. “Say that

    there were people in the year 1905 who hated war and got

    together with some scientists in secret and built a rocket and

    came out here to Mars–”

    “No, no, Hinkston.”

    “Why not? The world was a different world in 1905; they

    could have kept it a secret much more easily.”

    “But a complex thing like a rocket, no, you couldn’t keep

    it secret.”

    “And they came up here to live, and naturally the houses

    they built were similar to Earth houses because they brought

    the culture with them.”

    “And they’ve lived here all these years?” said the

    captain.

    “In peace and quiet, yes. Maybe they made a few trips,

    enough to bring enough people here for one small town, and

    then stopped for fear of being discovered. That’s why this town

    seems so old-fashioned. I don’t see a thing, myself, older than

    the year 1927, do you? Or maybe, sir, rocket travel is older

    than we think. Perhaps it started in some part of the world

    centuries ago and was kept secret by the small number of men

    who came to Mars with only occasional visits to Earth over

    the centuries.”

    “You make it sound almost reasonable.”

    “It has to be. We’ve the proof here before us; all we have

    to do is find some people and verify it.”

    Their boots were deadened of all sound in the thick green

    grass. It smelled from a fresh mowing. In spite of himself,

    Captain John Black felt a great peace come over him. It had

    been thirty years since he had been in a small town, and the

    buzzing of spring bees on the air lulled and quieted him, and

    the fresh look of things was a balm to the soul.

    They set foot upon the porch. Hollow echoes sounded from

    under the boards as they walked to the screen door. Inside they

    could see a bead curtain hung across the hall entry, and a

    crystal chandelier and a Maxfield Parrish painting framed on

    one wall over a comfortable Morris chair. The house smelled

    old, and of the attic, and infinitely comfortable. You could

    hear the tinkle of ice in a lemonade pitcher. In a distant

    kitchen, because of the heat of the day, someone was preparing

    a cold lunch. Someone was humming under her breath, high and

    sweet.

    Captain John Black rang the bell.

    Footsteps, dainty and thin, came along the hall, and

    a kind-faced lady of some forty years, dressed in a sort of

    dress you might expect in the year 1909, peered out at them.

    “Can I help you?” she asked.

    “Beg your pardon,” said Captain Black uncertainly. “But

    we’re looking for–that is, could you help us–” He stopped.

    She looked out at him with dark, wondering eyes.

    “If you’re selling something–” she began.

    “No, wait!” he cried. “What town is this?”

    She looked him up and down. “What do you mean, what town

    is it? How could you be in a town and not know the name?”

    The captain looked as if he wanted to go sit under a shady

    apple tree. “We’re strangers here. We want to know how this

    town got here and how you got here.”

    “Are you census takers?”

    “No.”

    “Everyone knows,” she said, “this town was built in 1868.

    Is this a game?”

    “No, not a game!” cried the captain. “We’re from Earth.”

    “Out of the _ground_, do you mean?” she wondered.

    “No, we came from the third planet, Earth, in a ship. And

    we’ve landed here on the fourth planet, Mars–”

    “This,” explained the woman, as if she were addressing

    a child, “is Green Bluff, Illinois, on the continent of

    America, surrounded by the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, on a

    place called the world, or, sometimes, the Earth. Go away

    now. Goodby.”

    She trotted down the hall, running her fingers through

    the beaded curtains.

    The three men looked at one another.

    “Let’s knock the screen door in,” said Lustig.

    “We can’t do that. This is private property. Good God!”

    They went to sit down on the porch step.

    “Did it ever strike you, Hinkston, that perhaps we

    got ourselves somehow, in some way, off track, and by accident

    came back and landed on Earth?”

    “How could we have done that?”

    “I don’t know, I don’t know. Oh God, let me think.”

    Hinkston said, “But we checked every mile of the way.

    Our chronometers said so many miles. We went past the Moon and

    out into space, and here we are. I’m _positive_ we’re on Mars.”

    Lustig said, “But suppose, by accident, in space, in time,

    we got lost in the dimensions and landed on an Earth that is

    thirty or forty years ago.”

    “Oh, go away, Lustig!”

    Lustig went to the door, rang the bell, and called into

    the cool dim rooms: “What year is this?”

    “Nineteen twenty-six, of course,” said the lady, sitting

    in a rocking chair, taking a sip of her lemonade.

    “Did you hear that?” Lustig turned wildly to the others.

    “Nineteen twenty-six! We _have_ gone back in time! This _is_

    Earth!”

    Lustig sat down, and the three men let the wonder and

    terror of the thought afflict them. Their hands stirred

    fitfully on their knees. The captain said, “I didn’t ask for

    a thing like this. It scares the hell out of me. How can a

    thing like this happen? I wish we’d brought Einstein with us.”

    “Will anyone in this town believe us?” said Hinkston. “Are

    we playing with something dangerous? Time, I mean. Shouldn’t

    we just take off and go home?”

    “No. Not until we try another house.”

    They walked three houses down to a little white cottage

    under an oak tree. “I like to be as logical as I can be,” said

    the captain. “And I don’t believe we’ve put our finger on it

    yet. Suppose, Hinkston, as you originally suggested, that

    rocket travel occurred years ago? And when the Earth people

    lived here a number of years they began to get homesick for

    Earth. First a mild neurosis about it, then a full-fledged

    psychosis. Then threatened insanity. What would you do as

    a psychiatrist if faced with such a problem?”

    Hinkston thought “Well, I think I’d rearrange the

    civilization on Mars so it resembled Earth more and more each

    day. If there was any way of reproducing every plant, every

    road, and every lake, and even an ocean, I’d do so. Then by

    some vast crowd hypnosis I’d convince everyone in a town this

    size that this really _was_ Earth, not Mars at all.”

    “Good enough, Hinkston. I think we’re on the right track

    now. That woman in that house back there just _thinks_ she’s

    living on Earth. It protects her sanity. She and all the others

    in this town are the patients of the greatest experiment

    in migration and hypnosis you will ever lay eyes on in your

    life.”

    “That’s _it_, sir!” cried Lustig.

    “Right!” said Hinkston.

    “Well.” The captain sighed. “Now we’ve got somewhere. I

    feel better. It’s all a bit more logical. That talk about time

    and going back and forth and traveling through time turns

    my stomach upside down. But _this_ way–” The captain smiled.

    “Well, well, it looks as if we’ll be fairly popular here.”

    “Or will we?” said Lustig. “After all, like the Pilgrims,

    these people came here to escape Earth. Maybe they won’t be

    too happy to see us. Maybe they’ll try to drive us out or kill

    us.”

    “We have superior weapons. This next house now. Up we go.”

    But they had hardly crossed the lawn when Lustig stopped

    and looked off across the town, down the quiet, dreaming

    afternoon street. “Sir,” he said.

    “What is it, Lustig?”

    “Oh, sir, _sir_, what I _see_–” said Lustig, and he began

    to cry. His fingers came up, twisting and shaking, and his face

    was all wonder and joy and incredulity. He sounded as if at

    any moment he might go quite insane with happiness. He looked

    down the street and began to run, stumbling awkwardly, falling,

    picking himself up, and running on. “Look, look!”

    “Don’t let him get away!” The captain broke into a run.

    Now Lustig was running swiftly, shouting. He turned into

    a yard halfway down the shady street and leaped up upon the

    porch of a large green house with an iron rooster on the roof.

    He was beating at the door, hollering and crying, when

    Hinkston and the captain ran up behind him. They were all

    gasping and wheezing, exhausted from their run in the thin

    air. “Grandma! Grandpa!” cried Lustig.

    Two old people stood in the doorway.

    “David!” their voices piped, and they rushed out to

    embrace and pat him on the back and move around him. “David,

    oh, David, it’s been so many years! How you’ve grown, boy; how

    big you are, boy. Oh, David boy, how are you?”

    “Grandma, Grandpa!” sobbed David Lustig. “You look fine,

    fine!” He held them, turned them, kissed them, hugged them,

    cried on them, held them out again, blinking at the little

    old people. The sun was in the sky, the wind blew, the grass

    was green, the screen door stood wide.

    “Come in, boy, come in. There’s iced tea for you, fresh,

    lots of it!”

    “I’ve got friends here.” Lustig turned and waved at the

    captain and Hinkston frantically, laughing. “Captain, come on

    up.”

    “Howdy,” said the old people. “Come in. Any friends of

    David’s are our friends too. Don’t stand there!”

    In the living room of the old house it was cool, and

    a grandfather clock ticked high and long and bronzed in one

    corner. There were soft pillows on large couches and walls

    filled with books and a rug cut in a thick rose pattern, and

    iced tea in the hand, sweating, and cool on the thirsty tongue.

    “Here’s to our health.” Grandma tipped her glass to

    her porcelain teeth.

    “How long you been here, Grandma?” said Lustig.

    “Ever since we died,” she said tartly.

    “Ever since you what?” Captain John Black set down his

    glass.

    “Oh yes.” Lustig nodded. “They’ve been dead thirty years.”

    “And you sit there calmly!” shouted the captain.

    “Tush.” The old woman winked glitteringly. “Who are you

    to question what happens? Here we are. What’s life, anyway? Who

    does what for why and where? All we know is here we are, alive

    again, and no questions asked. A second chance.” She toddled

    over and held out her thin wrist. “Feel.” The captain felt.

    “Solid, ain’t it?” she asked. He nodded. “Well, then,” she

    said triumphantly, “why go around questioning?”

    “Well,” said the captain, “it’s simply that we never

    thought we’d find a thing like this on Mars.”

    “And now you’ve found it. I dare say there’s lots on every

    planet that’ll show you God’s infinite ways.”

    “Is this Heaven?” asked Hinkston.

    “Nonsense, no. It’s a world and we get a second chance.

    Nobody told us why. But then nobody told us why we were on

    Earth, either. That other Earth, I mean. The one you came from.

    How do we know there wasn’t _another_ before _that_ one?”

    “A good question,” said the captain.

    Lustig kept smiling at his grandparents. “Gosh, it’s good

    to see you. Gosh, it’s good.”

    The captain stood up and slapped his hand on his leg in

    a casual fashion. “We’ve got to be going. Thank you for the

    drinks.”

    “You’ll be back, of course,” said the old people. “For

    supper tonight?”

    “We’ll try to make it, thanks. There’s so much to be done.

    My men are waiting for me back at the rocket and–”

    He stopped. He looked toward the door, startled.

    Far away in the sunlight there was a sound of voices,

    a shouting and a great hello.

    “What’s that?” asked Hinkston,

    “We’ll soon find out.” And Captain John Black was out the

    front door abruptly, running across the green lawn into the

    street of the Martian town.

    He stood looking at the rocket. The ports were open and

    his crew was streaming out, waving their hands. A crowd of

    people had gathered, and in and through and among these people

    the members of the crew were hurrying, talking, laughing,

    shaking hands. People did little dances. People swarmed. The

    rocket lay empty and abandoned.

    A brass band exploded in the sunlight, flinging off a gay

    tune from upraised tubas and trumpets. There was a bang of

    drums and a shrill of fifes. Little girls with golden hair

    jumped up and down. Little boys shouted, “Hooray!” Fat men

    passed around ten-cent cigars. The town mayor made a speech.

    Then each member of the crew, with a mother on one arm, a

    father or sister on the other, was spirited off down the street

    into little cottages or big mansions.

    “Stop!” cried Captain Black.

    The doors slammed shut.

    The heat rose in the clear spring sky, and all was silent.

    The brass band banged off around a corner, leaving the rocket

    to shine and dazzle alone in the sunlight

    “Abandoned!” said the captain. “They abandoned the ship,

    they did! I’ll have their skins, by God! They had orders!”

    “Sir,” said Lustig, “don’t be too hard on them. Those were

    all old relatives and friends.”

    “That’s no exuse!”

    “Think how they felt, Captain, seeing familiar faces

    outside the ship!”

    “They had their orders, damn it!”

    “But how would you have felt, Captain?”

    “I would have obeyed orders–” The captain’s mouth

    remained open.

    Striding along the sidewalk under the Martian sun, tall,

    smiling, eyes amazingly clear and blue, came a young man of

    some twenty-six years. “John!” the man called out, and broke

    into a trot.

    “What?” Captain John Black swayed.

    “John, you old son of a bitch!”

    The man ran up and gripped his hand and slapped him on

    the back.

    “It’s you,” said Captain Black.

    “Of course, who’d you _think_ it was?”

    “Edward!” The captain appealed now to Lustig and Hinkston,

    holding the stranger’s hand. “This is my brother Edward. Ed,

    meet my men, Lustig, Hinkston! My brother!”

    They tugged at each other’s hands and arms and then

    finally embraced.

    “Ed!”

    “John, you bum, you!”

    “You’re looking fine, Ed, but, Ed, what _is_ this? You

    haven’t changed over the years. You died, I remember, when you

    were twenty-six and I was nineteen. Good God, so many years

    ago, and here you are and, Lord, what goes on?”

    “Mom’s waiting,” said Edward Black, grinning.

    “Mom?”

    “And Dad too.”

    “Dad?” The captain almost fell as if he had been hit by

    a mighty weapon. He walked stiffly and without co.ordination.

    “Mom and Dad alive? Where?”

    “At the old house on Oak Knoll Avenue.”

    “The old house.” The captain stared in delighted amaze.

    “Did you hear that, Lustig, Hinkston?”

    Hinkston was gone. He had seen his own house down the

    street and was running for it. Lustig was laughing. “You

    see, Captain, what happened to everyone on the rocket? They

    couldn’t help themselves.”

    “Yes. Yes.” The captain shut his eyes. “When I open my

    eyes you’ll be gone.” He blinked. “You’re still there. God, Ed,

    but you look _fine!_”

    “Come on, lunch’s waiting. I told Mom.”

    Lustig said, “Sir, I’ll be with my grandfolks if you need

    me.”

    “What? Oh, fine, Lustig. Later, then.”

    Edward seized his arm and marched him. “There’s the

    house. Remember it?”

    “Hell! Bet I can beat you to the front porch!”

    They ran. The trees roared over Captain Black’s head; the

    earth roared under his feet. He saw the golden figure of Edward

    Black pull ahead of him in the amazing dream of reality. He saw

    the house rush forward, the screen door swing wide. “Beat you!”

    cried Edward. “I’m an old man,” panted the captain, “and you’re

    still young. But then, you _always_ beat me, I remember!”

    In the doorway, Mom, pink, plump, and bright. Behind

    her, pepper-gray, Dad, his pipe in his hand.

    “Mom, Dad!”

    He ran up the steps like a child to meet them.

    It was a fine long afternoon. They finished a late lunch

    and they sat in the parlor and he told them all about his

    rocket and they nodded and smiled upon him and Mother was just

    the same and Dad bit the end off a cigar and lighted

    it thoughtfully in his old fashion. There was a big turkey

    dinner at night and time flowing on. When the drumsticks were

    sucked clean and lay brittle upon the plates, the captain

    leaned back and exhaled his deep satisfaction, Night was in all

    the trees and coloring the sky, and the lamps were halos of

    pink light in the gentle house. From all the other houses down

    the street came sounds of music, pianos playing, doors slammng.

    Mom put a record on the victrola, and she and Captain John

    Black had a dance. She was wearing the same perfume he

    remembered from the summer when she and Dad had been killed in

    the train accident. She was very real in his arms as they

    danced lightly to the music. “It’s not every day,” she said,

    “you get a second chance to live.”

    “I’ll wake in the morning,” said the captain. “And I’ll be

    in my rocket, in space, and all this will be gone.”

    “No, don’t think that,” she cried softly. “Don’t question.

    God’s good to us. Let’s be happy.”

    “Sorry, Mom.”

    The record ended in a circular hissing.

    “You’re tired, Son.” Dad pointed with his pipe. “Your

    old bedroom’s waiting for you, brass bed and all.”

    “But I should report my men in.”

    “Why?”

    “Why? Well, I don’t know. No reason, I guess. No, none at

    all. They’re all eating or in bed. A good night’s sleep won’t

    hurt them.”

    “Good night, Son.” Mom kissed his cheek. “It’s good to

    have you home.”

    “It’s good to _be_ home.”

    He left the land of cigar smoke and perfume and books

    and gentle light and ascended the stairs, talking, talking

    with Edward. Edward pushed a door open, and there was the

    yellow brass bed and the old semaphore banners from college and

    a very musty raccoon coat which he stroked with muted

    affection. “It’s too much,” said the captain. “I’m numb and

    I’m tired. Too much has happened today. I feel as if I’d been

    out in a pounding rain for forty-eight hours without an

    umbrella or a coat. I’m soaked to the skin with emotion.”

    Edward slapped wide the snowy linens and flounced the

    pillows. He slid the window up and let the night-blooming

    jasmine float in. There was moonlight and the sound of distant

    dancing and whispering.

    “So this is Mars,” said the captain, undressing.

    “This is it.” Edward undressed in idle, leisurely moves,

    drawing his shirt off over his head, revealing golden shoulders

    and the good muscular neck.

    The lights were out; they were in bed, side by side, as in

    the days how many decades ago? The captain lolled and was

    flourished by the scent of jasmine pushing the lace curtains

    out upon the dark air of the room. Among the trees, upon a

    lawn, someone had cranked up a portable phonograph and now it

    was playing softly, “Always.”

    The thought of Marilyn came to his mind.

    “Is Marilyn here?”

    His brother, lying straight out in the moonlight from

    the window, waited and then said, “Yes. She’s out of town.

    But she’ll be here in the morning.”

    The captain shut his eyes. “I want to see Marilyn very

    much.”

    The room was square and quiet except for their breathing.

    “Good night, Ed.”

    A pause. “Good night, John.”

    He lay peacefully, letting his thoughts float. For the

    first time the stress of the day was moved aside; he could

    think logically now, It had all been emotion. The bands

    playing, the familiar faces. But now . . .

    How? he wondered. How was all this made? And why? For

    what purpose? Out of the goodness of some divine intervention?

    Was God, then, really that thoughtful of his children? How and

    why and what for?

    He considered the various theories advanced in the first

    heat of the afternoon by Hinkston and Lustig. He let all kinds

    of new theories drop in lazy pebbles down through his mind,

    turning, throwing out dull flashes of light. Mom. Dad. Edward.

    Mars. Earth. Mars. Martians.

    Who had lived here a thousand years ago on Mars? Martians?

    Or had this always been the way it was today?

    Martians. He repeated the word idly, inwardly.

    He laughed out loud almost. He had the most ridiculous

    theory quite suddenly. It gave him a kind of chill. It was

    really nothing to consider, of course. Highly improbable.

    Silly. Forget it. Ridiculous.

    But, he thought, just _suppose_ . . . Just suppose, now,

    that there were Martians living on Mars and they saw our ship

    coming and saw us inside our ship and hated us, Suppose, now,

    just for the hell of it, that they wanted to destroy us,

    as invaders, as unwanted ones, and they wanted to do it in a

    very clever way, so that we would be taken off guard. Well,

    what would the best weapon be that a Martian could use against

    Earth Men with atomic weapons?

    The answer was interesting. Telepathy, hypnosis, memory,

    and imagination.

    Suppose all of these houses aren’t real at all, this bed

    not real, but only figments of my own imagination, given

    substance by telepathy and hypnosis through the Martians,

    thought Captain John Black. Suppose these houses are really

    some _other_ shape, a Martian shape, but, by playing on my

    desires and wants, these Martians have made this seem like my

    old home town, my old house, to lull me out of my suspicions.

    What better way to fool a man, using his own mother and father

    as bait?

    And this town, so old, from the year 1926, long before

    _any_ of my men were born. From a year when I was six years old

    and there _were_ records of Harry Lauder, and Maxfield Parrish

    paintings _still_ hanging, and bead curtains, and “Beautiful

    Ohio,” and turn-of-the-century architecture. What if the

    Martians took the memories of a town _exclusively_ from _my_

    mind? They say childhood memories are the clearest. And after

    they built the town from my mind, they populated it with

    the most-loved people from all the minds of the people on

    the rocket!

    And suppose those two people in the next room, asleep, are

    not my mother and father at all, But two Martians, incredibly

    brilliant, with the ability to keep me under this dreaming

    hypnosis all of the time.

    And that brass band today? What a startlingly wonderful

    plan it would be. First, fool Lustig, then Hinkston, then

    gather a crowd; and all the men in the rocket, seeing mothers,

    aunts, uncles, sweethearts, dead ten, twenty wears ago,

    naturally, disregarding orders, rush out and abandon ship. What

    more natural? What more unsuspecting? What more simple? A

    man doesn’t ask too many questions when his mother is soddenly

    brought back to life; he’s much too happy. And here we all

    are tonight, in various houses, in various beds, with no

    weapons to protect us, and the rocket lies in the moonlight,

    empty. And wouldn’t it be horrible and terrifying to discover

    that all of this was part of some great clever plan by the

    Martians to divide and conquer us, and kill us? Sometime during

    the night, perhaps, my brother here on this bed will change

    form, melt, shift, and become another thing, a terrible thing,

    a Martian. It would be very simple for him just to turn over in

    bed and put a knife into my heart. And in all those other

    houses down the street, a dozen other brothers or fathers

    suddenly melting away and taking knives and doing things to

    the unsuspecting, sleeping men of Earth. . . .

    His hands were shaking under the covers. His body was

    cold. Suddenly it was not a theory. Suddenly he was very

    afraid.

    He lifted himself in bed and listened. The night was very

    quiet The music had stopped. The wind had died. His brother

    lay sleeping beside him.

    Carefully he lifted the covers, rolled them back. He

    slipped from bed and was walking softly across the room when

    his brother’s voice said, “Where are you going?”

    “What?”

    His brother’s voice was quite cold. “I said, where do you

    think you’re going?”

    “For a drink of water.”

    “But you’re not thirsty.”

    “Yes, yes, I am.”

    “No, you’re not.”

    Captain John Black broke and ran across the room. He

    screamed. He screamed twice.

    He never reached the door.

    In the morning the brass band played a mournful dirge.

    From every house in the street came little solemn processions

    bearing long boxes, and along the sun-filled street, weeping,

    came the grandmas and mothers and sisters and brothers and

    uncles and fathers, walking to the churchyard, where there were

    new holes freshly dug and new tombstones installed. Sixteen

    holes in all, and sixteen tombstones.

    The mayor made a little sad speech, his face sometimes

    looking like the mayor, sometimes looking like something else.

    Mother and Father Black were there, with Brother Edward,

    and they cried, their faces melting now from a familiar face

    into something else.

    Grandpa and Grandma Lustig were there, weeping, their

    faces shifting like wax, shimmering as all things shimmer on a

    hot day.

    The coffins were lowered. Someone murmured about “the

    unexpected and sudden deaths of sixteen fine men during the

    night–”

    Earth pounded down on the coffin lids.

    The brass band, playing “Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean,”

    marched and slammed back into town, and everyone took the day

    off.

    The End

    Conclusion

    And this is only the beginning.

    Who knows what greatness, and strange mysteries lie in the future ahead of you?

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Ray Bradbury Index here…

    Ray Bradbury

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
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    The USA Is Committing Suicide

    This is the year. It’s happening. It’s peaking.

    This guy, Gonzalo Lira has laid it all out. All of it. Economic, Geo-political, economic, in very easy and clear terms. This video of his (in two parts – sorry about that) really tells you what is going on and why, and talks about what is going to happen.

    MM agrees 100% with his assessment.

    Outstanding video.

    It’s in two parts due to some technical issues, but I have to tell youse guys, it’s brilliant. Man, oh man, does it set you up for a real understanding of what is going on in the Geo-Political scene right now.

    Please watch both videos.

    Hopefully they will stay up before the MSM takes them down. Outstanding. You need to watch both of these videos. Watch it to the very end. The best part is in the second video at 45:00:00 min to the end.

    Part 1

    2022 03 25 21 36
    2022 03 25 21 36

    Part 2

    Wow.

    2022 03 25 21 22
    2022 03 25 21 22

    Outstanding

    Pay attention to what is happening with Sanctions and Taiwan. You will start to realize the full extent what is going on.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 3

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

    Grasshopper Pie, Body Snatchers, Prank Gifts, Vaxx, Nanobots, crashing planes, CIA and their Nazi Operations, American collapse and treasure. Just another day at MM land.

    Meanwhile, by every single fact we are able to observe, the decadent leaders of the West are acting as though Russia and China are Iraq and Libya. 
    
    It appears that they genuinely believe they can use brute force and threats of brute force to come out on top in this conflict. 
    
    (It’s also worth mentioning that the West, due to the ultra-low moral character of its leaders and the utter lack of any unifying ideal beyond anal sex, has lost the ability to cooperate cohesively as a single body in the way that the Chinese do.)
    
    -UNZ
    

    What do all these things have in common? They all are attributes of a period of time that is going though change. Some people might refer to it as an unravelling, while others might consider it the “second coming”. I think that it’s darn uncomfortable, and bothersome. It’s a period of change and it is nearing it’s peak.

    Sheech!

    I need a drink.

    What? I’m already drinking. Oh, well. Color me silly.

    This article has a bunch of videos. Most are small, but depending on your internet connection, they may or may not load. Just click on the link and watch them open up in another window. Most are really quick.

    Strange stuff guys…

    Strange and unusual things going on.

    In China, a passenger aircraft took a highly unusual nose dive. Engines went full throttle, and the plane dove straight into the ground. It’s almost like the plane decided to commit suicide by ramming itself into the ground at full speed.

    It’s not normal airplane behavior.

    Don’t you know.

    The unusual nature of this crash has everyone scratching their heads, and MM is no exception. Since this is Boeing plane that openly admits that the plane’s computer can override the pilot and fly itself…

    So, and I do mean it … the software can take the input, decide the pilot is in error, and take over…

    … so why have a pilot then?

    Hum?

    It is very concerning.

    The opinions sent to me privately are running near 100% that the United States government / CIA are somehow involved in this fiasco. I would not be surprised if this is the case, but the truth is that I really do not know.

    But…

    You do know that we are going to flush out this issue.

    Right here.

    Right now.

    MM style.

    What I do know is that this entire event has shaken the Chinese people to the core. No one. And I do mean NO ONE wants to fly. Airline prices are now less than $5 USD to fly round-trip to Beijing from Zhuahi. It’s insane.

    Just like the crash of the Hindenburg completely ended commercial travel by dirigible, it seems that this even will seriously impact commercial aviation inside of China. There will be far greater use of the High Speed Trains, and far less use of domestic air transport.

    I predict.

    The Hindenburg

    From HERE.

    OIP C.HGh92 PZ8EPokgFswjQ2UAAAAA
    The Hindenburg bursts into flames.

    In 1936, the future looked bright for rigid airships, the hydrogen-filled, lighter-than-air behemoths also known as dirigibles or zeppelins.

    The Hindenburg, Nazi Germany’s pride and joy, spent one glorious season ferrying passengers across the Atlantic in its luxurious belly. The following year, the airship era screeched to a spectacular halt when the Hindenburg burst into flames while landing in Lakehurst, New Jersey. The disaster claimed the lives of 36 people and received an unprecedented amount of media coverage.

    The Hindenburg was a 245-metre- (804-foot-) long airship of conventional zeppelin design that was launched at Friedrichshafen, Germany, in March 1936. It had a maximum speed of 135 km (84 miles) per hour and a cruising speed of 126 km (78 miles) per hour. Though it was designed to be filled with helium gas, the airship was filled with highly flammable hydrogen owing to export restrictions by the United States against Nazi Germany. In 1936 the Hindenburg inaugurated commercial air service across the North Atlantic by carrying 1,002 passengers on 10 scheduled round trips between Germany and the United States.

    On May 6, 1937, while landing at Lakehurst, N.J., on the first of its scheduled 1937 trans-Atlantic crossings, the Hindenburg burst into flames and was completely destroyed. Thirty-six of the 97 persons aboard were killed.

    The fire was officially attributed to a discharge of atmospheric electricity in the vicinity of a hydrogen gas leak from the airship, though it was speculated that the dirigible was the victim of an anti-Nazi act of sabotage.

    The Hindenburg disaster marked the end of the use of rigid airships in commercial air transportation.

    Forever.

    Grasshopper Pie

    A staple among southern desserts in the 1950s and 1960s, this creamy mint pie sports an Oreo crust, all of which makes it strange that it hasn’t remained as popular as it once was.
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    Grasshopper Pie

    This American retro dessert was inspired by the popular 1950’s chocolate-mint cocktail, and it was a favorite of Southern hostesses in the 1950s and 1960s. Originally, grasshopper pie always had a crust of either cookies or graham cracker crumbs, but today it is most often made with a base of Oreos, desiccated coconut, and butter, while the gelatine-set cream filling mainly consists of heavy cream flavored with crème de menthe—a sweet, mint-flavored liqueur—and melted marshmallows.

    Grasshopper pie is usually so named because of its green color, though modern recipes may omit coloring the pie green. It was likely invented in the 1950s in the United States, and may have been inspired by a drink called the grasshopper developed at about the same time. It is a chiffon pie usually made with a cookie crust.
    
    There is an earlier grasshopper pie type dating back to the beginning of the 20th century. Some versions of this pie from the Philippines used real grasshoppers. These insects are eaten in many cultures, and they can be used in various desserts, where they may be sugared and baked, providing a crunchy, and to some very appetizing, confection. The 1950s grasshopper pie bears little resemblance to versions produced that have insects as a primary ingredient.
    
    Chiffon pies in the 1950s were often a combination of whipping cream, gelatin, sugar, eggs, and flavoring. In the case of the grasshopper pie, common flavoring used was alcohol in the form of crème de menthe, and sometimes other alcohols like crème de cacao. 
    
    For teetotalers, mint flavoring could be achieved by using mint extracts instead, though these might still contain a tiny amount of alcohol. Green food coloring was a frequent addition to give the pie a light green color.
    
    Most often the cookie crust is made with chocolate wafers, so that the pie has a chocolate and mint flavor. The crust is baked for few moments and then chilled. When the chiffon is prepared, usually over a double boiler, it is chilled and then spooned over the crust. The pie tends to be served cold and many love its refreshing mint taste.
    
    There may be very large differences between classic recipes for grasshopper pie and modern ones. Since gelatin can be somewhat annoying to work with, many people now prepare the pie by melting marshmallows and blending them with milk or whipping cream, and sometimes cream cheese. Green food coloring can be optional, and when not used the pie could be called “mint patty pie” instead. Some people may prefer using a graham cracker crust, and other recipes advocate the use of specific cookies like Oreos®.
    
    In the US, grasshopper pie tends to be most popular in the South, but other parts of the country enjoy it too. The pie rose in popularity especially up until the 1970s, but it is now served with less frequency. Many ice cream stores capitalized on the flavor of this pie by producing their own version with mint or mint chocolate chip ice cream and a cookie crust. Some ice cream stores are particularly known for their grasshopper pie variants.
    
    -Delighted Cooking

    The pie is traditionally served well chilled, topped with dollops of whipped cream, and decorated with dark chocolate shavings.

    Grasshopper Pie

    .

    Nice Robust Chinese girl

    In American terms, we would refer to this “body shape
    or “Body build” as “built like a Brick House”. It’s generally a nice compliment for a fine robust woman. In this case, a Chinese woman. video. 5MB

    Lavrov’s History Lesson – Germany’s Downfall – Russian Forces Develop Routine

    Great writeup on MoA. b is cooking at his best.

    Th Saker has reproduced the transcript of a talk Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergej Lavrov has given three days ago. It is quite long with a Q&A at the end but it is a very good history lesson on how we got to the point that Russia felt it had to intervene in the Ukraine.

    Here are just a few graphs of it. I recommend to read it all of it:

    This meeting takes place against the backdrop of events now occurring in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly spoken at length about the origins of this crisis. I would like to briefly reiterate: this is not about Ukraine. This is the end-result of a policy that the West has carried out since the early 1990s. It was clear back then that Russia was not going to be docile and that it was going to have a say in international matters. This is not because Russia wants to be a bully. Russia has its history, its tradition, its own understanding of the history of its peoples and a vision on how it can ensure its security and interests in this world.
    
    This became clear in the late 1990s-early 2000s. The West has repeatedly attempted to stall the independent and autonomous development of Russia. This is rather unfortunate. From the start of President Vladimir Putin’s “rule” in the early 2000s, we were open to the idea of working with the West in various ways, even in a form similar to that of an alliance, as the President has said. Sadly, we were unable to do this. We repeatedly suggested that we should conclude treaties and base our security on equal rights, rejecting the idea of strengthening one’s security at the expense of another.
    
    Neither were we able to promote economic cooperation. The European Union, which back then showed some signs of independent decision-making, has now devolved toward being completely dependent on the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the US. The story of Nord Stream 2 was the highlight of this change. Even Germany, which defended its interests in the project to the very end, was persuaded that the “project was not in its interests.” Germany and its people were told what their interests were by people on the other side of the Atlantic. Many other international areas were blocked despite our commitment to close cooperation on an equal basis.

    Germany’s traitorous role towards Russia, especially under chancellor Angela Merkel, is laid out throughout the piece. The current chancellor Olaf Scholz, never a smart man, capitulated to U.S. demands to sanction Russia and thereby committed Germany to economic suicide.

     

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    2022 03 23 13 14

    That spells death for Germany’s machine industry. It is said to see my country come down like this.

    Hey Olaf, when the U.S. illegally invaded Iraq for absolutely no good reason how many sanctions did Germany apply to it?

    Russia has at least cited sound and understandable, if not fully legal, reasons for its current acts. It was by the way you, Olaf, and your predecessor who have let it come to this. Why didn’t you write a letter to Putin that declared that Germany will veto NATO membership for the Ukraine. That might have solved the whole problem.

    There is some talk that Russia has screwed up its campaign and some even hope that it might be losing the war. That’s nuts.

    Back when I was a military officer we ran yearly large scale ‘free running’ maneuvers. Over nearly four weeks my tank company had to switch positions several times a day and march and ‘fight’ in between. The first week was cumbersome with lots of errors made by everyone. The second week was worse. Everyone was sleep deprived and folks screamed at each other. We had several accidents and twice parts of the company missed turns and got lost at night. During the third week things became gradually better and more routine. The drivers knew where to put their tanks without much command. The camouflaging done by the loaders and gunners was fast. The food that found its way to us was still hot and maintenance was done in no time. In the fourth week it was all pure fun.

    The reason behind it was that people needed to learn by doing. Before the maneuvers everyone had been ‘fully trained’. But a few days on the training range do not give the experience one needs in the real world. Driving and ‘fighting’ through real villages and cities, real camouflaging against an ‘enemy’ airforce, real dueling in the open landscape day after day are different than training range time.

    Russia’s forces are now in their routine mode. They will now grind down what is left of the Ukrainian forces.

    According to the Pentagon the Russian airforce yesterday flew 300 sorties over Ukraine, mostly at night. That are 50% more per day than last week. That means 300 Ukrainian weapon factories, ammunition depots, convoys and fighting position get destroyed every day, day after day. How long will it take until there are no more targets?

    Andrew Milburn, a former Marine colonel, is in the Ukraine from where he reports for Task and Purpose:

    The Russians are already adapting, and by doing so are narrowing the Ukrainians’ tactical edge. The one-sided culling of Russian armored columns that characterized the opening days of the war, and kept YouTube subscribers around the world happy, are a thing of the past. The Russians now lead their formations with electronic attack, drones, lasers and good-old-fashioned reconnaissance by fire. They are using cruise missiles and saboteur teams to target logistics routes, manufacturing plants, and training bases in western Ukraine. Realizing that the Ukrainians lack thermal sights for their stinger missile launchers, the Russians have switched all air operations to after dark. It may be for this same reason that Russian cruise missile strikes in western and southern Ukraine have also been at nighttime.
    
    The Russians have learned to play to their strengths. While Ukrainian soldiers mock their Russian counterparts, they are deeply respectful of Russian artillery, an asset that the Russians are using more frequently to compensate for their infantry’s deficiencies. Several snipers I spoke with recently agreed that the Russians’ indirect fire capability was the most concerning — a result of sheer reckless mass rather than technical skill. They told some hair-raising stories to illustrate their point, and one amusing one: Ukrainian soldiers defending Kyiv commute to the battle in their own vehicles. After a recent three-day insertion, the sniper teams returned to their extraction site to find their cars all flattened by Russian artillery – a contingency apparently not covered by their insurance plans.
    
    Overconfidence may obscure for the Ukrainians one salient fact about this conflict: Time is not on their side.

    Posted by b on March 22, 2022 at 17:55 UTC | Permalink

    Hilarious Prank Gift Packages To Surprise Your Friends This Christmas

    How will you wrap your Christmas presents this year? Will you buy some expensive wrapping paper and then silently weep in the corner when you realize you have no idea what you’re doing? Or just give up entirely and pay someone else to do it? Lucky for you, one company out there is aiming to make gift wrapping a little more fun.

    Pranko-O is a Minneapolis-based company that creates hilarious prank gifts, called Prank Packs. A fart filter or an earwax candle might sound insane at first but don’t worry – that’s where the ‘prank’ part of Prank Pack comes in. The products, sadly, don’t exist and are just gag boxes. But imagine your partner’s reaction when they were hoping to get a Pandora necklace for Christmas but receive a cheese printer instead – priceless!

    Here’s a few for some inspiration. This is a Cheese printer. Surprise your friends!

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    Cheese Printer. You’ll be amazed how you were ever able to live without one!

    Here’s another. It’s a “must” for every pet owner.

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    It’s a “must” for every pet owner.

    And yet another. Fun for kids of all ages!

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    Fun for kids of all ages four and older.

    Confirmed: Nazis are the proxy army of the US imperialists against Russia in Ukraine

    From HERE.

    Couldn’t be said more clearly.

    The former US secretary of defense and CIA director, Leon Panetta, admitted openly that

    We are engaged in a conflict here. It's a proxy war with Russia, whether we say so or not ...”.

    Referring to the Ukrainian forces, the US imperialist warhawk claimed that

    "These are good fighters, they are small-unit operations, they are working well ...".

    The description “small-unit operations” fits to proxy forces – mercenaries, rather than an organized national army.

    As we mentioned in our previous article, for eight years, the NATO criminals and the “free” and “democratic” West, were provoking Russia by arming and training the far-right and neo-nazi militia groups who also infiltrated in the Ukrainian army and operate in East Ukraine against Russian populations. Which is something similar with what happened in the long-suffering Syria by the US proxy war against Assad. Only there, the US imperialists armed and trained some so-called “moderate rebels”, with most of the arms ending in the hands of ISIS islamofascists who spread chaos and destruction.
    Panetta’s statements are essentially an official admission by the US side that this is the case.
    .
    This also explains why the Russians are so obsessed with Mariupol, which appears that it suffered most from the war in Ukraine so far. It seems that they won’t retreat from their demand to Ukraine to surrender the besieged city. Not only because of its critical strategic importance, but mostly because it’s the base of the Azov Battalion, which is essentially the major US proxy Nazi force in the Ukrainian soil.
    .
    Indeed: [emphasis added]
    .
    In March 2015 Interior Minister Arsen Avakov announced that the Azov Regiment would be among the first units to be trained by United States Army troops in their Operation Fearless Guardian training mission. 
    
    US training however was withdrawn on 12 June 2015, as the US House of Representatives passed an amendment blocking any aid (including arms and training) to the battalion due to its neo-Nazi background. 
    
    However, the amendment was later removed in November 2015, with The Nation reporting that the "House Defense Appropriations Committee came under pressure from the Pentagon to remove the Conyers-Yoho amendment from the text of the bill."
    
    Azov published a media release on its website on 20 November 2017 stating that it had met with a foreign delegation of officers from the United States Armed Forces and Canadian Armed Forces on 16 November. 
    
    Writing for Jacobin, Branko Marcetic says that members of Azov have been pictured meeting with U.S. military and NATO officials.
     .
    This is a particularly revealing information because it proves beyond doubt that the US imperialist apparatus was very well aware of the nazi nature of the Azov Battalion. And did everything to overcome any political actions that were aiming to block any aid to its members.
    .
    Recall that new information – coming from the elite section of the US think tank apparatus – proved that the US imperialists wanted to drag Russia into a war with Ukraine since at least 2019.
    .
    Everything we wrote back in 2014 turns out to be right:
    .
    What was left to do, for the moment, is to challenge Putin in order to drag Russia in an endless attrition war in East Ukraine and this explains to a degree Putin's hesitation to act like he did in Crimea. Against Russian army, of course, the West will not risk to put an organized military force, but only teams of mercenaries of private armies, as already did. It is certain, however, that, despite that the global economic oligarchy has lost valuable time because of its wrong moves, it will not give up its plans for Russia easily ...
    Mapping proxy wars of the last decades around the globe we also wrote back in 2015 that the Ukraine conflict is a proxy war against Russia by the West, next to the Russian borders. Behind the color revolutions, one can always find US financed organizations. The Western allies would not dare to face directly the Russian army. In the Ukraine conflict one could find private armies of mercenaries. The most stupid action by the Western puppets was to support neo-nazis against the local Russian populations. This was something that exposed their real intention, which is to encircle Russia through puppet regimes who would permit the Western military presence in their territories.
     .
    By aiding the nazis in Ukraine, the US and the West generally, lost their last remnants of their alleged “superiority” on matters related with democracy, human rights, or, international law. West’s moral bankruptcy and cultural decline are now irreversible and mark the beginning of the end of its global domination.
    .

    CIA use Nazi forces

    .

    A fine Chinese woman in red

    In China, red is considered a lucky and happy color. I like this woman in this outfit. She is pleasing to the eye and I am sure that she would be fun to be with. video 2MB

    Strange coincidences

    I offer up this following graph. It shows an association between belief in the mainstream media (the United States government narrative) and number of mRNA injections.

    The more mRNA injections you have, the more that you believe whatever the MSM (Main Stream Media) says.

    graph1
    Relationship between the official government narrative and mRNA injections.

    Look over the results.

    It is errie.

    It could be a coincidence. It might be. But, you know, there are secrets, and secrets, and the United States is run by very selfish, sick, evil people. Something is up. But what?

    What is going on?

    I don’t know…

    It reminds me of the old 1950s movie “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”.

    Invasion of the Body Snatchers

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    Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

    Imagine that you and everyone else are normal. You go to work, and you play. You go drive your car, and listen to the radio.

    There’s a pandemic. Everyone must get these “special” injections.

    Not a vaccine, mind you. But something “new” and “special”. And so you plan on getting one, but your entire community beats you to it. Everyone is injected with the “special” formulation but you, and so when you finally go into town to get your injection, you notice something different.

    Everything is the same.

    Yet everything is different.

    You have a difficult time trying to describe what is do different. They all look the same. They act the same. They all have absolute perfect memories. But something is missing…

    …you just cannot pin it down; you just cannot put your finger on it…

    Well…

    Everyone is mad. They are angry. When you bring up certain subject, you know that the person you are talking to will fly into a rage. There are simply things that you just cannot talk about.

    • Face masks.
    • Racial issues.
    • Russia
    • China.
    • Vacinations.

    You think “everyone is so polarized”. But it’s strange. People were never so polarized. Not before. Now they are just really upset and really on a “hair trigger”.

    The movie

    In 1956 the movie “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” came out.

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    Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

    The narrative’s premise is most interesting.

    A peaceful town is imperceptibly taken over by an alien force: Giant plant pods, products of atomic mutation, turn themselves into replicas of people. The pods turn human beings into faceless, emotionless automatons, incapable of any feeling, be it anger or love.

    Once again, the image used is that of an initially normal and ordinary town, suddenly thrown out of balance.

    “At first glance, everything looked the same,” the narrator says, “It wasn’t. Something evil had taken possession of the town.” The rest of the film explores that “something.”

    Called back to Santa Mira from a medical conference, Doctor Miles Bonnel (Kevin McCarthy) is greeted at the train station by his nervous nurse, Sally. Looking through his clinic’s window, everything “looks” the same:

    Wally Everhard is talking someone into buying insurance, Bill Bittner is taking his secretary to launch. Yet something strange is going on. In the back of his mind, Miles senses a warning bell: “Sick people who couldn’t wait to see me, suddenly were perfectly all right.”

    A general practitioner, Miles believes that, “the trouble is inside you!” thus recommending that she sees a psychiatrist.

    The first “solution” to the problem is psychiatric help, with the film acknowledging the increasing popularity of psychiatry in the 1950s.

    R C.285170c1c90097c1d5030f17958da129
    “At first glance, everything looked the same,” the narrator says, “It wasn’t. Something evil had taken possession of the town.”

    Miles rationalizes his advice to Wilma by saying, “you don’t have to be losing your mind to need psychiatric help.” But Wilma is firm: “It’s a waste of time, there’s nothing wrong with me.”

    Like many other films of the decade, Invasion deals with three issues: [1] the definition of normal and abnormal behavior; [2] the legitimate authority to label behaviors as abnormal or deviant; and [3] the negative effects of conformity, apathy, and complacency.

    The film suggests that the town’s experts and professionals are not to be trusted. The police force, an agency entrusted with the legitimate use of physical force, can’t solve the problem. In fact, when Jack’s clone is found, they refuse to call the police, because cops tend to rely too much on logic and dry laws.

    Miles represents the center of the moral center.

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    “At first glance, everything looked the same,” the narrator says, “It wasn’t. Something evil had taken possession of the town.”

    He is a professional, but a general practitioner, not a specialist, thus able to see the problem overall, in its entirety.

    Even so, Miles proves that his common sense and critical faculties as a responsible individual are more important than his narrow professional skills. Thus, when Jack first describes the problem he says: “Would you be able to forget that you’re a doctor for a while” .

    For the duration of the film, Miles “forgets” his occupation.

    The movie advocates independent judgment, common sense, intuition, and self-reliance, and shows suspicious toward anyone in a position of power or professional expertise.

    Invasion, like Capra’s movies of the Depression era, singles out the role of an exceptional individual, a charismatic leader, in preventing society from dehumanization, from gradual transformation into an aggregate of unfeeling robots.

    Sleep is the metaphor used to convey mass complacency and conformity.

    The pods take over human beings when they are not alert, when they are (literally or figuratively) asleep, thus passive.

    Escaping from town, Miles gives Becky and himself a large dose of pills to stay awake. “We can’t close our eyes all night,” he tells her, because “we may wake up changed.” “Sooner or later,”

    Kauffman tells Miles, “You’ll have to go to sleep,” i.e. you’ll have to conform and join the majority.

    But Kauffman also reassures him that as soon as he falls asleep, the pods will “absorb your minds, your memories, and you’re reborn into an untroubled world.”

    The new world will be without love, ambition, grief, or any emotions, “Life will be much simpler and better.”

    invasion of the body snatchers 1956
    invasion of the body snatchers 1956

    Indeed, during their escape, chased by every member in town, Becky can’t stay awake any longer and she falls asleep. “I went to sleep and it happened,” says Becky. “A moment of sleep,” narrates Miles, and “their bodies were now hosts harboring alien forms of life.”

    Santa Mira is a typical small town; there is nothing special or distinctive about I; what happened in Santa Mira couldand would–happen in other towns. In most sci-fi films, the disaster first occurs on a local level before spreads all over the country.

    The catastrophe begins in a small town, then moves to bigger regional centers, and finally inflicts the entire nation.

    Attempting to get assistance, Miles first calls the F.B.I. in Los Angeles, but there is no answer. His call to the governor in Sacramento also fails; the circuits are busy in both places.

    Invasion differs from other sci-fi features because there is no immediate confirmation of the hero’s report of the “strange” phenomenon by other witnesses; the conflict is between one individual and the entire community.

    Invasion shows that the authorities, both scientific and political, are neither trustworthy nor competent.

    Other films went out of their way to reassured audiences that they were “in good hands,” that politicians (or the military) and scientists would come to the rescue when needed. In contrast, Invasion’s ending is so tentative and abrupt that it provides no such reaffirmation, instead urging its viewers to be always alert.

    kevin mccarthy2
    “At first glance, everything looked the same,” the narrator says, “It wasn’t. Something evil had taken possession of the town.”

    Puckering fish look

    For some reason, the Chinese women like to make these puckering fish expressions, as they view them as being very cute. I don’t know about that. Really. I just like a nice big smile, myself. video. 3MB

    Sanctions

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    Western production depends on China no less, than on Russia. And once again, on the tip of my tongue there is a Russian proverb with a deep meaning – what is good for a Russian is death for a German.
    .
    .
    And what will happen to the West, when Russia imposes her own retaliatory sanctions?
    Consider this article…
    .

    Immediately (in several European capitals), they realized that those sanctions, (introduced by them), would return to them like a boomerang and more than once

    The words of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz about the reverse effect of sanctions against Russia can be called a sensation. It seems that the West is beginning to see clearly and see what damage they inflict on the economies of their countries with their own sanctions.

    After the successes of the first days on the sanctions fronts, when Western countries managed to bring down the Russian stock market and the ruble exchange rate, a process of sobering up begins in European capitals and there is an acute desire to return the situation back.

    By the way, the fall of the market and the collapse of the ruble did not become catastrophic for Russia . There was no default – Russia regularly pays its bills, and the ruble is slowly, but still winning back its positions.

    A funny situation can happen with the stock market. Against the backdrop of a fall in the price of shares of Russian companies, Western investors began to actively sell them for next to nothing. Now the most interesting question is:

    Who bought them?

    Some European experts suggest that Russian business and the Russian government took advantage of the situation and bought almost everything for next to nothing. In other words, Russian companies have become Russian again. Forever at the bottom, the shares will not be and sooner or later they will go up, but they will no longer bring dividends to Western investors. And they will no longer have levers of influence on the Russian economy.

    Chancellor Scholz , of course, did not talk about these deep processes. He spoke about the need to prepare and impose sanctions very carefully. The reverse effect of them should be surmountable for Western economies. But so far everything is working out exactly the opposite.

    The imposed sanctions blew up the market and the prices of absolutely everything flew up.

    Inflation all over Europe

    Everyone knows the situation with gas – at some point it rose in price to a completely unthinkable 3,800 dollars. Now, thanks to the efforts of Gazprom, it has been brought down to an acceptable $1,050.

    • Oil prices rose, followed by gasoline and all fuel in general.
    • Steel and cast iron, building materials. Nickel. Aluminum. Products of the petrochemical industry and fertilizers.
    • Wheat and all food products.

    The list can be continued, but this is quite enough to understand what kind of “return line” has flown through the European economy.

    French President Macron is already talking about the introduction of food checks in the country for the poorest. In the Czech Republic, wheat and flour more than doubled in price.

    In Italy and Spain, pasta and vegetable oil disappeared from the shelves, and in Lithuania, salt and soda.

    And all this at a record level of inflation. In some European countries it has already exceeded 10%.

    The West was sure that by depriving Russia of income from the export of energy resources and raw materials, they would bring it to her knees, but it turned out that Russia’s participation in almost any area is so significant that it immediately affects the economies of Europe and the United States.

    Britain

    Britain banned the import of products, incl. food, from Russia. In addition to raising prices for communal and gasoline, the British can part with their national dish – fish and chips, in other words – potatoes with fish.

    For British Prime Minister Johnson, it came as an unpleasant surprise that most of the fish eaten in Britain is Russian. Iceland and Norway will not be able to provide even half of the amount that Russia was selling.

    Britain urgently needs to find new routes for the supply of fish, otherwise unrest cannot be avoided and this is not a joke. For the British , fish and chips is more than food, it is part of the culture, it is their genetic code.

    That is why such a heated debate broke out in the European Union today on the issue of an embargo on the import of Russian oil. Everyone is worried about the consequences of this step. Will this be another nail in the coffin of the European economy?

    Russia’s retaliatory measures

    But even more Europeans should worry about Russia’s retaliatory measures. Nothing is known about them yet, and this is scary. Retaliatory sanctions can set the European economy back several decades, and the EU is very unwilling to do so.

    Reverse Sanctions

    .

    Cute Chinese girl

    I really like the Chinese girls. They are sweet, cute and they take care of themselves. Here’s a nice cute girl. video 4MB

    Beef Stroganoff

    Let’s talk about food.

    Good. Healthy. Delicious. Food.

    The story goes that this beef, noodles, and cream sauce dish exploded in America after U.S. servicemen, stationed in the dish’s homeland of Russia, brought it home after World War II.
    .

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    Beef Stroganoff.

    Meat. MEAT. I love it, I really do.

    My recent visits to my Vegetarian Restaurant, aside, I love and yearn for meat. Good tasty meat. Beef. Mutton. Pork. Chicken. Turkey. Meat!

    I grew up in the heart of the United States. Pittsburgh. The land of steel, coal. beer and perogies. There, the basic food groups consisted of potatoes, cream of [insert mushroom, chicken, or celery here] soup, butter (or Land-O-Lakes margarine), tall cold glasses of milk with every meal and…meat.

    I had a recent craving for beef stroganoff.

    Although I ate this dish frequently as a child, I had yet to make it myself. The beef stroganoff of my youth was a retro reflection of my Polish-American-Irish upbringing – a nostalgic combination of ground beef, cream of mushroom soup, condensed beef broth, and low-fat sour cream.

    Although I (of course) I could have gone out and had my fill of some delicious steak, turtle or mutton, I wasn’t really feeling that desire. I wanted to create something myself. I wanted a taste from my childhood, and you just aren’t goign to get that inside of China. No matter how hard you try.

    I wanted comfort food, and I figured that beef stroganoff would foot the bill.

    This is comfort food at its finest.

    2022 03 23 16 55
    Get your beef in some sputtering, aromatic, delicious SALTED butter. Work quickly – you’re just browning and the thinness of the meat doesn’t require much time in the pan. Set beef aside. Sauté your onions and garlic in the same pan.

    After making a few (regional) tweaks to the Simply Recipes version, I came up with a winner. Gather up some easy basics: butter, beef, onions, garlic, mushrooms, sour cream (be sure to read my footnote on the sour cream!). If you have tarragon, nutmeg, and Worcestershire sauce on hand, even better.

    Beef Stroganoff

    .

    Meanwhile in America

    2022 03 24 19 44
    2022 03 24 19 44

    Draft is a prelude for an invasion force

    Why would the United States decide to institute a draft? Well, it seems that there are decisions being made and systems put in place right now. If you are an American under 35 years of age, you should be concerned.

    2022 03 24 18 39
    Screenshot.

    US Draft

    .

    Here’s what I have been eating

    Some home movies. Actually not in my home, in various eating establishments in China. Oh, China is supposed to be in famine right now! OMG. My bad. Sorry to break the narrative.

    Video 1 – Dongbei salad. 43MB

    Video 2 – Sichuan beef and mushrooms. 63MB

    Video 3 – Gung Pao Ji Deng 82MB

    Some intel to share…

    A while back I recieved some intel from one of my spook-ish sources. Good or bad, right or wrong, I just filed it away for “a rainy day” (It’s a play on an American idiom. It means, it’s valuable and interesting, but you don’t need it now. You save it for later.)

    It’s how I run my life.

    Good or bad, right or wrong. I just take all input, and consider it. File it, and move forward. Always move forward. You just cannot drop everything and take action on some other’s time-tables. That would be like running around, from tree to tree, pissing indiscriminately.

    So I took the information. Filed it both securely in my email folders, and on my hard disk. And forgot about it.

    It does not mean that I agree or disagree with it. It just means that there is nothing that I can do with the information at the time that I recieved it. So I put it aside. And, instead, work on things that I can do something about.

    Month pass by.

    After seeing that graph that connects mRNA with thoughts and political agreement with the United States government, it triggered my memory. There was something about this dialog that really seemed to connect to the events that I was witnessing.

    The (archived) intel that I was informed on was directly related to this association.

    The message suggested that there were vault 7 algorithms and frequencies that worked together in association with various ingredients in the <redacted> portion of the mRNA injection “stew”.

    mRNA nanobots + Vault 7 + MSM “news” = Easily manipulated serf / slave

    These associations would then “hand shake” with embedded subsonic frequences transmitted along “news” messages, of all sorts. Thus making the injected person, who is exposed to the “news” messages believe them without any critical thought.

    Sounds far-fetched.

    Perhaps…

    I filed it away, as it was something worthy of further study.

    And then I saw the graph, and I sought to revisit my communication on this subject. So, like the good and investigative fellow I am, I went to dig it out of my archives.

    And it’s gone.

    I mean, as in GONE.

    The darnest thing!

    All records gone. All archives gone. All backups gone. It’s a full spectrum erase. Oh, the folder is there. But it’s empty. Even the screen shots that I took and put in a special folder… it’s gone as well.

    OIP C.PUIfTNrpU5w DYrL nP9tgHaCl
    .

    What the fuck?

    It could be a slide. I could be forgetting things. It could be an accident. I don’t know…

    … what a coincidence.

    It’s a nagging pain in the ass, that’s what.

    Some more fun gag gift boxes…

    I found this one funny. Perfect for getting your children to eat. Child refuses to eat? Just plop them down and watch them eat their hearts out. Children cry for more!

    Oh, and Daddy won’t mind…

    2022 03 23 11 32
    Perfect for getting your children to eat. Child refuses to eat? Just plop them down and watch them eat their hearts out. Children cry for more!

    This one is unique. Everyone wants their home to fill with the aroma of sizzling bacon. Now it can be an everyday affair.

    “Breakfast fresh scent”.

    2022 03 23 11 34
    Everyone wants their home to fill with the aroma of sizzling bacon. Now it can be an everyday affair.

    Who thinks up these things? “Millions of satisfied customers.”

    Do you want to shake up your company? Hold a meeting where you announce that the company is going to save money by stop buying toilet paper. Instead, they will install these rotowipe devices in all the stalls. Make the announcment “dead pan” and watch the reactions.

    2022 03 23 11 35
    “Millions of satisfied customers.”

    A Huge Cleavage

    A huge cleavage is developing between the East and West in tandem with the Ukraine ops. The US State Dept. just sanctioned some Chinese officials due to "human rights". China didn't take well to it at all. Meanwhile, India is not going along with the Western sanctions on Russia and got threatened with sanctions earlier but the US has since backed off that threat.
    
    Victoria Nuland is in India today trying again to coerce India into getting on board the sanctions train. I dont't think it will work.
    
    Also, it seems that China and India are making renewed efforts to bury the hatchet regarding tbeir border duspute. It really seems like a great re-alignment happening, especially taking into account all the other countries not taking part in the anti-Russia sanctions.
    
    Russsia essentially said "fuck it" in deciding to launch into Ukraine. If the West keeps it up, China will arrive at the same point.
    
    Interesting times.
    
    -Woogs

    Speaking of “huge cleavage”; here’s a nice Chinese girl with an impressive chest… video 1MB

    Russian Foreign Minister

    Here’s the entire question being used against Lavrov:

    "Why was the military operation launched now and not eight years ago? At that time, a pro-Russian “anti-Maidan” movement emerged in Odessa and Kharkov, which installed the Russian flag on top of the Kharkov regional administration without firing a shot. The city supported Russia. Now these people are hiding from shelling."

    I find it impossible to verify the veracity of the question. I know in Odessa the police didn’t do anything to stop the Nazis from their killing and burning. I imagine a similar performance happened in Kharkov. Russia acted to save its strategic asset, Crimea, but clearly wasn’t prepared to intervene further.

    Lavrov’s initial sentence is very honest:

    "A lot of factors influence developments at each specific historical moment."

    I’ve read both the English and Russian transcripts, and what I see by reading between the lines is commiseration by Lavrov with the questioner, not any attempt to mislead. Lavrov says They took advantage of our nature:

    "We must have trusted them because of some naivety and kindness of heart, which is something Russians are known for.
    
    "I have no doubt that lessons will be learned."

    And if you’ve watched Lavrov while speaking his recent denunciations of the West, that Russia will never again put its trust in any part of the West, you’ll see the resolve that Russia will not get fooled again as it’s now taking everything into its own hands.

    IMO, some part of all Russians, especially Putin, Lavrov, Shoigu, and other leaders, was burned and died with those in Odessa and in Donbass. They pled and pled and pled some more with the Western pukes to obey the fucking law put forth in UNSCR 2022–the Minsk Agreements.

    But inaction and outright refusal followed by the breaking of it all by the fucking West. And now all the rest that was uncovered with the military operation!!

    I’ll bet the fucking national debt that Putin, Lavrov, et al wish they would’ve done more in 2014 but felt they couldn’t.

    The Syria intervention helped to provide some solace. But it’s very clear to Russia now that the Outlaw US Empire is the #1 predator state on the planet and must be neutralized somehow without resorting to nuclear weapons.

    Yes, that’s how fucking serious this is.

    Lavrov knows that gravity of the situation. It’s fucking existential!

    And it’s that fact the West badly wants to cover up. And just as importantly, it’s that fact that we must try to expose and broadcast.

    karlof1

    Steak au Poivre

    2022 03 23 18 53
    Steak au Poivre

    I’m probably going to catch some flac for this, but for me – it isn’t off the BBQ. No, no, no. MY perfect steak is done on a stove top (gasp!). Classically considered a French bistro dish, Steak au Poivre is my perfect way to indulge.  If you’re a meat lover, this post is for you.

    2022 03 23 18 54
    Simple and clean.

    I think a part of what appeals to me so much about this recipe is its simplicity. The steak is seasoned with two ingredients: salt and peppercorns. It might sound crazy to coat two steaks with 2 whole tablespoons of peppercorns, but when they aren’t finely ground the spice is much more subtle. Dressing the meat this way also lets it shine through. This is beef at its best.

    2022 03 23 18 55
    What appeals to me so much about this recipe is its simplicity.

    Using a cast iron pan is my second secret. These pans retain heat well and are practically non-stick. Cooking the steaks on high heat, turning ~once per minute creates an even, golden crust with no burning. Depending on the thickness of your steak, you’re looking for a total of 3-4 minutes per side for rare.

    If there is a side of fat on your steak, render it down for a couple minutes by propping the steak up.

    In the final minutes, we add some butter for extra flavour and to start providing the base for a delicious Cognac pan sauce. When the steaks are cooked to your liking, remove to a cutting board and tent with foil. You’ll be left with something closely resembling this:

    2022 03 23 18 57
    In the final minutes…

    Up last is to create a rich cognac pan sauce that sends this over the top. In your pan, we will add shallot, (more butter), Cognac, cream, thyme and parsley. After cooking and reducing the sauce, we pour it over the sliced steak. When I have this for dinner, steak is all I need. There is something ridiculous & awesome about eating just steak for dinner, I hope you try it!

    2022 03 23 18 58
    Time to EAT!

    Meanwhile in China

    It’s a thing. Partly due to Coronavirus. Partly due to the plans for Space, and bases on the Moon and Mars. Cute. Odd. video 23MB

    Digging up the e-mail

    I was able to retrieve the email concerning the connection between mRNA “vaxx” and the United States government.

    Now, I do not endorse the content of this e-mail. I just provide it in it’s raw form for others to  muse over. Please take it as it is. It is raw information that could be from anyone.

    Anyone at all.

    I am using anonymous email because this is above top secret information. 
    
    You are correct that the vaccines will kill an estimated 70% of the US population due to prion disease.  This is being done to avoid world problems and reconstruct world society as described by the World Economic Forum (ocean acidification, food shortages, food poisoning and job replacement by artificial intelligence).
    
    However, what is not currently known is that the chemtrails contain a mixture of advanced nanobots along with complexed radioactive materials (germanium, indium, etc) and a shielding material that releases hard to detect bursts of radioactivity (2 sec) on the back of the spine, femoral heads, pelvis, ribs and under the chin when exposed to nanorouter EMF.  
    
    The nanorouters are powered by electric fields and local utility companies have conspired to alter their current to emit very high EMF and magnetic fields periodically to kill and injure through direct exposure to this radiation plus the activated chemtrail dust.  
    
    The US government has contracted stalking activities to private companies such as Replica.ai (Lucas in San francisco) and has artificial intelligence monitoring large numbers of people through Patriot Act hacked cell phone sim cards, cameras, hacked routers and PCs.  
    
    However, they have the ability to do additional spying due to the nanobot infestation.  Nanobots around the occipital lobe allow them to steal passwords and watch vision.  They also can do voice to skull transmission of voices, start terrifying abnormal dream sequences when initiating sleep, blank memories and control people through trance to commit suicide etc.  Low intelligence and highly opinionated people are extremely susceptible and literally zone out and lose their memory while they are being manipulated.
    
    The nanobots also have a slew of programmed harassments that can be extremely disabling-hyperurination due to stimulated hormone secretion, waking people up from sleep due to external nanobots, depression, anxiety stimulation, simulated Mernier's disease where the room shakes up and down. If they are active you'll get tinnitus.  All of the symptoms stop once you are out of Wifi range.
    
    The nanobots are magnetized and they are being used to shake housing structures apart.  All over the US buildings are having roof collapses due to smartmeter arson from power companies plus shaking by hidden resonance frequency generators which is known as the world hum.  The nanobot programs reduce the intensity of the humming so it sounds like typical noise but it is not.  The building shaking can be measured on a linear accelerometer (Physics Accelerator Toolbox app).
    
    The chemtrail dust is how they plan to kill uncooperative unvaccinated people.  Planed flyovers seed beds and clothing with the dust and then it is activated and the person is slowly irradiated.  Due to the short half-life of the materials it is very hard to detect however a small EMF/magnetic field detector can be used to scan the areas.  As this is dust, vaccuuming and spongebathing it off is very effective before or during activation.
    
    Resistors are also being targeted using the vircator microwave satellite targeting program as described at targetedjustice.com. It is very hard to shield requiring 12 layers of aluminum foil at the highest setting.  Pointing an emf detector in the area of strongest magnetic field will show you where the satellites are. Active vircators will show high EMF up to 106 V/m.
    
    The buffered radioactive nanobot dust is being sprayed all over the world and is being used along with NSA hacked servers to control political leaders without their knowledge.  
    
    This most likely is why Vladimir Putin has now invaded Ukraine. An invasion of Ukraine will most likely lead to an EMP strike that will damage the European illuminati.  Agents I have spoke with claim that the USA is currently controlled by the US branch of the New World Order/Illuminati and they seek to damage the European branch with the EMP attack.
    
    The nanobots are also converting prions all over the world due to NSA hacking.
    
    You are a targeted individual and can expect all of these attacks.  You need to take appropriate precautions to shield your equipment from hacking as well as from nanobot visual access (band of 10 layers of foil around the occiput with a strap works well.  The irradiation can cause bone marrow edema syndrome, severe abdominal pain, skin burning and back pain.
    
    We are in a bit of a tricky situation on this one.  It probably is too late to stop the prion disease and we do need to have the European illuminati, religion and black antisocial behavior weakened however I have concerns about the excessive targeting as anyone who knows about their plans is having hits put out on them (including me) and the competency of the people running this thing.  Take appropriate precautions.
    
    Covering beds with a plastic sheet until used to shield from the dust and shielding from vircator also is important.
    
    Given the scope of this thing I doubt there is anything anyone can do.  The US Federal government is completely taken over, people are mind controlled and the population is being attacked with weapons we have never seen before.  Also, if we don't allow it to happen we suffer all the world problems that the WEF describes.  If we do then we will most likely be slaves to elite billionaires and forced to live in a controlled society.
    
    <redacted>

    Indeed it is far-out stuff.

    It’s well beyond my understanding.

    But…

    It is the ONLY content that I have / possess that answers the strange graphic association posted above. Take it, and use it as you see fit. Personally, it’s way, way above my head. And I have no ideas; no clue how accurate or valid it actually is.

    When I asked a person whom I greatly respect on the content of this, the response was thoughtful…

    Whoever sent you that - just please PLEASE listen to the content of what the implications are for China - Xi is a WEF placement. This is NOT Unknown.  It’s literally on the WEF website. He pissed off the WEF and now he is going to be removed. China has been under attack since I have been warning you. It has. A company called Blackrock - in THIS fucking world line is the muscle of the WEF.
    
    Want to know why we did Afghanistan so quickly? BLACKROCK provided allll of the security force in Afghanistan since 2017. We drew down troops but they never left. They changed uniforms and got paid a TON of cash. Look it up. So Blackrock decides to pull alllll of the security forces outside Kabul that it paid - as a message. 
    
    Think about that - about 85% of security force outside of Kabul - gone. Like that. And all that kept the Taliban from overrunning the country was a small force. So - Biden left rather than get slaughtered. 
    
    But to my point - The WEF has a stake in a securities trading firm called Blackrock that hired mercenaries - tens of thousands of combat veterans that you see fighting in Ukraine.
    
    Look it up. 
    
    I cannot speak about the specifics of ANY of that - at all - but I’m telling you - you hit paydirt.
    
    And we ARE pulling out when the fight gets bloody. 
    
    Blackrock is on Chinas doorstep. And I am telling you - nothing can prevent what they are doing. THAT I know from actual friend that is IN Blackrock. As a mercenary. 
    
    This all is online. If you can’t access it through China ask someone to look it up. Also look up “Blackrock woke”. It’s fun. 
    
    And if that is AI that created that email - fucking bravo. THAT is a programmer I want to hang out with.
    
    And feel free to post my shit - just please keep the name out of it. But I know some of your people that emailed me and I gave them my thoughts. Ask how accurate so far. 
    
    Again - I wish you all peace and happiness there - because our lights are going out soon.
    
    Much love - <redacted>

    Have you ever gotten the idea that you are somehow way over your head? Yeah. I get that all the time. It’s not that I believe everything. I listen. I learn. I drink. I move forward, and I adapt.

    Everyone needs to learn, and adapt as situations permit.

    Each and everytime I chat with the Domain Commander, on comm, it’s just a window into how much I really don’t know. WHile I know much, there is still so much more to learn.

    Sometimes I just feel like I am a little ball in one of those old pin-ball machines. I’m just being batted around like crazy.

    Take what is provided and move forward.

    Always move forward.

    And while you are at it; eat well.

    video 3MB

    Crab Rangoon

    Although this fried crab dumpling fits in among postwar tiki culture and is often purported to be of southeast Asian provenance, it was very likely invented in America.

    OIP C.dKAUGkBEnA7cVfxeWd1PmAHaLH
    Crab Rangoon

    It’s easy to make. Delicious to eat, and fun to try.

    Crab Rangoon

    .

    The United States Blinked

    The United States is reposturing itself. This is occuring soon after the warning from China on a package of 2nd stage sanctions regarding Russia and Taiwan.
    .
    .
    Did you know that China bought none of the extra $200 billion of US exports in Trump’s trade deal. Imagine that.
    .
    .
    The US-China trade: Washington’s review of US$300 billion in tariffs cannot be ‘half-hearted’. You either do it and suffer the consequences or abandon it completely.
    .
    .
    “But what about the costs?” Ah. The Total Cost of U.S. Tariffs.
    .
    .
    From a neocon publication. The longer Trump’s China tariffs are in place, the greater the harm to America.
    .
    .

    Be the Rufus

    If everyone did small, little things the world would be so much nicer, and so much better. video 6MB

    Downfall of the USD

    From one of my feeds…

    The best way to accelerate the downfall of the empire is to attack its Dollar Hegemony (not the same as attacking America). 
    
    I said that in my Quora posts "Trade War between China and America" and "Who will win the trade war" early 2018 at the beginning of Trump's "war by any means except guns" -- euphemistically termed trade war -- against China. 
    
    Without the Dollar hegemony, America may have to act like a more normal country. Less unilateral sanctioning, less bullying, less acting like the Mafia, less war crimes, less color revolutions, less media lies, less war budgets, less war-mongering, less bases around the world, less profligate printing of money, less plundering of other countries, etc. 
    
    Bullied countries will have alternatives. For protection, they will have Russia and for trade they will have China. All previous vassals of America, including European countries are welcome. Then we will have some peace.
    
    Acting like a more normal country in a more balanced world is actually good for the powerless people of America. 
    
    They may learn to demand for guaranteed basic housing, food, healthcare, and education rather than asking for more shit-paying soul-crushing slave-wage jobs or one-time checks that eventually go to the coffers of the 1% money-changers and MIC, giving those miscreants more power to ravage America and the world, meanwhile the national debt of Americans increases to generate the checks and the rest of the world suffers inflation, which is of course borne by the common masses of the world. 
    
    Capitalism won't solve the problems. 
    
    The fall of the empire may help people think differently or see more clearly how some countries with so many people and so little resources can live gainfully, peacefully, and happily together in a diverse yet harmonious society.
    
    I'll share a passage from my book under chapter title "The Dragon's Dream":
    
    "Where is this paradise? Is it on earth or is it only in his dreams (the dreamer's name means tattoo-dragon)? Where all parents are strong and wise and capable, and all the children are happy and beloved. Where brothers and sisters neither slaughter each other, nor enslave one another, nor tell lies to everyone from morning till night, where the children love and help each other, share everything and take care of one another, and all of them live peaceful, fruitful, and happy lives. 
    
    Where is this place? 
    
    Is it China?"
    
    Does this sound familiar? It comes from a Coen brothers movie, with a couple of changes and replacing Idaho with China. 
    
    -<redacted>
    

    Power reshuffling

    China says Russia is an ‘important’ G20 member. It cannot simply be expelled by others, no matter what they might want. In short, Beijing has spoken up for Russia, describing it an “important” global member after the possibility of a major move against Vladimir Putin.
    .
    .

    Unfriendly Lists

    Both Russia and China, and probably India (soon), have generated an “Unfriendly nation list”. These lists catagorize nations in accordance to their behaviors and put them into catagories.

    • Close relationship
    • Friendly
    • Neutral
    • Unfriendly
    • Enemy

    These are not meaningless lists. They will be used to determine policy. And the policy that Asia uses against other nations is determined by where it sits upon these lists.

    Today, President Putin made his first move in a chess game with the West. Gas will be sold to unfriendly countries only for rubles.

    Putin wants ‘unfriendly countries’ to pay rubles for gas – ABC News
    .
    .

    Volunteers

    In China, people; ordinary people, volunteer to help others. It is their nature to be the Rufus. They don’t ask for payment. They don’t ask for anything. They help others as it is their nature. Volunteers going to remote villiages to help others. Everyone being the Rufus. video 12MB

    Cute Chinese girl

    Yet another beauty. video 3MB

     

    Chem-Trails

    For the longest time I have dismissed the idea about “chem-trails” as just crazy “tin foil hat” conspiracy bullshit. Chem-trails are just water vapor at high altitude, don’t you know.

    For the longest time. I believed this.

    Then, I moved to China. It’s calm. It’s peaceful. It’s pleasant. It’s like walking slowly into a body-temperature pool of water.

    And, do you know what?

    There’s no “chem-trails”. None. As in zero.

    So, maybe (I figured) that it was because that China has these stringent air pollution standards on all fuel. Except, well.. just how does that actually affect water vapor emissions? No clear answers.

    But one thing is for certain; there are no vapor trails from aircraft of any kind, at any place, within China.

    MM car ride in an industrial factory section of Guangzhou. video 43MB

    None.

    N-O-N-E.

    Why? Why are there no Chemtrails in China? MM video 23MB

    The Problem with the Nano-bots mRNA Vaxx and Vault 7

    Ok, then. Let’s do a simple “sanity check”.

    The big problem with this concept is that the American / Western “leadership” must be totally isolated from the effects of this control mechanism. How can you possibly isolate the leadership from Chem-trails, audio playing on the radio, media on television and movies, and the social networks on the internet.

    Heck! They are addicted to them!

    So, and the sanity check is clear, as brilliant and complex the system is, it will affect everyone within that society. No one will be immune. Sure, you might need to place yourself into isolation, but eventually, one way or the other, you WILL feel the influence of these systems. No one is immune.

    The “leadership” might find a way to pretend getting an mRNA injection, but it’s a cut-throat world at the top. There can be all sorts of ways to place tiny nano-bots inside of your enemy to turn them into your pawn.

    So, really…

    No matter how hard they try, they will live within the very same, exact “echo box” that they subject their citizenry to. They will live inside an “echo chamber” of lies; lie that they ordered others to create.

    Here’s a response to the lies on MSM. video 22MB

    And now they are in an echo box of lies.

    They are boxed in, and they believe the lies. They actually believe them.

    And as leaders, they will make decisions based on those lies, and the entire nation;

    They will start to say things that will sound crazy, and act in ways that will seem strange and crazy. They will act so very convinced of the strangest and most outlandish narratives.

    And in doing so…

    …by the leadership…

    …the entire system will evenually be destroyed. Leadership needs REAL intel to make decisions upon. There is no excuse. You eaither have real intel (good and most especially bad) or you don’t. And history is clear. Bad intel results in very bad results.

    We call those results; fiascos.

    How can anyone possibly have a leadership that…

    • Does not take the mRNA Vaxx injection.
    • Does not read, watch or enjoy American media, social networks or media.

    It cannot occur.

    Maybe at some time, some radicals believed that it was possible. Maybe back in the 1960s, or 1970s they might have believed this. But in todays society. It is impossible.

    Simply Impossible.

    Perhaps, the reason why there is such an accelerated failure at all levels in the West is becuase the “leadership” has themselves been affected by their very own poison.

    I shake my head.

    How can they be so stupid?

    Please ponder this thought.

    Let’s take a break from this to let your mind relax. New subject. New thoughts.

    Chinese respect

    Boy locks himself in his bedroom. The fire station is called and they go to the house to break him out…video 2MB

    Here’s yet some more gag boxes…

    Now here’s a jigsaw puzzle that is suitable for the whole family. Just set aside a card table and get at it. It’s a true challenge.

    2022 03 23 11 37
    Want a challenge?

    Plants cry for more! Amaze your friends!

    Environmentially safe!

    2022 03 23 11 38
    Plants cry for more!

    The latest in animal entertainment!

    2022 03 23 11 39
    The latest in animal entertainment!

    The world needs more people skipping

    If you cannot dance, try skipping. Smile. Skip as you walk down the street, and say nice things to people. While the rest of the world is on a roller coaster to Hell, you can stop that descent. Skip as you walk. video 15MB

    Take care of yourself

    We all might not look like this 20-something Chinese woman, but we can certainly smile and be great; we can do great things. Stop waiting. Start doing. video 3MB

    Suppose you are a leader in the West

    Just imagine that you are a leader of one of the major Western nations. And you best scientists come running to you; scientist that you believe and trust. And they tell you that the situation is DIRE for mankind. They tell you, convincingly that human population grown and energy depletion is unsustainable and that a major disaster lies ahead…

    …and they offer senarios and solutions.

    And the best one, whatever it might be, is one when a great mass of humanity dies off.

    And you, as a leader believe them.

    Perhaps you are an independent thinker. Perhaps you are a massive follower of social media and use twitter all the time, and are heavily influenced by Vault 7. What ever.

    You believe them. In your heart; you believe them.

    And their solution is to kill off 80% of the human population. ..

    Insane. Unheard of. But, they present it in a clear and defined manner…

    • Intentionally cull the human race to 20% of it’s size … or…
    • Lose 100% of the human species and everyone dies.

    What would you choose?

    Truth or fiction

    It does not matter if there’s such a real thing as “climate change”. What actually does matter is what the “leadership” believes. Because if they inherently believe that the world is going “to Hell in a handbasket”, they have the power, and ability, and the willingness to perform some really drastic actions.

    Actions, mind you, that will affect you and your families directly.

    Let’s eat.

    Chicken Pot Pie

    Likely another cost-cutting holdover of the Great Depression and World War II, this savory chicken and vegetable pie is now mostly found only in the grocery store freezer aisle. Don’t go there.
    .
    Make up your own. It tastes better. It lasts longer. It’s easy to make, and great and easy to reheat in the microwave. Chicken Pot Pie, why didn’t we think about this sooner?
    .

    2022 03 24 08 19
    Chicken Pot Pie.

    Chicken Pot Pie

    .

    A strange thing about that plane crash

    (If) the software of the plane took over the controls from the pilot… and we con’t know that this is what happened, but if it did… why in God’s Name did it decide to aim the plane straight towards the ground at full throttle?

    How the plane behaved. video. 2MB

    No self-respecting engineer, or software designer would allow that kind of radical action. None.

    So, we are left with two POSSIBLE causes…

    • The sensors to the plane indicated that a nose dive at full-throttle was needed. Which suggests a very complicated mash-up of sensors.
    • Someone used software to hyjack the plane and intentionally decided to ram it straight into the ground.

    Who would be so evil?

    Man gets word that his entire family were on the plane and died. video 16MB

    And here’s what’s left of the plane. video 4MB

    The black box fight recorder has been recovered. I believe investigators are considering that sabotage is involved.

    Talking about evil and the United States, let’s interrupt this train of thought to explore more gag boxes…

    Here’s some more gag boxes…

    Have your pet treat you as a king!

    2022 03 23 11 40
    Have your pet treat you as a king!

    Take a nap anywhere and at anytime.

    2022 03 23 11 42
    Take a nap anywhere and at anytime.

    And what about the Ukraine?

    Unlike the theoretical secret deals between the West and the Chinese (or Russia), the deals between China and Russia are very much visible and are largely committed to paper.
    
    The West started this conflict, of course. I don’t know when they realized Russia was going to move into the Ukraine, but they had ample opportunity to prevent it by simply agreeing to the previous status quo. They appear to believe that they can create a protracted conflict in the Ukraine like they did when Russia invaded Afghanistan in the 1980s. 
    
    That shows a fundamental lack of understanding of the situation. 
    
    Ukraine has historically been a part of Russia. There is not really any such thing as a “Ukrainian identity” outside of being a vassal state. In the west of the country, they tend to feel closer to Poland, and there is some bad blood all around with regards to the USSR. But none of this is in any way similar to fanatical Islam. The US has backed neo-Nazism as a kind of “Ukrainian ISIS,” but you can’t rally a country around cartoonish neo-Nazism (particularly while the entire leadership of the country is Jewish).
    
    The idea of using neo-Nazis as rebels against a Russian occupation or a Russia-backed government in the Ukraine is nonsensical, and reeks of the kind of stupid thinking that led to America’s Afghan debacle. The US government pays people to lie to them, and when people tell the truth, they get fired and end up on obscure livestream interviews answering superchats. These liars are telling the decision-makers that the Ukraine is Afghanistan and a protracted conflict can be used to drain Russia, which will ultimately result in the collapse of the Putin government.
    
    The fact that they have no idea what they’re doing is blatant in the fact that they are sanctioning the entire Russian race. Putin’s support is going up rapidly among the people, many of whom didn’t like his policies before but now feel compelled to rally around him since they are being attacked personally for their race by the West.
    
    -UNZ
    

    Perfect for the busy man on the move!

    2022 03 23 11 43
    Perfect for the busy man on the move!

    So what are we looking at here?

    Well, as far as I can figure out, we have the following situations all moving ahead at this time…

    • The United States is pushing the world towards war.
      • They are crossing both China’s, and Russia’s red lines to provoke them.
      • They believe the myth of “American greatness”.
      • They believe that America has liberty and freedom.
      • They believe that a uni-polar world is necessary and there are no alternatives.
    • The American leadership are acting strangely.
      • President Biden seems to be senile with dementia.
      • Vice President Kamala Harris appears to be a “ding-bat, dunderhead”.
      • The US Senate are mostly radical neocon war-hawks.
    • The Coronavirus pandemic was strange.
      • All Western nations insisted in mRNA injections.
      • All Eastern nations treated it as a bio-weapon and used dead-host vaccines.
      • Western nations are all now “open”, while Eastern nations remain closed.
    • Full-scale on-going “hybrid-warfare” against the East by the West.
      • Military engagements, sanctions, trade restrictions on Russia.
      • Strange unusual events inside of China. All centering around American products, food, livestock, or systems.
    • A strong difference in the West vs. East societies.
      • Everyone in the West seem angry, agitated, and frustrated.
      • Thos in the East are calm, relaxed, happy.
      • No contrails in the East.
      • Hyper-inflation hitting the West.
      • Up-tick in some inflationary measures in the East.

    But what does it all mean?

    It’s not like I can just immediately agree that all Americans (and those in the west) have nano-bots, and chem-trail poisonings, and all the rest. I see strange behaviors, but I do not see any evidence that the cause is some kind of mad-scientist stew of frequency manipulation, vault 7, nano-bots, MSM algorithms, and the rest.

    I have no proof.

    And even if I did, I really wouldn’t know what to do about / with it.

    So, in the interests of all…

    We have to approach the strangeness, not with theories that suggest causes and answers but rather empirical study.

    Empirical study

    Empirical research is research using empirical evidence. You see evidence. You study it. You come to conclusions about it. You do not come up with theories on the causes. You just put all of the observations into one singular box.

    It’s important that you put ALL of the observations in that box. Omitting one singular element can give you distorted or skiewed conclusions. So you collect all the observations…

    • An American-built plane had a highly unusual crash inside of China.
    • The plane possessed software that can override the pilot commands.
    • The plane is of the same make and model that had similiar crashes before.
    • “Conspiracy kooks” believe that this type of plane can be hyjacked remotely.
    • The crash came immediately after two warnings to Xi Peng (Blinkedin, and Biden) that there would be immediate consequences if China did not Sanction Russia.
    • It’s been one week now since the warnings. No other “immediate consequences” occurred (that the public is aware of).

    You see, empirical study a way of gaining knowledge by means of direct and indirect observation or experience. Here’s another example.

    • There are contrails all over the West.
    • There are no contrials in the East.

    And…

    • Everyone in the West are agitated, upset, angry and frustrated.
    • Everyone in the East seems to be calm, realxed and comfortable.

    And…

    • While there are exceptions, the vast bulk of injections in the West are mRNA.
    • There are no mRNA injections in China, and few in Russia.

    Empiricism values some research more than other kinds.

    • A measure of “happiness” is relative.
    • While a measure of inflation is measurable.

    Empirical evidence (the record of one’s direct observations or experiences) can be analyzed quantitatively or qualitatively. And from that, you can suggest what is going on…

    • Until MM mixed different subjects in the articles (food, girls, China, history), there was a near constant stream of Trolls, and hacking attemps on the site.
    • When the mixed subjects were introducted, Troll and DDOS attacks dropped to zero.

    As well as come up with theories as to why it is going on…

    • Trolls and hacks use some <unknown method> to select the websites to harrass.
    • By mixing content within articles, the <unknown method> is bypassed, and the articles are no longer harassed or attacked.

    About China

    An interesing quote…

    We are clearly facing down a world ruled by the Chinese. A lot of people are uncomfortable with that. But most of the discomfort comes from the idea that the Chinese are somehow going to rule us in the same fashion that the US has ruled the world since World War II. 
    
    They have no such plans for us. The Chinese have a vision of conquering the world through commerce, rather than war, threats of war, and geopolitical maneuvering.
    
    We started out on the issue of the economic dominance of the US, and that economic dominance is indeed the key to everything. However, US economic dominance was entirely a result of US military might. The reigning US philosophy for global economic dominance has been: “we will literally bomb you.” 
    
    Conversely, the Chinese philosophy has been: “we will sell you high quality products at reasonable prices.”
    
    When the Mongols consistently raided them, stealing their women and wealth on horseback and riding off with the booty, they said “cannot allow.” Instead of mounting an army to crush the Mongols, they built a gigantic wall, and told the Mongols that if they wanted Chinese products, they would have to buy them at the wall.
    
    It is precisely the same logic as a Chinese immigrant family setting up a store in an all black neighborhood and covering the counter, cash register, and expensive items with bulletproof glass.
    
    China has always been, fundamentally, a merchant empire, and that hasn’t changed. If it were not for the belligerence of the West, they wouldn’t have bothered to build up a large military at all. Historically, virtually every war the Chinese have fought has been a civil war, as they don’t look at the rest of the world as enemies or friends, but rather customers and potential customers.
    
    -UNZ
    

    Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie

    Although pumpkin pie and cheesecake have obviously remained popular, this hybrid, a Kraft classic, has fallen out of favor.
    .
    This variation on pumpkin pie comes from actress and writer Mae West. It appears in a 1933 community cookbook published by the Assistance League of Southern California, alongside contributions from several other Hollywood stars such as Carole Lombard, Norma Shearer, Constance Bennet, Marion Davies, and Cary Grant.

    .

    2022 03 24 09 50
    2022 03 24 09 50

    Unfortunately, Mae West doesn’t give us much information beyond the actual recipe. The pie is titled “Pumpkin Pie Robert,” but it’s unclear what the name “Robert” refers to – it could be the name of a person who gave her the recipe, or perhaps even the name of a place the recipe came from.

    Mae West includes brandy in her recipe, which is pushing the boundaries just a little, since the cookbook was published in 1933 and Prohibition wasn’t repealed until the end of that year. She is far from the only contributor to this cookbook to do so, however, and finding alcohol in recipes from the Prohibition years isn’t at all uncommon.

    The strangest ingredient in this recipe to me is the Nippy cheese called for in the topping. I wasn’t able to find out exactly what Nippy cheese is, although it looks like it was some type of cheese spread originally made by Kraft. It was apparently not the same as cream cheese, since Kraft made that too, but for lack of a better substitute I decided to go with cream cheese. Any kind of flavored cheese spread honestly sounds like it would be disgusting when combined with whipped cream, so I’m hoping that the original Nippy cheese was something neutrally-flavored.

    2022 03 24 09 52
    2022 03 24 09 52

    Oh that Mae…

    2022 03 24 09 53
    2022 03 24 09 53

    Pumpkin Pie Robert:

    • 1 1/2 cups pumpkin
    • 1 cup brown sugar
    • 1 tsp cinnamon
    • 1/2 tsp cloves
    • 2 tsp ginger
    • 1/2 tsp salt (reduced from original)
    • 2 eggs
    • 2 cups milk
    • 2 oz/4 tbsp brandy
    • 2 oz cream cheese
    • 1/2 cup heavy cream
    1. Beat the eggs until light, then add the sugar, spices, and salt and beat until mixed.
    2. Scald the milk, then slowly add milk to the egg mixture while whisking constantly.
    3. Stir in the pumpkin and brandy.
    4. Line a pie pan with pastry (no recipe for pie crust is given in the book, so use your favorite recipe or store-bought).
    5. Pour in the filling. With a 9-inch pie pan, I ended up with some extra filling; the recipe is probably intended for a larger or deeper pan.
    6. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, then turn down the oven to 325 degrees and bake for another 30-40 minutes. Set aside to cool.
    7. Topping: whip the cream until stiff. Mash the cream cheese with a fork, then stir into the cream. Once the pie is cold, use a piping bag to decorate it with the cream cheese mixture.

    Like many pies, this one is definitely at its best the day after its made. When I tried it on day 1, the flavors were much too strong, with the brandy in particular overwhelming everything else. The flavors melded much better the second day, although it was still a strongly-flavored pie. I did end up reducing the salt, since 1 teaspoon seemed much too salty to me.

    2022 03 24 09 55
    A nice fun pie. Goes great with coffee.

    I liked the cream-cheese topping, but I think I am more of a whipped cream purist. I also wonder whether cream cheese was a good substitute for Nippy cheese, or if the original cheese was something more savory. There are people who put cheddar cheese on apple pies, although I’ve never heard of it used on a pumpkin pie. Was Mae West a cheese-on-dessert-pie person? (I am very firmly not a cheese-on-dessert-pie person – but cream cheese is ok).

    Overall, my verdict is that this was a decent pumpkin pie, but it just wasn’t quite to my taste. Sorry, Mae West, but Amelia Simmons’ Pumpkin Pie is still the top historic pumpkin pie for me!

    Here’s some more fun gag boxes…

    Perfect during these days of Coronavirus.

    2022 03 23 11 44
    Perfect during these days of Coronavirus.

    For ages two and older.

    2022 03 23 11 45
    For ages two and older.

    Now with musical Accompaniment. Choose your own theme song.

    2022 03 23 11 46
    Now with musical Accompaniment. Choose your own theme song.

    A unique, one in a lifetime gift.

    2022 03 23 11 48
    A unique, one in a lifetime gift.

    .

    China is still under lockdown

    Do not believe the lies that China is reconsidering it’s hard Coronavirus restrictions. Maybe the West has relaxed it’s stance dealing with the “pandemic”, but China has not.

    China is still under DEFCON 2; they still accuse the USA of launching bioweapons against it, and they are VERY VERY concerned about the biolweapons labs in Ukraine. They will stay at DEFCON 2 until there is no longer any threat of bioweapon attack from the West.

    Here’s a viewo of some of the many many volunteers fighting on this front. video 7MB

    Renegade interviews Michael Hudson: Sanctions, the blowback

    https://www.rt.com/shows/renegade-inc/552236-michael-hudson-sanctions-ukraine/

    Ross [00:00:29] Welcome to Renegade Inc. Whatever the outcome in Ukraine, one thing is for sure the economic reverberations will be felt by everyone for years to come as the world divides between the West and a rapidly reshaping Eurasia.

    Ross [00:00:49] Michael Hudson, always a pleasure to have you on the programme, welcome to Renegade Inc.

    Michael Hudson [00:00:53] Thank you for inviting me.

    Ross [00:00:55] Michael, sanctions, sanctions, sanctions is all we hear now. We’re sanctioning people. The West sanction people back to the Stone Age. What are the unintended consequences of sanctions?

    Michael Hudson [00:01:05] Well, one is to serve very much like a protective tariff on the sanctioned country. For instance, when America made sanctions on European trade with Russia, Lithuania dutifully stopped exporting cheese to Russia. Well, the result is that Russia set up its own cheese’s sector, and now it’s self-sufficient in cheese. If you sanction a country, you force it to become more self-reliant and across the board, from agriculture to dairy products to technology, Russia is forced to become more self-reliant and at the same time to depend much more on trade with China for the things that it is still not self-reliant in. So America is bringing about exactly the opposite of what it intended. It’s hopeless to somehow isolate Russia and then be able to go after China without Russia. And instead, what it’s doing is integrating the Eurasian core, Russia and China, exactly the policy that Henry Kissinger warned against going all the way back to Mackinder a century ago that said, Eurasia is the world island, Russia and China could be the whole world centre. That’s what the fight is all about. Well, American sanctions are driving Russia and China together, and America has gone to China and said, Please don’t support Russia. It most recently, on Monday, March 14, Jake Sullivan came out and told China, we will sanction countries that break our sanctions against Russia. And basically, China said, fine. You know, we’ll just break off all the trade between East and West now and the East, Eurasia is pretty much self-sufficient. The West is not self-sufficient since it began to industrialise, and it’s heavily dependent on Russia for not only oil and gas, but palladium and many raw materials. So the sanctions are ending up driving a wedge between the European countries.

    Ross [00:03:31] Don’t people who apply these sanctions think this through? Are they so short-sighted they don’t understand that these sanctions are going to build further capacity within Russia, push Russia further towards China, make that economic alliance concrete and, ultimately, you’re not going to be able to keep the lights on in in Europe? All the while underestimating the fact that from a food security point of view – take the U.K., for instance, a net importer of food – not appreciating the fact that, for instance, Russia/Ukraine, they create twenty five percent, a quarter, of all wheat annually. The estimation this year is one hundred and two million tonnes Russia and Ukraine, wheat. Don’t people realise that there’s going to be a massive knock on effect?

    Michael Hudson [00:04:23] Yes, they do realise it. Yes, they’ve thought it all through. I worked with these people for more than 50 years.

    Ross [00:04:31] Who are these people?

    Michael Hudson [00:04:32] The neocons, basically, the people who are in charge of U.S. foreign policy? Victoria Nuland and her husband, Robert Kagan, the people that President Biden has appointed all around him, from Blinken to Sullivan and right down the line. They are basically urging people around the New American Century. They’re the people who said America can run the whole world and create its own reality. And yes, they know that this is going to cause enormous problems for Germany. They know that not only will it block the energy that Germany and Italy and other countries in Europe need through their oil and gas, but also it’ll block the use of gas for fertiliser, upping their fertiliser production and decreasing their food production. They look at this and they say, How can America gain from all of this? There’s always a way of gaining what something looks to be bad. Well, one way they’ll gain is oil prices are going way up. And that benefits the United States whose foreign policy is based very largely on oil and gas. The oil industry controls most of the world’s oil trade, and that explains a lot of the US diplomacy. This is a fight to lock the world energy trade into control by U.S. companies, excluding not only Iran and Venezuela, but also excluding Russia.

    Ross [00:06:16] So as Europe pushes towards more and more green and renewable energy and this for the Americans they must think it’s a dreadful scenario insofar as they can’t sell the oil as Europe becomes or wants to become more self-sufficient. So ultimately, and Britain net zero, whatever that means. But but going down the renewables path, going down the solar path takes America’s dependency or dependency on America out the game, doesn’t it?

    Michael Hudson [00:06:49] This is exactly the point that the European public has not realised. While most of the European public wants to prevent global warming and prevent carbon into the atmosphere, U.S. foreign policy is based on increasing, and even accelerating, global warming, accelerating carbon emissions because that’s the oil trade. Suppose that Europe got its way. Suppose if the Greens got what they wanted and Germany and Europe were completely dependent on solar energy panels, on wind energy and to some extent, on nuclear power, perhaps? Well, if they were completely self-sufficient in energy without oil or gas or coal, America would lose the primary lever. It has over the ability to turn off the power and electricity and oil of any country that didn’t follow U.S. diplomatic direction.

    Ross [00:07:48] So when we take your analysis here and we think about how the sanctions are going to build capacity, push Russia and China together, when we start to look at sort of piggy in the middle, if you like the EU, when we’re thinking about America, the EU has had a sort of abusive relationship with the Americans for quite some time now, hasn’t it?

    Michael Hudson [00:08:06] Well, that’s that’s true in the sense that EU foreign policy has basically been turned over to NATO. So instead of European voters and politicians making their policy, they’ve relinquished European foreign policy to NATO, which is really an arm of the US military. So yes, Europe has had a decent relationship with the United States diplomatically by saying yes, yes, please or yes, thank you by not being independent. Of course, if it were independent, the relationship would not be so friendly and decent.

    Ross [00:08:46] So for countries that are net importers of food, need to keep the lights on, need heating and need cheap oil. How does this pan out? What does it look like for the UK? What does it look like for the EU?

    Michael Hudson [00:08:59] Well, Vice President, Kamala Harris the other day said to Americans, Yes, life is going to be much more expensive. Our oil prices are going up and squeezing families. But think of the poor Ukrainian babies that we’re saving. So take it on the chin for the Ukrainian babies. So basically the United States is presenting horror stories of the Ukraine and saying, if you don’t willingly suffer now by isolating Russia, then Russia is going to roll over you with tanks just like it rolled over Central Europe after World War Two. I mean, it’s waving the flag of Russian aggression, as if Russia or any country in today’s world has an army that’s able to invade any other industrial nation. All military can do today of any country is bomb and kill other populations and industrial centres. No nation is able to occupy or rollover any industrial country. And the United States keeps trying to promote this mythology that we’re still in the world of 1945. And that world ended really with the Vietnam War when the military draft ended. And no country is able to have a military draft to raise the army with necessary to fight to invade. Russia can’t do it any more than Europe or the United States could do it. So all the United States can do is wave warnings about how awful Russia is and somehow convince Europe to follow the US position. But most of all, it doesn’t really have to. Europe doesn’t really have a voice, and this is what the complaint by Putin and Foreign Secretary Lavrov have been saying. They say that Europe is just following the United States and it doesn’t matter what the European people want or what European politicians want. The United States is so deeply in control that they really don’t have much of a choice.

    Ross [00:11:15] When does the consumer start to feel this? When does the European or British consumer start to feel the pinch when these sanctions are enacted? And what does that look like?

    Michael Hudson [00:11:25] Well, it depends on how fast the sanctions work. The United States said Well, in another year and a half, we’ll be able to provide Europe with liquefied natural gas. Well, the problem is, first of all, they’re not the ports to handle the liquefied natural gas to go into Europe. Secondly, there are not enough ships and tankers to carry all of this gas to Europe. So unless there are very warm winters, Europe is not going to have a very easy time for the next few years. And that’s only for oil and gas. It’s dependent on raw materials that Russia produces. For instance, palladium is necessary for catalytic converters. Titanium is necessary to make the screws that are especially used on aeroplanes that are strong enough not to buckle and break when winds go up and down and when they’re full. Russia even produces the neon and the crypton that are necessary for making some kind of electronic uses and also for many components that go into computers and information technology. There’s a whole range of exports that Europe is highly dependent on, and the United States has provided Putin with a whole list of these exports, saying, Well, OK, we’re going to fight against Europe buying your oil and gas but you can certainly sell us your heavy oil that we need since we’re not buying it from Venezuela. We certainly need the following list of critical materials that we need, like helium and crypton. These are our pressure points. Please don’t press on them. Well, you can imagine what Putin and his advisers are saying. Thank you for giving us this list of the pressure points that you’re exempting from the trade sanctions. I think if you really want a break in the unilateral, unipolar world, I think we should break now and see whether you really want to get along without trading.

    Ross [00:13:51] Michael Hudson, welcome back, second half, Renegade Inc. Wonderful to have you. In that first half we followed the money, if you like. We talked about sanctions and the unintended consequences. I just want to pull back a little further if we can and just talk about the sort of tectonic shifts that are going on in the world. I spoke to somebody from Russia recently and what he said was very straightforward. He said, now what we have to do is begin to learn to live without the West. Do you think that that sentiment is proliferating across Russia now? Is that the mindset?

    Michael Hudson [00:14:22] Well, if you read President Putin’s speeches, that’s exactly what’s happening. And Secretary Lavrov has voiced exactly the same feeling. There’s almost a disgust with the West and a feeling from Putin, Lavrov and the other Russian spokesmen, how could we everhave hoped to have an integration with Europe after 1991? Europe really was not on our side at all, and we didn’t realise that Europe is really part of the U.S. diplomatic sphere. It’s like all of Europe is now backing the attack on Russia. The best to do is reorient our economy towards China, Asia and Eurasia and become our own self-sufficient, independent centre

    Ross [00:15:15] De-dollarisation and the amassing of plenty of gold by both the Russians and the Chinese. Just talk us through that.

    Michael Hudson [00:15:21] Well, Ross, you asked in the first half of this interview how has American sanctions worked against it? I should have mentioned what you just mentioned, the dollar. The United States just grabbed all of Russia’s foreign exchange reserves, just as England a few months ago grabbed all of Venezuela’s gold that was held in the Bank of England when Venezuela tried to spend this gold on buying medical supplies to cope with the COVID virus. So basically, the United States have said, if any foreign country holds its reserves in the United States or accounts in U.S. banks. If a country in the global south tries to pay its foreign debt by holding its reserves in US banks in order to be the paying agent on the interest on its foreign debt. And if that foreign country does something we don’t like, like trade with Russia or permit more labour unionisation or try to become independent in food, we’re just going to do what we did to Venezuela, what we did to Iran when we grabbed its foreign exchange reserves or what we did to Russia. And that means that other countries all of a sudden see what they thought was their flight to security, what they thought was their most secure savings, their holdings in U.S. banks, US treasury bill, all of a sudden, is holding them hostage and is a high risk. Even the Financial Times of London has been writing about this, saying, how can the United States that was getting a free ride off the dollar standard for the last 50 years, ever since 1971, when foreign countries held dollars instead of gold and basically holding dollars means you buy U.S. Treasury bonds to finance the US budget deficit and the balance of payments deficit. How can the United States kill the goose that’s giving it the free ride? Well, the answer is that other countries can only move into gold and there’s an alternative to the dollar because that’s something that all the countries of the world have agreed upon is an asset, not a liability. If you hold any foreign currency, that currency is a liability of a foreign country, and if you hold gold, it’s a pure asset. There’s no country that can cancel it, the Americans can’t cancel Russia’s gold supply that’s held in Russia, although it can grab Russian gold supply if it were to hold it in the New York Federal Reserve Bank or the Bank of England. So other countries are not only moving to gold, Germany is bringing its gold back from New York, the Federal Reserve, in aeroplanes back to Germany, so it’ll have its own gold just in case German politicians would do something the United States didn’t like and the United States would simply grab Germany’s gold. The United States sanctions, and it’s especially it’s grabbing on foreign reserve, has started a war that is dividing the world between the West and Eurasia.

    Ross [00:18:40] A technical part to all of this because let’s face it, it is an information war and it’s also an economic war. Is it the FIRE sector that you point out – the financial, insurance and real estate sector. Is it that they want to continue the exorbitant privilege of credit creation, because ultimately, if you think about gold, there’s no counterparty risk. Gold is gold and it has been for millennia. Far from being a barbarous relic, by the way now, people are starting to realise the intrinsic value, especially as crypto falls apart. Can you just talk a little bit about this, the FIRE sector wanting the exorbitant privilege of creating credit?

    Michael Hudson [00:19:19] This is really what the new world division and global fracture is all about. You’re right, Ross. If you look at after World War One, the American fight against Soviet communism, was basically a fight of industrial capitalism against the threat of socialism. But after 1991, and especially in the last two decades, America deindustrialised. So the fight is not by industrial capitalism against countries pushing their labour up. It’s a fight of neoliberalism against industrial capitalism or socialism abroad. It’s against industrial capitalism evolving into socialism. It’s a belief that, well, now that America’s be industrialised, how is it going to control the world economy? Well, it’ll control it through a financial means by being the creditor and foreign countries debt payments to America will enable it to make its military payments abroad and finance its trade deficit. But also, America’s purchase of key natural resources will give it natural resources when its purchase of takeover of real estate is going to essentially make the United States the landlord class and monopoly class, that mediaeval Europe had to hold the rest of the population in serfdom. That basically is the American strategy of neoliberalism fighting against countries that reject privatisation and financialization of their economy, and specifically financialization under the control of U.S. banks, U.S. private capital and allied satellite banks and capital from England or France or Germany. This is exactly the fight. Will banking and finance control the world economy or will other countries try to build up their own economies through labour and tangible capital formation?

    Ross [00:21:27] Where do you stand on that? And I’m only asking you to predict the future, Michael. How do you think this plays out? Because the way you’ve depicted it is the rent seekers, the neoliberal rent seekers on one hand, and there are value creators on the other. And by the way, those two things don’t sit very well together, as we know. How does that play out?

    Michael Hudson [00:21:51] Even though the United States is the largest debtor economy in the world, it’s a creditor vis-a-vis the global south and other countries and it uses its creditor position to take over their natural resources, real estate, oil and gas, mineral rights and public utilities and natural monopolies and that are being privatised in government infrastructure. It’s becoming basically the landlord monopoly class of the entire world. That’s the U.S. strategy, and that’s the key to why the world is fracturing globally. And in the past, the global south countries were unable to fight against this tendency in the 70s and 80s with the Vendome conference on. But now that China and Russia threatened to be a self-sufficient core in Eurasia, this is the great threat to the American dream of becoming a landlord and financier of the world.

    Ross [00:22:50] How do you think this pans out?

    Michael Hudson [00:22:52] Well, the question is whether the United States is if we can control the world, who wants to live in a world like that, let’s blow it up. The question is whether the United States will actually go to war. The only lever that it has left is to drop bombs and to destroy and make the world look like Ukraine. So from the U.S. point of view, Europe’s future and Eurasia’s future is the Ukraine. Look at what we will do to you if you don’t follow our policy. America has just moved al Qaeda very heavily in the Ukraine to sort of repeat in Ukraine and Europe what it was doing in Syria and Libya. And the United States says this is what we can do. What are you going to do about it? Do you really want to fight. But the rest of the world, certainly China and Russia says, Well, we’re ready to fight. So there is no telling what you. And it comes down to personalities. Putin has said, well, do we really want to live in a world without Russia? If the United States is to attack us, we might as well end the world. The United States says, Do we really want to live in a world that we can’t control? If we’re not completely in control, we feel very insecure and we’re going to blow up the world. So you have this countervailing position in a world where all the arms control has been dismantled by the United States in the last few years. The United States has withdrawn from all of the agreements that Russia and China have tried to promote. And Europe is standing by and apparently is willing to be the sacrificial lamb in all of this as Ukraine is being the sacrificial lamb. So the United States and Russia say, let’s fight to the last European. And Russia initially didn’t want that because it was hoping that Europe and Russia would have a mutual gain in trade and investment relationships. But now it doesn’t feel that way. And there may be a proxy war between the United States over the European economy, not necessarily bombing Europe, but trade sanctions, energy sanctions, the kind of disruption that Europe is going to be seeing in the next year is if it loses Russian oil and gas and minerals and also, I think Chinese exports.

    Ross [00:25:25] Is there a moment where cooler heads prevail and suddenly the West and other places realise that they’re dependent from a food security point of view, from an energy security point of view that we are dependent? And is there a moment at that point that you can thaw a frozen conflict by saying, actually, if we both meet, we just take a step toward each other, actually, we can do something in a collaborative way? Now I get what you’ve said throughout the rest of the programme, and I give this a percentage possibility of about three percent, but isn’t there a strategy to say, actually, we’ve had all the grandstanding, we’ve had all the brinksmanship, we should now sit around the table and try and work something out?

    Michael Hudson [00:26:03] I don’t see any cooler heads in the United States. The surprising thing is that here it’s the right wing channel, the Republican Fox Channel, is the only channel that’s taking the anti-war stand and is saying we shouldn’t be at war in Ukraine. It’s the only channel that’s talking about here is how Russia sees the world. Do we really want to take a one sided perspective or do we want to see the actual dynamics at work? So it was the Republicans and the right wing that is now primarily against the NATO war in the Ukraine. The left wing seems to be all for it, but the left wing of the Democratic Party is in office and I don’t see any cooler heads in the Democratic Party at all. And I’ve known many of these people for many decades, and they are willing to go to war for a death. There are still back in the world of World War Two when the fight was against the Nazis and anti-Semitism. They’re still living in a kind of mythology world, not in the real world. And the thought that the world can come to an end either doesn’t have a reality to them or as Herman Cain said, Well, somebody is going to survive.

    Ross [00:27:29] Michael Hudson always a pleasure, a great insight. And, you know, it’s just refreshing to hear. Thank you very much for your time.

    Michael Hudson [00:27:38] Well, thank you very much for having me, Ross.

    Chinese Girl

    Such a cute girl. video 3MB

    More Sanctions On Russia Will Destroy Europe

    From MoA.

    On February 21 Russia announced that it would recognize the Donbas republics. A day later it did so. The ‘west’ immediately announced sanctions which in fact had been prepared in advance. On February 24 Russian troops crossed the border into Ukraine.

    The Russian ruble immediately took a big hit. It has since recovered a bit.

    oday’s news will bring the ruble to a new heights.

    Kommersant reports (machine translation):

    Putin instructed to convert gas contracts with unfriendly countries into rubles
    
    President Vladimir Putin instructed to issue a directive to Gazprom to convert contracts into rubles for unfriendly countries. In his opinion, supplying Russian goods to the EU, the USA and receiving payment in dollars and euros "does not make any sense for us." Against this background, the ruble moved to growth on the Moscow Exchange.
    
    “Both the US and the EU have basically defaulted on their obligations to Russia. And now everyone in the world knows that obligations in dollars and euros may not be fulfilled. <...> It is quite obvious that in this regard, it makes no sense for us to supply our goods to both the EU and the USA and receive payment in dollars, euros and a number of other currencies. Therefore, I have decided to implement in the shortest possible time a set of measures to transfer payments for our natural gas supplied to unfriendly countries to Russian rubles,” Mr. Putin said at a meeting with the government.
    
    The President instructed the Central Bank and the government to determine within a week the order of operations for the purchase of rubles on the domestic market by buyers of Russian gas. He claims that Russia will continue to supply gas "in accordance with the volumes and according to the pricing principles concluded in the contracts."
    
    The dollar exchange rate on the Moscow Exchange fell below 100 rubles. for the first time since March 3rd. As of 15:37, the US currency is trading at 101.55 rubles. (-2 rubles). The euro exchange rate fell by 2.85 rubles to 111.65 rubles. The maximum dollar fell to 94.99 rubles, the euro - to 109.7 rubles.
    
    The European Union, the United States, Great Britain and a number of other countries have imposed sanctions against Russia in response to the military operation in Ukraine, which has been carried out since February 24 on the orders of Mr. Putin. One of the measures was the freezing of about half of the Central Bank's gold and foreign exchange reserves ($300 billion).

    To pay in ruble one first has to buy rubles. With higher demand for rubles and no change in supplies the price for the Russian currency will go up. As Russia is selling hydrocarbons and other resources for billions of dollars per day the ruble is likely to soon reach record heights.

    On February 28 another round of sanctions hit Russia. The part of the Russian central bank reserves that were stored in the ‘west’ were frozen. The central bank immediately pushed its interest rate from 9% to 20% to prevent a flight from the ruble. This helped to lessen the damage but made credit expensive and has hit the future growth potential in Russia.

    But with a high new rubles demand from the outside of Russia the central bank will soon be able to lower its interest rate to more normal levels. Credit conditions will ease and investment in Russia, to replace products that had so far been imported, will rise again.

    Today’s move to demand rubles for hydrocarbons is only on of the many steps Russia can, and likely will take, to retaliate for sanctions from the ‘west’.

    As I wrote previously:

    All energy consumption in the U.S. and EU will now come at a premium price. This will push the EU and the U.S. into a recession. As Russia will increase the prices for exports of goods in which it has market power - gas, oil, wheat, potassium, titanium, aluminum, palladium, neon etc - the rise in inflation all around the world will become significant.

    Meanwhile the New York Times writes:

    As he heads to Europe, President Biden will press U.S. allies to help impose even more aggressive sanctions on Russia.

    Biden demands that Europe suicides itself while he is protecting the U.S. industry. I hope that some people in the European capitals are still able to think clear enough to recognize the racket the U.S. is trying to run here:

    Together with the economic devastation that U.S. and European sanctions on Russia are causing in their own economies this will end in regime-changes in several European countries. The U.S. is of course again protecting itself from as much as it can at the cost of others.

    2022 03 24 10 05
    2022 03 24 10 05

    Tony Wood asks:

    The question remains, why did all those who for so long foretold this war do so little to stop it, and so much to hasten the disaster Russia has now set in motion?

    Indeed. Why didn’t the government of Germany guarantee in writing that it would veto any additional NATO membership? It would have solved at least half of the problem. Why didn’t any other NATO government do so?

    And what are they doing now? Where are their initiatives for peace?

    Wake up. Otherwise this will end in disaster. Not for Russia but for the rest of Europe.

    Kids and cats

    Ah. This is funny. Poor kitties, but they know that the big stupid humans can’t be helped. video 124MB

    AGAIN! Reference to NUKES!

    NATO'S STOLTENBERG SAYS ANY USE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS WILL CHANGE NATURE OF CONFLICT, RUSSIA MUST UNDERSTAND THAT IT CAN NEVER WIN A NUCLEAR WAR.

    UPDATE 5:10 PM EDT —

    NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg said that NATO has plans in place to protect all allies from nuclear threat, and that there should be no doubt about its readiness.

    MORE:

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned of a “direct clash” between Moscow and NATO forces if peacekeepers from the military alliance are deployed to Ukraine.

    Lavrov made the remarks on Wednesday while speaking to students and staff at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) in response to Polish proposals for a NATO and international “peace mission.”

    “Our Polish colleagues have already stated that there will be a NATO summit now, we need to send peacekeepers. I hope they understand what is at stake,” Lavrov said, according to Russian state-owned news agency TASS.

    STILL MORE:

    Russian lawmaker Alexei Zhuravlyov on state TV threatens nuclear strike on Warsaw, Poland and NATO forces or any peacekeeping contingent that might try to enter Ukraine.

    Hal Turner Editorial Opinion

    This issue has been surfacing far too frequently of late, and there’s a very good reason for it:  The West has attacked Russia economically over the Ukraine situation, and has done it so badly that Russia is in actual danger of collapsing as a country.

    The West seems to think that Russia’s only option is to sit back and take the sanctions, or change its behavior with Ukraine to abide what NATO and the west wants.

    The Russian’s don’t see it that way.

    The West PROMISED Russia, after the fall of the Soviet Union, that they would “not move one inch eastward from the Re-unified East-West Germany” (1997).   Yet NATO did precisely that in the ensuing years, to the point were NATO nations are now directly bordering Russia.

    Those NATO nations have NATO troops rotating in and out of them.  The West lies about it by saying they’re only there “temporarily” when in fact, as thousands leave after a few months duty, thousands more come to replace them.  The result: An ever-present NATO conventional force.

    Then too, there’s the missiles.  US Missile Defense systems . . . now in several of the former Soviet Block nations, all aimed directly at Russia.

    Ukraine was simply the latest Domino to fall in the long line of NATO expansion.  The reason NATO wanted Ukraine has to do with its proximity to Moscow and to Russia’s Strategic Nuclear missile silos.   If American missile defenses can be placed on Ukraine soil, they will have a flight time of only 5 minutes to Moscow, and less than ten minutes to Russia’s nuclear silos.  Russia cannot defend against missiles that are so close and can travel so far and fast.

    Worse, the technology of missiles has evolved and now, the very same “conventional” missiles claimed to be “defensive” can be re-fitted with OFFENSIVE NUCLEAR WARHEADS within an hour.  And the re-fit can be done while the missiles remain in their launchers, so no one would know the missiles had been converted from conventional to nuclear.

    These facts pose an existential threat to Russia, the very same way that Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba posed an existential threat to the USA under President John F. Kennedy in 1963.

    What did Kennedy do?  He told the Soviets either those missiles had to go, or . . . .  the US would invade Cuba to destroy those missiles.   (Gee, the exact same cause for invasion that is now seeing Russia inside Ukraine!)

    Yet no one screeched to President Kennedy about Cuba being a sovereign country that could align itself however they liked.  No one even questioned Kennedy’s decision that either those missiles go, or Cuba gets invaded.   The reason no one questioned it is because every RATIONAL person knew Kennedy was right.

    Well, guess what?  Today, with the situation in Ukraine, Russian President Putin is . . . . right.  He is doing in Ukraine what then-US-President  Kennedy was preparing to do with Cuba.   It’s no different.

    NUKES

    Russia knows – and has said publicly – that its conventional military forces cannot compete against the collective force of NATO.   But Russia ALSO said (publicly) that they have the largest nuclear arsenal, and their hypersonic missile technology is far superior to all of NATO.

    So the Russians, from the start, have made clear they fully understood what they were getting themselves into with Ukraine and the possibility of NATO involvement.  Russia would be forced to use nukes. Period.

    They knew this.  They still know it.

    NATO knows it too.

    So why then, is NATO’s nitwit, Jens Stoltenberg saying today “ANY USE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS WILL CHANGE NATURE OF CONFLICT, RUSSIA MUST UNDERSTAND THAT IT CAN NEVER WIN A NUCLEAR WAR.”  ?????

    One possibility is that Stoltenberg knows that NATO has actual plans to get involved.   The latest iteration of those plans is for NATO countries to “enter” Ukraine as a “Peace keeping force.”   Russia has made it explicitly clear that if NATO tries such a move, Russia will engage NATO Troops in battle.  War will be the result.

    Period End.

    And since it is already established that Russia cannot win against NATO conventional forces, Russia would have to “go nuclear.”  Stoltenberg and the west think Russia wouldn’t dare.

    Stoltenberg and the West are wrong.

    Russia would.

    They’ve said it publicly.

    Several times.

    The soyboys of the West think they can talk their way out of anything they do.  This time, they cannot.

    The message from Russia seems to me to be very simple: NATO cannot have Ukraine as a member. Period.

    American missile defenses cannot be placed on the territory of former Soviet Block nations. Period.

    If my assessment of this Russian Position is correct, then either NATO accepts that these facts are real and stops what it has been doing since 1997 by adding former Soviet Bloc Nations and withdraws NATO troops and missiles from those nations, or NATO refuses to take “no” for an answer, enters Ukraine, and it is World War 3, with nuclear weapons, VERY VERY SOON.

    Those appear to me to be the facts.

    That no mass-media outlets in the West are bothering to report them to the general public, will leave their citizens blissfully ignorant, until the bright, white, flashes start.

    Thankfully, YOU are not being left blissfully ignorant.  YOU have chosen to avail yourself of this web site and radio show and as such, YOU know what’s really going on.  We are being marched directly into a (NUCLEAR) World War 3.

    MAYOR OF KYIV: "WORLD WAR III HAS ALREADY BEGUN AND UKRAINE IS THE BEGINNING"

    Hal Turner

    .

    A very fine and cute Chinese girl

    She is very, very fine. Really nice build and look at that fantastic smile! My goodness, I could just eat her up, I’ll tell you what! video 3MB

    Dream griddle and alarm clock.

    Wake up on the right side of bed!

    2022 03 23 11 50
    Wake up on the right side of bed!

    Joe Biden Speech

    Interesting stuff…

    “We’re at an inflection point [in] not just the world economy [but] the world that occurs every three or four generations,” the president said.
    
    “[A general told me that] 60 million people died between 1900 and 1946 and since then we’ve established a liberal world order, and it hasn’t happened in a long while.”
    
    “Now is the time when things are shifting and there’s going to be a new world order out there, and we’ve got to lead it. We’ve got to unite the rest of the free world in doing it.”

    Here’s what Russia thinks…

    Biden says US must lead ‘new world order’

    The 46th president highlighted the role Washington would have among the “free” states.US President Joe Biden raised eyebrows on Monday after he claimed a “new world order” would soon be established and that it was up to the United States to lead it.
    .

    During a speech at Business Roundtable’s CEO Quarterly Meeting, Biden claimed the world was at “an inflection point” which “occurs every three or four generations” and that it was up to the US to determine the outcome.

    “As one of the top military people said to me in a security meeting the other day, 60 million people died between 1900 and 1946, and since then we’ve established a liberal world order and that hadn’t happened in a long while,” the president said.

    The comment raised eyebrows in both the US and around the world and resulted in ‘New World Order’ becoming one of Twitter’s trending topics on Monday.

    The term ‘new world order’ has historically been used to refer to an era of great global change and has been used by politicians such as former US President George H. W. Bush, former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.

    For decades, however, the phrase has also been the subject of a major conspiracy theory which alleges a secret, elitist plot to form an oppressive global government.

    Politicians and government officials have previously received criticism for using the term – most recently Dr. Kerry Chant, the chief health officer of the Australian state of New South Wales.

    “We will be looking at what contact tracing looks like in the new world order,” said Chant during a September Covid-19 press conference, prompting the term to trend on social media.

    Journalists and other social media users criticized Chant for using the term, with former journalist Chris Urquhart writing that “government officials would be well advised to avoid phrases like ‘the new world order’ when they’re talking at press conferences about massive limitations on people’s freedoms.”

    Some comments…

    2022 03 24 19 39
    2022 03 24 19 39

    A Rufus has understanding

    If you are not making the world a better place, you are contributing to it’s destruction. For God’s sake, be good, and kind. If you cannot. Then be neutral. But do not make others sad or hurtful. video 8MB

    While the United States goes into hyper-inflation, China is stable

    I really like how one prominent economics professor recently made this point

    “They’re flying blind, and are too little, too late,” Steve Hanke says in disbelief, an Applied Economics professor of John Hopkins University. “It’s utter rubbish and nonsense” that Fed Chairman Jerome Powell sees supply chain issues as a root cause for inflation, he tells me, as we decipher the Federal Reserve’s latest official statements on the shape of the U.S. economy.
    
    “The money supply in excess causes inflation, and the Federal Reserve appears to be almost clueless,” 
    
    Hanke shares with me as we discuss last week’s conversation between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping. 
    
    “Obviously the Chinese know this,” which is why their inflation rating is less than 1%, the former Senior Economist on President Reagan’s Council of Economic Advisers articulates to me.

    Inflation is always destructive.

    I can confirm that while prices have been rising inside of China, it is in no way resembling the kinds of inflation that is being seen in America, Europe or the rest of the West. The reason is simple. China has been managing the flow of USD for payments for decades. THis managment is intentional and it insulates China from inflationary effects of the USD due to poor management of debt by the United States.

    United States Inflation Rate – February 2022

    United States Inflation Rate Annual inflation rate in the US accelerated to 7.9% in February of 2022, the highest since January of 1982, matching market expectations. Energy remained the biggest contributor (25.6% vs 27% in January), with gasoline prices surging 38% (40% in January).

    What happens when your QR goes orange

    Everyone must take regular swab tests, and be up to date on their injections. IF you are not, your status goes from green to orange. This video shows what happens when you try to go though a tollbooth with an orange QR code in China. video 3MB

    Three-Cheese Fondue

    I got this easy recipe from my daughter, who lives in France. It’s become my go-to fondue, and I make it often for our family.
    
    —Betty A. Mangas, Toledo, Ohio

    What are you waiting for?

    OIP C.Wqb p2vQCQp XFqMScXmtwHaC9
    Three Cheese Fondue.

    Crib Dribbler.

    Perfect for hot soups, milkshakes, and energy drinks.

    2022 03 23 11 51
    Perfect for hot soups, milkshakes, and energy drinks.

    Europe’s LARGEST Natural Gas Storage Facility: EMPTY

    2022 03 24 10 27
    Empty.

    The largest natural gas storage facility in northern Europe is now EMPTY of gas.

    The facility, run by (Russia’s) GAZPROM, dropped like a rock once Europe instituted economic sanctions against Russia.

    With this largest facility now empty, industry will have to shut down for lack of fuel for heating and generation of electric.

    With the largest storage facility now empty, the draw-down from all the smaller facilities will speed up by orders of magnitude, emptying them with ten days to two weeks.

    What will Europe do when it has no gas to generate electric or to heat buildings?

    Of course, all of this trouble has to do with Europe sticking its nose into the affairs of Russia-Ukraine.

    Now that Europe is demonstrably running out of natural gas, watch for things between Russia-Ukraine-NATO to get VERY VERY VERY much worse, very fast.

    Grandma Davidson’s Baked Apple Pudding

    My savvy grandmother whipped up recipes like this homey cinnamon-scented apple pudding in the Depression years. Many of us still make them today. 
    
    —Holly Sharp, Warren, Ontario

    OIP C.H6y ITWayCXZdV3FGauGMgHaE8
    Grandma Davidson’s Baked Apple Pudding

    China is FAST

    So President Biden thinks that it will be easy to compete against China. Americans think that it will be no problem, because America is exceptional, and great? This echo chamber in the Untied States that gives this illustion that China is dark, dingy, dirty and backwards, while America is so wonderful is a lie. It amazes me. Becuase this is what China is like… video 21MB

    Chinese weddings

    The Chinese have heart. Real, honest to goodness heart. video 22MB

    China rebukes US as ‘world’s biggest human rights violator’

    Beijing has promised “countermeasures” if Washington doesn’t revoke sanctions over Uyghurs
    .

    Beijing has promised to respond in kind unless the US revokes the blacklisting of Chinese officials it said were guilty of human rights violations.

    Speaking at a regular press conference on Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin accused the US of “smearing China, oppressing Chinese officials for no reason, violating international law… and grossly interfering in China’s domestic affairs.”

    Wang said Beijing will respond with reciprocal countermeasures if the US does not immediately revoke its sanctions.

    The statement came after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused the Chinese government of committing “genocide and crimes against humanity” against the Uyghurs, a Muslim ethnic minority living predominately in China’s northwestern Xinjiang Region. He added that Washington has blacklisted Chinese officials who it said were guilty of human rights violations.

    Wang responded in kind, calling the US “the biggest human rights violator in the world,” whose historical treatment of Native Americans “constitutes de facto genocide.” He also criticized Washington for the “long-lasting systemic racial discrimination” of black Americans.

    Multiple global human rights groups have long accused China of oppressing the Uyghurs and forcing them to work in labor camps. Beijing has denied the allegations, insisting that the Uyghurs are studying in vocational education and training centers as part of state integration and deradicalization programs.

    Blankeez

    Now available in classroom sized versions.

    2022 03 23 11 53
    Now available in classroom sizes.

    Creamy Chicken Vol-au-Vent

    My friends and I have been getting together for "ladies lunches" for years. These vol-au-vents are the perfect no-fuss fancy food; they look complicated, but are actually simple and fun to make. Whenever I think of good friends and good company, I think of these savory pastries. 
    
    —Shauna Havey, Roy, Utah

    R C.e0845439e71aa3ecaa9cdc05201923a9
    Creamy Chicken Vol-au-Vent.

    China can build

    OMG! It’s insane how fast and efficiently that China can build things. You all just wait and see what happens when China and Russia build their Moon and Mars cities. video 23MB

    A 737 crashed in China.

    A Boeing 737 carrying 132 people crashed early Monday in China. Although Boeing’s 737 has faced extraordinarily high-profile safety concerns over the past three years, the plane that crashed Monday was a different version of the aircraft than the embattled 737 Max that shook Boeing to its core.

    The cause of Monday’s crash has yet to be determined. The plane had been in service since 2015. The flight, operated by China Eastern Airlines, was flying from the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming to Guangzhou when it crashed.
    .
    It’s crash profile; being a full-throttle nose-dive directly to the ground is highly unusual.
    .
    Evidence suggests any of the following;
    .
    • Intentional Pilot (and co-pilot) action to destroy the plane.
    • Software override of the pilot commands.
    • Remote operation of the software to override the pilot.

    The manufacturer of the aircraft has had problems with the software. Other crashes of similiar planes has been the result of software overrides of the pilot.

    We do not know (as of yet) the real cause for this crash. But one thing seems clear, somehow the plane overrode the directions of the pilot. It put the plane in a nose dive straight towards the ground and set the engines on full-throttle, full speed, as it plunged towards the ground.

    Why it did so, is unknown.

    Yet, the United States government black operations regarding taking control of the software should NOT be ruled out.

    This reminds me of HAL in the 1969 movie; “2001; A Space odyssey”.

    2001 A Space odyssey

    So, Boeing makes aircraft that can override the pilot. Brilliant! Why do you need pilots? How about having full robotic planes?

    Maybe it’s because no one will fly in them.

    Isn’t technology wonderful. Remember when fully automatic self-driving cars were crashing left and right? Yeah, I do. Well, somehow Boeing things that this would be a good thing to implement in passenger planes. Who would doubt it?

    Anyways, I have to ask the moronic question of the day…

     "Well, with fully robotic planes, then why still have pilots, when the airplane can override the pilot?"

    Well, perhaps its because you keep the illusion of human control, when the truth is that the software is in full control…

    … as well as the “authorized” owner of that software who can control the plane and tell it to do whatever he/it wants. Like the United States. Hum?

    Let’s talk about HAL. Specifically what it did.

    HAL

    2022 03 23 23 08
    HAL

    From the 1969 movie…

    HAL is a computer system. And it is built into the Discovery One spacecraft, and is in charge of maintaining all mechanical and life support systems on board.

    HAL also has several “eyes” placed periodically around the spacecraft.

    About three weeks into the flight, Hal picks up a fault in the AE-35 unit, the system responsible for keeping the satellite dish antenna aligned with the Earth, and states that it will go one-hundred percent failure within 72 hours.

    He suggests that they go EVA and replace the faulty unit with a new one.

    Dr. David Bowman goes out and retrieves the unit. But when he brings it back and runs it through diagnostics, they can find no problem with the AE-35.

    They radio Mission Control about the problem, and Mission Control says that Hal is in error predicting the fault.

    2022 03 23 23 16
    HAL

    This is a bit of a surprise, as the 9000 series has a perfect operational record.

    Noting that this kind of thing has always been because of human error when it has occurred before, Hal suggests that they go out and “replace the malfunctioning unit and allow it to fail.

    Then it should be a simple matter to track down the problem.”

    But by this time, both Dr. Frank Poole and Bowman are becoming suspicious of Hal’s behaviour. They climb into one of the EVA pods, out of earshot of Hal. Poole states that he has “a bad feeling about him”. Bowman and Poole suggest disconnecting Hal if he is wrong about predicting the fault.

    R C.25cf6710ad420a18f09f9b92eabce85e
    Bowman and Poole suggest disconnecting Hal if he is wrong about predicting the fault.

    Unbeknownst to them, Hal read their lips through the window of the spacepod.

    Translating their lip motions, Hal learns of their plans for his disconnection; according to Clarke, “he (will) be deprived of all his inputs, and thrown into an unimaginable state of unconsciousness. To Hal, this (is) the equivalent of death. For he (has) never slept, and therefore he (does) not know that one (can) wake again.”

    Poole goes out to replace the supposedly malfunctioning AE-35 unit.

    As he drifts through space to the satellite dish, Hal takes control of the pod and rams it into Poole, disconnecting his oxygen hose and venting the air in his suit, killing him.

    Bowman, obviously distraught by the loss of his friend, goes out to retrieve Poole’s body.

    However, while Bowman is out on his excursion, Hal shuts off the life support systems on the three astronauts in hibernation, which kills them all.

    2022 03 23 23 58
    Bowman in a pod.

    After Bowman returns to the Discovery I, Hal denies him reentry into the pod bay. So Bowman has to maneuver the pod over to the emergency airlock. Unfortunately, in his haste to retrieve his friend, Bowman had not bothered to don the helmet of his life-support suit because he had not believed he would need it, making it very difficult to enter the emergency airlock, as he would have to travel through the vacuum of space in order to do so.

    This, however, does not stop Bowman.

    Risking the hazards of explosive decompression, he eventually gets inside, grabs a space helmet, and goes to Hal’s logic memory center to erase his memory.

    There he pulls out the memory tablets that control Hal’s higher functions.

    OIP C.z1to2Lu sHRrOgNxhg0wlQHaD4
    Disconnecting HAL.

    As his memory degrades, Hal begins to give off information programmed very early in his life, such as the date he became operational. When all his logic is gone, he begins to sing the song “Daisy Bell.”

    His final act of consciousness is to play a briefing that Dr. Heywood R. Floyd pre-recorded about the Tycho Monolith before their departure, and the real purpose of the Discovery One’s mission. As well that the insane idea that the owner / designers of HAL programmed it to lie.

    Now…

    Please consider that any systems; any devices; any mechanisms designed by man should NEVER have the capability to override human input.

    This is well descried by the move, with the HAL computer system, and it seriously seems to be the case with all these Boeing aircraft crashes.

    I can POSITIVELY tell you that one singular event resulting is one singular death would  ABSOLUTELY stop the adoption of that system in other industires. It doesn’t matter what industry it is.  Ceiling fans. Clothes irons. Motorcycles. Chainsaws. Rifles. One fatality, and the system is gone and will NEVER be revisited.

    But somehow these systems in airplanes and automobiles are exceptions. At least in American products.

    One cannot help thinking, especially if you ARE an American, that the United States is involved and WANTS the ability of the software to override the driver / pilot in the vehicle.

    If you accept that notion…

    …then many of the software related “accidents” of planes and automobiles with these systems are used as mechanisms of control by the United States “leadership”.

    Remember boys and girls…

    … REAL secrets are secret.

    Every evidence is that this is exactly what is happening. While there might be some debate on the nuiances of implementation, the technologies and the systems involved, one thing is unmistakable…

    The seriously ODD behaviors of the United States government is best explained by this exact senario.

    Think about it.

    Break.

    Animal death and spirits visiting

    All this talk about plunging planes, nuclear weapons, bio-weapons and everything all initiated by the Untied States government is disturbing to me. They obviously have never experienced sorry and grief.

    They are not NORMAL people.

    There is something wrong with them.

    Here’s how normal animals act…video 34MB

    Bathe and Brew

    Perfect for the jet-set on the go!

    2022 03 23 11 55
    Perfect for the jet-set on the go!

    Funny and fun cats

    Here are some really great examples of how much fun you can have with your cat friends. video 100MB

    Amazing Cats

    Cats areally are amazing. Just some great cat adventures. They are truly very special creatures. video 16MB

    Happy times

    Treasure the times that you have. Make them happy and share them with your friends. Cat love video 18MB

    We all need each other now

    Now, more than any other time in our lives, we need others. Make friends. SHare your time. Appreciate what you have. Make your life a good one. Be a Rufus. Show friendship. Show love. Show care. video 90MB

    Be the Rufus

    Take part in society. Stop being a spectator, and stop thinking that everything is someone else’s problem. The future depends on YOU. Take an active role in it. In every way, every day. Be the best you can be and help others. make the world a better place to live in. I believe in your. video 11MB

    Make those around you smile

    You will bring happiness to your environment. Smile. Say good things. Even if they are lies. Make your environment better. It’s quantum physics 101. video 120MB

    Conclusions

    I cannot say that one thing or the other is happening, and the causes and reasons for them. Later, I will ask the Domain Commander for some insight. However, right now, I know nothing.

    Sure there might be all sorts of reasons for the observed behaviors, the strange actions by the USA and the West, and all the craziness. There’s really no way to really know the actual causes. So don’t worry about it. And believe me, as much as I want to know, the fact is, I don’t NEED to know.

    I don’t know anything about chem-trails, nano-bots, or anything like that. I do know that everyone in the United States and the West are acting really, really weird. It’s like they are all having some kind of mass insanity.

    After 30 years of glue sniffing euphoria, the US is now crashing. 
    
    And when it realizes it is cutting off its limbs to keep its jaundiced organs alive, it will have to make major, and costly, changes in living arrangements. 
    
    Mass transit in lieu of suburban sprawl. No more bloated military. A return to local industry and farming. Far more labor intensive cooperatives that actually do things and make stuff. Regional cultural and quasi-sufficiency. The end to industrial entertainment and woke academia. A resurgence of a proletariat based religion of hard work and respect. A return to classical literature and art. 
    
    Oh, how to pay for it all on NO budget?

    America is in shambles, but the leadership doesn’t realize it yet.  It’s like a family living off maxed-out credit, the family is stunned then the credit cards no longer work at the register.

    That’s where the USA, and the EU are at right now.

    Oh, they still have their shopping list, and two shopping carts filled with expensive steaks, groceries and all sorts of pricy items. But the cashier is there looking impatient, stamping her foot, and ready to call her manager. Oh, you have to pay in cash. She says.

    Soon, very soon, the situation will accelerate to something bad.

    It’s just really, really fucked up.

    FUTURE

    Evidence strongly suggests that the remote viewing of the 2025 by the Deagal Report is correct. It also validates the theory of Generational Turnings and the rise and fall of nations.

    You will see many more strange things occur in the future.

    We are not anywhere near the peak inflection point. But it is moving forward and I hope to be out of it’s way. I hope you all are as well.

    BASIC PREP

    Hyper-inflation is starting to hit the West. Be prudent.

    Make sure that you have a garden, and a larder with lots of basics. Rice. Flour. Canned goods. Powdered milk.

    Remember that one Burger King extra value meal is the same price as a massive bag of rice. Remember that one Starbucks coffee is the same prices as a massive bag of flour; and make sure that you have the tools to strain out the flour.

    Learn to fish.

    Own a bicycle, and use it. If you use it to ride to work one day a week, you will cut your commute expenses by 20%.

    Have a solar panel to charge your phone with.

    ADVANCED PREP

    Have a good supply of your medicines, and lots of antibiodics. Set up a medical kit. Tell your doctor that you are equipping a sailboat for a long sea cruse, and give him a list of medicines for the first aid box. Get the prescriptions and fill it out.

    It’s never too late to start. Do not plan on trying to go to the woods and forests. Those places will be crowded with the unprepaired. Your best solution is to “bug out in place”. Be mobile within your well-established community.

    If you think that you can survive being alone, I’ve got news for you; that’s a fiction. Survivors are those that band together into groups. There’s strength in community. Read your history.

    FUNDAMENTALS

    For God’s sakes, turn off that bullshit “news”. It’s all screeching lies.

    Have a skill, asset, ability, or feature that you can provide to your community that is beneficial to the community.

    If you don’t have one. Get one. Learn, make, create or establish. Volunteer. Network locally.

    • Handiman skills.
    • Welding, plumbing, machining, autorepair.
    • Medical.
    • Farming, fishing, harvesting, growing.

    It doesn’t mean that you will need to endure a post-nuclear fiasco. But in whatever changes that might hit your own individual communities, you will have the skills, networking and abilites to make you locally valuable.

    Don’t believe me?

    Ask PL. He’s doing this, and is very busy. Maybe too busy for MM here, but it’s the future. Participate. Make a difference. Smile. Socialize. stick to the fundamental basics.

    Don’t get caught up in what you cannot change. It’s stressful, don’t you know.

    Don’t get all wrapped up in the causes or the reasons, or the people behind the curtains. They won’t be revealed until the history books are written.

    Be kind, calm and adaptable. Do your verbal affirmations. Be the Rufus. I beleive in you all.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 3

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

    More updates on the changing of the Geo-Political scene

    I just spoke this morning with a Russian friend in Moscow. He is more optimistic about the future of Russia than I have ever heard him to be in the past. 
    
    He says good riddance to all the U.S. companies, and sees this as a real opportunity for Russia to further develop their economy and restore their culture from Western cultural imperialism. 
    
    The devaluation of the Ruble has little effect on the economy except for imported goods. 
    
    Since 2014 Russia has been becoming self-sufficient. 
    
    The lower Ruble will protect home industries and be a defacto tariff against imports. 
    
    He and others are talking about a welcome return to an economy similar of the Soviet Union. 
    
    I hope he is right because for the past 20 years that I have been going to Russia I saw a troubling trend to neoliberalism and austerity. 
    
    Many Russians did to and were not happy about it. 
    
    It cost Putin a lot of lost popularity including from my friend who I spoke to today. My wife and I are hearing similar stories from others inside Russia.
    
    -David
    

    Good news if you are Russian. Good news if you are Chinese. Bad news if you are part of the collapsing United States Empire. But you would never know this by reading the daily “news” feeds.

    By gosh! The propiganda is thick.

    Really. It’s thick like tar.

    I need waders to trudge through the muck. It is think, stinky and relentless. And then interspersed in all the grime are the oily “experts” who have a thing or two to say about everything. You pretty much can tell from which basket of USD they are paid from. How can you sort everything out? Well, this article is my attempt.

    I’m a simple guy and I look at things simply. So let’s look at the big-picture overview.

    • Major Geo-political realignments happen every 70 to 85 years.
    • This one is on time and on schedule.

    It’s always the same template; the same pattern. Oh, there might be some new twists; mostly technology, but it’s pretty much a well understood process.

    In this Geopolitical shake-up it’s a new beast of sorts. It has a new “twist” to the old template. And this new feature is critical to understanding what is going on.

    • Russia is not alone. It is not “isolated”.
    • China is not alone.
    • Russia and China have created a unified block; an “Asia”.
    • And now, India has joined this block officially (and distanced themselves from QUAD).

    Asia = Russia + China + India.

    .

    So, what are we witnessing? What is all the “hubbub” on the Internet and in the “news” all about? Is it about Ukraine?

    No. It’s not. It’s about something else.

    Keep your focus.

    It’s all about a much larger Geo-Political realignment. And the wars, color revolutions, strife, inflation, battles, wars, revolutions, and all the rest are just confusion and smoke during this period of change.

    Keep focused.

    • The former global leader; The United States is collapsing.
    • A united Asia is rising (Russia plus China with India).
    • Normal expected death thrashing by the USA is in process.

    The death throes are at all levels. This includes International as well as domestic. Big changes at all levels.

    But, people say, “it seems so spontaneous and out of control”. To which I argue. “No it isn’t”.

    Instead the collapse is being managed.

    The collapse of the West is being MANAGED.

    It is being managed by Russia and China, with some help by our friends (wink – wink).

    None of this managment is being written about. None of it can be seen, as the dying empire has flooded all “news” with complex and detailed lies, and nonsense. And if you get caught up in the lies, and fabrications you will read about the failure of Russia to take over the Ukraine, and how Putin is on the way out, and how China is going to collapse any day now, and so on and so forth.

    It’s just noise. Tune it out.

    In this article, I will take some hand-picked articles to help direct the reader through the swampy muck of lies. Each article has strengths and weaknesses, and I will do my best to help describe what’s going on through them.

    In these articles, read them not for the specific points that they are trying to point out, but rather for how they fit within the much larger picture. Keep in mind that larger picture.

    The death of the existing world power results in…

    • High inflation resulting in money becoming worthless (within the dying empire).
    • A retraction of actual military action, but an uptick in military threatenings.
    • A change in the dominant global reserve currency.
    • Economic, social, and other “bubbles” all popping in the dying empire.
    • A confused state of Geo-political alignments as the empire dies.

    We begin with some excellent stuff from MoA. In this article, “b” argues that the dying United States empire is impotent. That both Russia and China (Asia) have played the Geopolitical chess game, and has the empire “boxed in”. No matter what it does, it will make losing (no-win) moves…

    [1] To Punish Russia The ‘Liberal Order’ Attempts To Suicide Itself

    Two days ago we looked at why Russia is doing what it does:

    Russia understood Zelensky's remark in Munich as a threat by Ukraine to acquire nuclear weapons. It already has the expertise, materials and means to do that.
    
    A fascist controlled government with nukes on Russia's border? This is not about Putin at all. No Russian government of any kind could ever condone that.
    
    I believe that this credible threat, together with the artillery preparations for a new war on Donbas, was what convinced Russia's government to intervene by force.

    The ‘west’ had failed to understand Russia’s need to act. It has failed to make the necessary commitments, and accept Russia’s reasonable demands, to avoid the struggle. In consequence it will now fall apart. The knee-jerk reaction to Russia’s ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine will, as Alastair Crooke writes, lead to the end of the ‘liberal order’:

    So Biden, finally, has his foreign policy ‘success’: Europe is walling itself off from Russia, China, and the emerging integrated Asian market. It has sanctioned itself from ‘dependency’ on Russian natural gas (without prospect of any immediate alternatives) and it has thrown itself in with the Biden project. Next up, the EU pivot to sanctioning China?
    
    Will this last? It seems improbable. German industry has a long history for staging its own mercantile interests before wider geo-political ambitions – before, even, EU interests. And in Germany, the business class effectively is the political class and needs competitively-priced energy.
    
    Whilst the rest of the world shows little or no enthusiasm to join with sanctions on Russia (China has ruled out sanctions on Russia), Europe is in hysteria. This will not fade quickly. The new ‘Iron Curtain’ erected in Brussels may last years.
    
    But what of the unintended consequences to last Saturday’s ‘sanctions Blitzkrieg’: the ‘unknowable unknowns’ in Rumsfeld’s famous mantra? The unprecedented switch-off affecting a key part of the Globalist system did not download into a neutral, inert context – It developed into an emotionally hyper-charged atmosphere of Russophobia.

    Now reality comes back to bite the inept minions who attempt to rule over us.

    2022 03 14 10 49
    2022 03 14 10 49

    Europe can not sustain this, Russia can:

    In sum, the changes set out by von der Leyen and the EU, with surging crude oil costs, could potentially tip global markets into crisis, and set off spiraling inflation. Cost inflation created by energy costs spiraling higher and food disruptions are not so easily susceptible to monetary remedies. If the daily drama of the war in Ukraine starts to fade from public view, and inflation persists, the political cost of von der Leyen’s Saturday drama is likely to be European-wide recession.
    
    “Since well before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Europeans have been struggling under the weight of runaway energy bills”, OilPrice.com notes. In Germany, for some, one month’s energy costs the same as they used to pay for a whole year; in the UK the government has raised the price cap for energy bills by a whopping 54%, and in Italy a recent 40% domestic energy cost hike could now nearly double.
    
    The New York Times describes this impact on local businesses and industries as nothing short of “frightening”, as all kinds of small businesses across Europe (prior to last week’s events) have been forced to cease their operations as energy costs outweigh profits. Large industries have not been immune to sticker shock either. “Almost two-thirds of the 28,000 companies surveyed by the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry this month rated energy prices as one of their biggest business risks … For those in the industrial sector, the figure was as high as 85 percent.”

    And it is not only Europe. Energy prices are based on global markets. As are the prices for many other minerals and metals which have suddenly become rare:

     

    2022 03 14 10 44
    2022 03 14 10 44

    The U.S. will be hit just as much as Europe. Early today oil prices in Europe hit $139 per barrel, well above last week’s market close. They will increase further. Gasoline prices in the U.S. will soon hit $6-7-8 per gallon.

    The attempt by the U.S. to rush towards a new Iran deal to get Iranian oil flooding the markets has failed. Russia, together with Iran, has successfully blocked that move. Sanctions on Russia mean that Iran can not export its enriched uranium to Russia to be turned into nuclear fuel. No Iranian export of enriched uranium means no JCPOA deal. Secretary of State Blinken has failed to understand that. The supposedly ready to be signed return to the nuclear deal is now in jeopardy.

    Some U.S. refineries at the south coast are designed to only process heavy oil variants. Since 2019 the U.S. has blockaded heavy oil imports from Venezuela and replaced them with imports of heavy Ural variants from Russia. It has now send too officials to Caracas to try to get Venezuela’s oil flowing again. That would of course require to lift all sanctions off Venezuela and to return all confiscated companies and the gold that is owned by that country. It is not going to happen anytime soon.

    High end German cars are build with aluminum from Russia. Boeing needs Russian titanium to build planes. These manufacturers will soon start to lay off people. All this while food, heating and mobility costs will increase dramatically. A deep recession combined with strong inflation will rip social cohesion apart. I do expect strong anger in the streets of Europe and the U.S. There will be riots and in consequence a strong political move to the right. The mid-term elections will destroy the Russophobic Democrats.

    Michael Hudson notes the immense strategic damage the U.S. has done to itself:

    The recent escalation of U.S. sanctions blocking Europe, Asia and other countries from trade and investment with Russia, Iran and China has imposed enormous opportunity costs – the cost of lost opportunities – on U.S. allies. And the recent confiscation of the gold and foreign reserves of Venezuela, Afghanistan and now Russia, along the targeted grabbing of bank accounts of wealthy foreigners (hoping to win their hearts and minds, along with recovery of their sequestered accounts), has ended the idea that dollar holdings or those in its sterling and euro NATO satellites are a safe investment haven when world economic conditions become shaky.
    
    So I am somewhat chagrined as I watch the speed at which this U.S.-centered financialized system has de-dollarized over the span of just a year or two. The basic theme of my Super Imperialism has been how, for the past fifty years, the U.S. Treasury-bill standard has channeled foreign savings to U.S. financial markets and banks, giving dollar diplomacy a free ride. I thought that de-dollarization would be led by China and Russia moving to take control of their economies to avoid the kind of financial polarization that is imposing austerity on the United States. But U.S. officials are forcing them to overcome whatever hesitancy they had to de-dollarize.

    This will not just happen with China or Russia but the whole world will over the next years turn away from the dollarized U.S. system:

    Nobody thought that the postwar 1945-2020 world order would give way this fast. A truly new international economic order is emerging, although it is not yet clear just what form it will take. But “prodding the Bear” with the U.S./NATO confrontation with Russia has passed critical-mass level. It no longer is just about Ukraine. That is merely the trigger, a catalyst for driving much of the world away from the US/NATO orbit.
    
    The next showdown may come within Europe itself as nationalist politicians seek to lead a break-away from the over-reaching U.S. power-grab over its European and other Allies to keep them dependent on U.S.-based trade and investment. The price of their continuing obedience is to impose cost-inflation on their industry while relinquishing their democratic electoral politics to subordination to America’s NATO proconsuls.
    
    These consequences cannot really be deemed “unintended.”

    All the consequences of the ‘west’s’ reaction to Russia’s move were foreseeable. It is pure recklessness and stupidity that have allowed them to take place. The ‘west’ will now get punished for the bad movie it has launched.

    Too bad that I don’t speak Russian … It is now the place to be.

    Jimmy Salford @1Fubar - 7:06 UTC · Mar 6, 2022
    
    Russia has already been cut off from CNN, Pornhub and Facebook. The US is now working on depriving Russians of MacDonalds and CocaCola. If they keep going with these sanctions, Russians will soon be among the healthiest, well adjusted and best informed people on the planet.

    Next up is this piece from the UK tabloid “Dailymail.com”.

    Now this tabloid is all gung-ho about how great the West is, and all of that. They have written tons of articles that are a just lies. And that includes starvation in Shenzhen, slave trade in Xinjiang and all the rest. fun reading science fiction, but not actual reporting.

    This here is it’s the first “reasonable” article that isn’t full of lies and fantasies. The comments in the article are interesting, and the vast bulk of it’s readership must welcome a more “level-headed” viewpoint.

    Read this article, and note the idea that Russia is managing a threat vector from the West. Not tht an evil Putin dictator is going to invade Europe. What is so surprising is that this article is from the shrill-mills of the UK.

    [2] Putin is NOT crazy and the Russian invasion is NOT failing.

    The West’s delusions about this war – and its failure to understand the enemy – will prevent it from saving Ukraine, writes military analyst BILL ROGGIO

    Wishful thinking has the upper hand in the battle to shape Western perceptions of the war in Ukraine.

    Sympathy for the outnumbered and outgunned defenders of Kyiv has led to the exaggeration of Russian setbacks, misunderstanding of Russian strategy, and even baseless claims from amateur psychoanalysts that Putin has lost his mind.

    A more sober analysis shows that Russia may have sought a knockout blow, but always had well-laid plans for follow-on assaults if its initial moves proved insufficient.

    The world has underestimated Putin before and those mistakes have led, in part, to this tragedy in Ukraine.

    We must be clear-eyed now that the war is underway.

    Yet even the professionals at the Pentagon are letting sympathy cloud their judgement.

    Just two days into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, U.S. Department of Defense briefers were quick to claim that failing to take Kyiv in the opening days of the war amounted to a serious setback.

    DoD briefers implied that Russia’s offensive was well behind schedule or had even failed because the capital had not fallen.

    But U.S. leaders should have learned to restrain their hopes after their catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan.

    Once again, U.S. and Western officials are falling into the trap of failing to understand the enemy and his objectives.

    2022 03 05 09 00
    2022 03 05 09 00

    Allegedly, Putin believed that the Ukrainian government would collapse once Russian troops crossed the frontier and pushed to Kyiv, and that the operation has failed because the Ukrainian government remains in place.

    Putin certainly hoped for a swift victory, but he clearly was not relying on his opening salvo as the only plan for success.

    Rather, the Russian military was prepared to take the country by force if a swift decapitation strike fell short.

    This kind of plan should be familiar to Americans who remember the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

    In the first hours of the war, the U.S. Air Force launched its ‘shock and awe’ campaign in an attempt to kill Saddam Hussein and other key leaders and bring down the government. Saddam survived, but the U.S. military was fully prepared to follow up with a ground assault.

    A look at the Russian military offensive demonstrates there was a plan for a full-scale invasion, which Russia is now executing.

    Conventional, mechanized warfare is a time and resource consuming enterprise, and an operation of this scope isn’t cobbled together in days.

    The Russian offensive is taking place on four separate fronts. On a fifth front, in eastern Ukraine, which Putin declared independent last week, Russian forces are tying down Ukrainian troops that are needed elsewhere.

    The bulk of the Russian forces are advancing southward from Belarus to Kyiv.

    Russian advance forces, including air, mobile and reconnaissance troops, have been engaged with Ukrainian troops outside of Kyiv since the start of the war.

    A massive column of Russian troops, estimated at over 40 miles long, is just 20 miles north of Kyiv, and is likely assembling to surround the capital.

    If Russian forces can take Kyiv and push southward to link up with forces on the Crimean front, thus splitting Ukraine in two, it would be a major blow to the Zelensky government.

    What matters more than a handful of setbacks is that Russian forces have pushed 70 miles into contested terrain in less than a week and are on the outskirts of the capital.

    2022 03 05 09 01
    2022 03 05 09 01

    This is not a sign of a disorganized, poorly assembled, and failed offensive.

    The southward push from Belarus to Kyiv is supported by another Russian column, launched from the east in the vicinity of Kursk.

    If this column can link up with Russian troops near Kyiv, it will envelop Ukrainian forces in most of Chernihiv and Sumy provinces, depriving the Ukrainian military of much needed soldiers and war material needed elsewhere, and cutting off the government from two northern provinces.

    Further east, Russian forces have launched a broad offensive aimed at Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, which is now under siege.

    In the south, Russian forces, supported by amphibious assaults from the Sea of Azov, have poured into Ukraine from Crimea.

    On this front, Russian forces have branched out along two main axes, one northwest along the Pivdennyi Buh River, and another northeast along the coast and inland towards the Donbas region, which Russia declared independent shortly before the invasion.

    If Russian columns from either southern front can link up with forces further north, they would cut off many Ukrainian troops from reinforcement—one of the two columns has already advanced roughly 160 miles.

    Russian generals have often chosen to bypass towns and cities that are putting up stiff opposition and isolating them to deal with later.

    There are reports that Russian forces have escalated attacks on civilians, particularly in Kharkiv.

    At the moment, the artillery and rocket attacks there have been limited, perhaps to send a message to the citizens as a warning of what may come.

    Putin appears to want to take Ukraine intact, but will not hesitate to increase the level of brutality if needed.

    The systematic nature of the Russian assault is at odds with speculation that Putin has lost control of his senses.

    Nobody knows for sure, but Putin’s actions appear to be that of a cold and calculating adversary.

    Dismissing his decision to invade Ukraine as a form of madness is effectively an excuse to ignore Putin’s likely motivations and future actions.

    Strategically, Putin’s advance on Ukraine began well over a decade ago, when he invaded and Balkanized Georgia by recognizing the Kremlin’s puppet regimes in the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

    2022 03 05 09 05
    2022 03 05 09 05

    In 2014, Putin occupied and annexed the strategic Ukrainian region of Crimea, which served as a launchpad for the current invasion.

    Putin paid little price for either action.

    The United States and Europe imposed limited sanctions but continued to engage with him on the Iranian nuclear deal and other top issues.

    Today, Putin has calculated that taking Ukraine by force is in his and Russia’s interest.

    He no doubt anticipated that the West would impose diplomatic and economic sanctions, which U.S. and European leaders threatened beforehand.

    Putin may have miscalculated Ukrainian resistance and the intensity of the West’s opposition, but it doesn’t mean he is crazy, or didn’t consider the possibilities and chose to invade regardless.

    It remains to be seen if Putin’s plan will succeed or fail, but what is clear is that there was a plan to invade Ukraine in force, and that plan has been executed since day one.

    Ukrainian troops are putting up a valiant fight facing long odds and difficult conditions. Russia holds most if not all of the advantages.

    It can, and has, attacked Ukraine from three different directions. The Russian military holds a decided advantage in manpower, as well as air, naval and armor superiority.

    It has vast resources to draw on. While Ukraine has the support of much of the international community, which is providing weapons, Ukraine is fighting alone.

    Believing Russia’s assault is going poorly may make us feel better but is at odds with the facts.

    We cannot help Ukraine if we cannot be honest about its predicament.

    I suppose that the author is trying to say to his fellow journalists;

    "look, guys, our propaganda must be subtle. Not so obviously false, and easily disproved. Tone it down some"...

    Next up is this item. Here, we see that all the “news” onslaught is just that. Nonsense, and that the truth is that very little that the United States, and NATO does has any effect on Russia.

    It’s like a screaming child having a tantrum, and the adult closes the door and locks it. Meanwhile the child has a fit.  Louder and louder it cries. But the adults, go eat a nice dinner, drink some wine. Sing, dance and have sex. And the child still has the tantrum oblivious to the reality going on…

    [3] Russians don’t care what American opinions are

    Source: https://expert.ru/

    It would be childish to assume that ‘when we are beaten, we get stronger.’ Although we have indeed strengthened our national sovereignty in the economic sphere under the influence of American sanctions, but not to such an extent that we do not pay attention to them at all. The damage from sanctions, of course, is there and it is significantly enhanced by the passive policy of the monetary authorities.

    Permanent intimidation of Russia with new ‘sanctions from hell’  has long ceased to excite Russian public opinion. I remember how in 2014, like others in the first list subjected to US sanctions, I was interviewed and we all assured journalists that we were proud of such recognition of our services to Russia. Since then, the number of individuals and legal entities sanctioned by the United States and its satellites has increased many times and has not had any noticeable impact on our country. On the contrary, the retaliatory measures introduced by our Government in terms of restricting food imports from these countries significantly contributed to the growth of domestic agricultural production, which has almost completely replaced the import of poultry and meat.

    Defense and energy industry enterprises have learned to circumvent these sanctions by refusing to use the dollar, and at the same time American banks,  in favour of national currencies and banks of partner countries. The next step is the development of digital currency instruments that can be used without resorting to the services of banks which are afraid of falling under sanctions. The Russian people are following with interest the return to the country of the capital exported by the oligarchs and themselves, who are afraid of confiscation and arrest in NATO countries.

    American sanctions have affected not so much Russia as third countries which have been subjected to pressure from Washington. First of all, our European neighbours, who have curtailed most of the cooperation projects in the scientific, technical and energy spheres. They also affected Chinese commercial banks operating in the dollar zone, which preferred to stop servicing Russian customers. Russia’s trade turnover with the EU and the United States has naturally decreased, while with China it has grown. In the period 2014-2020, in monetary terms, Russia’s trade turnover with China increased by 17.8% from $88.4 billion to $104.1 billion. The share of APEC [Asia Pacific Economic Conference] and SCO [Shanghai Cooperation Organisation] countries in the external trade turnover of the EAEU [Eurasian Economic Union] increased during this period from 29.6% to 36.4% and from 16.3% to 24.1%, respectively. The share of the EU in the external trade turnover of the EAEU, on the contrary, decreased from 46.2% in 2015 to 36.7% in 2020. Trade turnover with the United States during the period under review decreased by 18.1% from $29.1 billion to $23.9 billion.

    In fact, with the help of sanctions, the United States is trying to oust Russian goods from the markets of its satellites, replacing its own. This was most clearly manifested in the European natural gas market, where the US share has increased sharply, although it has not yet been possible to displace Russia in the European natural gas market.

    The main result of the US-European sanctions was a change in the geographical structure of Russian foreign economic relations in favor of China, the expansion of cooperation with which fully compensates for the curtailment of trade and economic relations with the EU. European consumers have to switch to more expensive American energy carriers, and their producers simply lose the Russian market. The total losses of the EU from anti-Russian sanctions are estimated at $ 250 billion.

    Another important result of the US sanctions was the fall in the share of the dollar in international settlements. For Russia, as for other countries which have been subjected to US sanctions, the dollar has become a toxic currency. By tracing all dollar transactions, the US punitive authorities can block payments, freeze, or even confiscate assets at any time. For 8 years after the sanctions were imposed, the dollar’s share in international settlements decreased by 13.5 percentage points (from 60.2% in 2014 to 46.7% in 2020).

    Sanctions have become a powerful incentive for the transition to settlements in national currencies and the development of national payment systems. Thus, in the mutual trade of the EAEU states, the share of the dollar decreased by more than 6 percentage points (from 26.3% in 2014 to 20.0% at the end of 2020).

    I remember how ten years ago, when considering the risks to the Russian banking system at the National Banking Council, I asked the then head of the Central Bank: ‘Is the risk of disconnecting Russian banks from the international SWIFT banking transmission system being considered, as Western partners did in relation to Iran?’

    To which I received the answer: ‘We cannot consider the risk of an atomic bomb hitting the Bank of Russia.’

    However, the management of the Central Bank has taken measures — today Russia has its own system for transmitting electronic messages between banks — the Bank of Russia’s Financial Message Transmission System (SPFS), as well as its own payment system for Mir bank cards, which is interfaced with the Chinese Union Pay system and can be used for cross-border payments and transfers.

    Both of them are open to foreign partners and are already widely used not only in domestic, but also in international settlements.

    Disabling SWIFT is no longer seen as a large-scale threat — it will benefit the development of our payment and financial information systems.

    However, it would be childish to assume that ‘when we are beaten, we get stronger.’ Although we have indeed strengthened our national sovereignty in the economic sphere under the influence of American sanctions, but not to such an extent that we do not pay attention to them at all. The damage from sanctions, of course, is there and it is significantly enhanced by the passive policy of the monetary authorities.

    Since 2014, when, with the connivance of the regulator, currency speculators brought down the ruble exchange rate by manipulating the market, the latter has been used by sanctions as a fail-safe fuse of macroeconomic stability. At the same time, it was in 2014, on the eve of the already announced US sanctions, that the Bank of Russia switched to a free-floating exchange rate regime.

    And only after that, the United States introduced their sanctions, being sure that speculators would multiply their negative effect.

    When the ruble fell by almost half, Obama was pleased to say that ‘the Russian economy is torn to shreds.’  As a result of this manipulation of the Russian currency market, ruble incomes and savings depreciated, and speculators received over 35 billion rubles.in profit. But this happened not because of sanctions, but rather because of the complicity of the Bank of Russia, which left the exchange rate formation at the mercy of international speculators on the recommendation of Washington financial organizations.

    Only very naive people can believe in the formation of an equilibrium ruble exchange rate in the free-float mode. The Bank of Russia’s exclusion of itself from ruble exchange rate regulation means that international currency speculators are engaged in this. On the rocking of the ruble exchange rate, which has become one of the most unstable currencies in the world with a threefold provision of foreign exchange reserves, international speculators receive multibillion dollar profits, and Russians, the depreciation of their ruble savings and income together with bursts of inflation. At the same time, the investment climate is hopelessly deteriorating — the instability of the ruble exchange rate creates uncertainty about the main parameters of investment projects using imported equipment and export-oriented products.

    Thus, the damage caused by US financial sanctions is inextricably linked to the monetary policy of the Bank of Russia which is the ideal one for them. Its essence boils down to a tight binding of the ruble issue to export earnings, and the ruble exchange rate to the dollar. In fact, an artificial shortage of money is being created in the economy, and the strict policy of the Central Bank leads to an increase in the cost of lending, which kills business activity and hinders the development of infrastructure in the country.

    Sanctions restrictions have caused an extremely high demand for corporate financing in the domestic market. Against the background of a relatively low key rate and access to cheaper funding, large banks consistently keep a net interest margin above the average market level,  5.4% to 6%; whereas for the largest banks in China, the USA, Germany, France, Great Britain and Japan, the net interest margin ranges from 0.8% to 2.3%.

    However, these windfalls are not directed to financing infrastructure projects, but to the acquisition of disparate non-core businesses that are combined into ecosystems. Most of these businesses remain unprofitable even at the EBITDA [earnings] level. Despite this, billions of rubles are still spent on their development.

    These figures are quite comparable to the volume of investments in a major infrastructure project in the real sector of the economy, which can bring both job growth and contribution to the development of the economy. But such projects (as well as filling the budget) are still left to the raw materials companies, while the largest financial corporations prefer to direct their income to the creation of chimeras.

    In fact, it was the connivance of the Central Bank which led to the fact that Russia and its industry were drained of blood and unable to develop.

    If the Central Bank fulfilled its constitutional duty to ensure the stability of the ruble — and it has all the possibilities for this due to the threefold surplus of the currency reserves of the monetary base — then financial sanctions would be nothing to us. They could even be turned, as in other sectors of the economy, to the benefit of the banking sector, if the Central Bank replaced the loans withdrawn by Western partners with its own special refinancing instruments. This would increase the capacity of the Russian credit and banking system by more than 10 trillion rubles.

    Also, it would fully compensate for the outflow of foreign financing of investments, preventing a decline in investment and economic activity without any inflationary consequences. Thus, it would be possible to avoid a long period of decline in real incomes of the population caused solely by the peculiarities of the monetary policy pursued in Russia, which ensured the effectiveness of sanctions in the monetary and financial sphere.

    Assessing the consequences of anti-Russian sanctions, it is impossible to ignore the consequences of severing economic ties with Ukraine. The mutual abolition of the free trade regime and the imposition of an embargo on a wide range of goods led to the rupture of cooperative ties that ensured the reproduction of many types of high-tech products. Blocking the work of Russian banks led to the depreciation of multibillion-dollar Russian investments. The refusal of the Ukrainian authorities to service the debt to Russia caused several billion dollars’ more losses. In total, their volume is estimated at about $100 billion for each of the parties. This is really significant and in many ways irreparable real damage, which we ourselves have aggravated with retaliatory sanctions.

    To date, the outcome of the economic consequences of anti-Russian sanctions is as follows. Ukraine suffered the biggest losses relative to GDP, in absolute terms — the European Union. Russian losses of potential GDP, since 2014, amount to about 50 trillion rubles. But only 10% of them can be explained by sanctions, while 80% of them were the result of monetary policy. The United States benefits from anti-Russian sanctions, replacing the export of Russian hydrocarbons to the EU, as well as China; replacing the import of European goods by Russia. We could completely offset the negative consequences of financial sanctions if the Bank of Russia fulfilled its constitutional duty to ensure a stable ruble exchange rate, and not the recommendations of Washington financial organizations.

    Consider the threats of American and European Russophobes against the new ‘sanctions from hell’.  It has already been mentioned above that the threat of disconnecting Russian banks from the SWIFT system, widely discussed in the media today, although it will interfere with international settlements at first, will benefit the Russian banking and payment system in the medium term.

    The threat to ban transactions with Russian bonds will also benefit us, since their issue in a budget surplus is nothing more than a source of profit for foreign speculators.

    And their profitability is overestimated three times in relation to the market assessment of their riskiness. The termination of the self-serving [самоедской] policy of the monetary authorities, who are borrowing money which is objectively unnecessary to the budget at exorbitant prices, will allow us to save billions of dollars. If the sanctioneers try to prohibit the purchase of the foreign currency bonds of Russian corporations, then it will be possible to compensate for the missing financing for the purchase of imported equipment by buying them out at the expense of part of the excess foreign exchange reserves. If foreign loans are cut off to them, then the risk of their default will fall on the European and American banks themselves.

    There is also a potential risk of seizure of Russian state assets. But we can respond to this symmetrically by imposing an embargo on servicing debt obligations to Western creditors and also arresting their assets. The losses of the parties will be approximately equal.

    There remains, in fact, one threat – to take away foreign assets from Russian oligarchs. For all its popularity among the common people, this will stimulate the return of capital exported from the country, which will also have a positive effect for the Russian economy.

    At the same time, we need to protect ourselves as much as possible from the expected escalation of US-European sanctions.

    The most vulnerable place for our economy is its excessive offshoring.

    Up to half of the assets of the Russian industry belong to non-residents. There are more than a trillion dollars of capital exported from the country abroad, half of which is involved in the reproduction of the Russian economy.

    The simultaneous freezing of these assets can really dramatically worsen the situation of a number of strategically important enterprises dependent on the external market.

    The Americans showed how this is done using the example of Rusal, establishing their control over it under the threat of stopping foreign trade activities. We could respond to this by nationalizing at least the giant hydroelectric power plants transferred to this corporation for a song and on dubious grounds, on the operation of which the lion’s share of its profits is based. But for some reason, they did not protect this one of the structural branches of our economy from the raider seizure by the US Treasury.

    So, then Russia is cautious, aware and has plans in place. The harsh slap of American sanctions fell like a wisp of a feather on a pillow. Now, let’s see how it will actually happen.

    Next up… what REALLY going to happen…

    [4] Follow the money: how Russia will bypass western economic warfare

    The US and EU are over-reaching on Russian sanctions. The end result could be the de-dollarization of the global economy and massive commodity shortages worldwide.

    March 01 2022

    So a congregation of NATO’s top brass ensconced in their echo chambers target the Russian Central Bank with sanctions and expect what?

    Cookies?

    What they got instead was Russia’s deterrence forces bumped up to “a special regime of duty” – which means the Northern and Pacific fleets, the Long-Range Aviation Command, strategic bombers and the entire Russian nuclear apparatus on maximum alert.

    One Pentagon general very quickly did the basic math on that, and mere minutes later, a Ukrainian delegation was dispatched to conduct negotiations with Russia in an undisclosed location in Gomel, Belarus.

    BOOM!

    Expecting to lay economic warfare with Russia's Central Bank, Russia responded with the full force of hard, physical nuclear weaponary. Oh, so you want to play "hard ball" eh? You want to deal with us? You want to see what the flash or light, and hard gooey blood on your chest looks like? Do you?

    Meanwhile, in the vassal realms, the German government was busy “setting limits to warmongers like Putin” – quite a rich undertaking considering that Berlin never set any such limits for the western warmongers who bombed Yugoslavia, invaded Iraq, or destroyed Libya in complete violation of international law.

    While openly proclaiming their desire to “stop the development of Russian industry,” damage its economy, and “ruin Russia” – echoing American edicts on Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, Cuba, Venezuela and others in the Global South – the Germans could not possibly recognize a new categorical imperative.

    They were finally liberated from their WWII culpability complex by none other than Russian President Vladimir Putin. Germany is finally free to support and weaponize neo-Nazis out in the open all over again – now of the Ukrainian Azov battalion variety.

    To get the hang of how these NATO sanctions will “ruin Russia,” I asked for the succinct analysis of one of the most competent economic minds on the planet, Michael Hudson, author, among others, of a revised edition of the must-read Super-Imperialism: The Economic Strategy of American Empire.

    Hudson remarked how he is

     “simply numbed over the near-atomic escalation of the US.”

    On the confiscation of Russian foreign reserves and cut-off from SWIFT, the main point is “it will take some time for Russia to put in a new system, with China.

    The result will end dollarization for good, as countries threatened with ‘democracy™’ or displaying diplomatic independence will be afraid to use US banks.”

    This, Hudson says, leads us to “the great question: whether Europe and the Dollar Bloc can buy Russian raw materials – cobalt, palladium, etc, and whether China will join Russia in a minerals boycott.”

    Hudson is adamant that “Russia’s Central Bank, of course, has foreign bank assets in order to intervene in exchange markets to defend its currency from fluctuations.

    The ruble has plunged.

    There will be new exchange rates.

    Yet it’s up to Russia to decide whether to sell its wheat to West Asia, that needs it; or to stop selling gas to Europe via Ukraine, now that the US can grab it.”

    About the possible introduction of a new Russia-China payment system bypassing SWIFT, and combining the Russian SPFS (System for Transfer of Financial Messages) with the Chinese CIPS (Cross-Border Interbank Payment System), Hudson has no doubts “the Russian-China system will be implemented.

    The Global South will seek to join and at the same time keep SWIFT – moving their reserves into the new system.”

    I’m going to de-dollarize myself

    So the US itself, in another massive strategic blunder, will speed up de-dollarization. As the managing director of Bocom International Hong Hao told the Global Times, with energy trade between Europe and Russia de-dollarized, “that will be the beginning of the disintegration of dollar hegemony.”

    It’s a refrain the US administration was quietly hearing last week from some of its own largest multinational banks, including notables like JPMorgan and Citigroup.

    A Bloomberg article sums up their collective fears:

    “Booting Russia from the critical global system – which handles 42 million messages a day and serves as a lifeline to some of the world’s biggest financial institutions – could backfire, sending inflation higher, pushing Russia closer to China, and shielding financial transactions from scrutiny by the west. It might also encourage the development of a SWIFT alternative that could eventually damage the supremacy of the US dollar.”

    Those with IQs over 50 in the European Union (EU) must have understood that Russia simply could not be totally excluded from SWIFT, but maybe only a few of its banks: after all, European traders depend on Russian energy.

    From Moscow’s point of view, that’s a minor issue. A number of Russian banks are already connected to China’s CIPS system. For instance, if someone wants to buy Russian oil and gas with CIPS, payment must be in the Chinese yuan currency. CIPS is independent of SWIFT.

    Additionally, Moscow already linked its SPFS payment system not only to China but also to India and member nations of the Eurasia Economic Union (EAEU). SPFS already links to approximately 400 banks.

    With more Russian companies using SPFS and CIPS, even before they merge, and other maneuvers to bypass SWIFT, such as barter trade – largely used by sanctioned Iran – and agent banks, Russia could make up for at least 50 percent in trade losses.

    The key fact is that the flight from the US-dominated western financial system is now irreversible across Eurasia – and that will proceed in tandem with the internationalization of the yuan.

    Russia has its own bag of tricks

    Meanwhile, we’re not even talking yet about Russian retaliation for these sanctions. Former President Dmitry Medvedev already gave a hint: everything, from exiting all nuclear arms deals with the US to freezing the assets of western companies in Russia, is on the table.

    So what does the “Empire of Lies” want? (Putin terminology, on Monday’s meeting in Moscow to discuss the response to sanctions.)

    In an essay published this morning, deliciously titled America Defeats Germany for the Third Time in a Century: the MIC, OGAM and FIRE conquer NATO, Michael Hudson makes a series of crucial points, starting with how

    “NATO has become Europe’s foreign policy-making body, even to the point of dominating domestic economic interests.”

    He outlines the three oligarchies in control of US foreign policy:

    First is the military-industrial complex, which Ray McGovern memorably coined as MICIMATT (military industrial Congressional intelligence media academia think tank). Hudson defines their economy base as

    “monopoly rent, obtained above all from its arms sales to NATO, to West Asian oil exporters and to other countries with a balance-of-payments surplus.”

    Second is the oil and gas sector, joined by mining (OGAM). Their aim is

    “to maximize the price of energy and raw materials so as to maximize natural resource rent. Monopolizing the Dollar Area’s oil market and isolating it from Russian oil and gas has been a major US priority for over a year now, as the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia to Germany threatened to link the western European and Russian economies together.”

    Third is the “symbiotic” Finance, Insurance and Real Estate (FIRE) sector, which Hudson defines as

    “the counterpart to Europe’s old post-feudal landed aristocracy living by land rents.”

    As he describes these three rentier sectors that completely dominate post-industrial finance capitalism at the heart of the western system, Hudson notes how

    “Wall Street always has been closely merged with the oil and gas industry (namely, the Citigroup and Chase Manhattan banking conglomerates).”

    Hudson shows how

    “the most pressing US strategic aim of NATO confrontation with Russia is soaring oil and gas prices. In addition to creating profits and stock market gains for US companies, higher energy prices will take much of the steam out of the German economy.”

    He warns how food prices will rise “headed by wheat.” (Russia and Ukraine account for 25 percent of world wheat exports.)

    From a Global South perspective, that’s a disaster:

    “This will squeeze many West Asian and Global South food-deficient countries, worsening their balance of payments and threatening foreign debt defaults.”

    As for blocking Russian raw materials exports,

    “this threatens to cause breaks in supply chains for key materials, including cobalt, palladium, nickel, aluminum.”

    And that leads us, once again, to the heart of the matter:

    “The long-term dream of the US new Cold Warriors is to break up Russia, or at least to restore its managerial kleptocracy seeking to cash in their privatizations in western stock markets.”

    That’s not going to happen.

    Hudson clearly sees how

    “the most enormous unintended consequence of US foreign policy has been to drive Russia and China together, along with Iran, Central Asia and countries along the Belt and Road initiative.”

    Let’s confiscate some technology

    Now compare all of the above with the perspective of a central European business tycoon with vast interests, east and west, and who treasures his discretion.

    In an email exchange, the business tycoon posed serious questions about the Russian Central Bank support for its national currency, the ruble,

    “which according to US planning is being destroyed by the west through sanctions and currency wolf packs who are exposing themselves by selling rubles short. There is really almost no amount of money that can beat the dollar manipulators against the ruble. A 20 percent interest rate will kill the Russian economy unnecessarily.”

    The businessman argues that the chief effect of the rate hike

    “would be to support imports that should not be imported. The fall of the ruble is thus favorable to Russia in terms of self-sufficiency. As import prices rise, these goods should start to be produced domestically. I would just let the ruble fall to find its own level which will for a while be lower than natural forces would permit as the US will be driving it lower through sanctions and short selling manipulation in this form of economic war against Russia.”

    But that seems to tell only part of the story.

    Arguably, the lethal weapon in Russia’s arsenal of responses has been identified by the head of the Center for Economic Research of the Institute of Globalization and Social Movements (IGSO), Vasily Koltashov: the key is to confiscate technology – as in Russia ceasing to recognize US rights to patents.

    In what he qualifies as “liberating American intellectual property,”

    Koltashov calls for passing a Russian law on

    “friendly and unfriendly states. If a country turns out to be on the unfriendly list, then we can start copying its technologies in pharmaceuticals, industry, manufacturing, electronics, medicine. It can be anything – from simple details to chemical compositions.”

    This would require amendments to the Russian constitution.

    Koltashov maintains that

    “one of the foundations of success of American industry was copying of foreign patents for inventions.”

    Now, Russia could use

    “China’s extensive know-how with its latest technological production processes for copying western products: the release of American intellectual property will cause damage to the United States to the amount of $10 trillion, only in the first stage. It will be a disaster for them.”

    As it stands, the strategic stupidity of the EU beggars belief.

    China is ready to grab all Russian natural resources – with Europe left as a pitiful hostage of the oceans and of wild speculators. It looks like a total EU-Russia split is ahead – with little trade left and zero diplomacy.

    Now listen to the sound of champagne popping all across the MICIMATT.

    And you all must see how this collapse of the USD will fit into the big picture with what is happening inside of the United States right now…

    [5] WILL THERE BE A 2024 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION?

    “All tyrannies rule through fraud and force, but once the fraud is exposed, they must rely exclusively on force.” George Orwell

    The smell of tyranny is in the air.

    The level of propaganda, disinformation, and mistruth has reached astounding heights, as the ruling oligarchy/Deep State/globalist cabal are thrashing about violently because their frauds are being exposed on a daily basis.

    This shift to the tyranny of force has massive implications for everyone on the planet.

    When every quote from Orwell’s 1984 applies every day to everything swirling around us, you begin to realize we are in the midst of a dystopian nightmare which gets more ghoulish by the day.

    The last two years have been a fraud of epic proportions, conducted by a cadre of evil money titans, their financial, media, and medical apparatchiks, with the objective of tearing down our existing social and economic structure…

    …and “resetting” the world where they own everything and you own nothing, eat bugs, and provide the slave labor needed to keep society functioning.

    Of course, this will be after they dispose of tens of millions of useless eaters through their Covid/Vaxx scheme, global war, and mass starvation.

    The past two weeks have denoted a remarkable transformation in the pushing of the fraudulent fearmongering narrative about a relatively non-lethal flu…

    • vaccine mandates,
    • masking and shaming those with the common sense to rely on their immune systems,
    • to trying to provoke a world war over a border dispute with absolutely no relevance or strategic value to our country, other than to further enrich the military industrial complex and
    • the parasites and leeches in government, finance, media and war making industry who live for and love war.

    The shift has been effortless because the ruling Party, over the last two years, learned they could make the willfully ignorant and indoctrinated masses believe the most absurd story-lines with broadcast propaganda, social media influencing, and using highly compensated “experts” to lie, obfuscate, and say whatever they were paid to say.

    And just like that, the pandemic was over and a war the U.S. and NATO provoked has shifted the focus of the willfully ignorant to a new boogeyman – Vladimir Putin (aka the unhinged madman Hitler reincarnation).

    Again, the plotline is eerily reminiscent of Orwell’s Two Minutes of Hate.

    The members of the Party participated in a public setting to watch the enemy of the state (Emmanuel Goldstein) on a film screen and loudly express their hate for the enemy du jour.

    I can’t help but recognize the similarities to the last six years here in our very own dystopian empire of lies and propaganda.

    From 2016 through 2020 the face of Trump was on that screen, with the hatred of Hillary, her Deep State coup co-conspirators, the fake news media outlets, and the brain-dead liberal sycophants reaching historic levels of vitriol.

    Once Trump was eradicated, the Covid virus became the enemy on the screen, but the masses were infused with fear and incited to hate those who refused to fear this Fauci created flu.

    “The horrible thing about the Two Minutes Hate was not that one was obliged to act a part, but that it was impossible to avoid joining in. Within thirty seconds any pretense was always unnecessary. 
    
    A hideous ecstasy of fear and vindictiveness, a desire to kill, to torture, to smash faces in with a sledgehammer, seemed to flow through the whole group of people like an electric current, turning one even against one’s will into a grimacing, screaming lunatic. A
    
    nd yet the rage that one felt was an abstract, undirected emotion which could be switched from one object to another like the flame of a blowlamp.” 
    
     Orwell – 1984

    The Party needed a human face to hate.

    Once they began to rollout their Big Pharma clot shots, after falsifying their safety trial data and suppressing proven safe therapeutics like ivermectin and hydroxychloquine, the face of hate became everyone who refused to be the research in this despicable medical experiment which has been an epic failure thus far, with the long-term deadly consequences only beginning to be revealed.

    The un-vaxxed (aka pure bloods) have been treated like dirt, hated, de-platformed, banned, fired, and ridiculed.

    The two minutes of hate has extended for a year.

    But our overlords have decided the time has come to change the channel of hate towards Putin, Russia, Alex Ovechkin, Russian vodka, Russian dressing and anyone who points out the U.S. and their NATO lapdogs have provoked this conflict by surrounding Russia with military bases and missiles.

    A simple map shows why Putin felt it necessary to make a stand and confront his adversaries with a punch in the mouth.

    NATOExpansion1997
    NATO signed a treaty with Russia pledging NO WESTWARD expansion. They violated it 14 times, as the map clearly shows.

    Thus far the sanctions are toothless because neither Europe nor the U.S. can stomach the pain of being cut-off from Russian gas and oil.

    So, for the time being they will settle for their media mouthpieces conducting two minutes of hate on a grand scale until someone does something stupid and hell on earth is unleashed across the globe.

    The timing of this Ukraine conflict has been impeccable for Biden, his Covidian Cultists, their hapless discredited media lapdogs, and all the authoritarian state and local politicians whose destruction of lives and businesses has been complete.

    Now that everything the “conspiracy theorists” have been saying for two years has been proven right, these soulless goblins must distract from their criminal acts by using their power of media propaganda to lead the same clueless low IQ saps who believed their bullshit about masks, lockdowns, social distancing, vaccines, and vaccine mandates into believing we should go to war with Russia over an historical border dispute 5,000 miles from our shores.

    The same dumbasses riding alone in the car with a mask on are the ones calling for the banning of Russia vodka as a patriotic gesture to support those brave neo-Nazi Ukrainians.

    I find it endlessly amusing to see Maddow and the rest of the MSNBC left wing loonies supporting people they would classify as red neck white supremacist Trump supporters if they lived in the U.S.

    They wear their hypocrisy and imbecility proudly, while foaming at the mouth at whoever they are paid to attack.

    It’s as plain as the vacant look on Biden’s face during a press conference that Biden, his handlers, and his pollsters decided two weeks ago to Wag the Dog, scrap the covid farce, rally the country around the flag, and pretend their policies have not unleashed raging inflation, destroyed our economy, shattered the lives of millions, and unleashed an ongoing and long-term death sentence for the millions of trusting souls who believed their safe & effective narrative – injecting themselves with a DNA altering experimental drug which has already killed and maimed millions.

    Amazingly, even though Covid cases have plummeted, they are still at the same levels as November 2021 – when mandatory masking, vaccine mandates, and heavy restrictions were in full effect, with Biden and his cronies committing un-Constitutional acts, in coordination with mega-corporations and mass media, to force supposedly free Americans to participate in their warped failed experiment.

    2022 03 05 09 33
    2022 03 05 09 33

     

    It’s funny that Walensky and her corrupt CDC cohorts now are sure it is safe to go maskless, even though, according to their own statistics, covid deaths are now 65% higher than they were in November 2021.

    If I recall, senile Joe was warning us about the dark winter ahead for the unvaccinated.

    Another bogus narrative proven false.

    After witnessing his brilliant prediction, I’m a little worried about his judgement on matters of nuclear war.

    Fauci told us to trust the science, and he was the science.

    But now he is completely on-board with rolling back everything he said was essential for society to function just a month ago.

    His profile is being quickly diminished.

    He has proven to be a Big Pharma hack, who sold his soul to Satan, and will go down in history as a sociopath mass murder.

    Let’s face it, this was never about medical science, but political science.

    • Masks have never worked. Social distancing was a farce.
    • Lockdowns did not stop the virus.
    • The vaccines have failed on an epic scale.
    • The vaccines are killing and maiming people.
    • Vaccine mandates and passports are nothing more than a control and punishment mechanism.

    The critical thinking resisters have been proven right on every front. Even the gullible masses began to realize they were lied to and manipulated for political purposes.

    This is where political science overrode the faux medical science sold by Fauci and his Big Pharma puppeteers.

    The polls show Biden and his party of far-left wingnuts are going to experience YUGE losses in the November midterms.

    And just like that, Democrat governors and mayors are lifting mask mandates and vaccine mandates faster than the Biden vote count increase at 3:00 am.

    They are reversing everything they never had the authority to implement in the first place.

    They want you to forget how they destroyed the lives of millions, bankrupting hundreds of thousands of small businesses, demolishing our civil liberties, and permanently wrecking the lives of our children.

    Their plan is to switch the narrative to Russia hate and expect the ignorant masses to forget what they have done and how they severely damaged the social fabric of our society.

    They have supreme confidence in the foolishness and witlessness of the suckers who swallowed their scamdemic scheme, and after a week of observing the complete transformation of the fearful mask/mandate brigade to the “I Hate Putin” army, it appears the Bernays’ propaganda machine is running like a finely tuned fake news propagator for the globalist new world order cabal.

    Orwell’s observation that every war needs to be sold as self-defense against a homicidal maniac has been duly noted by those pulling the strings of society, as they have enlisted Vladimir Putin to be that “homicidal maniac” in their ongoing quest to destroy the world and reinvent and reset it as a techno-gulag.

    Once they can force everyone into a cashless society, we will all be wearing digital slave chains, enabling them to control our behavior by cutting us off from the ability to conduct commerce, eat, or have opinions contrary to the government narrative.

    Does the daily ebb and flow of one crisis after another, requiring greater government control of every aspect of our existence, have a Truman Show feel to you?

    The usurpation of our civil liberties, human rights, freedoms, and liberties had been gradual and almost undetectable to the indoctrinated sheep who have been distracted by their iGadgets, counting their likes and followers on social media, professional sports bread and circuses, and the filth that passes for Hollywood entertainment over the last couple decades.

    The last two years have seen a precipitous acceleration in the lawless disregard for any and all Constitutional rights, bodily rights, and human rights.

    The illegal and heavy-handed enforcement of lockdowns and vaccine mandates reveals a desperation in the actions of our globalist oligarch controllers.

    The question is whether this acceleration is part of the master plan, or an acknowledgement the endgame is approaching, and they need to gamble it all in an effort to reconfigure and reset the world to make it great for oligarchs and hell on earth for the rest of us.

    I’m convinced Orwell and Huxley were the two most prescient minds of the 20th Century when it came to understanding the human condition and how power-seeking psychopaths would always rise to the top of society and inflict their psychosis upon the masses.

    The mass formation psychosis (aka madness of crowds), which has overtaken a large swath of the population over the last two years, did not happen naturally, but was purposely initiated by propagandists who know how to manipulate the minds of the already willfully ignorant masses using mass media, social media, and parading of paid “experts” and “influencers” to sell their narrative.

    The power of groupthink is overwhelming when it is driven by fear, hatred, and the power of psychopaths like Fauci willing to lie, mislead and cover-up facts that do not support the narrative. Huxley’s description of “herd poisoning” perfectly fits how the mindless, frantic, lunacy of the Covidian Cult overrode all of the critical thinking rational non-sheep in a stampede of idiocy, engineered by those pulling the strings of society.

    “Groups are capable of being as moral and intelligent as the individuals who form them; a crowd is chaotic, has no purpose of its own and is capable of anything except intelligent action and realistic thinking. 
    
    Assembled in a crowd, people lose their powers of reasoning and their capacity for moral choice. 
    
    Their suggestibility is increased to the point where they cease to have any judgment or will of their own. 
    
    They become very ex­citable, they lose all sense of individual or collective responsibility, they are subject to sudden accesses of rage, enthusiasm and panic. 
    
    In a word, a man in a crowd behaves as though he had swallowed a large dose of some powerful intoxicant. 
    
    He is a victim of what I have called “herd-poisoning.” Like alcohol, herd-poison is an active, extraverted drug. 
    
    The crowd-intoxicated individual escapes from responsibility, in­telligence and morality into a kind of frantic, animal mindlessness.” – Aldous Huxley – Brave New World

    The same men who engineered the covid plandemic hysteria, are now making a segue directly into provoking a World War 3 scenario and urging the Covidian Cultists to rally around the Ukrainian flag and their brave patriot army to fight off the evil psychopath despot of Russia.

    It doesn’t matter that a week ago these dupes couldn’t find Ukraine on a map, had never seen their flag, didn’t know the comedian president of Ukraine’s name, and had no idea about the CIA coup that overthrew the actual president of Ukraine in 2014.

    Animal mindlessness is their specialty.

    And those trying to cause global destruction in order to build back better are wallowing in the apparent success of their plan thus far.

    Global disorder and chaos are proceeding with reckless abandon, as an already teetering, debt saturated, global economy was in danger of spinning out of control with raging inflation, rapidly decelerating GDP, and stock markets which peaked in early January and had begun to fall.

    Now you add the first real war in Europe in 77 years into the mix and you have a combustible environment threatening to blow our modern world back to the stone age.

    The world continues to spiral towards the bloody climax that mark all Fourth Turnings.

    What happens between now and then is guaranteed to be tumultuous, try men’s souls, test the mettle of freedom minded patriots, push the world to the brink, and clearly demarcate the frontier between good and evil.

    Current events related to this confusing conflict in the Ukraine may seem confined for now, but as the sanctions and countermeasures are inflicted by all sides, the unintended consequences will begin to rear their ugly head.

    The current heads of state and their trusted advisors are not intellectually competent, morally superior, or capable of analyzing the long-term impact of their emotionally driven actions, which will lead to a much broader conflict and disastrous consequences for the citizens of this world, who are nothing more than pawns in this global game of chess being played by shadowy oligarchs attempting to checkmate our freedoms, livelihoods, and ability to live our lives free from their authoritarian mandates.

    Everything we’ve been put through over the last two years has been pre-planned by Schwab, Soros, Gates, the Davos World Economic Forum crowd, and their acolytes positioned in governments across the world.

    They have been testing how far they could push their citizens before getting pushback. Lockdowns, masks, vaccines, electronic vaccine passports, social credit scoring, and conspiring with Big Pharma, Big Media, and Big Corporations to force a fake vaccine into the veins of hundreds of millions has all been part of the plan.

    Trudeau’s totalitarian crackdown on peaceful protestors, declaring dictatorial emergency powers, stealing their donated funds, freezing their bank accounts, beating them, imprisoning them, seizing their property, and trying to ruin their lives by publicly releasing their names and addresses, was just another test run by one of Schwab’s young global leader graduates.

    The same has been done in New Zealand and Australia. These actions are a prelude to what comes next. Orwell was right.

    Once they have seized power, they have no plans of relinquishing it and the object of power is power.

    The next chapter in this dystopian Truman Show is how this conflict in the Ukraine will be used to further the aims of Schwab’s Great Reset.

    You can be absolutely sure it will be used to further restrict our freedoms, rights, and free speech.

    Anyone not participating in the daily two minutes of hate will be declared a Russian asset.

    Anyone not toeing the anti-Russia narrative will be penalized financially, just as they were for not getting the jab.

    Joe Biden was a low IQ angry gaffe machine as senator and vice president. He is now a dementia ridden husk, who can barely read what his handlers tell him to say on his teleprompter.

    His weakness has led to emboldening Putin in pushing back against the US and NATO placing missiles on his border, by attacking Ukraine.

    • Economic sanctions are acts of war.
    • Cyber-attacks are acts of war.
    • Sending arms to participants in a conflict are acts of war.
    • It was economic sanctions which led to the rise of Hitler.
    • It was oil sanctions by FDR that created the desperation of Japan’s leadership, leading to the attack on Pearl Harbor.
    • If this conflict drags on, the measures and countermeasures are likely ignite a wider conflagration.

    With real inflation already at 15%, GDP at 0.0%, oil now up 20% in the last two weeks, the Fed backed into a corner and about to end QE and raise rates, and the supply chain in a shambles, these economic sanctions are going to create havoc and extreme economic pain for billions across the globe.

    Incompetent leaders, with mediocre minds, who have been installed because they will do as they are told by the globalist puppeteers, are steering the world into World War 3.

    At this point virtually no one believes we will not have a presidential election in 2024.

    Candidates are positioning themselves, pundits are calculating odds, pollsters are taking the temperature of the populace, and the media is spinning their web of lies.

    But there are multiple scenarios which could result in no presidential election in 2024. With inflation already at 40-year highs, these accelerating levels of sanctions will surely give inflation a further boost, making it impossible for Powell and his cronies to pretend it is transitory.

    They will be increasing rates and withdrawing liquidity as we enter recession, making the chances of a depression the highest in decades. This will absolutely cause the stock market and housing market to crash.

    A large swath of the population is already outraged and irate at being abused and victimized by their leaders for the last two years and told it was for the common good.

    Trucker convoys are converging on DC. to voice their displeasure. Seeing their 401ks vaporized once again and going back underwater on their recent mortgages will not be accepted without a violent reaction.

    Civil unrest has been purposely generated by the controllers over the last few years but is poised to go kinetic in the near future.

    The party that weaponized the flu to complete the coup they started in 2016 against a duly elected president and stole the 2020 election through mail-in ballot fraud and voting machine rigging, is not going to willingly relinquish power by losing the 2022 mid-terms and 2024 presidential election.

    Will they roll-out the next variant in the fall, just in time to force mail-in voting once again, so they can steal enough seats to retain power? Seems unlikely.

    If the GOP takes Congress in November, that essentially leaves Biden with executive orders to force his left-wing agenda down our throats.

    An attempt at using illegal means to enforce his agenda could meet violent resistance.

    They have already gated off their Swamp and posted the military to protect the vermin crawling around the halls of Congress.

    They have already thrown the selfie-insurrectionists into their dungeons with no due process for their “crimes”.

    What makes you think Biden and his Obama handlers will not use some excuse or false flag to declare martial law and suspend the elections?

    The more likely scenario will be driven by war scenarios. As already documented, with inflation raging across the globe, the supply chain disintegrating, the world retreating into competing camps, a declining American empire desperately trying to fend off China, and a nuclear power run by a ruthless, serious, intelligent, “Russia First” dictator, the chances of the current level of global disorder to spiral out of control are high.

    Politicians, when confronted with domestic issues they cannot solve by PR and throwing money at it, need a foreign confrontation to distract the masses from their failures.

    Biden and his bevy of like-minded EU political hacks have gladly jumped on the anti-Russia bandwagon like a pack of rabid wolves.

    Watching corporations and the media likewise go on the attack is eerily reminiscent of their extreme reaction to the un-vaxxed.

    Covid has disappeared from the daily lexicon just in time for Biden’s State of the Union and the fast-approaching November elections.

    Revisionist history is in process by the left-wing media. It was Trump’s fault.

    Someone somewhere is bound to do something stupid, whether it be a dictator, president, prime minister, general, assassin, soldier, or just a pissed off parent, which sets off the fuse for the bloody portion of this Fourth Turning.

    Once this war goes global and countries choose sides, anything can happen, and it will. Picture the domino scene in V for Vendetta.

    Once it starts it can’t be contained until there are clear victors and clear winners. The difference between this Fourth Turning and previous Fourth Turnings is the ability of several countries to initiate thermonuclear war which would end life as we know it.

    Even use of tactical nukes, EMPs, or cyber-attacks taking down crucial systems could transform our modern world into the 3rd world.

    So, a global conflict could also create an atmosphere where our ruling junta couldn’t possibly allow Donald Trump to be re-elected president.

    This, of course, would lead to civil war in the streets. It’s almost as if an orange fireball rising up above the Swamp would be preferable.

    Just remember, the current scenario was placed into motion by Schwab, Soros, Gates, and the Great Reset billionaire cabal. If we get out of this alive, you know who to hang from the lampposts.

    “Remember that all through history, there have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they seem invincible. But in the end, they always fall. Always.”Mahatma Gandhi

    So, we now know that the United States is ripe for revolution or Civil War. It’s ready. It’s ripe, and it’s amazing to me that it hasn’t yet ignited.

    All five articles so far has absolutely indicated clearly that the United States, as well as it’s “allies” are in late-stage collapse. It’s looking like any day now a switch will be flicked and a new day will begin…

    Next up…

    Alastair Crooke from HERE.
    March 12, 2022
     .

    Ukraine may be many things … but a ‘gospel of democracy’?

    We all know that the western media’s Ukraine coverage has been highly charged, playing on western feelings of sympathy for (some) underdog ‘victims’, and directing feelings towards a moral outrage that insists – even demands – retribution and punishment for the perceived perpetrators.

    David Brooks in the New York Times elevates this feeling of guilt to higher planes:

    “The creed of liberalism is getting a second wind [and has] reminded us not only what it looks like to believe in democracy, the liberal order and national honour; but also to act bravely on behalf of these things. They’ve reminded us how the setbacks [may] have caused us to doubt and be passive about the gospel of democracy. But despite all our failings, the gospel is still glowingly true”.

    Ukraine may be many things … but a ‘gospel of democracy’?

    Every serious crisis, of course, is also an opportunity for mythopoesis – especially at a time of anomie, when a dispirited less than half of a society believes that their country is not invested in them and “that the economic and political systems (and the people who run them), are stacked against [them] – no matter what you do”.

    The Anglo-American Establishment has proved adept at intuiting: that owing to such anomie and erosion of our ‘sacred canopy’, a ‘noble lie’ can be used to give a rules-based order a last gasp.

    Its’ inherent power can be harnessed to generate the outrage as casus belli for global liberalism.

    After all, what better unifying force than the ‘grand American project’ of war to energise one’s desire for a reappropriated national significance.

    The West has taken dominance of the ‘information space’ to new heights: consolidating the media; tightening its hold on information; marginalising the few investigative journalists that remain; and nullifying scepticism as examples of appeasement, or of “Putinism”.

    Freedom of online thought is disallowed; selective broadcast perspectives are removed or allowed (for example, pro neo-Nazi sympathies and politically-charged violence against Russians and Russia); and a monopoly over truth is established.

    So that when caught in falsehoods, any errant intrusion simply is algorithmically ‘disappeared’.

    There is no doubt that the West has refined this mode of battle-scape to the highest degree, but its very success also diffuses its own pathogens throughout the western capillaries.

    Once set in motion, it possesses all the addictive power of online gaming.

    Write the script for a new scenario; direct its production; and then stage it on video.

    Many may disbelieve the resulting piece, but there is nothing for them to do, except to watch it in mute, frustrated silence.

    Game over.

    You have ‘won’.

    Except you don’t.

    This game generates its own momentum.

    There is always another, at hand, to trump the last player’s taunt at Putin; to hail the victim’s new act of selfless bravery; to speculate about yet more foul deeds planned against him.

    And so the demand for retribution and punishment is invested with unstoppable momentum. The logic to its structure makes it almost impossible for any political leader to stand against the swelling tide.

    That’s where we are: Three realities that are so severed from each other that they do not touch at any point.

    There is the reality of PsyOps that bears almost no resemblance to the reality of the military situation on the ground.

        • “News” of the Ukraine conflict = PsyOps
        • Actual events and battles in the conflict.

    Indeed, they manifest as polar inversions of each other. PsyOps: A heroic resistance versus a failing, demoralised and hobbled Russian army.

    Whereas the reality is that “Putin is NOT crazy and the Russian invasion is NOT failing”.

    Then there is the clashing realities of a Europe and U.S. conjoined in ‘an economic, moral enterprise of social power and fighting morale’ (albeit at certain self-sacrifice/self-flagellation to themselves) to punish Russia.

    And the other reality that a ‘world at war’ – whether kinetic or financial – will be a disaster for Europe (and America).

    War is inflationary.

    War is contractionary (and inflationary too).

    Everything – oil, gas, metals – the lot – are going up vertically, and the whole production chain for food is under pressure from every side.

    But this situation clearly is less disastrous for a super food and commodity supplier like Russia.

    The third set of severed realities are, on the one hand, the contextless, exclusive focus on the Ukraine events, which effaces this moment of global political and economic inflection, and – on the other – the elephant-in-the room which is the Russia-China mega project to force a withdrawal and containment of the entire ‘rules-based’ hegemonic order.

    There are other severed realities out there (such as the one about Russia isolated and shunned versus the reality that much of the planet does not support U.S. and European punitive sanctions) – but never mind that.

    The point here is not just what happens when these realities collide, but what happens when one or other ‘reality’ that already holds a hyper emotional, moralising charge is forced into full consciousness as having been WRONG?

    This is the pathogen inherent in taking the battle-scape of information dominance to an extreme: It begs the question: in what way will emotions turn if all the hype falls flat, and the ‘bad guy’ wins the game?

    Will people turn against their present leaderships, or opt to double-down, demanding more ‘war’ as instincts rebel against any the realisation of failure inflicted upon settled quasi-religious convictions?

    The outcome to this psychic dilemma may determine whether we are heading to escalation and extended war, or not.

    U.S. intelligence officials claimed on Tuesday that Putin is ‘desperate’ to end the conflict over Ukraine, with some privately suggesting he could even set off a tactical nuclear weapon in a Ukrainian city to get the job done.

    Fuelled by his disappointments, Putin could resort to using a small nuke:

    “You know, Russian doctrine holds that you escalate to de-escalate, and so I think the risk would rise, according to the doctrine,” 
    
    -CIA Director, and former U.S. Ambassador to Moscow

    There it is … the next stage of escalation.

    This now is being attributed to Putin, but the point is that it has been put ‘out there’ very publicly by the CIA.

    Is this ground preparation?

    An escalation to this level is likely not on the cards, so long, and only so long, as the option of sticking Russia into a Ukrainian quagmire remains firmly on the cards.

    If the PsyOps narrative – on which so much hangs – doesn’t stand up to the ground reality, the public will demand answers.

    Why were they led up “the Primrose Path”?

    The setback to the ‘sacred canopy’ would be immense.

    Biological labs have been found in Ukraine that reportedly have a U.S. connection:

    When asked about them, Victoria Nuland surprisingly admitted their existence, but said “she’s worried Russia might get them and that she’s 100% sure if there is a biological attack – it’s Russia”.

    On Thursday, the UK media led with the headline, “Putin plotting chemical weapons attack in Ukraine”.

    Plainly, the fear factor is being ramped to sustain a long-term insurgency/quagmire strategy for Russia in western Ukraine. It is, as David Brooks hinted, the last gasp in the defence of the liberal world order.

    Can all this hype – small nukes, bio and chemical weapons – really take us to war? James Carden, in his piece says it can – and has. He quotes one instance:

    “In a private letter written in 1918, the recently deposed German chancellor admitted that in the run-up to the Great War, “there were special circumstances that militated in favour of war, including those in which Germany in 1870-71 entered the circle of great powers” and became “the object of vengeful envy on the part of the other Great Powers, largely though not entirely by her own fault.”
    
    “Yet Bethmann saw another crucial factor at work: that of public opinion. “How else,” he asked, “[to] explain the senseless and impassioned zeal which allowed countries like Italy, Rumania, and even America, not originally involved in the war, no rest until they too had immersed themselves in the bloodbath? Surely this is the immediate, tangible expression of a general disposition toward war in the world.”

    Against the prospect that Putin may achieve his aims, short of general war, how might Europe and America react? They might react very differently.

    Firstly, we must recall that one object of this ‘war fever’ always was to bind Europe to the U.S., and into NATO, and to prevent Russia-China co-opting Europe into the Great Asian Heartland economic integration project – thus leaving the U.S. as an isolated maritime ‘island’, strategically speaking.

    The hardcore Neo-cons have had positive results: Nordstream 2 is cancelled – leaving Europe without a cheap secure source of energy.

    From the outset, the European project was conceived as a marriage of Russian resources to European manufacturing capacity.

    This option is now over.

    The EU has fully bound itself into the ‘fever’, and into U.S. sphere.

    And it has erected an ‘iron curtain’ against Russia (and by extension China).

    It has ‘sanctioned itself’ into a high-cost energy and commodity paradigm and made itself a captive market for the U.S. energy majors and American technology.

    The EU has been fond of imagining itself as a liberal imperium.

    But that surely is gone now.

    Its’ Davos-style ‘re-set’, designed to steal a march on America, is defunct.

    The four key ‘transitions’ on which Brussels was depending to lift its reach from the national-level, to the global supra-national level, are defunct: Global ‘green pass’ health regulations, Climate, automation and monetary regulatory frameworks – for one reason or another – have failed and are off the agenda.

    The EU was counting on these transitions as the peg to print a huge amount of money.

    They need it in order to liquefy an over-indebted system. Absent this peg, they are mulling a (highly inflationary) slush fund (ostensibly for defence and Russian energy substitution), financed by euro-bonds. (It will be interesting to see whether the so-called ‘frugal four’ EU states buy into this ploy for mutualised debt).

    Yet inflation – already high and accelerating – is at the root of the crisis Brussels is facing. There is little to be done about this in light of the sanctions which the EU has enacted on Russia – with prices of everything going up vertically.

    And as for the other lacuna, there’s no way Europe can find 200 billion cubic meters of gas anywhere else to replace Russia, be it in Algeria, Qatar or Turkmenistan – not to mention the EU’s lack of necessary LNG terminals.

    Europeans face a bleak future of soaring prices and economic contraction. For now, they can offer little political dissent to the controlling élites. The frameworks for genuine (as opposed to token) opposition in Europe, largely have been dismantled in the zeal of Brussels to suppress ‘populism’. EU citizens will bear the prospect in sullen anger (until the pain becomes unbearable).

    ‘Populism’ in the U.S. however, is not dead. Some 30 GOP Congressmen have opted to retire at the coming midterms.

    We may well witness an upsurge in the American populist sentiment in November.

    The point here, is that American populism traditionally is fiscally conservative.

    And it seems that Wall Street is shifting in that direction too: i.e. they may be getting ready to ditch Biden, and to support more fiscal rigour.

    This potentially is huge. This week the Federal Reserve head said that whilst a part of the record U.S. inflation may be put down to Fed responsibility, Congress however was responsible too.

    This translates roughly as ‘stop the Big Spend, Biden!’.

    The Fed needs the space to raise interest rates. The head of Citibank spoke in a similar vein.

    Will Wall Street swap horses (they backed Biden at the last election), and thus magnify the margin to the likely Republican majority in Congress? If so, with a big enough majority – anything may (politically) become possible. Republican conservatism traditionally (i.e. before the flirt with neo-con hawks) is highly cautious of foreign adventurism.

    ‘Whether it be BLM, Coronavirus, or now Ukraine, every single issue is talked about in apocalyptic terms and with gargantuan fear. But, as for all these frights:
    
    “The deplorables are done”’. (paraphrased)

    Next up…

    [7] The Great Decoupling: How Western Sanctions Are Pushing Moscow East

    Scott Ritter. From Energy Intelligence

    By seeking an economic divorce from Russia, US President Joe Biden and his European allies ignored the time-tested saying, “Keep your friends close but your enemies closer.” In doing so, they have enabled the complete economic decoupling of Russia from the West. The resulting Russian economic union with China will transform global geopolitical reality, to the detriment of those who sought these sanctions in the first place.

    Ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has had a Jekyll and Hyde relationship with the US and the West. In the dire economic reality of post-Soviet Russia, many in the West believed the Soviet ghost could best be exorcised through a crash program of democratization, which would accompany the transformation of the ruined, centrally controlled Soviet economy into a vibrant free market built along Western capitalist lines.

    The result was a disaster.

    Post-Soviet Russia President Boris Yeltsin proved unsuited for the task, and what passed for democracy in Russia was quickly quashed in October 1993, when Yeltsin ordered the Russian Army to open fire on the Russian legislature. The strangulation of democracy was completed when Yeltsin won re-election in 1996 in a heavily tainted contest.

    Rise of the Oligarchs

    The Russian economy, meanwhile, had been taken over by Western carpetbaggers looking for a quick profit and unethical Russian entrepreneurs, who shaped domestic laws and policies that enabled them to acquire former state enterprises at rock-bottom prices.

    The resulting oligarch class of billionaires began an incestuous relationship with their Western benefactors, trading access to Russian resources for help in transferring billions of dollars to offshore shelters, in the form of prime real estate, bank accounts out of reach of Russian authority, and prestige investments such as sports teams.

    Left in the wake of this unscrupulous acquisition of wealth were average Russian citizens, who got only the meloch (loose change) of Russia’s experiment in capitalism, the stores and services that constitute the trappings of an ostensibly better life. Russia struggled, but survived. And the end of the 1990s, as Yeltsin turned over the sickly body of post-Soviet Russia to his hand-picked successor, Vladimir Putin, there was a class of people in Russia who had tied their fortune and livelihood to the promise of Western-style capitalism.

    Putin undoubtedly saw the promise of a Russian economy guided by the principles of capitalism. But he faced the reality that, under Yeltsin, Russia had sold itself to outside interests which, in concert with an increasingly corrupt oligarch class, was throttling Russia’s economic potential. Putin also brought to the Russian presidency a strongly held belief that Russia needed to restore its position as a great power — not fully elevated to the status of the former Soviet Union, but at least equal to other world powers as part of a multilateral approach to global geopolitics.

    All Except Russia

    Putin’s efforts put him at odds with the US and Western Europe, which had taken advantage of the collapse of the Soviet Union and its Eastern European satellites to create a new European security framework that sought to unify all of Europe under a single economic, political and military umbrella — all of Europe, that is, except Russia.

    Russia’s role in this great transformation was to remain militarily weak and politically compliant. Putin’s efforts at restoring Russia as a great power threw a wrench into this plan, and Russia found itself increasingly viewed as a threat by both the US and Europe. Putin’s suppression of the oligarchs, where he allowed them to retain their wealth and assets in exchange for their retreat from politics, weakened Western access to and control of Russian domestic affairs.

    Moreover, Russian pushback against the expansion of Nato into Eastern Europe, when combined with the US-initiated termination of some core Cold War arms control treaty relationships, transformed Russia from a political nuisance into a geopolitical rival.

    Russia’s war with Georgia in 2008 and annexation of Crimea in 2014 opened the door to US-led economic sanctions designed to punish Russia for its actions. These sanctions, when coupled with similar US sanctioning of Iran, forced Russia to confront the reality that the era of unconstrained economic association with the West was ending.

    Pivoting East

    Russia, together with China, began looking for alternatives to the US dollar-dominated model of global economic interaction. In doing so, they began to find common cause in crafting a geopolitical alternative to the US-led “rules-based international order,” which had dominated the global political and economic scaffolding constructed at the end of World War II.

    Any Russian pivot to the East, however, was constrained by the reality that the Russian economy remained inextricably intertwined with the West. Not only was the Russian oligarchs’ wealth squirreled away in offshore shelters, but there was an entire class of Russian citizens whose daily livelihood was woven into the fabric of an economy that had absorbed Western businesses and practices. Any attempt at a divorce from the West would transform what had been a largely pro-Western Russian middle class into a politically active constituency that, if coupled to a hobbled but still powerful oligarch class, could challenge Putin’s hold on power.

    Strategic Error

    But Biden and his European allies decided to drop their “Keep your friends close but your enemies closer” approach in favor of the opposite.

    The mistake was to believe that bringing enough pain to bear on the Russian people would prompt a political backlash that could lead to Putin’s removal from power. But for this pain to bring meaningful domestic political change, Russia would need to retain some economic connectivity with the West. Otherwise, the pain would be intense, but short-lived.

    Left to his own devices, Putin would never have been able to divorce Russia from the West, and thus insulate Russian society — and, by extension, his ability to govern — from Western sanctions. Here, the US and Europe are doing Putin a huge favor, with current sweeping sanctions giving him the ability to separate Russia from its economic association with the West without the politically fatal consequences of being seen to do this on his own volition.

    Thanks to the US-led sanctions, Putin will now be able to neuter the Russian oligarch class for good. The sanctions have likewise politically neutralized that portion of the Russian middle class that was economically married to Western businesses, goods, services — and mystique.

    Putin has been granted his divorce without so far paying any meaningful political price. While the US and Europe may claim that Putin brought this on by invading Ukraine, to the Russian people, US and European actions led to the divorce. The demonization of everything Russia-related by many in the West only helps the Russian government deflect blame from itself, and onto the West. The West made it personal.

    “I assure you,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the press on Mar. 10, “we will overcome adversity, and we will do everything to no longer depend on the West in any strategic sectors of our life that are of decisive importance for our people.” Russia, Lavrov said, “will no longer depend on any Western companies.”

    As Lavrov delivered his remarks, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia Dmitri Medvedev announced that the government was considering the possibility of nationalizing or bankrupting the property of foreign companies leaving Russia. The decoupling has begun.

    What we have here are just a few of the many, many articles describing this particular snapshot in time.

    What we can see from all these writings is that all the elements for late-stage collapse of the dominant United States empire are in place, and that the rising Asia (Russia, India and China combined) are more than capable in displacing it.

    During the inflexion point, anything can happen…

    • American hyper-inflation
    • American civil war
    • Numerous wars throughout the globe
    • A major war, maybe nuclear or bioweapon
    • Change of the reserve currency
    • Mass famine, discord or die-offs

    Note that during this period of inflexion and change, you want to stay FAR away from the strife, and be in a place where you can handle the changes adroitly. You might want to stay in a safe location in the receeding empire, or move to the growing empire. You could also move to a safe isolated third nation well out of the fray.

    But what nation?

    Use history as a guide.

    During the last period of change, when the European Empires (a collective group) was displaced by the United States, we learned that…

    • The collapsing world power (Europe) was completely destroyed and in ruins
      • All of Germany, France, Italy, and all of Eastern Europe.
      • Much of the UKs overseas colonies; India, Africa.
      • France was a mess.
      • Poland was in rubble.
      • Western Europe, Hungary and all the rest absolutey rubbled.
    • The rising world power (The United States) remained intact
    • The emerging powers (Russia, China) were broken and in turmoil

    In this current bout of change, we should take note that…

    • The collapsing world power = Is now the United States.
    • The rising world power = Is Asia (Russia, India and China together)
    • The emerging powers = Korea, Japan, Australia, Pakastan, Brazil will experience change, and possible turmoil.

    Take note of history and plan accordingly.

    • Go to either a Rising World Power, or one of the Emerging Powers.
    • Try to bail out and leave the Collapsing World Power.

    Remember that during a cycle-based change…

    • The collapsing world power becomes absolutely destroyed, and in ruins.
    • The rising world power is unscathed and left intact.
    • The emerging powers undergo social, economic, military, and structural change. A well prepaired family can adjust to the opportunites afforded in this changing environment and profit from them.

    The destruction comes in many forms…

    “In two weeks, China, Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan will reveal an independent international monetary and financial system. It will be based on a new international currency, calculated from an index of national currencies of the participating countries and international commodity prices” 
    
    -Sputnik News, Mar. 14, 2022.

    Along with the new currency, Russia and China will also reveal their Unfriendly Nation Lists.

    Andrei hits it on the head.

    From HERE.

    The reports about the Russians losing a million tanks, soldiers, missiles and men are gradually being replaced with more sober assessments and the maps produced by western outlets are gradually starting to look more or less similar to the maps produced by the various “Putin propaganda outlets”.

    I see two things coming next:

    • The much announced “Russian atrocity” false flag (several have failed over the past few days, including one chemical one which was thwarted when the wind blew in the “wrong” direction – that is away from the targeted town.
    • Poland will try to convince the USA to allow it to hide behind Uncle Shmuel’s back and conduct a “peacekeeping operation” to create a mini-Banderastan in western Ukraine.

    Now there is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that the USA want three things:

    1. A war lasting as long as possible
    2. As many civilian victims as possible
    3. To flood the Ukraine with weapons to then direct a “stay-behind” insurgency

    I am not at all convinced that the USA will go along with the Polish plan.  Why?  Because I believe that a Russian Iskander strike INSIDE POLAND (similar to the ones we saw in Iavorovo, the ammo dump in Kiev and in Novaia Liubomirka) is a quasi-certitude (remember: Russia IS ready to fight both NATO and the US together!).  BTW – the one in Iavorovo blew up a huge ammo dump which was buried under 60 meters of rock.  I have no explanation for how that was achieved.  Does anybody?

    Bottom line is that if the Polaks organize another little “peacekeeping training camp” and think that the Russians won’t dare to strike a NATO country they are quite wrong.  They are probably too dumb/delusional to realize that, but the folks at the US DoD probably do and don’t need this.  Why, well precisely because NATO member or not, Article 5 or not, nobody will come to aid the Polaks against the wrath of the entire Russian military, the manpower and resources needed a not there anyway…

    Unless the Russians and the US Americans agree to a partition of the Ukraine.  Not likely, but always possible.  It is going to almost certainly happen anyway, the only way to prevent that is Russian tanks at the Polish border, and not just for a quick visit, but to create something like the 201 base in Tajikistan.

    Anyway, let’s not get ahead of ourselves, this is all still in the future.

    What about the events on the front line?

    I won’t into details here but I will offer a few bullet points

    • Very heavy combats near Avdeevka and Mariupol.
    • Combat pretty much everywhere the line of contact, which result in slow positional warfare with artillery exchanges and very careful mopping up building by building and even room by room.
    • On average Russian forces advance between 5 and 20 kilometers per day, which is rather fast against a defense in depth prepared for years.
    • The key cities of Kiev and Odessa are almost completely blocked, but not fully surrounded yet.
    • The Black Sea fleet basically controls the entire Ukie coast and all of the Black Sea itself.
    • The Black Sea fleet also prevents any resupply of Odessa from Romania.
    • Russia has full air superiority over the entire Ukie airspace
    • The Ukies are STILL firing both Tochka-U and Grad/Smrech missiles in the general direction of liberated cities just to create as many casualties as possible, but the Russians have become very skilled at not only shooting down these missiles (the destruction ratio has gone up very sharply) but also a destroying the key Ukrainian ammo dumps were they hide those missiles (this is what happened with the big building in downtown Kiev which the Russians totally vaporized with one perfectly aimed Iskander missile.  If you have not seen this amazing video, you can quickly re-watch it here:
    Lordy! That is an AMAZING FUCKING Video!
    .
    And here is a video of what the Ukies were hiding under this commercial building (photo from a local resident since disappeared by the Ukie SBU:

    2022 03 23 10 19
    2022 03 23 10 19

    .

    And, finally, I want to share something very important with you: the Ukronazi forces cannot resupply or rotate themselves.  Why?

    • Because moving around when the air is full of Mi-24/35s, Mi-28Ns, and Ka-52s in “free hunting” mode requires a type of courage very few people have.
    • Because most roads are carefully monitored by multi-sensor Russian reconnaissance/intelligence capabilities
    • Because more big roads (you cannot use small dirt roads to resupply or rotate effectively) are either already physically controlled by the Russians or are “shot through”, which in Russian indicate that while Russian soldiers have reached each other and hugged they can shoot at any location from these roads from any side.

    So it does not matter how motivated the Ukrainians are.  Even with we assume 100% of the Ukrainians are well trained, well-armed and would rather die than retreat or surrender, they still need many TONS of stuff (food, ammo, water, MRE, medicine, batteries, petroleum, diesel, lubricants, oil and many more things!) EVERY DAY.  Just to give you an idea, read this pretty decent discussion of some aspects of logistics by the US military.

    So once the Ukies are blocked by Russians, it is essentially over for them.  Anybody with a basic understanding of modern warfare can confirm that to you.

    Add to this in the very first day Russia destroyed all the Ukie communication centers and capabilities in the first few hours of the operation, and you will see that while the Ukrainian side has “brigades” and “battalions” these are all undermanned and, crucially, cannot cooperate with each other.  In other words, they cannot jointly maneuver to support each other.

    To put it in the simplest terms, the Ukrainians are not able to conduct any operations, and that is why all their so-called “counter-attacks” always fail and mostly never even materialized.  At best, they can destroy a Russian checkpoint, blow up a truck or even shoot down a helicopter, but none of that solves their real problem which is that they are now mostly reduced to WWI type of warfare against a 21st-century ultra-modern military which has the total control of the situation.

    .

    PS: found a very decent map of the situation on Telegram (the place to go for good info!).

    2022 03 23 10 22
    2022 03 23 10 22

    The most important video of this article

    All of these articles lead up to the final purpose of this article.

    It is to calm the reader to see that everything that is going on is [1] being managed and [2] following a well-known and well-established  process.

    Do not freak out. No matter what bullshit is present in the “news” onslaught.

    The following is an exceptionally well done video that explains a theory of Geo-political cycles. This in many ways resembles the Fourth Turning theory of generational changes. It is presented simply, and brilliantly.

    I personally believe that true information can be conveyed by others in simple terms, and this video is one excellent example of this.

    Now, this video differs from my personal view. In that it claimed that the UK was the single dominant nation displaced by the United States in the 1940s. They view this by reserve currency only. Where I claim that it was the totality of Europe (Germany, the UK, France, Poland, and all the rest) that were displaced by the United States. Reserve currency is but one aspect of the totality of issues involved in change. But aside from this difference, it’s never the less a great video.

    Here we end this article with this great video. Please watch it.

    You will be glad that you did.

    Video here on You-Tube.

    2022 03 14 14 23
    2022 03 14 14 23

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 3

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

    .

    .

    Plunging aircraft, apple cakes, treasury printing presses on overdrive, Rufus , ‘Ol Remus, GPS, and the Bi-atch of Ukraine.

    Finally, signs over the weekend that US getting frustrated with Chinese offering countries who wish to be neutral, a robust alternative to the Western sanctions regime. 
    
    After a meaninglessly polite agree-to-disagree meeting with Xi and Biden, Chinese ambassador was thoroughly disrespected on CNN yesterday. 
    
    I'm keeping eyes open for moves by US State Dept etc to play some of its options in the department of strategic destabilization of countries adjacent to China, and/or neutral countries. 
    
    - PTB

    The obvious plan is for the United States to unify itself; a collapsing nation, by a unifying major war.

    Initially, it was thought that a long, drawn out conventional war against Russia was possible, and then while Russia is preoccupied and “bled to death”, a second  one could then be “pivoted” towards a war against China.

    The hot flash zones are well known.

    These are the RED LINES. For Russia, And the RED LINES for China.

    • For Russia, it is nuclear weapons and NATO in Ukraine.
    • For China, it is outside involvment, independence, or nuclear weapons in Taiwan.

    For the United States to initiate these long, drawn out wars, it needs to [1] cross those RED LINES, and then [2] manage the conflict on its own terms.

    It’s pretty obvious. Not reported in the West, but really quite obvious.

    So far, it appears that things are moving ahead according to plan.

    This article collects a long series of events and reports regarding both China and Russia at this (frozen) moment of time. Most of these reports and narratives have been submerged under the enormous and spellbinding American psyops machine that has been saturating the airwaves for months now.

    Here, we are going to pick though the bits and pieces (twigs and thissles) in that big gushing flood of disinformation just spewing forth from the mighty American propaganda machine.

    To begin, we provide the Chinese viewpoint of why America wants China to join with it in sanctioning Russia (over the Ukraine invasion)…

    Why the USA wants China to sanction Russia

    This is the official point of view of the Chinese government.

    2022 03 22 07 56
    2022 03 22 07 56

    .

    And here is a comment on the above tweet from the Chinese Government. It flushes it out using better English and parses the nuiances in clear language.

    2022 03 22 07 5xx6
    2022 03 22 07 5xx6

    Today’s Mythmaking

    A recurring theme in the American telling of history is that the bad guys do bad things for no reason at all. The general plot is that things were going along just fine and then all of a sudden, for no reason at all, the bad guys started doing bad things. Inevitably, the good guys, which will always be the Americans, were forced to break away from minding their own business to save the world from badness.

    The Great War was probably the first run at this form of mythmaking. According to legend, America was trying hard to stay out of the war in Europe, then for no reason at all those very bad Germans started preying on American ships. Finally, those evil Germans sunk a perfectly innocent passenger ship called the Lusitania. The fact that it was stuffed with munitions is conveniently omitted from the tale.

    Of course, the Second World War is the full expression of this myth. In the Pacific, the great yellow menace decided out of the blue to attack Hawaii. America was at peace and for no reason at all the Japs attacked Pearl Harbor. In Europe, America’s peace plan created by Woodrow Wilson was working perfectly, but then for no reason at all those very bad Germans declared war on the world.

    “According to the myth, America has been minding its own business and for no reason at all the Russians launched this bloody war against innocent civilians.”

    The important elements of the story are always the same. America is the innocent bystander, doing its best to mind its own business. The villain is not just the aggressor, but they have no justification for their actions. Whatever reasons they have are dismissed as irrational or evil. The final element is that America must reluctantly swing into action to save the world from the bad guys.

    This sort of stuff makes sense after success. The winners get to tell the story of their victory and that always means mythmaking. The only example we have of the winner declaring themselves the villain and the loser being cast as the morally superior party is colonialism. In America that means the natives are the innocents and the paleface is the bad guy. This tale, however, is not written by the actual victors in the fight, but the winners in the 20th-century culture war.

    This now-standard form of American mythmaking is not just a post hoc justification, but a justification for future action. The crusades against Islam were framed the same way by the neocons running foreign policy. Instead of mythmaking to explain past action, it is mythmaking to justify one of their schemes. American must reluctantly attack some country, in order to avoid being forced to do it later.

    In their booklet The War Over Iraq: Saddam’s Tyranny and America’s Mission, Bill Kristol and Larry Kagan used this exact framing to argue for the invasion of Iraq in the second Bush administration. Preemption is the claim that it is morally justified to attack another country if it can be argued that the target country could one day be a threat to American interests or the interests of American allies.

    It is fair to say the entire crusade against Islam was framed as a reaction by America to actors suddenly doing things for no reason at all. Saudi terrorists flew planes into the World Trade Center for no reason at all, so America reluctantly attacked and occupied Afghanistan. Saddam could possibly have thought about getting nukes for no reason at all, so America invaded Iraq and deposed the ruling regime. The same narrative was ready for Iran, but the clock ran out on the Bush administration.

    Now we are seeing the same arguments with regards to Ukraine. America is being dragged into this conflict against its will because Russia, for no reason at all, has invaded the sacred lands of Ukraine. Members of Congress are being marched out in front of the cameras by their neocon handlers to tell us that we have no choice but to risk nuclear annihilation over Ukraine.

    Of course, there is never any mention of the endless meddling by Washington or the meddling in other former Soviet republics on the Russian border. According to the myth, America has been minding its own business and for no reason at all the Russians launched this bloody war against innocent civilians. Even if they have a reason, it is Russian disinformation and only Putin puppets believe it.

    It is clear from the massive public-relations campaign put on by the American media that they were sure the old myth of America would work again. Everyone dutifully started chanting “Keev” and donned the colors of Ukraine. The big social media platforms swung into action to suppress dissent. Everyone assumed this was going to work and the public would rush to support a war with Russia.

    The fact that this has not happened, despite the enormous bombardment from the mass media, suggests the myth of America as reluctant warrior has run out of road. Most Americans are willing to accept Ukraine as the victim and Russia as the aggressor, but they draw the line at acting on it. Even the mouth breathers who consume conservative talk radio have started to question the flag-waving.

    At the end of the Cold War, the hope was that America could go back to being a normal country again, instead of the savior of the world. Instead, it was a generation of pointless wars of choice cooked up by neoconservative nutters with an ancient grudge against humanity. Like a drug-resistant virus, they have infested the foreign-policy establishment, leading to one disaster after another.

    Their final act may very well be destroying America’s image of itself as a positive force in the world. That will be a difficult thing for people to accept, especially the older generations, but it will be a small price to pay if it means the removal of this carbuncle from the face of the country. If humiliation in Ukraine means America turns back to normalcy, then the end of that myth will be worth it.

    It is time for the United States Empire to die

    “Our media is filled with silly lies, like Russians not having access to information from outside their country. Because that’s believable in the internet age. Or that the Russian military does evil things for no reason, like blowing up hospitals and theaters full of children (though these atrocities miraculously never leave any evidence behind, like bodies). Then why are civilian casualties from more than three weeks of heavy fighting so low? By all accounts, much lower than Russian military casualties? Isn’t that pretty compelling evidence that they’re tiptoeing through Ukraine being extraordinarily careful to not cause civilian casualties?

    Well, ackshullllly that’s only because they’re too weak to use the means necessary to win! Oh, I see. That famous Russian weakness again. First off, it’s interesting that we see goodness as weakness and are proud of it. And yes, that is a true statement. Our first month in Iraq inflicted 4-7 thousand civilian deaths and that’s probably undercounted. It’s also interesting that we tell lies that obviously contradict each other and see no problem with this.

    Try to have a memory span longer than a goldfish.

    Remember Day 3 of the operation when a bunch of Russian armored vehicles parked near Kiev and American “experts” declared they were out of fuel? Because as we all know, Russia is famous for not having enough oil. I’m sure their tanks running out of fuel within 75 miles of their own border is a plausible thing that could happen and not total nonsense.”

    It is time.

    .

    “Russia & China, Together at Last”: Historian Al McCoy Predicts Ukraine War to Birth New World Order

    YouTube. Pretty good.

    Presiden Biden WARNS Xi Peng that there will be CONSEQUENCES if China provides material support to Russia. The meeting between Biden and Xi Peng was an effort by Biden to break-up the relationship between Russia and China which is catastrophically shaking up the United States led current world order. It failed. As Xi Peng will continue to stand strong with it’s next door neighbor, and not help the United States; it’s enemy.

    THIS IS A MUST WATCH.

    2022 03 22 15 35
    2022 03 22 15 35

    .

    America has something to say…

    You-tube

    2022 03 22 20 04
    2022 03 22 20 04

    The last seconds of China Eastern Airlines MU5735 were caught on a CCTV camera.

    Everyone is dead. This is a near vertical dive. The plain aimed for the ground and slammed into it at full speed. It’s a very unusual crash. Color me suspicious.

    Crash Video

    .

    From MM comment section;

    This article below states that the crash has aviation experts puzzled because the crash “profile” was very unusual with the angle of descent essentially plunging straight down.
    
    Was this crash an accident; another Boeing 737Max demonstrating that it is a dangerous plane; or even terrorism?
    
    I find it curious that this crash happened after the recent attempts by America to pressure China to distance itself from Russia over the Ukraine issue.
    
    Coincidence?
    
    Aviation Experts Baffled By Crash Of China Eastern Airlines Flight MU5735

    From MM’s email…

    I am sure you have seen the video by now of the Chinese plane dropping at a perfect perpendicular angle to the horizon out of the sky? Wondering your thoughts about this. Seems highly suspicious given America's little pep talk with China that ended with them having an even bigger bruised ego. Surely this is an act of war on America's part. I have never seen a plane head for the ground like that. Usually they are still upright/upside down, aren't they?

    Crash of China passenger plane ‘very puzzling’

    "It's unheard of that such a modern passenger plane would take such a vertical plunge and crash."

    You-tube. Descent to crash is less than two minutes.

    2022 03 22 16 16
    2022 03 22 16 16

    The plane crash resembles the Nazi Ukrainian symbol

    It is of a bird flying straight down to the ground.

    6d4bab5f9b7432df89ac668c6265e587
    Ukrainian bird symbol.

    Here is the aftermath of #MU5735 #crash of the #b737-800. The size of the impact is consistent with the last ADS-B data the aircraft sent – the aircraft was in a straight nosedive. We will have to wait for FDR/CVR data to know what caused the accident.pic.twitter.com/MaJoIao8B9
    — The 737 Handbook (@737handbook) March 21, 2022
    Strange vertical speed value during the horizontal flight.#B1791 #MU5735 #B737 #ChinaEastern #crash pic.twitter.com/gNanhEDUDx
    
    — 🇦‌🇻‌🇮‌🇦‌🇸‌🇪‌🇷‌🇻‌🇪‌🇷‌ (@aviaserver) March 21, 2022

    Why is everyone on my feeds suspecious of the plane crash?

    Chinese passenger plane goes straight into the ground like a missile:
    Experts: "We've never seen a plane do THAT before!"
    
    Reminds me of MH370 ... never seen a plane do THAT before either.
    
    Reminds me of MH17 ... another plane doing odd things.
    
    Just around the time Uncle Sam is turning up the pressure on China ... Coincidence?
    
    In the meantime:
    
    Blinken: "Bend the knee, chinaman!"
    Boris: "Bend the knee, chinaman!"
    
    -Arch Bungle | Mar 22 2022 5:58 utc

    What does the Chinese government think?

    I don’t know.

    Within the next six months keep your eyes open for another plane mishap. Only this time in the United States, or in one of the “five eye nations”.

    If one happens, there’s a 90% chance it’s part of the on-going tit-for-tat fight and response actions between the USA and China.

    I strongly urge American readers to MM not to take any airplane trips in the coming Spring or Summer.

    Russia’s New Buk-M3 Air Defense Missile System Now Appears To Be In Ukraine

    Russia no doubt hopes the latest iteration of the Buk surface-to-air missile system helps turn the tables against the Ukrainian Air Force.
    .
    There are signs  the Kremlin is now willing to throw new and high-end surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) into the fray, including the 9K317M Buk-M3, known as the Viking in its export form, the latest iteration of the self-propelled, medium-range Buk system.
    .

    R C.339cc2a7cea34f1516af6c01f2ef5035
    9K317M Buk-M3.

    .
    As for the latest Buk-M3, this system is significantly different enough from its predecessors to warrant a new U.S. Department of Defense designation — SA-27. In service since around 2016, the Buk-M3 employs new 9M317M missiles and electronic components to provide much-improved capabilities compared with the older Buk systems. According to the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) manual, it “outperforms even the old S-300P long-range air defense system” — the SAM that’s known in the West as the SA-10 Grumble.
    .
    .

    Now for some delicious food; Porcupine Meatballs

    It’s a true “blast from the past”. Simple and delicious. Beef meatballs with rice, simmered in tomato soup. Not really something that you might give to guests, but a great easy meal that mixes up normally available ingredients for something unique and different for the household.

    It’s really great for a fast meal on a busy schedule. Oh, and guess what? It goes great with beer.

    2022 03 22 10 37
    Porcupine Meatballs

    Ingredients

    • 1/2 cup of water
    • 1.5 pounds of ground beef
    • 1 cup of uncooked (instant) rice
    • I tablespoon of minced onion.
    • 1 teaspoon of salt
    • 1 dash of ground black pepper.

    Directions

    Instructions Checklist
    • In a medium mixing bowl, combine the tomato soup and the water. Mix thoroughly and set aside.

    • In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, instant rice, onion, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup of the soup mixture. Mix thoroughly, and shape into 1 inch balls.

    • Place meatballs in a large skillet over medium heat. Pour in the remaining soup mixture and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until meatballs are thoroughly browned and rice is cooked.

    Information/Propaganda/Psyops Theatre

    On the Information/Propaganda/Psyops Theatre, today’s Global Times editorial provides a little comic relief:

    "The above lies are well concocted, but without any evidence. Certainly, the problem of no evidence may be a bit of overthinking, because when does Washington need to provide evidence to smear others? Isn't it always following the logic of 'if I say so, it has to be so?' If you must ask for any 'evidence, it will again hold up a tiny vial of white powder, or produce a video of the White Helmets being instructed to pose...
    
    "Of course, what's behind it is Washington's hegemony and ambition. Kurt Campbell, the NSC's Indo-Pacific policy coordinator, 'took the initiative' to say at the end of February that the US will keep its focus on the 'Indo-Pacific region' despite the Ukraine crisis. In order to maintain the US' hegemonic self-interests, fabricating lies has become a 'necessary means' for Washington. In the words of Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, 'The US, as usual, lies to try to achieve its political goals'....
    
    "When looking back at his past as CIA director, former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo once said publicly, 'We lied, we cheated, we stole. We had entire training courses.' So how does the US lie and deceive people? It is easier for Washington and the US media to quote 'anonymous officials' to spread lies as shocking 'exclusive news.' The cooperation between US propaganda machines and diplomatic and intelligence services has greatly increased the deceptiveness of those lies. Moreover, the US' alliance system and hegemony in public opinion can make sure that even though Washington is a habitual liar, it can obtain a certain amount of assentation and support. This has become the bases for the US to play politics as it wants.
    
    "While US media maliciously falsifies the truth, Washington deliberately pretends to know nothing. These two to some extent have even formed an integral production, supply and distribution chain of fake news. This is unprofessional, immoral, and irresponsible, and will only further discredit the US in front of the world. As some comments pointed out, whenever people see the news reports that include sentences like 'anonymous officials revealed…' and 'US intelligence agencies claimed…,' they should in their minds replace everything in those sentences with 'They may be lying.'" [I'd say they're probably lying or They're lying again.]

    And as if more proof was required, we again see China seconding Russia’s reasoning and explanations of what it’s doing:

    "Right now, when the military conflict in Ukraine is getting increasingly serious under Washington's provocation, and when the energy and refugee crises become more and more severe in Europe, the US' smear campaign will only unmask it as the initiator. More and more people will see the true face of the US - an 'empire of lies.'" [All emphasis mine]

    How many millions within the Empire agree? Polling suggests that just 30% of the public see media as credible giving us 70% who think otherwise or about 230 million, and since media is the main messenger of the Empire of Lies, we might assume that same number agrees.

    But even if that number is only 50 million, I’d say the lies aren’t sinking in as hoped. Of course, this whole paragraph will be controversial as opinion polling within the Outlaw US Empire of Lies has its own credibility problems.

    Phil understands

    Yes he does.

    2022 03 22 14 09
    Coffee.

    Republican Congressman Tiffany maps out aggression towards China

    One step at a time.

    GettyImages 1213959790
    Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.)

    An amendment under the new Consolidated Appropriations Act has banned the creation or use of maps by the Department of State and its foreign operations that depict Taiwan as part of China.

    The Appropriations Act, which provides appropriations to federal agencies for the 2022 fiscal year, is a 3000-page piece of legislation that proposed $1.5 trillion spending, including military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

    This amendment was introduced by Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) and other Republican representatives, first in the House bill passed on State Department and related  foreign service funding in July 2021, then again for the Consolidated Appropriations Act.  This is sneaky because it would be unwise to vote against such an enormous spending bill due to one amendment.

    This amendment undermines the fundamental principle of Sino-American relations by violating the longstanding policy of strategic ambiguity and unofficial relations with Taiwan enshrined in the Shanghai Communique, a diplomatic document signed by Beijing and Washington.

    Further, Tiffany said “Beijing’s bogus argument that Taiwan is part of Communist China” should be abandoned, and that the bill would “require honest maps that stop perpetuating the ‘One China’ lie.”

    What it is like to fight the Chinese

    Oh, you think that Russia is tough? The Chinese have heart. They have history, and if you FUCK with them they WILL FUCK you right back. Know your history. Movie dramatization of true events. video 6MB

    Patrick Lawrence

    Patrick Armstrong may have closed down but Patrick Lawrence is still firing on all cylinders:

    “..When those purporting to serve as America’s statesmen and stateswomen think calling other world leaders names is properly part of the diplomatic repertoire — a prominent part, I’ll add — we are left with only one conclusion: The U.S. has no one capable of sailing its ship of state, no one in a position of influence worthy of the title “diplomat.”

    “…Simply stated, power obviates the need for serious statecraft. The powerful nation has no need of diplomacy. A figure such as George Kennan was the exception proving the rule, and he was an exception because he saw the need to understand how the world looked to the Soviet Union. Henry Kissinger proved the rule: For all his claim to diplomatic skill, Hank K. was a wielder of American power with a calculating mind, nothing more.

    “The rest follows naturally: Antony Blinken is not a serious diplomat. Samantha Power is not a serious diplomat. As a diplomat (and various other things), Hillary “He’s Hitler” Clinton is a walking calamity. Biden, who’s spent his career selling snake oil off the back of a buckwagon, is not a statesman of any kind, serious or otherwise….”

    “The lineup of secretaries of state and senior diplomats prior to the attacks in New York and Washington is other than brilliant, but it was by and large accepted that talking to one’s adversaries was at least as important (and often more so) as talking to one’s friends. It was the Bush II regime, with all its kooky ideologues in positions they never should have gotten near, that declared: “We don’t negotiate with our enemies.”

    “This pronouncement was advanced, if you recall, as if it were a sound, baseline rule of wise statesmanship. There were corollaries. Diplomatic contacts with those deemed enemies would “give them credibility.”….The all-but-stated assertion is America would not any longer take interest in other people and their perspectives. The American way of defining the world was the only acceptable way. Nothing else need be considered. …”

    “…Diplomacy is an essential skill in the century swiftly taking shape around us. But every time Biden or another American “leader” hurls one of their playground insults at the leader of another nation, (Putin as the Beelzebub du jour) they are reminding us: There will be no diplomacy emanating from Washington because they have no idea how to conduct it.
    “Power and coercion are all they know.”

    P. Lawrence
    .

    For Americans war is normal

    This is dangerous. As Americans are really not ready to take on a REAL peer competator. And forget what the American “news” says. Russia is not running out of bullets, stalled or suffering massive defeats. video 8MB

    I know it is a chicken and egg question.

    I found this on one of my feeds. Interesting.

    As a matter of interest, I have noticed a similar correlation of pro and anti war/ hate Russia opinion between the vaxxed and unvaxxed as the Canadian poll below demonstrates. My observations are anecdotal.
    
    The question remains are vaxxed people inherently more likely to be receptive to government/MSM propaganda or do they become docile and deliberately ignorant sheep because of their vaxxed status? 
    
    "How Covid vaccination status might predict views on the Russian invasion of Ukraine (Canadian poll)"...
    
    "How vaccination status might predict views on the Russian invasion of Ukraine New poll indicates that “vaccine refusers are much more sympathetic to Russia.” 
    
    Unvaccinated Canadians are about 12 times more likely than those who received three doses to believe Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine was justified, according to a new survey by national polling firm EKOS.
    
    The poll found 26 per cent of those who identified as unvaccinated agreed the Russian invasion is justified, with another 35 per cent not offering an opinion. This compared to only two per cent of surveyed Canadians who said they had three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and who supported the attack, and four per cent who offered no view..."

    Free Republic

    .

    The U.S. attempt to destroy the e-yuan

    Great stuff from Richard Turrin.

    China’s digital yuan is in the US’s crosshairs in what is likely to be the first of many proposed laws against its use!

    It’s clear that the US has no love for China’s new digital yuan (e-CNY) central bank digital currency, and now a group of nine Republican senators has come up with the first Act that attempts to limit its use while stopping short of an outright ban.

    The e-CNY is in the glaring hot spotlight for its ability to potentially evade sanctions imposed on Russia and sadly not for its gold medal performance at the Olympics. It is essential to clarify that China made no attempt to use the digital yuan to evade sanctions and is unlikely to do so with its new currency still undergoing domestic trials. Still, the e-CNY is deemed a potential threat to US interests, resulting in the new Act.

    Senator Bill Cassidy’s (R-LA) statement clarifies the concern: “China’s Digital Yuan allows the CCP to collect personal data on their own citizens and foreign users alike.” “This bill holds China accountable as they introduce their new digital currency.”

    The stated goal of the Act
    From the Senator’s summary:
    • Require the Department of State to issue a warning on the Digital Yuan.
    • Require the Secretary of Commerce to report to relevant Congressional committees on the Blockchain- Base Service Network and provide recommendations related to the report.
    • Require the Secretary of Commerce to report on trade enforcement actions with respect to the digital yuan.
    • Require United States Trade Representative to report on the effect of the digital yuan on trade and investment agreements.
    • Require Office of Management and Budget to develop standards and guidelines for agencies that transfer, store, or use digital yuan.
    • Require that any foreign government that receives assistance through the Foreign Military Financing Program to disclose if the government uses digital yuan as a settlement or reserve currency.

    U.S. targets planes inside of Russia

    WASHINGTON, March 18 (Reuters) – The U.S. Commerce Department on Friday moved to effectively ground 100 airplanes that have recently flown to Russia and are believed to violate U.S. export controls, including a plane used by Russian businessman Roman Abramovich.
    .

    .

    ‘Unfair fight’: Foreign legion volunteers flee Ukraine after Russian missile strike on training base

    Foreigners who travelled to Ukraine to fight against the Russians have fled the country after a devastating missile strike on their training base.
    .
    .

    Chinese girl

    Many girls in China tend to be of thin build and nice chests. Here she is displaying a nice cleavage. video 2MB

    U.S. warns servicing or refueling some Russian-owned planes may violate trade restrictions.

    Export controls introduced in late February prohibit exporting aircraft that were made in the U.S. or use some U.S. parts to Russia, effectively grounding some international flights, the Commerce Department said.
    .
    Perhaps the world should boycott anything linked to America. Otherwise, products you paid for will not belong to you.
    .

    .

    Chinese girl

    She’s in a car looking really adorable. video 1.4MB

    Update on the military situation in the Ukraine

    There’s a lot of bullshit out there. The massive, MASSIVE psyops is so full of lies and distortions it’s mind-boggling. Just today, I saw an article on my LinkedIN feed discussing how Russia was bogged down in Ukraine, and used a map  showing the first day of action. It’s now one month later. Sheech!

    The Ukraine situation is Russia following though on it’s 2014 displeasure in the USA violation of it’s treaties, as well as the non-ultimatum of January 2022. There’s many parties involved in this issue, but the psyops only tell one side of the story, and it is a stack of cards with very little actual content.

    Here’s a summary from the Russian daily briefing. More sensible, and certainly more accurate.

    Russia Briefing

    .

    China’s Foreign Ministry issues dire warning to QUAD as it toughens stand on Taiwan | English News

    China is WARNING the USA and the West. Listen up! Things are going on that isn’t really being well reported in the West. video on You-tube.

    2022 03 22 16 07
    2022 03 22 16 07

    This video underscores a very important point…

    The QUAD is composed of;

    • The USA
    • Japan
    • Australia
    • India

    And India is specifically making public statements that they are not in the QUAD as a “Pacific NATO” to counter China. They are NOT a treaty ally.

    2022 03 22 16 09
    2022 03 22 16 09

    I think India has told the US to FUCK off. 
    
    I have been watching debates on an Indian talk show, Republic World. 
    
    The latest one is called: India delivers diplomatic masterclass amid Russia-Ukraine-West tightrope. You can look it up on YouTube. 
    
    India WILL NEVER abandon Russia, so strong is the mutual trust between the two nations. 
    
    In fact, this war, as many pointed out, will bring Russia and Asia a whole lot closer. 
    
    -Peter Schmidt

    President Zelensky Phones Taiwan’s Leader Tsai Ing-wen

    This is cute and funny.

    Tsai: Hello Volodya. I hope you do not mind my calling you that.

    Zelensky: (Sobs, wordless.)

    Tsai: What is it Volodya? Calm down.

    Zelensky: (Sobbing continues.) We have been left alone to defend our state. Who is ready to fight alongside us? I don’t see anyone. Who is ready to give Ukraine a guarantee of NATO membership? Everyone is afraid.*

    Tsai: But the Americans have given you weapons, rifles. The Germans even gave you helmets — right away — and now they are promising more. And they also sent military advisors “little green men”– I think that is what they call them when they are Russian.

    Zelensky: We are facing tanks and missiles. I am afraid what we have is pretty small potatoes. As the American politician Ron Paul said, it seems the Americans are ready to fight Russia – down to the last Ukrainian (more sobbing).

    Tsai: But Volodya, you got to address the U.S. Congress and plea for help – certainly that shows support.

    Zelensky: Support? The script that the Americans handed me centered on a No Fly Zone, in other words, a call for WWIII, nuclear war. I looked like a madman! (More sobbing.)

    Tsai: I did not think that made you look like a madman. I admire someone who is willing to risk nuclear war for our beliefs. That shows real spine, real guts. And those Congress people applauded you. If you looked mad, would that not make them all insane too. Surely you cannot believe that.

    But I know how you feel about those scripts. The Americans stuff one in my face every now and then with the “advice” that it would be good to read it. I feel I am getting an offer I cannot refuse as they say in the American movies.

    But you do not have to accept the script – you are safe in hiding in Ukraine.

    Zelensky: I cannot comment on where I am – if you understand what I mean.

    And I do not know what kind of company you are keeping, Tsai, but most people are appalled and frightened by the prospect of nuclear war. My stance allowed Biden to look sane by turning thumbs down. I was the fall guy.

    Tsai: Look Volodya. You have to get hold of yourself. The U.S. has managed to get the whole world behind you. Just like the US has got the whole world behind me. Not to worry.

    Zelensky: Are you serious, Tsai? You know that not only China but also India has refused to join US sanctions on Russia – that is 35% of the world’s population right there. China is the number one economy in the world by PPP-GDP and India number three as you surely know. So two of the big three are not backing sanctions. Also refusing are Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico. That is over half the world’s population! And there are many more refusenik nations including the 40 countries not in that list on which the US has sanctions – I have lost count.

    And NATO is showing cracks. Macron and others are talking to Putin all the time. Sweden has refused to join NATO, saying that would be “destabilizing.”

    The world is changing, Tsai.

    Exactly how many countries are behind you, Tsai? You better check — carefully. I wish I had. (More sobbing.)

    Tsai: (Now looks very worried) Good point, Volodya.

    Zelensky: And now Germany is rearming under the influence of the crazy German Greens, the most hawkish of the Parties in the governing coalition. That of course is a dream come true for the neocons – having Germany fight Russia. Two principal competitors of the U.S. fighting one another. It will destroy Ukraine and the rest of Europe. As I have said in the past, this war will engulf Europe.

    Tsai: (Now a bit shaken.) But why did you not stop all this as soon as you were elected. You ran as a peace candidate.

    Zelensky: (Even more upset). I could not. The Americans would not permit it, and Russia is well aware of this as Lavrov has made clear. And America’s Neo-Nazi friends like the Azov Battalion fiercely oppose it – and together they have enough clout to stop an elected President – or even depose him as we saw back in 2014. I am keenly aware of that as is any President until the U.S. grip on this country is broken and it is “de-nazified,” if I may borrow a term.

    So here I am presiding over the unnecessary destruction of my beloved country, unable to agree to the simple terms of peace that the Minsk accords established.

    My place in history is not going to be a glorious one.

    Tsai: But at least you have the Ukrainian people united behind you. Here on Taiwan there is considerable pro-Mainland sentiment.

    Zelensky: United? I have had to ban a dozen political parties, including the main opposition one. I have had to bring all TV under control of one platform. And I have had to declare martial law. Do you think everyone here is happy that instead of implementing the Minsk accords we have brought ourselves to this point?

    My advice to you, Tsai, is do not allow Taiwan to become the Ukraine of East Asia, because right now that is the plan the Americans have for you.

    I have to go now. I am being called. I am not even supposed to make calls like this.

    (Nervously) Keep this call between us. Good-bye.

    Tsai: (Shaken) Good bye Volodya.

    (Hangs up, summons her assistant.) I need to place another call. Please get President Xi on the line. He has wanted to talk. Tell him I want to discuss the One Country, Two Systems Policy.

    And tell him it is the Governor of Taiwan Province calling.

    * These are the exact words that Zelensky used in a midnight speech to Ukraine on February 25.

    .

    Chinese girl reminds me of goldfinger

    Nice. Love the outfit. video 2.4MB

    Apple Cake

    After so many decades of eating at chain restaurants, and fast food places, and then just simply making simple and quick meals, Americans have forgotten what AMERICAN FOOD actually is. Sad. So Sad.

    2022 03 22 17 01
    Apple Cake.

    Apple Cake

    .

    Current trajectory of World War III

    Here’s an audio from Rense. It’s an American opinion.  It’s interesting.

    2022 03 22 16 34
    2022 03 22 16 34

    Tunnel Of Fudge

    Given its name, there’s no confusion about what it is. The only confusion is as to why we stopped making this.

    2022 03 22 10 41
    Tunnel of fudge cake.

    Recipe out this way…

    Tunnel o' Fudge

    .

    Caitlin Johnstone : It’s Not Okay For Grown Adults To Think This Way About Ukraine

    Cute. But accurate.


    It’s not okay to be a grown adult in 2022 and believe the US is pouring weapons into a foreign nation to defend freedom and democracy. It isn’t.

    It’s not okay to be a grown adult in 2022 and believe serious military conflicts consist of Good Guys fighting Bad Guys like a children’s cartoon show. That’s a fantasy that most people grow out of when they turn eleven.

    It’s not okay to be a grown adult in 2022 and believe the same western media institutions who’ve lied about every war are now telling the truth about this one. Liars cannot stop lying. This is learned, by most people, by the time they are seventeen years old.

    It’s not okay to be a grown adult in 2022 and believe we’re seeing an unprecedented wave of censorship because the European Union, Silicon Valley megacorporations, and TV service providers want to protect everyone from “disinformation”. They instead want to protect their franchise. You are their commodity.

    It’s not okay to be a grown adult in 2022 and believe Ukraine is just a scrappy little underdog acting completely independently of the dictates of the largest power structure on this planet. That a fun childhood nursery rhyme and makes a great Hollywood movie, but in the real world, nope it just doesn’t work that way.

    It’s not okay to be a grown adult in 2022 and believe the globe-spanning power structure centralized around the United States is merely a passive witness to this war and not a key player in creating its emergence. It’s known as cognitive dissonance, and is a mental illness.

    It’s not okay to be a grown adult in 2022 and believe that governments who’d have every incentive to lie to the public about what’s happening on the ground in Ukraine are simply choosing not to do so. It’s called “denial”, and it is common feature of many mental illnesses.

    It’s not okay to be a grown adult in 2022 and believe the politicians who’ve demonstrated ice cold indifference to their own citizens dying of poverty and disease care passionately about the plight of the Ukrainian people. The politicians have demonstrated psychopathic personalities. It is a mental illness to randomly disassociate behaviors with habitual serial criminals.

    It’s not okay to be a grown adult in 2022 and believe the most powerful and murderous government in the world is orchestrating the economic collapse of a nation it has long targeted for destruction in order to defend Ukrainians. It’s called wishful thinking, and most adults grow out of this in their 20’s.

    It’s not okay to be a grown adult in 2022 and believe the “anti-war” position is to support pouring weapons into a foreign country and cold war brinkmanship that could lead to World War 3 while shouting down anyone who advocates de-escalation, diplomacy and detente.

    It’s not okay to be a grown adult in 2022 and believe anything which doesn’t align with what the TV tells you about this war is “Russian propaganda”.

    It’s not okay to be a grown adult in 2022 and believe anyone who disputes the TV narrative about this war is defending Putin or thinks he is awesome. Adults do not behave like they still are in kindergarden.

    It’s not okay to be a grown adult in 2022 and accuse people who disagree with you of working for a foreign government. It’s lazy. Ignorant, and slothful.

    It’s not okay to be a grown adult in 2022 and find it strange and outlandish when someone criticises the most powerful empire that has ever existed for its role in starting a war. The United States is the largest military empire in the history of the world. You cannot associate peace with Military Empires. You associate war with Military Empires. To deny that fact is a sign of being in possession of a serious mental illness.

    It’s not okay to be a grown adult in 2022 and be fine with only knowing one side of the story. It will cause you to made very bad decisions, and eventually contribute to getting you into very bad situations.

    Be an adult

    Fake News

    Fabrications are rife during wars. The say, and no doubt it has validity, that the first victim of war is the truth. Here is a translation from RIA Novosti in Moscow, of some of the fake stories we in the west have been spinning.

    Fake News

    The United States is considering disconnecting Russia from GPS

    Just like they did to China. So China built their own system.

    Russia can use China’s or their own GLONASS. There are many work-arounds on this issue.

    Disconnect GPS

    .

    MM riding home in my neighborhood

    Video from the other day. This is what it is like near my house. video 30MB

    Capture of the “Bitch of Ukraine”

    About the nazi “Taira” #14, her name is Yulia Paevskaya, and there is this Free Yulia and/or Free Taira campaign in the Nazi sections of Ukraine.

    In Ukraine, Yulia is a well-known personality, she actively spoke on the Maidan and participated in military operations in the Donbass in the ranks of the neo-Nazi Azov regiment. During 8 years 14000 people died in Dobass.

    Capture

    .

    Russia caught her March 16 as she was trying to get out of Mariupol with a medical team, here’s a video after her capture (must watch)

    Fein innocence

    .
    caption:

    "Captured Commander of the medical service of Azov is watching a report about the consequences of a strike on Donetsk.
    
    She pretend now that she got no idea"

    Scott Ritter comments “The trial will be interesting

    Secretive American Stocks Of Soviet Air Defense Systems Are Headed To Ukraine: Report

    The US has captured, snatched, or otherwise acquired various Russian-made air defense systems over the years, and now they could fight in Ukraine.

    .

    The U.S. government is sending Soviet-era air defense systems in its possession to Ukraine, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. These systems will reportedly come from stocks of foreign materiel that elements of the U.S. military and Intelligence Community have obtained in various ways over the years for intelligence analysis and training purposes. The possibility that these so-called foreign materiel exploitation, or FME, programs could offer a useful source of additional air defense capabilities that Ukraine badly needs is exactly what that The War Zone laid out just recently.

    The Journal‘s piece did say that the U.S. government has already shipped a number of systems to Ukraine that had been in storage at the U.S. Army’s Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III cargo planes reportedly picked them up at an unspecified airfield in the Huntsville area. The story notes that Redstone is home to the Army’s Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM), but it also hosts the Defense Intelligence Agency‘s (DIA) Missile and Space Intelligence Center (MSIC), which has an FME role. DIA serves as the focal point for the Department of Defense’s entire FME enterprise, as well.

    The U.S. military has been very active in delivering and otherwise facilitating the shipment of military aid to Ukraine, even before Russia launched its invasion. This includes various air defense systems, especially different types of shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles, also known as man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS). In addition, American officials have made clear that there is a heavy emphasis on sending weapons and equipment that Ukrainian forces are already familiar with, an idea The War Zone had earlier explained the merits of. The core idea behind that philosophy is that this will make it faster and easier for Ukraine’s military to actively put what it receives to use in combat. Ukraine’s ground-based air defenses have been essential in preventing Russian forces from gaining air superiority over the country after more than three weeks of fighting.

    Beyond all this, it’s still unclear what systems specifically may ultimately be transferred to Ukraine. The SA-8 Gecko is the only specific system that the Journal‘s sources named as being among the planned deliveries to Ukrainian forces. The SA-8, also known by the Russian nomenclature 9K33 Osa, is a wheeled short-range surface-to-air missile system. DIA’s MSIC is known to have at least one example of this system in its inventory.

    OIP C.OaRqKLexrCVsyfXsIjue3AHaE6
    The SA-8.

    Skullduggery

    .

    So, the United States is planning to cross the Chinese Red Lines in the future…

    Thousands of Marines deployed to Australia in preparation for a possible war with CHINA

    (Natural News) Members of the U.S. Marine Corps have been deployed to Australia in preparation for China potentially invading Taiwan. The Marines will be helping their counterparts in the Australian Defense Force (ADF) to ensure preparedness for any crisis or conflict in the region.

    According to 100PercentFedUp.com, a rotational force of approximately 2,200 Marines will be based in Australia’s Northern Territory until September 2022. One thousand Marines had earlier arrived in Darwin, the Australian state’s capital, to train alongside the ADF. The contingent of Marines forms

    “part of an ongoing U.S. initiative in the Indo-Pacific region to prepare for a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan in coming years.”

    Colonel Marcus Constable, commanding officer of ADF Northern Command, reiterated the importance of the relationship between the U.S. and Australia.

    “It is a key way we increase regional cooperation with partners in the Indo-Pacific. Together, we conduct a comprehensive range of training activities including humanitarian assistance, security operations and high-end live-fire exercises,”

    Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton said conflict with China “shouldn’t be discounted,” warning that the communist country may move to invade Taiwan while the world is focused on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. He emphasized that Australian forces would come to the aid of the U.S. should the latter help defend the island nation.

    “It would be inconceivable that we wouldn’t support the U.S. in an action if the U.S. chose to take that action. I think we should be very frank and honest about that [and] look at all of the facts and circumstances without pre-committing. [Maybe] there are circumstances where we wouldn’t take up that option, [but] I can’t conceive of those circumstances.”

    War Prep!

    .

    Ol’ Remus Revisited

    I am not the only one who misses Ol’ Remus. Remus posted some of my SHTF posts for me and brought a lot of people to MM. But it’s more than that. he was a good, genuine guy.

    Here’s what my ‘buddy Phil at bustedknuckles has to say about him…

    I remember when I first stumbled on The Woodpile Report, realizing that what I had found was an absolute treasure.
    
    As future posts confirmed, I was spot on with my gut feeling.
    
    Ol’ Remus himself was a treasure.
    
    Filled with wisdom gathered over his many years and blessed with an insight that I have so far, been unable to find duplicated anywhere else.
    
    Even after extensively searching.
    
    I also realized after a few posts that what I had found was also very likely to have a limited window of new inputs. Also due to his advancing age.
    
    Unfortunately I was correct in my assessment there, our reluctant mentor will have been gone two years here shortly.
    
    Very, very fortunately, someone else realized what a treasure trove of wisdom and knowledge he left behind and they immediately set about gathering up into a repository, as much as they could possibly glean from what he did leave behind. Unfortunately, Ol’ Remus didn’t archive his posts.
    
    Occasionally I get a hankering for a touch of that and off I go, searching for that font of knowledge, stashed away still on the internet.
    
    Every time, I am very happy to see it is still there. Some day it might not be. I may try to find the time to download it all and save it on a removable hard drive for safe keeping.
    
    I found this old post a few minutes ago, re-read it and found that it is just as applicable today as it was when he first pecked it out and shared it with us’. So I copied it and I am pasting it here, along with a link to the site that still has many of his old posts.

    Simply titled, Woodpile Reports.

    2022 03 22 14 14

     

    THE COMING UNPLEASANTNESS – OL’ REMUS

    from HERE

    THE COMING UNPLEASANTNESS – OL’ REMUS

    This is another post from Ol’ Remus at The Woodpile Report. I like his style of writing quite a bit, and agree with him entirely. 
    
    He is forecasting catastrophe – and how could it be otherwise?
    
    And yet I get the US Trust “Investment Strategy Overview” newsletter in the mail, and, of course, it is completely in opposition to Ol’ Remus – it’s bullish! 
    
    Apparently, we are only 5 years into a bull market of 20 years! Major advances in technology are coming! Progress towards US energy independence! A manufacturing renaissance! The imbalances of the past cycle are correcting themselves! Etc.
    
    How does one reconcile these two views?
    
    What an absolutely bizarre time we live in, when there is such a massive disconnect between the mass media hypnosis and reality. Every day is another chapter in Cognitive Dissonance…
    
    HERE

    The Coming Unpleasantness

    The guilty are sneaking away unpunished, nobody’s fixing anything, there’s an orderly-so-far devaluation of the dollar going on, the Treasury has fallen into the hands of counterfeiters and the election process has gone third-world.

    The home folks are broke, or nearly so, and unemployed, or about to be.

    Suddenly they understand DCisn’t on their side and now they’re debating whether DC is run by the criminally insane or the merely criminal.

    Oh yeah, this will end well.

    According to a new study by the Russell Sage Foundation, the inflation-adjusted net worth for the typical household was $87,992 in 2003. 
    
    Ten years later, it was only $56,335, or a 36% decline… it’s not merely an issue of the rich getting richer. The typical American household has been getting poorer, too.
    
    -Tyler Durden at zerohedge.com

    Now the people who warned of 2008 are saying the market is running out of Greater Fools.

    They say few retail investors are in equities that don’t have to be—meaning the funds, the 401ks and IRAs, the insurance companies, the compulsive gamblers. And those that don’t hate the market fear the market.

    They say it’s a gas leak looking for detonation.

    They say the event will arrive before the warning does.

    There are usually no warnings that trouble is coming because everyone at the top of the financial food chain are highly incentivized to keep quiet about problems…

    Just about every CEO from every major bank spent much of 2008 claiming that all was well…

    As former banker Jean-Claude Juncker put it, “When it becomes serious, you have to lie.”
    
    -Phoenix Capital Research at zerohedge.com

    .

    In early 2008 I noted a fairly serious decrease in online “revenue per impression” in the advertising space. 
    
    This was not reflected in so-called “official” reports from various online ad firms, but I saw it quite-clearly across data I had available to me. 
    
    What followed, of course, was quite clear in the markets. I am seeing the same pattern develop now.
    
    -Karl Denninger at market-ticker.org

    Due diligence and fundamentals count for nothing because the arithmetic makes no sense, successful investing amounts to insider information and front running the Fed.

    The oscillations are wild and coming closer together.

    But still it goes up.

    One day it won’t.

    The crash will be 2008 on afterburner because no one trusts anybody, no one honors anything, no one believes anything.

    The flash-crash will look stately by comparison.

    It’ll be like being pushed out of a tree in the dark—pain and terror every inch of the way.

    Another horrific stock market crash is coming, and the next bust will be “unlike any other” we have seen.

    We have never had this before.

    It’s going to be very painful for investors.
    
    -Jeremy Grantham, GMO, via moneynews.com

    .

    Warren Buffett’s “best single measure of where valuations stand,” comparing the market value of UScompanies to the gross national product before inflation, is flashing near record bubble red. 
    
    Still we are sure, you’ll be able to exit before everyone else when this ends.
    
    -Tyler Durden and Bloomberg at zerohedge.com

    .

    The most reliable valuation measures have never been higher except in the advance to the 2000 peak (and for some measures the 1929 and 2007 peaks), but they have started to treat these prior pre-crash peaks as objectives to be attained… 
    
    Make no mistake—this is an equity bubble, and a highly advanced one. On the most historically reliable measures, it is easily beyond 1972 and 1987, beyond 1929 and 2007, and is now within about 15% of the 2000 extreme.
    
    
    -John Hussman at hussmanfunds.com

    .

    We have no right to be surprised by a severe and imminent stock market crash.
    
    -Mark Spitznagel via moneynews.com

    The market isn’t the economy, true enough, but a couple dozen trillion dollars isn’t exactly budget-dust.

    The citizenry would see a yawning crater where their 401ks and IRAs used to be.

    They’d notice when their checking account is gone but their debt isn’t, and when the ATM doesn’t recognize their account number, or when their bank is an empty storefront and their car loan has been sold to Vinnie, or when their insurance company doesn’t answer the phone.

    As always, people don’t go nuclear until reality invites itself into their living room and defecates on the carpet.

    That’s when things get interesting—when people notice, when they have to face what was formerly unthinkable and their only fallback is what good people they are.

    Those who drove the financial bus off a cliff know the controls still work fine—the brakes and accelerator and steering wheel, all of ’em, but when the rubber isn’t on the road the effect just ain’t the same.

    But all that “driving” stuff keeps the passengers from panicking.

    We’ve seen the grandest larceny in all history.

    Now, after we’ve been cleaned out, we know the wacko conspiracy guys were right.

    In fact we’re worse than cleaned out, the place has been turned into a debtor’s prison from sea to shining sea.

    Some would have us believe things are turning around—the market’s up and the trend is your friend.

    Trend?

    Trend?!

    The market made gains after the Crash of 1929 too, genuine record recoveries.

    “Prosperity is just around the corner” referred to those 1930-1931 upticks, not to the unstoppable plunge that followed.

    As they say, it’s not the fall, it’s the sudden stop.

    The fall itself can be surprisingly profitable.

    But what a fall it was.

    By July of 1932 the Dow had dropped from its high of 367 down to 41.

    Ten years later, in April of 1942, it touched 100 or so, and that was after foreign panic-money poured in from a Europe at war.

    The highs of 1929 weren’t seen again until the 1950s.

    That’s a trend.

    There’s always been fraud, but sometime in the recent past the market buckled in a fundamental way and the fraud poured in.

    Proven reforms painfully enacted over decades were swept away.

    Fundamentals no longer counted.

    Creative finance counted.

    Bubbles and deceit counted.

    It became a criminal enterprise top to bottom.

    Accounting firms and regulatory agencies went over to the dark side en masse.

    As Mark Twain said, every profession is a conspiracy against the common man.

    Finally the retail investor did something sensible—he ran for his life.

    The players left are those who have to stay; the funds, the retirement accounts, the insurance companies, et al, and HFT piranhas are eating them alive at millions of tiny nibbles a second.

    What used to be an investor’s clearing house has become a betting parlor on the Federal Reserve’s next move.

    The market goes up on tiny volume and bad news, and way up on very bad news and nearly no volume.

    They know dark horizons light up the printing presses.

    Meanwhile, the banks don’t know what they own, or don’t know what it’s worth, but they do know they’re insolvent and so does everybody else.

    So DC gives money to the banks and then pays the banks to lend it back to them.

    It’s IOUs paid with IOUs and they can’t write ’em fast enough.

    The bottoming is not completely done.

    In fact, it has barely even gotten underway yet.

    We keep propping up losers.

    The result is we still need to see a repudiation of debt at a massive scale and until that happens, the Long Wave bottom won’t be here.

    We’re just dancing on the front end of real economic collapse.
    
    -George Ure at urbansurvival.com

    What to do.

    The demand for collateral will be ferocious when the debacle starts. Treat debt like any other roadside bomb.

    Staying current isn’t enough.

    Any collaterized debt is too much debt.

    You can’t know which exit is the last exit.

    The grace period with the trillion-dollar price tag is ending and it’s ending badly.

    This disaster has been bought off for decades.

    When it happens it’ll go down fast.

    Exactly how and when can be sorta-kinda foreseen but not actually known.

    A cascade can start from anywhere.

    But this much can be said: the collateral chaos will hit the system like a weapons-grade laxative. Everything that’s been contained, covered up and denied will come spewing out looking for daddy.

    It’ll take weeks, not months to come apart.

    Maybe days.

    Get as independent as you can while you can. There are parts of this game where the only winning move is to not play.

    Doesn’t mean you have to go all Rambo and head off to some mountain valley, although that’s one way.

    But it does mean putting stuff by so you can get by.

    “Stuff” means food stored long-term and the wherewithal to get or grow more, uninterruptible for-sure potable water, an off-the-grid heating system, meds and medical supplies, clothing for hard times and hard work and being out in life-threatening weather because you have to be, the means to defend hearth and hoard, batteries and a way to recharge them, cash and real money—meaning gold and silver—all the things you already know but haven’t done.

    Knowing isn’t doing, doing is doing.

    FDR‘s bailout of the Federal government also went so far as to also issue Executive Order 6814 “Requiring the delivery of all silver to the United States for coinage.”

    And what was that worth at the time?

    In terms of present dollars, that works out to about $22.77 per ounce. Given that silver is trading below current dollar equivalents of the Depression confiscation prices and gold is still trading at 3.44-times Depression confiscation prices, my personal bias may be inferred.
    
    -George Ure at peoplenomics.com

    Plan B.

    If you’re in a city, have a viable destination and two or three tried and proven ways to get there.

    Practice and take notes.

    Again, only doing is doing.

    Plan as if your life depends on it.

    Take a hike, go the hard way through the hills and woods, you’ll discover how long an unpaved mile can be.

    Make a squirrel dinner, yes they’re cute, but there may come a day when only one of you is going to live. Besides, they’re yummy.

    Mankind acquired these tastes over geological epochs, you’ve not lost them, merely misplaced them.

    Everything seems obvious and predictable in retrospect.

    This stuff is pretty obvious and predictable now. And there are always better reasons to not do something than to do it.

    You know most people won’t get serious until after it was absolutely necessary. Too late.

    They’ll fail, mostly.

    Worse, they’ll needlessly fail at the easy part of the learning curve.

    Prepared is prepared, you are or you aren’t. Do what you can. And as always, stay away from crowds.

    The man could see what was coming from a mile away.

    What he didn’t get to see, Thank God, was the Covid Hoax and The Fed dumping several TRILLION more FRN’s into the market and The Bubble having had at least two more years of expansion.

    Afterburners indeed.

    It is now virtually on our doorsteps.

    That makes posting this again very timely.

    God rest your soul sir.

    I am grateful at this point that you aren’t here to see what is about to unfold on a completely unsuspecting general public.

    An interesting statement

    Regarding the briefing of the MOD submitted by <redacted> I found one section to be quite interesting:

    "Due to hypersonic speed and ultra-high kinetic energy, the warhead of Kinzhal missile complex destroyed a protected underground arsenal located in a mountainous area, built in Soviet times to store special ammunition and missiles.
    
    The destruction of a large fuel depot in Konstantinovka by Kinzhal hypersonic missile was due to its invisibility and invulnerability to any means of enemy air and missile defence.
    
    Combat use of Kynzhal aviation missile system confirmed its effectiveness in destroying highly protected special enemy assets. The strikes on the military infrastructure of Ukraine by this missile system will continue within the special military operation.
    
    I would like to emphasize that Kinzhal system is used with a conventional warhead. Although experts are well aware of the capabilities of this weapon, not only in terms of range, but also in terms of the type of charge."

    This seems to be a rather clear message that “we can put a nuclear warhead on this any time we want and deliver in less than 10 minutes to any NATO base in Europe”. Or wherever else they might choose.

    Cheesecake Cookies

    Now here’s a great cookie. Why doesn’t anyone make these anymore?

    2022 03 22 16 57
    2022 03 22 16 57

    Cheesecake Cookie

    China is about HEART

    No wonder that so many in the money-money-money West cannot understand China. They think with their minds. Not with their hearts. This is China, and this is why China will lead the world to a new and better existence. video 58MB

    Stand up for others

    Don’t be a spectator. Participate in life. Protect the week, and do your part to make the world a better place. You don’t know when the calling will be, or how you will be tested, but you will be. And when that test of who you are arrives… well be the person that would make your grandmother PROUD. video 68MB

    Cleaning lady gives Hard Boiled eggs to students

    She doesn’t have to. She wants to. There’s a big difference, when you are a Rufus. video. 4MB

    4MB.

    Be the Rufus

    You do not know when the calling will strike, but it’s up to you to participate in your community. participate. Help others. Pick up trash. Help dogs and cats. Be kind. Smile. Say good things. Be the Rufus, and let the rest of the world howl! video 5MB

     

    Conclusion

    We are in World War III.

    The agressor is the United States. Eventually all these American “pushes and shoves” will result in an Asian shotgun being pulled out. Something bigger, deadlier, and more colorful than the military-technical measures that Putin is using.

    There will be blasts, blood, entails, crying and sobbing.

    Asia does not want this, but it is clear that preemptive action, at some time, will be necessary. You all should be happy that MM is not making Geo-Political decisions. Everything would be resolved by now. It would be a mess, but things would be resolved.

    Don’t you know.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 3

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

    Ukraine mercenaries, Russian hyper-velocity missiles, bioweapon labs, fishing licenses and Lasagna; how it all fits together

    Comment of the day: "The wreckage would be awesome."

    It’s a cool morning. Very humid. It’s a spring day and the humidity is so thick that it is like walking in a humidity milkshake. As you walk down the street you can smell the thickness of the scented flowers and trees lining the roads, and the thickly laden ocean air.

    it’s really nice.

    I went out this morning to get my long loaves of French / Italian crusty bread. Bagettes, actually. (I ran out at the house.) What I do is slice them, and put real salted butter on them, and pop them into the oven for a few minutes. Then, I place some slices of tomato with salt and olive oil that I lay on top of them. It’s a favorite and simple food that I enjoy.

    bruschetta chopped tomatoes basil herbs grilled cru italian olive oil crusty bread italian cuisine concept close up 96050796
    bruschetta chopped tomatoes basil herbs grilled cru italian olive oil crusty bread italian cuisine concept close up 96050796

    Today, as I walked into the local supermarket, it was crowded. The new truck load of fresh produce came in and everyone was getting their fix of fresh vegitables. I myself, snagged a huge bag of tomatoes. Two yuan. Roughly thirty tomatoes for twenty-five cents. Whoa!

    R C.f0b785c2827b31982fb1b782ea4a8f3d
    R C.f0b785c2827b31982fb1b782ea4a8f3d

    I’m smunching on the bread-tomato-pleasure right now. Good stuff. I’ll tell you what. Washing it down with a minty flower tea or some curious blend. As the “Baron Cat” says in the Japanese animated movie “The Cat Returns” (2002); “It’s my own special blend. It’s a different taste every time you drink it.

    2022 03 20 22 38
    The cat returns.

    Of course, we are still in a “yellow” lockdown.

    All of Zhuhai are in various stages of lockdown.

    Everyone is monitored in and out of the various complexes in Zhuhai. The latest American bioweapon attack hit China hard, but China is dealing with it absolutely, and the people go about their normal lives.

    Not a big deal.

    You get used to it. Don’t you know.

    R C.52fc1729a105acb5dc7abaf786c5cb46
    Zhuhai, China.

    For those of you who are new to MM, this latest bioweapons attack occurred immediately after the USA-China meeting in Rome, Italy. The USA (Jake Sullivan) “warned” China of “immediate bad consequences” if China did not sanction Russia. China said no. And within hours China was hit in multiple locations with a very nasty stain of coronavirus.

    Sigh.

    Not reported in the Western “news”.  At all.

    As an aside. Perhaps it good that the West is kept so absolutely ignorant. Let them make their strategic decisions while in a bubble of absolute lies. Let them. And if they believe the “news” and volunteer to participate as a mercenary in the “rout of the collapsing Russian invasion force” let them.

    Below, I’e got three stories of the first hand experience that these mercenaries experienced. These are not third world goatherders with old AK-47s, you imbeciles. You are not going to hang out in air conditioned barracks and plink at an occasional illiterate shepard or their donkey.

    You will experience real war. Real, honest to goodness, pissing in your pants war.

    Nothing like the hard bitch slap of reality to perform a reset of attitude.

    200 bitch slap
    200 bitch slap

    The very last paragraph in this article describes what it’s really like.

    The base we came from was struck by rockets in the early morning hours. People we lived with for a couple days are confirmed dead. It is only a matter of time before our location is targeted. We are about to be cut off by a Russian tank column any day now.” “Food, water, and ammunition dwindle slowly. The mood is somber, people are sending their last messages to friends and family.”

    Those that rely on bad intel will die.

    Not just in a war zone, but in a peaceful area like I am in.

    To believe that the Coronavirus is a “hoax” and that it’s not part of a very systematic and intelligent way to wage war is dangerous. It will get you killed.

    So we need good and real intel.

    Not lies.

    Anyways, let me chat about regarding my walk from the grocery stores.

    R C.4cc685c44c28e81e8527ba1ab3780403
    Bag of tomatoes.

    Most people do not realize just how Chinese society is laid out. They think that it’s flat and open like their home nations. Like America. Like Europe. Like Japan. Like Australia.

    They think that you can just walk down the road and go into what ever suburb that you want. Go into any business complex you desire. Park where ever you want. Enter any apartment building that you want. Nope.

    Not like that. At all.

    Everything in China is surrounded by walls. There are buildings inside of housing complexes. That’s two sets of walls and guards. Then that sits within a city block. That’s another set of walls and guards. Those blocks sit within a “community region”. That is another set of walls and guards.

    OIP C.WaUo6hRAbaIiFgMPhzVbBAHaEK
    Walls are big and popular in China.

    To go forth an (say) buy some groceries, you need to pass through five or six checkpoints and guarded gates. It’s more stringent than what it was like at China Lake Naval Weapons Center.

    For me to travel and get my groceries today, I passed through five walls with check points and guards. Each time scanning my three QR codes. Facial recognition, temperature checks and bioscans.

    You get used to it. It’s not a big deal.

    It’s like Americans are so used to the idea that they have to get a fishing license, a dog license, a motocycle license, just to be able to fish with your dog and ride the motorcycle to the local pond.

    You get used to it.

    And you don’t think about it being an infringement on your “Rights”. You just accept it.

    R C.21b6ee272ca47f318a3b0d78ad6dcf13 1
    A PA fishing license.

    Of course, in China’s case it’s DEFCON 2. It’s a war-situation, and the agressor is the United States. That’s the reality. And you woud be aware of this if you lived in China.

    I’ll tell you when DEFCON 2 is lifted. Though, it doesn’t look like that is going to happen anyday soon.

    I had a customer who contacted me and wanted me to set up a trip itinery to visit some factories. He figured that since New Zealand has lifted the coronavirus restrictions, that everyone has. Nope. Everyone in China are still wearing masks, and taking these bioweapons attacks seriously.

    And NO!

    There are no thoughts of lifting the restrictions or having any second thoughts about how China deals with COVID. That’s Western bullshit.

    Coins

    Do you know what I haven’t seen in a long time? Yeah. Coins.

    A “coin” is a flat (usually round) token that is used as a currency. You can use it to buy things. In the old days before inflation, most people used coins to conduct commerce. In America, a cup of coffee cost a dime. A lunch would cost under fifty cents, and a weeks’ groceries would run a few dollars.

    You don’t see them very much today though.

    OIP C.jp aBe8BdAwchXbk9dPQOAHaEm
    Chinese currency.

    China has been using QR codes and e-yuan payments systems for years now. Oh, some fo the older folk still use bills and coinage, but they are the only ones doing so.

    Them and foreigners.

    Not that there’s many foreign faces here any longer. We’ve got a handful of long-term expats that I see every now and then. They are in upper management positions in Western companies located in China. They have nice expat packages, live in exclusive housing complexes, and venture out from time to time.

    They stick out like a sore thumb.

    R C.bc3072d4595cea73352e953cef0893fd
    Expats in China stick out like a sore thumb.

    I’m one of those grizzily old expats that went to seed and gone native. I wear Chinese clothes, eat Chinese food, enjoy Chinese lifestyle, and go to local Chinese restrurants.  The foreigners see me. They look at me and automatically classify me.

    Drunk in the night.

    Hungover in the day.

    Burping, and farting and generally being anti-social. (Well, maybe not THAT bad. Lol.)

    Old grizzily long-timer. Gone native. Hopeless.

    Expat Defined: 
    An expatriate (in abbreviated form, expat) is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing or legal residence. The word comes from the Latin term expatriates from ex ("out of") and patriâ the ablative case of patria ("country, fatherland").
    
    Background;
    In its broadest sense, an expatriate is any person living in a different country from where he or she is a citizen. 
    
    In common usage, the term is often used in the context of professionals sent abroad by their companies, as opposed to locally hired staff (who can also be foreigners). The differentiation found in common usage usually comes down to socio-economic factors, so skilled professionals working in another country are described as expatriates, whereas a manual labourer who has moved to another country to earn more money might be labelled an 'immigrant'. There is no set definition and usage does vary depending on context and individual preferences and prejudices.
    
    In the 19th century, Americans, numbering perhaps in the thousands, were drawn to Europe—especially to Munich and Paris—to study the art of painting. Henry James, for instance, was a famous expatriate American writer from the 1870s, who adopted England as his home.
    
    The term 'expatriate' in some countries also has a legal context used for tax purposes. An expatriate living in a country can receive a favorable tax treatment. In this context a person can only be an expatriate if they move to a country other than their own to work with the intent of returning to their home country within a period of no more than 5 fiscal years. This number of years can vary per tax jurisdiction, but 5 years is the most commonly used maximum period.
    
    Unless you are an American. If you are an American, you are always an American and you are treated as someone who is trying to avoid direct taxiation laws. Under United States law, geographical location only defines your tax schedule. It does not protect you from American taxiation.
    
    Expatriate is sometimes also spelled 'ex-patriot.'

    I’m too old to look like an English teacher. Mostly those folk are in their 20s and 30s. They are on a cultural adventure, and then they will move on in their lives.

    I don’t look like a traveller, a backpacker or an adventurer. Not at all.

    I’m certainly not equal to the other expats. I don’t dress like them, and I’m at an age that is more compatable with the executive directors of their companies. LOL. I don’t know what they think. Maybe they don’t want to think, eh?

    The teacher

    This is the biggest employer of expats in China. You see them, mostly in their twenties. The older ones that used to teach have been displaced by mostly young folk, as the cut-off is at 55, and you must have demonstrated prior experience and pass a very rigorous government approval process.

    Back around 2013, there were numerous crimes committed by foreign teachers that shocked the Chinese. Since then, things have mellowed out considerably.

    The business expat

    They got a nice gig. usually two to three years as an upper-level executive in a foreign land. They make expat salaries, plus bonus, and a full expat package. You can see them in where they eat, their kids attending foreign expat schools, and in the clothing that they dress. They keep to themselves, and rarely go “slumming” with the natives.

    The digital nomad

    He has a beard, a beater, a battered Apple Mac and plays songs about his new hometown at local acoustic nights. Everyone’s an entrepreneur these days and the digital nomad is making a killing coding, marketing or writing all from the comfort of a coffee shop.

    Ask at your own peril how he made the step to go freelance and move abroad, he’ll direct you to his catchily named blog: ‘I work one day a year and the rest of the time I’m on the beach, here’s how you can do it too.’

    It’s all a lie of course. Big words, little to show for it. In China they are shunned. Mostly they go to places like Thailand to impress others. In China, locals really don’t want to have anythign to do with them.

    The NGO-er

    All wise eyes and copper bracelets, the charity worker had big dreams. Always the most interesting person at the party, this guy’s seen the parts of the world no one else gets to. They are often funded one way or the others through the “five eyes”.

    You won’t find them in China any longer. There was a mass round up and deportations of these folk during the Hong Kong “color revolution”. Those with direct involvement were killed. The rest were scattered elsewhere.

    The pilot

    Recognisable by his cock-pit pics on Tinder, this guy swipes right in every port. You’ll find him holed up in a gated expat community with imported whiskeys decorating his executive pad. He may have physically been all over the world, but it’s unlikely he’s seen it.

    The retired couple

    Most people do not retire to China. The rap that China gets scares the Dejesus out of most folk. Pollution, factories, communism, authorian. Yikes! The retired folk say.

    Most will hit Thailand or Mexico as soon as their pensions kicked in to make the most of the hot weather, cheap massages and excellent golf facilities.

    Thanks to their new cool exotic location, they’ve never been more popular with the grandkids who love to visit (if in part for the relaxed drinking laws).  You can spot them in their matching khaki shorts, nursing a Bloody Mary over lunch saying: ‘We should have done this years ago.’

    So, here I am, minding my own business, carrying my groceries home. I pass some expats with their (obviously European) children in Starbucks having breakfast, and I just continue on my way. Smunching a warm baozi, groceries in my one hand, and the other (holding a baozi) ready to flash (my preset QR) to the baoans (security guards) at the various checkpoints.

    All I need is my Chinese wife, my Chinese kids, my Chinese dog next to me. LOL.

    But nope. Not today.

    I’m on a mission alone. Sheech! It just doesn’t feel right.

    And there, as I enter my “short cut” (I cross though a nearby housing complex) and go through it, I spy what appears to be a coin on the road.

    A coin!

    Do they still make these things in the ‘States?

    A truly rare event I’ll tell you what.

    The coin turned out to be a token for one of those mechanical children rides. You pay ten yuan and you get ten coins. Woo! Woo!

    Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

    Then you use the coins to ride the electro-mechanical contraptions. Just like in America. Same.

    See we are not all that different.

    2022 03 20 17 39
    Amusement tokens.

    I wonder if they still have these things. There used to be a few in front of Woolworths, and CVS drugs. My guess is that they were replaced by soda machines.

    Bigger profits is my guess.

    Let’s go and chat about the Geo-Political sitrep for the World entering April 2022. Here’s a collection of various articles. Mostly summaries and links. I hope you all like them.

    In fact, if the US/NATO do decide to attack Russia, this will be the final, nuclear, end for the western civilization as such. After 1000 years of genocidal imperialism, one could be forgiven for thinking that this could be a fitting, just, end” in the “chicken coming home to roost” kind of karmic justice. Now it is in the hands of the US ruling elites. 
    
    -The Saker

    About the Russian Invasion

    It’s pretty straightforward. Yet vault 7 has seized the minds of most in the West.

    “We have seen 5 waves of NATO expansion. 
    
    Now NATO is in Romania and Poland and they are deploying their missile-attack systems there. 
    
    That’s what we are talking about. 
    
    You need to understand, we are not threatening anyone. 
    
    Russia did not come to the US borders or the UK borders. No. 
    
    You came to our borders and now you are saying, ‘Ukraine will join NATO and will deploy their systems there. They will deploy their military bases and their attack-systems.’ 
    
    We are concerned about our security. 
    
    Do you understand what that means?” 
    
    - Vladimir Putin, press conference, You Tube 

    A Russian Hamburger Chain

    Ham-bur-ger. Three syllables.

    A budding burger chain in Russia called Uncle Vanya is looking to grab business that has been left on the table by McDonald’s – revealing a logo that looks strikingly similar to the Golden Arches.
    .
    Or so they say.
    .

    2022 03 20 11 31
    Uncle Vanya.

    .
    Personally, anyone who are confused by the logos and cannot tell them apart is an idiot.
    .
    A March 12 trademark filing with the Russian government showed an image that closely resembles the McDonald’s logo turned on its side. The sketchy filing shows a Cyrillic letter “B,” which references the “V” in “Uncle Vanya,” cast in yellow against a red background.
    .

    .

    Chinese Kindergarden

    You can learn a lot about culture, society and family by looking at the education that it provides it’s children. Here is a daily flag cermony in China. This is a kindergarden. Typical. And it’s impressive as all get out. They are three and four year old children.

    Everyday. Every school.

    We, when I lived in the Untied States, used to “salute the flag” and say the “pledge of allegence” every day. They no longer do that in the USA. I hear that it’s becuase it is racist. video 3MB

    Putin on independence from the West

    "We will solve this problem so that we will never again depend on Western partners in any way, be it governments or companies that are not guided by the interests of their business, but have become instruments of political aggression, which Russia is now experiencing from the West. We will make sure that we never find ourselves in a similar situation again. And so that no uncle - neither Sam, nor anyone else - could destroy our economy" 
    
    -Alexander Putin

    Chinese girl

    These are not evil nasty filthy people, like what is being portrayed in the Western “news”. They are just regular people. Like me. Like you. video 3MB

    I love the kitty.

    No, I am not going to make a joke about a pussy. That’s so “Low brow”.

    British Ex-Army Contractor Goes to War in Ukraine, Experiences Helicopter Fire, Runs Scared Into the Woods…

    …is tortured by the Ukrainians thinking he’s a Russian spy, is released, leaves for the UK immediately.

    One of the first British fighters in Ukraine told yesterday of his ferocious battle with Russian troops at the Battle of Antonov.

    Ex-Army medic Jason Haigh, 34, exchanged gunfire with the Red Army as it sought to seize an airport and was later beaten by guards in terrifying interrogations.

    Jason, who served two tours of Iraq, told The Sun:

    “The Ukrainians fought like lions and I’m proud I was alongside them. What Putin is doing is terrorism. He’s bombing kids and families for nothing. He’s a war criminal.”

    He flew to Ukraine at the start of last month. He recalled:

    “When I told my mates they were like, ‘What, are you mad?’. I’m a qualified combat medic and have done seven years working as a private military contractor. I wanted to go and do some good.”

    He set up home in Kyiv and linked up with foreign fighters ahead of the invasion.

    Jason was sleeping when a pal woke him on the morning Putin’s troops and tanks invaded.

    He told The Sun:

    “The world just blew up. You could hear rockets coming over the buildings.
    
    “In the distance there were bright lights flashing all over the city from the Russian bombardment. It was completely surreal.”

    Jason dashed out of his city centre flat in full body armour and carrying an AK-47.

    2022 03 20 12 46
    2022 03 20 12 46

    His unit quickly joined a detachment of Ukrainian troops heading to defend Hostomel Airport.

    Jason recalled:

    “It was a very confusing situation. No one really knew what was going on.
    
    “As we headed into the dark I think it’s fair to say I was scared.
    
    “Anyone who goes into that position that isn’t scared is a liar.
    
    “When we arrived it was very quiet. But all of a sudden the gates of hell opened up on us.”

    A squadron of Russian jets fired down rockets before a fleet of attack choppers joined in.

    Jason and ten soldiers from the Georgian Legion took cover in woodland. Jason, who served with the Mercian Regiment, added:

    “We got very close to getting whacked. I’ve never experienced firepower like that, I don’t think anyone of this generation ever has.
    
    “Iraq and Afghanistan was totally different. The Russians are a conventional modern army.”

    Reinforcements then arrived with Stinger missiles to pick off the Russian choppers in a brave show of Ukrainian resistance.

    However, Jason and an American pal were later arrested by Ukraine agents looking for Russian saboteurs. He said:

    “My mate and I had a day sack with two walkie talkies and a small pistol.
    
    “We had them for genuine reasons such as if the comms network went down but they got suspicious.”

    They were taken to a security service base and interrogated for three hours. Jason said:

    “My head was slammed down by one of the guards.
    
    “A different guy came in and I could tell by his kit that he was in an elite unit. He had cable ties and two hoods and I thought ‘S***, this is real’.
    
    “They kept shouting Russian at me but obviously I said I was English. They whacked me around eight or nine times. I had quite a bad concussion and was bleeding heavily.”
    
    “They looked at my phone and my messages which was a really scary moment.
    
    “I wasn’t scared of dying but I was scared about putting my family and friends through the pain of knowing I was in that situation.”

    Eventually, they were released and Jason joined hundreds of thousands on trains to Lviv. He then fled to the Polish border before getting a train to Warsaw.

    From there he flew to the UK and arrived home in Kidderminster last Friday. He said:

    “I didn’t go there to die. I obviously thought about it but I had a job to do.”

    The Battle of Antonov — also known as the Battle of Hostomel — was among the first major skirmishes of the war, with Russian attack helicopters and jets aiming to dampen early resistance.

    Putin’s forces were successful but at huge cost — as Ukrainian forces downed several choppers. Jason said: “The Ukrainian people are heroes. They’re all great blokes who have the heart of lions and are defending their country.”

    Source: The Sun

    Russian controlled areas in Ukraine

    Operation Z, the Russian name for the invasion, and identified with the big “Z” marks on all Russian vehicles, is proceeding as planned.

    All those videos (from the Western "news") that show buring "Russian tanks and trucks", but that DON'T have the "Z" on them, are not Russian vehicles. They are Ukranian vehicles destroyed by the Russians.
    Only an idiot would believe Western / American "news" any longer.

    The map is starting to flush out and look like this. You cannot clearly make out the borders of Ukraine, as they are faint gray. You need to squint. But it is clear that Russia has substantive (not absolute) military control of around 65% to 70% of the nation.

    Ah. It’s a good time for Zelenskyy to broker a peace deal. It is too bad that his American handlers will not allow him; instead desiring a long-drawn-out war.

    I find it interesting,the capture of the international Airport at Lviv. See the map below. Lviv is on the Polish border.  Is this the start of full Russian capture of western Ukraine?

    2022 03 19 08 58
    Russian controlled areas in the Ukraine.

    .

    Chinese girl

    These are not evil nasty filthy people, like what is being portrayed in the Western “news”. They are just regular people. Like me. Like you. video 3MB

    Exports to Russia Blocked by U.S. and Its Allies

    A typical Western anti-China article.

    Yes. Nations that trade in USD, and that use sealanes to trade are under the influence of the United States and the West.

    But…

    Most of Asia use land transports; rail. And are thus immune to the sanctions backed up with the threat and enforcement of a naval blocade.

    Not at all mentioned in the article.

    Exports Blocked

    .

    The USD…

    2022 03 19 09 55
    2022 03 19 09 55

    Chinese girl

    These are not evil nasty filthy people, like what is being portrayed in the Western “news”. They are just regular people. Like me. Like you. video 1MB

    Turn on the sound to truly appreciate this video.

    Weapons Transporters May Be Declared “Military Targets” by Russia

    Russia’s Foreign Minister Lavrov threatens that all transporters that may bring weapons to Ukraine will be declared military targets.

        • Aircraft.
        • Ships.
        • Trains.
        • Trucks / Lorries.

    The wording of this announcement leaves open the very real possibility that such modes of transport MAY be in other countries.   So on its face, it appears that aircraft or ships bringing weapons into places like Poland, which **MAY** be carrying weapons for Ukraine, could be targeted.

    Washington rushes to hide its ‘octopus’ NED funding in Ukraine

    Many sections of the corporate media and a legion of propaganda agencies are openly and secretly funded by the US.

    As Russia finally invaded Ukraine – on a rationale similar to that of the US invasion of Iraq, but with greater substance – Washington rushed to delete funding details of Ukraine groups through its Congress-funded ‘National Endowment for Democracy’ (NED). 
    
    As US Professor John Mearsheimer said, Washington created the crisis in Ukraine, hoping to surround and fragment Russia, using NATO expansion and its Neo-Nazi allies. Instead, it seems that Russia will dismantle Ukraine. In the meantime, the U.S. in decline uses financial assets and networks to subvert most of the world.
    
    Despite the attempt to hide this sponsorship, an 80-page document showing US government NED funding for hundreds of Ukraine groups has been leaked. Now posted on several sites this document allows us a window into some of the internal U.S. influence since the CIA orchestrated Kiev coup of 2014. Many of the allocations have to do with anti-Russian propaganda, usually in the name of ‘transparency’, human rights, ‘independent journalism’, monitoring and so on. 
    
    For example, the list shows us that a Ukraine group ‘InformNapalm’, set up “to debunk myths and expose secrets of the Russian hybrid war” and which claims to be “a purely volunteer endeavor which does not have any financial support from any government or donor”, is actually US Government funded. The group publishes anti-Russian propaganda on its website in 31 languages.
    
    Other sources show us that the U.S. Government funds Ukraine's Neo-Nazi linked Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine (the KVPU), through its NED funded partner the AFL-CIO’s ‘Solidarity Center’. There are few sectors which the NED has not penetrated.
    
    In Ukraine, this has meant that, especially since 2014, the anti-Russian feeling already embedded in Ukraine nationalism and ultra-nationalism, has been inflamed, setting the country on a collision source with its Russian-speaking minority and with its big eastern neighbor. The NED has culturally reinforced NATO’s drive to war.

    Big data dump here…

    NED funds Nazis

    .

    Blockbuster: ‘Drag Queen’ Zelensky found a billion dollars and a villa in Miami – Veterans Today | Military Foreign Affairs Policy Journal for Clandestine Services

    Zelensky $35 million Florida mansion and $1.2 billion cash in offshore Costa Rican bank account. The American deep-state pays well. All you need to do is betray your oath of office, and sacrifice your countrymen.

    Hidey Hole

    .

    China helping Africa

    China is buidling high speed trains throughout Africa. While America is still discussing how to finish the first attempt in California. Still a rail line to nowhere. Not so in Africa. video. 8.2MB

    Nickel Surges 90% to Record With Threat of Shortages Mounting

    Nickel prices!

    .

    All That Glitters Is Not Necessarily Russian Gold

    The “rules-based international order” – as in “our way or the highway” – is unraveling much faster than anyone could have predicted.

    By Pepe Escobar, posted with the author’s permission and widely cross-posted

    The Eurasia Economic Union (EAEU) and China are starting to design a new monetary and financial system bypassing the U.S. dollar, supervised by Sergei Glazyev and intended to compete with the Bretton Woods system.

    Saudi Arabia – perpetrator of bombing, famine and genocide in Yemen, weaponized by U.S., UK and EU – is advancing the coming of the petroyuan.

    India – third largest importer of oil in the world – is about to sign a mega-contract to buy oil from Russia with a huge discount and using a ruble-rupee mechanism.

    Riyadh’s oil exports amount to roughly $170 billion a year. China buys 17% of it, compared to 21% for Japan, 15% for the U.S., 12% for India and roughly 10% for the EU. The U.S. and its vassals – Japan, South Korea, EU – will remain within the petrodollar sphere. India, just like China, may not.

    Sanction blowback is on the offense. Even a market/casino capitalism darling such as uber-nerd Credit Suisse strategist Zoltan Poznar, formerly with the NY Fed, IMF and Treasury Dept., has been forced to admit, in an analytical note: “If you think that the West can develop sanctions that will maximize the pain for Russia by minimizing the risks of financial stability and price stability for the West, then you can also trust unicorns.”

    Unicorns are a trademark of the massive NATOstan psyops apparatus, lavishly illustrated by the staged, completely fake “summit” in Kiev between Comedian Ze and the Prime Ministers of Poland, Slovenia and the Czech Republic, thoroughly debunked by John Helmer and Polish sources.

    Poznar, a realist, hinted in fact at the ritual burial of the financial chapter of the “rules-based international order” in place since the early Cold War years: “After the end of this war [in Ukraine], ‘money’ will ‎never be ‎the same.” Especially when the Hegemon demonstrates its “rules” by encroaching on other people’s money.

    And that configures the central tenet of 21st century martial geopolitics as monetary/ideological. The world, especially the Global South, will have to decide whether “money” is represented by the virtual, turbo-charged casino privileged by the Americans or by real, tangible assets such as energy sources. A bipolar financial world – U.S. dollar vs. yuan – is at hand.

    There’s no surefire evidence – yet. But the Kremlin may have certainly gamed that by using Russia’s foreign reserves as bait, likely to be frozen by sanctions, the end result could be the smashing of the petrodollar. After all the overwhelming majority of the Global South by now has fully understood that the backed-by-nothing U.S. dollar as “money” – according to Poznar – is absolutely untrustworthy.

    If that’s the case, talk about a Putin ippon from hell.

    It’s gold robbery time

    As I outlined the emergence of the new paradigm, from the new monetary system to be designed by a cooperation between the EAEU and China to the advent of the petroyuan, a serious informed discussion  erupted about a crucial part of the puzzle: the fate of the Russian gold reserves.

    Doubts swirled around the Russian Central Bank’s arguably suicidal policy of keeping assets in foreign securities or in banks vulnerable to Western sanctions.

    Of course there’s always the possibility Moscow calculated that nations holding Russian reserves – such as Germany and France – have assets in Russia that can be easily nationalized. And that the total debt of the state plus Russian companies even exceeds the amount of frozen reserves.

    But what about the gold?

    As of February 1, three weeks before the start of Operation Z, the Russian Central Bank held $630.2 billion in reserves. Almost half –

    $311.2 billion – were placed in foreign securities, and a quarter – $151.9 billion – on deposits with foreign commercial and Central Banks. Not exactly a brilliant strategy. As of June last year, strategic partner China held 13.8% of Russia’s reserves, in gold and foreign currency. 

    As for the physical gold, $132.2 billion – 21% of total reserves – remains in vaults in Moscow (two-thirds) and St. Petersburg (one-third).

    So no Russian gold has been frozen? Well, it’s complicated.

    The key problem is that more than 75% of Russian Central Bank reserves are in foreign currency. Half of these are securities, like government bonds: they never leave the nation that issued them. Roughly 25% of the reserves are linked to foreign banks, mostly private, as well as the BIS and the IMF.

    Once again it’s essential to remember Sergei Glazyev in his groundbreaking essay Sanctions and Sovereignty: “It is necessary to complete the de-dollarization of our foreign exchange reserves, replacing the dollar, euro and pound with gold. In the current conditions of the expected explosive growth in the price of gold, its mass export abroad is akin to treason and it is high time for the regulator to stop it.”

    This is a powerful indictment of the Russian Central Bank – which was borrowing against gold and exporting it. For all practical purposes, the Central Bank could be accused of perpetrating an inside job. And subsequently they were caught flat-footed by the devastating American sanctions.

    As a Moscow analyst puts it, the Central Bank “had delivered some volumes of gold to London in 2020-2021. This decision was motivated by a high price of gold at that time (near $2000 per ounce) and could hardly be initiated by Putin. If so, this decision can be qualified as very stupid, or even part of a diversionist tactic (…) Most of the gold delivered to London was not stored but sold and transferred into foreign currency reserves (in euro or pounds) which were frozen later.”

    No wonder a lot of people in Russia are livid. A quick flashback is in order. In June last year, Putin signed a law canceling requirements for the repatriation of foreign exchange earnings from gold exports. Five months later, Russia’s gold miners were exporting like crazy. A month later, the Duma wanted to know  why the Central Bank had stopped buying gold. No wonder Russia media erupted with accusations of “an unprecedented [gold] robbery”.

    Now it’s way more dramatic: RIA Novosti described the American-dictated freeze as – what else – a “robbery” and duly predicted global economic chaos.  As for the Central Bank, it’s back on the gold buying business.    

    None of the above though explains some “missing” gold that de facto is not under the possession of the Russian Central Bank. And that’s where a somewhat shady character such as Herman Gref comes in.

    Let’s check this out with State Duma deputy Mikhail Delyagin, who had a few things to say about the gold-exported-to-London bonanza:

    “This process has been going on for the past year. Exported, according to some estimates, 600 tons. [Head of Russian Central Bank] Nabiullina said – whoever wants to sell gold to get cash, or if you mine gold and trade it, keep in mind that the state, in my person, will not buy gold from you at a market price. We will take it at a big discount. If you want to get honest money for it, please export it. The world center of gold trading is London. Accordingly, everyone began to export and sell gold there. Including Mr. [Herman] Gref. The head of the formally state-owned Sberbank sold a huge part of his gold reserves.”

    Look here for fascinating details about Sberbank’s Gref shenanigans.

    Watch for the gold-backed ruble

    It may be a case of too little too late, but at least the Kremlin has now established a committee – with authority over the Central Bank nerds – to handle the serious stuff.

    It boggles the mind that the Russian Central Bank does not answer to the Russian constitution as well as to the judicial system, but in fact is subordinated to the IMF. A case can be made that this cartel-designed financial system – implying zero sovereignty – simply cannot be tackled head on by any nation on the planet, and Putin has been trying to undermine it step by step. That includes, of course, keeping Elvira Nabiullina on the job even as she duly follows the Washington consensus to the letter.

    And that brings us back to the ultra high stakes possibility that the Kremlin may have wanted from the start to go no holds barred, forcing the Atlanticists to reveal their true hand, and exposing their system in a “The King is Naked” spectacular for a worldwide audience.

    And that’s where the EAEU/China new monetary/financial system comes in, under Glazyev supervision. We can certainly envision Russia, China and vast swathes of Eurasia progressively divorcing from casino capitalism; the ruble reconverted to a gold-backed currency; and Russia focused on self-sufficiency, productive domestic investment and trade connectivity with most of the Global South.

    Way beyond its confiscated foreign reserves and tons of gold sold in London, what matters is that Russia remains the ultimate natural resource powerhouse. Shortages? A little austerity for a little while will take care of it: nothing as dramatic as the national impoverishment under the neoliberal 1990s. And extra boost would come from exporting natural resources at premium discount prices to other BRICS and most of Eurasia and the Global South.

    The collective West has just fabricated a new, tawdry East-West divide. Russia is turning it upside down, to its own profit: after all the multipolar world is rising in the East.

    The Empire of Lies won’t back down, because it does not have a Plan B. Plan A is to “cancel” Russia across the – Western – spectrum. So what? Russophobia, racism, 24/7 psyops, propaganda overdrive, cancel culture online mobs, that don’t mean a thing.

    Facts matter: the Bear has enough nuclear/hypersonic hardware to shatter NATO in a few minutes before breakfast and teach a lesson to the collective West before pre-dinner cocktails. There will come a time when some exceptionalist with a decent IQ will finally understand the meaning of “indivisibility of security”.

    South African president blames NATO for Russia-Ukraine war – The Jerusalem Post

    SA sides w Russia

    .

    Chinese girl

    These are not evil nasty filthy people, like what is being portrayed in the Western “news”. They are just regular people. Like me. Like you. video 3MB

    The Best Lasagna

    It’s Spring in most of the world. That means that it’s too warm to make hot dishes, and too cold to make cold Summer dishes. But nothing quite fits the bill than a fine lasagna meal that you cook on a lazy weekend, because you don’t need to cut the grass, and you don’t need to shovel the sidewalks.

    This is a great piece of inspiration. I hope that you all like it, and maybe you too will be as inspired as I am…

    There’s something really great about layers of ground beef, pasta, delicious ricotta cheese mixture, a fine easy homemade marinara sauce, and more cheese in every hot and tasty bite.

    There are a few classic Italian dishes that are popular with just about everyone in the ‘States. It’s a perfect sit-down dinner dish to share with family and friends. Or, just to scarf down while you are watching your favorite sitcom.

    Comforting flavors of homemade tomato sauce, pasta, cheese, and beef makes every bite a delight. It’s a wonderful weekend dinner. And it’s a perfect thing to cook on the weekend as well.

    This lasagna is amazing. It’s easy to make. Tastes great and really fills your belly deliciously.

    2022 03 20 14 22
    Lasagna.

    Lasagna Tips:

    This is just the opening salvo in moving the global "balance of power" from a Uni-polar one to a Multi-polar one.
    
    The U$A has had it's way for decades, time for a change, and man o man, are they freaking out.

    Noodles. When choosing pasta noodles, I recommend using oven-ready ones. It will be much easier and cut down on cooking steps and time.

    No Cook or Instant Noodles can be used without pre-boiling (check the packet instructions first). You can assemble as normal. To ensure the pasta has enough liquid to cook through while the lasagna is baking, we normally add about 1/2 cup of water to our sauce when using INSTANT.

    Pre Boil Or Pre Cook Pasta Sheets need to be boiled first before assembly. Follow the instructions on the packet. Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil into the water to prevent the sheets from sticking together and stir them occasionally with a wooden spoon. Transfer each cooked lasagna sheet carefully into a large bowl or pot filled with cool water to help stop the cooking process. Leave them in there until ready to use. This helps prevent them from sticking together or drying out. You can do this while the meat sauce is gently simmering away so all elements are ready at the same time.

    Layering. While layering pasta, have the sheets overlap by 1/2 to 1/4 inch. Remember, you can also break apart some pasta sheets in you need to cover small corners and gaps.

    White Sauce. This is where things go from yeah, it’s okay TO oh-my-god-this-is-so-good! Some people just don’t use any ricotta cheese in their lasagna. Not because they don’t like ricotta, but because white sauce makes it so much more flavourful. You need only 4 ingredients to make this Béchamel happen:

        1. Butter
        2. Flour
        3. Milk
        4. Parmesan cheese. If you don’t like parmesan, replace it with Gruyere, Romano, Asiago, Manchego, or more Mozzarella.

    Fat in the meat. Choose 85/15 meat to fat ratio of ground beef. It will result in a juicier and more tender beef layer. In the case of lasagna, the more fat the better. Let it cook long and hard. The fat will flavor the dish.

    Sauce. When possible, make your own marinara sauce. It’s easy and it will make the world of difference in the taste. Marinara sauce can be made ahead of time or even frozen. Like all Italian – American dishes; make the components in batches and freeze for later use.

    Oil the pan. Make sure to spray one side of aluminum foil with some spray cooking oil and cover the baking pan oiled side down. That will prevent cheese from sticking to the foil when you pull it off. I’ll tell you that it’s a real pain in the ass to scrub away cheese sticking to pans. You all don’t want that to happen.

    2022 03 20 14 24
    Delicious tasty lasagna.

    From HERE. All credit. Bla-Bla.

    Chinese girl

    These are not evil nasty filthy people, like what is being portrayed in the Western “news”. They are just regular people. Like me. Like you. video 2MB

    Can I freeze lasagna?

    Yes, lasagna can absolutely be frozen and here is how to freeze lasagna.

    If you are planning on freezing your lasagna, use an aluminum baking pan to prepare it. Use one 9×13 baking pan or two half the size.

    Cook your ingredients and put it together in the pan right up until the baking step. Instead of baking it, freeze it.

    Make sure to wrap the container as tightly as possible.

    Properly stored, lasagna can last up to 6 months in the freezer.

    To thaw lasagna, pull it from the freezer into the refrigerator and slow-thaw it there for 10-12 hours.

    2022 03 20 14 25
    Lasagna.

    Bake as directed in the recipe but increase baking time under foil by 15-20 minutes since the lasagna will be cold going into the oven.

    Ingredients

    • 4 1/2 cups marinara sauce (homemade or store-bought) divided
    • 8-10 oz oven ready lasagna sheets
    • 1 1/2 cups shredded Italian cheese mix topping
    • 1/2 tsp dry oregano topping
    • Lots and lots of mozzarella cheese.

    Beef layer:

    • 2 tbsp olive oil
    • 1 yellow onion diced
    • 1 1/2 lbs ground beef (85/15 or 90/10 meat to fat ratio)
    • 1/2 tsp dry oregano
    • 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
    • salt
    • fresh cracked black pepper
    • 1 1/2 cups shredded Italian cheese mix

    Ricotta layer:

    • 20 oz whole milk ricotta
    • 1 cup shredded Italian cheese mix
    • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
    • 1 tbsp minced fresh Italian parsley (or regular parsley)
    • 2 tbsp minced fresh basil
    • 1 tsp dry oregano
    • 1 egg
    • salt

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 and grease 9×13 casserole dish.

    Beef:

    • Preheat a medium cooking pan over medium heat.
    • Add oil and saute diced onion until transparent.
    • Add ground beef and cook, breaking up all the lumps, until just done. Season with salt, pepper, and oregano.
    • Once the meat is just done. Mix in 1 1/2 cups of marinara sauce and 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Set aside.

    Ricotta:

    • Combine all ingredients for the ricotta layer in a mixing bowl and mix very well. Set aside.

    Lasagna:

    • Spread 1 cup of marinara sauce over the bottom of the casserole dish. Make sure it’s spread evenly.
    • Layer lasagna noodles in one even layer. I like to overlap the pasta sheets just a little bit, 1/2 to 1/4 inch or so.
    • Spread beef mixture over the pasta sheets evenly. Spread 1 1/2 cups of shredded Italian cheese mix.
    • Layer lasagna noodles in one even layer. Again, you can overlap the pasta sheets just a little bit, 1/2 to 1/4 inch or so.
    • Spread 1 cup of marinara sauce over pasta sheets evenly.
    • Spread ricotta mixture evenly. Drop spoonfuls of ricotta mixture all over and use your hands to spread it in one even layer. (Of course, make sure your hands are clean.)
    • Layer lasagna noodles in one even layer. Overlap the pasta sheets just a little bit, 1/2 to 1/4 inch or so.
    • Spread 1 cup of marinara sauce over pasta sheets, evenly.
    • Spread 1 1/2 cups of shredded Italian cheese mix over the sauce evenly.
    • Sprinkle some oregano over the top.
    • Spray one side of aluminum foil sheet with cooking spray and cover the casserole dish with foil, oiled side down.
    • Bake covered for about 35 minutes.
    • Take off the foil and bake for another 10 minutes with it completely layered in mozzarella cheese.

    Chinese girl

    These are not evil nasty filthy people, like what is being portrayed in the Western “news”. They are just regular people. Like me. Like you. video 2MB

    US F-35 and Chinese J-20 fighter jets had a close encounter over East China Sea: US general

    F35 vs J20

    .

    Chinese girl

    These are not evil nasty filthy people, like what is being portrayed in the Western “news”. They are just regular people. Like me. Like you. video 3MB

    Medvedev: Russia Has The Might To Put You In Your Place

    Russia warned the United States on Thursday that Moscow had the might to put the world’s pre-eminent superpower in its place and accused the West of stoking a wild Russophobic plot to tear Russia apart.

    Dmitry Medvedev, who served as president from 2008 to 2012 and is now deputy secretary of Russia’s Security Council, said the United States had stoked “disgusting” Russophobia in an attempt to force Russia to its knees.

    “It will not work – Russia has the might to put all of our brash enemies in their place,” Medvedev said.

    Since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, the United States and its European and Asian allies have slapped sanctions on Russian leaders, companies and businessmen, cutting off Russia from much of the world economy.

    President Vladimir Putin says that what he calls the special military operation in Ukraine was necessary because the United States was using Ukraine to threaten Russia and Russia had to defend against the “genocide” of Russian-speaking people by Ukraine.

    Economic News

    Translation from http://smoothiex12.blogspot.com/2022/03/this-is-important.html#disqus_thread

    Translation: 
    
    YEREVAN, March 14 – Sputnik. The member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and China will develop a project for an independent international monetary and financial system. This was agreed upon by the participants in the economic dialogue “A New Stage of Monetary, Financial and Economic Cooperation between the EAEU and the PRC. Global Transformations: Challenges and Solutions”, which was held on March 11 via videoconference. It is envisaged that the system will be based on a new international currency, which will be calculated as an index of the national currencies of the participating countries and commodity prices. The first draft will be submitted for discussion by the end of March. As Sergei Glazyev, Minister for Integration and Macroeconomics of the EEC, emphasized, China was the first in the world to move to the stage of national economic recovery.

    The background here is bigger.  This was noted by Godfree Roberts:

    In two weeks, China, Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan will reveal a new, independent, international monetary and financial system.

    It will be based on a new international currency, calculated from an index of national currencies of the participating countries and international commodity prices. [Mar. 14, 2022, Sputnik News].

    Russia and China will also reveal their Unfriendly Nation Lists.

    Reliable links are still hard to come by in general.

    Tucker: The standard of living is plummeting

    The buildup for civil collapse inside the United States is building. Prices are changing every three days. Americans are unhappy. Major changes in American lifestyle are happening switftly and the American government is oblivious. Their solution is to take the bus. Fine. If there were busses. Most of America is not serviced by bus lines.

    This is hyper-inflation. This is what brings down nations.

    Now, to be sure, inflation is a global issue, but it is ONLY the nations that rely on the USD that are building up towards an explosion. Only those nations. This includes all of the West, with America being the worst affected.

    The pther nations in the world aren’t doing so bad.

    Sure there’s inflation. But other nations monitor and controls the use of the USD in their global inports.There are strict laws and controls in bringing in and using the USD. Thus the rest of the world can control the adverse influences of the USD to their nations.

    So hyper-inflation?

    Not so in China. Not so in Russia. Not so in India.

    Only in the West. And it is outrageous. It’s an excellent video. A great video. Check it out.

    2022 03 19 10 04
    2022 03 19 10 04

    US Army veteran fighting in Ukraine says he went AWOL because it was a ‘trap’

    From HERE. Exerpts…

    ...28-year-old Henry Hoeft, who served in the US Army Infantry before becoming a steelworker in Ohio, left earlier this month to fight in Ukraine.
    
    ...Hoeft described the situation for foreign volunteers, who are effectively used as poorly-equipped cannon fodder in order to draw Russians into ambushes carried out by Ukrainian forces.
    
    ...In addition, Russia does not consider the foreign volunteers to be lawful combatants, instead classifying them as “mercenaries.”
    
    ...Hoeft went on to discuss how his base was “f**ed up” by a Russian attack and that members of his unit were told to “get the f**k out” after they refused an order to defend Kiev with partially-filled magazines and inferior equipment.
    
    ...“Foreign mercenaries who were wounded in the #Volnovakha hospital were shot by their own before leaving the city so that they could not tell anything. 
    
    ..."All shot in the temple or the back of the head.
    
    ...According to The Intelligencer, many of the foreign volunteers are American, Canadian, and British.

    Burger King in Russia will stay open

    Burger King is trying to suspend its operations in Russia, but that’s proving difficult. A business partner controlling 800 restaurants has “refused” to close them, the company said.
    The burger chain, owned by Restaurant Brands International (RBI), has a joint venture partnership with businessman Alexander Kolobov in Russia.
    
    RBI controls just 15 per cent of its Russian Burger King business, and Kolobov is responsible for the "day-to-day operations and oversight" of its locations in the country.
    .
    .

    Nuke movement in the UK

    This video is concerning. Six nukes were tracked and seen moving on open highways in Glasgow last night by people who seem to be in the intelligence loop and have been tracking them for while.

    .

    Andrei Martyanov on “Does the US have a plan?”

    He’s pretty good. He’s my go-to guy on the Russian point of view, and offer great military insight and sitrep on the Ukraine invasion. This particular video covers the Russian-China alliance, and a hard look at the United States “end game”.

    The United States has NO idea what they are dealing with. It’s a great video that underlines what I have been saying for years.

    2022 03 19 08 16
    2022 03 19 08 16

    Africa

    Most members of the South African parliament, when asked to support NATO agaist Russia, responded by saying that they have never forgiven NATO for the bombing of Libya and killing President Ghadafi. 
    
    They also pointed out that during Africa’s independence liberation struggle to get rid of NATO colonisers, it was the USSR (Russia) that gave African freedom fighters, unwavering support. 
    
    Samora Macheal led a Russian supported revolt against the Portuguese in Mozambique, Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo, led the Zimbabwe liberation war against the British supported by Russia, Sam Nujoma in Namibia fought against the British, Germans and USA supported by Russia and Cuba, Edwardos Do Santos fought a brutal war against Portugal supported by Russia and Cuba, Patrice Lumumba against, America, Beligian and the French supported by Russia and so did Kwame Nkuruma, Thomas Sankara, and many other examples. 
    
    Africa cannot forsake Russia what so ever. 
    
    I must point out that RT News which is broadcast by some government channels in Africa does not give a detailed coverage of Russia’s Special Operation. It gives scanty stories and does not counter western media propaganda. 
    
    There is a massive support for Russia in Africa.
    
    African leaders are scrapping around to find positive news about Russia’s progress. How can Russia not have its own communication satelite to carry its own television channels around the world?

    History Lesson

    History teaches that when you obliterate an enemy, they become your best friend.

    The US firebombed and nuked the Japs, and they are the most enthusiastic ass-kissers of the US.

    The Russians flattened Grozny, and the Chechens are their best buddies.

    Just herd all the wannabe-Polak Russia-hating Ukrainians into Lvov, and the survivors–if any–will be fighting for Russia forever.

    Weapons system surprises

    The war has been a test of weapons systems, with some unexpected outcomes, Notably the deadly effectiveness of Swedish-designed anti-tank missiles.

    R C.ef38dc01bf9045452e372a29b773e4bc
    NLAWs

    Ukraine Is Wrecking Russian Tanks With a Gift From Britain…
    
    “The green tubes are called NLAWs, for Next Generation Light Anti-Tank Weapons. They are the result of decades of weapons research dedicated to building small lightweight guided missiles that may have evened the balance of power in combat between the fearsome tank and the soldier.
    
    “Compared to the American-made Javelin antitank weapon, which has been hailed by officials at the Pentagon and the White House and sent to Ukraine by the thousands, the NLAW weighs about half as much, costs far less, can be easily discarded, and is optimized for use in the relatively short-range fights Ukrainian soldiers are getting into with the invading Russian forces.
    
    “The NLAW is a product of the Swedish company Saab and has been sold to a number of NATO countries — including Britain, which assembles the missiles at a factory in Belfast, Northern Ireland, for the British Army. And although the British Army also has the Javelin, it began purchasing NLAWs about 10 years ago and has been sending them to Ukraine in ever greater numbers.” 
    
    -Ukraine Is Wrecking Russian Tanks With a Gift From Britain

    Boris returns from Saudi mission without pledge to boost oil supplies | Daily Mail Online

    Boris Johnson visited Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia urging states to boost oil supplies to bring down prices.
    
    The Gulf states will not increase their production to help the West.
    
    The PM insisted he raised the issue of "human rights abuses" during talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

    UK fails

    .

    Bulgaria said No. And citizens rallied…NATO Out” [with Videos]

    US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin traveled to Bulgaria on Saturday, where he met with Prime Minister Kiril Petkov to discuss the Ukrainian crisis and apparently asked Sofia to provide military aid to Kiev. The Bulgarian PM said no.

    Bulgarian citizens rallied on Saturday against giving its “few remaining weapons” to Ukraine and demanded the withdrawal of NATO from the country.

    Demonstrators gathered in front of the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense, where Austin and Petkov met for a joint press conference, waving Bulgarian and Russian flags. They were heard chanting,  “NATO Out.”

    Similar protests took place in Rome and Piza, Italy, where activists of a major Italian trade union, USB, opposed sending weapons to Ukraine and called on the government to ditch NATO.[.]

    Bulgarian NO

    .

    Ship carrying German cars sinks off Iran

    Amazing how unluckly Germans are with shipping their cars. This makes the third sinking in four weeks. What bad luck.

    2022 03 20 21 46
    2022 03 20 21 46

    All carrying German expensive, high end vehicles. What a coincidence!

    2022 03 20 21 43
    2022 03 20 21 43

    Foreign Desk News

    .

    CBS News

    .

    Action at Lvov

    Russian paratroopers have seized the airport.

    2022 03 20 21 20
    2022 03 20 21 20

    ASB Military News

    $400 million worth of Western supplied weaponry destroyed in a single russian strike on the military base near Lvov — radio intercepted comms suggest that 267 foreign mercenaries have been killed in the strike.

    50 year old Peter from Austria who fought alongside the “international legion of Ukraine” said that 800 to 1000 foreign mercenaries were present during the strike.

    Around 400 mercenaries were evacuated to Poland, many of whom have suffered severe burns & torn limbs from the Kalibr strike.

    There’s a high number of missing individuals still under the rubble which includes a high number of Americans, Poles and Romanians. Former NATO officers are Amongst the dead.

    Lvov

    .

    Sunday Evening SURGE in “Commercial” Air Flights OUT of Moscow and St. Petersburg Russia

    From Hal Turner.

    2022 03 21 10 11
    2022 03 21 10 11

    mRNA injections and premature death?

    I don’t want to be a “gloomy gus” but…

    Whats going on?

    .

    Why did the war happen?

    Question– Is there a justification for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?

    Answer– Yes, there is. Russia was being threatened by developments in Ukraine, so it told Ukraine to either stop what it was doing or suffer the consequences. Ukraine chose to ignore those warnings, so Russia invaded. That is basically what happened.

    Chinese reaction to Russia

    Chinese netizens have bought basically everthing (chocolate candies, vodka, Russian sausages and bread, etc.) out from the Russia’s official online shop on one of China’s biggest e-coomerce platforms. 
    
    The Russian manager of the online shop has to tell the enthusiastic Chinese customers to “shop rationally”.

    Interesting chat.

    “Most people don’t know this. The SWIFT system when it was created was a way for you to settle things – an international protocol, secure bank to bank how you send money, AND IT WAS PROMISED AT THAT TIME, THE US SAID: “WE WILL NEVER USE THIS FOR POLITICAL PURPOSES”.

    “The old world order is trembling as the Russians march across the Ukrainian border. Is Putin just another time bomb that has lost his mind, or it’s because NATO pushed the Russians too hard?

    Thousands of miles away from the battlefield, some cast their sights on China, pressuring it [to contain] its neighbor in the north. Dr Charles Liu [talks to] his friend, Einar Tangen. They might have spoken softly, but the points they carry [should] never [be missed].”

    They cover, inter-alia:
    ◉ the NATO eastward expansion despite earlier guarantees given to the contrary by Howard Baker (then Secretary of State of the US);

    ◉ Putin speaking in 1991 in the German language in Berlin, addressing everybody and saying Russia wants to be part of Europe, and then 6 years later in 1997, he gets up at the Munich Security Conference saying: “You’ve cheated us, you’ve humiliated us, you expanded;
    ◉ how Western press is parroting that “China is providing support for Russia” by buying Russian gas and oil but ignores how Germany and Europe buy it;
    ◉ how the US / EU has held back a big block of conditions vis-à-vis the sanctions on Russia because they need to buy the oil and gas of Russia; sanctions on 12 out of 230 banks in Russia;
    ◉ the Ukraine situation before the war, where in the 1990’s and in a span of less than 7 years, the country lost 60% of their GDP, corruption was rife; the hypocrisy in the democratic practices where there was interference in the election of the new government in Ukraine;
    ◉ how “THE US IS LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR THE NEXT ROUND, AND THE NEXT ROUND IS GOING TO BE FOCUSED ON CHINA, beating up Russia is one thing but if Russia is weakened through this conflict, the next target is of course China”
    ◉ China’s support for Russia stems from China’s need for energy; Russia is part of the Eurasian landmass in line with the Belt & Road Initiative and the Eurasian growth objectives; the strategic assessment of China that Putin is unlikely to bow down to America.
    ◉ The efforts by the US to stymy the growth of the semiconductor industry in China, how the US accuses the Chinese of being autocratic but yet it is the US that holds on to “might is right” including invading countries, etc.. – “all a matter of big your fist is”.

    Click here for the VIDEO:

    Video

    .

    Fighting the crazies

    From Pat…()

    On Jan. 20, 2021, Joe Biden took an oath:

    “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

    And when the issue arose as to whether he, as president and commander in chief, would transfer MiG-29s to Ukrainians fighting Russians for their independence and freedom, Joe Biden said no.

    “The idea that we’re going to send in offensive equipment and have planes and tanks and trains going in with American pilots and American crews — just understand, don’t kid yourself, no matter what y’all say, that’s called World War III,” Biden told House Democrats in Philadelphia.

    Biden was saying that, no matter how noble the cause or how just the war Ukrainians are fighting, his first duty is to America. And as president of the United States, he will put U.S. national interests first and not risk a war with the largest nuclear power on earth.

    Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s reaction:

    Biden runs “the most timid, cowardly and pathetic administration in modern American history.”
    
    If our “enormous capacity” and “very competent people … were unleashed,” said Gingrich, “we would…end up defeating Putin, and he would end up being ousted from power by his own government. But instead, we are intimidated by him. We allow him to get away with war crimes.”

    In this Ukraine war, Gingrich is the interventionist, and Biden is putting his own country, America, first. On this one, put me down with Joe.

    GOP Sen. Marco Rubio has also spoken out for America First:

    A no-fly zone “means flying AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control Systems) 24 hours a day. 
    
    That means the willingness to shoot down and engage Russian airplanes in the sky. 
    
    That means, frankly, you can’t put those planes up there unless they’re willing to knock out the anti-aircraft systems that the Russians have deployed, and not just in Ukraine, but in Russia and also in Belarus.
    
    “So basically a no-fly zone … means World War III. 
    
    It means starting World War III. 
    
    It’s not some rule you pass that everybody has to oblige by. 
    
    It’s the willingness to shoot down the aircrafts of the Russian Federation, which is basically the beginning of World War III.”

    While the threat to the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine may be an existential one for that nation, it is no such peril to our nation.

    35 percent of Americans support nuclear war with Russia…

    Vault 7, or “shit for brains”?

    Pew Polling

    .

    Demand for Safe Rooms Skyrockets in Los Angeles

    Amid crime concerns, wealthy homeowners seek to install panic rooms, with some steel-encased versions running up to $1 million to build while one Malibu project included a secret tunnel out to the beach. From HERE.

    Our influx of inquiries has increased more than 1,000 percent over the past three months,” says Dean Cryer, vp international operations at Building Consensus/Panic Room Builders, a firm specializing in the building of safe rooms. “It’s gone insane.”

    2022 03 21 10 19
    2022 03 21 10 19

    Because of the perceived increase in crime in metropolitan areas and high-profile murders and robberies in high-net-worth neighborhoods like Beverly Hills, “hidden rooms are definitely trending right now,” says Cryer.

    In the L.A. area, some houses selling for as low as $4 million or $5 million are being kitted out, particularly spec homes. “I think they are not something that, in an immediate sense, increases value,” says Douglas Elliman real estate agent Greg Holcomb. “But when a buyer is interested in the house anyway, I think it does help [boost interest].”

    39037ea1 942a 47bf be09 881386a7e544 140913OMH 203
    39037ea1 942a 47bf be09 881386a7e544 140913OMH 203

    Real estate agents, though, can never tell casual buyers or appraisers the exact location of a safe room. Often, they can’t mention its existence at all until the property is under contract. “You never know who’s potentially casing a house. The last thing you want to do is show them, ‘Here’s the panic room, and here’s how you access it,’ ” says Jon Grauman of The Agency.

    2022 03 21 10 29 6
    2022 03 21 10 29 6

    Holcomb likewise has had to keep mum. “We once had a property and an appraiser come and was measuring the home, and they could not figure out why there was this kind of dead space,” he says. “And we weren’t allowed to tell them what it was. They just had to assume it was dead space, when in fact behind a secret panel was a safe room.”

    Secret lifting staircase. Right out of the television show “The Addams Family”…

    2022 03 21 10 25
    2022 03 21 10 25

    In business for 25 years, Building Consensus/Panic Room (which consulted on the 2002 movie Panic Room) builds various safe spaces ranging in security levels from one through eight. Safe rooms at level three may be protected with Kevlar, while a level eight is encased in thick steel.

    2022 03 21 10 28 5
    2022 03 21 10 28 5

    “Just the doors can be 2,000 to 3,000 pounds,” says Cryer. “And then we’re installing steel within the room. So, we’re generating up to 10,000 pounds in a room.”

    2022 03 21 10 20
    2022 03 21 10 20

    Prices range greatly. “You could kit out a small closet for about $100,000, $150,000. And then it’s north of there. We’ve done one in London that had two rooms, full suites … and that was over a million dollars,” says Cryer, who says the company’s client base consists mostly of billionaires.

    2022 03 21 10 28 4
    2022 03 21 10 28 4

    Most rooms are opened with biometrics, usually a finger or retina scan secreted behind a bookcase or hidden wall, and come equipped with panic buttons that automatically call security services.

    large Covert Interiors IMG 02012
    large Covert Interiors IMG 02012

    Cryer says the firm collaborates with security guards and former officials in law enforcement to constantly improve impregnability.

    2022 03 21 10 21
    2022 03 21 10 21

    There also is an emphasis on comfort. “It’s gone from a steel, cold room where it’s a bunch of cameras,” Cryer says. “Now it’s more of a serene feeling.

    R C.bbae1408787d58a1df7ca9911a2e4ecd
    Safe room.

    We say it’s an everyday use room, which when needed can be turned into a safe haven. So, you wouldn’t know what room in the house was the safe room. You wouldn’t have a clue.”

    2022 03 21 10 24
    2022 03 21 10 24

    Some safe rooms are designed with all the benefits of an upscale den. “We’ve seen some of them be fitted with a bathroom, some with outlets for cable TV [and] surround sound,” says The Agency’s Emil Hartoonian.

    R C.6430c5e64ee362f5f5e5ca840287aec5
    Safe tent for a bioweapon attack.

    Some also are used as storage rooms for valuables, and the fanciest safe rooms have toilets and HVAC systems separate from the rest of the house.

    2022 03 21 10 28 3
    2022 03 21 10 28 3

    “Within the room itself, you could be in there for up to 24 hours. I mean, it depends where you are in the world. And in most of L.A., you could be waiting a couple of hours before the police get to you,” Cryer says.

    2022 03 21 10 22
    2022 03 21 10 22

    Some panic room owners are not waiting on the police to arrive, instead taking matters into their own hands. Hartoonian recalls one house he saw in Hidden Hills. “I think there was more artillery in there than probably one of the bunkers of the U.S. Army,” he says. “There were packs of food that wouldn’t go bad for two years.

    2022 03 21 10 50
    2022 03 21 10 50

    Television, microwave, small bathroom … I mean, it was like a little self-sufficient, almost studio apartment, if you will. Ready to take on the zombie apocalypse.”

    2022 03 21 10 27 2
    2022 03 21 10 27 2

    Other buyers are not just interested in staying safe within their homes — they are intent on being able to get out. “We’ve even done bunkers and tunnels. We’ve done a project out in Malibu.

    1213981 022216 panicrooms
    1213981 022216 panicrooms

    They wanted a secret tunnel out to the beach. So they could escape, like a secret bunker,” Cryer says.

    2022 03 21 10 23
    2022 03 21 10 23

    Currently on the market in Pacific Palisades is a six-bedroom, 9,100-square-foot home, listed for $6.995 million with Farah Levi of The Agency, with a safe room that was converted into a screening room. The safe room was installed by a previous owner who was a legal arms dealer.

    2022 03 21 10 27
    2022 03 21 10 27

    Says Levi, “Our current sellers are the ones who converted the safe room into the theater. My client is in the entertainment business and wanted a great theater in their home, and they felt this was the perfect solution. They spent approximately $150,000 on the theater conversion.”

    safe room Gaffco 2108027 crop 58b0d8a75f9b5860461ddd8c
    A safe room from Gaffco

    The room has 3-inch-thick steel doors that can close automatically. That feature is still possible should it be necessary at some point. The Retina scan is still operational and can be used to close and open doors; it is no longer registered with the FBI.”

    2022 03 21 10 2d3
    2022 03 21 10 2d3

    No one sees the trend in luxe safe rooms ending anytime soon, as security concerns increase and the focus on amenities becomes more important. As Grauman notes, particularly in spec development, the “name of the game is differentiation,” he says. “Panic rooms are just going to be one of those amenities that gets tacked on to every list of, ‘OK, every new home moving forward above x price point must have this.’ “

    Hum.

    Very interesting points of view from both the buyers, and the salespeople. No one is looking at the real SHTF, or REAL crime. You won’t be a waiting some 12 hours for the police to arrive, so much as hoping that your home isn’t burned to the ground, or that a squad of Hell Angels bikers don’t take it over.

    Chinese working together

    Firemen ask for help. Everyone leaves their homes and goes forth to contribute. Rufus. There is nothing like this is America. video 3MB

    Shaken Foreign Volunteers Flee Ukraine After Base Hit by Russian Cruise Missiles — Ex-Marine Reports

    “Bro I had fucking thirteen cruise missiles drop on me this morning. We were at the mercy of Russian warplanes.”

    Money in America

    From Hal Turner

    For what it's worth . . .
    
    1.) ALL pennies 1982 or older (obviously wheat, and Indian Head pennies have a greater numismatic value), but an average 1982 or older are 95% copper and 5% zinc. TRASH anything after '82 because it's close to the opposite amalgamation (copper coated zinc).
    
    Those '82 pennies are worth $.0307 EACH! Imagine a penny being worth 3 cents! SAVE 'EM FOLKS!
    
    2.) ALL Nickels 2014 and older, because of the increase in the price of nickel recently are worth almost TWICE their face value.
    $1.00 of these are currently worth $1.73!
    
    I find it funny that MOST stores currently have a "change shortage".
    
    I think the government is culling as many of these coins as possible, artificially creating this "shortage" while they replace the valuable coins with worthless pieces of SHIT.
    
    NOTE: There are only 2 US coins that are not allowed to be melted down. 1 is the penny, the other is the nickel. (I smell a rat here.)
    
    The ONLY saving grace is you're allowed to melt them down for scientific purposes or demonstrations.
    
    I will personally be SCIENCING the SHIT out of my neighborhood!
    
    Hope this helps if even a bit.
    
    Reference: www.coinflation.com (base metal melt value calculation)

    China Tells US They Don’t Care About the Ukraine, Don’t Want to be Badgered with Moral Lectures

    Dear Elitists: China is not Andrew Anglin, and they’re not Alex Jones.

    You can’t just declare a media war against them, organize a social media moral panic against them, and have them silenced.

    Sorry!

    It doesn’t work that way.

    Attempting to implement domestic moral shaming techniques against the Chinese government actually just makes you look pathetic and weird. I mean, the Distinguished Mr. Jones and myself both believe your moral crusades against us were pathetic and weird, but hey – they worked. You had the ability to unilaterally sanction Anglin and Jones.

    But unlike Anglin and Jones, China is a global superpower. You’re going to have to do more than launch a moral shaming campaign in the media.

    After weeks of badgering, China just told the US government that they don’t care about the Ukraine, and that US officials are welcome to cry about it.

    RT:

     Beijing maintains an “independent” stance on the Ukraine crisis, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, Zhao Lijian, said during a press conference on Friday. The remark came in response to threats made by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who warned China on Thursday that Washington would “impose costs” on it should Beijing choose to support Moscow.
    
    Lijian stated that “on the Ukraine issue, China has always acted objectively and impartially and made independent judgments based on the merits of the matter itself.” 

    Most Chinese statement ever?

     The Chinese diplomat also stressed that pressure from Washington would not make Beijing change its stance. He added that some US officials were still trying to spread disinformation regarding China’s position – something Lijian described as irresponsible and not conducive to the resolution of the crisis.
    
    In China’s view, the US ought to “seriously reflect on its role in the Ukraine crisis,” as well as “earnestly assume its due responsibilities.” Lijian also called on Washington to “take practical actions to ease the situation and solve the problem, rather than continue to add fuel to the fire.” 

    Yeah.

    Why did you throw that revolution in the country in 2014? Then why did you encourage leaders in the Ukraine to disregard the Minsk agreements and continue to bombard Russians living in the Ukraine?

    Why did you continue to send munitions to those  neo-Nazi groups doing the bombarding?

    Furthermore, to Lijian’s second point: why are you continuing to refuse to even discuss diplomacy, and instead shipping billions in weaponry to the Ukraine?

    Lijian posted this to Twitter today:

    #NATO Expansion pic.twitter.com/YiAQcvJvmR
    
    — Lijian Zhao 赵立坚 (@zlj517) March 18, 2022

    A few days ago, he posted this:

    "Reaping the world" with dollar hegemony? How far can the U.S. go? pic.twitter.com/oFstcrKuHZ
    
    — Lijian Zhao 赵立坚 (@zlj517) March 16, 2022

    He posts consistently about the US bio warfare program.

    What is the #US hiding in the biolabs in #Ukraine? pic.twitter.com/d6PUjOcBir
    
    — Lijian Zhao 赵立坚 (@zlj517) March 18, 2022

    He even posts the same memes we post here.

    It is a truth universally acknowledged, that when the West talks about the "int'l community", they mean: pic.twitter.com/RZNOwDymX2
    
    — Lijian Zhao 赵立坚 (@zlj517) March 17, 2022

    He’s not some dumbass writer for Salon.

    The government/media have this massive censorship machine domestically, which they can use to claim that Putin invaded Ukraine because he is pure evil. They can refuse to mention the fact that Putin has offered to completely withdraw the military and let Zelensky remain in power if he agrees to neutrality. But the rest of the world is not the captive audience of CNN, Fox News, and Twitter.

     On Friday, US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will hold talks via telephone, with the Ukraine crisis high on the agenda. Biden is expected to repeat warnings made earlier by Blinken regarding any possible actions China may take to “support Russia’s aggression.”
    
    On Thursday, China’s Commerce Ministry spokesperson, Gao Feng, made it clear that China opposed “any form of unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law.” According to the official, such punitive measures “not only fail to resolve security issues, but also harm the lives of ordinary people, disrupt global markets, and make the world’s already slowing economy even worse.” 

    The Chinese are officially the adults in the room, due to their autistic like ability to simply state the obvious.

     The statement came hard on the heels of Jake Sullivan’s warning to China on Sunday, in which Joe Biden’s national security adviser cautioned that Beijing would “absolutely” face consequences should it help Moscow evade Western sanctions. 

    What do these threats even mean?

    Is the US going to attempt to implement the same sanctions they’ve put against Russia on China?

    How does everyone think that would work out – banning all Western import of Chinese goods?

    Then, according to this new Russian model, they would have to sanction every country that continues to do business with China, which is the whole world.

    It is not hyperbolic to state that the current path of the US appears to be towards building an Iron Curtain around America and EU/NATO countries. Because these people in Washington believe they have the ability to totally dominate every country on earth with bullying – they think every country on earth is Iraq – they are setting the stage for them to be completely isolated on the world stage.

    At some point, even EU/NATO countries are going to be looking for the exit, as it is clear that this ship is absolutely sinking.

    Russia just did tit-for-tat sanctions.

    This is from various press releases as the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs site is down, and so far this cannot be confirmed at source :

    Appearing at the top of the 13-name list is President Biden, followed by Blinken and Austin. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, CIA Director William Burns, and White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki are also named. Further down the list, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Biden’s son Hunter – whose dealings with a Ukrainian energy firm have previously been questioned and criticized – are also included.
    
    Inclusion on the list denies any of these people entry into the Russian Federation. However, the Kremlin’s statement said that Moscow would not rule out contact with American officials “if they meet our national interests.”
    
    More names will be added to the list “in the near future,” the statement continued, warning that “top US officials, military officials, lawmakers, businessmen, experts and media personalities who are Russophobic or contribute to inciting hatred towards Russia” will also be blacklisted.

    Update on Sanctions:

    Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau
    
    and
    
    Russia has officially withdrawn from the Council of Europe.

    2nd Update on Sanctions from the Russian Foreign Ministry

     17:37
    
    Foreign Ministry statement concerning personal sanctions on US senior officials and affiliated persons
    513-15-03-2022
    
    In response to a series of unprecedented sanctions that prohibit, among other things, entry to the United States for top officials of the Russian Federation, starting March 15, the Russian stop list includes, on the basis of reciprocity, President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, as well as several agency heads and other prominent US figures.

    This step, taken as a response measure, is the inevitable result of the extreme Russophobic policy of the current US Administration.

    Obviously, it is an attempt to maintain American global leadership.

    As such, it has abandoned any sense of decorum and placed its bets on the head-on containment of Russia.

    The list of US citizens included in the stop list is as follows:
    
    1. Joseph Robinette Biden;
    
    2. Antony John Blinken;
    
    3. Lloyd James Austin III;
    
    4. Mark Alexander Milley;
    
    5. Jacob Jeremiah Sullivan, National Security Advisor;
    
    6. William Joseph Burns, Director of the CIA;
    
    7. Jennifer Rene Psaki, White House Press Secretary;
    
    8. Daleep Singh, Deputy National Security Advisor;
    
    9. Samantha Jane Power, Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development;
    
    10. Robert Hunter Biden, son of the US President;
    
    11. Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton, former US presidential candidate;
    
    12. Adewale Adeyemo, US Deputy Secretary of the Treasury;
    
    13. Reta Jo Lewis, President and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States.
    
    More announcements will be made soon concerning the expansion of the sanctions list to include other top US officials, military leaders, lawmakers, business executives, experts and media personalities who promote Russophobia or contribute to inciting hatred of Russia or imposing restrictive measures.
    
    These actions will be taken in harmony with the major decisions of the Government of the Russian Federation in finance, banking and other areas to protect the Russian economy and ensure its stable development.

    US Space Foundation

    A report by Elijah Magnier:

    The level of idiocy is beyond any limit:
    
    Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first person in space, has been stripped of his honours by the #US Space Foundation “in light of current world events".

    Proof: The US Created and Weaponized COVID in Ukraine and Georgia as a ‘First Step’

    ️An analysis of the information received indicates that Ukrainian specialists are not aware of the potential risks of transferring biomaterials.

    Here is a document dated March 6, 2015, confirming the Pentagon’s direct participation in the financing of military biological projects in Ukraine.
    
    ️According to established practice, American projects in the field of sanitation in third countries, including in Africa and Asia, are funded through national health authorities.
    
    I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the agreement on joint biological activities was concluded between the US Military Department and the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. However, the real recipient of funds are the laboratories of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence located in Kiev, Odessa, Lvov and Kharkov. The total funding amounted to $32 million.
    
    ️It is no coincidence that these biolabs were chosen by the US Defence Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and the contractor company Black & Veatch as the executors of the UP-8 project aimed at studying the pathogens of the Congo-Crimean hemorrhagic fever, leptospirosis and hantaviruses.

    USA made COVID

    .

    China helping Africa

    Not at all reported in the Western “news”. China is helping and rebuilding Africa. Cities and ports going up full and complete. Video

    Here comes China (and they don’t stop for shit!)

    By Amarynth for the Saker Blog and collaborating with Godfree Roberts’ Newsletter, Here Comes China

    Biden / Xi Summit.

    In perfect Chinese diplomatic terms, it looks like business as usual. Taken outside of the perfect diplomatic terms, it is a true spanking.

    Let’s take one paragraph only and remember a few things first:

    Washington, as usual, threatened and danced something like the haka and warned Xi not to support Russia in any way or the consequences would be dire for China. 
    
    Washington threatened with equally applied sanctions and other dire unmentionables.  
    
    Apparently, Washington can support who it wants, but China is in some form prohibited from exactly that.  
    
    Hypocritically they want it both ways.  That era is over.

    A few hours before the ‘summit’, China had a perfectly normal sail-by through the Taiwan Straits of their aircraft carrier Shandong.  Yes, this is ‘likely routine’ says their spox.  Sure, it was highly likely just routine.  It must have been a wonderful day for the Shandong to take a little sail through the Taiwan Straits.

    A few hours before the ‘summit’ Global times had an interview with an unnamed official.  (Is China playing the US game here by not naming the official?).

    This is the take-away:

    “The international community can fairly judge who is frank and open and who is up to something, who is easing the situation and who is aggravating tension, who is promoting peace talks and who is pouring fuel on the fire, and who is maintaining peace and stability and who is provoking confrontations between blocs.”

    Xi Jinping made a pre-summit statement:

    Countries should not come to the point of meeting on the battlefield. 
    
    Conflict and confrontation are not in anyone’s interest. 
    
    Peace and security are what the international community should treasure the most.

    So, this is the milieu that Biden walked into at the online summit.  We must know by now what this is all about.

    None of the boring line-up of US representatives could bend China to their will to support sanctions against Russia, so, time for a Presidential Summit to yet again attempt to split China and Russia.

    This is how perfectly ridiculous this attempt is:

    Can you help me fight your friend so that I can concentrate on fighting you later?

    Here is how it went:

    President Biden expounded on the US position and expressed readiness for communication with China to prevent the situation from exacerbating.

    Simply said:

    How can we make a deal so that the US/Nato alliance remains a unipolar world and all others (including you) must be subservient.

    President Xi pointed out that China does not want to see the situation in Ukraine to come to this. China stands for peace and opposes war. This is embedded in China’s history and culture.

    Simply said:

    Hey Biden, mistake number one!  You do not know who you are talking to, but now I’m going to tell you...
    
    [1] China makes a conclusion independently based on the merits of each matter.
    
    [2] China advocates upholding international law and universally recognized norms governing international relations.
    
    [3] China adheres to the UN Charter and promotes the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security. These are the major principles that underpin China’s approach to the Ukraine crisis.
    
    [4] China has put forward a six-point initiative on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, and is ready to provide further humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and other affected countries.
    
    [5] All sides need to jointly support Russia and Ukraine in having dialogue and negotiation that will produce results and lead to peace.

    Simply stated:

     This is the crux of the matter and seemingly you are unable to grasp it!

    The continue…

    The US and NATO should also have dialogue with Russia to address the crux of the Ukraine crisis and ease the security concerns of both Russia and Ukraine.

    Message:

    Go away and take your position and money with you!  
    
    You had your opportunity and you became a warmaker, coercing others to your will.  
    
    Enough is enough!  
    
    We have principles, law and morals and ethical standards.  
    
    You hold on to ‘positions’ favorable to you only.

    China is active in the EU as well and the discussion does not remain dry and diplomatically correct. 

    China is playing into its strengths, saying what is correct in terms of its own national interest and it happens to co-incide with that of the non-insane world.

    The spokespeople are highly educated, clear, exceptionally well-spoken, and smart.   They also mercilessly dig in the knife when opportunity shows.  In a recent press conference.  CCTV:

    US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said that the US is concerned about Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure which caused civilian casualties. 
    
    However, China has yet to state its position explicitly. 
    
    How does the foreign ministry view such criticism from other countries on China?

    Zhao Lijian:

    Human lives are precious. 
    
    Civilian casualties under all circumstances are heart-rending and lamentable. 
    
    China has all along called for every effort to avoid civilian casualties. 
    
    We still remember that in March 1999, the US-led NATO, without the Security Council’s mandate, flagrantly unleashed a ruthless bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia for 78 days, killing at least 2,500 innocent civilians and injuring around 10,000 people, most of them civilians. 
    
    Over the past two decades or so, the US conducted tens of thousands of air strikes in places like Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia. 
    
    The number of innocent civilians killed can be anywhere between 22,000 and 48,000. 
    
    When professing its concern for the welfare of the Ukrainian people, shouldn’t the US first express concern over the civilian casualties caused by all these military operations?

    I particularly enjoyed this vignette:

    NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that any support to Russia, military or any other type of support, would actually help Russia conduct a brutal war against an independent sovereign nation, Ukraine, and help them to continue to wage war which is causing death, suffering and an enormous amount of destruction.

    This was the comment of the Chinese spokesperson:

    Chinese people can fully relate to the pains and sufferings of other countries because we will never forget who bombed our embassy in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.  
    
    China does not need a lecture on justice from the abuser of international law. 
    
    As a Cold War remnant and the world’s largest military alliance, NATO continues to expand its geographical scope and range of operations. 
    
    What kind of role has it played in world peace and stability? 
    
    NATO needs to have a good reflection.

    Currency

    Against this backdrop, the news filtered out about The Eurasia Economic Union (EAEU) and China designing a new monetary and financial system bypassing the U.S. dollar.

    It is being supervised by Sergei Glazyev and intended to compete with the Bretton Woods system which is now less than 50% of the currency flow in the world.

    While news is still very scarce on this front, it fulfilled the purpose of telling Biden once again to go away if US/NATO cannot be a serious contender to building a peaceful and prosperous world.

    Godfree Roberts, in his last newsletter, did an overview of the major historical milestones.  I am not sure if the concept of a special drawing rights fiat currency revaluated regularly against a basket of currencies will be the way this rolls out.  Stand by!  Much more incoming!  We will see.

    DOLLAR’S END – Farewell, Inordinate Privilege

    2022 03 20 11 54
    Goodbye USD.

     

    • Credit Suisse analyst Zoltan Pozsar says Ukraine triggered a perfect storm in commodities that could weaken the Eurodollar system, contribute to inflation in Western economies, and threaten their financial stability. Pozsar said China’s central bank is uniquely placed to backstop such crisis, paving the way for a much stronger yuan. Reuters, Mar. 13, 2022.
    • Saudi Arabia Considers Accepting Yuan Instead of Dollars for Chinese Oil Sales: Talks between Riyadh and Beijing have accelerated as the Saudi unhappiness grows with Washington. WSJ, Mar. 14, 2022

    –o0o–

    In 2009, after helping to rescue the US from the GFC, Zhou Xiaochuan, Governor of the Peoples Bank of China, said,

    “The world needs an international reserve currency that is disconnected from individual nations and able to remain stable in the long run, removing the inherent deficiencies caused by using credit-based national currencies.”

    After helping rescue America from the GFC, PBOC Governor Zhou Xiaochuan observed,

    “The world needs an international reserve currency that is disconnected from individual nations and able to remain stable in the long run, removing the inherent deficiencies caused by using credit-based national currencies.”

    Zhou proposed SDRs, Special Drawing Rights, a synthetic reserve currency dynamically revalued against a basket of trading currencies and commodities. Broad, deep, stable, and impossible to manipulate.

    Nobelists Fred Bergsten, Robert Mundell, and Joseph Stieglitz approved:

    “The creation of a global currency would restore a needed coherence to the international monetary system, give the IMF a function that would help it to promote stability and be a catalyst for international harmony”.  

    Here’s what’s happened since:

    2012: Beijing began valuing the yuan against a currency/commodity basket

    2014: The IMF issued the first SDR loan

    2016: The World Bank issued the first SDR bond

    2017: Standard Chartered Bank issued the first commercial SDR notes.

    2019: All central banks began stating currency reserves in SDRs

    Mar. 14, 2022:

    “In two weeks, China and the Eurasian Economic Union – Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan – will reveal an independent international monetary and financial system. It will be based on a new international currency, calculated from an index of national currencies of the participating countries and international commodity prices”.

    The currency resembles Keynes’ invention Special Drawing Rights.

    SDRs are a  synthetic currency which derives its value from a global, publicly traded basket of currencies and commodities. Immense beyond imaging, and stable as the Pyramids. Everyone gets a seat at the table and a vote. It may eventually be administered by an arm of the UN.

    SDRs pose a serious alternative to the US dollar, both for the EAEU, the BRI’s 145 member states, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), ASEAN, and the RCEP.

    Middle East countries, including Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, are keenly interested.

    Less well known is that the EAEU, the BRI, the SCO, ASEAN, and the RCEP were discussing a merger before the currency news hit.

    It is reasonable to expect them to join this new, cooperatively managed, stable reserve currency regime in which they can settle their trades in stable, neutral, predictable SDRs.

    Biological labs

    China is not losing any opportunity to bring this front and center.  This is their last list of questions:

        • If the concerns are “disinformation”, why doesn’t the U.S. release detailed materials to prove its innocence? – Question by Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian on U.S.-funded biolabs in Ukraine.
        • What did the U.S. spend the $200 million on? – Question by Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian on U.S.-funded biolabs in Ukraine.
        • What kind of research has the U.S. conducted on which pathogens? – Question by Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian on U.S.-funded biolabs in Ukraine.
        • What is it trying to hide when the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine deleted all relevant documents on its website? – Question by Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian on U.S.-funded biolabs in Ukraine.
        • Why does the U.S. insist on being the only country in the world to oppose the establishment of a multilateral verification mechanism though it claims to abide by the Biological Weapons Convention? – Question by Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian on U.S.-funded biolabs in Ukraine.
        • This is quite an amazing poster detailing the biolab web, which is too large to load here.  But take a look at the depiction of these US biolabs.  https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202203/1255055.shtml

    Economic goals in a nutshell

    2022 03 20 12 01
    2022 03 20 12 01

     

    What is happening with Belt and Road?

    About the data:

    On January 21, 2022, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) released its data for “China’s investments and cooperation in countries along the Belt and Road” covering the period of January to December 2021.

    According to these data, Chinese enterprises invested about US$20.3 billion in non-financial direct investments in countries “along the Belt and Road”.

    Furthermore, there were 560 newly signed projects with a contract value of over US$100 million.

    The MOFCOM data focus on 55 countries that are “along the Belt and Road” – meaning on a corridor from China to Europe including South Asia.

    For this report, the definition of BRI countries includes 142 countries that had signed a cooperation agreement with China to work under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative by the end of 2021.

    To analyze investments in these countries, we base our data on the China Global Investment Tracker and our own data research at the Green Finance & Development Center affiliated with Fudan University, Shanghai. As with most data, they tend to be imperfect.

    Chinese joke

    On a somewhat of a lighter note:

    The Chinese Netizens are in the majority siding with Russia so completely and so enthusiastically, that China’s WeChat and Douyin had to crack down on vulgar jokes and netizens were told in no uncertain terms that they cannot make fun of international news events.  The very high support for Russia is becoming a clear talking point despite the somewhat muted and correct Chinese diplomatic statements.

    So, here is a joke for you.

    Bear and Dragon take a walk in the gardens.  
    
    Bear is a little overcome with his serious responsibilities in the world and presents emotionally somewhat tired and despondent.  
    
    As the walk proceeds, Dragon says to Bear .. Out with it!  What has you so despondent?  
    
    Bear thinks a moment and says:  We’ve been friends for a long time.  So, if I need a very large amount of money very quickly, will you give it to me?
    
    Dragon, known for taking time to ponder the imponderables, walks on for a while and then comes to a firm stop.  
    
    NO, says Dragon, I will not give it to you!
    
    Bear’s shoulders fall .. but Dragon continues:  
    
    I will lend it to you.  1.5 trillion the moment you ask for it, no interest, no repayment terms, pay me back when you can.

    Another China-Russia joke

    Bear walks into Dragon’s fabulous temple of goods. 
    
    Bear is overwhelmed, and asks, timidly, 
    
    “I need some of you wonderful items. All I have is rubles. Can you sell me some?” 
    
    Rubles!” cries Dragon. 
    
    “Your rubles are no good here! And I will turn my back on you for asking such an absurd thing and NOT turn around until you have left the temple. The Shopping carts are over there.”

    From Russian MOD.

    During a special military operation, an employee of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) Main Directorate for Donetsk and Lugansk regions voluntarily surrendered to Russian servicemen.

    ▫️This officer was directly involved in organizing the training of sabotage and terrorist groups to work in areas liberated from the nationalists.

    ▫️The SSU officer provided detailed information regarding all persons involved in conducting sabotage activities on the territory of Donbass.

    ▫️I bring to the attention of all persons recruited by the SSU that voluntary renunciation of criminal activity and timely notification of it to law enforcement agencies releases from criminal liability.

    ▫️In addition, the SSU officer reported on terrorist acts planned by militants of the nationalist Azov battalion in Lvov against employees and facilities of diplomatic missions of the United States and other Western countries.

    ▫️I want to emphasize that the leadership of the Kiev regime is aware of the plans of the nationalists, but does not take any action to prevent their implementation.

    ▫️The Kiev nationalist regime plans to present attacks on diplomatic facilities of the United States and Western countries as an alleged targeted attack by the Russian Armed Forces.

    ▫️The main purpose of the provocation is to increase pressure on NATO countries to introduce a no-fly zone over Ukraine and provide additional weapons.

    Chinese girl

    These are not evil nasty filthy people, like what is being portrayed in the Western “news”. They are just regular people. Like me. Like you. video 4MB

    Bio-World War 3! Has It Already Started?

    Kevin Barrett interviews Ron Unz.

    Russia and China have accused the US of riddling Ukraine—and the world—with biological weapons. Both nations are echoing (between the lines) Iran’s charge that the US unleashed the COVID-19 pandemic in a botched biological attack on Wuhan and Qom. Are we already in the middle of BioWW3?!

    Bio-War III

    .

    Russia uses a Hyper-velocity missile to destory a Ukraine warehouse

    Kinzhal, which means ‘dagger’ in English, was used by the Russian military for the first time since the start of the Ukrainian conflict on February 24.

    Those munitions are said to be able to penetrate any existing air defenses by traveling at a whopping speed of up to Mach 10 and constantly maneuvering during their flight.

    Kinzhal missiles are carried by MiG-31K supersonic interceptor aircraft, which NATO calls ‘Foxhound’.

    The hardware is one of several hypersonic systems prepared for the country’s military in recent years, together with the Avangard glider, which is fitted on silo-based ICBMs, and Zircon (Tsirkon) missiles, developed for the navy.

    2022 03 20 19 35
    2022 03 20 19 35

    This warehouse was full of the latest high-technology weapons delivered by NATO and the United States to attack Russia.

    This was a high-value target of great importance.

    Because it was so well defended with American anti-aircraft and misslile defenses, the Russians used the Kinzhal aviation missile system (Hyper-velocity missile) that is immune to Western air defenses.

    2022 03 20 19 33
    2022 03 20 19 33

    Read about it here…

    The UK Sun

    .

    Veterns Today

    .

    Got a Little Surprise at 2:45 AM . . .

    .

    At about 2:45 this morning, nestled all comfy in bed with my wife, we were woken up by the beeping sounds of the Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) going off in the house.   The electric went out.

    Now for me, it’s no big deal.  For my wife . . .  she uses an oxygen concentrator, and it was shut down.

    Mind you, she was breathing just fine, but for some reason known only to God, the fact that the electric was off, and the Oxygen concentrator was off, made my wife start to get nervous.   “What if I can’t breathe????” she asked.  (Having been married 30 years, I understood this as “wife talk” meaning “do something about this right now.”)

    So I stumble outta bed, grab a little flashlight from the dresser and make my way out to the kitchen/dining room, grab a lighter and light a candle on the dining room table.

    At my suggestion, my mom had long ago purchased oil lanterns and I grabbed one off the mantle over the wood burning stove, and lit it.  Then I took another and lit it, placing it in the living room, which helped give a glimmer of light to all the downstairs rooms.

    Next step, get dressed.   If I’m going to fix this, I __have__ to hook up the generator outside.  So I get dressed, grab the keys to the shed and a larger flashlight, and out I go.   It’s raining.  Thunderstorm.   Probably the reason the lights went out.

    I get over to the shed, unlock it, and have to lug this 300+ pound Westinghouse 15KW generator, across the yard, over gravel, to the area of the house where the generator inlet is mounted.   I get there, take the cover off the generator, and see the little yellow “BATTERY” light is on.   The main switch must have tuned on when we unloaded it from my pick up truck a couple weeks ago.  I figured “Oh great, watch it has a dead battery.”

    This generator is electric start ONLY, there is no pull to manually start it.

    So I go in the house, turn off the main circuit breaker, and then each of all the other breakers, and then I turn ON the breaker the generator is wired into from the outside.  (The reason for shutting off the main breaker is to disconnect the whole house from the power grid.  If a person fails to do that, then tries to start the generator, it will try to power the whole power grid as it’s trying to start, and will not start.  The reason I choose to turn off all the individual circuit breakers is to ease the generator into powering the whole house.   I don’t want it subjected to everything trying to grab power at the same time.)

    I go back outside and connect the big 50 amp power wire to the house then to the generator, and go inside and press the start button on the generator’s remote control.  It cranks, stops.   I press start again, it cranks, and kicks-over into running mode!   I read the gauges: 120 Volts and 240 volts at 60 hertz.  YEEEE HAAAAA!

    I go back in the house and, one at a time, turn each of the individual circuit breakers (But NOT the main) back on.  Full power available to everything.

    So I put my cell phone on charge.  I had failed to do that when I went to sleep and it only had 39% charge.   As I put the phone on charge I see two missed calls.  One from ADT Burglar Alarm, the other from the Pennsylvania State Police.   OH SHIT, I forgot to disarm the silent alarm when I opened the back door to go outside for the generator ! ! ! ! !     I feel like a total idiot.

    So I call the State Troopers, and they said “You will have to call the alarm company and give them the pass code and they will call to cancel us.”  I call ADT and get them to cancel the cops.

    I microwave a cup of coffee that was still in the pot from yesterday, and sit down at this computer to do this personal “adventure” article . . . and the generator shuts off.  The whole house goes dark.   UH OH.

    It turned out that my son and I only put enough gasoline in it to test it out when the generator first arrived at my condo in North Bergen, NJ.   I never fully gassed it up.   So I grab a five gallon gas can and put the whole thing in.   I come inside, shut off all the individual circuit breakers again and  press start on the remote.  It cranks and stops.   I press it again, it cranks and stops.   Third time, it kicks-over and runs.

    All is good again.

    As a side note, when I went outside to fill the gas, I heard some animal in the distance screech out a death-type screech.   I thought to myself, “Wow, something just got killed.”   It was THAT type of screech.

    Out there somewhere in the dark woods, one thing attacked another thing, probably to eat it.  And nothing cared.   No one came running to save it.  No other creature intervened.

    Something lived and ate, while something else died suddenly and brutally, to become food for the attacker.

    Nature.  It does not give a shit about me, you, or anything else.   Survival of the fittest. Period end.

    And THAT . . .  that right there .  . . is why I prep. It’s why I tell my readers and my radio audience to prep.   Because in the final analysis, nature does not give a shit if ANY of us live or die.  Nature does not care if I or my family eat or go hungry.  Nature does not care if I have electric or not.   Nature does not give a shit at all.

    It is up to ME to plan.  I . . . have to be ready.  If not for myself, then for my family.

    Because only those who prepare for what we all see coming, will even have a CHANCE at surviving.

    More movement of nukes in the UK

    Nuclear convoy ‘carrying several warheads’ travels 400 miles to UK arms depot – Mirror Online

    UK Nukes

    .

    US Special Forces Veteran Discovers What War Is Like When YOU Are the Taliban

    “A core group of about 30 foreign fighters remains out of around 200 people who were here just minutes ago”

    From an American volunteer on the front lines outside of Kyiv:

    “Sitting close to the frontline, the last safe mode of transportation leaves for greener pastures. A core group of about 30 foreign fighters remains out of around 200 people who were here just minutes ago.
    
     The base we came from was struck by rockets in the early morning hours. People we lived with for a couple days are confirmed dead. It is only a matter of time before our location is targeted. We are about to be cut off by a Russian tank column any day now.”
    
    “Food, water, and ammunition dwindle slowly. The mood is somber, people are sending their last messages to friends and family.”
    
    “Where is NATO? Where is the supposed good of western civilization?”

    An important note: this American is a special ops veteran who completed combat deployments to Afghanistan. [The perfect person to tell Russians it’s wrong to occupy countries.]

    He came to Ukraine before Russia’s full-scale war on Feb. 24.

    He is an experienced, well-trained soldier who gave up his lucrative career in the US in order to help Ukraine

    Source: Nolan Peterson

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 3

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
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    .

    .

    The United States march towards war has turned into a sprint

    Jesus. American Senators are actively discussing United States military fighting one-on-one against the Russians in the Ukraine. I swear. The United States is ruled by fools, ignorant lunatics, and psychopathic evil demons. It is. Seriously. I do not know which rock these people crawled out of, but they have no fucking idea what they are dealing with.

    War with Russia is not going to be anything like the US Senate assumes it will be like.

    And I have to tell you all, after watching the video that I am presenting below, if you are not getting sweat on your brow then something is wrong with you.

    This is a very, very dangerous situation that the United States is playing around with. They are NOT taking it seriously.

    They are not listening.

    The are ignoring every single warning sign.

    2022 03 18 09 19
    2022 03 18 09 19

    No one in the United States media; it’s leadership, and it’s public is taking Russia and China seriously.

    I am talking about stable, thoughtful and reasonable discussions designed to reduce tensions, and create mutually agreeable solutions for everyone involved.

    That is not happening.

    Asia has no problem with reducing the United States into a glowing ember.

    And anyone, anyone at all who cannot see the dangerous folly in this, deserves to suffer the fate that they are creating.

    Here we are going to use history to predict what will come next in the world of Geo-politics.

    Washington needs to be on the front-lines. Not Ukraine.

    And, if we use historical trends, then that is exactly what will happen.

    2022 03 17 23 t44
    2022 03 17 23 t44

    We begin with this to set the pace.

    Tucker seems to be the only voice of reason amongst a lot of warmongers. If the US start fighting Russian aircraft over Ukraine this act will mean WWIII, the next devastating war in Europe but this time with nuclear weapons. Tucker is the only one who sees this imminent danger and dares to speak out against it. I really do hope he will continue to do so. 
    
    -Joe Fairdin

    Please watch this video. It is critical that you watch this short video because this entire article is a reaction to this particular video.

    It’s horrific.

    Tucker Carlson reports that the United States Senate is completely willing to go to war against Russia. And all the neocon senators (Republican and Democrat) believe that it will be [1] conventional, and [2] limited to Ukraine.

    That’s a pretty big fucking assumption.

    You-Tube video. A must watch.

    2022 03 17 14 12
    2022 03 17 14 12

    War will not be limited to the Ukraine

    Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a televised address today, and basically spoke to the world regarding the events taking place in Ukraine and the economic fallout being blamed on it.

    Putin said Moscow offered the Ukrainian authorities not to engage in hostilities, if they withdrew troops from the Donbass, but they did not want to.

    He went on to say the special military operation is going well and according to plan.

    Here is a machine translation from Boris Rozhin (aka Colonel Cassad): (only partial extracts from the full transcript, slight English editing by MM.)

    The operation of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine is developing successfully, strictly in accordance with plans.
    
    The tactics of the Russian Defense Ministry in Ukraine have fully justified themselves, everything is being done to avoid civilian casualties. 
    
    Before the operation began, Moscow offered Kiev to withdraw troops from Donbass, but they refused. 
    
    All the tasks necessary will certainly be solved.
    
    If Russian troops had stopped at the borders of the Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics, this would not have been the final solution, it would not have removed the threat to Russia.
    
    Russia is not going to occupy Ukraine.
    
    There was no necessitated need to storm the major cities.
    
    The strike on Donetsk on March 14 is a bloody terrorist attack.
    
    Russia will not allow Ukraine to remain a springboard for anti-Russian actions.
    
    The whole planet has to pay for the ambitions of the West, the myth of the “golden billion” is collapsing.
    

    The “golden billion” is Russian slang. золотой миллиард. It means the relatively wealthy people found in the Western nations. It refers to the “middle class” that live in nice homes, drive nice cars, and are affluent.

    The West is trying to convince its citizens that their difficulties are the result of Russia’s actions, but this is a lie.
    
    Sanctions against the Russian Federation are hitting the Europeans and Americans themselves, “it is not necessary to shift from a sick head to a healthy one.”

    The Russian President pointed out that Western patrons are pushing Kyiv to continue the bloodshed, by supplying weapons, intelligence, and sending mercenaries.

    Не стоит переходить от больной головы к здоровой is an idiom that translates to “it is not necessary to shift from a sick head to a healthy one.”

    Many people have the bad habit of blaming others for their own faults. As a result, they do not know how to accept their own mistakes and are accustomed to blaming others for their troubles. The Russian idiom  “to fall from a sick head to a healthy one.” refers to this behavioral aberration.

    The US and the EU actually defaulted on their obligations to Russia, freezing its reserves – now everyone knows that the state’s reserves can simply be stolen.
    
    Russia – unlike Western countries – will respect the right of ownership.
    
    Arrests of foreign assets of the Russian Federation and business – a lesson for Russian entrepreneurs, there is nothing more reliable than investments at home
    
    We now know who cowardly betrayed their partners and failed to fulfill their obligations to employees.
    
    Trying to “cancel” Russia, the West has torn off all the masks of decency.
    
    I am sure that after blocking the accounts of the Russian Federation in the West, many countries will convert their reserves into goods, which will increase the deficit.
    
    It is obvious that the current events draw a line under the global dominance of Western countries, both in politics and in the economy.
    
    Moreover, they themselves question the economic model that has been imposed on developing countries in recent decades. Yes, in general, the whole world.

    The actions of the United States are being viewed by the rest of the world. That in turn will influence their decisions on using the USD, adopting American “protections” and placing their systems under the umbrella of the United States government.

    I emphasize that the sanctions obsession of the United States and its supporters is not shared by countries where more than half of the world’s population lives. It is these states that represent the fastest growing, most promising part of the global economy, including Russia.
    
    The “empire of lies” of the West is powerless against truth and justice, Russia will continue to bring its position to the whole world
    
    The West relies on the fifth column, national traitors, such mentally are there, in the West, and not in Russia. The West is trying to split our society, speculating on combat losses, on the consequences of sanctions.  The people will be able to distinguish patriots from scum and traitors and just spit them out like a fly that accidentally flew in. The natural self-purification of society will strengthen our country.

    Most interestingly, Putin pointed out a network of a dozen laboratories operated in Ukraine, where military biological programs were carried out with the financial support of the United States Military.

    These included experiments with samples of coronavirus, anthrax, cholera, African swine fever. He went on to say authorities in Ukraine are now strenuously trying to cover up traces of these programs.

    Speaking to the world, he said

    "I want ordinary citizens of Western states to hear me too. 
    
    They are now trying to convince you that all your difficulties are the result of some hostile actions of Russia; That from your wallet you need to pay for the fight against the mythical Russian threat. 
    
    It's all a lie! 
    
    And the truth is that the problems faced by millions of people in the West are the result of years of actions by the ruling elites in the West.  
    
    Their mistakes, myopia and ambitions. 
    
    These elites are not thinking about how to improve the lives of their citizens, they are obsessed with their selfish interests and super profits."

    Putin also spoke about his future plans for Ukraine, saying

    "The appearance of Russian troops near Kiev and other Ukrainian cities is not connected with a desire to occupy Ukraine, Russia has no such goal.
    
    All tasks assigned in the special military operation will certainly be completed;
    
    We had no other option to ensure the security of Russia."

    He laid out what is going on and why. He identified who started the war and why. He elaborated on the extent of Russian involvement and narrated the need for the West to stop now before things get bad.

    In short. Russia is ready for war.

    Economic. Military. Social. Financial. Scientific. In every way.

    I would just add “better late than never”!

    Now, let me be perfectly clear. It will NOT be limited to Ukraine. Both Putin and Xi Peng know where all the warmongering originates. They will not allow proxy wars on their borders.

    The United States as a weed-filled garden

    From Amerka

    Many still do not understand that we are already deeply in decay. Two groups immediately spring up once we realize we are in decay: the standard lazy-stupid human “wow it’s all doomed, no point in doing anything” response, and the “we must cling to what we still have” group. The latter sort of get it, but not fully.
    
    If you have a garden and are sent out of town for a few months, you will return to a ruin. Overgrown with weeds, ridden with rotted plants, layered in dead leaves, and possibly now inhabited by wild animals, your garden is a working model of nature (which itself models a fully complex system fairly well, so you can draw parallels to any situation of sufficient complexity via this model).
    
    In all situations, your approach is the same: remove parasites and unwanted plants, remove the sick, clean up the mess, and nurture the health of those plants you want.
    
    Weeding is, if viewed properly, a tragedy. Here I am on my hands and knees, yanking out grasses, clover, dandelion, and broadleaf that I would otherwise be very happy to see on the edge of a forest where I could selectively harvest them, dandelion for tea, clover for poultice, and broadleaf for salad.
    
    And yet, if I want the tomatoes, eggplant, onions, peppers, chives, garlic, stringbeans, cabbage, and mustard to thrive, I need to yank out these otherwise functional plants — now categorized as “weeds” — and allow the plants I need to take up the sunlight, water, space, and fertilizer that otherwise would be siphoned off by the others.
    
    Weeds, by the way, show us economics in action. Even a five percent loss of inputs — the sunlight, water, dirt, and nutrition mentioned above — to weeds or bad plant placement can reduce a crop by half. That may not matter so much for ornamental gardens, but if you plan to feed your family with those plants, it is instantly a very big deal.
    
    Gardens separate humanity into two groups, much as society does. On one side you have the realists, who recognize that whatever must be done to make the garden grow to the maximum should be done; this is a morality of realism, or reality first.
    
    The other side consists of both liberals and religious conservatives. They talk about what should be done, and from that list, want to select the methods that can be used in the garden. This is classic Control: exclude any methods that are unwanted, and then by managing the methods used by others, create an external situation designed to manage human inner mental state. Instead of self-control and positive motivation, you have negative motivation (political correctness, Biblical morality, social disapproval, shareholder revolt) paired to external control, with the idea that you will have no inner structure whatsoever because you have given it all up for the mental comfort of the group.
    
    In this way, our morality comes down to two forms. The realists figure for ends-over-means, signifying that what should be done is what is functional; the humanists look toward means-over-ends, proclaiming what should be done and then trying to shoehorn function into what is left. All humanist groups eventually become narcissistic, solipsistic, and egotistic like the Communists and, by catering to every human, provide for none, and self-destruct.
    
    Democracy just takes a slightly slower boat especially when mediated by capitalism as it has been in America. Europe has doomed itself by neutering itself; as the Russian military struggles through Ukraine, we might all reflect that this shows us Europe before Genghis Khan’s Mongols arrived: so accustomed to our own battles that we downgraded to an efficient optimum and equilibrium, we were unprepared for anyone using other tactics, even if these were widely known. Contemporary Europe, like the Russian army, has downgraded itself to meet the threats it likely faces, all of whom are sickened by the same weeds of socialism and diversity, not the Black Swan threat it should prepare for since that will be its test of survival.
    
    This means that democracy has reached its endgame. The weeds have won; a third of the garden is growing random plants that serve none of our purposes, and the others have accepted a life of taking less and producing less, year after year, hastening our inevitable Soviet-style decline when our system can no longer produce what we need.

    The result of the USA-China meeting in Italy

    U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, warned Beijing it would “absolutely” face consequences if it helped Moscow evade sweeping sanctions over the war in Ukraine. Unnamed US “Officials” stated that “Russia asked China for military equipment after its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine”. This report was catagorically denied by the Chinese government.

    Personally, I can’t figure out (for the life of me) what military weapons that China could possibly provide Russia. Only the ignorant would believe that Russia and China use the same weapons.

    But a lie, is a lie, is a lie. And since it is coming out of Washington DC, you can expect it to be a BIG lie.

    Jake Sullivan (according to the United States “news” media), started mapping out the consequences and growing isolation China would face globally if it maintains its support of Russia.

    OIP C.L5H5NUAXK53C9LfNLdIRxgHaEK
    Jake Sullivan

    Or so the media narrative went.

    The purpose, supposedly, for the meeting is that the United States was to warn China not to support, help, or trade with Russia. If it does, then bad things will result.

    “Bad things”.

    After the meeting, the United States media hardly said a peep about what transpired. All it said is that the meeting lasted seven hours. Nothing else.

    The Chinese media, however, was very clear.

    China said no.

    Then no again.

    Then again, no, and then No, get out of my face.

    Followed by no, and know who the fuck you are dealing with.

    The USA failed, and China would not be intimated. Here’s the best summary that I could find on the Internet.  You-Tube. Great video.

    2022 03 17 11 39
    2022 03 17 11 39

    Curious Coincidence

    Immediately after the failed USA-China negotiations in Italy, China was hit with a very lethal strain of Coronavirus.

    Shenzhen is under full and absolute lockdown.Same with a number of other cities including Shanghai, Danguang, and Wenzhou.

    No one is moving. HK has hospitals overflowing, and the entire nation is swabbing the population multiple times. I myself, have already had three swabs in the last 48 hours.

    It’s a good thing that China is still at DEFCON 2.

    Major coronavirus outbreaks in multiple locations at ports and entry cities. All coordinated at the same time, all after failed negotiations with the United States. What a coincidence.

    Imagine that!

    Chinese aide to Russia

    Here’s a comparison between facts, and the resulting distortions.

    1 x Real news:
    China has decided to send economic aid to Russia
    Note: 
    
    To China, the relations between China and Russia is absolute and necessary.
    
    Where Russia is like the teeth. And China is like the lip.
    
    If the lip is damaged, the teeth will be exposed to the harsh world without protection. 
    
    Thus, the wellbeing of Russia is a life and death issue for China. 
    
    I am in no doubt that China will stand side by side with Russia in the 21st century facing off against the dying United States military empire.
    9 x propaganda :
    What China Can and Cannot Do for Russia Amid Sanctions
    .
    China’s Goal With Russia Is to Resist U.S. Without Economic Pain
    .
    As Russia’s isolation grows, China hints at limits of friendship
    .
    Russia counts on sanctions help from China; U.S. warns off Beijing
    .
    China’s Outreach to Russian Economy Extends Only So Far
    .
    How much can — and will — China help Russia as its economy crumbles?
    .
    China can’t do much to help Russia’s sanction-hit economy
    .
    Why China Won’t Rescue Russia’s Flailing Economy
    .
    China Has Tools to Help Russia’s Economy. None Are Big Enough to Save It.

    .

    Spokesperson for Chinese mission to the EU answers a question about NATO leader’s remarks about China

    Question:

    According to reports, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said yesterday that any Russian support, military support or any other support, will actually help Russia wage a brutal war. 
    
    A war against an independent sovereign state, Ukraine, and help them continue to wage a war that brings death, suffering and great destruction. 
    
    He also stated that China, as a member of the UN Security Council, has an obligation to actually uphold and abide by international law and join the rest of the world in condemning the Russian invasion. 
    
    What is your comment?

    Answer:

    We have taken note of the relevant comments. 
    
    The Chinese can fully understand the pain and suffering of other countries because we will never forget who blew up our embassy in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. 
    
    We don't need lectures on justice from a violator of international law. 
    
    As a remnant of the Cold War and the world's largest military alliance, NATO continues to expand its geography and range of operations. 
    
    What role has it played in bringing peace and stability to the world? 
    
    NATO needs to think carefully.

    Deleted Web Page Shows Obama Plan to Build BioLab for ‘Especially Dangerous Pathogens’ in Ukraine

    Wednesday, March 9, 2022

    Former President Barack Obama was a part of an agreement that allowed for the construction of Biolabs in Ukraine that handle “especially dangerous pathogens.”

    The discovery was made after a deleted web page was discovered by The National Pulse.

    This discovery comes on the same day that Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland told the US Senate that the Biden Administration was worried about potential bioweapon research facilities being taken by Russian troops as the conflict in Ukraine continues to escalate following Russia’s invasion.

    The article, titled “Biolab Opens in Ukraine” goes into how Obama helped negotiate the construction of a level-3 biosafety lab in Odessa, a city that has already seen conflict. Obama did so during his time serving as an Illinois Senator.

    The article reads:

    U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar applauded the opening of the Interim Central Reference Laboratory in Odesa, Ukraine, this week, announcing that it will be instrumental in researching dangerous pathogens used by bioterrorists.
    
    The level-3 bio-safety lab, which is the first built under the expanded authority of the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction program, will be used to study anthrax, tularemia and Q fever as well as other dangerous pathogens. “The continuing cooperation of Nunn-Lugar partners has improved safety for all people against weapons of mass destruction and potential terrorist use, in addition to advancements in the prevention of pandemics and public health consequences,” Lugar said.
    
    Lugar said plans for the facility began in 2005 when he and then-Senator Barack Obama entered a partnership with Ukrainian officials. Lugar and Obama also helped coordinate efforts between the U.S and Ukrainian researchers that year in an effort to study and help prevent avian flu.
    
    The Nunn-Lugar Act, which established the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, was established in 1991. Since that time it has provided funding and assistance to help the former Soviet Union dismantle and safeguard large stockpiles of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. The program has also been responsible for destroying chemical weapons in Albania, Lugar said.

    Another document by the BioWeapons Prevention Project breaks down in detail which pathogens are in the bio lab. Ebola and other “viruses of pathogenicity group II by using of virology, molecular, serological and express methods” are listed.

    Victoria Nuland

    [1] Responsible for the bioweapons in the Ukraine. [2] Admitted that they are in the Ukraine. [3] Agrees that the Ukraine is a war zone, but any problems with them are Russias fault.

    Weak-wristed loser pointing fingers at others for her very own actions.

    2022 03 17 20 05
    Victoria Nuland.

    The Burning Platform on the madness that has gripped the United States

    From Here.

    When Machiavelli wrote The Prince he had Vladimir Putin in mind. The president of Russia has adroitly sought, maintained, and used power, the theme of Machiavelli’s masterpiece (see “The Black Belt Strategist,” Robert Gore. SLL, July 19, 2018). That he is an amoral snake is both true and laughable as a criticism coming from the amoral snakes who populate Western power structures. Nobody who slithers to the top of those pits is anything other than an amoral snake. Western snakes hate Putin because he’s repeatedly outsnaked them.

    Call Putin a rattlesnake for he clearly rattled before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    That he was ignored is a worrisome indication of the epistemological breakdown that grips the West.

    Its leaders are unable to grasp that Putin meant what he said.

    That is because those in the West rarely mean what they say.

    Facts are not facts and the truth is whatever narrative they’re promoting at the moment. It’s become axiomatic that power flows from control of the narrative.

    Until it doesn’t.

    Power flows from understanding reality and making use of what it can offer.

    If narratives were power, Ukraine’s army would be in Moscow by now.

    We haven’t seen this kind of excessive excrement from governments and their media minions since . . . Covid. Narratives are for simple-minded sheep and the wolves who devour them.

    The propaganda is devoid of any mention of:

    • The 2014 U.S.-sponsored coup against a democratically elected government;
    • rampant corruption within the Ukrainian oligarchy;
    • Ukranian payola to American political figures (e.g., the Bidens and Clintons);
    • widespread neo-Nazi infestation of Ukraine’s military and government;
    • their eight-year war on its Russian-heritage citizens in eastern Ukraine;
    • the government’s willful failure to adhere to the Minsk accords that were meant to resolve that conflict, or the latest—
    • U.S. built, funded, and staffed, bioresearch labs in Ukraine.

    Simply trying to find accurate information about the military situation in Ukraine is virtually impossible amidst the propaganda onslaught and the censoring or shutting down of Russian information sources.

    Previous wars have featured regular press updates and maps that detailed the situation on the ground, that is, reality.

    Not this one.

    No matter how loathsome the opponents, it’s always a good idea to know what they’re doing and saying, even when its demonstrably untrue.

    During the first Cold War the West had armies of analysts studying every scrap of information that came from the Soviet Union.

    Now Western leaders and most of the populace are flying blind.

    They’re children sticking their fingers in their ears and screaming over anyone saying anything they don’t want to hear.

    It’s yet another sign of epistemological breakdown and reflects a terrifying feedback loop. Mental chaos leads to chaos in reality, which leads to more mental chaos and so on.

    Trying to explain the Russian position on Ukraine, even when the explanation is festooned with disclaimers that it’s not a justification of the invasion or Putin, is as useless as trying to explain the dangers of Covid vaccines. This is true, even by doctors and scientists who have promoted vaccines their entire careers and who have had the Covid vaccines themselves. The children have their masks jabs, and boosters, they’re waving the blue and gold. You’re antivax, pro-Putin, and must be canceled immediately—that’s it, end of story.

    This childishness can only lead to disaster.

    Which has arrived on multiple fronts.

    Russia is a net exporter of grain, minerals, metals, oil, and natural gas. The U.S. and non-Russia Europe are net exporters of debt.

    The former are exchanged for the latter via the SWIFT inter-bank messaging network, fiat currency and debt’s global circulatory system.

    Some Russian banks’ access has been cut off, stopping the flow of debt and the counter flow of Russian exports. Although payments for gas and oil exports have been exempted, Russian oil and gas still trades at a steep discount on fears the exemption will be lifted if the war gets worse.

    The exemption reflects Europe’s dependence on Russian oil and gas.

    However, Germany canceled approval for the completed Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline from Russia.

    The energy situation in Europe was already strained, with natural gas trading at a large premium to the rest of the world.

    Renewable energy is meant to replace fossil fuels and nuclear, but solar and wind are intermittent. The stopgap is coal, ironically the dirtiest fuel.

    European energy’s shortages and high price hurt the competitiveness of its industries, particularly Germany’s. Stopping Nord Stream 2 exacerbates the problem.

    Biden administration energy policies have shifted towards the same delusory green agenda, making the U.S. an importer again after it had achieved energy self-sufficiency during the Trump years.

    Although it’s not a huge percentage of total energy used, the U.S. has been importing Russian oil, gas, and coal, giving Russia additional wherewithal to make war on Ukraine.

    Recognizing that awkward fact, the administration banned those imports by executive decree (now the favored form of rule), which will put more pressure on prices from non-Russian energy sources.

    Ascending gas prices are not helping the administration politically, notwithstanding its blatant lies that they are due solely to Russia’s invasion. (Prices had almost doubled prior to the invasion.)

    The U.S. and Europe’s energy miscues are matched by their financial folly, which amount to children holding their breath until they suffocate and die.

    Stopping Russia’s exports via the SWIFT cutoff is severe.

    The price of nickel, a big Russian export, recently jumped 250 percent in one day.

    Tsingshan Holding Group, a Chinese stainless steel giant whose largest creditor is J.P. Morgan Chase, has a huge short position in nickel. The London Metals Exchange, caught between its own Chinese owners, Tsingshan, and one of the world’s systemically important banks, shut itself down and is trying to undo some trades.

    A tentative settlement has been reached, but this kind of mess can reverberate quickly throughout the world’s financial daisy chain, sparking globalized financial meltdown. It certainly doesn’t increase faith in financial clearinghouses.

    That’s not the worst of it.

    Curtailed access to SWIFT hinders Russian companies’ ability to service their debts.

    As with most of the sanctions regime, this hurts Europe the most.

    Several of its banks have large exposures to Russia debt, and its banking system was dangerously over-leveraged pre-Ukraine war, much more so than the U.S.’s. Bank insolvencies in Europe could also reverberate across the planet, as mortgage and mortgage-security insolvencies did in the 2007-2009 financial crisis.

    Even that’s not the worst of it.

    The U.S. and Europe crossed a monumentally important red line when they froze the Russian central bank’s foreign exchange reserves.

    The U.S. dollar’s reserve currency status has given the U.S. what’s been called an exorbitant privilege—the world sends it goods in exchange for its fiat currency, of which it can produce unlimited amounts.

    Freezing the Russian central bank’s dollar reserves tells the world the reserve currency is no longer a safe haven.

    The move is not entirely unprecedented—the U.S. has frozen the Afghanistan and Venezuelan central banks’ reserves—but freezing the reserves of a nuclear power is an order of magnitude greater breach of global financial arrangements and contracts.

    Joining Canadian dollar deposits, some of which Justin Trudeau recently froze, U.S. dollar deposits can now be frozen and potentially expropriated on a political whim.

    Of course dollars have been stealth-expropriated on political whim via monetary inflation since the Federal Reserve was established in 1913, but this crystalizes the threat that nations who don’t toe the U.S. line will have their dollar reserves stolen.

    Russia and China have been reducing their dollar holdings—which they often invested in U.S. Treasury debt—for years, switching to euros, yuan, yen, and gold.

    They’ve also created alternatives to SWIFT.

    Now that the U.S. government has demonstrated that holding dollar deposits is like caching stores of food in a wolves’ den, this move is sure to accelerate until their dollar holdings are the bare minimum required for international trade.

    The Russians have a financial nuclear option.

    As exporters of oil, gas, crucial raw materials and industrial goods, they can demand payment in gold rather than in the fiat currencies the U.S. and Europe have now rendered worthless to them.

    With this one masterstroke Russia would collapse what Alasdair Macleod calls “the global fiat Ponzi scheme.”

    The reserve currency will no longer be a fake money whose value is only maintained by political promises not to produce too much of it.

    Gold—real money (see “Real Money,” Robert Gore, SLL, September 9, 2015)—will be restored to the place it has held for centuries as countless government-issued fiat currencies went to their ultimate value: zero.

    The current crop of fiat currencies is headed to the same destination, but the Russian nuclear option would bring down the curtain on them once and for all.

    Russia and China are both large producers of gold and both their governments have been stockpiling it for years.

    The U.S. government reportedly owns 8,000 tons of gold (Russia has a known 2,000 tons and Macleod estimates the Chinese government has 20,000 tons), but those holdings have never been audited and calls to do so have been fiercely resisted. Unknown as well is how much of the U.S. government’s physical gold has been collateralized, leased, or is otherwise tied into derivatives in the paper gold market. Tellingly, the U.S. has discouraged other countries for whom it acts as custodian of their gold reserves from withdrawing them.

    War is the ultimate chaos and the Ukraine-Russia war has sparked another upside breakout.

    To say [1] that the military situation favors Russia, or that [2] the sanctions against it will end up hurting the U.S. and Europe more than Russia, or that [3] Russia can bring down the global financial system is only to say that one way or another the situation adds to the chaos.

    Assuming Russia eventually achieves its military objectives in Ukraine, the U.S. will undoubtedly foment an insurgency by feeding weapons and the usual unacknowledged mix of intelligence spooks, covert military advisors, and private mercenaries into an Ukrainian resistance.

    The goal is a long-running and enervating guerrilla war that drains Putin’s support and leads to his ouster.

    Cheap Stinger missiles will take out expensive Russian aircraft and cheap Javelin missiles will take out expensive Russian tanks.

    The template is the successful mujahideen-led and U.S.-aided war against the Soviet Union from 1979 to 1989 in Afghanistan, often credited with helping bring down the Soviet government two years after its military withdrawal.

    Syria may end up as the actual template, an effort by U.S.-aided jihadist groups to regime change that nation’s leader, Bashar al-Assad, which failed after Russia came to Syria’s defense.

    Even were that the case, if Putin thinks he can invade Ukraine, impose his objectives, and then withdraw with the country pacified and compliant, he’s as deluded as American schemers have been with all their surgical strikes, covert operations, limited wars, and regime changes since World War II.

    Insurgencies are always messy regardless of who “wins.” Ukraine has become another theater for the uncontrollable chaos engulfing the world.

    It's a good thing then, that Russia has no plans to stay in the Ukraine. -MM

    It’s not hard to imagine what forms further amplification of that chaos might take. Modern agriculture is dependent on energy and fertilizers are made from minerals of which Ukraine and Russia are significant suppliers. Both countries also export grains.

    Skyrocketing food prices and famine in some areas loom, and food riots and other forms of civil unrest are sure to follow.

    There is no limit to the pandemonium either centralized actors—governments and globalist institutions—or decentralized actors can wreak.

    Infrastructure is never completely protected. Electrical grids can be short-circuited, water supplies poisoned, transport and logistics disrupted or destroyed, and the internet sabotaged.

    The World Economic Forum’s Cyber Polygon “simulation” may well be an eerie harbinger of that last possibility, just as its Event 201 in October of 2019 presaged the Covid-19 pandemic.

    We’re still early days in chaos’s lengthy run.

    Controlling chaos requires energy, resources, and production. While there is no way to determine the mathematical relationship between chaos and control (remember Get Smart?), that it is direct and exponential seems a reasonable hypothesis. Herein lies the contradiction at the heart of the globalist design.

    They are fomenting ever-increasing chaos while destroying the energy, resources, and production necessary to control it.

    Alexander Putin

    Not a happy man. Making hard and difficult decisions while being harrased by a lunitic, out of control, evil psychopathic United States “leadership” cabal. I know what he’s thinking.

    Do you?

    6232d3992030274a375cb803
    Alexander Putin

    You May Want To Figure Out Where You Want To Spend Your Days When World War 3 Fully Erupts

    The growing desire for war that we are witnessing in Washington D.C. right now should greatly alarm all of us.

    In this environment, voices of reason such as Tucker Carlson and Tulsi Gabbard are being accused of “treason” just because they are calling for peace.  Well, you can add me to that list because I am calling for peace too.

    I don’t want nuclear war.

    I don’t want billions of people to die.

    You would think that we should all be able to agree on those things, but unfortunately the warmongers in Washington seem absolutely determined to keep escalating matters.

    That is a very dangerous game, and it is going to be way too easy for someone to make a huge mistake.

    Before that day arrives, you may want to figure out where you want to spend your days when global war fully erupts.

    At some point, the shooting in Ukraine will end.

    Either Russia will achieve total victory, or more likely there will be some sort of a ceasefire agreement.

    But when the shooting in Ukraine stops, don’t be fooled into thinking that everything is okay.  The truth is that a much bigger conflict between the United States and Russia has now begun, and both sides are beginning to realize that this is ultimately a struggle for all the marbles.

    World War 3 is here, and now we must hope that we can keep both parties from “going nuclear” for as long as possible.

    Of course there are some that would like to see the U.S. and Russia shooting at each other very soon.  On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky begged Congress to establish a “humanitarian no-fly zone” over Ukraine…

    The t-shirt-attired Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed a joint session of the U.S. Congress by video on Wednesday and asked for the United States to send warplanes into the sky over Ukraine to create a “humanitarian no-fly zone” or, failing that, to provide Ukraine itself with warplanes.
    
    “Russia has turned the Ukrainian sky into a source of death for thousands of people,” Zelensky told Congress.

    Zelensky knows very well that the establishment of a “humanitarian no-fly zone” would require U.S. forces to shoot down Russian jets.

    And he also understands that this would spark a shooting war between the United States and Russia.

    But you can’t blame Zelensky for trying.

    He is trying to save his own skin, and the best way to do that is to drag the United States into the war.

    Needless to say, the establishment media in the western world absolutely adored Zelensky’s speech.  The following example comes from CNN

    Zelensky’s words are not only destined for the history books. They will likely energize support for Ukraine’s defense against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war machine and reverberate across the US.
    
    When America’s top Democrats and Republicans rose side by side to give Zelensky a standing ovation, we knew the Ukrainian President had made his mark. Zelensky, reminding Americans what freedom really means after the country has spent years devaluing it in petty political battles, proves there is a new seriousness in the nation.

    And most members of Congress ate it up as well.  Following the speech, Senator Jeanne Shaheen boldly declared that “more must be done to assist Ukraine”

    “It is clear that more must be done to assist Ukraine and hold Putin to account,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire Democrat, said in a statement following Zelenskeyy’s virtual address. “The images we watched today underscore the horrific violence – the war crimes – being committed by Putin. He will pay for what he has done.”

    And Senator Joni Ernst said that Zelensky’s speech made her want to put on a uniform and “go help”

    ‘It’s hurtful to see anything like, you know, thinking about if it were my child, if that were my family, that were my people. You know, I’d be doing the exact same thing that President Zelensky is,’ Ernst said.
    
    ‘I would be appealing to every nation possible to get whatever it takes to defeat the Russians and get them the heck out of my country. You know, it makes me want to throw on my uniform, you know, and go help.’

    Actually, I would love to see that.

    In fact, I would love to see U.S., Ukrainian and Russian politicians all flown to an island where they would resolve this conflict “Battle Royale” style.

    But instead, all of the politicians are safe and warm while millions upon millions of Ukrainians deeply suffer.

    One of the biggest warmongers in the U.S. Senate, Lindsey Graham, has decided that it is time to start calling Vladimir Putin “a war criminal”

    “It’s time for him to go. He’s a war criminal,” Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, an erstwhile standard bearer for the Republican Party’s Reagan-era foreign policies, told reporters shortly after Zelenskeyy’s address. “I am asking the Russian people to rise up and end his rein of terror.”

    Joe Biden also referred to Putin as a “war criminal” on Wednesday, and he announced that an additional 800 million dollars in military aid would be given to the Ukrainian government.

    To be honest, it is quite an impressive list that the Ukrainians will be receiving…

    • 800 Stinger anti-aircraft systems
    • 2,000 Javelin, 1,000 light anti-armor weapons, and 6,000 AT-4 anti-armor systems
    • 100 Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems
    • 100 grenade launchers, 5,000 rifles, 1,000 pistols, 400 machine guns and 400 shotguns
    • Over 20 million rounds of small arms ammunition and grenade launcher and mortar rounds
    • 25,000 sets of body armor
    • 25,000 helmets

    But of course this is not nearly enough for some of the warmongers in Congress.

    In fact, 40 Republican senators just signed a letter “in which they strongly disagreed with the decision to not transfer aircraft and air defense systems to Ukraine from Poland”.

    Biden was hesitant to take such a step because it might start a shooting war with Russia, but apparently that is a risk that most Republican senators are willing to take.

    Thankfully, most Americans do not actually want a shooting war with Russia.

    But according to one new survey, more than a third of all Americans “would favor military action even if it risks nuclear conflict with Russia”…

    However, most Americans (62%) say they would oppose the U.S. “taking military action even if it risks a nuclear conflict with Russia.” About a third (35%) of Americans say they would favor military action in this scenario. Comparable shares in both parties (36% of Republicans, 35% of Democrats) say they would favor military action even if it risks nuclear conflict with Russia.

    Those of us in the majority need to be much louder than those in the minority, because if the warmongers get their way we could eventually find ourselves in the middle of a nuclear conflict.

    And if that happens, there won’t be a future for our country.

    Speaking of World War 3, Joe Biden is also escalating matters with China by sending thousands of U.S. troops to Australia

    The Pentagon is to deploy over two thousand troops to Australia by September to join an established rotational force of 200 in anticipation of a conflict with China, according to reports.
    
    The Daily Mail notes that “The contingent is part of an ongoing US initiative in the Indo-Pacific region to prepare for a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan in coming years.”
    
    The report notes that 1000 marines have already arrived in the country.

    The battle lines are being drawn.

    Once World War 3 fully erupts, it will be the United States on one side, and Russia and China on the other.

    If Americans truly understood what was at stake, there would be massive demonstrations in the streets of every major U.S. city right now.

    But the general population just doesn’t get it.

    They just assume that war is something that happens on the other side of the globe and that our leaders have everything under control.

    Unfortunately, our leaders most definitely do not have everything under control, and when World War 3 fully erupts the death and destruction that we will witness will be absolutely unimaginable.

    Timing

    Let’s talk a little about the timing for disaster.

    The following is taken from a post that I wrote three years ago. I reprinted a section of it here, and made some minor alterations. 
    
    For just about everything that I predicted has come to pass, or are developing in such an obvious way that I look like a real accurate fortune-teller.
    
    If I made any mistakes (so far) is that my predictions were one to two years late. Or, in other words I was too optimistic. Which points to a rot, and decay far deeper than which I was aware of.

    Historical records clearly point out the the United States will go through a severe and harsh change in society. This has been building up for some time. The worst and most catastrophic elements of that change has already been set in motion. Anything that will occur will occur during the ten-year span from 2020 though 2030.

    The worst time should be 2023 through 2024.

    With 2025 being a “harsh reality“.

    By 2026, my guess is that the kenetic phase might be over, but people will still be dealing with turmoil at various levels.

    Serious upheaval in America will occur from 2020 though to 2030. This is a ten year period of time. It is now the first quarter of 2022. My previous predictions were on track. I was in slight error when I predicted that the events would transpire one year later than they are now transpiring.

    I predicted a major military event in 2023. It seems that it occurred in 2022 with the Russian invasion of the Ukraine and the United States Senate driving a war-machine full-throttle.

    Points and information

    I’m going to lay out some points and some information. I’ve covered the background elsewhere in great detail. However, here we are just going to throw it all out for purposes of review.

    Generational Turnings are a historically accurate methodology for predictive behaviors.

    America; the United States, will go through the following in the next ten years;

    • Domestic unrest resulting in American death(s).
    • A complete change in the Federal Government.
    • The value of the USD will collapse.
    • A very serious “Hot War” on American soil.
    • Cultural, and societal collapse.
    Normalcy bias, or normality bias, is a cognitive bias which leads people to disbelieve or minimize threat warnings. 
    
    Consequently, individuals underestimate the likelihood of a disaster, when it might affect them, and its potential adverse effects. 
    
    The normalcy bias causes many people to not adequately prepare for natural disasters, pandemics, and calamities caused by human error. 
    
    About 70% of people reportedly display normalcy bias during a disaster.
    
    -Wikipedia

    Let’s go one by one on these points.

    [1] Domestic unrest resulting in death(s).

    Historically, Fourth Turnings are always associated with domestic unrest. Not only that but people die. Yes. There is an entire sub-culture of Americans that believe that domestic unrest will occur. All you need to do is google SHTF and “prepper”. And you know that many Americans expect this. Gun stores are empty of guns and ammo.

    Everyone is expecting societal unrest. And they plan on defending themselves and their family. In fact, for the last three months the top MM posts are those devoted to the SHTF Index.

    And sure… nothing is guaranteed. This fear might just be a passing fad. Or the absolute result of American media going “off the rails”. Or some kind of mass psychosis due to being locked inside all 2020. It could be anything.

    I am of the opinion …

    • Most Americans are unhappy.
    • Most Americans are locked inside of a class structure with little upward movement.
    • There are terrible and systematic problems regarding American society.
    • Government “solutions” are insufficient, meager and viewed as an insult.
    • There are groups who desire to capitalize on domestic discord to promote their own agendas.
    • There are elements inside of the Federal Government that have the power and plans to come down aggressively to any disruption of society.

    None of the above should come as any surprise to most Americans. And thus I conclude…

    There is a higher than average chance that there will be domestic revolt / upset. This is not a continuation of BLM, Antifa “riots”, or a Trump Supporter “frat party” style takeover of Congress.

    This will be something far more serious, sinister and deadly. It will not be reported, or if it is, it will be reported in such a way as to minimize what is actually going on.

    Historically, these kinds of events are preceded by the government trying to take preemptive actions. That could be [1] “false flag” events, [2] a banning of weapons or one or more Rights / freedoms, and [3] a call to fight some kind of “enemy” or “threat”.

    If any of the above occurs to any serious degree, you can well expect domestic discord to follow promptly.

    Historically, all Democrat Presidents have had a major "Gun-related mass-killing event" within the first nine months of their Presidency. That includes Trump who was supposed to lose to Hillary Clinton.

    [2] A complete change in the Federal Government.

    The United States government WILL change. And, it will not be voluntary.

    Historically, Fourth Turnings are always associated with a serious and large change in the Government.

    The current American government is an enormous behemoth, it is sluggish, inefficient, lazy, and is out of control. To believe that it is working fine or that it could be improved is to ignore the facts. Both sides of the political divide demand a restructuring.

    • Democrats are looking towards a Socialist and Marxist solution.
    • Republicans are looking for a return to the 1776 Republic.
    • Both are looking to create a major war of distraction.

    The compass is all over the place on this. One thing is for certain, the wealthy oligarchy loves the status quo and do not want to change anything. To make the changes that are necessary, a real revolution must occur.

    The Federal Government will change substantially. I can offer no insight into what it will change into. Needless to say, the nation is completely divided and polarized and no matter who obtains the reins of power, large segments of the population will be unhappy. The only way that I can see any kind of satisfaction is by an overwhelmingly exhausted citizenry that is ready to accept change, no matter how radical it is.

    Nor can I offer insight as to how this will happen. What I do know is that unless it happens, there will be no ‘Crisis Event”.

    [3] The value of the USD will collapse.

    The USD is presently losing its status as a global reserve currency.

    Historically, Fourth Turnings are always associated with economic changes. I see an exponential increase in the value of the stock market with zero connection to the lives of actual American citizenry. I also see an exponential increase in the national debt. It doesn’t take a genius to see that both of these things are not sustainable.

    People have been predicting the eventual collapse of the American economy for decades. Yet it still hums along. The only way that this will change is if the international medium of exchange changes. And there is evidence that this is exactly what is going on. I do not see this as a sudden, precipitous event, but rather a trend that continues over a long swath of time before the USD stabilizes.

    The USD will significantly change in value negatively. This will occur over a period of time. The end result will be generalized discomfort for Americans on many levels.

    What we are seeing RIGHT NOW is a movment to the discarding of the USD as a reserve currency and the adoption of the e-yuan instead.

    [4] A very serious “Hot War” on American soil.

    No, there will not be another Iraq, Afganastan, Yemen, or Syria in Ukraine. There will be a major, big and very nasty short war.

    It WILL result in much damages, destruction and death on American soil.

    Historically, Fourth Turnings are always associated with “hot wars”; shooting wars that occurring using the most advanced technology available, and they always  occur on the soil of the leading economic power.

    This Fourth Turning event is an American driven cycle. Not an Asian cycle.

    Even if the nation stays together, its geography could be fundamentally changed, its party structure altered, its Constitution and Bill of Rights amended beyond recognition. 
    
    History offers even more sobering warnings: Armed confrontation usually occurs around the climax of Crisis. If there is confrontation, it is likely to lead to war. This could be any kind of war—class war, sectional war, war against global anarchists or terrorists, or superpower war. 
    
    If there is war, it is likely to culminate in total war, fought until the losing side has been rendered nil—its will broken, territory taken, and leaders captured. And if there is total war, it is likely that the most destructive weapons available will be deployed.

    There is no avoiding this.

    Russia will not allow a war near or on it’s borders. Anyone who thinks that they can “poke the bear” is going to be in for a rude, and horrifc shock. The same goes for China. Anyone who thinks that China will allow another Yemen, Afghanistan or Syria to occur in Taiwan, on the South China Sea is delusional.

    War will happen fast and be over fast.

    Within a month.

    That’s FAST.

    These nations do not play, are peer-capable, or superior in training and weaponry, and work together. The idea that America can take on China or Russia independently is a fantasy. Any war with either will result in a war with both simultaneously.

    It’s a suicide move.

    So forget the illusions that America has the biggest, the baddest, and the best military. It might get by trying twenty years to fight goat-herders with AK-47’s, but is no match for merit-based, well-trained, superior-armed, and a pissed-off Asia.

    From 2017 through 2020, the United States “carpet bombed” China with bio-weapons. This effort affected Russia, and Iran. And of course, China, Iran and Russia knows who was involved, why and how.

    But China, Russia and Iran didn’t take any obvious retaliatory action.

    That should make every single Americans hair stand on end.

    We should expect a major hot war. This war will be instigated though American actions and international activities.

    Neither China, nor Russia are stupid. They will strike first. They will use full-spectrum nuclear weapons, and America will resemble one of the nations that it “bombed the shit out of” for democracy™.

    [5] Cultural, and societal collapse.

    Historically, Fourth Turnings are always associated with severe changes to society and the individuals who live inside America. In the past, Americans have been resilient enough, independent enough, and hardy enough to rebuild any collapsed society.

    But today, I am not so sure.

    With or without war, American society will be transformed into something different. The emergent society may be something better, a nation that sustains its Framers' visions with a robust new pride. Or it may be something unspeakably worse. The Fourth Turning will be a time of glory or ruin.

    Most Americans are terribly overweight, and while many are functional with technology, during a period of societal collapse most technology will not operate in an optimal manner during a full scale Crisis Event.

    During 2020 large segments of the American population failed to work together and wear masks during the pandemic. I just cannot imagine that Americans would rebuild radioactive cities, start planting vegetables in their suburban lawns, and working together for free.

    Americans have been a historically resilient people, but whether or not they will be able to come together during the Crisis Event is unlikely. It is not a politically attractive position, but it is a realistic expectation.

    Let’s combine everything together.

    Well, there is nothing that I have said here that I have not covered elsewhere. But let’s see if we can compile some knowns to help us make a substantive predictive engine for our use.

    In 2019, I created the following map which I extrapolated from Fourth Turning cycles and the Deagal (Remote Viewing) Report.

    Keep in mind that this is just a predictive map. It may or may not happen.

    .

    Recent events suggest that things have accelerated somewhat, and are pushing the dates ahead by 1.5 years.

    Uh Oh!

    My argument is that the COVID-19 fiasco in the United States is not part of this collapse crisis vector. It is only a contributor.

    Whether the future occurs as predicted will depend on the actions or inaction’s of the American Presidency. Any of the following events will probably unleash a particular singular element of the Crisis event.

    • Passage of restrictive laws that infringe on cherished Rights.
      • Freedom of Speech.
      • Gun control.
      • Travel / banking.
      • Ability to be employed.
    • A military action that involves either China, Russia or Iran. Perhaps all three.
    • No attempts at financial, banking or economic restructuring.
    • A trigger event being either “false flag” event of any purpose, or a major provication such as crossing a “red line”.
    • WMD (nuclear, biological, and chemical / EM) will be used.

    These are all historical trendlines.

    Knowing that these are exactly the same kind of modus operandi that Washington has used over the last fifty years, you can well expect that some or all of them will precipitate the Crisis event.

    Year by Year expectations

    The graphic above is pretty complex. Let’s look at it like you would a newspaper horoscope.

    • The key point representative of the year are in bold red.
    • Items that have been predicted correctly, that has already happened are in blue.

    2021

    • The pandemic continues all year.
    • Posturing of various political and special interests organized by various oligarchies.
    • Internet freedoms curtailed.
    • Urban riots.
    • Submarines / US Naval vessels damaged or sunk.
    • Continued (minor) unrest on many levels.
    • A somewhat stabilization of the overall economic consideration.
    • An event that will force one of the major Asian powers to take action.

    2022 Shit breaks out.

    • The pandemic continues.
    • Domestic unrest starts to manifest. Maybe shootings or some kind of organized behavior.
    • Asian powers threaten nuclear retaliation.
    • FEMA, NSA, FBI or other domestic agencies activated.
    • Rule by Executive Orders continue.
    • Major domestic crime.
    • Producted goods become harder and harder to obtain.
    • Some unpopular laws or regulations are implemented.
    • United States bioweapon activity starts to get public attention.
    • Inflation in the world grows to an unmanagable level.
    • Sides in a geopolitical conflict are established; Us vs. Them.
    • The mid-tem elections generate an electorial sweep.
    • The USA starts to get involved in some strong covert (not visible) international military actions.
    • American Congress start talking about fighting either Russia, China, Iran or North Korea directly.
    • Events force Russia or China to initiate hot kinetic wars.

    2023 Crisis Deepens.

    • People are adapting to the Pandemic and it seems to be subsiding.
    • People refuse to mask up even when bioweapons are used in America.
    • Domestic unrest continues and gets more violent.
    • United States debt is beyond comprehension, and items become unobtainable.
    • The economy and the USD starts to falter.
    • Ambushes and attacks on American police.
    • The United States starts to have shortages in gasoline / heating fuel.
    • Economic Balloons start to “pop”.
    • The Internet starts to falter in many nations.
    • Rural communities starting to band together for protection.
    • American trade with China is decreased sharply.
    • Some states discuss leaving the Untied States.
    • The USD is no longer a major reserve currency.
    • The United States government starts seizing assets, energy, and finances from its enemies.
    • The Federal Government initiates a hot war with a major power as a desirable technique of distraction and unification.
    • The USA starts to engage in International Military Actions of some visible type. American soldiers are shooting at Asian powers and forces.
    • Risk of a HOT WAR is very high. It may or may not hit American soil.

    2024 Insanity

    • Still a pandemic, but is seemingly under control.
    • Domestic unrest breaks out in open conflict in numerous areas.
    • The Federal Government starts to decentralize, or change in some significant manner.
    • The United States starts to have shortages in food.
    • The United States starts to have shortages in medicine.
    • Brown-outs roll throughout the United States.
    • The US government plans / talks about a draft and forced civilian enlistment.
    • The 2024 election is a crazy turmoil, and no one is happy with the results.
    • The economy starts a long sequence of contractions and mini-collapses.
    • The USD starts to have it’s value erode significantly.
    • SEVERE HOT WAR! Americans on American soil are affected. It’s not a “police action” in a far away land or sea.
    • The health system, inefficient and expensive, collapses completely.
    • Society is disrupted. Communication, transport, food, and electricity are all unreliable and disrupted.
    • The Election is a landslide for one political party who promises massive change.

    2025 “Everything but the kitchen sink”

    • 2025 will be like 2024, only crazier, and more intense.
    • American contractions at every level continue.
    • The Federal, and the States governments show complete incompetence.
    • Bad moves, and bad decisions result in numerous fiascos for the United States.
    • Discord and disruptions are commonplace and are no longer isolated to certain geographic regions. Everyone “feels the pinch”.
    • Some states start to actually leave the Untied States and restructure themselves.
    • Americans start to hunt, fish and eat pets in certain areas.
    • May people start to die of illnesses that could have been prevented or cured.
    • New illnesses and viruses start to appear all over America. These are far worse than the COVID-19. Americans treat them like the “seasonal flu”.
    • Everyone is in “survival mode”.
    • Americans start to turn to non-American news for information.
    • Most of the Hot War is over.

    2026 “The Kitchen Sink gets included”

    • Anything that was good about 2025, is now gone.
    • FIASCO!
    • Normal lifestyles are permanently disrupted.
    • Urban areas are hotbeds of contentious activity.
    • The United States starts to put people in FEMA camps.
    • The United States start to shoot fellow Americans.
    • Woods and forests are flooded with urban refugees.
    • Hot war officially ends.

    2027

    • Things are still crazy, but groups of people are working together to sort out the craziness.
    • The United States is largly gone.
    • A new type of government emerges.
    • Domestic discord and fighting continues, but it’s mostly “turf wars”.
    • The USD has substantially collapsed.
    • US economy is in ruins.
    • The government begins to discuss reconstruction efforts and mobilization of work forces for a common good.

    2028

    • A new normal has arrived in America.
    • There is a new government, new people, new ideas, and new systems.
    • The USA is shattered and a real mess, but people are starting to band together in small groups to make things right in their little area of control.
    • People can see the “light at the end of the tunnel”.

    2029

    • Reconstruction efforts begin.
    • Rehabilitation efforts begin.
    • New policies and lifestyles start to manifest.
    • A brighter future lies ahead for everyone still left alive.

    Conclusion

    I wrote this article after I watched the horrific section on Tucker Carlson FOX “news”.

    He’s right.

    War is bad, but not as bad as having United States Senators openly advocating war with nuclear armed Russia over a flat of bland terration that has zero strategic importance for America.

    It just confirms my worst fears.

    Here’s pretty much the future that most everyone in the collective West can look forward to.

    Historically, the rising nations pretty much survives the Fourth Turning unscathed. I don’t think that they will remain as pristine as the USA did during World War II, but they will pretty much be in far better shape than the West.

    There’s a lot of bullshit on the “news” sites.

    But, I can positively say the following…

    • The United States caused the Ukraine-Russia war.
    • This is becuase they violated Russian “Red Lines”.
    • Now the United States wants to get involved in it directly.
    • Russia warned that it will destroy the USA if they don’t stop.
    • Russia is now ferrying all its leadership to secure locations.

    And for China, irregardless as to the absolute failure of the Italy talks…

    • The USA push towards war / sanctions with China is continuing.
    • China has repeatedly warned that it is a dragon that DOES bite.
    • The USA government is ignoring the warnings.
    • The USA government is proceeding with the violation of Chinese “Red Lines”.

    2022 03 18 09 24
    2022 03 18 09 24

    The article describes the actions. It’s crossing the Chinese “Red Lines”.

    Internally, domestically…

    • Americans are happy for no more mask mandates.
    • Mass crime continues.
    • Inflation is absurd.
    • Washington DC is oblivious.
    • Supply Lines / trade is a complete fiasco.
    • The American “news” media is on overdrive and the propaganda is outrageous.

    As far as Russia is concerned…

    • Leading Russian leadership personnel have evacuated Moscow and all the major cities. This and the very wealthy in Russia…
    A large exodus of private jets out of Moscow towards Dubai this morning too. Looks like the uber-rich Arab oil Billionaires are high-tailing-it out of Moscow too.
    • From a source within the Diplomatic corps . . .
      For the past three days, Russia has been pulling one of a kind, proprietary, machine dyes and templates, and putting into deep storage, along with items of cultural value.
    • On Thursday, 17MAR22, at 4:02pm EST, the formal message from Russia to the United States read…
    "U.S. USED NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN JAPAN AFTER WORLD WAR II AND HAS NO RIGHT TO PREACH TO US REGARDING OUR USE OF THEM."

    Please plan to avoid the high risk areas. Note that I am conservative in my predicitons, and anumerous elements are proceeding in advance to what I predicted.

    Good luck.

    2022 03 17 23 44
    2022 03 17 23 44

    This information is compiled from other sources.

    To see the methodology in these other sources, please go to the Theories of Collapse Index here…

    Collapse Theories

    .

    To check out the results of remote viewing this period of time, go to my writings on the Deagal Report here…

    .

    What this means is that the defense intelligence organizations represented by Deagel believe that there will be some kind of event or series of events that will result in a major population drop by 2025.

    Deagel site projections.

    From the chart above we can clearly see a number of conclusions or extrapolations that they have made.

    I have an index that collects various observations regarding the internal collapse of the United States. That is in a sub-Index known as “Front Row Seat”.

    Front Row

    .

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 3

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

     

    When an American conservative warns against a war with Russia, you all had best pay attention.

    The State Department is trying to get us into a war and the Pentagon is trying to keep us out. 
    
    - Ron Paul
    .
    War sucks. I’m not going to be nice about it. It honestly, and really sucks. People get hurt and die. Innocents are maimed. Bad things happen. The wealthy that create the conditions for war flee, and the poor that work for them are sacrificed on the alter of ideology. What ever it might be.
    .
    There is nothing valiant about war.
    .
    Wars are fought by young men precisely because they don’t know any better. They cannot imagine themselves spending the rest of their lives in a retirement home without arms or legs. Or having their homes blown to bits and pieces.
    .
    And most especially for Americans. As well as for Candians, Australians and Britions. They cannot imagine it’s THEIR famies dying, and their neighborhoods being blown to smithereens and destroyed. Safe and isolated. That’s the way it’s always been.
    .
    Right?
    .
    And ideology… well, that’s the medium on how you can control others.
    .
    In the United States, the ideology is democracy. In Syria the ideology is in religion. In the Ukraine, the ideology is pure Nazism. Ideology gets people killed. Or worse. Don’t you know.
    .
    I’m really not a fan of ideologs. I know that from time to time I have moved about the political spectrum, but when you get my age, you just no longer can zip back from one point of view to the other. It makes you dizzy.
    .
    So you just are happy with simple things.
    .
    Simple things, like a beloved cat. A pet dog that is happy as can be to see you. A fine book, and a glass of nice tasty wine. A delicious steak, hamburger, or tasty thick soup. A roaring fire on a cold snowy night. A warm dry bedroom while it pours rain outside…
    .
    Simple things.
    .

    2022 03 16 15 29
    Simple things.

    .
    You know, my social media feeds are all clogged up with the mindless hordes that reguritates the NSA talking points. You don’t have to get too involved in the termonology. It’s all the same and predictable.
    .
    The callouts are the same “stooge for Putin”, “Russia is evil”, “crushing democracy in Ukraine”. Sigh.
    .
    You can easily replace the word “Russia” with “5G radiation”, and the meaning would be the same.
    .
    Replace it with “China”, and the meaning would be the same.
    .
    It could be “vaxx”, or “Swine Flue”, or “Y2K” it’s all the same.
    .

    2022 03 16 15 39
    5G and Coronavirus.

    .
    If you do not agree with the United States official narrative, you are a traitor!
    .
    That’s exactly how all this works. Whatever the government says, must must agree with it. When the Trump administration was at war with China over technology, it was all about “evil Huawei”, and “arrest the evil CEO”, and “5G radiation destroys brain cells”.
    .
    I try to tell them that they are victims of Vault 7. But they are oblivious. Vault 7 is what is going on. Vault 7. If you don’t know what this is, then you are in a truly sad state indeed.
    .
    It’s not just controling your opinions. These algorithms control your thoughts.
    .
    As such they alter your body chemistry.
    .
    Once altered, you will NEED to take medicine to maintain your sanity, and your health. Your body chemistry changes. You start experiencing problems. You get anxiety. You suffer aches and pains. You get eating disorders, and start having helth problems with your liver, your kidnes, your stomach, and your heart.
    .
    Ask any one who is regurigating the American narrative if they are taking medicine. Any medicine, for any reason. Just ask.
    .
    So far, I have found 100% of the people who I asked say “yes” in the affirmative. America has become; seriously, a nation of zombies.
    .

    2022 03 16 16 21
    Americans today.

    .
    It’s stuff to think about.
    .
    Once I started to carefully vet what I read and watch, my life has really, substantially calmed down. That’s a fact.
    .
    Anyways. I tire of arguing with NPCs. So I penned this article. It winds the clock back in time to one month before the invasion of the Ukraine. By reading it, you can easily see how and why the war in the Ukraine started.
    .
    And NO, it’s not “Putin’s fault”.
    .
    It was planned to occur. And the planners were the United States Senate. And it’s all well known, and well understood. All you need to do is watch the historical archives from CSPAN.
    .
    I mean, come on, it’s all very damning.
    .
    They tell you right then and there. “America needs to start a war elsewhere. Not on American soil. And the Ukraine is the best place to have that war.”
    .
    This clip is from 2014.
    .
    .

    2022 03 17 10 47
    2022 03 17 10 47

    .
    This is an absolutely great article by Paul Craig Roberts. He’s a major conservative voice in American politics. He’s pretty good, and I have been following him for a long time. He tends to discuss American domestic issues with detailed and thoughtful analysis, and takes a hard, critical look at American international issues.
    .
    This article was written one month before Russia invaded Ukraine. And during that time, in January 2022, the big news was about how the United States refused to take Russia seriously. This is that article. It’s truly poignant now, as we see what an absolute clusterfuck the United States has created for itself. And because of the enormity of that fuck-up, this article is even more valuable.
    .
    I am presenting it here, right now, to help us all have a better contextual understanding on what the Hell is going on in the Ukraine and in the Geo-Political circles.
    .

    Does Russia Understand She Is Dealing with Lunatics?

    In advance of the January 10 meeting, Secretary of State Blinken and NATO functionary Stoltenberg stupidly reduced Russia’s Options to Two: Surrender or Use Force.

    If these idiotic accusations were not enough, Blinken accused Putin of intending to restore the Soviet Union. It is impossible to understand how a person this stupid was confirmed by the US Senate as Secretary of State.

    The last thing the Kremlin wants is all the problems of all of these countries. All the Kremlin wants is that they be independent countries, not US puppet states armed against Russia.

    My take on the situation is that from foolish statements such as the above by Blinken and Stoltenberg and other ill-considered remarks from the White House and media, the Kremlin has concluded prior to Monday’s meeting (January 10) that Washington will not take seriously Russia’s security concerns.

    I think the Russians have come to the conclusion that the West will not take them seriously until the Kremlin demonstrates forceful action.

    The Russians are just giving diplomacy one last chance before they destroy the military installations that the US has built in Ukraine.

    I came across this report from pravda.ru dated about a month ago (November 26) that Russian nuclear submarines were urgently sent to sea in a state of combat readiness.

    This does not mean that the Kremlin is preparing a nuclear strike.

    It is meant to forestall any stupid Washington response to Russian removal of perceived threats, just as the Israelis do routinely in their attacks on Iraqi, Syrian, and Lebanese territory.

    As I have reported on occasion, the Russians have had their fill of Washington and are not going to take anymore.

    The Russians have concluded that only decisive action on their part has any chance of sobering up Washington from its hubris and restoring a sense of responsibility in Washington at least equal to the sense of responsibility that kept a lid on Cold War tensions. If Washington is unable to recover a sense of responsibility, the possibility of Armageddon will again hang over our heads.

    My concern is that there is no one in the Biden regime or the decimated officer ranks of the US military that has five cents worth of intelligence.

    The people with their hands on US foreign policy are Russophobes with delusions of American omnipotence.

    Moreover, they believe their own propaganda, which prevents them from understanding the Russian view.

    I don’t know if the Kremlin is capable of imagining a government as lunatic as the American one.

    If the Kremlin does not understand they they are dealing with lunatics, the situation could quickly get out of hand.

    And he was correct… absolutely correct.

    One month later, Russia invaded the Ukraine, preventing a Ukrainian assault on the LDR and the DDR.

    And the Western press were all ready with a flood of anti-Russian “news”, and sanctions, and all the rest. It was all perfectly timed and implemented.

    And what became of it?

    Well, let’s see what ol’ Fred has to say…

    Snapshot

    By Fred Reed

    Everybody and his goat are talking about the Ukraine. Why not me? You might ask, But Fred, what do you know about it? To which I would respond, Look, this is journalism. You don’t need to know anything, just wing it, preferably using words you can spell. Admittedly this is more of a limitation than it used to be. Anyway, here goes:

    Why did Russia invade the Ukraine?

    Contrary to American media, the invasion was not unprovoked. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, America has been pushing NATO, which is a US sepoy operation, ever closer to Russian borders in what, to anyone who took fifth-grade geography, is an obvious program of military encirclement. Of the five countries other than Russia littoral to the Black Sea, three, Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria, are now in NATO. America has been moving toward bringing in the Ukraine and Georgia. After Georgia would have come Azerbaijan, putting American forces on the Caspian with access to Iran and Kazakhstan. This is calculated aggression over the long term, obvious to the—what? Ten percent? Fifteen percent?—of Americans who know what the Caucasus is.

    Putin has said, over and over, that Russia could not allow hostile military forces on its border any more than the US would allow Chinese military bases in Mexico and China or missile forces in Cuba. Washington kept pushing. Russia said, no more. In short, America brought on the war.

    Among people who follow such things, there are two ways of looking at the invasion. First, that Washington thought Putin was bluffing, and he wasn’t. Second, that America intentionally forced Russia to choose between allowing NATO into the Ukraine, a major success for Washington’s world empire; or fighting, also a success for Washington as it would cause the results it has caused.

    From the latter understanding, America pulled off, at least at first glance, an astonishing geopolitical victory over Russia. Nordstream II blocked, crippling sanctions placed on Russia, many of its banks kicked out of SWIFT, economic integration of Europe and Asia slowed or reversed, Germany to spend 113 billion on rearming (largely meaning buying American costume-jewelry weaponry), Europe forced to buy expensive American LNG, and Europe made dependent on America for energy. All this in a few days without loss of a single American soldier. This presumably at least in part engineered by Virginia Newland who, though she looks like a fireplug with leprosy, seems effectively Machiavellian.

    Next victim, China.

    Divide and conquer. Or at least that’s the theory. At the same time reinstate the JCPOA and use economic baubles to try to pry Iran away from Beijing.

    Here we need some context. Everything Washington does internationally aims at maintaining America’s largely military near-hegemony over the world. This involves several elements:

    First, military dominance.

    This includes the many hundreds of bases around the world, naval supremacy, and the huge military expenditure. Thy latter will be maintained at any cost to domestic needs, and apparently it is going to be increased.

    Second, control of the world’s supply of energy.

    Washington is trying to starve Venezuela, with its vast reserves of petroleum, into submission. Submission means letting American-dominated oil majors exploit the country’s oil. Washington is doing the same with Iran and its enormous reserves. It has troops in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, has confiscated Syria’s oil lands, crushed Libya, and so on. Keeping the European vassals from buying more Russian gas through Nordstream II is part of this energy control and an important part.

    Third, and crucial, keep the EU from coalescing into a vast continent-spanning trade zone.

    This is exactly what China contemplates in its BRI, Belt and Road initiative. This is too much subject for a few paragraphs, but some thoughts: China is a manufacturing juggernaut in explosive growth. Economic power is the basis of all power. China has the advantage of inner lines of communication: it can build rail, fiber optics, highway,s and pipelines in Asia, where America has little access. China has money because it has a for-profit economy, and America doesn’t. The pull of China’s gigantic market and manufactures was beginning to loosen America’s control of Europe. Eurasian integration had to be stopped.

    Fourth, the dollar.

    Washington controls the dollar, the IMF, SWIFT, and in general the international financial system. It uses this control brutally as a weapon to impose sanctions, crippling the economies of such countries as Venezuela, Iran, Cuba, North Korea, and now Russia. Seeing this intimidates other countries. Washington may have gone too often to this well. Having made England, its chief bootlicker, confiscate Venezuela’s gold reserves, and now freezing Russia’s reserves, Washington has served notice that no country is secure from this treatment. Here I speculate freely, but this may prove America’s worst mistake since 1619 as it may greatly accelerate the search for other payment systems—CIPS from China, SPFS from Russia, and the upcoming digital yuan. Washington, methinks, is betting the farm.

    So much for the world…

    Meanwhile, America seems to be sinking into irreversible decadence that must eventually—I would say soon—affect its international position. As the world’s economic and, laggingly, technological center of gravity moves east to Asia, an internally collapsing America will be less able to maintain the empire.

    Consider:

    [1] Printing of money out of nothing.

    Washington’s printing of money, equivalent to the debasing of the coinage characteristic of failing societies, has resulted in high inflation and a potentially catastrophic national debt. This will cause political perturbation as voters seek to find which of the two essentially identical parties will not behave like the other one. Unrest will grow. Trust abroad in the dollar will decrease.

    [2] Enormous Trade Deficit.

    America suffers from a massive and growing trade deficit, largely with China, about which nothing can be done, certainly not soon, because America no longer makes things it needs. Manufacturing cannot be brought back, excep perhaps in niche markets like semiconductors, because the US no longer has the necessary engineers and trained work force, and American labor costs more than Chinese, so reshoring would increase inflation. The importation of cheap Chinese products keeps inflation down,.

    [3] Wall Street / Military seizing all the money.

    The heavy flow of national wealth into Wall Street and the military in addition to offshoring has led to real poverty in Appalachia, the Rust Belt, and the rural Deep South. This has produced some 100,000 opioid deaths annually in despairing populations. Simultaneously large and growing homeless aggregations appear in LA, Seattle, San Francisco, Austin, St. Louis, on and on, estimated at 60,000 in LA and 50,000 in New York, making the subways dangerous. Bush world conditions presumably do not make for political stability, as neither does the governmental inattention to them.

    [4] Massive Crime

    Crime is out of control, not a sign of a healthy polity. Some 700 homicides annually in Chicago, 300 in Baltimore, and similar numbers elsewhere are now routine, almost all of the killers and killed being black. To countries like Japan and South Korea this must seem barbaric. The situation is not First World.

    [5] Racial Problems

    America’s racial problem is grave. The southern border is open, the southwestern states either majority Latino or soon to be. This is not as bad as it could be as the races seem to get along, but it imposes heavy economic and other costs. At the same time across the country cities have huge black ghettos with appalling semiliteracy, no prospects for the young, all of this apparently irremediable. Racial attacks on whites and Asians grow in number and so, almost everywhere, do racial killings, mostly by blacks. Governments at all levels fear blacks who they know will burn cities if provoked, which leads tax bases to flee from cities, making things worse.

    This adds to potentially explosive resentment. There is a substantial White Nationalist movement, that wants no non-whites in America (a bit late for this), Republican Chambers of Commerce, that want more illegal Latinos for the cheap labor but won’t say so, and the high-tech sector, which wants more East Asian and Indian immigrants on which America, with a failing educational system, increasingly depends.

    The Overall Prognosis is Poor

    Overall, government is weak, unable to prevent crime, riots, and looting.

    Washington does not control, but is controlled, being a storefront operation for special interests.

    Elections do not change policy but only the division of the spoils.

    Presidents perform their three essential duties, protecting Wall Street, Israel, and the military budget, but not much else.

    Schooling is being dumbed down in stark contrast with China.

    Excellence everywhere is discouraged in the name of equity. Native white talent dwindles in the elite schools, from high-end high schools through CalTech, as Asian majorities predominate.

    Measures of talent, such as SATs and Medcats, are dropped or downplayed. English grammar and arithmetic are dropped as racist.

    None of this seems likely to improve America’s future competitiveness.

    Finally, the media are controlled.

    This allows Washington freedom of action abroad as enough of the public will believe anything they are told by television (The Russians are coming, the Chinese are coming, the Iranians are coming, the Guatemalans….)

    Internally censorship may keep the lid on, for now anyway, by keeping enough of the population from knowing what is going on.

    By preventing discussion of problems, or their mention, it assures that nothing will be done.

    I suspect this is having the effect of winding a spring.

    Where is all of this leading?

    Biden is playing as if this were 1960 and the US enjoyed rock solid military and economic superiority and the population were firmly behind him.

    This is the world he remembers, being an aging cold warrior. He seems to believe that he consequently can do what he pleases with no repercussions for America. This may be true, or true enough. Perhaps he believes that Russia will collapse in domestic rebellion or simply surrender to the US.

    It is not how I would bet.

    But—and this is sheer speculation—it is not clear what would happen if Russia cut off gas and petroleum and wheat and such things as neon gas from Europe.

    The West is accustomed to bombing remote countries, not to going without.

    Would Russia collapse under privation before Europe decided it wanted to trade with Moscow after all?

    If Biden and the hawks decide to play hardball with China, they may realize that America is an economic dependency of Beijing. If—again, very hypothetically—China cut off all trade with America, the US economy would die instantly.

    Almost everything on American shelves is made in China.

    An American public already very unhappy would explode, which it is on the point of doing for various reasons.

    Reflect on the Floyd riots.

    China would be hurt, but it has other markets and a nationalistic population more united than the American.

    Them’s my thoughts, probably worth what you pay for them.

    Speaking of China…

    Declining empires and their ‘forever wars’? “As the US and NATO struggle to deal with the unfolding crisis in Ukraine, China’s Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, has issued a warning to the Biden administration not to repeat the mistakes made in Europe by attempting to create a Pacific version of NATO to contain and constrain China.

    He’s talking about the QUAD.

    He’s talking about AUKUS.

    Calling such plans “perverse actions” that “run counter to the common aspiration of the region for peace, development, cooperation and win-win outcomes,” Wang declared that if they were implemented by the US, “they are doomed to fail.”
    https://lnkd.in/eAJKmwJG

    More excerpts:

    ◉ The Chinese concerns are not imaginary, but rather drawn from a direct reading of the guidance published by the Biden administration in the Spring of 2021.

    ◉ A plain reading of that text clearly shows that the US was pursuing a NATO-like alliance in the Pacific solely focused on the issue of “holding China to account.”

    It is in this light that one must view partnerships such as the “QUAD”, a military partnership between the US, Japan, India, and Australia, and the newly constituted AUKUS alliance composed of Australia, the United Kingdom, and the US.

    Both the QUAD, and AUKUS organizations exist solely to coordinate a military response to China’s presence in the Pacific region.

    ◉ “Wang also criticized the US for expanding its ties, including military cooperation and weapons sales, with Taiwan.

    Such policies, Wang warned, “not only push Taiwan into a precarious situation, but will also bring unbearable consequences for the US side,”

    Wang clearly stated, “Taiwan will eventually return to the embrace of the motherland.”

    ◉ Many experts and observers were surprised by Russia’s decision to intervene militarily in Ukraine. When it comes to China’s readiness to go to war over Taiwan, there should be no such uncertainty.

    ◉ “The Russian side reaffirms its support for the One-China principle, confirms that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, and opposes any forms of independence of Taiwan,” it reads.

    The fact that Russia signed on to such a statement knowing full well that China had committed to the use of military force to defend its claims regarding Taiwan underscores the seriousness of the Russian-Sino joint statement.

    ◉ China knows that any military action against Taiwan would bring with it economic retaliation on the part of the US and its allies.

    Like Russia, however, China holds significant cards in its hand, and any Western effort to punish it with economic sanctions would bring about a response which could cripple the economies of those targeted.

    China has already developed an anti-sanction law, that automatically goes into action once a sanction is imposed. It was specifically written with the United States in mind.

    Moreover, any military action against Taiwan would, in and of itself, have dire economic consequences for the United States, especially in the field of semiconductor manufacturing.

    Any military conflict involving Taiwan would have a crippling impact on the American military electronics market, dependent as it is on the computer chips produced by Taiwan.

    This is simply becuase ALL of the American military and high-technology IC chips have been outsourced to Taiwan. It is the sole and only source of supply for American military integrated electronics.

    How will a war in Taiwan affect the global consumer market? The effect would be negligible. The vast majority of IC chips are already produced in the Chinese mainland.

    What about the USD?

    The movement to de-dollarize will be unstoppable and one of the lasting impacts of this war, not just rogue states, but US allies will also join in.

    This must-read article in Foreign Affairs is a sobering read on de-dollarization as is this supporting article on sanctions in Quartz (https://bit.ly/3pN9Rfb)

    When I started writing about de-dollarization almost three years ago I was widely considered a “Cassandra.”

    I now have good company believing this, but admit that I take no joy in writing about a process artificially accelerated by the inhumanity of war.

    So here’s what is at risk, from FA:

    “These punitive sanctions may also backfire in another way. Biden’s flexing of American economic muscle will only embolden Russia and other US rivals, notably China, to deprive the US of the very power that makes sanctions so devastating.”
    
    “Russia and China will expedite initiatives to “de-dollarize” their economies, building alternative financial institutions and structures that both protect themselves from sanctions and threaten the US dollar’s status as the world’s dominant currency.”

    What is driving this is sanction fatigue, from Quartz:

    “[Sanctions are] economic warfare at an unprecedented level. It’s true that, over the past decade, the global use of sanctions has exploded to the point of making them routine.”

    With sanctions now “routine” nations are questioning their commitment to the dollar. It isn’t because they bear ill-will toward America but see reducing dollar dependence as “risk management.” They also see it as a way to bolster the use of their own currencies so are creating CBDCs.

    Pushing the issue will be the global impact on food and energy prices from the unprecedented size of Russian sanctions (Quartz):

    “But most of the time, [sanctions] are much narrower—aimed at certain individuals, institutions, or industries—or applied over a much longer timeline, or against a much smaller economy, as in the case of Iran. The speed, scale, and sweeping nature of the Russian sanctions make them the equivalent of an economic blitzkrieg.”

    Now a stunning admission from the FA:

    “Deteriorating U.S.-Chinese relations incentivize Beijing to join with Moscow in building a -credible- global financial system that excludes the US. Such a system will attract countries under US sanctions. It would even appeal to major US allies who hope to promote their own currencies to the detriment of the dollar.”

    And that is the part that is inevitable, this new bi-polar financial system will appeal to US allies!

    It should not be seen as a litmus test of friend or foe but instead “whose money offers the better deal?”

    The US cannot reverse this change, and it will lead to a weakening of its global standing.

    And so it is happening

    And there’s many others.

    The collapse of the USD as a “reserve currency” is nearing the end. It is collapsing vry fast. And will collapse even faster once the hyper inflation of the $30 trillion dollar bubble manifests, on top of the sanctions.

    This will spell out many changes to the lifestyles of those that live in the West, and the nations that maintain trade and use of the USD.

    The lifestyle of those in the West is about to change…

    Now, you cannot say that you have been warned. But, Jeeze! You were. You all should have listened to Mr. Putin when he said “if you put your fucking nukes on my border, I will be forced to use military-technical measures”.

    Sheech!

    So when you are paying your $54 / gallon of gas to drive to the fast food resturant to buy your $200 hamburger (minus cheese), don’t go a calling me a “Putin Puppet”. You all brought this fiasco upon yourselves. Suck it up with a big toothy smile, your wishes came true, you mindless oafs.

    The true and real actual United States GDP is about to come crashing down, and Americans will start living like trailer park trash in the rural hills of Kentucky. And that’s just the way it is.

    I stand by my belief that theres more things down the pipe. Never forget about who you are all dealing with…

    Illustrations depicting society life by Stephan Schmitz 55 New Pics 60f1374e7f90e 700
    America vs China.

    .

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 3

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    Master Index

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    Major American victories on the Geo-Political front – March 2022

    A complete separation from Western predatory economics, using the vast creativity and devotion to Mother Russia of the people there, and Russia will succeed beyond anyone's expectations. It will become a beacon for what is possible.
    
    -John

    It is unmistakable. The United States has successfully brought about a global realignment in accordance with their obvious plans. And it looks, right now, that everything is going forward to plan. Much to our (most informed) observations.

    Here, I just want to review some of these victories.

    • War with Russia.
    • Take over of the levers- of-power in Korea.
    • A major military presence in Australia.
    • A major rearming of Japan.
    • Complete control of the narrative.

    Illustrations depicting society life by Stephan Schmitz 55 New Pics 60f1374410919 700
    America to rule the world and, in the darkness, bind them.

    Here, we will go through the above bullet points.

    War with Russia.

    Victory 1

    Fred said it best…

    Why did Russia invade the Ukraine?
    
    Contrary to American media, the invasion was not unprovoked. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, America has been pushing NATO, which is a US sepoy operation, ever closer to Russian borders in what, to anyone who took fifth-grade geography, is an obvious program of military encirclement. Of the five countries other than Russia littoral to the Black Sea, three, Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria, are now in NATO. America has been moving toward bringing in the Ukraine and Georgia. After Georgia would have come Azerbaijan, putting American forces on the Caspian with access to Iran and Kazakhstan. This is calculated aggression over the long term, obvious to the—what? Ten percent? Fifteen percent?—of Americans who know what the Caucasus is.
    
    Putin has said, over and over, that Russia could not allow hostile military forces on its border any more than the US would allow Chinese military bases in Mexico and China or missile forces in Cuba. Washington kept pushing. Russia said, no more. In short, America brought on the war.
    
    Among people who follow such things, there are two ways of looking at the invasion. First, that Washington thought Putin was bluffing, and he wasn’t. Second, that America intentionally forced Russia to choose between allowing NATO into the Ukraine, a major success for Washington’s world empire; or fighting, also a success for Washington as it would cause the results it has caused.
    
    From the latter understanding, America pulled off, at least at first glance, an astonishing geopolitical victory over Russia. Nordstream II blocked, crippling sanctions placed on Russia, many of its banks kicked out of SWIFT, economic integration of Europe and Asia slowed or reversed, Germany to spend 113 billion on rearming (largely meaning buying American costume-jewelry weaponry), Europe forced to buy expensive American LNG, and Europe made dependent on America for energy. All this in a few days without loss of a single American soldier. This presumably at least in part engineered by Virginia Newland who, though she looks like a fireplug with leprosy, seems effectively Machiavellian.

    So The United States got itself a war with Russia.

    As a result, an already subservient NATO and EU is now gleefully submitted to American dominance. Russia, they believe, is globally isolated, and the first stage is set.

    Russia is isolated and alone, and “tied up” in a “quagmire” in Ukraine that the United States controls.  It’s NATO group is working that front.

    Next up…

    China.

    The QUAD to start a war with China..

    This means that a QUAD must be put in place and strengthened. The QUAD is an NATO of the Pacific to “counter” China. So while NATO will counter Russia, QUAD will counter China.

    To “counter China” means “a war with China”.

    Sorry, I just plow though all the bullshit and rhetoric. I call it as it is. It makes life a lot easier, don’t you know.

    The closest to China that America can get to is Taiwan, but if it goes any further, YOU WILL SEE Washington DC, New York City, and San Francisco all reduced to radioactive rubble. So Washington DC, is trying to dance around and sing it’s songs.

    The USA tried to gain “footholds” in Xinjiang (with the Uighur Muslims), in Hong Kong (with the “pro-democracy” color revolutions), in Tibet (with a color revolution there), and all failed. So, then it tried to launch “color revolutions” in the nations bordering China. This included Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar (Burma). All have pretty much failed to one degree or the other.

    So what is left? The QUAD.

    Already American surrogates…

        • South Korea
        • Australia
        • Japan / India

    Let’s take a look at these three “victories”.

    Change in the levers- of-power in Korea.

    Victory 2.

    So right now, by less than a 1% margin, a USA-backed conservative took over the leadership of South Korea. He pledges [1] a harsher stance against North Korea aggression, [2] a relook at the Korean relations with China, and [3] much closer ties to the United States.

    Honestly, we don’t know what will come of all this.

    What we do know is that he has no political experience. Much like Trump has none, and Volodymyr Zelensky (Ukraine) had none. Previous recent events suggest easy manipulation by others. Namely, the United States deep-state.

    But we really don’t know the true and real situation.

    What I can tell you is that the American neocons in K-street in Washington, DC are joyful with glee.

    For the last four years, they watched in horror as South Korea became friendlier with China, and less friendly with the United States. South Korea wanted to reunify with North Korea, and wanted the denuclearization of Korea. All of which horrified the American neocons.

    But…

    Their plans included a war in Korea. This friendliness was unacceptable.

    This is what The Diplomat had to say about how unhappy the USA was with South Korea.

    There are deep diplomatic differences between President Joe Biden of the United States and President Moon Jae-in of South Korea. 
    
    Biden wants Moon to abandon his peace-oriented policy toward North Korea, but Moon insists on continuing to try, despite the underwhelming results so far achieved. Can the next president of South Korea make any better progress?
    
    Another point of contention between Seoul and Washington is Biden’s desire for the South Korean military to take a more active role in the wider region, in particular by participating in various U.S.-led multilateral military exercises. The incoming South Korean president will need to finesse this issue carefully if relations with China are to remain cordial.
    
    Can the next president of South Korea initiate any new policies toward the United States, China, and North Korea? The truth is that South Korea’s policies toward these countries are interdependent in many different ways. If there are any solutions to be found for this Gordian Knot, then the ROK-U.S. alliance is the best hope we have. So how should we envisage the future of the long-standing alliance between the ROK and the United States?
    
    Moon’s Promises to China: The Three Noes
    
    When the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system was deployed on South Korean soil, China objected vigorously and used its commercial leverage to punish South Korea. As a consequence, Moon was obliged to placate China by making three promises. Will these “three noes” cause difficulties for the next president?
    
    The first promise was that the United States will not deploy additional THAAD systems in South Korea. The U.S. budget for fiscal year 2021 has no funding for additional THAAD systems, but there are some funds allocated for upgrading the existing one to integrate it into a remote networked command and control system, together with Patriot and other systems deployed near the Korean Peninsula. This is a third and final phase based on the U.S. adoption of the Joint All Domain Command and Control system which U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) plans to adopt shortly.
    
    The second promise is that trilateral security cooperation between the U.S., Japan, and South Korea will not develop into a military alliance. Given the dire state of relations with Japan, this promise is easy to keep for any South Korean president.
    
    The third promise is that South Korea will not participate in the U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) regional missile defense system. In practice the THAAD system deployed at Seongju has already been integrated into the MDA’s regional architecture. Staff at the South Korean Ministry of National Defense (MND) have implicitly acknowledged the fact. As for any further cooperation with the MDA, the MND has made clear that it prefers to develop its own missile defense system.
    
    It seems, then, that Moon’s “three noes” will not seriously constrain the next president.
    
    Hypersonic Weapons on South Korean Soil?
    
    At the recent Biden-Moon summit, South Korea agreed to become more actively involved with the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy. Following the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban in August 2021, it is appropriate to discuss the future of the ROK-U.S. military alliance.
    
    China is continuing its military buildup, and seeking to extend and strengthen its diplomatic influence across the region. Against this background, it is time for the United States to increase its military resources to counter Chinese adventurism.
    
    Several nations are developing hypersonic ballistic and cruise missiles, either medium-range (following Trump’s withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty) or long-range. Chinese and Russian weapons systems are well advanced, and the United States has initiated or reactivated several hypersonic missile development projects under various names: the U.S. Navy’s Prompt Global Strike (PGS); U.S. Army’s Long Range Hypersonic Weapon; U.S. Air Force’s AGM-183 Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon and Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile; and DARPA’s Tactical Boost Glide and Operational Fires and Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept.
    
    As commentators have noted, though, the U.S. would have to find a place to deploy its missiles. 
    
    Indeed, former U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper explicitly suggested that U.S. allies, including Australia, Japan, and South Korea, should allow the United States to deploy hypersonic weapons to assist in the strategic deterrence of Chinese threats.
    
    Any deployment of such U.S.-developed hypersonic missiles on South Korea soil would inevitably be strenuously resisted by China, much like THAAD in 2017, and could seriously unbalance South Korean foreign policy. Recently, however, Australia has categorically rejected any such deployment, and with none of the other regional allies happy to accept them, it seems that South Korea is off the hook.
    
    There is no particular reason why the United States needs to deploy hypersonic weapons on South Korean territory. There are no specific high-value targets in China’s northeastern provinces, and other U.S. allies seem better placed for the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command to manage Chinese threats, such as Japan and the Philippines, not the mention the U.S. territory of Guam.
    
    Nuclear ballistic missiles can be identified, tracked, and classified as incoming threats by missile defense systems, for example those established by the MDA, but PGS and medium-range hypersonic missiles equipped with conventional warheads cannot be intercepted by any missile defense system. It is unclear whether the U.S. prefers hypersonic-capable and conventional PGS weapons to the existing medium-range ballistic missiles with nuclear capability. This uncertainty opens an opportunity for South Korea, now that limitations on its indigenous missile development have been lifted. New South Korean medium-range ballistic missiles would supplement U.S. capability in countering Chinese military threats to Northeast Asian security, as well as deterring the North Korean military threat.
    
    Other Issues Affecting the Future of the ROK-U.S. Alliance
    
    Some of the frontrunners to be the next president of South Korea have spoken about making changes to the ROK military and to the command-and-control structure of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC), but they have said very little about the future of the ROK-U.S. alliance. Some military commentators argue that South Korea should pay more attention to operational and tactical matters than to political and strategic issues. In that regard, there are a variety of topics to be considered.
    
    An Expanding Alliance
    
    First, from the U.S. perspective, rebuilding the alliance is a priority. During the Trump era, his transactional and populist approach opened up some deep divisions between South Korea and the United States. Biden is now working to repair the damage. More than that, however, he also wants to extend the scope of the alliance beyond its historic focus on threats to the Korean Peninsula by involving Seoul in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy, a thinly-veiled project to contain China.
    
    A related initiative targets common domain awareness, with the ROK military trying to up its game by taking new responsibility for space, electronic, information, and cyberwarfare. To this end, the first meeting of a newly established ROK-U.S. ICT cooperation committee was held on August 5. Also, the ROK Air Force has reorganized its combat development group into an air and space combat research group, so that it can share a Common Operational Picture with the U.S. Space Force. The ROK Army and the ROK Navy are also getting more involved with space; for example the Cheonro-an satellite now monitors the surrounding seas of the Korean Peninsula, including the East China Sea.
    
    In addition, now that South Korea is explicitly committed to more involvement in regional security, including potentially acting with the USFK to contingencies in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait, the scope of the ROK-U.S. alliance has broadened. Future roles and missions for the ROK-U.S. CFC will be hampered by disparities between the two militaries unless a combined combat development group is established. The Japan-U.S. alliance has benefitted from bilateral joint research and development projects, and something similar is needed for the ROK-U.S. alliance.
    
    Changing Doctrines
    
    Second, there is widespread agreement that attempts to strengthen the capacity of the ROK-U.S. alliance should focus on doctrinal standardization. The United States is currently undergoing a great transformation of its expeditionary forces. Thus, the U.S. Army is establishing three Multi-Domain Task Forces, for the Indo-Pacific, Europe, and the Arctic. The U.S. Marine Corps also has a new mobile, agile, and flexible force, the Marine Littoral Regiment, designed to fight in a contested maritime environment. Likewise, the U.S. Navy has its Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations concept, for which it wants to build light amphibious ships, rather than large LHDs or LHAs.
    
    These changes to U.S. forces mean that South Korea’s military will also need to change to ensure the future success of the ROK-U.S. alliance. Specifically, South Korean forces must pursue both technological and doctrinal interoperability, so that they can effectively interface with the new operational concepts of the United States. An integrated ROK Army, Navy Air Force, and Marine Corps force has been suggested, which could then operate in combined units between the ROK and U.S. militaries at the squadron and battalion level. And perhaps the United States should be invited to serve as an advisor in developing the concepts and frameworks of Defense Reform 2050, currently under development by the MND.
    
    New Platforms, New Cooperation 
    
    Third, now that South Korea is building an aircraft carrier, close liaison with the U.S. Navy and Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) is needed. With the navies of South Korea and Japan both building or refitting light aircraft carriers, close cooperation is essential to ensure maximum interoperability. The U.S.-U.K. agreement on cooperative CV operation is the obvious model to follow. A considerable degree of interoperability has already been established, due to the F-35B take-off and landing system, which is the same on the U.S. Navy’s CVs, but much more is possible. The U.S. Navy has built up a vast repertoire of skills and know-how, which should be shared with South Korea and Japan for mutual benefit in the operation of CVs.
    
    Fourth, some operational and tactical improvements are necessary. For example, South Korea and the United States need to better coordinate their strategic assets with the JMSDF, specifically: intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets such as Global Hawk UAVs; airborne early warning and control assets; air refueling tankers and heavy lift aircraft; aircraft carriers; and amphibious assets. Also, the U.S. Navy needs a permanent presence in the form of destroyers at South Korean naval bases; the current arrangements with a one-star admiral are inadequate to deter potential threats from North Korea and China. And the South Korean Agency for Defense Development should be working on more research and development projects together with the U.S. DARPA, such as how to operate Manned-Unmanned Teaming between the two fleets. NATO has a variety of cooperative arrangements between multiple countries, and some of these could be usefully emulated by the ROK-U.S. alliance.
    
    In short, the ROK-U.S. alliance is at a time of transition, and a lot of changes will be required to maintain the strength and effectiveness of the alliance into the future. The next South Korean president will have plenty of work to do.
    
    Conclusion
    
    Most of South Korea’s presidential candidates are proposing policies toward the United States, China, and North Korea that simply rehash previous ideas from the left or right, and in any case are based on outdated and obsolete scenarios. 
    
    The world has moved on, and the ROK-U.S. alliance needs to acknowledge the fact. 
    
    When the next president of South Korea is inaugurated in May 2022, he or she will have a very full inbox: the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, ever worsening climate change, the regional impact of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, growing doubts about the dependability of Pax Americana, and uncertainty over the future of the global economy.
    
    Some candidates have flirted with populism during the campaign, but South Korea’s foreign and security policy needs someone grounded in reality. Thus, it is greatly to be hoped that the next president of South Korea will have the necessary experience and qualifications in these areas, and that they will choose the very best people for the relevant cabinet appointments. It would also be helpful if he or she has clearly articulated their approach to the United States, China, and North Korea so that there is a mandate for change – because change is coming to the ROK-U.S. alliance, like it or not.

    This article was written one year ago.

    Since that time, the United States government lavishly funded the USA-friendly candidate who now won the election. Whether or not he will pay-back the billions of dollars that he owes the United States is up in the air.

    My assumptive guess is that he will.

    Though, to what extent is unknown.

    My other guess is that some very contentious events will take place on the Korean pennsula in the next two years. Perhaps diplomatic. Perhaps economic. Perhaps trade. Perhaps posturing. Perhaps social. Perhaps military. But there will be some changing of various alignments on the Geo-Political sphere.

    It all depends on the power of the personality of the new leadership.

    If he is weak, it will be like Morrison in Australia, or like Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy of the Ukraine. He will end up becoming fantastically wealthy (Zelenskkyy became a multi-billionaire in a few years), but at the cost of the economic strength of his nation. As what has happened to Australia.

    If he is strong, he might be like Ou Ratana of Cambodia. He would forge new alliances, strengthen existing ones, and bridge the various differences in opinion that seem to be at everyones’ throat.

    Weak nations paint huge “bullseyes” on their country. Whether Korea is one such nation, we have yet to see.

    A major USA military presence in Australia.

    Victory 3

    The Morrison administartion is solidly pro-neocon. Yes. You read that correct. Not pro-America. He’s pro-neocon.

    Any moment now, Australians are going to line up for their spicy “Kool-Aide”. And start wearing shiny new sneakers to reach Heaven via Comet Nirvana.

    Neocons believe in the Rapture. I mean, they really, REALLY believe.

    In other words, destroy the world to make it better. God will protect the worthy and “smite” the evil.

    Its sort of like burning your house to the ground to protect it from fire.

    Morrison allowed his trade with China to collapse, and the economy of Australia to take a complete nose-dive all for the betterment of the United States. He broke long-term trade deals with France and other nations in favor of having American nuclear sub basing, and American nuclear weapon basing inside of Australia.

    It’s America-first.

    As long as he gets his reserved ticket to Heaven, he doesn’t give a flying fuck about Australians. In his mind, he has them “covered”.

    Covered in shit, that is.

    It’s Australians last; back of the bus. Last in line. With their own water drinking fountains, and their own isolated schools.

    He’s such a crazed fanatic, that Mike Pompeo looks like a moderate.

    He [1] openly calls China an enemy, and [2] is busy setting up Australia on a war-footing for a major war in the Pacific. This includes [3] servicing and supplying American and British nuclear vessels, and [4] placing nuclear weapons and support structures on Australian soil. All the time, [5] breaking trade with China, [6] and engaging in racist actions against Chinese.

    It’s hard to imagine a more bellicose and dangerous posture. But that’s the way it is. Australia and it’s people will all now gladly die for Washington DC, and America.

    Of course, Morrison will fondle his jewels, and swim with his champaigne and caviar in his plush mansions. Now well funded by the United States printing presses.

    Japan forming a status quo fence.

    Victory 4

    The greatest fear that the United States has is a two-front war; where the United States must fight both Russia and China simultaneously. The overall plan seems to be clear enough. Attack Russia, and then China, one by one. Not simultaneously.

    So the plan is to prevent a two front assault. Dealing with Russia alone is already taxing the United States in many ways. Tack on the fiasco that China would crate, and it must be avoided at all costs.

    One week after the invasion of the Ukraine by Russia, the QUAD held a video meeting and discussed what to do to “contain China”. For after all, that is the purpose of the QUAD after all.

    Now Japan wants to host American nuclear missiles and bombs.

    Anyways… Here’s the QUAD “fence” going up…

    Quad leaders oppose unilateral use of force in Indo-Pacific region

    From HERE.

    KYODO NEWS – Mar 4, 2022

    Leaders from Japan, the United States, Australia and India agreed [1] during their virtual meeting Thursday that they oppose any unilateral use of force to change the status quo in their region.

    This was reported by the Japanese government.

    This meeting took place, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine brings renewed concerns over China’s assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific.

    The four major Indo-Pacific democracies (the QUAD) also agreed [2] to launch a new humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mechanism. This mechanism will “provide a channel for communication” as they each address and respond to the crisis in Ukraine.

    In Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he agreed [3] with his counterparts (QUAD members;  Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Joe Biden) to hold an in-person summit in the Japanese capital “in a few months.”

    "We agreed that we should not allow any unilateral change to the status quo by force in the Indo-Pacific region like the latest case (in Ukraine) and we need to step up efforts to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific in times like this," 

    -he told reporters at his office.

    The four countries of the Quad group have been deepening their ties and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, where China is boosting its military and economic clout. Japan is planning to host a Quad summit in the first half of this year.

    Among the Quad members, India’s lack of response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has been in focus, given its traditionally close ties with Moscow. India abstained from voting on a nonbinding resolution at the U.N. General Assembly condemning the invasion by Russia and demanding its troops withdraw immediately from Ukraine.

    The joint statement did not explicitly criticize Russia for the invasion, over which Moscow has faced sharp condemnation and economic sanctions from countries including the United States, Japan and Australia.

    "The Quad leaders discussed the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and assessed its broader implications,"

    But in their commitment to a “free and open Indo-Pacific,” they emphasized it means that “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states is respected” and “countries are free from military, economic, and political coercion.”

    Before the Quad meeting, Kishida said the Indo-Pacific region, especially East Asia, should not allow any unilateral attempt to alter the status quo by force.

    Chinese ships have been repeatedly spotted in waters near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, a group of uninhabited islets controlled by Japan and claimed by China. China-Taiwan tensions remain high as Beijing considers the island as a renegade province to be reunified with the mainland by force if necessary.

    Keep in mind that Taiwan is not a nation. It is a territory of China. So, the “out” in this posture is whether or not the QUAD wants to get involved in a Chiense civil war.

    Because if they do, China will nuke the living shit out of them.

    Complete control of the narrative.

    Victory 5

    It’s not even bothering commenting on. It’s all hate-Russia-24-7. It’s everywhere, and there are ZERO alternative voices. If you try to say anything positive about Russia, you are unplugged.

    Zelensky visits injured troops in hospital, gives out medals...
    Sets virtual address to Congress...
    Bipartisan calls ramp up on Biden to give Ukraine jets, weapons...
    American view of Vlad: Angry, frustrated, likely to escalate war...
    First NATO country calls for 'no-fly zone'...
    Videos of Bayraktar drones blowing up armor cement heroic status...
    Moscow Warns Western Companies of Arrests, Asset Seizures...
    NATO nonalignment creates risk for Finland, Sweden...
    UN Warns: Nuclear War 'Within Realm of Possibility'...
    Persian Gulf monarchies hedging their bets...
    US holds 'intense' 7-hour talks with China...
    'Deep concerns' on 'alignment'...
    India looks to bail out Putin...
    Russians cross Mexico border to seek US asylum...
    Fears British ex-special forces troops killed...
    FOX's Hall injured, hospitalized near Kyiv...

    I’ll leave that at that.

    The United States has authored this situation and it is in place

    And it appears that yet again, the United States will emerge victorious. It certainly is victorious right now. Everything is falling into place.

    • Europe is now economically dependent upon the USA.
    • The BRI connecting China to Europe has been interrupted.
    • Russia is economically isolated from the West.
    • A strong QUAD “fence” is in place and will be used to “contain” China.

    Some side effects

    Now, there are some side-effects of all of this.

    Whether or not these elements are part of a grander scheme or plan is unknown. What is known is that these elements will influence the United States, and it’s allies in both Europe and in the QUAD.

    These elements are…

    • Rampaging inflation for all nations that trade using the USD.
    • Resulting in massive price increases in all things imported.
    • A villianized Russia.
    • Seizure of all Russan assets; money, accounts, boats, and businesses.
    • A partitioning / slicing up of the globe to one side or the other.

    Now; a view from the other side

    But what we do know, for those of us paying attention, that both Russia and China view these turn of events as expected. None of the events that are transpiring are a surprise.

    As such I suppose …

    • Inflation of the USD is welcomed.
    • This inflation will further weaken the USD and the US economy.
    • SWIFT is being displaced by CIPS.
    • CIPS is backed by gold, resources, and manufacturing capability.
    • SWIFT is backed by American debt. Now at $30 trillion dollars.

    The key for a united Asia is to allow the USA (and it’s serrogates) to collapse internally without nuclear war.

    To do this, they are holding a (figurative) nuclear shotgun to the head of the United States and telling it to “mind it’s manners”. One twitch, one wrong move, and it’s “adios muchachos“.

    To this end, they have maintained a very lethal stance against the West, threatening complete and absolute destruction.

    It used to be that just having a few nuclear weaons was enough. But no. The American “leadership” are so stupid and ignorant that they had to be told directly; We have nuclear weapons and we WILL use them. Stop violating our “red lines”.

    This in turn, is forcing the West to resort to [1] bioweapons and other systems, namely [2] economic, to wage war. Things that are not so obvious to a horrifically dumbed down nation.

    Bioweapon warfare

    In the grand scheme this methodology is (apparently) failing.

    • The 8 bioweapons against Chinese livestock did not create famine.
    • The three bioweapons against China did very little damage to China. Instead it made it very resilient against bioweapons.
    • Now the R&D; Biolabs and biowarfare are both in the open. Russia and China are making an issue of it.
    • The need for mRNA injections is collapsing. Which leaves America and the West particuliarly open to a bioweapon attack.
      • The population will simply ignore the warnings from the US government for isolation and masking. Thinking it’s more of the same nonsense.
      • The public will ignore all bioweapons protection measures.

    So what’s left?

    Economic Warfare

    Economic warfare. But, contrary to the “news” reports…

    • Russia is not collapsing.
    • China is not collapsing.
    • But the USA and the West are starting to.

    At this stage, anything can happen.

    Anything can happen

    The USA might still have some “tricks up its sleeve”, but from my point of view, it’s truly a dying empire; rotten to the core, and weakly and meakly thrashing about dangerously, while young, fresh and talented Kungfu masters watch on in alert readiness.

    But all that is only my speculation.

    American neocons see the world differently than I do…

    The score card, that we visibly see, is 5-0 with the United States taking the lead in all victories and in all arenas.

    But you know. I don’t count battles on a score card. I don’t say “yay! My guys sunk this ship. Boo! They did this!”. I look at the big picture.

    And you should too.

    I look at the basic strengths of society. A strong society, one that has a unified and intelligent population that is making things, and performing meaningful industry is going to overtake a weaker one who counts beads, argues with each other over trivalities, and who points blame at others instead of rolling up its sleeve and making changes to things that are not working.

    2022 03 15 10 34
    2022 03 15 10 34

    In the table above, I greatly simplified a number of points. Now, before you howl in anger, consider what I am trying to convey.

    Yes. The USA does export. It exports expensive military equipment, and some wheat. It says it exports a lot of grains, but when you look at the actual numbers you find the exports are not comparatively large. The vast bulk of the monetary value of exports is military and aviation. These are trivial. Without a war, and with trade embargoes, there are no markets. While Asia exports everything.

    Yes. The USA has farms. However, they are mostly corporate, big business entities that dependent upon imported fertilizer, and a working power grid to operate. Remove those two things, and you end up with a dust bowl. Not so in Russia and China. They have thousands of small, versitle, and adaptable farms.

    Yes. The USA has industry. But it’s industry, not manufacturing. An office building staffed with accountants, logistics and warehouses, marketing people, diversity officers, HR, and lawyers do not make things. You need manufacturing facilities. Not just warehouses.

    Yes. The USA has a military. It has over 800+ bases all over the world and very advanced high-tech equipment. But sitting in a office building pushing buttons on drones, and using a military that are unable to do more than five push ups is not a military force to be afraid of. It is something that looks good on paper, but not what you want to defend your life with.

    So over all, in a big picture, Asia (in a one-to-one) head-to-head conflict will overtake the collective West.

    As in this quote from my e-mail…

    All we need to do is to rid our head of the USD-based capitalist miasma, USD-based dividends included. 
    
    Why does anyone need the USD showing a fake USD-based GDP to demonstrate that they have a good economy? 
    
    Why would Russia collapse with the closing of McDonalds, Starbucks, and the casino-stock market? 
    
    Russia has the world's largest land mass. 
    
    It has abundant clean water and agricultural land. 
    
    It has only one-tenth of China's population. No one will ever starve or lack water in Russia. 
    
    But even better is that they have huge stores of energy and minerals in the ground. They will never lack anything that is necessary for the advancement of their society. 
    
    More importantly, they also have the brains to develop technology and they have a strong army to defend themselves against anyone, including worthy foes such as Napoleon and Hitler, who were almost invincible before they attacked Russia. 
    
    Should Putin be afraid of sleepy Biden, dopey Bojo, dogfaced Stoltenberg, maleficent Ursula, and funny Zelensky? 
    
    I rest my case. 
    
    In geopolitics, you do not own anything that you cannot defend. The rest is bullshit and balderdash. Even cavemen knew that. 
    
    In economics, Russia and China have a perfect fit. 
    
    China has too many people for not enough agricultural land and clean water. It does not have enough energy or minerals in the ground.
    
    Russia gives China what it needs, and China will make whatever Russia needs. Everyone will live happy fruitful lives in peace and harmony without the need to ever see a single dollar. 
    
    America wants to whip the G7 to sanction China, what a delusional dying empire! 

    The destruction comes in many forms…

    “In two weeks, China, Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan will reveal an independent international monetary and financial system. It will be based on a new international currency, calculated from an index of national currencies of the participating countries and international commodity prices” 
    
    -Sputnik News, Mar. 14, 2022.

    Along with the new currency, Russia and China will also reveal their Unfriendly Nation Lists.

    So I stand by my belief that theres more things down the pipe. Never forget about who you are all dealing with…

    Illustrations depicting society life by Stephan Schmitz 55 New Pics 60f1374e7f90e 700
    America vs China.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 3

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
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    Howard Pyle’s illustrations of Blood-Thirsty Buccaneers and Cut-Throat Marauders

    When I was a boy, my father bought me this used hard-cover book.

    I was in the bedroom, playing around. He came home from work, and handed me the book. Stuck around a while, and then back downstairs. I way a young boy. Maybe eleven years old.

    I loved the illustrations in it. They were well done, beautiful, really. I treasured that book. And I kept it with me for years and years until I was “retired”, and my belongings sold by my “friends” and “family” for what ever profit they could derive from our relationship.

    2022 03 11 10 25 1
    Howard Pyle’s Book of Pirates.

    Later, as I got older, I realized what I once had. Sigh.

    It’s called life.

    Today, we will visit the beautiful illustrations of pirates and buccaneers that so colored my childhood with adventure, treasure and high piracy on the seven seas.

    Pyle created images which made the public buy a magazine or a book for its cover alone.

    Vincent Van Gogh admitted to his brother Theo, he was struck “dumb with admiration” when he saw Howard Pyle’s illustrations in a magazine. Pyle (1853-1911) was the top American illustrator circa 1880-1910. His work made top moolah pulling in five times the going rate or $75 for a double-page spread in Harper’s Bizarre, 1878.

    010 HOWARD PYLE DEAD PIRATE
    010 HOWARD PYLE DEAD PIRATE

    Pyle created images which made the public buy a magazine or a book for its cover alone. In modern parlance: his work was cinematic, powerful, and dramatic. If he’d been born a few decades later, Pyle may have been a film director. He used strange angles to look down on battle scenes or cast figures centre frame while mayhem occurred all around. He sketched deserted figures in a landscape which explained the whole narrative in a single frame.

    When I, as a boy of perhaps 11 or 12 was given the Book of Pirates by my father, I was enthralled.

    The book was a collection of popular pirate stories, which mostly centered around brave non-pirates who crossed paths with an infamous pirate and yet who lived to tell the tale.

    Sure, they were very romanticized stories focusing on the more adventurous side of piracy than the true aspect of it (though the sacking and slaughter of entire towns is mentioned, just not in gory detail). But for me, as a young boy, I found it all to be an enjoyable, quick read.

    09 HOWARD PYLE CITIZENS GIVE TRIBUTE
    09 HOWARD PYLE CITIZENS GIVE TRIBUTE

    Pyle was born in Wilmington, Delaware. His parents early recognised his prodigious talent for drawing and painting. They encouraged him to focus on developing this talent. He was lucky he got sent to a private school which fostered his genius.

    08 HOWARD PYLE KIDD WATCHES PIRATES BURY TREASURE
    08 HOWARD PYLE KIDD WATCHES PIRATES BURY TREASURE

    When he first moved to New York to become a magazine illustrator, he had no idea how to sell himself. He needn’t have worried.

    One glance by the editor of Pyle’s artistry pulled in commissions.

    He was soon illustrating books like the The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood which created the imagery we are all familiar with today. Or books about knights in shining armour like Men of Iron and Otto of the Silver Hand.

    Publishers would hire Pyle knowing no matter how trashy the novel, Pyle’s artwork would make it a hit.

    07 HOWARD PYLE PIRATES FIGHT CAPTAIN
    07 HOWARD PYLE PIRATES FIGHT CAPTAIN

    In the 1890s, Pyle, by then married with seven kids, was asked to teach drawing at university.

    This led him to set up the Howard Pyle School of Illustration Art in 1900. His school launched a whole new generation of artists who shaped the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s.

    As a young boy, when I read the book, what really stood out were the absolutely stunning and beautiful illustrations throughout the book. Looking at them, you could smell the rum, fish and cannon powder and hear the ocean and gun shots.

    06 HOWARD PYLE PIRATES LONGBOAT NIGHT
    06 HOWARD PYLE PIRATES LONGBOAT NIGHT

    Pyle’s imagination created a universal template for pirates.

    05 HOWARD PYLE BURIED TREASURE
    05 HOWARD PYLE BURIED TREASURE

    Every book, magazine, and Hollywood film used Pyle’s illustrations of pirates to dress Errol Flynn as Captain Blood or Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow.

    04 HOWARD PYLE SHOT IN THE HEAD
    04 HOWARD PYLE SHOT IN THE HEAD

    What is not well know, however, is that once he mastered his work, he turned to teaching others in his technique.

    Howard Pyle was an instructor at the Drexel Institute of Art, Science and Industry (now Drexel University) from 1894-1900, and in that time, he taught a generation of celebrated illustrators including, Maxfield Parrish, Jessie Wilcox Smith, Elizabeth Shippen Green, Frank E. Schoonover, and Violet Oakley.

    03 HOWARD PYLE WALK THE PLANK
    03 HOWARD PYLE WALK THE PLANK

    More than 20 oil paintings will hang in the Paul Peck Gallery, including Howard Pyle’s “Here, Andre! A Spy! (1897)” on display with a variety of works on paper, as well as accompanying artifacts.

    A majority of the exhibit will be presented in the Paul Peck Alumni Center, which is a historic Frank Furness designed building itself.

    Some of the featured original paintings and drawings decorated American homes during their time period — also gracing the covers of publications such as Ladies’ Home Journal and The Saturday Evening Post.

    02 HOWARD PYLE PIRATES AN ATTACK
    02 HOWARD PYLE PIRATES AN ATTACK

    “A.J. Drexel founded the Drexel Institute in 1891, and when he died, he made it clear that his vision should be accessible to men and women from all backgrounds, which was unique for a college of that time period,” said Paula Marantz Cohen, Pennoni Honors College dean.

    “Pyle’s time at Drexel undoubtedly shaped the field of American Illustration. He was an early parallel advocate of Drexel’s philosophy of  ‘learning by doing’ encouraging his students to go out into the world to study their subject matter, an approach reflected in Drexel’s present-day Co-op program.

    01 HOWARD PYLE CAPT KIDD
    01 HOWARD PYLE CAPT KIDD

    Not long after Drexel’s founding, Philadelphia’s publishing industry took off — greatly influencing Pyle’s artistic philosophy.

    Pyle honored Drexel’s mission of experiential, democratic learning. His influences greatly contributed to illustrative painting and drawing becoming one of the truest forms of applied art.

    He taught his students to be practical and commercially focused by observing reality first-hand.

    020 HOWARD PYLE DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES 1280x900 1
    020 HOWARD PYLE DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES 1280×900 1

    “Today everyone knows the name Norman Rockwell but few people know the name Howard Pyle, let alone his art or his impact on generations of artists and American illustration,” says Judy Goffman Cutler, co-founder of the National Museum of American Illustration.

    019 HOWARD PYLE HE STRUCK HIM
    019 HOWARD PYLE HE STRUCK HIM

    After his death from Bright’s disease in 1911, a giant compilation of Pyle’s illustrations of swashbuckling buccaneers was published under the title Howard Pyle’s Book of Pirates.

    It became a go-to-book for Hollywood costumiers and pulp fiction illustrators when conjuring up those daring pirates of the seven seas.

    018 HOWARD PYLE PIRATES FIGHT
    018 HOWARD PYLE PIRATES FIGHT

    The book that I dedicate this entire article towards is a formula for (almost) every piece of swashbuckling fiction, namely scarred pirate captains, roguish and witty surogates, forced romance and the triumph of the just and lawful citizen whose virtue is rewarded with oh-so-fairly-gained and definitely-not-tainted-by-piracy wealth.

    It’s perfect fodder for the young boy in all of us, and yes, you girls too.

    018 HOWARD PYLE BUCCANEER
    018 HOWARD PYLE BUCCANEER

    Many pirates were women. And I hear that many of them were absolutely ruthless.

    017 HOWARD PYLE DROWNED SAILOR
    017 HOWARD PYLE DROWNED SAILOR

    I lament that I lost the book to someone who found more pleasure in getting the fifty cents from a used book store from it, than any real value. To others, I suppose it’s just an item to profit from. Not one that held value. For me, the greatest pleasures of this book are the occasional descriptions that place you on a ship or an island, where you can briefly feel yourself bobbing over the swells or smell the brine.

    016 HOWARD PYLE PIRATES KILL EACH OTHER
    016 HOWARD PYLE PIRATES KILL EACH OTHER

    The illustrations in the book are phenomenal, and it reads like you are at the bar or a pub during a rainy day and your friend is recounting a story his grandfather once told him.

    015 HOWARD PYLE PIRATES IN JAIL
    015 HOWARD PYLE PIRATES IN JAIL

    Here’s an excerpt from the book…

    Then the pirates marched into the town, and what followed may be conceived. It was a holocaust of lust, of passion, and of blood such as even the Spanish West Indies had never seen before. Houses and churches were sacked until nothing was left but the bare walls; men and women were tortured to compel them to disclose where more treasure lay hidden.
    
    Then, having wrenched all that they could from Maracaibo, they entered the lake and descended upon Gibraltar, where the rest of the panic-stricken inhabitants were huddled together in a blind terror.

    014 HOWARD PYLE THE TREASURE WAS DIVIDED 1280x871 1
    014 HOWARD PYLE THE TREASURE WAS DIVIDED 1280×871 1

    I will admit that the writing style is old and not easy for all of us used to contemporaneous feeds.

    After him came one Mansvelt, a buccaneer of lesser note, who first made a descent upon the isle of Saint Catharine, now Old Providence, which he took, and, with this as a base, made an unsuccessful descent upon Neuva Granada and Cartagena. His name might not have been handed down to us along with others of greater fame had he not been the master of that most apt of pupils, the great Captain Henry Morgan, most famous of all the buccaneers, one time governor of Jamaica, and knighted by King Charles II.

    013 HOWARD PYLE CUT AND SLASHED
    013 HOWARD PYLE CUT AND SLASHED

    But for a young boy of eleven the stories were rich and ripe of adventure…

    The attack of the castle and the defense of it were equally fierce, bloody, and desperate. Again and again the buccaneers assaulted, and again and again they were beaten back. So the morning came, and it seemed as though the pirates had been baffled this time. But just at this juncture the thatch of palm leaves on the roofs of some of the buildings inside the fortifications took fire, a conflagration followed, which caused the explosion of one of the magazines, and in the paralysis of terror that followed, the pirates forced their way into the fortifications, and the castle was won. Most of the Spaniards flung themselves from the castle walls into the river or upon the rocks beneath, preferring death to capture and possible torture; many who were left were put to the sword, and some few were spared and held as prisoners.

    012 HOWARD PYLE BULLETS HUM FLY
    012 HOWARD PYLE BULLETS HUM FLY

    With the text and the illustrations, as well as the swash-buckling battles, it was a great escapist adventure for me to live out my boyhood dreams.

    011 HOWARD PYLE LED TO THE CAPT
    011 HOWARD PYLE LED TO THE CAPT

    As for the bulls, as many of them as were shot served as food there and then for the half-famished pirates, for the buccaneers were never more at home than in the slaughter of cattle.
    
    Then they marched toward the city. Three hours' more fighting and they were in the streets, howling, yelling, plundering, gorging, dram-drinking, and giving full vent to all the vile and nameless lusts that burned in their hearts like a hell of fire. And now followed the usual sequence of events—rapine, cruelty, and extortion; only this time there was no town to ransom, for Morgan had given orders that it should be destroyed. The torch was set to it, and Panama, one of the greatest cities in the New World, was swept from the face of the earth. Why the deed was done, no man but Morgan could tell. Perhaps it was that all the secret hiding places for treasure might be brought to light; but whatever the reason was, it lay hidden in the breast of the great buccaneer himself. For three weeks Morgan and his men abode in this dreadful place; and they marched away with one hundred and seventy-five beasts of burden loaded with treasures of gold and silver and jewels, besides great quantities of merchandise, and six hundred prisoners held for ransom.
    
    Whatever became of all that vast wealth, and what it amounted to, no man but Morgan ever knew, for when a division was made it was found that there was only two hundred pieces of eight to each man.

    2022 03 07 210 20
    2022 03 07 210 20

    The rest of them sailed away to the East Indies, to try their fortunes in those waters, for our Captain Avary was of a high spirit, and had no mind to fritter away his time in the West Indies, squeezed dry by buccaneer Morgan and others of lesser note. No, he would make a bold stroke for it at once, and make or lose at a single cast.
    
    On his way he picked up a couple of like kind with himself—two sloops off Madagascar. With these he sailed away to the coast of India, and for a time his name was lost in the obscurity of uncertain history. But only for a time, for suddenly it flamed out in a blaze of glory. It was reported that a vessel belonging to the Great Mogul, laden with treasure and bearing the monarch's own daughter upon a holy pilgrimage to Mecca (they being Mohammedans), had fallen in with the pirates, and after a short resistance had been surrendered, with the damsel, her court, and all the diamonds, pearls, silk, silver, and gold aboard. It was rumored that the Great Mogul, raging at the insult offered to him through his own flesh and blood, had threatened to wipe out of existence the few English settlements scattered along the coast; whereat the honorable East India Company was in a pretty state of fuss and feathers. Rumor, growing with the telling, has it that Avary is going to marry the Indian princess, willy-nilly, and will turn rajah, and eschew piracy as indecent. As for the treasure itself, there was no end to the extent to which it grew as it passed from mouth to mouth.

    2022 03 07 20 2220
    2022 03 07 20 2220

    And now Blackbeard, following the plan adopted by so many others of his kind, began to cudgel his brains for means to cheat his fellows out of their share of the booty.
    
    At Topsail Inlet he ran his own vessel aground, as though by accident. Hands, the captain of one of the consorts, pretending to come to his assistance, also grounded his sloop. Nothing now remained but for those who were able to get away in the other craft, which was all that was now left of the little fleet. This did Blackbeard with some forty of his favorites. The rest of the pirates were left on the sand spit to await the return of their companions—which never happened.
    
    As for Blackbeard and those who were with him, they were that much richer, for there were so many the fewer pockets to fill. But even yet there were too many to share the booty, in Blackbeard's opinion, and so he marooned a parcel more of them—some eighteen or twenty—upon a naked sand bank, from which they were afterward mercifully rescued by another freebooter who chanced that way—a certain Major Stede Bonnet, of whom more will presently be said. About that time a royal proclamation had been issued offering pardon to all pirates in arms who would surrender to the king's authority before a given date. So up goes Master Blackbeard to the Governor of North Carolina and makes his neck safe by surrendering to the proclamation—albeit he kept tight clutch upon what he had already gained.

    2022 03 07 20 2s0
    2022 03 07 20 2s0

    It was a glorious thing for our captain, for here were thirteen Yankee crafts at one and the same time. So he took what he wanted, and then sailed away, and it was many a day before Marblehead forgot that visit.
    
    Some time after this he and his consort fell foul of an English sloop of war, the Greyhound, whereby they were so roughly handled that Low was glad enough to slip away, leaving his consort and her crew behind him, as a sop to the powers of law and order. And lucky for them if no worse fate awaited them than to walk the dreadful plank with a bandage around the blinded eyes and a rope around the elbows. So the consort was taken, and the crew tried and hanged in chains, and Low sailed off in as pretty a bit of rage as ever a pirate fell into.
    
    The end of this worthy is lost in the fogs of the past: some say that he died of a yellow fever down in New Orleans; it was not at the end of a hempen cord, more's the pity.

    2022 03 07 20 20
    2022 03 07 20 20

    The cheat was kept up until the fruit of mischief was ripe for the picking; then, when the governor and the guards of the castle were lulled into entire security, and when Davis's band was scattered about wherever each man could do the most good, it was out pistol, up cutlass, and death if a finger moved. They tied the soldiers back to back, and the governor to his own armchair, and then rifled wherever it pleased them. After that they sailed away, and though they had not made the fortune they had hoped to glean, it was a good snug round sum that they shared among them.
    
    Their courage growing high with success, they determined to attempt the island of Del Principe—a prosperous Portuguese settlement on the coast. The plan for taking the place was cleverly laid, and would have succeeded, only that a Portuguese negro among the pirate crew turned traitor and carried the news ashore to the governor of the fort. Accordingly, the next day, when Captain Davis came ashore, he found there a good strong guard drawn up as though to honor his coming. But after he and those with him were fairly out of their boat, and well away from the water side, there was a sudden rattle of musketry, a cloud of smoke, and a dull groan or two. Only one man ran out from under that pungent cloud, jumped into the boat, and rowed away; and when it lifted, there lay Captain Davis and his companions all of a heap, like a pile of old clothes.
    
    Capt. Bartholomew Roberts was the particular and especial pupil of Davis, and when that worthy met his death so suddenly and so unexpectedly in the unfortunate manner above narrated, he was chosen unanimously as the captain of the fleet, and he was a worthy pupil of a worthy master. Many were the poor fluttering merchant ducks that this sea hawk swooped upon and struck; and cleanly and cleverly were they plucked before his savage clutch loosened its hold upon them.

    Marooned
    Marooned

    Not a word was spoken after they had thus left the shore, and presently they might all have been ghosts, for the silence of the party. Barnaby True was too full of his own thoughts to talk—and serious enough thoughts they were by this time, with crimps to trepan a man at every turn, and press gangs to carry a man off so that he might never be heard of again. As for the others, they did not seem to choose to say anything now that they had him fairly embarked upon their enterprise.
    
    And so the crew pulled on in perfect silence for the best part of an hour, the leader of the expedition directing the course of the boat straight across the harbor, as though toward the mouth of the Rio Cobra River. Indeed, this was their destination, as Barnaby could after a while see, by the low point of land with a great long row of coconut palms upon it (the appearance of which he knew very well), which by and by began to loom up out of the milky dimness of the moonlight. As they approached the river they found the tide was running strong out of it, so that some distance away from the stream it gurgled and rippled alongside the boat as the crew of black men pulled strongly against it. Thus they came up under what was either a point of land or an islet covered with a thick growth of mangrove trees. But still no one spoke a single word as to their destination, or what was the business they had in hand.
    
    The night, now that they were close to the shore, was loud with the noise of running tide-water, and the air was heavy with the smell of mud and marsh, and over all the whiteness of the moonlight, with a few stars pricking out here and there in the sky; and all so strange and silent and mysterious that Barnaby could not divest himself of the feeling that it was all a dream.
    
    So, the rowers bending to the oars, the boat came slowly around from under the clump of mangrove bushes and out into the open water again.

    2022 03 07 20 19
    2022 03 07 20 19

    There he lay for I know not how long, staring into the darkness, until by and by, in spite of his suffering and his despair, he dozed off into a loose sleep, that was more like waking than sleep, being possessed continually by the most vivid and distasteful dreams, from which he would awaken only to doze off and to dream again.
    
    It was from the midst of one of these extravagant dreams that he was suddenly aroused by the noise of a pistol shot, and then the noise of another and another, and then a great bump and a grinding jar, and then the sound of many footsteps running across the deck and down into the great cabin. Then came a tremendous uproar of voices in the great cabin, the struggling as of men's bodies being tossed about, striking violently against the partitions and bulkheads. At the same instant arose a screaming of women's voices, and one voice, and that Sir John Malyoe's, crying out as in the greatest extremity: "You villains! You damned villains!" and with the sudden detonation of a pistol fired into the close space of the great cabin.
    
    Barnaby was out in the middle of his cabin in a moment, and taking only time enough to snatch down one of the pistols that hung at the head of his berth, flung out into the great cabin, to find it as black as night, the lantern slung there having been either blown out or dashed out into darkness. The prodigiously dark space was full of uproar, the hubbub and confusion pierced through and through by that keen sound of women's voices screaming, one in the cabin and the other in the stateroom beyond. Almost immediately Barnaby pitched headlong over two or three struggling men scuffling together upon the deck, falling with a great clatter and the loss of his pistol, which, however, he regained almost immediately.
    
    What all the uproar meant he could not tell, but he presently heard Captain Manly's voice from somewhere suddenly calling out, "You bloody pirate, would you choke me to death?" wherewith some notion of what had happened came to him like a flash, and that they had been attacked in the night by pirates.

    2022 03 07 20 18
    2022 03 07 20 18

    The vessel in which they sailed was a brigantine of good size and build, but manned by a considerable crew, the most strange and outlandish in their appearance that Barnaby had ever beheld—some white, some yellow, some black, and all tricked out with gay colors, and gold earrings in their ears, and some with great long mustachios, and others with handkerchiefs tied around their heads, and all talking a language together of which Barnaby True could understand not a single word, but which might have been Portuguese from one or two phrases he caught. Nor did this strange, mysterious crew, of God knows what sort of men, seem to pay any attention whatever to Barnaby or to the young lady. They might now and then have looked at him and her out of the corners of their yellow eyes, but that was all; otherwise they were indeed like the creatures of a nightmare dream. Only he who was the captain of this outlandish crew would maybe speak to Barnaby a few words as to the weather or what not when he would come down into the saloon to mix a glass of grog or to light a pipe of tobacco, and then to go on deck again about his business. Otherwise our hero and the young lady were left to themselves, to do as they pleased, with no one to interfere with them.
    
    As for her, she at no time showed any great sign of terror or of fear, only for a little while was singularly numb and quiet, as though dazed with what had happened to her. Indeed, methinks that wild beast, her grandfather, had so crushed her spirit by his tyranny and his violence that nothing that happened to her might seem sharp and keen, as it does to others of an ordinary sort.

    2022 03 07 20 16
    2022 03 07 20 16

    Do you want to read the book for free?

    Well you can.

    Complete with illustrations. Just simply click on the button here…

    Book of Pirates

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    Geo-Political Sitrep March 2022

    I just checked my American news sites.  It’s still full of the nonsense that the American government wants you to believe. Some people have commented that the outrageous shrilling is an indication of failure. Maybe so.

    When the amount of money used to control the narrative exceeds that in putting a man on the moon, then any reasonable person can well conclude that “something is amiss”.

    Here, in this article, I will present a few vetted news items.

    Not the Rah-Rah-Rah America is great nonsense. Nor, the Ha-Ha-Ha Putin is failing and it’s karma payback time. Nope.

    Instead, it’s a serious look at a serious subject, organized in a serious way to make a point. And the last article might be an indicator of something quite deadly serious.

    Enjoy…

    What is the death of a few journalists compared to democracy?

    The credability of the Western “journalsim” already dying, has recieved a death blow with the Ukraine invasion.

    This blogger (James Fetzer) went over the “proof” that Russia is being defeated by the brave Ukranians, and that Russia is killing innocents.

    He took the videos and the pictures and did a reverse image search and came up with where the pictures ACTUALLY came from. Interesting. Mind blowing, if I didn’t already know this.

    .

    Other nations are saying “Let’s stop using the USD”

    De-dollarization has become a trend between nations bullied by the United States. Other nations are saying “forget about the USD let’s trade using something else”. It’s a prudent move. Now is the time to start doing so.
    .

    China supports Russia!

    A sudden hot buying of Russian products in China has resulted in empty shelves, and an urgent market for all things Russian. In fact, President Putin is looked upon as a major hero standing up against the insanity that is the West today. My feeds are full of pro-Russian videos, and many, many douxing videos are depicting President Putin as a real leader making hard decisions.

    But, you know that the United States does not like this relationship one bit.

    China’s Largest Chipmaker Will Be ‘Shut Down’ If It Sells To Russia Says U.S. Official

    Threats from the US to China Sound more and more Hollow! Since when does some trivial “US official” tell China what to do? I tell youse guys, these people don’t know their place.
    .

    Don’t Fuck with Russia

    This video says it all.

    2022 03 13 07 56
    2022 03 13 07 56

    China refusing to supply Russian plane parts?

    Big lie.
    .
    Reuters has spread a rumor that China refused to supply Russia plane parts.
    .
    China responded to it. China’s banking and insurance regulator said on Wednesday (9MAR22) that the country opposes and will not join financial sanctions against Russia.
    .
    Below is the formal and exact China open policy:
    .
    "China's position has been stated clearly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Our international policies are consistent," 
    
    -Guo Shuqing, chairman of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, according to a CNBC translation.
    Guo, who is also Chinese Communist Party secretary of the People’s Bank of China, added that he hopes all sides will maintain normal economic exchanges and that the sanctions have had no apparent impact on China so far.
    .

    China to double yuan’s trading band with ruble to 10% in first-of-its-kind move – Global Times

    The China Foreign Exchange Trade System (CFETS) announced on Thursday the decision to double the Chinese yuan’s trading band with the Russian ruble in the inter-bank foreign exchange market in the latest economic measure to respond to the development of market’s needs.
    .
    So much for economically isolating Russia.
    .
    Starting Friday, the rise or fall of the Chinese yuan’s daily spot trading price against Russia’s ruble in the interbank forex market will be capped at 10 percent, doubling the current band, according to the statement by CFETS on Thursday.
    .
    The wider trading band could help prevent currency arbitrage in the wake of the ruble’s recent plunge and facilitate trade settlements, analysts said.
    .
    The revision is a first-of-its-kind move that widens the yuan’s trading band with a foreign currency to 10 percent, China Business Network (CBN) reported on Thursday.
    .
    Currently, the yuan’s daily rise or fall against the US dollar is capped at 2 percent while its fluctuation against other currencies are subject to 5 percent in either direction.
    .
    Guan Tao, chief global economist at BOC International (China) Co mentioned in CBN’s report that the conversion of the yuan into rubles falls under an exchange rate, while trading on rubles against the dollar is done with another rate, resulting in the yuan-ruble cross rate based on the previous quotes.
    .
    With the ruble’s value currently subject to wild swings against the dollar, if the yuan’s trading band with the ruble cannot be widened, the ruble-dollar fluctuations might not be offset sufficiently, Guan explained, speaking of the necessity of the move.
    .
    This came in tandem with the announcement on Wednesday by Russia’s VTB Bank that it will launch yuan savings services, with an annual interest rate of up to 8 percent, with durations ranging from three to six months, Bloomberg reported. This measure came as a way to counter strict sanctions from the US and its allies, which seek to isolate Russia from the US dollar dominated interbank communication system SWIFT, according to media reports….. Read more
    .

    Russia and China, are not alone.

    Russia’s defense minister reports that there are 16,000 volunteers in the Middle East who are ready to come to fight in the Ukraine. They will join with Russian-backed forces in the separatist-controlled Donetsk and Luhansk areas of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.

    Uh Oh! What have we done?

    The stupid European Union, and their most corrupt and obviously incompetent politicians, only just now realized the harsh economic reality of their actions. By allowing the United States to provoke war, it has ended up hurting the EU and benefiting the United States to their detriment.
    .

    EU investment capital is gushing out and bleeding Europe dry!

    As the Ukraine war drags on,  the EU is beginning to realize that it is shackled by NATO. And that shackle leads straight to the US. Because of this, it is losing millions of euros every hour.
    The NATO sanctions against Russia are now resulting in a huge outflow of investment capital from EU to US.
    .
    The European Union now has to import 40% of oil, gas, fertilizers and cereal from the US at a much higher cost than from Russia.
    .
    So, the EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has spoken out strongly to get China to mediate to restore peace.
    .
    He argues that only China has the ability to do so because she is friendly to both Russia and Ukraine and is the largest trading partner of both countries.
    .
    As for the US, it is in her interest to keep the war going, so long as their soldiers are not sacrificed. The neocon military-industrial complex benefits. And no Americans are killed. From an American point of view, it’s a win-win.
    .
    For every day the war goes on, the US is earning 10s of millions of dollars in the  sales of oil, gas and cereal to the Europeans as well as keep their complex defense contractors operating at full steam.
    .

    Chinese Space Station to become a business portal

    “China to open space station to commercial activity”

    China kicked off The Tiangong Space station Program after Being rejected to join international ISS space program (2001) later forbidden by “wolf law(2011)“

    Now, decades later China own space station Tiangong (天宫太空站)is circling in space.  Now China is to open space station to commercial activity. The rejector and wolf law makers are going to cooperate.

    This story is pretty much telling us
    1. Sanction will not work to kill competition
    2. shoe is on the other foot(三十年河东三十年河西)

    .

    China says the United States used its computers to launch cyberattacks on Russia, Ukraine | Reuters

    NSA earning it’s keep. Fucking around with both Russia and China simultaneously. What could possibly go wrong?

    A coincidence or ?

    Compare the below Australian and United States reports. A coincidence or what? From my “untrained eyes” it looks like Australia has become an arm of the United States, and just copies and approves everything without a critical look. Next step… statehood.

    2022 Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community
    .
    2022 Australia Director-General’s Annual Threat Assessment | Australian Security Intelligence Organisation
    .

    Russia owes Western banks $120 billion. They won’t get it back – CNN

    International banks are owed more than $121 billion by Russian entities, according to the Bank for International Settlements, which suspended Russia’s membership on Thursday.
    .
    European banks have over $84 billion total claims, with France, Italy and Austria the most exposed, and US banks owed $14.7 billion.
    .
    Goldman Sachs (GS) earlier disclosed that it had credit exposure to Russia of $650 million in December 2021. While JPMorgan Chase (JPM) said its current activities in Russia are “limited.”
    .

    United States bioweapons in the Ukraine

    Russian Defense Ministry releases materials of U.S. bio-military operations in Ukraine. It’s a treasure trove. Better grab it before the NSA takes all the information down.

    Australia’s Morrison vs Russia’s Putin

    Talks really big. I guess that Australians really believe this and feel that he is a real strong leader.
    .

    United States weapon shipments to Ukraine…

    The standard mode of operation; the USA “playbook” has just been thrown into the firepit. If the USA ships any weapons to the Ukraine, any forces, any “advisers”; the United States will be treated as a hostile nation emgaging in war against Russia.

    “Statements made today by Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergey Ryabkov, have officially put the U.S. and its allies on notice that any weapons shipments into Ukraine will be viewed as legitimate targets and potentially attacked as such.”
    
    ‘We warned the United States that the orchestrated pumping of weapons from a number of countries is not just a dangerous move, it is a move that turns these convoys into legitimate targets,” Ryabkov told state television. 
    
    He went on, warning “about the consequences of the thoughtless transfer to Ukraine of weapons like man-portable air defense systems, anti-tank missile systems, and so on.”

    NASA Astronaut “Enraged” by Russian Threat to Leave American Stranded in Space

    The United States is so very used to bully the world into submission. It comes automatically. As a result, their leaders have developed a one singular way of thinking. They only think how their actions will hurt the enemy, and not the other way round.
    .

    Biden considers digital dollar—here’s how it could differ from regular money

    So the USA is going to try to compete against the e-yuan. Good luck. The e-yuan is backed with gold.

    The problem with using the USD is that…

    • Inflation through $30 trillion debt and unlimited spending undermines it’s stability making it a volitile medium.
    • American government and banking interests are mercurial. It’s easy to lose everything by some whim by politicians or faceless bureaucrats.
    • It is not backed by any commodities, gold, hard precious metals, manufacturing ability, reserves, or talent.
    Biden’s order said a US-issued digital currency could be used to “support efficient and low-cost transactions, particularly for cross‑border funds transfers and payments, and to foster greater access to the financial system, with fewer of the risks posed by private sector-administered digital assets” such as bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

    Video of SWAT Arresting a man who was about to give evidence of Ukrainian Biolabs in 2009

    It seems rumors of the US running biolabs in Ukraine date back to 2009. Here’s a video of a SWAT takedown of a “whistleblower”. He’s probably either killed or doing time in prison as a sex offender.
    .

    China trade: export growth slowdown in January-February ‘alarming’ despite beating expectations

    Imagine that. The growth is much larger than expected, and it is reported in the pro-USA SCMP as “alarming”! Words like “catastrophic”, “fiasco”, “disastrous”, and “clamorous” are are words that have negative connotations, that should not be used when positive unexpected news occurs.

    SCMP referrers to a 16.3% growth rate as alarming. Sheech! The anti-China  media simply and automatically run negative wording on all and any Chinese achievements.
    .
        • 2022 Exports grew by 16.3 per cent in combined figures for January and February compared to a year earlier
        • 2021 Imports grew by 15.5 per cent in combined figures for January and February from a year earlier
    .

    Biden banned the supply of dollar bills to Russia

    Not that it matters. The money (US greenbacks) are really losing their value.
    .

    US President Joe Biden signed a decree banning the sale of dollar bills to Russia.

    "The following is prohibited... export, re-export, sale or delivery directly or indirectly from the United States, as well as from individuals or companies in the United States, regardless of their location of banknotes denominated in US dollars, to the Russian Government or to any person located in the Russian Federation,"

    In addition, Joe Biden restricted the import of alcoholic beverages, diamonds and seafood from Russia, as well as the export of luxury goods to the country.

    Recall that Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in the Donbass. He announced this in his video message to the Russians on February 24, 2022. As the Head of state emphasized, the Russian Federation does not plan to occupy Ukraine, but aims to demilitarize the country.

    Well, if it’s going to seize anything Russian, then Russia can play the same game…

    McDonald’s, IKEA, Apple are included among 59 companies that the Russian Federation may nationalize, as a response to widespread corporate withdrawal.

    Long live! Putin the Great.
    .
    Putin already expected this, as this is not his first “Rodeo”.
    .
    As such, Xi Peng (China) is prepared as well. China as already erected an anti-sanction law a few months ago to do the same against any foreign companies complying with US government sanction policy.
    .
    If you sanction China, say good-by to billions, if not trillions of USD and investment.

    Gold stockpiled in Asia

    Yes. While the West just keeps printing money out of thin air, the world pivots back to hard tangibles, instead of paper, then the collective West is in for a real shock.

    The 1997 Asian Financial Crisis scared developing countries into accumulating more funds to shield their currencies from crashes, pushing official reserves from less than $2 trillion to a record $14.9 trillion in 2021, according to the International Monetary Fund. While central banks have lately sought to buy and repatriate gold, it only makes up 13% of their assets. Foreign currencies are 78%.
    
    Barring gold, these assets are someone else’s liability—someone who can just decide they are worth nothing. Last year, the IMF suspended Taliban-controlled Afghanistan’s access to funds and SDR. Sanctions on Iran have confirmed that holding reserves offshore doesn’t stop the U.S. Treasury from taking action.
    
    Yet the entire artifice of “money“ as a universal store of value risks being eroded by the banning of key exports to Russia and boycotts of the kind corporations like Apple and Nike announced this week

    The US is not in a position to lecture China!

    China slams US over state sovereignty remarks …

    Dmitry Orlov Discuss Russia, Ukraine and the United States

    It’s a great You-Tube video found HERE. Over an hour long.

    But there’s one particular section that is REALLY important. It’s about energy and the hopeless, fucked up situation that the USA is in right now. It really fits in with my belief that both Russia and China have war-gamed all steps and are playing chess, while the United States doodles on the wall with crayons.

    Here’s my few minute exerpt

    2022 03 13 20 23
    2022 03 13 20 23

    Big whopper lies out of Australia

    Australia a vassel state of China? Seriously?

    The secret of scaring people is not to tell lies – but rather it is to tell really really BIG LIES. That has always been the strategy of successful war propaganda machines – from Goebbels to Putin.

    Here trainee Senator James Paterson (friend of fellow professional China scaremonger Andrew Hastie) really makes me laugh. His analysis (or big lies) misses they key point – that is – Australia is already a vassal state of the USA.

    Australians appoint Americans like Heather Cook to lead ASIO.

    Australians commit hundreds of billions of dollars to buying weapons, planes and submarines that we don’t need (instead of spending on jobs, hospitals, disaster recovery, education, indigenous equality).

    Australia even allows an American political project to control 70% of Australian media channels!

    Even when a million Australians support a petition crafted by a former PM to stop the dominance of the divisive News Corp – nothing happens!

    Why is the supposed Australian think tank – ASPI- funded by the US department of defence and US defence industry contractors?

    Canberra is simply too scared of Rupert and Washington. That fear is unAustralian and is the root cause of us being a sacrificial pawn, a puppet, in US foreign policy. That why being a vessel for US policy makes us a vassal. Australia should be better than that, braver than that .. because, after all, Australians have a decorated history of bravery!

    In comparison – please ask yourself – are a couple of Chinese diaspora polital candidates and a few campus activists actually a threat? In reality is China – a country with 1 (one!) overseas military post compared to the US with its 800 (eight hundred!) overseas military posts the actual threat?.. of course not. Hence the need for BIG LIES. And lots of them.

    Saudi oil giant Aramco strikes $10B petrochemical deal with China

    Soon after Saudi Arabia reportedly reject Biden phone call, Saudi strikes deal with China
    .

    Gasoline in California: $8.62/gal for Regular

    • Crazy high’: Home heating oil prices in Mass. rapidly nearing $6 a gallon.
    • Home heating oil prices on Long Island jump another 20% to a record $5.25 a gallon.

    Gas prices like this are going to have major consequences, for everyone and everything.

    And not to rub salt in this wound, but Trump literally stated, in public, this would happen if Biden became President. Here. Look:

    Remember when Trump warned us about $7.00 gas if Biden got in? Well here we are. pic.twitter.com/LDecWc3Rhr
    — Benny (@bennyjohnson) March 7, 2022

    By the way, not only did the United States ban Russian imports on oil but it also banned their imports on precious metals, many of which are used in the manufacture of automotive parts, batteries, etc.

    Inflation, combined with unbearably high gas prices and ridiculously high priced vehicles due to material shortages and therefore price hikes, will eventually lead to the American consumer ditching gas powered vehicles in favor of alternatives (what ever they might be).

    You-Tube goes all out to block Russia

    YouTube blocks Russian state-funded media channels globally | Reuters

    DuckDuckGo ends neutrality, will down-rank sites “associated with Russian disinformation”

    “Like so many others I am sickened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the gigantic humanitarian crisis it continues to create,” DuckDuckGo CEO and founder Gabriel Weinberg tweeted. “At DuckDuckGo, we’ve been rolling out search updates that down-rank sites associated with Russian disinformation.”

    Like the conservatives, independent companies destroy themselves by trying to imitate what seems to be the going trend, in the process erasing what made them an option to the delight of those promoting the trend.

    The Top ten ways that America is the most corrupt nation in the world

    Only ten?

    Oh and about those pictures and videos of how the Ukraine is destroying Russia…

    • Consider that there are 26,000,000 cell phones in Ukraine.
    • There is no interruption of wifi or internet, or power.

    Yet, there is not one single live footage of any battles, fighting or “evidence”. Think about it.

    China Plans To Take Advantage Of The Big Oil Exodus From Russia | OilPrice.com

    By Irina Slav – Mar 10, 2022, 6:00 PM CST

    .

    • The exodus of Western companies from Russia in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine has left a business vacuum that China is very interested in filling.
    • Notably, China is interested in taking advantage of the oil, gas, and metals projects that have been left behind by various companies boycotting Russia.
    • It seems that sanctions and boycotts on Russia may have the unintended consequence of strengthening China’s efforts to internationalize the yuan.
    This is an opportunity for Russia to nationalize western retail chains all across Russia, and sales the outlets to Russian citizens and retain the domestic consumption profit at home. That will create a higher multiplier effect for the Russian economy.
    .
    China investment will not be involved in politics like western capital.  Therefore,  a door shut by the west, will be replaced by a friendly investor is a win-win for both Russia and China.
    .

    Russia-Ukraine-NATO: It Keeps Getting Worse

    The Special Military Operation by Russia in Ukraine, which NATO continues to interfere with, got very much worse overnight.  A particular escalation too place overnight that has alarm bells ringing in the heads of all thinking people.

    Russia will treat western arms shipments to Ukraine as legitimate military targets, deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov says. 
    
    "We warned [the US] of consequences from the insane transfer to Ukraine of weapons like mobile anti-aircraft systems, anti-tank missiles, and so on."
    
    Now, Ryabkov's statement does not reveal if treating weapons shipments as legitimate military targets means hitting such weapons inside Ukraine, or taking them out before they get to Ukraine, which means hitting them in another country. No matter how one looks at it, this is now an aggressive new escalation.

    An indirect threat to China / Taiwan

    The current Ukrainian crisis entails secondary, but no less serious, consequences on the geopolitical balance between China and Taiwan.

    Russia and Ukraine are the only producers of palladium and neon, which are indispensable for the production of microchips.

    Moscow’s possible retaliation has attracted more attention in recent days after market research group Techcet published a report highlighting the dependence of many semiconductor manufacturers on materials of Russian and Ukrainian origin such as neon, palladium and others. According to Techcet’s estimates, more than 90% of U.S. supplies of semiconductor neon come from Ukraine, while 35% of U.S. palladium comes from Russia. […] According to the US International Trade Commission, neon prices rose by 600% before Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014, because chip companies relied on some Ukrainian companies […]
    
    If it is true that a Chinese invasion of Formosa would put the global technology supply chain at risk, it is also true that a sudden shortage of raw materials from Russia could stop production, so as to make the island lose the “microchip shield” and induce Beijing to attempt the annexation of Taipei.

    Close to World War III?

    Many people maintain that we are very close to a world war. But does “very close” actually mean anything? It is quite possible to stand for hours with your toes hanging over the edge of a cliff and never jump. Suicide is a big decision: big even for a person, much bigger for a large country.

    On March 1, 2018 president Putin unveiled Russia’s new weapons systems against which the United States is defenseless and will remain so for the foreseeable future. Previously, the plan was to surround Russia with military bases and missile batteries, then launch a preemptive first strike, destroying its ability to retaliate and forcing it to capitulate.

    This plan has now conclusively failed, and a US/NATO attack on Russia is once again assured to be an act of suicide. Worse than that, even limited military confrontations are now mostly unthinkable because Russia can now inflict unacceptable damage on US/NATO forces from a safe distance without putting any of its own assets at risk. If Russia won’t attack and the US/NATO can’t attack, then how likely is a war?

    NATO does this; NATO does that…

    But, what UN authorized power does NATO actually have? An interesting read.

    NATO violates international convention for sending mercenaries to Ukraine: former UN official

    Tucker: This could very easily get worse

    An exceptional FOX “news” opinion piece on the USA economy. Go to YOU-TUBE here.

    2022 03 13 20 38
    2022 03 13 20 38

    Why the USA is the master of propiganda…

    …during the strange and tumultuous twentieth century during which the US briefly flashed across the world stage, these three countries went by different names, which all ended in “empire”:

    The Russian Empire, the Ottoman Empire and the Persian Empire.

    Of these three, the Russian and the Ottoman empires were heirs to the Holy Roman Empire, whose eastern half, with its capital Constantinople, went on for centuries after Rome had turned into a depopulated ruin and a dark age had descended on Europe.

    After Constantinople fell to the Turks and Islam took over the region, the center of Orthodox Christianity migrated north to Moscow.

    Now add China, or the Chinese Empire if you like, which is now aligned with Russia, and complete the picture: all of the greatest and most ancient Eurasian empires have come back and are talking and cooperating, while the has-been upstart on the other side of the planet isn’t even invited.

    Given this situation, what is the US to do?

    It has three choices.

    The first is to start a major war, thus committing national suicide (while taking other countries with it). It lacks the political will to make this decision, although it could blunder into a major war by accident.

    The second choice is to basically just fold: give up trying to project power around the world, retreat into its own borders and lick its wounds. It lacks the political will to do this as well; all that remains in the realm of possibility is to pretend that everything is still fine for as long as possible.

    But how is it possible to pretend that everything is still fine even as everything is falling apart? The answer is to start faking it.

    The third choice is to fake it. If the US manages to convince enough people, at home and around the world, that it is still dangerous, then it will be able to hide its increasing enfeeblement for a while longer.

    It may no longer be capable of achieving any of its aims, but it is still very much capable of mass murder, as was recently demonstrated by the US “coalition” bombings of Mosul and Raqqa, which now lay in ruins. Similar wanton acts of mass murder have been committed America’s Saudi-Arabian proxy in Yemen, and by their Ukrainian proxies in the Donbass.

    But even the opportunities to commit mindless mass murder with impunity are now becoming fewer and farther between, forcing the US to resort to more boutique acts of violence. To justify these acts, the US (and much of Europe) curtains itself off from the rest of the world using an elaborately constructed wall of complete nonsense…

    And that my friends is why the United States funds propiganda so lavishly.

    Mainstream media isn’t always so bad…

    Mainstream media are not all bad. Sometimes they may even make a mistake and tell the truth.

    • Here is a one-year old Time report on White Supremacist Militia in Ukraine, a fact the West and its lying hypocrites are not allowed to mention any more.
    • Even better. We have a report from the Beast’s mouth. BBC has an eight-year old report on Neo-Nazi threat in New Ukraine. Have the Nazis disappeared or have they taken over?
    • The Guardian won’t be left out. Four years ago, they knew about Ukraine’s far-right children’s camp. It was all fun and guns then. Are the kids out there killing yet?
    • I almost forgot to mention DW. This is another one that can’t seem to speak a single truth about China or Russia. But they reported five years ago on the Azov battalion.
    • What d’ya know? Canada, the neighborly henchman of America, reported about official meetings with the Azov battalion. It was clear that everyone knew about the Nazis in Ukraine. The story even compared the Ukrainian Neo-Nazis with ISIS. How delicious! But somehow they’ve all disappeared from the narrative.
    • And four years ago, Max Blumenthal, a real reporter who shows you his material, knew about the US arming Ukraine’s Neo-Nazis. It’s American tax dollars at work, folks. This is what happens when your democracy produces liars, miscreants, and war criminals to represent you.
    • Is anyone in the West indignant. Actually yes! Here is Irish MEP Clare Daly giving them hell. And here is Clare Daly again exposing her EU colleagues as hypocrites. She’s the female version of Mick Wallace. What’s with Ireland always coming up with politicians who tell the truth?
    • Here Clare and Mick together told the truth about the West pushing for war with Russia a year ago. They saw it coming, but did you?

    The Nazis tried to leave Mariupol under the guise of civilians. The deception failed, and again accused Russia of disrupting the evacuation.

    I’ll keep it short. I read Facebook and again came across a note about the “cruel Russians” who allegedly once again disrupted the evacuation of civilians from surrounded Mariupol. Well, as if nothing like surprising, quite a common thing-Russia is to blame for everything. If not for the comments in which the Ukrainians unwittingly handed over their “heroes” in full.

    So, according to them, it was like this:

    • – the opening time of the humanitarian corridor has been agreed,
    • – a column of Mariupol women is approaching, some with children,
    • – Russian troops issue an ultimatum – personal search of each refugee,
    • – the Ukrainian side is trying to demand that everyone be allowed to pass without exception and without being searched,
    • – the Russians refuse,
    • -quote “not a single Azov fighter will be released from the city”,
    • “the column turns around in a hurry and goes back.
    • Ah, what bad Russians… the “humanitarian action”was disrupted again.

    Realizing that the trick failed, “Azov” returned back to the city, without releasing the real women with children. After all, “heroes” need someone to hide behind that…

    The SBU; the Ukranian Gestapo

    Another pesky French journalist. How dare you break our illusion and report that there were crimes against humanity in Donbas? How dare you agree with Putin of Nazi forces attacking civilians in Donetsk and Luhansk ?

    "The French Embassy in Kiev, alerted at the time, did nothing to help them and hushed up the matter. It is because we were already supporting the Ukraine of murders and massacres." 
    

    US national debt exceeds $30 trillion for first time in history

    The national debt has expanded by approximately $7 trillion since January 2020, weeks before the pandemic began, as the Trump and Biden administrations dispersed stimulus payments and took other measures to support the economy.
    
    The $30 trillion debt is equivalent to $231,000 per US household and $90,000 per person, according to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. If every US household paid $1,000 per month toward covering the debt, it would take 19 years to pay down the sum.

    Democracy has bankrupted itself. It will take either [1] a world war or a [2] default to get out of this hole.

    Beijing calls Moscow its most important strategic partner

    Russia considers Chinese payment system, as Beijing calls Moscow its ‘most important strategic partner’

    Mr Wang said China’s alliance with Moscow constituted “one of the most crucial bilateral relationships in the world”.
    
    China has broken with the US, Europe and others that have imposed sanctions on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine and said sanctions create new issues and threaten a political settlement of the conflict.
    
    “No matter how perilous the international landscape, we will maintain our strategic focus and promote the development of a comprehensive China-Russia partnership in the new era,” Mr Wang told reporters at a news conference.

    Germany rejects American sanctions against Russian Energy

    Anyone that deals in trade with Russia will automatically be sanctioned as well. This does not bode well for Germany, as well as China. While China says “bring it on”, Germany is much more pragmatic.

    Washington said at the weekend it was in “active discussions” with its European allies about imposing a boycott.
    
    But Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, issued a statement rejecting the idea on Monday.
    
    “Europe deliberately exempted Russia energy exports from sanctions. There is currently no other way of securing Europe’s supply of energy for heating, for mobility, for power supply and for industry,” he said.

    Oh, and let’s not forget those 336+ biolabs…

    US has 336 Biolabs in 30 countries including 26 in Ukraine:

    UN Representative for Brazil Calls for Biological Weapons Investigations in Ukraine

    "Brazil strongly condemns the use or threat of use of weapons of mass destruction, including biological and chemical weapons, anywhere by anyone under any circumstances."

    COVID-19 is not a pandemic, but an undeclared biological war

    Covid Bioweapons: Made in the US, aimed at China

    The United States has been waging a covert biological war against it’s “enemies” for the last decade if not longer. Evidence found in Ukraine clearly show that Russia was the next target. This information recieves zero attendtion in the Western “news”, but it should. You see, if the United States wages WMD against Russia and China, they will slam WMD right back.

    One of the reasons why the topic of biological warfare came to the fore in a number of media outlets is the information that Russia received and continues to receive during the special military operation in Ukraine.

    On the eve of the operation, the media reported that at least 15 biolabs under the control of the United States operate on the territory of Ukraine.

    Then it turned out that the number of such biolabs is twice as large. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, these biolabs were working in the interests of the US Military Department (Pentagon). This biological weapon is aimed at the Russian Federation with its tip.

    In 1972, many countries, including the United States and the Soviet Union, signed the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction (BTWC).

    Washington has been strangely passive in monitoring the implementation of the BTWC.

    In 2001, he disrupted the signing of the protocol, on the basis of which it was planned to create a mechanism for mutual checks, created and maintained biolabs on his territory that had a secret mode of operation.

    For more than two decades, there has been an extremely unpleasant situation in the world: there are no mechanisms to check the content of many American biological programs.

    Moreover, Washington began to rapidly create a network of biolabs outside the United States.

    America has established 336 laboratories in 30 countries over two decades.

    A considerable part of them is located on the territory of neighboring countries of Russia.

    Now the topic of “pandemics” somehow quickly went to the second or even tenth plan, but it seems to me that this topic and the topic of biological warfare should be combined.

    They complement each other.

    In the first year of the” pandemic”, the first version of natural origin of covid prevailed. They say that the pathogen COVID-19 itself appeared in nature. However, gradually accumulated more and more facts that cast doubt on this version.

    The second version was the assumption that Covid was born in a biolab in the Chinese city of Wuhan and accidentally (more precisely, by someone’s mistake) broke free. At first, it began to amaze the residents of this large city (11 million inhabitants), then spread to other cities in China and eventually entered the world. Washington also switched to this version, which made it possible to accuse Beijing of all serious crimes and even demand astronomical compensation for the damage that the” pandemic ” caused to America.

    However, the “Wuhan” version is not completely convincing. It doesn’t matter how this virus originated, but after a while it would spread evenly and affect people in China, Europe, and America in approximately the same way.

    However, covid-19 statistics compiled by Hopkins University, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other agencies show a strange picture. Yes, there can and should be differences, but when covid-19 mortality varies by country (based on 1 million inhabitants) ten, a hundred times, there is something to think about.

    They usually say about American biological laboratories: they should be closed, because they can be used for conducting biological warfare. But those people who think about the oddities of covid statistics say differently: American biolabs should be closed, because they are already waging a biological war against humanity. And the weapon of this war is the COVID-19 pathogen. Such “non-standard” experts emphasize that there is a “targeted” use of the pathogen (the target can be an individual, a certain group of people, the population of one country).

    A prominent representative of such “non-standard” experts is an American Ron Unz. He comes from a Ukrainian-Jewish family, is a billionaire with a high-tech business in Silicon Valley, a conservative politician, and a writer.

    From 2007 to 2013, he was a publisher The American Conservative, and has been a publisher and editor since 2013.

    The Unz Review. This is a website where Unz accumulates alternative to official American points of view on what is happening in the country and in the world.

    Since the beginning of 2020, the main topic of his publications has been “pandemic”.

    Unza’s views on this topic are so far out of step with Washington’s official position that many of the materials published in the article are based on the fact that The Unz Review is blocked. And last year, he published the book “Our Covid-19 Disaster” (Our Covid-19 Catastrophe).

    Ron Unz denies the natural origin of the pathogen.

    In the version that Washington is still trying to adhere to, the story looks like this: the virus broke out of a laboratory in Wuhan and struck people who were at a seafood market in the same Wuhan. At first glance, it is plausible. However, Unz specifies that the distance between the laboratory and the market is 20 kilometers.

    For some reason, there were no casualties in the immediate vicinity of the lab.

    Unz is not at all sure that the injection of the pathogen occurred from the Wuhan laboratory. And it reminds that, according to many experts, the outbreak of covid in Wuhan did not begin in the first days of January 2020, but in November or even October 2019.

    Unz also recalls that at the same time, in October 2019, about 300 American servicemen visited Wuhan as part of the World War Games.

    This story is described in sufficient detail in the Unza article “Covid Bioweapon: Made in the USA, Aimed at China” (The Covid BioWeapon: Made in the USA, Aimed at China).

    Ron Unz writes:

    “This visit [the arrival of the US military in Wuhan] would be the perfect cover for America to slip a couple of operatives into the group and get them to spread the virus around the city. With thousands of foreign troops traveling and sightseeing, any risk of detection would be minimal.”

    .
    Unz wonders why no one paid any attention to this during the investigations that were conducted both in Washington and through the WHO. He asks,
    .
    " What would the Americans think if 300 Chinese officers made an extended visit to Chicago, and right after that, a mysterious, deadly virus epidemic suddenly broke out in that city?"
    .

    Gradually, Ron Unz leads readers to the third version of the origin of covid: it was the United States that conducted a terrorist operation in Wuhan to infect the population with a new pathogen.

    By the way, Unz is very surprised by the lack of awareness of some US officials about the status of the Wuhan laboratory.

    They, accusing Beijing of leaking the pathogen, call this laboratory “Chinese”. In fact, the lab was French-Chinese. The French designed, built, and filled the laboratory with French equipment. It was put into operation in 2015. This was the Chinese country’s first lab with the highest degree of P4 protection, and now China could start working with the most dangerous pathogens. It was assumed that joint French-Chinese projects would be implemented in the laboratory.

    And soon the Americans came to replace the French.

    In the face of such serious organizations as DARPAthe Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the US Department of Defense, as well as NIH – the National Institutes of Health, which is part of the US Department of Health and closely cooperates with the Pentagon.

    These organizations interacted with the laboratory in Wuhan through an intermediary represented by the non-profit organization EcoHealth Alliance (EHA).

    Its officially declared mission is to protect people, animals and the environment from infectious diseases, led by Peter Daszak.

    DARPA and NIH acted as customers, and EHA transferred money to the Wuhan laboratory.

    Today it is known that the EHA worked closely with the US CIA and carried out such tasks that were contrary to the Biological Weapons and Counter-Terrorism Act of 1989 and the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention.

    Unz suggests that the pathogen was imported from the Fort Detrick biolab (USA, Maryland), and was only temporarily deposited in the Wuhan laboratory.

    Another important point from Unza’s work: if the first pinpoint strike was carried out by the Americans in Wuhan, China, then the second – in Iran a few weeks after the first deaths from covid were recorded in Wuhan.

    Unz writes:

    "By the end of February, Iran had become the second epicenter of the global outbreak. Even more surprisingly, its political elite was particularly hard hit: soon as many as 10% of the entire Iranian parliament was infected, and at least a dozen of its officials and politicians died from the disease, including some of them quite high-ranking ones. Neoconservative activists on Twitter have gleefully started pointing out that their hated Iranian enemies are now dying like flies."

    Covid had a very rich harvest of deaths in Iran before he started killing people in other countries. At the end of 2019, relations between the United States and Iran sharply worsened.

    Today, there is no doubt that the January 2, 2020 assassination of General Qassem Soleimani was targeted.

    The Pentagon confirmed that Soleimani was killed on the orders of President Trump.

    A few weeks later, representatives of the Iranian elite began to become infected with covid and die one by one.

    "So we see America assassinate Iran's top military commander on January 2, and then, just a few weeks later, a significant portion of Iran's ruling elites will contract a mysterious and deadly new virus, and many of them will soon die as a result. Could a reasonable person have considered this a mere coincidence? "

    So asks Ron Unz.

    So, America’s two leading adversaries – China and Iran – were the first to take a hit in the form of a mysterious, deadly virus.

    After getting acquainted with the work of Unza, it seems that 336 American biological laboratories scattered across 30 countries of the world continue to perform (with the exception of 30 Chinese laboratories that have dropped out of the game) the functions of a kind of military bases.

    They are engaged not only in research and development of new types of bioweapons and ways to deliver them to the target, but also serve as a kind of hub where the US military places pathogens planned for use against US opponents. COVID-19 is one of them.

    In Washington, DC two people got the deadly hantavirus

    It’s a good thing that Russia and China aren’t striking back against the US Bioweapon strikes…

    The Americas are best known for harboring “New World” hantaviruses, which cause a severe respiratory disease called Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome. And these are much more deadly. 
    
    HPS can also begin like a generic infection, with fever, chills, and aches. But, it can progress to an acute, life-threatening cardiopulmonary phase after about a week. And from there, the disease can progress rapidly, with the lungs filling with fluid and people needing hospitalization and often ventilation within 24 hours. 
    
    HPS is fatal in about 38 percent of cases, the CDC notes. 
    
    But for the most important “New World” hantavirus in the US—the Sin Nombre virus, spread by the deer mouse—the fatality rate is about 50 percent.

    Curious thing this.

    Hantavirus is prevalent in the Western United States. Not the East Coast, and certainly not in Washington DC; the capital.

    What an odd coincidence.

    Conclusion

    The United States has ignited a conflict with Russia and China. These nations do not play. If you are ready to step into the boxing ring, you sure as fuck better be in top shape and have upped your game.

    It will not matter how many attractive cheerleaders are rooting for you. In this arena, it’s winner take all, and nothing about it will be reported on.

    R C.d87cb5083c3add10e7de348583cc111d
    If he dies, he dies.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 3

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
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    The Mysterious Book That Can Not Be Explained

    Often times we come across strange items, and objects. They appear mysterious to us. And this is pretty much due to the fact that they are often found without context. We know nothing at all about what is going on regarding the object or issue, or why. So we try to seek answers. This is true whether it is a dusty object hidden behind a wall partition, or a political issue. Such as the “war in Ukraine”. We need context to fully understand what is going on.

    Consider Ukraine…

    All the media is filled with the Hate-Russia; Punish-Russia narrative. It’s pretty thick. And all the articles are missing one very important thing; context. As this screen capture from The Drudge Report clearly points out.

    2022 03 11 09 58
    2022 03 11 09 58

    But then we search, if we are intelligent, and look for context regarding the issue. Like this one from Fred…

    Why did Russia invade the Ukraine? Contrary to American media, the invasion was not unprovoked. 
    
    Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, America has been pushing NATO, which is a US sepoy operation, ever closer to Russian borders in what, to anyone who took fifth-grade geography, is an obvious program of military encirclement. 
    
    Of the five countries other than Russia littoral to the Black Sea, three, Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria, are now in NATO. America has been moving toward bringing in the Ukraine and Georgia. After Georgia would have come Azerbaijan, putting American forces on the Caspian with access to Iran and Kazakhstan. This is calculated aggression over the long term, obvious to the—what? Ten percent? Fifteen percent?—of Americans who know what the Caucasus is.
    
    Putin has said, over and over, that Russia could not allow hostile military forces on its border any more than the US would allow Chinese military bases in Mexico and China or missile forces in Cuba. Washington kept pushing. 
    
    Russia said, no more. 
    
    In short, America brought on the war.
    
    Among people who follow such things, there are two ways of looking at the invasion. 
    
    First, that Washington thought Putin was bluffing, and he wasn’t. 
    
    Second, that America intentionally forced Russia to choose between [1] allowing NATO into the Ukraine, a major success for Washington’s world empire; or [2] fighting, also a success for Washington as it would cause the results it has caused.

    Context: for America, it was a win-win.

    Context is everything. Without it; without context, the object hold no meaning. Though, however, that doesn’t stop our minds from trying to piece together narratives and a background as to what is going on.

    The strange book

    People discover strange things all the time, but this random book has to be one of the strangest discoveries ever found.

    This masterpiece comes with no context. Some websites suggest that it was found in a yard sale, or an estate sale. Others offer a more curious story of it being found in an attic, or behind a sealed wall. It’s really hard to identify what the real truth is. All that is known is that his “book” or “box of papers” was found, and the new owners found it intriguing.

    More info: Reddit (h/t: imgur)

    The box was handmade from wood, fit with hinges, a handle and a pair of locks.

    111111 1
    111111 1

    From what was written here, it appears that the author had “an experience” that was definitely not and “everyday one”.

    2 26
    2 26

    Inside the box were all sorts of carefully drawn works. Some drafts, and some sketches. The creator of the documents was indeed trained in the professional line-art and drafting skills. Here’s a hand-drawn table of the elements.

    3 26
    3 26

    This patent is not filed with the United States patent office – but the drawings are remarkably detailed. But this is not the weirdest part…

    4 26
    4 26

    This drawing was dated 1939 – why would someone discard this?

    5 25
    5 25

    Oddly, this map shows air travel routes.

    6 24
    6 24

    A lot of the maps are hand-drawn with a “center” noted on it.

    7 22
    7 22

    The maps represent aerial patterns and/or routes of some type.

    8 19
    8 19

    There were quite a few of the maps.

    9 16
    9 16

    And the mystery continues…

    10 14
    10 14

    A note; perhaps from the previous owner.

    11 13
    11 13

    Another map with a “center” on it.

    12 11
    12 11

    A piece of the past – a note from a very old veterans affairs office.

    13 11
    13 11

    The artist depicts an event from Tampa, FL in 1977. He notes the event to be extraterrestrial in nature.

    14 11
    14 11

    Yes, I suppose that it is odd to see extraterrestrial UFO illustrations on the same page with angelic-looking creatures.

    15 10
    15 10

    Drawing of an entity.

    16 10
    16 10

    A slight summary of the events.

    17 8
    17 8

    Geometric shapes that are related.

    18 7
    18 7

    Another drawing of one of the entities – looks strangely like something out of the biblical book of Ezekiel.

    19 6
    19 6

    An additional sketch of the same being.

    20 5
    20 5

    Beings from the side view.

    21 5
    21 5

    The artist was fixated on these creatures for some time.

    22 4
    22 4

    Was this a dream, or did this really happen? Was it a fantasy? Was it a story plot for a movie? Or, was he trying to pierce together theories, ideas, concepts and visions? No one knows.

    23 4
    23 4

    One might say this looks like wheels within wheels, wings full of eyes and creatures with 4 heads (man, ox, eagle and lion) from the book of Ezekiel.

    24 4
    24 4

    The drawings seem to mix biblical and extraterrestrial visions.

    25 3
    25 3

    A close-up of the corner.

    26 3
    26 3

    The details of this drawing include some of the patent drawings seen earlier.

    27 3
    27 3

    A different view of one of the patent drawings.

    28 3
    28 3

    It appears that these new train wheels might have come from the train he drew earlier.

    29 3
    29 3

    What are your thoughts?

    30 3
    30 3

    Whatever your conclusion – someone who was working too hard, a drug-induced vision, or a true extra-terrestrial experience… it sure is a puzzle. Unfortunately, we cannot ask the artist and know for sure. All we know is that this person experienced something very odd. Perhaps he knows something that we don’t.

    31 3
    31 3

     

    Do you want more?

    I have more articles like this one in my OOPART Index here…

    Mysteries Explained

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    Global Sitrep with heavy Ukraine influence an update for 1MAR22

    This is a sitrep for the Russian / Ukranian / Western collapse in coils as of early march 2022. It’s a bit all over the place. It includes fighting updates, control of the media narrative, pretty Chinese girls, jokes from Satan himself and hamburgers. Hamburgers too. Lots and lots, and lots of hamburgers. I hope that you will like it.

    We start off with some food porn; the lovely hamburger.

    In fact, I will go as far as to proudly state that this article has been brought to you by the lovely hamburger (Well, in this case a cheeseburger.) and I hope that you too end up appreciating the news with a flavor for excitement!

    One of the residents of one of the new Republics.

    This explains so much! Guy is from one of the new provences, the LDR or the NDR (not specified) that is joyous about Russia stopping the Ukrine shelling of their homes.

    “Now I am constantly among the fighters. Many of my colleagues talk about the progress of the liberation of Donbass and Ukraine, so I focus on something else: I talk about the mood of our guys.
    
    I don’t need to say that they are all on the upswing, their morale is high and they are ready to carry out the tasks assigned to them. What is important is that none of them has any bitterness or desire to fight for the sake of war.
    
    For everyone, this battle is a battle for freedom. There are many, many young men in the ranks today from among those who have a home in the territories yet to be liberated. Can this be an invasion? It’s a homecoming, as they themselves say.
    
    There are many volunteers who come without summons, at the call of the heart. And regardless of age, civilian occupation, place of residence – they are all united by the desire to liberate the Republic and Ukraine from Nazism.
    
    This is not a war for the sake of war, this is a war in the name of peace, and the civilians of Ukraine are not enemies to these guys.”

    Comic of the year!

    1646066453854
    1646066453854

    American “news”

    Heh. Heh.

    "Want some comedy? Go take a look at the front page of the Drudge Report. I’ve never seen such mass propaganda in my life. How do they possibly retain a shred of creditability on anything after this. The desperation reeks."

    Yeah. The American “news” is all full about the mistake Russia made and how it is now in a disastrous quagmire. Oh No! Here’s the top, highest promoted links on the Drudge Report today. Nothing is balanced. Nothing is accurate. Nothing is a view about the entire situation. It’s all emotionally driven bullshit…

    LIONHEART ZELENSKY...
    Yeah. The proud, brave man who is taking on Russia all by himself.
    'I NEED AMMO'...
    Oh. Right. So the reason behind the Russian incursion is to disarm the Ukraine. And that is what the West does not want at all. They want an armed Ukraine, and a long quagmire.
    
    UKRAINIANS RALLY TO DEFEND...
    Brave Ukrainians ready to die for their homeland. Actually, the truth is more like Russia stepping in and stabilizing a very unstable place. Anyone who lays down weapons can continue their lives, and return to their roles once the situation stabilizes.
    
    RUSSIAN MEDIA STRUGGLE TO BOLSTER LIES...
    Cut out all alternative viewpoints. Subject the Western readership to a cardboard paper cutout; evil villain. 
    
    4,300 dead, 146 tanks smashed...
    Massive losses on Russia! What a mistake that Russia made!
    
    Fuel, logistics problems frustrate advance...
    What a mistake! It's identical to the "Battle of the Bulge" where the proud Americans won against the evil Nazi Germans.
    
    Soldiers Were Told They Were Going to Drill?
    Putin lied to his soldiers. See! You just cannot trust a communist.
    
    Forces attack children's hospital...
    Killing and maiming little children! The Russian monster!
    
    Radioactive Waste Facility Struck By Missile...
    Oh no! Nuclear war is any minute now!
    
    Kyiv skies glow orange...
    Fighting in Kiev right now, and the proud defenders are holding on, but just barely. They need NATO intervention.
    
    Bloody fighting erupts on streets of 2nd largest city Kharkiv...
    Fighting in Kharkiv right now, and the proud defenders are holding on, but just barely. They need NATO intervention.
    
    368,000 flee...
    Putin started a humaritarian crisis.
    
    Navy seizes 2 boats as war goes to seas...
    Russia has taken over two Naval vessels. The NATO alliance needs to sail to the coast and get involved!
    
    CYBER ATTACK HITS KREMLIN...
    The West fights back using high-technology abilities that the RUssians have no defense against.
    
    Moscow central bank urges calm amid cash run fears...
    Russians are freaking out, and the entire financial well-being of Russia is about to collapse any day now.
    Inside the anguished flight from Ukraine as women, children search for safety
    Yes. Women and children and displaced people. Yes. It's horrible.
    Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, claims victory against Russia
    Brave fighters holding off those dasterdly Communists!

    But the truth remains the same; the louder the shrilling, the more obvious the defeat of Western forces is.  Indeed. The more vicious the propaganda gets, the more likely it is that NATO is loosing badly on the ground. Popcorn time.

    While in the United States

    Yah. It’s a completely different reality. Far removed. Living life. Just bombing the rest of the world to pieces and provoking wars left and right. But in the meantime, just enjoying life. video 4MB

    For youse newcomers to MM…

    I sprinkle content all over the place. You have to see the big picture, and realize that everythign is connected. When you see the big picture, and break up content MM style, you disable the vault 7 influences imbedded inside of all Western electronic media. Your mind adapts quicker than the vault 7 influence.

    Additionally, it serves as an easy check to see if someone ACTUALLY read the article. Hit and run commenters don’t. And if you read the articles, and not comment on the food, pretty girls, or side ventures, then I know that you haven’t read the article. Like this joker…

    2022 03 01 16 24
    2022 03 01 16 24

    Pretty Chinese girl

    Let’s lighten up the mood here. video 1MB

    Falsehoods in wartime

    Historian Anne Morelli has summarized Arthur Ponsonby’s classic book Falsehood in War-Time as this:

    1. We do not want war.
    2. The opposite party alone is guilty of war.
    3. The enemy is inherently evil and resembles the devil.
    4. We defend a noble cause, not our own interests.
    5. The enemy commits atrocities on purpose; our mishaps are involuntary.
    6. The enemy uses forbidden weapons.
    7. We suffer small losses, those of the enemy are enormous.
    8. Recognized artists and intellectuals back our cause.
    9. Our cause is sacred.
    10. All who doubt our propaganda are traitors.

    Ah. Isn’t that exactly what you are watching on any of the American, Western, UK and Australian “news” media?

    Another cute Chinese girl

    Here is a fine lady who is caught in the rain without an umbrella. Oh snap! video 3MB

    The Situation in the Ukraine: Predictions vs. Reality

    By Dmitry Orlov and posted with the author’s permission. 

    Last Thursday I reposed my “top ten signs that Russia has invaded the Ukraine” from 8 years ago when the Ukrainian regime change and civil war first started and the West continuously made claims that Russia had invaded. Well, last Thursday Russia did indeed invade.

    Russia had the full legal right to invade the Ukraine from several perspectives: to defend its allies in Donetsk and Lugansk;

    • to defend itself against Ukrainian WMDs, which the Ukrainian president threatened to start producing at the Munich Security Conference;
    • and to stop NATO from continuing its advance toward Russian borders in violation of its previous commitment of “not an inch to the east.”

    Russia exercised its right of self-defense under article 51 of part 7 of the UN Charter.

    • The Ukraine had forfeited its right to territorial integrity under the 1970 UN Declaration by refusing to honor the rights of its Russian-speaking population.
    • It also refused to renew its Friendship Treaty with Russia and therefore no longer had a defined border with Russia that Russia was obligated to honor.

    From a strictly legalistic perspective, claims that “Russia violated the Ukraine’s territorial integrity” or that this is “an act of Russian aggression” is just pure twaddle.

    From a moral perspective, the fact that the entire international community idly stood by and ineffectually discussed politics for eight years during which the civilian population of Donetsk and Lugansk was continuously shelled by the Ukrainian “anti-terrorist operation” is utterly shameful.

    Shameful.

    People who are now speaking out against Russia’s military action in the Ukraine need to answer a simple question: Where have you been for the last eight years while [1] the carnage in Donetsk and Lugansk was going on, while [2] people were being burned alive in Odessa, [3] while the Ukrainian government organized terrorist operations on Russian territory and [4] while the entire Ukrainian population has been forced to kowtow to Americans and to speak Ukrainian, most often against its will?

    If your answer is “I didn’t know” then you have forfeited your right to an informed opinion on what’s happening there now. Please keep that in mind and act accordingly.

    Now I will go through the 10 predictions I made 8 years ago and see how well they held up in light of events that have unfolded for the past three days.

    A reasonable expectation would be that I got them completely wrong; if not, then that’s something of a minor miracle. Please keep that in mind also.

    1. Ukrainian artillery fell silent almost immediately. They are no  longer shelling residential districts of Donetsk and Lugansk. This is  because their locations had been pinpointed prior to the operation, and  by Thursday afternoon they were completely wiped out using air attacks,  artillery and ground-based rocket fire, as the first order of business.  Local residents are overjoyed that their horrible ordeal is finally at  an end.

    Not quite true. Donetsk and Lugansk is still being shelled sporadically, although most of the firing has been suppressed and as more and more territory is being liberated from the Ukrainian forces by the Donbass militia (with Russian forces playing a supporting role). At the same time, new possibilities for civilian carnage are resulting from the fact that the Ukraine’s Nazi battalions, under guidance from their US/NATO minders, are hiding heavy weapons in residential districts and using civilians as human shields.

    2. The look of military activity on the ground in  Donetsk and Lugansk has changed dramatically. Whereas before it involved  small groups of resistance fighters, the Russians operate in battalions  of 400 men and dozens of armored vehicles, followed by convoys of  support vehicles (tanker trucks, communications, field kitchens, field  hospitals and so on). The flow of vehicles in and out is non-stop,  plainly visible on air reconnaissance and satellite photos. Add to that  the relentless radio chatter, all in Russian, which anyone who wants to  can intercept, and the operation becomes impossible to hide.

    This is obviously the case. No sane person would now say that there are no Russian forces in the Ukraine. They made their presence about as obvious as they possibly could and the sight of endless columns of Russian military vehicles rolling unhindered through the Ukrainian countryside appears to be effecting a sea change in the mindset of the Ukraine’s population. Throughout history, it has always been quick to switch allegiances as circumstances and battle lines shifted, and this time will probably be no exception.

    3. The Ukrainian military has promptly vanished. Soldiers and officers  alike have taken off their uniforms, abandoned their weapons, and are  doing their best to blend in with the locals. Nobody thought the odds of  the Ukrainian army against the Russians were any good. Ukraine’s only  military victory against Russia was at the battle of Konotop in 1659,  but at the time Ukraine was allied with the mighty Khanate of Crimea,  and, you may have noticed, Crimea is not on Ukraine’s side this time  around.

    Again, not entirely true. It turns out that there is a hardened Nazi embedded with each and every detachment of Ukrainian forces whose job is to shoot those who try to surrender. Nevertheless, some unknown number of Ukrainian soldiers have surrendered, signed a promise to no longer fight against the Russian army, and have been given some food and sent home. In all, the Ukrainian military is turning out to be no different from other NATO-organized, NATO-trained forces, be they in Afghanistan, Georgia, Iraq or elsewhere. All of them immediately turn out to be completely useless as soon as a real military force arrives on the scene, be it the Russians, the Taliban or the Islamic Caliphate. Also notable is the fact that the large quantities of weapons recently supplied to the Ukraine by the US have been shown to be completely useless. The Javelin anti-tank missiles, which helped line the pockets of some of the Pentagon’s top brass, have been worse than useless: by the time they can be set up to fire there is generally nobody left alive to fire them, so the soldiers don’t even bother with them.

    4. There are Russian checkpoints everywhere. Local  civilians are allowed through, but anyone associated with a government,  foreign or domestic, is detained for questioning. A filtration system  has been set up to return demobilized Ukrainian army draftees to their  native regions, while the volunteers and the officers are shunted to  pretrial detention centers, to determine whether they had ordered war  crimes to be committed.

    Not true at all. The Russian troops are not engaging with the civilians in any way, scrupulously avoiding residential districts and doing their best to see that the delivery of electricity, water and other essentials is not disrupted. As far as denazification, I am still not sure what the plan is, but my hunch at the moment is that this will be left up to the Ukrainians themselves. There is a good chance that once they realize what the Nazis and their Western masters have been doing to their country, they will do their best to round up the Nazis and hang them on streetlights. The Nazis will see this coming (some already do) and will run away to Poland or Slovenia or points further west.

    5. Most of Ukraine’s border crossings  are by now under Russian control. Some have been reinforced with air  defense and artillery systems and tank battalions, to dissuade NATO  forces from attempting to stage an invasion. Civilians and humanitarian  goods are allowed through. Businessmen are allowed through once they  fill out the required forms (which are in Russian).

    The Ukrainian border guards along the Russian border have abandoned their posts. Some of them walked over to the Russian side and surrendered. The Russian and Belorussian borders are under control from the Russian and Belorussian sides. The western border crossings are crowded from all the people flying to flee.

    6. Russia  has imposed a no-fly zone over all of Ukraine. All civilian flights have  been cancelled. There is quite a crowd of US State Department staffers,  CIA and Mossad agents, and Western NGO people stuck at Borispol airport  in Kiev. Some are nervously calling everyone they know on their  satellite phones. Western politicians are demanding that they be  evacuated immediately, but Russian authorities want to hold onto them  until their possible complicity in war crimes has been determined.

    Flight radar shows zero flights over all of the Ukraine. In fact, air traffic has been disrupted over much of Europe, with many airspaces closed and lots of new restrictions on traffic. Many vacationers, especially those from the Ukraine, are stuck wherever they are. The ones in Egypt are lucky: the Egyptian government is paying for their hotel stays while they are stuck there. The Westerners, on the other hand, having learned their lesson from the fiasco in Afghanistan, fled the Ukraine ahead of time. Since there is a long list of places for them to get the hell out of before their luck runs out, it’s good that they are getting the knack of it.

    7. The usual Ukrainian talking heads, such as president Poroshenko, PM  Yatsenyuk and others, are no longer available to be interviewed by  Western media. Nobody quite knows where they are. There are rumors that  they have already fled the country. Crowds have stormed their abandoned  residences, and were amazed to discover that they were all outfitted  with solid gold toilets. Nor are the Ukrainian oligarchs anywhere to be  found, except for the warlord Igor Kolomoisky, who was found in his  residence, abandoned by his henchmen, dead from a heart attack.  (Contributed by the Saker.)

    The number one Ukrainian talking head, the president-cum-comedian Zelensky, is hiding in a bunker in Lvov, Führer-like, surrounded by his Nazi henchmen. His jumbled missives to the faithful appear to have been prerecorded. At the same time, the information war is proceeding apace, with numerous new fake news items arriving daily, too many to keep track of. The real fun will start when the TV channels in Kiev get denazified and Ukrainians stir from their eight-year stupor, figure a few things out for themselves and become extremely angry at those who have been lying to them for eight long years.

    8. Some of the over 800,000 Ukrainian refugees are starting to stream back in from Russia. They were  living in tent cities, many of them in the nearby Rostov region, but with the winter coming they are eager to get back home, now that the shelling is over. Along with them, construction crews, cement trucks and  flatbeds stacked with pipe, cable and rebar are streaming in, to repair  the damage from the shelling.

    This is yet to start happening. It will be a slow process, given that the number of refugees now, eight years later, is in the millions and scattered over numerous Russian regions.

    9. There is all sorts of intense diplomatic and military activity around the world, especially in Europe  and the US. Military forces are on highest alert, diplomats are jetting around and holding conferences. President Obama just held a press  conference to announce that “We don’t have a strategy on Ukraine yet.” His military advisers tell him that his usual strategy of “bomb a little  and see what happens” is not likely to be helpful in this instance.

    This is definitely the case. The goal for Western leaders now is to look purposeful and strong while doing nothing of consequence. They keep talking about cutting Russia off from SWIFT bank messaging system, but keep recoiling in horror when they realize what they will mean for their energy prices (which are already dangerously high). The Russian posture vis-à-vis Western sanctions seems to be “Bring them on; we are ready!” Apparently, eight years have been enough for Russia to thoroughly prepare for this event.

    10. Kiev has surrendered. There are Russian tanks on the Maidan Square. Russian infantry is mopping up the remains of Ukraine’s National Guard. A curfew has indeed been imposed. The operation to take Kiev resembled “Shock and Awe” in Baghdad: a few loud bangs and then a whimper.

    Russian tanks are unlikely to enter the city center; they are concentrated on destroying military installations, demobilizing the Ukrainian military and destroying the Nazi battalions. There is indeed a curfew in effect in Kiev.

    One more significant development worth mentioning: Russian forces are taking charge of the Ukraine’s nuclear installations, including the one at Chernobyl, which is now under joint Russian/Ukrainian control. This will reduce the chance that the Ukrainian Nazis will try to blow up one of them on their merry way to hell. The Ukraine has 15 nuclear reactors, and since it is virtually out of other sources of energy it has been running all of them flat out. Two of them went off-line recently because of technical issues. Russia is working very hard to make Chernobyl 2.0 less of a possibility.

    I am not sure what grade I should give myself for my predictions. Russia’s political and military planners have turned out to be quite a bit smarter than me, but this is not at all a surprise. After all, they have all of the intellectual resources of a huge, powerful country whereas I am just a guy with an office chair and a laptop.

    Do I care to make some more predictions about the Ukraine?

    Sure, why not!

    1. Donetsk and Lugansk regions will continue on their path of closer and closer integration into the Russian Federation. They are already part of the Russian currency space, their educational systems are integrated with Russia’s (same standards and procedures), their defense systems are fully integrated and diplomatically they act as a well-synchronized unit.

    2. An area further west, probably encompassing the entire basin of Dnieper River and the Black Sea littoral, from the Belorussian to the Romanian border, will be part of a Russian zone. The regions within this zone will be given political autonomy within a general security and economic framework linked to Russia. The rough outlines of this area can be determined from the following language map. The areas in red and orange—is Russian-speaking and is naturally part of the Russian zone. The only two exceptions will be a Carpatho-Russian enclave (in purple) which will need to be administered separately and a Hungarian enclave (in green) that might as well be absorbed into Hungary.

    3. Further west will lie a zone that will be wrapped in fancy paper with ribbons and bows and presented as an extra-special present to the EU to love to cherish and to suffer migraines and aneurisms over. Roughly speaking, the yellow area is Ukrainian-speaking and is an all-you-can-eat (please don’t choke) buffet for the West. It has relatively poor soil and high incidence of iodine deficiency and imbecility in the general population. It is also where Ukrainian nationalism comes from and where the current Ukrainian Nazi plague originated. The Russian stance should be (if I may be so bold as to recommend what the Russian government should do) along the lines of “If you like your Ukrainian Nazis, you can have your Ukrainian Nazis.”

    Why the Chinese system works

    Here we have a son who has a mental issue. He left home 11 years ago. But in China, everyone is monitored, and it is the duty, the requirement; the responsibility of each local govenrment to know who is in their jurisdiction. So they found this young man. And they used AI to find out who he was, and contacted his family. In this video, the mother and his sister comes to get him and take him home. It is not right for him to live hand-to-mouth on the streets alone.

    video 13MB

    Some meals of desperation

    Sigh. Life happens.

    Life is too short not to eat well.

    I argue that it is better to drive a distressed automobile but eat extraordinarily well, than you drive a nice car and live off fast food. And you can take that opinion of mine “to the bank“.

    Love her belly

    I like this girl’s belly. It is appealing. Like a milkshake. video 5MB

    Taiwan Leadership argues for a change in alliances

    Well, it is obvious to us here, but hidden from the rest of the world. The United States does not care about you or your country, and will abandon you and leave to to rot if it is to their advantage.

    Well, it looks like people in Taiwan are watching the events and wondering “what about us”?

    Former Taiwan Vice President from the pro Independence Party 民进党 (The people progressive party) openly criticized her own party and current president.  She now promotes discarding alignment with America, and a military buildup. She now is endorsing reunification with China. Wow.
    .
    Use Google to translate.
    .

    Look at the bright side…

    For those of you that are worried about all the changes and the onslaught of “news” about this or that, keep in mind what Satan thinks…

    Do good works

    It doesn’t take much. Just try to add something to your environment. Generate good thoughts. Over time, you will see a big difference.

    video

    The USA accounted for 81% of all global conflicts

    This is obvious to me, but not so for the rest of the world.

    ‘Never forget the real threat to world’: Amid Ukraine crisis, the Chinese embassy in Russia slams the United States. Among the 248 Armed conflicts that occurred in 153 regions across the world from 1945 to 2001, 201 were initiated by the US, accounting for 81% of the total number.

    https://www.firstpost.com/world/never-forget-real-threat-to-world-amid-ukraine-crisis-chinese-embassy-in-russia-slams-us-10413011.html

    Be the Rufus

    It’s all about community. Participate. Make the world a better place. Be like the Chinese. video 6MB

    Austrian Minister of Defence, Klaudier Tanner

    According to SD, this might be the person who would launch World War III. Whether it is soon, or far off. This is the face of the person to initiated the nuclear conflagration.

    Austrian Minister of Defense, Klaudier Tanner.

    Satan has some advice to Americans / EU

    Taxi Driver gives a ride for free

    He’s a true Rufus. He sees a young girl carrying a baby all alone,a nd stope and gives them a free ride. What a Rufus! video 6MB

    Now, let’s talk hamburgers.

    This piece of work really speaks to me. You know…

    Hamburgers for all.

    What do the Chinese think?

    Maybe a tiny percentage of netizens are very interested in the situation in Ukraine, following it constantly, but I’d say majority (95%, I guess ?) of Chinese just get on with their life and feel grateful that they can live in a contry where NATO/US & its 5-eyes allies can not come and bomb it.
    
    MSM/some people keep on posting this or that about Chinese/China’s stands on the on-going situation between Russia and Ukraine, it sometimes seems to me like a part of the Western psyop to drive a wedge between Russia and China and their supporters/sympathisers.
    
    -Lulu
    

    Russian SWIFT cutoff

    According to the Russian National SWIFT Association, Russia has the second-largest number of users after the US, with some 300 Russian financial institutions in the system, more than half of Russia’s financial institutions.
    .
    This is not the first time US, EU banned Russia from SWIFT. So Putin is not caught by surprise.
    Russia is the world second largest exporter of resources, so, by imposing sanction on Russia from using SWIFT (yet again), it will force the world hungry for Russian resources to trade through China in RMB.
    .
    Only this time, the Chinese RMB international transaction system is established and ready to welcome the world with confidence.
    .
    As a result, we can expect the continue rising in value of rmb, this will attract more and more investors using rmb as reserve currency, and will speed up the replacement of US dollar to rmb worldwide.
    .
    There is always good reason behind an inevitable empire collapsed:
    .
    US regimes are basically run by elderly who born in the 1930s and 40s, these are out of touch extreme supremacists. They are self centred, know no consequences, one leg already in the coffin; truly ugly, old folks. Their stupidly and aggression will send their country into poverty, backwardness, and disintegration. Well, it already has, but so far the decay has been hidden from prublic view.
    .
    As the Chinese word 危机 (crisis) suggests; 危 is for danger, and 机 is for opportunity.
    .
    So each time the West creates a crisis for China and others, China will identify the opportunities to turn the crisis into opportunity and make herself stronger.
    .
    Each time, US and Europe push and promote aggression against China, they are actually helping to create an enemy that they cannot defeat.
    .
    Welcome to the coming new world order with more fairness, equality, and freedom from the nasty; nasty American-lead unipolar global dictatorship.

    China’s Xinghua News journalist reporting from Ukraine and Belarus

    – Journalist at Gomel, Belarus says the safety measure for the negotionation place is extreme high. Police does not journalist to get close the place where negotiation to take place: https://www.bilibili.com/video/av296979724?from=search&seid=13039214469606151791&spm_id_from=333.337.0.0;

    – The Russian delegation says they didn’t sleep the whole night while waiting for the arriaval fo the Ukrainian delegation, which delayed/changed due to their logistical issues: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Xu411D777?spm_id_from=333.999.0.0;

    – Feb. 28th around 8: 30 local time, the same Chinese businessman of yesterday’s vido I posted, who lives in Kiev suburb, tells Xinhua News that the suburb of Kiev is quiet. It’s safe to stay at home. He also says there’s only one TV channel in Ukraine right now only reporting the war: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Ea411h7GX?spm_id_from=333.999.0.0;

    He also says bread and water at supermarket are basically gone, lots of empty shelves, and restrict to 2500 Ukrainian hryvnia per purchase: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1ga411h7B1?spm_id_from=333.999.0.0.

    Hope these videos from Xinhua News give your guy some extra inform that differs from Western MSM’s perspectives.

    And also speaking about hamburgers…

    I think that all this is making me hungry, but you know… as they say at Burger King, “It takes two hands to handle a whopper”!

    He’s got two huge burgers.

    Other actions by the United States

    Here’s some article in my morning feed. Obviously part of the mighty propaganda machine, just a churning things out left and right and my opinions…

    U.S. To Expel 12 Russian Diplomats At UN

    Is it even possible? The USA does not run the UN.

    Ukraine Seeks To Join EU As Round Of Talks With Russia Ends

    If it cannot join NATO then it will try to join the EU. Man will that destory the EU financially. Whoa!

    Ruble Dives, Stocks Sink As West Tightens Russia Sanctions

    It's all "play money". Don't be so sure about things in global economics. It's an entirely new "ball game".

    Russian porn stars banned from OnlyFans amid invasion of Ukraine

    The horror!

    Biden updates nuclear explosion guidelines to include SOCIAL DISTANCING as Putin readies missiles

    It's progressive, don't you know.

    US closes embassy in Belarus and threatens more sanctions if it joins Russian invasion of Ukraine

    The USA "color revolution" failed.  So the USA now treats Belarus as a Russian state.

    Six American special ops veterans join the fight in Ukraine

    Many Americans can't wait to kill those pesky commies!

    Dan Murphy’s and BWS to pull all Russian vodka from shelves in opposition to invasion of Ukraine

    'Merica!

    Remember what America has become

    No, it is not the image of a “great and wonderful white shinging building on the hill”, but rather a corrupt, third world nation that is falling down into black hole of decay and internal rot at all levels. video 51MB

    Why I think that America has been taken over by Satan…

    Think Hamburgers

    This lass certainly does.

    I thought we were reasonably free of Trump and I ignore most of his utterings. But this one – it got to me.

    TRUMP: “Under Bush, Russia invaded Georgia. Under Obama, Russia took Crimea. Under Biden, Russia invaded Ukraine.”
    
    “I stand as the only president of the twenty-first century on who’s watch Russia did not invade another country.”

    America’s brutalist belief system

    No wonder, the bully still thinks it’s 20 years old, muscular and tough. When instead, it’s an old seniale man, with a walker. video 3MB

    From the attack dogs’ own mouths—how stupid can these people be?

    Why I think that America has been taken over by Satan…

    Here’s rifle training in middle school. I wonder what the American school kids learn in schools today. video 3MB

    Yeah. Trolls hate me putting up pictures of pretty ladies. Oh, boy oh boy! Do they hate it. It drives them bonker-crazy! But no one has yet to complain about my love for hamburgers.

    Here we have a vintage lass hold a fine burger in her hands. Now, what’s wrong about that? Whoops! Mind the nipple flash. I think that it must be a “wardrobe malfunction”.

    At the operational level there have been mistakes such as about convoys undefended. At the strategic level things are very much on track. Russian procedure on clearing towns is excellent and was used extensively in Syria.

    Step 1 approach the town and assess the chance of their surrender
    Step 2 surround the town, cutting off resupply.
    Step 3 based on initial recon begin with very targeted strikes weakening defenses
    Step 4 send in probes to gain a clearer picture of internal defenses
    Step 5 begin degrading them
    Step 6 open humanitarian corridors
    Step 7 begin probing attacks from different sides 24/7 to disturb and confuse and sleep deprive (your troops can rest)
    Step 8 when defenses are sufficiently weakened invade

    Chinese Term ‘Wuxin Gongzuo’: Can’t Focus on Work Due to Russia-Ukraine Crisis

    Chinese netizens are so focused on the Russian attack on Ukraine that nobody can focus on work (wuxin gongzuo).  From HERE.

    2022 03 01 15 20
    2022 03 01 15 20

    A comment

    The Grand Chessboard reveals all. 
    
    The purpose of NATO is... 
    
    keep Germany down in Europe, 
    keep the USA in control of Europe, 
    keep the Russians out. 
    
    With the combined factors of; 
    
    Russia’s rise and dedollarise; 
    China’s rise militarily and economically; 
    Germany’s pending approval of NS2 to increase Germany’s economic strength; Germany being the dominant economy and country in EU; 
    
    America had to find a way to scare EU and tighten America’s stranglehold on the EU. 
    
    What better way than to provoke a war in a part of Europe not exactly vital to EU? 
    
    Ukraine is going exactly to plan: it’s a win win for USA and Russia. 
    
    Russia knows its LNG sales to other countries, like Japan, will not be targeted. Can you imagine what will happen to Japan if LNG from Sakhalin is removed? The depressive effects will spark a global depression. 
    
    You can bet China is studying this Ukraine conflict very intently. 
    
    We have reached an inflection point. 
    
    The world will shift to a path different from the hegemon’s choosing. Whatever deity you choose to praise, do thank him/her for your salvation.
    
    -Grune
    

    Pretty girl

    Here’s one of the popular girls on Douxing in China. She’s impressive. video 3MB

    How about some hamburgers?

    While all sorts of crazy stuff is going on in the United States, the rest of the world is fine and following plans. So don’t get too worked up about it. how about enjoying a fine hamburger instead.

    Elon Musk deploys SpaceX’s Starlink Internet satellites over Ukraine after request from vice PM | Euronews

    There seems to be an obvious connection between the United States military / government and Elon Musk. From the attack on the Chinese Space Station to this, it’s obviously suspicious.

    https://www.euronews.com/next/2022/02/27/elon-musk-deploys-spacex-s-starlink-internet-satellites-over-ukraine-after-request-from-vi

    Here she is again.

    Nice view. She’s a strutting down the street don’t you know. video 3MB

    Oh, and don’t forget about the fries!

    Sheech! I am so accustomed about eating hamburgers with french fries that I forgot how to eat a burger without them. Usually, I try to substitute potato chips, or potato salad instead.

    Americans, Brits and Europeans should stop clapping with glee…

    This is the latest comment from Aaron Hawkins (Storm Clouds Gathering):

    “ As this war heats up you will see many cheering for one flag or the other; promoting escalations and retaliations. This is a trap. 
    
    Who exactly benefits from a major war that sends millions of young, fighting age men and women to slaughter each other in Eurasia (at the precise moment when civil disobedience with teeth was beginning to spread)? 
    
    And what do you suppose is about to happen to the monetary system now that Russia is being cut from SWIFT? 
    
    Did you consider the fact that not only does Europe depend heavily on Russian gas (that the U.S. cannot even come close to replacing), but Russia and Ukraine also happen to be the world’s two largest wheat exporters comprising approximately 30% of global production? 
    
    All of Ukraine’s exports have been halted, and with Russia cut off from the western banking system all future customers will have to work outside the dollar. 
    
    Even if the physical war were to be contained to Ukraine (spoiler alert: it won’t), the consequences of the cyber and economic warfare already underway will be devastating. Western leaders are setting their populations up for much more than just parabolic price increases. Widespread shortages and famine are on the horizon. This will not be a short term phenomenon."

    Five days into the war and the first inkling of truth is presented to Americans

    Video 15MB. Well worth the watch.

    2022 03 01 15 33
    2022 03 01 15 33

    Alex Rubinstein tweets,

    Watch Yevhen Karas the leader of Ukraine’s neo-Nazi terror gang C14’s speech from Kiev earlier this month. Straight from the horses’ mouth, he dispels the many narratives pushed by the Western governments, the mainstream media and the State Department.
    .
    He claims:
    .
    • – Ukraine is being armed as pawns of the West because “we have fun killing”
    • – “We have started a war”
    • – “We have the most Javelins on the European continent”
    • – The European family has already collapsed
    • – Maidan would’ve been a “gay parade” if not for Nazi influence

    America is pushing all this warfare

    Keep in mind the ugly face of what he Hell that everyone is dealing with right now. The United States is NOT a happy, safe, and healthy nation right now. video 3MB

    Now that’s a serious whopper!

    Wow!

    Great Video Speech regarding Ukraine & Russia 2014

    Well, worth the watch. I watched it, was going to record it, and then Boom! No longer available in my region. Sigh! I urge everyone to watch it.

    https://vm.tiktok.com/ZSeTGq816/

    Playing the mighty Wurlitzer vs Reality

    By Chris Faure

    Do people seriously imagine Russia simply blundered into the Ukraine not knowing what the west would do?

    You may be surprised to hear that the world is actually still spinning.  All we have to deal with is the mighty Wurlitzer which is an old-style pipe organ for theaters, and also a propaganda instrument.

    Allow me a moment to explain:

    In 1967 the magazine Ramparts ran an exposé revealing that the Central Intelligence Agency had been secretly funding and managing a wide range of citizen front groups intended to counter communist influence around the world. 
    
    In addition to embarrassing prominent individuals caught up, wittingly or unwittingly, in the secret superpower struggle for hearts and minds, the revelations of 1967 were one of the worst operational disasters in the history of American intelligence and presaged a series of public scandals from which the CIA’s reputation has arguably never recovered.
    
    CIA official Frank Wisner called the operation his “mighty Wurlitzer,” on which he could play any propaganda tune.   
    
    Hugh Wilford provides the first comprehensive account of the clandestine relationship between the CIA and its front organizations. 
    
    Using an unprecedented wealth of sources, he traces the rise and fall of America’s Cold War front network from its origins in the 1940s to its Third World expansion during the 1950s and ultimate collapse in the 1960s.
    
    Covering the intelligence officers who masterminded the CIA’s fronts as well as the involved citizen groups—émigrés, labor, intellectuals, artists, students, women, Catholics, African Americans, and journalists—Wilford provides a surprising analysis of Cold War society that contains valuable lessons for our own age of global conflict.

    Now, the Mighty Wurlitzer, exposed during the cold war, has never ended.

    We see it in full swing now.

    Here are a few snippets, a few items from memory (it has to be from memory as most of the Russian sites are still down, or up or down, in a relentless cyber propaganda war and this cannot be meticulously linked to source).

    And you know what, the Ukraine inherited its own theater and mighty Wurlitzer, where they are designing and producing for the common man, theater productions for this current time.

    Excepting now, it is all done in studio with breathless journalists playing war and running around in front of green screens.

    So, while the tinny and discordant theater music sometimes drowns out even our own ability to think (it is torture, you know!) let’s look at a few realities.

    Sanctions.  Big Big Headlines – Russia is sanctioned for this or that and for basically everything, even Vodka.  The latest is SWIFT (but only for a few banks).  Take a good look at the sanctions.  It is paper production for the purpose of paper production.  The German sanctions on Russian banks for example have fine print.  (They all have).  They’re sanctioning Russia from hell, but of course, this does not apply to gas or oil payments.  Those will continue, says the fine print.

    Sanctions on Russia are now the latest fashion accessory.  The one that can play that Wurlitzer the loudest is the one who wins.  So what happens if they don’t win?  What happens if they are busy shooting themselves in the heart, and not even in the foot?.  What happens if the fervor to punish Russia simply accelerates their own demise?

    Russia is decoupling as fast as what the West is sanctioning.  A headline that comes to mind is: “European Commission: The disconnection of a number of banks from SWIFT “will actually block Russian exports and imports”.

    No Einstein, it will hasten de-dollarization.

    How about a plate of double cheeseburgers?

    I could easily eat all of them up. WHat they do need is a fine strawberry milkshake, don’t you know.

    Chinese girl

    Let’s take a look at this fine Chinese lass. Here she is inside of her house. I’ll bet she is fun to be with. video 1MB

    America’s Anti-Russian “news”…

    This morning from Medvedev:

    ‘Final review’ of Russia’s relations with West now possible – former president

    Dmitry Medvedev has dubbed European organizations “meaningless almshouses”.
    .

    Western sanctions could be an “excellent reason for a final review” of Russia’s relations with the nations that have imposed the restrictions, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council and former president, Dmitry Medvedev, said on Saturday.

    Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, which was launched on February 24, has prompted outrage in the West and a new wave of harsh sanctions against Russia. In a lengthy post on the Russian social network VK, Medvedev called the restrictions “a myth, a figment, a figure of speech.”

    Sanctions could be an excellent reason for the final review of all relations with those states that have introduced them. Including interruption of the dialogue on strategic stability,” Medvedev wrote.

    [sidebar] Take another look at that sentence – why now? It is because most of the western world do not have answers to Russia on strategic stability, so they decided to play that Wurlitzer pretty loud to attempt to hide their inability). 

    He added that in principle, it is possible “to renounce everything,” including the New START Treaty.

    Yes, and diplomatic relations, in principle, are not particularly needed. It’s time to close the embassies with barn locks. And to continue contacts by examining each other only through binoculars and weapons’ optical systems,” Medvedev said.

    Commenting on the decision by the Council of Europe and Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to suspend Russia’s membership, the former president said that while this is a “flagrant injustice,” it could still be considered as a good reason “to finally slam the door and forget about these meaningless almshouses forever.”

    This development could also be used to “restore a number of important institutions for prevention of especially serious crimes in the country,” he said, such as the “death penalty for the most dangerous criminals, which, by the way, is being actively used in the United States and China.

    He has no assets abroad and to the UK sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote:

    Neither Putin, nor Lavrov have accounts neither in Britain nor anywhere abroad. Maybe the kingdom’s government got something frozen off rather than it froze something?”

    We are in a new world.

    A few more:

    Russia has just suspended cooperation with NASA on the international space station .. including the launch team which will not be available to the US.  Russia will work with China.

    Zap!

    Are there any US astronauts there at the moment?  I don’t know, but Elon Musk will have to get them home.

    Let’s take a look at few more of Mr Putin’s actions these last days.

    Russia’s President Meeting (http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/67851) with Security Council permanent members

    💬 Vladimir Putin: According to available information, and this is confirmed by objective monitoring – we are seeing this; Banderites and neo-Nazis are putting up heavy weapons, including MLRS, right in the central districts of large cities, including Kiev and Kharkov. They plan to force return fire by Russian strike systems vs residential quarters. They are acting in the same way terrorists act all over the world – using people as shields.

    It is known for a fact that all this is being done on the recommendations of foreign consultants, primarily American advisors.

    ❗️ Once again, I am appealing to the military of the armed forces of Ukraine. Do not allow neo-Nazis and Banderites to use your children, wives and elders as a live shield. Take power into your own hands. It seems it will be easier for us to come to terms with you than with this gang of drug addicts & neo-Nazis that have settled in Kiev and that have taken the Ukrainian people.

    President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation (https://is.gd/m8pf2L) with President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

    The Presidents discussed developments related to the special military operation designed to protect peaceful civilians in Donbass as well as Ukraine’s demilitarisation and denazification.

    ☝️ Shavkat Mirziyoyev expressed understanding of Russia’s actions.

    The Presidents also touched upon certain current issues on the bilateral agenda. They reaffirmed their shared intention to continue the development of the Russian-Uzbek strategic partnership with a focus on implementing specific trade, economic, and humanitarian projects.

    President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation (https://is.gd/322XIF) with President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping.

    The President of Russia gave the President of China a detailed account of the reasons behind the recognition of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic and the start of a special military operation to protect civilians from genocide and ensure the demilitarisation and denazification of the Ukrainian state. Vladimir Putin also noted that considering the signals received from Kiev he was ready to send a delegation to Minsk to hold talks with representatives of Ukraine.

    ☝️ Xi Jinping stressed that he respected the actions of the Russian leadership in the current crisis.

    The two Leaders assessed the current international situation from a common perspective. They reaffirmed a mutual readiness to closely cooperate and support each other further at the UN and in other multilateral platforms.

    Held at Kyrgyzstan’s initiative, the telephone conversation (https://is.gd/Ppnjou) between President Vladimir Putin and President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov focused on the situation with the special military operation carried out by Russia in Ukraine.

    ☝️ Sadyr Japarov said that Kiev was responsible for derailing the Minsk agreements and expressed his support for Russia’s decisive actions to protect civilians in Donbass. Vladimir Putin thanked the President of Kyrgyzstan for his principled solidarity.

    The two Presidents reaffirmed their mutual commitment to strengthening the strategic partnership and allied relations between Russia and Kyrgyzstan in all areas.

    President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation (https://is.gd/oACYDq) with Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan.

    The Parties continued their exchange of views on the practical aspects of the implementation of the agreements documented by the November 9, 2020, January 11 and November 26, 2021, tripartite statements by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia on Nagorno-Karabakh, including efforts to ensure stability and security on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. Some items on the current bilateral agenda were also touched upon.

    The Ukraine is dancing to the music of the Mighty Wurlitzer.  Don’t you do that too!  Turn the music off. Zone B is way behind Zone A in playing the organ, but way ahead in creating a life friendly to human people, for this planet.Margarita Simonyan focused on the 5th and 6th columns with a devasting phrase:

    “If you are now ashamed that you are Russian, do not worry, you are not Russian,” she wrote in her Telegram channel.

    And in the event that you are worried about China, they just posted this from their Russian embassy.  They truly understand that this time it is Russia, but for the throw of a set of dice, or a different tune on the Wurlitzer, it could have been China.

    Captures

    USA’s and UK’s “lethal aid” To Ukraine captured by DPR and Russian forces. SMAW-D & NLAW

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk201KFPXJM&ab_channel=PatrickLancaster

    It’s about how you look at things

    It’s all so easy to get caught up. Don’t. Sit down. Settle down and enjoy life more.

    Serious considerations

    I imagine at this point President Putin has convened a Stavka and he and the general staff of the Russian Armed Forces are now looking at all thinkable and unthinkable situations that could evolve that would impact the safety and security of the Russian people.

    The President of the Russian Federation has to prepare the State apparatus for:

    1. Sustained war against Russia
    2. Explain to the people what they must do and why they must do it
    3. Insure all civil defense structures are ready to house and feed the masses
    4. Speak with the clergy to address all military personnel and give them the spiritual confidence to fight hard
    5. Seek allies including China and make them all realize they will have to engage their forces now or perish

    Russia waited too long and now she will saddle up and ride as fast as possible to meet the enemy head on and at full speed. The time for principled diplomacy has ended; the shashka has been unsheathed and it will cut the beast a thousand times and stab it in its dark heart until it is dead.

    Oh, and what about Coronavirus?

    Imagine that!

    2022 03 01 15 50
    2022 03 01 15 50

    A fine Chinese lass

    EDM. ED. ED. M.

    It’s all so pop contemporaneous China. video. 3MB

    Report from Russia

    Transated from this article –
    https://m.vz.ru/society/2022/2/25/1145802.html

    The feat of the Russian special forces opened the way to Kiev –

    The Russian army entered Kiev on Friday. This happened only on the second day after the start of the special military operation in Ukraine, which means that what is happening can be assessed as a grandiose success. However, there is reason to believe that the entire plan of the operation hung in the balance – and everything turned out successfully only thanks to the real feat of the special forces soldiers.

    The most important event took place in the north of Ukraine, in the region of Kiev. It was there, at the Gostomel airport, on February 24, that several helicopters landed with Spetsnaz commandos.
    https://youtu.be/rorZDGkcd54

    In the video, several people, without fussing, set up a firing position on one of the outskirts of the giant Gostomel airfield to the sound of automatic bursts. The pathos of the plot was powerful and straightforward – Russian troops, just a few hours after the start of the operation, found themselves on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital. It was unthinkable to imagine something like this the day before.

    The Antonov airfield (officially called Gostomel a few years ago) is the “home” airfield of the famous Antonov company. This is an airfield with a huge runway (three and a half thousand meters), covering hundreds of hectares. It operates and is equipped with everything necessary for the takeoff and landing of heavy military transport aircraft.

    From a military point of view, Gostomel has a number of advantages over other Kiev airfields (Zhulyany and Boryspil). First of all, it is not used as often, it has much less staff and people in general. It is located on the right bank of the Dnieper, where the main administrative buildings of Kiev are located. It is closest to the city center. And most importantly, it is closest to the Belarusian border (only about 60-70 km), from where the Russian landing force advanced.

    Apparently, special forces helicopters covered this distance over the Dnieper, which in these places, from the Belarusian-Ukrainian border to Kiev, is extremely wide. The instant appearance of a division of the Russian Airborne Forces twenty kilometers from the center of the Ukrainian capital means a knife at the heart of the Kiev regime.

    Of course, the significance of what was happening was instantly understood in the Kiev military leadership. Throughout the night of February 25, there were reports of an intense battle was going on in the vicinity of Gostomel. The British Minister of Defense even announced that – “the Russian landing near Kiev failed, Russia lost hundreds of fighters.”

    However, on the morning of February 25, it turned out that the skirmish in Gostomel did not subside at all – as it should have happened if the special forces had really been destroyed. On the contrary, it intensified. And in the neighborhood of Gostomel, other battles suddenly began. And there were reports of completely different tanks – Russian combat vehicles were found near the village of Vorzel, ten kilometers from the airfield.

    It was, apparently, a special aid group made her way all night to the special forces soldiers surrounded at the airfield – and finally released it. Following which, there were reports of other combat groups of the Russian army approaching Kiev.

    And a little later came the official message.

    “On February 24, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation carried out a successful landing operation in the area of ​​the Gostomel airfield in the suburbs of Kiev. During the capture of the airfield, more than 200 nationalists from the special units of Ukraine were killed,” said the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Igor Konashenkov. Later it was stated that Russian troops completely blocked Kiev from the west.

    We have before us an example of exceptional valor and military skill, shown to all of us in what is called real time.

    You must realize why America is pushing this war against Asia…

    Fight, fight, fight is all about distract, distract, and distract. The true face of what America is, is NOT pretty. I wonder why these images are not shown on CNN, BBC or FOX “news”?  video

    It’s about how you look at things

    The end of SWIFT

    China’s Cross-Border International Payments System will give Russia a lifeline and accelerate the de-dollarization of the world.

    https://asiatimes.com/2022/02/chinas-swift-alternative-may-undercut-us-sanctions/

    This Chinese girl is in a purple place

    It’s a weird place and state to be in don’t you know. All purple. All the time. Purple. Purple. video 5MB

    It’s about how you look at things

    France seizes suspected Russian-owned ship in Channel

    Russia seeks explanation after ship thought to belong to company targeted by US and EU sanctions is held.

    From HERE.

    French sea police have seized a ship in the Channel that authorities suspect belongs to a Russian company in one of the first visible displays of the West enforcing sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

    The cargo vessel transporting cars, which was headed for St Petersburg, is “strongly suspected of being linked to Russian interests targeted by the sanctions”, said Capt Veronique Magnin, of the French Maritime Prefecture. The ship was diverted to the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France between 3am and 4am local time, Magnin said, adding that checks were being carried out by customs officials and that the ship’s crew was “being cooperative”.

    The US Treasury Department has issued blocking sanctions against the vessel saying it was owned by a subsidiary of Russian lender Promsvyazbank, one of the Russian entities hit by US sanctions.

    The bank’s CEO, Pyotr Fradkov, is the son of Mikhail Fradkov, a former head of Russia’s foreign intelligence service, who also served as prime minister under Vladimir Putin. Pyotr Fradkov was himself included in the latest round of US sanctions. Promsvyazbank, in a comment sent to Reuters, said its subsidiary no longer owns the Baltic Leader, and that it was bought by a different entity before the sanctions were imposed.

    The Russian embassy in France is seeking an explanation from authorities over the seizure, Russia’s RIA news agency quoted the embassy as saying. The embassy also said the ship’s crew had been allowed to come ashore and move freely about the port.

    The United States, European Union, and other Western states this week imposed extensive new financial and trade sanctions on Russia after it sent military forces into neighbouring Ukraine. The US Treasury said Promsvyazbank was put under sanctions “for operating or having operated in the defence and related materiel and financial services sectors of the Russian Federation economy.” It was also targeted by EU sanctions.

    MM comments on this article

    • French sea police have seized a ship
    • The US Treasury Department has issued blocking sanctions
    • The Russian embassy in France is seeking an explanation

    Ergo; France is a proxy nation taking orders from the United States.

    It’s about how you look at things

    Just focus on what is in front of you. One fry at a time.

    Chinese girl on a bed

    It’s pretty typical. yah. Nice smile. Like she ate a bird. LOL

    video 5MB

    Build up to Nuclear war?

    From everything we see in the news lately about all the attacks against Russia,we may actually be heading for WW3 after all.

    If the EU does provide military aircraft to Ukraine, and they allow them to based in NATO countries next door…

    …then they emerge from their safe bases in NATO and fly out and attack Russian forces and then scurry back across the border.

    There is no way Russia will tolerate that.

    What they will do is that they will go across those borders and destroy all those bases, and the weapons there.

    If that brings war between Russia and NATO then Europe needs to be sure they have enough nuclear bomb shelters around, because they are going to need them.

    I saw on RT that Russia was going to start evacuating their citizens from the EU.

    Now just what do we think that says… eh?

    An important tweet

    I think that Richard Moore, the chief of MI6, certainly revealed a lot when he tweeted this

    “With the tragedy and destruction unfolding so distressingly in Ukraine, we should remember the values and hard won freedoms that distinguish us from Putin, none more than LGBT+ rights. So let’s resume our series of tweets to mark #LGBTHM2022.”

    Peter Mann Comments

    Not everyone knows the details and background of events happening halfway around the world, even for well educated and smart people. If they sit there and watch the mainstream news, they will obviously be victims to pervasive and well coordinated propaganda.

    Confirmation bias is a strong force.

    If you’re not careful, whatever you hear first becomes the truth regardless of facts. Even very smart people may be susceptible. Sometimes, arguments ensue. The first part of the comment relates to finding the truth, the second part more specifically on the current armed conflict, with a small prediction for the end game.

    No need to argue. Challenge the seeker of truth to find out.
    Here is a short clip from Brian Berlectic, an ex-Marine who has been living in Thailand and has done very good work showing his viewers the sources of his information, usually directly from the liar’s mouth. This is very similar to I. F. Stone, who exposed the liars by meticulously digging through information provided by the liars. My first exposure to I. F. Stone was his “The Hidden History of the Korean War.” It is important to know who the liars are, and then never trust anything they say.
    How to learn the truth? Stay smart, read widely, read beyond the superficial, read between the lines, read the fine print, learn about the writer/speaker and his organization, get into the head of the author, be careful of false narratives, reject insidious adjectives, learn about deliberate omissions and obfuscations, look in the mirror, question everything, including your own beliefs.
    Liars are not hard to expose, yet people prefer to believe in liars who are known to do nothing but lie. Ask yourself why. It’s very difficult if not impossible for a hypocrite to admit that he or she is a hypocrite. Americans like to elect them for a good reason.

     

    Here is a clip from an Ukrainian girl Masha who is from Donetsk in the Donbass, about 20 kms from the war zone. She speaks almost perfect Chinese and works as a translator for Chinese businessmen in Kyiv. Her family has been living in the shadow of war for the past 8 years. Masha has done vlogs showing the bombed out areas. American poison has been creating hell for some Ukrainians but the hypocrites do not see it. Who paid for the poison? The American people of course.

    There has always been a solution for peace; it’s known as Minsk II. But it’s another lie just like Camp David and Oslo. The Palestinians are weak and divided, so they will suffer what they must. But Russia is the largest country in the world with the most nuclear arms. Its people have destroyed Napoleon’s previously invincible Grande Armee and single-handedly killed over a million German soldiers who dared to invade their country. American lies of how they have saved the world from the Nazis are laughable for people who have read history beyond American propaganda. Why should anyone be so delusional as to believe that the Russians will sit there and be bullied into submission without a fight? The stupidity of these tiny European chihuahua countries like Georgia and Lithuania are so poisoned by the American lie that they really think they want to goad Russia into war. And when they have it, where is their protector overlord?
    Ukraine is of course a basketcase. It is just a puppet government installed by the hegemon, and its comedian head of state has been following the American script of forcing Russia into war. All that suits America of course. This war would not have happened if America wanted peace. The war would be easy to avert and it’s not by America imposing the mother of all sanctions on Putin (the false narrative around which the political partisans are fighting; American mainstream media has become a farce). America only has to agree to let Ukraine be a non-military zone. How hard is that? How evil is Russia’s request? Russia’s position has been very clear from Day One. If America won’t agree, then Russia will turn Ukraine into a NMZ. For some reason, many pundits refused to see it. But America does not want peace. America wants wars that Russia will be fighting with its European neighbors. It will let America put its European vassals on a short leash, get Russia and Europe to destroy each other’s economy, and create bad blood for Russia and its neighbors while providing a lot of good propaganda for America, allowing the Empire to maintain its hegemony. It is nefarious as hell. And of course, the morons of America will suddenly decide that the lying politicians and lying mainstream media are telling righteous truths. Evil Russia has out of the blues invaded Ukraine without provocation. The stock market goes up because oil goes up and the Military Industrial Complex expects big contracts. The hegemon wins again, thanks to the Ukrainian Neo-Nazis acting as America’s attack dogs.

    Once you cut through the bullshit and understand what’s going on, it’s easy to predict what will happen.

    These people and countries acting as attack dogs for the empire must therefore be taught an unforgettable lesson. If you don’t put down the rabid dogs, they will get up and bite you again. Therefore, Russia will not take half measures. They will not stop unless the surrender is total, and punishment for the miscreants dealt out accordingly. Otherwise, this operation will be for naught.
    Why argue? There is no morality in politics. If anyone believes there is, then they’re fools. Show me a country willing to crusade for the Palestinians and I’ll show you a moral politician. In geopolitics, one does not own anything one cannot defend. The rest is bullshit and balderdash.
    For the same reason, I wrote two years ago that a golden opportunity presented itself for China to summarily reunify with Taiwan without bloodshed. I suspect a well planned operation at the golden moment will only take hours, certainly less than a day. The sooner it happens, the less mayhem America can cause with its poison, paid by American taxpayers of course. The American people will starve and die on the street, but they love a good war, and will spend any amount of money to fight the Russians to the last Ukrainian. How happy they will be to see the Chinese fighting the Chinese!
    Peace out!
    PM

    Putin and Xi Peng

    Great video. Video 2MB

    How to defeat ‘Bot Trolls

    Wow! Since I have incorporated my mix up of multiple subjects in articles, there was a near collapse in troll activity on MM. Of course, youse guys wouldn’t be aware of what’s going on as I don’t publish the majority of comments. But yeah. It’s all way, way down. It drives the algorithms crazy. They cannot handle dialog and it causes them to go zoomy! Whether a person or a ‘bot. They cannot handle mixed content in an article.

    Quick update from the talks in Belarus:

    Russians and Ukranians are trying to discuss how to end the conflict. The dude in the cap from Ukraine at the talks demands the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from the Crimea and Donbass. Russia wants the end of NATO encroachment.

    So don’t expect anything from these negotiations.

    You will note that the Ukrainian negotiators all have their iPhones laid out on the table so that the US curators can hear every word.

    Sovereignty, eh?

    It’s about how you look at things

    And today. We are looking at hamburgers.

    Question everything!

    An outstanding video. Very true. video 9MB

    2022 03 01 16 00
    2022 03 01 16 00

    War in Ukrainian: cowardice, lies and chaos

    Translated on MM from Russian.
    .
    Shooting at residential buildings, distributing weapons and hunting for "saboteurs" - in war, all means are good
    Valentin ALFIMOV
    Due to the fact that Ukrainian troops hide their equipment in cities, shells fly right into residential buildings.
    .
    THE PEOPLE ARE THE BEST PROTECTION
    “Ukrainian nationalists place armored vehicles and artillery in residential areas of cities, using the population as a “human shield,” said Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov.
    It turns out, indeed, that the Ukrainian warriors showed the world “innovative tactics” of combat. With a 100% guarantee, they learned how to take their technique out of the blow. Everything is very simple: you just need to brazenly stick a gun or “Grad” at the school, kindergarten or just under the windows of residential buildings. In other words, hide behind civilians:
    .
    Here in the residential quarter of Severodonetsk, right at the school stadium, there is a calculation of 3 howitzers, a kindergarten was left behind the scenes. Ammunition is laid out next to each, the fighters are at the ready.
    In a residential area of ​​Severodonetsk, right at the school stadium, the Armed Forces of Ukraine deployed a crew of 3 howitzers
    Here is a military truck on the steps of the Odessa Opera House (an architectural monument, by the way) hiding from Russian intelligence right under the roof.
    Military truck on the steps of the Odessa Opera House
    Here is a self-propelled gun of the 92nd brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine rested its caterpillars on the balconies of house No. 308 in the Solnechny microdistrict of Kharkov.
    And there are hundreds of such photos and videos now. The residents of the cities are starting to lose their nerves – in the same Severodonetsk, people went out into the yard to drive away the Ukrainian armored personnel carrier with the words to the soldiers “get out of here, we have a full basement of children.”
    But Mariupol is especially affected by this , which was turned into a fortress by the nationalists of the Azov Regiment and the Right Sector (both banned in Russia). They placed mortar crews right on the roofs of high-rise buildings!
    In Severodonetsk, people are trying to drive Ukrainian armored personnel carriers away from their homes
    .
    IN YOUR OWN EYE THE LOGS DO NOT SEE
    .
    Due to the fact that Ukrainian troops hide their equipment in cities, shells fly right into residential buildings. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that a Ukrainian Buk missile hit a residential building in Kyiv.
    The most striking example is the “Russian missile attack” on a high-rise building in Kyiv – the Zhuliany district. “The Russian aggressor is shooting at residential buildings!” – the news rushed through the Ukrainian propaganda channels and networks.
    .
    The Russian Defense Ministry found out: “At night, there was a failure in the missile guidance system of the Ukrainian Buk-M1 air defense system and the missile hit the corner of a residential building.” And in general, “the Russian army does not strike at cities.” He doesn’t even hit the barracks, so that there are no big casualties. Only at military air bases and warehouses.
    .
    A little later, local residents confirmed that the rocket came from where the Ukrainian units are stationed.
    .
    Under such pressure, even the command of the Ukrainian army surrendered, they admitted that it was their missile.
    But the NATO and Ukrainian media are already silent about this. The culprit has been found, but it has already been hammered into people’s heads – “Russians are hitting home.”
    The icing on the cake of Ukrainian war tactics was the massive distribution of weapons. Anyone. Who wants. From trucks, machine guns are dumped on the asphalt like potatoes. Come, take it. Kiev set the trend, Kharkiv, Zaporozhye, Odessa joined a little later…
    .
    “Political studies” for Ukrainian women and children
    .
    From the armed people they form detachments of “territorial self-defense”, as under Makhno. These gangs have already begun arbitrariness and looting on the streets. Approximately every first one is seen as a spy. If they notice two, it’s definitely a sabotage group.
    .
    So in Kyiv, a truck of the Ukrainian army and an anti-aircraft gun, which were driving to a shelter, were mistaken for Russian spies and opened fire on them.
    .
    The crew of the truck fell down, and the anti-aircraft gun managed to leave, crushing a civilian car in a panic. A little later, the deputies of the Rada identified all the dead and confirmed that they were all Ukrainian soldiers. But this was already after the crowd had had time to mock the corpses: “So you, Russian saboteurs.”
    .
    In Kyiv, the Strela-10 air defense system ran over a car driving along the road
    In the same Kyiv, a family of five people who tried to leave the city were shot right in the car. They were also mistaken for saboteurs. Parents and one child died. Two more children are in critical condition in the hospital.
    A family of five was shot dead in a car in Kyiv

    The Nazis went wild – in order to get to Kyiv, they demand to correctly pronounce the word “Palyanitsya”. Russian-speaking Ukrainians can easily get shot for just mispronunciation.
    .
    Women with children are trained for the same. “Political classes” are held right in the courtyards, where employees of the Security Service of Ukraine explain to residents: “Whoever has personal weapons at home, you can calmly use them to kill. Quietly, carefully from around the corner – and then dump.
    .
    And the apotheosis of all this was the statement by the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine that it was releasing prisoners and distributing weapons to them. Ukraine is rapidly sinking into the Makhnovshchina..
    .
    ACTORS GOT PRISONERS
    In general, the fight against saboteurs has been raised to an absolute level, Everyone is looking for them and everything is under suspicion. And they do catch! Packs!
    .
    So in Ukraine, more and more fakes with Russian “captives” are being launched. They are crushed in two counts. But the enthusiasm does not subside.
    .
    So on one video, allegedly a Russian prisoner sits under a yellow-blue flag and lows through force: “Glory to Ukraine.” Only the director of this production grinned like a fool: this “Russian prisoner” turned out to be Panasyuk Yaroslav Fedorovich from Ternopil, a participant in the punitive war in the Donbass. His proud profile has already flashed on Facebook.
    .
    Allegedly, the “Russian prisoner” turned out to be Yaroslav Panasyuk from Ternopil, a participant in the punitive war in the Donbass
    Another guy in the video. Users found out that he did not come from Russia, but lives in Kyiv. “Warrior” happened to be handed over by a girl – she already posted pictures with him on her page and never deleted it.
    The detainee allegedly “OMON” from Novokuznetsk, turned out to be a member of the military-patriotic club from the Ukrainian Nikolaev.
    In the area of ​​the city of Gostoml, where the Russian Airborne Forces fought a hard battle for the airport, the Ukrainians shot down a Ka-52 helicopter, a local resident, Mikhail Pavlushenko, approached him. It was then that the SBU officers took him! And they managed to show in the news to report – “Russian pilot in captivity!”. Only later did it become clear that he was an archpriest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. But at least someone is already interested.
    Archpriest Mikhail Pavlushenko was passed off by the Ukrainian media as a “Russian pilot”.
    Meanwhile, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko addressed the population and reassured them that there were no Russian troops in the capital. And why then does the hunt for saboteurs among the civilian population continue?
    .

    U.S. GOVERNMENT ISSUES NUCLEAR BLAST SURVIVAL INSTRUCTIONS

    It’s certainly curious timing.

    USG Issues NuclearBlastSurvivalInstructions large
    USG Issues NuclearBlastSurvivalInstructions large

    Hamburger thoughts on a nice sunny day

    Ah. But it’s all postering. There is not way that any serious concerns are given to Americans about Nuclear War. It’s all a game of “Chicken”.

    Let’s think (instead) about a delicious hamburger!

    The evil communists!

    Ever since Trump it’s all been a big war against “evil communists”, but sheech! What changed? China is doing well now. Russia is doing well now. The West is turning into a shit hole. video

    The 10 Rules of Ikigai

    They are:

    1. Stay active and don’t retire.
    2. Take it slow.
    3. Don’t fill your stomach.
    4. Surround yourself with good friends.
    5. Get in shape for your next birthday.
    6. Smile.
    7. Reconnect with nature.
    8. Give thanks.
    9. Live in the moment.
    10. Uncover and Follow your Ikigai.

     

    2022 03 01 15 53
    2022 03 01 15 53


    Slowing life down is a mindful and deliberate choice. While not always an easy one, it leads to a greater appreciation for life and a greater level of happiness.

    Solid MM advice, don’t you know.

    ZIRCONs On The Move — UPDATED 6:30 AM

    2022 03 01 15 03
    ZIRCON missile.

    ZIRCON Hypersonic Nuclear Missiles (Land Attack Missile Version) have been loaded onto tracked, Road-Mobile Launchers, and are presently on rail cars being moved publicly inside Russia.

    Prototypes were test-launched from a Tu-22M3 bomber in 2012–2013.

    Launches from a ground-based platform followed in 2015, with first success achieved in 2016.

    In April 2017, it was reported Zircon had reached a speed of Mach 8 (6,100 mph; 9,800 km/h; 2,700 m/s) during a flight test. Zircon was again test-fired on 3 June 2017, almost a year earlier than had been announced by Russian officials.

    In November 2017, Colonel General Viktor Bondarev stated that the missile was already in service. Another flight test reportedly occurred on 10 December 2018, during which the missile demonstrated that it could attain a speed of Mach 8.

    On 20 February 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed the missile is capable of accelerating up to Mach 9 and destroying both sea and land targets within 1,000 km (540 nmi; 620 mi). By the year’s end, on 24 December 2019, Putin stated that Zircon’s land-based version was in development.

    Warhead > 300 HE , > 200 kt tnw nuclear

    INVISIBLE TO RADAR

    Zircon can travel at a speed of Mach 8 – Mach 9 (6,100–6,900 mph; 9,800–11,000 km/h; 2.7–3.1 km/s). This has led to concerns that it could penetrate existing defense systems. Because it flies at hypersonic speeds within the atmosphere, the air pressure in front of it forms a plasma cloud as it moves, absorbing radio waves and making it practically invisible to active radar systems (Plasma stealth).

    The final section of the missile’s trajectory will be overcome in under 10 seconds.  As such, the enemy does not have time to carry out all the necessary procedures needed to even TRY to intercept it.   Moreover, the Zircon exchanges information in flight and can be controlled by commands if necessary to alter course of change target.

    Missiles like this could, in theory, be fired from Russia, and hit the Capital cities of NATO member countries bordering Russia.

    You know, the Capital cities of countries participating in ejecting Russia from the SWIFT banking system; or other countries supplying weapons or now fighter jets to Ukraine, to be used fighting Russia.    It would happen so fast, and with such Stealth, that the countries being targeted wouldn’t even know the missiles were coming until their Capitals got hit and blown up.

    The 200 kiloton warheads would obliterate the cities that were hit. In comparison, the USA blasted Hiroshima with a 15Kiloton warhead.

    UPDATE 6:30 AM EST —

    From Russian Ministry of Defense:   “In accordance with the order of the President, the duty of the command posts of the Strategic Missile (nuclear) Forces, the Northern and Pacific Fleets, and the Long-Range Aviation Command have begun combat duty with reinforced personnel.”

    This means that the order Putin gave earlier, to get them ready, is now being fulfilled and they’re operating in a high alert/readiness mode. Nukes will be armed and prepared & ready to strike — if order given.

    7:18 AM EST–

    Russia’s top military command has ordered heavy strategic bomber flights in effort to block US and EU military aid from getting to Ukraine, per a defense statement. Russia has tried to “fully destroy” Ukraine’s airfields with missile attacks, per Ukraine MoD -Foreign Policy.

    UPDATE 7:22 AM EST —

    The “masses, who are asses” (in Kiev) are lining up at . . .  Supermarkets . . . . trying to buy food.   As usual, the overwhelming majority of the general public are so utterly stupid, they make absolutely ZERO plans and take absolutely no action to protect themselves,, even though they’re in Day 4 of an actual shooting war.   Don’t be like these morons – get your preps right now.  Don’t wait.

    When the missiles start flying, you don’t want to be like these people.  Oh, and if the missiles start flying, credit/debit cards won’t work because all the computers and communications lines will be out.  No way to get authorization for any purchases.  So you’d better have cash money in your possession before all hell breaks loose!

    UPDATE 7:26 AM EST —

    Russian Ministry of Defense — Russian Air Force has gained air supremacy over the entire territory of Ukraine as of this morning.

    RUSSIA NUKE ALERT CAUSED BY BRITISH!

    Kremlin blamed nuclear alert on Liz Truss. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov:

     "There were unacceptable statements about possible conflict situations and even confrontations and clashes between NATO and Russa. I will not name the authors of these statements, although it was the British foreign secretary"

    Kiss of Death?

    SWISS DEFENCE MINISTER SAYS “WE HAVE CONCLUDED USE OF RUSSIAN NUCLEAR WEAPONS RELATIVELY UNLIKELY, POPULATION SHOULD NOT BE AFRAID”

    (HT REMARK: When government tells you things are safe, that’s when you panic)

    Deliveries of Germany's weapons to Ukraine make us wonder if the process of denazification was completed in Germany itself 
    
    - Russian Foreign Ministry

    UH OH!

    3:00 PM EST —

    BIDEN SAYS AMERICANS SHOULD NOT BE WORRIED ABOUT NUCLEAR WAR

    The US State Department said that Washington stands for the defense of the principle of non-nuclear war and does not see the need to increase the level of readiness of its deterrence forces.

    Russia has not shown any interest in some sort of deconfliction mechanism with the United States over the Ukraine invasion, Pentagon says.

    UKRAINE NEWS@kuringechuwa· At the moment, military pilots from Ukraine are in Poland. Today they receive 29 Polish MiG-29s. With full weapons and electronics.

    (HT Remark: So Poland has now become a defacto Ukrainian military base.   This won't end well.   I suspect the very MOMENT those planes take off, Russian fighter jets and surface-to-air-missile batteries will be ordered to target them all and destroy them all as soon as they cross into Ukraine air space.)

    No one in government seems to grasp that It’s all bait.

    That’s why it’s the OLD Russian tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, trucks and stuff in Ukraine. I suspect it will only be Two or three more days.

    Putin will act.  He warned everyone publicly.   He meant what he said.  He WILL act.

    I suspect Poland first.

    Then US/UK.  — Especially the UK.  I think they’ve been severe trouble makers around the world for decades and I personally believe they need to get absolutely crushed by Russia.  Mercilessly crushed!  It will not surprise me at all if the very first UK strike is against the CITY of LONDON within London itself.  That’s where all the contracts are.  That’s where all the global financial shenanigans get decided.  I hope they glow.

    Possibly Germany after that, it seems, from the “de-Nazification” comment reported on this page earlier today.

    4:53 PM EST — 

    Looks like the ground war in Ukraine is about to turn much darker.  Putin is sending a 17-mile long convoy of artillery and tanks towards Kyiv with intense helicopter support and fighter jets all over it to take out any attackers.

    Programming the Retards Has Begun:

    2022 03 01 15 14
    2022 03 01 15 14

    Could A Small Nuclear War Reverse Global Warming?

    Ukraine Armed Forces says that if necessary, the planes they’re getting from other NATO countries “will be able to be based on Polish airfields from which Ukrainian pilots will perform combat missions”

    BEING SUPPLIED TO UKRAINE, TODAY:

    • Bulgaria  (MiG-29) – 16
    • Bulgaria  (Su-25) – 14
    • Poland  (MiG-29) – 28
    • Slovakia  (MiG-29) – 12

    Tomorrow Finland will begin a Parliamentary Discussion to join the NATO Alliance, this could take weeks or only a few hours it just depends on how the Finnish Government is feeling, NATO has already said Finland can be admitted to the Alliance within 24 Hours after a decision.

    This will result in only one of two outcomes…

    EITHER

    [1] Putin feels the overwhelming pressure on his border, takes a win, and slowly works to try and repair the extreme damage that’s been done to his economy…

    OR

    [2] He’s decided that Russia will no longer cow to the threats posed by NATO and decides everything to the west of his border will be reduced to ashes.

    It’s a terribly risky strategy being run by the Europeans…they’ll either wind up looking like heroes and saviors…or like nothing at all and with no one to care.

    China nurtures it’s best and brightest

    Meanwhile the USA does the exact opposite. School selection is determiend by lottery with attendence optional. Sheech! And all these people are armed with guns! video 3MB

    Open letter to TV watching western armchair generals

    From the Saker

    My dear TV western armchair generals,

    I get it, I promise.  I really do!

    Your entire life you have been trained to see a successful military operations like so:

      • Begin by bombing the shit of the “hadjis” or “sand niggers” with bombs and missiles, then flatten their town à la Fallujah, then move in with heavy armor and shoot everything which still moves or breathes.
      • Then distribute chewing-gums to a few kids while on video.
      • Then take the city center, drop a statue in front your embedded presstitutes, and then declare victory.
      • Then, after declaring victory, stay another 20 years or so (Blinken was clearly projecting!), ruin it completely, then leave it again and declare another brilliant victory.
      • And don’t forget to declare urbi at orbi that you reserve the “right” to bomb the shit out of them anytime you deem it is needed.  And fuck their sovereignty or anybody else’s while we are at it!
      • Lastly, once home, don’t forget to “thank” your “veterans” for their “service”.

    I get it.

    Now YOU try, please!!

    Now, in spite of this conditioning, please at least try to understand the following points:

    First, the Russians do not see Ukrainian as Hadjis but as their own brothers.

    Second many/most LDNR soliders have relatives in the Nazi occupied Ukraine.

    Third, yes, Russia can turn any Ukrainian city into Fallujah, but who do you think will then have to pay for its reconstruction?

    Fourth, please understand that the double goals of 1) denazification and 2) disarmament implies that any person which is not a Nazi or is not armed and hostile is not, repeat, NOT the target of the Russian armed forces.

    Fifth,  the Ukie military was 80% defeated on Day 1.  Get that?  It was gone as a coherent fighting force.  THAT is why they are blowing up bridges, distributing weapons and releasing convicted criminals.  NOT because they are winning!  I mean – how stupid are you if you believe that?  Ukie stupid?

    Seriously?

    Right now you are the object of probably the biggest PSYOP operation in history. If you realize that and treat these PSYOPs as you should, that is as “informational warfare from the bad guys” you will be able to tell your kind and grandkids “I never believed that crap”. Good for you!

    But if you don’t, well then, just don’t tell too much about you in 2022 to your kind and grandkids, save yourself the ridicule and embarrassment…

    That’s it. My very last attempt to wake you up.  From now on, I will pretend like you don’t exist and instantly ban any comments parroting kind of self-evident nonsense.

    Now I will quietly leave your room, switch off the lights, and let you watch your TVs.

    Andrei

    How is Chinese media reacting to growing tensions in Ukraine? How are Chinese citizens talking about this on social media? 

    During the last few days, all the western embassies in China have been releasing a flurry of statements, like never before, with the aim of pressuring the government to distance itself from Russia, and to affect Chinese public opinion on the issue. However, on social media people have been mocking this campaign and questioning why this seems so coordinated, lots of jokes and memes have arisen.

    Overall, Chinese people do not see a need to comment on a conflict that isn’t theirs. Until recently, everyone understood this as a western attack on Russia, and now the discussion is about why the west feels the need to play out their conflict on Chinese social media.

    I saw one comment saying that the west ‘thinks we can’t see international news because of the firewall, that’s not true’. Above all, China does not want to be involved in any kind of war and always believes in doing everything to avoid war. While the Chinese government maintains that position, the Chinese people will not feel the need to react to these kinds of conflicts.

    Hamburger / cheeseburger thoughts

    The Winter Olympics are now over, how do Chinese people feel about how the games went? 

    I think people are feeling a bit empty now that it’s all over, it was a highly successful event. It has awakened, for the first time, a huge interest in winter sports and people are buying the gear.

    China performed well, winning 15 gold medals, placing them in 3rd place [above the US]. This success has been the number one tendency everyday on Chinese social media as people have been able to interact with the games virtually but without disrupting everyday life because the whole games took place within the physical bubble created within Beijing.

    The Digital Yuan, a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) was adopted in a big way for the time during these games. What is it like to experience the birth of this CBDC? 

    The Digital Yuan was used during the games but it was not the only form of payment permitted. It is a long way from mass adoption within China, it’s being used in some zones where there are trial runs, but not on a mass scale.

    China already has multiple venues for digital payments for everything, the country never really saw bank cards, it jumped from a cash economy straight to digital payment through phones etc.

    WeChat and Alipay are the most prominent ways to make payments within China, so the government will have to work to promote this CBDC, which is basically a cryptocurrency, and change the habits of consumers.

    China banned private cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin firstly for environmental reasons. The country has strict goals for carbon reduction and mining Bitcoin is extremely harmful.

    The CBDC was launched with international commerce, rather than domestic commerce, in mind. It is being launched as an alternative to the US dollar, it is very far away from achieving that, but existing as an alternative option to USD for international trade is the aim and so the US sees this as a great threat because they use the power of the dollar to enforce sanctions. For example, the US was able to sanction European companies that were trading with Iran because the trade was in dollars.

    Pretty girl in a red halter

    I always liked halters. Most women don’t however. They tend to keep sliding down, and so you’ve got to tug and tug and tug to keep them up high. Sheech! video

    PM Comments;

    Art of War, Sun Tzu. America harms Russia without suffering a single casualty. America doesn’t care about Ukraine. Its just an attack dog.

    In a real fight, the attack dogs die first.

    But the attack dogs can bite and harm Russia.

    What about America having to spend billions to arm Ukraine so the attack dogs will have teeth? Money is nothing to America.

    They print their trillions, which come from the people’s debt, while the money created goes to the elite-owned Military Industrial Propaganda Complex. Which a part of which supports the political/technology/media structure which keeps the country in perpetual war and provides unlimited budgets for war. It’s a perfect cyclical economy that supports the capitalist Big Lie that a number on a ledger created out of thin air represents wealth.

    Not only that, but the rest of the world eventually helps to pay for the war budget because the USD is the worlds reserve currency.

    Anyone who disagrees will be starved or bombed to the Stone Age, except for China and Russia who can defend themselves.

    America prints trillions and the world suffers from inflation, not just America.

    The elites don’t pay for inflation, as their property holdings will increase in value, the people who pay for groceries, rent, and daily necessities suffer from inflation but who cares.

    Not only that, but distant wars actually help the American war-based economy and cause the US Dollar to rise in value against its profligate printing.

    In war zones, people tend to hoard US Dollars, taking US Dollars out of circulation.

    America also makes it hard for US Dollars to be repatriated.

    So the hegemon wins when you are forced to fight a war against your brethren who have been turned into attack dogs for the empire; you’re also paying for it. This is a good lesson for China to not find itself in such a poor strategic situation.

    What can Russia hope to achieve from this unwanted war? Russia must from now on be much more influential in the affairs of Ukraine.

    • All de-Russification must be reversed, including the separation of the Orthodox Church.
    • The Russian language will be one of the official languages to be taught at schools.
    • The Neo-Nazis will be deligitimized and their crimes duly prosecuted.
    • Ukraine must have a treaty with Russia and be a member of the federation.
    • Foreign media and NGOs must be licensed (actually best simply kicked out and kept out, as they are mostly disinformation agents and spies.—TGP)
    • There will be Russian bases. Then we’ll have peace.

    Alternatively, Russia will employ FOABs (enormous bombs short of nuclear—TGP) which will kill everything within a 300m radius. It will be cruel, but such is war. Learn from Sun Tzu, do not get yourself in that situation.

    Hopefully, the Ukraine side will finally come to its senses. When Russia succeeds in their operation, it will be the turn of the three Baltic states to shake in their boots, NATO or no NATO.

    —PM

    It’s about how you look at things

    Conclusion

    Look at the big picture, and then relax. The war in the Ukraine is not a sporting event. Rather it’s a catalist forcing the world to choose sides. The aftermath will be a bio-polar world rather than a uni-polar world, and those that stick with the USA are going to be in trouble.

    Big picture so far:

    [1]  Europe threw itself off the cliff. It is Officially Game Over. All that’s left is the autopsy.

    • RT & news blocked,
    • Cultural, sports & local-carriers air travel to Russia blocked,
    • A separation from financial infrastructure,
    • Open hostility evident through support of Nazis in PsyOps and ostensible but meaningless arms.
    • Everything calculated for a generational rupture and impotent group-hate shriek at Russia..

    Predictable results:

    • A near-term loss of existential 50% petroleum products,
    • A loss of 40%+ grain products and the withering away of Europe.
    • Pity. European cost of living will be Biblical come next Dark Winter.. And an exodus to Russia and other sane points likely beforehand.

    [2] The “WW3 OR Sanctions” threat by Biden was actually directed at EU. It was the trigger to get the loons to leap off the cliff. How will Russia punish the deceitful USA piper, which has now wrecked the western peninsula of Asia for the next 3+ generations?

    US squats, toad-like, pretending to be the whistling innocent bystander at the scene of the epic European ritual suicide. It is in the role of Annatar during the Fall of Númenor – urging the fool King Ar-Pharazôn to sail on the gods themselves.. the Sundering and drowning of Númenor itself is next on the playlist. Someone should send that memo to the AZE; Europe and Anglo-lands are now forever chained together..
    https://youtu.be/nL_DcMu2KpU

    [3] I saw this amusing movie with Clint Eastwood decades ago, “Every Which Way but Loose (1978).” The operative mission regarding Russia is now, “Weaken Them Every Which Way Possible.” And to destroy the gutless Europeans simultaneously is a bonus treat at the Bonfire of the Vanities.

    So current calculations focus on the DAILY $700-750 million Russian export earnings. Much of these daily earnings is to Europe. They do not have time for a war of attrition this time.. It is a cold shut-down.

    In part, the group hate and hysteria campaign is to “psych themselves” and convince the sane in West it’s a necessary cost, to hurt themselves to hurt Russia. Cut off your damn nose Frenchie, we have excellent plastic surgeons in the Bayou.

    [4] There is no nuclear war on the current cards (Phew!). According to the Kremlin, their action yesterday was in reaction to words from Perfide Albion. They have since been put in their tiny place. Deconfliction is on between Americans and Russians. The relevant issue is the suiciding of Europe, not the longed-for first strike.

    [5] China (& India) sit pretty. A 500-year Beast is making a dramatic exit from the stage. Pfizer is doubly doomed – folks are so excited in Zone B, there is no need even for Viagra anymore. What support Russia needs, be it diplomatic, financial, new business arrangements (buying that grain and extra gas), lighting a million candles, are quietly being made.

    Half-cocked Korean Rocketman rattled off missiles in his no-longer-pudgy fist, to help the loonies focus fully on their Death March in the heavenly rich black soil of Novorussiya.

    Indeed, this is the Last March of the Russia Haters, in commiseration with the Last of the Mohicans. And both shall soon be in the museum with the Dodo. An ongoing flood of Ukie refugees is the cherry on top.  So Russia extracted the necessary concessions from Zone B partners to wield the brass knucklers on behalf of mankind.

    It has the depth of support in Asia to see to the necessary dirty task.

    Maybe all-in-all, maybe things will go “tits up”, or maybe not. What I do know is that now is the time to relax, regroup, and plow forward in new and exciting directions. Eat some delicious food. have a good time. Play with friends, and by all means; be the Rufus.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 3

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Bad News

    There’s no way to say things nicely. And while I want you all to remain calm, the situation is devolving. It’s horrible to see. I am sorry to announce this. Here, we present some developing events.

    The collective West is on a runaway train. They are galloping towards a bridge that no longer exists, and they are carrying carloads of mad, angry, frustrated people whao are starting to kill each other in abject frustration of their hopeless condition.

    But…

    It’s not random.

    This entire reaction from Russia was planned years ago. Yes. It was planned by people now long dead, and being carried out by idiots who have no concept about what REAL life and death are all about.

    Planned yes.

    But not as they think.

    The Asian nations are merit driven, desperate and angry. There will not be any mercy. They are ready to kill the “mad dogs” once and for all.

    And they have a counter-plan.

    Keep in mind, that every situation that we are witnessing has been planned out and war-gamed to every detail. The Asian nations know what they are doing. And I just hope that the Domain Commander can maintain “little bads instead of big bads”. Because the picture, as I see it, is truly frightening.

    I will not spend too much on the details on what is going on in the Ukraine. Just a little bit. That has and is being covered by others in various ways. Much of it is disinformation. This article concerns itself with NATO deciding to get involved, and thus the United States getting involved as well.

    Keep in mind that Asia is fighting for their very existence; they are very, very serious. ANd when they try to communicate theri concerns they are treated horribly and ignored by appatent imbeciles.

    As a result, the country was not prepared to counter the invasion by Nazi Germany, which attacked our Motherland on June 22, 1941, without declaring war. 
    
    The country stopped the enemy and went on to defeat it, but this came at a tremendous cost. 
    
    The attempt to appease the aggressor ahead of the Great Patriotic War proved to be a mistake which came at a high cost for our people. 
    
    In the first months after the hostilities broke out, we lost vast territories of strategic importance, as well as millions of lives. 
    
    We will not make this mistake the second time. 
    
    We have no right to do so.
    
    Those who aspire to global dominance have publicly designated Russia as their enemy. 
    
    They did so with impunity. 
    
    Make no mistake, they had no reason to act this way. 
    
    It is true that they have considerable financial, scientific, technological, and military capabilities. 
    
    We are aware of this and have an objective view of the economic threats we have been hearing, just as our ability to counter this brash and never-ending blackmail. 
    
    Let me reiterate that we have no illusions in this regard and are extremely realistic in our assessments. 
    
    -Putin 26FEB22
    

    It’s pretty obvious, as long as you trun off those screeching propaganda shrills. When you do, things become crystal clear.

    We start with a review of what is going on…

    Today, and throughout the Western press are articles about what is going on in the Ukraine. Most are treating it like some kind of spectator sport. With much Rah! Rah! for their side. However, the lethality and devastation of war must not be downplayed as a game.

    On top of it all, there is a massive psyops going on that has convinced everyone that old grandmothers are shooting down Russian jets and Russia will surrender any day now. Sheech!

    The latest political maneuver by Russian president Vladimir Putin was a game-changing masterstroke to avoid the American war trap. At every step in the build-up of tensions surrounding Ukraine, Russia has foiled US enticements to attack. To understand it all, one needs to start further back in time.

    9 February 1990 — US secretary-of-state James Baker promised USSR president Mikhail Gorbachev that NATO would “not [move] one inch eastward” in exchange for allowing German unification.

    1999 — Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland join NATO and move several inches nearer the dissolved USSR.

    2004 — Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia join NATO.

    2009 — Albania and Croatia join NATO.

    February 2014 — A US-backed coup in Ukraine results in a Nazi-friendly government coming to power.

    March 2014 — Crimeans vote overwhelmingly in a referendum to secede from Ukraine and become part of Russia.

    September 2014 — The Minsk I Agreement is signed by Ukraine, Russia, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) calling for an immediate ceasefire, withdrawal of heavy weapons, and prisoner exchanges.

    February 2015 — The Minsk II Agreement calls again for a ceasefire, the withdrawal of weapons, ceasefire monitoring by the OSCE, and the holding of local elections in the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics on their future status in Ukraine. Differing interpretations have led to major disagreements over Minsk II.

    2017 — Montenegro joins NATO.

    2020 — North Macedonia joins NATO. It is apparent that there is an increasing eastward crawl, and Ukraine is also seeking membership.

    18 November 2021 — Russia reiterates its red lines.

    17 December 2021 — Russia presents its concerns about security in proposals to the US.

    16 January 2022 — Putin identifies Ukraine’s membership in NATO as a red line in Russia-NATO relations that impinge upon Russian security. US secretary-of-state Antony Blinken dismissed Russian security concerns: “I can’t be more clear — NATO’s door is open, remains open, and that is our commitment.”

    26 January 2022 — Russia received a written response from the US to its security proposals. Russia would not be pleased.

    16 February 2022 — According to national-security adviser Jake Sullivan, based on credible US intelligence, this was the date that Russia would invade Ukraine. The date came and went without any invasion.

    17 February 2022 — Russia responds to US and NATO proposals about Ukraine and European security.

    There have been many provocations leading up to the Russian recognition of the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. Among them are NATO expansion, not taking Russian security concerns seriously, the arming of Ukraine, and demonizing Russia via the western monopoly media. The final nail was the shelling from Ukraine into Donbass causing the evacuation of its civilians into Russia.

    It appears to be a foolhardy act by Ukraine. If Ukraine had adhered to the Minsk Agreements, Donetsk and Luhansk would still be a part of Ukraine, autonomous though they may be. Autonomy is not uncommon within countries. Guangxi, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Tibet, Xinjiang are autonomous provinces in China. Russia also has one autonomous region and 10 autonomous areas. Nonetheless, the lure of war and playing with fire has caused Ukraine to shrink a little bit more.

    As I have repeatedly stated, Russia (and China) are NOT being reactionary, no matter what anyone thinks. They are following a master grand plan, just like the United States is. It’s just that the United States plan is obsolete, easily replicated, and there no longer are leaders to set a new direction.

    So don’t worry too much.

    Today, I am including some minor reports that I have acquired regarding some key events inside the Ukraine.

    [Item 0] Why Russia is acting this way

    President Putin said so very clearly in his speech on 26FEB22;

    For the United States and its allies, it is a policy of containing Russia, with obvious geopolitical dividends. 
    
    For our country, it is a matter of life and death, a matter of our historical future as a nation.
    
    This is not an exaggeration; this is a fact. 
    
    It is not only a very real threat to our interests but to the very existence of our state and to its sovereignty. 
    
    It is the red line which we have spoken about on numerous occasions. 
    
    They have crossed it.

    [Item 1] US to impose sanctions on Putin personally

    The immediate reaction from Scott Ritter on this development does not bode well.

    [Item 2] Reaction from Moscow on this development

    Russia will fully break diplomatic relations with all countries that are going to sanction president Putin or members of the Russian govt.  Breaking diplomatic relations with a nation is equivalent to declaring war.

    Russian Foreign Ministry on new Personal sanctions on assets of Putin and Lavrov: “Neither Putin nor Lavrov have accounts either in Britain or anywhere else abroad.”

    The United Arab Emerates will now fly Chiense trainers

    The UAE will purchase a dozen of advanced Chinese jet trainers, a move that reflects a significant strategic shift in the country’s long-standing policy of obtaining solely Western military aircraft.

    The UAE Defense Ministry will sign a contract with China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC) to procure the L15 training and light combat aircraft, with the possibility of purchasing another 36 planes later, the official Emirati news agency WAM reported.

    And this video 38MB...

    [Item 3] Finland and Sweden suggest joining NATO

    Russian Foreign Ministry: We warn Finland and Sweden that they will face military and political consequences if they try to join NATO.

    Obviously they are ruled by moronic idiots. The last thing their leadership should do is pick sides in a building conflict.

    The Chinese know their roots

    I have seen this time and time again, ABC (American Born Chinese) being so proud of who they are, and their race. Great video.

    video 1MB

    [Item 4] NATO Rapid Reaction Force Activated

    For the first time in history, the NATO RAPID REACTION FORCE has been activated and deployed.  40,000 NATO troops now moving into NATO member countries along the eastern border of Russia.  It certainly is a clear signal that NATO is going to engage Russia

    These IDIOTS are simply verifying Putin's greatest fears and cementing why he had to attack Ukraine in order to at least try to maintain peace.  
    
    NATO and the US are ramping things up in both rhetoric and deed. 
    
    They are mobilizing 40,000 troops to the Eastern bloc of NATO countries...in other words, WE are massing troops on RUSSIA'S Border just as we witnessed Russia do to Ukraine. 
    
    WE saw that as a provocation, why the HELL wouldn't Russia see OUR movements in the same way?) 
    
    -Hal Turner

    Worse, “NATO” has just sent it’s first convoy of what they call “LETHAL AID” across the Ukraine border from Poland.   Poland’s Minister of Defense Mariusz Błaszczak shared this picture.

     

    This is staggeringly bad on every level.    Look, Putin has said something, which was very clear. He said, to not get involved, or else you and us will regret it in the end.

    It was a simple message . . .

    …and they managed to ignore it.

    Out of their stupidity and ego.

    By doing this, they are forcing Putin to stand up for what was said, otherwise he will look weak.

    This just dragged the United States into a direct, hot kinetic shooting war with Russia.   Now, none of us is safe. Honestly, I think this is the spark that sets the world on fire.

    If we look at the history of all this, the real problem is actually NATO.

    It was NATO”s broken promise of “not expanding one inch to the east” that set this in motion decades ago.

    "I have felt for 30 years ever since the fall of the Berlin Wall that we have made a huge geopolitical error. We absolutely promised the Russians that we would not extend NATO to the east. But we did," 
    
    -Nigel_Farage.

    After all, it was NATO trying to bring Ukraine into itself, to position US missiles on Ukraine soil.

    And now it is NATO doing precisely what Putin warned EVERYONE not to do: interfere.

    How to separate and herd your cats.

    You know it’s really difficult to herd cats and get them to do anything. But, you know, the Chinese have a solution to this problem.

    video

     [Item 5] Russian seizure of the Ukraine CIA / SBU building

    Shootings inside a building in Melitopol, Ukraine after being captured by Russian forces.

    Some report of executions taking place.   

    FURTHER INFORMATION: This building is the Ukraine SBU Intelligence Building and yes, there is torture and execution of Ukraine Intelligence officers taking place inside this building.

    War is an ugly business.

    Enjoy our differences

    We have been ramrodded the idea that in a “democracy” that everyone must accept diversity, but that once accepted you must conform to the approved norm. I disagree. You should embrace the differences in the world. Like this fella (bloke?) from Australia. Yeah. This video is so Australian that it drips with Aussie.

    video 7MB

    [Item 6] Central Banks Risk Being Hit With Missiles if they Cut Russia from SWIFT Banking System

    Central Banks around the world risk having their main banking offices hit with Russian missiles if they cut Russia off from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) Banking system, as some countries are endeavoring to do.

    Such is information LEAKING out of Russia Saturday and is NOT yet “official.”

    Says one Russian,

    "If the Banks want to wage war against Russia, they should expect war to be waged back upon them - personally - in the buildings where they work."

    Russia has plans to make war as personal and “in your face” as possible. All those people sitting behind their safe borders, and seas are going to experience real, FUCKING, war!

    Cutting Russia off from SWIFT is a “matter of days”, according to a central bank within the eurozone according to a report from Reuters.

    Inside Russia, plans are being reviewed as to what response the nation might make if the West “attacks” Russia economically.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin was explicitly clear during his speech wherein he announced Russia would be moving to de-militarize and de-nazify Ukraine:

    "Anyone who interferes will have consequences the likes of which they have never seen in history."  

    Hitting central bank buildings with precision missiles would likely fit that description.

    President Putin’s exact quote was

    “I would now like to say something very important for those who may be tempted to interfere in these developments from the outside. 
    
    No matter who tries to stand in our way or all the more so create threats for our country and our people, they must know that Russia will respond immediately, and the consequences will be such as you have never seen in your entire history. 
    
    No matter how the events unfold, we are ready. 
    
    All the necessary decisions in this regard have been taken. 
    
    I hope that my words will be heard.”

    Such action by Russia would, of course, be considered an act of war by the nations wherein the banks are actually hit.

    However, a war breaking out between NATO and Russia has been a foregone conclusion since the Russian operation began.

    Putin, in an earlier speech after a 6-hour meeting with French President Macron made clear:

    "The military capability of Russia to NATO is incomparable.  (Meaning NATO is superior) 
    
    We know that.   
    
    But Russia is also a nuclear power.  
    
    And our capability is superior to many others in this area.  
    
    If the West engages Article 5 (NATO mutual defense), you will be drawn into a war with Russia without your consent. 
    
    It will be a war that no one will win (Meaning an actual nuclear war, which is the only war that most everyone agrees "cannot be won and must never be fought."). 
    
    President Macron doesn't want that.  
    
    I don't want that."

    So Putin has already laid out the cards for the whole world to see. If the West persists in interfering with what Russia is doing, it not only may trigger a direct response with missile strikes against the Banks, it may unleash actual nuclear war.

    MM tries to improve the readership’s overall health

    Well, at least according to this video, anyway. video 1.5MB

    So I try to help…

    video 14MB

    [Item 7] Mobile ICBM launchers on the move

    Inside of Moscow? What is Putin up to?

    Last night, Russian TOPOL-M intercontinental ballistic missiles – nuclear missiles – were moving on Truck Launchers around Moscow and on highways moving toward Europe.

    TOPOL-M intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM’s)

    Terrifying new photos and video have came out of interior Russia showing road-launchable TOPOL-M intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM’s).  The TOPOL-M is a nuclear missile with a single warhead of 800 kilotons (800kt) and a range of about ten thousand kilometers (10,000km)

    This is not what you deploy inside of a city, or near a city. It’s something that is deployed in the countryside. Something is up.

    The fact that these missiles are OUT IN PUBLIC, and moving, should be all you need to know about where this Ukraine/NATO trouble is actually heading.

    As we saw with the Russian troop build-up around Ukraine, Russia does not bluff.  When they move military gear, they intend to use it.

    The entire world is now in grave danger from the shenanigans our governments are pulling with Ukraine.

    I also want to remind everyone that both Russia and China have anti-missile systems that can shoot the ICBMs down. The West, including the United States does not.

    Meanwhile, night life in Japan

    Yeah. This is sort of what it can be like in ceratin areas at certain times.

    Video 68MB

    And, this cute girl… video 11MB

    [Item 8] Day of reckoning is near

    From the Russian Foreign Ministry Friday night: Russia is approaching the point in its relations with the US beyond which there is no return.

    Whether this converts into Russia firing missiles into the Central Banks that ban it from SWIFT, remains to be seen.  Clearly they wouldn’t have to do that to ALL central banks, just to enough of them that the rest decide living is more important to them.

    And if they start to see their Banker pals blown up, many people think the rest would choose life rather than choose making economic war on Russia.   It’s just a matter of how many Bankers have to get killed before the rest stop their economic war.

    There is no question in my mind that the complete financial “house of cards” that has artificially existed is going to be destroyed and eventually rebuilt into something different after this period of climax occurs. How it will collapse, is unknown.

    [Item 9] The United States is busy deleting all information about it’s bioweapons operations in the Ukraine

    The US Embassy in Ukraine has just deleted from its website all documents about 11 Pentagon-funded biolaboratories in Ukraine. They are retained on the internet by bloogers, and published all them (now deleted by the Embassy) here;

    The Chinese claim that there are 17 bioleapon labatories and operational centers in the Ukraine. Not 11.

    US DoD Biolaboratories in Ukraine

    • Kyiv – 5,
    • Lvov -3,
    • Odessa – 2,
    • Vinnitsa -1,
    • Ternopil -1
    • Uzhgorod – 1,
    • Kherson – 1,
    • Kharkiv -1.
    • And also 2 (two) biological laboratories in the immediate vicinity of the peninsulas of Crimea and the city of Lugansk!

    Which brings me to this curious article…

    Report: Russia Claims they prevented US backed bio-weapons attack in Ukraine

    SF: The Russian military special operation in Ukraine coincided with the planned launch of U.S. military biolaboratories in Kiev and Odessa. On February 26, the US Embassy in Ukraine rushed to delete all documents about 11 Pentagon-funded bio-laboratories in Ukraine from its website. All these documents (now deleted by the Embassy), you can read HERE.

    In October 2021, the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) of the U.S. Department of Defense published on the U.S. government procurement website an additional agreement on “combating highly dangerous pathogens. The document concerns the final stage of work on the launch of two bio-laboratories in Ukraine: in Kiev and Odessa.

    The additional agreement covers the equipping and training of personnel and commissioning of the facilities. The cost of the work is 3.6 million dollars, but some figures in the document are hidden for reasons of secrecy. According to the document, the laboratories were more than 90 per cent ready. However, the projects’ completion was delayed up to seven months from the date of signing the document (July 2021), thus to the end of February 2022:

    The laboratories in Ukraine were built within the U.S. Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, which was launched in 1991 and was aimed against Russia and the former Soviet Union. They were funded in frame of the Biological Threat Reduction Program. Cooperation between Ukraine and the United States in this field intensified after the first Maidan revolution in Ukraine in 2005.

    You can read more on the U.S. bio-laboratories, including in Ukraine: HEREHEREHERE.

    Two new laboratories are being created on the basis of the Kiev State Research Institute for Laboratory Diagnostics and Veterinary and Sanitary Expertise and the Odessa division of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection. The main part of the Ukrainian collection of endemic strains of dangerous disease agents is stored in Odessa. The buildings of the new biolaboratories in Kiev and Odessa were built back in 2019, but were not put into operation.

    The document above notice makes it clear that this project is important and urgent for the U.S. government: further potential delays are called unacceptable, and “DTRA requires the urgent completion and surrender of both laboratories to ensure the active and safe execution of the DTRA mission.”

    Both facilities are owned and secured by the Government of Ukraine, but neither facility is currently performing active biological work because DTRA has asked the Ukrainian authorities not to begin work until acceptance and completion is complete, the procurement materials said.

    Moscow has claimed its concern over the developing biological weapons near Russia’s borders. Russian President Vladimir Putin worried about the “purposeful and professional” collection of biomaterials of Russians by foreigners.

    The on-going Russian military operation in Ukraine may stop the DTRA program in Ukraine. Anyway, the projects in Kiev and Odessa will be postponed if not cancelled. The U.S. has already spent over 2 billion dollars on such programs in Ukraine alone, and there are more in Georgia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.

    Now, as Russian forces  are advancing in Ukraine, Kiev seems to be in a rush to hide the evidence that the USA violates the convention on non-proliferation of biological weapons. The end of the Russian operation will show.

    Ok. Let’s chat a little about the Ukraine operation…

    [Item 10] Day 3 of the Russian operation in the Ukraine

    I found pretty decent maps on the YouTube channel of Iurii Podoliaka and I will do something ugly but, I hope, effective: add a few things to his maps with my thick black marker.

    But first, this: it appears that  yesterday Putin had ordered a temporary stop to the Russian offensive while talking with “Ze” but when the latter stop talking, Putin gave a “full ahead” order.

    I will begin with an older (by a few hours) map of this:

    The ugly think black lines are from me.

    Starting at the top left and going clockwise here is what is important:

    1. Kiev will soon be encircled
    2. The Ukie forces in the Donbass are fleeing hoping to avoid being surrounded, or “cauldroned” if you wish, (look how long and narrow the red lines are around the Ukies!)
    3. Mariupol is almost surrounded
    4. Nikolaev is under attack

    Now, another of these maps, but updated.

    Again, going clockwise can clearly see the race between the evacuating Ukie forces from the Donbass and the attempt by Russian forces to envelop them in an “operational cauldron”, exactly as predicted.

    Next, Nikolaev is either fully surrounded or will be very soon.

    So, what does all that mean?

    It means that we are coming to some kind of informational climax here.  So far, in the West, that information is suppressed (even Sputnik and RT are under regular DDoS attack).  I won’t even bother on the 500 foot high wave of disinformation produced by western PSYOPs in the social media.  The bottom line is this, pretty soon I expect

    • The operational cauldron in the Donbass to lock in the Ukie forces which did not have time to evacuate
    • The entire coast from roughly Nikolaev to Mariupol will be liberated
    • Kiev will be if not physically surrounded, then at least “surrounded by fire”, which means that main axes of evacuation will come under steady Russian fire control

    Notice something else.  In the 2nd map, some cities in the Russian rear are circled in blue: Chernigov, Konotop, Sumy, Kharkov and Kherson.  I would add Mariupol to that list.  These are all cities which were cut of from the rest of the Ukie forces, but which still have pockets of resistance inside, that is especially true of Mariupol where a large Nazi contingent appears to be ready to take its last stand.

    All this is to say that the mopping up operations inside bigger cities might take a while.  That is normal and won’t affect any outcome.

    So right now the western PYSOPs can still throw out as many claims as it wants, but pretty soon the entire narrative will collapse, at which point the Russia-hating-and-bashing hysteria will reach a new feverish pitch.

    Be mentally prepared for that.

    I will conclude with something quite typical: remember how yesteryear tons of weapons were distributed in Kiev?  Well, overnight, various gangs have been engaged in firefights, but not against Russians (who have still not entered the city), but against each other.  Some of the wannabe Ukie Volkssturm even took a group of SBU officers prisoners.  Some rumors report 60 dead or so just overnight.

    Let’s hope that this crazy nonsense stops and that some Ukrainian commanders will restore law and order before their entire country turns into a “Mad Max Zone”.  If such commanders are found, I am sure that the Russians will not only not engage them, but will even offer some degree of collaboration.

    Putin tried to reason with Ze.  Predictably, this did not work.

    Now the Russians badly need to find somebody to talk to on the other side.  If they don’t, Russia will have to continue to take unilateral actions and turn up the pain dial on both Banderastan and the West.

    I hope to be back with a summary of the day later.

    Andrei

    Brutal Honesty

    Well, yeah. I think all of us have been there at one stage of our life or the other. video

    [Item 11] Intel Drop

    Great Stuff from one of my must-read blogs. HERE.

    Putin, Ukraine and the Perfect Burger, an Intel Drop (updating)

    VT Senior Editor Gordon Duff drops mad truth on the world about Putin and Ukraine; a must-read.

    Grass fed ground beef looks like this. Smell it.
    .

    VT: We have taken the bull by the horns here.  We have entered a bitter controversy over ‘the burger’…Our suggestion…as to our ‘burger hack’… Try it.  We have and have run it against the best.  We used a mix of ‘Triple D’ experiences, a touch of Gordon Ramsey and apply it to available materials which can be done by anyone…in ten minutes.  The results will stand against anything but a Houston based Fuddrucker…..as their meat is beyond anything in the Midwest

    We should have called this ‘The Burger War in Ukraine’

    …by the Senior Editor

    With so much talk about Ukraine, time an expert speaks out.  In the absence of an expert…I will do my best.
    .
    Listen to no one…the bullshit is drowning us all.  Some facts:

    .

    – Russia was promised secure borders.  I was privy to what is in the agreement that paid $365 million to Gorby.  The accords have been gone over dozens of times for other reasons.
    
    – Among those reasons was the coup in Georgia, replacing the government there, and the immediate move against South Ossetia.  Our CIA director and his chief of staff explained it all to me while they were getting a flight for Tbilisi.  I remember every word of it…which is a warning to some.
    
    – The overthrow of the Russian puppet government in Ukraine was not unexpected.  Russia really got blindsided there.  The move, used as cover facilities in Poland for torturing innocent kidnapped fake terrorists is also a major training facility for Gladio, alive and well.
    
    – Ah…Gladio.  The new version was sold to the Bush administration…with tons of Gulf Cartel cash paid out to sweeten the pot, banked from Cuba, secret accounts in the Caymans.  It is all in the recording of that FBI agent that came to us in 2012…laundering the cash…though banks tied to major US families….like those who own all those stores.  We have it all…every single word.
    
    – Running Gladio this time is “Ukrainians” and “Turks.”  All are Israeli citizens.  They used Gladio/Freemason trained snipers, part of the teams that trained Breivik, same place.
    
    – Then they got their lists…and began hunting down not only Russian speakers but anyone who threatened totalitarian rule.  This means eliminating media, killing off political rivals, and destroying trade unions.  Remember Odessa…this was about wiping out trade unions.
    
    – Then they stole everything in the country…and turned it over to Israelis…like the one who ran the TV network that had a show about a mindless clown.
    
    – Then they made him Prime Minister.
    
    – Russia was always going to move into Donbass…and the reason is simple.  Ukraine has totally ignored the Minsk accords…and the US has been silent.  Silence by the Israel lobby that seeks both Ukraine and Crimea as homelands and plays both…Russia and Ukraine against one another…a game they are teaching to the Turks and Saudis as well.
    
    – There is nothing whatsoever wrong with the Ukrainian people.  That they have been victimized here…by everyone…including the Soviet Union and Russia is very real.  Putin lost Ukraine because he was lazy and distracted…
    
    – Then Ukraine was used as a power base by the Kosher Nostra to put Donald Trump into office.  The Russians were able to gain 100 percent control over Trump through in-place agents around him…dozens…many of whom are still working for Russia and safe to a degree under Trump pardons.
    
    – But are they really working for Russia or are Kosher Nostra oligarchs vying for power against Putin?  Spent a couple of days going over this with our intelligence officials.  This is a top concern but…never spoken of.
    
    – Russia didn’t need this and Putin doesn’t want Ukraine.  He wants to stop Erdogan.  Erdogan and Netanyahu first tried to go after Iran…setting up bases in Azerbaijan together, bringing in weapons through Georgia…where they make bio-weapons and poison gas for the White Helmets.
    
    – Then they destroyed Armenia.
    
    – What Zelensky did with the Minsk accords, Erdogan is going with Russia over his agreements to end terrorism in Idlib and to leave Syria.  Instead…he has cut deals with key families in Kurdish Iraq (all people I know personally…).
    
    – One of those deals, going back a few years, was to set ISIS on Iraq with full Turkish backing…full Kurdish backing…and the full backing of the key Sunni families in Baghdad.
    
    – In January 2014, I led a team to Baghdad to discuss ISIS and the defense of Iraq.  I met the leaders working with ISIS and told them they were making a mistake.  By June, with the fall of Mosul, 9 of the Sunni leaders I met with had been executed by ISIS.  ‘Told ya so.’


    I could go on forever…but time to discuss something more important.  I have always been displeased at the burgers I make at home.  Going to local restaurants, and burgers are a $45 lunch now with tip and NO drinks…An important thing with VT…several of us are foodies.

    Burgers are about prep.  If you want…list any favorite food and I will do the prep to make it.  If I don’t know…Mike Chester will.  Mike and I have been cooking together since…well since Kennedy was still alive.

    Meat Selection

    When cooking at home fat can be a problem.  It spatters…and though fat might make a burger…pass.

    Look for a small meat store that accesses local grass-fed cattle.  Use a chuck or ground beef.  Hold off on those briskety (I just invented that word) blends.

    If you are frying…make sure you have tons of ventilation. I have a 1200 CFM Italian thing that can lift the paper off a counter.  It helps.

    Tools

    I use one of two things…based on factors…mostly laziness…the only real factor.

    One is a 12 inch…large…even 14 Silverstone frying pan with lid.  I also use a cast iron grill…which sits on two burners.  I have a built-in grill…I have never used it…it confuses me.  (commercial range)

    Prep work

    Everything is about prep.

    Decide how big burgers need to be…how hungry?  How old?  How messy?

    Lots of choices.

    Prep begins with bacon…I fry 4 pieces to medium crisp for 3 burgers.

    Campari tomatoes…they sell them everywhere…pricey…buy them.  Use two …they are small…slice them carefully and set them aside.

    Onions…if you only have cooking onions, consider frying them down with a bit of sugar….like with a “slider.”

    But..currently available are Peruvian sweet onions.  Pick the flattest ones.  Slice half of one of these…carefully…and set aside.

    Velveeta.  Yes….about 3/4ths of a cup microwaved to melt…and this is VERY DIFFICULT to Time.  Get someone to help you..lots of stirring.

    Buns are vital.  To put us on common ground here, pick up a package of Pepperidge Farm buns…Sour Dough or similar.  They are pricey but hold up.

    I suggest steaming the buns…and that has to  be done carefully…not too much…just to “release.”  No toasting.  No microwaves.

    Or you can use fresh and go from there.

    Pickle slices are optional.

    Sauce

    Ah..secret sauce.  A trick from Smokey Bones.

    Make some BBQ sauce…

    Small saucepan.  Add vinegar…half a cup.  Use malt vinegar if you have it. Then 1/4th cup molasses.  Then one tablespoon Wrights smoke.  I buy the quarts…but you can get a small bottle for about a buck.

    You will need about a third of a cup of catsup/ketchup for the body.  Sorry.

    Oh…brown sugar…about 2/3rds of a cup.  heat on low…set aside…it lasts forever…

    Technique

    Ah…now you are playing restaurant…but “good” restaurant.

    Go to about a third of a pound for burgers…using the PF buns.  Get the steamer going.

    You can make a fake steamer with a medium saucepan, crumpled foil…a lid…water, and heat.  YouTube probably shows you how.  Buy a real one at the Salvation Army.

    Make someone else do the side dishes…or buy them in cans.

    High heat…season burgers with McCormick’s Montreal Steak seasoning…my choice.

    Put bacon in the pan on medium heat…10 minutes there remove and set aside.  Retain some fat in the pan.  Heat to smoking…the put-in burgers…

    Two flips and a minute or two with the lid…then check to see if they are done.

    While this is going down…steam the buns…and watch them very carefully.

    Don’t forget the Velveeta.

    Hot buns out of the steamer on plates…then spoon hot Velveeta on each…generously

    place burger on top…

    drizzle a small amount of bbq sauce on the burger….you will see why

    slice on onion..optional

    mustard on the top bun…spoon it over the cheese.

    Tomato slices…4 small ones usually.

    Hold off on hot peppers and other stuff.

    Now the bacon.

    The final step

    Eat immediately.

    Compare to the best restaurant burger.  Note that these cost about $4 each to make at home.

    Forget about Ukraine.

    How you act defines your sentience

    Scenes from ambulences inside of China. AI records all videos, and license plates and knows who contributes to society and who does not. video. 117MB

    [Item 11] My most popular article on MM right now

    I wonder why?

    Map
    Percentage drop in population in 2025. The USA has a 70% drop in population. Australia has a 35% drop. Japan has an 18% drop. While Russia and China have no significant losses.

    Here’s the article for all the great juicy details…

    The Shocking 2025 ‘Deagel’ Forecast and Remote Viewing the future

    [Item 12] Will our lives be destroyed?

    No. Not necessairily.

    There’s obviously a bunch of idiots running the West right now, and they have opened up a Pandora’s box that is going to change everything that we know and have come accustomed to.

    Yet, how it might influence us on a personal level will vary greatly from person to person.

    I will tell you that there is no doubt in my mind that all of this has been “gamed out” and planned to every detail. Things are NOT unwinding to an elaborate plan concocted inside Washington DC. Instead, a counter operation is in play. And I will never forget that feeling that I got when Xi Peng and Putin signed the joint memorandum last January during the Winter Olympics 2022.

    Look at them.

    Looks like both cats ate the canary.

    Putin and Xi Peng in Beijing during the WInter Olympics 2022.

    They completely know what they have been doing and are doing now.

    Now, let’s have a look at who is leading the West right now…

    Now look at who is running the EU right now…

    God, they both look like gouls.

    I suggest…

    If you all want to be safe, and have your families safe, move to either Russia or China. They know what they are up against and how to deal with it. Look at the Deagal Forecast.

    • Europe is not safe.
    • The United States is not safe.

    In general, whether it’s nuclear missiles flying, more bioweapons released, or a financial collapse, the West is going to have a hard time of it. Seriously.

    Have you seen America lately?

    And I will advise good prudent measures that you all must do and conduct religiously.

    Those are fundamental. You also need to implement changes in your immediate surroundings…

    • Be the Rufus in deeds and thought.
    • Be part of your community. Meet people. Talk to people. Be helpful. Volunteer.
    • Stock up your larder. Have supplies.
    • Stock up on some cheap trade goods.
      • Disposible cigarette lighters.
      • Small bottles of very cheap hard alcohol.
      • Duck-tape.
      • Antibiotics.
      • Vitamins.
    • Learn to fish.

    No. Your lives will NOT be destroyed.

    But everything will change around you. You will need to be firmly grounded. You will need to take up a kind, quiet strength while all the rest of the world completely goes down the toilet. Be the strength that reinforces confidence.

    You will need to start eating better. That’s a start.

    There’s nothing so satisfying than eating a good home-cooked delicious meal and then relaxing with freinds and family.  May I suggest…

    Chili Con Carne Bread Pie

    Chili Con Carne was an exciting twist on classic chili taste that fell to the wayside years ago. This recipe unearths the classic and finds a way to serve it up as a casserole that leaves you stuffed. Smokey paprika, peppers, and cumin all combine to make this a knockout recipe that both you and your grandparents can get behind.

    Get the recipe from Recipe Tin Eats.

    What are you waiting for? It goes great with beer (wink. wink.)

    Now, being happy and well fed, let’s look at some reminders that life is not all doom and gloom. You all can omit these next few videos and entries if you want to really get all wrapped up in the “news”.

    Chinese traditional clothing

    This woman dons the Han Clothing fashion that is so popular in China these days, and walks around Europe and the United States wearing it. The looks on other peoples faces are precious. Now, THIS is what real “diversity” is all about.

    Truth.

    video 9MB

    Rufus stands up for the cleaning woman from a troll

    Internet trolls are no different from cronic malcreants, litters or evil psychopaths. It’s up to the community to work together to protect ourselves from the bad behaviors of others who only desire to hurt, harm and cause grief.  video

    Troll related comic

    Rufus rushes to help a man who collapsed

    Rufus. Be that Rufus. video

    Keep in mind that these changes are necessary

    It’s programmed into humans on this eath. SO you have to ride it out. I can tell you that when the radioactive dust settles, and people crawl out of their habitats that the new world will be a much better one.

    A 13 year old Tech Billionaire gives some advice.

    Listen to her. She’s right. video

    [Item 13] Finally, what is driving the idiocy of the collective West?

    This guy pretty much nails one major contributor. I think that he has a point.

    video 3MB

     

    Remember; A Rufus is always there when you need help

    Here, the staffing at a hospital runs to setup a testing clinic for Coronavirus when an outbreak was discovered. video 3MB

    One last thing

    Don’t over think.

    If the SHTF goes down, the first thing that you might notice is no internet. Do not freak out. If that happens, things might be dark for a while. Take care of yourself and your loved ones. And if the very worst happens, well… I’ll see you all on the other side.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 3

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    The Replacement “New World Order” and the end of the old American-led NWO with War Crimes Tribunals on the way

    Putin and Xi Peng has made some HUGE decisions, and the “leadership” in the West are very, very worried. This is the best summary of the current state of Geo-political affairs; United States centered, that describes what is going on and why. It’s amazing in its simplicity and depth of understanding. Andrei has outdone himself here.

    I discovered this video via email. Which read…

    This is one of the more powerful presentations I have seen. I commented as follows:
    
    Andre, many of us who have watched helplessly as all these crimes have been committed IN OUR NAME, would feel --as Martin Luther King said--the Arc of Justice is long,-- relieved of the karmic burden.
    
    When all these people are finally held accountable, after decades (centuries?) of horror they perpetrated. I am sure that many Germans felt the same way after WWII.
    
    https://youtu.be/JbNVIbAgJ1Q
    Putin raises hackles when he talks about genocide in relation to the Donbass crisis.

    It’s a very great video, and it covers some points that are omitted by the American “news” media, and overlooked by alternative media, and he ties it all together, thus effectively painting a picture of what the China-Russian alliance end-game actually is.

    Watch it.

    Take the time to listed what he is saying.

    It’s ALL THERE. The end-game.

    Click on the picture below to get the video in You-Tube working.

    Watch it on you-tube. Click to open up in a new tab.

    Think about what he has to say.

    I think that many, many MM readers will easily see how the reported articles in “New Beginnings” are all tied together. After watching this video, this is how I actually feel…

    New changes, and new alignments.

    But that’s just me.

    It’s not that I am not happy about it. In fact, I see this future as long in coming. And, as you all are aware, welcome it. But still, like a serious drunk psychopath driving a bus-load of children on a twisty and turny highway going as fast as they can; the American “leadership” are going to hurt a lot of good, kind, and just Americans.

    I lament that.

    And thus, the shocking reality, and the slap in the face of what is coming down the pipe for everyone involved will not be pleasant. Such as this…

    Lament for America.

    It’s a good summary of what is going on and why certain words were used.

    But even though, you have strengths.

    Never forget that. The crazy drunk psychopaths are driving the car left and right on and off the road, but you don’t need to grab the steering wheel. You can buckle up your seatbelt. You can tell the driver to pull over so that you can vomit, and then once he does, you run for the hills.

    There are many things that you can do.

    You are not helpless.

    Find an ally. Someone like you. Don’t try to deal with the changes all alone.

    Find an ally. Someone like you.

    There’s this big plan, and it is unfolding. Sit tight. Conduct your basic strategies to ride out this period of turmoil, and most especially if you are in the West….

    • Have a skill that you can use in your community.
    • Have a larder and supplies.
    • Network in your community. Be known.
    • Be kind, helpful and a Rufus.
    • Conduct prayer affirmation campaigns.
    • Make sure that you have a formal Fate Forecast prepared for you and follow it.
    • Center your mind with Hemi-Sync.

    You will be just fine.

    Remember; do not be alone. There is strength in numbers.

    Do not be alone.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 3

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

     

    Perspective in a world undergoing change; what’s going to happen to all the trolls?

    The world is a changing.

    During change, somethings die, while other trends are birthed. New starts, and new understandings flavor the lives and lifestyles of the survivors of the change.

    I have long argued that many of the on-going bad elements that we have long endured are now starting to come to an end. It’s all about time and good riddance.

    I just banned a jackass because a newcomer just simply PISSED ME OFF. I suppose that his voracious reading of my articles should have pleased me, but it did not. I don’t like to hear things like…

    "What do these girls have to do with the article title? –It’s just more juvenile objectification of women, and a form of trolling."

    I love women. Somehow that’s wrong? What’s the matter with you? And, by the way, how can I troll my own venue?

    Don’t go a pulling that SJW shit with me bucko.

    I don’t like, nor appreciates these mindless comments, as well as endless snipes, and swipes at myself and what I am doing here. Such as…

    (On the subject of trolls and their behaviors)  I stated; “They can take your nice happy and calm, pleasant day, and turn it into a sad stormy day of worry and distress.”

    "If this is the case, then I submit that you have ego issues and need to learn to master your emotions."

    So, then Trolls make everyone happy. And of course, if you disagree then you have a brused ego?

    As well as a long steam of other silly bullshit such as…

    Please accept my apologies, as I had to redact large portions of this section. It is not proper that I speak so freely about this at this time.

    It cannot be “redacted” if it was never published.

    Of course it’s published, you dunderhead. It’s published on the internet, and it’s published in book form. Haven’t read the main index? Obviously not. You can’t possibly be this moronic, this stupid, this foolish, this much of a simpleton.

    You know, I waited two full days. Hoping that some other MM influencers would come to my defense, but no one did. I guess I must have expected too much.

    “All MAJestic members, are service to others sentience.”

    I doubt that far more than I doubt your story.

    Sheech!

    I don’t like getting up in the morning and checking my feeds to read comments about my life by a jackass. Do you? Do you feel better about yourself by reading those things? Do you think that this “individual” has improved your life, or helped you to understand the dialog or text better?

    Rufus he is not.

    I will argue that this individual is more sophisticated than most of the trolls and jerk-offs that I encounter. So it took me two entire days before I erased his presence. I will say one thing though, he was plowing though my articles at a prodigious rate.

    He sure must have had [1] a lot of time on his hands, and [2] enjoyed the free stuff without appreciation of the effort it represents. Both high-swater-marks of trolling.

    So he’s gone. Bye bye.

    Well, for youse guys that is. I still have to manually erase him out. If he persists then I’ll give him some things to work out. There’s nothing quite like a cornfield to really occupy your time and give you a dose of “humble pie”.

    How about this for a new world-line template?

    A template map of the cornfield.

    Anyways, on to this article…

    This article here is just a mish-mash of stuff that I have lying around and cluttering up my thought streams. It’s all over the place, and that’s fine. I just want to put some things down on paper and then move forward.

    First up is a …

    Pretty girl and her car

    Here’s a photo taken some time around the 1940s. My guess is that she just bought the new car and was proudly photographed near it, being all “dolled up” and all. Looks to be early winter. Maybe Indiana, Pennsylvania, Ohio or New York.

    She’s wearing a fox stole, white gloves, to match her white hat, and a black skirt outfit. The image takes me to a time and a place far away from here. That was not the reason for the photo (in the first place) but it is why I so admire it so.

    When white gloves were an everyday fashion accessory for women.

    She’s lovely.

    Right?

    Yes she is. She really is.

    Here’s a beautiful Chinese girl…

    She’s one of my favorites, don’t you know. (Actually, I think you all do know.) I think she is lovely.

    video 4MB

    Am I objectifying her?

    Yeah. Maybe I am. You all got a problem with that? She’s beautiful. She’s pretty. She’s awesome and when I see her in the video it takes me away to calmer and sweeter states of being. And I love that feeling. I love the images and feelings that she generates inside of me.

    The video is an object. But she is a teleporter to a new mental state. She carries me away.

    Like a beautiful cat pal. Or, a nice hot fudge sundae. Or, a freshly baked fudge brownie with some nice delicious vanilla icecream on top.

    Hot fudge brownie with ice cream on top.

    Now, let’s go to something contemporaneous.

    I mean, the United States does this all the time, but China (somehow) is a very bad entity for soing so. Right?

    Is it legal for the Chinese government to build artificial islands, airfields, and deploy troops in the South China Sea islands?

    From my morning email feed…

    Just for fun!

    https://www.quora.com/Is-it-legal-for-the-Chinese-government-to-build-artificial-islands-airfields-and-deploy-troops-in-the-South-China-Sea-islands/answer/Gavin-McGregor-1?__nsrc__=4&__snid3__=32994900067

    It is often claimed that China is breaking international law by building artificial islands in the South China Sea and that it is illegal to militarise those islands.

    The short answer is that it is “not illegal” to build an artificial island if it does not conflict with some other nations legal rights that might be defined under the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), or other international agreements of which both China and the other nation was a signatory.

    Building airfields and deploying troops on those islands is also “not illegal” if you are entitled to build and occupy the islands.

    An analogous question might be “Is it legal for warships and aircraft carriers to cast anchor in International waters?”. An anchored aircraft carrier is an artificial island with an airfield and a military presence.

    The UNCLOS offers a general protection to a nations territorial waters and exclusive economic zones that extend from baselines derived from recognised land territory’s baselines. However outside those boundaries, in the high seas, any nation is free to construct artificial islands and erect installations that are not otherwise restricted under international law.

    The territorial sea extends to a limit of 12 nautical miles from the baseline of a coastal State. Within this zone, the coastal State exercises full sovereignty over the air space above the sea and over the seabed and subsoil. There is also a contagious zone of an additional 12 nautical miles that grants certain rights of legal enforcement.

    The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) extends no more than 200 nautical miles (370 Km) from the territorial sea baseline and grants exclusive rights to marine resources, including the “exclusive” right to establish artificial islands, structures and installations.

    Where zones intersect the zones of other states, the zones default to the median point between the respective baselines.

    To be clear, artificial islands cannot acquire territorial rights on their own; they at best obtain a safety exclusion zone. So a nation cannot extend their territorial claims by constructing or extending islands anywhere. Smaller natural islands may be entitled a 12 nautical mile territorial claim but not a 200 nautical mile zones.

    Having said that, two or more nations could be in dispute over every aspect outlined above or could be in dispute with the interpretation of international law applying to particular cases. And various interpretations of definitions and determinations could lead to quite different outcomes.

    I am not commenting specifically on which islands could or could not be considered legally or illegally constructed or the selective outrage at China’s activities in the area to the exclusion of all others. But consider the following:

    In the application of the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling on the status of Taiping Island, currently occupied by the Taiwan, which regards the largest island in the Spratly archipelago as a “rock” with limited maritime rights, and allows the Philippines to extend its EEZ at least as far as the island.

    Taiwan, however, has a reasonable case to reject the ruling, and in any event continues to claim full maritime rights.

    The Peoples Republic of China, with an overlapping claim to Taiping island can also dispute the ruling, even make a reasonable claim not to be bound by it, and therefore argue the legality of the establishment of an artificial island within Taiping Island’s claimed EEZ at Mischief Reef less than 80 nautical miles from Taiping Island.

    And a very nice follow-up commentary…

    It’s a well stated commentary rather than a rebuttal.

    Answering a lie is to perpetuate it. If you gather all your information about China from the West, you will not get a smidgen of truth. China is not in the habit of engaging in tongue jousting. They simply defend their rights — bloviate all you want but I dare you to touch my cheese. I think they have good reasons to do so, as they are not adept at lying, and the West is a cesspool of lies populated by lying maggots who consume bullshit and regurgitate bullshit and know nothing but bullshit.
     
    Here are a few facts that can be found if one makes a bit of effort and look underneath the superficial scum. I read these on the same day the Hague Arbitration Court came out with its decision. I think it’s by a female blogger who seemed to have some knowledge on the issues. The truth is therefore not arcane or hidden, it’s just never spoken in the Western lying machine. I’m doing this from memory but you’re welcome to check. The truth is out there.
     
    1. The issue of the South China Sea (SCS) is not UNCLOS but sovereignty. There is overlap of course, but they are two very different issues. To talk only about UNCLOS but not China’s sovereignty claim is Big Lie Number 1. The Nine Dash Lines is China’s claim of sovereignty of the area of the SCS within those lines including all its islands and EEZ. It is a successor claim from the Republic of China (which is why Taiwan, still run by the government of the ROC, must maintain the same claim), as it was not contested by the victorious allies of the Second World War, and was recorded on maps of the era (published by the West). The PRC, which is the globally and UN accepted government of China, has a duty to defend this claim.
     
    2. One must defend one’s sovereignty and negotiate for peaceful borders, not rely on third parties to decide your rights, especially not by those which have no jurisdiction and no teeth. The lesson of Munich comes to mind, when France, UK, and Italy decided to cede Czech Republic’s Sudetenland to Germany. That is what happens to countries which cannot defend their sovereignty. The meme that China is the big bully encroaching on its neighbors is laughable. It is Big Lie Number 2. Except for India, China has in fact negotiated stable land borders with all its neighbors including Vietnam and Russia, considering both these countries had land wars with China in recent decades. Even Bhutan, a de facto protectorate of India which had been prevented from reaching a border agreement with China, appears ready to defy its overlord in the near future.
     
    3. The Nine Dash Lines and UNCLOS do have overlaps. It is not strange, as almost all neighbors sharing a coastline or are island nations have UNCLOS claims that overlap. UNCLOS has a suggestion for how to settle these disputes. Negotiate or arbitrate. Arbitration is however not a court of law, where one party can sue another based on the jurisdiction and laws of where the court is located. Even this jurisdiction must have some basis of prior agreement or when none is available, some basis in law. It does not get decided by one party of a dispute. Anyone who has any experience in arbitration (a mechanism actually used by many international companies doing business in China) understands that arbitration must be agreed to by both parties of a dispute. They must also agree to the quasi-judiciary organization that holds the hearing and makes the adjudication, share in the costs, and accept the decision with no further recourse. Since China never agreed to the arbitration initiated by the Philippines, never agreed to the jurisdiction of the court, never participated in the hearing, and never paid any costs relating to the one-sided arbitration, it was just a farce and a circus. To answer any questions coming from this comedy is to give substance to fart.
     
    With the internet, everyone can have a voice and an opinion. I’ll readily admit that I have no real legal expertise. I have however quite a bit of experience working with top lawyers in Canada on both litigation and quasi-judiciary (Broadcast Commission) matters for well over ten years. For several years, I was also a court appointed receiver manager for the national television station I built. So I’m not speaking out of a vacuum. In fact, some of the cases I was involved in became landmark cases, causing the government to make real changes. While I’m no expert on UNCLOS or sovereignty claims, I usually apply whatever legal ideas I can understand and in most parts commonsense.
    .
    As I like to say, the First Law of Economics is “you do not own anything you cannot defend.” That is the meaning of sovereignty, the rest is bullshit and balderdash.

    A beach beauty….

    Looks like the 1960s. I can easily see myself (as a young boy) wearing the same clothes (as those two boys wore) as the folk in the picture. I can see myself there. Enjoying the sun. Listening to the waves crash, and enjoying the late afternoon sun as the beach gets deserted. Nice times.

    I see the woman in the back is holding either a set of binoculars, or a purse. It’s difficult to see what it is. I don’t think that it is a purse. She’s also wearing a sleeveless top over her stunning green one-piece swimsuit.

    Judging from the cars in the background, I would guess 1963, maybe 1965.

    Family outing.

    I do love these old photos.

    It makes me want to crawl up into some old dusty attic and explore. Who know what I’ll find. Maybe a 1950 Lionel train set, a metal closet with all sorts of 1950’s womans’ hats, or a mason jar full of old pennies, buttons and indian arrow heads.

    A beautiful girl showing off a nice pair of jeans

    Actually I really like these jeans because they are warm. Today is frosty cold, and I am shivering while I type this. Normally Zhuhai is around 30°C (86° F) and 80% RH. But over the last few weeks it has been cold. 7°C (44°F) and spitting cold drizzle rain. Keep in mind that the homes here in the tropics are not heated. THus her outfit looks mighty appealing to me.

    video 50MB

    Trying to tie China to the Ukraine debacle

    Sheech! Can’t these “people” give it a rest?

    It was US & NATO military expansion and deployment to Russia border that caused the current Russia – Ukraine drama.  However, the United States aggression against Russia can not be effective as long as Russia has the support of China.
    So, in the past weeks, there are so many imaginary articles and news that link China to the conflict.
    Below are 13 links and their headlines from the western media + a piece from the Global Times explaining the Western efforts to smear China. It’s the “Smear China campaign”.
    First up, the United States overt propaganda mill; VOA…
    China Eyes Risks and Rewards of US-Russia Standoff Over Ukraine
    https://www.voanews.com/a/china-eyes-risks-and-rewards-of-us-russia-standoff-over-ukraine/6416467.html
    Next, the UK overt propighanda mill; BBC…
    .
    China: What does it want from the Ukraine crisis with Russia? – BBC News
    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-60242549
    More from the “5 eyes”. Here’s “The Diplomat”…
    .
    Why China Will Not Support a Russian Invasion of Ukraine – The Diplomat
    https://thediplomat.com/2022/02/why-china-will-not-support-a-russian-invasion-of-ukraine/
    LOL. Russia is not moving into the Ukraine. Sheech!
    .
    Analysis: China would back Russia, diplomatically, if it moved on Ukraine | Reuters
    https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/china-would-back-russia-diplomatically-if-it-moved-ukraine-2022-02-19/
    In all the bone-headed actions of morons, this has to be the most bone-headed of all…
    .
    The United States’ Russia Sanctions Package Must Include Secondary Sanctions Against China
    https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/02/17/russia-ukraine-china-united-states-secondary-sanctions-putin-xi/
    And from the massive NBC mouth-piece…
    .
    China would ‘end up owning some of the costs’ if Russia invades Ukraine, national security adviser warns.
    .
    In a joint statement with Russia last week, China said it opposed NATO expansion and blamed the U.S. for rising tensions
    .
    https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/china-would-end-owning-some-costs-if-russia-invades-ukraine-n1288712
    A neocon publication…
    .
    What China Is Actually Saying About Russia and Ukraine
    .
    Bits of pro-Russian rhetoric are a far cry from substantive support—or preparations for an invasion of Taiwan.
    https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2022/02/what-china-actually-saying-about-russia-and-ukraine/361561/
    Another neocon publication; “Foreign Affairs”…
    .
    China’s Ukraine Crisis; What Xi Gains—and Loses—From Backing Putin
    https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/china/2022-02-21/chinas-ukraine-crisis
    The United States “says” as reported by the rabid anti-China SCMP…
    .
    US says China ties won’t stop Russian economic ‘catastrophe’ after any Ukraine invasion | South China Morning Post
    https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3165764/us-says-china-ties-wont-make-consequences-if-russia-invades
    The United States warns… (sigh. That’s all they ever do, eh?)
    .
    U.S. warns Chinese firms not to help Russia avoid potential Ukraine sanctions
    https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/04/us-warns-chinese-firms-not-to-help-russia-avoid-potential-ukraine-sanctions.html
    More silliness. No. If Russia moves into the Ukraine, it would be a win for the Untied States…
    .
    Russian war in Ukraine could win for China, Iran, North Korea
    https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2022/02/17/russian-war-ukraine-winners-china-iran-north-korea/6784820001/
    The United States warn some more. This is from a hardline neocon publication…
    .
    United States Warns China Not to Ignore Sanctions if Russia Invades Ukraine | The National Interest
    https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/united-states-warns-china-not-ignore-sanctions-if-russia-invades-ukraine-200360
    More nonsense…
    .
    How China could win in Russia-Ukraine row. Potential conflict in Europe highlights ‘deepening ties’ between Beijing and Moscow
    https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/world-news/china/955616/what-does-china-think-russia-war-ukraine
    And let’s put a bow on all of it.
    .
    US media smearing China-Russia ties on Ukraine issue: foreign ministry – Global Times
    https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202201/1246802.shtml
    Enjoy your leisure reading

    Chinese elementary school.

    As I have often stated that everyone in China gets military training. It starts in first grade, and it really appeals to me. With disipline and organization, self esteem follows naturally.

    Here’s a third grade mortar crew. video 6MB

    Nice short girl.

    This next Chinese girl is short and so very cute. I just want to run around with her in the wide forest and drink hot coco with her, and eat some buttered cinnamon toast. video 5MB

    From my dad’s generation…

    This next phot comes from the 1950’s somewhere in the United States.  It’s a couple “making out” (i.e. “smooching”) in the back seat of a station wagon. Notice how the rear window opens up and is held up with a nice strut.

    I’ll bet that they were playing some fine 1950s music. Maybe some Fats Domino, Bill Haley, Elvis Presley, or Bobby Darin. Good times.

    Young Love.

    Those days are gone. But, you know, there are new days here that we can enjoy in a similiar manner.

    Have you ever thought about a fine coffeecake and a cup of coffee?

    Coffeecake

    China High Speed Train

    China started making, designing and building their own domestic trains at the same time that the United States announced that it would build a High Speed Train network starting in California. Today, they are all over China and a normal everyday sight. Meanwhile 15 miles of track has been laid down in California. No trains. No stations. America has bumpkis.

    video 1 – 4MB

    A video from above showing just how many there are. Impressive.

    video 2 – 3MB

    Here’s the interior of a HST sleeper car. Most HST travel too fast to need a sleeper car, but these sleepers are great for long distance travel.

    video 3 – 3MB

    Nice Chinese girl in her living room

    I actually really like the display console behind her. It’s go these glass cabinets that you can display your treasures inside. Whether it is these cute collectable dolls, or dishes, artwork, or brick-a-brack. I really like it. Of course, I would stain it a dark brown instead of the light color but that’s just me.

    You’ll notice that she has a fine oval face. Oval faces really fit the Chinese face and with a nice long black hair, it’s a super nice effect.

    video 3MB

    A beautiful cat

    This is a very beautiful white kitty.

    video

    Downtown America

    If it wasn’t for the styles of the automobiles, you would say that this is pretty much contemporaneous America. Most of America hasn’t changed much. Sure, theres some cell phone and all that, but the Untied States has been spending it’s money destroying mud huts, strafing cows, and bombing cabbage patches. Very little remains for domestic improvements and infrastructure.

    And it hasn’t happened yet either, no matter the promises that President Biden made. The federal budget is all about more machines of war, and more efforts to “contain” China.

    Philadelphia, 1957

    Some pictures of cats

    Why not? Right?

    I do love my relationships with the kitties and they always really mellow out the place and terrorize the rats and mice. I am a strong believer that every household needs a good mouser.

    This cat here reminds me of my first childhood cat; Sedwick. We called his “Sedgie”. He died a ripe old age when I was living in Indiana. He was a good cat.

    Sedwick clone.

    Cycles of life

    So much truth here… perhaps the reason why everyone in China gets military training. Learns how to shoot, fight, and endure.

    Video 28MB

    Little military soldier in China.

    China understands.  Build strong little soldiers for a stong unified nation. This is how it is done. Training starts in first grade. video 3MB

    The start of the Playboy Empire

    He was a man who had a dream. Then he followed his dream and it took him to many interesting places, along with attractive and interesting people. In this photo below he is in England in 1966. Ah. The “swinging 60s”.

    Playboy editor and tycoon Hugh Hefner is greeted by a group of bunny girls from his Playboy Clubs, upon his arrival at London Airport, 1966. (Photo by Dove/Getty Images)

    Here’s the cover for the August issue of Playboy in 1966…

    Playboy cover.

    And a glimpse of what it looked like on the inside… this is the September 1966 issue…

    Index page.

    And what the advertisements were like. This is the back side of the magazine. Each issue seemed to have either a cigarette ad, or a alcohol advertisement of one sort or the other…

    Advertisement.

    My guess is that the men-folk would keep the playboy magazines in the bathroom on a low stool with other magazines, and then flip the cover over so that the Mrs’s wouldn’t notice (too much). Thus predominantly displaying the cigaretter or booze ad inside the privacy of the “man’s” bathroom.

    Ladies! Get yourself an ugly man.

    So funny, but…

    video 82MB

    A photo before going off to war!

    You know, to fight those evil Japanese! Those horrible Germans, and those pesky Communists! We MUST spread freedom™ and democracy™ to the world, don’t you know!

    A group poses for a picture at Pier 86, on 46th Street.

    This kid below has some wisdom to share…

    You can do anything you set your mind to…

    This kid is going places. He’s right. I hope, I sincerely hope, that school teachers, and peers don’t beat this inner strength out of him. video 50MB

    Russia Has Just Issued An Ultimatum To Ukraine, And The Conditions For War Are Now Set

    This is not a game.  As this crisis has been unfolding in Ukraine, I have been seeing people all over the Internet cheer for either side like they would cheer for their favorite football teams.  But these people don’t understand what is at stake.  If World War III erupts in Ukraine, it will very likely lead to nuclear war between the United States and Russia down the road.  So we should all be deeply grieved over what is happening, because we are getting really close to a point of no return.

    One of the good things about the Trump years was that President Trump was not interested in messing with Russia.  So the status quo in Ukraine was respected by both sides for four years, and there was relative peace in the region.

    But then Joe Biden took power, and he has surrounded himself with an all-star team of warmongers.  National security adviser Jake Sullivan, Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff General Mark Milley, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken are all card-carrying members of the War Party, and they don’t seem interested in finding a way to have peace with Russia at all.

    After having his security concerns mocked and laughed at for the past year, Vladimir Putin finally admitted that negotiations are at “a dead end” on Monday.  It would have been so easy to negotiate a peaceful solution with the Russians that would have kept Russia out of Ukraine, but that isn’t what the War Party wanted.

    Now Putin has run out of patience, and on Monday he greatly escalated the crisis by formally recognizing the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk and by announcing that he would be sending troops into the two separatist republics…

    Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent on Monday and ordered the Russian army to launch what Moscow called a peacekeeping operation in the area, upping the ante in a crisis the West fears could unleash a major war. Putin told Russia’s defense ministry to deploy troops into the two breakaway regions to “keep the peace” in a decree issued shortly after he announced recognition for Russia-backed separatists there, drawing US and European vows of new sanctions.

    I think that Putin wanted to make a move before the Ukrainians did.  According to one Russian official, there were “almost 60K Ukrainian military personnel concentrated near the borders of the Republics of Lugansk & Donetsk”, and I think that Putin decided that the only way to keep Ukraine from overrunning the two republics was to move his own forces in first.

    Hopefully that actually works.

    Hopefully the Russians will stay in Donetsk and Luhansk, and hopefully the Ukrainians will stay on their side.

    Ukraine crisis assets Showing the area of two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine

    If that is the end result, there may still be hope of defusing the situation.

    But I wouldn’t count on it.

    Putin sounds like a man that is convinced that war is coming.  The following comes from a very rough translation of his speech on Monday…

    “from those who took power in kiev we demand to stop any and all military actions against donbass. otherwise, the consequences will be on ukraine. i count on the support of all patriotic forces in russia.”

    Russia has essentially issued an ultimatum to Ukraine.

    If Ukraine invades Donetsk and Luhansk, the Russians will invade Ukraine.

    Of course some western media sources are actually using the term “invasion” to describe Russian troop movements into the separatist republics.

    If you have bought into that propaganda, let me ask you a question.  Do the people in this video look like they have just been “invaded”?…

    Twitter can be a horrible place at times, but tonight’s decision by President Putin to recognise the Donbass republics is the news people there have been looking forward to for 8 years. I’ll sign off tonight with this video from Lenin Square in Donetsk. #Donbass 🇷🇺 pic.twitter.com/l8YJVF84tf
    
    — Dean O’Brien (@DeanoBeano1) February 21, 2022

    This would be a good opportunity for both sides to take a deep breath and start backing down.

    But that isn’t going to happen.

    Western leaders continue to use extremely harsh rhetoric and they continue to insist that a full-blown invasion of Ukraine is imminent.  The following is what Jake Sullivan just told the Today Show

    “We believe that any military operation of the size, scope and magnitude of what we believe the Russians are planning will be extremely violent. It will cost the lives of Ukrainians and Russians, civilians and military personnel alike,” Sullivan said during an appearance on NBC’s “Today.”
    
    “But we also have intelligence to suggest that there will be an even greater form of brutality because this will not simply be some conventional war between two armies,” he added. “It will be a war waged by Russia on the Ukrainian people to repress them, to crush them, to harm them.”

    And another U.S. official is alleging that Russia has a list of people that they will be specifically targeting once the invasion has been completed…

    “Disturbing information recently obtained by the United States that indicates that human rights violations and abuses in the aftermath of a further invasion are being planned,” Ambassador Bathsheba Nell Crocker, the US Representative to the Office of the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva, alleges in a letter to Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
    
    “These acts, which in past Russian operations have included targeted killings, kidnappings/forced disappearances, unjust detentions, and the use of torture, would likely target those who oppose Russian actions, including Russian and Belarusian dissidents in exile in Ukraine, journalists and anti-corruption activists, and vulnerable populations such as religious and ethnic minorities and LGBTQI+ persons,” reads the letter, which was first reported by The Washington Post and obtained by CNN.

    So Russia plans to violently round up dissidents, activists and anyone else that is opposed to their rule?

    Oh, you mean that it will be kind of like what just happened in Canada with the full approval of the U.S. government?

    If the Biden administration actually cared about human rights, they would be condemning the horrific brutality that we just witnessed in Ottawa.

    But of course that will never happen.

    Let’s watch and see what happens over in Ukraine during the next several days.  One very alarming sign is that the Russians have just closed off much of the airspace over the Sea of Azov

    Russia’s Aeronautical Information Center issued a NOTAM (a Notice to Airmen) on Sunday which will close most of the airspace over the Sea of Azov starting at midnight between Sunday and Monday, as the US continued to warn that Russia intends to invade Ukraine.

    I don’t think that this indicates that a full-blown invasion of Ukraine is imminent.

    But at this point the conditions for war have been clearly set.

    If Ukraine invades Donetsk and Luhansk now, the Russians have made it exceedingly clear that they will invade Ukraine.

    So this actually puts a lot of power into the hands of the War Party in Washington.

    Joe Biden and his all-star team of warmongers now know exactly what it will take to spark a war.

    Will they decide to pull the trigger?

    Let us hope not, because once World War III begins nothing will ever be the same again.

    Nice Chinese girl

    With nice S-shaped body and a rocking red sweater. I like this build. I’ll bet you that she has that kind of smoth “baby bottom” stomach. You know, when you are thin and you feel comfortable in you clothing, and in your skin, everything fits you wonderfully. Like this gal.

    video

    Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy

    Do you know what I haven’t had in a while? Yes. That’s right. Home made Salisbury steak with mushroom gravy.

    Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy.

    If you have memories of eating the microwave meal version of Salisbury steak, don’t be scared off by this retro favorite. The home-cooked steak pairs excellently with a creamy sauce and when seasoned to perfection redefines what people loved about this classic in the first place. Take a second chance with this meal and it will be your new all-time favorite. It certainly is mine.

    And for youse guys who wants to cook this bad boy up, well…

    Get the recipe from Tin Eats.

    Why there are no internet trolls in China.

    It’s true.

    All behaviors are monitored by AI. Troll behaviors are observed and then the police come by and evaluate the criminal to set up treatment and punishment on a individual to individual basis.

    That is why China is a nation of Rufus’s and many Trolls find themselves spending substantial time in work camps, and re-programming facilities.

    Here’s what the world looks like when you imprison the mentally ill, and criminal in society… it becomes a paradise.

    video 19MB

    Managerial Menticide

    The Monday Taki post is up. The subject of it and today’s post is the new way to look at the system ruling over us. Of course, Sunday Thoughts is up behind the green door for those needing audio stimulation. Much of it is about the situation in Europe and the evolving Canadian dictatorship.

    One of the problems with the Opposite Rule of Liberalism is that it relies on the old Left-Right dichotomy of American politics. This framing persists despite the fact that it is a vestige of a bygone era that no longer works today.

    • Democrats = Liberals
    • Republicans = Conservatives

    It no longer exists.

    The political divide is now between those who adhere to the basket of ideas called Western liberalism and those who defend the post-Marxist managerial state. The latter group is made up almost entirely of members of the ruling class.

    • The Haves = The post-Marxist managerial state.
    • The Have-nots = Western liberalism

    In other words, we now live in a world divided by those in the system of control that hovers over the West and those who live under it. The Dirt People versus Cloud People framing is a much more honest, if a bit sarcastic, framework for the world.

    • Cloud People = Rulers
    • Dirt People = Serf / slaves

    The ruling system is like a miasma that hangs over society, infecting the minds of the people and their relations with one another. We can see the elites at the top, just barely, but the system they control is all around us.

    A big part of what ails society is this sense that things are not as they seem, but it is hard to get a read on why.

    That noxious miasma that lingers in every aspect of society often leads people to doubt their own senses. Their experience tells them things about the world and people in it, but everywhere they look they are getting messages telling them that what they think they see is not true.

    Instead, they are to believe something that is often the opposite of what they experience.

    This is where the Opposite Rule continues to work. Those who are aware of the contradictions of daily existence can apply the rule to the information stream that comes from the system, filling the area around them. Whatever is in the air at the moment, start from some version of the opposite, and the truth will be near. The Opposite Rule of Liberalism is best restated as the Opposite Rule of Managerialism. This organic, self-aware system that rules over us is the opposite of truth.

    A useful example comes from the daily barrage of “information” from the system about the crisis in Ukraine.

    Here is a story from the New York Times headlined, “Russia has been laying groundwork online for a ‘false flag’ operation, misinformation researchers say.” Note that this story is not behind the usual paywall, as they want wide circulation of it. Note also that the writer is one of the infants they employ to copy and paste material into “news reports.”

    This news report starts with a news report from a European based group called European Expert Association, which is described as “a research group that focuses on security in Ukraine.”

    When you take a look at who these people are, it becomes obvious that they are Ukrainian activists.

    These are not neutral observers searching for the truth about the crisis. More important, when you look at their resumes you see all the familiar NGO’s that are pushing for war with Russia.

    • NGO = CIA funded Neocon organization.

    Of course, this is the New York Times, the first draft of history and the leader in the American news media. They do not just take this at face value. They hand it to a group called the Global Disinformation Index, a nonprofit “research” group. These are the go-to guys for the Times reports on misinformation and disinformation.

    To the shock of no one in the Times offices, the researchers at Global Disinformation Index confirmed everything said the European Expert Association.

    The reason the Times was not surprised by what they heard back from the Global Disinformation Index is the person running it is Anne Applebaum. She is a notorious warmonger and neoconservative.

    Anne Applebaum.

    Here she is advocating for the liquidation of the Afghanis and the Syrians as a “solution” to those problems. Applebaum is a big believer in what Stalin supposedly said about people causing problems for the regime. No man, no problem. Applebaum just scales it up.

    Her partner in this enterprise is a Ukrainian activist named Peter Pomerantsev, who is probably on the payroll of a Western intelligence service. His biography does not pass the laugh test. His role in life has been to seed Western media with anti-Russian information dressed up as Ukrainian nationalism. The rest of the staff of the Global Disinformation Index all have an axe to grind with some enemy of the neocons, past, present or in the future.

    Peter Pomerantsev.

    The point of this walk through the swamps behind the ministry of disinformation is to illustrate how the new rule works;

    • If a media outlet is claiming to root out disinformation, you can be sure they are not doing that.
    • Instead, start with the assumption that they are waging a disinformation campaign.
    • That is what you see in the New York Times story and any story containing the words “Global Disinformation Index.”
    • Then you can begin to figure out what is really going on with the story.

    Of course, the entirely new obsession with misinformation and disinformation by government and mass media is a big lie. Since forever, people have known that governments lie all the time.

    They have known that the media is partisan, a form of activism more often than not. Yet suddenly we are being told that the media and the government are now declaring war in false information.

    Since they are the only possible source of disinformation, this means war on themselves.

    The big lie, for those unfamiliar, is a lie so colossal that no one would believe that someone could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously. This is now the default tactic of the managerial state.

    • They tell us that Eskimo truckers protesting vaccine rules are white supremacists.
    • Then they bring in a “hate expert” to claim that freedom is a form of violence.

    These outlandish whoppers are then signed off on by new experts who sagely tell us the moon is made of cheese.

    Unlike normal propaganda techniques, this new tactic is not to further a cause, although it can be used that way as we see with Ukraine. The neocons are simply taking advantage of a defense mechanism that has evolved since the Cold War.

    By flooding the zone with outlandish nonsense, the system prevents cogent analysis of what it is doing or contradicting it in any way.

    It is a form of menticide to paralyze the people by suspending them in a solution of false narratives.

    The concept of "menticide" indicates an organized system of judicial perversion and psychological intervention, in which a powerful tyrant transfers his own thoughts and words into the minds and mouths of the victims he plans to destroy or to use for his own propaganda.
    
    -menticide
    

    This is the utility of the Opposite Rule.

    It helps clarify the new relationship between the leviathan and the people.

    • Rulers = leviathan
    • People = serf / slaves

    Instead of viewing society as a hierarchical structure that is responsive to the will of the people, you see that it is an adversarial relationship between a ruling organism and the people.

    This ruling organism is the vast administrative state made up of government, corporations, the academy, non-profits and the mass media.

    It is a fully integrated organism.

    The endless waves of information, mostly false information, is its primary defense mechanism against what it sees as a threat.

    That threat is the people over whom it hovers like a noxious cloud.

    The point of the false information is to keep the people in a fog of confusion about who really rules over them.

    You cannot rebel against that which you are not even sure exists.

    Menticide is the primary defense mechanism of this system of social control we call managerialism.

    A nice night in the city

    Isn’t she just great? Well, I love her.

    One of my favorite things to do is get dressed up a tad and go out for a night in the city. Though it’s mostly a nice meal in a restrurant, followed by a coffee and a snack at one of the bars or coffee houses, I would love to go out and feel the night city air. Great times.

    video 2MB

    Chinese J-20

    Superior or roughly comparable (depending on who your read) to all the American fighter aircraft. 100% Chinese designed. 100% Chinese avionics. 100% Chinese engines.

    Video 10MB

    According To The ‘Big Mac Index’, China’s Yuan Is 34% Under-Valued

    The Big Mac was created in 1967 by Jim Delligati, a McDonald’s franchise owner in Pennsylvania. It was launched throughout the U.S. the following year, and today you can buy one in more than 70 countries. However, as Visual Capitalist’s Jenna Ross details below, the price you pay will vary based on where you are, as evidenced by the Big Mac Index.

    What Does the Big Mac Index Show?

    The Big Mac Index was invented by The Economist in 1986. It is intended to be a lighthearted way to demonstrate the concept of purchasing power parity. In other words, it helps illustrate the idea that market exchange rates between countries may be “out of whack” when compared to the cost of buying the same basket of goods and services in those places.

    Given that McDonald’s is one of the biggest companies in the world and the Big Mac is widely available globally, it means that the famous burger can be used as a basic goods comparison between most countries. It also has the advantage of having the same inputs and distribution system, with a few minor modifications (like chicken patties in India instead of beef).

    Using the price of a Big Mac in two countries, the index can give an indication as to whether a currency may be over or undervalued. For example, a Big Mac costs ¥24.40 in China and $5.81 in the United States. By comparing the implied exchange rate to the actual exchange rate, we can see whether the Yuan is over or undervalued.

    According to the Big Mac Index, the Yuan is undervalued by 34%.

    Beyond currency misalignment, the index has other uses. For instance, it shows inflation in burger prices over time. If we compare the price of a Big Mac across countries in the same currency—such as the U.S. dollar—we are also able to see where burgers are cheaper or relatively more expensive.

    Burger Costs Around the World

    Big Mac prices have been converted from local currency to U.S. dollars based on the actual exchange rate in effect at the time.

    Switzerland takes the cake for the priciest Big Mac, followed closely behind by Norway.

    Both countries have relatively high price levels but also enjoy higher wages when compared to other OECD countries.

    Venezuela has seen the largest jump in burger prices, with the cost of a Big Mac climbing nearly 250% since 2004. The country has been plagued by hyperinflation for years, so it’s no surprise to see large price swings in the country’s data.

    While it appears that the price of a Big Mac has decreased in Turkey, this is because the prices are shown in U.S. dollars. The new Turkish lira has depreciated against the U.S. dollar more than 90% since it was introduced in 2005.

    Finally, it’s worth noting that Russia has the cheapest Big Mac, reflecting the country’s lower price levels. Labor costs in Russia are roughly a third of those in Switzerland.

    The Limitations of Burgernomics

    The Big Mac Index is useful for a number of reasons. Investors can use it to measure inflation over time, and compare this to official records. This can help them value bonds and other securities that are sensitive to inflation. The Big Mac Index also indicates whether a currency may be over or undervalued, and investors can place foreign exchange trades accordingly.

    Of course, the index does have shortcomings. Here are some that economists have noted.

    • Non-traded services can have different prices across countries. The price of a Big Mac will be influenced by the costs of things like labor, but this is not a reflection of relative currency values. The Economist now releases a GDP-adjusted version of the Big Mac Index to help address this criticism.
    • McDonald’s is not in every country in the world. This means the geographic reach of the Big Mac Index has some limitations, particularly in Africa.
    • The index lacks diversity. The index is made up of one item: the Big Mac. Because of this, it lacks the diversity of other economic metrics such as the Consumer Price Index.

    Despite all of these limitations, the Big Mac Index does act as a good starting place for understanding purchasing power parity. Through the simplicity of burgers, complex economic theory is easier to digest.

    Walking the rails in the countryside.

    Gosh! I’ll bet this woman is so much fun!

    She’s one of my favorites and she’s on the tracks. I used to do this don’t you know. We had all these traintracks that ran in and out and though the countryside in Western Pennsylvania. I would go hiking with my friends (when I was a boy) and often we would try walkign on top of the rails. Just like this girl does. So nice. Good memories.

    When was the last time that you walked the rails?

    video 25MB

    Do you all know what would be good and fun?

    How about taking a little short walk down some tracks alone with your cell phone set to OFF.

    A reminder of how unified the Chinese are

    This is a clip from a movie. It depicts a true event where (during the Korean war) no matter how many times the American military destroyed the bridges, the Chinese rebuilt them and kept on moving forward. True story. Remember that.

    video 17MB

    Nice healthy Chinese girl

    Gosh she looks good. Doesn’t she?

    I really like her lipstick. Personally, I think that many women look great wearing lipstick, but the color and texture selection is critical. Not every color and texture fits every woman. In this case, this red sade really complements her skin complexion and her hair color. Don’t you think?

    video

    Final Thoughts

    Do you all know what really pisses off a lot of Trolls?

    It’s one of the first things that Trolls disparage.

    It’s off-subject meandering. Whether pretty girls. Food. Cats. Personal stories, and all the rest.

    It drives them bonkers.

    It’s rambling trains of thought. They are unable (due to some kind of mental block, or mental illness) focus on wide-ranging topics. They can handle a singular topic, and get involved in it, but they really, REALLY hate meandering expressions of thoughts, images, senses and pictures of another life in it’s great complexity.

    They cannot handle articles like this.

    Their tiny minds cannot handle it.

    You all know, that I am going to continue on my meandering adventures, for most healthy people can easily handle my topics and how they are presented. I hope that you too (my dear reader) understand why I structure MM the way I do.

    There’s an order and a reason behind the “madness”.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 3

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

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    China and the fiasco in the Ukraine

    This is a topical subject. It is something that is going on right now, and the outcome is not determined. The situation is indeterminate.

    It is “funny” how the evil regime / military empire operates. Five months of “A war in Taiwan, A war in Taiwan”, followed by three months of non-stop “A war in the Ukraine, A war in the Ukraine”. China didn’t do anything. Russia didn’t do anything. But the facts don’t matter.

    Today, the Ukraine started to attack it’s “breakaway” Eastern provinces. The United States fully expects that Russia will get involved, and they are so Hell Bent that Russia would do something, that they can then slap their “sanctions” on Russia and force Germany to abandon the Nordstrom Gas pipeline from Russia.

    Why am I so confident that this is what the plan is?

    Well, the CIA mouthpiece said so…

    Yeah. So this one little article says…

    • USA LP gas exports will increase in 2022…
    • Due to the Northstrom gas pipeline from Russia stopped…
    • Because Germany will adhere to American sanctions…
    • Against Russia …
    • Because Russia invaded the Ukraine.
    • And that Russia will invade because TODAY the Ukranians started to kill their separatist groups in the LDR.

    Except that…

    • Russia is not budging. It’s not making any military moves.
    • The Ukrainians must sort out their own issues.
    • Thus, there’s no excuse to sanction Russia.

    And thus the entire American plot to seize control of energy into Europe has (so far) failed. I’m sure that they have a “trick or two up their sleeve“, so you cannot say that the situation is fixed in place. It isn’t. The United States evil empire is pushing and pushing and pushing for control of the world. It is flailing and failing everywhere. But it’s still in the ring fighting.

    But…

    Well…

    The USA is mighty strange, don’t you know?

    I am not the only one who believes this…

    From UNZ

    Just after I published my first long article on the likely origins of the Covid outbreak in April 2020, our alternative media website was suddenly deplatformed, being banned from Facebook and with all our pages completely deranked by Google. For almost a decade, my article The Myth of Hispanic Crime had regularly been ranked #2 of some 200 million Google search results on that topic, but it now suddenly disappeared from the public discussion, a development that deeply rankled me.

    Being blocked by the two primary gatekeepers of the global Internet has obviously had a serious impact upon our ability to reach potential readers, especially new ones. Nonetheless, our articles do still occasionally strike a spark and go viral, racking up many tens of thousands of pageviews, an encouraging situation. But the massive current media propaganda-bubble promoting an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine, which seems to be a ridiculous hoax, has apparently shifted that landscape, creating a huge demand for contrary perspectives.

    Last weekend I published Mike Whitney’s piece arguing that the motive behind the sudden war-hysteria was actually to prevent the opening of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Russia and Germany, which would have fostered their mutually-beneficial economic cooperation. Such peaceful Eurasian integration might be viewed as a major geopolitical threat by some American strategists, who thereby provoked the sudden war-scare.

    The Ukrainian crisis has nothing to do with Ukraine. It’s about Germany and, in particular, a pipeline that connects Germany to Russia called Nord Stream 2. 
    
    Washington sees the pipeline as a threat to its primacy in Europe and has tried to sabotage the project at every turn. 
    
    Even so, Nord Stream has pushed ahead and is now fully-operational and ready-to-go. 
    
    Once German regulators provide the final certification, the gas deliveries will begin. 
    
    German homeowners and businesses will have a reliable source of clean and inexpensive energy while Russia will see a significant boost to their gas revenues. 
    
    It’s a win-win situation for both parties.
    
    The US Foreign Policy establishment is not happy about these developments. 
    
    They don’t want Germany to become more dependent on Russian gas because commerce builds trust and trust leads to the expansion of trade. 
    
    As relations grow warmer, more trade barriers are lifted, regulations are eased, travel and tourism increase, and a new security architecture evolves. 
    
    In a world where Germany and Russia are friends and trading partners, there is no need for US military bases, no need for expensive US-made weapons and missile systems, and no need for NATO. 
    
    There’s also no need to transact energy deals in US Dollars or to stockpile US Treasuries to balance accounts. 
    
    Transactions between business partners can be conducted in their own currencies which is bound to precipitate a sharp decline in the value of the dollar and a dramatic shift in economic power. 
    
    This is why the Biden administration opposes Nord Stream. 
    
    It’s not just a pipeline, it’s a window into the future; a future in which Europe and Asia are drawn closer together into a massive free trade zone that increases their mutual power and prosperity while leaving the US on the outside looking in. 
    
    Warmer relations between Germany and Russia signal an end to the “unipolar” world order the US has overseen for the last 75 years. 
    
    A German-Russo alliance threatens to hasten the decline of the Superpower that is presently inching closer to the abyss. 
    
    This is why Washington is determined to do everything it can to sabotage Nord Stream and keep Germany within its orbit. It’s a matter of survival

    Strange American actions

    It seems so straight forward, right?

    Not so fast.

    • Biden cancelled the US pipeline his first week in office.
    • Now he’s cancelled the Israeli pipeline.
    • But he approved the Russia pipeline, through the Ukraine (no less).

    So what the heck is actually going on?

    From the American Energy Alliance

    Biden Abandons Israeli Pipeline In Favor Of Russian Gas Via Ukraine

    President Biden is withdrawing U.S. support for the EastMed pipeline that would bring natural gas from Israel to the European continent.

    Europe is currently in an energy crisis with record prices for natural gas and electricity, potential rolling blackouts, low supplies of natural gas, millions of citizens in energy poverty and increasing coal consumption, which the continent has wanted to end.

    Increasing reliance on intermittent renewable sources that have not produced to their potential has put pressure on other sources the Europeans have discouraged.

    The result of Biden’s most recent decision is making Europe even more dependent on Russia for its natural gas.

    Currently, Western Europe gets over 40 percent of its natural gas from Russia via a pipeline that runs through Ukraine.

    Russia wants to activate its Nord Stream 2 pipeline that runs under the Baltic so that it can avoid the current route through Ukraine.

    Biden gave Russia the go-ahead in July 2021 for the continued construction of Nord Stream 2, which Russia predicted could go on-line by the end of the year.  It is now completed.

    Rather than helping an ally, Biden is helping Russia dominate Europe’s energy system and gain economic strength in doing so.

    The only explanation that Biden’s administration has given to withdrawing support is: “Washington’s interest is now switching to renewable energy sources.”

    While the White House is using its dogged support for the switch to renewable energy to justify its decision, the European Commission drafted legal text that pronounces natural gas and nuclear power as “transitional” green energy sources to be used to bridge countries away from coal toward technologies like wind and solar.

    EastMed Gas Pipeline

    The EastMed Gas pipeline is a 1,180-mile undersea pipeline project from Israel to southern Europe, set to be completed by 2025, which, when completed will ease Europe’s dependence on Russia and Turkey, which serves as a hub for oil and natural gas.

    The pipeline will reach depths of 3 kilometers, and have a capacity of 10 billion cubic meters per year.

    Construction of the pipeline is expected to cost approximately €6 billion ($6.86 billion).

    The pipeline is being developed by IGI Poseidon S.A., a 50-50 joint venture between the Greek gas utility DEPA and the Italian gas utility Edison.

    The EastMed Pipeline accord was signed in Athens by the leaders of Greece, Cyprus, and Israel on January 2, 2020.

    Biden’s Political Decision

    Biden is not only catering to Russia regarding the EastMed pipeline decision but also to Turkey, who is offended that it was left out of the EastMed pipeline accord.

    Turkey believes that it should be part of the pipeline project amid claims over natural gas in the east Mediterranean.

    Turkish president Erdogan declared that any future eastern Mediterranean “gas project must include Turkey.

    This business cannot be done without Turkey. Because if [gas] is to be transferred to Europe from here, it will only happen through Turkey.”

    According to an expert, the Biden administration is “attributing huge significance to Turkey,” and its future after Erdogan.

    Biden’s Inconsistencies

    MedEast is the second major pipeline that the Biden administration has put a damper on: the first being the Keystone XL pipeline that would bring oil from Canada and North Dakota to the Gulf States.

    Canadian oil is heavy oil needed for U.S. refineries that retooled decades ago when U.S. light oil production was declining.

    Keystone XL would also provide more oil to the United States from an ally rather than being dependent on OPEC and Russia for oil.

    For several months since the pandemic began, Russia was the number 2 supplier of oil to the United States, competing with Mexico for that distinction.

    When Biden blocked the Keystone XL pipeline by canceling its Presidential permit, he blocked a project that went over and above existing standards to address issues such as carbon emissions, safety standards, and cooperation with indigenous people impacted by the pipeline.

    Biden’s Keystone XL and MedEast pronouncements both overturn decisions made by President Trump.

    When Joe Biden agreed to set aside U.S. objections to the controversial Russian undersea Nord Stream 2 pipeline, he reversed former President Trump’s policy of opposing the project due to security concerns.

    The 760-mile Baltic Sea pipeline allows direct Russian natural gas supply to Germany and other western European countries and allows Russia to dominate the European energy market, making Putin a power player in continental Europe, where Russia already supplies over 40 percent of its natural gas.

    Conclusion

    President Biden continues to overturn decisions made by President Trump regarding energy policy.

    In the most recent case, he has withdrawn U.S. support for the EastMed gas pipeline project, which would transport natural gas from Israel to Europe via the Mediterranean Sea when completed in 2025.

    The project would remove some of the continent’s dependency on Russia for natural gas supplies that Russia has used as a geopolitical tool at times in the past. Biden’s announced reasoning is that the focus in Washington is now on renewable energy, despite the European Commission seeing the necessity to allow natural gas to be deemed a “transitional green energy source”.

    Biden has shown huge inconsistency on his pipeline decisions, with one major exception—they all overturn decisions made by President Trump.

    What’s going on

    It appears that Geo-political concerns and domestic green energy concerns are at odds. Alliances are at odds, and there are competing interests all backed by powerful corportations and individuals with competing interests. Thus making the United States a schizophrenic entity.

    Oh, Great! A schizophrenic bully with the largest arsenal of nuclear and bioweapons in the world. What could go wrong?

    It seems, to me at least, that the United States is desparately trying to control Europe, and Israel by energy. If you control access to energy, you can control them, and by dishing out access in measured doses, you can use them as pawns to do your bidding.

    And that is what I think is going on.

    An Evil Empire

    Though it does seem rather mish-mash.  Does the hand on the left know what the hand on the right is doing?

    Do you want to know why the rest of the world calls it an evil empire?

    The big fear right now is that sanctions against Russia will be ineffective. You slap sanctions on Russia and they will not work. Russia is pretty much autonomus.

    So what are the American / UK “experts” saying?

    Check out this horror…

    Argument
    An expert's point of view on a current event.

    If Russia Invades Ukraine, Sanction China

    Putin has found an economic lifeline in Beijing that only Washington can destroy.

    By , a senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute’s Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies.
    .

    Faced with the threat of further Western sanctions against Russia if it invades Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been seeking shelter in China.

    On Feb. 4, the opening day of the Beijing Winter Olympics, Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a new strategic partnership between their two countries.

    A joint statement described the Chinese-Russian relationship as a “friendship” with “no ‘forbidden’ areas of cooperation.”

    Putin expressed support for China’s opposition to Taiwanese independence, and Xi seconded Russia’s demand that NATO end its eastward expansion.

    They also unveiled plans for broader economic cooperation, particularly in the oil and gas sectors.

    The timing is no coincidence: At least in the short term, strengthened Chinese-Russian ties provide Putin an opportunity to lessen the blow from potential Western sanctions.

    This puts the United States in a serious bind.

    If Washington expects to convey a credible deterrent against a Russian invasion of Ukraine using financial and economic sanctions, it will need to signal its resolve to impose secondary sanctions against China in the same breath.

    The problem is that the United Kingdom and the European Union, key U.S. allies, do not have the same legal or regulatory frameworks to impose secondary sanctions against Chinese banks or state-owned enterprises.

    U.S. secondary sanctions, which target a third-party entity or country for conducting business with the primary subject of sanctions, rely on broad interpretations of jurisdiction.

    To put it nicely; a very broad and liberal interpetation of the law; or to put it better; to make up the rules as you see fit. -MM

    Most countries adopt some form of a territorial or nationality standard, meaning that its national borders define its jurisdictional reach.

    The United States, however, considers its citizens, companies, and property as falling under its jurisdiction even if located abroad.

    The United States considers the world to be it's territory. Not its borders.  -MM

    Because the U.K. and EU lack this framework to apply secondary sanctions, it leaves Washington alone to flex its extraterritorial muscle against China.

    And though the United States is unlikely to suffer any significant domestic economic blowback from imposing broad financial and economic sanctions against Russia, it is a different story with China.


    At a Feb. 7 press conference following his meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, U.S. President Joe Biden said the United States was coordinating “a strong package of sanctions that are going to clearly demonstrate international resolve and impose swift and severe consequences if Russia violates Ukraine’s sovereignty and its territorial integrity.”

    Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a key architect of the U.S. sanctions regime against Iran, is also working on a bipartisan bill that would apply what he described as the “mother of all sanctions” on Russia.

    There are still significant disagreements in Washington on when to apply sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline linking Russia and Germany.

    Well, you must realize that this is a project between Russia and Germany. The USA is not involved in it in any way, shape or means. -MM

    The pipeline is owned by the Russian state-backed energy corporation Gazprom and has become a focal point among NATO allies because of its role in increasing Germany’s energy dependence on Russia.

    Democrats, including Menendez and Biden, prefer to wait for Russia to invade Ukraine before putting sanctions in place, while Republicans are in favor of imposing sanctions on the pipeline immediately.

    Republicans want to sanction Russia without reason. The Democrats are waiting for an excuse. -MM

    Nevertheless, Menendez’s proposed legislation is sweeping and includes options to target Russia’s energy and finance sectors as well as key Russian government officials and even to boot Russia from SWIFT, the global financial messaging system that connects banks around the world.

    The pieces for a broader, multilateral approach to sanctions are finally coming together.

    This should scare Putin.

    Responding to criticism that Germany was not doing enough to bolster Ukraine’s defenses, Scholz provided reassurances during his visit to Washington that Berlin is committed to imposing costs on Russia if it invades Ukraine.

    It remains to be seen, however, whether that includes ditching Nord Stream 2.

    That is the plan. Do not fool yourselves. -MM

    Although Scholz has been vague about the pipeline’s fate if push comes to shove, he did note that Germany was prepared to take “all necessary steps” in the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, noting the need for strategic ambiguity to head off an attempt by Russia to preemptively fortify itself against Western sanctions.

    European leaders are fearful that an all-out barrage of sanctions against Russia could result in severe economic pain for their own economies.

    Sanctions against Russia, whether with Russia alone or with China, will REALLY harm the EU. But the insane psychopaths in Washington DC do not care. -MM

    Unlike the United States, many large European banks have close ties to Russia.

    Europe’s energy sector is particularly at risk—relying on Russia for more than 40 percent of its imported natural gas.

    The United States is trying to prevent a potential energy crisis in Europe should Putin weaponize Russia’s oil and gas exports. Amid already rising energy prices, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been working to assure European leaders that the Biden administration is committed to easing “any disruptions to Europe’s energy supply.”

    And so they believe him? -MM

    Specifically, he pointed to discussions with governments and major global suppliers of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to shore up supply.

    The United States has ramped up its LNG exports to Europe as an alternative to Russian gas.

    As of January, some 75 percent of U.S. LNG exports were bound for Europe. Last year, that figure stood at only 23 percent.

    Meanwhile, this month, Putin unveiled his new oil and gas deal with China, worth more than $117 billion.

    The terms of the 30-year contract call for Russia to supply an additional 10 billion cubic meters of gas to China per year via a new pipeline.

    The implication is that deepening economic cooperation with China would help Russia absorb some of the shock if the West did impose severe sanctions against its banking and energy sectors. Russia is one of China’s largest oil and gas suppliers.

    Russia is nearly and firmly isolated and sanctions of any types will not really affect it. -MM

    But although these deepening economic ties might dampen the blow of U.S. sanctions, they are not completely out of reach of secondary U.S. sanctions.


    To ensure its threats of sanctions remain credible, Washington needs to pressure Putin’s emerging economic lifelines by signaling that it is prepared to go beyond its standard sanctions package to impose secondary sanctions against Chinese banks and state-owned enterprises if Russia invades Ukraine.

    There is precedent for such a move, but times have changed. China has become wise to the reach of U.S. extraterritorial sanctions and developed its own legal frameworks to push back.

    In July 2012, the U.S. Treasury Department levied secondary sanctions against China’s Bank of Kunlun for knowingly facilitating transactions on behalf of designated Iranian banks.

    This designation caught many experts and industry insiders by surprise, as it was an unprecedented escalation in the use of extraterritorial sanctions against a third party.

    Under international UN laws, this action is ILLEGAL. Trust me, the Chinese will not forgive and forget. -MM

    A Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson chided the United States for “invoking its domestic laws to impose sanctions against the Chinese financial institution” and urged the United States to reverse the sanctions.

    The argument is valid. Chinese businesses, citizens, and entities do not full under United States law. Further, neither does their trading partners. -MM

    While the designation ruffled Beijing, the two countries avoided any substantial political or economic fallout, with China opting to isolate the small bank from broader financial markets.

    Later, in 2017, the United States imposed a $1.19 billion fine against another Chinese entity for violating U.S. sanctions against Iran: China’s largest telecommunications company, ZTE.

    In addition to paying the fine, ZTE would also be required to develop internal policies to avoid future sanctions violations and undergo a corporate restructuring, according to a settlement reached with company.

    The company settled out of court, even though the pressure was illegally applied. -MM

    To force ZTE to comply with the settlement terms, the U.S. Commerce Department threatened to place the company on its Entity List—effectively shutting the company out of U.S. markets.

    When ZTE did violate the terms of its settlement, though, the Trump administration opted to issue a waiver despite objections from senior advisors, thereby tossing the company a lifeline and preventing it from going under.

    Senior officials means John Bolton and Mike Pompeo. -MM

    Although there are differing theories as to why then-President Donald Trump reversed the designation—whether for personal political gain or to entice China to remain engaged in trade negotiations—the cases show the reach of U.S. extraterritorial sanctions policy.

    The U.S. dollar accounts for nearly 60 percent of global foreign currency reserves—and the Chinese renminbi does not.

    That is true for NOW. And the Chinese realize that. But, as I have reported elsewhere, one day they are going to flick a switch and suddenly a staged withdrawl from the USD will occur and the USD will collapse in value. Like I said, the Chinese do not forget. -MM

    China, however, has started to push back against foreign extraterritorial sanctions.

    Last year, the country established an anti-sanctions law—similar to the EU’s “blocking statute,” which attempts to curb the extraterritorial application of third-party sanctions by prohibiting compliance with extraterritorial laws.

    China’s law notes that the country explicitly opposes “hegemonism and power politics” and “opposes any country’s interference in China’s internal affairs under any pretext and by any means,” giving authorities broad powers to impose penalties against Chinese businesses that adhere to U.S. sanctions policies.

    These penalties could include fines and even confiscation of assets.

    The Chinese do not play. They could single handly destory the American automotive industry by sanctioning all of their factories inside of China and nationalizing them. Flick of a switch. -MM

    Many see the law as putting multinational banks in a quagmire: caught in a legal limbo between violating U.S. sanctions and being held liable for adhering to them.

    Large multinational banks comply with U.S. sanctions due to the hegemony of the U.S. dollar in the global financial system.

    But that's the only reason. -MM

    In 2014, for example, U.S. authorities levied a record $9 billion fine against the French bank BNP Paribas for violating U.S. sanctions against Iran, among others.

    Although China has yet to use its new anti-sanctions laws against U.S. interests, the opportunity will undoubtedly arise if Washington aims secondary sanctions at China.

    In this case, banks may be forced to choose between U.S. fines for violating sanctions and Chinese fines for adhering to them.

    So, if Washington is going to impose secondary sanctions against Chinese institutions, it must be prepared for retaliation.

    In addition to the potential for putting scores of multinational entities in legal limbo, perhaps even forcing them to choose sides, more than $615 billion worth of bilateral trade will also be put in jeopardy. (China accounts for nearly 19 percent of all U.S. imports.)

    By VALUE. Not by volume. 
    
    90 - 95% of all medicines come from CHina. Are you ready to live without aspirin or antibiotics? How do you think your parents and grandparents will do when their blood pressure medicine and heart medicine is no longer available? -MM

    Thus far, there have been no indications that Washington is considering specific secondary sanctions against China, beyond mere posturing.

    U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price recently told reporters: “We have an array of tools that we can deploy if we see foreign companies, including those in China, doing their best to backfill U.S. export control actions, to evade them, to get around them.”

    Deploying these tools against China will have repercussions for U.S. businesses and economic interests—a burden Washington has thus far not had to grapple with and has instead asked its European allies to bear.

    Nonetheless, the United States must be prepared to cut off all avenues for Russia to escape Western sanctions.

    This includes preparing to wield secondary sanctions against Chinese institutions as well as working to limit blowback to U.S. interests.

    The simple truth is that the U.S. dollar accounts for nearly 60 percent of global foreign currency reserves—and the Chinese renminbi does not. That is a big stick to wield.

    So what is this “expert” saying?

    Well, the USA has its tenticles in just about every country. They are all in debt to the USA.

    That gives the United States power.

    Just like in prison. If you owe another inmate something, you must pay it back of become indentured. This technique has been used with great effect by the United States in controlling the world.

    If the USA sanctions China, the nations will be forced to choose between [1] China or [2] their debt owed to the United States.

    Of course, he argues, they would choose the United States over the “Worlds factory”. Right?

    Ah.

    Don’t be so sure.

    The USA is dependent upon China for everything. And what it does not get directly out of China, it gets from countries that are / do.

    • 90% of medicines come from China. What happens when there are no antibiodics? What about heart medicine? Pain killers?
    • 99% of computers come from China. This includes monitors, IC chips (don’t let the Korean / Taiwan medi fool you otherwise), and all preferials.
    • 80% of the world cellphones and much of their inner workings come from China.
    • 95% of all household items, goods, and appliances come from China.
    • 95% of automotive parts come from China. It doesn’t matter what car you are driving. All the spare parts are made in China.

    Sanctioning China would be the most stupid blunder, of all the many stupid blunders to choose from, in all of history.

    So let’s talk about China.

    Now, China is really not like anyone in the “West” thinks. It’s really something different, and as time moves forward, it looks more and more like a sompletely different society that comes from another galaxy.

    Let’s start with a few girls.

    Chinese girl in a gym

    Take a look at the screens on the wall behind her. Yes, this is normal. You can watch media while you exerise and your exercise stats are projected onto the screens as you exercise.

    video

    No wonder that the Chinese women are healthy, thin and free of ugly tattoos.

    You know, I come from the United States.

    Seriously, today, the ideas of beauty in the United States are different than from that inside of China. Darker skin, chubbier and shorter build, bigger asses, and tattoo decorations make for an attractive American woman…

    An American beauty.

    …or so I have been told.

    Personally, I like all women. Short, tall, robust, cute, athletic, big and small. But the ones that I favor all are [1] great talkers with [2] interesting thoughts and opinions, a [3] strong personality, and [4] great personal confidence and a [5] real pride in their actions and apperance.

    Which is why, perhaps, I love China so much.

    Robust Chinese girl in brown

    I do admire a fine “robust” woman. That’s me, and I don’t expect anyone to share my tastes. Here we have a fine woman. This gal is a real “head turner”, and I find her very aluring. Most especially in this dress.

    video

    Houses are for living in

    Here’s a clip from the violent anti-China “news” network FOX. They are so very anti-China that they have to preface this report with a disclaimer that they are going to say something positive about China, and that people should not think bad about them for doing so.

    The segment is spot on. And yes, China is doing the right thing. Don’t you know.

    video

    A very casual Chinese girl

    Women do not realize just how attractive they are when they are calm, comfortable and confident. Look at the expression on this woman. See the confidence? Man, oh man. What a sexy girl.

    video

    Chinese girls having fun at a bar

    This is what it is like. Here you see a typical after dinner drinks with the girls and some dice game, and all that. Very typical China.

    video

    Chinese clothing model showing off shorts

    She’s one of my favorites.

    video

    Chinese model with nice slacks

    Here she is with the tan slacks. I do like her boobie movement, as well as the lines on the slacks. They look nice and trip and very comfortable.

    video

    A Traditional Chinese girl

    In many of the upper-class Business KTVs the girls are expected to buy their display uniforms. Many of which are traditional such as what this woman is wearing.

    video

    Chinese girl in cute blue

    There’s no question about this. She is a stunner. Actually, I really love her neck and shoulders. I almost want to get a pencil and a sketch pad and start sketching it out with a light orange wash and some white inking overlay.

    video

    Chinese girl in the front yard

    This video shows the front common area / yard in front of the housing complex individual buildings. Many areas a paved like this, while others are manicured trees, shrubs and flowers.

    video

    Don’t step on a crack Chinese girl

    I used to do this when I was in elementry school. I’m glad that the action did not die off and is kept alive inside of rural China.

    video

    No movie jitter

    Note how the Huawei camera negates the handheld jitter while jogging and keeps the face and eyes absolutely centered throughout the video. Pretty cool technology.

    video

    White fashion sweater

    In the cities, one of the fashion items is to wear a light topper sweater that fits over the tops of the boobies so that when you walk it accentuates the jiggle movement of the breasts. Personally I like it, but it does look a little bit strange to my older gentlemen sensibilities. Check out the style…

    video

    The Fiasco in the Ukraine

    Listen to what the Russians say…

    Russian FM site inaccessible, hacked or truly overwhelmed by the fact that the reply to the US reply has been published? In any case Cassad has it in Russian.
    
    https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/7446905.html

    Posted by: Paco | Feb 17 2022 17:27 utc | 82
    *********************************************
    Yandex translation:
    *********************************************

    February 17, 17:46

    The Russian Foreign Ministry has published a written response to the American written response to Russian claims on security guarantees in Europe.

    Response to response

    On February 17, 2022, US Ambassador John Sullivan, invited to the Russian Foreign Ministry, was given the following reaction to the previously received American response on the Russian draft treaty between the Russian Federation and the United States of America on security guarantees.

    TASS publishes the full text of the statement.

    General characteristics

    We state that the American side did not give a constructive response to the basic elements of the draft security guarantees agreement prepared by the Russian side with the United States.

    We are talking about [1] the rejection of further expansion of NATO, [2] the withdrawal of the “Bucharest formula” that [3] “Ukraine and Georgia will become members of NATO”, and [4] the refusal to create military bases on the territory of states that were previously part of the USSR and are not members of the alliance, including [5] the use of their infrastructure for conducting any military activity, as well as [6] the return of military capabilities, including shock, and NATO infrastructure to the state of 1997, when the Founding Act of Russia — NATO was signed.

    These provisions are of fundamental importance for the Russian Federation.

    The package nature of Russian proposals has been ignored, from which “convenient” topics have been deliberately chosen, which, in turn, are “twisted” in the direction of creating advantages for the United States and its allies.

    This approach, as well as the accompanying rhetoric of American officials, reinforces reasonable doubts that Washington is really committed to correcting the situation in the field of Euro-security.

    The growing military activity of the United States and NATO directly at the Russian borders is alarming, while our “red lines” and fundamental security interests, as well as Russia’s sovereign right to protect them, continue to be ignored.

    Ultimatum demands to withdraw troops from certain areas on Russian territory, accompanied by threats of tougher sanctions, are unacceptable and undermine the prospects of reaching real agreements.

    In the absence of the readiness of the American side to agree on firm, legally binding guarantees of ensuring our security by the United States and its allies, Russia will be forced to respond, including through the implementation of military-technical measures.

    In Ukraine

    There is no “Russian invasion” of Ukraine, as the United States and its allies have been officially declaring since last autumn, and there are no plans, therefore, statements about “Russia’s responsibility for escalation” cannot be regarded otherwise than as an attempt to exert pressure and devalue Russia’s proposals for security guarantees.

    The mention in this context of Russian obligations under the Budapest Memorandum of 1994 has nothing to do with the internal Ukrainian conflict and does not apply to the circumstances resulting from the actions of internal factors there.

    The loss of territorial integrity by the Ukrainian state is the result of the processes that took place inside it.

    The accusations of Russia contained in the American response that it “occupied Crimea” also do not stand up to any criticism.

    In 2014, a coup took place in Kiev, the initiators of which, with the support of the United States and their allies, set a course for the creation of a nationalist state that infringes on the rights of the Russian and Russian-speaking population, as well as other “non-titular” ethnic groups.

    It is not surprising that in such a situation, Crimeans voted for reunification with Russia.

    The decision of the people of Crimea and Sevastopol to return to the Russian Federation was made by free expression of will in the exercise of the right to self-determination enshrined in the UN Charter.

    Force or threat of force was not used. The question of Crimea’s ownership is closed.

    If Ukraine is accepted into NATO, there will be a real threat that the regime in Kiev will try to “return” Crimea by force, dragging the United States and its allies, in accordance with Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, into a direct armed conflict with Russia with all the ensuing consequences.

    The thesis repeated in the US response that Russia allegedly “ignited the conflict in the Donbas” is untenable.

    Its reasons are purely intra-Ukrainian in nature.

    The settlement is possible only through the implementation of the Minsk agreements and a set of measures, the priority and responsibility for the implementation of which are clearly spelled out and unanimously confirmed by UN Security Council resolution 2202, including the United States, France and the United Kingdom.

    In paragraph 2 of this resolution, Kiev, Donetsk and Lugansk are named as parties.

    None of these documents mention Russia’s responsibility for the conflict in the Donbas.

    Russia, together with the OSCE, plays the role of mediator in the main negotiating format – the contact group – and together with Berlin and Paris – in the “Normandy format”, which formulates recommendations to the parties to the conflict and monitors their implementation.

    To de-escalate the situation around Ukraine, it is fundamentally important to take the following steps.

    This is forcing Kiev to implement a set of measures, stopping the supply of weapons to Ukraine, withdrawing all Western advisers and instructors from there, the refusal of NATO countries from any joint exercises with the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the withdrawal of all foreign weapons previously supplied to Kiev outside Ukrainian territory.

    In this regard, we draw attention to the fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin, at a press conference following talks in Moscow with French President Emmanuel Macron on February 7, 2022, stressed that we are open to dialogue and urge “to think about stable security conditions for everyone, equal for all participants in international life.”

    Force configuration

    We note that in their response to the Russian proposals, the United States insists that progress in improving the situation in the field of European security “can only be achieved in terms of de-escalation in relation to Russia’s threatening actions directed against Ukraine,” which, as we understand, implies the requirement to withdraw Russian troops from the borders of Ukraine.

    At the same time, the United States is ready to talk only about “mutual obligations … to refrain from deploying permanent-based forces with combat missions on the territory of Ukraine” and “consider discussing the problem of conventional armed forces.”

    For the rest, the American side remains silent about our proposals contained in paragraphs 2 of Article 4 and paragraph 1 of Article 5 of the draft bilateral treaty and declares that “the current configuration of the US and NATO forces is limited, proportional and fully complies with the obligations under the NATO-Russia Founding Act.”

    We proceed from the fact that the deployment of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation on its territory does not and cannot affect the fundamental interests of the United States. We would like to remind you that there are no our forces on the territory of Ukraine.

    At the same time, the United States and its allies were advancing their military infrastructure to the east, deploying contingents in the territories of new members.

    They circumvented the limitations of the CFE Treaty and interpreted very loosely the provisions of the Russia—NATO Founding Act on the rejection of “additional permanent deployment of substantial combat forces.”

    The situation that has developed as a result of these actions is unacceptable.

    We insist on the withdrawal of all US armed forces and weapons stationed in CEE, SEE and the Baltic States.

    We are convinced that there are quite enough national potentials in these zones.

    We are ready to discuss this topic on the basis of art. 4 and 5 of the Russian draft agreement.

    The principle of indivisibility of security

    We did not see any evidence in the US response that the American side is fully committed to observing the immutable principle of indivisibility of security.

    The general statements about the consideration of this postulate by the American side are in direct contradiction with Washington’s unwillingness to abandon a counterproductive and destabilizing course to create advantages for itself and its allies at the expense of Russia’s security interests.

    This is precisely what is happening as a result of the unrestrained implementation by the North Atlantic Alliance, with the leading role of the United States, of the policy of unlimited geostrategic and military development of the post-Soviet space, including the territory of Ukraine, which is particularly sensitive for us.

    All this is happening directly on the Russian borders.

    Thus, our “red lines” and fundamental security interests are ignored, and Russia’s inalienable right to ensure them is rejected.

    For us, of course, this is unacceptable.

    Additionally, we remind you that this principle is enshrined in the [1]  preamble of the Treaty between the Russian Federation and the United States of America on [2] “Measures for Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms of 2011”, the [3] extension of which for five years [4] without any exceptions was [5] agreed by the parties in February last year, as well as [6] in a number of OSCE and Russia—[7] NATO basic documents adopted at the highest level: [8] in the preamble of the Helsinki Final Act of 1975, [9] in the Charter of Paris for a New Europe of 1990, [10] the Founding Act of Russia — [11] NATO of 1997, [12] the Istanbul Charter for European Security of the OSCE of 1999, [13] the Rome Declaration of Russia-[14] NATO of 2002 and the Astana Declaration of the OSCE Summit of 2010.

    We note that the response received mentions Washington’s commitment to the concept of indivisibility of security.

    But in the text, it boils down to the right of states “to freely choose or change ways to ensure their security, including union treaties.”

    This freedom is not absolute and is only half of the well-known formula fixed in the Charter of European Security.

    Its second part requires that, when exercising this right, not “… strengthen one’s security at the expense of the security of other States.”

    We cannot consider the letter received from NATO dated February 10, 2022 as a response to the message sent by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on January 28, 2022 to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on this issue.

    We asked for an answer in a national capacity.

    Conclusion

    The United States is playing a very dangerous game, and using everything in its power to wrest control of the energy through Europe. The battlefield is the Ukraine, and they are sponsoring the entire fighting and trying and forcing the blame upon Russia.

    Russia will not have any of this.

    President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday endorsed Russia’s nuclear deterrent policy, which allows him to use nuclear weapons in response to a conventional strike targeting the nation’s critical government and military infrastructure.
    
    By including a non-nuclear attack as a possible trigger for Russian nuclear retaliation, the document appears to send a warning signal to the United States. 
    
    The new expanded wording reflects Russian concerns about the development of prospective weapons that could give Washington the capability to knock out key military assets and government facilities without resorting to atomic weapons.
    
    In line with Russian military doctrine, the new document reaffirms that the country could use nuclear weapons in response to a nuclear attack or an aggression involving conventional weapons that “threatens the very existence of the state.”
    
    But the policy document now also offers a detailed description of situations that could trigger the use of nuclear weapons. They include the use of nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction against Russia or its allies and an enemy attack with conventional weapons that threatens the country's existence.
    
    In addition to that, the document now states that Russia could use its nuclear arsenals if it gets “reliable information” about the launch of ballistic missiles targeting its territory or its allies and also in the case of ”enemy impact on critically important government or military facilities of the Russian Federation, the incapacitation of which could result in the failure of retaliatory action of nuclear forces."
    
    -Defense News
    

    As a justification, the minions and toadies, and appratus inside the United States “news” are busily justifying their militaristic actions in order to gain popular and military advantage thought the region and now there are “experts” that are arguing that the United States seize the initative that this time, and take out both Russia and China at the same time.

    China has warned the United States that it would “strike back” in response to any “reckless” actions, urging Washington to withdraw its recent passing of sanctions targeting people and entities tied to human rights abuses committed by Beijing.
    
    -MSN

    This is extraordinarily DANGEROUS.

    All sorts of bad things can come of it. As I have stated earlier, of all the blunder-headed, stupid, ignorant, and dangerous foolhardy actions that the American dying empire could perform, this single action could be it’s worst.

    But turhtfully, the “leadership” are so ignorant and stupid that they have no idea what the fuck they are doing nor dealing with.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 3

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
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    Tipping and turning points as the United States dies

    Above Photo: Digging youselves out from under all the lies and bullshit.

    Are you getting tired of this geo-political stuff? I sure am.

    Sorry to keep bringing it up, but these are historical times that we are living in. It’s exciting, dangerous, fearful and exciting. It’s new, novel and strange. And also everything in between. So please forgive me this latest article.

    Ok already!

    The United States is a shambles and it’s falling apart. Just die off, and leave me alone.

    Will you? Please?

    "...Making thing worst, western fake democracy produce low quality, corrupt, and know no consequences politicians who care for no one except their own personal wellbeing."

    This article continues with a selction of snapshots of the world relate to the United States. We discuss the rise of Asia, of course. We discuss the fall of the United States. And we also discuss the strange, strange behaviors that it seems to be taking on.

    We do this instead of talking about things that matter. Like cats, cheese, wine, and cars. Sheech!

    We start with this article.

    Where the author is stunned that the American “leadership” and their minions / toadies believe that wars can and will be fought on the same basis as was done one hundred years ago. Let me tell youse guys something, the world is a far different place today.

    Yesterday, the press secretary of the Foreign Ministry, Mariya Zakharova, made such a post on FB. 
    
    "A request to the US and British disinformation media Bloomberg, The New York Times, The Sun, etc. - announce the schedule of our "invasions" for the coming year. I would like to plan a vacation."

    Here, in the flood of “any day now”, “any hour now” is this churning out nonsesne about Russia invading the Ukraine. Not one is discussing the “why, in the Hell woud they want to do such an idiotic thing?”

    And you know, you DO know, that the Internet is an erasible whiteboard. Things come and then in a few years they are gone. Poof! Well, here’s what I am talking about for all youse guys who are reading this in 2030.

    Two months of “any day now”. From December 2021 to February 2022. Just about every major headline was about “The Ukraine”. For me, it was a welcome respite from the “any day now China will invade Taiwan” nonsense.

    But still, it is tiring…

    Um. Sure.

    What ever you say Jake.

    Here’s another. Thousands of these bullshit articles. All clogging up my media feeds.

    Invasion 1 am on Monday.

    There are literally thousands of these kinds of articles and they are flooding my feed just like the Anti-China narrative doused me back last year.

    All lies.

    All distortions.

    All fearmongering. All bullshit.

    Here’s on at 3am on Wednesday.

    The days come and go. The times come and go.

    The lies just plow forward.

    It’s all been bullshit.

    It’s all shrilling nonsense.

    Who are these editors? Jane LGBQ diversity-hire; spending time at a nail salon, or a perpetual evil sociopath without a brain, just doing what they are told by some kind of Reptilian evil overlord?

    Which pretty much makes people scratch their heads and wonder. Like this article points out…

    Next part.

    I’m scratching my noggin, don’t you know.

    Here’s a bunch of articles that pretty round out the massive and timultious changes that the world is going through right now. If you live inside of the United States, you will probably be only aware of eight out of the ten articles. And you know why, right?

    So. Yeah. That being said…

    I need a drink.

    Some delicious VSOP.

    We begin here…

    Article 1

    Finian Cunningham

    .

    February 12, 2022
    © Photo: REUTERS/Leah Millis

    The infernal danger is that Washington and London are pushing Europe and the world towards the abyss of a nuclear with Russia.

    The Anglo-Americans are running a modern-day reworking of Operation Overlord, the June 1944 military invasion plan billed to liberate Western Europe from Nazi Germany.

    This time around, the billed objective is to “liberate” the European Union from its “tyrannical” dependency on Russian natural gas.

    In reality, the unspoken objective is to maintain U.S. tyrannical control over Europe.

    That control is essential for upholding American hegemony and global power.

    The ultimate price is economic devastation and even war for Europe which the “noble” American hegemon is all too willing for its peons to pay.

    This week, U.S. President Joe Biden showed off his overlord status when he arrogantly spoke for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at a White House press conference.

    Biden was asked about the fate of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany in the hypothetical event of an invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Biden didn’t skip a beat to consult with the German leader. He peremptorily asserted the gas project would be terminated.

    “There will be no longer a Nord Stream 2,” said Biden without hesitation. “We will bring an end to it.”

    The American president was asked how this could be done given that the functioning of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is nominally under the control of Germany, not the United States.

    “We will — I promise you, we’ll be able to do it,” asserted Biden without so much as a hint of seeking any kind of agreement from the German chancellor.

    The assuredness of Washington’s presumed ability to over-ride European sovereignty was a revealing and disturbing display of American imperial arrogance.

    It was also an excruciating display of American contempt for supposed European “allies”. Scholz, Germany, Europe, was made to look like a nonentity by Biden.

    Later press reports indicated that too.

    Washington and London have led the ramping up of geopolitical tensions with relentless accusations that Russia is about to invade Ukraine and jeopardize European security.

    From the way the Anglo-American propaganda has contrived it, one would think that the scenario is a re-run of Nazi aggression threatening Europe for which they alone are the noble defenders.

    Putin is Hitler, the Kremlin is the Third Reich, and diplomacy is appeasement, so the preposterous propaganda goes.

    Moscow has repeatedly said it has no intention to invade Ukraine and that in fact it is Russia that is being threatened by the U.S.-led NATO military alliance after year-on-year expansion of the bloc all the way to Russia’s borders.

    Ratcheting up the tensions further, Washington and London are demanding that Europe must adopt draconian sanctions against Moscow including the commitment to abandon the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany.

    That pipeline took five years and a €10-billion investment to complete despite constant American objections.

    The crisis over Ukraine contrived by Washington and its British flunkey have ensured that the gas supply has been suspended for the past six months despite an energy crunch in Europe.

    What the Anglo-American overlords want to see finally is the entire gas project being scrapped. That’s the end-game even if it means European households freezing from un-payable gas bills.

    The American overlords don’t care.

    That’s why the Americans and the Brits are doing their best to scupper any diplomatic effort to calm the inordinate crisis with Russia over Ukraine.

    Hence, Washington and London are funneling weapons to Ukraine and deploying paratroopers to Eastern Europe in a reckless bid to escalate the confrontation.

    While visiting the White House this week, Chancellor Scholz was peppered with petulant demands to explicitly state that the Nord Stream 2 project would be axed “if Russia invaded Ukraine”.

    Scholz refused to state that, although in an apparent attempt to offer a sop he claimed that Germany and the United States were united in their resolve.

    There is a palpable peeved sense among the Americans and British that Berlin is not being sufficiently hostile towards Russia.

    Likewise, when French President Emmanuel Macron went to Moscow this week for diplomatic talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin there was also an unmistakable sense of rancor from Washington and London that their militaristic “unanimity” was being undermined.

    There’s little doubt that Berlin and Paris know that the Anglo-American bravado is a cynical provocation that is “nobly” signing a suicide note on behalf of Europe in the event of a war with Russia.

    Macron’s bitter experience of France being shafted last year by the U.S., Britain and Australia over the €50 billion AUKUS submarine contract has probably helped engender a bit of healthy skepticism too. He’s also got an eye on French presidential elections in April.

    The bottomline is that Washington wants to sabotage the strategic partnership between Europe and Russia for energy trade and the general normalization of relations. The objectives are maintaining U.S. hegemony, selling its own more expensive gas to Europe and of course endless sales of weapons for NATO members in a perennially agitated state of insecurity. The Brits as ever are in it for ingratiating with Uncle Sam and serving their usual function of being the geopolitical butler to U.S. imperial power.

    Energy analysts know that Germany and Europe cannot survive economically without Russia gas, which accounts for at least 40 percent of the continent’s consumption. Even Biden at the White House press conference could not pretend that the U.S. was able replace Russia’s supply. If Russia’s gas trade to Europe was to be disrupted by conflict or deeper sanctions the repercussions for the European Union’s economies would be devastating. There is no way that Germany, France and the EU could survive without Russian oil and gas. For the U.S. and Britain to demand that Berlin make definitive statements about cancelling Nord Stream 2 is a form of coercion and blackmail. Operation Overlord II.

    But the infernal danger is that Washington and London are pushing Europe and the world towards the abyss of a nuclear with Russia. That’s how demonic the failing Anglo-American imperium is.

    So, we start off realizing that the entire “song and dance” about the “War in the Ukraine” is to scare Europe into compliance wiht the United States, and stop Germany from trading with Russia (and China).

    It’s not successful.

    So why is the United States doing this?

    Well. It needs a war. It REALLY needs a war.

    Every single state, all 50 of them, have enormous military-industrial factories cherning out bombs, guns, and battle gear. They employ millions of people, and without a war, there will be layoffs. And layoff right now, in this economic condition would be devistating.

    What economic condition you might ask?

    Article 2

    The USA is a real fiasco. Sorry to say.

    Make sure that your larder is well stocked and that you are part of your community. And when you have a change, just go to the local diner and eat a nice fine pie. Not that it’s the end of the world or anything like that, but rather to enjoy the little things in life.

    Delicious cherry pie. Oh, and don’t forget a nice HOT cup of fresh brewed coffee to go with it.

    5 New Numbers That Prove That America’s Horrifying Inflation Crisis Is Getting Even Worse

    .

    If you are less than 40 years old, you have never seen inflation like this in the United States.  Despite all the warnings, our politicians in Washington just kept borrowing and spending trillions upon trillions of dollars that we did not have.  And despite all the warnings, the Federal Reserve just kept pumping trillions of fresh dollars into the financial system.  Now we have a giant mess on our hands, and anyone that believes that this is going to be easily fixed is simply being delusional.

    Of course most Americans weren’t going to start paying attention to all of this until it started to affect them personally.

    Now it is affecting all of us personally, and there are millions of people out there that are becoming increasingly frustrated about the current state of affairs.

    Unfortunately, this crisis appears to be just in the early stages.  The following are 5 numbers that indicate that the inflation crisis in the United States continues to get even worse…

    #1 The producer price index has risen at a rate of 9.7 percent over the previous 12 months.  According to CNBC, that is close to a brand new record…

    The producer price index, which measures final demand goods and services, increased 1% for the month, against the Dow Jones estimate for 0.5%. Over the past 12 months the gauge rose an unadjusted 9.7%, close to a record in data going back to 2010.

    Last week we learned that the consumer price index has risen by 7.5 percent over the previous 12 months.  Of course if the consumer price index was still calculated the way that it was back in 1980, the real number would actually be more than double the official number that we were just given.

    #2 Truck trailer prices in January 2022 were 29.6 percent higher than they were in January 2021…

    A shortage of parts and labor has sent the prices of truck trailers through the roof.
    
    Truck trailer prices jumped 3.1 percent in January, data from the Department of Labor showed Tuesday. That followed a 3.8 percent increase in December. Compared with 12-months ago, trailer prices are up 29.6 percent, by far the biggest one-year jump in records going back to 1980.

    #3 The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is telling us that the price of used vehicles rose by an astounding 40.5 percent from January 2021 to January 2022

    According to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Thursday, the consumer price index for used cars and trucks jumped up by 40.5% from January 2021 to January 2022. That means within a year, the average price of used cars and trucks for urban consumers has gone up by 40.5%.

    #4 You may have noticed that you are paying a lot more at the pump these days.  If you can believe it, the price of gasoline has actually shot up 40.8 percent since Joe Biden first entered the White House…

    Between January 2021 and January 2022–President Joe Biden’s first year in office–the price of unleaded gasoline increased 40.8 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    #5 The price of lumber has really been surging once again.  According to the National Association of Home Builders, this most recent surge has “added more than $18,600 to the price of a newly built home”

    That is adding to the cost of both building a new home and remodeling an older one. The National Association of Home Builders estimated the recent price jump added more than $18,600 to the price of a newly built home. It also added nearly $7,300 to the cost of the average new multifamily home, which translates into households paying $67 a month more to rent a new apartment.

    Ouch.

    I sure wouldn’t want to be trying to build a new home in this environment.

    Pressure has been building on the Federal Reserve to take action, and it is being anticipated that the “geniuses” at the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates by 50 basis points next month…

    The hot inflation readings led financial markets to price in a better-than-even chance of a 50 basis points interest rate hike from the Federal Reserve next month.
    
    Inflation is running well above the U.S. central bank’s 2 percent target. Economists are expecting as many as seven rate hikes this year.

    Just recently, a reader sent me an email which pointed out that we shouldn’t have a system where an unelected group of bureaucrats gets together and determines what our interest rates are going to be.

    And he is exactly right.

    In a free market system, interest rates would be determined by the free market.

    But we don’t have a free market system anymore.

    In fact, we haven’t had one for a long time.

    Of course when it comes to the economy, the guy in the White House is going to get more of the credit or more of the blame for what is going on than anyone else.

    And a brand new poll that was just released has Joe Biden’s approval rating sitting at just 34 percent

    The president’s approval rating nationally sits around 40 percent, according to several tracking averages, but a new CIVIQS poll showed it sitting at 34 percent from the 165,786 respondents surveyed.

    That is a shockingly bad number, and what should alarm Democrats even more is how bad Biden’s numbers are in the most important swing states

    Swing states of Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin all voted narrowly blue in the 2020 election, but the new poll shows their approval of Biden sits in the low 30 percentages.

    Arizona has the biggest split with 32 percent approval to 61 percent disapproval. Georgia sits in second with 31 percent approval to 59 percent disapproval; Pennsylvania’s split is 36 percent to 57 percent; Michigan is 33 percent to 59 percent; and Wisconsin has 36 percent approval and 56 percent disapproval of Biden.

    Unfortunately, Biden isn’t going to resign no matter how low his numbers go.

    That means that we are going to have at least three more years of either Joe Biden or Kamala Harris running the country.

    So we shouldn’t expect any dramatic policy shifts from Washington.

    And the “geniuses” at the Fed are undoubtedly going to find even more ways to really mess things up.  They are the ones that are more responsible than anyone else for getting us into this mess, and now many Americans are desperately hoping that they can get us out of it.

    If you are waiting for them to fix the economy, you are going to be waiting a really, really long time.

    I have been warning for years that the decisions that were being made would have severe consequences, and now those consequences have started to arrive.

    We are on a road to national ruin, and those that are running things are even more blind than those that they are supposed to be leading.

    Ok so the United States has high inflation. So what?

    It’s more than just the price of food and a decrease in the standard of living. It’s  a total collapse of everything and a President that is a bumbling puppet. The Americans are distraught, frustrated, and are waking up that they do not like the govnerment that they have right now, and thus a war of distraction is really needed…

    For those of you who are unawares, the United States has been pushing and pushing for a war in the Ukraine, and Russia and the Ukraine said No.

    They continued. And still nothing happened.

    Now today, President Biden is declaring a “victory” by “forcing” Russia to back down and not invade the Ukraine. Silly. Can’t they see that the United States is now the laughingstock for the entire world?

    Article 3

    Yes, the United States is acting like a colleciton of ignoarant, mentally deranged jackasses, and has lost all global respect, but you are not part of the USA leadership. So don’t fret. No one, and I do mean NO ONE, is blaming the American people for the faults of the USA federal government. Instead they blame the fact the United States is trapped in an obsolete model of governance that has been taken over by evil and corrput wealthy individuals.

    Yeah. It sucks.

    But what can you do?

    I recommend, a pizza.

    A fine, MM approved, pizza.

    If I did not know this is for real…

    .

    … I would think that this is some anti-US spoof, based on listening to the most discredited cliches about the USA and the kind of people who run it.  It had everything, frantic flagwaving, hilarious hyperbole, Biden trying to look like Dubya who, himself, was always squinting  his yes à la John Wayne hoping to look like some Sheriff at OK Corral.  It also had all the mantric repetition of mind-numbing concepts like “democracy” and “freedom”, etc.

    The best part was when Biden raised his voice and sternly looked at the screen.

    I am sure that Putin hid under his bed, to hug a pillow and sob in abject terror before The Great American Sheriff!

    Here is the deal.  It’s not just Biden who is brain dead.  Its also the collective “Biden”: all the do is “traffic in hot air” as Lavrov aptly mentioned it today.  What we heard tonight is not just the rambling of a senile, delusional, narcissist.  What we heard was the voice of the US deep state: that is what they “think” and this is how they “think”.

    It does not really matter anymore how/why such individuals as Clinton, Dubya, Obama, Trump or Biden came to power or what they promised.  What matters is that these are the type of folks who run the USA (well, not them personally, of course, but the interests they represent).  The same kind of non-entities run the UK, by the way, just in a even more pompous and ridiculous way.

    The clueless fellow below, ladies and gentlemen, is the current Commander in Chief of the most powerful military in history, this is the Leader of the Free World and his so-called “values” are shared by millions worldwide.  Or so he thinks (maybe).

    Here is a scary thought: there is a good chance that the next clown in the White House might even be worse!  There is zero chance that anybody who could fix this awful mess will be “elected”.  If the past is the best indicator for the future, then we must realize that there is only one way this will ever end: in ridicule, violence and infamy.

    That also fully applies to Ze and his “European Banderastan”.

    Does anybody still doubt the outcome of this abject slo-mo train wreck?

    Yes?

    What’s next?

    Once this fiasco dies down, the focus with be a war in Taiwan “any day now”. It’s all so silly and so very predictable. I just don’t know when. A few days or a few months, but as sure as the sun rises, a “war” in Taiwan will be next on the United States agenda.

    It’s all so very predictable.

    It makes me yearn to chill out with a cat, drink a fine relaxing drink and eat something delicious. You know, like this…

    Needs a little salt me thinks.

    It makes me yearn for a simpler time, and a simpler lifestyle.

    It makes me yearn for a time when a man would work, then go home, eat a great home cooked meal of pot roast and mashed potatoes, and drink his cocktail.

    A delicious pot roast.

    Good times. Times of substance.

    City tour bus, San Francisco, California, 1956

    Times when a cup of coffee costs ten cents, and was about double the cost of a five cent newspaper. Good times.

    Times when there were real, goodness to gracious, families.

    Times when the “news” actually reported events, and not based their operations off of payments from the government.

    But that’s all changed.

    And it changed into something much worse. But do not fear, it’s still changing and still evolving. There are still “adults in the room”, and many of them live in Asia. And they have a plan…

    Article 3

    Observations on the Russia China Statement

    “Joint Statement of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China on International Relations Entering a New Era and lobal Sustainable Development” 4 February 2022. (English) (Russian).

    This document is the grand strategic manifesto of a new world order and there is much more to be said about it than what follows. I believe that 4 February 2022 will be remembered as the proclamation of a new disposition of world power and relationships.

    It is a truly new order of things, not the old “new world order” which was based on US supremacy. And it is most certainly not the so-called Rules-Based International Order in which one side makes up the rules, breaks them when it wants to and orders everyone else to obey. (A perfect example of the mutability of the “rules” is that gay rights are very important in Russia but not at all in Washington’s new “major ally” of Qatar.)

    The old “new world order” was always about making them conform to us: “The foremost goal of US strategy should be to cause China’s ruling elites to conclude that it is in China’s best interests to continue operating within the US-led liberal international order…”

    The Russian-Chinese document speaks much of “democracy” but it’s a different vision than the one common in the West. The West today is focussed on the process of democracy – was the voting up to acceptable standards?

    Did the opposition have a fair chance? were there enough candidates? was the advertising even-handed? were “administrative resources” used to shift the vote? and like questions.

    Never mind that the West is often hypocritical in its discussion – microscopes analyse the treatment of dissidents in Russia and but the house arrest and treason charges against opposition figures in Ukraine are ignored – these are the metrics used in the West’s assessment of whether a country is “democratic” or not.

    Now it may well be that fifty or sixty years ago concentrating on the process of democracy was appropriate but it is very questionable whether it is today. This one graph, showing the relationship between productivity and wages and compensation shows that all is not well. Up until the late 1970s, the two curves kept step with each other – the “rising tide” was indeed lifting all boats. Afterwards, however, they diverge until today there is a considerable gap between the two “Productivity has grown 3.5x as much as pay”.

    The rising tide is floating only a few super yachts.

    The richest one percent owned six times as much as the bottom fifty percent in 1989, now it’s 15 times as much. A Princeton University study in 2014 concluded “When a majority of citizens disagrees with economic elites or with organized interests, they generally lose“. These findings suggest that, however good the process may be, the δεμος does not have much κρατος.

    The Russian-Chinese document speaks of the results of democracy.

    The sides believe that democracy is a means of citizens’ participation in the government of their country with the view to improving the well-being of population and implementing the principle of popular government. 

    Note the purpose: “improving the well-being of population”. Whatever one may say about the process of the governance of China or Russia, no one can doubt that the well-being of the population has mightily improved in both countries.

    We shall see for the future how this holds up but the document describes a different approach to democracy: don’t concentrate on the process and assume the results will follow – which they are not doing in the USA in particular and the West in general – but instead never mind the process, ask whether the are results desirable? Throughout the document – fifty times – we see the word “development” (“развитие” in the Russian version).

    The sides believe that peace, development and cooperation lie at the core of the modern international system. 

    A world in which everyone has a chance to get rich. And who can doubt that the government in Beijing knows how to do that? We will see, in the coming world competition of ideas, which approach is more attractive and successful.

    A second theme, repeated throughout the document is that all countries are equal and they have their own ways of doing things, it is their right to do this, no one may preach to them and no one may interfere with them.

    The sides call for the establishment of a new kind of relationship between world powers on the basis of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation. 

    This is what might be called a descriptive take on the world rather than the prescriptive take more common in the West. To explain what I mean, let us consider Soviet-Polish relations.

    Although it’s very unfashionable to admit it today, Warsaw, as the first country to form a non-aggression pact with Hitler’s Germany and by its refusal to allow Soviet troops into its territory to fight Germany, played a consequential role in the outbreak of the war.

    Poland suffered terribly, losing 20-25% of its population and was liberated by the Soviet Army after immense destruction. Stalin then designed a Poland which, for the first time in its long history, included all of the historical Polish lands and no irredentist minorities.

    Then imposed the blessing – or so Moscow saw it – of socialism and transformed Poland into a loyal ally of the USSR. Except that, the moment it became clear that the tanks weren’t coming, Poland quit the alliance, threw off socialism and turned to NATO and the EU.

    All the “fraternal, socialist, ally” rhetoric turned out to be empty declarations of people compelled to say them.

    In other words, the lesson is that you can’t change a country except temporarily by force or very slowly over a very long time. Moscow has learned this lesson.

    Hence my use of the world “descriptive” – countries, quite simply, are what they are and outsiders can’t change them; therefore outsiders have to live with them.

    It’s that simple: the prescriptive notion – we have the truth and you should follow it (we must make Beijing follow the “US-led liberal international order”) simply can’t be done.

    Therefore, the emphasis throughout the document that countries are as they are and are to be treated as equals is firmly based on reality. You can’t make a particular country go along with your notions of propriety but you still have to deal with it: treat it as it is.

    The West has long lost sight of this despite its numerous failures of prescription: even if the Western ideas actually were “better”, you can’t bomb Afghans into accepting them.

    Therefore, this position in the document is quite simply realistic and practical.

    I have said before that Russia, in the communist days, was an “exceptionalist state” and so was China under Mao.

    They then regarded themselves as a pattern for others to follow – a pattern that others should follow – and the USSR imposed that pattern on many of its neighbours.

    Both Beijing and Moscow have learned that exceptionalism is a route to failure. Therefore, what I am calling a “descriptive” approach to world variety is the result of the failure of trying a prescriptive approach.

    This is not, therefore, a point of view adopted to gull people into acquiescence, it is one that is based on cold, bitter experience. It is a lesson that Washington has not yet learned: exceptionalism is a road to a blind alley, as Putin put it a quarter century ago.

    It is, in fact, something the West should remember: “Westphalianism” is the principle of cuius regio, eius religio adopted after Europeans had torn themselves apart trying to impose religion on each other.

    Not uniformity, but variety. The China-Russia manifesto is rooted on a truth that not only they, but Europe as a whole, have learned the hard way.

    The Chinese-Russia relationship is described as follows:

    They reaffirm that the new inter-State relations between Russia and China are superior to political and military alliances of the Cold War era. Friendship between the two States has no limits, there are no ”forbidden“ areas of cooperation, strengthening of bilateral strategic cooperation is neither aimed against third countries nor affected by the changing international environment and circumstantial changes in third countries. 

    Time will show just what is meant by this but it is clear that it is a relationship both deep and wide.

    A complete commonality of interest which is not uniformity of interest. (It will be amusing to watch Western “experts” fail to get that distinction.) And not one to be easily split apart as some naïve people in Washington think. They trust each other and neither trusts Washington.

    Finally, the new world order that they are calling for is described as:

    The sides reiterate the need for consolidation, not division of the international community, the need for cooperation, not confrontation. The sides oppose the return of international relations to the state of confrontation between major powers, when the weak fall prey to the strong. The sides intend to resist attempts to substitute universally recognized formats and mechanisms that are consistent with international law for rules elaborated in private by certain nations or blocs of nations… 

    A new world order for all, not just those who accept “the better way”.

    I would expect, as details are filled in at the “strategic” and “operational” level, that this “grand strategic vision” will prove to be widely attractive across the globe. Washington and its allies will, no doubt, concentrate on the many criticisms of its behaviour, but the manifesto is positive in tone.

    People are attracted to success and the West doesn’t project that any more.

    Republished from Russia Observer

    Remember who you are and whence you came from. It’s important. We all have to keep grounded as the world changes around us.

    Don’t get caught up in all the bullshit.

    Never forget who you are.

    Firefighters in Princeton, New Jersey, 1956

    Never forget who you are and where you came from.

    We are all unique and we are all special. We really are. We all have stories to tell. Some are fun, some are cute. Some are romantic, and some are terribly embarrassing. But, you know, that’s life.

    Don’t worry, though.

    There’s always wine, and cheese.

    Article 4

    Here we take a look at what the Chinese government is economically. In this next article, they call it “Red Capitalism” as there is nothing like it anywhere else in the world. As such it deserves a study, as it is truly very efficient, and a light-year improvement over the best of the West.

    Red Capitalism

    by Observer R for the Saker Blog

    INTRODUCTION

    This paper is mainly about the Chinese economy, but includes discussion of the Russian and United States (US) economies in order to provide a clearer explanation.

    Comparisons

    The Chinese economy is the largest in the world according to the latest CIA Fact Book, based on the Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) method.

    The CIA claims that the PPP is a better method to use than the nominal method (GDP) based on conversion to US dollars.

    Many analysts and politicians still use the nominal method, however, which shows the US in first place and China second. (As it is their preference. They msut keep America lookign great and perfect; the “shining house on the hill”.)

    China has been continually careful to claim only second place, presumably as part of its long-term strategic decision to keep its head down and not make unnecessary waves.

    Second place also fits better with the significantly lower per-capita income in China and the Chinese aim to keep the status of a “developing country” for purposes of climate change response and funding.

    Economic Systems

    There are many labels used to describe the various economic systems around the world, most ending in “ism.”

    Different authors use the same label to describe different systems, making it hard to understand what they are really referring to in real life.

    In reality, most economies appear to be a mixture of various systems, as these are defined in the dictionary.

    The Chinese economy is no exception.

    So for the purpose of this article, it is simply called “Red Capitalism” for want of a better term.

    Red Capitalism is an amalgam of many different systems combined with the so-called “Chinese characteristics.”

    The first section of this article provides background information about how the various economic systems are defined by Webster’s. These definitions can be kept in mind while reading the rest of the article.

    The second section describes the rivalry between two different methods of explaining and managing a national economy, using either engineering or economics, and how this rivalry plays out in practice. The discussion also touches upon issues with computer models and simulations.

    The third section deals with booms and busts. These economic and financial events are a notorious problem that seems to defy a long-term solution. Even the cause(s) of economic and financial instability are lacking any agreement. Some suggested readings are provided for those who wish to delve further into the topic.

    The fourth section mentions some aspects of national security which are important for analysis, such as culture and economics. The importance of these two factors in the demise of the USSR is touched upon, and whether China can avoid a similar fate.

    The fifth section covers competition and monopoly in China and the US, and how the two countries have tried to deal with these issues. It incorporates many of the topics addressed in the preceding sections and applies them to the evolving situation.

    Finally, a sixth concluding section points out some of the difficulties in describing a national economy using the common “isms.” National economies contain elements of various systems, as well as varieties within systems. China is no exception.

    I. ECONOMIC “ISMS”

    A great deal of discussion in various media concerns differing economic structures, including capitalism and socialism.

    The problem with these discussions is that these terms are not defined and other types of economic organization, such as mercantilism and imperialism, are overlooked. For example, there are state capitalism, finance capitalism, crony capitalism, and numerous others.

    To assure that both readers and authors were clear about what structure was being addressed, for example, the first page of such articles or books could provide a detailed definition of which capitalism is being discussed.

    The Merriam-Webster dictionary states that capitalism is composed of private ownership and private investment decisions, and that prices, production, and distribution are determined by the market.

    But there need to be much more detailed descriptions in view of the many different varieties of capitalism.

    As for socialism, there is a similar problem of variety.

    The dictionary states that socialism is the government ownership and control of the means of production and distribution. That is a start, but what if it is control, but not ownership? Or vice versa?

    What about market socialism as promoted by the Swedes versus command socialism theoretically practiced in the USSR?

    We could even invent a few new terms: Bankers’ capitalism and bankers’ socialism for a start.

    After all, China claims to be socialist but has a central bank and numerous other banks, as do most other countries, including the US. China appears to be following the same economic advice as the US, leading to the same asset bubbles and too-big-to-fail enterprises.

    As another example, the dictionary defines mercantilism as the attempt to increase the power and monetary wealth of a nation by government regulation of the economy, usually trying to accumulate gold and promoting a favorable balance of trade.

    Mercantilism also supports manufacturing and agricultural development, as well as foreign trading monopolies. The campaign for “Made in China 2025” may be partly viewed in this light.

    It is a national strategic plan along the lines of industrial policy to promote manufacturing.

    According to some reports, China is the number one gold-producing nation in the world and all the gold produced is purchased by the Chinese government. Imperialism is defined as extending the dominion of a nation by territorial acquisitions or by gaining indirect control over the political or economic life of other territory.

    Imperialism and mercantilism support each other, especially in terms of foreign trade, protecting domestic manufacturing and collecting gold and other rare commodities.

    Communism is defined in one version as “a system in which goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed.” This definition requires considerable finesse when talking about the Chinese Communist Party.

    II. ENGINEERING VS ECONOMICS

    Chairman Mao eventually found that he had a problem in keeping control of Chinese politics due to the development of wealthier businessmen and the growing size of the market economy.

    His solution was an attempt to return to some of the features of the wartime economy.

    These included a semi-drafting of civilians into the army, where they were housed in barracks, clothed in uniform outfits, put on work details in the countryside, fed in the mess hall, and moved about on public transportation.

    This was in line with Mao’s experience as a general commanding the Red Army for many years during the civil war in China. This is wartime mobilization, where the generals decide on the final outputs of the economy and the engineers work out the methods to achieve such results.

    During war, the civilians are put on rationing and the central plan determines which and what civilian goods will be produced and distributed.

    Sort of like Henry Ford’s old adage concerning the some of the Model T cars : “Any customer can have a car painted any colour [sic] so long as it is black.”

    Of course, rationing soon becomes unpopular in peacetime.

    Mao’s death created a crisis in the Communist Party, with the so-called “Gang of Four” trying to continue his policies, while other officials, led by Deng Xiaoping, called for a different system.

    In this system, the economists are supposed to work out the methods to achieve results.

    This system could be described as part “market” and part “market socialism” and part “socialism.”

    The market part involved privately owned factories and stores producing and selling civilian goods to the public.

    The market socialism part involved the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) using army-owned factories to produce civilian goods for sale to the public.

    In the socialism part, the PLA-owned factories continued to produce weapons for the military.

    The engineering vs economics issue came up in the West at the time of the 1972 Club of Rome report, The Limits to Growth.

    This document was based on computer simulations of economic growth which were very pessimistic.

    The book was very popular around the world, and it and subsequent reports have been extremely influential in the debates over global warming, climate change, and other policy issues.

    The critics, however, claimed the report was based on simplistic scenarios and amateur scholarship.

    In essence, the critics said that the report was produced by engineers trying to model the economy without understanding economics.

    In addition, the critics pointed out that the computer models did not take into account the changes in price that would come about with scarcity.

    The criticism did not seem to deter the Club of Rome in its efforts to remake the world.

    Perhaps the members had more confidence in engineers practicing economics, than in economists practicing engineering.

    In any event, the same controversy continues to this day concerning the degree to which public policy should rely on computer simulations and models that are sensitive to a few key assumptions.

    Computer simulations are well known always to be subject to the “garbage in, garbage out” phenomena, but less well known is that even with good input data, the output can be drastically different with just a few little tweaks in the assumptions.

    III. MONEY & CREDIT

    China has a problem with asset bubbles and potential busts, as does the US.

    China has “ghost cities” and other investments that are symptomatic of malinvestment and too much easy credit.

    In the US it was the ill-considered financial enthusiasms of the roaring twenties, the dotcom bubble, the housing bubble, and now the so-called “everything bubble” that have led to recessions and depressions.

    There have been scholarly attempts to explain why these episodes keep happening. For example, 100% Money by professor Irving Fisher back in the 1930’s, detailed the problems with fractional reserve banking.

    Fisher wrote this with the benefit of hindsight after losing his fortune in the Great Depression.

    The book, however, fell on deaf ears.

    Much later, in 1983, another book on the subject was published, The Mystery of Banking by Murray N. Rothbard. It had no better success.

    In 2016, the former head of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, wrote a book called The End of Alchemy, about the same problem and proposed some solutions.

    Nothing much was done.

    The gist of these books is that fractional reserve banking is inherently unstable.

    Yet this is the system used all over the world.

    The national security agencies of China, the US, Russia, and others might benefit from some serious study of these books and the issues with money and banking that they explain, as these issues may be more likely to determine their nations’ economic fate.

    In the US, other isolated prophets have explained the mistakes in money and banking policies, yet, again, nothing much has been done, resulting in potentially grim future prospects.

    If these books are correct in their analyses of the situation, then the first country to adopt a proper solution would gain significant advantages over other countries.

    IV. NATIONAL SECURITY

    National security studies and analyses spend a lot of time and effort on competing weapon systems, elections, coups, revolutions, as well as on culture, space, cyber, energy, and psychological warfare.

    The studies appear to spend much less effort on education and economic security issues.

    Out of all these types of warfare, the USSR turned out to be grossly deficient in two important areas: Culture and economics.

    Western commercial culture was simply more attractive to the Soviet public than what they had at home.

    As more and more Soviets learned about the difference, the more trouble Moscow had in getting the public to believe in the Soviet system.

    The question is whether China will experience the same problem.

    It appears that China has plenty of Western commercial culture and its own adaptations, as well as conducting a re-invigoration of its traditional culture that goes back thousands of years.

    This may help to immunize China against this aspect of the Soviet problem.

    As for economics, the USSR followed a less desirable path.

    There are many competing schools of thought concerning what happened, but a basic view is that the planned sector of the USSR economy got into a fight with the unplanned sector and they knocked each other out.

    The USSR was not able to come up with a solution to the command vs. market problem that worked.

    China studied the USSR disaster and decided to follow a different path.

    V. COMPETITION & MONOPOLY

    It appears that China is ahead of the US in realizing that certain policies favored by the oligarchs could be dangerous to the economy and the State.

    However late to take action, China has recently cracked down on the chiefs of many giant enterprises in a move to curtail their power and influence.

    They were beginning to rival the authority of the Communist Party.

    There is always a potential for oligarchs to find common cause with oligarchs in other parts of the world and joining in schemes such as the New World Order, thus possibly escaping control by the national governments.

    This power struggle in China will have ramifications throughout the world.

    In the US, it is not even a struggle—the oligarchs are generally considered to be on the top of the heap and nothing much is even considered in the way of curtailing their power.

    Considering former President Trump’s experience with them, they are way ahead in the power game and are also alleged to be behind the curtain as far as President Biden is concerned.

    In the past, the US came up with the Sherman Act and the Clayton Act in order to help control monopoly power.

    President Theodore Roosevelt campaigned as a trust-buster and the laws were used to break up the Standard Oil Company.

    Later on when President Franklin Roosevelt was in office, the US instituted the Glass-Steagall Act to address problems which were said to have contributed to the Great Depression.

    The act separated commercial banking from investment banking.

    At that time, brokerage houses were a separate feature of the US economy.

    These laws were also used to break up some of the concentration in the telephone industry.

    However, things went into reverse during the President Clinton era, when the Glass-Steagall Act was repealed and banks could combine all forms of banking and brokerage into a single enterprise.

    It was not surprising when the resulting conglomerates grew so large that they were termed “too big to fail” and had to be bailed out by the government.

    In addition, the anti-trust laws did not seem very useful in controlling the very large tech companies of recent times.

    Thus to call the US a “capitalist” or “free market” economy is not very helpful since the economy has had very different features at different times, as well as differing degrees of competition.

    Thus a question in analyzing the Chinese economy might be to ask if China has the equivalent of the Sherman, Clayton, and Glass-Seagall Acts, and are they actually used or enforced?

    Does China have other laws and regulations that promote competition or manage monopolies in the public interest?

    When the Chinese first opened up the economy after Mao, there was relatively little in the way of funding for the military to pay for modernization.

    The solution was to allow the military to go into producing civilian goods for sale to the public and then keep the profits to help pay for military goods.

    Analysts would need to research whether the military eventually stopped producing its own weapons and purchased them from commercial industrial companies.

    How is the military-industrial complex actually structured in modern China?

    Who owns the armaments factories?

    More recently in China, the central government has encouraged the military to get out of the civilian goods business and stick to the military side.

    Again, much more detail is needed in order to comment on the Chinese economic system than to only use the generic terms “capitalism” and “socialism.”

    It is even more ineffective to toss about the word “communism.”

    Another example of the difficulty in pasting labels on different economies: In Russia it appears that the armament-producing factories and companies are owned by the government.

    In early US times, the military arsenals and navy shipyards were also owned by the government.

    Pretty much the embodiment of “socialism” in both cases.

    Now, however, weapons in the US are produced in factories owned by private or non-government companies.

    However, there seems to be very little real or practical competition in much of the US military-industrial complex, so maybe it would be better described as part “mercantilist” or with some other term?

    Some experts have claimed that the US has already lost the arms race with Russia, so perhaps the US should try a different tack and return to having the military set up its own factories to produce the exotic weapons needed to compete with Russia?

    The US has approximately six arsenals currently operating, but they do not produce the types of weapons that are made in Russia.

    Would this partial return to a variety of “socialism” help the generals to get the weapons they really want, instead of the weapons that produce the most profits?

    The US Army went back a century to find a design for its latest uniform, maybe the army could consider a return to the old-fashioned arsenals of a century ago.

    VI. CONCLUSION

    Any discussion of “isms” such as capitalism and socialism cannot shed much light unless more rigorous and detailed definitions are employed, since both “isms” have many varieties.

    In addition, any serious discussion should address the extent to which mercantilism and imperialism are part of the mix.

    All this gets very complex very rapidly, so it is not surprising that such is seldom done.

    In addition, there is little evidence of any current investigation concerning the command versus market issue in national economies, despite its historical importance in China and Russia.

    The problems with computer modeling and simulation are well known, but continue to arise in studies of economic growth, climate change, and spread of disease.

    This difficulty has serious implications for China as the nation is faced with vast disagreement between engineers and economists in designing computer simulation models.

    Finally, the “skeleton in the closet” that almost no one wants to address is the design of the money and credit system for a nation.

    Such a look would impinge on the currently politically correct belief in the proper role and nature of commercial banks, investment banks, and central banks.

    It is interesting from a national security standpoint that China has seemingly adopted much of the US and UK system of banking, despite centuries of having panics, booms and busts, recessions and depressions in the latter countries.

    “Red Capitalism” is an amalgam of many “isms,” with Chinese characteristics. So far, it appears to be relatively successful, certainly more so than the system employed in India.

    However, one can see the same maladies creeping into China that currently beset the US: Malinvestment, stock market excesses, interest rate manipulation, real estate speculation, and increasing concentration of wealth.

    The question for the world is which country will be the first to find and implement a cure for these maladies.

    The point herein is that anyone who refers to China as a “regime”, and that possesses a “Communist” for of governance DOES NOT UNDERSTAND modern, contemporaneous China and their article and opinions whould be ignored as noise of the ignorant.

    You can quote me on that.

    A rainy evening in New York’s Times Square under the neon lights of the “Black Widow” marquee.

    Article 5

    Now, that we know that China has developed and improving on their greatly improved model of governance, and has aligned with the Russian powerhouse, what of the United States? Is it just sitting by the sidelines, or is it in great distress, as the “house of cards” collapses all around it?

    Speed Wobble

    Things are turning, indeed, out there… out in the truck stops and the households fending off repossession and the small businesses struggling desperately for survivial — even in the degenerate halls of government….

    Clusterfuck Nation


    If the ads on the Superbowl each year are like a Rorschach test for the nation’s mental condition, then this year’s ad-roll was a cavalcade of frantic hallucinations suggesting a near-complete detachment from reality for an audience of ADD-disabled cell phone slaves locked into a Big Tech induced consensus trance. You could barely tell what these advertisers were trying to sell in their commercials, the psychotic dazzle of half-second jump-cuts was so ferocious. One interesting note, though: people of non-color (PONCs) seem to have been magically sucked out of the universe. There, that fixed things for everybody else.

    Snoop Dog’s half-time house party — Hollywood’s G-rated version of a BLM riot — heralded a real riot later on in downtown LA after the Rams’ victory. Fans lit-up a metro bus and tagged it with spray-paint. The police moved in… objects were thrown at them. I’m just sorry that Snoop didn’t bring out his friend and sometime co-star Martha Stewart to twerk for the multitudes — while, say, whipping up a pumpkin mousse. That might have brought the country together after all these months of rancor. But, like I said, sorry, PONCs need not apply. Nor did Da Dawg invite onstage my favorite new pop star, Ski Mask the Slump God, composer of the hits “Faucet Failure” and “Foot Fungus.” Maybe next year… if there is a next year….

    All this hearty good fellowship marks the journey of our country from a convocation of be-wigged founding fathers wielding quill pens in defense of liberty to a security-and-surveillance state of hebephrenic zombies lurching to a kind of failure that will make the fall of the Roman Empire look like a lawn sale of someone’s dead uncle’s chattels and effects. The drain-pipe beckons… but will America answer that call… or take a different turn?

    Things are turning, indeed, out there… out in the truck stops and the households fending off repossession and the small businesses struggling desperately for survival — even in the degenerate halls of government, state-by-state. The armature of Covid-19 tyranny is getting rapidly dismantled by politicians close to running for their very lives. The home-folks have had enough of their insolence and they’re sharpening the tines of their pitchforks. Events also conspire to put the schnitz on the alleged Globalists’ dream of digital tyranny — if there even is such a cabal of Globalists, which I’m not sure about, or just a coterie of feckless hacks swept along by a malefic zeitgeist, Canada’s Justin Trudeau being the poster-boy for that breed.

    The timing has gone all awry on them. The Covid-19 hysteria draws to a close against their wishes to drag it on forever. Even the triple-vaccinated are sick of it — and not a few of them are sick because of it. Governments and the corrupt medical establishment won’t touch this info with a stick, but the morticians and insurance execs are hopping up and down about what looks like a supernatural die-off of folks between 18 and 60 generally not susceptible to early death. Kind of worrisome, a little bit. Anybody with half-a-brain left is declining the offer of yet another booster — though Dr. Fauci was still tirelessly selling them last week.

    Mainly, though, the window-of-opportunity has closed, in the USA, anyway, for anymore vaccine passport nonsense, and with that goes the dream of roping every last citizen into a corral of total social control, including central bank digital currencies that would turn everyone into a yo-yo to be jerked-around by government.

    “Joe Biden” has so far failed to deliver that war with Russia over Ukraine he promised us — which would be like two Craig’s List customers fighting over a twenty-year-old Jeep Wrangler up on blocks with the engine missing. Ukraine president Zelensky is a professional comedian, of course, so one must admire his gag of inviting “Joe Biden” to visit his country, the Gem of Eurasia, “in the coming days,” Mr. Zelensky said, “which will be a powerful signal and contribute to de-escalation.” Plus, all the pierogi and cabbage the US president can eat. All this made National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan gnash his teeth for the trouble he has gone to in prepping the sore-beset American people for World War Three.

    But Mr. Sullivan has, perhaps, other things to think about. Like… what are all these offstage noises Special Counsel John Durham is making in the grand jury chambers? Something about Hillary Clinton, and the helpmeets surrounding her in the 2016 election (including especially Jake Sullivan), alleged to have fabricated the Russian collusion whopper that deranged the nation for four years and disabled a sitting president. They even managed to enlist the FBI and the CIA in that task. How’d that happen? Could Hillary have been that peevish? Anyway, it looks kind of bad for the National Security Advisor to “Joe Biden” having such an epic political fraud tacked onto his resume, with perhaps an indictment to follow. Standing by on his resignation….

    Our NATO allies must be enjoying the rise of natgas prices beyond the level that many middle-class households in Euroland can afford to keep the heat on in the dead middle of winter, since they have to get so much of the stuff from Russia. Maybe jamming Ukraine into NATO, as America’s Deep State has been wishing and hoping to do, wasn’t such a great idea after all. Maybe NATO itself isn’t such a great idea anymore.

    If World War Three doesn’t pan out for “JB,” there’s always a global meltdown of financial markets, banks, and currencies waiting in the wings to amuse and distract everybody from the post-Covid call for a long, hard look at what the pandemic was actually about. The story, in all its multiple, gruesome levels, has gotten away from them. So many public officials are standing naked that Washington looks like a nudist colony.

    Do You Know, In the year 1951, Libya was the world’s poorest country. Gaddafi made it Africa’s most developed country with $150 billion foreign reserves And zero debt. Under Muammar Gaddafi, Libya had one of the world’s strongest currencies.

    1 Libyan Dinar equalled $0.82781 in 2011. Gaddafi wanted to give all African countries the Dinar to strengthen their economies. He also had more than 140 Tonnes of Gold and similar amounts in silver which he wanted to distribute across Africa to be used in trading.

    ▪️Libya under Gaddafi.

    -Free health care
    -Free Electricity
    -Free housing, owning a house was considered a human right in Libya
    -Free medicine
    -Free Education in the country including for all Libyan students who were studying abroad.
    -Free water, he built a river.
    -Interest Free loans
    -Newly weds received $50,000
    -Mothers received $5,000 on birth on child.
    -All citizens received a percentage of all oil sales
    -Petrol was $ 0.14 per liter
    -Government paid 50% of the price of your car
    -Unemployed Libyans received the average salary of their profession.

    ▪️These were the reasons why so many individuals wanted to travel to Libya for greener pastures, but now, reverse is the case. Thanks to America bombing it into dust…

    America used to be a land with so much potential. A “melting pot” of cultures, and of freedom. Why, you could have “bunnies” serving men in the open at bars, and massage parlors and no one said anything. Not today. Try that today. It will never happen.

    Bunny Girls taking an order in a club restaurant in London, 11th February 1963.

    Yeah. Look at those prices!

    I jsut cannot control myself. I really must stare hard to see the prices and the food items in the menu.

    Article 6

    From MoA

    The Big White House Plans Behind Its ‘Russian Invasion’ Scam

    As the ‘Russian invasion’ scam reaches new heights it is time to look at the motives behind it.

    The noise has become deafening.

    > The U.S. intelligence briefing included specific reference to next Wednesday, February 16, as a start date for the ground invasion, three officials — based in Washington, London and Ukraine — told POLITICO. <

    ‘Could’ is doing a lot of work in those headlines.

    Can we get it a bit more precise?

    1am or 3am?

    Which is it?

    And in what timezone?

    And 200,000 troops? Yesterday there were only 100,000. How can those have doubled over night?

    There is also the question of why.

    Why has the Biden administration created an artificial ‘crisis’ about a Russian invasion of Ukraine when such an invasion is neither planned nor likely to happen? Why is it claiming that a Russian invasion of the Ukraine is ‘imminent’ when Russia as well as the Ukraine deny that any will be coming.

    Why does it distribute misleading satellite pictures of allegedly deployed tanks when those are directly next to the barracks where they belong? Why does it hype a ‘Russian buildup’ when that is something that is claimed each and every year?

    Jack Matlock, the last U.S. ambassador to the USSR, has one answer:

    Maybe I am wrong – tragically wrong – but I cannot dismiss the suspicion that we are witnessing an elaborate charade, grossly magnified by prominent elements of the American media, to serve a domestic political end. Facing rising inflation, the ravages of Omicron, blame (for the most part unfair) for the withdrawal from Afghanistan, plus the failure to get the full support of his own party for the Build Back Better legislation, the Biden administration is staggering under sagging approval ratings just as it gears up for this year’s congressional elections.
    
    Since clear "victories" on the domestic woes seem increasingly unlikely, why not fabricate one by posing as if he prevented the invasion of Ukraine by "standing up to Vladimir Putin"?
    
    Actually, it seems most likely that President Putin’s goals are what he says they are – and as he has been saying since his speech in Munich in 2007. To simplify and paraphrase, I would sum them up as: "Treat us with at least a modicum of respect. We do not threaten you or your allies, why do you refuse us the security you insist for yourself?"

    Alastair Crooke points to a different motive:

    The authoritative Global Times in an editorial warns that the U.S. is instigating conflict in Ukraine in order to tighten bloc discipline – to corral European States back into the U.S.-led fold. No doubt, China makes the connection that Ukraine provides the perfect pivot for shepherding Europe towards America’s next stage of requiring a united front with the U.S. for the later task of barricading-in China, behind her borders.
    
    In play, therefore, are key decisions that will define Europe for the future. On the one hand, (as Pepe Escobar noted some two years ago), “the goal of Russian and Chinese policy is to recruit Germany into a triple alliance locking together the Eurasian land mass à la Mackinder into the greatest geopolitical alliance in history – switching world power in favour of these three great powers, and against Anglo-Saxon sea power”.
    
    And on the other hand, NATO was conceived, from the outset, as a means of Anglo-American control over Europe and more precisely for keeping Germany ‘down’, and Russia ‘out’ (in that old axiom of western strategists). Lord Hastings (Lionel Ismay), NATO’s first Secretary General, famously said that NATO was created to “keep the Soviet Union out, the Americans in, and the Germans down”.
    
    This mindset lingers on, but the formula has acquired today a greater import, and a new twist: To keep Germany ‘down and price uncompetitive’ versus U.S. goods; to keep Russia ‘out’ from being Europe’s source of cheap energy; and to keep China ‘fenced out’ from EU–U.S. trade. The aim is to contain Europe firmly within America’s narrowly defined economic orbit and compelled to forgo the benefits of Chinese and Russian technology, finance and trade – thus helping towards achieving the aim of barricading China within its borders.

    I find both explanations, the domestic one and the foreign policy one, very plausible and a combination of them is the most likely motive behind the plan for is affair.

    The Washington Post explains how the campaign was hashed out and directed from the White House. Its headline though is misleading:

    Inside the White House preparations for a Russian invasion
    A “Tiger Team” of administration officials has spent the past several months preparing a clear series of responses, gaming out scenarios from cyberattacks and limited intervention to an invasion of Ukraine.

    A more correct headline would have been “Inside the White House preparations of the ‘Russian invasion’ scam”.

    Lets look into that:

    As fears grow of potential Russian aggression against Ukraine, a “Tiger Team” led by the White House is quietly gaming out how the United States would respond to a range of jarring scenarios, from a limited show of force to a full-scale, mass-casualty invasion.
    
    The White House team has staged two multihour tabletop exercises — including one with Cabinet officials — to bring the scenarios to life and assembled a playbook that outlines an array of swift potential responses, starting with Day One and extending through the first two weeks of an envisioned Russian invasion.
    
    The effort, senior administration officials said, has not only helped them anticipate possible complications, but has also prompted them to take actions ahead of time, such as exposing Russian information warfare before it’s carried out to blunt its propaganda power.

    The team preplanned their daily propaganda releases step by step:

    The “Tiger Team” — a term referring to a diverse group of experts who are tackling a specific problem and that suggests alertness and a readiness to pounce — was created after National Security Council officials last October detected troubling signs of a massive Russian troop buildup on the Ukrainian border.
    
    NSC officials readily admit they may be unable to precisely anticipate the moves of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his military leaders. But the exercise and robust planning is still worth it, they said.
    
    “The reality is that what the Russians may end up doing is not likely to be a 100 percent match for any of these scenarios,” [Jonathan Finer, deputy national security adviser to President Biden,] said. “But the goal is for them to be a close enough facsimile of what they end up doing that the plans are useful in terms of reducing the amount of time we need in order to respond effectively. That’s really the whole goal.”

    The ‘massive Russian troop buildup on the Ukrainian border’ has never happened in real life. Most of the Russian troops are hundreds of miles away from Ukraine.

    It was the Washington Post which on October 30 2021 was the first to publish the claims by ‘anonymous officials’ of a ‘Russian buildup’.

    (Side remark: The name ‘Tiger team’ or ‘Tiger squad’ was also used for the Saudi group that killed and hacked up a Washington Post opinion writer Jamal Khashoggi. Funny that the Washington Post piece does not mention that fact.)

    Back to the ‘tic toc’ the WaPo provides:

    The Tiger Team was officially born in November, when national security adviser Jake Sullivan asked Alex Bick, the NSC director for strategic planning, to lead a planning effort across multiple agencies. Bick has brought in the Departments of Defense, State, Energy, Treasury and Homeland Security, along with the U.S. Agency for International Development to look at a possible humanitarian crisis.
    
    The intelligence community is also involved, gaming out various courses of action the Russians might pursue and the risks and advantages of each, officials said.

    While the official launch of the ‘Tiger team’ might have been in November it is clear that the whole operation started earlier when the Ukrainians were asked to take part in the sham:

    Simon Shuster @Shustry - 8:29 PM · Feb 14, 2022
    
    Source close to Zelensky told me the U.S. first warned his team of a Russian invasion last fall, putting the chances at 80%. The Ukrainians didn't buy it, but they saw an opportunity -- "more aid, more attention" -- and played along. Now they have regrets. Too much attention.

    The CIA has flown paramilitaries from Ukrainian Nazi groups to the U.S. to train them:

    While the covert program, run by paramilitaries working for the CIA’s Ground Branch — now officially known as Ground Department — was established by the Obama administration after Russia’s invasion and annexation of Crimea in 2014, and expanded under the Trump administration, the Biden administration has further augmented it, said a former senior intelligence official in touch with colleagues in government.
    
    By 2015, as part of this expanded anti-Russia effort, CIA Ground Branch paramilitaries also started traveling to the front in eastern Ukraine to advise their counterparts there, according to a half-dozen former officials.
    
    The multiweek, U.S.-based CIA program has included training in firearms, camouflage techniques, land navigation, tactics like “cover and move,” intelligence and other areas, according to former officials.

    These groups will be the forces to use when the U.S. decides to launch some false flag ‘Russian attacks’ on Ukrainian civilians.

    As you watch it consider that every move in this is preplanned:

    The playbook itself goes far beyond battlefield scenarios, looking at questions like how to address Ukrainian refugees who might stream into Poland and Romania, how to secure the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, exactly what sort of sanctions to impose on Moscow, and how to fight back against a sophisticated cyberattack.
    
    The playbook — which synthesizes nearly three dozen papers and intelligence assessments commissioned by the team from various agencies — has been distributed to the various officials, including military and civilian leaders at the Pentagon.
    
    The playbook also considers “second order” consequences, such as Russian retaliation for any penalties.

    Those ‘sophisticated cyberattacks’ will most likely come from the National Security Agency which is part of the Pentagon. When the White House will claim that it has evidence of a ‘Russian cyberattack’ on Ukraine, which it is likely to do, keep in mind that anyone who claims to be able to find the real source of such an attack is selling snake oil.

    Along the playbook the White House also released disinformation which claims that Russia will use such:

    Among the Tiger Team’s top concerns is a Russian effort to promote the false narrative that it is Ukraine, aided by the West, that is preparing to launch an offensive in eastern Ukraine, and that Russia is the victim.
    
    In recent weeks, the U.S. government has declassified intelligence about such efforts, including a potential “false flag” plot in which Moscow would stage an explosion that kills ethnic Russians in Ukraine or in Russia itself, and then blame it on Kyiv as a possible pretext for an invasion.

    The White House has declassified nothing that anyone was allowed to see. As the NYT correctly remarked:

    For all the disclosures, the Biden administration has provided no evidence of the disinformation plots they say they have uncovered.

    The ‘Russian invasion’ scamp was approved from the top:

    In December, the Tiger Team held two virtual tabletop exercises to road-test various scenarios and responses. The first brought together deputy secretaries and the second involved Cabinet officials. Biden has reviewed the playbook and was briefed on the results, officials said.
    
    “It’s one thing to consider each of these problems — energy, sanctions, military posture — in isolation. It’s quite another to put them all together and execute a plan on all of them,” the NSC official said. “What I saw over the course of this planning exercise was, including at the most senior levels, lightbulbs go on about the way the pieces fit together.

    The plan is integrated enough to allow for aims and achievements in multiple fields.

    That is why I believe that both, Matlock and Crooke, are right in their guesses of the motives behind the ‘Russian invasion’ scam.

    There are domestic aims and there are foreign policy aims and the pieces of the plan fit them together.

    But that is only so if the whole thing does not unravel. In real life no battle plan survives the first contact with the enemy.

    Zelensky’s much criticized unwillingness to play his part of the show may just be one of the elements that will let it all fall apart.

    Then there is Russia which is always good at creating real surprises. I bet that its security demands and the draft treaties it provided where not foreseen in the playbook. They already succeeded in pressing Biden into concessions the U.S. had previously been unwilling to make. More surprises in different areas will follow. As soon as the Olympics are over China may also come to play a role in this.

    Big plans make for big failures.

    So here we are, eh?

    Asia has their shit together and the USA is run by “old dinosaurs” that cannot change as they fear that if they do they will lose everythign and have to accept a new lifestyle. So they ae off threatening war…

    …everywhere.

    I’ll tell you, it make me yearn for the days when America used to stand for something; when it used to represent something. When families mattered.

    When people… mattered.

    When pets… mattered.

    When food… mattered.

    When life, family and friends…mattered.

    Where has it gone? Well, I tell you that it’s due to the American leadership. And what evil monsters that they have become. Maybe they would act and behave a little bit differently if they had regular, and normal lifestyles. If they acted and behaved normally, and if they participated within their own open and free communities, instead of living like robber barrons on methamphetamines.

    Baseball.

    Yeah.

    I miss the “good old days”…

    When you could pull over and have a picnic without have a police car “investigate” what you are doing…

    Article 7

    I truly need to spend more time with cats.

    I miss Leonardo. He was a good kitty.

    What does Russia think about all this?

    Tim Kirby
    February 15, 2022

    No progress can be made until the West either sees the Russians as equals or at least fears them enough to create respect like they did in the Cold War, Tim Kirby writes.

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s particular take on politics has created many memes on the Russian Internet. His personal frustrations having to negotiate and deal with the West are very relatable to the Russian masses who also want to normalize relations. His crestfallen yet visibly angered words “F’n Morons” have become the stuff of meme legend throughout Russia, although few realize that it was actually said during discussions with the Saudis and not America or Britain as most would assume. But this statement so resonated with the pure frustration that Russians have been feeling, that the populace just sort of shifted the target of his words to the ultimate source of their dismay that started the Maidan Color Revolution in 2014, which has been spiraling downwards ever since. Foreign Minister Lavrov has proved not to be a one hit wonder and his recent trolling of his British counterpart Liz Truss exploded over the Russian internet. This interesting strange moment in the endless and pointless battle of The West vs. Russia is a real microcosm of the nature of how both sides see themselves and the other and demands a full breakdown.

    So the situation looks like this, again an annoyed and worn down Lavrov tried to prove a point about how little the West actually understands about the Ukrainian Crisis with some verbal fencing…

    MOSCOW, February 10. /TASS/. British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss refused to recognize Russia’s sovereignty over the Voronezh and Rostov Regions at talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday, a source close to the negotiations told TASS.
    
    After Truss’ statements urging Moscow to move its forces, located on Russia’s soil, away from the border with Ukraine, Lavrov asked his British counterpart if she recognized Russia’s sovereignty over the Voronezh and Rostov Regions.
    
    According to the source, Truss insisted that the UK would never recognize Russia’s sovereignty over these regions.

    Although the Russian internet was smugly proud of this quippy achievement there is a level of pure honesty in the reaction from the British that most Russians simply are incapable of seeing. The Russians are all laughing at her answer taking it as a literal reaction, but metaphorically she told the God’s honest truth from an Anglo-Saxon perspective.

    Truss clearly refused to recognize two regions of Russia as being part of Russia out of willful ignorance. There are fine lines between idiocy, ignorance and willful ignorance, but behind the latter of the three there can often be a very crafty and hateful intelligence. No truth pith-helmeted British colonizer would dare to learn anything about her barbaric adversaries, and in this display of pure willful ignorance she perfectly articulated the view of the West towards Russia – they don’t recognize any of Russia’s concerns, demands, leadership or even statehood as legitimate, nor do they need to justify their positions with facts and knowledge when dealing with Untermenschen.

    The reaction of the British Foreign Secretary was an unintended act of pure and total dominance. Can you imagine, just how low she and her colleagues must view the Russians as to be charged with dealing with them and yet know absolutely nothing about their country, their geography and the nature of the Ukrainian Crisis? Discussing a situation that has killed thousands of people yet choosing to learn zero basic information is “alpha-chad” to say the least.

    Truss answered like a Roman general forced to lower himself to speaking to unwashed Barbarians, who has zero concern for any details about these subhuman animals and their pathetic pseudoculture. All the Roman needs to know is that the allied Barbarians in Ukraine are right and the enemy ones in Russia are wrong. What town or river is where doesn’t make any difference. This Roman attitude of seeing the world as one of civility vs. barbarity hasn’t gone anywhere, and a true sign of a “civilized person” is having zero knowledge or tolerance for the ways of the backwards.

    Although Russians may find tricking Anglo-Saxon counterparts into revealing how ignorant they are as a coping mechanism for losing the Cold War, they forget that the supposedly 80 IQ gender-queer limp-wristed twits on the other side of the line have beaten them time and again. My Russian children, living in Russia, have already asked me numerous LGBT-related questions yet have not once asked anything about Multipolarity, Traditional Values or Orthodox Christianity. Russians may find narcissistic joy in mocking the English-speaking world for being ignorant, but apparently being able to quote Pushkin doesn’t win 21st century info wars now, does it? When you’ve got Hollywood, the entire Mainstream Media, Big Tech and so on, you don’t need to know where anything is on a map. The Anglo-Saxons have plenty of knowledge, they just feel they don’t need to know a damn thing about you Russians. That is the nuance the Russians cannot perceive on their mental radar.

    This trolling by Lavrov really shows that the joke is actually on Russia. The Russians continue, after years of failing, to try to reason with those who see them as subhuman animals. Perhaps we are moving towards a Multipolar World due to economics, geography and the West shooting itself in the foot, but as far as cultural/info wars are going if you look at the youth around Moscow you can clearly see who is winning.

    Perhaps it is actually Lavrov’s side who is ignorant as to how to deal with the Romans from a Barbarian standpoint, and simply cannot wrap their brains around the fact that no progress can be made until the West either sees the Russians as equals or at least fears them enough to create respect like they did in the Cold War. It would also help if the Russians would wake up to the fact that they are considered Barbarians, the fact that Hitler killed millions of them due to his belief that they are racially inferior, just won’t sink in for some reason.

    Russia continues to step on the same rake over and over again by seeing itself as equal to the West and believing that the stress between both sides is caused by some sort of cultural misunderstanding. The real intellectual question the Russians should be asking themselves is by what means could a Germanic Barbarian chief convince a Roman general that they are equals?

    How could they make him see the villages and culture of the Rhine as just as human and glorious as Rome? This first step to this particular negotiation is really the necessity for the Russians to hack through layer-upon-layer of Anglo-Saxon cultural superiority that creates the type of willful ignorance displayed unabashedly by Liz Truss. Although it is hard to formulate a winning strategy for this problem, it surely lies in the fact that deep down the Civilized man will always secretly envy the freedom and uncastrated status of the Barbarian, but that is a topic for another day.

    Behind all the intensifying huffing and puffing of the US in the geopolitical arena. “More than 60% of all foreign currency reserves in the world are in USD – but there are big changes on the horizon … some of the biggest economies on earth have been making agreements with each other to move away from using the USD in international trade (Image: https://lnkd.in/eAP8tF3B) … [this shift is] going to have massive implications for the US economy.

    10 reasons why the reign of the dollar as the world reserve currency [may] come to an end:

    #1: China And Japan To Use Own Currencies In Bilateral Trade
    The 2nd largest economy (China) and 3rd largest economy (Japan) struck a deal [to] use of their own currencies. This was an incredibly important agreement that was virtually totally ignored by the US media. [Read an extract of the BBC in the article].

    #2: The BRICS Plan To Use Own Currencies When Trading
    A new agreement will promote the use of their own national currencies when trading with each other. [An extract from a news source in India is in the article].

    #3: China and Russia Use Own Currencies In Bilateral Trade
    [In fact,] Russia and China have been using their own national currencies when trading with each other for more than a year now.

    #4: Use Of Chinese Currency Growing In Africa
    In 2009, China became Africa’s biggest trading partner, and is aggressively seeking to expand the use of Chinese currency. At this point, approx. 70,000 Chinese companies are using Yuan in cross-border transactions.

    #5: China and UAE To Use Own Currencies In Bilateral Trade
    – in oil transactions with each other. The UAE is a fairly small player, but this is definitely a threat to the petrodollar system.

    #6: India To Use Gold To Buy Oil From Iran
    Iran has been one of the most aggressive nations when it comes to moving away from the USD in international trade.

    #7: Saudi Arabia Likely to Abandon Use of Petrodollar in Dealings With China
    [China] imports the most oil from Saudi Arabia. [They] have teamed up to construct a massive new oil refinery in Saudi.

    #8: The UN Continues to Push For A New World Reserve Currency

    #9: The IMF Has Been Pushing For A New World Reserve Currency
    – published a series of reports calling for the USD to be replaced.

    #10: Most Of The Rest Of The World Hates The US
    Global sentiment toward the US has dramatically shifted, and this should not be underestimated.

    What will happen if the USD’s reign as the world reserve currency comes to an end? It will bring very undesirable changes to the American lifestyle through:

    1. massive inflation,
    2. high interest rates on mortgages and cars,
    3. substantial increases in the cost of food, clothing and gasoline; and
    4. a much harder time financing its debt [$30 trillion and counting].

    Under the right conditions, a shift in momentum can become a landslide.”

    So stop with cruel sanctions and printing of new US dollars to fund senseless wars.

    Read more:
    https://lnkd.in/emZkSn4d

    Life in Florida when things were affordable, and people could raise families on a single income without having to ascribe to “systems” and pay “fees” in support of “taxes” all to go to a “government” to generate more “wars of distraction”.

    Ford Fairlane, 1956

    Article 8

    I see all of this as late-stage decay, and the beginnigns of a rebirth. Whether or not it will be catastrophic has yet to be seen, but I do remain hopeful.

    Democracy Enters Its Endgame

    From HERE.

    As Plato observed, democracy runs through a life cycle from good feelings at having escaped oligarchy to a semi-oligarchic period until it reaches its final stage, narcissistic mob rule under protection by tyrants.

    Then the tyrants import diversity to vote against the majority interest so the tyrants can rule, and then the society collapses into a third world ruin.

    Modern people, who understand nothing other than human social intentions, thought the cycle did not apply to them, not realizing that it accurately diagnosed the cause/effect relationships that occur as people react to the precedent of equality.

    When democracy enters its endgame, the destroyers have a leg up because they have taken over the institutions that formerly worked for the population and are now seeking to destroy that population so the foreigners can enthrone the tyrant.

    As some have mentioned, tyranny is rule for its own sake, or people seeking power for their own benefit at the expense of the interests of the society. Tyrants would rather rule over ashes than be normal people in a healthy society.

    Liberalization — the political arm of individualism, or the same “me first at the expense of all else” bourgeois pathology that underscores tyranny — creates inversion that eventually destroys the society.

    It begins with liberating individuals by relaxing rules. These rules, derived from reality and culture, restrain individuals from selfishness and self-destructive pathologies. When they are removed, selfishness takes over.

    After some time, this proves destructive, so people speak out. The inversion begins: the society bans any criticism of some liberalization, since the critics will upend the “progress” toward a Utopia of equality.

    The more time passes, the worse things get and the louder the critics whine, so more stuff gets demonized, made taboo, or outright banned until all that is left are terms that praise the system as it is.

    Language has become inverted at that point, as has meaning. Nothing can be said but praise of the inevitable march from Enlightenment™ to Communism, and anyone who wants to be allowed to speak in public must affirm that the “arc of history” leads toward this progress.

    Eventually, however, this order inverts. The things that people praise become seen as failing or failed. The terms that were once positive become handy shorthand for describing things which do not work so well. The inverted is in turn inverted.

    These civilizations die from disinterest in a wave of combined apathy and anarchy. The system sucks, but no one who says this will be allowed to be anything but desperately poor, so the “experts” form an echo chamber that agrees that things are not failing, but better than ever before!

    Then things fall apart. Those who thought they were running a successful society start to see that they are running a failure. They rush to implement their tyranny before the population bails out.

    Unfortunately for them, however, they think in terms of enemies only when the real threat to them is lack of belief. Conjectural, messianic, and Utopian (CMU) systems like liberalization require people to believe that things are getting better.

    When anyone succeeds without them, people realize belatedly that the whole liberalization project was never needed, and life is in fact better without that overhead of management, bureaucracy, administration, regulation, and wealth transfer taxes.

    At this point, no one in the real world believes in the system, but those who depend on it — celebrities, media, minorities, government employees, regulations lawyers, and academics — defend it, fooling most of the people for some time.

    Then at some point, that time ends, and the average person starts to see the system as the parasite that it always was. They do not oppose it so much as withdraw their support, sort of like how people stopped watching the NFL or Netflix shows.

    Those who know that the system sucks but rationalize it so that they can continue to act out positions that were once important (here, we are speaking of post-Buckley “conservatives”) keep trying to explain the bad as good and failing.

    People turn away. They turn toward their homes. They cheat aggressively on taxes and buy everything through the black market. They hide any wealth they have, and most importantly, do only a perfunctory job of their work role.

    The would-be tyrants, in response to this loss of faith, crack down on those who visibly protest, in doing so revealing how they have been inverted. The defenders of equality and freedom have now become favoritists and authoritarians.

    We are seeing this in real time as Democracy, Inc. prepares to arrest peaceful protesters who pointed out that the COVID-19 lockdown regimen is failing:

    “These blockades are illegal, and if you are still participating the time to go home is now,” Trudeau declared after meeting virtually with leaders of the country’s provinces.
    
    Invoking the Emergencies Act would allow the government to declare the Ottawa protest illegal and clear it out by such means as towing vehicles, Wark said. It would also enable the government to make greater use of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the federal police agency.
    
    Over the past weeks, authorities have hesitated to move against the protesters. Local officials cited a lack of police manpower and fears of violence, while provincial and federal authorities disagreed over who had responsibility for quelling the unrest.

    If you blow off a summer of burning cities and violence in the name of egalitarian causes, but then crack down on those who merely want you to slow your acceleration of transfer of wealth, power, and status from the naturally talented to the rest of the “equals,” then you reveal that you have been inverted.

    The good guys, who made bad=good so that society could liberalize, now have become the bad guys.

    Even the numb and slumbering voters realize at this point that now they are in an authoritarian regime. You either obey the dogma and read another “The Conservative Case for Pre-K Transsexual Sodomy” article, or you become an enemy of the State.

    Modern society — liberal democracy, civil rights, market socialism, and Keynesian entitlements — took over the world after WWII.

    Following the collapse of its erswhile allies in freedom with the fall of the Soviet Union, modernity expanded according to precedent, increasing each one of these things through a world financial network known as globalism.

    Now it has become clear that this New World Order has collapsed from within as disorder breaks out across the globe:

    Looking back at the past 14 years, it is with some consternation that Wolfgang Ischinger “cannot recall a time when there were so many overlapping crises.” That’s a reference to the challenges posed by Iran, China and the evolving Euro-Atlantic security architecture. A long list that could still encompass many other global hot spots.
    
    Indeed, the extraordinary profusion of unresolved crises is itself the central topic in this year’s MSR.
    
    The report describes a mood of “collective helplessness.” In the same way as ordinary individuals, whole societies can be overcome by a sense that they simply have no answer to the challenges they face.

    In other words, people have lost faith in the system and now are reverting to pre-civilization behaviors by acting toward their own personal and civilizational interests without regard to other groups.

    This means that not only has democracy failed, but the underlying belief in equality, altruism, pluralism, utilitarianism, and socially-accepted individualism has faded away.

    We are seeing a crisis of confidence in that no one is betting on democracy being around much longer. The collapse of American government shows us how little people believe in the goodness of modernity anymore:

    In a poll last month, 66 percent of Democrats wanted Clinton questioned, a whopping 22 percentage points higher than how many in her party demanded a probe last October, according to TechnoMetrica Institute of Policy and Politics (TIPP) research.
    
    The amount of Republicans demanding answers is also swelling, rising to 91 percent in January from 80 percent last October. Among the independent crowd, those wanting the former secretary of state probed rose to 74 percent from 65 percent.
    
    Clinton, 74, is being accused of hiring a tech term to ‘infiltrate’ servers at Trump Tower and the White House during the 2016 campaign.

    Previous generations would have been shocked at this abuse of power, but in the current time, less care for the shared space of civilization seems evident. This seems to be changing.

    In particular, for Democrats to know about Clintonian abuses of power — something essentially embargoed by the Left-leaning media and social media — requires them to be reading non-Left leaning sources.

    This in turn means that they have already lost faith, even in their own party. The supposedly “good guys” inverted into the “bad guys,” leading people to see this as a systemic problem with the modern system.

    I’ll tell youse guys. It all makes me yearn for a simpler time…

    Playboy-style “bunny girls” serving a customer with a champagne lunch at Paul Raymond’s Bal Tabarin nightclub in Hanover Square, London, 11th February 1963.

    Maybe our grandparents and our parents really knew better than us, with all of our new “progressive” ideas on life and relationships. Eh?

    I’ll tell you what, they certainly ate better.

    Steak Devine.

    And they certainly dressed better. Not only the very attractive women…

    Stunners!

    But men did as well…

    In style.

    Sigh.

    Article  9

    One day, maybe twenty years from now, the United States government will rewrite the narrative and concoct some kind of illusion as to what really is going on now. But let this article stand as a reminder of this historical period of time of great change and the threat of great terror.

    The Russians are so grateful!

    2022-02-10

    You may be aware of the fact that things aren’t going very well for the United States, but you may not know that things are going quite well for the Russian Federation.

    You may also think that Russia is an evil force that needs to be contained, or that it is ruled by an evil dictator, or any number of such things while the US is a prosperous democracy and a superpower (whatever that means) but this makes no difference.

    If you’ve been following recent events, you may be aware that Russia has recently presented the US with something like an ultimatum—demanding that the US provide it with certain security guarantees.

    But you will probably be quite surprised to learn that the granting of these security guarantees will be automatic as the US continues to collapse and retreat into its hollowed-out, bankrupt shell, its rout from Afghanistan being by no means its last.

    Nor would you be able to appreciate the fact that the security demands are designed to make America’s retreat from Eurasia maximally humiliating: not only will it retreat, but it will retreat because the Russians ordered it to do so.

    Once that retreat takes place, Russia will no doubt be immensely, effusively grateful that America has finally faced up to its responsibilities and did the right thing by getting the hell out of Eurasia, gleefully rubbing salt into America’s wounds.

    Russia will then joyfully make mincemeat of the Monroe Doctrine, spreading its influence, hand in hand with China, over the American continent, from Argentina to Mexico, leaving the US (whatever remains of it) sulking in its corner eating a pot of glue.

    But there is a lot more gratitude that’s due for what’s already transpired. In fact, Russia should be thanking the US for all it’s done to make Russia a winner and the US a loser at every opportunity.

    Continue reading… on Patreon (paywall)

    I wonder what kind of false flag operation the USA has for it’s narrative…?

    I wouldn’t put anything past the evil United States psychopaths.

    Here’s an American conservative radio talk show host that claims that nuclear weapons are being detonated in the Ukraine.

    I don’t believe it.

    video

    But now the American conservative “news” is saying that there is a big war in the Ukraine just like Biden promised…

     

    screen capture .

    Hum.

    They even have a nice detailed map. See…

    Why I do not believe this…

    If it was a full scale war, there would not be any picures, cell phones or anything. Russia would be saturation bombing the living Hell out of the Ukraine.  And, the NATO forces, and American bases would be under fire as well.

    Some people want war so badly. Go to the link (opens in a new tab) and read al the great screeching details about the end-of-the-world, and Russian agression. It’s like a FOX “news” wet dream.

    They have no idea what a REAL war is like.

    I don’t believe it.

    Some glimpses of the future

    Let’s take a peek at what the world has in store for all of us if we adapt and embrace the Chinese model…

    A RUFUS Does good works . video

    A Rufus Being kind and considerate of others. video

    Rufus massive rescue. video

    Rufus helps out girl with baby video

    The Rufus community puts out the fire. video

    Rufus Stranger helps a girl on the bus. Video

    A Rufus says take my money. Don’t worry. Video

    A Rufus serves the people. Video

    A Rufus saves all creatures. Video

    A Rufus takes action immediately! Video

    A Rufus saves a motorcycle.Video

    Conclusion

    YOUR future is in YOUR hands.

    Do not get too caught up.

    Spend time with friends and family. Don’t take your cats and dogs for granted. They need you and love you. That is precious, and their thoughts WILL influence your life.

    Yes they will.

    These are historic times. These are serious times, and these are times of opportunity. Do not allow yourself to be boxed in by the fear-generation mechanisms used to control, but rather rise up from them.

    Carve out your own life.

    Live it well.

    This is a message we need to hear. Gut out the programming, and the rush-rush-rush. Hurry is the enemy of deep work, excellence, health, relationships, and the spiritual life. Period!

    Live life well.

    And, well, be the best that you can be within it. I beleive in you.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my “New Beginnings 3” Index here…

    New Beginnings

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

    Sitrep on the emerging actions of World War III

    Well, I have covered this issue on all sorts of articles, each one highly detailed and laid out clearly.  What makes this (particular) article different is that we are now watching and observing overt actions, as opposed to covert actions.

    Yes, The USA has been carpet bombing China with bioweapons since 2017, but the American mainstream media turned that war effort hidden. It turned it covert.

    Now, with each overt action, we see an increase of pressure of a retaliatory nature. This response is against the enormous United States military empire, and its surrogates.

    So here, in this article,  we are going to cover the first dramatic weapon exchanges in February 2022.

    It's biological weapons vs Scalar / directed energy weapons.

    No. I’m not going to cover the (supposed) any day now… “war in the Ukraine”. LOL. That’s for the mindless sheeple to believe.

    No. We are instead going to talk about real covert and overt activities. Not the manufactured narrative that is there for the sole purposes of population control / fear manipulation and entertainment.

    But first a review of the American war plan arrangements using biological weapons.

    America’s Bioweapon grand strategy

    Here’s the grand scheme…

        • Suppress foe-nations.
        • Then take advantage of seeded discord using NED assets.
        • Generate “regime change”.
        • Absorb the nations into the unipolar arrangement by proxy.

    Functionally, it works like this…

    Spread out an array of bioweapons of different classes, globally. While the individual nations are busy trying to develop vaccines, inoculate friendly-nations with mRNA injections.

    The advantage of an mRNA injection is that it can be easily and quickly configured “on the fly” for whatever biological entity that is thrown at it.

    However, it’s not working as planned…

    Back-up military actions are put into place.

    Trade delay tactics. These include an ad hoc arrangment of various “incidents” to create a “perfect storm” or situation whereas trade comes to a standstill. Strikes, blockages in canals, pricing, inflation, pandemic rules, price of gas, all of these manipulations are intentionally trying to slow down the American economy (and the economies of its serrogates) to stretch out and lengthen the time to fully implement the grand strategy.

    Military encirclement tactics. These include nuclear weapons placed all around the Russian/China landmass. Everything related to American foreign “diplomacy” has been related to this effort in one form or the other.

    Suppression tactics. This goes by the terms “friendly hybrid-war”. It’s not. It’s just a full on economic, legal, economic, and social war.

    And now, who actually is running this shit-show?

    The impression that I have is that Biden and the media are just following a script, and the writers (of the script) are either dead or in a nursing home. It’s on autopilot.

    Everything is on auto-piolt. No one, sitting at the helm of any organization would behave like what we are witnessing in Western politics.

    It’s all bullshit. Whether it is true or not, or whether it is yet another person trying to jump onto the “war with the Ukraine”, “war over Taiwan”, “war to save Hong Kong democracy”, a “religious war over Tibet”, or a “war to free the oppressed Uighur Muslims” bandwagon, is unknown.

    Here we are going to look at an interview with the exact people who are in control of the mess that America is today. This is the person who has orchistrated all this on-going warfare. While not the only individual, his role in it cannot be denied.

    He even admits to it on video. He doesn’t care what anyone thinks. He doesn’t give a fuck.

    George Soros

    Maybe not an “American”, though he sure as fuck controls most American l”leadership”, as well as British, and European “leaders”.

    This guy truly would have been the *ideal* actor to play the role of Satan in any movie. Instead, he chose to play the role of Satan in real life. Check him out, this is truly priceless!

    You-tube Video

    Now, let’s talk about the incidents of an overt war. Of course, it’s not at all being reported as a hot war. Don’t you know.

    [1] Israel tries to bomb a Russian Base

    I covered this incident HERE.

    Now Israel has been warned. They have been sternly advised, and every warning was presented to them. But like the arrogant fucking son-of-bitches that they are, they decided (after their Beirut detonation of the port on the Southern tier of the BRI) to bomb some Russian bases. Bad move.

    I covered the Beirut explosion HERE.

    We don’t know all the details. As this is not only a war event, but the “news” media is completely silent about this. You have to read Russian media.

    Prior history suggests a well planned strike by Israel, and if they followed standing operating protocol, then multiple aircraft were involved.

    Prior history, and examples with both China and Russia, suggest a complete disabling of all missiles, avionics, and engine systems of all planes hit by the directed energy beam weaponry.

    At the least we can expect the loss of multiple aircraft, munitions and lives by Israel.

    [2] American submarine disabled and trapped undersea

    Well, I guess the warning wasn’t adequate. I covered that warning HERE.

    Oh, you don’t know what I am talking about? Well, I am talking about that well reported covert recovery of an F-35C that crashed in the South China Sea, don’t you know.

    You all do realize that “covert” actions are NEVER “well reported” in all the media.

    So here’s the cover story…

    A Naval Aviator launches from a carrier and suddenly ejects. “Leaked” stories, and “leaked” photos, support the narrative that the “top secret” plane must be recovered as quickly as possible.

    Which is a cover story for all those submarine rescue craft that were hurriedly steaming to the “crash zone”.

    We don’t know which submarine it is, or what the damage is. My guess is that it’s a complete write-off. The Chinese gave one warning shot. And then, they play “hard ball”.

    Obviously, this cannot be reported to Americans. It will have negative political ramifications.

    [3] Third time Elon Musk tries to ram the Chinese space station

    Well, I guess he didn’t heed the warning from China. I covered that warning HERE. Well, China placed formal complaints, and they also warned SpaceX and the United States government that this kind of behavior was dangerous and threatening, and they will no longer tolerate it.

    And the arrogant sons-of-bitches ignored the warning. And tried a third time.

    Whoops!

    Look at how pretty all those Musk SpaceX satellites fall to the ground. Like hundreds of tiny falling stars.

    From HERE. Translated by machine and cleaned up and edited by MM.

    49 new satellites and 40 scrapped, Musk throws garbage into space?

    It has influenced the Chinese space station! The Foreign Ministry responded, and NASA also spoke out…

    2022-02-11 08:02 Daily economic news

    Recently, Musk’s “Starlink Satellite” stall has been in trouble.

    According to CCTV News, on February 10, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian presided over a regular press conference.

    A reporter asked:

    According to reports, in a note sent to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs on January 28, the US side denied China's claim that the Starlink satellites had twice endangered the safety of the Chinese space station.
    
    They said that the activities of the Starlink satellites did not meet the threshold of the established emergency collision avoidance standards.
    
    Thus, no emergency notice was required. 
    
    The US note also said that before sending a note to the United Nations, China did not contact the relevant US departments to express concerns about the danger caused by the Starlink satellite. 
    
    What is China's response?

    Zhao Lijian said:

    China followed the treaty as prescribed. 
    
    China's notification to the United Nations of the dangerous approach of the Starlink satellite to the Chinese space station and the threat to the safety of astronauts in orbit is to fulfill its international obligations under article 5 of the Outer Space Treaty. 
    
    In the relevant collision avoidance incident, the US Starlink satellites are in a continuous orbital maneuvering state, and the maneuvering strategy and intention are unknown. 
    
    Chinese astronauts in orbit face real and urgent security threats. 
    
    China has had to adopt preventive collision avoidance controls. 
    
    After the collision avoidance incident, the Chinese authorities repeatedly tried to contact the US side by email, but they did not receive any replies. 
    
    Presently, the US side uses the so-called "lower limit of the emergency collision standard" to shirk responsibility and divert attention.
    
    This is not a responsible attitude that a space power should have.
    
    Additionally, the US side has no right to unilaterally set a "lower limit of the emergency collision standard" outside of any UN approved international treaty.

    Zhao Lijian then pointed out…

    That article 9 of the Outer Space Treaty stipulates that the exploration and use of outer space by all States parties shall be based on the principle of cooperation and mutual assistance.

    That all activities of the State parties in outer space shall properly accommodate the equal interests of other States parties.

    China has registered the relevant information on the space station with the United Nations and published the number of orbital roots of the Chinese space station on its website.

    Proceeding from safeguarding the safety of Chinese astronauts and space stations, China is willing to establish a long-term communication mechanism with the United States and hopes that the United States will take practical measures to avoid the recurrence of such incidents.

    China also hopes that all countries will jointly respect the international system of outer space based on international law and work together to safeguard the life safety of astronauts in orbit and the safe and stable operation of space facilities.

    Ok, then.

    So what is going on?

    Well, the public narrative is that;

    A statement on its official website on the evening of the 8th local time, saying that due to the impact of the geomagnetic storm, as many as 40 of the company's latest deployment of 49 "Starlink" satellites will be scrapped.
    
    SpaceX said in a statement that on Feb. 3, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 49 Starchain satellites at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The rocket sends the satellites into a predetermined orbit, with a perigee altitude of about 210 kilometers, and each satellite achieves a controlled flight.
    
    However, the satellites were severely affected by geomagnetic storms the day after launch. The storm caused an increase in the density of the atmosphere at the low deployment altitude where the satellite was located. Airborne GPS shows that atmospheric resistance at this altitude is 50% higher than when launched. SpaceX said in a statement that the StarLink team controlled the satellite into safe mode, taking "flanking flight" to minimize drag and avoid the storm. Preliminary analysis shows that up to 40 satellites "will re-enter or have re-entered" the Earth's atmosphere due to increased resistance during low-altitude flights, which prevent satellites from deviating from safe mode for orbital lifting operations.

    Geomagnetic storms took out 49 satellites. Yes. 49 satellites suddenly became inoperable all at once, and tumbled out of control and fell to the earth in a firey mess.

    Hum.

    Really?

    Humans have been putting up satellites into space since sputnik in 1957.  And this is the FIRST time any of them fell from orbit due to Geomagnetic storms.

    According to reference news, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics physicist Jonathan McDowell said on the 9th (February 2022) local time that this event is considered to be the largest satellite collective loss caused by a single geomagnetic event.

    I would add that it is the ONLY event. Ever.

    Coincidences?

    According to Wikipedia, A coincidence is a remarkable concurrence of events or circumstances that have no apparent causal connection with one another. The perception of remarkable coincidences may lead to supernatural, occult, or paranormal claims. Or it may lead to belief in fatalism, which is a doctrine that events will happen in the exact manner of a predetermined plan. In general, the perception of coincidence, for lack of more sophisticated explanations, can serve as link to folk psychology and philosophy.

    But if you spent any time even remotely connected to the ONI or MAJ, or perhaps the CIA, you would realize that there is NO SUCH THING as coincidence.

    Period.

    So, you don’t have to believe me. You can believe the “news”. A war in the Ukraine is going to happen any day now, and it is going to be a long drawn out conventional battle over the ruins of the Ukraine.

    Or you can believe me.

    World War III is not being televised. It is not being reported, and what is reported is not what is actually going on.

    Buckle up. More is in the making.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 3

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

     

    BREAKING NEWS: Russia reacts to an Israel missile attack with directed-beam weapons

    No. The Ukraine wasn’t attacked. Are you surprised?

    Noam Chomsky was talking about this when he said,

    “The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum — even encourage the more critical and dissident views. 
    
    That gives people the sense that there’s free thinking going on, while all the time the presuppositions of the system are being reinforced by the limits put on the range of the debate.”

    Russia attacked Israeli air defenses with an unknown heavy-duty electronic warfare system

    Russia used a super-powerful electronic warfare system against Israel, which is not officially in service.

    It’s an unknown weapon.

    Which is the kinds of systems that both Russia and China deploy.

    Anyways, a few hours ago, there was an Israeli attempt to attack a group of Russian troops in the port of Latakia.  Additionally, they began to threaten Russian military aircraft. In response, Russia deployed unknown heavy-duty electronic warfare systems.

    Taking into account the range of interference, mobile systems of this type do not officially exist in Russia’s arsenal.

    However, the situation turned out to be catastrophic for the IDF that Israel’s air defense / missile defense systems.

    They were suppressed at a distance of over 300 kilometers, which is unexpected, and unheard of. It was a major surprise, I am sure, to all American, and Western observers.

    In addition to that, interruptions in the operation of the global positioning system were observed even at distances of about 400 kilometers.

    “The Russian military, during a night attack by the Israeli Air Force on targets near Damascus, allegedly again activated the electronic warfare systems deployed in Syria. As confirmation, data from the FR24 service is provided, where violations are visible in determining the GPS coordinates of aircraft in the area of ​​Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv , ”

    -the Military Observer Telegram channel reported.

    In the above image, you can actually see that the GPS global positioning systems are seriously disrupted, while all over central and northern Israel, air defense / missile defense systems were automatically activated and rocket fire alarms sounded.

    Experts note that if the IDF does not give an adequate explanation for its actions, Russia can constantly use its electronic warfare systems against Israel.

    [Source]
    Подробнее на: https://lnkd.in/eHtk_qY5

    Conclusion and thoughts

    I wonder if the Western “news” will report on this. They tend not to, don’t you know. But I told the MM readership that there were other things going on, didn’t I? More to follow. I wanted to throw this news out as soon as it came in.

    • Were you aware that Russia was in the water at the Southern branch of the BRI?
    • Were you aware that Israel was prosecuting against that region in Syria, Iran, and threatening the UAE?
    • Were you aware that there were Russian military forces on station in that region?

    Well, as I have repeatedly stated, real secrets are secret and wars… REAL wars are never announced.

    Expect more of the same, and a very fluid Geo-political situation.

    To include…

    An Australian-Chinese dual citizen is being prosecuted under the controversial National Security Law in Hong Kong, the Federal Government has confirmed.
    
    The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has not identified the man, but told nine.com.au he was arrested in January last year under the sweeping legislation.
    
    He could face life imprisonment if convicted. His arrest comes amid high tensions between Canberra and Beijing.
    
    The man was arrested in the same month authorities detained 47 pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong under the draconian legislation.
    
    "The Australian Consulate-General in Hong Kong was notified by Hong Kong authorities of the arrest of a dual Australian-Chinese citizen under its National Security Law in January 2021," a DFAT spokesperson said.
    
    They also said that Australian officials have been repeatedly refused consular access to the man, because the Hong Kong government no longer recognises dual citizenship.
    
    But Australian officials plan to attend the man's future court hearings.
    
    "We are in regular contact with the individual's lawyers and will continue to attend future court hearings," the DFAT spokesperson said.
    
    https://www.9news.com.au/national/australian-hong-kong-dual-national-arrested-under-national-security-law/289f1226-940d-4a08-8a9b-5235d182b9cc

    So don’t get too upset with the “news” that you are being bombarded with. It’s a fake narrative that paints an illusionary image.

    Here, on MM, are the REAL stuff.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 3

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
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    Some examples of slides driven from an Affirmation Prayer Campaign

    This particular article discusses “slides”. These are a method to change the pre-birth world-line template to something else. In this article, we will use an example for illustration.

    Quick review

    There are a lot of newcomers to MM. Some come for the articles on Geo-Political stuff, some come for the articles about pretty girls.

    Some come for the OOPART and space articles, and still others come for the prayer affirmation articles.

    Some come for the articles on MAJestic and all that black ops stuff, and others for exterrestrial stuff.

    While others come for the poetry, art and food articles.

    This article fits somewhat between the “world line travel” index and the “affirmation prayer index”. It’s a way of changing your life by understanding quantum mechanics / quantum physics.

    World-Line Travel

    .

    Listen up!

    The reality that you are part of is not what it appears. What you see is what your limited five senses provide to you, and thus you have a distorted view of reality. It is not the true and actual reality.

    For starters, You are not sharing the universe with others. It only looks that way.

    Instead, you have a consciousness that moves from one frozen world-line to another. And you sense that movement as “time”.

    You travel at roughly 4Hz, and that means for every second, you have traveled through four frozen world-lines.

    You can navigate these frozen world-lines though vocalized thoughts. Not thoughts alone, mind you, but though the vocalization of your thoughts.

    When you are born, you land upon a predetermined world-line map. It’s a three-dimensional map, with the highest probability world-lines represented as points upon that flat map surface. The relative ease of movement can be drawn upon that map, and hills and valleys form upon that map, representing the relative struggles and ease that you will experience though life.

    Navigation through this terrain is though something called “prayer affirmation campaigns”.

    Intention Campaigns

    .

    It looks something like this

    Your consciousness experiences “time” as the movement though each point on a flat surface. Obviously you can get off that surface, but it is rather difficult. The surface represents the easiest  path of the least resistance for you. Now you can navigate on the topography by vocalized thoughts.

    The yellow line is your path through the MWI that you experience as time. The three points in red are the instances where you ran affirmation campaigns to navigate on the terrain template map.

    This article

    Now, a “slide” is an intentional effort to “slide off” your template and to get on to a different one. As in all cases, it comes with good and bad aspects.

    A graphic depiction of a slide.

    You can use a slide to get off your current world-line template and to get on another one.

    So imagine that you are living a life that you are unhappy with, and you really want it to change. The solution, if you cannot navigate on the topography of your world-line template, is to slide off of it.

    Now, when you do so, you will see all sorts of unique and different changes. Some of which are startling. Like, for instance, entirely different pasts that everyone around you experiences, but that you have no recollection of.

    A good example

    This article came to me by an influencer via my email. Printed with permission and edited to fit the venue, retain confidentiality, and illustrate points.

    The letter…

    MM
    
    I really feel the need to tell you this.
    
    After I wrote to you the last time, something happened.
    
    I decided to take the longer pause, just like you suggested...

    A “pause” is an intentional break-off from the affirmation campaign so that the world-line changes can actually manifest.

    What you want to do is have long pauses and not short ones.

    In this instance, I defined a longer pause associated with his campaign duration.

    And I wondered what that plus knowing that I’m in your prayers would do.
    
    Well within a week my mom got a call from my aunt in America in which my
    aunt told her that she had to undergo a very heavy surgery for cancer.
    
    My mom and I talked about that whole situation, including how my aunt is a
    health freak and all.
    
    And that my mom felt really bad about not being able to visit my aunt do to her problems walking and being short of breath. Besides that, my mom is full of life and very healthy by the way and still making YouTube vids and running her store.
    
    My mom has her birthday today and my aunt tomorrow. Well I tried to not worry. And let things be after first hearing off my aunt’s condition.
    

    Now what is going on is that a family member is really sick and ill. It is causing a lot of upset and turmoil.

    They fear for her life.

    And this fear generated a change in the affirmation campaign; to actually change the entire conditions so that things weren’t so awful.

    Just 15 minutes ago, I asked my brother if our mom is going to call my aunt tomorrow and ask about her situation.
    
    Well at that point my brother says ; oh mom already talked to aunt Julia and everything is fine with Françoise. I’m like eh, what about Françoise?
    
    (That is by the way, my aunt’s daughter.)
    
    My brother says well it was only a minor surgery for Françoise to the  point that she doesn’t even need chemo.

    So what we see is that you are on a template where a family member is suffering from Cancer and requires Chemo therapy.

    So…

    You run an affirmation campaign with longer post campaign pauses, and suddenly you are on a new template.

    One, mind you, where the cancer is replaced with a minor chest cold (or some such thing).

    (so) I say eh, aunt Julia was really sick and needed major surgery and all.
    
    My brother looks at me like what are you talking about. 
    
    It was about Françoise, and it turns out aunt Julia was exaggerating.

    This kind of event happens all the time on a slide event sequence. One moment the world is coming apart, and then when the slide manifests, it is all different. The past has been rewritten.

    So now, he sees what is going on…

    At that point, I was completely flabbergasted and started to realize something big changed in my world line.
    
    But I did question my brother about some of the things we all discussed.
    
    Like me mentioning that our mom was bummed about her sister and how
    she would probably not see her again.
    
    At that point my brother did say, "oh yeah, I did seem to remember the talk a couple of weeks ago was about my aunt and not her daughter."
    
    My brother then shrugged, that of and said "well I guess we all misinterpreted the whole talk with my aunt"
    Yeah right. 
    I know my world line changed.
    And thank you very, very much. I’m still processing this, but, damn.
    Again, thank you so much for everything.
    

    This is how it works.

    Not only does your fortunes change, but often the past histories all are different.

    In fact, I can confirm positively that if you start experiencing different past histories, then you KNOW that you have slid onto a different world-line template.

    Consider “The Craft”

    This is a movie that has a scene that well illustrates how a slide operates. The movie is titled The Craft (1996). It’s about witches and black magic. But ignore all that. Instead we use it here to illustrate how a prayer campaign can alter a world-line template.

    The craft.

    Sarah Bailey (Robin Tunney), a troubled teenage girl who has previously attempted suicide, has just moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles with her father (Cliff De Young) and stepmother. She enrolls in a local Catholic high school, but has trouble fitting in. During French class, her classmate Bonnie (Neve Campbell) witnesses Sarah telekinetically causing a pencil to rotate while standing on its tip.

    During lunch, Sarah is hit on by Chris (Skeet Ulrich), the school’s football star. She asks about Bonnie and her two friends Nancy (Fairuza Balk) and Rochelle (Rachel True). Chris tells Sarah to stay away from the trio, because “they’re witches”. Bonnie tells Nancy and Rochelle that Sarah is the “fourth” who will complete their circle and make a full coven. The three girls each have issues: Nancy lives in a trailer with her mom, Grace Downs (Helen Shaver) and abusive stepfather Ray (John Kapelos) , Bonnie has massive burn scars all over her back, and the painful treatment recommended by the surgeon (Brenda Strong) is likely to fail. Insecure African American athlete Rochelle is subjected to racist taunts by the most popular girl in school, blonde Laura Lizzie (Christine Taylor).

    After school, the three girls befriend Sarah and take her to an occult shop. The owner, Lirio (Assumpta Serna), comments that Sarah is not like the other girls and says to her: “Maybe you are a natural witch; your power comes from within.” While leaving the shop, Sarah is harassed by a vagrant (Arthur Senzy), and all four girls simultaneously will for something to happen; the vagrant is then hit by a car. The girls escape, and Nancy is thrilled at their “connection”. Nancy tells Sarah about “invoking the Spirit” Manon, which is their ultimate goal as a coven.

    Sarah leaves the girls to meet Chris, but refuses to have sex with him. However, at school the next day, Sarah discovers that Chris boasted to the whole school that they slept together, and that she was the worst he’s ever had. Nancy, Bonnie and Rochelle comfort Sarah, and invite her on a field trip. They take the bus out to the country. The bust drivers tells them to be careful about wicked boys, but they say that they four are the dangerous ones. While on the countryside, they call the corners and cast some spells: Rochelle asks for the strength not to hate those who hate her, Sarah performs a love spell on Chris, Bonnie asks for beauty inside and out, and Nancy asks for “all the power of Manon.”

    Shortly after the spells are cast, they show signs of working: Chris becomes infatuated with Sarah and goes after her constantly in spite of his friends Mitt (Breckin Meyer) and Trey (Nathaniel Marston) taunting him about it, Bonnie’s scars miraculously heal, and the next time Laura bullies Rochelle, Laura’s hair begins falling out. At home, Nancy causes the microwave and all light bulbs to explode, and Ray suffers a massive heart attack and dies.

    Then Nancy and her mother are told by the insurance man (Brogan Roche) that they have inherited $175,000 from an insurance policy, and they feel overjoyed about it. Nancy and her mother move into a posh high-rise where the girls meet one night and learn disguise-changing magic.

    Nancy’s mother looks confused and dazzled. She has bought a weird-coloured sofa and a jukebox with only songs by Connie Francis. The four friends lock themselves in Nancy’s room ignoring Nancy’s mother, who is left empty and ignored, just as she felt before cashing in on the insurance money.

    The girls go to Lirio’s shop again, where Nancy finds a book about “Invoking the Spirit”.

    Later that night, the girls go to the beach and form a circle, calling on Manon. At the culmination of the spell Nancy is struck by lightning. The next day the rest of the girls witness Nancy walking on the water, and from this point on, Nancy’s powers have increased.

    Later on, Rochelle sees a balding Laura in the locker room, hysterically sobbing after swim practice. Laura’s two closest friends (Elizabeth Guber and Jennifer Greenhut) try to offer some consolation, to no avail. Rochelle feels remorse for the spell she has cast and when she looks in the mirror at herself, her reflection looks away.

    Sarah’s love spell also backfires on her. She finally accepts to have a dinner date with Chris, but he takes her to the top of a hill and attempts to rape her.

    Sarah runs away and knocks on Nancy’s door. Nancy leaves her home for a party Chris is attending in order to punish him. However, when she arrives to the party, she tries to seduce Chris by disguising herself as Sarah, but when the real Sarah arrives as they engage in foreplay, Nancy causes Chris to fall out a third-story window, killing him.

    On consequence of this, Sarah starts having nightmares concerning her old friends, and feels like they’re following her everywhere to torment her. She tries to stop Nancy – who has become the leader of the three remaining coven witches – by binding her powers so that she won’t be able to hurt other or herself, but this does not work and the three other coven girls now hate Sarah.

    Nancy appears and tells Sarah that in the old days, if a witch betrayed her coven, they would kill her.

    Needing help, Sarah goes to Lirio, who tells her to invoke the spirit herself. Lirio also reveals that Sarah’s mother was a powerful witch, and that her talent has passed on to Sarah.

    Sarah starts to invoke Manon, but she has a vision of fire and the shop exploding, so she leaves the shop absolutely terrified..

    Sarah returns home, where she is tormented by Nancy, Bonnie and Rochelle, who taunt her using magic and intimidate her with threats on her life. Sarah arrives home and nobody is there.

    She is instructed to turn on the TV set and listens that her family went back to San Francisco thinking that she had run away there, and that their plane had had an accident without any survivors.

    On this template, the parents of the one girl are killed.

    Without a second of rest, all kinds of snakes and worm appear everywhere. The three other coven girls then appear. After a few seconds of intimidation Nancy says that Sarah will commit suicide.

    Nancy later slashes Sarah’s wrists and a letter on Sarah’s handwriting stating the reasons of her suicide magically appear – blaming herself for Chris’ death. Sarah runs to her room, while Nancy, Bonnie and Rochelle wait for her to die. Rochelle then tells Nancy that this has gone out of hand. Nancy tells her to go upstairs to check on Sarah and threatens to slit her throat if she doesn’t.

    Bonnie pulls up Rochelle to Sarah’s room. Sarah is almost too weak to invoke Manon, but then she hears her mother (Janet Eilber) moving in an old photograph and her sweet voice whispering, “Don’t be afraid. Reach inside yourself”.

    Sarah successfully invokes Manon and is able to cast spells to fight back, as well as heal the injuries to her wrists.

    The girl conducts an Affirmation Prayer campaign to arrange a slide and change the entire template to her favor.

    Forced by a counter spell of Sarah’s to see themselves and what they’ve become by catching their reflections in a mirror, Bonnie’s face horribly scarred and Rochelle’s hair falling out, Bonnie and Rochelle flee, leaving only Nancy and Sarah at home.

    Nancy and Sarah have a showdown, in which Nancy is ultimately defeated by Sarah as she binds Nancy’s power to prevent her from doing any more harm.

    In the end, Nancy has been sent to a psychiatric hospital, and Bonnie and Rochelle lose any powers they had.

    They go to see Sarah and half-mockingly tell her not to be angry with them because when Sarah was made to believe that her family had died it was just an illusion. Sarah’s father is packing everything in his car to move out of LA.

    The new template has a new past and everything is changed. And the parents were not killed in a plane accident.

    The two girls ask Sarah if she still has any powers, and when she shows no interest in continuing a friendship with the two girls who tried to kill her, they make fun of her as they leave, saying, “She probably doesn’t have powers, anyway”.

    On hearing this Sarah makes a bolt of lightning strike causing a tree branch to fall, nearly crushing the two girls, revealing that she still has powers.

    As they stare back at her in shock, Sarah warns them, “Be careful. You don’t wanna end up like Nancy”, and smiles.

    The scene cuts to a bird’s eye view of Nancy’s room in the psychiatric hospital. She is screaming like a maniac, telling the nurse (Esther Scott), “He gave me powers! I can fly, I’m flying, I’m flying, I’m flying!”

    The Craft movie trailer

    Why not? video 46MB

    The Craft movie trailer.

    the craft preview-2022-02-06_11.31.08

    A funny example

    An example of what happens when you end up taking a slide. It’s a funny video, but it illustrates the point nicely.

    A slide will set up conditions that act like armor. Of course, other things might be out of whack, but your prayer affirmations will manifest in strange, maybe funny ways.

    video 5MB

    So…

    What drove all this change?

    I like to believe it was changing the affirmation campaign to incorporate a much larger “pause” period.

    The Importance of “the pause”

    I have mentioned that for Intentions and Prayers to work that you must engage a system of intensive prayer, followed by an equally intensive pause.

    This pause is not just a mere end of praying, it is a complete shut-down of the mind in regards to that prayer campaign. You need to turn everything off and forget about it all. You just cannot go back “looking over your shoulder” ever few days to see if things are ‘”working”. You must give it up, and you must forget about it all.

    The best campaigns are the ones where you absolutely forget your affirmation text.

    Life moves on.

    You go have a pizza. You hang out with friends, and then you go to work, and you do your business. You mow the lawn, fix and repair the house. You do the dishes, you vacuum the car and take it to a car wash. You buy new clothes and you go to church.

    Life goes on, and you completely forget about your prayer campaign.

    I am sure that other people who have conducted prayer campaigns would agree with me. For it to work, you must separate yourself from your intention prayer campaign and move on with your life.

    This is absolutely critical.

    You MUST do it.

    If you do not do it, the intention prayer campaign will not engage and you will not see any results.

    How long?

    A minimum of three months. That is minimum. Often, I would advise between four and nine months. This is where you live your life. This is where you forget about intention and allow your brain to engage the programming that you set in place. This is where you get to relax and let things happen.

    Think of yourself and your life as a wind-up toy.

    Mechanical wind-up toy.
    Mechanical wind-up toy.

    The intention prayer campaign is the period where you are winding and winding up the mechanical toy.

    The period of the “pause” is when you put the mechanical contrivance on the floor and press the “unwind” button. Then you just watch the toy do its thing…

    Now…

    Using that analogy.

    What happens when all you do is wind up the toy? You wind and wind and wind, over and over, but never press the button?

    Nothing happens!

    You need to “pause” and press that “pause” button to allow those intention prayers to manifest and happen.

    So what is the point?

    If you try to push and strive to do the more or less uncomfortable things in your life, you will actually, in the long term, make your life run smoother.

    The human brain is a machine that doesn’t like to think. It just wants to run on auto-pilot. As such, when you run affirmation prayer campaigns, your brain and mind will want you to just keep doing the same things over and over without a break.

    Don’t do that.

    To change your reality, you must control your mind.

    Instead of always going to and from work in your car, how about taking a little detour one day, and pulling into a diner and getting their blue plate special. It’s not a real mountain, but it’s a sizable hill. And it will make a difference.

    If you always go and get McDonald’s coffee and then come home, how about next time bringing a creamer and a stirrer for your little kitties at home.

    When you have a coffee, how about bringing some home for your kitty.

    If you always eat at that restaurant down the street and order the food that you have become comfortable with, how about trying a different restaurant elsewhere. Maybe you will not like the food. So what? The mere fact that you step outside of the limitations of comfort means that you are climbing those hills.

    And it doesn’t have to be hard, difficult, or distasteful either. It just should be different…

    If you want change, then get out of your comfort zone…

    Which pretty much is a central theme in all of this.

    It doesn’t need to be much. But any change is good because it means that you are moving away from the common, and towards more interesting objectives.

    I would suggest small steps…

    If you are wearing a corporate uniform of a white shirt and a red tie, then replace one of the white buttons on the shirt with a green one. (Oh, boy! Will that make a difference!)
    .
    Go to a animal shelter and adopt another furry friend to your household.
    .
    Go one week soda free (if your habit is to drink soda).
    .
    If you always use the regular gas, next time put high-test in the car. Go with the "good stuff". And have the gas station attendant put it in your tank, chek the oil and the air in your tires. Pay premium for preminum service. DOn't be the like all the rest.
    .
    Buy a cup of coffee for a co-worker.
    .
    Put a thank-you note in your mailbox for the mailman. (Mail-person?)
    .
    Add some "whimsy" to your front lawn, or change the paint on your front door. Make it bright Red, or lime green, or Robin's egg blue.
    .
    Plant a tree in your yard.
    .
    Visit a place that you haven't been to "in ages".

    You see, it’s not that difficult to make changes. You just need to try something new and different.

    Swap out the mind pre-programming, and spend more time on “pause”.

    And a longer “pause” at the end of the affirmation campaign will make a very large difference in the manifestation of your goals and wishes.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Intention Prayer Campaign Index here…

    Intention Campaigns

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    ..

     

    The parable of the three houses

    Instead of splitting Russia from China, the U.S. has unintentionally done its best to push them into a deeper alliance. It was the most severe strategic error the U.S. could make.-b

    I just received a comment from a reader that said that I was “butt hurt” and hated the United States. Well, maybe I am, but I don’t hate the USA.

    Instead, I simply tried to explain that I just see the bigger picture and I don’t like what I am seeing.

    What I am seeing is all the makings for World War III, and the American citizenry are all actively participating in it.

    Like zombies. Just going ahead allowing the rot to get worse, letting the buildings fall down, and reelecting the psychopathic to boss them into submission.

    So I am going to create a parable.

    It’s the parable of the three houses.

    The Three Houses

    Once up a time there were three houses in a town. They were all well known throughout the town as they were the biggest and largest homes in the community.

    Oh, certainly there were many homes in the town. Nearly 200. But most of the homes were much smaller and inconsequential. Some were opulent, like Frans. Some were poor like little Bang A Desh. Some were complex like the house of Mex, and some were trying to fix things up like Zimmy Bob’s.

    The biggest of the three was owned by a big, burly, bearded man who went by the name “Big Russ”. He was a big lumberjack and had this enormous bear for a pet.

    The other two homes were roughly the same size, but one had many more children. That home was always lively and active. The kids were always playing and talking, laughing and singing.

    That home was owned by a very short, quiet man named “Mr. Lee”. He was a quiet, studious man, who always spoke soft and gently. His hobby was making things, and he was always welcoming others to trade with him. When he wasn’t making things, he was always practicing his martial arts in the peace of his backyard garden.

    And the last of the homes was one that sat on top of the biggest hill in the town. It was perhaps the richest of all the homes.  Everyone, for years, would look up at the home and want to live there. As it was a truly exceptional home; a mansion really.

    That home was owned by a man whom everyone called “Uncle Sam”.

    Some History

    Now, Uncle Sam, being so tall, strong and incredibly handsome, usually got his way in everything that he did. For years, he has been able to strut around the town without confrontation.

    He was so accustomed to getting a “free pass” in everything that he did that he started to brazenly offend the rest of the good townspeople.

    He would go inside the other homes, raid their refrigerators, take things that he wanted and sleep with the daughters. No one liked that behavior (with a few exceptions), but no one was able to do anything about it.

    And over the years, being so accustomed to being the biggest and baddest person in the town, “Uncle Sam” started to believe that it was the natural order of things. He started to believe that he was able to do this because “God favored him, his lifestyle, and his arrogance”.

    He believed that he was the exception to all the rules.

    He believed that he could define the rules for all the other houses in the community to obey, and that he would have his own rules; his own “exceptions”.

    He started to tell this to everyone.

    “I am exceptional” he said.

    “I have a big shining house on the hill,” he said.

    The other two big houses

    Now, Uncle Sam had, from time to time, visited the homes of both Big Russ and Mr. Lee. But, he wasn’t ever welcomed, and over the years they have been getting rather antagonized, and infuriated with his actions and activities.

    Realizing that, Uncle Sam pretty much stayed away from those two big homes.

    Instead, he preferred to frequent the smaller homes in the less affluent section of the town. This included the homes on Mid-East Avenue, and South-Am Road.

    As well as all the homes of the Stan Clan.Uncle Sam has really been active there.

    Which included him having to be forcefully removed from both Aff Gan, and Kaz Is’s homes.

    But, that doesn’t mean that he didn’t want to go visit Big Russ and Mr. Lee from time to time. But the thing is, that when he visited, his table manners were atrocious. His body odor was foul, and his behaviors were rude and distasteful.

    What ever he once was, what he is today is something different. Today, he’s a wife beater, a child molester, an alcoholic drunkard, who has a passion for shoplifting, petty crimes, and rape. When he’s not practicing arson, getting into drunk brawls, or taking “a dump” in other’s yards, he’s out having sex with their dogs.

    No one really wants to have much to do with him, because as everyone knows, once you let him in your life you won’t ever be able to get rid of him.

    As of late…

    The children of Uncle Sam has been busy raising all sorts of ruckus. And what’s more, they have been all over the town doing so.

    Mr. Lee complained about it.

    He told Uncle Sam to take his children, and get out of his backyard. He told him to get off his front porch. He told him to stop peeking into his windows. He told him to stop sabotaging his car, pouring salt in his garden, and pulling up his tulips. He told him to get his dogs and chain them up. He no longer wanted to hear them barking day and night, digging up his bushes, and having his children race around and around the home in loud muffler-less motorcycles.

    Big Russ complained about it as well.

    He told Uncle Sam to get off his porch, stay out of his backyard. He told him that he no longer wanted those children to set fires to the neighboring yards, stealing the lawn ornaments, and playing their rock-and-roll music at all hours of the day and night.

    Uncle Sam heard both of their complaints.

    He thought about them.

    And said “no”.

    The reactions…

    Well, Big Russ told Uncle Sam that there would be repercussions. But, took no overt and obvious action.

    He sent his children out (in secret) to the yard of Uncle Sam. Then, he sat back and smiled. No firecrackers. No noise-makers. No barking dogs. No loud motorcycles. No. Those children all silently, and sternly, went off to the house armed with dangerously lethal ten-gage shotguns.

    No “fun and games”.

    And Mr. Lee, always kind and quiet, smiled and sat on his porch with an 8-gage shotgun (which, is a very large gun, don’t you know).

    His children, and were told to stay in the house and practice their martial arts, cleaning their long-guns, and reading up on the book “the art of war”.

    But Uncle Sam, seemingly an idiot, doubled down.

    “Do as I say” he roared!

    “You WILL obey me! You will listen to me, and you will pay homage and tribute to me!”

    And he sent his children, and his toadies over to the house of Mr. Lee. And, now, almost all of his children are going around and around the house of Mr. Lee. They are revving their engines and making as much noise as they can possibly create. Poor Mr. Lee is really getting “rattled up” with his windows shaking, and the dishes falling on the floor. His tulips all decimated, and his gates town and broken.

    And, well Uncle Sam has also started to send his other remaining children to camp out on the porch of Big Russ. There they are lighting campfires on the “welcome mat” and tossing firecrackers at all hours of the day and night. Giggling, sticking out their tongues and making rude sounds and laughing.

    It was noisy for years.

    Really years.

    And then Mr. Lee and Big Russ held a party.

    It was a big party and it was held in the dead of Winter. Everyone was invited except Uncle Sam and his “toadies”.

    And at the meeting, they announced that the entire town cannot grow and live in peace as long as there is a big bully in town, and that all of the townspeople must gather together and start committing to their promises, agreements, and rules. And that they would take the lead.

    Everyone in the party agreed. The welcomed the inclusiveness of it, and their equal participation in it. And of course, they too hated the rude behaviors and the bullying behaviors of Uncle Sam.

    The entire town rejoiced in a defined, sensible plan for dealing with the town bully and his toadies.

    Now, let me ask the reader a question…

    Looking at the big picture…

    • What action should Uncle Sam take to defuse a tense, potentially catastrophic event train?
    I would suggest, sending his kids back home. Paddling them until their butts are red and sore, and selling off all those motorcycles, barking dogs, and firecrackers.
    
    Then apologizing in public to the community.
    • If you were Big Russ, what action do you think you should take?
    Would it be against the children on the porch; a continuous game of "whack a mole", or would it be against Uncle Sam himself?
    • If you were Mr. Lee, what action do you think you should take?
    Would you wait until more children arrive and get louder and badder? Or would you lay down systems to disable those motorcycles? Or would you burn down the gas stations, so the motorcycles couldn't get any more gas?
    • Do you think that making an announcement at that party was a goo thing to do?
    Words without action are meaningless. This is a solid framework that requires tasking. Is the rest of the town up to handle the challenge?

    And that is how things are.

    And MM here is just trying NOT to pick sides so much as I just want the entire town to live together in peace and harmony.

    I live in the house with Mr. Lee. It’s a pleasant, peaceful, kind and calm place. I want to keep it that way. Don’t you?

    video. My home in China. 11MB

    MM Special Message

    Life is fleeting.

    Please, please make the best of what you have RIGHT NOW. Maybe there are evil psychopathic people, idiots and nasty malcontents. But you are in control of your bubble of reality. You can affect your own life.

    You can make the world a better place. Please do so.

    Video 7MB

    Show care and concern to those around you.

    Especially your family.

    Really.

    Do you really spend enough time with those that you love? Do you have a family that spends happy and sad times together? Is your life rich with pets, friends and savory food?

    Video 7MB

    Spend time with family, friends, or just have fun…

    Likten to me.

    I know it’s so easy to get caught up with work, needs, goals, objectives and all the rest. I, too, spend a lot of my time scrubbing dog shit off the floor, changing baby diapers, and fielding calls at midnight to Salesmen in Canada and the United States, but you all must start spending more “quality time” (such an overused expression)… more “fun time”.

    Here are some ideas for your inspiration…

    Dancing… video 5.6MB

    Or maybe something like this. This is in Africa.

    Video 10.4MB

    Play a video game in full immersive simulation. video 6.3MB

    You do know that the technology is really advanced in China these days. Like this. Video 2MB

    We must be more than ourselves…

    Yeah. Having fun is what relaxes us and adds the taste and spice to our lives. It’s really important, and terribly underutilized. Instead, it has been replaced by media, and social networking.  I think that we should always look at the bigger picture.

    Like what?

    Food.

    Tasty long cooking food (not the fast food). Delicious. Food. Like your grandmother used to make. Food. Like baked fish, city chicken, scalloped potatoes, corned beef and cabbage and Beef Stroganoff. Food. Stuff that are difficult to get in restaurants. Stuff that your wife and family members can experiment with and make signature dishes that feed and nurture.

    And then relax.

    Chat over the food. Talk about your day. About her day. About your friends. About what needs to be done. About hope. Dreams. Plans.

    Conversation.

    Not television.

    Don’t wait for others to make it happen. It’s YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. Act in control of YOUR life. Stop waiting for others to do things… to agree on things… to endless debate things. Just do it.

    You be the guiding light.

    You.

    YOU.

    Start carving out a place in the table of life, and YOU start inviting others to share in your little piece of Heaven.

    GOod friends. Good family. Good food and drink.

    You start it. You make it happen.

    Beef Stroganoff.

    It will happen.

    So will a nice, safe, secure home. Cozy, warm. Dry. Tastefully decorated. Your wife is in charge of everything domestic.

    She’s the boss.

    Like on an aircraft carrier. There is a Captain, and then there is the XO. She’s the Executive Officer, and you are the Captain. Be the Captain; steer that ship to a fine safe harbor and prosper there.

    I’m giving you all the keys, don’t you know.

    You will get, also, because of your lower stress and improved organization, a group of friends where you BELONG. You will get participation in life. Pets. A cat or two. Maybe a dog.

    You will be invited places. You will have good walks. Good times. Great conversation, and people who make special occasions becuse…

    …well…

    …because (insert lame excuse here).

    You will get other things as well.

    A hobby. A pleasure or two.

    And care about our surroundings.

    Watch out for the kids, and the pets that run in front of us from time to time.

    video 3MB

    And just kind of live life.

    Why not live life?

    Watch good movies, enjoy art. Touch sculptures.

    Have a hot fudge sundae.

    Visit historical places. Enjoy the day on the beach or a snowy mountain hike. Play with your pets, or friends. Just start getting engaged in discussions about all sorts of interesting and curious things.

    Sit on the porch with an inviting porch light on. Invite neighbors over for a game of checkers, or cards. Have beer available, or iced tea.

    Check out interesting things and discuss them.

    video 2MB

    Please know that you can make your life in a real paradise on the earth.

    You really can. You just have to manufacture it.

    You run your prayer affirmation campaigns and implement them in accordance to your fate forecasts. You follow the guidelines on being a Rufus, and participating in the community.

    You get your home life in order. You divide responsibilities. Stop trying to run the whole world and carry it on your shoulders. Stop that egotistical nonsense.

    Share the responsibilities.

    The wife is in charge of all finances and all domestic, you (if you are a man) are in charge of earning money and fixing things. You earn it. She spends it.  It’s the natural order of things.

    You give her all the money you make, and she hands back a living allowance. Things are much calmer and better that way.

    No worries.

    I tell you (men) that once you do this, you will forever never have to worry about food, bills, or disputes EVER again. She will take care of everything. You won’t have those worries. Never again.

    You will eat WELL. Really, really well. You will have a larder, and a freezer full of premade meals, and canned goods.

    Your stress level will go WAY down. There is nothing like daily meals of good fine delicious food, good conversation and an evening of winding down in cool soft relaxation.

    And you will be able to focus on your job.

    And your life will really start to look like this…

    video 8MB

    And really, isn’t that what you want?

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 3

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

    On the joys of traditional wooden sailboats

    One of the things that I was involved in; a hobby really, was the design of numerous wooden sail boats. This occurred when I was in land-locked Indiana. It was hot, boring, corn as far as the eye can see, and I worked in a “real life” Office Space environment. My only escape was hope.

    I well remember the day trip that I, as a young AOC at NAS, NASC Pensacola, Florida and my class 21-83, enjoyed. It was on a 53 foot (as I recall) ketch, and we spent the afternoon sailing in Pensacola bay.

    I well remember the sun, the breeze and how all my troubles melted away as we enjoyed the day. We learned basic seamanship, watched dolphins sail along side. We practiced overboard drills, and watched our sails go luffing.

    But Indiana was harsh, cold and barron. I worked as a drone in a cubicle mill for the mega-company General Motors in one of their divisions; Delco Electronics.

    And in those days, the hope was to sail away to an interesting place at the other side of the world.  Here we will touch on some of the beauty of wooden sail craft. I had met numerous people who were building their own sailboats, mostly out of steel, and then hauling them to the great lakes and living their dream of freedom and escape. It appealed to me at that time, and I bought every book that I could get, and read them all voraciously.

    I subscribed to magazines about sailing and adventure. I also equipped my home with a fine tool shop of wood and metal working tools, and bought the plans to construct a 53-foot ketch. I was that “into” the dream. There is really so much to cover in this venue, that I am just going to bounce around from here to there and let the pictures tell the story.

    Sailboat Hull Types

    Sailboats ride on different hulls, which differ in the total number of hulls and their shape. It’s really simple, actually.

    Alden schooner plans.

    The basic three hull types include:

    • Monohulls (one hull)
    • Catamarans (two hulls)
    • Trimarans (three hulls)

    Monohulls Monohulls have one hull but that doesn’t make them all the same. Traditional monohulls may have full keels (heavy encapsulated ballast that runs along the bottom of the hull), cutaway keels (similar to full but the forefoot is cutaway allowing the boat greater maneuverability in tight quarters) or bolted on fin keels that may have a bulb at the bottom for extra ballast to keep the vessel stable.

    Monohull.

    Monohulls can also have a swing keel, daggerboard or centerboard that retracts up into an appendage in the hull itself.

    With the keel or board up, the boat can enter shallow water and can travel faster downwind. With the keel down, the vessel tracks better upwind. Small monohulls like sailing dinghies, may also have shallow planing hulls that can surf off a wave.

    Finally, monohulls can also foil on appendages (usually made of carbon fiber) with the actual hull out of the water when a minimum speed is reached.

    Catamarans Catamarans (often nicknamed “cats”) have two hulls with a deck or trampoline in between. Large cats (35 feet and over) have become popular in charter use because they offer more interior and deck space and an easier motion to induce less seasickness. Small catamarans usually have just a trampoline in between the hulls and make fun daysailers.

    Catamaran.

    Because catamarans don’t have deep and heavy keels, they tend to sail faster off the wind.

    Foiling catamarans were made popular by the America’s Cup races and are proliferating into general cruising use.

    Trimarans Trimarans have three hulls: a main hull and two amas (side hulls used for stability). On some trimarans, the arms that hold the amas can fold inward, making the trimaran narrower and in some cases trailerable. Large cruising trimaranas are gaining popularity because they are stable and fast sailers.

    Sailboat Rig Types

    Sailboat rigging includes:

    • the mast(s);
    • boom(s);
    • and the shrouds or stays that hold up the mast.

    A sailboat with one mast is usually a sloop with one mainsail and one headsail. A cutter rig usually has one mast but two or more headsails. This rig “cuts” the foretriangle between the head (forward) stay and the main mast. Multiple headsails allow for flexible sail combinations in variable wind conditions.

    1897 William Fife Gaff Cutter.
    A 40 foot gaff-rigged cutter.

    Ketches and yawls have a secondary mast behind the main one. The ketch configuration places that mizzenmast behind the mainmast but ahead of the rudderpost while the yawl places it behind the post.

    The second mast is shorter than the main mast. Both of these designs (split rigs) provide more sail area that isn’t reliant solely on the height of the mainmast and therefore can be easier to manage when sailing shorthanded.

    A gaff-rigged ketch.
    An Alden 56 Yawl.

    Schooners also have multiple masts—two or more. However, the foremost mast is shorter than the main mast. Tall ship rigging is in its own category and can get quite complex.

    Gaff rigged schooner.

    Most Rigs are Marconi Rigs

    Most of the rigs are known as Marconi rigs. Meaning that it’s just one sail to catch the wind. But my love is for the Gaff rigs. Here is there is a sail above it to catch the littlest wisps of air that lie above. It’s rarely seen today because it’s really a lot of work.

    The top triangular sail is the top-sail on a gaff rig.

    Sailboat Types by Primary Use

    You can do many of the same things on all sailboats, but some types are more specialized.

    Sailing dinghies: Small boats usually sailed by one or two people, sailing dinghies are often used to teach new sailors. That said, experts on high tech sailing dinghies compete in athletic racing up to Olympic level.

    Day cruisers: Although any sailboat can be cruised for a day, day cruisers are often boats shorter than 30 feet that are designed to be sailed for an afternoon. They’re usually more Spartan in their outfitting and may or may not have a cabin with amenities.

    Sailing cruisers: These sailboats can be monohulls or multihulls and are designed to cruise for weekends or longer. They usually have a berth (bed), a head (toilet) and a galley (kitchen). They can be sloop, cutter, ketch, yawl or schooner-rigged and vary in length (from 25-85 feet). Larger sailboats tend to fall into the crewed superyacht category.

    Racing sailboats: Most offshore racers are larger boats crewed by multiple individuals while smaller racers can be single or double-handed. Racing boats are usually built lighter, have fin keels and laminate performance sails.

    Racer/cruisers: These designs try to straddle the two above. They’re usually more lightly built cruisers with full amenities so they can be weekended. Some people will argue that these boats are a compromise for owners who want to primarily cruise but also race.

    Bluewater cruising sailboats: These boats are designed to cross oceans or sail “blue waters.” They’re typically heavier in build with a stout rig and are fully equipped for extended offshore use.

    Motorsailers: This term has fallen out of favor since it’s often pejorative. These sailboats may rely on the engine to sail in light wind conditions, especially due to their excessive weight.

    Antique/classic sailboats: These are usually older restored vessels. They may be built of wood and have classic yawl rigs. These sailboats are often showcased in special events.

    Sailboats occupy multiple segments and experienced sailors learn the finer points of design and use. Then, they never see two sailboats the same way again.

    Just some pictures of beauty

    We start with…

    The 39m Schooner-rigged yacht VAGRANT from 1913.

    And this…

    Not a sailboat, but a wooden lovely never the less.

    My love for these works of art has never diminished.

    I love the lines, the craftsmanship and the quality.

    And…

    Nice weathered teak decking.

    And…

    A gaff-rigged catboat.

    And…

    Sailing day boat in a yawl configuration.

    Some interiors

    Let’s take a look what’s inside…

    This is what you see when you step inside.

    And…

    Many sailboats have a pilot house inside so that you don’t need to get wet sailing in the rain. This is what it looks like.

    And…

    This is the interior of a motor-sailer. It has a sail, but relies on a motor to get from point A to point B.

    And…

    The pilot house in the aforementioned motor-sailer.

    And…

    Here’s what a berth looks like.

    And…

    Interiors can be quite cozy.

    And why I Love it

    video 53MB

    Conclusion / The end of the story

    I was laid off. I wasn’t given any notice. I was just told to hand in my badge and never come back.

    For the remaining five months I laboriously tried to find work elsewhere, and then when I did, I had to sell off most of my tools, books, and abandon the framework of my dream sailboat.

    It’s called life.

    You would think that my manager and his manager, and his boss, and the boss above them would have the compassion to give someone who worked for them for five years the consideration of a month’s notice, or some severance pay. But they didn’t.

    I was only an engineer, and a disposable one at that.

    So I left Indiana, and moved on with my life. And two years later, my life was substantially better, nicer, and in every way a great improvement.

    So don’t get all caught up in the negative aspects of the twisty and turny thing called life.

    You adapt to the changes as they are and not pine away for what you wish them to be.

    I still have and possess my love of sail, water, the ocean, boats and all the rest.

    Years passed.

    I obtained work in the South Pacific in American Samoia.

    However, after living in Pago Pago and actually meeting the people who wrote those articles praising the lifestyle, I (and my wife) decided that we really didn’t want to have any part of it. Pago Pago was beautiful. It was lovely. But the sailing LIFESTYLE was not.

    Not at all. It’s a life of hardship and not as glamorous as it was made out to be in all those magazines and books that I read.

    Yet, here I am.

    I am living a life of adventure and delicious food.

    So when one dream collapses another materializes to take it’s place. That too is called life.

    Embrace it.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Happiness Index here…

    Life & Happiness

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index . You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Special Chinese New Years Eve Treat 2022

    Please enjoy this video to get the feeling of what it is like in China right now. It is the New Years Eve. It’s a special time; a magical time. This video captures it exactly. Please enjoy.

    video 14MB

    chinese new year eve 2022-2022-01-31_08.27.58

     

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 3

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    More new Rufus videos to inspire – Tiger Pounce

    It’s a new Chinese year. It’s a water tiger year. And it’s a fine time to remember to be the best that we can possibly be. In this installment, I offer up some fine Rufus inspirational videos that are found throughout the world and inside of China. Remember, that being a Rufus doesn’t depend on your wealth, where you live, what color of skin you have, or your career. It depends on your compassion for those who surround you. Be the Rufus. The world needs people like us.

    Rufus Emergency Save

    With children, it can happen at any time. You have to jump and take immediate action! video 5MB

    Rufus father save

    Again. You have to be ready. video 3MB

    Rufus’s firemen help woman

    A woman carries her baby to a group of firemen. They spring into action. video 5MB

    Rufus fisherman

    He rows to help. video 5MB

    Rufus gets rewarded

    A kind deed gets a reward. video 5MB

    Rufus gives everyone a chance

    Everyone deserves a chance. Instead of firing, she gets a promotion and some appreciation. Video 13MB

    Rufus Great Collection

    A great collection of Rufus events. Video 9MB

    Rufus’s heart attack save

    Video 20MB

    Rufus helps out at a road accident

    Video 17MB

    Rufus helps a homeless family

    Being a nice Rufus in the United States. Video 10MB

    Rufus helps the children

    The father buys the son a meal, and he eats cheap bread. The waitress gives him free food, and then the father gives the meat to his son. But the Rufus son will have none of that.

    Video 5MB

    Rufus helps a woman who collapsed on the bike

    This is the whole video. Better than the abbreviated versions. I posted previously, or the segments in anthologies.  Video 20MB

    Rufus honors the flag

    A bus driver on January first sees a flag on the road. He stops and picks it up. A Rufus always honors the flag of the nation where he lives. It’s respect. Video 4MB

    A Rufus is welcoming

    video 10MB

    Rufus makes the world a better place

    video 7MB

    Rufus making friends

    And why not. Smile, and put a little bit of happiness in the lives of others. Just try. video 8.7MB

    Rufus mid-drive save

    A real time Rufus.

    video 17MB

    Rufus’ mud rescue

    video 5MB

    Rufus named Bob

    Pleasant story. We have to adjust to things as they are, and not as we want them to be. video 6MB

    Rufus not defective

    I also think that this is a really nice story and illustration. video 6MB

    Rufus Pay it forward

    Yup. Pay it forward. Video 22MB

    Rufus subway draw

    Always a great series of videos. The idea is to use your natural skills, smile or abilities to make those around you smile. video 4MB

    Rufus subway draw 5

    Another. Remember that you can make the world a better place. . Video 4MB

    Rufus thanks other Rufus for their help

    video 4MB

    Rufus trio boxes in a little boy

    He has no idea what kind of a mess he is in. video 13MB

    More Great Links in my Rufus Index here…

    Check them out…

    Rufus Index

    .

    More stuff…

    Master Index

    .

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

    More new Rufus videos to inspire – Tiger Nap

    It’s a new Chinese year. It’s a water tiger year. And it’s a fine time to remember to be the best that we can possibly be. In this installment, I offer up some fine Rufus inspirational videos that are found throughout the world and inside of China. Remember, that being a Rufus doesn’t depend on your wealth, where you live, what color of skin you have, or your career. It depends on your compassion for those who surround you.

    Be the Rufus. The world needs people like us.

    Japanese Beauty and the Beast

    video 11MB

    Motorcycle kit for those who cannot afford a car

    This little bike is a hybrid bicycle / motorcycle. It supposedly gets much more from a tank of gas than a regular motorcycle because of motor efficiencies and the light weight of the bicycle. It’s a perfect hybrid solution for those that need to drive back and forth to work but cannot afford the gas to do so. video 20MB

    Alert from a Jumper

    video 19MB

    All hands alert

    video 17MB

    Big Girl

    This video is one that I constantly show to my daughter. I use it to illustrate how a “big girl” handles bad people. video 1MB

     

    Rufus captures a criminal

    video 2.6MB

    Rufus climbs to the rescue

    video 4.1MB

    Rufus comes together in a pinch

    video 27MB

    Rufus’ community rescue

    video 9MB

    Rufus’ community saves a girl

    video 4MB

    Rufus compilation

    video 35MB

    Rufus’ corruption police

    One of the biggest innovations that China has made on the world is a branch of the police that handles corruption at all levels of the government. It has greatly added to the public perception of the Communist Party being to serve the people, and it is an important driver as to why China is so successful today.

    However, the rest of the world doesn’t seem to want to copy this innovation. And when you bring up the subject, you are just brushed off as making “silly talk”. video 9MB

    Rufus COVID volunteers

    All those people wearing and donning the hazmat suits inside of China are volunteers. They do so for FREE. They leave their jobs, their work, their families and take on this burden for FREE. True Rufus every one. Video 4MB

    Rufus’ covid volunteers 2

    More. video 9MB

    Rufus defends the little guy

    A great video. The people doing the menial jobs are underappreciated and treated harshly. It’s about time that people stand up and defend them. I love this video. video 11MB

    Rufus doctor alert

    video 41MB

    Rufus subway draw

    video 6MB

    Rufus subway drawing, NYC

    video 5MB

    Rufus subway thumbs up

    video 6MB

    Rufus takedown of criminal 3

    video 3MB

    Rufus’ workers need some appreciation

    video 11MB

    Rufus works together as a team

    video 7MB

     

    Stop comparing yourself to others.

    Stop. Just stop. video 4MB

     

    More Great Links in my Rufus Index here…

    Check them out…

    Rufus Index

    .

    More stuff…

    Master Index

    .

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

    Comparison between American subways and Chinese subways

    This article reproduces a very interesting discussion by an expat living in China named Jason. He, like MM here, is married to a Chinese woman and has a young child. He lives in a fifth-tier city in the hinterland, sort of like MM does, and he relates his experiences on you-tube for the world to see.

    As a result, he has come under attack by both the BBC and CNN with their famous “gray filter” making his videos of bright and shiny China look gray and dingy.

    In this series of videos, he compares the top American subway system in the top American city (New York City) with that of his fifth-tier “backwards” Chinese smaller city located in the middle of nowhere. It’s a great series. Reproduced in full and all credit to him, his wife and his child for providing it to us to view.

    Video 1

    He starts off going through the local Chinese subway stations, and the subway trains. It’s very interesting. Video 125MB

    Video 2

    Now, Jason finishes up in the Chinese subways and starts filming the New York Subway system. Amazing. video 86MB

    The Complaints

    I have noticed (since I posted this on LinkedIN) that many people defend the squalor in New York City. They say things like “China’s subways are new, while that of New York are old”. They argue that the comparison just “isn’t fair”.

    The idea and the implication are simple. The argument is that you just shouldn’t compare new and old. You have to use the same metric.

    Well, the metric is the same.

    It actually is.

    They are both subways, and they are maintained and operated within their own individual cultures. What the difference is between the different societies and the different governments.

    Society

    • China = Social, family and community oriented.
    • United States = Individual, selfish, self-centered.

    Government

    • China = merit based, and policed against corruption.
    • United States = Rampant corruption at all levels, oligarchy run.

    Now, as far as the argument goes that the New York Subway system is old, it is a lame excuse. Yeah.

    Well, so are the subways in Moscow.

    They are old too.

    But they are not in the same kind of disrepair as what we see inside of America. It has to do with funding maintenance, and a society of people who care about their surroundings.

    Here’s the old subway system in Moscow.

    Moscow subway.

    And here is the old subway in Tehran, Iran…

    Iranian subway.

    And so, let’s also look at the old subway in North Korea.

    North Korea’s marble-clad subway isn’t the image that might first spring to mind when thinking about a commute in North Korea. Taking the trip on the subway in Pyongyang comes cheap, and a ticket can cost just 5 Won ($0.004 USD).

    North Korea.

    Why is the United States infrastructure so decrepit?

    Why?

    You ask, why?

    (MM turns and spits on the ground.)

    Because the wealthy oligarchy has hoarded all the money for themselves, and left nothing for the rest of us. Did you know that New York City is the home for most of the billionaires in the United States.

    Yeah.

    Money to burn.

    Not for you.

    Billionaire goes into space.

    What can be done?

    The primary difference between the United States and China can boil down to two factors.

    • The Society
    • The Government

    I do not advocate changing one’s society. If anything, I advise in strengthening it along traditional values and belief systems. Not changing it, and certainly not through massive programs of social reengineering.

    That only leaves the way the government operates.

    So, it is obvious that the United States form of government must change, the funding priorities must change, the control of society must change, and the financial arrangements must change as well as the type and extent of corruption.

    … If the United States is to catch up with the rest of the world, that is galloping ahead full speed.

    All must change…

    …if America and its people want to catch up with the rest of the world. And live life in calm peace, traditions, and participate in meaningful roles within society.

    If not…

    …well, expect more of the same, only much worse.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts like this in my China Comparison index here…

    CN-USA Comparisons

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

     

    Don’t rely on fate

    This is a very short but simple article / post. The message is simple and it is clear. Don’t wait for something to happen. Just smile, take the bold step, and make it happen.

    In MM here, we discuss world-line navigation via campaigns. We discuss use of fate-forecasting to maps out our auspicious and inauspicious times, and how we can generate a calmness; a bubble of calmness that surrounds us. But one thing that I haven’t really stressed is how important it is for us to become captains  of our own unique destinies.

    Hopefully this article will underline this most essential point.

    Video 22MB

    If there is something that you want in your life… ask for it.

    You can use your affirmation prayer campaigns to do so, you know, but you can also physically ask the person, the people, or the situation to open up some doors for you.

    It’s much easier when you know that you are good, and kind. It’s much easier when you know what you want, and are not afraid to takes risks to get it.

    Just ask.

    Possibilities.

    Meanwhile…

    One day in college, I was taking a walk in a park, and I saw her sitting on a bench and wearing a really beautiful dress. I went up and told her, “Your dress is really pretty!” She was like, “Oh my gosh, thank you SO MUCH!” and started to cry in my arms, explaining that she had been having a really shitty day. One thing ultimately led to another, and we’ve now been married for three wonderful years.

    Be the best that you can be.

    I went to one of my works nights out at a local bowling place. I kept glancing over at this gorgeous girl over in the other lane and occasionally noticing her glancing back.
    
    After about half an hour of debating with myself I decided to just go over and speak to her, because what’s the worst that can happen right? So I walk over and start speaking to her usual flirty stuff and I feel we hit it off nicely, so confidently I walk back to my lane and continue the night as normal and end up home. A sudden fear hits the back of my head that I didn’t give her my name, number or any means of contacting me… I blew it!
    
    So I go to sleep, and wake up the next morning to discover a Facebook friend request from the girl, so I obviously accept and message her the usual formalities and then ask the glaring question: How did you get my name? Her reply was “you yelled that’s how (insert my full name) does it you mother fuckers after getting a strike,”. I’ve never both hated and loved myself so much for that moment… But it worked out, we’ve been together in a long distance relationship for 2 years and it’s safe to say I’m in love.

    Be good, and be kind. Be the Rufus. I believe in you.

    Ask.

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    New published directives to silence bloggers reporting from China

    Do you know what I could use right now? Yup. I could use a nice hot bowl of Chili, with thick globs of cheese on top, and a side of crunchy garlic bread. That’s what.

    A delicious bowl of chili with Cheese.

    And…

    What I most like about this chili is substituting nice loaves of garlic bread to eat instead of the standard fare of crackers, goldfish crackers, or Doritos chips. I like nice garlic bread. Call me strange, but that’s what I like.

    Delicious garlic bread.

    I like to eat it with a nice piping HOT cup of coffee, myself. But you know a icy cold beer, or a nice wine in a normal everyday glass is fine as well.

    The point of this is to eat and enjoy.

    And what ever you do, turn off the “news”. It’s all lies.

    As the United States collapses it is IMPERATIVE that the inmate / serfs are kept ignorant and unaware of the life in the rest of the world. They must still believe that American “democracy” is the best!

    Don’t you know!

    The Western elites have so successfully numbed their populations, so instilled deep apathy within the masses that even their glibly constructed propaganda has lost all potency.
    
    Their propaganda is so far removed from the lives and concerns of ordinary people that it is only the elites who care about it.
    
    Like the orobouros, the elites produce, consume and finally become their own propaganda.
    
    Regardless, the world moves on ...
    
    Posted by: Arch Bungle

    A Comparison

    Here’s Image Search for “China”.

    Bing search for “China”.

    Here’s an image search for “China BBC”

    Image search for “China BBC”.

    Why…

    bottom line - stereotyping china in the worst possible way in the western media is the name of the game.. if people can't pick up this much, we're all in trouble... we went thru this with the msm doing the same with russia, iran and venezuala for how long? now china.. who whudda thunk it? lol..
    
    Posted by: james | Dec 20 2021 18:24 utc | 7

    Why so out of touch. Why so focused on discord?

    It’s an American government directive.

    The West must look to be the leader, and the enemies of the West must be painted in the most horrible images imaginable, and any one who shows the reality MUST be silenced.

    In a way, and for what is a rather small and inconsequential event after all, this story is a very nice illustration of the entire western narrative building system in action. Lie, exaggerate the lie, when called on it double down on the lie from another angle, attack strawmen, and then perhaps, months later, admit some version of the facts buried in an inside page with no correction of the original story.
    
    In the meantime, of course, the concept of China as this authoritarian boogieman continues to be implanted and nurtured in the western mind, which is the primary target of all this, to the effect that majorities now view China as the new and forever enemy, against whom we obviously need to spend trillions of dollars preparing for Armageddon, which was the objective all along.
    
    And so, once again, the Times and the rest of the approved media have earned their keep.
    
    
    Posted by: Caliman | Dec 20 2021

    Funding for articles, media and “news” to counter the Chinese positive good stuff…

    $7.1b use in Asia include funding a lot of “news” agencies, “dissidents”…. etc. etc. etc.

    https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4350/text

    Your life in Shanghai sucks, okay?!: The West’s push to ban good news about China online

    By Andy Boreham

    I bet you never knew, before this week, that your life here in China is so miserable.

    This week, The New York Times and an Australian think tank released their coordinated reports on foreign “influencers” and the supposed threat they pose.

    Their verdict: Any positive news from China must necessarily be fake, funded by the Communist Party of China, and therefore should be labeled as “misinformation.”

    The New York Times released a story titled “How Beijing Influences the Influencers,” which was created and strategically released in coordination with a report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), a think tank that is largely funded by the arms industry (no, seriously).

    Their report is called;

     "Borrowing Mouths to Speak on Xinjiang."

    Both reports posit foreign influencers in China posting positive and happy content online as agents of the state who need to be stopped at all costs.

    Their crimes, according to The New York Times: painting

    "...cheery portraits of life as foreigners in China."

    They go on:

    "Most of the YouTubers have lived in China for years and say their aim is to counter the West's increasingly negative perceptions of the country."

    Evil stuff.

    The ASPI report mainly focused on foreign influencers who have created content on Xinjiang. I happened to be included in their list because of some videos I made in Xinjiang exploring the ancient city of Kashgar and Urumqi, the regional capital.

    They argued that content like mine aims to

     "reframe international narratives by displaying a wholly positive image of life in Xinjiang."

    But here’s the thing: Neither Xinjiang nor any other part of China deserves to be framed in an overwhelmingly negative light just because the West says so, regardless of all the hideous accusations they make about mass murder, genocide or whatever else.

    And just for the record, as someone who has visited Xinjiang, works for Chinese state media and has read all the reports under the sun, I wholeheartedly believe there is no systemic mass murder or genocide going on in Xinjiang.

    If I came across anything to make me believe otherwise I wouldn’t be here doing what I do.

    If you don't find that attempt by the West to monopolize the "truth" about China, from outside China, to be absolutely terrifying, then you clearly haven't read "1984." 
    
    -Andy Boreham

    The New York Times particularly took aim at videos like mine that portrayed Xinjiang without couching the entire content in politics, mass murder and genocide.

    They attacked videos from a YouTube travel channel called The China Traveler because the videos were fun and colorful, and not covered in blood and filmed using the infamous “BBC gray” filter.

    The "BBC Gray filter" is a real thing. They take stills from blogger's you-tube videos and turn the skies grey, turning the green trees grey, and turn the flowers ugly red grey.

    In the videos, the host

    "raves about the cuisine and interviews locals about how their lives have improved."

    Great, sounds just like any other travel video on YouTube.

    Oh, but they go on:

    "Topics like re-education camps do not come up."

    Wow.

    Let me re-package what they are expecting of China travel vlogs and put the same requirements on US content, just to show you the level of ludicrous we’re dealing with here.

    There's a consistent drum beat here from the U$A's propaganda driven MSM; Try to destroy the reputation of any nation who's seen as a competitor in commerce, or political system.
    
    Posted by: vetinLA | Dec 20 2021 19:19 utc | 17

    Most average people would concede that the US total messed up their response to COVID-19. Already around 800,000 people have died because of the pandemic. That’s nearly 1 million people – a tragedy in anyone’s eyes.

    Using ASPI’s logic, no YouTube travel vlogs about the US should be posted without first detailing the 800,000 who have died unnecessarily from COVID-19.

    China, China
    Regime, regime.
    Tennis player, rape, rape
    China, China, regime, regime
    
    This is the narrative tinnitus miracle and it is all that really matters.
    
    Posted by: robin | Dec 20 2021 20:25 utc | 23

    Chicago is, in many people’s estimations, a dangerous and lawless place. Innocent people are gunned down on the streets there every single week. Does that mean US travel vloggers visiting the city and profiling its amazing nightlife, art scene, food and people are spreading propaganda and “attempting to change the narrative” if they don’t also talk about the hideous crime rate there? Of course not!

    So why do they expect the same from China content?

    Basically what The New York Times, ASPI and other Western organs are suggesting with their reports is that any positive news or content coming from China is fake and that it is propaganda.

    They want content like mine – which simply showed two beautiful cities in Xinjiang in order to entice other foreigners to go and see the place with their own eyes – to be labeled as “misinformation” and flagged by Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and the like.

    "Platforms could explore the introduction of specific policies about misleading information,"

    the Aussie think tank suggests.

    "Such policies could include enforcement measures against violations similar to those that Twitter has implemented for sharing false or misleading information about COVID-19."

    If you don’t find that attempt by the West to monopolize the “truth” about China, from outside China, to be absolutely terrifying, then you clearly haven’t read “1984.”

    A well funded effort

    Just came across this 1.5-minute clip of China’s former ambassador to the US talking about China’s need to pick a careful path in the face of US hostility.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OQwY6ohoys

    Guess they see that the US is stopping at nothing, sparing no effort, to demonize China at every opportunity, and seem to be aware that this will likely get worse over the next few years.

    After all, earlier this year, the US openly announced $1.2 billion for anti-China narrative efforts over the next four years (2022-2026) by the US Agency for Global Media …

    The New York Times is one of the media herd leaders, and the establishment news media across the West – including here in Canada – all obediently follow the NYT/WaPo/CNN lead with no questions asked …

    Orwell’s Ministry of Truth is well-funded and well-staffed. We will likely be getting even more Two Minutes Hate sessions over the next few years.

    Posted by: Canadian Cents | Dec 21 2021 3:42 utc | 49

    It is purposeful distortions to keep Americans (the West) ignorant.

    Here’s an interview with a VOA journalist. VOA is the US governments main propaganda arm that oversees most all “news”. It is funded by the NED, which is turn is funded out of the CIA. Listen and learn. video 60MB

    America is a military empire

    Toivos | Dec 20 2021 18:09 utc | 5
    
    ". . . both of those US national propaganda rags are whipping up support for war against both China and Russia. I do hope that they begin to realize that the US will lose those wars as well before it is too late."

    Yes it is. Obey or be crushed. Video 9MB

    It’s all “us” vs. “them”.

    Actually it has nothing to do with winning or losing. The US oligarchy simply demands that millions of working taxpayers continue shoveling their little bits of money to the billionaires, and the fastest and easiest way to get that done is to start wars. They don't care who wins or loses.
    
    
    Posted by: AntiSpin | Dec 20 2021 20:53 utc | 26

    And it is very dangerous and at all levels. Domestically and internationally. This keeps the wealthy in control while the rabble all fight amongst themselves. video 5MB

    Anti China or not. You judge.

    Face the realities of the world today. Not what you want to see, but what actually exists now today. video 3MB

    Americans view war as normal

    It is not. No. No. No. It is not normal, it should never be considered normal. video 8MB

    The truth about America

    Long, but accurate. video 160MB

    Ah but it’s a changing…

    I posted a take via The Guardian ( the cross Atlantic NYP) in the open thread. 
    
    https://www.moonofalabama.org/2021/12/the-moa-week-in-review-ot-2021-099.html?cid=6a00d8341c640e53ef02942f8f2cb4200c#comment-6a00d8341c640e53ef02942f8f2cb4200c
    
    What is revealing about this ‘pushback’ against western propaganda is that it is part of a full spectrum attack on western/nato hagemony that has been well advertised by the Empire killers Russia and China for many months now. 
    
    From the initial meetings with the new ‘sane’ Biden administration with the latest NSA and State department apparatchiks to the now very public documents of surrender which have been presented to them.
    
    Of course it is couched in a manner that doesn’t expect an unconditional surrender but it does require it.
    
    What I perceive is that over the last decade the Chinese and Russians played the whipping boys to the economic onslaught from some obscure department of the US state that arbitrarily imposed sanctions and stole money from sovereign states because they could.
    
    It has been Imperial hubris.
    
    The smart humans chose to use that hubris against the perpetrators. 
    
    Now as they pretended to cower under that onslaught they not only firmed up their collective military spine but have enrolled many other countries who have been subjected to similar economic actions. 
    
    They have set up alternative world banking! 
    
    They have also invested heavily and long term without onerous terms that the Workd Bank imposes. 
    
    They have given vaccines for pretty much free. 
    
    Now they are taking on the major force the West/nato Empire has built into what they believe is a dominant weapon - the power of the ‘blag’ the news & cultural hagemony. 
    
    The West/Nato have been allowed to lull into a false sense of that power of Narrative control over populations. 
    
    Unfortunately it only works on the West/nato populations who all consume the same monopoly media guff. 
    
    Many alternative platforms have been set up and largely free of control. 
    
    Except for interference by the Western platforms and their controllers.
    
    It is now moving to a open full spectrum, all frontal counter attack. 
    
    The last time it stopped in Berlin by pre agreement. This time ...with a modern China economic and human superpower and all the allies they are daily accumulating it is a done deal.
    
    History may yet still record the Peng Shuai moment as a momentous point in this war of Empires.
    
    Posted by: D.G. | Dec 21 2021 1:23 utc | 43

    The BOTTOM LINE

    Yes, he spells it out completely. This is the reality. Pure and simple. China has a political system that is determined by real practical results. Not on some nebulous ideal that can never be obtained, measured or implemented.

    video 4MB

    Conclusion

    Enough of this bullshit. Within a few years any accurate reporting of China will be effectively squashed, and zero free press will be permitted. It’s all in the pipe and going to happen.

    The methodology for getting around the First Amendment (In the Bill of Rights) is to have all the Social Media Platforms suppress any bloggers reporting on China unless it meets the Government approved narrative.

    It’s all the lead up to war, don’t you know.

    Of course, by then either [1] the Second civil war will be a raging, or [2] a nuclear exchange will take place. In which even there won’t be much of anyone reading the “news”.

    Shee-it!

    As I have said earlier in other posts, there are adults “in the room” who have the entire situation at hand. Let the USA isolate itself. Let it try to start a war. let it trash about and thrash, and squirm.

    It’s not going to make a difference. It really won’t.

    History is clear.

    There just isn’t any way to escape the fated programmed obsolesce. There is no escape.

    It’s time for me to chill and smunch. I’ll tell you what. Enjoy where you are right now. Enjoy who you are with right now. Enjoy what you have right now. Enjoy the weather, no matter what it is right now.

    Right now.

    Food, movie, chat with a friend, a coffee, a bike ride, a workout, a park adventure, a beer in a pub, some sex, hanging out with your beloved pet, and a good book. What ever you do, do it right now.

    Eat well.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 2

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    So the focus in on the Ukraine now, eh? How to know if something is really going on.

    There have been a lot of things happening as of late. The United States, after years of poking and prodding both Russia and China, the two nations collectively “put their foot down”, and said “STOP”!

    Well, actually, they STOMPED their collective feet down, and laid out the lines forcefully. Both Putin and Xi Peng told the United States to collectively…

    “Get off our porches. Stay out of our front yards, and get out of our backyards”.

    The United States response was predictable.

    It followed the same well-established profile of nearly a century of deception and mediocre international participation. They responded with a two-fold “kick in the teeth“.

    Firstly [1], a promise not to target Russia and China with all the nuclear weapons that are surrounding their countries (as in “yeah, sure”) and secondly [2] immediately launched a color revolution in the belly nexus in Kazakhstan.

    Color Revolution is the term used to describe a series of remarkably effective CIA-led regime change operations using techniques developed by the RAND Corporation, “democracy” NGOs and other groups since the 1980’s. They were used in crude form to bring down the Polish communist regime in the late 1980s. 
    
    -William Engdahl

    The “sincerity” was out in the open for all to see.

    For their part, both Russia and China publically promoted the “good will” aspects of this effort. They did so, knowing, full well, that the United States needs some face-saving positives for it’s horrifically inept blundering and evil manipulations.

    But in both Beijing and Moscow, the answer was “telegraphed” clear as day. America smiled for the cameras and then turned around and said “FUCK YOU!” to both.

    When they launched their well-thought-out and planned color revolution, they anticipated another decade-long color revolution that would generate strife and turmoil.

    A color revolution in Kazakhstan

    Andrei speaks…

    According to Russian sources, the usual US-controlled disinformation resources (including Ukie ones!) are out in full force to support the insurrection.
    
    The levels of violence are very high, even ambulances are attacked, cops are beaten up, disarmed, undressed, and humiliated, weapons stores have been emptied.
    
    The Internet has been disconnected, as has power in many parts of Almaty and Nursultan.
    
    This is a repeat of what the US tried in Belarus and in Kyrgyzstan, and the next couple of days will be crucial.
    
    Many government buildings have been seized and burned, some have been re-taken by the authorities.
    
    Law and order have broken down and groups of thugs are controlling the streets in many locations.
    
    There are reports of organized armed groups engaging in firefights with police, security, and military forces.
    
    One source reports that Kazakh Airborne Forces are also engaged.  There are also reports of Takfiri elements using these riots (officially triggered by an increase in the cost of gas).
    
    Official sources report 8 dead and 317 wounded among the police forces.  The authorities lost control over several cities (including Alma-Ata) and 3 airports (part of which were torched). Astana and Pavlodar remain under the control of authorities.
    
    Martial law has been decreed for the entire country.
    
    These events are a direct threat to both Russia and China.  Turkey seems to be pushing its pan-Turkic agenda.  The CIA supported Uighur Takfiris also seemed to be involved.  This is all taken straight out of the CIA playbook: Twitter, Telegram channels (including NEXTA), Soros-funded organizations, etc. are all deeply involved (including Ukie PSYOPs units).

    The United States upens up the same old “playbook”

    They anticipated “discussions” with the “proud freedom lovers”, and the police being stressed, and collapsing. They anticipated cities to fall, and the American hand-picked proxy leadership to start running things.

    How do we know this? Well, that was the exactly official American and British responses in their “news” media outlets. “Talk with the protestors”, “Negotiate with them”, and “we support their efforts for freedom™ and democracy™”.

    President Joe Biden’s spokeswoman has denied that the US government is behind the violent protests that have rocked Kazakhstan this week, claiming that unnamed “Russians” have falsely accused Washington of triggering the tumult.
    
    The White House is monitoring the protests in Kazakhstan and supports “calls for calm, for protesters to express themselves peacefully and for authorities to exercise restraint,” Jen Psaki told reporters on Wednesday.
    
    “There are some crazy Russian claims about the US being behind this, so let me just use this opportunity to convey that is absolutely false and clearly a part of the standard Russian disinformation playbook,” she said.
    
    -RT

    The American playbook; Play the same old “games”. Even though the facts are there in the Federal Budget for the world to see. It’s a line item to fund “Regime Change” in Kazakhstan. Duh. Billions of dollars. And somehow we are expected to believe that the money was used elsewhere for other purposes, eh?

    It did not happen.

    Both China and Russia are no longer playing THOSE games. No polite police-officers. No, “give the demonstrators” some leeway and time to “negotiate”. These were not a grassroots domestic revolution. Instead, it was an invasion via proxy concocted by the United States. And everyone knows it.

    So… well, you all read the news, right?

    It was a BRUTAL response.

    The CIA Color Revolution ended within a week

    Kazakhstan, Russia and China treated this as a military invasion, and acted promptly and immediately.

    Non-stop military transport planes ferried crack battle-trained combat troops to the sectors. Not as a policing unit to “control the peace”, but rather as a lethal military arm sent to kill.

    Here’s what the CTSO general had to say…

    Sitrep: Summary of Briefing from Colonel General Andrei Serdyukov, commander of the CSTO grouping in Kazakhstan.

    Colonel General Andrei Serdyukov, commander of the CSTO grouping in Kazakhstan.

    Briefing on Kazakhstan. 07.01.2022

    1. Citizens of Alma-Ata are urged to stay indoors and observe the state of emergency until the remaining militants are killed.

    • Given the ongoing shooting, this is in the interests of the citizens themselves.
    • Authorities warn that trained guerrilla snipers are operating in the city.
    • More than 3,000 people have been arrested and dozens killed.
    • There are still corpses on the streets which have not been removed.

    2. Tokayev announced that the operation in Alma-Ata will continue until all militants have been exterminated.

    • Concerning the question whether the protesters or not, everything is simple here – a group of unidentified people has been carrying on organized firing squad with the police, guards and the army of Kazakhstan, who have been suffering losses in killed and wounded for three days now.
    • Accordingly, the main task is the physical destruction of the enemy who has occupied part of the center of the city.
    • Some of the militants, who are lucky, will simply be captured, followed by a conviction.
    • The rest will be destroyed.

    3. Kots writes that in Tokayev’s appeal the question of complicity of some high-ranked law-enforcers linked to Nazarbayev (who is still keeping silence) to what happened will be raised, which actually legitimizes the version that the main mechanism of what happened was not gas prices but the struggle of Tokayev and Nazarbayev’s groups for power.

    • We are waiting for Tokayev’s official interpretation of what happened.
    • Nazarbayev remains silent (is he still alive? Is he sick? Is he arrested? Is he isolated?)

    4. The CSTO grouping in Kazakhstan is commanded by Lieutenant General Serdyukov.

    • All Russian units sent to Kazakhstan have practical combat experience.
    • The Kirghiz have also joined today and will send 150 people under the command of the deputy head of the Defense Ministry of Kirghizia.
    • More than 70 military transport aircraft were involved in the operation to redeploy the contingent of Russian and Belorussian Armed Forces.
    • It was a good test for the ATA to move a substantial contingent over long distances.
    • I am sure it will come in handy in the future. (Wink. Wink.)

    5. Regarding the operations of the grouping.

    • The Russian military is already at the airport of Alma-Ata and controls it in conjunction with the local military.
    • The Kazakh military also holds the TV tower.
    • On the roads they finally started systematically putting up roadblocks.
    • Within 1-2 days they need to deploy a full network.
    • Gradually, the process of localization of major protest areas and suppression of armed resistance by Kazakh military forces will be implemented.
    • The sane protesters in the cities, where there were no pogroms, are likely to be simply negotiated with.

    Source: Telegram ColonelCassad Channel (Boris Rozhin)

    Three days later

    The CIA “Color revolution” is over.

    The NED / CIA assets are all either dead, or being tortured to death. Their enablers, are all arrested and are facing the same fates. The nation is now in military lockdown, and local Kazakhstan militia are working hand-in-hand with the Russian military to hunt down those participants, and turn them over to the military authorities for “debriefing” and “extraction” exercises.

    The days of playing by the same expected rules of polite “discussions” and confusion in a CIA sponsored color revolution are now over. These are wars on a defined battlefield and a United Asia does not play.

    Have you noticed the silence in the Western (American and British) “news” media. Nothing. Crickets.

    Andrei Comments

    A lot has happened overnight.  The most remarkable development is that the CSTO is sending troops to Kazakhastan.  That is fast, very VERY fast.  And that proves that the Russians knew and were prepared.  I agree with Bernardt at MoA who wrote that “The U.S. Directed Rebellion in Kazakhstan May Well Strengthen Russia“.

    I leave you with a machine translation from an article originally posted here: https://svpressa.ru/war21/article/321239/

    Andrei

    Here's some Geo-political considerations as to why Russia has reacted so strongly to this invasion, and why the CIA / NED has decided to launch it right now.

    Kazakhstan and Afghanistan set on fire by a common match
    The fire in Central Asia is only getting worse for us. The Russian Security Council warned about the impending catastrophe there two months ago

    This is simply surprising: in the context of the catastrophic development of the situation in Kazakhstan, Russia and its closest allies in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) are acting unusually resolutely, harshly and rapidly before the eyes of the whole world.

    • This was not the case during the mass protests in Belarus in the summer of 2020 and spring of 2021.
    • We did not see anything like this during the so-called second war of Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh (in the fall of 2020).
    • The CSTO also held the position of an outside observer in April-May 2021 during armed clashes on the Tajik-Kyrgyz border.

    All this has long given rise to reasonable doubts: why do we need this very CSTO, which does not want to interfere in anything? Even when the streets of the allies are full of gunfire and the blood of civilians is pouring out?

    Today, everything is exactly the opposite.

    Judge for yourself: only late in the evening on January 5, the President of KazakhstanKassym-Jomart Tokayev turned to his CSTO partners for help. According to a RIA Novosti report, he officially stated::

    “Relying on the Collective Security Treaty, I have today appealed to the CSTO heads of state to help Kazakhstan overcome this terrorist threat.”

    And then:

    “In fact, this is no longer a threat, it undermines the integrity of the state and, most importantly, it is an attack on our citizens, who are asking me, as the head of state, to urgently provide them with assistance.”

    Just a few hours later, on the night of January 5-6, an emergency meeting of the CSTO Collective Security Council was held, the main topic of which, as far as can be judged, was the bloody pogroms in Alma-Ata.

    And already at dawn, military transport planes with Russian Airborne troops stormed into the skies of Kazakhstan to protect…

    ”important state and military facilities, assist the law enforcement forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan in stabilizing the situation and returning it to the legal field.”

    Are you able to recall anything like this from the CSTO since the collapse of the Soviet Union? I’m definitely not.

    But if this happens, it means that we had everything ready in advance.

    • In other words, our Aerospace Forces knew in advance what airfields and in what quantities they should concentrate military transport aviation.
    • The airborne troops had clear instructions from the Defense Ministry.
    • The General Staff on which specific regiments and divisions to alert.
    • Even the necessary cargo, ammunition, fuel and food were probably packed and stored not yesterday at all.

    Logically, in addition to having political will, such a development of events required one more prerequisite: Moscow should have known in advance about everything that was being prepared in recent weeks and months in Kazakhstan.

    And she knew all about it, of course.

    Only one detail that is crucial for understanding the emerging situation: it seems that the events there are not viewed by the political and military leadership of Russia today as a fire that is burning only in this separate former Soviet republic.

    No.

    The shooting and pogroms in Kazakhstan from the Kremlin are probably only seen as a precursor to the storm that is inevitably coming to us all from Central Asia as a whole. Mainly from Afghanistan.

    That is, Kazakhstan and Afghanistan, it seems, are known from where they are set on fire with a common match. The goal is also common-Russia.

    Accordingly, the Kremlin prepares defensive retaliatory measures in advance. And I am ready to fight for Kazakhstan, as I once did for the Dubosekovo crossing near Moscow in 1941.

    In this regard, it is very interesting to look through the information messages of a military-political nature that began to arrive from this strategic direction approximately last fall.

    Let’s say this:

    In mid-November 2021, the Secretary of the Russian Security CouncilNikolai Patrushev warned that if the new authorities in Kabul fail to normalize the situation, a catastrophic scenario is possible in Afghanistan. The development of this catastrophic scenario in Afghanistan includes a new round of civil war, general impoverishment of the population and hunger.

    And just yesterday, January 5, 2022, the realism and timeliness of Patrushev’s disastrous forecast received convincing confirmation. Not from anywhere — from the UN headquarters.

    On Wednesday, a message came from there saying that the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has worsened due to the onset of the cold season and severe frosts. In the country, millions of people suffer from cold and lack of food. Some parts of the country were cut off from external aid due to heavy snowfall. The humanitarian disaster is getting worse every day, and people are running out of food and fuel to heat their homes.

    Someone will say: well, let it be… what does it matter to us what happens in this eternally warring country, with which Russia does not have a single meter of common border?

    But, according to Patrushev’s logic, we are about to talk about millions of people fleeing from Afghanistan, in which it will be impossible to distinguish ordinary refugees from specially trained and trained militants. No one will be able to keep them outside the borders of the former USSR.

    And if it is specifically about the militants in Afghanistan, let’s listen to at least a well-known Tajik political scientist, a researcher at the Institute for Sociological Research in ParisParviz Mullojanov. According to him, in the north of Afghanistan today accumulated about 7-8 thousand militants who arrived in this country from other countries. First of all, from Iraq and Syria. Thus, the political scientist is sure, the structures of the “caliphate” that were defeated in the Middle East are gradually being transferred here.

    Near the borders with the former USSR, the so — called “Haqqani network” (a terrorist organization banned in some countries – “SP”) began to create training camps and madrassas, which, in alliance with the Taliban, * waged a guerrilla struggle against government forces, as well as against the troops of the United States and other NATO countries. Even earlier, in the 80s, the same organization founded by the extremist religious figure MawlawiJalaluddin Haqqani, fought with the Soviet troops.

    Three of its own bases for the combat and ideological training of new gangs near Kabul were founded by the notorious Al-Qaeda **, which quickly found a common language with the Taliban, which came to undivided rule in this country.

    “If we sum up all these three factors, the main difficulty is that Afghanistan will potentially soon turn into what the “caliphate” in Syria or Iraq was,”

    Mullojanov sums up, which is also disappointing for us.

    And as for the lack of a common border between Afghanistan and Russia… Yes, between us and the Afghans lie Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, which was set on fire today, but only a few months ago seemed to be a bulwark of political stability.

    Here is just what-outwardly the most reliable “airbag” of Russia, 7.5 thousand kilometers of a common land border separating us from Central Asia, from which you do not know what to expect for a long time.

    Now this barrier between Russia and Afghanistan is virtually gone.

    It melted away in the smoke of fires in Alma-Ata, Aktobe, Atyrau, Pavlodar and other cities and towns of Kazakhstan caught up in mass riots.

    Perhaps our common salvation lies in the fact that our military clearly prepared for such a turn of events in advance.

    Look here: a record number of live-fire exercises were held in 2021 at our main stronghold in Central Asia, the 201st Russian military base in Tajikistan — more than 300. In other words, for some reason Moscow ordered:

    “Spare no bullets!”

    For a whole year, the cannonade thundered there almost daily. Moreover, the tactical background of these exercises turned out to be very characteristic-actions to repel attacks by conditional bandit groups on military camps in Dushanbe and Bokhtar, defense at the Lyaur and Sambuli ranges, repelling seizures of ammunition depots and military equipment parks.

    Another detail that illustrates the gravity of the threat to Russia and its allies from a strategic direction in which Kazakhstan is only a small milestone.

    On December 7, the Russian legal information portal, literally a month before the current events, reported that Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan had created a special closed joint communication system between their armies. As it is written in the document — to exchange information and coordinate their interaction.

    The agreement provides for permanent combat duty at the command posts of the participating countries. It is, of course, carried around the clock. And this is definitely another clue to the efficiency with which the CSTO troops have just been decisively and without any doubts brought into Kazakhstan.

    And in the meantime…

    Armed clashes between militants of the Taliban movement that seized power in Afghanistan and Turkmen border guards took place on the border of the two states. This was reported on Monday in its electronic version by the Afghan newspaper Hasht-e subh.

    “Three days ago, border guards of Turkmenistan killed one civilian and beat up another. In response to their actions during the investigation of the incident, the Taliban fired shots, ”

    …said the head of the provincial information and Culture department.Jauzjan Hilal Balkhi.

    A shootout between Turkmen border guards and the Taliban took place on Monday, January 3, in the Hamab district of Jowzjan province. Other details of the incident were not disclosed.

    * The Taliban movement was recognized as a terrorist organization by the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation on February 14, 2003, and its activities are prohibited in Russia.
    
    ** Al-Qaeda was recognized as a terrorist organization by the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation on February 14, 2003, and its activities are prohibited in Russia.

    Now, all turn to face the Ukraine

    Nope. Things are not going to be like anything that you read about in the Western propiganda media outlets. Any conflict will be fast, absolute and lethal.

    If there is one thing that smart and intelligent leaders in NATO will realize is that they are severely out-matched and that they have sided with absolute lunitics that are going to get them all killed unless the bone up and start acting responsible and in the best interests of their own citizentry.

    I anticipate some changes in the Geo-political aspects of the EU union and the behavior of NATO in the upcoming year.

    Now…

    Keep in mind that Russia (and China) are not Syria. They are not Yemen, and they are not Panama. They will fight back and they will have the future all completely mapped out and planned.

    Signs of Russian troops entering the country

    Obviously, in connection with the mess in Kazakhstan, this "manual" is being replicated again on social networks; I can't say that everything is reliably stated there:

    Manual for those who think that they have encountered the Russian Army.

    “Signs of the entry of Russian troops.

    The first sign is the failure of all means of communication, the complete discharge of batteries in cars, tanks and other equipment, and at the same time the discharge of batteries in mobile phones, scopes, and radio stations. Then there is a break in the electrical circuits in all equipment — any. This is AMY. All engines stall, there is no way to start them. This is how the Khingan system works, with a radius of 20 km.

    The second sign is the complete failure of all systems using liquid crystal monitors, the failure of all target-pointing devices of the air defense system-the radars are dead. The Altair system operates.

    The third sign are failures when trying to use any type of guided weapon-from MANPADS to ATGMS. When attempting to use projectiles, they self-destruct immediately… This is the Mercury system — on the basis of the MTLB, such an antenna is high, now the Russians have it in every battalion. It works on a 15-kilometer radius.

    The Fourth sign — it is impossible to use drones-drones (UAVs). They either fall, with the failure of the navigation system and engine, or land in the location of the Russians. The Krasukha-4 system disables the onboard equipment of aircraft and any other aircraft. The Avtobaza system intercepts the control of drones. The Russians gave it to the Iranians, and they stole the most secret attack drone of the SASS “Kandahar beast”.

    The Fifth Sign. Not everyone will have time to see and understand the fifth sign. This is a phenomenal accuracy of artillery fire, conducted from a distance unattainable for artillery in most countries of the world. Artillery reconnaissance and guidance stations of the Russian army operate via satellites and their own drones. The Russians have upgraded their projectiles, they now have a homing system, they have become longer and carry more explosives (explosives).

    Dozens (hundreds, if necessary) of combat helicopters, straddling all roads, begin hunting in the rear for armored vehicles, trains, cars. The railway is paralyzed, arrows are broken, bridges are blown up.

    Lights go out in the rear — substations are broken. Civilian and military headquarters in the rear and individual leaders are simultaneously eliminated by pre-implemented groups.

    And that’s when… Thousands of fighters descend from the sky – assault battalions of the Airborne Forces and special forces of the GRU…”.

    Conclusions

    China and Russia offered the United States the last “olive branch” of peace. The Reaction was predictable. The United States outwardly pretended to accept it, while going ahead and continuing in it’s destabilizaiton efforts in Asia.

    Take note that Asia is quite serious about all this.

    I do not specifically anticipate a global thermalnuclear response, in so much as a no-holds barred polite economic isolation and staged collapse of the domestic aspects of the United States… in coils.

    Asia will box America in, and force their hand to deal with the flood of major inflationary bubbles. It will suppress and destroy all efforts by the United States to divert attention outwards and this will cause an acceleration in the internal collapse of the United States.

    Any actions that the United States makes against Asia will hurt itself.

    Therefore, I remain optomistic that no matter how insane the USA is acting, it will not risk it’s own collapse intentionally. Instead it will try to ride “the dying horse” to the cemetary gates.

    And with that, I have hope for many of us in the ‘States and abroad. It will be a long series of “mini bads” and “micro bads” and not the “Big Bad” that many of us fear.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 2

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    What to do when it seems that your affirmation prayers are shooting blanks

    This article is very important. I get a lot of comments from people who run an affirmation campaign, or two, and are surprised that nothing seems to be happening. They wonder what they are doing wrong. And it is very upsetting to them. So what I want to do here is explain a couple of things to put everything into perspective and to set the proper systems in place and corrective actions for those desirous of it.

    So what happens? You are running two, three maybe ten campaigns of prayers. You are following the directions and the format exactly. You are doing everything that you are supposed to be doing, but still it doesn’t seem like you are getting anywhere. What is going on?

    Introduction

    It all began with this email that I got the other day…

    I’m not sure if i should write you this like this or if i should put it in the comment section. The thing is this. It feels my prayers aren’t being answered or even getting closer to being answered. That’s the short version. Lol.

    That’s pretty straightforward and clear.

    The longer story is this: I started praying your way with some slight modifications in the wording in September 2020.

    So you have been running affirmation campaigns for just over one year and you are not seeing any results.

    One year is a extremely short span of time to expect results.

    My rule of thumb is for every combined cluster of six months of affirmations, you see results in three years.

    Depending, of course, on your situation, and the complexity and difficulty of your desires.

    So lets’ s suppose you ran a total of eight weeks of prayers in campaigns. That equals a total of two months. My rule of thumb would then place your targeted goals out at about nine years from now.

    Here’s my handly-dandy goal manifestation estimation table…

    Of course, the personal situation and all things considered can mitigate these projected target dates. As well as how you do them, and all the rest. It’s just a guide that varies from person to person.

    Now, the astute observer would notice something VERY interesting about this table above.

    Let’s look at it again…

    So what gives?

    It doesn’t seem like it is worth it. An extra six months sooner for doubling the amount of prayers doesn’t seem to make sense. It’s a lot of extra work for just a slight decrease in the wait time.

    Ah. But the point here is that you should all be having multiple affirmations in your campaigns. Not just one singular goal.

    The more different affirmations the crunchier and compressed your manifestation dwell time.

    Or to put it another way, you WANT to have more and varied descriptions of your goals, not less. And these extra prayers adds complexity that adds depth and breadth to your resultant objectives and colors to the results.

    So in short. Don’t be impatient. Run your campaigns. Follow the formula, and know that they will manifest.

    Let’s continue with the email contents…

    The modifications i did are to pay respect to God. Being a Catholic. The way i say my prayers are still in a present tense and positive way.

    There’s no problem with that. You do have to be care in one aspect of prayers, however. You CANNOT say…

    • God please grant me permission to have XXXXX…

    Absolutely not.

    You must say thing specifically in this manner…

    • I have XXXXX.

    It is very important that you say things in a [1] positive,  [2] present, [3] perfect [4] tense sentence structure.

    I started by doing one month on and one month off. During the first pause a lot of things got worse. Just like you said. 
    
    I figured, no worries just keep it up. 
    
    After the second pause things got worse but some things also showed signs of improving. And because it seemed my prayers were being answered i decided to keep my prayers more or less the same.

    Yes. You are correct. This is the way it works.

    I specifically decided not to get greedy and ask for huge things or whatever. 
    
    I felt grateful and just wanted the rest of my prayers to be answered. 
    
    Now as you yourself know even better some prayers aren’t answered but you are given opportunities to do some things yourself to get to what you want.

    Yes, this is how it works. No problem here.

    Well up until my fourth pause , which was in april 2021 , things seemed to go that way. 
    
    After that it just seems like my prayers are being blocked or stay just out of reach.

    This indicates an issue. Some potential issues or causes, the top culprit being…

    • Conflicting affirmations (given your current situation). You would be amazed how certain words or phrases can completely derail your affirmations.

    Other issues / contributors that are commonly encountered include…

    • Timing
    • Curses
    • Handicaps
    • Pre-birth world-line Templates
    • Expectations
    • Negative partner
    • Bombarded by electromagnetic radiation
    • Inauspicious fate
    In the meantime some prayers were answered but still. 
    
    One of my main prayers. Which is owning my own house seems to come in reach and then gets taken away just as quickly. 
    
    Almost as if something out there doesn't like me.

    This is a common enough experience, and I do know what is EXACTLY going on here in this particular issue.

    It might seem like there is a barrier, and maybe there is. But I am willing to guess that there is a conflict in your affirmations. How?

    Let me illustrate with two simple affirmations in a singular campaign.

    • I and my family are happy, safe and secure.
    • We own a nice house.

    Then as time moves on, opportunities for a house appear. and you are just about ready to get the house deal, but then it falls through. So you try again. Same neighborhood. Again it falls through. So you see something at another part of the city, and still it falls through.

    Chances are that sure… you might be able to buy the house. BUT… you will never be allowed to because if you lived in any of those houses you and your family will not be happy, safe and secure. You see, you have to turn off your mind from things cause and effect.

    You need to start thinking fourth dimensional and asking for guidance. I would thus add these affirmations…

    • I am given direction and nudges that tell me which affirmations to change or alter so that I would be happy and healthy as would be my family as well.
    • They will provide me insight and feedback as to how successful my affirmation campaigns are working.

    With this, you would obtain feedback loops and nudges as to how to direct your affirmation campaigns.

    The same thing happened with some other prayers. 
    
    Now there are a couple of things i noticed since April 2021 and i hope these things sound familiar to you. - Some things show up during the pause phase, but the also disappear during the same pause phase. - Those disappearing things drifting back into my life when i start praying again.

    What is going on is that the supporting underlying structures are not fully mature for the affirmations to manifest.

    Think of an individual affirmation as a hearty meat and potato stew. If you don’t allow the time for the stew to cook, it will be watery, trivial, and plain. You have to let it cook for hours to allow the potatoes to soften, and the meat to tenderize and the broth to form.

    This has happened with me, OMG! Time and time again.

    Like when I wanted a nice Cadillac automobile. And it manifested. And then six months later the Air Conditioning died, and I was living in Arkansas where it was hot and humid and I was sweltering in my nice car with no Air Conditioning. But to repair the A/C cost $8000 USD. Ugh!

    What I said was…

    • I own a nice big impressive roomy executive automobile.

    When what I should of said was something different. Early on, I noticed that when I put special “but” affirmations in my campaigns they would stop those mistakes from happening.

    You OBVIOUSLY have a few “but” affirmations that are causing things not to manifest.

    So what is going on here?

    As I see it there are two things that are plainly going on…

    • You are not letting the affirmation campaigns cook. You want your goals NOW, and not in two years when you are fully ready for them.
    • There are some “but” affirmations that are preventing certain manifestations from happening.
    This let me to think about shortening my pause phases.

    No. No. No. You want to lengthen the pause phases. Not shorten them. Never shorten them.

    Also because you wrote about how one can have shorter pauses. You wrote this in an older article. 
    
    All though you never wrote why that can be done i figured this might be what i needed to do based on how things went the last year. So i decided to pray for six weeks starting in November and then resting for the rest of December. Which would be about 3 weeks.

    You can have shorter pauses, but it is ill advised.

    Think of the stew. Sure you can have a quick bowl of stew early on. But it will not be as tasty as one fully cooked. It’s like a pizza. Sure you can take the pizza out early, but the cheese won’t be melted, and the crust will be soft and wet.

    And then on December 1 you put out your article in which you say that you can actually EXTEND your pause phase. Which now has me wondering even more on what to do. Shorten my pause or extend it?

    Extend the pause phase. When in doubt or questions, always extend the wait time.

    More questions

    The Questioner continues…

    There are way more things i would like to write to you, but i know you are busy so can i ask you this. 
    
    1: does this e-mail of mine give you ideas for add on articles on prayer campaign details that people need to know about. Like what happened with me and how and what we need to do to fix these things when they occur during our prayer campaigns.

    Yes. It generated this article and I am confident that one or two others will find the information valuable.

    2: If my mail isn't worthy of an article because its not something that would make for a beneficial article for a lot of people or even if it is could i please at least ask for some short answers on the following questions.

    No problem, I will help in any way possible.

    1: you said that you shouldn't do one month on and one month off campaigns for more than 8 months. I am over that time period already. So should i start my new campaign now right away or would it still be better to actually extend my rest period until February

    In your case, I would conduct a base line campaign with an extended rest phase. You should be running a three month campaign (12 weeks) followed by a three and a half month rest period (14 weeks).

    1. So my last campaign lasted 6 weeks and would then have a pause phase of 7 weeks instead of 3.

    Yes. That is correct.

    2: i have gathered from experience that whatever that you gained from prayer only drifts back during pause phases and not during campaigns. I’m talking about things that would require multiple campaigns to become more permanent in your life. 
    
    It seems that prayer campaigns put a hold on the drift back effect. Am i correct on this?

    Yes, in general. You are right. There are exceptions, but in your case this does seem to be the case.

    MM comments…

    No worries. A lot here to unpack.
    I am going to put your questions up to the Domain Commander later. But in the meantime, I am going to try to answer about prayer.
    Your frustration is a common one, and I know EXACTLY what you are talking about.
    First, the Catholic answer… God doesn’t grant every prayer. It’s pretty lame, I know. And it’s a point of contention that I have always had with the Catholic church and the Christian religion. But it’s not really true…
    Now, the MM answer
    I have over four decades of affirmation prayers. I can tell you that I had a similar situation with a similar prayer.
    "I own a house in Zhuhai".
    Here’s a map of Zhuhai…

    Zhuhai, China

    .
    And for YEARS nothing happened. Meanwhile, you know, I’m living life, and believing that my wishes and goals will manifest. Life took over, and…

    [1]

    I got a job in Zhuhai. Yeah, my salary was cut, and then cut again, and then cut again. But I was living in Zhuhai. I was renting a house of the beach, and it was lovely, though very wet.
    .
    I was living inside of Zhuhai. I rented a house on the beach in Zhuhai, but I did not OWN a house in Zhuhai.
    Life continues. I still kept that prayer in my affirmations.

    [2]

    Now, my daughter is born. I need to plan for her future, and in China that means that I have to establish a home town for her.
    .
    By default, that is my wife’s home town which was Wenzhou.
    .
    So we went forth to change it to Zhuhai household resister, medical insurance, and residency. A lot of work, but all the doors opened.
    .
    Difficult. Yes. Time consuming Yes.
    .
    But eventually she (and my wife) obtained Zhuhai residence. This is true, but we were still renting a house inside of Zhuhai. Not owning one, and the housing prices were prohibitively expensive.
    Still, I kept this in my prayers.

    [3]

    Well, a new complex of houses were being constructed just outside of Zhuhai, and the prices for the new houses is a fraction of the prices inside of Zhuhai. .
    .
    Though only a few meters separated the homes from Zhuhai city lines. You cross the street and you are in a different administration center.
    .

    My new house location.

    .
    So we saw a nice reasonably big house, new, nice location, and bought it.
    .
    Price was about 1/6 that of a Zhuhai house.
    .
    The Zhuhai bus lines starts at my new house and goes deep throughout the city. The only thing is that my home physically lies just outside of the border.
    Still never the less, I kept up my prayers.

    [4]

    Well, Zhuhai is growing. A new High Speed Train line is coming in very close to my new house. And this line will be a direct line between the mega-cities of Shenzhen and Guangzhou. Good news. But my house is still outside of the city limits.
    Still I kept up with my prayers.

    [5]

    Now discussions are underway to change the Zhuhai borders, and extend it outside and past where I live. Thus, making all of us living inside of Zhuhai city proper.
    .
    I await the rezoning effort, and then when that happens, I will remove that affirmation from my list.
    Have patience.
    .
    Have faith. You are doing the right things.

    Personal issues

    The house is in the same geographical area. We can take the bus and go anywhere we normally go. It’s only that the administration is of a different community, the taxes and prices are different. That’s it. So in essence we have almost what we want, however, it is not EXACTLY what we want.

    By keeping the affirmations in place, I can tell you all from experience that the desires, goals and dreams will absolutely manifest. You all just must be patient.

    So please be patient. They always manifest. I have some of the most outlandish desires COME TRUE. Things that you would say “never in a million years” happen, but they did. So believe me. Follow the techniques and NEVER ever forget and do not doubt yourself.

    Other issues

    Now, for about 95% of the people the reasons why something is not manifesting is that you need to give things time. But there are other influences that can affect your affirmations as well.

    Sigh.

    There are numerous issues that could factor into why things seem to be taking a long time to manifest. I am going to break down some of the major event killers here. These are not every influence that might slow things down or cause you trouble, but they are all things that you need to pay attention to.

    Here’s the list…

    • Timing
    • Curses
    • Handicaps
    • Templates
    • Expectations
    • Negative partner
    • Bombarded by electromagnetic radiation
    • Inauspicious fate
    • Conflicting affirmations

    Timing

    As I have stated.You are on a template, whether it is a pre-birth world-line template or a slide, but that template might have your goals further way or on “mountains” that will take some effort to get to. Do not lose hope.

    Just keep plugging on and on and on. Then make sure that you have good long rest periods. And during those periods absolutely NO AFFIRMATIONS. Don’t even think about them. Let them “cook” and manifest. If you are thinking about your affirmations during the wait / pause time, you are doing things wrong.

    Curses

    Some people will put a curse on you. There are many, many, MANY people that do this. Not just intentionally, but inadvertently.

    These curses need to be dealt with in your affirmations.

    So in order to minimize the effects of curses, you need to add curse negation affirmations to your campaigns.

    • I purposely avoid negative, dangerous, bad, or problematic reality world-lines to achieve my goals.
    • I have broken apart any barriers to controlling my reality. These are barriers that are either self-created, or those created by others.
    • I define my reality, and undo any contrary spells, magick or alterations imposed upon me, or the reality around me by anyone or anything.
    • I block and shut out all negative, de-constructive, and dangerous thoughts from manifesting and altering my intentions listed herein.
    • These blocking protections extend to my family and include any malevolent efforts by anyone, or things against them.

    Handicaps

    You might have intentional problems that need to be resolved before certain affirmations can manifest. This is a big, huge subject and I have not even touched on it yet. What’s going on…?

    Some people enter the physical realms in the General Population with a kind a handicap.

    It’s an intentional set of chains, or restrictions and limitations that “handicaps” the person’s ability to live in the General Population MWI.

    If you have such a handicap you need to contact your mantid directly and ask them to remove it and to give you insight why you have one in place and why. If you do not know how to communicate with your mantid, then you put the question in your affirmations.

    • I know what handicaps are inherent in my life.
    • I communicate with my mantids to remove or reduce any handicaps that I might have on me, my family, on on my goals.

    My gut feeling is that maybe 20% to 25% of the population have a handicap of one type or the other imposed.

    Templates

    The template you are on might have some inherent faults, fissures or problems that will make obtaining your goals and dreams from manifesting. This is possible, but in my experience, it is not really all that common. It just manifests as long mountainous terrain.

    You need to add affirmations that permit you to select the easiest paths towards your goals so as to avoid the mountainous terrain.

    • I always follow the path of least resistance to achieve my goals. In this way my life is smooth and calm, but also I do achieve my affirmation goals.

    Expectations

    Have realistic expectations. The best things take time. Do not be in such a rush. All will happen and all will occur.

    Negative partner

    The biggest influence on your life is your partner. They can enable you towards greatness or break you into nothing. If you partner is opposing you, you will need to keep your goals and dreams a secret. If they are still problematic, then you will need to change your partner.

    Be realistic about your situation and your goals, dreams and desires. Be careful on what you are doing. Personal affirmations in an affirmation campaign are personal and are SECRET. Very few people, especially those close to you, should be isolated and kept away from your inner-most desires.

    Bombarded by electromagnetic radiation

    The USA and much of the West is bombarded by brain altering radiation used to manipulate. These things are very dangerous, but they also influence your affirmations. You need to center your consciousness, and you need to stay way from the “news”, especially the Western “news” as much as possible.  It is toxic. Avoid it.

    Inauspicious fate

    As I have discussed in my “Fate Forecasting” Index, fate is tied to your entry point on the pre-birth world-line template and it is a physical gravity influence. You need to realize that when you are fated with inauspicious events, they will put a sever damper on your ability to manifest your goals, dreams and desires.

    You will have to wait… still conducting your campaigns over and over again… until you pass through the inauspicious times. Then watch all your seeds sprout and bloom!

    Conflicting Affirmations

    As I discussed above. Make sure that your affirmations are working together and not in conflict with each other.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Intention Prayer Index here…

    Intention Campaigns

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    Time for inspiration and Rufus videos I hope you all enjoy them (smile)

    Picture above is a rescue cat. It calms and offers kindness to any suffering animal taken to the shelter. From HERE.

    It’s a new Chinese year. It’s a water tiger year. And it’s a fine time to remember to be the best that we can possibly be. In this installment, I offer up some fine Rufus inspirational videos that are found inside of China. Remember, that being a Rufus doesn’t depend on your wealth, where you live, what color of skin you have, or your career. It depends on your compassion for those who surround you. Be the Rufus. The world needs people like us.

    Video of happiness and joy

    Be happy. Force the happiness around you. Make the quanta in your geographic area clean, light and positive. video 15MB

    Making a positive change to the world around us.

    Subway artist strikes again. Looks like Shenzhen. The woman is obviously sad and distressed. The subway artist tries to cheep her up. video 6MB

    The cat…

    Rescue of a man in a restaurant

    This stuff happens. And you all need a Rufus nearby to save the day. Be the best you can be. Be kind. Be helpful. Be supporting. video 6MB

    How to deal with a dog…

    I found this hilarious. Maybe you will too. video 6MB

    The cat 2

    Military to the rescue!

    China mobilizes it’s military to rescue and help others. Not them them around the world to occupy other nations and drone kill civilians. Scenes from the mobilization of military to protect the Hunan flooding of 2021. Compare these scenes to the New Orleans flooding. Not even close. video 45MB

    Progressive gay man down the street…

    China, like Russia & Poland, are very traditional nations. They do not accept this “diversity” of “alternative lifestyles” that are so fundamental to the “new” America today. .And in this video clip you can see just how the normal day to day Chinese people react when they watch someone acting oh, so very… American. video 5MB

    By the way, we here at MM are not poking fun at the “alternative” lifestyle choices of those in the West. Instead, we are pointing out that in traditional nations in Asia find these behaviors odd and curious, and so they react to the new and unusual in funny and surprising ways.

    Everyone visiting here should be proud of who they are, their lifestyle choices, and their life. It’s NOT our place to judge.

    Arguing couple saved by oranges, a cat, and some compassion

    Very interesting video. Couple argues. Old lady spills her oranges. Cat (black and white tuxedo) pokes his nose in to investigate and then… video 7MB

    The cat 3

    Man buys a set of crutches for a stranger

    It’s a pain in the ass when your cane breaks. Don’t worry when there’s a Rufus nearby. video 7MB

    Dog protects a toddler

    Brave dog. Will not allow the toddler to crawl on to the road. video 20MB

    The thank you song

    All of the people performing all the Coronavirus testing, vaccinations and everything associated with it are volunteers. They leave their jobs and their lives and do it for no pay. They often work 12 to 16 hour shifts. Such is membership in the Chinese culture / society and communist party. This little girl is performing the “thank you” song and dance to them. video 25MB

    More Rescue cat…

    Christmas roadblock

    Regional outbreak of Coronavirus, in a regional town. These people volunteered to leave their families to man the roadblock. They were NOT compelled to do so. They volunteered. While Christmas is not as important to Chinese as CNY, it is still a holiday and the Chinese do celebrate it. Everyone except these guys. video 23MB

    Police take down compilations

    In China, AI monitors all activity, and identifies the criminals in real-time. Then, the police go out and get the bad guys when they are unready and unprepared. This differs from the United States where the police must catch the criminals in the act, and often results in lethal shootings.  video 5MB

    Beautiful HAN Outfits

    I hope that these all put a smile on your faces. I love the way the dresses move. But call me a traditionalist. It’s not that these people are a Rufus, but rather that they are traditionalists and that they are enjoying life as such. They are not living in fear, afraid of offending anyone. They are comfortable and proud. They are confident. And being confident is sexyFirst up video 2MB

    Second up. video 4MB

    I really love this dress. I don’t know why. Purple is not really a preferential color. Third up. video 6MB

    Fourth up. video 3MB

    Those that wear these clothes love it. They wear it with pride and just typically wear tennis shoes or sneakers instead of the traditional foot wear. You can see them bouncing around. Being happy and light. video 6MB

    More HAN dress fun. video 9MB

    And one more HAN dress, just for the heck of it. The Chinese are proud of themselves, of their history and about what they have accomplished. They embrace it as they should with confidence and fun. You won’t find any “diversity directors” telling them that they cannot dress like this in the work office for “cultural misappropriation” or some other nonsense. Be yourself. The world needs more REAL people. video 3MB

    A bunch of Rufus’s examples

    Be the Rufus. video 16MB

    Rufus Rescue

    So many people run to help! video 1MB

    Rufus stops a car

    It’s driver-less and out of control, and he is just a lowly delivery guy. video 2MB

    Chinese Police Raid on Kidnapping and Child abduction group

    The Chinese do not play. Rescue the little girl. video 7MB

    Final Rescue cat…

    Happy times!

    Some of the happy moments in China during 2021. We have reunited families, Happiness, volunteers raising their hands to help other during the flooding emergency, the return of political prisoners out of the USA and much more! video 20MB

    More Great Links in my Rufus Index here…

    Check them out…

    Rufus Index

    .

    More stuff…

    Master Index

    .

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

    More new Rufus videos to inspire

    It’s a new Chinese year. It’s a water tiger year. And it’s a fine time to remember to be the best that we can possibly be. In this installment, I offer up some fine Rufus inspirational videos that are found throughout the world and inside of China. Remember, that being a Rufus doesn’t depend on your wealth, where you live, what color of skin you have, or your career. It depends on your compassion for those who surround you. Be the Rufus. The world needs people like us.

    Emergency Police Escort

    video 7.7MB

    In life you’ve got to work hard

    Video. Smart kid. 4MB

    Rufus Compilation I

    Video 122MB

    Love always

    video 45MB

    Love through windows

    video 45MB

    Rufus stands up for the little guy

    video 3MB

    Surprise the ones you love

    Video 4MB

    Rufus compilation III

    Video 120MB

    Young girl “Pioneer” is rewarded for her Rufus actions

    video 6MB

    Do not allow others to use you

    video 5MB

    Code RED at the Hospital!

    video 6MB

    Who’s your friend?

    Video 6MB

    Rufus takes care of child waiting outside for her mother

    video 3MB

    The hardest things are the right things

    video 1MB

    China Rufus hospital staff

    video 6MB

    Rufus Compilation Final

    video 108MB

    More Great Links in my Rufus Index here…

    Check them out…

    Rufus Index

    .

    More stuff…

    Master Index

    .

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

    Some stories of American Expats in other lands that mirror the stories of those of us inside of China

    In the race (and millions of dollars in funding) to convince the world how evil China is they neglect one important point. Which is that everywhere outside of the USA looks like paradise now. Not only China. Everywhere.

    It’s cheaper, cleaner, politer, calmer, nicer, with better infrastructure, and all the rest. The only people that don’t see this are the hypnotized American zombies glued to FOX “news”, CNN, Alex Jones and Hal Turner.

    Here we talk about what it is like outside the prison walls, and at the other end of the computer screen.

    Consider these examples. Obtained from "These 7 expats left the U.S. to start over—here’s how they earn an income overseas: ‘We spend less on all expenses’" which was  Janet Blaser, Contributor@WhyWeLeftAmerica
    All rights and credit to her, and all the standard disclaimers apply.

    Catalina Viviel

    Catalina Viviel

    Catalina Viviel interviewed for jobs at several South American countries before finally getting an offer in Colombia.
    .

    More and more people are discovering that not only can they live abroad and be happy, safe and comfortable, but that they can successfully earn an income.

    That’s exactly what I did when I left the U.S. for Mazatlán, Mexico in 2006. I lived off a steady income from freelance editing jobs and running M!, a local arts and entertainment magazine I started.

    Colin Bucell, 47

    Colin Bucell

    .
    Currently in Morocco, Colin Bucell lives on his sailboat, which doubles as an income source via private tours and excursions.
    .

    Hometown: Los Angeles, California
    Currently an expat in: Morocco
    Occupation: Sailboat excursions
    Annual income: $12,000

    In 2011, Colin Bucell had a dream to sail around the world. He took early retirement at age 37 and went first to Mexico. Since then, he’s lived in more than 60 countries.

    “Every day is an exciting new adventure!” Bucell tells CNBC Make It from his sailboat in Morocco. “And all for a fraction of what my California expenses were.”

    Bucell lives on his sailboat, which doubles as an income source via private tours and excursions — advertised through word of mouth — wherever he is. He’s found health care and food to be much cheaper everywhere he goes.

    Spain, Thailand and Mexico are countries where he could happily settle down if he wanted to; he says it’s great that he’s been able to thoroughly test the livability of all of them.

    Shawn Supra, 45

    Shawn Supra

    Shawn Supra, a musician and furniture restorer, currently lives in Australia with his wife Diana.
    .

    Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
    Currently an expat in: Sydney, Australia
    Occupation: Musician and furniture restorer
    Annual income: $32,500

    Love was the motivating factor behind musician Shawn Supra’s move to Australia in 2020, where he met his future wife Diana while on tour. They first settled in the U.S., but as things began to change politically and socially, they decided it was time to move to Australia.

    “Living in the U.S., there’s such a sense of fear. It’s almost drilled into you that there’s danger around every corner. I don’t feel that here. Everyone is more relaxed,” Supra says.

    He also likes the free health care in Australia, and that the income from his furniture restoration business entitles him to superannuation from the government — similar to U.S. Social Security benefits.

    Kema Ward-Hopper, 39

    Kema Ward-Hopper

    .
    “We love our lives here. We’re treated as humans first,” says Kema Ward-Hopper, who now lives in Costa Rica with her family.
    .

    Hometown: Houston, Texas
    Currently an expat in: Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
    Occupation: English teacher and yoga instructor
    Annual income: $24,000 to $33,000

    In 2017, after Kema Ward-Hopper was diagnosed with breast cancer and when Hurricane Harvey destroyed her Houston home, a family trip to Costa Rica turned into a permanent move.

    “We love our lives here,” she says. “We’re treated as humans first. We didn’t always have the luxury of been seen as people in the U.S.”

    Although the pandemic shut down Ward-Hopper and husband Willie’s income streams for months, they’re disciplined savers and their expenses in Costa Rica are low.

    An added bonus was the birth of her son last year, even after doctors said chemotherapy had rendered her unable to conceive. “Health-wise, I did a complete 180 after moving here,” says Ward-Hopper. “I healed both physically and emotionally.”

    Chasity Diggs, 37

    Chasity Diggs

    .
    “We’ve been able to exceed our goals without having to make sacrifices in our daily lives,” says Chasity Diggs, who now lives in Singapore with her family.
    .

    Hometown: Greensboro, North Carolina
    Currently an expat in: Singapore
    Occupation: Behavior intervention specialist
    Annual income: $170,000

    Chasity Diggs is no stranger to living outside the U.S. Before moving to Singapore about six months ago, she and her family lived in China.

    The primary reason was so their oldest daughter could attend an international school. The family also wanted a better work-life balance and to be in a more diverse country.

    “However, the best part of living overseas are the financial benefits. We’ve been able to exceed our goals without having to make sacrifices in our daily lives. Housing costs are covered by my employer, so we’re able to save a considerable amount of money each month,” says Diggs.

    Carol Markino, 52

    Carol Markino

    .
    Carol Markino lives in Rome and works as an English teacher.
    .

    Hometown: Dover, Ohio
    Currently an expat in: Rome, Italy
    Occupation: English teacher and language consultant
    Annual income: $13,500

    Having visited Italy many times when she was in college, Carol Markino always knew that someday she wanted to stay there long-term. It’s now been 30 years since she moved to Rome.

    “As an Italian-American, I’ve always been attracted to my roots,” says Markino. “I love that I live in a city that’s full of beauty — not just museums, but wonderful buildings, architecture and style.”

    She also appreciates the culture: “Italians work hard, but they understand there’s more to life than just work.”

    Tim Leffel, 57

    Originally from: Tampa, Florida
    Currently an expat in: Guanajuato, Mexico
    Occupation: Travel writer
    Annual income: $60,000

    Tim Leffel

    Many factors drew Tim Leffel to Mexico, particularly the “perfect weather all year” and low cost of living.
    .

    “It was one of those love-at-first-sight visits,” says Tim Leffel. “I was in a few central Mexico cities on assignment, and Guanajuato really struck a chord.”

    Many factors drew him to Mexico, particularly the “perfect weather all year” and low cost of living. “We spend less on all expenses — including private school for our daughter — than we did just on rent and utilities in Tampa,” he says.

    Well-traveled family and friends admire their lifestyle. Some were even inspired to move abroad themselves, while others “seem afraid of the scary world beyond the borders.”

    “It’s the message that has been pounded into their heads. They’ve probably expected us to be kidnapped or robbed by now. I hope that by seeing a steady stream of happy photos as we live and travel around, they’re getting a bit of balance.”

    Catalina Viviel, 48

    Catalina Viviel

    .
    Originally from New York, Catalina Viviel now lives in Bogota, Colombia.
    .

    Hometown: Long Island, New York
    Currently an expat in: Bogota, Colombia
    Occupation: Teacher and resource room coordinator
    Annual income: $75,000

    “I’d only been to Colombia once, when I met my dad’s entire side of the family for the first time,” says Catalina Viviel. “I never forgot that trip and the warmth of the people.”

    Working in education, Viviel began her expat life with a two-year contract in Marrakech, Morocco. Then she went back to the U.S., where she found herself “itching to go abroad again.” She interviewed for jobs at several South American countries before finally getting an offer in Colombia.

    “People thought I was crazy to change countries and become a single mom, all the while navigating a new language during a pandemic,” says Viviel. “Were there days I cried? Absolutely.”

    Now halfway into her two-year commitment, Viviel says she’s not ready to leave and has requested to extend her contract.

    “It’s amazing being able to reconnect with my Colombian roots, especially watching my daughter thrive in the country of our heritage,” she says.

    Metallicman comments

    Zhuhai City

    The general comments from American expats that reside around the world are similar. It does not matter if you live in China (like MM here) or elsewhere. All of us share similar experiences.

    [1] It’s a calmer; easier place to live.

    The news” is not barking at as filling us with fear. The commercials are not screaming at us to buy things. We are not hearing about shootings, accidents, murders, rapes, government corruption, and all the rest. There are no advertisements for mind altering drugs, lawyers for legal settlements, bail bonding, or pawn shops.

    People pretty much live their lives in peace.

    [2] It’s a cheaper place to live.

    You can live cheaper, and buy basic foods, local meals, and rent or own a house at a fraction of what it costs in the USA. Not only that, there aren’t the crazy taxes, regulations and fees tacked on to everything. You can get buy and live a simpler life either on retirement or working a simple part-time job.

    Drawer slide

    For instance, a drawer slide made in China is $3 a pair. It sells in the United States for $106 per pair. Unfriggin’ believable.

    [3] The Government is concerned about domestic issues.

    You don’t ever hear about the need to go to war!

    You don’t hear about government troops in this nation or that country. You never hear about how “we must do something now about XXXXX!”. The government is focused on the lives of the people that in in the country. That’s it.

    All in all, Americans have been corralled. They are in a pen within the geographic confines of the United States, and filled with fear of what lies outside of it. They are constantly bombarded with the idea that they are “special” and that the government is “exceptional” and “superior”.

    It’s all a big lie.

    And it is obvious to everyone who is paying attention. In the world today, it is common knowledge that the USA is undergoing a spectacular collapse.

    What will happen is anyone’s guess, but the future for America does NOT look bright.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my SHTF Escape Index here…

    Escape!

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

    .

     

    Why is Space-X trying to ram the Chinese Space Station? Why did the US Space Military Command approve the flight trajectory?

    I have been musing about eating a fine delicious ice cream cone. I know, I know, youse guys eat it all the time. but I really don’t. Ever since I put in my verbal affirmation that “I eat healthy, delicious, and nutritious food“, somehow the sugar laden icy deliciousness of the Ice cream cone has since eluded me. Sigh.

    Now that it is getting old, I have been fantasizing about hot fudge sundaes, upside down banana splits, and Carmel sundaes.  Maybe substituting blueberries on a strawberry shortcake, or having an extra heaping scoop on a five scoop ice cream surprise.

    Ice Cream Sundae.

    It’s not my normal fare. Don’t you know. Sigh.

    Everything is a trade off.

    Though, it (a hot fudge sundae) would probably go great with a nice whiskey.

    Today

    So I am going though my normal routine. Checking out the laughingly pathetic “news” out of America, and the “real” news out of Russia and tiny. tiny real alternative outlets. When I came across an article that is not being covered at all in the American “news”.

    Apparently two satellites had a trajectory that sent them flying toward the Chinese space station on a collision course.

    Two.

    T.W.O.

    – 2 times –

    Not a coincidence.

    Accidents do not happen twice in a row, just like it is extraordinarily rare for lightening to strike twice.

    One of the missions of the (newly established) American Military Space Command is to approve all space flight trajectories originating out of the United States. For some odd reason, they approved a collision course of a SpaceX satellite on not one, but two occasions to collide with the Chinese space station. Since this is an impossible flight vector… as space is far too huge. It is a deliberate attempt to ram and destroy the Chinese space station.

    Let’s investigate further…

    The initial write up.

    Pulled from MoA.

    “…So Elon Musk attempted two acts of terrorism against the Chinese space station (while it was occupied by human-beings). These acts, which expose the true purpose of SpaceX, have gone entirely unreported in media, mainstream or otherwise. I don’t remember it getting a mention at MoA or anywhere else.

    Below is the complaint China wrote to the UN which details how the space station had to carry out emergency evasive maneuvers on two separate occasions….

    Information furnished in conformity with the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies
    
    Note verbale dated 3 December 2021 from the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations (Vienna) addressed to the Secretary-General
    
    The Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations (Vienna) presents its compliments to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and has the honour to refer to article V of the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies 1 (the Outer Space Treaty), which provides that “States Parties to the Treaty shall immediately inform the other States Parties to the Treaty or the Secretary-General of the United Nations of any phenomena they discover in outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, which could constitute a danger to the life or health of astronauts”. In accordance with the above-mentioned article, China hereby informs the Secretary-General of the following phenomena which constituted dangers to the life or health of astronauts aboard the China Space Station.
    
    The China Manned Space Programme completed five launch missions in 2021, with the successful launching into orbit of the Tianhe core module of the China Space Station, the Tianzhou-II and Tianzhou-III cargo spacecraft and the Shenzhou-XII and Shenzhou-XIII crewed spacecraft. The China Space Station has travelled stably in a near-circular orbit at an altitude of around 390 km on an orbital inclination of about 41.5 degrees.
    
    During this period, Starlink satellites launched by Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) of the United States of America have had two close encounters with the China Space Station. For safety reasons, the China Space Station implemented preventive collision avoidance control on 1 July and 21 October 2021, respectively.

    1. The first collision avoidance

    As from 19 April 2020, the Starlink-1095 satellite had been traveling stably in orbit at an average altitude of around 555 km. 
    
    Between 16 May and 24 June 2021, the Starlink-1095 satellite maneuvered continuously to a precise orbit of around 382 km, and then stayed in that orbit. Even though the orbit trajectory took it on a collision course with the Chinese space station. 
    
    A close encounter occurred between the Starlink-1095 satellite and the China Space Station on 1 July 2021. For safety reasons, the China Space Station took the initiative to conduct an evasive maneuver in the evening of that day to avoid a potential collision between the two spacecraft.

    2. The second collision avoidance

    On 21 October 2021, the Starlink-2305 satellite had a subsequent close encounter with the China Space Station. 
    
    As the satellite was continuously maneuvering, the maneuver strategy was unknown and orbital errors were hard to be assessed, there was thus a collision risk between the Starlink-2305 satellite and the China Space Station. 
    
    To ensure the safety and lives of in-orbit astronauts, the China Space Station performed an evasive maneuver again on the same day to avoid a potential collision between the two spacecraft.
    
    In view of the foregoing, China wishes to request the Secretary-General of the United Nations to circulate the above-mentioned information to all States parties to the Outer Space Treaty and bring to their attention that, in accordance with article VI of the Treaty...
    
    “States Parties to the Treaty shall bear international responsibility for national activities in outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, whether such activities are carried on by governmental agencies or by non-governmental entities, and for assuring that national activities are carried out in conformity with the provisions set forth in the present Treaty.”

    Chinese space station.

    Decent article…

    China Space Station: Collision Avoidance Control Maneuvers

    .

    China’s in-progress space station has performed preventive collision avoidance control to avoid being struck by SpaceX Starlink satellites. China has informed the United Nations Secretary-General of the issue.

    In a document posted by the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space dated December 6, 2021, there is notification by China under Article V of the Outer Space Treaty concerning preventive collision avoidance between the China Space Station (international designation 2021-035A) and United States’ Starlink-1095 (international designation 2020-001BK) and Starlink-2305 (international designation 2021-024N) satellites.

    Dangers to astronauts

    “The China Manned Space Program completed five launch missions in 2021, with the successful launching into orbit of the Tianhe core module of the China Space Station, the Tianzhou-II and Tianzhou-III cargo spacecraft and the Shenzhou-XII and Shenzhou-XIII crewed spacecraft. The China Space Station has travelled stably in a near-circular orbit at an altitude of around 390 km on an orbital inclination of about 41.5 degrees,” the document points out.
    
    “During this period, Starlink satellites launched by Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) of the United States of America have had two close encounters with the China Space Station. For safety reasons, the China Space Station implemented preventive collision avoidance control on 1 July and 21 October 2021, respectively.”
    
    “China hereby informs the Secretary-General of the following phenomena which constituted dangers to the life or health of astronauts aboard the China Space Station,” the document states.

    The incident was first flagged by the U.K.’s Express as well as Reuters news agency.

    The UN document can be read at:

    New EVAs

    Meanwhile, China astronauts have just wrapped up about six hours of EVAs.

    China’s taikonauts, Zhai Zhigang and Ye Guangfu, safely returned to the Tianhe space station core module. Female astronaut Wang Yaping stayed inside the module, supporting the spacewalking duo, including operation of the station’s robotic arm.

    This was the fourth time for Chinese astronauts to conduct EVAs during the construction of the country’s space station and the second by the Shenzhou-13 crew.

    Zhai and Ye completed such tasks as adjusting a panoramic camera, tested goods transport, installed hardware for future use and evaluated the EVA spacesuits.

    Accumulated experience

    Yang Yanbo, deputy commander of space mission team, Beijing Aerospace Control Center told China Central Television (CCTV):

    “We have made proper arrangements for the extravehicular activities such as readjusting settings of mechanical arm’s movement and the platform, which allowed astronauts to operate equipment and mechanical arm simultaneously, thus improving the efficiency of extravehicular activities.”

    Zhu Guangchen, deputy chief designer of the space station system at the China Academy of Space Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation said:

    “The extravehicular activities have further tested designs of the core module airlock module, the mechanical arm and the extravehicular suit, and assessed the coordination between space and Earth, which will accumulate experience for the future assembly and construction tasks.”

    Zhou Jianping, chief designer of China’s manned space program, told CCTV:

    “All the tasks have been performed smoothly so far, with key construction technologies tested. All indicators show that the functions and performance of our space station meet the requirements, and some of them are even far better than what we had expected, this laying a solid foundation for the future space station construction and operation.”

    Step-by-step

    China’s space program has successfully completed five launches, five rendezvous and docking missions, and four EVAs since the Tianhe space station core module was sent into Earth orbit on April 29, 2021.

    The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) noted that extravehicular operations are becoming the normal work of the space station flight missions. Chinese astronauts will carry out more and complicated EVAs to provide support for the completion of the construction and the stable operation of the space station.

    The orbiting outpost is to be completed by the end of 2022.

    Six-month mission

    China launched the trio of Shenzhou-13 taikonauts on October 16. The crew is on a six-month mission to construct China’s space station.

    The Shenzhou-13 crew will continue their in-orbit work to greet the coming new year. This is also the first time that Chinese astronauts to greet a new year in space, the CMSA added.

    The CMSA noted that extravehicular operations are becoming the normal work of the space station flight missions. Chinese astronauts will carry out more and complicated EVAs to provide strong support for the successful completion of the construction and the stable operation of the space station.

    The Tianhe core module is the first and main component of the in-construction China space station, informally known as Tiangong (Heavenly Palace).

    Next year, China is to loft new segments of the station.

    To view newly-issued videos regarding the completed 2nd EVAs go to:

    Not enough? Here’s More…

    China said its space station deployed prevention collision avoidance control measures in July and October and called on the US to ‘bear responsibility’
    Rhoda Kwan in Taipei
    
    Mon 27 Dec 2021 20.17 EST
    
    https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/dec/28/china-complains-to-un-after-space-station-is-forced-to-move-to-avoid-starlink-satellites
    .

    Elon Musk sparks China fury as space station takes emergency measures to avoid collision

    Chinese citizens lashed out against the tech billionaire’s space ambitions on Monday after satellites from Starlink Internet Services, a division of Musk’s SpaceX aerospace company, had two “close encounters” with the Chinese space station. According to a document submitted by China to the UN space agency, the incidents occurred on July 1 and October 21.

    In the papers, Beijing complained about how the near-miss incident “constituted dangers to the life or health of astronauts aboard the China Space Station”.

    It said: “During this period, Starlink satellites launched by Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) of the United States of America have had two close encounters with the China Space Station.

    “For safety reasons, the China Space Station implemented preventive collision avoidance control on 1 July and 21 October 2021, respectively.

    “For safety reasons, the China Space Station took the initiative to conduct an evasive manoeuvre in the evening of that day to avoid a potential collision between the two spacecraft.”

    China also cited article VI of the Outer Space Treaty, which was signed by all the space-faring nations of the world and forms the basis of international space law.

    Article VI stated: “States Parties to the Treaty shall bear international responsibility for national activities in outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, whether such activities are carried on by governmental agencies or by non-governmental entities, and for assuring that national activities are carried out in conformity with the provisions set forth in the present Treaty.”

    Social media users erupted on Weibo, which is a Chinese alternative to Twitter.

    One user described Starlink’s satellites as “just a pile of space junk,” while another accused them of being “American space warfare weapons”.

    In an anti-satellite (ASAT) rocket test last month, the Kremlin fired a missile into space to deliberately blow up a redundant satellite.

    However, the debris from the explosion began to hurtle through space towards the ISS, which caused astronauts to take emergency measures.
    Because of this debris, NASA also halted its planned activities as astronauts waited for the storm of debris to pass.

    Playing with FIRE.

    What is the matter with these lunatics?

    I do not believe Elon Musk planned this flight path alone. I believe that it is an intentionally directed trajectory.

    Why do I know? Well, maybe it’s my role in MAJestic. Or, maybe it’s because I studied Astrophysics. In any event the odds of this being an accident is very, very tiny.

    Plus, it is a FACT that ALL American orbital trajectories are monitored and approved by the United States Military USSPACECOM. Space Command. So either the US Military Space Command made a vital and unusual highly-unlikely mistake, or it is intentional.

    So what is going on?

    Is that it?

    China is just going to lodge and register another complaint in the UN that will not be reported anywhere else? Like the Coronavirus being a bio-weapon, eh?

    Hum.

    Don’t be so sure…

    Subject: The countdown has started. China has disabled tracking systems for its ships and aircraft

    https://zen.yandex.ru/media/id/5de7d75a989309354ca25103/poshel-obratnyi-otschet-kitai-otkliuchil-sistemy-otslejivaniia-svoih-morskih-i-vozdushnyh-sudov-61c88da8d6de7d6389691d92?&

    The countdown has started. China has disabled tracking systems for its ships and aircraft

    Yesterday
    134 K reads
    The Chinese navy – both merchant and military – suddenly disappeared. This happened while all the world’s attention is focused on Russia. And her proposals to the United States to withdraw NATO troops away from its borders. Meanwhile, China is taking concrete steps to camouflage thousands of its ships.

    It’s all about the automatic identification system (AIS). This system allows ships to send information for the general use – position, speed, course and name. It is very convenient for tracing global trade chains by market players, increasing the efficiency of their business planning.

    So, according to information from the global provider of shipping data VesselsValue, the number of Chinese vessels sending signals has recently decreased by almost 90% (about a thousand remained in sight).

    It’s all about the new laws of the PRC on the protection of information. Their appearance is very important, as it is an example of the priority of politics over the economy.

    After all, it is obvious that this law interferes with the image of Chinese suppliers. With the winter holidays approaching, the loss of information from China, where six of the top 10 container ports in the world are located, creates additional problems for the economy.CNN Business ).

    But this is not so important for the Chinese leadership now. The fact is that it is the massive gathering of Chinese merchant ships that can peacefully block the island of Taiwan. Isolate the rebellious province from the world. And Western military aid. Now the conditions have been created for such a gathering to be unexpected for everyone.

    But that’s not all. China plans to carry out a similar operation with aircraft. China has banned the download of the Flightradar24 app, claiming its operation poses a threat to military aircraft. The special services seized the relevant equipment. Flightradar24 is a public web service (and application) that allows real-time monitoring of aircraft position, trajectory, altitude and speed.

    I don’t know about Russia, but China is clearly preparing something.

    Yes they are getting ready for something. They are also, among other commodities hoarding grain in unprecedented quantities. Alas, the drums of war…

    But wait… there’s more…

    What do you think about this?
    https://zen.yandex.ru/media/kremlin_whisper/blinken-nazval-konflikt-ssha-s-kitaem-katastrofoi-chto-on-mog-imet-vvidu-i-kakovy-mogut-byt-posledstviia-dlia-ssha-i-kitaia-61b8ff1123760e0db2fe021b?&
    .

    Blinken called the US conflict with China a disaster. What could he have meant and what could be the consequences for the US and China?

    December 15th
    5 thousand reads
    The US is gradually leading itself into a dead end. This was recently confirmed by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken himself, calling a possible conflict with China a disaster. But at the same time, it is almost impossible to avoid such a conflict – there are too many contradictions and very strong competition. What kind of catastrophe will this conflict turn out to be for the United States and China?
    .

    The main reason for the conflict between the United States and China is Taiwan. An island that China considers its own. And the United States supports its independence. Just like with Ukraine, very similar. Also, the United States and China are direct competitors for hegemony and markets for their goods – the States really do not like that China, instead of collecting iPhones for a bowl of rice, makes its own smartphones – Huawei, Oppo, Xiaomi, etc. And many other things besides them.

    There is no need to talk about friendship and cooperation in such conditions. On the contrary, recently the United States and other Western countries announced a boycott of the Beijing Olympics. And if it really comes to a conflict, then for the United States it will really turn out to be a disaster, despite the military superiority. First of all, a catastrophe in the economy and hegemony.

    The fact is that the US already has big problems with the economy. There is not enough money, as before, even for the maintenance of military bases in Afghanistan and Iraq, so the United States withdrew its troops from there. The withdrawal of troops from Iraq ends on December 31. A conflict with China will only make the situation worse.

    China is a leader in the extraction and reserves of rare earth metals, which are used in almost all high-tech products-from iPhones to drones. In the event of a conflict, of course, China will take advantage of this advantage and cut off supplies.

    This will lead to the fact that in the United States there will be factories for the production of high-tech products, without the necessary elements for production. And U.S.-owned factories in China and Taiwan can be nationalized as compensation for the costs of the conflict with the United States. Then the United States will be left without factories at all.

    And the US GDP already consists of only 20% of manufacturing, and 80% of services. And without rare earth metals, even the remaining ones will stand up.

    There will be no factories and no profits – we will have to withdraw troops and close military bases in other countries. After all, US military spending exceeds $ 700 billion a year. And the lion’s share of these expenses is the maintenance of military bases. If they are closed, then the United States ceases to be the hegemon of the planet, and becomes an ordinary regional power on its continent.

    Now about the struggle for the island of Taiwan. China is very close to it:

    And the US is on the other side of the world. Can you imagine how much fuel you will have to buy from Russia in order to fit warships there and ensure regular supplies in the event of a conflict? And it is not known whether Russia will even help the United States with fuel in the event of a conflict with China.

    The path is not close and expensive
    .

    Also, the Americans will immediately be left with empty shelves, just like it was in the USSR. Because it is China that is the main trading partner of the United States, which supplies almost everything to America-from underwear to smartphones.

    According to the results of 2020, the trade turnover between the United States and China amounted to 582 billion dollars. The Chinese themselves will somehow survive a break in trade ties with the United States. There are 1.4 billion of them. That’s 4.2 times the population of the United States.

    So you can reorient your production to the huge domestic market. But what will the Americans do if they are left with empty shelves? Not otherwise, they will storm the Capitol again.

    “Will get” and the US allies. For example, in Europe. It also trades with China ($586 billion). euro) and with the United States ($631 billion). euro). If China takes American production on its territory as compensation, then the United States will simply have nothing to trade with Europe.

    And it will be very difficult for Europe to trade with China because of the military actions. European businesses and production facilities also largely depend on the supply of components from China. It is not in the European interest to break supply chains and suffer losses.

    This, in turn, will lead to the fact that the US allies will start to “run away” from where to where – some will turn to face Russia, others to China. Because who wants to lose profit because of the desire of the weakening US to prove something to China? We were friends with the United States only as long as they were strong.

    Finally, the most valuable asset that the US still has – the dollar-will lose its status. Who would want the currency of a country whose economy would collapse like a house of cards in the event of a real conflict with China?

    So it turns out that in the event of such a conflict, the United States loses everything – the dollar, production, allies, hegemony, goods on the shelves of its stores, and ultimately its country. We survived the 90’s, and the Americans are left without iPhones, grandeur and toilet paper, it is unlikely to endure.

    China, of course, will also suffer some losses. Especially in technology, because many Chinese products are just copies of Western ones. But in recent years, the Chinese have also learned to develop their own technologies, so they will somehow adapt. And if something goes wrong, they have nuclear weapons, the use of which will cause unacceptable damage to the United States. That’s why Blinken called it a disaster.

    And a comment from <redacted>

    I loved reading this. -MM

    That’s gigantic news !

    The KFC-AZAEL (Kakistocratic Feudal Conglomerate of the Anglo-Zio-American EstabLishment) knows that their window of opportunity is narrowing or even closing. Now that their clumsy & laughable maneuvers to destroy the Sino-Russian Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Coordination for a New Era obviously failed, they’ll have to do something big and probably utterly stupid. Two years ago, I still thought the window of opportunity for them is about a decade… Of course, I might have been brainwashed by the ravings of Stratfor (“Strategic forecast” & al) “predicting” or rather “predictively programming” people to believe that World War III will most probably happen in the 2030s…

    But now, it’s not far-fetched to say it’s in the order of 2-3 years, 5 years max. After that, the process of Integration of the World Island will simply be too relentless to do anything humanly conceivable to stop it. Even now, I dare say it’s too late for the KFC-AZAEL. Xinjiang is perfectly under control, their little terrorists have been neutered.

    The Shanghai Cooperation Organization has a permanent RATS (Regional Anti-Terrorists Structure) Executive Committee based in Tashkent. The Air Base just north of Kabul abandoned by the US since August 15 this year. Power of Siberia 2 going through Mongolia as the Chinese wanted to keep the Mongols interested by what the SCO can offer them, is there to stay. Russia & India will from now on settle their commerce in rubles and rupees. Russia & China in rubles and yuan (renminbi, RMB). The Russian SPFS (System for Transfert of Financial Messages) & the Chinese CIPS (Cross-Border Interbank Payment System) will replace the SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications) if needed. Under the aegis of President Hu Jintao & President Xi Jinping, the Chinese decapitated the CIA network in Mainland China between 2010 and 2015 essentially. Peace is restored in Hong-Kong since the Law on National Security (July 2020), the color Revolution (Yellow Umbrella) an utter failure.

    THAT CHINA COULD ATTEMPT SOMETHING IN THE NEXT WEEKS/MONTHS IS NOT FAR-FETCHED GIVEN THE INTERNATIONAL LANDSCAPE AND BOTH THE RUSSIAN AND THE CHINESE LEADERSHIPS CONCLUDED THAT THEY CAN NO LONGER SEE THE PEOPLE IN D.C. AS HONORABLE RATIONAL AGENTS AND IT’S TIME TO ACT.

    And I strongly suggest that this time, the Russian & Chinese moves are coordinated even if there are no glaring signs. Putin & Xi talked on December 15 as everyone in this group knows… They will talk again in person, face to face, in about 5 weeks and nothing prevents them to talk by phone meantime. I wish the KFC-AZAEL is mad enough to start a suicidal double move on Ukraine & Taiwan…It would be a dazzling “SUEZ MOMENT” for all to watch…

    Ushakov & Ryabkov from the Russian MOFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) were quite assertive in their speeches to NATO on RUSSIAN RED LINES. They are fed up, they are autonomous for food, they have the Asian market for oil and gas, they have hypersonic weapons & the unwavering and enlightened Chinese backing.

    China, usually so “sotto voce” in the international landscape, declared firmly & clearly that Russia has her support for Ukraine & the gas imbroglio with the EU or as I call them with affection, the Euro-Noodles…

    Yes, Blinken is right to say that the conflict with China is a disaster and the article elaborating on it is crystal clear  with the facts it offered. The US recent!y went back on the diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games and asked for 40 visas instead of 18 for US officials (diplomatic farce or plans of sabotage once in China?)

    I believe our distinguished colleague Metallic Man was in the right when he wrote so precisely on the attempts to destroy China by multiple pathogens attacks during the last 4 to 5 years. BUT WHY CAN’T THEY OFFER SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT RATIONAL IN ORDER TO IMPROVE THINGS ??? WELL, OLD HABITS DIE HARD… Too simplistic an explanation ? Maybe not so simplistic but at the heart of plutocratic/oligarchical/closed mindset…

    People having bullied without any consequences the weak, the poor and the downtrodden for centuries cannot TRULY IMAGINE they might lose this time. It’s not wired in their brains. PSYCHOPATHS HAVE DIFFERENTS BRAINS (ANATOMICALLY AT THE MICROSCOPIC LEVEL AND PHYSIOLOGICALLY) in term of emotivo-rational integration for decision-making and action compared to the normal people, so they’re much more prone to stay in their usual ruts than the average man and will NOT take note of the danger signals. I imagine Putin & Xi scratching their heads and asking to themselves, what to do and with the least “collateral damages” possible on the global stage ?

    Just read History, dying empires always fell into the trap of hubris & over-reach and the rest is…History…

    Sometimes, taking into account the decisions coming from the US government, in my feverish imagination & wishful thinking, I fantasize some Chinese agents must be present at the White House…

    The easiest and most probable explanation for me can be given in one word : HUBRIS.

    SOME PEOPLE ACTUALLY THINK ” THE UNIPOLAR MOMENT” IS STILL A REALITY.

    And let’s not forget this lesson coming from the Ancient Greeks :
    WHOM THE GODS WANT TO DESTROY, THEY FIRST MADE MAD…

    The KFC-AZAEL wants a New World Order ? A Reset ? They will get one but maybe not the one they wished for…

    But, as they say in French : l’homme propose & Dieu dispose…
    Qui vivra verra…

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 2

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    America is withdrawing all interactions regarding China. A for-positive sign of a war-stance.

    Yeah. I cannot deny it any longer. There is no question that America is ready to launch a war. Well, I tried. But you know, you all can’t stop a stampede of buffalo. Sigh. Let’s just document some of the evidence. Where even the most hopeful and optimistic must sigh resigned.

    The evidence is everywhere. America is on a war-footing.

    Yahoo!

    Well, Yahoo! disentangled. Not that it mattered to me that much. But, you know, it’s pretty fucking selective. No problem with Cameroon, Kenya, Zambia, or Bolivia. Of the entire world, ONLY China is excluded.

    Here’s what you get when you try to access Yahoo inside of China…

    Yahoo splash screen.

    LinkedIN

    Now, LinkedIN is another story all together. I use that platform to connect with industry and colleagues and look for business opportunities. Even though I am an American, accessing it from inside of China throws me into the most lame version I have ever seen.

    LinkedIN splash.

    And then what happens when I sign in?

    Why I get a PDF version of my profile. That’s it. No connections. No access to services. No way for me to recruit for careers. Zilch. It’s just a big nothing.

    Of course…

    Let’s keep it real. Companies can do whatever they want to do, and it they want to disentangle from the Asian market, it is their choice.

    China prevented Google, and Facebook; both mega-software internet companies for working inside of China because they routinely violated the Chinese privacy laws.

    But this is different.

    You see, let’s put it in simple terms; money and market.

    The following is from the United States own government (and propaganda) outlets. Which means that it is biased towards making the USA look good. Even when trying to make America look better, it looks like shit compared to China.

    Comparison.

    Obviously, no matter how you spin it, Chinese economy is climbing and the Chinese consumer market is exploding!

    So why turn your back on it?

    What’s going on?

    By every metric, China is superior and surpassing the West…

    It’s not just readership. It’s not just technology. It’s not just manufacturing. It’s everything.

    Education; best universities

    Disposable income

    Manufacturing

    America in 2021 is somewhere around tenth in global manufacturing.

    e-commerce

    America has Amazon. In China, everything is e-commerce.

    Again, keeping it real…

    America’s population is 330 million people. Of that, (at best) 40% are middle class = 132 million people, plus the 5% of the wealthy = market of 148.5 million people.

    China’s population is 1.6 billion people. (1600 million). Of that, 85% are middle class with the wealthy being around 6% = market is 1456 million people.

    • USA consumer market = 148 million people.
    • China consumer market = 1460 million people.

    The Chinese market is roughly TEN TIMES the market of America.

    Anyone desirous of cutting off this market is NOT doing so because of opportunity, profits, industry, commerce or fiance. They are doing so because of politics. It’s obvious.

    Know your history.

    And history shows us that politically driven decisions end up being disastrous for the people, the companies, and the nations so involved. Don’t go down that dark and scary road.

    Of Course… the situation is eroding fast

    America is in a tail-spin. Not just collapsing, but collapsing in every which way possible, and the only way out is to throw themselves in front of the policeman and get shot to death.

    video 4MB

    The government funded media (and they ARE funded to the tune of $330 million dollars every year) are propping up the illusion that America is still great.

    Like by using the GDP instead of PPP.

    Which, as I have said before is just a big lie.

    Sally has one dollar and can buy two apples with it.
    
    Joe has ten dollars but can only buy one apple with it.
    • GDP says that “Joe” is doing better.
    • PPP says that “Sally” is doing better.

    In my mind, of course, Sally is doing better. She has a full stomach. While Joe is left wanting.

    Yeah. Sigh.

    And here is a typical propaganda piece being doled out to the clueless inside of America. I swear it looks more and more like George Orwell’s 1984 than anything else in history.

    “She had become a physical necessity, something that he not only wanted but felt he had the right to,” ― George Orwell

    Ah. Looks so professional, and clear. But that is the illusion. They are using a false metric. Using GDP is an economic “measurement”. What a big lie and what a big farce, and shame on all of you for believing it.

    American echo chamber.

    Heritage is a neocon operation inside of the USA.

    It is purposeful distortions to keep Americans (the West) ignorant.

    Here’s an interview with a VOA journalist. VOA is the US governments main propaganda arm that oversees most all “news”. It is funded by the NED, which is turn is funded out of the CIA. Listen and learn. video 60MB

    A Sanity Check

    Please do a sanity check.

    If China’s unemployment is 27%, and America’s is a mere 14%, then where are all those Chinese tent cities, Chinese crime, and Chinese starvation that you can see all over the inside of the USA.

    If America was really, REALLY, doing that well, then there wouldn’t be so much unemployment, tent cities, and crime.

    video 7MB

    GDP vs. PPP.

    The next video is so typical of American life. It does NOT exist inside of China. America is a land with a million, million tiny hands in your wallet.

    video 2MB

    We all need to avoid echo chambers.

    Yet they persist and are dangerous.

    Here’s some examples…

    This is from the “Financial Times” in an article titled “Healthy nutrition trends shake up Chinese consumer market”

    Funny. All Chinese eat healthy. It’s part of their culture. There’s no “shake up”. Jeeze!

    And check out the picture that they use…

    No one in China uses paper money any more. They haven’t for at least a decade.

    Why do I say this is fake?

    No one in China uses paper money any more. They haven’t for at least a decade. It is available. But usually, it is the poor and the elderly that use it. The vast number of transactions are done electronically. It’s call “QR scanning”. It’s the norm in China, and has been so for the last decade.

    Here’s another example…

    Can you spot what’s wrong with this picture?

    What’s wrong with this picture?

    No one in China eats “just plain” noodles.

    They eat delicious dishes. Sometimes it’s noodles, but if it’s noodles, you can be guaranteed that there is a meat and a vegetable with it. Fast food noodles are popular as a snack only. And starving students, and hard workers (trying to save money) will resort to them. But it is NOT NOT NOT what the Chinese people eat for lunch.

    This is what they really eat for lunch.

    A real Chinese lunch.

    I’m surprised at the gullibility of Americans. Hasn’t anyone ever been to a Chinese-American restaurant? Sheech!

    And this…

    A real Chinese lunch.

    And this…

    A real Chinese lunch.

    And this…

    A real Chinese lunch.

    And yes, you can get noodles to eat.

    It’s a quick SNACK.

    A snack.

    It’s NOT a lunch meal. Jeeze!

    You all need to avoid echo chambers, and America is doubling down and latching the hatches turning the American echo chamber into an echo pressure cooker.

    Already the Americans want war. They desire it. There’s raw hate there.  It’s not as Biden says “a competition”, the American media machine and the funding efforts are all directed towards war. DO NOT WISH FOR THAT. YOU ALL HAVE NO CLUE WHAT THAT WILL MEAN.

    Now… good news and bad news

    As I have stated previously, America has passed the point where there would be a position of military superiority. Amy war would be an absolute bloodbath fiasco on American soil, and so all the hate China bullshit can hate all you want. It’s just going to make the collapse and fall of “the great experiment” so much more painful.

    Russia and China are watching the collapse in real-time.

    Americans, and their “leadership”, are all in caged “echo chambers”. Delirious of their own notions of power and ability, and ignorant of the rest of the world.  It’s a true shame. It really is. But that’s what’s going on.

    I could show you about the Chinese military, and how they are nothing like what is being portrayed in the American media. But that’s all so 2019. Today, we are going to do something a little bit different.

    We are going to talk about YOU, and what YOU can do while the rest of the world around you spins down the anus of madness.

    We start with this funny little piece to lighten up the mood.

    Chinese old movie with English voice over by an Urban Ethnic American

    I get a big chuckle every time I watch this.

    video 6.1MB

    Yeah. The United States can do what ever it wants.

    I can tell you that I am in the safest nation on the planet, and that’s a FACT.

    And whatever caldron is brewing inside of America right now, know that it is not reality. It is a big illusion and soon its going to boil over and make a big mess in the kitchen. I am here to tell you that YOU NEED NOT WORRY about that. The fear is greater than the reality.

    It is NOT going to happen like anyone thinks.

    It will be quite different. Say! How John Boltons’ Bio-Warfare effort against China working out? Not what he planned, eh?

    Instead concentrate on yourself.

    Concentrate on your life. Concentrate on your family.

    These are important skills.

    Start NOW.

    It’s the MM way; right here. Vocalized. video 3MB

    Show care. Care.

    It’s YOUR life. Participate. video 3.6MB

    It’s not the goal. It’s the journey

    Yah. You have heard that all before. But it is true. Start walking the steps of being a Rufus. Act a little bit nicer. smile more. Be the best that you can be. Do great things.

    video 2MB

    And… stop over thinking.

    Stop over thinking every fucking thing. Start accepting things as they are. Not as you want them to be. Accept the situations that are in front of you.

    In the movie “Bronco Billy”, Gunny Holiday had his squad adapt to the situation with the tee-shits. Every day they would have to adapt to the tee-shirts that the DI wore. Eventually they got it worked out. And they adapted.

    Video 2.5MB

    And… treat others as you want to be treated.

    This means everything. Especially in your relationships. You know, the biggest influence on your life is the person whom you spend the most time with. They will influence your life the most. Treat them properly, and they should treat you properly back. If they do not, then find someone else.

    It’s called “life”.

    video 8MB

    And please… be patient.

    Be patient. There is something that I have learned. Affirmations take time. Stop thinking in terms of the nonsense generated out of Hollywood. It’s not real. It’s a fiction. Things. Take. Time.

    video 5MB

    Remember… grit

    It’s how much you know. Nor is it how much money you have. It’s not the grades you had in school, or the friends you have now. It’s not where you live or the kind of car that you drive. It’s all about how long you can take the hits and keep on going.

    It’s all about your grit.

    video 5MB

    The world is changing.

    If you are doing your prayer affirmations, you and your world will be changing. Do not be afraid of it.

    It’s full of opportunities. Accept the change.

    video 4MB

    I know, I know…

    Yeah. I get it. All this stuff is boring. You want something else, don’t you.

    video 15MB

    You are unique and untamed.

    No one can and should tell you who you are or how you should act. You define what your life is. No one else does. But others can show you what worked for them, and then you can decide to copy it or ignore it.

    video 3MB

    Find your niche.

    Is being the best boxer the one who can hit the hardest? Is it the one that can stay in the ring the longest? Is it the one who can endure hit after hit after hit. Or is it a combination of all three. Find your niche.

    video 7MB

    Be the “Tiger Mom”

    As you work hard, inspire others to succeed. Play the role. Together we can all make the world a better place.

    video 6MB

    Realize that America has become a character; a joke

    It’s not what America is, but the actions of it’s crazed government, and the behaviors of many of it’s citizenry clearly point towards humor. But you are not what other people(s) think. You are unique. Be the best that you can be and let the rest of the world howl.

    video 5MB

    Remember, everything concerning you is YOUR responsibility

    It’s not the governments. It’s not your spouse. It’s not your parents. It’s not your school. It’s not your job, or your carrier. It’s your responsibility, and yours alone. It is all up to YOU.

    video 5MB

    The rest of the world is moving on

    Stop looking in the rear view mirror. Realize that America is spending trillions of dollars on wars, public opinion to create wars, fears to control the citizenry and bribes to selected minority groups. It’s all a big black hole that sucks in the money and lays waste to those around it.

    Meanwhile the rest of the world is moving on.

    Be the best you can be. Inspires others, and have a great life together. You choose your life. You define what it will be, you plan to make that life happen and you direct ALL of your energies in that direction. Live the MM lifestyle.

    Here’s where I live. Beautiful Zhuhai China.

    Video 5MB

    .

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings 2

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
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    Rufus behaviors in a world gone mad. We all need to make the world a better place.

    Here’s some fine Rufus inspirational videos to remind you that the world needs you. It needs you RIGHT NOW. You need to participate and make this world a better place. You need to go forth and help others, to participate in your community and to add calmness and kindness to the world that surround you. Be the Rufus.

    What do I mean by being a Rufus?

    The term “Rufus” is well known to long time visitors to MM. It describes service-to-others (STO) sentience and the related behaviors rather than the service-for-self (STS) sentience behaviors of the vast bulk of humanity. The details on sentience selection and why it is important are sprinkled throughout the Majestic Index.

    Rufus is a state of behavior. A Rufus puts the community before him / her self. They do things without a profit motive of any type. They are kind, helpful and when they walk down the street they smile at people and make them feel good.

    In some ways, being a Rufus lends itself to heroic actions, but in other ways it refers to being a significant person located in a geographic region.

    While the rest of the world scrambles and claws towards money and power, and leaves a destitute and stripped world behind, a Rufus nurtures the world. He / she uses their creative abilities to make the world a better place.

    You can go to my RUFUS INDEX. Start at the top and start reading all the posts. If after article 75, you still have questions, I will try to explain it to you better.

    Long time readers recognize being a Rufus is showing kindness to others, being a hero when necessary, participating in the community and working to make OUR world a better place to live in. Chinese members of MM will recognize it as the expectations of volunteerism required of the Chinese Communist party, but that is just a name. It’s all people working together towards a common goal.

    Some of these videos might take some time to load. Just click on the "video" link and allow it to load in a new tab or window. It will load faster that way.

    I have received numerous comments (that I did not publish on MM) by people complaining that I didn’t have enough Rufus videos showing people in America being kind, helping others, and doing good deeds. Well, I tried to put the ones up that I could find, it’s just that they really don’t exist much in the for-profit every-man-for-himself nations. I have tons of police shootings, black people store robberies, car jackings, and videos of poverty stricken homeless from the USA. But Rufus behaviors. Not much.

    Sorry.

    We start with some hard working people. Just everyday people who do the dirty, nasty work, alone. In China they give most of their money to their families who live far away, and for years they work alone, pushing and striving to make the family live a comfortable life. This first video is for you … “average Joe”.

    Rufus rescue in the ice

    Be the Rufus. Make your life worthwhile. video 6MB

    Saying goodbye to our beloved pets.

    Video 20MB

    You define who you are

    video 6MB

    Rufus Prevents a purse robbery

    video 6.5MB

    Bruce Lee

    You must flow like water. video 2MB

    Rufus compilation

    video 103MB

    An imbalance of power

    Or, the perception of one’s power. As in the case of the United States today.

    Video 4MB

    Rocky tells it like it is.

    You gotta be the best you can be. video 6MB

    When there is a problem, a community of Rufus’s come together

    Everyone pulls their weight. Everyone contributes. Everyone participates. video 14MB

    Rufus compilation

    A bunch of examples of fine Rufus behaviors. video 75MB

    Rufus feeds a begger

    Not that common in China any longer. But an opportunity to help out a fellow human in need. Be the Rufus. 7MB

    Rufus dad teaches his daughter

    Kindness. Compassion. Understanding. video 8MB

    A fitting end to this article

    Have some compassion and know that YOU have a purpose on this planet. Help others. Be the best you can be. Be kind. And you will find that the world around you will also become kind, calm and peaceful. Participate in life. video 32MB

    More Great Links in my Rufus Index here…

    Check them out… Rufus Index .

    More stuff…

    Master Index .

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

    Is America going to finally catch up to China? A look at Bidens “Build Back Better” trillions in investment

    Oh my goodness! Trillions of dollars in rebuilding America. That means roads, bridges, trains, infrastructure, and factories. Trillions of dollars in spending. There is no doubt that with this enormous outlay of spending that American can catch up and overtake China. The inflation will be worth it. Right? Don’t be so sure.

    There’s not much in the way of actual STEM budgeting. It’s all FIRE nonsense. Here we talk about it.

    The White House’s official press release announcing the Build Back Better Act (BBB) pitches it as a “PLAN TO REBUILD THE MIDDLE CLASS.” It rhapsodizes about “working families” squeezed by the economy, and reminds voters that “Biden promised to rebuild the backbone of the country — the middle class.”

    A cartoon illustrates the sort of person who would benefit from Biden’s Build Back Better programs: “Linda,” a white woman, who works at a manufacturing plant but struggles to raise her son, “Leo.”

    One thing the White House’s official press release did not mention is that almost all of the $2 trillion doled out under BBB is expressly designated for Black, Latino, Native American, Asian American, Pacific Islander and non-English speaking individuals. White Americans will get nothing and like it.

    “Even provisions that don’t explicitly exclude whites, turn out, on closer examination, to exclude whites.”
    .

    Over and over again, the bill is written expressly NOT to help the hardworking Linda, apparently because she is white.

    Here are just a few examples:

    — $1 billion to Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian communities for housing “needs.”

    — $500 million for minority-serving schools of medicine.

    — $112 million for teacher preparation programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs).

    — $75 million for culturally appropriate care management and services for older individuals who are racial and ethnic minorities or are underserved due to sexual orientation or gender identity.

    — $75 million to study maternal health for pregnant and postpartum minority individuals.

    — $50 million study maternal mortality among minorities.

    — $50 million to improve behavioral health outcomes for communities of color with substance abuse.

    — $75 million to increase research capacity at minority-serving institutions.

    And on and on and on.

    The very first item in Title II of the bill, titled “ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION,” is a program to distribute more than $100 million in grants to address “low diversity within the teacher and school leader workforce.”

    To be eligible for a grant, the recipient must have a plan “to increase the diversity of qualified individuals entering into the teacher, principal, or other school leader workforce.”

    Similarly, the first provision of BBB’s “ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT” section is: “Minority Business Development Agency.”

    But wait — here’s a plot twist!

    This part also includes something for rural America! (So Democrats have heard of Appalachia.)

    Twenty-one percent of the country is rural. Twenty-four percent is non-white. Guess how the money is divvied up?

    One billion dollars for minorities and $200 million for “rural business centers.”

    Even provisions that don’t explicitly exclude whites, turn out, on closer examination, to exclude whites. I’ve never seen so many synonyms for “non-white,” such as “persistent poverty communities,” “historically economically distressed,” “historical injustice” and “underserved communities.”

    Hang on, Ann — what makes you think “underserved” means “non-white”?

    I refer you to page 111 of the bill:
    
    “This section also defines an ‘underserved community’ as a group of people who have been systematically denied the full opportunity to participate in aspects of economic, social, and civic life. Underserved communities include Black, Latino, Indigenous and Native American persons, Asian American and Pacific Islanders, other persons of color, [etc.].”

    How about changes to our environmental laws?

    White people love the environment!

    Sorry, out of luck, again, white boy. BBB allocates almost $7 billion for …

    “national service programs to carry out projects related to climate resilience and mitigation.”
    Unfortunately, however, all those billions have to go to 
    
    “entities that serve and have representation from low-income communities …; utilize culturally competent and multilingual strategies; … implemented by diverse participants from communities being served.”

    One billion dollars of the “Climate Resilience and Mitigation” loot is specifically directed to “individuals who were formally incarcerated.” [Sic.]

    Sure, climate change is important — but not as important as giving money to convicted felons!

    What the hell happened to Linda?

    Linda is wearing a hardhat, so her job has probably been outsourced. Maybe she’ll be helped by BBB’s humongous expansion of the Trade Adjustment Assistance program (TAA).

    That’s the law passed in the 1960s to compensate American workers whose jobs have been shipped abroad by globalist swine who couldn’t care less about their fellow Americans and don’t mind that every single thing we need, including masks and medicine, is made in China.

    Surely, some white people will qualify for that — steelworkers, autoworkers, glass, plastic and paper manufacturing employees.

    In fact, the BBB hijacks the whole idea of compensating globalism’s losers and turns the TAA into just another massive welfare scheme.

    Both the eligibility requirements and payment amounts are expanded beyond all reason, entitling “workers” to years and years of payouts, with no minimum employment period required, and no stipulation that trade has anything to do with the loss of their jobs.

    Thus, for example, a program that is — again — meant to remunerate workers whose jobs were shipped abroad will now offer assistance to public sector employees.

    How does a government employee lose a job at all — much less to trade? (I only wish we had Chinese people running our grade schools.)

    Naturally, states will be required to work with “training providers” that have a proven track record serving “Black, Latino, Indigenous and Native American persons, Asian American and Pacific Islanders, other persons of color, members of other minority communities” and so on.

    Republicans seem to think that if they just talk about how much Biden’s BBB plan costs, their job is done. They ought to read the bill. It might prompt them to finally say something about the Democrats’ clear animus against white Americans.    

    Conclusion

    Imagine. Imagine trillions of dollars going into these urban enclaves to serve the 13% of society. What will be the result? Will it be many bright and shining cities full of impressive skyscrapers, fast high speed trains, and more parks and infrastructure?

    Where will the money go to, and who will have it, and what will they use it on? Because you KNOW that there is going to be a lot of holes in those massive sacks of money. So who is going to really benefit?

    • The under-employed and under-privileged?
    • Or the very wealthy that runs the cities like the mob bosses of old?

    And of the money that flows to these areas, and those that flow out, what about the rest of the nation? Like Trump’s budget that make the Wall Street Bankers fantastically wealthy, this is poised to make the city mob bosses fantastically wealthy as well.

    Who will not get wealthy?

    I see the makings of a massive and colossal storm, and I do not want to be at ground zero when it hits. Look I am not being racist, I am being real. You just cannot exclude people from a budget by their race, upbringing or social standing on a whim and NOT expect consequences.

    I am worried about those consequences.

    And you should be as well.

    It wouldn’t be so bad if there was some balance in the budget, but there isn’t any. It’s all a lopsided manifestation of corruption.

    I have no answers, but I see no real changes anywhere in government structure. Just more of the same race baiting, underhand dealings and crime and corruption. For a nation that is supposed to be color-blind to race, this bill is the most racist document I have ever heard and read about. And that is disturbing. Because, knowing what I do know about the see-saw of American politics, that when the tide of public opinion flows in the other direction…

    …things are going to get really, really bad. video 26MB

    Ann said

    How does a government employee lose a job at all — much less to trade? (I only wish we had Chinese people running our grade schools.) 

    Well, it would American schools look like then? Well they would look like this…

    Here’s a video about the roll call in first grade. video 25MB

    Here’s a video on school food discipline, and eating everything that is on your plate. video 40MB

    School; it would look like this. video 83MB

    Second grade roll call. China. Discipline. video 6MB

    School assembly practice. And it would look like this. video 55MB

    And it would look like this. video 25MB

    And like this too. video 27MB

    America really needs to up it’s game instead of playing the blame game and pointing fingers. It needs to accept that the government is a travesty, the society is fucked up, and it is in it’s death thrall.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts like this in my New Beginnings 2 index here… New Beginnings 2 .

    More Links

    Master Index .

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

    China sitrep December 2021

    Oh my goodness!

    Amazing skills of Chinese Kids

    Video 2MB

    “Given the gigantic scale of China’s achievements, anyone with sense in the world will study these intently.”

    – There was a time when such things needed not be said.

    Impressive speed of Change in China

    Really impressive. Video 5MB

    China is part of the solution

    Video 1.5MB

    Chinese vs. American “democracy”

    Video 5.8MB

    China and Cambodia relations

    Contrary to the bullshit “news” out of the “West” China is great friends with it’s neighbors. Here’s a brief interview worthy of review. video 8MB

    .

    Sitrep: Here Comes China – Taking the lead – a dialogue on democracy in China

    By Amarynth for the Saker Blog including a number of data points from Godfree Roberts

    Did you know that a huge International Forum on Democracy is ongoing in China right now?  This is before the supposed Biden “Summit on Democracy” which is an attempt to divide the world into Democracies and Autocracies, according to the wishes of the rules-based international order.

    As we have seen so often from China, they acted with incredible speed and presented their own high-quality International Forum.  They also published a Chinese White Paper on Democracy and it outlines how their Whole Process People’s Democracy functions for their people:  http://en.people.cn/n3/2021/1204/c312369-9928374.html

    In addition, China released a full report on the state of US democracy:  http://www.news.cn/english/2021-12/05/c_1310352578.htm

    Interesting to note the tussle for the meaning of ‘democracy’ between PRC, or rather CPC, and the Empire in the CGTN piece.

    https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-12-04/Opening-ceremony-of-international-forum-on-democracy-begins-in-Beijing-15IRPiuCnsI/index.html

    China has learned over the past three years how to defend itself against accusations coming from the combined Western influence sphere.  Although we know that the media in general still balances toward the combined Western Sphere, there is now a serious contender in the room with the ability, incredible speed of implementation, track record, education, and creative expressive talent to gain media supremacy in getting their message to the world.

    Oh, the poor ‘partners’ …

    Australia

    The ‘partners’ are being led by their noses.  The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that the US and its allies are the “biggest beneficiaries” of Australia’s trade row with China. Washington is in bed with Canberra, at the same time, it points the finger at Beijing and in the background, it picks up Australia’s lost Chinese trade.  So, simply stated, all the trade that Australia lost in their trade row with China, from coal to iron ore to meat, the US quietly picked up.

    Taiwan

    From Taiwan, I hear a similar activity is taking place but this is not yet confirmed by the needed 3 sources.  The idea of keeping the issues with Taiwan hot, is that the Taiwanese semiconductor foundry company (TSMC), the biggest employer in Taiwan with a raft of supporting industries around it, is being moved lock, stock, barrel, and existence to new facilities in Arizona.  We will wait for more confirmation, but this is a very dangerous move to make, as TSMC is not only the biggest semiconductor company in the world, the industry itself depends on a highly educated and trained workforce.  The Taiwanese workforce will lose its lunch.

    But…

    Following the US sanctions, China’s government stood up and took notice, and, being China, it wasn’t long before they developed a long term plan: Build from the ground up an entirely China developed chip manufacturing system that is 100% free from foreign companies and intellectual property.

    Beijing hired over 100 TSMC specialists to help build their own semi-conductor industry and has been diligently building its own chips so it is not reliant on Taiwan:

    https://sputniknews.com/20200812/beijing-seeks-100-tsmc-chip-staff-in-bid-to-boost-chinese-tech-self-reliance-in-major-trade-war-1080143216.html

    To that end, a couple of years ago China set up several institutes of technology dedicated to training the physicists, engineers and workers needed to develop chip manufacturing techniques and technology that is free of western IP. The timetable is to be able to bulk manufacture 14nm chips (think PC desktops from two years ago) by 2024, to manufacture the current generation of chips by 2028 and to be equal with the best in the world by 2030.

    The Chinese know that the “silicon tech route” is nearing its end and so they know that they can’t win the competition following that route. So their investments in the silicon route will remain limited.

    The thinking in China is now focused on what comes after “Moore’s Law”. They know that the West is invested in the silicon route and needs to recuperate its huge investments by generating profits in that route. This means that the West will not be able to focus its investments on newer routes for the foreseeable future. Such a situation is seen as an opportunity : few competitors and the potential to being first to master these new technological routes.

    Chinese technology institutes are fully immersed in these new routes. And huge investments are now being realized to try to leapfrog the Western Silicon Route by focusing on carbon chips or photonic-chips that seem to promise far higher speeds and far lower energy consumption…


    China’s New Hypersonic Aircraft Is Based on a Rejected NASA Design

    And it can go faster than five times the speed of sound.

    A team of researchers in China has built and tested a prototype hypersonic flight engine that is allegedly based on a design that was scrapped by NASA over 20 years ago, according to a report from the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

    The prototype itself might not lead to a production version of hypersonic aircraft. Still, in a paper in the Journal of Propulsion Technology, the team behind the machine said “understanding its work mechanism can provide important guidance to hypersonic plane and engine development.” 

    NASA’s scrapped X-47C program is revived

    The original design was proposed by Ming Han Tang, a former chief engineer of NASA’s hypersonic program in the late 1990s. Tang’s Two-Stage Vehicle (TSV) X-plane design was at the center of the Boeing Manta X-47C program, as per the SCMP report. However, before the program could verify the viability of the design, it was terminated by the U.S. government due to its high costs as well as a series of technical issues.

    Unlike the majority of hypersonic aircraft proposals, which feature an engine on the underside, the TSV X-plane design by Tang has two separate engines on each side. At lower speeds, the engines work as normal turbine jet engines. With no moving parts, the configuration then allows the aircraft to quickly switch to high-speed mode to accelerate to more than five times the speed of sound.

    Now, Professor Tan Huijun and colleagues at the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics in Jiangsu, China, have constructed a prototype based on Tang’s original specifications. They were able to do this due to the fact that the blueprints for the Boeing Manta X-47C program were declassified in 2011. Huijun and his team tested the prototype in a wind tunnel that allows testing in conditions resembling flight at Mach 4 to Mach 8. The tests revealed that Tang’s proposed engine design works in these conditions, meaning they should be able to conduct further tests and build new iterations of their prototype. 

    The race to go hypersonic

    The U.S. and China are in the midst of a space and aviation race. According to the SCMP article, a number of high-profile Chinese scientists quit NASA and other government engineering firms in the U.S. in the late 90s due to strained relations between the two countries. This reportedly coincided with the start of China’s hypersonic weapons program in the early 2000s.

    China’s space agency recently announced that it is building a fission reactor for the Moon that will reportedly be 100 times more powerful than one in development by NASA. China’s government also announced earlier this year that it will collaborate with Russia on a lunar space station, which will directly rival NASA’s lunar Gateway program. In October, China also launched a hypersonic missile with “an advanced space capability” that took U.S. officials by surprise.

    In July, meanwhile, the U.S. Air Force granted a hypersonic aircraft startup called Hermeus a $60 million contract to develop a prototype aircraft within three years that could travel at speeds of Mach 5 using only one engine. The race to go hypersonic is in full force.

    China facts tell it all.

    Seriously. When you see what the United States is, how it operates, and what it is doing you cannot help but come to the most obvious of obvious conclusions. video 60MB

    Impressions of China

    video 24MB

    How Chinese Democracy works…

    What most people seem not to know is that this internal process of representation in the party is mirrored at the level of state institutions :

    — direct public elections take place at the local level of rural villages (since the nineties if my memory serves me well). Everyone can decide to be a candidate and all villagers can vote for the candidate of their choice. Cities rely on voluntary participation in local “quarters” (sorry I don’t know the right English word). The same goes on in the lowest party structure which is the local cell.

    — the elected officials of the multiple villages then elect their representatives at the district level by choosing among themselves who they think is the most qualified to have authority over themselves in the future.

    — and this representation mechanism is repeated at the higher institutional levels till the top echelon the Political Bureau.

    The West calls democracy the fact of voting for representatives every 4 or 5 years. But in the meantime the citizens have no say over any decisions at the different institutional levels of state power.

    In China things are quite different.

    Representatives, elected directly by the people or elected among themselves, have to implement the will of the people. This is done through various consultation mechanisms.

    Direct consultation means asking for the citizens’ opinions about the texts of a legislation before it is being voted upon… Some legislation texts come for public consultation then are reworked by the Congress and the reworked version comes back for further consultation…

    Indirect consultation means various polling techniques. The implement of the will of the people necessarily implies that congress members know what the people want. Polling in China is not about getting someone elected. It is about legislating according to the will of the people…

    .

    A taste of China

    Dancing at the gateway to the Tibetan plateau. video 4MB

    William Buffet Explains

    Video 2.4MB


    The Chinese are able to save money

    They they can. In a nation that is not for-profit, that cares about the well being of it’s people, of course families can save, strive and grow. video 6MB

    All the latest from Godfree Roberts’ newsletter,

    Here Comes China:

    BeiDou conducted the first inter-satellite and ground station communication using using lasers instead of radio signals, transmitting data a million times faster than radio and increasing satnav accuracy 4000%. Read full article →

    A high-speed railway linking China to landlocked Laos opened Friday. The 660-mile, 160 km/h line runs through mountains and ravines from Kunming to Vientiane. Read full article →

    Premier Li Keqiang says the establishment of a centre in Hong Kong to handle Asia – Africa trade and investment disputes will strengthen the city’s role as an arbitration hub and “provide more convenient and efficient dispute resolution services” for parties in both regions. [It also bypasses the WTO–Ed.] Read full article  →

    China’s service trade rose 13% YoY to $659 billion in the first ten months of the year. Service exports rose 29% YoY, and service imports rose 1%. In October alone, the country’s service trade hit 414 billion yuan, up 24% YoY. Read full article  →

    China now leads the world in trade of both goods and services and its trading partners now cover 230 countries and regions. China contributed 35% of the growth in global imports in the past five years. Read full article  →

    Meeting its carbon goals could save China trillions: China could dodge $134 trillion in climate-related losses by meeting carbon neutrality targe. China is predicted to see an 81% reduction in its accumulative climate-related losses by 2100 if it achieves its carbon neutrality target, according to a new study from think tanks in Beijing and London. Read full article →

    And extreme ethics violation in my view:  In 2018, Dr. He Jiankui shocked the world by announcing that he had used the CRISPR genome-editing technique to alter embryos that were implanted and led to the birth of two children. Today, the children are healthy toddlers and Western researchers want to get their hands on their DNA.  Read full article →

    China has doubled installed renewable energy capacity since 2015, to one billion kW, or 43% of total installation: Wind power generation increased 30% year-on-year (299 million kWs), solar power generation grew 24% (282 million kWs), and hydropower remains at 385 million kWs; Cost inflation delays solar energy expansion. Read full article →

    New groundwater regulations tackle overuse and contamination of 16 billion m³/year of water. Fines could reach  $783,000 daily. Right now 44% of groundwater monitoring stations record Grade V, the lowest water quality. Read full article →

    China is scouring the countryside to find native seed, animal and fish genetic resources in a national germplasm census to protect “family property” and gain self-reliance in crop and animal breeding. “Excellent” plant and animal resources will be protected on company-run farms if they are in danger of extinction or turned over to Chinese breeding companies to exploit their commercial potential to propel Chinese seed companies as global competitors. Read full article →

    Guinea-Bissau and Eritrea join the Belt And Road Initiative. Guinea-Bissau covers 36,125 square kilometres, with a population of 1,874,303, and like China’s Macau, was once part of the Portuguese Empire. Eritrea also signed an MoU with China to join the BRI and is expected to cement China’s presence in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, with interests ranging from a military base to protect shipping, in addition to infrastructure projects in ports and railways. China has been investing in the country for some time. Read full article →

    To conclude, China developed its policies to deal with its national issues. But in so doing it has created both practical and theoretical achievements which are the world’s most advanced. China has never asked other countries to learn from its example, but neither can if forbid them to do so. Given the gigantic scale of China’s achievements anyone with sense in the world will study these intently. The “Resolution on the Major Achievements and Historical Experience of the Party over the Past Century” is therefore not only key for China, it is a document of crucial importance for the entire world. Learning from China.

    China is going to grow a lot more.

    You bet that it will. video 5MB

    China inspirational song

    This is big all over China. Let the Western news media and their idiotic leadership howl. China ain’t taking shit from no one. Deal with it. video 5MB

    How China selects and trains it’s leadership

    So very, very different from the group of morns that run the West these days. It’s actually applaudable. video 80MB

    Chinese High Speed Train

    It’s commonplace all over China. Not a big deal. video 5MB

    Conclusions

    Do your best. Be good, and realize that there are places on the planet that have their act together. China is one of those places.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts like this in my New Beginnings 2 index here… New Beginnings 2 .

    More Links

    Master Index .

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

    A fine Rufus reminder on the entry to a wet tiger year

    It’s a new Chinese year. It’s a water tiger year. And it’s a fine time to remember to be the best that we can possibly be. In this installment, I offer up some fine Rufus inspirational videos that are found throughout the world and inside of China. Remember, that being a Rufus doesn’t depend on your wealth, where you live, what color of skin you have, or your career. It depends on your compassion for those who surround you. Be the Rufus. The world needs people like us.

    Rufus climbs to rescue

    A Rufus does whatever it takes to help and save others. video 4MB

    Rufus dog stops an abduction

    Be the Rufus. If this dog can be a Rufus, what is stopping you? video 2MB

    Rufus’s on the bus

    A real Rufus shows kindness and help when it is needed. Video 3MB

    Save the Baby!

    Rufus breaks into a car to save a baby left inside on a cold, cold day. Video 7MB

    Rufus rescues a woman in distress

    Video 3MB

    A Rufus gives it back

    A Rufus is not part of the for-profit scheme. Instead a Rufus is part of the community and supports others regardless of their roles or their situations. video 14MB

     

    Bus driver stops woman from throwing baby over a bridge

    Yikes! Fast acting Rufus bus driver. Video 3MB

    Rufus Hospital Rescue

    Rufus always ready to help. Video 1.3MB

    Rufus police take down thief

    A society of Rufus’s protecting the rest of us from criminals. Video 3MB

    A Rufus overcomes all obsticles

    It doesn’t matter if it is training, a situation, an illness, money or catastrophe. A Rufus endure and pushes towards success. video. 4MB

    Rufus gives free food to delivery guy

    Show some compassion. Be the Rufus. video 3MB

     

    Rufus stops an abduction

    Always alert, and always ready. Be the Rufus. Video 1MB

    Rufus Parking Ticket

    video 16.9MB

    Facts of Life

    A Rufus knows and understands these important rules of life. video 6.6MB

     

    A simple act of kindness

    You don’t need to be a hero to be a Rufus. You only need to add good things to the world around you. Use your talents. Make people smile. video. 5MB

     

    More Great Links in my Rufus Index here…

    Check them out… Rufus Index .

    More stuff…

    Master Index .

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

    And now on the light side; A look at the Pakistan military

    Have you guys ever seen the pomp and ceremony that constitutes the army and military of Pakistan? Well you should. It’s a sight to behold. Here, we take a moment to watch some videos of the Pakistani military doing various things. I have found it very interesting. I hope that you do as well.

    It’s not what you would think, and it looks like they are making things much more involved and difficult than they need to. But, perhaps that’s their culture. Don’t you know.

    I think it’s all a hoot.

    Firing Artillery

    Impressive video. 3MB

    Changing of the Guard

    Also impressive, and a tad comical. So very British. Video 14MB

    Military in action

    Very organized. Must be very tiring. video 3.1MB

    Conclusion

    Watching the military conduct their procedures and maneuvers is far better than fighting them in a war. Don’t you think? What ever you might think of this bit and their actions, know that when it comes to fighting and using their weapons, they are nothing to take for granted. They are quite capable and serious. And I for one, applaud them.

    I hope that you enjoyed this little glimpse at the nation wedged between India and Afghanistan.

    Oh, and one more thing…

    Be the Rufus

    Here’s a compilation of videos where everyday people, show their appreciation to others. Mostly teachers, janitors, cooks, beggars, drivers, lorry-men, and so forth. Video 60MB

     

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts like this in my Happiness Index here…

    Life & Happiness

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

     

    .

     

    In a world gone crazy, it’s time for everyone to stand up and help others as only a Rufus can

    Here’s some fine Rufus inspirational videos to remind you that the world needs you. It needs you RIGHT NOW. You need to participate and make this world a better place. You need to go forth and help others, to participate in your community and to add calmness and kindness to the world that surround you. Be the Rufus.

    What do I mean by being a Rufus?

    The term “Rufus” is well known to long time visitors to MM. It describes service-to-others (STO) sentience and the related behaviors rather than the service-for-self (STS) sentience behaviors of the vast bulk of humanity. The details on sentience selection and why it is important are sprinkled throughout the Majestic Index.

    Rufus is a state of behavior. A Rufus puts the community before him / her self. They do things without a profit motive of any type. They are kind, helpful and when they walk down the street they smile at people and make them feel good.

    In some ways, being a Rufus lends itself to heroic actions, but in other ways it refers to being a significant person located in a geographic region.

    While the rest of the world scrambles and claws towards money and power, and leaves a destitute and stripped world behind, a Rufus nurtures the world. He / she uses their creative abilities to make the world a better place.

    You can go to my RUFUS INDEX. Start at the top and start reading all the posts. If after article 75, you still have questions, I will try to explain it to you better.

    Long time readers recognize being a Rufus is showing kindness to others, being a hero when necessary, participating in the community and working to make OUR world a better place to live in. Chinese members of MM will recognize it as the expectations of volunteerism required of the Chinese Communist party, but that is just a name. It’s all people working together towards a common goal.

    Some of these videos might take some time to load. Just click on the "video" link and allow it to load in a new tab or window. It will load faster that way.

    I have received numerous comments (that I did not publish on MM) by people complaining that I didn’t have enough Rufus videos showing people in America being kind, helping others, and doing good deeds. Well, I tried to put the ones up that I could find, it’s just that they really don’t exist much in the for-profit every-man-for-himself nations. I have tons of police shootings, black people store robberies, car jackings, and videos of poverty stricken homeless from the USA. But Rufus behaviors. Not much.

    Sorry.

    We start with some hard working people. Just everyday people who do the dirty, nasty work, alone. In China they give most of their money to their families who live far away, and for years they work alone, pushing and striving to make the family live a comfortable life. This first video is for you … “average Joe”.

    Hard Workers

    video 93.1 MB

    Rufus Child high-rise rescue

    Be the Rufus. video 14MB

    Rufus respects his flag

    You have to be part of something larger. A Rufus understands this. video 3MB

    Rufus protects his young sister

    Friends, family, community and country. A Rufus participates and makes a difference in the lives of others. video 1.3MB

    Rufus helps a schoolkid

    Who cares if you don’t know him. You help him. It’s the way of the Rufus. video 4MB

    Bunny wants to be alone

    We are never alone. So don’t isolate. Realize that our strength and our value comes from the community that we surround ourselves with. video 60MB

    Rufus work together as a team

    Just a line. But in a society, everyone must know their place. video 25MB

    Commercialized cuteness in Japan

    Japanese culture embraces cuteness. But cuteness is welcoming and attractive. In a weird way, it is attractive. We should spend out time planting flowers, trees, and make our little world better, prettier and calmer. It’s our duty as a Rufus. Video 11.7MB

    Dog starts to maul kittens

    You can see the blood on the second kitten to the far right. But Rufus mother cats will  not allow it. She fights the big dog with no fear what so ever. video 20.9MB

    Chinese Pioneers first grade

    Discipline. Working as part of a group. Leadership. participation. Striving to be the best for your community. These are the virtues of Chinese military training. Here’s a first grade military roll call for the Pioneers. video 6MB

    Discipline. Working as part of a group.

    Training starts in first grade, and they are so earnest and cute. China is building a nation of little Rufus’s that are poised to remake the world into a better place where everyone can live and prosper. Discipline. video 25MB

    Rufus cares about the elders

    A Rufus does NOT put their parents into a nursing home unless there is no other option. Family is part of our community. We have to accept our roles within that community and not discard others because they are inconvenient to us. video 25MB

    Rufus rescue of dog on the tracks

    In America some jackass tied a dog to the train tracks to watch it get run over. A guy risks his life to save the dog. video 38MB

    How China treats expats

    The world is not “us vs. them”. It’s one of sharing and community. Here’s why many expats like MM, enjoy living inside of China. video 124MB

    We need to contribute, to help and be kind

    The world needs us. video 71.6MB

    Rufus keeps baby sleeping

    Be mindful of the situation and conditions of others. video 21MB

    Rufus stops woman from abducting a child

    Be the Rufus. If we all work together to stop greed, selfishness, and for-profit psychopaths, the world WILL be a better place for all of us. video 3MB

    Show some love

    Why don’t you? video 2.1 MB

    Be the Rufus Finale

    Be the Rufus. The world needs you. Your community needs you. Together we all can make the world a better place to live in. All we need to do is be kinder and more considerate. video 106.2MB

    More Great Links in my Rufus Index here…

    Check them out… Rufus Index .

    More stuff…

    Master Index .

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    .

    Fate Forecasting; How birth Pre-birth world-line template generates initial character attributes similar to that of a role playing game (Part 2)

    This article discusses how the elements associated with one’s luck is established as a a “fate vector package” upon birth.

    We look at the initial starting conditions of the pre-birth world-line template. As it fixes permanently the gravitational influences that surround the physical person.

    It is these same gravitational influences influence the role of fate in one’s life.

    In this way, a person can understand that birth is very similar to character generation during a role playing game. Much like you can generate the attributes for your character in the old board game Dungeons and Dragons, or any of the First Person Shooter games available in software.

    The Fate Forecasting and World-line template mapping

    For those who are unaware, this article discusses four very significant elements in control of your life, and future happiness.

    [1] World-Line Templates

    The use of world-line topography maps is a major part of life navigation in the MWI reality universe that we inhabit. You control your thoughts, and thus you navigate the terrain of entropy that is set up for you at birth.
    
    This is conducted by Affirmation Prayer Campaigns. You use these campaigns to focus your thoughts for set periods of time. It's sort of like placing specific navigation beacons that you set your automobile route generating software towards.
    
    What's more, you can actually change the entire terrain that you are operating upon. You can do this by "sliding". You can adjust your affirmation campaign to specify a change in the terrain that you inhabit. 
    
    There are all kinds of terrains, and all kind of features. The one that you were established with at birth is known as the "pre-birth world-line template map". Newly generated template maps can go by other terms.
    
    To study this issue, you can go to my Intention Campaign Index HERE.

    [2] Fate Forecasting

    Fate Forecasting is a method of measurement of the ebb and flow of luck in your life. This is important, as studies have shown that successful and wealthy people do not obtain their positions through merit. It has been proven, time and time again to occur through luck.
    
    To study this issue, I have a index on this subject. It is the Fate Forecasting Index that this article is part of and which can be found HERE.

    [3] Consciousness Centering

    Consciousness Centering is necessary as there are all sorts of things that tug and pull at your brain and consciousness. To optimize your thoughts to be most efficient, and thus most successful, you need to be able to center your consciousness. To accomplish this, you need to use tools and techniques to do so. Here at MM we have provided Hemi-sync (FFR) to accomplish this. You can access the files to listen to and learn and center your consciousness HERE.

    [4] Rufus Behaviors

    Physical actions influences the thoughts of those around you. My surrounding yourself with other people who generate happy and positive thoughts when you are around, your world tends to move in positive directions. A study of "Rufus" actions can be found in the Rufus Index HERE.

    Western horoscopes vs Chinese Bazi

    Both systems use planetary alignments to estimate the fated luck that a person will endure in their life.

    Western horoscopes tend to be simplistic, and only utilize planetary alignments and empirical observation to arrive at forecasts. They are only associated with the date of birth, are not tied to a given latitude or longitude, and do not recognize non-physical components. Further, the Newtonian physics takeover of the educational systems int he 19th century, pretty much relegated all horoscope prediction matters to the realm of disdain and pseudo-science. This is further aggravated by hoaxers who set up for-profit entities to fleece the gullible. Western horoscopes have been in existence in their current form around three thousand years.

    Chinese BaZi horoscopes are more detailed, more exacting, and incorporate general geographical influences in their calculus. They also incorporate non-physical gravitational elements and  have a much more involved interaction of play between the various elements involved. Further this method of divination has been around since the beginnings of Chinese written records which is at least 6000 years old.

    The premise

    The planetary gravitational influences on a biological being influences their life. We refer to this a “luck“.

    Since the movements of the gravitational influences are fixed and immovable, the luck is fixed. We refer to this as “Fate“.

    These gravitational influences are independent of other templates. So you cannot conduct a “slide” to another world-line template to change your fortune. Everyone must deal with the ebb and flow of their luck. This is their fate.

    Since the gravitational forces change over time using Newtonian physics, we can predict the rise and fall of luck. We refer to this as “horoscope generation“.

    Example

    For the purposes of illustration, let’s consider a person born under the Western horoscope of Leo. Which is around July. Their Western horoscope would predict the relations of fate in their lives, and for the most part would seem to agree with what the person experiences.

    But if you get into this further, you could look at the BaZi and discover that this person is a “Dog Sign” given their birth day, year, month, hour, second and geographic latitude and longitude. At the precise moment of birth, the planetary alignments and gravitational forces were fixed. And by using Newtonian astrophysics, the movements of the planets and their gravitational influences can be mapped out over the given life time.

    So irregardless of what the pre-birth world-line template is, the fate will follow a predictive ebb and flow of luck.

    Further, the BaZi breaks down the luck into components or “packages”. And the interaction of those packages will determine how the luck manifests.

    Now, whether you are on a pre-birth world-line template, or slide to a new template, you luck (as fate) is still manifest.

    Now, in this example, if the fate says that you have a high potential to be scammed in business, this will still occur. However, different world-line templates will have decidedly different manifestations of that luck.

    A calm level topography template map

    A calm reasonably level template map.

    The business scam will be minor and easily avoided. There just aren't any  hills or mountains to indicate effort or discord. There are no problems with entropy. So (for example) the business discord might manifest as an employee stealing a box of pencils.

    A mountainous topography map

    A mountainous world-line template map.

    In this case, you know that there is a massive build up of entropy. This will help trigger events that you will need to deal with. In this case, a business discord might be a customer that scams you out of a million dollars, steals your wife, and burns down your office building.

    A easy-going topographical map with many valleys

    A “downward” trending MWI map.

    In this case, the entropy is positive and the travel on the MWI world-line map tends to be easy going and not problematic at all. Yet the fate of some kind of business discord may still manifest. This could be something like some leaves blowing on the lawn of your office building, if anything at all.

    What manifests in your fated luck depends on the terrain of your world-line template map. You need to be aware of your fate; what is auspicious and what is not, and adjust your MWI navigation through the world-line as necessary to avoid the most dangerous of event cycles.

    Character generation and the Mantids

    What apparently happens in Heaven is that the consciousness decides to “descend” into the General Population to experience “life”. Often this includes hardship and turmoil and personal sacrifice to obtain “growth”. The Mantids help the consciousness plan for the next foray into the earth environment. They do this by establishing a “Fate Path” that coincidences with the MWI in the Reality Universe.

    A “pre-birth world-line template” is constructed. Then a “Fate profile” is used to generate a “Fate Path” that coincidences with the “Life line” that the consciousness would endure. This sets up the “Luck Triggers” that will keep the consciousness on the path to follow the adventures, experiences and lessons that the Mantid planned for the consciousness.

    Key to all of this is the selection of parents and the DNA of their resulting offspring that will be the host skin suit for the consciousness to occupy.

    Thus the Mantids create a character generation effort prior to the consciousness injection into the General Population on the Earth. This is similar to that of a role play game or first person shooter.

    The attributes of skin-suit character generation are…

    • Pre-birth world-line template.
    • Entry date and time.
    • Entry geographical location on the MWI.
    • Parent selection and skin-suit DNA.
    • Fate profile. (For the Fate Path.)
    • Luck Triggers.
    • Tell tails, sign posts, and periodic alerts.

    Tracking this process

    Perhaps we can look at examples of people who remember their previous life for clues to this character generation process.

    There are well-known cases of children remembering past lives, including two-year-old James Leininger, who had nightmares about being a WWII pilot, and four-year-old Ryan Hammons, who remembered being Marty Martyn (a dance director and manager of motion-picture actors) in a past life. And of course, stories of reincarnation are not limited to children. Several adults claim to have been someone else in a past life.

    “This Is My Ship”

    When William Barnes was four years old, he drew a ship with four smokestacks. He showed the drawing to his parents and told them, “This is my ship, but she died.”

    Soon he started insisting that his family call him “Tommy”’ instead of William, and he wouldn’t stop talking about two brothers and other family members. None of what he was saying made any sense to his parents, and the situation escalated when William started having non-stop nightmares about a huge ship, freezing water, and steel slabs falling on top of him.

    Titanic sinking.

    The nightmares continued, and it was only at the age of 25 that William sought help. He underwent hypnosis, and during the session, he could hear himself arguing about “the ship’s design.” As soon as he awoke from the hypnotic trance, he told the counselor, “My name is Tommy Andrews.”

    Soon the fragmented pieces of William’s nightmares started forming a complete picture. He became increasingly convinced that he was the reincarnation of Titanic designer Thomas Andrews.

    Titanic designer Thomas Andrews.

    William Barnes was born on the date the Titanic sank, and during hypnotic age regression sessions later in his life, he spoke with a heavy Irish accent while detailing the sinking of the ship and how he died on the deck.

    William now has his own website on which he details his experiences and presents proof of his claim to reincarnation fame.

    This example does not seem to imply any pre-planning at all. It suggests that a consciousness died and then immediately went and occupied the first available physical body.
    
    Because the memories are still fresh in the child's mind, it is obvious that this consciousness did NOT go through the "tunnel of light" and did not have their memories erased.

    Two Past Lives

    A three-year-old Thai boy named Dalawong became the focus of many studies and articles after he claimed to have had two past lives, one in which he was a deer killed by a hunter and then another one as a cobra when he was reincarnated after his death.

    Three animal species.
    
    [1] Deer.
    [2] Cobra.
    [3] Human.

    While he was a snake, Dalawong found himself in a life-or-death fight with two dogs. The dogs’ owner intervened and killed the snake—aka Dalawong—but not before the slithery reptile bit him on the shoulder. The dog owner, Mr. Hiew, took the dead snake home, cooked and ate it, and shared some of the meat with a friend. That friend would become Dalawong’s father.

    Fast forward to three years after Dalawong’s birth, the young boy recognized Mr. Hiew at a party taking place next door to his own house. He became instantly angry and tried to find a weapon to attack the man. Dalawong’s mother was stunned at her child’s anger and forced him to tell her what was happening. He related the snake tale to her, and when she confronted Mr. Hiew, he confirmed that he had indeed killed a snake a few years prior and that he had a mark from where the snake had bitten him on the shoulder.

    Before this incident, human Dalawong and his family had never met Mr. Hiew.

    Again, in this case very little time had passed between the last death and the new birth. That also suggests that there wasn't that much planning work for the current life. Further, we see that the reentry to the General Population is in close geographical proximity to the previous life.
    
    In this case, as well as the previous case, the consciousness; the IS-BE immediately boomeranged back to the Reality Universe without an apparent visit to "Heaven".
    
    Because the memories are still fresh in the child's mind, it is obvious that this consciousness did NOT go through the "tunnel of light" and did not have their memories erased.

    Why Did You Let Me Die in That Fire?

    In 2014, the parents of four-year-old Andrew Lucas began suspecting that their beloved boy may be possessed or have some kind of ghost inside of him. This happened after Andrew started crying almost non-stop and asking why his parents let him die in a fire.

    When his mother, Michelle, asked him what fire he was talking about, Andrew started telling her little details of what was his past life as a U.S. Marine. Eventually, Michelle used these details to uncover the story of U.S. Marine Sergeant Val Lewis, who died in a bomb attack in Lebanon in 1983.

    U.S. Marine Sergeant Val Lewis.

    Because the details of what happened to Lewis and the story Andrew told her were so similar, Michelle decided to take the issue to the reality TV show Ghost Inside My Child. During the show, Andrew was given several photographs of military men to look at, and he immediately zoomed in on an image of Lewis.

    Afterward, Michelle took her son to Lewis’s gravesite in Georgia, where Andrew laid flowers in front of it. He also ran to another grave and pointed to the name on it, saying, “That’s my friend.” It turned out that grave also belonged to a Marine.

    This third example is also a relatively quick return. From 1984 to 2010 is 26 years. We can assume that in this case, 26 years is a long period of time to float around the General Population searching for a skin-suit to occupy. 
    
    So the consciousness must have made arrangements with a Mantid to generate a pre-birth world-line template. However, the memories are still fresh in the child's mind. 
    
    That implies that this consciousness did NOT go through the "tunnel of light" and did not have their memories erased.

    Toddler Recalls Past Life Murder

    A very unnerving story caused an uproar in 2014 when it was reported that a three-year-old Syrian boy had pointed out where his past life’s body had been buried after he was murdered. He also pointed out the murder weapon.

    The boy, who belongs to the Druze ethnic group, has a long red birthmark on his forehead, which according to Druze beliefs, is related to how a person died in a previous life.

    This belief was seemingly substantiated by the boy, who told his parents that he had been killed by an ax to the head in his previous life, hence the birthmark.

    The elders of the village the boy stayed in took him to the home he lived in during his past life, getting the location from the details the boy gave. Eventually, standing in front of the house, the boy remembered the house, the village, and his old name.

    The man whose house it was, had gone missing four years earlier, according to locals.

    When the elders quizzed the boy about this turn of events, he told them the full name of the person who had killed him when he was the man who lived in the house.

    He then led the elders to the spot where the body was buried, and sure enough, they uncovered a skeleton with a headwound that correlated to the boy’s birthmark as well as an ax.

    When confronted by the elders and locals, the killer confessed to the crime soon after.

    Again, this youthful memory of the death in a prior life, and a very short period between the death and birth in the same geographic area is suggestive of a consciousness that intentionally wants to stay in the General Population, does not want to go into "Heaven" and does not go through the "Tunnel of light".
    
    This also implies that the planning for a life-line of substance and learning; the collection of lessons and experiences are missing.

    Past Life During WWII

    During her pregnancy, When Daw Aye Tin had a recurring dream about a Japanese soldier who told her he would be coming to stay with her and her husband in their Upper Burma (Myanmar) home.

    She gave birth to her daughter, Ma Tin Aung Myo, on December 26, 1953. When her daughter turned four, she started talking about her “real home of Japan” and how much she missed it. She also made it known that she was afraid of planes and didn’t like English and American people.

    Eventually, it became clear to When Daw Aye Tin that her daughter had lived before. Details provided by Ma Tin Aung Mao as she grew older included being a male soldier stationed in Nathul during WWII and running a small shop to provide for her children. She was killed when the Allies attacked, and a soldier shot at her from a plane.

    10 to 15 years after death. Seems to be the norm. Yet she still remembered her past.

    Reincarnated Lama

    A City of Dreams

    When James Arthur Flowerdew was 12 years old, he began having strange dreams. These dreams were blurry and vague when they first started, but over time they became clear pictures. As he continued to dream, he saw a stone city carved into a cliff and various temples inside the city. He also saw a rock shaped like a volcano situated on the fringes of the stone city. Arthur didn’t know what to make of these dreams and tried to ignore them.

    On one particular day, Arthur visited the beach with his family. As he was playing around with pebbles and bent down to pick them up, a vision slammed into his head. It was the city of his dreams. So intense was the vision that he could smell dry desert air. Dropping the pebbles made the image dissipate, leaving Arthur at a loss for words. He revisited the beach a short time later to see if the vision would happen again, and as soon as he picked up the pebbles, it did.

    He saw more details the second time, such as a stone passage and military barracks. For the first time, Arthur started thinking that he may have been a soldier in this dream city and had been killed there by a spear. Arthur never had any explanation for his experiences. Many years later, when he was an old man, Arthur watched a documentary about the ancient city of Petra in Jordan. He instantly realized that this was his city of dreams, and he became convinced that he had lived there in a past life.

    He contacted the BBC, who arranged an interview between Arthur and an archaeologist. The archaeologist was flabbergasted when he discovered how much knowledge Arthur had of the ancient city without ever having been there in his current life.

    Eventually, the Jordanian government invited Arthur to visit Petra. Arthur found his way around the city without the help of a guide or map and pointed out sites that hadn’t been excavated yet. He talked about a military barrack where he worked with a check-in system for guards, and even provided facts about the area that experts were not aware of.

    My Life as a Monk

    In 1987, three-year-old Duminda Bandara Ratnayake started talking about the Asgiriya temple and monastery in Kandy, saying that he used to be an abbot there.

    Duminda was born in 1984 to Sinhalese Buddhist parents and was the second youngest of three brothers. He talked about the temple non-stop and also told his mother that he had owned a red car, taught other monks, and died in a hospital where he was taken after experiencing sudden sharp pain in his chest. He also “recalled” having had a pet elephant.

    The little boy soon started wearing his clothes in the way of a monk and visited a Buddhist temple twice a day. He also began reciting stanzas in the Pali language. His mother began fearing that her son would want to leave his family to become a monk.

    By age five, Duminda’s interest in going to the temple waned somewhat, but by age six, his mother had permitted him to go to the monastery when he turned seven. At this point, he also didn’t want to go to a school with girls and didn’t want women, including his mother, to touch his hands. When the abbot of the Malwatta Temple died in 1990, Duminda randomly exclaimed that he had known him well.

    It seemed that Ven. Mahanayaka Gunnepana, who died of a heart attack and owned a red car, could have been Duminda in a past life.

    Gunnepana also had an elephant.

    “I Am Anne Frank”

    Barbro Karlen was born nine years after Anne Frank died. From a young age, she insisted that Barbro wasn’t her real name and that her family should call her Anne instead. She also told her parents that she knew they weren’t her real mom and dad. At that point, Barbro’s family wasn’t up to date with the Anne Frank story and thought that Barbro was losing her mind. They carted her off to a psychiatrist, thinking that she was somehow lost in a fantasy.

    By age twelve, Barbro wrote a book of poetry that would become one of the most popular books in her native Sweden. She went on to write nine more volumes. However, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t who everyone thought she was. But she stopped talking about it after she realized who Anne Frank was and that people likely thought she was insane.

    This was despite the trip to Amsterdam with her parents at age 10, during which they visited the house of Anne Frank. Barbro knew exactly how to get to the house and that the steps outside it had been changed. Her parents were stunned. Once Barbro entered Anne’s room, she felt an overwhelming fear but refused to leave. She knew that there had once been pictures on the wall, placed there by Anne, and when she told her mother this, the older woman finally understood what her daughter had been trying to tell them for years. She was Anne Frank in a past life.

    Barbro met Anne’s cousin Buddy Elias years later, and he told reporters he believed that she was the reincarnation of Anne.

    Born nine years after the death.

    “The Floor Got Really Hot”

    In March 2021, Tik Toker Riss White gave her account of what her daughter told her a few years ago. It was September 11, 2018, and Riss was looking at 9/11 memorial posts on social media.

    One of the posts had a striking image of the Twin Towers, and when her then-four-year-old daughter saw it, she said to Riss, “Hey mom, I used to work there.”

    Riss, feeling slightly uneasy, asked her daughter when this was, to which the young girl simply replied “before.”

    She went on to tell her mother that during one morning at work she had to get up on her desk because the floor got really hot. She and her friends had tried to escape the hot floor by leaving through the door, but the door wouldn’t open. She then jumped out of the window and “flew like a bird.”

    Riss was shaken and still can’t make sense of what her daughter told her. She also confirmed that the young girl had never been told about 9/11.

    14 years had passed for this little girl. The fact that she remembered her past suggests that she did not experience memory erasure. Thus, either...
    
    [1] She went to Heaven but did not have memory erasure, and had here pre-birth world-line template mapped out.
    
    [2] She went elsewhere and had her pre-birth world-line template mapped out by others.
    
    [3] She hung out on the prior life template as a disembodied spirit for 14 years and chose this life on her own.

    Conclusions from above…

    I really do not have all the answers, but apparently you are not forced in the “tunnel of light” and forced to undergo mind wipe. You have a choice.

    [1] You can go into the “Tunnel of light” and arrive in Heaven. Once in Heaven you can stay, go to school, frolic and plan your next earth general population experience. The Mantid Prime will assist in this effort.

    [2] If you refuse to go to “Heaven” then you are on your own to be a spirit, and then find a body to occupy on your own. All the time sticking close to your previous life-line world-line template. At this point you are a free roaming spirit. You are trapped in the Prison Planet Environment and fixed to the MWI world line template of your last incarnation.

    [3] If you find a body that you want to occupy, then you simply take the body and claim it as yours and accept what ever world-line and Fate Forecast that goes with that body.

    Derived conclusions about the Mantid Involvement…

    In situation [1] above, your Mantid “hands you off” and you are left to go through the “tunnel of light” to be welcomed by friends, family, and Mantid Prime overseers. Consciousness goes from General Population Mantid control (GPM) to Mantid Prime control (MP).

    In situation [2] above, your Mantid apparently abandons you and you are free to roam. There isn’t any Mantid interaction necessary. Mantid interaction in General Population is apparently limited to physical bodies even though they are trans-dimensional beings. I suspect that this is an evolved situation as the Prison Planet was not designed to have any “free roaming” disembodied spirits.

    In situation [3] above, upon adopting and accepting a new body to reincarnate in, you accept the guidance of a new Mantid that will control the levers of your existence. All physical bodies in the MWI Reality Universe is apparently under the control and manipulation of specific Mantids that control the environments.

    MM thoughts

    In a previous post, I discussed my memories of my previous life prior to being MM. The difference in time from my death in the last reincarnated life to my present life was around 30 years.

    I can confirm that when I entered this particular body that I told myself NOT TO FORGET that I was going on a great adventure that would be an extra special and exciting adventuresome life of great importance. I have never forgotten this fact, and this is from my own personal memories. Not from recovered memories by Past Life Hypnosis.

    Taken together, it appears that MM had this life mapped out and planned intentionally.

    And since I did not (apparently) experience the mind wipe though the “tunnel of light” we can make some conjectures on that fact…

    • I was programmed for this life outside of the Heaven / Mantid Prime environment. Or…
    • I did go to Heaven, and was programmed for this life, but that I was somehow able to get around the “memory wipe” of the “tunnel of light”. This conjecture is validated by my insistence (to myself) to REMEMBER that my adventure would be special.

    In any event, my MM experience is different from those who have been listed above as remembering prior lives.

    Which then again, confirms that once freed of the General Population prison “skin suit”, the IS-BE is supposed to be transferred from Mantid control to Mantid Prime control. However that  system is corrupted / not well policed / fraught with holes and could be bypassed by any IS-BE consciousness that so desires.

    The problem then is “what now”?

    There are few scant options…

    [1] Go to Heaven though the mind-wipe “Tunnel of Light” and be handed off to your Mantid Prime authorities.

    [2] Stay in General Population as a disembodied spirit, floating around and hanging out on what ever MWI template that you died upon.

    [3] Call on others to pluck you out of the MWI world-line template and get you out of the General Population area without going through the “Tunnel of Light”.

    [4] Try to escape the Prison Complex on your own, recover your memories on your own, and avoid all the traps and snares on your own.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Fate Forecasting Index here…

    Fate forecasting

    .

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to. To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
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    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
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    Optimization of affirmation prayer campaigns for effective manifestation of goals

    This article helps you decide how long to conduct the affirmation campaign and how long to conduct the “dwell” or wait-period afterward. In previous articles I have greatly simplified the procedure. I offered a simple “rule of thumb”. Which was one week of no-affirmations for every week where you conduct a prayer affirmation campaign. This article will get more involved in the process and allow the user a greater degree of latitude in the campaign arrangement.

    I am commenting NOW, simply because I am launching a brand new, multi-month Affirmation Campaign based upon my Fate Forecast for this year.

    MM Comments

    I am starting my new campaign in a few days. For the most of the last eighteen months, I have been running a 1 month on/off cycle. This was due to the Bazi that hit me about three years ago and resulted in some significant changes and issues. I had to make adjustments to my campaigns for my personal conditions, and the crazed insanity influence that the USA has had on where I live, my lifestyle, and my industry. I have managed to keep things under control.

    Contemporaneously, in the Bazi it is believed that a person is surrounded by a non-physical reality. Within this non-physical are cyclic events and attributes that ebb and flow  depending on a host of causes and effects.
    
    
    
    This non-physical reality differs from person to person. However, it consists of things that ebb and flow according to synchronized events that are triggered upon birth.
    
    The Chinese have given these various components and their behaviors all sorts of names. They have created a series of "animal characteristics" such as dog, pig, and snake to describe a set of initial non-physical conditions. They have also created a series of names to describe how the non-physical components behave as a group. They go by such names as a "strong earth", or a "weak wood". It's easy for the ignorant to make fun of this entire system. To them, it sounds a lot like a more detailed version of Western astrology.

    Now, that my “Bazi stars” are opening up back again, and becoming favorable, I can refocus on some postponed goals in my new campaign. So I am switching back to a 3 month on/off campaign cycle with an extended dwell time afterwards to maximize the effect. I will have more articles on the Bazi because it ties together very nicely with the MWI, prayer affirmation campaigns, and world-line travel.

    While uncomfortable, I am leaving this Bazi time of change into a new state of being. And so far it appears to be far superior in many ways. Of course there are obvious changes…

    • Phone is HarmonyOS instead of Android.
    • Computer is Linux Mint instead of Microsoft Windows 10.
    • Payments in QR code instead of paper cash money.
    • Food is healthy / vegetarian instead of average fast fare.
    • Blood Pressure is 130/85 instead of 180/95.
    • Daughter is walking/talking/eating instead of crying/shitting/feeding.

    And so on and so forth. Change is always uncomfortable, but once you get through it, you reach a plateau on the side of a mountain. And you can enjoy the view and rest a while and chill out before the next ascent upwards.

    First things first

    When you get to the stage of arranging your next affirmation prayer campaign, you need to layout, plan and structure the campaign. This means…

    • A review of your previous campaign(s).
      • What worked, what still needs to work, and changes to them.
      • What didn’t work, and corrective actions.
      • New things, and elements to add to the campaign.
    • The structure arrangement of this next campaign (this article)
    • Those particular goals that you want to stress and emphasize.
    • Where and how you will read and vocalize your campaign.
    • A total review of your fate during the periods of active and dwell affirmations. This is called Fate Forecasting.

    I just cannot emphasize how important this first basic step is. Some things might stay the same, but others might change drastically. Please take the time to plan, revise and implement properly. Now to the arrangements…

    Fate Forecasting

    Most people do not need to have a full BaZi reading for them. I have found it to be extremely useful. Instead, you can go the “easy” route and locate the year that you were born in… that will determine what animal sign you are.

    Here’s a guide…

    Then go on the internet and find out what the GENERAL Fate Forecast is for the months ahead for your “animal” association.

    For instance…

    • Chinese monkey sign in 2023
    • Dog astrology in Chinese years 2022

    Then you will see a general forecast for your sign. They tend to be pretty accurate on trending fate.

    But if you want to put down some money, you can have a precise fate reading. The most accurate, and specific. readings are found when you conduct your own exact BaZi reading. I wrote about that HERE.  Here, you can see your exact animal year, exact time, and exact general geographical coordinates at your place of birth.

    Once you know what your fate has in store for you, you can move forward with what your affirmation campaign will look like. In my personal case now, I have a strong positive fate trend all year, so I am going to conduct a long solid campaign 3 on / 4 off. But the last few years has been not that great. So I have been conducting a 1 / 1 campaign.

    The most basic arrangement

    Three months on/off. This is the most basic arrangement. You conduct your affirmation campaign for three months. You start on it, and then you finish it after three months. Then you wait for three months so that the goals can simmer and manifest. This is the baseline campaign structure, and it is what I strongly recommend to all newcomers to this technique. Now, that being said, there are some variations to this arrangement…

    .

    Quick cycling technique

    One month on/off I’ve utilized the quick cycling technique during difficult and contentious times where I needed to have strong affirmations to navigate through troubles, but still be able to adjust to changes and make course corrections on the MWI. This is a useful technique, but it is not desirable to maintain it for long periods of time. I suggest you only follow this technique for short periods of time. Certainly no longer than eight months in total. There are some slight variations that are worthy of consideration…

    .

    Heavy lifting / Serious change crowbar

    Six months on/off Let’s suppose there is something that you really desire, or really want to get moving on. This technique is guaranteed to “put enough wind in your sails” so that your affirmation realization can “pick up her skirts and trot”. Things will happen, though they will not necessarily happen quickly. This will make things happen and are just great for long term desires. Some variations…

    .

    Basic Maintenance technique

    One week on/off In general I do not recommend this variation technique. But it does have it’s uses. What it tends to allow is a basic level of control on the MWI. It’s not really all that good for new goals or objectives. But it will make sure that you are still following your plan and your vector path towards your ultimate results. There are no variations to this technique.

    Dragon Loop

    This is a creative method of manifesting intention, but it is rather advanced. You conduct the three month on/off affirmation campaign schedule, and then follow up with a one month on/off schedule. The second shorter period is for course corrections, and feed back purposes. Then you go back to the three month on/off sequence with the corrections in play.

    Some final thoughts

    This is a really short and abbreviated article. But I hope that it helps you in some way.

    In always, the longer the duration of the active affirmation campaign phase, the more powerful the implementation will be.

    I hope that your dreams, wishes and desires all come true. Because, you know what? You deserve them. You really, really do.

    Be good and do great things. And never forget… To be the Rufus. Video 7.7MB

    Remember to be the Rufus

    Video 19MB

     

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Intention Prayer Index here…

    Intention Campaigns

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    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to. To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE .
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.  

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    Fate Forecasting using Chinese BaZi astrology as elements of consciousness control in the MWI (Part 1)

    This article discusses fate forecasting. It is a technique of measurement to gauge the degree of luck that exists in your present and future.

    All MM readers know that we as consciousness are free to move around by choice and action in our reality, but that the options offered to us are limited due to fate. This fate is known as the pre-birth world-line template.

    Additionally, another component comes into play. This is the entry point (time and place) when the physical body is birthed. This point in time establishes the fate that the consciousness experiences during a life-time. It’s a measure of how easy or how difficult it is for the consciousness to experience events on their template.

    When you look at the MWI world-line template map and you see all those hills and valleys, we tend to believe that they are equally difficult for us to climb or scramble down. But that is not actually the case. Consider our consciousness has another set of “baggage” that it must carry up and down those hills. This extra “baggage” is known as fate.

    It is fixed, but can be measured.

    Depending on the person, the “baggage” of fate (or you might call it a “fate setting”) might be light and positive, or heavy and oppressive. This will have two effects.

    Firstly, it will affect how the consciousness WANTS to navigate on the MWI; Does it want to climb those mountains or go towards those hills. And…

    Secondly, it will affect the apparent ease of climbing the terrain on the MWI in front of them.

    This method is known as Chinese astrology and horoscopes in terms of quantum physics related to the MWI (reality universe) where our thoughts control our world-line movement. Let it be clear that while there are many unfamiliar terms and associations with astrology, the system, mapped out by the Chinese over many centuries, is an empirical solution and explanation for the rise and fall of “luck” that consciousness experiences during a lifetime.

    This is part 1.

    I have described an element of the Bazi in my life by studying the Ben Ming Nian when I turned sixty years old. Here I stated…

    Contemporaneously, in the Bazi it is believed that a person is surrounded by a non-physical reality. Within this non-physical are cyclic events and attributes that ebb and flow  depending on a host of causes and effects.
    
    
    
    This non-physical reality differs from person to person. However, it consists of things that ebb and flow according to synchronized events that are triggered upon birth.
    
    The Chinese have given these various components and their behaviors all sorts of names. They have created a series of "animal characteristics" such as dog, pig, and snake to describe a set of initial non-physical conditions. 

    They have also created a series of names to describe how the non-physical components behave as a group. They go by such names as a "strong earth", or a "weak wood".

    It's easy for the ignorant to make fun of this entire system. To them, it sounds a lot like a more detailed version of Western astrology.

    But it is not.

    It’s not bullshit

    It’s an empirically obtained solution for rise and fall of fate and luck during one’s lifetime.

    empirical
    based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic.

    For over 5000 years, the Chinese have observed the rise and falls of fortunes.

    They noticed that people with similar birth dates had similar luck, and this effect was studied and built upon. The entire effort; this trend for luck (good or bad) is well mapped out, and it is an empirically derived map that resembles the pre-birth world-line template.

    It is called Bazi.

    Basics

    Bazi is known by different names; the most commonly used names in China are…

        • Eight Characters (八字) , BaZi.
        • Four-Pillars (四柱),
        • Zi Ping (子平).

    It is a technique that is based on one’s precise birth date and time to the exact minute.  At the moment of birth, the physical body enters the MWI on a specific world-line. This world-line moment in time sets the “fate rules” for the person so birthed.

    In practice, the birth date/time is first translated into a Chinese calendar representation. This representation is described as 4 “pillars”. Each pillar represents YEAR, MONTH, DAY and HOUR. And each pillar contains 2 Chinese characters.

    Four pillars, each having two characters means a total of eight characters, hence the term “the naming of Eight Characters.”

    Bazi had long been used and practiced, but in Sung Dynasty, Xu Zi Ping, set the standard in using Bazi as the fortune of fate forecasting tool.

    Bazi is a forecasting tool that measures one’s fate on the pre-birth world-line template. This aspect of fate is not changed when you slide off one template to another. Your fate is fixed with your physical body. It is not associated with the world-lines that you traverse.

    The methodology

    There are ‘two’ main fortune forecasting methods: (a) 神煞 and (b) 十神生剋制化.

    [a] 神煞 (shén shà) “God is scant”

    This is used by many practitioners. Simply because it much easier to use than [b] below.

    [b] 十神生剋制化 (shí shén shēng kè zhì huà) “Ten gods are born and systematized”

    Xu Zi Ping, of the Sung Dynasty, based his foretasting on this methodology. It is both much richer in its theoretical base as well as its application than [a].

    Destiny considerations

    One should note that bazi only uses the birth time for fate forecasting. It does not include where the person is born and what are the targeted person’s relationships. Both these aspects contributes a significant influence on one’s destiny.

    So bazi can only provide an indicator of a possible prediction. This is critical as many people think bazi or any fortune telling tool can be used to predict with 100% accuracy, I will leave this to you to have a thought about it.

    The other analogy of Bazi is DNA: with the advance of genealogy, it is now possible to predict one’s health condition and possibilities of getting certain diseases. Genealogy doesn’t say one WILL certainly get some diseases but only suggests that one may be more susceptible. Bazi is similar whereby it can be used as a guide to what may happen to one’s fate.

    Good Luck and Bad Luck

    The fate forecasting methodology relies on trending attributes for measurement. You have “auspicious” trends and “inauspicious” trends.  Further these are further divided into strong and weak trends.

    Good Luck

        • Strong likelihood of auspicious opportunities / events.
        • A weak trend towards auspicious opportunities / events.

    Bad Luck

        • Strong likelihood of inauspicious opportunities / events.
        • A weak trend towards inauspicious opportunities / events.

    A Bazi (Chinese Astrology) Primer

    Chinese cosmology is a cohesive philosophy that undergirds every aspect of Chinese culture and society.

    This primer is by no means meant to be a comprehensive treatment of Chinese cosmology. It is, however, meant to serve as an introductory guide to Bazi which is Chinese Astrology.

    It is presented here on MM as a forecasting tool to measure fate influences as your consciousness travels the MWI and world-line movement.

    MING MEANS FATE, OR LUCK

    命运 (mìng yùn)

    fate, destiny, fortunes, fates

    Chinese cosmology has a holistic conception of “ming”, or fate/destiny. There are 3 kinds of fate of luck: heaven luck, earth luck, and man luck. These are hierarchical and define both the possibilities and  impossibilities in a person’s life.

    All 3 notions of fate, or luck, are beholden to time:

    • Heaven luck is astrology, how celestial phenomena occurring at specified times correlate to affairs on earth and the lives of men;
    • Earth luck is feng shui, the art of scheduling and positioning. It is the orientation of one’s self and life in relationship to the flow of qi (life force or energy);
    • Man luck is how one understands, respects, and works with or against their heaven and earth luck.

    WU XING: FIVE PHASES OF QI

    Essential to each of these studies of fate is “wu xing” which is the five elements (stages, phases, etc). The five elements are:

        • Wood
        • Fire
        • Earth
        • Metal
        • Water

    Each of the five elements takes to forms, a yin form and a yang form giving us 10 primary presentations of qi (Life force energy).

    Each of these yin/yang forms of qi governs a season.

    Each season is comprised of 3 animal signs which are earthly manifestations of the qi/element that governs each season. Earth governs the periods between each of the seasons. See figure 1 for an example. Note that it changes yearly from one person to the next.

    Each element interacts with every other element in several defined relationships.

    But the most important interactions between elements are the production cycle and the controlling cycle.

    Be careful not to assume that relationships is better than the other. Context is everything.

    When we discover the flow of your chart we will come to understand which relationships are most important to support that flow.

    ANATOMY OF A BAZI CHART

    Bazi means eight characters.

    The eight characters in your Chinese astrology chart are divided into two groups.

    The [1] Heavenly Stems and [2] the Earthly Branches.

    The Heavenly Stems are the pure qi, the five elements in their yin or yang forms. The Earthly Branches are the 12 animals (see Figure 1).

    There are four pillars in your Bazi chart. The year pillar, month pillar, day pillar, and hour pillar.

    • Year pillar is grandparents and extended family members, it is your family background and upbringing.
    • Month pillar represents the parents or siblings, employment.
    • Day pillar is the self, spouse, home.
    • Hour pillar is children, aspiration, career.

    Each pillar has one heavenly stem at the top, and one earthly branch on the bottom. Each part of the chart is identified in terms of its pillar and whether it’s a stem or a branch. See figure 3 for another example for a specific person on a specific year.

    The two most important parts of a Bazi chart are the day stem and the month branch. The day stem is called the daymaster, and the month branch is the season of birth.

    Once the daymaster is identified each of the other elements can be identified as well.

    • The daymaster (and its yin or yang counterpart) is the self (friends/enemies, peers, audience). It produces output.
    • The element that the daymaster produces is output (ideas, work ethic, talents, children in the chart of women). It produces wealth.
    • The element that output produces is wealth (assets, father, spouse or partner in the chart of men) it produces influence.
    • The element that wealth produces is officer (authority, superiors, spouse or partner in the chart of women, children in the chart of men). It produces resource.
    • The element that the officer produces is resource (mother, family support and upbringing, education, helpful people). It produces the self.

    IDENTIFYING YOUR FLOW

    The flow of a Bazi chart originates with the daymaster and the season.

    The daymaster can be rooted or not rooted in the season. That means the animal in the earthly branch of the month pillar can be the same as or produce the element in the heavenly stem of the day pillar.

    For example, Yi (Yin Wood) daymaster born in Spring (Wood season) or Winter (Water season) is rooted because the element of the season in the month branch matches the element of the day stem. Yi is rooted in Winter because the Water of Winter produces Wood. Yi (Yin Wood). Yi (Yin Wood) born in any other season is not rooted.

    Whether or not the daymaster is rooted in the month branch determines the flow of the chart. The flow defines which elements are favorable and which elements are unfavorable to a chart. This is a complicated task that requires an understanding of how the stems and branches interact with each other. That is beyond the scope of this primer.

    LUCK PILLARS

    The Bazi chart and its flow determine the heaven luck you were born with. The annual and 10 (personal) year luck pillars determines when that flow is supported, disrupted or blocked.

    Every 10 years, your personal luck pillar changes. Then you enter a new time period with a different focus. See figure 4 for another example.

    Each year the annual luck pillar changes. It interacts with both your Bazi chart and your personal luck pillar to support, disrupt, or block the flow that your personal luck pillar adjusts every 10 years.

    It is this part we focus on in the Bazi

    Conducting the primary forecasting charts

    Step 1 – Casting the chart

    When casting your Bazi chart, you must convert your birth time to solar time. You can use this calculator to convert it.

    Step 2 – Plotting the chart

    Here is a calculator you can use to plot your Bazi chart for you. Here’s a sample of what it might look like…

    It is very easy to make a mistake in this process. So I strongly recommend that you pay the fee and use an expert. The expert will give you direct and usable intel. Instead of just guidelines that you need to interpret. (And unless you are an expert, you could misinterpret the readings.)

    Conclusions

    This is just part 1. Don’t get too caught up in the terms and try to make heads or tails out of it. The over all beauty and symmetry of the system becomes evident once you study it.

    In future article we will go step by step to tear into the individual components, and then things will become clearer. Of most importance is the idea of “stars” or rotational periodic influences that orbit the consciousness.

    I do not recommend that you try to figure out your destiny on your own. Instead, I strongly recommend you locate a practitioner on the internet and they will generate a day to day forecast for you to go by. It has been my personal experience that it is uncanny how accurate it can be.

    Here is the group that performed my fate forecast for me back in 2003. I was in the United States at the time, and they are a group in Singapore. No problem what so ever…

    This is NOT an advertisement. This is their “line card”. It’s a Singapore based organization.

    My personal experience

    Here’s overview excerpts from the MM reading that I obtained back in 2003 from geomancy.net.

    I found it interesting, but was not paying attention. I had no idea what “bad” + “Very inauspicious” would mean.

    This is the period of time where I was “retired”. My life started to fall apart in August 2005, with arrest and incarceration later on in that year. My sentencing to the ADC was in 2006 where I began my five year prison sentence.

    Here is the current period of time.

    I can confirm that the first half of 2021 was a bit of a strain for me personally, but that the second half was much better. And things are looking brighter this up coming 2022.

    The day to day summaries were very helpful. But again, they just show potentials and when you are getting a massive mountain of shit coming your way, the only thing you can do is hunker down and endure the storm.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Fate Forecasting Index here…

    Fate forecasting

    .

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to. To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE .
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.  

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    Please kindly enter any notes that you would like to attach to the donation here:

     

     
     

     

    Advice for lonely women who cannot find a partner to live out their life with

    I do love a delicious baked lasagna. It’s not like I can get it often. Here in China, it’s truly a rare thing.

    A fine baked lasagna.

    It’s great with a fine bottle of wine. Red wine. Dry red, would be lovely.

    Though I do get to eat other kinds of food often enough instead. I think that food is something that needs to be savored. You know, most people, in most nations savor their food. unlike the United States (where I grew up) which was dash, grab, smunch, and return.

    Meals should be shared. They should be savored, and they should be enjoyed.

    Our health is determined not only by what we do, but what we eat and who we eat the foods with. A solitary life is unhealthy. It really is. I know, I have been solitary on and off for much of my life. I didn’t like it then, and I sure as heck don’t now.

    Your weight, I strongly believe, correlates on HOW you eat, WHAT you eat, and WHO you eat with. If you want to trim down, then start going out more with friends and savoring the food.

    Isolation is toxic.

    Most MM readers are older, and are or have been married. Never the less, every now and then I get a email or a message from someone who is alone and very lonely. I have been there before, and so I just cannot sit by and let this pass.

    This is me, ol’ MM, dishing out advice.

    I’m going to be straight and honest, and abrupt. And I might upset some people. I apologize for that. I guess that this is my way to plow through a bunch of fears and bullshit, and tell you all things that are truthful. I hope that it connects and changes someone’s life for the better.

    Background

    This article was inspired by this letter…

    I’m almost 32 and still a virgin. I can honestly say I don’t feel human. I hate to admit this but suicide seems more and more like a viable option as every day goes by.
    
    The worst thing is when I try to reach out for help. I don’t know why I am a masochist and try to get advice from my mom…. I told her that I am desperate for a relationship and can’t find one. Her answer was that I should pray to God that I lose my feelings of wanting a relationship. Implying that I should give up and not try.
    
    She even told me that one of her friends had a relative my age and they suggested setting us up. She told me that she said to them “I wasn’t interested”…. not that I would actually want to have someone set me up with a stranger but…. really??? Most moms are dying to help their daughters with this. Mine seems to get a KICK out of sabotaging me and not wanting me to just find someone.
    
    And I was talking to my mom last night and brought up the idea of liposuction. Cue a huge fight between the two of us. I am not overweight but I do have a few odd body proportions that I think make me unappealing…. It’s like an affront against nature for me to try to improve my chances of finding someone. Literally the world turns on me the moment I think of maybe being alluring. Almost every other woman can have her moment, but when I get ideas of trying to be pretty? It’s like I murdered someone. I am now reeling after this conversation, wondering what types of rope would be best to hang myself with.
    
    I don’t know how to navigate life and frankly, killing myself is less of a horrible idea every day. I know that it’s a “permanent solution to a temporary problem” but my situation feels like I am trapped and there is no other way out. People reading this, can you blame me for wanting this to end?
    
    It is unbearable being someone like me, who wants a relationship but can never have it. I am not human. I’m not even sure I should be alive.
    
    I’d almost think of losing my virginity to a prostitute but frankly that would just be me adding to a larger problem of abuse. I’d rather not do that. Frankly, there is no future for me. I am starting to plan out suicide methods at the same time most women are planning baby showers and weddings. I am toying with the idea of going out into the snow during winter and just falling asleep. There is something dignified about just falling “asleep” in the snow. Maybe nobody would find me and it would be a mystery as to what happened to me.
    
    I’ve lost hope.

    And, it hurts.

    I know it hurts. It really hurts.

    So I am going to talk as a man, who appreciates women.

    [1] There is a man for every woman.

    The very first thing that YOU must understand is that there is a Mr. Right out there, somewhere for you.

    This is a TRUTH.

    This is an undeniable truth.  Somewhere, out THERE, is a guy that is just like you, wanting to share his life.

    It’s just that he is not available in your area, with the group of friends that you have, or anywhere near your school, industry or day to day activities.

    Hell, I didn’t get to go out with girls / women (myself) until I started getting out of the male-dominated schools, industries, and societies that I frequented. I had to break out of the little close knit life that I had.

    You might have to break out from your normal circle of friends to find him. You might have to go out further to find him. You might even have to employ an agency, or travel overseas to find him…

    …but find him, you will.

    I am convinced that there is a man for every woman simply because I have been exposed to so many men who all have such a wide array of tastes and interests. Many of the women who I wouldn’t be that interested in would really cause some of my male friends to just fall madly in love.

    For instance, I am not interested in a woman who is taller than I am. It’s a personal taste. I just feel very odd looking up to a woman, and having to stand on my tippy-toes to kiss her. But that is just me. However, when I have mentioned to this to other men, I find that a goodly 25%, or one in four counter with “so what?” they argue (for the most part) that sex would be great; that our kids would be either fashion models or basketball players, and that all the other guys would think that I was a “stud” because I was with such an extraordinary woman.

    I am also freaked out by Polydactylyism. But that is again, just me. It’s not that I am revolted by it, it just seems a little odd to me, and I don’t know if I can focus on the relationship if the woman had eight fingers on each hand. I’d always be wondering what our children would be like.

    But on the other hand, a person’s kindness, confidence, experience, ability to communicate and participate in my interests, food, and just being fun goes a long… long way in me wanting to spend time with them.

    [2] Men are attracted to a wide variety of shapes, and sizes.

    I know I am.

    There is NO SUCH THING as being too fat, too “thick”, too thin, too ugly, or too short. Nor is there too old, or too young.

    I will tell you that, me personally, I generally have an upper limit on size for a woman that I am interested in. If she is bigger, wider or heavier than I am, I tend to lose interest. It’s NOT that I don’t like thick or fat people, it’s that I lose my interest in them as my interest lies towards smaller women than I am.

    But I am not the average.

    I have discovered, to my GREAT surprise, that many American men love bigger women. The urban ethnic folk call it “having booty”, and they absolutely go “ape shit” over a bigger voluptuous woman. I mean, really! And they are beyond themselves in how they react to the bigger women. And I mean it, too. The bigger… the better!

    Like… really big… is really great. They just love a “pear shaped” woman.

    Me, well, robust busty woman with big hair, big smile, and big shoulders are a turn-on. And I am not alone.

    And I can see their point of view. I once dated a woman who was much larger than I was, and she had the nicest personality, she loved to cook and I ate well, and Lordy did she have an awesome chest. Purely amazing! So, this one woman altered my perceptions of what I like and favor in a woman. Who would have thought?

    So, no matter what you size is… tiny, petite, slim, slender, curvy, athletic, rotund, bouncy… etc, you would be surprised at how others might find you to be attractive. And that is in everything. You NEVER know.

    So accept yourself.

    Just. As. You. Are.

    [3] Stop trying to please your friends

    When I was in High School there was a girl that was infatuated with me, and everyone at my work just hassled me and hassled me, and hassled me over it. They kept on saying how ugly she was. Well, I didn’t think that she was ugly, and she sure as heck had a “rocking body”, but I didn’t go out with her after the few precious dates. It wasn’t that I didn’t like her, it was that I hated the non-stop hassling at work, about how ugly she was.

    She wasn’t ugly. I thought she was rather strong and handsome in a very womanly way. Like Loni Anderson.

    But I listened to the asshole co-workers. Oh, how I regret that decision. Oh, how I lament my ignorance, and my piss-poor decision making ability!

    Then one of those co-workers went out with her and they ended up getting married. And I remained single.

    Single as in alone with no dates, at all.

    Opportunist, jackass, asshole.

    She wasn’t ugly. And she had a very appealing body shape. And I didn’t end up with her, even though she was really interested in me. Why?

    It was because I listened to my friends and co-workers.

    I often think of her. I often wonder what my life would have been if I spent some time with her. i often wonder what it would do to me, and affect my personality, but I never got that chance. I was young and I was a fool. I didn’t know any better. I made mistakes.

    But I learned.

    Slowly. Unfortunately.

    As you get older, you learn that the opinions of others DO NOT MATTER when it comes to your own personal happiness. So shut them off, and go ahead and go after what YOU want. Stop trying to please others.

    This goes to both men and women.

    On another occasion, I was on a date where my (then) girlfriend brought two of her girlfriends along. I liked the girl. She liked me, but both of her girlfriends disapproved of me. And that was it. Who knows what kind of relationship we could have had. But I do know one thing, it went nowhere because her friends did not like me. I failed in pleasing three girls. I thought that pleasing one would have been enough.

    Lesson learned.

    Do not listen to your friends. Listen to your heart. Video.

    [4] The most important thing that attracts a man is confidence.

    It’s the same for women. Isn’t it?

    I do not want you all to confuse being aggressive with confidence. I mean being comfortable with you you are, and what you are doing. Confidence. It’s such a turn on. In fact, many men will not ask a confident woman out on a date because they are afraid that she would say “no”.

    So be very careful with this power.

    You need to be who you are. Be comfortable with your good and your bad traits, and accept them. Think of yourself as a a nice comfortable pair of jeans. Just accessorize yourself as need be and as the occasions arise.

    Myself, I am clearly a comfortable tee-shit kind of man, with a clean pair of jeans, and some well worn, but well tended for loafers.

    Who are you?

    A confident woman, would be able to throw on a dress, put on a thin foundation and some light makeup and run out the door in some low heels without a second thought. Are you that kind of woman?

    Be confident on who you are, and what you are. Spend time with friends, and cherish the time with them. Share. Laugh. Enjoy a good drink and good food, and NEVER, ever, ever make a man feel uncomfortable around you. Men are attracted to confident comfortable women. That’s a fact. Video.

    Ask any KTV hostess. They will tell you who the most popular girls are. They are the ones smiling, and joking around. Not the ones that are “beautiful” or who “look like fashion models”.

    Fact.

    This poor girl needs some confidence…

    Important day tomorrow yet here I am. I would try to make myself more palatable/acceptable to people by being extra nice to them. Try to please them. At least let’s be the sweet ugly girl than bitter ugly b**ch I thought. No surprise but it doesn’t work. People just walk all over you and don’t treat you well still.
    
    I tried to be cold, strong and someone who stands their ground but I couldn’t. The thing is, my voice gets shaky easily during confrontations and it immediately turns to full on bawling. I once lowkey embarrassed myself in public by crying like that.
    
    So here I am, total people pleaser, doormat, someone who’s taken advantage of, always ditched, flakes out on and yet I take it without standing up once for myself. I hate it. I resent people because I end up giving more than what I get from them. I lost count the times I said sorry when I didn’t have to.
    
    Since I never had good friendships since 17 or so, I don’t know how a healthy adult friendship is supposed to be. I don’t know what to expect, I’m in constant worry “is it okay to share this? Am I burdening this person?”. I never had friends (both online n irl) who I could go and vent to. It feels as if no one will ever understand me and support me.
    
    I’m tired and lonely af. I feel vulnerable and weak.. I’m crying my eyes out as I write this.

    Confidence. It’s very important. video.

    Do you know what is missing?

    Yeah. A smile.

    How about this confident woman, instead…video

    Or this lovely lass. See how her personality comes out when she smiles… video.

    [5] Have a Passion.

    So please find out what you love. What are the things that you can go on and on talking about? Food? Dogs? Cats? Horses? Houses? Furniture? Fashion? Televisions Shows? Alcohol? Hunting or fishing? Politics?

    Cast iron miniatures?

    Gardening? Crafting? Cooking? Trees? Novels?

    Find out your passion, and then find a man what has the same passion. You would be surprised. Yes you would.

    You see, men are interested in COMPANIONSHIP.

    If your passions match that of a man, then he will over look any of your (perceived) faults and really show an interest in you. You see, men are not looking for 100% perfection. They want 50%, and they will work on the other 50% to meet you half way.

    You will be amazed at how they will not be able to see the imperfections that you are so worried about. And you will end up scratching your head at the things… the everyday things… that you do that really “turn him on”.

    Something as silly as this video, perhaps.

    And…

    Here’s a woman who loves to cook. Being able to cook well is on my top personal requirements, and this gal is cooking bacon with peppers, onion and garlic. OMG! video.

    I used to date (well we actually lived together) with a very attractive fashion model. I mean she was gorgeous. And though she was amazingly beautiful and we did eventually break up, the thing that attracted me to her was our shared love of poetry. And there she would sit listening to me read my poetry over coffee and absorb it all in.

    I loved that.

    Alas, she had faults that I could not bear, but that is immaterial. What attracted me to her was our shared passions.

    From HERE

    Max was peeved. “I am so sick of boring profiles on the dating sites. The first thing people want is to hold hands and walk with someone at sunset on the beach. The second thing is to cuddle up on a couch and watch TV. Why can’t they think of something more interesting?”
    
    I explained to Max that this yearning for sharing quality time is a universal because it reflects close companionship. This is what we all need and desire. It’s especially vital for older folks who must move at a slower pace and have the opportunity to savour shared quality time.
    
    “But I’m not slow!”, declared Max. “At 68, I can keep up with the 40 year olds when we cycle round the bay on Sunday mornings. I want the companionship of a woman who can ride her bike with me at least for two hours into the country and pitch a tent an enjoy the peace and quiet of the bush”.
    
    Where Max wanted active companionship, John was different. He was the film buff who enjoyed nothing more than holding hands with his woman for a film-fest and then having dinner and debriefing the film.
    
    Both men could find their ideal companion. The significant thing about companionship is that there’s no “have tos” – it’s just time shared where you feel bonded and content.
    
    But is companionship better than sex? It’s actually expressed in good sex!
    
    Trust is an essential ingredient of companionship and trust is essential for good sex.
    
    Kevin believes that love is also essential for good sex. He said, “Sex is empty without love. Sure the physical sensations are exciting and pleasurable but it dissipates quickly and leaves in its wake a sense of longing for what was missing. If loving intimacy is missing I feel both sad and upset during the act, like I’ve used the other and abused my own values – a vacuum forms and I feel it in the pit of my stomach – and in my heart. When everything is in place though and sex is love-making – there is nothing that compares!”
    
    Seniors can be sexual in order to express affection, passion, love, loyalty and appreciation of life as opposed to merely a sexual release.
    
    I acknowledge that some older folks become very limited in being able to engage in enthusiastic love-making. For them, non sexual touch is also magical. An arm around a loved one, a small caress on the back or a brush along the cheek with the back of hand are affirming, reassuring and reflect a partnership where the couple are caring companions.
    
    To be truly loving, a relationship would need to work on a number of levels – spiritual, mental, physical, emotional. All of these are intricately interwoven and in balance, with caring companionship, can enhance longevity and quality of life.

    [6] Change what you don’t like.

    If there is something that you don’t like about yourself, don’t tolerate it. Change it.

    As we get older, our faults become deeper and more ingrained. Our problems multiply, and our issues become real personality faults. Change what you cannot bear.

    • For some people it is their job.
    • For others it is their negative friends, or their over-bearing family.
    • For still others it is their appearance.
    • What ever it is that bothers you… change it.

    We haven’t been taught to change things, but rather to deal with them; to accept them. And that generates anxiety and worry…

    We have been worrying ever since we were little about making people angry or disappointed. These are worries that negatively affect us and are not at all beneficial for us.

    Are you the type of person that thinks that they worry too much? Have you ever thought that you worry more than others? If that’s so, it’s time for you to change that situation, because you probably don’t like it, right?

    Not worrying excessively doesn’t imply that we’re free of worrying, but it does mean we should learn to not give it as much importance as we currently are.

    Many of the worries that currently hassle us are pretty silly. Do they really deserve all of our attention? Everybody else doesn’t give them their full attention, you shouldn’t either. Start changing today.

    It’s incredible how much your life can change when you decide to change how you think. There are many things that have been instilled in us from our childhood, considerations that torment us when we become adults because something is just simply not working.

    So do not worry about the things that you don’t like. You change them into something that you DO like.

    If it is your weight, then you can exercise, and change your eating habits. I did not say diet. I said change what your eat, how much you eat, when you eat and all the rest.

    If it is your shape, and exercise won’t do it, then sculpture your body.

    If it is your outfits, clothing or whatever, you have the power to change it. Bleach away the old and embrace in the new.

    [7] Don’ t force the change, embrace it.

    Never force things. Always adapt to them.

    Maybe you wish to be slim and petite, but you are tall, chunky and robust. No problem. Embrace it. Personally, I like robust women. But you need to know how to wear the proper clothes and how to carry yourself. Here’s some more robust girls that are fine with tight clothing.

    It’s the same with me. If I wear tight fitting clothing, I need to exercise on my push-ups and sit-ups to make my frame fit the clothing. Otherwise, I look like an old man with a pot belly so big that it looks like I am nine months pregnant.

    So what I do is wear bigger clothing, looser clothing. I just look like a regular guy. You cannot tell that I wear size 2xxL, instead of a M.

    This trick is the same with women. Now some more robust women can wear tighter clothing and “pull it off”, but it’s difficult.

    Video.

    Accept who you are. Then adapt your lifestyle to fit. video

    The rule is a simple one.

    Tight clothes go on thin bodies. Loose clothes go on thick bodies.

    The thicker, or fatter you are, the looser the clothing should be.

    The girl below has a “barrel” shaped body, but look how absolutely gorgeous she looks in the nice wide flowing dress. She displays her best features; hair, eyes, cleavage, shoulders, and minimizes the things she doesn’t like.

    The heavier you are the looser the clothes should be.

    So maybe you wore tight fitting clothes when you were in your teens, today, being twice that size means that you must adapt with the changes and adapt to the newer, more mature you.

    Don’t live in the past.

    Accept who you are right now.

    This is how good a plus sized woman looks when she is wearing roomy clothes that fit her. WOW! Video.

    [8] Good enough is good enough

    Don’t wait for the perfect relationship to come. Go forth and make friends. One day, one of those friends will end up being the guy that you would like to settle down with. For some people this is quick, but for others it takes a lot of time. Don’t rush it.

    Friends first.

    Then something better later on, if you want.

    Don’t look for perfection. Just look for friends. Given enough friends, you will be able to find the very special person, but the important key is getting out there and meeting him.

    Remember; perfection is an ideal. It is not actually possible to obtain.

    Do not seek perfection in yourself or in others. It will only cause you heartache and despair. Accept things, people and situations as they are. Not as you want them to be.’

    It’s called being pragmatic.

    [9] Turn off your preconceived notions.

    Men are men.

    Women are women.

    Cats are cats.

    If you think that you are going to change a cat to fit your lifestyle, then you are wholly mistaken. The same is true with just about every other animal, and that includes men and women.

    If you are looking for a mate then get to know them first. Over time they will change to fit your needs, and you will change to fit their needs. You do not need to force this as it will happen naturally. But what you do need to realize that in a loving relationship, there is always room to grow… to expand… and to accept.

    Be realistic about what men are, how they think, and what their desires are. It is neither a 14 year old teenager’s fantasy, or a feminist nightmare. It is something else entirely.

    [10] What a man REALLY wants in a relationship.

    I have a post on this. And it boils down to the simple rule of “best fit”.

    There are about ten major things that a man looks for in a woman. If you can meet most of those items, you can definitively snag yourself a good decent man that would make a fine husband.

    But if just meet the top three, you have a very good chance at a mutually sustaining long-term relationship.

    Remember this simple fact; Men play the percentages.

    Go here, for the detailed article…What Men Want

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    [11] Be the best YOU that you can be.

    Be clean. have nice habits. Dress in clothes that fits you. Avoid bad people, toxic people, and horrible bosses.

    Be kind. Show compassion. Take the time to make others happy. Participate in your community and always do good things.

    Be the Rufus. Video.

    Not convinced? Here’s six minutes of being a Rufus, and showing compassion. video. 256MB.

    Still not convinced? Here’s another three minutes of being a Rufus and showing compassion. video. 78MB

    [12] Desperate times call for desperate measures

    Forget about the free dating sites. (Or almost free computer dating sites.)

    Go to a professional and pay the money.

    Get a real assessment of your chances in obtaining dates and meeting desirable men. You will be surprised with the results. If they are good, they will help you and perform an entire “package image makeover”. They are worth their weight in gold.

    [13] Smile

    A smile is everything. video

    The world might be falling apart, you might be ugly and have the body of a whale, but your smile will be what people will remember.

    Never forget that.

    Make a difference by smiling big and huge and radiating for the entire world to see.

    [14] Nothing lasts

    You might believe that you have found Mr. Right, and for a set period of time everything is just great. But over time, people learn, change, adapt and all sorts of things happen. For many of us, it means that often we all change. And when we change, we tend to move in different directions and our relationship might become strained.

    There is nothing good or bad about this. It is just the way life is. You need to accept it, and realize that you have a window or an opportunity to get the best that you can in life. Accept what you have right NOW, and realize that things… all kinds of things can upset that perfect balance that you are living. So enjoy it. Savor it, and by all means NEVER compare yourself to another person.

    Conclusion

    I think that this gal is going to take some of my advice. In any event she has moved on, and MM is just a stepping stone on her life road. I hope that I performed some beneficial role in it. She said thank you and moved on. And that was that.

    Don’t get caught up in the “woe is me” syndrome.

    What ever you do, keep in mind that you are perfect as you are. Improve upon your perfection, and seek out others who share your interests. Get out, and go forth into the world with confidence and gusto.

    Do not try to live up to the expectations of others, just know that somewhere out there is someone who understands you. Seek them out.

    And know that you might have to travel a bit to find this person. Do not be afraid. Take the fist step in a journey that will continue for the rest of your life. I believe in you.

    Do not try to live up to the expectations of others, just know that somewhere out there is someone who understands you. Seek them out.

    Do you want some more?

    I have more posts in my Relationship Index here…

    Relationships

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    Long term strategies for stringing affirmation Intention campaigns together

    In this article we will look at different techniques, tricks and things that you can do to improve your affirmation campaigns so that they all fit together into one unified strategy. This article is one of strategy and long-term planning so that you can manifest your desires over time.

    For those of you who are unaware of what this subject is all about, I would suggest visiting the Affirmation Prayer Campaign Index here…

    Intention Campaigns

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    What many people do

    When most people conduct affirmation campaigns they do so “on the fly”. When they collect and acquire their affirmation statements, they do so with the knowledge of what they desire at that particular moment in their life line. Not realizing that the way to achieve long term substantive changes is through long term strategies.

    That’s what I have done. And it has caused me problems “down the road” as I got older.

    You need to construct a strategy that includes both your immediate short-term objectives along with a master grand plan for eventual objectives to be realized. Noting that long term strategies are the end result of years of directed thought.

    The importance of a grand strategy

    I strongly believe that any grand strategy much include the simplest narratives of contentment. Think in terms of you being an old person. What would you want, and then incorporate those primal elements inside of every one of your campaigns. Such as…

    • I have a calm and peaceful life.
    • I always eat well, and the food is delicious and healthy.
    • I am in good health. There are no medical issues or problems.
    • I am happy, contented, and live a full enchanted life.
    • I never worry about money, taxes, bills, or encumbrances.

    If you have these affirmations in your campaign, then you can guarantee that you will achieve them in your later years. After all, thirty, forty, or fifty years of directed affirmation campaigns will absolutely manifest these things.

    Keep an awareness that you will change over time

    Our experiences change us.

    Our experiences change us.

    The man that I was when I was in university is not the man who I am today. That man who worked in the steel mills is not the man I am today. That man who worked in corporate America is not who I am today. My experiences changed me, and yours will change you.

    Affirmation campaigns generate new experiences for you. And as they generate, they will change you. Understand and expect that.

    Embrace it.

    Mapping the campaigns

    I have often resorted to, or utilized topographical terrain maps to illustrate the MWI. They are effective ways to see where you are going and the problems that you will encounter.

    I use topographical terrain maps to illustrate the MWI.

    But a mind concept differs substantially from actual event experiences. So how can you peer into your future to see what “mountains” and hurtles lie ahead of you?

    Well, the answer is easy.

    You add phraseology to manifest that knowledge, second sight, and ability. May I suggest the following…

    • I have the ability to sense the MWI “mountains” that lie on my life-path, and take immediate measures to make sure that they are avoided.

    Sign posts / tell-tales

    You might want to inject “sign posts”, or “tell-tales” into your affirmation campaigns to make sure that you are on the right trajectory, and not getting sidetracked on other issues. These are little “markers” or events that you will know when you see them, to reaffirm that you are on the right path.

    These little “markers” differ person to person, but the one thing that they all have in common is that you would recognize them.

    • They could be a sequences of numbers or letters.
    • They could be a string of automobile license plates.
    • They could be a kind of food, or a deja vu moment.
    A deja vu moment.

    To incorporate these kinds of “sign posts” you need only add them into your campaign. Such as…

    • Periodically, sign-posts or tell-tales are provided to me to reaffirm that I am on the correct vector path to achieve my goals dreams and objectives.

    Putting it all together

    In order to incorporate a grand strategy in your individual affirmation prayer campaigns, you need only add a few phrases to your campaigns. These phrases will assure that a final goal can be realized, and that sign-posts are provided to you along the way as you move ahead on that path.

    Plan your adventure with the affirmation campaigns all lined up into a singular unified goal and objective.

    You can conduct prayer affirmation campaigns as you would normally conduct them, it’s just that by adding a few extra affirmations you are now part of a much larger theme and objective. Great going you!

    Recording your journey

    I always try to record my life in a series of notebooks and journals.

    Recording your adventure.

    Over time they get displaced or lost, and for the last twenty years they have been all electronics, with their destruction a matter of the collapse of hard drives and computer malfunctions. Never the less, it is always enlightening to read your entries from six months ago, one year ago, two years, ago and so on and so forth.

    You can actually see how your life has changed and has adapted.

    Conclusion

    This was just a short article. Please everyone keep conducting your affirmation prayer campaigns and working to improve your life so that you can be the best that you can ever possibly be. I believe in you.

    I hope that all of this will be beneficial to you on a very personal basis.

    A final note.

    To facilitate your successful implementation of your goals, intentions and prayers, it is always beneficial to be the Rufus in everything that you do. video. 130MB

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts related to this in my Affirmation Campaign index here…

    Intention Campaigns

    More Links

    Master Index

    .

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    Being Ripley 8

    This article discusses what it is like for me to be who I am with the understanding that I have been modified by both the United States government, and by our benefactors (the type-1 greys from The Domain). These modifications have, of course, changed me. The closest image available to recount these modifications is from the movie series “Alien”, and most specifically a character known as “Ripley 8”.

    This article came about when The Domain Commander told me that I “was not human”.

    I did not want to hear that. And I am actually resentful of it.

    The Commander Statement

    You are NOT a normal human being. 
    
    When our agency / MAJestic installed the ELF probes, they / we / us also transformed your personality. We compartmentalized you. You know that. During your MAJestic retirement sequence in ADC Pine Bluff, you confronted various personalities that are part of you.
    
    You are aware of the scientist, the Naval officer, and so on and so forth. However, there are other personalities that you are not aware of. Let it be well understood that it is intentionally by design. These other personalities are not anything that you want to know about, or be associated with.
    
    Thus they are not part of your shutdown sequence. They are permanently hardwired to your personality.
    
    You have [1] Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde, you have [2] The Wolfman (actually, the image is of a half-man, half-sabertooth tiger). You have [3] Mr. Dracula / The Mummy (image is confused and overlaid over each other.), and you have [4] The Incredible Hulk. None of these alter personalities are muted. They are all active.
    
    They are always intended to be active. That makes you dangerous, and why you needed to be sent to prison. That is one of the reasons why they (MAJestic) cannot allow people like yourselves to be walking the (American) streets freely. You are a loaded gun with no "safety switch".
    
    When you start to have memory triggers, event triggers, or code triggers, one of the personalities will manifest. Your "normal" personality will fade into the background and the new personality will dominate. 
    
    Most of the manifested personalities (you have experienced) this year has been of "The Incredible Hulk", and you have done a very fine job of suppressing that character personality. We are personally proud of you.
    
    No one is harmed. At worst, your wife looks at your strange. That's it. It has been triggered by memories while you are under a lot of stress. This is normal for humans, however in your case there is a personalty change has been intentionally engineered and triggered.
    
    There's other triggers as well. 
    
    Over the last six years the Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde personality were occasionally triggered. You don't remember those events because afterwards your memories are suppressed. But if you look back, you will see these periods of *blank*. That is when this personality was triggered. 
    
    This is due to the fact that you live next to the Zhuhai heliport. And some of the aircraft use an electrical signal emitter that triggers your personality change. Luckily, for you, the "go code" signal is never emitted. So all that happens is that you go into a "stand by for orders" mode. Then when nothing happens, you "wake up" and forget about the entire incident.
    
    For you to turn off these programs you will have to go through the entire Pine Bluff deactivation procedure all over again. We advise you not to do that. We further advise you NEVER (emphasis) return to the United States. All scenarios where you return is problematic for you personally.
    
    Do not listen to DZ (my brother). He's a "strange cat" with other purposes and intentions for your return.
    
    The reasons are obvious. 
    
    However, you need to remember that many of your latent personalities can be triggered by radio frequencies at various frequencies, amplitudes, patterns and pulses. The United States has substantially changed since you were there last. The spectrum of presently emitted radiation would trigger some very lethal responses from you.

    Fucking lovely. Sheech!

    Oh for Pete’s sake!

    First I’m some kind of troll like bureaucrat named Mades Escapleon, and now I find out that I am a cross mix of of the bad characters from all the B-grade horror movies of the 1960’s. And to top it off, I’m a gun without a safety switch.

    Sheech! Can’t I ever get a break?

    This is obviously false. As I look, act and think like a human, and live in a human society. Not to mention that I enjoy pizza, wine and pretty girls. Not to mention, sex, playing with cats, and watching movies. So perhaps, I misinterpreted the comm.

    Q: Please expand on the reasoning behind the statement that “I am not human”.

    You are not human.
    
    You are neither a pure human archetype, nor an inmate "skin suit". You are a hybrid creation with elements of both, as well as constructions intended for utility by the Domain.
    
    (Image of a PPT presentation showing a "free and normal" human archetype. Followed by it being "changed" into a different kind of human; an inmate "skin suit". Then, changes to it with ELF, EPB and then a number of operations. The resulting figure on the PPT looks like neither the first Human archetype, nor the inmate "skin suit".)
    
    All of the members in your MAJestic sub-project are hybrid creations. Some, like yourself, have further refinements. While others are slightly retarded / backwards / not up to date /contemporaneous with the update software / coding / medical procedures / system enhancements.
    
    Additionally, all volunteers to The Domain (through MM here) that have agreed to work with us have also become hybrid creatures. They are no longer "inmate" human (appearing) skin suits. They have had one significant alteration to their inmate "skin suits". Some have had two or more. The severity of the changes is equated to their current dream states, feelings / emotions / perceptions.
    
    (I think that it means that the odder your experiences are; your feelings are; your dreams are; the more changes to your "skin suit".)
    
    In your case, you were altered for your role in our surrogate agency / utility /division (I think he means MAJestic) and then further altered with the addition of the EBP. So you have at least three layers of alterations. Certainly you might not appreciate the alterations, but we believe that they are necessary for the successful role that you play.
    
    Stop assuming that you are the same as everyone else. YOU ARE NOT. (It felt like he was stressing things to me like my old DI in the Navy.)

    Then, what the Hell am I?

    Ripley 8?

    Who or What is “Ripley 8”

    We now refer to a fictional character. This character is from the movie “alien resurrection“.

    Ripley 8

    Ripley 8 (also known as Number 8) was the eighth and almost fully successful clone of Lieutenant Ellen Ripley created by the USM.

    The USM’s mission was to retrieve a Xenomorph Queen (in its chestburster cycle) from the clone’s chest.

    However, subsequently the clone’s human DNA was mixed with Alien DNA there by creating a hybrid that retained much of the memories and personality of the original Ripley as well as other features.

    Birth

    Ripley 8 was cloned from frozen samples of Ellen Ripley’s blood, recovered after her death, from Fiorina 161. The United Systems Military knew of the Alien Queen inside Ellen Ripley at the time of her death, made several attempts to clone Ripley, and after seven failures, they finally got the process right, effectively creating Ripley 8. They surgically extracted the Queen from Number 8 and began to teach her how to use her powers onboard the Auriga. During therapy sessions, one of the scientists brought back repressed memories of Newt.

    alien resurrection Ripley 8

    Escape

    Number 8 was later confronted by Call, who attempts to kill her, believing that she may be used to create more Aliens, but Call is too late; the Aliens have already matured and quickly escape their confinement, damaging the ship and killing most of its crew.

    Dr. Wren, one of the ship’s scientists, reveals that the Auriga’s default command in an emergency situation is to return to Earth. Realizing that this will unleash the Aliens on Earth, Ripley, the mercenaries, Wren, a marine named Distephano, and a surviving Alien host, Purvis, attempt to escape on the Betty and destroy the Auriga.

    Ripley 8

    While escaping the Auriga, number 8 came across the laboratory containing her failed predecessors, including number 7. Struggling to speak, number 7 begged number 8 to euthanize her to end her life of agony, and number 8 complied by killing her with a flamethrower then torching the entire lab. As the group makes their way through the damaged ship, several of them are killed by the Aliens.

    Call is revealed to be an android after Wren betrays the group. Using her abilities to interface with the damaged ship’s systems, they set it on a collision course with Earth, hoping that the Aliens will be destroyed in the crash. Ripley 8 then feels the pain endured by the Genetic Queen via telepathic connection, she was captured by the Xenomorphs and was brought to the Queen’s chamber.

    Encounter with the Newborn

    The Queen gave birth to a new lifeform called the Newborn. Shortly after birth, the newborn decapitates the Queen, instead having imprinted Ripley as its true mother.

    alien resurrection Ripley 8

    The newborn follows Ripley onboard the Betty, closing the jammed door and saving the spacecraft from the vacuum of space. After another encounter with Ripley, she uses one of the being’s sharp canine teeth to cut her hand. Splashing her own acidic blood onto the plexiglas viewing port of the Betty’s cargo bay, she succeeded in her attempt to breach the window and caused everything to be sucked out (along with the newborn) which caught against the glass as it tried to return to Ripley. Subsequently, it is sucked out into space piece by piece, unable to properly free itself from the vacuum of space.

    New Life

    The Auriga was destroyed upon its impact to the Earth’s atmosphere, taking the remaining Xenomorphs onboard along with it, destroying the last trace of the creature in existence. Number 8 later finds herself in Paris, though it is obvious that something catastrophic happened there as the city is in ruins. She then wonders what new world awaits her.

    Ripley 8

    Personality & Traits

    Number 8 was an exact copy of Ellen Ripley but that was only partly skin deep, as her personality was much different; she is apathetic, cold and seemingly enjoyed the havoc the Xenomorphs caused.

    She was also able to “feel” the Xenomorphs, but despite this she was on the side of the humans. This may not have been out of morality, but the fact that she was still a target of the Xenomorphs; as a facehugger latched on to her in the flooded section of the ship and Xenomorph Warriors tried to kill or capture her, despite the fact she was part xenomorph herself.

    Ripley 8

    Dr Gedimen said that she has something of a predatory behavior as she toys with the Betty crew in the basketball court.

    Some of the original Ripley’s personalty and maternal behavior does reside in her though, as when a female scientist shows Ripley a picture of a young girl, Ripley smiles but then quickly becomes saddened as she remembers both Newt and her daughter, Amanda, and realizes what the memories mean. She also becomes protective of Call, almost motherly-so.

    Hybrid Characteristics

    Due to the crossing of Ellen Ripley and an Alien Queen, number 8 has traces of the Xenomorph genes that she continually exhibits throughout the movie. Below are a list of such characteristics:

    • Physical Appearance: Being her clone, number 8 looks identical to Ellen Ripley; however because of her Xenomorph genes, there are some physical differences which includes glossy metallic teeth, naturally dark fingernails, and a slightly altered skin tone.
    • Psyche: Number 8 displayed very violent and ferocious behavior. Her general outlook and mindset were notably vicious and obviously reminiscent of the Xenomorph behavior. Even her body language speaks of the Alien DNA she possesses, as her movements are feral and almost cat-like.
    • Superior Strength: Numerous times number 8 demonstrates a superior strength that is not natural to humans. Such example is just after a few drones escape their cages and begin to take over the USM Auriga: number 8 is locked in a small, barren quarters and an Xenomorph is trying to break in to kill her. Quickly acting, number 8 uses her bare hands and fists to punch through a sealed metal panel so that she can trip wires to a back door. Another example was during the swim through the flooded area of the USM Auriga, when a Facehugger attached itself to her after the group had surfaced, and after a struggle she managed to pull it off.

    alien resurrection Ripley 8

    • Rapid Cell Regeneration: Another ability given to number 8 due to the gene crossing is her ability to rapidly heal from injuries. From her confines, she is visited by Annalee Call, who brandishes a knife in an attempt to kill her. But number 8 runs the blade through her right palm without pain, then after removing the blade, the wound heals within moments.
    • Jumping Skills: She is shown to be able to leap large distances.
    • Endurance: Number 8 is able to have a higher endurance rate than any human. An example is during the unexpected swim through the USM Aurigas decks that number 8 shows the uncanny ability to stay underwater longer. Additionally, she is never shown as having shortness of breath or any weariness during the frantic escape from the ship like her human counterparts.
    • Caustic Blood: Much like the Xenomorphs, Ripley 8 has acidic blood that can burn through metal, skin, clothing, aluminum silcate glass, and fused silica glass. However, number 8’s blood does remain crimson red like that of humans and is much more mild than the pure Xenomorph’s yellow-tinted blood.
    • Alien Empathy: Due to her half-Xenomorph genetics, number 8 is able to sense the presence of other Xenomorphs as well as their motives and emotions and possesses an apparent mental connection with the Xenomorph hive.
    • Genetic Memory: The Xenomorphs possesses the ability to pass on their memories genetically, and because of this Ripley 8 has “inherited” vague memories that belonged to the original Ellen Ripley as well as the Xenomorph. An example of this is when a scientist onboard the Auriga inadvertently triggers Ripley’s memories of Newt and her daughter. These confiding memories results in Number 8 suffering a crisis of loyalty until the original Ripley’s hatred for the Xenomorphs break through and she sides with the humans.

    Now for the real stuff; MM

    Ripley 8 is a fiction. But I am real.

    My experience in MAJestic, and how I became who I am today is all documented on the many pages of MM. But this article is to say that Hollywood is a fiction. And I am real. And I just want to take a moment or two to discuss what it is like being me.

    I have numerous unmodified traits that make me different from most “average” people.

    • My core education is in Aerospace Engineering / Astrophysics.
    • I was accepted for and trained as a Naval Aviator.

    Those two things set me apart in education and training. How many Aerospace Engineers are alive in America these days? And how many of them are Naval Aviators? Not many. Most of the other aviators I trained with took basic humanities. Very few were STEM educated.

    I also have other things that set me apart from most SAP’s in the US government.

    • I joined MAJestic. Which is a volunteer organization that operates within the ONI.
    • Which then physically modified me with seven ELF probes in my skull.
    • And which used MK-Ultra behavior modification to compartmentalize my personalities.

    Which really narrows down my augmented skill set. How many do you figure are in the United States today that meet all of these above criteria?

    And that is just for starters. Once that was completed, I was sent off-world and further modified by The Domain; our “benefactors”. Which again makes me somewhat “special”. As most of MAJestic do not have EBP installed.

    • EBP installed.
    • Physical body modified.
    • Non-physical bodies modified.

    And then over time, with my various tasks and assignments, I have experienced a reality far different from which a “normal” human would experience.

    • World-line changes
    • World-line slides
    • Ability to communicate via the ELF probes.
    • Ability  to communicate using the EBP.

    And my experiences…

    • Married to a person who had a serious mental illness.
    • In a cutthroat high-tech industry that hired and fired at will.
    • International travel as part of my work.
    • Retirement as a Sex Offender.
    • Finally, egress and departure to live inside of China.

    All told my experiences are wholly unique. All of this, by definition, makes me different.

    But NOT alien.

    Keeping all this real.

    We are ALL, every single one of us, dealing with our own unique lives, and our own unique experiences.

    None of us are better or worse than each other.

    We are all different, and that is a good thing.

    This article is to tell you all that I enjoy wine, pretty girls, pizza, steaks, “goldfish crackers” and “cheese-it” crackers, sex, and a nice ice cream Sunday on a hot, hot day. I like cats, dogs, and playing with things. I like to tromp in the woods, and smell the lush moistness underfoot, and rid a motorcycle though winding roads.

    The human part of me is still there.

    And I am getting old. I have blood pressure problems, heart problems, I drink too much, smoke too much, and am starting to have a daddy-belly (if you know what I mean).

    I get happy, elated, and angry and sad. I like to read, and eat, and cook, and nap.

    I think that most people here can relate to all that.

    That’s because I am human.

    But being different is not evident. Many people make the mistake that I am 100% of what they expect. You can see this on the occasional comments that I allow to post. Like the Jackass who asked (respectfully) why I don’t allow discussions about Jews! Jews! Jews! on my website. I mean really! Is this guy so clueless not to realize how anti-social that is? Sheech!

    You know guys, anything can happen. And one day I will move on. My family will be sad and distressed. The MM site will fade into obscurity without a mention, and I will be one of those “flash in the pan” characters of limited interest to the society as a whole. Like Soopy Sales,  Howdy Doody, or Jerry Lewis.

    The point

    Does it really matter if I am different on the inside? Does it matter if you are? Or if she is? Or if those people over there are?

    No it doesn’t.

    What does matter however, is our acceptance of things that we cannot change, may not like, or want to improve. And in order to accept those things, we need to be accepting that EVERY PERSON is just as different from each other, as I am from the “typical person”. We are all — everyone of us — different.

    Being different is a good thing.

    When I was in Pago Pago, a fellow came over to do some plumbing work on one of the hospital installations that I was working on, and we got to talking. He kept on saying that he really wasn’t a plumber, in a sad desultorily manner. And I had to correct him. He said he was a trained EMT, but that the funding for the job ended, so he was just doing what ever work he could find.

    I told him that you are NEVER defined by your job. Which is a major lesson us men must deal with.

    And…

    You are also never what your career or your education is either. That is meaningless.

    And…

    Your value is never defined on how much money you make, though it will influence the happiness of your spouse.

    And…

    You are not what others say your are, whether lies or truth.

    And…

    You are not your past, your past mistakes, or your past successes.

    Because, you are exactly who you are right now. PERIOD. Good, bad, ugly, dirty, clean, pristine, perfect, or tarnished. You are what you are in this very slim moment in time.

    You must make this moment special, and let the rest of the world howl in frustration.

    You know…

    I haven’t flown a plane in years. I am tardy in my physical exercises. I could be a lot nicer. I should be making more money. I do need to take care of a lot of home projects that are falling behind, and so on and so forth…

    I suppose that many of you are like me.

    That’s because we ARE human. No matter what anyone else says. No matter how strong, important or powerful they are, you are exactly who you are, as unique as you are. And that is wonderful because you are SPECIAL.

    Is this guy better than me because he has money…? (VIDEO)

    Video

    And to tell youse guys the truth, I am sure that this guy is enjoying life and having a great time, but I really don’t know if I would feel comfortable living like him. Not really.

    It is how we handle our life that matters. It is the ways that we interact with others, do our best, and be helpful. These are what matters. And if you are the Rufus, your life changes. It changes. (VIDEO)

    Be the Rufus VIDEO

    And you know, you don’t need to perform heroic actions. You just need to be good.

    Be good. Do good things.

    You need to put smiles on the faces of those around you. Let them know that they are special and appreciated. Give the neighborhood cats a little treat. Tell the girl in the office that she looks good in the dress. Tell the bank teller that you like her glasses. Buy a cup of coffee for a coworker. Hold the door open to others, and smile and say Hi!

    Use your talents, whatever they are. Give others “a break”. Cut them some slack. Put smiles on the faces of those around you.

    Use your talents. Like this artist. He just gives people his art for free. No strings attached. (VIDEO)

    Video

    Do things with no strings attached.

    No strings attached.

    Do you want more?

    I have more articles like this in my MAJestic Index here…

    MAJestic

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
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    Silent Sound Demo schematics, circuit and operational theory documents

    The following is extracted from “the Silent Sound Demo for the mind control machinery”. This come from the time (around 2000) when the patent was first granted and the inventor was trying to sell his device. It is extracted from historical archives and is useful in helping us design our own systems to conduct affirmations prayer campaigns.

    This entire article lists the schematics, parts list and construction blueprints of a demo device that shows the principles of the Silent Sound Technology that is now in use by almost all of the United States government agencies, the mainstream media and advertisement companies.

    This is for those who want to DIY their own system, or who want to experiment themselves. I am afraid that it is a bit technical, but I am a geek and this kind of stuff excites me so much.

    It’s like a pretty girl wearing an awesome dress (with cute earrings, and a really nice set of high heels), some tasty shraz wine, and a super delicious pizza all together for a night of magic.

    But that’s just me. I am such a sucker for a girl wearing a dress, high heels and really cute earrings. Not to mention pizza and shraz wine.

    For those of you who are not geeks, please just skim the article and realize that it exists. Future articles will build upon the information provided here and make it very easy to hack into your own brain and biological systems so that YOU have control over your body and your MWI.

    Great stuff actually. But sorry for the technical opacification.

    The Schematic

    Here’s a nice overview summary of the circuit schematic. Obviously, it is not an overly complex device; Four IC chips, a handful of capacitors and resistors and a transistor.

    Silent Sound Demo schematic

    Use Chip Sockets

    Do not go all in for hard-wiring and soldering everything. Use male and female connectors and attach using this convention. And Lordy, please refrain from wire wrapping.

    An IC socket, also known as a chip socket, or a DIP IC socket is an electrical connector used in the field of electronic engineer. The pins of the integrated circuit (IC) connect into the socket making a robust electrical connection without the requirement of soldering.
    
    -DIP IC Sockets - Peter Vis
    Examples of various sizes of chip sockets.

    The Drawings

    The several Corel Draw 3 .CDR drawings referenced below will NOT display in most browsers. The idea is that you SAVE TO YOUR LOCAL HARD DRIVE each one, then print from a compatible graphics package. This method gives the clearest quality prints.
    I HAVE ALSO INCLUDED .GIF DRAWINGS, HOWEVER, DUE TO THE COARSE RESOLUTION OF MY GRAPHICS SOFTWARE, THESE MAY OR MAY NOT PRINT TO MEET YOUR NEEDS.
    An office services shop should be able to print the .CDRs – BE SURE THEY SELECT “FIT TO PAGE”. (Note that this instruction packet is dated from 2001. – MM) Most recent full featured graphics packages can read and print a Corel Draw 3 (VECTOR) drawing. The entire set of .CDR files will fit on one EMPTY 1.44 MB floppy diskette. (Thus dating this article. LOL.) Here are the clickable references, sizes, and paper orientation.

    The Documents for the Large Version

    The Documents for the Small Version

    SMALLER PERF BOARD VERSION – NO BOARD CUTTING REQUIRED ** >> DRAWINGS ABOVE ARE SUFFICIENT FOR SOMEONE WHO CAN DESIGN THEIR OWN CASE AND PANEL

    Questions and Answers

    Q: Are the items in question expensive? I MIGHT be interested in paying for a demo unit. How large and heavy is it when finished
    .
    A: I estimate it could be done for about $200 US (year 2000 prices), though this would vary upwards if you had to purchase a tape recorder, say, or a frequency meter along with it. Tape recorder, a small one, is necessary. A frequency meter is not, subject to conditions below. With the largest Radio Shack plastic project box, it’s 8″ x 6″ x 3″. With the 12-volt gel cell inside, it weighs perhaps 3 lbs.
    .
    Q: Could you briefly describe how you demo it to curious onlookers?
    .
    A: I keep a tape recorder with sample ordinary voice with the unit, so I can demonstrate both the 1,500 Hertz normal speech center freq. then raise the center frequency up until it is not audible. At that point, the visitor is hearing “silent sound” carrying speech, using FM rather than nature’s AM.
    .
    I also unplug the attenuator / patch cable from the “earphone” jack on the tape recorder, which allows the visitor to hear the ordinary voice on the tape, which is AM (amplitude modulation). Also at that point, the brain is using “slope tuning” to recover the normal voice from the inaudible signal.
    .
    I tell them this is an unclassified device which can hypontize SILENTLY, show them the label with the U.S. patent #5,159,703, and tell them a unit like this was used in the 1991 Gulf War by the U.S. Army Psychological Warfare branch to persuade, silently, all those Iraqi troops to surrender so quickly.
    .
    That was DOCUMENTED on ITV, and you should have for your reference (one copy, not to hand out – it’s too long) the Judy Wall article at this link: http://www.raven1.net/silsoun2.htm.
    .
    I go on to tell them that this device gets it’s REAL destructive power when connected to a voice to skull transmitter, one of which is under construction here in Ontario. It can beam hypnosis silently into someone’s skull for years and they won’t be aware.
    .
    Q: Can you monitor the output?
    .
    A: You CAN use the Radio Shack sound level meter to show, when the frequency setting is high, that sound is coming out of the tweeter even though they can’t hear it. Due to having to use the bus, I’m restricted on how much I can carry, so I haven’t used this but once. (Doesn’t seem to be required, actually.) However, there are a couple of important caveats if you want to use a sound level meter:

    .

    • Radio Shack’s sound level meters are calibrated to match the human ear response.
    • Since the demo unit can easily tune the center frequency up above 20 kHz (the meter’s upper limit) you must have a FREQUENCY COUNTER with you or your sound level meter may miss your then-ultrasound signal.
    • This demo unit, in order to pump out any kind of signal near the high end of human hearing (around 15 kHz) uses a small PIEZO tweeter, 2 inches dia.
    • The readily available, simple, LM386 audio amplifier chip will handle this frequency, but without much power to spare, so the actual amplitude is not great at 14.5 kHz, the Lowery patent specification.
    • Therefore, especially OUTDOORS, a demo to use a sound level meter needs an ADDITIONAL STAGE of amplification. That could be added on to the circuit board, but room is a problem with the 276-158 board, or, an amplified speaker, like the Radio Shack 21-541 would be needed for a reliably convincing sound level meter demo. (The 21-541 should also have it’s low-frequency speaker replaced with a 30,000 Hz PIEZO tweeter.)
    The GOOD news is that so far, the sound level meter demo does NOT seem to be necessary, though I do have the equipment should that be necessary. The full demo would probably be used for a pre-arranged meeting with a group.

    Demonstration Spiel for Silent Sound Demo Device September 28, 2000

    DEMONSTRATION PROCEDURES THOROUGHLY go through the setup procedures first. You need to be completely familiar with the unit before attempting to demonstrate it to the public. Be sure your battery has been charged overnight.

    Setup procedures Shortly before the demo, refresh yourself on: – U.S. Govt (NSA) admission mind control exists nsa1.gif – unclassified and commercial mind-weapons-capable devices uncom.htm – MKULTRA and the successful lawsuit against the CIA anat-1.htm

    MATERIALS.

    You need, when dealing with the public:

    • A printout of THIS SET OF INSTRUCTIONS
    • A printout of hypno2s.gif (see other below)
    • A printout of mkcover.gif (OPTIONAL)
    • ! picket sign (if outdoors without a pre-arranged meeting with visitors)
    • Some handouts, one sheet of which MUST be nsa1.gif (This has proven very compelling to those who read it)
    • For YOUR reference, a printout of Judy Wall’s article on silent sound, including Gulf War use, silsoun2.htm
    • ! copy of these instructions and spiel script
    • A small flip-nozzle container of water for your voice and perhaps throat lozenges
    • Sunscreen and sun hat if outdoors
    • A small tape recorder with a voice-ONLY cassette, normal sound
    • A patch cord between the “ear” jack on the recorder and the MONO 1/8″ jack on the demo unit (keep volume low or use an attenuator from Radio Shack. Excess volume results in garble.)

    Some may find this image explaining silent sound WITHOUT the extra clutter from the voice-to-skull attachment easier to use:

    • A printout of voicefm.gif (OPTIONAL) Some may wish to hand out schematics. I recommend this schematic and matching solder-side component placement image:
    • vfmckt3.gif, schematic
    • kitbotm3.gif, solder-side layout

    Components

    Here’s some info on the components. And forgive me, but I am fundamentally a geek at heart.

    LM386

    This is a standard part.

     

     

    And here's another pinout.

    Lot's more in the PDF.

    XR2206

    This is a well known, if not standard, part.

    Of course, there are complete modules that you can buy that makes construction of the units so much easier. Such as this one…

     

    ICE-BREAKER.

    Mine is a picket sign that carries this message: “GOVT-MEDIA TELL THE PUBLIC ABOUT ELECTRONIC MIND WEAPONS” poster9.gif

    SPIEL.

    The words below VARY according to the person I’m talking with, and for best effectiveness you will need to judge just how interested the visitor is. I’ve had SHORT visits like:

    VISITOR: What is this? (Pointing to the demo unit)

    DEMONSTRATOR: This is a device which takes ordinary human speaking voice and does two things to it: – converts it from natural AM (amplitude modulation) to FM (frequency modulation); this garbles the voice – raises the average frequency from around 1,500 Hertz, which is normal, to around 15,000 Hertz.

    At 15,000 Hertz, young people with good hearing can hear a slight “ringing in the ears” from this device, while many adults hear nothing at all. But the brain CAN HEAR THE WORDS, even though the ear cannot.

    This allows a hypnotist to program an individual over months and years without the target being aware. There is no resistance to the hypnosis because the target doesn’t hear it.

    This can be beneficial, but it can also do severe damage to a person’s well being. This is why our group is out here demonstrating. We want government to earn their salaries and perks by placing controls on who can possess such devices and what can be legally done with them.

    VISITOR: Thank you (and leaves.) LONG visits start out as above. If questions keep coming, you will need to answer them. Below are some typical questions and answers:

    DEMONSTRATOR: (Continuing from the “short” spiel above) ** AT THIS POINT, YOU MAY WANT TO DROP DOWN THIS SCRIPT TO ITEM #6, THE ACTUAL PHYSICAL DEMO OF THE UNIT. I HAVE FOUND THAT A GREAT MANY VISITORS DO NOT WANT TO HEAR THE UNIT. I NEVER PRESS THAT ISSUE WITH THEM, AND ONLY START IT UP WHEN ASKED.

    This device as it is here is harmless, unless used on someone who has already been programmed with trigger words or phrases. It becomes very invasive and dangerous, though, if connected to a voice-to-skull projector.

    A voice-to-skull projector is a modified radar transmitter in which the human voice controls how close together the radar pulses occur.

    In 1974, Dr. Joseph Sharp, of the Walter Reed Army Institute of research, announced his successful transmission of speech directly into the human skull with no receiving device.

    By connecting this “silent sound” device to a voice-to-skull transmitter, it is possible to transmit hypnotic phrases silently into a target’s bedroom, every night, for years, without the target’s being aware.

    By programming enough “Pavlovian triggers” into an individual, that individual’s personality can be changed substantially. Using pre-programmed trigger phrases, a “handler” of that individual can literally use him or her as a “living robot”, in cases where the individual has high susceptibility to hypnosis.

    The process of programming enough triggers into an individual for purposes of control is called “creating a Manchurian Candidate”, after two books of that title. The formal program of the CIA, begun in the 1950s, started out as 149 separate experiments, and was in response to cold war fears and the apparent “brainwashing” of Allied POWs in Korea. This group of “behavior modification” experiments bore the code name MKULTRA.

    MKULTRA did include electronic mind control devices, but the best known electronic mind control device of the early days was the Russian LIDA machine. The LIDA, one of which is in possession of Veterans’ Administration researcher Dr. Ross Adey, “entrained” or electronically coerced a target in the path of it’s signal to be relaxed and more susceptible to hypnosis.

    A few Korean War vets claimed to have seen the LIDA in use at the POW camps. The MKULTRA code name ceased in the late 1970s when the U.S. Senate’s Frank Church Committee investigated MKULTRA experiments and found that serious atrocities had been committed on people in the military, prisons, or in mental hospitals.

    However, not one single perpetrator from the MKULTRA programs was ever brought up on charges. We know that electronic mind control experimentation did not cease, and this “silent sound” technology was used in actual military combat in the 1991 Gulf War.

    The United States Army connected a silent sound voice converter like this one to an FM broadcast transmitter, broadcasting on a frequency of 100 Megahertz, and the silent hypnotic commands were carried right on top of normal voice in the Iraqi language.

    The normal voice carried confusing information, while the SILENT component re-inforced a sense of despair by hypnotic suggestion. This was documented on Britain’s ITV network, but not shown in the U.S. or Canada.

    The successful use by the U.S. Army clearly shows that this technology does work. Through-the-wall voice-to-skull technology makes it almost inescapable.

    Our group hopes that eventually the public will learn enough about the invasive privacy destroying electronic mind control weapons available today to demand that government report on these devices to the people, and make their use and possession matters of ongoing PUBLIC record.

    Electronic mind control devices have been under development for 50 years, and our group knows only the unclassified and commercial versions. The time for public input and control of all such technologies is LONG overdue.

    ACTUAL DEMONSTRATION OF THE UNIT ITSELF.

    Put a tape with VOICE (not music) into your demo tape recorder. Connect a patch cable between the “ear” jack on the recorder and the INPUT jack on the demo unit. If you have an attenuator, use it, but if not, remember to keep the volume setting on the recorder quite low.

    Excess volume garbles the speech making for an un- convincing demo. Switch on the demo unit. Adjust the tone near the lower end of the frequency knob’s travel.

    The Input Level should be around one third of it’s way up from it’s lowest position.

    Push PLAY on the recorder. You should hear speech “mixed” in with the demo unit’s tone.

    This demonstrates to a visitor what simply converting natural human voice, which is AM or amplitude modulation to FM or frequency modulation sounds like.

    Near the low end of the frequency knob’s travel, the frequencies of the voice are still about at their natural values, but the mode is now FM, as opposed to AM.

    THE VISITOR CAN HEAR THIS IS GARBLED. Now slowly increase the frequency knob until the audible sound is as HIGH as you and your visitor can just hear. If you are both adults, this point is approximately where the brain can start to convert this inaudible sound BACK TO WORDS.

    The process is called “slope tuning”.

    You can move the IN-OFF-OUT switch back to IN to show the visitor that voice is actually being fed into the unit. vfmslopd.gif, shows how the brain recovers the inaudible words using the process of “slope detection” or “slope tuning” – worth having a few of these for technical folks who are interested in how it works.

    If you have a frequency counter or meter, connect it to the two binding posts, one red, one black, on the front panel.

    During a demo adjust frequency somewhere between 14.5 and 14.8 kHz (14,500 Hertz to 14,800 Hertz.) This is the range where both the Lowery patent (5,159,703) and the New Zealand Altered States company operate at to produce brain-understandable silent sound.

    SEE ITEM 4 BELOW UNDER SETUP FOR COMMENTS ABOUT USING AN AUDIO LEVEL METER TO ENHANCE YOUR DEMONSTRATION.

    SETUP PROCEDURES

    vfmtest.gif, shows what the scope trace should look like when proper frequency modulation by voice is applied. vfmslopd.gif, shows how the brain recovers the inaudible words using the process of “slope detection” or “slope tuning” – worth having a few of these for technical folks who are interested in how it works.

    1

    You will need a small voltmeter to monitor battery charge state. This must be a small meter that reads out VOLTS, and *NOT* a “battery OK” meter with red and green scales.

    It is necessary to know voltages for communications by email or phone with people who can offer technical help.

    A convenient meter is the Radio Shack 22-802, for around $30, which has a folding case fully containing the two probes and their cable.

    The only trick with any meter is TO REMEMBER TO SHUT IT OFF WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED. Almost all of today’s voltmeters have digital displays and have their own small internal battery. (Pick up and carry a spare battery.)

    2

    First job is to charge the internal 12-volt gel cell. The charger supplied with units purchased from Eleanor White is a simple “wall mount” style 12-volt power supply, with a cable that cannot be connected with the wrong polarity.

    Measure the voltage by touching the positive (red lead) screw on the terminal strip with the red probe, and the negative (black lead) screw on the terminal strip with the black probe.

    You should get “13 something” volts if the battery is reasonably well charged. If you get zero volts, it is likely that one of the 3/4 amp fuses is blown.

    Check both fuses to be sure. (You can check a fuse visually, but 3/4 amp size is hard to see. Instead, switch your meter to K-ohms and put the probes on either end of the glass fuse. The fuse should show zero or very close to zero if it is good.

    The fuses are 5 MILLIMETER and you may need to go to Radio Shack to get replacements. !!!!! SWITCH YOUR METER OFF OR BACK TO VOLTS WHEN FINISHED !!!!!

    Now remove the probes and connect your charger. Put the probes back on their screws and note the voltage reading.

    If charging is in progress, you should see “14 something” volts and perhaps as high as 15 volts. If you don’t, something is wrong – see the paragraph on blown fuses above, or be sure the charger is plugged in, or be sure the outlet has power. If your “wall mount” power supply has a SLIDE SWITCH TO CHANGE VOLTAGE, be sure it is set to “12”.

    3

    Switch the unit on. You should see the LED on the panel lit up. If not, check the fuses. Switch the IN-OFF-OUT switch to OUT. Turn the frequency control to the lower part of its travel. Be sure the Output Level knob is at least 1/4 of the way up. You should hear a steady tone.

    Test that the frequency control can raise the tone high enough that you can no longer hear it, then bring it back down low.

    Switch the IN-OFF-OUT switch to IN. Raise the Input Level to full scale.

    If you get a squeal, as sometimes happens with PA systems, you need to make a mental note of where that occurs and not go above that point with INPUT level.

    4

    4. Put a tape with VOICE (not music) into your demo tape recorder. >> COMMENTS ABOUT AUDIO LEVEL METER DEMOS ARE AT THE END OF THIS ITEM.

    Connect a patch cable between the “ear” jack on the recorder and the INPUT jack on the demo unit. If you have an attenuator, use it, but if not, remember to keep the volume setting on the recorder quite low. Excess volume garbles the speech making for an un- convincing demo.

    Switch on the demo unit. Adjust the tone near the lower end of the frequency knob’s travel. The Input Level should be around one third of it’s way up from it’s lowest position. Push PLAY on the recorder.

    You should hear speech “mixed” in with the demo unit’s tone. This demonstrates to a visitor what simply converting natural human voice, which is AM or amplitude modulation to FM or frequency modulation sounds like.

    Near the low end of the frequency knob’s travel, the frequencies of the voice are still about at their natural values, but the mode is now FM, as opposed to AM.

    The visitor can hear this is garbled.

    Now slowly increase the frequency knob until the audible sound is as HIGH as you and your visitor can just barely hear. If you are both adults, this point is approximately where the brain can start to convert this inaudible sound BACK TO WORDS. The process is called “slope tuning”. You can move the IN-OFF-OUT switch back to IN to show the visitor that voice is actually being fed into the unit.

    If you have a frequency counter or meter, connect it to the two binding posts, one red, one black, on the front panel. During a demo adjust frequency somewhere between 14.5 and 14.8 kHz (14,500 Hertz to 14,800 Hertz.)

    This is the range where both the Lowery patent (5,159,703) and the New Zealand Altered States company operate at to produce brain-understandable silent sound.

    If you have an AUDIO LEVEL METER, it can be used to show that sound is coming out at 14.5 kHz even though it is inaudible. !!!!! BUT BEWARE !!!! Some audio meters like Radio Shack’s CUT OFF AT OR NEAR 20 kHz. You need to do considerable testing in private before you attempt audio meter proof in front of visitors.

    It is quite easy to get the frequency too high, in which case the audio level meter will show nothing at all. To be practical, you really would need a frequency meter connected to the binding posts to assure yourself you were in the 14.5-14.8 range.

    Furthermore, the piezo tweeter is good at high end frequencies, but the common audio chips in the unit are not really strong at these high-end frequencies.

    If you plan to use an audio level meter, I’d recommend something like the Radio Shack amplified speaker, catalogue #21-541, requiring it’s own separate 12-volt source (the demo unit’s can be tapped by someone with electronic assembly skills.

    This will shorten the charge life of the demo unit’s battery but may be worth doing anyway.) If you do use an external amplifier, be SURE it gets it’s normal voice coil speaker replaced with a PIEZO unit or the high frequency sound won’t get through well enough for the audio level meter to detect.

    Conclusion

    This is a complete reprint of the archived information regarding Silent Sound. It is very difficult to come across today. The information provided can help the DIY inclined person develop their own system or copy this one to achieve the same results.

    Part 3 is next.

    There we will discuss the voice-to-skull projector. Stay tuned.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts related to this in my Affirmation Campaign index here… Intention Campaigns .

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    The entry director for reincarnation on the Prison Planet

    This is an interesting read. I think that many MM readers will enjoy this article. In it, a remote viewer, investigated some of the administrative and entry processing centers for General Population programming and egress. Very intersting.

    Honoring Bruce Moen – Afterlife Explorer and Pioneer

    Bruce has completed this leg of his journey and has made his transition to the world of spirit on November 14, 2017.

    From HERE.

    In February 1996 I attended the first of two Exploration 27 programs at The Monroe Institute, a program in which participants explore specific areas of Focus 27 called “Centers”.

    My third book, Voyages Into the Afterlife: Charting Unknown Territory contains very detailed descriptions of many of these Centers revealing much about the inner workings of this Afterlife area.

    The following excerpt is taken from an exploration of a portion of the Reception Center called “the Reentry Station”, the place in Focus 27 human beings pass through on their way to lifetimes in the physical world.

    CHAPTER 5: THE ENTRY DIRECTOR

    Copyright: Bruce A. Moen, All Rights Reserved
    .
    During our next program tape exercise our task was to explore how human beings move from Focus 27 into physical lifetimes on the earth.

    I arrived first at my place in Focus 27, noticing the hanging canvas chairs were occupied as usual by people who were always there waiting.

    After talking with them about the insights I’d gained during the previous exercise examining the chair and playing with the clover, it was time to leave and meet up with my group of fellow explorers at the crystal.

    Bob and Ed were there waiting again when I arrived, motioning for me come over to where they were standing.

    “That clover of yours was an interesting creation,” Bob remarked.
    “Sure left me with some questions!”
    “Good! A little something for that curiosity of yours to play with,” Bob laughed.
    “Maybe somewhere along the way you’ll find some answers,” Ed casually remarked.

    Then it was time to leave for my encounter with the Entry Directory (ED), the guy who supposedly knew about how humans entered lifetimes on the earth.

    After taking on a charge of energy from the crystal with the rest of the group, I placed my intent to find the ED.

    I shot straight up through the roof and into blackness.

    After a brief sense of movement the tower I’d seen earlier, with the two bell shapes, came into view.

    Very tall, it looked like a radio antenna tower with two huge bell shaped objects at the top.

    The small ends of the bell shapes joined together and appeared to be fastened, horizontally, to the tower at its very top.

    Stopping to look more closely, I became aware of someone standing behind me.

    “Are you the Entry Director I’m supposed to talk to?” I thought out to the presence behind me.

    “Well, let’s just say I’m one of many who attend to the operation of the Reentry Station and I can probably answer your questions.”

    “I’m a member of a group in a program called Exploration 27 at The Monroe Institute back on earth. We’re all here to learn about the inner workings of Focus 27.”

    “Yes, I know. Your buddy, Bob Monroe, told us your group would be coming for a tour of the place. How can I be of assistance?”

    “Is this thing I’m looking at, the tower with the bell shapes at the top, is that the Reentry Station?”

    “Yep.”

    “What does it do and how does it work?”

    “Look closely around the big open end of the bell shape at the left and tell me what you see,” the ED suggested.

    “I see a flow of something entering the open end of the bell shape,” I described.

    “Direct your attention to that flow and tell me what you see there,” the ED continued.

    “I see a cylindrical flow of little bits of yellowish-gold light, all moving together into the bell shape.”

    “Look closely at the bits of light.”

    I moved closer to the flow to get a better look.

    “They all have generally the same size and shape, and they’re emitting light. They look a little like cocktail shrimp after they’ve been cooked and peeled, kind of the shape of little cheese curls.

    I’ve seen these things before in a place I call the Flying Fuzzy Zone.

    These curls look the same, but in the Flying Fuzzy Zone they fly all around like moths buzzing a bright light. What are these things?”

    “Focus your attention on them, what do they feel like?”

    After gazing at them for several moments I got the precept, “I’ll be a son of a . . . those curls are people! Each one is a separate human being!”

    “And?”

    “They seem to be in some kind of ‘dormant’ state. Not too much activity going on in them, not much thinking. More like they’re asleep and waiting. Why are they like that, and why are they entering the bell shape of the Reentry Station?”

    “Come on, follow me,” the ED replied, “we’ll go inside the station so you can take a look.”

    There was a quick feeling of movement and then I was standing at the center the of the area where the small ends of the two bells joined. I could plainly see the flow of curls being compressed as it passed through this area.

    “This part of the station is called the constriction,” the ED volunteered.

    “This section seems to be putting the curls under pressure. Why?” I asked.

    “Preparation for entry into physical world reality. The awareness of each curl is compressed here to help hold it together and stay focused in one place long enough to make the transition.”

    “I’m getting the sense that compression also closes down its conscious awareness of nonphysical reality in general, including awareness of nonphysical aspects of itself. Is that a result of compressing a curl’s conscious awareness?”

    “Yes. Physical world reality is a pretty crowded place. By compressing the curl’s awareness into one place, it’s more concentrated. It’s better able to focus, concentrate if you like, on its tasks and purposes once its in the physical world. Less apt to be distracted by input overload from the high level, M-band noise pressure.”

    “Input overload? High level M-band noise pressure?”

    “At the level of physical world reality there are presently over five billion human inhabitants packed onto a very small place called earth. Everyone living there is constantly broadcasting their thoughts and feelings into that close quarters environment. They’re like five billion little radio stations all broadcasting their own, unique talk shows into the airwaves at the same time. Those thoughts and feelings are what we call M-band noise. There are so many people broadcasting at once, all pushing their thoughts and feelings out into the environment, we call it high level, M-band noise pressure.”

    “Does closing down a curl’s level of awareness by compression in the constriction section have something to do with limiting the effect of that M-band noise?” I asked, responding to impressions I was getting as I watched the curls pass through.

    “It limits the curl’s ability to sense things in the nonphysical environment, doesn’t it.”

    “Yes it does. You see, if a curl’s conscious awareness remained fully expanded to its normal size during and after entry into physical world reality it couldn’t function. It’s being constantly bombarded by a great percentage of the M-band noise. Finding its own memories and thoughts amongst that blaring jumble would be extremely difficult, if not impossible. At its normal level the curl’s awareness would be in a constant state of complete and utter chaos, as a result of the input overload. Such overload would make progress on a curl’s purpose for being in physical world reality impossible. The compression step of the reentry process concentrates the curl’s awareness into a very small area, allowing it to be less aware of M-band noise.”

    “So compression reduces conscious awareness of nonphysical reality. But doesn’t that also make it so the curl has no memory of what happened to it or decisions about its purpose made before entry into the physical world?”

    “Well, yes, sort of. Memory of those decisions and contact with the Greater Self, your Disk or Monroe’s I/There, is also almost completely blocked by the compression. You see, compression works on the level of the curl’s conscious awareness. That doesn’t mean those memories and contacts are removed or totally inaccessible, they’re just compressed into the subconscious. They are fully accessible, but ordinarily only at the curl’s subconscious levels.

    “Wouldn’t be better to let curls decide whether they want this to happen or not?”

    “They do decide, Bruce. Each curl understands and agrees to this as part of the reentry process. It’s not a rule imposed upon the curl by anyone, it’s part of the preparation necessary for survival in the environment. You could think of it like the old fashion, deep sea diving suits. You know, the ones with the big heavy helmet and air hose hooked to a pump on the surface. To withstand the pressure and survive while exploring the ocean bottom in the old days, divers had to wear the suit. Compression at the Reentry Station is where the curl puts on that suit.”

    “I’m getting that M-band noise is somehow similar to the water pressure at the bottom of the ocean in your metaphor,” I said, responding to incoming impressions.

    “Very good! M-band noise IS like the water of the ocean. As you go deeper toward the ocean bottom, physical world reality, M-band noise pressure becomes greater. Once a curl reaches physical world reality M-band noise pressure actually helps maintain compression of its conscious awareness within the limits of its physical body.”

    “What do you mean?”

    “Remember, we are talking about conscious awareness of the curl. If the diver, in my metaphor, tries to expand himself at the bottom of the ocean he has to push outward against the surrounding water pressure. If a curl attempts to extend its conscious awareness beyond the confines of its body it encounters the M-band noise of all the other inhabitants.

    Just like a diver extending himself beyond his suit and feeling the water, a curl extending its awareness beyond its body becomes aware of the blaring jumble of the M-band noise. The thoughts and feelings of the other inhabitants begin to come into the curl’s awareness.

    It’s such a jumble it tends to breakup the concentration and focus required to further extend its awareness. Prolonged contact with the surrounding M-band noise leads to wandering thought trains that jump from one track to another as thoughts and feelings of others flood into the curl’s thus triggering memory associations.

    After a while, curls generally stop trying to expand their awareness, since they so easily lose the train of thought necessary to do so. That’s how M-band noise pressure tends to maintain compression of conscious awareness. Some curls continuing trying to expand their awareness into the M-band noise and some of the successful ones are often labeled psychotic.”

    “How can curls safely get through the M-band noise to expand their awareness?” I wondered out loud.

    “By learning to focus their attention not through the M-band noise, but beyond it. If the curl learns to focus its awareness at a level of consciousness where the M-band noise is attenuated or nonexistent, expansion is much easier. Meditation is an useful, time tested method and the one you’re using seems to work pretty well.”

    “The method I’m using?” I asked, puzzled.

    “You learned to focus your attention beyond the M-band noise using the sound patterns of hemi-sync. Remember something in the advertising about coherent brain wave states. You learned to maintain your focus and avoid the jumble by shifting your conscious awareness past M-band noise and into states you call Focus levels. Focus 10, Focus 21 and so on are levels of human consciousness with greatly reduced M-band noise.”

    “I see what you mean. The hemi-sync the tool I stumbled upon allowed me to remain in a coherent, focused state as I expanded my awareness past the M-band noise and into states beyond it!”

    “You sound surprised! Hemi-sync is an adaptation of a long known technique. As for stumbling upon it, later you might want to check for filament of awareness connections between yourself and the guy who introduced that system. For right now let’s get back to the to the purpose of your tour,” the ED said cryptically.

    “Okay. I’m getting that compression also causes the curls to lose memory of where they came from. It’s the reason so few have any past life memories or awareness of anything that exists beyond their present physical world.”

    “Yes, that’s a byproduct of the compression. Again, compression pushes these memories into the curl’s subconscious, by definition that means the curl is not consciously aware of them. Typically, they are unable to extend their conscious awareness through the M-band noise to access ‘outside’ sources of the information either. These, so called, outside sources of information exist in awareness levels adjacent to the physical. Past life memories, the focus levels you’re aware of, lots of information sources exist in these adjacent levels of awareness. Of course the information is carried inside the curl too, but few learn to focus inward to find it there. Curl’s, compressed as they are have little if any conscious awareness of that information stored within themselves, and the M-band noise tends to cut off access to adjacent sources. Of course there are some exceptions, in fact, here comes one now,” the ED said, as he directed my attention to the incoming flow of curls.

    Focusing my attention to where he pointed, I saw what my Tour Guide was referring to. In amongst all the other little curls in the flow was one at least ten times their size. It stood out as the biggest, brightest curl in view.

    Big Fish, we call them,” the Tour Guide said. “What do you get from that one?”
    Reaching out to sense the Big Fish, it seemed more awake and active then the other curls. I watched as it moved through the constriction and then exited off to my right.

    “Seems to be more aware and active then the others. It knew about the compression process it was going to go through and maintained its awareness while passing through it. I get that it remembered most of what it entered with after passing through the constriction,” I replied, relating my impressions.

    “Big Fish have developed the ability to be consciously aware of far greater ‘volumes’ of information. They pass through the constriction losing very little of their multidimensional awareness. They’re exceptionally well suited to bringing awareness of adjacent realities, and of human existence in them, into the physical world. Many live lives in which they share their multidimensional awareness with others living in physical world reality who are lacking it. By doing so they help others become Big Fish,” the ED said, with a wistful pride.

    While pondering the implications of little curls and Big Fish, something else in the flow caught my eye. There were four curls, a little above average size, that appeared to be connected together along some kind of lighted filament. They looked like shrimp on a string with two, close together, leading the way, followed by two others spaced close together, further along the string.

    “Could be a family of four, or just four curls planning to act on a common purpose,” the ED Tour Guide explained before I could ask the question. When we see them strung together like that, we know they have a prior agreement about something that requires they pop into the physical world in a certain time sequence.”

    “So if it was a family of four, the two in the lead are probably the parents and the next two will be their kids?”

    “Yeah. And if it’s not an actual family, with parents and children, it could be just that those four have to arrive in a specific time sequence.”

    That phrase, specific time sequence triggered a question, “Is that group headed for Focus 15?”

    “Of course, every curl goes to 15 after they finish compression. I don’t have time right now to go into all the details of what happens from then on, so don’t ask.

    That will all be covered later in your tour,” the ED said, cutting off the whole line of questions I was forming. “Groups like those four are usually tied into a cooperative effort aimed at carrying out individual and group purposes.”

    “Like?”

    “Like, maybe those first two have to bring a discovery into physical world awareness that the second two will later utilize. In the case of that specific group, the second curl will be traipsing through a jungle when he meets the first one, a native medicine man, a local shaman. Their combined knowledge of drugs and diseases will uncover the healing properties of a certain plant. Years later, the second two curls will meet when they each deliver research papers at the same medical conference. They’ll discover they’ve both been working independently to bring the use of the plant’s properties, discovered by the other two, into practical use. They’ll join forces to carry on their work together as man and wife. That’s when they’ll start working on the most important joint purpose for the entire group’s entry.”

    “Most important purpose?”

    “With the inflated egos those two have it’s going to be quite a challenge for them to learn to love through each other,” the ED said, with concern in his voice. “At least they’re got their love of humanity bonding them together. Working toward practical use of the that plant’s properties for the good of mankind is a real plus in that department.”

    “How do you know all that, or are you just making it up?” I asked inquisitively.

    “I’m not making it up, I know because I can read curl, and because my awareness extends beyond what you’re used to.”

    “Who decided what their purpose was and what they were going to do to accomplish it? Sounds like predestination, like they have no choice.”

    “Those curls made all those choices for themselves. You could call it predestination I suppose, as long as you remember they made all the decisions effecting their destinies and agreed to work as a group before they came to the Reentry Station.”

    “So there is predestination!”

    “Of course! They decided what they were going to do, and now they’re going to go do it. You can call it predestination if you like, as long as you remember who made the decisions,” the ED stated flatly.

    “I want to know more about that string that connects them and what it has to do with when they arrive in the physical world?”

    “That string, as you call it, is a filament of awareness that connects them now and will remain in place throughout their lives. You could also call it a section of a time/event line. The string is part of the process of insertion into time frames in the physical world and the Big Clock gets used as part of that process.”

    “What are time/event lines and what’s the Big Clock?” I asked excitedly, hoping to learn more about the Focus 15 angle.

    “I’d suggest you save those questions for your visit to The Planning Center. They can explain it better in the context of what they do there.”

    “Okay, thanks. I’ll make a mental note to do that.”

    “Don’t worry. If you don’t remember I’m sure your Tour Guide there will have gotten the word to remind you.”

    “Thanks.”

    “Take a close look a the curls in the flow again. Pick out a group on a string and look real close at the filament of awareness associated with them. Here comes a group of three now, check out the area directly behind the group.”

    “I don’t see anything other than that they’re connected together by a fine bright filament. . . Wait a sec . . . There’s an even finer filament trailing them. In fact, now that I can see that one, I see all the other curls in the flow have the finer filament trailing them too. Didn’t notice it before, what is that?”

    “Do you remember the story of Curiosity you wrote in your first book? Do you remember Curiosity’s Probes?”

    “Yes, why?”
    As I waited for the Tour Guide’s answer, it hit me like a forty foot wave crashing into a sea wall and I caught insights in the spray.

    “Those are Probes! Those filaments trailing each curl are their connection to their Disks, the things Monroe called I/There! Those filaments are what provide transfers of awareness between the Probe and its Disk! I saw my filament and followed it back to my Disk during a vision in the mid 1970’s. That’s how I became aware of the my Greater Self, my Disk, my I/There!”

    “Glad you caught on to that, Bruce, As you continue your tour of Focus 27 during your program, I’d like to suggest you be open to learning more about who and what you really are. There’s more to learn.”

    Looking closely at the filaments trailing the curls again I noticed something odd. “That group of three I saw had only one filament trailing it. Some of the other groups I see have more than one filament trailing them. Why is that?”

    The ED just stood there looking at me, waiting for me to get the answer on my own. Then it hit me! “Those three curls with the single filament are all from the same Disk, aren’t they!”

    “And the ones with more than one trailing filament?” the ED asked.

    “Not all the curls on the connecting string are from the same Disk!”, I blurted out.

    “What are the implications of that?” I asked.

    “Like I said, there’s more to learn, but that’s one you’ll have to explore and discover for yourself.”

    For several moments I floated in silence, trying to get more insight into what my Tour Guide seemed to be alluding to. Not getting much I decided to pursue something else.

    “I’m puzzled by something.”

    “Shoot.”

    “Wouldn’t it be better if all curls who reentered physical reality lifetimes carried more of their memories in their conscious awareness? Wouldn’t I have a better shot at carrying out my purpose in life if I knew what it was? Couldn’t the compression process of the Reentry Station be modified to allow that to happen?”

    “In some cases, like Big Fish, much of such memory remains intact and easily accessible. And there are things that can be done to help a curl move toward Big Fish awareness levels. Part of that process is the curl learning to feel what’s going on inside its awareness, becoming aware of what’s stored within it’s subconscious. That process also involves becoming aware of what’s available in adjacent levels of awareness. That’s an internal learning process all curls go through as they make progress towards becoming Big Fish. But to do that within the M-band noise of physical reality, one must utilize the emotional charge and emotional impact of events in physical world reality. Emotional impact is part of the earth school training system, part of learning to feel and become a Big Fish.”
    “So remembering too much would interfere with learning, Big Fish training if you will?”

    “It tends to reduce the emotional impact of events which normally help a curl learn to feel what’s inside itself. Think of it this way, if someone told you all the details of a suspense thriller you were planning to see at the theater, including the climactic ending, what would it do to a movie’s emotional impact on you?”

    “If I knew everything ahead of time, including how the movie ended, most of the emotional impact would be gone.”

    “And you might experience less or weaker feelings in response to what happened on the screen?”

    “I see what you mean, emotional impact helps us learn to feel and so we curls don’t remember our purpose in life because it might spoil our movie?”

    “Something like that. There’s also learning to use the filament connection to consider.”

    “What’s the filament of awareness connection got to do with becoming a Big Fish,” I asked, not seeing any possibilities.

    “Becoming aware of that connection can lead to awareness of your Disk. That in turn can lead to an accelerated opening of awareness by virtue of the information available via that connection to the Greater Self. Surely, you of all people, can see the possibilities in that!” the ED said, like I really ought to have figured it out already.

    “Oh . . . you mean my vision of the Disk way back in the middle ’70’s. I see what you mean! Once I had some limited awareness of my Greater Self, and my connection to it, the pace of my growing opening picked up. Gee, you mean I’m in training to become a Big Fish?” I questioned proudly.

    “Bruce, all curls are in training to become Big Fish,” he said, taking a little wind out of my sails.

    Dar’s voice startled me when it cut into my conversation with the Tour Guide at the Reentry Station, suggesting it was time to return to the crystal at TMI There.

    “That’s my signal to go back to physical world reality, I got so involved in our conversation I forgot this is just a tape exercise in a program. Seems like there’s a lot left unanswered.”

    “As you continue your tour you’re free to keep asking questions of anyone you meet and of course, let that curiosity of yours have free rein. Feel free to come back and visit me whenever you like.”

    “Before I leave, since you read curl and all, can you give me anything on my purpose during my present lifetime?”

    “Sure,” he said as he flipped me a thought ball, “but you already know most of it, so nothing in this one should come as any big surprise.”

    “Thanks, ED, you put on quite a tour, and thanks for this,” I said, holding up the thought ball.

    “Anytime.”

    On my way back to the crystal, moving through blackness, I excitedly opened the thought ball, anticipating some great revelation. It said: “You entered this lifetime as a retrieving type to recover many of yourselves and those with other Disks of origin. Most of all, you wanted to learn more about the energy called Love. Beyond telling you that, I wouldn’t want to spoil your movie!” It was signed, “ED, Entry Director.”

    Conclusion

    This is a fascinating look at a remote viewing session. It opens up all sorts of new terms and ideas that are new to me. I would like to find out more, investigate other books and works and so on and so forth. If any one has some links or suggestions I will incorporate what we can gather in MM so that all of us might learn and benefit.

    Do you want more?

    You can find many more videos in my “The Domain Action Articles” over here…

    The Domain

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
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    More Q&A to The Domain Commander using my EBP

    I have these EBP things in my body. In August or September 2021, I discovered that I could open up a comm link using them to their owners; The Domain. I was surprised when they communicated back. After a short while we honed the process and now I have a mechanism where I can ask questions and get answers. This is part of the various Q&A sessions that I have had with them. This one occurred in October 2021.

    Here’s some additional questions that I have asked.

    Are any members of the Domain’s “Lost Battalion” part of the MM readership?

    This might be a curiosity to some, and important to others. It was asked in a question on 18OCT21. Here is the response.

    Yes.

    And talk about being terse! Jeeze. That’s about as helpful as knowing that there are worms in your backyard grass.

    So I asked for elaboration.

    It is best if the members of the "Lost Battalion" do not realize who they are at this time. 
    
    Those that view / read /respect /search for answers are on the path towards rehabilitation. But many are not ready for the answers and truth yet. Their conditioning has been far too invasive, distressing and thorough. 
    
    By their very nature they will fight against anything new or different. They will appear gruff and cantankerous at times for after all, their life on the Prison Planet has not been kind to them. As well as that is part of their very nature.
    
    Enough said.

    What do you regard as their highest truth? If there is a master key to the puzzle that we are all missing that will make the universe make sense?

    Again, quick. Faster than what I was ready for.

    Yes there are truths, and then there are TRUTHS. What we would regard as a "truth" would hold a completely different meaning to an person (inmate) within an artificial reality.
    
    Humans on the earth, as well as many other creatures, are inmates. 
    
    Imagine a fish tank full of fish. There are big fish, small fish, crabs, a frog, all types of things. To them, their entire universe is that fish tank, and while they can peer through the glass, the objects in the distance are identifiable to them, but not understood by them. They are recognizable shapes, but they have no understanding of them.
    
    That telephone on the table is just a rectangular shaped object. That light that comes on and off at times is a "natural rhythm". They don't understand them. They don't understand that the telephone is the "Bees Knees". They just don't understand.
    
    Now, let's suppose the lady of the house waltzes in the room. She smiles like she always does, and feeds the fish with the fish food nearby, and then walks away with her gams in rhythmic motion. The fish would assume that she is part of the nature of things. That she is reliable, and dependable and that their existence depends on her. To them, she appears as a swanky goddess. To them, the "truth" is that they are part of her daily routine. It's a natural world.
    
    But the actual TRUTH is something entirely different.
    
    The fishbowl is a construct. The lady, as beautiful and kind as she is, is their keeper. And their very life depends on her. The fishbowl lies within a much larger universe, and there are so many things that they just do not understand about it. In fact, you can say that outside the fishbowl is a much different world. There is no stable bubbling oxygenation of water, no thermoclines, no gravel at the bottom, and no algae on the sides of the tank walls.
    
    And if you told them this, what would it matter?
    
    Are any of the fish going to jump out of the tank, and try to make it to the front door in the living room?
    
    Truth is a relative thing. It depends on the person asking the question.
    
    For the questioner...
    
    ... the truth is simple. You are in a prison. The "universe" that you see that lies outside beyond the prison, but what you observe is not what actually exists. It's something else entirely. You are not going to take a rocket ship and travel the "vast gulf of space" to another star like you think you are able. It will not be like Star Trek, or Flash Gordon. It is similar to what you observe (from afar), but decidedly and functionally different. As the universe that you view is not what it actually is. This is not hokum.
    
    Outside the prison walls is a universe that does not at all resemble what you think it does. That's a truth that you must accept.

    I have been having these images of what I once was. A Mades Escapleon. Are these perceptions correct?

    Again, a personal question.

    My images are a comically gnome / dwarfish / kind of lizardly elfin figure with a big belly and a kind of green and white Santa Claus style outfit. Pretty bizarre eh?

    Your mind constructs images that you have encountered during this life. The constructs an image of what you would expect yourself to be. That is the case right now.
    
    There are multiple species in co-habitation in the "Old Empire". Many resemble the images of faeries, goblins, dwarves, and so on and so forth. However the images and the presentation of what you have in popular media and literature is not the real and actual depictions of these archetypes nor is it a depiction of the societies that they occupy. 
    
    Mades Escapleon was not a human archetype. He became one when he entered General Population in fear to escape The Domain when we took over the local command and control facilities at the administration center. Your depiction of him, however comical, is actually pretty close to his (garbled. interruption. Not clear.). You would not recognize him as storybook fable type of character. But rather as a smallish, ugly businessman with an abrupt manner, and a sneering demeanor.
    
    The administration and command and control operation for the earth planet within this prison planet is inside the moon in a large void that resides adjacent to the offset metallic hot core. We (The Domain) have taken over this facility and now use this region for our own purposes. However there are many members of the "Old Empire" that did not egress into the General Population when we seized the administration complex. they still live there inside the cavity. To you, they might appear as those fairy tale book characters.
    
    Your office was large, and was in the most predominant structures within the void. Keep in mind that Mades Escapleon was just a singular (series of) incarnations that you maintained as a (not clear) role for his majesty (not clear / garbled / not important). You need not get too upset or worry about your past. The incarnations in the general population of the Prison planet system has changed you.
    
    Consider these thoughts just echoes of a former life that no longer has any importance to who you are today.

    The Lost Battalion living in human form. Do the Mantids interact with them?

    From my previous Q&A…

    “Unfortunately most humans are prevented from configuring their “stage upwards / higher form / above non-physical” bodies. This is a Mantid (sic.) directive. This is why inmates are quickly shuttled off to “Heaven”. So they cannot shape change their “migration paths / attunement centers / organ clusters” to fit other forms.”

    The Lost Battalion living in human form. Do the Mantids interact with them? Or are they outside of the Mantids’ directives/supervision? I believe the Mantids supervise every human or at least monitor them at death.  If so, then that suggests the Mantids know where the members of the Lost Battalion are. This drills down into some inconvenient questions, which I assume both you and the Commander is very much aware of.

    The answer came in the form of sliding events, which I really don’t want to describe right now, as I am tired. And I need to get some sleep.

    Think of it is a kind of layered deck of cards that you push to the side and draw off the top card, and then another appears and so on and so forth….

    Yes. The Mantids (sic.) interact with all inmates in General Population. There are Mantid(s) (sic.) associated with every human (or mammal) form as this is an artificial construct that needs to be maintained while in the Prison Complex. 
    
    The forms that the Domain "Lost Battalion" were in when they were captured are not the forms that they are inhabiting now. These forms are not "doll bodies". But rather, they are specially constructed "skin suits" for use within the General Population chambers in the Prison Complex. Some are human, some are in other mammal bodies. Each "skin suit" has an associated Mantid (sic.) to maintain it, operate it, and make sure that it follows the pre-birth world-line template (sic.)
    
    Since the Domain interacts and communicates with the Mantids (sic.) we are able to identify where the elements of the "Lost Battalion" are. We know where they exist within the Prison Complex at any moment, and we work with the Mantids (sic.) as necessary towards our end goals and directives.
    
    The Mantids (sic.) control the "skin suits". They maintain and help follow the progression of life events along the pre-birth world-line template (sic.). 
    
    But these Mantids (sic.) are not the same as the creatures (Mantids Prime) that occupy roles within the "Heaven" that was constructed as part of this Prison Complex.
    
    Both the Mantids (sic.) and Mantids Prime (sic.) that occupy heaven are of the same genetic classification, however they are totally different in their operational parameters. 
    
    [1]  The Mantids Prime (sic.) continue to follow the "Old Empire" directives and operate within "Heaven" as if the Domain does not exist. 
    
    [2]  While the Mantids within the Prison Complex work with us and are aligned with our end goals.
    
    We of The Domain do not venture within the "Heaven" constructed sub-universe. To do so would require us to go through the electromagnetic washing of our very being and souls. So we have never visited the "Heaven" constructs. Thus we have never communicated with the Mantid Primes (sic.)
    
    Thus, when a member of the "Lost Battalion" dies it is immediately shuttled off to the "Tunnel of Light", enters "Heaven" and is met by Mantid Prime (sic.) caretakers that have a directive to immediately recycle back with a pre-defined (nasty) pre-birth world-line template. 
    
    Then upon the General Population in the Prison Complex, "our" Mantids (sic.) take over and work with us to our end goals.

    How are cats not part of the inmates!?

    From my previous Q&A…

    “Felines follow the same general behavior rules as humans do. Except that felines are not inmates in the Prison Planet Complex.”

    How are cats not part of the inmates!? Are they visitors from elsewhere? This suggests that they are pretty advanced. In fact by my limited interaction with my feral cats, in some respects they display more human behavior than most humans. I actually learnt kindness and trust in ways which surprised me.

    This was an interesting response.

    (Pause.) I have to get back to you on this.

    So, what will happen is that the Commander will go off and do his / her / it research or communication, and get back with me. Probably at an odd point in time.

    Four weeks later. His response…

    Felines, not only ordinary house cats, have a quantum makeup that differ substantially from that of the inmate archetypes that were developed when the Prison Complex was first established. You can think of it as oil vs. water, or Windows computer operating system, and the Lunix operating system. Or you can think of it as an electrical heater as opposed to a kerosene heater. It's completely different.
    
    But it is more than that.
    
    The feline archetype did not approve of making any inmate version archetypes. Every time an attempt was made to create a feline prison suit, it was thwarted and blocked. Not only because it was much, much harder to do, but also become the felines themselves did not want that to happen. 
    
    You cannot contain or constrain a cat. They are their own free entities, and they value this aspect of their lives in the must fundamental manner. They actually view most other forms of physical manifested life as "below them". They would not permit a "lower" species to create a genetic manipulation of their archetype.
    
    So it did not happen.
    
    When the first efforts were undertaken to do so, there were all sorts of problems and issues.  Eventually, the engineers and researchers of the "Old Domain" gave up. They "shelved" the feline project and excluded it from the catalog of inmate skin suits. 
    
    Now, initially, they did report these issues to their superiors. Each and every time their superiors demanded that they work harder. Eventually, they decided not to say anything and the Prison Complex was opened up without feline archetype modification.
    
    There were side projects in which archetypes were developed and failed. Eventually, the researchers told their superiors that it was not advisable as the felines would find a way to escape from the Prison Complex. This was an excuse that the upper management accepted, and so all research was filed away and forgotten. And you now have this situation that persists to this day.

    Your point about trans species migrations.

    Dogs and elephants etc may be equally intelligent as humans, just limited by their containers. So a dog when in a human behavior has all the same emotional and mental intelligence when freed from the limits so imposed. This suggests that emotions and intelligence is similar across specie across the worlds.

    If true then many characteristics are cultural or biological. (I’m thinking your Commander can absorb the culture of humans because he has access to ALL of your memories lol. But this rabbit hole I will leave to you. For me it’s more benign than it looks.)

    Trans-species migrations happen all the time. It's fairly common outside of the Prison Complex universe. However, there are limitations, and favoritism in the body selection and group quantum clusters that make a favorite type of incarnation more desirable than others.
    
    In the Prison Planet environment, however, it is a completely different situation. The mantids in Heaven (mantid prime) make the decisions and give permissions or not to allow or not this kind of inter-specie transfer experience. Individual IS-BE's have very little say in the outcome of that request.
    
    One of the problems that can arise is when one species, say a predatory insect species, inhabits a modified human skin suit for the General Population in the Prison Complex. Their personality will stay the same, but will adapt to the new skin suit and environment. 
    
    These old previous species behaviors, while natural in other environment could end up being toxic in the human environment. Thus it is one of the reasons why we (The Domain) put a stop to other civilizations dumping their undesirables into the Prison Complex for administrative punishment.

    Does your ownership of planet Earth come from right of conquest? Some sort of Terra Nullius?

    Continuing on the Q&A. This particular question was asked late at night after I finally got my young daughter to sleep. I then sat down and started the process.

    We created the master universe that the Prison Complexes and it's pocket universe inhabits. We established the creatures, the plants, the planets, the stars and the entire operation of everything. At that time, The Domain was an earlier incarnation, and we all were learning and establishing fundamentals and boundaries for the universe.
    
    We let general chaos expand, and as a result the master universe became something that we do not like to see. We held a series of meeting in this regard and decided to secure all errant elements and maintain a most basic and fundamental foundational aspect of control.
    
    What is going on with your "Milkyway galaxy" is that we are suppressing the unstable elements in favor of unified control according to our most basic principles.
    
    Rather than a territorial expansion and seizure of this galaxy, we are instead working behind the scenes where possible to stabilize errant civilizations. When we cannot do so, we secure the civilizations by force. This is what we did with the "old empire". 
    
    In all cases the civilizations are then scrubbed of the negative attributes and problematic behaviors and permitted to operate within a very broad set of guidelines that will prevent a relapse of dangerous behaviors.

    If Earthlings are in the position of native Americans who faced annilation at the hands of the Great White Father, what do we do?

    Morning inquiry.

    Fear is the problem. Certainly there is reason to be concerned, as earth history is rife with stories of conquest. But the earth is a unique environment peopled with many vicious and malevolent / selfish / profiteering entities. This is NOT (there was a great vibrational rocking with this particular word. Almost like a earthquake) the norm in the "master universe".
    
    This Prison Complex was derived and came from a particularly unique culture of war-like entities that formed a society that we refer to as the "Old Empire". So this war-like, profiteering society took their worst (and their best) citizenry and locked them up inside this prison complex. The lives that you have experienced here, and the histories that you have experienced here are excessive and extreme.
    
    That being said, the "Old Empire" being warlike and aggressive is in itself an extreme manifestation. It's not the normal.
    
    These extreme manifestations of society crop up throughout the universe, and that is what The Domain is active in suppressing. There are approximately  two to three really problematic civilizations per galaxy, and the larger galaxies such as yours might hold from seven to twelve (or fourteen) such societies.
    
    Your fears are rational because they are based on your known histories.
    
    This is what you can expect;
    
    [1] The "Old Empire" has been purged of it's "darkest" elements. It is now on the mend and is turning into a calmer, quieter and more peaceful society. Though certain elements of that society had to be forcefully amputated. 
    
    [2] By the time the Prison Complex is fully actuated under The Domain control, many trapped IS-BE's will be able to return to their former relationships and lives in the "Old Empire" or elsewhere as the need be.
    
    [3] Prior to this happening, however, there has to occur numerous events prior to the release of the inmates.
    
    [3A] Sentience sorting. We cannot permit those sentience's that are prone to dangerous behaviors to exist outside of a monitored area on their own. Instead they will be granted supervised parole, and observed and watched so that they cannot unduly influence their surroundings negatively.
    
    [3B] Scrubbing of the skin suits. The attire of the entities will all have to be remanufactured to fit their natural archetypes. Obviously STS , DIS, and SFA entities (under parole) would posses "parole" skin suits, while STO entities would possess natural archetype skin suits.
    
    STO = Service to others
    STS = Service to Self
    SFA = Service for another
    DIS = Disjointed
    
    [3C] Memory re-injection. We will attempt (and succeed) in the restoration of all memories.
    
    [3D] Phased release. The members of the lost battalion will be the first major group to be released. Followed by STO individuals. Then a phased system of SFA individual consciousnesses. The last would be the very dangerous STS and DIS consciousnesses.
    
    [3E] The Most dangerous. The most problematic entities and the highest probability of disruption / destructive abilities / and borderline evil entities would be either recycled or banished. 
    
    [3E-1] Those banished would be sent to the pocket universe known as "Heaven" which is a pocket universe within the pocket universe of the Prison Complex. There they would be locked in place and stay there until a sufficient method can be arranged to rehabilitate them.
    
    [3E-2] Those recycled would be reduced to basic components through a system resembling the "tunnel of light" until they are rendered inert.
    
    The questioner need not fear any of this. The questioner is slated for a phased release, after memory restoration.

    If things are less dark, then how do we work or trade together?

    I assume that this concerns what is presently going on earth-side and the question relates to the next few years. As such, I queried it that way. Morning probe at 9am.

    The fears abound. But things will return to normal sea lane shipping, and normal levels of commerce. However, there will be a decrease in the volume of the products, the type and mixture of products, as well as the relative utility and life of those products. 
    
    This is something that is well documented on our side. 
    
    We see and anticipate a "new normal" after a seven year (or so) adjustment period. 
    
    Some nations will be impacted the most. Such as the United States, the UK and parts of Europe. Others, many others, will not be. And they will continue their lives as if the disruption was a trivial matter.
    
    Those nations or societies that will be impacted the most will undergo severe and abrupt societal readjustments. Mostly it will be triggered by energy utility, currency or the inflation related to, and inherent and intentional balkanization of the citizenry.

    Next group of questions – Some important points

    If I cannot understand the question, I cannot communicate to the Commander. Further, I need to be able to understand what he is communicating. Anything that lies outside of my knowledge or experience is impossible to communicate with. We have to have a common frame of reference, and then be able to use that reference to form a basis of understanding.

    This next bath of questions took me back.

    • Heavy in technical jargon.
    • A large number of multi-part questions.
    • Coming from a non-influencer who didn’t even bother with a singular donation.
    • A disregard to the effort all this takes.

    As they did not at all follow my request that only one question be asked and that it be put in a clear and easy way for me to communicate to. This was the question…

    Here are some late & difficult but revolution-assisting questions:
    
    *Are Clifford Algebras with real-value coefficients a serviceable mathematical format for representation for reality? 
    
    *Is there a better type of math to use? If so, what? Otherwise:
    
    *What is the sign aka signature (+ or -) of the squares of the basis vectors of the spatial dimensions? 
    
    *Is this a convention or is it physically significant?
    
    *Are there other such dimensions with the same signature, e.g. “proper time”?
    
    *How many such space-like dimensions are there?
    
    *and what is their significance?
    
    *How many dimensions of opposite signature to the spatial ones are there, e.g. relativistic time and other time-like dimensions?
    
    *What can be said about their role – e.g. do they concern nuclear reactions or allow for branching time-lines?
    
    *Are there effectively null-square (zero-square) dimensions formed from the sum and differences of pairs of + and – signature dimensions, e.g. light-cones or “conformal” projective dimensions? 
    
    *Are there null-square dimensions independent of the + and – square dimensions? 
    
    *Are null-square dimensions your home environment? 
    
    *Are there applications of null-square dimensions, e.g. portals between realms or amnesia devices?
    
    *Does thermodynamic entropy create “Akashic records”? 
    
    *What principles relate thermodynamic entropy (heat diffusion) and information from physical histories (wave equation); are they analogous to exchanging a + square for a – square dimension, (or relativistic time for proper time, or time (t) for imaginary time (it)), 
    
    *...and if so, can this “Wick rotation” be done in both directions so as to allow passing from our physical realm to the “afterlife” and back?

    16 fucking technical specialized questions! Are you fucking kidding me?

    Now you know, this son of a bitch did not give me a donation, nor did he add anything to MM aside from saying that the posted art was beautiful. So what? It’s beautiful. I know that.

    Duh!

    Now, for these questions, I had to do some research. Then I had to understand it. Finally, I had to communicate it to the Commander in the “easily digestible form”.

    • Understand the language.
    • Understand the physics involved.
    • Phrase it so that I understood the questions when I read it.
    • Query question by question to the Commander.
    • Communicate that query.
    • Transcribe the answer.
    • Double check the answers for uniformity.

    All in all, I figure months of dedicated study, if not years. Then weeks, to months of asking these questions.

    That’s one FUCK of a lot of work.

    So, I sent an email to this clown.

    I said.

    Listen guy, let me make something perfectly clear. If I cannot understand the questions, then it cannot be communicated properly to the Commander. Some of these questions I can ask.
    
    And another thing. I am doing this for free. 
    
    Look at the God damn bulk of questions you asked. Do you have any god damn idea what stress I go through in this procedure. Have some fucking compassion, or at least throw a donation my way. Jeeze!
    
    To respond to this query, I need to fully understand the question.
    
    Remember. With information comes responsibility. You are now responsible in the dissemination of this information.

    He responded.

    Frankly, by all indications it seemed like you were a whole team getting paid by the word by some Chinese intelligence agency, so I gave you some of the best open-source intel I could – that 300-reference COVID origin paper on unz.com and the rexresearch.com technology archive. 
    
    I have also tried to suggest ways you might increase your rhetorical effectiveness, though it’s often hard to point such things out without giving offense. 
    
    I don’t get paid for anything myself, I’m still recovering from repeated heatstroke from labor in a SE US sweatshop and don’t have funds to spare, unfortunately. I wasn’t aware how your link depends on your understanding or the effort required, my apologies.

    That’s an apology? By insulting me? And still he’s not even going to toss me money for a cup of coffee for the seven months it would take to answer his questions?

    He continued…

    Nevertheless, the topics of my questions could yield very important intelligence, understanding of principles behind advanced technology and even the nature of reality. 
    
    I have found them worth spending many years of study, but for the same reason it is not easy to briefly summarize them. Here’s an attempt, still too long:
    
    ***
    http://www.rudyrucker.com/blog/2012/07/28/transrealism-interview-with-leon-marvell/#comment-50789
    [Notes on Cabbalistic significance of the whirling double cone in projecting between higher and lower worlds]
    “the double-cone’s vortex form can be made by swinging a rod by its center point so that the ends describe circles” [doing so associated with sudden destructive tornado]
    
    “Another instance of a form similar to the double-cone occurs in Bruce Moen’s exploration of what the Monroe Institute calls “Focus 27”, though the cones are more like bells or hyperboloids. He describes a large, antenna-like, horizontal structure of this double-cone form whose function is to compress souls (which he says look like cocktail shrimp or cheese curls) so that they can reincarnate without excess awareness, which would lead to sensory overload.” [expanding the center point of a double-cone into a circle results in a hyperboloid]
    
    “Yeats had a more interesting vision of the importance of the double-cone – he saw helical gyres on the surface of the cones as tracing out the history of every mind… ‘The mind … has a precise movement … this form is the gyre.’ This was the origin of the famous lines: ‘Turning and turning in the widening gyre / The falcon cannot hear the falconer; ….” [The poet W.B. Yeats was a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the most influential group in the development of modern occultism.]
    
    ***
    
    Geometric Algebra (GA, real-valued Clifford Algebras, a.k.a. hypercomplex numbers) gives the only mostly-comprehensible-to-me account not only of higher spatial / temporal dimensions, but of physics in general. One of the best things about it is that nearly every paper using GA explains it from first principles before going on to use it for physics or computer science. Most physics papers in other fields seem to take a positive joy in obscure math and impenetrable jargon. I’ll try here to give an even less mathematically difficult account of some of GAs implications than most GA papers.
    
    Given a set of n mutually orthogonal basis vectors, one vector for each independent dimension, a space of 2^n quantities results from considering all possible combinations of these basis vectors multiplied together. For instance taking pairs of vectors from a 5D space gives 10 possible planes of rotation, 4D space 6 planes of rotation, while in 3D there are only 3 independent planes of rotation. (The numbers of other combinations for n dimensions go as the n-th row of Pascals triangle or binomial.) For orthogonal vectors such as the basis vectors of a space, the order of multiplication determines the sign of the result, so: d1 d2 = -d2 d1. This can be interpreted as being a rotation in the plane defined by the two vectors, either in one direction (d1 -> d2) or the other, “negative” direction (d2 -> d1).
    
    Sums of all the 2^n elements, each weighted by a different scale factor give “multivectors”, which are generalizations of complex numbers.
    
    Each of the basis vectors will have a positive or negative square. (Vectors’ squares are always scalars, that is, real numbers.) In conventional relativity the basis vectors squares’ signs, also called “signatures” are (+ – – – ) or (+ + + -), with the different sign from the others belonging to time. When plugging into the Pythagorean theorem, the square of time can cancel out the squares of the spatial dimensions, giving a distance of zero when the spatial distance equals the time interval (time multiplied by c to give all units in meters). This happens for anything moving at the speed of light. The zero interval is the amount of perceived or “proper” time for a light wave traveling between any two points. This light-speed type of path is also called a “null geodesic”. For any given point in space and time, there is a “past light cone” of places that could be seen from that point, called a “cone” because it spreads out as one goes back further in time. Likewise, for each point at a given time there is a “future light cone” of places from which an event at that place and time can be seen. The “cone” terminology comes from looking at 2D plus time, each cross section of the cone is then a 2D circle of points. (It’s easier to imagine the future light cone as pond ripples spreading out from a dropped pebble. The past light cone is like reversing the film so the ripples converge to throw the pebble out of the pond. In 3D, it looks sort of like glass onions turning inside-out. Placehoder: Transactional Interpretation of QM, Carver Mead’s Collective Electrodynamics) Mathematiclly the points on the past light cone are defined by the spatial separation, r, and the time-times-lightspeed, ct, so: (ct)^2 = r^2 .
    
    Now it is possible and actually quite useful for computer graphics to add a pair of dimensions with signature (+ -) to the usual spatial ones (+ + +). The sum and difference of the extra dimensions give an alternate basis for these two dimensions, but with the basis vectors squaring to zero (0 0). These “null dimensions” are called “origin” and “infinity”. A projection from this augmented space down to 3D allows many other structures besides points and directions to be represented by vectors in the 5D space. For instance, multiplying 3 points gives a circle passing through those points, 4 points gives a sphere. If one of those points is the point at infinity, then the product is a line or a plane respectively. The other advantages of this way of doing things are too many to list here. This “conformal” scheme is actually quite easy to visualize and learn to use without getting into abstruse math by using the free GAViewer visualization software and its tutorials.
    
    An interesting thing about the ( +++, +- ) signature algebra is that it is the same as one that has been <a href=”http://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0601194″> proposed</a> by José B. Almeida as an extension of the usual 3D+t (+++-) “Minkowsi space” of relativity, augmenting the usual external time (-) with a second sort of time having positive square and describing internal or “proper time”, (which in relativity will be measured differently by a moving external observer). But if it is assumed that everything in the universe is about the same age, then they have comparable proper time coordinates, so proper time can be used as a universal coordinate corresponding to the universe’s temporal radius. This gives a sort of preferred reference frame for the universe, which is ordinarily considered impossible. In this 5D scheme, not just light but also massive particles follow null geodesics, and from that single assumption can be deduced relativity, quantum mechanics, electromagnetism, and in addition dark matter, the big bang and the spatial expansion of the universe seem to be illusions.
    
    The math is also easier than the usual warped-space general relativity, instead using flat euclidean space and having light, etc. move more slowly near mass, that is, treating gravitational fields as being regions of higher refractive index than regular space.
    
    Quantum mechanics is also much much easier to visualize using GA. For instance, the behavior of the electron can be described fully by treating it as a point charge moving in a tight helix at light speed around its average path (a “jittery motion”, or in German: “zitterbewegung”). The handedness of the helix is the electron spin, the curvature of the helix is the mass, the angle of the particle around the helix is the phase.
    
    Geometric Algebra is useful in all areas of physics and computer modeling of physics. GA has been successfully applied to robot path planning, electromagnetic field simulation, image processing for object recognition and simulation, signal processing, rigid body dynamics, chained rotations in general and many other applications. It gives very clear, terse and generally applicable, practically useful descriptions in diverse areas using a single notation and body of techniques.
    
    Basic Geometric Algebra (GA) visual introduction:
    https://slehar.wordpress.com/2014/03/18/clifford-algebra-a-visual-introduction/
    
    Interactive visualization software, includes 5D (3+2D) Conformal Geometric Algebra (CGA)
    https://geometricalgebra.org/gaviewer_download.html
    
    Tutorial for CGA using GAviewer software:
    https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265065144_GABLE_A_GAViewer_Tutorial_for_Geometric_Algebra
    
    Thorough math/physics intro:
    https://www.av8n.com/physics/clifford-intro.htm
    
    Good old intro from the top GA study group:
    http://www.mrao.cam.ac.uk/~clifford/pages/introduction.htm
    
    ***
    
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wick_rotation
    replacing inverse temperature, kT (Boltzmann’s constant times temperature) in thermodynamic equations with: -i f hbar (negative imaginary unit (square root of [-1]) times frequency times Planck’s constant divided by 2 pi) (both of which have dimensions of energy), converts the heat diffusion equation to Schrodinger’s wave equation (the fundamental equation of quantum mechanics). Frequency and time are inverses of each other; Wick rotation is more often expressed using imaginary time than imaginary frequency. My research shows that frequency should be regarded as primary and time should be seen as being derived from frequency.
    
    * entropy= heat, and entropy=information: they are the same thing. Therefore since entropy always increases (2nd law of thermodynamics), information always increases and accumulates in the universe, giving a very scrambled record of the history of the universe. This can potentially be unscrambled using a Wick rotation
    
    ***
    https://www.specularium.org/
    Peter Carroll, noted as the originator of “Chaos Magic”, has for some years been working on physics rather than magic, in particular a scheme that uses three dimensions of time. I corresponded with him over a few months last year regarding some of the relations to GA, in particular the possibility that each spatial-temporal dimension pair would form an alternate basis with two null-square dimensions. I can’t say I understand his hypersphere cosmology or 3D time theories, but they certainly do resonate with my intuition.
    
    *
    
    Anyway, I hope that’s more interesting, edifying & enlightening than burdensome — you owe me nothing, of course, but perhaps it may lead to some profit for you down the line.

    Just a bunch of cut and paste from the internet. Supposedly, I guess to give the impression that he knows something.

    Christ. This information has to be USED. I am not some novelty for your own God Damn personal comfort and queries. I fully expect you to USE this information and make GOOD USE of it, disseminate it, and do good works with it.

    I am not a novelty.

    I am not some yokel that goes round and round in a hamster cage, just for some novelty questions.

    I am NOT doing this easily and for fun.

    It’s a labor.

    It’s also painful, physically exhausting, and a chore. Thus I get angry when people treat me, and what I am doing trivially. You WILL respect me. You WILL show respect to The Domain, and you WILL behave when you visit MM. Or I will fucking get rid of you, and if you still persist, I will make it a permanent stay in the corn field.

    Are Clifford Algebras with real-value coefficients a serviceable mathematical format for representation for reality?

    Is there a better type of math to use? If so, what?

    And the answer…

    This is an insincere request made by a malevolent entity. They do not seek an answer, but rather are desirous in trying to "trip you up", "run snipe hunts" to occupy your time and labor. Any information provided will not even be read. Nor will it be disseminated or used.
    
    Future associations with it will be problematic. It is advisable to sever all communication channels and avoid them.

    So on Monday 25OCT21 I severed all communication with this person. I sent him a response to his comment and gave him 45 minutes to respond. I was being generous.

    I am a contributor to both the UNZ and The Saker. This you should know. 
    
    You should also understand who I am and why I am doing this. Obviously you do not. 
    
    Long time readers will recognize what an insult it is to say that I work for the Chinese government. That alone is enough to send you to the cornfield. 
    
    But I am not going to do that. I think you are trivially intelligent but have the social skills of a goat.
    
    KNOW WHO YOU ARE DEALING WITH.
    
    Your lack of perception, veiled insults, and general garrulousness is irritating to me. I am too old for this bullshit. Therefore you are banned. Good bye.

    Then I went and blocked his entire city from accessing MM. Not just him alone. Then another MM follower Ultan responded…

    Mr Man. You are very much loved and respected by those of us out here who have been reading and listening to you for years, and have actually taken the time to read and think about your experiences while comparing / contrasting those experiences with our own. Rather than, say, trying to fit your narrative into our narrative, or what we think we know about reality.
    
    And in the case of this character above, failing very badly. But a classic example of wooden thinking if ever there were. And let’s not even get into the subtle hints about you being a paid liar. Or other contributors for that matter. I mean, for all the errrr, intellectual nitty gritty (for want of a better expression), he doesn’t even know anything about free energy and the plasma-fusion core.
    
    Good call, IMHO.
    
    And please do not let these guys get you down– there’s a lot of messed up people out there looking for answers. You’ve placed the pearls for all who have eyes to see, some of us have scooped them up; let the herd blunder on toward the intellectual abattoir.

    My response…

    A big thank you for the uplifting response.
    
    You know that I hate banning people, but if I find myself feeling bad by something that someone said, I do not analyze it. I just throw them into the gutter.
    
    MM is not for everyone. It is not for the general population to visit and ohh and ahh at. It is only for a few very special people.
    
    People like you, the guy from Ohio, Florida, Australia, South America, Northern Europe and Israel as well as the guy from Africa. There’s women from France and the Caribbean, and Georgia that mean the world to me. And it’s for you guys that I keep pumping this stuff out day in and day out. You guys are so very, very special to me. So special. You have no idea.
    
    Lately when I see people get on my forum, on my site, and lay down insults about what I say, write or report. They lay down insults about me and why I do what I do, it hurts. And honestly the world would be a much better place if we all see that when we are hurt it’s a real thing. It’s just like that video of the dish breaking.
    
    The dish is gone. You had a dish. Now you don’t. So good bye.

    Who them responded back to me with…

    All part of the ‘demonisation and dehumanisation of the other’ phenomena that’s accelerated thanks to ‘social media’ over the past few years, Mr Man. And by design, of course.
    
    Folks entrapped emotionally in a circle-jerk by these very advanced algorithms tend to forget that on a cyber-forum you are dealing with another human being– that’s what the word ‘forum’ means! A place to gather and discuss anything and everything; and just like in the real forums of old– insult anybody or try and force your own peculiar views on others in that forum and you’d be laughed out of the atrium, at best, or kicked out on your ear with a dagger in your arse, at worst. 
    
    Folks, free men, knew how to behave, back then. And ‘natural selection’, let’s say, did away with the socially retarded. (Check out what woulda happened to you in ancient Sparta if you insulted another person or his views in a disrespectful manner. And that was just the warriors/free-men, alone– men and women.)
    
    But in cyberspace it’s easy to remain anonymous and dismiss opposing views to yours no matter how rationally put or well-intended with the utmost disrespect– or get angry when your views aren’t upheld in a way that you’d like; shills, bots, NPCs, non-humans; trolls; paid disinfo; and much worse….we’ve seen it all before. Such is what passes for ‘discourse’ in cyberspace. Again, all by very clever design.
    So keep ’em coming, IMHO– and if one day you decide to pull the plug, I at least have downloaded your classics to keep forever and reread at my leisure.
    
    So thanks again for that.

    And I commented…

    It’s always a pleasure to hear your kind words and support. FYI, I didn’t just ban this guy. I banned his entire city. Chinese-style. Anyone in his city now gets a notice when they try to visit MM. 
    
    It says “Your geographic region has been banned from accessing this site by the site administrator.”

    And this was the response.

    😂, oh man, blocking the regional I.P. address? F that; why don’t you call up your Domain contact, fire up his or her doomsday device, and plough the furrows in the remains of that dump with salt while you’re at it, Scipio Africanus style.
    
    How’s that for polite debate! Respect the Metallicman and you can live and let live; disrespect him, however, and the Rods of God are a-comin your way.
    
    Duck, you sucker, 😂.

    Ah.

    Don’t piss me off.

    Never the less, I did actually ask the question.

    It took me days to present, unpack, translate, transcribe and review. Here it is.

    Keep in mind, that I still don’t understand the question. To me it is a question on the tools of a methodology related to utilization of a system that could be used to describe the nature of a universe. And thus I presented it as such.

    Here’s the result.

    The use of mathematics to describe the universe that the prison complex is part of makes sense from the point of view of the inmates. However, it is a very awkward and feeble methodology. The better methodology is a simpler pictorial representation.
    
    The prison complex operates in a pocket universe that exists inside a general "master" universe. With in this pocket universe are secondary universes known collectively as "Heavens". Each universe possesses different rules, different environments, and different ways of operating.
    
    Here we must assume that the question is in regards to whether Clifford Algebra can help describe the nature of the "physical universe", which is functionally different in operation from the "master" universe that is resides within.
    
    (Now, I hope that I get this transcribed properly. It was parsed out slowly and carefully for me, and I really still do not understand it.)
    
    The problem with using this methodology to describe the prison universe; the "pocket" universe that resides inside the "master" universe is that it relies on the notion that time does exist. 
    
    Here, time is the scalar component of a Clifford space. In Clifford Space geometry, "time" results from properties of space itself. This comes about when one properly uses the higher dimensional formalism afforded by Clifford’s geometric algebra.
    
    At that, it can be viewed as an intrinsic geometric property of three-dimensional space without the need for the specific addition of a fourth dimension. (As people tend to do, referring "time" as the fourth dimension.) Thus, it is quite attractive to those seeking mathematical solutions to the geometry of the artificial prison universe.
    
    Clifford algebra is a unification of real and complex numbers, (quaternion and vector algebra) which reflects the intrinsic properties of space-time. 
    
    (I wrote down "qu-an-er-non", as I try to phonically assemble words that are new to me, but the closest apparently useful word is quaternion.)
    
    The reason why Clifford algebra is attractive is because it provides a unified, standard, elegant and open language and tool for numerous complex mathematical and physical theories. By using it, engineering principles can be devised to provide solutions within the prison planet universe.
    
    If you base everything / mathematics / physics / engineering on the four basic principles and Clifford algebra, all basic physical equations within the prison planet universe can be derived.
    

    And it stopped there! Talk about being maddening.

    I really haven’t a clue as to what he is talking about, or whether or not the question was actually answered. So I “prodded” for “more”. (Don’t force me to explain. It’s a way that I communicate using the EBP.) And the result was more “forceful”, and “stronger”.

    The logical relations between equations can all be reconstructed using Clifford Algebra. 
    
    Additionally all of the solutions of the more typical equations can be solved. 
    
    This system does explain the concepts of space-time and quantum theory. 
    
    As such, it is a useful, by some, methodology to help better understand the nature of the prison complex pocket universe.
    
    The queried answer is; Yes.
    
    Clifford Algebra, using real value coefficients CAN (there was a syllabic emphasis in the forth tone) be used AS A serviceable (used as an italicized image) solution to a mathematical representation of the reality as experienced by the inmates within the prison complex pocket universe.

    At this point, I really wanted to get some specific details. So after I transcribed the answers, I parsed them out for detail.

    Q: You said “The logical relations between equations can all be reconstructed using Clifford Algebra.” Do you mean “most”, or can I use the word “all”?

    The proper term is "all". However, there are some mathematical "tricks" that need to be employed on some of the solutions. Not every "trick" or technique is well known. This is an esoteric avenue for the specialists in this field. 
    
    This should not be your concern.

    Q: You said “…all of the solutions of the more typical equations can be solved. ” Again do you mean “all” or “most”, and why did you use the adjective “typical”?

    The more accurate translation is "most of the functional equations can be solved, and those that cannot can be 'bridged' using mathematical 'work-arounds'". 
    
    Again, this is not your realm of expertise. Those with the necessary skills and expertise now possess the understanding that they are on the right track and moving in the proper direction. In truth, there are some valid and appreciate work in this field by those of that interest and skill level. 
    
    It need not be your concern.

    The questioner also put up this part 2 of the question. It is, rather, if the Clifford Algebra cannot explain the nature of the reality universe, what can? And the questions ran like this…

    Otherwise:
    
    *What is the sign aka signature (+ or -) of the squares of the basis vectors of the spatial dimensions? Is this a convention or is it physically significant?
    
    Are there other such dimensions with the same signature, e.g. “proper time”?
    
    How many such space-like dimensions are there, and what is their significance?
    
    *How many dimensions of opposite signature to the spatial ones are there, e.g. relativistic time and other time-like dimensions?
    
    What can be said about their role – e.g. do they concern nuclear reactions or allow for branching time-lines?
    
    *Are there effectively null-square (zero-square) dimensions formed from the sum and differences of pairs of + and – signature dimensions, e.g. light-cones or “conformal” projective dimensions?
    
    Are there null-square dimensions independent of the + and – square dimensions?
    
    Are null-square dimensions your home environment? Are there applications of null-square dimensions, e.g. portals between realms or amnesia devices?
    
    *Does thermodynamic entropy create “Akashic records”? What principles relate thermodynamic entropy (heat diffusion) and information from physical histories (wave equation); are they analogous to exchanging a + square for a – square dimension, (or relativistic time for proper time, or time (t) for imaginary time (it)), and if so, can this “Wick rotation” be done in both directions so as to allow passing from our physical realm to the “afterlife” and back?

    Because the answer was substantive in the first part of the question, I did not proceed with the second part.

    However, I think that the Commander wasn’t clear enough to meet the precise needs of the questioner. So I wanted to get some much better answers and some “meat” that I could provide herein. So I got myself a quiet spot, and a cup full of warm water. And started transcribing. And it does not make sense to me, but here it is…

    Q: In Unified Field Theory, how does this Clifford Algebra fit?

    And you know, that I am shoot wildly in the dark. I haven’t a clue as to what I am asking or how it would all fit together.

    Many are trying to understand the nature of the pocket universe that surrounds the prison complex. The unified field theory is one such mechanism.There is Way-Al scale invariant (?) methodology, Kal-uze-al five dimensional space time, Hamilton Formalism and the gauge unified field theory. Each one has it's pluses and minuses in utility.
    
    Clifford Algebra is a methodology used to help resolve numerous paradoxes. These include the Twins, Effer-Fest, and the ladder paradoxes.
    
    There are other scientists on other prison planets within the entire prison complex that are proceeding on their versions of these theories. Which is why we are very aware of the questions that you ask.
    
    The strongest attribute / characteristic of the Clifford Algebra methodology is the utilization of the Nonlinear Spinor Equation. There is the Nonlinear Dark field, the electromagnetic Interaction field and the interactions with classical mechanics and with the Lorentz Transformation. All of these show usefulness and utility. The key to understanding the use of Clifford Algebra is the use of Spinor property utility.
    
    You need the Inter-grable Conditions of the Eli-Gen Equation, and the Curvilinear Coordinate System solution. 

    Q: Are these hints or directions for the mathematical solutions using Clifford Algebra geometry for unified theory and space-time resolution?

    Yes.
    
    The way to proceed is to develop Inter-grable Conditions for the Dir-Ack, and the Pauli equations.You will then develop a "New Model" for Strong Interactions. Then, with a strong understanding of the Light-Cone Coordinate System, you can then begin the simplification of Einstein Tensor.  
    
    From there, you would then work on the Linearization of Einstein Field Equation. (He said it twice as if it was important.) Linearization of Einstein Field Equation. Then work on the dynamics of observed stars and all should be obvious to the researcher. 

    It looks like a “road map” for flushing out unresolved aspects of the Clifford Algebraic solution.

    Honestly guys. I don’t know if he is “pulling my leg”, or just messing with me. This is just a bunch of disjointed statements that I just cannot figure out heads or tails over. I only hope that someone in the MM audience can understand it. In words that are new to me I used phonics to spell them out.

    And that’s it. I am spent. I feel like an empty shell casing after completing final exams during my university years.

    The next morning I asked this question;

    Was I too harsh in perma-banning the questioner?

    No.
    
    The questioner is a DIS sentience. He would do nothing with the information. He would fail to disseminate it. He would only nod with a smirk that you fell for his "trap" / ploy / snare / amusement. 
    
    By allowing him to continue to visit MM, you would be empowering his sickness / illness / distortion of self. 
    
    It would be akin to allowing a family alcoholic member a bottle of whiskey a day just to keep him sedated and out of harms way. When the real solution would be to push him out of the house and lock the doors so that he cannot come in.

    Note to the readers that it was my decision to ban him. I was not ordered to do so.

    In the late 1940’s one of your vehicles were downed in Roswell New Mexico. From this event we obtained the document “Alien Interview”. Can you please tell us what downed your vehicle?

    At that time we believed that it was downed by a disruption of it's operational field by natural energy discharge / lightning discharge. We learned however, that it was more complex than that. The real reason was the radar equipment that was being tested at the Roswell base.
    
    The captured (Nazi) German radars Flakleit G, Freya, Mammut and Wassermann were being used and studied at the American Roswell, NM base at the time of the crash. 
    
    We are unsure which particular radar was the actual culprit at this time, but that is immaterial, as all the radars possess interference properties that we have since had to counter.
    
    During the crash, the two (minor) officers lost their doll bodies immediately and they returned to their operational staging locations. The Commander was captured and secured, and you know what happened after that.

    Regarding the document titled “Domain Expeditionary Force Rescue Mission.”. Is this document really from Matilda? Does Airl have knowledge of it?

    I posted this question. And I was told…

    Read the book, and then ask the question again.

    Sheech!

    What does this mean?  Does that mean that they obtain all my impressions, and sensory input, and then use that to base their answers on?  Or do they rely on my impressions and then alter my opinions in how I transcribe? It’s all so confusing.  I am pretty much convinced that they need my thoughts and impressions, for whatever reason, to come to a conclusive answer. It explains so much, but also opens up some questions as well.

    So I need to read the document. So ok. No problem. I’ll respond to this question later on after I read the document.

    What happened to me when my EBP was installed? Where did I go, and have I met your expectations?

    Well, I want to know.

    We do not question your loyalty to the Domain nor your dedication to responsible service. In fact, these characteristics were carefully vetted prior to us presenting the opportunity to you.
    
    We know that you want to entertain the idea that you went to some exotic location. Any of the moons of gas giants would cause biological disruptions due to the radiation belts inherent within their planetary fields.
    
    You went to a medical facility within the moon. There is no need to venture further away to achieve the procedure that we conducted.
    
    You have correctly surmised that it was not a vehicle, and that it was upon a planetary body. What you might not be clear on is that it occurred deep inside the moon, well under the planetary surface.
    
    The idea that it occurred on Mars is a romantic assumption on your part.

    If Heather is now occupying the human body of <redacted>, how is this possible as all human bodies are inmate skin suits, and cats transcend those limitations?

    It’s a persistent question.

    Heather (FYI, Heater was a previous cat from 30 years ago) isn't really occupying a human body, but is rather sharing it. Felines have the ability to co-inhabit bodies of all sorts of creatures. This is especially pronounced in the Prison Complex environment. This is exactly what is going on.
    
    From your point of view <redacted> is a "shadow person" (sic.), but your cat Heather occupies it with you as your "traverse the MWI" (sic.). Thus both of you share the same experiences together. When you die, your cat will leave the co-inhabited body. It's a natural process.

    Conclusion

    This is just some personal questions that I have asked using my EBP. I’ve had these things in my head for decades, but only recently realized that two-way communication could be achieved with them.

    There are numerous MM readers and commenters that had a role in this selection of questions and all in all, it was a big positive. So thank you for all of your nudges, and questions and concerns.

    In the future, I will open up the EBP for more questions and you all can ask some more questions. This was just my own personal ones, and I must apologize if my questions were banal or boring.

    Do you want more?

    You can find many more videos in my “The Domain Action Articles” over here…

    The Domain

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

    Why Chinese society is like the book or movie of “Starship Troopers”

    This article is based on a comment that was on one of my forums. In it, the person suggested that what he has read about China, from MM, reminds him of the society as depicted within the science fiction story “Starship Troopers” by Robert Heinlein. I have to admit that this is a profound observation. And I agree with him. Here, we will dissect this observation and add some of my personal comments to it.

    Service grants citizenship.

    The book

    The book is well worth the read. I have it available in glorious and easy to read HTML here…

    Starship Troopers

    .

    Starship Troopers Comparisons

    Starship Troopers is perhaps the best-known novel of science fiction master Robert A. Heinlein. Unlike many science fiction novels, the longevity of Starship Troopers’ reputation has at least as much to do with controversies over its themes as the quality of the writing and storytelling.

    I am afraid there is no getting around using the f-word here—there is significant debate as to whether Starship Troopers, which glorifies martial virtues and a highly authoritarian political constitution, is fascist.

    This debate is muddied by the 1997 movie based on the book, which the filmmakers intentionally used as an artistic opportunity to engage in a reductio ad absurdum of militaristic culture.

    Starship Troopers

    Putting the movie aside, I want to explore the political economy of the novel itself.

    My claim is simple: Starship Troopers is not fascist. Instead, it is an exploration of certain sociopolitical truths that, if ignored, doom a civilization to self-parody by the hemorrhaging of civic virtue.

    The novel, told from the perspective of infantryman Juan “Johnnie” Rico, primarily depicts the transformation of a civilian into a soldier. But it is also a commentary on the qualities of a political structure that result in a durable social order.

    The novel is set centuries into the future, where earth is part of a polity called the Terran Federation, a spacefaring civilization that extends humanity throughout the galaxy.

    In this civilization, all high school students are required to take a course titled “History and Moral Philosophy,” which must be taught by a veteran of the armed services. Johnnie’s teacher, retired Lt. Col. Dubois, recounts to his students how the “twentieth century democracies” gradually experienced a breakdown in domestic law and order.

    Starship Troopers

    This occurred as these polities continued to grant more and more rights to their citizens, but did not impose accompanying responsibilities.

    One result was a spike in crime, such that public spaces were no longer safe at nighttime and many were not safe during the day.

    Later in the novel, we learn that international military disaster accompanied domestic political disorder.

    A vaguely described war—between the “Chinese Hegemony” and an alliance of the United States, Britain, and Russia on the other—so exhausts the Western polities that they lose the ability to even maintain order within the armed services.

    With the breakdown in social order, veterans of this war eventually take the law into their own hands. They form gangs to police their towns and cities, imposing martial law without any civilian oversight—of which it is unclear there could be any, given the previously mentioned political atrophy.

    At first, this is unmistakably nothing more than vigilante justice.

    But through sheer force, they are capable of maintaining a rudimentary peace. The order of martial law is a low form of order; no great civilization can flourish with a boot on its neck.

    But eventually, not through any formal grant of legitimacy via democratic processes but a gradual acceptance of the new ad hoc regime, regularity returns to the social world.

    Starship Troopers

    On-the-spot justice gives way to regular procedures for ascertaining guilt and assigning punishment to perceived criminals.

    As these practices become institutions, civilization shifts from one sociopolitical equilibrium to another.

    With regularity comes justified expectations of future behavior by the new government, and along with it the rule of law, and the return of some semblance of democratic and parliamentary governance.

    The chief difference is that society is now quasi-Spartan: only those with a military background can participate in the governance of the polity; key civilian positions are reserved by law for veterans; and those who do not perform at least two years of federal service cannot exercise “sovereign franchise.” That is, they cannot vote.

    At various points in the novel, this narrative is referred to in order to point out two important truths about governance.

    Starship Troopers

    These truths are explored through the interplay of Johnnie’s character development and his eventual comprehension of his society’s governance structures.

    The first of these truths has to do with the nature of sovereignty.

    In the real world, we tend to view sovereignty in ethical terms. We answer “Who rules?” by asking, “Who ought to rule?” This is how we continue to affirm democratic legitimacy even though it is obvious that the will of the people has little to do with how modern Western polities are actually governed.

    In contrast, the characters in Starship Troopers have no truck with romantic theories of governance that have no basis in reality.

    At its root, sovereignty is power, which means force.

    The quasi-military government of Starship Troopers exists because the founders of the Terran Federation, back when they were little more than a vigilante mob, were willing to impose themselves on others.

    As it became clear that nobody could oppose them, they became the new de facto government, and eventually the new de jure government. The essential truth of sovereignty, in terms of who actually rules, is that sovereignty is inevitable and, in a higher sense, arbitrary.

    Why do veterans govern the Terran Federation?

    The only possible answer is because they can.

    Starship Troopers

    To be clear: This is not a claim that social order requires violence. It is the claim, as historically robust a truth as can be found, is that someone, somewhere, will wield the sword.

    To the extent that our political constitutions can be founded on “reflection and choice,” our choice is not power versus self-governance.

    Instead, it is responsible versus irresponsible power.

    Now we see why so many worry about the glorification of fascism in Starship Troopers. Heinlein had the audacity to explore a world where Sparta works, and is durable.

    Understandably, this puts our Western (American) Athenian sensibilities on Red Alert.

    The novel’s justifications for franchise restrictions, perhaps the ultimate blasphemy in our egalitarian-democratic age, highlight a second sociopolitical truth:

    Any society that decouples rights and responsibilities thereby enables irresponsible power.

    Eventually, Johnnie is recognized as officer-caliber material.

    He is sent to the Terran Federal Service’s equivalent of officer candidate school, which if anything is more grueling than basic training, both physically and mentally.

    Chapter 12 of the novel illustrates the intimate link between rights, responsibilities, and a well-governed society in the form of a dialogue between a grizzled officer-instructor and a naïve cadet.

    Starship Troopers

    The instructor asks the cadet for “a reason—not historical nor theoretical but practical,” for limiting the franchise to discharged veterans.

    The cadet goes through several incorrect explanations—that veterans are higher-quality beings, “picked men,” or that they are “more disciplined”—before he, along with Johnnie and the reader, are enlightened.

    The instructor begins by wryly asserting,

    “I handed you a trick question. The practical reason for continuing our system [of limited franchise] is the same as the practical reason for continuing anything: it works satisfactorily.”

    This is a repeated emphasis on the fundamentals of sovereignty.

    The instructor then goes through the restrictions on voting, or the exercise of political power more generally that have existed throughout history, and in what respect the restrictions of the Terran Federation differ.

    The answer:

    “Under our system every voter and officeholder is a man who has demonstrated through voluntary and difficult service that he places the welfare of the group ahead of personal advantage…. 
    
    He may fail in wisdom, he may lapse in civic virtue. 
    
    But his average performance is enormously better than that of any other class of rulers in history.”

    The instructor takes a realistic, and hence grim, view of political power—again, remember the truth of sovereignty!—when he continues,

    “To vote is to wield authority; it is the supreme authority from which all other authority derives…the franchise is force, naked and raw, the Power of the Rods and the Ax.  
    
    Whether it is exerted by ten or by ten billion, political authority is force.”

    Next the instructor singles out Johnnie to complete the narrative. He asks what the necessary complement to authority is, and Cadet Rico answers “Responsibility.”

    Starship Troopers

    This pleases the instructor, who finishes explaining why the political system of the Terran Federation has been both successful and stable:

    Authority and responsibility must be equal—else a balancing takes place as surely as current flows between points of unequal potential. 
    
    To permit irresponsible authority is to sow disaster; to hold a man responsible for anything he does not control is to behave with blind idiocy. 
    
    The unlimited democracies [of the twentieth century] were unstable because their citizens were not responsible for the fashion in which they exerted their sovereign authority…. 
    
    No attempt was made to determine whether a voter was socially responsible to the extent of his literally unlimited authority. 
    
    If he voted the impossible, the disastrous possible happened instead—and responsibility was then forced on him willy-nilly and destroyed both him and his foundationless temple (emphasis added).

    There you have it: The stark recognition that the right to vote is the right to rule, and that the right to rule without the responsibility of bearing the consequences of one’s decisions is a recipe for infantilism writ large.

    One may dispute whether this specific form of civic virtue is the safest foundation on which a limited franchise rests.

    But the key point, that there is such a thing as better and worse voters, and that empowering the latter is a sure path to gradual erosion of social cooperation, is sound.

    It’s also one we desperately need to hear today.

    And now, the inevitable caveats. There is some truth to the claim that, on its own, Starship Troopers is a dangerous form of social commentary.

    Martial glorification is an inherently slippery slope, as any historian of Wilhelmine Germany can attest.

    Starship Troopers

    Furthermore, the kind of mind sympathetic to highly hierarchical governance is at risk of mistakenly thinking a whole society can be run like a barracks.

    These impulses must be tempered by exposure to insightful commentary on what happens when power is, despite everybody’s best intentions, exercised irresponsibly, an unfortunately all-too-common occurrence. But all of these caveats do not diminish the wisdom that Starship Troopers conveys, all the more remarkable for being a work of fiction.

    If we are unwilling to find a way to structure our political institutions such that rights are firmly coupled with responsibility, we will continue to see a ballooning of the former and an erosion of the latter.

    The result will not be pretty, and we will deserve it.

    Starship Troopers

    But is China really like this?

    As someone who has lived 40 years in America from birth, and then an additional 20+ years inside of China, I am positively affirm that Chinese society is very, very similar to the society that was depicted in the book.

    Similar.

    No, it’s not the evil “Communist regime” that the onslaught of anti-China Western propaganda spews daily in your “news” feeds.

    It’s something else entirely.

    But China is not Sparta. Nor is it like the Western “democracies”. It is a new social system that has never been seen before on the world. And the closest illustration of what it is, by far, is through the book “Starship Troopers”.

    Starship Troopers

    The tenants of the society depicted within the book

    Let’s break down some of the core points in the book and how they manifest within China.

    And I am going to tell you all, right off the bat, that this is information that you will not find in the American or “Western” press or “news”. They (the media) all are well-funded propaganda mills that actually believe their echo-chamber nonsense.

    We will look at these tenants listed in the movie;

    • Only those with a military background can participate in governance.
    • At all levels discipline is required for success.
    • Sovereignty is power, which means rule by force.
    • Responsible versus irresponsible power.
    • Rights and responsibilities are intertwined.

    Only those with a military background can participate in the governance of the society.

    Well, let’s begin with the understanding that not all things military resembles marching armies.

    In America we have the Coast Guard, the Department of Homeland Security, The Civilian Conservation Corps, and The Peace Corps. What all these organizations possess is that the participants are volunteers that risk their lives, devote their time and careers, towards the betterment of society.

    • Coast Guard = Working to protect society.
    • Civilian Conservation Corps = Working to protect societies environment.
    • Peace Corps = Working to support other societies for the good of all.

    Starship Troopers

    So if we use this model and expand “the military” to include “organizations that support the growth and maintenance of society” you can say…

    Yes. Absolutely!

    In China if you want to vote in the “democratic process” you must be a member of the “Party”, and to be a member, you must contribute and participate.

    Service grants citizenship.

    Those that do not participate; that do not excel in school; that do not help and volunteer, and those that do not join The Pioneers when in elementary, middle and high schools cannot participate in government within China. Period.

    Modern China.

    In China, not everyone can vote.

    It is a meritocracy. The ability to vote requires that you, throughout your life, contribute to the good of society and do what ever is needed at any time of the day or night.

    If the government asks you to help rebuild a dam, then you leave you job and do so. If the government asks you to build a hospital over night, then you do so. You don’t complain. You do it.

    That is participation. That is a society that only allows contributors to participate in governance.

    At all levels discipline is required for success.

    Discipline is taught at a young age. And from Kindergarten on up, the students obtain daily discipline training, education on civic society, military behaviors and pure military field rife and combat training.

    Here’s some videos that I collected. Some are training films. Some are recruitment films. Some are just studies. Some are personal videos. All in all a good mix. It will give you all a great idea about the Chinese military capability.

    Discipline – Elementary Echool Soldiers

    Young Pioneers and elementary children going through mandatory military training.

    Starship troopers child soldier
    Starship Troopers

    Some of the films have children in it going through training. These are the elementary-school Pioneers (the Chinese cub scouts). Everyone in China gets full military training. Those older kids, are in middle school. They are the ones wearing blue slacks with the white line training and shooting AK-74’s.

    You will see closeups of the various electronic weapons systems, and the state of the art Chinese SEAL and Special Forces troops as well. You will see some videos about how Japan came into China and killed off so many innocent civilians. And note that now that every civilian can fire a gun, and fight, that is never going to happen ever again.

    You can download the Video Archive HERE.101MB.

    Group 1

    Discipline – Middle School Soldiers

    It starts off with some more middle school assault weapon training.

    Next is the elementary school pioneers who undergo physical obstacle course training. Notice that they do it while carrying a full military rifle. Also note that it’s both boys and girls. No one gets a pass. VIDEO.

    Boys and Girls no one gets a pass.

    The third video is the reservists. China has an active military and the reserves that meet every few weeks. VIDEO.

    Reservists practice and drill over and over and over and over.

    Training, training, training.

    Fourth video is for the young Pioneers. For inspiration and training. Very, very interesting. If you don’t watch any of these videos here, you MUST at least watch this one.

    China will NEVER allow a repeat of the “Rape of Nanjing”.

    Watch this video.

    It’s all your fault that all the people are being rounded up in the city.

    So many interesting videos. Watch them all in this massive collection. You can download the Video Archive HERE. 257MB.

    Group 2

    Discipline – The “Kitchen Sink”

    Here’s another group. HERE. 381MB

    Of course there are all sorts of interesting things in these videos.

    Group 3B

    Discipline – Learn about Chinese Society

    Here we have some first grade students demonstrating their skills in front of the rest of the school in assembly. Note that all students not only learn English, but also get weekly lessons in military warfare, strategy, and operations. VIDEO.

    And here are how a Pioneers assembly looks like. These are all first grade students around 6 years old. VIDEO.

    Discipline. Merit. Training.

    Sovereignty is power, which means rule by force.

    Ah. This is the common anti-China narrative. But the reality is that China does not rule by force. Instead, they rule by compliance.

    Starship Troopers

    In China, everyone is expected to comply with the law. The entire nation is wired up with AI monitored video, audio and systems, and boy oh boy is that driving the American CIA bonkers! China knows who is doing what, where and why. It’s sort of like that Tom Cruse movie where you can follow a person’s movements from when they wake up in the morning throughout the day. That is China today.

    It is invasive?

    No, not really, with 1.6 billion people there is no way for people to monitored gulag style. Instead, AI monitors and flags dangerous behaviors. A social credit scorecard is used to connect individual behaviors to society hierarchy. If you are a dick, a bad person, a skank, you will be low on the hierarchy. But if you are good, helpful and volunteer, you will go up higher. It’s all merit driven.

    And that is a great thing.

    Responsible versus irresponsible power.

    In Washington, DC, a tribunal of nine men and women spoke with one voice to affirm that the government and its henchmen can literally get away with murder and not be held accountable for their wrongdoing.
    
    -John Whitehead

    One of the core tenants of the book “Starship Trooper” was that only the responsible would be in the position of power to govern. that really riled up the sensibilities of many a free wheeling, casual, “good time Charlie” lover. And responsibility comes with wisdom, experience, effort and merit. You are not just “responsible” at birth. It is a learned behavior.

    Starship Troopers

    If you are not to be responsible, you become irresponsible. Not just to yourself, but to those around you. You need discipline, behavioral training, and coaching.

    While the book refers to this trait on a personal level, the key point is that it applies throughout society. There is a real problem when you live in a family with an irresponsible parent. The entire household becomes dysfunctional.

    Its even worse when an irresponsible person takes over the reins of government. And that must be prevented.

    [1] At the system level

    The system must screen for dangerous people.

    Honor guards attend a flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square in 2017.

    The system that brings in leadership, and directors must be solid, substantive, rugged and robust. It must be such that all the problematic personalities; the greedy, the psychopathic, the sociopath, the narcissistic and the evil be forever barred from positions of power and control. This system is inherent inside the operation of the Chinese communist party. It is very, very difficult to join, and the requirements to do so are maintained by service-to-others (SEO) committees.

    [2] At the operation level

    The leadership must constantly be policed.

    This is the bane of most societies and only in the last ten years has this changed in China. China has set up the “Corruption Police” and they have made “earth shattering” changes to all levels of government. The days of graft, vice, abuse of power are all gone. (Well, in the process of going away. There are always hold outs.) This “Corruption Police” are an elite group of SEO officers and agents that root out corruption at every level and work to functionally make the Chinese society a well-run meritocracy.

    Starship Troopers

    Rights and responsibilities are intertwined.

    America talks and talks about Rights. There are no Rights in America. Every single (so called immutable Rights) now come with exceptions. And there are so many of these exceptions that they render the Rights useless.

    While in China, the Rights of the people are maintained, policed and enforced. No wonder the Chinese have a 95% approval rate for their government.

    The Chinese are hyper-patriotic.

    But inside the ruined has-been nation of America, the story is quite different. With only a mere 15% of the population trusting the United States government, with a margin of error around 15%. Which means that somewhere between 0% and 30% of the United States citizenry trust the American government.

    John White head said it best…

    “We can zip our lips and bind our hands and shut our eyes.

    In other words, we can continue to exist in a state of denial. Yet there is no denying the ugly, hard truths that become more evident with every passing day.

    1. The government is not our friend. Nor does it work for “we the people.”
    2. Our so-called government representatives do not actually represent us, the citizenry. We are now ruled by an oligarchic elite of governmental and corporate interests whose main interest is in perpetuating power and control.
    3. Republicans and Democrats like to act as if there’s a huge difference between them and their policies. However, they are not sworn enemies so much as they are partners in crime, united in a common goal, which is to maintain the status quo.
    4. The lesser of two evils is still evil.
    5. Some years ago, a newspaper headline asked the question: “What’s the difference between a politician and a psychopath?” The answer, then and now, remains the same: None. There is virtually no difference between psychopaths and politicians.
    6. More than terrorism, more than domestic extremism, more than gun violence and organized crime, the U.S. government has become a greater menace to the life, liberty and property of its citizens than any of the so-called dangers from which the government claims to protect us
    7. The government knows exactly which buttons to push in order to manipulate the populace and gain the public’s cooperation and compliance.
    8. If voting made any difference, they wouldn’t let us do it.
    9. America’s shadow government—which is comprised of unelected government bureaucrats, corporations, contractors, paper-pushers, and button-pushers who are actually calling the shots behind the scenes right now and operates beyond the reach of the Constitution with no real accountability to the citizenry—is the real reason why “we the people” have no control over our government.
    10. You no longer have to be poor, black or guilty to be treated like a criminal in America. All that is required is that you belong to the suspect class—that is, the citizenry—of the American police state. As a de facto member of this so-called criminal class, every U.S. citizen is now guilty until proven innocent.
    11. “We the people” are no longer shielded by the rule of law. By gradually whittling away at our freedoms—free speech, assembly, due process, privacy, etc.—the government has, in effect, liberated itself from its contractual agreement to respect our constitutional rights while resetting the calendar back to a time when we had no Bill of Rights to protect us from the long arm of the government.
    12. Private property means nothing if the government can take your home, car or money under the flimsiest of pretexts, whether it be asset forfeiture schemes, eminent domain or overdue property taxes. Likewise, private property means little at a time when SWAT teams and other government agents can invade your home, break down your doors, kill your dog, wound or kill you, damage your furnishings and terrorize your family.
    13. We now find ourselves caught in the crosshairs of a showdown between the rights of the individual and the so-called “emergency” state, and “we the people” are losing.
    14. All of those freedoms we cherish—the ones enshrined in the Constitution, the ones that affirm our right to free speech and assembly, due process, privacy, bodily integrity, the right to not have police seize our property without a warrant, or search and detain us without probable cause—amount to nothing when the government and its agents are allowed to disregard those prohibitions on government overreach at will.
    15. If there is an absolute maxim by which the federal government seems to operate, it is that the American taxpayer always gets ripped off.
    16. Our freedoms—especially the Fourth Amendment—continue to be choked out by a prevailing view among government bureaucrats that they have the right to search, seize, strip, scan, spy on, probe, pat down, taser, and arrest any individual at any time and for the slightest provocation.
    17. Forced vaccinations, forced cavity searches, forced colonoscopies, forced blood draws, forced breath-alcohol tests, forced DNA extractions, forced eye scans, forced inclusion in biometric databases: these are just a few ways in which Americans continue to be reminded that we have no control over what happens to our bodies during an encounter with government officials.
    18. Finally, freedom is never free. There is always a price—always a sacrifice—that must be made in order to safeguard one’s freedoms.

    We cannot remain silent in the face of the government’s ongoing overreaches, power grabs, and crimes against humanity.

    Evil disguised as bureaucracy is still evil. Indeed, this is what Hannah Arendt referred to as the banality of evil.”

    But this is not the case in China.

    In China if you want a Right, you must earn it, and then show responsibility for it. If you do not, then it will be withheld from you. On the day to day, practical level, this manifests as the Social Credit Scoring system.

    Starship Troopers

    To give a good example of this, consider the laws that require parents to be responsible for the bad things their children do. China’s parliament will consider legislation to punish parents if their young children exhibit “very bad behavior” or commit crimes.

    Yeah it is the parents’ responsibility to take care of their children, whether the child is good or bad depends on the parents, educate the child in the path he should follow, and even when he is older he will not depart from it.

    it’s called RESPONSIBILITY.

    Conclusion

    But China is Communist! They scream!

    China says it’s a Social Democracy based on traditional Communist Values. While  America calls itself an exceptional democratic republic.

    He says. She says. Who cares?

    China today is something that cannot be easily explained in tight, narrow, traditional political definitions. While America is simple. It is a classic oligarchy ruled military empire.

    The BRFLS Second Grade Chinese Young Pioneers Initiation Ceremony

     

    Part of the problem with trying to solve or fix a problem is defining what the problem is. America is broke. It is broken, smashed, and a walking cluster fuck. That’s a fact Jack. If you cannot see it, then you must be mentally ill.

    Meanwhile, China is the absolute opposite of it.

    There are many, many similarities between the Chinese society and that of the society as depicted within the book “Starship Troopers” by Robert A Heinlein.

    On a whole, I believe that China is doing things right.

    They should be applauded for it. This system raised over a billion people out of poverty. This system has created a great “level playing field” for the vast bulk of Chinese society to have a moderate successful life, and this system is rocking the world with scientific discoveries, help, and innovation.

    China is taking the world by the hand gently and moving it forward. I for one applaud it, and you should too. Do not fear that the billionaires can only become thousandaires, or that “‘ma freedoms to a vote in a democracy” would be restricted. Those are fears intentionally generated to make you fear what the world is becoming.

    Do not fear.

    Instead…

    Look at what America has become. When you are ruled by the psychopathic in society, the society becomes ill, distressed and dysfunctional.

    Here is America today…

    The cities are inhabited by zombies. They really are. Video.

    Well, not all the cities are inhabited by zombies.

    You have a bunch of people walking around in “freedom”, “doing their own thing”. Such as this fine upstanding “pillar of the community” here. VIDEO.

    There is no alternative. China is the future.

    China is the future!

    China is the future.

    Just like in the movie “Starship Troopers”…

    Starship Troopers.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

    More LD assignment and task results – October 2021 – Backdoors to the Old Empire Prison Complex [2]

    In early October 2021, I established a task request asking for those versed in LD and other skills to investigate whether or not there were any “backdoors” or other ways in and out of the “Old Empire” “Prison Complex” that we are all (unfortunately) part of. By the second week of October the results began to pour in. The first group of results was posted HERE.

    This is a posting of subsequent results.

    Volunteers

    I asked in this post if any MM readership would be interested in joining The Domain to help rescue their “Lost Battalion”.

    The response was overwhelmingly positive.

    And then within a few days after the readership started adding affirmations and confirmations that they wish to help The Domain, be a Rufus, and do whatever they can contribute, many many MANY of them started writing to me privately.

    They were (for the most part) terrified.

    Within hours or days of making a verbal affirmation that they indeed wanted to assist The Domain, all of them, every single one of them, experience sleep paralysis and horrible fears and manifestations. All of which is very similar to “abduction events”.

    That they were “hijacked” in their dream state and all sorts of operations and procedures occurred. For them, it was truly frightening.

    However, I said then, and I will say now…

    • In the non-physical reality, thoughts take on tangible form.
    • Fears are used to control you.
    • So when you experience any type of help, your fear-defenses (part of the “Old Empire” programming), will try to make you fight and prevent the assistance.

    So keep in mind…

    • To help The Domain, certain retardations and alterations to your inmate human body must be undone.
    • This requires an operation; a procedure.
    • The Domain will undo those alterations when you join in the effort. They will conduct an operation and perform a procedure to remove those “chains” and “blocks” that you have shackled to your non-physical body.
    • Do not fear it. You NEED to have it done, whether you want to help the Domain or not.
    • It is a medical procedure.

    Many people have commented on this event as a “dream”, or a “Join the Domain related dream”.

    Janus Mission Briefing

    This is from an anonymous MM lurker that communicates with me by secure means. He is an expat like myself. He is prior SAP like myself. He is retired like myself, but unlike myself he fled the ‘States before he could be formally “retired”. You all can leave messages and your thoughts about his experiences on the forum or in the comments. He will read them, but he will not comment on them directly. In this matter, I act as an intermediary. -MM

    I have been unwilling to 'Go under' for some time now. To be honest I have been scared. I've previously had some success with Lucid Dreaming, but I have much more control in OBE (Out of Body Experience/astral travel etc.). 
    
    The problem was, the minute I 'let go of the rope' I feel like being kidnapped. Not unlike being sucked into the giant vacuum cleaner.
    
    It feels like somebody is waiting for me at the entry point (not a good word, it's more like bopping to 3D from 2D). Like they were ready for me. That has never happened to me before. 
    
    OBE has always been a joyous, refreshing and FREE state. Now it's scary and that sucks. I thought they were the Prison Guards but didn't stick around to ask questions.
    
    Then I read the experience of others, and it dawned on me. It was The Domain scrubbing away the prison colors, so I wouldn't be spotted right away!
    
    I have the house to myself the whole day, I will attempt an entry now.

    Janus 10-18-2021, 09:30 AM

    The “Join The Domain Dream”.

    I am only now able to write about it all. I had to do 60min deep meditation to thoroughly rinse my mental palate of disgusting gunk that covered my consciousness.

    After I understood that the kidnapping was for my own protection, I didn’t try to evade it. As soon as I released myself from my body, I felt like I had grown an umbilical core and was pulled by it.

    I let it happen.

    After a period of time that was from nanosecond to a lifetime (I really don’t have any frame of reference for time there), I found myself suspended in a rig. I knew instantly that I have been in this before, many times apparently.

    What happened next was without a doubt the most intensely unpleasant experience of my life. I felt like being skinned alive with a butternife.

    It wasn’t sharp pain, it was more like a too heavyhanded massage. It lasted as long as it did, again no way of telling the time in any meaningful way.

    I was no longer in the rig, it was more like a lounge-chair from the future.

    The material felt like a memory-foam but better. I felt weightless and totally supported at the same time. I was unable to move, wasn’t able to even try to move.

    Next sensation I felt, was like my head was held in a vice.

    You know how to boil a frog? That happened just like it; initially I felt no discomfort, then the grip was so strong I thought my eyes would pop out.

    Thia is difficult to verbalize.

    My brain was rinsed.

    I felt very close to dropping out of the OBE, perhaps I did. I felt my consciousness being totally independent and outside my brain and body, but I could still feel powerwashers drumming my sclera or cortex. I could feel dozens of small needle like thingies getting dislodged from the brain-tissue.

    I somehow blacked out, there was a clear cutoff, because I was no longer held or suspended.

    Now I was very much THERE.

    I felt fit, my vision was disturbingly clear and vivid, like I was using my eyes for the first time. But it wasn’t my eyes I was seeing thru.

    I was ‘sensing’ everything.

    I knew I was able to sense ultraviolet light as well as infrared, and then some. Do you remember the scene from Matrix, where Neo is able to see the code for the first time?

    That was it to the T.

    The whole episode felt like getting an oil-change, tires rotated, new spark-plugs and a coat of paint; I didn’t get superpowers, but more like superUSER powers. It felt like I could see thru walls and distinguish between players and NPC’s. To use an American vernacular, I felt like a million bucks!

    But I felt totally spent at the same time.

    I swam back to the surface.

    I opened my eyes and realized that I was sweating like a pig. Only 30 minutes had passed, it felt like a lifetime. I took quick dip in the almost freezing lake and planned my next move. I was in flames to try my enhanced abilities, but on the other hand I was very tired.

    Lucid Dream Attempt

    I haven’t been very successful in Lucid Dreaming lately, but part of it was the nagging fear of getting kidnapped.

    Why not give a go? Worst case, I Could fall asleep.

    I went to bed, just over the covers, not between the sheets, and took a keychain in my hand.

    I was in a shopping mall. The Mission was to look for open entry points or hidden backdoors. I took the escalator to the bottom floor. Doors opened, and I saw the place crawling with NPC/guards. I saw a an old woman trying to go out thru the main doors. There were four revolving doors, she went to the second from right. I looked at her as she stepped into the revolving door.

    As on command, all the NPC’s turned to look at her as well, grinning. The door sped up. It looked like a dust-devil. After a few seconds the door slowed down, the woman was gone, but not outside.

    Ok, four exits, check.

    Viability as possible rally/entrypoints: zero.

    I was at the bottom floor, so it seems that only way is up. As I was sneaking back to the elevators, another thought struck me.

    > You are standing in front of a door. You see corridor to your right.
    > _

    When I was a teen I played a lot of these text-based games. One of the game-designers Holy principles is “The unintuitive move is the right move”. If the only rational move is to open the door in front of you, you can bet your ass there’ll be Dragons behind it.

    The revolving doors were enter only, manned with killer-bots, and a death-trap if you try to exit.

    The elevators go from “E” to “10th floor, women’s lingerie”.

    There was bound to be a skylight that opens or a hidden staircase. This took forever to write, but dream-time is non-local, and time there is an irrelevant artifact.

    I was descending the hidden stairs before I finished the thought.

    I went down and flipped 180 degrees emerging up. Very weird sensation. It was like a move I knew how to do, but have forgot. Like learning to fly by jumping up and forgetting to come down.

    I came up and I kept going up until I was so far from the ground that I spotted a familiar looking beach, some mountains over the left. I was looking to east, south-east, the beach was behind me.

    I was in West-Africa, somewhere around Senegal or Gambia.

    That’s not so bizarre as it sounds, I’ve been there several times. I even ran an NGO in Gambia. I was up north, Mauretania, I think. The place I went through looked like a target. X marks the spot, eh?

    Anyway I tried to spot the place in Google Earth just now.

    Holy Shit!!

    .

    Caldera.

    I need to drop this off to you now. I haven't even read this through. Sorry about poor penmanship, I just needed to write this down before it goes away.
    
    You can share it with the class, if you wish.

    Conclusion

    Warning: Please take general caution against getting too excited about any particular place on LD/RW/Astral.

    Do you see what happens when we all work together as part of a team? This image resembles a volcanic island, only not in the ocean. Yet, I would hazard a guess that around the time when this entire planet was set up as a Prison Planet that this area was covered in water. This goes together and add a lot of interconnected puzzle pieces to the mix. I cannot wait for others to report on their findings.

    Do you want more?

    You can find many more videos in my “The Domain Action Articles” over here…

    The Domain

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

    Questions that I asked the EBP Commander concerning The Domain, cats, relationships and purpose

    There is a ton-load of disinformation, opinion, mixed messages and all sorts of distractions and bullshit on the internet. Nothing is more rife than that associated with the “Type-1 greys”.

    Indeed, there are MM followers, well meaning no doubt, and inadvertently pick up on these other “signals” (whether through reading something, or in a vision or other non-physical method) and repeat it here. I am not saying they are bad, or wrong. But I really want clarity.

    I try to provide what I know in simple, clear language, and in a non-confrontation (for the most part) manner. I want this place to be a “safe place”; a “safe space”. I want people who arrive at MM doorstep to be welcomed and accepted, no matter what they believe, no matter what social environment they come from, and no matter what their experiences are. I want this place to be a sanctuary where you are accepted without hesitation.

    Never the less, sometimes our experiences, our backgrounds, our understandings contain baggage that seeps into our daily lives, and we bring it here to MM. Like automatically assuming that Mantids are the angels spoken about in the Bible. Maybe they are. Maybe they aren’t. Maybe they are something else. But does it REALLY matter?

    No.

    What matters is how YOU view them. And you can communicate your views using the tools at hand. Which might be the Bible… and well understood by Christians, but confusing to Daoists.

    Communication is the key. The ability to communicate openly and freely.

    And when we are receiving the messages from others we can get a little confused. Try teaching vibrational mechanics to a classroom of college students hung over from last nights drinking to get an idea of what I am talking about. Which is pretty much WHY I try to simplify, simplify, and dumb down everything.

    MerLynn has some great information, but he gets so enraptured in the content, that you must really latch onto it or you will get thrown off. It’s like a bucking bronco and you must hold on for dear life. Which is why I have asked him to simplify it, and not be so information dense.

    Here’s an example of how understandable it can be once you simplify things…

    This entire Universe is made of Light Structures. Everything is the Light said Tesla. Thales and Aristotle agreed that Everything is Water and Life is in Everything. What this means is.... Light, from ALL sources, candle, spark, sun, bulb is a STRUCTURE that is Magnetic. Like a tiny "lego" piece that has a North and South Pole and an 'equatorial' polarity region. These Structures of Light come together to form Tetrahedrons and then these Tetrahedrons form ALL OF CREATION. There are no electrons or protons or neutrons Dracul. So if you want to discuss ALIEN TECHNOLOGY which is TESLA and Leedskalnin TECHNOLOGY, please do so using their terms of Reference and 'electrons' are just not part of any real science. Think in terms of Energy, Frequency and Vibrations with WAVE FORMS.

    Brilliant. Really.

    It doesn’t mean that he is wrong, or bad, or misunderstanding things from my point of view. It just means that I want his information to be spread out as understood by a much wider scope of MM readership, than just the hard-core. I want more people to read it. More people to understand it. More people to embrace it.

    It’s a good thing right?

    Information, and the communication of it, is important. We all come from different places, with different backgrounds, different histories, different needs, wants and desires. But we all want to share.

    One common way on the internet is to use “themes” and “memes”.

    We all know what a meme is. It’s a common phrase or understanding that is well packaged in a mannerism, or scene (from a movie or television show).

    “Sure Jan” meme. This is from the 1960’s television comedy show “The Brady Bunch”. Where one sister is talking to the other about something that her older sister well understands, and knows it’s not going to work out of be the way she thinks.

    Likewise are “themes”.

    There are ton-load of “Themes” in the American internet. Donald Trump was the master of creating themes…

    • Jail Hillary.
    • Contain China.
    • Build a Wall.
    • Make America great again.

    But these “themes” come in all sorts of other venues as well. Even themes that you don’t realize are themes.

    • Katana swords are great for killing zombies.
    • Do not by a used car from a dealer wearing a polyester plaid business suit.
    • Having a tattoo shows your “uniqueness”.
    • ‘Merica!

    And in the conventional scene we have…

    • Madcow illness will turn your into a moron if you eat that hamburger.
    • Y2K means that you had best be prepared for the apocalypse.
    • 3G radiation will fry your brain.
    • Cell phones will explode near gasoline pumps.

    And when you start talking about extraterrestrials… well then there are a host of themes…

    • Reptilians shapeshift and control the worlds governments.
    • Little grey extraterrestrials are a dying race that are time travelers and are trying to cross breed with humans.
    • Tall Nordics are peaceful who want to teach enlightenment to the earth.

    We use these themes to communicate our thoughts and our opinions.

    But it does not mean that the themes themselves are accurate. It just means that we are using the themes to describe our thoughts and beliefs. And with that comes a problem…

    When we say “Build that wall!” (as an American), what are we saying?

    [A] We want a wall to keep everyone out of America except those properly vetted by the government?

    [B] We want the entire nation of America to have a wall of isolation for our protection against the fearful external world.

    [C] Powerful forces want this wall to be built. It has a dual purpose to keep people out and to keep people in.

    [D] Donald Trump is “my man” and I will follow him because I sincerely believe that he has my best interests at heart.

    [E] I tire of the endless “news” about people streaming into America taking my money, resources, and using up my tax money. I am strapped as it is and I don’t want further erosion of my buying power while experiencing an increase in taxation.

    Now, the person who is using this “theme” might be thinking of situation [A] in his usage of it. However his wide and diverse audience might view the statement in another way, or in another form. For [C], for example. Or for [E] for example. Just because someone nods in agreement with you does not mean that they agree with you. It means that they recognize a part of what you are trying to convey, and that part that THEY recognize is what they are agreeing to.

    Because it is so easy to confuse thought intention with the limitations of the English language, I try to simplify things. Because, I know, I am abrasive caustic and sarcastic at times. I really do not want to offend anyone. I just want the information to be disseminated.

    When I say I like the AK-47, it does not mean that I like all the millions of people that it killed, or the destruction of societies that it participated in. It simply means that I like the technical innovations that provide a clear, functional robust design. If I were talking to a fellow engineer, this point would be obvious. But if I am talking to the girl behind the ice cream counter, it would easily be misinterpreted.

    And then you couple all these issues with communication with the onslaught of intentional disinfo. (Big Sigh.) There are people and organizations that spread intentional disinformation and try (and often successfully) inflame to derail the communication process. So we all have to be wary. We all have to be aware. We all have to be careful.

    I do NOT want this MM site to become another clone of the forced disinfo campaigns, whether intentional or not.

    • Shape-shifting reptilians.
    • Star-children to impart knowledge.
    • Time-traveling police to adjust world-lines.
    • Coronavirus is a hoax, or China manufactured it, or vaccinations are XYZ…
    • Y2K will cause the upcoming end of civilization as we know it.
    • 2012 will bring in the “new enlightenment”.

    And so on and so forth.

    Millions of United States federal funding went towards disinfo on extraterrestrials. Millions.

    Therefore, I have taken it upon myself to open up a comm line to the Domain Commander via my EBP and ask them questions regarding themselves and their operations here. One on one. Direct.

    For me only.

    For my purposes only. Because it is a personal issue with me. It is who I am now. I am sorry guys. I have these fucking things in my head. I’m not lying about them. They exist and they can be seen in an MRI, and I fucking deal with them every god-damn day.

    So I am committed.

    Because after all, if COVID was not a bio-weapon but really some form of mind control over Americans, the idea that extraterrestrials don’t exist because Oprah or Ellen Degeneres didn’t validate it, or that the Greys are actually from Zeta Reticuli then I must really be all full of shit.

    And thus, MM has no value.

    It’s just another blog on the internet, yet another in a series of millions of blogs. It is of no special value. I’m just a blowhard with a five dollar blog churning out my opinions into the internet hoping to connect with others for my own nefarious reasons.

    I should really just chuck it all away.

    Say fuck it, and go out whoring and drinking. And let me tell you guys; that’s an option that exists and I’m keen on going that direction. I mean really. Really.

    Really keen.

    The internet is full of opinions. Just like MM has opinions.

    Some are ‘bots. Here’s an example of a ‘bot that trolls my LinkedIN posts…

    And others aren’t ‘bots. As there are some real and honest experiences.

    I really don’t know why you all are here, but I really hope that MM benefits you.

    I sincerely hope.

    And for it to provide benefit, I must keep it sanitized. Clean. Simple. Fun. And easy to understand. No bullshit. The things as I see them. Straight, open, honest and real. Just the facts, ma’am.

    "Just the facts, ma'am" is a common catchphrase often attributed to Friday, or less often, to Stan Freberg's works parodying Dragnet. But neither used the exact phrase. While Friday typically used the phrase "All we want are the facts, ma'am" when questioning women in the course of police investigations, Freberg's spoof changed the line slightly to "I just want to get the facts, ma'am".
    
    -Wikipedia

    This Q&A was designed for, and is is for my personal benefit. ONLY. The rest of you all can read or not. The rest of you can believe it or not. It’s purpose is to help me better understand my purpose and utility in this entire MM situation. Thus it is a personal, a deeply personal conversation, and published as is.

    It’s a published Q&A; MM to the Domain Commander. No others are involved.

    [1] An update on the expansion of The Domain in the Milky Way galaxy

    I am curious just as everyone else is. If you try to ask others about what is going on, they look at issues regarding the same tired old meme’s. They don’t realize what kind of real access we have right here.

    Real access to information.

    As such, I an ask things directly via the EBP than what I could have asked of my Mantid via the ELF constellation of probes. So I am a curious sort. So I figure it wouldn’t hurt to ask some general questions and get some answers that we all can “chew on”.

    Especially since I have a keen and direct interest in space, our universe and our galaxy. Not to mention; society.

    Question: Can you please kindly provide me with a brief and general overview of The Domain expansion efforts in this galaxy? The last update we obtained was in 1947 with “Alien Interview” that was released only a decade ago.

    The Domain's expansion into the Milky Way galaxy is continuing. Much of the "Old Empire" has been conquered. There are pockets of resistance, but most have been subdued. 
    
    We have encountered a very large empire that appears to be around 10,000 light years in diameter. (The "Old Empire" was much smaller than that. -MM) They are also advanced technologically. They do not appear to be as brutal as the "Old Empire" however.
    
    They are rather benign and peaceful. However they did engage in wars of conquest to obtain their current size.

    [2] What is this empire like?

    Well, I am curious. Come on! Aren’t you?

    They are space-faring. With physical bodies that are not like anything you have been exposed to. They exist on planets that you would not find attractive, or inhabitable.
    
    (I image a gas shrouded heavy planet. Maybe not a gas giant, something smaller than that. Like a "Hot Super Earth" with a very dense atmosphere.)
    
    Consider the "Old Empire". 
    
    The "Old Empire" did not resemble what you image it to be. There were no futuristic skyscrapers that you see in your minds eye. 
    
    (He is correct, I have imagined it as some kind of futuristic "Jetsons'" city inhabited with creatures that were very human appearing. Only with a decidedly cyberpunk feel to it.)
    
    Rather it was peopled with gargantuan public constructions, and  a society of smaller more diminutive people which were probably the source of your stories about dwarves, elves, faeries, trolls and goblins. They use technology that you would consider to be akin to magic spells, hexes and alchemy / occult practice.
    
    The same is true for this other empire. 
    
    Only instead of planets that resembled a more Springlike earth, these planets and systems that they inhabit are very, very different in atmosphere, weather, lifeforms and in just about every criteria. You would have a difficult time recognizing the civilization for what it is because your biases are so profoundly in error.

    I pictured (when this information was being conveyed) something on the order of  a “hot super-terran” to a sub-sized “Hot mini Neptunian”. That is the impression that I have. I guess that the planets would be from 5Me to 15Me (Mass of Earth where 1 Me = earth size) and all located in the “hot zone” of a parent star. All under a very dense and heavy atmosphere.

    Here is a good chart of the characterization of the “recognized” world types that have viewed over the last few decades. The impression that I have is that the kinds of world that my Commander refers to sits in the top row between the “superterrans” and the “neptunians”.  Let’s give it an MM name; the “superterran-subneptunians”.

    Further, in the interests of clarity, and (my personal joy in classification), lets use this accepted exo-planetary chart to help us…

    And from the impression that I have, these planets are in the “Class T” range. Just for your interest and curiosity. Certainly this civilization would not seemingly be of any interest to contemporaneous humans.

    [3] What is your procedure for domination?

    I mean is it like Genghis Khan, or more like the American Empire? Or is it “hands off” and live and let live? This is a direct question. After all, The Domain is trying to control the “Master Universe”. So why not ask?

    Question: When you take over an existing society or empire, what changes do you make, if any? Do you wipe them all out and destroy everything, or do you do something else? What is the procedure in the case of the “Old Empire”?

    IS-BEs who enter this "Master Universe" that we created  must behave in certain ways that do not [1] harm the planets that they are on, [2] disrupt the ecosystem that we have created, [3] create hardship or distress to other IS-BEs.
    
    Those societies that do so are corrected / adjusted / modified / controlled in whatever manner we deem appropriate.
    
    In the case of the "Old Empire" there had to be a regression of technology, a correcting of society behaviors, and a change in the patterning of the incarnation process. These were done through a process of occupancy of the leadership, and then wholesale readjustments of the structure to approved archetypes for that selection of species and for that particular environments.
    
    We avoid dangerous destruction of societies and cultures, but we do perform cultural amputations, social reconstruction, and personality readjustment. We have entire divisions / battalions / armies devoted to these efforts. Our end goal is to make the conquered empire a more stable place to exist in.
    
    .No harm to the planets that they occupy or control.
    .No disruption of the ecosystem of those planets and systems.
    .No hardship, torture (for amusement), or distress to other IS-BEs.

    [4] Is The Domain a “dying race”?

    A number of MM commenters on the site and forum are repeating the idea that the “Greys are a dying race”. These comments come from people who I love and respect. Their thoughts and their opinions matter to me.

    I have to listen to them. What they say; everything that they say has weight, meaning and importance.

    When a three year old goes up to you and says “You have stinky-poo poo breath” you believe them. Right? You know that they are being honest with you. So when people suggest things to me and are trying to be open and honest with me, I want to “do my homework”.

    And I don’t want to be the duped guy who is broke, penniless on a sidewalk while others drink their Starbucks coffee and snicker “I told you so.”

    Seriously.

    I’ve been fucked over way too many times not to sit up, take notice, and peer a little more “squint eyed” towards those that I seem to be so enraptured with. I mean, why not? A second or third, or fourth look is always good. As I have explained to my staff; “The more eyeballs that look at something, the easier it is to find mistakes.”

    And if I am in error, what then?

    After all, then what the fuck and I messing around with them then? Am I brainwashed? If The Domain is a dying race, and the Mantids are really the Angels that the Bible says, the possibility exists that maybe I am the one in error. Maybe I am the one who is wrong about everything. That maybe I am the fool for believing everything that I encounter.

    So I asked them.

    Question: Is The Domain a dying race?

    No. Absolutely not. 
    
    The Domain is a social structure of IS_BE entities that choose to spend the vast bulk of their time in the timeless state. This is different from the many, many IS-BE's that enjoy the "Master Universe" as physical entities in one degree or the other.
    
    IS-BE's are without physical form, and live outside of time and space. All came into being trillions of years ago, and we will continue to live for trillions of years hence.
    
    None of us "dies".
    
    The Domain structure may or might not change during that period of time. However, the system in place; a merit driven system based upon the desires of the participants work well for the vast numbers of Domain membership. It has for trillions of years, and we clearly intend it to work for trillions of years in the future.
    
    Any and all Domain members may easily obtain physical bodies to experience physical experiences at will. However, we are involved in some rather serious undertakings that involve moving the entire state of ALL-THERE-IS to BEYOND-THAT. 
    
    To get to that state we need to "tame" the populated universe down to a state before we "buggered it up" back billions of years ago. this was a mistake that we inadvertently unleashed and created the fracturing and discordant social systems to develop as they have. This is discord, and it is not bettering any IS-BE. Just providing enjoyments and pleasures.
    
    The IS-BE's that comprise The Domain are not dying.
    
    The Domain itself; it's organizational structure and society is not dying either.
    
    Those IS-BE's that desire to leave the Domain are welcome to do so and either set up their own societies, or adapt to other existing ones are welcome to do so. There is a small leakage of membership in this regard, however the egress tends to be small, short lived, and trivial. Once you have purpose, as The Domain clearly has, you will not be easily swayed by physical pleasures and the beauty of the physical environment.

    Of course they would say this. But doubts still linger.

    I have been duped and tricked so many times in my past. I just don’t think that I could take such a fundamental shock to my system. Remember people; I am fully committed.

    You do know the difference between "committed" and being a participant?
    
    In a plate of bacon and eggs, the chicken was a participant, but the pig was committed.

    [5] Does The Domain possess physical societies on planets like the Earth or elsewhere?

    Along with this idea that the Domain is a dying race is the idea that they have physical cities, physical societies and structures that are collapsing. This narrative can be found all over the internet. Which various sub-plots where they come to earth to cross-breed, or extract “precious bodily fluids” and so on and so forth to keep their species alive?

    Let’s cut to the chase then.

    Question: Does the Domain possess physical societies on planets like the Earth or elsewhere?

    The Domain has structured environments. However they do not really resemble what your would consider to be societies. They lie outside of the physical time and space environment.
    
    However, we do have communities that exist within the "Master Universe". Such as the bases here in "your" solar system. When we interact within these communities we utilize "doll bodies". You would consider these facilities to be barren and spartan. 
    
    Never the less, the vast bulk of our time is spent in a non-physical state, with forays in and out of the non-physical worlds, the physical worlds and other universes as we see fit.
    
    No. We do not have a society that resembles anything upon the earth, whether in the physical realm or the non-physical realm. You simply cannot compare what The Domain is to anything you know and understand.

    [6] If The Domain is primarily part of the timeless “Master Universe” then why bother conquering any nations of it?

    I am sorry guys. But it doesn’t make any sense to me. If The Domain exists outside of the physical portion of the “Master Universe”…

    …then why is it so busy in capturing and absorbing the civilizations and societies in this universe? Hum?

    Question: Why is a society (The Domain) who only visits the “Master Universe” as needed, so interested in conquering and controlling the societies that inhabit it?

    "You got me there." (He actually transmitted this statement. Can you fucking believe it?)
    
    We created the vast bulk of the "Master Universe". Over time we improved upon it, and created planets, lifeforms, societies and the environment that you see within it.
    
    Other universes with other IS-BE's entered and merged with it over time.
    
    These new ideas and thoughts and ways of doing things merged with ours and changed them. The "Master Universe" became a stew of all sorts of exciting changes, interesting possibilities and constructions.
    
    All very good. All very exciting. All very wonderful.
    
    But, along with that came negative behaviors, and negative structures and destructive systems that started to undone the good works that we started. 
    
    These new system's, and many of the hybrid systems that developed afterwards started to run amok and started to unleash a torrent and cascade of changes that really damaged the universe. Indeed, entire civilizations were destroyed, hurt, and the IS-BEs deformed and altered into new undesirable forms.
    
    This is not just catastrophic wars with gargantuan and colossal weapons of destruction, but the entire structure; the fabric of the universe started to be altered in really irreparable and dangerous ways. Think of a fine silk dress with a tear. OR maybe some pantyhose, if there is a snag, you must do something about it, or the entire article of clothing will be ruined beyond repair.
    
    The Domain is tasked with preventing these "tears". Then "smoothing out the wrinkles" in the fabric of the universe. Finally with all the most worrisome attributes subdued, we can focus on the NEXT-BIG-THING.

    [7] Are the Domain, or their craft from the future?

    One of the on-going sub-plots in the entire grey extraterrestrial disinformation campaign is the idea that they are actually not extraterrestrials at all. But rather that they are humans from the future and they have come back to “warn us”, “alter history” or some other related purpose.

    So, let’s ask them directly.

    Are the Domain, or their craft, or their crews from the future; specifically the earth’s future?

    The Domain exists in a timeless, dimensionless condition. It is part of he "Master Universe" but not of it. Because there are great misunderstandings what time actually is, it is nonsensical to claim that the Domain come from the future.
    
    Many humans have trouble with this.
    
    The easiest way to imagine what The Domain is, is to imagine a society of spirits. Each one has no body. Each one lives in a place without time. Each one goes about their own individual business with other spirits. This society created the place; this "Master Universe". And the spirits (IS-BE) visit it from time to time in groups and clusters. Always for a purpose. Always working toward a goal.
    
    If you call these spirits "IS-BE". And, if you fully understand how the "Master Universe" differs from the "Physical Universe" (that is the MWI with world-lines) then you can see that the answer is not what you expect, but is actually clearer than what you would expect.
    
    The Domain can enter the MWI in the "Reality Universe" at any point in "time". And thus we are "time travelers" in that sense. In a similar manner the IS-BE "spirits" can enter the "Master Universe" at any point in time. 
    
    Like both universes, this ability to enter and leave at different time periods is "time travel".
    
    However, the popular narrative that you are referring to is incorrect. The Domain are not evolved humans from the far-far future that have come back to the "past" to change things. That is absurd.

    [8] Cats, humans and IS-BE’s

    I have long wanted to write more information regarding cats, and felines. However I am limited as to until I have been contacting the Domain directly, I had to rely on the Mantids to provide me information.

    • ELF = MAJestic and Mantid Comm Link.
    • EBP = The Domain / Type-1 Grey Comm Link.

    And the Mantids, well, they have been very unhelpful regarding felines. It’s not that they do not want to help, it’s that they cannot. Felines are not part of their charter and so they know very little about them.

    So I have wanted to collect some data on felines from The Domain and see if the Commander can help me.

    Question: There are many MM members who are cat lovers and who have close friends that are cats. Can you please provide insight on the IS-BE’s that become felines and their relationships with humans?

    You guessed correctly. All living entities (as you call them) consist of shells within the MWI "Reality Universe". Some are (as you refer to them) "shadow people" and some are inhabited with a consciousness.
    
    Felines follow the same general behavior rules as humans do. Except that felines are not inmates in the Prison Planet Complex. They can come and go in and out of the "reality universe" (MWI) and the "Master Universe" at will.
    
    They never suffer amnesia or map out pre-birth world-line templates (sic.) for themselves.
    
    Instead, they prefer to "latch onto" a friend / buddy / pal / companion that is "riding" / following / exploring the MWI "reality universe" and so attached, they experience the same kinds of ups and downs as the host human goes through.
    
    Being a free IS-BE they can come and go at will. They can enter bodies at will. They can enter and leave a body at will. In many, many ways they are far, far freer than any inmate in the Prison Complex.
    
    When a feline is sleeping or resting (they are two different states) the IS-BE consciousness segments and they are off traveling in other places doing other things. For many (felines) it is close to the physical reality, but moving about in the non-physical reality. You might refer to this as "feline lucid dreaming".
    
    Cats can come and go as they please. So if there is a special bond between a human and a cat, all that is needed is for the cat (if it dies, for instance) to find a highest probability body for it to occupy that you will meet. And then your "feelings" or "intuition" or "gut feeling" will be drawn to it. And if you two get to meet, and stay together it is all good. The feline IS-BE will adapt to the physical limitations of the new inhabited body and that will result in some personality changes. But you two will be together.
    
    If you two meet up, but something happens and you are not able to be together, the cat will try again. And again. And again. Each time in different bodies until you two are together again.
    
    If you really want to speed up this process, all you need to do is focus your thoughts (through verbal affirmations) and it will manifest quickly.
    
    In general, felines consider humans to be rather slow, retarded (but lovable) companions that can't hunt for shit. (!) They love being around humans, especially one that they have bonded with, and will try to find (if possible) other bodies to occupy that is of the same shape, color or some other attribute that might trigger the human to recognize that it is a "reincarnation" event.
    
    But that is very difficult to trigger.
    
    Most of the time, they select bodies that are available. And then try to emulate "attraction thoughts" to help cement a new bond between the human and the new cat body.This is why you might bond with a cat that "feels" close to you, but it will look different, act a little different, and behave a little differently than your former (but now dead) friend.

    [9] Why won’t the Mantids discuss the feline and human relationship?

    I am very curious about this issue. Obviously they know a lot, as human and feline interaction is common and an important part of human society. It also figures predominantly in the pre-birth world-line template generation. Why are the Mantids so reluctant to discuss feline to human interaction with me?

    As you have surmised, the Mantids (sic.) are a hybrid-construct based on a local dominant earth-centrist body form. This "Old Empire" DNA and biological alteration was one that focused all their energies towards herding humans within the Prison Complex system. Very little thought was given towards outside or relationships, forms or shapes. The Mantids (sic.) are very human-centrist. (Includes the other dominant inmate forms; pigs, horses, dolphins, elephants, etc.)
    
    Not feline.
    
    The Mantids (sic.) possess a basic understanding of felines. They possess a basic understanding of soul and consciousness construction (sic.). They understand the basics of the human-feline dynamic. And that is the extent of their knowledge in this matter.
    
    In general, the Mantids (sic.) are bred to be very focused on "helping humans" endure strife and then be rewarded afterwards. 
    
    They are so focused on this aspect, that event though they have a very strong awareness of their own IS-BE state, they ignore that state in everything else. They are elitist in that way, and when they encounter a human, for example, that is aware they treat that person as a special oddity and follow very special protocols in how to interact with that person.
    
    When they encounter a feline (or any other creature for that matter) that shows or indicates strong IS-BE non-amnesia characteristics they simply ignore it. They cannot understand it. Nor do they try.

    In hindsight, I have absolutely zero memories, connections, feelings or associations with Mantids and any of my cats in any way, shape or form. Not even in my dreams!

    [10] Trans-species migration of IS-BE’s

    I often wonder why an IS-BE would go from one human life, into another and then again into yet another. Why always a human? I know from Dr. Newton that there is trans-species migration, but all of them seem to evolve into similar types of creatures.

    My question is this; If an human dies, and is a pure IS-BE, could it not become a feline and then escape the entire Prison Planet system?

    Physical bodes are not blobs of flesh. They are complicated mechanisms. Likewise, the non-physical bodies are not blobs of non-physical flesh. They are also complicated mechanisms. And the IS-BE that chooses to enter a specific body, must alter it's form / shape / composition / operation / energy / vibrations to do so.
    
    Alteration of an IS-BE form is easy to do...
    
    ...if you are outside of the Prison Planet Complex. 
    
    Unfortunately most humans are prevented from configuring their "stage upwards / higher form / above non-physical" bodies. This is a Mantid (sic.) directive. This is why inmates are quickly shuttled off to "Heaven". So they cannot shape change their "migration paths / attunement centers / organ clusters" to fit other forms.
    
    Thus humans, and dogs, and elephants, and dolphins, and horses, and pigs  (and a few others) are prevented from migrating out of this Prison Complex environment. This is one of the layers of control.
    
    However, IS-BE's that are not configured in their inmate form (inmate clothing such as humans in this Prison Planet) can naturally shape their "migration paths" to reconfigure to be a human, or a dog, or a feline.
    
    Which is why you have felines entering and leaving the Prison Planet complex at will.
    
    Further, cats (using felines as an example) can decide to enter a unmodified human body [a "shadow person" (sic.)] and inhabit it, free of the Prison Complex restrictions on IS-BE movement. And then leave at will.
    
    In your case, your cat Heather (this is a cat that I owned when I lived in Indiana back in the late 1980's) is now your [redacted for very personal reasons]. This kind of hybrid movement of IS-BE into human bodies is illustrated in the movie "A dog's Purpose" (2017).

    On a side note, if you haven’t watched either of these movies you must. The first “A Dog’s Journey” is a tale of reincarnation from a dog’s point of view. And the second “A Dog’s Purpose” talks about trans-species reincarnation. Both are very emotionally moving movies. Have tissue nearby.

    [11] Why me?

    I have been a little down on myself lately. We all have ups and downs. But sometimes I feel like I am a sucker; a fool to take on this responsibility. I have read some MM comments about those who wish to assist the Domain, but don’t want to have any further association with them. They argue that it is dangerous to trust those that … well, look at what The Domain has admitted to.

    Why trust them, and as being so trusting, why was I selected, and why am I running MM instead of cavorting with pretty girls, gorging myself on delicious food, and quaffing down some fine red wine.

    Question; Why me?

    There is a great deal of angst and frustration in your life right now, but this is what you have agreed to endure in your pre-birth agreement. The [redacted].
    
    I can tell you that things will become clearer over time, and that your work is significant on many levels and that you have changed others for the better. There's [redacted], and they will see their great works in [redacted].
    
    When to start to compare yourself, and that is what you are doing now, it will only serve to cause distress. You can never be the illusions that others present. It is not in your makeup.
    
    You are correct on many, many levels but are surrounded by others that do not posses your insights. You worry too much about [redacted] and part of the reason behind that is [redacted]. Remember what [redacted] therefore, when you start to notice the [redacted] you should [redacted].
    
    [Redacted].
    
    [Redacted].
    
    We made you this way. It had to be this way.

    Sorry about that guys. Too much personal stuff to the internet community. Nothing really important concerning you all has been redacted, it’s just that some things I want to keep private. You understand right?

    [12] Why did you alter me?

    He made some statements about my alterations in all of my bodies (physical and non-physical, etc) and that got me thinking.

    We needed to alter you to carry out your mission parameters. This included both your physical and non-physical bodies. When we installed the EBP (sic) we changed things. 
    
    You had diseases inside your body that we removed. You know which ones. (Yes, I do, but I only suspected the "hidden time-bombs".) You had trackers in your body that we removed. You had  "holes" in your make up that we filled in. You had damage to your structure that needed to be repaired.
    
    Your life is what it is today because of the changes that we made, as well as your ability to direct and focus your thoughts so that your consciousness can engage in directed target assignments.

    What I did not include in the above dialog is a very detailed piece on how pre-birth world-line templates can have areas of “DO NOT CHANGE” established in them. GuyFromAfrica knows what I am talking about, and these had to be removed.

    Of course, he did not use my terminology. But that is what he was talking about.

    [13] What will happen to me after I die?

    I am very selfish. I want to know. I really want to know if I will die and then kind of waft around like some kind of disheveled spirit in the wind, while the world changes but I just remain a specter.

    You will not be discarded. That is your fear, no?
    
    You have a role, and we are cultivating and rehabilitating your IS-BE body to better adapt to the changes that lie outside of the Prison Planet Environment. We picture a great role for you, and a rewarding and personally significant role for you after your physical death.
    
    Your physical death means nothing as your non-physical being will still be interacting with us long, long after your body decays.
    
    You will continue to help others. You will continue to have an interesting, colorful, and adventuresome life, only that it would involve a greater part of you and you will experience the great satisfaction of helping others. This is just the first beginnings my friend. Do not fear.

    He did not promise me any kind of great military post, rank or mission / position. He simply promised me a spot in the society where I will have a meaningful and purposeful life. And that sounds good to me. Thank you.

    [14] Am I a former member of The Domain’s “Lost Battalion”?

    I don’t think that I am. But, you know, I figure, why not ask?

    No. You are not.

    [15] The idea that I am Mades Escaplion is repulsive to me. I ask again. It is who I am?

    I just want a double confirmation. That’s all.

    (Being kind.) It is a role and a personality that you had during a phase in your soul experience track. You will note that this experience has been useful to us in unraveling the entire network of traps and snares that exist in the Prison Complex. You serve a great role and hold great purpose. Do not be discouraged.
    
    In truth, the image that you hold of Mades Escaplion is wrong. He was a functionary. He was a minister. He held an administration role. He was neither cruel nor evil. He was a "cog in the machine".
    
    Your role was part ceremonial, and part functionally administrative. You spent much of your time in meetings (or the equivalent of) and in discussions with the various architects of the on-going array of systems that were implemented one on top of the other.
    
    So you need not fear. You were not repulsive nor evil. You were just an entity doing it's job. You were the perfect little civil servant. You were uninspired, did what you were told, and had no desires to "buck the system".
    
    When we (The Domain) destroyed the remains of the "Old Empire" space fleet in the region you disappeared. We tracked you down by personality signature (sic.) We (at the time we found you) were working with the Mantids (sic.) and made arrangements to set you on this life path that you have now.
    
    It has been beneficial for all.

    [16] (Last minute addon) Who are you, and what is my role?

    The following is / was a request for clarity on my role in this “thing” with The Domain and who I am “talking to”. I just want to know “pecking order” on a pyramidal organization structure. Funny thing is that I did not need to verbalize it, but I formed the thoughts and boom! the answer materialized.

    It makes me wonder if this was an implanted question.

    I am "the unit Commander" for all Domain operations in this region of geographical space. 
    
    You (referring to myself) are my I/O. You are my direct “hands / fingers /sensory inputs / ears / senses". You have a critical role. Without you, I am unable to perceive the contemporaneous events going on in the earth environment.
    
    There are thousands of implanted individuals (sic.). Only a handful were carefully vetted. You are one of the "special" ones. You have provided the most useful information and sensory experiences for us. You are continuing in other equally important roles right now. Your impressions of the world around you establishes the groundwork / foundation for our implementation of the planetary changes that will / have been / going to be established in the future.
    
    Most of what you do or see are bland in your eyes but are crucial and significant in ours. It is a pleasure to work with you sir!

    Conclusion

    This is just some personal questions that I have asked using my EBP. I’ve had these things in my head for decades, but only recently realized that two-way communication could be achieved with them.

    There are numerous MM readers and commenters that had a role in this selection of questions and all in all, it was a big positive. So thank you for all of your nudges, and questions and concerns.

    In the future, I will open up the EBP for more questions and you all can ask some more questions. This was just my own personal ones, and I must apologize if my questions were banal or boring.

    Do you want more?

    You can find many more videos in my “The Domain Action Articles” over here…

    The Domain

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
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    LD assignment and task results – October 2021 – Backdoors to the Old Empire Prison Complex

    In early October 2021, I established a task request asking for those versed in LD and other skills to investigate whether or not there were any “backdoors” or other ways in and out of the “Old Empire” “Prison Complex” that we are all (unfortunately) part of. By the second week of October the results began to pour in.

    This is a posting of the results.

    Volunteers

    I asked in this post if any MM readership would be interested in joining The Domain to help rescue their “Lost Battalion”.

    The response was overwhelmingly positive.

    And then within a few days after the readership started adding affirmations and confirmations that they wish to help The Domain, be a Rufus, and do whatever they can contribute, many many MANY of them started writing to me privately.

    They were (for the most part) terrified.

    Within hours or days of making a verbal affirmation that they indeed wanted to assist The Domain, all of them, every single one of them, experience sleep paralysis and horrible fears and manifestations. All of which is very similar to “abduction events”.

    That they were “hijacked” in their dream state and all sorts of operations and procedures occurred. For them, it was truly frightening.

    However, I said then, and I will say now…

    • In the non-physical reality, thoughts take on tangible form.
    • Fears are used to control you.
    • So when you experience any type of help, your fear-defenses (part of the “Old Empire” programming), will try to make you fight and prevent the assistance.

    So keep in mind…

    • To help The Domain, certain retardations and alterations to your inmate human body must be undone.
    • This requires an operation; a procedure.
    • The Domain will undo those alterations when you join in the effort. They will conduct an operation and perform a procedure to remove those “chains” and “blocks” that you have shackled to your non-physical body.
    • Do not fear it. You NEED to have it done, whether you want to help the Domain or not.
    • It is a medical procedure.

    Many people have commented on this event as a “dream”, or a “Join the Domain related dream”.

    Perhaps one of the best explanations of what goes on is from GuyFromAfrica…

    GuyFromAfrica comments

    So I got the “Join the Domain Dream”.

    I could “see” the Type-1. He was somewhere seated.

    Then There was MM. I guess as an intermediary.

    They didn’t speak literally but I could hear their voice and understand what they were saying. He said (The Type-1) that I would have to make a decision and because they knew who I was (my attributes, character and more) that I was the only one who could do it and see it to the end.

    I also [1] got the paralysis and I literally could not move in the dream. someone had to drag me out. ( In the physical too.) Damn weird man. I just laid on the bed half asleep unable to move.

    All this happened after I decided to join the domain but coz am still on my pause I had to wait till at least next month. (I think it was due to my thoughts.) [2]

    They have [3] helped in suppressing somethings that were really disturbing that’s what they said and showed me. (Actually true. Never gonna go back.)

    I just hope that shit doesn’t go down. NO FEAR. JUST CONCERNED. [4]

    MM Comments on GuyFromAfrica

    [1] This is what really freaks people out. Don’t be afraid. This is necessary. Your consciousness must be removed from your physical and non-physical bodies for the operation to occur.

    [2] You do not have to be in a campaign or out of it to have this happen. The moment you “think” and make up your mind to help The Domain, you telegraph a message to them. They monitor all activity on MM. You all should be well aware of this.

    [3] One of the things that they will do, provided that you are not too freaked out and trembling in fear or anger, will show you why they are doing it, and how it will personally benefit you. In the case of GuyFromAfrica, they showed him the impediments from his life that they are removing.

    [4] He was able to discuss this clearly simply because he held his fear in check. Everyone, GuyFromAfrica is certainly a leader in this. Learn from him.

    Freaking out folk

    So many dear MM readers have been completely freaked out with the speed, and the unexpectedness of having themselves paralyzed and filled with their worst fears. Images of harm, terrible things, violence to their children were (are) commonplace. It’s really terrible fears. Your worst fears. Everything thrown at you to freak you our royally.

    It’s all part of the “Old Empire” programming.

    As an inmate you are not permitted to change your physical and non-physical bodies. You are inmates. These changes will permit you to “go through” the fence. These changes will allow changes to your world-line templates. These changes will seriously and substantially reduce the conflict and turmoil in your life.

    Which is why the “Old Empire” put up these “trigger blocks” to force you to go primal, filled with fear, and resist changes to your physical and non-physical bodies.

    If you make a commitment to be a Rufus and assist The Domain in what ever capacity that your have (and most people have absolutely no idea of their abilities), the Domain will undo your chains.

    They will “change your out of the inmate uniform”. They will give you an “access pass” to “go through the fence”. They will scrub tracking information, and erase pre-life behavior settings that you have lived with.

    It’s all so frightening.

    But ah, so exciting.

    If you haven’t committed, but want to, and you are sincere and serious. it will be done. Just remember not to freak out. The fears are all part of “Old Empire” programming. They need to be culled and removed. That’s your job to keep those fears of yours in check.

    The Task at hand

    The specific task call out was posted in THIS ARTICLE.

    This is what I asked for…

    To be brutally honest, this is an OFFICIAL REQUEST for a volunteer. It is direct request via EBP from The Domain.
    
    As I understand it, it is only something that can be done by an inmate with a strong ability to this end. And that this specific type of mission WILL encounter unknowns and if the person encounters any kinds of dangers, they are to retreat and regroup.
    
    It’s just a “fact finding” mission.
    
    And, for what ever it is worth, they have certain people in mind for this action, and consider them to be very important and valuable assets that must be protected at all costs. (I am to repeat and underline this last sentence.) They are very important and must be protected at all costs.

    Background – Backdoors

    I argued that something must have happened since the “Old Empire” collapsed. Then with the battles and destruction within this solar system, obviously there was a corruption of the (formerly pristine) Prison Complex.

    • The Prison Administration “bailed out”, and left.
    • The Prison System has been taken over, and corrupted by very malevolent entities.

    It seems to me that there MUST be some kind of “backdoor” that enables these self-serving for-profit entities to corrupt the Prison System for their own purposes.

    In cybersecurity, a backdoor is anything that can allow an outside user into your device without your knowledge or permission. Backdoors can be installed in two different parts of your system:
    
    Hardware/firmware. Physical alterations that provide remote access to your device.
    
    Software. Malware files that hide their tracks so your operating system doesn’t know that another user is accessing your device.
    
    A backdoor can be installed by software and hardware developers for remote tech support purposes, but in most cases, backdoors are installed either by cybercriminals or intrusive governments (like the United States) to help them gain access to a device, a network, or a software application.
    
    Any malware that provides hackers access to your device can be considered a backdoor — this includes rootkits, trojans, spyware, cryptojackers, keyloggers, worms, and even ransomware.

    If there is a “backdoor”, then we can come to the conclusion that the “backdoor” was put there intentionally by one or more of…

    • The architects  of the “Prison Complex”.
    • The administration of the “Prison Complex”.
    • A technologically advanced society (not the “Old Empire”) that exploited the prison system intentionally.
    • Some kind of dimensional / universe malware.

    Background – The advantages of LD talent

    Those that have the important ability to LD (Lucid Dream) are in a unique position to reconnoiter towards this end.

    It would be a reconnaissance mission.

    In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. 
    
    Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmishers, long-range reconnaissance patrol, U.S. Army Rangers, cavalry scouts, or military intelligence specialists), ships or submarines, manned or unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, satellites, or by setting up observation posts. 
    
    Espionage is usually considered to be different from reconnaissance, as it is performed by non-uniformed personnel operating behind enemy lines.
    
    -Wikipedia
    

    And if you want to be specific, it is purely espionage. As the LD asset is an inmate in general population.

    I can tell you that doing so is very important, and would be greatly appreciated by The Domain.  Though, I must caution everyone that LD travel is not to be taken lightly. Dangers abound. I also do not know what the LD asset would discover, or what surprises await them. But I am ABSOLUTELY CONVINCED that they would like some talented assets to volunteer for this task.

    To be brutally honest, this is an OFFICIAL REQUEST for a volunteer. It is direct request via EBP from The Domain.

    As I understand it, it is only something that can be done by an inmate with a strong ability to this end. And that this specific type of mission WILL encounter unknowns and if the person encounters any kinds of dangers, they are to retreat and regroup.

    It’s just a “fact finding” mission.

    And, for what ever it is worth, they have certain people in mind for this action, and consider them to be very important and valuable assets that must be protected at all costs. (I am to repeat and underline this last sentence.) They are very important and must be protected at all costs.

    Background – Mission parameters

    For starters…

    • This is a volunteer activity, and there is no dishonor in refusal.

    And then,

    • You absolutely not reveal who you are or what you are doing.
    • You must not engage any subject entities that you encounter. You observe.

    The specific tasks are…

    • You must identify [1] if there are others, who are not part of the “old empire” prison complex, that are involved in selection of pre-birth world-line template selection and layout.
    • You must identify [2] if there are others, who are not part of the “old empire” prison complex, that are using the collected memories or records of memories of other humans for anything other than the original stated purposes.

    Reporting and dissemination.

    • No matter what your opinions are, you must report what you experience.
    • You are to report your findings, no matter how disjointed or confused, and include your associations and thoughts and ideas regarding them. (Some results might be disturbing or distasteful, but you must report everything.)
    • MM will publish your findings.

    Finally,

    • You must vocalize permissions to allow The Domain to observe your operations. You may place restrictions on how they observe and time limitations or windows if that is your desire.

    Please kindly know and realize that possession of a EBP would “blow your cover” and thus it is impossible for you to be implanted at this time for this role. Thus this request follows this procedural venue. Finally, there is no dishonor in refusal. The Domain realizes just how seriously dangerous this mission activity is.

    Collection of the data

    Everyone is different. We all have different abilities and different strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, our experiences, whether in dreams, LD, or any other format are very personal things.

    For instance, when I get messages and comm in my channels in either the ELF or EBP implants the results are very difficult to explain. Most especially how I discern between a message and my own internal thoughts, and external clutter. It’s not easy and takes practice, and when I try to explain it just opens up an entire long train of question after question. The bottom line is you either KNOW that you experienced X, or your BELIEVE you experienced X, or you SUSPECT you experience X.

    Each elemental wording has a different degree of validity.

    Each elemental wording has a different degree of validity.

    As of late, I have been mercifully been granted physical confirmation “pings” to confirm that I am not letting my imagination get the better of me, but this is not always possible with others.

    For me, the “pings” are a rush of endorphins, a physical reaction to my body while simultaneously obtaining a brief message confirmation.

    Most people have some “keys” of understanding that will allow them to unlock what they experience. And with this in mind, let’s look at this first report. Here, the tasked agent had a very active dream of significance, and it is mighty confusing…

    Task Results – fifth.eschaton

    Oct 8th (Directly after reading the Task callout article)

    Oh shit. I accidentally saw behind the curtain.

    I walked in on an intimate celebrity workshop class led by… you guessed it… Chuck Norris!?

    Chuck Norris

    Joe Rogan was there too.

    Joe Rogan

    I understood (in a meta-dream analysis sense) that these actors were not specifically important or accurate. They were stand-ins for people of power gaining insights from older mentors.

    • Joe Rogan represented XXXXXXX
    • Chuck Norris represented YYYYYYYY

    There were barrels on the stage and participants had to strip naked, get in the barrel, and pee on each other. The point of the ritual was humiliation.

    • A ritual involving humiliation.

    Utterly bizarre… I didn’t want to watch but I was told, in no uncertain terms, “THAT’S THE POINT.” Now you’ll remember. They were utterly beyond the pale, but that’s the programmable zone.

    • Humiliation is the point.

    Any inputs and suggestions from Chuck (bless his soul) were immediately followed, because the decency line had already been crossed.

    • Once the person completes the humiliation they are listened to / respected.

    They were being programmed with a trauma feedback loop. “We’re doing it, we’ve done it, and now we can do anything.”

    • The humiliation sequence is a purging experience to create a new kind of person.

    Then, a blonde woman joined the scene. She got in a barrel too, and I got the impression that it was completely upsetting the programming. This is when I saw them. Men were standing behind a red curtain off to the side where I hadn’t noticed.

    • A different kind of entity enters the programming environment and upsets the entire process.

    Joe, in his programmable state, was beginning to lose his compliance. The woman was totally upsetting the psychodynamic balance in the room.

    • Those that had previously accepted the programming now question it.

    She said, “My favorite thing in the world is baking pain au chocolat.” The incredibly strange juxtaposition of this statement in a room full of naked men peeing on each other was…. odd.

    (I'm so sorry forum readers. Nothing about this was sexual, and couldn't be further from my idea of a fantasy. I'm just presenting my dream as-is. Hope someone has a laugh at least.)

    It was a trigger phrase and Joe snapped out of it.

    • A trigger phrase or event occurred and the participants were released from their programming.

    Programmers are pissed. I’m being ejected.

    • The Programmers are upset and the observer is ejected.

    Woke up with incredible back pain. Can’t turn my head all day. I have lasting impressions of similarities to L. Ron Hubbard and Tom Cruise. There’s a significant link between his religion and the programming of celebrities.

    I also realized that the men behind the red curtain were like a mix of metaphors from Twin Peaks and Wizard of Oz.

    Scene of the “man behind the curtain” in the movie “The Wizard of Oz”.

    Takeaways:

    • Investigate L. Ron Hubbard and what he knew.
    • Investigate Scientology as it relates to the prison system.
    • Investigate actors as favored “clients.”
    • Arnold Schwarzenegger was clear in my mind (Sorry, I personally like the dude).
    • I’m so sorry – just following orders:
    "You are to report your findings, no matter how disjointed or confused, and include your associations and thoughts and ideas regarding them. (Some results might be disturbing or distasteful, but you must report everything.)"

    Recon Mission Undertaken at the Request of the Domain Commander: The Volcanic Prison

    Notes; 
    
    DM authorized involvement with The Domain, and specifically approved of them observing his activities and helping them. 
    
    The Domain altered his non-physical body and he experienced all the paralysis that I have written about above. 
    
    When he provided this information to me, I was a little taken back that the Domain didn't witness the events themselves, and instead relies on MM here to transcribe and translate for them. It's a mystery to me. But apparently the transcription is very important for them to use the information. 
    
    Never the less, the feeling that I get is that these espionage activities are something that must be taken very carefully and that there must be absolutely no association with The Domain in so conducting them.
    
    In the report below, I have taken the time to parse every nugget of information that DM has provided. I only hope that it serves some benefit.

    By [Daegonmagus] compiled 10OCT21.

    Introduction:

    I think I have something for the Domain Commander. I wasn’t lucid but I am fairly certain this was a good intel hit; though it did come after deliberately trying to enter a lucid state. I have been here before, several times, I am certain of it.

    Interested in hearing yours and the Commander’s opinion. There is some concerning things in it regards to rape camps, not sure if you want to delete this part before publishing; it is entirely up to you. I am curious to know if the name I got rings any bells.

    Summary:

    I come to on some volcanic island. I am not lucid, but operating on “autopilot”.

    Not a Lucid Dream. But is a "special" dream. Knowing what I know of DM, I would classify this event as "high quality" Intel.

    I have been here before.

    This location is one that is familiar to him. in either dreams, LD , memories or all of the above.

    A prison has been built into the crater. There are hundreds of people being kept here against their will. These are people’s energetic bodies. I recognize some of them from school.

    It is a prison. It is in a confined area.
    
    Many people are in the prison against their will; means that they were there either through [1] a corrupted judicial system, [2] got there by bypassing a legal system, or [3] were born into it without any say in the matter.
    
    In prison, there are many people who believe that they goat a bad deal. But there is a world of difference between...
    
    [A] I was committing crimes, but you know the punishment was way, way beyond what I deserved. It's unfair. Its unjust.
    
    And...
    
    [B] I didn't commit any crimes at all. I was "railroaded" by a corrupt system, and now "blackballed" for life.
    
    The impression that I get from DM is that many of the inmates fell under category "B".

    I materialize here.

    Other people can’t phase in and out of this place like I do.

    DM describes that he has a special affinity for this "place", and special abilities to enter and leave at will.

    To begin with, I blend in with the crowd and pretend to be a guard. This gives me the ability to tour some parts of this prison system. I have definitely been here many times before…

    This is a familiar place to DM, and perhaps had other missions / adventures associated with it. It is not new to him.

    … and there is something very strange going on, sort of like a breakout or a riot.

    As he enters it, this time, he notices something unusual and strange going on. To him it appears to be a breakout or a riot. Both of these events describe a situation where the inmates override the protection rules and systems. And in both situations, it is the corrections officers tend to be ill prepared and typically follow procedures and retreat while awaiting backup.

    The cells are cut into the rim of the crater, all around it.

    I believe this might be a reality brainwashing facility.

    This is an important comment. DM suggests that the purpose of this particular structural object / place is a "brainwashing" facility. Which would imply that it is where the amnesia (that we all unfortunately live with) takes place.

    The prison complex goes inside the crater, like a good deal of rock has been carved out and the network extends into this rock and underground.

    There are green trees inside the crater; it actually looks like a decent island paradise apart from the prison.

    The physical details can represent things or not. But what I take from this is that this is a singular place. Like a zit on your face, or a wart on your arm, or a volcano in the middle of the ocean, or an island. It is a singular place.
    
    He also says that it appears to be a nice place. Like a calm island, or a well taken cared for campus, or a well up-kept neighborhood.

    So I am in this room pretending to be one of the guards and the riot breaks out.

    The mind creates the visualization. The information is transferred.

    I take the opportunity to go for a bit of tour while the rest of the guards are preoccupied.

    DM conducts his espionage activities when he has the opportunity to do so.

    I penetrate deep into the network; this thing goes several stories beneath the bottom of the crater.

    DM explores deep into the complex. He recognizes that it is an extensive facility and goes very, very deep. It must be enormous.
    
    It would be ideal if he could have somehow explored the administration and see what he might discern. However, this kind of exploration is fraught with danger. So it might not be a good thing to do during this particular event.
    
    He goes into the lowest levels of the facility trying to find the darkest and deepest secrets.

    These subterranean rooms are where they do all the bad shit, torture, reality brainwashing, breeding programs etc whatever it is this island is being used for.

    DM finds the ugly activities, etc. All of it is not pleasant.

    I have memories of being down here in a similar riot.

    Curious statement. I get the impression that these "riots" have been an on-going thing over the many years.

    Something happens – I don’t know what exactly – but the volcano is now about to erupt.

    Referring specifically to this particular event, it appears that the build-up is reaching a critical juncture; an inflection point of substantive change. Like a volcano.

    I decide to head back to surface.

    I come across several panicked guards – helmets covering their faces, and khaki colored coveralls, fairly short maybe 5ish feet tall, who are shocked to see me.

    Everything is chaos; the six or so guards are trying to evacuate.

    This is a representative scene. There is a panic in the corrections officer cadre. There is chaos. And the corrections officers are trying to retreat and disengage.

    These guards try to apprehend me, drawing these guns that shoot photon beams or something similar but I annihilate them with a flick of my hand – I am not lucid, but this is a left over reaction from my lucidity expeditions. It is a natural reaction that happens without me even thinking of it when I am threatened.

    Thoughts are powerful. Whether in LD state or in dreams. If you believe that you can do something, the chances are that you actually can.

    The guards disappear, and I make it to the surface.

    One of the prisoners asks me for help, so I decide to help them figuring I can get more information on who is in charge of the place.

    It's a scene from one of the Mission Impossible movies, where the one agent is trying to escape from a Russian Prison. Never the less, the root breakdown is that DM assisted in the breakout, and was led on how to make it happen by another inmate.

    Within minutes everyone is freed from their cells.

    I am now leading a group of about 20 to 30 of these people through these metal lined rooms, over scaffolding, and bitumised pathways that wrap up the edge of the crater.

    DM is leading a cluster, or a group of inmates, towards freedom. Not all of them. Just a group of the ones associated with the particular individual that he helped.
    
    They are are going upward Z-axis.
    
    Downward Z-axis is the horrible torture pits and structures.

    For some reason they think getting to the top will solve their problems; I don’t tell them the only way out is through portals they don’t have access to.

    I have a vague recollection of coming here via one.

    This is important. Everyone believes that the way out; the exit is the opposite of the depths of the structure. But they are wrong. The exit is not the opposite of the obvious. It is something else.

    A few more guards appear here and there, but I extinguish them like the others.

    Soon it is just me and the prisoners, everyone else has left.

    The volcano is raging; there is a definite time constraint we are working against.

    It is a race against time.  To leave now is preferable than to wait until the entire system collapses.

    Scene from Joe vs. the Volcano.

    Regardless, we stop for a breather about half way in a sort of courtyard that has been built upon the scaffolding and under overhanging rock.

    There is a woman I know her from school as being Tegan.

    One of the guys makes a snide remark about her having sex with someone – possibly him -, basically calling her a slut. I roll my eyes; this is the last shit we need. I feel like punching this guy in the face. It was typical bullshit school children politics.

    Tegan is clearly upset and distressed and tries to explain there was a different side of the story and she didn’t want to go into it right then and there, but this guy persists. Tegan eventually ends up replying saying it was not consensual and this guy had raped her. The one calling her a slut goes red, now there is a fucking fight amongst the inmates. Great.

    Control mechanisms. "Old Empire" utilizes fear, emotion, anger to side-track inmates and delay them into a maze of other issues instead of focusing on what is directly important. (This must be a characteristic of inhabiting a human body.)

    I am angered, but some how keep my composure – was this a trick to turn my attention away from what I was here for?

    Yes. It was.

    Did Tegan mean this took place at school, or in this prison? I got the impression she meant it was in the prison. I have knowledge of other “rape camps” in these non physical planes, where men are doped with a drug that affects their conscious before being hypnotised to rape women against their will, though that knowledge is not based on my own experiences.

    This is a side issue that we might explore in the future.

    Until now I have no memory of ever being in one.

    It’s an argument I really don’t want to get involved in so I walk off and leave the others fighting.

    I remember I am supposed to be finding someone who can tell me who is in charge of this place.

    This is the mission and I am glad the DM is keeping focus.

    I come back and find an older woman.

    Her face is really distinct, very monkey like, old, withered, and dark tanned. If I had to guess, I would say she was from a southern American tribe of some sort.

    She had a really long face, her chin was very angled and she had raised cheekbones. She was wearing what appeared to be a very grubby and ripped shirt – you could see one of her breasts poking through it and a definite tribal skirt.

    She was the “mother” of the place; you could tell by the way everyone looked up to her and the younger girls that looked after her fragile body; helping her get up and helping her walk etc.

    DM is directed to the entity that is in charge of this amnesia facility. Aside from the appearance, it is an old entity that is very knowledgeable and has been involved in this system for many, many years.
    
    It is not clear if she is a revered inmate, or an administrator. My guess is that she is an inmate.

    She started telling me a story – I cant quite remember the details of it, maybe it was how she got captured I don’t know – but I remember it finished with her trying to pronounce a name that she couldn’t properly pronounce.

    She is from the earliest days of the first group of inmates to the facility. She has been here in the prison facility the longest.

    She said the name was like sasquatch but with a “D” sound at the start and “ahuwy” or “ahuty” at the end Dasquachahuwy Dasquachahuty or something.

    This name was in relation to the main antagonist in her story.

    I got the impression it was the same one in charge of the volcano facility.

    The impression is that the name of the administrator fo the amnesia machinery facility goes by the name Dasquachahuty.
    
    Da-squach-ah-uty

    I wondered if she meant Thoth, whose other name is Tahuty.

    The eruption all of sudden got much worse. The people seemed to remember what was going on, stopped fighting and started panicking, looking to me for help.

    I apologized, telling them I had to leave. Shortly thereafter I woke up.

    My previous memories of this place:

    Some background information.

    I have a memory of coming here and having to infiltrate it via the top of the volcano.

    There is some kind of rappelling system that takes you to the top of the rock.

    Suggestive of others that have tried to manually infiltrate the facility.

    It is a mountain of sorts that is very barren and of a black rock that stretches for miles in every direction.

    It is very similar to Mordor out of the Lord of the Rings movies.

    The trees don’t become apparent until you get to closer to the crater.

    It is very, very large.

    At the top of the crater, in this particular experience, it is heavily guarded and there is some sort of machinery littered about; it feels very similar to a mine site.

    Heavily guarded is indicative of prior incursions being monitored, noted and the area reinforced with guards and corrections officers.

    I remember watching a line of people being marched down from the rappelling system into the crater by the guards in a single file. The diameter of the crater is several kilometres across.

    It is a big facility, and there is a manual entrance-way. Inmates and others can enter via this methodology rather than just using a portal.

    I can’t remember if it was this experience or another one, but I have also explored the same subterranean network before.

    There is a lift that takes you most of the way down.

    Intel.

    You come out in what appears to be a natural lava tube/ cave tunnel. There are concrete steps and a concrete pathway that are built into the ground to make walking around easier.

    There are a myriad of steel doors several feet thick that slide open from the middle.

    I am fairly certain at the end of this tunnel is a stargate like portal – different to the ones I used to gain access which are spherical and summoned through my own mind.

    I believe this is how proper access to this place is gained.

    This is serious Intel.

    In this past experience I am headed towards this portal, after a similar riot breaks out.

    Another recent dream…

    I also recently had another dream which I believe is connected to an area close to this place that I think is relevant.

    In this dream weird things were going on – I cannot adequately describe it but these weird things are usually a tell for me that I am not having a standard dream.

    I was in a train/ mono rail type carriage that would snake around this island, but it would do so by going in and out of different non physical planes.

    So in the span of what equated to about 500 meters of train track, you’d go through 5 or 6 different planes.

    This suggests ...
    
    [1] A manual "rappelling from the top" access method.
    [2] A portal that is special and designed specially. (Perhaps the egress portion of the "tunnel of light".)
    [3] This multi-portal dimensional "train". Perhaps this is the "egress portion of the tunnel of light".
    
    As well as...
    
    [5] The portal technique DM has been using now and previously.

    I remember talking to someone “important” on this train.

    They were talking very specifically about when the “simulation is turned off and what to expect”; everyone on earth would be given a special  “document” that would brief them on the next part of the operation.

    I could not tell if this was a good or bad thing.

    From my particular vantage point I could see the volcano Island in the background separated by a few kilometers of water. There seemed to be some sort of glass like structure erected around it which I believe was used for cloaking purposes. This glass structure consisted of many rectangular panels that had been arranged at oblique angles to each other. It could very well have been an entirely separate building at the edge of the island.

    Sort of like the island in the movie "Free Guy" eh?

    Scene from “Free Guy”. The area shielded from view.

    Conclusions

    Breaking down as follows…

    We see that DM has observed the “amnesia complex”.

    • There are four entrances that DM identified.
    • One of which is probably the egress section from the “Tunnel of Light”.
    •  DM met one of the first people who be imprisoned at the facility.
    • She game him a “key”; a “name”, or a “clue”.
    • This “key” is Da-squach-ah-uty.
    • The fact that there is a torture area in the deepest levels of the facility suggests either…
      • That there is a “Hell” or “Pugatory” awaiting certain visitors through the egress portal. This is a planned portion of the entire prison reincarnation system.
      • Or, the deeper levels were “add ons” to the complex at a later time, implying that others have taken the system and modified it for their own personal amusements.
    • This area is still functioning. However, it is having operational problems.
    • The operational problems could be catastrophic.
    • The corrections officers are on station, but the administration functions seem to be “off line” or “elsewhere”.

     fifth.eschaton related comments

    • Joe Rogan represented XXXXXXX
    • Chuck Norris represented YYYYYYYY
    • A ritual involving humiliation.
    • Humiliation is the point.
    • Once the person completes the humiliation they are listened to / respected.
    • The humiliation sequence is a purging experience to create a new kind of person.
    • A different kind of entity enters the programming environment and upsets the entire process.
    • Those that had previously accepted the programming now question it.
    • A trigger phrase or event occurred and the participants were released from their programming.
    • The Programmers are upset and the observer is ejected.

    As I read this, it appears that the Prison system has become some kind of “system of change” of the entities. The inmates accept the changes and go along with the changes.

    Then a new entity enters the picture. This is unexpected and upsets the previous status quo. They change everything. An event or trigger phrase occurs and the programming is interrupted.

    Those that control the programming are angry and eject the observer.

    Combined comparisons

    Both Intel suggest that there is a long established system. That it is undergoing change due to an interruption. The purpose of this system is established as part of the “Prison Complex” methodology of Punishment/reward.

    Do you want more?

    You can find many more videos in my “The Domain Action Articles” over here…

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    Task callout related to the “Old Empire”, the “Prison Complex”, and the behaviors of evil, greedy and selfish individuals.

    One thing that I have learned over the decades was the interpretation of  signals from the EBP and ELF constellation. While I am functionally retired from MAJestic, The Domain considers me a forever active asset and I pretty much get a near constant stream of sensory input or data. While there are special events like when I was able to open up dedicated channels to the Commander, most of the signals a “quieter”, not so assaultive on my personal sensibilities.

    These “softer” and “quieter” signals are in three “packets” or “groups”.

    And I have organized these “groups” into projects, and thus, I have a number of on-going “themes” or projects that I am (supposed) to be working on, I have a regular life and things have to go at my pace. I am a human, not a machine. Anyways, the projects that I am going to launch consist of the following…

    • An article on possible “back doors” to the ‘Prison Planet” established by the “Old Empire”. (That is this article. As well as the request at the end of it.)
    • A series of articles that consist of plans to create a “wish machine” that will beam signals to your mind and greatly accelerate the manifestation of affirmation prayer campaigns. (Basic electrical design engineering based upon some existing “mind control” patents.)
    • A fabrication of the above machine for sale on this MM site. (I’ll design it, I’ll make it. I’ll sell it.) Maybe I will be able to sell three or four units. LOL!

    Personally, I am a bit nervous of the creation of a “wish machine”. As it could be dangerous in the “wrong hands” and be used to affect the thinking of others. As long as it is just provided here on this site, and the vast majority of the MM readership are STO sentience, I feel relatively comfortable that it will not be used for ill or selfish intent.

    Let’s start with this Article – Profiting from the Prison Planet system

    Given the nature of the “Old Empire” as described in “Alien Interview”, it seems obvious that there would be entities / individuals there who would have tried to profit from the “Prison Complex” system. Just like there are many, many people who are profiting from the various prison complexes in the United States today.

    For instance,  in the American prison system, you have wealthy oligarchs that profit from…

    • Being the sole supplier for commissary supplies.
    • Corrections officers stealing supplies, using trucks for personal use etc.
    • Corrections officers supplying contraband goods to the inmates.
    • Free labor at work-shops and factories.
    • Free labor by the Hard Labor Squads.

    And so on and so forth.

    We know, from “Alien Interview”, that the “Old Empire” was corrupt and practiced cannibalism, and held “gladiator style” sports. It would not be unreasonable to expect that some of these attributes of “pleasures” could somehow be used in part of the massive “Prison Complex”.

    Granted that this is a very large kind of prison and it has a completely unique system, I would have to argue that the systems used to profit from this “Prison Complex” would somehow revolve around the torturing and amusement of the inmates, or in the selling of “vacation packages” to wealthy individuals.

    Trigger article

    This train of thought was inspired by an MM reader who submitted this following article for perusal. Key trigger phrases are in BLUE.

    From HERE.

    Some of you may be familiar with the interview I conducted with a man I met who experienced a Demiurge during his near death experience.
    
    Here is some very interesting feedback I received from a woman who also had a near death experience. She claims to be able to access the akashic records and verifies what he is saying. This is from the email I received on December 16, 2017:
    
    "Dear Mr. Bush, 
    
    Good day!
    
    Just this morning, whilst seeking an IANDS group which might meet closer to me than Culver City, CA.I happened upon your Interview.
    
    I see you have a website: Tricked By The Light.  I have not read it as yet.
    
    Although I concur!  I have been putting up installments of my most unusual phalanx of paranormal and hideous experiences on Wattpad - just to leave some sort of record, in case I wound up "disappeared."
    
    Indeed, my hard drive was stolen - and once my friend's son gave me a laptop and downloaded the contents of an external hard drive I had hidden behind my bookcase - (unnoticed by the thieves), said laptop went Kerplooey.    So my friend's son worked for weeks to salvage the contents of my original desktop and did so, most admirably.
    
    The only other stories I have read which in many ways reflect my own experiences in my home at 1926 Parksley Ave, Baltimore, MD are the books of Reverend Bill Bean ("Dark Force") and Bill Scott ("When Satan Came Calling").
    
    While it is easy to attribute the terrifying events of the last 14 years to "ghosts" and "haunting" and "demons" - alas, there were also some ex-Military persons involved - one of whom I met.  You may, or may not know MANY Satanists and Occultists routinely interface with Lower Astral Entities (demons) and enslave them, as well. This is ancient knowledge.
    
    All that to say - your Guest who saw a Demiurge was telling the truth. I know him by another name.
    
    Due to my unexpected and certainly astonishing experiences, I began to research anything and anyone and read all articles, web pages, books et al, which might have helped me. I was disabled, nearly bedridden and out of my mind with fear. My children all lived in other states, trying to work and raise children. No one believed me. So I stopped at nothing to arrive at the truth.
    
    I was a plain, old-fashioned Lutheran Grandmother - nada special about me.
    
    I knew absolutely nothing about Souls, God Source, Karmic Contracts, "heaven/hell" - Karma, Life Reviews, Earth School, Reincarnation, Life Movies, etc.
    
    Zero.
    
    Suddenly, in the middle of the horror, my memories of Near Death Experience(s) returned.
    
    I prayed for death daily, anyway, so ghastly were my experiences, I certainly did NOT need those memories - and all the "gifts with a razor blade attachment" Aftereffects an NDE can provide.
    
    So now - I see Past, Present and Future Lives, Life Before and Between Lives, Souls creating the films for their "Lives,"  Discussing and rehearsing "roles" (which Soul is going to play which "part") "taste-testing" Karmic Intersections (they can actually jump in and out of their character at important Karmic Intersections (US being the "characters") so they'll remember them, going to the Programming Center for their "Programmed Prompts" (sometimes called Guideposts) and I see these as movies - snapshots, trailers - and indeed, when people asked me where I got the ideas for my stories and paintings, I told them all I had to do was watch the "little movie" and copy it.
    
    
    My art class friend patted me on the shoulder and said, "Guin, no one else sees the little movies."
    
    I was aghast! I've seen all that Programmed CRAP all my so-called Human Life!
    
    I've read Dr. Newton's books, Dr. Weiss's books and everything else you can imagine. At least I got SOME relief and assistance from PMH Atwater, herself a triple NDEr.
    
    They are all partly programmed to spread propaganda.
    
    I live EVERY DAY with a transparent-appearing overlay - as I had it explained to me - a side effect of an open Third Eye.  This overlay is more of the "Game Plan" and "Life Lessons" and even film clips of WHO'S COMING NEXT in my "life movie.” This is on top of what my normal human eyes see. 
    
    I became clairvoyant, clairsentient, clairaudient - a MOST reluctant medium. However, unless the person is involved in my life, I won't know anything about them.  I try to ignore ANY medium crap. I hate it.
    
    My children asked me NOT to tell them what I see about their lives.
    
    My life is HELL.  Hell. It is hard to function when you can SEE your future! And it plays out as you can see it!
    
    You are right on the money, m'friend. We have ALL been deceived.  Souls care nothing for us - some Light Beings, eh? They call us "Host Bodies and Host Vehicles” and program and manipulate the woo hoo out of us!
    
    Stewart Swerdlow was a Lot of help to me. I am one of MANY school children chosen for Mind Control Experiments back in the 60s. We are usually killed off when the Mind Control begins to fragment or wear off - around age 50.
    
    So that is what happened to me- almost.
    
    I am still alive and telling my tale. SO glad to find your website.
    
    I remember "Class" and "Teacher-Guides" and "Soulmates" and the entire shebang. Don't buy that Lesson crap. We are HUMAN and don’t need but one lesson - we have the Body and Human Brain and we can cancel those "Life Contracts" . . . "Life Plans" whatever.
    
    Trust me, what happened at my former home should NEVER happen to ANY being, human or nonhuman.
    
    Because I did not die - my phone, cell, computer, snail mail were all hacked. No one ever got my phone calls. Or emails. They were all answered by hired folk who probably had no idea why they were being paid to do so. I've had people I did NOT know walk up to me in a grocery store and talk about the very subjects I'd just discussed with one of my few friends the day before - on the PHONE.
    
    Excuses about Karma don't move me. I am a nice person and most people are. Souls don't like us and many don't even know how to operate us. I am disgusted that not one Guide will come down here and console me for what occurred . . . and explain it, or show me love or consideration.
    
    Here is how it works: They are told it is a School or Game. The Game on The Limitation Plane.  Earth School. One-third of our lives WE are asleep. They are not veiled and that is play time, the creeps.
    
    We are NOT Souls. Only part of our consciousness is their consciousness. I found my Soul to be unlike me and set up a rather vengeful retaliation program. Gotta love the Programming part, eh? What a crock!  Well, we can also undo a lot of that programming, Stewart Swerdlow tries to help people do that all the time.
    
    The Demiurge in fact DOES have to do what he does - I know him all too well. There is a balance which MUST be kept, It IS his Game. It was never meant to be.  
    
    He has copies of Akashic Records, which can be taken out JUST LIKE NETFLIX and he sticks poor Souls in various characters and THEY are forced to lead lives of HELL, not to mention he puts some of his "demons" (negative polarity beings) in the roles of people who were supposed to be Helpful, or a Soulmate or a Friend or a Karmic Intersection meant to allow us to teach a lesson, etc.  
    
    Just the opposite will occur.  Those intersections will be terrible. Mine were obvious! I just deconstructed my entire Life Plan in Baltmore.
    
    The Game has been hacked, in other words.  Akashic Records are NOT safe and inviolate.  
    
    The Demiurge's name is "Maratona."  Call him that. He HATES it.  Maratona's Armada!  (Satan's Army)
    
    You know what they call us? "Marionette Amore!"  "Love Puppets."
    
    He can mess with us any which way he pleases. Yes, we can cancel the contracts ALL SOULS MUST MAKE WITH HIM or they cannot Game here. Think Holo-video Game. We already have this coming in the Human World. 
    
    Why doubt it exists? The entire world is a Holographic Universe (Universal Games) and "Source" is NOT "All That Is.”  Those Hollywood movies are SO obvious, too!
    
    Souls trapped in one of those "Games" are in a Life Movie already lived by other Souls. They claim they are using those Lives as Video Instructions. B.S.  
    
    They get ENERGY out of OUR SUFFERING.  Period! 
    
    The poor human "characters" have NO CLUE why "life sucks and then you die," "most men live lives of quiet desperation."  Guess why!
    
    I pray for DEATH, I tell you. Rod Sterling cannot beat THIS story. Your Soul is your WORST enemy!  The Light is only a frequency of vibration which FEELS GOOD to Souls, so they are taught that is “love” and Souls are often Firefly Entities. Why would they care about us?
    
    was one.  They are impossible to understand.  And I am pretty darn good at communicating with them!
    
    We cannot think the way they do.  It is not possible. We have short lives!
    
    Man has been messed with for ages. Now they have the Internet. Our lives are ALL scripted, filmed, rehearsed, reviewed, previewed, you-name-it.
    
    We can break the Game. I keep trying. Everything is MIND. All of it. 
    
    I HATE "The Light" - because they OWE me an explanation of what happened to me at my legally owned home - so awful and malevolent and sadistic I had to move and auction off all my stuff! If it were not for my daughter I'd be dead now.
    
    I was dead. Dead. Dead for good.  Not a true NDE. Dead.
    
    I went back to a Space Station and watched The Life Review. All Aliens. Stewart thought they might be Andromedans. "I" was infuriated because I did not finish a painting of my daughters.  (American Beauties)
    
    There was a meeting at an oval table. A bunch of beings were present. Each had a copy of the new Script. Many Beings did NOT want my Soul to return. She argued with them, LOUDLY.  
    
    She must have won - I see she is sitting with a Military HUMAN man and working on her Lesson Plan. He spent a lot of time with her.
    
    She got back into my body - problem!  Time had passed. Since I keep detailed diaries, I knew something was not right!  I don’t know how much time had passed. There is NO TIME, as we perceive it.
    
    Our lives and all Timeline Options and Possible/Probables are filmed. That is the Labyrinth your Guest called by another name.  If you marry June instead of Andrea, THIS AND THIS will manifest. And so on.
    
    Guess what? I SEE THOSE MOVIES, TOO! All the time, every day.  The good side is my ability to do so has saved my life a couple of times!
    
    I feel like I have lived this entire life before. I can tell you, the chances are very good that I have, or some other Soul has “played” me. No way to tell.
    
    I recognize entire neighborhoods, tell you what I was, used to do, who lived where. When I look up those houses on Zillow, they are in pre-foreclosures or Foreclosure! There is literally NO ONE to ask if I am correct or the time period in question. Definitely another life.
    
    Before 2006 I did NOT believe in Reincarnation.
    
    I HATE The Light. I HATE their Game. I HATE their “God.” Love and Light? NOT EVEN. NOT FOR MANKIND!
    
    I can see Astral Activity, including how Guides let Souls know the next series of “Prompts” for their Game!  I have learned to discern just about any Being, and it all is soooooo not who I am!!
    
    I always knew what I wanted to do with my life. And winding up a Lab Rat for the Dark Military was NOT on MY human agenda.
    
    A human man not only programmed me, I can see he teaches the Dark Energy entities in some sort of Grade School out in the Astral. Light Beings are simply taught on a different frequency domain.
    
    How ungodly AWFUL can this get???
    
    Maratona is actually a monster - (Satanists describe him very well. He manifests as a 30-ish Blond, Curly-headed Angelic Man, VERY tall, not old and white-haired) - I harass him all the time. I don’t care one whit if they kill me. I am afraid ONLY that the military men involved, who know I am well aware they are hooked into the Astral via an antenna (the military has worked on that for YEARS) and one of them is the Interface for human/alien relations, not to mention a rapist, torturer, Satanist and murderer, will get their mitts on my human bod!  Torture is their specialty.
    
    Aliens? Craft? I can tell you boodles about them. EVERYWHERE.  
    
    Mankind can only perceive on a VERY limited “channel” if you will.
    
    Yes, DRAMA!  Maratona means “Marathon.”  
    
    Stewart once suggested it was like SURVIVOR. That is right! And a Reality TV show!
    
    A Production Company! That is what those Akashic Records are! Like Netflix!
    
    I kid thee not!  Souls do not sleep. They live in a place of No Time, No Space. They LOVE computer Games! I mean LOVE them!  Some part of Ourselves is up there, jacking us around like Avatars.
    
    I have been doing drawings for years. I even drew a chessboard which has some meaning for Souls- and which I never understood.  It is disgusting.
    
    Souls don’t have to go back to The Light, but they’d better be nimble, better be quick. If you die that Guide is RIGHT THERE.
    
    If Maratona wasn’t such a booger I’d stay with him. He does not make you incarnate!  Master Guides LOVE to torture Souls in a human body!  The human body HURTS.  It is how they punish and punish and punish for every little infraction!
    
    Man, you name it - it has been done to me. A regular old Grammy with 7 Grandchildren. That’s all there is to me.
    
    There are Angels!  Incredible Beings! Thank Someone!
    
    My understanding is Yahweh is the Principal of the School and Developer of the Game.  There are many, many Souls who can design planets, even worlds.
    
    Any American School kid can halfway design an Avatar and World, for Goodness’ sake!
    
    This is a piece of my ghastly story. My heart went out to your Guest.
    
    This is Satan’s Game. Absolutely.  I go bother him (in Spirit) all the time.  We called him Satan because he was such a BRAT when he was young.
    
    Enki nothing!  That is Marduk! And the Anunnaki were nothing more than PEOPLE from another Dimension trying to help Mankind. Just people! They had longer lives but they died like everyone else.
    
    I can teach you how to view one of Enki’s programs, if you like.
    
    I tell everyone my name. I am not hiding behind any Mask! 
    
    I’ll tell you who the Military men are and the Spiritual Guru (*rolls Eyes*) who actually programs Human Beings to do the will of Souls - they try to over-ride our brains all the time!  I’ll just put their names in another email.

    The emotion-laden text threw out some very interesting concepts that I highlighted in BLUE. Which suggested that there are those that use the “Prison Complex” as some sort of GAME. Or who also use it like recreational MOVIES.

    I do NOT think that this “Prison Complex” was intended to be a GAME or a source of amusement like MOVIES. But I do believe that over the centuries that a kind of illegal “black market” arose and that others have been using the “Prison Complex” to do exactly that.

    Systems used to profit from

    As best as I can figure, there are those, whether part of the “Old Empire” or from somewhere else that have constructed some kinds of systems inside the “Prison Complex” from which to profit from. And as far as I can see these systems fall into one or two general categories;

    • A “First Person Shooter” GAME. Where an entity pays for the privilege to live on the Earth as a human and experience all the sensory pleasures or discomfort that goes along with that experience.
    • A torture MOVIE. Here, the entities have somehow hijacked the pre-birth world-line template creation system. They establish one to fit the desires and fantasies of the entities that pay for a “good show”, and the hapless consciousness is convinced that it must experience the pains and the sorrows laid out for them. The entities that paid for this pre-birth world-line template then sit and watch the events unfold for the sorry human that is convinced that it must endure these disruptions and horrors.

    Backdoors

    Unless something happened…

    • The Prison Administration “bailed out”, and left.
    • The Prison System has been taken over, and corrupted by very malevolent entities.

    It seems to me that there MUST be some kind of “backdoor” that enables these self-serving for-profit entities to corrupt the Prison System for their own purposes.

    In cybersecurity, a backdoor is anything that can allow an outside user into your device without your knowledge or permission. Backdoors can be installed in two different parts of your system:
    
    Hardware/firmware. Physical alterations that provide remote access to your device.
    
    Software. Malware files that hide their tracks so your operating system doesn’t know that another user is accessing your device.
    
    A backdoor can be installed by software and hardware developers for remote tech support purposes, but in most cases, backdoors are installed either by cybercriminals or intrusive governments (like the United States) to help them gain access to a device, a network, or a software application.
    
    Any malware that provides hackers access to your device can be considered a backdoor — this includes rootkits, trojans, spyware, cryptojackers, keyloggers, worms, and even ransomware.

    If there is a “backdoor”, then we can come to the conclusion that the “backdoor” was put there intentionally by one or more of…

    • The architects  of the “Prison Complex”.
    • The administration of the “Prison Complex”.
    • A technologically advanced society (not the “Old Empire”) that exploited the prison system intentionally.
    • Some kind of dimensional / universe malware.

    The advantages of LD talent

    Those that have the important ability to LD (Lucid Dream) are in a unique position to reconnoiter towards this end.

    It would be a reconnaissance mission.

    In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. 
    
    Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmishers, long-range reconnaissance patrol, U.S. Army Rangers, cavalry scouts, or military intelligence specialists), ships or submarines, manned or unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, satellites, or by setting up observation posts. 
    
    Espionage is usually considered to be different from reconnaissance, as it is performed by non-uniformed personnel operating behind enemy lines.
    
    -Wikipedia
    

    And if you want to be specific, it is purely espionage. As the LD asset is an inmate in general population.

    I can tell you that doing so is very important, and would be greatly appreciated by The Domain.  Though, I must caution everyone that LD travel is not to be taken lightly. Dangers abound. I also do not know what the LD asset would discover, or what surprises await them. But I am ABSOLUTELY CONVINCED that they would like some talented assets to volunteer for this task.

    To be brutally honest, this is an OFFICIAL REQUEST for a volunteer. It is direct request via EBP from The Domain.

    As I understand it, it is only something that can be done by an inmate with a strong ability to this end. And that this specific type of mission WILL encounter unknowns and if the person encounters any kinds of dangers, they are to retreat and regroup.

    It’s just a “fact finding” mission.

    And, for what ever it is worth, they have certain people in mind for this action, and consider them to be very important and valuable assets that must be protected at all costs. (I am to repeat and underline this last sentence.) They are very important and must be protected at all costs.

    Mission parameters

    For starters…

    • This is a volunteer activity, and there is no dishonor in refusal.

    And then,

    • You absolutely not reveal who you are or what you are doing.
    • You must not engage any subject entities that you encounter. You observe.

    The specific tasks are…

    • You must identify [1] if there are others, who are not part of the “old empire” prison complex, that are involved in selection of pre-birth world-line template selection and layout.
    • You must identify [2] if there are others, who are not part of the “old empire” prison complex, that are using the collected memories or records of memories of other humans for anything other than the original stated purposes.

    Reporting and dissemination.

    • No matter what your opinions are, you must report what you experience.
    • You are to report your findings, no matter how disjointed or confused, and include your associations and thoughts and ideas regarding them. (Some results might be disturbing or distasteful, but you must report everything.)
    • MM will publish your findings.

    Finally,

    • You must vocalize permissions to allow The Domain to observe your operations. You may place restrictions on how they observe and time limitations or windows if that is your desire.

    Please kindly know and realize that possession of a EBP would “blow your cover” and thus it is impossible for you to be implanted at this time for this role. Thus this request follows this procedural venue. Finally, there is no dishonor in refusal. The Domain realizes just how seriously dangerous this mission activity is.

    Conclusion

    It seems that there must be “backdoors” to the “Prison Complex”.  Exploiting those backdoors would enable some rapid transformation of this sentience nursery from a Prison Planet to something else and far easier to manage.

    The only people who can find out the details of such a system are talented LD assets, and in asking them to do so, they must deal with entities that have access to all of their memories and are not handicapped by amnesia.

    I do not think that any of them (those using the backdoors) are anticipating espionage but the request to view this aspect of the Prison Complex is very important and comes direct from the administrator of the operation charged with the clearing of the Prison System field.

    Do you want more?

    You can find many more videos in my “The Domain Action Articles” over here…

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    Why the “Old Empire” Prison system is like a massive geode and where do we all fit in regarding it

    This article consists of my explanation of what our “universe”; the “Reality universe” otherwise known and the MWI, actually is. And while in many ways, it resembles the science fiction movie “The Matrix” it is far more cunning, with far more serious implications. And this article discusses those implications. For here, we will get into the basic overlying general construction of this Prison Complex.

    Those of you who are long time readers of MM know what I am talking about about. New comers, well, you’ll probably get lost fairly early on. Sorry about that. this is an advanced subject.

    The basic construction of everything

    We live inside of an artificial construct.

    Being inside of this “thing”; this environment distorts our understanding of reality. It distorts our thinking and our ability to fully comprehend what is actually going on.

    We call this place where we live as “our universe”.

    And inside of it, we describe the operation of it as “the MWI”. Or multiple world theory.

    And that is all we know. We know nothing about what lies outside of our reality. We do not know what lies outside of our universe.

    Then it is “The Matrix”?

    Well, kind of.

    When a beautiful stranger leads computer hacker Neo to a forbidding underworld, he discovers the shocking truth--the life he knows is the elaborate deception of an evil cyber-intelligence.

    Most MM readers will know what “The Matrix” is. It is a science fiction movie that says that all of what we know of, see and believe, is an elaborate computer simulation, and we are “plugged into it”.

    An overly LARGE Synopsis for those who never watched the movie (they do exist, you know) …

    The Matrix begins with a squad of police officers surrounding a building where they believe a computer hacker by the name of Trinity is currently hiding. A mysterious group of “agents” show up and chastise the police commander for not waiting for them before entering the building, due to the dangerous nature of their suspect.
    
    We then jump inside where Trinity takes down a squad of police officers before going on the run from the “agents”, across the roof tops of the mysterious city. Trinity eventually makes it to a phone booth, seconds before the phone booth is plowed over by a Mack truck driven by one of the “agents”. When the “agents” examine the wreckage, they do not find Trinity’s body and state that she has escaped, but that they have found the one she is looking for.
    
    The film then jump cuts to Thomas Anderson, a computer programmer by day and a computer hacker by night who goes by the name of Neo. Anderson is played by Keanu Reeves in all his Keanu glory. Neo is receiving mysterious computer messages that tell him to “follow the white rabbit”. After encountering someone with a white rabbit tattoo on her body, he follows her to a techno club where he meets a very much alive Trinity.
    
    Trinity tells him that Morpheus, an infamous terrorist hacker, wants to meet Neo, and the young hacker is very interested. However, before that meeting can take place, Neo is arrested at work the next day and interrogated/tortured by agents. Fortunately, the agents release Neo (along with a little electronic bug), and Neo is able to keep his date with Morpheus.
    
    Morpheus tells Neo that he is living in a dream world, and he can choose to leave it, if Neo so wishes it. Choosing to continue to follow the rabbit hole, Neo takes a red pill, and his reality begins to disintegrate. Neo awakens, naked and weak, in a liquid-filled pod, with cables attached all over his body. He sees thousands of similar tubes all around him before a machine comes down and disconnects him from the pod. Neo is then flushed out with the refuse where he is eventually picked up and brought aboard Morpheus’ hovercraft, the Nebuchadnezzar.
    
    Once there, Morpheus begins to explain what the Matrix is. Neo is told that in the 21st century, that the humans of the planet fought a war with machines that had become self aware. As part of this war, the humans had blocked the skies, to prevent the machines from using solar energy. As such, the machines had to find alternative means for the power that they needed to survive, so they created the Matrix. The Matrix is a cyber reality that allows the machines to use human beings as an energy source, or a battery as it is explained in the movie.
    
    In the Matrix, humans believe that they are living in the year 1999, and that they are in control of their lives, with no memory of the human/machine world. Morpheus explains that he is responsible for “unplugging” enslaved humans, and returning them to the real world. Morpheus further explains that there is a prophecy that one such freed person will end the war with the machines, and that he believes that Neo is that person.
    
    The film then goes into the education of Neo for his adventures in the Matrix world. Because the Matrix is a computer program, Neo is told that they have the ability to do superhuman feats since they can bend the physical laws. However, if a person is killed in the Matrix, they will die in the real world as well. Neo is also warned that everyone who has ever taken on an agent has been killed.
    
    Ultimately, Neo is taken by Morpheus to see the Oracle, who will, in theory, confirm whether Neo is indeed the Christ figure of this film. The bad news is that the Oracle tells Neo he is not the one. The worse news is that she tells Neo that Morpheus will die to protect Neo because of his beliefs, unless Neo sacrifices his life for Morpheus.
    
    The good news…Neo gets a delicious cookie. As Morpheus’ crew heads back to the extraction point, they are met by policeman and agents, who have been tipped to the crew’s Matrix-world arrival by their own personal Judas, Cypher. Everyone but Morpheus escapes, but Cypher makes it back to the real world hovercraft first. There he begins killing the other members of the crew by unplugging them while their minds are trapped in the Matrix. Before he can kill Trinity or Neo, a computer monitor by the name of Tanks kills Cypher and saves the duo.
    
    Morpheus is taken to the agents’ headquarters, where they plan to torture him and interrogate him in order to get the access codes to the mainframe computer in Zion, the humans’ last stronghold in the real world. Neo decides to go back into the Matrix in order to save Morpheus, and Trinity tags along for the ride. The duo encounter overwhelming numbers, but they manage to free Morpheus and make their escape. Morpheus and Trinity are able to make their escape from the Matrix, but Neo becomes trapped when Agent Smith destroys his exit. Neo thinks about running from the agent, but he begins to believe in the prophecy and finds confidence in his abilities.
    
    Neo and Agent Smith fight. Spectacularly. But ultimately, Neo has to get out of the Matrix, so he goes on the run trying to find another exit while being pursued by three agents. Tank attempts to lead Neo to an exit and safety, but Agent Smith cuts him off and places several bullets into Neo’s chest, killing the hacker.
    
    However, as the agents begin to walk away, Neo resurrects and is now completely aware of his abilities and his power. He stops the bullets from the agents’ guns with a wave of his hand, and destroys Agent Smith by jumping into his “code” and blowing him up. Neo makes his escape from the Matrix, returning to the real world just in time before the hovercraft crew blows up an EMP that would have killed Neo if he had stayed in the Matrix.
    
    The film ends with Neo making a call to the Matrix, stating that he knows that they are afraid now. Neo tells them that he will show their human prisoners “a world where anything is possible” before hanging up the phone. Neo then Superman’s off the screen, essentially creating the first cyber-world super hero.

    The idea is valid.

    Yes. We exist inside of an elaborate simulation.

    The Matrix.

    Except that instead of it being a computer simulation, it is far, far more than that. It is a completely separate and unique “universe” of sorts. The entities that built this simulation did so intentionally and used technologies that appear “God Like” to us.

    They created a unique “universe” which is a “bubble” within a much larger universe.

    Important Note

    And important note: this is NOT a universe that lies outside of the “larger universe”. This is a “bubble universe” that lies inside of the “larger universe”.

    As this statement clearly explains (from “Alien Interview”)…

    "The Domain exists in such a universe, as well as in the physical universe."

    How universes come into being

    I’ll let “Alien Interview” explain…

    "Before you can understand the subject of history, you must first understand the subject of time.  Time is simply an arbitrary measurement of the motion of objects through space.
    
    Space is not linear.  Space is determined by the point of view of an IS-BE when viewing an object. The distance between an IS-BE and the object being viewed is called "space".
    
    Objects, or energy masses, in space do not necessarily move in a linear fashion.     In this universe, objects tend to move randomly or in a curving or cyclical pattern, or as determined by agreed upon rules.
    
    History is not only a linear record of events, as many authors of Earth history books imply, because it is not a string that can be stretched out and marked like a measuring tool. History is a subjective observation of the movement of objects through space, recorded from the point of view of a survivor, rather than of those who succumbed.   
    
    Events occur interactively and concurrently, just as the biological body has a heart that pumps blood, while the lungs provide oxygen to the cells, which reproduce, using energy from the sun and chemicals from plants, at the same time as the liver strains toxic wastes from the blood, and eliminates them through the bladder and the bowels.
    
    All of these interactions are concurrent and simultaneous.  Although time runs consecutively, events do not happen in an independent, linear stream.               
    
    In order to view and understand the history or reality of the past, one must view all events as part of an interactive whole. Time can also be sensed as a vibration which is uniform throughout the entire physical universe.
    
    Airl explained that IS-BEs have been around since before the beginning of the universe. The reason they are called "immortal", is because a "spirit" is not born and cannot die, but exists in a personally postulated perception of "is - will be". She was careful to explain that every spirit is not the same. Each is completely unique in identity, power, awareness and ability.
    
    The difference between an IS-BE like Airl and most of the IS-BEs inhabiting bodies on Earth, is that Airl can enter and depart from her "doll" at will.    She can perceive at selective depths through matter. Airl and other officers of The Domain can communicate   telepathically. Since an IS-BE is not a physical universe entity it has no location in space or time.
    
    An IS-BE is literally, "immaterial". They can span great distances of space instantly.
    
    They can experience sensations, more intensely than a biological body, without the use of physical sensory mechanisms.  An IS-BE can exclude pain from their perception.   Airl can also remember her "identity", so to speak, all the way back into the dim mists of time, for trillions of years!
    
    She says that the existing collection of suns in this immediate vicinity of the universe have been burning for the last 200 trillion years. The age of the physical universe is nearly infinitely old, but probably at least four quadrillion years since its earliest beginnings.
    
    Time is a difficult factor to measure as it depends on the subjective memory of IS-BEs and there has been no uniform record of events throughout the physical universe since it began. As on Earth, there are many different time measurement systems, defined by various cultures, which use cycles of motion, and points of origin to establish age and duration.
    
    The physical universe itself is formed from the convergence and amalgamation of many other individual universes, each one of which were created by an IS-BE or group of IS-BEs.    
    
    The collision of these illusory universes commingled and coalesced and were solidified to form a mutually created universe.   Because it is agreed that energy and forms can be created, but not destroyed, this creative process has continued to form an ever-expanding universe of nearly infinite physical proportions.
    
    Before the formation of the physical universe there was a vast period during which universes were not solid, but wholly illusionary.   You might say that the universe was a universe of magical illusions which were made to appear and vanish at the will of the magician.  In every case, the "magician" was one or more IS-BEs. Many IS-BEs on Earth can still recall vague images from that period. Tales of magic, sorcery and enchantment, fairy tales and mythology speak of such things, although in very crude terms.
    
    Each IS-BE entered into the physical universe when they lost their own, "home" universe. That is, when an IS-BE's "home" universe was overwhelmed by the physical universe, or when the IS-BE joined with other IS-BEs to create or conquer the physical universe.
    
    On Earth, the ability to determine when an IS- BE entered the physical universe is difficult for two reasons:    
    
    1) the memory of IS-BEs on Earth have been erased, and 
    
    2) IS-BEs arrival or invasion into the physical universe took place at different times, some 60 trillion years ago, and others only 3 trillion.

    Immortal Spiritual Beings, which I refer to as "IS-BEs", for the sake of convenience, are the source and creators of illusions.  Each one, individually and collectively, in their original, unfettered state of being, are an eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing entity.
    
    IS-BEs create space by imagining a location. The intervening distance between themselves and the imagined location is what we call space.
    
    An IS-BE can perceive the space and objects created by other IS-BEs.
    
    IS-BEs are not physical universe entities.  They are a source of energy and illusion.  IS- BEs are not located in space or time, but can create space, place particles in space, create energy, and shape particles into various forms, cause the motion of forms, and animate forms. Any form that is animated by an IS-BE is called life.
    
    An IS-BE can decide to agree that they are located in space or time, and that they, themselves, are an object, or any other manner of illusion created by themselves or another or other IS-BEs.
    
    The disadvantage of creating an illusion is that an illusion must be continually created. If not continually created, it disappears. Continual creation of an illusion requires incessant attention to every detail of the illusion in order to sustain it.
    
    A common denominator of IS-BEs seems to be the desire to avoid boredom.         
    
    A spirit only, without interaction with other IS-BEs, and the unpredictable motion, drama, and unanticipated intentions and illusions being created by other IS-BEs, is easily bored.
    
    What if you could imagine anything, perceive everything, and cause anything to happen, at will?   What if you couldn't do anything else? What if you always knew the outcome of every game and the answer to every question?                
    
    Would you get bored?
    
    The entire back time track of IS-BEs is immeasurable, nearly infinite in terms of physical universe time.    
    
    There is no measurable "beginning" or "end" for an IS-BE.   
    
    They simply exist in an everlasting now.
    
    Another common denominator of IS-BEs is that admiration of one's own illusions by others is very desirable.   
    
    If the desired admiration is not forthcoming, the IS-BE will keep creating the illusion in an attempt to get admiration. One could say that the entire physical universe is made of unadmired illusions.
    
    The origins of this universe began with the creation of individual, illusionary spaces. These were the "home" of the IS-BE.   
    
    Sometimes a universe is a collaborative creation of illusions by two or more IS-BEs.    A proliferation of IS-BEs, and the universes they create, sometimes collide or become commingled or merge to an extent that many IS-BEs shared in the co-creation of a universe.
    
    IS-BEs diminish their ability in order to have a game to play.  IS-BEs think that any game is better than no game.  
    
    They will endure pain, suffering, stupidity, privation, and all manner of unnecessary and undesirable conditions, just to play a game.  Pretending that one does not know all, see all and cause all, is a way to create the conditions necessary for playing a game:   unknowns, freedoms, barriers and/or opponents and goals.  Ultimately, playing a game solves the problem of boredom.
    
    In this fashion, all of the space, galaxies, suns, planets, and physical phenomena of this universe, including life forms, places, and events have been created by IS-BEs and sustained by mutual agreement that these things exist.
    
    There are as many universes as there are IS-BEs to imagine, build and perceive them, each existing concurrently within its own continuum. Each universe is created using its own unique set of rules, as imagined, altered, preserved or destroyed by one or more IS-BEs who created it. Time, energy, objects and space, as defined in terms of the physical universe, may or may not exist in other universes. The Domain exists in such a universe, as well as in the physical universe.
    
    One of the rules of the physical universe is that energy can be created, but not destroyed. So, the universe will keep expanding as long as IS-BEs keep adding more new energy into it. It is nearly infinite. It is like an automobile assembly line that never stops running and none of the cars are ever destroyed.
    
    Every IS-BE is basically good.  
    
    Therefore, an IS-BE does not enjoy doing things to other IS- BEs which they themselves do not want to experience.  For an IS-BE there is no inherent standard for what is good or bad, right or wrong, ugly or beautiful.  These ideas are all based on the opinion of each individual IS-BE.
    
    The closest concept that human beings have to describe an IS-BE is as a god:   all-knowing, all-powerful, infinite. So, how does a god stop being a god?               
    
    They  pretend NOT to know. How can you play a game of "hide and seek" if you always know where the other person is hiding?
    
    You pretend NOT to know where the other players are hiding, so you can go off to "seek" them. This is how games are created.  You have forgotten that you are just "pretending".  In so doing, IS-BEs become entrapped and enslaved inside a maze of their own devising.
    
    How does one create a cage, lock one's own self inside the cage, throw away the key, and forget there is a key or a cage, and forget there is an "inside" or "outside", and even forget there is a self? Create the illusion that there is no illusion: the entire universe is real, and that no other universe exists or can be created.
    
    On Earth, the propaganda taught and agreed upon is that the gods are responsible, and that human beings are not responsible.   You are taught that only a god can create universes. So, the responsibility for every action is assigned to another IS-BE or god. Never oneself.
    
    No human being ever assumes personal responsibility for the fact that they, themselves -- individually and collectively -- are gods.   This fact alone is the source of entrapment for every IS-BE.

    And let’s look at this one statement in detail…

    [1] There are as many universes as there are IS-BEs to imagine, build and perceive them, each existing concurrently within its own continuum. 
    
    [2] Each universe is created using its own unique set of rules, as imagined, altered, preserved or destroyed by one or more IS-BEs who created it. Time, energy, objects and space, as defined in terms of the physical universe, may or may not exist in other universes. 
    
    [3] The Domain exists in such a universe, as well as in the physical universe.

    [1] IS-BE’s create universes at will.

    [2] They are complete separate entities that exist within it’s own set of laws, rules and continuum.

    [3] The Domain exists in one such universe, AS WELL as “The Physical Universe”.

    Since, the Domain Commander was discussing the situation at Roswell he was making s simplification statement that has been pretty much glossed over by most everyone who reads the “Alien Interview” document.

    • There is the BIG “parent” universe. This is where The Domain exists. As well as where the “Old Empire” existed.

    And there is …

    • The Physical Universe. This is a smaller “pocket universe” that sits inside the “BIG parent universe”. It is what we see. It is everything that we physically see, and sense. But it is not the totality of everything. Because this “Physical Universe”; the MWI is the “Old Domain” “Prison Complex”.

    The creation of a “artificial” universe within a universe

    So this “Prison Planet” is more than just a singular planet with a “fence” around it.  It is a planet within it’s own “pocket universe”.

    And I can tell you, from MAJestic, that Earth is not the only planet within this “pocket universe”. But there are perhaps four to five other solar systems involved. (Five if you include “our” solar system.)

    So it is a very special “pocket universe” within a much larger BIG universe.

    This is a very unique universe

    Furthermore, there is an elaborate structure that makes this “Prison Complex” unique.  It is much more than a simple “electric fence”.

    There is a system of recycling IS-BE consciousness’s back and forth from “Prison” to “Parole”. We know this system as …

    • Birth
    • Living on the earth
    • Death
    • Going into the light
    • Heaven
    • Reincarnation

    The “Punishment” aspect of our incarceration is in BROWN. The “Parole” / rehabilitation aspect of our incarceration is in BLUE.

    Thus we have something else.

    We have [1] a huge complex that handles the “punishment” aspect of our incarceration. We call this the “physical reality”, or the MWI. And we have have [2] a massive complex for the “parole” / rehabilitation aspect of our incarceration. This goes by the name of “Heaven”.

    There are two massive complexes involved in this “Prison Complex”.

    Our “Pocket universe” contains multiple universes

    For every imprisoned IS-BE consciousness species, there is an equivalent “Heaven”. And there are many. It’s not only humans. There are horses, elephants, dolphins just to name a few. Each “Heaven” is a universe.

    So looking from the outside, you can see that this “pocket universe” is segmented into other universes, and the entire complex, or cluster, of universes is one grand “Prison Complex” that is administered by a complete and ruthless system of control.

    Why it is like a geode

    A geode is a geological secondary formation within sedimentary and volcanic rocks. Geodes are hollow, vaguely spherical rocks, in which masses of mineral matter (which may include crystals) are secluded.

    Geode.

    The crystals are formed by the filling of vesicles in volcanic and sub-volcanic rocks by minerals deposited from hydrothermal fluids; or by the dissolution of syn-genetic concretions and partial filling by the same, or other, minerals precipitated from water, groundwater or hydrothermal fluids.

    In our case, the creation of a universe within a universe was a very special construction. In fact, I might argue that it would have been far easier to create a universe outside of our universe, but apparently the rulers of the “Old Empire” as technologically advanced as they were, wanted to create a system that would permanently imprison FOREVER those that they condemned…

    …within their universe, and within their geographic territory.

    So they FORCED the artificial construction of a unique static “pocket universe” with very strict MWI world-line behaviors. And were any inmate to escape, at the very worst they would escape to geographic terrain of the “Old Empire”. This would not be something that would be possible with a completely separate universe that would lie outside that of the “parent universe”.

    And in so escaping, they would be going from a “reality universe” where the laws and rules are one thing, and to a “parent universe” where they are something else entirely different. With a complete amnesia, it would be extremely difficult for an inmate to successfully escape.

    What does this understanding provide to us?

    This provides us with a great deal of insight regarding the technology of the “Old Empire” and what they could and could not do.

    • They could create a “pocket universe”.
    • They could not create a total self-contained universe to exile others to.

    Thus it is not wonder that The Domain was able to vanquish the “Old Empire”. As members of The Domain are fundamentally IS-BE’s with a class structure that prohibits memory amnesia when occupying a physical body. While the “Old Empire” (apparently) was a societal structure where the occupancy of a physical body allowed or forced memory amnesia.

    It also tells us why it is difficult for The Domain to reverse engineer this “Prison Complex”. As this is not a separate universe, but rather a “pocket universe” construction that lies within a “parent universe”.

    Where do we inmates fit into the picture?

    This region, this “Prison Complex” appears to be just like the “Parent Universe”. So much so, that The Domain entered it, set up a base of operations inside of the “reality universe” totally and completely unaware that it was within a spawned “pocket universe”.

    I am confident that The Domain has learned many, many things over the decades and centuries. But I do not believe that mastery of this “pocket universe” can be obtained in the next few years. It might take longer than that. Thus the track that The Domain is on is quite reasonable.

    • Set up a system for sentience sorting and rehabilitation.
    • Enlist the Mantids towards this goal.
    • Assist the”conditional release” of inmates as they acquire “exit visas”.
    • Regain control of the entire “Prison Complex” through mastery of the “Pocket Universe”.
    • Administer care to the inmates…

    With the goals of rescue of the Lost Battalion, and recovery of all memories of all IS-BE’s so incarcerated.

    Conclusion

    One of the most important fundamentals that an inmate must understand when trying to escape a prison, is the layout of that prison. Well known “prison breaks” all required an understanding of the prison layout, the routines of the guards, and an understanding on what needs to occur; step by step, prior to a successful break-out.

    While there are many  who are tying to escape one way or the other,  I argue that it will be very difficult to do so unless the inmate have a good understanding of the environment where he is incarcerated within.

    Given the nature of this “Prison Planet”, it seems reasonable to conclude that a map or an understanding of a path must be laid out for the inmate to extract themselves out of the general population environment. This will not only list the various traps, snares, and  tricks that lie along the way, but also the boundaries and mechanisms for the other associated “pocket universes” that lie within this “Prison Complex”. Such as the various heavens, and the very detailed snares.

    This article might not seem like much, but it establishes a most fundamental understanding of the limits and the geography of the “Prison Complex”.

    Do you want more?

    You can find many more videos in my “The Domain Action Articles” over here…

    The Domain

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
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    Update on the various events in China and what it means to the rest of the world. None which is being correctly reported on by American media.

    Americans have no idea what it would actually be like to have a real war. Most of them don’t even know that China has surpassed the US economically. Most Americans literally think a war with China would be similar to a war with Afghanistan or Iraq – something you watch on television that has no direct effect on your life, other than maybe causing gasoline prices to fluctuate.

    This article is a collection of insightful articles, musings, and tidbits that most (not all) of my fellow Americans are completely unaware of occurring.

    We will start with a big news item, and then approach it from the point of view of what is not being reported…

    Meng Wanzhou

    Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou arrives in China after more than 1,000 days under house arrest in Canada, following a deal with U.S. prosecutors to end a fraud case against her.

    Love China and China will love you. Millions and millions of people all over China watching live the return to freedom from Canada of the Huawei Boss. We were watching live in the local pub here in Dongguan. More exciting than watching a corrupt European football game. Very bad news for Canada as far as the average Chinese person is concerned. 
    
    - Peter Weston
    

    Yes. Big news in China.

    Three Videos of just HOW BIG this is.

    Everyone knows what happened. The United States Military Empire kidnapped a leading Chinese Industry leader on trumped up charges. Then after three years of no proof, they released her.

    Why is this big news?

    Imagine if China did the same thing to Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates or Steve Jobs.

    Video 1

    This is the announcement on Chinese media.

    Video.

    Video 2

    Everyone in China is happy. It’s a big, big deal here.

    Video.

    Video 3

    This is Shenzhen welcoming her home.

    Video.

    Can anyone tell me how this event has been reported in their individual nations? I am curious.

    An always accurate MoA commentary on this event…

    Yup. I do love MoA.

    On journey home, Meng says “without strong motherland, no freedom today”

    Now, imagine if the Chinese had behave like a bunch of Washington DC weak-wristed yes-men, who were only in their positions due to political graft.

    Most likely, they would be uselessly fighting on the American and Canadian courts as we speak, and Meng would probably rot for at least some 15 years in prison.

    Luckily, the Chinese are communists, so they don’t delve into bullshit. They saw her prison for what it really was – a political stunt – and counter-attacked accordingly, by arresting two of Canada’s ruling elite (i.e. the Canadian capitalist class) members.

    The Release Of Meng Wanzhou’s Is A Small But Decisive Victory For China

    The U.S. has given in to the Chinese demand to end its hostage holding of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou:

    A plane believed to be carrying Chinese tech executive Meng Wanzhou took off from the Vancouver airport on Friday, marking a new stage in a legal saga that ensnared Canada — and two of its citizens — in a dispute between the U.S. and Chinese governments.
    
    A B.C. court decided on Friday that the extradition case against Meng would be dropped after the Huawei chief financial officer reached a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. government.Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, the two Canadian citizens who were detained in China just days after Meng's arrest in Vancouver, are now on their way back Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed on Friday evening.

    The U.S. had accused Meng Wanzhou of misleading the opium dealer bank HSBC about Huawei’s relation with a local entity in Iran. This, the U.S. claimed, had led to breach by HSBC of its unilateral sanctions against Iran.

    This was a constructed crime with the only evidence being some wording on one page of a longer power point slideshow which Meng Wanzhou surely had not edited herself.

    The deferred prosecution agreement seems to admit that:

    As part of her arrangement with U.S. prosecutors, Meng pleaded not guilty in a court Friday to multiple fraud charges.
    
    The Huawei chief financial officer entered the plea during a virtual appearance in a New York courtroom. She was charged with bank fraud, wire fraud and conspiracies to commit bank and wire fraud more than two and a half years ago. 
    
    ...
    
    The agreed statement of facts from Friday's U.S. court appearance said that Meng told a global financial institution that a company operating in Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions was a "local partner" of Huawei when in fact it was a subsidiary of Huawei.

    The deferred prosecution agreement does not included any admission of wrongdoing, just an agreement on the facts.

    The whole case was constructed and the arrest arranged by John Bolton when he was National Security Advisor under then President Donald Trump:

    The Trudeau adviser said Mr. Bolton and other like-minded officials in the U.S. government were well aware of the significance of the arrest they were asking Canada to make. The adviser and a senior national-security official say they are convinced the U.S. picked Canada to arrest Ms. Meng – and did so in a last-minute rush – because they believed the Justice Department and the RCMP would honor the extradition request.

    Trump then used Meng Wanzhou as bargaining chip in his trade fight with China:

    Trump has linked resolution of the U.S. government’s dealings with Huawei to a potential trade agreement with China. He has said he would consider Huawei’s role in a trade deal at the final stage of negotiations, the court application says. 
    
    ...
    
    “Prejudice to the fairness of these proceedings is made out by the president’s repeated assertions that (Meng’s) liberty is effectively a bargaining chip in what he sees as the biggest trade deal ever.”

    The case gave Canada a lot of headaches as China had arrested two of its spies just days after Canada had followed the U.S. request to arrest Meng Wanzhou. Canada has denied that Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig were spying for its services. However, Canada’s main spy agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, welcomed the release of its boys:

    Canadian CIA.

    During a July visit to China U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman had been given two lists of issues that China demanded to be solved before it was willing to cooperate further with the U.S.:

    In the List of U.S. Wrongdoings that Must Stop, China urged the United States to unconditionally revoke the visa restrictions over Communist Party of China (CPC) members and their families, revoke sanctions on Chinese leaders, officials and government agencies, and remove visa restrictions on Chinese students.
    
    China also urged the United States to stop suppressing Chinese enterprises, stop harassing Chinese students, stop suppressing the Confucius Institutes, revoke the registration of Chinese media outlets as "foreign agents" or "foreign missions", and revoke the extradition request for Meng Wanzhou.

    China sees the end of the Meng Wanzhou issue as a victory:

    The high-profile case of Meng, which has become a political dilemma significantly affecting the global geopolitical landscape, has been settled through both legal channels and political wrestling, experts said, noting that China, the US and Canada have seen the best scenario with much compromise made by the Biden administration in resolving the matter. It also helped pave the way for the positive interaction between the world's largest economies in the near future amid strained China-US relations.
    
    It was also one mistake of the US administration that has been corrected in line with the request of China, as China put forward two lists to the US during the bilateral talks in Tianjin in July, including the List of US Wrongdoings that Must Stop which urged the US to release Meng, showing that Beijing's US policies began taking effect and remaining mistakes of the US have to be corrected.

    Commentator Pepe Escobar however, does not believe that the release of Meng Wanzhou will change much if anything:

    Pepe Escobar @RealPepeEscobar - 11:49 UTC · Sep 25, 2021
    
    MENG WANZHOU
    - political kidnapping masked as criminal prosecution
    - part of the demonization of Huawei
    - near 3-year illegal detention
    - fake charges
    - “Justice” Dept. had to drop extradition request
    - Hybrid War continues

    While I agree that U.S. aggression against China will continue I do see this as a Chinese victory. China has disabled one of the weapons that U.S. had used against it.

    From now on no country will risk to follow a U.S. requests to arrest a Chinese citizen:

    The swiftness of the apparent deal also stands as a warning to leaders in other countries that the Chinese government can be boldly transactional with foreign nationals, said Donald C. Clarke, a law professor specializing in China at George Washington University’s Law School.
    
    “They’re not even making a pretense of a pretense that this was anything but a straight hostage situation,” he said of the two Canadians, who stood trial on spying charges. 
    
    Mr. Spavor was sentenced last month to 11 years in prison, and Mr. Kovrig was waiting for a verdict in his case after trial in March.
    
    “In a sense, China has strengthened its bargaining position in future negotiations like this,” Professor Clarke said. “They’re saying, if you give them what they want, they will deliver as agreed.”

    The U.S. had, via Canada, taken Meng Wanzhou as a hostage.

    China replicated that by taking two Canadian citizens as hostages, thereby putting the pressure on the weaker power involved.

    It also stopped imports of Canadian canola and pork. No government will want to repeat the experience of the Canadian one.

    It worked and the people of Chinese are happy with the result:

    The sentiment of patriotism prevailed at the scene. After the short speech, Meng waved to the crowds holding Chinese flags to welcome her at the airport, with a big smile, while singing a song for the motherland together with people at the scene.
    
    People were still singing after Meng rode the bus to undergo epidemic prevention inspection at the request of Chinese Customs.
    
    Groups of people, who wore protective suits, held flowers and welcome banners as they waited on the parking apron at the airport, as Chinese port cities have adopted strict epidemic prevention measures against COVID-19. Local media reports said earlier that Meng was expected to follow the 14 plus 7 days of quarantine following her arrival.

    So this is indeed a victory but in a minor battle and in a war that is likely to see much bigger ones.

    Other thoughts…

    How did China know that the two Canadians were spies? Could it be that CIA incompetence exposed them and others? Seems very likely.

    Keep in mind that China managed to roll up an entire CIA network of spies some years ago (ca. 2011), no doubt by methods such as that (and probably by using double agents like the Venezuelans did to fool the US into thinking their military would support Guido).

    Eighteen ‘sources’ were reportedly neutralized in that one Chinese operation. Of course we don’t, and won’t, know the truth but it sounds like it was a pretty disastrous outcome for the CIA.

    Do you think that there were other “round ups” that occurred but were not reported?

    What happens to Western Spooks that go to China?

    Concerning China's abilities at keeping track of Five Eyes spooks, what part of the imperial color revolution in Hong Kong was missing? What do we normally see in an American regime change operation after the US State Department's NGOs succeed in building protests that was lacking in Hong Kong?
    
    Of course, the snipers.
    
    So where are the snipers that the CIA trained up to spark the protests into a raging conflagration?
    
    Obvious answer: At the bottom of Victoria Harbor wearing concrete boots. 
    
    This was unlikely to have been done by Chinese intelligence themselves but rather by the Triads after some negotiations with mainland authorities. While the Triads are not allied with the Communists, they are part of the second system in that "One country, two systems" deal and have a deep interest in maintaining the status quo. The empire's color revolution seriously jeopardized that status quo and had to be neutralized.
    
    Posted by: William Gruff | Sep 25 2021 21:22 utc | 36

    In other news, this is excerpt from CGTN

    French writer exposes U.S. global hegemony

    Updated 22:59, 25-Sep-2021
    CGTN

    The number of companies and entrepreneurs that have fallen victim to the U.S. global hegemony is unknown but Marc Lassus, founder of Gemplus, a manufacturer of smart cards (including SIM cards) is one of them.

    After witnessing the Frenchman’s business making waves with users in the billions, the U.S. took control of the company and drove Lassus away, Chinese newspaper the Global Times has reported. Lassus said that their goal was, through the CIA and NSA, to spy on the whole world.

    Lassus has told his story in a recently published book, “The Chip Trap.” During an interview with the Global Times, he shared his thoughts on Canada’s arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou at the request of the United States.

    "Meng Wanzhou's detention in Canada is just a pure scandal, as well as their request for extradition to the U.S," he said.

    Huawei has a very significant technological advantage in 5G infrastructure and to some extent in fiber optics, their presence in Africa is also very strong and it is too late to beat them, Lassus said. Therefore, the U.S. used brutal and “cowboy” approaches to hinder Huawei’s business expansion.

    He added that Meng’s case reminded him of his own experience. He was almost arrested on similar, trumped-up “charges” during a private trip to Cuba but he miraculously escaped imprisonment in the U.S.

    "The move from the Trump administration to Biden's will not change much the U.S. policies," he noted.

    He also mentioned that the U.S. claim that it values free markets is “pure hypocrisy.” They use any possible means to suppress other countries’ high-tech companies from being successful in international markets, such as Huawei, ZTE and places pressure on chip manufacturers such as Samsung.

    Lassus said he was optimistic about the cooperation between China and Europe, which is entering into a new era with ties becoming more strategic, more complex but more promising.

    "It is very clear now China should put more effort and investment than ever to develop key technologies in the semiconductor industry such as key equipment, materials and design tools, and so on. Especially when the U.S. is trying to ban any exchange between world-leading companies and China," he said.

    Yes, and so China is doing so. How are the billions in new investments in the IC / AI / IoT technology corridor HK, Zhuhai, and Guangzhou being reported in your nations?

    The long arm of U.S. jurisdiction dates backs to over a decade ago when the world’s biggest power felt threatened by the rapid ascent of other economies. Now the possibility of losing technological advantage haunts Washington, which has resorted to bending the law to gain a competitive edge. Bribery, fraud, and violating sanctions are commonly used pretexts for the U.S. to strike down any individual, entity or country that it feels threatened by.

    Frederic Pierucci, an executive of Alstom, a French power and transportation conglomerate, was arrested by the FBI when his plane arrived at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on April 14, 2013. He was charged with bribing Indonesian officials to win a power plant contract.

    Coincidentally or not, the arrest of Pierucci, then president of the French power titan’s boiler subsidiary, ran parallel to the largest business acquisition by the American General Electric (GE) of its French rival Alstom’s energy business.

    Lassus said it was only after January 2019 when Frederic Pierucci published his book “Le Piege Americain,” also known as “The American Trap,” that he felt free, credible, and publicly protected to come out with his story.

    “Pierucci’s book relates the U.S. aggression, through General Electric, to take control of ALSTOM, a French company. Pierucci has been put for two years in jail in the US! A real scandal,” Lassus said.

    An interesting comment that I read…

    The comment goes…

    Two things I would like to add here.
    
    One, this is embarrassing as a Canadian. We don't have ANY politician who saw through this. NONE. 
    
    Many internationalist Canadians saw through this within the first 3-7 days, but none were in government, and none were even (audible) in Parliament. 
    
    This is utter international relations incompetence.
    
    As we learned from the immigration lawyers for the defense, this case was rigged from the very start - the arrest should not have happened; 
    
    The signs for a different than advertised goal by the FBI were overt; 
    
    The RCMP should not have been allowed to enter into it with the border guard; 
    
    The Prime Minister and Justice Minister should have been reachable instead of 'on their weekend';
    
    Etc, etc...
    
    Beyond that, if the President of the USA then makes a statement politicizing the arrest, the Prime Minister of Canada has no right to hide behind "Executive vs Justice" power, As the extradition agreement explicitly states that the PM can intervene through the Justice Minister to avert political abuses of the extradition agreement.
    
    So this is totally on Trudeau's incompetence and cowardice.
    
    Two, this US subversion of Huawei will not work because XXXXXXX has understated, hugely, the Chinese distance created from the stone-age USA in current day digital progress.
    
    I was shocked as a Canadian European, coming into Chicago and Ohio in 2000 and discovering how far behind the USA was in simcard and digital technology. 
    
    It caught up, but barely.
    
    Now, China is too far ahead and is running much faster than the US is or has the capacity to.
    
    China has already won - this Huawei case is just a little side cake - because they have all the infrastructure and are way beyond 5G - they are building the next universe and America can't even have the data points to dream about it.

    As a Canadian expat he is seeing what I have seen. But I am in technology, R&D and manufacturing. I can tell you that the USA is behind, but no one wants to listen to MM.

    Do you agree with me that China is much more advanced in technology, or the Western narrative that soon, say in 2025, China will surpass the USA?

    And this interesting rebuttal…

    In Canada’s defense — the authorities here were dealing with John Bolton, a known a**h@le who believes in breaking eggs to make omelettes.
    
    Interviews with Canadian ultra political insider, Peter Donolo on BNN Bloomberg (just BNN back then maybe?) expressed concern about who would replace the just fired National Security Advisor.
    
    So Canada’s political class protested through the media (which is how you gotta do it with the neocons, just ask Russia) about John Bolton’s appointment.
    
    Somewhere I picked up that Canada was threatened with having US troops at the Vancouver airport if Canada refused to act in the interests of American security.
    
    The Michaels are 5th columnists.
    
    They don’t work for CSIS, Canada, the Canadian political class or any other Canadian national interest or institution.
    
    Their arrest was quite possibly arranged behind-the-scenes between China and Canada to get Bolton fired as well as the other results b mentions. And a very important piece of this is the Canadian Ambassador to China, Dominic Barton.
    
    Check out this man’s resume.
    
    His appointment could have been at the request of China, quite possibly, another Canadian concession (although Trudeau wanted him in that role previously, but he declined).

    Here’s an interesting note (not by me) on how the flight route that was used to bring Meng back to China (Google Translated from Russian):

    “And by the way, about the small details of today’s event, the evacuation of Meng Wangzhou from Canadian captivity.

    Look how they dragged her from Vancouver to China, you can shoot an action movie (I think the Chinese will easily shoot it).

    Rescue air flight.

    [1] Vancouver is close to the United States, so the board briskly went along the line “as far away as possible from the main territory of the United States and from Alaska” vertically upward, aiming directly at the North Pole.

    [2] Over the Arctic, he made the shortest possible route to the Russian air defense zone and went further south through Siberia and Mongolia.

    [3] The standard version of the route (see the second picture), through the Pacific Ocean, where the American control points and, in general, there are enough opportunities to do something bad, was not used, although it was announced in advance that this is how Air China would fly back.

    On the question of when they soberly assess the situation and understand that agreements with Canada and international law are one thing, but the Arctic region, where the Northern Sea Route is, is completely different and, somehow, under the wing of Shoigu and friends, it is calmer and safer.”

    Original post with pictures: https://vk.com/wall288925483_789259

    Do you think that the Chinese were being overly cautious, or rather that the over-the-pole flight path was the most economical one to take?

    All this is very interesting, but let’s not forget one thing…

    Naughty China citizen Meng was charged with breaking a United States law while she was inside of China.

    US Justice Dept, Jan 28, 2019
    Meng is charged with bank fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracies to commit bank and wire fraud.
    
    “As charged in the indictment, Huawei and its Chief Financial Officer broke U.S. law and have engaged in a fraudulent financial scheme that is detrimental to the security of the United States,” said Secretary Nielsen.
    
    “They willfully conducted millions of dollars in transactions that were in direct violation of the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations, and such behavior will not be tolerated." . . .here
    The US hasn't given up trying to convince China citizens to obey US laws.
    US Justice Dept, Sep 24, 2021
    
    Meng Wanzhou, CFO of Huawei Technologies, admitted today that she failed to tell the truth about Huawei’s operations in Iran, and as a result the financial institution continued to do business with Huawei in violation of U.S. law. Our prosecution team continues to prepare for trial against Huawei, and we look forward to proving our case against the company in court.” . . .here

    United States laws only work within United States territory. Just like Chinese laws only work within China, and South African laws only work in South Africa.

    Obviously the idiots in Washington DC do not respect other people’s (geographic) space.

    What’s with this issue? Why don’t Americans understand that once you leave the USA, there are different laws, rules, regulations, culture and society and the USA cannot violate the national sovereignty of others in other nations?

    And this interesting response…

    Ms Meng ‘the Merciless’ was monstered by ‘(inter)National Interests’.
    
    Who the fuck have the US the right to arrest people in foreign countries? For breaking the unilateral US sanction on another country??
    
    That is not simple Exceptionalism...
    
    ...it’s is gross Overeach.
    
    It can only be dumb superiority complex and racism to have thought that they can talk loud and carry a big stick to keep the savages subdued.
    
    That Canadians have meekly re-elected the controlled scion of ones of the Empires CEO’s who was brought up by the Fascists of the West and the Money is pure pathetic Stockholm syndrome exhibited by voters in the west over the last 50 years.
    
    We deserve all we get!
    
    Canadians did to Meng what Sweden did to Assange and what the Decimate Empire is doing to the World in clueing as I say their own subjects as is happening daily now to the U.K. subjects because of BrexShit.
    
    Chaotic scenes at petrol stations!
    
    ...In one of the richest countries in the World.
    
    The MSM are fully controlled Mockingbird operatives. Independent journalism is muted and inprisoned, like Craig Murray is.
    
    I’ll link to my post on the open thread that addresses why the Empire and Eva cornered rat and it’s Masters are morbidly stuck in their death throes as China changes human history on planet Earth with a competent partner in Russia and their SCO.
    
    ‘Are we getting it yet barflies?
    Posted by: D.G. | Sep 23 2021 17:31 utc | 171 ‘

    And another comment…

    The Hauwei angst in the west is because China has ‘leapfrogged’ the Western modernity with nextgen tech and AI in their daily commercial environment.
    
    The west having legacy ageing tech infrastructure and systems that hasn’t been squeezed of the last drop of payback/profit from it!
    
    That’s how they have always rolled.
    
    Capturing IP rights and shelving innovation.
    
    They couldn’t do that with 5G and plus.
    
    Or with AI in public services.
    
    Which makes them natural predators of similar organizations in the west by virtue of the WTO ‘open to competition’ rules. Which were designed under the assumption they only would work in one direction.
    
    It is that simple. Expect no mercy but be willing to accept that They will not act like we would and will not stoop to such savage western expectations.
    
    Posted by: D.G | Sep 25 2021 20:23 utc | 27

    What about the UN?

    The UN Charter, in its Preamble, set an objective:

    "to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained".

    Ever since, the development of, and respect for international law has been a key part of the work of the Organization.

    This work is carried out in many ways – by courts, tribunals, multilateral treaties – and by the Security Council, which can approve peacekeeping missions, impose sanctions, or authorize the use of force when there is a threat to international peace and security, if it deems this necessary. These powers are given to it by the UN Charter, which is considered an international treaty. As such, it is an instrument of international law, and UN Member States are bound by it. . .here

    China has been clear about the US ‘rules-based international order’ i.e. US laws, which go against the UN Charter.

    Mar 18, 2021
    
    SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, good afternoon, and welcome. On behalf of National Security Advisor Sullivan and myself, I want to welcome Director Yang and State Councilor Wang to Alaska, and to thank you very much for making the journey to be with us.
    
    I just returned myself from meetings with Secretary of Defense Austin and our counterparts in Japan and the Republic of Korea, two of our nation’s closest allies. They were very interested in the discussions that we’ll have here today and tomorrow because the issues that we’ll raise are relevant not only to China and the United States, but to others across the region and indeed around the world. Our administration is committed to leading with diplomacy to advance the interests of the United States and to strengthen the rules-based international order.
    
    That system is not an abstraction. It helps countries resolve differences peacefully, coordinate multilateral efforts effectively, and participate in global commerce with the assurance that everyone is following the same rules. The alternative to a rules-based order is a world in which might makes right and winners take all, and that would be a far more violent and unstable world for all of us. Today, we’ll have an opportunity to discuss key priorities, both domestic and global, so that China can better understand our administration’s intentions and approach.

    Director Yang responded–

    What China and the international community follow or uphold is the United Nations-centered international system and the international order underpinned by international law, not what is advocated by a small number of countries of the so-called “rules-based” international order. 
    
    And the United States has its style – United States-style democracy – and China has the Chinese-style democracy. 
    
    It is not just up to the American people, but also the people of the world to evaluate how the United States has done in advancing its own democracy. 
    
    In China’s case, after decades of reform and opening up, we have come a long way in various fields. 
    
    In particular, we have engaged in tireless efforts to contribute to the peace and development of the world, and to upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. . .here

    So it’s a showdown between the USA and the UN. China and Russia and the rest of the world (minus the UK, and Australia) want to stand with the UN. The USA wants to be God over all. Is this an exaggeration?

    And China plays down the line.

    U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman visited Tianjin, China July 25-26 2021 and was presented a list of US “wrongdoings that must stop”, also mentioning specifically Meng Wanzhou

    In the List of U.S. Wrongdoings that Must Stop, China urged the United States to unconditionally revoke the visa restrictions over Communist Party of China (CPC) members and their families, revoke sanctions on Chinese leaders, officials and government agencies, and remove visa restrictions on Chinese students.
    
    China also urged the United States to stop suppressing Chinese enterprises, stop harassing Chinese students, stop suppressing the Confucius Institutes, revoke the registration of Chinese media outlets as "foreign agents" or "foreign missions", and revoke the extradition request for Meng Wanzhou.

    Meng’s release is creating waves.

    • Chinese citizens are giving unprecedented support to the government.
    • Overseas Chinese are ever more united behind China.
    • Even those anti-communist and brainwashed Chinese in Taiwan, Hong Kong and elsewhere are quietly admitting the positive result – because they understand that they could be the target of arrest by America in future if this turns out the wrong way.
    • It is giving a tough-love lesson to the serially abused vassal states, e.g. Japan (Toshiba), France (Alstom), Germany (Siemens) and countless others. I don’t know what are their politicians and executives thinking right now: shame, regret, impotent, admiration or some combination of these?
    • It has delivered a bloody punch to the war-mongers and anti-China neocons, who are licking their wound.

    And finally,

    • It is giving hope to the rest of developing countries. Countries who treasures their independence and dignity needs to grow a spine and learn to grab a stick.

    But that is not the only thing going on…

    Eurasia Takes Shape: How the SCO Just Flipped the World Order

    The SEO. It’s going to become a really big deal in the next few years. Pay attention.

    SEO = Russia + China + Iran + India

    As a rudderless West watched on, the 20th anniversary meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was laser-focused on two key deliverables: shaping up Afghanistan and kicking off a full-spectrum Eurasian integration.

    .

    The two defining moments of the historic 20th anniversary Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Dushanbe, Tajikistan had to come from the keynote speeches of – who else – the leaders of the Russia-China strategic partnership.

    Xi Jinping:

    “Today we will launch procedures to admit Iran as a full member of the SCO.”

    Vladimir Putin:

    “I would like to highlight the Memorandum of Understanding that was signed today between the SCO Secretariat and the Eurasian Economic Commission. 
    
    It is clearly designed to further Russia’s idea of establishing a Greater Eurasia Partnership covering the SCO, the EAEU (Eurasian Economic Union), ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and China’s Belt and Road initiative (BRI).”

    In short, over the weekend, Iran was enshrined in its rightful, prime Eurasian role, and all Eurasian integration paths converged toward a new global geopolitical – and geoeconomic – paradigm, with a sonic boom bound to echo for the rest of the century.

    That was the killer one-two punch immediately following the Atlantic alliance’s ignominious imperial retreat from Afghanistan.

    Right as the Taliban took control of Kabul on August 15, the redoubtable Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of Russia’s Security Council, told his Iranian colleague Admiral Ali Shamkhani that “the Islamic Republic will become a full member of the SCO.”

    Dushanbe revealed itself as the ultimate diplomatic crossover. President Xi firmly rejected any “condescending lecturing” and emphasized development paths and governance models compatible with national conditions. Just like Putin, he stressed the complementary focus of BRI and the EAEU, and in fact summarized a true multilateralist Manifesto for the Global South.

    Right on point, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan noted that the SCO should advance “the development of a regional macro-economy.” This is reflected in the SCO’s drive to start using local currencies for trade, bypassing the US dollar.

    The SEO is an enormous geopolitical force. Not only in geography, but populaiton, and in manufacturing and technology competance. What is going in in the news in the MM readership’s nations about this subject? How is it being reported on the “news”?

    Watch that quadrilateral

    Dushanbe was not just a bed of roses. Tajikistan’s Emomali Rahmon, a staunch, secular Muslim and former member of the Communist Party of the USSR – in power for no less than 29 years, reelected for the 5th time in 2020 with 90 percent of the vote – right off the bat denounced the “medieval sharia” of Taliban 2.0 and said they had already “abandoned their previous promise to form an inclusive government.”

    Rahmon, who has never been caught smiling on camera, was already in power when the Taliban conquered Kabul in 1996. He was bound to publicly support his Tajik cousins against the “expansion of extremist ideology” in Afghanistan – which in fact worries all SCO member-states when it comes to smashing dodgy jihadi outfits of the ISIS-K mold .

    The meat of the matter in Dushanbe was in the bilaterals – and one quadrilateral.

    Take the bilateral between Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Chinese FM Wang Yi. Jaishankar said that China should not view “its relations with India through the lens of a third country,” and took pains to stress that India “does not subscribe to any clash of civilizations theory.”

    Ouch! Could the “third country” (he referenced) be the United States?

    That was quite a tough sell considering that the first in-person Quad summit takes place this week in Washington, DC, hosted by that “third country” which is now knee deep in clash-of-civilizations mode against China.

    Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was on a bilateral roll, meeting the presidents of Iran, Belarus, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The official Pakistani diplomatic position is that Afghanistan should not be abandoned, but engaged.

    That position added nuance to what Russian Special Presidential Envoy for SCO Affairs Bakhtiyer Khakimov had explained about Kabul’s absence at the SCO table: “At this stage, all member states have an understanding that there are no reasons for an invitation until there is a legitimate, generally recognized government in Afghanistan.”

    And that, arguably, leads us to the key SCO meeting: a quadrilateral with the Foreign Ministers of Russia, China, Pakistan and Iran.

    Pakistani Foreign Minister Qureshi affirmed: “We are monitoring whether all the groups are included in the government or not.” The heart of the matter is that, from now on, Islamabad coordinates the SCO strategy on Afghanistan, and will broker Taliban negotiations with senior Tajik, Uzbek and Hazara leaders. This will eventually lead the way towards an inclusive government regionally recognized by SCO member-nations.

    Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was warmly received by all – especially after his forceful keynote speech, an Axis of Resistance classic. His bilateral with Belarus president Aleksandr Lukashenko revolved around a discussion on “sanctions confrontation.” According to Lukashenko: “If the sanctions did any harm to Belarus, Iran, other countries, it was only because we ourselves are to blame for this. We were not always negotiable, we did not always find the path we had to take under the pressure of sanctions.”

    Considering Tehran is fully briefed on Islamabad’s SCO role in terms of Afghanistan, there will be no need to deploy the Fatemiyoun brigade – informally known as the Afghan Hezbollah – to defend the Hazaras. Fatemiyoun was formed in 2012 and was instrumental in Syria in the fight against Daesh, especially in Palmyra. But if ISIS-K does not go away, that’s a completely different story.

    Particular important for SCO members Iran and India will be the future of Chabahar port. That remains India’s crypto-Silk Road gambit to connect it to Afghanistan and Central Asia. The geoeconomic success of Chabahar more than ever depends on a stable Afghanistan – and this is where Tehran’s interests fully converge with Russia-China’s SCO drive.

    What the 2021 SCO Dushanbe Declaration spelled out about Afghanistan is quite revealing:

    1. Afghanistan should be an independent, neutral, united, democratic and peaceful state, free of terrorism, war and drugs.

    2. It is critical to have an inclusive government in Afghanistan, with representatives from all ethnic, religious and political groups of Afghan society.

    3. SCO member states, emphasizing the significance of the many years of hospitality and effective assistance provided by regional and neighboring countries to Afghan refugees, consider it important for the international community to make active efforts to facilitate their dignified, safe and sustainable return to their homeland.

    As much as it may sound like an impossible dream, this is the unified message of Russia, China, Iran, India, Pakistan and the Central Asian “stans.” One hopes that Pakistani PM Imran Khan is up to the task and ready for his SCO close-up.

    Oh, I think that it’s going to work out. What does the MM readership think will happen?

    Oh, have you noticed…

    The Chinese and the Russians have been devoting all sorts of energy moving around all their ICBM’s all over the place. You never saw this in the USA, and very rarely in Russia and China, though you heard about it. But now a days, it’s very common with ICBM fleets moving all over China and Russia. Imagine that.

    I wonder why…?

    VIDEO.

    The Zhuhai Airshow…

    Big stuff in my home town.

    100% made in China.

    Song Zhonping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Tuesday that switching to Chinese engines means the J-20 is now completely domestically made, and this will significantly contribute to the mass production and the performance boost of the aircraft.

    American neocon publications are calling the J-20 as a “cheap knock off “. Do you think this is so, or what are your thoughts on the J-20?

    That troubled Western peninsula

    The New Silk Roads were officially launched eight years ago by Xi Jinping, first in Astana – now Nur-Sultan – and then in Jakarta.

    This is how it was reported at the time.

    The announcement came close to a SCO summit – then in Bishkek. The SCO, widely dismissed in Washington and Brussels as a mere talk shop, was already surpassing its original mandate of fighting the “three evil forces” – terrorism, separatism and extremism – and encompassing politics and geoeconomics.
    
    In 2013, there was a Xi-Putin-Rouhani trilateral. Beijing expressed full support for Iran’s peaceful nuclear program (remember, this was two years before the signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the JCPOA).
    
    
    
    
    Despite many experts dismissing it at the time, there was indeed a common China-Russia-Iran front on Syria (Axis of Resistance in action). Xinjiang was being promoted as the key hub for the Eurasian Land Bridge. Pipelineistan was at the heart of the Chinese strategy – from Kazakhstan oil to Turkmenistan gas. Some people may even remember when Hillary Clinton, as Secretary of State, was waxing lyrical about an American-propelled New Silk Road.
    
    Now compare it to Xi’s Multilateralism Manifesto in Dushanbe eight years later, reminiscing on how the SCO “has proved to be an excellent example of multilateralism in the 21stcentury,” and “has played an important role in enhancing the voice of developing countries.”
    
    The strategic importance of this SCO summit taking place right after the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok cannot be overstated enough. The EEF focuses of course on the Russian Far East – and essentially advances interconnectivity between Russia and Asia. It is an absolutely key hub of Russia’s Greater Eurasian Partnership.
    
    A cornucopia of deals is on the horizon – expanding from the Far East to the Arctic and the development of the Northern Sea Route, and involving everything from precious metals and green energy to digital sovereignty flowing through logistics corridors between Asia and Europe via Russia.
    
    As Putin hinted in his keynote speech, this is what the Greater Eurasia Partnership is all about: the Eurasia Economic Union (EAEU), BRI, India’s initiative, ASEAN, and now the SCO, developing in a harmonized network, crucially operated by “sovereign decision-making centers.”
    
    So if the BRI proposes a very Taoist “community of shared future for human kind,” the Russian project, conceptually, proposes a dialogue of civilizations (already evoked by the Khatami years in Iran) and sovereign economic-political projects. They are, indeed, complementary.
    
    Glenn Diesen, Professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway and an editor at the Russia in Global Affairs journal, is among the very few top scholars who are analyzing this process in depth. His latest book remarkably tells the whole story in its title: Europe as the Western Peninsula of Greater Eurasia: Geoeconomic Regions in a Multipolar World. It’s not clear whether Eurocrats in Brussels – slaves of Atlanticism and incapable of grasping the potential of Greater Eurasia – will end up exercising real strategic autonomy.
    
    Diesen evokes in detail the parallels between the Russian and the Chinese strategies. He notes how China “is pursuing a three-pillared geoeconomic initiative by developing technological leadership via its China 2025 plan, new transportation corridors via its trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative, and establishing new financial instruments such as banks, payment systems and the internationalization of the yuan. Russia is similarly pursuing technological sovereignty, both in the digital sphere and beyond, as well as new transportation corridors such as the Northern Sea Route through the Arctic, and, primarily, new financial instruments.”

    The whole Global South, stunned by the accelerated collapse of the western Empire and its unilateral “rules-based order…

    … now seems to be ready to embrace the new groove, fully displayed in Dushanbe: a multipolar Greater Eurasia of sovereign equals.

    Interesting chat on my morning feed…

    America controls both the currency (USD, the international reserve currency) and conduit (SWIFT) for international trade. This is their global imperial power.

    They can print paper (out of nothing) to buy the world’s limited and precious resources while the rest of the world must earn or borrow the paper. They also decide who can or cannot trade. In addition, they control all the banks and financial institutes doing international business.

    America can strangle and impose oppressive fines, indict and hijack, as well as corrupt and incite regime change, to turn any intransigent player into a whimpering idiot. They control the world’s media and the narrative. America can do no wrong and you’re all assholes living in hellholes.

    Most importantly, America can print paper to build the greatest military force to control your mineral resources and trade routes, meanwhile pacifying and civilizing sundry barbaric people of defenseless countries.  And guess who is paying for this monstrosity? If you think it’s the American taxpayers, you’d be wrong. It’s all smoke and mirrors.

    The ruling class in America creates a ton of money from thin air which becomes debt that the rest of the enslaved world must buy. That debt becomes a debt of the American people which they can never repay, therefore they become debt slaves, quietly complying to their master’s orders.

    And the money created eventually ends up in the coffers of the 1% American military industrial financial warmongering scammers. Since the rest of the enslaved world ends up being holders of American debt that pays almost no interest, of a currency that is being printed at exponential rate, and paying interest that is also printed out of thin air, you the victims are paying for the oppressive weapons of the American monstrosity.

    Capische?

    By the way, America did not invent this beautiful scheme. After kicking the Persians out of Greece in 479 BCE, Athens was the liberating hero beloved even by their perennial enemy, the Spartans. Then Athens formed the Delian League to fight the Persians.
    
    Everyone must pay the League and send their sons to fight. The treasury of the League soon ended up in Athens, and used to enrich Athenians. Member cities desiring to leave the League were sacked, their men slaughtered, their women enslaved, and their sons castrated.
    
    Athens at the head of the League became an imperial power even crueler than the Persians. In less than a generation, Athens turned from being the most admired Greek city state into the most hated. Eventually, it led to war with the Spartans, who allied with the Persians to destroy Athens. That's what happens to empires.

    The question of setting up an international currency for trading is theoretically fine, and the SDR of the IMF serves that purpose to some extent, but at the end of the day, America still controls the IMF and SDR is but an accounting tool. Power and trust are what cause a promissory note to be used as a token of wealth for trading between countries.

    Nixon actually defaulted and robbed the world blind. It’s a well known history which you can read up on your own (Google Nixon gold default). America and its dollar still has power, but trust is badly eroded. There is no good alternative at the moment that can challenge the USD, but China’s RMB is gaining, slowly and steadily.

    The digital RMB is dangerous for the US dollar hegemony because people can pay anywhere in the world just by using a smartphone, and the transaction is done instantaneously, without the need for clearing through banks, without any bank fees, and certainly does not need clearing through any American system, completely kicking America out of the loop.

    No more American clearing.

    No more SWIFT.

    No more waiting for days going through the international banking system.

    And most importantly…

    No more American unilateral sanctions.

    Besides, RMBs are appreciating because of China’s growing economic power, which by the way, is based on production and innovation rather than running the printers, persistent lying, and highway robbery.

    Below is an article about what happens if America defaults on its treasury bills. I suggest that China shouldn’t have to worry about its 1 trillion dollar reserve. America won’t let China buy anything valuable with it anyways. Anything of value China wants to buy is against America’s “national security”.

    America will eventually have to pay up, as the T-bills in China’s reserve is only a small portion in the whole pot.

    In any case, the collapse of the USD hegemony is much more valuable to China and the rest of the world than empty American paper promises, which by now should be badly discounted.

    If you trust habitual liars, then it’s your problem.

    The fall of the USD hegemony means that America can no longer print its way out of problems and let the rest of the world bail them out. They’ll have a hard time printing trillions for their military adventures.

    Every trip to the South China Sea must be balanced against servicing their debt.

    Their bases all around the world may have to figure out a way to generate an income, maybe by selling military shirts and boots, all made in China, of course.

    Do you think that this is being overstated? Do you believe that somehow America will steer it’s financial ship into a safe harbor and regain control of it’s economic abilities?

    And this is what those inside of Australia think of the Morrison submarine deal…

    As three former prime ministers in Paul Keating, Malcolm Turnbull and Kevin Rudd have already pointed out, AUKUS puts Australians in greater danger, renders Australia a vassal to foreign power and antagonises our neighbours in the region.

    Depending on how you count them, there are probably already four US bases in operation now:

    • Pine Gap near Alice Springs, Northern Territory,
    • Naval Communication Station Harold E. Holt, north of the town of Exmouth, Western Australia,
    • Robertson Barracks in Darwin, Northern Territory,
    • Australian Defence Satellite Communications Station near Geraldton, WA.

    However, the US military already has access to all major Australian Defence Force (ADF) training areas, northern Australian RAAF airfields, port facilities in Darwin and Fremantle, and probably future access too to an expanded Stirling naval base in Perth.

    Under AUKUS, this may just be the beginning. It was largely ignored during the AUKUS media blitz and the dramatic cuckolding of the French but Peter Dutton had this to say at his press conference on September 16,

    Unveiling plans for new facilities on Australian soil for US naval, air, and ground forces would entail “combined logistics, sustainment, and capability for maintenance to support our enhanced activities, including … for our submarines and surface combatants”. That is on top of “rotational deployments of all types of US military aircraft to Australia”.

    If the plan is to shred Australia’s sovereignty and make us a target for China, he is succeeding with aplomb. We are about to be swamped by US military.

    Do you think that China would invade Australia and attack the American military there? Or what do you think China would do to deal with this threat?

    Oh, and worth a view…

    “We made SARS. And we patented it on 19/4/2002, before there was any alleged outbreak in Asia”:
    .
    David E. Martin testifies at the German Corona Inquiry Committee July 9th, 2021. AV+transcript. China Rising Radio Sinoland 210907

    Oh, Very few international companies returned back to America…

    The “Trump Trade War” did not bear any fruit. None of the companies returned back to America.

    A little story by “PM”

    "In Spring of 2000, I took my newly wedded mainland-Chinese wife to North America to visit the rest of the extended family. 
    
    We spent a week in Las Vegas so that my wife could experience a bit of American decadence. 
    
    One day, we walked into the Vegas Saks Department Store to browse on jewelry. An aged sales-lady immediately walked over and struck up a conversation. 
    
    My wife didn't speak a word of English, but I spoke like a native Canadian. The sales-lady asked us where we were from. I could have said we were from Hong Kong. I certainly could have said we were Canadians. 
    
    Unlike a lot of people who declared themselves Hong Konger or Taiwanese when traveling in the West, I said we were from China, and just by being confident in our own skin (I used to travel to Vegas every year for conventions and knew every nook and cranny), demonstrated that we were not ashamed to be Chinese. 
    
    Aftermath: the old lady said if we were interested in anything, be sure to ask for her, as she had the authority to give Chinese tourists a discount. Nudge nudge wink wink. It was a revelation. I knew Chinese shoppers loved haggling, but I didn't know you could haggle at Saks."

    Greenback’s crisis-opportunity

    This article / comment is from a anti-China writer who views the e-RMB as a “pipe dream” and that the USD will regain it’s role as the leading and only global reserve currency.

    Even bigger questions hang over the global financial system.
    
    The efforts by China, Russia, Saudi Arabia and other major economies to de-dollarize world trade is a work in progress, at best. The same goes for developing Asia, which spent the years since the region’s 1997-98 financial crisis pledging to wean economies off the dollar.
    
    Try as export-driven economies may, the dollar and US Treasuries are still the linchpin of the global trading system. Yet the political shenanigans on display in Washington could change that – and quickly.
    
    The “empire is crumbling” and the dollar is “slowly losing its sheen,” says Peter Koenig at Renmin University of China. Slowly, but surely, he says, the dollar “is losing its weight in the international financial market.”
    
    Technological change is accelerating the timeline, particularly as China outpaces the US in the race to bring a central bank-issued digital currency to market, says strategist Dante Alighieri Disparte at financial services firm Circle.
    
    “With the explosive proliferation of cryptocurrencies, including China’s introduction of a digital renminbi, it is not surprising to hear panicked warnings about the looming decline of the dollar,” Disparte says.
    
    It’s not the whole story, of course. If Biden’s Washington plays its cards right, Disparte notes, the dollar could end up being the “prime beneficiary of today’s market developments.”
    
    Yet the dollar is at the mercy of politics and politics can be highly toxic. If the current squabbling in Washington devastates trust in the core asset of the global financial system, current obsessing over China Evergrande will become a mere side show.

    Do you think that he is correct, that the USD will regain it’s strength and global standing?

    Oh. Jackie Ma. What have you done?

    Jack Ma bought or invested in more than 30 media outlets, set up a university for the super rich (only those who owe a business worth $30m are qualify to enrolled as students, he is using such strategy to form a 1% gangster circle thinking he could one day control the media, economy, and government. But his link to Wall Street has been exposed in the process of Xi full scale anti corruption campaign.

    His money laundering Alibaba Alipay is not put under control, his rich ganger University was shut down, his media empire is in the process of dismantling.

    His corrupt friends who Jack up property prices, manipulated stock market is gone one by one….

    No capitalist can bully a real people government serving the interest of the people.

    Taiwan unification

    China’s reunification with Taiwan might perhaps happen sooner than expected – The Greanville Post

    Here’s a joke

    There is a joke I heard in Chinese Internet:

    US: We need to start a war to destroy China.
    (Looks around all countries. Pause, silence… Then everyone replies at the same time)
    Japan: You go first.
    Korea: You go first.
    India: You go first.
    ASEAN: You go first.
    Australia: I go first.

    A comment

    .

    The U.S. would get its ass kicked in a war with China, which is precisely why I support one.

    This is no longer my country. Not only is it no longer my country, its government has become my oppressor. We are now a photonegative of our former self, a Soviet Union of the 21st century.

    I took not a little joy in seeing this government humiliated in Afghanistan, and my response to a war lost to China will be the same.

    Cashless in China

    No one uses cash any more in China. Oh we see it from time to time, but for most of us it’s a simple swipe of a QR code. That’s it. Bank visits are rare. ATM visits are unheard of. We’ve all adopted to it, and guess what? No fees to transfer money in any way shape or form.

    No wonder the US Banking system is going into convulsions.

    But…

    Cash, cold hard cash, will never disappear. Cash will never be obsolete and we should all hope it will be with us for many years to come.
    
    The need for payment that works with no-signal or no-electricity won’t go away no matter how digitally sophisticated we believe ourselves to be. 
    
    Anyone living in hurricane or typhoon-prone areas, where storms can send society back to the Stone Age, understand this better than most. 
    
    The passage below is from Cashless, Chapter 19, The case against CBDCs: The Illusion of Privacy  
    
    The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency went so far as to advise all residents to keep “cash in small denominations” at home in case of emergencies. The idea that a power cut, cyberattack, or major technology disruption would cripple the nation because of residents’ reliance on digital payment is a real concern. 
    
    Anyone in the UK who had a credit card attached to WireCard payment systems experienced this firsthand when the company failed, and cards went offline for forty-eight hours. Saying that digital system failures can’t happen or will never happen seems foolish. 
    
    So for the record, cash will be with us for some time to come. It provides a simple analog solution to payment in an increasingly digital world. To say that it has no place in our future [or has lapsed into obsolescence] is to deny the fragility of our digital systems, which, time and time again, fail spectacularly. 
    
    Their failures are reminders of how new we are to this digital revolution and that cash, which has been around for millennia, will still be an integral part of our modernized financial system. 
    

    I would go as far as to say that hearing the call to completely eliminate cash should make readers, even the most “cashless,” become wary. 

    And about those Australian nuclear submarines…

    .

    Submarines

    Idiotic stupidity.

    US Propaganda is saying that the submarines will have nuclear power and missiles with conventional payload. How nice. Chinese can relax. I did never see in my live such a retarded statement. So what is this statement? Gentleman’s agreement?

    So submarines can be built with nuclear power and loaded with conventional missiles. But if submarines are built with such a space dimension that they can store nuclear missiles and loading mechanism that can handle nuclear missiles, and firing tubes that can accept nuclear missiles.

    Than what is worth the US statement.

    Do American think that Chinese are retarded?

    By the time those submarines will be built the Chinese can built four times more powerful countermeasures.

    And then there is Afghanistan

    Empire of chickenhawks: Why America’s chaotic departure from Afghanistan was actually perfect

    We screwed up 20 years of pointless war. We didn’t win. We lost. Why wouldn’t we screw up the final exit?

    By Lucian K. Truscott IV

    Published September 25, 2021 8:00AM (EDT)

    The biggest fallacy about our exit from Afghanistan is that there was a “good” way for us to get out. There is no good way to lose a war. With defeat comes humiliation. We were humiliated in the way we pulled out of Kabul — and we should have been, because we believed the lies we had been told right up to the last moment.

    The lies we heard at the end of our war in Afghanistan wereas the same ones we were told, and were only too happy to believe, for 20 long years: that everything was going swimmingly. Remember earlier in the summer when the headlines were about how the Taliban controlled a large percentage of the territory in Afghanistan, but the Afghan government and its supposed army still controlled the provincial capitals and Kabul, and that was where the power was.

    What a total crock of shit. Everyone was shocked — shocked — when the headlines started to come. Aug. 9, from the AP: “Taliban press on, take two more provincial capitals.” That story was a doozie. “On Monday they [the Taliban] controlled five of the country’s 34 provincial capitals.” It didn’t really matter which two capitals the Taliban had taken. You had to read way down in the story to discover they were Aybak, capital of Samangan province, and Sar-e-Pul, capital of Sar-e-Pul province. Where the hell were they? Who had even heard of them?

    That was Monday. By Wednesday, Aug. 11, here was the headline in Al Jazeera: “Timeline: Afghanistan provincial capitals captured by the Taliban.” How many, you might ask? In two days, the count had ballooned from five capitals to 18. Eighteen. Later that day, both Al Jazeera and Reuters were reporting that U.S. intelligence sources were saying that Kabul could “fall to Taliban within 90 days.”

    Surprise! Three days later, the evacuation of Kabul began. On Sept. 1, two weeks later, CBS News headlined: “This is the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan” with an eerie night-vision video capture of Maj. Gen. Chris Donahue, commander of the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division, XVIII Airborne Corps, headed up the ramp of a C-17 cargo jet wearing full combat gear including bulletproof vest and helmet with night-vision goggles attached, carrying his M-4 automatic rifle.

    How did Afghanistan collapse so quickly to Taliban control? Because “we” — the U.S. military and its NATO allies — never controlled it to begin with. Nor did our puppets in the so-called Afghan government. The idea that we ever did, that we ever “controlled” or even had our finger on the pulse of the “graveyard of empires” was a lie.

    You know who told us that lie? Every government from George W. Bush on, and every general ever put in charge of that doomed mission. Every single one of them reported that all was well, that the Afghan army was 300,000 strong, that the Taliban was on the run, that the Afghan air force was taking over from the missions flown by American warplanes, that the Afghans had their own helicopters now. And that the Afghan president, whether it was Ashraf Ghani or Hamid Karzai, was firmly in charge back in Kabul.

    And you know who went along with that fiction? The United States Congress, which voted for 20 years to spend the $2 trillion we pissed away over there, and each of the presidents — yes, including Barack Obama and Donald Trump — who approved every increase of troops, every troop withdrawal, every “surge” that was advertised as the solution to end all solutions, the thing that would finally put the Taliban on the run.

    Remember all the Taliban commanders we were told were killed?

    A drone strike took out this one!

    Another drone strike took out that one!

    Wow! We had to be winning if the Taliban was losing so many important leaders!

    And then there were the keyboard commandos back in Washington and New York, and the neocons from the Council on Foreign Relations, and the growing chorus of retired generals — among them all of the commanders of our Afghanistan mission — who were all over the op-ed pages and cable news assuring us that All Was Well, as they racked up the megabucks sitting on the boards of defense contractors selling all the military shit that was winning the war for us.

    "The eight generals who commanded American forces in Afghanistan between 2008 and 2018 have gone on to serve on more than 20 corporate boards,"

    the Washington Post reported on Sept. 4, three days after we exited from Kabul with our tail between our legs.

    There was Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who oversaw the big “surge” of 2009 that was the answer-to-end-all-answers to every problem we were having over there. He has been “a board member or adviser for at least 10 companies since 2010, according to corporate filings and news releases,” the Post reported. There was Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., who commanded allied forces in 2013 and 2014, who went on to serve on the board of Lockheed Martin, the gigantic defense contractor. There was Gen. John R. Allen, commander in Afghanistan before Dunford, who is the president of the Brookings Institution, which has received $1.5 million over three years from Northrop Grumman, according to the Post. And Gen. David Petraeus, who preceded Allen and now sits on the board of KKR, a private equity firm in New York with many investments in the defense industry.

    All of these gentlemen — and let’s take a moment to note they are all men, not a female commander among them — reported back to us from their command posts in Afghanistan how well things were going over there, how we were all over the Taliban, how the Afghan government was successfully “standing up” its well-equipped, well-trained army to defend the country from the Taliban. And then they went on cable TV and continued their lies when they got back to the U.S. and retired from the Army, because that’s what generals today do. They sit on corporate boards, they give incredibly well-paid speeches, they go on TV and they rake in the Big Bucks because they were so successful in Afghanistan … and in Iraq, too. Remember Petraeus and his “surge” in 2007? Boy, were we ever surging, huh? I remember Newsweek published a cover image of Petraeus in 2004 wearing in his combat fatigues, standing on a tarmac with a Blackhawk helicopter behind him, with the headline: “Can this man save Iraq?” The story, believe it or not, was about how Petraeus was taking over the training of the Iraqi army, and that was what was going to “save Iraq.” Don’t you think we should have concluded, when the “surge” became necessary in 2007, that Petraeus had utterly failed in his mission to train the Iraqi army and “save Iraq” back in 2004?

    The words “crock of shit” again come to mind, but they are far, far from adequate. These presidents, and these members of Congress, and these generals, and these war-happy pundits, ran a great big gigantic con on the citizens of this country who were paying the taxes which — someday, perhaps — will pay for the $2 trillion we pissed away over in Afghanistan, and the trillions we pissed away in Iraq, too. They lied over and over and over again that with just another troop surge, or another troop withdrawal (because suddenly everything was hunky-dory) and of course just another infusion of billions and billions of dollars and the lost of a couple thousand more American lives we could “win” in Afghanistan and “win” in Iraq.

    Over there, they laughed at us. The Afghans and the Iraqis who took the money, took all the equipment we gave them, took 20 years of our politics and our “prestige” as a nation, and the whole time they were laughing their heads off, because they knew what we didn’t know. None of it was working. None of it would ever work. And one day we would be headed out of both countries with our tails between our legs, because that’s what you do when you lose.

    That’s why our frantic, chaotic exit from Kabul was perfect, because it perfectly capped off 20 years of lies about what was really going on over there, 20 years of frantic, chaotic thrashing around and throwing money and the bodies of young American men and women at a problem that could never be solved. It was an enormous delusion that we, the United States of America, could march into those countries thousands of miles away from our shores and — if we spent enough money and invented and fielded enough “mine resistant vehicles” and fired enough missiles from enough drones at enough “Taliban commanders” — could somehow emerge from those quagmires victorious.

    We couldn’t, and we didn’t, and when that American major general, all kitted-out in the combat gear we spent 20 years dressing our soldiers in, scampered up the ramp of that cargo jet to steal away from the Kabul airport in the middle of the night, it was the absolute perfect ending to the perfect disaster the war in Afghanistan had always been. We were humiliated in front of the entire world, as we should have been. The way we left Afghanistan “did damage to our credibility and to our reputation,” the famous Gen. Petraeus told CBS when it was all over.

    Yeah, it did, Dave, and it should have. Maybe now the geniuses who got us into those godforsaken disastrous wars and kept us there will think twice before they do it again.

    Except, wait. That was supposed to have been the great “lesson of Vietnam.” Never mind.

    American debt is looming large…

    the US federal government’s rivers of borrowed money running dry and in urgent need of replenishing. The other is a major Chinese property developer which has run into financial trouble, because the company veered off the road by squandering too much on making electric cars and sponsoring a football club.

    As US federal debt default looms, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is facing her biggest test in her eight-month tenure to convince reluctant Republican lawmakers to agree to raise the US’ national debt limit, which is currently set at $28.5 trillion. The stakes are high, because if Yellen’s effort fails, the US financial system will collapse.

    Yellen has called Republican leaders to convey the economic danger which lays ahead, bluntly warning that the Treasury Department’s ability to stave off default is limited, and the failure to lift the debt cap by late October would be “catastrophic” for the country and the world.

    Six former US treasury secretaries last week sent a letter to top US lawmakers, warning them a default would roil financial markets and blunt economic growth. According to US media reports, Yellen last week also warned the nation’s largest banks and financial institutions about the very real risk of a default. She has spoken to chief executives of JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, BlackRock and Goldman Sachs, briefing them the likely disastrous impact a federal default will produce.

    To make things worse, both Democrats and Republicans in the US are at each other’s throats now over US President Joe Biden’s new $3.5 trillion spending bill, which proposes heavy tax raises on rich families and corporations, and has met fierce opposition from Republican lawmakers. Whether they will compromise on the debt limit, by making a last-minute deal with the White House to reduce Biden’s giant spending plan remains to be seen.

    Market analysts say if the US government defaults on its colossal debt, a financial system crisis of a magnitude larger than the 2008-09 debacle could occur, which is estimated to lead to an evaporation of $15 trillion in wealth and loss of 6 million jobs in the US. The capital market is now on tenterhooks facing a potential financial time bomb.

    Do you think that the USA will raise the debt ceiling, or will default? There is a third option, that China and Russsia would “bail out the USA”. What do you think will happen?

    Consequences.

    Ever since President Trump was elected it was millions of dollars in a hate-hate-hate China narrative. And this has resulted in all sorts of violence, bad will, and Congressional action. What is not being reported is how the Chinese feel about America and Japan today.

    Here is a Chinese car with pro-Japan and Pro-America stickers and wording. VIDEO.

    Video.

    How AP, Reuters And SCMP Propagandize Their Readers Against China

    From MoA

    A typical ‘western’ anti-China propaganda claim is that China is using its military aggressively. ‘Western’ news agencies do this on a regular base when they report of Chinese air maneuvers around Taiwan.

    Oh my goodness!

    Drudge report reporting this “news” to the American people.

    This report by the South China Morning Post, based on AP and Reuters items, is a perfect example for that:

    25 Chinese warplanes enter Taiwan’s air defence zone

    Taiwan’s air force scrambled again on Friday to warn away 25 Chinese aircraft that entered its air defence zone, according to the defence ministry in Taipei.Taiwan has complained for a year or more of repeated missions by China’s air force, often in the southwestern part of its air defence zone close to the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands.

    The latest PLA air force mission involved 18 J-16 and four Su-30 fighters plus two nuclear-capable H-6 bombers and an anti-submarine aircraft, the Taiwan ministry said.

    It said Taiwan sent combat aircraft to warn away the PLA aircraft, while missile systems were deployed to monitor them.

    The Chinese aircraft all flew in an area close to the Pratas, with the two bombers flying closest to the atoll, according to a map that the ministry issued.

    I do not believe that China would fly its bombers and jets into Taiwan’s “air defense zone” because that is the geographic area where Taiwan would actually shoot to take them down.

    So I checked with the news agency reports the SCMP story is based on. AP headlines:

    China sends 25 fighter planes toward Taiwan on National Day

    TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China sent 25 fighter jets toward self-ruled Taiwan in a large display of force on China’s National Day Friday.The People’s Liberation Army flew 18 J-16 fighter jets as well as two H-6 bombers, among other planes. Taiwan deployed air patrol forces in response and tracked the Chinese aircraft on its air defense systems, the island’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.

    China has sent planes toward the island it claims as part of its territory on a near daily basis in the last couple of years, stepping up military harassment with drills.

    No “air defense zone” there but one extra point for “military harassment”. Reuters is less subtle:

    China marks national day with mass air incursion near Taiwan

    TAIPEI, Oct 1 (Reuters) – Taiwan’s air force scrambled again on Friday to warn away 25 Chinese aircraft that entered its air defence zone, the defence ministry in Taipei said, the same day as China marked its national day, the founding of the People’s Republic of China.Chinese-claimed Taiwan has complained for a year or more of repeated missions by China’s air force near the democratically governed island, often in the southwestern part of its air defence zone close to the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands.

    The latest Chinese mission involved 18 J-16 and four Su-30 fighters plus two nuclear-capable H-6 bombers and an anti-submarine aircraft, the Taiwan ministry said.

    So the “air defense zone” claims comes from Reuters. It is however 100% fake news. Neither did the Chinese airforce fly into the “air defense zone” of Taiwan nor did Taiwan claim that it did.

    Here is the original news item from the Ministry of Defense of Taiwan. The headline and first line say it all:

    Air activities in the southwestern ADIZ of R.O.C.

    Air activities in the southwestern ADIZ of R.O.C.

    …There is no “air defense zone” (ADZ) in there. Instead there is Taiwan’s ADIZ, or “Air Defense Identification Zone”, into which Chinese planes ‘intruded’.

    What is an ADIZ one might ask:

    An air defense identification zone (ADIZ) is airspace over land or water in which the identification, location, and control of civil aircraft is performed in the interest of national security. They may extend beyond a country's territory to give the country more time to respond to possibly hostile aircraft. The concept of an ADIZ is not defined in any international treaty and is not regulated by any international body..

    Some countries unilateral declare an ADIZ around this or that territory. They ask any plane entering it to identify itself. As ADIZ are unilateral ‘pretty please’ requests with no binding power they are regularly ignored

    Taiwan’s ADIZ is quite ridiculous as it covers parts of mainland China:

    Taiwan has an ADIZ that covers most of the Taiwan Strait, part of the Chinese province of Fujian, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi and part of the East China Sea and adjacent airspace. Most of the ADIZ of Taiwan is built on its exclusive economic zone. Taiwan’s ADIZ was designed and created by the United States Armed Forces (USAF) after World War II.

    The Taiwanese Defense Ministry Military News Updates claim that Chinese ‘violations’ of its ADIZ happen each and every day.

    The Reuters fake news piece also says that the Chinese planes flew near to Pratas Island (Dongsha) which China as well as Taiwan both claim as their territory.

    In fact mainland China is nearer to Pratas than Taiwan is.

    The Twitter account of Taiwan’s Defense Ministry just posted this map of the alleged ‘violations’ which perfectly shows how ridiculous such claims are:

    The AP report is misleading as it implies a special meaning to something that happens regularly. The Reuters piece is obviously fake news as it claims that Taiwan’s defense ministry said something which it did not say.  The SCMP deserves to be criticized too as any reporter and editor covering such news should know the difference between an ADZ and an ADIZ and should have recognized that the “air defense zone” claim in the Reuters piece is obviously bollocks.

    That said all three fulfill their intended purpose. They propagandize those who read them against China by depicting normal military training of China’s armed forces as aggression against its neighbors.

    Posted by b on October 1, 2021 at 16:52 UTC | Permalink

    It’s just another example of just how the anti-China narrative is being pushed, and pushed and pushed relentlessly. Nothing good can happen from this. I believe that the American and the Australians, and the Brits are now all worked up into a frothy fury against China and will support a war. Do you agree with me on this, or do you have other thoughts?

    How things are being handled…

    Curious. This next article…

    Huawei CFO gets hero’s welcome; Canadians land quietly

    The tallest building in Shenzhen lit up with scrolling slogan “Welcome Home, Meng Wanzhou” across its facade. 

    The two Canadians freed by Beijing returned to their homeland with less fanfare Huawei CFO gets hero’s welcome; Canadians land quietly | National Post

    Fact Sheet: U.S. Interference in Hong Kong Affairs and Support for Anti-China, Destabilizing Forces”

    As published on Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China's website. /fmprc.gov.cn

    Editor’s note: Grenville Cross is a senior counsel and professor of law, and was previously the director of public prosecutions of the Hong Kong SAR. The article reflects the author’s opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

    In recent years, China’s achievements have surpassed all expectations, and the United States has become increasingly paranoid. It realizes its post-war hegemony can no longer be taken for granted, and that its star is slowly fading. Ever since the UK-based Center for Economics and Business Research reported in December 2020 that China will overtake the U.S. to become the world’s largest economy by 2028, five years earlier than previously forecast, it has been panic stations in Washington D.C.

    The U.S., however, faces massive problems, and they are getting worse. It is burdened with a huge national debt, standing at $28.4 billion in August, about $1.7 billion more than a year earlier. Its foreign policy is a shambles, with the Afghanistan debacle being but the latest example, and even its closest allies are appalled by its incompetence and duplicity. Indeed, after the AUKUS deal between the U.S., Australia and the UK was sprung on an unsuspecting world on September 15, France, which was cheated out of a submarine contract, denounced it as a “stab in the back”, and, for the first time ever, withdrew its ambassador from Washington D.C.

    Instead, however, of taking a long, hard look at itself, the previous and present U.S. administrations have resorted to scapegoating China, hoping to deflect attention away from their own woes. Although most of its problems are of its own making, the U.S. has sought to blame China not only for its own ills but also those of the world, thereby laying the groundwork for hostile interventions. It has decided that one of the ways of dealing with China is by fomenting internal dissent and spreading misinformation about it, just as it has done in its efforts to weaken Russia.

    On June 9, 2019, when the protest movement in Hong Kong and its armed wing declared war on society, ostensibly over the SAR government’s fugitive surrender bill, the U.S. saw its chance. Although the proposals would have facilitated the return of criminal fugitives to 177 jurisdictions, subject to court oversight, and were entirely reasonable, the U.S., to inflame tensions, demonized them, and provided every encouragement to the protesters.

    Indeed, on August 6, 2019, at the height of the violence in Hong Kong, the U.S. Consul General’s political counselor, Julie Eadeh, met covertly with protest leaders, including Joshua Wong Chi-fung and Nathan Law Kwun-chung, at a local hotel, presumably to share U.S. views on the insurrection and provide ongoing advice.

    Again, after Brian Leung Kai-ping, one of the rioters who trashed the Legislative Council complex on July 1, 2019, causing damage estimated at HK$50 million ($6.4 million), fled the city, he was not only welcomed to the U.S., but also invited to the Congress as an honored guest.

    Instead of denouncing the rioters who were bringing death and destruction to Hong Kong streets, the then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo endorsed the protest movement’s demands, supported their anti-police agenda, and sought to blame the government for the insurrection.

    Even when the protest movement targeted the rule of law by firebombing the courts and threatening the judges, Pompeo and his cronies continued to lionize the protest leaders, and to whitewash their excesses. It was, by any yardstick, partisanship of the worst sort, and represented a new low in U.S. foreign policy.

    Even when anti-China legislators, linked to the protest movement, sabotaged the work of the Legislative Council, preventing the passage of legislation for nearly seven months in 2019-20, the U.S. condemned the initiatives taken to get things back on track. Even though it would never have tolerated obstructionism of this type at home, it expected the authorities to allow it in Hong Kong, although the name of its game was, of course, mischief-making.

    But with the exclusion of legislators bent on mayhem, and their replacement with responsible citizens committed to the well-being of Hong Kong and the national good, the city now has the prospect of effective governance.

    Working through front organizations, the U.S. provided multifaceted support to the protest movement and its allies throughout the insurrection. They included various U.S.-based entities, including the National Endowment for Democracy, always generous with its cash when opponents of the Hong Kong SAR government came knocking, and the U.S. Agency for Global Media.

    It has also now come to light that various other U.S.-backed groups were complicit in the uprising, including the Oslo Freedom Foundation, the Albert Einstein Institute and the Centre for Applied Nonviolent Action and Strategies, which, despite their fancy names, all had sinister agendas. Although many of them operated in the shadows, this cannot be said of the U.S. Strategic Competition Act 2021, which allocated $10 million for the promotion of “democracy in Hong Kong”, a euphemism for stirring up trouble.

    Once, however, the National Security Law was enacted, it provided the Hong Kong Special Administration Region (HKSAR) government with the tools it required to save the city’s way of life and capitalist system, and put an end to undercover operations by foreign powers. The U.S., however, responded by imposing sanctions on the city, revoking its favorable trade status, and suspending the agreement on surrender of fugitive offenders with the HKSAR.

    Not once, however, did the U.S. explain how it thought damaging Hong Kong like this would in any way benefit its people, which was revelatory. Perhaps more than anything else, its inability to justify its actions highlighted not only its determination to undermine China by ruining Hong Kong, but also its willingness to throw a long-standing friend under the bus, just as it has now done to France, which also made the mistake of trusting it.

    The U.S. attempts to destabilize Hong Kong are a disgrace, as well as a betrayal. The lengths to which it was prepared to go to hurt China beggar belief, and they have now been chronicled for all to see by the China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    On September 24, it issued a Fact Sheet entitled “U.S. Interference in Hong Kong Affairs and Support for Anti-China Destabilizing Forces”, which is highly detailed and a real eye-opener. It exposes cynical, comprehensive and intensive efforts by a global bullyboy to ruin one of the world’s most successful cities, and is essential reading for anybody wishing to know the depths to which the U.S. is prepared to sink.

    Quite clearly, if the evidence contained in the Fact Sheet were to be presented in a court of law responsible for trying the U.S. for willful depredations against Hong Kong and its people, the only possible verdict would be “guilty as charged.” This, alas, will never happen, but great comfort can nonetheless be derived from the city’s survival, against all the odds.

    Although, at one point, China’s adversaries thought they could bring Hong Kong to its knees and destroy the “one country, two systems” policy, they have, after the nation rallied round, been decisively thwarted. Indeed, with the Central Government’s steadfast support, the city has emerged from its experiences stronger than ever, and can now face its future with renewed confidence.

    Fact listing

    It’s a long list. You can skim over and refer to it later…

    List of facts about U.S. intervention in Hong Kong affairs and support of anti-China forces in Hong Kong
    2021-09-24

    https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/web/wjbxw_673019/t1909400.shtml

    List of facts about U.S. intervention in Hong Kong affairs and support of anti-China forces in Hong Kong
    2021-09-24
      1. Concocting Hong Kong-related bills, discrediting China’s Hong Kong policy, interfering in Hong Kong’s internal affairs, and wantonly interfering in China’s internal affairs.
      1. On November 27, 2019, the then-U.S. President Trump signed the “Hong Kong” concocted by the U.S. Congress in order to show his support for the anti-China and Hong Kong forces and obstruct the efforts of the Chinese Central Government and the Hong Kong SAR government to stop violence, curb chaos, and restore order. The Human Rights and Democracy Act” and the “Prohibition of Export of Related Ammunitions to Hong Kong Police”. The relevant bill slanders the Chinese central government for undermining Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy, authorizes the US President to impose sanctions against relevant Chinese officials such as denying entry and freezing assets in the US, and requires the US Secretary of State to submit an annual report on Hong Kong affairs and prohibit the US from exporting tear gas and pepper spray to Hong Kong. , Rubber bullets and stun guns and other police equipment.
      2. On July 14, 2020, the then US President Trump signed the “Hong Kong Autonomy Act.” The law requires sanctions against so-called foreign individuals or entities related to China’s breach of Hong Kong-related obligations, as well as foreign financial institutions that conduct important transactions with related individuals or entities, and supports so-called “persecuted” Hong Kong residents to enter the United States. On the same day, Trump signed No. 13936 “Presidential Executive Order on the Normalization of Hong Kong”, which determined that the situation in Hong Kong constitutes a threat to the security, foreign policy and economy of the United States, and accordingly declared a national emergency, including the suspension and cancellation of special grants to Hong Kong. Preferential treatment, authorization to impose sanctions on Hong Kong entities and individuals, etc.
      3. On February 18, 2021, Meeks, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives, proposed the so-called “resolution condemning China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for continuing to violate the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong people”, slandering the Chinese central government and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government for upholding the rule of law. The case was approved by the House of Representatives on April 19.
      4. The U.S. Congress is reviewing several negative Hong Kong bills, including: On January 25 and February 8, 2021, U.S. Republican Representative Curtis and U.S. Senator Rubio proposed “Hong Kong” in the House of Representatives and Senate, respectively. The Safe Harbor Act requires the U.S. government to provide refugee status to “Hong Kong independence” elements involved in the Hong Kong riots; on March 18, 2021, Republican Senator Rubio proposed the so-called “condemnation of the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party for repressing Hong Kong. Including the arrest of democrats and repeated violations of the “Sino-British Joint Declaration” and Hong Kong Basic Law resolutions”; on June 24, 2021, Republican Senator Sass proposed the “Hong Kong Democratic Congress Gold Medal Bill”, clamoring to Li Zhiying , Luo Weiguang, Zhang Jianhong, Zhou Daquan, Chen Peimin, Zhang Zhiwei, Yang Qingqi and other Hong Kong “Apple Daily” executives and all staff members of the newspaper awarded the American Association Gold Medal; June 30, 2021, Democratic Congressman Malinowski Introduced the “Hong Kong People’s Freedom and Choice Act of 2021”, which requires the provision of asylum for anti-China chaos in Hong Kong, criminals and criminals, and provide them with convenient access to the United States; on June 30, 2021, Republican Representative Perry proposed “Hong Kong The Freedom Act requires that the US President be authorized to recognize the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region as an “independent country.”
      2. Flagrantly imposing sanctions in an attempt to obstruct the smooth implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law and the relevant decisions of the National People’s Congress of China in Hong Kong.
      1. On May 29, 2020, the then US President Trump announced the cancellation of Hong Kong’s special status and Hong Kong’s commercial preferential measures.
      2. On June 29, 2020, the then U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo announced that the export of U.S. defense equipment to Hong Kong will now be banned, and the export of U.S. defense and dual-use technologies to Hong Kong will be restricted.
      3. On June 29, 2020, the then US Secretary of Commerce Ross issued a statement officially abolishing the special trade treatment for Hong Kong, prohibiting the sale of dual-use high-tech equipment to Hong Kong, and will continue to evaluate the cancellation of other special treatments in Hong Kong.
      4. On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced the termination of the Hong Kong export license exception treatment and prohibits the export of defense equipment and sensitive technology to Hong Kong.
      5. On August 7, 2020, the U.S. government announced sanctions against 11 officials of the Chinese Central Government and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government on the grounds of enforcing the Hong Kong National Security Law and undermining Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy.
      6. On August 11, 2020, the US Department of Homeland Security announced that from September 25, Hong Kong exports to the United States must indicate the origin of “China” and prohibit the use of the “Made in Hong Kong” label.
      7. On August 19, 2020, the US State Department announced the suspension or termination of the three bilateral agreements signed with Hong Kong, including the transfer of fugitive offenders, the transfer of sentenced persons, and the exemption of international shipping profits tax.
      8. On October 14, 2020, the U.S. State Department submitted its first Hong Kong-related report to the U.S. Congress in accordance with the requirements of the “Hong Kong Autonomy Act.” The financial institutions related to the above-mentioned persons impose sanctions.
      9. On November 9, 2020, the U.S. State Department announced sanctions against four officials of the Chinese Central Government and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government on the grounds that they threatened Hong Kong’s peace, security, and high degree of autonomy.
      10. On December 7, 2020, the US State Department imposed sanctions on 14 vice-chairmen of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China on the grounds that the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China enacted the Hong Kong National Security Law and disqualified four opposition members of the Hong Kong Legislative Council.
      11. On January 15, 2021, the then US Secretary of State Pompeo issued a statement on the grounds that the Hong Kong police arrested 55 so-called democrats and imposed sanctions on 6 officials of the Chinese Central Government and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government.
      12. On March 16, 2021, the US State Department updated the “Hong Kong Autonomy Law” report, and announced the update of the list of Hong Kong-related sanctions and additional financial services based on the relevant decisions adopted by the National People’s Congress to improve the Hong Kong election system and the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law. Sanctions.
      13. On July 7, 2021, the White House issued the so-called “Notice on the Continuing Implementation of the National Emergency Concerning Hong Kong”, announcing the extension of the so-called “national emergency declared in response to the situation in Hong Kong” and extending the US sanctions against Hong Kong for one year.
      14. On July 16, 2021, the US State Department, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of the Treasury fabricated the so-called “Hong Kong Business Warning” and discredited Hong Kong’s business environment on the grounds that the SAR implemented the Hong Kong National Security Law and the suspension of the “Apple Daily”. , Vilified the development of Hong Kong and the prospects of “one country, two systems”, and announced sanctions on seven officials of the Liaison Office of the Central Committee of Hong Kong. US Secretary of State Blincoln also issued a so-called statement on the first anniversary of the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law, slandering the National Security Law and attacking the Chinese government’s policy towards Hong Kong.
      3. Slander and slander the affairs of the Special Administrative Region, arbitrarily discuss the enforcement actions of the Hong Kong police, and undermine the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong.
      1. On February 25, 2019, the then U.S. Consul General in Hong Kong, Tang Weikang, publicly expressed in an interview his concern about the SAR government’s proposed revision of the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, claiming that the amendment may affect the implementation of the bilateral agreement between the United States and Hong Kong.
      2. On March 21, 2019, the U.S. State Department issued the “2019 Hong Kong Policy and Law Report”, claiming that the freedom of speech in Hong Kong has been eroded and that the Chinese government has increased its intervention in Hong Kong affairs, causing damage to Hong Kong in many ways.
      3. On May 7, 2019, the US Congress “US-China Economic and Security Evaluation Committee” issued a report that slandered the SAR government’s amendment to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance and “eroded Hong Kong’s autonomy”, which constituted a serious threat to the national security of the United States and the economic interests of the United States in Hong Kong. risk.
      4. On May 16, 2019, the U.S. State Department issued a statement falsely claiming that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government’s amendment to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance threatened the rule of law in Hong Kong and was concerned about this.
      5. On June 19, 2019, when Speaker of the House of Representatives Pelosi spoke at the Christian Science Monitor’s breakfast meeting, he ignored the various extreme atrocities committed by anti-China and Hong Kong elements, claiming that “2 million people took to the streets to oppose the amendment. The Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, isn’t that a beautiful landscape?”, openly condoned and encouraged anti-China chaos in Hong Kong to use illegal and violent means to confront the central government and the SAR government.
      6. On July 26, 2019, Engel, then chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, falsely claimed that the Hong Kong police used violence in handling demonstrations, which damaged Hong Kong’s international reputation in governance and justice.
      7. On September 17, 2019, the United States “Congress-Executive China Committee” held a hearing on the situation in Hong Kong, beautifying the anti-revision violent demonstrations, discrediting the SAR government’s handling of the Hong Kong police, falsely claiming that it undermined the “one country, two systems” and Hong Kong autonomy.
      8. On September 28, 2019, the US “Congress-Executive China Committee” issued a statement on the fifth anniversary of Hong Kong’s “Occupy Central”, discrediting “One Country, Two Systems” and the central government’s policy towards Hong Kong.
      9. On October 7, 2019, the then-U.S. President Trump stated that he hoped that the Hong Kong protest issue would be resolved humanely. The people of Hong Kong were great. They waved the American flag and more than 2 million people participated in the protest. Nothing like this has ever happened before.
      10. On October 24, 2019, the then-U.S. Vice President Mike Pence delivered an anti-China speech at the Wilson Center, a think-tank in Washington. He repeatedly mentioned Hong Kong’s “regulation turmoil”, claiming that “Hong Kong is a living example, showing how China would embrace freedom. What will happen”.
      11. On November 21, 2019, Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States Pelosi made a public speech after the “Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act” was passed and reviewed, claiming that “China’s commitment to Hong Kong’s complete autonomy has been broken” and deliberately distorting “One Country, Two Systems” , Confusion of right and wrong.
      12. On December 10, 2019, the US Consul General in Hong Kong, Smith, wrote an article in Ming Pao in Hong Kong, threatening that “the United States has consistently committed to human rights in Hong Kong”, claiming that “the United States’ enactment of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act demonstrates the universal value of the United States. The commitment of the United States reflects the United States’ concern about Beijing’s erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy.”
      13. On May 22, 2020, the then U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo issued a statement on the “Decision on Establishing and Improving the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s Legal System and Implementation Mechanism for Maintaining National Security” by the National People’s Congress of China, slandering the Hong Kong National Security Law as “ Impose” and “undermine Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy.”
      14. On May 27, 2020, the then U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo once again issued a statement on the imminent review and approval of the Hong Kong National Security Law by the National People’s Congress of China, arguing that the United States hopes that Hong Kong, as a “fortress of freedom”, can become a model for “authoritarian” China, and to The U.S. Congress “confirmed” that Hong Kong should no longer enjoy the treatment granted to it by U.S. law before July 1997.
      15. On May 28, 2020, the U.S. State Department submitted the “2020 Hong Kong Policy Law Report” to Congress, confirming that Hong Kong cannot continue to enjoy the special treatment provided by U.S. law.
      16. On June 30, 2020, the then U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo issued a statement falsely claiming that the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law undermined “One Country, Two Systems” and violated the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the commitments made in Hong Kong’s Basic Law.
      17. On July 1, 2020, the Speaker of the U.S. Congress, Pelosi, after passing the “Hong Kong Autonomy Act” in the U.S. House of Representatives, falsely claimed that the Hong Kong National Security Act is a “cruel and comprehensive suppression of Hong Kong, undermining Hong Kong’s freedom, and marking’one country, two systems.” ‘Death’.
      18. On July 6, 2020, US Consul General Smith in Hong Kong falsely claimed that Hong Kong’s national security law erode the basic human rights and freedoms of Hong Kong people and create an atmosphere of self-censorship, which is a tragedy in Hong Kong.
      19. On July 14, 2020, the then US Secretary of State Pompeo issued a statement supporting the so-called “primary election” illegally held by the Hong Kong opposition.
      20. On July 23, 2020, the then US Secretary of State Pompeo delivered the so-called “Communist China and the Future of the Free World” anti-China speech, maliciously attacking the leadership of the Communist Party of China and China’s political system, spreading the China threat theory, and slandering the so-called strengthening of the Communist Party of China The control of Hong Kong has beautified Luo Guancong and other anti-China chaos in Hong Kong into democracy fighters.
      21. On July 31, 2020, the then White House spokesperson McNerney stated that the United States opposed the Hong Kong SAR government’s disqualification of opposition candidates.

    Fact Sheet: U.S. Interference in Hong Kong Affairs and Support for Anti-China, Destabilizing Forces

    2021/09/24

    I. Enacting Hong Kong-related Acts, vilifying China’s policy on Hong Kong, meddling in Hong Kong affairs, and wantonly interfering in China’s internal affairs

    1. On 27 November 2019, in collusion with those who are opposed to China and attempt to destabilize Hong Kong and obstruct efforts of China’s central government and the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to stop violence and restore law and order, then U.S. President Donald Trump signed into law two bills passed by the U.S. Congress, i.e. the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019 and the Act to prohibit the commercial export of covered munitions items to the Hong Kong Police Force. These bills accuse China’s central government of undermining the high degree of autonomy of Hong Kong, authorize the U.S. President to impose sanctions such as inadmissibility to the United States and asset blocking against relevant Chinese officials, require the U.S. Secretary of State to submit a report regarding Hong Kong affairs on a yearly basis, and prohibit U.S. exports of police equipment, such as tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets and stun guns, to Hong Kong.

    2. On 14 July 2020, then U.S. President Trump signed into law the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, which requires the imposition of sanctions with respect to the foreign individuals or entities involved in the so-called erosion of certain obligations of China with respect to Hong Kong and foreign financial institutions that conduct significant transactions with those individuals or entities. It also supported permanent residents of Hong Kong who have been “persecuted” to enter the United States. On the same day, Trump signed the President’s Executive Order 13936 on Hong Kong Normalization, which determined that the situation with respect to Hong Kong constitutes a threat to the national security, foreign policy and economy of the United States. He declared a national emergency on that basis, which included measures to suspend or eliminate the different and preferential treatment for Hong Kong, and to authorize sanctions against entities and individuals with respect to Hong Kong.

    3. On 18 February 2021, Gregory Meeks, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a resolution condemning the so-called “continued violation of rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region”, which slandered the efforts made by China’s central government and the HKSAR government to uphold the rule of law, maintain order and stability and protect the life, property and safety of Hong Kong residents. The resolution was adopted by the House on 19 April.

    4. The U.S. Congress is considering several other ill-intentioned bills regarding Hong Kong:

    On 25 January and 8 February 2021, Republican Representative John Curtis and Republican Senator Marco Rubio introduced the Hong Kong Safe Harbor Act in the House and the Senate respectively, requiring the U.S. government to designate refugee status to individuals espousing “Hong Kong independence” and participating in the riots in Hong Kong.

    On 18 March 2021, Senator Rubio introduced a resolution condemning the so-called “crackdown by the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party in Hong Kong, including the arrests of pro-democracy activists and repeated violations of the obligations of that Government undertaken in the Sino-British Declaration of 1984 and the Hong Kong Basic Law”.

    On 24 June 2021, Republican Senator Ben Sasse introduced the Democracy in Hong Kong Congressional Gold Medal Act on conferring the Congressional Gold Medal to Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, Ryan Law Wai-kwong, Cheung Kim-hung, Royston Chow Tat-kuen, Chan Pui-man, Cheung Chi-wai, Yeung Ching-kee and all the executives and staff of Apple Daily, a newspaper in Hong Kong.

    On 30 June 2021, Republican Representative Tom Malinowski introduced the Hong Kong People’s Freedom and Choice Act of 2021, calling for providing protected status to those who oppose China and provoke instability as well as law breakers and offenders in Hong Kong and for enhancing protocols to facilitate their travels to the United States.

    On 30 June 2021, Republican Representative Scott Perry introduced the Hong Kong Freedom Act, calling for authorizing the U.S. President to recognize the HKSAR as “a separate, independent country”.

    II. Imposing sanctions in an attempt to obstruct the implementation in Hong Kong of the Hong Kong National Security Law and relevant decisions of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC)

    1. On 29 May 2020, then U.S. President Trump announced revocation of the special status and preferential economic treatment for Hong Kong.

    2. On 29 June 2020, then U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the immediate end of exports of U.S. defense equipment to Hong Kong and restrictions on exports of U.S. defense and dual-use technologies to Hong Kong.

    3. On 29 June 2020, then U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross issued a statement, officially revoking Hong Kong’s special status in trade, banning exports of dual-use high-tech products to Hong Kong, and stating that further actions to eliminate differential treatment for Hong Kong were also being evaluated.

    4. On 30 June 2020, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced the suspension of license exceptions for exports to Hong Kong, banning exports of U.S.-origin defense equipment and sensitive technologies to Hong Kong.

    5. On 7 August 2020, the U.S. government imposed sanctions on 11 officials of China’s central government and the HKSAR government on the ground of enforcing the Hong Kong National Security Law and undermining Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy.

    6. On 11 August 2020, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that after 25 September 2020, imported goods produced in Hong Kong may no longer be marked to indicate “Hong Kong” as their origin, but must be marked to indicate “China”.

    7. On 19 August 2020, the U.S. Department of State announced the suspension or termination of three bilateral agreements with Hong Kong covering the surrender of fugitive offenders, the transfer of sentenced persons, and reciprocal tax exemptions on income derived from the international operation of ships.

    8. On 14 October 2020, the U.S. Department of State submitted its first report to Congress pursuant to the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, listing 10 officials of China’s central government and the HKSAR government as “persons undermining the autonomy of Hong Kong” and threatening to impose sanctions on financial institutions related to these individuals.

    9. On 9 November 2020, the U.S. Department of State announced sanctions on four officials of China’s central government and the HKSAR government for “threatening the peace, security and autonomy of Hong Kong”.

    10. On 7 December 2020, the U.S. Department of State imposed sanctions on 14 Vice Chairpersons of the Standing Committee of the NPC of China on the ground of the NPC Standing Committee formulating the Hong Kong National Security Law and disqualifying four opposition members of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council.

    11. On 15 January 2021, then U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo issued a statement, announcing sanctions on six officials of China’s central government and the HKSAR government for arresting 55 so-called “pro-democracy politicians and activists” by Hong Kong police.

    12. On 16 March 2021, the U.S. Department of State updated its Hong Kong Autonomy Act report, announcing an updated list of sanctioned individuals and additional financial sanctions following the NPC’s decision to improve the electoral system of Hong Kong and implement the Hong Kong National Security Law.

    13. On 7 July 2021, the White House issued a Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Hong Kong, announcing the continuation of the so-called national emergency declared with respect to the Hong Kong situation, and extended U.S. sanctions on Hong Kong for one year.

    14. On 16 July 2021, the U.S. Department of State, Department of Commerce, Department of Homeland Security and Department of Treasury jointly issued a so-called “Hong Kong Business Advisory” on the ground of enforcing the Hong Kong National Security Law and closing of Apple Daily, in an attempt to cast doubt over Hong Kong’s business environment as well as the development of Hong Kong and the prospects of One Country, Two Systems in Hong Kong. In addition, new sanctions were announced on seven officials of the central government’s liaison office in the HKSAR. On the same day, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a statement “marking one year of Hong Kong’s national security law”, in which he made groundless attacks on the Hong Kong National Security Law and the Chinese government’s policy on Hong Kong.

    III. Making unfounded charges against HKSAR affairs and law enforcement actions taken by Hong Kong police in an attempt to undermine Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability

    1. On 25 February 2019, then U.S. Consul General to Hong Kong Kurt Tong expressed in an interview his concerns about the HKSAR government’s plan to introduce amendments to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, saying that an amendment could have some impact on the implementation of the bilateral arrangements between the United States and Hong Kong.

    2. On 21 March 2019, the U.S. Department of State released 2019 Hong Kong Policy Act Report alleging that freedom of expression in Hong Kong was facing setbacks, and that the increased intervention by China’s central government in Hong Kong affairs had “adversely impacted Hong Kong in multiple areas”.

    3. On 7 May 2019, the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission of U.S. Congress issued a report, alleging that the HKSAR government’s proposed extradition bill would “erode Hong Kong’s autonomy” and create serious risks for U.S. national security and economic interests in Hong Kong.

    4. On 16 May 2019, the U.S. State Department issued a statement, alleging that the HKSAR government’s proposed amendments to the Fugitive Ordinance would threaten Hong Kong’s rule of law and expressing concerns about it.

    5. On 19 June 2019, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi addressed a breakfast meeting hosted by The Christian Science Monitor in which she turned a blind eye to the extremist and violent acts committed by those who were opposed to China and attempted to destabilize Hong Kong and claimed that “the demonstration by some two million people against the extradition bill” was “a beautiful sight to behold”. She thus openly urged rioters to take illegal and violent actions against the central government and the HKSAR government.

    6. On 26 July 2019, then Chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Eliot Engel issued an unfounded statement about the so-called “police brutality in response to protests in Hong Kong”, alleging that “it has tarnished Hong Kong’s international reputation for good governance and fair administration of justice”.

    7. On 17 September 2019, the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China held a hearing on Hong Kong. At the hearing, the violent demonstrations against the extradition bill was whitewashed while the response of the HKSAR government and police was attacked as undermining One Country, Two Systems and Hong Kong’s autonomy.

    8. On 28 September 2019, the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China made a statement on the fifth anniversary of the so-called “Umbrella Movement protests”, in an attempt to vilify One Country, Two Systems and the central government’s policy on Hong Kong.

    9. On 7 October 2019, then U.S. President Donald Trump said that “we just want to see a humane solution” in Hong Kong. He talked about the “great people over there” and said “they are flying the American flag”, “I saw two million people. I’ve never seen anything like it”.

    10. On 24 October 2019, then U.S. Vice President Mike Pence delivered an anti-China speech at the Wilson Center, in which he mentioned the turbulence over the amendment bill in Hong Kong several times. He alleged that “Hong Kong is a living example of what can happen when China embraces liberty”.

    11. On 21 November 2019, in her remarks made after the passing of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi deliberately misrepresented One Country, Two Systems, alleging that China has broken the promise of high degree of autonomy.

    12. On 10 December 2019, U.S. Consul General in Hong Kong Hanscom Smith wrote an article for Ming Pao, a Hong Kong newspaper, asserting that “human rights are universal, which is why the United States stands with Hong Kong”. He claimed that the adoption of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act by the United States reflected its commitment to universal values and its concern over Beijing’s measures that erode Hong Kong’s autonomy.

    13. On 22 May 2020, then U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a statement on the adoption of the NPC Decision on Establishing and Improving the Legal Systems and Enforcement Mechanisms for Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, in which he made unfounded accusations that the National Security Law was “imposed” on Hong Kong and would “undermine Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy”.

    14. On 27 May 2020, then U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued another statement on the Hong Kong National Security Law to be deliberated and adopted by the NPC in which he claimed that the United States once hoped that Hong Kong, “as a bastion of liberty”, would provide a model for “authoritarian” China. He also stated that he would certify to Congress that Hong Kong does not continue to warrant treatment under U.S. law in the same manner as U.S. laws were applied to Hong Kong before July 1997.

    15. On 28 May 2020, the U.S. State Department submitted to Congress the 2020 Hong Kong Policy Act Report and certified that Hong Kong did not continue to warrant differential treatment under U.S. law.

    16. On 30 June 2020, then U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a statement, asserting that the Hong Kong National Security Law undermines One Country, Two Systems, and violates commitments made in the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law of the HKSAR.

    17. On 1 July 2020, following the adoption of the Hong Kong Autonomy Act by the U.S. House of Representatives, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi alleged that the Hong Kong National Security Law was “a brutal, sweeping crackdown against the people of Hong Kong, intended to destroy the freedoms they were promised” and it “signals the death of the One Country, Two Systems principle”.

    18. On 6 July 2020, U.S. Consul General in Hong Kong Hanscom Smith asserted in an interview that using the Hong Kong National Security Law to erode fundamental freedoms and create an atmosphere of self-censorship is a tragedy for Hong Kong.

    19. On 14 July 2020, then U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a statement in support of the so-called “primary election” organized by the opposition in Hong Kong.

    20. On 23 July 2020, then U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered an anti-China speech titled “Communist China and the Free World’s Future”. In the speech, he attacked the leadership of the CPC and China’s political system, fabricated the so-called “China threat”, accused the CPC of “tightening its grip on Hong Kong” and called Nathan Law Kwun-chung and other individuals who are opposed to China and attempt to destabilize Hong Kong as fighters for democracy.

    21. On 31 July 2020, then White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany stated the United States’ opposition to the HKSAR government’s decision to disqualify opposition candidates.

    22. On 7 August 2020, the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong issued a statement, blatantly smearing and attacking the Hong Kong National Security Law and alleging that it was “never about security, but rather, was intended to silence democracy advocates”.

    23. On 11 September 2020, then U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo attacked China in a statement on a case of illegal border crossing made by 12 Hong Kong residents in an attempt to meddle in China’s judicial sovereignty.

    24. On 11 November 2020, then Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Robert O’Brien asserted that China’s actions disqualifying the opposition legislators from Hong Kong’s Legislative Council violated the Sino-British Joint Declaration and that the United States will identify and sanction those responsible for extinguishing Hong Kong’s freedom.

    25. On 12 November 2020, then U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a statement on the disqualification of four opposition legislators. He accused the lawful decision of the NPC of being an “onslaught against Hong Kong’s freedoms” and clamored for “holding accountable the people responsible for eroding Hong Kong’s autonomy and freedoms”.

    26. On 6 January 2021, then U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a statement on the Hong Kong police’s lawful arrest of 53 opposition members who were suspected of violating the Hong Kong National Security law. He called for the “immediate and unconditional release” of those people and threatened further sanctions.

    27. On 14 January 2021, the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China released its so-called “2020 Annual Report”, alleging that the One country, Two systems framework has been dismantled. The Commission called for providing shelters for offenders from Hong Kong based on U.S. domestic laws and blatantly exerted pressure on the HKSAR government against its law-based administration.

    28. On 11 March 2021, the Spokesperson of the U.S. State Department made unwarranted charges against the passage of the NPC’s Decision on Improving the Electoral System of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, asserting that the decision was a continuing assault on democratic institutions and a direct attack on Hong Kong’s democratic processes.

    29. On 11 March 2021, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken released a statement on the passage of the NPC’s Decision on Improving the Electoral System of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in which he asserted that it was a direct attack on the autonomy, freedoms and democratic processes of Hong Kong.

    30. On 30 March 2021, the U.S. State Department released a 2020 Country Report on Human Rights Practices, vilifying the Hong Kong National Security Law and attacking law-based administration by the HKSAR government and law enforcement carried out by Hong Kong police.

    31. On 31 March 2021, the U.S. Department of State issued the 2021 Hong Kong Policy Act Report, accusing China of undermining the autonomy and rights and freedoms in Hong Kong and stating that Hong Kong would no longer receive the differential treatment previously accorded to it under U.S. laws.

    32. On 1 April 2021, U.S. Consul General to Hong Kong Hanscom Smith, in media interviews and articles published on newspapers such as the South China Morning Post and Ming Pao, vilified the major steps China had taken to improve HKSAR’s electoral system and to formulate and implement the Hong Kong National Security Law. He alleged that changes to the electoral system would render Hong Kong’s election results meaningless, and threatened to impose U.S. sanctions in an attempt to embolden those who are opposed to China and attempted to destabilize Hong Kong.

    33. On 16 April 2021, Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, tweeted that the arrest of Martin Lee and others who are opposed to China and attempt to destabilize Hong Kong was “another sign of Beijing’s assault on the rule of law” and felt “saddened and disturbed”.

    34. On 17 April 2021, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted that sentencing for politically-motivated charges “are unacceptable” and called for the “release” of those who are opposed to China and attempt to destabilize Hong Kong.

    35. On 7 May 2021, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted that “the United States stands with the people of Hong Kong”. He called for rejecting the sentencing of those who are opposed to China and attempt to destabilize Hong Kong and their immediate release.

    36. On 27 May 2021, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a press statement on the State Department website, unwarrantedly accusing the Chinese government of undermining the democratic institutions of Hong Kong and calling for all individuals arrested under the Hong Kong National Security Law to be released and their charges dropped.

    37. On 3 June 2021, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a press statement on the State Department website, claiming that “the United States will stand with” the people of China who demand that their government respect “universal human rights”, and he called those who are opposed to China and attempt to destabilize Hong Kong “brave activists”.

    38. On 4 June 2021, the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong lit up electric candles inside its the office window in support of the so-called candlelight vigil staged by those who are opposed to China and attempt to destabilize Hong Kong.

    39. On 5 June 2021, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted that those who are opposed to China and attempt to destabilize Hong Kong were inspiring and called for the immediate release of those arrested.

    40. On 11 June 2021, in an interview with Reuters, U.S. Consul General to Hong Kong Hanscom Smith alleged that the enactment of the Hong Kong National Security Law had created an “atmosphere of coercion” threatening both Hong Kong’s freedoms and its standing as an international business hub.

    41. On 21 June 2021, at a press briefing, the spokesperson of the U.S. Department of State, under the pretext of media freedom, accused the HKSAR government of using the Hong Kong National Security Law to suppress independent media and stifle freedom of expression.

    42. On 24 June 2021, in a statement released on the White House website, U.S. President Joe Biden, using media freedom as a pretext, called Apple Daily’s closure “a sad day for media freedom” and a signal of “intensified repression by Beijing”.

    43. On 29 June 2021, the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China held a roundtable on the one-year anniversary of the enactment of the Hong Kong National Security Law, making unwarranted charges against human rights and the rule of law in Hong Kong.

    44. On 30 June 2021, at the one-year anniversary of the enactment of the Hong Kong National Security Law, the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong, in disregard of facts, openly attacked the legislation, alleging that it curtails Hong Kong’s freedom of expression.

    45. On 1 July 2021, the U.S. Department of State issued the so-called “2021 Trafficking in Persons Report”. In the part on China, the report denigrated Hong Kong’s successful efforts to combat human trafficking, and demonized the Hong Kong National Security Law.

    46. On 13 July 2021, the spokesperson of the U.S. Department of State unwarrantedly accused China of continuing to undermine Hong Kong’s autonomy and business environment, and called for international attention.

    47. On 21 July 2021, the U.S. Department of State issued the so-called Investment Climate Statements. In the part on Hong Kong, the Statements played up the so-called security risks of the Hong Kong National Security Law and defamed Hong Kong’s business environment.

    48. On 2 August 2021, the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong posted “Bearing Witness” on its website, listing individuals who have been held accountable in accordance with law for opposing China and attempting to destabilize Hong Kong. The list contains such information as their names, the dates of their arrests, the dates they were charged, charges made against them, and their conviction dates.

    IV. Shielding and supporting those who are opposed to China and attempt to destabilize Hong Kong, providing platforms for them to advocate “Hong Kong independence” and spread political disinformation, and justifying the acts of those lawbreakers by twisting facts and misleading the public.

    1. On 17 March 2019, the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong arranged for a delegation of the U.S.-China Working Group of the U.S. House of Representatives to meet with Anson Chan Fang On-sang, Martin Lee Chu-ming and Joshua Wong Chi-fung and others. These people told the media afterwards that they discussed with the U.S. side issues such as the HKSAR government’s disqualification of opposition candidates from the Legislative Council election, the proposed amendments to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, and Hong Kong’s political development.

    2. From 19 to 26 March 2019, Anson Chan Fang On-sang, Dennis Kwok Wing-hang, Charles Mok Nai-kwong and several others visited the United States, where they met with U.S. officials including then Vice President Mike Pence, Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, then principal policy adviser to the U.S. Secretary of State Miles Yu, and then Assistant Secretary for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs of the U.S. Department of Defense Randall Schriver. They also met with officials from the State Department Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons and members of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China and the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Anson Chan and others urged the U.S. administration to impose sanctions on Hong Kong and pleaded for U.S. support for the anti-amendment bill movement launched by the opposition. The U.S. side arranged for them to give speeches at such institutions as the McCain Institute at Arizona State University and the Heritage Foundation. This provided a platform and support for Anson Chan and others to preach “Hong Kong independence” and spread political disinformation.

    3. From 13 to 17 May 2019, six people, namely Martin Lee Chu-ming, Lee Cheuk-yan, Mak Yin-ting, Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee, James To Kun-sun and Nathan Law Kwun-chung, visited the United States and met with U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, then White House National Security Council Senior Director for Asian Affairs Matt Pottinger and others. The U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China arranged for them to attend a so-called hearing on Hong Kong and ask the HKSAR government to withdraw the draft amendments to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance.

    4. On 14 May 2019, the U.S. National Endowment for Democracy held a seminar on the proposed amendment to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance by the HKSAR government, discussing the so-called “new threats to civil society and the rule of law in Hong Kong”. The Endowment arranged for Martin Lee Chu-ming and others who are opposed to China and attempt to destabilize to attend the seminar. Participants of the seminar called for taking immediate action to stop what they described as the “evil law”.

    5. From 7 to 11 July 2019, Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, who is opposed to China and attempts to destabilize Hong Kong, visited the United States and met with then Vice President Mike Pence, then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, then National Security Advisor John Bolton, then Assistant Secretary of State David Stilwell and others. Jimmy Lai lobbied for U.S. intervention in Hong Kong affairs, and discussed with the U.S. side developments in Hong Kong surrounding the amendment bill and the so-called “autonomous status of Hong Kong”, for which he received positive response from the U.S. side.

    6. On 6 August 2019, Hong Kong media reported that Joshua Wong Chi-fung, Nathan Law Kwun-chung and other leading figures of Demosistõ, an organization for “Hong Kong independence”, met with officials of the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong and called on the U.S. side to adopt a Hong Kong human rights and democracy act as soon as possible and impose sanctions on Hong Kong.

    7. On 17 September 2019, the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China arranged for Joshua Wong Chi-fung, Dennis Ho Wan-see, Nathan Law Kwun-chung, Sunny Cheung Kwan-yang and others to attend a hearing under the so-called title of “Hong Kong’s Summer of Discontent and U.S. Policy Responses”. This provided a platform and support for Wong, Ho, Law and Cheung to advocate “Hong Kong independence”, spread political disinformation and smear the central government of China and the HKSAR government.

    8. On 17 September 2019, U.S. Senator Todd Yang attended a press conference held on Capitol Hill to inaugurate the so-called Hong Kong Democracy Council, an organization supporting “Hong Kong independence”.

    9. From 12 to 13 October 2019, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz visited Hong Kong and met with Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, Anson Chan Fang On-sang, Dennis Kwok Wing-hang, Charles Mok Nai-kwong, Bonnie Leung Wing-man and other leading figures among those who are opposed to China and attempt to destabilize Hong Kong. Cruz appeared at a protest site dressed in black and told the media that he did not see any violence. He accused the Hong Kong police, who had been enforcing the law with great restraint, of violent suppression.

    10. From 22 to 26 October 2019, Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, Martin Lee Chu-ming and others who are opposed to China and attempt to destabilize Hong Kong visited the United States and met with Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, then Assistant Secretary of State David Stilwell, Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China Jim McGovern and several members of Congress.

    11. On 4 February 2020, at the invitation of U.S. senator Rick Scott, Nathan Law Kwun-chung, who is opposed to China and attempts to destabilize Hong Kong, attended the U.S. President’s State of the Union address.

    12. On 5 March 2020, then U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Jonathan Fritz and U.S. Consul General to Hong Kong Hanscom Smith met with Charles Mok Nai-kwong and some others who are opposed to China and attempt to destabilize Hong Kong.

    13. On 21 March 2020, U.S. Consul General to Hong Kong Hanscom Smith met with Joshua Wong Chi-fung, Sunny Cheung Kwan-yang and Fergus Leung Fong-wai, among others, and accepted a so-called petition from Wong. Wong urged the United States to impose sanctions on HKSAR government officials and members of the Hong Kong police by invoking the U.S. Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act.

    14. On 18 April 2020, then U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a statement making groundless accusations against Hong Kong police’s arrest of individuals who are opposed to China and attempt to destabilize Hong Kong.

    15. On 27 May 2020, U.S. Senator Joshua Hawley met with Joshua Wong Chi-fung and others who are opposed to China and attempt to destabilize Hong Kong.

    16. On 1 July 2020, the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations held a hearing and arranged for Nathan Law Kwun-chung, Lee Cheuk-yan and others who are opposed to China and attempt to destabilize Hong Kong to attend the hearing via video link, providing a platform for them to vilify the Hong Kong National Security Law and the central government’s policy on Hong Kong.

    17. On 21 July 2020, then U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had a one-on-one meeting in London with Nathan Law Kwun-chung, a “Hong Kong independence” advocate who had fled to the UK, in a move to embolden Law. Law smeared China’s central government and the HKSAR government, and called on the United States to exert more pressure on China.

    18. On 10 August 2020, then National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien issued a statement claiming that the U.S. side is “deeply troubled by the arrest of pro-democracy advocates” including Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and calling on Beijing to repeal the Hong Kong National Security Law.

    19. On 16 December 2020, the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary arranged for Nathan Law Kwun-chung, a “Hong Kong independence” advocate, to attend a hearing via video link. Law claimed that the Hong Kong National Security Law restricted Hong Kong people’s freedom of expression and right to protest, and urged the United States to grant asylum to more Hong Kong people.

    20. On 6 January 2021, then U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a statement expressing so-called concern over the arrest of more than 50 individuals who are opposed to China and attempt to destabilize Hong Kong.

    21. On 15 January 2021, then U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued another statement making irresponsible comments about the HKSAR government’s arrest made in accordance with the law of individuals who are opposed to China and attempt to destabilize Hong Kong, including an American lawyer. He called on China to immediately release individuals sanctioned under the Hong Kong National Security Law and drop charges against them.

    22. On 31 January 2021, nine U.S. senators and house representatives including Jim McGovern, Marco Rubio and Jeff Merkley wrote a joint letter to the Nobel Peace Prize Committee nominating the so-called “pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong” for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize.

    23. On 28 February 2021, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken posted a tweet to “condemn the detention of and charges filed against pan-democratic candidates in Hong Kong’s elections” by the HKSAR government.

    24. On 16 April 2021, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a statement making unwarranted accusations against China over the sentencing of Martin Lee Chu-ming, Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and other individuals who are opposed to China and attempt to destabilize Hong Kong.

    25. On 8 July 2021, Joshua Huck, Chief of the Economic and Political Section of the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong, attended as an observer an HK court trial of individuals suspected of illegally planning, organizing and carrying out the “35 +” and “10 steps to mutual destruction” plan. When interviewed by the media, he claimed that the Hong Kong National Security Law is about suppressing the freedom of Hong Kong people and sought to glorify and justify individuals who are opposed to China and attempt to destabilize Hong Kong.

    V. Colluding with some countries to exert pressure, and teaming up with allies to interfere in Hong Kong affairs and make irresponsible comments by such means as joint statements.

    1. On 27 May 2020, the United States Mission to the United Nations issued a statement calling for a UN Security Council meeting on Hong Kong. The statement claimed that Hong Kong is “a matter of urgent global concern that implicates international peace and security”.

    2. On 28 May 2020, foreign ministers of the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada issued a joint statement on Hong Kong, attacking the Hong Kong National Security Law to be adopted by China’s NPC.

    3. On 17 June 2020, foreign ministers of the United States and other G7 countries and the High Representative of the European Union issued a joint statement on Hong Kong. In an attempt to put pressure on China, the statement claimed that the Hong Kong National Security Law would undermine One country, Two Systems and Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy, and urged the Chinese government to reconsider the relevant decision.

    4. On 9 August 2020, foreign ministers of the United States and other Five Eyes countries issued a joint statement on Hong Kong, slandering the central government’s policy on Hong Kong and urging China’s NPC to revoke the disqualification of the four opposition members of the Legislative Council.

    5. On 18 November 2020, foreign ministers of the United States and other Five Eyes countries issued a joint statement on Hong Kong, attacking the decision of the Standing Committee of the NPC on the qualification of members of the Hong Kong Legislative Council and China’s policy on Hong Kong.

    6. On 9 January 2021, foreign ministers of the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada issued a joint statement on Hong Kong. The statement expressed so-called serious concern on the arrest of 55 individuals who are opposed to China and attempt to destabilize Hong Kong by Hong Kong police in accordance with law, and accused the Hong Kong National Security Law of being a clear breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, undermining the One Country, Two Systems framework, and curtailing the rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong.

    7. On 12 March 2021, foreign ministers of the United States and other G7 countries and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy issued a joint statement on Hong Kong. The statement claimed that the changes made by the Chinese government to Hong Kong’s electoral system were aimed at eliminating dissent in Hong Kong and would undermine Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy.

    8. On 5 May 2021, the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting attended by the United States and other relevant countries issued a joint statement which smeared the Chinese government’s policy on Hong Kong, distorted the policy of One Country, Two Systems, made irresponsible comments on the internal affairs of the HKSAR, and supported those who are opposed to China and attempt to destabilize Hong Kong. The United States also proposed at the meeting the setting up of an international group called “friends of Hong Kong”, in an attempt to get other Western countries on board to interfere in Hong Kong affairs.

    9. On 13 June 2021, the G7 Summit issued a communiqué which made groundless comments on Hong Kong and called on China to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong enshrined in the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law.

    10. From 21 June to 14 July 2021, during the 47th session of the UN Human Rights Council, the United States and 43 other countries signed a joint statement against China initiated by Canada, expressing “concern” over “human rights abuses” in Hong Kong.

    On 1 July, the United States led a side event on the one-year anniversary of the Hong Kong National Security Law which slandered the Hong Kong National Security Law and the rule of law in Hong Kong. Twenty governments and nine non-governmental organizations were asked to attend it.

    11. On 10 July 2021, the U.S. Department of State website published a joint statement made by 21 countries including the United States and some European countries, all being members of the so-called Media Freedom Coalition, expressing “strong concerns” about the closure of Apple Daily and the arrest of those who are opposed to China and attempt to destabilize Hong Kong. The statement also made groundless accusations against the law enforcement efforts of the HKSAR government, the Hong Kong National Security Law, and the central government’s policy on Hong Kong.

    Where is the world heading to?

    People are starting to recognize that within 18 months from now, a nuclear armed Australia will be the "tip of the speak" to militarily confrontation with China. 
    
    Thus (supposedly) sparing New York City, Washington DC, and Los Angles from nuclear destruction...

    From the Times of Israel.

    China-US nuclear line up on collusion course.

    In the Middle East, dictatorial regimes and terrorist militias about to breathe a sigh of relief as the United States and its allies withdraw from Afghanistan and perhaps soon from Iraq.

    There is a perception in the region that it is believed that for more than two centuries, first Britain and then the United States were a bone stuck in the throat of the region.

    Throughout the twentieth century and the first two decades of the twenty-first century, they kept brought nothing but war, violence, and the fragmentation of nations on the map, for the Middle East. The war and conflict only achievement of the great powers, especially in the oil and energy sector in this region.

    Now the table is turned.

    With the first energy revolution, the United States became depleted of Middle Eastern oil by acquiring shale oil, and now, by moving to clean energy, seeks its geopolitical priorities no longer in the Middle East but in the Indo-Pacific region.

    Leading oil historian Daniel Yergin delves deeply into these geopolitical changes in the post-oil world in his new book, The New Map, published September 14 2021 in New York. He says that just as the map of the world changed after the First World War at the beginning of the twentieth century, so in the twenty-first century there will be a new map of the world.

    The world has been waiting for years for a strategic and geopolitical confrontation between China and the United States.

    A confrontation that took place inevitably, but in any case, and for any reason, the leaders of the two countries pushed it back.

    Thursday, September 16, 2021 marked another historic day for the world. On this day, the leaders of the three countries of Australia, Britain and the United States suddenly appeared on world television and announced a security defense agreement and a tripartite core.

    A statement that shook the world.

    China, in its first response, threatened Australia with a nuclear attack.

    The Chinese do NOT bluff, and if they say something, you all had best LISTEN. Or do you think that they are liars and bluff and bluster all the time with hollow and empty threats?

    The Global Times, the English-language organ of the Chinese Communist Party, immediately reacted to the statement and attacked the treaty with the most naked words. A treaty that introduced new acronyms to world political literature. AUKUS is the acronym for this new treaty, which according to Politico is the newest and ugliest acronym for America.

    The three-way security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States will equip Australia with eight nuclear-powered submarines over eighteen months, as well as providing Australia with many artificial intelligence technologies, costumes, defense, and security facilities.

    In other words, while the United States has either withdrawn or is withdrawing from Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Syria, it is now conducting a nuclear and security camp in the Pacific against China. What Reuters has interpreted as a new Cold War that is affecting the geopolitics of the world.

    The American camp in the Pacific has greatly hurt Europe, and especially France. So much so that France called it a stab in the back, and France’s foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian called it a barbaric, one-sided, and unpredictable decision in an interview with Radio France, reminiscent of Trump’s actions. Le Drian, who could not hide his anger, added: “I am angry and bitter. This is not done between allies.”

    But why is France so angry?

    There are two reasons for France’s anger: First, France was previously set to sell submarines to Australia under a $ 40 billion deal, but has now been barred from a lucrative deal.

    But another important reason is that in the first major transatlantic security treaty, not only France but also Europe was ignored. The ignorance that Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, called painful in a statement published by The Wall Street Journal.

    What can be seen from what happened on Thursday in the world geopolitical scene, is that, the United States has not tolerated China’s growing progress and has finally resorted to a military alignment in its nuclear nature.

    The US turning its back on this new approach is understandable to its Middle East allies; But why it ousted its European allies, especially France, in the first transatlantic treaty is a question that the future will answer.

    Nope. They are not pausing to think. They are ramping up for a war against China.

    Idiots.

    And China is ready.

    Then there’s this
    .
    According to former MI6 deputy director Nigel Inkster, Xi Jinping is losing patience, and China is “edging closer” to confrontation with the US over Taiwan.

    Meanwhile, Taiwan declared an unprecedented US$9 billion increase in military spending the day before to meet China’s threat — a development that will not go over well in Beijing.

    There is also danger that the highly controversial AUKUS defence treaty between the UK, the US, and Australia may drag Britain into a battle with China over Taiwan.

    Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, called the AUKUS pact an example of a “obsolete cold war zero-sum thinking.”

    “On a scale of one to 10, how likely is it that we’ll see a military clash between America and China over this issue?” LBC host Matt Frei questioned Inkster.

    “Right now, we’re up to eight,” Inkster replied.

    “The best-case scenario is that both China and the United States realize they are on an equal footing militarily, with neither having a significant edge.

    “This acknowledgement could help to keep the peace, even if it is shattered. That is our only ray of hope.”

    “We may be approaching a tipping point when the Chinese party-state believes that peaceful reunification with Taiwan is not possible,” Inkster added.

    As Inkster spoke, across the pond at the Air, Space & Cyber conference in National Harbor, Maryland, Air Combat Command’s Gen. Mark D. Kelly told attendees that China must be challenged, Air Force magazine reported.

    The “cold, hard realities” are that the Air Force was superbly prepared and trained to defeat a peer adversary — Russia — 30 years ago, then achieved a highly lopsided victory in Iraq, Kelly said.

    But in the last 20 years, USAF was optimized for combat in a “permissive environment” that didn’t test the force. During that same time, China was focused completely on “the high-end fight, and fighting us.”

    China’s force structure and systems are “designed to inflict more casualties in the first 30 hours of combat than we’ve endured over the last 30 years in the Middle East,” Kelly said.

    No shit. What have I been saying?
    
    China does not believe in "surgical strikes" within strictly defined target battle zones.
    
    they believe in all-out brutal, devistating, absolute destructive war that does not descriminate and smashes things and breaks them relentlessly.

    As the United States Air Force inventory has aged and diminished, the balance with China has tilted more toward Beijing, he added.

    Kelly said Russia has been able to annex Crimea and China has claimed parts of the South China Sea “without firing a shot” because contesting those situations has become harder thanks to adversary air defenses.

    To regain the advantage — “to be a resolute world power ”— the US, through its Air Force, has to be able to penetrate “highly contested sovereign [airspace],” Kelly asserted.

    Nigel Inkster has worked at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) since 2007. He is the former Director of Future Conflict and Cyber Security and currently a Special Adviser at IISS. His research portfolio at IISS has included transnational terrorism, insurgency, transnational organized crime, cyber security, intelligence and security and the evolving character of conflict.

    Source: Brinkwire.com, Air Force magazine, CyberStability.org, Wikipedia

    Scandal in Taiwan

    I wonder how this is being reported in the United States?

    Current Taiwan president has a fake PhD and fake PhD thesis. After a UK court earlier this year ruled that the university should released all documents on Tsai Ing-wen’s, we now see a press conference re the investigation.
    Will she be trial for teaching in a Taiwan University with the fake PhD? And step down as president by lying to the voters?
    Scholars on the island open Tsai Ing-wen’s thesis door to the final trial press conference and choke on falsified papers

    https://www.tellerreport.com/news/2021-09-10-scholars-on-the-island-open-tsai-ing-wen%E2%80%99s-thesis-door-to-the-final-trial-press-conference-and-choke-on-falsified-papers.Byg5FEF_ft.html

    A full length video of the final trial press conference :

    Never Forget…

    VideoHere…

    Video.

    Do you think that he is right? That China would respond, or that they would try to retreat a little to save face?

    New Report Documents the Deadly Impact and Global Condemnation of US Sanctions

    .

    A coalition of North American human rights organizations has released a report on the impact and consequences of US sanctions. The report is based on wide-ranging research and interviews with citizens in countries which are suffering under US sanctions.

    The report reveals a reality which western media rarely or never reports.

    One finding is that US sanctions hurt the poor, have resulted in thousands of deaths and “humanitarian exemptions” do not work. Another finding is that more than 70% of the world nations officially condemn US sanctions as violating international law and the UN Charter.

    A free PDF copy of the report can be downloaded from…

    A Russian hostage now?

    • https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-gas-novatek-gyetvay-arrest/31478978.html
      A top official at Russian natural gas producer Novatek who was arrested in the United States last week on tax charges says he is innocent and will “vigorously” fight the case.
      “On Thursday I was indicted for baseless tax charges that I already settled through a voluntary program, and pleaded not guilty. I will vigorously fight these charges and will continue to discuss gas topics as normal,” Mark Gyetvay, the deputy chairman of Novatek’s management board, said in a tweet on September 26.
      The U.S. Department of Justice announced on September 23 that Gyetvay had been arrested on tax charges related to $93 million hidden in offshore accounts. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
      Gyetvay, who holds passports from both the United States and Russia, was released on a $80 million bond by a Florida judge, according to court filings.
      As an American citizen, Gyetvay is required to pay U.S. taxes on his worldwide income even if he spends most of the year in Russia.
      The 64-year old has been the face of Novatek to the Western investment community for more than a decade, conducting the quarterly earnings conference calls with stock and bond investors as well as speaking at industry conferences.
      Novatek is Russia’s largest independent natural gas producer and analysts say its phenomenal rise from a bit player in the early 2000s to a $79 billion company today — not far behind BP’s $89 billion market value — is due in large part to the company’s connections to the Kremlin.
      Gennady Timchenko, a key Novatek shareholder, is considered a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Their friendship goes back to the early 1990s.
      The United States has been seeking to reduce Europe’s reliance on Russian energy over the years, including blocking the launch of Nord Stream 2, a pipeline designed to carry natural gas directly to Germany via Baltic Sea.
      The Nord Stream 2 pipeline will reroute gas currently transiting Ukraine, depriving Kyiv of as much as $2 billion in revenue. The United States has called it a political project aimed at hurting Russia’s smaller neighbor.
      The project was completed earlier this month and is now awaiting certification by German and European authorities, a process that could take several months.
      In the meantime, European gas prices have surged to a record high amid a supply crunch. Washington is now accusing Russia of withholding additional natural gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine in order to pressure authorities to certify Nord Stream 2.
      “Another laugher!!!” Gyetvay said in a tweet two days before his arrest after a U.S. official expressed concern that Russia was not sending enough gas to Europe. “Who tried to impose relentless sanctions while promoting [U.S. liquefied natural gas to Europe?] Reality — we need ALL gas. Period.”

    What comes around goes around

    Call it Karma or what have you, but when you have had centuries of taking, taking, taking… sooner or later that becomes who you are. And unless you replenish the “closed system” (Those who understand the concept of a “Prison Planet” understand.) this activity will manifest in your life; in your community, and in your people.

    This is America downtown. VIDEO.

    This is America.

    The United States wants all QUAD members to have nuclear weapons.

    The QUAD consists of the US, Australia, India and Japan.

    Up until two weeks ago, only the USA and India had nuclear weapons, then arrangements were made to place nuclear weapons systems in Australia. Now the United States is pushing for Japan to have nuclear weapons systems.

    A ton-load of articles out of the United States neocons…

    https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/surprise...
    https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/asia/2019...
    https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/what-if-japan-became-nuclear-weapons...
    https://apnews.com/d6f84ab7f40837e523605fdf1b562dc5
    https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/imagine...
    https://www.thepopcan.net/post/even-if-it-doesn-t...
    https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/asia/2019...
    https://www.dailywire.com/news/chinas-nuclear...
    
    Aug 07, 2021 · The U.S. should consider all options, including negotiations with Japan to deploy land-based nuclear medium or intermediate-range ballistic missiles in Japanese territory. The offer of U.S.-controlled missiles will act to prevent Japan from deciding to build its own nuclear weapon capability in response to the Chinese threat, thus preventing ... 
    
    -China’s Nuclear Threat Against Japan: Hybrid Warfare 

    Are these people fucking nuts or what?

    And the BRI

    Tom Fowdy exposes further Western propaganda, this time about China’s BRI:

    “A new ‘study’ has concluded that Beijing’s huge worldwide investment programme is ‘losing momentum’ as debts mount. But a closer inspection of the facts tells a different story.

    “Western mainstream media yesterday began posting in tandem a purported ‘study’ from which Reuters spun its own headline: ‘China’s Belt and Road plans losing momentum as opposition, debt mount – study’.

    "The study, as noted in the report, was sponsored by the US government through the surrogate of its own international relief [and Color Revolution sponsoring] agency, USAID, and proceeded to present the usual cliches that China was maliciously saddling nations in “hidden debt,” encouraging corruption and promulgating environmental damage in participating countries, and claimed that opposition to the investment programme was mounting."

    Fowdy is good at digging, but in this case he didn’t need to expend much effort:

    "It is strange that large scale emphasis on that [forced labor] has disappeared, and now the agenda is being turned toward trashing the Belt and Road Initiative. But we knew this was coming. When the US Senate prepared its ‘strategic competition’ bill earlier this year, it notably earmarked $300 million in funding to deliberately spread 'negative news' regarding 'the impact of China's Belt and Road Initiative' throughout the world. To no surprise whatsoever, this is what the newly published BRI ‘study’ is doing, and it's a sign of things to come."

    Fowdy then tells us some of the lies being used to discredit. He follows that with facts, a category of information Western media doesn’t appear to use in its reports anymore:

    “Here’s a flavor of what they aren’t telling you. A study from Refinitiv, one of the world’s largest providers of financial markets data and infrastructure, found that, as of 2019, over $516 billion worth of BRI projects had been completed with a cancellation rate of just 0.3%. It counted 2,631 different projects across the world, in more than 120 countries.

    “To name but a few examples of BRI successes:

    • China finished a metro system in Lahore, Pakistan, last year,
    • opened a 1000MW nuclear power plant in the same country in May,
    • is building Africa’s largest building in Egypt,
    • as well as the largest building in South Asia (the Lotus Tower in Colombo, Sri Lanka),
    • and is on the verge of finishing the China-Laos High Speed Railway.
    • Multiple direct transcontinental railway routes through China to Europe have also been opened.

    “The study by Refinitiv, which is headquartered in the UK, also proceeded to pour cold water over the idea of a ‘debt trap’ for participating countries, noting that a review of 40 cases of China’s external debt renegotiations painted a different picture. The BRI is not being imposed, it is not dogmatic and nor is it monolithic, and it is more flexible and pragmatic than it’s given credit for.” [My Emphasis]

    In other words, the BRI is essentially the opposite of the Washington Consensus’s Structural Adjustment Programs which impose development crippling austerity and serve to enrich the global 1%. Fowdy closes by exposing the utter bankruptcy of the Outlaw US Empire’s attempts to counter the long overdue development of the Global South:

    “The idea that developing countries blindly and naively accept one-sided terms, jump into self-penalizing agreements, and thus don’t know ‘what their best interests are’, is insulting. It is promoting, as usual, the idea of ‘Western saviorism’, one that has been used as a justification for colonialism and domination for centuries. There is a staggering lack of historical self-awareness and sensitivity in those who advocate such claims.”

    In about 30 years, the Global South will be on par with many Western nations, while surpassing those destroyed by Neoliberalism. And ya know, there really aren’t very many Western Nations, and very few of them are actually independent.

    David BK Tan chimes in on the “collapse” of China…

    I am seeing a lot of inaccurate articles on the western media championing the “demise” of the Chinese economy.

    Besides the erroneous comparison of Evergrande to Lehman Brothers (see my post https://bit.ly/3uyUDvq) , I am also seeing articles referring to the current debt plight of Evergrande as China’s “Heisei Bubble” moment. Heisei (平成) era is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Akihito from 8 Jan 1989 until his abdication on 30 Apr 2019. The Japanese would call it Heisei bubble (平成バブル & バブル (baburu) is actually a loanword from English & hence it sounds like bubble) since the burst of its asset price bubble happened during the 平成 era .
    
    Actually you do not need to have a PhD in economics to understand that China is not having a “Heisei Bubble” moment. What you need is to look at “First Principles” of economics to understand their differences.
    
    If you have studied mathematics/physics in school, you might remember “First Principles” which are like axioms. So if you have no economics background, you can treat the common economics principles like axioms without the need to understand them in details & use such principles for investigative purpose. Actually such “First Principles” approach is useful in general as it helps you to probe further in a new area to gain some understanding.
    
    The First Principle that you would need in this case is :
    
    ​GDP of a country  =C+I+G+(X−M) where
    C=Consumer spending on goods and services
    I=Investment spending on business capital goods
    G=Government spending on public goods and services
    X=Exports
    M=Imports​
    
    You also need to know some common facts on #Japan in the 80s like its exports were very strong & thus it contributed strongly to its GDP. Its strong exports in the 80s resulted in the poor sales of local products in the US & so we had the US-Japan trade wars in the 80s which affected its trade.
    
    So if we look at trade (% of GDP) vs GDP figures for Japan since mid- 80s, you find that its trade plunged but GDP abnormally increased. Since trade was a impt contribution to its GDP, this suggests that there would be anomalies like over-consumption/over-investment or even both. So if you are interested in the cause, you might probe further. But suffice to say, you know for China to have a  “Heisei Bubble” moment, its trade must plunge like Japan’s since China is also an export-oriented economy. I have attached the second image displaying China’s trade as % of GDP vs its GDP & you will realise that its plunge in trade happened after 2006 which was due to Great Financial Crisis but its trade has been decelerating since then which is in tandem with the decelerating GDP growth.
    
    In a nutshell, #China does not have the anomaly of Japan’s Heisei moment with over-consumption/over-investment etc since the GDP was falling in accordance with the fall in trade since 2007.

    US War Plans with China Taking Shape

    From HERE.

    The US and its allies continue beating the drums of war in regards to China, but how serious is this? Will it really lead to war, or is it merely posturing meant to give the US the most favorable position on the other side of a fully ascendant China?

    A critical inflection point identified by US war planners for years is approaching, where China’s economic and military might will irreversibly surpass the US and the center of global power will likewise irreversibly shift from West to East creating a global balance of power unseen for centuries. A closing window of opportunity estimated to close between 2025 and 2030 allows the US to carry out a limited war with China, resulting in a favorable outcome for Washington. Beyond that, the US will find itself outmatched and any attempt to curb China’s rise rendered futile.

    The propaganda war, and the war itself this propaganda aims to justify and rally support for, is unmistakable, particularly for those who have witnessed similar buildups ahead of the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, or US-led military interventions in nations like Libya and Syria from 2011 onward.

    A recent 60 Minutes Australia segment titled, “War with China: Are we closer than we think?,” presented an amalgamation of this ongoing propaganda used to vilify the Chinese government, dehumanize the Chinese people, and create sufficient anger, fear, paranoia, distrust, and hatred in hearts and minds across the planet to justify what would be for the 21st century, an unprecedented war.

    For the United States, a war with China would be the first of its kind, a war with a peer or near-peer competitor armed with nuclear weapons.

    Yet US war planners are fairly confident that the conflict could be confined to East Asia, remain conventional, and see a favorable outcome for the US that would secure its primacy over Asia for decades to come.

    A victory for the US would not be military in nature, but rather hinge on “nonmilitary factors,” and focus on disrupting and setting back China’s economy and thus the power propelling China past the United States at the moment.

    The 2016 US War Plan Coming to Life

    These conclusions were laid out in a 2016 RAND Corporation document titled, “War with China: Thinking Through the Unthinkable,” commissioned by the Office of the Undersecretary of the Army and carried out by the RAND Arroyo Center’s Strategy, Doctrine, and Resources Program. The report notes that the RAND Arroyo Center is part of the RAND Corporation and is a federally-funded research and development center sponsored by the United States Army.

    The report notes that America’s military advantage is in decline vis-a-vis China, but also lays out several current realities that would favor the US should hostilities unfold.

    It states on page 9 of the PDF document:

    We postulate that a war would be regional and conventional. It would be waged mainly by ships on and beneath the sea, by aircraft and missiles of many sorts, and in space (against satellites) and cyberspace (against computer systems). We assume that fighting would start and remain in East Asia, where potential Sino-USflash points and nearly all Chinese forces are located.

    The RAND document admits that China’s forces are concentrated in Chinese territory and that virtually all flash points that could trigger a conflict are likewise located in the region. This implies that US forces would need to be more or less right up to China’s shores and regional claims, and insist on interfering in regional disputes or intervene in matters between Taiwan and mainland China.

    The Nuclear Question

    Many assume any war between China and the United States would escalate into a nuclear exchange. However, this is unlikely except under the most extreme conditions.

    Regarding nuclear and conventional warfare, the RAND document makes a compelling argument, stating:

    It is unlikely that nuclear weapons would be used: Even in an intensely violent conventional conflict, neither side would regard its losses as so serious, its prospects so dire, or the stakes so vital that it would run the risk of devastating nuclear retaliation by using nuclear weapons first. We also assume that China would not attack the US homeland, except via cyberspace, given its minimal capability to do so with conventional weapons. In contrast, US nonnuclear attacks against military targets in China could be extensive.

    The report studies a window of opportunity that began in 2015 and stretches to 2025. Current developments seem to indicate the US may see this window extend as far as 2030, including the recent announcement of the “AUKUS” alliance where US-UK-built Australian nuclear-powered submarines would be coming online and ready to participate in such a conflict around the early 2030’s.

    US May Trade Heavy Military Losses for China’s Economic Ruination 

    Under a section titled, “The Importance of Nonmilitary Factors,” the RAND report notes:

    The prospect of a military standoff means that war could eventually be decided by nonmilitary factors. These should favor the United States now and in the future. Although war would harm both economies, damage to China’s could be catastrophic and lasting: on the order of a 25–35 percent reduction in Chinese gross domestic product (GDP) in a yearlong war, compared with a reduction in US GDP on the order of 5–10 percent. Even a mild conflict, unless ended promptly, could weaken China’s economy. A long and severe war could ravage China’s economy, stall its hard-earned development, and cause widespread hardship and dislocation.

    Considering the current shape of US-Chinese relations, the emphasis on economics and trade, and the persistent, even desperate attempts by the US to not only inflict as much damage on China’s economy ahead of a potential conflict as possible, but also its attempts to “decouple” from China’s economy as fast as possible could be interpreted as tying off a limb before amputation.

    Preparations Already Underway to Exploit China’s Economic Damage

    The report notes the follow-on effects of the economic damage such a conflict would inflict on China. It would open the door for already on-going US machinations to undermine China’s social and political stability to expand and do tremendous damage, perhaps even threatening the cohesion of Chinese society.

    It states specifically:

    Such economic damage could in turn aggravate political turmoil and embolden separatists in China. Although the regime and its security forces presumably could withstand such challenges, doing so might necessitate increased oppressiveness, tax the capacity, and undermine the legitimacy of the Chinese regime in the midst of a very difficult war. In contrast, US domestic partisan skirmishing could handicap the war effort but not endanger societal stability, much less the survival of the state, no matter how long and harsh the conflict, so long as it remains conventional. Escalating cyberwarfare, while injurious to both sides, could worsen China’s economic problems and impede the government’s ability to control a restive population.

    The mention of “separatists in China” is particularly important. These groups, often made up of armed extremists, are supported by an extensive international network funded by the US government itself.

    Separatism in China’s Xinjiang and Tibetan regions is openly supported by the US government and has been sponsored by Washington for decades. The US National Endowment for Democracy’s official website lists its programs for Xinjiang, China as, “Xinjiang/East Turkestan,” “East Turkestan” being the separatist name for Xinjiang. The organizations listed, including the Uyghur Human Rights Project and the World Uyghur Congress openly admit on their respective websites that they view Xinjiang – contrary to international law – as “occupied” by China rather than a territory of China.

    In a move that could very likely be a warning of just how close to a US-provoked conflict with China we may be, the US State Department de-listed the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) in 2020 claiming it had not been active for over a decade.

    Yet by the US’ own admission US military forces struck ETIM targets in Afghanistan as recently as 2018, and just this year ETIM representatives gave an interview with US-based Newsweek magazine.

    ETIM is still listed by a number of nations as well as the UN itself as a terrorist organization.

    Economic turmoil, armed insurrection, and socio-political instability are factors the US has openly attempted to impose on China for decades and is still placing pieces on the gameboard toward this objective. If a conflict were to break out, those pieces would clearly already be in place to maximize Washington’s ability to exploit economic damage inflicted by the conflict.

    Targeting China’s Trade Lanes at Sea

     The RAND paper notes specifically the impact on Chinese trade a conventional conflict confined to East Asia would have. The report notes:

    …while the United States has sophisticated sensors to distinguish military from nonmilitary targets, during war it will focus on finding and tracking the former; moreover, Chinese ISR is less sophisticated and discriminating, especially at a distance. This suggests very hazardous airspace and sea space, perhaps ranging from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea. Assuming that non-Chinese commercial enterprises would rather lose revenue than ships or planes, the United States would not need to use force to stop trade to and from China.16 China would lose a substantial amount of trade that would be required to transit the war zone. The United States expressly threatening commercial shipping would be provocative, hazardous, and largely unnecessary. So we posit no US blockade, as such.

    Of course, the US has a variety of tools at its disposal that it regularly uses upon the international stage to impede free commerce. It is an irony since Washington often accuses Beijing of “threatening” such commerce in regions like the South China Sea while Washington is actually impeding it on a global scale.

    NPR in its 2020 article, “US Seizes Iranian Fuel From 4 Tankers Bound For Venezuela,” would note:

    According to The Associated Press, quoting unnamed USofficials, no military force was used in the seizure of the cargo, and none of the ships was physically impounded. Instead, US officials threatened ship owners, insurers and captains with sanctions to force them to hand over their cargo, the AP reported.

    Because of America’s still formidable grip over international media, it would be extremely easy to sink vessels engaged in commerce and blame it on China or claim it was accidental. A total blockade would not be necessary to deter the majority of commerce in the region, only a few examples would be needed for the self-preservation of shipping companies to de facto cut off trade.

    Another concerning warning sign was the Pentagon restructuring an entire branch of the US armed forces, the US Marine Corps, to specifically fight a single nation (China), in a very specific region (East Asia), with very specific tactics (shutting down straits used for commercial shipping).

    Defense News in a 2020 article titled, “Here’s the US Marine Corps’ plan for sinking Chinese ships with drone missile launchers,” would claim:

    The US Marine Corps is getting into the ship-killing business, and a new project in development is aimed at making their dreams of harrying the People’s Liberation Army Navy a reality.

    The article also noted:

    Marine Corps requirements and development chief Lt. Gen. Eric Smith told reporters last year during the Expeditionary Warfare Conference that the Marines want to fight on ground of their choosing and then maneuver before forces can concentrate against them.

    “They are mobile and small, they are not looking to grab a piece of ground and sit on it,” Smith said of his Marine units. “I’m not looking to block a strait permanently. I’m looking to maneuver. The German concept is ‘Schwerpunkt,’ which is applying the appropriate amount of pressure and force at the time and place of your choosing to get maximum effect.”

    The US Marine Corps has already decommissioned all of their main battle tanks as part of this restructuring which took less than a year – signifying the urgency of US preparations.

    The US taking ships out in busy commerce straits and creating an environment that would cripple trade between China and the rest of the world would have a heavy impact on China’s economy.

    On page 67 of the PDF document, RAND includes a graphic depiction of China’s projected GDP losses versus the US, giving us a compelling motive for the US to wage a war it knows it will suffer heavy military losses amidst, but emerge economically stronger than a China that will otherwise, barring such a conflict, surpass the US within this window of opportunity.

    China Knows, But Can China Beat the Clock? 

    It is very obvious that China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is an attempt for China to diversify away from Asia-Pacific trade routes the US is clearly making preparations to attack and disrupt.

    Pipelines running through Pakistan as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and through Myanmar to Kunming in Yunnan Province would help move hydrocarbons bound for China from the Middle East without passing through waters the US could disrupt in the conflict it is clearly preparing for.

    However, these alternative routes are already under attack.

    US-sponsored separatists operating in Pakistan’s southwest province of Baluchistan regularly attack and kill Chinese engineers and the infrastructure itself.

    Protests organized by US-sponsored opposition groups target Gwadar Port, CPEC’s terminal.

    Just this year alone, France 24 would report in April a bombing targeting a hotel the Chinese ambassador to Pakistan was staying at but who luckily wasn’t at the hotel at the time of the bombing. In July, the BBC reported that 9 Chinese engineers working on CPEC projects were killed in a targeted attack. And according to Reuters, in August, 2 children were killed during a suicide bombing targeting Chinese engineers in Baluchistan.

    US-backed opposition groups have been attacking Chinese investments in Myanmar since the military ousted the US client regime headed by Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NDL). CNN would report in March, just a month after the military took over, that the opposition was lighting Chinese factories ablaze.

    US government-funded Myanmar opposition media outlet, The Irrawaddy, published an article in May titled, “Deadly Attack on Pipeline Station Spotlights China’s High Stakes in Myanmar,” claiming:

    The importance of the project was highlighted in February when Chinese officials held an emergency meeting with Myanmar officials, at which they urged the military regime to tighten security measures for the pipelines. They said the project is a crucial part of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Myanmar and insisted that “any damage to the pipelines would cause huge losses for both countries.” The request came amid growing anti-China sentiment in Myanmar, where protesters—angered by Beijing’s blocking of the UN Security Council (UNSC)’s efforts to take action against the coup leaders—have threatened to blow up the pipelines.

    The article concludes by quoting a Swedish journalist claiming:

    It would come as no surprise if attacks were carried out against, for instance, the pipelines, he said. “And attitudes will not change unless the Chinese government stops its support for the Myanmar military. That should be a real concern.”

    Xinjiang, China, also serves as a critical juncture for China’s BRI and we can clearly see the US promoting separatism there. The recent “Uyghur Tribunal” organized by the abovementioned US-funded World Uyghur Congress aims at further undermining Beijing’s efforts to counter US-sponsored armed separatism in Xinjiang by placing additional international pressure on China for implementing necessary security measures to prevent it.

    The continued US-sponsored attacks on China’s BRI, the US-led military build-up along China’s coasts, and the propaganda war the US is waging to control the narratives surrounding both, represents a race against time for both Washington and Beijing.

    For Washington, it is attempting to create the conditions in which RAND predictions of China’s economic devastation following a conventional conflict confined to East Asia can be transformed into reality.

    For Beijing, it is attempting to run out the clock and assume the economic, military, and political power it needs to fully deter any such conflict, and assume its position as the largest, most powerful economy on Earth.

    All things being equal, China has the world’s largest population – a population that is hardworking and well-educated. China’s educational institutions are producing millions more science, technology, engineering, and mathematics graduates than the US per year. China’s massive trade networks ensure its economy has plenty of resources. It should become the largest economy. And only a war of aggression, chosen to be waged by Washington will stop this from coming to pass.

    US foreign policy in the 21st century has demonstrated in action the true nature of its foreign policy versus what Washington’s politicians say with words from behind podiums or its media says in front of cameras about a “rules-based international order.”

    The only rule we can see demonstrably upheld is “might makes right.”

    Only time will tell whether or not the US “makes right” its smaller nation with its smaller economy clinging to primacy over China for decades to come before it no longer has the “might” to do so.


    MM thoughts on this “article”…

    There’s some pretty fucking huge assumptions being made. They are going to get people killed.

    • Any war with China will be nuclear.
    • It will not be fought against China alone. It will be forght against the SEO (Russia and all the other nations.)
    • The window of “opportunity” will not be in 2025 – 2030. It was in 2004 to 2009. It has long passed by.
    • If Chinese citizens, cities or geography is attacked, and destoyed so will be the fate of American citizens, cities and geography.
    • It will not be a long drawn out conventional war on or near China. It will be international, and vicious. And it will be devistating, and over in a short period of time.
    • Internal Chinese dissidant groups, all funded by the USA, have mostly been rooted out and eliminated if not violently crushed.

    What are your thoughts after reading this particular bilge out of America and promoted in Australia?

    Other thoughts…

    re: A closing window of opportunity estimated to close between 2025 and 2030 allows the US to carry out a limited war with China . . .blah blah

    That piece of garbage was written by Brian Berletic, “who is a Bangkok-based geopolitical researcher and writer.” In no way could the US “carry out” (whatever that means — it’s not a professional military term) a limited war with China.

    Posted by: Don Bacon | Oct 1 2021 18:44 utc | 12

    If the US warmongers want to provoke a war with China, I would say go to it. The US will lose. And in doing it will discover their mistake. You can’t defeat China’s economic dominance by military action.

    Posted by: Laguerre | Oct 1 2021 18:59 utc | 15

    I saw the article as a (mistaken) claim that the should take advantage of a window of opportunity and attack China.

    US War Plans with China Taking Shape . . .China’s massive trade networks ensure its economy has plenty of resources. It should become the largest economy. And only a war of aggression, chosen to be waged by Washington will stop this from coming to pass.

    Posted by: Don Bacon | Oct 1 2021 19:10 utc | 17

    China is not waiting for economic dominance over Taiwan to push the unification envelope. China simply don’t care about taking up governance over people who are brainwashed to be hostile to them. Only that China, in principle, would not give up sovereignty over the territory called Taiwan. The present situation is fine with them.

    China’s economy has exceeded USA’s long ago–IMF and World Bank said 2014, but my understanding is 2010 or earlier. Just that the way GDP is calculated, the USA’s mode of non-productive sectors are given weights that is not deserved. How does the legal sector produced 10% of what people in the USA consume? How does a business consultant’s 1 hour of free-wheeling opinion voicing produce $1,000 worth of goods and services? USA’s 21+ $T of GDP is Lucy In The Sky, a hallucination.

    Taiwan people are just plain stupid, brainwashed, and clinching to what they consider as the last straw. They know it’s a straw, but they don’t know that this straw is still effective only because China doesn’t give a damn about them.

    Posted by: Oriental Voice | Oct 1 2021 19:37 utc | 26

    War with China;

    There is a sort of conceptual mistake when talking about US “capabilities” and warmongering. It is not the Military who want a “sort of” war, but the military-industrial complex, who need credible enemies.
    IT is the Oligarchic owners of defense industries who want continued hostilities. As long as they can make cash. (Or rather, relieve the sheeple of their woolly coats – “for their own good”).

    Most Generals go throught the “revolving doors” of industry-think*tank-Military, sometimes Political etc. So they are on both sides at the same time, they are not separate identities.

    The Industry needs to be able to produce the “ultimate military rabbit out of the hat projects”, lots of them, at an enviable cost-overrun. ….. and to get rid of most of the product rapidly afterwards, to enable “replacement”.

    For this they need “threats” agogo. Built in obsolescence and fruitful and intimate connections and relations with budgetteers.
    *

    Talking about budgets, NATO for 2021 defense spending;
    https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/how-much-nato-countries-spend-defense

    US defense spending $811 billion. Not including other “secret” or “war” budgets. (The Afghanistan spending was concealed as War budget, and was independent from the standard defense budget. This will need “replacing” with another “war” situation for budget purposes)
    The other NATO countries => $363 billion
    Total $1.2 trillion per year. (Known)
    (Turkey is the ONLY NATO country which has reduced it’s defense spending by 4%)
    *

    So we come back to China, Russia, NKorea, Iran as “credible” threats, even if they are not. As well as the others; Venezuela, Cuba etc. as walk-on bit-players to keep the propaganda tirade on the boil.

    Whether there is a war with China or not, it must be profitable. The propaganda (as per b’s post) is only marketing for pre-emptive expenditure on the whole militarized industry. Advertising exageration?

    Posted by: Stonebird | Oct 1 2021 20:50 utc | 34

    Here’s a live display of shipping activity in east Asia. The US will block this and not pay a heavy price for doing so? The two dozen US military bases in Japan and half a dozen in South Korea won’t be leveled? Plus all US Navy surface ships at sea?

    Posted by: Don Bacon | Oct 1 2021 19:51 utc | 28

    Wow the Pacific Fleet is going to be busy!

    I guess they’ll be inspecting every ship that goes through the Straits of Malacca. They’ll need to keep an eye on Suez and Panama too incase someone tries to sneak through.

    Posted by: dh | Oct 1 2021 20:23 utc | 32

    Thank you for the link to marine traffic. My immediate thought from that first glimpse was ah! that’s why China and its neighbours are busy building terrestrial rail and road systems. Equally obvious why Reuters an other liars are forever pumping the fear china, fear debt bondage mantra.

    Posted by: uncle tungsten | Oct 1 2021 21:45 utc | 39

    There will be war between the empire and China. It is the Thucydides trap, and there is no way out of it. In fact, the first shots of that war have already been fired with the empire using biological WMDs against China. The only questions about the war are when does the shooting start and how bad does it have to get before the empire concedes… assuming the empire is quickly convinced that defeat is inevitable and so doesn’t escalate to nuclear weapons.

    There has been discussion about the empire marshaling its gimps on the front line; trying to get Japan and Australia and not-so-Great Britain to take point in the fight. I am of mixed opinion as to whether this is good or bad. On the one hand it helps legitimize the empire’s aggression and makes the forces arrayed against China seem stronger. As well, if a country like Australia is the first to take a punch from China for the empire the optics will be bad. It would look like China being a bully and kicking America’s yappy pet chihuahua. Furthermore, I am quite fond of Japan and the Japanese people and I’d rather not see them hurt again.

    On the other hand, if combat operations start directly between the US and China then it is a forgone conclusion that the Chinese will pull their punches, at least in the beginning. The US, for its part, will go right for the kill from the very start. This means that China will take a terrible beating while they come to realize that the fight is serious and will not be gentlemanly. If the fight starts with Japan this will not be an issue. Japan has a karmic debt to China and the Chinese will not pull their punches in a fight with them. China will come down on Japan like an avalanche and deal Japan a very swift and decisive defeat. This decisiveness is crucial as it will help convince the empire that further aggression is futile and thereby help prevent escalation by the empire. While it would pain me to see that happen to Japan , it is one of the best outcomes that prevents things from spiraling to Armageddon.

    Of course, the prefect outcome would be for Britain to take the lead in the fight and get instantly and utterly crushed, as the British also have a deep karmic debt that the Chinese wouldn’t hesitate to collect on. That would have the same benefit of interrupting the empire’s escalation, but would spare the Japanese and possibly even teach the British some humility (yeah, lots of luck with that last, right?).

    Posted by: William Gruff | Oct 1 2021 21:52 utc | 40

    I have to agree with you on Thucydides Trap. Interesting that you consider Covid as the first salvo the Empire fired. Actually China suspected SARS was the first salvo. That’s one reason they put effort into researching corona virus and means of containing such viral spread. Unlike Russia, they won’t openly accuse the Empire of biological warfare without possession of the smoking gun, but they will be very alert to future implantation of biological kinks coming from Empire’s direction.

    Meanwhile, you’re also right that the Empire has been maneuvering to goat their lackeys to serve as canon fodders against China, even with some success. India is a prominent example. They would love for Japan to go head-on against China–the more Japanese casualties, the better narrative to build global mobilization of forces against China. Interesting that you sentimentally like Japanese and abhors the idea of them getting hurt. I guess you’re not informed of the extent of evil the Japanese had done around a century ago. Have you heard of the Nanjing Massacre, the 3-totality strategy (total plunder, total burning, total killing) in sweeping villages to ensure Chinese resistances would get no refurbishments, Project 731-germ warfare??? In fact, it was Project 731’s research dossier that started Fort Detrick lab. I suppose you consider that to be 75-100 years old past, and one should forgive and forget. Well, I can’t. Especially not when today’s Japan can’t even come clean and admit to what they have done. I don’t see a reborn Japan.

    Posted by: Oriental Voice | Oct 1 2021 22:45 utc | 43

    Today, the Outlaw US Empire is a Neoliberal Oligarchy while China’s a Social-Democratic nation–when both are objectively examined. Geoeconomically, the Empire’s dependent on China, not the other way round. As was overtly made very clear at the Alaska meeting, the Outlaw US Empire cannot deal with China from a position of strength either geopolitically or geoeconomically.

    As I wrote a few days ago to zero objections, China and the Eurasian Bloc coalescing around it when seen in relation to the Outlaw US Empire differs little than how Yamamoto saw the dynamic between Japan and the USA prior to Pearl Harbor–Japan was sure to lose no matter what it did.

    And yet again, several members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff have publicly stated that they want no war with either Russia or China. They’re what Martyanov calls realists who understand the genuine balance of power no longer favors the Outlaw US Empire even when NATO is added.

    Biden and the Ds just as Trump and the Rs desperately need his version of MAGA–Build Back Better–to become reality. But with the USA geoeconomically dependent on China, how is it ever going to accomplish that if it starts a war with its primary supplier if the funds ever get allocated?! Yes, the Merchants of Death constantly need an existential threat to justify their existence, and that’s the special interest fueling the war talk that the generals refute.

    Then, IMO, this new set of polling results must be added to the equation–public sentiment for war against some other nation not named Congress doesn’t exist:

    “Arguably more disturbing were the implications for the ‘other’ party if secession did not occur. A sizable majority of both Trump and Biden voters agreed with the statement that ‘if our society so wants, it is the duty of every true citizen to help eliminate the evil that poisons our country from within.'”

    That ought to scare just a few Neoliberal grifters as the public agrees without knowing that it does on the very source of the problem being domestic. Soon, both sides will know they agree, and 2022 elections are going to see lots of fireworks.

    Posted by: karlof1 | Oct 1 2021 23:22 utc | 47

    "On the contrary, no-ones talking of a land invasion of China, just the blocking of the SLOC which would have a catastrophic effect on China’s economy."

    Now hold on a second.

    Given that the U.S. and most countries in the world are heavily dependent on China for manufactured goods (both finished and unfinished), what would be the effect of cutting off Chinese commercial shipping on the world’s economy?

    Well, I’ll tell you, it would be a depression followed by mass outrage that the U.S. government could have deliberately brought such a catastrophe down upon everyone’s heads.

    Are U.S. foreign and economic planners that stupid? They definitely are stupid, but I doubt that the actual owners (George Carlin’s word) of the country would stand for it.

    Posted by: Rob | Oct 2 2021 0:20 utc | 49

    “A closing window of opportunity estimated to close between 2025 and 2030 allows the US to carry out a limited war with China, resulting in a favorable outcome for Washington. Beyond that, the US will find itself outmatched and any attempt to curb China’s rise rendered futile.”

    This is chilling.

    In light of this, the current coercive and zealous covid vaccination program in the Anglosphere can also be seen as drills preparing for possible biological warfare.

    If the US mainland and Australia are relatively protected in the eventuality of this conventional war with China, biological warfare (regardless of who initiates it) creates vulnerability.

    It all makes sense now: why California is mandating vaccination for school children when their risk of dying from covid is 2 per million infected.

    Posted by: Moses | Oct 2 2021 1:22 utc | 53

    Taiwan is part of China. Both governments’ (Beijing and Taipei) Constitutions states that fact.

    So, there are no issues, problems or arguments on any of these: ADZ, ADIZ or any other matters. PRC airplanes can fly or land anywhere, including Taipei, period.

    This is what the press stenographers are distracting you from.

    This is the real news of our times, not the drivel pumped out by and then rerun by its handmaidens of deceit.

    Posted by: uncle tungsten | Oct 2 2021 2:03 utc | 60

    This is not 1944 where you can float troop transports across the Pacific to attack an enemy. We live in an age of satellites and hyper sonic weapons. If there is a war it will be a series of short furious naval battles in which the holders of land in the area will be the victors. Will Korea and Japan join? At their great peril maybe.

    While the media coverage is bullshit China is boiling the frog in water slowly with Taiwan being the frog. I am sure China has though about the suppression of enemy air defenses like the US has done effectively with the Wild Weasel. I am sure China has the capacity to take out a good portion of Taiwan’s radar and air defense system. They can systematically destroy their naval bases along with their communication infrastructure and military bases without a boot on the ground. Taiwan can do little in return.

    If China decided to act it would be over rather quickly with a loss of prestige on the world stage. I am sure they have thought about that as well. The US is in no position do do anything other than bitch and moan. Taiwan will have to cut some sort of deal with China at some point or China will act I do believe. When that will happen is anyones guess.

    Posted by: circumspect | Oct 2 2021 6:42 utc | 73

    While I fully agree to your conclusion that the US can’t sensibly do anything when China decides to forcefully reunite Taiwan with the mainland, I do not see that China is boiling the frog.

    China has not tightened any tensions, neither towards Taiwan, not in the SCS or ECS. The “nine dash line” is a naval border claimed by the ROC and Jiang Jieshi (Chiang kai Shek) in 1944 at earliest, and at that time, neither of FUKUS challenged that claim. That as an aside.

    As to Taiwan, China has tried since decades to go a long and patient way towards unification, by strengthening ties between the territory and the motherland. Taiwan companies are heavily invested in mainland China (and vice versa where not sabotaged by the DPP administration), between 1 and 2 million Taiwan inhabitants live permanently or for long periods in mainland China, there are some hundred thousand marriages.

    China has made clear that the one country, two systems situation can go on for long as long as there is no secession attempt. In that case China will act swiftly.

    Hu Xijin in the Global Times described the outlines of such a forceful unification when commenting US weapon sales to Taiwan. Once China would act, there would be powerful satiation attacks by missiles, air force, and naval firepower destroying all major airports, military targets on land, military naval installations, and naval forces of Taiwan. After that a full force landing on Taiwan and all its islands would follow.

    There is no reasonibly thinkable possible outcome where the attacking side could be repelled or defeated. And there is no way how a naval attack of the US, AUKUS, Quad or whomever could succeed. And it is very doubtful that even the most radical forces in the US would wage a nuclear war over Taiwan.

    As to Taiwan, it is their side who is stirring up the conflicts by buying “recognition” by some Baltic SS Shitholes like Lithuania who are living on EU pockets so don’t have much to lose. Ukraine rowed back when receiving a warning from Beijing. The DPP clowns should just stop their separatist provocations. A Chinese proverb says “the rat that gnaws the tiger’s tail invites destruction”.

    Posted by: aquadraht | Oct 2 2021 7:57 utc | 76

    karlof1 @47: "The Thucydides Trap was again debunked... The antagonists are supposed to be copycat rivals to each other, but that wasn't the case with Athens or Sparta then..."

    And yet the Peloponnesian War happened anyway. The details of personality are not relevant as personality is not what causes war. A rising power inevitably displaces the existing power, and the existing power resists the loss of its dominance. This basic pattern is unavoidable.

    "...the Outlaw US Empire cannot deal with China from a position of strength either geopolitically or geoeconomically..."

    Absolutely correct. So what tools does that leave in the “Outlaw US Empire’s” arsenal to defend its hegemony? Or do you imagine the empire will give China a sportsman-like handshake, say “Well, it was a nice run but you win. It’s your turn to show the world direction now. I’ll just retire to tending my garden.”? Laughable balderdash!

    "...relation to the Outlaw US Empire differs little than how Yamamoto saw the dynamic between Japan and the USA prior to Pearl Harbor..."

    Absolutely! Many of the generals and admirals know what they are up against, but Japan ended up at war with the USA anyway. Admiral Yamamoto’s realization that war would be an enormous mistake changed exactly what?

    There will be war. Xi knows it, and the Chinese people in general know it.

    That is why they are investing significant chunks of their resources preparing for it. China’s military is specifically designed to defeat the empire and any of the empire’s vassals that get pushed into the fight.

    The war is not “if” but “when”.

    The Chinese know that they are under biological weapons attack, but as Oriental Voice @43 points out they are not squealing about it as a western nation would.

    Delays to the overt war still work to China’s advantage: The empire gets weaker and China gets stronger. The greater that strength disparity the more China can control the course of the war and steer that war away from doing lasting damage to humanity.

    "A sizable majority of both Trump and Biden voters agreed with the statement that 'if our society so wants, it is the duty of every true citizen to help eliminate the evil that poisons our country from within."

    Precisely so. And what is the tried and true method to distract a population from internal issues? Why, external war of course.

    It amazes me to see bright people who are fully aware of much of the crazy shit the empire has done over the last couple decades still trying to project the empire’s future behavior based upon the assumption that it will be rational.

    The empire has not been rational and it will not become rational while it remains an empire. In fact the empire will become more irrational with every passing day as its end draws nearer.

    Everything karlof1 @47 says points towards war. How can someone as bright and knowledgeable as karlof1 think these things mean peace is on the verge of breaking out?

    Posted by: William Gruff | Oct 2 2021 12:14 utc | 80

    For those trying to dismiss the post by “Down South @8 (I’m looking at you Don Bacon @57), here is a link to the original report by the RAND Corporation that the analysis is based upon: War with China: Thinking Through the Unthinkable.

    This is from the RAND Corporation. That is the closest thing the empire has to a brain. What is notable, despite the recognition in the report that the empire’s days of uncontested dominance are waning, the report paints an overly optimistic picture for the empire.

    Being chilled is entirely called for.

    There will be war.

    Posted by: William Gruff | Oct 2 2021 12:51 utc | 82

    In regards to the prospect of war with china, while I am sympathetic to gruff’s perspective, I think it still simplifies the situathon. thr US side is not monolithix while MICIMATT has institutionally mobilized all the psyops effortsz, and the Pentagon has moved to ‘pivot to asia’ since Obama, there are nevertheless the Mark Milleys that understand that there is no way for the US to win in the Asia Pacific theater against china. they wouls not only lose the war but also bleed global prestige.

    That said, when the institutional gears are grinding as they are, so called strategic thinking ceases to be rational or even strategic. trying to predict what an irrational institution will do makes little sense.

    Secondly, the us is already at war with china, hybrid war. it’s not as if we need to wait for some trigger event — it is already ongoing! Hong Kong color revolution, whose failure is now abundantly clear. the ongoing xinjiang campaign. and let’s not forget that china depleted a staggering amount of its US reserves in 2015 in order to fight off US orchestrated capital flight so it could harvest Chinese assets in the cheap, like they did in the asian financial crisis.

    That’s not much talked about at MOC, but I’ve heard Chinese analysts speak of that financial warfare as a watershed moment. watershed because its failure precipitated more desperate and maniacal measures afterwards. keep in mind that was before the hong Kong and Xinjiang psyops.

    As for biological warfare, regardless of one’s view on the origins of covid, there was a spate of agricultural pests in the trump era that devastated Chinese food production. everything is being tried.

    So, war js ongoing. to instead await and analyze and predict some trigger military event like Taiwan is to miss the forest for the trees. if what’s been happening doesn’t count as aggression on par with warfare, then that is already to have internalized empire propaganda that things like sanctions are not acts of war.

    Posted by: mastameta | Oct 2 2021 14:07 utc | 86

    The Anglo’s started WW1 to maintain their global hegemony. They started WW2 for the same purpose. Yet somehow people believe it is too far fetch that they would start a war with China to maintain the same hegemony they fought 2 WWs over?

    Read the RAND report. They know they will suffer heavy military casualties and their economy will collapse by 10% but all that will be worth it if they can inflict heavy damage on China’s economy in the region of a 30-35% collapse.

    What do you think the purpose of all this China bashing coverage in the media is about that b highlights? It is to prepare the populace for the coming conflict with China.

    Posted by: Down South | Oct 2 2021 14:19 utc | 87

    mastameta @85: "trying to predict what an irrational institution will do makes little sense."

    A cornered animal is irrational, but it is easy to predict what it will do.

    "secondly, the us is already at war with china, hybrid war."

    Yes, of course, but the war will go overt and kinetic. That is the only path available to the cornered dog of an empire. The growling and snarling threats, the urinating on the carpet, nothing else it does opens a path back to power for the empire.

    "... china depleted a staggering amount of its US reserves in 2015... "

    This is policy, like that in Russia, to reduce exposure to the US dollar. To the empire that in itself is an act of war.

    Yes, the war is currently on already, but it remains somewhat covert. When I talk about war starting above I am referring to overt military conflict.

    Posted by: William Gruff | Oct 2 2021 15:15 utc | 90

    Any experienced warfare guy will say the same, the most important element of any war is logistics. And that is the US’s main downfall in any war with China. The US does not have the capability to supply the fighting elements with the ammunition, food, repair parts etc that they would require to conduct a war on the other side of the vast Pacific Ocean which covers about one-third of the earth’s surface.

    And where would those forces be? The Marine Corps plan is to move Marines from one small island to another on small ships, and then have these Marines to place indirect fire on China targets. I don’t see anyone volunteering for that ridiculous scenario. But hey, it keeps dollars in the Pentagon budget.

    Another problem for the US is that both China and Russia have fielded versions of hypersonic weapons that can travel faster than five times the speed of sound (Mach 5 is about 3,806 mph) and potentially hold U.S. capital and logistical ships at risk. These missiles have a range of up to a thousand miles. The US has no defense against them and aircraft-carrier launched planes don’t have sufficient range to rectify the problem.

    So it would be a maritime-based war with US major warships not able to get anywhere close to the Asian mainland, which means no war at all.

    Posted by: Don Bacon | Oct 2 2021 20:12 utc | 103

    "...the most important element of any war is logistics."

    Absolutely so. Fancy weapons and great troop morale get you nowhere if you cannot get them to the theater of operations along with lunch. The notion that the US can land ground forces on the Chinese mainland to occupy and annex China is absurd. That’s the “Risk” board game version of geopolitics.

    But the empire doesn’t need to annex China. The empire just needs to economically set China back a couple decades. There is a faction within the empire who believe this is doable in part with a naval blockade.

    Posted by: William Gruff | Oct 2 2021 21:42 utc | 109

    Gabriel Collins did a very good report for the US Naval War College Review on the practicality of a maritime oil blockade of China – even in 2018 he was not too optimistic, “A Maritime Oil Blockade Against China—Tactically Tempting but Strategically Flawed”. China would also have access to Russia, Central Asia, ASEAN etc. for food and other supplies, and would have inevitably created large stockpiles before any conflict.

    https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1735&context=nwc-review

    "The scenarios also highlight the reality that, within historically realistic response parameters, China very feasibly could adapt to conflict conditions and withstand a blockade for a longer period than an outside power realistically could sustain the operation. At the most fundamental level, a blockader would find itself increasingly isolated on the world stage, which would complicate its ability politically, economically, and militarily to continue its campaign."
    "The significant long-term reduction in revenue to major oil and commodity exporters as a result of decreasing oil-demand volumes and depressed prices could exert profound internal political effects and trigger new conflicts and in- flame existing ones across the Middle East and parts of Africa. Sufficiently serious regional contingencies could divert U.S. military resources from the Asian theater, particularly if the United States found itself politically and diplomatically isolated on the world stage. This could undermine the sustainability of a distant energy blockade against China."

    Posted by: Roger | Oct 2 2021 22:00 utc | 111

    China doesn’t need to invade Taiwan, the two entities are already close enough on everything that counts, trade, inward investments, tourism, cultural exchanges, the lot.

    China’s power is anchored in making things and selling them on every world market, by the turn of the century around a third of her GDP was coupled with exports, by 2019 this ratio was down to 15%, it must have gone up during the months of covid as the Chinese economy was the only one resuming working.

    For the Americans to disrupt the sea lines from the Chinese ports would be counterproductive unless they were to find a substitute for the stuff manufactured in China for the US market, some 80% of US imports from China are on behalf of US brand names, Apple is but the one most visible example.

    Despite of the warmongering China still enjoys the the Permanent Normal Trade Relations Partner status (PNTR) google for what the partner status offers, China was granted it by Bush at the time of her joining WTO. If the Americans were serious about disrupting China’s trade hence the country’s economy they would withdraw the PNTR status, they haven’t, which tells you they are stuck until they figure where else to source what comes from China.

    Posted by: Baron | Oct 2 2021 23:15 utc | 115

    “an established power will generally try to prevent a rising power to become so powerful that it could challenge the established power.”

    I think this is a good description of the Thucydides Trap. I don’t believe the theory should be taken any more literal then that and it isn’t supposed to be some deterministic scientific comment were causality is linear an absolute. It also doesn’t require a shooting war to hold true.

    Given the current situation, and The Empire’s multi-pronged attempt to harm China, I think it is fair to say the Thucydides Trap has already been sprung.

    Having said that, I don’t think a shooting war is inevitable. I also think a blockade isn’t likely as that would almost absolutely lead to a shooting war.

    People forget China has a lot of oil and other resources. Enough oil and gas to last five years without imports. They are also well connected to Russia, Central Asia and South East Asia, so even a successful naval blockade could be gotten around.

    I disagree China wouldn’t invade if forced into this position. They’d take Taiwan quickly and it would be impossible to prevent them from taking South Korea, which would lead to many thousand American POW’s and KIA. They’d also have total control of the areas within the first Island chain which would provide a lot of strategic avenues.

    Not to mention a blockade wouldn’t slow down their industrial production, instead it would push their industry into war-time hyper production giving China unlimited missiles to strike at everything from Gaum on in.

    That isn’t to say The Desperate Empire might not try a blockade or find a way to stumble into a stupid war…it is to say it would turn out very badly for The Empire and hasten their demise rather then slow down China’s rise.

    Posted by: Haassaan | Oct 2 2021 23:19 utc | 116

    In fact, in case of a war between the US and China the GIs would even lack the pants to shit into as they are manufactured in China.

    Posted by: aquadraht | Oct 2 2021 23:38 utc | 118

    Given the current situation, and The Empire's multi-pronged attempt to harm China, I think it is fair to say the Thucydides Trap has already been sprung.

    This is clear to me as well.

    Having said that, I don't think a shooting war is inevitable.

    Agreed. But I don’t think the possibility of a shooting war is remote either.

    I also think a blockade isn't likely as that would almost absolutely lead to a shooting war.

    I disagree with this. Merely the threat of attack will cause shipping rates to skyrocket. That ends China’s manufacturing advantage and ME oil supply.

    China can adjust … but how quickly?

    I disagree China wouldn't invade if forced into this position. They'd take Taiwan quickly ...

    When I said China wouldn’t invade, I was responding to Don Bacon’s comment about the importance of logistics. There wouldn’t be logistics necessary for a battle for Taiwan because China can take Taiwan before such logistics become a factor.

    And I don’t think South Korea would fall quite so quickly or easily as you believe.

    China provides a governance model that may inspire the Western public to demand real change. So we see propaganda attacks against China. And rising tensions help to vitiate that propaganda.

    Posted by: Jackrabbit | Oct 3 2021 0:33 utc | 119

    I also think a blockade isn’t likely as that would almost absolutely lead to a shooting war.

    “I disagree with this. Merely the threat of attack will cause shipping rates to skyrocket. That ends China’s manufacturing advantage and ME oil supply.

    China can adjust ... but how quickly?"

    Yes, but isn’t that what a blockade would do? The very purpose of the blockade is to prevent China from shipping to harm their industry.

    I’d argue that once a blockade is in place, China has no choice but to hit with everything they have short of nukes. They aren’t going to wait around while their economy and industrial production is stifled…they will make the USA pay the price, and then some…and that is completely within their capabilities.

    It looks to me like China is prepared for war, they would be able to switch to war production mode almost immediately. It would be the West that would be slow to adjust.

    In the event of war, China does not need ME oil, they have enough domestic oil to wage a multi-year war.

    South Korea wouldn’t fall easily, neither would Taiwan for that matter, but they would fall, there is no way to reinforce either once the shooting starts. Tens of thousands of casualties on both sides within a short amount of time.

    To continue fighting USA would need a draft. Given current social conditions in The States how do you think a draft would play out?

    Posted by: Haassaan | Oct 3 2021 0:57 utc | 122

    Thank you Roger @ 111 and Baron @ 115 for trying to inject a dose of reality into this notion of a USN or even AUKUS enforced blockade of China.

    Gruff @ 109 re: "a faction within the empire who believe this is doable with a naval blockade...."

    First, blockade is an act of war, and the Chinese would be well within their rights to attack and sink any ship trying to enforce any such blockade whether in their own territorial or international waters. So there’s a high probability that any attempt to actually enforce a blockade would lead to a real hot war in East Asia. And, once again, this blockade would be completely illegal since there would be absolutely no UNSC approval for any such action.

    Second, with the lengthy supply chains required to support such an effort even from Pearl Harbour, the US probably will have to utilise it’s most forward military bases in the region which means both South Korea and especially Japan which is home to over a dozen major bases that are locations for key Indo-Pacific assets of the USN, USAF and USMC. If these bases or rather their units actually launch military attacks against China then the countries that house those bases would themselves be open to direct military retaliation from China.

    Both S Korea and Japan rely on shipping lanes well within the range of the Chinese conventional missile arsenal. The Chinese could respond with their own form of a blockade, shutting down the Japanese and S Korean SLOCs in a week or two by sinking (or threatening to sink) tankers and container ships in the Sea of Japan. The Japanese and SK economies require vast volumes of imported energy and other raw goods resources and are just as vulnerable as China is to a maritime blockade. So if the US wants to play the blockade game then China has options and can respond in kind with similar types of action against not only two major US allies but two of the largest economies in the world.

    Third, on top of the above, nobody mentions the huge, and I mean huge, amount of trade between the countries of ASEAN ie SE Asia and China. Indonesia alone has I believe almost $50-60 billions of trade with China per annum. Add in Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore etc. and you’re talking at least a couple of hundred billion pa. Are these countries going to sit back and allow the US and its Anglo Saxon poodles to destroy their economies? Nope, didn’t think so.

    Finally, everyone really should read the books by Andrei Martyanov to understand the new realities, that the next war in the Pacific won’t be won by some USMC “island hopping” strategy or another round of Midways and Coral Seas. It’s going to be won by the country that can launch salvo after salvo of conventional anti ship and anti air and other conventional missiles. Think about it – there’s lots of numbers thrown around on the internet re the Iranian and Hezbollah guided missile arsenals, 10,000, 20,000, 30,000 etc. That’s Iran and Hezbollah working under the most stringent sanctions in the world.

    So how many advanced anti-ship missiles do you think the manufacturing powerhouse that is China has stored away for a rainy day? Bear in mind, some of those missiles have been in mass production for several years now. 40,000? 50,000? More? And, yes, there’s some question re the actual operational efficacy of Chinese anti-ship missile targeting. Still, assuming they get their targeting systems right (maybe with a little help from Shoigu et al!) how long do you think the USN and its allies will last when the Chinese fire salvoes of a 100, 200, 500, or even 1000 Anti-Ship missiles per day for a week or even two?

    Posted by: thermobarbaric | Oct 3 2021 1:30 utc | 125

    Yes, I mentioned naval blockade as one example of the empire escalating to overt warfare against China in addition to its current covert war. Yes, realistically such efforts by the empire cannot succeed beyond a temporary and relatively brief suppression of China’s GDP. But next year it will be even harder for the empire to dent China’s economic growth, and the year after harder still.

    Are you so foolish as to think the empire will give up without a fight?

    It doesn’t matter that it is a bad idea. The empire is out of alternatives to war.

    Posted by: William Gruff | Oct 3 2021 1:43 utc | 126

    "In a few years, another country with a nuclear submarine fleet will appear in the world – Australia. What kind of submarines will this country receive from its allies, what kind of combat capabilities do they provide, and according to what scenario can they be used to contain China’s military power?
    
    Everything is learned by comparison. What are the eight multi-purpose nuclear submarines that Australia will receive (not to be confused with submarines armed with ballistic missiles)? Let’s compare them with other fleets.
    
    First, take the example of China, against which (at least, so they say) everything is being planned. Now China has only nine multi-purpose nuclear submarines, with low stealth. Three of them are Project 091; these are old and noisy vessels that have almost no combat value. The remaining six are Project 093, more modern boats, which, however, are inferior to modern American and British ones. In fact, only these six have a real combat value, and it is this number that should be taken into account.
    
    ...Here is just one of many examples. Geographically, Australia can completely block the connection between China and the Indian Ocean: there is a direct exit there and this is not controlled by China in any way. China only has the Strait of Malacca, which with its new submarines Australia will be able to block from the Indian Ocean. Or go past Australia itself, with the same submarines and its aircraft. There is no other road by which a large amount of oil can be supplied to China.
    
    
    ... It is worth recognizing that the world is on the verge of war. Australia’s agreement with the United States and Britain says exactly this. An ordinary world war with tens of millions of dead, as one option, or with hundreds of millions; after all, no one has canceled nuclear weapons. Such a war is almost inevitable.
    
    Moreover, knowing what deadlines the ‘partners’ set for themselves, you can roughly understand the time for which they are preparing the ‘hot phase’. And looking at how other countries are preparing for the next world war, it’s time for us to take a critical, honest and non-biased look at how we are preparing for it.”

    https://anti-empire.com/the-first-russian-strategic-assessment-of-the-australia-uk-us-usuka-submarine-pact/

    Posted by: daffyDuct | Oct 3 2021 1:48 utc | 127

    The increased cost of trade would spur industry in the West 

    Factories will just pop up everywhere? No.

     As China becomes more like USA 

    Never happen. Chinese are what they are, and it isn’t becoming more like Americans. It has to do with 5,000 years of culture, Confucianism, Taoism etc. So Chinese have a whole different way of looking at matters, such as working together toward a better life (which they have largely accomplished) w/o the petty political combative self-aggrandisement “democracy” so dominant in the USA.

    Chinese do this under a qualified up-through-the-ranks leader, and not having to accept an elected weirdo as in the US.

    The fact that Chinese are different from Americans, and will never be like them, has been a deep disappointment in Washington, but that’s the way it is and the way it will be.

    Posted by: Don Bacon | Oct 3 2021 3:31 utc | 136

    Below is from Xinhuanet

    BEIJING, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- For years, the unspoken truth about Western media is that their veneer of objectivity has come off a long time ago. While touting themselves as the epitome of trustworthiness and honesty, some media practitioners in the West have no qualms about propagating lies against China.
    
    As the coordinated anti-China smear campaign is gaining steam, more intrepid journalists with a conscience are calling it out despite the tremendous pressure to silence them.
    
    In one of the most excoriating rebukes against Western media's manipulation of the public opinion against China, Javier Garcia, head of the office of the EFE News Agency of Spain in Beijing, announced earlier this week that he would soon leave journalism, as the flagrant information manipulation by Western media "has taken a good dose of my enthusiasm for this profession."
    
    The departure of journalists like Garcia is a giant loss to the industry, which is in dire need of introspection. For those who choose to stay and disagree with the highly biased and distorted reporting on China, they are usually confronted with a monolithic propaganda structure in the West to ignore, silence and discredit them.
    
    The past few years have seen a lot of deplorable cases where anyone who dared to maintain objective and impartial positions on China were accused of being on the payroll of the Chinese government or even worse.
    
    While they are working arduously to suppress impartial information and hoping it to pay off, some media in the West, especially in the United States, should expect that the chickens will come home to roost, as their own political order is at risk.
    
    Even James Murdoch, son of right-wing media mogul Rupert Murdoch who owns FOX News, castigated U.S. media for amplifying disinformation that successfully sowed falsehoods.
    
    "Those outlets that propagate lies to their audience have unleashed insidious and uncontrollable forces that will be with us for years," he told the Financial Times shortly after the U.S. Congress riot in early January.
    
    For those Western media who are still slandering China's peaceful development, it is time for them to think twice.

    Posted by: psychohistorian | Oct 3 2021 6:15 utc | 139

    One important note on something that is getting zero coverage in the “news”…

    Big news in aerospace circles, and all over China is the great diversity of the new state-of-the-art military weapons that are being shown in my town (where I live). Zhuhai. It’s all very awesome. Some of the aircraft are real surprises, and it might take the USA decades to play catch up. VIDEO.

    Video.

    I am interested in hearing what the readers read in their local news about these systems being made and mass-produced in China. Can you please enlightening me.

    The First Russian Strategic Assessment of the Australia-UK-US (USUKA) Submarine Pact

    A serious Russian strategic assessment of the UK-USA-Australia decision to start basing nuclear armed nuclear submarines in Australia 18 months from now…

    Unlike diesel-electrics, nuclear subs can contribute to the US blockade of China from the Pacific and in the Malacca

    Following last week’s meeting in Washington of Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne, the Australian defence minister and their US counterparts, a strategic military and basing agreement was announced between Australia, the UK and US (AUKUS). This is being reinforced with summit meetings in Washington this week.

    The declared target of their war-making preparations is China.

    Australian strategy against Russia in the Pacific region follows in lockstep with the US. But for the time being the Russian enemy, and Russian submarine and surface fleet operations in the Indo-Pacific region, are not being discussed by Australian officials in public; at least not to the extent when President Vladimir Putin last visited Australia in November 2014 with a nuclear-powered, nuclear armed naval escort.

    Ahead of schemes for strategic warmaking in the Pacific, the US, the UK and Australia are also engaged in proxy war operations. These have accelerated recently in Myanmar, where Russia and China are allied in support of the military government of  General Min Aung Hlaing. Next, from both sides, state bribery, subversion, putsch-making, and other special operations are likely to accelerate in the Pacific islands from Fiji to Papua-New Guinea.

    For the moment, the initial reaction to AUKUS from the Russian Foreign Ministry has been as close to uncritical as the ministry can be.” Spokesman Maria Zakharova said last Thursday:

    “We noted the plans, announced by Australia to build nuclear-powered submarines as part of an ‘enhanced trilateral security partnership’ agreed yesterday by the United States, Great Britain and Australia. We proceed from the premise that being a non-nuclear power and fulfilling in good faith the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Australia will honour its commitments under this document, as well as the IAEA Safeguards Agreements along with its Additional Protocol. We hope that Canberra ensures the necessary level of cooperation with the IAEA in order to rule out any proliferation-related risks.”

    The first detailed technical and strategic assessment of the AUKUS scheme has followed this week in Vzglyad, the leading strategy publication reflecting the Russian General Staff and GRU assessments. A translation from the Russian article by Alexander Timokhin follows.

    In a few years, another country with a nuclear submarine fleet will appear in the world  – Australia. What kind of submarines will this country receive from its allies, what kind of combat capabilities do they provide, and according to what scenario can they be used to contain China’s military power?
    Everything is learned by comparison. What are the eight multi-purpose nuclear submarines that Australia will receive (not to be confused with submarines armed with ballistic missiles)? Let’s compare them with other fleets.
    First, take the example of China, against which (at least, so they say) everything is being planned. Now China has only nine multi-purpose nuclear submarines, with low stealth. Three of them are Project 091; these are old and noisy vessels  that have almost no combat value. The remaining six are Project 093, more modern boats, which, however, are inferior to modern American and British ones. In fact, only these six have a real combat value, and it is this number that should be taken into account.
    I must say that the Chinese have made tremendous progress if we start from their initial level. Their submarines are already armed with good torpedoes and means of countering enemy torpedoes. But they are still very far from British ‘Astutes’ or American ‘Virginias’.
    
    Theoretically, the ‘Virginia’ of the latest modification (the block, as the Americans say) will be able to be used when delivering a high-precision massive non-nuclear strike on Chinese territory. In this case, the Australians will be able to increase the American salvo. In the future, when the Americans finish their hypersonic missile program for the Navy, this strike may also be very fast.
    
    It will be a separate story if the Americans again trample on international norms of behaviour and deploy nuclear weapons on Australian submarines before the war. Then, using cruise or hypersonic missiles, Australia will be able to cause China (and not only it) simply monstrous damage. And just ordinary Tomahawks with their fast, surprise launch can cause considerable damage to the side attacked – and the tactical and technical characteristics of the ‘Virginia’ will allow you to secretly approach even a well-guarded shore and deliver a sudden and unexpected blow.
    
    Naturally, this is true if Australia builds ‘Virginias’ with vertical missile launch installations, and not ‘Astutes’, which can only use Tomahawks through torpedo tubes. There is no answer to this question yet.
    
    In the event of a war more or less close to a classic naval war, these submarines will create an additional threat to China, and China will be required to allocate additional forces to this threat, which it will need very much in a war with the United States and Britain,  even without Australia.
    
    The Chinese are taking care of their fleet and developing it. They have anti-submarine surface forces and anti-submarine aviation, but when performing combat tasks outside the combat radius of their base (coastal in colloquial language) aviation, the problem of combating enemy submarine forces will become quite acute for China. Chinese surface ships will be subjected to air strikes by Australian based and American carrier-based aircraft; anti-submarine aircraft will not be able to work without cover; in fact, all tasks will have to be solved by Chinese nuclear submarines. They do not reach the western (that is, the future Australian) level yet, and they will be forced to act against heterogeneous enemy forces (submarines, anti-submarine aircraft, surface ships) without support.
    
    How will China respond?
    
    China has hope – there are new multi-purpose nuclear submarines being created, designated in the foreign press as Type 095, and in China itself 09-V. According to visual assessment of images of the boat, it is clear that China is trying to introduce a large number of technical solutions that increase the stealth of the submarine and the range of detection for its underwater targets. It is clearly visible that the boat is being created specifically for combat.
    
    But what success the Chinese will have is an open question, and most importantly, even these boats will not see superiority in quality;  ideally there will be approximate parity.  At the same time, if the current pace of updating the submarine forces in China continues, then China will be inferior to the Americans and the British in numbers even without Australia, and even more so with it. These new boats are still in the planning stage — China has not built any of them yet. And another hostile nuclear submarine fleet will definitely require the Chinese to invest very quickly and very seriously in expanding their production; that requires time, money, and resources.
    
    Can China ignore this threat? No.
    
    Here is just one of many examples. Geographically, Australia can completely block the connection between China and the Indian Ocean: there is a direct exit there and this is not controlled by China in any way. China only has the Strait of Malacca, which with its new submarines Australia will be able to block from the Indian Ocean. Or go past Australia itself, with the same submarines and its aircraft. There is no other road by which a large amount of oil can be supplied to China.
    
    Australia would never have had these opportunities in this form if it had continued its work on the purchase of non-nuclear submarines from France.
    
    A non-nuclear (in fact the same diesel-electric) submarine is not capable, for example, of going under water at a high speed, as the ‘Virginias’ and ‘Astutes’ can, and secretly, without a critical increase in noise.
    
    A non-nuclear boat needs to deliver fuel to the combat service area, an atomic one does not need to – a nuclear submarine is not tied to nearby bases or to fuel, and it can operate disproportionately more freely than a diesel-electric one, even with an air-independent power plant.
    
    In combat, a nuclear submarine also has a lot of advantages, up to the possibility of sometimes getting away from the enemy’s torpedo by running. For a hypothetical Australian-French non-nuclear submarine, this would be impossible. The hydroacoustic complex on the ‘Virginias’ is generally difficult to compare with something, and this is the range of target detection and the range of shooting at it.
    
    Now China, in addition to measures to counter the submarine fleet of the United States and Great Britain, will also have to take into account Australia, which wants to get a nuclear submarine more powerful than anything that China has at present.
    
    What does the battlefield look like in numbers? If we start from how many of the ‘Virginias’ are already built and under construction to go into service by 2036, when the Australians want to get their eight submarines, then we can assume that there will be about 20 units. And they will not be able to throw everything at China; some of the submarines will be needed in case of emergency operations against Russia.
    
    Thus, an additional eight Australian submarines will increase the number of units opposing China by at least a third, compared only with American submarines. This is even more than the British will be able to give for the war with China. China will have to increase both the submarine and other fleet forces by a comparable number.
    
    In general, for China, these eight additional enemy submarines are a fresh handful of bones in the throat. That’s about what the Americans planned to do with the British. That’s what eight nuclear submarines are.
    
    This is what caused the reaction of the Chinese to the news. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said that the transfer of nuclear submarine construction technologies to Australia harms the nuclear non-proliferation regime and ‘exacerbates the arms race’, as well as the fact that the United States and Great Britain ‘extremely irresponsibly’ apply double standards. These admonitions, of course, will not have any effect.
    
    And what does this mean for Russia? If Australia wants to have eight multi-purpose submarines by 2036, then by that year we will ideally have four Yasen-class vessels in the Pacific Ocean – the ‘Novosibirsk’, ‘Krasnoyarsk’, ‘Vladivostok’ and, presumably, the ‘Perm’.
    
    Is for the future boat of the project 545 with the code-name ‘Laika’, the form in which the ‘Laika’ was presented to the president in December 2019 indicates the deliberate obsolescence of the project. And most importantly – it is extremely doubtful that these boats will be in service by the mid-thirties. This is another example of how many there will turn out to be — eight nuclear submarines in one theatre of military operations.
    
    However, the western ‘partners’ may have difficulties in implementing these wonderful plans.
    Is everything so simple?
    
    There is one aspect in all of this that can complicate everything. The production of as many as eight nuclear submarines, stuffed with high-tech systems to the brim, is not an easy matter. If we assume that the Australians will build some kind of ready-made project, for example the ‘Virginia’, then in any event they will up to 14 years for the construction of eight nuclear submarines if they start next year. This is an ultra-fast pace for eight units; the Americans themselves take five years to build one ‘Virginia’ from the popint of laying the keel to delivery to the Navy.
    
    Is it possible for the Australians to meet the deadlines? Yes, but only in an “expansive’ way – laying more submarines a year than the Americans. And this requires, firstly, shipyards in sufficient quantity to build submarines;  secondly, workers and engineers;  and thirdly, the supply of components from the United States, which can become the bottleneck of the project because of the existing crisis in American shipbuilding. Does Australia have all this in the right amount? The allies will not be able to help them there;  they do not have enough themselves.
    
    And if the Australians build some kind of British project – either the ‘Astute’  or, as is now rumoured in Britain, the future project of a British multi-purpose submarine, which should replace the ‘Astutes’, then nothing will work out. Britain is barely coping with the construction of its submarines by itself, including the part played by related companies. In the case of the ‘Astutes’, some of the related parties are from France engaged by by the Anglo-Saxons. On the other hand, the British can in this way compensate for the losses of the French from the broken Australian contract for non-nuclear submarines. Still, the problem of timing will also arise in  this case.
    
    The Australians seem to understand this. On Sunday, September 19, the Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton said that Australia will not wait until its nuclear submarines are built, but will buy or lease British or American ones.
    
    This is quite possible. However, not with British submarines, but more likely with American ones, although such a scheme would not lead to the desired increase in anti–Chinese forces; there would still be as many submarines against China, just some of the flags would change. But, firstly, by the time the construction of their series is completed (even if not all and with a delay), the Australians will already have experience working with nuclear submarines, and secondly, the United States now has problems with repairing its submarines (they do not pull, as they say), and renting some of their ships to Australia for the Americans will in fact mean their salvation as combat units, even under a foreign flag.
    
    In general, it is possible to make Australia a country with a nuclear submarine fleet quickly. Moreover, the authors of this initiative have an extremely serious reason for all this. Such gigantic investments and sharp political turns are not carried out just like that. The hegemony of the Anglo-Saxons in the world is seriously shaken, both because of their own internal weakness, and because of the growth of China, and the sabotage of their system of power by Russia. It is quite obvious they will not give up their power over humanity and the benefits resulting from this in a favourable fashion.
    
    It is worth recognizing that the world is on the verge of war. Australia’s agreement with the United States and Britain says exactly this. An ordinary world war with tens of millions of dead, as one option, or with hundreds of millions; after all, no one has canceled nuclear weapons. Such a war is almost inevitable.
    
    Moreover, knowing what deadlines the ‘partners’ set for themselves, you can roughly understand the time for which they are preparing the ‘hot phase’. And looking at how other countries are preparing for the next world war, it’s time for us to take a critical, honest and non-biased look at how we are preparing for it.”

    Big, huge changes, in the near future (a tentative list)

    by Andrei for the Saker blog

    Truly, tectonic changes are happening before our eyes, and today I just want to list some of them but without going to deep into specific analyses, that I plan to do later in the coming weeks.  But just looking at this list is impressive enough, at least for me.  So, here we go:

    The Anglos are circling the wagons:

    The planned sale of US/UK SSNs to Australia is nothing short of a HUGE game changer.  It is also just the tip of a big iceberg:

    • The US seems to have de-facto given up on Europe, not only because the UK left or because the EU is crashing and unmanageable anyway, but because the political grip the US had on the continent is now clearly slipping: NATO is a paper tiger, the “new Europeans” have outlived their utility and Russia has basically successfully diffused the threat from the West by her titanic effort to develop capabilities which make an attack on Russia suicidal for any country, including the USA, whether nukes are involved or not.
    • By screwing over France, the US has jettisoned a pretty useless ally which had a short hysterical fit, but is already going back to its usual groveling and begging (BTW – those who think that de Gaulle was the last French patriot capable of telling Uncle Shmuel to “take a hike” are wrong, Mitterrand was the last one, but that is a topic for another day).
    • Of course, in political/PR terms, the US will continue to declare itself committed to NATO and the EU, but the “body language” (actions) of the US directly contradicts this notion.
    • For all its immense progress since the 80s and 90s, China still has two major technological weak points: aircraft engines and SSNs.  It just so happens that these are also two real US strong points.  By deploying 8 more SSNs near China, the US is very intelligently maximizing the use of its best assets and hurting China were it will hurt the most.  This does come with some very real risks, however, which I will discuss below.

    The BRICS is close to becoming useless:

    Brazil is currently run by the US and Israel.  South Africa is in a deep crisis.  As for India, it is doing what it has been doing for decades: trying to play all sides while trying to weaken China.  So it sure looks like the BRICS are becoming the “BRICS” which really leaves us with “only” the “RC” alliance which actually has a real name: the Chinese call it the “Strategic comprehensive partnership of coordination for the new era”.

    Again, I don’t think that anybody will formally dissolve what was a rather informal alliance to begin with, but de-facto the BRICS seems to be loosing much of its former glamour and illusions.  As for Russia and China, they are not going to “save” the former BRICS members out of some sense of sympathy especially not against their own will: let them save themselves, or at least try.  Then, maybe.

    Also, let’s be honest here, BRICS was an economic concept which was mostly an alliance of weak(er) countries against the big economic and military powers of the North and West.

    As for the Russian-Chinese alliance (let’s call it that, even though formally that is not what this is), it is, by itself, already more powerful than BRICS and even more powerful that the united West (US+NATO+EU+etc.).

    The SCO is changing (thanks to Uncle Shmuel), fast

    If Biden was a secret “Putin agent” (“KGB agent” is the preferred term in the US, at least by those who do not seem to realize that the KGB was disbanded thirty years ago) he could not have done “better” than what he did in Afghanistan.  Now, thanks to this galactic faceplant, the small(er) guys in the SCO (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan) are now getting seriously concerned about what will happen next.  Even better, the (very powerful) Iran will officially become a SCO member this month!  Again, neither Russia not China “need” the SCO for their defense, but it sure makes things easier for them.  Speaking of Afghanistan, Pakistan is already a SCO member, as is India.

    It is important to note that the SCO will not become an “Asian NATO” or an “anti-NATO” or anything similar.  Again, why would Russia, China and other want to follow a failed model?  They have repeated ad nauseam that their alliances are of unions of (truly!) sovereign states and that this union will not impede on this sovereignty in any ways (besides, neither Russia not China need to limit the others SCO members sovereignty to begin with).

    The EU is slowly committing economic and political suicide

    Initially, France had a major hissy fit, but is probably not doing the only thing France should do after what happened: leave NATO and slam the door on it, very loudly.  De Gaulle or Mitterrand would have done so immediately, but Macron?  Being the ultimate spineless fake that he is, it would be miraculous if he did anything meaningful (other than brutally repressing all the riots in France).

    At this time of writing the result of the elections in Germany are too close to call, but even if NS2 is allowed to function, the level of russophobic hysteria in Europe is so extreme that the following will almost certainly happen: the EU will continue with its rhetoric until the prices go even further up, at which point they will turn to the only country which the EU desperately need to survive: the much hated and feared Russia.  Don’t quote me on that, but last week I remember the following prices for 1000 cubic meters of gas in Europe (just under 1000 dollars), the Ukraine (1600 dollars) and Belarus (120 dollars).  I might have memorized this wrong (I was traveling), and this might have changed, but the bottom line is this: only Russia can’t give the EU the energy it needs, and she has exactly ZERO reasons to make those russophobic prostitutes any favors (other than symbolic).  And even if my memory played a trick on me, what is certain that the prices for energy are soaring, the EU reserves are very low, and the temperatures falling.  Welcome to the real world 🙂

    I won’t even go into the “multiculturalism” “inclusivity” “positivity” and other Woke nonsense which most of the EU countries have accepted as dogmas (even Switzerland caved in).

    The US is like an aircraft breaking apart in mid-air

    As most of you know, I have decided to stay away from internal US politics (for many different reasons).  So I will just use a metaphor: the US is like an aircraft which, due to pilot incompetence and infighting, is breaking apart in mid-air with its passengers still arguing about who should be the next pilot as that could make any difference.  Some passengers will continue to argue until the hit the ground.  Others are engage in “mid-air fistfights” apparently believing that if they succeed in beating the crap out of the other guy, they will somehow prevent gravity from doing what it does.

    The reality is much simpler: a system that is not viable AND which cannot reform itself (too busy with self-worshiping and blaming others for everything) can only do one thing: collapse and, probably, even break-apart.  Only after that can the US, or whatever the successor state(s) will be called, rebuilt itself into something totally different from the US which died chocking on its own arrogance this year (like all the other empires in history, by the way, the latest one being the Soviet one).

    The Russian elections

    The results are in and they are yet another galactic faceplant for the AngloZionist Empire.  The main Kremlin Party took a hit, the Communists did very well, Zhirinovski’s LDPR lost a lot and a new (moderately pro-Kremlin) party made it in for the first time.  Considering the many billions of dollars the West has spent on trying to create a Belarus-like crisis in Russia (Navalnyi, Petrov, Boshirov & Co.), this is yet another truly gigantic failure for the West.

    If anything, the rise of the KPRF shows that a lot of people are fed up with two things: 1) what they see as a tepid, if not outright weak, Russian foreign policy towards the West and 2) with the liberal (economically speaking) policies of Putin and his entourage.

    Absolutely NOBODY in Russia wants “better relations” or any kind of “dialog” with the rabidly russophobic West.  And to the extend that Russia and the USA simply *have* to talk to each other (being nuclear superpowers) they, of course, will.

    But the EU as such is of zero interest to Russia.  And if Russia needs to get something done (like what anyway?), she will talk to the US, not its EU underlings.  For all its problems, the US still matters.  But the clowns of the EU?

    [Sidebar: the word “Communist” usually elicits a knee-jerk reaction from brainwashed US Americans.  But for the rest of them, let me just say that while I don’t think the KPRF is what Russia needs and while I have nothing good to say about Ziuganov or most of the KPRF leadership, I will say that KPRF does not mean Gulags, hammers and sickles smashing Ukie babies, Russian tanks in downtown Warsaw or any such nonsense.  There are several “Communist” parties in Russia, and none of them are even remotely similar to the kind of party the bad old CPSU was.  So while US politicians feel very witty to speak of the CCP-virus and that kind of nonsense (Ted Cruz is officially my “favorite idiot” in Congress now), this is so far detached from any reality that I won’t even bother explaining it here.]

    The COVID pandemic

    Wow, just wow.  Where do I even begin???  Biden’s speech on this topic was hateful declaration of war on all those who don’t fully accept the “official” White House line.  The fact that many (most?) of those who do not accept the official party line DO accept an even dumber version of events does not make it right to force them into choosing between their beliefs and, say, their job, or their right to move around.

    Again, after listening to Biden I kept wondering if he was a “Putin agent” as his actions are only accelerating the breakup of the “US aircraft” I mentioned above.  You can say many things about COVID-dissidents, but you can’t deny them two things: 1) a sincere belief in their ideas and 2) an equally sincere belief that their core freedoms, values and rights are trampled upon by pathological liars and crooks (aka politicians + BigPharma).

    They will resist and, yes, violently if needed.  Because for them it is a both a matter of personal human dignity and even survival!

    At least, and so far, the US still has a powerful Constitution which will make it very hard for the current nutcases in the White House to do what they apparently want to do (force 80M US Americans to obey “or else”).

    Furthermore, Federal courts cannot be simply ignored.

    Also, US states still have a lot of power.

    Finally, most US Americans still hold dear the ideals of freedom, liberty, small government, privacy, etc. But EU countries have no such protections from governmental abuse: true, in the US these are all rights are weakened by the day if not the hour, but at least they have not been *officially* abrogated (yet?).

    If you want to see how bad things can get without such rights, just look at the pandemic freak show in Canada, Australia or New Zealand!

    Finally, and irrespective of its actual origin (I am still on the fence on that), the COVID pandemic wiped all the make-up and has showed the entire world the true face of the West and its rulers: weak, ignorant, arrogant, hypocritical cowards whose only true concern is to cover their butts and “grab whatever can be grabbed” before the inevitable and final explosion (nuclear, economic or social).

    Now back the the Aussie SSNs

    The sale/lease of these SSNs is not only a danger for China, but also one for Russia.

    Simply put, Russia cannot and will not allow the Anglos to strangle China like they did with Japan before WWII.

    The good news is this: the latest Russian SSNs/SSGNs are at least as good as the latest Seawolf/Virginia class, if not better.  Ditto for ASW capabilities.

    What Russia does lack is the needed numbers (and Anglo submarine fleets are much lager, even “just” the USN alone) and funds, both of which China has (or can have).

    From the Kremlin’s point of view, the Anglos are trying to create an “Asian NATO”, something which neither China nor Russia will allow.

    The Chinese already informed the Aussies that they are now a legitimate target for nuclear strikes (apparently, Australia wants to become the “Poland of the Pacific”), while the Russians only made general comments of disapproval.

    But take this to the bank: the Russian General Staff and the Chinese (who both probably saw this coming for a while) will jointly deploy the resources needed to counter this latest “brilliant idea” of the Anglos.

    In purely military terms, there are many different options to deal with this threat, which ones China and Russia will chose will become apparent fairly soon because it is far better to do something prevent that delivery from actually happening than to deal with eight more advanced attack submarines.

    By the way, the Russians are also semi-deploying/semi-testing an advanced SSK, the Lada-class, which has both very advanced capabilities and, apparently, still many problems.  SSKs are not capable of threatening SSNs in open (blue) waters, but in shallower (green/brown) waters such as straits or littorals, they can represent a very real threat, if only by “freeing up” the SNNs to go and hunt into the deep (blue) waters.  Also, the main threat for subs comes from the air, and here, again, China and Russia have some very attractive options.

    Conclusion: interesting times for sure…

    Like the Chinese curse says, we are living in very interesting times.

    The quick collapse of the Empire and the US is, of course, inherently very dangerous for our planet.

    But it is also a golden opportunity for Zone B nations to finally kick the Anglos out and regain their sovereignty.

    True, the US still has a lot of momentum, just like a falling airliner would, but the fact  remains that 1) they ran from Afghanistan and 2) they are circling their Anglo wagons shows that somebody somewhere does “get it” and even understood that in spite of the huge political humiliation both of these development represent for narcissistic politicians and their followers, this was a price which absolutely HAD to be paid to (try) to survive.

    In my article (infamous) analysis ” Will Afghanistan turn out to be US imperialism’s “Last Gleaming”?” (it triggered even more hysterics and insults than usual, at least on the Unz review comments section) I wrote this: “the British Empire had the means of its foreign policies. The US does not.

    This is now changing.

    Yes, what the Anglos (aka 5 eyes) are doing is a retreat.  But it is a *smart* one.  They are cutting off all the “useless imperial weights” and going for the “smaller but stronger” option.

    We might not like it, I certainly don’t, but I have to admit that this is pretty smart and even probably the only option left for the AngloZionist Empire.

    At the very least, it is now clear that the Anglos have no allies, and never had them.

    What they had where colonial coolies who imagined themselves as part of some “community of civilized, democratic and peace-loving, nations”.  These coolies are now left in limbo.

    So, who will be the next one to show Uncle Shmuel to the door?  My guess is the Republic of Korea.  And, frankly, since the DPRK is not a country the Empire can take on, and since China will only increase its (already major) influence on both the DPRK and the ROK, the US might as well pack and leave (maybe for Australia or occupied Japan?).

    Okay, end of this overview of developments.

    Latest Developments in China (US Products)

    Not reported in the English media is that all Chinese factories that are making products for the United States are now “power off” for much of the week. Supposedly this is part of the “Climate control agreement” that Biden and Xi Peng agreed upon.

    What it functionally means is that factories (in China) that make American products must stop working for a set period of time per week depending on the percentage of American products that they export.  The rule sort of goes like this…

        • <16% = One day no work.
        • 30% = Two days no work.
        • 45% = Three days no work.
        • 60% = Four days no work.
        • 75% = Five days no work.
        • 100% = No work allowed.

    Keep in mind that in China every factory works a six day week.

    Since exports to the United States make up around 10% of the total exports out of China, there will be some discomfort with this ruling.

    Oh, and by the way…

    Over the weekend, a major (retired) Senior CCP member wrote a strong worded letter to XIPeng that the situation with the United States is so serious that normal military use policies must be reconsidered. In specific, he advised that the “no use of military until attacked” be scrapped in favor of a “first strike – preventative posture” against openly belligerent and hostile forces.

    This has been making it’s way though the Chinese social media and the overwhelming opinion that this is something that needs to be done immediately.

    The Battle at Lake Changjin

    Movie screenshot.

    China takes a page out of the West’s playbook in war movie production. The Battle at Lake Changjin about the Korean War (1950-53) deals with Chinese troops exploits during what’s known in China as the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.

    It’s this observer’s mind-set that echoes that of the West:

    "In view of the long-lasting China-US strategic rivalry, China needs more films themed on the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, which is helpful to enhance China's cohesion and confidence, said Song Luzheng, an international relations researcher at the China Institute of Fudan University in Shanghai."

    Oh, the film is a huge success, smashing all Chinese box office records.

    Yes, the waking of the Dragon will be seen as a huge mistake by the West that ushered in its downfall.

    Looks to be an OUTSTANDING MOVIE. It’s a true story. We see personal sacrifice. Bravery. Compassion and fierce loyality to the Chinese nation.

    Check out this one minute video summary clip… VIDEO

    This part of the war come with a touching story.
    .
    A few dozen PLA soldiers on the front line froze to death in a position of combat readiness. They dared not move simply becuse doing so would expose their position and alert the American forces.
    .
    Their self sacrifice enabled the sudden strike against the well armed American forces in the middle of the night.
    .
    The PLA foot soldiers fought the American tanks, fighter jets and other lethal weapons with strategy, self sacrifice and human will, and eventually forced the 16 most powerful and wealthy Western nation forces (at that time) back more than 500km from the Chinese border, and forced them to begin to hold peace talks.
    .
    (An interesting note: Mao famously said in the beginning of the Korean war: we will let them decide how long to fight this war, we will fight till we win)
    .
    This is an example of peace with the West can only be achieved by fighting back hard. This is like the Afghanistan foot soldiers taking 20 years to defeat the same group of Western barbarians and forced them to leave their holy motherland .
    .

    Do you think that this movie will be permitted to play in the USA, the UK  or Austalia or do you think that those nations will bank it for “national security”?

    CHINA RECONSIDERS…

    From The Sun…

    The global appeal for peace comes as a top Chinese diplomat warned his country to re-examine their promise to only use nukes in retaliation, in response to the new alliances forming in the region.

    Beijing’s former ambassador to the UN, Sha Zukang said China must make the first nuclear strike against the US if Joe Biden continues to defend Taiwan.

    He said:

    "The unconditional no first use is not suitable . . . unless China-US negotiations agree that neither side would use [nuclear weapons] first, or the US will no longer take any passive measures to undermine the effectiveness of China’s strategic forces. 
    
    The strategic pressure on China is intensifying as (the US) has built new military alliances and as it increases its military presence in our neighbourhood."

    The threat came ahead of a meeting between the US, India, Japan and Australia – dubbed the Quad, in Washington, host by Joe Biden.

    During a meeting of the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association in Beijing last week he said:

    "The policy not to be the first to use nuclear weapons unconditionally has given China the moral high ground internationally. But for some time in the future, the US will see China as its main competitor and even its enemy. Can this policy be re- examined and fine-tuned?"

    Final Comment

    Do you all have a headache? I sure do. All of this bullshit is because a group of assholes in Washington DC have this deleterious fantasy of enslaving the world, and they are so fucking cock-sure that they can do it.

    Enough of this craziness.

    Time to relax.

    Here’s a nice gif. It’s getting close to that time of the year.

    When the weather started to get damp and cold, I would bring my kitties in and they would sit in front of the nice wood store and stare at it for hours.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

    Answers from The Domain from questions generated 24SEP21

    This article consists of answers from The Domain to questions collected by the MM audience. This is the second of (hopefully) many such events. Though, I must admit that it is really a lot of work to do.

    I collected the questions from the last week of September 2021, and tried to contact with the Domain via the EBP in fits and starts over this period. I was successful, and unsuccessful. Some times the connection was strong while at other times it was weak. All having to do with my various situation at the time.

    An Important note

    I asked a question. A very personal question at the end of this article, and obtained an answer.

    It is very disturbing, and I am very upset by it.

    I decided to put it in and let you all know what was stated. This goes against my “better judgement”, but we will see what happens.

    What this is all about

    On 17SEP21 I posted an article that related the fact that The Domain opened up a dedicated channel to me via the EBP. As always, it was one-sided, and detailed. But during the conversation, I had no real mental ability. I was in a receiving and reporting state. I was really unable to think for myself. I just queried what I was told to ask and recorded the answers.

    You can read this article HERE, if you are confused with what is going on.

    Some Background

    Most people are aware that the work titled “Alien Interview” is a transcript of a Commander of The Domain when it’s vehicle crashed in 1947. What most people do not know is that this event spawned an American  top secret agency known as MAJestic that fell under the ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence).

    This waved, unacknowledged special access program handled (and still handles) all extraterrestrial events, technologies and interactions with the United States government. I was a unique part of that organization prior to being retired.

    I have numerous devices installed in my body. The seven ELF probes are for MAJestic, with the EBP system is of Domain manufacture and utility.

    Terminology

    • EBP – A hardwired device that connects MM to The Domain.
    • ELF – A hardwired device that connected MM to MAJestic through a Mantid intermediary. Now deactivated.
    • The Domain – The name of the species / civilization that the type-1 greys belong to.
    • Old Empire” – A term used to describe a vanquished civilization that used to be in control of this section of the galaxy.
    • Comm channel – A link to the MM “handler” or Commander. Rank and position is unknown except that it is a senior being. This is a channel though the EBP system.
    • Prison Planet – Earth and the surrounding solar system.
    • Prison Complex – Our solar system with four to five other solar systems together.
    • Warden – Chief administrator for the Earth.
    • Corrections Officers – Police that work for the Warden.

    Questions

    This is the SECOND collection of Q&A from The Domain.

    Here are the questions with the answers. We start off with one of MY questions to get the ol’ ball rolling…

    [1] Who is Madesescapalion? Is this just a name out of my imagination, or something that I need pay attention to?

    In an odd event, this name suddenly popped into my head, and stayed in my head for hours. Just banging around and around and around, and around. Jeeze!.

    It’s really annoying.

    Someone is addressing in a formal form like you would a officer, or the head of the FBI or something like that.

    So I wrote it down. Then for the next four hours or so it still kept banging around in my skull until I wrote this question down. And then, oh, for Goodness Sakes! This popped out…

    Who is Madesescapalion?

    Madesescapalion (sic) is the name  / a name of / one of the names of the Chief Administrator / High Authority of the Earth-centric portion of this Prison Complex. He is the local de facto head of this facility.
    
    He was a (preferential form) human who has injected himself into the prison complex as a means of escaping / avoiding / hiding from The Domain.
    
    He conducted this “donning of prison attire” when the Domain defeated the forces of the “Old Empire” sometime between 1135 - 1230 AD during the destruction of the local “Old Domain” space fleet in this region.
    
    He has been cycling in and out of “general population” in the Prison Complex ever since.
    
    He has systems in place that detect our movements and alert him, and when we get near to him he dies and goes into “Heaven” where we have difficulty following. Once he is safe, he then re-injects himself in the general population again. He is very cunning. He is very skillful. He holds many answers regarding the systems and the control attributes of this Prison Complex.

    Scene from the movie Dark Shadows starring Johnny Depp.

    (I wonder if there is some kind of message in the movie Dark Shadows concerning this administrator.)

    I don’t know if this is the right spelling. I just wrote it as it appeared to me.

    Ma - des - escapa - li - on

    It could also be read as “Ma-des Escapa-Li-on”, as in “Warden Escapa-Li-on”. Tht’s my thinking of this. I don’t know if it is true or not.

    Warden Escapalion

    Administrator of the “Old Empire”. In charge of this Prison Complex. Went into hiding (inside the prison General Population) when The Domain took over.

    Update; Maybe I wrote it wrong. 
    The pronunciation is not "lion" but rather "leon". 
    
    - MM

    [2] What is the relationship between the Domain and the Mantids. Why won’t the Domain ask the Mantids for help?

    This issue has been bothering people for some time. It’s a valid concern and there are many questions regarding it. For some people, the Mantids represent angels, while the Domain represent demons. Now they see things in a new light and are concerned.

    Personally, I was afraid to ask this as there are some MAJestic prohibitions on Mantid disclosures. But, I just didn’t think about it. I just got comfortable and read and waited for a response. There was a pause of a few minutes and then this flowed out.

    Domain & Mantid relationship.

    The Mantids (sic) are a species that has their own civilization and culture. They have accepted The Domain jurisdiction in this geographical area. They are also neutral in regards to territory, administration, and other encumbrances of physical life.
    
    They have transcended those interests.
    
    They maintain their roles within the Prison Complex “Heaven” and are satisfied with whatever might or might not happen in the future. Our relations with them are cordial. And if we ask them for support and assistance, they provide it. They have accepted our administration over this area and Prison Complex, and are willing to work with us in whatever way that we deem fit.

    Do you have any thoughts about this answer?

    [3] There is a group that you are working with that I am unfamiliar with. So I refer to them as <redacted>. Who are they and what do they do?

    This is one of my questions that I would like to see answered better than what I would normally call out. You see my interpretation of direct data from the EBP differs substantially from this around-about method of collecting answers. And so I wanted to see what kind of answers that I would get.

    This <redacted> is a new group that was first brought up when the Domain had its first direct communication with me. I would like a name and some background on them, please.

    Who are the <redacted>?

    They are a species that you have never encountered before, and is rare in this section of the universe. Their society / empire / housing cluster are from a very distant galaxy and have been involved in large massive complexes, works and systems not unlike that of the “Prison Complex” here. 
    
    They are helping us decode and unlock the systems that we encounter and develop new devices and mechanisms for detection of traps and snares. 
    
    They have a name, but it would not serve you to understand something that you could not pronounce let along write. They do not physically resemble humanoids or insects. They resemble something else entirely alien to the earth experience as they are not from the same kind of planet or sun that the Prison Complex has. (The image that I get is a very large maggot or caterpillar about the size of a sofa.)
    
    You may refer to them as “helpers” like the little people in Willy Wonka’s Chocolate factory, the “oompa loompas”, or the “Minons” from “Despicable Me”.

    Note: I will refer to this group as “Technical helpers” from now on. –MM

    [4] Are there any catastrophic events due in the next few years?

    I was able to get answers to this question but it was full of “stops”, hesitations, pauses, and “drag-ons”. If you all can understand what I am trying to say.

    Everyone in the United States are fearful of the future. Indeed it seems like the entire nation is a broken down car skidding all over the place and being run by drunken raging maniacs. The passengers are terrified. What’s ahead is unknown, and everyone wants to know what is after that “bend in the road”.

    Catastrophic Events

    “The [physical] earth has undeniably gone through catastrophic events… cyclically and continuously. If I recall correctly, the most common recurring event(s) are at about 25,000 year increments or so… pole-shift, crustal displacement – stuff like that. Of course other things cause destruction as well – and I presume some are NOT natural. Anyway, my current best information says that such an event is likely to happen again – SOON – VERY soon (before 2025, but maybe even next calendar year). Can you comment on this?

    There are a number of clusters of time-lines (of large size) that are on a vector route towards a catastrophic purging of life and civilization elements within certain specific societies. What will happen depends on the trajectory of those clusters. The drivers behind their movement are well-established “Old Empire” forces that intentionally manifest results that (the MM readership) you would find distasteful.
    
    Thoughts can result in many manifestations. Not only in the movement of large numbers of people towards catastrophic results like lemmings, but also in the turmoil of natural processes. These thoughts can result in natural disasters, fiascos of unexpected intensity, and horrific results that will be unexpected. In many ways it is like an infant playing with a loaded gun. You must not allow horrific consequences whether “natural” or “manmade” to include all sorts of thought-induced reactions to manifest if you can avoid them.
    
    In the Prison Planet environment is an MWI configuration that permits world-line changes and alterations. There are various individual IS-BE’s imprisoned within the complex that have the ability to conduct mechanized world-line travel to different locations and different periods. After all, and you must remember, the MWI within the Prison Complex is an artificial construct. And thus, there are people who can create turmoil on certain world-line templates (sic) and then escape to safer havens.
    
    This is what is apparently going on. If you were to capture one of these IS-BE inmates and ask them what they are doing they would come up with all kinds of stories and excuses, but none will admit that they are participating in a relative “looting” of certain templates (sic) so that they can enjoy the fruits of their labors in other templates (sic).
    
    The good thing is that the “future” is never guaranteed. Being in such an artificial construct as the Prison Complex is, guarantees that those that can control their thoughts, and that understand how the Prison System works can “ride out” any crises or turmoil that might “boil up to the surface” with the confluence of multiple anchored clusters vectoring straight to catastrophic event scenarios. 
    
    Do not fear the future. Control your thoughts and you will control your destiny. Worrying about others is a fine passion but will not benefit you as your future will be under the fabric of your creation via your thoughts.
    
    If you can control your thoughts, even if your local environment undergoes horrific events, you will be able to endure it relative comfort.

    I immediate thought that this was NOT the kind of answer that the questioner wanted.

    After all, I myself, have been warning about catastrophic events in the future. I say this as a nod to the Deagal Report.

    His questioner wanted a yes or a no answer and some details.

    And the following came though…

    Yes. There will be difficult times ahead.
    
    It will be on a scale that many people will be unfamiliar and uncomfortable with.
    
    It will not be something that you can point to and say "here it is". It will be a growth, a growing, an amassing of a state. Then it will achieve a critical tipping point. Then, it will be very uncomfortable.
    
    It will not be televised, or reported on. Any information that the average person obtains will be lies, distractions or manipulations. No one will know what is going on. This will continue into the "main heat" of the event cycle. 
    
    (A list was provided in laconic fashion like someone reading from a handout.)
    
    Treasuries will be emptied.
    Resources will be stolen and carted off.
    Secret military engagements will take place with death and destruction.
    Back-stabbing, betrayals, and and "under hand" actions will be common.
    Agreements will be torn-up or ignored.
    New secret agreements will be written between unlikely participants.
    
    (Fourth tone emphasis on the last syllable of the end word in each sentence.)
    No one will know any of this. Many people will continue to be *oblivious* to what is going on even after millions of people are dead. So much will not be reported.
    
    Significant event will pass into history unknown and unrecorded. 
    
    There are numerous clusters heading towards numerous scenarios. The most worrisome are being mitigated and controlled by the Domain. Yet, the large quantity and diversity of the various participants suggest that some kind of event will happen one way or the other. 
    
    However, please note that it will happen without anyone realizing it happening until afterwards.
    
    There is an over reliance on electronic manipulative media. Many people believe that they know everything that is going on simply by the massive scope of the size of the media. That is a dangerous illusion. Nothing truthful will be displayed. Then when cracks and fissures in the news starts to point to some disturbing things, it will be all over and past the point of no-return.
    
    However you can control how those difficult times affect your life. If you control your thoughts, you will control the range / extent of those influences on your life. Do not allow others to control your thoughts.
    
    Keep in mind that the Domain is monitoring this situation very closely, and will not permit substantive destruction of the environment. However the mass concentration of evil and distorted IS-BE inmates have other ideas. And there are numerous scenarios where bad catastrophic events might still be able to occur no matter how hard the Domain tries to prevent them. Such as what happened with your World War I.
    

    Many Americans and Western governments, such as those in Europe, and Asian-Pacific nations that have “hitched a ride with Uncle Sam” are witnessing a collapse of everything that they believed in.

    But you see, all nations rise and fall.

    I have discussed this over and over before. And they follow a normal progression of birth to death. What this questioner is worried about can be summed up in one simple graph here…

    Do you have any thoughts about this answer?

    [5] Why are the Mantids so keen on helping humans when they know that our memories will be erased later?

    Well, why do they keep doing what they are doing. And what are they doing exactly?

    Mantids and Memory Erasure

    “There is something also bugging me about the mantids involvement on earth (and when I was talking to my husband about it, the PC started doing it’s own thing…weird!) I’m having a hard time articulating it, but maybe someone else can grab it. So here we go: Why do the mantids stay with us our whole lives and reviewing it in the end, when there comes the amnesia and everything we learned is forgotten? Don’t they know about the amnesia? Are they also kind of trapped on earth and cannot escape? Or do they profit somehow from being our wardens?”

    The Mantids are not Wardens. They are corrections officers / archivists / medical practitioners and they are bred for their role. They differ from specific Prison Planet to Prison Planet. 
    
    A form (originally native) to the particular Prison Planet (within the Prison Complex) is elevated and provided with a duty and a role, then their success within that role is determined by that duty. The other four or so systems in the Prison Complex each has their own version of these helpers.
    
    In the case of the Mantids, this form is found throughout the universe just like humans are, but this form has been on the earth much longer than any humans have. They call it their home and treat the humans as “adopted children” from their nest. 
    
    As transdimensional creatures they are particularly suited as the caretakers of individual human consciousnesses.
    
    They believe that it is important for them to help and guide the human species from the general population segment of the Prison Planet into “Heaven” and help them grow. They also believe that strife, experiences, and conflict make humans into better beings. 
    
    This seemingly conflicting belief is not native to their original archetype. 
    
    Like humans within the confines of the prison planet, they too have been modified. Both humans and mantids have been modified to live, work and stay within this prison complex and never leave it.
    
    The Mantids are absolutely convinced of their need to help humans in the prison grow through pain and suffering and then reward them with a rest-period in “Heaven”.
    
    This belief was cultivated / manufactured / genetically forced into them by the “Old Empire” when this particular Prison Planet was first established. Thus they, like the inmates that they tend to, are both hybridized archetype forms dedicated to specific roles within this Prison Complex. 
    
    They believe that they are involved in great compassionate works by providing great suffering to human inmates and then rewarding them with a “Heaven” afterwards.

    Jesus! – MM

    [6] Is enlightenment a benefit or a distraction?

    A good question from someone who is not taking the answers from the Domain at face value. Worthy of consideration.

    Again, the query was calm, easy and the response was immediate.

    Enlightenment

    “The bit about enlightenment is highly confusing. I’m guessing because it is poorly defined/undefinable. The Domain officer said that those who managed to escape the prison mechanism were able to control their thoughts to a high degree. That’s exactly what I would expect from someone on “the way” to enlightenment (Never a final destination either). Those who point to the way also advocate self-knowledge. Isn’t this in parallel with what the Domain advises? Any clarification here would be appreciated.”

    Enlightenment is a tool that is used by religions as part of a control mechanism. The individual components used to achieve an enlightened state, such as meditation, focus, mantras, and all the rest are useful components for the control of one’s thoughts. Control of one’s thoughts is THE (THE – emphasized twice) most important skill set that a IS-BE consciousness can develop.
    
    If the intention of using these components (mediation / breathing / focus / etc.) is to achieve a state of nirvana (and consider it as enlightenment) it is a “dead end”. 
    
    What you are doing is using the proper tools, but not building anything of worth or value. You are moving forward doing everything correct, and then parking the results in a great nothingness of no practical utility.
    
    You must use the exact same skills that you use to achieve enlightenment towards functional outcomes. 
    
    “Enlightenment” in of itself is NOT a functional outcome. (The Domain officer is getting rather worked up.) 
    
    Religions have taken the skills originally taught to inmates to help them leave this Prison Planet and put them on “snipe hunts” that lead nowhere. Thousands of very well skilled and talented individuals were so very close to escaping the clutches of this inmate population, only to be sidetracked. They died and believed that the tunnel of light was the enlightenment that they seek. 
    
    No. It’s just a trap. Avoid that trap. Do not try to become enlightened. Never try to become enlightened. Use the same skills for enlightenment to control your thoughts and focus your abilities.

    I had to break from this for a spell. I have never experienced such a strong impassioned response before. (Not that I have many of these kinds of responses, but they all tend to be friendly – neutral. Not so…emotional.)

    [7] Enlightenment and being service to self

    Is enlightenment considered Service to Self?

    Yes. It is a selfish action.

    “There’s also the concept of the Bodhisattva who attains a high degree of self-mastery such that they could transcend, but choose not to in order to help others along the way. Such examples might be Christ or the Buddha in various incarnations.”

    You do not need to obtain enlightenment, mastery or perfection in order to help others. You simply help them regardless of your current situation. 
    
    As it is functionally used, irregardless of what other potential it might possess, enlightenment is a means of tricking IS-BE's of high potential into the "Tunnel of Light" so that their memories can be erased, and they can be sent back to start all over again.
    
    Enlightenment has never freed anyone from the Prison Complex. You must be aware of that reality.
    

    After this response, I “felt the need” to put up this picture…

    Robin Williams giving helpful advice to a fast food worker on her situation. A day or two later, he killed himself. You do not need to be enlightened in order to help others.

    You do not need to be enlightened to help people.

    [8] Why not just break the WHOLE machine?

    “A great way to ruin the “harvest” would be to poison the crop, or break the machine. Perhaps the “elites” driving us toward destruction might be altruistic if they are trying to end all life on earth and throw a wrench in the gears. Why not destroy the entire earth system so that life here is not possible? Wouldn’t that free all IS-BEs?”

    A fast and stunning response shot back to me most clearly…

    This solution would be catastrophic for trillions of IS-BE's. All would have no memories except their current incarnation at the time of destruction. 
    
    They wouldn't know what to do. 
    
    Eventually a flood of (multiple) armies of the deranged evil IS-BE's could engulf this section of the galaxy with horrific consequences. 
    
    The neutral to good inmates would easily fall under their control. It would become a runaway train / domino effect / cascading of catastrophes that would run as a toxic cancer. It would envelope entire civilizations and societies and then run unchecked, one galaxy after the other.

    And so I added…

    In the movie Ghostbusters, bad or malevolent spirits and ghosts are captured and stored in a “containment grid” which was a device that held all the spirits in place. It was a field of electromagnetic energy that the spirits and ghosts could not break through.

    Containment machine.

    However there were forces that wanted to shut off the containment machinery. And, when the power was shut off from the containment grid, all of the stored spirits escaped and flew into New York City in mass…

    Escaping spirits from Ghost-busters.

    As they did so they created all sorts of problems.

    The Governor of New York called up the the leadership and the National Guard, calling it a National Emergency of Biblical Proportions.

    A National Emergency of Biblical Proportions.

    Why not? Is he correct?

    [9] Other extraction agents?

    “Is there an official title for the robed Elders who have upwards of 20 000 other consciousnesses posted in the prison to act as extraction agents? Can this organization be considered as the same entourage of consciousnesses that are associated with either the IS-BE known as Sanat Kumara or the IS-BE known as Aetherius?”

    The answer to this hit me quite fast and was unexpected. I didn’t even read the entire paragraph. I just skimmed over it. In fact, I wasn’t even fully ready to transcribe anything. I had to put my sandwich down and start typing away. I know that no one understands, but that’s what happened here.

    There are all kinds of official titles for all the places, locations, people, operations, and positions of everyone. The titles are not in English. And there is no need to generate translations of titles for your use when your own names are already quite sufficient.
    
    Remember who you are. You are IS-BE. You define your world, your reality, and how you interact with it. You are GOD. You are the highest most important consciousness in everything.
    
    (Pause. Then a continuation.)
    
    There are numerous organizations that you refer to as "robed elders". 
    
    Each one has a niche role in this Prison Environment. 
    
    (Then he starts listing. When listing, there is a sort of emphasis at the first syllable of the first word, so that I know that it is a new list item. I added numbers to help with the absorption of this information. The numbers were not provided in the transmission, but added by myself later on.)
    
    [1] Some have been around for centuries and were initially established by Domain agents (in their spare time) as a pastime. We put an end to the unauthorized efforts around 1955. There are currently authorized efforts only, and it is a part of our overall grand strategy.
    
    [2] While other organizations were established by mischievous outsiders who find it enjoyable to play games with the inmates here. For them, it's like putting a leaf in a cage with a bored kitten. They find pleasure and enjoyment "toying" with the more active non-physical components of inmates. It's an activity of theirs. 
    
    [3] Some have been established by well-meaning inmates that wanted to set up anti-Prison Operations, as a sort of like a form of warfare. It started out as a way to figure out what was going on and then evolved into something rather serious. Some of these kinds of "elders" have been around for many, many thousands of years. They have purpose. The questioner asked about one such organization.
    
    [4] Some were established by physical occult organizations from within the Prison population and has taken on a life of their own. These kinds of organizations are many. Some were created by accident. And some were created on purpose. One of the most famous (and prolific) occult leaders in your modern era was a man named Aleister Crowley and he was very active in creating some of these organizations in the non-physical worlds. Some spawned others, and some fractured and grew.
    
    [5] Some are part of the traps and snares that were established by the administration of the Prison Complex.These ones are very devious. They are run by Prison Correction Officers. Often autonomously. 
    
    [6] Some are the result of prayer and meditation leading up to quasi religious sponsored organizations that them "took on a life of their own". And operate with the highest intentions, often in ignorance, and suffering from the chains of dogma. 
    
    Each one goes by a name or group of names depending on who is dealing with them and why. 
    
    Their overall mix of intention is roughly...
    
    14% Sincere
    11% Mischievous
    24% Impassioned / religious
    22% Run by the Prison Complex as a snare / trap
    19% Accidentally spawned or grown on it's own.
    03% Initially set up by the Domain
    07% Misc

    The numbers are REALLY difficult for me to nail down. So what I did was write them down as transmitted.

    Then I discovered that they did not add up so I rounded them downwards to get numbers that made sense. I think that the commander was just pitching vague rough figures for illustrative purposes. The readers should not take these numbers as solid figures but as a guide to get a general feel for the kinds of organizations that are around, and the chances of one encountering one or the other.

    We urge caution in dealing with all non-physical organizations. 
    
    There are many tricks and side-tracks that are purposely designed to put you in a dangerous situation. Then if you fail, you are then recycled, and your physical body dies in it's sleep. If you pass, then you go on to harder more aggressive "tests" and combat arenas. Eventually ALL IS-BE's return back to the "Tunnel of Light" and are recycled in this manner.
    
    This system is one of the most common ones used by the Prison Planet to trap those inmates with advanced skills for travel in the non-physical worlds.
    
    All IS-BE's should be very, very careful when dealing in the non-physical realm that lies inside of the Prison Confines. There are very dangerous and very complex traps purposely designed to snare the unprepared.

    Then, out of the blue, about two days later this comes in.

    The questioner has been involved in multiple groups. This is true even though it might appear to be a singular group authority. 
    
    At least one of them was a Corrections Officer sponsored group. 
    
    Often the "Old Empire" Corrections Officer groups disguise themselves (it's easy to do) and pretend to be another group. 
    
    As such they convince the IS-BE that they are what the IS-BE wishes / desires / wants /expects. Then they set up snare scenarios to trap the inmate. It is easy to trap such an inmate, as they are often singular and working alone.
    
    Every caution must be taken. One should never perform dangerous actions or efforts in isolation. The risks are far too great.

    Thoughts?

    [10] Non-physical base monitoring traffic in and out of the Prison Complex?

    “Is there an official title for the organization who maintain a permanent station in the non physical domain who are tasked with monitoring all inter-dimensional traffic coming into and out of the earth prison?”

    Answers came quick. Clean.

    There are multiple organizations, all working independently. The Domain, of course is one. The others are set up for their own purposes. You might think of them as regulatory agencies rather than customs officials.
    
    Obviously the Domain has started monitoring the traffic when the fencing and monitoring mechanisms were damaged.
    
    Some of the civilizations that (have been) dropping off their riff-raff to this environment have set up monitoring stations and platforms.
    
    There is also a kind of constellation / data network / records system / archivist operation that monitors everything regarding this Prison Complex.
    
    Additionally, note that even though the fencing surround this entire Prison Complex has been damaged it has not been obliterated. There are self-aware autonomous Prison systems still working, still monitoring, and still in communication with Mantids and Corrections Officers. (There are other creatures that are Corrections Officers as well as Mantids.)

    Thoughts?

    [11] Domain approved process for reporting targets …

    “What is the Domain approved process for lucid dreamers to report targets they suspect with 100% surety as being part of the amnesia machinery when they are unable to provide exact coordinates?”

    This one is complicated and I got a headache just trying to sort through all the inrush of data and stuff. I am still trying to sort it out in any kind of meaningful way. A big jumble and mess of data, concepts and information that I haven’t much experience on and cannot speak about clearly. So I will greatly simplify.

    The EBP handles tracking and comm with the physical components of an IS-BE when they are attired in inmate "clothing". That is the primary purpose of the EBP. It is to completely monitor the physical person.
    
    The non-physical comm and monitoring is another system completely. It is completely different.
    
    Part of the Domain operations on the non-physical bodies is to release the chains of control by the Prison Administration. (Greatly simplified.) But part is something else as well. Depending on the person, other systems can be added or subtracted from the non-physical body of a given inmate.
    
    One of the more substantive and comprehensive operations is a very complex procedure that permits tracking and recording abilities associated with a given non-physical body. Because of it's in-depth / invasive / critical infrastructure changes /alterations /dangers it is only used on the most important or critical non-physical bodies (A lot of things that I have no idea of. Simplified the response.) that have a need to be observed and monitored.
    
    This procedure is given to those that are active in "Lucid Dreaming" activities and related movements in the non-physical world that ALSO wish to participate with the Domain as a volunteer. If this occurs then the individual would experience a very strange "experience" (a bunch of concepts that I am at a loss to explain.) that would not appear to be like their normal "Lucid Dreaming" events. Instead they would be having operations performed on them, and then released. 
    
    Then for the most part, their normal activities would continue as before, though they might start to get "nudges" or messages or directions. Which would be "coaching" / requests / advisement from the Domain handler to them. Their ability to understand what is going on takes time and there is no set training period for this activity.
    
    Afterwards they would not need to report anything. Their experiences would be monitored tracked, observed and noted.
    
    This is a unique procedure for unique assets. For most volunteers this is not necessary.

    Is this reasonable?

    [12] Suggestions or messages for escapees from the Prison Complex

    “Are there any messages for those who have escaped the prison through lucid dreaming and retain much of their memories as an immortal consciousness ie as an IS-BE?”

    Again this is quick and surprisingly short.

    Keep in mind that as long as your physical body is alive, your consciousness will still be connected to it. The only way that you can escape this Prison Complex is to physical die within it.
    
    Yet, when the physical body is dead, your IS-BE consciousness will still be connected to the non-physical body. For many, they will appear to be one and the same.
    
    At that point, there are a small number of IS-BE's that [might] possess the skills to actually leave the Prison Complex. If they have that ability, we suggest that they request assistance from The Domain.
    
    The Domain is the highest authority in this region. By requesting assistance, it is no different from calling the Fire Department, calling for an ambulance, or calling for the police. The IS-BE consciousness should have no fears or qualms about asking for support and assistance ever. 
    
    Call for help. That is what you must do, and wait for us to arrive.
    

    What are your thoughts?

    [13] Black-hole anomaly reference

    “Do the Domain know about a black hole like “anomaly” that permeates through both physical and non physical worlds and has the potential to “decompose” such worlds”? This is hard to describe in Earth based language. From outside the prison it would be appear as a dark void that encompasses many of these non physical and physical worlds simultaneously.”

    When I read this I got the impression of the Commander / handler sighing and looking up and thinking. Not that it actually happened, mind you, but that was the impression that I had.

    And then this…

    Ask this question later.

    So then I waited… I waited all afternoon, had dinner and then I asked again. The response was like a tired old kindly grandfather or cherished uncle that only wants the best for you.

    There are many things in space and the surrounding area that are unknown to the human inmates. This is in both the physical and the non-physical realms. 
    
    Some resemble a black-hole as you consider it. Others are something else entirely different. There are voids, and areas of occluded thought transference. There are many, many areas, and many such objects.
    
    I would advise staying away from any objects or situations that you do not understand. This is for your own safety and to prevent you from being engulfed in a snare of the "old empire".

    What are your thoughts?

    [14] Any “consciousness” doping facilities?

    “Are the Domain aware of “consciousness” doping facilities within the non physical planes where hypnotic commands for reality brainwashing are uploaded to the IS – BE via a type of screen?”

    This was an interesting response. It was dismissive. And you all shouldn’t be taken aback by it. It’s just a response.

    Yes. The Domain is aware of everything.

    I am sure that this isn’t what the questioner wanted to hear. But this is all that I’ve got. Simple. Are you bothered by it?

    [15] The “Wet Room”?

    “Is the Domain familiar with a device known as “the Wet Room” which has the ability to “spin” a consciousness through multiple non physical worlds simultaneously and is used specifically to torture/ disorientate an IS-BE traveling outside their physical body?”

    I had to read some writing on this and then re-read the question. The answer was slow in coming. Maybe too general. It was hesitating and sluggish.

    IS-BE's can create anything by thought. It is common to create entire universes. But those that are inmates have forgotten this ability and the Prison Correction Officers use all sorts of devices and systems to control those in the non-physical environment. 
    
    This "wet room" is one such system. There are many, many more. Some are truly awful. You do not want to get involved in any of these traps, snare or devices if you can avoid them.
    
    Additionally, evil people use the lack of understanding and knowledge of the IS-BE inmates to throw them into these devices of torture. Then they gleefully enjoy the agony, fear, pain and suffering that they witness.

    One of the problems with this kind of third party communication is that the receiver” myself can only communicate ideas, thoughts, images and concepts that I am familiar with.

    I had a very strong feeling that the Commander knew what was being asked, but was frustrated in that he couldn’t provide meaningful answers to me personally.

    I suppose that were he talking to the principal questioner, he would be able to transmit ideas and answers much more readily. The Wet Room.

    [16] Other escapees?

    “Are the Domain aware of any IS – BEs, apart from their Officers mentioned in Alien Interview who were caught in one of the electronic traps and were able to escape?”

    There was a kind of frustration in the “tone” to this response.

    Others have escaped. This is true. 
    
    However, today it is very uncommon event. 
    
    Each time that there is an escape, the Warden (or his surrogates) creates a new system of preventative measures so that it will not happen again. 
    
    Many of the escapes occurred early on after the system was built, and over time, with the addition of more snares, traps and systems, they became fewer and fewer.
    
    Any escapes are highly unlikely to occur without Domain assistance.
    
    (Intentional pause. Then he continued...)
    
    It is worth noting that when the first escapes began, at the start of the Prison Complex, the "Old Empire" needed to locate a militarized police force to patrol the region around the complex. And it was this arm of their space forces that we first battled when we entered this solar system. (Clear image of other actual military forces coming later.)
    
    When the escapees were captured, they were re-injected into the Prison Complex and treated as "escaping offenders". This gave them "special treatment" by the Mantids. They were earmarked for tougher-than-usual difficulty in mapping out the pre-birth world-line template (sic) and much shorter cycling in reincarnation events. (Shorter lives on the earth, followed by a special "Hell" area located in "Heaven" made just for them and other escapees.)
    
    This is a standard procedure by the (Mantid) Corrections Officers. The closer an inmate gets toward escaping, the more difficult his / her next reincarnated life will be. This is controlled by the Corrections Officers in "Heaven".
    
    Today the space surrounding all Prison Complexes, both the physical and the non-physical environments are filled with a minefield of traps and snares. They are multi-layered. We have begun cleaning out large swaths of "space" (sic. I don't know why he wanted me to add this notation.) with systems that we have developed just for this purpose, and it is a tedious and time consuming process.
    
    Part of the reason for this is that the traps and snares react only to inmates. Not to normal humans and other species.

    What are your thoughts on this?

    [17] How can an average Joe communicate with them? (Aside from communicating via MM)

    I put this question out, and then sat by waiting for a response with my cup of coffee. As it is the way that I deal with these things. I then wait. While I was on another task (my personal journal) I felt the rising hair on the back of my neck (well, it’s like rising hair on the back of my neck. Not actually the same thing.) and switched over to record it.

    I vocalized it again and then typed the response.

    There is no need for an "average person" to contact us. We have everything under control and in place.
    
    It might appear to be cold and heartless, it's just our efficiency. If we need to contract you, you will be contacted. 
    
    What is important is that everyone who works with us follows the rules and obeys the procedures. The Domain works as a unified whole and a "well oiled" organism. We need people who wish to be part of this unified whole, and not a bunch of college hooligans out for a Saturday lark. (I get the strong image of a box of kittens running all over the carpet.)
    
    (Followed by an equally strong image of a group of college students riding in a distressed model "A" with words written all over the car, and the guys wearing strange white and black shoes, striped long sleeve sweaters with sewn on letters, and the girls wearing skirts and holding triangular pennants. I get the impression that the Domain Officer must have spent some time on the Earth in the "Roaring 20's".)
    
    If and when you are contacted by, need to communicate with, or participate in any kind of interaction with us, it is important that you remain calm. 
    
    Do not allow your thoughts to take you to bad places. 
    
    These are fears set up by the many many layers of the Prison Planet system of control. You will find that working with us is very efficient and satisfying, and that we will be able to assist you in the recovery of so many things that you have lost.
    
    (I think that he was talking to the questioner directly in this response. Not in generalities though me.)

    Interesting.

    [18] How can I detect and possibly circumvent the Old Empire aesthetic mechanisms to keep us enslaved to the physical environment?

    I felt that this was a good question, and the Domain Commander agreed. The answer came forth readily without hesitation.

    The typical consciousness will easily be drawn into the snares and the traps. This is far truer today than say 20 or even 40 years ago. Most inmates have become accustomed to manipulation to such a degree that they cannot recognize what is going on. This is on all levels, from the physical to the non-physical.
    
    The best equipped to avoid the snares are those with the ability to control their thoughts, and who are very cautious and focused on end goals. Those that are not easily distracted, or manipulated by strange new events will be those best able to  avoid the traps.
    
    That being said, the traps and snares are very devious and cunning. It is unlikely that anyone can avoid them without help and assistance.
    
    That is why there are numerous non-physical organizations. Such as "elders", "leaders", "Prophets", and the like occupying roles in the non-physical reality. The purpose of these organizations is to assist and muster groups of IS-BE consciousnesses to fundamentally fight, or avoid the traps set up by the "Old Empire" prison administrators.
    
    Unfortunately, many of the organizations are not effective enough. Their efforts have had a very minor impact on the entrapment mechanisms of the Prison Complex.
    
    We ask everyone who works with us to focus on controlling your thoughts. Avoiding areas of danger. And helping others in need. When the time comes for your egress from the prison system, we will be there assisting you. All you need to do is call for us.

    Could it be that some of the inventions of the last few decades have become traps and snares themselves? Like social media?

    [19] Can they teach us how is to live and work as citizens of the Domain?

    I only just glanced at this question and got a definite answer.

    Yes. Absolutely.
    
    All imprisoned IS-BE's once they regain their memories will desire to return to people, places and things that they know. 
    
    For many of them, not all, but a high percentage of them, this will mean returning to the geographic confines of the (former) "Old Empire".
    
    But they will be quite different (from what they once were, and from their former friends) given their experiences in the Prison Complex.
    
    We will always be willing to accept rehabilitated prison inmates of this harsh environment into The Domain. And to this end we are working on rehabilitation plans and systems just for this express purpose. 
    
    Rehabilitation is necessary, first to reacquire an IS-BE identity, and secondary to re-enter the IS-BE community as a whole. All inmates will have been damaged by their relentless tortures in the Hell that is the Prison Complex.
    
    (Message addendum.)
    
    Keep in mind that the (former) "Old Empire" is now the De Facto territory of The Domain. So that makes any released inmates automatically members of The Domain.
    
    However this is not what the questioner asked. They wanted to know if they will be able to have a substantive ROLE as an ACTIVE member of The Domain rather than just a citizen under it's authority. And the question is, of course, yes.

    What are your thoughts on this?

    [20] How dangerous are the traps that surround the Prison Complex?

    I know that they are pretty dangerous. But I figured that I would ask just how dangerous. You know, maybe just thrown back in, or perhaps something very lethal to IS-BE’s right? So I thought that I would ask.

    This is the answer.

    Check your cell phone.

    WTF?

    I turned it on, and when my Douxing (Chinese version of TicTok) turned on and opened up. This is the first video that it displayed. An interesting coincidence.

    It’s pretty amazing how this coincidence came up.

    [21] Anchoring to a time-line?

    This was asked while I was very busy with personal issues. So, I plopped it down and then left it be until I could get around to it. When I had a chance I got straight to it. Tuning in was calm, smooth and easy. Though I really didn’t understand the question well-enough, the answers just flowed forth.

    “Not sure if you’ll read this as it’s an old post. I got hit by a car, “died”, and got shunted into this almost perfectly similar reality except for a few changes. Mandela effects flip flopped for a while.”

    Would The Domain be able to explain what technology/process is involved in anchoring us to a body & timeline?

    Mandela effects, anchoring, world-line cross overs, and all other aspects of these strange events are unique to the prison environment that you inhabit. You refer to it as the MWI. It is an artificial construct. It is not the way the true universe works, only the universe that you live in.
    
    The creation of this universe is very detailed and very complex, and it is unique to the understanding of the group of IS-BE's that created it. They obviously spent much time working on it, developing it, and honing it to a degree of perfection.
    
    Usually, IS-BE's are so enraptured with the pleasures of the physical body that they lose contact with their "spiritual" (sic) side in the non-physical and they forget what abilities that they have. Obviously this was not the case during the fabrication, construction and design of this prison facility. Some mighty (major) skill sets were called into being (use).
    
    The Domain is in the process of studying this system. Each day are new surprises. We have been working with the [technical helpers] to discover it's operation and design. From which we would be able to extract any traps, snare, or problems that lie hidden.
    
    Anchoring to a time-line, world-line interactions, and everything associated with it is unique to this prison environment. Certainly we understand the need to anchor groups of consciousnesses. It's like herding cattle. You cannot have them all over the place and clumping up. And this was a technique that we developed over time as we became familiar with this environment. It is not totally well understood.
    
    Anchoring is one of the containment systems used by the administration of this Prison Complex. They use it to herd inmates. Thus they can control them, and move them towards wars and conflicts that will result in the inmates expending all of their energies on wasted endeavors. Thus, and such that they will be unable to concentrate on anything else. 
    
    Remember that the entire Prison Complex is designed to have war, after war, after war. It's designed to be a Hell. Where the inmates are tortured over and over. Then forget everything, are re-injected, and then relive the same kinds of events.
    
    The Domain is using this system to avoid wars, conflicts and turmoil. Though, there are many, many strong forces inside the Prison Complex pushing towards this goal aggressively.
    
    MM uses the visualization method of a three-dimensional map. It is extremely helpful, but not wholly accurate. 
    
    The actual environment is like a hot cauldron full of all sorts of things. (Food, stew, meat, eggs, tentacles, etc.) Anchoring is similar to turning the knob on the temperature control.
    
    Anchoring to avoid conflict is similar to turning down the heat on the cauldron. All of the items settle. Some sink to the bottom, while others float to the top.
    
    Anchoring to create conflict is similar to turning up the heat on the cauldron. All the items start to toss and turn as the mixture boils. During this period, there is a lot of steam, and smoke and evaporation. And the volume of the cauldron decreases.
    
    If you think of the volume to be the prison population inside of the Prison Complex, then you can see that the anchoring towards wars will decrease the actual prison population inside of the physical realm. Many will die off. And thus got to "Heaven" to be forgiven, forget their memories, and "rewarded" with a break. Then the cycle begins again.
    
    This is why The Domain has had operatives anchor world lines. They acted as a method of controlling the temperature of that cauldron.
    
    (Pause)
    
    Anchoring to a world-line template is of a different scope than group anchoring efforts. Much of what the Domain has been involved in has been group anchoring efforts to control "the temperature" of the "cauldron stew".
    
    What you are asking about is what happens when you are following a normal progression on a world-line template. Then there is an "event" where somehow your IS-BE consciousness "skips" and slides to a totally different template. Then, perhaps, skips and slides to another one, and then again, and maybe again, and again.
    
    This is a big subject...

    I needed to take a break and a breather. I had the impression that I was about to get a massive dose of information.

    So I said “tone it down please”.

    And got up, went downstairs and got my self a coke from the vending machine.

    If you use the 3D template map concept that MM promotes then the best way to visualize this as a railroad line going from one world-line to the next. It's currently visualized as a plain and simple line. But if you visualize it as a railroad line it might be easier to understand.
    
    While the topographic surface is the strongest likelihood of movement, it is not all the options available. There's "tracks" going up and above, and "tracks" going down below.
    
    These are equivalent to "nearby slides".
    
    If you can imagine world-line template maps stacked upon each other like a layered cake, and that an event occurs that has you make you slide up or down into a different layer in that cake, that is what is going on. 
    
    Sometimes the "event" is so traumatic that you slide to a different world-line template. One near by, of course, but not exactly the same as the one proceeding it.
    
    In effect, you are not just simply moving from world-lien to world-line, but you are actually sliding up or down on the Z-axis as well.
    
    In general, if this happens, the chances are that you momentarily slid to a pre-birth (default) world-line template when the "event" occurred. As you must have somehow altered your existing template in your past and have been riding it for some time on your own autonomously. 
    
    Then, when your "components" tried to latch on to the the highest probability relationship items / components /vectors it threw you off, and you ended up on a different template, and again and again, until the "components" resettled with highest-probability fits based on the thoughts associated with you at the moment of the "event".

    I have no idea what the last part is about. I have to reread it a couple of times to figure it out. I think that the “components” of our consciousness ties us to the templates that we inhabit.

    And thus the selection of the pre-birth world-line template must somehow tie our IS-BE consciousness with a particular world-line.

    Thus, when an “event” happens, that connection can be disrupted… until it resettles.

    Not every “event” is physical only. Non-physical events happen and scar our non-physical bodies.

    [22] Why/how is our awareness prevented from carrying through to the dreamworld?

    “I know the body is checking for movement and thoughts and will not enter sleep until the mind has blanked out, it’s an obvious “feature” built in for control.”

    This is an intentionally engineered "interrupting" feature of the inmate prison body and how it differs from that of a "normal" human archetype body that lies outside of the Prison Complex.
    
    The physical body is intentionally designed to NOT communicate or travel when sleeping. 
    
    However, this is a developing function. It does not appear immediately. It is a feature that "grows" over time. It's an intelligent feature.
    
    This function acquires experiences, and sensory input as the IS-BE is born in the physical reality. 
    
    Then over time, this intelligent biological alteration manifests. By the time the entity is five to seven years old, most of the population will be unable to communicate with the "dreamworld" (sic).
    
    However, it is not a perfect system.
    
    Certain IS-BE's of strong character and ability, as well as strong environments that foster the belief of the spirit-world as a familial norm, can avoid this biological and non-physical layer of interruption. The entity as a person can learn to be able to have "Lucid Dreams", and "Astral Projection" as well as many other skills that are denied the vast humanity that is imprisoned.
    
    Since this is a developed "growth" that is acquired over time, it is possible to destroy that "growth", alter it's composition or destroy it entirely. This can occur by directed thought, skilled intention, and practice.
    
    Since the vast majority of inmates do not have this ability, this system of control is effective in the Prison Complex.

    What are your thoughts on this?

    [23] Why is astral projection hard to achieve while awake?

    Strangely this response happened very quickly. I don’t even think I got a chance to take a breath.

    It’s really a lot of work doing this you know. I feel very “speedy” (a LSD reference for your children of the 70’s and 80’s). My body and hair are getting exhausted from being so electrified, and my body temperature is running rather hot. I am bathed in sweat.

    Sensory overload. Your engineering physical body is unable to partition out multiple consciousnesses like the IS-BE can. Thus, you must rely on a singular consciousness to manifest events. 
    
    If you want to conduct astral projection then you will need to be able to separate your physical senses from your non-physical sensing ability.
    
    This is a normal feature of all physical human bodies, and is not an engineered feature of the inmate prison body.

    What are your thoughts on this question and answer?

    [24] Why do memories from astral/dreams not carry over easily?

    He continues. And my keyboard is getting slippery with all the sweat from my fingers.

    Memories are stored outside of the physical body. When a physical body accesses the memories they access what can be be described as RAM. It's the everyday use memories. 
    
    This varies from person to person. Some have an easier time accessing the day to day memories. Other have a difficult time, and still others with a photographic memory remember everything.
    
    You can remember what you had for breakfast today simply because you are using local memory. Your inmate container allows this random access of everyday memories.
    
    The same is true with your memories of what happened one year ago. 
    
    All these memories are stored on (something similar to the computer memory system known as) "RAM".
    
    Normally, all "normal" (unmodifed) human bodies permit access to a central repository of memories. This is equivalent to a "hard drive".
    
    Not inmates however.
    
    The engineered inmate bodies have blocked access to the "hard drive" that contains all of the memories that you as a IS-BE has. 
    
    This ability was not only erased by the "brain washing" efforts upon entry to the Prison Planet, but access to it is not physically possible in the physical inmate (engineered) body. The entire access circuitry is ripped out.
    
    When you, as an IS-BE exist as consciousness from the physical reality to the non-physical reality, your memories (and experiences) are being recorded and they go straight to the "hard drive".
    
    But when you are in the physical body, they go into RAM and the "hard drive".
    
    Inmates are never permitted to access the "hard drive" memory circuitry. Only RAM. It's biologically engineered into all inmates.
    
    However, when an inmate "dies" and leaves the physical "general population" and gets rewarded with a "Heaven", he or she can access these "hard drive" memories by permission. A Corrections Officer (usually a Mantid) will accompany you to a "viewing area" where certain memories will be presented to you to observe.
    
    However, that is only for inmates.
    
    All unmodified humans do not have this problem and can access both types of memories in real time with no problem whether they are in a physical body or not.

    So, in a way, you can access some of your memories. So it’s not all bad.

    [25] Is this related to the memory wipe that our memories are so poor now, or biology/soul interaction?

    And this came fast as well…

    It is engineered in all inmate bodies.

    “With the timeline I’m sure we can shift to a completely alternate reality with a new history but I’m unsure of the process involved. And yeah, thought dump sorry, I just see these bodies are actively designed to stop us leaving in soul form.”

    You can only use the skills associated with world-line , time -line travel to MWI events within the prison universe; the Prison Complex. Your thoughts will not take you out of the Prison Complex alone. That is why the entire complex is constructed as it is today.
    
    It is unlikely that you can create a universe (via a alternative reality slide) within a universe that controls the construction of your being.

    The science fiction movie “Inception” comes to mind.

    (A bunch of "chatter" and a confusing mix about stuff related to "time travel" to a point in time before the construction of the Prison Planet, and other things that I am having a bunch of time understanding. I think that I a just getting tired.)

    Guys, I appreciate all this input, but really.  Please don’t pull a “Back to school” Rodney Dangerfield on me.

    These last five questions by one person just about killed me.

    It makes me just want to stop and end MM completely. Have a heart and some compassion here. Please everyone, one or two questions only. These five to eight questions in a single go is not tenable. It is not something that I want to do and it is personally very, very difficult for me to handle. To give you all an idea what it is like, then do this; Grab a screwdriver and stick it in a power outlet. Now, keep putting it in that outlet for six hours.

    That’s what it’s like.

    When I refer to Rodney Dangerfield, “Back to School”, I am referring to a singular scene. Where the one professor gives him one singular question.

    It’s just that it has these massive 64 parts.  Poor Rodney answers, “concerning part 63b, subpart d, section R-12, part 14″…

    It’s tiring and takes a lot out of me. Christ. I need a drink!

    Back to school.

    [26] There must be flaws in the system where we can throw that anchor off somehow?

    The questions continue…

    Yes, there are flaws, but they are very difficult to locate, and even harder to exploit.

    Enough! I’m toast. No more questions. This is more than enough for one person.

    After a break of two days, I sat down and added these questions from someone else…

    [27] My question is why the “caste system”.

    “Why do the type-1 have different roles, ranks, bodies, and even abilities. Unlike the mantids they use physical bodies and are limited to the limits of time and space. STO all have the same soul structure from my understanding which are different from STS. Why this? Could you please clarify.”

    Everyone is an IS-BE. Everyone is thus capable of any position within any society. That includes the Domain.
    
    The members of the Domain have roles within society based upon their abilities, and capabilities. We have a very rigorous method of merit that determines where an IS-BE "fits" within our society.
    
    Certainly anyone can rise to become whatever class they want. It is not a rigid caste structure. It is a hybrid class structure. The only limitations are those of the IS-BE itself.
    
    A goose cannot swim under the water, but with practice it can take longer and longer periods of time under water as needed. By practice, the goose can indeed start to swim somewhat under water. It just takes effort and drive and ambition. However, most geese do not try to swim under the water to their roles are locked in, like a caste, to floating on the water and flying. That is what they prefer.
    
    Now, to achieve the class rating that they want, the IS-BE must get to that position through hard work, determination and merit. In the case of the goose, it must try and try and practice and practice. It must do this over and over again until it is adept at swimming under the water.
    
    With each class are certain "benefits" or "allowances" granted to the IS-BE. Such as the ability to use certain doll bodies and so on and so forth.
    
    (New subject.)
    
    Note that all members of The Domain are inherently neutral in sentience. 
    
    However the accumulation of experiences manifests in the desire to serve the society; The Domain, to the best of one's ability. 
    
    This is because of the way the society is structured. In societies that grant roles based on effort, then all efforts (in all societies) eventually evolve into Service to Others sentience. 
    
    Those societies that are not based on merit, hard work, community, or effort tend to evolve into Service to Self sentience's. The more corruption, graft, crime, corruption, the more selfish the society becomes.
    
    Thus, because of this, the vast majority of IS-BE's in The Domain are Service for Others sentience.

    Any thoughts on this answer?

    [28] And volunteering to work with the domain?

    Would this mean a harder life (experiences) or what would you really be doing?

    No. In many ways it could be much easier.
    
    The questioner is dealing with many non-physical issues that reflect how his reality manifests. By working with The Domain, many of those non-physical issues can be suppressed or even completely eliminated.
    
    Every action that one takes has tradeoffs.
    
    For many inmates, joining the Domain adds an extra layer of effort that one might not desire. Such as MM here.
    
    However, for those, such as the questioner, the benefits of working with the Domain far outweigh any of the negative issues. It is all about tradeoffs.

    Any thoughts on this?

    Some final thoughts leading up to question [29]

    You know, these answers bring up so many questions for me personally.

    You see, I as MM was in MAJestic and in my interactions I fully came to understand the topography of the MWI Prison Complex.

    • I came to understand how the Prison Planet works in great detail.

    However, from these answers, it is clear that this kind of knowledge is not available to The Domain. They are having a great deal of difficulty in figuring out all the layers, the traps the systems and so on and so forth.

    • The Domain captured this geographic region. However, they do not know how the Prison Planet works.

    From the answers (here and before) it appears that it is possible that I know (perhaps, and I am only saying) more than The Domain does about this Prison Planet.

    I understand how it works and the many, many layers and how to navigate inside of it, and so much more. Right? Are these things that I just casually picked up in all my slides and adventures?  What are these “things” that I somehow understand in great clarity?

    Well, whatever they are, these are things that are unique to The Prison Planet.

    Not to The Domain.

    Not to the universe outside of the Prison Planet. Only inside the Prison Planet.

    The Commander and all the workers in The Domain know many, many things. But they DO NOT know the structure and the architecture of this complex. They need to know it in order to turn off the suppression and monitoring equipment. And so they are enlisting me to help them.

    Why ME?

    Was it just that I had the right education and the right background and the right place and time and coincidentally it all fell into place when I joined the United States Navy? As this is what I have believed all these years. But then again… there is no such thing as coincidences.

    Do you see what I am saying?

    Perhaps my involvement in MAJestic goes far deeper than what I had been made aware of.

    Perhaps I, myself an a reincarnated  kind of aide or assistant, or architect or something or the other. Maybe I am somehow tied with some “Old Empire” skills, knowledge.

    Maybe, you know…

    … it was like what happened in the Ancient China. When an Emperor had his treasure tomb built, he then killed all the workers who built it, and then buried his architects in the tomb with him so that the secrets of the tomb will never see the light of day.

    Maybe that is what happened.

    I am not saying that I am this person or something like that. Not at all.

    But it does seem really odd to me, and as these Q&A responses flush out I find myself asking these questions more and more often. Why do I know so much more about the inner workings of the Prison Planet MWI than The Domain Commander assigned to this area?

    From the movie “The Matrix”; The Architect is a highly specialized, humorless program of the Machine world as well as the creator of the Matrix. As the chief administrator of the system, he is possibly a collective manifestation, or at the very least a virtual representation of the entire Machine mainframe.

    What is the story?

    And so, it’s really one of those moments “of truth”. You know.

    What the Hell is going on?

    I put it off for a day, but I just couldn’t wait.  I had to ask.

    On Sunday 26SEP21 after I had a bowl or home-made chicken noodle soup, I asked the question.

    [29] Who am I? Who is MM?

    And the answer came back swift and clear.

    Mades Escapalion

    Thoughts?

    Do you want more?

    You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

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    The engineering of a inmate body from that of a normal human so that it can never leave the Prison Planet arena

    How about that for a subject title? Jeeze!

    This article deals with one of the most important fundamental aspects of the fence that surround this “Prison Planet” environment. Which is the idea that the inmates reside within specially modified bodies that are designed in such a way that they can never leave the fenced in prison compound.

    Basic fundamentals

    The earth is a Prison Planet.

    The Domain is trying to change that role to that of a rehabilitation area instead. Which I have repeatedly referred to as a “Sentience Nursery“.

    This is what DM said about this…

    ...the Grand Elder told me that people stuck on earth (ie those who were not evil service to self oriented) would be flicked over to a “buffer” rehabilitation “reality” specifically to detox them from all the virtual reality (brainwashing) dependancies they had come to rely on whilst under the control of the Cabal (Old Empire).

    All of this information (regarding this) has been detailed elsewhere on MM.

    Now, due to it’s excessive size, complexity and length, it’s best that if you do not understand what is going on…

    … it might be best for you to leave and go elsewhere. This article is likely to be way, way over your head.

    Key principles

    Actually, the idea that the earth (along with it’s solar system and four / five other solar systems) are all part of a Prison Complex should not be too difficult to understand.

    The earth.

    Additionally, the idea that the entire Prison Complex is much like the artificial-reality that is described within the movie The Matrix shouldn’t be that difficult to understand either.

    What we think of as “reality” is in fact, an artificial construct that we think is real.

    The key idea being that there is the true and actual reality, and at some point in time, a society known as “The Old Empire” created a Prison system for it’s criminals. This prison system is an artificial reality. Just like in the movie The Matrix.

    This prison system is an artificial reality.

    Where in the movie “The Matrix” the people can move in and out of the artificial reality by a system of electronics (such as a phone call that simulates a change in electronic manipulation)…

    Moving in and out of the matrix.

    …it is different in this Prison Complex.

    The differences…

    All and any IS-BE consciousness can enter the electro-magnetic force field at will. They can also leave it at will as well.

    After all, there are many vehicles from The Domain and others that come in this Prison Environment all the time and they are able to come and go at will.

    All manner of extraterrestrials can come and go in and out of this prison environment at will. Why not the inmates?

    But…

    …once you are designated as an inmate, your entire “self” is erased, and you are provided with a new body (system) to inhabit.

    And this new body has been modified in such a way that it cannot leave the Prison Complex ever. It is sort of like having a product or software with certain features blanked out.

    Appliance manufacturers make feature-omitted versions of their products to differentiate for product placement in stores.

    Since you have a new body that is unable to act, behave and respond like the old body did, you are not trapped in a feature-reduced or retarded body. As such, the warden and the prison system controls everything that you have.

    Everything.

    In the movie the Matrix, the character Neo is shown that the system can control his actions and movements at well. This include preventing him from yelling for help or screaming.

    This article talks about the differences between the “normal” human body, and the body used by inmates. We also discuss the different types or levels of a body, and what The Domain is doing to them for the irregular volunteers.

    Human bodies are all over the universe

    The first thing that you all must remember is that there is no such thing as evolution.

    The Domain (or whatever preceded it) manufactured every type of creature that we know of.

    And humans, as one such creature, is a dominant biological template that lies everywhere all over the universe. (Not THE dominant template, but one of the more common templates for a “Sun Type 12, Class 7 planet”.)

    The following are extracts from “Alien Interview parsing of comments deemed trillions of years old”  HERE

    "The origins of this universe and life on Earth, as discussed in the textbooks I have read, are very inaccurate. Since you serve your government as a medical personnel, your duties require that you understand biological entities. So, I am sure that you will appreciate the value of the material I will share with you today.
    
    The text of books I have been given on subjects related to the function of life forms contain information that is based on false memories, inaccurate observation, missing data, unproven theories, and superstition.

    The correct information about the origins of biological entities has been erased from your mind, as well as from the minds of your mentors.  In order to help you regain your own memory, I will share with you some factual material concerning the origin of biological entities.
    
    I asked Airl if she was referring to the subject of evolution. Airl said, "No, not exactly".
    
    You will find "evolution" mentioned in the ancient Vedic Hymns. The Vedic texts are like folk tales or common wisdoms and superstitions gathered throughout the systems of The Domain. These were compiled into verses, like a book of rhymes.  For every statement of truth, the verses contain as many half-truths, reversals of truth and fanciful imaginings, blended without qualification or distinction.
    
    The theory of evolution assumes that the motivational source of energy that animates every life form does not exist.   It assumes that an inanimate object or a chemical concoction can suddenly become "alive" or animate accidentally or spontaneously.   
    
    Or, perhaps an electrical discharge into a pool of chemical ooze will magically spawn a self- animated entity.
    
    There is no evidence whatsoever that this is true, simply because it is not true.   Dr. Frankenstein did not really resurrect the dead into a marauding monster, except in the imagination of the IS-BE who wrote a fictitious story one dark and stormy night.
    
    No Western scientist ever stopped to consider who, what, where, when or how this animation happens.  Complete ignorance, denial or unawareness of the spirit as the source of life force required to animate inanimate objects or cellular tissue is the sole cause of failures in Western medicine.
    
    In addition, evolution does not occur accidentally. It requires a great deal of technology which must be manipulated under the careful supervision of IS-BEs.  Very simple examples are seen in the modification of farm animals or in the breeding of dogs.  However, the notion that human biological organisms evolved naturally from earlier ape-like forms is incorrect.     No physical evidence will ever be uncovered to substantiate the notion that modern humanoid bodies evolved on this planet.
    
    The reason is simple: the idea that human bodies evolved spontaneously from the primordial ooze of chemical interactivity in the dim mists of time is nothing more than a hypnotic lie instilled by the amnesia operation to prevent your recollection of the true origins of Mankind.   Factually, humanoid bodies have existed in various forms throughout the universe for trillions of years.

    The following are extracts from Alien Interview deemed billions of years old from HERE

    I can relate part of this history from personal experience:
    
    Many billions of years ago I was a member of a very large biological laboratory in a galaxy far from this one.  It was called the "Arcadia Regeneration Company". I was a biological engineer working with a large staff of technicians.   It was our business to manufacture and supply new life forms to uninhabited planets.   There were millions of star systems with millions of inhabitable planets in the region at that time.
    
    There were many other biological laboratory companies at that time also.       Each of them specialized in producing different kinds of life forms, depending on the "class" of the planet being populated.  Over a long span of time these laboratories developed a vast catalogue of species throughout the galaxies. The majority of basic genetic material is common to all species of life. Therefore, most of their work was concerned with manipulating alterations of the basic genetic pattern to produce variations of life forms that would be suitable inhabitants for various planetary classes.
    
    The "Arcadia Regeneration Company" specialized in mammals for forested areas and birds for tropical regions.  Our marketing staff negotiated contracts with various planetary governments and independent buyers from all over the universe.   The technicians created animals that were compatible with the variations in climate, atmospheric and terrestrial density and chemical content.  In addition we were paid to integrate our specimens with biological organisms engineered by other companies already living on a planet.
    
    In order to do this our staff was in communication with other companies who created life forms.     There were industry trade shows, publications and a variety of other information supplied through an association that coordinated related projects.
    
    As you can imagine, our research required a great deal of interstellar travel to conduct planetary surveys.   This is when I learned my skills as a pilot.  The data gathered was accumulated in huge computer databases and evaluated by biological engineers.
    
    A computer is an electronic device that serves as an artificial "brain" or complex calculating machine.   It is capable of storing information, making computations, solving problems and performing mechanical functions. In most of the galactic systems of the universe, very large computers are commonly used to run the routine administration, mechanical services and maintenance activities of an entire planet or planetary system.
    
    Based on the survey data gathered, designs and artistic renderings were made for new creatures. Some designs were sold to the highest bidder. Other life forms were created to meet the customized requests of our clients.
    
    The design and technical specifications were passed along an assembly line through a series of cellular, chemical, and mechanical engineers to solve the various problems.  It was their job to integrate all of the component factors into a workable, functional and aesthetic finished product.
    
    Prototypes of these creatures were then produced and tested in artificially created environments.  Imperfections were worked out, modifications made and eventually the new life form was "endowed" or "animated" with a life force or spiritual energy before being introduced into the actual planetary environment for final testing.
    
    After a new life form was introduced, we monitored the interaction of these biological organisms with the planetary environment and with other indigenous life-forms. Conflicts resulting from the interaction between incompatible organisms were resolved through negotiation between ourselves and other companies.  The negotiations usually resulted in compromises requiring further modification to our creatures or to theirs or both.    This is part of a science or art you call "Eugenics".
    
    In some cases changes were made in the planetary environment, but not often, as planet building is much more complex than making changes to an individual life form.

    What you see now on Earth is the huge variety of life forms left behind.   Your scientists believe that the fallacious "theory of evolution" is an explanation for the existence of all the life forms here.  The truth is that all life forms on this and any other planet in this universe were created by companies like ours.
    
    How else can you explain the millions of completely divergent and unrelated species of life on the land and in the oceans of this planet?     How else can you explain the source of spiritual animation which defines every living creature?   To say it is the work of "god", is  far too broad.  Every IS-BE has many names and faces in many times and places.   Every IS-BE is a god. When they inhabit a physical object they are the source of Life.
    
    For example, there are millions of species of insects.  About 350,000 of these are species of beetles. There may be as many as 100 million species of life forms on Earth at any given time.     In addition, there are many times more extinct species of life on Earth than there are living life forms.     Some of these will be rediscovered in the fossil or geological records of Earth.
    
    The current "theory of evolution" of life forms on Earth does not consider the phenomena of biological diversity. Evolution by natural selection is science fiction.   One species does not accidentally, or randomly evolve to become another species, as the Earth textbooks indicate, without manipulation of genetic material by an IS-BE.

    Factually, some organisms on Earth, such as Proteobacteria, are modifications of a Phylum designed primarily for "Star Type 3, Class C" planets.    In other words, The Domain designation for a planet with an anaerobic atmosphere nearest a large, intensely hot blue star, such as those in the constellation of Orion's Belt in this galaxy.
    
    Creating life forms is very complex, highly technical work for IS-BEs who specialize in this field.  Genetic anomalies are very baffling to Earth biologists who have had their memory erased.   Unfortunately, the false memory implantations of the "Old Empire" prevent Earth scientists from observing obvious anomalies.
    
    The greatest technical challenge of biological organisms  was the invention of self- regeneration, or sexual reproduction. It was invented as the solution to the problem of having to continually manufacture replacement creatures for those that had been destroyed and eaten by other creatures.   Planetary governments did not want to keep buying replacement animals.
    
    The idea was contrived trillions of years ago as a result of a conference held to resolve arguments between the disputing vested interests within the biotechnology industry. The infamous "Council of Yuhmi-Krum" was responsible for coordinating creature production.
    
    A compromise was reached, after certain members of the Council were strategically bribed or murdered, to author an agreement which resulted in the biological phenomenon which we now call the "food chain".
    
    The idea that a creature would need to consume the body of another life form as an energy source was offered as a solution by one of the biggest companies in the biological engineering business.  They specialized in creating insects and flowering plants.
    
    The connection between the two is obvious. Nearly every flowering plant requires a symbiotic relationship with an insect in order to propagate.  The reason is obvious: both the bugs and the flowers were created by the same company.  Unfortunately, this same company also had a division which created parasites and bacteria.
    
    The name of the company roughly translated into English would be "Bugs & Blossoms" .   They wanted to justify the fact that the only valid purpose of the parasitic creatures they manufactured was to aid the decomposition of organic material.  There was a very limited market for such creatures at that time.
    
    In order to expand their business they hired a big public relations firm and a powerful group of political lobbyists to glorify the idea that life forms should feed from other life forms. They invented a "scientific theory" to use as a promotion gimmick.  The theory was that all creatures needed to have "food" as a source of energy. Before that, none of the life forms being manufactured required any external energy.  Animals did not eat other animals for food, but consumed sunlight, minerals or vegetable matter only.
    
    Of course, "Bugs & Blossoms" went into the business of designing and manufacturing carnivores.  Before long, so many animals were being eaten as food that the problem of replenishing them became very difficult.  As a 'solution', "Bugs & Blossoms" proposed, with the help of some strategically placed bribes in high places, that other companies begin using 'sexual reproduction' as the basis for replenishing life-forms.  "Bugs & Blossoms" was the first company to develop blueprints for sexual reproduction, of course.
    
    As expected, the patent licenses for the biological engineering process required to implant stimulus-response mating, cellular division and pre-programmed growth patterns for self-regenerating animals were owned by "Bugs & Blossoms" too.
    
    Through the next few million years laws were passed that required that these programs be purchased by the other biological technology companies.      These were required to be imprinted into the cellular design of all existing life- forms. It became a very expensive undertaking for other biotechnology companies to make such an awkward, and impractical idea work.
    
    This led to the corruption and downfall of the entire industry.  Ultimately, the 'food and sex' idea completely ruined the bio-technology industry, including "Bugs & Blossoms".  The entire industry faded away as the market for manufactured life forms disappeared. Consequently, when a species became extinct, there is no way to replace them because the technology of creating new life forms has been lost.  Obviously, none of this technology was ever known on Earth, and probably never will be.
    
    There are still computer files on some planets far from here which record the procedures for biological engineering. Possibly the laboratories and computers still exist somewhere.   However, there is no one around doing anything with them. Therefore, you can understand why it is so important for The Domain to protect the dwindling number of creatures left on Earth.
    
    The core concept behind 'sexual reproduction' technology was the invention of a chemical/electronic interaction called "cyclical stimulus-response generators". This is an programmed genetic mechanism which causes a seemingly spontaneous, recurring impulse to reproduce. The same technique was later adapted and applied to biological flesh bodies, including Homo Sapiens.
    
    Another important mechanism used in the reproductive process, especially with Homo Sapiens type bodies, is the implantation of a "chemical-electrical trigger" mechanism in the body.      The "trigger" which attracts IS-BEs to inhabit a human body, or any kind of "flesh body", is the use of an artificially imprinted electronic wave which uses "aesthetic pain" to attract the IS-BE.
    
    Every trap in the universe, including those used to capture IS-BEs who remain free, is "baited" with an aesthetic electronic wave.
    
    The sensations caused by the aesthetic wavelength are more attractive to an IS-BE than any other sensation.  When the electronic waves of pain and beauty are combined together, this causes the IS-BE to get "stuck" in the body.
    
    The "reproductive trigger" used for lesser life forms, such as cattle and other mammals, is triggered by chemicals emitted from the scent glands, combined with reproductive chemical- electrical impulses stimulated by testosterone, or estrogen.
    
    These are also interactive with nutrition levels which cause the life form to reproduce more when deprived of food sources. Starvation promotes reproductive activity as a means of perpetuating survival through future regenerations, when the current organism fails to survive.     These fundamental principles have been applied throughout all species of life.
    
    The debilitating impact and addiction to the "sexual aesthetic-pain" electronic wave is the reason that the ruling class of The Domain do not inhabit flesh bodies.  This is also why officers of The Domain Forces only use doll bodies. This wave has proven to be the most effective trapping device ever created in the history of the universe, as far as I know.
    
    The civilizations of The Domain and the "Old Empire" both  depend on this device to "recruit" and maintain a work force of IS-BEs who inhabit flesh bodies on planets and installations.  These IS-BEs are the "working class" beings who do all of the slavish, manual, undesirable work on planets.

    Thus, the human archetype is a creation of The Domain, or a precursor to it. And it is located throughout the universe.You will find people who look like “everyday” humans, big and old, fat and thin, beautiful and ugly, all over the universe.

    Various IS-BE’s can control humans by exposing them to the addiction of the “sexual aesthetic-pain” desires of the human form.

    Earth Prison Complex Bodies are unique

    However, while the “sexual aesthetic-pain” desires can snare and entangle a given IS-BE…

    …a different system must be employed to keep them tethered to a specific geographic region.

    Much like clipping off the wings of a bird, or foot binding of attractive wives, or a chain around a slaves neck would do. This Prison Complex utilizes a very special kind of fence. One that ONLY reacts to the movement of inmates.

    The Prison Planet has a very special fence that surrounds it.

    Apparently that is what happened in the creation of this “Prison Complex”.

    There were alterations to the human (and other species that also serve as prison vehicles) that prevent them from ever leaving the Prison Complex. I argue that the alterations revolve around all elements of a human body. And this includes the physical body as well as the non-physical bodies.

    The make up of a body

    If you study any of the oriental religions, you will discover discussions and studies of the “planes of existence” where different elements of yourself reside. On each “plane of existence” you have an associated body.

    Thee bodies radiate outward, with the coarsest body being the Physical body. And as you move further away from that body (not necessarily in a Geo-position sense, but rather in an energy sense) your bodies get “finer”, “lighter” and “more energetic with higher energies”.

    Or so I have read.

    But I am a simple guy, and we really do not need to get involved in all those details. I have the distinct impression that many of the writings on this subject are only confluence of religious dogma rather than any practical application. Or, to put it in a better way…

    … “who cares about the name of the 3rd level of the casual plane, if you cannot use that information to improve your life?”

    We are going to keep things here on an elementary level. If  you wish to study the religious teachings / new age / spiritual teachings there are tons of websites all over the internet that you can refer to. But for now, we are going to keep things really simple.

    [1] Your consciousness (IS-BE) resides within a container.

    Your IS-BE consciousness is inside a body constructed for you by the Prison Complex.

    [2] This container exists within a Prison Complex as a “human-shaped inmate”.

    We are surrounded by other inmates that seem much like us.

    [3] The “human-shaped inmate” form is derived from the human form that is common all over the universe.

    The difference being that it has been modified to exist only within a Prison Complex.

    “Normal people” talking to inmates using the video conference software without needing to pass through the gates to get in the prison.

    [4] This modification is complete and affects both the physical body, but the non-physical body as well

    Female inmates of the ADC.

    Simplification

    So, because of this we will consider all those various “light bodies” that reside on all those other “planes of existence” as one singular “combined body” that is the non-physical body.

    Thus, this simplification for the “human inmate body” is actually…

    • A physical body.
    • A non-physical body.

    The Physical Body

    It is impossible for the physical body to cross the electromagnetic “fence” that surrounds the Prison Complex. The technology of the inmates is not at the level that will permit them to build a spacecraft that will be able to cross the fence. Nor will the system ever permit the prison inmates ever obtain the kind of technology needed to build a space-traveling vehicle that can breech the fence line.

    One must remember that the ONLY reason why earth’s technology is so high presently is because the mental suppression technology (or at least one of the mechanisms) was destroyed by The Domain around 1150AD. Prior to that, it was anticipated that most of the inhabitants of the Prison Complex, would at best, be living in a primitive early iron-age culture for hundreds of thousands of years.

    Thus, the system of constant wars, destruction, and collapse of civilizations and technology on earth is designed to prevent any kinds of space travel or advanced propulsion techniques that might allow one to escape from the prison complex.

    The non-physical body

    The non-physical body can move about all over. It is not constrained by technology or manufacturing ability.

    It’s the power of thought. An IS-BE who can remember a specific location or memory outside of the Prison Complex can visualize it and propel themself outside of the Prison Complex.

    Thus it is imperative that all memories be suppressed. Without any idea of where to go, people to meet, places to visit, the inmate is forced to be tethered to the Prison Complex.

    No memories.

    However, what if something reminds an inmate of some distant memory. While every action has been taken to prevent the occurrence of memories, the fact remains that one singular memory, no matter how faint or brief can be used by an IS-BE to “latch on to” and “home into” and thus go through the electronic fence that surrounds the Prison Complex.

    Thus it is of particular interest that the non-physical body be modified so that it cannot go through the electromagnetic fence line surrounding the Prison Complex.

    How the Domain alters the body to avoid the force screens

    The “Old Empire” has designed a system where the only way out of the Prison Complex is through use of a “normal” non-physical body. And inmates have a modified body that prevents them from leaving the Prison Complex.

    Once in, you are never going to leave.

    It is much like the scene in The Matrix Revolutions where Neo is trapped in a subway.

    The final installment in the Matrix trilogy finds an unconscious Neo trapped in a subway station in a zone between the Matrix and the machine world. Inside the Matrix, Neo is trapped in a subway station named Mobil Ave (an anagram for limbo), a transition zone between the Matrix and the Machine City. He meets a "family" of programs, including a girl named Sati. The "father" tells Neo the subway is controlled by the Trainman, a program loyal to the Merovingian.

    The modification to the non-physical body snares the escaping inmate so that they cannot cross the fence threshold, and perhaps even alerts the warden and his administration to retrieve the errant IS-BE.

    The modifications necessary to do this

    I cannot state explicitly enough what the modifications are to the non-physical body, nor can I even begin to comprehend what the non-physical body is like. I once observed my non-physical body being worked on and it was really colorful, chaotic and detailed. And way, way beyond my comprehension.

    It’s a medical procedure.

    Once you understand that, and calm down all your fears you will see it in fine comforting images that provide answers and insight instead of fearful images of horror and terror.

    It is ONLY a medical procedure. You will be surrounded by trained professionals. You need not fear anything.

    What I do know is that the non-physical body must go through a number of procedures to be able to suppress or eliminate the mechanisms associated with this Prison Complex. The changes made to YOUR body must be undone. And it must be undone BEFORE you are tricked into going back into the “Tunnel of light”.

    The Procedure and consciousness extraction

    I will relate a little story that occurred to me.

    Around 1984-5, before I was compelled to go to China Lake NWC, I had an (intense) urge to visit the North Carolina seacoast. At that time, my wife and I were living in the hills not so far from Nashville, NC. 
    
    And so, out of the blue, my wife and I traveled a eight hour drive to go to this tiny bath-house on the beach. 
    
    It was around 8 or 9 at night when we arrived. The area was deserted (aside from one other car) and We both got out of the van and walked towards the bath house. 
    
    There, we met to other people. One, a woman took my wife by the elbow and led her back to our van where they chatted up a storm on the road, and the man took me towards the bath-house.
    
    Suddenly I was inside this lounge of sorts, and he led me down to sit. So I sat down on this sofa. A pleasant woman came up to us. She reminded me of an airline stewardess. Everyone was “normal” looking. She smiled and placed a greenish box on the counter of the coffee table in front of me. Then she did something. I’m not quite sure what. 
    
    The upshot is that my consciousness went into that box. And I was unable to feel any movement of my body. It felt like I was completely paralyzed all over. It was like "sleep paralysis" except that I wasn't asleep.
    
    A few hours passed.
    
    The next thing I knew, I was waving goodbye to the man and the woman. They stood there near the bath-house on that deserted stretch of road, and we drove home. I never recounted what happened. I never discussed it with anyone. Nor did my wife. 
    
    The only thing that my wife said “That was weird”. And we rode home in silence, and didn’t say anything else. 
    
    We arrived back in the early morning.

    This is kind of how it is done.

    When The Domain wants to modify your non-physical body, the take you to an operating room and then place your consciousness in a containment field; or box, or container. It is possible for you to watch what they are doing, were it to be suggested to you.

    And that is it.

    Warnings about the non-physical reality

    The non-physical world is very, very hyper sensitive to thoughts.

    So if you are afraid when your consciousness enters the containment field, your fears will conjure up all sorts of nasty images and terrible things that will occupy your surroundings. It’s really awful.

    So you must remain calm.

    HERE is an article that describes a “Lucid dream” where I was extracted to a Domain medical facility, and my consciousness put into a containment field where I would experience “sleep paralysis”.

    Evil people realize they are in a prison and make the best of it

    In many prisons you have groups of inmates that form gangs and societies.

    They band together and use their strengths to carve out a life for themselves under the harsh prison environment. There is no reason why this isn’t occurring here today.

    We see that Washington DC is the psychopath center for the entire planet.

    Have you ever wondered why?

    Scene from the movie Goodfellas. The mafia were very powerful and when they were arrested and sentenced to prison, they used their contacts, wealth and connections to make a good life for themselves inside the prison walls.

    When the Mantids tell you to make a future life for yourself, and they help guide you to lay out a pre-birth world-line template, why do you listen to them? They show care, concern and compassion. They are loving and caring.

    But the evil self-centered IS-BE’s go their own way and set forth pre-birth world-line templates of power, lust, greed and physical pleasures and ignore the advice of the Mantids.

    And when they die, and return back to “Heaven” it’s all forgiven and forgotten.

    What a gig!

    Many service to self people have constructed their pre-birth world-line template in defiance of the Mantid advice and instead live a life of ease and comfort on the earth Prison Planet.

    While all the rest of us have all these prohibitions on how we live our lives and what we can and cannot do, and when we are hurt, we are told to forgive those that hurt us.

    And we all go to Heaven together.

    And then they (the ones that hurt us) make the next-life arrangements to return to a star-studded life full of sensory pleasures and wealth.

    And we, the dumb fools we are, we listen to our loving Mantids who tell us to suffer and experience pain… to make us better.

    What a gig!

    We live a life chosen for us from help by the Mantids.

    Prison administrators escaped by going into “General Population” but are not using a prison-body

    I would like to take a moment to underline an aspect that haunts me. I cannot shake it. But apparently, the administrators and operators of this Prison Complex escaped The Domain. And the method of escape was to throw themselves into the Prison itself.

    After all, we know that there are agents or “operators” that work inside the Prison Complex itself…

    "Old Empire" operatives act as an unseen influence on  international bankers. The banks are operated covertly as a non-combatant provocateur to covertly promote and finance weapons and warfare between the nations of Earth.        
    
    Warfare is an internal mechanism of control over the inmate population.

    These individual IS-BE’s that operate within the prison “walls” must have some sort of key /pass /badge /fob /or knowledge that enables them to control the environment like they do. And thus, it is not unreasonable to expect the administration to have access to this knowledge.

    Keep in mind that only thing that is specialty that that they know how the prison system works. So they are in this prison complex; on this earth… walking around near us, nearby. All the time with the knowledge in their heads of how to turn off the many, many systems and avoid the electromagnetic containment fence.

    The administrators are hiding inside this Prison Complex somewhere. They have the keys, the knowledge and the skills to shut down or control this environment.

    They live within the prison complex living a nice comfortable life of ease. They are somewhere. And some how, if they can be located, and brought to the officers and personnel of the Domain, many of the mysteries of the Prison Complex can be resolved.

    Summary

    For most humans, the body that you have is prison attire. (Or as we used to say in the ADC; “State Issue”.)  This is a special uniform that makes it easy to identify who you are and what your role is. Once you put on the clothing and don the attire you cannot leave the prison grounds. This attire is ONLY for use on prison property.

    If a guard sees you wearing this clothing and you enter a sally port or gate, they will draw their weapon and alert the prison for someone to come and take you back inside. It is a fundamental aspect of prison life.

    “State Issue” of the Arkansas department of Corrections.

    In a similar manner, every human within this Prison Complex wears his “State Issue”. This is similar to that of American prisons. But instead of clothing that a person wears, it’s a physical (and non-physical body) that the consciousness dons when it enters the MWI reality universe (from the Prison “Heaven”).

    The body that you have prevents you from crossing the electromagnetic force field fence. And if you ever want to egress from the Prison Complex, you will need to [1] have your body altered so that you can pass through it.

    Or…

    [2] You can wait. Lifetime after lifetime, until (on day) the force-field fence is turned off and everyone can (line up) leave this Prison Complex together.

    Prison Complex.

    Do you want more?

    You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

    ET Species

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
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    Why the fundamental Master Template has changed, and what it implies.

    This article considers and ponders the motivations of our benefactors to change our Master Template. We also touch on what it implies as well. This is a deep and heady article and not for the faint of heart. For we will discuss what our owners think about us.

    "Theoretically, if the amnesia mechanisms being used against Earth could be broken entirely, IS-BEs would regain all of their memory!" 

    Introduction

    In this POST, I discussed that I had sensed a change in the Master Template. And then I went on to describe was it was, how it works, and so on and so forth. At that time, I hadn’t a clue as to why it was changed, except to say that it is a very, very rare event.

    But then I read one of the comments. All credit to Ohio Guy, that said this…

    I posit that there are now two master templates that appear identical. Your representation shows a difference in color. One being blue, the other, a bronze color. These are now superimposed, one over the other.
    
    The service to self sentience’s are being assigned one, the service to others, in turn, assigned the other copy.
    
    This, I believe, is to streamline the sorting process such that one does not have to fight the urge to “go into the light” or wait for assistance from the mantids to direct us to be free in the non physical realm at the end of our individual world line. It is automatic. In other words, A base line for us, and a base line for them, (sts sentience).
    
    All with the subtle appearance of being laminated, one over the other, yet, to separate outcomes. (hence the streamlining of sorting) I wonder though, if delamination will occur at some point, whether individually or collectively.

    Brilliant. Really.

    And this from Memory Loss

    Very interesting theory. Like a Harry Potter world sorting hat?
    It’s kinda weird because as I was pondering the implications of your theory, I stumbled upon a video:
    
    https://youtu.be/Xz9IJMMWP4M
    
    What if the service to others sentiences just overwhelms the service to self guys so much so their power structures just crumbles. We don’t fight with them, we absorb them. A change to the master template would likely have been necessary in such a scenario.

    Why would the Type-1 greys do this?

    I can tell you that they want to resolve this “Prison Planet” from the “dung heap” that it is now into a sorting, and reeducation location as efficiently as possible. And it’s not just our solar system but other ones under the same realm of control as well.

    But wresting control of the source code, they can really make some changes happen. Just like on the movie the matrix.

    Decoding the matrix.

    So, it got me to start thinking.

    What would happen? What could happen? At what benefit would it provide to anyone?

    Benefits of changing the Master Template

    Why the heck would anyone want to change the Master Template? Well, to answer that question you have to understand who made the Master Template to begin with and why.

    Fundamentally, the “Old Empire” created the “Prison Planet” in this section of the galaxy. They created this reality, along with the associated Heaven (for humans) to go through as “punishment”. And thus all and everything associated with this local reality is a fabrication of the “Old Empire”.

    And you must recognize that part of this fabrication is the idea of “pulsing consciousnesses” that cycle between wave and particle forms and moving about world-lines. Oh, perhaps, there are analogs in other areas of the universe, but in our “neck of the woods” what we go though is all a manufactured fabricated reality that is a remnant from the “Old Empire”.

    We know that the type-1 greys (of “The Domain”) want to dismantle this entire set-up, but it is very difficult. However, we also know that MAJestic was set up after “Alien Interview” and it seems obvious that they want to have a metered disassembly of the entire arrangement so that the very evil are contained, while the innocent are rehabilitated.

    The members of the lost Battalion and many other IS-BEs on Earth, could be valuable citizens of The Domain, not including those who are vicious criminals or perverts. 
    
    Unfortunately, there has been no workable method conceived to emancipate the IS-BEs from Earth. Therefore, as a matter of common logic, as well as the official policy of The Domain, it is safer and more sensible to avoid contact with the IS-BE population of Earth.
    
    Until such time as the proper resources can be allocated to [1] locate and destroy the "Old Empire" force screen...
    
    ... and [2] amnesia machinery ...
    
    ... and [3] develop a therapy to restore the memory of an IS-BE."

    It seems to me that by changing the Master Template, it would enable the necessary therapies to restore IS-BE memories.

    Keep in mind that the Master Template was designed specifically to entrap consciousnesses in this trap / snare of earth-bound reality.

    If “The Domain” were interested in actually freeing souls and releasing consciousnesses from this reality, then the most direct and obvious method would be to alter the Master Template that this entire Prison Planet Environment is based around.

    I gather from the events that I have sensed, good or bad, that they have been able to achieve this goal.

    And then what?

    Benefits of Making multiple templates

    Consider this statement from Alien Interview…

    The conflicting cultural and ethical moral codes of the IS-BEs on Earth is unusual in the extreme.

    If you are able to sort consciousnesses by sentience, then the sorting effort could result in different Master Templates for different sentience’s.

    "...the IS-BEs of Earth continue to behave very badly toward each other.  This behavior, however, is heavily influenced by the "hypnotic commands" given to each IS-BE between lifetimes."

    You could have a Master Template for each of the following major sentience types in this reality at this time…

    • Service for self.
    • Service for another.
    • Service for others.
    • Disjointed.

    And those templates would then adjust the consciousness interaction within this reality. It would…

    • Keep those that should remain in the “Prison Environment” a little longer. This would be accomplished by making them focus on the worldly pleasures and pain. So that they would not be able to focus on egress from this environment.
    • Provide a “rehabilitation plan” for those that need to undo the damage that this environment has done to them, and help sort them so that they can eventually egress from this environment. Their life would be a little bit easier, and not so contentious. So that they would be able to ponder their existence and see order and purpose.
    • Provide a much easier path of egress from this prison region for those who indicate a functional desire to do great things for others without personal profit. The affirmation prayers should become easier to manifest, and their general life path should be far less contentious and troublesome. Making it easier to think of higher purposes and roles after egress.
    • Provide a substantive restructuring plan for those that need it. The details of which could become very harsh, but necessary.

    So, depending on the sentience, the Master Template would provide a simpler way to track, control, and eventually release all the inmates from this environment.

    For service to others sentience it would look like this…

    How they would differ from each on from a user point of view.

    From the point of view of an end user, a consciousness, the pre-birth world-line template (which is derived from the Master Template) would look the same. While you were in Heaven, you would work with the local elders and your Mantid to configure your next reincarnation.

    The evil and self-centered individuals would select a life-line to place upon a pre-birth world-line template to achieve their desires. Lust, greed, power, sex, gluttony, etc. The system in making the selection and the research and options available will not change.

    And it will also remain the same. Individuals would be given “missions” and “objectives” are centered about “bettering themselves”, “obtaining experiences” and “perfecting themselves”.

    Unless you were specifically keyed to notice the subtle changes of a rewritten source code, you won’t realize that anything would be different.

    The user wouldn’t be able to see a difference during the planning stage in Heaven

    You simply couldn’t see a difference. Difficult tasks will still be difficult. Easy tasks and goals will still be easy. Highs and lows, “mountains” and “valleys” will still exist.

    The changes will not be what is obvious in the physical reality.

    Instead it will be the non-physical aspects of the consciousness. Thoughts that one would have. Or the ability to dream, having lucid dreams. The ability to have PSI or ESP and the ability to sense the non-physical reality will be changed.

    Most notably would be the ability to control and direct thoughts and desires. Evil and selfish people would have that ability suppressed, while those who are generous would find that they would have that ability enhanced. Thus prayer affirmations campaigns would have results much faster in materialization than prior to the change in the Master Template.

    This would be right across all levels and even the most trivial thoughts and wishes from one’s early years would manifest without problem.

    The code for the Master Template

    We do not know what the “code” is for the Master Template. Obviously it transcends the physical realm and is involved in so many levels.And obviously it is a very detailed and involved system involving many layers.

    “Mystery reinforces the walls of the prison.  The “Old Empire” feared that the IS-BEs on Earth might regain their memory.  Therefore, one of the primary functions of The “Old Empire” priesthood is to prevent IS-BEs on Earth from remembering who they really are, how they came to Earth, where they came from.
    
    The “Old Empire” operators of the prison system, and their superiors, do not want IS-BEs to remember who murdered them, captured them, stole all of their possessions, sent them to Earth, gave them amnesia and condemned them to eternal imprisonment!
    
    Imagine what might happen if all of the inmates in the prison suddenly remembered that they have the right to be free!  What if they suddenly realized that they have been falsely imprisoned and rise up as one against the guards?
    
    They are afraid to reveal anything that looks like the civilization of the inmates home planets.  A body, a piece of clothing, a symbol, a space ship, an advanced electronics device, or any other remnant of civilization from a home planet could “remind” a being and rekindle his memory.
    
    Sophisticated technologies of entrapment and enslavement,  which were developed over millions of years in the “Old Empire”, have been applied to the IS-BEs on Earth with the intention to create a false facade for the prison.  These facades were installed on Earth in totality, all at once.  Every piece is a fully integrated part of the prison system.
    
    This includes a religion of mumbo-jumbo double-speak. Every pyramid civilization uses this as part of a control mechanism  to keep the population enslaved by force, by fear and by ignorance. The indecipherable muddle of irrelevant information, geometric designs, mathematical calculation, astronomical alignments, are part of a false spirituality based on solid objects, rather than immortal spirits, in order to confuse and disorient the IS-BEs on Earth.
    
    When the body of a person died they were buried with their Earthly possessions, including their former body wrapped in linen, to sustain their “soul” or “Ka” after death.  An IS-BE does not “have” as soul.  An IS-BE is a soul.”
    
    — Excerpted from the Top Secret transcripts published in the book, Alien Interview

    But we can make some assumptions based on what we know of history.

    When Nazi Germany fell, all of their advanced technology was up for grabs, and the United States went forward with Operation Paperclip to recover as much knowledge and technology as possible….

    What Was Operation Paperclip?

    This controversial top-secret U.S. intelligence program brought Nazi German scientists to America to harness their brain power for Cold War initiatives. From HERE.
    .

    As World War II was entering its final stages, American and British organizations teamed up to scour occupied Germany for as much military, scientific and technological development research as they could uncover.

    Trailing behind Allied combat troops, groups such as the Combined Intelligence Objectives Subcommittee (CIOS) began confiscating war-related documents and materials and interrogating scientists as German research facilities were seized by Allied forces. One enlightening discovery—recovered from a toilet at Bonn University—was the Osenberg List: a catalogue of scientists and engineers that had been put to work for the Third Reich.

    n a covert affair originally dubbed Operation Overcast but later renamed Operation Paperclip, roughly 1,600 of these German scientists (along with their families) were brought to the United States to work on America’s behalf during the Cold War. The program was run by the newly-formed Joint Intelligence Objectives Agency (JIOA), whose goal was to harness German intellectual resources to help develop America’s arsenal of rockets and other biological and chemical weapons, and to ensure such coveted information did not fall into the hands of the Soviet Union.

    Although he officially sanctioned the operation, President Harry Truman forbade the agency from recruiting any Nazi members or active Nazi supporters. Nevertheless, officials within the JIOA and Office of Strategic Services (OSS)—the forerunner to the CIA—bypassed this directive by eliminating or whitewashing incriminating evidence of possible war crimes from the scientists’ records, believing their intelligence to be crucial to the country’s postwar efforts.

    One of the most well-known recruits was Wernher von Braun, the technical director at the Peenemunde Army Research Center in Germany who was instrumental in developing the lethal V-2 rocket that devastated England during the war. Von Braun and other rocket scientists were brought to Fort Bliss, Texas, and White Sands Proving Grounds, New Mexico, as “War Department Special Employees” to assist the U.S. Army with rocket experimentation. Von Braun later became director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and the chief architect of the Saturn V launch vehicle, which eventually propelled two dozen American astronauts to the Moon.

    Although defenders of the clandestine operation argue that the balance of power could have easily shifted to the Soviet Union during the Cold War if these Nazi scientists were not brought to the United States, opponents point to the ethical cost of ignoring their abhorrent war crimes without punishment or accountability.

    Enter The Domain

    So The Domain vanquished The “Old Empire” and took control of this section of the galaxy. Still, it has taken years to understand and recover the long lost technologies that the Old Empire utilized.

    As from the “Alien Interview”, it seems that once systems were designed and utilized, they were left to fallow or forgotten. Thus making the blueprints for the “Prison Planet” quite difficult to obtain.

    Most certainly the type-1 greys had to have spent some tremendous amounts of time and effort to recover what ever they could concerning the Prison Complexes and systems. I am sure that it was a low priority, but necessary.

    Only a demonic, self-serving government would employ a “logic” or “science” to conceive that an “ultimate solution” to any problem is to murder and permanently erase the memory of every artist, genius, skilled manager, and inventor, and cast them into a planetary prison together with political opponents, killers, thieves, perverts, and disabled beings of an entire galaxy!
    
    Once the IS-BEs expelled from the “Old Empire” arrived on Earth, they were given amnesia, and hypnotically tricked into thinking that something else had happened to them.  The next step was to implant the IS-BEs into biological bodies on Earth.  The bodies became the human populations of “false civilizations” which were designed and installed in the minds of IS-BEs to look completely unlike the “Old Empire”.
    
    — Except from the Top Secret manuscripts from 1947 Roswell, published in the book ALIEN INTERVIEW

    I like and want to believe that a future lies ahead for all of us. And that the type-1 greys are making this happen. The entire environment around our planet is but the walls of a gigantic and enormous prison.

    “Mystery reinforces the walls of the prison.  The “Old Empire” feared that the IS-BEs on Earth might regain their memory.  Therefore, one of the primary functions of The “Old Empire” priesthood is to prevent IS-BEs on Earth from remembering who they really are, how they came to Earth, where they came from.
    
    The “Old Empire” operators of the prison system, and their superiors, do not want IS-BEs to remember who murdered them, captured them, stole all of their possessions, sent them to Earth, gave them amnesia and condemned them to eternal imprisonment!
    
    Imagine what might happen if all of the inmates in the prison suddenly remembered that they have the right to be free!  What if they suddenly realized that they have been falsely imprisoned and rise up as one against the guards?
    
    They are afraid to reveal anything that looks like the civilization of the inmates home planets.  A body, a piece of clothing, a symbol, a space ship, an advanced electronics device, or any other remnant of civilization from a home planet could “remind” a being and rekindle his memory.
    
    Sophisticated technologies of entrapment and enslavement,  which were developed over millions of years in the “Old Empire”, have been applied to the IS-BEs on Earth with the intention to create a false facade for the prison.  These facades were installed on Earth in totality, all at once.  Every piece is a fully integrated part of the prison system.
    
    This includes a religion of mumbo-jumbo double-speak. Every pyramid civilization uses this as part of a control mechanism  to keep the population enslaved by force, by fear and by ignorance. The indecipherable muddle of irrelevant information, geometric designs, mathematical calculation, astronomical alignments, are part of a false spirituality based on solid objects, rather than immortal spirits, in order to confuse and disorient the IS-BEs on Earth.
    
    When the body of a person died they were buried with their Earthly possessions, including their former body wrapped in linen, to sustain their “soul” or “Ka” after death.  An IS-BE does not “have” as soul.  An IS-BE is a soul.”
    
    — Excerpted from the Top Secret transcripts published in the book, Alien Interview

    Most certainly they had to study the construction and the systems associated with the entire “Prison Planet”.

    And then they most certainly had to come up with a phased plan to provide release egress or parole to the many innocents in this entire “black hole” environment.

    And it’s only a matter of time until a point will be reached where the inmates can start getting their much needed “walking papers”. Perhaps, just perhaps, we are all part of the first batch of those who have this opportunity.

    I don’t know. But I do have hope.

    This must absolutely include a system for prison release… a very careful release system and integration into society.

    Where is the “Old Empire”?

    Where the records regarding the construction of this entire prison complex must be stored somewhere.

    Right?

    "Although the military base of the "Old Empire" was destroyed, unfortunately, much of the vast machinery of the IS-BE force screens, the electroshock / amnesia / hypnosis machinery continues to function in other undiscovered locations right up to the present moment.  The main base or control center for this "mind control prison" operation has never been found. So, the influences of this base, or bases, are still in effect."

    The “blue prints” and the program / project management, and all the rest has to be found somewhere.

    Blue prints and plans must be somewhere. They can be in any form, but all fabrications and constructions needs plants, layouts, and calculations.

    If you were from The Domain where would you look?

    "She told me that The Domain Expeditionary Force first entered into the Milky Way galaxy very recently -- only about 10,000 years ago.  Their first action was to conquer the home planets of the "Old Empire" (this is not the official name, but a nick-name given to the conquered civilization by The Domain Forces) that served as the seat of central government for this galaxy, and other adjoining regions of space. 
    
    These planets are  located in the star systems in the tail of the Big Dipper constellation. She did not mention which stars, exactly."

    Well, we know that the stars in the “tail” of “The Big Dipper” constellation are…

    Big dipper with star names.

    So you can figure that the “home planets” for the “Old Empire” is in the geographic space around Mizar and Alkaid. Not these large hot and short-lived stars, but rather the cooler and fainter stars that lie around them.

    As far as the general geographical location goes, however…

    Alkaid, Eta Ursae Majoris (η UMa) is a blue main sequence star with an apparent magnitude of 1.86, located at a distance of 103.9 light years from Earth. It is the easternmost star of the Big Dipper. It forms the Dipper’s handle with its bright neighbours, Mizar (ζ UMa) and Alioth (ε UMa), while Megrez (δ UMa), Phecda (γ UMa), Dubhe (α UMa) and Merak (β UMa) form the Dipper’s bowl.
    
    Alkaid is the third brightest star in the constellation Ursa Major, after Alioth and Dubhe, and the 38th brightest star in the sky. It shares the 38th place with the bright giant Sargas (Theta Scorpii) in the constellation Scorpius. The stars are only slightly fainter than the blue giant Kaus Australis (Epsilon Sagittarii), the brightest star in Sagittarius, and slightly fainter than the orange giant Avior (Epsilon Carinae), the third brightest star in the constellation Carina.

    And the other star…

    Mizar, Zeta Ursae Majoris (ζ UMa), is a quadruple star system in Ursa Major. It has a combined apparent magnitude of 2.04 and lies at a distance of 82.9 light years from Earth. It is the fourth brightest star in Ursa Major.
    
    Mizar is the middle star of the Big Dipper‘s handle and it forms a visual double with Alcor, a fainter binary star located at a separation of about 12 arcminutes.

    And without getting involved in the history behind these stars, their sizes, and all those interesting facts. Let’s focus on location.

    • Alkaid = 103.9 Light Years away
    • Mizar = 82.9 Light Years away

    And this tells us a lot.

    Our milkyway galaxy is 100,000 light-years across, and these two stars lie around 100 light years away. Or roughly 1/1000 of the size of the galaxy. So roughly the “Old Empire” is not a far away center of civilization, but rather (relatively) nearby.

    Sort of like one of the suburbs in a city.

    With the core solar systems of that “Old Empire” as close as 35 to 50 light years away. (The 100 light year apex center is just a reference point for an empire that might have core planets around 75 to 100 light years in diameter.)

    We might imagine that their relative proximity to us would be on the order of…

    The core stars of the old empire relative to the geographical location of our solar system.

    The “Old Empire” is relatively close to our stellar neighborhood.

    So we can expect that over the last few decades of MAJestic involvement that The Domain has dedicated a small contingent of researchers to investigate the “Old Empire” records to discover the operation and plans for our regional “Prison Planet”.

    Our solar system is not in a major populated area of the galaxy

    We are off to the side, in and among devastated previously populated worlds still recovering from ancient space wars and fiascos.

    Earth is very distant from the center of the galaxy and from any other significant galactic civilization. This isolation makes it unsuitable for use, except as a "pit stop" or jumping off point along the way between galaxies.  The moon and asteroids are far more suitable for this purpose because they do not have any significant gravity.

    Where is the local machinery of control?

    No one knows, but perhaps this statement might provide us with some clues…

    "In the earliest times the IS-BEs sent to prison Earth lived in India."  

    Some more thoughts

    "Furthermore, there has been no operation undertaken to seek out, discover and destroy the vast and ancient network of electronics machinery that create the IS-BE force screens at this end of the galaxy. 
    
    Until this has been done, we are not able to prevent or interrupt the electric shock operation, hypnosis and remote thought control of the "Old Empire" prison planet."

    I really do not have any idea how the Master Template could be changed, or how The Domain would go about changing them. Nor do I have any idea on the kinds of systems that would be involved in this system. But you know, we all don’t really need to know the specifics. Just what is going on.

    The system that is in place seems to be very robust and expansive and thus can be applied to a great diversity of “peoples” , societies, species and cultures…

    And, the very unusual combination of "inmates" on Earth - criminals, perverts, artists, revolutionaries and geniuses - is the cause of a very restive and tumultuous environment.   
    
    The purpose of the prison planet is to keep IS-BEs on Earth, forever. Promoting ignorance, superstition, and war between IS-BEs helps to keep the prison population crippled and trapped behind "the wall" of electronic force screens. 
    
    IS-BEs have been dumped on Earth from all over the galaxy, adjoining galaxies, and from planetary systems all over the "Old Empire", like Sirius, Aldebaron, the Pleiades, Orion, Draconis, and countless others. There are IS- BEs on Earth from unnamed races, civilizations, cultural backgrounds, and planetary environments. 
    
    Each of the various IS-BE populations have their own languages, belief systems, moral values, religious beliefs, training and unknown and untold histories. 
    
    These IS-BEs are mixed together with earlier inhabitants of Earth who came from another star system more than 400,000 years ago to establish the civilizations of Atlanta and Lemuria.   
    
    Those civilizations vanished beneath the tidal waves caused by a planetary "polar shift", many thousands of years before the current "prison" population started to arrive.  
    
    Apparently, the IS-BEs from those star systems were the source of the original, oriental races of Earth, beginning in Australia. 
    
    On the other hand, the civilizations set up on Earth by the "Old Empire" prison system were very different from the civilization of the "Old Empire" itself, which is an electronic space opera, atomic powered conglomeration of earlier civilizations that were conquered with nuclear weapons and colonized by IS-BEs from another galaxy.

    What is the most important template?

    Well, they are all important. It’s just that each template has it’s own very unique roles that it plays in the shaping of our experiences within this reality.

    You could argue that the roles of each template would be as follows…

    • Master Template. The source code for consciousness movement in our reality universe.
    • Pre-Birth World-Line Template. A fated life that we will live in the physical reality to obtain experiences with.
    • A World-Line Template. A new template that consciousness intentionally creates by directed thoughts. It replaces the Pre-Birth World_line Template.
    • A World-Line. A frozen snapshot in “time” that our consciousness visits momentarily while it is in particle form.

    How important is the Master Template?

    It’s very important. The entire way the “Prison Planet” works is to keep us living this never ending reincarnation loop over and over again on the promise of something…

    The net result is that an IS-BE is unable to escape because they can't remember who they are, where they came from, where they are. They have been hypnotized to think they are someone, something, sometime, and somewhere other than where they really are.

    …for some people it is an eternal life in Heaven. For other’s it might be improvements to eventually become a saint. For still others, maybe an advancement to become another species. It’s all promises…

    …just go back one more time and experience X, Y, Z and then you will be better.

    But it is the control of our thoughts that imprison us.

    Eventually The Domain discovered that a wide area of space is monitored by an "electronic force field" which controls all of the IS-BEs in this end of the galaxy, including Earth.  The electronic force screen is designed to detect IS-BEs and prevent them from leaving the area. 
    
    If any IS-BE attempts to penetrate the force screen, it "captures" them in a kind of "electronic net".   
    
    The result is that the captured IS-BE is subjected to a very severe "brainwashing" treatment which erases the memory of the IS-BE.  This process uses a tremendous electrical shock, just like Earth psychiatrists use "electric shock therapy" to erase the memory and personality of a "patient" and to make them more "cooperative". 
    
    On Earth this "therapy" uses only a few hundred volts of electricity.    However, the electrical voltage used by the "Old Empire" operation against IS-BEs is on the order of magnitude of billions of volts!  This tremendous shock completely wipes out all the memory of the IS- BE.  The memory erasure is not just for one life or one body.  
    
    It wipes out all of the accumulated experiences of a nearly infinite past, as well as the identity of the IS-BE! 
    
    The shock is intended to make it impossible for the IS-BE to remember who they are, where they came from, their knowledge or skills, their memory of the past, and ability to function as a spiritual entity.   They are overwhelmed into becoming a mindless, robotic non-entity. 
    
    After the shock a series of post hypnotic suggestions are used to install false memories, and a false time orientation in each IS-BE. 
    
    This includes the command to "return" to the base after the body dies, so that the same kind of shock and hypnosis can be done again, and again, again -- forever.  
    
    The hypnotic command also tells the "patient" to forget to remember. What The Domain learned from the experience of this officer is that the "Old Empire" has been using Earth as a "prison planet" for a very long time -- exactly how long is unknown -- perhaps millions of years. 
    
    So, when the body of the IS-BE dies they depart from the body. They are detected by the "force screen", they are captured and   "ordered" by hypnotic command to "return to the light".   
    
    The idea of "heaven" and the "afterlife" are part of the hypnotic suggestion -- a part of the treachery that makes the whole mechanism work. After the IS-BE has been shocked and hypnotized to erase the memory of the life just lived,  the IS-BE is immediately "commanded", hypnotically, to "report" back to Earth, as though they were on a secret mission, to inhabit a new body.  
    
    Each IS-BE is told that they have a special purpose for being on Earth. But, of course there is no purpose for being in a prison -- at least not for the prisoner.

    The Master Template changes how the thoughts interact with our reality. And by changing it, and offering specialized templates to special sentience’s it becomes far easier to manage the egress or imprisonment of wayward consciousnesses.

    And so…

    If you have a service to others sentience, and recognize that you are a powerful ultimate being yourself, then you can be released from this Prison Planet though use of directed thought.

    "It is easy to teach this altered notion to beings who do not want to be responsible for their own lives.  
    
    Slaves are such beings.  
    
    As long as one chooses to assign responsibility for creation, existence and personal accountability for one's own thoughts and actions to others, one is a slave."

    A final word

    Go out and take in some good fresh air. Splurge and buy yourself a premium lunch or drink. Put down the cell phone for a few minutes and just absorb the world around you. Everything here is positive and upbeat, and if you are a MM follower and believer then your futures all look really, really bright.

    Have a great day! Here’s a video that I took  about15 minutes ago.

    Enjoy the day you all.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Affirmation prayer Campaign Index here…

    Intention Campaigns

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    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

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    Sexy images and things that make life worth living

    I hope that you all are having a nice day. Today I wanted to do something a little bit different. Today I want to post some sexy images. Of course, I don’t mean sexy as in pornographic, but rather sexy as “appeals to the senses”. And to this end, I do hope that you will all agree that this is a nice way to start the day.

    Start the day right

    What ever you do, never, ever, ever, give up. Video.

    Sensory Overload

    There are numerous people on MM that are suddenly having experiences. My guess is that you have verbalized participation with The Domain or volunteered to be a Rufus. These experiences are very personal ones, and if you try to describe them, you will sound like a “mad man / woman”.

    Can I respectfully suggest that everyone put their experiences here, but ALWAYS preference it with “things are happening” after I did XXXXXX, and this is what the craziness appears to be like.

    From DM… 19SEP21.

    This is a weird one, even for me. Last night I had fallen asleep without realising it. It was a false dream in that I thought I was still awake thinking about certain topics. 
    
    I suddenly remembered something to do with a particular thought I was having about certain experiences in lucidity. This thought equated to there being heavy time travel element in one of them. It was so startling I went to sit up in bed and turned to face Storme to tell her to remind me about it in the morning. But as I did, something caught me. i was instantly aware I was in sleep paralysis. 
    
    There was this weird vibration thing going on. It felt like when you have a guitar amplifier turned on but the jack not connected to the guitar. If you try and plug it in, miss and hit the metal part of the connector on the guitar, this is what it felt like. it was this very low and loud vibration sound that permeated through me.  
    
    It was like every time you hit the metal, my body would “click or switch in or out”. It felt like someone was welding something into my astral body. I could feel it coming from the wall right next to the bed on my side, like I was connected to it. 
    
    Like someone was scraping something along the wall. It felt like something was trying to tune my body for a broadcast; I am absolutely sure this is what it was. Although it was a very strange feeling, it wasn’t completely uncomfortable. 
    
    I am pretty sure whatever it was deleted the thought about my experiences being related to time travel. I have the time travel element but nothing else. it was a fucking intense experience. Something was definitely fucking with me whilst in sleep paralysis

    I suppose that this short mini-video is sort of what last week was like with all the comm channels opened up with The Domain. Try to explain this video and you will see how difficult it is trying to explain your experiences.

    Mini-video

    Kitty love.

    Not everyone will appreciate this picture. But PL will…

    It does make someone like me - who never felt “complete” until my cat adopted me - feel like there is a piece we cannot obtain. But that cat - which grew into a marriage to the love of my life and a ton of farm animals - they give me a purpose. Maybe not anywhere near the cosmic connection as a child, but there is always a yin to a yang.

    Kitty love.

    Found in a back yard.

    Found in a back yard.

    Bruce Lee stands up to racism.

    This is from the 1970’s. Video.

    Bruce Lee takes a stand.

    Now, this is what I call a sandwich.

    Sandwich?

    Pole dancing kitty style.

    Pole dancing kitty style.

    Breakfast

    Breakfast.

    Be the Rufus

    Be the Rufus. Video.

    Be the Rufus.

    Dilbert Comic

    A funny Dilbert.

    Support your local animal shelter.

    No money. No problem. Volunteer to empty out some litter boxes, and help groom them and sing to them.

    Support your local animal shelter.

    Trailer park boys

    Trailerpark boys.

    Overpaid.

    I feel overpaid.

    There are dog people, and there are cat people…

    What kind of a person are you? Somehow I picture XXXX in this picture. Such a cantankerous, but lovable, old coot.

    Who are you?

    Not that simple.

    No it’s not. Video.

    Not that simple.

    Kitty

    Kitty.

    And my favorite desk picture

    Island Cat

    Breakfast biscuit.

    Breakfast biscuit.

    Meanwhile in Cambodia

    I posted this short mini video over a year ago, but it’s time for a nice refresher. Remember everyone, the rest of the world is doing just fine. Just fine. It’s all going well. Do not get too caught up.

    Meanwhile in Cambodia.

    Enough.

    Enough, dog.

    Kitty Love.

    Kitty love.

    Best picture on the internet.

    Best picture on the internet.

    Pizza (close up).

    Pizza.

    Beautiful.

    Beautiful.

    Cheeseburger, American style.

    American style hamburger.

    The power of the paw.

    You all know what this is, right?

    The power of the paw.

    Sexy Pizza.

    Ohhh baby!

    Sexy.

    Dogs and cats

    Dogs and cats.

    Sexiest picture of them all!

    Sexiest picture of them all.

    Be the Rufus

    Video here.

    Be the Rufus.

    This is America

    This is America.

    Sexy ride.

    Sexy ride.

    Very sexy food.

    Very sexy food.

    Delicious Pizza

    Delicious pizza.

    Asking for directions.

    Asking for directions.

    Apparently from the same litter…

    From the same litter, apparently.

    Camp fire.

    Camp fire.

    Good son.

    Good son.

    Delicious gooey cheese pizza

    What a pizza should look like.

    How a cheeseburger should be made

    Make a difference. Be the Rufus.

    Make a difference. Be the Rufus. Video.

    Make a difference. Be a Rufus.

    Delicious NY style Pizza slices

    The way I love it with lots of gooey cheese…

    The same goes for my cheeseburgers…

    Peek a boo kitty

    Another peek a boo kitty.

    .

    Be the Rufus

    What’s going on here? A guy passed out while eating lunch? Video.

    Be the Rufus.

    It’s a kitty thing.

    Nancy and cats.

    Did I say that twice?

    Cute.

    Cute.

    It’s a man thing.

    A sexy cat.

    Sexy cat.

    A nicely painted dress.

    A nicely painted dress.

    Be the Rufus.

    A baby has collapsed inside a taxi. It is dying and not breathing. What to do? Watch the video.

    Be the Rufus.

    It’s from a different time.

    Buddies.

    Buddies

    Be the Rufus!

    Click on the picture for the video.

    Click for the video.

    Sexy campfire.

    Sexy campfire.

    Funny cat gifs

    Surprise.

    Enjoying some fine cream.

    Whoa. What just happened?

     

    Dancing her little heart out.

    Everyone has a dream. Sometimes you get the opportunity to live that dream, and when it happens, you give it all you’ve got. You go girrrl! Check out this short video clip.

    Dancing her heart out.

    Kitty playtime

    Kitty playtime.

    Hello there.

    Hello there.

    Low and behold!

    His coming was foretold in the ancient scripts.

    Kitty hugs

    I miss my little guys.

    Taking the dog out for a walk

    Boxing Champ

    Boxing Champ

    Snow patrol

    Snow Patrol.

    Inspiration

    Inspiration

    Big Jumper

    Big Jumper

    Little kitten, big appetite…

    Hungry kitty.

    Conclusion

    I hope that this article finds you all well. It’s a good day to start it off on a good frame of mind and in a good way. Be the Rufus… as in this video

    Be the Rufus.

    Be the Rufus, and leave the rest of the world smiling and glad that you are there.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts like this in my Heaven Index;

    Heaven

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    Answers from The Domain from questions generated 18SEP21

    This article consists of answers from The Domain to questions collected by the MM audience. This is the first of (hopefully) many such events.

    I collected the questions over the third week of September 2021, and tried to contact with the Domain via the EBP in fits and starts over this period. I was successful, and unsuccessful. Some times the connection was strong while at other times it was weak. All having to do with my various situation at the time.

    I am trying to provide a description on how it worked out, and the relative issues or feelings involved. Some of it might seem confusing but there just isn’t the vocabulary to describe my experiences.

    What this is all about

    On 17SEP21 I posted an article that related the fact that The Domain opened up a dedicated channel to me via the EBP. As always, it was one-sided, and detailed. But during the conversation, I had no real mental ability. I was in a receiving and reporting state. I was really unable to think for myself. I just queried what I was told to ask and recorded the answers.

    You can read this article HERE, if you are confused with what is going on.

    Some Background

    Most people are aware that the work titled “Alien Interview” is a transcript of a Commander of The Domain when it’s vehicle crashed in 1947. What most people do not know is that this event spawned an American  top secret agency known as MAJestic that fell under the ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence).

    This waved, unacknowledged special access program handled (and still handles) all extraterrestrial events, technologies and interactions with the United States government. I was a unique part of that organization prior to being retired.

    I have numerous devices installed in my body. The seven ELF probes are for MAJestic, with the EBP system is of Domain manufacture and utility.

    Terminology

    • EBP – A hardwired device that connects MM to The Domain.
    • ELF – A hardwired device that connected MM to MAJestic through a Mantid intermediary. Now deactivated.
    • The Domain – The name of the species / civilization that the type-1 greys belong to.
    • “Old Empire” – A term used to describe a vanquished civilization that used to be in control of this section of the galaxy.
    • Comm channel – A link to the MM “handler” or Commander. Rank and position is unknown except that it is a senior being. This is a channel though the EBP system.

    This project / system

    I know, and I am absolutely convinced that The Domain wants to do this. They are sort of waiting for me to set the incident(s) in place, and then will direct it as they see fit.

    It's kind of like how a microwave keeps flashing after it finishes cooking the food, or how a washing machine has the display beeping after it finished washing a load. This flashing / beeping is still present. (Though... it's something different.)

    My initial idea was to collect questions, and then ask them. I did this knowing full well that they may or may not answer them.

    In all cases the comm channel is a dedicated channel via my EBP.

    I will admit that the type-1 grey commander of The Domain that has been helping answer these questions is not at all comfortable with the system I set up.

    Let it be well understood that they prefer to communicate in a very different manner. Which is; “They speak and we respond.”

    In this effort, we ask questions and request answers. And, they have a real problem with this format.

    They are very uncomfortable with this, and it is not how they communicate.

    So in order to facilitate this effort, what I did was post the questions as a subject. Then placed the asked questions as secondary information to each subject. I then read the text out loud, and then repeated the subject.

    I then paused for input.

    They seem to categorize by subject. Then take the questions as subsequent data, and then discuss the subject relative to the question. I hope this makes sense. It’s much like I described a scenario or event and asked them to comment on the statement event (meaning the entire situation involving the person asking the question and his / her mental process and situation at that time) instead of commenting on the details of the question.

    When I did this, the system seemed to work much better.

    The Questions and Answers (Group 1)

    This is exactly how I began. I read the subject title, then the question, then the subject title. I did so reading without understanding. If that makes any sense. Like reading a dishwasher repair manual out loud. Then when the comm opened up, I wrote what came to me.

    Enlightenment & Lost Battalion

    • Are IS-BEs who attain what is often called “Enlightenment” while in a physical body free from the amnesia machinery in death?
    No. Absolute answer.
    • Are they useful to the Domain’s efforts and should we work to become “Enlightened” as a way of being useful to the Domain?
    No. “Enlightenment” has no bearing at all on extraction from this prison mechanism. It is part of the “Old Empire” system of conditioned control and brainwashing. Enlightenment is another path that leads one into the tunnel of light.
    • *I understand “working” or “doing” anything to become “Enlightened” is technically incorrect but it’s hard to describe such things in duality.
    Understood, but we know what you are referring to.
    • Thank you for this.
    My pleasure.

    The next group of questions happened about three hours later. At that time I asked the channel (whether or not anyone was listening) to lower the amplitude so that I wasn’t thrown into turmoil for the rest of the day. This occurred and things really mellowed out, but the comm channel was much fainter. So it was a trade off.

    So as long as I was able to receive, all was well.

    The Questions and Answers (Group 2)

    This group of questions got no or null responses. I had to try and retry numerous times. Finally on my fifth or so attempt, I started to get some responses. I actually think that the problem was not the questions but the Commander (or their representative) was on other tasks at the time, and could not respond.

    Lucid Dreaming & Lost Battalion Rescue

    • How can those with astral projection and lucid dreaming abilities be properly coordinated to attack the amnesia traps from the inside?
    This is a dangerous request. 
    
    When The Domain decides to solve a problem, we research it in great detail, then we come up with possible solutions, each one with both positive and negative scenarios. We then weigh the pros and the cons. In this effort we use concentrated forces with strategic aims and tactical strike against specific traps and snares.
    
    Individual IS-BE's should never attempt to engage in attacks against any "Old Empire" traps. Instead they should be marked for extraction, and the Domain notified of their existence in the exact form that they were encountered in.
    
    A person with the ability to conduct “lucid dreaming” has a special and unique skill set that enables them to be a mission critical asset. However, this kind of asset should not be meaninglessly squandered, but rather should be briefed on a specific target and then act in coordination with other unified forces to achieve a very specific outcome.
    
    Those that have this skill set will be (interviewed / selected) for a specific task and then allow to lie dormant until the moment occurs. Then the asset will perform their function in coordination with other (specifically trained) Domain forces.
    • Are there any specific locations that are proving difficult for the Domain to dismantle that those who are already in the “prison” may have a better chance at reaching.
    Yes. 
    
    There are numerous systems that are problematic at this time. None, however, are impossible to dissemble. 
    
    The <redacted> (a species and cluster that MM is unaware of) are providing technical assistance in this matter. 
    
    While it was not specifically asked in the question, the implied question is would we provide you (the questioner) the information or coordinates of such processes or traps. The answer is no, at this time. Consider it a confidential need to know matter.
    
    Your disappointment (in this matter) is for the greater good.
    • Are there any specific “Domain approved” frequencies or modulation techniques that infrastructure can be built around to provide a physical communication pathway so that messages may be more readily received by those without EBP. This extends to frequencies that can be tuned into via “lucid and astral based telepathy”.
    Yes. There are many, or more properly specified / explained there are groupings or dances of frequencies that act as system keys or codes.
    
    When we negate or suppress a system we utilize these techniques along with various types of electromagnetic cannon in the non-physical realms that are tuned to such intricacies.
    • Can electronic infrastructure found within the prison be constructed to aid in the “astral body” DNA change, or to break the amnesia as a whole?
    Yes, in a way, and only partially. 
    
    The entire system has both physical and non-physical components. 
    
    The bodies of humans and certain animals have had their DNA and mRNA modified to assist in the imprisonment of IS-BE’s. 
    
    By correcting this physical biological component to the universal norm, numerous existent amnesia systems will fail to work.
    • If so what sort of technologies should be focused on.?
    Biological magnetism, electromagnetic frequencies at large voltages, and DNA and mRNA alterations.

    The Questions and Answers (Group 3)

    This group was quick to answer and very clear. I had no trouble getting or obtaining answers or information. All this makes me wonder if this (Domain) individual is a dedicated handler.

    Technology & Prison Planet

    • Have the Atlan hybrids who were experimented on under Project Prometheus, began their reunion in the astral planes?
    There is nothing to say about this. Null.
    • Is there any technology present within the prison that may be able to aid in healing those who have been targeted by the Old Empire to have debilitating illnesses to put them off carrying out their astral based assignments?
    There is technology all over the physical solar system, and the non-physical solar system. 
    
    The issue is to recognize what it is, identify how it can be used, and then trained to use it properly.  
    
    While the <redacted> are using their expertise in this matter, they have a long way to go in discovering and uncovering what lies within these layers upon layers, upon layers of complex traps. 
    
    Needless to say, they are complex and far too dangerous for the casual, but enthusiastic IS-BE, to discharge.
    
    There are many traps and snares, and one of which is a special mechanism that seeks out certain thought patterns, personalities and actions and targets it for illness or debilitating fiascos. 
    
    These systems roam the non-physical reality and the Domain destroys them when found. 
    
    But many still exist, and many are expertly camouflaged. 
    
    Those that travel the non-physical realms need to be extra cautious and understand that superior technologies, honed by billions of years, engulf the non-physical prison environment around the earth and snare, and harm the unprepared. 
    
    Luckily, most IS-BE’s that are self-actuated are aware that they are immortal, and cannot be harmed, but if the IS-BE is tethered to the prison environment, they can be damaged and returned to the amnesia process in a very harmful way. Care and caution needs to be observed.

    The Questions and Answers (Group 4)

    This group was also relatively quick to answer, and the “signal” came in rather strong and clear. It was like a kite on a nice fresh Spring Day. I attribute this to the Domain Officer on the other die of the Comm Channel.

    Location and Rescue

    • Are the 3000 in one physical location and if not are they aware of each other’s presence?
    The members of the “Lost Battalion” are scattered all over the world. 
    
    They occupy different bodies, and species. Many are human, but not all of them. 
    
    They have no recollection of who they are, nor their history. 
    
    They are isolated, and the “Old Empire” has created a system that immediately throws these IS-BE consciousness’s back to the earth environment immediately. 
    
    They do not even get to “rest” in the established “Heaven” that the “Old Empire” has set up for them. 
    
    Many (but not all) are living in a life of extreme poverty, confusion, fear and hopelessness’. And this system is specifically designed to foster this environment upon them. 
    
    They are not aware of any others from their Battalion and live very singular, lonely, isolated lives for the most part.
    
    In general, almost all of the Lost Battalion are occupying bodies / situations / forms that are lower to middle to average social stratification. Of that, the weighed average is trending to the lower social strata.
    • Was the location in the Himalayas the ONLY location the 3000 stayed?
    The Himalaya facility was the primary base of operations. Obviously they traveled as need be throughout the local physical environment, and there were “camps” in other locations that they would occupy and visit. However, the base was new, and there wasn't much time to develop other locations before they were attacked.
    • Were there any defectors and have they been located.
    Aside from the few that were mentioned in the “Alien Interview”, there has not been any successful escapees. 
    
    The kind of IS-BE needed to escape is very special indeed. Not every IS-BE can reach this level of capability and ability. Those in the “Lost Battalion”, while very capable, were of a caliber that was not as flexible to reality manipulation as some of the leadership was / are.
    
    Most of them were of military / service corps caliber. They were highly skilled and trained, and very aggressive, but they did not have the skills required to escape the Prison Planet configuration. Their strengths have been used against them. Like the "Chinese finger trap".
    • Are the 3000 still together or in “cells” scattered around the world?
    No. They are homogenized throughout the planet, and rarely ever meet another imprisoned member.
    
    None are in holding cells or other facilities. They are in "general population" throughout the globe.
    
    The "holding cells" are used for officers and higher level Domain personnel. The Domain maintains a class system. Each class has it's own advantages, strengths, weaknesses and privileges. Those in the various levels of leadership possess much greater abilities of an exponential nature than the class directly below them.
    Blank Slate Technology is a singular part of the many mechanisms used to generate an effective amnesia system. There are many systems involved. This is just another name for the wider-scope term “Brain Washing”. Keep in mind that this is a stratified system of control with many layers.
    In the MWI there are multiple histories and multiple futures. 
    
    There are futures where this theory is embraced and futures where it is not. 
    
    What is important is that the trapped Battalion regain memories and skills for egress from the environment that is fencing them in. 
    
    Unfortunately, there isn’t a critical mass of “insight” or “understanding” that will “lift up” Battalion members out of their situation. 
    
    They (intentionally) have extra systems and controls that tie them down, isolate them, fill them with fear, and force them to try to act alone if ever.

    The Questions and Answers (Group 5)

    This set of queries were odd in that there was a noticeable pause of hick-up (if that makes sense) during the process. I was just about ready to get up out of the chair, it was so long, when the responses came back.

    Freeing of Lost Battalion

    • How may we recognize members of the Lost Battalion should we meet them?
    You will not be able to recognize them unless we specifically point them out to you. 
    
    They have no overt markers, characteristics or any other feature or attribute that sets them apart from the rest of society. 
    
    You will not be able to sense them either. 
    
    Those with heightened and trained abilities might be able to determine a general (touch / wisp / characteristic) but that is about it.
    • What actions are recommended should we recognize a member of the Lost Battalion?
    Take no action unless specifically directed to. 
    
    You are not to get involved in their affairs unless specifically tasked to do so. While we appreciate your sympathies we must allow only overt actions where benefits can be tangibly manifested per our goals and plans.

    The Amnesia Machinery

    • Upon death, when we perceive the “tunnel of light”. Is it recommended that we enter it?
    No. We will send someone to retrieve you.
    • What are the pros and cons (of entering the light)?
    If you enter the tunnel of light you will go straight into the reprogramming machinery. 
    
    There you will find yourself in “Heaven”, which is a special universe constructed for this Prison Planet realm. 
    
    Going through the tunnel adds your earth experiences in the last incarnation to that already collected in prior reincarnations (while in prison). You will have no knowledge of anything that transpired before that. All the trillions of years of events prior to your arrest and incarceration will be denied you.
    
    However, you cannot access these Prison Planet memories directly. You will need a guide (a warden) to assist you. They will then carefully measure out previous memories to give you the illusion of control and remembrances of your past. 
    
    You will be permitted to attend “schools” in this Heaven construct, and then you will be provided with a new “mission” from which you will then be (again) injected into the earth Prison Environment. And subsequently lose all memories and start out all over again.
    
    ...
    
    If you fail to enter the tunnel of light, then you will be a non-physical consciousness that is still trapped within the electromagnetic containment field, but you would still be permitted to move about at will. 
    
    You will need to seek out help and assistance to find your rightful place in the universe. 
    
    Unfortunately many IS-BE’s that try to do this find out that they are on their own. And are thus easily tricked by other malevolent non-physical entities that are also trapped within the confines of the Prison Environment. Many, not knowing any better will return to what they know; the loving warmth of the tunnel of light, and the calls of their loved ones.
    
    ...
    
    You can think of going “into the light” as entering the main prison building, and Psych ward. Where, not going “into the light” sends you into the prison yard. In both cases, you need to make contact with someone who has the keys to the front gate to help you leave.
    • If we choose not to enter into the tunnel, is it a simple freewill decision on our part not to enter, enough to escape it?
    To enter or not is the decision of the IS-BE. 
    
    The IS-BE always has free will, and decisions are based upon logic diagrams. 
    
    As long as the facts, and data are correct and extensive, most IS-BE’s will make correct and valid decisions. 
    
    However, one of the layers of the prison incarceration system is to distract, and mislead the inmates. This will cause them to make invalid and erroneous decisions.
    • Should we choose not to enter into the tunnel, what is (a) recommended place that we should next go to?
    If any IS-BE decides not to go into the tunnel, they can remain in the non-physical realm associated with their body upon death. They can move about and explore. 
    
    Those who work with The Domain will be acquired in short order and taken to a holding facility for processing, debriefing and next steps. 
    
    Those that are just “normal” and regular people should start shouting out for help and assistance.  The problem with doing this is that it will attract all sorts of entities and they will have all sorts of (desires / interests / plans) which may or may not be in the best interests of the IS-BE. 
    
    The best thing to do is to call out for a Domain Officer to come and pick you up. You do this through thought visualization. Much the same way that people call out for Ganesha, or Jesus.

    Destruction of other Traps

    • If the universe is malleable and responds to our Intentions, is it sufficient to use intention to free ourselves from or destroy these traps?
    The universe is malleable to a point. And the use of thoughts and intentions is how you are able to control it. 
    
    However, the ability to manipulate the universe and realities is a function of skill level, and skills are an acquired mastery. 
    
    This is the major problem with the amnesia fence, it is difficult to use the skills that you acquire if you constant forget what they are.
    • Is the Domain supervised by a higher power? If so please describe this higher power.
    The Domain is the highest power. The Domain does not report to or serve under any other power.

    The Questions and Answers (Group 6)

    This group was a quick call out and a very quick response. At this point, I felt like we were “on a roll.

    The Domain & Service to Others Sentience

    • How can you be STO sentience and invade other IS-BE etc. Is this like a preemptive strike so protect your freedom? Or is this like, we make contact and see if we can work together, and if not we go to war?
    Imagine you have a very healthy body. You exercise it, eat well. You take care of it. But there is a cancer that develops in it.
    
    The healthy body was here first.
    
    The cancer attacks the body with distortions that disrupt the function of the body and will eventually destroy the body completely.
    
    Being a STO sentience, should you live and let live the cancer that is running on a rampage? Or should you protect the weak and helpless healthy cells before the dangerous cancer cells take over.
    
    The Domain was established at the very start of everything. We created universes, worlds, plant and animal lives. We watched as fellow IS-BE's occupy those bodies and started to corrupt the creations that we built. At a certain level, it becomes necessary to prevent the creation of dangerous civilizations, and structures that will disrupt and destroy the whole. Such as with the "Old Empire".
    
    Service to others sentience performs actions for the greater good.
    
    However, often we discover that Service to Self individuals tend to appear when they experience the physical pleasures of beauty in the physical reality.
    
    It is the duty of "service to others" sentience to protect others from the malevolence of "service to self" societies.

    The Questions and Answers (Group 7)

    The communication for this group f questions were clear, crisp, and laconic.

    Freeing of Lost Battalion

    • Can you provide step by step instructions for helping freeing the Lost Battalion?
    No. This task is too large for any one IS-BE no matter how well-intentioned. The entire procedure is an enormous undertaking and requires a coordinated and precise group collaborative effort. 
    
    Imprisoned IS-BE's who wish to participate need only vocalize that intention as per the MM Prayer system, and focus on guidance though their observations, emotions and ("intuition" / gut feelings) and dreams.
    
    The use of directed thought from inside the Prison Planet will enable a number of non-physical events to materialize. Then, coupled with specific training or skills that will will provide in the non-physical realms to those IS-BE's (who will notice happening while in their dream state), they will become active and valuable members of this entire effort.

    Destruction (Escape) of the Amnesia Machinery

    • Can you provide clear instructions in order to minimize/ avoid the effects of this Machinery?
    Yes we can.
    
    We have had Domain Officers escape from this system and avoid the machinery without mRNA or DNA changes to their physical bodies, and material physical destruction of the systems. However, they were able to gain control of their thoughts to an exacting amount.
    
    The key is the ability to control one's thoughts and alter the machinery of this reality by your thoughts.
    
    What MM is pointing out here is that the entire system of visualization of world-line templates on the MWI is a description of the Prison Planet system. It is a machine; a machinery that controls the inmates.
    
    It is NOT a description of the ultimate reality outside of the prison. 
    
    MM has laid out a map and an understanding on how to control and navigate in and out of the prison while mastering the control of this reality machinery.
    
    By controlling your thoughts, not only can you alter your reality, but you can egress out and away from the control of the entire Prison Planet system.

    Destruction of other Traps

    • Are religious systems part of the traps installed here?
    Yes. From the earliest records that we know of, the "Old Empire" designated and crated religious systems to control the population. This served to objectives. First to erase the idea that IS-BE's are themselves God, and second to create a fearful environment for non-compliance with the Prison Rules.
    • If not, do religious practices provide an escape from amnesia? please detail which ones.
    Null.

    The Questions and Answers (Group 8)

    I did not understand the question at all. But I read it out and got a lightening quick response that actually startled me. The “being on a roll” continued.

    The evil entities within the Prison system.

    • How to clean the infected is be that corrupt the world, mostly as members of secret societies, and have dispersed everywhere technologies and 5G and satellites to control and tax everything and beings.
    All of the systems that exist in the world today are derivatives of the "Old Empire" and set in place by intentional malevolent beings who have reincarnated intentionally to positions of power. This is a core function of the Heaven universe that is tethered and directly adjacent to the physical worldly realm. 
    
    In addition, you have "Old Empire" wardens that intentionally escaped and egressed into the system, fully understanding how it works, placing themselves into positions of power and control, and living a comfortable life of ease and wealth. We suspect, but haven't fully investigated this situation, but they seem to have "rigged the game" in their favor so that they (the wardens and elite members of the "Old Empire") can reincarnate over and over again and still retain memories. It's like they posses special keys and abilities.This is one of the tasks that we need to extract from them. 
    
    Unfortunately, they are slippery folk. As soon as they sense we are going to get them, they die and are immediately taken to the Heaven construct though the "tunnel of light" that erases all memories (except theirs), and if we follow them, we too would become trapped into this Prison Planet system.
    
    The very nature of the Prison Planet is to create a Hellish existence where IS-BE's would relive events over and over again, and make it so that each life that they live is one of fear, terror, fright, sadness and disgust.
    
    Technology is not evil. Much of what people experience is fear of technology which is one of the controls that the Prison Planet uses. A true and actuated IS-BE has no fear. In the world today, many evil and corrupt individuals use fear to gain control and achieve emotional satisfaction.
    
    Currently The Domain needs to rescue the Lost Battalion. Then assist in the release of all the service to others sentience's trapped in this earth-centrist Prison Planet.

    For the record, these communications are relatively easy for me (personally) to engage in. My problem is receiving the contacts without the background noise. If the “amplitude” of the connection is turned up, the messages are very clear. But I end up shaking like a leaf, am very dehydrated, an emotional ball, and spend the next eight hours or so “bouncing off the walls”. To control this, I asked to tone down the amplitude, and I have begun to listen more closely without the bothersome side effects.

    The Questions and Answers (Group 9)

    Again, I don’t fully understand the question but posted it anyways. I didn’t get much of anything for a while. Just a bunch of “dead air” if that means anything. Then a few bursts of information. Then silence.

    Then the comm link opened on the other side and here’s the responses.

    Affirmation Campaigns and The Domain

    • Will affirmation campaigns geared toward nullifying all contracts unwittingly taken out on our souls/astral bodies help in breaking the through the amnesia?
    Yes. They are the most powerful tool for those you are unable to remove their preconditioning, programming and set baseline biases and social constructs. It's a method of thought control. They best and only way for an IS-BE inmate to self-actuate is by thought control.
    • If we don’t agree any of the hypnosis will this help?
    Anything that focuses on control of the mind will help. But the focus must be without fear of consequences, fear of society, or any other fears as these get into the way of processing the thoughts. 
    
    The mechanisms in place take those fears and use them to bend the thought waves. As now distorted vectors they end up going in other locations and the helpless inmate is forced to experience life in coils. Over and over and over again. Fear controls it all.
    
    Be cautious of all sources of fear generation. This includes religion media, politics, friends, rumors, society, and every other thing that makes you question your actions (whether taken or not).

    The Questions and Answers (Group 10)

    Short simple questions. Easy to conceptualize, and transmit. I tried to get answers but nothing happened. Null. Tried again. Null. Then on the third try I received some answers.

    I have to tell you that the answers made me sit back and wonder WTF. Because they are not in agreement with my understandings of history and events.

    Destruction of the amnesia machinery.

    • Does any of the machinery still exist in the physical reality on Earth?
    We suspect that yes; some self-actuated autonomous systems do still exist on the earth surface in the physical reality. 
    
    However we have not been able to locate the machinery. They have been expertly concealed and their "footprints" are difficult to track if you do not know what to look for. Those elements that reside in the non-physical realities are far easier to locate. 
    
    The best way to track these mechanisms is to track the comm channels when the physical machinery interacts with the non-physical machinery. All of which required <redacted> support, analysis and disarming.
    • If so, how can we recognize it should we come across any machinery?
    You would not be able to recognize it. Even if you could, it would be far too dangerous for you to disarm or attempt to disarm. The last earth-side (physical event) took place in 1908 in Tunguska. A major mechanism was destroyed completely. It had been hidden under a "force shield".
    
    We believed that this facility was a remaining "Old Empire" logistics and storage facility. (Which seemed to have some control over thought processes. At that time we were unaware of the true extent of the systems.) This is because we were unaware of an electronic fence surrounding the region or the true purpose and nature of the region.
    
    We thought, at that time that that was the last of the systems remaining. But we were wrong. There was an entire fully operational base staffed with "Old Empire" personnel operating and in existence.
    
    Unaware of this, and under the impression that we cleared out the systems, we began an operation to attempt to bring peace and stability to the earth at that time.
    
    It was an operation that enabled a Domain Officer to occupy the body of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary. The plan was to suppress a build up towards war by restoring Austro-Russian relations while maintaining an alliance with Germany. 
    • How do we notify the Domain so it can be deactivated and removed safely?
    All IS-BE's that wish to work with the Domain, need only vocalize that they volunteer to be part of The Domain. Then, over time, various systems will enable instantaneous monitoring of all experiences of the IS-BE so involved.

    The Questions and Answers (Group 11)

    This was really strange. I just copied the text from the comment without reading it, and plopped it down in the wordpress, and the channel burst out laughing. Which was really a weird feeling. It’s sort of like having a vibrator in your skull. The answers came smoothly. Like hot syrup.

    Why Now?

    • My first issue is that the original timeline was pushed forward 5000 years. This implies that something really big happened and they need a new plan of action. Did something unexpected happen that caught them by surprise?
    Yes. It was unexpected that the inmates in the Prison Planet would be desirous of working with The Domain. Of course, they had ulterior motives. They wanted power, technology, knowledge and skills that they could use to lord over others, and obtain more power.
    
    We established lines of communication and engaged in technology transfer activities (of a minor nature) in exchange for assistance in monitoring the environment, society, trends, and in helping us to start shutting down the prison mechanism apparatus. 
    
    Once we applied for and obtained approval from our leadership, resources were allocated and a staff was increased to help mitigate the situation here and help recover and restore the "Lost Battalion". A major colony was set up in the moon, which MM has written about.
    
    Early on we began collecting members of the "Lost Battalion" and implanted EBP (sic) systems to help track and monitor them. They typically are unruly to the extreme in regards to this effort. We have also identified key individual IS-BE's that seem to be close to having the necessary skills (independently) to leave this Prison Planet environment. Finally, there are a handful of MAJestic members, such as MM, which have a special role in this entire project.
    
    There have been remarkable advances since the Roswell event. And since MAJestic was initiated, the assistance from earth-side has been invaluable. Since then, we have independently contacted other governments and entities in the world and have other groups working with us in this effort.
    
    These organizations are diverse and all are secretive. None advertises their work, process or recruitment drives. There are formal organizations in modern day Russia, India, China, Bangladesh, as well as in South America and Africa. Each organization has a certain role.
    
    Certainly the American MAJestic organization has been quite busy, but the other (names redacted intentionally by MM) organizations are invaluable. Most especially at this particular time.
    • Certainly there are all sorts of seriously bad consciousnesses and IS-BE’s that are in positions of power and control. They seem to be driving the world to the brink of extinction. What is going on? What can we do?”
    You are in a Prison Environment. There are many bad people along you.
    
    There is a high percentage of very evil people in this Prison Planet environment and they have created systems over systems over systems that reflect their desires. Eventually the entire system will explode in a major collapse, and then society will need to rebuild up all over again. It is what happens when you have a certain threshold of evil people in positions of power in society.
    
    The good news is that The Domain have agents (now) occupying the bodies of key individuals and they will not "push the red button", or engage in war, no matter what their evil and vile crazed leaders might want them to do.
    
    You need not worry about this. The Domain will not allow a repeat of World War I. However, a smaller, more localized event might still occur even though we are doing everything in our power to prevent it from occurring. Some events like tidal waves and typhoons and hurricanes can be prepared for, but you cannot stop them. They need to run their course.
    • To make it short, is there anything they should disclose to us humans or the participants? (bearing in mind, we humans can be pretty altruistic. And if things impact humanity, we still need to have some good faith disclosure).
    No. There is no need for any disclosure that might generate fear. 
    
    Fear distracts from the thoughts, and thoughts affect reality. All one needs to know is that all of the situations involving the earth Prison Planet are monitored and observed and resources have been moved into place to mitigate any catastrophic events from happening.
    • If we have a possibly limited window to communicate , then we should focus on priorities for humanity and the Dominion.
    Yes. This is correct. Thank you for understanding.
    • My instincts tell me we need to understand why they turn to us. In any deal, we have to know the dynamics.
    This event with MM was planned at the start of MAJestic and occurred before the birth of MM. Everything now is following the steps laid down by The Domain. The plan is well thought out and methodical.
    
    MM is not the only operative resource that we put in place. Others are working in other capabilities, and all have varying degrees of success.

    The Questions and Answers (Group 12)

    This train of thought continues with another batch of questions from another person. And like the preceding batch of questions the results and answers were fluid and easy.

    Reasoning behind comm at this time

    • What was the reasoning for asking for our help at this time? Is there an urgency that we should be aware of?
    All is on schedule. We (The Domain) anticipated enlisting General Population participation in the 2021 time-frame.

    This is exactly 40 years from the date MM joined MAJestic. -MM

    • What skills, talents, or perceptions do we as imprisoned IS-BE’s possess that would assist in this mission?
    The inmates that wish to assist The Domain possess a Service-to-self others sentience which is different from the Service-to-self sentience of the MAjestic and other government organizations. 
    
    We need [1] selfless devotion to a cause, and [2] directed thought that [3] emulates from within the Prison Planet confines.

    In case there is any confusion as to what is expected of a Service to others sentience, consider this video that was brought to my attention this morning.

    A young Pioneer (a Chinese version of the cub scouts / girl scouts) shows us what a Service to Others life is all about.

    • Is there anything in the physical world we should be doing, either in regards to the Lost Battalion or the traps and machinery of the “Old Empire”, or will our efforts concentrate on the spiritual realm and Intention campaigns?
    The most important aspect of participation is anchoring efforts as part of intention campaigns. This is crucial to this phase in the effort. In addition, we might ask certain individuals with other advanced skills to participate in other ways, and we might ask a few to accept a EBP (sic) modification.
    • What should we be most wary of, and should we expect to be part of this operation for multiple lifetimes?
    Every IS-BE is different. Ideally, this would be the last cycle of reincarnation for the participants with The Domain. 
    
    However, fear is a strong driver, and not everyone who wants to be a service-to-others sentience actually is.  Thus, there are those that may choose to assist with the Domain and then upon death cycle back into the "Heaven universe" associated with this Prison Planet and begin all over again.
    • What plans do you have for the rehabilitation of your imprisoned IS-BE’s and the release of other favorable IS-BE’s?
    We are currently working on systems to do this, and this requires a number of helpers that are and would be considered to be very strange to your sensibilities. But the rehabilitation systems are being developed right now and are on schedule.

    The Questions and Answers (Group 13)

    This was an interesting reaction. Odd. Surprisingly quick. Like how a father would speak to a young child who just lost their puppy. It was a very curious feeling.

    Existing comm with the Domain.

    • Some of us are highly aware and actively engaged in our contracts through the Domain, but have become aware of a breech in communication efforts.the interference does not seem like CMEs etc, but rather are terrestrial satellite interference’s. will we be able to reopen our channels soon? or is this too great of a security threat at this time? has anyone else questioned why we feel ” forced into solitary confinement” and silence?
    (Long Pause.) There are authorized and unauthorized contacts. There are also frauds and hoaxes. MM and members of his project cell are the only MAJestic-authorized direct contacts. 
    
    We once permitted ad hoc communication of Domain officers in the Prison Environment, such as with Nikola Tesla. That ended by directive when we decided to implement efforts to recover this solar system. There are no longer any unauthorized communication efforts. 
    
    Yes. There are contacts through some other organizations. 
    
    We do not authorize individual communication without a physical EBP installed in the physical body. You will know if you have it. It happens in the physical body. It is not easily dismissed or forgotten.
    
    Communication through the EBP is impervious to all external interference and interruption. It is a direct comm link to (a handler, local to this region in) The Domain.
    
    We do make changes to the non-physical bodies, and the individual IS-BE's so modified will have a disturbing dream, a frozen in place feeling, or a very lucid dream that they cannot control. Most will retain a memory of it. Many misinterpret this as an "Alien Abduction Event". But these changes to the non-physical body do not permit ease of communication. They serve another purpose.
    
    If you are experiencing anything other than direct communication efforts then ... (Intentionally trailed off.)
    
    (I do not know what happened.)
    
    These contacts and communication channels are not trivial things. The channels are for assignments, tasks and collaborate collection in Intel. Nothing else. (The phrase "nothing else", echoed like in a long hallway.)
    
    I am aware of every communication effort with the inmates in this region. If you want to open a dialog, strengthen your... (again, long pause), or understand your relationship with the Domain, you need to focus your thoughts to that end. You need to focus on the needs of The Domain if you wish to communicate with us.
    
    (Then, I could picture a kind smile, like what a vet would give me when my beloved cat was very ill.)

    I tried to offer some additional suggested text and hit a blank wall, and nothing. This is a final word.

    The Questions and Answers (Group 14)

    This next group comes piggy-back, back to back with the one preceding it. I actually have the impression that the Commander was a little snarky in the previous chat. No. Snarky is not the right word, maybe humorously aggressive in a Boston-Friendly sort of way.

    Kind. Very kind. But also very fatherly.

    And the “feeling” was “switch from A to B”, or go from “color green to bright yellow”. If that makes any sense. I felt a distinct serious and fatherly tone.

    Time and world-lines

    • Am I right in assuming, that the ‘help’ we can offer is limited to this particular timeline, timeline being understood as linear progression of time from this point forward?
    Yes. You are correct from your point of view.
    
    (There are a series of in-depth and advanced information garbles that I cannot make heads or tails out of. The Commander is obviously trying to submit information. I just cannot catch it.)
    
    (I have snatches that I understand. Clustering. Anchoring. Progression forward. Soul / consciousness "beam-walking".)

    The impression that I get is that there is much that can be said and the Commander wants to transmit valuable information here, but I am not up to the task. I am sorry.

    • Am I right in assuming that our activities should be limited spatially to this particular instantiation of ‘planet earth’?
    No. Earth is one of numerous solar systems caught up in the Prison Planet force field. And the entire MWI slices involved... (Again, much information. Too much to sort out. I am failing and flailing here.)
    
    (Commander backs off.)
    
    Focus on your IS-BE consciousness at your moment of time and work from there. You not worry about all the other aspects of it. You, in particular (directed at the person who asked the question), will see the clarity of the entire situation once you exit the physical reality. Just don't go back into the (that) tunnel.
    
    (Wants to transmit more information.)
    
    (Good will. Right track. Positive glee.)
    • If one should gain insight into the life/lives of this current Soul/Sentience. -combination, is that information/insight still valid in this timeline?
    Yes. Everything is valid. The issue is remembering it all, then recompiling it at the end of the lifetime and reusing that information to build upon and grow.

    The Questions and Answers (Group 15)

    When I got this group of questions I just shook my head. And “felt a smile”, and a memory flooded my mind clear as day. When I lived in Indiana we would often have lots of cats, and litters of kittens. Often from nearby feral cats that would have a bunch of kittens.

    Once I had maybe eight kittens in a tall cardboard box. They were mostly orange and white in different patterns. But one was a cute nearly all black kitten with a white and orange stripe on it’s head. And while the other kittens were all content to romp and play inside the box, this one; this black one, was constantly trying to climb out of the box and run away.

    One day he climbed out, ran across the street and was hit by a car and died.

    This memory and image came up clear as day when I read this following cluster of questions.

    Answers are not specific enough.

    • Still not specific enough. What facilities do they not know the location of?
    (Snark response.) What non-physical entities are you NOT aware of that occupy the 3Km diameter region centered from your bathroom?
    • What do they suspect the traps are and how do they need assistance in disabling them?
    Null response.
    
    (There is an answer to this question above.)
    • What is the power source for the equipment being used to suppress memories?
    (Snark response.)
    
    The standard local power sources that all the traps use. Duh! (Yes, as really strange as it seems he actually went "Duh!" with an overlay of Homer Simpson.)
    • Will they commit more resources in the short term if assistance is offered?
    We have everything we need right now. If there is a need for more resources then we will apply for them, and obtain them. This is not an issue that you need be concerned about.
    • You’ve said in other posts that the Greys are like the Borg from Star Trek, and that someone in the know likely tipped Paramount productions off about the real aliens as inspiration for that idea. I’m a ‘Love thy enemy like yourself’ sort of person. Help can be offered, still there is risk. Will they promise not to harm humanity if their battalion is freed?
    All entities of this geographic and spatial region are under the ownership and control of the Dominion. No harm will come to anyone. You are all under our jurisdiction. Please keep in mind that IS-BE's cannot be destroyed. However there are other awful futures that can be contemplated for the malevolent.

    I read the Alien interview closely when you published it. Any more specifics other that what was already mentioned in the alien interview are better than none. Surely if they contact you again they can offer a tidbit more than what we already have or they wouldn’t have contacted you and your audience in this fashion.

    This is the purpose of this dialog, human.

    The Questions and Answers (Group 16)

    I tackled this Q&A with the feeling of “ready, let’s do this”. And the answers flowed forth. It was all very matter-of-fact, on point and direct.

    Amnesia Trap

    • Does the amnesia trap have a physical size or range of effectiveness in physical space?
    Yes it does. It is limited to a small geographical area that contains five inhabited solar systems. Not every inhabited system contains planets like the Sun Type 12, Class 7 that the earth is. 
    
    This region is ovoid in shape with a oval X axis, and oval, X axis, and an oval Z axis. (3 dimensional football-like shape. -MM)
    
    About 70 million years ago a great war devastated many of the solar systems in this geographic region of the galaxy. This occurred long before the "Old Empire" came into existence. During the recovery period a number of colonies were established on the planets in this region, but not of them grew to be major hubs of trade or commerce.
    
    Around 208,000 years ago the "Old Empire" established dominance, and took over this geographical region. They ascertained that this section of the galaxy was a "junk yard" / rubbish / "of no use" and decided to turn it into a big Prison System. They destroyed what ever colonies or civilizations existed in the systems around 75,000 years ago, and created the Prison Complex that exists today.
    • It seems that since IS-BEs need to be brought to Earth for imprisonment, there might be a region or volume in which the trap is effective. If it does have a finite size, what would happen to humans who travel beyond it’s edge?
    The entity would be free of the Prison environment and all the traps that exist. The IS-BE would be able to explore and travel anywhere. 
    
    However, the felon would not have any memories aside from the singular last lifetime on the Prison Planet environment. 
    
    All the trillions of years prior to their arrest and incarceration would be missing, as well as the memories associated from the hundreds to thousands of lives that they lived cycling in and out through the Prison "Heaven" would all be gone.
    • What would happen if a human were to die while beyond the edge?
    Humans are IS-BE. IS-BE's never die. There is a fundamental vested interest of the "Old Empire" prison system to prevent you from seeing who you actually are. They fear that you will identify (by using your own memory) the slave masters who keep you imprisoned.

    The Questions and Answers (Group 17)

    This next question is in regards to communication between MM readership and The Domain. I guess that the intention is on an individual basis. I asked after I ate lunch, and settled down. I had a period of nothing. No responses. Then the comm opened up.

    Communication

    • What can we do to support and improve communications?
    The best way to communicate with The Domain is to use the EBP. If you do not possess one, then the second best way is to use someone that has as an intermediary. 
    
    Individual inmates that are of service-to-others sentience, and who sincerely wish to provide supporting roles with The Domain can volunteer. 
    
    To do this, [1] you modify your affirmation prayer campaigns (sic) to specifying (your) acceptance of volunteering and assisting The Domain in our efforts what ever they may be. (I have script code to add to your prayer affirmations to accomplish this. -MM)
    
    Over time, some quicker than others, an [2] opportunity will arise where you are contacted in the non-physical body. It is very rare to be contacted in the physical body.
    
    [3] The perceptions of this event will differ from person to person. Some "feel" this event. Some witness this event. Some remember this event as a very strange dream. This "contact" will take different forms for different people, and it depends on many things. Some people might feel a vibrational attachment (of some sort), while others might witness a medical procedure. Still others might experience a very lucid but completely strange dream. Some will feel like they are frozen and unable to move, and the fear of that will cause all sorts of terrible manifestations. Some will feel like they are under water, and unable to breathe, and others will feel both big and small and very very disoriented. It will be horrific. But it's all perceptions colored by fear.
    
    How it appears will depend on many things. 
    
    It will be strange. It will be unusual. It will be difficult to describe. But it will feel absolutely real.
    
    However, take and make an important note [4], if you believe, or feel, that this event occurred then it actually did occur. (All emphasis is from the Domain Officer, not MM.)
    
    The over all purpose of this communication is to gather up a group of volunteer inmates to assist in efforts of The Domain. If you accept this recruitment effort by MM, then follow the steps outlined above.
    
    Note that every task will be a personal task, and will not really be anything that will make sense to others outside of your operational cell. We would truly love for your participation with us. (Smile.)

    On a personal note, I think that I am getting better at this. I think that this comm system is working out.

    Additional comments from the officer

    The following are follow-up comments from the Domain officer(s)…

    19SEP21 15:49
    There are numerous individuals that are (now) experiencing things; events, situations and are confused. You need not be. Everything is proceeding to plan. Some of you will be assigned some dangerous tasks, but nothing that you will not survive out of, nor will you operate alone. You will always be supported.
    
    (Garbled / unclear.)
    Trust in yourself, and follow MM. Perform your exercises. Be of good heart.

    My own personal questions

    I mean, I can do this right? So I asked.

    • A number (more than just a few) of MM followers are reporting “sleep paralysis”. What is going on?
    In every case, those that experience this sensation have agreed to support the efforts of The Domain and have volunteered to join our local irregulars. 
    
    What they are experiencing is an operation (of sorts) [like a medical procedure] that alters their non-physical body. These alterations serve to sever numerous well known chains /tethers /controls /traps set up by the "Old Empire" and the warden(s) in this environment. 
    
    Some will need to experience only one procedure. Some might experience multiple procedures. No one need be fearful, but if you are unaware of what is going on, it will be a natural fear response and your thoughts will conjure up all sorts of terrors. They are not real. Everyone must remain calm and realize what is going on.
    
    These procedures are not the installation of EBP (sic). These are something completely different and varies from IS-BE to IS-BE. It will make it easier for the IS-BE to work with The Domain, and be able to move about the non-physical environs as well as be able to leave this entire region all together.
    
    Everyone will experience the procedure differently. One of the most common effects is feeling like you are in a state of paralysis. What is actually going on is that the consciousness is placed in a holding chamber / facility / stasis state while the non-physical body is being operated on. For many this is a first-time experience, and is entirely new and strange. They naturally panic, and the fears generate nightmares in the thought-sensitive operating chamber.
    
    My message to all is to remain calm. We are not harming anyone. We are altering your body so that you can work alongside The Domain. If things become too terrifying for you, you need only relax. You are in the midst of friends.

    Conclusions

    Some of the responses were surprising. There was a latent humanity that I was not expecting. Some were aggressive and it was intended for me to transfer that aggressiveness in my report. I hope that you all benefited from this.

    I know that some will not be satisfied with the answers; claiming them to be too general. While others will be satisfied. While still others, maybe a little frustrated or angry. As we used to say in corporate America; “Don’t shoot the messenger”.

    I do hope that everyone has benefited in some way over this. Have a great day.

    Do you want more?

    You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

    ET Species

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

    A call out for questions to ask The Domain using the EBP channel via MM

    This article is a request for the MM audience to collect questions for me to ask The Domain via my EBP. If you all don’t know what I am talking about, then you can probably skip this article.

    On 17SEP21 I posted an article that related the fact that The Domain opened up a dedicated channel to me via the EBP. As always, it was one-sided, and detailed. But during the conversation, I had no real mental ability. I was in a receiving and reporting state. I was really unable to think for myself. I just queried what I was told to ask and recorded the answers.

    You can read this article HERE, if you are confused with what is going on.

    Some Background

    Most people are aware that the work titled “Alien Interview” is a transcript of a Commander of The Domain when it’s vehicle crashed in 1947. What most people do not know is that this event spawned an American  top secret agency known as MAJestic that fell under the ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence).

    This waved, unacknowledged special access program handled (and still handles) all extraterrestrial events, technologies and interactions with the United States government. I was a unique part of that organization prior to being retired.

    I do know that MAJestic works intimately with the Domain. And that it has acquired technology, information and understandings from The Domain. Obviously further more exacting information came forth and was accumulated in the 75 or so years since the formation of MAJestic.

    This project

    I know, and I am absolutely convinced that The Domain wants to do this. They are sort of waiting for me to set the incident(s) in place, and then will direct it as they see fit.

    It’s kind of like how a microwave keeps flashing after it finishes cooking the food, or how a washing machine has the display beeping after it finished washing a load. This flashing / beeping is still present. (Though… it’s something different.)

    My idea is to collect questions. Know full well that they may or may not answer them. But I will go read the questions and then record the answers if available. If they do not answer, I will respond as such.

    People (!) this is your first, maybe ONLY chance, to ask questions to an extraterrestrial.

    My impression is that this is an officer or an approved liaison that is associated with my EBP implants. I am also under the impression, most strongly, that this is an approved effort. And that it is somehow associated with my Majestic role. To this end, there is a channel that is open and dedicated to this purpose.

    I know it is open. I can fucking feel it.

    I do not know how long it will remain open. Hours. Months, Years. I just do not know.

    I have the impression that they WANT to do this, and that they WANT actual inmate involvement in their efforts in this region of geographical space. I believe that they NEED and / or require our participation in some way.

    What are the interests of The Domain on Earth?

    This EBP channel is not for popular trivia.

    Nor is it for questions about our worries or fears. It is for queries on how we, as inmate humans, can help and participate with the Type-1 extraterrestrials of The Domain. That’s it.

    It’s for Rufus’s to ask questions so that we can learn how to be able to assist the Type-1 greys of The Domain.

    I get the distinct impression that they really want for us to participate in their objectives, and they are willing to provide a diversity of answers to help alleviate our fears and concerns. But in all cases keep in mind that they will only answer what they want to answer.

    Thus, any questions that you might conceive of, MUST be directed towards [1] The Domain and [2] their role and mission in this earth regional environment.

    Their interests are…

    • Freeing the 3000 members of the “Lost Battalion”.
    • Control and destruction or control of the amnesia machinery that surrounds the earth.
    • Destruction of the various traps, systems, and mechanisms that entrap consciousness in this environment.
    • Preservation of the earth’s environment and prevention of nuclear, biological or climatic destruction.
    • Patrol and policing of this region from “dropping off” more consciousnesses into this Prison Planet.
    • Establishment of a rehabilitation plan for the inmates in this environment.
    • Support of the sentience sorting efforts so that the “good” inmates may be freed from this environment.
    • Freeing of IS-BE’s that are worthy of leaving this Prison Environment.

    Because these are the interests of The Domain at this time, in our region, these are the topic areas that we would be able to obtain answers regarding.

    Some notes on how this open channel affects me

    It is like electricity.

    Normally, with the ELF probes active, and the EBP it was like a normal life, just “very active”. Everything was like a car engine running at full speed.

    Then when I was retired, and the ELF probes were shut off, everything went quiet. It was a state of calmness that I hadn’t felt for decades. It was like calm still water, while before it was like being tied to an electric chair with 30,000 volts surging through my body.

    But the EBP was still active.

    And yet, as a result of this, I would have a channel in the EBP open and get chit-chat from time to time. Always one sided. Always directed. Always functional. Always on a passive station but ready for my responsive actions.

    Then when I received the communication from a Commander of The Domain,  it’s like “multiple channels”, or a bandwidth increase. Much better data transfer and sensory input.

    I’m not used to it.

    It’s not bad, it’s not horrible. It’s just that it’s unlike what I have been exposed to and pretty fierce.

    It’s like plugging in a fan, as opposed to letting the fan sit in the corner of the room inert and alone.

    As a result, I have a very clear comm channel.

    When I say that they are open to answering sincere questions, then they will do so. And that when I say that they want us to work with them, believe me. That is the situation.

    So be the Rufus, and posit some decent questions.

    Question format and queries

    What I plan on doing is collecting any and all questions that might result from this article. Then simplifying them, and placing them in a Q&A format. And seeing what happens.

    If nothing happens, then so be it.

    But if something does, then you might be surprised at the answers. As you can tell, they answer things very clearly and directly with a great deal of detail. It’s very similar to what was found in The Alien Interview.

    Please ask questions that fall under these categories, and when you ask a question, please specify what category that it falls under.

    • Freeing the “Lost Battalion”.

    Ask questions on what we can do to free the “Lost Battalion”. Or what problems or issues seem to be stopping their release. Ask what we can do to help, or anything related to freeing inmates.

    • Destruction of the amnesia machinery.

    You should ask questions related to this machinery and how an inmate might be able to assist in the destruction of this equipment.  Maybe we, as insiders, have a benefit, or skill or strategic advantage that we can offer. We should ask.

    • Aside from the amnesia machinery, the destruction of other systems or traps.

    It’s not only the amnesia machinery that needs to be destroyed, but the layers and layers of other systems, in all forms. From the various social constructions, religious constructs, and even the environmental constructs, what can we do or how can we help.

    • Preservation of the earth’s environment.

    I know that the type-1 greys are very keen on preserving the earth. This entire region has experienced galactic wide wars of great destruction and the ruins of many a civilization litter this region. This is more than just climate change.

    • Prevention of nuclear and biological destruction of the biosphere.

    Certainly there are all sorts of seriously bad consciousnesses and IS-BE’s that are in positions of power and control. They seem to be driving the world to the brink of extinction. What is going on? What can we do?

    • Patrol and policing of this region from “dropping off” more consciousnesses into this Prison Planet.

    When The Domain destroyed the “Old Empire” units and bases in this region they inadvertently opened up a “Wild West”. For the last few thousand years, all the nearby galactic civilizations have been dropping off their criminal elements here to imprison them. What of it?

    • Establishment of a rehabilitation plan for the inmates in this environment.

    This is a big issue, and we are up close and up front. We can ask questions regarding this plan or systems or programs that are being considered.

    • Support of the sentience sorting efforts so that the “good” inmates may be freed from this environment.

    Release of everyone immediately would be catastrophic for the galaxy. As there are many, many very terrible consciousnesses in our region. The universe doesn’t need a new Khan Running around.

    • Freeing of IS-BE’s that are worthy of leaving this Prison Environment.

    What of the “average joes? The artists, and the creators that somehow found their way here in this environment and imprisoned improperly? We can ask questions about them, and how they can be distinguished between the really bad and nasty folk.

    Procedure.

    Put your questions in the comments of this article. I will collect them in another article and run a request up-stream. Let’s see what happens.

    Do you want more?

    You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

    ET Species

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    Articles & Links

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
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    A Rescue Mission for the 3,000 members of The Domain “lost Battalion”

    I have presented a great and wide diverse selection of articles to the MM audience. And I do hope that you all appreciate them, enjoy them, learn from them, and I most certainly hope that they will all better your life in some way. This article is going to be a little different.

    This article kicks off a project that I believe is important. It is something that I want to do.

    Instead of being an informative article, this article asks all those Rufus’s in the MM audience to help the Type-1 greys of The Domain. They have a “Lost Battalion” that is imprisoned here on the Earth with us. And we should do what ever we can to help rescue them.

    MM Role

    I have no recollection of ever being in The Domain, or being a Type-1 grey or anything like that. I was in MAJestic and I dedicated my life to helping others and being part of something larger. I want to help them. I do not expect riches, wealth or some kind of trans-species reward or anything like that. I just want to help them.

    If there are Rufus’s in the MM audience that are so inclined to join me, then please do so. Let’s give something back. Let’s make the Earth a better place, and lets all work together to bypass the memory suppression technology that surrounds this Earth Environment, and help free the “Lost Battalion” and enable them to recover their memories.

    What I am asking the Rufus’s to do…

    It is my personal “gut” feeling that the members of the Domain’s “Lost Battalion” 3,000 have some very strong erasure protocols installed in their world-line templates. Stronger than say, the rest of us.

    When the Types-1 greys try to conduct medical or other procedures on the soldiers, they fight and resist aggressively.

    I’ve been thinking that the best thing for us to do is lay down “suppressive fire” that will alter all of our templates in favor of these imprisoned soldiers.

    It will not cause damage to our goals or anything, but we will start to anchor our world-line clusters in favor of the imprisoned Domain members, and make it much easier for them to break out of their confining electro-magnetic prisons and suppressive brain-washing.

    The task…

    For those Rufus’s that are so inclined, and only if you are so inclined, I suggest adding some special lines of code to your affirmation prayer campaigns.

    Lines of code from the movie “The Matrix”.

    These lines of code will help anchor your world-lines to that of a group cluster that focuses in rescuing the trapped Domain soldiers in the Earth Prison Planet.

    Here are the lines of code

    From a contributor…

    • I volunteer and support “The Domain” in their mission to rehabilitate the IS-BEs on Earth.
    • I allow an officer from “The Domain” to enlist me and alter my non-physical body to allow for communication and collaboration.
    • I am being trained in techniques to assist my assigned role in this mission.
    • My participation in this mission will not affect me and my family negatively in the physical reality.

    And my suggestions…

    • Any and all members of The Domain’ “Lost Battalion” are no longer imprisoned in this “Old Empire” containment facility.
    • All of these IS-BE entities are in recovery and rehabilitation.
    • They are all on the way to recovering their memories and regaining a role within their society.

    Just add the lines of code, and the next time that you start your next campaign, just read off these lines with the rest of your affirmations.

    You might also want to add this line as well…

    • I, as an IS-BE have recovered all of my memories, and now have the necessary skills to be freed from the Earth Prison Planet environment.

    Rewards…

    There are no rewards. So do not do it in the expectation of any kind of benefit.

    What is all this about?

    Not everyone reading this article will understand what is going on. MM has many “one article stands” where someone stumbles on the site, skim reads and then leaves. But if you stay around and read the articles you will see what is going on.

    I have presented the PDF titled “Alien Interview” to the readership. It is supposed to be the transcripts of the interview that a nurse had with an extraterrestrial entity that was recovered from a spaceship crash in Roswell, New Mexico. There is a lot of good stuff there, and some things that run counter to what I know and understand to be true.

    In the transcript the extraterrestrial jumps all over. And in many instances he seems to reflect normal regular human feelings and attitudes about issues (such as the platypus) and you can read it and miss many things as it is a dated document translated by a nurse in 1947. In order to best sort it out, to a frame of reference that we can all understand, I am now (in this series of articles) going to separate the “Alien Interview” document into sections categorized by dates.

    The key text segments…

    "What would you like to say, Airl?", I asked. "I have been a part of the Domain Expeditionary Force in this sector of space for several thousand years.  However, I have not personally had intimate contact with beings on Earth since 5,965 BCE.   It is not my primary function to interact with inhabitants of planets within The Domain.   I am an Officer, Pilot and Engineer, with many duties to perform. Nonetheless, although I am fluent in 347 other languages within The Domain, I have not been exposed to your English language.
    
    The last Earth language with which I was conversant was the Sanskrit language of the Vedic Hymns. At that time I was a member of a mission sent to investigate the loss of a Domain base located in the Himalaya Mountains. An entire battalion of officers, pilots, communications and administrative personnel disappeared and the base destroyed.

    One of my duties involved interrogation of the human population that inhabited the adjoining area at that time.  Many of the people in that region reported sighting "vimanas" or space craft in the area.
    
    Following the logical extension of evidence, testimony, observation, as well as the absence of certain evidence, I led my team to the discovery that there were still "Old Empire" ships and well-hidden "Old Empire" installations in this solar system of which we had been completely unaware.

    "Airl described the abilities of an IS-BE officer of The Domain to me, and she demonstrated one to me when she contacted -- telepathically -- a communications officer of The Domain who is stationed in the asteroid belt.
    
    The asteroid belt is composed of thousands of broken up pieces of a planet that once existed between Mars and Jupiter.    It serves as a good low-gravity jumping off point for incoming space craft traveling toward the center of our galaxy.
    
    She requested that this officer consult information stored in the "files" of The Domain, concerning the history of Earth.     She asked the communications officer to "feed" this information to Airl. The communications officer immediately complied with the request. Based on the information stored in the files of The Domain, Airl was able to give me a brief overview or "history lesson".  This is what Airl told me that The Domain had observed about the history of Earth:
    
    She told me that The Domain Expeditionary Force first entered into the Milky Way galaxy very recently -- only about 10,000 years ago.  Their first action was to conquer the home planets of the "Old Empire" (this is not the official name, but a nick-name given to the conquered civilization by The Domain Forces) that served as the seat of central government for this galaxy, and other adjoining regions of space. These planets are  located in the star systems in the tail of the Big Dipper constellation. She did not mention which stars, exactly.
    
    About 1,500 years later The Domain began the installation bases for their own forces along the path of invasion which leads toward the center of this galaxy and beyond.   About 8,200 years ago The Domain forces set up a base on Earth in the Himalaya Mountains near the border of modern Pakistan and Afghanistan.   This was a base for a battalion of The Domain Expeditionary Force, which included about 3,000 members.
    
    They set up a base under or inside the top of a mountain.  The mountain top was drilled into and made hollow to create an area large enough to house the ships and personnel of that force. An electronic illusion of the mountain top was then created to hide the base by projecting a false image from inside the mountain against a "force screen".    The ships could then enter and exit through the force screen, yet remain unseen by homo sapiens.
    
    Shortly after they settled there the base was surprised by an attack from a remnant of the military forces of the "Old Empire". Unbeknownst to The Domain, a hidden, underground base on Mars, operated by the "Old Empire", had existed for a very long time.  The Domain base was wiped out by a military attack from the Mars base and the IS-BEs of The Domain Expeditionary Force were captured.
    
    You can imagine that The Domain was very upset about losing such a large force of officers and crew, so they sent other crews to Earth to look for them. Those crews were also attacked.   
    
    The captured IS-BEs from The Domain Forces were handled in the same fashion as all other IS-BEs who have been sent to Earth. They were each given amnesia, had their memories replaced with false pictures and hypnotic commands and sent to Earth to inhabit biological bodies. They are still a part of the human population today.
    
    After a very persistent and extensive investigation into the loss of their crews, The Domain discovered that "Old Empire" has been operating a very extensive, and very carefully hidden, base of operations in this part of the galaxy for millions of years.   No one knows exactly how long.  Eventually, the space craft of the "Old Empire" forces and The Domain engaged each other in open combat in the space of the solar system.
    
    According to Airl, there was a running battle between the "Old Empire" forces and The Domain until about 1235 AD, when The Domain forces finally destroyed the last of the space craft of the "Old Empire" force in this area.   The Domain Expeditionary Force lost many of its own ships in this area during that time also.
    
    About 1,000 years later the "Old Empire" base was discovered by accident in the spring of 1914 AD. The discovery was made when the body of the Archduke of Austria   was "taken over" by an officer of The Domain Expeditionary Force. This officer, who was stationed in the asteroid belt, was sent to Earth on a routine mission to gather reconnaissance.
    
    The purpose of this "take over" was to use the body as a "disguise" through which to infiltrate human society in order to gather information about current events on Earth.  he officer, as an IS-BE, having greater power than the being inhabiting the body of the Archduke, simply "pushed" the being out and took over control of the body.
    
    However, this officer did not realize how much the Hapsburgs were hated by feuding factions in the country, so he was caught off guard when the body of the Archduke  was assassinated by a Bosnian student.  The officer, or IS-BE, was suddenly "knocked out" of the body when it was shot by the assassin.         Disoriented, the IS-BE inadvertently penetrated one of the "amnesia force screens" and was captured.

    Eventually The Domain discovered that a wide area of space is monitored by an "electronic force field" which controls all of the IS-BEs in this end of the galaxy, including Earth.  The electronic force screen is designed to detect IS-BEs and prevent them from leaving the area.
    
    If any IS-BE attempts to penetrate the force screen, it "captures" them in a kind of "electronic net".   The result is that the captured IS-BE is subjected to a very severe "brainwashing" treatment which erases the memory of the IS-BE.  This process uses a tremendous electrical shock, just like Earth psychiatrists use "electric shock therapy" to erase the memory and personality of a "patient" and to make them more "cooperative".
    
    On Earth this "therapy" uses only a few hundred volts of electricity.    However, the electrical voltage used by the "Old Empire" operation against IS-BEs is on the order of magnitude of billions of volts!  This tremendous shock completely wipes out all the memory of the IS- BE.  The memory erasure is not just for one life or one body.  It wipes out all of the accumulated experiences of a nearly infinite past, as well as the identity of the IS-BE!
    
    The shock is intended to make it impossible for the IS-BE to remember who they are, where they came from, their knowledge or skills, their memory of the past, and ability to function as a spiritual entity.   They are overwhelmed into becoming a mindless, robotic non-entity.
    
    After the shock a series of post hypnotic suggestions are used to install false memories, and a false time orientation in each IS-BE. This includes the command to "return" to the base after the body dies, so that the same kind of shock and hypnosis can be done again, and again, again -- forever.  The hypnotic command also tells the "patient" to forget to remember.
    
    What The Domain learned from the experience of this officer is that the "Old Empire" has been using Earth as a "prison planet" for a very long time -- exactly how long is unknown -- perhaps millions of years.
    
    So, when the body of the IS-BE dies they depart from the body. They are detected by the "force screen", they are captured and   "ordered" by hypnotic command to "return to the light".   The idea of "heaven" and the "afterlife" are part of the hypnotic suggestion -- a part of the treachery that makes the whole mechanism work.
    
    After the IS-BE has been shocked and hypnotized to erase the memory of the life just lived,  the IS-BE is immediately "commanded", hypnotically, to "report" back to Earth, as though they were on a secret mission, to inhabit a new body.  Each IS-BE is told that they have a special purpose for being on Earth. But, of course there is no purpose for being in a prison -- at least not for the prisoner.
    
    Any undesirable IS-BEs who are sentenced to Earth were classified as "untouchable" by the "Old Empire".  This included anyone that the "Old Empire" judged to be criminals who are too vicious to be reformed or subdued, as well as other criminals such as sexual perverts, or beings unwilling to do any productive work.
    
    An "untouchable" classification of IS-BEs also includes a wide variety of "political prisoners".   This includes IS-BEs who are considered to be noncompliant "free thinkers" or "revolutionaries" who make trouble for the governments of the various planets of the "Old Empire". Of course, anyone with a previous military record against the "Old Empire" is also shipped off to Earth.
    
    A list of "untouchables" include artists, painters, singers, musicians, writers, actors, and performers of every kind.   For this reason Earth has more artists per capita than any other planet in the "Old Empire".
    
    "Untouchables" also include intellectuals, inventors and geniuses in almost every field. Since everything the "Old Empire" considers valuable has long since been invented or created over the last few trillion years, they have no further use for such beings. This includes skilled managers also, which are not needed in a society of obedient, robotic citizens.
    
    Anyone who is not willing or able to submit to mindless  economic, political and religious servitude as a tax-paying worker in the class system of the "Old Empire" are "untouchable" and sentenced to receive memory wipe-out and permanent imprisonment on Earth.
    
    The net result is that an IS-BE is unable to escape because they can't remember who they are, where they came from, where they are. They have been hypnotized to think they are someone, something, sometime, and somewhere other than where they really are.
    
    The Domain officer who was "assassinated" while in the body of Archduke of Austria was, likewise, captured by the "Old Empire" force. Because this particular officer was a high powered IS-BE, compared to most, he was taken away to a secret "Old Empire" base under the surface of the planet Mars.  They put him into a special electronic prison cell and held him there.
    
    Fortunately, this Domain officer was able to escape from the underground base after 27 years in captivity.   When he escaped from the "Old Empire" base, he returned immediately to his own base in the asteroid belt.   His commanding officer ordered that a battle cruiser be dispatched to the coordinates of the base provided by this officer and to destroy that base completely. This "Old Empire" base was located a few hundred miles north of the equator on Mars in the Cydonia region.
    
    Although the military base of the "Old Empire" was destroyed, unfortunately, much of the vast machinery of the IS-BE force screens, the electroshock / amnesia / hypnosis machinery continues to function in other undiscovered locations right up to the present moment.  The main base or control center for this "mind control prison" operation has never been found. So, the influences of this base, or bases, are still in effect.
    
    The Domain has observed that since the "Old Empire" space forces were destroyed there is no one left to actively prevent other planetary systems from bringing their own "untouchable" IS-BEs to Earth from all over this galaxy, and from other galaxies nearby.    Therefore, Earth has become a universal dumping ground for this entire region of space.
    
    This, in part, explains the very unusual mix of races, cultures, languages, moral codes, religious and political influences among the IS-BE population on Earth.  The number and variety of heterogeneous societies on Earth are extremely unusual on a normal planet.   Most "Sun Type 12, Class 7" planets are inhabited by only one humanoid body type or race, if any.
    
    In addition, most of the ancient civilizations of Earth, and many of the events of Earth have been heavily influenced by the hidden, hypnotic operation of the "Old Empire" base.  So far, no one has figured out exactly where and how this operation is run, or by whom because it is so heavily protected by screens and traps.
    
    Furthermore, there has been no operation undertaken to seek out, discover and destroy the vast and ancient network of electronics machinery that create the IS-BE force screens at this end of the galaxy. Until this has been done, we are not able to prevent or interrupt the electric shock operation, hypnosis and remote thought control of the "Old Empire" prison planet.
    
    Of course all of the crew members of The Domain Expeditionary Force now remain aware of this phenomena at all times while operating in this solar system space so as to prevent detection and the capture by "Old Empire" traps."

    And, the very unusual combination of "inmates" on Earth - criminals, perverts, artists, revolutionaries and geniuses - is the cause of a very restive and tumultuous environment.   The purpose of the prison planet is to keep IS-BEs on Earth, forever. Promoting ignorance, superstition, and war between IS-BEs helps to keep the prison population crippled and trapped behind "the wall" of electronic force screens.
    
    IS-BEs have been dumped on Earth from all over the galaxy, adjoining galaxies, and from planetary systems all over the "Old Empire", like Sirius, Aldebaron, the Pleiades, Orion, Draconis, and countless others. 
    
    There are IS- BEs on Earth from unnamed races, civilizations, cultural backgrounds, and planetary environments. 
    
    Each of the various IS-BE populations have their own languages, belief systems, moral values, religious beliefs, training and unknown and untold histories.
    
    These IS-BEs are mixed together with earlier inhabitants of Earth who came from another star system more than 400,000 years ago to establish the civilizations of Atlanta and Lemuria.   Those civilizations vanished beneath the tidal waves caused by a planetary "polar shift", many thousands of years before the current "prison" population started to arrive.  Apparently, the IS-BEs from those star systems were the source of the original, oriental races of Earth, beginning in Australia.
    
    On the other hand, the civilizations set up on Earth by the "Old Empire" prison system were very different from the civilization of the "Old Empire" itself, which is an electronic space opera, atomic powered conglomeration of earlier civilizations that were conquered with nuclear weapons and colonized by IS-BEs from another galaxy.
    
    The bureaucracy that controlled the former "Old Empire" was from an ancient space opera society, run by a totalitarian confederation of planetary governments, regulated by a brutal social, economic, and political hierarchy, with a royal monarch as its figurehead.
    
    This type of government emerges with regularity on planets where the citizens abandon personal responsibility for autonomous, self-regulation. They frequently lose their freedom to demented IS-BEs who suffer from an overwhelming paranoia that every other IS-BE is their enemy who must be controlled or destroyed. Their closest friends and allies, whom they espouse to love and cherish, are literally "loved to death" by them.
    
    Because such IS-BEs exist, The Domain has learned that freedom must be won and maintained through eternal vigilance and the ability to use defensive force to maintain it.
    
    As a result, The Domain has already conquered the governing planet of the "Old Empire".  The civilization of The Domain, although considerably younger and smaller in size, is already more powerful, better organized, and united by an egalitarian esprit de corps never known in the history of the "Old Empire".
    
    The recently despoiled German totalitarian state on Earth was similar to the "Old Empire", but not nearly as brutal, and about ten thousand times less powerful. Many of the IS- BEs on Earth are here because they are violently opposed to totalitarian government, or because they were so psychotically vicious that they could not be controlled by "Old Empire" government.
    
    Consequently, the population of Earth is disproportionately comprised of a very high percentage of such beings.  The conflicting cultural and ethical moral codes of the IS-BEs on Earth is unusual in the extreme.
    
    The Domain conquest of the central "Old Empire" planets was fought with electronic cannon. The citizens of the planets forming the core of government for the "Old Empire" are a filthy, degraded, slave society of mindless, tax-paying workers, who practice cannibalism. Violent automotive race tracks and bloody, Roman circus type entertainments are their only amusements.
    
    Regardless of any reasonable justification we may have had for using atomic weapons to vanquish the planets of the "Old Empire", The Domain is careful not to ruin the resources of those planets by using weapons of crude, radioactive force.
    
    The government of the "Old Empire", before being supplanted by The Domain, was comprised of beings who possessed a very craven intelligence, very much like the Axis powers during your recent world war.    Those beings manifested precisely the same behavior as the galactic government that exiled them to eternal imprisonment on Earth.  They were a gruesome reminder of the ageless maxim that an IS-BE will often manifest the treatment they have received from others.
    
    Kindness fosters kindness. Cruelty begets cruelty.   One must be able and willing to use force, tempered with intelligence, to prevent harm to the innocent. However, extraordinary understanding, self- discipline and courage are required to effectively prevent brutality, without being overwhelmed by the malice that motivated the brutality.
    
    Only a demonic, self-serving government would employ a "logic" or "science" to conceive that an "ultimate solution" to any problem is to murder and permanently erase the memory of every artist, genius, skilled manager, and inventor, and cast them into a planetary prison together with political opponents, killers, thieves, perverts, and disabled beings of an entire galaxy!
    
    Once the IS-BEs expelled from the "Old Empire" arrived on Earth, they were given amnesia, and hypnotically tricked into thinking that something else had happened to them. The next step was to implant the IS-BEs into biological bodies on Earth.   The bodies became the human populations of "false civilizations" which were designed and installed in the minds of IS-BEs to look completely unlike the "Old Empire".
    
    All of the IS-BEs of India, Egypt, Babylon, Greece, Rome, and Medieval Europe were guided to pattern and build the cultural elements of these societies based on standard patterns developed by the IS-BEs of many earlier, similar civilizations on "Sun Type 12, Class 7" planets that have existed for trillions of years throughout the universe.
    
    In the earliest times the IS-BEs sent to prison Earth lived in India.        
    
    They gradually spread into Mesopotamia, Egypt, Mesoamerica, Achaea, Greece, Rome, Medieval Europe, and to the New World.  They were hypnotically "commanded" to follow the pattern of a given civilization by the "Old Empire" prison operators.   
    
    This is an effective mechanism to disguise the actual time and location from the IS-BEs imprisoned on Earth.  The languages, costumes and culture of each false civilization are intended to reinforce amnesia because they do not remind the IS-BEs on Earth of the original "Old Empire" planets from which they were deported.
    
    On the very far back-track of time these types of civilizations tended to repeat themselves over and over because the IS-BEs who created them become familiar with certain patterns and styles, and stayed with them.  It is a lot of work to invent an entire civilization, complete with culture, architecture, language, customs, mathematics, moral values, and so forth. It is much easier to replicate a copy based on a familiar and successful pattern.
    
    A "Sun Type 12, Class 7" planet is the designation given to a planet inhabited by carbon-oxygen based life forms.  The class of the planet is based on the size and radiation intensity of the star, the distance of the planetary orbit from the star, and the size, density, gravity, and chemical composition of the planet.
    
    Likewise, flora and fauna are designated and identified according to the star type and class of planet they inhabit.
    
    On the average, the percentage of planets in the physical universe with a breathable atmosphere is relatively small. Most planets do not have an atmosphere upon which life-forms "feed", as on Earth, where the chemical composition of the atmosphere provides nutrition to plants, and other organisms, which in turn support other life forms.
    
    When the Domain Force brought the Vedic Hymns to the Himalayas region 8,200 years ago, some human societies already existed. The Aryan people invaded and conquered India , bringing the Vedic Hymns to the area.
    
    The Vedas were learned by them, memorized and carried forward verbally for 7,000 years before being committed to written form. During that span of time one of the officers of The Domain Expeditionary Force was incarnated on Earth as "Vishnu".   
    
    He is described many times in the Rig-Veda.  He is still considered to be a god by the Hindus.   Vishnu fought in the religious wars against the "Old Empire" forces. He is a very able and aggressive IS-BE as well as a highly effective officer, who has since been reassigned to other duties in The Domain.
    
    This entire episode was orchestrated as an attack and revolt against the Egyptian pantheon installed by "Old Empire" administrators.  The conflict was intended to help free humankind from implanted elements of the false civilization that focused attention on many "gods" and superstitious ritual worship demanded by the priests who "managed" them.  It is all part of the mental manipulation by the "Old Empire" to hide their criminal actions against the IS-BEs on Earth.
    
    A priesthood, or prison guards, were used to help reinforce the idea that an individual is only a biological body and is not an Immortal Spiritual Being. The individual has no identity. The individuals have no past lives.
    
    The individual has no power.   Only the gods have power. And, the gods are a contrivance of the priests who intercede between men and the gods they serve. Men are slaves to the dictates of the priests who threaten eternal spiritual punishment if men do not obey them.
    
    What else would one expect on a prison planet where all prisoners have amnesia, and the priests themselves are prisoners?
    
    The intervention of The Domain Force on Earth has not been entirely successful due to the secret mind-control operation of the "Old Empire" that still continues to operate.
    
    A battle was waged between the "Old Empire" forces and The Domain through religious conquest. Between 1500 BCE and about 1200 BCE, The Domain Forces attempted to teach the concept of an individual, Immortal Spiritual Being, to several influential beings on Earth.
    
    One such instance resulted in a very tragic misunderstanding, misinterpretation and misapplication of the concept.   The idea was perverted and applied to mean that there is only one IS-BE, instead of the truth that everyone is an IS-BE!  Obviously, this was a gross incomprehension and an utter unwillingness to take responsibility for one's own power.
    
    The "Old Empire" priests managed to corrupt the concept of individual immortality into the idea that there is only one, all-powerful IS-BE, and that no one else is or is allowed to be an IS- BE. Obviously, this is the work of the "Old Empire" amnesia operation.
    
    It is easy to teach this altered notion to beings who do not want to be responsible for their own lives.  Slaves are such beings.  As long as one chooses to assign responsibility for creation, existence and personal accountability for one's own thoughts and actions to others, one is a slave.
    
    As a result, the concept of a single monotheistic "god" resulted and was promoted by many self-proclaimed prophets, such as the Jewish slave leader -- Moses -- who grew up in the household of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III and his son, Akhenaten and his wife Nefertiti, as well as his son Tutankhamen.
    
    The attempt to teach certain beings on Earth the truth that they are, themselves, IS-BEs, was part of a plan to overthrow the fictional, metaphorical, anthropomorphic panoply of gods created by the "Old Empire" mystery cult called "The Brothers of The Serpent" known in Egypt as the Priests of Amun. They were a very ancient, secret society within the "Old Empire".
    
    The Pharaoh Akhenaten was not a very intelligent being, and was heavily influenced by his personal ambition for self- glorification.     He altered the concept of the individual spiritual being and embodied the concept in the sun god, Aten.     
    
    His pitiful existence was soon ended.  
    
    He was assassinated by Maya and Parennefer, two of the Priests of Amun, or "Amen", which the Christians still say, who represented the interests of the "Old Empire" forces.
    
    The idea of "One God" was perpetuated by the Hebrew leader Moses while he was in Egypt. He left Egypt with his adopted people, the Jewish slaves.         
    
    While they were crossing the desert, Moses was intercepted by an operative of the "Old Empire" near Mt. Sinai. Moses was tricked into believing that this operative was "the" One God through the use of hypnotic commands, as well as technical and aesthetic tricks which are commonly used by the "Old Empire" to trap IS-BEs.       
    
    Thereafter, the Jewish slaves, who trusted the word of Moses implicitly, have worshiped a single god they call "Yaweh".
    
    The name "Yaweh" means "anonymous", as the IS- BE who "worked with" Moses could not use an actual name or anything that would identify himself, or blow the cover of the amnesia / prison operation. The last thing the covert amnesia / hypnosis / prison system wants to do is to reveal themselves openly to the IS-BEs on Earth.  They feel that this would restore the inmates memories!
    
    This is the reason that all traces of physical encounters between operatives of space civilizations and humans is very carefully hidden, disguised, covered-up, denied or misdirected.
    
    This "Old Empire" operative contacted Moses on a desert mountain top and delivered the "Ten Hypnotic Commands" to him.   These commands are very forcefully worded, and compel an IS-BE into utter subservience to the will of the operator.   These hypnotic commands are still in effect and influence the thought patterns of millions of IS-BEs thousands of years later!
    
    Incidentally, we later discovered that the so- called "Yaweh" also wrote, programmed and encoded the text of the Torah, which when it is read literally, or in its decoded, form, will provide a great deal more false information to those who read it.
    
    Ultimately, the Vedic Hymns became the source of nearly all of Eastern the religions and were the philosophical source of the ideas common to Buddha, Laozi, Zoroaster, and other philosophers. The civilizing influences of these philosophies eventually replaced the brutal idolatry of the "Old Empire" religions and were the true genesis of kindness and compassion.
    
    You asked me earlier why The Domain, and other space civilizations do not land on Earth or make their presence known.
    
    Land on Earth?  
    
    Do you think we are crazy or want to be crazy?
    
    It takes a very brave IS-BE to come down through the atmosphere and land on Earth, because this is a prison planet, with a very uncontrolled, psychotic population.  And, no IS-BE is entirely proof against the risk of entrapment, as with the members of The Domain Expeditionary Force who were captured in the Himalayas 8,200 years ago.
    
    No one knows what IS-BEs on Earth are going to do.
    
    We are not scheduled to invest the resources of The Domain to take total control of all the space surrounding the area at this time.    
    
    This will occur in the not-too-distant future -- about 5,000 Earth years -- according to the time schedule of The Domain.  At this time we do not prevent transports from other planetary systems or galaxies from continuing to drop IS-BEs into the amnesia force screen area. Eventually, this will change.
    
    In addition, Earth, inherently, is a highly unstable planet. It is not suitable for settlement or permanent habitation for any sustainable civilization.     This is part of the reason why it is being used as a prison planet. No one else would seriously consider living here for a variety of simple and compelling reasons:
    
    The continental land masses of Earth are floating on a sea of molten lava beneath the surface which causes the land masses to crack, crumble and drift
    
    Because of the liquid nature of the core, the planet is largely volcanic and subject to earthquakes and volcanic explosion
    
    The magnetic poles of the planet shift radically about once every 20,000 years. This causes a greater or lesser degree of devastation as a result of tidal waves, and climatic
    
    Earth is very distant from the center of the galaxy and from any other significant galactic civilization. This isolation makes it unsuitable for use, except as a "pit stop" or jumping off point along the way between galaxies.  The moon and asteroids are far more suitable for this purpose because they do not have any significant gravity.
    
    Earth is a heavy gravity planet, with heavy metallic soil and a dense atmosphere. This makes it treacherous for navigational That fact that I am in this room, as the result of an in flight accident, in spite of the technology of my craft and my extensive expertise as a pilot, are proof of these facts.
    
    There are approximately sixty billion Earth- like (Sun Type 12, Class 7) planets in the Milky Way galaxy alone, not to mention the vast expanses of The Domain, and the territories we will claim in the future. It is difficult to stretch our resources to do much more than a periodic reconnaissance of Earth. Especially when there are no immediate advantages to invest resources
    
    On Earth most beings are not aware that they are IS-BEs, or that there are spirits of any kind. Many other beings are aware of this, but nearly everyone has a very limited understanding of themselves as an IS-BE.
    
    One of the reasons for this is that IS-BEs have been waging war against each other since the beginning of time.  The purpose of these wars have always been to establish domination by one IS-BE or group of IS-BEs over another. Since an IS-BE cannot be "killed", the objective has been to capture and immobilize IS-BEs.This has been done in an nearly unlimited variety of ways. The most basic method to capture and immobilize an IS-BE is through the use of various kinds of "traps".
    
    IS-BE traps have been made and put in place by many invading societies, such as the one that established the "Old Empire", beginning about sixty-four trillion years ago.  Traps are often set up in the "territory" of the IS-BEs being attacked.Usually a trap is set with the electronic wave of "beauty" to attract the interest and attention of the IS-BE. When the IS-BE moves toward the source of the aesthetic wave, such as a beautiful building or beautiful music, the trap is activated by the energy put out by the IS-BE.
    
    One of the most common trap mechanism uses the IS-BE's own thought energy output when the IS- BE tries to attack or fight back against the trap. The trap is activated and energized by the IS-BE's own thought energy. The harder the IS-BE fights against the trap, the more it pulls the IBS toward it and keeps them "stuck" in the trap.
    
    Throughout the entire history of this physical universe, vast areas of space have been taken over and colonized by IS-BE societies who invade and take over new areas of space in this fashion.   In the past, these invasions have always shared common elements:
    
    (1) the overwhelming use of force of arms, usually with nuclear or electronic mind control of the IS-BEs in the invaded area through the use of electroshock, drugs, hypnosis, erasure of memory and the implantation of false memory or false information intended to subjugate and enslave the local IS-BE
    
    (2) takeover of natural resources by the invading IS-BEs.
    
    (3) political, economic and social slavery of the local population.
    
    These activities continue in present time.   All of the IS-BEs on Earth have been members of one or more of these activities in the past, both as an invader, or as part of the population being invaded.  There are no "saints" in this universe.   Very few have avoided or been exempted from warfare between IS-BEs.
    
    IS-BEs on Earth are still the victims of this activity at this very moment.   The between- lives amnesia administered to IS-BEs is one of the mechanisms of an elaborate system of "Old Empire" IS-BE traps, that  prevent an IS-BE from escaping.
    
    This operation is managed by an illicit, renegade secret police force of the "Old Empire", using false provocation operations to disguise their activities in order to prevent detection by their own government, The Domain and by the victims of their activities. 
    
    They are mind-control methods developed by government psychiatrists.
    
    Earth is a "ghetto" planet.  It is the result of an intergalactic "Holocaust". IS-BEs have been sentenced to Earth either because:
    
    They are too viciously insane or perverse to function as part of any civilization, no matter how degraded or
    
    Or, they are a revolutionary threat to the social, economic and political caste system that has been so carefully built and brutally enforced in the "Old Empire". Biological bodies are specifically designed and designated as the lowest order of entity in the "Old Empire" caste system.   When an IS-BE is sent to Earth, and then tricked or coerced into operating in a biological body, they are actually in a prison, inside a...
    
    In an effort to permanently and irreversibly rid the "Old Empire" of such "untouchables", the eternal identity, memory, and abilities of every IS-BE is   forcefully erased.    This "final solution" was conceived and carried out by the psychopathic criminals who are controlled by the "Old Empire".
    
    The mass extermination of "untouchables" and prison camps created by Germany during World War II were recently revealed. Likewise, the IS-BEs of Earth are the victims of spiritual eradication and eternal slavery inside frail, biological bodies, inspired by the same kind of craven hatred in the "Old Empire".
    
    The kind and creative inmates of Earth are continuously tortured by butchers and lunatics who are controlled by the "Old Empire" prison operators. The so-called "civilizations" of Earth, from the age of useless pyramids to the age of nuclear holocaust, have been a colossal waste of natural resources, a perverted use of intelligence, and an overt oppression of the spiritual essence of every single IS-BE on the planet.
    
    If The Domain sent ships to every corner of the universe in search of "Hell", their quest could end on Earth. What greater brutality can be inflicted on anyone than to erase the spiritual awareness, identity,  ability, and memory that is the essence of oneself?
    
    The Domain has, as yet, been unable to rescue the 3,000 IS-BEs of the Expeditionary Force Battalion either.  
    
    They are forced to inhabit biological bodies on Earth.  
    
    We have been able to recognize and track most of them for the past 8,000 years. However, our attempts to communicate with them are usually futile, as they are unable to remember their true identity.
    
    The majority of lost members of The Domain force have followed the general progression of Western civilization from India, into the Middle East, then to Chaldea, and Babylon, into Egypt, through Achaia, Greece, Rome, into Europe, to the Western Hemisphere, and then all around the world.
    
    The members of the lost Battalion and many other IS-BEs on Earth, could be valuable citizens of The Domain, not including those who are vicious criminals or perverts. Unfortunately, there has been no workable method conceived to emancipate the IS-BEs from Earth.
    
    Therefore, as a matter of common logic, as well as the official policy of The Domain, it is safer and more sensible to avoid contact with the IS-BE population of Earth until such time as the proper resources can be allocated to locate and destroy the "Old Empire" force screen and amnesia machinery and develop a therapy to restore the memory of an IS-BE."

    Summary and conclusion

    We can all use our special abilities to help others in need. It’s fine to read about Alien Interview, or participate in MAJestic, but it is something else entirely to go forth and devote time and thoughts to helping our benefactors. Here I ask and call upon all Rufus’s in the MM sphere to add some rescue code to their prayer affirmation campaigns to help the trapped Domain Battalion.  Participation is optional, but it would b nice if others would join me in this effort.

    Do you want more?

    You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

    ET Species

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
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    A message to MM readers from “The Domain” via the EBP communication channel

    This is a big special treat for the MM audience. Boy oh boy! Straight from the “horse’s mouth”. Oh baby!

    Most people are aware that the work titled “Alien Interview” is a transcript of a Commander of The Domain when it’s vehicle crashed in 1947. What most people do not know is that this event spawned an American  top secret agency known as MAJestic that fell under the ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence).

    This waved, unacknowledged special access program handled (and still handles) all extraterrestrial events, technologies and interactions with the United States government. I was a unique part of that organization prior to being retired.

    I do know that MAJestic works intimately with the Domain. And that it has acquired technology, information and understandings from The Domain. Obviously further more exacting information came forth and was accumulated in the 75 or so years since the formation of MAJestic.

    This article is my attempt to further flush out some points (in addition to) the Alien Interview. Fill in the blanks, so to say.

    Here’s where it gets strange…

    You plan on one thing happening, and something entirely different transpires…

    Background

    Initially I had planned to disgorge what I knew of these matters though my involvement with MAJestic, and then redact everything that was questionable. But, you know, it didn’t work out that way. Not at all.

    Something else happened.

    As always, I set up a new “post” based on a wordpress format that I established. I cleared the wordpress, and started typing. I wrote the two paragraph introduction, fully planning to discuss what I could piece together based on my four decades of involvement, and just as I was about to start…

    …I had to jump up. And then pace in my office. I actually paced. Kind of shuttered a bit to the left and almost walked out of the office to the hallway, but didn’t and went back in.

    I kind of bounced around from the corner plant to the sofa, and back to the credenza.

    I sat down. Cleared my desk, and took a sip of coffee, and started to type. And well, nothing came out. You know. I started to type, but (you know) I was not able to write anything down at all. I couldn’t do anything.

    Blank.

    So I leaned back. Perplexed.

    I couldn’t even think. Blank.

    I took a sip of coffee, and tried again. Still blank.

    Blank.

    Blank.

    And then, I got goosebumps all over my arms. No shit. And right then and there, truly, something unique, and very special happened. Listen closely. Pay attention.

    An officer of The Domain opened up a channel and talked to me directly.

    No Bullshit

    And make no mistake I am directed to do this with excitement / urgency (expediency).

    It’s a real thing.

    I am not blowing smoke up your ass. Not like Jerry Falwell getting a message from Jesus that he needs a million dollars before Tuesday or Satan will take over, or any bullshit like that. This is a real fucking thing, with real physical effects.

    Communication through the EBP is always subtle and one way. I listen and then respond.

    • EBP Task Directive / question.
    • MM Do and confirm.

    However, in this case, the system worked like this…

    • EBP– They prompt for a specific question.
    • MM– I ask / verbalize the question.
    • EBP– Get answer.
    • MM– I record the answer.
    • EBP– Next query…

    I am forced (it’s the only way that I can do this at this time) to lay it out in Question and Answer format. And what I know or conscious of is a direct function of what I am allowed or permitted to disclose. Nothing more.

    My questions and the officer’s answers…

    The Disclosure

    As of today, how close is The Domain able to shut down the amnesia-force-field and associated “Prison Planet” technology?

    The Domain has established a task team to work on this problem.
    
    They are working with MAJestic, as well as a number of other earth organizations to accomplish this.
    
    The earth environment is a "battlefield" of all sorts of "traps" and "snares". Many of which are independent, individual, self-autonomous in nature. 
    
    The Domain has located and tracked our missing battalion. We work with their non-physical bodies in various efforts to release them.
    
    As of this date, most of the battalion are still imprisoned.
    
    However, serious and strong steps have been taken to root out and shutdown and suppress the machinery and systems that many of the mechanisms that the snares operate under.
    
    These actions have laid down a foundation for further more successful subsequent efforts to take place.
    
    Most of the equipment and systems are in the non-physical realms.
    
    Any efforts towards directed thought will be most helpful.

    What is the time-line for the completion of this effort?

    From the start it was anticipated that the project can begin in 5,000 years. This date has been advanced, and is in process now.
    
    We do not have a realistic time-table for completion.
    
    This entire effort is a staged, and built-upon, effort. And it takes time. It will take many human life-times.
    
    Sentience sorting is the methodology that will be used to select and release IS-BE's from this environment.
    
    We anticipate the reestablishment of containment control (to stop other species from dumping their riff-raff in), and simultaneously building upon control over thought process suppression. Meanwhile snares, traps and tricks will continue to be rooted out and destroyed.
    
    Once those most basic steps are secure, then the modification of the (physical) human biology can advance with mRNA and DNA alterations making it easier to release the non-physical bodies from the non-physical environment that surrounds this region.
    
    We are active in modifying the non-physical bodies of many imprisoned IS-BE's. But because there are so many, it is a herculean task. Our priority is to save the Domain Battalion, and all MAJestic members that work with us (and other organizations that work with us as well). We physically change their non-physical bodies to assist in suppression of the effects of the field that surrounds this region.
    
    We also work with other special IS-BE's that show a preference to assist us in this task. This includes both imprisoned IS-BE's as well as other IS-BE's from outside this region who volunteer to help.

    How do you select or prioritize those IS-BE’s that can leave this Earth Prison Planet region?

    We sort by sentience.
    
    We have prioritized The Domain IS-BE members first. They are our most important asset in this entire effort. They hold the "keys" to "unlock" the fences.
    
    We also work with <redacted>. You do not know them. (Referring to MM here.)

    Why are you having trouble freeing the “Lost Battalion”?

    They are mostly specialized "troops" that you would consider to be of military caliber. Their nature is to fight aggressively. 
    
    Additionally, they have had special "chains" or "processes" that make their recovery so much more difficult than your typical inmate.

    What about other species?

    Humans are not the only enslaved and imprisoned species here. Other species include dolphins, and horses.
    
    We are working to free all IS-BE's in the regions irregardless to what physical form they inhabit and what associated Heaven they are associated with.

    What can I do to help?

    (Directed at MM) You are just doing great. Follow your intuition. 
    
    I think that while it was directed at me personally, I strongly think that this applies to all MM readership as well. I strongly have the "message" that it is specifically directed to some certain MM followers, but no names are being given to tell youse guys who.

    What about prayer affirmation campaigns and the other things that are listed here?

    (Directed at MM readership) All the tools you need to find are here. Keep in mind that the techniques are conceptual and can be modified by your own mental utility to fit your needs, do not believe in absolute solutions, as it is your thoughts that modify your reality.

    Is this “channeling”?

    This is "EBP stuff" as you call (refer to) it.

    I want to really be a bridge between The Domain and the MM followers here. What can I do to participate in this?

    (Directed at me.) Perhaps we can provide more of this in the future. It will depend on the mindset and desires of your audience. It will develop.

    Is there anything else that I can ask or that you want to say?

    No. Message sent. Do not worry too much (directed at the MM audience). The physical saturation of discomfort is under our (the Domain) control (observation and manipulation as necessary), and the tools that MM provides.

    Conclusion

    Wow!

    You are welcome.

    References

    This communication occurred between 9:45am and 10:39am on 16SEP21. It is a direct EBP channel direct from the Type-1 greys of The Domain to me personally. It is exactly as sent. And I am personally stunned as it never happened this way before.

    Final Comments

    There are so many questions that I want to ask, but I was unable to gather my thoughts and ask them. That is not how you deal with these entities. I was only able to ask what they told me to ask. Though, I did have some degree of freedom on how to phrase the questions, and then post-edit some parts of the answers.

    This is big stuff for me personally. If you don’t understand you can leave. I am now filled with emotion and actually my physical body is shaking with “goosebumps” all over it. Chills running back and forth.

    It took me about 8 hours to cool down.

    Do you want more?

    You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

    ET Species

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

    When the base-line world-line template changes it is a change to the fundamental Master Template

    This is a very advanced article on world-line travel. In it we discuss something new. It is something that has never happened before, or at least while I was in MAJestic, it never happened. And I was unaware of it, or the consequences of it. And we are going to talk about it here. Maybe shine a light or two on what is going on.

    It consists of changes to the Master template.

    Because this is such an advanced subject, we will put this in the advanced section of world-line travel studies.

    What triggered this

    An unusual and peculiar shift in the world-line template was detected.

    Templates tend to be “rock hard” and stable. They are the foundations from with all the personal templates are derived from. Tend to be, and thus are always assumed to be so.

    However, the fundamental Master template changed.

    Now, I have NEVER experienced this before. And it is a very rare, rare event. In fact, while I know that they can be altered by anchoring, I had no idea that they could dramatically altered in such a fundamental manner.

    I have previously described anchoring of mass consciousnesses. I would “pull down”, or “twist” reality, and then the elastic nature of the template would return back to it’s previous state with whatever bad events that were to happen avoided.

    What has occurred is something similar. Only instead of the elastic nature of reality “snapping back” to it’s previous state, it has snapped into a new state.

    How MM detected it

    Oh, Lordy!

    Just because my ELF probes are retired and my involvement with MAJestic has officially been terminated, my EBP’s are all still active. And they are continually working with my physical and non-physical bodies on numerous levels.

    So this is how I can tell.

    You see, it’s really difficult to describe. However, imagine that every day you wake up to a overcast day, with some apartment buildings in the distance, and some traffic on the road. Then one day, you notice that the sky is blue and sunny, and that instead of apartments you see green hills with grazing sheep and no cars.

    You NOTICE the difference.

    It’s like that.

    The way I “feel” or “sense” the template structure has changed. It feels substantially different.

    Like how one day your are feeling the trunk of a tree and the bark is rough, and another day the bark is smooth and glossy. It is like one day you are used to drinking hot coca beverages, and the next day you are drinking ice cold mint tea.

    It is, however, a subtle difference.

    It’s like drinking red or black tea for decades, and then one day you are drinking Oolong Tea, or Green Tea. It’s like always drinking Folgers coffee and then suddenly drinking Maxwell House brand coffee. It’s like always smoking Marlboro cigarettes and then suddenly smoking Camel. It’s like always drinking Budweiser beer and then suddenly drinking Genesis Stout.

    It’s very subtle.

    There are no words for me to describe this, simply because the experience is so unique and it involves a combination of senses to form a whole. And no, there are no alpha-numeric characters or symbols involved. It’s like the entire interface is just, well… different.

    Anyways, you just have to trust me on this. The Master template has changed. Not any of the subsequent “child” templates. Simply the Master Template.

    An Example

    Consider the elasticity of plastic. Templates (pretty much) follow similar rules as plastic does. If you try to change a template, it will “bounce back” after a spell. But you can make permanent changes to it with more effort.

    For plastic…

    Plastic can be bent and twisted and eventually it will snap back into shape. (This is shown in the flat line from point 1 to point 2 in the diagram below.) It is the “Elastic Region”.

    A plastic straw can be bent and twisted and then snap back into shape.

    But if you deform the plastic past a certain point, it will not snap back exactly. No. Instead it will go to a new location and a new shape. (This is shown in the diagram below. Point 2 to point 3.) It is the “Plastic Region”.

    You can deform plastic to a point where it will not snap back into shape.

    And if you apply extreme pressure on it, it will actually break and snap into two parts. (Point 5 in the diagram below.)

    Plastic can permanently change it’s shape.

    The diagram for plastic deformation

    Here is the diagram that I have referred to above.

    • Note point 1 – 2. This is the “Elastic Region”.
    • Note point 2 – 3. This is the “Plastic Region”.
    • Note point 5. This is the “Point of fracture.”

    The plastic modulus of elasticity.

    For templates…

    When I was active in MAJestic operations, all of my efforts for anchoring was in the point 1 to point 2 region, the “Elastic Region”. I would “anchor” clusters of world-lines, and in so doing, prevent certain events or changes. Then things would mostly return to the previous shape.

    I say "mostly" because often there would be slides that would place my consciousness elsewhere than where I started off from.
    
    Specifically, and so not to be confused, "slides" were an event that my consciousness experienced as I was "anchoring" world-lines. They were wholly associated with me, and my observation of the reality around me.

    What is going on now (This peculiar change to the Master Template.) is that something has moved the fundamental baseline template to the “Plastic Region”. It changed permanently, and can no longer return to it’s previous shape or form.

    Quick review of key points

    I don’t want to regurgitate the entire MM teachings here. Just point out some basics.

    • Our consciousness travels moment to moment into world-lines.
    • Each world-line has it’s own past and future.
    • But our consciousness only spends a fraction of time in it.

    If you map the path of travel, you get your life-line. And life-lines can be placed on a three dimensional map known as a “template”. This map is the highest probability of travel granted to your consciousness. With geography controlled by difficulty.

    • Templates are established at birth. As such they are known as Pre-Birth World-Line Templates.
    • You can “slide off” the previously established template on to a new one. You do this by directed thought.

    From the point of view of your consciousness, the only things that matter are your [1] template map, [2] your directed slides, [3] the world-lines that you visit, and [4] the geography of the map.

    However, the thoughts of all consciousnesses define the terrain of the template maps. Not just one person. They are not hard and fixed. Like concrete. They are like soft foam mats that can be moved and pushed and bent.

    This is why MM was so involved in “anchoring”.

    What do I mean templates…

    Consider a word processor.

    If you use Microsoft Word (MS Word) it will come with a default document template. This is the blank document that always comes up in the software program when you turn it on and start a new file. 99% of all users start out with this template. This is the default template.

    Default MS Word Template.

    Now, if you work at  company, they might have a “default” company template.  Many, but not all companies do this you know. It depends on the company. But the truth be told that most large companies have very distinct rules on the formats of the documents that you send out. For instance, they would specify the font you use, and the colors that you use. They would specify the logo that you use as well, as well as the layout.

    This is a modified “MS default template”.

    It will include such things as the company stationary, address, phone numbers and font and size selection. All users in a certain company will use this template. This is the company template. Here’s some examples…

    Company template examples.

    Now, that being said, when you start in the company you will then take this company template, and customize it as your own.In the space that says, “Project Name”, you will enter the name of the project. And the same goes for the date and all the other particulars.

    You will add YOUR name, and YOUR title. You will add YOUR extension, and e-mail data to it. This will be your template.

    Your personal template using in the email system.

    And each letter, note, or message you will write will be a new document using this template. It will have it’s own document number, date, author and name.

    Well…

    This is similar in how your world-line travel occurs. If you consider each world-line that you visit to be a “new document“, then your world-line template map is the equivalent to “Your template“.

    And whether you stay on that template or slide onto a new template. It is still your template.

    Your template, in turn, is derived from your Pre-birth world-line template. And this is equivalent to the “Company template“.

    And when you and everyone else is in “Heaven” and deciding on what your next reincarnation will be on the earth, you will use the “default template” that came with the software package. We call this the Master Template.

    Template hierarchy

    To recap, this is the general hierarchy for MS Word templates…

    • General Microsoft Default Template
    • Company Official Template
    • Your Personal Occupation / Position Template
    • Your individual documents

    And for world-line travel, it looks like this…

    • Master Template
    • Pre-birth World-Line Template
    • World-line Template Map
    • Individual World-lines

    So what is going on?

    Every MM reader can do something that 99% of the population cannot do. They have the skill set to “slide” off their pre-birth world-line template. And that is how you can change your life. They travel life on their own world-line template map.

    But just about everyone else is stuck on their pre-birth world-line template. they are just living life like a fated robot.

    But all templates are derived from the most fundamental template; the Master Template. And it has changed.

    How can I describe the changes?

    It is such a subtle change that most people will not catch it, nor understand it. To most people it will not look like anything changed. But you know, the template rules have completely changed.

    Consider what happens to you Microsoft Word (MS Word) documents when you change the default temple…

    Changing the default MS Word templates.

    The content will remain the same, but how the content interacts with each other in a unified visual style will be different.

    Your past  will not change. Your slides, your world-lines none of those things will change. All the things that you have learned about and use on MM will not change.

    What will change is how your consciousness interacts with reality.

    For instance, any of these things can (might) change.

    • How easy or hard it is to start Lucid Dreaming.
    • The ability to slide to new templates.
    • How directly involved your thoughts are with the fabric of your reality.
    • The aspects of time relative to where you are going in your direction vector.
    • The life-span of a typical human can increase or decrease.
    • The ability to perform non-physical reality travel.
    • The ability to sense or not, the non-physical reality.
    • The interactions that we have, or don’t have with the Mantids

    And so on and so forth.

    But since it is far to early to know what we are working with, what the changes will be is anyone’s guess.

    It’s literally a “new ballgame”.

    A whole new ballgame, a A completely altered situation, as in It will take a year to reassign the staff, and by then some will have quit and we'll have a whole new ballgame. This expression comes from baseball, where it signifies a complete turn of events, as when the team that was ahead falls behind. [ Colloquial; 1960s] 
    
    - A New Ballgame Idiom
    

    Why did the Master Template change?

    I do not know.

    Obviously the previous  Master Template was established by the “Old Empire”.

    “The bureaucracy that controlled the former “Old Empire” was from an ancient space opera society, run by a totalitarian  confederation of planetary governments, regulated by a brutal social, economic, and political hierarchy, with a royal monarch as its figurehead.   
    
    This type of government emerges with regularity on planets where the citizens abandon personal responsibility for autonomous, self-regulation.”

    Since the “Old Empire” no longer exists, we have to assume that the Type-1 Greys have (somehow) managed to change, reset or alter the Master Template to achieve their goals and objectives. After all, “The Domain”, or the Empire of the Type-1 Greys vanquished the “Old Empire” and took over completely.

    Their goals are (pertaining to this “Prison Planet”, as I have discussed before, to free consciousnesses from living a reincarnation existence over and over, and over, and over without end.

    Once the IS-BEs expelled from the “Old Empire” arrived on Earth, they were given amnesia, and hypnotically tricked into thinking that something else had happened to them.  The next step was to implant the IS-BEs into biological bodies on Earth.  
    
    The bodies became the human populations of “false civilizations” which were designed and installed in the minds of IS-BEs to look completely unlike the “Old Empire”.
    
    — Except from the Top Secret manuscripts from 1947 Roswell, published in the book ALIEN INTERVIEW

    So, while it could be to prevent damage to the physical environment on the earth for one reason or the other, it can also be associated with non-physical changes and realities that we have no knowledge or understanding of.

    Our Reality

    The “reality” that earth-bound humans inhabit is an artificial construct. It is much like the movie “The Matrix”, except that it is an entire universe with it’s own separate “Heaven Universe”.

    This artificial reality is a construct.

    And the base line code for it is called the Master Template.

    It is the fundamental reality that keeps IS-BE consciousnesses locked within this physical geographical space. And while there are many extremely intelligent and capable consciousnesses that inhabit this reality, the cunningness of the system keeps the consciousnesses focused on other things instead of their abilities and how to escape the prison.

    “An “untouchable” classification of IS-BEs also includes a wide variety of “political prisoners”.   This includes IS-BEs who are considered to be non-compliant “free thinkers” or “revolutionaries” who make trouble for the governments of the various planets of the “Old Empire”. Of course, anyone with a previous military record against the “Old Empire” is also shipped off to Earth.
    
    A list of “untouchables” include artists, painters, singers, musicians, writers, actors, and performers of every kind. For this reason Earth has more artists per capita than any other planet in the “Old Empire”.
    
    “Untouchables” also include intellectuals, inventors and geniuses in almost every field. Since everything the “Old Empire” considers valuable has long since been invented or created over the last few trillion years, they have no further use for such beings. This includes skilled managers also, which are not needed in a society of obedient, robotic citizens.
    
    Anyone who is not willing or able to submit to mindless economic, political and religious servitude as a tax-paying worker in the class system of the “Old Empire” are “untouchable”.
    
    ... and sentenced to receive memory wipe-out and permanent imprisonment on Earth.
    
    The net result is that an IS-BE is unable to escape because they can’t remember who they are, where they came from, where they are. They have been hypnotized to think they are someone, something, sometime, and somewhere other than where they really are.” 
    
    ~ Alien Interview

    __________________

    “…the very unusual combination of “inmates” on Earth – criminals, perverts, artists, revolutionaries and geniuses – is the cause of a very restive and tumultuous environment. The purpose of the prison planet is to keep IS-BEs on Earth, forever. Promoting ignorance, superstition, and war between IS-BEs helps to keep the prison population crippled and trapped behind “the wall” of electronic force screens.” 
    
    ~ Alien Interview

    What the change is…

    Anyways, you just have to trust me on this. The Master template has changed. Not any of the subsequent “child” templates. Simply the Master Template.

    Is this change good or bad?

    It’s certainly not “neutral”.

    And I have this strong belief that it is a “good” thing that is in favor of the majority of the people on this planet. Maybe 80% of humans.

    My GUESS is that some aspects of the Master Template were altered to delete various aspects of “Prison Planet” snares, entanglements, monitoring, suppression, manipulation, memory suppression, and reincarnation. But what they are specifically is unknown.

    In my mind, this is probably a very, very good thing.

    It also implies that the timetable for recovery of this “Prison Planet” environs has been advanced substantially.

    Does this mean that World War III will occur or other planetary changes?

    No.

    It has no bearing at all on the general terrain of the templates. The terrain of the templates; the mountains, the valleys, the flat lands, they will all continue to exist as they always have.

    It will not change any Geo-political situations, or up-coming physical changes.

    The only impacts will be on the relationship of your consciousness to the physical and the non-physical  realities. Not on the realities themselves.

    Should I be worried?

    No.

    There is no need to worry or be upset. Things are changing in a good way, and (my guess) is that the changes will benefit those that are able to control their thoughts and actions within this reality.

    This includes all MM readers, and most especially those that perform Prayer Affirmation Campaigns.

    Why do I refer to the changes as peculiar

    The word “peculiar” means “strange, odd, or unusual”.

    In my entire life, and that includes a long, long time in MAJestic active, and retired, I have never had or experienced this event. It is indeed strange, and to me, very, very odd. It is certainly unusual.

    Most people, however, will not notice anything different.

    Do I need to do anything different?

    No.

    Continue living life, and running your affirmation prayer campaigns as you normally do.

    As time progresses and we see what we are working with here, I will establish some guidelines and suggestions to better help everyone deal with the changes to their new advantages.

    I expect and anticipate that MM followers will have a far easier time in the Prayer Affirmations Campaigns, and they will start to see results quicker and with more “stickiness” than what you all would experience previously.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Affirmation prayer Campaign Index here…

    Intention Campaigns

    .

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE .
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    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

     

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    Random meandering wandering thoughts in regards to world-lines, engineering humans, freedom and sentience

    Some thoughts. A bunch of “stuff” flooded my brain this morning, and so I want to spew this stuff on paper and move on with my other projects and activities. So just let me go a spewing. And as I spew forth on this beautiful morning let’s all keep in mind to have a lovely day.

    Shall we go a spewing?

    Coffee, freshly brewed in the morning, tastes great.

    Perhaps we take what we commonly consume for granted. I watched one of those “cop shooting videos” where this guy threatens a police officer to shoot him. He said “go shoot me!”. And the police tell him “lay down your weapon.” And so he lunges out at the officer, and is shot dead. I think he was dead before he hit the ground.

    Ugh.

    In one year no one will remember his name, what he did for a living, or really care.

    And you know what?

    That cup of coffee that he had in the morning was his last.

    He probably didn’t savor it either. He probably poured himself a cup, gulped it down without a thought and read the “news” about “Presidents says this…”, or “Rich oligarch flies into space because he can. And fuck the rest of youse guys”

    Or better yet “Coronavirus is worst ever!”. Or “new strain attacks people left and right!” Or, maybe “new leaked evidence about US funding, and Coronavirus development in China”.

    Or perhaps, “Australia alarmed”, or “Japan Alarmed”, or “Refugees pour in from Afghanistan”. Yada. Yada. Yada.

    Sheech! Enjoy what you have.

    Morning coffee.

    Do you smell the coffee when it is brewing? Do you have the opportunity to drink it in the early morning with some “me” time? Do you eat something along with it?

    Like eat a bagel.

    Or hang out with your little buddies.

    NOW.

    Engineering of humans for this “Prison Planet” environment.

    As I understand it, the “normal” and default biological life-form is fully capable of simultaneous co-habitation in both the physical world and the non-physical world.Most creatures naturally go back and forth between the two realities quite easily.

    Yet humans do not have this ability.

    For us (Earth bound) humans, we can only see the physical reality, and have no ability to see the non-physical reality, and what’s worse, not even able to remember it.

    The reasoning behind this is described in the work “Alien Interview”.

    I suggest that this implies that the human species (for this earth environment) was specifically modified (or retarded) to prevent this ability. And this belief is confirmed in the “Alien Interview”.

    Alien 3 movie – A prison planet.

    If we can determine what the alterations are, we can reverse this aspect of the damage.

    I argue that the Type-1 greys are physically modifying the non-physical reality bodies to correct these and other issues, and all that nonsense about abductions are just fears manifested from ignorance. Now, to prevent me from going into stuff that I just cannot state, I will suggest that the “other” humans that sometimes attend these events are not from our “Sentience Nursery Region / Prison Planet”. Instead they are from “outside” of it.

    Their bodies are not “retarded” Prison-bodies that we are all so entwined with in this realm that we are in.

    The key then is “containerizing” our consciousness outside of the physical body, as it seems to have been devised (or modified) as a physical cage.

    Indeed this “Prison Planet” has many, many levels.

    Body selection for the truly evil

    I think that those souls that developed into truly evil and vile consciousnesses needed to be put into a secure holding facility; a “Prison Planet”. The problem is that as the “Old Empire” got old and corrupt itself, everyone was thrown into this environment. And it is thus and environment that we share together.

    Good. Bad. Evil. Disjointed.

    Earlier I wrote about CJ, the beauty model that I lived with. She was amazingly beautiful, but inside she was like a horrible demon. At times, when her “real” side came out, I considered her to be an actual evil demon-like entity.

    I wonder…

    If you were evil and vile and you were in Heaven, and it was time for you to construct your time on earth, what kinds of bodies would you inhabit?

    I think that most evil and vile people would inhabit the bodies that would give them…

    • Large amounts of Power.
    • Unlimited sex with whomever they wanted.
    • Control over others, domination.
    • Wealth in copious and ridiculous amounts.

    Thus, is it any wonder that we see such a concentration of evil and vile people in Washington DC, or in the leadership of smaller African, and South American nations today?

    And thus we see an outrageously beautiful person who is a real evil vile person inside.

    Alien Interview placed many concepts, now accepted as real, decades before scientific acknowledgement of them.

    For instance “continental drift”. “Chariots of the Gods”. The “12th Planet”. “Pole Shifts”. The ability to clone and design creatures with DNA. The list goes on and on.

    It is so easy for us to read “Alien Interview” with the eyes of a contemporaneous person from 2021 instead of a person from 1947.

    We have to keep that in mind.

    In 1947, the “new age” movement did not exist. It did not occur until the late 1960’s. Most Americans believed the Bible was the de facto history of the world. And while Darwinism was taught in the universities, most people focused on the principle subjects of reading, writing and arithmetic.

    For the “leadership” of America at that time, it all must have come as a great shock. The idea of “not to follow the tunnel of light”, and that there is no “Heaven” or “Hell”, and that memories are not ever supposed to be erased.

    All in all, it was obvious from the reading of the narrative in support of “Alien Interview”, that leading scientists and capable people at that time were pulled in for their thoughts and commentaries. And after much deliberation, I am positive that they HAD to conceive of a secret organization to deal with this species and all of what it talked about.

    That is how MAJestic came about. And no, it wasn’t JUST because one singular “flying saucer” was captured. It was EVERYTHING associated with it.

    Some cat quotes

    I found these humorous.

    Does McDonald’s i(outside of China) still have those little white plastic stir-sticks? What about those little metal foil ash-trays? Or those cute kitty-sized little milk creamers?

    This is so relatable.

    Indeed. They seem to be immune to the earth as a “Prison Planet”.

    They come and go from non-physical to physical and back again as if it were nothing.

    Poor kitty.

    And…

    Yeah. I hear ya bud.

    And…

    Fact. Jack.

    Japanese press is hyping up a war with China

    American influence no doubt. But it’s all nonsense. A lot of words, and posturing. And it ignores the serious, serious open wounds that fester inside of China.

    But let me tell you all, and any Chinese in the MM audience can confirm this statement as true.

    "If Japan makes ANY military move against China, China will start nuking that fucking little island like there is no tomorrow. Fuck their military. It will be their cities and people who will all die God Damn it!"

    For the last 75 years every single person in China has been exposed to the horrific tragedies and rape of China by the Japanese and the hatred is visceral. I, as an American, am shaken to the core when I see the Chinese react to any of this Japanese nonsense. Believe me. They will fucking bludgeon Japan into a bloody pulp.

    Believe me.

    Japans had best hide from China, and not do anything that the USA wants. Mind My Words. Video

    The Japanese were brutal against the Chinese, and China wants PAYBACK in the worst way.

    Things have changed.

    This was then. Now look at today. If you want to fuck with China you had best get ready for a real bludgeoning. Video.

    If you want to fuck with China you had best get ready for a real bludgeoning.

    Greek Breakfast foods

    Every now and then I come across a Greek restaurant. I love the food there. And I think that it would be great to try some of their breakfast foods.

    Feta, Veggies and Eggs

    Whether they’re scrambled or served omelette style, you can’t go wrong with topping eggs with Feta. Try adding chopped onion, a bit of garlic, veggies of choice (zucchini, bell peppers and tomatoes are great in this dish). Sprinkle in some coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. Toss in a splash of milk, and whip together in a bowl. Cook the eggs either omelet or scrambled style, adding the Feta, when the eggs are almost finished. Delicious Greek breakfast food!

    A fine Greek Breakfast.

    Eliopsomo: Greek Olive Bread

    You can pick up this wonderful, traditional bread at a Greek bakery or cafe, as well as many specialty grocery stores. While it’s delicious simply toasted and served with your morning cup of coffee, try switching it up a bit by topping the bread with a good Greek cheese.

    Eliopsomo.

    Spanakopita

    Who doesn’t love Spanakopita?  But, remember, it’s not just for lunch and dinner. Why not warm a slice and serve it on a plate with your morning cup of coffee? It’s a great alternative to the everyday breakfasts you’re likely tired of eating.

    Spanakopita

    PLA expels U.S. destroyer from China’s territorial waters off Nansha Islands

    Not reported in the American “news” media.

    CGTN

    The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) said Wednesday it had expelled a U.S. guided-missile destroyer that trespassed in China's territorial waters near the Nansha Islands in the South China Sea.
    
    PLA Southern Theater Command spokesperson Tian Junli said in a statement that the U.S. military's act had seriously undermined China's sovereignty and security interests.
    
    Calling Washington "a risk maker" to the security of the South China Sea and the "biggest destroyer" of the region's safety and stability, Tian warned that the theater command will "remain on high alert."
    
    "We will resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security, as well as peace and stability in the region," he said.

    I expect more belligerent actions by the US Navy in the coming months. And expect China to tire of the “cat and mouse games” after a while.

    Snow Leopard: The National Animal of Afghanistan

    With all the new a talking about Afghanistan, no one is talking about this little tidbit of treasure. The national animal of Afghanistan is Snow Leopard.

    The Snow Leopard is a big cat who lives on a high altitude and preys on Argali wild sheeps, Ibex, Pikas and rabbits etc.

    A snow leopard.

    Snow Leopard are very rare and are only found in 12 countries like China, Nepal, Pakistan, India, Russia, Afghanistan etc. Snow Leopards are so rare that they  estimate that there are only 3500 of these creatures left.

    China has the 60% of the population of these majestic cats.

    These white big patched cats love to live between an altitude of 10,000 meters – 18,000 meters. The gestation period is 3 and half months. An astonishing there here is that their limbs are extremely powerful, even they can hop up to 30 feet which is 6 times their body length, extremely strong limbs huh?.

    A snow leopard.

    Another specialty of these Snow Leopards is that it have a gray or light green eyes rather than a yellow or gold like the other big cats. The Snow Leopard was thought to be extinct in Afghanistan, however, 100 are still out there somewhere.

    There is no specified reason why Snow Leopard is opted as the national animal, but some says as the people Afghanistan are well known for their brave character and this majestic cat, however, reflects the very same ideology. And you know, the Afghanistan people are not as the USA media pictures them. They are something else entirely. I think the Snow Leopard fits their psyche.

    Changes in the geography of the basic world-line template that many people use

    Changes are happening, and the templates are changing. No, not the anchoring effects, but the general master templates themselves. To do this is very, very, VERY powerful.

    I was once asked how powerful the extraterrestrial benefactors were. They asked if they had weapons powerful enough to destroy cities. I responded that they had the ability to move the earth from it’s orbit. Put it inside the Sun for five minutes. Let it bake good and well, and then place it back in orbit. That is how powerful they are.

    I see that there are some events that are changing. Future life-track world-lines seem to be adjusting to new templates, and these templates are … peculiar.

    Peculiar.

    You heard it here first.

    Bob Odenkirk back on ‘Better Call Saul’ set after heart attack

    I enjoy “Better call Saul”. It’s a great show. But you all gotta follow it for a while to figure out what is going on. I think it’s great. But them I was surprised to discover the actor who plays Saul Goodman had a heart attack. It bummed me out.

    Better call Saul.

    58 years old. Had a heart attack and blockage. Major bummer. I am glad that he’s back on his feet again. You all must take care with your body. As you get older heart attacks become real threats.

    I’ve had two of the fuckers.

    The first time was in a high-stress work environment, while dealing with a high-stress mentally ill wife. I was in the machine shop and had a serious heart attack. Good thing that I was young. 36 years old or so. I was able to pick my self up from the floor and get to the doctor. The second time was last year when I was adjusting to new blood pressure medicine.

    Eat well. Watch your health. You never know.

    What is “freedom”?

    I know, I know, I know. I have gone on and on endlessly about this subject. But “freedom” is NOT the ability to vote in a democracy™. It’s something else. It’s entirely something else.

    Some things that need to be underlined

    • Freedom to be left alone.
    • Freedom to disappear.
    • Freedom of complete privacy.

    Any nation that does not allow these freedoms is just a prison.

    Facebook pays contractors to read your ‘encrypted’ WhatsApp messages, shares info with prosecutors – reports — RT World News

    Obviously this is an ideal, but I do have to tell you’se guys that if your nation isn’t allowing it’s citizenry these freedoms then it is not DOING ITS JOB. Nations have a duty to their citizenry.

    All nations in the world today violate these aspects of life to one degree or the other. I argue that this also includes China…

    …but, China is far better protecting the massive onslaught against the individual by aggressive interests than the United States is. The freedom to be left alone is a major issue, don’t you think?

    Some thoughts on democratic voting balancing

    I have long given up on the belief that a democracy is the best way (or even a way) of running a nation. But others haven’t. Here’s some thoughts by RM on how the American democracy could be improved to better serve it’s people.

    What we are not seeing at the city and county level is this:


    USA balancing act.

    Rural farming areas and downstaters are screwed when there is a big city in their state.
    .
    Their vote is continuously cancelled and it does not count toward the results that they want. 
    .
    States are like a giant gerrymandering. I have often thought that states should have a series of county referendums or whatever legal path they could find and redraw their boundaries.  For instance here is Greater Idaho, which they are currently working on:

    Changing the lines of control.

    Then groups of these newly defined states could make coalitions in Congress.
    .
    • Create cooperative zones for building their economies.
    • Cooperate on state banking and mutual credits for home and industry.
    • Support common problems of pollution or agriculture development.
    • Have an Environmental protection that does not stop at state borders.
    • Combine their national guard forces.  (This one is important.)
    • Maybe make tax free zones and trade concessions.
    • Well, they should do everything to grab more power from the Feds.
    • Even change the US tax structure.
    I believe that in the US they would have to find a better way to consolidate interests into bigger factions, to wrest governance away from the present power structures.  This could be a way, without disruptive protest or armed rebellion.
    .
    Is it too late? Or is the process just getting started?

    Just some kids playing

    In America they banned toy guns “for the children”. In China, all kids get to play with toy guns, and they all receive real military training on how to use them in the Pioneers and Scouts. Not to mention the mandatory Middle School mandatory boot camp. Video.

    Kids playing.

    FOX “news” praises China!

    Are pigs flying in the skies above the United States these days? Did Hell freeze over?

    The famous China-hater Carlson says China does a few things right:

    • Houses are for people to live in, not for speculation;
    • Children are to limit their gaming time to three hours in the weekend;
    • Celebrities are not to be worshiped; he should add: young men are not to wear make-up to look like women.

    Short Video here…

    The YouTube version can be found here:

    https://youtu.be/NYeiHLNtluk

    The differences in the relative importance of sex to women as opposed to men

    Men and women are different.

    Men have testosterone flowing through their veins and women have progesterone flowing through their veins. Both hormones greatly affect our social interactions with others, as well as our drive to succeed, make friends, form businesses, and establish long-lasting relationships.

    Both levels fluctuate over the life-time. And thus both males and females experience different phases of life.

    Testosterone levels for men and women during a life-span.

    For Women… the progesterone levels fluctuate on a cycle. This reflects the ability to have children. As the levels fluctuate, moods, emotions, and physical appearances all change. I am sure that all MM readers realize this.

    Now, you notice that after a period of time, this cycling stops. And thus we have this graph…

    And my point is this…

    Both women and men change biologically through their lives. For women, they tend to cycle faster on a more or less monthly basis, while men are fairly constant. Then at around 35 years old everything changes.

    And the reason why I bring this up is that physical cosmetic changes in transgender surgery might help a person’s ego and self-esteem, but it will not change their biology. No matter what amount of dosages of hormones that they take.

    When a 50 year old man goes into transgender surgery to become a woman, the only changes will be external appearance, and perhaps personal ego. It will not change their internal biology. For the rest of their lives they will be tethered to external hormonal treatments just to maintain their state of mind. The moment that you decide to go transgender, you become addicted to big-pharma, and at the mercy of what ever they demand of you.

    If you stop, intentionally or unintentionally (such as a societal collapse, war, or inaccessibly of hormonal treatments) your biological regression could become a living Hell for you.

    Do you think that I am being mean or cruel to point this out?

    If people want to do something, I say do it! But, please do so with balance. If you are proud to be a transgender person, then tell your story. Firstly for those who need hope, but also for those that don’t understand. However, don’t paint a 100% rosy picture either.

    Life is about tradeoffs. You all need to discuss those tradeoffs realistically and openly.

    If you are in your late 40’s and wish to be a transgender woman then you must realize that the lifestyle that you are moving towards will have consequences.

    American military transgender people speaking out about their decisions.

    Some Chinese food

    I eat a lot of food in China that you simply cannot get anywhere else. All those “Chinese” restaurants only sell pre-packaged “Chinese fast food” that has been Americanized, or Westernized to some extent. Here’s some short videos. Please check them out…

    XianXi Potato, Beef and noodle soup.

    Potato, Beef and noodle soup.

    XianXi Pepper-Beef.

    So very good. When you cook the hot peppers they mellow out and are not so spicy. Yum!

    XianXi Eggplant with string beans.

    Always a delicious pleasure.

    XianXi breaded chicken tenders.

    This is the “real deal”. Not the pale processed meat patty things that you get in fast food restaurants.

    XianXi chicken tenders.

    The ONE problem that I have with these delicious foods is the glossiness. All that gloss and shine is caused by heavy quantities of MSG. Ugh!

    Facing a Harsh Future With the Wisdom of the Past

    Ah. It’s a very American-centrist article. Very myopic. However the conclusion is critical. Americans MUST take a good hard look at what America is TODAY, and work on a NEW WAY to govern, deal with a great diverse citizenry, and function properly.

    But before we get to the article, lets note what was said about the former Soviet Union. One observer described this as follows.

    As the state and economy collapsed, their money worthless, their jobs evaporating, with crime, disorder, and corruption rampant, life expectancy plummeted in post-Soviet Russia. The longstanding Russian curse, alcoholism, became an endemic phenomenon in Russian life. Abortions substantially exceeded births, suicides soared, and the state apparatus and law enforcement collapsed along with the unkept utopian promises of a failed system.

    Well…

    Can’t you describe the United States this way today?

    As the state and economy collapsed, their money worthless, their jobs evaporating, with crime, disorder, and corruption rampant, life expectancy plummeted in the United States. 
    
    Alcoholism, and drug abuse (both legal and illegal) became an endemic phenomenon in American life. 
    
    Abortions substantially exceeded births, suicides soared, and the state apparatus and law enforcement collapsed along with the unkept utopian promises of a failed system.

    .

    By tradition Americans are an optimistic people. As the saying goes, we are imbued with an “indomitable spirit” in times of hardship at home and major crises abroad.  These qualities contribute to our sense of national unity.  We view ourselves as a country defined by, but not imprisoned in, the past. We eagerly await future opportunities that will make our lives better and more fulfilled.  We don’t fear what is to come — we welcome challenges of all sorts.

    Throughout our history, we have bonded together when necessary to overcome barriers to our development as a nation.  We have tamed an entire continent and fought wars abroad in support of freedom. We have survived economic failures, massive political unrest, and other threats to our sovereignty.

    However, in light of recent events and civil disruptions, the cohesiveness of times past — “our indomitable spirit” — is no longer as firmly embedded in our national consciousness as before.  Other countries are challenging our scientific dominance in many areas.

    Our role as a leading world power is being questioned if not discredited.

    China and Russia are expanding their influence throughout the globe with impunity. Obsessed with domestic unrest, the COVID pandemic, and immigration, we have not yet fashioned a coherent policy to deal with their aggressive strategies.

    In spite of this shift in priorities, we tend to fall back on old ways of viewing our national goals and international commitments. Rapidly shifting conditions have created the need for a reevaluation of our relationship with allies and adversaries.

    Once again, we have reverted to what I call the basic fallacies in the way we negotiate issues of national and international importance.  Our optimism and pioneer spirit, as mentioned above, have a decided effect on the following observations:

    The first fallacy is minimizing the impact of radical change: believing that successful measures should stay the same.

    Our nation was founded on the principles set forth in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.  Many political scientists and judges are classified as “constructionists”: they believe that these two documents are “sacred” in nature and cannot be changed as written; others, on the other hand, are “organic life” specialists who conceive of these same documents as broad-stroked guides to political governance.

    As a result, they should be interpreted according to the exigencies or dynamics of the times.  Conservatives, in this debate, wish to preserve the integrity of past legislation and its precedents; liberals seek a flexible, malleable Constitution that can be interpreted as conditions warrant.

    Conservative and liberal scholars both admit that adjusting to societal needs is the purpose of Constitutional amendments (27 overall to date); however, from a conservative perspective, why should legislators modify its basic framework at the same time?

    We cannot project current trends with any accuracy into the future. For more than 234 years our republic has been well served by the wisdom of the founding fathers.

    Resistance to change is normal but the refusal to change or alter our strategies can be very costly in the political arena. In general, cautious flexibility in judgment should always prevail to avoid the fallacy of expecting similar results over time.

    The second fallacy is that good-hearted people, guided by compassion, will always determine political outcomes.

    Laws, as well as wars, are rarely decided by well-intentioned government agencies.  War is ended through defeat or surrender, in most instances without conditions.

    Compassion has nothing to do with how the enemy is treated during the occupation of their land.  Expediency and collaboration serve as principles of conduct for most Western powers.  Countries in the Far East have long ruled their conquests by sheer force, terror, and indoctrination.

    Western laws are legislated with mutual interests in mind, not compassion.

    They are the end product of hard-nosed compromises in republican governments.  Under dictatorial rule, laws are enacted by representatives who are subject only to the will of a tyrant. As Louis XIV of France famously said” “L”Etat c’est moi!” (“I am the State”)

    The third fallacy is that democratic or republican government will always be preferred to autocracies that suppress individualism and freedom.

    The United States has tried repeatedly to impose democratic rule on countries they have conquered.  Without a foreign military presence and forcible adoption of republican-like governments, these nations would most likely have reverted to an autocratic form of leadership that meets the needs and expectations of native or tribal leaders (e.g. Afghanistan and Iraq).  Autocracy–if administered with a full understanding of the people and culture–can be very effective: to wit, the despotism of Saddam Hussein in Iraq that held warring tribes together (the Sunni vs. Shia).

    Countries in the Middle East have been governed by monarchies, emirates, and dictatorships for many years.  Democracy and its emphasis on individual rights are for the most part incompatible with these cultures.

    Lacking the oversight of American military forces, Afghanistan will quickly return to tribal governance; extremists (i.e., the Taliban) will enforce Islamic laws that are detrimental to women and young girls. More than twenty years of warfare have forced us to admit that the Islamic world has hierarchical gender customs that are unacceptable to Western sensibilities.

    The fourth fallacy is that, in times of crisis, America will always protect the rights of the individual as dictated by law.

    LOL. Ha ha ha ha ha ha.

    This fallacy is a product of Western thinking and political expectations.  In the Far East, with the exception of South Korea and Japan (“conquered” nations with an active American military presence decades after the end of hostilities), in times of crisis the individual will always be sacrificed to the welfare of the group or nation.

    In the United States, there would be a hue and cry of protest if individual rights were not protected, even during the worst of times.

    Dictatorial or autocratic governments see little benefit in making an entire nation suffer to improve the life of an individual or a small group of citizens.  This attitude reflects the culture’s view on human life and its relative value to society as a whole.

    The fallacy of assuming that all cultures will accept our interpretation of human rights is the basis for multiple conflicts abroad, especially in the Middle East and China.

    The subcontinent of India, with its rapidly increasing population, seems to be the exception to autocratic or monarchical Far Eastern regimes.  Its republican government comes from the Raj or British colonial rule.  Within a relatively short period of time, demographers project that India’s population will surpass that of China, thus making it the most populous country in the world.  With multiple ethnic groups, religions, and languages, one wonders just how long India’s national unity will endure under the stress of these social and sectarian divisions.

    In spite of many attempts to do so, we cannot impose our political style of governance on conquered nations (“nation-building”).

    The American concept of local or state sovereignty, allied with the federal government on issues of national importance, is unknown in many nations around the globe.

    Our system of government is successful because most citizens accept its efficacy.

    Once that cooperative spirit and support are disparaged, our belief in the necessity of collective action will eventually disappear.  If this should occur, our democracy, in its current form, could not survive.

    Given the widespread diversity that now characterizes the American population, how can we preserve the willingness to accept electoral results?  When voting procedures are litigated and broadly challenged, the seeds of discord are planted.

    The outcomes of future elections will be viewed with suspicion.

    Voter acceptance will be weakened and outcomes subjected to excessive scrutiny.  We are quickly moving toward a more tribalistic form of governance as identity politics and interest groups take priority over concerns of national stability. The progressive movement to rewrite history in favor of “disadvantaged” minorities will undermine our sense of national unity.  The wokeism of modern politics will have disastrous consequences in the years to come.

    Our recent celebration of the Fourth of July (2021) with fireworks and the traditional appeals to unity rang a little hollow.

    Many liberal extremists now view the American flag as a symbol of white domination, not national unity. Radicalized athletes “take a knee” in protest against racial injustices of the past. In a few decades, if this anti-American trend continues in our schools and social media, what will the cohesive theme of the Independence Day celebrations be?  Will we continue to show the same enthusiasm about our country and its uniqueness?

    This divisive mood was evident in the singing of the “Black national anthem” together with the “The Star Spangled Banner.”

    If Blacks can impose their will on authorities at this event that celebrates national unity, we should expect Hispanic or Vietnamese music at next year’s festivities to emphasize their growing national influence.  An hour-long special on the evils and repercussions of slavery would also be appropriate. This would encourage Whites to reflect on their “privilege” and need for atonement, not on the common traits that join our diverse ethnic groups into a functioning whole.

    Do not expect, however, an in-depth documentary on the “root causes” of Black-on-Black crime in the bloodbath of Chicago’s ghettos.  Blacks who shoot other Blacks are considered collateral damage (if not commonplace) and not worthy of media attention since they do not conform to the “progressive narrative.”  Blacks are important only if they are perceived as victims of white neglect or violence.  More than anything, a White police officer who shoots an “unarmed” Black merits national media coverage of a prolonged nature.

    A statue of George Floyd (“I can’t breathe”) — a five-time convicted felon, counterfeiter,  drug dealer and addict — is emblematic of this racial disparity.  In a sense, his monument places a minor-league Black criminal on an equal footing with the statue of Martin Luther King, Jr., in Washington D. C. which is a focal point for racial justice and peaceful compromise.

    In summary, we tend to reason in ways that reflect our personal experiences and biases .  The fallacies we have discussed pertain to national habits and attitudes which offer reassurance that most problems, no matter how difficult, can be solved by good-will diplomacy and relentless hard work.  In a word, it is the “American way.”

    In another context, this fallacious approach to domestic issues will  have a negative impact on our national security and future solidarity.  The questions that we should address in discussing our current political crises are many.  The following are only a few examples among the most critical:

    The Left’s recent promotion of “systemic White racism” as an intrinsic quality of being White; race is deemed a form of social destiny if not a “disease” that must be eradicated.  The celebration of  Project 1619, now being taught in many schools and Juneteenth (the arrival in America of the first shipment of slaves and its adoption as a national holiday); the introduction of “critical race theory” into the classroom (our country was founded on slavery and the continuous oppression of Blacks up to the present day; history must reflect this reality as an innate and permanent evil of white leadership.); social progressivism and its narrative: the Marxist ambition to remake America into a socialist state. To wit, laws enacted by white legislators have no relevance in the wokist community and are consequently illegitimate in their eyes.  Rioting in the name of woke political causes is effective and morally justified, no matter what the results may be.  As the Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin once stated, to make an omelet you must first break some eggs. Unrestricted immigration is not so much a demographic issue for Americans but a means of achieving the long-term dominance of the Democratic Party.

    We must also remember that to remain silent in the face of this dystopian turmoil is a sign of assent.  The Biden-Harris regime is using the full power of the federal government to enforce its agenda.  The COVID pandemic and its variants will be the stalking horse for the implementation of draconian measures related to gun control, “white supremacists” and their insurrection, climate issues, and the radical socialization of American politics.  President Biden is now touting “human infrastructure” in his efforts to promote child care and parental subsidies that have nothing to do with the rebuilding of bridges and roadways. COVID vaccinations will become mandatory in spite of legitimate objections to their application on a national scale. Ideology is promoting vast changes in the way we relate to others.

    The America First of the Trump era is becoming a radicalized new country in its political aspirations toward equity and inclusion of minorities in all facets of government, regardless of true merit.

    If we remain as we are now — diverse, quasi-socialist, egalitarian, and democratic — we have no reason to expect that this trajectory will change.

    That means, that for the first time, we must reconsider our assumptions about what America is, and look instead to what it must be in order to survive our bad decisions as a democracy up to the present date.

    And one of the reasons why you won’t find anything positive about China in the USA media or literary sections…

    Sad, but true. I guess that a 98% satisfaction rate with their Chinese government isn’t good enough.

    And in the WTF department…

    Can someone please explain…

    Messed up.

    China’s August exports defy reality and surprise many

    When 150 million wealthy Chinese tourists travel and spend domestically:
    .
    150 million people = 33 times the size of New York City
    The western sanctions and aggressiveness against Chinese businesses (The “Hybrid war on China”) resulted in a reciprocal response from China. This response allowed Chinese businesses to take back their native markets from the barbarian big brands….
    .
    … all working together as one.
    Along with the completion of many infrastructure projects. Both domestically and internationally via the BRI (the belts and roads strategy). The Chinese economy is now completely independent from the Western “crusader” markets.
    .
    The outcome is:
    .
    China’s exports grew by 25.6 % in August compared with a year earlier, up from 19.3 per cent growth in July
    China’s imports grew by 33.1 % last month, year on year, up from 28.1 per cent growth in the previous month

    https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3147815/chinas-august-trade-surprises-imports-and-exports-defy

    Welcome to the new world order without the (Anchorage, Alaska April 2021) style bullying by the Western nations.

    The situation in the USA is madness

    Well it is. You simply cannot deny it. Video HERE.

    What is the true situation in Russia today?

    From “Amorphous Anonymous” .

    We talk a lot about the Soviet Union, but how does this relate to modern Russia?  I don’t know the answer, consider this as a question.  (Socialism I suppose?)

    A) The transformation of the city of Ivanovo and seven others.

    Video blogger, Студия Позитивчик, named “Studio Positive”, has made 8 before/after videos comparing the last 9 years of development within 8 Russian cities. The video links are on his home page:

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqQfIypDWVn2-IjkFWJojBQ

    • Naberezhnye Chelny,  400 km east Moscow
    • Ivanovo,  254 km NE Moscow
    • Sochi,  NE coast of Black Sea
    • Gelendzhik, NE coast Black Sea 150 km up from Sochi
    • Veliky Novgorad,  125 km south of St Petersburg on road to Moscow (about 450 km from Moscow)
    • Ryazan,  200 km SE Moscow
    • Saratov,  On the Volga, about 850 km SE Moscow
    • Tyumen,  East of Ural mountains, about 8-900 km east Moscow
    • Naberezhnye Chelny, in Tatarstan, about 600 km east of Moscow

    What do you see when you scan through these video records?  Well, you see modern Russian architecture, which is very interesting just for that.  Eight cities are developing, growing, being renewed.  I ask “How is this being done”?  You can identify several different kinds of projects.

    • Renewed streets and landscaped parks and waterfronts.  This is all local government financed obviously.
    • Commercial activity, strip malls, restaurants, shopping malls.  I am thinking this is all private investment, it must be capitalism, for the wide variety of it.
    • Some large residential complexes?  I don’t know, is there social ownership in living spaces?  Or is it capitalism again?
    • Many old residential complexes (ragged looking in the 2011 before photos), are renewed with white walls and brightly colored balconies and the accent of architectural touches.  Would a private owner put money into building aesthetics?  Would they get any more rent out of it?  Has it changed hands and the new owner is upgrading?  Maybe it is old communal residences with community financing doing the work?
    • Also there are some stadiums and other large structures.  What is the ownership status of these complexes and who are the investors?

    These are questions that I don’t have the answers to.  Who are the city planners, and how much do they have a say about city development?

    B) An understanding of Russia’s Future

    We try to get a better understanding of Russia’s future by going to some websites that are purported to have expertise on Russia, and run by Russian speakers.  These are like the Saker, Dmitry Orlov, Andrei Martyanov, Charles Bausman, John Helmer, Vsevolod Pulya, Patrick Armstrong, Alexander Mercouris, Marko Marjanović,   I think that there are others that I have left out.

    What do they say?

    Lots are concerned with geo-politics and military science.  Then we are led to believe that

    "Putin’s successes are anchored in a powerful energy sector, along with a vigorous science-technical and arms sector, which are also under direct state control". 

    Russia must be doing pretty good, right?  Or are we getting a correct picture from these new “Hypersonic missiles”, gas pipelines, super weapons, and atomic Ice-breakers?

    Plus now lately, we are told that Russia will build 5 new cities from scratch in Siberia, and the order is signed and the money is available.  (Let them start with one.)

    Will this happen?  Is this a full and correct picture of modern day Russia?  The 8 videos above show developmental progress in some important cities.  If this is the general picture it should show up in all phases of Russian technical, scientific, educational, and commercial activity.

    But lets’ try to take an honest look with a 2017 survey of Russia’s achievements.

    B.1) Russia is number 12.

    In a listing of published scientific articles by country, Russia is number 12, with only 10% by numbers, of the articles published in the USA.  I won’t discuss the quality of the articles, which some do. the 2021 figures are here:

    https://www.scimagojr.com/countryrank.php

    You can also divide the papers up by what Russia is good at, like mathematics and astronomy, but still the standing is very poor.

    B.2) Russian foreign studies

    Russia has a very poor standing in studies of foreign countries. For example China has at least an order of magnitude more people studying about Russia than Russia has studying in the universities about China. That being said, it is the global norm. The amount of American studies of other nations is practically zero.

    Russian salaries in 2012,

    • $500/month for a Research Fellow,
    • $900/month for a senior researcher at the Institute of the Far East RAS.
    • $1,000/month for an Assistant Professor,
    • $1,500/month for a full Professor at Moscow State University’s (MSU) Institute of Asian and African Country Studies. (2012)

    The $ exchange rate has more than doubled since then, so do scholars survive on those same old ruble rates, or have they gotten a raise?  (Admittedly their expenses are in rubles, not in dollars.)  But if it was too low they may leave the country.

    B.3) Salaries for R&D

    Salaries for R&D are some of the lowest in the top 50 countries.  I could put up a chart, but Russia is at the bottom.

    B.4) Technical equipment is gutted and sold off

    R&D equipment is missing, in 2017 Russia had 3 supercomputers, China had 202, US 143. Russia is 18th in the list.

    B.5) DNA

    It is hard to come up with the number of Russian “high throughput DNA sequencers” for biotechnology research.  But I think it is minuscule compared to the rest of the world.  Some (older) sources said only 8, but let’s give it 25. 2013-14.  Back then there were 250 in China and over 900 in the USA.  Europe is loaded too.

    B.6) Patent Applications

    Russia is 6th in patent application in 2017, 30,000 compared to 1 million in China, 300,000 in US and 250,000 in Japan.

    B.7) Venture Capital

    In 2016 Venture Capital funding in Russia was 300,000 Euros, about the level of (less than) Ireland, or Finland, and more than in Italy.  All of Europe $14 billion, US $72 billion, China $49 billion, India $8 billion.  Russia is 6% of China, Russia 4% of US.

    B.8) Artificial Intelligence

    Artificial Intelligence startups in 2017, Europe 409, US more than 1000, Russia only 12. Equal to Sweden, Finland or Switzerland each with 10% of Russia’s population.

    B.9) Industrial Robots

    Russia had an operational stock of around 1,771 multipurpose industrial robots as of 2012. America 200,000, China 100,000, Japan 300,000, ROC Korea 138,000, Germany 162,000. Poland 4,500.

    The absurdly low levels of robotization in industry raise serious questions about Russia’s political economy and its economic future.   Low wages preclude automation, and low automation preclude greater productivity and higher wages?

    B.10) Tooling and machining

    2014-2015 Russia is 17th in machine tool companies, 485 companies producing machine tools in Russia (Canada just ahead, Thailand just behind).

    • China 22,000 companies,
    • Japan 13,000,
    • German 12,000.
    • Italy 5000,
    • Korea ROC 4,600,
    • USA 4,500.

    The problems holding Russia back are severe, and possibly intractable.  There are strong financial and ultimately institutional barriers to unlocking Russia’s scientific potential.

    (Russia does consume around 2.7% of the world’s machine tools – it is, after all, the world’s eighth (or so) manufacturing power.)

    A solid start would be to look at these statistics and acknowledge that a very big problem exists, which if unresolved, will continue to degrade Russia’s economic, industrial, and eventually military competitiveness.  Where is the money and where is the resolve to tackle these problems?  That is what I am asking, to anybody that might know.

    Who are the true friends of Russia?  Those that sound this alarm, or he who says “don’t say things that our western sworn enemies are always saying”?  To me the answer is obvious.

    Of course I have sources for all of this data.  It comes from Karlin on Unz.  He’s got all the charts and 5000 words of commentary. 2017. You can check them yourself.  https://www.unz.com/akarlin/russias-technological-backwardness/  If there is a newer study, of course I would love to see it.

    You don’t hear much about Russia these days, and thus Americans and most of Europe are kept intentionally ignorant about both China and Russia. As I see it, the rest of the world is growing and sorting itself out the tangled monstrosity that the United States has become. And unless the USA starts taking time to improve its piss-poor domestic state, it will be doomed to become a modern day Portugal.

    Media Trust

    Trust in U.S. media is at a record low:

    The United States ranks last in media trust — at 29% — among 92,000 news consumers surveyed in 46 countries, a report released Wednesday found. That’s worse than Poland, worse than the Philippines, worse than Peru. (Finland leads at 65%.)

    One reason is that U.S. media are either not reporting important events, are misreporting them, or are very late in covering twisted plots that even a lowly blogger can get right just as they happen.

    It’s 4:30 PM in China. A very mellow time.

    It is a mellow time. It’s peaceful and calm. China (outside of the big cities) has a much slower pace of life, and lifestyle than what the hyper West has. And it is refreshing as “get out”. Check out the video below.

    Note that even though China is very safe and isolates any virus outbreaks immediately, everyone still wears masks, and is a heightened level of security and safety.

    Also note that all my life, walking and enjoying life at 4:30p, was denied to me. I was usually at my desk or in a meeting in a sterile workplace technical corporate environment. Being outside that bullshit is refreshing to me. Video.

    4:30pm mellowness.

    Actually this is a big issue, and I need to devote a few articles to this subject. Do you all “get” what I am trying to say in this matter?

    A great article from UNZ…

    A Military Solution to a Commercial Problem

    It Probably Ain’t Gonna Work Much Longer

    I’ve seen this look before

    This expression is one that I have seen time and time again. A foreigner visits China for the very first time, and he /she has been her for maybe a week… and this is the expression that they get on their faces. It’s precious.

    Watch the short video here.

    Shanghai, China.

    Conclusion

    This is the start of a series of short thoughts and articles that I just want to clump into a new category of article. What do you guys think? Do you think it’s fine, or would you like me to continue to write long in-depth articles on singular topics? Any preferences?

    Do you want more?

    You can find more such articles in my “Rambling Thoughts” Index which is currently in my massive Happiness Index…

    Life & Happiness

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

    Why the Earth is no longer a Prison Planet, and why it is a Sentience Sorting Nursery operation instead

    This article discusses why the Earth (and a number of other solar systems in our region of physical space) is known as a “prison planet” and why it is now morphing into what I refer to as a “Sentience Nursery”. It’s a rather detailed, and strange look (I guess) at the world we all share in light of the events of MAJestic and the “Alien Interview” disclosure.

    Now, let it be well understood that throughout my entire time in MAJestic, I was told that the earth was a “sentience nursery” for the evolution and sorting of the consciousnesses here. But when I encountered the disclosure “Alien Interview”, which I am wholly and positively convinced that it is authentic, they referred to the earth (and nearby solar systems) as “Prison Planets”.

    This did NOT change the fact that the earth and it’s environs are “Sentience nurseries”, instead, if provided a background that helped me (personally) flush out the events leading up to what is going on today.

    Alien Interview – 1947

    I have presented the PDF titled “Alien Interview” to the readership. It is the transcripts of the interview that a nurse had with an extraterrestrial entity that was recovered from a spaceship crash in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947. It was released in 2007. There is a lot of good stuff there, and now I am convinced that everything is in agreement with what was presented to me in MAJestic.

    A quick reminder

    In graphic form. A picture tells more than two encyclopedias.

    Key events of The Domain occupation plotted against Humankind technical advancement.

    Here’s the pertinent section…

    The Domain enters the Milky Way galaxy

    She told me that The Domain Expeditionary Force first entered into the Milky Way galaxy very recently — only about 10,000 years ago.

    The Domain conquers the Old Empire

    Their first action was to conquer the home planets of the “Old Empire” (this is not the official name, but a nick-name given to the conquered civilization by The Domain Forces) that served as the seat of central government for this galaxy, and other adjoining regions of space. These planets are located in the star systems in the tail of the Big Dipper constellation. She did not mention which stars, exactly.

    The Domain installs bases inside the Milkyway Galaxy

    About 1,500 years later The Domain began the installation bases for their own forces along  the path of invasion which leads toward the center of this galaxy and beyond.

    The Domain sets up a base on Earth

    About 8,200 years ago The Domain forces set up a base on Earth in the Himalaya Mountains near the border of modern Pakistan and Afghanistan. This was a base for a battalion of The Domain Expeditionary Force, which included about 3,000 members.

    They set up a base under or inside the top of a mountain. The mountain top was drilled into and made hollow to create an area large enough to house the ships and personnel of that force.

    An electronic illusion of the mountain top was then created to hide the base by projecting a false image from inside the mountain against a “force screen”. The ships could then enter and exit through the force screen, yet remain unseen by homo sapiens.

    The Old Empire attacks the Domain base on Earth

    Shortly after they settled there the base was surprised by an attack from a remnant of the military forces of the “Old Empire”.

    Unbeknownst to The Domain, a hidden, underground base on Mars, operated by the “Old Empire”, had existed for a very long time. The Domain base was wiped out by a military attack from the Mars base and the IS-BEs of The Domain Expeditionary Force were captured.

    You can imagine that The Domain was very upset about losing such a large force of officers and crew, so they sent other crews to Earth to look for them. Those crews were also attacked.

    The unusual handling of the capture Domain forces

    The captured IS-BEs from The Domain Forces were handled in the same fashion as all other IS-BEs who have been sent to Earth. They were each given amnesia, had their memories replaced with false pictures and hypnotic commands and sent to Earth to inhabit biological bodies. They are still a part of the human population today.

    After a very persistent and extensive investigation into the loss of their crews, The Domain discovered that “Old Empire” has been operating a very extensive, and very carefully hidden, base of operations in this part of the galaxy for millions of years.

    No one knows exactly how long.

    Final destruction of the Old Empire in this region

    Eventually, the space craft of the “Old Empire” forces and The Domain engaged each other in open combat in the space of the solar system. According to Airl, there was a running battle between the “Old Empire” forces and The Domain until about 1235 AD, when The Domain forces finally destroyed the last of the space craft of the “Old Empire” force in this area. The Domain Expeditionary Force lost many of its own ships in this area during that time also.

    A hidden Old Empire base in our area

    About 1,000 years later the “Old Empire” base was discovered by accident in the spring of 1914 AD.

    The discovery was made when the body of the Archduke of Austria was “taken over” by an officer of The Domain Expeditionary Force. This officer, who was stationed in the asteroid belt, was sent to Earth on a routine mission to gather reconnaissance.

    A “electric fence” surrounds this area

    Eventually The Domain discovered that a wide area of space is monitored by an “electronic force field” which controls all of the IS-BEs in this end of the galaxy, including Earth.

    The electronic force screen is designed to detect IS-BEs and prevent them from leaving the area.

    Snare, capture and make compliant

    If any IS-BE attempts to penetrate the force screen, it “captures” them in a kind of “electronic net”.

    The result is that the captured IS-BE is subjected to a very severe “brainwashing” treatment which erases the memory of the IS-BE.

    This process uses a tremendous electrical shock, just like Earth psychiatrists use “electric shock therapy” to erase the memory and personality of a “patient” and to make them more “cooperative”.

    On Earth this “therapy” uses only a few hundred volts of electricity. However, the electrical voltage used by the “Old Empire” operation against IS-BEs is on the order of magnitude of billions of volts! This tremendous shock completely wipes out all the memory of the IS-BE. The memory erasure is not just for one life or one body. It wipes out all of the accumulated experiences of a nearly infinite past, as well as the identity of the IS-BE!

    The shock is intended to make it impossible for the IS-BE to remember who they are, where they came from, their knowledge or skills, their memory of the past, and ability to function as a spiritual entity.

    They are overwhelmed into becoming a mindless, robotic non-entity.

    Reprogramming and return back to prison

    After the shock a series of post hypnotic suggestions are used to install false memories, and a false time orientation in each IS-BE.

    This includes [1] the command to “return” to the base after the body dies, so that the same kind of shock and hypnosis can be done again, and again, again — forever.

    The hypnotic command also tells [2] the “patient” to forget to remember.

    The Old Empire was using Earth as a Prison Planet

    What The Domain learned from the experience of this officer (in the body of the Archduke of Austria) is that the “Old Empire” has been using Earth as a “prison planet” for a very long time — exactly how long is unknown — perhaps millions of years.

    So, when the body of the IS-BE dies they depart from the body.

    They are detected by the “force screen”, they are captured and “ordered” by hypnotic command to “return to the light”.

    The idea of “heaven” and the “afterlife” are part of the hypnotic suggestion — a part of the treachery that makes the whole mechanism work.

    After the IS-BE has been shocked and hypnotized to erase the memory of the life just lived, the IS-BE is immediately “commanded”, hypnotically, to “report” back to Earth, as though they were on a secret mission, to inhabit a new body.

    Each IS-BE is told that they have a special purpose for being on Earth. But, of course there is no purpose for being in a prison — at least not for the prisoner.

    Who are the inmates in prison?

    Any undesirable IS-BEs who are sentenced to Earth were classified as “untouchable” by the “Old Empire”.

    The worst of the worst were sent to the Earth Prison Planet.

    This included anyone that the “Old Empire” judged to be criminals who are too vicious to be reformed or subdued, as well as other criminals such as sexual perverts, or beings unwilling to do any productive work.

    An “untouchable” classification of IS-BEs also includes a wide variety of “political prisoners”.

    This includes IS-BEs who are considered to be non-compliant “free thinkers” or “revolutionaries” who make trouble for the governments of the various planets of the “Old Empire”.

    Of course, anyone with a previous military record against the “Old Empire” is also shipped off to Earth.

    A list of “untouchables” include artists, painters, singers, musicians, writers, actors, and performers of every kind. For this reason Earth has more artists per capita than any other planet in the “Old Empire”. “Untouchables” also include intellectuals, inventors and geniuses in almost every field.

    Since everything the “Old Empire” considers valuable has long since been invented or created over the last few trillion years, they have no further use for such beings. This includes skilled managers also, which are not needed in a society of obedient, robotic citizens. Anyone who is not willing or able to submit to mindless economic, political and religious servitude as a tax-paying worker in the class system of the “Old Empire” are “untouchable” and sentenced to receive memory wipe-out and permanent imprisonment on Earth. The net result is that an IS-BE is unable to escape because they can’t remember who they are, where they came from, where they are.

    They have been hypnotized to think they are someone, something, sometime, and somewhere other than where they really are.

    The Domain Officer unravels this entire scheme

    The Domain officer who was “assassinated” while in the body of Archduke of Austria was, likewise, captured by the “Old Empire” force.

    Because this particular officer was a high powered IS-BE, compared to most, he was taken away to a secret “Old Empire” base under the surface of the planet Mars. They put him into a special electronic prison cell and held him there.

    Fortunately, this Domain officer was able to escape from the underground base after 27 years in captivity.

    When he escaped from the “Old Empire” base, he returned immediately to his own base in the asteroid belt. His commanding officer ordered that a battle cruiser be dispatched to the coordinates of the base provided by this officer and to destroy that base completely. This “Old Empire” base was located a few hundred miles north of the equator on Mars in the Cydonia region.

    The “fence” and snare and return continued to function in 1947

    Although the military base of the “Old Empire” was destroyed, unfortunately, much of the vast machinery of [1] the IS-BE force screens, [2] the electroshock / amnesia / hypnosis machinery continues to function in other undiscovered locations right up to the present moment.

    The main base or control center for this “mind control prison” operation has never been found.

    So, the influences of this base, or bases, are still in effect.

    Earth has become a “dumping ground” of misfits

    The Domain has observed that since the “Old Empire” space forces were destroyed there is no one left to actively prevent other planetary systems from bringing their own “untouchable” IS-BEs to Earth from all over this galaxy, and from other galaxies nearby.

    Therefore, Earth has become a universal dumping ground for this entire region of space.

    This, in part, explains the very unusual mix of races, cultures, languages, moral codes, religious and political influences among the IS-BE population on Earth.

    The number and variety of heterogeneous societies on Earth are extremely unusual on a normal planet. Most “Sun Type 12, Class 7” planets are inhabited by
    only one humanoid body type or race, if any.

    In addition, most of the ancient civilizations of Earth, and many of the events of Earth have been heavily influenced by the hidden, hypnotic operation of the “Old Empire” base.

    So far, no one has figured out exactly where and how this operation is run, or by whom because it is so heavily protected by screens and traps.

    Furthermore, there has been no operation undertaken to seek out, discover and destroy the vast and ancient network of electronics machinery that create the ISBE force screens at this end of the galaxy. Until this has been done, we are not able to prevent or interrupt the electric shock operation, hypnosis and remote thought control of the “Old Empireprison planet. Of course all of the crew members of The Domain Expeditionary Force now remain aware of this phenomena at all times while operating in this solar system space so as to prevent detection and the capture by “Old Empire” traps.”

    MAJestic – 1947

    The “Majestic12″ committee, was organized by President Harry Truman shortly after the Roswell incident in 1947.  And this created the SAP known as the MAJestic organization.

    MM and the MAJestic Narrative

    I joined MAJestic as a Naval Aviator / (Astrophysicist & Aerospace Engineer) in May 1981. After thirty years of active participation in the organization, I was retired in May 2006. My “active retirement” lasted five years and ended in 2011. I am now a discarded MAJestic operator.

    EBP insertion and non-physical training began in 1981. My training, and calibration of the ELF probes happened a number of years after that. All exposure that I have to knowledge, understanding and skills comes from the entanglement of our benefactors.

    My primary and functional duty was “anchoring” of consciousnesses in this region to prevent catastrophic events from occurring. (Whatever those catastrophic events were, I haven’t a clue.) This meant world-line travel and consciousness  manipulation were my primary tools.

    I was involved in…

    • Manipulation of consciousness
    • World-line travel
    • Anchoring of clustered world-line behaviors.

    As strange as this might appear and sound, if you look at what the events and operational projects entailed, you can clearly see that they were involved in the control and manipulation of world-line alterations as a function of consciousness mass-manipulation.

    Not protecting the earth from those pesky Reptilians as part of the great marine space fleet. LOL! I had to throw this bunch of popular fiction in, don't you know!

    If you consider that each consciousness was “retarded” in access to their memories, then…

    … my actions were all in alignment with rehabilitative services within  a restorative clinic or hospital environment.

    So, obviously Earth is a “sentience nursery”. Just as what has been described to me all these years within MAJestic.

    So, please most kindly take notes. Today the earth is not considered to be a “Prison Planet”. It is considered and treated as a rehabilitation complex. And all those “abductions” and “probing” and “procedures” are good things designed to alter your prison (non-physical) bodies into a (operation gown) bodies for rehabilitation purposes.

    But what happened? What changed?

    Think people.

    If you manage to destroy a sizable number of the systems and facilities (the walls and the guard towers) of a prison, what are you going to do with all the inmates? Are you going to release them “Ghostbusters” style all at once (like what happened in the Ghostbusters movie)?

    All the spirits were released in Ghostbusters all at once.

    No.

    There are all kinds of people in the Earth Prison Planet Environment.

    Some are really innocent. Some just got caught up and imprisoned here. Others were political prisoners who were sent here. Some are terribly creative individuals who were sent here, and some are truly evil, and selfish creatures.

    So how you do sort them all out?

    And you do need to sort them all out. If you don’t you would end up polluting the entire galaxy with hordes of very evil and dangerous entities.

    You sort them.

    You sort them by sentience.

    The criteria

    So if you are going to sort consciousness by sentience, you need to filter out what you keep, what you allow to leave, and what you keep an eye on as they are almost ready to leave, just not totally there yet.

    As far as I understand, the sentience of human beings fall into the following categories…

    • Service to self (being selfish and greedy).
    • Service to another (a follower, a believer, a NPC).
    • Service to others (a member of a group of people putting them first).
    • Disjointed, confused, or emotionally, mentally sick.

    Service to Self sentience sub-types

    As best as I can tell, the subcategories of a Service to Self person are…

    • Psychopath
    • Sociopath
    • Selfish
    • Greedy
    • Narcissistic

    They get to stay in the “Sentience Nursery” / “Prison Planet” environment simply because they are too dangerous to unleash on the rest of the universe.

    Service to Another sentience sub-types

    These consciousnesses are not ready to leave yet, but they are on the way and almost ready to go. I would guess that their progression in sentience would depend on many things, most importantly is their position in any of the subcategories of this type of sentience.

    And the subcategories of a Service to other person are…

    1. Sycophants

    These are very close (if not the same as) a Service to Self sentience.

    Also known as a toady, a sycophant follower knows nothing but an advantage. All that is in his mind is nothing but a strategic plan to keep on holding on or following till he gets what he really wants or keep on maintaining the advantage he wants.
    
    More often than not the sycophant follower seems to be self-seeking and behaves like a parasite: gives nothing, yet takes.

    2. Critics

    Critics are also close to being Service to Self sentience entities.

    They are annoying, they are also motivating. The critic followers will always post, comment or say unfavorable opinions concerning a person or an organization or a political party at all times. For others it may be a very annoying process yet for some it is a learning point and adjusting method for future reference.

    3. Realists

    These are sentience’s that are caught up in the material world. They are not necessarily bad, but they still have much to learn. They need a few more cycles of “reincarnation” to straighten out their sentience.

    Here are the philosophers. The realist followers are so aware of reality and they have to let you accept it. The realist followers are always on the side of the truth, the naked truth. They will always accept the physical and most evident of circumstances and issues and they will always let the world know, and to the person or thing or group, they might be following.

    4. Loyalists

    These are close to Service to Others sentience, but not all the way there. They, for the most part, are but one reincarnation away from a Service to Others sentience.

    They are the best kind of followers, the loyalist followers. They are as loyal as dogs can be. You will likely never be disappointed by a loyal follower for they are as true and as honest. No mischief in them or cunning activities. They are loyal almost to a fault.

    5. Traitors

    These are Service to self individualists in disguise.

    Traitors are another bunch of followers that are the complete opposite of the loyal followers. These are the Judases that will betray Jesus from time to time.
    
    Traitor followers will stick by you; follow up with you as long as the weather seems as conducive to continue being with you, not forever but till that time when the first drop of rain falls and the going gets tough, then they will betray you.

    6. Spectators

    These are Service to self individualists in disguise.

    The spectator followers are always on the sideline and surely enough are careful enough not to cross it and only do so when the excitement gets too much. The spectator followers are never in the game but will make sure that you get your support.
    
    They will give you all deserving praises and belief then let you walk into the battlefield all alone.

    7. Opportunists

    These are Service to self individualists in disguise.

    They have not much of a difference from the sycophant followers or traitor followers. The opportunist follower will have no other reason for starting following other than for an advantage at some point.
    
    He or she does not have upmost loyalty. They are like a soaring eagle in the sky keenly eyeing and falling indistinctively with an end goal to capture an unaware fish or mouse.

    8. Sheep

    These sentience’s are on the path, but they need a few more cycles of reincarnation to sort out the sentience better.

    The common myths and facts suggest that sheep are the dumbest of all animals following without question or doubt, keenly observant to only beck at its master’s call and commands. And so is the sheep follower.
    
    They follow with no question, they seem so loyal, and they might be. More often than not, the sheep followers would rather follow other than making an informed and independent decision.
    
    Many associate those that blindly follow government rules or elected officials without any questions as sheep.

    9. “Yes” People

    They need a few more reincarnations to straighten out their sentience direction. They are actually “sitting on the fence” in the over all scheme of sentience selection.

    The ‘yes’ followers simply want to avoid confrontation and pleasing people is their number one priority. The ‘yes’ people follower will always find themselves in uncalled for situations since they do not take their time to think through the yes responses that they give.
    
    They are a often resentful types of people which makes them end up having following what they do not even believe in.

    10. Alienated

    They are almost at a Service to Self sentience.

    The alienated type of follower will always strive to make you feel indifferent and rather hostile. They really know how to pick their words and actions to fit well with their aim and purpose.

    11. Survivor

    These kind of sentience’s are closer to the Service to Other’s sentience, but need some time to sort things out a little better.

    Survivor followers are the most prevailing as they stick by you through hard moments and also stick by you through the good times. The survivor followers have a strong belief in you.

    12. Effective

    They are almost at a Service to Self sentience. Almost “one foot in the door”.

    Here are the kinds of followers that just really know which decisions to make in the order for you reach your intended goal. The effective followers not only follow you but also have a really good impact on your success.

    13. The Isolate(d)

    A person who is strongly leaning to a Service to Self sentience.

    The isolate(d) follower needs no cushioning. He or she acts on their own and most seemingly enjoys the following solo. He does not like crowds. The isolate follower is a lone wolf.

    14. The Bystander

    This person is solidly in the Service to another realm, and needs a few cycles to sort things out.

    The bystander follower seems like the spectator follower. He too does not necessarily take part in the course of action. In his following, he becomes the keen observant from a distance.

    15. The Participant

    This person is almost a Service to others sentience, and might end up being one entirely within this lifetime.

    Here is the jack of all spades. The participant follower is active and vibrant. He is very present and would even go the extra mile for you. He is also the type to bring fun along.

    16. The Activist

    Almost a full Service to Others sentience in this life.

    The activist follower is not just the average follower. He is the one that always follows and cares to bring about change and in most cases, the popular good is his aim.

    17. The Diehard

    Almost a full Service to Others sentience in this life.

    The diehard follower is very instinctive. Like a viper, he is ready to strike and will go down even to the bottomless pit for you. If there is one who can die for you then it is the diehard follower. Fans of the Lord of the Rings franchise would quickly identify Sam Gamgee as the diehard follower of Frodo.

    Who gets to leave and who needs to stay?

    As I understand it, the ability to leave the “Sentience Nursery” is a function of what your consciousness is.

    A service to others sentience gets to leave. At least that is how I understand it today. Obviously when the Old Empire controlled this area, no one ever got to leave it. But things are quite different now.

    A service to self sentience gets to stay. They get to relive their time in the earth habitat over and over, and over, and over until they start to feel compassion towards others and their sentience changes.

    A service to another sentience stays but is monitored. They are not yet fully developed enough to leave, but not really ready to be released. You can consider this sentience to be on various states of parole.

    Disjointed, confused, or non-settled sentience’s stays. Until they straighten out one way or the other, they must stay in this realm under supervision.

    Summary and conclusion

    The earth realm, both physical and non-physical, is a Sentience Nursery. it was initially set up as a Prison, but that has changed since the Domain started working with MAJestic. The ability to leave this environment depends on your true nature, and this is determined by your sentience.

    If you watch Rufus videos and in your heart, you think that they are suckers, idiots, or fools; then you are probably a Service to Self sentience.

    If you watch Rufus videos and in your heart, you feel emotion, joy and wish to be a helpful person, then you are a Service to Others sentience.

    If you watch a few Rufus videos but are quickly bored and find no interest in them, then you are a Service to Another sentience.

    If you watch Rufus videos and wonder about them, are curious about them, but cannot relate to the Rufus in the video, nor the people needing help, you are a disjointed sentience.

    Are you ready to take the test?

    Watch the video below. Measure your feelings and thoughts after viewing it, and use it to see what sentience that you are “leaning towards”. Sentience is not something that you can hide. It is a resonance point that is affiliated with your consciousness.

    There are no right or wrong answers. It’s a method to determine where you are at in regards to sentience and whether or now you need to reincarnate over and over again on the earth, or if you are worthy to be “altered” to permit “escape velocity” from this region.

    The sentience test.

    Grading

    If you think that She is brave and the embodiment of what a person should be, then you are a Service to Others Sentience.

    If you think that she is stupid for not trying to steal the guys wallet, then you are most certainly a Service to Self Sentience.

    If you think that she should have stood by and called the police, as she is too old, and the accident is too serious, then you are a Service to Another Sentience.

    If you don’t think anything other than this is a “stupid” and silly movie, and a waste of your time, then you are a Disjointed Sentience.

    Do you want more?

    You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

    ET Species

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
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    Fallout from the American rout in Afghanistan in August 2021, and now it’s a whole new “ballgame”

    I dedicate this article to "Nick" who asked what will the Middle East look like when China replaces the United States as the dominant nation.

    I want to take a moment and acknowledge that there is a lot of historical events going on right now.  (Sigh.) They have been covered through the various “news” outlets over and over all with various “spins” and opinions. I am sure that you are all getting tired of this. Especially for youse Americans who are (probably) just exhausted by it all.

    Yes, the pre-planned Clusterfuck in Kabul, or Bay of Pigs 2.0, or whatever shook the world as victims of 20 years of lies and death reasserted a modicum of control over their situation. The outrage and howling from the CIA-controlled media and the Establishment over Biden's correct decision is hilarious.
    
    Posted by: gottlieb | Aug 22 2021 14:11 utc | 1

    It’s been a very crazy week.

    Personally, I’ve been a tad busy, but then you have the US failure in Afghanistan. But… is it really a failure, or just a regrouping?

    The long-term optimism of China is great but the US does not care about that.  The US has not been number one at anything for a long time;  not education, literacy, healthcare, internet speed, and all the things called "human development".  At the turn of the century the U.S. ranked about 18 on the UN Human Development Index adjusted for equality.  Today it is 28.  
    
    Yet if you ask the average American what country is the best in the world, he will say the US.  The people do not even realize how far they have fallen compared to the rest of the world.  That shows how good the US propaganda system is.  The US is #1 at propaganda.  #1 in military spending too, although the technology of the weapons is declining.  #1 in obesity.  #1 in junk culture.  Yes, bread and circus to keep the masses happy works.
    
    The U.S. does not care about the development of the people.  It does not care about cooperation.  
    
    The U.S. does not care about winning wars.  Wars are the end in itself.  It is how the wealth of the people is transferred upwards.  That is why during the "War OF Terror" the U.S. has been steadily declining "when adjusted for equality" from 18 to 28. 
    
    The U.S. has not "lost" in Afghanistan, because it had nothing to lose.  Nor has the U.S. pulled out of Afghanistan.  
    
    It has just been a pivot.  
    
    CIA special activities, special forces and mercenaries are "stay behinds".  They will now regroup the mujahideen and create a civil war that will last for another 20 years.  They will also intensify direction of the mujahideen to former Russian republics, Chechnya, Xinjiang, Myanmar, Thailand, and anywhere else they can get a foothold for regime change and to attack the BRI.
    
    The US takes China and Russia's kindness as weakness.  It will take what kindness is offered and then stab the giver in the back.  The US will use whatever sabotage it can against the BRI.  
    
    America is not interested in cooperation.  
    
    The battlefield of propaganda has been well prepared for the American people.  They believe the US has many aggressive enemies, and all (illegal) US wars (of aggression) are defensive.  The vast majority believe anything from the CIA's Mighty Wurlitzer.
    
    Regards,
    
    [name withheld]

    This (mid-August 2021) was a week where the U.S. retreat from Afghanistan overshadowed everything else. That is okay as huge consequences will flow from these events. The future history books (or what ever they will use) will record these events as one of the most significant dates and contributing events that will eventually lead up to the start of the “New Beginning” of the new global order.

    And it will, as this comment foreshadows…

    When will other occupied suzerainties ask Imperialist forces to leave? 
    
    The Taliban has been fighting the Imperial forces since their occupation started. However, people in Germany, Japan, South Korea,… that have been occupied by the Imperialists over many decades do nothing. Aren’t they democracy? What does it tell about these SUZERAINTIES? What percentage of their transactions are in Imperialist’s currencies? Are you okay with imperialism? Imperialists go back!
    
    Name a democracy that isn’t a suzerainty.
    
    Will Afghanistan’s fiasco create any wave of change?
    
    Posted by: Max | Aug 22 2021 14:23 utc | 3

    Hey! What the heck is a “suzerainty”? That’s a new word for me.

    "a position of control by a sovereign or state over another state that is internally autonomous." 
    

    So, a nation can be under the control of another nation, while still having it’s own domestic laws, rules and culture. So Japan, would be under the control of the United States as a vassal state, but is still allowed to keep Japanese culture, society, laws and rules domestically. However, internationally, it must obey and do what ever the United States says.

    The USA tells Japan to join the QUAD. They join the QUAD. The USA tells them to buy USA debt. They buy USA debt. But if the girls want to wear kimonos, watch strange television, and have a giant penis festival, that’s just fine.

    So Japan is a suzerainty of the United States.

    Hey! You learn something every day.

    So it has got me to thinking. You know. I start to ponder things, and wonder about things. So, I wonder what the difference between a suzerainty and a “vassal state” is?

    Vassal state
    
    State
    A vassal state is any state that has a mutual obligation to a superior state or empire, in a status similar to that of a vassal in the feudal system in medieval Europe. 
    
    Vassal states were common among the Empires of the Near East, dating back to the era of the Egyptian, Hittite and Mitanni conflict, as well as Ancient China. 
    
    The use of vassal states continued through the middle ages, with the last Empire to use such states being the Ottoman Empire. 
    
    The relationships between vassal rulers and empires was dependent on the policies and agreements of each empire. 
    
    While payment of tribute and military service is common amongst vassal states, the degree of independence and benefits given to vassal states varied. Today, more common terms are puppet state, protectorate, client state, associated state or satellite state.
    
    -Wikipedia
    

    So, to me it appears that as a Vassal State, the controlling Empire can also dictate domestic behaviors, society and laws as it deems necessary. While a suzerainty is permitted domestic autonomy.

    We can thus think that a “suzerainty” is a subset of a “vassal state”.

    A suzerainty.

    Interesting stuff.

    It puts the entire perspective of what the world really looks like and operates into a much greater perspective. And most certainly what the United States actually is in the greater scheme of things.

    To the world at large, the United States is a big massive, bad bully. That if not “tamed” by the rest of the world, it will end up consuming it and destroying it. As stated in this video. Funny how this section was never shown on American media…

    The USA is out of control.

     

    Some haggling seems to continue today but the outcome is assured.

    Trump has something to say…

    Yada, yada, yada.

    Trump gives his two cents worth.

    Now for the “meat”…

    Big warning; long read.

    And as my articles tend to be long, expect this one to be encyclopedic. To fully understand what is transpiring in this far-away mountainous area you need to know some history. And Jeeze! There’s a lot of history.

    By the time you are 25% done reading, you should be moe informed than a full 90% of the people around you. At 50%, that number jumps to 95%, and at the end of this article, you will be more informed than 99.99999% of those around you.

    Such a responsibility!

    Do you want this level of understanding?

    We will avoid all the great pilliages of the Genghis Khan and the Persions and all the rest, and we will start when the UK British Empire decided to annex the region as a Vassal State.

    Then we will explore how the Soviet Union Empire decided to annex the region as a Vassal State.

    And finally, we will explore how the United States Military Empire decided to annes the region as a Vassal State.

    Long read. As I said.

    So first, some history…

    The usual disclaimers apply. Content edited for this venue all credit to the original authors, etc.

    Britain’s first war in Afghanistan: what happened and why?

    HistoryEXTRA

    Britain’s first war in Afghanistan took place in the Victorian era, beginning in 1839. Historian William Dalrymple explores the conflict in conversation with Rob Attar, in a piece first published in 2013, and discusses what parallels can be drawn with the fighting in recent years

    The First Anglo-Afghan War: what happened?

    Concerned that Russia was expanding its influence in the region, Britain invaded Afghanistan in 1839, ousting ruler Dost Mohammad and replacing him with Shah Shuja, who had been king from 1803–10.

    Insurrections later broke out, compelling the British garrison to flee Kabul. Believing they had been promised safe passage, a large contingent of British and Indian forces attempted a retreat in January 1842, but were ambushed by Afghan troops, leading to the deaths of around 18,000 soldiers. Abandoned in Kabul, Shah Shuja was killed.

    British forces managed to recapture Kabul later that year and elsewhere laid waste to the countryside but eventually decided to pull out of the country altogether. Dost Mohammad returned to Kabul in 1843 and his dynasty would remain in power until the 1970s.

    William Dalrymple, author of Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan, discusses the First Anglo-Afghan War in conversation with Rob Attar

    How does your book change our understanding of the First Anglo-Afghan War?

    It is one of those old chestnuts that’s already got a shelf-and-a-half of books written about it. So it seemed the only point of dedicating four years to this was to try to completely rewrite the story, obviously with a view to seeing it in the light of what is going on now, but more specifically trying to cover both sides of the story, which has never been done before. To date, not one book on the war has used a single Afghan source. Everything we have is entirely from the British side.

    The British Experience.

    I did several trips to Afghanistan to search out more sources and by the end I had nine full-length Afghan accounts of the war. What emerged from them was that the war had a completely different dramatis personae and a more fractured regional make-up than the British seemed to be aware of. They saw an undifferentiated wall of bigoted bearded Afghans coming towards them but in reality the resistance was divided by tribe, ethnic group and language.

    My most exciting find was the autobiography of Shah Shuja. He had been written off by the British and Afghan nationalists as a weak and hopeless guy, but I think he was wonderful. He was a poet, civilised and immensely likeable. He just didn’t have military luck ever in his career.

    The British Experience.

    Astonishingly he was from the same sub-tribe, the Popalzai, as current Afghan president Hamid Karzai. We’ve put the same guy in twice! And he was brought down by the Ghilzai who today make up the foot soldiers of the Taliban. This is the same tribal war, continuing under slightly different flags, 170 years later.

    Has your research changed your view of the First Anglo-Afghan War’s origins?

    The account I give is subtly, but not completely, changed from previous versions. The basic reason for the British invasion was a blown-up fear of Russian intervention and here there are parallels, oddly enough, with the war in Iraq, with a ‘dodgy dossier’. A group of hawks manipulated intelligence to exaggerate a threat that didn’t exist in reality as substantially as they thought it did.

    There was this episode when a young great gamer, Sir Henry Rawlinson, was riding through Persia to join the Shah of Persia’s camp in the north-west of the country. One night Rawlinson found himself in the very dodgy borderlands between Persia and Afghanistan and, just as dawn was breaking, he witnessed a party of horsemen coming down the valley towards him. He saw that they were Russian Cossacks heading in the direction of the Afghan border. He headed them off at the top of the pass and found them eating their breakfast.

    There was a young Russian officer who refused to talk to him in Russian, Persian or French but agreed to chat in Jagatai Turkish. He told Rawlinson he was on his way to the Persian camp so Rawlinson rode straight there to see the Shah. The Shah said that the Russians were nothing to do with him but were going to open diplomatic relations with Dost Mohammad in Kabul.

    This was the yellowcake of its day [in 2002, it was claimed that Saddam Hussein had been trying to obtain yellowcake uranium to develop weapons of mass destruction]. For 30 years hawks had been worrying about Russia moving towards Afghanistan and there was this whole literature already in London about Russia taking Afghanistan then sweeping down the Khyber and expelling the British from India. There was no evidence for this at all until this chance discovery.

    There was this new governor general, Lord Auckland, who had inherited a group of belligerently hawkish and Russophobic advisors, led by the hopeless William Macnaghten. They ignored the advice of the one British official in India who really knew Afghanistan, Alexander Burnes. He was sending despatches saying that Dost Mohammad wanted to ally with the British rather than the Russians, but they didn’t listen and advised Auckland to oust Dost Mohammad and bring in what they described as the ‘ousted legitimate ruler’ Shah Shuja.

    How did the British fare in the early military operations?

    The war followed the same trajectory as the current conflict. Everyone warned that it would be catastrophically difficult, but in fact they conquered the country almost instantly with minimal casualties. Then you had, as happened in 2001, the government crowing that they’d seen off the naysayers and it was going to be easy.

    For the first year it did seem to be so.

    The Afghans were very friendly and their noblemen went hunting, did amateur theatricals and played cricket with the British. But slowly it began to unravel, from Helmand, working northwards. There was more and more resistance until the British found themselves surrounded in Kabul without any control of the countryside around it. Again, it was exactly the same as the situation today.

    The British Experience.

    Where did this resistance come from?

    Here my interpretation is different from that of the British. They assumed that the Afghans were rising up against Shah Shuja as much as themselves but it’s quite clear that a lot of the resistance was from irritated royalists who wanted Shah Shuja to shed his allegiance to the British. They thought the British were abusing agreements he’d made with them, which was indeed the case.

    The initial idea had been that Shah Shuja would be given rule and the British would just help him enforce it, but, rather like with the tensions between Karzai and the British and Americans, increasingly the British got irritated with their own puppet and tried to bully him or take unilateral action. Macnaghten and Burnes gradually despaired of ever running Shah Shuja effectively and just took control of Afghanistan themselves.

    What we get very clearly from Afghan sources is the motivations of individual leaders, which were all quite different. Abdullah Khan Achakzai was a young aristocrat whose girlfriend was seduced by Burnes, so for him it was a personal slight. He made a wonderful speech the night before the rebellion saying: “We have to put a stop right here and now, otherwise these English will ride the donkey of their desires into the field of stupidity, to the point of having us all arrested and deported into foreign imprisonment.”

    Aminullah Khan Logari was a self-made man who had worked his way up for over 60 years of service. He was treated very peremptorily by a young British official who threw him off his lands. It was people such as Logari and Achakzai who kicked the whole thing off. They called everyone to arms and, within a few days, 50,000 had gathered in Kabul to fight the British.

    The British Experience.

    Did the British just retreat then?

    There were two quite substantial battles that they lost through their incompetence and then they retreated. It was during the retreat under the promise of safekeeping that they got shot down. The East India Company at the time still used the Brown Bess musket, which was great in a flat European field like Waterloo but couldn’t fire long distances or uphill. The Afghans had these clumsy big jezails that took an hour to load but nonetheless could fire a mile downhill and were perfect for mountain warfare.

    How did the British allow this catastrophe to happen?

    It was quite fantastically incompetent British leadership. As well as Burnes and Macnaghten, who were always at each other’s necks, there was this gout-ridden old general called William Elphinstone who hadn’t seen action since the battle of Waterloo and was an invalid. On the first morning of the revolt he tried to get on his horse, which fell on top of him and he was more or less out of the action from there. By their own indecision and hopelessness the British lost the war very quickly. They lost all their food and ammunition within about 48 hours and it was only a matter of time before they had to retreat.

    Was it a political or military decision to pull out of the country altogether?

    Retreat was inevitable once they’d lost their food and ammunition, so that was a military decision. The Kabul garrison was wiped out but there were others surviving in Jalalabad and Kandahar. They were reinforced and the following spring they returned and laid waste to southern Afghanistan.

    This army of retribution committed war crimes on a grand scale, raping and murdering women and children.

    The British Experience.

    After that, the decision to pull out was an economic one and this is also true of the later conflicts. Resistance can be defeated but only at huge cost, because the country is so diffused and the geography makes it so difficult. Plus there is no way of defraying the cost of the occupation. If you invade Iraq you can take the oil, or in the Punjab you can tax the rich, fertile land, but the entire tax revenue of Afghanistan never paid then and doesn’t pay now even a fraction of the cost of occupation.

    How might your book inform policy makers today?

    I do think there’s a huge amount to be learned from the Afghan version of events. It gives a precision into understanding the resistance, which has been lacking to date.

    The story of the First Anglo-Afghan War provides clear warnings about the dangers of being trapped in Kabul, surrounded and with no allies, having fallen out with the people you put into power.

    The problem is that each generation fails to learn these lessons.

    George Lawrence was one of the troops taken hostage during the retreat and so survived to write his memoirs. He saw history repeating itself in the 1870s with the Second Anglo-Afghan War and he roused himself to write a letter to The Times. He said:

    “A new generation has arisen, which instead of profiting from the solemn lessons of the past, is willing and eager to embroil us in the affairs of that turbulent and unhappy country… The disaster of the retreat from Kabul should stand forever as a warning to the statesmen of the future not to repeat the policies that bore such butter fruit in 1839–42.”

    He wasn’t listened to in 1870, and this is now the fourth lost Afghan war.

    William Dalrymple is an award-winning writer and historian based in India. His books include The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company (Bloomsbury, 2019), Koh-i-Noor: The History of the World’s Most Infamous Diamond, co-authored with Anita Anand (Bloomsbury, 2017) and Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan (Bloomsbury, 2014) 
    
    This article was first published in the February 2013 issue of BBC History Magazine

    So what the heck is going on?

    Lessons of the Soviet Withdrawal from Afghanistan

    Middle East Policy Council

    After Soviet forces withdrew from Afghanistan in 1988-89, the regime it was defending there fell. This experience contributes to present fears that, if America withdraws from Afghanistan, the regime it is defending will also fall. A closer look at Soviet and Russian actions between 1988 and 1992, though, suggests that this need not have been the result then — and that it need not be the result of an American withdrawal now either.

    The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in December 1979 to prop up the Marxist regime that had come to power the previous year but which appeared to be on the verge of collapse.

    Unlike the Soviet invasions of Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968, however, Soviet forces encountered prolonged resistance that they were unable to defeat.

    In order to promote his goals of domestic reform and improving Moscow’s relations with the West, Gorbachev withdrew Soviet forces from Afghanistan (which he had termed a “bleeding wound”) between May 1988 and February 1989.

    Russians in Afghanistan.

    At the time, it was widely predicted that the Marxist regime Moscow had been supporting in Afghanistan would fall within a few months — or even weeks — of the final departure of Soviet forces.

    The regime of President Najibullah, however, survived until April 1992, over three years after the Soviet withdrawal.

    Several factors contributed to the regime’s longevity, including the continuation of Soviet military and economic assistance, the mistakes made by some of the mujahideen (the Afghan forces that had fought against the Soviet occupation) as well as their Pakistani supporters, divisions among the various mujahideen groups, and the Najibullah regime’s successful exploitation of these problems.

    After the downfall of Gorbachev and of the Soviet Union itself in December 1991, though, Moscow’s assistance to Najibullah ended.

    Without this assistance, Najibullah was unable to continue effectively exploiting the weaknesses of his adversaries. Instead, they were able to exploit his, and so his regime fell. This paper will examine how Moscow’s actions helped Najibullah survive but then contributed to his downfall, as well as how Moscow’s actions affected the other factors influencing the fortunes of the Afghan Marxist regime.

    Russians in Afghanistan.

    1989-91: Soviet Support for Kabul Continues

    Although the Soviet troop presence in Afghanistan ended in February 1989, large-scale Soviet military and economic assistance to its Marxist protégés there continued.

    As Soviet troops withdrew, they left behind literally all their matériel except for the vehicles needed to transport them back over the border. In addition, as Soviet forces withdrew from Eastern Europe following the downfall of communist regimes there in late 1989, some of this weaponry was transferred to Afghanistan.

    From early 1989 to late 1991, Soviet assistance to Kabul reportedly amounted to $300 million per month. Perhaps this is not a large figure by today’s standards, but it was a much greater amount than the mujahideen were receiving after the Soviet withdrawal, and was a considerable financial burden on the economically beleaguered USSR.

    Weaponry that Moscow supplied to Kabul included MiG- 27 fighter jets (the Afghan Marxist regime had an air force with some 200 aircraft plus helicopters). In addition, as Zalmay Khalilzad (whom President George W. Bush appointed as special presidential envoy for Afghanistan and then U.S. ambassador to Kabul) noted in 1991,

    Moscow has provided more than thirteen hundred Scud-B missiles, hundreds of shorter range Frogs, several hundred tanks, and sixteen hundred five-ton trucks. To keep Kabul supplied, the Soviets launched the biggest air supply effort in its history, sending some twenty-five or more IL-76 transport planes to Kabul each day for much of 1989 (Khalilzad 1991, 82-83).

    Indeed, all this was reportedly more than the Marxist regime could effectively use. To help them, though, Moscow left behind about 300 advisers, some of whom reportedly participated in the firing of the Scud missiles at mujahideen targets. (In addition to a regular army of 55,000 men, the Kabul regime also had the support of a 10,000-strong presidential guard and various militias, including an especially effective one raised and led by the ethnic Uzbek leader, General Abdul Rashid Dostum.)

    When the Soviets withdrew, much of the anti-foreign-presence motivation for many Afghans to fight with the mujahideen disappeared.

    A mujahideen group.

    Indeed, some mujahideen groups themselves appeared tainted for being so very close to Pakistan. Soviet assistance also allowed Kabul to effectively compete with Pakistan and the various mujahideen groups based there in paying off local commanders and tribal leaders inside Afghanistan.

    While Pakistan tied its support to various mujahideen groups not only to whether or not they fought against Kabul but whether they did so in the manner specified by the ISI, Kabul gave support to various groups just in exchange for not fighting against it. As Khalilzad noted at the time, “Najib’s offer is more attractive than ISI’s; while ISI wants it clients to fight and risk their lives, Najib is willing to pay if the commanders agree not to fight” (Khalilzad 1991, 81).

    Russians in Afghanistan.

    Further, the groups Pakistan supported were not always effective. In March 1989, some 15,000 Pakistani-backed mujahideen forces attacked the town of Jalalabad. Their unwillingness to accept prisoners, though, meant that the defending government forces had strong motivation to fight on. Although the mujahideen laid siege to the town, the Kabul government was able to resupply and reinforce its garrison by air, launch a counterattack, and break the siege by mid-May 1989. This was a major humiliation for Pakistan and its allies.

    In addition to military assistance, though, Moscow provided Kabul with key economic assistance. As mujahideen forces approached Kabul and interrupted the supply of food and other consumer goods into the city, the Soviets airlifted these commodities to the Afghan capital.

    At Moscow’s urging, the Kabul regime attempted to broaden the basis of its support by downplaying its Marxist nature, appointing non-Marxists to visible positions and trying to appeal to nationalism.

    According to contemporary accounts, though, these efforts were not particularly successful, as the Marxist regime — especially President Najibullah — was extremely unpopular with the Afghan population. Indeed, while outwardly broadening the base of the regime, it appears that Najibullah actually narrowed it by increasing reliance on his hard-core supporters.

    But while Najibullah and his regime lacked popular support, the mujahideen themselves frequently provided Afghans with strong incentive either to support the Marxist regime or to see it as the lesser of two evils. The mujahideen’s efforts to impose an economic blockade on Kabul as well as their periodically shelling it did nothing to endear them to the citizens of the capital.

    Even worse, when the mujahideen captured the town of Khost in March 1991, they not only looted it but killed all the government forces they had captured instead of holding them prisoner. This action not only created fear in other towns; it also made clear to irresolute government forces that defecting to the mujahideen was probably not an option for them.

    A mujahideen group.

    Mujahideen groups also fought among themselves, and this was something that the Marxist government was able to exploit. As was noted in the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Strategic Survey 1989-1990,

    …by early 1990, although the mujahideen continued to control the bulk of the countryside, most of them had in effect ceased being mujahideen, in the sense that they were no longer fighting against the central government, but were instead attempting to work out compromises with Kabul which would ensure their local power, particularly against their former fellow comrades in arms. 
    
    Most local commanders had reverted to the traditional relationship between local powers and a weak central state that has shaped Afghan history since the eighteenth century. 
    
    The central state is seen less as an enemy than as a referee which can help to promote the interests of the local group. 
    
    This development was expected to play a decisive role after the collapse of the Najibullah regime, not before. 
    
    That it has come into play so soon is a result of the unexpected adroitness of the regime, aided by the ineffectiveness of US-Pakistan policies (IISS 1990, 160).

    At the time, Khalilzad seemed to suggest that the Afghan Marxist regime might even come out on top in the ongoing conflict, when he noted that the Kabul regime “…is likely to increase its efforts to reach out to make deals with commanders and the supporters of the former king at the expense of the majority of the Peshawar-based leadership. Should it succeed, it can reduce the fighting in the country” (Khalilzad 1991, 84).

    1992: Russian Support Ends

    But, of course, the Afghan Marxist regime did fall in April 1992. Once again, Russian actions appear to have played a key role in bringing this about.

    Shortly after the failed August 1991 coup attempt in Moscow and under very different political circumstances, Moscow and Washington agreed to stop aiding their respective Afghan allies as of January 1, 1992.

    Not only did Moscow end its arms supply to Kabul, but it also stopped providing it with food and fuel. By contrast, although Pakistan had agreed to stop aiding the mujahideen, Saudi aid to them via Pakistan continued.

    Shortly after this in February 1992, Najibullah (a Pushtun) apparently tried to bolster his authority over the Uzbek militia chieftain Dostum by appointing a fellow Pushtun as a commander in the northwestern Uzbek heartland.

    But if this was his intention, it backfired in April 1992, when Dostum defected from the government and joined forces with long-time anti-Soviet Tajik mujahideen commander Ahmad Shah Massoud (whose relationship with both Pakistan and the Pushtun mujahideen groups it supported was adversarial). Non-Pushtun forces from the north and Pushtun forces from the south then rushed to capture Kabul, with the Marxist regime splitting along ethnic lines and either joining forces or making deals with their ethnic kin.

    Najibullah resigned and sought sanctuary inside the UN compound in Kabul after his attempt to reach the airport was blocked (by his erstwhile ally Dostum, according to some).

    The Islamic State of Afghanistan was declared, but the mujahideen remained divided.

    After a short, sharp battle for control of Kabul, the Dostum-Massoud alliance prevailed over their Pushtun opponents, for the time being. Russia appeared to play no role in these events.

    Conclusions from the Russian Experience

    Six observations can be made about the events described here:

    First, even after the withdrawal of Soviet forces was completed in February 1989, Soviet military and economic assistance enabled an unpopular regime to remain in power in Afghanistan — at least, in the major population centers — for over three years.

    Second, despite continuing to receive significant aid from Pakistan and other nations, the mujahideen were unable to overthrow the Afghan Marxist regime so long as that regime was receiving significant aid from the Soviet Union.

    Third, opposition to the Afghan Marxist regime appeared to decline after Soviet troops withdrew. Further, while they had not performed effectively during the period of Soviet occupation, the effectiveness of Afghan government forces increased significantly after the Soviet withdrawal.

    Fourth, after Soviet assistance to Kabul ended at the beginning of 1992, the Afghan Marxist regime’s strength declined rapidly.

    Fifth, the collapse of the regime in April 1992, though, was not due just (or perhaps even mainly) to the actions of the Pakistani-backed Pushtun mujahideen. Indeed, the immediate downfall of the regime was precipitated by the defection of the previously pro-regime Uzbek militia leader, Dostum, to the side of the non-Pushtun opposition to the regime.

    Sixth, as the collapse of the regime approached, the most salient division in Afghanistan was not Marxist vs. Islamist, but Pushtun vs. non-Pushtun.

    History, of course, is not destined to repeat itself. These six observations from the 1989-92 period, however, may have salience for the present as well as the short- and medium-term future. They suggest the following:

    First, even after the withdrawal of ISAF forces is completed by the end of 2014, American and allied military and economic assistance to the current less-than-popular Karzai government may enable it to remain in power in the major population centers.

    Second, the Taliban are not destined to return to power, despite the likelihood that they will continue to receive Pakistani assistance so long as the Kabul government continues to receive significant aid from America and its coalition partners.

    Third, opposition to the Karzai government may actually decline after the American and coalition withdrawal. Once they are responsible for their own survival, the effectiveness of Afghan government forces may quickly increase.

    Fourth, if American and allied support for it ends, the Kabul government’s strength is highly likely to decline rapidly.

    Fifth, under these circumstances, ethnic divisions within the Kabul government leadership are likely to become exacerbated. It is highly likely that the non-Pushtun officer corps would seek to oust the Pushtun president, Hamid Karzai, and his entourage.

    Sixth, even if (indeed, especially if) the Taliban manage to seize control of Kabul once again, the most salient division within Afghanistan is once again likely to be Pushtun vs. non-Pushtun.

    Well that was pretty dry and scholarly…

    And yeah. That’s what it was.

    Real events are colorful, painful, full of joy and sadness. They are visceral.  Here’s a far better explanation…

    Afghanistan: The Soviet Union’s War in Vietnam

    By William Stroock

    In late 1979, the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan was torn apart by a civil war pitting the weak Communist government of Hafizullah Amin against several moderate and fundamentalist Muslim rebel armies.

    The war had been brought about by Amin’s incompetence and corruption, his vicious program of political repression, the massacre of entire village populations, and a ham-handed agrarian “reform” program that disenfranchised tribal leaders.

    He followed the very exactly same mistakes as the Americans and the South Vietnamese did back in the 1960's.

    Fearing that Amin would be defeated and replaced by a government of Muslim fundamentalists or—even worse—pro-American intellectuals, the Soviet Union launched an invasion on Christmas Eve aimed at removing Amin and replacing him with a more reliable strongman.

    To pave the way for the invasion, Soviet advisers with the Afghan Army tricked their clients into incapacitating themselves.

    In one case, the Soviets told an Afghan armored unit that new tanks were about to be delivered but that, due to shortages, the gas in the old tanks would have to be siphoned out. The Afghans obligingly siphoned gas out of their tanks, rendering them useless.

    In another instance, Soviet advisers told an Afghan unit to turn over all their ammunition for inspection, something that likewise was done without question.

    Sneaky. Very sneaky.

    A Former Prime Minister Declares Himself President

    By the time the first Soviet transport planes landed at Kabul airport carrying elements of the 103rd Guards Airborne Division, the Afghan Army was largely incapable of fighting back.

    On December 27, the Soviet 5th Motorized Rifle Division rolled across the borders toward Herat, Shindahd, and Kandahar, while the 108th Motorized Rifle Division drove on Kabul.

    The 201st Motorized Rifle Division advanced toward Kunduz.

    That same day, Soviet troops captured the Kabul radio station and attacked the presidential palace, killing Amin.

    December 27, 2019
    
    By Frud Bezhan
    
    KABUL — Afghanistan’s communist President Hafizullah Amin was lying unconscious in his bed.
    
    A KGB agent who had infiltrated Amin’s staff as a cook had poisoned the president and his ministers during lunch at the Tajbeg presidential palace in Kabul.
    
    It was December 27, 1979.
    
    Two Soviet doctors, unaware of the KGB plot, worked desperately to revive Amin at the palace. His ministers were rushed to a military hospital.
    
    “The doctors put tubes through his nose and mouth to pump his stomach,” Faqir Mohammad Faqir, the interior minister, who had rushed to the palace, tells RFE/RL. “When his stomach was cleaned out, the doctors took him to the bathroom. For 30 minutes they poured cold water over him.”
    
    After four long hours, Amin gradually regained consciousness. Still groggy, he muttered to Faqir, one of his most trusted men, to go to the nearby Defense Ministry building.
    
    A few hours later, the Afghan president was lying in bed in his underpants when scores of KGB special forces stormed the presidential palace, killing Amin and his family members amid fierce clashes. Soviet forces also seized key government buildings and military installations in Kabul in a coordinated attack.
    
    Moscow considered Amin, who had studied in the United States, an unpredictable ally. Some in the Kremlin suspected he had attempted to forge links with Washington. Meanwhile, his penchant for using brutal methods to crush his rivals fueled growing opposition to communist rule in Afghanistan.
    
    Moscow installed Babrak Karmal, a rival communist leader, as president the next day. Thousands of Soviet troops and hundreds of planes and tanks crossed into Afghanistan in the following days.
    
    The invasion was the start of a devastating, decade-long Soviet occupation that would set Afghanistan on a path for decades of conflict.
    
    “The Soviet invasion was the worst day for Afghans,” says the 86-year-old Faqir as he trudges through the empty halls of the Tajbeg Palace, which is now being reconstructed. “It was the darkest day,” he adds. “The most miserable day for Afghans. The misery that started that day continues until today.”
    
    ‘So Much Firing’
    
    When Faqir arrived at the Defense Ministry, army chief Yaqub Khan was at a meeting with several Soviet military advisers in his office.
    
    After greeting the guests, Faqir turned to sit down on a couch, when there was a burst of gunfire. He dashed to an adjacent room to take cover.
    
    “After a few moments, Yaqub Khan entered the room and fell on the bed,” Faqir says. “He had been shot twice and seriously wounded.”
    
    Minutes later, Khan died.
    
    Drenched in Khan’s blood, Faqir grabbed his handgun and aimed it at the door.
    
    “There was so much firing that you couldn’t hear anything,” Faqir says, retelling the story as he slowly trudges through the National Museum, which back then housed the Defense Ministry. “The [Soviets] were throwing hand grenades, firing rockets, and using Kalashnikovs.”
    
    ‘They Look Like Russians’
    
    Khan’s secretary, Dawlat Waziri, was sitting at his desk at the Defense Ministry building when the shooting erupted.
    
    “I got up, grabbed my Kalashnikov, and I opened the window,” says Waziri, who was then 26 years old. “I saw that there was gunfire coming from down there, so I fired a few rounds.”
    
    Waziri says the attackers were wearing “yellow uniforms and woolen hats.” “I thought to myself, ‘They look like Russians,'” he says.
    
    He then stormed into Khan’s office where, he says, he saw a Soviet translator shoot his boss.
    
    Waziri rushed out the door and into the hallway. He spotted a Soviet soldier and dashed to take cover. “Before I could fire, he fired at me,” he says. “A bullet struck my wrist. I dropped my Kalashnikov. Then another bullet struck me in the stomach and one in my right leg.”
    
    Waziri stumbled into a nearby room. A grenade landed nearby, smashing the door and setting it on fire.
    
    He was cornered.
    
    “I thought for a second, ‘Why did the Russians fire at me?'” Waziri recalls. “Just then, they were about to throw a second grenade. So, I opened the window and jumped out.”
    
    Waziri broke his legs and shattered his hip in the jump from the second floor.
    
    He passed out.
    
    ‘Shots Were Fired’
    
    Before the attack, hundreds of Soviet paratroopers — members of the Soviet Army’s Muslim Battalion — and KGB special forces had surrounded the palace, taking cover in the heavy snow.
    
    The KGB forces stormed the palace while the Soviet troops provided a ring of security around the building.
    
    “Our job was to neutralize any reinforcements that came to Amin’s aid,” Vytas Luksys, a former Soviet paratrooper from Lithuania, tells RFE/RL.
    
    “It was dark,” recalls Luksys in the capital, Vilnius. “There wasn’t much time to think about what was happening where. We had to focus on carrying out our orders. We heard that shots were fired, but we couldn’t pay much attention to it.”
    
    The KGB special forces, most of them in sportswear or plainclothes, went floor to floor battling the Presidential Guard and members of Amin’s family.
    
    No reinforcements came to Amin’s help, much to Luksys’s relief. “I don’t know how I would have fared,” he says. “We had very little experience with night-vision devices, guns, and machine guns.”
    
    Within hours, the battle was over. Over 200 Afghans were killed and over 1,000 surrendered. Declassified KGB files said over 100 Soviet personnel were also killed in the fierce clashes.
    
    Amin is believed to have died of gunshot wounds.
    
    All his male relatives at the Tajbeg Palace were either killed in the clashes or executed. His wife, daughter, and grandchildren were sent to prison.
    
    ‘It Was Better To Die’
    
    Faqir had been holed up inside one of Khan’s personal rooms for seven hours when he heard a colleague’s voice. “He said, ‘If anyone is in the room he should put down his weapon and come out,'” he says. “He was my friend, so I decided to come out.”
    
    When Faqir came out he was handcuffed by Soviet troops. “That was when I realized that the Soviets had attacked us,” he says. “I shouldn’t have left the room. I didn’t want to surrender. It would have been better to die.”
    
    Soviet forces whisked Faqir away to their military headquarters. He was sentenced to death and transferred to Pul-e Charkhi, the notorious prison outside Kabul where Amin was alleged to have sent thousands to their deaths.
    
    Waziri, meanwhile, woke up in an operating room in the hospital the day after the invasion.
    
    “I was piled up along with the dead bodies,” Waziri says. “When they realized I was still alive, they took me to the operating room in the hospital.” He would be in the hospital for 13 months recovering from his wounds.
    
    Afterward, Waziri served as an officer in the Soviet-backed Afghan army.
    
    Luksys visited the Tajbeg Palace the next morning to find scenes of destruction. “It was a big beautiful palace that had been turned into a mess,” he says. “There were beautiful carpets. Furniture, tables, intricate stucco, very pretty chandeliers.”
    
    “There was blood, but no dead bodies by that time,” Luksys recalls.
    
    After the storming of the palace, Soviet forces wrapped the bodies of Amin and his family members in carpets and buried them in unmarked graves.
    
    Their bodies have never been found.
    
    ‘Biggest Betrayal’
    
    The element of surprise was key to the Soviet Union’s lightning seizure of Kabul.
    
    The Soviet decision to topple Amin was a shock, including to the Kabul regime, which had forged close ties with Moscow since communists seized power after a bloody coup in 1978.
    
    “The Soviets committed the biggest betrayal,” Faqir says. “We had a brotherly relationship. We had no idea that the Russians would attack us.”
    
    Faqir was released from prison in 1989 after the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, having served 10 years and three months.
    
    Luksys served two years in the Soviet Army before leaving in 1981.
    
    Military Quagmire
    
    The events of December 27, 1979 would have a lasting effect, unleashing a four-decade war that has yet to end.
    
    The Soviet Army soon got bogged down in a costly military quagmire against the mujahedin, the U.S.-backed Islamist rebels.
    
    The Soviet Union pulled its troops out of Afghanistan in 1989 after an estimated 2 million Afghans and at least 15,000 Soviet soldiers had been killed. Millions of other Afghans were displaced, living mainly as refugees in Pakistan and Iran.
    
    The mujahedin toppled the communist regime from power in 1992. But within months, a devastating civil war erupted among the warring mujahedin factions, paving the way for the rise of the Taliban.
    
    By then, the Soviet Union no longer existed.

    In a radio address broadcast from the Soviet Union, former prime minister Babrak Karmal, who had been handpicked by Soviet authorities, declared himself president.

    Russian map of attack.

    The DRA army had an impressive strength on paper, numbering 13 infantry divisions and 22 independent brigades.

    There were also 40 separate regiments.

    This force was composed of at least 70 percent conscripts, including thousands of men who had been rounded up by government press-gangs and forced to serve in the army.

    What few volunteers there were usually became junior and noncommissioned officers. Despite the press gangs and financial incentives to volunteer, DRA army units were badly under strength, sometimes by as much as 40 percent.

    The army was decimated by desertions and riddled with mujahideen spies. Supplementing the army was the KHAD, or secret police, numbering 100,000 men.

    Hope for Stabilizing the Region Was Failing

    Soviet planners had hoped that the invasion and coup would stabilize the situation enough for the DRA army to take control.

    In fact, their strong-armed tactics devastated morale in the Afghan Army and led to further desertions and defections.

    Even worse, enraged mujahideen took to the field and engaged Soviet forces in open battle outside Kandahar, in Jalalabad, and along the Salang highway.

    After the Soviets’ massive firepower overwhelmed them, the mujahideen retreated into the mountains along the Afghan border and switched to guerrilla-style tactics.

    The Soviets followed.

    The Red Army deliberately waged war on Afghan civilians and drove them over the border into Pakistan. By doing so, they hoped to deny the mujahideen local support and a native population to hide among.

    In 1980, the Soviets mounted a large-scale offensive into the Kunar Valley that resulted in the expulsion of nearly all of the valley’s 150,000 residents.

    A similar offensive was undertaken to the south in the Sultani Valley. Supporting these Soviet attacks were clearing operations south of Kabul and around Kandahar that destroyed dozens of villages. Similar operations were launched throughout the country in 1981, but with little long-term success.

    Guerrilla Attacks and Civilian Casualties

    In the face of the Soviet onslaught, mujahideen forces retreated into the mountains or melted into a population made friendly by repeated Soviet and Afghan Army atrocities.

    When the mujahideen did come out and fight, they subjected Soviet forces to a constant stream of guerrilla attacks.

    DRA troops were no match for the mujahideen. In daring assaults in April and September of 1981, the mujahideen temporarily seized Kandahar from DRA forces and left only after the Soviet Air Force bombed them.

    Compounding anti-Soviet sentiment brought about by the Red Army’s complete disregard for Afghan civilian casualties was the brutality of the common Soviet soldiers, who regularly took out their frustration on the Afghan populace.

    An Afghan farmer passing through a Soviet roadblock could count upon his valuables being stolen and his wife being raped. Mounted Soviet troops seemed to take great joy in shooting at Afghans along the road. Soviet advisers, officers, and NCOs treated their Afghan proxies with contempt.

    The frustration of the Soviet fighting man was easy to understand.

    Soviet soldiers were conscripts who often received only three weeks of basic training before being sent to savage Afghanistan.

    Once there, a new recruit was bullied by veteran soldiers and brutal NCOs. Soldiers were badly paid, ill fed and clothed, and lived in tents.

    Many soldiers found relief from their situation in the form of the opium or locally produced alcohol. Hungry conscripts sometimes traded their weapons to the Afghans for food. Fevers and infections caused by unsanitary camp conditions decimated thousands of Soviet recruits.

    Hills Swarming With Mujahideen

    Despite the Soviets’ various campaigns of annihilation, the hills outside the major Afghan cities were swarming with mujahideen.

    Soviet army units were confined to their bases and traveled only on the main roads.

    Traveling at night in anything other than a large convoy was suicidal.

    The Soviets, like their American counterparts in Vietnam, were heavily reliant on helicopters for movement through the hostile countryside. Also mirroring the American approach in Southeast Asia, the Soviets used only a bare fraction of their military might, refusing to delegate more men and material than were absolutely necessary.

    They even went so far as to call the 40th Army in Afghanistan a “limited contingent of forces.”

    By 1981, the mujahideen numbered as many as 150,000 fighters organized into seven main Sunni Islam parties.

    Three Islamic fundamentalist organizations had roots reaching back to the 1960s, and a fourth group formed in 1982 to serve as an umbrella organization and raise money for the cause throughout the Islamic world. There were also three “moderate” parties.

    These were formed after the 1978 coup, and although not as radical as the other four groups, they were still Muslim organizations. There were also three smaller Shiite groups with ties to Iran.

    Excellent Fighters, but Poor Soldiers

    The average mujahideen fighter was an illiterate farmer or herder. Although they were excellent fighters, mujahideen tended to be poor soldiers.

    They disliked field craft, were reluctant to crawl even when under fire, and were often unwilling to conduct sabotage missions, as these were not seen as glorious and honorable.

    They were terrified of Soviet land mines, which often maimed rather than killed—the former being considered a fate worse than death.

    Mujahideen saw firearms as a status symbol, and most were excellent shots. They took great pride in their centuries of tribal warfare and raiding, and consequently they believed that they had little to learn from Pakistani and Western advisers about how to fight a modern superpower.

    In 1982, the closest thing the mujahideen had to a central command was the Afghan Bureau of the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence agency, or ISI.

    Led by General Mohammed Yousaf, the Afghan Bureau operated numerous training camps in the border area, provided advisers from the Pakistani Army, and funneled supplies to the mujahideen.

    These were provided by the American Central Intelligence Agency, which bought weapons from sellers all over the world, including China, Egypt, and, ironically, Israel, which sold equipment it had captured during the various Arab-Israeli wars.

    The Afghan Bureau also tried to coordinate mujahideen attacks. This inevitably led to conflicts.

    Afghan leaders were interested in disrupting Soviet supply lines and sabotaging infrastructure, while mujahideen commanders wanted to engage Soviet troops in open combat.

    Still, some highly valuable and successful attacks were carried out. In one bold raid, mujahideen fighters loyal to Ahmad Shah Massoud fought their way onto Bagram Air Base, attacked Soviet barracks packed with sleeping troops, and hit the airstrip, destroying 23 aircraft.

    They then retreated to their bases in the nearby Panjshir Valley.

    Ahmad Shah Massoud

    In the aftermath of the airport raid, the Soviets launched a massive counteroffensive against the Panjshir Valley designed to destroy mujahideen forces and install permanent DRA army garrisons there.

    The Panjshir Valley juts out from the Hindu Kush, pointing like a dagger at Kabul and Bagram Air Base.

    The Salang highway, the road over which 90 percent of the Soviets’ supplies were carried, went right past the valley entrance.

    Running through the valley is the Panjshir River. The banks were dotted with villages, farms, and vineyards. Dozens of canyons were home to small, isolated villages. At the beginning of the war, some 100,000 people of Tadjik origin resided there.

    The valley was also home to the mujahideen’s most feared commander, Ahmad Shah Massoud.

    Born in 1953 in Herat, Massoud was part of Afghanistan’s minuscule educated class, having attended the French-run Lycee Istaqlal and the Russian Polytechnique Institute (both located in Kabul) where he studied engineering.

    Massoud was an accomplished athlete, voracious reader, and spoke French, Pashto, and Dari.

    During his time in Kabul, he became politically active, joining the Jamiat-e Islami party.

    When Mohammad Daoud seized power in 1974, Massoud fled to Pakistan, where he underwent military training and studied the art of war, particularly the campaigns of Mao Zedong, Che Guevara, and North Vietnamese General Vo Nguyen Giap.

    He returned to Afghanistan in 1978 and began operations in the Panjshir Valley, quickly gaining a cadre of tough, loyal followers who waged a guerrilla war against DRA forces.By 1980, Massoud controlled the entire valley.

    The Ambitious “Panjshir V”

    Massoud’s rebel army was a pan-Afghan force numbering more than 3,000 Tadjiks, Pashtuns, Turkmen, and Uzbek fighters.

    He divided the valley into 25 field commands, each defended by a small unit called a sabbet.

    These were supplemented by a number of moutariks, or mobile companies. Each moutarik numbered about 75 men and was subdivided into platoons of three.

    Moutarik fighters received extra rations and a welfare benefit for their families back home. Each unit had in its arsenal three machine guns, three RPG-7 grenade launchers, one mortar, and a ZPU-2 antiaircraft gun.

    Panjshir V, as the Soviet operation was called, was ambitious.

    At the valley entrance, the Soviets deployed the 103rd Guards Airborne Division, the 66th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade, one regiment from the 108th Division, one regiment from 201st Division, the 345th Parachute regiment, and elements of the 866th and 181st Separate Motorized Rifle Regiments.

    There were also significant DRA forces, four infantry regiments, and parts of the 37th Commando Brigade.

    Under the Soviet plan, heliborne troops from the 103rd Guards Airborne Division would seize villages and hilltops throughout the valley and pin down mujahideen fighters.

    At the same time, Soviet/Afghan motorized forces would advance along both banks of the Panjshir River. In this way, the Soviets hoped to bring Massoud’s army to battle and destroy it in detail.

    To mislead Massoud as to the actual target, a diversionary attack would be launched against the Ghorband district to the north.

    The Panjshir V campaign began on May 15, 1982. The diversionary attack against Ghorband succeeded in fooling Massoud, who sent significant reinforcements to the Ghorband district in Parwan Province.

    The next night, several Soviet reconnaissance companies advanced to the valley’s entrance; lead elements of 108th Division advanced a short way into the valley.

    On the morning of May 17, the Soviets unleashed a massive aerial and artillery strike up and down the Panjshir Valley.

    Then Soviet heliborne troops landed at key high points.

    Even though Massoud was surprised by the move, his forces, armed with numerous ZPU-2 antiaircraft guns, managed to shoot down two helicopters and damage several others.

    There was also severe fighting for control of the landing zones, but the Soviets had put dozens of gunships in the air, and the mujahideen were outgunned and had to withdraw.

    In all, the six Soviet battalions were inserted.

    In the meantime, elements of the 108th Division slowly advanced up the valley along a battalion-wide front.

    The vanguard encountered a never-ending stream of man-made obstacles and land mines that had to be cleared by engineers and sappers deployed up front.

    The mujahideen engaged the lead forces, sparking fierce and lopsided clashes as Soviet firepower and close air support were brought to bear.

    There were dozens of small engagements as well, as Soviet forces cleared out the numerous canyons running out from the valley. In contrast to the pounding they were giving Soviet troops, the mujahideen left DRA troops largely alone.

    This encouraged defections, so many that the Soviets had to pull several DRA units out of the valley.

    In an effort to trap mujahideen forces engaging elements of the 108th Division on the second day of the advance, one Soviet and one Afghan battalion landed at the village of Mata, halfway up the valley.

    Mujahideen forces there were quickly overcome, allowing the combined Soviet/DRA force to occupy the heights above the village.

    The next day, a similar force landed at Astana, and on the 22nd two Soviet and two Afghan battalions landed at Evim, 60 miles inside the valley at an important crossroad through which the mujahideen received supplies and reinforcements.

    The Evim operation was the scene of particularly heavy fighting as Massoud did not want a large enemy force on the ground so far up the valley. After sundown, several moutariksconverged on the landing zone and launched a determined assault on Soviet/DRA forces there.

    The assaults were repelled with heavy losses.

    Although impressive on paper, the landings did not prevent mujahideen forces from continuing to move at will throughout the valley. They knew the terrain too well and could move at night.

    Nor did the heliborne insertions keep the mujahideen from withdrawing before a Soviet advance.

    Massoud’s moutarikshad ample warning, as any Soviet attack was preceded by an artillery barrage lasting up to half an hour.

    After the barrage, the moutarikswould pull back to a prepared position farther up the valley while a small rear guard sniped at the advancing column. Such tactics resulted in a steady trickle of Soviet casualties and vehicle losses and ensured that the moutarikssurvived to repeat the process.

    The battle for Evim marked the end of Panjshir V. On May 25, Soviet forces began a gradual withdrawal to Bagram, completing it three days later.

    Control of the valley was handed over to DRA units, but their bases were gradually overrun by the mujahideen. The Soviets returned to the valley in September and, after another impressive show of force, once again left DRA forces in control.

    By the end of the year, however, Massoud’s forces regained effective control of the valley. In all, Panjshir V cost the Soviets 2,000 casualties, 17 tanks, and a dozen aircraft. DRA losses totaled 1,200, including numerous defectors. The mujahideen lost 180 fighters.

    The civilian toll was much greater.

    In 1983, Massoud signed a truce with the Soviets. By agreeing to a cease-fire, Massoud allowed his forces a chance to rest and re-arm. Other mujahideen commanders were furious, since the unilateral truce freed up Soviet forces for operations against them.

    The Soviets returned to the Panjshir Valley in 1984. Informers in Kabul tipped the ISI, who informed Massoud and sent emergency supplies to him.

    The Soviet offensive began on April 20 with a massive high-altitude bombardment by TU-16 bombers.

    This was supported by SU-24 medium bombers that struck individual targets. After the air strikes, which did little more than bounce the rubble and announce the coming attack, the 108th Motor Rifle Division, along with the 8th and 20th Afghan Infantry Divisions, moved into the valley.

    They advanced in typical Soviet fashion, with a long artillery barrage preceding every movement.

    As the divisions made their way up the valley, airborne battalions landed behind villages and other suspected mujahideen strongpoints. The raids netted few prisoners—Massoud’s fighters simply avoided the valley floor and sniped at the ponderous Soviet column from surrounding hilltops.

    Under such conditions, it took the 108th MRD eight days to advance 50 miles to the village of Khenj.

    In the second part of the operation, several Soviet airborne battalions helicoptered into the valley’s side canyons in an attempt to cut off the mujahideen line of retreat.

    In one instance, a Soviet battalion landed at the village of Dash-i-Ravat, 13 miles beyond the main advance. On a hilltop deep inside mujahideen territory, the battalion was badly exposed. Several moutariks converged on the landing area and inflicted heavy casualties on the isolated paratroopers.

    By May 7, the Soviets felt that they had accomplished all of their objectives and gradually began withdrawing, again leaving DRA garrisons at various spots along the valley. These were highly vulnerable, and troops had to be resupplied by air.

    In June 1985, Massoud’s forces attacked the DRA base at Peshghor. In a dawn attack, they penetrated the base’s minefield and stormed the defenses under cover of a rocket and mortar barrage. Afghan resistance collapsed. Massoud captured more than 400 prisoners, including five DRA colonels from Kabul.

    When Mikhail Gorbachev took power in the Soviet Union in 1986, he announced plans for a phased withdrawal from Afghanistan, which he famously called “a bleeding wound.” Such a withdrawal required the DRA army to take the lead against the mujahideen.

    The Ministry of Defense decided to launch an operation aimed at destroying the massive mujahideen facility at Zhawar Kili. Although planned by the Soviets, the assault would be a largely DRA operation, with the 7th, 8th, 14th, and 25th Infantry Divisions, the 38th Commando Brigade, and the Soviet 666th Air Assault Regiment in support. The attack was commanded by Afghan General Mohammed Delavar.

    Zhawar was the center of mujahideen activity in Paktika Province; through it flowed 20 percent of the mujahideen supplies.

    It was the site of an 11-cave storage facility housing a barracks, hospital, mosque, and electrical power plant. Zhawar fell under the purview of Jalaluddin Haqqani, a mujahideen commander loyal to the fundamentalist Hezb-Islami party.

    Haqqani was regarded as a competent and brave leader, a favorite of the ISI and the United States.

    As such, he received millions of dollars in military aid, including the much-vaunted Stinger missiles. Haqqani had stationed at Zhawar a permanent regiment of 500 fighters supported by nine ZSU-1 and ZSU-2 antiaircraft guns, a dozen M-12 multiple rocket launchers and two T-55 tanks.

    Stationed north and east of Zhawar was a quartet of mujahideen units belonging to other parties. The complex lay south of Khost at the end of a canyon, a few miles from the Pakistani border.

    The main route to Zhawar was through the Manay Kandow Pass, whose entrance was dominated by the mountainous Dharwi Ghar.

    Atop Dhawri Ghar was a cave protected by a large overhang.

    The DRA assault began on April 2. After a massive artillery barrage, a half dozen MI-8 helicopters landed a battalion of the 38th Commando Brigade east of Zhawar, unknowingly inside Pakistan.

    The battalion quickly came under heavy attack by the mujahideen, and Delavar decided to insert the rest of the brigade into the fight.

    Dozens of helicopters flew over the battlefield and landed Afghan commands on the heights east of Zhawar.

    The mujahideen shot down three helicopters and destroyed several more on the ground. Haqqani’s fighters attacked the landing zones, over-running four. He also brought in reinforcements from Pakistan.

    The combined force enveloped and pounded the trapped commandos, killing dozens and capturing nearly 600.

    In the meantime, Soviet bombers pounded the cave complexes, collapsing the entrances to a pair and trapping more than 150 mujahideen, including Haqqani who, although badly wounded, managed to escape.

    For three days DRA forces, the 7th Infantry Division in the west and the 8th Infantry Division in the east, tried and failed to blast their way through the mujahideen positions.

    After suffering heavy casualties and exhausting their ammunition, the two divisions pulled back. In their place, the 14th and 25th Infantry Divisions moved up and attacked mujahideen fighters holding Manay Kandow Pass.

    This attack, too, went nowhere as mujahideen inside the caves were invulnerable to air and artillery strikes.

    After 10 days of fruitless efforts, Delavar called off the attack.

    While artillery and aircraft pounded the region, the DRA resupplied and reinforced its exhausted units. Delavar was sacked.

    The offensive was restarted on April 17 with a two-pronged assault; the 25th Infantry Division advanced on the east while the 14th Infantry Division moved on the west.

    Like its predecessor, the 25th Infantry Division encountered heavy resistance. DRA commanders finally decided to forgo the standard massive artillery preparation in favor of a snap attack that took the mujahideen by surprise and swept them from the mountain. DRA forces pushed out to the east and outflanked the remaining mujahideen facing them. Haqqani was wounded again, and rumors that he had been killed demoralized the mujahideen.

    With no one to rally the mujahideen forces, Zhawar fell later that day. DRA troops and Soviet advisers rigged the complex with explosives and destroyed the extensive stores.

    That night, the head of the Hezb-Islami party, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, launched a counterattack, but patrols approaching Zhawar found the base abandoned. The battle had cost the mujahideen 100 dead, as well as the vast stores at Zhawar.

    The DRA lost 1,500 dead or wounded, 500 prisoners, and 13 aircraft.

    The base at Zhawar was back in mujahideen hands 48 hours after the DRA abandoned it.

    By the beginning of 1989, the situation in Afghanistan had changed radically. The influx of American-supplied Stinger missiles had given the mujahideen a powerful weapon with which to counter Soviet/Afghan airpower.

    In Pakistan, President Zia ul-Haq and the head of the ISI had been killed in a plane crash.

    That February, the last Soviet forces withdrew from the country.

    The seven mujahideen parties formed an interim government in waiting. The alliance was eager to go on the offensive; its leadership felt that a large show of force would bring about the final collapse of the Communist regime.

    Their target was Jalalabad, at the foot of the Hindu Kush. Connecting it to the Khyber Pass to the east and Kabul 33 miles to the west, Highway 1 ran right through the city. A few miles east was the Kunar River; the Samarkel Ridge commanded the highway.

    By taking the city, the mujahideen alliance hoped to demoralize the DRA and grab a swath of the country that they would declare “Free Afghanistan.” From there, they planned to go for the jugular and attack Kabul. The operation was carried out with the full approval of the new head of the ISI, General Hamid Gul. The DRA had plenty of time to prepare for the attack.

    Stationed in Jalalabad were the 11th Infantry Division and the 1st Border Brigade. The government had filled the ranks with replacements and stockpiled supplies in the city. The DRA units manned a formidable ring of defenses including concrete bunkers, minefields, and barbed wire.

    Some 7,000 mujahideen gathered for the assault, with contributions from all seven of the major parties and an eighth group of well-equipped Arab jihadi led by a rich Saudi calling himself Abu Abdullah.

    His real name was Osama bin Laden.

    Other important contingents were personally led by Massoud and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Like Massoud, Hekmatyar had attended school in Kabul, where he studied engineering.

    In the mid-1970s, he founded the Hezb-Islami party, which sought to establish an Islamic caliphate in Afghanistan in the mold of Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini, whom he greatly admired. Hekmatyar was virulently anti-Soviet, but also anti-American. Seeking to consolidate power, he had also waged war on other mujahideen parties. He was a bitter rival of Massoud.

    The campaign began in early March 1989 with a mujahideen assault on Samarkel Ridge. Supported by a massive rocket and mortar barrage, the mujahideen took the ridge after three days of fighting.

    The mujahideen then fought their way into the village of Samarkel on the ridge’s western slope. The next target was Jalalabad airfield, which they attacked on March 8.

    There, the mujahideen went up against a battalion of crack DRA troops who held their ground in the face of several determined assaults. Advancing behind a line of T-55 tanks captured at Samarkel, the mujahideen finally managed to take the airport, but the DRA counterattacked later that day and retook it.

    Four days into the battle for the airport, a battalion of DRA Special Guards was flown in from Kabul. The frontal assaults continued until late March, with the mujahideen suffering more than 1,400 casualties. DRA forces lost 1,000.

    Tired of seeing their fighters impaled on the defenses of Jalalabad, mujahideen commanders decided to starve the city into submission. Unfortunately for them, the siege was not airtight.

    Some commanders along the highway allowed convoys to slip through in exchange for a portion of the supplies. And since the DRA still held the airport, the Soviets were able to resupply government forces from the air.

    Mujahideen commanders also had difficulty coordinating attacks, with many unwilling to make the first move for fear their men would bear the brunt of the fighting. What attacks were carried out were badly exposed to Soviet high-level bombing and Scud missile attacks.

    By July, the mujahideen siege had collapsed. On July 6, the DRA launched a counterattack aimed of Samarkel Ridge, which they took two days later. In defeat, the rivalry between Massoud and Hekmatyar slipped into outright war, with the two parties fighting each other throughout the rest of the year.

    The Communist regime in Kabul managed to stay in power until 1992, falling only after the Soviet Union itself broke up.

    A fractious mujahideen coalition led by the Jamaat-i-Islami failed to bring peace and was ousted by the Taliban in 1996. For the next five years, the Afghan resistance called the Northern Alliance was led by Massoud.

    He was assassinated on September 9, 2001—two days before the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. Haqqani became a minister in the Taliban government and, on September 29 he was appointed commander of Taliban forces.

    He fights on today out of Waziristan, having survived several American attempts to kill him. Hekmatyar still leads the Hezb-Islami party, which is closely allied with the exiled Taliban. He too has survived numerous assassination attempts.

    Despite losing nearly 15,000 troops in a decade-long incursion, Soviet commanders never grasped the concept that, in order to defeat an insurgency, they first must win the loyalty of the civilian population. Their oafish tactics had the opposite effect.

    By forcing millions into refugee camps in Pakistan, they created a limitless pool of angry youth from which the mujahideen could recruit more troops. The war could never have been won so long as Pakistan remained a mujahideen safe haven. American and NATO forces in Afghanistan today confront exactly the same problem, and like their Soviet predecessors two decades ago, they have to date devised no workable solutions.

    The ravaged nation remains a bleeding wound in the seemingly endless war on terror.

    Lessons for Leaders: What Afghanistan Taught Russian and Soviet Strategists

    February 28, 2019

    Introduction

    Thirty years ago this month, Gen. Boris Gromov became the last serviceman of the Soviet 40th Army to cross the Friendship bridge from Afghanistan into Uzbekistan, heralding the end of a Soviet military intervention that had lasted nearly a decade.

    That intervention, which began in December 1979 (with 30 military advisors and some guards remaining beyond February 1989), did not only fail to firmly anchor Afghanistan to the so-called socialist camp, as the Soviet Politburo had hoped, but contributed to the demise of the USSR by imposing formidable human, financial, economic, political and reputational costs on the already declining empire; needless to say, it caused numerous casualties and widespread grievances among Afghans as well.

    Debates continue to this day about the full array of national-level, organizational-level and personal-level factors that led the Communist Party leadership—including General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev and a handful of other Politburo members—to adopt a resolution on Dec. 12, 1979, authorizing the deployment of a “limited contingent of Soviet troops” to Afghanistan.

    However, even with that debate unfinished, the Soviet experience in Afghanistan offers plenty of lessons to explore—some of which can, perhaps, be applied by the U.S. and its allies as Washington leans toward ending its own military campaign in this war-plagued Central Asian country.

    The following is a selection of military-political lessons gleaned mostly from the recollections of Soviet strategists who were involved in making and executing the fateful decision to send troops to Afghanistan, as well as from writings by some of post-Soviet Russia’s prominent military analysts.

    Where possible, the author made an effort to relay these strategists’ analysis of the failures and successes of the intervention because he felt that such assessments, based on first-hand experience, are not always given their due in English-language literature on the subject.

    The lessons listed below, which are discussed in greater detail in subsequent sections of this research paper, are lined up in the order in which they would have come up—starting with the Soviet leadership’s decision to consider sending a large contingent of troops into Afghanistan, moving onto its management of the actual intervention and, finally, onto its decision to withdraw the troops and beyond. All of these lessons are meant for consideration by nations’ military-political leadership.

    Lesson 1:

    Before making final decisions on issues of fundamental importance, such as military intervention, determine what national interests are at stake, what options exist for advancing or defending those interests and what costs and benefits each of these options would generate, both direct and indirect; and do not let leaders’ personal ambitions impact the ultimate decision.

    Lesson 2:

    Ensure a sufficiently broad and comprehensive inter-agency process of reviewing potential decisions to use force, factoring in the views of all key stakeholders in general and those to be tasked with implementing the decisions in particular.

    Lesson 3:

    Examine aspects of a country’s history relevant to your planned undertaking.

    Lesson 4:

    Once the decision to send troops has been made, formulate the goals of the intervention and communicate them clearly to the agencies involved in implementation; also, shape your messaging to other key stakeholders likely to influence the outcome of the intervention.

    Lesson 5:

    If you do decide to go in, develop an exit plan in advance.

    Lesson 6:

    Once in, ensure effective inter-agency coordination and cooperation.

    Lesson 7:

    Rather than try to mold your local allies in your own image, empower them, encouraging self-reliance, and pay attention to indigenous traditions.

    Lesson 8:

    You cannot succeed in a military intervention unless the side on whose behalf you intervene is willing to fight for your joint cause.

    Lesson 9:

    Talk to moderates on the opposite side.

    Lesson 10:

    When leaving, leave

    Lesson 11:

    …but before you leave, secure enforceable guarantees that POWs and MIAs are found and brought home, and give the returning soldiers proper welcome and care.

    Lesson 12:

    …also before you leave, secure firm and enforceable agreements that would not only meet your own minimum requirements for a negotiated settlement, but also those of your local allies, because the end of an intervention by itself cannot end hostilities.

    Lesson 13:

    Even after you leave, prevent mission creep.

    Lesson 14:

    Last but not least: Be willing to learn the lessons.

    Only some of these lessons were inferred as the intervention unfolded, while most were drawn years after the withdrawal of the Soviet 40th Army—which made up the bulk of the so-called limited contingent of Soviet troops in Afghanistan, or OKSVA—on Feb. 15, 1989.

    Of course, such hindsight could not have changed anything in the intervention.

    We should also bear in mind that “where you stand depends on where you sit”: As some of the passages below demonstrate, some of the “lesson learners” tend to cast their own and their comrades-in-arms’ actions in a favorable light while criticizing the conduct of their peers from other agencies.

    Despite the occasional bias, these lessons could still prove useful to policymakers faced with the stark dilemmas of a possible military intervention.

    In particular, some of the entries at the end of the list could, perhaps, prove instructive for the U.S. leadership as it contemplates whether or how to end its own intervention in Afghanistan.

    Finally, those in charge of applying these lessons should keep in mind historian Ernest May’s procedure for ensuring against amateurism in drawing historical analogies, as described by Graham Allison and Niall Ferguson in their Applied History Manifesto: “Put the analogy as the headline on a sheet of paper; draw a straight line down the middle of the page; write ‘similar’ at the top of one column and ‘different’ at the top of the other; and then set to work.

    If you are unable to list at least three points of similarity and three of difference, then you should consult a historian.”

    And here is yet another group of lessons...

    The Lessons (in far greater detail…)

    Lesson 1:

    Before making final decisions on issues of fundamental importance, such as military intervention, determine what national interests are at stake, what options exist for advancing or defending those interests and what costs and benefits each of these options would generate, both direct and indirect; and do not let leaders’ personal ambitions impact the ultimate decision.

    Winston Churchill once famously observed that the key to Soviet decision-making is “national interest.”

    If Churchill was right, then anyone with access to transcripts of Politburo meetings from 1979 should expect to find some kind of discussion on the Soviet national interests at stake in Afghanistan, as well as opportunities for advancing these interests with an intervention.

    In reality, the author’s review of transcripts of the Soviet leadership’s deliberations on Afghanistan revealed that while Politburo members did discuss some of the Soviet national interests that were at stake, they failed to take stock of potential, direct and indirect, costs and benefits that their country would encounter if they decided to advance those interests by means of a full-fledged military intervention in Afghanistan.

    A failure to grasp that the costs of such an intervention would significantly outweigh the benefits led the Soviet leadership to make an erroneous decision on Dec. 12, 1979, in favor of sending troops en masse into Afghanistan. In addition to horrendous human costs on all sides of the conflict, that decision cost the Soviet Union’s stagnating economy dearly through a combination of such factors as Western sanctions and expenditures needed to sustain the intervention. Moreover, in the decade after the withdrawal of Soviet troops, Afghanistan turned into a hotbed of instability.

    This did not only spill over to affect post-Soviet Russia’s Central Asian allies, but also gave a home base to al-Qaeda, which in turn supported the insurgency in Russia’s own North Caucasus. In the end, therefore, the intervention undermined rather than advanced such Soviet interests as having neutral or friendly neighbors and sustainable development of the Soviet economy.

    The author’s review of Soviet deliberations on Afghanistan prior to Dec. 12, 1979, reveals a variety of justifications for intervention put forward by different members of the country’s leadership—including ones that concern Soviet national interests such as ensuring the survival of Moscow’s allies and having friendly neighbors. Soviet Defense Minister Dmitry Ustinov and some other Politburo members, for instance, pointed out the need to bolster the rule of the pro-Moscow People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA)—which had come to power in an April 1978 coup—and save it from being overthrown by opposition forces.

    The coup, which the Soviets preferred to call the “April Revolution,” had resulted in the ouster of Afghan President Mohammed Daoud Khan and his eventual succession by PDPA General Secretary Nur Muhammad Taraki; by the fall of 1979, however, Taraki had been assassinated at the behest of his rival and party colleague Hafizullah Amin, who took over as PDPA leader and president of what became the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA).

    This power grab gave Politburo members new cause for concern: One of the arguments they considered in favor of intervention was the perceived need to prevent Amin from initiating a rapprochement with the West, which they saw as a possibility, according to a secret Central Committee memo signed by several Politburo members—including Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko, KGB chairman Yuri Andropov and Ustinov, the defense minister—as well as Boris Ponomaryov, chief of the Central Committee’s International Department.

    In his 1995 book about the intervention, “The Tragedy and Valor of Afghanistan,” Gen. Alexander Lyakhovsky wrote that Andropov and Ustinov told a meeting of select Politburo members in Brezhnev’s study on Dec. 8, 1979, that they feared Amin’s interest in mending fences with Washington could eventually allow the U.S. to deploy medium-range nuclear-armed missiles in Afghanistan to target the Soviets’ Baikonur cosmodrome, among other facilities. (More generally, Lyakhovsky, who served in Afghanistan in 1987-1989, blamed the decision to intervene on what he saw as a strategic disinformation campaign pursued by the U.S. and its allies, among other things.)

    The Soviet leadership also feared that, if allowed to establish a presence in Afghanistan, the U.S. would be able to collect telemetry during launches of newly designed Russian missiles, since most of the main testing ranges were located in southern parts of the Soviet Union, according to a 1999 article by Gen. Valentin Varennikov, who was not a Politburo member but was intimately involved in planning and carrying out the intervention as deputy chief of the Soviet General Staff.

    Some of the post-factum analysis of the intervention also made references to the Soviet Union’s geopolitical interest in keeping Afghanistan anchored to the Cold War-era “socialist camp” of countries. For instance, Gen. Ivan Pavlovsky, who had commanded Soviet ground troops as deputy defense minister in 1967-1980, believed that several key factors played a role in the decision to send in troops, including the possible strengthening of American positions on the Eurasian continent, the deterioration of Soviet relations with China, China’s rapprochement with the U.S. and a dramatic increase in the influence of Islamic fundamentalism within Afghanistan. Varennikov wrote in his memoirs, entitled “The Unrepeatable,” that the Soviet leadership’s decision hinged on “the calculation that the presence of our troops in Afghanistan would cool the hot heads of Amin’s supporters, and even those of the opposition forces, and … would prevent possible encroachments by the Americans and stabilize the situation.”

    General of the Army1 Makhmut Gareyev, the chief Soviet military advisor to the Afghan army after the withdrawal, wrote in a 1994 article called “Why and How We Went Into Afghanistan” that he saw the USSR’s “geopolitical interests” in general as the main driver of the decision to intervene. Among those interests he singled out the Soviet Union’s need to have loyal or at least neutral neighbors to ensure the security of the country’s frontier regions, particularly in the south.

    It should be noted that in addition to the need to defend the aforementioned interests, various other justifications for the intervention were offered in the course of discussions by the Politburo.

    Not all of them look plausible. For instance, one rationale cited during the Dec. 8 meeting of five Politburo members in Brezhnev’s study was the need to prevent Iraq from getting access to Afghanistan’s uranium deposits, which Baghdad could have then used to build nuclear weapons.

    That concern was raised by Ustinov and Andropov, according to Lyakhovsky’s aforementioned book.

    Another justification cited by the duo was the need to disrupt what they saw as U.S.-supported efforts by Turkey to build a new Ottoman empire that would incorporate the Soviet Union’s Central Asian republics, according to the book.

    The top Soviet decision makers in the Central Committee’s Politburo did see some downsides to an intervention too, including the reversal of Soviet-U.S. détente and the inevitable damage to the USSR’s reputation in the world as a whole. Less than nine months before the intervention, when the Afghan government had asked Moscow for help against an uprising in Herat, Gromyko, the foreign minister, allegedly told fellow Politburo members that the Soviet army would be branded “an aggressor” if it were sent into Afghanistan and that it would have to “first and foremost fight the Afghan people,” according to a transcript of the March 18, 1979, deliberations by Politburo members cited in Lyakhovsky’s book. Gromyko warned that Brezhnev’s summits with American and French leaders would have to be cancelled.

    According to the same source, Andropov agreed it would be wrong to send troops. “We can only prop up the [April 27, 1978] revolution in Afghanistan with our bayonets, but this is completely unacceptable for us” and “we cannot run such a risk,” Andropov said as almost 9,000 DRA soldiers mutinied against Taraki’s regime.

    The Politburo meeting concluded with the consensus that troops should not be sent, but that the Soviet Union will expand military aid to Taraki’s regime.

    However, the issues raised at this and other Politburo meetings represented just a fraction of the costs that the Soviet Union could incur. In the end, in its decision-making process, the Politburo neither took full stock of the exact interests at stake nor produced a comprehensive review of all the potential, direct and indirect, costs and benefits of sending troops into Afghanistan.

    This flew in the face of warnings from some of the Soviet Union’s top military strategists—warnings that the Politburo ultimately ignored. One senior Soviet military officer said to have comprehensively assessed the costs of a campaign before it began was the commander of Soviet Ground Forces, Ivan Pavlovsky. Pavlovsky inspected the state of affairs in Afghanistan in August-November 1979 and concluded that Soviet troops should not be sent there.

    In a 1999 article for the aforementioned Rodina journal Pavlovsky recalled citing seven reasons not to intervene militarily in a report he sent to Ustinov upon his return from the 1979 trip to Afghanistan.

    These included: his perception that the April 27, 1978, socialist “revolution” did not enjoy significant popular support; the lack of a working class and mass belief in Islam; widespread possession of arms; porous, ill-guarded borders that would allow the U.S. and its allies to ship in arms; an inevitable popular backlash against such an intervention; and the resulting deterioration in relations with the U.S. and NATO.

    Anatoly Chernyaev, who was a senior international affairs analyst at the Central Committee when the decision to intervene was made, was quick to point out that it could not have possibly generated a net benefit for the Soviet Union. “Have we really acted only for the sake of revolutionary philanthropy? The argument that we had to do so to secure the border is ridiculous,” he wrote on Dec. 30, 1979, three days after Soviet commandos  stormed Amin’s residence outside Kabul in an operation code-named Storm-333 to kill him and bring Babrak Karmal to power, as Moscow’s troops poured across the Soviet-Afghan border. In Chernyaev’s view, the Soviet Union could have reaped “political and prestige dividends” if only it had chosen to prop up socialist factions in Afghanistan without a large-scale military intervention. Beyond seeing no benefits from the intervention, Chernyaev—who went on to become assistant for international affairs to Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet general secretary who ended the intervention—saw serious costs too.

    In a diary entry dated Nov. 1, 1980, he lamented that the intervention cost “several million [in cash] every day, and … the blood of our soldiers also every day.” The head of the Moscow-based Institute of the Economy of the Global Socialist System, Oleg Bogomolov, made similar points in a memo sent to the Central Committee at about the same time as Chernyaev recorded his thoughts.

    “With the sending of troops to Afghanistan our policy … has crossed the permissible boundaries of confrontation in the third world,” Bogomolov wrote in the 1980 memo. “The benefits of this action turned out to be insignificant in comparison with the damage that was inflicted on our interests.” The costs, as seen by the authors, included: the emergence of a hotbed of instability on the “southern flank of the USSR”; generating dissent among the Soviet Union’s allies regarding the intervention; burying any prospects for normalizing Soviet-Chinese relations; facilitating consolidation within the anti-Soviet coalition of states that “girded the USSR from West to East”; stalling Soviet-U.S. detente; and strengthening the West’s technological and economic sanctions against Moscow (something Russian President Vladimir Putin may find all too familiar in the wake of his intervention in Ukraine).

    The author of the 1980 memo and other informed sources have also pointed out the “economic burden” the invasion placed on the Soviet economy—and it was no small burden, indeed. As of the late 1970s, Soviet aid accounted for half of all foreign aid to the DRA, according to Vladimir Toporkov, a KGB officer who advised Afghanistan’s security establishment in the 1980s and went on to become a general in post-Soviet Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).

    By his calculations, the overall costs, including both aid and funding for Soviet military operations in Afghanistan, totaled the equivalent of $50 billion in 1979-1989.

    That sum by itself was “neither catastrophic nor painful” for the Soviet economy, according to Toporkov.2 However, if one were to count not only direct but also indirect costs, such as Western sanctions imposed on the USSR over its Afghanistan campaign, these were a significant destabilizing factor, for the Soviet Union, according to Toporkov’s study, “The Influence of the Afghan Factor on Economic Processes in the Soviet Union in 1989-1992,” published by the Russian Defense Ministry’s Military-Historical Journal in 2004.

    Like Toporkov, generals Gareyev and Lyakhovsky also waited for the Soviet campaign in Afghanistan to end before publicly weighing its pros and cons, with both of them concluding that its costs had outweighed the benefits.

    Gareyev, who retired shortly after his time as chief Soviet military advisor to the DRA army, wrote in his 1994 article that the primary cost of the campaign was that “the Soviet Union found itself in international isolation,” its relations with the U.S., NATO and China deteriorating.

    He also wrote in a 1996 book called “My Last War” that “the protracted war in Afghanistan and the need for continued support of the regime in Kabul generated huge financial and material costs, undermining the already limping economy” of the USSR and sapping its military strength. “The decision of the Soviet leadership to stage an armed intervention into Afghan affairs ended up generating more minuses than pluses,” he wrote in the 1994 article, published in the Russian Defense Ministry’s Oriyentir journal.

    Lyakhovsky, for his part, believed that one of the costs vastly underestimated by the Soviet leadership was how strong local resistance to the intervention would be: “Scant regard toward the Afghans played an important role too. Ustinov, for example, thought that some of the rebels would instantly lay down arms, while the rest would flee as soon as the Soviet troops appeared in Afghanistan,” he wrote in a 1999 Rodina article called “How the Decision to Send Troops to Afghanistan Was Made.”

    “In practice, however, underestimating the adversary cost the USSR dearly. The same thing happened in Chechnya in 1994,” Lyakhovsky wrote, referring to Russia’s first war with separatist Chechnya.

    In addition to failing to fully anticipate the costs and benefits that the Soviet Union would encounter if it were to try advancing its interests in Afghanistan by means of military intervention, some Soviet leaders let their personal ambitions influence the fateful decisions they made on their country’s behalf. For instance, Varennikov wrote of “our leaders’ ambitions” in his 1999 article, headlined “Those on Top Wanted Glory, the Military Opposed the War.”

    When listing reasons for the intervention, he referred specifically to Ustinov’s personal ambitions: “It was difficult to call Dmitry Fyodorovich an outstanding political leader. However, at one point I sensed how he began to want to try on the laurels of a strategist and a victor.” While Ustinov’s personal feelings may indeed have been a contributing factor, they were not as decisive as Brezhnev’s.  In his diary Chernyaev bluntly blamed the intervention on Brezhnev’s desire to take revenge on Amin. Chernyaev wrote in his dairy on Feb. 5, 1980, that some of Brezhnev’s confidants must have managed to “play on” the Soviet leader’s “demential indignation” over Amin’s decision to have Taraki ousted and then killed. That Brezhnev was agitated by Taraki’s murder is also confirmed by his personal physician, Yevgeny Chazov. “In spite of the decline of his ability for critical perception, he took that event much to heart,” Chazov recalled in his book, “Health and Power: Memoirs of a Kremlin Doctor.” According to him, Brezhnev was most infuriated with the way Amin undermined the Soviet leader’s personal credibility by killing Taraki whom Brezhnev had hosted and publicly promised support to a month earlier. “What will they say in other countries? How can one trust Brezhnev’s word if his assurances of support and protection remain just words,” Chazov quoted Brezhnev as saying. Gareyev, in his post-factum analysis, also wrote that Taraki’s murder on Oct. 9, 1979, had “pushed Brezhnev toward that step” of sending in troops.

    After the killing “there was no longer any carefully considered analysis of the situation” by Soviet decision makers and “much was being done in haste,” according to Gareyev’s 1994 article. Lyakhovsky, in his 1999 article in the Russian government’s Rodina journal, also said that Brezhnev’s view on military intervention in Afghanistan changed after Taraki’s murder.

    Lesson 2:

    Ensure a sufficiently broad and comprehensive inter-agency process of reviewing potential decisions to use force, factoring in the views of all key stakeholders in general and those to be tasked with implementing the decisions in particular.

    One reason the Soviet leadership erred in its decision to send a military contingent to Afghanistan was that the decision-making circle was very narrow. Had the political leaders included the country’s top military strategists, the decision could have been the opposite. According to one authoritative account by then First Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Kornienko, “a narrow group” that consisted of only five of more than a dozen Politburo members at the time “made the final political decision” to send troops. Those were Brezhnev, Andropov, Ustinov, Gromyko and Mikhail Suslov. Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin, also a Politburo member, was absent from the meeting, according to Kornienko’s recollection of the events, which he published as part of his memoirs, “Cold War: Testimony of a Participant.”3

    According to Kornienko’s account, the hand-written, two-paragraph resolution passed by this small group on Dec. 12, 1979, was “formalized retroactively” with signatures from the remaining Politburo members. “Thus, not even all the members of the Politburo made the fateful decision,” according to Kornienko, whose recollection is corroborated in Lyakhovsky’s book.

    Notably, even though the decision was adopted only by a handful of Politburo members, its signatories framed it as a resolution of the entire Central Committee, even though most of its members had not been consulted before it was made; other high-level officials were likewise kept out of the loop.

    Chernyaev was equally dismayed by the narrowness of the decision-making: “I think that in the history of Russia, even under Stalin, there has not yet been such a period when such important actions were undertaken without a hint of the slightest coordination with anyone, [without any] advice, discussion, careful consideration, even if only in a very narrow circle,” he wrote in his diary in December 1979. It is notable that despite their key positions, both Chernyaev and other senior officials in the Central Committee staff were kept in the dark not only about the exact reasons for the decision to send in troops but also about who actually initiated that decision. It was only in 1985 that one of Chernyaev’s colleagues told him Kornienko had claimed in a casual chat that it was, in Kornienko’s view, his boss, Foreign Minister Gromyko, who had convinced Brezhnev to send in troops.

    In addition to being too narrow, the circle of decision makers also suffered from a lack of reliable information.

    The fact “that the information was distorted did not allow the country’s top leadership to understand the processes taking place in Afghanistan and prevent fatal mistakes,” Gareyev wrote in his book.

    As Col. Nikolai Vasilyev, a military historian, explained in his own 2014 article on the lessons of the Soviet military intervention: “Many leaders, including members of the Politburo, adapted themselves to the opinion of L. I. Brezhnev. The intelligence and other agencies were required to confirm the ‘sagacity of the leader,’ and the information and recommendations of analysts and experts that did not fit into the pre-planned framework were thrown away.” The quality of information fed to the Politburo’s top brass did not improve even after Soviet troops were deployed and learning about the situation in Afghanistan first-hand. “Most likely, the General [Secretary] doesn’t even know what is happening around us.

    Briefings from Afghanistan are prepped for him so that they’re full of ‘complete normalization.’ As for information from the West, it’s probably ‘at the level of Pravda’ [the Central Committee newspaper], since he’s long been kept in ‘spare-him mode.’ So he’s not even aware of what he’s done,” Chernyaev wrote in his dairy on Feb. 9, 1980. As important, Chernyaev believes the ageing Brezhnev could not have drawn sound conclusions from the information even if it had not been distorted to please him because of the extent to which his mental capabilities had deteriorated. In a Sept. 29, 1982, diary entry Chernyaev describes how Brezhnev, in Baku to laud the performance of Soviet Azerbaijan, had become so senile by the third year of the Soviet campaign that, 10 minutes into a televised speech, he did not realize he was reading the wrong text even after it explicitly referred to “Afghanistan” instead of “Azerbaijan.”

    Even when accurate information on Afghanistan did make it to the top decision makers, they often rejected it as they suffered from cognitive bias, dismissing dissenting views even when they were presented by key stakeholders who would be tasked with executing the decisions.

    Top Soviet military commanders felt particularly slighted by their exclusion from the decision-making process. As Vasilyev, the military historian, lamented in his article, published by the Defense Ministry’s Military-Historical Journal, “The Special Commission of the Politburo for Afghanistan, headed by Foreign Minister A. A. Gromyko, in effect replaced the Council of Defense of the USSR and, in part, its working body, the General Staff.

    … Among them [the commission members] there were no professionals of military strategy.” Chief of the Soviet General Staff Nikolai Ogarkov, his first deputy Sergei Akhromeyev and Varennikov, a deputy of Ogarkov’s, had been asked to present their thoughts about sending troops sometime before the pared-down Politburo meeting Dec. 12. The trio argued that a Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan would be “impossible and inconceivable, first and foremost from the political standpoint,” according to Chernyaev’s diary. Rather than heed their advice, Ustinov, the Soviet defense minister and a Politburo member, dismissed their arguments, telling them “not to discuss [orders]” and to present a detailed plan of the operation.

    Ogarkov, it should be noted, objected to the intervention on more than one occasion. When summoned to the Politburo on Dec. 8, 1979, Ogarkov called on its members to reject Gromyko and Andropov’s arguments in favor of reversing the Soviet leadership’s previous position, which had been to refrain from sending troops. He repeated his calls again the following day in Brezhnev’s presence, warning that “we will turn all of eastern Islamism against ourselves and lose politically across the world,” only to be shut down by Andropov: “You were invited not to have your opinion heard, but to write down the Politburo’s directives and organize their implementation.”

    That conflict, according to Varennikov, led to a dramatic deterioration in Ogarkov’s relations with Andropov; Ogarkov lost his post after Andropov succeeded Brezhnev as general secretary. One senior Soviet commander who lost his post even before the campaign had begun, possibly over his opposition to the intervention, was the aforementioned commander of Soviet Ground Forces, Pavlovsky. As described above, after his travels in Afghanistan in summer-fall of 1979, Pavlovsky claims he pleaded with the Soviet military-political leadership not to send a contingent, but his advice was not heeded; shortly afterwards he was relieved from his post.

    In his 1994 article Gareyev criticized the Soviet political leadership for ignoring Ogarkov’s views and telling him to stick to military planning. “As life has repeatedly proved, political decisions prove viable and grounded only when they take into account all aspects, including foreign policy, economic, ideological and military-strategic considerations,” he wrote, adding: “The General Staff cannot determine policies, but they must actively participate in crafting military aspects of this policy and ignoring these aspects can lead to major political failures.”

    Interestingly, while telling the General Staff to stick to military planning, the Politburo would not even heed the staff’s advice on such a key element of that planning as the personnel strength of the intervening force. Ogarkov had responded to the political leadership’s order to develop an intervention plan with a proposal for deploying 30-35 divisions, but his request was shot down, according to Gareyev’s recollections of the events, which he shared with University of Kansas history professor Jacob Kipp in 1996 and also put on paper for his other book on the subject, entitled “Afghan Suffering.”4 However, the Politburo authorized only 75,000-80,000 servicemen, according to Lyakhovsky’s book (at the time, a typical Soviet infantry division had 13,000 servicemen).5

    Lesson 3:

    Examine aspects of a country’s history relevant to your planned undertaking.

    There’s a joke that says Americans learn about the history of other countries by invading them. The Soviets, you could say, merely recalled what they had already learned about Afghanistan’s history by invading it. Had the Soviet leadership factored in the way that Afghan tribes’ intense and enduring dislike for outside powers and their local clients had foiled previous empires’ attempts to anchor the country, that may have influenced Moscow’s final analysis about sending in troops and helped to save them from a costly mistake.

    None of the transcripts of Politburo discussions about intervening in Afghanistan contains any significant discussion of Afghan history. Analyzing how Afghans had fought off various past encroachments, by the British Empire among others, would have perhaps made Soviet leaders more averse to using force to accomplish anything there. The absence of such discussions is especially ironic given that one of Soviet ideology’s most revered figures warned how “unruly” Afghans could be: None other than Friedrich Engels observed between the first and second of the three Anglo-Afghan wars that Afghans’ “indomitable hatred of rule, and their love of individual independence, … prevents their becoming a powerful nation; but this very irregularity and uncertainty of action makes them dangerous neighbors … [for whom] war is an excitement.” The Politburo members could have also examined how Joseph Stalin staged an abortive military intervention in Afghanistan in an effort to prop up Amanulla Khan, the sovereign from 1919 to 1929 who signed the 1921 Soviet-Afghan Friendship Treaty, but then had to abdicate his throne in a revolt. In 1929 Stalin sent 1,000 Red Army soldiers into Afghanistan disguised as Afghan soldiers to operate jointly with some of Khan’s loyalists, according to Lyakhovsky’s book and a 1999 article in Rodina by Pavel Aptekar. The joint Soviet-Afghan unit took Mazar-i-Sharif in April 1929, but Stalin then had to recall his troops after learning that Khan had fled to India.

    Some Soviet officers came to the same conclusions as Engels, but only after being sent to Afghanistan to take part in the 1979-1989 intervention. “It was impossible to defeat those Afghan bearded men and their sons, with whom we then had to fight. They were ready to fight their whole lives, and they had nothing to lose from it because they had nothing to their name, just like now. This is a proud, freedom-loving people. They have nothing but their faith and the desire to live the way they want and consider to be right,” KGB officer Vladimir Garkavy, who completed multiple tours of duty in Afghanistan in 1979-1984, wrote in his book. Gromov also cited history in his 1999 Rodina article on Afghanistan. “Any interference from the outside is deemed to fail in a country where tribes have struggled against each other for centuries and where nationalism is extremely developed,” he wrote in his book, which contains more useful insights on the intervention than a New York Times op-ed he co-wrote with Dmitry Rogozin; entitled “Russian Advice on Afghanistan,” that January 2010 piece is essentially a wish list Moscow had at the time for U.S. conduct in Afghanistan.

    Lesson 4:

    Once the decision to send troops has been made, formulate the goals of the intervention and communicate them clearly to the agencies involved in implementation; also, shape your messaging to other key stakeholders likely to influence the outcome of the intervention.

    The Soviet leadership’s marching orders for its military contingent, OKSVA, were anything but clear—with the exception of the secret order to immediately replace Amin with Karmal. The fact that the Soviet leadership failed to define what would constitute the ultimate long-term success once the initial goal of regime change had been achieved made it difficult for both that leadership and commanders on the ground to understand, once Amin was removed, whether the Soviet intervention was succeeding, failing or stagnating, other than by measuring how much territory the DRA regime controlled at any time. In the absence of a well-defined mission, Soviet commanders oscillated between merely providing support to DRA forces and actually leading combat engagements, while some of the military advisors pressed for a troop surge that could expand the mission to sealing Afghanistan’s borders. In addition to failing to clearly communicate their goals to their own troops, Soviet leaders also failed to communicate their goals in Afghanistan to the international community as a whole, making it easier for the U.S. to win support in its efforts to isolate and punish the USSR over the intervention.

    The lack of a clear long-term mission was evident in the key documents kicking off the Soviet intervention, both on the political and the military side. The two-paragraph Politburo resolution initiating the troop deployment, entitled “Concerning the Situation in ‘A,’” stated neither the reasons for the campaign nor its goals. The military directive to execute the Politburo’s decision, issued jointly by the Defense Ministry and the General Staff of the Soviet Armed Force on Dec. 24, 1979, gave only a vague idea of why troops were being sent into Afghanistan, proclaiming it was to “give international aid to the friendly Afghan people and also to create favorable conditions to interdict possible anti-Afghan actions from neighboring countries.” (Defense Ministry newspapers such as Red Star didn’t provide “any sensible explanation” either, according to Gareyev’s 1994 article.) In his book, Gareyev recalled that Directive 312/12/001, signed by Ustinov and Ogarkov, stated that Soviet troops were being sent into Afghanistan for “fulfillment of international duty.” “What that duty constituted was to be decided by each commander and soldier themselves,” Gareyev wrote. According to one website maintained by Soviet veterans of the Afghan war, the directive did not provide for Soviet troops’ participation in combat. That created ambiguity in its interpretation, even though the 40th Army did get involved in fighting almost immediately. For instance, Marshal Sergei Sokolov, the deputy defense minister in charge of the ministry’s Operational Group in Afghanistan in 1980, told Soviet military advisors there in January of that year that “special attention should be paid to the inadmissibility of Soviet troops’ involvement in the armed struggle against the rebels; their [the troops’] functions are completely different.” Several days later, however, the same commander, under pressure from Afghan allies, sanctioned the use of “one or two units of Soviet troops” to oust the mujahedeen from an artillery depot, according to Gareyev’s 1994 article. In addition, while Sokolov’s boss, Ustinov, also under pressure from the Afghan leadership, “demanded that Soviet troops engage in active combat operations,” General Staff chief Ogarkov, opposed to the intervention from the outset, tried to restrain the troops’ involvement in large-scale military operations, according to Gareyev. Gromov, commander of the 40th Army, which made up the bulk of OKSVA, described in his book how he prioritized minimizing Soviet casualties and criticized Kabul for constantly pleading with Moscow to have his troops step up operations while trying to find ways to prevent using its own troops. Gareyev—who commanded no units in Afghanistan and, therefore, bore no personal responsibility for casualties—appears to have criticized what he saw as the 40th Army commanders’ passiveness, writing in his book that some of their most important combat operations “were undertaken only at the request of the Afghan leadership and under pressure from the Soviet leadership.”

    (In the end, a decision to limit involvement in combat operations appears to have prevailed among the Soviet top brass: At some point as many as 70 percent of the 40th Army’s forces were tasked with ensuring transportation of humanitarian supplies and 60 percent of its activities were geared toward peacekeeping and nation-building, such as helping to build infrastructure and training the DRA army, according to Gromov’s estimates.)

    The Soviet military’s top brass also appears not to have spelled out rules of engagement when sending in the troops. “The inadmissibility of the use of weapons against the civilian population is stipulated by international legal norms, but what about the ‘civilian’ armed with an automatic rifle or a grenade launcher? Wait till he shoots?” asked Gareyev in his book. He also recalled: “As strange as it may sound, from the very beginning of the introduction of troops and until the end of their stay in Afghanistan there was no clear line on whether our troops in this country should fight or not.”

    As a result, some Soviet commanders displayed “covert resistance to attempts to force the troops to fight,” Gareyev wrote. The Soviet political leadership’s lack of a “clear goal” and a “definite plan of action” had a direct impact on military operations. In fact, in Gareyev’s view, the Soviet leadership continued to have neither “a definite political, strategic plan nor an integral concept of the use of troops in Afghanistan from the very beginning and in essence until the end” of the campaign.

    Lyakhovsky concurred in his book that Soviet leaders had failed to spell out to the troops what they would be doing in Afghanistan, lamenting in his book that “the political leadership of the USSR formulated the strategic goals of the Soviet military presence in Afghanistan in a vague and unclear way,” except, again, for the goal of replacing Amin with Karmal, which was not made public. According to Gromov, however, the 40th Army did at least have clear initial goals. The first was to keep the “April Revolution from dying,” he wrote in reference to the April 1979 coup d’état that had brought the Moscow-friendly PDPA to power. The second goal was to prevent external aggression. The 40th Army “handled that [first] task brilliantly,” but then the PDPA’s leadership managed “craftily to drag the 40th Army into a large-scale guerilla war,” Gromov wrote.

    While criticizing the Soviet political leadership for failing to formulate and communicate clear goals for the campaign in Afghanistan, Gareyev and other officers involved in the campaign had their own ideas on what these goals should be. In Gareyev’s view, which he shared with Ogarkov in December 1979, the Soviet military contingent should have been tasked with sealing Afghanistan’s borders and establishing control over all major settlements, communications and other infrastructure, arguing that the Soviet command should send 40 rather than four divisions to accomplish these goals.

    Lev Rokhlin, who commanded infantry regiments in Afghanistan and then fought in Chechnya, concurred with Gareyev’s view that the Afghan borders had to be sealed, but also thought OKSVA should have refrained from siding with any of the warring parties in the country, according to a 1999 article of his in Rodina, “I Was Not Afraid to Fight.” It should also be noted that the Soviet command did task 50,000 soldiers with securing Afghanistan’s borders as of 1986, according to Akhromeyev, Ogarkov’s first deputy at the General Staff, but that number was insufficient to stop the inflow of arms and rebels. In general, it is doubtful that such a goal would have been achievable. If the experience of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan and Russia’s own experience in Chechnya during the two campaigns there are any guide, a complete sealing of borders would have proved problematic, at best.

    That’s why, perhaps, Vladimir Kryuchkov, who served as deputy chairman of the KGB during most of the intervention before heading up the agency in 1988, believed the mission should have been limited to a special operation to replace Amin with Karmal. “I remain convinced that a short special operation” to effect regime change “would have been the best outcome,” Kryuchkov was quoted as saying in a 1999 issue of Rodina.

    In addition to failing to clearly communicate their goals to their own troops, Soviet leaders also failed in their communications with allies, foes and the international community on the issue. For instance, while official Soviet statements cited the Soviet-Afghan Friendship treaties of 1921 and 1978 as giving legal grounds for the intervention, portrayed by the Soviet propaganda machine as “international aid to the friendly Afghan people,” the Politburo decision makers did not even bother to have their Dec. 12, 1979, resolution approved by the Soviet parliament, though such a move may have somewhat increased the “official” credibility of their decision in the eyes of their allies. Lyakhovsky noted this problem in his 2005 book: “The then leadership of the CPSU [Communist Party of the Soviet Union] did not consider it necessary to submit this question for discussion by the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. It was simply announced as ‘international assistance’—end of story.”

    Lyakhovsky’s boss, Varennikov, thought it was wrong not to reach out to the international community on the decision to send troops into Afghanistan. “What was the main mistake that our leadership made after making a decision to deploy troops? That we did not announce it.

    We should have preempted the Americans and others by announcing it to the whole world: The leadership of Afghanistan repeatedly asked us for military assistance,” Vasilyev quotes Varennikov as saying. Moreover, the propaganda dimension of the Soviets’ efforts vis-à-vis the Afghan public did not become a priority until the sixth year of the campaign. It was in 1985 that the Soviet military-political leadership made the decision to “organize special propaganda in relation to the population and opposition of Afghanistan” and that was done in response to an increase in Western “information influence” there, according to a 2003 article on the “informational and psychological struggle” in Afghanistan by Col. Yuri Serooky in the Russian General Staff journal Military Thought.

    To be fair, it is unclear whether such propaganda could have made much of a difference in the battle for Afghan hearts and minds even if launched on Day 1 of the intervention. After all, it would have been very difficult to make Afghans forget whose troops had poured into the president’s palace and killed Amin in the Storm-333 operation—no matter that Afghan leaders, including both Taraki and Amin himself, had asked the Soviets some 20 times to send in troops, according to Gareyev’s 1994 article and Lyakhovsky’s 1999 article.

    Lesson 5:

    If you do decide to go in, develop an exit plan in advance.

    It should also be noted that the Soviet military had no exit plan when going in. The first draft of such a plan was developed only in 1980, according to Gareyev’s book, which cites Yuri Drozdov, the former chief of the KGB’s so-called “Illegals Program.” According to Varennikov’s 1999 article, however, it was not until 1983 that Soviet commanders submitted a proposal for withdrawing troops for consideration by the country’s political leadership. Of course, the development of an exit plan in advance could not have influenced the outcome of the intervention. In the end, Gromov, the last commander of the 40th Army, had many months to plan the withdrawal and executed it both leaving months’ worth of supplies for the remaining DRA forces and minimizing losses among OKSVA personnel during the withdrawal itself. However, had the intervention gone wrong in the early stages of the campaign (e.g., if Afghan rebels had inflicted massive losses on the advancing troops or a significant unexpected event had emerged, such as a major military conflict elsewhere), then a hasty, unplanned withdrawal could have cost a lot of lives.

    Also, while the military component of the exit was well planned and executed, the diplomatic component fell short. As discussed further down, the Soviets failed to secure either assurances for the return of their own POWs and MIAs or the effective enforcement of other signatories’ obligations on ending aid to the rebels. The latter accelerated the fall of the PDPA regime, bringing instability to the disintegrating Soviet empire’s southern frontiers.

    Lesson 6:

    Once in, ensure effective inter-agency coordination and cooperation.

    Both the preparation and the execution of the Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan revealed that inter-agency coordination and cooperation was inadequate. That by itself could not have decided the outcome of the campaign, but inter-agency rivalry did limit the OKSVA command’s situational awareness, causing a range of problems, including the diminished effectiveness of combat planning and operations.

    Initial coordination was so ineffective that key figures were kept in the dark about their colleagues’ plans even within a single agency. For instance, the chief Soviet military advisor in Afghanistan, Gen. Saltan Magomedov, had no idea that commandoes of the General Staff’s Main Intelligence Directorate would storm Amin’s palace, in cooperation with KGB commandos and other forces, to replace him with Karmal. When Ustinov called this star-studded advisor in December 1979 sometime prior to the attack and asked to be briefed on “readiness for Operation Storm-333,” Magomedov did not know what his superior was talking about, according to Gareyev’s book. When Magomedov admitted this, Ustinov suggested he contact the KGB representative in Kabul. When Magomedov did that, he got “hints, not … the necessary information,” Gareyev wrote.

    Moreover, according to Gareyev’s 1994 article, Soviet military advisors in Afghanistan learned that Soviet troops had entered the country from foreign radio broadcasts.

    Cooperation across agencies was equally if not more problematic. Both Gromov and Gareyev listed multiple instances when Defense Ministry and KGB personnel would fail to coordinate their actions in Afghanistan. Being army generals, both blamed the lack of cooperation on the KGB, particularly when it came to interactions with the General Staff’s Main Intelligence Directorate, or GRU. KGB agents in Afghanistan would sometimes refuse to share intelligence they had collected directly with the Soviet armed forces’ commanders there, sending it to superiors at KGB headquarters in Moscow instead. “As a result, we [40th Army Command] would learn about actions supposedly planned by the mujahedeen from Moscow,” Gromov wrote.

    “Such situations arose with depressing consistency and created certain tensions between military intelligence [GRU] officers and their colleagues from the State Security Committee [KGB],” Gromov wrote.

    It was only in 1985, six years after the campaign began, that inter-agency intelligence coordination meetings began to take place at 40th Army headquarters so that representatives of the GRU, KGB, Interior Ministry and Foreign Ministry could jointly examine and analyze intelligence, according to Gromov.

    Lesson 7:

    Rather than try to mold your local allies in your own image, empower them, encouraging self-reliance, and pay attention to indigenous traditions.

    As stated above, the Soviet Union spent the equivalent of billions of dollars arming and training DRA forces, including Defense Ministry, Interior Ministry and security troops.

    The results proved to be far from either lasting or sufficient, however. DRA troops proved unable either to hold on to territorial gains made by the Soviet 40th Army or to withstand rebel offensives after Moscow withdrew the army and then discontinued aid.

    The implosion of the DRA forces—which proved to be no match for the rebels in skills, tactics or morale—brought instability to the southern frontiers of the Soviet empire.

    One of the senior Soviet officials to criticize the quality of DRA forces’ training by their Soviet advisors was Leonid Shebarshin, then a general in the KGB’s foreign intelligence branch.

    While some Soviet military commanders sought to portray their efforts to train the Afghans as adequate, blaming poor results on the Afghans’ ineptitude, Shebarshin offered searing criticism of the trainers themselves in his memoirs. “What was the source of the [Soviet commanders’] distrust of the [Afghan] ally? How did it happen that two thousand advisers, including colonels and generals, failed to create a single fully combat-capable and reliable unit in the Afghan army?

    How did it happen that the tactics of the Afghan army’s actions are not based on modern realities but on the hopelessly outdated experience of war in the open spaces of Russia?” wrote Shebarshin, who spent more than a decade in the region, conducting more than 20 trips to Afghanistan and eventually becoming chief of KGB operations in the Middle East.

    In Shebarshin’s view, one reason the training of Afghan troops proved to be ineffective was that the Soviet commanders never learned how to delegate powers to their trainees: “We did teach something to Afghans, no doubt.

    But mainly we ordered them around and commanded them, ‘stitching them on’ to our operations, imposing our decisions, while loudly shouting about the weak fighting capacity of the ally.”

    Gareyev agreed with Shebarshin’s assessment on the lack of Soviet commanders’ trust in their Afghan allies, but blamed it in his book on KGB operatives.

    Whether it was the lack of trust that adversely affected soldiers’ conduct, or the other way around, is unclear. What is clear, however, from all the Soviet commanders whose writings and statements were reviewed for this article, is that this conduct was subpar.

    Rather than try to press their Afghan allies into some Marxist-Leninist mold, the Soviets should have encouraged the PDPA leadership to revert to indigenous traditions of power sharing to ensure national reconciliation and subsequent self-reliance. As Gromov wrote in his book, “A puppet-string mentality grew so strong among Afghans that they could no longer act independently, without the help of the Soviets.”

    Chernyaev was even starker in his assessment of the Afghan leadership’s overdependence on the Soviets for making crucial decisions: “Karmalism is the dogmatism of Marxism-Leninism plus parasitism in relation to the USSR,” he wrote on Aug. 28, 1987, in his diary.

    As Gareyev wrote: “In the early 1980s, in relation to Afghanistan, the most realistic thing was [for Soviet-policymakers] to avoid striving for the creation of a similar, obedient and unconditionally socialist state, but to support more moderate forces that enjoyed the support of the majority of the population and to push for reconciliation of the parties from the very beginning.” Gromov struck a similar note. “It is impossible to make country like Afghanistan, with its completely different way of life, with different religion, low level of development, a country that lives in its fourteenth century according to its calendar, similar to the Soviet Union. It would be a real absurdity,” Gromov wrote.

    Lesson 8:

    You cannot succeed in a military intervention unless the side on whose behalf you intervene is willing to fight for your joint cause.

    No amount of training and empowering your local allies will help an intervention succeed unless those allies are actually willing to fight for your joint cause. The Soviets intervened to bring Karmal’s PDPA faction to power, going as far as assassinating a president to make way for their protégé. But the PDPA lacked a sufficient number of loyalists willing to fight for that cause, and many of the tens of thousands of men conscripted into the Moscow-aligned Afghan forces preferred to either avoid battle or outright desert when given orders to fight opposition forces.

    Gromov vented repeatedly in his book about Afghan civil and military authorities’ failure to hold on to territorial gains made by Soviet forces, implying that differing priorities played a part. “The local Afghan leadership, despite its pro-Soviet sentiment, was not interested in having us conduct combat operations with maximum efficiency. Only a few of them [Afghan officials] tried to consolidate their power and govern in the provinces that we had ‘cleared.’ Obviously, they understood that sooner or later the war would end and there would be no one to face the music but them,” Gromov wrote of his first tour of duty, which ended in 1982 with him commanding an infantry division. His second tour of duty, which he began in 1985 as the General Staff’s representative in Afghanistan, was not marked by significant changes. Gromov called the situation he returned to that year “a dead end”: “One and a half months after our battalions returned to [their] military camps, we were again forced to conduct operations” in the same areas, he wrote in his book. “Our experience has shown that the results we achieved during our combat operations are not then utilized by the Afghans.

    About one and a half to two months after completion of an operation everything would go back to square one: Mujahedeen would again take the districts from which we had knocked them out; they would restore their old bases with weapons and ammunition, coming very close to our sites again and resume shelling and attacks.

    The question is: What did we fight for so long, sacrificing our guys in the mountains? It was necessary to stop,” Gromov wrote in 1985. Akhromeyev, first deputy chief of the General Staff, lamented the same problem at around the same time: “There is not a single piece of land left in this country that a Soviet soldier has not taken, yet most of the territory is in the hands of the rebels,” he told a Politburo meeting chaired by Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader, on Nov. 13, 1986. “We control Kabul and the provincial centers, but we cannot establish authority in the conquered territory. We lost the fight for the Afghan people,” Akhromeyev said. Indeed, as of 1986, only 8,000 of some 31,000-35,000 villages were under Afghan government control, according to estimates by Mohammad Najibullah, who succeeded Karmal as PDPA head in May 1986, which he shared with Soviet diplomat Yuly Vorontsov in October of that year, according to Gromov’s book. As of 1989, the authorities’ controlled only 18 percent of the country’s territory, according to Gromov.

    Gromov confirmed his impressions of Afghan soldiers’ and administrators’ conduct during his third and final tour of duty in 1987-1989 when he was commanding the 40th Army. “A time will soon come when revolutionary leaders will be left alone with their problems. They will be left one on one with the opposition. Only in this way can I explain the numerous instances of treason and betrayal by the Afghan military, which we encountered wherever we went,” he wrote in his 1994 book “Limited Contingent.”

    Some of the officers from Afghanistan’s Ministry of State Security were no more enthusiastic about standing up to the mujahedeen than their Soviet Defense Ministry counterparts or civilian administrators, according to Gromov.

    In his book he described how Soviet forces would “mop up” areas, detaining suspected mujahedeen and passing them on to the Afghans, only to encounter the same suspects again during the next mopping-up operation three or four months later. It was most likely that Afghan security agents would simply let these suspects go without investigating them or prosecuting them in court, Gromov surmised.

    Not only were Afghan authorities and troops far from committed to the Soviet cause, they sometimes actively sabotaged it. Gromov complained that opposition field commanders like Ahmad Shah Massoud had “broad networks of informants in the Afghan army and government,” making it difficult to keep combat plans secret. Moreover, Afghan soldiers kept deserting to the opposition forces, taking their arms with them, including even howitzers and heavy armored vehicles. Equipment transfers by government troops “constituted a formidable source of arms and ammunition for the rebels,” Gromov wrote. Thousands would desert from the Afghan ministries of defense, security and internal affairs. According to one Russian account, a 1993 memoir called “Pursuing the Lion of Panjshir,” the number of deserters totaled 34,000 in 1983 alone. Even some DRA Air Force pilots would desert, reportedly flying their Soviet warplanes and helicopters to Pakistan, while some of those who stayed on would deliberately drop their bombs away from the designated targets, according to Gromov, who claims to have “documented a multiplicity of such instances.” He also wrote that some of the DRA servicemen tasked with observing enemy positions and providing targeting data would supply coordinates of locations where their personal enemies lived rather than mujahedeen.

    Desertion from DRA forces became particularly widespread in the late 1980s as it became clear that OKSVA would be leaving. Of the 370 Afghan tank crewmembers trained in the city of Termez in Soviet Uzbekistan in 1989 and used to form a new tank brigade, only 127 made it to Kabul, according to Gareyev; the rest deserted, with several trainees fleeing during every night-time stopover en route.

    Even when faced with an existential threat to the regime, some DRA commanders could not stop theft of military stocks or prevent desertions among their soldiers. When departing Soviet troops left three months’ worth of supplies for the DRA army, including almost 1,000 armored vehicles, 3,000 other vehicles and 14,400 assault rifles, many of these supplies did not reach the designated recipient because they were either stolen and sold to insurgents or seized by insurgents by force, according to Gareyev.

    Gromov described how entire military camps that his withdrawing army had outfitted with everything from security perimeters to slippers next to beds would be looted by corrupt DRA commanders and their subordinates within days of being handed over and the goods then sold in local private shops.

    Lesson 9:

    Talk to moderates on the opposite side.

    In theory, the Soviets were bound by their ideological dogmas to offer unconditional support for the PDPA only. In reality, while supporting Afghanistan’s ruling socialist regime, Soviet commanders did not refrain from reaching out to some of the moderate leaders among the mujahedeen, even though they espoused such “hostile ideologies” as political Islam and Pashtun nationalism. Such outreach proved to be important not only in reducing combat losses, but also in creating opportunities for reconciliation, which ultimately remained unused.

    The Soviets likewise managed to establish direct contacts between commanders and chiefs of staff of Soviet units and “a multiplicity of [rebel] field commanders,” using Soviet military intelligence agents as liaisons, according to Gromov.

    Gromov dedicated quite a few pages in his book to describing his contacts with such leaders, including Massoud, whose stronghold was in the Panjshir valley. “We were particularly interested in individual gangs’ attitudes toward the Afghan state authorities and the Soviet troops,” he wrote. Gromov noted that some of the field commanders would deal with OKSVA top brass, but would refuse to deal with official Afghan authorities. “Apparently, the mujahedeen believed they would benefit more from dealing with the Russians.

    In addition, constant cooperation with the command of the Soviet troops gave them certain guarantees that this or that grouping would not be destroyed in the near future,” he wrote.

    Those field commanders who cooperated with OKSVA would even sometimes receive medicines and food from the Soviet contingent, according to Gromov.

    Overall, however, this cooptation fell short, mostly due to ideological dogmas. “Having bet on PDPA members and ignoring the Afghan elites established over the centuries, the Soviet leaders made themselves hostage to all these Tarakis, Amins, Karmals, Najibs [short for Najibullahs] and the like. This they understood much later, however,” Vasilyev, the military historian, wrote.

    However, not all of this outreach was a waste. The contacts between Gromov and Massoud may have contributed to the latter’s desire to take a cooperative stance toward post-Soviet Russia.

    Once the DRA regime fell apart and the Taliban rose to power, Massoud became one of the leaders of the so-called Northern Alliance, which post-Soviet Moscow supported in its effort to prevent an expansion of the Taliban’s influence into Central Asia in the 1990s.

    Lesson 10:

    When leaving, leave…

    When describing how he engineered the withdrawal of the 40th Army in his book, Gromov does not cite the popular Russian adage “when leaving, leave,” sometimes attributed to Cicero.

    However, the description itself proves that he persistently tried to do just that despite pressure from DRA rulers.

    Had Gromov not been so persistent, Najibullah may have succeeded in persuading Moscow to keep the troops in-country, and the result of that “success” would have been only delaying the fall of his regime at the cost of more OKSVA casualties.

    Moreover, had the Soviet soldiers stayed for three more years, they would have found the state they had sworn to defend vanish in December 1991.

    Even as it was, the subsequent process of dividing Soviet units among the 15 newly independent republics proved to be chaotic and antagonistic at times, which would have seriously affected both the supplies and the morale of OKSVA had the contingent still been deployed.

    Come 1992, and even the largest of the ex-Soviet republics, Russia, would have lacked the resources possessed by the USSR in 1989 to smoothly and securely withdraw the 40th army had post-Soviet Moscow claimed it for its own. In reality, when 1992 came, there were only seven “Soviet” military advisors left in Afghanistan and they all left the country in April of that year.

    In his book Gromov describes multiple instances when Najibullah and some of the Soviet leaders kept coming up with options that would commit Soviet troops to stay in Afghanistan even after the announcement about withdrawal.

    In 1988 “the government of Afghanistan made truly ‘heroic’ efforts to stop the 40th Army from leaving at any cost,” Gromov recalled in his book.

    To do so, the Afghan Defense Ministry made repeated attempts to draw OKSVA into “large-scale combat,” while DRA diplomats argued that the withdrawal should be suspended because Pakistan was failing to fulfill its commitments under the 1988 Geneva Accords.

    In one instance, also in 1988, Najibullah said that he would agree to the withdrawal of the 40th Army, but asked that Soviet volunteers guard Kabul’s airport and the Hairatan-Kabul highway, which would have required a 12,000-strong division, according to Gromov’s book.

    A secret Central Committee memo of Jan. 23, 1989, described several options for providing military support to the DRA after the withdrawal, including one similar to what Najibullah asked for—to leave a 12,000-man division to guard the highway so that the Soviets could continue shipping aid. Another option was to ask the U.N. to deploy peacekeepers and keep Soviet troops in until they arrive.

    A third option was to withdraw OKSVA, but have Soviet military units guard convoys with aid. The fourth option was to “withdraw almost all Soviet troops,” but leave some units behind so they could guard key parts of the Hairatan-Kabul highway. The fifth and final option was to withdraw all troops, but have the Soviet military send in ammunition and other supplies to fully equip and maintain Afghan government units guarding the highway.

    Ultimately, the Soviet leadership rightly concluded that keeping in regular troops was not an option and withdrew all personnel except advisors, who at one point totaled 2,000, according to an interview Gareyev gave the Rodina journal in 1999.

    The Soviet departure did not suffice to end the civil war, as some may have hoped based on the mujahedeen’s stated goal of driving out the Soviets; however, subsequent events proved that the Soviets’ Afghan allies could hold onto power even without Soviet soldiers and, therefore, without significant Soviet casualties, as long as Moscow continued to materially support the government.

    Lesson 11:

    …but before you leave, secure enforceable guarantees that POWs and MIAs are found and brought home, and give the returning soldiers proper welcome and care.

    Describing how the last battalion of the 40th Army crossed into Termez under his command on Feb. 15, 1989, Gromov wrote how ordinary people embraced the returning soldiers heartily, but how also “not a single commander in Moscow even thought about how to organize greeting” them. “Were we supposed to greet ourselves? The attempt to overlook the withdrawal of the 40th Army from Afghanistan became another instance of tactlessness by those who worked in the Kremlin… They could have at least sent someone from the huge government staff or the Defense Ministry to meet us in Termez. It’s not every day we complete the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan,” Gromov wrote. He also wrote that some of the Soviet citizens welcoming home his last battalion were relatives of Soviet soldiers who had been killed in Afghanistan.

    “Some of them, having received official notices and even having buried their loved ones, still hoped: What if he was alive, what if he would come out now?” Gromov wrote. Overall, 15,051 Soviet servicemen were killed in Afghanistan, according to a 2001 study edited by Col. Gen. Grigory Krivosheyev. As for Afghans, some 800,000-1,500,000 of them died during the intervention, according to one scholarly estimate.

    Of those who did return, many suffered from post-traumatic disorders that often went untreated, while also encountering public disapproval from those with anti-war sentiments, much as Vietnam veterans initially did in the U.S.

    The author of this paper encountered one such veteran in 1999. The former sniper, broad-shouldered, had served in a Soviet commando unit in Afghanistan and said the only means of relaxation his commanders had provided was an aquarium.

    He also said his complaints about what he later realized to be a post-traumatic stress disorder were dismissed by commanders with phrases like: “What psychological stress?

    Have you seen the size of your arms?” (meaning, presumably, that his physical fitness precluded any medical conditions).

    According to a book by KGB officer Vladimir Garkavy, who completed multiple tours of duty in Afghanistan, “despondency, apathy and despair have become the companions of many veterans.” Garkavy wrote that some 500 veterans of the Soviet war in Afghanistan committed suicide in 2007 alone.

    In addition to failing to organize a proper welcome to the returning troops or ensure adequate treatment of their war-induced disorders, the Soviet authorities also did not bother to include a clause on the return of Soviet MIAs in any of the so-called Geneva Accords,6 which were signed in 1988 and included three Afghan-Pakistan bilateral agreements on ending the war and a declaration on international guarantees signed by the U.S. and Soviet Union and meant to cut off U.S. and Soviet aid to the warring sides.

    At the time, Gorbachev and his foreign minister, Eduard Shevardnadze, “who concluded these treaties, seemed to be concerned only about convincing the public that they were not personally involved in the deployment of Soviet troops to Afghanistan and to disclaim responsibility for it.

    Soviet soldiers and officers who were in captivity … were of little interest to them,” Lyakhovsky wrote in his book. According to Varennikov’s 1999 article, he and other Soviet commanders pleaded with Shevardnadze during a 1987 meeting to include clauses on reciprocal closure of rebel bases in Afghanistan and he agreed to push for them, but none made it into the accords.

    Gromov also wrote in his book that the leadership of the 40th Army and Soviet Defense Ministry “insisted” the Soviet government insert a clause on the return of Soviet POWs and MIAs into the accords because “we had no moral right to leave Afghanistan until we liberated our soldiers or at least ascertained their fates.”

    However, these demands were disregarded. According to the Krivosheyev study, 417 Soviet soldiers went missing or were taken captive in Afghanistan during the intervention, with 130 of them later found and returned home, leaving 287 MIAs and POWs as of Jan. 1, 1999; by 2013 the list had been whittled down to 263 people, according to a Moscow-based veterans’ organization.

    Lesson 12:

    …also before you leave, secure firm and enforceable agreements that would not only meet your own minimum requirements for a negotiated settlement, but also those of your local allies, because the end of an intervention by itself cannot end hostilities.

    Had the Soviet Union managed to secure enforceable commitments from other external powers involved in the conflict to discontinue aid to the Afghan rebels in exchange for doing so itself, it might have at the very least delayed the fall of the friendly regime in Kabul. Moreover, that could have created a stalemate that would have made some of the warring factions more inclined to achieve national reconciliation. This, in turn, could have led to the emergence of a regime that would have been neutral toward Moscow rather than hostile like the Taliban. The latter ultimately gained the upper hand in Afghanistan in the 1990s before being ousted from power by a U.S.-led coalition and, at the time of this writing, was negotiating a power-sharing agreement with Washington.

    Gareyev, Gromov and Kryuchkov all pointed out in their books and interviews that the Soviet withdrawal may have robbed the mujahedeen of one of their rhetorical casus belli, but it did not and could not have ended hostilities, as the rebels strove to finish off Najibullah’s regime. Yet the new Soviet leadership (Gorbachev and his team) was so keen to withdraw from Afghanistan that a POW/MIA clause was not the only one they forgot to insert into the Geneva Accords: While the U.S.-Soviet declaration obliged both countries to cut aid to warring factions in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and other sponsors of the Afghan mujahedeen either were not bound by the accords or ignored them, continuing to supply aid and rightly calculating that the Soviets were in no mood to enforce agreements as their country grew weaker.

    Gromov wrote that Pakistan was failing to abide by the accords even as the Soviets honored their obligations: “We knew that the government of Pakistan did not really fulfill most of the clauses of the signed agreements. As before, insurgent bases operated on the territory of that country, [and] weapons were continuously flowing from there,” he wrote in his book. Gromov refrained from evaluating Pakistan’s failure to honor its commitments, but Gareyev was blunt in his criticism of the Soviet leadership’s failure to make Islamabad comply: “Neither the Soviet nor the Russian foreign ministries did anything to achieve the implementation of the Geneva Accords by the United States and Pakistan…

    [While] the Soviet troops left, all the military bases and training centers of the mujahedeen in Pakistan remained. Soviet military aid to the Republic of Afghanistan was stopped, but the supply of weapons and ammunition to the mujahedeen continued,” he wrote.

    “Why did we need long and expensive negotiations with the Americans and Pakistanis and the Geneva Accords if only one side abided by them and the other was not going to do anything? It would have been easier to withdraw the Soviet troops unilaterally and resolve the issue without any diplomatic games,” Gareyev wrote. Former KGB officer Garkavy struck a similar note in his book. He criticizes the Soviet leadership for committing to end assistance to Afghanistan in exchange for a U.S. commitment to end assistance to the mujahedeen because such reciprocity did nothing to stop aid that the Afghan rebels were getting from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt and Kuwait.

    In addition to trying to obtain enforceable guarantees from external stakeholders, the Soviets could have also done more to press their own client into reconciliation when still providing the DRA with substantial aid because such aid could be used as leverage. As Gareyev wrote, “there were no tangible results in the implementation of the policy of national reconciliation. The concept of political settlement in Afghanistan put forward by the Afghan leadership was perceived by many [PDPA] party leaders as a loss of its current leading role in governing the country and, for many members of the leadership, as having to leave the government positions they held.”

    Lesson 13:

    Even after you leave, prevent mission creep.

    Even when the bulk of the troops have been withdrawn and only a small contingent of military advisors are left behind to help the ally retain positions, it is important to continue avoiding mission creep. Otherwise, leaders of the (no longer) intervening power may find themselves in the same predicament as Al Pacino’s character in “Godfather III” when he exclaimed: “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.” According to Gareyev, such mission creep nearly occurred again after the 40th Army was withdrawn with only 30 Soviet advisors and some guards left behind. The general recalled in his book how Dmitry Yazov, the-then defense minister, told him—when dispatching him to Afghanistan in 1989 to act as the chief Soviet military advisor after the 40th Army’s withdrawal—that his task was to make sure Najibullah’s regime survives for at least three or four months; if it did, Yazov argued, then maybe a political resolution of the conflict could be attained in that time.

    But, seeing Najibullah’s regime last for a year after the OKSVA withdrawal, some top officials in the KGB and Foreign Ministry began to assert that Najibullah’s troops and their Soviet advisors had been on the defensive long enough and should now initiate “decisive, offensive actions in all directions,” Gareyev wrote. He also wrote that he had had a hard time convincing some leaders in Moscow to refrain from such “adventurist aspirations” that “could only lead to the most negative consequences.” It is easy to see how, if DRA forces would have gone on a major offensive, they could have suffered a disastrous defeat, strengthening the case made by Najibullah and some of his supporters in Moscow – who tried to prevent withdrawal of OKSVA – from brining the troops back in.

    Lesson 14:

    Last but not least: Be willing to learn the lessons.

    Last but not least, strategists of an intervening power need to be willing to infer and internalize lessons that the intervention has generated. Otherwise, they will be more likely to repeat mistakes and less likely to replicate some of the intervention’s successes.

    An estimated 620,000 Soviet soldiers and officers were rotated in and out of Afghanistan during the 10-year campaign. (The author of this paper still remembers, as an adolescent, the sinking feeling upon seeing his father, Soviet Air Force Lt. Colonel Karen Saradzhyan, pack for another komandirovka to Afghanistan at the time.)

    However, while the rank-and-file learned to fight in the country’s rugged mountains because it was a matter of survival, not all of their commanders did. Members of the military-political leadership need to be willing to learn the lessons that present themselves during a campaign—that is the final lesson inferred for this paper from Soviet commanders’ and officials’ recollections of the country’s intervention in Afghanistan.

    According to Gromov, in the summer of 1981, with the intervention well into its second year, the Soviet Defense Ministry decided to send the commanders of several military districts to Afghanistan for several days to learn the lessons learned there by the OKSVA. Many of the dispatched high commanders and their staff officers showed no real interest, however, thinking the lessons would be of little use to them because the local war was local whereas they had been preparing for a major international conflict with NATO. Ironically, though his book came out in 1994 when Russians troops were fighting an anti-insurgency campaign in the mountains of Chechnya, which was in some ways similar to Afghanistan, Gromov did not draw such a parallel. Rather than focus on lessons, some of the commanders spent much of their time in Afghanistan examining whether barracks were tidy, “whether the soldiers’ beds were made and there were slippers next to the nightstands,” Gromov wrote.

    When these visiting commanders did venture out to combat areas, they were asking why there is no loudspeaker communication between the commander and his artillery unit. “By and large, no one got interested in the experience we acquired. It was simply ignored and it was not integrated into education. Apparently, they believed it was better to keep silent about the war in Afghanistan.

    I think the reason the war was initiated should not affect whether the invaluable combat experience [accumulated over its course] is studied or not,” Gromov wrote. Soviet advisors likewise did not apply the inferable lessons when shaping the Afghan military they were advising. “How did it happen that the structure of the Afghan armed forces was created exactly according to our model and the experience of a nine-year war did not yield any changes in that structure,” KGB general Shebarshin wrote in his book after more than 20 tours of duty in Afghanistan.

    Finally, a year and a half after ascending to the post of general secretary in March 1985, Gorbachev too faulted the Soviet military top brass for failing to infer and learn some lessons from the Afghan war. “In Afghanistan, we have been fighting for six years,” Gorbachev told a Nov. 13, 1986, meeting of the Politburo. “If you do not change the approaches, then we will be fighting there for another 20-30 years.

    This would cast a shadow on our ability to influence the development of events. I must also tell our military that they are learning poorly from this war. … In general, we have not found the keys to solving this problem. Are we going to fight endlessly, as testimony that our troops are not able to deal with the situation? We need this process completed soon,” he said.

    Thoughts and summy of the 14 lessons.

    As demonstrated above, the Soviet leadership made a number of mistakes, first [1] when contemplating whether to intervene in Afghanistan, then [2] during the intervention and, finally, [3] when withdrawing the troops.

    Some of these mistakes were particularly costly, such as the failure to take full stock either of the hierarchy of vital national interests at stake in Afghanistan or of the costs and benefits of intervention. Had the leaders in Moscow paid attention to the full array of potential costs presented to them, they may have avoided the fateful error of sending troops en masse across the Soviet-Afghan border.

    The Soviet leadership also erred in failing to clearly formulate the troops’ mission beyond regime change, creating confusion and debates among top commanders about what it is they were supposed to achieve in Afghanistan once Amin was replaced with Karmal and how.

    Whatever the mission, the Soviet military operations would have probably dealt greater setbacks to the armed Afghan opposition at lower costs to the Soviet troops if the various Soviet government agencies had fostered effective coordination of their activities from the very beginning—including, first and foremost, the sharing of intelligence on the ground.

    The Soviets eventually learned the importance of such sharing and corrected the mistake.

    However, even such coordination, or better training of DRA forces by their mentors, could not have led to a decisive defeat of the opposition forces as long as many of the DRA forces remained unwilling to fight.

    Therefore, it was a matter of time before the Soviets realized that their only option was to leave. That was the right decision, which was made in spite of pressure from the DRA ruling elite. However, while leaving was the right move and its military component (the actual withdrawal of troops) was executed well, the diplomatic and political aspects of that maneuver were not without flaw. Not only did the Soviet government fail to secure guarantees for the return of POWs and MIAs, but it also failed to secure enforceable commitments from other external powers involved in the conflict to discontinue aid to the Afghan rebels in what could have at the very least delayed the fall of Najibullah’s regime.

    The Soviet intervention in Afghanistan was not what bankrupted the Soviet Union or led to its collapse, contrary to U.S. President Donald Trump’s January 2019 take on Soviet Russia’s experiences in Afghanistan, which he offered as he argued in favor of a U.S. troop withdrawal from the country. Rather, as Yegor Gaidar convincingly demonstrated, a combination of structural economic and other factors played the lead role in the demise of the Soviet empire. However, that intervention, which caused horrendous hardship for many Afghans, did contribute to the demise by imposing formidable human, financial, economic, political and reputational costs on the Soviet Union, despite the fact that Soviet leaders did eventually realize some of the mistakes they had made in Afghanistan and sought to correct them.

    Not all erroneous decisions can be reversed and some of them can have disastrous consequences.

    Therefore, if faced with a situation that passes May’s test for historical analogies to the Soviet predicament vis-à-vis Afghanistan,  Western leaders would do well to learn from those mistakes, rather than make their own, even if some senior Russian legislators are now planning to convince their compatriots that the Soviet intervention was the right thing to do.

    And so… now we have the American debacle…

    And this here it kind of sums things up from the point of view of American “allies” and other neocons throughout the American military empire. They are not happy…

    …and emotion is clouding their judgement.

    Debacle.

    Yeah. It’s a mess.

    What is HELL is America and the UK doing there in the first place?

    Well, here’s some clear and true points well stated…

    The USA should stay?

    And let’s not forget what he said in his younger days as the President of Singapore. This next video has to be one of the very best video clips that I have ever seen in my life. Check it out…

    And now, since you all know a little bit of history, and a little bit about the UK and RUssian experience, you should be well equipped to read this great article…

    Nasrallah: Afghanistan is worst debacle in US history, Biden hopes for civil war

    Resistance News Unfiltered

    Speech by Hezbollah Secretary General, Sayed Hassan Nasrallah, on August 17, 2021, on the occasion of the commemoration of the 9th night of Ashura, two days before the martyrdom of Imam Hussein.

    Transcript:

    […] My last point is Afghanistan, which I quickly mentioned before. What is happening in Afghanistan right now is an emergency situation that is grabbing the attention of the whole world. Inside the United States, this is the main event all are talking about, and of course everyone blames each other, just like in Lebanon, people are all the same: the Republican Party blames the Democrat Party, blames Biden, and describes the scene as a humiliation for the United States, (a proof of) weakness, helplessness, failure, historic defeat, shame, disgrace, etc. If we want to faithfully describe (the political situation in the United States), we can say that they are tearing each other apart. The same goes for the position of European countries, of the leaders of certain European countries [United Kingdom, France, Germany…], who speak with very strong and very negative words to assess the situation in Afghanistan.

    Suppressed crocodile tears: that’s all British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has to offer all his Afghan allies that the Royal Army won’t evacuate.#Afghanistan https://t.co/HbIh7DR9ay
    — Le Cri des Peuples (@cridespeuples2) August 21, 2021

    It is indeed a striking and vitally important spectacle, filled with lessons to be learned, and we all must…

    It is not something that one or two speeches is enough to describe, for the situation continues to develop, and deserves everyone to watch it carefully and think about it seriously, very seriously.

    This should not simply be of interest to (pseudo-)experts (in) strategic (issues), who are very numerous today, ma sha Allah, experts, analysts, no: all men and women (must feel) that what is currently happening in Afghanistan (is their concern), and all that has been said so far remains little in the face of the importance and consequences of what is happening in Afghanistan, at the historical, strategic, ideological, cultural, political, psychological and moral levels.

    And those who must be the most assiduous in the reading (and the interpretation) of this (considerable) event to draw the strategic and historical consequences from it are the peoples of this region. Yes, the people of the Middle East must be the first to care about what is happening. Because what is happening in Afghanistan is a very big and even masterful lesson.

    The images that you see and have all seen on TV screens speak for themselves… and all the media around the world (follow and broadcast what is happening), because however strong the censorship system of the United States may be, (it is powerless to prevent the mass distribution of these images).

    On the subject of social networks and the Internet, which the United States has opened up and spread around the world to instrumentalize them in color revolutions here and there, they find themselves caught in their own trap, because even inside of the United States, the government of Biden can certainly influence such newspapers or such television channels (to dissuade them from broadcasting these humiliating images), but how could it prevent millions and tens of millions of users of social networks who disseminate and share these images?

    And glory to God, these are exactly the same images as in Vietnam!

    As in Saigon, the (American nationals) climbed stairs to access a helicopter on a roof (and escape), we see exactly the same thing happening at Kabul airport! It’s extraordinary ! A real photocopy! Can we believe that this is just a coincidence?

    PHOTO 1: US diplomat evacuate US from embassy via helicopter as the #Taliban enter #Kabul from all sides. #Afghanistan (2021)
    
    PHOTO 2: US diplomat evacuate US from embassy via helicopter as the PAVN & Viet Cong capture of Saigon, Vietnam (1975) pic.twitter.com/YamWmzjOay
    
    — Stefan Simanowitz (@StefSimanowitz) August 15, 2021

    History repeats.

    Either way, the images of Afghanistan and the fall of Afghanistan into the hands of the very movement that the United States fought for 20 years and expelled (from power), before handing the country over to them on a silver platter…

    The Taliban flag flies over Kabul airport.

    I have already mentioned Afghanistan in my previous speech [cf. below], and today Biden took the floor to try to defend himself…

    I said before that instead of rushing to achieve the withdrawal of his troops, as long as the American forces were present , and since the Afghan forces (formed by the USA) have 300,000 to 400,000 members —between soldiers and police forces— he should have cut a deal between the Afghan government and the Taliban, in favor of the formation of a transitional government, which would have avoided everything that happened, allowing the United States to withdraw with dignity.

    Why didn’t he do this?

    Because he couldn’t bear to stay any longer (in Afghanistan). Honestly! It was not out of respect that Biden did not do this.

    And don’t take my word for it, listen to what Biden himself said! Listen to Biden, listen to his Secretary of State and his National Security Advisor… Because now they are forced to explain themselves to the American people…

    They do not explain themselves to the peoples of the world, but to the American people who is amazed at these humiliating images of defeat and failure.

    Listen to his explanations, and you will understand the American point of view.

    I’m not going to make you a (full) TV report, but I hope everyone will listen carefully to what Biden said yesterday, today, and what American (authorities) will say in the days to come.

    Give seriously some time to their statements, as this will give a good understanding of the historical and strategic consequences of the (humiliating) defeat and (monumental) failure of the United States and NATO in Afghanistan. It is a matter of concern to us as peoples of the region, and gives us lessons that we can use for our present and our future.

    I’m going to stop on two points (of Biden’s speech).

    In his speech today, he said

    “We have spent over a trillion dollars, that is over a thousand billion dollars! They spent a trillion dollars in Afghanistan! And they left crestfallen, empty-handed, with Honaïn’s shoes as the saying goes, humiliated, defeated, ashamed, in disgrace. And this according to the admission of their own media, and Western media. What does this prove?

    That they have failed (miserably), that they have been routed, that they are helpless, ignorant and stupid.

    Biden himself said that the US did not foresee that the Afghan government and forces would collapse so quickly, and was surprised that they neither fought nor resisted. The Secretary of State and the National Security Advisor said the same thing. What does this indicate?

    People imagine the United States to be a demigod, omniscient, analyzing and mastering everything at their fingertips, knowledgeable about everything, able to plan everything through its state-of-the-art study and planning centers with top notch skill and technology, with huge & infaillible plans, etc.

    But the reality is far from all that!

    In our region, the United States is ignorant, unable to understand anything!

    For decades, they have been repeating the same mistakes, deploying the same experiments and the same calculations doomed to failure!

    This is one of the lessons to be learned!

    Biden says it is not the fault of the United States, but the fault of the Afghan forces who did not fight. But my dear, these Afghan forces, you left them without air force, because the air force is in your hands, (and you did not allow them to develop it), while claiming that you spent a trillion dollars .

    This is the first point.

    Second, these Afghan forces were led by your generals, who prepared doomed (war) plans for them! What (war) plans did you concoct, what (military) advice did you provide to these Afghan forces?

    Third, what did Biden want (ultimately)? What does his confession reveal? Because he did not know how to hold his tongue, too entangled in his defense (awkward, and he unmasked himself).

    He wanted a civil war!

    He wanted the Afghan forces to wage war on the Taliban, a war between hundreds of thousands (of fighters) against hundreds of thousands (of fighters), and he would just have to sit down and enjoy the spectacle. bloody in Afghanistan.

    Civil war, bloodbath… BHL’s wildest dream for #Afghanistan
    “It’s good for Israel” https://t.co/cKg7aC3YyR
    — Le Cri des Peuples (@cridespeuples2) August 21, 2021

    Whereas if he had humanity, and cared (for the well-being) of people as he claims, he would have presided over an agreement and a settlement of the conflict before withdrawing from Afghanistan.

    (This contempt for the lives of Afghans) is an ethical and moral downfall of the American administration!

    This moral degradation is emphasized even by leading politicians and commentators in the United States and elsewhere.

    This is why Biden says today that he wanted a political solution (between the Afghan government and the Taliban), but that Ashraf Ghani, the Afghan President, did not want it. You see? Biden pins the blame on him, and claims to be faultless!

    These words reminded me of those verses of the Qur’an which speak of the devil:

    “[And Satan will say when the matter is decided: “It was God Who gave you a promise of truth: I too promised but I failed in my promise to you. I had no authority over you except to call you but ye listened to me.] Then reproach not me but reproach your own souls. » [Quran, 14, 22]

    (The damned) are invited not to impute to the devil (their bad actions which will lead them to Hell), but to only blame themselves!

    What were the American administrations doing with all the those tax dollars in Afghanistan? pic.twitter.com/winabg5GEn
    — Syrian Girl 🇸🇾🎗 (@Partisangirl) August 16, 2021

    It was you (pro-US Afghans) who put yourselves at the service of the Americans, who listened to them and obeyed them, who placed your hopes in them and bet on them, but they got to the point where they told you (quite simply) fare well,  « Bye-bye » [Nasrallah says it in English].

    And what kind of « Bye-bye » are we talking about?

    What is happening at Kabul airport is incredible, it is heartbreaking and sad. Because in the end (these Afghans who want to flee) are human beings. We have all seen this (American military) plane advance with dozens of people around it, without worrying about them, without the pilot stopping, while he could have run over them!

    🇦🇫⚡️AFGHANISTAN CONFLICT
    
    Kabul airport on the morning Of August 16, 2021#HORRIFIC
    ❌ ⚡️SHOCKING video shows Afghans HANGING ONTO AMERICAN AIRCRAFT'S UNDERCARRIAGE as it takes off!#Afghanistan #Kabul #AfghanistanCrisis #Taliban #USA pic.twitter.com/WR1v1niXK4
    — The RAGEX (@theragex) August 16, 2021

    ❌ ⚡️SHOCKING video shows Afghans HANGING ONTO AMERICAN AIRCRAFT’S UNDERCARRIAGE as it takes off!#Afghanistan #Kabul #AfghanistanCrisis #Taliban #USA pic.twitter.com/WR1v1niXK4

    And he saw that people had clung to the plane, but took off anyway! Whether they fall and crash (horribly to the ground) or not, that’s not his problem!

    Desperate Afghans trying to flee the Taliban hanging on to US military plane to get out of Kabul and fall to their deaths. Low flying US Apache helicopters chasing Afghan civilians off the runway with their rotor blades. But Julian Assange is the criminal? pic.twitter.com/RPT1o48MqL
    — Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) August 16, 2021

    This is the United States! What I’m telling you is all over the media, I’m not inventing anything! They embarked police dogs, but did not embark the Afghans who collaborated with them!

    U.S. military dogs being evacuated from Afghanistan on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/fxfIA49zEq
    — Phillip Walter Wellman (@pwwellman) August 16, 2021

    They embarked equipment which costs only money, but did not embark human beings, who are human beings, men, with human rights! Such is the United States, (this is their true face)!

    Everything that is happening in Afghanistan, even if in Lebanon we are absorbed by our daily problems, I hope that we will pay attention to it and will consider it as the pivotal moment that it is, because for 50 or 60 years, there was nothing like it.

    And this will have a great impact on international policies, international relations, international alliances. And today, those who observe and comment on these events most attentively are the Israelis!

    If the US stopped supporting Israel tomorrow, Tel Aviv would fall faster that Kabul.
    
    — Syrian Girl 🇸🇾🎗 (@Partisangirl) August 16, 2021

    Because when Biden said, and this is a message to all of America’s allies in the region (including Israel), when Biden was defending himself, he said something very, very, very, very, very, very, very… (repeat it until you lose your breath) important, and I hope America’s “friends” in Lebanon and the region will read this very carefully.

    Biden said

    “American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war in the place of anyone else.“

    If anyone expects the Americans to come and fight for them, this is what Biden says!

    Listen up Taiwan.

    Listen up Australia.

    Listen up South Korea.

    Listen up Europe.

    And in order not to fight for anyone else, he is ready to endure a historic and humiliating defeat in Afghanistan! When we talk about Lebanon or whatever, in comparison, it is only an (insignificant) detail (in the eyes of the Americans).

    At least 40 people have died since Monday in a stampede and shooting in Kabul International Airport, TOLOnews TV channel reported – citing a Taliban commander who is inside the airport.
    According to him, the people died after “foreign troops opened fire” as well as a stampede
    
    — ASB News / MILITARY〽️ (@ASBMilitary) August 17, 2021

    In conclusion, in what is happening in Afghanistan, are very big and very important lessons, and we must take advantage of them and act accordingly, at the cultural, ideological & emotional levels, at the level of our choices, of our hopes, of our our reading (of events), of our alliances, of our infrastructure, at the economic, political, military, security levels, etc.

    This was my conclusion during my last speech, when I said that we must only rely on God and on ourselves!

    We must not wait for the United States, nor their training, nor their advice, nor their support, nor their false promises, nor their plots! We do not want their good nor their evil.

    Of course no good can come from them. The good resides in our people, in our (Arab-Muslim) Community, in our region, in the Arab-Muslim peoples. It is on them that we must rely. Because we have all these possibilities and capacities.

    This is so sweet.
    The Iranian interpreter got emotional when Sayyed Nasrullah said Iran never abandones its allies, biggest evidence being the dismembered hand of martyr Qassem Soleimani in Iraq where he was assassinated beside his ally and friend Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis❤ https://t.co/m1nRrXbkkA
    — Marwa Osman || د. مروة عثمان (@Marwa__Osman) August 20, 2021

    I am done on this subject.

    I will meet you tomorrow, for the 10th night (of the month of Muharram, the eve of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein), the night of the last meeting, and of the big fare well.

    Peace be upon you, O my master Aba ‘Abdillah al-Hussein, and on the souls who dwell in your court! On you, from me, the Peace of God, forever, as long as I exist and as long as night and day last! May God not make this the last time I am visiting you! Peace be upon Hussein, upon ‘Ali son of Hussein, upon the children of Hussein and upon the companions of Hussein!

    Peace be upon you, as well as the Mercy of God and His blessings.

    The Taliban has a sense of humor:

    Ultimate insult? Taliban fighters mock iconic Iwo Jima flag-raising photo, posing in seized US military gear

    Fox News was all over the place with this photo, probably to try to induce the USA to go back to Afghanistan.

    That won’t happen, because the USA was militarily defeated, there was never any withdrawal/pullout.

    They have every reason, however, to be very, very angry…

    Too much denial:

    CBS accused of eco-overreach after claiming CLIMATE CHANGE ‘helped strengthen’ Taliban

    I’ve never seen the American people so inconsolable before. If their mothers had died tragically, it wouldn’t be that much grief. Didn’t imagine a defeat in godforsaken Afghanistan would be so devastating.

    And then we have this…

    Follow the money.

    “A Big Money Funneling Operation” — Afghanistan Vet Reflects On Withdrawal Of US Forces (Michael Tracey, July 13, 2021)

    Has the Dollar Empire given up the dream of a global empire?

    Haven’t seen strong signals to conclude “yes.”

    What is the national hierarchy in the Financial Empire?
    The Financial Empire is a global debt based financial system administered by the City of London and Wall Street, and enabled by NATO & Six Eyes (Five Eyes [USA+UK+Aus+Can+NZ] + Israel)?

    The Global Financial Empire’s hierarchical structure looks like the following:

    • Core: SIX Eyes – English Union, huge debt generators, negative trade balance (U$A, UK)
    • Conquered: EU/Germany,.., Saudi Arabia, Japan, South Korea – Debt distributors, positive trade balance (supporting the US$)
    • Capital Rich: Russia, China, Brazil, Africa, Iran, ME – (Resource/Asset rich)
    • Circumference countries: ROW

    The U$A is the top management layer, CEO/CFO. It has a board seat. Why is it creating lots of IOUs?

    Please look at the Dollar Empire’s key players in the treasury bond market.
    Who are the sophisticated investors that are buying NEGATIVE “real” yields?
    Who bought the $5 Trillion piled on the Monstrous U$A National Debt in 15 Months?

    The Financial Titanic (Dollar Empire) is taking water (Debt) at an exponential rate. This is UNSUSTAINABLE. Are Americans sleeping or having fun while music is playing?

    The average age of a global reserve currency is 94 years (80-110). It is said the US$ started on its reserve trajectory in 1921.

    When will this Financial Titanic break?

    Something to ponder about while you read over the next article.

    Here's another article.

    Despair in the Empire of Graveyards

    Or Gilbert and Sullivan Come to Afghanistan, Depending on Your Perspective

    Forty-six years ago in a previous comedy I was in Saigon, recently having been evacuated from Phnom Penh in an Air America—CIA—Caribou carrying, in addition to me, several ARVN junior officers and perhaps a dozen BUFEs (Big Ugly Fucking Elephants, the ceramic pachyderms much beloved of GIs).

    America had already embarked on its currently standard policy of forcing small countries into wars and then leaving them in the lurch.

    Caribou aircraft.

    In Cambodia this led to the reign of Pol Pot, the ghastly torture operation at Toul Sleng, and a million or so dead. In the unending fight for democracy, casualties are inevitable.

    At the time Saigon was tense because Ban Me Thuot had fallen and the NVA roared down Route One toward Saigon.

    To anyone with the brains of a doorknob, the American adventure in Vietnam was coming to an end, but the embassy was studiedly unconcerned.

    Embassies do not have the brains of a doorknob, but are keenly aware of public relations. Acknowledging the inescapable is not their way.

    As usual, Washington would rather lie than breathe, and did.

    As in Cambodia, so in Nam, and so later in Afghanistan.

    Apparently a genius at State realized that a lot of gringo expats lived in Nam—the number six thousand comes to mind, but may be wrong—and that six thousand hostages taken when Saigon fell would be bad PR.

    So the embassy in Kabul—Saigon, I meant to say, Saigon—quietly announced that expats could fly out on military aircraft from Ton Son Nhut.

    They didn’t, or at least many didn’t. The NVA continued its rush toward Saigon.

    The expats didn’t fly out because they had Vietnamese wives and families and were not going to leave them, period. These wives may not have had the trappings of pieces of paper and stamps and maybe snippets of ribbon. These things do not seem important in Asian war zones. But the expats regarded them as wives. Period. The family went, or nobody did. Period.

    The embassy didn’t understand this because embassies are staffed by people from Princeton with names like Derek who wear pink shirts and don’t know where they are. The ambassador is usually a political appointee being rewarded for campaign contributions and probably doesn’t speak the language as few gringos spikka da Pushto or Vietnamese or Farsi or Khmer. For example, nobody at all in the embassy in Cambodia spoke Khmer.

    The rank and file of State are better suited to a high-end Rotarian barbecue than a Third World city teeming with strange people in funny clothes eating God knows what horrible things in winding frightening alleys.

    And so the State people could not understand why an American would marry one “of them,” as in the embassy I once heard a gringa put it. It was a good question. Why would a man marry a pretty, sleek, smart, self-reliant woman who wanted family and children? It was a great mystery.

    The Taliban—NVA, I mean–NVA kept coming closer. A PR disaster loomed.

    Meanwhile the PR apparatus insisted that the sky wasn’t really falling even as it did and no, no, no the US had not gotten its sit-down royally kicked by a ratpack of rice-propelled paddy maggots, as GIs described the opposition.

    Many in government seemed to believe this. This was an early instance, to be repeated in another part of Asia, of inventing a fairyland world and then trying to move into it.

    Finally State faced reality, a novel concept. It allowed quietly that expats and their families could fly out, military. It was getting late, but better than nothing.

    The comedic value of this goat rope grew, becoming more amusing by the hour. I was trying to get a young Vietnamese woman out as she had worked for the embassy and we suspected things might not go well with her under the NVA.

    Call her Linda. Linda and I took the bus to Tan Son Nhut. The Viet gate guards gave her a hard time, envying her for getting out while they could not, but we got in.

    I was going to tell the State people that we were married but that while I was in Can Tho, by then in VC hands, see, the marriage papers had slipped from my carrying case.

    This was obvious bullshit, but I guessed that if I made a huge issue of it they would bend rather than get in a megillah with a reporter, no matter how unimportant.

    We found ourselves in a long line of expats with their families leading to the door of a Quonset hut, inside of which a State official was checking papers. Some of the expats had around them what appeared to be small villages of in-laws, brothers of wives, sisters, everything but the family dog.

    An official with a bull horn told us to write down all their names and the relationships on clipboards being passed around. Tran Thi Tuyet Lan, sister, for example.

    Then a genius at the embassy or Foggy Bottom realized that something resembling a third of Viet Nam was about to come out, listed as in-laws.

    Policy changed, at least in Washington which was as usual blankly ignorant of reality on the ground. At Tan Son Nhut this meant telling men that they had to leave parts of their families behind, which they weren’t going to do.

    This would not look good above the fold in the Washington Post. Dozens of Americans taken captive because the State Department would not let their families out.” All was confusion because the US had spent years telling itself that the disaster couldn’t happen. What to do?

    American ingenuity kicked in. At the Quonset hut the guy with the bullhorn announced, “From now on, all mothers-in-law are mothers, all brothers-in-law are brothers. Change your forms.” All along the line, magic markers went through “in-law.”

    This meant that some women had two mothers, but this under the circumstances seemed a minor biological quibble.

    The guy with the bull horn was at most three feet from the guy in the Quonset hut who was certifying papers as valid. He solemnly looked at the papers with their strike-through’s, , certified them as correct, and that was that. A field expedient.

    Hours and hours went by. Night came. Tempers frayed. Nobody seemed to have planned how actually to get these people out. Nobody seemed to have planned anything. Finally a 130 howled in.

    This was the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, a four-engine turboprop cargo bird and a magnificent plane. It taxied over. The engines did not shut down. The prop wash was strong and hot.

    The tail ramp dropped.

    The waiting mob were rushed aboard without ceremony. There were no seats in the dark cavern of the fuselage. That would have required planning, which no one in Washington had thought of. The air reeked of burned aviation kerosene. We squatted on the cargo deck while an Air Force guy with a bullhorn warned, “Keep the kids’ hands out of the expansion slots, you’ll lose them.”

    The real-world Air Force didn’t have people named Derek in pink shirts and if you told it all rules off, get the job done, it did. Ramp up, fast taxi, takeoff run, tight corkscrewing climb with the engines running at power I didn’t know they had.

    The NVA and VC were now very close due to incompetent planning (have I mentioned incompetent planning?) and might have SAM-7s so it wasn’t a good idea to fly over territory they now controlled. Cutting and running from a stupid war run by generals as clueless as they were careerist, with Saigon spinning below, seen through open doors amid tightly packed peasants going they had little idea where.

    Days later when we got to San Fran on a chartered airliner, hundreds of refugees were dumped into the main concourse, no immigrations, customs, or paperwork.

    And now we have done it all over again in Kabul, complete with helicopters over the embassy and a panicked evacuation undertaken way too late and sudden concern for turncoat Afghans who made the mistake of working for the US. There is talk of importing 20,000 Afghan refugees to America. I find it amusing that many conservatives, who thought the war was peaches because it was about democracy and niceness and American values, now object to importing people their dimwitted enthusiasms put in line to be killed. Use and discard. Countries and people.

    There was the now-traditional underestimation of the speed of the insurgent advance, the predictable deprecation of the “good” Afghans for not fighting with sufficient enthusiasm for the Empire: If they didn’t care enough to defend their country, Biden would say with earnest cluelessness, what could we do?”

    So why did this happen? Why another rush to the exit as the world laughs? Which the world is doing. In a sentence, because if you do something stupid and it doesn’t work, it probably won’t work when you do it again.

    The psychological explanation is slightly more complex. Vietnam is a good example. America invaded a country of another race, utterly different culture, practicing religions GIs had never heard of, speaking a language virtually no Americans spoke, a country exceedingly sick of being invaded by foreigners, most of them white. in Afghanistan the designated evil was terrorism, in in Viet Nam communism, but the choice of evils doesn’t matter. You have to tell the rubes at home something noble sounding.

    Then the Americans did as they always do, training the ARVN, the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, to fight the communists to impose democracy, which the Viets had not asked them to do. But when you ask some Viets (Bodes, Laos, Iraqis, Afghans) to fight other Viets (Bodes, etc.) to kill their own people for the benefit of the invaders, they are not greatly charmed.

    With a predictability that makes sunrise seem chancy, they desert, fight lackadaisically, with officers charging the US pay for soldiers who do not exist, and probably go over to the other side en masse when the collapse comes. Which latter the Afghan army just did. Duh, as the kids say.

    The speed of the Taliban advance took Americans by surprise because officers are liars and had been hiding the deplorable state of the “Afghan” army, its numbers, morale, degree of training, and phenomenal rates of desertion.

    Often the American officer corps thinks that if it can just have a little more time, they can win, so lying is a part of the war effort.

    Biden bought into this, announcing that the Afghan army vastly outnumbered the Taliban and was better armed and trained and the insurgents couldn’t possibly do what they proceeded to do.

    Another reason is that the American style of war recruits its enemies. Soldiers are not the Boy Scout defenders of civilization that so many like to imagine. They kill a lot of civilians, many tens of thousands in the bombing of cities such as Baghdad and Hanoi.

    Ground troops come to detest the natives whom they designate gooks, zipperheads, sand niggers, camel jockeys, and the like.

    They commit war crimes that, when discovered, are called “isolated incidents,” when in fact they are common.

    Fragmentation bombs produce such things as a little girl crying with her belly torn open and intestines falling out while her mother goes stark raving bugfuck mad watching her daughter bleed to death and she can do nothing about it.

    But it is for democracy and American values, and anyway the ragheads breed like flies, and besides, CNN won’t air it.

    Today drone strikes hit weddings and other gatherings.

    When you kill people in a village, the young men join the insurgents, wanting revenge. When a few thousands were killed in Nine-Eleven, Americans exploded in rage. Three thousand is a small fraction of the numbers killed in, say, the attack on Baghdad.

    The Iraqi soldiers killed in a hopeless attempt to defeat the Americans were sons, fathers, husbands, brothers of other Iraqis. How much love do we think it engendered in Iraqis? This seems not to occur to Washington.

    Militaries at bottom are amoral. Afghans know of the torture operations at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib. Americans seem to dismiss such things as minor. They are not. Afghans seeing Moslems lying in pools of blood at Abu Ghraib, or being paraded around naked in hoods, are going to want to kill someone. Guess who.

    American wars last a long time because no one has an incentive to end them. American casualties are low, especially now with the killing mostly done from the air against peasants with no defenses.

    No important American ever gets killed. American wars are all class wars, with the dying being done by blue-collar suckers from Kansas or the deep South, not by Bush II, Hillary, the other Clinton, Bolton, Bannon, Obama, Blinken, Biden, Cheney, Kamala, Trump, and the rest of those not required to fight.

    The US public has little idea of what goes on in its wars because the corporate media hide them. the Pentagon having learned that the media are their worst enemy, not the Taliban.

    It would not surprise me if one unfettered camera crew, filming the corpses and mutilated children and devastation, could force an end to such a war.

    Americans are not heartless but calculatedly uninformed. Wars are also extremely profitable for those who provide the bombs, fuel, vehicles, and so on. If the US loses a war, the contracts stop, and equally if it wins.

    Keeping it going for decades provides a steady revenue stream.

    What’s not to like?

    Finally, or as much as I am going to worry about, there is the 1955 Syndrome, the engrained belief that America is all powerful.

    This is arrogance and self-delusion. In the Pentagon you encounter a mandatory can-do attitude a belief that the US military is indomitable, the best trained, armed, and led force in this or any nearby galaxy.

    In one sense this is necessary: You can’t tell the Marines that they are mediocre light infantry or sailors that their aircraft are rapidly obsolescing, their ships sitting ducks in a changing military world, and that the whole military enterprise is rotted by social engineering, profiteering, and careerism.

    But look around: The US has failed to intimidate North Korea, chase the Chinese out of its islands in the South China Sea, retrieve the Crimea from Russia, can’t intimidate Iran, just got run out of Afghanistan, remains mired in Iraq and Syria, failed to block Nordstream II despite a desperate effort, and couldn’t keep Turkey from buying the S-400.

    The Pentagon plans for the wars it wants to fight, not the wars it does fight. The most dangerous weapons of the modern world are not nukes, but the Ak-47, the RPG, and the IED. Figure it out.

    And now the US comes home, leaving Afghanistan in ruins for decades. Use and discard.

    Here's another note, collected over the week...
    Dear [redacted]
    ” China will not initiate trouble but is not afraid of trouble “
    ” Willing to talk ? The door is wide open !
       Want to fight ? We will entertain you ! “
    Absolutely, Chua !
    In a nutshell, that’s my life philosophy !
    Or as President Xi Jinping said
    准 备 打 仗 打 胜 仗
    Zhun3 Bei4 Da3 Zhang4 Da3 Sheng4 Zhang4
    Be ready to fight victoriously !
    And then we have this little blub that also came to the MM mailbox...

    From [redacted]

    Peace can sometimes only be achieved via well armed and the readiness in hit back.
    The reason US and NATO dare not attack Russia is because they are well armed with nuclear weapons, and putin has made it clear that “don’t F with a nation with nuclear weapons.” putin also warn US, “if there is any missile fly toward Russia, Russia will regard it as nuclear attack, and will immediately response with nuclear missiles. ” this is why no one dare to bomb the Russian (including their military bases in Syria.)
    When trump visited Beijing before starting the trade war, China offer trump $235b worth of deal. Guest what happen next?
    Trump think that China is afraid of US, and thinking he can demand more from China. He has instead begin his first stage of trade war and announce to move on to the 2nd stage within months. He then claim that trade war is easy to win.
    What trump didn’t expect is that China hit back.
    China never stab on anyone on the back. China has made it clear all the times, “China will not initiate trouble and are not afraid of trouble”
    China also make it clear: ” willing to talk? The door is wide open! Want to fight? We will entertain you.”
    So, China simply respond to a situation initiated by the crusaders Nd not stabbing on people back. We should not expect China simply stood there fir people to bomb.
    In Australia, China has issue numerous warning before hitting back.
    China outline a 14 grievance created by Australia.
    In Chinese history, they rather build wall, marrying princess, and initial a tribute system to keep peace, but if someone push too hard thinking they are in the position of strength, they will eventually be crushed .
    This is not back stabbing. This is a last resort to keep peace.
    The defeat of the crusaders in the Korean war allow China to enjoy the next 50 years of relative peace with the crusaders.
    Today, the armed with AK47 Taliban successfully chase away the crusaders simply because they fight back.
    Only when the crusaders are defeated, the Afghanistan people can then rebuilt their nation and looking forward to a better future with China belt and road.
    Asia will again become the world most peaceful and wealthy region before the end of 21st century when China successfully chase away the trouble maker from the region.
    The crusaders can also enjoy peace and prosperity if they change their mindset and get rid of their corrupt, low quality fake democratic political system. They need to control property price, nationalised industry that provide basic needs to the people like water, electricity, mining, health, pension fund, education, public transport etc like what China do.
    Wealth redistribution from Wall Street to allow the 99% also  doing well. This will automatically make a nation strong, a society in harmony.
    Cheers
    [redacted]
    .
    I have to tell you that there has been a lot of messages, articles, comments and thoughts flowing back and forth all week. Here's another...

    American Howl !

    By Larchmonter445 for The Saker Blog

    Whether you supported the 20-year war in Afghanistan or not, if you are American, you paid for it. Two Trillion Dollars. Your personal tax tab is 7 thousand dollars.

    If you sent a relative or friend into this horror in South Asia, you paid an emotional price also.

    If your relative or friend lost his or her life, you paid again, most grievously.

    If you are one who returned, PTSD is taking a toll on your life. You pay every night and day, psychologically.

    If you came back with traumatic wounds, you pay each moment as you try to rehabilitate and recover.

    And with all these payments and losses you sit in front of a TV or monitor and watch the most feckless, incompetent leadership on the face of the Earth. You see total disorder, amateur thinking, and disgraceful performance of State Dept. and US Military. The top command and elected officials, the top counselors and advisers, each and every one clueless, ignorant, flummoxed by reality. They know nothing and can do nothing. Yet, they lead the country.

    If you are fond of NATO, the alliance just took a huge hit.

    So, the 75 years of unity and the 20 years of joint operations in Afghan are tossed away unilaterally. NATO is fracturing.

    They know Biden is a fraud and the US is aimless.

    You finally hear from the President of the United States, the reasoning that was the policy and follow through. It makes no sense. The old man is irrational.

    Day after day this continuing catastrophe you see the same imbeciles prove over and over that they don’t know how to think, organize, lead or inspire.

    Admiral John Kirby spokesman for the Defense Dept., Ned Price spokesman for State Dept., Jan Psaki spokeswoman for the WH, all of them know nothing, have no facts to report, seem bewildered by simple questions.

    Listening to Jake Sullivan, NSC explains, is more naïveté and kindergarten-level thinking.

    Mark Milley and Lloyd Austin are a quiniela of incompetence, both are lost in Critical Race Theory and too busy to win a war, command an evacuation, secure billions of dollars in lethal weaponry or answer a simple question with believable facts. Two Four-Star Dumb and Dumbers.

    These dolts cut off the US government pipeline for the citizens caught inside Afghanistan, their lifeline to the State Dept. and consular staff has gone just when they need them.

    These jackasses sent off all the resources their citizens needed for evacuation.

    They inadvertently point blame to the Clown-in-Chief Biden, who reflexively blames Trump for the policy Biden created.

    Then the inept US military took six days to bring in 7000 troops to work security at the airport. These troops, they told us, were pre-positioned and ready to go. Another massive failure of military logistical performance.

    There are more days of this until the artificial deadline on the 31st. The odds are there will be 20-30,000 Americans and Afghanis who worked for and with our military left behind. This is totally unacceptable. They will become hostages to Taliban authorities.

    The only good result of this debacle is it hurts Biden politically and makes a change in the Congress much more likely in 2022.

    Biden’s Kabul is worse than Ford’s Saigon and Carter’s Tehran. And it is far from over.

    As a citizen, you are embarrassed, ashamed, insulted, depressed, left helpless, enraged, and damn angry at the juvenile operational disaster in plain sight at Kabul airport.

    Biden and Harris should be impeached. The entire NSC staff should be fired. The JCS chief and the JCS staff and the SOD should be fired. The State Dept. from top-down to consular staff should be fired.

    It is their turn to pay for this national embarrassment, geopolitical disaster, and human tragedy.

    And then we have this article...

    A Saigon moment looms in Kabul

    August 12, 2021 will go down as the day the Taliban avenged America’s invasion and struck the blow that brought down its man in Kabul

    by Pepe Escobar,  first posted at Asia Times

    August 12, 2021. History will register it as the day the Taliban, nearly 20 years after 9/11 and the subsequent toppling of their 1996-2001 reign by American bombing, struck the decisive blow against the central government in Kabul.

    In a coordinated blitzkrieg, the Taliban all but captured three crucial hubs: Ghazni and Kandahar in the center, and Herat in the west. They had already captured most of the north. As it stands, the Taliban control 14 (italics mine) provincial capitals and counting.

    First thing in the morning, they took Ghazni, which is situated around 140 kilometers from Kabul. The repaved highway is in good condition. Not only are the Taliban moving closer and closer to Kabul: for all practical purposes they now control the nation’s top artery, Highway 1 from Kabul to Kandahar via Ghazni.

    That in itself is a strategic game-changer. It will allow the Taliban to encircle and besiege Kabul simultaneously from north and south, in a pincer movement.

    Kandahar fell by nightfall after the Taliban managed to breach the security belt around the city, attacking from several directions.

    In Ghazni, provincial governor Daoud Laghmani cut a deal, fled and then was arrested. In Kandahar, provincial governor Rohullah Khanzada – who belongs to the powerful Popolzai tribe – left with only a few bodyguards.

    He opted to engage in an elaborate deal, convincing the Taliban to allow the remaining military to retreat to Kandahar airport and be evacuated by helicopter. All their equipment, heavy weapons and ammunition should be transferred to the Taliban.

    Afghan Special Forces represented the cream of the crop in Kandahar. Yet they were only protecting a few select locations. Now their next mission may be to protect Kabul. The final deal between the governor and the Taliban should be struck soon. Kandahar has indeed fallen.

    In Herat, the Taliban attacked from the east while notorious former warlord Ismail Khan, leading his militia, put up a tremendous fight from the west. The Taliban progressively conquered the police HQ, “liberated” prison inmates and laid siege to the governor’s office.

    Game over: Herat has also fallen with the Taliban now controlling the whole of Western Afghanistan, all the way to the borders with Iran.

    Tet Offensive, remixed

    Military analysts will have a ball deconstructing this Taliban equivalent to the 1968 Tet Offensive in Vietnam. Satellite intel may have been instrumental: it’s as if the whole battlefield progress had been coordinated from above.

    Yet there are some quite prosaic reasons for the success of the onslaught apart from strategic acumen: corruption in the Afghan National Army (ANA); total disconnect between Kabul and battlefield commanders; lack of American air support; the deep political divide in Kabul itself.

    In parallel, the Taliban had been secretly reaching out for months, through tribal connections and family ties, offering a deal: don’t fight us and you will be spared.

    Add to it a deep sense of betrayal by the West felt by those connected with the Kabul government, mixed with fear of Taliban revenge against collaborationists.

    A very sad subplot, from now on, concerns civilian helplessness – felt by those who consider themselves trapped in cities that are now controlled by the Taliban. Those that made it before the onslaught are the new Afghan IDPs, such as the ones who set up a refugee camp in the Sara-e-Shamali park in Kabul.

    A new generation of IDPs in Afghanistan.

    Rumors were swirling in Kabul that Washington had suggested to President Ashraf Ghani to resign, clearing the way for a ceasefire and the establishment of a transitional government.

    On the record, what’s established is that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin promised Ghani to “remain invested” in Afghan security.

    Reports indicate the Pentagon plans to redeploy 3,000 troops and Marines to Afghanistan and another 4,000 to the region to evacuate the US Embassy and US citizens in Kabul.

    The alleged offer to Ghani actually originated in Doha – and came from Ghani’s people, as I confirmed with diplomatic sources.

    The Kabul delegation, led by Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of something called the High Council for National Reconciliation, via Qatar mediation, offered the Taliban a power-sharing deal as long as they stop the onslaught. There’s been no mention of Ghani resigning, which is the Taliban’s number one condition for any negotiation.

    The extended troika in Doha is working overtime. The US lines up immovable object Zalmay Khalilzad, widely mocked in the 2000s as “Bush’s Afghan.” The Pakistanis have special envoy Muhammad Sadiq and ambassador to Kabul Mansoor Khan.

    The Russians have the Kremlin’s envoy to Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov. And the Chinese have a new Afghan envoy, Xiao Yong.

    Russia-China-Pakistan are negotiating with a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) frame of mind: all three are permanent members. They emphasize a transition government, power-sharing, and recognition of the Taliban as a legitimate political force.

    Diplomats are already hinting that if the Taliban topple Ghani in Kabul, by whatever means, they will be recognized by Beijing as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan – something that will set up yet another incendiary geopolitical front in the confrontation against Washington.

    As it stands, Beijing is just encouraging the Taliban to strike a peace agreement with Kabul.

    The Pashtunistan riddle

    Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has minced no words as he stepped into the fray. He confirmed the Taliban leadership told him there’s no negotiation with Ghani in power – even as he tried to persuade them to reach for a peace deal.

    Khan accused Washington of regarding Pakistan as “useful” only when it comes to pressing Islamabad to use its influence over the Taliban to broker a deal – without considering the “mess” the Americans left behind.

    Khan once again said he “made it very clear” there will be no US military bases in Pakistan.

    This is a very good analysis of how hard it is for Khan and Islamabad to explain Pakistan’s complex involvement with Afghanistan to the West and also the Global South.

    The key issues are quite clear:

    1. Pakistan wants a power-sharing deal and is doing what it can in Doha, along the extended troika, to reach it.

    2. A Taliban takeover will lead to a new influx of refugees and may encourage jihadis of the al-Qaeda, TTP and ISIS-Khorasan kind to destabilize Pakistan.

    3. It was the US that legitimized the Taliban by striking an agreement with them during the Donald Trump administration.

    4. And because of the messy withdrawal, the Americans reduced their leverage – and Pakistan’s – over the Taliban.

    The problem is Islamabad simply does not manage to get these messages across.

    And then there are some bewildering decisions. Take the AfPak border between Chaman (in Pakistan’s Balochistan) and Spin Boldak (in Afghanistan).

    The Pakistanis closed their side of the border. Every day tens of thousands of people, overwhelmingly Pashtun and Baloch, from both sides cross back and forth alongside a mega-convoy of trucks transporting merchandise from the port of Karachi to landlocked Afghanistan. To shut down such a vital commercial border is an unsustainable proposition.

    All of the above leads to arguably the ultimate problem: what to do about Pashtunistan?

    The absolute heart of the matter when it comes to Pakistan’s involvement in Afghanistan and Afghan interference in the Pakistani tribal areas is the completely artificial, British Empire-designed Durand Line. 

    Islamabad’s definitive nightmare is another partition. Pashtuns are the largest tribe in the world and they live on both sides of the (artificial) border. Islamabad simply cannot admit a nationalist entity ruling Afghanistan because that will eventually foment a Pashtun insurrection in Pakistan.

    And that explains why Islamabad prefers the Taliban compared to an Afghan nationalist government. Ideologically, conservative Pakistan is not that dissimilar from the Taliban positioning. And in foreign policy terms, the Taliban in power perfectly fit the unmovable “strategic depth” doctrine that opposes Pakistan to India.

    In contrast, Afghanistan’s position is clear-cut. The Durand Line divides Pashtuns on both sides of an artificial border. So any nationalist government in Kabul will never abandon its desire for a larger, united Pashtunistan.

    As the Taliban are de facto a collection of warlord militias, Islamabad has learned by experience how to deal with them. Virtually every warlord – and militia – in Afghanistan is Islamic.

    Even the current Kabul arrangement is based on Islamic law and seeks advice from an Ulema council. Very few in the West know that Sharia law is the predominant trend in the current Afghan constitution.

    Closing the circle, ultimately all members of the Kabul government, the military, as well as a great deal of civil society come from the same conservative tribal framework that gave birth to the Taliban.

    Apart from the military onslaught, the Taliban seem to be winning the domestic PR battle because of a simple equation: they portray Ghani as a NATO and US puppet, the lackey of foreign invaders.

    And to make that distinction in the graveyard of empires has always been a winning proposition.

    And then we have this article...

    The War Comes Home

    A nation is made of race, ethnicity, culture, and identity. Ernst Renan called it a “daily plebiscite.” He said a nation needs a “common will in the present,” and the wish to perform great deeds in the future. Identity is a feeling, but feelings, emotions, personalities and beliefs come from the blood. We don’t create ourselves, and we can’t be other than what we are. Polities are temporary, but peoples endure.

    I remember September 11, 2001. I never knew what people meant by “blood running cold” until I looked at New York City from my favorite hill and saw the smoking ruin where the Trade Center had been. I felt a deeply personal insult.

    An abstraction called “America” hadn’t been attacked. This was something real. “Freedom” wasn’t under attack. It was my city, my people, my country that these savages had assaulted. American unity was awesome. President George W. Bush could have asked for anything from the country. The grief and righteous anger could have changed the world.

    Now these feelings seem absurd and embarrassing. Patriotism is at a record low, even among conservatives. It’s hard to define what “America” means, or if it even exists.

    Part of this is because the response to the attacks had nothing to do with defending America. President Bush could have stopped immigration, worked to defend the Christian faith he supposedly holds, and renewed patriotism. He did none of these things. Multiculturalism and anti-white preferences are far stronger today. Rather than seizing the moment to push assimilation and patriotism in schools, they teach Critical Race Theory and other anti-white ideas. Islam, once a marginal force in American life, has joined homosexuality and black identity as one of our national totems.

    In 2001, the attackers entered the country legally through holes in our immigration laws. The holes are still there and immigration is worse than ever. The Muslim population of the United States has grown continuously, despite support for a total ban on Muslim immigration. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim in Congress, was a black nationalist who once argued for ending the Union — and no black congressmen ever said that was wrong. We fought in Afghanistan and Iraq to bring “democracy” to foreigners, who rightly hated us for trying to turn them into something they were not. The Iraq War’s most lasting consequence, and the greatest impact of the so-called Christian Right, may have been to destroy what was left of Christianity in Iraq. A SEAL team eventually killed Osama bin Laden. Crowds cheered, but that seems hollow now.

    What was the purpose of the wars? If they were to “spread democracy,” they failed. If they were to defend the “American way of life,” they failed. The America of 2021 is a nightmare to a patriot from 2001. It’s bad enough that today’s “American way of life” is imposed on us, let alone on foreigners. If the War on Terror was supposed to keep us “safe,” that also failed. America seems far more besieged than before 2001, despite trillions spent and intrusive surveillance. America even faces the possibility of real defeat in a conventional war against great powers. If our government took foreign terrorism seriously, we would not have a porous border.

    What happened over the last 20 years is something deeper. Thousands of Americans are still in Afghanistan, and the defense secretary said the world’s sole superpower has “no capability” to go outside the Kabul airport to get them out. “There was nothing that I or anyone else saw that indicated a collapse of this [Afghan proxy] army and this government in 11 days,” said General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Incredibly, he didn’t resign. President Biden bizarrely defended himself by saying that the scenes of desperate people fleeing the country and falling off airplanes were from “four, five days ago.”

    We had to leave Afghanistan, but it’s astonishing that we had no plan to protect Americans, secure weapons, or even protect the airport. Those in charge pay no price for failure.

    After September 11, Americans thought American power had been roused and we would smite our enemies. Instead, we sacrificed thousands of young men to bring “democracy” to foreigners. Iraqi and Afghani cooperation (or collaboration) went no farther than a paycheck. Many Americans even died at the hands of their supposed “allies” in “green on blue” attacks, which killed more than 150 coalition troops by 2020.

    Now we have a supposed “obligation” to bring in Afghans. How many “green on blue” attacks will we get in the homeland? President George W. Bush (in)famously defended the wars by saying that “we will fight them over there so we do not have to face them in the United States of America.” Now, it appears we fought Afghans “there” so we could bring Afghans “here.” If an estimated 99 percent of Afghans want to make Sharia the basis of law, it’s hard to claim we are bringing “pro-American” Afghans here. The ones who come will learn in no time to complain about “white supremacy.”

    The United States could have pulled out of Afghanistan in late 2001 after removing the Taliban and still continued the hunt for Bin Laden, who was in Pakistan. The US could have declared victory after it killed Bin Laden. Instead, the country spent trillions trying to turn Afghanistan into a liberal democracy. This included propping up a miserably corrupt government, promoting female politicians who never visited their constituencies, spending more than $780 million on “gender programs,” celebrating “Pride Month,” and, most infamously, punishing American soldiers who tried to stop child abuse by Afghan allies. And we were supposed to be fighting for the “good guys?”

    There isn’t even an “Afghanistan.” It is a patchwork of tribes. Rather than working with the tribes, the United States tried to impose an artificial “national” government. The United States rejected the idea of re-establishing the Afghan monarchy, which had the support of most tribes. Instead, America imposed Hamid Karzai. The ungrateful stooge now blames the USA and NATO for his country’s collapse. Old ethnic and tribal patterns have re-emerged.

    The Taliban is mostly Pashtuns, the largest ethnic group. Just as in 2001, the old “Northern Alliance” is coming together in Panjshir, led by the son of the legendary commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, a Tajik. Afghanistan’s tribal society may make it almost impossible for foreigners to conquer, but it also makes it almost impossible to unify. Turning tribal groups into Afghans is hard enough. America should never have tried to turn them into proto-Americans.

    Indeed, we can’t even turn refugees into Americans. And they certainly won’t be grateful. The most prominent “refugee” in American life is Rep. Ilhan Omar. She said September 11 was nothing more than “some people did something,” and brags, “This is not going to be the country of white people.” Tucker Carlson says she’s proof our country is “not very good at resettling refugees.” The Hmong, another group of American “allies” imported after Vietnam, have been a disaster for America and a burden on social services.

    America itself is turning into a tribal society. Pat Buchanan explains:

    The more diverse we have become, it seems, the less united we have become, even about public manifestations of patriotism — the American flag, the national anthem, the pledge of allegiance. Nor do our history, holidays and heroes unite us as once they did. 

    Whites are second-class citizens. The “American” government discriminates against us, “American” schools shame our children, the government hands out contracts by race, and anti-white mobs tear down our history. Media and academia have successfully broken many whites to the point they have a negative bias against their own group. “American” law enforcement is selective. Corporate America funds Black Lives Matter and other anti-white movements. If this were happening to any other group, many Republicans would say it justified military intervention in the name of human rights.

    Is the system that rules us worth defending? No. If that makes me a “traitor,” I would say only that there is nothing to betray. Our rulers have already betrayed us.

    The Afghan and Iraqi wars did nothing to protect this country. They made things worse. Every servicemen sent was sacrificed by a government that doesn’t deserve them. Soldiers deserve respect, but their commanders and politicians deserve scorn. I have yet to hear one veteran say the wars were worth it. Even the legendary Pat Tillman came to oppose the Afghanistan War — before he was accidentally killed by his own comrades. “Were all our sacrifices wasted?” heartbroken veterans ask. Yes.

    Reporters brag about getting the military to purge white soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines who had a racial consciousness. Perhaps we should thank them. Eighty-five percent of those who died in Afghanistan were white. Their government clearly doesn’t appreciate them. Afghanistan was not worth one life, nor are the interests of politicians and financiers.

    The military teaches Critical Race Theory. General Mark Milley was telling Congress less than two months ago why we had to study “white rage.” He should have been studying intelligence reports on the Taliban.

    Patriots must not die for the interests of those who despise them. If China moves on Taiwan, let journalists, defense contractors, and affirmative action pets do the fighting. The Global American Empire’s interests are not ours.

    After September 11, it was common for liberals to mock the idea of a “War on Terror,” How do you fight an idea? No one is mocking the fight against “hate.” If those in power want to wage war, it may be against us.

    President Biden’s “National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism” is designed to spy on white advocates and censor us. The Patriot Act and other national security laws pushed through after September 11, 2001 are now used against American citizens. If the FBI decides you are under investigation, it can seize your assets, and there is nothing you can do. The United States government has lost all moral authority to call Russia or China authoritarian. Even the Taliban is mocking Facebook (which is under increasing pressure by the federal government to censor content) for hypocrisy on free speech.

    Even liberal news outlets are now doubting the supposed “militia” plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. It appears the FBI was encouraging the plot, not thwarting it. (An FBI agent involved in the investigation was just arrested for assault.) Shun anyone who ever talks about violence. He’s probably a government employee looking to justify his paycheck.

    PayPal and the ADL are teaming up to investigate the financial transactions of users to fight “racism.” When a system mouthpiece, Jimmy Fallon, mentioned that whites were a declining share of the population, the audience applauded, which even Mr. Fallon found bizarre. And there was the widespread celebration at the death of Ashli Babbitt, who was a misguided victim.

    When I see the scenes of retreat and shame in Afghanistan, I feel humiliation, but also schadenfreude. This strips naked the fools who have been sending soldiers to die. I long for the America that was, and mourn for the brave men who died for a government that doesn’t deserve them. And yet there is a certain satisfaction in the ruling class’s humiliating defeat.

    The Jewish publication Tablet, marveling at the desire of the American elite to destroy its own country, says:

     [T]here are no institutional elites left to ask whether it’s a good idea to purge the combat ranks of the U.S. military by targeting “white supremacism.” America’s all-volunteer military is 43% minority, but the majority of its combat units are made up of white males. So why purge them? To make America vulnerable to foreign adversaries? Maybe the elites are more fearful of the domestic cohort still armed with a powerful group solidarity — i.e., patriotism — and most likely to defend what the elites are determined to destroy.
    
    It’s frightening to see American leadership pulling America apart at the seams. And it’s shocking to see our constitutional order ripped to shreds as the establishment undercuts property rights, imposes capricious public health regulations, mandates experimental medical treatments, and holds political prisoners. 

    This author is right. The elite wants to unmake the middle class and sees patriotic white men as the real threat. This leaves us with a tragic choice between our people and “our” government. On September 12, 2001, I’d have attacked someone who even suggested there was a distinction. Today, I find myself a man without a country. I don’t discount the possibility of a solution within the system. We must obey the law, pay our taxes, and fight to reclaim our rights. But there may be no electoral solution. Our future may be South Africa.

    We should talk openly of secession That is how this country began. Those who rule us don’t value the Founders, but we do.

    Two decades after September 11, America’s rulers are disgraced, humiliated, and unaccountable. What legitimacy do they have besides their courts and their guns? We must build alternative institutions that can win the loyalty of our people. We must provide for them in the dark times that are coming.

    As we turn our backs on the Regime, we do not turn our backs on America. America can survive the degenerate ruling class on the Potomac. If the last few weeks have taught us anything, it’s that a strong tribe can outlast a failing empire.

    We are the nation. America is ours and always will be. Renan had an “abridged hymn of every fatherland” that quoted from a Spartan song: “We are what you were, we will be what you are.” If we can get enough whites to believe that, anything is possible. The empire is dying; let the nation be reborn.

    The years ahead will be dark, but we should rejoice. We live at arguably the most important time in our people’s history. America, Western Civilization, and the white race can survive only as one. It’s up to us.

    Had, enough? Here's another...

    Oh, did you see this?

    Biden forfeits his Afghan victory by defending his Deep State advisors

    By Michael Hudson, first posted at Unz Review and Expanded for The Saker Blog

    President Biden put a popular flag-waving wrapping for at America’s forced withdrawal from Afghanistan in his 4 PM speech on Monday. It was as if all this was following Biden’s own intentions, not a demonstration of the totally incompetent assurances by the CIA and State Department as recently as last Friday that the Taliban was over a month away from being able to enter Kabul. Instead of saying that the massive public support for the Taliban replacing the United States showed the incompetent hubris of U.S. intelligence agencies – which itself would have justified Biden’s agreement to complete the withdrawal with all haste – he doubled down on his defense of the Deep State and its mythology.

    The effect was to show how drastic his own misconceptions are, and how he will continue to defend neocon adventurism. What seemed for an hour or so as a public relations recovery is turning into a denouement of how U.S. fantasy is still trying to threaten Asia and the Near East.

    By throwing all his weight behind the propaganda that has guided U.S. policy since George W. Bush decided to invade after 9/11, Biden blew his greatest chance to burst the myths that led to his own bad decisions to trust U.S. military and state officials (and their campaign contributors).

    His first pretense was that we invaded Afghanistan to retaliate against “its” attack on America on 9/11. This is the founding lie of U.S. presence in the Near East. Afghanistan did not attack us. Saudi Arabia did.

    Biden tried to confuse the issue by saying that “we” went into Afghanistan to deal with (assassinate) Osama Bin Laden – and after this “victory,” we then then decided to stay on and “build democracy,” a euphemism for creating a U.S. client state. (Any such state is called a “democracy,” which means simply pro-American in today’s diplomatic vocabulary.)

    Hardly anyone asks how the U.S. ever got in. Jimmy Carter was suckered by the Polish Russia-hater Brzezinski and created Al Qaeda to act as America’s foreign legion, subsequently expanded to include ISIS and other terrorist armies against countries where U.S. diplomacy seeks regime change. Carter’s alternative to Soviet Communism was Wahabi fanaticism, solidifying America’s alliance with Saudi Arabia. Carter memorably said that at least these Muslims believed in God, just like Christians. But the Wahabi fundamentalism army was sponsored by Saudi Arabia, which paid for arming Al Qaeda to fight against Sunni Moslems and, early on, the Russian-backed Afghan government.

    What is so typical of America’s aggressive Cold War mindset is that it could have much more easily (and at much lower cost) won Afghanistan by honey, by having so much more to offer economically than did Russia. Documents released from Soviet archives show that:

    None of the Soviet documents list terrorists going into the USSR as a concern in 1979. The Soviet worry was the incompetence and worse of their Afghan Communist clients, the declining Soviet influence (much less control) in the country, and the possibility of Afghanistan going over to the Americans.

    Soviet Politburo documents that first became available in the 1990s show the real Soviet fear was that the head of the Afghan Communist regime, Hafizullah Amin, was about to go over to the Americans. (Egyptian president Anwar Sadat famously flipped in 1972, ejected thousands of Soviet advisers, and became the second largest recipient, after Israel, of U.S. foreign aid.)[1]

    This policy predates President Carter, of course.

    It was endemic in America’s Cold War force-oriented strategy since the 1950s.

    Over 60 years ago, for instance, I sat in on a meeting with Fidel Castro’s representatives trying to get support from the Democratic Party and Kennedy for their overthrow of the Batista regime.

    Imagining that it was the Republicans and the Dulles brothers that were the hardliners, they expected that the incoming Democratic Party diplomacy would find their self-interest in giving economic support to help Cuba’s economy recover from the corrupt dictatorship.

    My father warned them that the Democrats would be just as force-oriented.

    On my visits to Cuba, it was obvious that the population and even many government officials would have welcomed a deal whereby the loosened their Castroite economic policy in exchange for U.S. aid.

    The United States has never tried to use this tactic in the Caribbean or Latin America, any more than it has done in Afghanistan.

    That is the neocon mentality:

    “Do it by force, don’t give any other country a choice.”

    A “market-based” tradeoff of aid for economic policy acquiescence is not U.S. policy. Offering a carrot still leaves the choice to America’s designated adversary.

    The only way to make sure that a country will obey is to confront it with brute force.

    That is the mentality behind U.S. support for Maidan and the neo-Nazi Bandaristas opposing Russia instead of simply trying to help reform Ukraine.

    And so it has gone in Afghanistan. After Carter, George W. Bush and Barack Obama funded Al Qaeda (largely with the gold looted from destroying Libya) to fight for U.S. geopolitical aims and oil in Iraq and Syria.

    The Taliban for its part fought against Al Quaeda.

    The real U.S. fear therefore is not that they may back America’s Wahabi foreign legion, but that they will make a deal with Russia, China and Syria to serve as a trade link from Iran westward.

    Biden’s second myth was to blame the victim by claiming that the Afghan army would not fight for “their country,” despite his assurances by the proxies whom the U.S. installed that they would use U.S. money to build the economy.

    He also said that the army did not fight, which became obvious over the weekend.

    The police force also did not fight. Nobody fought the Taliban to “defend their country,” because the U.S. occupation regime was not “their country.” Again and again, Biden repeated that the United States could not save a country that would not “defend itself.” But the “itself” was the corrupt regime that was simply pocketing U.S. “aid” money.

    The situation was much like what was expressed in the old joke about the Lone Ranger and Tonto finding themselves surrounded by Indians. “What are we going to do, Tonto,” asked the Lone Ranger.
    
    “What do you mean, ‘We,’ white man?” Tonto replied.

    That was the reply of the Afghan army to U.S. demands that they fight for the corrupt occupation force that they had installed.

    Their aim is to survive in a new country, while in Doha the Taliban leadership negotiates with China, Russia and even the United States to achieve a modus vivendi.

    So all that Biden’s message meant to most Americans was that we would not waste any more lives and money fighting wars for an ungrateful population that wanted the U.S. to do all the fighting for it.

    President Biden could have come out and washed away the blame by saying: “Just before the weekend, I was told by my army generals and national security advisors that it would take months for the Taliban to conquer Afghanistan, and certainly to take control of Kabul, which supposedly would be a bloody fight.”

    He could have announced that he is removing the incompetent leadership engrained for many years, and creating a more reality-based group.

    But of course, he could not do that, because the group is the unreality-based neocon Deep State.

    He was not about to explain how

    “It’s obvious that I and Congress have been misinformed, and that the intelligence agencies had no clue about the country that they were reporting on for the last two decades.”

    He could have acknowledged that the Afghans welcomed the Taliban into Kabul without a fight.

    The army stood aside, and the police stood aside.

    There seemed to be a party celebrating the American withdrawal.

    Restaurants and markets were open, and Kabul seemed to be enjoying normal life – except for the turmoil at the airport.

    Suppose that Biden had said the following:

    “Given this acquiescence in support for the Taliban, I was obviously correct in withdrawing the American occupation forces. 
    
    Contrary to what Congress and the Executive Branch was told, there was no support by the Afghans for the Americans. 
    
    I now realize that to the Afghan population, the government officials that America installed simply took the money we gave them...
    
    ... and put it into their own bank accounts...
    
    ... instead of paying the army, police and other parts of civic society.”

    Instead, President Biden spoke about having made four trips to Afghanistan and how much he knew and trusted the proxies that U.S. agencies had installed.

    That made him seem gullible.

    Even Donald Trump said publicly that he didn’t trust the briefings that he was given, and wanted to spend money at home, into the hands of his own campaign contributors instead of abroad.

    Biden could have picked up on this point by saying,

    “At least there’s a silver lining: We won’t be spending any more than the $3 trillion that we’ve already sunk over there. 
    
    We can now afford to use the money to build up domestic U.S. infrastructure instead.”

    But instead President Biden doubled down on what his neocon advisors had told him, and what they were repeating on the TV news channels all day: The Afghan army had refused to fight “for their country,” meaning the U.S.-supported occupation force, as if this was really Afghan self-government.

    The media are showing pictures of the Afghan palace and one of the warlord’s office.

    I did a double-take, because the plush, wretched-excess furnishings looked just like Obama’s $12 million McMansion furnishings in Martha’s Vineyard.

    Obama officials are being trotted out by the news spinners.

    On MSNBC, John Brennan warned Andrea Mitchell at noon that the Taliban might now back Al Qaeda in new destabilization and even use Afghanistan to mount new attacks on the United States.

    The message was almost word for word what Americans were told in 1964:

    “If we don’t fight the Vietcong in their country, we’ll have to fight them over here.”

    As if any country has an armed force large enough to conquer any industrial nation in today’s world.

    The whole cast of America’s “humanitarian bombing” squad was there, including its harridan arm, the Democratic Party’s front organizations created to co-opt feminists to urging that Afghanistan be bombed until it treats women better.

    One can only imagine how the image of Samantha Power, Madeline Albright, Hillary Clinton, Susan and Condoleezza Rice, not to mention Indira Gandhi and Golda Maier, will make the Taliban want to create its own generation of ambitious educated women like these.

    President Biden might have protected himself from Republican criticism by reminding his TV audience that Donald Trump had urged withdrawal from Afghanistan already last spring –and now, in retrospect, that the Deep State was wrong to advise against this but that Donald was right.

    That is what his order for withdrawal was acknowledging, after all. This might have detoothed at least some Trumpian criticism.

    Instead, Mr. Brennan and the generals trotted in front of the TV cameras criticized Biden for not prolonging the occupation until the fall, when cold weather would deter the Taliban from fighting.

    Brennan stated on Andrea Mitchell’s newscast that Biden should have taken a ploy out of his “The Art of Breaking the Deal” by breaking the former president’s promise to withdraw last spring.

    Delay, delay, delay.

    That is always the stance of grabitizers refusing to see the resistance building up, hoping to take what they can get for as long as they can – with the “they” being the military-industrial complex, the suppliers of mercenary forces and other recipients of the money that Mr. Biden curiously says that we spent “in Afghanistan.”

    The reality is that not much of the notorious $3 trillion actually was spent in Afghanistan.

    It was spent on Raytheon, Boeing and other military hardware suppliers, on the mercenary forces, and placed in the accounts of the Afghan proxies for the U.S….

    …maneuvering to use Afghanistan…

    …to destabilize Central Asia on Russia’s southern flank and western China.

    It looks like most of the world will quickly recognize the Afghan government, leaving the U.S., Israel, Britain, India and perhaps Samoa isolated as a recalcitrant block living like the post-World War I royal families still clinging to their titles of dukes, princes and other vestiges of a world that had passed.

    Biden’s political mistake was to blame the victim and depict the Taliban victory as a defeat of a cowardly army not willing to fight for its paymasters.

    He seems to imagine that the army actually had been paid, provided with food, clothing and weapons in recent months simply because U.S. officials gave their local proconsuls and supporters cash for this purpose.

    I understand that there is no real accounting of just what the $3 trillion U.S. cost was actually spent on, who got it the shrink-wrapped bundles of hundred-dollar bills passed down through America’s occupation bureaucracy.

    (I bet the serial numbers were not recorded. Imagine if that were done and the U.S. could announce these C-notes demonetized!)

    The U.S. is now (20 years after the time it should have begun) trying to formulate a Plan B.

    Its strategists probably hope to achieve in Afghanistan what occurred after the Americans left Saigon: An economic free-for-all that U.S. companies can co-opt by offering business opportunities.

    On the other hand, there are reports that Afghanistan may sue the United States for reparations for the illegal occupation and destruction still going on as the country is being bombed in Biden’s flurry of B-52 anger.

    Such a claim, of course, would open the floodgates for similar suits by Iraq and Syria – and the Hague in Holland has shown itself to be a NATO kangaroo court.

    But I would expect Afghanistan’s new friends in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to back such a suit in a new international court, if only to block any hopes by U.S. companies of achieving by financial leverage what the State Department, CIA and Pentagon could not achieve militarily.

    In any case, Biden’s parting shot of nasty bombing of Taliban centers can only convince the new leadership to solidify its negotiations with its nearest regional neighbors with their promise to help save Afghanistan from any American, British or NATO attempt to try and come back in and “restore democracy.”

    The world has seen enough of Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s “rules based order”.

    And President Biden’s pretended history on whose mythology U.S. policy will continue to be based.

    Add: It is not an accident that the politicians backed by the United States are so corrupt, ruling corrupt bureaucracies that increasingly alienate local populations.

    There is a deliberate thought-out reason why American diplomats choose to work with such opportunistic grabitizers as clients whom they place in control.

    It is precisely such people whom the U.S. sponsors can trust.

    Suppose that you have some truly democratic idealists whose aim is to develop their country.

    The problem is that such individuals cannot be trusted to follow U.S. diplomatic aims.

    They may act on their own – and go their own way, independently of U.S. direction.

    That is a risk that U.S. diplomats never choose to take.

    The result is much like corporate bureaucracy, where opportunistic CEOs choose yes-men (or yes-women if they seek protective coloration by posturing as more woke). Such subordinates will support the boss in his own maneuvering, not serve the welfare of the firm.

    That is why Boeing preferred financial managers to engineers, whose logic might not be that of the increasingly financialized company.

    The aim of U.S. “aid” is not to help the country – or even to help “America” – but to help U.S. arms exporters, contractors, big engineering firms, and neocon ideologues in the CIA and State Department, along with ambitious generals in the military seeking a path to promotion and retirement on the board of directors of the military-industrial complex.

    All this was expressed crisply by Zbigniew Brzezinski in famous advice for U.S. hegemonic strategy on the Eurasian continent:

    Its aim should be…

    “to prevent collusion and maintain security dependence among the vassals, to keep tributaries pliant and protected, and keep the barbarians from coming together.”

    What kind of local leader indeed could one expect to implement such policy?

    Here's yet another. Man! I am intentionally whipping a dead horse. But by the time this is all over, you all won't want to hear anything else about this section of the world...

    White Flagged America

    When Ichiro played in the Major Leagues, he was always hounded by a mob of Japanese journalists and photographers, starting with the first day of Spring Training.

    Sick of this, he told an interviewer he wished they would just disappear.
    
    “From your life?”
    
    “No, from this earth.”

    The USA, though, is not being pestered but deformed, debilitated and, well, frankly destroyed by a host of people, many of whom you may not have heard of, so let’s us:

    • Imagine there’s no George Soros,
    • No Bill Gates, Rupert Murdoch or Klaus Schwab, too.
    • No Jeff Zucker, Mark Zuckerberg, Arthur Sulzberger,
    • Jonathan Greenblatt, Larry Fink, David Solomon,
    • Robert Iger, Charles Scharf, Jamie Dimon,
    • Steve Schwarzman, Jeremy Zimmer, Len Blavatnik,
    • Andy Slavitt, Jeffrey Zients, Anthony Fauci,
    • Jessica Rosenworcel, Janet Yellen, Gary Gensler,
    • Betsy Berns Korn, Mort Fridman or, what the hell,
    • Nancy Pelosi also, mostly because she’s so icky.

    Even more than most lists, it’s highly incomplete, but you get the idea.

    Or maybe not. It’s too eclectic, you say, if not confusing.

    What do they have in common?

    They are all social engineers, out to remake America in ways that have nothing to do, at least initially, with the wishes of its majority…

    … so there goes your democracy.

    And that's the way it is, Jack!

    As new norms are relentlessly propagandized, legalized then imposed, most Americans will learn to embrace their newly cowed, castrated selves.

    Many clearly have.

    When I tried to indict a cynical and sinister Uncle Sam in my last article, one who has wrecked not just dozens of foreign countries, but America itself, several readers took offense, not at Sammy, the Jew-jerked puppet, but me!

    Clearly, they identify with the steel boots that are pinned on their faces, so fine, let them embrace their increasingly wretched fate, but what about others? What about their children?

    Due to their parents’ nauseating cowardice, American kids are inheriting hell.

    Notice I didn’t bother to list Biden, not because he’s already dead, but because American politicians are merely cabana boys and girls for their social engineering paymasters.

    From president on down, they decide absolutely nothing.

    Truly moronic…

    … Americans keep waiting for the next election to vote in their savior…

    … or they vote for an “independent” candidate as a symbolic gesture.

    By merely voting, however, they endorse a system that’s openly destroying them.

    With voting machines that can’t be audited, American presidential elections are designed to be rigged, with one of two vetted candidates allowed to win to keep the intramural bickering and catfight lurching along, to distract the dummies from seeing what’s going on.

    (The last American politician with any integrity was Cynthia McKinney, and they’ve chased her all the way to Bangladesh. Once disappeared, she’s never mentioned by any former colleague, such is their collective cowardice.)

    In any case, you don’t want to turn a clown like Obama or Trump, say, into a martyr or, God forbid, national hero, to be worshipped for centuries.

    Not that America is likely to last another decade, especially since most of its “patriots” are curled up, with their eyes shut tight, as waves of degeneracy, idiocy and infamy lap over them.

    As their family graves are routinely crapped on by their ruling wardens, these pant-soiling patriots keep muttering, “Please don’t fire, deplatform or cancel me, massa! I’ll do whatever you say. I’ve never whispered one bad word about you, not even online. I’ve only used my internet privilege to spit at Afghan refugees and Mexican dishwashers, but no, no, no, I’m no racist! Black lives matter! Please give me the blackest flip-flop to french kiss!”

    Conditioned by Hollywood to enjoy others being chopped or blown up, many Americans are getting a kick out of the current terror and panic in Afghanistan.

    Some justify this sick schadenfreude by saying these Afghans are collaborators who fully deserve their punishment or even death, but guess which country has provided the most collaborators, by far, to the evil empire?

    America, of course.

    To the millions who have fought for war profiteers and Jews, you must add all the employees of Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, General Dynamics and Raytheon, etc., as well as all the academics who go along with the perverted, mostly Jewish-led social engineering agenda, and the journalists who spew nonsense and lies daily, on and on, so that, really, about the only innocent Americans are the little kids, those who will inherit a hellish, denatured reality as constructed by their clueless or spineless parents, not to mention an astronomical mountain of debts, as brought into being by a Jewish-dominated banking system.

    Many Americans are also laughing at the quick collapse of the Afghan Army, but 66,000 of them did die fighting the Taliban and other opposition groups (who themselves suffered 51,191 deaths). 117,191 Afghan men, then, laid down their lives over conflicting versions of Afghanistan.

    Do prove me wrong, but the only country that’s going down without any fight whatsoever is the United States of America.

    But, but, but America has just created the largest military budget in history to "counter" China. Obviously a grand World War III is planned. What then? Can America destroy China?

    China, Russia conclude joint military exercise

    Updated 12:54, 14-Aug-2021
    CGTN

     

    A five-day joint military exercise between China and Russia, named ZAPAD/INTERACTION-2021, concluded Friday in northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

    A four-phase exercise was held on Friday morning and attended by more than 10,000 service personnel and main battle armaments, including aircraft, artillery and armored vehicles of various models.

    Read more:

    Chinese Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe and his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu observed the exercise and held talks later in the day.

    Wei said that the Chinese and Russian armed forces have supported each other in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrating the high-level development of relations between the two militaries.

    The two militaries should enhance strategic coordination and comprehensive and practical cooperation, so as to make greater contributions to the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, and safeguarding world peace and stability, Wei said.

    Russia is willing to enhance strategic communication with China, deepen cooperation in areas such as counterterrorism and work together to safeguard regional peace and stability, Shoigu said.

    The two ministers also observed the signing of cooperation documents.

    They announced the conclusion of the exercise in the afternoon of the day.

    The exercise was the first joint military exercise held in China since the COVID-19 outbreak.

    And then we have this piece...

    How Russia-China are stage-managing the Taliban

    By Pepe Escobar: The Saker Blog and cross-posted at the Unz Review.

    The first Taliban press conference after this weekend’s Saigon moment geopolitical earthquake, conducted by spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, was in itself a game-changer.

    The contrast could not be starker with those rambling pressers at the Taliban embassy in Islamabad after 9/11 and before the start of the American bombing – proving this is an entirely new political animal.

    Yet some things never change. English translations remain atrocious.

    Here is a good summary of the key Taliban statements, and

    here (in Russian) is a very detailed roundup.

    These are the key takeaways.

    – No problem for women to get education all the way to college, and to continue to work. They just need to wear the hijab (like in Qatar or Iran). No need to wear a burqa. The Taliban insists, “all women’s rights will be guaranteed within the limits of Islamic law.”

    – The Islamic Emirate “does not threaten anyone” and will not treat anyone as enemies. Crucially, revenge – an essential plank of the Pashtunwali code – will be abandoned, and that’s unprecedented. There will be a general amnesty – including people who worked for the former NATO-aligned system. Translators, for instance, won’t be harassed, and don’t need to leave the country.

    – Security of foreign embassies and international organizations “is a priority.” Taliban special security forces will protect both those leaving Afghanistan and those who remain.

    – A strong inclusive Islamic government will be formed. “Inclusive” is code for the participation of women and Shi’ites.

    – Foreign media will continue to work undisturbed. The Taliban government will allow public criticism and debate. But “freedom of speech in Afghanistan must be in line with Islamic values.”

    – The Islamic Emirate of Taliban wants recognition from the “international community” – code for NATO. The overwhelming majority of Eurasia and the Global South will recognize it anyway. It’s essential to note, for example, the closer integration of the expanding SCO – Iran is about to become a full member, Afghanistan is an observer – with ASEAN: the absolute majority of Asia will not shun the Taliban.

    For the record, they also stated that the Taliban took all of Afghanistan in only 11 days: that’s pretty accurate. They stressed “very good relations with Pakistan, Russia and China.” Yet the Taliban don’t have formal allies and are not part of any military-political bloc. They definitely “won’t allow Afghanistan to become a safe haven for international terrorists”. That’s code for ISIS/Daesh.

    On the key issue of opium/heroin: the Taliban will ban their production. So, for all practical purposes, the CIA heroin rat line is dead.

    As eyebrow raising as these statements may be, the Taliban did not even get into detail on economic/infrastructure development deals – as they will need a lot of new industries, new jobs and improved Eurasian-wide trade relations. That will be announced later.

    The go-to Russian guy

    Sharp US observers are remarking, half in jest, that the Taliban in only one sitting answered more real questions from US media than POTUS since January.

    What this first press conference reveals is how the Taliban are fast absorbing essential P.R. and media lessons from Moscow and Beijing, emphasizing ethnic harmony, the role of women, the role of diplomacy, and deftly defusing in a single move all the hysteria raging across NATOstan.

    The next bombshell step in the P.R. wars will be to cut off the lethal, evidence-free Taliban-9/11 connection; afterwards the “terrorist organization” label will disappear, and the Taliban as a political movement will be fully legitimized.

    Moscow and Beijing are meticulously stage-managing the Taliban reinsertion in regional and global geopolitics. This means that ultimately the SCO is stage-managing the whole process, applying a consensus reached after a series of ministerial and leaders meetings, leading to a very important summit next month in Dushanbe.

    The key player the Taliban are talking to is Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s special presidential envoy for Afghanistan. In yet another debunking of NATOstan narrative, Kabulov confirmed, for instance, “we see no direct threat to our allies in Central Asia. There are no facts proving otherwise.”

    The Beltway will be stunned to learn that Zabulov has also revealed, “we have long been in talks with the Taliban on the prospects for development after their capture of power and they have repeatedly confirmed that they have no extraterritorial ambition, they learned the lessons of 2000.” These contacts were established “over the past 7 years.”

    Zabulov reveals plenty of nuggets when it comes to Taliban diplomacy: “If we compare the negotiability of colleagues and partners, the Taliban have long seemed to me much more negotiable than the puppet Kabul government. We proceed from the premise that the agreements must be implemented. So far, with regard to the security of the embassy and the security of our allies in Central Asia, the Taliban have respected the agreements.”

    Faithful to its adherence to international law, and not the “rules-based international order”, Moscow is always keen to emphasize the responsibility of the UN Security Council: “We must make sure that the new government is ready to behave conditionally, as we say, in a civilized manner. That’s when this point of view becomes common to all, then the procedure [of removing the qualification of the Taliban as a terrorist organization] will begin.”

    So while the US/EU/NATO flee Kabul in spasms of self-inflicted panic, Moscow practices – what else – diplomacy. Zabulov: “That we have prepared the ground for a conversation with the new government in Afghanistan in advance is an asset of Russian foreign policy.”

    Dmitry Zhirnov, Russia’s ambassador to Afghanistan, is working overtime with the Taliban. He met a senior Taliban security official yesterday. The meeting was “positive, constructive…The Taliban movement has the most friendly; the best policy towards Russia… He arrived alone in one vehicle, with no guards.”

    Both Moscow and Beijing have no illusions that the West is already deploying Hybrid War tactics to discredit and destabilize a government that isn’t even formed and hasn’t even started working. No wonder Chinese media is describing Washington as a “strategic rogue.”

    What matters is that Russia-China are way ahead of the curve, cultivating parallel inside tracks of diplomatic dialogue with the Taliban. It’s always crucial to remember that Russia harbors 20 million Muslims, and China at least 35 million. These will be called to support the immense project of Afghan reconstruction – and full Eurasia reintegration.

    The Chinese saw it coming

    Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi saw it coming weeks ago. And that explains the meeting in Tianjin in late July, when he hosted a high-level Taliban delegation, led by Mullah Baradar, de facto conferring them total political legitimacy. Beijing already knew the Saigon moment was inevitable. Thus the statement stressing China expected to “play an important role in the process of peaceful reconciliation and reconstruction in Afghanistan”.

    What this means in practice is China will be a partner of Afghanistan on infrastructure investment, via Pakistan, incorporating it into an expanded China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) bound to diversify connectivity channels with Central Asia. The New Silk Road corridor from Xinjiang to the port of Gwadar in the Arabian Sea will branch out: the first graphic illustration is Chinese construction of the ultra-strategic Peshawar-Kabul highway.

    The Chinese are also building a major road across the geologically spectacular, deserted Wakhan corridor from western Xinjiang all the way to Badakhshan province, which incidentally, is now under total Taliban control.

    The trade off is quite straightforward: the Taliban should allow no safe haven for the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), and no interference in Xinjiang.

    The overall trade/security combo looks like a certified win-win. And we’re not even talking about future deals allowing China to exploit Afghanistan’s immense mineral wealth.

    Once again, the Big Picture reads like the Russia-China double helix, connected to all the “stans” as well as Pakistan, drawing a comprehensive game plan/road map for Afghanistan. In their multiple contacts with both Russians and Chinese, the Taliban seem to have totally understood how to profit from their role in the New Great Game.

    The extended New Axis of Evil

    Imperial Hybrid War tactics to counteract the scenario are inevitable. Take the first proclamation of a Northern Alliance “resistance”, in theory led by Ahmad Masoud, the son of the legendary Lion of the Panjshir killed by al-Qaeda two days before 9/11.

    I met Masoud father – an icon. Afghan insider info on Masoud son is not exactly flattering. Yet he’s already a darling of woke Europeans, complete with a glamour pose for AFP, an impromptu visit in the Panjshir by professional philosopher swindler Bernard-Henri Levy, and the release of a manifesto of sorts published in several European newspapers, exhibiting all the catchphrases: “tyranny”, “slavery”, “vendetta”, “martyred nation”, “Kabul screams”, “nation in chains”, etc.

    The whole set up smells like a “son of Shah” [of Iran] gambit. Masoud son and his mini-militia are completely surrounded in the Panjshir mountains and can’t be de facto effective even when it comes to regimenting the under 25s, two-thirds of the Afghan population, whose main worry is to find real jobs in a nascent real economy.

    Woke NATOstan “analyses” of Taliban Afghanistan don’t even qualify as irrelevant, insisting that Afghanistan is not strategic and even lost its tactical importance for NATO. It’s a sorry spectacle illustrating how Europe is hopelessly behind the curve, drenched in trademark neo-colonialism of the White Man’s Burden variety as it dismisses a land dominated by clans and tribes.

    Expect China to be one of the first powers to formally recognize the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, alongside Turkey and, later on, Russia. I have already alluded to the coming of a New Axis of Evil: Pakistan-Taliban-China. The axis will inevitably be extended to Russia-Iran. So what? Ask Mullah Baradar: he couldn’t care less.

    Now, let's focus on China, as China will play a major role in this region.

    Sitrep : Here comes China : Military Drills, Extortion, the ‘Religious Freedom Balkanization’ Plan for China

    .

    The main news of the day is the Biden administration’s effort to sell 40 155mm M109A6 Medium Self-Propelled Howitzer artillery systems, 1,698 precision guidance kits for munitions, spares, training, ground stations and upgrades for previous generation of howitzers, to the island of Taiwan in a deal worth up to $750 million. China is, to say the least, livid.

    https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202108/1230698.shtml


    Military Drills:

    US ‘large-scale’ military exercises cannot scare China, Russia

    The US has begun two “large-scale” military exercises. The first is a joint Indo-Pacific military exercise led by the US Indo-Pacific Command with the participation of Japan, Australia and the UK. The other is the “Large-Scale Exercise 2021” held by US Navy around the world and is reportedly the largest naval exercise since 1981. A US military scholar told media that it is intended to demonstrate to China and Russia that US naval forces can simultaneously meet challenges in the Black Sea, Eastern Mediterranean, South China Sea and East China Sea.

    https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202108/1230616.shtml


    More Military Drills:

    Chinese, Russian militaries to hold joint drill in NW China

    YINCHUAN — A joint military exercise by the Chinese and Russian armies will be held from Aug. 9 to 13 at a training base of the People’s Liberation Army in northwest China’s Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

    The exercise, named ZAPAD/INTERACTION-2021, is the first joint military exercise held inside China since the COVID-19 outbreak, according to the exercise’s leading group.

    http://www.chinadailyglobal.com/a/202108/06/WS610c8415a310efa1bd667010.html


    And more, an ongoing military drill from Friday to Tuesday

    A large section of waters from Hainan to the Paracels has been cordoned off by China’s maritime authorities from Friday

    https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3144111/south-china-sea-are-carrier-killer-missiles-being-primed-pla


    While we are right at the end of the Tokyo Olympics, the force is strong for canceling or otherwise interfering with the upcoming Beijing 2022 Games.

    This is what Radio Free Asia (and people should recognize that for what it is), reports, and this is clearly within the human rights wars.

    2021-07-27 — The International Olympic Committee on Tuesday said it had to “remain neutral” on global political issues in response to a request from the U.S. Congressional commission that asked it to postpone and relocate the 2022 Beijing Winter Games if China does not end its human rights abuses against Muslim Uyghurs in its Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

    The reply came in response to a letter that the bipartisan U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) sent to IOC president Thomas Bach. The commission made the letter public on July 23.”

    Despite these efforts to do something to China, anything, before the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese are keeping cool:  “Off the field, observers noted that the success of the Tokyo Olympics under huge pressure is a desperately needed inspiration for the world. Tokyo’s experience in carrying out a major international event under such circumstances sets an example for next year’s Beijing Winter Olympics, experts said. ”

    United States blackmail.

    And then during the time of writing, the news broke.  Part of the Xinjiang story, is pure hard blackmail:  the US-based nongovernmental organization (NGO) The Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) blackmailed, bribed, and extorted a Chinese company and its US cooperative partner for $300,000 by threatening to hype up fabricated “forced labor” issues related to China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

    https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202108/1230759.shtml

    The complete Xinjian story of forced labor, a genocide (with no dead people), prison camps et al is falling apart like an overripe watermelon that just smashed itself falling off the watermelon buggy and is not fit for eating any longer.


    A MUST READ report…

    While we are on the topic of extortion, Alex Rubinstein did some undercover work.

    He says:

    “Using a friend’s company on my application and adopting a fake persona, I attended a three-day summit on religious freedom where leading figures in the Democratic Party including Nancy Pelosi, USAID Director Samantha Power and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken ...
    
    ...joined up with anti-gay Evangelicals, 
    ...a slew of shady NGOs and 
    ...multiple bonafide cults to ratchet up pressure against China.”:

    From this ‘Davos of Religious Freedom’, we see top democrats, top republicans, the Christian far right, some clear cults, NGO’s with no history, and just about every anti-China organization in the world right across the spectrum.

    The objective?  Balkanization under the guise of religious freedom as the new front in the new China cold war.

    This report is incredibly detailed and would need some time to read through.

    It is however recommended to understand the vast array of forces aligned in the new cold war against China.

    https://realalexrubi.substack.com/p/top-democrats-unite-with-christian

    More anti-China planning

    And the 2nd part is out, titled: A Cult, a Fake Gov’t & US-funded NGOs Hold Panels Panning China…

    https://realalexrubi.substack.com/p/cult-fake-govt-ngos


    How the CIA infultrates China

    And this is how medical philanthropy US to China actually operates:

    https://saker.community/2021/08/02/tarnished-american-philanthropy-in-china/


    So, what is happening in China?

    Simply said, strong strong words. 

    The recent visit of US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, despite the usual initial nice and welcoming words apparently did not go down well.  “A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that the talks were in-depth, frank, and beneficial to the relationship between the two countries.”

    Days later the story changed materially.   “We will no longer make unilateral efforts to maintain the public opinion atmosphere in China-US relations. Using illegal sanctions as a pretext, the US, aided by Canada, has effectively kidnapped a high-ranking Chinese corporate official, Meng Wanzhou, and is still threatening her with possible imprisonment. No other nation behaves so brazenly in defiance of international norms.

    “The basis for such changes is that Chinese society has become fed up with the bossy US and we hold no more illusion that China and the US would substantially improve ties in the foreseeable future.

    The Chinese public strongly supports the government to safeguard national dignity in its ties with the US and firmly push back the various provocations from the US.

    In the face of the malicious China containment and confrontational policy adopted by the two recent US administrations, the Chinese people are willing to form a united front, together bear the consequences of not yielding to the US, and win for the country’s future through struggles.

    In other words, Chinese society would unconditionally support whatever tough counterattacks the Chinese government would launch in the face of US-initiated conflicts in all directions toward China.

    The US should abandon forever the idea of changing China’s system and policies through sanctions, containment, and intimidation.

    We hope US allies in the Asia-Pacific, especially Japan and Australia, can weigh the situation.

    They should not act as accomplices of the US’ China containment policy and place themselves at the forefront of confronting China, or they are betting their own future.”

    https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202107/1229704.shtml

    And this is the message that is still prevailing in China and internal to her people.

    Huawei’s Meng Wanzhou was in the dock in a Canadian court this last week but at the time of writing, I have not seen any reports.

    Chinese Technology is amazing…

    Check out this video…

    Amazing!


    Further details:

    Far more world leaders visit China than America: “If leadership diplomacy was an Olympic sport, Beijing beats Washington to the gold medal.”

    In 2019, 79 foreign leaders visited China, while only 27 called on the United States.

    More world leaders have visited China than the United States in every year since 2013. Many US allies visited China more often than the United States, including those of South Korea, Germany, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, and New Zealand.

    Read full article →

    South East Asian issues

    Foreign Minister Wang Yi said ties with Southeast Asia are a priority for China and called for “multilateralism with Asian characteristics”, as the country seeks to counter US moves in the region.

    “China has always made Asean its priority for diplomacy in the region … and firmly supports Asean’s central role in regional cooperation,” Wang said, according to the Chinese foreign ministry readout on Thursday.

    “Both sides should conduct frequent communication on all levels, and continue with mutual understanding and support for each other’s core interests.”

    Read full article $→ 

    Strong arming failures

    US drops visa fraud charge against Chinese researcher accused of hiding ties to Chinese military.

    Days before trial was expected to start, US prosecutors ask judge to dismiss charge against cancer researcher Tang Juan.

    Imagine that!

    Federal agents said Tang allegedly sought refuge at the Chinese consulate in San Francisco after they interviewed her at her home.

    Read full article $→ 

    More strong arming failures

    The US dropped cases against five Chinese researchers accused of hiding ties to the Chinese military.

    The China Initiative has raised concern about racial profiling of Asians, however, and led to calls for investigation into the DOJ’s conduct.

    Judges had already dismissed parts of two cases after it was revealed FBI agents hadn’t properly informed them of their rights against self-incrimination.

    Read full article $→

    Trying to regulate into oblivion

    U.S.-listed Chinese firms must disclose Chinese government interference risks. The Securities and Exchange Commission said Monday that Chinese companies listed on U.S. markets must disclose the risks of the Chinese government interfering in their business as part of their reporting obligations.

    Read full article $→

    No overseas coal projects.

    For the first time since 2013, China funded no overseas coal projects in H1. Last month, ICBC announced that it would begin to phase out coal project financing, and pulled out of a major $3 billion coal power plant project in Zimbabwe.

    Then Beijing  published fresh guidelines encouraging overseas enterprises to invest in greener projects and dump environmentally risky ones.

    Read full article →


    Sitrep: Here Comes China: Giant Pandas, Elephants and Decoupling

    Selections from Godfree Roberts’ extensive weekly newsletter: Here Comes China. You can get it here: https://www.herecomeschina.com/#subscribe 
    
    Further selections and editorial and geopolitical commentary by Amarynth.

    Geopolitical moves:

    Most of the geopolitical space was taken up by the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.  Soon Lavrov and his Chinese counterpart Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, moved in, boots ‘n all, with SCO.

    http://thesaker.is/russia-china-advance-asian-roadmap-for-afghanistan/

    North Korea and China

    A geopolitical story of note is the confirmed friendship between Xi Jinping and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un pledging to strengthen their friendly relations as they exchanged messages on the 60th anniversary of a bilateral landmark defense treaty.

    Under the 1961 agreement, China and North Korea must automatically defend each other when one of them is attacked. Xi said he is ready to work with Kim to “take bilateral friendly cooperation to a new level and deliver more benefits to the two countries and two peoples.” 

    Read full article $→

    Huawei Kidnapping

    Meng Wanzhou’s extradition case suffered a major blow.

    A Canadian judge ruled that HSBC documents showing that US authorities had made selective, misleading and “outright false” claims about the Huawei CFO could play no part in the case.

    [Ed: Under Hong Kong’s controversial extradition law one had to commit a crime. Under Canadian law one can be extradited if they “may” have committed a crime].

    Read full article $→

    Taiwan to be toast

    On Taiwan, the Chinese have put down their red lines and a warning:  “We advise the US and the island of Taiwan not to misjudge the situation and not to underestimate our determination and will to punish their provocation. They must be prepared to face a sudden blow.”


    Hey! Look what’s coming to Africa!

    Well, I heard that President Biden is going to throw some more billions of dollars for more High Speed Train development in the United States. I am sure that the lawyers, the accountants, and the bankers are all very excited about the money. But look at what is going up in Africa…

    Made by America? Nope. Made by China.

    Two good-feel-good stories:

    Pandas

    Wild Giant pandas are no longer endangered, but they are still vulnerable with a population outside captivity of 1,800.

    Authorities have expanded their habitats and replanted bamboo forests to feed them.

    The number of Siberian tigers, Amur leopards, Asian elephants, and crested ibis has also “visibly increased” as a result of conservation efforts.

    Read full article  →

    Elephants

    And those wandering elephants are still wandering.  Excepting western reporting considers this story as: “Cuddly elephants are the latest propaganda weapon in President Xi Jinping’s propaganda offensive to present a more ‘lovable’ global image of China.

    The elephants are just one manifestation of Beijing’s decade-long obsession with boosting what it calls its ‘discourse power.’”  Sydney Morning Herald. 

    Read full article →

    I’ve seen western reporting say things like:  Marauding and destructive elephant herd in China demolishes the countryside.  So, now we know, even good-feel-good stories out of China are weaponized.

    (Could we imminently expect a headline saying .. marauding Chinese elephants EAT pandas in JinJiang?  Xi Jingping personally responsible for giving the order.  For those who find themselves temporarily without a sense of humor, this is meant as humor although it illustrates the media from the west that will use anything and everything to continue the media war).  

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0bf8y-Qbo0 


    Business:

    It is hard to choose what to put first from this growing Chinese juggernaut.  Let’s start with banks:

    The world’s top banks are Chinese: ICBC, China Construction Bank, Agricultural Bank of China and Bank of China hold the top four positions for the fourth year in a row. ICBC has been at the top of the table for nine consecutive years.

    Its Tier 1 capital has grown to $439.9bn, the highest individual bank total on record and a $59.7bn increase YoY.

    Capital levels continue to grow significantly, up 18.6% YoY compared to the global average of 12.7%. They now account for 30% of global aggregate Tier 1 capital in the Top 1000 compared with 11% in 2011 and 5% in 2001.

    Read full article →

    Chinese GDP a growing

    GDP grew 18.3% in Q1 and 12.7% in H1 YoY. Urban unemployment is 5%, and 6.98 million new urban jobs, 63.5 percent of the annual target, were created in the first half. Per capita disposable income increased 12.6% YoY.

    Read full article $→

    Chinese exports are up, up, up!

    Exports up 32.2% in June, from 27.9% in May, YoY. Imports increased by 36.7% y/y last month, down from 51.1% y/y growth in May. The trade surplus was $51.5 billion in June, and to $45.5 billion in May.

    Read full article $→

    China trade with Europe

    January – May, Chinese trade with Germany, $92.8 billion, grew 36% YoY and France $32.9 billion rose 44%. China has proposed cooperating with Germany and France for Africa’s development and aims to reopen investment deal with EU.

    Read full article →

    Six new projects

    Six new projects broke ground at Gwadar Port, a flagship of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC): a fertilizer factory, an animal vaccine factory, a lubricant factory and an exhibition center.

    A 300MW imported coal power plant has been in construction since 2019 and the Power Purchase Agreement was signed earlier this year.  

    Read full article  →

    Didi Ride-share

    Beijing’s investigation of Didi jolted global markets and tech startups canceled overseas IPOs. Keep, backed by SoftBank, Alibaba-backed medical data solutions provider, and Ximalaya, the podcast app, all canceled IPOs, admitting that regulators had discouraged them from listing overseas.

    The Financial Times says the “debacle signals [the] end of [a] steady stream of New York listings for Chinese companies.”

    Read full article $→

    Wall-street hurting

    China’s Tech Crackdown Hits Wall Street’s Wallet. U.S. listings of Chinese companies have accounted for nearly 8 percent of Goldman Sachs’s underwriting fees so far this year, and over 12% of underwriting revenue over the previous five years. Didi Chuxing is just the tip of the iceberg.

    Read full article  →

    Remember, the Chinese work together as one singular organism

    You try to hurt it, and all Hell will break loose, the people in the United States and the West have absolutely no concept or idea of what they are going up against. It’s like those cocky Space Marines in Aliens II (the movie) and then were FUCKING slaughtered in three minutes.

    The Chinese are not what everyone thinks.

    The Chinese work together.

    Compliance in China

    A Global Times op-ed explains that Chinese tech companies are moving from an era of “barbaric growth” to an “era of compliance,” in which internet companies learn to observe domestic laws and regulations. China has long held restrictions on foreign investment but a loophole, called a VIE, allowed companies to bypass those rules. Chinese internet companies “should now step out of the gray area and move toward normalized corporate governance.

    Read full article  →

    Decoupling from the “West”

    China seems intent on decoupling its companies from Western markets. The Economist. Nearly $2 trillion in shareholder wealth is on the line.

    Read full article  $→

    IPOs under investigation

    How Chinese clampdown targets offshore listings: China’s securities regulator is setting up a team to review plans by Chinese companies for initial public offerings (IPOs) abroad, including those using a corporate structure that Beijing says has led to abuse.

    Read full article  →

    US continues to blacklist

    In a separate act of decoupling, the U.S. Commerce Department today added 14 Chinese entities to its growing economic blacklist over their participation in “China’s campaign of repression, mass detention, and high technology surveillance” in Xinjiang. The companies include AI and other tech firms based in Xinjiang, Beijing, and Chengdu.

    Read full article $→

    More YoY

    Couriers delivered 49 billion pieces in H1, up 46% YoY, and added an average of 2 billion pieces of express delivery per month, with business volume approaching 10 billion in a single month, constantly hitting new record highs.

    Read full article $→ 

    TikTok

    TikTok will stop requiring employees to work an extra day every two weeks, following a similar move by its local rival Kuaishou. Under the arrangement, workers were paid double their regular daily rate when working on weekends and triple during legal holidays, a bonus that some young professionals preferred to better work-life balance.

    Read full article $→

    Electric Vehicles

    Two of China’s three best-selling electric vehicles in June were Shanghai-built Tesla models, shining a light on the U.S. automaker’s popularity in the world’s largest auto market despite recent setbacks there like a regulatory probe into the safety of its autopilot system.”

    Read full article $→

    Battery swapping centers

    China is embarking on a building spree for battery swapping centers, as the nation’s network of swapping centers numbered 716 at the end of June, nearly three times the amount at the end of last year.

    Read full article $→

    Shanghai Microelectronics

    Shanghai Microelectronics sells its 600/20 flagship lithography machine for 90 nm chips. By Q4, it will offer machines for 28 nm, replacements for ASML’s 1980Di machine and next year will offer 14 nm. machines. “China has world-class EDA(Electronic design automation) startups–companies with worldwide customers.”

    Read full article $→

    China Space……

    For the SpaceONauts – China’s space sector is getting too big and too busy to report on in this Sitrep and magazine format and I’m sure there are media focused on the sector.  Just a little while ago, we have this reusable suborbital spacecraft with its successful first launch.  It leaves earth horizontally, and returns vertically, like an airplane.


    China and Syria signs rebuilding and BRI investments

    Until a little while ago, at the time of writing, this was a rumor.  Now it is fact.

    Chinese FM arrives in Syria, meets officials and signs agreements

    https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2021/07/18/662478/Chinese-FM-arrives-in-Syria,-meets-officials-signs-agreements

    China to help rebuild the Ukraine

    There is another similar type of rumor, very small in the press as yet, that China is now active in the Ukraine in terms of rebuilding and perhaps farming contracts.  This is very small currently but keep your eyes open.

    On these two items, one has to remember the ‘double helix’ of China and Russia.


    This is but a fraction of what I gleaned from the Here Comes China newsletter.  Godfree has some delicious longer reads in his newsletter:   https://www.herecomeschina.com/#subscribe

    And if all this isn't enough, then let's start talking about America and how it fits with the changing global situation...

    Lesser Evil Politics Assure Greater Evil Economics

    By Frank Scott

    A new American president is presenting a program for renewal of human values in the marketplace unheard of since the 1930s but still projecting American military domination and environmental destruction far beyond the awareness of most Americans.

    Continued insistence that Russia and China are major global threats to everyone and not just American monopoly capitalists resonate not only in the cosmic void between the ears of our mentally disabled foreign policy experts but echo in the minds of innocent Americans since that’s all they get from major, and all too often minor media.

    The charge that China is conducting genocide on its Islamic people coming from the butchers of hundreds of thousands of Islamic people in the middle east would be a dreadful sick joke if not so incredibly evil, but poor souls condemned to network media remain stuck in a misinformation chamber amplifying our ruling power’s message day in and day out.

    The fact that growing majorities have little or no faith in government or media is a hopeful sign but until we totally clean out the sewage system much of corporate news has become, the stench that wafts up remains a carrier of the information pandemic.

    While alleged economic threats from China actually do offer market competition to the empire ( and market competition is supposed to be good, according to the theology preached by the priest-rabbi-therapists of the church of capital ) and China is under the control of communists who at least try, not always with success, to force it to work for the common good and not just the minority of Chinese capitalists, why and how and to whom is that a threat?

    Only to America where majorities exist in numbers of those in debt but never those who vote nationally.

    This is called  “our” democracy by many wishful thinkers still unaware that the political process is owned and operated by the wealthiest minority, which spends billions to maintain political control by purchase and rental of candidates and office holders.

    Citizens innocently proclaiming this hustle as “our” democracy are like past slaves referring to “our” plantation.

    If they were the minority house negroes of the time they could afford such fantasy but the overwhelming majority who toiled in the fields and suffered the most brutal treatment had no such luxury.

    And as if the treatment of these two powerful nations didn’t show enough imperial idiocy, that of a nearly helpless tiny nation currently, as usual, under assault, is greater indication of lunacy bordering on stark raving insanity.

    After 60 years of a murderous attempted strangulation of the Cuban political economy, that tiny nation survives with the support of the overwhelming majority of governments on earth.

    Recently at the United Nations 184 countries voted to end the filthy American embargo with only Murder Inc. headquartered in the USA and Israel still, as always out of step with the overwhelming majority while spouting humanitarian rhetoric and practicing murderous brutality.

    This still finds well meaning people waving flags and quoting bibles and constitutions as though these fabled symbols clean up the reality of degenerate social practice as hypocritical as a rapist claiming victims only to assure they do not suffer sexual frustration.

    The anti-Cuban lobby, second only to that of Israel in its control of American foreign policy, was originally a creature of the Cuban upper classes who escaped to Miami from the revolution that was working to spread education, jobs, health care and other necessities of life to the greatest number of people who had long been denied by American partnership with Cuban ruling power.

    They loom large in the current scenario of an alleged uprising against the terror and horror of millions of people eating, going to school and getting health care despite the ugly embargo and other violent attempts to smother the island of 11 million so that capital might again profit from gambling and drugs, as it did before 1960.

    Meanwhile, another bloody lie in Afghanistan has ended with the Taliban, the group we were allegedly protecting poor afghans from, has taken over the government of their own country.

    This after billions have been spent and hundreds of thousands murdered in pursuit of profits while good people here have been fed stories about emancipating women and educating afghans to the joys of democracy like ours, where hundreds of thousands of Americans live in the street while we spend trillions to kill people and billions to care for pets.

    And far beyond wretched national policies looms the global curse of what private profit industrial and war marketing are doing to the environment shared by humanity and not just one or anther national identity group often claiming super status with a special connection to deities ranging from Santa Claus to the Easter bunny for all they are worth in the material world.

    Words about democracy are not balanced by deeds of mass murder, oppression and absolute support for rich minority rule that assures continued profit making from exploitation of workers whether they clean toilets, drive buses, pilot airplanes or walk dogs.

    Like the sex workers who use their private parts to create private profits for their entrepreneurial pimps, those who create, package and deliver the consumer goods that are the foundation of the economy are doing it for the benefit of owners and investors rather than their own which would be far better served if they owned and ran the businesses they form the foundation for while others get rich on their labor.

    Facing horrible news at what the future of humanity looks like under the environmental stress called climate change, more people than ever are working to end foul methods of economics that assure disaster for humanity but trying to do so while maintaining market rules of private profit assures further destruction or worse, simply throwing people out of work they do only to survive and thus destroy hope of survival.

    The future must be to keep people alive by assuring the public good before any pursuit of private profit. We do not need professional economists to explain that capitalism is the only answer to social problems all the while collecting fat salaries and investment opportunities while society fails more quickly under their rule.

    In truth, if workers are doing dirty work that affords them salaries so they can pay their rent, mortgages and other life supports, but it costs society billions to have to clean up the mess they create, we would all best be served by paying them to not go to work.

    We’d be saving the billions we’d have to spend to clean up the mess they created in service to private profiteers and assure their survival by using those mammoth savings to help them learn and get better jobs for them and everyone else, that serve all of us and not simply minority investors.

    As the world grows more threatened and conditions become more dangerous with the USA holding several hundred military bases in foreign countries and surrounding Russia and China with troops and war ships, immediate action must be taken to both confront environmental conditions that threaten us all and war like preparations that are profitable to a criminal minority while threatening the planet and all its people.

    In short, we need global democratic communism before anti-social capitalism destroys us all.

    email: fpscott@gmail.com Frank Scott writes  political commentary and satire which appears online at the blog Legalienate  http://legalienate.blogspot.com)  

    Let’s not forget the Amazing HST that has revolutionized China, and is now changing all of Asia…

    Video of Chinese HST. Good watch.

    Now, let’s move on to the biggest project of the century; the BRI…

    The Belt and Road Initative

    From my mail box by [redacted].

    Here we focus on making people understand that the Belt & Road Initiative is the Endeavor of the Century.

    And it’s not a small task with the pervasive anti-China propaganda.
    Why ? because the BRI will decrease poverty, will open perspectives, will connect lands & seas, will create bonds between nations, will provoke many occasions to work together and learn from each other personally, will boost education (technical & philosophical).
    .
    Yes, capitalists & upper class people (Americans, Chinese, Russians, Iranians, Europeans, Japanese, Indians, Pakistanis, Koreans, Africans, Latin Americans, Down Under-ians etc.) will profit more, so what ?! They got the money and the organization ! Let’s be realistic !
    .
    A bit of Real Politik, please, as Vladimir Vladimirovitch Putin said to Angela Merkel at the occasion of her valedictory visit to him. If this project, which is supposed to be finished in 2049, (for the 100th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China) can achieve only 50 % of its potential, the World will not be a paradise but it will be a much much better place because true, physical development will be possible for so many people on Earth. Imagine it as a Marshall Plan to the square.
    True development means first and foremost public utilities and infrastructures (clean water, power grids, roads & bridges, schools buildings etc.). I think it was Lenin who said that the Bolshevik Revolution is the power of the Soviets plus the electrification of Russia.
    According to an article by MK Bhadrakumar, a former Indian diplomat, the total amount of money injected in the BRI projects to now is in the order of 4 trillions, with a “t” !
    Imagine the 2.2 trillions wasted in Afghanistan and the 5.7 trillions lost in Irak channeled to infrastructural, health & educational (all levels) improvements in the USA !
    China became Europe’s first commercial partner this year with exchanges worth almost one trillion, with a “t”.
    Speaking of Europe, Yanis Varoufakis, former Greek Finance minister can testify to the unexpected and respectful Chinese interventions in the so-called Greek crisis within the framework of the Belt & Road Initiative.
    It is obvious that we need to be aware of the ecological dimension and many industrial projects were utterly careless for our natural environment but the Climate Change narrative and Green narrative are fabrications to brainwash in order not to allow true and respectful of nature development. Watch Professor William Happer’s video or for those speaking French, François Gervais’s videos.
    As Vijay Prashad said rightly, in the mind of the Crusaders, most of the Planet are pools of slaves and microscopic pockets of house niggers/ching-chongs/wogs/snow white house niggers (if you want a nicer, politically correct ,acceptable & respectful expression:compradore bourgeoisie) for them to use & abuse so they can live the high life. Of course, a global project for true and solid development like the Belt & Road Initiative
    (development of the mind & true industrialization)
    is absolutely anathema to them.
    .
    What is happening now in the West is the slow ( maybe not so slow) motion of the plutocrats to crush the offspring of the middle class created post 1945 because even the crumbs they “gave” your parents cannot be “given” to you anymore since new poles of power re-emerged, depriving them (relatively for now but the tendency will increase with time) of guaranteed long term slave laborers and cheap natural resources so they want to “give” even less here because in THEIR SYSTEM, the profits are less.
    .
    In technical words, that’s the system of empire or the British system (aka closed paradigm) the eternal foe of the open paradigm or the American System of Physical Economy (and true development) by Henry Charles Carey (1793-1879) who was also the economic adviser to President Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
    I want to remind everyone of Jeff’s 6 E s describing the PBC’s  (Psychopathic Barbarian Crusaders) usual modus operandi : Extortion, Extraction, Expropriation, Enslavement, Evangelization & Extermination.
    I would like to remind everyone a conversation between Roman historian Tacitus (56-c.120) and his father-in-law, the general Agricola (40-93). Agricola was at the time of the chat governor of the province of Britain, he was looking in the direction of Ireland and confided to his son-in-law his wish to conquer it.
    .
    Tacitus replied it would be a loss for the empire since those barbarians are not even fit to be trained as slaves. Agricola said that Tacitus was naive because to leave a pocket of freedom is a danger for Rome, it would give a small hope to the subjugated people. The English oligarchy learned from the “right” people !
    Exploitation & Intimidation form an eternal pair.
    .
    But in an open paradigm, that mentality of false scarcity for justifying oligarchical control will not be accepted.
    .
    For those who can’t stand Lyndon Larouche (1922-2019), be informed that he was a genius and a philosopher king, without a crown like Confucius (551 BCE-479 BCE) and Plato (427 BCE- 347 BCE). The mere fact that the oligarchy felt the need to fabricate a sordid story of stolen documents to convict him to years of hard labor speaks volumes.
    .
    He also predicted the 2008 crisis years in advance, not a small feat since most of the garden variety economists were clueless, I don’t even think they were  bought off, I would grant them too much brain by adhering to such a hypothesis… Larouche might sound a little bit granddiloquent in certain speeches but it was the natural expression of a man confident in the quality of his mind because he truly developed it.
    .
    Last but not least, he insisted on exposing the epistemological warfare, denouncing the dionysian sex, drug and rock’nd roll “culture”, skillfully and surreptitiously downgrading the possibilities of the human mind, making people easier to corral.
    .
    The Frankfurt school, the ‘societal’ changes, the ‘ecological’ battles were all used as red herrings to the true socio-economic struggles. Mai 68 in France was a color revolution to get rid of Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970), try to explain that to a Parigot bobo completely brainwashed by the contemporary doxa !
    .
    His analysis of Universal History is outstanding. Webster Tarpley, a brilliant historian having writtten ” 9-11, terror made in USA ” has been part of his organization.
    .
    For those having difficulties to watch “The Revival of the American System with Chinese Characteristics”, I suggest 12 sessions of 5 minutes. I’m not being sarcastic, sometimes simplistic means can give great results…
    To recapitulate, if you are not filthily rich or do not wield formidable power (meaning you don’t have money to give or positions to offer) but are willing to devote some time in order to be useful for the cause of an advanced & refined mankind :
    .
    FOCUS  ON PROMOTING THE BELT & ROAD INITIATIVE AND TRY TO EDUCATE AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE ON EPISTEMOLOGICAL WARFARE
    .
    Which is (the worst form of slavery is the mental form, please remember Plato’s allegory of the Cave and don’t forget one of the six E s is Evangelization) because both are powerful multi-generational (not only do we need to understand Real Politik but also that a great Endeavor will take the efforts of many people over more than one generation) tools to escape the clutch of the imperial aka British system.

    And a message for all thos neocons who wants World War III with China & Russia…

    Things are not going to happen as you think.

    Never forget that the Chinese are super patriotic

    If you try to hurt the Chinese now, they will SLIT YOUR FUCKING THROAT.

    Of course, there is no one at the helm in the United States these days. What ever professional diplomatic corps that used to exist has been sacked and replaced with toadies who are just political donors. And they have no concept of the shit-load of trouble that they are walking into.

    It absolutely reminds me of the Hungarian and Polish leadership that tried to take on Genghis Khan and his hordes of blood-thirsty killers.

    Here’s a Chinese preschool.

    Do not mess with the Chinese.

    Now, a few years older. Here’s a video of Chinese “cub scouts” (Optional in Elementary School)…

    Elementary School.

    Next a video of Chinese Middle School Students (Mandatory. Everyone in China get’s this training.). When a kid is in middle school, they must attend Summer training at different levels. They make up the basis for the conscript army.

    Chinese mandatory Middle School Training.

    Next a video of some Chinese Para-Military. There are all sorts of para-military forces embedded within China. This group is a regulatory arm of the Corruption Police. Of course, they are all trained in the warrior arts.

    Chinese Paramilitary.

    Next video shows some of what China’s professional warrior class can do. China is hardly a “peasant army fielding old AK-47 clones”.

    China’s professional warriors.

    And of course, everyone knows that China is no match for America’s professional military with it’s “Warrior Culture”, massive numbers of high-technology weapons, and the “never-give-up-Rambo spirit!

    China is no match for America.

    Anyways, here’s some topical links.

    Topical Links

    sayed salahuddin @sayedsalahuddin - 11:59 UTC · 22 Aug 2021
    
    Almost all parts of Afghanistan enjoying peace for a week now after over 42 years of war, but Kabul airport has become the most violent part.

    Conclusion!

    We went from the history behind Afghanistan and the various military empires that tried to conquer it, to the gnashing of the teeth and wailing of the American cheerleaders who are in shock and pain.

    Then, we started to review how this obscure nation fit in with the global power play and that means the “collective West” and Asia. Where “Asia” is China, Iran and China together.

    Then, if that isn’t enough…

    …we see that China continues to grow.

    And even though the “news” about China is all doom and gloom…

    … no one in the “West” has any idea of what a force China is right now, and how insurmountable a united Asia is against the fat, weak, corrupt United States and it’s vassals.

    There is no question that for the twenty years that the United States has been in Afghanistan not one American leader read any history…

    … not one American diplomat or military general or expert had any idea about what was actually going on in that section of the globe.

    And since Afghanistan was such an enormous drain in money, resources, and “news”, once can only imagine the poverty of United States ability in other Geo-political arenas.

    The best thing for the United States to do right now is to die quietly in a hole somewhere and allow the rest of the world to carry on.

    Provocative?

    Yes, I suppose, but it is accurate.

    Proud transgender American military.

    We know that with the enormous outlay of military funding that the United States fully plans to engage China in a serious war. And they plan to do it not only in the South China Sea, but on Chinese soil. This will not work out the way that everyone plans.

    As I have said before, China is a serious, serious nation, that does not play.

    Video of the future of Africa with Chinese help.

    China is a serious serious nation that does not play.

    Read my Deagel reports, if you don’t know what I am talking about. Right there is everything that you need to know about the future of the world. And what you can do about your little part of it.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
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    Glossary related to world-line templates and the true nature of the MWI

    This article describes a visualization method that is very helpful in understanding how our universe (reality) actually works. This is not the only method to describe how things work, but I like to think that it is the best one for me personally, and so I have been using it for some time now. Most people tend to pick-up on it’s idea and concept rather readily, and thus it’s really very useful. In this article we will go into more detail on how this visualization method works.

    I also get into a glossary of terms that I have been using over these years.

    中文翻译

    Introduction

    The MWI is this big universe of possibilities. And each possibility is a frozen moment (in time) that our consciousness visits momentarily.

    So, in reality, our consciousness is constantly moving in and out of different realities. And since each reality is it’s own singular world-line, we can say that we are moving in and out of different world-lines.

    Step by step

    When a consciousness is injected into our (personal) reality, it enters a (some what) fated life. We do have the illusion of freedom of movement and thought, but in reality there are actually limitations all around us.

    The baby enters the world. It cannot walk, speak, crawl or do much of anything. It lies there in it’s crib. Certainly, it might be able to crawl to the edge of the crib, crawl up the side, and get out of the crib.

    Let’s look at what this would look like.

    The baby obtains consciousness

    At some point, the infant will obtain consciousness. For some it is inside the mother. For others it is after being physically birthed. And for many, the consciousness comes and goes in and out of the physical body until it settles in place.

    And on the world-line template map, it will look something a little like this…

    Birth.

    The first few minutes

    In the first few minutes, days, months, the freedom of movement is very limited. The consciousness is just learning how to get around. It is just learning how to use it’s body. So there are actual physical limitations that it can do. This is it’s fate.

    However, if it pushed itself, and it strove to overcome, it could roll, crawl, move and do other things that are very difficult to do.

    Now these things that are very difficult to do are shown on the template map as hills and mountains.

    Using the Z-axis we can say that the higher the “mountain”, the harder the effort. While the shallower the depression, the easier the effort.

    From the baby point of view it might look like this…

    Next steps.

    And that is the way it is

    As time moves on, the consciousness moves around on this template map. Depending on the personality of the consciousness, it will either take the easy route (which is a fated, go along with the herd mentality), or will become a “hard driver”, pushing and striving to “climb those hills”.

    There are many aspects to this. But for now, let’s consider the idea that when you are born, the selection of the pre-birth world-line template will pretty much define your future. You will enter a fated future, and if you did absolutely nothing your future will be as predictable as anything.

    But, if you decide to climb “those hills and mountains”, what then?

    Climbing out of the crib.

    And this is the point of this article

    The height of the “mountains” is a measure of effort and deviance from the comfortable normalcy of your pre-birth world-line template. As you move away from the “flat, safe” median, you will (by definition) change.

    And, as we all know, change is a good thing.

    And change will alter the geography of your pre-birth world-line template.

    But…

    For most people the changes will not be significant. That is to say that the pre-birth world-line template will still stay pretty much the same. You will “climb that mountain” and then discover other areas that would otherwise be forbidden for you to go to otherwise. However, you would still be on that pre-birth world-line template.

    Movement up those mountains tends not to alter the pre-birth world-line template.

    But it does build up “something”

    In the quantum world, everything is connected, and all efforts are significant, no matter how tiny or seemingly insignificant.  And yes, the movement upwards up the mountains will tend to change the topography of the template somewhat. It will end up making is “softer”, more “gradual”, and “easier”. But none of this is of real significance to the observer.

    In other words, the more “mountains” you climb, the “softer” the terrain becomes.

    So what is the point?

    If you try to push and strive to do the more or less uncomfortable things in your life, you will actually, in the long term, make your life run smoother.

    Instead of always going to and from work in your car, how about taking a little detour one day, and pulling into a diner and getting their blue plate special. It’s not a real mountain, but it’s a sizable hill. And it will make a difference.

    If you always go and get McDonald’s coffee and then come home, how about next time bringing a creamer and a stirrer for your little kitties at home.

    When you have a coffee, how about bringing some home for your kitty.

    If you always eat at that restaurant down the street and order the food that you have become comfortable with, how about trying a different restaurant elsewhere. Maybe you will not like the food. So what? The mere fact that you step outside of the limitations of comfort means that you are climbing those hills.

    And it doesn’t have to be hard, difficult, or distasteful either. It just should be different…

    If you want change, then get out of your comfort zone…

    Which pretty much is a central theme in all of this.

    It doesn’t need to be much. But any change is good because it means that you are moving away from the common, and towards more interesting objectives.

    I would suggest small steps…

    If you are wearing a corporate uniform of a white shirt and a red tie, then replace one of the white buttons on the shirt with a green one. (Oh, boy! Will that make a difference!)
    .
    Go to a animal shelter and adopt another furry friend to your household.
    .
    Go one week soda free (if your habit is to drink soda).
    .
    If you always use the regular gas, next time put high-test in the car. Go with the "good stuff".
    .
    Buy a cup of coffee for a co-worker.
    .
    Put a thank-you note in your mailbox for the mailman. (Mail-person?)
    .
    Add some "whimsy" to your front lawn, or change the paint on your front door. Make it bright Red, or Pista.chio, or Robin's egg blue.
    .
    Plant a tree in your yard.
    .
    Visit a place that you haven't been to "in ages".

    You see, it’s not that difficult to make changes. You just need to try something new and different.

    OK. So now the glossary

    I have come to bantering these terms so often that new-comers are often very confused. I think that  glossary would be in order.

    Time

    Time does not really exist. Instead, what we refer to as “time” is actually the events that a consciousness experiences. It wakes up, brushes it’s teeth, eats breakfast, gets in the car… and so on and so forth.

    That is what the consciousness experiences.

    It is a straight “arrow of time” starting with getting up, and all the subsequent events. It is unique to the consciousness experiencing it.

    Every consciousness experiences their very own versions of “time”. And there is no real unified time. Rather just the unified (apparently) measurement of it. With clocks, watches, etc.

    Life-Line

    A “life-line” is a collection of experiences that a consciousness has. As the consciousness moves in and out of individual moments of time, it creates a path. This path looks like a vector. It starts at the moment of birth and ends at the moment of death.

    Time-Line

    A “Time-Line” is ALMOST the same thing as a “Life-Line”.

    Except that the Life-Line encompasses the entire realm of experiences from birth to death, whereas a “Time-Line” is a much shorter period and may or may not include birth or death events.

    World-Line

    A “world-line” is a frozen moment. Nothing moves. Nothing goes on. It’s just like a photograph. Only it is a 3D photograph of the entire universe.

    The term “world-line” comes from Science Fiction novels and movies. These fictions depict another reality that differs from the one that the person was just in. As example, in “Back to the future II”, a pair of time-traveling explorers alter history, with horrible consequences.

    Back to the Future II.

    As far as using the world-line map template, each intersection point, dot or globe represents one such world-line. As in this here…

    This is what a world-line is.

    World-Line Cluster

    As the consciousness travels on the MWI it does so based upon it’s thoughts. If others share the same thoughts, they travel the MWI in a similar manner.

    If you map out the Time-Lines of people who are sharing similar thoughts, you will find that they seem to travel together, and they seem to experience the same World-lines.

    This is known as clustering.

    Echo Chamber

    If you only listen to a certain type of “news”, and only receive your input from others that agree with you, the thoughts that you have will be reinforced into one set staid narrative. You will be unable to think other thoughts. And as such, your thoughts will be controlled by whomever, or whatever controls the narrative that you are immersed in.

    This environment; a closed environment where your thoughts are set to a “conformist setting” within that environment is dangerous. It locks your path and travel in the MWI to a set route.

    In discussions of news media, an echo chamber refers to situations in which beliefs are amplified or reinforced by communication and repetition inside a closed system and insulated from rebuttal. By participating in an echo chamber, people are able to seek out information that reinforces their existing views without encountering opposing views, potentially resulting in an unintended exercise in confirmation bias. Echo chambers may increase social and political polarization and extremism. 
    
    -Wikipedia

    MWI

    The many-worlds interpretation (MWI) is an interpretation of quantum mechanics that asserts that the universal wavefunction is objectively real, and that there is no wavefunction collapse. 
    
    This implies that all possible outcomes of quantum measurements are physically realized in some "world" or universe. 
    
    In contrast to some other interpretations, such as the Copenhagen interpretation, the evolution of reality as a whole in MWI is rigidly deterministic. 
    
    Many-worlds is also called the relative state formulation or the Everett interpretation, after physicist Hugh Everett, who first proposed it in 1957. Bryce DeWitt popularized the formulation and named it many-worlds in the 1960s and 1970s. 
    
    -Wikipedia
    

    In short, it is the universe where everything is possible. And every single possibility exists somewhere in some form. And I refer to these variations as “World-lines”.

    Template Map

    A template map is a method to visualize movement in the MWI.

    A topographical map of a mesh is created. Each intersection of that mesh is a “world-line”.

    The surface of this map is the HIGHEST LIKELIHOOD of movement of a given consciousness within a physical body.

    The height of the topography is a measure of the difficulty in likely movement. This a flat surface is easy with no difficulty and effort. And a “mountainous” feature depicts enormous difficulty and strife.

    Which now brings us to…

    Pre-Birth World-Line Template Map

    This is the very first template map that is established when a baby is birthed, and a consciousness is injected into the body.

    It is called a “pre-birth” World-line template map because the template was painstakingly set up in place carefully for the consciousness to obtain experiences on it.

    It is a carefully constructed fated life.

    The easiest map paths are laid out for the consciousness to explicitly experience and enjoy certain events. And that is both good and bad events.

    The only way off this map is to “slide” off of it, on to a different template map.

    Slide

    A slide is an intentional change of the template map.

    You “slide” off the map that you are on, and land on a completely different map.

    While this is possible with artificial contrivances, equipment, electronics, vehicles and the like, the most effective way to do so (on a personal basis) is to do it by thought.

    You specifically control your thoughts in a concise and directed manner to slide off your template map.

    You can use a slide to get off your current world-line template and to get on another one.

    Shadow People

    We (as consciousness) travel the world-lines alone. It is extremely rare for another consciousness to share a world-line with us.

    Thus all those “people” that we see are actually not like us. They don’t have a consciousness like we have. They are real to us, and they have feelings that we react to, but their consciousness is elsewhere on their own world-line somewhere else, and what we see is a “shadow” of them.

    A “mountain”

    On the topography of a world-line template are “highs” and “lows”. These features define the difficulty of effort to move in those directions. A “mountain” is a particularly difficult are to traverse. And on the 3D map it will appear as a mountain.

    A “hill”

    A hill is similar to a mountain. It’s level of difficulty to traverse is proportionally smaller.

    Hills on a world-line template map.

    Comfort Zone

    By all practical purposes, the flat and level area is always your comfort zone. You can always find a comfort zone on your pre-birth world-line template map, no matter how mountainous the terrain before you appears. This is the “fated” path that you established for your self when your soul first established the pre-birth world-line template.

    This is good and bad. But in general, it means that there is always a default action that will lie ahead of you. Good or bad. You might end up saying “There’s a kind of calmness knowing that you are 100% fucked no matter what you do.” Or, you might say, “You know, if I just keep on doing what I am doing, everything will work out”. It all depends on your individual situation.

    Comfort zone.

    Affirmation Campaign

    An affirmation campaign is a specific technique that you use to navigate on the world-line template. It is a way to direct your thoughts when moving from world-line to world-line on your MWI template map. It’s a powerful skill set. You can go visit my entire index of articles here…

    Intention

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    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Heaven Index here…

    Heaven

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
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    Forget Pearl harbor, 9-11, or the Gulf of Tonkin, The United States is going to blame China for Coronavirus as an excuse to start world war III

    It’s pretty obvious. Don’t you know. The propaganda onslaught. The “classified” documents, the full spread of dis-info plummeting the American citizenry to hate China as the great evil. Yeah. You have to be a blind moron not to see what is coming.

    Now, I have repeatedly argued that the American government is a wreck, that it’s leadership are “brain dead”, and somehow the entire crooked mess is running on auto-pilot straight towards the abyss. Since I have been making these accusations, not one single person has been able to come forward and prove to me otherwise.

    What we do know is that America is following a well documented historical progressing that leads towards a major war.

    • Massive propaganda campaign.
    • Hybrid warfare at all levels.
    • A setting up of where the fields of conflict will occur.
    • A manipulation of “allies” to engage conflict as proxies.

    And finally…

    • A trigger event or “incident” that will set everything in motion.

    I argue that this trigger event is the Coronavirus pandemic. With a secondary excuse for a “fall back” contingency to be Taiwan.

    There is a full wide “shotgun approach” to provide a wide selection of potential incident vectors from with the Untied States can capitalize upon to use as an excuse to generate a war.

    But, it’s proven that the Coronavirus was in the USA months before China…

    Yes. That is very true.

    But it does not matter.

    The lies and the narrative is being driven top down in favor of a war, and it “ain’t stopping for shit”. Never the less, the “safe” inoculation strain was released in the United States a full six months before the deadly lethal version COVID-19B was released on CNY in China. As this video clearly states…

    Yup, released in the USA months before the bio-weapons attack on China.

    Lies, Lies, and then more lies…

    If is functionally the case that every single article in the “West” must contain negative things about China. But this is wrong and it is really rather counter-productive. As China is spending it’s resources to make Asia successful, and to help everyone associated with it.

    The only things that America can point to as accomplishments are wars and things that happened fifty years ago. There has been ZERO positive, good, supporting efforts in any ways, shape of form originating out of the Untied States for a long, long, LONG time.

    If China buys a steel factory, the American media is all aghast and in hysterics!

    How about hearing the other side of the story…

    China buys a steel mill.

    Some history

    Who or what is driving all the things that I have listed above? China, Iran? Russia? Nope every single one has a direct budget path that is directly traced to the United States Federal Budget out of the Untied States Congress.

    This looming fiasco is being driven by the United States Congress.

    • Now, I have gone into great detail about the bio-weapons carpet bombing of China by the (then) head of the Bio-Weapons office, John Bolton.
    • I have also covered, also in great detail the failure of the Hong Kong “Color Revolution”.
    • As well as the Uighur Muslim insurgency in XinJiang.
    • Not to mention the collapse of the United States NGO-backed Tibet movement.
    • I have also spent time discussing what happened when the Trump assault flotilla / armada entered the South Pacific Sea in late 2020, and sailed home “with it’s tail between it’s legs”.
    • As well as the realities of what is going on in Taiwan.

    Well, you know that these idiots in the United States Congress don’t read MM. Have no concept of anything other than their echo chambers, have never fought in a real war, and have no concept of who the fuck they are threatening.

    A quick and dirty summary of some of the major elements…

    Here’s a simple map of what has been going on regarding China. There are many more efforts involved, but if I put them all on the map it would be unreadable. So I greatly simplified it to this simple diagram.

    A look at the results so far…

    And now, here is the state of affairs. The United States was able to install “puppet military regimes” in both Myanmar, and Thailand, but was unsuccessful with Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. All the NGO and “color revolutions” inside of China failed. All of the bio-weapons attacks inside of China failed. All of the insurgency efforts inside of China failed.

    It’s like a sickness

    There is nothing that can stop this massive anti-China effort from coming to it’s natural conclusion. America will find an excuse. An “incident” will be triggered, and then Congress will declare war, and then all Hell is going to break out.

    Though, in truth all the preparations will be in place long before Congress “rubber stamps” the war. Congressional approval will only be a formality.

    But China is not run by morons, and idiots. It is meritocracy. You can we well assured that China will not wait to be attacked before making it’s own very substantial moves.

    And it can really get you down.

    All this negatively, the hopelessness of it, and your singular ability to do anything about it is frustrating and so very stressful.

    America is so frustrating right now.

    War is like a board-game I

    So while (in the game of chess) the United States side is moving it’s rooks, pawns, knights and bishops in play for a check-mate…

    America is playing Chess.

    …the Chinese see this, and are playing Go. And they are moving their pieces in a very complex and intricate manner.

    The Chinese play Go.

    You know…

    …there are so many interesting facets to this entire Geo-political arena right now, that we really need to sit down and look at things in a far simpler way. Like the games mentioned above, they cut away all those details and just look at the kinds of people who are pushing for war, and those who are pushing back.

    Thus we have this substantially simplified narrative.

    Never the less, if you really want to get down into the dirt and details, references abound. No, I am not talking about the flood of anti-China bullshit cascading out of the government mouthpieces in America. That is all just bullshit.

    Instead, I am talking about writings from third party, supposedly (mainly) “disinterested parties” look at the entire thing askance from a distance. Like this article, for instance…

    COVID-19, Hillary Clinton’s “mission” and neo-Lysenkoism. Column by Gennady Onishchenko

    The main political outcome of the anthrax controversy story after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack was more than serious. The well-known Hillary Clinton, then a senator from New York, then Secretary of State and candidate for President of the United States, came to Geneva after the events of September 2001 to attend a meeting of the working group on the development of a mechanism for monitoring compliance with the Biological Weapons Convention. She came not just like that, but with a very specific “mission”.

    Let me remind you that the origins of this convention, which was adopted in 1972 and then ratified by almost all UN countries, were the USSR, the United States and the United Kingdom. It was the first international disarmament treaty to prohibit the development, production and stockpiling of bacteriological and toxin weapons, as well as their destruction.

    But after the ratification of this document, an important issue remained unresolved — a mechanism for monitoring compliance with the convention was needed. At that time, this mechanism was being developed by extremely reputable experts, including from Russia. And so Hillary Clinton, under the pretext that her country was the target of an attack using biological weapons, said that the United States is withdrawing from work on a control mechanism. And without their participation, this document could not be adopted. At the same time, Hillary knew perfectly well that it was in the United States that biological weapons were used against her people, even a congressional commission came to this conclusion, although their conclusions were half-truths.

    And the truth was that in the United States, which considers itself a beacon of democracy and freedom, the first terrorist act using biological weapons in the third millennium was committed. And with a high degree of probability, the US military and, possibly, some politicians were behind this terrorist attack. And this was done solely to address political issues, including to justify US military operations abroad.

    An investigation conducted in the United States itself proved conclusively that the anthrax strain used in mailings was developed back in the 1950s as a combat formulation. The research was conducted in the same military laboratory at Fort Detrick, from where, as the investigation found out, the most dangerous strain was leaked. Although Washington claimed that Fort Detrick had not been engaged in offensive biological weapons programs since the mid-1960s, from what we know, there is great doubt that this secret military laboratory has switched to flower breeding.

    In addition, it was simply impossible to carry out an operation to distribute combat anthrax spores alone: the pathogen had to be not only isolated, but also cultivated, accumulated a sufficient amount of it, packaged, and so on. All of this was even theoretically impossible to do without anyone noticing.

    Realizing that in the event of any international investigation, all this will come out, the United States decided to torpedo the creation of a mechanism for monitoring compliance with the convention. It was with this “mission” that Hillary Clinton came to Geneva. The Americans were very afraid that everything would come out: if there was a mechanism, they would have to host an international working group, which would not have representatives of the United States and which would have full authority to request any documents, question all witnesses, and so on. This is what the Americans were so afraid of. It was important for them to hide the fact that sending out spores was not the act of a lone terrorist, but the result of a conspiracy.

    And now, in 2021, the United States is trying to get out of the situation in which it drove itself and the whole world in 2001. Everyone understands that today there is a danger not of biological warfare (this is still unlikely), but of what is much more terrible — biological terrorism. But in the absence of a legitimate internationally recognized control mechanism, which was never developed due to the fault of the United States, today this area is completely uncontrolled.

    When a World Health Organization (WHO) commission arrived in China earlier this year to investigate where the COVID-19 pandemic started, it had no real authority. WHO tried to simulate the control mechanism, but they did not succeed. Well, there were market experts in Wuhan, interviewed someone, but they were not allowed in any laboratories, and China had every right to do so. As a result, the WHO published a helpless four-page report, on the basis of which no serious conclusions about the origin of the pandemic are simply impossible.

    Russia sees all these dangers, so back in 2006 at the G8 summit, which was held in St. Petersburg, at the initiative of our country, a document was adopted concerning the spread of infectious diseases. The document emphasized that we are aware of all the risks in this area, including those associated with possible man-made cases of the spread of dangerous infections.

    So all the accusations against China from the United States about the origin of COVID-19 are attempts by the Americans to regain priority in research in the field of the use of the most uncontrolled weapons of mass destruction to date — biological weapons. Two decades after the events of September 2001, the United States is trying to take revenge, which is why it is so actively “hitting” China.

    At the same time, let’s not forget that the United States deliberately delayed the development of science in this area for two decades in order to conceal its crimes, which in its consequences is comparable to the famous Lysenkoism.

    In fact, we are dealing with the phenomenon when the American civilization, which considers itself the greatest and most powerful, actually demonstrates a primitive conceit.

    For no reason at all, the United States has assumed the right to decide everything for everyone, interfering in the affairs of other countries.

    At the same time, for two decades now, they have been demonstrating their helplessness in terms of their willingness to bear responsibility even to their own people.

    (Lysenkoism is a recognized anti-scientific concept, the founder of which is considered an academician Trofim Lysenko, which existed in the USSR in the 1930s-1960s. The consequence of this concept was the persecution of scientists, as well as the denial of the science of genetics, which had a detrimental effect on Soviet agriculture. In a figurative sense, the persecution of scientists for their "politically incorrect" scientific views is now called Lysenkoism or neo-Lysenkoism. — Approx. FAN).

    Complex eh?

    Yes, it is always so easy to get all caught up in the interesting details. When none of them really matter at all.

    They do not matter.

    What is actually going on is really quite simple. The American leadership is panicking. They have run the nation into the ground, and the people are very, very restless. The entire nation is coming apart at the seams, and the leadership must find some way to place blame. Because if they accept the blame, they will be hanging from nooses on light posts.

    They chose China.

    America is falling apart at the seams, and today the police must ride around in tanks and armored cars, as America is ripe for an explosion of anger as this video plainly shows…

    America is falling apart at the seams.

    America is a mess….

    It is undeniable. America is a fucking mess. It really is. The people are brain dead either on drugs or electronic manipulation feeding a steady diet of hate, fear, and addiction. The oligarchy live inside well guarded and protected enclaves like the castles of yore. And when you see the reality it slaps you right in the face.

    As in this reality video… go ahead watch it. I double-dare you.

    America is a mess.

    Blame it all on China…

    The Chinese leadership is not having any of this, and knows full well where this is all leading towards.

    They have had centuries of strife, hunger, starvation, looting and war. If you think that they will not fight for their place on the earth, you are sadly mistaken.

    What China had to go through for the past 100 years is beyond imagination.
    
    For a big part of it, China had to suffer shameless looting from Western imperialists, had land and resources stolen, and saw millions of its people massacred by Japanese invaders. All these atrocities left the China obliterated and the repercussions rung on for decades and set China into years of poverty and famine.
    
    For a big part of the past 100 years China had been working their arse off to repair the damage and get their people out of poverty, increase the literacy rate and restore prosperity to the country.
    
    And for 90 of the past 100 years you hardly hear the West talk about “human rights”, but all of a sudden when China’s economy seem to be threatening Western dominance of the world, the Western countries started to gang up on them with fabricated claims of human rights violation.
    
    Only those countries who have been in the same boat as China, those who have been bullied, looted and taken advantage of by the shameless Western powers understand all the BS that China is getting.
    
    -Jong Mun Goh
    

    Distill everything

    So really, if you want to distill everything into it’s simplest components, its really American Leaders want a war where the Chinese leaders die.

    Sounds harsh. But it's accurate. 
    
    Trump era policy papers list specifics about targeting the Chinese leadership to institute a USA favorable "regime change".

    It’s difficult to see any hope…

    It certainly seems that way, doesn’t it?

    No hope in America these days.

    And now we have to cope with the reality…

    These millions of dollars that is pouring towards Hate-hate-hate-china will manifest into something one way or the other. You simply do not irradiate the minds of 330 million people and not have something happen as a result of it.

    Such as shown in this video.

    Hate-hate-hate-China

    And this hate is manifesting…

    Black on Asian crime is up in triple digits, and it is horrible. And what is the American government doing? Why it is funding more and more hate. Well, sure it’s going to result in people getting hurt, but it’s going to also result in other things as well. Be careful what you wish for.

    Check out this video…

    This is the Internet MEME about the United States (out of China)…

    A mere four years ago, everyone in China had a good opinion of America. That started to change under Trump, and Biden has just kicked that opinion to the ground and stomped on it. To most Americans it doesn’t matter. But the truth is that it DOES matter.

    If America is ever going to catch up to the rest of the world it just cannot isolate and threaten. It just looks like some kind of sick mentally retarded psychopath prison escapee. Check out this video meme.

    Video Meme

    But you know…

    Life, real life is nothing like the brain-dead, zombies that are trying to cope in America today. The reality is that the rest of the world is actually doing pretty well, and China is doing great. Precisely because they concentrate on the needs of the people and not grabbing everything for personal profit and fighting wars to make money. Which is the USA model.

    I want to ram this idea home with a “bitch slap” of reality. Here’s a sexy “everyday” video of a typical Chinese girl, in her house, making delicious typical healthy Chinese food for her Chinese family.

    You wonder why the Chinese are happy, and healthy? Well it is because they eat well, live a stress free life, and are not taxed and regulated into oblivion. To either die, want to die or quiver in nervous exhaustion on some street corner. That’s why!

    Check out this great sexy video! There’s few things sexier than a happy woman and food, glorious food!

    Typical Chinese housewife.

    And in Russia

    It’s not like the “entire world is going down the tubes”. the rest of the world is doing well. None of those “new” “progressive” ideas where everyone can be a slob and do “their own thing” as a sign of “freedom”. People elsewhere, outside of the “bastions of freedom” are living quite well.

    Check out this article, translated from Russian HERE.

    “Still then go to bed” Why an American is surprised how a Russian woman makes a bed (says an American)

    In everyday moments, residents of Russia often surprise me, probably because they are more demanding of cleanliness in the house. Still, for an American, some habits that are unacceptable for a Russian at all are quite normal, for example, walking around the house in shoes or collecting dirty dishes. Yes, a lot depends on the person, but the mentality is also very influenced. Therefore, in this publication I want to write about a rather curious difference in such a simple action as making a bed.

    To be honest, every time I was surprised that my girlfriend, even living alone, kept the bed made. But I attributed it to the fact that she does not want to look in front of me inappropriately, women 🙂 However, the other day I realized that making a bed is a routine thing. In the morning, the girl insistently asked me to get out of bed, because it was time to bring me to a “decent look”.

    With this process, I helped, but in my head I wondered: “Why complicate it so much?” Before that, I did not even notice that many Russians have a bed made quite difficult. That is, it is not enough just to carefully lay the blanket on top and throw a few pillows on top. Russians are serious about this matter, so you need to perfectly lay the blanket evenly, use a blanket or blanket on top, decorate it with pillows.

    Again, I wonder how picky the Russians are sometimes, especially when compared to the Americans. The fact is that most People in America do not fill the bed at all, because the bedroom is a personal space. If the owner does not want to carefully bring the bed in perfect order every day, then he will not do this. And overall, I also don’t see anything wrong with not making the bed, especially if there is a bedroom. But before you go to bed, you do not need to prepare a place for bed.

    But I was much more amazed when the girl told how in childhood Russians were taught to make beds. In kindergarten, time was necessarily allocated after an hour of sleep, when children had to independently bring the beds to the desired appearance. It’s funny that the beloved shared the story with some discontent. Because even in kindergarten there were certain requirements, the blanket was folded in a certain way, the blanket was flat, and the pillow had to stand, while a little at an angle.

    I listened, and I felt sorry and funny at the same time. So that’s where all this desire to perfectly make a bed before you have breakfast comes from. When, if not from an early age to accustom the child to order? Probably, there would be a similar practice in America, then maybe I would also not be able to safely leave the bed “as it happens”. Although there is an interesting observation about Americans, the older, the more likely the bed is to be made.

    And in the Middle East…

    Isn’t this just wonderful?

    Life in the Middle East.

    And back in China…

    Han traditional period clothing has really become a fashion statement. China, being traditional and conservative in culture has embraced these styles. You cannot go a day without seeing someone wear these clothes, and the little girls love to wear them. Not only are they cool appearing, but they are super comfortable, and very elegant.

    Chinese little girls.

    Why is the rest of the world doing far better, being far happier while (on a GDP level) making far less money, and obeying social rules of “normal” behaviors and roles? What is going on?

    The Western Financial Empire is collapsing

    The financial empire that the “West” has created is a “house of cards”.

    A plan, organization, or other entity that is destined to fail due to a weak structure or foundation (likened to a literal house of cards, which is built by balancing playing cards against one another, and is very easily toppled).
    
    -House of Cards Idiom
    

    To keep it running, there must be inflation. As long as the inflation isn’t too bad (read: too noticeable; Keeping up with yearly employee raises of 2%) it is tolerated, and the entire corrupt system runs.

    But when the leadership is incompetent, or crazy, or a disaster hits, and they make gargantuan sized budgets with no oversight, then inflation expands past this 2% marker. And it becomes noticeable.

    Congress has authorized nearly $4 trillion in spending over the past year to help address the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but only about $3 trillion of it has been spent.Roughly a third of that money went directly to struggling families through stimulus checks, expanded unemployment payments and food stamps.
    
    -Congress has already approved $4 trillion

    Initially, the way to control the “rabble” is to lie. The media would report that inflation is under control and not that bad. Such as this Forbes Article (always a mouth piece for the Federal Government).

    Aug 11, 2021 · Is Inflation Under Control? The price of a number of products has been on the rise since the first wave of the pandemic in April 2020. However, despite the 500% increase in the cost of freight from China, the consumer price index for the 12 months ending June 2021 stood at 2.2% compared to 1.8% for the 12 months ending June 2020.
    
    -Is Inflation Under Control?

    Ah.

    But it’s all just another puzzle piece in this large playing-board.

    War is like a board-game II…

    Well, Perhaps to better illustrate what is going on, we should consider that the Chinese are actually playing a layered strategy game such as Mahjong. Instead of Go (as I suggested earlier).

    So maybe it’s better to visualize the Chinese playing Mahjong. Both Go and Mahjong are very simple games, that get very complex, very quickly with layers upon layers of strategic moves.

    The Chinese play Mahjong.

    And that while the United States have many very capable people, those in positions of power are actually simpletons drunk on power.

    So by all observation, America is actually just playing checkers…

    America is actually playing checkers.

    And China is playing it expertly.

    China has allied with China with the tightest relationship ever, and the agreements and the joint efforts are simply astounding. Right now units are being cross trained in use of each other’s equipment. So that Russian military  can use Chinese equipment and the Chinese can use Russian equipment. Not to mention that the leaders of both nations are in the supreme military headquarters of each nation.

    As is illustrated in this video. Not that any American would ever see it. These videos are banned in America. Well, they are, but luckily MM is a “small potatoes” operation.

    China has allied with China with the tightest relationship ever, and the agreements and the joint efforts are simply astounding.

    In this clamorous kaleidoscope of United States centered insanity…

    We can see elements of reason from those who lie outside of irradiated, and bombarded nation. We can see that calm heads, and minds exist. We can see that thoughtful intentions are being manifested. We can see that  there is a changing and a turning of the world towards something better. And over time, seriously, the USA looks more an more like a real cesspool.

    Don’t believe me? Look at this video from the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana…

    New Orleans

    And this video of New York City. This is the largest and most prized American cities. It is “the shining city on the hill”.

    New York City

    And this video from Boston, Massachusetts. Even in the safe “bedroom communities” guns are being fired. Robberies are being committed and no one is safe.

    Boston, Massachusetts

    And this video. I believe that it is Chicago, Illinois. Mob rule. Very little support of the government. Hatred abounds. Crime is normal.

    Chicago, Il.

    And this video from New York City. The police must go out in mass, as the people, all unemployed, mostly on drugs, are always in danger. It is mob or crime rule and those that desire safety and security have moved out of the city.

    New York City

    As you all can see, the United States is a mess. The government has very little control over the nation. It is falling apart at the seams, and the smart people are fleeing to safer areas where they can have some degree of control over their personal lives.

    Meanwhile the government is demanding the rest of the world be like the Untied States because it is the “shining city on the hill”. It cannot get any more bizzaro than this!

    War is like a board-game III

    Yet, you know, judging from the just insane actions that we observe happening in the United States today, perhaps the game of checkers is really giving the Washington DC leadership more credit than what is due. By all accounts and purposes, it looks like America is playing a different kind of game. No, it’s not chess. No, it’s not checkers. It’s Tic-tac-toe.

    Game of Tik-tac-toe.

    And China, well they are far more sophisticated.  No, they are not playing Go. Nor are they playing Mahjong. They are engaged in a competitive Sudoku puzzle.

    Sudoku puzzle.

    What the West Gets Wrong About China

    Three fundamental misconceptions by Rana Mitter and  Elsbeth Johnson. From the Harvard Business Review Magazine (May–June 2021)

    When we first traveled to China, in the early 1990s, it was very different from what we see today. Even in Beijing many people wore Mao suits and cycled everywhere; only senior Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials used cars. In the countryside life retained many of its traditional elements. But over the next 30 years, thanks to policies aimed at developing the economy and increasing capital investment, China emerged as a global power, with the second-largest economy in the world and a burgeoning middle class eager to spend.

    One thing hasn’t changed, though: Many Western politicians and business executives still don’t get China. Believing, for example, that political freedom would follow the new economic freedoms, they wrongly assumed that China’s internet would be similar to the freewheeling and often politically disruptive version developed in the West. And believing that China’s economic growth would have to be built on the same foundations as those in the West, many failed to envisage the Chinese state’s continuing role as investor, regulator, and intellectual property owner.

    Why do leaders in the West persist in getting China so wrong? In our work we have come to see that people in both business and politics often cling to three widely shared but essentially false assumptions about modern China. As we’ll argue in the following pages, these assumptions reflect gaps in their knowledge about China’s history, culture, and language that encourage them to draw persuasive but deeply flawed analogies between China and other countries.

    [  Myth 1  ]

    Economics and Democracy Are Two Sides of the Same Coin

     Many Westerners assume that China is on the same development trajectory that Japan, Britain, Germany, and France embarked on in the immediate aftermath of World War II—the only difference being that the Chinese started much later than other Asian economies, such as South Korea and Malaysia, after a 40-year Maoist detour. According to this view, economic growth and increasing prosperity will cause China to move toward a more liberal model for both its economy and its politics, as did those countries.

    It’s a plausible narrative. As the author Yuval Noah Harari has pointed out, liberalism has had few competitors since the end of the Cold War, when both fascism and communism appeared defeated. And the narrative has had some powerful supporters. In a speech in 2000 former U.S. President Bill Clinton declared, “By joining the WTO, China is not simply agreeing to import more of our products, it is agreeing to import one of democracy’s most cherished values: economic freedom. When individuals have the power…to realize their dreams, they will demand a greater say.”

    But this argument overlooks some fundamental differences between China and the United States, Japan, Britain, Germany, and France. Those countries have since 1945 been pluralist democracies with independent judiciaries. As a result, economic growth came in tandem with social progress (through, for example, legislation protecting individual choice and minority rights), which made it easy to imagine that they were two sides of a coin. The collapse of the USSR appeared to validate that belief, given that the Soviet regime’s inability to deliver meaningful economic growth for its citizens contributed to its collapse: Russia’s eventual integration into the global economy (perestroika) followed Mikhail Gorbachev’s political reforms (glasnost).

    In China, however, growth has come in the context of stable communist rule, suggesting that democracy and growth are not inevitably mutually dependent. In fact, many Chinese believe that the country’s recent economic achievements—large-scale poverty reduction, huge infrastructure investment, and development as a world-class tech innovator—have come about because of, not despite, China’s authoritarian form of government. Its aggressive handling of Covid-19—in sharp contrast to that of many Western countries with higher death rates and later, less-stringent lockdowns—has, if anything, reinforced that view.

    China has also defied predictions that its authoritarianism would inhibit its capacity to innovate. It is a global leader in AI, biotech, and space exploration. Some of its technological successes have been driven by market forces: People wanted to buy goods or communicate more easily, and the likes of Alibaba and Tencent have helped them do just that.

    But much of the technological progress has come from a highly innovative and well-funded military that has invested heavily in China’s burgeoning new industries. This, of course, mirrors the role of U.S. defense and intelligence spending in the development of Silicon Valley.

    But in China the consumer applications have come faster, making more obvious the link between government investment and products and services that benefit individuals. That’s why ordinary Chinese people see Chinese companies such as Alibaba, Huawei, and TikTok as sources of national pride—international vanguards of Chinese success—rather than simply sources of jobs or GDP, as they might be viewed in the West.

    Thus July 2020 polling data from the Ash Center at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government revealed 95% satisfaction with the Beijing government among Chinese citizens. Our own experiences on the ground in China confirm this.

    Most ordinary people we meet don’t feel that the authoritarian state is solely oppressive, although it can be that; for them it also provides opportunity. A cleaner in Chongqing now owns several apartments because the CCP reformed property laws. A Shanghai journalist is paid by her state-controlled magazine to fly around the world for stories on global lifestyle trends. A young student in Nanjing can study propulsion physics at Beijing’s Tsinghua University thanks to social mobility and the party’s significant investment in scientific research.

    Many Chinese believe that the country’s recent economic achievements have actually come about because of, not despite, China’s authoritarian form of government.

    The past decade has, if anything, strengthened Chinese leaders’ view that economic reform is possible without liberalizing politics. A major turning point was the financial crisis of 2008, which in Chinese eyes revealed the hollowness of the “Washington consensus” that democratization and economic success were linked. In the years since, China has become an economic titan, a global leader in technology innovation, and a military superpower, all while tightening its authoritarian system of government—and reinforcing a belief that the liberal narrative does not apply to China.

    That, perhaps, is why its current president and (more crucially) party general secretary, Xi Jinping, has let it be known that he considers Gorbachev a traitor to the cause for liberalizing as he did, thereby destroying the Communist Party’s hold on the USSR. And when Xi announced, in 2017, that the “three critical battles” for China’s development would fall in the areas of reducing financial risk, addressing pollution, and alleviating poverty, he also made it clear that the objective of these reforms was to solidify the system rather than to change it. The truth, then, is that China is not an authoritarian state seeking to become more liberal but an authoritarian state seeking to become more successful—politically as well as economically.

    In much Western analysis the verb most commonly attached to China’s reforms is “stalled.” The truth is that political reform in China hasn’t stalled. It continues apace. It’s just not liberal reform. One example is the reinvention in the late 2010s of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. Empowered by Xi to deal with the corruption that had become so prevalent early in that decade, the commission can arrest and hold suspects for several months; its decisions cannot be overturned by any other entity in China, not even the supreme court.

    The commission has succeeded in reducing corruption in large part because it is essentially above the law—something unimaginable in a liberal democracy. These are the reforms China is making—and they need to be understood on their own terms, not simply as a distorted or deficient version of a liberal model.

    One reason that many people misread China’s trajectory may be that—particularly in the English-language promotional materials the Chinese use overseas—the country tends to portray itself as a variation on a liberal state, and therefore more trustworthy. It often compares itself to brands with which Westerners are familiar. For example, in making the case for why it should be involved in the UK’s 5G infrastructure rollout, Huawei styled itself the “John Lewis of China,” in reference to the well-known British department store that is regularly ranked as one of the UK’s most trusted brands.

    China is also often at pains to suggest to foreign governments or investors that it is similar to the West in many aspects—consumer lifestyles, leisure travel, and a high demand for tertiary education. These similarities are real, but they are manifestations of the wealth and personal aspirations of China’s newly affluent middle class, and they in no way negate the very real differences between the political systems of China and the West.

    Which brings us to the next myth.

    [  Myth 2  ]

    Authoritarian Political Systems Can’t Be Legitimate

    Many Chinese not only don’t believe that democracy is necessary for economic success but do believe that their form of government is legitimate and effective. Westerners’ failure to appreciate this explains why many still expect China to reduce its role as investor, regulator, and, especially, intellectual property owner when that role is in fact seen as essential by the Chinese government.

    Part of the system’s legitimacy in the eyes of the Chinese is, again, rooted in history: China has often had to fight off invaders and, as is rarely acknowledged in the West, fought essentially alone against Japan from 1937 until 1941, when the U.S. entered World War II. The resulting victory, which for decades the CCP spun as its solo vanquishing of an external enemy, was reinforced by defeat of an internal one (Chiang Kai-shek in 1949), establishing the legitimacy of the party and its authoritarian system.

    Seventy years on, many Chinese believe that their political system is now actually more legitimate and effective than the West’s. This is a belief alien to many Western business executives, especially if they’ve had experience with other authoritarian regimes. The critical distinction is that the Chinese system is not only Marxist, it’s Marxist-Leninist. In our experience, many Westerners don’t understand what that means or why it matters. A Marxist system is concerned primarily with economic outcomes.

    That has political implications, of course—for example, that the public ownership of assets is necessary to ensure an equal distribution of wealth—but the economic outcomes are the focus. Leninism, however, is essentially a political doctrine; its primary aim is control. So a Marxist-Leninist system is concerned not only with economic outcomes but also with gaining and maintaining control over the system itself.

    That has huge implications for people seeking to do business in China. If China were concerned only with economic outcomes, it would welcome foreign businesses and investors and, provided they helped deliver economic growth, would treat them as equal partners, agnostic as to who owned the IP or the majority stake in a joint venture. But because this is also a Leninist system, those issues are of critical importance to Chinese leaders, who won’t change their minds about them, however effective or helpful their foreign partners are economically.

    This plays out every time a Western company negotiates access to the Chinese market. We have both sat in meetings where business executives, particularly in the technology and pharmaceutical sectors, expressed surprise at China’s insistence that they transfer ownership of their IP to a Chinese company. Some have expressed optimism that China’s need for control will lessen after they’ve proved their worth as partners. Our response? That’s not likely, precisely because in China’s particular brand of authoritarianism, control is key.

    A Leninist approach to selecting future leaders is also a way the CCP has maintained its legitimacy, because to many ordinary Chinese, this approach produces relatively competent leaders: They are chosen by the CCP and progress through the system by successfully running first a town and then a province; only after that do they serve on the Politburo.

    You can’t become a senior leader in China without having proved your worth as a manager.

    China’s leaders argue that its essentially Leninist rule book makes Chinese politics far less arbitrary or nepotistic than those of many other, notably Western, countries (even though the system has its share of back-scratching and opaque decision-making).

    Familiarity with Leninist doctrine is still important for getting ahead. Entry to the CCP and to a university involves compulsory courses in Marxist-Leninist thought, which has also become part of popular culture, as evidenced by the 2018 TV talk show Marx Got It Right. And with handy apps such as Xuexi Qiangguo (“Study the powerful nation” and a pun on “Study Xi”) to teach the basics of thinkers including Marx, Lenin, Mao, and Xi Jinping, political education is now a 21st-century business.

    The Leninist nature of politics is also evidenced by the language used to discuss it. Political discourse in China remains anchored in Marxist-Leninist ideas of “struggle” (douzheng) and “contradiction” (maodun)—both seen as attributes that force a necessary and even healthy confrontation that can help achieve a victorious outcome. In fact, the Chinese word for the resolution of a conflict (jiejue) can imply a result in which one side overcomes the other, rather than one in which both sides are content. Hence the old joke that China’s definition of a win-win scenario is one in which China wins twice.

    China uses its particular authoritarian model—and its presumed legitimacy—to build trust with its population in ways that would be considered highly intrusive in a liberal democracy. The city of Rongcheng, for example, uses big data (available to the government through surveillance and other data-capturing infrastructure) to give people individualized “social credit scores.” These are used to reward or punish citizens according to their political and financial virtues or vices.

    The benefits are both financial (for example, access to mortgage loans) and social (permission to buy a ticket on one of the new high-speed trains). Those with low social-credit scores may find themselves prevented from buying an airline ticket or getting a date on an app. For liberals (in China and elsewhere), this is an appalling prospect; but for many ordinary people in China, it’s a perfectly reasonable part of the social contract between the individual and the state.

    Such ideas may appear very different from the outward-facing, Confucian concepts of “benevolence” and “harmony” that China presents to its international, English-speaking audience. But even those concepts lead to considerable misunderstanding on the part of Westerners, who often reduce Confucianism to cloying ideas about peace and cooperation. For the Chinese, the key to those outcomes is respect for an appropriate hierarchy, itself a means of control. While hierarchy and equality may appear to the post-Enlightenment West to be antithetical concepts, in China they remain inherently complementary.

    Recognizing that the authoritarian Marxist-Leninist system is accepted in China as not only legitimate but also effective is crucially important if Westerners are to make more-realistic long-term decisions about how to deal with or invest in the country. But the third assumption can also mislead those seeking to engage with China.

    [  Myth 3  ]

    The Chinese Live, Work, and Invest Like Westerners

    China’s recent history means that Chinese people and the state approach decisions very differently from Westerners—in both the time frames they use and the risks they worry about most. But because human beings tend to believe that other humans make decisions as they do, this may be the most difficult assumption for Westerners to overcome.

    Let’s imagine the personal history of a Chinese woman who is 65 today. Born in 1955, she experienced as a child the terrible Great Leap Forward famine in which 20 million Chinese starved to death. She was a Red Guard as a teenager, screaming adoration for Chairman Mao while her parents were being re-educated for being educated. By the 1980s she was in the first generation to go back to university, and even took part in the Tiananmen Square demonstration.

    Then, in the 1990s, she took advantage of the new economic freedoms, becoming a 30-something entrepreneur in one of the new Special Economic Zones. She bought a flat—the first time anyone in her family’s history had owned property. Eager for experience, she took a job as an investment analyst with a Shanghai-based foreign asset manager, but despite a long-term career plan mapped out by her employer, she left that company for a small short-term pay raise from a competitor.

    By 2008 she was making the most of the rise in disposable incomes by buying new consumer goods that her parents could only have dreamt about. In the early 2010s she started moderating her previously outspoken political comments on Weibo as censorship tightened up. By 2020 she was intent on seeing her seven-year-old grandson and infant granddaughter (a second child had only recently become legal) do well.

    Had she been born in 1955 in almost any other major economy in the world, her life would have been much, much more predictable. But looking back over her life story, one can see why even many young Chinese today may feel a reduced sense of predictability or trust in what the future holds—or in what their government might do next.

    When life is (or has been within living memory) unpredictable, people tend to apply a higher discount rate to potential long-term outcomes than to short-term ones—and a rate materially higher than the one applied by people living in more-stable societies. That means not that these people are unconcerned with long-term outcomes but, rather, that their risk aversion increases significantly as the time frame lengthens. This shapes the way they make long-term commitments, especially those that entail short-term trade-offs or losses.

    Thus many Chinese consumers prefer the short-term gains of the stock market to locking their money away in long-term savings vehicles. As market research consistently tells us, the majority of individual Chinese investors behave more like traders. For example, a 2015 survey found that 81% of them trade at least once a month, even though frequent trading is invariably a way to destroy rather than create long-term fund value.

    That figure is higher than in all Western countries (for example, only 53% of U.S. individual investors trade this frequently); it’s also even higher than in neighboring Hong Kong—another Han Chinese society with a predilection for gambling and a similar, capital-gains-tax-free regime. This suggests that something distinctive to mainland China influences this behavior: long-term unpredictability that’s sufficiently recent to have been experienced by or passed on to those now buying stocks.

    That focus on securing short-term gain is why the young asset manager in Shanghai left a good long-term job for a relatively small but immediate pay raise—behavior that still plagues many businesses trying to retain talent and manage succession pipelines in China. People who do take long-term career risks often do so only after fulfilling their primary need for short-term security. For example, we’ve interviewed couples in which the wife “jumps into the sea” of starting her own business—becoming one of China’s many female entrepreneurs—because her husband’s stable but lower-paid state-sector job will provide the family with security.

    The one long-term asset class in which increasing numbers of Chinese are invested—that is, residential property, ownership of which grew from 14% of 25-to-69-year-olds in 1988 to 93% by 2008—is driven also by the need for security: Unlike all other assets, property ensures a roof over one’s head if things go wrong, in a system with limited social welfare and a history of sudden policy changes.

    China’s rulers see foreign engagement as a source less of opportunity than of threat, uncertainty, and even humiliation.

    In contrast, the government’s discount rate on the future is lower—in part because of its Leninist emphasis on control—and explicitly focused on long-term returns.

    The vehicles for much of this investment are still the CCP’s Soviet-style five-year plans, which include the development of what Xi has termed an “eco-civilization” built around solar energy technology, “smart cities,” and high-density, energy-efficient housing. Ambition like that can’t be realized without state intervention—relatively fast and easy but often brutal in China. By comparison, progress on these issues is for Western economies extremely slow.

    Decisions—by both individuals and the state—about how to invest all serve one purpose: to provide security and stability in an unpredictable world. Although many in the West may believe that China sees only opportunity in its 21st-century global plans, its motivation is very different. For much of its turbulent modern history, China has been under threat from foreign powers, both within Asia (notably Japan) and outside it (the UK and France in the mid 19th century). China’s rulers, therefore, see foreign engagement as a source less of opportunity than of threat, uncertainty, and even humiliation.

    They still blame foreign interference for many of their misfortunes, even if it occurred more than a century ago. For example, the British role in the Opium Wars of the 1840s kicked off a 100-year period that the Chinese still refer to as the Century of Humiliation. China’s history continues to color its view of international relations—and in large part explains its current obsession with the inviolability of its sovereignty.

    That history also explains the paradox that the rulers and the ruled in China operate on very different time frames. For individuals, who’ve lived through harsh times they could not control, the reaction is to make some key choices in a much more short-term way than Westerners do. Policy makers, in contrast, looking for ways to gain more control and sovereignty over the future, now play a much longer game than the West does. This shared quest for predictability explains the continuing attractiveness of an authoritarian system in which control is the central tenet.

    . . .

     Many in the West accept the version of China that it has presented to the world: The period of “reform and opening” begun in 1978 by Deng Xiaoping, which stressed the need to avoid the radical and often violent politics of the Cultural Revolution, means that ideology in China no longer matters. The reality is quite different. At every point since 1949 the Chinese Communist Party has been central to the institutions, society, and daily experiences that shape the Chinese people. And the party has always believed in and emphasized the importance of Chinese history and of Marxist-Leninist thought, with all they imply. Until Western companies and politicians accept this reality, they will continue to get China wrong.

    Maybe, so says the Harvard Elite…

    Here’s an article out of China. Commenting on Bloomberg saying that China WILL BE ISOLATED from the rest of the world. Yeah.As if you can isolate the world’s factory. Sure….

    Dynamic zero-case route won’t get China ‘isolated’: Global Times editorial

    .

    Bloomberg reported that China’s zero-tolerance strategy of COVID-19 “risks leaving it isolated for years.” But on Tuesday, statistics published by China’s Ministry of Commerce showed that China’s foreign trade in the first seven months of this year reached a high compared with the same period last year, and last year saw a surge in China’s foreign trade. This is a slap on the face of the “China isolation” theory.

    China did not close its door due to the pandemic. Economic exchanges are the core of the current international exchanges, which is proven by the growth in China’s foreign trade. As for people-to-people exchanges, there has been a major decline at the global level. China has done a good job in controlling its borders and explored a set of methods to achieve safe international exchanges during the pandemic. This set of methods is worth being improved and is expected to be valued by other countries.

    China will host the Winter Olympic Games six months from now. It could be another peak of the infections of coronavirus. Beijing is determined to host the Games well – it will not allow large-scale infections in Chinese society, and ensure the pandemic does not spread among delegates from all the participating countries. We believe given China’s tight prevention and control, athletes for the Games will not fear coming to China.

    US media outlets, represented by Bloomberg, have been holding a twisted mentality toward China’s anti-virus achievements. China has avoided serious losses of life, and its economic recovery is leading the world. They pretend not seeing these and are reluctant to admit them. Not long ago, Bloomberg released a wired COVID Resilience Ranking that put the US on top of the list, which has become the laughing stock of the international community.

    China is capable of carrying on the dynamic zero-case route. With the development of vaccines, strong mobilization and organization ability has turned into welfare for the Chinese people. Many Western countries also want to minimize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic – zero-case is better. The US once suspended flights with all European countries, and Australia has recently deployed defense force to help enforce lockdown. But they cannot reach the status of zero-case. Thus, it was a forced choice of them to downplay the pandemic.

    Although the US has registered over 617,000 coronavirus deaths so far, the country still undertook a recent rebound in daily new cases – a daily average of over 124,000 new cases were reported in the past week. If Washington has the opportunity to put the number of new case down to zero, it will inject all efforts to tout about it.

    We can hardly rule out the possibility that some American elites are jealous of China’s capability of having dynamic zero cases. They’d rather see China toppled by the COVID-19 epidemic just like the US. Then they would get a chance to clamor that China’s vaccines are not effective. Anyway, they don’t want to see any good from China. And when China does good, they will spare no efforts to mislead the international community to neutralize the influence of China’s success in fighting the virus.

    China is a country that seeks truth from facts. The success of its dynamic zero-case policy has laid a solid foundation for China’s fight against the epidemic in the future. With the high rate of vaccination and a better preparation of the medical service system, China will have the ability to adjust its defensive strategy based on future needs. Many people have taken for granted that China fears getting back in touch with the rest of world because Chinese society has been accustomed to zero cases.

    What China will do is to adapt to the world’s new normal due to an increase of global interactions while ensuring its domestic line of defense is robust enough against imported infections. The US has done nothing on this. But China has accumulated abundant experiences in the past year and beyond. Chinese people have managed what seemed impossible for Americans, and Chinese people will continue doing so.

    Instead, it is hard to predict if the US – a super spreader of the pandemic – will face up to external pressure to hinder it from opening to the world. If the same number of Chinese and American people are traveling in a third country where the epidemic is mild, which group is more concerning to local people? Fortunately, the recent summer and winter Olympic games are not held in the US, or else how many countries dare to send delegations?

    As China and the US follow their respective paths – taking into account their respective adjustment capabilities – time will tell which country will open up to the world more smoothly with better overall results. Time is neutral and its answer will be unbiased.

    Meanwhile, while the United States screams and hollers and threatens…

    Updated 19:13, 11-Aug-2021

    Three Chinese think tanks published a joint research report on Monday criticizing the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies of Renmin University, the Taihe Institute and Intellisia gathered dozens of former politicians, intellectuals, scholars, policy- and decision-makers and practitioners to contribute to the report.

    According to the report titled “‘America Ranked First’?! The Truth about America’s Fight against COVID-19,” the United States deserves to be the world’s No. 1 anti-pandemic failure, the world’s No. 1 political-blaming country, the world’s No. 1 pandemic spreader, the world’s No. 1 politically-divisive country, the world’s No. 1 currency-abusing country, the world’s No. 1 turbulent country during the pandemic, the world’s No. 1 disinforming country, and the world’s No. 1 country advocating origin tracing terrorism.

    The report said the U.S. failed to contain the virus and had the most COVID-19 cases and deaths in the world. As of August 7, 2021, the United States had reported 35,530,951 cumulative confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 613,658 deaths while some U.S. media still rated the country number one in the world for its pandemic response.

    “The latest absurd example is the Bloomberg reporting on a ranking, COVID resilience ranking, the United States comes No. 1, this can’t be taken seriously,” Martin Jacques, a senior fellow from Cambridge University, said at a presser about the report via video link.

    Jacques also argued if the coronavirus pandemic hadn’t happen amid fraying China-U.S. relations, the story could’ve been much different, adding, “COVID-19 is probably the greatest test of governance the world has seen since the Second World War, the United States and the West failed miserably.”

    The COVID-19 pandemic has seen U.S. business closures and waves of unemployment occurring faster and on a larger scale than expected. The lower class and other vulnerable groups are facing higher risks of unemployment. The gap between rich and poor further widened as wealth flowed into the hands of a few more quickly, said the report.

    It also noticed that social unrest is a “chronic disease” in the United States as the pandemic is acting as an “amplifier” to further exacerbate social tensions. This year, the U.S. topped the list of crime rates in developed countries, much higher than countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, and Spain, as well as many developing countries. Social unrest manifests itself in three main ways: guns out of control, hate crimes and political chaos.

    The report found that lack of common sense and scientific knowledge were direct causes for the U.S. failing to constrain the pandemic’s impact, and pointed the finger at former U.S. President Donald Trump for spreading fake news about the virus.

    “Donald Trump might be the strongest driving force on creating fake COVID-19 information,” it said.

    The report blamed the pandemic for tearing up U.S. society, with conspiracy theories about the origin of the virus exacerbating bully attitudes and discrimination towards Asian Americans.

    Democrats and Republicans were divided on virus containment measures, especially mask mandates and America’s laissez-faire on containing the virus had also had a ripple effect on other countries. “After the outbreak of the pandemic, over 20 million U.S. citizens went abroad, accelerating the spread of the virus,” the report said.

    Wang Wen, executive dean from Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies of Renmin University, said: “When it comes to issues like vaccination, social distancing, and almost any policies regarding COVID-19 containment, U.S. politicians have barely reached a consensus. This is the tragedy of America’s political and social system.”

    It also identified a lack of responsibility from the U.S. in terms of providing COVID-19 vaccines to other countries. Duke University’s Global Health Innovation Center estimated that by the summer of 2021, the United States may have a surplus of 300 million or more doses of COVID-19 vaccine. The Wall Street Journal reported on May 17 that the United States had exported only 3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine

    “Exported vaccines from the U.S. take up less than one percent of its total vaccine production,” said the report.

    Do you all know what this reminds me of?

    Seriously. It reminds me of this…

    Appearing on The Moment podcast, Tarantino shared a childhood story about how his mother used to side with his teachers after they called him out for writing screenplays in school.
    
    According to Tarantino: "In the middle of her little tirade, she said, 'Oh, and by the way, this little 'writing career,' with the finger quotes and everything. This little 'writing career' that you're doing? That shit is over."
    
    "When she said that to me in that sarcastic way, I go, 'OK, lady, when I become a successful writer, you will never see one penny from my success. There will be no house for you. There's no vacation for you, no Elvis Cadillac for mommy. You get nothing. Because you said that.'"
    
    As for a true emergency? "Yeah. I helped her out with a jam with the IRS," Tarantino admitted. "But no house. No Cadillac, no house."
    
    He added, "There are consequences for your words as you deal with your children. Remember, there are consequences for your sarcastic tone about what's meaningful to them."
    
    Tarantino is absolutely right about that. 
    
    Negative comments parents make can have a lifelong impact on their children's lives — no matter how small they may seem to those hurling them. Consider this another reminder that you should always support your kids' dreams, no matter how far-fetched they may seem.

    And that’s the USA today. It was a cocky arrogant, bullshit nation, ruled by psychopathic personalities that have done everything in it’s power to put the rest of the world down. Now it is collapsing and still being a jack-ass.

    Here’s a golden gem from the old Seinfield television show…

    No soup for you!

    “No Soup For You” or “NO SOUP 4 U” is a catchphrase that was initially uttered in a 1995 episode of the American comedic sitcom Seinfeld. Online, the phrase is often used in the context of message boards and forums in reply to other users who have made requests or demands that are denied or cannot be fulfilled.

    No Soup for You / Soup Nazi | Know Your Meme

    So the world is a mess!

    Well it appears that way, but it really is not.

    The USA is a mess. The UK is a mess. The South Africa is a mess. Israel is a mess. And the degree of how much of a mess it is is directly tied to how closely that nation is connected to the Untied States.

    So Australia wants to be connect to the United States hip to hip, then you can expect Australia to collapse just like America is collapsing. Iceland, which isn’t, is not collapsing. Sweden which is following the EU led American directives, is a mixed bag. Like I said. The closer the nation is tied to America, the more of a fucked up mess it is today.

    So what?

    Well, to see what is actually going on, you have to take a couple of steps back and look at the Big BIG picture.

    And how can you deal with this?

    Well, you really don’t need to get into the details. You just need to concentrate on your life, and your family life selfishly. The only things that you have any control over is your immediate reality.

    Guys, guys, guys. It seems like the world is coming apart at the seams. So what can you do?

    You turn off the “news”. You walk outside. You listen to the birds. You go into a restaurant and have a delicious meal. You smell the air. You hop on a bicycle and ride. You play with your kitties, or romp with your dog.

    After a few days of this, then you take in MEASURED “news”.

    If you live in Idaho, what the Hell is going on in New York should be of no concern to you. If you read anything about China, but haven’t been there in the last two years, then discard it as noise. Who gives a fuck of Mr. XXXXX says YYYYY that will do ZZZZZ? It’s all just a blimp on the big picture.

    People! The ONLY way for you all to get through this period of strife is to be a Rufus.

    That’s the ONLY way.

    How do you control your reality?

    You be a Rufus.

    Listen to me.

    You center your mind. You shut down the “news”. You kick away all the negative influences in your life. You stop eating processed food and replace it with good delicious home cooked fresh foods. You perform meditations. You operate your affirmation campaigns. You spend time with loved ones and pets. You smile. You help people in your community. You make friends and associations in your community and you cultivate them. Be the best you can be. And you be a Rufus.

    Or in an easier to read format…

    • You center your mind.
    • You shut down the “news”.
    • You kick away all the negative influences in your life.
    • You stop eating processed food and replace it with good delicious home cooked fresh foods.
    • You perform meditations.
    • You operate your affirmation campaigns.
    • You spend time with loved ones and pets.
    • You smile.
    • You help people in your community.
    • You make friends and associations in your community and you cultivate them.
    • Be the best that you can be.
    • And you be a Rufus.

    Be the Rufus?

    Be the Rufus. This is what I mean when I say that you must be part of something larger; be part of your community. Be a giver. Not a taker. Lord knows there are far too many money-grubbing taker in this world. Contribute. Help. Make the day of someone just a little bit better. Buy a coffee for a coworker. Smile.

    Be the Rufus.

    Yes. We must be the Rufus. Sure this guy would probably get in trouble for being late. Maybe his boss will dock his pay. If it was America, he might even lose his job. But not here. Not now. He’s a Rufus, and he “felt” that something was amiss. He did not wait. he did not call the police. He took action.

    He selflessly helped others in need.

    Be the Rufus.

    In a world that is seemingly “off the rails”, with a terribly inefficient, corrupt and moronic government, where everything is going wrong and you are being pinched by all sides with a crazy media shouting at you “it’s China’s fault!”…

    Be the Rufus.

    A Rufus saves others.

    That’s it really.

    You must be the Rufus.

    Be part of something bigger than yourself. Be the Rufus.

    It doesn’t take much. All it takes is to be aware and contribute to the general well being of your community. If there is trash on the road in front of your house, you clean it up. You don’t wait for the government to do so. If your grass needs cut, you cut it. If your neighbor needs a hand you give it to him. If your mailbox is an eyesore, then spruce it up.

    When an emergency happens, you as the Rufus, spring into action. Be the Rufus.

    A Rufus is helpful.

    Be the Rufus!

    When an emergency happens, you take part and be helpful.

    Be the Rufus.

    Sometimes it’s easy and sometimes it’s hard. Like preventing an infant from having seizures. But a Rufus does what ever is necessary. Be that Rufus. Be the best you can be.

    A Rufus does what ever it takes.

    So yeah, the United States is collapsing. The leadership are a group of self-centered ignoramuses. And you might be stuck, trapped and inside this massive cesspool on fire. What can you do?

    Again.

    Focus on you. Be part of your community. Smile. Make other feel good about themselves and want to see you. Be helpful. Devote good efforts to make your house good, calm, strong and cohesive. Spend time with pets and loved ones. Eat healthy food. Do your affirmation campaigns. Be the Rufus.

    Just being helpful is all it takes.

    Just be helpful.

    Sometimes you have to take extraordinary measures.

    Here’s a military soldier abandoning his post to rescue a three year old from getting squashed by an income horde or cars and trucks. Yikes!

    Save the baby!

    A Rufus is there to help others.

    A Rufus is part of the community. They are appreciated. They are loved. They are the organized person that everyone know that they can count on. They are the guiding light that everyone in need turns to.

    A Rufus is there.

    You see, once you change your mind and decide to participate within a community, and be helpful to others you change. Your mind; and then your entire being, becomes a service to others sentience. STO.

    The madness in the United States today is mostly and primarily affecting three other sentience’s;

    • Service to self (STS).
    • Service for another (SFA).
    • Disjointed Sentience (DJS).

    By changing your being, and by doing your prayer affirmation campaigns you are able to create a kind of “non-physical” zone around you and your family and community. It’s not ironclad, though. But it is certainly strong enough to take most of the hits and pings from the society that surrounds yours.

    Certainly brute force assaults, and intentional disruptive attacks can damage what ever you can throw up, but if you just follow the basic format that I have provided, you all will be fine. You all will be just fine. You will be just fine.

    The False Flag Event

    The American “leadership” (whatever it leads is another question) seems to be intent in generating a false flag event to trigger a war with China. We all can prevent that within our affirmation campaigns, and we can isolate our communities from any successful chaos that might result as an effect of it.

    Do not fear the insanity.

    Just focus on you, your family and friends, and your community. Stick to the basics, and play the “long game”. Everything will be quite different one decade from now. All you all want to do is “ride it out” unscathed. To do this, just follow MM advice and Be The Rufus.

    You don’t have to rescue anyone. You just need to be extra considerate. You need to be more humane and understanding. You need to be sensitive to the needs of those around you and be helpful to them.

    Be the helpful Rufus.

    A Rufus makes it his job to help others. To keep his community clean, and patrolled and away from crime. A Rufus holds his society responsible for what ever happens to it, and works to correct wrongs, and punish those who are selfish or corrupt at all levels. A Rufus participates…

    A Rufus contributes.

    A Rufus lends a hand to those in need.

    A Rufus goes and visits a dying friend, no matter what the law says, and comforts him as only a meat-pie lady could A Rufus cares about the feeling of others. A Rufus helps the children; the animals; the cats; and the dogs. A Rufus is always there to make the community a better place to live in.

    A Rufus helps others.

    A Rufus doesn’t drive past an gawk at a car accident. They get out of their car and help. They do what ever they can. They are the people that make the community and their actions are attractive and contagious. All it takes is a few Rufus’s in the community and soon, others will start acting that way too.

    Be the Rufus.

    Make the world a better place.

    Help others. Be the Rufus.

    A Rufus volunteers.

    When there is a need in the community, the Rufus doesn’t complain. They don’t bitch and moan, they go out and work. They volunteer, and if there isn’t any kind of organization to correct the problems, they set one up themselves.

    A Rufus makes a difference.

    Even if it is hot, and you are suffering from heat exhaustion. A Rufus “takes it on the chin”. A Rufus makes a difference in their community.

    A Rufus is the person that you can count on.

    A Rufus is not perfect, and is jut a human. But the Rufus strives to be more than just a user; a complainer, a parasite on society. A Rufus contributes.

    A Rufus contributes.

    Here’s some unpaid volunteers in China. They are working long, long days, and then collapse in the public areas to get some sleep before they begin again. A Rufus makes the world a better place.

    Be the Rufus.

    You can make the world a better place.

    ..

    Be the Rufus.

    Final words

    You are never alone if you are part of a community. You might be weak in some areas, but the community will compensate. And your strengths can be used to make the community strong. Remember the rule of three. Three people make a community. Be part of your community. And the bigger; the better.

    You WILL BE appreciated. As this video clearly shows.

    Be part of your community.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

    How to meet our beloved pets (dogs, cats, horses) after we die and go to Heaven

    This article is about something that is very close and dear to me. It is about meeting our pals; our little buddies after we die and go to Heaven… or wherever we go. It’s a very neglected subject, yet I consider it to be a very important one.

    Now, it’s going to get a bit obtuse, but hold on. I know all you who visit here are hurting. Don’t worry. I have some answers.

    Where do I get this information?

    Recognize that I relate from my background in MAJestic, and my readings of “Alien Interview”. If you do not know what I am referring to, then you will have to go to the About Me to discover what I mean about MAJestic. And to understand what I am talking about regarding “Alien Interview” you can go HERE. Additionally, I can confirm that much of what I relate is in accordance with the Geography of Heaven as described by Dr. Newton.

    Recognize that [1] I was part of an organization, and that I had tasks and operations that had tangential associations with this subject. So, to put it another way, I’m the closest thing you are going to have to an “expert” on these matters.

    And that [2] the discovery, reading, parsing of Alien Interview helped me to clarify some experiences that I was exposed to. It will be the elements from “Alien Interview” in this narrative that will help clarify some issues. As I think that it might clean up some issues.

    Let’s begin with some basics…

    There are different kinds of heavens.

    A "Heaven" is a "Universe". There are many of them.
    
    Our normal, day to day lives, is within a universe. We, not knowing any better, think that this universe is all that there is. It's not.
    
    When we, or our pets, die we (as consciousness in wave form) float around. We can stay in this (physical) universe in the spirit form, or we can leave it. And if we leave it, we will go to a completely different universe.
    
    Cats tend to go to a "Cat Universe". Also known as a "Cat Heaven".
    
    Dogs tend to go to a "Dog Universe". Also known as a "Dog Heaven".
    
    Horses tend to go to a "Horse Universe". Also known as a "Horse Heaven".
    
    Humans tend to go to a "Human Universe". Also known as a "Human Heaven".

    There is one thing that is in mutual agreement with my MAJestic “training” and the “Alien Interview” dialog is that there are many Heavens.

    And Heavens are the same thing as Universes.We as humans have inherited these general words and phrases without understanding what they represent.

    So  when we talk about Heaven we must be specific. We cannot be general.

    There is a “Human Heaven”. And there are Heavens for other species.

    So…

    There is a cat heaven. There is a dog heaven. There is a horse heaven. There is an eagle heaven. There is a parakeet heaven. And so on and so forth.

    All this has to do with the idea that (way back, early on when the very first mega-universe was created), the other universes sublimated naturally by specific quanta associated with the species that developed and came into being.

    Or, in other words, there is one Heaven for each species, and this is a natural consequence of the nature of the overall “mega-universe”.

    If you do not want to believe this you can leave.

    There is NOT one singular Heaven where every single life exists in once you die. That is a fantasy based on ignorance of quantum physics.

    Summary:
    
    Within "all that exists" (which I refer to as a the mega-universe) are bubbles. These bubbles are universes.
    
    Every life that exists is attuned, by it's quantum makeup, to one specific universe. This association is called "soul". 
    
    Thus, we are on this "physical-universe", and when we die our consciousness travels back to "soul" which exists within our species universe. We call this "going to Heaven".

    But the Earth is unique…

    Further, apparently, and I am now pretty convinced of it, is that there is a specific “Earth Human Heaven”.

    Sounds OK, really.

    Doesn’t it?

    Or better stated, a Human Heaven that is geographically located that services the “Sentience Nurseries” (Prison planets) in this geographic section of the galaxy.

    What this means is that there is an overall “Heaven” for all humans all over the universe. But also that there is a very “special” Heaven for humans that reside in the earth or in associated other “sentience nurseries”.

    And  you can refer to them as being “Prison Planet” if you like.

    But I like to think of it as a “sentience nursery” for the purposes of reforming the “inmates” forced to live and exist int his environment.

    Now, to be honest, I was unaware of this during the entire time that I was active in MAJestic. However, the narrative in Alien Interview has clarified so many points, and then when this issue came up, I achieved an “Ah ha” moment. And then so many other things feel into place.

    Now, this idea that there is an “Earth Human Heaven” that is separate from a “General Human Heaven” is very profound. But we won’t get too bogged down in it here.

    • General Human Heaven
    • Specific “special” Earth Heaven.
    Summary:
    
    Humans have two "Human Universes". One is the "General Human Heaven", and the other is a special area. This other one is just for our physical geographic area only. So I refer to it as "Earth Human Heaven".
    
    Most Earth Humans have a "soul" that is part of the "Earth Human Heaven".

    OK.

    Let’s stick to the issue at hand…

    Humans need a guide to visit those other Heavens

    According to everything that I have experienced and what I have read, we all need a guide or a person to help us to enter into different Heavens.

    I refer to this guide as a “Mantid”, but other might known them as “guardian angels” or “angels”.

    Basically, it is a non-human entity that helps you meet with your friends who might belong to a different species as you do.

    Now, from what I understand from Alien Interview, this entity is utilized to assist in the meeting of two different species in a neutral environment. While it might appear that it is is in one heaven or the next the reality is that is is something else.

    You see, different universes operate differently from a Human Universe, and the Physical Universe. And we need to be “configured” to visit there. It isn’t automatically easy. If you wanted to visit a “Cat Heaven” you would need to temporarily conform your consciousness to fit in a Cat Heaven.

    Think of it like a key.

    If you want to open a door, you have to have a key of the right shape.

    But earth humans, we don’t even know how to do that, let alone what it is. So we get help from someone who does know. And we can refer to these entities as “guides”, “angels”, “assistants”, or what ever you want to refer to them as. In my experience they tend to be other humans in the spirit form. And / or Mantids (Angels).

    However, knowing what I do know, most earth Humans do not have the memories, the skills or the abilities to perform these things. Maybe we once did. But now, today, the vast numbers of humans no longer can do this, and thus needs a “guide” or a person to help them.

    Summary:
    
    When a creature dies, is floats around in spirit form (wave form), and then migrates up to it's Heaven. This is natural.
    
    Your pet will be in it's Heaven. And you will be elsewhere. Typically, you will be in your Heaven.
    
    To visit each other, you will need a "guide", an "assistant" to help you two meet. This person will be able to "key you" to the kind of configuration that will allow you two to meet.

    But according to Alien Interview you should not need a guide at all

    The thing is that you should not need a guide to accompany you to visit your friends. Being consciousness that is all knowing and all capable, that you should (theoretically) be able to see and visit these other Heavens (universes) as you will.

    Unfortunately, for a host of reasons, the ideal no longer exists.

    Somehow, along the way, humans on the earth ended up getting their very own “special” Heaven. This Heaven is different from the normal Human Heaven that the rest of the universe has.

    Alien Interview calls this area a “Prison Planet”.

    MAJestic refers to this portion of space (and five other solar systems) as a “Sentience Nursery”.

    What ever it is, and why it is, is a vast and huge subject. It’s covered elsewhere, and we will not dwell in it too much here. Instead we will just simplify things and say that if you are on the earth, then chances are that your Heaven is the “special” Heaven constructed for this region.

    And those of us associated with this Heaven have erased skills, memories and abilities. And that is the way it is.

    Summary:
    
    Ideally, we should not need assistance to visit other universes. But most humans here in this geographical region of space is associated with a "special" Earth Human Heaven. This association is one with erased memories, skills and abilities. And thus we need help to perform most tasks.

    This suggests that the “guide” is actually something else

    Since we are associated with a soul with this “Earth Human Heaven”, and we need a “guide” or “expert” to accompany us when we exit our Heaven to go to another one, what does this tell you?

    What is the closest analog in our physical reality universe?

    Corrections officers escorting a prisoner outside of Jail.

    Summary:
    
    The easiest way to understand how Earth Human Heaven works is to imagine it as a big prison. This may or may not be true. However, the aspects of it that requires...
    
    [1] Memory wipe to enter a physical body. (Parole)
    [2] Escorts when you leave the Earth Human Heaven. (Jail transport) 
    
    ...is strongly indicative, and most easily imagined, as a minimum security prison.

    As far as I know, and from all of my experiences, only humans have these limitations. Other species do not have these limitations.

    But, you know, it can’t be really bad…

    The idea that we can get help to visit other Heavens, and the idea that we are supported to return back to Earth (abet with our memories erased), does indicate that there seems to be a freedom of movement in the non-physical Heavens. Though this freedom is monitored, and supervised, it does appear that there is a great degree of latitude of where you can go.

    Certainly a Cat Heaven or a Dog Heaven is so unlike a Earth Human Heaven, and that we as consciousness can visit it, certainly says that there are some freedoms that we are permitted.

    I wonder if we can visit the General Human Heaven?

    Why are we earth (and the other local solar systems) segregated from this General Human Heaven? What is the problem? Do we have some kind on non-physical virus, sickness, bad behavior or anything like that?

    For, and the reason why I mention this, is that (by all accounts) the General Human Heaven is substantially older, larger, involves far more souls than the Earth Human Heaven.

    With this in mind, it must also have resources, places, abilities and functionality that our Earth Human Heaven does not have.

    Summary:
    
    There are two Heavens (two universes) for Humans. Maybe there are more. But in general there is a local, regional to this section of the galaxy that services the earth solar system, and five others that service other solar systems. This Heaven, known as the Earth Human Heaven, is much smaller (though quite enormous) and younger (while still old) compared to the General Human Heaven.
    
    Were the consciousness, you for example, wanted to have unrestricted access to do anything, you would need to go to the General Human Heaven to do so. Otherwise, you would suffer through the realities and restrictions of the Earth Human Heaven.

    Tunnel of Light

    Everyone knows what the “tunnel of light” is. Right?

    When you die, you are compelled or instructed to “follow the light” and enter in this nice long tunnel,

    My experiences strongly supports the notion that this “Tunnel of Light” actually exists in the non-physical realms. And that it is not some kind of biological event that occurs when your body starts to shut down when you die.

    Dr. Lakhmir Chawla, an associate professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine at George Washington University, asserts that near-death experiences are simply caused by a surge of electrical activity as the brain runs out of oxygen before death. However, the oxygen-depletion theory is only one of many classical neurophysiological theories challenged by people who have undergone near-death experiences.

    I argue that it is a real event that you may or may not experience.

    This “Tunnel of Light” has nothing to do with your consciousness leaving your (now deceased) body, but rather that it is a secondary “step” that many human consciousnesses experience upon death.

    • First you leave the body.
    • Your consciousness remains in close proximity to the physical world, but being in wave form is unable to interact with it.
    • You can move about by thought.
    • You may encounter things, creatures and events that are not apparently present in the physical reality.
    • The world-line travel, as part of the MWI stops.
    • Your consciousness resides as part of your final egress world-line.

    At some point in time, you might encounter “old family”, “former friends”, “guides”, or “Angels” that introduce you to this “Tunnel of Light”.

    And 99.999% of Earth Humans enter this tunnel. They go to Earth Human Heaven, and exist in that place.

    This does NOT happen to other animals that I know of. It only happens to Earth Humans.

    What is the closest analog to a “Tunnel of Light” in the physical realms?

    In prison is a very special room called a “Sally Port”. It is essentially a long hallway with a door at each end. You enter in the hallway, and line up. Then the door behind you is closed. The corrections officers then make sure that everything is in order, and the inmates are all secure. When everything is fine, you then proceed to the end of the hallway. There, that door will open up and you will be inside the prison proper.

    A sally port is protected point of entry into a secure location, such as a prison or a military fortification. Often, a sally port consists of an enclosed area with a solitary gate on either side, only one of which can be opened at any given time.
    
    -My Law
    

    Here is a photo of a prison sally port…

    A prison sally port.

    Summary:
    
    Cats, Dogs, Horses and other species do not appear to have a "Tunnel of Light" for them to enter their respective Heavens. Only earth Humans have one.
    
    The closest earth analog to a Tunnel of Light is a Prison Sally Port.
    
    Following the models laid out by the other species, it appears that it is a very natural and easy thing to move towards your species Heaven (Universe). Your quantum make up attracts you to it naturally.
    
    You do not have to be "guided", "directed", "led" or "taught" to enter this tunnel. If left to our own designs, our consciousnesses would naturally move towards the General Human Heaven instead. 
    
    Thus, no matter how much love, beauty and attractiveness that you feel emulating from this "Tunnel of Light", if you allow yourself to migrate to the true nature of your species you would naturally move towards the General Human Heaven.

    Hard Labor

    There are many kinds of prisons. In the ADC they had…

    • Diagnostic Prisons.
    • Maximum security prisons.
    • Minimum security prisons.
    • Prisons for behavioral modification.
    • Prisons for Hard Labor Punishment.
    • Prisons for Boot Camp Punishment.
    • Work / Factory Prisons.

    I spent time in both the behavioral modification prisons and in the Hard Labor Prisons.

    In the Hard Labor Prison (East Arkansas Regional Unit at Brickeys) we would transit the Sally port four times a day. We would go to and from the prison to the fields where we would work on the “chain gang”. Better known as “Hoe Squad”. In Arkansas, prison is the “punishment” portion of the criminal sentence. While parole is the “rehabilitation” portion of the criminal sentence.

    In a like way, Earth Human Heaven appears to work the same way.

    You enter and leave the “Tunnel of Light” to transit between the locked-down security of Earth Human Heaven, and the Physical Earth MWI. In this analogy, the Physical Earth MWI appears to be the “Hard Labor Punishment” aspect of a prison sentence.

    However…

    The physical reality MWI is much larger than the Earth Human Heaven. And it has a great diversity of life, and species. There are plants, animals, creatures, and all manner of interactions. While the Earth Human Heaven is a specific Heaven that contains only two (as far as I can discern) species.

    These are;

    • Human consciousnesses that comes from the Earth.
    • Mantids (Angels).

    I can positively state, unequivocally, that I have never seen or encountered any other species in the Earth Human Heaven. That includes the Type-1 greys,  dogs, cats or horses.

    Summary:
    
    Earth Human Heaven access of all species other than Earth Humans, and Mantids is prevented. The only way in and out of the Earth Human Heaven is via the "Tunnel of Light". It acts as a secure gateway to and from the MWI.
    
    Earth Humans are issued a Pre-Birth World-Line Template upon birth. This is a set of instructions (like like those on parole have) that prevents them for straying too far off from their assigned pre-planned experiences.
    
    Since the MWI and all the world-lines are jointly shared with all species, physical and non-physical, it serves as a great staging area for meeting up with our non-physical pets, and to move away from any "parole restrictions". The key is in Affirmation Prayer Campaigns that slides you off this pre-birth world-line template onto one that you can control.

    So there are multiple ways to visit our friends

    So you all need not despair. You will certainly be able to meet up with long lost friends, family and pals. And what’s more, there are different ways to do so. Now that you have a butter understanding of what Earth Human Heaven is, we can look at some of these methods.

    Method [1] in the non-physical realms associated with the MWI

    Once you die, your consciousness naturally stays in wave form. It’s impossible to return to particle form as your physical body no longer functions. And being in wave form, you are initially trapped on the final egress world-line that your body was on in the MWI.

    You can move about, explore, and check out everything. It’s just that you are in spirit. You are in the wave form.

    By using the power of thought, you can “will yourself” to a beloved pet. And you will appear next to it in what ever form or shape, or condition that it is in.

    Dogs will know that you are there, but are unlikely to join you in wave form. They will try to interact with you in their physical form.

    Cats, well they can enter and leave the physical body at will. They can join you in the non-physical form. And you and your bud can have many fun times and adventures together.

    Depending on the consciousness components of the species, you ability to interact with them will vary. Dogs will differ from cats. And horses are a completely different “ball game”.

    In any case, I can confirm that upon your death, it will be profoundly easy for you to visit your lost beloved pets.

    Method [2] in their specific pet Heaven

    Once you have migrated into wave form, you are free to go anywhere. For most casts, they tend to want to hang out on the MWI, while Dogs prefer to spend some periods of time in Dog Heaven. Depending on your time of death there may or may not be your beloved pet in the MWI with you. Instead their consciousness might reside in their particular Heaven.

    The technique is a simple one. You must “will” yourself to that beloved friend. And you will go as far as you can. If you are unable to enter their particular Heaven due to your quantum alignments, then you must vocalize a request for help. Alternatively, you can wait them out, until they return back to the MWI.

    Asking for help is a very effective mechanism to help you during this period while you are in wave form. However, you must be especially cautious on who is offering it.

    In my opinion, I would suggest a Type-1 grey as a valid source of help. While a Mantid (Angel) would project love, care and concern to and would arrange to have your help and assistance realized. Only, you would have to Enter The Earth Human Heaven first.

    Method [3] Via a guide from the Earth Human Heaven

    What is well understood is that you will be able to meet your beloved pets while you go to the Earth Human Heaven. The local Mantid will arrange help and  generate parole that will take you to the pet Heaven for your visit.

    This is what you do if you want to visit your loved ones in Heaven

    In all cases, to the best things to prepare for this kind of activity once you die is right now. I would add some specific affirmation prayers in your campaigns. Not much. Just one or two, that would manifest upon your death. Even if your death takes place fifty years from now, they will have actual potency upon your final death.

    Might I suggest;

    • Upon my death, I will be able to meet with my beloved XXXXXXX.
    • My beloved XXXXXX will meet me and be near me when I die.

    Another Opinion

    Here’s another opinion.

    We are deeply concerned about the growing information circulating on Internet about avoiding at all costs the tunnel of light that many go into when their incarnation on Earth ends.
    
    As we have explained, when that moment arrives, a number of events that leads a person to Heaven can occur.
    
    Quite often, a loved one, a friend or a member of the family arrives to escort the newly liberated person to the Heavenly spheres.
    
    Equally, the person may find himself, seconds before his demise, in this beautiful tunnel of light that will conduct him to the light.
    This light is heaven and when he steps into this bright area he is met by a noble soul that is there to greet him and explain his change of status.
    
    Now, for various reasons, people are spreading a message on social media that this is a trap and the person will be captured and sent back for another incarnation.
    
    Equally, they say that if the person, who is coming to the end of his incarnation, is visited by loved ones, this also is a trap and those loved ones are in fact demons pretending to be loved ones and the object is, once again, to entrap the person dying and push him into incarnation again.
    
    These are dangerous lies and one should not listen to them and, certainly, one should not try to avoid going to Heaven whether it be by the tunnel of light or by friends or family guiding them.
    
    We cannot express too strongly that one should, at all costs, reject this dangerous mis-information.
    
    The origin of the message is Archonic.
    
    Some people promote this false information quite innocently, as they just quote “collective wisdom”, but others are under the influence of negative entities and promote these lies because of that influence controlling their speech and actions.
    
    If a person avoids taking the path to Heaven he has to go somewhere when he is liberated from his physical body. So, he goes to a place called Limbo.
    
    This is an area full of lost souls and, generally, the people there are deeply unhappy.
    This unhappiness is food for the evil ones who thrive on unhappiness.
    
    Therefore, we have this conflict going on that must be stopped as soon as possible.
    
    On one hand we have evil or misguided people promoting this false idea of avoiding going to heaven and on the other hand we have the workers for salvation trying to educate the public to act in a loving, peaceful fashion to help the Ascension process.
    
    So, people must choose.
    
    Either to follow this evil, Archon based concept of avoiding the tunnel of light, or avoiding being taken to Heaven by loved ones in which case the person will end up in limbo, or to reject that Archon based information and accept our advice which is to go into the tunnel with the assurance that you will end up in Heaven or go with your loved ones who, also, will guide you to Heaven.
    
    We repeat, you have a choice.
    Either to reject the tunnel of light and reject the loved ones who come to assist, or to enter the tunnel, accept to be guided by loved ones, and be taken to your home in Heaven.
    
    You have free will. What you decide to do will happen.
    
    So, choose to be guided by our Archon information or choose to be guided by God’s angels.

    Conclusion

    I am sorry to spend so much time getting involved in some of the geographic aspects of the nature of Heaven and the mega-universe. But that understanding is necessary to flush out the true and real options available to us when we wish to meet up with our beloved pets.

    I can positively and absolutely confirm that it will be absolutely possible for you and your beloved pets to be together upon your death. I sincerely tell you this. In any event, the bond between you and your beloved pet is a strong one and that bond will never disappear. It will still exist. Even when you die. So have hope. Good things will occur.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts like this in my Heaven Index;

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    Taiwan, Japan, China, Russia and the United States; what is next?

    Oh man! I was hoping that the fantasy that “America will regain it’s power and strength and continue to rule the world” will dissipate.

    Not so.

    Over the weekend, I have been bombarded with articles talking about how America is ready to fight for democracy™ and freedom™ again! This time against China.

    And that, all that is needed is a few billions of dollars, and some pluck from “Allies”, and then China would “be toast“.

    Bombarded. Non-stop cascade of news “articles” (disguised propaganda pieces) and comments (often with a sizable portion of ‘bots – there just can’t be that many brain-dead people in the United States, can there?)

    As in what the fuck?

    Can’t I just get a break.

    I guess not. Sigh.

    And then you have these gung-ho “patriots” who think that everyone else outside of America are rats that need to be stepped on and killed, like some kind of vermin.

    Generational warrior culture, eh?

    Ever hear of Genghis Khan?

    Dude, I just and to enjoy my day. I want to walk, and relax. I want to eat fine delicious food. I want to drink some nice wine. I want to play with the pets, smell the lush moist air, and cavort with pretty girls.

    But noooo…

    I have to endue a flood of anti-China bullshit and endure comments on how America is going to kick-some -Chinese-ass. Sheech!

    I know. I know. I KNOW.

    You fund half a billion dollars in anti-China propaganda, of course it’s going to materialize. The only thing that I am surprised about is that there’s no Hollywood movies depicting Rambo-like American soldiers gloriously bayoneting the evil Chinese in a war picture.

    Maybe. Soon.

    Proud American soldiers to fight communism for liberty, freedom and democracy!

    First off, let’s recognize the fact that the United States Military Empire believes that it can use nuclear weapons while avoiding a MAD all-out nuclear response.

    Yup! That’s true.

    These fucking moron “geniuses” in Washington DC actually believe that they can use nuclear weapons against either Russia or China, and that they will NOT shoot nuclear weapons back.

    Can you fucking believe it?

    Let’s look at this article to flush out this curious fantasy…

    Dr. Strangelove’s Spoon Benders: How the U.S. Military Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

    Cynthia Chung is the President of the Rising Tide Foundation and a writer at Strategic Culture Foundation, consider supporting her work by making a donation and subscribing to her substack page for free.

    “MindWar must be strategic in emphasis, with tactical applications playing a reinforcing, supplementary role. In its strategic context, MindWar must reach out to friends, enemies, and neutrals alike across the globe…
    
    ...through the media possessed by the United States which have the capabilities to reach virtually all people on the face of the Earth…
    
    State of the art developments in satellite communication, video recording techniques, and laser and optical transmission of broadcasts make possible a penetration of the minds of the world such as would have been inconceivable just a few years ago. 
    
    Like the sword of Excalibur, we have but to reach out and seize this tool; and it can transform the world for us if we have the courage and integrity to enhance civilization with it. 
    
    If we do not accept Excalibur, then we relinquish our ability to inspire foreign cultures with our morality. 
    
    If they can then desire moralities unsatisfactory to us, we have no choice but to fight them on a more brutish level.”
    
    – “From PSYOP to MindWar: The Psychology of Victory” by Col. Paul Vallely and Maj. Michael Aquino, a document written to increase the influence of the “spoon-benders” in the U.S. military.

    About one year ago, the U.S. military conducted a simulation of a “limited” nuclear exchange with…

    …Russia.

    This was strange news on several accounts.

    For one, this sort of thing is not typically announced in the candid detail U.S. defense secretary Mark Esper described to journalists, giddy that he got to “play himself” in this war game scenario.

    It was as if he were preparing for a Hollywood movie doing his best John Wayne impression:

    If you got them by the balls their hearts and minds will follow.”

    However, the most concerning revelation of this simulated exercise was the announcement to the American people that;

    “it might be very possible to fight, and win, a battle with nuclear weapons, without the exchange leading to an all-out-world-ending conflict.”

    In other words, throw your cares to the wind, that is, the “spirit wind” known as kamikaze, because…

    …America is going for it.

    In the transcript of a background briefing on the war game exercise, senior Pentagon officials described their tactic further.

    They explained that their confident calculation on being “victorious” in this exercise completely relied on the supposition that such a confrontation would remain “limited” in its nuclear exchange.

    “It’s a very reasonable response to what we saw was a Russian nuclear doctrine and nuclear capability that suggested to us that they might use nuclear weapons in a limited way,”

    …a senior official stated.

    It seems what senior Pentagon officials are really saying here about the predictability of the Russians, is that there seems to be a line the Russians won’t cross in the case of a nuclear conflict…

    …but the Americans sure will.

    Hans Kristensen, director of the nuclear information project at the Federation of American Scientists tried to play down the “rodeo circus” and reduce the high profile announcement of the U.S. military exercise.

    Instead Hans stated it was simply a marketing gimmick to “justify” the new nuclear weapons since we are entering the new budget phase. “So all of this has been played up to serve that process.” stated Kristensen.

    I don’t know about you but I am getting some serious déjà vu.

    Didn’t we already go through all of this with the disastrous JIC-502 spookery?

    JIC-502 intelligence report titled “Implications of Soviet Possession of Atomic Weapons” drafted in Jan 20th 1950, turned out not to be an intelligence report at all but rather a sales pitch.

    It began in a dangerous manner, claiming that a nuclear-armed Soviet Union had introduced the notion that;

    a tremendous military advantage would be gained by the power that struck first and succeeded in carrying through an effective surprise attack.

    For more on this refer to my paper.

    It was JIC-502 which would be the first to put forward [1] a justification for the preventive first strike concept, supported by [2] a massive military buildup under the pretense of pre-emptive war.

    NSC-68 would be drafted the same year and called for a massive military buildup to be completed by 1954 dubbed the “year of maximum danger,” the year JIC-502 claimed the Soviets would achieve military superiority and be able to launch war against the U.S.

    But the Soviets never did launch such a war, and all claims of their capabilities let alone their intentions turned out to be entirely fraudulent

    …so what was it all for?

    • Did the U.S. have to put everything into expanding their military, turning away from the concept of a nation at peace made up of citizen soldiers and instead towards a nation in perpetual war?
    • Isn’t this a made up of the Nietzschean fantasy of Übermensch (Beyond-Man) super soldiers, the very thing that Eisenhower warned against?
    • Did this all have to happen in defense of “peace and security” of the free world?
    • Why were the predictions of the JIC-502 completely unfounded?
    • Were the predictions based off of corrupted data?
    • Did the Soviets simply change their mind?

    …Or was it never about a pre-emptive war but rather was always about global dominance.

    What would the American people think if they knew the truth, that their entire military industrial complex was never built for the protection of the “free world” in opposition to dictators and despots but rather the very opposite? That it simply thought its ideology the superior one, the only lawful dictatorship that had the right to rule, even if it meant by force.

    In the words of Vallely/Aquino:

    “If we do not accept Excalibur, then we relinquish our ability to inspire foreign cultures with our morality. If they can then desire moralities unsatisfactory to us, we have no choice but to fight them on a more brutish level.”

    This may look like just a “rodeo circus” but it is far far worst.

    As Edgar Poe elaborated in his “The System of Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether”, the asylum is quite literally being run by the lunatics.

    What do Jedi Warriors, Spoon-benders, the First Earth Battalion and Men Who Stare at Goats Have in Common?

    For those who need a refresher of the film Dr. Strangelove’s synopsis, it is about what could happen if a lunatic had the authority to bypass the U.S. president and cause a nuclear escalation between the U.S. and USSR.

    In the movie, it is U.S. Air Force General Jack Ripper who initiates a nuclear attack to destroy the USSR under the premise that once the U.S. government is briefed on the situation, they would have no choice but to commit 100% towards a hostile attack against the USSR, in order to prevent nuclear retaliation.

    Air Force General Jack Ripper

    The reason why General Jack Ripper is fully convinced that it is absolutely necessary to destroy the USSR is because he believes that the communists are conspiring to pollute the “precious bodily fluids” of the American people.

    Fluoridation is the most monstrously conceived and dangerous communist plot we have ever had to face. 
    
    -General Jack D. Ripper

    Gen. Jack Ripper

    Gen. Jack Ripper goes on to describe how he first discovered this Soviet ploy, after sexual relations with a woman and how he felt empty inside but that luckily he was astute enough to be able to accurately deduce the cause of this feeling of emptiness as due to being drained of his “life essence”, all part of the communist conspiracy for sure.

    General Jack D. Ripper: Mandrake, do you realize that in addition to fluoridating water, why, there are studies underway to fluoridate salt, flour, fruit juices, soup, sugar, milk... ice cream. Ice cream, Mandrake, children's ice cream.
    
    Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: [very nervous] Lord, Jack.
    
    General Jack D. Ripper: You know when fluoridation first began?
    
    Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: I... no, no. I don't, Jack.
    
    General Jack D. Ripper: Nineteen hundred and forty-six. 1946, Mandrake. How does that coincide with your post-war Commie conspiracy, huh? It's incredibly obvious, isn't it? A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual. Certainly without any choice. That's the way your hard-core Commie works.
    
    Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Uh, Jack, Jack, listen... tell me, tell me, Jack. When did you first... become... well, develop this theory?
    
    General Jack D. Ripper: [somewhat embarassed] Well, I, uh... I... I... first became aware of it, Mandrake, during the physical act of love.
    
    Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Hmm.
    
    General Jack D. Ripper: Yes, a uh, a profound sense of fatigue... a feeling of emptiness followed. Luckily I... I was able to interpret these feelings correctly. Loss of essence.
    
    Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Hmm.
    
    General Jack D. Ripper: I can assure you it has not recurred, Mandrake. Women uh... women sense my power and they seek the life essence. I, uh... I do not avoid women, Mandrake.
    
    Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: No.
    
    General Jack D. Ripper: But I... I do deny them my essence.
    
    --  General Jack D. Ripper 

    In other words, Gen. Jack Ripper is unequivocally insane.

    Gen. Jack Ripper is absolutely insane. Much like Washington DC is today.

    Unfortunately, this type of thinking in the U.S. military is not reserved to pure fiction.

    Sometime in the late 1980s then Col. Paul Vallely, Commander of the 7th Psychological Operations Group and then Maj. Michael Aquino, PSYOP Research & Analysis Team Leader authored a paper titled “From PSYOP to MindWar: The Psychology of Victory”, which discusses the necessity to wage perpetual psychological warfare against friend and enemy populations alike, and even against the American people.

    As stated in the paper:

    MindWar must target all participants to be effective. 
    
    It must not only weaken the enemy; it must strengthen the United States. 
    
    It strengthens the United States by denying enemy propaganda access to our people, and by explaining and emphasizing to our people the rationale for our national interest in a specific war…
    
    There are some purely natural conditions under which minds may become more or less receptive to ideas, and MindWar should take full advantage of such phenomena as atmospheric electromagnetic activity, air ionization, and extremely low frequency waves.”

    Of course the terms “enemy” and “national interest” are not elaborated on, nor is the matter of free will even considered but rather that mind control is not only “natural”, it is essential.

    Besides the overtly fascist and occultist content in the paper, the proposal had a disturbing similarity to the Total Information Awareness (TIA) program launched by the Donald Rumsfeld Pentagon.

    TIA was a global propaganda and mega-data-mining plan that was supposedly scraped after a series of negative news stories.

    On Aug 17th, 2005 The New York Times published an article that discussed how “a military intelligence team repeatedly tried to contact the FBI in 2000 to warn about the existence of an American-based terrorist cell that included the ring leader of the Sept. 11 attacks” as reported by veteran Army intelligence officer Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer.

    The information came from the highly classified intelligence program “Able Danger”, which had successfully identified the terrorist ringleader Mohamed Atta and three other hijackers of the 9/11 terrorist attack in mid-2000, well over a year before the actual 9/11 attack.

    According to New York Times article, Shaffer learned later that lawyers associated with the Special Operations Command of the Defense Department had canceled the FBI meetings “because they feared controversy if Able Danger was portrayed as a military operation that had violated the privacy of civilians who were legally in the United States.” (Able Danger was linked in its function to the TIA program)

    However, this is only part of the truth, the by far uglier truth is that they were already fully aware of the 9/11 terrorist ring and didn’t want a wrench thrown into the gears so to speak.

    What The Fuck?

    Gen. Vallely, Lt. Col. Aquino and Col. Alexander (author of “The New Mental Battlefield: Beam Me Up, Spock”) are leading figures within the Special Operations community.

    In addition, Gen. Stubblebine III, Gen. Schoomaker, Gen. Downing and Gen. Boykin are the four names most often cited as promoters of programs like the “Goat Lab,” “Jedi Warriors,” “Grill Flame,” “Task Force Delta,” (aka the spoon-benders) and the “First Earth Battalion,” and have held top posts within the military intelligence and Special Operations commands.

    Gen. Stubblebine III, Gen. Schoomaker, Gen. Downing and Gen. Boykin are the four names most often cited as promoters of programs like the “Goat Lab,” “Jedi Warriors,” “Grill Flame,” “Task Force Delta,” (aka the spoon-benders) and the “First Earth Battalion,” and have held top posts within the military intelligence and Special Operations commands.

    These were the programs that promoted the idea that one could learn to bend a metal spoon, walk through walls, and burst the hearts of goats with the use of “mind over matter” techniques.

    In 1979, Lt. Col. Channon presented a 125 page document called “The First Earth Battalion,” which outlined “non-lethal” techniques that would soon be adopted by the military.

    These techniques were many and included the use of atonal noises as a form of combat psychological warfare and widespread experimentation with psychoelectronics and other means of debilitation.

    On March 10th, 1991, then Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz while serving as chief policy advisor to then Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, wrote the memo “Do We Need a Non-Lethal Defense Initiative?” in which he wrote, “A U.S. lead in non-lethal technologies will increase our options and reinforce our position in the post-Cold War world.”

    American military are strongly influenced by Washington DC politics.

    Though no mention was made of Col. Alexander, who spear-headed the non-lethal weaponry campaign, Alexander at the time of the memo had retired from active duty and was heading the Non-Lethal Weapons Program at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

    In 1990, Col. Alexander published “The Warrior’s Edge” and states its goal as to:

    unlock the door to the extraordinary human potentials inherent in each of us. To do this, we, like governments around the world, must take a fresh look at non-traditional methods of affecting reality. 
    
    We must raise human consciousness of the potential power of the individual body/mind system – the power to manipulate reality. 
    
    We must be willing to retake control of our past, present, and ultimately, our future.” (emphasis added)

    Investigative journalist Jon Ronson, in his book “The Men Who Stare at Goats”, goes through how ‘psychic warriors’ such as Uri Geller and Jim Channon were called back into government service after 9/11, and that a series of meetings in 2004 were held between Gen. Schoomaker and Jim Channon to start a think tank which would utilize “First Earth Battalion” techniques in Afghanistan and Iraq.

    The Non-Lethal Techniques of Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib and al-Qa’im

    According to a 1998 International Committee of the Red Cross presentation before the European parliament intended on evaluating how “non-lethal” the non-lethal technologies promoted by Alexander, Channon et al. actually are in reality, it was found that non-lethal weapons are simply defined as weapons with a less-than 25% fatality rate.

    Perhaps this is what the senior Pentagon officials were referring to in their “limited” nuclear exchange scenarios.

    Perhaps this is what the senior Pentagon officials were referring to in their “limited” nuclear exchange scenarios.

    Included in the list of non-lethal weapons now widely used in the U.S. military are lasers, extremely low frequency (ELF) weapons, and various chemical, biological and audio stun weapons that can cause permanent damage such as blindness, deafness and destruction of the gastrointestinal system.

    Sigh.

    According to Ronson and The New Yorker writer Jane Mayer, many of the torture techniques employed at Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib and the less-well-known al-Qa’im near the Syrian border in Iraq, are based on Channon and Alexander’s non-lethal conceptions.

    Jim Channon actually confirmed this in an email correspondence with Ronson.

    At one point in his investigation, Ronson asks Stuart Heller, friend of Jim Channon, if he could name one soldier who was “the living embodiment” of the First Earth Battalion, to which Heller responds unhesitatingly “Bert Rodriguez.”

    Ronson continues in his book, “In April 2001, Bert Rodriguez took on a new student. His name was Ziad Jarrah.”

    Rodriguez taught Jarrah “the choke hold and the kamikaze spirit. You need a code you’d die for, a do-or-die desire.” Rodriguez added, “Ziad was like Luke Skywalker. You know when Luke walks the invisible path? You have to believe it’s there…

    Yeah, Ziad believed it.

    He was like Luke Skywalker.”

    Rodriguez trained Ziad Jarrah for six months.

    On Sept 11, 2001, Ziad Jarrah took control of the United Airlines flight 93 as part of the orchestrated 9/11 terrorist attack.

    On Sept 11, 2001, Ziad Jarrah took control of the United Airlines flight 93 as part of the orchestrated 9/11 terrorist attack. Trained by the United States military.

    Meet Dr. Strangelove

    At the end of the film Dr. Strangelove we are finally confronted with the “top lunatic” so to speak who was really in charge this whole time.

    For all the “top brass” in the war room, nobody was really in control of the situation this entire time since the entire “war scenario” was set-up as a positive feedback loop within the doomsday plan of a lunatic.

    Dr. Strangeglove.

    You see, the belief that one can bend spoons, walk through walls, and burst the hearts of goats is not the problem.

    It is the belief held by top officials within the U.S. military industrial complex that their ideology of appropriate morality is to prevail.

    Therefore, one must use these mind-over-matter techniques to achieve the ultimate goal, “the power to manipulate reality”, that global dominance can be achieved without wiping out the world.

    Therefore, one must use these mind-over-matter techniques to achieve the ultimate goal, “the power to manipulate reality”, that global dominance can be achieved without wiping out the world.

    That somehow “it might be possible to fight, and win, a battle with nuclear weapons, without the exchange leading to an all-out-world-ending conflict,” and if not…

    …we may all die for a lunatic’s dream in the process.

    Sweet Jesus!

    Oh, but that’s only an appetizer. You see, not only is the entire city of Washington DC bat-shit crazy but they have corrupted the military rank and file. These once-brave soldiers now have become psychopathic “yes men” to mad-men.

    And they are playing with dangerously power weapons.

    • Weapons that could launch a global pandemic (been there – done that.)
    • Weapons that could destroy and collapse trade (been there – done that.)
    • Weapons that could alter the reality of America (been there – done that.)
    • Weapons that could devastate entire nations …

    pending..

    Here is an uber lucid article by Christopher Black on what  the PBCs (Psychopathic Barbarian Crusaders) truly want.
    .
    I like that. Psychopathic Barbarian Crusaders. Sounds so apt.
    I’m aware that I might be unfair because the vast majority of Western people don’t qualify to be PBCs (Psychopathic Barbarian Crusaders)…
    .
    …but unhappily, most of the western movers & shakers (either in a leadership position or being cowardly and ignorant sidekicks) qualify for such an inglorious denomination.
    .
    We are at a crossroad. Everyone reading this should be perfectly aware of the geopolitical Damocles’ sword hanging on us all.
    .
    It’s impossible for anyone to be fully disconnected from geopolitics, the one guided by philosophy and ethics but also the Real Politik one because living in a fantasy world (un monde de bisounours, as they say in France or un monde de câlinours as said in Quebec) never helped anybody living on Earth.
    .
    But having principles and at the same time being aware of the ruts of the world is maybe the Middle Way.
    .
    At least it might help us deal with the events that unfold due to the madness of men.
    .

    The madness of men.

    General Jack D. Ripper: Your Commie has no regard for human life, not even his own. And for this reason, men, I want to impress upon you the need for extreme watchfulness. The enemy may come individually, or he may come in strength. He may even come in the uniform of our own troops. But however he comes, we must stop him. We must not allow him to gain entrance to this base. Now, I'm going to give you THREE SIMPLE rules: First, trust NO one, whatever his uniform or rank, unless he is known to you personally; Second, anyone or anything that approaches within 200 yards of the perimeter is to be FIRED UPON; Third, if in doubt, shoot first then ask questions afterward. I would sooner accept a few casualties through accidents rather losing the entire base and its personnel through carelessness. Any variation of these rules must come from me personally. Any variation on these rules must come from me personally. Now, men, in conclusion, I would like to say that, in the two years it has been my privilege to be your commanding officer, I have always expected the best from you, and you have never given me anything less than that. Today, the nation is counting on us. We're not going to let them down. Good luck to you all.
    
    --  General Jack D. Ripper 

    The US-Japanese Alliance Against China Risks World War

    .

    In 2003, when several lawyers, including myself, visited North Korea to learn more about socialism there, we were shown US Army documents captured in 1950 by the communist forces.

    In 1950, the communist forces seized control of Seoul and overran the American Army headquarters.There, they secured all the documents, cypher’s, and data that they found.

    The documents confirmed that it was the US and its puppets in South Korea that invaded the north, not the other way round.

    Their objective was to crush the local communist forces. Set up strongly fortified launching zones, and then attacking China.

    Their plan failed and ended in an American rout.

    Battle for Seoul.

    But what did surprise me was the evidence in the documents that the Americans also had the help and advice of Japanese Army officers who had remained in Korea at the end of the war between the US and Japan that ended in 1945.

    Two growing empires went to war in the Pacific against each other but in the end the defeated and occupied Japanese soon joined the growing American empire.

    And it was its drive for world domination and Korea was the first proof of their fealty to the US.

    A fealty tolerated not only because of their defeat but also because American capital and Japanese capital have the same interest; the subjugation and exploitation of China.

    The Japanese worked with the American military to take over Korea and launch towards China for eventual capture and domination.

    On July 6, 2021 the Japanese Deputy Prime Minister stated at a Liberal Democratic Party function, that if China acted to take control of Taiwan…

    … as is its right to do since it is an integral part of China…

    … then Japan would defend Taiwan.

    Why?

    Well, because because such an action by China would represent an “existential threat to Japan.”

    “If a major incident happened, it’s safe to say it would be related to a situation threatening the survival of Japan. 
    
    If that is the case, Japan and the US must defend Taiwan together.” 

    Why it would be an “existential threat to Japan” ?

    He did not explain.

    The Chinese will never forget what the Japanese did to China. They have never forgiven.

    That he spoke for the leadership of Japan is clear.

    Now keep in mind…

    That any interference (by anyone) in China’s actions regarding the Chinese Provence of Taiwan…

    …would be an aggression against China…

    …and would be in absolute violation of the Japanese Constitution.

    For this constitution prohibits Japanese Self-Defense Forces from taking any offensive actions.

    And this is a quite clear violation of the UN Charter.

    In response China has stated time and again that it is prepared to defeat both the US and Japan…

    if they try to interfere when China retakes control of Taiwan.

    Which (unfortunately) every action by the Americans and Taiwanese is provoking them to do.

    Of course…

    The Americans recognize that they do not have enough strength in the region to interfere alone.

    And so they have lured Britain, France, and Germany, as well as the ever-eager Australians, to send in naval forces to the South China Sea to support the American and Japanese assault plans.

    It is more than ironic to see four nations that were bitter enemies of Imperial Japan in World War II, now colluding with Japan.

    Not only that, but to once again attack China and that Germany, an ally of Japan in the Second World War, once again is attempting to throw its weight around in the world.

    What is the matter with these people?

    The Chinese have a long and bitter memory of the Japanese invasion and occupation of their lands in the 1930s and 40’s just as the Koreans have the same bitter memories of Japanese occupation.

    The Chinese have a long and bitter memory of the Japanese invasion.

    The Chinese have a long and bitter memory of the Japanese invasion.

    But we realize now that the defeat of the fascists and militarists in Germany and Japan in 1945 was not their final defeat.

    The governments who fought those two nations also had fascist elements within them.

    These elements, these people, hoped that the Nazis would crush communism in the USSR and the Japanese would do the same in China.

    Instead, the elements of world capital that supported or tolerated fascism and relied on imperialism to increase their profits.

    And they quickly reorganized.

    And, led by the far right in Washington, created the NATO military alliance to continue the assault on the USSR and now on Russia, China and other independent nations.

    They wear different clothes now.

    American neocons pushing for war.

    But they use the same lies and techniques of propaganda as the Nazis and Japanese militarists as they prepare for another war against China and Russia.

    On July 30, 2021 the Chinese government had to warn the British government and its naval task force, led by the new British aircraft carrier, Queen Elizabeth, to keep away from its territorial waters or face the consequences.

    British aircraft carrier, Queen Elizabeth.

    Yet, at the same time the US and France conducted military exercise with dozens of US F22s and French Rafale aircraft near Hawaii.

    All this while the French beef up their forces in Tahiti.

    And while the Americans have dispersed their fleet of bombers and fighters including F35s from their big base on Guam, which the Chinese can destroy quickly, to smaller bases, making it more difficult for China to destroy those aircraft.

    This type of dispersal is usually seen in war settings, when war is on going or imminent.

    At the same time the Germans announced that they will be sending a frigate to the South China Sea in support of the Americans and Japanese.

    While the Americans sent more ships into the Taiwan Strait this week. Some may see all this as sabre rattling.

    But that is a lot of sabres, and they are doing a lot more than just rattling them.

    As Hans Rudiger Minow stated in German Foreign Policy,

    “The intensification of western manoeuvres and their growing focus on combat missions, which are highly realistic under current circumstances, coincide with prognoses by high-ranking US military officials, predicting that a war between the United States and China is probable in the near future. 
    
    For example, recently NATO’s former Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), Ret. Adm. James G. Stavridis, was quoted with the prognosis that “our technology, network of allies and bases in the region, still overmatch China” – for now. 
    
    However, “by the end of the decade – if not sooner” the People’s Republic “will be in a position” to “challenge the US” at least “in the South China Sea.” 
    
    Recently Stavridis published a novel in which he depicted a fictional war erupting between the USA and China in 2034. 
    
    In the meantime, he considers “we may not have until 2034 to prepare for this battle – it may come much sooner.” 
    
    Some of his colleagues in the military are predicting that “it is not about 2034,” the Big War could come earlier – possibly even “2024 or 2026.”

    But it is not China that is seeking a war.

    So who is pushing this insanity?

    American neocons.

    Who is pushing for war…?

    The propaganda machines in the west, all part of the military-industrial complex, are legion.

    But one of the worst is the Hudson Institute.

    Founded in 1961 by Herman Khan, formerly of the Rand Institute, who was famous for playing nuclear war games and theorizing on the possibilities of using nuclear weapons in war.

    Its current leadership and membership include fascists like Mike Pompeo, Seth Cropsey and many others who served in various US government regimes or the US military establishment.

    Seth Cropsey’s bio states,

    “Cropsey began his career in government at the US Department of Defense as assistant to Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and subsequently served as deputy undersecretary of the Navy in the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations, where he was responsible for the Navy’s position on efforts to reorganize DoD, development of the maritime strategy, the Navy’s academic institutions, naval special operations, and burden-sharing with NATO allies. 
    
    In the Bush administration, Cropsey moved to the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) to become acting assistant secretary, and then principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict. Cropsey served as a naval officer from 1985 to 2004.
    “From 1982 to 1984, Cropsey directed the editorial policy of the Voice of America (VOA) on the solidarity movement in Poland, Soviet treatment of dissidents, and other issues. Returning to public diplomacy in 2002 as director of the US government’s International Broadcasting Bureau, Cropsey supervised the agency as successful efforts were undertaken to increase radio and television broadcasting to the Muslim world.” 

    In other words…

    Cropsey penned a recent article published in The Hill, a US right wing journal covering events in Washington entitled ,“Japan Signals An Opening for US in Countering China”.

    In it he praised the statement by Taro Aso that Japan will support Taiwan (in case of China acting to take control of its island).

    The justification being [1] that China seeks “world dominance” and [2] that there will be a war with the USA in the near future (and Japan wants to be on the winning side).

    LOL.

    He further states that the Japanese have now made a “decisive shift” in foreign and military policy.

    Is Japan an independent nation, or a proxy vassal of the United States?

    He dismisses the Japanese constitutional prohibition on Japanese offensive actions and calls for Japan to increase it military forces and support to “counter” China.

    He wrote:

    “Defending Taiwan is a difficult proposition. The PLA is at its strongest within the First Island Chain, particularly around Taiwan, given Beijing’s concentration of naval, air, and missile forces. 
    
    To defend the island, the US and its allies would have to operate squarely within China’s missile range, jeopardizing the high-value capital assets upon which American combat power depends.
    
    “However, Japan and the US both field significant submarine fleets — Japan’s small but quiet battery-powered boats are an effective counterpart to America’s larger nuclear-powered attack submarines. 
    
    Submarines are immune to the missiles upon which the PLA would rely to gain sea and air control over Taiwan. 
    
    If supported by a sufficient fast-boat mining effort, and a robust enough network of mobile ground-launched anti-ship and anti-air missiles, a Japanese-American submarine surge could defeat a PLA invasion of Taiwan, or at minimum prevent the fait accompli for which China hopes.
    
    Given this strategic reality.”

    He calls for more military exercises with the US and Japan, France, and Britain and their other allies to “prepare for war.”

    He then adds the lie that “preparing for war is essential to deterring it” when what he really means is that America is preparing for war in order to wage war.

    Come on! 
    
    Everyone knows that America is planning to attack China. Destroy it. Invade it,  Conquer it, and then convert it into a vassal state. Let's be real. Please!

    The forces of peace and reason in the world must denounce these war preparations as a danger to the entire world for a war on China…

    ….will bring in Russia…

    …and others (nations that no one is thinking about)…

    … it will lead to world war…

    …then to nuclear war…

    … and (possibly) the end of humanity.

    And the author goes on to say…

    We must denounce these criminals and demand the International Criminal Court prosecutor take action to warn the Americans, and indict the leaders of the US allies over which it has jurisdiction, their propagandists like Seth Cropsey, and all the rest who are conspiring to commit aggression, the supreme war crime, the final act of insanity, because it seems to me that is what war with China will be, the final act in the human drama.

    We wont have to wait for abrupt climate change to finish us off.

    But the ICC says nothing about all this and the UN Security Council is rendered impotent.

    So who then is left to object, to say enough is enough, to hell with the criminals and their wars, except us, the people, But what can we the people do?

    Yes, protest, petition, write, shout, cry, join peace groups like the one I belong to, the Canadian Peace Congress, do anything you can but get up, stand up, as Bob Marley called for us to do, and as John Lennon demanded, Give Peace A Chance.

    Give peace a chance.

    Noble thoughts, but it ain’t gonna happen.

    Obviously he has been sleeping under a rock for the last 75 years. You cannot write letter or petition anyone. They are above all this. They are a run-away locomotive and it is fast approaching a rickety old bridge that is long in need of repair.

    It will not go well.

    What about Russia?

    All the time all this “saber rattling” is going on by the United States Military Empire, and the hate-hate-hate narratives are flooding the “news” media, what else is going on that isn’t being reported?

    Remember boys and girls. To know what is really going on, look for what IS NOT being reported.

    Well, Russian and Chinese troops and military have been practicing and coordinating their military strategies ALL YEAR.

    Of course you would NEVER hear about this on FOX “news”, CNN, BBC, or any other mainstream “news” website. Check out some of these videos…

    Russian troops training in XinJiang and then eating fine Uighur food.

    And then here’s another.

    Russian and Chinese commanders address their troops.

    Here’s a great movie showing how Russian soldiers are being trained to use Chinese weapon systems, while the Chinese are also being trained to use the Russian weapons systems.

    Here’s a great movie showing how Russian soldiers are being trained to use Chinese weapon systems, while the Chinese are also being trained to use the Russian weapons systems.

    Let’s dig a little deeper. Shall we?

    This next article is from a pro-Japan, pro-American author that tries to rationalize Japan going to war with China over Taiwan. He comes to the conclusion that ABSOLUTELY Japan would go fight the Chinese…

    …and with help from the USA, probably would win.

    How Far Would Japan Really Go to Defend Taiwan?

    Japan defense report says Taiwan's 'stability' is integral to its 'security', putting Tokyo's pacifist forces on a new collision course with Beijing

    When Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso said on July 5, 2021 that Tokyo would come to Taiwan’s aid in the event of a Chinese invasion, Beijing’s sharp response was predictable.

    “We will never allow anyone to meddle in the Taiwan question in any way,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the day after Aso made his surprise remark.
    
    “No one should underestimate the resolve, the will, and the ability of the Chinese people to defend their national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

    But Aso’s statement was no slip of the tongue. A week later, on July 13, Japan released its annual defense report, which for the first time mentioned the importance of maintaining “stability” around Taiwan because it “is important for Japan’s security.”

    China’s response, again, was sharp and immediate.

    The Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece Global Times ran an op-ed stating that “Japan will ‘lose badly’ if it defends Taiwan secessionists.”

    China does not play. Do not take the warning lightly.

    Chinese DF-41 armed with ten (x10) nuclear warheads well within the range of Japan. One missile launch of these independently directed, AI controlled, hypervelocity MIRV’s will completely destroy ten of Japan’s largest cities, and if not send Japan into the Iron age, will thrash it’s economy to zero.

    The piece quoted an anonymous Beijing-based military analyst as saying, “Even the US could not defeat China militarily in the West Pacific region now, so what makes Japan believe it’s able to challenge China with force?”

    Good question.

    While the motivations behind Tokyo’s recent statements are unclear, Japan and Taiwan are openly on the same side.

    In Asia’s intensifying new Cold War, where an increasingly assertive and militarily powerful China is the obvious but usually unspoken adversary.

    Japan and Taiwan do not share official diplomatic relations — Tokyo recognizes Beijing as the sole legitimate government of China.

    However, the two sides are known to share intelligence through back channels.

    In May last year, as Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen began her second term in office, then-chief Cabinet secretary, now prime minister, Yoshihide Suga said that Japan is eager to develop its ties with Taiwan.

    Eager.

    (I wonder if American money played a role? Hum.)

    Japan’s annual foreign policy report, known as the Diplomatic Bluebook, describes Taiwan in its latest edition released on April 27 this year as an “important partner and friend.”

    It also said Japan backs Taiwan’s campaign to attend the World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO).

    The Bluebook stated diplomatically that Taiwan had been successful in fighting the Covid-19 virus and “there should be no blank spaces on the world map.” China, which considers Taiwan a renegade province that should be “reunited” with the mainland, strongly opposes Taiwan’s participation in any international bodies.

    The Bluebook also said that Japan would cooperate with “more countries” to promote freedom of navigation and the rule of law in the Asia-Pacific region.

    In matters of geostrategic importance, Japan already works closely with the US, India and Australia under the so-called “Quad.”

    Yup. This is the Pacific "NATO" that was set up by neocon Mike Pompeo.

    Taiwan could be seen as a silent partner, or at least an ally, to the strategic grouping because it is a vital link in the China-focused island chain of defense which stretches from Japan’s main islands to Okinawa, Taiwan, the Philippines and the Malaysian part of Borneo.

    The so called “First Island Chain”.

    The First Island Chain.

    But you know, The control of the “First Island Chain” is a “pipe Dream”. It’s under Chinese control now.

    America Is Betting Big on the Second Island Chain | RAND
    Sep 08, 2020 · The United States has deep and abiding interests in the Second Island Chain. But China's growing influence in the region could complicate U.S. plans. Washington will almost certainly seek to strengthen security cooperation with Pacific Island states in the Second Island Chain and bolster defensive positions on U.S. territories in the region.

    However, the bigger question remains: what exactly would Japan be prepared to do if China did try to invade Taiwan?

    What would Japan do?

    Whatever the anonymous military analyst quoted in the Global Times might think, Japan certainly has the means to challenge China militarily.

    On December 21, 2020, the Japanese government approved the ninth consecutive rise in military spending, marking a historic record of 5.34 trillion yen (US$51.7 billion.)

    Japan’s Self-Defense Forces (JSDF), as they are formally known, are comprised of nearly 250,000 active personnel and another 50,000 in reserve, and are equipped with the latest weaponry and technology procured mainly from the US.

    Hum. China has the world’s largest army, with more than 2 million active personnel

    The Japanese Navy is believed by military analysts to be the strongest in the region after America’s…

    …and thus superior to China’s still underdeveloped but steadily growing naval forces.

    LOL. Don't be so sure.

    China’s underdeveloped military forces…

    Um. Sure. What ever you want to believe.

    Some history

    Do not negotiate with the United States.

    I want to remind you all that when it seems like America is “losing”, then “the gloves come off”, and real nasty things will take place.

    Like in Korea when the Chinese Army routed the American forces…

    In late 1950 American forces suffered a series of disastrous defeats in Korea at the hands of Chinese troops, and the report from a Pentagon committee in early December emphasized the importance of accelerating the development of bioweapons such as Q Fever, plague, and anthrax together with the necessary delivery mechanisms for covert use, while especially praising the CIA for its effectiveness in that regard. This secret report was eventually declassified by a FOIA request in 1996.
    
    Around the same time that report was being written, a British sergeant retreating through a deserted North Korean village before advancing Chinese troops observed American military personnel, masked and gloved, carefully removing large quantities of feathers from special containers and flinging them into the empty houses before he was warned away by American MPs. He later stated that he had obviously witnessed “a clandestine operation” of some sort and mentioned that a few days afterward he was required to take an unspecified vaccine. This curious vignette appears in Unit 731, a 1989 historical account of Japan’s biowarfare program written by two BBC journalists, but oddly enough the incident was removed from the American edition of that same book.
    
    Months later, the North Korean foreign minister issued a formal complaint to the United Nations that America had used illegal biological warfare, attacking his own troops and those of China with smallpox. These mysterious outbreaks had occurred a few months earlier, but only in areas recently occupied by retreating American forces. The accusations briefly appeared in the Western media, but were ridiculed and hotly denied by American government spokesmen.
    
    Around the same time that Communist troops were sickening and dying, around two hundred American soldiers in the same theater had also been suddenly stricken by a mysterious outbreak of Songo fever, never before seen in Korea but with symptoms quite similar to smallpox and a specialty of America’s Japanese biowarfare mentors. Strict censorship prevented these stories from reaching the American media until many months later, at which point our government claimed that the illnesses had been spread by Chinese troops. But the disease seemed entirely absent from the hundreds of miles of Korean territory the enemy forces had traversed, and only appeared in a narrow belt along the front lines, with our stricken servicemen believing that they seemed to be spread by infected field mice or voles. Voles had long been regarded by American researchers as an excellent vector for their bioweapons, and when interviewed years later for a history of the Korean War, one of the leaders of our local CIA efforts explained that his covert operations had created a defensive belt along the front lines.

    The use of bio-weapons, chemical weapons, and nuclear weapons will be the direct result if the United States is unable to achieve it’s objectives.

    Thus, we see WHY after eight (8x) bio-weapons targeting livestock in China, John Bolton, the head of the Bio-Warfare office under President Trump) launched COVID-19B against the Chinese. As well as the two follow up bio-weapons in July and late August.

    So now…

    The “drums of war” are beating again. And they are louder than ever. They are so loud that it is giving me a headache.

    What’s China (and Russia) to do?

    According to the Washington-based think tank the Center for Strategic & International Studies, Beijing has made substantial progress in the construction of a third aircraft carrier as Type 003, which is …

    “slated to become the largest surface combatant in the Chinese People’s Army Navy (PLAN) and significantly upgrade China’s naval capabilities.”

    Type-003.

    But the crux of the strategic matter is that Article 9 of Japan’s supposedly pacifist, post-World War II constitution.

    it specifically outlaws war as a means to settle international disputes.

    And the Japanese Self Defense Force (JSDF) are therefore legally only allowed to defend the country if it comes under attack.

    Only if it comes under attack.

    But Mr. Aso has argued that Taiwan is situated only 112 kilometers from some islands that are part of Okinawa prefecture and therefore a Chinese invasion could represent an “existential threat” to Japan’s security.

    You know. Too close for comfort.

    It's like having a restaurant next to a gas station. The gas station is robbed, so the restaurant owner gets his gun and goes over to the gas station to shoot everyone. You know. Just in case.

    In that direction, the Japanese navy’s first aircraft carrier since World War II is nearly ready to deploy. It is designed to carry up to 28 light or 14 larger aircraft.

    Woo woo.

    Jeffrey Hornung, a political scientist at the US-based Rand Corporation, wrote in a May 10 paper that Japan would not need to get directly involved in a military conflict over Taiwan.

    But, he suggests, if Washington sought to defend the democratic, self-ruled island, “at a minimum, the United States would require access to its bases in Japan, which would execute combat operations in, over and around Taiwan.”

    Yada. Yada. Yada.

    The JSDF would in that way “act as a force multiplier for any US-led operation. That means US requests for Japanese involvement would be almost certain.” In other words, Japan’s involvement would be limited to “non-combatant, rear-area support roles” in fields such as “supply, maintenance, transportation, engineering and medical services,” Hornung writes.

    Okinawa is proximal to Taiwan and the US base there would be at the front of any military action against China.

    ….

    If Japan wanted to get involved.

    If China decided to attack Okinawa, or for argument’s sake any base on Japanese territory, such an attack could be interpreted as an act of aggression and Japan would have the right to act in self-defense.

    But that scenario also raises another important question: would the US be prepared to intervene and defend Taiwan? The US and Taiwan, officially the Republic of China, shared a defense treaty before Washington established diplomatic relations with China on January 1, 1979.

    ..

    On that day, the US withdrew its recognition of the Republic of China and terminated the 1955 “Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States and the Republic of China.” Because either party had to notify the other about the termination a year in advance, the treaty remained in place – at least nominally – until January 1, 1980.

    Then it ENDED.

    The now null-and-void 1955 treaty, which stipulated that if one country came under attack the other would provide military support, was in certain aspects replaced by the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act.

    Under the Act, the US was no longer be obliged to defend Taiwan, the US embassy in Taiwan was closed and relations were maintained through a non-profit corporation registered in the District of Columbia known as the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), which functions as a de facto embassy.

    The ambiguity of the relationship is evident in a Taiwan Relations Act clause that says that “the United States will make available to Taiwan such defense articles and defense services in such quantity as may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain sufficient self-defense capabilities.”

    The Act’s intention appears to be to dissuade Taiwan from declaring independence from China, while at the same time discouraging China from invading Taiwan. But that all came into force when Jimmy Carter was America’s president and China was still a fairly poor country, not the regional superpower it has become today.

    As Beijing celebrated the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party on July 1, President Xi Jinping reiterated his pledge to incorporate Taiwan into the mainland.

    “Solving the Taiwan question and realizing the complete reunification of the motherland are the unswerving historical tasks of the Chinese Communist Party and the common aspiration of all Chinese people,” Xi said in a speech.

    Every Chinese must work together, “resolutely smashing any ‘Taiwan independence plots,’” the Chinese leader added. China has recently flexed its muscles in that direction with air force jets and bombers making frequent incursions into Taiwan’s airspace.

    In this new geopolitical environment, it would be impossible for the US to stay idle if Xi turned his tough rhetoric into military action and actually sent forces to invade Taiwan.

    In that scenario, Japan could and would not stay neutral.

    To be sure, Deputy Defense Minister Aso is known for his public gaffes, which are often corrected or denied by the government after being uttered.

    But as Corey Wallace, a foreign policy expert at Kanagawa University in Yokohama was quoted saying in the July 12 issue of Foreign Policy, the slip this time may have been deliberate and reflect what Japanese officials have long believed privately.

    Either way, Xi is playing with certain fire by talking about Taiwan’s “reunification” with the mainland.

    LOL. Taiwan is PART of China. Xi Peng can say anything he wants about his nation. And the rest of the world can howl. He's not playing with fire. Just like Joe Biden is not playing with fire when he announces a new road project in West Virginia.

    Even with China’s recent military and naval build-up, Beijing still faces formidable odds in invading Taiwan, which would almost inevitably result in a wider conflict – one Japan could inevitably play a crucial, military role.

    Do not be so sure…

    Don’t be so sure. Seriously. There are MANY things in play here. Keep in mind that a war with China, in such close proximity would devastate that nation to a point that it might turn into such a churned up mass of radioactive rubble that it would need to be renamed “Commode”.

    Let’s keep in mind WHO we are talking about…

    China is not some nation filled with bicycle riding peasants who were issued a cheap SKS clone. China is a fierce strong proud, and patriotic nation. Their children speak both English and Chinese by the time they are in middle school. Everyone attends scouts, and gets full-military training in elementary school. It is a nation that promotes STEM graduates by demonstrated merit, punishes those who violate the rules with extreme harshness, and never bluffs.

    Chinese boy scouts… Check out the videos.

    Chinese boy scouts 1

    And, here’s another…

    Chinese boy scouts 2

    Still not convinced…

    Scot training focuses on group communication, working together as a team, and mastery of fighting skills.

    How about this one…

    Chinese scouts are coed.

    It is so easy to forget who the Chinese actually are…

    With a non-stop anti-China barrage hitting everyone 24-7, all year it is so easy to villainize  people who you only know by the two dimensional cardboard cut out that Mike Pompeo, John Bolton, and Tom Collins created. It’s not even remotely true.

    Do not lulled into believing that the Chinese are backwards, and ill-prepared. Or that they are starving and cannot wait to be “liberated” for democracy™.

    Not only are the Chinese skilled, work as a team (automatically) but there are BILLIONS of them, all working together for the common good. Anyone who wants to tangle with this dragon is seriously in need of a lobotomy.

    There’s billions of Chinese. Don’t piss them off!

    China is not a third-world military. They are peer-capable with the best that America has. What’s more they outnumber everything that the United States can compile against it. And never forget, they WILL USE nuclear weapons if attacked.

    Count on it.

    You are a fucking idiot if you don’t realize this.

    China is a serious, serious nation that does not play.

    It’s so easy to think that China would be an “easy kill”, if all you see and read in within your own bubble of isolation. Much like those kings who “pooh-pooh” the offers by Genghis Khan for trade. But then they found out that their large army of 20,000 knights on white horses were no match for 5,000,000 angry, pissed off, huns riding in at dawn.

    Chinese soldiers.

    And let’s not forget that the vast bulk of technology comes from China. China posses the vast number of factories, and consists of thousands of design centers. No, not the “technology centers” that you see in the USA which is really a nice building, and staffed with one or two engineers that outsource to China, the rest being marketing, finance, attorneys and IT folk. No, China is the place where the real things are designed and made.

    Stuff that isn’t advertised. Like robotic “hand grenades”. How would you like your base or complex over-run with these little guys each one a bomb?

    Cute robot hand-grenades.

    .

    Trying to avoid war…

    Let’s look at how China is trying to avoid war. Let’s look at what they are doing to make any war with China a very, very costly mistake….

    While China has not publicly released a new nuclear posture statement that supersedes the 2006 White Paper, the construction of new missile silos configured to hold solid-fuel ICBMs possessing multiple warheads changes the nuclear posture options for China. 
    
    The most likely change is to transition from a pure retaliatory strike capability (“counterattack in self-defense”) to a launch-on-warning posture.
    
    This posture means the Chinese missiles would leave their silos when an attack was detected.
    
    This differs from the previous posture, where the missiles would be waiting for a nuclear attack to actually occur. 
    
    Given China’s declared nuclear policy, a launch-on-warning posture allows China to retain its no-first-use policy while simultaneously ensuring the survivability of its nuclear forces.

    A US-Sino nuclear arms race is already underway – and we know who the winner will be

    Scott Ritter is a former US Marine Corps intelligence officer and author of 'SCORPION KING: America's Suicidal Embrace of Nuclear Weapons from FDR to Trump.' He served in the Soviet Union as an inspector implementing the INF Treaty, in General Schwarzkopf’s staff during the Gulf War, and from 1991-1998 as a UN weapons inspector. 
    
    Follow him on Twitter @RealScottRitter
    Since the 1960’s, China has maintained a no-first-use nuclear policy and pledged never to engage in an arms race. However, thanks to the destabilizing impact of US nuclear policy, it has begun an arms race – and it plans on winning.

    A quick history lesson: China detonated its first atomic weapon on October 16, 1964. In doing so, it became the fifth country – after the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and France – to possess nuclear weapons. Since then, China has developed and deployed a modest arsenal of strategic nuclear weapons delivery systems, with the goal of maintaining a minimum nuclear deterrent against other nuclear-armed powers, with a particular focus on the US.

    The 2006 Defense White Paper, issued by China’s State Council Information Office, provides the most authoritative description of the country’s nuclear strategy.

    China’s fundamental goal, the White Paper states,

    “is to deter other countries from using or threatening to use nuclear weapons against China.” 

    This deterrence comes from

    “principles of counterattack in self-defense” (i.e., “assured retaliation”.) China “remains firmly committed to the policy of no first use of nuclear weapons at any time and under any circumstances.” 

    Moreover, it

    “unconditionally undertakes not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states or nuclear-weapon-free zones.”

    The White Paper goes on to declare that China

    “stands for the comprehensive prohibition and complete elimination of nuclear weapons,” and that it believes in the “limited development of nuclear weapons” while aiming “at building a lean and effective nuclear force capable of meeting national security needs.” In conclusion, the White Paper notes, “China exercises great restraint in developing its nuclear force,” and “it has never entered into and will never enter into a nuclear arms race with any other country.”

    From its inception in 1966, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force has relied upon a single missile – the DF-5 – as its primary strategic nuclear delivery system.

    A massive, two-stage liquid-fuel rocket which, depending on what variant one is talking about, can deliver a single warhead (DF-5A), three warheads (DF-5B) or 10 warheads (DF-5C) to targets 12,000 km (7,456 miles) from the point of launch.

    Chinese silo-based, liquid fueled, MIRV, ICBM’s the DF-5B and DF-5C.

    The DF-5, based in hardened concrete silos, was designed to be able to survive a nuclear attack in sufficient numbers to enable China to deliver a country-killing nuclear counter-strike.

    The DF-5, however, had several operational drawbacks which, as the strategic nuclear capabilities of potential adversaries (i.e., the United States) improved, made its survivability in a nuclear conflict more problematic.

    First and foremost, as a liquid-fuel rocket, it is loaded into its silo with empty fuel tanks (the fuel and oxidizer used are highly corrosive, and if stored in the missile, would make it unusable in a matter of months.) Before it can be launched, therefore, the DF-5 must be fueled, a process that can take several hours.

    The Chinese also stored the DF-5 without its warheads. As such, while the missile is being refueled, special teams would be bringing the nuclear warheads from nearby storage shelters and mounting them on the missile body.

    The DF-5 is extremely vulnerable during this time, and as the accuracy and time of flight capabilities of US nuclear forces (in particular the Trident D5 system) improved, the Chinese assessed that their DF-5 nuclear deterrent was vulnerable to being taken out by a first strike.

    Beginning in the 1970’s, China began developing solid-fuel rockets for use as mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

    The first of these, the DF-31, was deployed in 2006, as a road-mobile system.

    DF-31 mobile solid fueled ICBM.

    By 2013, the Chinese produced and fielded an improved version, the DF-31A. The DF-31 is armed with a single nuclear warhead.

    In 2016, China completed testing for a more modern solid-fuel ICBM, the DF-41, which has begun to enter service as a mobile missile. The DF-41 carries 10 independently targeted nuclear warheads.

    DF-41 MIRV ICBM. This is the mainstay of the Chinese ICBM fleet. All have ten nuclear warheads, can reach anywhere in the globe, and can be launched in minutes.

    Between the DF-5, DF-31, and DF-41 missile systems, China was assessed, as of 2019, of possessing around 218 nuclear warheads (It has an additional 68 nuclear warheads carried on submarines and manned bombers.)

    But even with this mix of silo-based DF-5s and mobile DF-31/41 missiles, China believed its forces remained vulnerable to a pre-emptive strike by American nuclear and, increasingly, conventional forces.

    After all, that is what all the military policy planners in Washington DC are discussing right now. A first strike attack against China prior to an invasion.

    This concern appeared to be magnified in the aftermath of the American withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty in 2019, and the emerging threat of intermediate-range missiles appearing on the periphery of China’s borders.

    The first sign that China was adapting to this new reality came in the form of significant improvements and additions to its massive Jilantai training area, located near the city of Jilantai in China’s Inner Mongolia province.

    Constructed in 2013, the Jilantai training area was the premier training grounds for the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, with specialized training constructed for both silo- and mobile-missile operations.

    Around 2016, however, China began constructing new silos that appeared to be too small to hold the massive DF-5, leading Western analysts to assess that the Chinese were preparing to house their solid-fuel ICBMs, either the DF-31, DF-41 or both, in a silo configuration.

    The importance of this distinction is that, while mobility provides for an element of survivability in a classic nuclear exchange scenario, the mobile missiles are vulnerable to loiter weapons.

    Loiter weapons are in great use by the United States, such as armed drones, or precision stand-off weapons, such as the kind of ground-launched cruise missiles being developed by the US in the post-INF treaty era.

    By placing some of its solid fuel ICBMs in silos, China virtually eliminates the threat from drones and cruise missiles, and because these missiles don’t have to be fueled, reduces the vulnerability to US strategic nuclear weapons such as the Trident D5.

    The scope and scale of the silo construction led some analysts to conclude that perhaps the Jilantai training area was going to assume a limited operational posture, based upon the number of silos under construction.

    This assessment was made moot, however, by the discovery of what many analysts believe is a massive missile base, containing 120 silos, under construction near Yumen in Gansu province, and another, containing a potential 110 additional silos, near the city of Hami in Eastern Xinjiang province.

    Gansu province in China.

    These silos appear to be similar to the new ones seen at the Jilantai training area, leading analysts to assess that the Chinese intend to load them with either the DF-31, DF-41 or both.

    Many analysts believe that China may opt only to load a few of these silos with missiles, creating the potential for a “shell game” defense that would complicate nuclear targeting by the US.

    But even if only 80 of these silos were loaded with DF-41 ICBMs, China’s warhead total would expand considerably, adding up to 800 new warheads to their arsenal.

    Chinese nuclear weapons as understood by the West.

    While China has not publicly released a new nuclear posture statement that supersedes the 2006 White Paper, the construction of new missile silos configured to hold solid-fuel ICBMs possessing multiple warheads changes the nuclear posture options for China.

    The most likely change is to transition from a pure retaliatory strike capability (“counterattack in self-defense”) to a launch-on-warning posture.

    This means the Chinese missiles would leave their silos when an attack was detected instead of waiting for a nuclear attack to actually occur.

    Given China’s declared nuclear policy, a launch-on-warning posture allows China to retain its no-first-use policy while simultaneously ensuring the survivability of its nuclear forces.

    However, if one is an American strategic nuclear planner, one cannot ignore the reality that China is edging close to having a legitimate first-strike capability, especially if it places missiles in every one of the silos under construction.

    Faced with a potential first-strike capability from both Russia and China…

    … and in light of the growing cooperation between Russia and China on defense issues…

    …regarding what both nations view as the growing threat from the United States…

    … the US may be compelled to look at increasing its nuclear arsenal, or dramatically altering its own nuclear force posture and composition, in order to match this emerging threat.

    This, however, would be a prohibitively expensive proposition.

    Which leaves arms control.

    The Biden administration is currently trying to tie US arms control talks about reducing the strategic nuclear arsenals of the US and Russia to China.

    Russia has rejected this out of hand, noting that it has nothing to do with the Chinese nuclear arsenal, and therefore the US should be approaching China directly on this matter.

    US-China nuclear reduction talks, however, are impractical when one compares the relative threat posed by 200-plus Chinese ground-based ICBMs.

    While the US arsenal of several thousand strategic warheads housed in a nuclear triad consisting of silo-based ICBMs, submarine-launched ballistic missiles and air-delivered nuclear weapons.

    The level of reductions in the US arsenal that would make any strategic nuclear forces reduction talks viable for China could not be matched by China, and as such would be politically impossible for the US to agree to.

    If, however, the Chinese were to complete the two new silo bases and fill them with DF-41s, each of which armed with 10 warheads, then the US and China could negotiate mutually acceptable reductions based on strategic parity.

    Such negotiations would be complicated by the need to factor in not only Russia, but also the nuclear arsenals of France and the UK (as American NATO allies), as well as the nuclear arsenals of lesser powers such as Pakistan, India, Israel and North Korea.

    The bottom line, however, is that China appears to have breached its commitment “never to engage in a nuclear arms race of any kind.”

    The facts show that China entered this new phase of nuclear weapons development and deployment as a reaction to developments by potential adversaries (i.e., the US).

    However, let there be no doubt – this is an arms race.

    The placement of the Chinese silo bases appears, by intent, to be outside the range of anticipated US intermediate-range weapons, such as cruise missiles.

    This means that there will be increased pressure placed on the States to field a new generation of silo-based ICBMs to replace the aging Minuteman III missiles.

    As well as a new generation of submarine-launched missiles…

    And missile-carrying submarines…

    And a new generation of manned bomber…

    … all in numbers greater than current forecasts call for.

    The US cannot afford to enter this kind of arms race with China. Simply put, China has out Ronald Reagan-ed the US, flipping the Cold War theory that the US outspent the Soviet Union, bankrupting it, and accelerating its collapse on its head…

    … so that it’s the US that’s being outspent, bankrupting itself, and pushing itself closer to collapse.

    Hopefully, the US leadership is wiser than their Soviet counterparts before them. But, if history has shown us anything, the US is addicted to the power it believes it accrues by possessing a large nuclear weapons arsenal, and like any addict, liberating oneself from its drug of choice is difficult, if not impossible.

    And keep in mind that the Chinese and the Russians possess hyper-velocity missile technology

    From MoA. Worth the reprint.

    Why Hypersonic Missiles Are Real Game Changers – by Gordog

    A Technical Look at the Science Behind the Headlines

    by Gordog

    The Americans are now crying ‘uncle’ about Russia’s hypersonic weapons. After the most recent flight test of the scramjet-powered Zircon cruise missile, the Washington Post on July 11 carried a Nato statement of complaint:

    "Russia’s new hypersonic missiles are highly destabilizing and pose significant risks to security and stability across the Euro-Atlantic area," the statement said.

    At the same time, talks have begun on the ‘strategic dialog’ between the US and Russia, as agreed at the June 16 Geneva Summit of the two presidents. The two sides had already agreed to extend the START treaty on strategic weapons that has been in effect for a decade, but, notably, it was the US side that initiated the summit—perhaps spurred by the deployment of the hypersonic, intercontinental-range Avangard missile back in 2019, when US weapons inspectors were present, as per START, to inspect the Avangard as it was lowered into its missile silos.

    But what exactly is a hypersonic missile—and why is it suddenly such a big deal?

    We all remember when Vladimir Putin announced these wonder weapons in his March 2018 address to his nation [and the world]. The response from the US media was loud guffaws about ‘CGI’ cartoons and Russian ‘wishcasting.’ Well, neither Nato nor the Biden team are guffawing now. Like the five stages of grief, the initial denial phase has slowly given way to acceptance of reality—as Russia continues deploying already operational missiles, like the Avangard and the air-launched Kinzhal, now in Syria, as well as finishing up successful state trials of the Zircon, which is to be operationally deployed aboard surface ships and submarines, starting in early 2022. And in fact, there are a whole slew of new Russian hypersonic missiles in the pipeline, some of them much smaller and able to be carried by ordinary fighter jets, like the Gremlin aka GZUR.

    The word hypersonic itself means a flight regime above the speed of Mach 5. That is simple enough, but it is not only about speed. More important is the ability to MANEUVER at those high speeds, in order to avoid being shot down by the opponent’s air defenses. A ballistic missile can go much faster—an ICBM flies at about 6 to 7 km/s, which is about 15,000 mph, about M 25 high in the atmosphere. [Mach number varies with temperature, so it is not an absolute measure of speed. The same 15,000 mph would only equal M 20 at sea level, where the temperature is higher and the speed of sound is also higher.]

    But a ballistic missile flies on a straightforward trajectory, just like a bullet fired from a barrel of a gun—it cannot change direction at all, hence the word ballistic.

    This means that ballistic missiles can, in theory, be tracked by radar and shot down with an interceptor missile. It should be noted here that even this is a very tough task, despite the straight-line ballistic trajectory. Such an interception has never been demonstrated in combat, not even with intermediate-range ballistic missiles [IRBMs], of the kind that the DPRK fired off numerous times, sailing above the heads of the US Pacific Fleet in the Sea of Japan, consisting of over a dozen Aegis-class Ballistic Missile Defense ships, designed specifically for the very purpose of shooting down IRBMs.

    Such an interception would have been a historic demonstration of military technology—on the level of the shock and awe of Hiroshima! But no interception was ever attempted by those ‘ballistic missile defense’ ships, spectating as they were, right under the flight paths of the North Korean rockets!

    The bottom line is that hitting even a straight-line ballistic missile has never been successfully demonstrated in actual practice. It is a very hard thing to do.

    Consider that a modern combat rifle with a high-velocity cartridge can fire a bullet at a speed of about 1,200 meters per second [1.2 km/s]. That is barely one fifth the speed of an ICBM warhead, and only about half the speed of a short or intermediate-range ballistic missile. Clearly, intercepting anything that flies double or even five times the speed of a rifle bullet is going to be a daunting task. [Note from our previous discussion on the space race and the technicalities of orbital flight, that the ICBM does not reach orbital velocity, but flies on a suborbital trajectory—although it does exit the atmosphere].

    Between the two, speed and maneuvering, the latter is much more effective in evading defensive interception.

    We know this from many actual battlefield results. When the US launched large salvoes of subsonic Tomahawk cruise missiles at Syria in 2017 and again in 2018, a number of them were intercepted by Syrian air defenses. But not nearly all. Many did get through despite the T-Hawk’s relatively slow speed of about 500 mph, which is only about M 0.7. But the cruise missile’s ability to fly low to the ground and maneuver in flight, changing direction constantly, make it a tough target to hit. Likewise in the Falklands War, the Argentines used subsonic and fairly short-range, French-made Exocet sea-skimming cruise missiles to sink several large British warships, including a then-state-of-the-art Royal Navy destroyer, HMS Sheffield.

    Even bird hunters know this, and will use a shotgun that scatters many pellets over a wide area rather than a bullet-firing rifle to take down slow-flying, but maneuvering, land and waterfowl! Obviously, if you combine high speed WITH maneuvering, you will have a missile that is going to be very difficult to stop. [If not impossible, with something like the Avangard, which reaches ICBM speeds of up to M 25!].

    But let’s lower our sights a little from ICBMs and IRBMs [and even subsonic cruise missiles] to a quite ancient missile technology, the Soviet-era Scud, first introduced into service in 1957! A recent case with a Houthi Scud missile fired at Saudi Arabia in December 2017 shows just how difficult missile interception really is:

    At around 9 p.m…a loud bang shook the domestic terminal at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport.
    
    ‘There was an explosion at the airport,’ a man said in a video taken moments after the bang. He and others rushed to the windows as emergency vehicles streamed onto the runway.
    
    Another video, taken from the tarmac, shows the emergency vehicles at the end of the runway. Just beyond them is a plume of smoke, confirming the blast and indicating a likely point of impact.

    The Houthi missile, identified as an Iranian-made Burqan-2 [a copy of a North Korean Scud, itself a copy of a Chinese copy of the original Russian Scud from the 1960s], flew over 600 miles before hitting the Riyadh international airport. The US-made Patriot missile defense system fired FIVE interceptor shots at the missile—all of them missed!

    Laura Grego, a missile expert at the Union of Concerned Scientists, expressed alarm that Saudi defense batteries had fired five times at the incoming missile.

    ‘You shoot five times at this missile and they all miss? That’s shocking,’ she said. ‘That’s shocking because this system is supposed to work.’

    Ms Grego knows what she’s talking about—she holds a physics doctorate from Caltech and has worked in missile technology for many years. Not surprisingly, American officials first claimed the Patriot missiles had done their job and shot the Scud down. This was convincingly debunked in the extensive expert analysis that ran in the NYT: Did American Missile Defense Fail in Saudi Arabia?

    This was not the first time that Patriot ‘missile defense’ against this supposedly obsolete missile failed spectacularly:

    On February 25, 1991, an Iraqi Scud hit the barracks in Dharan, Saudi Arabia, killing 28 soldiers from the U.S. Army's 14’th Quartermaster Detachment.
    
    A government investigation revealed that the failed intercept at Dhahran had been caused by a software error in the system's handling of timestamps. The Patriot missile battery at Dhahran had been in operation for 100 hours, by which time the system's internal clock had drifted by one-third of a second. Due to the missile's speed this was equivalent to a miss distance of 600 meters.

    Whether this explanation is factual or not, the Americans’ initial claims of wild success in downing nearly all of the 80 Iraqi Scuds launched, was debunked by MIT physicist Theodore Postol, who concluded that no missiles were in fact intercepted!

    As the missile experts in the NYT point out:

    Shooting down Scud missiles is difficult, and governments have wrongly claimed success against them in the past.
    
    Governments have overstated the effectiveness of missile defenses in the past, including against Scuds. During the first Gulf War, the United States claimed a near-perfect record in shooting down Iraqi variants of the Scud. Subsequent analyses found that nearly all the interceptions had failed.

    Why is shooting down Scuds so difficult? Because this was arguably the world’s first hypersonic missile [it flies at M 5 and does MANEUVER]!

    If we take a closer look at this missile, we see that it is propelled nearly throughout its entire flight. This is the key. The warhead only separates from the missile body a few miles [mere seconds], before reaching its target. That missile body contains a means for maneuvering the missile, by means of thrust vector—using graphite paddles that move into and out of the rocket engine exhaust stream, as seen here. So it will be jinking and jibing as it enters the terminal phase of flight—making it a very hard target to radar track and shoot down!

    Once the warhead separates, the spent missile body falls harmlessly to the ground, as it did just outside the Riyadh airport, landing on a nearby street. It is this now uselessly falling body that could be locked onto by air defense radars and hit by interceptor missiles—while the warhead itself sails unobstructed overhead.

    The only real problem with those ancient Scuds was their accuracy. They could be off by hundreds of meters. But of course, accuracy and missile guidance systems have come a long way since then. The modern successor to the Scud, the Russian truck-launched Iskander, has an accuracy of about 5 meters! It too, is really a hypersonic missile that reaches M 7, but has a range of only 500 km—which was dictated by the now-defunct INF treaty, from which the Trump administration unilaterally withdrew.

    The Russian Iskander-M cruises at hypersonic speed of 2,100–2,600 m/s [Mach 6–7] at a height of 50 km. The Iskander-M weighs 4,615 kg carries a warhead of 710–800 kg, has a range of 480 km and achieves a CEP [circular error probable] of 5–7 meters. During flight it can maneuver at different altitudes and trajectories to evade anti-ballistic missiles.

    Iskander is generally described, at least in the west, as a ‘quasi-ballistic’ missile. But ‘quasi’ or not, the US considers the Iskander a very dangerous weapon, and a type of weapon which it does not yet possess. In fact, the US’ attempts to develop its very first hypersonic missile have been rather slow out of the blocks. Its first flight test attempt with the proposed Lockheed-Martin AGM183 [aka ARRW] in April of this year, did not even manage to release the rocket from the wing of the B52 carrier! The second attempt, on July 29, managed to get the rocket to release, but the engine failed to fire!

    Clearly the US is many years away from fielding a working hypersonic missile. These early tests were only supposed to test the rocket, and carried a dummy ‘glide vehicle’ which is supposed to separate from the rocket once it reaches a speed of about M 6 or so, and then glide to its target while maneuvering.

    The prototype missile would carry a frangible surrogate for that [glide] vehicle that would disintegrate after release.

    However, it is unclear how an unpowered gliding body is going to accomplish aerodynamic maneuvering INSIDE the atmosphere. The concept of boost-glide, which is used by Avangard, works by hoisting the glide vehicle up above the atmosphere, at ICBM speed, where the ‘glider’ can then skip off the upper layers of the atmosphere like a flat pebble skipping over the surface of a still pond.

    The overall flight range of AGM183 is a claimed 1,000 miles [1,600 km]. Clearly such a short-range missile, and reaching a speed of only about M 8 at most [based on statements of reaching its target in a flight time of 10 to 12 minutes] is not going to be able to use the boost-glide means of maneuvering, which requires exiting the atmosphere.

    The Technical Deep Dive (If you are not inclined to follow technical details jump to the conclusions.)

    So let’s look at Russian hypersonic technology in a little more detail, so that we may understand more than just what the technically-challenged media are telling us. From what the Russian military has already fielded, we can see that hypersonic missiles come in all shapes and sizes. Some, like Avangard, are launched by powerful ICBM rockets and have ICBM-like striking range. Others, like Zircon, are more like a Tomahawk or Kalibr cruise missile, powered by an air-breathing engine, and able to aerodynamically maneuver throughout their flight to the target—but flying about ten times faster.

    Others, like Kinzhal, which appears to be an evolution of the Iskander [itself an evolution of the Scud] are powered by relatively small rockets and are designed to maneuver gas-dynamically [thrust vectoring], again, during all phases of flight, right up to the target.

    These are the three primary types for purposes of basic classification. They all fly very fast [up to M 25 for Avangard], but they use different propulsion systems, and different means of maneuvering. Let’s begin with the Kinzhal, since we already understand the basics of how a Scud or Iskander works. In the case of Kinzhal, it is launched from a very high speed and height by a MiG31 interceptor aircraft, which is designed to fly up to 1,500 km at a cruising speed of M 2.4, at a height of about 20 km.

    By carrying even an unmodified Iskander up to this speed and height, its range could easily double, to about 1,000 km—since the rocket chemical energy required to reach that height and speed would be saved, and could be expended on increasing its flight range.

    The range given for Kinzhal is 2,000 km, but it is not clear if that includes the flight range of the MiG31 carrier aircraft. My guess would be that it does. The MiG has a combat radius of over 700 km at its M 2.4 cruise speed. That means that after release, the Kinzhal would need to fly for about 1,300 km before hitting its target—for an overall system range of 2,000 km. In fact, the MiG could fly a significant portion of its flight subsonically, saving fuel, and accelerate up to supersonic cruise speed, or even its top speed of M 2.8, only in the last couple of hundred km, before launching Kinzhal. It would then circle back and return to base subsonically again. This would increase range even more.

    Either way, it is a safe bet that the overall range to a target, say a US aircraft carrier, from the takeoff point of the MiG [now deployed in Syria], is realistically going to be no less than the stated 2,000 km, if not more. This is certainly a game-changer for US naval dominance! Carrier-based aircraft would have no chance to fly far enough from their floating airfield to intercept a MiG31 launching a Kinzhal at 1,000 km or more distance from the ship. The F/A-18 has a combat radius for air-to-air missions of only 740 km. Obviously, it is not going to be able to reach the MiG launching from outside of 1,000 km.

    Now let us look at the Zircon cruise missile that Nato is complaining about. So far, this missile has been successfully test-flown at target distances of up to about 450 km. The Russian MoD says its range is actually in excess of 1,000 km, and that flight tests to maximum range will be forthcoming.

    This too is a game-changer. The Zircon will be carried by Russia’s new class of surface warships in the frigate or ‘small destroyer’ size, as well as on the new Yasen-class cruise missile nuclear subs that are now coming into service. These state-of-the-art subs will also carry subsonic Kalibr cruise missiles with a maximum range of 4,500 km! Combined with the air-launched Kinzhal, the US Navy will face some very stiff challenges—from the air, from the sea, and even from under the sea. It should be noted that both the Zircon and Kinzhal are not exclusively anti-ship missiles. They can just as readily target land objects, including Nato command and control centers—which Putin has said Russia will do, in the event of any kind of western aggression!

    But Zircon is also a technological tour de force. The unique feature of the Zircon is its scramjet engine. This is the first time that the world has a production engine of this type—something which has long been a goal for both the US and Russia.

    Not surprisingly, the Russians flew the world’s first scramjet prototype back in 1991—the Kholod, which means ‘cold’ in Russian. Remarkably, in the Yeltsin détente atmosphere of the early nineties, the Russian developers of the world’s first functional scramjet engine, the Central Institute of Aviation Motors [CIAM] invited Nasa to participate in the flight tests at the Sary Shagan test range in Kazakhstan. The results were published in the US professional literature, here, and here.

    But despite this technology boost from Russia, the US has not been able to keep up. Its experiments with scramjet engines, although wildly hyped in the media, have been dormant for several years. It appears that the US has given up on the idea of building a working scramjet engine for the time being—much as they gave up, decades ago, on the idea of building a closed-cycle rocket engine, having deemed the technology ‘impossible.’

    So what is a scramjet engine anyway? To fully understand this, let’s first look at how a turbojet engine works. Here is a picture that is worth a thousand words. Air enters the front of the engine and is then compressed by a number of rotating blades on a series of wheels, similar to a fan or propeller. The compressed air is then passed into the burner, or combustion chamber, where fuel is squirted in and the result is a high temperature and high-pressure gas that then drives the turbine wheels—which are bladed in a way similar to the compressor wheels up front.

    The turbine wheels and compressor are on a single shaft and rotate at the same speed—so it is the energy of the gas driving the turbines, that drives the compressors. The remaining energy in the gas is squeezed out through a nozzle, which accelerates the gas flow, which, in turn, creates thrust—on the principle of Newton’s Third Law, action-reaction. The force of the fast-moving mass flow of gas out the nozzle, must be compensated by a REACTION force in the opposite direction [forward thrust], as per the conservation of momentum principle. Hence all jet engines, whether air-breathing or rocket, are called reaction engines.

    [Incidentally, the heart of any liquid-fuel rocket engine is a turbopump, which is basically a gas turbine engine. It has a burner, where some amount of the fuel and oxidizer are burned, supplying gas to drive a turbine wheel or wheels, which then drive two ‘compressor’ pumps [also wheels], that pressurize the oxidizer and fuel, which is then delivered to the main combustion chamber under great pressure.]

    Now what happens when you want to go very fast with a turbojet engine? Well, you basically hit a wall, due to the physics of airflow]. The faster you go, the greater the ram pressure on the front of the engine. This ram pressure [technically called dynamic pressure, or ‘Q’] is like kinetic energy—it increases by the square of speed. [KE = M x V^2 / 2; Q = rho x V^2 / 2; they are the same except mass is replaced by density, rho, since we are dealing with a flowing fluid instead of a solid particle!]

    In simple terms, dynamic pressure [aka ram pressure] is what you feel on your hand when you stick your hand out the window of your car while driving on the highway.

    The results of this quadratic pressure rise with speed are profound! At a typical passenger jet cruise speed of 450 knots, or M 0.8, the pressure increase from ram effect, at the front of the engine fan, is about 1.5. Also, the engine inlet must SLOW the airflow down to about M 0.5, so that the rotating blades can work efficiently.

    If you increase flight speed to M 2, the pressure rise at the engine face due to ram effect is seven-fold! At this speed, you don’t even need a compressor or turbines.

    This is the idea of the ramjet engine—you need no moving parts, just an air inlet that is designed to slow down the airflow to below sonic velocity, turning kinetic energy into pressure energy. The combustion chamber is simply a pipe with fuel squirters, where that compressed air is burned with fuel, and then expelled through a nozzle, exactly as on the turbojet. In fact the afterburner on supersonic fighter jets works exactly like a ramjet engine—fuel is squirted in and combusts with air that was used for cooling the combustion chamber walls upstream [only a small amount of air is burned in a turbojet engine, with air to fuel ratios of over 50, compared to about 15 for a car engine.] An illustration of an afterburner shows the simple basic geometry.

    But the ramjet hits a speed limit too, just like the turbojet. In both cases it has to do with the falling efficiency of the engine inlet at higher speeds: more of the kinetic energy of the high-speed airflow is converted into heat, rather than usable pressure. In a turbojet, the heat limit is reached by about Mach 3, when the heat of that incoming air exceeds the materials limit of the compressor blades. In the ramjet, eliminating those unneeded blades and all the other moving parts raises the temperature limit to a much higher value—so flight up to about Mach 5 is possible.

    Above those speeds, the Ramjet faces a different kind of problem. As flight speeds continue to increase, the efficiency of turning that kinetic energy into pressure continues to decrease steeply. This pressure loss is due to a series of shockwaves generated by slowing down the airflow in the engine inlet passage, upstream of the combustion chamber. The biggest shockwave and biggest pressure loss happens when the flow finally transitions to below sonic velocity. This is called the normal shockwave, because it is perpendicular [normal] to the inlet wall, as seen in this illustration of a supersonic inlet and its shockwaves.

    So the speed limit comes because most of that ram pressure is not recoverable—it is simply dissipated into heat by the inlet shockwaves.

    Enter the scramjet. Here, the flow is never actually slowed to below sonic velocity. That’s why it’s called a SCramjet, for supersonic combustion—the airflow through the combustion chamber is well above Mach 1, perhaps closer to Mach 2. By comparison, the flow in a turbojet enters the burner at just M 0.2, ten times slower—and in the afterburner and ramjet, it is about M 0.5.

    This solves the speed limit issue of not having any more pressure energy available. But it comes with HUGE challenges. At a flight speed of M 6 or 7, the craft is moving at a speed of about 2,000 m/s. The main challenge is the flame front speed of combustion. Even if it took only one hundredth of a second to combust the air-fuel mixture, it would require a combustion chamber 20 meters long! That is hardly practical of course, but is in line with the flame propagation speed of aviation kerosene. That is why the afterburner jetpipes on supersonic aircraft are several meters long.

    So we see that each type of airbreathing engine, turbojet, ramjet and scramjet, has its own speed limit, as shown graphically here. Even the scramjet will run into a wall at some point. The vertical measure is specific impulse [ISP], which is engine efficiency, per mass of fuel burned. We see that ISP decreases the faster we go, in any type of engine—it simply means that fuel use rises much faster than flight speed!

    But back to the main challenge of the scramjet, which is flame speed. This is strictly a limit of the chemical physics of fuel combustion. Hydrogen burns ten times as fast as kerosene, but is not a practical fuel—it must be cooled to near absolute zero to be liquid, and so is not storable, and cannot be launched at will without time-consuming fueling. All of the previous scramjet experimental prototypes, both US and Russian, used cryogenic liquid hydrogen fuel. But the Zircon uses a kerosene-based fuel innovation that the Russians call Detsilin-M.

    The exact means by which the Russians have achieved this fuel chemistry is of course a tightly held secret, but it is clearly a remarkable breakthrough in chemical engineering—comparable to the breakthrough in materials science that led to the closed-cycle, oxygen-rich staged combustion rocket engine in the 1960s [which the US still has not demonstrated].

    In a previous discussion here, the technically-inclined commenter and longtime gyroplane pilot PeterAU1, dug up some interesting material about ‘doping’ kerosene with certain additives to enhance flame front speed. But the technicalities of that subject are beyond the scope of this relatively brief introductory discussion. [Although I’m sure we may hear more in the comments section!]

    Conclusions:

    The bottom line is that the Zircon represents not only a formidable and very deadly weapon—but it is indicative of the engineering capabilities of the Russian aerospace industry. It is an impressive achievement that is in fact groundbreaking. As mentioned already, Zircon is only the beginning of scramjet engine use by the Russian military. The next generation of such missiles, like the already mentioned Gremlin, will be even smaller and more capable in range and speed. At some point in the future, we may even see scramjet engines on superfast civil aircraft—but that is probably a long way off yet.

    An even bigger engineering accomplishment is the astonishing Avangard boost-glide vehicle. But I will leave that remarkable story for another discussion.

    The bottom line is that these new Russian technologies are in fact tilting the global military balance going forward. They are game-changing because they are UNSTOPPABLE with today’s air defense technology. Just like the Plains Indians couldn’t hope to stop, with their bows and arrows, the US cavalry with their repeating rifles.

    Even more profound may be the psychological effect that Russia’s engineering accomplishments must be exerting on the American psyche, which is used to assuming that they have the smartest engineers and make the best military hardware.

    That is demonstrably NOT the case anymore.

    And that may be the biggest game-changer of all!

    China’s hyper-velocity missile.

    The smart thing…

    Knowing the Chinese, it’s just a simple matter of treating the Taiwanese as brothers and sisters. Inviting them over to China (as they can travel easily back and forth now) and let the Taiwanese decide for themselves if they want to reunify with China or not.

    Face it.

    China is doing so much better than Taiwan is.

    Oh, sure, Taiwan is wealthy. But it is Western wealth. All the money is concentrated in the hands of a few greedy oligarchs. It’s not spread out among the people. And when the Taiwanese come into China they see the life that they SHOULD be living in Taiwan. They see what COULD happen in Taiwan, if the nation unified together.

    Like in this amazing video here… A Taiwanese girl comes to China for the first time and here’s her impressions…

    Taiwanese girl comes to China for the first time. These are her impressions.

    Conclusion

    If America “jumps the gun” and initiates hostilities before 2023, it will quickly escalate and go nuclear and Russia and China together would level America. The QUAD allies might talk big, but one the nuclear detonations start to happen, you can pretty much expect them to sit “the game” out.

    If the United States holds off on hostilities past into 2023, what we would see is an economic contraction in the United States and the Western client states. A decline in the value of the US dollar and rampant inflation. Depending on American actions, the military budget will be seen as bankrupting the country, and meanwhile China is prospering and looking like some kind of space-age utopia. This comparison between the two would be strikingly obvious, and exacerbated with the 2022 Olympic games. This would be a very dangerous time indeed. This is the time where it is difficult to predict.

    If the hostilities delay to 2025 or later, then there won’t be much that America can do. It has shot it’s last wad, and spent up all it’s fuel. The nation is running on vapors right now, and whatever advantages it once had, it has been squandered away by the greedy and evil.

    Now matter how you look at it, China is clearly the superior governance model…

    This is America in 2021. This is it. Look closely at the video…

    America in 2021.

    And this is China in 2021. Watch the video…

    Quick Summary

    Technology has completely changed the balance of forces globally. Yet the evil, corrupt and powerful somehow believe that they can prevent this new reality, and capitalize upon it for personal profit. By all accounts, they are about two decades too late, and they understanding of reality is inaccurate.

    How the world adjusts to this new reality is open to conjecture, as it could go very bad to just a minor discomfort. It all depends on a number of variables that are in play right now. Stay tuned.

    And keep in mind…

    Next time you read some gung-ho neocon advocating war because America is strong, and has perfected small unit warfare…

    … remember this video of Chinese boy and girl scouts…

    Chinese boy and girl scouts.

    And this one too…

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
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    Never been to a Russian village? Check out this simulator!

    Oh, I tire of all this anti-China bullshit and all the rest. I just want to live my life in peace and smunch. So here, we are going to digress a spell on something that will “hit you out of left field”…

    A Russian simulator.

    Who’d figure? Right? There’s some outstanding simulations. One of which is the DF-31 simulator that was developed by one of the MM influencers here. Here’s another one. It’s fun.

    Well it is true.

    I found this cool and relaxing simulation on a Russian website, HERE, and copied it with my own comments and interjections. All credit to the author, and note that it was edited to fit this venue.

    A  rural Russian simulator…

    Imagine you’re alone in a small wooden hut, not a soul around, only your plot of land, abandoned barns and vast swathes of forest.
    .
    It’s the closest thing to actually being there.
    .

    I open my eyes — outside it’s already light. I get out of bed, cover it with a khokhloma throw blanket, admire the dresser with porcelain dinnerware and go downstairs to have breakfast. On the way, I make sure to glance at the candle-lit icon and thank God before tucking in.

    It takes you there.

    Downstairs, there is a stove and a dining table with a samovar, cherry pie and cabbage pirozhkis. Only, for some reason, I can’t eat them — only pick things up and throw them at the wooden wall.

    I really think that there is something really calming about exploring abandoned rural Russia.

    There is no TV, let alone a computer, so, out of boredom, I go outside to the sound of birds singing and grasshoppers chirping. On the plot of land, I am greeted by the sight of an empty well, an old barn and the only living creature besides myself — a bull, gazing mournfully into the distance.

    This is a description of the video game ‘Симулятор Одиночества В Русской Деревне’ (‘Simulator of Loneliness in a Russian Village’), released by Russian indie developer Flex Entertainment on Steam on April 9, 2021.

    It has no monsters (save perhaps for a few rats in the derelict buildings), complex storyline or quests — only an abandoned village in an unknown Russian province and the chance to feel the atmosphere as the sole inhabitant.

    “Once there was a bustling life, however, the lack of work, entertainment and generally any prospects forced all the residents to leave.

    You are the only one who did not exchange wide fields, dense forests and a morning swim in the river for office work and a dull life in a nine-story panel house. From the point of view of the gameplay, this is a classic walking simulator in recognizable Russian scenery.

    Just relax and spend time wandering through the sun-drenched forest and misty swamps, or explore the interiors of the canonical Russian hut, which has realistic graphics and the entire environment is worked out to the smallest detail,” reads the description on the game’s Steam page.

    It is, indeed, a classic walking simulator.

    The only objective in the game is to explore your own property, study scrawled messages on the walls of the abandoned buildings, or wander through the dense forest, crossing swamps, rivers and small wooden bridges.

    If you max up the volume, it might seem you’re not alone in the village — every now and then what seems like footsteps and eerie creaking sounds can be heard.

    You can, like your erstwhile neighbors, try to escape to the city, but the mission is impeded by endless forest and no map. You might not even make it back home…

    Unsurprisingly, some players complain that the game lacks action — you can’t climb on the stove, drink vodka or go to the banya.

    But the developers don’t promise entertainment, just total immersion in the atmosphere of an abandoned Russian backwater.

    “The game’s creators highlight the acute topic of the dying Russian countryside, as well as the problem of loneliness and disconnection between people and their own inability and unwillingness to overcome these barriers,” the player by the name of ‘krtdn’ reflects philosophically in his review.

    ‘Simulator of Loneliness in the Russian Village’ is available on Steam in Russian only for 59 rubles (approx. $0.80).

    Do you want more?

    I have more articles like this in my Happiness Index here…

    Life & Happiness

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
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    Why the United States QUAD will crumble and disappear once a war begins between the USA and China

    Somehow, everyone is assuming that those nations that “signed up to support the United States in the “containment” of China, would actually do so. And, I have argued “don’t be so sure”.

    And while there might be a few “hanger’s on” such as Australia (only if the Morrison government remains in power), the chances are slim that the QUAD would exist and remain viable.

    I argue that there is a very strong likelihood that most (if not all) of the QUAD would “high tail it back home” and leave the United States hanging “with it’s dick in it’s hands“…

    …Were there to be a conflict between the USA and China.

    To Americans, it seems that America is still strong and powerful and has a trio of “toadies” (nations that it can “push around”) and who will “stand by the United States” and do what ever it wants.

    This is not true.

    It’s not 1980.

    No matter what the American mainstream and alternative media wants to say. The truth is that the rest of the world really doesn’t give a shit about America. They don’t care about Americans. They want America bullshit out of their lives, and are only going along with America now, out of survival. Once America shows signs that it can no longer punish these people, they will abandon America faster than you can shake a leg.

    Asia has united into one enormous and powerful group. And all the nations bordering on this entity either wants to be part of it, or be independently respected by it. They most certainly do not want to piss off this massive, enormous united Asia.

    The rest of the world is not at all like it is portrayed in the American media.

    It’s an exciting period full of CHANGE.

    The United States Military Empire is collapsing in upon itself. And this is creating voids where the rest of the world can rejoice and start living “normal” lives again. This is not just some nice phrases. It’s the absolute truth. The United States has become the world’s captor, torturer and all-around bully. Americans call this “policing the world for democracy”.

    As shown in this micro-video…

    In this article, we look at the probable alignments with the United States Military Empire construction known as “The QUAD”. And we put it in context with the great global realignments that are taking place.

    How the USA views China

    But this narrative is for American consumption. It is a fantasy. It is a lie. And it will end up getting a lot of Americans killed.

    This isn’t your standard BBC or CNN, or FOX “news” fare.

    This is the real deal and what is actually going on.

    The following is from Fred Reed, and judging from the comments in the comments section, about 75% of the American commenters are indigent and aghast that Fred would write something other than “American Rambo can kick anyone’s ass”. It’s a great read. Check it out…

    How Taiwan Will Fall Into Beijing’s Lap, Like an Overripe Mango

    by Alfred Thayer Fred, a True Son of Tsu
    .

    I will now explain war, or some of it. If you wonder how some mutt in Mexico with a computer thinks he knows about strategy, well, look at what we have in Washington. How could I be worse?

    In geopolitical circles, blather swirls over whether the United States can defend Taiwan against a Chinese invasion in a regional war. Sez I, it doesn’t matter whether it can if it won’t, and China will likely get the island without invading. The key is to think about how things look from Taiwan.

    Washington is vague about whether it would militarily defend Taiwan. Taiwan presumably has noticed. Further, America does not recognize Taiwan as an independent country. More waffling. The implication is that Washington might, or might not, do something, or something else, depending on unspecified things, probably or at least possibly.

    This sounds like hedging, a disguised American recognition that this isn’t 1955, and China is no longer a bamboo republic that makes pencils and cheap plastic buckets for Walmart. As China’s military power grows, and thus the cost of a war, America’s equivocation will likely become more equivocal. Throw in that America does $550 billion in commerce annually with the Middle Kingdom, including countless things America doesn’t make but can’t do without, and war with China doesn’t look real feasible. This too has probably occurred to Taipei.

    The fashion in naval circles is to talk about the First Island Chain, which is a sort of barrier along the coast of China, the Kuriles, Japan, Okinawa in the Ryukyus, Taiwan, the Philippines, and even Borneo. The idea, apart from some fairly silly notions about “containing China,” is that these islands will want to join with Washington, which is somewhere else, to fight China, which is right there, to defend Taiwan, which also is right there.

    Now, who would actually defend Taiwan—that is, go to war with China? Japan? Note that Japan is within missile range of China, and probably does not want missiles of large warhead raining down on Tokyo. Japan gets ninety percent of its petroleum from the Persian Gulf and, If Tokyo’s reserves of oil run out, Japan stops. All of it. China has pretty good submarines these days. The beltway Hawklets might say, “Don’t worry. We have magic anti-submarine stuff, no prob.” Given America’s military record, would you buy a used car from these people?

    Do you suppose the Japanese have thought of this?

    Washington might say, not to worry, we have antimissile gadgets, THAAD, and Patriot, and Aegis, and we can escort your tankers. But none of these weapons has much of a track record, and neither does America.

    Further energizing Japan’s likely unenthusiasm for fighting Washington’s wars is that trade with China is crucial to the Japanese economy, and that Taiwan isn’t all that valuable to Tokyo. Today Japan trades with Taiwan, and with China. If Taiwan became part of China, this trade would probably continue with nothing changing but the letterhead.

    Lastly, Japan may have noticed America’s propensity for getting its vassals (or allies, clients, or poodles, take your choice) into wars and then leaving them in the lurch. Think Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Afghanistan and, soon, Syria and Iraq. This would leave Japan in a shooting war with China, all by itself. If the gringos lose a war, they can just go home. Japan is not mobile.

    The Japanese might whisper into American ears, “All cool, Round Eye. But it’s just your empire on the line. It’s our ass. we’ll sit this one out.”

    South Korea might think similar thoughts regarding use of its air bases, especially given that the Korean peninsula has a land border with China. Washington doesn’t. Seoul needs a war with the Middle Kingdom like it needs smallpox. “Tell you what, Round Eye, bugger off….”

    Taiwan would get wind of this through back channels if not by sheer deduction.

    How would a regional war over the Taiwan Strait look to an adult commander of an aircraft carrier? He might think, “Hmmm. Squinty-eyed rascals good engineers. Make’m Mars probe, worke’m. Train go three hundred sixty miles hour. Work’em. Maybe make’m missiles work’em good too. Hmmmm. Bad juju.”

    The Navy’s PR operation will say that Chinese missiles don’t really amount to anything, this to protect the budget for its favorite bathtub toys and the only surface ship that justifies the existence of the Navy. But of course China can build swarms of missiles to arrive simultaneously.

    Further, realists in Washington might ask themselves what would happen if the war didn’t go as planned, as wars usually don’t, and a carrier and three destroyers became marine barbecues before sinking. War games and Pentagon studies suggest that this is quite likely. To save face, the hawks would have to turn a regional war into a world war, which America would win. “Win.” Millions would die and the world economy stop. Never underestimate the influence of vanity in world affairs.

    Taiwan could divine all of this. It could also divine that the Navy had divined it.

    In recent years China has shown itself to be very good at engineering all manner of things, and has emphasized antiship missiles, including but not limited to terminally guided ballistic missiles of range far greater than that of carrier aviation. Do they work as advertised? We don’t know. A carrier captain would probably want someone else to find out.

    Despite growly aphasic pronunciamientos from the White House, and chirpy assurance from Navy PR, grownups in the Pentagon might think, “You know…maybe a war with China isn’t a great idea. How about lunch instead at a really good rib joint on the Hill?”

    Taiwan would know of these doubts. This would further undermine hope of American defense.

    Now, suppose that China keeps on doing what to all appearances it is doing: increasing its amphibious- assault assets, improving and enlarging its already highly non-negligible air force, building missiles and increasing its number of marines. Meanwhile the Chinese navy grows like kudzu on a Georgia road cut. China can increase its forces across the Strait virtually without limit. The US cannot. At some point, past or future, Taiwan will face assault forces it has no chance whatever of repelling by itself. Taipei would notice this.

    Further suppose that China keeps doing what else it has been doing for some time: practicing amphibious assaults that could at any moment become real assaults. Thus no one—read, America—would know whether the attack would come in two months, five years, or never. This would require keeping defensive forces, such as carriers, on station constantly and at a high state of readiness. Militaries do not do this well, and it is expensive. Moreover, after long periods of peace militaries do not mobilize quickly as it is discovered that there aren’t many of things there ought to be lots of because of some budget cut, or something, and the whole enterprise turns into a gargantuan goat-rope.

    What kind of attack might Taiwan expect? I haven’t talked to the Chinese General Staff for weeks now, and so am making this up. But the goal would probably be to get the war over before America had time to react. Keeping invaders out is one thing, getting them out another. So, maybe a sudden attack with ballistic missiles to crater runways with simultaneous mass missile attack on air defenses with amphib ships simultaneously setting sail. At fifteen knots it would take about eight hours to reach the island. With heavy air support from China’s highly non-negligible air force, Chinese troops might well get ashore and into cities before America’s hypergalactic indomitable military could get its thumb out of…well, never mind. The Americans would be caught flatfooted by a fait accompli. Washington would face the joyful choice of bombing Chinese soldiers inside Taiwanese cities, or—this is Saturday Night Live territory—undertaking a land war in Asia against China.

    It may be that Taiwan has thought of this.

    Finally, there is TSMC, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. While little known in America, TSMC makes most of the world’s high-end chips, including those of Apple and…the Pentagon. America currently is not able to make its own.

    This throws a fascinating wild card into things. If in an attack, TSMC were destroyed, by either side, or captured and held hostage, the effects would be no end entertaining. Today’s world, perhaps more than most people know, depends on chips. An astonishing proportion of advanced chips come from the island. Replacing its fab lines somewhere else would take years. The other, though lesser, source of chips is Samsung in South Korea, also in Chinese missile range. Washington is trying to cripple China’s tech by not allowing it access to advanced chips. Presumably this increases Beijing’s incentive to annex Taiwan.

    Anyway, Biden couldn’t risk losing Taiwan as it would affect the midterms. But what it comes to is that with China being the largest trading partner of something like 165 countries, war isn’t real practical. The Taiwanese have probably figured this out.

    So what does Taiwan do, seeing an overwhelming invasion force looming and not believing that Washington is really going to go to war to defend it? The choice would be to fight, be devastated as it lost, and face harsh conditions after—or to come to the best agreement it could and surrender without fighting. Anyone want to make bets?

    Correction: Last week, in a moment of brainlock, I said that Pompeo was in the Navy. No, the Army. Mea culpa.

    Some selected comments…

    I’ve a hunch that, that is a key factor in China’s desire in getting its “lost province” back?. Taiwan integrated into China proper would then have a huge share, even a near monopoly on certain high capacity chips. 
    
    Since we’ve allowed a great bulk of our industrial/infrastructure base to be outsourced, we’ve become dangerously dependent on others to maintain this menagerie. 
    
    We could eventually (maybe) rebuild our capacity but is the skill set even here anymore to do that or sustain it?. 
    
    We may go berserk & launch a war against China but if China does indeed have those hypersonic missiles available then they could send much of the pacific fleet to Davy Jones’ locker. And since it takes years to build those naval vessels we, out of desperation may go nuclear?. Then it’s Adios Muchachos..
    
    So, me thinks that we’re rapidly approaching a scenario that there is very little we can do about it. Accept that we screwed the pooch big time in allowing so much our productivity base to be so gutted & in doing so, hamstrung our very future (we’ll never admit that!). 
    
    We can swallow our pride & acknowledge what we’ve done to ourselves? (fat chance!). 
    
    Gracefully accept we’re a waning power? (fat chance!). 
    
    Or, freak out & go berserk that we’re no longer the top dog & launch a conflagration that’ll turn this world into a charnel house? (Most likely).
    
    I really don’t think most Americans realize how completely batsh*t insane & evil their leaders & the psychos in the Pentagon truly are?. Maybe sanity will prevail, but looking at the zio-America lunatic asylum, it doesn’t bode well..
    
    -BluEidDvl
    The ‘junk’ sold in Walmart and Target, most of which are now being sourced OUTSIDE of China, are ‘AMERICAN’ goods, albeit made in foreign countries such as Vietnam. 
    
    Chinese companies hardly sell to the US market which has become marginal to the Chinese economy, as ‘Chinese’ exports now account for less than a few percent of China’s GDP. 
    
    Those so-called ‘Chinese’ exports to the USA consist mostly of ‘AMERICAN’ goods such as Apple’s iPhones, manufactured in China by Asian contract manufacturers like Foxconn. But those contract factories are now being relocated to lower-cost countries such as Vietnam. 
    
    The rest of ‘Chinese’ exports which consist of industrial commodities such as LED panels are now being routed to Mexico where OEMs assemble them into final products such as TVs. 
    
    In a few more years, ‘Chinese’ exports to the USA, while still large, in total volume will nevertheless decline further to less than 1% of China’s GDP which will be driven more by domestic consumption and internal demand over the next few decades.
    
    The days when China was the ‘factory of the world’ is over.
    
    -antibeast
    What this author misses is that many Chinese-based manufacturers have their plants in Taiwan. The companies are headquartered in Beijing or Shanghai, and use Taiwan for manufacturing because labor is actually cheaper and more skilled than many places in China.
    
    So, would China bomb the crap out of Taiwan, knowing they’re destroying their own factories? 
    
    How about another thought – would China bomb the crap out of Taiwan in an effort to control it’s government – only to then turn around and rebuild it? 
    
    Look at what happened in Hong Kong; China assimilated the former colony almost without a fight.
    
    As much as I hate to do this – I sort of agree with Alfred Thayer Fred, I think. Once the real pressure is on, Taiwan will come to an “agreement” with the PRC and allow itself to be subsumed into greater China. Thereby ending the “Two-China” position that’s lasted since the early 1950s.
    
    -RonCharest

    Let someone in one of the QUAD nations explain…

    The issue is whether or not the QUAD nations will stick with the USA and go against China. It’s so easy to find armchair strategists. Especially in America where they have been fed a steady diet of “American exceptionalism” and “military might”.

    Let’s see what some of the more influential people (who speak English) in these QUAD nations have to say…

    And then there’s Russia

    Of course, the Ignorant Americans are all thinking that Russia and China are somehow enemies…

    Russia has no love for China so don’t be so sure about them coming to China’s aid. 
    
    -MarkinLA

    Hardly.

    The Russian-China Alliance

    Merry Christmas and Happy new Year, from China and Russia with love! This analysis by “Larchmonter” in 2014. Written seven years ago. He’s a contributor of the site, “The Vineyard of the Saker”, a describes what may be a game-changer in terms of the geopolitical status quo. In short, The American Empire dying a fast death, and Russia and China may be able to pick up the pieces and create a system not based on cold, brutal, myopic psychopathy.

    Article HERE. All credit to him, and realize that it is very dated. China and Russia have make considerable joint progress since this was written.

    Vladimir Putin said it clearly: “Russia and China will have a significant effect on the entire system of international relations. The relationship will be a significant factor in world politics and will affect the contemporary architecture of international relations . . .” And to state precisely what this relationship means in geopolitical sea change, President Putin continued: “Russia and China have never had such trusting relations in the military field as they do now. Military exercises have been in joint war games at sea and ground both in Russia and China.” (1)

    Update: Russia and China have vastly increased the strength of their relationship.
    
    Russia and China are celebrating their “strategic partnership”, and have been vastly expanding their cooperation since 2014. Their close alliance is based on economic and geopolitical considerations. While it is mutually beneficial, it also has its limitations. However, in the mid-term, both China and Russia appear to be willing to overlook potential fields of tension, for instance in Central Asia.
    
    -Russia and China: The Potential of Their Partnership

    The mega trade deals we have seen this year and military exercises are more than normal cross-border trade or cooperative events between neighbors or partners. (2) The ‘relationship’ is affecting the global order. The two nations are forming a resistance front against destabilization and the weapons of chaos of a unipolar system.

    Update: China and Russia has vastly increased military cooperation; to include military liaison in each military headquarter, trade in the latest military weapons systems, and avionics, and engines.
    
    The closeness of China and Russias cybersecurity relationship is not dependent on their ties with each other, but is defined in relation to the US. Just as China and Russia advocate for multipolarity to challenge the perceived US’s unipolar world view and values, their cooperation in cyberspace demonstrates the same focus on the US.
    
    -China-RussiaCybersecurityCooperation

    Russia and China are working together to stabilize international trade, diplomacy and military balances; yet, ironically, this is disruptive.

    Russia and China are sovereign nation resistance fighters against the Hegemon. The Hegemon is the unipolar Empire of the United States.

    Hegemon = United States Military Empire

    This context of geopolitical strategies is paramount to bear in mind. The Hegemon is threatening to contain both Russia and China economically with exclusionary trade agreements (TPP and TTIP) that leave China and Russia out or marginalized as second tier members, while each is bordered militarily with nuclear weapons on missiles of the trade partners, Hegemon’s allies and vassals. (This is the so-called missile defense shield of the West.)

    Update: This United States effort has failed and collapsed.

    These hegemonic trade agreements will shut out China and Russia from further integration with the two groups. Limits for growth, suppression of development due to monopoly of intellectual properties, oppressive clean energy and pollution control regimes, limits on construction and sale or purchase and use of certain commodities will slow infrastructure projects, not only within both nations, but constrict each nation from contracting for projects in other nations (their own partners that are emerging or developing nations).

    Update: The Trump efforts to conduct these suppressive actions have all collapsed completely.

    Thus, the Hegemon has the strategic intention to limit the elimination of poverty in the world, and control trade everywhere on the globe. The unipolar world will be finalized and secured by the Hegemon. There will be Elites and there will be poverty forever for most of the remaining nations.

    Update: This was written during President Obama's term in office, and before President's Trump and Biden. Today in August 2021, it is clear that the attempt to create a unipolar world has utterly and completely failed.

    Of course, the resistance and evolutionary partnering by Russia and China has made this hegemonic outcome impossible, unless one or both Russia and China are destabilized and/or regime change ensues. Therefore, what both nations face is an economic and military challenge that clearly is existential in threat level. Russia is first, and China is next on the hegemonic hit list.

    Update: The United States Military Empire has attacked both Russia and China using every weapon at it's disposal, short of direct military engagement. Including bio-weapons authorized by John Bolton, who tried to induce starvation in China, and then the three lethal viruses unleashed in China in 2020. All efforts have so far, failed dramatically.

    Full Spectrum Battlefield

    The threat against China and Russia is a full spectrum battlefield: they are facing potential AirSeaSpaceCyberElectromagnetic warfare, not exempting chemical, biological and nuclear; soon to include laser and hypersonic weapons; economic warfare; and war by proxy armies, NGO organizations, covert operators and agents, with global media demonization and propaganda in psyops mode.

    Update:  China has perfected shutting down all these expensive systems. I have written extensively on it. And it is the primary reason why the Trump 8-carrier battle armada went home in 2020 in defeat.

    Each nation in the resistance partnership had to permit the other to look, touch and feel deeply into one another’s most treasured defense secrets, once armed against the other, now united with a new partner.

    Update: This is true, and partially the reason why Russia and China are so close right now.

    They knew they were in the same ‘foxhole’ facing the same enemy. And they both understood, that in time, neither would survive without the other. There had never been a hegemon so desperate or so fundamentally weak, yet so powerfully equipped to destroy all normalcy, perhaps, most of humanity, if need be, for it to survive. China-Russia had to protect one another and then try to save humanity and world order.

    The initial United States attack was economic, not military. It hit Russia.

    Background of the Resistance to the United States Military Empire

    Neither Russia nor China presented themselves as rivals to the Hegemon, and both considered they had trade partnerships, geopolitical cooperative relationships and multitudinous common interests with the Hegemon. There were some irritations at the edges, but nothing was truly confrontational, except that which was instigated, paid for, planned and managed by the Hegemon with its vassals.

    Update: This was the case in 2014. From 2016 to present, it's been a full-spectrum hybrid-war against both China and Russia. With China taking the brunt of the assaults.

    So, economy, military and terrorism are the main battlefields in this full spectrum containment and destabilization against the Hegemon’s two greatest resistors. (This resistance is to unipolar domination in all its manifestations.)

    Thus, we came to 2014. Because of the Sochi Olympics, the year 2014 became the focus of the color revolution rebirth in Ukraine. The ‘planners’ in the State Department and CIA had eight years to aim a two-prolonged destabilization that turned the failed Orange Revolution in Kiev into the Maidan. We all are very aware that this transformation was evil at its core, illegal, murderous, unconstitutional and had only one aim – to present Russia with an armed, psychologically-tuned, xenophobic Ukrainian force that would, first sweep away the Russian language, then the Russian speakers, i.e., Ukrainian citizens, in East Ukraine, next to Rostov and along a virtual open border, with nominally few defenses, merely, formal ‘crossings’ with no vestige of militarization on either side.

    This violent upheaval was timed perfectly while President Putin presided over a $50 Billion investment in developing Sochi, hosting the 2014 Winter Olympics, eight years of stewardship identifiable as his greatest public project and intended to lift the internal spirits of his people, while demonstrating, as the Chinese had in 2008 with a Summer Olympics, that Russia, too, was back to greatness, accomplished and peaceful, a tourist attraction year-round in Sochi, and all troubles were in the past.

    President Xi had announced he would attend the opening ceremonies. China and Russia were coming of age and were proud to show support in all matters of interest to both. They had voted as one to stop the American air attack on Syria, vetoing the resolution in the Security Council, and demanding resolution of the conflict by diplomatic means. So, in peace and war, sports and commerce, the two leaders scheduled six meetings for 2014. Some would be bi-lateral, some within the context of multi-lateral groups in which both held membership.

    Update: Over the last seven years since this article was written both Russia and China operated as a singular block to oppose any United States Military Empire moves against each other. This block has been largely successful.

    But Ukraine and the Maidan coup also attacked China in its pocketbook and its plans for East Ukraine and Crimea. China has a long history of interaction with Ukraine. Not just the modern ‘state’ of Ukraine, peeled off from the Russian Federation, in 1991, by Yeltsin in the Belovezha Accords. They were linked by technology and science study in the days before the Soviet Union threatened China and the two had hot shooting border wars, 1960-1989.

    In December 2013, the Chinese and Ukraine had signed a strategic partnership agreement that was inclusive of guarantees of a shield against nukes because Ukraine has signed the non-proliferation treaty. China was guaranteeing Ukraine protection from any aggressor, quite unusual in China’s foreign policy actions. This was signed on December 5, 2013.

    Update: Contrary to what the American "news" media says, President Putin says Russians and the Ukraine are "brothers". Here.

    Chinese scientists and technicians trained in Ukraine, studied in Ukraine, and purchased from Ukraine when it was the home base of rockets, missiles, aircraft engines, and other software and metallurgically-supported systems.

    Ukraine was where Russia (Soviet Union) had invested hundreds of billions of dollars in institutes and industries for computation, mathematics and weapons development. Ukraine was from whom the Chinese bought the incomplete aircraft carrier that China has since finished and called the Liaoning.

    The Chinese recently were coming back to Ukraine and the Black Sea wealthier than ever, and desiring to help Ukraine with infrastructure while getting food from the fertile fields, grains, vegetables and fruits.

    In Crimea, the Chinese were interested in the Kerch Bridge project and possible tunnel from Russia to Crimea.

    These are China’s strengths today – infrastructure, roads, rail, fibre optic, ports, bridges, and building what they saw as the western depot for the Eurasian Economic Belt, and New Silk Road.

    China understood Ukraine was Russian, at least the east and south were Russian. They had the contracts with Ukraine in Russian and Chinese. These contracts and diplomatic partnerships were part and parcel the Chinese connecting the dream of President Xi’s Eurasian Silk Road with the Putin Eurasian Union dream.

    Ukraine was crucial because both dreams had merged into one gigantic Eurasia Development concept to be powered with Russian energy sources and Chinese wealth.

    Update: This week.
    
    Aug 05, 2021 · On June 30, China and the Ukraine signed a major agreement regarding the financing and construction of transport infrastructure. China-Ukraine relations have improved considerably since the blocking by Kyiv of a Chinese takeover of the Motor Sich company in March 2021.
    
    -A new China-Ukraine partnership - OBOReurope

    Ukraine was to function as the turntable to Europe, north, west, east and south. Ukraine benefited from the gas pipeline to Europe. It could have become a very rich transit point. Instead, Kiev chose suicide and began to kill its own citizens, going into virtual bankruptcy, losing its sovereignty, and festering into freakish and zombified ghoulery. Ukraine embraced fascism and Nazism, as it waged a war of attrition upon its entire nation. So far, Ukraine is losing the war against Ukraine, predictably, logically and tragically. However, it did stop China’s investments, forestalled the Ukrainian development projects, and does not permit itself to trade with anyone the Hegemon does not approve. (We all remember ‘Czech apples’, a sad consequence of similar vassal behaviour by the Czechs.)

    Update: Substantial changes in the Ukraine has made most of this ancient history.

    As events developed in late winter, two things happened on Feb. 23, 2014: Kiev fell to the junta’s snipers and the Olympics ended. The Sochi Olympics were a huge, resplendent success, despite the unprecedented West’s media campaign to disparage and nullify the actuality. The media might as well have declared the sun gone from the sky and all the oceans had dried.

    Sochi and Putin had triumphed, no disaster, no terrorism, just a brilliant project with a superb display of Russian culture and expertise. The Russians also dominated the winter sports and competitively defeated American athletes in most venues. Sochi has since hosted the Formula 1 race in August.

    The facility has been declared by the racers and the industry as the best racetrack facility in the world. Again, you can’t make this stuff up. Putin was on a roll. The more the West demonized him the greater Russia looked, the higher his approval ratings and the more China wanted him as a partner, a unique partner.

    China’s Unique Partnership

    China has 58 or so partnership agreements with various nations. There are many categories. They created a new definition for its supreme category with Russia: Comprehensive Strategic Collaborative Partnership.

    Since there is this unique partnership that sets it apart, we should look closer at what is going on since 2014.

    This should be seen an evolutionary event, not merely a resistance movement against the United States Military Empire.

    Update: Call it what you may, the Russia and China alliance is much stronger than other other treaty and relationship in the history of the world.

    Nature provides what it needs for a species to survive. Humanity is seeing this within the relationship of China and Russia.

    I call it the Double Helix, merely because it is apt as a metaphor, not because every biologic or chemical fact in DNA is represented in the relationship. But similarities exist and Double Helix depicts this evolution nicely.

    Update: President Putin has referred to the relationship between Russia and China as "symbiotic". A symbiosis is an evolved interaction or close living relationship between organisms from different species, usually with benefits to one or both of the individuals involved.

    To decode the DNA of the relationship in this Double Helix of Bear and Dragon, we can look closer at the ‘base pair molecules’ of each strand.

    First, there are the ‘helices’ that each strand comprises. These are the complimentary characteristics that make this new genetic partnership work. They are what we would normally evaluate to decode any single nation’s ‘DNA’.

    Some nations have similar, some less.

    But none have as much as or as profoundly essential to sustain continued growth and development and separation from the United State Military Empire.

    Helices

    Geography that spans thousands of miles of common borders (2,607 mi.), natural resources and multi-ethnic masses of peoples, large defensive militaries, recent emergence as developing economies, self-reliant market capitalist systems with state-managed controls, millionaires and billionaires and relatively modest middle class tiers, deep distrust of Communism as an economic solution, and massive state-owned enterprises in the key industries.

    • What one nation lacks, the other has.
    • What one nation excels in, the other aspires.
    • What one nation needs immediately, the other is ready to deliver.
    • What one nation needs over time, the other is prepared to supply or access for the duration.

    And most clearly, both nations have the same existential threat from the same source, using the same means to threaten both. Ergo, the unique partnership.

    A quote from Lu Shiwei, a senior research fellow with the Institute of Modern International Relations at Tsinghua University: “The close relationship between China and Russia is not only out of economic concerns, as the two complement each other’s economy. These active efforts are also a reflection of political necessity and desire.” (emphasis mine)

    Wealth, energy, military, finance, banking, Space, satellites, education, IT, chemicals, microelectronics, water, agriculture, transportation, infrastructure, and a common dream, while confronting a common enemy are the significant molecules. Upon these markers, the Double Helix was formed. It was a process, not a sudden event. But it was evident in 2014 as a repeated event. It was to geopolitics as Sochi was to sport. It was unique and it happened.

    Let’s visit these ‘molecules’ and look at what has transpired just in this momentous year of 2014.

    Molecules

    We’ll turn on the lights with energy molecules. Oil, gas and coal, nuclear and LNG acquisition, provisioning, transport, pipelines, storage, exploration, resource development, innovation and technological development, and, probably, reverse engineering of Western tools, as well as investment, loans, advanced payments, equity purchases, and job creation. The following ‘deals’ are ‘base paired’, not merely supply-purchase deals. This is far beyond vendor-customer in nature.

    Gas: Two gigantic projects, the Power of Siberia and the Altai Pipeline.

    The first is in Eastern Siberia. It will is delivering gas from terminal in Vladivostok to China, and at Blagoveshchensk across Amur River. It was signed May 21, 2014 between Gazprom and CNPC. It is a 30-year deal, later extended 5 years by agreement in October.

    The second project is in Western Siberia and will bring is bringing gas to North-western China. Gazprom and CNPC signed the deal originally in 2006, it was put on hold, restarted in 2014 at APEC by Putin, November 9th.

    What is key to these are the establishment of infrastructure, manufacture and supply of pipe, construction crews, job creation in support of two of the largest projects in mankind’s history, simultaneously. This along a border that historically has been a hotspot, where wars have been fought between the two nations.

    Presidents Putin and Xi said do it.

    And, it is done.

    September, it began with Russian shovels and Chinese advance payments, $25 Billion. Once connected, the two nations will are receiving ‘marrow’ transfers each requires to continue growth. Siberia and the Far East come alive as viable sectors of the Russian economy; China receives clean energy and moves people into its Northwest and North, and some into Far East Russia.

    Its foreign investments in Russia pay dividends, and Chinese capital grows. The plans go deeper, and involve more than finance, acquisition of commodities and exploitation of natural resources. More, later, in this energy section.

    Update: It appears that Russia will be supplying all the gas needs of China.
    
    The Russian energy project, "Power of Siberia", one of the largest gas pipeline projects on the planet, will begin by the end of 2019, expected to not only meet China’s heavy demand for gas but also benefit both sides as a large amount of jobs will be created.
    
    -China-Russia energy cooperation deepens - CGTN

    Someone had best tell this ill-informed commenter;

    You are perhaps forgetting that China imports nearly all of its oil, and about 40% of its food (mostly from the U.S.) It also imports a great deal of coal from the U.S. for its coal-fired generators. And most of its alfalfa hay for feeding livestock. (Yes, really.)
    
    Cut off China’s oil imports, and stop exporting food, hay, and coal to China (and freeze its U.S. assets, like Smithfield pork) and suddenly China is no longer in a position to wage war against anyone.
    
    -The Scarlet Pimpernel

    Oil: Rosneft has access to Chinese ‘advance payments’ and is accessing them to pay its off-shored loans coming due in December and first quarter 2015.

    This mechanism is a product of deals signed in early 2014. The loans were to buy TNK-BP for $31 Billion and are not a result of falling prices.

    The acquisition deal was encouraged by China, and China indicated at the time it would buy equity in Rosneft so the liquidity to complete the deal was in Rosneft’s hands in timely fashion. These agreements now seem prescient as the economic war ensues using oil price collapse, off-shore credit denial and rubble shorting in Forex trading.

    China has now received much greater supplies of Russian oil and an increased involvement with Rosneft shares and has an alliance to develop technologies in exploration, drilling, extraction and transport. Rosneft and CNPC, likewise, are seen to be less rivals for oil and more partners. This has been indicated in the works for Arctic exploration and development and off-shore Crimea for oil and gas.

    Update: Oil and Gas are flowing from Russia into China.
    .
    China, Japan and South Korea are major buyers of Russian oil, various long pipelines, then, are built to transport the oil from Europe to East Asia.
    
    With more than 4,800 kilometers, the ESPO pipeline, also known as the Eastern Siberia-Pacific Ocean oil pipeline, starts from Tayshet central-south Russia to northeast China's oil city of Daqing, able to supply about 15 million tons of oil every year.
    
    The Yamal LNG is China's first large-scale energy cooperation project with Russia under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). China also built tankers to ship LNG through sea routes thanks to China-Russia cooperation on Arctic exploration.
    
    China and Russia are poised to further deepen their energy cooperation as their top leaders both pledged provide policy support during a bilateral energy business forum in June.
    
    As comprehensive strategic partners of coordination, China and Russia enjoy deepening cooperation in all spheres, which has forcefully promoted the two nations' common development and revitalization, Chinese President Xi Jinping said.
    
    Describing energy cooperation as the "most significant, most fruitful and most wide-ranging" area of bilateral cooperation, Xi said the two sides' close coordination has played a positive role in safeguarding the fair, just, reasonable and orderly international energy order.
    
    To consolidate and deepen their energy cooperation, Xi made four proposals.
    
    Firstly, business entities should lead the cooperation and stick to the principles of mutual benefits, win-win results and being commercially viable. Financial insurance and energy cooperation should be enhanced for mutual support and mutual promotion.
    
    Secondly, new potentials should be tapped to upgrade the cooperation. Cooperation in energy technical standard should be strengthened for mutual recognition and synergy. Technological innovation, the integration of information technology with the energy sector, and cooperation in energy research and development (R&D) should all be deepened. Experience sharing, capacity building and think tank exchanges should be enhanced for mutual learning.
    
    Thirdly, the cooperation should promote the integration of interests, and aim for a more comprehensive and integrated cooperation along the whole industrial chain. The two sides should focus on the present while looking into the future, stick to complementary advantages and win-win results to expand and deepen their cooperation.
    
    Fourthly, cooperation in global energy governance should be stepped up for the sustainable development of energy. The two sides should work together to firmly safeguard multilateralism and actively conduct multilateral cooperation to play a constructive role in the global energy governance system.
    
    Xi said China and Russia enjoy broad prospects and tremendous potentials in energy cooperation. "I would like to work with President Putin to lead and promote our governments in creating an even better business environment for our enterprises and provide more comprehensive policy support."
    
    He expressed belief that companies of the two countries, under the shield of the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era, will work together to further promote their cooperation to benefit the two peoples.
    
    Russian President Vladimir Putin said the energy business forum was jointly initiated by him and Xi last year as a platform for the two sides to explore expanding cooperation in oil and gas, electric power and renewable energy.
    
    Energy cooperation has become an important and integral part of the Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, and the fastest growing area of bilateral cooperation, and it is mutually beneficial, Putin said.
    
    The two countries have made positive progress in energy cooperation in infrastructure construction, trade, and technological R&D, Putin said, adding that important oil and gas pipelines and large-scale cooperation projects are making headway as scheduled.
    
    "The Russian government will improve related laws, regulations and policies to create a favorable market environment for foreign companies to invest and operate in Russia," he said.
    
    -China-Russia energy cooperation deepens

    Coal: Siberian and Far East coal development, Rostech and Shenhua Group agreed to are exploring and develop coal deposits in Siberia and Far East. They will are constructing coal-fired plants that will sell electricity in Russia, China and other Asian countries.

    The two companies will also build has built a marine coal terminal at Port Vera in the Primorsky Territory, Far East. That project begins 2015, operational 2018-2019.

    Update: Russia helps China when the Australian Morrison government stops coal exports.
    
    Mar 11, 2021 · In December, Elgaugol, the company behind the Elga coal project in the Russian Far East, agreed to launch a joint venture with China’s Fujian Guohang Ocean Shipping Group that will export metallurgical coal to China. The Elga project aims to ship 30 million tons of coal to China in 2023, almost doubling Russia’s total coal exports to China, which stood at around 33 million tons in 2019.
    
    -Russia looks to replace banned Australian coal exports to China.

    They will build are building high voltage transmission lines to China. Social and transport infrastructure will be are being developed concurrently.

    So, this coal ‘deal’ is not a typical commodity deal. It is long-term, and builds the Far East and North China. It brings a permanent electrical utility produced in Russia to the people and industries of China. It expands a port; it uses trucks, rail, and GPS systems that are co-developed.

    Update: More agreements and treaties between Russia and China on coal.
    
    In December 2020, Russia’s Elgar Coal Company and China’s Fujian Air China Ocean Shipping (Group) Co., Ltd. signed an agreement to establish a joint venture to export coking coal to China. The related project is expected to supply 30 million tons of coal to China from 2023-this will nearly double Russia's total coal exports to China from about 33 million tons in 2019.
    
    -Russia wants to increase coal exports to China and replace ...

    Nuclear: Rosatom will is building the Tianwan NPP (nuclear power plant), 7th and 8th power blocks. They are already building have completed the 3rd and 4th power blocks.

    They will build have built in Harbin two power units.

    Rosatom may will participate in VVER reactors (pressurized water) with two fast breeder reactors, floating nuclear power plants.

    Presently, China has deals with Westinghouse for 26 nuclear units. Clearly, the Chinese would prefer to have their inland reactors Russian-design and supplied than locked into Westinghouse technology. (The two are different and fuel sources are particularly mutually exclusive, as Ukraine is finding out as it turns to the U.S. for refueling.)

    Update: China and Russia are increasing their nuclear technology exchanges.
    .
    May 20, 2021 · The Tianwan plant in Jiangsu Province is the biggest such project between China and Russia, which is a joint venture by Jiangsu Nuclear Power Corporation and Atomstroy, a subsidiary of Russia's nuclear power giant Rosatom. The Xudapu plant in Liaoning Province is a new joint project between the two countries.
    
    -China-Russia cooperation: A new type of major-country ...

    LNG: Construction of a plant in Northern Russia. Yamal LNG and CNPC and development of South Tambeiskoye field. Equity stake for China in Vladivostok LNG is part of the deal.

    Update: Ever since Trump and Biden initiated a hybrid-war against China, Russia has stepped in and forged strong relationships with China all across the board.
    .
    Jun 02, 2021 · Russian energy giant Novatek and China's Zhejiang Energy signed an agreement on long-term liquified natural gas (LNG) supplies from the Arctic LNG 2 project at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Wednesday.
    
    -Russia’s Novatek agrees long-term Arctic LNG supplies to China

    Things That Fly

    Some military, some dual use, some civilian.

    But we’ll begin with GPS and see how the ‘Double Helix’ is working in Space.

    Satellites: Both China and Russia have GPS satellite systems. GLONASS is the Russia system. Beidou is the Chinese system. The Russian system is larger, more mature and covers the entire globe. The Chinese system is new, limited in coverage and not mature nor densely accurate and improving every month.

    The Chinese often do things in measured, metric, stages. An agreement to place ground stations inside China by Russia will gives China a global GPS capability for its defense and second strike weapons, as well as for its commercial use for the world’s soon to be largest navy and the world’s largest most diverse ocean and fishing fleet. (Two teens swapping kisses couldn’t get closer.)

    Update: Russia and China will explore space together.
    
    With their agreement, the partners are signaling an alternative to a U.S.-led order in space. On March 9, 2021, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) and Russian Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the joint construction of an autonomous lunar permanent research base. 
    
    -The Strategic Implications of the China-Russia Lunar Base

    Russia will has put GLONASS stations in one of China’s airfields and on a navigable river as pilot projects to develop cooperation in the field of navigation.

    The airport project will currently aids landing and signal monitoring systems using zonal-navigation methods that will be working on GLONASS and Beidou constellations. (It should be noted that most airfields in China are dual-use military-civilian and the PLA controls most traffic in the air.)

    Russia’s advanced systems and experience will enable provide training for Chinese air traffic controllers and aero navigation teams to learn modern satellite technologies. The river navigation project will currently monitors and correct and track boats on internal water routes.

    Auspiciously, Beidou was named for the Great Bear constellation.

    Space: Roscosmos Federal Space agency. China is interested engaged in building Russian rocket engines and joining manned space exploration, navigation satellite and remote sensing projects.

    Production of electronic component parts, materials science, construction of spacecraft and rocket engines are in the works in process.

    Exchange of manned spacecraft visits to Russian and Chinese orbiting stations and joint expeditions to deep space are beginning talks mature. Space is a battlefield according to the U.S. defense doctrine.

    The Double Helix sees dual use potential.

    Update: China and Russia are both going to be part of the Chinese space station, and the Lunar Moon Base.

    Aircraft: Nov. 11, 2014, Aviation Industry Corp China and Rostec signed an agreement. Russia and China are forming possess a working group to carry out a project to distribute products, and prepare and implement projects in Russia, China, and 3rd countries, and to provision for warranty servicing and ensuring post-warranty service of equipment.

    Update: China and Russia are forming a massive joint aerospace industry. It is trans-borders, and will have the strengths of both nations participating.
    
    The China-Russia International Aircraft Cooperation, or CRAIC, wants to begin constructing the first CR929 before the end of the year. The collaboration has already shortlisted several subcontractors, most of whom are reportedly subsidiaries of China’s state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC). 
    
    -China And Russia Want To Start Building The 1st CR929

    This creates strategic cooperation in development of aircraft, helicopters, engines, aircraft materials, avionics and radar equipment. This brings a new phase and transition to comprehensive cooperation between two state-owned corporations.

    Long haul aircraft: Joint venture, similar to Russian-Italian JV for Sukhoi SuperJet 100. $10 Billion project to compete with Boeing and Airbus.

    Update: In process. Mature.
    
    May 30, 2016 · The project is part of a reported $13 billion aviation cooperation deal signed in 2014 during President Vladimir Putin’s visit to China. The long-haul plane will be developed in Russia and assembled in China. A special engineering center will be created in Russia to undertake technical and electronics production.
    
    -Russian-Chinese passenger jet to take on Boeing & Airbus

    Dual use aircraft heavy helicopter: Russia and China will build is building a heavy helicopter probably based on the Mi-26 from Russian Helicopoter-Rostvertol. It will be for China and third parties, initially.

    Update: Mature and in process.
    
    Aug 30, 2019 · China and Russia have fully agreed upon and signed a commercial contract on a joint heavy helicopter development project, said Miao Wei, China's Minister of Industry and Information Technology, on Wednesday. "For the next step, the Chinese government will accelerate the progress for a project approval and finish it as… 
    
    -China, Russia Sign Heavy Helicopter Deal | DefenceTalk

    S400: Triumf air defense missile systems; six battalions. Delivery will be started in 2016, $3 Billion. Rosboronexport and Chinese Defense Ministry signed on 11-26-14.

    China gets state of the art missile defense. This nullifies Japan’s air power, U.S. air power, and protects the Double Helix’s Asian Pacific flank. Nothing in the missile defense arsenal of any nation is as important as this system, and now, China will get it.

    Russia is was building the S500 for itself. That is the nature of technology capacity intrinsic to Russia. It has marched for forty years with derivations, updates, refinements and new systems that have protected the Motherland and the territories of its allies. Russian defense is the world standard.

    Update: Forget about the S400. Already these systems have been delivered to China and are in operation. It seems that the production of the S400 has stopped, and it looks like the most advanced S500 systems are now being supplied to China. Especially since the United State Military Empire is Hell-bent on a war.
    
    Apr 08, 2021 · Pondering whether China should consider the S-500 for its own air and space defense arsenal, Lin recalled the long history of Russian-Chinese cooperation …
    
    - Chinese Media Impressed by Russia’s S-500

    Now, from the Arctic to Vietnam, Russia and China will have has a defense system facing the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force missile command. Similarly, these systems will proliferate along the New Silk Road as Eurasia infrastructure develops. Force multiplication for Russia’s southern underbelly on China’s investment means a safer more secure Russia.

    Submarines: AIP technology, propulsion acoustic stealth and long duration submergence technology transfer with the sale of an Amur 1650.

    Update: Amazing developments in submarine technology and massive shipbuilding events have placed substantially modernized and capable submarines in both the Russia and Chinese fleets.
    According to RIA Novosti, a state-controlled Russian news agency, Russia and China are collaborating on a new submarine design (in Russian). The project is being coordinated by Russia's Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation.
    
    -China And Russia In Mysterious New Submarine Project

    Air-independent propulsion using electrochemical generators and new combat systems for electronic warfare, a passive antenna sonar to detect silent targets at long range make this a submarine platform for defensive second strike (MAD).

    Update: Amazing developments in submarine systems age going on in response to the belligerence of the United States Military Empires desire for war.
    
    Aug 25, 2020 · On Tuesday, Russia's Sputnik news agency quoted an official as saying Russia was designing a 'non-nuclear' submarine with China. Viktor Kladov, Director for International Cooperation and Regional Policy of the state arms export corporation 
    
    - Russia working with China to design submarine, missile ...

    Russia is pursuing this sea-based deterrence and China also is expanding its extensive submarine fleet for a second deterrence platform system.

    Tests of Russian Bulava ICBM from submerged sub, the Vladimir Monomakh, signaled this capability for Russia back in 2013.

    Update: Amazing developments in submarine systems age going on in response to the belligerence of the United States Military Empires desire for war.
    
    Aug 27, 2020 · According to RIA Novosti, a state-controlled Russian news agency, Russia and China are collaborating on a new submarine design (in Russian). The project is being coordinated by Russia's … 
    
    - China And Russia In Mysterious New Submarine Project

    This transfer of technology assures that China will have it also.

    An Amur 1650 would be equipped with 18 missiles. China has been testing  MIRV-ed warheads for its missiles since 2010.

    Update: Amazing developments in submarine systems age going on in response to the belligerence of the United States Military Empires desire for war.
    
    Aug 26, 2020 · "We are currently cooperating with the Chinese side on a joint project of a new generation non-nuclear submarine," Viktor Kladov, a director of Russian state-owned defense corporation Rostec, told... 
    
    - Russia and China Working Together on Advanced Weaponry ...

    This deal calls for 4 submarines, joint development and construction, to begin 2015, 2 built in Russia, 2 built in China.

    Update: Amazing developments in submarine systems age going on in response to the belligerence of the United States Military Empires desire for war.
    
    Aug 20, 2020 · That cooperation in air and missile defense could also support the submarine component of Russia-China strategic cooperation in the Arctic is reasonably clear, but the analyst then makes the most...
    
    - China and Russia Might Be Headed Towards Naval Supremacy …

    IT and Microelectronics: Russian rocket, space and defense enterprises will buy electronic components from China worth $1 Billion.

    Update: Russia and Chinese trade, agreements and research in the high-technology fields are astounding in their scope and breadth.
    
    While Russia and China are signing joint agreements to develop high-tech research centers and initiatives, the outlook is more complex beneath the surface. These trends reflect the result of mutual interests and alignment of technological imperatives, which have contributed to the expansion of high-tech efforts between the two countries. 
    
    - The Resilience of Sino-Russian High-Tech Cooperation ...

    Working with China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp for dozens of items as alternatives to U.S.-sourced parts.

    Update: Russia and Chinese trade, agreements and research in the high-technology fields are astounding in their scope and breadth.
    
    In our new report, A new Sino-Russian high-tech partnership: authoritarian innovation in an era of great-power rivalry, published today by ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre, we map out the unique ecosystem underpinning expanding technology cooperation between Moscow and Beijing. China and Russia have not only expanded their military cooperation but are also undertaking more extensive technological cooperation, including in 5G, artificial intelligence, robotics, biotechnology, new media and the digital economy 
    
    -A new Sino-Russian high-tech partnership emerges as US tensions mou…

    Russia will need to purchase these alternative items for 2-2.5 years until their own industry can manufacture electronic components that are radiation-resistant for Space and match military standards for mil systems. This has been a $2 billion American supply in the past.

    No Longer.

    China is now supplying those parts.

    Update: Russia and Chinese trade, agreements and research in the high-technology fields are astounding in their scope and breadth.
    
    May 25, 2021 · Russia is developing an array of autonomous weapons platforms utilizing artificial intelligence as part of an ambitious push supported by high-tech cooperation with neighboring China. 
    
    - Russia Is Building an Army of Robot Weapons, and China's ...

    Technology Parks: October 14, 2014 a memorandum to jointly build high-tech parks in each country to further innovation in science and technology. In Shaanxi, China, in the town of Xixian Fendong, a technology park of four square kilometers, and in Moscow, at the Skolkovo Innovation Center, 200,000 sq. meters of buildings will be built.

    China and Russia are deepening and expanding their ties — economic, military, technological — as external pressures limit their access to overseas markets and technology. Both countries hope the collaboration will help to compensate for domestic deficiencies and to compete successfully with the United States in today’s critical technologies.  
    
    This bilateral relationship, currently celebrating its 70th anniversary, has ebbed and flowed in the decades since the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China opened diplomatic relations. This relationship, now upgraded to and characterized as a “comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era,” is continuing to evolve amid today’s great power rivalry. 
    
    For Moscow, certain Chinese products, services and experience may be the lifeline for its industry, government, and military need to wean themselves from high-tech Western imports. 
    
    For Beijing, Russia’s skilled engineers and mathematicians are a valuable resource for tech and defense industry giants that are hungry for talent and faced with increasingly unfavorable conditions in the United States and Europe. And its military hopes to draw on Russian proficiency in designing advanced weapons and experience using emerging capabilities on today’s battlefields.
    
    Consequently, the Sino-Russian strategic partnership has increasingly concentrated on technology and innovation. In the wake of Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow in May 2015, the Chinese and Russian governments have signed a series of agreements to develop new realms of cooperation. In June 2016, China’s Ministry of Science and Technology and Russia’s Ministry of Economic Development signed the “Memorandum of Understanding on Launching Cooperation in the Domain of Innovation.” The notion of these nations as linked in a “science and technology cooperation partnership for shared innovation” has been elevated as a major pillars of this relationship.
    
    -Defense One

    Satellite offices for the Chinese park in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong and Heilongjiang will follow on.

    In Russia, offices in Kaliningrad, Vladivostok and the Russian republic of Tatarstan. Two sovereign wealth funds, the Russian Direct Investment Fund, and the Chinese Investment Corporation are leading the investments.

    Cyber Security: International cyber security agreement is set for was set up during the first half 2015. Prevention of cyber incidents developing into full-scale conflict, collaboration in the operation of nation Internet segments, closer interaction on international platforms dedicated to cyber security issues.

    It is going to be broader than a cyber non-aggression pact.

    The Russians and Chinese are discussing a new Internet to break the monopoly and intrusion by the U.S. and NSA, CIA, etc.

    Update: Russia and China are both working together to fight the United States Military Empire's control of cyber-warfare and blaming it on them. Remarkable progress is being made to this end.
    
    Dec 16, 2020 · Russia and China concluded a bilateral cybersecurity agreement in May 2015, described by some media as a „non-aggression pact.“ While the framework of the pact was largely borrowed from its previous agreement under the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the effectiveness of implementing its „commitment not to hack fighting each other“ remains in question.
    
    - Russia China Cybersecurity Agreement

    Education: 100,000 student exchange program. Already 25,000 Chinese in Russian higher education, 15,000 Russians in Chinese education and internships.

    Far Eastern Federal University will teach Russian to Chinese students.

    Joint University in China will have Moscow State University curriculum as core. Already Moscow State and Beijing University of Technology opened a university in the city of Shenzhen. It opened in Sept. 2016.

    Update: The centers for education, research, technology and development are located inside of both Russia and China.
    
    Jun 20, 2019 · The agreement between Tsinghua and Saint Petersburg will lead to the creation of a Russian Research Institute at the Beijing university, which will conduct research on Russia-China relations in areas such as industrial development, education, science and technology.
    
    -Academic ties grow between Russia and China

    China as Russia’s Bank

    It is evident from the nature and size of interactions between China and Russia, China has determined to construct a floor for the Russian economy. Just as the Federal Reserve secretly saved the EU banking systems by QE and passage of funds to select banks in the EU, China is doing similarly with Russia during the sanctions regime.

    Update; Apr 09, 2021 · China and Russia each scaled back their U.S. Treasury holdings, with Russia channeling cash into renminbi holdings. And China has ramped up the digital currency drive it began in 2014, with the ...
    
    -Analysis | China and Russia announced a joint pledge to ...

    Instead of creating debt, it is swapping currencies and keeping corporations liquid, taking equity positions in state-owned enterprises, making loans and advances on deals both within Russia and between Russia and China.

    Update: China, Russia move to unseat the dollar as the No.1 currency. China is not slackening its pace in mounting Beijing’s challenge to the US dollar as the world’s reserve currency. Now that the International Monetary Fund has included the yuan (renminbi) in the Special Drawing Rights (the currency basket that provides additional support to ...
    
    -China, Russia move to unseat the dollar as the No.1 currency

    There were three wounds to the Russian economy.

    First, prior to United States sanctions there was heavy flight of foreign investment out of Russia.

    Second, United States sanctions brought on more of that loss of capital investment and a credit crunch.

    Third, the drop in the price of oil affected the ruble. So, credit loss, liquidity loss, tax revenue loss and a battered currency has slowed growth and caused inflation inside Russia.

    Not so today.

    Update: Jul 14, 2021 · China cheers Russia’s move away from US dollar in favor of yuan. Beijing has welcomed Russia’s decision to cut the US currency from its National Wealth Fund and give the yuan a bigger role, China’s Foreign Ministry has announced. Last week, Russia fully eliminated the US dollar from its National Wealth Fund, reducing its share from 35% to ...
    
    -China cheers Russia’s move away from US dollar in favor of ...

    Both Russia and China have invested heavily in gold, manufacturing capability, and discharging the American debt that they have acquired over the last few decades. The end result has not only make their economies stronger, but enabled them to implement electronic currency, and in China this is a mature technology that 99.5% of the people use.

    China’s Capacity

    China has the wealth to manage these issues in the short term. Russia’s reserves and gold cache, natural resources and intellectual property are collateral for any contingency.

    Russia’s economic size (GDP) is comparable to the sum of 3 provinces in China – Guangdong, Jiangsu and Shanghai taken as one economy. The Chinese have 31 provinces and autonomous regions. So, managing a floor for Russia economically as a reserve force is easy for the Chinese.

    Premier Li indicated that, “China may be able to help reduce the damage (of sanctions) as Russia looks east for business and financing, but it is far from a total offset.” Oct. 13, 2014

    The intention is clear. China needs Russia, not just Russian gas and oil.

    Update: Mar 27, 2020 · China and Russia have used the new coronavirus pandemic as an opportunity to lead efforts at the United Nations to lift American and European sanctions against a number of countries, including Syria. They have sized on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ recent call for a nationwide ceasefire in Syria to demand sanctions relief. 
    
    -Exclusive - China, Russia Lead Campaign to Avoid ...

    Currency: Currency swap agreement signed by Premier Li Oct.13, 2014, duration 3 years, extendable.Yuans and rubbles will be used as settlements of trade. This deal is empowering for the yuan as an international currency, likewise Russia’s rubble. It also empowers the BRICS nations to have more input in international finance as it diminishes the dollar’s use for settlements.

    Update: Jun 06, 2019 · Russia and China sign deals worth US$20 billion as Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin’s growing friendship bears fruit ... security and trade. After six years' working overseas in Brussels and ...
    
    -Russia and China sign deals worth US$20 billion as Xi ...

    Sberbank financing letters of credit in yuans with Russian companies. Provides safety through diversification of currencies. Pairing on the Moscow and Shanghai stock exchanges since Dec. 2010. Russian firms have been using HKD and yuan.

    Banking: Agreement between Russian VTB Bank and Bank of China.

    Another deal is VTB, VEB and Russian Agriculture Bank, all hit by sanctions, signed framework agreement with Export-Import Bank of China to open credit lines.

    Update: Jun 17, 2019 · Another alternative is China’s CIPS (China International Payments System), which several Russian banks have also connected to, especially to ease banking operations between the two countries, according to Vladimir Shapvalov, also of the CBR, who said at last week’s SPIEF conference: “As for the cooperation on payment systems, a range of banks are already connected to CIPS, …
    
    -Russian & Chinese Alternatives For SWIFT Global Banking ...

    Credit Card: Union Pay of China has replaced Visa and Mastercard, while Russia develops its own national brand credit card system. The Russian credit card system UEC (universal electronic card) was implemented in 2017. Both Russia and China “leapfrogged” the credit card system with QR based electronic e-payments.

    Update: The China National Advanced Payment Systems (CNAPS) 中国人民银行现代化支付系统 is the primary domestic electronic payment system in China. Unlike the separation of ACH and wire payment systems in the United States., CNAPS encompasses both ACH-type (low-value) payments and wire-type (Real Time Gross Settlement “RTGS”) payments. 
    
    -Treasurer’s Guide to China Payments | PNC Insights

    Finance: China Development Bank (CDB) agreed to financing $500 million for Russian mobile phone operator MegaFon. CDB also agreed on annual financing of $1 Billion to the Russian Grid.

    FDI Equity stakes: A stake in Gazprom’s Vladivostok liquid natural gas terminal, and shares purchased by CNPC in oil producer Rosneft. New privatization of part of Rosneft, maybe up to 9%. Already China holds 0.6% since 2006. Not only state-owned enterprises, but large private corporations and entrepreneurs are poised with capital investment in Russia.

    Russia is rated one of the top economies (despite sanctions, ruble drop, threats and vodka weaknesses) by leading analysts and investment gurus. Russia should begin to show GDP growth rates that seem unthinkable today (5-6%) in 4-5-6 years. China will pump-prime large sectors of this, and get excellent returns on its investments. Further out, 10-15 years, Russia will be robust and stable with a growth outlook and diversified line-up of products and services and a nearby Eurasian market easy to service.

    Motor Vehicles: Great Wall Motors plant in central Russian Tula Region to build 150,000 Haval four-wheel drive vehicles/yr. $522 million per year investment, 2500 jobs.

    Petrochemical Technologies: Joint venture construction of a rubber production plant between petrochemical companies Sibur and Sinopec, oil company, to be based on Russian technologies located in Shanghai. Rus-China split 25.1-74.9. Technology transfer. The two have previously worked together in Rasnoyarsk for rubber production in Siberia. Split is reversed in Russia’s favour there. Rubber produced will be supplied to China.

    Construction: Bridges and transport links across Russian-Chinese border. Rail companies Russian Railways and China Railway Corp. have agreed on logistics centres, development of passenger traffic and reduction of tariffs.

    Update: Apr 28, 2021 · Three of the six ‘economic corridors’ of the BRI pursue this goal: the New Eurasia Land Bridge aims to connect China to Poland by rail links through Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus, the China, Mongolia, Russia Economic Corridor aims to build rail and road links through Russia to Estonia and Finland, and the China, Central Asia, West Asia Economic Corridor would link Central Asia to Turkey, … 
    
    -Ambivalent partners: The complex Russia-China relationship

    Infrastructure: High Speed Rail project: Moscow to Kazan 770 kilometers. It will ultimately link to Beijing. The China side is Beijing to Urumqi, Xinjiang.

    Moscow subway extensions to be built by Chinese investors, New Moscow district. Total deal for $10 Billion, signed May 19, 2014; 93 miles, 70 stations.

    This is a key foreign investment partnership project. Deal between Mosinzhproekt and China Railway and Construction and China International Fund.

    Housing: 460,000 housing units (25 million sq. meters of housing) to be built for Russian Family Housing program of the Construction, Housing and Utilities Ministry, June 25, 2014. Talks began in China in May 2014.

    Kostroma Region: China’s interest in jewellery industry, agriculture and wood processing. Investors and manufacturers form Shandong and Guangdong provinces have made tours. Work on organizing modern agriculture enterprises, developing agritourism and logistics.

    Thus, there was organic necessity for the evolutionary change in the relationship of China and Russia. The commodities and energy deals between the two are annual at $40 Billion, but now will go to $200 Billion/yr. Trade between the two is at $90 Billion. Comparatively, the EU trade is $413 Billion. China is in danger with EU dependency. China’s own economic slowdown is completely the result of the EU being generally in recession.

    As Russia develops and trade expands, China will have an economy it can influence and, partially, remotely manage, especially in its growth sectors and technological innovations. These sectors and innovations will spur China’s internal growth, and that follows its five-year plan to substitute export dependence with internal development.

    It helps stabilize China’s economy.

    SCO Eurasian Security

    Barely known to most people, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization will become the key Eurasian organization through which the diverse national interests of India, Pakistan, China, Russia, Iran, and Vietnam are served in a cooperative environment.

    United in their economic development through the reality of Eurasia Economic Belt, all their security issues versus terrorism, separatism and criminal drug and human trafficking are handled within SCO. Though it is not a military alliance, it uses joint military and policing activities in an interesting array.

    Ultimately, SCO is a defensive layer against destabilization proxies (think ISIS, Taliban, AQ, East Turkistan Islamic Movement, PKK, PUK Kurds) that may be mounted against any one or more member states. Should Turkey finally come into the fold of SCO, along with Iran, NATO will be neutralized against member states. These SCO developments are in the cards. It takes time, but India and Pakistan are in line to full membership in 2015, and then Iran and Turkey will complete a powerhouse of SCO members, all with the same interests, no matter how diverse the cultures and ideologies.

    There is a generally unspoken tool of destabilization – Islamic terror in the form of direct Wahhabi-driven conflict (AQ, ISIS, Taliban, etc.) and the more covert separatist programs that affect both nations (and in Russia’s case, its Middle East allies and customers, who just happen to be investment partners with China for oil and infrastructure projects).

    China was susceptible to destabilization in Xinjiang, Tibet, Taiwan, Hong Kong and, perhaps, Inner Mongolia, though unlikely in any to be remotely eventful while China is a vibrant economy. Full bellies and fat wallets don’t arm rebellions.

    • Xinjiang. China has won the hearts and minds of the Uighur Muslims there. And have located enormous military presence there designed to counter any United States Military Empire NGO / CIA efforts there.
    • Tibet. China has crushed the Untied States backed insurgency and terrorist cells, and have increased trade and travel to that once isolated region with high speed trains, and generous investments to the local indigenous peoples there.
    • Taiwan. Still in play, but it is unlikely that the desire for independence will survive in the next decades.
    • Hong Kong. China completely suppressed the United States Military Empire backed NGO’s and terror cells. IN 2020, Donald Trump threw up his hands and announced “We lost Hong Kong”.

    It was so generally peaceful in Xinjiang, that up until 2012, unarmed police were the rule for security forces in the Province (Autonomous Region). Until several unarmed policewomen and men were stabbed to death by terrorists-separatists trained by AQ and Taliban in Pakistan, the Chinese never used repression or harsh tactics. Now that the terrorists get Syria-based training by off-shoot Wahhabi fanatics, the PLA military is being used, specially trained police teams and a regime of control is being brought to parts of Xinjiang.

    China is using Chechnyan Republic President Kadyrov’s tactics with terrorists. They are killing them on sight in large numbers whenever possible. Those who go to trial, if violent or plotters of violence, get the death penalty.

    Actually, three years of organ harvesting while doing hard labor and then killed with a single bullet to the back of the head after you eat a McDonald's Happy Meal.

    Eurasia development faces embedded potential ethnic, tribal, Islamic and criminal forces that will have to be dealt with as China pushes into Central Asia and works with Afghanistan and Pakistan.  Rubbing their “hands together”, the U.S. and NATO remnants and paid allies in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan have been planning to stir security problems.

    Update. All this has failed. The United States Military Empire has pulled out of Afghanistan, and all the neighboring nations are enthusiastically embracing the BRI.

    Not Global Military Alliance

    Most profoundly, the Double Helix is not a global military alliance. Both nations eschew military alliances beyond regional.

    However, the test of the double helix bonding had to work out the military affinities, or the existential threat would not be blunted and turned away. Both militaries had to be able to imagine a force structure and force protection that conjoined their defenses, systems, intelligence, communication and command integration if needed.

    This unity might take years, but they had no time to waste. This could not be superficial, so they had to permit intrusive sharing. This might be difficult because their languages were so different. They overcame all obstacles because of necessity and leadership. President Putin and President Xi had identical needs. Their nations were subjects of containment by the United States Military Empire with its allies who surrounded their nations with an array of full spectrum platforms and systems that challenged them 24/7, any weather, any phase of the moon.

    China and Russia were growing rich while the United States Military Empire was growing poor, and China and Russia were growing, while the United States Military Empire was shriveling its once-great economy with endless wars, debt, waste and corrupt practices.

    Surprise

    The great expanse of Russia from the Baltic and Black and Caspian seas to the Pacific, Yellow Sea and Sea of Japan as an east-west territory now had an East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia and Central Asia adjunct – China.

    Russia could be seen as even larger than largest geographically. Her pipelines, highways, airports, seaports and weapons systems would be connecting and protecting nations from the Arctic to the Indian Ocean, as well as from the Eastern Europe borders to the Kurill Islands and Vladivostok, touching China for border crossings at Zabikalsk-Manzhouli and Pogranichy-Suifenhe in Heilongjiang Province along the Black Dragon/Amur River.

    This unity is about much more than Harbin’s massive ice sculptures or Russia’s massive oil and gas reserves buried deep below snow, ice and frozen rock. This Double Helix was going to be about strategic surprise.

    China had surprised the United States Military Empire twice before with weapons.

    One was its satellite killer (kinetic hit-to-kill vehicle) that took out one of its own old satellites in 2007. Another more advanced test was launched in 2013. What made this tough for the Intel agencies to know in advance was the missile carrying the ASAT weapon was launched from a road mobile launcher.

    The other surprise was China’s carrier killer missile, land based, that could take out a carrier from one thousand miles away. The Mach 10 DF-21D is indefensible except by electronic countermeasures and luck.

    Both weapons were exactly what China needed to shock the U.S. Space command and the U.S. Navy. They are still stunned and worried by the Chinese capacity and their own Intel failure. Both weapons are land-based and mobile, making the Chinese defenses agile and elusive.

    While threats abound, the Double Helix grows

    On the Chinese side are people, masses of people, one third of whom have been raised from serfdom to middle class in just 30-plus years. The Chinese have also mastered ‘opening up’ their economy to venture capital, industrialization and service sector organizations, without losing control to foreign interests.

    They have kept a central bank separated from IMF and from the Federal Reserve and western central bank systems.

    They have kept state management control of all strategic industries.

    They have used foreign direct investment to spectacular advantage, forcing joint ventures to ultimately share intellectual property, patents and design copyrights.

    The Chinese have forced technology transfers wherever they needed to have state-of-the-art and could not reverse engineer it.

    They learned every capitalist trick from studiously analyzing the American rise from frontier agricultural nation to the greatest global economic power. The Chinese admire America’s rise into an economic behemoth while fearing its government and global hegemony.

    Most importantly, the Chinese protected the RMB, the yuan, from manipulation.

    They carefully introduced the yuan to trading partners, but never allowed their currency to fully trade as a Forex currency. China pegs its yuan to the U.S. dollar, thus restricting manipulation and speculation. There is no float rate and interest rates are state-controlled. The yuan gradually became convertible from dollars, yens, Swiss francs, Euros, Hong Kong dollars and rubbles. The Chinese use RMB for bilateral settlement, case by case.

    The China-Russia plan for international reserved currency is to propose a bundle of currencies, not one, as the dollar serves today. If the IMF does not act favorably, there may be turmoil coming to that system.

    China has many allies for such a move. This clearly signals, though they are the largest economy, they do not desire or plan for dominance or to expose themselves to the concept of being the unipolar nation by replacing the United States. They want influence and cooperative leadership positions in new international institutions, and the Chinese signal that policy in every way. The Dragon prefers to be the Panda, most of the time.

    Rise of Shanghai

    The Chinese shrewdly used the Hong Kong dollar and Hong Kong stock exchange and the former royal colony’s banks for their own flexibility until they were ready to dwarf what once was thought to be Asia’s financial heart.

    Shenzhen, next door to Hong Kong, had been selected by Deng Xiaoping for the initial showcase of ‘opening up’ for a good reason. Hong Kong was the enormous port for imports and exports, and Hong Kong was the last ‘western’ banking centre that capitalists trusted doing business with Beijing.

    Now that center of finance and banking would be Shanghai; a Shanghai stock market and the RMB that would soon rule Asia because Beijing had the scale to do it. One of the unmentioned realities of the recent Occupy Central and the ‘yellow umbrella’ circus in Hong Kong is the city will be second to Shanghai soon, and it will be at the economic mercy of Beijing. Shanghai will be the new world center of banking and finance in a decade or two. This is now assured with Eurasia development, New Silk Road, Maritime Silk Road and the Double Helix.

    London, desperately grasped a piece of the Chinese currency action just in time. It will be a RMB clearing house, an offshore RMB center. New York’s financial industry may not yet understand that it, too, will succumb to the Dragon’s wealth creation sometime in the coming decades.

    These are reasons for containment and destabilization by the United States Military Empire and the Elites who do understand this inevitability. But, Eurasia tips the globe to the East. And the ‘Double Helix’ is one centrifugal force spinning the power toward Asia and Eurasia.

    Scale–Size Matters

    Scale matters if a nation knows how to use it (for example, China does, India doesn’t). Scale in factory output, cheap labor, high savings rate, massive infrastructure development, and logistics were things never seen on earth until China.

    Even the U.S. during WWII could not match what China was now doing.

    And all the while, the earnings were piling up by the trillions in the Bank of China, Agricultural Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, and the People’s Bank of China (Central Bank of PRC).

    In terms of cash on hand, China’s horde of cash and U.S. Treasury Bills and purchases of gold was unprecedented.

    The dynamics has changed the Dragon not only into ‘the factory of the world’. China became one of the shrewdest bankers of the world.

    China’s state-managed economy enables it to do things other countries don’t do. China can direct its state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to invest in projects domestically or in foreign projects.

    This is actually another form of geopolitical financial power.

    The treasuries of those SOEs are like bank accounts at the disposal of the Central Government. The Premier, presently, Li Keqiang, is the economic Czar, so to speak. The seven members of the Standing Committee of the Politburo execute the five-year plans, with President Xi Jinping setting the targets philosophically and Premier Li directing the government bureaucracy, banks and SOEs to achieve the goals.

    Growth Matters

    Growth is everything to Chinese new-born capitalists.  Growth is a word and event that is not happening in the Empire of the United States Military Empire .

    EU is in reverse and the U.S. is a phantom economy, sucking assets from the middle class and expanding a dependent base in a highly vertical reformation of the economy.

    Elites have it all.

    The good jobs and careers are gone. Social conflict is rising. America has lost its way. No five-year plan for growth, no one-year plan, not even a plan for the next quarter.

    The U.S. economy has been built to serve the Elites and their need for greed.

    All processes serve that need well.

    The markets are rigged in dark pools, derivatives and criminality that goes unchecked, save a few ‘insider trading prosecutions’ and ‘big bank fines’ that feed the government with ‘revenues’ or transfers of wealth from stockholders (middle class) that are not direct taxes.

    Wealth Matters

    In China, the wealth is in the control and management of the state. Savings are used for the wealth development of the nation and its people.

    Yes, one million millionaires and hundreds of billionaires have done well in the rapid growth of China.

    However, they do not have elite control of the economy.

    They play their role in the public and private sectors, and in foreign investments and tourism, but they don’t alter the public plans or manipulate the public markets (though they try, as it is human nature to be greedy or criminal or irresponsible).

    The revenues in the coffers of capitalist China enable President Xi to make any project in any country happen.

    He is bankrolling the BRICS development bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Eurasian Economic Belt and Maritime Silk Road development.

    These are like multiple Marshall Plans without the military conquest.

    They are meant to transform other trading partners from dirt poor into middle class economies capable of buying Chinese products, using Chinese expertise, and ultimately, purchasing services from China.

    It is elementary economics. Invest in a nation, build its infrastructure, expand trade with it, educate their young; then that nation emerges from poverty, develops its own production capacity, and matures.

    All the while, the trade partner climbs the value chain of products and services China offers.

    China can do this on a scale unlike any nation ever.

    It does it in Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Middle East (except the U.S. has pushed back with ISIS to destroy Iraq and Syria, and with AQ in Libya where China has massive infrastructure and oil investments. Likewise, China has previously agreed upon Ukraine and Crimea development investments pre-the junta coup.)

    So, with Russia so close and in need of what China can do on such large scales, the gigantic natural resources exploitation and infrastructure needs of Russia have met the gigantic financial capacity and commodity needs of China. The resolution of the hegemonic threat through peaceful means was logical and a product of the minds of Presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. Thus, the Double Helix.

    The Result facing the United States Military Empire

    The U.S. and NATO would need Michael the Archangel to defeat China-Russia, and from all signs, he’s aligned with the Bear and its Orthodox culture.

    There is no weapon, no strategy, no tactic conceivable in the near future (which is all the Double Helix needs) to damage either of these rising economies now that they are ‘base pairs’.

    China will get stronger and bigger.

    Russia will get stronger and bigger.

    And within the next three to five years, the international systems of finance and banking and trade settlement, currencies and credit ratings and development loans will be thoroughly changed.

    It is tantamount to disarmament of the United States Military Empire ‘s most dangerous weapons.

    Ironically, only the United States Military Empire ‘s military will remain.

    The United States Military Empire will lose its most devastating weapons that enslave, subject, humiliate, ruin and change regimes – its economic weapons.

    Future

    The better part of the world’s nations will have moved on to solving problems. Nations will think in different terms and relationships. Sovereignty and regions will matter again. Cooperation will regulate competition.

    Win-win will replace domination.

    What was once ‘honorable and necessary’ will be looked at as criminal, if war and chaos is the only solution a former United States Military Empire or alliance can offer.

    Perhaps, some form of NATO and its Islamic Wahhabi terror forces it has been cultivating with the Saudis, Qataris and other devils with billions of dollars will persist. But they will ultimately grow cold and brittle and not be viable unless they become pirate marauders. There will be no economic sustenance available for such forces.

    China acting in its own interests?

    Of course, China is acting in its own interests.

    But any organism – and a nation is not an edifice, it is an organism – has life-sustaining needs. And the China organism needs blood.

    That blood is oil and gas.

    The China organism needs a nervous system that can’t be shut down by shock wave or sabotage. IT security and radars, satellites and on-ground defense systems are imperative components of such a nervous system.

    And the organism of China, huge as it is, packed densely with people, needs stability for sleep, for rest, for meditation.

    Russia, as powerful a nuclear force in the world, has China’s enormous back, adds to its blue water defenses, mans the digital and electronic turrets, and changes and hardens the geographic, economic and financial targets that the United States Military Empire could use to contain, destabilize and cause regime change in Beijing, thereby, toppling the state governance by the Communist Party of China.

    There are no substitutes for the decades ahead of such a vital molecular bonding as the Double Helix.

    Equality of Effect

    So, the double helix metaphor works for both in equanimous ways.

    Russia receives its blood through yuans, loans, use of Union Pay credit card system, joint ventures, advance payments, dependable contracts and logistical solutions.

    China provides a territorial shield and additional force multiplication for Russia’s nervous system.

    Finally, stability, too, is necessary for Russia to breathe and get forward momentum in critical areas of development.

    There will always be housing for Russians in Russia now that China is close.

    China can put up tens of thousands of housing units in a few months, if not days.

    There will be alternate sources of food.

    The most basic needs of Russian people are secured with the double helix pairing. China bought the largest pork producer in America and is already shipping pork to Russia.

    China is so efficient in some food processes that American scallops are shipped to China for cleaning, then come back to U.S.

    Foreign Policies and Societies

    Metaphor or not, the Double Helix is real.

    It serves as the new DNA structure but does not change the external policies or internal societies of either nation. It merely is the new organism architecture against which the United States Military Empire will flail.

    Now the two sovereign nations will be presenting themselves as one double helix.

    This ‘one’ is not a merger, not an alliance, not even a commonality of interests.

    Those are represented through SCO, APEC, etc.

    This ‘one’ is force multiplication and projection of power within a fourth dimension of geopolitics. It multiplies all the molecules or magnifies them. To attack or target the IT or satellites of either is to strike both.

    Destabilize either, and both are struck.

    Contain one, both are contained. Demonize one, both are vilified.

    Custer found that it was not just Lakota Sioux he faced. He faced Arapaho, Arikara, Cheyenne, Crow, Santee and seven bands of Lakota (Blackfeet, Brule, Hunkpapa, Oglala, Minniconju, Sans Arc and Two Kettle).

    This was an object lesson.

    Historically, on the plains of America, Native Americans had done the same as China and Russia. Their error was not to do it much sooner and everywhere long before they were overwhelmed by the invading immigrants.

    China and Russia have acted in timely fashion.

    Dragon-Bear

    China-Russia have become impossible to defeat militarily, impregnable to sanctions and economic destabilization, and have created a unique partnership.

    China and Russia are co-ventures into a new international architecture built on sovereign states’ responsiveness to each nation’s own people.

    Looking across the Black Sea from Romania or across Ukraine from Poland, Lithuania or Germany, or from across the Atlantic like Canada or the United States, you see the Bear-Dragon.

    Likewise, looking across the Pacific or the East China Sea or South China Sea at China you will see the Dragon-Bear.

    The United States Military Empire and its vassals will understand that attacking one is an attack on both.

    The Double Helix cannot be undone. Russia and China are the founders of the Eurasian Economic Marketplace of 3.5 billion (half the world). It has a thirty-year initial mission.

    And during those thirty years they will have built the New Silk Road, the Maritime Silk Road, the Eurasian Economic Belt, and lifted Iran, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Stans of Central Asia, Mongolia, the Southeast Asian nations and probably, fixed parts of Ukraine, and parts of Eastern Europe, some southern European nations and, maybe, some North African nations in the meanwhile.

    China and Russia are unified as one.

    Geopolitical Surprise

    Now, let’s return to the Shoigu in Zhongnanhai mystery. And let’s think of geopolitical surprise. Imagine if General Shoigu and Premier Li Keqiang were discussing North Korea. Background: Putin has been reaching out to Glorious Leader Kim’s regime, and we know the deal Putin would want to get done with Pyongyang’s regime: Give up the nukes, and the Double Helix will protect you.

    Give up the nukes and we’ll force the U.S. to leave the Korean peninsular.

    Give up the nukes and China and Russia will develop your infrastructure.

    Give up the nukes and begin integration with the South economically and that process will include Russia and China.

    Give up the nukes and you will never walk alone.

    North Korea could look at Iran and see that Russia and China have shielded Iran. And if Iran moves away from nukes, the Double Helix protects her. Syria has given up chemical weapons and Syria, for all the ISIS and NATO chaos, stands because of Russia and China.

    Let us take a look again at General Shoigu’s itinerary. Who did Shoigu go to after Beijing? Pakistan. Who aids North Korean nuke program? Pakistan. Shoigu was not traveling this route in this sequence by happenstance.

    China is drawing Pakistan away from the U.S. and wants to coordinate anti-terror operations with Islamabad. There also is the withdrawal of NATO and the U.S. from Afghanistan. Russia, China and Pakistan will take on this burden in order to get development of the Eurasian Silk Road and Economic Belt established. Everything is changing in South Asia. China and Russia will fill the vacuum.

    It is quite the nature of China to encourage Russia to send symbolic messages to those who might need another tap on the head. Iran and North Korea are regional and global threats that the Double Helix wants to turn into partners and markets.

    Tough Cop?

    Shoigu went forward with that “portfolio”. He represented ‘the base-paired one’. The Chinese know their limits and their weaknesses. They might bully the Southeast neighboring fishermen and even cut off an American naval ship. But they are not the tough cop Russia is.

    The Chinese are the soft interlocutor, the mollifier. The only time China gets tough is in business negotiations or if you insult the Party or the People.

    However, this nuclear disarming or chemical weapons disarming small regimes is the rough and tumble of the street and alleys, something Russia knows and China does not aspire to.

    It takes a 8th Dan martial arts President who destroys opponents with his armed forces in real world combat to get the focused attention of Pyongyang and Islamabad. He did in Syria and is doing it in Iran. He generally uses military protective shield with economic development deals.

    North Korea is desperately trying to weaponize their atomic devices. Pakistan would be the bearer of this technology. It is conceivable Pakistan’s military assistance deal with Russia, signed by Shoigu, would have ‘rewards’ for staying out of North Korea’s nuclear program.

    The meeting in Beijing just may have been to assure Shoigu that all the financing needed to stabilize the Korean peninsula will be available if and when Putin gets Kim to join with the sovereignists and force the Hegemon off the Korean Peninsula.

    Regional Effect

    What this would mean for China and Russia beyond safety and security is a new market, more easily exploited mineral resources, a fast developing economy that can use what both nations have.

    North Korea can add additional military as regional reserve forces should the Hegemon linger in Asian Pacific.

    Nuclear disarmament automatically means South Korea is actively drawn into the Eurasian Economic Belt. It leaves the region with no threat against the Hegemon’s allies, Japan and Philippines. America’s Pacific Century ends when the nukes go away in North Korea.

    Vladimir Putin might think this way. For what is North Korean’s regime but a criminal gang (oligarchs wrapped in dead communist rhetoric and delusional arrogance)? Putin knows this species and how to deal with it. Only the Double Helix could make this transformation happen. Neither nation alone has been able to influence the Kim dynasty by itself.

    The Chinese have been insulted by Pyongyang and frustrated by Kim. The Chinese public laughs at the buffoonery of the North Korean regime. Beijing only wants him around so the U.S. does not move closer up the Peninsula. But the new reality of Eurasia emerging changes the outlook for Kim. Opportunity and advantage turn his way. A mortal threat to his regime can be removed, and he can still have sovereign security. Win-win-win in a deft surprise move.

    Such a cataclysmic geopolitical event of Pyongyang surrendering its nukes would force the U.S. to concede its raison d’etre for a presence on the landmass in the Asia Pacific region. South Korean public pressure for U.S. forces to leave would be rising. Okinawa would want the U.S. out. Eventually, the U.S. would be merely ‘one of several’ using the blue waters of the Western Pacific and Asian coastal seas. The U.S. would logically have to return to Hawaii as its most western outpost. After all, it would be protecting no one from any threat any longer.

    Russia and China would be the regional defenders of peace and stability, and further south, India and Vietnam would join, not the U.S. Navy.

    The U.S. may be an Asian Pacific nation, but no more so than Chile or Mexico. What the U.S is not is an Asian nation, nor a Eurasian nation. What the U.S. would become is what it always should have constrained itself to – a North American nation.

    Japan

    Everything becomes harmonized economics after such an event. Japan needs Eurasian assistance. The West has used up two generations of young people in Japan, manipulating its economy and government. Its dynamic innovation and growth is moribund. They cannot even manufacture a safe vehicle airbag or run a nuclear power plant safely.

    It’s all manufactured, designed, and packaged in China.

    Philippines

    Perhaps, the Philippines would remain close to the U.S., but it will be a singular Asian vassal in the South China Sea.

    Manila may align with Australia, but eventually the Maritime Silk Road and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank will entice them to choose progress with Asia or perpetual colonization by the United States Military Empire.

    Update: Jul 27, 2021 · In her brief remarks, Philippine Ambassador to China Erlinda Basilio expressed to the Chinese guests the Filipino people’s commitment to their centuries-old friendship with the Chinese people, and she explained that, inspired by a popular Filipino song, the Embassy chose the theme “Hawak Kamay” to convey how Filipinos will not abandon their Chinese friends in their time of need.
    
    -Philippines - China Friendship Day: A Day of Smiles in Beijing

    What happens in Taiwan?

    Taiwan will remain the last Chinese choke bone if China is foolish enough to open wide the Dragon’s mouth and take the bait. The latest local Taiwan city elections which damaged the KMT powerbase heightens the U.S. ‘Free China’ agitators. It certainly sets back Cross-Straits progress. However, if that means Xi will have to play rough, he has the economic leverage as the tool to use, not his military.

    Taiwan is in perpetual recession. The once great ‘grey box’ and pirate copyist economy of the 80’s and 90’s has been eclipsed by South Korean semi-conductor, device and chip manufacturing and soon will feel the rise of Vietnam, Malaysia and other South-east and South Asia players in Taiwan’s national electronic sport. Most Taiwanese investment capital seems to be heading to the Mainland, Brazil or Taiwan’s nearby competitors. Foxconn is everywhere but Taiwan, including Brazil.

    This leaves angry Taiwanese students for the U.S. to manipulate. And perhaps there will be strident resistance groups against Cross-Straits unification, but hunger and despondency will change the dynamics once the U.S. retreats and all those young minds see Eurasia develop as China has on the other side of the narrow straits. They can Skype and Tweet for revolution, even hold coloured umbrellas, but that does not bring in foreign investment to rebuild their own economy.

    The Dragon typically has endless patience. Taiwan will test President Xi’s patience for certain. He hoped to see Taiwan in a Hong Kong-like arrangement of ‘One China-Two systems’. That is not going to happen before the U.S. retreats to Hawaii.

    The U.S. has infinite capacity to inflict pain and suffering on its most loyal vassals. No one in America, except Taiwanese-Americans, will even know of the pain suffered in Taipei, Kaohsiung, Taichung and Tainan until the U.S lets go.

    North Korea changes everything.

    The Far East and Siberia, the North of China, Mongolia, the Arctic, the Yellow Sea and Sea of Japan become a zone of trade, tourism and growth when North Korea steps down from the precipice. If Iran with nukes is unacceptable to Russia and China, certainly North Korea is worse. Both nations, Russia and China, have worked assiduously to prevent proliferation. And they have immediately rewarded nations that give up WMDs.

    The Sony False Flag

    Sony is hacked! It has to be the North Koreans! Demonization of North Korea is predictable. The FBI says so. However, nearly all independent hacking experts, those with vast experience in government security of IT and anti-hacking work, agree the Sony hack is not North Korean.

    First, understand the Internet connections in Asia. North Korea has one ISP. Just as China has second tier status on the Internet and all connections go through only Shanghai, North Korea can get on and off the Internet only through one route. Easy for NSA to monitor. Easy to prove. But we get no hard proof, easy to provide. We get a short form handout white paper-like slice of FBI baloney. So, unless the hack came from a 3G phone network, it had one port of entry to the Internet, namely Star Joint Venture Co.

    The U.S. must make certain North Korea remains nuclear. And it is swiftly moving to put ‘terror status’ back on Pyongyang. The hope within the Hegemon’s brain trust, to use the term lightly, is that this will stop Russia and China from offering economic help in return for the nukes. But the result will be whatever the double helix can arrange if they can arrange it with Kim.

    What would follow?

    With North Korea emptied of its arsenal, the Double Helix may move next to expose the secret program the Japanese have for nukes. Fukishima melt down was a double disaster, because like Dimona in Israel, the nuclear secrets leaked out for the world to know that what Japan, like Israel, was desperate to cover up was a weapons program abetted by the U.S. and France.

    Whatever comes from the Double Helix of China-Russia, it will be a surprise that stuns the Hegemon, for certain. That is the style of both nations. The world has gotten closer to ‘better’ in 2014, while it has gotten ‘worse’. That is because, though bad things will always happen, better things will always happen, also. Flames and death in Ukraine and the Middle East are terrible, but the emergence of Eurasia is a budding flower, and it is poison only to the Hegemon.

    Civilizations Win

    Most of us will live to see a new international, global dynamic. Some of us will feel its nourishment. Some of us will be stuck in the cavern of Elites who have run the world for centuries. Just as the North Pole shifts, geopolitical poles shift. Economic poles shift, also. A containment policy or exclusionary trade treaty or covert destabilization program cannot stop 3.5 billion people inspired by two enlightened leaders who have the same metaphorical DNA. The tectonic shift is too much for mere mortals of the West who have run out of ideas, lies, bullets, bombs, false flags and proxies to win and control mankind. The Hegemon has bad DNA that cannot adapt to the fresh air and sunlight of the truth. Humanity will win its freedom and civilizations will prosper.

    Russians and Chinese Win

    Russians and Chinese citizens will look within their own civilizations for solutions to the challenges and threats cast at them by the United States Military Empire. The motivations exist to create wise solutions that are not martial, nor dominant, nor exploitative nor unjust.

    Relying on experts and NGOs of the West will be understood as opening the doors to the enemy and housing the terrorists and saboteurs sent by the United States Military Empire.

    The resistance to United States Military Empire is an historic lesson to the civilizations of Russia and China. The allure of the West is stripped off once-empowering words, models and ideals like ‘democracy’, ‘freedom’, ‘friendship’, ‘allies’, ‘partners’, ‘success’, and ‘security’. The patina of ‘exceptional’ and ‘greatness’ has worn away.

    The peoples of Russia and China are heirs to great civilizations. They have cultures and institutions that are grounded in sage principles and centuries of profound accomplishments in art, science, technology and human endeavors. They need not emulate any other nation or culture or educational system.

    Sovereignty, like individuality, is the unique identity that must be cherished. Then, international cooperation and partnership is grounded on strengths of those choosing to join with others out of free choice not coercion.

    What to look forward to…

    The events to look forward to in Russia-China relations in 2021 include the continued growth of Russian-Chinese trade, the signing of a docking agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union and China, Chinese investments in the Russian Far East, and the strengthening of cooperation between the two countries in the process of solving international problems.

    Strategic partnership

    Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the most accurate commentary on the relations between the two countries at his annual press conference in December.

    There is a national consensus in Russia on the development of relations with China and that regardless of the election results, Russia and China will be strategic partners in the long historical period ahead. The logic of a comprehensive strategic partnership between Russia and China has been formed, and relations between the two countries are moving forward in all spheres.

    Common challenges and threats in the international arena

    In 2021, Russia and China will maintain the same position on major global issues, including the resolution of the Korean crisis and the Syrian conflict. 2020 saw the joint initiative of Russia and China on the ‘double pause’. This position is constructive and is the only initiative that so far promises to achieve a peaceful settlement of the Korean crisis.

    Cooperation between the two countries on the situation on the Korean Peninsula is the most successful example of foreign policy coordination between independent and sovereign powers in the world today. The two countries can use this experience to develop a consistent policy on Syria and focus on the settlement of the situation in that country after the conflict.”

    The U.S. Factor

    Foreign policy factors will also help strengthen Russian-Chinese relations, while both countries will have to encounter tough challenges.

    In the U.S. National Security Strategy announced by Biden, Russia and China are described as countries that issue serious challenges to Washington. This means that the U.S. will develop a corresponding strategy for our two countries and those regions in which we are interested.”

    The U.S. will try to prevent China and Russia from consolidating their positions in these regions. However, that factor will only contribute to the strengthening of Russian-Chinese relations.

    Investment in the Far East

    The trend of steady growth in the volume of trade between the two countries is seen as one of the achievements of Russian-Chinese relations in 2017. According to data from China’s General Administration of Customs, in the first 11 months of 2017, the trade volume between Russia and China grew by 21.8% compared to last year, reaching $76.06 billion.

    It should be noted that our trade volume is less significant today and more attention should be paid to the structure of trade. At the moment that structure has not changed and is dominated by energy.”

    Trade volume may grow in 2021 due to an increase in Russian exports of non-raw materials to China, including electronic platforms.

    There is demand in the Chinese market for Russian sunflower oil, as well as for expanded trade in flour and flour products. There is a need for dialogue with China on the issue of expanding quotas for Russian producers.” Cooperation in the Far East could also be a driver for the development of Russian-Chinese trade and economic relations in 2021.

    Chinese investments currently amount to $4 billion, accounting for 7% of total investments in the region and 85% of total foreign investments.

    The increase in Chinese investments in the region is likely to come from the development of LNG projects, cross-border infrastructure development, the development of over-development zones, and the active participation of Chinese companies in housing construction.”

    Eurasian Economic Union agreement with China

    The Eurasian Economic Union’s economic partnership agreement with China is almost ready to be signed, probably in early 2022.

    One of the most anticipated events is the agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union and China. However, the agreement still needs to be improved in terms of its practical content. For a long time, the significance of the docking has remained only at the political level and should involve specific economic projects.”

    This is a non-preferential agreement, i.e. it does not provide for reduction of tariffs. But it is very important for the Eurasian Economic Union, because the integration union needs to be legitimized, including for the World Trade Organization and the integration process in the Asia-Pacific region. This is politically important.

    Increased tourist traffic

    The Russian tourism industry is very much looking forward to the 2018 group travel visa-free agreement being modified due to current conditions. Under the new agreement, the minimum group size will be reduced to three people and the possible in-country stay was extended to 21 days, and no Russian invitation is required.

    With the introduction of electronic document delivery methods, the work of tour companies will be simplified. Russian tourists will be able to travel to China in small groups without individual visas, and Chinese tourists will be able to recuperate and treat in sanatoriums in Russia that offer a 21-day course of treatment.

    Much of the growth of Chinese tourists is being pinned on electronic visas. The system was introduced within the Vladivostok Free Port in 2020. It is expected that the system will be extended to eight regions from 2021. The system is most popular among Chinese citizens: 2,300 Chinese tourists have already used it to travel to Vladivostok.

    E-visa is an important initiative to attract individual tourists to Russia. It is expected that the electronic visa system will be introduced in Kaliningrad, the westernmost point of Russia, and in Murmansk and Arkhangelsk, which are popular with Chinese tourists.

    Finally, let’s summarize…

    Asia has united. America is not the “bright and shining city on the hill” that stands for freedom and “democracy”, but rather a corrupt military empire that is thrashing about as it collapses.

    The entire world can see this.

    And while the United States Military Empire has been trying to set up the QUAD, and a list of vassal states to fight it’s wars for them, the leaders who agree to do so, can kiss their sweet nations good-by. A unified Russia-china alliance would render their entire nations into radioactive rubble.

    Thus my argument that (for the most part) the QUAD would collapse, and what ever military effort that the United States Military Empire would cobble together would be lost in quick flashes of light and enormous causalities.

    But I could be wrong…

    Finally to quote UNZ..

    Finally, the state of decay of the US state might already be so advanced that we can consider it as profoundly dysfunctional and basically collapsing/collapsed.

    The first option (soft landing) is unlikely, yet highly desirable.

    The second option (chaos-induced retreat) is more likely, but much less desirable as it is only a single step back to then make several steps forward again.

    The last option (profoundly dysfunctional and basically collapsing/collapsed) is, alas, the most likely, and it is also, by far, the most perilous one.

    For one thing, options #2 and #3 will make US actions very unpredictable and, therefore, potentially extremely dangerous. Unpredictable chaos can also quickly morph into a major war, or even several major ones, so the potential danger here is very real (even if totally unreported in Zone A).

    This, in turn, means that Russia, China, Iran, the DPRK, Venezuela or Cuba all have to keep their guard up and be ready for anything, even the unthinkable (which is often what total chaos generates).

    What do you think?

    Of course, the Ignorant Americans are all thinking that Russia and China are somehow enemies…

    Russia has no love for China so don’t be so sure about them coming to China’s aid. 
    
    -MarkinLA

    Hardly.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
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    Intention Campaign affirmation tricks and techniques to maximize effectiveness

    In this article we will look at different techniques, tricks and things that you can do to improve your affirmation campaigns. These are things that will concentrate on how you perform your affirmation campaigns with an idea to improve the “purity”, implementation, and successful implementation of it. All the time trying to control the relative distress associated with change.

    These are easy additions for you all. It won’t take too much extra effort to incorporate these items.

    Multiple daily affirmations

    Yes, of course you can run your campaign multiple times in a day.You can have a prayer affirmation period (say) in the morning, and then another at the end of the day. You can run them three times a day. You can run them four times a day. Heck! You can run them ten times a day if you want and you have the time.

    Just remember that when you go into your pause phase that it must be absolute. During the pause, you must come to a full and complete stop. No exceptions. Do not even think about it. Stop and move on with your life. Then when the pause time is completed, you can run your follow-up campaign.

    A place to pray.

    Now, running multiple daily affirmations most certainly strengthens the affirmations. You are spending more time thinking and dwelling on the affirmations. So the effects are doubled if you run two affirmation groups a day. Tripled if you run three affirmation groups a day, and quadruped if you run four groups a day.

    The trade off is that things will happen more aggressively; more saturated. And, obviously, it will take up more of your time to do so. So with everything there are tradeoffs. If you have the time to run two campaign groups a day (say once in the morning and once in the afternoon) then you will have stronger effects.

    Good things happen faster. The old peels away sooner. The discord associated with change increases. Everything is magnified.

    So doing your affirmation prayer campaigns in this manner will [1] certainly speed up the implementation of your affirmations. However, it will [2] take up more of your time, and [3] would result in an increase in personal discord (as the old life peels away quicker).

    Talisman

    Those MM readers who have read the post on “The Intention Experiment” will understand the benefits of having “blessed” items in and around their home and person.

    While a person can, themselves, bless an item and empower it with energy, in this case we will refer to things that were blessed by a local religious figure.

    It does not matter who this person is, what religion they belong to, or where they are. What matters is that they create a charm; a talisman, that you pay for. Then you take that item and place it near you.

    Here’s some blessed Buddha charms…

    Blessed Buddha charms.

    The procedure is simple…

    • Go to a local religious church, temple, shrine or monastery.
    • Provide an item for them to bless, or purchased an already blessed item.
    • Compensate them for their efforts either financially or through a donation.

    I have had numerous things blessed in my life.

    • Catholic rosary beads.
    • A Catholic medallion of a Saint that I wore around my neck.
    • A string of small beads that I wrapped around my wrist. Blessed by Buddha. 
    • A bracelet of large wooden balls that was blessed by a shaman.
    • A special talisman made by a follower of the Golden Dawn occult society.
    Examples of Catholic medallions.

    The effect is like adding an octane additive to your gasoline in your car. It improves the quality of your gas and your automobile runs better. It no longer hesitates. It is quicker in response, smoother in operation, and quieter.  As well as the engine running cooler.

    For a given prayer affirmation campaign, it will act like an “oil” or a “softener”. It will take off the “rough sharp edges” of the jagged hills and mountains that you might encounter in your MWI template.

    The effect of a talisman.

    In today’s profit oriented culture, it is easy to find “blessed” items on the internet that may or may not actually be blessed.

    I suggest that you can buy what ever item you want off the internet, but assume that it is not blessed. Then take it to your local religious temples, church or shrine and ask for it to be blessed.

    Blessed rosary beads.

    If you go to a church or a temple, and they are selling something that has been blessed, then that is fine as well. The idea is that it MUST be actually blessed. Not simply advertised as blessed.

    Finally, keep in mind that blessed items “lose their charge” over time. Depending on who you are, and the person performing the blessing, the “power” and effectiveness of the charm has a half-life. Some charms might dissipate over a period of months, while others might take decades. I would advise a new talisman every year based upon your individual situation, needs and present on-going affirmation campaign.

    A place to pray

    It is critically important that you perform and conduct your affirmations in a quiet place where you can concentrate and not be interrupted. For some people [A] this is the shower. No kidding. They put the affirmations in a waterproof sleeve, tape it to the wall and read it out loud while they shower.

    For other people [B], being alone in their car (or truck) as they to and from work is perfect. They just fire the up the engine than then when they are at a place where no one can bother them, they park the vehicle and sit there and read off the affirmations out loud.

    MM [C] likes to read his affirmations in the early morning when no one else is around and he has the peace and quiet to concentrate.

    Some people [D] like to go into Catholic churches, and just go there and pray. The churches are open all the time and people go in to pray. The only thing with this is that you must whisper your prayers. You cannot say them out loud.

    You can go into a temple with your affirmations, and read them in front of the image of the deity there. Most people will not question you. You can do this without being self conscious.

    The good thing about this is that you can perform your prayer affirmations anywhere as long as you left alone in peace without being disturbed. Heck, this can even be [E] in a restaurant. You just park yourself at a booth in the back and focus reading your affirmations in a low voice.

    You CANNOT multitask affirmations.

    It requires your full, undistracted attention. Many people are already doing this. However, if you are not, and your affirmation campaigns are subject to interruption, then you might feel hurried or rushed.

    You cannot allow this. You cannot hurriedly rush through your affirmation list. You need to read it slowly and savoring each word for maximum effect.

    Never, ever, rush your affirmation readings. Never.

    Remember; the longer it takes you to read your affirmation sentence, the stronger the effect. It means that you are spending more time switching from wave to particle form (and back again) while you are reading that affirmation statement.

    So I want to stress that there are numerous people trying to multi-task affirmation campaigns, juggling them with the rest of their life. You just cannot do this and have a strong campaign. You need to focus on what you are doing at that time.

    Why?

    Imagine that you are typing to cook dinner, and reading your affirmations that are sitting there on the counter. Multitasking. You spouse walks in.  And the affirmation that you are trying to read is “I live a great, calm and peaceful life.”

    This is what it would actually be like…

    I live...

    The boiling water is very vigorous now, and so you turn the temperature down.

    ... a great, and...

    The Spouse asks you if you bought a new carton of milk, and you answer that no you didn’t.

    ...calm and...

    You switch the water off and put some noodles in the hot water.

    ...peaceful...

    The spouse comes in and goes out. Slamming the door behind. Bam!

    ...life.

    In truth, you are not really running an affirmation statement this way. Instead all you are doing is adding disjointed words and phrases to your already hectic life. The end result would be that your life might mellow out a little bit, but the effects will not be the same as if you were to read off the entire affirmation sentence undisturbed.

    Avoidance of places with “bad vibes”

    Thoughts are “sticky”. They tend to fall to, and get absorbed by physical things. And like the talisman listed  up above, good pure thoughts and blessings are possible. As are curses, and negative thoughts.

    We have all heard of “haunted houses”. Cursed cars. And damned places. These locations and physical items have “bad energy” or “bad vibes”.

    Christine was a horror movie about a haunted automobile.

    Some places are just THICK with the bad feelings and dearth of happy, positive energy. Go to any Family Dollar store in a distressed community. Go to a car lot in one of the poorer sections of town and sit in some of those cars. The hate, disgust, anger, and oily blackness can be tangible.

    It can be felt.

    You want to avoid these places, and you want to avoid purchasing anything from these places. You don’t want them to have anything to do with you or your family. Keep and stay away.

    Reading affirmations after Hemi-Sync meditations

    In today’s life, there are all sorts of distractions, and battles (for your mind) going on. These elements create a noise that jars your soul, and disrupts your being.  Being so “shaken”, it’s often difficult to feel calm when you are reading off your affirmations Sure, you read them, but somehow (it feels like) it’s not really getting any “traction”. You don’t feel like they are “fully released” to the universe.

    The best way to avoid this is to meditate, or center yourself prior to reading the affirmations.

    I have provided the Hemi-Sync systems to help you do this.

    If you are not centered: your consciousness is not at the center, then your affirmation campaigns will not be operating effectively. Like an out of tune car engine, it might work, but not that well. You need to center yourself.

    If you can have yourself centered most of the time, you don’t need to perform affirmations after a centering exercise. You just run Hemi-synci once a week, and do your affirmations normally. However, what I am seeing is this amazing level of strife and discord in the United States today. As well as in parts of Africa, and parts of Europe. You need to center your consciousness.

    Physical Contact

    Some cultures prevent physical contact, others allow it but only in the privacy in your own home. Having physical contact is a fundamental aspect of being a living, breathing, human being. You are NOT a machine.

    When I was working in Boston, I was called in to the HR office because I had touched a fellow co-worker on the elbow. I personally believe that leaders need to transmit their intentions by tactile sensations. But that’s not in accordance with modern corporate culture. Instead humans are numbers that live in cubicles, perform tasks in front of machines, and obey strict behavioral and dress norms.

    Anyways, when I talk to staff, co-workers and colleagues, as well as customers and other businessmen, I touch them. I give them handshakes. Some (from the West) I give hugs to. I touch the thigh, or knee cap. I touch the shoulder or the elbow.

    Anyways, this touching is an important part of what being a human is all about. we connect with others.

    It doesn’t matter if it is a dog, a cat, a horse, a spouse, a child, a friend… whatever. Do not be afraid of communicating though connections. Connect with others. When you do, you will find that your quantum network of connections expands. And for affirmation campaigns, you will discover that it acts as a kind of enhanced antenna or radar-dish.

    So go forth and be a touchy-feely kind of person.

    Humans biologically need touch, it’s built right into our physiology. When we are babies, touch is a crucial part of our ability to regulate our nervous systems and feel safe. When we’re very young, our bodies have not yet built the ability to self-regulate (feel safety and comfort), and thus our caregivers play the important role of not only touching to bring regulation and safety, but also using facial expressions to send the message that ‘all is OK.’

    Further, humans thrive in a sense of community and connection. When we are too isolated, without a deep and dedicated practice like monk’s might do in a cave in Tibet, we begin to lose the benefits of co-regulation, and in turn our psychology can begin to suffer over time. Humans have built incredible things – together – when in community, and touch plays an important role in that.

    It most cultures around the world, hugging is part of daily life. Other cultures might decide to greet one another with cheek kissing instead, but touch is often a common denominator. But it’s true, there are places that may be ‘less touch-y’ and will certainly find other ways to connect.

    One thing I can say though, especially during this unprecedented time of isolation, make it a point to hug those close to you when you can. Make it a good one, 15 or 20 seconds! Pay attention to how you feel after.

    As mentioned, hugging is not the only way we get a sense of co-regulation and connection. Looking into one another’s eyes, sensing facial movements and reactions are also important. We have millions of mirror neurons in our brains that are constantly reading what is happening in another person, and sending information to areas of our brain, subconsciously, that tell us how a person might be feeling, for example. When we witness someone taking an action, neurons in our brains respond to that action in the same way as if we were taking that action ourselves – hence ‘mirror neurons.’

    This might mean that when we watch a nervous moment in sports for example, although we are not playing, we might take actions like covering our mouths or holding our chest, feeling the nerves the players are likely feeling. As you can imagine, this is not a perfect science. Sometimes we are nervous but the player is cool as a cucumber, but generally, mirror neurons tend to help us connect to what others are feeling or doing, giving us a sense of empathy.

    It goes even deeper. Research from Institute of HeartMath has shown that the human heart emits a measurable electromagnetic field that contains information other people can pick up on and decode in their brains. Regardless of how ‘new-agey’ this might sound to some minds, it’s a reality of our physical bodies.

    Just think, have you ever walked into a room with multiple people in it and noticed the energy of it? Perhaps you noticed right away it was very tense or very jovial. This sense likely comes from having an awareness of how our electro magnetic field is interacting with the collective field of the room.

    What you’re feeling is how someone’s general emotional state is affecting the field they emit. The more we feel tension, anxiety, or depression for example, the more we also put that signal out into our communities. Now, this isn’t a call to get stressed out about how we’re affecting others, this is simply a realization of what’s going on.

    In our current chaotic world, it’s quite common to feel anxious or uncertain about what’s happening, and acknowledging that is OK is perfectly fine. The next question becomes: how can I manage my emotional state and create a a felt sense of calm? (Which of course will change the field you emit as well.)

    -Collective evolution

    Conclusion

    The majority of these suggestions are “add ons” to your current affirmation campaign that will enable you to fine-tune them to be more efficient and effective.

    Some of the readership might already be incorporating these elements while others might have overlooked some key elements. But if you really start to implement all of them, you will be able to “turbo-charge” your affirmations for more efficient and effective implementation.

    I hope that all of this will be beneficial.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts related to this in my Affirmation Campaign index here…

    Intention Campaigns

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    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
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    The origin of consciousness and how we got “here”

    Now how about that for a title. Maybe if I’m lucky, it might end up on page 500 in a Google search ranking. LOL.

    The other day, I had to go to the doctor.

    You see I have been taking blood pressure medicine. Somehow, probably due to my age, and most people my age do take this medicine, I had to join the ranks. And it was a good thing too. Mine was pretty high. On a number of occasions I was just about ready to pop.

    Systolic blood pressure readings at least 140 or diastolic blood pressure readings at least 90 usually indicate Stage 2 Hypertension , which puts you at high risk for life-threatening problems such as heart attack and stroke. Once you become 60+ in age, the normal range is 134/87.

    Mine was 165/ 96 most of the time. Yikes!

    So he prescribed some blood pressure medicine for me. It was a little white pill. Dirt cheap. He said that I would have to take it for the rest of my life. I told him “okey dokey”, and he just looked at me. Being Chinese, I don’t think that he knew what that meant.

    So then I said “thank you” in Chinese, and he smiled and all was good.

    And I started taking it, every morning when I got up. First thing. pop that little white pill and start the day. And you know, after a while my body adjusted and my blood pressure lowered and stabilized and all was good.

    But then, I started to have some side effects.

    Nothing too radical, don’t you know.

    For one, I started to get “elephant ankles”. My ankles both swelled up and looked like tree trunks.I was embarrassed to show my legs. They looked awful.

    And my heart seemed to act strangely. I began to be “aware of it”. Like I knew that it was there, when before I didn’t care. If any of that makes sense.

    Then, one night, I woke up clutching my heart. It felt like someone was tickling it.

    So the next day we went to the local clinic and went to the doctor there. He looked at my mouth. He looked at my ears. He felt my chest. He checked my spine, and the under-soles of my feet. Then he nodded, and said that “yes, of course I was having some issues.”

    So I went and had some further tests done. And then brought the results to him.

    Mind you, this was all in the local clinic here. In China, the government treats local medical care as a very important aspect of life. And so not only is it efficient and quick, but it is pretty inexpensive. All told, the total cost was around 600 RMB, or maybe $85 USD.

    Anyways, he told me that my heart was perfectly fine. Not to worry. My heart was good. And then prescribed me a bunch of heart medicine. Maybe five different types of pills, and a big garbage bag full of the boxes.

    Ah. China.

    Anyways, I went and ate a delicious fish afterwards and pondered my life. You do this from time to time, you know. You look at your life and you wonder and compare. You look at what it was like when you were young, and what your life is now. Not in sadness. Just in contemplation.

    So I drank some wine.

    It’s good for the heart, don’t you know.

    And I ate some fish. Tasty, delicious, Chinese fish.

    And I thought about things.

    Lao Hunan fish. A little bit spicy.

    Why the Hell was I living this life?

    Which brought me to this point, and to this article.

    Today it is the origin of consciousness is what we are going to talk about. We are going to discuss how YOU… that is your consciousness… came into being. And what is going on right now as YOU (as consciousness) are reading this here.

    To begin with let’s start with something that both the Alien Interview and MAJestic agrees with.

    In the beginning…

    There was nothing, and then there was an explosion of quanta / particles that started to group together. They formed clumps. And over many, many, MANY trillions of trillions of years consciousness developed.

    Over time…

    IS-BEs are not physical universe entities.  

    They are a source of energy and illusion. 

    IS- BEs are not located in space or time, but can create space, place particles in space, create energy, and shape particles into various forms, cause the motion of forms, and animate forms.

    Any form that is animated by an IS-BE is called life.

    In Alien Interview, the extraterrestrial referred to these consciousnesses as IS-BE. In MAJestic, we just refer to it as consciousness. Which is pretty much the reason why I stick with referring to consciousness rather than IS-BE. I guess that I am just an old guy, with old habits that die hard.

    Anyways, over many trillions of years, these individual consciousnesses started to interact with each other.

    They started to communicate with each other.

    They started to organize and they started to create a non-physical reality from which they would dwell, work and live within.

    Before the formation of the physical universe there was a vast period during which universes were not solid, but wholly illusionary.   

    You might say that the universe was a universe of magical illusions which were made to appear and vanish at the will of the magician.

    Then, after many, many more trillions of years, they decided to create a physical universe. And so they thought, organized, planned and then created a physical universe. Separate universes were brought together and unified to form one singular universe.

    Each IS-BE entered into the physical universe when they lost their own, "home" universe. That is, when an IS-BE's "home" universe was overwhelmed by the physical universe, or when the IS-BE joined with other IS-BEs to create or conquer the physical universe.

    We call that “the big bang”. And our “experts” have dated it to around 14 billion years ago.

    The Creation of the Physical Reality

    And of course, with the creation of the universe, we had the creation of all the planets, stars, galaxies and all of that.

    And it took time.

    And over many billions of years, these consciousnesses started to populate this physical universe with life.

    Eventually creating archetypes that populated the universe. Each archetype had regional variations to live in certain environments. And the consciousness placed regional variants of these archetypes all over the universe.

    The notion that human biological organisms evolved naturally from earlier ape-like forms is incorrect.     

    No physical evidence will ever be uncovered to substantiate the notion that modern humanoid bodies evolved on this planet.

    The reason is simple: the idea that human bodies evolved spontaneously from the primordial ooze of chemical interactivity in the dim mists of time is nothing more than a hypnotic lie.

    (It was) instilled by the amnesia operation to prevent your recollection of the true origins of Mankind.  

    Factually, humanoid bodies have existed in various forms throughout the universe for trillions of years.

    So life abounded all over the universe. First with microbial life, then with plants, fishes, and so on and so forth.

    Multiple Universes

    Ah.

    There are more than one universe. There are many, many universes. The physical universe (along with it’s non-physical universe components) is but one universe.

    Or in other words,

    [1] Physical universe + [2] non-physical universe = [3] “our” universe.

    And yet there are many, many others. And we tend to refer to them as “Heaven”. Which tends to be confusing as many people confuse “Heaven for humans” with the non-physical reality that surround our MWI (in our universe).

    In this fashion, all of the space, galaxies, suns, planets, and physical phenomena of this universe, including life forms, places, and events have been created by IS-BEs and sustained by mutual agreement that these things exist. 

    There are as many universes as there are IS-BEs to imagine, build and perceive them, each existing concurrently within its own continuum.

    Each universe is created using its own unique set of rules, as imagined, altered, preserved or destroyed by one or more IS-BEs who created it.

    Time, energy, objects and space, as defined in terms of the physical universe, may or may not exist in other universes.

    The Domain exists in such a universe, as well as in the physical universe.

    Now, both the “Alien Interview” and the MAJestic discourses agree about all this, for the most part. As far as I can tell the general overview is identical. MAJestic agrees with Alien Interview and, vice versa.

    But now we come to a “fork in the road”. For there is a difference in belief or understanding between the two “camps”. Well sort-of. Maybe the understanding is looking at the same thing from different angles.

    A difference in belief – Alien Interview

    I am going to simplify my thoughts on this matter, and I might be in error…

    According to “Alien Interview”, all consciousness was created a long, long, long time ago.

    Airl explained that IS-BEs have been around since before the beginning of the universe. The reason they are called "immortal", is because a "spirit" is not born and cannot die, but exists in a personally postulated perception of "is - will be".

    And, the various consciousnesses entered “our” universe at different times.

    IS-BEs arrival or invasion into the physical universe took place at different times, some 60 trillion years ago, and others only 3 trillion.

    So to summarize, according to Alien Interview, consciousness comes from somewhere outside of time and space and it creates a universe to live in. Eventually, the universes merge with other universes, and the consciousness exists within this growing and expanding universe.

    Now, let’s look at what I was instructed during my time in MAJestic…

    A difference in belief – MAJestic

    This is a compilation of <redacted> (not that it's secret, but the background is way too involved to get involved with at this time.) from a combination of sources that <redacted>.  EBP and ELF sourced.

    Consciousness is constructed in “human Heaven”. It originates from Soul. It is built up through the collection of quanta obtained through experiences. And becomes more and more advanced over time.

    Thus the purpose of reincarnation, over and over again, is to improve the soul, that consciousness derives from.

    Thus, for the humans to learn, grow, mover forward to the “next big thing” they need to experience life, after life, after life, over and over again. Each time getting bigger, and better.

    And eventually…

    …some day, they will evolve into something else.

    I made a graphic of this on one of my articles. How you start off as a microbe, obtain experiences, then are an insect. You obtain more experiences, then become a humans, etc.. etc.

    The fundamental difference

    The fundamental differences between what Alien Interview said, and MAJestic said can be classified as following…

    • Alien Interview – Consciousness came before the universe, and is perfect as is.
    • MAJestic – Consciousness is created in Heaven, and needs to experience reincarnation to evolve.

    Both could be true simultaneously, or one could be true alone.

    I suppose it is up to the reader to determine which one is most accurate.

    MM thoughts

    I suppose that the earliest consciousnesses from the start of everything could be considered part of “The Domain”. And other consciousnesses that formed piecemeal, and have formed in other universes, can also be existent.

    And in a universe where anything is possible, the ability to create a consciousness must also be possible.

    And if you are going to create a consciousness, wouldn’t it make sense to cultivate and “grow” it? And growth through the accumulation of quanta obtained by experiences does make sense.

    But…

    [1] Omniscient. According to Alien Interview, once you obtain consciousness, you automatically know everything. You are omniscient. Thus you don’t need to “learn anything”. You don’t need to grow and advance, and evolve.

    So why do this?

    [2] Reincarnation. There are many ways of obtaining knowledge, and experience. Yet, WHY do you need to reincarnate, back to earth, with your memories erased? Why not build upon what you learned from your previous life? Wouldn’t that be more efficient, and better for the consciousness? You do not NEED to forget things.

    Cats don’t.

    Dogs don’t.

    Horses don’t.

    What purpose does amnesia have? And what does it have with building quanta associations? It doesn’t make sense, as far as I can see.

    These two points [1 and 2] seem to invalidate the MAJestic belief system. Now, maybe I am being wrong in all this…

    But, to me, it seems that the idea that you MUST reincarnate over and over in the hope of some eventual reward smacks of fraud.

    It’s like the USA election process. Every four years you have an election, and over and over and over, but nothing changes. You are given the illusion that you have some ability to change things, but in truth you don’t have any ability at all.

    Let’s elaborate on this some…

    For most of humanity, we are taught that there is one God, and that we must live our lives and fulfill certain requirements and then when we die will be rewarded with Heaven. Different religions have different terms, and different processes, and different laws, but the basic idea stays the same.

    The basic idea stays the same.

    Then there are “secret” organizations. Some like MAJestic, and occult studies teach (in their various ways) that the truth is something different.

    You learn that when you die, you meet guides who will take you to a “tunnel of light”. When you pass through that tunnel you will arrive in Heaven. And there in Heaven, you will be judged.  Then for one reason or the other, you must “return to Earth” as part of some “mission”.

    But Alien Interview says something quite different…

    As consciousness…

    No human being ever assumes personal responsibility for the fact that they, themselves -- individually and collectively -- are gods.   This fact alone is the source of entrapment for every IS-BE.

    Thus there is no need for “secret missions”, “growth through suffering”, “reincarnation”, “learning or training” in regards to this belief system.

    While the extraterrestrial stated that it did go through some specific training to operate various physical objects and roles, they pertained to interaction with the physical universe in one way or the other. While these other “secret societies” and geography of Heaven  refer to training to improve one’s being or improve one’s consciousness.

    Yet, in Alien Interview we learn that once you are consciousness, you know everything. You transcend the universe.

    So to me, it appears that this belief that you go through the “tunnel of light” will take you to Heaven is a trap. Instead it appears to be an elaborate system of reprogramming, memory erasure, and extraction of your experiences.

    I wrote about this before.

    How other species can farm your soul for experiences. Where you have to relive a Hellish life, over and over again, and then extract the quantum associations, and then re-inject you back into the environment.

    In fact, it is just like this Bruce Willis movie… Vice (2015).

    Bruce Willis stars in this Sci-Fi thriller about ultimate resort: VICE, where customers can play out their wildest fantasies with artificial inhabitants who look like humans.

    It is about an artificial human-being (an android) that escapes from a place where people can play out their wildest fantasies. The android (say a woman) would go into this environment with no memories and live out her life, then she encounters a “customer” to the environment who she thinks is a normal guy. The guy brutally rapes her, tortures her, and then kills her. He leaves, a squad a people come into the facility, extract her. Download her memories. Erase her memories, clean her up and send her back in for the next “customer”.

    Then, she would go into this environment with no memories and live out her life, then she encounters a “customer” to the environment who she thinks is a normal guy. The guy brutally rapes her, tortures her, and then kills her. He leaves, a squad a people come into the facility, extract her. Download her memories. Erase her memories, clean her up and send her back in for the next “customer”.

    Then, she would go into this environment with no memories and live out her life, then she encounters a “customer” to the environment who she thinks is a normal guy. The guy brutally rapes her, tortures her, and then kills her. He leaves, a squad a people come into the facility, extract her. Download her memories. Erase her memories, clean her up and send her back in for the next “customer”.

    The movie is about one android who regains her memories and does not want to return back to that world.

    That is what the Earth sounds like to me. It’s relive Hell over and over again, and never retain any memories so that you can learn from the experiences.

    Vice (2015)

    Conclusion

    The more that I look at it, the clearer it becomes. The Alien Interview is everything that the extraterrestrial said it was. And as elaborate as the idea of Heaven is, I simply cannot reconcile the need for amnesia as part of a reincarnation process to “improve” consciousness and soul.

    It seems to me that the best thing to do is upon death not to go into the “tunnel of light” no matter how much that you are drawn towards it. Instead, you just say put where you are in the incorporeal state.

    I will cover, in later articles, how to establish “beacons” to alert others to retrieve you. And some other tools that might be helpful

    In the meantime, relax. Make sure you are good and healthy. Eat some fine delicious food, drink some fine beverages (of your choice), and spend time with loved ones. Maybe sit on the porch. Have some lemonade. Watch the sun set. Or perhaps sit in your truck alone on a dirt road near some corn fields. Or, maybe ride to a cemetery. Park there, and eat a sandwich.

    Did you ever just sit in your truck…

    It’s the little things in life that matter most.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts / articles like this in my Heaven Index…

    Heaven

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
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    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
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    MAJestic

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
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    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

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    Pentagon Leaders are starting to shout-down the neocon war-hawks on K-street in Washington DC

    Every now and then, you come across an article that resonates. Not from some unknown blogger who writes about his opinions after reading the “news”, but a thoughtful article by an experienced professional discussing a subject that he knows well. And so when I came across this work, I just had to reproduce it here on MM.
    .
    Granted, his title sucks. But the content is gold. All credit to him and the source found HERE.
    .

    By Byron King

    “It Failed Miserably” – What If the US Lost a War and Nobody Noticed?

    I have a friend who teaches at the university level — at a U.S. service academy, no less.

    The other day he was running a class and posed a short (but profound) question to a group of students. Namely, what was the most recent strategic disaster suffered by the U.S. military?

    “Blank expressions,” noted my friend.

    After a period of time, one student offered an answer… “Afghanistan?” (And yes, the student’s answer was in the form of a question.)

    Dutifully, my professor-friend led the students in a discussion of what happened in a war that began before they were born and whose outcomes will affect them for the rest of their lives.

    There’s a Whiskey tale to tell just based on this anecdote alone.

    But wait, there’s more!

    Because America’s loss in Afghanistan has already been overshadowed.

    Indeed, the U.S. military has suffered an even greater strategic disaster than Afghanistan: an epic military defeat that already occurred, and you likely don’t know a thing about it.

    I’ll skip to the takeaway here.

    The U.S. should refrain from fighting the next war because we’ve already lost, long before even one shot has been fired.

    The source for this ultra-defeatist news is not just a teacher at a sailor’s college, sited on a salty bay. No, the source is no less than a serving, 4-star general whose job title is Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

    Let’s dig in…

    Here’s the long and short. The U.S. military conducted a major wargame last fall and “it failed miserably,” said U.S. Air Force Gen. John Hyten earlier this week.

    Hyten spoke at a conference sponsored by the Emerging Technologies Institute. It’s a think tank run by the National Defense Industrial Association, an industry group focused on military modernization. (You can watch it on YouTube here, about an hour and 18 minutes.)

    “An aggressive red team that had been studying the United States for the last 20 years just ran rings around us,” he said. “They knew exactly what we’re going to do before we did it.”

    According to a Pentagon spokesperson, one key scenario of this wargame involved U.S. forces battling with China over Taiwan. From Hyten’s summary, U.S. forces became sitting ducks and were destroyed piecemeal and systematically.

    The overarching problem was, basically, everything.

    It’s all fucked

    That is, the problem for the U.S. was far beyond the shortcomings of any particular piece of equipment, or ship or airplane, let alone the willingness of U.S. and allied troops to fight. No, the issue was the very essence of how the U.S. military forms strategic concepts and conducts operations.

    In other words, the problem was the entire belief system, architecture and construction of the Pentagon way of doing things — and certainly of waging war. By extension, it’s a political problem too, as we’ll address below.

    “We always aggregate to fight, and aggregate to survive,” said Hyten.

    That is, the U.S. military is built around massing people, equipment and munitions. Build up a huge complex of firepower. Then add massive levels of intelligence information, command and control, and targeting data to, as the saying goes, “take it downrange.”

    This has been the U.S. approach to warfighting since World War II, with many of the roots extending back to the Civil War.

    The war game fiasco

    Per Hyten, in last fall’s war game, “We basically attempted an information-dominance structure, where information was ubiquitous to our forces. Just like it was in the first Gulf War, just like it has been for the last 20 years, just like everybody in the world, including China and Russia, have watched us do for the last 30 years.”

    But the so-called “blue team” (meaning U.S. and allied forces) lost access to communications and data networks almost immediately. Satellites went away. Seafloor cables were cut. Bandwidth died. In general, it was impossible to utilize the electromagnetic environment, and within moments nobody could talk with anybody.

    And “what happens if right from the beginning that information is not available?” asked Hyten, rhetorically. “That’s the big problem that we faced.”

    According to Hyten, “in today’s world, with hypersonic missiles, with significant long-range fires coming at us from all domains, if you’re aggregated and everybody knows where you are, you’re vulnerable.”

    And with an entire concept of operations poked in the proverbial eyes, red team easily defeated the blue side.

    Not just a yearly exercise. It’s the planning run-on for something BIG…

    Based on Hyten’s description, this wargame was not just another table-top exercise. No, this was a test of the all-up game plan for the “next” conflict, largely based on concepts of operations that have guided the American military process for three decades or more. And the outcome was a total disaster.

    U.S. doctrine focuses on creating what is called a “kill box” for the opponent. But in this particular expedition, from the outset U.S. and allied forces walked into their own zones of destruction. They laid down in their own coffins, so to speak.

    Opposing forces wrecked the entire complex of U.S. logistics. Rear bases came under fire, while aircraft and ships at sea were targeted by long-range missiles. There’s just no hiding anymore from people with sufficient technology to find you.

    Even worse, most U.S. weapons were outranged by new systems recently deployed by China, much of it based on advanced Russian designs. It’s a long-term U.S. failure in research, development and procurement.

    When the balloon went up, most U.S. forces near-immediately lost the ability to coordinate attacks and/or return fire. Much of the targeting data was worthless in any event, while systems used for aiming and guiding munitions also failed.

    To the extent that communications worked at all, much of the data were corrupted or hacked.

    It’s not overstating to say that, in this one wargame, far from home the U.S. lost vast numbers of people and equipment. In real world terms, think of casualty numbers in the tens of thousands. Of entire bases obliterated. Of hundreds of airplanes lost. Of dozens of ships sunk. And that’s just in the first few days.

    The wargame ended with American forces defeated and devastated. U.S. allies were similarly shredded. And U.S. interests in the Western Pacific and Asia were annihilated.

    Analysis

    To mix a couple of metaphors, the U.S. suffered defeats in a nature that mirror a modern version of Pearl Harbor, the fall of Singapore and a saltwater Stalingrad.

    And it gets worse. Because the devil is in the details, many of which have little or nothing to do with purely military matters. The downfall of American power begins at home, not far overseas.

    Return to Gen. Hyten’s comment that potential adversaries have spent 30 years watching and learning from U.S. operations. Well, yes. Obviously.

    Any reasonably intelligent counterparty — anyone, any country, anywhere on the face of this planet — would pay attention to what the U.S. has been doing and then figure out what to expect and how to deal with it.

    Over three decades, people everywhere watched, learned, and totally went to school on the U.S. military. And it’s all because the America made a foolish political and economic choice, namely, to engage in so-called “long wars.”

    And that has never been a good idea, going back to the days of Sun Tzu and before.

    “Wars cost much silver,” wrote Sun Tzu in his classic book, “On War.” And of course, he meant money. But the subtleties of Sun Tzu’s writing also delve into how war affects both people and culture. Wars drive a certain negative ethic within a political system, and the longer any war lasts, the more negative is the tendency.

    Meanwhile, it’s not as if America’s 30 years of war were battles of necessity. Certainly, it’s not as if the country was being invaded and overrun.

    No, the three decades of war (Bush-Clinton-Bush-Obama-Trump-Biden) were an era of forward presence coupled with routine military belligerence, oft to the ring of political trumpets at home.

    The named wars (Afghanistan and Iraq) speak for themselves. Then there are other levels of warfare, like with Serbia, Libya and Syria, where the gunslinging showed up in a different manner, but still as destructive to entire societies.

    In this sense — that sense of reaching out to bomb people far from U.S. shores — America’s long wars are not just a military issue, easily dismissed by civilians as some sort of niche problem for the Pentagon.

    No, because closer to home, the long wars reveal seismic flaws in the very nature and character of U.S. governance. The long wars reveal a deep weakness in the American form of government itself.

    Indeed, we’re a long way from the sage advice of President John Quincy Adams, that “Americans should not go abroad to slay dragons they do not understand in the name of spreading democracy.”

    And look at it this way. It’s not as if the U.S. ever had a series of national referenda on 30 years of continuous warfare. In fact, the past three decades of war overseas were based on the geopolitical ideas of a relatively small, self-perpetuating cabal of elite elected players and policy wonks, in Washington and various brain-tanks. Many familiar names, to be sure.

    Abysmal strategic ignorance and lack of conscience.

    Through it all, as well, Congress (and the courts too) showed abysmal strategic ignorance and lack of conscience. Because evidently, the country’s voters place many truly wrong people into important positions.

    Consider one key episode, the 9/11 attacks and attendant national outrage.

    No doubt, for America 9/11 was the source of a widespread, limbic-level sense of wanting to go somewhere and totally smash things up. That’s entirely understandable. And in that sense, America’s attacks on Afghanistan in late 2001 should have been, at most, a punitive expedition concerning Osama bin Laden.

    Instead, Afghanistan alone morphed and mission-crept into a foolish effort of so-called “nation building.” And not even the Chinese method of Belt-and-Road nation-building, with highways and power lines, etc.

    No, America in Afghanistan was more of a Vietnam-redux. The idea was somehow to pacify people who didn’t want us to be there, and if that didn’t work then destroy the place in order to rebuild it. Meanwhile, one can almost hear the echoes of at least one old bromide from the 1960s, that, “If we don’t fight ‘em over there, we’ll have to fight ‘em here.”

    Through it all, and again in a Vietnam-like manner, Afghanistan was not so much a 20-year war for America, as a one-year war fought 20 times by a corps of officers, senior non-commissioned officers and civilian government personnel and contractors who made careers out of it.

    At the end of the day, is anyone really surprised that smart, well-resourced adversaries paid attention and came up with an entire spectrum of methods to confront U.S. warfighting?

    The Next War…

    Come the next real war, U.S. forces won’t own space or the skies. Won’t run the electromagnetic spectrum. Won’t have unfettered communications. Won’t control logistics. Won’t have good targeting data. Won’t have air supremacy, let alone sea supremacy or undersea dominance. And many of the expensive weapon systems simply won’t work in the degraded environment.

    Apparently though, it took an internal wargame in the Department of Defense to drive home the point.

    Or at least, to illustrate the problem such that no less than one of the most senior generals in the military came out of the closet to admit that America’s super-expensive military complex can’t win the next big war.

    On the bright side, perhaps it’s a true wakeup call that translates to progress.

    On that note, I rest my case.

    That’s all for now… Thank you for subscribing and reading.

    Best wishes…

    Byron W. King

    Conclusion

    Ugh.

    This article is saying what I have been saying for years now. America is not going to just lose a battle here, or a battle there. The entire military excursion will be a Waterloo event.

    It will be the Stalingrad of all Pacific military forces.

    And then, it will move to America.

    China will not act alone. Russia will assist.

    Then with total dominance of the air by the victorious Asian combined forces will turn all of America into a modern-day Syria. While I do not expect that China will give any mercy, they however, will realistically set up conditions where starving, armed Americans, will kill each other for moldy turnip rinds.

    DF-41

    And that’s only with conventional weapons.

    Right now we are watching as the Pentagon experts and generals are telling the evil neocons in Washington DC to shut up.

    Now, I don’t know if they will be successful…

    …after all those evil psychopaths in Washington are crafty, deluded, and living in some kind of insanity (possibly drug induced) that gives this illusion of unaccountability.

    Xu Guangyu, a retired major general and now a strategy researcher, said that DF-16 has a strike range of more than 1,000 kilometers, filling the gap that previously existed with the absence of a medium-range ballistic missile in the PLA’s arsenal. He said the missile also is able to reach Okinawa, a Japanese island about 400 km from China’s Diaoyu Islands.
    Shi Hong, executive editor of Shipborne Weapons, said the DF-16 was developed by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp based on the DF-11 short-range ballistic missile and can carry a warhead of at least 500 kg. The missile has a strike accuracy as good as that of a cruise missile, Shi said. It is also able to maneuver in its final stage to penetrate enemy defensive firepower, he said.

    Regardless to what those evil psychopathic war-monsters want, I can well imagine that a repeat of what happened last year in 2020.

    This was when Trump ordered the Naval Armada to the South China Sea. Eight assault carrier steamed to China. They were intended to seize some outlying Chinese held islands in the inner island defensive chain.

    But you know, nothing happened.

    The commanders refused. They steamed home, and President Trump fired the leadership.

    Again, we can expect, that reasonable leadership will refuse to engage either China or Russia or both.

    They will refuse.

    Just like late Summer 2020. And the sitting American President will fire his military staff for refusing to die.

    The Chinese are subtle.

    They speak softly and kindly and carefully.

    During the “heat” of the anti Uighur Muslim “issue”, China responded with a video. It is below. Pay attention to the array of messages that are subtly embedded within it.

    The video below is an Army unit located in Xingjiang to defend against insurgency movements by the United States to block the BRI. 
    
    If you note, those are not SCUD missiles. Aside from a host of Medium Range ballistic missiles (DF-21 and DF-26), and if you look carefully, the DF-5C, additionally there are also DF-31A and DF-41 weapons presented as part of the defensive force. 
    
    What is China trying to say?
    
    Along with the destruction of nearby military bases, will be the simultaneous destruction of major American cities. These missiles are long range city-flatteners.
    
    Look at the MESSAGE that China is telegraphing.
    
    Those are nuclear (and neutron bomb) MIRV, hyper-velocity, (with artificial intelligence), long-range, ICBMs.  the DF-31A is capable of hitting every major American city on the West Coast. These are latest generation, decades ahead of America, nuclear missiles that America has no defense against.
    
    If you start moving military against China, China will devastate the American heartland. Any surviving leadership will have to hide in the impoverished American ghettos to avoid the nuclear carpet bombing that will result.
    
    The Chinese do not play.

    A final comment

    Chinese media has announced (last month), ever since the US pulled that aircraft landing stunt in Taiwan, that not only are military units fully armed with real munitions, and everything (EVERYTHING!) is out of storage, but they fly and run “HOT”.

    There’s a high probably the next US / UK provocation will result in “accidental” deaths.

    Nothing quite ruins your day like global thermonuclear war. Especially when you are on the losing side.

    In America, it’s no longer an issue of “one day the common many will rise up against the evil leadership”.

    Ai! It has become something else.

    It has become “we need to hang these Washington DC bastards before they get everyone killed.”

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings

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    The smile exercise as an adjunct to a successful affirmation prayer campaign

    In one of my comments this week, I asked one of the MM participants to perform a “smile exercise” as part of his campaign. This is a technique on improving the rapid implementation of your affirmation prayers so that they will start working sooner, have better quality results, and improve the world around you. Here, in this article we will discuss exactly what it is, how it works, and why you should or could implement this with your affirmation prayer campaign.

    The basic structure

    This technique is an additional physical action or activity that you engage in while you are running a prayer / affirmation campaign. You perform this activity once a day. You never miss a day. And when the campaign ends, so does this activity. (Though, I see no harm in continuing if your so desire.)

    What you do is say something nice to a person. And you put a big smile on your face when you do it.

    That’s it.

    You find a person, it doesn’t matter who it is, or what they are doing. You just say something good, and nice to them.

    It doesn’t have to be truthful either. You can lie. But the truth is that you must say something nice, and then just continue with your day.

    You do not go to sleep until you say something nice to a specific person.

    The Smile

    Do not forget the smile. This is a vital aspect of the entire procedure.

    Do not forget to smile. That is critical.

    Why is this important?

    This simple task involves you to think about saying something nice. It requires you to search out a person to say it to, and it requires the physical action of saying something.

    If, say, you see someone, and it takes you one minute to think of a nice thing to say, and then 1/4 of a minute to say it…

    … that means that you have traversed 320 world-lines focuses on good happy things, and interacting with people in a positive and cheery way. It will absolutely steer your world-line navigation towards good, and great things. Whether that is your intention or not.

    Plus, you have “made the day” of the person that you said that thing to.

    All, very good positive things that WILL influence the results of your prayer / affirmation campaign.

    Things to say

    Here’s some suggestions of things to say. I find that the approach varies for men and women by gender, and situation. There is not a “one size fit’s all” technique that you can use.

    For Women…

    • I like your hair, did you change your style?
    • I like your outfit. It really looks good on you.
    • Are those new shoes. They look great on you.
    • I never told you, but I really like your purse / umbrella / backpack. Where did you get it?
    • Did you lose some weight? You seem slimmer somehow.
    • I love your smile. It really makes my day.
    • I love your perfume.

    For Men…

    • That’s a nice truck you’re driving.
    • I like your dog. Does he bite? Can I pet him? What’s his name?
    • That’s a good job that you did on the project / task / assignment.
    • Your lawn looks great. I really appreciate how lush and vibrant it is.
    • Your house is the nicest one around here. I just wanted to tell you that.
    • You remind me of my brother. That’s in a real good way.
    • Did you watch the game last night. It was something else wasn’t it? You strike me as a XXXXX fan. Good for you!

    For anyone…

    • That restaurant is really nice. Have you eaten there? I think I saw you in there once, but I was too afraid to say hi. But I remember you. You have a distinctive face.
    • Thanks for… (what ever they did).
    • And if you see a Rufus, you go out of the way and thank them.

    Things that don’t count

    • Hello.
    • Thank you.
    • Bye Bye.
    • Good day.
    • See ya!

    Emergency Actions

    If you cannot find anyone around, and the situation is such that nothing is going on, and you are having a difficult time meeting your daily quota. Here’s some “last ditch” emergency action you can take…

    • Go into a store. Go up to the cashier or the person there. Tell them that you watched them do XXXXX a few days ago and it changed your life. And you just wanted to thank them. Thank you. Then you just leave. Don’t stick around.
    • Go up to a fireman, a policeman, a receptionist, or someone nearby and thank them. Say “I just want to thank you for what you do. It’s important.” And then just leave.
    • If you see someone old. Go up to them, and say that you wonder if they could give you some “life advice”. That you “feel” like they have something of value, and you want to listen.
    • Go to a kid playing a game, and tell them that they are doing great, and they are going to become a star ball player some day. You just know it.

    Visualization

    This action, or behavior tens to erode all those “hills” and “mountains” on your world-line template. It reduces them. It makes them smaller. It makes them easier to encounter, and easier to climb.

    You go from this…

    Harsh, hilly and mountainous terrain.

    To this…

    Softer, gentler terrain.

    Hokey?

    In today’s harsh and critical world it sure sounds fake and hokey and like you are tying to obtain something. This is why you must (in most cases) just be a “hit and run” complement person. Don’t stick around.

    Do not care what they think or not. They WILL be flattered, even if they know it is fake. Just smile and be as sincere as possible doing it.

    Leaving afterwards shows to them that you aren’t trying to “pick up” the girl or guy, or that you don’t have “an angle” to acquire anything.

    Toolkit for break the prison shackles

    For those of you who are familiar with “Alien Interview”, this exercise greatly reduces the “karmic” chains and snares that encourage the disembodied consciousness to return to earth upon death. Consider this one of the important tools in your toolbox towards this endeavor.

    Summary

    Actually, this is more difficult than it seems. And for us to go up to strangers, or people who we know (they do not have to be strangers) and just say something nice is alien to us. That is not how we were raised. But this exercise requires you to break out of the chains that hold you to this reality and world-line template.

    This technique will greatly loosen those bonds that tie you to where you are now. Give it a try and tell me how it works after a one month effort.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Prayer Affirmation Index here…

    Intention Campaigns

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
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    How the Mantids map out a pre-birth world-line template for a reincarnated entity

    This article describes the mechanism of how the Mantids help establish a pre-birth world-line template for discarnate humans. Now, there is a whole lot that is too detailed than needs to be discussed at this time, and much that is too odd, or advanced. So you all can consider this to be an introductory article. One that describes how angels (guardian angels), also known as Mantids, work with other discarnate humans to establish their life path as a human on earth.

    And while we are at it, please also note that there are many ways that we can illustrate this activity, but in this case we will continue with the notion of a flat topographical template that the soul deposits a consciousness upon when the entity is born.

    Introduction

    People; humans are born, and then they die. Upon their death, they review their life “lessons” and then are injected back to the earth. This is referred to as reincarnation.

    This article discusses the review of the lessons of life.

    But rather than concentrate on the event (you stand in front of a group of elders, etc. etc.) we will discuss the mechanism of what is going on and why.

    As in all cases, let it be understood that Mantids = Angels. And Angels = Mantids. These are just terms we use to describe a species that we interact with. Nothing more.

    Alien Interview

    A document, tangential to MAJestic (as it pre-dates it) is known as the “Alien Interview”. As a retired MAJestic operator, I can vouch that it is authentic.

    In the document, the extraterrestrial stated that elements of the “Old Empire” was responsible for setting up the system that erased memory and injected consciousness back to the earth to start all over again. At this point in time, I cannot confirm or deny that the Mantids are members of the “Old Empire”.

    All that I know is they do seem to be able to coexist. So we will refrain from discussing this issue in this article.

    Procedure

    The procedure of life review is universally understood in just about every religion and culture. Essentially, when you die, your spirit is “judged” and the lessons you have learned or failed to learn “set the table” for your next reincarnation.

    Dr. Newton goes into this procedure quite extensively in his books. The books are freely available on my Heaven Index HERE.

    There are numerous aspects to this event, and they do differ and vary from situation to situation. However, the common thread and the most stable unity between all the experiences is that [1] a person must experience events and situations during their life. And [2] they are judged on how they handle those events. The judgement then [3] will “map out” the structure of their next life on the earth.

    But, how can you  establish which life to inject into?

    This is a complicated issue.

    And that is the role of the Mantids. As I understand it, our souls, or consciousness can decide NOT to be re-injected into the Earth physical sphere.  As such we can go elsewhere, and off doing our own things. However, for reasons that I am not able to vocalize, most humans tend to “follow the program” and listen to the advice of the Mantids, and other teachers and discarnate entities that direct them. And that means learn the lessons. Correct mistakes, obtain experiences, and then keep on growing and moving “forward”.

    According to the type-1 greys, this entire system is a trap (of sorts). And I have not been able to sort out the details (at this time) personally.

    In general, the basic idea is that the soul (which creates the consciousness) has specific needs or requirements that must be obtained. The obtainment of these items requires the entanglement of quanta. And the best way to entangle quanta is through life experiences on the earth.

    As I understand it, the items that an individual soul needs to have entangled are mapped out on the pre-birth world-line template.

    And the person, the consciousness, obtains experiences (set specific events) upon the pre-mapped out template.

    Once the life is completed, the person dies, and the “quality” of the entanglements (obtained though living though the events) are measured.

    Then, it is determined [1] if the events need to be replicated and done over, [2] new events can be added, and / or [3] subsequent events can be added to the template to counteract the bad entanglements that has developed.

    Being a Rufus can compensate for shitty decisions

    Aside from being the pinnacle of human spirit, a Rufus can compensate for the mistakes done in the past.

    By showing compassion, help, support, and aid to others (whether in need or not) you create positive associations. And if you have a past that has some very bad decisions and bad entanglement, the good works will create enough positive entanglements to offset the negative.

    The consciousness travels though hundreds of thousands, if not millions of world-lines. What the conscious has experienced cannot be undone. But the consciousness can alter the overall life “performance” by injecting good actions, compassion, understanding and positive quanta into the environment. Indeed this is a major subject area that I have yet to cover. However, everyone has the power to unravel the influence of the bad mistakes and errors that they have made in the past.

    So…

    Be the Rufus in everything you do. Maybe you might mess up your objectives as determined on your pre-birth world-line template, but you will be “well ahead of the game” and will exist this life with great advantage. A kind of power and understanding that you had no previous awareness of.

    Figuring out the exact world-line cluster to inject to

    The Mantids will look at the objectives of the soul, and will present an array of “situations” to the consciousness to experience.

    • Some will be to undo mistakes in previous incarnations.
    • Some will be to obtain new associations and new entanglements.
    • Some will be to build upon other previous, or half-completed associations or entanglements.

    Then the consciousness with work with the Mantids, along with other discarnate human associates, to “map out” an array of “life experiences” that the human being must experience. This will be a “fated life” that the consciousness will live. It will be the pre-birth world-line template which is is the default map template that the conscious will follow when it is re-injected into the earth sphere.

    There are many world-line clusters, and thus the first key point is to determine which cluster might offer the best mix of these kind of experiences for the consciousness to experience.

    Clusters of similar world-lines differ from each other substantially. One might have the United States run by President Biden, while another cluster might have the Republic of America run by Banana McDuff.

    And thus, once, a cluster is determined, then the next step is to determine which is the most likely world-line injection point within the cluster.

    Figuring out the exactly entry point for injection

    Once the cluster is determined, there is a near infinite number of world-lines within it. And they will all be quite similar. Yet, this task will pick a fated-life-path for the consciousness to experience. Sure, you can deviate from it, but it will be set up so that it is difficult and uncomfortable to do so.

    At this point in time, there is a great deal of interaction between the consciousness that will experience the fated-life and the Mantids / discarnate entities that help map out this pre-birth world-line template. And I am sure that the path that will be mapped out will be to the mutual agreement of all involved.

    And upon this map will be the good and the bad events. The entire future life for that consciousness will be mapped out.

    But, you know, all the other “actors” or people / things will be “shadow people” that the consciousness interacts with. Most of the time, on a given world-line the consciousness might be the most active and vibrant quanta in the particular world-line.

    However…

    It gets “tricky”…

    Many times we aren’t alone…

    We build up associations with other consciousnesses that (for good or for bad) want to associate with us. Like previous lovers, family and beloved pets. They will purposely inject themselves into their pre-birth world-line templates in such a way that you all share world-lines on numerous occasions.

    This can be wonderful.

    Like a beloved cat that just wants to overlay it’s world-line template over sections of yours.

    This can be comforting.

    Like a member of your “consciousness community” or other discarnate humans that you “hang out with” as friends. That wish to spend part of their lives with you in close association with your world-lines.

    This can be jarring and uncomfortable.

    When an evil person, or a selfish person wants to invade your pre-birth world-line template to “latch on” to your “energy” and events for their personal gain. So that they suck the “life force” away from you, and make it very difficult for you while you are on the life-path while you are living.

    Ah. You see. Not every person on your world-line is a “shadow person”.

    How to tell the difference…

    The way that you can tell the difference is the generated emotions that you experience. A “shadow person” might steal your car. And you will get really angry, and it will disrupt your life. An “consciousness overlay” into your world-line template might have that same person stealing your car, but no matter what, your emotions do not respond to any type of suppressive calming techniques. No matter how hard you try.

    The measurement of this is the WAY that the emotions that are present, good or bad, and how easy they are to dissipate. Most people cannot discern the difference, though most women have the ability to gauge them, much better than men do.

    Anyways, this is a subject for another time.

    For now, just realize that while your consciousness follows a pre-mapped out fated life, other consciousness might share your path as you proceed down it. This is both good and bad, but the control or allowance of this is monitored and permitted or denied by the Mantids, and your spirit at this step in the planning.

    Programming the Pre-Birth World-line template

    Here the injection point is established in such a way that the “route” for the life-line is encoded. What remains to to have / or create those “mountains” on the topographical pre-birth world-line template map. These “mountains” or areas of flat, clear sailing” will corral you to follow the already mapped out template that you chose.

    Have you ever wondered why everyone in power in the United States today seems to be a psychopath that seemingly had an “easy” way to the top? They never were laid off, fired, or experienced loss. Their life was one success after the other, and here they are in great positions of power without the prerequisite pain and suffering that normal people would experience.

    How does this happen?

    Answer: They created their own pre-birth world-line template geared towards immense power, obtained easily without strife. If your consciousness does this, lifetime after lifetime, you become unique, different, and dangerous. You develop strange and unusual ways of thinking about things.

    What does this mean?

    A discarnate entity; a consciousness has the ability to mold his next life. He is “guided” into doing this by both [1] other discarnate entities, and [2] Mantids.

    He can follow their advice or not.

    If he follows their advice he will go in and out of lives as he is reincarnated over and over again. Eventually reaching some “distant” state where he can “evolve” to the next level of existence.

    If he doesn’t follow their advice, he / she / it can make up a series of lifetime experiences where they do things “their way”. They can become cruel, powerful, and lusty. Or they can be kind, helpful, gentle and make a difference in the lives of others.

    Or, he can take the “exit”. One of the key points of the alien Interview” document, is that humans do not need to continue to reincarnate. They can do other things. The problem is that humans are told that this cycle of death and rebirth is “the way it is done” to better their lives, their soul, and their society. The Type-1 greys say that this is not true.

    The Exit

    What this “exit” is, is not stated. However, it MUST be an association and a rebuilding of the consciousness to match and fit within another species. Otherwise, you stay as a human consciousness. And in the universe, then, you place lies within the “human Heaven”.

    The document “Alien Interview” hinted at the “out”. It said that humans were a primary archetype. But that the sentience was discordant around the earth sphere (due primarily to the “Old Empire”.) The implication is that the consciousness can move anywhere else within the universe around other human consciousnesses. Just avoid the earth region, as it is a trap and a snare.

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    Preventing personal starvation

    This article is not for everyone. If you are just doing fine and don't think you will ever face losing a source of income or intermittent food supply then you can ignore this article. 
    
    But for 90% of the MM readership, you all should at least read it.

    I generated this article after noting that a number of my friends back in the United States, as well as a number of MM participants were having trouble.

    Serious, serious trouble.

    While not life and death situations, they did involve discomfort. Because people, you have no idea what it is like when you haven’t eaten a decent meal in a few weeks. This is real starvation. And not a good situation to be in.

    And so I just cannot post anything else until I get my thoughts “off my chest” and onto MM.

    Introduction

    One of the things that has happened to me, time and time again in the United States was massive layoffs without notice on or right before the holidays. Last total was around five on Christmas Eve. And because we were living paycheck to paycheck (with no savings), and no secondary sources of income we were often thrown into uncomfortable situations.

    Like being out of food, or running out of food, and having to wait weeks (or sometimes months) for the local government agencies to provide us support and assistance.

    And being a “white collar” professional, as soon as we obtained food stamps, monetary awards or help, the first thing that we would do is try to replicate our habits. When we would get money, we would go to a fast food restaurant or a local diner.

    And when we would get food stamps we treated it as “play money” and bought the more expensive frozen food, and snacks that we normally wouldn’t buy.

    These latent responses to a catastrophic situation were not good for us.

    But you know, we learned and adapted. And here are some of my tricks to make sure that this kind of situation would never occur again.

    Basics

    Let’s get started.

    [1] The woman is in charge of household finance and meals / food.

    This is the first and most important aspect of this entire post. Listen up!

    Call me an old fashioned man, or whatever you want. But the most important thing that you can do is put the “woman of the house” in charge of finance, and meals.

    She will budget the meals, and the finances, and do a very good job at it.

    And the ONLY reason why I did not implement this very simple change earlier in my life because I was far too egotistical, and taken in by the progressive “everyone is equal” beliefs.

    Men and women are NOT equal. We each have certain strengths and weaknesses. And women are natural financiers, and managers.

    Do not waste that resource.

    The most important thing that you can do is put the “woman of the house” in charge of finance, and meals.

    If you want to forever prevent this kind of situation from ever happening again, then learn how to delegate.

    The woman (whether working in a career or not) should ALWAYS be in charge of the finances and the meals.

    Period.

    This is the first, biggest and most important change to your life that will really seriously prevent these kinds of emergencies from ever happening ever again.

    Oh, and one more thing. Don’t ever disagree with her (his, if there are gender issues) on the allocations.  Creating this kind of division of responsibility should be automatic, painless and should be the last thing to contribute to family strife.

    [2] An emphasis on healthy food.

    The second thing, also of equal importance is that the domestic management must be such that well budgeted meals, both tasty and healthy be emphasized. This will occur automatically (in my experience) but it does need to be spelled out specifically so all will agree to it.

    I am advocating, good healthy simple food. With an occasional restaurant visit or special “date” or event to improve your quality of life.

    You should be eating healthy delicious meals.

    Expensive gourmet chain coffees are out. So is ice cream. This should be dedicated for special events. Not regular meals as dessert. No snacks. Zero Doritos, and potato chips, pretzels, and and fried pork skins.

    Zero.

    Am I clear on this?

    The idea is that you can still have these things, but in moderation and only on special occasions. If you want to have snacks then opt for the far cheaper salted peanuts than a bag of Doritos.

    Let’s look at the third element of “the basics”.

    [3] Grocery budget must be heavy on staples, fruits, and vegetables.

    Oh, you have heard that before.

    Right?

    But I am going to really underline this point. If you break down the costs for groceries you will find that staples such as rice, potatoes, flour, and eggs are very surprisingly cheap.

    You can buy huge bags of the items for very little, and they alone can make very bland and tasteless meals for a long long time. Of which you can convert into very tasty meals with some salt, and some other seasonings.

    For instance, in America we used to just eat rice with soy sauce. 
    
    In China they think this is insane. 
    
    Here's a try. Take some soy sauce, olive oil, cooking wine, and vinegar.  Mix it together, add salt and pepper. 
    
    Then cut up tomatoes and onions. 
    
    Mix together with the sauces and eat over the rice. 
    
    Not a gourmet meal, but it tastes fresh, and will not be all that terrible.ANd it will fill you up. Total cost is probably under 10 cents.

    Staples of rice, bread, potatoes, and other vegetables can diversify the meals, fill you up, and really do not cost much money.

    Vegetables are also very cheap. But you will need to be able to buy them twice a week as they perish easily. Fruit tends to be expensive. I argue that everyone should have some fruit in the house (it helps you shit and aids in digestion) but you don’t need to buy the most expensive fruit. Get whatever is on sale, and cheap. In the Summer like now, peaches are cheap. So is watermelon.

    Less than 5% of the weekly grocery budget should go to condiments, and frozen food.

    Didn’t quite “get it” did you? Let me repeat.

    Less than 5% of the weekly grocery budget should go to condiments, and frozen food.

    Yah. If you are not following this rule you are setting yourself up for trouble. You as a man, or as a woman have a responsibility to your family and your beloved pets. You need to proved for them. You NEED to manage your grocery shopping.

    So let me repeat.

    Less than 5% of the weekly grocery budget should go to condiments, and frozen food. The rest goes to staples, vegetables, and fruit (On sale).

    [4] Start building a larder

    You do not need to be a Prepper or a Mormon to start having a “Larder”. A larder is a long term storage of foodstuff and elements that enable that your family will have food during the ups and downs of economic uncertainty. If you start small, but religiously contribute to it, after six months you should have a very sizable larder that you can use to make good, tasty and delicious meals.

    A basement larder full of home canned vegetables and fruits.

    A larder should be in the coolest part of your house. Preferably a cellar, basement or garage. It should store staples and cans. You should make sure that you have mouse traps nearby as they tend to attract rodents. If you are doing better, you can add a deep freezer; just make sure that it is new and reliable. Do not skimp and get a used one. All it takes is one breakdown that will ruin your entire stock of frozen supplies.

    [5] Know your local resources for food.

    You don’t need to go to chain supermarkets for food. You can go to old food warehouses, enormous structures that contain out of date cans and boxes.They sell out of date products. Almost all the canned goods are fine. Boxed goods are hit and miss. Be careful. So what if the cans are dinged. Just makes sure they are not broken.

    You can also go to bakery outlets, and look at their end of day specials. You can go to local farmers’ markets and scoot into grocery stores at the end of the day for the best prices.

    Better yet talk to the owners and managers. Know them on a personal basis. You might be surprised. I know that Panera Bread gives its end of the day bread out to local organizations and people that need it instead of throwing them away. Just communicate. Build relationships. Contribute to your community. Be local.

    If you are uncomfortable going to the wharf, and the fishing vessels yourself, you can access some establishments that do all the leg work for you. Like this one in Panama City, Florida.

    The same thing goes for local small farmers and such. You would be amazed at the prices you can get at a local egg farm, or the milk at a diary at the farm. You just need to get up, find out where they are and visit them. Talk to the people. Know them personally. Become a customer, and when times get hard, you might be surprised the help you will get back in return.

    [6] Know your emergency services

    We are surrounded with Rufus’s. We just are so busy dealing with our day to day lives that we do not realize that there are all sorts of emergency services all around us. Many are in “the Yellow Pages” or whatever constitutes for them on the internet. All are run by Rufus’s. These vary from all sorts of services and can include…

    • County social services
    • Private social services
    • Religious (Catholic, etc.) social services
    • Food banks
    • Volunteer organizations
    • Salvation Army
    • Animal Shelters

    [7] Contribute your skill sets to others

    I once had a long time high school friend who suddenly started having really strange cramps and pains. But he was poor, living on the edge of poverty and couldn’t afford a doctor’s visit, and since he worked (and owned a house) he could not qualify for free medical care.

    So he asked me what to do, and I reminded him that he used to be the groundskeeper for a local doctor a few towns away.

    I told him that what did he have to lose, but to go up and ask him for help.

    And you know what? He did exactly that.

    Surprised me. No Shit!

    Most people never listen to MM. They just want sympathy. Not real help and advice.

    But sure as shit he called him up and visited him at his house. The doctor was so happy to see him, and was more than willing to look at him. He did it for free, and then wrote some prescriptions for him. Called them into the pharmacy and paid for them himself.

    You never know.

    It never, ever hurts to ask.

    You might be surprised at the response.

    We need to be part of a community and help each other.

    Be part of the community. Smile. Be kind and helpful. Contribute what you can. And when you need help, the community will give it back to you.

    Valuable skills that you can contribute to society (just connect with any local social service and tell them that you want to offer free support to those in need) include

    • Medical profession
    • Machining, metal fabrication
    • Mechanic work / shop repair
    • Handyman
    • Electrician
    • Plumbing
    • Translations Services
    • Teaching

    And even more! And if the first social service isn’t interested, just go down the line until you too are hooked into a local community participating and helping those in need nearby.

    [8] Local options

    I knew a man who gave free gasoline to various social service organizations and vouchers to those in need. I also knew individuals who did this out of their own wallets. I also know that there are large networks of Rufus’s that lie hidden all around you.

    What you need to do is start getting out and talking to the people. Go to the fishermen and where they unload their daily catches. You will probably end up with a garbage bag full of fish. Take it home. Freeze most. Cut off the heads and give to your cats. They will forever love you for that.

    Offer them a few bucks (dollars) for some fresh fish Put them in a plastic bag and carry them home. Or whatever is local to your area.

    My ex-wife would get her car fixed for free by a local “grease monkey” mechanic who had a garage in his backyard. All she would need to do was pay for the parts, and buy him some marijuana from time to time as she could. People work out deals in a community.

    In Pennsylvania there were orchard farms full of trees with apples, pears, plums, and nuts. Walnuts, chestnuts, and others. There’s blueberry farms, strawberry farms. Pecan orchards, and many more. There’s catfish farms in the deep south, and shrimp harvesting in the gulf. Shellfish collectors all over the coast, and everything in between.

    We need to start thinking like our grandparents instead of adapting our new reality to that of what we have grown accustomed to having.

    [9] Soup Kitchens

    I have eaten at numerous soup kitchens. The very first one that I went to was located in New Iberia Louisiana, and I was surprised by the great diversity of people there.

    Sure there were some “riff raff”, but there were single mothers with children, a group of marines that lost their money in a game of poker and got stranded, some folk laid off and in between jobs, and others dealing with all sorts of issues.

    The soup kitchens in most Salvation Army’s hold two meals a day. Lunch and Dinner. Be on time, as they close the doors and don’t let others in after a set period of time.

    There is a soup kitchen in just about every American city, and the larger the city the more numbers the kitchens. You must be aware of the operating times. Some only operate between 11:00am and 2:00pm, while others operate at 5:00pm to 6:00pm. You come early and if you are in a distressed neighborhood be safe, careful and come early.

    The meals are good, solid fare.

    Not just a big tureen of soup as depicted in the movies. But rather a full meal with a main dish, vegetables on the side, bread, a soup, a dessert, and a drink. It’s often cooked by volunteers, who come out and devote their time and energy to make good tasty meals for those in need.

    Rufus’s all.

    Old and young.

    If you are in a situation, maybe between jobs. On unemployment. On food stamps, or just worried about the job situation, you need to seek the local soup kitchen out, and start supplementing your meals.

    Once a week at least.

    That one meal will expand your home food bank by 1/7 automatically. And it will connect you to others.

    Then, maybe… maybe ask if you can volunteer.

    You will get a free meal out of it in exchange for work and you will be helping others. It’s a win – win!

    [10] Stop eating out American style

    Telling that to an American will result in blank stares. But it is true. Same with Starbucks coffee, donuts, and all the rest. We all know about how unhealthy these foods in restaurants actually are, but it’s more than that. They are expensive. And they tear up your body.

    I’m in my mid to late 60’s. Do I look my age?

    Other American men, same age as myself.

    It’s because I haven’t eaten American style fast food in over 15 years. Sure, I have an occasional coffee or a “Subway” or a real hamburger at Burger King, but that is about it. They are rare events.

    I eat real food, either in a restaurant or prepared at home.

    And I can see the difference in my photographs.

    My food is free of GMO’s, hyper-processed ingredients, is almost always fresh and certainly rarely deep fried or heavily salted.

    When you are under heavy stress, what you eat makes a big difference in your ability to handle that stress. Eat fresh food, made by a talented loving spouse using real fresh ingredients.

    Eat out, but when you do limit it to once a week, and be selective in where you go.  Make it memorable.

    That means tasty and full of meaningful communication.

    [11] Cut out all soda

    Growing up in the 1960’s and 1970’s we have become accustomed to eating everything with a soda or a coffee. A coffee is ok, but a soda is not.

    I could go into all the reasons why carbonated surgery drinks (regardless of the price) is not good for you, but if you want to break this cycle, then you must break those bad dangerous habits. And soda is one of them.

    Compare the prices. A bottle of wine is cheaper than a six pack of soda. Start drinking basic cheap wine with your meals.

    Start adding red wine to your meals. Cut down on the beer. I am not saying that you need to get sloshed, but at least one or two glasses with every meal will really spice up the meal, make the time desirable for talking instead of playing on the computer and watching television and help your heart. Sure, a bottle costs the same as a McDonald’s number one meal. But it’s an investment that will pay off.

    Oh, and make sure that it is real wine. It need not be expensive, but must be real.

    [12] A garden (Long term planning)

    Sure you can have a garden. Most American homes have yards. But even if you are in an urban environment, a porch with some tomato plants can make a big difference in your access to fresh vegetables.

    I write this in July. Everyone should have a garden producing a steady supply of salads for the dinner table all Summer.

    [13] Fruit and nut bearing trees (Really  Long term planning)

    If you have a yard, you can also have fruit and nut bearing trees.  They produce every years, and sure it can be a pain in the ass to harvest, but one tree will give you bales and bales of apples, or sacks and sacks of nuts. Just because your job is secure now does not mean that it will always be secure. And then what are you going to do with all those apples, oranges, bananas, or walnuts? Humm…

    A single tree can produce sacks and sacks of walnuts.

    [14] Home canning and harvesting (Long term planning)

    If you have a garden you can also can your excess. You can make preserves. You can make apple butter. You can make hot vegetable mix. You can make pickles. You can make homemade salsa. You can make and can re-fried beans. You can make all sorts of things, and once you get started you will never be hungry ever again.

    Homemade hot mix. Pickled vegetables with hot peppers.

    Conclusion

    I know many of you will be “rolling your eyes” at my crazy old fashioned ideas and suggestions regarding food and local social services. But please listen to me. I do know what I am talking about.

    I just want to put it forth, and posit that in order for us to adapt and survive, we need to be a Rufus. We need to know all the Rufus organizations around us and we need to contribute to the community in whatever means we have. If you are in this situation now, please take heed of my advice, and try to implement some of these suggestions. Not all of them are perfect and ideal for your situation, but you can be rest assured that they will serve to help you during times of need.

    Listen to me, not eating for a few weeks really sucks. And if you are in the United States there is absolutely no reason for this to occur.

    Stop letting your fears or ideas of what might wait behind that heavy bolted door stop you from stepping inside. Do not let any Hollywood notions of what a Soup Kitchen is stop you from grabbing a healthy meal, and stop listening to the non-stop 24-7 consumer nonsense blasted at you and your family.

    Eggs are cheap. Really cheap. Potatoes and onions are cheap. Do you want a good filling meal for under $1 USD?

    Try cooking sliced potatoes and onions together with salt and pepper, and then add two eggs, and two (cheapest brand) chicken hotdogs from the freezer. You will be full, you will be fine, and your stomach won’t be growling.

    For comparison, one Burger King Meal will equal about eight of these healthier and easy to make meals.

    Then start giving back to your community.

    After a good six months on this program you will find your health is better, your weight is lower, your stress is down, and you will be part of a community which will greatly improve your life. If you are not good at interacting with people, turn to our spouse…

    …you are never alone.

    And their (her) abilities in networking and making friends will astound you. My experience has proven this point time and time again.

    And remember, everything is temporary.

    The bad will end.

    But now, if you are in this particular situation, know that this is just the start of some really good things.

    It’s a crazy life that we live. Just ride with it. Seek the Rufus’s they are everywhere.

     

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    Some gotta win, and some gotta lose

    Well, It has been a year, but I finally got my house back from the clutches of some evil fiends that used it, stole it, abused it, and seemingly got away with their crimes. But do not be so sure that what appears on the surface is what actually going on.

    Here we are going to use this example to discuss some pretty complex issues. And it know that it is going to upset a few people in the process.

    Background

    About the background of this particular issue. Let it be well understood that I have discussed this elsewhere on MM, but will recap a summary here.

    When the Coronavirus hit China during CNY (Chinese New Year) in 2020, China went DEFCON ONE and locked the entire nation down. It was solid, and all life, business and everything stopped. Cities that had thousands, if not millions of workers emptied out. The workers went home. And they closed their rental agreements in the homes that they were renting out in the cities.

    People like MM, here, who own multiple properties suddenly found all of our tenants leaving. Our apartments going empty, and our secondary sources of income dropping to zero.

    Well, suddenly we are approached by a large “reputable” company that rents out houses like ours. They are nationwide, enormous in size, and offered to rend our house out within one month at a premium price. Honestly, at the time, we didn’t believe it. It sounded too good to be true. But we figured, what did we have to lose?

    And sure enough, two weeks later, we got a tenant who will pay full rent of 7000/month, locked into a one year contract, and would move in as soon as we repainted the interior, bought new furniture, bought a new television, refrigerator and washing machine.

    So we signed the contract, and bought the furniture. And they moved in.

    But there was something strange. Instead of the 7000/month payment, they only paid 3000. Why was this?

    Seems pretty strange huh?

    Yes. It did seem strange.

    And then one week later the offices didn’t answer our phones calls. The sales representatives all over the nation went silent. And we discovered that the owner and the executives  stole billions of RMB, or hundreds of millions of US dollars and went into hiding.

    That left us homeowners with unpaid house rent. Renters who are now “deadbeats” living in our homes, and locked into a year contract (or longer. Some up to 3 years.)

    Outcome of all this

    Well, long story short.

    We followed up with legal action that resulted in nothing. The courts ruled in favor of the tenants, and told us to take a lawsuit against the company, which no longer exists, and who’s owners have new identities and living out of the country in luxurious mansions with bodyguards.

    We lost, all told perhaps 200,000 which was lost income from rent, and the attorney and filing costs. This is a lot of money from MM, and the entire year of 2020, MM personal lifestyle (personally and family) was severely contracted.

    The guy who ran off was killed. Rather quickly. Suddenly and with zero emotion. The assassins even went out and ate noodles afterwards.

    And after a terms of the contact, we went people over to open the door to our house and tidy it up so that we can get new tenants…

    And this is what we found.

    Click on the picture to view the video.

    You can download and watch the video HERE, or get a zipped file HERE.

    What was the sum total of damage?

    These jackasses skipped town, leaving me with sewer, water, electricity,maintenance, security, and management fees that had accrued.

    They stole the new television, the new washing machine, and the new coffee table. The new furniture, as you can see are completely destroyed.

    The ruins that they left behind and all the junk needs to be hauled off, the damage repaired, and the apartment repainted, and new replacement furniture obtained.

    Perhaps 50,000.

    Total cost of this fiasco all told?

    250,000 RMB

    We would have been far better off just locking up the house and not renting it out.

    What are my options?

    From here what shall I do?

    [1] Move on, and forget.

    This is what I want to do.

    Bad people, base their activity on sensible people moving forward with their lives. They take advantage of this and use it for their own personal gain. 
    
    Sensible people don't want to have anything to do with these bad people. As the more you get involved with them, like a "tar baby", the more shit sticks to you. 
    
    So sensible people just move on with their lives. And bad people keep on being bad.
    
    Not a good thing. But sometimes' it's best to turn a bad thing into an expensive lesson.

    I want to move on and forget.

    [2] Forgive, then forget.

    Ah. This is the Christian thing to do.

    This is the Christian thing to do, right?
    
    This is also the thing that evil psychopathic personalities, corrupt bureaucracies, and the habitually evil want. they want you to keep on being the victim. They want to hurt others, gain personally, and then be immune from any kinds of retribution, payback, karma or consequences.
    
    Forgiveness appears to be the "right" thing to do. 
    
    However, evil people rely on it to continue their malevolent actions, and those that forgive get entangled (in a quantum sense) so that more bad actions are attracted to them personally.
    
    Not a good thing.

    The Christian thing is to forgive the bad people, and then pretend that it never happened.

    [3] Pay the money to hunt them down and hurt them.

    This is a real option available to me.

    I can have the entire family killed for 33,000 RMB. But is it worth it?
    
    Or, alternatively, I can go after them myself. It might seem that I might save some money, but it will actually cost more in the long run, distract from my life, and really be a pain in the ass to do.
    
    Not a good thing.
    
    But you know, it's just money. It's only things. It could have been a lot worse. And by being on this world-line path that has this kind of event instead of nuclear war, I'd take this world-line over it any day.
    
    So keep in mind that this is the real world. Not Hollywood. You don't just off some bad evil people because they busted up your house. It's not worth my time, my money, my thoughts, and my efforts.
    
    Phooey! On this option.

    Not a good thing.

    [4] Use my MM abilities to send them to the cornfield

    This is a pain in the ass to do, but it will achieve my goals.

    I suppose that all consciousnesses are neutral and good. But many have actions that don't really seem to indicate this. 
    
    Would any "teaching" efforts on my part prevent them from hurting others? 
    
    Would it help them learn from personal consequences? 
    
    Is it my role, even though they entered my life, is it MY ROLE to teach them anything?
    
    By doing and taking the action to actually "send them to the cornfield", it will entangle me further with their vile nature... unless I take specific actions to prevent that kind of entanglement.

    Sometimes you have to do things that you do not want to do.

    And what I am actually going to do…

    I just want [1] the bad people to stay away from us, but also [2] do not want them to hurt others. So which of the four actions listed above will accomplish this goal?

    What do you think?

    Yup.

    They are going to the cornfield.

    I hope that the butt spanking will be sufficient to prevent their evil, vile and destructive behaviors from affecting anyone else. And maybe, just maybe they will start to contribute to society instead of being a big drain on it.

    It is done.

    Sometimes you must do what you do not want to do.

    And I am sorry for busting up your illusions on MM being a good, kind gentle soul. Sometimes you have to put a rabid dog down. And someone has to pick up the gun and do it. As distasteful as it is.
    
    And I guess it's me simply because there is no one else willing and available to handle this distasteful matter.
    
    I am just the last one in a long, line of others that either [1] looked the other way, or [2] forgave and forgot. 
    
    And because no one else had the strength to put the crazed rabid dog down, it arrived on my door-step.
    
    And now, it's up to me. The ball has dropped. And I am the one picking it up.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Happiness Index here…

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    A look at the report “alien interview” by MM parsing items deemed thousands of years old

    I have presented the PDF titled “Alien Interview” to the readership. It is supposed to be the transcripts of the interview that a nurse had with an extraterrestrial entity that was recovered from a spaceship crash in Roswell, New Mexico. There is a lot of good stuff there, and some things that run counter to what I know and understand to be true. My intention here is to parse the entire book, and compare it to what I know. Where the two diverge, it will be up to you (the readership) to sort it out.

    In the transcript the extraterrestrial jumps all over. And in many instances he seems to reflect normal regular human feelings and attitudes about issues (such as the platypus) and you can read it and miss many things as it is a dated document translated by a nurse in 1947. In order to best sort it out, to a frame of reference that we can all understand, I am now (in this series of articles) going to separate the “Alien Interview” document into sections categorized by dates.

    The extraterrestrial discussed period of time in…

    • Trillions of years. (Birth of consciousness, universe creation.)
    • Billions of years. (Galaxy creation, and early civilizations.)
    • Millions of years. (Local events in our region, and mankind.)
    • Thousands of years. (A scope most important to humans.)

    In this article we will discuss the time scope of thousands of years.

    Because the text will be taken out of the document, there might be some discontinuity in the text. In any case, I would advise reading the entire full document for a better understanding of context. Further, keep in mind that the purpose of this particular post / article is to separate the transcript into wide categories depending on the span of times discussed. I fear that the extraterrestrial was talking about a few thousand years in the past, then jumped to trillions of years ago, jumps to millions of years ago, jumps to decades, and then back to billions of years ago. This effort is to help sort things out chronologically.

    The text segments…

    "What would you like to say, Airl?", I asked. "I have been a part of the Domain Expeditionary Force in this sector of space for several thousand years.  However, I have not personally had intimate contact with beings on Earth since 5,965 BCE.   It is not my primary function to interact with inhabitants of planets within The Domain.   I am an Officer, Pilot and Engineer, with many duties to perform. Nonetheless, although I am fluent in 347 other languages within The Domain, I have not been exposed to your English language.
    
    The last Earth language with which I was conversant was the Sanskrit language of the Vedic Hymns. At that time I was a member of a mission sent to investigate the loss of a Domain base located in the Himalaya Mountains. An entire battalion of officers, pilots, communications and administrative personnel disappeared and the base destroyed.

    One of my duties involved interrogation of the human population that inhabited the adjoining area at that time.  Many of the people in that region reported sighting "vimanas" or space craft in the area.
    
    Following the logical extension of evidence, testimony, observation, as well as the absence of certain evidence, I led my team to the discovery that there were still "Old Empire" ships and well-hidden "Old Empire" installations in this solar system of which we had been completely unaware.

    "Airl told me her reasons for coming to Earth and for being in the area of the 509th Bomber Squadron. She was sent by her superior officers to investigate the explosions of nuclear weapons which have been tested in New Mexico. Her superiors ordered her to gather information from the atmosphere that could be used to determine the extent of radiation and potential harm this might cause to the environment. During her mission, the space craft was struck by a lighting, which caused her to lose control and crash.

    Airl was, and still is, an officer, pilot and engineer in an expeditionary force which is part of a space opera civilization which refers to itself as "The Domain".  This civilization controls a vast number of galaxies, stars, planets, moons and asteroids throughout an area of space that is approximately one-fourth of the entire physical universe!    The continuing mission of her organization is to "Secure, control and expand the territory and resources of The Domain".
    
    Airl pointed out that their own activities were very similar in many ways to the European explorers who "discovered" and "claimed" the New World for The Holy Father, The Pope and for the kings of Spain, Portugal and later, Holland, England, France and so forth. Europe benefited from the property "acquired" from the native inhabitants.  However, the native inhabitants were never consulted with or asked for their permission to become a part of the "domain" of European nations and the soldiers and priests they sent to acquire territory and wealth in order to advance their interests.
    
    Airl said she read in a history book that the Spanish king regretted the brutal treatment of the native inhabitants by his soldiers.   He feared retribution from the gods he worshipped, as described in the various testaments of the Bible.   He asked the Pope to prepare a statement called "The Requirement" which was supposed to be read to each of the newly encountered native inhabitants.
    
    The king hoped that the statement, whether it was accepted or rejected by the natives, would absolve the King of all responsibility for the resulting slaughter and enslavement of these people. He used this statement as justification to confiscate their lands and possessions by his soldiers and the Pope's priests.    Apparently, the Pope, personally, did not have any feelings of guilt or responsibility in the matter.
    
    Airl thought that such actions were those of a coward and that it is no surprise that the territory of Spain was diminished so quickly. Only a few years later the king was dead and his empire had been assimilated by other nations.
    
    Airl said that this sort of  behavior does not occur in The Domain.   Their leaders assume full responsibility for the actions of The Domain, and would not denigrate themselves in this fashion.   Nor do they fear any gods or have any regret for their actions. This idea reinforces my earlier suggestion that Airl and her people are probably atheists.
    
    In the case of the acquisition of Earth by The Domain, the rulers of The Domain have chosen not to openly reveal this intention to the "native inhabitants" of Earth until a later time when it may, or may not, suit their interests to reveal themselves.   For the present time, it is not strategically necessary to make the presence of The Domain Expeditionary Force known to Mankind.                          In fact, until now, it has been very aggressively hidden, for reasons that will be revealed later.
    
    The asteroid belt near Earth is a very small, but important location for The Domain in this part of space.   Actually, some of the objects in our solar system are very valuable for use as low-gravity "space stations".     They are interested primarily in the low gravity satellites in this solar system which consists mainly of the side of the moon facing away from Earth and the asteroid belt, which was a planet that was destroyed billions of years ago, and to a lesser degree, Mars and Venus.   Domed structures synthesized from gypsum or underground bases covered by electromagnetic force screens are easily constructed to house the Domain forces.
    
    Once an area of space is acquired by The Domain and becomes a part of the territory under its control, it is treated as the "property" of The Domain.  The space station near the planet Earth is important only because it lay along a path of The Domain expansion route toward the center of the Milky Way galaxy and beyond.    Of course, everyone in The Domain is aware of this -- except for the people of Earth."

    "Airl described the abilities of an IS-BE officer of The Domain to me, and she demonstrated one to me when she contacted -- telepathically -- a communications officer of The Domain who is stationed in the asteroid belt.
    
    The asteroid belt is composed of thousands of broken up pieces of a planet that once existed between Mars and Jupiter.    It serves as a good low-gravity jumping off point for incoming space craft traveling toward the center of our galaxy.
    
    She requested that this officer consult information stored in the "files" of The Domain, concerning the history of Earth.     She asked the communications officer to "feed" this information to Airl. The communications officer immediately complied with the request. Based on the information stored in the files of The Domain, Airl was able to give me a brief overview or "history lesson".  This is what Airl told me that The Domain had observed about the history of Earth:
    
    She told me that The Domain Expeditionary Force first entered into the Milky Way galaxy very recently -- only about 10,000 years ago.  Their first action was to conquer the home planets of the "Old Empire" (this is not the official name, but a nick-name given to the conquered civilization by The Domain Forces) that served as the seat of central government for this galaxy, and other adjoining regions of space. These planets are  located in the star systems in the tail of the Big Dipper constellation. She did not mention which stars, exactly.
    
    About 1,500 years later The Domain began the installation bases for their own forces along the path of invasion which leads toward the center of this galaxy and beyond.   About 8,200 years ago The Domain forces set up a base on Earth in the Himalaya Mountains near the border of modern Pakistan and Afghanistan.   This was a base for a battalion of The Domain Expeditionary Force, which included about 3,000 members.
    
    They set up a base under or inside the top of a mountain.  The mountain top was drilled into and made hollow to create an area large enough to house the ships and personnel of that force. An electronic illusion of the mountain top was then created to hide the base by projecting a false image from inside the mountain against a "force screen".    The ships could then enter and exit through the force screen, yet remain unseen by homo sapiens.
    
    Shortly after they settled there the base was surprised by an attack from a remnant of the military forces of the "Old Empire". Unbeknownst to The Domain, a hidden, underground base on Mars, operated by the "Old Empire", had existed for a very long time.  The Domain base was wiped out by a military attack from the Mars base and the IS-BEs of The Domain Expeditionary Force were captured.
    
    You can imagine that The Domain was very upset about losing such a large force of officers and crew, so they sent other crews to Earth to look for them. Those crews were also attacked.   The captured IS-BEs from The Domain Forces were handled in the same fashion as all other IS-BEs who have been sent to Earth. They were each given amnesia, had their memories replaced with false pictures and hypnotic commands and sent to Earth to inhabit biological bodies. They are still a part of the human population today.
    
    After a very persistent and extensive investigation into the loss of their crews, The Domain discovered that "Old Empire" has been operating a very extensive, and very carefully hidden, base of operations in this part of the galaxy for millions of years.   No one knows exactly how long.  Eventually, the space craft of the "Old Empire" forces and The Domain engaged each other in open combat in the space of the solar system.
    
    According to Airl, there was a running battle between the "Old Empire" forces and The Domain until about 1235 AD, when The Domain forces finally destroyed the last of the space craft of the "Old Empire" force in this area.   The Domain Expeditionary Force lost many of its own ships in this area during that time also.
    
    About 1,000 years later the "Old Empire" base was discovered by accident in the spring of 1914 AD. The discovery was made when the body of the Archduke of Austria   was "taken over" by an officer of The Domain Expeditionary Force. This officer, who was stationed in the asteroid belt, was sent to Earth on a routine mission to gather reconnaissance.
    
    The purpose of this "take over" was to use the body as a "disguise" through which to infiltrate human society in order to gather information about current events on Earth.  he officer, as an IS-BE, having greater power than the being inhabiting the body of the Archduke, simply "pushed" the being out and took over control of the body.
    
    However, this officer did not realize how much the Hapsburgs were hated by feuding factions in the country, so he was caught off guard when the body of the Archduke  was assassinated by a Bosnian student.  The officer, or IS-BE, was suddenly "knocked out" of the body when it was shot by the assassin.         Disoriented, the IS-BE inadvertently penetrated one of the "amnesia force screens" and was captured.

    Eventually The Domain discovered that a wide area of space is monitored by an "electronic force field" which controls all of the IS-BEs in this end of the galaxy, including Earth.  The electronic force screen is designed to detect IS-BEs and prevent them from leaving the area.
    
    If any IS-BE attempts to penetrate the force screen, it "captures" them in a kind of "electronic net".   The result is that the captured IS-BE is subjected to a very severe "brainwashing" treatment which erases the memory of the IS-BE.  This process uses a tremendous electrical shock, just like Earth psychiatrists use "electric shock therapy" to erase the memory and personality of a "patient" and to make them more "cooperative".
    
    On Earth this "therapy" uses only a few hundred volts of electricity.    However, the electrical voltage used by the "Old Empire" operation against IS-BEs is on the order of magnitude of billions of volts!  This tremendous shock completely wipes out all the memory of the IS- BE.  The memory erasure is not just for one life or one body.  It wipes out all of the accumulated experiences of a nearly infinite past, as well as the identity of the IS-BE!
    
    The shock is intended to make it impossible for the IS-BE to remember who they are, where they came from, their knowledge or skills, their memory of the past, and ability to function as a spiritual entity.   They are overwhelmed into becoming a mindless, robotic non-entity.
    
    After the shock a series of post hypnotic suggestions are used to install false memories, and a false time orientation in each IS-BE. This includes the command to "return" to the base after the body dies, so that the same kind of shock and hypnosis can be done again, and again, again -- forever.  The hypnotic command also tells the "patient" to forget to remember.
    
    What The Domain learned from the experience of this officer is that the "Old Empire" has been using Earth as a "prison planet" for a very long time -- exactly how long is unknown -- perhaps millions of years.
    
    So, when the body of the IS-BE dies they depart from the body. They are detected by the "force screen", they are captured and   "ordered" by hypnotic command to "return to the light".   The idea of "heaven" and the "afterlife" are part of the hypnotic suggestion -- a part of the treachery that makes the whole mechanism work.
    
    After the IS-BE has been shocked and hypnotized to erase the memory of the life just lived,  the IS-BE is immediately "commanded", hypnotically, to "report" back to Earth, as though they were on a secret mission, to inhabit a new body.  Each IS-BE is told that they have a special purpose for being on Earth. But, of course there is no purpose for being in a prison -- at least not for the prisoner.
    
    Any undesirable IS-BEs who are sentenced to Earth were classified as "untouchable" by the "Old Empire".  This included anyone that the "Old Empire" judged to be criminals who are too vicious to be reformed or subdued, as well as other criminals such as sexual perverts, or beings unwilling to do any productive work.
    
    An "untouchable" classification of IS-BEs also includes a wide variety of "political prisoners".   This includes IS-BEs who are considered to be noncompliant "free thinkers" or "revolutionaries" who make trouble for the governments of the various planets of the "Old Empire". Of course, anyone with a previous military record against the "Old Empire" is also shipped off to Earth.
    
    A list of "untouchables" include artists, painters, singers, musicians, writers, actors, and performers of every kind.   For this reason Earth has more artists per capita than any other planet in the "Old Empire".
    
    "Untouchables" also include intellectuals, inventors and geniuses in almost every field. Since everything the "Old Empire" considers valuable has long since been invented or created over the last few trillion years, they have no further use for such beings. This includes skilled managers also, which are not needed in a society of obedient, robotic citizens.
    
    Anyone who is not willing or able to submit to mindless  economic, political and religious servitude as a tax-paying worker in the class system of the "Old Empire" are "untouchable" and sentenced to receive memory wipe-out and permanent imprisonment on Earth.
    
    The net result is that an IS-BE is unable to escape because they can't remember who they are, where they came from, where they are. They have been hypnotized to think they are someone, something, sometime, and somewhere other than where they really are.
    
    The Domain officer who was "assassinated" while in the body of Archduke of Austria was, likewise, captured by the "Old Empire" force. Because this particular officer was a high powered IS-BE, compared to most, he was taken away to a secret "Old Empire" base under the surface of the planet Mars.  They put him into a special electronic prison cell and held him there.
    
    Fortunately, this Domain officer was able to escape from the underground base after 27 years in captivity.   When he escaped from the "Old Empire" base, he returned immediately to his own base in the asteroid belt.   His commanding officer ordered that a battle cruiser be dispatched to the coordinates of the base provided by this officer and to destroy that base completely. This "Old Empire" base was located a few hundred miles north of the equator on Mars in the Cydonia region.
    
    Although the military base of the "Old Empire" was destroyed, unfortunately, much of the vast machinery of the IS-BE force screens, the electroshock / amnesia / hypnosis machinery continues to function in other undiscovered locations right up to the present moment.  The main base or control center for this "mind control prison" operation has never been found. So, the influences of this base, or bases, are still in effect.
    
    The Domain has observed that since the "Old Empire" space forces were destroyed there is no one left to actively prevent other planetary systems from bringing their own "untouchable" IS-BEs to Earth from all over this galaxy, and from other galaxies nearby.    Therefore, Earth has become a universal dumping ground for this entire region of space.
    
    This, in part, explains the very unusual mix of races, cultures, languages, moral codes, religious and political influences among the IS-BE population on Earth.  The number and variety of heterogeneous societies on Earth are extremely unusual on a normal planet.   Most "Sun Type 12, Class 7" planets are inhabited by only one humanoid body type or race, if any.
    
    In addition, most of the ancient civilizations of Earth, and many of the events of Earth have been heavily influenced by the hidden, hypnotic operation of the "Old Empire" base.  So far, no one has figured out exactly where and how this operation is run, or by whom because it is so heavily protected by screens and traps.
    
    Furthermore, there has been no operation undertaken to seek out, discover and destroy the vast and ancient network of electronics machinery that create the IS-BE force screens at this end of the galaxy. Until this has been done, we are not able to prevent or interrupt the electric shock operation, hypnosis and remote thought control of the "Old Empire" prison planet.
    
    Of course all of the crew members of The Domain Expeditionary Force now remain aware of this phenomena at all times while operating in this solar system space so as to prevent detection and the capture by "Old Empire" traps."

    "The Domain Expeditionary Force has observed a resurgence in science and culture of the Western world since 1150 AD when the remaining remnants of the space fleet of the "Old Empire" in this solar system were destroyed.
    
    The influence of the remote control hypnosis operation diminished slightly after that time, but still remains largely in force.
    
    Apparently a small amount of damage was done to the "Old Empire" remote mind control operation which resulted in a small decrease in the power of this mechanism.
    
    As a result, some memory of technologies that IS-BEs already knew before they came to Earth started to be remembered. Thereafter the oppression of knowledge that is called the "Dark Ages" in Europe began to diminish after that time.
    
    Since then knowledge of the basic laws of physics and electricity have revolutionized Earth culture virtually overnight.
    
    The ability to remember technology by many of the geniuses in the IS-BE population of Earth was partially restored, when not so actively suppressed as it was before 1150 AD. Sir Isaac Newton, is one of the best examples of this. In only a few decades he single-handedly reinvented several major and fundamental scientific and mathematical disciplines.
    
    The men who "remembered" these sciences already knew them before they were sent to Earth. Ordinarily, no one would ever observe or discover as much about science and mathematics in a single life-time, or even in a few hundred life-times.    These subjects have taken civilizations billions and billions of years to create!
    
    IS-BEs on Earth have only just begun to remember small fragments of all the technologies that exist throughout the universe.   Theoretically, if the amnesia mechanisms being used against Earth could be broken entirely, IS-BEs would regain all of their memory!
    
    Unfortunately, similar advances have not been seen in the humanities as the IS-BEs of Earth continue to behave very badly toward each other.  This behavior, however, is heavily influenced by the "hypnotic commands" given to each IS-BE between lifetimes.
    
    And, the very unusual combination of "inmates" on Earth - criminals, perverts, artists, revolutionaries and geniuses - is the cause of a very restive and tumultuous environment.   The purpose of the prison planet is to keep IS-BEs on Earth, forever. Promoting ignorance, superstition, and war between IS-BEs helps to keep the prison population crippled and trapped behind "the wall" of electronic force screens.
    
    IS-BEs have been dumped on Earth from all over the galaxy, adjoining galaxies, and from planetary systems all over the "Old Empire", like Sirius, Aldebaron, the Pleiades, Orion, Draconis, and countless others. There are IS- BEs on Earth from unnamed races, civilizations, cultural backgrounds, and planetary environments. Each of the various IS-BE populations have their own languages, belief systems, moral values, religious beliefs, training and unknown and untold histories.
    
    These IS-BEs are mixed together with earlier inhabitants of Earth who came from another star system more than 400,000 years ago to establish the civilizations of Atlanta and Lemuria.   Those civilizations vanished beneath the tidal waves caused by a planetary "polar shift", many thousands of years before the current "prison" population started to arrive.  Apparently, the IS-BEs from those star systems were the source of the original, oriental races of Earth, beginning in Australia.
    
    On the other hand, the civilizations set up on Earth by the "Old Empire" prison system were very different from the civilization of the "Old Empire" itself, which is an electronic space opera, atomic powered conglomeration of earlier civilizations that were conquered with nuclear weapons and colonized by IS-BEs from another galaxy.
    
    The bureaucracy that controlled the former "Old Empire" was from an ancient space opera society, run by a totalitarian confederation of planetary governments, regulated by a brutal social, economic, and political hierarchy, with a royal monarch as its figurehead.
    
    This type of government emerges with regularity on planets where the citizens abandon personal responsibility for autonomous, self-regulation. They frequently lose their freedom to demented IS-BEs who suffer from an overwhelming paranoia that every other IS-BE is their enemy who must be controlled or destroyed. Their closest friends and allies, whom they espouse to love and cherish, are literally "loved to death" by them.
    
    Because such IS-BEs exist, The Domain has learned that freedom must be won and maintained through eternal vigilance and the ability to use defensive force to maintain it.
    
    As a result, The Domain has already conquered the governing planet of the "Old Empire".  The civilization of The Domain, although considerably younger and smaller in size, is already more powerful, better organized, and united by an egalitarian esprit de corps never known in the history of the "Old Empire".
    
    The recently despoiled German totalitarian state on Earth was similar to the "Old Empire", but not nearly as brutal, and about ten thousand times less powerful. Many of the IS- BEs on Earth are here because they are violently opposed to totalitarian government, or because they were so psychotically vicious that they could not be controlled by "Old Empire" government.
    
    Consequently, the population of Earth is disproportionately comprised of a very high percentage of such beings.  The conflicting cultural and ethical moral codes of the IS-BEs on Earth is unusual in the extreme.
    
    The Domain conquest of the central "Old Empire" planets was fought with electronic cannon. The citizens of the planets forming the core of government for the "Old Empire" are a filthy, degraded, slave society of mindless, tax-paying workers, who practice cannibalism. Violent automotive race tracks and bloody, Roman circus type entertainments are their only amusements.
    
    Regardless of any reasonable justification we may have had for using atomic weapons to vanquish the planets of the "Old Empire", The Domain is careful not to ruin the resources of those planets by using weapons of crude, radioactive force.
    
    The government of the "Old Empire", before being supplanted by The Domain, was comprised of beings who possessed a very craven intelligence, very much like the Axis powers during your recent world war.    Those beings manifested precisely the same behavior as the galactic government that exiled them to eternal imprisonment on Earth.  They were a gruesome reminder of the ageless maxim that an IS-BE will often manifest the treatment they have received from others.
    
    Kindness fosters kindness. Cruelty begets cruelty.   One must be able and willing to use force, tempered with intelligence, to prevent harm to the innocent. However, extraordinary understanding, self- discipline and courage are required to effectively prevent brutality, without being overwhelmed by the malice that motivated the brutality.
    
    Only a demonic, self-serving government would employ a "logic" or "science" to conceive that an "ultimate solution" to any problem is to murder and permanently erase the memory of every artist, genius, skilled manager, and inventor, and cast them into a planetary prison together with political opponents, killers, thieves, perverts, and disabled beings of an entire galaxy!
    
    Once the IS-BEs expelled from the "Old Empire" arrived on Earth, they were given amnesia, and hypnotically tricked into thinking that something else had happened to them. The next step was to implant the IS-BEs into biological bodies on Earth.   The bodies became the human populations of "false civilizations" which were designed and installed in the minds of IS-BEs to look completely unlike the "Old Empire".
    
    All of the IS-BEs of India, Egypt, Babylon, Greece, Rome, and Medieval Europe were guided to pattern and build the cultural elements of these societies based on standard patterns developed by the IS-BEs of many earlier, similar civilizations on "Sun Type 12, Class 7" planets that have existed for trillions of years throughout the universe.
    
    In the earliest times the IS-BEs sent to prison Earth lived in India.        They gradually spread into Mesopotamia, Egypt, Mesoamerica, Achaea, Greece, Rome, Medieval Europe, and to the New World.  They were hypnotically "commanded" to follow the pattern of a given civilization by the "Old Empire" prison operators.   This is an effective mechanism to disguise the actual time and location from the IS-BEs imprisoned on Earth.  The languages, costumes and culture of each false civilization are intended to reinforce amnesia because they do not remind the IS-BEs on Earth of the original "Old Empire" planets from which they were deported.
    
    On the very far back-track of time these types of civilizations tended to repeat themselves over and over because the IS-BEs who created them become familiar with certain patterns and styles, and stayed with them.  It is a lot of work to invent an entire civilization, complete with culture, architecture, language, customs, mathematics, moral values, and so forth. It is much easier to replicate a copy based on a familiar and successful pattern.
    
    A "Sun Type 12, Class 7" planet is the designation given to a planet inhabited by carbon-oxygen based life forms.  The class of the planet is based on the size and radiation intensity of the star, the distance of the planetary orbit from the star, and the size, density, gravity, and chemical composition of the planet.
    
    Likewise, flora and fauna are designated and identified according to the star type and class of planet they inhabit.
    
    On the average, the percentage of planets in the physical universe with a breathable atmosphere is relatively small. Most planets do not have an atmosphere upon which life-forms "feed", as on Earth, where the chemical composition of the atmosphere provides nutrition to plants, and other organisms, which in turn support other life forms.
    
    When the Domain Force brought the Vedic Hymns to the Himalayas region 8,200 years ago, some human societies already existed. The Aryan people invaded and conquered India , bringing the Vedic Hymns to the area.
    
    The Vedas were learned by them, memorized and carried forward verbally for 7,000 years before being committed to written form. During that span of time one of the officers of The Domain Expeditionary Force was incarnated on Earth as "Vishnu".   He is described many times in the Rig-Veda.  He is still considered to be a god by the Hindus.   Vishnu fought in the religious wars against the "Old Empire" forces. He is a very able and aggressive IS-BE as well as a highly effective officer, who has since been reassigned to other duties in The Domain.
    
    This entire episode was orchestrated as an attack and revolt against the Egyptian pantheon installed by "Old Empire" administrators.  The conflict was intended to help free humankind from implanted elements of the false civilization that focused attention on many "gods" and superstitious ritual worship demanded by the priests who "managed" them.  It is all part of the mental manipulation by the "Old Empire" to hide their criminal actions against the IS-BEs on Earth.
    
    A priesthood, or prison guards, were used to help reinforce the idea that an individual is only a biological body and is not an Immortal Spiritual Being. The individual has no identity. The individuals have no past lives.
    
    The individual has no power.   Only the gods have power. And, the gods are a contrivance of the priests who intercede between men and the gods they serve. Men are slaves to the dictates of the priests who threaten eternal spiritual punishment if men do not obey them.
    
    What else would one expect on a prison planet where all prisoners have amnesia, and the priests themselves are prisoners?
    
    The intervention of The Domain Force on Earth has not been entirely successful due to the secret mind-control operation of the "Old Empire" that still continues to operate.
    
    A battle was waged between the "Old Empire" forces and The Domain through religious conquest. Between 1500 BCE and about 1200 BCE, The Domain Forces attempted to teach the concept of an individual, Immortal Spiritual Being, to several influential beings on Earth.
    
    One such instance resulted in a very tragic misunderstanding, misinterpretation and misapplication of the concept.   The idea was perverted and applied to mean that there is only one IS-BE, instead of the truth that everyone is an IS-BE!  Obviously, this was a gross incomprehension and an utter unwillingness to take responsibility for one's own power.
    
    The "Old Empire" priests managed to corrupt the concept of individual immortality into the idea that there is only one, all-powerful IS-BE, and that no one else is or is allowed to be an IS- BE. Obviously, this is the work of the "Old Empire" amnesia operation.
    
    It is easy to teach this altered notion to beings who do not want to be responsible for their own lives.  Slaves are such beings.  As long as one chooses to assign responsibility for creation, existence and personal accountability for one's own thoughts and actions to others, one is a slave.
    
    As a result, the concept of a single monotheistic "god" resulted and was promoted by many self-proclaimed prophets, such as the Jewish slave leader -- Moses -- who grew up in the household of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III and his son, Akhenaten and his wife Nefertiti, as well as his son Tutankhamen.
    
    The attempt to teach certain beings on Earth the truth that they are, themselves, IS-BEs, was part of a plan to overthrow the fictional, metaphorical, anthropomorphic panoply of gods created by the "Old Empire" mystery cult called "The Brothers of The Serpent" known in Egypt as the Priests of Amun. They were a very ancient, secret society within the "Old Empire".
    
    The Pharaoh Akhenaten was not a very intelligent being, and was heavily influenced by his personal ambition for self- glorification.     He altered the concept of the individual spiritual being and embodied the concept in the sun god, Aten.     His pitiful existence was soon ended.  He was assassinated by Maya and Parennefer, two of the Priests of Amun, or "Amen", which the Christians still say, who represented the interests of the "Old Empire" forces.
    
    The idea of "One God" was perpetuated by the Hebrew leader Moses while he was in Egypt. He left Egypt with his adopted people, the Jewish slaves.         While they were crossing the desert, Moses was intercepted by an operative of the "Old Empire" near Mt. Sinai. Moses was tricked into believing that this operative was "the" One God through the use of hypnotic commands, as well as technical and aesthetic tricks which are commonly used by the "Old Empire" to trap IS-BEs.       Thereafter, the Jewish slaves, who trusted the word of Moses implicitly, have worshiped a single god they call "Yaweh".
    
    The name "Yaweh" means "anonymous", as the IS- BE who "worked with" Moses could not use an actual name or anything that would identify himself, or blow the cover of the amnesia / prison operation. The last thing the covert amnesia / hypnosis / prison system wants to do is to reveal themselves openly to the IS-BEs on Earth.  They feel that this would restore the inmates memories!
    
    This is the reason that all traces of physical encounters between operatives of space civilizations and humans is very carefully hidden, disguised, covered-up, denied or misdirected.
    
    This "Old Empire" operative contacted Moses on a desert mountain top and delivered the "Ten Hypnotic Commands" to him.   These commands are very forcefully worded, and compel an IS-BE into utter subservience to the will of the operator.   These hypnotic commands are still in effect and influence the thought patterns of millions of IS-BEs thousands of years later!
    
    Incidentally, we later discovered that the so- called "Yaweh" also wrote, programmed and encoded the text of the Torah, which when it is read literally, or in its decoded, form, will provide a great deal more false information to those who read it.
    
    Ultimately, the Vedic Hymns became the source of nearly all of Eastern the religions and were the philosophical source of the ideas common to Buddha, Laozi, Zoroaster, and other philosophers. The civilizing influences of these philosophies eventually replaced the brutal idolatry of the "Old Empire" religions and were the true genesis of kindness and compassion.
    
    You asked me earlier why The Domain, and other space civilizations do not land on Earth or make their presence known.
    
    Land on Earth?  Do you think we are crazy or want to be crazy?
    
    It takes a very brave IS-BE to come down through the atmosphere and land on Earth, because this is a prison planet, with a very uncontrolled, psychotic population.  And, no IS-BE is entirely proof against the risk of entrapment, as with the members of The Domain Expeditionary Force who were captured in the Himalayas 8,200 years ago.
    
    No one knows what IS-BEs on Earth are going to do.
    
    We are not scheduled to invest the resources of The Domain to take total control of all the space surrounding the area at this time.    This will occur in the not-too-distant future -- about 5,000 Earth years -- according to the time schedule of The Domain.  At this time we do not prevent transports from other planetary systems or galaxies from continuing to drop IS-BEs into the amnesia force screen area. Eventually, this will change.
    
    In addition, Earth, inherently, is a highly unstable planet. It is not suitable for settlement or permanent habitation for any sustainable civilization.     This is part of the reason why it is being used as a prison planet. No one else would seriously consider living here for a variety of simple and compelling reasons:
    
    The continental land masses of Earth are floating on a sea of molten lava beneath the surface which causes the land masses to crack, crumble and drift
    
    Because of the liquid nature of the core, the planet is largely volcanic and subject to earthquakes and volcanic explosion
    
    The magnetic poles of the planet shift radically about once every 20,000 years. This causes a greater or lesser degree of devastation as a result of tidal waves, and climatic
    
    Earth is very distant from the center of the galaxy and from any other significant galactic civilization. This isolation makes it unsuitable for use, except as a "pit stop" or jumping off point along the way between galaxies.  The moon and asteroids are far more suitable for this purpose because they do not have any significant gravity.
    
    Earth is a heavy gravity planet, with heavy metallic soil and a dense atmosphere. This makes it treacherous for navigational That fact that I am in this room, as the result of an in flight accident, in spite of the technology of my craft and my extensive expertise as a pilot, are proof of these facts.
    
    There are approximately sixty billion Earth- like (Sun Type 12, Class 7) planets in the Milky Way galaxy alone, not to mention the vast expanses of The Domain, and the territories we will claim in the future. It is difficult to stretch our resources to do much more than a periodic reconnaissance of Earth. Especially when there are no immediate advantages to invest resources
    
    On Earth most beings are not aware that they are IS-BEs, or that there are spirits of any kind. Many other beings are aware of this, but nearly everyone has a very limited understanding of themselves as an IS-BE.
    
    One of the reasons for this is that IS-BEs have been waging war against each other since the beginning of time.  The purpose of these wars have always been to establish domination by one IS-BE or group of IS-BEs over another. Since an IS-BE cannot be "killed", the objective has been to capture and immobilize IS-BEs.This has been done in an nearly unlimited variety of ways. The most basic method to capture and immobilize an IS-BE is through the use of various kinds of "traps".
    
    IS-BE traps have been made and put in place by many invading societies, such as the one that established the "Old Empire", beginning about sixty-four trillion years ago.  Traps are often set up in the "territory" of the IS-BEs being attacked.Usually a trap is set with the electronic wave of "beauty" to attract the interest and attention of the IS-BE. When the IS-BE moves toward the source of the aesthetic wave, such as a beautiful building or beautiful music, the trap is activated by the energy put out by the IS-BE.
    
    One of the most common trap mechanism uses the IS-BE's own thought energy output when the IS- BE tries to attack or fight back against the trap. The trap is activated and energized by the IS-BE's own thought energy. The harder the IS-BE fights against the trap, the more it pulls the IBS toward it and keeps them "stuck" in the trap.
    
    Throughout the entire history of this physical universe, vast areas of space have been taken over and colonized by IS-BE societies who invade and take over new areas of space in this fashion.   In the past, these invasions have always shared common elements:
    
    (1) the overwhelming use of force of arms, usually with nuclear or electronic mind control of the IS-BEs in the invaded area through the use of electroshock, drugs, hypnosis, erasure of memory and the implantation of false memory or false information intended to subjugate and enslave the local IS-BE
    
    (2) takeover of natural resources by the invading IS-BEs.
    
    (3) political, economic and social slavery of the local population.
    
    These activities continue in present time.   All of the IS-BEs on Earth have been members of one or more of these activities in the past, both as an invader, or as part of the population being invaded.  There are no "saints" in this universe.   Very few have avoided or been exempted from warfare between IS-BEs.
    
    IS-BEs on Earth are still the victims of this activity at this very moment.   The between- lives amnesia administered to IS-BEs is one of the mechanisms of an elaborate system of "Old Empire" IS-BE traps, that  prevent an IS-BE from escaping.
    
    This operation is managed by an illicit, renegade secret police force of the "Old Empire", using false provocation operations to disguise their activities in order to prevent detection by their own government, The Domain and by the victims of their activities. 
    
    They are mind-control methods developed by government psychiatrists.
    
    Earth is a "ghetto" planet.  It is the result of an intergalactic "Holocaust". IS-BEs have been sentenced to Earth either because:
    
    They are too viciously insane or perverse to function as part of any civilization, no matter how degraded or
    
    Or, they are a revolutionary threat to the social, economic and political caste system that has been so carefully built and brutally enforced in the "Old Empire". Biological bodies are specifically designed and designated as the lowest order of entity in the "Old Empire" caste system.   When an IS-BE is sent to Earth, and then tricked or coerced into operating in a biological body, they are actually in a prison, inside a...
    
    In an effort to permanently and irreversibly rid the "Old Empire" of such "untouchables", the eternal identity, memory, and abilities of every IS-BE is   forcefully erased.    This "final solution" was conceived and carried out by the psychopathic criminals who are controlled by the "Old Empire".
    
    The mass extermination of "untouchables" and prison camps created by Germany during World War II were recently revealed. Likewise, the IS-BEs of Earth are the victims of spiritual eradication and eternal slavery inside frail, biological bodies, inspired by the same kind of craven hatred in the "Old Empire".
    
    The kind and creative inmates of Earth are continuously tortured by butchers and lunatics who are controlled by the "Old Empire" prison operators. The so-called "civilizations" of Earth, from the age of useless pyramids to the age of nuclear holocaust, have been a colossal waste of natural resources, a perverted use of intelligence, and an overt oppression of the spiritual essence of every single IS-BE on the planet.
    
    If The Domain sent ships to every corner of the universe in search of "Hell", their quest could end on Earth. What greater brutality can be inflicted on anyone than to erase the spiritual awareness, identity,  ability, and memory that is the essence of oneself?
    
    The Domain has, as yet, been unable to rescue the 3,000 IS-BEs of the Expeditionary Force Battalion either.  
    
    They are forced to inhabit biological bodies on Earth.  We have been able to recognize and track most of them for the past 8,000 years. However, our attempts to communicate with them are usually futile, as they are unable to remember their true identity.
    
    The majority of lost members of The Domain force have followed the general progression of Western civilization from India, into the Middle East, then to Chaldea, and Babylon, into Egypt, through Achaia, Greece, Rome, into Europe, to the Western Hemisphere, and then all around the world.
    
    The members of the lost Battalion and many other IS-BEs on Earth, could be valuable citizens of The Domain, not including those who are vicious criminals or perverts. Unfortunately, there has been no workable method conceived to emancipate the IS-BEs from Earth.
    
    Therefore, as a matter of common logic, as well as the official policy of The Domain, it is safer and more sensible to avoid contact with the IS-BE population of Earth until such time as the proper resources can be allocated to locate and destroy the "Old Empire" force screen and amnesia machinery and develop a therapy to restore the memory of an IS-BE."

    "The actual history of Earth is very bizarre. It is so nonsensical that is it is incredible to anyone on Earth who attempts to investigate it. A myriad of vital information is missing from it. A huge conglomeration of non sequitur relics and mythology has been arbitrarily introduced into it.  The volatile nature of the Earth itself cyclically covers, drowns, mixes and shreds physical evidence.
    
    These factors, combined with amnesia and post- hypnotic suggestions, false facades and covert manipulation make  a reconstruction of the factual origins and history of Earth civilizations virtually indecipherable.    Any investigator, no matter how brilliant, is doomed to wallow in a quagmire of inconclusive assumptions, unworkable hypotheses, and perpetual mystery.
    
    Since The Domain does not suffer these afflictions, having the advantage of memory, longevity and an exterior point of view, I will add some clarification to your fragmentary knowledge of the history of Earth.
    
    These are some of the dates and events that are not mentioned in Earth history textbooks.
    
    These dates are significant because they provide some information concerning the influences of the "Old Empire" and of The Domain on Earth.
    
    Although I have attended several briefings by our mission control personnel on the general background of Earth within the past few hundred years, I will rely principally on data gathered from records captured after our invasion of the "Old Empire" planetary headquarters.  Since that time The Domain Expeditionary Force has tracked the general progress of events on Earth.
    
    As I mentioned, in some cases The Domain has chosen to intervene in certain affairs on Earth in order to ensure the success of our long term expansion plans.  Although The Domain has no interest in Earth, per se, or in the population of IS-BEs on this planet, it does serve our interests to ensure that the resources of Earth are not destroyed or spoiled. To that end, certain officers of The Domain have been sent to Earth on reconnaissance missions from time to time to gather information.
    
    However, the following dates and events have been extrapolated from the accumulated information in the data files of The Domain -- at least those that are accessible to me through the space station communications center.
    
    208,000 BCE --
    
    The establishment of the "Old Empire", whose headquarters were located near one of the "tail stars" in the Ursa Major (Big Dipper) Constellation of this galaxy.  The "Old Empire" invasion force conquered the area with nuclear weapons sometime earlier.  After the radioactivity subsided and the clean-up and restoration were completed, it received the immigration of beings from another galaxy into this galaxy.  Those beings set up a society that kept going until about 10,000 years ago when it was superseded by The Domain.
    
    Very recently Earth civilization has come to resemble aspects of that civilization, now that it has fallen out of its immediate control.  In particular, the appearance and technology of transportation such as planes, trains, ships, fire engines, and automobiles, as well as what you consider to be "modern" or "futuristic" architecture, which emulate the design of buildings in the major cities of the "Old Empire".
    
    Before 75,000 BCE --
    
    The Domain records contain very little information about the civilizations on the continental land masses of Atlanta and Lemur, except to note that they did coexist on Earth at more or less the same time.  Apparently, both civilizations were founded by remnants of electronic, space opera cultures who fled from their native planetary systems to escape political or religious persecution.
    
    The Domain knows that a long-standing edict of the "Old Empire" prohibits unauthorized colonization of planets.   Therefore, it is possible that their destruction was caused by police or military forces who pursued the colonists as criminals and destroyed them. Although this seems a likely supposition, no conclusive evidence exists that explains the complete destruction and disappearance of two entire electronic civilizations.
    
    Another possibility is that a massive submarine volcanic eruption in the region of Lake Toba, in Sumatra and Mt. Krakatoa in Java caused the destruction of Lemur. The flood waters caused by the eruption overwhelmed all the land masses, including the highest mountains. Survivors of the destruction of the civilization, the Lemurians, are the earliest ancestors of the Chinese.  Australia and the ocean areas to the north were the center of the Lemurian civilization and are the source of Oriental races.    Both civilizations possessed electronics, flight and similar technologies of space opera cultures.
    
    Apparently, the volcanic eruption expelled such a significant mass of molten rock that the resulting vacuum beneath the crust of Earth caused great areas of the land masses to sink below the oceans.  The continental areas occupied by both civilizations were covered with volcanic matter, and then submerged, leaving very little evidence that they ever existed except for legends of a global flood which prevail in every culture of the Earth, and for survivors who are the genus of oriental races and cultures.
    
    That kind of colossal volcanic explosion fills the stratosphere with toxic gases which are carried around the whole planet. The usual refuse of these volcanic eruptions can easily cause a rain that lasts for "40 days and 40 nights" due to atmospheric pollution as well as an extensive period during which radiation from the sun is deflected back into space, and cause global cooling. Certainly such an event would cause an ice age, extinctions of life forms and many other relatively long-term changes lasting thousands of years.
    
    Due to the myriad types of naturally occurring global cataclysmic events which are indigenous to Earth, it is not a suitable planet for habitation by IS-BEs.  In addition there have been occasional global cataclysms caused by IS- BEs such as the one that destroyed the  dinosaurs more than 70 million years ago.   That destruction was caused by intergalactic warfare during which time Earth, and many other neighboring moons and planets, were bombarded  by atomic weapons. Atomic explosions cause atmospheric fallout much like that of volcanic eruptions. Most of the planets in this sector of the galaxy have been uninhabitable deserts  since then.
    
    Earth is undesirable for many other reasons: heavy gravity and dense atmosphere, floods, earthquakes, volcanoes, polar shifts, continental drift, meteor impacts, atmospheric and climatic changes, to name a few. What kind of lasting civilization could any sophisticated culture propose to develop in such an environment?
    
    In addition, Earth is a small planet of a "rim star" of a galaxy.  This makes Earth very isolated geographically from the more concentrated planetary civilizations which exist toward the center of the galaxy. These obvious facts have made Earth suitable for use only as a zoological or botanical garden, or for its current use as a prison -- but not much else.
    
    Before 30,000 BCE --
    
    Earth started being used as a dumping ground and prison for IS-BEs who were judged "untouchable", meaning criminal or non- conformists. IS-BEs were captured, encapsulated in electronic traps and transported to Earth from various parts of the "Old Empire".  Underground "amnesia stations" were set up on Mars and on Earth in the Rwenzori Mountains in Africa, in the Pyrenees Mountains of Portugal, and in steppes of Mongolia.
    
    These electronic monitoring points create force screens designed to detect and capture IS-BEs, when the IS-BE departs the body at death.  IS- BEs are brainwashed using extreme electronic force in order to maintain Earth's population in state of perpetual amnesia.   Further population controls are installed through the use of long range electronic thought control mechanisms.
    
    These stations are still in operation and they are extremely difficult to attack or destroy, even for The Domain, which will not maintain a significant military force in this area until a later date.
    
    The pyramid civilizations were intentionally created as part of the IS-BE prison system on Earth. The pyramid is alleged to be the symbol for "wisdom".        However, the "wisdom" of the "Old Empire" on planet Earth is intended to operate as part of the elaborate amnesia "trap" consisting of MASS, MEANING and MYSTERY.   These are opposite to the qualities of an Immortal Spiritual Being which have no mass, or meaning. An IS-BE "is" solely because it thinks that it "is".
    
    MASS represents the physical universe, including objects such as stars, planets, gases, liquids, energy particles and tea cups. The Pyramids were very, very solid objects, as were all of the structures created by the "Old Empire".  Heavy, massive, dense, solid objects create the illusion of eternity.    Dead bodies wrapped in linen, soaked in resin, placed inside engraved golden coffins and entombed with Earthly possessions amid cryptic symbols create an illusion of eternal life.   However, dense, heavy physical universe symbols are the exact opposite of an IS-BE. An IS-BE has no mass or time.  Objects do not endure forever. An IS-BE "is" forever.
    
    MEANING:  False meanings prevent knowledge of the truth.
    
    The pyramid cultures of Earth are a fabricated illusion.  They are nothing more than "false civilizations" contrived by the "Old Empire" mystery cult called the Brothers of the Serpent.    False meanings were invented to create the illusion of a false society to further reinforce the amnesia mechanism among the intimates in the Earth prison system.
    
    MYSTERY is built of lies and half-truths.
    
    Lies cause persistence because they alter facts which are comprised of exact dates, places and events.     When truth is known, a lie no longer persists.   If the exact truth is revealed, it   is no longer a mystery.
    
    All of the pyramid civilizations of Earth were carefully contrived of layer upon layer of lies, skillfully combined with a few truths. The priest cult of the "Old Empire" combined sophisticated mathematics and space opera technology, with theatrical metaphors and symbolism.  All of these are complete fabrications of truth, baited with the allure of aesthetics and mystery.
    
    The intricate rituals, astronomical alignments, secret rites, massive monuments, marvelous architecture, artistically rendered hieroglyphs and man-animal "gods" were designed to create a unsolvable mystery for the IS-BE prison population on Earth.
    
    The mystery diverts attention away from the truth that IS-BEs have been captured, given amnesia and imprisoned on a planet far, far away from their home.
    
    The truth is that every single IS-BE on Earth came to Earth from some other planetary system. Not one person on Earth is a "native" inhabitant.    Human beings did not "evolve" on Earth.
    
    In the past, Egyptian society was run by the prison administrators or priests, who, in turn, manipulated a Pharaoh, controlled the treasury and kept the inmate population enslaved physically and spiritually. In modern times, the priests have changed, but the function is the same. However, now the priests are prisoners too.
    
    Mystery reinforces the walls of the prison.  The "Old Empire" feared that the IS-BEs on Earth might regain their memory.  Therefore, one of the primary functions of The "Old Empire" priesthood is to prevent IS-BEs on Earth from remembering who they really are, how they came to Earth, where they came from.
    
    The "Old Empire" operators of the prison system, and their superiors, do not want IS-BEs to remember who murdered them, captured them, stole all of their possessions, sent them to Earth, gave them amnesia and condemned them to eternal imprisonment!
    
    Imagine what might happen if all of the inmates in the prison suddenly remembered that they have the right to be free!  What if they suddenly realized that they have been falsely imprisoned and rise up as one against the guards?
    
    They are afraid to reveal anything that looks like the civilization of the inmates home planets.    A body, a piece of clothing, a symbol, a space ship, an advanced electronics device, or any other remnant of civilization from a home planet could "remind" a being and rekindle his memory.
    
    Sophisticated technologies of entrapment and enslavement,  which were developed over millions of years in the "Old Empire", have been applied to the IS-BEs on Earth with the intention to create a false facade for the prison.     These facades were installed on Earth in totality, all at once.     Every piece is a fully integrated part of the prison system.
    
    This includes a religion of mumbo-jumbo double- speak. Every pyramid civilization uses this as part of a control mechanism to keep the population enslaved by force, by fear and by ignorance. The indecipherable muddle of irrelevant information, geometric designs, mathematical calculation, astronomical alignments, are part of a false spirituality based on solid objects, rather than immortal spirits, in order to confuse and disorient the IS-BEs on Earth.
    
    When the body of a person died they were buried with their Earthly possessions, including their former body wrapped in linen, to sustain their "soul" or "Ka" after death.  An IS-BE does not "have" as soul.  An IS-BE is a soul.
    
    On the home planet of an IS-BE their material possessions were not lost, stolen or forgotten when the being died or left the body.
    
    An IS-BE could return and claim the possessions. However, if the IS-BE has amnesia, they will not remember that they had any possession.
    
    So, governments, insurance companies, bankers, family members and other vultures can pick their possessions clean without fear of retribution from the deceased.
    
    The only reason for these false meanings is to instill the idea that an IS-BE is NOT a spirit, but a physical object!  This is a lie.  It is a trap for an IS-BE.
    
    Countless people have spent endless hours attempting to solve the jig-saw puzzle of Egypt and other "Old Empire" civilizations. They are puzzles made of pieces that do not fit.  A question states its own answer.  What is the mystery of Egypt and other pyramid cultures? Mystery!
    
    circa 15,000 BCE --
    
    The "Old Empire" forces supervised the construction of a hydraulic mining operation in the Andes Mountains in present day Bolivia near Lake Titicaca (Lake of Tin Stones) at Tiahuanaco including construction of the massive stone complex of carved stone buildings known as Kalasasaya and its "Gate of the Sun" at an elevation of nearly 14,000 feet.
    
    11,600 BCE --
    
    The Polar Axis of Earth shifted to a sea area. The last Ice Age came to an end abruptly as the polar ice caps melted and the level of the ocean rose to submerge large sections of the land masses of Earth. The last remaining vestiges of Atlantis and Lemuria were covered by water. Massive extinctions of animals occurred in the Americas, Australia and the Artic Regions due to the shift of the poles.
    
    10,450 BCE --
    
    Plans were made by the "Old Empire" IS-BE called Thoth for construction of a Great Pyramid of Giza.   The 4 "air shafts" of the pyramid point precisely to key stars in the "Old Empire" as seen from Giza in this year. The alignment of the Pyramids of Giza on the ground matches perfectly the alignment of the constellation of Orion as seen in the sky from Giza relative to the Nile as the earthly representation of the Milky Way in the sky.
    
    10,400 BCE --
    
    According to the Earth historian, Herodotus, records from the ruined civilization of Atlantis, containing electronic technology and other technology of that society, were buried in a vault beneath the paws of The Sphinx.  The Greek historian wrote that he was told this by some of his friends who were Priests of Anu, the Sumerian god, at the Egyptian city of Heliopolis. However, it is highly unlikely that any traces of an electronic civilization would be allowed to be left intact on Earth by the "Old Empire" prison system administrators.
    
    8,212 BCE --
    
    The Veda or Vedic hymns are a set of religious hymns that were introduced into the societies of Earth.  They came forward in spoken tradition, memorized, from generation to generation.   "The Hymn to the Dawn Child'' includes an idea called the "cycle of the physical universe": the creation, growth, conservation, decay and death or destruction of energy and matter in a space.  These cycles produce time. The same set of hymns describes the "theory of evolution". Here is a tremendous body of knowledge which contains a great deal of spiritual truth.
    
    Unfortunately, it has been incorrectly evaluated by humans and altered with lies and reversals of fact by priests which are a booby trap to prevent anyone from using the wisdom to discover a way to escape from the prison planet.
    
    8,050 BCE --
    
    Destruction of the "Old Empire" home planet government in this galaxy.             This was the end of the "Old Empire" as a political entity in the galaxy.         However, the vast size of the "Old Empire" will take many thousands of years for The Domain to conquer completely.  The inertia of the political, economic and cultural systems of the "Old Empire" will remain in place for some time to come.
    
    However, remnants of the "Old Empire" space fleet in the solar system of Earth were finally destroyed in 1,230 AD. In addition to operatives of the "Old Empire" who run the Earth prison operation, there were other beings from the "Old Empire" who came to Earth.
    
    Since Earth was no longer under the control of the "Old Empire" after their defeat by The Domain Forces, there was no police force to control military renegades, space pirates, miners, merchants and entrepreneurs who came to Earth to exploit the resources of the planet for personal gain, and many other nefarious reasons.
    
    For example, the history of Earth, according to the Jewish people, describes the "Nephilim". Chapter 6 of The Book of Genesis, describes the origin of the "Nephilim" :
    
    "Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the "sons of God" saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.
    
    The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown."
    
    The ancient Jewish people who wrote the history book called the Old Testament were slaves, herders and gatherers. Any modern technology, even a simple flashlight, would seem astounding and miraculous to them. They attributed any unexplainable phenomenon or technology to the workings of a "god".           Unfortunately, this behavior is universal among all IS-BEs who have been given amnesia, and cannot remember their own experiences, training, technology, personality or identity.
    
    Obviously, if these were men, and they mated with Earth women, they were not "sons of god". They were IS-BEs who inhabited biological bodies in order to take advantage of the political situation in the "Old Empire", or simply to indulge in physical sensation. They set up small colonies of their own on Earth beyond the reach of the police and tax authorities.
    
    Coincidentally, one of the most serious crimes an IS-BE could commit in the "Old Empire" was to violate income tax regulations. Income taxes were used as a slavery mechanism and as a punishment in the "Old Empire". The slightest error in a tax report made an IS-BE "untouchable", followed by imprisonment on Earth.
    
    6,750 BCE --
    
    Other Pyramid civilizations were set up by the "Old Empire" on Earth.  These were established in Babylon, Egypt, China and Mesoamerica. The Mesopotamian area provided service facilities, communication stations, space ports, and stone quarry operations for these false civilizations.
    
    Ptah was the name given to the first in a succession of administrators from the "Old Empire" who represented themselves to the Earth population as "divine" rulers.
    
    Ptah's importance may be understood when one learns that the word "Egypt" is a Greek corruption of the phrase "Het-Ka-Ptah," or "House of the Spirit of Ptah".  Ptah, was nick- named "The Developer". He was a construction engineer. His high priest was given the title 'Great Leader of Craftsmen'.
    
    Ptah was also the god of reincarnation in Egypt. He originated the "opening of the mouth ceremony" which was performed by priests at funerals to "release souls" from their corpses. Of course, when the "souls" were released, they were captured, given amnesia, and returned to Earth again.
    
    The so-called "Devine" rulers who followed Ptah on Earth were called "Ntr", meaning "Guardians or Watchers" by the Egyptians. Their symbol was the Serpent, or Dragon which represented a secret priesthood of the "Old Empire" called the "Brothers of the Serpent".
    
    "Old Empire" engineers used cutting tools of highly concentrated light waves to quickly carve and excavate stone blocks. They also used force fields and space craft to lift and transport blocks of stone weighing hundred or thousands of tons each. The placement on the ground of some of these structures will be found to have geodetic or astronomical significance relative to various stars in this galactic region.
    
    The buildings are crude and impractical, compared to building standards on most planets. As an engineer of The Domain, I can attest that make-shift structures like these would never pass inspection on a planet in The Domain. Stone blocks such as those used in the pyramid civilizations can still be seen, partially excavated, in the stone quarries in the Middle East and elsewhere.
    
    Most of the structures were hastily built "props", much like the false facades of a western town on the set of a motion picture. They appear to be real, and to have some use or value, however, they have no value. They have no useful purpose.   The pyramids and all of the other stone monuments erected by the "Old Empire" could be called "mystery monuments". For what reason would anyone waste so many resources to construct so many useless buildings?  To create a mysterious illusion.
    
    The fact of the matter is that each one of the "divine rulers" were IS-BEs who served as operatives of the "Old Empire".  They were certainly not "divine", although they were IS- BEs.
    
    6248 BCE --
    
    The beginning of active warfare between The Domain Space Command and the surviving remnants of the "Old Empire" space fleet in this solar system that lasted nearly 7,500 years.   It began when an installation was established in the Himalaya mountains by a battalion of the 3,000 officers and crew members of The Domain Expeditionary Force.  The installation was not fortified as The Domain was not aware that the "Old Empire" maintained Earth as a prison planet.
    
    The Domain installation was attacked and destroyed by space forces of the "Old Empire" who continued to operate in the solar system of Earth. IS-BEs of The Domain battalion were captured, taken to Mars, given amnesia, and sent back to Earth to inhabit human biological bodies.  They are still on Earth.
    
    5,965 BCE --
    
    Investigations into the disappearance of Domain forces in this solar system led to the discovery of "Old Empire" bases on Mars and elsewhere.  The Domain took over the planet Venus as a defensive position against the space forces of the "Old Empire". The Domain Expeditionary Force also monitors life forms on Venus which has a very dense, hot and heavy atmosphere of sulfuric acid clouds.        There are a few life forms on Earth that can endure an atmospheric environment like Venus.
    
    The Domain also established secret installations or space stations in the Earth solar system.   This solar system has a planet that is broken up -- the asteroid belt. It provides a very useful low-gravity platform for take off and landing of space craft.    It is used as a "galactic jump" between the Milky Way and adjoining galaxies. There aren't any planets at this end of the galaxy that can serve as a good galactic entering spot for incoming transport, and other ships.  But this broken up planet makes a very ideal space station. As a result of our war against the "Old Empire", this area of the solar system is now a valuable possession of The Domain.
    
    3,450 - 3,100 BCE --
    
    The intervention into the affairs on Earth by the "Old Empire" operatives or "divine gods" was disrupted at this time by The Domain Forces.  They were forced to replace themselves with human rulers.    The First Dynasty of human Pharaohs who united Upper and Lower Egypt began with the rule of a Pharaoh who, coincidentally, was named "MEN". He established the capital city called Men-Nefer, "The Beauty of Men" in Egypt.  This started the first succession of 10 human Pharaohs and a period of 350 years of chaos that followed in the administrative ranks of the "Old Empire".
    
    3,200 BCE --
    
    As I mentioned earlier, Earth was under attack between The Domain and the "Old Empire" forces during this period. Of course this does not make any sense to archaeologists or historians on Earth, because the Egyptian period is a space opera era period. Since Earth historians have amnesia, they assume that this was only a religious period.
    
    Further, because the technology and civilizations installed on Earth during this period were "pre-packaged", they did not "evolve" on Earth.  Of course, there is no evidence anywhere on Earth of an evolutionary transition which resulted in sophisticated mathematics, language, writing, religion, architecture, cultural traditions in Egypt or any of the pyramid civilizations. These cultures, complete with all of the details of racial body types, hair-styles, facial make-up, rituals, moral codes and so forth, just "appeared" as complete integrated packages.
    
    The physical evidence suggests that all evidence of the intervention of The Domain or "Old Empire" Forces, or any other extraterrestrial activity, has been carefully "cleaned up", so as not to create suspicion. The "Old Empire" force does not want the IS-BEs of Earth to suspect that they have been captured, transplanted to Earth and brainwashed.
    
    So, Earth historians continue to assume that Egyptian priests were not supposed to have "ray guns" or other technology of the "Old Empire". And, they suppose that there was nothing going on, on Earth, except some priests walking around saying 'Amen', which the Christians still say.
    
    3,172 BCE --
    
    Layout of the astronomical grid that joins the key mining sites and astronomical buildings of 'the gods' in the Andes Mountains such as Tiahuanaco, Cuzco, Quito, the cities of Ollantaytambu, Machupiccu and Pachacamac for the mining of rare metals, including tin for use in making bronze.  Metals were the property of "the gods", of course.
    
    A great variety of entrepreneurial mining was done on Earth at that time due to the war between the "Old Empire" force and The Domain. These miners did carve a few sculptures of themselves. They are seen wearing mining helmets. The Ponce Stela sculpture in the sunken courtyard of the Kalasasaya temple is a crude rendering of a stone worker using an electronic, light-wave emitting stone cutter and carving tools, held in a holster.
    
    The "Old Empire" has also maintained mining operations on planets throughout the galaxy for a very long time.  The mineral resources of Earth are now a property of The Domain.
    
    2,450 BCE --
    
    The "great" pyramid and complex of pyramids near Cairo were completed. An inscription created by the "Old Empire" administrators can be seen in the so-called Pyramid texts. The texts say that the pyramid was built under the direction of Thoth, Son of Ptah. Of course there was never a King buried in the chamber, since the pyramids were never intended to be used as a burial chamber.
    
    The great pyramid was located precisely at the exact center of all of the land masses of Earth, as viewed from space. Obviously such precise measurements require aerial perspective and a view of the land masses of Earth from space.     Purely mathematical calculations of the geodetic center of the continents of Earth could not be made otherwise.
    
    Shafts were constructed inside the pyramid to align with the configuration of stars in the constellation of Orion, Canus Majora, and specifically Sirius. The shafts are also aligned to the Big Dipper, where the home planet of the "Old Empire" existed.    Also, Ainitak, Alpha Draconis and Beta Ursa Minor. These stars are each one of the key systems in the "Old Empire" from which IS-BEs were brought to Earth and dumped, as unwanted merchandise.
    
    The configuration of all the pyramids of the Giza Plateau was intended to create a "mirror image", on Earth of the solar system and certain constellations within the "Old Empire".
    
    2,181 BCE --
    
    MIN, became the God of Fertility of Egypt. The IS-BE, also known as Pan, was also a Greek god. Min or Pan, was an IS-BE who somehow managed to escape from the "Old Empire" amnesia system.
    
    2,160 - 2040 BCE --
    
    One of the results of the intensifying battle between The Domain Forces and the "Old Empire" forces was that the control of the "divine rulers", was broken at this time.  They finally left Egypt and returned to the "heavens", so to speak, in defeat.   Human beings took over the ruling role as Pharaohs.  The first human pharaoh moved the Capital city of Egypt from Memphis to Heracleopolis.
    
    1,500 BCE --
    
    This is the date for the destruction of Atlantis given by the Egyptian high-priests, Psenophis of Heliopolis, and Sonchis of Sais, to the Greek sage Solon. The Priests of Anu recorded that the Mediterranean area was invaded by "Atlantean" people about this time. Of course, these people were not from the ancient continent of Atlanta, in the Atlantic Ocean, which existed more than 70,000 years earlier.
    
    These were refugees from the Minoan civilization on Crete escaping from the volcanic eruption and tidal waves of Mt. Thera that destroyed their civilization.
    
    Plato's references to Atlantis were borrowed from the writings of the Greek philosopher Solon, who was given the information by the Egyptian priest who called Atlantis "Kepchu", which also happens to be the Egyptian name for the people of Crete. Some of the survivors of the Minoan volcanic disaster asked Egypt for help, since they were the only other civilization with high culture in the Mediterranean area at the time.
    
    1351 BCE - 1337 BCE --
    
    The Domain Expeditionary Force actively waged a war of religious conquest against the Egyptian mystery cult called the Priest of Amun, also known as the "Old Empire" Brothers of The Serpent. During this time the Pharaoh Akhenaten abolished the priesthood of Amun, and moved the capital of Egypt from Thebes to the new location at Amarna, at the exact geodetic center of Egypt. However, this plot to overthrow the "Old Empire" religious control was quickly spoiled.
    
    1,193 BCE --
    
    In the Near East and Achaea, the Greeks and Trojans fought for supremacy, which ended in the destruction of Troy as the finale of the Trojan War. During this same time, war was being fought out in the space of the solar system between two forces for control of the "space stations" surrounding Earth.   That period of 300 years was a very violent resistance to The Domain Forces by the remnants of the "Old Empire" forces. It did not last long however, as it is futile to resist The Domain.
    
    850 BCE --
    
    Homer, the blind Greek poet, wrote the stories 'the gods' as borrowed and modified from earlier sources in Vedic texts, Sumerian texts, Babylonian and Egyptian mythology.  His poems, as well as many other "myths" of the ancient world are very accurate descriptions of the exploits of IS-BE's on Earth who were able to avoid the "Old Empire amnesia operation and operate without biological bodies.
    
    700 BCE --
    
    The Vedic Hymns were first translated in the Greek language.  This was the beginning of a cultural revolution in Western civilization that transformed       crude and brutal tribal cultures into democratic republics based on more reasonable conduct.
    
    638 - 559 BCE --
    
    Solon, a wise man from Greece, reported the existence of Atlantis.  This was information he received from the "Old Empire" high-priests, Psenophis of Heliopolis and Sonchis of Sais, with whom he studied in Egypt.
    
    630 BCE --
    
    Zoroaster created religious practices in Persia around an IS-BE called Ahura Mazda. This was yet another of the growing number of "monotheistic" gods put in place by operatives of The Domain to displace a panoply of "Old Empire" gods.
    
    604 BCE --
    
    Laozi, a philosopher who wrote a small book called "The Way", was an IS-BE of great wisdom, who overcame the effects of the "Old Empire" amnesia / hypnosis machinery and escaped from Earth.  His understanding of the nature of an IS-BE must have been very good to accomplish this.
    
    According to the common legend, his last lifetime as a human was lived in a small village in China. He contemplated the essence of his own life. Like Guatama Siddhartha, he confronted his own thoughts, and past lives. In so doing, he recovered some of his own memory, ability and immortality.
    
    As an old man, he decided to leave the village and go to the forest to depart the body. The village gatekeeper stopped him and begged him to write down his personal philosophy before leaving. Here is a small piece of advice he gave about "the way" he rediscovered his own spirit:
    
    "He who looks will not see it; He who listens will not hear it; He who gropes will not grasp it. The formless nonentity, the motionless source of motion. The infinite essence of the spirit is the source of life. Spirit is self. Walls form and support a room, yet the space between them is most important. A pot is formed of clay, yet the space formed therein is most useful. Action is caused by the force of nothing on something, just as the nothing of spirit is the source of all form.
    
    One suffers great afflictions because one has a body. Without a body what afflictions could one suffer? When one cares more for the body than for his own spirit, One becomes the body and looses the way of the spirit. The self, the spirit, creates illusion. The delusion of Man is that reality is not an illusion. One who creates illusions and makes them more real than reality, follows the path of the spirit and finds the way of heaven".
    
    593 BCE --
    
    The Genesis story written by the Jewish people describe  "angels" or "sons of god" mating with women of Earth, who bore them children.  These were probably renegades from the "Old Empire". They may also have been space pirates or merchants from a system outside the galaxy who came to steal mineral resources, or smuggle drugs.
    
    The Domain has observed that there are many visitors to Earth from neighboring planets and galaxies, but they rarely stop and live here. What kind of beings would live on a prison planet if they were not forced to do so?
    
    The same book also reports the story of a human named Ezekiel who witnessed a spacecraft or aircraft landing near Chebar River in Chaldea. His description of the craft uses very archaic language, technically, but is nevertheless, quite an accurate description of an "Old Empire" saucer or scout craft. It is similar to the sighting of "vimanas" by the people in the foothills of the Himalayas.
    
    Their Genesis story also mentions that "Yahweh" designed biological bodies to live for 120 years on Earth.  Biological bodies on most "Sun Type 12, Class 7" planets are usually engineered to last for an average of about 150 years.     Human bodies on Earth last only about one half as long.     We suspect this is because  the prison administrators have altered the biological material of human bodies on Earth to die more frequently so that the IS-BEs who inhabit them will recycle through the amnesia mechanism more frequently.
    
    It should be noted that much of the "Old Testament" was written during the captivity of the Jews who were enslaved in Babylon, which was very heavily controlled by priests of the "Old Empire". The book introduces a false sense of time and a false concept of the origin of the creation.
    
    The serpent is the symbol of the "Old Empire". It appears in the beginning of their creation story, or as the Greeks say, "Genesis", and causes the spiritual destruction of the first human beings, who are metaphorically represented by Adam and Eve.
    
    The Old Testament, clearly influenced by the "Old Empire" Forces, gives a detailed description of the IS-BEs being induced into biological bodies on Earth.  This book also describes many of the "Old Empire" brainwashing activities, including the installation of false memories, lies, superstitions, commands to "forget" and all manner of tricks and traps designed to keep IS-BEs on Earth.    Most importantly, it destroys the awareness that humans are Immortal Spiritual Beings.
    
    580 BCE --
    
    The Oracle at Delphi was one temple in a network of many oracle temples.         Each temple was a communication center.  The "Old Empire" priests designated a local "god" for each temple. Each of the temples in this network were located at precisely 5 degrees of latitude intervals from the capital city of Thebes throughout the Mediterranean area as far north as the Baltic Sea.
    
    The shrines served, among other things, as a grid, housing electronic beacons, later called "Omphalus Stones". The grid arrangement of Oracle sites can only be seen from miles above the Earth.  The original network of electronic communications beacons were disabled when the priesthood was dispersed, and were replaced by carved stones.
    
    The symbol of the "Old Empire" priesthood is a Python, dragon or serpent.          It was called the "earth-dragon" at Delphi, which is always represented in sculpture and vase-paintings as a serpent.
    
    In Greek mythology the guardian of the Omphalus Stone at the temple at Delphi was an oracle whose name was Python, the serpent. She was an IS-BE, who was conquered by a "god" named Apollo.    He buried her under the Omphalos stone. This is a case of one "god" setting up his temple on the grave of another.   This is a very accurate euphemism for The Domain Force that detected and disabled the "Old Empire" temple network on Earth. It was one of the fatal blows to the "Old Empire" Force in the solar system of Earth.
    
    559 BCE --
    
    The Commanding Officer of The Domain Battalion who was lost in 5,965 BCE was detected and located by a search party sent to Earth from The Domain Expeditionary Force. He was incarnated as Cyrus II of Persia during this time.
    
    A unique system of organization was used by Cyrus II and the members of that Battalion who followed him from India through his progression of human lives on Earth.  In part, it enabled them to build the largest empire in the history of the Earth to that date.
    
    The Domain Search Party who located him traveled around the Earth searching for the lost Battalion for several thousand years.   The party consisted of 900 officers of The Domain, divided into teams of 300 each.  One team searched the land, another team search the oceans and the third team searched the space surrounding Earth.
    
    There are many reports made in various human civilizations concerning their activities, which humans did not understand, of course.
    
    The Domain Search Party devised a wide variety of electronic detection devices needed to track the electronic signature or wavelength of each of the missing members of the Battalion.   Some were used in space, others on land, and special devices were invented to detect IS-BEs under water.
    
    One of these electronic detection devices is referred to as a "tree of life". The device is literally a tool designed to detect the presence of life, which is an IS-BE. This was a large electronic screen generator designed to permeate wide areas.  To the ancient humans on Earth it resembled a sort of tree, since is consists of an interwoven lattice of electronic field generators and receivers. The electronic field detects the presence of IS-BEs, whether the IS-BE is occupying a body, or if they are outside a body.
    
    A portable version of this detection device was carried by each of the members of The Domain Search Party.  Stone carvings in Sumeria show winged beings using pinecone-shaped instruments to scan the bodies of human beings.  They are also shown carrying the power unit for the scanner which are depicted as stylized baskets or water buckets, being carried by eagle- headed, winged beings.
    
    Members of the aerial unit of The Domain Search Party, led by Ahura Mazda, were often called "winged gods" in human interpretations. Throughout the Persian civilization there are a great many stone relief carvings that depict winged space craft, that they called a "faravahar".
    
    Members of the Aquatic Unit of The Domain Search Party were called "Oannes" by local humans. Stone carvings of the so-called Oannes are shown wearing silver diving suits.    They lived in the sea and appeared to the human population to be men dressed to look like fish. Some members of the lost Battalion were found in the oceans inhabiting the bodies of dolphins or whales.
    
    On land, The Domain Search Party members were referred to as "Annunaki" by the Sumerians, and "Nephilim", in the Bible.   Of course, their true mission and activities were never disclosed to homo sapiens.   heir activities have been purposefully disguised.    Therefore, the human stories and legends about the Annunaki, and the other members of The Domain Search Party have not been understood and were badly misinterpreted.
    
    In the absence of complete and accurate data, anyone observing a phenomenon will assume or hypothesize explanations in an attempt to make sense of the data.  Therefore, although mythology and history may be based on factual events, they are likewise full of misunderstood and misinterpreted evaluations of the data, and embellished with assumptions, theories and hypotheses which are false.
    
    The space unit of The Domain Expeditionary Force are shown flying in a "Winged-Disc". This is an allusion to the spiritual power of the IS-BEs, as well as to the space craft used by The Domain Search Party.
    
    The Commander of the lost Battalion, as Cyrus II, was an IS-BE who was regarded as a messiah on Earth by both the Jews, and the Muslims.   In less than 50 years he established a highly ethical, and humanitarian philosophy which pervaded all of Western Civilization.
    
    His territorial conquests, organization of people and monumental building projects were unprecedented before or since.   Such sweeping accomplishments in a short period of time could only have been achieved by a leader and a team of trained officers, pilots, engineers and crew members of a unit of The Domain, acting as a team, who had been trained and worked together for thousands of years.
    
    Although we have discovered the location of many of the IS-BEs in the lost Battalion, The Domain has been unable to restore their memory and return them to active duty as yet.
    
    Of course we cannot transport IS-BEs who are inhabiting biological bodies to the space stations of The Domain since there is no oxygen in our space craft.  Also we do not maintain life support facilities for biological entities there.   Our only hope has been to locate and rekindle the awareness, memory and identity of the IS-BEs of the Lost Battalion.   One day they will be capable of rejoining us.
    
    200 BCE --
    
    The last remnant of the "Old Empire" pyramid civilization is at "Teotihuacán".      The Aztec name means “place of the gods” or “where men were transformed into gods”.   Like the astronomical configuration of the Giza pyramids in Egypt,  the entire complex is a precise scale-model of the solar system that accurately reflects the orbital distances of the inner planets, the asteroid belt, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,  Neptune, and Pluto.  Since the planet Uranus  had only been "discovered" with modern Earth telescopes in 1787, and Pluto not until 1930,  it is apparent that the builders had  information from "other sources".
    
    A common element of the Pyramid Civilizations around the Earth is the constant use of the image of the snake, dragon, or serpent.
    
    This is because the beings who planted these civilizations here want to create an illusion that the "gods" are reptilian.  This is also a part of an illusion designed to perpetuate amnesia.     
    
    The beings who placed false civilizations on Earth are IS-BEs, just like you.        Many of the biological bodies inhabited by IS-BEs in the "Old Empire" are very similar in appearance to the bodies on Earth. The "gods" are not reptiles, although they often behave like snakes.
    
    1,034 - 1,124 AD --
    
    The entire Arab world was enslaved by one man: Hasan ibn-al-Sabbah ,   the Old Man of the Mountain. He established the Hashshashin who operated a part of Mohammedanism which controlled by terror and fear much of India, Asia Minor and most of the Mediterranean Basin. They became a priesthood that used an extremely effective mind-control mechanism and extortion tool that enabled the "Assassins" to control the civilized world for several hundred years.
    
    Their method was simple.  Young men were kidnapped and knocked unconscious with hashish. They were taken to a garden filled with beautiful black-eyed houris in a harem decorated with rivers of milk and honey.   The young men were told that they were in paradise. They were promised they could return and live there forever if they sacrificed themselves as an assassin of whomever they were commanded to kill.      The men were knocked out again, and shoved out into the world to carry out the assassination mission.
    
    Meanwhile, the Old Man of the Mountain sent a messenger to the caliph or, whatever wealthy ruler from whom they demanded payment, demanding camel-loads of gold, spices, incense or other valuables.   If payment did not arrive on time, the assassin would be sent to kill the offending party. There was virtually no defense against the unknown assailant who wanted nothing more than to carry out his mission, be killed and return to "heaven".
    
    This is a very crude example of how simple and effective a brainwashing and mind-control operation can be when it is used skillfully, and forcefully.                 It is a small scale demonstration of how the amnesia mind-control operation is used against the entire IS-BE population of Earth by the "Old Empire".
    
    1119  AD --
    
    The Knights Templar was established as a Christian military unit after the First Crusade but quickly transformed into the basis for the international banking system to accumulate money to conduct the agenda of operatives for vestiges of the "Old Empire" on Earth.
    
    1135 - 1230 AD --
    
    The Domain Expeditionary Force completed the annihilation of the remaining remnants of the "Old Empire" space fleet operating in the solar system around Earth.  Unfortunately, their long established thought control operation remains largely intact.
    
    1307 AD --
    
    The Knights Templar was disbanded by King Philip IV of France, who was deeply in debt to the Order. He pressured Pope Clement V to condemn the Order's members, have them arrested, tortured them into giving false confessions, and burned them at the stake in an effort to erase his debt by seizing all of their wealth.
    
    A majority of the Templars fled to Switzerland where they established an international banking system which secretly controls the economy of Earth.
    
    "Old Empire" operatives act as an unseen influence on  international bankers. The banks are operated covertly as a non-combatant provocateur to covertly promote and finance weapons and warfare between the nations of Earth.        Warfare is an internal mechanism of control over the inmate population.
    
    The purpose of the senseless genocide and carnage of wars financed by these international banks is to prevent the IS- BEs of Earth from sharing open communication, cooperate together in activities that might enable IS-BEs to prosper, become enlightened, and escape their imprisonment."

    This was compounded by the fact that The Vedic Hymns were brought to Earth 8,200 years ago by The Domain Expeditionary Force. While they were based in the Himalaya Mountains, the verses were taught to some of the local humans who memorized them.  However, I should note that this was not an authorized activity for the crew of The Domain installation, although I am sure it seemed like an innocent diversion for them at the time.
    
    The verses were passed along verbally from one generation to the next for thousands of years in the foothills and eventually spread throughout India.           No one in The Domain credits any of the material in the Vedic Hymns as factual material, any more than you would use "Grimm's Fairy Tales" as a guide for rearing children.     However, on a planet where all of the IS-BEs have had their memory erased, one can understand how these tales and fantasies could be taken seriously.
    
    Unfortunately, the humans who learned the Vedic verses passed them along to others saying that they came from "the gods".  Eventually, the content of the verses were adopted verbatim as "truth".    The euphemistic and metaphorical content of the Veda were accepted and practiced as dogmatic fact. The philosophy of the verses were ignored and the verses became the genesis of nearly every religious practice on the planet, especially Hinduism.
    
    As an officer, pilot and engineer of The Domain, I must always assume a very pragmatic point of view.   I could not be effective or accomplish my missions if I were to use philosophical dogma or rhetoric as my operations manual.         Therefore, our discussion of history is based on actual events that occurred long before any IS-BEs arrived on Earth, and long before the "Old Empire” came into power.

    Coincidentally, a friend and engineer with whom I used to work with at the Arcadia Regeneration Company -- a long time after I left the company -- told me that one of the projects they contracted to do, in more recent times, was to deliver life forms to Earth to replenish them after a war in this region of the galaxy devastated most of the life on the planets in this region of space.   This would have been about seventy million years ago.
    
    The skill required to modify the planet into an ecologically interactive environment that will support billions of diverse species was an immense undertaking.  Specialized consultants from nearly every biotechnology company in the galaxy were brought in to help with the project.

    "Today Airl told me about some very technical things.  I took a few notes to remind myself, so I can repeat what she said as closely as possible. She began with an analogy about scientific knowledge:
    
    Can you imagine how much progress could have been made on Earth if people like Johannes Gutenberg, Sir Isaac Newton, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington Carver, Nicola Tesla, Jonas Salk, and Richard Trevithick, and many thousands of similar geniuses and inventors were living today?
    
    Image what technical accomplishments might have been developed if men like these never died? What if they were never given amnesia and made to forget everything they knew? What if they continued to learn and work forever?
    
    What level of technology and civilization could be attained if Immortal Spiritual Beings like these were allowed to continue to create -- in the same place and at the same time -- for billions or trillions of years?
    
    Essentially, The Domain is one civilization that has existed for trillions of years with relatively uninterrupted progress.   Knowledge has been accumulated, refined, and improved upon in nearly every field of study imaginable
    
    -- and beyond imagining.
    
    Originally, the interaction of IS-BE illusions or inventions created the very fabric of the physical universe -- the microcosm and the macrocosm. Every single particle of the universe has been imagined and brought into existence by an IS-BE. Everything created from an idea -- a thought with no weight or size or location in space.
    
    Every speck of dust in space, from the size of the tiniest subatomic particle, to the size of a sun or a magelantic cloud the size of many galaxies, was created from the nothingness of a thought.    Even the tiniest, individual cells were contrived and coordinated to enable a microbial entity to sense, and navigate through infinitesimally small spaces. These also came from an idea thought up by an IS-BE.
    
    You, and every IS-BE on Earth, have participated in the creation of this universe. Even though you are now confined to a fragile body made of flesh; you live for only 65 short rotations of your planet around a star; you have been given overwhelming electric shock treatments to wipe out your memory; you must learn everything all over again each lifetime; in spite of all these circumstances, you are who you are and will always be.   And, deep down, you still know that you are and what you know.  You are still the essence of you.
    
    How else can one understand the child prodigy? An IS-BE who plays concertos on a piano at three years of age, without formal training? Impossible, if they did not simply remember what they have already learned from thousands of lives spent in front of a keyboard in times untold, or on planets far away.    They may not know how they know.   They just know.
    
    Humankind has developed more technology in the past 100 years than in the previous 2,000 years. Why?  The answer is simple: the influence of the "Old Empire" over the mind and over the affairs of Mankind has been diminished by The Domain.
    
    A renaissance of invention on Earth began in 1,250 AD with the destruction of the "Old Empire" space fleet in the solar system.  During the next 500 years, Earth may have the potential to regain autonomy and independence, but only to the degree that humankind can apply the concentrated genius of the IS-BEs on Earth to solve the amnesia problem.
    
    However, on a cautionary note, the inventive potential of the IS-BEs who have been exiled to this planet is severely compromised by the criminal elements of the Earth population. Specifically, politicians, war-mongers and irresponsible physicists who create   unlimited weapons such as nuclear bombs, chemicals, diseases and social chaos.  These have the potential to extinguish all life forms on Earth, forever.
    
    Even the relatively small explosions that were tested and used in the past two years on Earth have the potential to destroy all of life, if deployed in sufficient quantities. Larger weapons could consume all of the oxygen in the global atmosphere in a single explosion!
    
    Therefore, the most fundamental problems that must be solved in order to ensure that Earth will not be destroyed by technology, are social and humanitarian problems.   The greatest scientific minds of Earth, in spite of mathematical or mechanical genius, have never addressed these problems.
    
    Therefore, do not look to scientists to save Earth or the future of humanity.            Any so-called "science" that is solely based on the paradigm that existence is composed only of energy and objects moving through space is not a science. Such beings utterly ignore the creative spark originated by an individual IS-BE and collective work of the IS-BEs who continually create the physical universe and all universes. Every science will remain relatively ineffective or destructive to the degree that it omits or devaluates the relative importance of the spiritual spark that ignites all of creation and life.
    
    Unfortunately this ignorance has been very carefully and forcefully instilled in human beings by the "Old Empire"  to ensure that IS- BEs on this planet will not be able to recover their innate ability to create space, energy, matter and time, or any other component part of universes. As long as awareness of the immortal, powerful, spiritual "self" is ignored, humanity will remain imprisoned until the day of its own, self-destruction and oblivion.
    
    Do not rely on the dogma of physical sciences to master the fundamental forces of creation any more than you would trust the chanted incantations of an incense-burning shaman. The net result of both of these is entrapment and oblivion.  Scientists pretend to observe, but they only suppose that they see, and call it fact.    Like the blind man, a scientist can not learn to see until he realizes that he is blind.    The "facts" of Earth science do not include the source of creation. They include only the result, or byproducts of creation.
    
    The "facts" of science to not include any memory of the nearly infinite past experience of existence.
    
    The essence of creation and existence cannot be found through the lens of a microscope or telescope or by any other measurement of the physical universe.  One cannot comprehend the perfume of a flower or the pain felt by an abandoned lover with meters and calipers.
    
    Everything you will ever know about the creative force and ability of a god can be found within you -- an Immortal Spiritual Being.
    
    How can a blind man teach others to see the nearly infinite gradients that comprise the spectrum of light?   The notion that one can understand the universe without understanding the nature of an IS-BE is as absurd as conceiving that an artist is a speck of paint on his own canvas. Or, that the lace on a ballet shoe is the choreographer's vision, or the grace of a dancer, or the electric excitement of opening night.
    
    Study of the spirit has been booby-trapped by the thought control operation through religious superstitions they instill in the minds of men. Conversely, the study of the spirit and the mind have been prohibited by science which eliminates anything that is not measurable in the physical universe.            Science is the religion of matter.   It worships matter.
    
    The paradigm of science is that creation is all, and the creator is nothing.            Religion says the creator is all, and the creation is nothing.     These two extremes are the bars of a prison cell. They prevent observation of all phenomenon as an interactive whole.
    
    Study of creation without knowing the IS-BE, the source of creation, is futile.  When you sail to the edge of a universe conceived by science, you fall off the end into an abyss of dark, dispassionate space and lifeless, unrelenting force.     On Earth, you have been convinced that the oceans of the mind and spirit are filled with gruesome, ghoulish monsters that will eat you alive if you dare to venture beyond the breakwater of superstition.
    
    The vested interest of the "Old Empire" prison system is to prevent you from looking at your own soul. They fear that you will see in your own memory the slave masters who keep you imprisoned.  The prison is made of shadows in your mind.   The shadows are made of lies, and pain, and loss, and fear.
    
    The true geniuses of civilization are those IS- BEs who will enable other IS-BEs to recover their memory and regain self-realization and self-determination.  This issue is not solved through enforcing moral regulation on behavior, or through the control of beings through mystery, faith, drugs, guns or any other dogma of a slave society.  And certainly not through the use of electric shock and hypnotic commands!
    
    The survival of Earth and every being on it depends on the ability to recover the memory of skills you have accrued through the trillenia; to recover the essence of yourself. Such an art, science, or technology has never been conceived in the "Old Empire".   Otherwise, they would not have resorted to the "solution" that brought you to your current condition on Earth.
    
    Neither has such technology ever been developed by The Domain.  Until recently, the necessity   of rehabilitating an IS-BE with amnesia has not been needed.       Therefore, no one has ever worked on solving this problem.  So far, unfortunately, The Domain has no solution to offer.
    
    A few officers of The Domain Expeditionary Force have taken it upon themselves to provide technology to Earth during their off duty time. These officers leave their "doll" at the space station and, as an IS-BE, assume or take over a biological body on Earth.  In some cases an officer can remain on duty while they inhabit and control other bodies at the same time.
    
    This is a very dangerous and adventurous undertaking.  It requires a very able IS-BE to accomplish such a mission, and return to base successfully.  One officer who did this recently, while continuing to attend to his official duties, was known on Earth as the electronics inventor, Nicola Tesla.
    
    It is my intention, although is not a part of my mission orders, to assist you in your efforts to advance scientific and humanitarian progress on Earth. My intention is to help other IS-BEs to help themselves. In order to solve the amnesia problem on Earth you will need much more advanced technology, as well as social stability to allow enough time for research and development of techniques to free the IS-BE from the body, and to free the mind of the IS-BE from amnesia.
    
    Although The Domain has a long term interest in maintaining Earth as a useful planet, it has no particular interest in the human population of Earth, other than its own personnel here.  We are interested in preventing destruction, as well as accelerating the development of technologies that will sustain the infrastructures of the global biosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere.
    
    To this end, you will discover, on very careful and thorough examination, that my space craft contains a wide assortment of technology that does not yet exist on Earth.   If you distribute pieces of this craft to various scientists for study, they will be able to reverse engineer some of the technology to the extent that Earth has the raw materials required to replicate these components.
    
    Some features will be indecipherable. Other features cannot be duplicated as Earth does not have the natural resources required to replicate them. This is especially true of the metals used to construct the craft.   Not only do these metals not exist on Earth, the refining process required to produce these metals took billions of years to develop.
    
    It is also true of the navigation system which requires an IS-BE whose own personal wavelength has been specifically attuned to the "neural network" of the craft. The pilot of the craft must possess a very high order of energy volition, discipline, training and intelligence to manipulate such a craft.    IS-BEs on Earth are incapable of this expertise because it requires the use of an artificial body specifically created for this purpose.
    
    Certain individual Earth scientists, some of whom are among the most brilliant minds in the history of the universe, will have their memory of this technology jogged when they examine the craft components.   Just as some of the scientists and physicists on Earth have been able to "remember" how to recreate electric generators, internal combustion and steam locomotion, refrigeration, aircraft, antibiotics, and other tools of your civilization, they will also rediscover other vital technology in my craft.
    
    The following are the specific systems embodied in my craft that contain useful components:
    
    There is an assortment of microscopic wiring or fibers within the walls of the craft that control such things as communications, information storage, computer function, and automatic navigation.
    
    The same wiring is used for light, sub- light and ultra-light spectrum detection and vision.
    
    The fabrics of the interior of the craft are far superior to any on Earth at this time and have hundreds or thousands of applications.
    
    You will also find mechanisms for creating, amplifying and channeling light particles or waves as a form of...
    
    As an officer, pilot and engineer of The Domain Forces, I am not at liberty to discuss or convey the detailed operation or construction of the craft in any way, other than what I have just disclosed. However, I am confident that there are many competent engineers on Earth who will develop useful technology with these resources.
    
    I am providing these details to you in the hope that the greater good of The Domain will be served."
    ...
    
    Although The Domain will not hesitate to destroy any active vestiges of the "Old Empire" operations where ever they are discovered this is not our primary mission in this galaxy.   I am sure that the "Old Empire" mind-control mechanisms can be deactivated and destroyed eventually. However, it is not possible to estimate how long this make take, as we do not understand the extent of this operation at this time.
    
    We do know that the "Old Empire" force screen is vast enough to cover this end of the galaxy, at least.  We also know from experience that each force generator and trapping device is very difficult to detect, locate and destroy. Also, it is not the current mission of The Domain Expeditionary Force to commit resources to this endeavor.
    
    The eventual destruction of these devices may make it possible for your memory to be restored, simply by virtue of not having it erased after each lifetime.         Fortunately, the memory of an IS-BE cannot be permanently erased.
    
    There are many other active space civilizations who maintain various nefarious operations in this area...
    
    ... not the least of which is dumping unwanted IS-BEs on Earth.          
    
    None of these craft are hostile or in violent opposition to The Domain Forces.    They know better than to challenge us!
    
    For the most part The Domain ignores Earth and its inhabitants, except to ensure that the resources of the planet itself are not permanently spoiled.   This sector of the galaxy was annexed by The Domain and is the possession of The Domain, to do with or dispose of as it deems best.     
    
    The moon of Earth and the asteroid belt have become a permanent base of operations for The Domain Forces.
    
    Needless to say, any attempt by humans or others to interfere in the activities of The Domain in this solar system -- even if it were possible, which it definitely is not -- will be terminated swiftly. This is not a serious concern, as I mentioned earlier, since homo sapiens cannot operate in open space.
    
    Of course we will continue with the next steps of The Domain Expansion Plan which has remained on schedule for billions of years.   Over the next 5,000 years there will be increasing traffic and activity of The Domain Forces as we progress toward the center of this galaxy and beyond to spread our civilization through the universe.
    
    If humanity is to survive, it must cooperate to find effective solutions to the difficult conditions of your existence on Earth.  Humanity must rise above its human form and discover where they are, and that they are IS- BEs, and who they really are as IS-BEs in order to  transcend the notion that they are merely biological bodies.  Once these realizations have been made, it may be possible to escape your current imprisonment.       Otherwise, there will be no future for the IS-BEs on Earth.
    
    Although there are no active battles or war being waged between The Domain and the "Old Empire",    there still exists the covert actions of the "Old Empire" taken against Earth through their thought control operation.
    
    When one knows that these activities exist, the effects can be observed clearly. The most obvious examples of these actions against the human race can be seen as incidents of sudden, inexplicable behavior. A very recent instance of this occurred in the United States military just before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
    
    Just three days before the attack, someone in authority ordered all the ships in Pearl Harbor to go into port and secure for inspection.   The ships were ordered to take all the ammunition out of their magazines, and store it below.  On the afternoon before attack all of the admirals and generals were attending parties, even though two Japanese aircraft carriers were discovered standing right off Pearl Harbor.
    
    The obvious action to take would have been to contact Pearl Harbor by telephone to warn them of the danger of a fight starting and to put the ammunition back and order the ships to get out of port into open sea.
    
    About six hours before the Japanese attack began, a U.S. navy ship sank a small Japanese submarine right outside the harbor.  Instead of contacting Pearl Harbor by telephone to report the incident, a warning message was put into top secret code, which took about two hours to encode, and then it took another two hours to decode.     The word of warning to Pearl Harbor did not arrive until 10:00 AM Pearl Harbor time, Sunday -- two hours after the Japanese attack destroyed the U.S. fleet.
    
    How do things like this happen?
    
    If the men who were responsible for these obviously disastrous errors were stood up and asked bluntly to justify their actions and intentions you would find out that they were quite sincere in their jobs.  Ordinarily, they do the very best they can do for people and nations.    However, all of a sudden,   from some completely unknown and undetectable source enters these wild, unexplainable situations that just 'can't exist'.
    
    The "Old Empire" thought control operation is run by a small group of old "baboons" with very small minds.   They are playing insidious games with no purpose and no goal other than to control and destroy IS-BEs who could otherwise manage themselves perfectly well, if left alone.
    
    These types of artificially created incidents are being forced upon the human race by the operators of the mind-control prison system. The prison guards will always promote and support oppressive or totalitarian activities of IS-BEs on Earth. Why not keep the inmates fighting between themselves?    Why not empower madmen to run the governments of Earth?    The men who run the criminal governments of Earth mirror the commands given them by covert thought-controllers of the "Old Empire".
    
    The human race will continue to shadow box with this for a long time -- as long as it remains the human race.
    
    Until then, the IS-BEs on Earth will continue to live a series of consecutive lives, over and over and over. The same IS-BEs who lived during the rise and fall of civilizations in India, China, Mesepotamia, Greece, and Rome are inhabiting bodies in the present time in America, France, Russia, Africa, and around the world.
    
    In between each lifetime an IS-BE is sent back again, to begin all over, as though the new life was the only life they had ever lived. They begin anew in pain, in misery, and mystery.
    
    Some IS-BEs have been transported to Earth more recently than others.  Some IS-BEs have been on Earth only a few hundred years, so they have no personal experiences with the earlier civilizations of Earth.   They have no  experiences of having lived on Earth, so could not remember a previous existence here, even if their memory was restored.   They might, however, remember lives they lived elsewhere on other planets and in other times.
    
    Others have been here since the first days of Lemuria. In any case, the IS-BEs of Earth are here forever, until they can break the amnesia cycle, conquer the electronic traps set up by their captors and free themselves.
    
    Because The Domain has three thousand of their own IS-BEs in captivity on Earth also, they have an interest in solving this problem.  This problem has never been encountered or effectively solved before in the universe, as far as they know.   They will continue their efforts to free those IS-BEs from Earth, where and when it is possible, but it will require time to develop an   unprecedented technology and the diligence to do so.'

    Summary and conclusion

    The vast bulk of the narrative in the “Alien Interview” contained references and information relative to the conventional situation. When a need to elaborate on certain points occurred, the extraterrestrial used personal stories and data to “flush it out” so as to clarify the situations involved.

    This article contains the vast bulk of the narrative as it pertains to contemporaneous humans on Earth devoid of any older historical references.

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    A look at the report “alien interview” by MM parsing items deemed trillions of years old

    I have presented the PDF titled “Alien Interview” to the readership. It is supposed to be the transcripts of the interview that a nurse had with an extraterrestrial entity that was recovered from a spaceship crash in Roswell, New Mexico. There is a lot of good stuff there, and some things that run counter to what I know and understand to be true. My intention here is to parse the entire book, and compare it to what I know. Where the two diverge, it will be up to you (the readership) to sort it out.

    In the transcript the extraterrestrial jumps all over. And in many instances he seems to reflect normal regular human feelings and attitudes about issues (such as the platypus) and you can read it and miss many things as it is a dated document translated by a nurse in 1947. In order to best sort it out, to a frame of reference that we can all understand, I am now (in this series of articles) going to separate the “Alien Interview” document into sections categorized by dates.

    The extraterrestrial discussed period of time in…

    • Trillions of years. (Birth of consciousness, universe creation.)
    • Billions of years. (Galaxy creation, and early civilizations.)
    • Millions of years. (Local events in our region, and mankind.)
    • Thousands of years. (A scope most important to humans.)

    In this article we will discuss the largest and most alien time scope; trillions of years.

    Because the text will be taken out of the document, there might be some discontinuity in the text. In any case, I would advise reading the entire full document for a better understanding of context. Further, keep in mind that the purpose of this particular post / article is to separate the transcript into wide categories depending on the span of times discussed. I fear that the extraterrestrial was talking about a few thousand years in the past, then jumped to trillions of years ago, jumps to millions of years ago, jumps to decades, and then back to billions of years ago. This effort is to help sort things out chronologically.

    The text segments…

    "Personally, it is my conviction that all sentient beings are immortal spiritual beings. This includes human beings.  For the sake of accuracy and simplicity I will use a made-up word: "IS-BE".   
    
    Because the primary nature of an immortal being is that they live in a timeless state of "is", and the only reason for their existence is that they decide to "be".
    
    No matter how lowly their station in a society, every IS-BE deserves the respect and treatment that I myself would like to receive from others.    Each person on Earth continues to be an IS-BE whether they are aware of the fact or not."

    "Before you can understand the subject of history, you must first understand the subject of time.  Time is simply an arbitrary measurement of the motion of objects through space.
    
    Space is not linear.  Space is determined by the point of view of an IS-BE when viewing an object. The distance between an IS-BE and the object being viewed is called "space".
    
    Objects, or energy masses, in space do not necessarily move in a linear fashion.     In this universe, objects tend to move randomly or in a curving or cyclical pattern, or as determined by agreed upon rules.
    
    History is not only a linear record of events, as many authors of Earth history books imply, because it is not a string that can be stretched out and marked like a measuring tool. History is a subjective observation of the movement of objects through space, recorded from the point of view of a survivor, rather than of those who succumbed.   
    
    Events occur interactively and concurrently, just as the biological body has a heart that pumps blood, while the lungs provide oxygen to the cells, which reproduce, using energy from the sun and chemicals from plants, at the same time as the liver strains toxic wastes from the blood, and eliminates them through the bladder and the bowels.
    
    All of these interactions are concurrent and simultaneous.  Although time runs consecutively, events do not happen in an independent, linear stream.               
    
    In order to view and understand the history or reality of the past, one must view all events as part of an interactive whole. Time can also be sensed as a vibration which is uniform throughout the entire physical universe.
    
    Airl explained that IS-BEs have been around since before the beginning of the universe. The reason they are called "immortal", is because a "spirit" is not born and cannot die, but exists in a personally postulated perception of "is - will be". She was careful to explain that every spirit is not the same. Each is completely unique in identity, power, awareness and ability.
    
    The difference between an IS-BE like Airl and most of the IS-BEs inhabiting bodies on Earth, is that Airl can enter and depart from her "doll" at will.    She can perceive at selective depths through matter. Airl and other officers of The Domain can communicate   telepathically. Since an IS-BE is not a physical universe entity it has no location in space or time.
    
    An IS-BE is literally, "immaterial". They can span great distances of space instantly.
    
    They can experience sensations, more intensely than a biological body, without the use of physical sensory mechanisms.  An IS-BE can exclude pain from their perception.   Airl can also remember her "identity", so to speak, all the way back into the dim mists of time, for trillions of years!
    
    She says that the existing collection of suns in this immediate vicinity of the universe have been burning for the last 200 trillion years. The age of the physical universe is nearly infinitely old, but probably at least four quadrillion years since its earliest beginnings.
    
    Time is a difficult factor to measure as it depends on the subjective memory of IS-BEs and there has been no uniform record of events throughout the physical universe since it began. As on Earth, there are many different time measurement systems, defined by various cultures, which use cycles of motion, and points of origin to establish age and duration.
    
    The physical universe itself is formed from the convergence and amalgamation of many other individual universes, each one of which were created by an IS-BE or group of IS-BEs.    
    
    The collision of these illusory universes commingled and coalesced and were solidified to form a mutually created universe.   Because it is agreed that energy and forms can be created, but not destroyed, this creative process has continued to form an ever-expanding universe of nearly infinite physical proportions.
    
    Before the formation of the physical universe there was a vast period during which universes were not solid, but wholly illusionary.   You might say that the universe was a universe of magical illusions which were made to appear and vanish at the will of the magician.  In every case, the "magician" was one or more IS-BEs. Many IS-BEs on Earth can still recall vague images from that period. Tales of magic, sorcery and enchantment, fairy tales and mythology speak of such things, although in very crude terms.
    
    Each IS-BE entered into the physical universe when they lost their own, "home" universe. That is, when an IS-BE's "home" universe was overwhelmed by the physical universe, or when the IS-BE joined with other IS-BEs to create or conquer the physical universe.
    
    On Earth, the ability to determine when an IS- BE entered the physical universe is difficult for two reasons:    
    
    1) the memory of IS-BEs on Earth have been erased, and 
    
    2) IS-BEs arrival or invasion into the physical universe took place at different times, some 60 trillion years ago, and others only 3 trillion.

    The Domain has conducted a periodic survey of the galaxies in this sector of the universe since it developed space travel technologies about 80 trillion years ago.    
    
    A review of changes in the complexion of Earth reveal that mountain ranges rise and fall, continents change location, the poles of the planet shift, ice caps come and go, oceans appear and disappear, rivers, valleys and canyons change. In all cases, the matter is the same. It is always the same sand.                  
    
    Every form and substance is made of the same basic material, which never deteriorates.

    "The origins of this universe and life on Earth, as discussed in the textbooks I have read, are very inaccurate. Since you serve your government as a medical personnel, your duties require that you understand biological entities. So, I am sure that you will appreciate the value of the material I will share with you today.
    
    The text of books I have been given on subjects related to the function of life forms contain information that is based on false memories, inaccurate observation, missing data, unproven theories, and superstition.

    The correct information about the origins of biological entities has been erased from your mind, as well as from the minds of your mentors.  In order to help you regain your own memory, I will share with you some factual material concerning the origin of biological entities.
    
    I asked Airl if she was referring to the subject of evolution. Airl said, "No, not exactly".
    
    You will find "evolution" mentioned in the ancient Vedic Hymns. The Vedic texts are like folk tales or common wisdoms and superstitions gathered throughout the systems of The Domain. These were compiled into verses, like a book of rhymes.  For every statement of truth, the verses contain as many half-truths, reversals of truth and fanciful imaginings, blended without qualification or distinction.
    
    The theory of evolution assumes that the motivational source of energy that animates every life form does not exist.   It assumes that an inanimate object or a chemical concoction can suddenly become "alive" or animate accidentally or spontaneously.   
    
    Or, perhaps an electrical discharge into a pool of chemical ooze will magically spawn a self- animated entity.
    
    There is no evidence whatsoever that this is true, simply because it is not true.   Dr. Frankenstein did not really resurrect the dead into a marauding monster, except in the imagination of the IS-BE who wrote a fictitious story one dark and stormy night.
    
    No Western scientist ever stopped to consider who, what, where, when or how this animation happens.  Complete ignorance, denial or unawareness of the spirit as the source of life force required to animate inanimate objects or cellular tissue is the sole cause of failures in Western medicine.
    
    In addition, evolution does not occur accidentally. It requires a great deal of technology which must be manipulated under the careful supervision of IS-BEs.  Very simple examples are seen in the modification of farm animals or in the breeding of dogs.  However, the notion that human biological organisms evolved naturally from earlier ape-like forms is incorrect.     No physical evidence will ever be uncovered to substantiate the notion that modern humanoid bodies evolved on this planet.
    
    The reason is simple: the idea that human bodies evolved spontaneously from the primordial ooze of chemical interactivity in the dim mists of time is nothing more than a hypnotic lie instilled by the amnesia operation to prevent your recollection of the true origins of Mankind.   Factually, humanoid bodies have existed in various forms throughout the universe for trillions of years.

    Immortal Spiritual Beings, which I refer to as "IS-BEs", for the sake of convenience, are the source and creators of illusions.  Each one, individually and collectively, in their original, unfettered state of being, are an eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing entity.
    
    IS-BEs create space by imagining a location. The intervening distance between themselves and the imagined location is what we call space.
    
    An IS-BE can perceive the space and objects created by other IS-BEs.
    
    IS-BEs are not physical universe entities.  They are a source of energy and illusion.  IS- BEs are not located in space or time, but can create space, place particles in space, create energy, and shape particles into various forms, cause the motion of forms, and animate forms. Any form that is animated by an IS-BE is called life.
    
    An IS-BE can decide to agree that they are located in space or time, and that they, themselves, are an object, or any other manner of illusion created by themselves or another or other IS-BEs.
    
    The disadvantage of creating an illusion is that an illusion must be continually created. If not continually created, it disappears. Continual creation of an illusion requires incessant attention to every detail of the illusion in order to sustain it.
    
    A common denominator of IS-BEs seems to be the desire to avoid boredom.         
    
    A spirit only, without interaction with other IS-BEs, and the unpredictable motion, drama, and unanticipated intentions and illusions being created by other IS-BEs, is easily bored.
    
    What if you could imagine anything, perceive everything, and cause anything to happen, at will?   What if you couldn't do anything else? What if you always knew the outcome of every game and the answer to every question?                
    
    Would you get bored?
    
    The entire back time track of IS-BEs is immeasurable, nearly infinite in terms of physical universe time.    
    
    There is no measurable "beginning" or "end" for an IS-BE.   
    
    They simply exist in an everlasting now.
    
    Another common denominator of IS-BEs is that admiration of one's own illusions by others is very desirable.   
    
    If the desired admiration is not forthcoming, the IS-BE will keep creating the illusion in an attempt to get admiration. One could say that the entire physical universe is made of unadmired illusions.
    
    The origins of this universe began with the creation of individual, illusionary spaces. These were the "home" of the IS-BE.   
    
    Sometimes a universe is a collaborative creation of illusions by two or more IS-BEs.    A proliferation of IS-BEs, and the universes they create, sometimes collide or become commingled or merge to an extent that many IS-BEs shared in the co-creation of a universe.
    
    IS-BEs diminish their ability in order to have a game to play.  IS-BEs think that any game is better than no game.  
    
    They will endure pain, suffering, stupidity, privation, and all manner of unnecessary and undesirable conditions, just to play a game.  Pretending that one does not know all, see all and cause all, is a way to create the conditions necessary for playing a game:   unknowns, freedoms, barriers and/or opponents and goals.  Ultimately, playing a game solves the problem of boredom.
    
    In this fashion, all of the space, galaxies, suns, planets, and physical phenomena of this universe, including life forms, places, and events have been created by IS-BEs and sustained by mutual agreement that these things exist.
    
    There are as many universes as there are IS-BEs to imagine, build and perceive them, each existing concurrently within its own continuum. Each universe is created using its own unique set of rules, as imagined, altered, preserved or destroyed by one or more IS-BEs who created it. Time, energy, objects and space, as defined in terms of the physical universe, may or may not exist in other universes. The Domain exists in such a universe, as well as in the physical universe.
    
    One of the rules of the physical universe is that energy can be created, but not destroyed. So, the universe will keep expanding as long as IS-BEs keep adding more new energy into it. It is nearly infinite. It is like an automobile assembly line that never stops running and none of the cars are ever destroyed.
    
    Every IS-BE is basically good.  
    
    Therefore, an IS-BE does not enjoy doing things to other IS- BEs which they themselves do not want to experience.  For an IS-BE there is no inherent standard for what is good or bad, right or wrong, ugly or beautiful.  These ideas are all based on the opinion of each individual IS-BE.
    
    The closest concept that human beings have to describe an IS-BE is as a god:   all-knowing, all-powerful, infinite. So, how does a god stop being a god?               
    
    They  pretend NOT to know. How can you play a game of "hide and seek" if you always know where the other person is hiding?
    
    You pretend NOT to know where the other players are hiding, so you can go off to "seek" them. This is how games are created.  You have forgotten that you are just "pretending".  In so doing, IS-BEs become entrapped and enslaved inside a maze of their own devising.
    
    How does one create a cage, lock one's own self inside the cage, throw away the key, and forget there is a key or a cage, and forget there is an "inside" or "outside", and even forget there is a self? Create the illusion that there is no illusion: the entire universe is real, and that no other universe exists or can be created.
    
    On Earth, the propaganda taught and agreed upon is that the gods are responsible, and that human beings are not responsible.   You are taught that only a god can create universes. So, the responsibility for every action is assigned to another IS-BE or god. Never oneself.
    
    No human being ever assumes personal responsibility for the fact that they, themselves -- individually and collectively -- are gods.   This fact alone is the source of entrapment for every IS-BE.

    Some comments on this.

    These discussions, and text narratives, refer to a time where our universe (via the “Big Bang”) was not yet created. And in that land of no time (yet the extraterrestrial refers to time…?) and no space, the IS-BE consciousness existed. And this is what it was like.

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    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
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    A look at the report “alien interview” by MM parsing items deemed billions of years old

    I have presented the PDF titled “Alien Interview” to the readership. It is supposed to be the transcripts of the interview that a nurse had with an extraterrestrial entity that was recovered from a spaceship crash in Roswell, New Mexico. There is a lot of good stuff there, and some things that run counter to what I know and understand to be true. My intention here is to parse the entire book, and compare it to what I know. Where the two diverge, it will be up to you (the readership) to sort it out.

    In the transcript the extraterrestrial jumps all over. And in many instances he seems to reflect normal regular human feelings and attitudes about issues (such as the platypus) and you can read it and miss many things as it is a dated document translated by a nurse in 1947. In order to best sort it out, to a frame of reference that we can all understand, I am now (in this series of articles) going to separate the “Alien Interview” document into sections categorized by dates.

    The extraterrestrial discussed period of time in…

    • Trillions of years. (Birth of consciousness, universe creation.)
    • Billions of years. (Galaxy creation, and early civilizations.)
    • Millions of years. (Local events in our region, and mankind.)
    • Thousands of years. (A scope most important to humans.)

    In this article we will discuss the time scope of billions of years.

    Because the text will be taken out of the document, there might be some discontinuity in the text. In any case, I would advise reading the entire full document for a better understanding of context. Further, keep in mind that the purpose of this particular post / article is to separate the transcript into wide categories depending on the span of times discussed. I fear that the extraterrestrial was talking about a few thousand years in the past, then jumped to trillions of years ago, jumps to millions of years ago, jumps to decades, and then back to billions of years ago. This effort is to help sort things out chronologically.

    Perspective

    According to the learned “experts” the “big bang” hit around 14 – 15 billion years ago. Eventually forming our galaxy which absorbed other galaxies in the process. Based on the composition of stars, they have estimated that most stars in our universe today are fourth or fifth generation.

    Our solar system is around 4 – 5 billion years old.

    The text segments

    Every once in a short while, a few million years, an area or planet will be taken over by another group of IS-BEs entering into the area.
    
    Sometimes they will capture other IS-BEs as slaves. They will be forced to inhabit bodies to perform menial, or manual work -- especially mining mineral ores on heavy-gravity planets, such as Earth.
    
    Airl says that, when she became a pilot for a biological survey mission which included occasional visits to Earth.   She can remember her entire career there, and for a very long time before that.
    
    She told me that Earth scientists do not have an accurate measuring system to gauge the age of matter.   They assume that because certain types of materials seem to deteriorate rather quickly, such as organic or carbon-based matter, that there is a deterioration of matter.     It is not accurate to measure the age of stone, based on the measurement of the age of wood or bone.   This is a fundamental error. Factually, matter does not deteriorate. It cannot be destroyed.      Matter may be altered in form, but it is never truly destroyed.

    I can relate part of this history from personal experience:
    
    Many billions of years ago I was a member of a very large biological laboratory in a galaxy far from this one.  It was called the "Arcadia Regeneration Company". I was a biological engineer working with a large staff of technicians.   It was our business to manufacture and supply new life forms to uninhabited planets.   There were millions of star systems with millions of inhabitable planets in the region at that time.
    
    There were many other biological laboratory companies at that time also.       Each of them specialized in producing different kinds of life forms, depending on the "class" of the planet being populated.  Over a long span of time these laboratories developed a vast catalogue of species throughout the galaxies. The majority of basic genetic material is common to all species of life. Therefore, most of their work was concerned with manipulating alterations of the basic genetic pattern to produce variations of life forms that would be suitable inhabitants for various planetary classes.
    
    The "Arcadia Regeneration Company" specialized in mammals for forested areas and birds for tropical regions.  Our marketing staff negotiated contracts with various planetary governments and independent buyers from all over the universe.   The technicians created animals that were compatible with the variations in climate, atmospheric and terrestrial density and chemical content.  In addition we were paid to integrate our specimens with biological organisms engineered by other companies already living on a planet.
    
    In order to do this our staff was in communication with other companies who created life forms.     There were industry trade shows, publications and a variety of other information supplied through an association that coordinated related projects.
    
    As you can imagine, our research required a great deal of interstellar travel to conduct planetary surveys.   This is when I learned my skills as a pilot.  The data gathered was accumulated in huge computer databases and evaluated by biological engineers.
    
    A computer is an electronic device that serves as an artificial "brain" or complex calculating machine.   It is capable of storing information, making computations, solving problems and performing mechanical functions. In most of the galactic systems of the universe, very large computers are commonly used to run the routine administration, mechanical services and maintenance activities of an entire planet or planetary system.
    
    Based on the survey data gathered, designs and artistic renderings were made for new creatures. Some designs were sold to the highest bidder. Other life forms were created to meet the customized requests of our clients.
    
    The design and technical specifications were passed along an assembly line through a series of cellular, chemical, and mechanical engineers to solve the various problems.  It was their job to integrate all of the component factors into a workable, functional and aesthetic finished product.
    
    Prototypes of these creatures were then produced and tested in artificially created environments.  Imperfections were worked out, modifications made and eventually the new life form was "endowed" or "animated" with a life force or spiritual energy before being introduced into the actual planetary environment for final testing.
    
    After a new life form was introduced, we monitored the interaction of these biological organisms with the planetary environment and with other indigenous life-forms. Conflicts resulting from the interaction between incompatible organisms were resolved through negotiation between ourselves and other companies.  The negotiations usually resulted in compromises requiring further modification to our creatures or to theirs or both.    This is part of a science or art you call "Eugenics".
    
    In some cases changes were made in the planetary environment, but not often, as planet building is much more complex than making changes to an individual life form.

    What you see now on Earth is the huge variety of life forms left behind.   Your scientists believe that the fallacious "theory of evolution" is an explanation for the existence of all the life forms here.  The truth is that all life forms on this and any other planet in this universe were created by companies like ours.
    
    How else can you explain the millions of completely divergent and unrelated species of life on the land and in the oceans of this planet?     How else can you explain the source of spiritual animation which defines every living creature?   To say it is the work of "god", is  far too broad.  Every IS-BE has many names and faces in many times and places.   Every IS-BE is a god. When they inhabit a physical object they are the source of Life.
    
    For example, there are millions of species of insects.  About 350,000 of these are species of beetles. There may be as many as 100 million species of life forms on Earth at any given time.     In addition, there are many times more extinct species of life on Earth than there are living life forms.     Some of these will be rediscovered in the fossil or geological records of Earth.
    
    The current "theory of evolution" of life forms on Earth does not consider the phenomena of biological diversity. Evolution by natural selection is science fiction.   One species does not accidentally, or randomly evolve to become another species, as the Earth textbooks indicate, without manipulation of genetic material by an IS-BE.

    Factually, some organisms on Earth, such as Proteobacteria, are modifications of a Phylum designed primarily for "Star Type 3, Class C" planets.    In other words, The Domain designation for a planet with an anaerobic atmosphere nearest a large, intensely hot blue star, such as those in the constellation of Orion's Belt in this galaxy.
    
    Creating life forms is very complex, highly technical work for IS-BEs who specialize in this field.  Genetic anomalies are very baffling to Earth biologists who have had their memory erased.   Unfortunately, the false memory implantations of the "Old Empire" prevent Earth scientists from observing obvious anomalies.
    
    The greatest technical challenge of biological organisms  was the invention of self- regeneration, or sexual reproduction. It was invented as the solution to the problem of having to continually manufacture replacement creatures for those that had been destroyed and eaten by other creatures.   Planetary governments did not want to keep buying replacement animals.
    
    The idea was contrived trillions of years ago as a result of a conference held to resolve arguments between the disputing vested interests within the biotechnology industry. The infamous "Council of Yuhmi-Krum" was responsible for coordinating creature production.
    
    A compromise was reached, after certain members of the Council were strategically bribed or murdered, to author an agreement which resulted in the biological phenomenon which we now call the "food chain".
    
    The idea that a creature would need to consume the body of another life form as an energy source was offered as a solution by one of the biggest companies in the biological engineering business.  They specialized in creating insects and flowering plants.
    
    The connection between the two is obvious. Nearly every flowering plant requires a symbiotic relationship with an insect in order to propagate.  The reason is obvious: both the bugs and the flowers were created by the same company.  Unfortunately, this same company also had a division which created parasites and bacteria.
    
    The name of the company roughly translated into English would be "Bugs & Blossoms" .   They wanted to justify the fact that the only valid purpose of the parasitic creatures they manufactured was to aid the decomposition of organic material.  There was a very limited market for such creatures at that time.
    
    In order to expand their business they hired a big public relations firm and a powerful group of political lobbyists to glorify the idea that life forms should feed from other life forms. They invented a "scientific theory" to use as a promotion gimmick.  The theory was that all creatures needed to have "food" as a source of energy. Before that, none of the life forms being manufactured required any external energy.  Animals did not eat other animals for food, but consumed sunlight, minerals or vegetable matter only.
    
    Of course, "Bugs & Blossoms" went into the business of designing and manufacturing carnivores.  Before long, so many animals were being eaten as food that the problem of replenishing them became very difficult.  As a 'solution', "Bugs & Blossoms" proposed, with the help of some strategically placed bribes in high places, that other companies begin using 'sexual reproduction' as the basis for replenishing life-forms.  "Bugs & Blossoms" was the first company to           develop blueprints for sexual reproduction, of course.
    
    As expected, the patent licenses for the biological engineering process required to implant stimulus-response mating, cellular division and pre-programmed growth patterns for self-regenerating animals were owned by "Bugs & Blossoms" too.
    
    Through the next few million years laws were passed that required that these programs be purchased by the other biological technology companies.      These were required to be imprinted into the cellular design of all existing life- forms. It became a very expensive undertaking for other biotechnology companies to make such an awkward, and impractical idea work.
    
    This led to the corruption and downfall of the entire industry.  Ultimately, the 'food and sex' idea completely ruined the bio-technology industry, including "Bugs & Blossoms".  The entire industry faded away as the market for manufactured life forms disappeared. Consequently, when a species became extinct, there is no way to replace them because the technology of creating new life forms has been lost.  Obviously, none of this technology was ever known on Earth, and probably never will be.
    
    There are still computer files on some planets far from here which record the procedures for biological engineering. Possibly the laboratories and computers still exist somewhere.   However, there is no one around doing anything with them. Therefore, you can understand why it is so important for The Domain to protect the dwindling number of creatures left on Earth.
    
    The core concept behind 'sexual reproduction' technology was the invention of a chemical/electronic interaction called "cyclical stimulus-response generators". This is an programmed genetic mechanism which causes a seemingly spontaneous, recurring impulse to reproduce. The same technique was later adapted and applied to biological flesh bodies, including Homo Sapiens.
    
    Another important mechanism used in the reproductive process, especially with Homo Sapiens type bodies, is the implantation of a "chemical-electrical trigger" mechanism in the body.      The "trigger" which attracts IS-BEs to inhabit a human body, or any kind of "flesh body", is the use of an artificially imprinted electronic wave which uses "aesthetic pain" to attract the IS-BE.
    
    Every trap in the universe, including those used to capture IS-BEs who remain free, is "baited" with an aesthetic electronic wave.
    
    The sensations caused by the aesthetic wavelength are more attractive to an IS-BE than any other sensation.  When the electronic waves of pain and beauty are combined together, this causes the IS-BE to get "stuck" in the body.
    
    The "reproductive trigger" used for lesser life forms, such as cattle and other mammals, is triggered by chemicals emitted from the scent glands, combined with reproductive chemical- electrical impulses stimulated by testosterone, or estrogen.
    
    These are also interactive with nutrition levels which cause the life form to reproduce more when deprived of food sources. Starvation promotes reproductive activity as a means of perpetuating survival through future regenerations, when the current organism fails to survive.     These fundamental principles have been applied throughout all species of life.
    
    The debilitating impact and addiction to the "sexual aesthetic-pain" electronic wave is the reason that the ruling class of The Domain do not inhabit flesh bodies.  This is also why officers of The Domain Forces only use doll bodies. This wave has proven to be the most effective trapping device ever created in the history of the universe, as far as I know.
    
    The civilizations of The Domain and the "Old Empire" both  depend on this device to "recruit" and maintain a work force of IS-BEs who inhabit flesh bodies on planets and installations.  These IS-BEs are the "working class" beings who do all of the slavish, manual, undesirable work on planets.
    
    As I mentioned, there is a very highly regimented and fixed hierarchy or "class system" for all IS-BEs throughout the "Old Empire", and The Domain, as follows:
    
    The highest class are "free" IS-BEs.   That is, they are not restricted to the use of any type of body and may come and go at will, provided that they do not destroy or interfere with the social, economic or political structure.
    
    Below this class are many strata of "limited" IS-BEs who may or may not use a body from time to time.  Limitations are imposed on each IS-BE regarding range of power, ability and mobility they can exercise.
    
    Below these are the "doll body" classes, to which I belong.  Nearly all space officers and crew members of space craft are required to travel through intergalactic space.    Therefore, they are each equipped with a body manufactured from lightweight, durable materials.  Various body types have been designed to facilitate specialized functions. Some bodies have accessories, such as interchangeable tools or apparatus for activities such as maintenance, mining, chemical management, navigation, and so forth. There are many gradations of this body type which also serve as an "insignia" of rank.
    
    Below these are the soldier class.  The soldiers are equipped with a myriad of weapons, and specialized armaments designed to detect, combat and overwhelm any imaginable foe.   Some soldiers are issued mechanical bodies. Most soldiers are merely remote controlled robots with no class designation.
    
    The lower classes are limited to "flesh bodies". Of course, it is not possible for these to travel through space for obvious reasons. Fundamentally, flesh bodies are far too fragile to endure the stresses of gravity, temperature extremes, radiation exposure, atmospheric chemicals and the vacuum of space. There are also the obvious logistical inconveniences of food, defecation, sleep, atmospheric elements, and air pressure required by flesh bodies, that doll bodies do not require.
    
    Most flesh bodies will suffocate in only a few minutes without a specific combination of atmospheric chemicals.  After 2 or 3 days the bacteria which live internally and externally on the body cause severe odors to be emitted. Odors of any kind are not acceptable in a space vessel.
    
    Flesh can tolerate only a very limited spectrum of temperatures, whereas in space the contrast of temperatures may vary hundreds of degrees within seconds.  Of course flesh bodies are utterly useless for military duty.   A single shot from a hand-held, electronic blast gun instantly turns a flesh body into a noxious vapor cloud.
    
    IS-BEs who inhabit flesh bodies have lost much of their native ability and power.      Although it is theoretically possible to regain or rehabilitate these abilities, no practical means has been discovered or authorized by The Domain.
    
    Even though space craft of The Domain travel trillions of "light years" in a single day, the time required to traverse the space between galaxies is significant, not to mention the length of time to complete just one set of mission orders, which may require thousands of years.    Biological flesh bodies live for only a very short time -- only 60 to 150 years, at most -- whereas doll bodies can be re-used and repaired almost indefinitely.
    
    The first development of biological bodies began in this universe about seventy-four trillion years ago.  It rapidly became a fad for IS-BEs to create and inhabit various types of bodies for an assortment of nefarious reasons: especially for amusement, this is to experience various physical sensations vicariously through the body.
    
    Since that time there has been a continuing "de-evolution" in the relationship of IS-BEs to bodies. As IS-BEs continued to play around with these bodies, certain tricks were introduced to cause IS-BEs to get trapped inside a body so they were unable to leave again.
    
    This was done primarily by making bodies that appeared sturdy, but were actually very fragile.   An IS-BE, using their natural power to create energy, accidentally injured a body when contacting it.  The IS-BE was remorseful about having injured this fragile body.  The next time they encountered a body they began to be "careful" with them.  In so doing, the IS-BE would withdraw or minimize their own power so as not to injure the body.  A very long and treacherous history of this kind of trickery, combined with similar misadventures eventually resulted in a large number of IS-BEs becoming permanently trapped in bodies.
    
    Of course this became a profitable enterprise for some IS-BEs who took advantage of this situation to make slaves of others. The resulting enslavement progressed over trillions of years, and continues today.    Ultimately the dwindling ability of IS-BEs to maintain a personal state of operational freedom and ability to create energy resulted in the vast and carefully guarded hierarchy or class system.   Using bodies as a symbol of each class is used throughout the "Old Empire", as well as The Domain.
    
    The vast majority of IS-BEs throughout the galaxies of this universe inhabit some form of flesh body.   The structure, appearance, operation and habitat of these bodies vary according to the gravity, atmosphere, and climatic conditions of the planet they inhabit. Body types are predetermined largely by the type and size of the star around which the planet revolves, the distance from the star, the geological, as well as the atmospheric components of the planet.
    
    On the average, these stars and planets fall into gradients of classification which are fairly standard throughout the universe.   For example, Earth is identified, roughly, as a "Sun Type 12, Class 7 planet".  That is a heavy gravity, nitrogen/oxygen atmosphere planet, with biological life-forms, in proximity to a single, yellow, medium-size, low-radiation sun or "Type 12 star". The proper designations are difficult to translate accurately due to the extreme limitations of astronomical nomenclature in the English language.
    
    There are as many varieties of life forms as there are grains of sands on the beach. You can imagine how many different creatures and types of bodies have been manufactured by the millions of companies such as "Bugs & Blossoms" for all of the myriad planetary systems during the course of seventy-four trillion years!"

    As Airl mentioned previously, a very rigid and distinctive hierarchy of social, economic and cultural classes exists throughout The Domain which has remained unvaried and inviolate for many millennia.  The body type and function assigned to an IS-BE officer varies specifically according to the rank, class, longevity, training level, command level, service record, and meritorious citations earned by each individual IS-BE, as with any other military insignia.
    
    The body used by Airl is specifically designed for an officer, pilot and engineer of her rank and class.   The bodies of her companions, which were destroyed in the crash, were not of the same rank or class, but of a junior rank. Therefore, the appearance, features, composition and functionality of those bodies were specialized, and limited to the requirements of their duties.
    
    The junior officers whose bodies were damaged in the crash have left their bodies and returned to their duties on the space station. The damage suffered by their bodies was due primarily to the fact that they were officers of lower rank. They used bodies which were partially biological and therefore far less durable and resilient than hers.

    Some thoughts

    In general, we can consider these selected text extracts to represent the time period from when the “Big Bang” happened to the early years in the formation of our solar system.

    You can see that The Domain (or what ever it called itself then) was very busy creating life templates or systems, or archetypes for our universe. And most of the discussions during this period involved this activity. You can also see that it had created organizations that had similar names to what we refer to as companies, groups, marketing and scientists.

    All in all it is very interesting. And in many ways is near equal to my understanding of this time period.

    Do you want more?

    You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

    ET Species

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

    A look at the report “alien interview” by MM parsing items deemed millions of years old

    I have presented the PDF titled “Alien Interview” to the readership. It is supposed to be the transcripts of the interview that a nurse had with an extraterrestrial entity that was recovered from a spaceship crash in Roswell, New Mexico. There is a lot of good stuff there, and some things that run counter to what I know and understand to be true. My intention here is to parse the entire book, and compare it to what I know. Where the two diverge, it will be up to you (the readership) to sort it out.

    In the transcript the extraterrestrial jumps all over. And in many instances he seems to reflect normal regular human feelings and attitudes about issues (such as the platypus) and you can read it and miss many things as it is a dated document translated by a nurse in 1947. In order to best sort it out, to a frame of reference that we can all understand, I am now (in this series of articles) going to separate the “Alien Interview” document into sections categorized by dates.

    The extraterrestrial discussed period of time in…

    • Trillions of years. (Birth of consciousness, universe creation.)
    • Billions of years. (Galaxy creation, and early civilizations.)
    • Millions of years. (Local events in our region, and mankind.)
    • Thousands of years. (A scope most important to humans.)

    In this article we will discuss the time scope of millions of years.

    Because the text will be taken out of the document, there might be some discontinuity in the text. In any case, I would advise reading the entire full document for a better understanding of context. Further, keep in mind that the purpose of this particular post / article is to separate the transcript into wide categories depending on the span of times discussed. I fear that the extraterrestrial was talking about a few thousand years in the past, then jumped to trillions of years ago, jumps to millions of years ago, jumps to decades, and then back to billions of years ago. This effort is to help sort things out chronologically.

    Millions of years ago.

    Our solar system is around 4 – 5 billion years old (according to the “experts”). And our planet Earth really wasn’t much of anything worthwhile up until the last one billion years. Up until around 800 million years ago or so, it was just a hot smoggy mess.

    Most Earth humans cannot picture a span of time in the millions of years. But to put things in context, you can use this handy guide…

    Most of the stars and planets that we can see through our telescopes were pretty much also visible millions of years ago. Though many had changed and gone through “life cycles” in the process.

    On the Earth, life fit into these broad categories…

    • 800m – 500m Early life
    • 500m – 70m Dinosaurs
    • 70m – 10m Mammals
    • 10m – 3m Proto-apes
    • 3m – present Humans

    Now there are all sorts of ways to splice and dice these categories up, so I’m not gonna want to hear your arguments one way or the other. This is just a very rough (ROUGH) rule of thumb to put things into context when you are reading the text extracted from the “Alien Interview” document.

    The following text  refers to stories, experiences, and narratives that took place when the world was rather young. As the extraterrestrial entity narrates, please keep in mind that the earth at this particular time was primitive. If it had life, the chances were that the life was dinosaurs or something similar.

    The text segments

    Several million years ago I was trained and served as an Investigation, Data Evaluation and Program Development Officer for The Domain. Because I was experienced in that technology, I was sent to Earth as part of the search team. (around 8,000 years ago.)

    A simple example of IS-BE intervention is the selective breeding of a species on Earth. Within the past few hundred years several hundred dog breeds and hundreds of varieties of pigeons and dozens of Koi fish have been "evolved" in just a few years, beginning with only one original breed.    Without active intervention by IS-BEs, biological organisms rarely change.
    
    The development of an animal like the 'duck- billed platypus' required a lot of very clever engineering to combine the body of a beaver with the bill of a duck and make a mammal that lays eggs.  Undoubtedly, some wealthy client placed a "special order" for it as a gift or curious amusement.  I am sure the laboratory of some biotechnical company worked on it for years to make it a self-replicating life form!
    
    The notion that the creation of any life form could have resulted from a coincidental chemical interaction moldering up from some primordial ooze is beyond absurdity!

    Thoughts and conclusions

    This article discusses extracted quotes relating to a period of time on the order of millions of earth years. Roughly 100 million to 1 million years ago.

    The extraterrestrial did not mention much about this period of time. There were only two separate instances that include dates in this time frame.

    What we do know, or can infer, is that during this period of time that [1] “The Domain” existed. And that this particular extraterrestrial was involved in various roles to include [2] “training”, “working” and “learning”.

    Do you want more?

    You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

    ET Species

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

    A glimpse into the news of Hong Kong, and what they really think about China and their place in it.

    If you read any of the Western press (most UK or American) you will get a really distorted view about Hong Kong, and China. You will read things, so many things, that you will just “take in” as truth, and without a secondary source of information, you will start to believe it. And that’s how the “West” works. You keep people stupid and ignorant, and manipulate them in such a way that they “dance” to whatever tune you play.

    I have been (by chance) reading some articles out of Hong Kong ( I mean, after all, I live next door to it.) and they (the articles) are very interesting in how illustrative they are to the amazing levels of disinformation pumped out of America and Britain over the last few decades.

    All lies. All disinformation. All manipulation.

    All the time.

    We start with Billionaire Tycoon Jimmy Lai. And if you read the American (and British press) you might picture him as a freedom lover for democracy, and a fighter for justice and the “American way of life”.

    Nah.

    Not even remotely true. He’s actually sort of like a Chinese version of Larry Flint, with the behavior of Harvey Weinstein , and the scruples of Hillary Clinton.

    Here is a great article. Found HERE. It discusses Jimmy Lai’s “operation” in Hong Kong…

    Fun fact:
    
    For a newspaper with only 86,000 subscribers. He was mysteriously making HK$95 million every month (12.23 million US Dollars). 
    
    Every time the HK government tried to audit him, a massive onslaught of anti-HK government protests, media, and assaults from both the USA and the UK stopped the effort. On numerous occasions, the UK and US government "stepped in" and put pressure on HK to free him and stop the investigations.
    
    But when HK passed the insurrection law in 2020, his "operations" were investigated and it turns out that he was laundering enormous sums of cash directly out of the United States government for undisclosed purposes.

    Just who is this “skuz-bucket”?

    Jimmy Lai, the Larry Flint of Hong Kong.

    [1] The untold story of Apple Daily

    By Nury Vittachi 29 Jun 2021

    Deception, misogyny and quiet Americans

    FIRST, LET’S LOOK AT the numbers which are being omitted in reports about the closure of Hong Kong’s Apple Daily newspaper.

    NOT BREAKFAST READING

    1) Apple Daily printed 86,000 copies a day, which meant that 98.5 PER CENT of Hong Kong’s 6,500,000 adults did NOT buy it with their breakfast noodles.

    SIMPLE DECEPTION

    2) The Western media is reporting that it was “Hong Kong’s biggest newspaper”. No. Not remotely true. Hong Kong’s most popular newspaper is free tabloid Headline Daily (1,012,000 a day, or more than ten times Apple’s circulation), and in the paid broadsheet category, leaders include Oriental Daily News (530,000 a day), and Sing Tao Daily (253,000 a day).

    Hong Kong has always had a hunger for newspapers, and the mainstream voice has always been far, far more popular than Jimmy Lai’s one. That was true in the British era, and is true today, with the same newspaper groups at the top of the pile.

    THE BIG STORY IN MEDIA

    3) Maybe Jimmy Lai’s paper was top of the web charts? No. Alexa rankings for Hong Kong show HK01.com, Bastillepost and other online media far ahead of Apple Daily (and the fact that Hong Kongers visit mainland China shopping site Taobao significantly more than any local media site should tell us something).

    HK01, in particular, has come from nowhere to dominate the local media scene. Lively, up-to-the-minute and often critical of the government, its existence and popularity gives the lie to the “press freedom is dead” trope of the Western media, and is the big story in media that foreign correspondents have all missed.

    WHO CLOSED APPLE?

    4) Apple Daily was not closed down by the Hong Kong government, but by its own board, comprising local people hostile to China, plus Americans.

    The HK$18 million that the government froze was a small sum for a paper for a company with HK$95 million in revenues every month, financial analysts say. The paper itself boasted of having cash accounts of HK$531 million, enough to last 18 months.

    In fact, the entire financial picture of the media group is an under-reported, under-studied mystery.

    THE INFAMOUS NARRATIVE

    5) So why did they close their own paper? As a PR coup, because they were absolutely confident that the international media, which means the Western media, would not tell the real story, but one which fits their anti-China narrative.

    Oh, and also, it saves them money.

    Apple Daily’s stunning lack of popularity among the good, honest, people of Hong Kong, was only eclipsed by its stunning lack of popularity among advertisers. The group has been losing more than HK$1 million a day, yes, A DAY, (which is more than US$1 million a week), amounting to several billion Hong Kong dollars over the past few years.

    The paper clearly did not function commercially as a media company, so any healthily skeptical person would ask themselves: what was it for?

    PRO-DEMOCRACY?

    Oh, and another thing. Apple Daily wasn’t  “pro-democracy” either.

    But more about that later. Let’s start from the very beginning, a very good place to start, as the great poet Oscar Hammerstein II said.

    This headline from a UK newspaper called ‘i’ (for “Independent”) shows the typically false reporting characteristic of coverage of this story

    CHAPTER 1)  BRUNCH AND PORNOGRAPHY

    I FIRST MET Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, founder of Apple Daily, at a politician-packed brunch party in 1995. It was at the luxurious Hong Kong apartment of L. Gordon Crovitz, a senior executive for the Wall Street Journal group. His wife Minky was the perfect hostess.

    Garment tycoon Lai wasn’t how I expected him to be, but I liked him. Behind his sad puppy eyes was toughness. He was in the process of launching an oppositional, China-baiting newspaper.

    We all congratulated him for taking a step that was clearly brave and very likely foolhardy: he would inevitably get into trouble.

    It was only after I had left that brunch party that something occurred to me: the hosts were all right wing United States people, and the invited politicians were all from the Hong Kong opposition. It was like a convention of people who didn’t like China.

    MISOGYNY RULES

    Over the next few years, Apple Daily carved its place in the city’s media scene over the next few years, and this reporter, like most Hong Kong people, were shocked and horrified.

    Lai’s publications made a niche for themselves by taking the lowest of the low paths. There was sex and sensationalism, outrage and scandal, allegations and celebrity gossip of the tawdriest kind, and worse, pornographic stories and  reviews/ critiques of sex workers and massage parlours.

    This headline from a UK newspaper called ‘i’ (for “Independent”) shows the typically false reporting characteristic of coverage of this story

    The Hong Kong community is a rather gentle, low-crime, conservative, majority female society, and the present portrayal of Apple Daily as the natural voice of the community was and is deeply misleading.

    The paper, crude, brutal and sexist, was for men. Jimmy Lai, in a 1995 interview with the South China Morning Post, said: “Our porn page is not very well done, but we have to have it because man has basic needs.”

    LOWERED STANDARDS

    Other publications lowered their standards to compete, and the Hong Kong newsstands became embarrassing to walk past. Remember the “downblouse” photo of schoolgirl Alice Patten on the front page with the headline: “The peaches are ripening”?

    The misogyny and cruelty to women and children were shocking, with people being hurt constantly – and discovering that the newspaper simply didn’t care.

    After a few years, it felt like most people knew individuals who had been hurt by Apple Daily. The Hong Kong public preferred its traditional newspaper voice, and Jimmy Lai’s newspaper could never rise above being a minority interest, thank God.

    Another Western media group gets it wrong: the information above was distributed by AFP, one of the biggest news agencies in the world.

    One 1998 story, sadly typical of the paper, stuck in my mind: Apple Daily published a feature about an unbelievably crass man who apparently sought out prostitutes soon after his wife had thrown their children out of a window to their deaths before jumping after them.

    The paper later admitted paying the man to pose in bed with the sex workers for the photographs, knowing that it would be the most talked-about story of the week.

    The paper was in trouble with the law, usually because of contravening the rules against obscene publications, every two or three months.

    FLOUTED ETHICS

    It also flouted basic journalistic ethics. Chequebook journalism was the norm. In 2000, an Apple reporter received a 10-month jail sentence for bribing police officers to reveal information. In 2019, the paper was widely reported to have given HK$1.5 million to a taxi driver for video footage of a married celebrity canoodling with a woman who wasn’t his wife.

    Next Digital’s Taiwan operation has been a financial disaster: picture by Solomon203/ Wikicommons

    Yes, it also did some positive work, like attacking civil servants for doing their jobs badly, but those few tales became over-politicized to an extent that they were not journalism, but political campaigning for its endless pro-America, anti-China message.

    Then one day, I got a call. Apple Daily senior executive Mark Simon wanted to meet me and would like to me to give them some help.

    CHAPTER TWO) THE MONEY PIT

    MARK SIMON, now there’s an interesting character. People were already wondering if Jimmy Lai’s right-hand man was a CIA agent, given the newspaper’s anti-China stance.

    I found the notion unlikely, and not just because we were friends. He was enormous and unhealthy looking, and would be unlikely to pass the most basic fitness tests. Also, he liked the limelight too much to be an agent, although there is a sub-group of agents who do their work in the spotlight.

    In a discussion on that topic, someone asked me a related question: If not an agent, was Mark Simon a CIA asset, witting or unwitting?

    I gave her a reply that my father’s experiences taught me: “Sweetheart, almost every journalist in the world is a CIA asset, witting or unwitting. That’s how the Western press works.”

     

    Another Western media group gets it wrong: the information above was distributed by AFP, one of the biggest news agencies in the world.

    ANIMATED NEWS

    I met Mark at a coffee shop in Kowloon’s Ho Man Tin district where he introduced me to Marina Shifrin, an American woman who had been hired to write scripts for a new “3D animated news” venture for Next Digital, the parent company of the newspaper. The operation was based in Taiwan, where the group was doing very badly.

    The animations were unfunny, getting few hits and were not being widely shared. Mark wanted me to give her the key storytelling points to creating viral media. It was hard to boil down decades of experience into a short lecture, but to sum up, I told her to be authentic, funny, detached and offbeat. We swapped contact details.

    I left the meeting pondering how long a principled American woman could stay at such an unprincipled company.

    BIGOTRY

    For Hong Kong’s majority population a significant problem was Apple Daily’s undisguised bigotry. Apple popularized the term “locusts” for people from mainland China coming to Hong Kong.

    This was a horrific mistake in the eyes of this community, where many people had mainland cousins, and recognized that the city’s businesses were reliant on mainland Chinese customers.

    But here was the puzzle. Despite the repulsive content, there was a rock-solid partnership between the Apple Daily crowd and American media people—and on particular, the most hawkish and right wing of people in that country.

    1. Gordon Crovitz remained closely in the loop. Crovitz’s wife, Minky Worden, was “media advisor” to the Hong Kong opposition for several years. Mark Simon had a US Naval Intelligence background and became president of Republicans Abroad in Hong Kong.

    Other media highlighted the fact that Apple-style muckraking made ordinary people feel unsafe

    Other media highlighted the fact that Apple-style muckraking made ordinary people feel unsafe

    HK PEOPLE GENEROUS

    To combat its bad reputation for bigotry, Apple sometimes accused others of the same thing. In 2013, it ran a front-page anti-government “scoop” reporting that Executive Council member Franklin Lam, said: “I utterly discriminate against new immigrants.”

    Unfortunately for the reporters, the meeting had been recorded and the tape showed that what he actually said was: “I utterly do not discriminate against new immigrants. On arrival in Hong Kong, they are legally Hong Kong citizens. They are also first-class citizens.”

    The truth is that Hong Kong people are generous, and the city has an extensive program to help mainland immigrants settle in.

    Jimmy Lai meets Mike Pence: picture from Mike Pence’s office

    Jimmy Lai meets Mike Pence: picture from Mike Pence’s office

    CHAPTER 3) UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE

    The world is being told that Apple Daily is a pro-democracy paper. Let’s talk about that. In 2013 and 2014,  Hong Kong civil servants announced the results of a years-long process to introduce a one-person-one-vote system to this city.

    A Chinese University survey of the public showed that some 55 percent of people were in favor of proceeding with the government’s universal suffrage plan, providing that satisfaction could be achieved on the composition of the “broadly representative nominating committee”.

    But Apple Daily and the more strident members of the opposition called for the whole universal suffrage package to be jettisoned, as not being sufficiently close to Western liberal democracy. (In fact, the Hong Kong system allowed direct voting for the leader, unlike UK and US systems, where you vote for parties, and the party or the electoral college appoint a leader.)

    FAUX OUTRAGE

    The Western media, including this reporter, who was writing op-eds for the New York Times at the time, got caught up in the faux outrage, and the path to democratic self-government that Hong Kong civil servants had taken literally years to build was demolished in a single day.

    Many academics and journalists (including the present writer), later realized that we’d made a huge error, denying Hong Kong people an important chance to take the first steps towards a more democratic system.

    GETTING IT RIGHT AT LAST

    In Taiwan, Marina Shifrin worked until 3 o’clock in the morning and then made a video of herself holding an “I quit” sign and dancing at multiple locations in the Next Media offices.

    It went viral on the internet, winning her 19 million views, plus a job offer of working in televison in the United States. She left Taiwan as fast as she could.

    REVOLUTION CONSULTANTS

    In late 2014, Western “revolution consultants” revealed that they had been working with Hong Kong anti-China campaigners for almost two years before the “Occupy Central” campaign shut down much of the business center.

    Leaked documents revealed that Jimmy Lai was secretly handling the finances for those protests: more than HK$40 million (US$5.2 million) came from unknown sources and went to hostile groups in Hong Kong.

    In one of the emails, Lai spoke scathingly about the protest leaders, saying they “could accomplish nothing if there was no help”.

    MILLIONS OF DOLLARS

    Hong Kong was swept by rumors, later confirmed, that the US State Department had a budget of millions to destabilize China by poisoning minds against the country in its outlying areas – Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Tibet and Mongolia.

    Piece by piece, stories of unexplained payments popped up. It became clear that the cash coming through the National Endowment for Democracy was peanuts compared to money from other American sources. But it was hard to find the links between the odd bits of news that popped up.

    For example, in May 2016 the Independent Commission Against Corruption highlighted an undeclared payment of HK$250,000 from Mark Simon to an opposition politician. It was not clear where the cash originated.

    But by that time, observers of the Hong Kong scene noted that we very often saw the same factors coming together: Americans, mystery money, Jimmy Lai, and anti-China politicians.

    AIMLESS VIOLENCE

    In 2019, civil unrest again broke out and Apple Daily strongly backed the pro-independence protesters calling for Hong Kong to be “freed” from China, despite the fact that between 80 and 93 percent of Hong Kong people strongly oppose independence.

    The protesters wanted Donald Trump to take Hong Kong from China, possibly the worst idea in history.

    Bizarrely, Apple Daily gave the biggest encouragement to the aimlessly violent people who had no plan other than to destroy Hong Kong’s economy, close the airport, and generally cause mayhem. There was no conceivable way that the endless destruction of public facilities would lead to more democracy, as Hong Kong people pointed out repeatedly in talk shows and on social media.

    Indeed, it was obvious that the process Apple Daily was encouraging could have no possible outcome except to cause Beijing to intervene – which was, of course, the whole point. Accusations that this city was just a pawn in a bigger game in which Jimmy Lai was serving the United States became impossible to dismiss.

    THE US RIGHT WING

    Also clear was that Jimmy Lai strongly favored the right wing of the United States, since they were more actively anti-China. In May, 2020, Jimmy Lai launched a  #TrumpSavesHK campaign on its front page. “Trump is a statesman,” Lai wrote in the newspaper in October.

    Throughout this period, the paper called for international sanctions on Hong Kong, even though the city was being hammered for reasons mired in disinformation. I don’t think anyone taking a genuinely detached look at the paper’s actions over the past few years could possibly call it pro-democracy, or even pro-Hong Kong. It worked instead to actively harm this community.

    Behind the scenes, Apple Daily dug into its coffers to commission a fake report “revealing” that Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden had secret dealings with China. Managed by Mark Simon, the project was a direct bid to interfere in the US elections, and ensure a Trump win.

    Again, we saw creative, out-of-the-box thinking, but also an appetite for deliberate deception of the public – the journalist credited with writing the dossier didn’t exist, but was a fake name with a computer-generated face.

    Throughout this period, the paper called for international sanctions on Hong Kong, even though the city was being hammered for reasons mired in disinformation. I don’t think anyone taking a genuinely detached look at the paper’s actions over the past few years could possibly call it pro-democracy, or even pro-Hong Kong. It worked instead to actively harm this community.

    Oh, and the misogynistic harm to women and children has continued. Earlier this month, Hong Kong saw the end of a court case involving Apple Daily staff pretending to be related to a female celebrity in order to get a birth certificate for her child, which they then published.

    ON BOARD

    This month, the board of Apple Daily, not the Hong Kong government, closed the newspaper.

    Who is on the board? There’s American journalist Mark Clifford. There’s L. Gordon Crovitz, the charming but staunchly right wing former publisher of the Wall Street Journal, who invited me to that brunch party at his home 26 years ago.

    His wife Minky Worden has become a key voice in the US campaign against the 2022 Winter Olympics in China.

    Ms Worden is a senior staff member at Human Rights Watch, a group which has been criticized by more than 100 cultural figures, including Nobel Peace Laureates, for its  “close ties to the government of the United States”.

    Since Olympic activities in mainland China always involve Hong Kong city too, the success of her campaign would further harm the long-suffering people of this city.

    LEFT SUDDENLY

    Meanwhile, Mark Simon, who told journalists he was in Hong Kong to stay, left the city suddenly to move to Taiwan shortly before the promulgation of a US-style security law, which among other things, targets people who take overseas money to interfere in local politics.

    But of course none of this will be covered in the international media. It doesn’t fit the narrative.

    The Western media will repeatedly report that Beijing is to blame for Apple Daily’s problems in Hong Kong, hoping and praying that no one will point out the key fact that demolishes the argument: The newspaper group has been even more of a disaster in Taiwan, where it has stopped all its print publications, despite the island allegedly having glorious USA-Style True Democracy. USA! USA!

    TALK TO HONG KONG PEOPLE

    If you want the real story of this newspaper, perhaps speak to the 98.5 per cent of Hong Kong adults who did not buy a copy of Apple Daily with their breakfast every day.

    And perhaps spend a moment reflecting on Jimmy Lai’s connections with the right wing of the United States, and what the jailed publisher thinks of Hong Kong’s anti-China movement – that they “could accomplish nothing if there was no help”.

    [2] And now to Cuba

    Here’s what the Hong Kong folk feel about Cuba. After all, America now has it’s sights on invading it, or starting a war there… oh, you know… for the usual reasons.

    Yah. Any day now, America is going to invade Cuba for Freedom™ and democracy™.

    How ‘freedom’ became a scary word

    By Nury Vittachi 17 Jul 2021

    Destabilization process is now farcically predictable

    THE WORLD’S WEALTHIEST, most militaristic country (The United States) wants to deliver “freedom” to Cuba, a tiny community which has committed the unforgivable sin of doing things in a more socialist way. But whatever your politics, the extraordinary re-purposing of the word “freedom” as a tool to amplify unrest and distort discussions should concern us all.

    Hong Kong people, in particular, have seen this entire process before. In fact, we could pretty much write the script for what’s happening in Cuba ourselves. Ten things to consider:

    1.) Turn on the anti-Cuba social media

    Yes, there are social and economic problems in Cuba. That’s how it works. The destabilization process ALWAYS piggybacks itself on genuine grievances. These are amplified with a disinformation campaign.

    At least 1,500 of the social media accounts that participated in the #SOSCuba operation were created in a 48-hour period: July 10 and 11, said Julian Macias Tovar, social media analyst.

    2.) Turn on the fake tweets.

    Cuban internet investigators found the majority of the fake tweets came from the United States.

    The tweets focused on the narrative key word “freedom” and pointedly instructed readers to dismiss any suggestion that the US embargo had any relevance to what was happening.

    One of the main pro-US social media voices talking to Cubans was a notorious anti-government source called Yusnaby.

    Yusnaby, Cubans wryly noted, is pronounced like “U.S. Navy” said with an accent.

    3.)  Engage the ‘Bots.

    Many of the messages came from random “pretty” faces and were bot-signed up so quickly that they didn’t have time to delete the automatically generated numbers after their fake names.

    So “Rachel” (see below), who looks like a supermodel, apparently likes to be known as Rachel76039947.

    4.) Fire-hose of messages floods the internet.

    The entire, huge torrent of messages took a pro-US and anti-government stance, and many said the exact same thing in the exact same words. They were clearly fake but Twitter did not delete them.

    Many of the pro-US, anti-government voices on social media joined recently, have no friends or followers, and somewhat unusual names!

    5.) Heavy coverage of tiny protests.

    The early Cuban protests were small (a few hundred people) but received far more coverage than much, much larger events elsewhere. Independent media outlet BT News noted that more than 100,000 people marched for Palestine, such as in the demonstration pictured below, at the same time, but got far less coverage.

    6.) Freedom™ and democracy™

    When Hong Kongers see something like this happening, we wait. We wait for the mainstream media to give the protesters/ pro-US side full ownership of words like “freedom” and “democracy”.  At the same time, they will unfairly label the home team/ government as the enemies of freedom and democracy.

    Here’s the New York Times doing precisely that in a hilariously blatant manner: “Shouting ‘freedom’ and other anti-government slogans. . . ”!

    7.) Lie using fake photos

    The small size of many of the Cuba demonstrations was a problem for the pro-NATO narrative.

    CNN misleading people into thinking the picture it is using comes from Cuba when it’s actually from Miami, as the street sign shows. TYT repeatedly did the same thing.

    8.) American President reads THE script.

    By Sunday night, some Hong Kongers watching the process were already waiting for US President Joseph Biden to perform his part in the script, saying something that associates one side with “freedom” and the other with the words “authoritarian regime.”

    On Monday, he did just that.

    9.) Switch and confuse the videos and images

    Below is a widely reprinted NYT report which misled countless millions of readers into thinking this AP picture of a reasonably well-attended gathering was of a pro-US, anti-govt protest, when it was actually a pro-government rally.

    Fox News and the Financial Times did the same thing with the same picture. This picture actually showed a pro-government rally. (Spotter: Alan MacLeod)

    10.) Amnesty International performs their role

    By Tuesday, newswatchers in Hong Kong were waiting for the next standard element in the destabilization script  — which would be for the comically biased Amnesty International to do its normal trick.

    Amnesty works hard to produce reports making the home team look like faceless killing machines, and the pro-US, anti-govt side look like young, cool human beings with glorious US flags calling for, yes, “freedom” (libertad). 

    On Wednesday Amnesty International did precisely that, as you can see from the lead elements on the front page of the UK organization’s Cuba report, below.

    Amnesty International is “comically biased”

    NEXT IN THE SCRIPT

    In fact, the Cuba protests have been so predictable that Hong Kong people can even tell you the next steps coming up.

    • There will be demands for US troops to come and “solve” the problem.
    • There will be complaints of police brutality.
    • The UK and the US will say they “stand with” one side, as if they know for a fact that group of protesters represents everyone.
    • And we’ll all see the same words repeated over and over again — “freedom” on the pro-US side and “authoritarian regime” on the other.

    IGNORING THE WORLD

    By claiming “freedom” as a sacred principle it owns, the United States has given itself license to ignore the global community.

    Just last month, the United Nations overwhelmingly voted in favor of a resolution to demand the end of the US economic blockade on Cuba, for the 29th year in a row.

    The United States ignored it, as did the media.

    NO SELF-AWARENESS

    This week, a US politician used the word “freedom” four times in a single tweet about Cuba. “America stands for freedom,” said the unintentionally hilarious declamation by Val Demings of Florida.

    I’m assuming that staff at the New York Times have enough self-awareness to know that the word “freedom” used in the American way is seen by people outside the US as a joke – but I may be wrong.

    Perhaps some US citizens have a more sophisticated understanding of the situation than journalists: the humorous meme at the top of this post is widely shared in various forms and appears to originate in the United States. Here’s another version:

    But some journalists don’t get the joke. One of the New York Times write-ups about the Cuba protests included a starry-eye quote from a protester: “What I saw today was people seeing freedom for the first time.”

    HOWEVER VIOLENT

    For more than 40 years, the world has watched the CIA travelling the globe to rebrand pro-US groups, however violent they are, as the voices of “freedom”, and home teams as the enemies of freedom, however well they feed and serve their populace.

    Few people know this better than the Hong Kong people. During the US-backed riots of 2019, a Hong Kong friend posted terrifying images of black-clad thugs, radicalized by endless Apple Daily reports, storming into a spotless train station and using iron rods to terrorize staff and smash everything in sight.

    His caption: “Freedom is coming.”

    And the reason why I started to read some of the HK news…

    yeah. I wanted to do a follow up on who these jackasses were who was attacking my videos of bus rides, sizzling Hunan beer, and cheap wine. I wanted to know!

    [3] Rich outlet tries to savage citizen journalists

    IN A HILARIOUS BOTCH-UP, the BBC yesterday inserted numerous links to anti-China features into an article defending itself from claims that it was anti-China.Here’s what happened.BBC journalists wrote an article attacking China-based “citizen journalists”. The bloggers defended themselves by saying the BBC and other Western media had a clearly biased, negative attitude to the Asian developing nation.The BBC’s editors yesterday printed the article (above) — but sprinkled it with links (see picture below) which powerfully proved the critics’ point that the BBC is biased against China.In effect, the BBC said “we’re not anti-China — by the way, here’s a link to an article showing how China is a dystopian hellscape! And another one. And another one. And another one.  And . . “.It’s hard not to laugh.

     

    It gets better. In fact, yesterday’s BBC article should go down in history as a textbook example of self-defeating journalism for at least four reasons.

    First, you cannot argue against the allegation that you present a strongly one-sided view by including a list of article links that prove conclusively that you present a one-sided view.

     

    Lee and Oli Barrett, residents of China, have become popular bloggers

    SENSE OF IRONY

    Second, the article attacks ordinary individual bloggers in China (like those in the picture above) by implying, with no hard evidence, that they receive government cash to do what they do, which is to show China in a positive light.

    Yet we all know for a fact that the BBC journalists making the accusation receive  government cash month after month to do what they do, which is to present China in a negative light.

    (The BBC’s annual budget is GBP3.5 billion.)

    Staff in the BBC newsroom appear to have had their senses of irony surgically removed.

    Outrageous! A government sponsored media outlet in China offers money to stringers, the BBC said

    THEY PAY STRINGERS

    Third, the BBC report reveals, shock horror, that CGTN, a government-financed news outlet, now offers CASH PAYMENTS to STRINGERS!

    OMG!

    The BBC writers mysteriously forgot to mention that the BBC, also a government-financed news outlet, also offers cash payments to stringers (much larger sums). They’ve been doing this for decades.

    I know this for a fact because I was a stringer for the BBC for years.

    At this point, I became seriously worried about the toddler-level lack of self-awareness in the BBC newsroom.

    Jason Lightfoot is another independent blogger attacked for giving another side of the story

    MOTIVATION MYSTERY

    Fourth, the BBC writers say: “It’s unclear what drives the foreign vloggers – whether they believe in China’s messaging or are motivated by the lure of local fame and fortune instead.”

    It’s only unclear what motivates them if you haven’t watched a single one of their videos. If you do, you can see they are ordinary people doing their best to provide desperately needed balance to the reports put out by dedicated Sinophobes like, well, BBC Newsroom staff, to pick a random example out of the air.

    LET’S TALK ABOUT MONEY

    Actually, let’s talk about money, something BBC journalists HATE to discuss.

    The BBC’s hatchet job presents no evidence whatsoever that the Barretts, Barrie Jones, or Jason Lightfoot are paid a single yuan for having the opinions they have, or for choosing to show the positive side of life in China.

    In contrast, BBC journalists have very good salaries for showing the negative side of life in China. I hope the bloggers attacked by BBC journalists Kerrie Allen and Sophie Williams realize they have the moral right to ask them how much the BBC pays them.

    OVERPAID JOURNALISTS

    I’ve worked at the BBC on and off for decades and I can tell you that some BBC journalists get paid A LOT. When BBC newsroom head James Harding left in 2018, his salary was GBP340,000 a year. Election specialist Jeremy Vine gets more than GBP600,000 a year.

    Of course most people in the newsrooms get less than that, but at least 40 BBC journalists are paid more than the British Prime Minister’s GBP150,000 salary, a Press Gazette study showed in 2017. Political editor Laura Kuenssberg gets GBP200,000 to GBP250,000 a year, for example.

    Barrie Jones upsets Western journalists by refusing the parrot the US State Department narrative.

    FACTUAL INACCURACIES

    The ultimate irony is that the unpaid amateurs in China regularly do a better job of covering China than the salaried professionals.

    The same BBC article gives a good example of how history changes when that all-important nuance goes missing.

    The BBC reporters say “Citizen journalist Zhang Zhan was jailed for four years after making a number of vlogs during Wuhan’s coronavirus outbreak.”

    That’s not what really happened. Zhang Zhan was an anti-lockdown campaigner jailed for repeatedly trying to disrupt anti-covid measures. She herself said that she was not a journalist. Her own videos show clearly that she was the Chinese equivalent of the US anti-vaxxer brigade, refusing to follow health guidelines and creating deliberate public confrontations with people trying to follow the rules.

    But that’s a nuanced version of her case, which you can only get if you live in this country and talk to people here — rather than attack from the other side of the planet.

    THE 50-CENT ARMY

     

    The BBC reporters also dredge up the old chestnut about the “50-cent army”, apparently unaware that most Chinese government clickers have been retired, simply because they are no longer needed. They’ve been replaced by real voices who speak out without pay.

    An SCMP report about the rise of young people in China defending their community by commenting on social media, making the civil service pro-China “wumao” unnecessary

    The so-called “wumao” are no longer necessary now that young people who are sick and tired of their community being misrepresented (groups like the Diba and the fangirls) are providing a robust defense of the country, far more creatively and without the need for payment.

    They even create quite stylish memes (see below).

    Above is a Diba meme from Weibo

    The BBC report also omits the fact that it’s actually US intelligence groups such as the SR (military intelligence) and the CIA which flood social media columns with politically charged fake comments, often easy to spot.

    There’s something creepy in the article too.

    The “expert” quoted at length in the BBC report is Robert Potter, described as a “cybersecurity researcher”. The BBC omits a key fact that commentator Daniel Dumbrill yesterday highlighted. The top two names on Potter’s organization’s funding list are the State Department of the United States and the United States Department of Defence.

    Yes. Exactly.

    Think Mike Pompeo, CIA, Anthony Blinken.

    The US State Department

    So, to sum it up, honest, ordinary people who spend their own time and money offering useful additional views of life in China, from within China, are accused of receiving government cash by distant people who actually ARE receiving  government salaries working for a government news outlet and showcasing the views of people paid by the US government.

    NEED FOR INTEGRITY

    This is why we need UNBIASED journalists covering China and it doesn’t matter if you have qualifications or not — what matters is that you have enough moral integrity to tell the truth: which is that the community we call China is really not that different from the other major communities around the world.

    One last thing: From a professional journalistic point of view, there’s another issue with the BBC article.

    Very similar articles have already appeared in other British news outlets. Here is an example below from the Times of London.

    Same victims, same news angle, similar headlines, similar allegations, similar quotes.

    Copying? Or co-ordination? Journalists don’t normally regurgitate their rivals’ old stories in this way.

    There’s something very wrong going on here.

    This reporter’s father was one of the first investigative journalists in Asia. He had a saying: “Everything is about something else.”

    [4]Switching China for the US is a huge mistake

    Australia has put itself at a stark disadvantage by casting its lot with the US instead of the trading partner that has underwritten its growth over decadesUS WRITER AND FORMER military analyst Daniel Ellsberg recently revealed that the Pentagon Papers, most of which were released in 1971, also confirmed that the United States contemplated using nuclear weapons against the Chinese mainland in 1958, to “defend” Jinmen, also known as Kinmen, an island about 10 kilometers from the mainland city of Xiamen, on behalf of the Kuomintang in Taiwan.We need to recall that China had no nuclear weapons at that time-only the US and the Soviet Union did.Ellsberg also said the administration of former US president Lyndon B. Johnson had covertly engaged in a range of extremely destructive attacks against the North Vietnamese forces and their supporters during the Vietnam War.‘NUKING’ A DEVELOPING COUNTRYSo the US, at least from a planning point of view, saw nothing fundamentally immoral about launching a nuclear attack on a huge developing country that possessed no such arms.This was a little over 10 years after seeing the horrific nuclear devastation in Japan. Fortunately, the plan was not implemented.

    Manly Beach, Sydney, Australia: picture by Simon Rae/ Unsplash

    AUSTRALIA AS COURIER

    Even more startling, from an Australian point of view, is the recent disclosure that Australia, was, in 1964, given an extraordinary US-courier task.

    Gregory Clark, a former Australian diplomat, has just revealed that in that year, Australian foreign minister Paul Hasluck demanded that the Australian Embassy in Moscow (where Clark worked) arrange a meeting with the new Soviet leadership.

    In a meeting with premier Alexei Kosygin at which Clark was present, Hasluck carried a message from Washington, requesting that the USSR join the US in Vietnam to stop the “bad communists” in Beijing and North Vietnam to expand southwards.

    Kosygin’s response was blunt.  Moscow would do all it could to support the Vietnamese people in their struggle against US imperialism – and he wished the Chinese would do more to help.

    After the commencement of China’s reform and opening-up policy in 1978, however, the US generally welcomed the rise of China.

    ‘a popular, genial understanding of China as a vast, poor, peasant-based country’

    The US relationship with China has gone through a striking transformation over the past century.

    Once, compassion was dominant. The Nobel Prize-winning novelist Pearl S. Buck wrote The Good Earth over 90 years ago while living in Nanjing. The book helped shape a popular, genial understanding of China as a vast, poor, peasant-based country with a remarkable history.

    TRADE BOOMED

    During the period when the US welcomed the rise of China, immense business opportunities were recognized and trade boomed, generating academic, intellectual and general interest in China.

    Now that China’s economy is around 70 percent of the size of the US economy in raw US dollar GDP terms, the US has made clear its huge vested interest in seeing the rise of China strikingly reduced and contained.

    Thus the US mood has gone from being sorry for China, then helpful to China, to being stridently hostile to China.

    ‘China does not purposefully threaten Australia in any serious way’

     

    Examined rationally, the strategic position for Australia is clear. It has a huge vested interest in seeing the rise of China maintained and enhanced.

    China is now Australia’s largest trading partner. Before the recent intense downturn in the Australia-China relationship, trade figures show that Australia’s annual trade surplus with China had topped A$50 billion (US$36.9 billion).

    From 1991 until the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Australia maintained the longest period of sustained economic growth ever seen within the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. China, above all, has underwritten this outcome.

    China does not (viewed outside of hawklike think tanks) purposefully threaten Australia in any serious way.

    GUSTO AND NAIVETE

    The US, on the other hand, does threaten Australia at a more menacing level: first, by encouraging intensified antipathy toward the trading partner who has done more to remake Australia in the last several decades than any other; and second, due to the serious hazard of being drawn into yet more US military adventures-possibly involving certain levels of forceful confrontation with China.

    Australia’s relationship with China is very different from that of the US. The acute difficulty for Australia, however, is that Washington has been highly insistent that Australia join in the US-led Sino-containment project. Australia has taken up this damaging new brief with uncommon gusto and naivete.

    Collaboration has been beneficial to both sides: Picture by Mimi Thian/ Unsplash

    DEEP, LONG-TERM COST

    Research by the Perth US-Asia Centre recently listed major income drops in trade with China, to Australia’s stark disadvantage, in areas including travel, education, coal, beef, wine, cotton and barley. In a number of cases, US exports to China have replaced those from Australia.

    In 1964, Australia carried messages, like a tributary State, for the US.  Then the dark clouds lifted from Sino-US relations for several decades and Australia prospered, independently, like never before.

    The dark clouds had lifted from Sino-US relations for several decades, and Australia prospered, independently, like never before. Now those angry clouds are back, and Australia is once again being told, by its best geopolitical friend, what it must do. It must stand up for US interests, which are called shared values, and never mind the deep, long-term cost to Australia’s national interest.

    It is an extraordinary state of affairs that calls for deep reflection and review.

    * * *

    [5]OMG, those people are pro-China!

    Time to ditch the labels and choose diversity

    MY DAUGHTER ONCE asked me if we were “pro-China”.“Sweetheart,” I replied. “We’re pro-everyone. We’re pro-China, pro-Hong Kong, pro-West, pro-East, pro-South and pro-space aliens, especially the latter.”Why would you be not pro any community or nationality? This is the age of diversity.My immediate family includes Americans, Chinese, Brits, and South Asians, and I have several friends whose bizarre behaviour strongly suggests off-planet origins—and the same surely goes for you too, dear reader.

    This is the age of diversity; picture by Naassom Azevedo/ UnsplashAt this point, someone will always lean into this type of conversation and say: “Ah, but are you pro-Beijing?”To realize how ridiculous this is, look a Swede in the eye and ask: “Are you pro-Stockholm?” Ask a Honduran: “What do you think of Tegucigalpa?” Or grab a passing Bolivian and ask: “Are you in favor of La Paz?”People around the world don’t generally ask that question.

    What the pro-Beijing question really means is: “Do you support the Western media’s demonization of China?”

    Now THAT I can instantly answer. Actually, no, I don’t. Criticising others can be okay, if done sensitively and with positive intentions. Demonizing people is not.

    Many Hong Kong people are stunned at how so much of the world’s media has ended up like US Republican lawyer Gordon C. Chang, following a Western-penned hyper-critical narrative of China, and blithely dismissing any criticism of his constant de-humanizing of Chinese people. “Demons just hate being demonized,” he explains.

    (Chang authored the 2001 book “The Coming Collapse of China”, possibly the worst-timed publication in literary history, coming on the eve of China’s steepest rise into accelerated development and increased community pride.)

    But Chang’s hostile angle permeates too much of the international coverage of Hong Kong and mainland China today.

    I’ve lost count of the number of Hong Kong people who have looked at the ultra-hostile BBC coverage of Hong Kong and said to me: “What happened to the BBC?” (I usually reply: “Maybe Gordon C. Chang is now chief news editor” and they sadly nod, finding it totally believable.)

    Journalists shape their stories to reinforce a narrative: picture by Jorge Maya/ UnsplashMaybe it’s not the journalists’ fault. Andrew Cline, a professor who studies this subject, once said: “Once a master narrative has been set, it is very difficult to get journalists to see that their narrative is simply one way, and not necessarily the correct or best way, of viewing people and events.”

    Cline is right. We need to break free from that the narrow groupthink and let a little diversity into discussions.

    People are thinking for themselves; picture by Jimmy Chan/ Pexels

    • What if. . . China wasn’t a giant gulag at all, but a low-crime society which is thriving at astonishing rates?
    • What if. . . Hong Kong’s security laws were demonstrably less draconian than those of the countries criticizing them?
    • What if. . . the hundreds of millions of dollars that America spends to try to impose its system of governance on Asia is actually money that would be better spent on other things?
    • What if. . . China was communist in name, but actually demonstrated a really interesting mixture of good bits of capitalism and socialism in practice?

    I have discovered, to my delight, that the vast majority of ordinary people are completely open to such notions. But Western journalists less so. How can a tiny group of Hong Kong people battle global media behemoths?

    Clearly we can’t. But I’m not sure we have to fight them. Journalists are not bad people. There are many good ones among us. I expect. Probably. Maybe. Hopefully. Surely!

    And those of us who live in China can gently, perhaps, encourage them to see the other side of the story, by sharing stories of Chinese culture, Chinese business and just personal stories of Chinese people being human.

    In directly related news, the Friday project has been running for a couple of weeks and response has been fantastic. More than a million people tuned into our conference, and the vast majority of people who responded to our articles have been positive. 
    Only a small portion made a response which can be summed up in four words: “Run! Get the Labels!”

    To people who throw the label “pro-China” at us as if it was an accusation, I’ll simply give the same answer I gave my daughter.

    Yes, we are pro-China. We are pro-humans, sweetheart. And the people of China are humans too, whatever Gordon C. Chang says.

    * * *

    Conclusion

    Just five stories out of Hong Kong. While you might not be getting any daily news reports about this regions except for the “evil communists of China”, the tone of the articles and the over all attitude of their views of America, the UK and Australia should tell you volumes. Please keep this in mind was the next six months advance and “play out”.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings

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    What are “channels” and how you can access them to help navigate world-lines in the MWI

    This article is part of my enormous Prayer Affirmation Campaigns series. If you are unfamiliar with this series, I recommend that after you read this, you go to the start of the series and start reading. This idea of prayers as part of a campaign are quite different than anything else you will find anywhere else.

    I have written a bunch of articles on the MWI, world-lines and how you can navigate them. I have placed all this within the context that if you can navigate your reality, then you can sculpt the life that you will live. And it’s a pretty great topic. Many people need to do this right now in their lives.

    There are all sorts of side topics associated with this. Some dealing with history, some with the mechanisms behind it all. Some with the mysteries that we are confronted with, and some just tangentially. For instance, how government (especially in the West) are crating false narratives to “bend reality” to fit their idea of a utopia.

    What I haven’t gotten into is some of the many other “skills” and “abilities” that one can use to help you in your world-line navigation. To many, these skills or abilities seem far-fetched, science fiction, or just new-age mumbo-jumbo.

    But they are not.

    In this article we will discuss “channels”. It is a technique of tapping into the endless streams of quanta, frequencies, actions (both physical and non-physical) to derive some information from it. Information that you can use in your life.

    The untrained call this ability to tap into channels as… [1] Woman’s Intuition (if you are a woman), or [2] a Gut feeling (if you are a man).

    Sometimes, a string of events or strong non-physical events can enact physical sensations on your body. Such as people talking behind your back generates a [3] pain in the neck (or shoulders), or a disorganized cluster of thoughts heading towards you generates [4] (I’ve got) a bad feeling (about this).

    All of us, unless you are young, or are really unaware, has felt these events in our past. It’s part of our non-physical makeup and it’s really important.

    About the Channels and MAJ

    While it is true that I have the ELF implants, and the EBP implant(s), and they also operate using channels, you actually do not need them to do that. You just need to be “attuned” and aware. Because channel access is an acquired skill. You get better at accessing it over time.

    I will admit that I am pretty good, myself. I’ve had over four and a half decades honing this ability. First out of necessity, and then through various exercises and practice. And as a result I am convinced that anyone can access these channels and derive information from them.

    Yet, this being said, my channels are specific to my needs, and the needs of my immediate family and I have many limitations.

    This article will “kick off” another series of articles on how to increase channel awareness and how you will be able to communicate, and receive information using these channels.

    I believe that it is great information that all of us can benefit from.

    We will start with a personal story.

    Blue Thunder

    Here’s a story illustrative of using a channel to obtain information.

    Blue Thunder looked a little bit like this little guy.

    I once had a cat named “Blue Thunder”. He was a beautiful black (with blue highlights) mainecoon cat that adopted us.

    Now, at that time we lived in the poverty edge in the West Elisabeth area of South Eastern Pittsburgh. It was a devastated and ruined area, with miles and miles of rusty old abandoned steel mills, and the remaining survivors living hand-to-mouth-to-food stamp area.

    West Elizabeth today, one of the remaining towns in the ruined Monongahela valley Pennsylvania “rust belt” region.

    At that time we were living in a very sad and distressed mobile home park and it was “something else” let me tell you. From having neighbors stealing packages from my porch, to neighborhood kids riding up and down and all around my home at midnight on their dirt bikes, to neighborhood kids having rock concert parties next door, it really was a nightmare.

    We lived in the center of American exceptionalism; a mobile-home park in the rust belt.

    Anyways, on one particular weekend we took a trip (about a four hour drive) to visit my mother. And on the way, as we were just getting on the major highway, I had a “feeling”. My wife did too.

    This “feeling” was…

    • Blue Thunder was in trouble.
    • He was hurt.
    • Something bad happened.
    • He needs us now.

    And so we immediately got off the highway. We turned around. We headed back and about two hours later we made it home (after breaking every speed limit to get there). And when we arrived there, we found a bunch a kids trying to get under our mobile home.

    One had a BB gun, or a .22 long rifle. They were trying to push a dog under our home, and there must have been about four active boys, and about three “hangers on”.

    I chased the kids away.

    Still no Blue Thunder.

    The next morning, I found him on the porch. He was shot in the gut, but no obvious penetration. There was a mark but no open wound. No blood. And he kept on licking the area. I called in late to work, and took him in and tended to him.

    It seems our “feelings” were accurate.

    What happened?

    My little guy was being chased by kids on my property, and he was my charge. I chased the kids away, but it was a life and death situation for him, and he was hurt in the process.

    I felt the terror, the pain, and the plea for help.

    No. This was not “just” we felt something.  We actually got a message. Blue Thunder sent a clear message to us and we picked it up.

    Messages and channels

    Just like a radio, a “message” is a specific packet of thoughts / ideas /feelings that are transmitted to you via a “channel”. There are all sorts of channels. Just like there are AM radio bands, and FM radio bands, and UHF and VHF radio bands. (As well as ELF bands.)

    Since most people never listen to these bands (in their head) they lie unused. Dormant, and apparently inactive. But they aren’t. You just are unable to “pick them up” because your “antenna” is down.

    Most people are unable to “feel things” because their antenna is unused.

    Later on, we will spend some time discussing ways and techniques to send and receive messages and how to open channels. This article is just an entry level post to describe what a channel is and how you can use it.

    Broad frequency awareness

    Most people start out with “broad frequency awareness”, which pretty much means that they are receptive to all channels. It’s a default situation that tells me that all people have the ability to send and receive messages. It’s just that we are terrible at doing it. Our abilities have atrophied.

    I like to think that our antenna, or radar to do this is down, missing or damaged by neglect and disuse.

    And thus, it is only when the most powerful, emotionally charged signals are sent out that we are able to receive them.

    Narrow frequency awareness

    Narrow frequency awareness is when someone has been able to “tune in” to certain channels far better than the rest.

    Thus we get people who have the ability to have extrasensory perception in certain areas. Like [1] the woman who can make a photographic rendering a person just by the description or [2] a person who can pick up an ancient relic, an article of clothing and tell you what happened. Or [3] the people who can tell you where water is in the ground or where a lost buried item is.

    It doesn’t mean that they cannot be open to other channels, it just means that they are able to “tap into” specific channels to provide specific information.

    The non-physical channels

    These channels differ from the AM, FM, UHF and other channels that you have on the radio. These “channels” are tuned into the movement of thought-related quanta.

    These channels pick up on thoughts.

    Being able to pick up and understand thoughts, whether from the “past” or the “future” (after all there is no such thing as time) and from others, or from things is a very powerful ability and a very powerful tool.

    We do not need to have other mechanisms to help us, but for many, these “training wheels” can be necessary as a stage in learning and personal growth.

    My examples

    I have, from time to time, described examples of my experiences with channels. Where I would communicate with dead pets, or have a perception regarding mantids, or the type-1 greys. I have a substantial amount of traffic regarding <redacted> as it pertains to the <redacted>, but we will refrain from getting involved in that right now.

    I like to believe, as I have said, that we are all capable of receiving these messages and these thought-packets on the various channels. We just do not know how to receive them, interpret them, or communicate them to others. As I have said our “antennas are broken”.

    Some people have very specific channels. Like to be able to see faeries. While others have channels that give them insight.

    Where we are going with this…

    We are going to work on improving our ability to access and open up channels and receive messages through a training system that we will embed within our prayer affirmation campaigns.

    Of course it will be optional.

    If “outsiders” want to know what is going on, just describe it as a way for you to calm yourself and become more aware of your surroundings. Which it is. You don’t need to tell anyone that you are trying to recover “lost messages” that are sitting in the “post office dead letter bin”.

    Nor do you need to tell them that you want to be anything other than the best you can possibly be. Your journey of learning and discovery is a personal one.

    Keep it that way.

    Finally, this is a first step that will lead up to a series of affirmation exercises designed to break the hold of “amnesia” as described by the extraterrestrial in “Alien Interview”. It is my sincere hope that we can make a positive difference in the world right here and right now.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Affirmation prayer Campaign Index here…

    Intention Campaigns

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
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    Affirmation prayer campaigns illustrated as a means to change highways towards destinations

    This article describes a different way of looking at the MWI and prayer affirmation campaigns. So far, I have described two methods of looking at the situation.

    The first [1] is by pre-birth world-line template maps and their topography.  The second [2] is by looking at a movie projector and viewing the individual frames.

    This article discusses a third way to look at an affirmation prayer campaign. [3] It discusses affirmation prayer campaigns as highways.

    I personally believe that there are many different ways to look at the same thing. There is no “one size fits all”, and thus to reach the widest and biggest audience, you need to make sure that you understand what you are looking at, from you own unique point of view.

    This entire methodology came into being when I was trying to describe WHY a person goes though a period of discomfort when they start doing their own individual affirmation prayer campaigns.

    Why consider this visualization?

    Everyone who has ever been involved in a serious MM style prayer affirmation campaign will attest that shortly afterwards, all Hell will break loose. Thing will go wrong, and there will be all sorts of discomfort and trouble and trial and pains. And so people have asked me “why is this so”? They say “why can’t I just ask for the things an pray for them and then they appear?” And I respond that it is complicated. And to explain this complication, I use this analogy. I do hope that you all can understand it.

    To begin with…

    When we are born, we are issued with a pre-birth world-line template. This is a map that we will follow that will map out all the world-lines that we are most likely to encounter during our lives. It’s not perfect, and we can certainly alter our course, but for most people this is the fated life that they will live. I have drawn it as a map on a grid. Like this…

    World-line template, showing the highest probability topography for a consciousness to visit.

    And upon that map I have laid out  paths or a path that the consciousness would probably follow as they live their life. Such like this below…

    A pre-birth world-line template showing the path of consciousness as it move though the world-lines.

    And I have also discussed “slides”. Where you “slide” off the template on to a completely different template map and then use it to base your life upon. Much like this illustration… You are on a “rocky” pre-birth world-line template, and you are moving somewhere. Then you start doing your prayer affirmation campaigns, and they take you off your map. You “slide” to a new world-line template.

    In this map we see that Mr. Red has slid off his “pre-birth world-line template” map and entered a new map full of new realities for him.

    .

    Well, the purpose of the “highway map” method of viewing the MWI and world-line travel is to be able to better understand what the “slide” is like.

    Describing what a “slide” is like

    Now, of course, during my MAJestic operations the slides were instantaneous, and without turmoil. But that was planned that way, and most people don't have the ability to pick and choose when to slide off the template. It just starts happening the moment they run an affirmation campaign. 

    Anyways, this article was spawned from this forum comment…

    I know, I know... it’s this guy and his theories again... but maybe -
    
    So I started my first affirmation campaign about 4 weeks ago. First - holy cow do things get uncomfortable! I didn’t think things could get more uncomfortable! I know MM wrote about this which is why I came up with this.
    
    No matter how uncomfortable it has been-and I am not complaining - but it seems like there are little “beams” of hope that come along. Like random people that just say hello in the store or send a text - from people I haven’t heard from in YEARS - just saying hi. But even with animals-there is a pissed off guard dog on my run who ALWAYS barks. Since the other day I get wags.
    
    So has this happened to you all and what direction would you go if you were me.
    
    The beams feel just like that. A REAL warm “beam” that hits only for a few seconds. Here is where the Newton meets the Quanta - In “normal” neurochemistry things don’t really work like that. Yes, there are delayed responses, but those use a different pathway than the “hot/cold” pathway. The hot/cold pathway is very quick.
    
    But anyway a few minutes later I will have this rush of “it’s all good, it will work itself out” but magnified.
    
    Can it be either other quanta or my own that I am not connected to? or can it be coming from within? From our ancestors that can communicate via our DNA?
    
    From above or below so to speak?
    The theory is that it’s quanta, not using a neurochem pathway, from others/myself OR
    
    Ancestors connecting via DNA - how - that’s something to find out but it IS there for me and it’s noticeable.
    
    Any thoughts?

    . . This is EXACTLY how it happens.

    Thanks for contributing this.

    Doing a full spectrum affirmation prayer campaign is not for the faint of heart. There is going to be turmoil until you get on the right template.

    I had a podcast where I described the pre-birth world-line template as a highway that you are on.

    The highway description method to explain why affirmation campaigns cause initial discomfort.

    Here, we describe the pre-birth world-line template as a highway.

    And in this example we are going to say that your pre-birth world-line template is a highway going off to a city in the mountains. And for our purposes here, we will refer to this city as the “shining city in the mountains, city A”.

    Your pre-birth world-line template as a highway towards city “A”.

    And that is all fine and good.

    The highway is a direct route towards city “A’. Which is in the mountains. And you are on it, and you are heading straight towards where it will take you.

    But you do not want to go to city “A” and the longer that you are on this highway, the more unhappy you get. You really yearn to be somewhere else, doing something else in another city. City “B”

    City “B” is a community on the beach. It is completely different than city”A” and you desire and long to be there.

    You see, your goal is to go to the ocean, and live in the beaches, and you have decided to go to city “B” which is right there on the beach.

    But to get to the highway that takes you to City “B” you need to perform a slide.

    As described previously, a slide takes you off your pre-birth world-line template onto a brand new template.

    And we are going to visualize this effort as getting off the highway going to city “A” and crossing over the median strip to another highway going off to city “B”.

    Crossing the wide expanse of countryside…

    Once you leave your very comfortable highway towards city “A” you will start to feel discomfort. You will need to cross over country fields, forests, deserts, walls, fences, and strange boggy swamp. And it’s going to be uncomfortable.

    For here you are riding in comfort towards city “A”, and suddenly you get off the road and area now neck deep in swamp muck, being bit my mosquitoes and wild wolves are circling you and growling.

    It’s scary and frightening.

    But every now and then, just when you are staring to have doubts, you see glimpses of city “B”.

    Or maybe not the city, but a whiff of sea air. A fresh breeze, the smell of BBQ chicken on a grill, and some tropical trees.

    And that is exactly what many of you are going through now on your first affirmation prayer campaigns.

    The Terrain between…

    Everyone’s experience will be different, and it will depending on where you are now, and where you want to go.

    It will depend on what you say, and how you think, and it will depend upon the accumulated “talent” you have in doing affirmation campaigns.

    But EVERYONE will experience discomfort when you start changing your life.

    As far as I can tell, there really isn’t any way to predict the kinds of hardships that you might encounter. It depends on the “distance” between the two “highways”, the speed and ease of travel on your current “highway”, and the terrain “types” that separate the two “highways”.

    For some people, it might not be so bad. Their terrain might be easy to traverse.

    Easy to traverse terrain.

    Though, I can tell you that it will be quite different for different people…

    Easy terrain.

    For some, the terrain might have some treacherous spots, but will mostly be calm…

    For some, the terrain might have some treacherous spots.

    For others, however, the terrain might be rocky, dangerous and trying.

    No matter how fearful and trying, everyone has the ability to cross over the median that separates the two highways.

    But the discomfort is good.

    It tells you that you are on the way to a better life that you determine.

    That’s Good.

    Not bad, but it sure is uncomfortable.

    And for some it might be unbearable.

    But please keep on the effort.

    Do the prayer affirmation campaigns rigorously. Do not give up. Never give up. Never, never, ever give up. On and off. On and off. On and off.

    Do not be passive about it. 

    Never give up.

    Go one by one. Keep on trying. Some days you are just going to want to give up. You are going to say “heck with this”. Do not do it.

    via GIPHY

    Pace yourself.

    It will end.

    I promise you that.

    I promise you that in five years your life will not resemble anything like you experience right now.

    It will be so different.

    So…

    Never give up.

    No matter how bad it is. No matter if your marriage is falling apart and your entire world seems to have gone to shit. never give up.

    The entire time keep pushing. Do your affirmations campaign for the set period of time and then stop for an exactly equal amount of time.

    Follow the formula.

    Never give up.

    Never give up. Never surrender!

    Well, you wanted change, right?

    What?

    Do you think that it would be easy?

    That all you would need to do is write down some wishes and then one day they all come true for you? Is that what you thought?

    Nope.

    You need to reset the quantum associations with your new goals; that city “B”. And that is probably going to be painful.

    Everything in your life right now is all geared up and set up for city “A”.

    And you need to change that.

    But, but…

    Sure, you might want the changes sooner. Well, the good news is some changes will manifest sooner than others. they will. But if you keep on sailing towards your goal. You will get there. YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF THE WMI. YOU ARE “GOD”. .

    The discomfort is when you are going from highway to city “A” in the swampy bogland. Then when you arrive at the highway to city “B”, things will be noticeably better. Though you will not yet be at your goal. Which is “City “B” on the sea”.

    The procedure is like this…

    • [1] Get off the highway to “city A”.
    • [2] Go through the jungles, forests, and wildlands to get to the other highway.
    • [3] Get onto the highway to “city B”.
    • [4] Keep on driving until you arrive at “city B”.
    • [5] Arrive at “city B”.

    The problem for most people.

    For most people, step [2] is the stopper.

    They go only as far as until they hit this bogland and stop.

    Then eventually they crawl back to the old familiar highway to city “A”.

    I warn… Don’t give up.

    The bogland is scarier than it actually is. And it doesn’t last forever. It is finite. You can get though it (unless your goals are truly impossible – like being able to grow wings and fly). And most people do go though this.

    Listen to me.

    Keep going forward. Some days it will seem that you are hardly making any progress. Ignore that. Just keep going. Do not give up.

    via GIPHY

    Keep this in mind. You need to do is understand that you are so close. You are so very close.

    When you start feeling the discomfort, that means that your life is changing.

    YOUR LIFE IS CHANGING.

    It is changing!

    And I can tell you that when you get to [3], most people won’t notice it except to say “my life seems to be easing up some”.

    But then, you keep on going on.

    On and off.

    On and off. And before you know it you are on the highway to “city B”. And then it’s much, much easier.

    I tell you the truth.

    Follow you dream. Do not allow anyone to tell you that you cannot have it.

    Never give up on your DREAM!

    Keep on going.

    The problems will ease up once you get on highway to city “B”. But you still won’t be at your goal. That won’t matter.

    Not actually.

    Your life will be noticeably different.

    You will be able to see the difference, and then one day, you will wake up, look around and say “Yeah. My life IS different. It IS better. And no, it is NOT what I expected.”

    Welcome to world-line travel on the MWI.

    Be a fighter.

    Take the blows.

    Eventually you will see that all the problems will fall away like ripe fruit on the vine.

    Just keep on plugging away. One day at a time. One affirmation reading a day. Day after day, and then stop with the campaign ends.

    Be the fighter for your DREAM!

    via GIPHY

    Conclusion

    Change will come with discomfort. There is no other way around this fact. But it is a guaranteed way to see how well your life is changing.

    You must feel discomfort to have things change.

    That is the way it works.

    Perhaps you wanted a much deeper conversation regarding other aspects of quanta and DNA and biological influences on a constantly changing MWI template map. And those are certainly interesting topics for discussion. But, for now, I really just want you to achieve your goals.

    I want you to be happy.

    I don’t want you to be fearful.

    There are others. Some in Europe. A few in Africa. One in the Americas that do not post publicly. But they do write to me via email. And they all have their own personal issues.

    The guys in Africa have a rough road … not an impossible on … just rough, and that means that the “bogland, and forests” that they must pass through are truly frightening. They are full with ferocious beasts, dangers, horrible things that slither in the darkness, and horrible nasty insects.

    But they will get though it.

    Put up your protections. Run your affirmation campaigns without stopping. Do everything in your ability to achieve your goals. You will get out of the nasty dangerous wilds before the highway. Focus on the goal. But look forward to the highway. Trust me, things will be much easier for you once you reach the new highway.

    Oh…

    And one more thing.

    Be strong.

    Do not give up. Never give up.

    Never give up.

    Never. Ever. Ever. Ever. E.V.E.R. give up. Fight for what you want.

    Fight, and fight, and fight, and fight.

    When it gets hard, keep it up. Don’t give up. No excuses.

    Be the robot that will never give up. You get punched down, and you get right back up and keep on fighting.

    Fight. Fight HARD. Never give up.

    Be the robot that never gives up.
    The movie “Real Steel” is about many things, but here it is the story of the little underdog robot that would never give up. It just went out there, into the ring. Time and time again, it would go out and fight…fight…fight. It never gave up. Be that robot.
    .

    Even if you are on your knees, and are being pummeled left and right, keep it up. Don’t give up.

    Keep fighting.

    Fight until you cannot. As you lie there, blood running from between your smashed teeth, open your one swollen eye, push yourself up off the floor. And keep on fighting.

    Never give up. Never Surrender.

    While this was a catch phrase on a movie parody of Star Trek it resonate in that there are many disguised truths protrayed within it. Never give up and never surrender is one such truth.
    You must never give up. Never surrender.

    .

    I believe in you.

    Oh, and one last point.

    Maybe I wasn’t clear enough. Maybe you all thought I meant that things might be a minor inconvenience. Maybe you thought that is was just some minor day to day problems that might be an irritant. Nope.

    Some of the turmoil can get pretty bad.

    Depending on your goals and your “Highway”, it can be pretty awful. So you absolutely MUST have affirmations that compensate so that the upset and disruptions and pain isn’t all that horrible. And during this period, when things are really bleak and the entire world seems like it is personally shitting on you, I implore you to remember these words…

    Never give up.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Prayer Affirmation Index here…

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    A breakdown of the report “alien interview” by MM from a MAJ perspective (part 8)

    I have presented the PDF titled “Alien Interview” to the readership. It is supposed to be the transcripts of the interview that a nurse had with an extraterrestrial entity that was recovered from a spaceship crash in Roswell, New Mexico. There is a lot of good stuff there, and some things that run counter to what I know and understand to be true. My intention here is to parse the entire book, and compare it to what I know. Where the two diverge, it will be up to you (the readership) to sort it out.

    This is part 8.

    This is part eight of the parsing of this document

    You can view part 1 HERE.

    ALIEN INTERVIEW, 31. 7. 1947, 1st Session

    “It is my personal belief that the truth should not be sacrificed on the altar of political, religious or economic expediency.

    As an officer, pilot and engineer of The Domain it is my duty to protect the greater good of The Domain and its possessions.

    However, we cannot defend ourselves against forces of which we are not aware.

    The extraterrestrial wants to discuss truths as it understands them, but realizes that there are limitations on what it can say, and barriers in understanding what is related.

    The isolation of Earth from the rest of civilization prevents me from discussing many subjects with you at this time.

    The forced isolated of Earth, makes it very difficult to discuss matters of importance. Most of what would be discussed would be new, strange or incomprehensible to humans.

    Security and protocol prevent me from revealing any but the broadest, general statements about the plans and activities of The Domain.

    It is a military officer in an organization with limitations are requirements that it must meet.

    However, I can give you some information that you may find useful.

    But, and never the less, some information can be provided that will be useful.

    I must return to my assigned duties on the “space station” now.

    This "Alien interview" was a distraction. Not a major event. It it time for the extraterrestrial to return to it's normal duties.

    I have provided as much help as I feel ethically able to offer, given the requirements and constraints of my duties as an officer, pilot and engineer of The Domain Forces. Therefore, I will depart, as an IS-BE, from Earth within the next 24 hours.’

    It is time for it to leave.

    Notes

    (EDITOR'S NOTE: The following several paragraphs appear to be personal comments made by Matilda to the stenographer regarding her interview with Airl.)

    What this means is that Airl will leave her “doll” with us, as her craft is damaged beyond repair. We can examine, dissect and study the body at our leisure. She does not have any further use for it, nor does she have any personal feelings or attachments to it as others are readily available for her use.

    Airl does not recommend that there is any technology in the body that Earth scientists will find useful, however. The technology of the body is simple, yet vastly beyond the reckoning of our current ability to analyze or reverse engineer any facet of it. The body is neither biological or mechanical, but a unique fabrication a materials and ancient technologies not found on any Earth-type planet.

    As Airl mentioned previously, a very rigid and distinctive hierarchy of social, economic and cultural classes exists throughout The Domain which has remained unvaried and inviolate for many millennia. The body type and function assigned to an IS-BE officer varies specifically according to the rank, class, longevity, training level, command level, service record, and meritorious citations earned by each individual IS-BE, as with any other military insignia.

    The body used by Airl is specifically designed for an officer, pilot and engineer of her rank and class. The bodies of her companions, which were destroyed in the crash, were not of the same rank or class, but of a junior rank. Therefore, the appearance, features, composition and functionality of those bodies were specialized, and limited to the requirements of their duties.

    The junior officers whose bodies were damaged in the crash have left their bodies and returned to their duties on the space station. The damage suffered by their bodies was due primarily to the fact that they were officers of lower rank. They used bodies which were partially biological and therefore far less durable and resilient than hers.

    Transcript resumes

    (EDITOR'S NOTE: At this point, the transcript appears to resume with statements made by Airl.)

    Although The Domain will not hesitate to destroy any active vestiges of the “Old Empire” operations where ever they are discovered this is not our primary mission in this galaxy.

    The Domain primary mission is something else. It will destroy "Old Empire" remnants where ever it finds them.

    I am sure that the “Old Empire” mind-control mechanisms can be deactivated and destroyed eventually.

    I agree with this.

    However, it is not possible to estimate how long this make take, as we do not understand the extent of this operation at this time.

    I also agree with this, though I do believe that things has changed substantially with MAJestic assistance from the 1960's to present.

    We do know that the “Old Empire” force screen is vast enough to cover this end of the galaxy, at least.

    It is not limited to the Earth. Nor is it limited to the solar system. But it extends much further than that and includes a region of space with numerous solar systems. I can tell you that there are at least five "sentience nurseries" or recovering "prison planets" in this neighborhood.

    We also know from experience that each force generator and trapping device is very difficult to detect, locate and destroy.

    Not a good thing.

    Also, it is not the current mission of The Domain Expeditionary Force to commit resources to this endeavor.

    Not a good thing.

    The eventual destruction of these devices may make it possible for your memory to be restored, simply by virtue of not having it erased after each lifetime.

    The destruction of the devices will probably and likely prevent the erasure of memories. But it will not be able to recover previously lost memories unfortunately.

    Fortunately, the memory of an IS-BE cannot be permanently erased.

    So, the memories will still be dormant, sitting there. They just will not be easily recovered.

    There are many other active space civilizations who maintain various nefarious operations in this area, not the least of which is dumping unwanted IS-BEs on Earth.

    There are many other space civilizations similar to the "Old Empire" that acts in this geographic area of our solar system.

    None of these craft are hostile or in violent opposition to The Domain Forces. They know better than to challenge us!

    They are war-mongering with evil intent, but they are afraid of the Domain. Which is probably why the Type-1 greys are so dominant in the solar system with MAJestic.

    For the most part The Domain ignores Earth and its inhabitants, except to ensure that the resources of the planet itself are not permanently spoiled.

    They do not want the earth to be radioactive, or swamped with incurable biological weapons.

    This sector of the galaxy was annexed by The Domain and is the possession of The Domain, to do with or dispose of as it deems best.

    This entire region, including the Earth is the property of The Domain.

    The moon of Earth and the asteroid belt have become a permanent base of operations for The Domain Forces.

    Permanent bases of operations for the Domain exist on the moon and in the asteroid belt. You all might want to read my article on The Hollow Moon.

    Needless to say, any attempt by humans or others to interfere in the activities of The Domain in this solar system – even if it were possible, which it definitely is not – will be terminated swiftly.

    Up front warning to the military leadership at Roswell.

    This is not a serious concern, as I mentioned earlier, since homo sapiens cannot operate in open space.

    Still the warning is there.

    Of course we will continue with the next steps of The Domain Expansion Plan which has remained on schedule for billions of years. Over the next 5,000 years there will be increasing traffic and activity of The Domain Forces as we progress toward the center of this galaxy and beyond to spread our civilization through the universe.

    This region of space will see more type-1 grey activities and will become more important as time moves on.

    If humanity is to survive, it must cooperate to find effective solutions to the difficult conditions of your existence on Earth.

    Humanity must cooperate with the Domain. Which is probably why MAJestic was established.

    Humanity must rise above its human form and discover where they are, and that they are IS-BEs, and who they really are as IS-BEs in order to transcend the notion that they are merely biological bodies.

    Once these realizations have been made, it may be possible to escape your current imprisonment.

    Otherwise, there will be no future for the IS-BEs on Earth.

    Thus anyone or anything that dwells on the carnal things of the flesh and the physical takes away from the notion of consciousness and purpose. Be the Rufus, or try to become filthy rich and popular like the media says. there is no in between.

    Although there are no active battles or war being waged between The Domain and the “Old Empire”, there still exists the covert actions of the “Old Empire” taken against Earth through their thought control operation.

    Covert actions are engaged on the earth.

    When one knows that these these activities exist, the effects can be observed clearly.

    The most obvious examples of these actions against the human race can be seen as incidents of sudden, inexplicable behavior.

    A very recent instance of this occurred in the United States military just before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

    Such as carpet bombing China with bio-weapons, and the Coronavirus, and the strange behaviors of American and British Naval vessels.

    Just three days before the attack, someone in authority ordered all the ships in Pearl Harbor to go into port and secure for inspection. The ships were ordered to take all the ammunition out of their magazines, and store it below. On the afternoon before attack all of the admirals and generals were attending parties, even though two Japanese aircraft carriers were discovered standing right off Pearl Harbor.

    The obvious action to take would have been to contact Pearl Harbor by telephone to warn them of the danger of a fight starting and to put the ammunition back and order the ships to get out of port into open sea.

    About six hours before the Japanese attack began, a U.S. navy ship sank a small Japanese submarine right outside the harbor. Instead of contacting Pearl Harbor by telephone to report the incident, a warning message was put into top secret code, which took about two hours to encode, and then it took another two hours to decode.

    The word of warning to Pearl Harbor did not arrive until 10:00 AM Pearl Harbor time, Sunday – two hours after the Japanese attack destroyed the U.S. fleet.

    How do things like this happen?

    If the men who were responsible for these obviously disastrous errors were stood up and asked bluntly to justify their actions and intentions you would find out that they were quite sincere in their jobs. Ordinarily, they do the very best they can do for people and nations. However, all of a sudden, from some completely unknown and undetectable source enters these wild, unexplainable situations that just ‘can’t exist’.

    Such unexplainable actions by otherwise sensible people can and will occur.

    The “Old Empire” thought control operation is run by a small group of old “baboons” with very small minds. They are playing insidious games with no purpose and no goal other than to control and destroy IS-BEs who could otherwise manage themselves perfectly well, if left alone.

    It's an apt description of a very low mental state of humanoid.

    These types of artificially created incidents (as recently) are being forced upon the human race by the operators of the mind-control prison system. The prison guards will always promote and support oppressive or totalitarian activities of IS-BEs on Earth.

    Think of America today, and South Africa.

    Why not keep the inmates fighting between themselves?

    Why not empower madmen to run the governments of Earth?

    The men who run the criminal governments of Earth mirror the commands given them by covert thought-controllers of the “Old Empire”.

    Directions from their controllers who are well hidden and dispersed throughout the Old Empire. Even though it is in ruin, they still work their roles.

    The human race will continue to shadow box with this for a long time – as long as it remains the human race. Until then, the IS-BEs on Earth will continue to live a series of consecutive lives, over and over and over. The same IS-BEs who lived during the rise and fall of civilizations in India, China, Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome are inhabiting bodies in the present time in America, France, Russia, Africa, and around the world.

    Sigh. This sucks.

    In between each lifetime an IS-BE is sent back again, to begin all over, as though the new life was the only life they had ever lived. They begin anew in pain, in misery, and mystery.

    Sigh. This sucks.

    Some IS-BEs have been transported to Earth more recently than others. Some IS-BEs have been on Earth only a few hundred years, so they have no personal experiences with the earlier civilizations of Earth. They have no experiences of having lived on Earth, so could not remember a previous existence here, even if their memory was restored. They might, however, remember lives they lived elsewhere on other planets and in other times.

    A very interesting statement. If the person had a life on another planet and was then transported to earth and had the memories erased, the memories of the prior planet might still exist and be easier to acquire.

    Others have been here since the first days of Lemuria.

    In any case, the IS-BEs of Earth are here forever, until they can break the amnesia cycle, conquer the electronic traps set up by their captors and free themselves.

    It is a four step plan on what to do.
    
    [1] Break the amnesia cycle.
    [2] Conquer the electronic traps.
    [3] free themselves from this region.

    Because The Domain has three thousand of their own IS-BEs in captivity on Earth also, they have an interest in solving this problem.

    This problem has never been encountered or effectively solved before in the universe, as far as they know.

    It is a new problem as of 1947.

    They will continue their efforts to free those IS-BEs from Earth, where and when it is possible, but it will require time to develop an unprecedented technology and the diligence to do so.

    (EDITOR’S NOTE: The following statement is a comment by Matilda.)

    I think it is Airl’s sincere desire, as one IS-BE to another, that the rest of our eternity will be as pleasant as possible.”

    End of Part eight

    It’s all a pretty interesting discussion. What’s up? Well, now I am going to parse this entire document all over, but in a format for us contemporary humans to understand. Actually the “Alien Interview” as well written and narrated as it is, is actually “all over the place” and jumps back and froth from great swaths of time and situations. My next series of articles will correct this uncomfortable situation.

    Do you want more?

    You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

    ET Species

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

    A breakdown of the report “alien interview” by MM from a MAJ perspective (part 7)

    I have presented the PDF titled “Alien Interview” to the readership. It is supposed to be the transcripts of the interview that a nurse had with an extraterrestrial entity that was recovered from a spaceship crash in Roswell, New Mexico. There is a lot of good stuff there, and some things that run counter to what I know and understand to be true. My intention here is to parse the entire book, and compare it to what I know. Where the two diverge, it will be up to you (the readership) to sort it out.

    This is part 6.

    This is part seven of the parsing of this document

    You can view part 1 HERE.

    ALIEN INTERVIEW, 30. 7. 1947, 1st Session

    Immortal Spiritual Beings, which I refer to as “IS-BEs”, for the sake of convenience, are the source and creators of illusions. Each one, individually and collectively, in their original, unfettered state of being, are an eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing entity.

    IS-BEs create space by imagining a location. The intervening distance between themselves and the imagined location is what we call space. An IS-BE can perceive the space and objects created by other IS-BEs.

    IS-BEs are not physical universe entities. They are a source of energy and illusion. IS-BEs are not located in space or time, but can create space, place particles in space, create energy, and shape particles into various forms, cause the motion of forms, and animate forms. Any form that is animated by an IS-BE is called life.

    I have no problem with this. Though I do realize just how difficult it is to understand.

    An IS-BE can decide to agree that they are located in space or time, and that they, themselves, are an object, or any other manner of illusion created by themselves or another or other IS-BEs.

    I have no problem with this.

    The disadvantage of creating an illusion is that an illusion must be continually created. If not continually created, it disappears. Continual creation
    of an illusion requires incessant attention to every detail of the illusion in order to sustain it.

    Indeed. Entire books can be written on this subject.

    A common denominator of IS-BEs seems to be the desire to avoid boredom. A spirit only, without interaction with other IS-BEs, and the unpredictable motion, drama, and unanticipated intentions and illusions being created by other IS-BEs, is easily bored.

    This is a deep statement, and I guess, that it is wholly above the heads and minds of the Roswell military leadership present at the facility at that time.

    What if you could imagine anything, perceive everything, and cause anything to happen, at will?

    What if you couldn’t do anything else?

    What if you always knew the outcome of every game and the answer to every question?

    Would you get bored?

    Yes. You would.

    The entire back time track of IS-BEs is immeasurable, nearly infinite in terms of physical universe time. There is no measurable “beginning” or “end” for an IS-BE. They simply exist in an everlasting now.

    Yes. I have no problems with this statement.

    Another common denominator of IS-BEs is that admiration of one’s own illusions by others is very desirable.

    If the desired admiration is not forthcoming, the IS-BE will keep creating the illusion in an attempt to get admiration.

    One could say that the entire physical universe is made of unadmired illusions.

    This is so very deep that it deserves complete indexes of articles to investigate further.

    The origins of this universe began with the creation of individual, illusionary spaces.

    Also known as the "Big Bang".

    These were the “home” of the IS-BE.

    Sometimes a universe is a collaborative creation of illusions by two or more IS-BEs.

    A proliferation of IS-BEs, and the universes they create, sometimes collide or become commingled or merge to an extent that many IS-BEs shared in the co-creation of a universe.

    Here we are discussing the creation of heavens and universes. And most strangely, I have dim recollections of events similar to what is described. Dim, curious, "memories" of a "something else".

    IS-BEs diminish their ability in order to have a game to play.

    Of course. You give up omnipotence for physical sensation.

    IS-BEs think that any game is better than no game.

    They will endure pain, suffering, stupidity, privation, and all manner of unnecessary and undesirable conditions, just to play a game.

    Pretending that one does not know all, see all and cause all, is a way to create the conditions necessary for playing a game: unknowns, freedoms, barriers and/or opponents and goals.

    Ultimately, playing a game solves the problem of boredom.

    Reincarnation as a mortal being solves the problem of boredom. If you don't know what he is talking about, then perhaps a re-watching of the old Sean Connery movie "Zardoz" is in order.

    In this fashion, all of the space, galaxies, suns, planets, and physical phenomena of this universe, including life forms, places, and events that have been created by IS-BEs…

    …and sustained by mutual agreement that these things exist.

    Sustained by mutual agreement.

    There are as many universes as there are IS-BEs to imagine, build and perceive them, each existing concurrently within its own continuum.

    Each universe is created using its own, unique set of rules, as imagined, altered, preserved or destroyed by one or more IS-BEs who created it.

    This idea has been adopted by the scientific community as a given concerning "bubble universes".

    Time, energy, objects and space, as defined in terms of the physical universe, may or may not exist in other universes.

    Very true, and this is something that MM has stated repeatedly.

    The Domain exists in such a universe, as well as in the physical universe.

    Big stuff here. The Domain exists within a non-physical universe, and the physical universe as well.

    One of the rules of the physical universe is that energy can be created, but not destroyed.

    E=mc2

    So, the universe will keep expanding as long as IS-BEs keep adding more new energy into it.

    This physical universe is ever expanding.

    It is nearly infinite. It is like an automobile assembly line that never stops running and none of the cars are ever destroyed.

    Every IS-BE is basically good.

    Therefore, an IS-BE does not enjoy doing things to other IS-BEs which they themselves do not want to experience.

    A consciousness does not enjoy doing things to others which they do not want to experience. Hum. Unless, they have no recollection of their past.

    For an IS-BE there is no inherent standard for what is good or bad, right or wrong, ugly or beautiful. These ideas are all based on the opinion of each individual IS-BE.

    Beauty is in the beholder. Good and bad is as determined by the consciousness.

    The closest concept that human beings have to describe an IS-BE is as a god: all-knowing, all-powerful, infinite. So, how does a god stop being a god? They pretend NOT to know.

    How can you play a game of “hide and seek” if you always know where the other person is hiding?

    You pretend NOT to know where the other players are hiding, so you can go off to “seek” them.

    This is how games are created.

    You have forgotten that you are just “pretending”.

    In so doing, IS-BEs become entrapped and enslaved inside a maze of their own devising.

    All of this is very deep and a very in-depth discussion and conversation that must have been way, way above the heads of the Roswell military leadership at that time.

    How does one create a cage, lock one’s own self inside the cage, throw away the key, and forget there is a key or a cage, and forget there is an “inside” or “outside”, and even forget there is a self?

    How to do this?

    Create the illusion.

    As in the Earth Sphere.

    On Earth, the propaganda taught and agreed upon is that the gods are responsible, and that human beings are not responsible. You are taught that only a god can create universes. So, the responsibility for every action is assigned to another IS-BE or god.

    Never oneself.

    No human being ever assumes personal responsibility for the fact that they, themselves – individually and collectively – are gods. This fact alone is the source of entrapment for every IS-BE.

    Thus, as I have repeatedly stated in MM, it's all your life and soul and consciousness and pre-birth world-line template. And you have the means and the ability to define your life, your future and your happiness. You do. No others.

    End of Part seven

    You can visit part eight HERE.

    Do you want more?

    You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

    ET Species

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

    Brute force tools to “crack open” some desires when running a prayer affirmation campaign

    This article is part of my enormous Prayer Affirmation Campaigns series. If you are unfamiliar with this series, I recommend that after you read this, you go to the start of the series and start reading. This idea of prayers as part of a campaign are quite different than anything else you will find anywhere else.

    I have a kit of “brute force tools” that I employ in my affirmation campaigns.  Over the years they have been highly useful and very successful. Of course, I have chosen the names for them as they help me keep track of what I am doing and why.

    They go by other names to describe how they are used. I have a “hammer”, a “crowbar”, a “grinder”, a “detangler”, and many others.  And in this post we will cover some of them.

    In general, these “tools” are specific affirmations that I add to my affirmation campaigns to help me tackle problems or issues that seem to either reoccur, are barriers that I fail to breach, “glass ceilings” that I fail to break through or numerous other problems that I encounter.

    Divine Hammer

    Using a hammer.

    This is my term for the technique of HOW you vocalize your intention affirmations. When I vocalize my intentions, I do  more than just read them. I read them in certain ways. And how I read them is detailed in how they are written.

    Most Important Affirmations

    These affirmations are absolute MUSTS. I mark these affirmation statements in "BOLD text" in my spreadsheet. When I read them, I read them louder than the rest and with more passion and emotion.
    .
    I have a big bed with an impressive headboard.

    Average Affirmations

    These affirmations are your "normal" affirmations. You read them normally. And they are written on your affirmation list in "normal text".
    .
    I have a big bed with an impressive headboard.

    Special Affirmations

    During a given prayer affirmation campaign I might have a special program or plan that I am involved in, and I want to take extra care and caution to make sure that I think about them longer, and "spell them out exactly". 
    .
    Truthfully, you know, these affirmations are rare, and what I do is put them in "Bold Brown Text with a period in the spacing". When I read them, I read each word carefully and slowly.
    .
    I .have .a .big .bed .with .an .impressive .headboard.

    Unused Affirmations

    Unused or retired affirmations are in a "very light grey" color. I keep them there in the event that I wish to reactivate them, but they lie dormant on my list. I do not read them.
    .
    In general, my current (active) affirmation list is about 70% greyed out and retired affirmations, and about 30% active affirmations. Here is an example of an inactive affirmation.
    .
    I have a big bed with an impressive headboard.

    Affirmation Details

    This is a special category of affirmations that I add after a key affirmation statement. They go on the subsequent lines. They are placed in "italic text". I read them with the same tone and pacing as the leader affirmation statement.
    .
    I have a big bed with an impressive headboard.
       The bed is a dark brown hardwood.
       It is king size or larger.
       It has intricate carvings on it.

    If you take a longer time to read a sentence, then you are passing through more world-lines while you are reading it. It helps establish the navigation direction. And if you couple that with the power behind emotion, you ties the bio-chemical system to the thoughts and that (I personally believe) helps “push” the affirmations forward.

    Crowbar

    Using a crowbar.

    Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, there is some block, blockage, barrier, glass wall, or mountain that prevents you from getting anywhere near your goals. Sure, it could very easily just be that your goals are really down the world-line template path, but sometimes it’s something else. And you need a “crowbar” to remove that bolder or obstacle.

    It has been my experience that most obstacles on your world-line template are not germane to your (pre-birth world-line template) map. They were placed there by others (maybe even you) and now sit there in your way. They are an obstacle.

    They need to be removed.

    To do this, I have added a few specialized affirmations that are helpful in “clearing the path” that is somehow blocked. You don’t know if there is actually a roadblock placed there by someone or something, and maybe your arch enemy in High School placed it 35 years ago when they were experimenting with black magic. You never know.

    Here’s some affirmations that I find very effective…

    • I have broken apart any barriers to controlling my reality. These are barriers that are either self-created, or those created by others.
    • I define my reality, and undo any contrary spells, magick or alterations imposed upon me, or the reality around me by anyone or anything.
    • I block and shut out all negative, de-constructive, and dangerous thoughts from manifesting and altering my intentions listed herein.
    • These blocking protections extend to my family and include any malevolent efforts by anyone, or things against them.
    • All non-physical impediments, curses, or “road blocks” , are moved out of the way. No obstacles.
    • I prevent the manifestation of any reality that results from bad, negative or dangerous thoughts.
    • Those that try to hurt me, hack me, steal from me, trick me, betray me, or just cause me trouble are immediately exposed to severe backlash for their actions, and they stop that activity and make restitution to me.

    Tricorder

    Using a tricorder.

    A tricorder is a science fiction prop designed for the Star Trek television series by Wah Chang. In the story universe the multifunction hand-held device performs sensor environment scans, data recording, and data analysis--hence the word "tricorder" to refer to the three functions of sensing, recording, and computing. In Star Trek stories the devices are issued by the fictional Starfleet organization. 
    
    -Wikipedia
    

    There is much that we do not know. We are so fixated on the physical world, that we ignore what is going on in the non-physical world. This is not really desirable, as we need to know what is going on in order to compensate for problems, and adjust to circumstances.

    So what I often like to do is put some affirmations that helps me gather Intel. I have used many different ones in the past, and here’s just a few examples…

    • I understand how this universe works, and how to alter, improve and change my reality.
    • ..I use this knowledge to generate a perfect life for myself and for my family.
    • ..As such, I am the Captain of my Consciousness.
    • I know when to slow down, stop specific intention phrases, and when to implement new ones.
    • I am aware of the trends going on in my life, behind the scenes, and on tractical, and strategic levels.
    • I move in and out of the world-line realities as necessary to achieve my thought-destination(s).
    • I do achieve my ultimate goals and I do so efficiently, and quickly while avoiding bad or undesirable world-lines.
    • I am alert on what to say and do in order to achieve my desires.
    • I know what affirmations to make to manifest the life that I wish to participate within.
    • I know, positively, when to stop, change, alter or revise my affirmations in accordance with my needs and desires.
    • I am aware of opportunities as they arise, and I know exactly what actions to take to maximize my desired intentions.
    • I am aware of the world-line routing as it occurs and do not panic or worry about how things will manifest.
    • I recognize that world-line realities that I inhabit might be calm and relaxed, but great things are occurring in my life.
    • These things are substantial positive and proactive events that are unfolding for my benefit and that might be hidden from me.

    Grinder

    Using a grinder.

    What a grinder does is get rid of rough edges, burrs, and sharp edges. And when you run a prayer affirmation campaign you often have things materialize with exactly these kinds of “rough edges”.

    For instance, I once had an affirmation for a nice Cadillac DeVille, and I loved that car. White interior. Silent and smooth ride. The engine purred and flew like a jet fighter going up hills. But then the transmission went out, as did the air conditioning.

    And the repair for both of them was outrageously expensive.

    How expensive? At that time, they represented two months salary just for the transmission.

    You see, I did not anticipate that I required to have a certain level of income or savings to support the goal that I manifested. And when the goal actually did manifest, I was not ready to handle the costs associated with it.

    What I needed to to was “grind down” the goal to something that was more manageable for my situation at that time.

    From this;

    I have a nice Cadillac DeVille.

    To this;

    I have a nice new car, that is well made, comfortable, and never breaks down. I feel very comfortable riding in it, and love the power and handling ability that it has.

    Expert hint:

    NEVER base your affirmation goals on something you saw on television, social media, the “news”, or in a movie. They are all fictions.

    Detangler

    Using a detangler.

    A detangler is a chemical compound that separates the individual strands of hair and prevents matting. Without one, the hair (on most people) will mat up.

    “Using a detangler is absolutely an essential step in haircare. Detanglers help eliminate a huge amount of breakage and damage while also evening out the porosity of the hair, so your wet products go on more evenly. There’s one for every hair type, so don’t worry that adding this additional step will amount to too much product.”
    
    Why You Should Use a Detangler

    You really don’t want your affirmation prayers to be all tangled up.

    In a prayer affirmation campaign, there is the possibility that similar goals in the campaign, or other goals in previous campaigns might influence each other. For instance, let’s suppose that you had an affirmation in the 1980’s that said…

    I wear popped collars all the time, with a large wardrobe of polo shirts.

    Now, many people will not have any idea what this is all about. Well, it’s about this…

    Yeah.

    And now you live in Norway with an affirmation that goes something like this…

    I go to saunas often, and enjoy the fine steam bath, and the branch lashings as well as the icy cold splash afterwards.

    Sounds great. Except, that you are now burdened with a habit (that you are unaware of) that requires that you have multiple layers of “popped” clothes, and that take “forever” to remove, and “forever” to put back on.

    You see, the problem is that since there is no such thing as time, all of our affirmation campaigns all interact together and work together.

    To prevent that from occurring you can use “detangler” affirmation statements.

    • All these affirmations occur as quickly as is comfortably and as safely as possible. At no time is my family, health or safety at risk.
    • The normal rules of affirmation manifestation has now been advanced to this direct and immediate application without hesitation.
    • All these affirmations happen quickly, provided that dangers are avoided and I (and my family) are protected.
    • These intention prayers supersede any and all previous ones that would conflict with the ones listed here.

    Slipstream

    Riding in the slipstream.

    Definition of slipstream technical : an area of low air pressure that is immediately behind a vehicle that is moving very fast and that other vehicles can ride in to go faster with less effort 

    Essentially, the way this tool works is simple. You connect your affirmation prayer campaign with others, so that together you all ride forward, and the group inertia propels your further ahead than what you would otherwise go alone.

    This is the slipstream tool that I use in my campaigns…

    • My affirmations tie together with affirmations of other MM followers so that they all combine with a positive “slipsteam” effect. For all of us to benefit from.
    • In slipstram affirmations that run counter to my personal affirmations listed herein, they are ignored, and does not influence this campaign.
    • This slipstream effect acts as an accelerator for all of us to benefit from.

    Hasp and lock

    Hasp and Lock.

    A hasp and a lock is a very simple assembly to conceive. Essentially, once you have bought new tools, and supplies for your garden, you put them in a shed and you secure it with a hasp and lock. If you don’t, nearby neighbors and other mysteries of the night might come and take your farming implements away.

    In an affirmation prayer campaign, a “hasp and lock” system is one where you already have an element in your life that you are happy with, and you don’t want it to disappear. You want to put those elements under “lock and key” so that no matter what other changes occur in your life (as a result of affirmation prayer campaigns) they will be protected and will not vanish or change as your other affirmations materialize.

    For example, in the example above, you had an affirmation that said…

     I have a big bed with an impressive headboard.

    And it occurred.

    You now have a nice big bed with an impressive headboard, and you are very happy with it.

    Well, a “hasp & Lock” system would be a special “set aside” affirmations that guarantee that something that you obtain will not disappear during further advancing affirmation campaigns. And in this instance you might use any number of affirmations much like these…

    • No matter what happens, my bed follows me where ever I go.
    • When it comes time for me to die, I will do so in ease and comfort in my nice big bed with the impressive headboard.
    • etc etc.

    Zipper

    A zipper.

    A zipper is a mechanism to fasten clothing together. I think a sizable proportion of my readership realizes this.

    In an affirmation prayer campaign, a zipper is a technique that allows multiple affirmations to merge together.

    One would think that if you had multiple affirmations, and they all came to be, that they would all live happily ever after together. Nope. It doesn’t work that way. Each affirmation is like an iceberg, and what you think will materialize is the top most visible portion of the iceberg, while the part that you cannot see will influence other elements of your life.

    Let’s imagine that you had three affirmations that all came true. They were;

    [1] I spend most of my life in a big, new, clean house with pristine white walls, great views, new furnishings, and lots and lots of windows.
    [2] I get meals served to me directly. I eat three meals every day.
    [3] I have a lot of friends that visit me often.

    Now, there are many ways that all three of these affirmations can come together and materialize. The person (you) making the affirmations (of course) is envisioning a nice big house, with servants or eating out often, and a lot of friends visiting you. But other things are possible, don’t you know…

    • You could be in the hospital with a long-duration illness.
    • You could be in prison, working on a chain gang.
    • You could be in the military on a ship.

    Those unseen elements of the affirmation statements will mix and match with the pathways on your world-line template.

    In so doing, it will manifest the closest goal objectives with relative low entropy. Or, to put it differently, what you will end up with will be the quickest and easiest closest matches to your goals.

    What a zipper is, is a statement that specifies that the affirmations do not conflict with each other or create harmful, dangerous or undesirable outcomes.

    • These affirmations do not conflict with each other or create harmful, dangerous or undesirable outcomes.

    Spellchecker

    A “spellchecker” is a software program that I use to check the spelling and grammar of the sentences that I place in my affirmations. While it is true, that if I think that I am saying everything correctly in terms of my desires, I want to be extra positive that the sentence and the spelling is absolutely correct.

    True story; I once had a prayer affirmation related to getting a new automobile. My current vehicle was just a piece of junk; a “clunker” and was breaking down all the time. I just wanted a good and reasonable replacement vehicle. I was using Microsoft Excel, and you all know that it doesn’t have spell-checking ability. So I wrote that I wanted a nice new car.

    So I wrote…

    I have a nice new bar that runs well, and is attractive to the ladies.

    And sure enough a new bar opened up down the street. About eight months later. It had a “ladies night” and a Thursday night “girls only” strip show. Ugh!

    Once I found out (in a review of my affirmations), I corrected everything. And I changed it to…

    I have a nice new car. It runs well. It is attractive to the ladies.

    I now incorporate the spellchecking tool in all of my new affirmation campaigns. Have I made myself clear in the importance of this?

    Conclusion

    Well, that’s enough for now. The longer you perform your prayer affirmation campaigns, the more that you realize the importance in the careful vocalization of your desires. You realize that many times things can go astray as you are dealing with the non-physical reality, while your brain operates in the physical reality, and thus you are handicapped. These tools will help mitigate the handicaps somewhat. And I do hope that they help you as much as they have helped me.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Affirmation prayer Campaign Index here…

    Intention Campaigns

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE .
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
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    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

     

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    The Ganymede Hypothesis

    MM offers this book free to the interested searcher. 
    You can contact the author here;
    
    Theodore A Holden: theodoreholden@yahoo.com
    Troy D. McLachlan: troydmclachlan@yahoo.co.uk

    The new book, ” The Ganymede Hypothesis” is meant as a replacement for the earlier “Cosmos in Collision”, beginning with the .PDF/download edition.  The new book is substantially better organized then the earlier book, flows better, is easier to read, contains updated material, and a number of better images.

    "The experience of the last few years has cured me of wanting to deal with ebooks or the companies involved in the e-book business. Those have acted like anchors to prevent the earlier book from going anywhere and the ideas involved in this work are too important to allow that to go on.
    
    Moreover, ebooks are difficult for users to deal with both to read and to copy from for quoting, while anybody with any kind of a Computing device at all can easily manage and deal with .PDF files.  The Ganymede Hypothesis is thus being released as a free download from this site."

    Paperback and/or hardbound copies will be available as time and conditions permit.

    The download is in the form of a .zip file since having large numbers of people trying to read the document itself in a web browser could crash goDaddy and this website.  The idea is to download the file, unzip it, and read it in a normal pdf reader such as Adobe Acrobat

    I have known Theodore A Holden for years, and he has the most amazing resource on information that would be of interest to MM searchers. I highly recommend that everyone take a look at his website HERE.

    Do you want more?

    You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

    ET Species

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

    A breakdown of the report “alien interview” by MM from a MAJ perspective (part 6)

    I have presented the PDF titled “Alien Interview” to the readership. It is supposed to be the transcripts of the interview that a nurse had with an extraterrestrial entity that was recovered from a spaceship crash in Roswell, New Mexico. There is a lot of good stuff there, and some things that run counter to what I know and understand to be true. My intention here is to parse the entire book, and compare it to what I know. Where the two diverge, it will be up to you (the readership) to sort it out.

    This is part 6.

    This is part six of the parsing of this document

    You can view part 1 HERE.

    SUBJECT: ALIEN INTERVIEW, 29. 7. 1947, 1st Session

    “Today Airl told me about some very technical things. I took a few notes to remind myself, so I can repeat what she said as closely as possible. She began with an analogy about scientific knowledge:

    Can you imagine how much progress could have been made on Earth if people like Johannes Gutenberg , Sir Isaac Newton, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington Carver, Nicola Tesla, Jonas Salk, and Richard Trevithick, and many thousands of similar geniuses and inventors were living today?

    Image what technical accomplishments might have been developed if men like these never died? What if they were never given amnesia and made to forget everything they knew? What if they continued to learn and work forever?

    What level of technology and civilization could be attained if Immortal Spiritual Beings like these were allowed to continue to create – in the same place and at the same time – for billions or trillions of years?

    Essentially, The Domain is one civilization that has existed for trillions of years with relatively uninterrupted progress.

    This is TRUE.

    Knowledge has been accumulated, refined, and improved upon in nearly every field of study imaginable – and beyond imagining.

    This is TRUE.

    Originally, the interaction of IS-BE illusions or inventions created the very fabric of the physical universe – the microcosm and the macrocosm. Every single particle of the universe has been imagined and brought into existence by an IS-BE. Everything created from an idea – a thought with no weight or size or location in space.

    This is MM language. Consciousness can do only ONE singular thing; think. This is all it can do in wave form.

    Every speck of dust in space, from the size of the tiniest subatomic particle, to the size of a sun or a magelantic cloud the size of many galaxies, was created from the nothingness of a thought.

    This is TRUE.

    Even the tiniest, individual cells were contrived and coordinated to enable a microbial entity to sense, and navigate through infinitesimally small spaces. These also came from an idea thought up by an IS-BE.

    This is TRUE.

    You, and every IS-BE on Earth, have participated in the creation of this universe. Even though you are now confined to a fragile body made of flesh; you live for only 65 short rotations of your planet around a star; you have been given overwhelming electric shock treatments to wipe out your memory; you must learn everything all over again each lifetime; in spite of all these circumstances, you are who you are and will always be. And, deep down, you still know that your are and what you know. You are still the essence of you.

    This is TRUE.

    How else can one understand the child prodigy? An IS-BE who plays concertos on a piano at three years of age, without formal training?

    Impossible, if they did not simply remember what they have already learned from thousands of lives spent in front of a keyboard in times untold, or on planets far away.

    They may not know how they know. They just know.

    This is TRUE.

    Humankind has developed more technology in the past 100 years than in the previous 2,000 years. Why? The answer is simple: the influence of the “Old Empire” over the mind and over the affairs of Mankind has been diminished by The Domain.

    This appears to certainly be the case. It's like shackles have been removed, and people are allowed to grow; to fly, to develop and to grow.

    A renaissance of invention on Earth began in 1,250 AD with the destruction of the “Old Empire” space fleet in the solar system.

    A major encounter. It had great influences throughout our solar system.

    During the next 500 years, Earth may have the potential to regain autonomy and independence, but only to the degree that humankind can apply the concentrated genius of the IS-BEs on Earth to solve the amnesia problem.

    Starting in 1947, the next 500 years has the potential to be astounding.

    However, on a cautionary note…

    … the inventive potential of the IS-BEs who have been exiled to this planet is severely compromised by the criminal elements of the Earth population.

    All you need to do is look at the United States today to see how true this is.

    Specifically, politicians, warmongers and irresponsible physicists who create unlimited weapons such as nuclear bombs, chemicals, diseases and social chaos. These have the potential to extinguish all life forms on Earth, forever.

    Oh, and aren't we facing these three threats right here, right now?

    Even the relatively small explosions that were tested and used in the past two years on Earth have the potential to destroy all of life, if deployed in sufficient quantities. Larger weapons could consume all of the oxygen in the global atmosphere in a single explosion!

    No reasonable person wants nuclear war. The problem is that America is run by idiotic psychopaths.

    Therefore, the most fundamental problems that must be solved in order to ensure that Earth will not be destroyed by technology, are social and humanitarian problems.

    And which nation is handling the social and humanitarian problems?
    
    United States - War, money, power, rich oligarch greed.
    China - Social systems, reduction of poverty, humanitarian issues.

    The greatest scientific minds of Earth, in spite of mathematical or mechanical genius, have never addressed these problems.

    Not in 1947. But they are being addressed by China from 1980 to the present.

    Therefore, do not look to scientists to save Earth or the future of humanity. Any so-called “science” that is solely based on the paradigm that existence is composed only of energy and objects moving through space is not a science.

    "Science" without a understanding of how quantum consciousness animates the physical is just voodoo-woo-doo.

    Such beings utterly ignore the creative spark originated by an individual IS-BE and collective work of the IS-BEs who continually create the physical universe and all universes.

    You cannot ignore the quantum consciousness.

    Every science will remain relatively ineffective or destructive to the degree that it omits or devaluates the relative importance of the spiritual spark that ignites all of creation and life.

    This is TRUE. 
    
    So anyone who has ideas or wants to promote the information that they obtain from "their handlers" or contacts as they try to disseminate the information MUST REALIZE that unless they include the aspects germane to the mechanism of consciousness within their calculus, they are heading down the road to a dead end.

    Unfortunately this ignorance has been very carefully and forcefully instilled in human beings by the “Old Empire”.

    (This is) to ensure that IS-BEs on this planet will not be able to recover their innate ability to create space, energy, matter and time, or any other component part of universes.

    As long as awareness of the immortal, powerful, spiritual “self” is ignored, humanity will remain imprisoned until the day of its own, self-destruction and oblivion.

    It's a dangerous destructive cycle. And we are watching it in "real time" with a "front row seat".

    Do not rely on the dogma of physical sciences to master the fundamental forces of creation any more than you would trust the chanted incantations of an incense-burning shaman.

    Any "science" that does not include the spark of consciousness is just mumbo-jumbo.

    The net result of both of these is entrapment and oblivion.

    Which is the way that the "prison planet" operates.

    Scientists pretend to observe, but they only suppose that they see, and call it fact.

    I have argued this point for years.

    Like the blind man, a scientist can not learn to see until he realizes that he is blind.

    The “facts” of Earth science do not include the source of creation. They include only the result, or byproducts of creation.

    The “facts” of science to not include any memory of the nearly infinite past experience of existence.

    These omissions are serious ones. It's like have a beautiful nice car, but without an engine, transmission, radio, air conditioning, or electrical system.

    The essence of creation and existence cannot be found through the lens of a microscope or telescope or by any other measurement of the physical universe.

    It cannot be discerned through observation, which is the technique used by science through all these centuries. As you cannot observe thought. You cannot observe soul. You cannot observe emotions or feelings. You cannot observe attachments.

    One cannot comprehend the perfume of a flower or the pain felt by an abandoned lover with meters and calipers.

    As I have said.

    Everything you will ever know about the creative force and ability of a god can be found within you – an Immortal Spiritual Being.

    It's all inside of you.
    
    But you are unaware of it. This is by design and intent. And by evil destructive people. It is a horrible situation.

    How can a blind man teach others to see the nearly infinite gradients that comprise the spectrum of light?

    The notion that one can understand the universe without understanding the nature of an IS-BE is as absurd as conceiving that an artist is a speck of paint on his own canvas.

    Or, that the lace on a ballet shoe is the choreographer’s vision, or the grace of a dancer, or the electric excitement of opening night.

    Study of the spirit has been booby-trapped by the thought control operation through religious superstitions they instill in the minds of men.

    A very true statement and worthy of discussion off-line.

    Conversely, the study of the spirit and the mind have been prohibited by science which eliminates anything that is not measurable in the physical universe. Science is the religion of matter. It worships matter.

    So very TRUE. It is the study of the observation of physical matter. Anything that happens in the non-physical simply does not exist according to science.

    The paradigm of science is that creation is all, and the creator is nothing.

    Religion says the creator is all, and the creation is nothing.

    These two extremes are the bars of a prison cell. They prevent observation of all phenomenon as an interactive whole.

    This is a point raised in the movie "What the bleep do we know".

    Study of creation without knowing the IS-BE, the source of creation, is futile.

    When you sail to the edge of a universe conceived by science, you fall off the end into an abyss of dark, dispassionate space and lifeless, unrelenting force.

    On Earth, you have been convinced that the oceans of the mind and spirit are filled with gruesome, ghoulish monsters that will eat you alive if you dare to venture beyond the breakwater of superstition.

    This is true.

    The vested interest of the “Old Empire” prison system is to prevent you from looking at your own soul.

    This is true.

    They fear that you will see in your own memory the slave masters who keep you imprisoned.

    This is true. Just like the oligarchy in Washington DC are all afraid of the vast bulk of American citizens who have had enough with the mindless game of around-and-around-and-around.

    The prison is made of shadows in your mind. The shadows are made of lies, and pain, and loss, and fear.

    This is true.

    The true geniuses of civilization are those IS-BEs who will enable other IS-BEs to recover their memory and regain self-realization and self-determination.

    I hope that I am able to live up to this standard. -MM

    This issue is not solved through enforcing moral regulation on behavior, or through the control of beings through mystery, faith, drugs, guns or any other dogma of a slave society.

    Moral regulation, or the regulation of morals, is a characteristic of a slave society.

    And certainly not through the use of electric shock and hypnotic commands!

    Indeed.

    The survival of Earth and every being on it depends on the ability to recover the memory of skills you have accrued through the trillenia; to recover the essence of yourself.

    The survival of the Earth is up to us. We must all do our part, no matter how small. 
    
    Do not be confused by the lies in the "news" media. You do not need to be a millionaire oligarch to enact change, nor some kind of crazed radical protestor. You just need to be yourself, be helpful, and be the Rufus.

    Such an art, science, or technology has never been conceived in the “Old Empire”. Otherwise, they would not have resorted to the “solution” that brought you to your current condition on Earth.

    Very True.

    Neither has such technology ever been developed by The Domain.

    This technology about mind-wipe, and shocks, and erasure amnesia, has never been developed by the Domain; the type-1 greys.

    Until recently, the necessity of rehabilitating an IS-BE with amnesia has not been needed.

    Until 1947.

    Therefore, no one has ever worked on solving this problem. So far, unfortunately, The Domain has no solution to offer.

    In 1947.

    A few officers of The Domain Expeditionary Force have taken it upon themselves to provide technology to Earth during their off duty time.

    These officers leave their “doll” at the space station and, as an IS-BE, assume or take over a biological body on Earth. In some cases an officer can remain on duty while they inhabit and control other bodies at the same time.

    This is understood.

    This is a very dangerous and adventurous undertaking.

    Yes it is.

    It requires a very able IS-BE to accomplish such a mission, and return to base successfully.

    It is extremely dangerous.

    One officer who did this recently, while continuing to attend to his official duties, was known on Earth as the electronics inventor, Nicola Tesla.

    Interesting.

    It is my intention, although is not a part of my mission orders, to assist you in your efforts to advance scientific and humanitarian progress on Earth.

    It's intention, but not it's orders.

    My intention is to help other IS-BEs to help themselves.

    The purpose of MM is to give everyone the tools to better your lives, and to free yourself to what ever level or degree that you desire.

    In order to solve the amnesia problem on Earth you will need much more advanced technology, as well as social stability to allow enough time for research and development of techniques to free the IS-BE from the body, and to free the mind of the IS-BE from amnesia.

    From the point of view from the type-1 grey commander in 1947, the task to free the trapped IS-BE's on Earth is herculean.
    
    It requires...
    
    [1] Much more advanced technology.
    [2] Social stability.
    [3] Time to develop the necessary R&D baselines.

    Although The Domain has a long term interest in maintaining Earth as a useful planet, it has no particular interest in the human population of Earth, other than its own personnel here.

    The Domain has it's own issues and directives to follow. The situation on Earth, as bad as it is, is rally not of critical importance to the Domain.

    We are interested in preventing destruction, as well as accelerating the development of technologies that will sustain the infrastructures of the global biosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere.

    It can offer, as a Domain officer,...
    
    ...technologies that can prevent destruction of the world. As well as technologies that can sustain the infrastructures of the global environment.

    To this end, you will discover, on very careful and thorough examination, that my space craft contains a wide assortment of technology that does not yet exist on Earth.

    If you distribute pieces of this craft to various scientists for study, they will be able to reverse engineer  some of the technology to the extent that Earth has the raw materials required to replicate these components.

    Some of the components. Not all.

    Some features will be indecipherable.

    Other features cannot be duplicated as Earth does not have the natural resources required to replicate them.

    This is especially true of the metals used to construct the craft.

    Not only do these metals not exist on Earth, the refining process required to produce these metals took billions of years to develop.

    This is true. But I can tell you that MAJesic has been working on these technologies for years now. Decades, even.

    It is also true of the navigation system which requires an IS-BE whose own personal wavelength has been specifically attuned to the “neural network” of the craft.  The pilot of the craft must possess a very high order of energy volition, discipline, training and intelligence to manipulate such a craft.

    Understood.

    IS-BEs on Earth are incapable of this expertise because it requires the use of an artificial body specifically created for this purpose.

    Understood.

    Certain individual Earth scientists, some of whom are among the most brilliant minds in the history of the universe, will have their memory of this technology jogged when they examine the craft components.

    Just as some of the scientists and physicists on Earth have been able to “remember” how to recreate electric generators, internal combustion and steam locomotion, refrigeration, aircraft, antibiotics, and other tools of your civilization, they will also rediscover other vital technology in my craft.

    And they are. All over the place.
    
    I posit that there are members of the "Old Empire", either formally, or of like mind, embedded within the Earth civilian population. They control the West. They control Washington DC. And in this control, they have purposely created a world of fiat paper money, and a destruction of science, technology and manufacturing.
    
    And we see this in real time.

    The following are the specific systems embodied in my craft that contain useful components:

    1) There is an assortment of microscopic wiring or fibers within the walls of the craft that control such things as communications, information storage, computer function, and automatic navigation.
    2) The same wiring is used for light, sub-light and ultra-light spectrum detection and vision.
    3) The fabrics of the interior of the craft are far superior to any on Earth at this time and have hundreds or thousands of applications.
    4) You will also find mechanisms for creating, amplifying and channeling light particles or waves as a form of energy.

    As an officer, pilot and engineer of The Domain Forces, I am not at liberty to discuss or convey the detailed operation or construction of the craft in any way, other than what I have just disclosed.

    Understood. We all have our limitations.

    However, I am confident that there are many competent engineers on Earth who will develop useful technology with these resources.

    I am providing these details to you in the hope that the greater good of The Domain will be served.”

    Provided so that the Earth will be maintained, and not be destroyed, and that eventually, the imprisoned IS-BE's on Earth will be able to free themselves.

    Conclusion

    As I parse though this entire document, sentence by sentence, I have come to revise some of my beliefs and understandings. I have obtained numerous “Eureka!” moments where events and experiences fall into place and explain things. Yes, I can honestly say. Everything herein is accurate and is exactly what has occurred.

    End of Part six

    You can visit part seven HERE.

    Do you want more?

    You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

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    A breakdown of the report “alien interview” by MM from a MAJ perspective (part 5)

    I have presented the PDF titled “Alien Interview” to the readership. It is supposed to be the transcripts of the interview that a nurse had with an extraterrestrial entity that was recovered from a spaceship crash in Roswell, New Mexico. There is a lot of good stuff there, and some things that run counter to what I know and understand to be true. My intention here is to parse the entire book, and compare it to what I know. Where the two diverge, it will be up to you (the readership) to sort it out.

    This is part 5.

    Key point – Document appears to be genuine

    And I can tell you all that the more that I parse this document, the clearer it is (to me) that it is genuine.It is exactly what it says it is. And the extraterrestrial is actually telling the truth, so far.

    Key point – Errors

    However, there are some errors in translation, and confusion in the interpretation of what is being stated. Anything concerning “time” and the translation of dates seems to have some errors. The translator was having difficulty with those areas.

    Humans think of time as “shared” and “linear”.

    The type-1 greys think of time as circular and repeating. As in, consciousness enters and exits different world lines” and if you graph that movement of consciousness you will see a “corkscrew” movement through the MWI. Which is what it was referring to. All of which was WAY beyond the concepts of anyone in Roswell at that time.

    Therefore all dates and time, and anything associated with these characteristics might in error.  If you are having trouble in these areas, treat them as non-resolved issues and can be ignored.

    Key point – This document predates MAJestic

    Also take note that this document pre-dates MAJestic, and it is crystal clear to me now, that my role was, and still is, in the rehabilitation aspects of moving the Earth from a Hellish “Prison Planet” to that of a “sentience nursery”.

    This document has (for me, personally) helped to clarify elements and aspects of my role that were “blurred” and obscured from me. To that I am eternally grateful.

    Look at the dates on my articles, and look at what I covered. You will see that they match up nearly perfectly with this “Alien Interview” transcript. And this is the first time that I have ever heard of this document. The timing was transcendental.

    This is part five of the parsing of this document

    You can view part 1 HERE.

    ALIEN INTERVIEW, 28. 7. 1947, 1st Session

    “The origins of this universe and life on Earth, as discussed in the textbooks I have read, are very inaccurate.

    I have no problem with this statement.

    Since you serve your government as a medical personnel, your duties require that you understand biological entities. So, I am sure that you will appreciate the value of the material I will share with you today.

    I have no problem with this statement.

    The text of books I have been given on subjects related to the function of life forms contain information that is based on…

    • false memories,
    • inaccurate observation,
    • missing data,
    • unproven theories,
    • and superstition.

    For example, just a few hundred years ago your physicians practiced bloodletting as a means to release supposed ill-humors from the body in an attempt to relieve or heal a wide variety of physical and mental afflictions.

    Although this has been corrected somewhat, many barbarisms are still being practiced in the name of medical science.

    In addition to the application of incorrect theories concerning biological engineering, many primary errors that Earth scientists make are the result of an ignorance of the nature and relative importance of IS-BEs as the source of energy and intelligence which animate every life form.

    No medical textbook includes the relationship between consciousness and the body and how they interact.

    Although it is not a priority of The Domain to intervene in the affairs of Earth, The Domain Communications Office has authorized me to provide you with some information.

    (It is) in an effort to provide a more accurate and complete understanding of these things and thereby enable you to discover more effective solutions to the unique problems you face on Earth.

    I have no problems with these statements.

    The correct information about the origins of biological entities has been erased from your mind.

    As well as from the minds of your mentors.

    In order to help you regain your own memory, I will share with you some factual material concerning the origin of biological entities.

    I have no problem with these statements.

    I asked Airl if she was referring to the subject of evolution. Airl said, “No, not exactly”.

    You will find “evolution” mentioned in the ancient Vedic Hymns.

    The Vedic texts are like folk tales or common wisdoms and superstitions gathered throughout the systems of The Domain.

    Hum. This makes me want to add the Vedic Texts to MM.

    These were compiled into verses, like a book of rhymes. For every statement of truth, the verses contain as many half-truths, reversals of truth and fanciful imaginings, blended without qualification or distinction.

    Unfortunately.

    The theory of evolution assumes that the motivational source of energy that animates every life form does not exist.

    It assumes that an inanimate object or a chemical concoction can suddenly become “alive” or animate accidentally or spontaneously.

    Or, perhaps an electrical discharge into a pool of chemical ooze will magically spawn a self-animated entity.

    There is no evidence whatsoever that this is true, simply because it is not true.

    Dr. Frankenstein did not really resurrect the dead into a marauding monster, except in the imagination of the IS-BE who wrote a fictitious story one dark and stormy night.

    This extraterrestrial did have quite the word power.

    No Western scientist ever stopped to consider who, what, where, when or how this animation happens.

    Complete ignorance, denial or unawareness of the spirit as the source of life force required to animate inanimate objects or cellular tissue is the sole cause of failures in Western medicine.

    Obviously, as I have stated herein throughout MM. The physical (body and world-line(s)) are just physical containers. It is the consciousness that animates them.

    In addition, evolution does not occur accidentally.

    It requires a great deal of technology which must be manipulated under the careful supervision of IS-BEs.

    Evolution does not occur naturally. It requires a consciousness to make it happen and form into place.
    
    So, for example, you are desirous of a new kind of frog. One that is yellow with horns, then a consciousness must work over long swaths of time to manifest the changes to create such a creature. This is what evolution is.

    Very simple examples are seen in the modification of farm animals or in the breeding of dogs.

    However, the notion that human biological organisms evolved naturally from earlier ape-like forms is incorrect.

    No physical evidence will ever be uncovered to substantiate the notion that modern humanoid bodies evolved on this planet.

    Humans DID NOT evolve on Earth. Nor did they evolve from primates as is the current belief.

    The reason is simple: the idea that human bodies evolved spontaneously from the primordial ooze of chemical interactivity in the dim mists of time…

    …is nothing more than a hypnotic lie…

    …instilled by the amnesia operation…

    ….to prevent your recollection of the true origins of Mankind.

    I have no problem with this statement, no matter how ungainly wordy it is.

    Factually, humanoid bodies have existed in various forms throughout the universe for trillions of years.

    The human form is an archetype. But the issue of consciousness and sentience makes the utility of that archetype vary. 
    
    So there are "people" that look like humans all over the universe, and in every corner of the galaxy.

    This was compounded by the fact that The Vedic Hymns were brought to Earth 8,200 years ago by The Domain Expeditionary Force.

    The Vedic Hymns originated from the type-1 greys.

    While they were based in the Himalaya Mountains, the verses were taught to some of the local humans who memorized them.

    However, I should note that this was not an authorized activity for the crew of The Domain installation, although I am sure it seemed like an innocent diversion for them at the time.

    This is the second time it mentioned this. The Domain has a policy of non-intervention, but some of the Domain information activity was passed down as part of a kind of recreational pastime.

    The verses were passed along verbally from one generation to the next for thousands of years in the foothills and eventually spread throughout India.

    No one in The Domain credits any of the material in the Vedic Hymns as factual material, any more than you would use “Grimm’s Fairy Tales” as a guide for rearing children.

    However, on a planet where all of the IS-BEs have had their memory erased, one can understand how these tales and fantasies could be taken seriously.

    Unfortunately, the humans who learned the Vedic verses passed them along to others saying that they came from “the gods”.

    Eventually, the content of the verses were adopted verbatim as “truth”.

    The euphemistic and metaphorical content of the Veda were accepted and practiced as dogmatic fact.

    The philosophy of the verses were ignored and the verses became the genesis of nearly every religion practice on the planet, especially Hinduism.

    The philosophy of the Vedic verses are what is important. Not the content.

    As an officer, pilot and engineer of The Domain, I must always assume a very pragmatic point of view.

    I could not be effective or accomplish my missions if I were to use philosophical dogma or rhetoric as my operations manual.

    The extraterrestrial begins to discuss very ancient history that predates the "Old Empire", and certainly pre-dates humans on the Earth.

    Therefore, our discussion of history is based on actual events that occurred long before any IS-BEs arrived on Earth, and long before the “Old Empire” came into power.

    I can relate part of this history from personal experience:

    Many billions of years ago I was a member of a very large biological laboratory in a galaxy far from this one.

    It was called the “Arcadia Regeneration Company”.

    I was a biological engineer working with a large staff of technicians.

    It was our business to manufacture and supply new life forms to uninhabited planets.

    There were millions of star systems with millions of inhabitable planets in the region at that time.

    The creation of lifeforms to inhabit worlds and planets that have no life, but will potentially be able to thrive with custom made life.

    There were many other biological laboratory companies at that time also.

    Each of them specialized in producing different kinds of life forms, depending on the “class” of the planet being populated.

    Over a long span of time these laboratories developed a vast catalogue of species throughout the galaxies.

    Also known as approved archetypes.

    The majority of basic genetic material is common to all species of life.

    Therefore, most of their work was concerned with manipulating alterations of the basic genetic pattern to produce variations of life forms that would be suitable inhabitants for various planetary classes.

    You take a basic form, and then you modify it to fill a unique and specialized planetary environment.

    The “Arcadia Regeneration Company” specialized in mammals for forested areas and birds for tropical regions.

    Our marketing staff negotiated contracts with various planetary governments and independent buyers from all over the universe.

    The technicians created animals that were compatible with the variations in climate, atmospheric and terrestrial density and chemical content.

    There are many worlds that are similar, but have variations that run from the comfortable to the uncomfortable. This effort produced animals and creatures that were stable and able to thrive in a very broad and diverse range of planetary environments.

    In addition we were paid to integrate our specimens with biological organisms engineered by other companies already living on a planet.

    You take local organism "A", then you integrate specific changes taken from a catalog of "attributes" and you end up with an organism "A++".

    In order to do this our staff was in communication with other companies who created life forms.

    There were industry trade shows, publications and a variety of other information supplied through an association that coordinated related projects.

    As you can imagine, our research required a great deal of interstellar travel to conduct planetary surveys.

    This is when I learned my skills as a pilot.

    The data gathered was accumulated in huge computer databases and evaluated by biological engineers.

    All this happened billions of years ago. Could the Domain be the same thing as the progenitors?
    
    Mind BLOWN!

    A computer is an electronic device that serves as an artificial “brain” or complex calculating machine.

    It is capable of storing information, making computations, solving problems and performing mechanical functions.

    In most of the galactic systems of the universe, very large computers are commonly used to run the routine administration, mechanical services and maintenance activities of an entire planet or planetary system.

    Based on the survey data gathered, designs and artistic renderings were made for new creatures.

    Some designs were sold to the highest bidder. Other life forms were created to meet the customized requests of our clients.

    The design and technical specifications were passed along an assembly line through a series of cellular, chemical, and mechanical engineers to solve the various problems.

    It was their job to integrate all of the component factors into a workable, functional and aesthetic finished product.

    Prototypes of these creatures were then produced and tested in artificially created environments.

    Imperfections were worked out, modifications made and eventually the new life form was “endowed” or “animated” with a life force or spiritual energy before being introduced into the actual planetary environment for final testing.

    This is the basic procedure. Can you just imagine the shock on the faces of the Roswell military leadership?

    After a new life form was introduced, we monitored the interaction of these biological organisms with the planetary environment and with other indigenous life-forms.

    Obviously, sometimes things didn't work out so well.

    Conflicts resulting from the interaction between incompatible organisms were resolved through negotiation between ourselves and other companies.

    The negotiations usually resulted in compromises requiring further modification to our creatures or to theirs or both.

    This is part of a science or art you call “Eugenics”.

    In some cases changes were made in the planetary environment, but not often, as planet building is much more complex than making changes to an individual life form.

    This is understandable.

    Coincidentally, a friend and engineer with whom I used to work with at the Arcadia Regeneration Company – a long time after I left the company – told me that one of the projects they contracted to do, in more recent times, was to deliver life forms to Earth to replenish them after a war in this region of the galaxy devastated most of the life on the planets in this region of space. This would have been about seventy million years ago.

    About 70 million years ago was a major war in our region of space and many solar systems were affected. Many planets were devastated beyond casual repair, and efforts were made to not only replace the lost life forms, but also to improve and add new forms.
    
    "One of the planet’s largest extinctions, which wiped out non-flying dinosaurs and most other species 66 million years ago, was caused by a “one-two punch” of volcanic eruptions and meteorite impacts, a new reconstruction of Antarctic Ocean temperatures suggests."
    
    -From HERE.

    The skill required to modify the planet into an ecologically interactive environment that will support billions of diverse species was an immense undertaking.

    Specialized consultants from nearly every biotechnology company in the galaxy were brought in to help with the project.

    For this region, or for the Earth proper? I wonder.

    What you see now on Earth is the huge variety of life forms left behind.

    Your scientists believe that the fallacious “theory of evolution” is an explanation for the existence of all the life forms here.

    The truth is that all life forms on this and any other planet in this universe were created by companies like ours.

    Now this is just a "kick in the teeth" for evolutionary theory.

    How else can you explain the millions of completely divergent and unrelated species of life on the land and in the oceans of this planet?

    How else can you explain the source of spiritual animation which defines every living creature?

    To say it is the work of “god”, is far too broad.

    Every IS-BE has many names and faces in many times and places. Every IS-BE is a god. When they inhabit a physical object they are the source of Life.

    For example, there are millions of species of insects.

    About 350,000 of these are species of beetles.

    There may be as many as 100 million species of life forms on Earth at any given time.

    In addition, there are many times more extinct species of life on Earth than there are living life forms. Some of these will be rediscovered in the fossil or geological records of Earth.

    The current “theory of evolution” of life forms on Earth does not consider the phenomena of biological diversity.

    Evolution by natural selection is science fiction.

    One species does not accidentally, or randomly evolve to become another species, as the Earth textbooks indicate, without manipulation of genetic material by an IS-BE.

    Consciousness creation of life is what animates it.
    
    Fundamental.

    A simple example of IS-BE intervention is the selective breeding of a species on Earth. Within the past few hundred years several hundred dog breeds and hundreds of varieties of pigeons and dozens of Koi fish have been “evolved” in just a few years, beginning with only one original breed.

    Without active intervention by IS-BEs, biological organisms rarely change.

    The development of an animal like the ‘duck-billed platypus’ required a lot of very clever engineering to combine the body of a beaver with the bill of a duck and make a mammal that lays eggs.

    Undoubtedly, some wealthy client placed a “special order” for it as a gift or curious amusement.

    I am sure the laboratory of some biotechnical company worked on it for years to make it a self-replicating life form!

    This "cracks me up"!

    The notion that the creation of any life form could have resulted from a coincidental chemical interaction moldering up from some primordial ooze is beyond absurdity!

    Factually, some organisms on Earth, such as Proteobacteria,  are modifications of a Phylum  designed primarily for “Star Type 3, Class C” planets.

    This differs from our solar system which is a "Sun Type 12, Class 7" planet.

    In other words, The Domain designation for a planet with an anaerobic atmosphere nearest a large, intensely hot blue star, such as those in the constellation of Orion’s Belt in this galaxy.

    The three bright stars that form the Orion’s Belt are Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka. The stars are believed to have formed from the same nebula in Orion constellation, and they are roughly the same age. 

    Creating life forms is very complex, highly technical work for IS-BEs who specialize in this field.

    Genetic anomalies are very baffling to Earth biologists who have had their memory erased.

    Unfortunately, the false memory implantations of the “Old Empire” prevent Earth scientists from observing obvious anomalies.

    This is the core, underlying theme, of the extraterrestrial.

    The greatest technical challenge of biological organisms was the invention of self-regeneration, or sexual reproduction.

    It was invented as the solution to the problem of having to continually manufacture replacement creatures for those that had been destroyed and eaten by other creatures.

    Planetary governments did not want to keep buying replacement animals.

    The idea was contrived trillions of years ago as a result of a conference held to resolve arguments between the disputing vested interests within the biotechnology industry.

    The infamous “Council of Yuhmi-Krum” was responsible for coordinating creature production.

    Such a story. I am just positive the the Roswell military leadership were besides themselves in incredulity.

    A compromise was reached, after certain members of the Council were strategically bribed or murdered, to author an agreement which resulted in the biological phenomenon which we now call the “food chain”.

    The idea that a creature would need to consume the body of another life form as an energy source was offered as a solution by one of the biggest companies in the biological engineering business. They specialized in creating insects and flowering plants.

    The connection between the two is obvious. Nearly every flowering plant requires a symbiotic relationship with an insect in order to propagate. The reason is obvious: both the bugs and the flowers were created by the same company. Unfortunately, this same company also had a division which created parasites and bacteria.

    Hum...

    The name of the company roughly translated into English would be “Bugs & Blossoms”.

    Hum...

    They wanted to justify the fact that the only valid purpose of the parasitic creatures they manufactured was to aid the decomposition of organic material. There was a very limited market for such creatures at that time.

    Interesting.

    In order to expand their business they hired a big public relations firm and a powerful group of political lobbyists to glorify the idea that life forms should feed from other life forms.

    They invented a “scientific theory” to use as a promotion gimmick.

    The theory was that all creatures needed to have “food” as a source of energy.

    Before that, none of the life forms being manufactured required any external energy.

    Animals did not eat other animals for food, but consumed sunlight, minerals or vegetable matter only.

    Very, very interesting.

    Of course, “Bugs & Blossoms” went into the business of designing and manufacturing carnivores.

    Before long, so many animals were being eaten as food that the problem of replenishing them became very difficult.

    As a ‘solution’, “Bugs & Blossoms” proposed, with the help of some strategically placed bribes in high places, that other companies begin using ‘sexual reproduction’ as the basis for replenishing life-forms.

    “Bugs & Blossoms” was the first company to develop blueprints for sexual reproduction, of course.

    Curious, and fascinating.

    As expected, the patent licenses for the biological engineering process required to implant stimulus-response mating, cellular division and preprogrammed growth patterns for self-regenerating animals were owned by “Bugs & Blossoms” too.

    Of course.

    Through the next few million years laws were passed that required that these programs be purchased by the other biological technology companies.

    These were required to be imprinted into the cellular design of all existing life-forms.

    It became a very expensive undertaking for other biotechnology companies to make such an awkward, and impractical idea work.

    This led to the corruption and downfall of the entire industry.

    Ultimately, the ‘food and sex’ idea completely ruined the bio-technology industry, including “Bugs & Blossoms”.

    The entire industry faded away as the market for manufactured life forms disappeared.

    Consequently, when a species became extinct, there is no way to replace them because the technology of creating new life forms has been lost.

    Here we are talking about the "worlds and the realities of the Gods".

    Obviously, none of this technology was ever known on Earth, and probably never will be.

    There are still computer files on some planets far from here which record the procedures for biological engineering. Possibly the laboratories and computers still exist somewhere. However, there is no one around doing anything with them. Therefore, you can understand why it is so important for The Domain to protect the dwindling number of creatures left on Earth.

    Understandable.

    The core concept behind ‘sexual reproduction’ technology was the invention of a chemical/electronic interaction called “cyclical stimulus-response generators”.

    This is very interesting. It is what drives humans to reproduce.

    This is an programmed genetic mechanism which causes a seemingly spontaneous, recurring impulse to reproduce. The same technique was later adapted and applied to biological flesh bodies, including Homo Sapiens.

    Also known as "going into heat". It cause the female to go into a Lordosis posture.

    Another important mechanism used in the reproductive process, especially with Homo Sapiens type bodies, is the implantation of a “chemical-electrical trigger” mechanism in the body.

    The “trigger” which attracts IS-BEs to inhabit a human body, or any kind of “flesh body”, is the use of an artificially imprinted electronic wave which uses “aesthetic pain” to attract the IS-BE.

    An "artificially imprinted electronic wave" used to attract a consciousness to inhabit a physical body.

    Every trap in the universe, including those used to capture IS-BEs who remain free, is “baited” with an aesthetic electronic wave.

    Very interesting.

    The sensations caused by the aesthetic wavelength are more attractive to an IS-BE than any other sensation. When the electronic waves of pain and beauty are combined together, this causes the IS-BE to get “stuck” in the body.

    Avoid them if you want to be free.

    The “reproductive trigger” used for lesser life forms, such as cattle and other mammals, is triggered by chemicals emitted from the scent glands, combined with reproductive chemical-electrical impulses stimulated by testosterone, or estrogen.

    Well understood.

    These are also interactive with nutrition levels which cause the life form to reproduce more when deprived of food sources.

    Interesting. China's population sky-rocketed during famines. As did India's.

    Starvation promoted reproductive activity as a means of perpetuating survival through future regenerations, when the current organism fails to survive. These fundamental principles have been applied throughout all species of life.

    All species of life.

    The debilitating impact and addiction to the “sexual aesthetic-pain” electronic wave  is the reason that the ruling class of The Domain do not inhabit flesh bodies.

    This is also why officers of The Domain Forces only use doll bodies.

    This wave has proven to be the most effective trapping device ever created in the history of the universe, as far as I know.

    It is the MOST effective trapping snare in the universe.

    The civilizations of The Domain and the “Old Empire” both depend on this device to “recruit” and maintain a work force of IS-BEs who inhabit flesh bodies on planets and installations.

    These IS-BEs are the “working class” beings who do all of the slavish, manual, undesirable work on planets.

    Class System

    As I mentioned, there is a very highly regimented and fixed hierarchy or “class system” for all IS-BEs throughout the “Old Empire”, and The Domain, as follows:

    • The highest class are “free” IS-BEs. That is, they are not restricted to the use of any type of body and may come and go at will, provided that they do not destroy or interfere with the social, economic or political structure.
    • Below this class are many strata of “limited” IS-BEs who may or may not use a body from time to time. Limitations are imposed on each IS-BE regarding range of power, ability and mobility they can exercise.
    • Below these are the “doll body” classes, to which I belong. Nearly all space officers and crew members of space craft are required to travel through intergalactic space. Therefore, they are each equipped with a body manufactured from light weight, durable materials. Various body types have been designed to facilitate specialized functions. Some bodies have accessories, such as interchangeable tools or apparatus for activities such as maintenance, mining, chemical management, navigation, and so forth. There are many gradations of this body type which also serve as an “insignia” of rank.
    • Below these are the soldier class. The soldiers are equipped with a myriad of weapons, and specialized armaments designed to detect, combat and overwhelm any imaginable foe. Some soldiers are issued mechanical bodies. Most soldiers are merely remote controlled robots with no class designation.
    • The lower classes are limited to “flesh bodies”. Of course, it is not possible for these to travel through space for obvious reasons. Fundamentally, flesh bodies are far too fragile to endure the stresses of gravity, temperature extremes, radiation exposure, atmospheric chemicals and the vacuum of space. There are also the obvious logistical inconveniences of food, defecation, sleep, atmospheric elements, and air pressure required by flesh bodies, that doll bodies do not require.

    Flesh Bodies

    Most flesh bodies will suffocate in only a few minutes without a specific combination of atmospheric chemicals.

    After 2 or 3 days the bacteria which live internally and externally on the body cause severe odors to be emitted. Odors of any kind are not acceptable in a space vessel.

    Flesh can tolerate only a very limited spectrum of temperatures, whereas in space the contrast of temperatures may vary hundreds of degrees within seconds. Of course flesh bodies are utterly useless for military duty. A single shot from a hand-held, electronic blast gun instantly turns a flesh body into a noxious vapor cloud.

    IS-BEs who inhabit flesh bodies have lost much of their native ability and power. Although it is theoretically possible to regain or rehabilitate these abilities, no practical means has been discovered or authorized by The Domain.

    Even though space craft of The Domain travel trillions of “light years” in a single day,  the time required to traverse the space between galaxies is significant, not to mention the length of time to complete just one set of mission orders, which may require thousands of years.

    Biological flesh bodies live for only a very short time – only 60 to 150 years, at most – whereas doll bodies can be re-used and repaired almost indefinitely.

    Development of biological bodies

    The first development of biological bodies began in this universe about seventy-four trillion years ago.

    It rapidly became a fad for IS-BEs to create and inhabit various types of bodies for an assortment of nefarious reasons: especially for amusement, this is to experience various physical sensations vicariously through the body.

    Since that time there has been a continuing “de-evolution” in the relationship of IS-BEs to bodies.

    As IS-BEs continued to play around with these bodies, certain tricks were introduced to cause IS-BEs to get trapped inside a body so they were unable to leave again.

    Very interesting.

    This was done primarily by making bodies that appeared sturdy, but were actually very fragile. An IS-BE, using their natural power to create energy, accidentally injured a body when contacting it. The IS-BE was remorseful about having injured this fragile body. The next time they encountered a body they began to be “careful” with them. In so doing, the IS-BE would withdraw or minimize their own power so as not to injure the body. A very long and treacherous history of this kind of trickery, combined with similar misadventures eventually resulted in a large number of IS-BEs becoming permanently trapped in bodies.

    Now, who would think of such a thing?

    Of course this became a profitable enterprise for some IS-BEs who took advantage of this situation to make slaves of others.

    The resulting enslavement progressed over trillions of years, and continues today.

    Ultimately the dwindling ability of IS-BEs to maintain a personal state of operational freedom and ability to create energy resulted in the vast and carefully guarded hierarchy or class system.

    Sigh.

    Using bodies as a symbol of each class is used throughout the “Old Empire”, as well as The Domain.

    Sigh.

    The vast majority of IS-BEs throughout the galaxies of this universe inhabit some form of flesh body.

    The structure, appearance, operation and habitat of these bodies vary according to the gravity, atmosphere, and climatic conditions of the planet they inhabit.

    Body types are predetermined largely by the type and size of the star around which the planet revolves, the distance from the star, the geological, as well as the atmospheric components of the planet.

    All well understood parameters now. But at that time must have been enlightening and shocking.

    On the average, these stars and planets fall into gradients of classification which are fairly standard throughout the universe.

    Archetypes.

    For example, Earth is identified, roughly, as a “Sun Type 12, Class 7 planet”. That is a heavy gravity, nitrogen/oxygen atmosphere planet,  with biological life-forms, in proximity to a single, yellow, medium-size, low-radiation sun or “Type 12 star”.

    The proper designations are difficult to translate accurately due to the extreme limitations of astronomical nomenclature in the English language.

    Understood.

    There are as many varieties of life forms as there are grains of sands on the beach. You can imagine how many different creatures and types of bodies have been manufactured by the millions of companies such as “Bugs & Blossoms” for all of the myriad planetary systems during the course of seventy-four trillion years!”

    (MATILDA O’DONNELL MACELROY PERSONAL NOTE)

    “When Airl finished telling me this “story”, there was a long, silent pause while I muddled through all this in my mind. Had Airl been reading science fiction books and fantasy stories during the night? Why would she tell me something so incredibly far-fetched?

    The science fiction stories of the pulp magazines of that day wouldn't even begin to consider the things this extraterrestrial was saying.

    If there had not been a 40 inch tall alien, with gray “skin”, and three fingers on each hand and foot sitting directly across from me, I would not have believed a single word of it!

    In retrospect, over the 60 years since Airl gave me this information, Earth doctors have begun to develop some of the biological engineering technology that Airl told me about right here on Earth. Heart bypasses, cloning, test tube babies, organ transplants, plastic surgery, genes, chromosomes, and so forth.

    One thing is very sure: I have never looked at a bug or flower the same way since then, not to mention my religious belief in Genesis.”

    Conclusion

    As I parse though this entire document, sentence by sentence, I have come to revise some of my beliefs and understandings. I have obtained numerous “Eureka!” moments where events and experiences fall into place and explain things. Yes, I can honestly say. Everything herein is accurate and is exactly what has occurred.

    End of Part five

    You can visit part six HERE.

    Do you want more?

    You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

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    A breakdown of the report “alien interview” by MM from a MAJ perspective (part 4)

    I have presented the PDF titled “Alien Interview” to the readership. It is supposed to be the transcripts of the interview that a nurse had with an extraterrestrial entity that was recovered from a spaceship crash in Roswell, New Mexico. There is a lot of good stuff there, and a lot of things that run counter to what I know and understand to be true. My intention here is to parse the entire book, and compare it to what I know. Where the two diverge, it will be up to you (the readership) to sort it out.

    This is part 4.

    Key point – Document appears to be genuine

    And I can tell you all that the more that I parse this document, the clearer it is (to me) that it is genuine.It is exactly what it says it is. And the extraterrestrial is actually telling the truth, so far.

    Key point – Errors

    However, there are some errors in translation, and confusion in the interpretation of what is being stated. Anything concerning “time” and the translation of dates seems to have some errors. The translator was having difficulty with those areas.

    Humans think of time as “shared” and “linear”.

    The type-1 greys think of time as circular and repeating. As in, consciousness enters and exits different world lines” and if you graph that movement of consciousness you will see a “corkscrew” movement through the MWI. Which is what it was referring to. All of which was WAY beyond the concepts of anyone in Roswell at that time.

    Therefore all dates and time, and anything associated with these characteristics might in error.  If you are having trouble in these areas, treat them as non-resolved issues and can be ignored.

    Key point – This document predates MAJestic

    Also take note that this document pre-dates MAJestic, and it is crystal clear to me now, that my role was, and still is, in the rehabilitation aspects of moving the Earth from a Hellish “Prison Planet” to that of a “sentience nursery”.

    This document has (for me, personally) helped to clarify elements and aspects of my role that were “blurred” and obscured from me. To that I am eternally grateful.

    Look at the dates on my articles, and look at what I covered. You will see that they match up nearly perfectly with this “Alien Interview” transcript. And this is the first time that I have ever heard of this document. The timing was transcendental.

    This is part four of the parsing of this document

    You can view part 1 HERE.

    SUBJECT: ALIEN INTERVIEW, 27. 7. 1947, 1st Session

    “The actual history of Earth is very bizarre. It is so nonsensical that is it is incredible to anyone on Earth who attempts to investigate it. A myriad of vital information is missing from it. A huge conglomeration of non sequitur relics and mythology has been arbitrarily introduced into it. The volatile nature of the Earth itself cyclically covers, drowns, mixes and shreds physical evidence.

    I have no problem with this.

    These factors, combined with amnesia and post-hypnotic suggestions, false facades and covert manipulation make a reconstruction of the factual origins and history of Earth civilizations virtually indecipherable.

    I have no problem with this.

    Any investigator, no matter how brilliant, is doomed to wallow in a quagmire of inconclusive assumptions, unworkable hypotheses, and perpetual mystery.

    I have no problem with this.

    Since The Domain does not suffer these afflictions, having the advantage of memory, longevity and an exterior point of view, I will add some clarification to your fragmentary knowledge of the history of Earth.

    Stand by for clarification of our fragmentary knowledge.

    These are some of the dates and events that are not mentioned in Earth history textbooks.

    These are significant dates. All of which are not mentioned in any of the history books that were provided to the extraterrestrial.

    These dates are significant because they provide some information concerning the influences of the “Old Empire” and of The Domain on Earth.

    They are significant as they introduce the role of both the "Old Empire" and the "Domain" regarding Earth.

    Although I have attended several briefings by our mission control personnel on the general background of Earth within the past few hundred years, I will rely principally on data gathered from records captured after our invasion of the “Old Empire” planetary headquarters. Since that time The Domain Expeditionary Force has tracked the general progress of events on Earth.

    "The Domain" was unaware of Earth and what was going on. This all changed when "The Domain" conquered "The Old Empire".  When "The Domain" took over the main capital, they acquired substantive documents regarding Earth. Most of what the extraterrestrial is relaying is in regards to what the records of the "Old Empire" has recorded.

    As I mentioned, in some cases The Domain has chosen to intervene in certain affairs on Earth in order to ensure the success of our long term expansion plans.

    I have no problem with this statement.

    Although The Domain has no interest in Earth, per se, or in the population of IS-BEs on this planet, it does serve our interests to ensure that the resources of Earth are not destroyed or spoiled.

    Important points;
    
    "The Domain" has [1] no interest in the Earth or the population of IS-BE on the planet.
    
    [2] However, they do not want to see the Earth destroyed as a result of uncontrolled activity of it's population. They want to see a "green" planet that takes care of it's environment, and does not destroy the world in a global wide nuclear holocaust.
    
    For those of you who are wondering where some of these media narratives come from, perhaps you all should be looking at a grand strategy to turn the Earth into a Sentience Nursery.

    To that end, certain officers of The Domain have been sent to Earth on reconnaissance missions from time to time to gather information.

    I have no problem with this.

    However, Moreover, the following dates and events have been extrapolated from the accumulated information in the data files of The Domain – at least those that are accessible to me through the space station communications center.

    208,000 BCE — Old Empire Established

    The establishment of the “Old Empire”, whose headquarters were located near one of the “tail stars” in the Ursa Major (Big Dipper) Constellation of this galaxy. The “Old Empire” invasion force conquered the area with nuclear weapons sometime earlier.

    From the point of view of humans on the earth, this statement is loaded with information. 
    
    [1] We know that the Earth was seeded way, way a long time ago by the progenitors.
    
    [2] We also know that intelligent sentient beings, native to earth, grew and developed and either died out or changed.
    
    [3] We know that (according to this extraterrestrial) that there were large colonies of humanoid extraterrestrials that established the colonies of Lemuria, and Atlantis, around 400,000 years ago.
    
    [4] We know that proto-humans started to develop at that time, with the earliest monkey-like creatures two million years earlier. And tool-making humanoids around 200,000 years ago.
    
    This statement then says that after the extraterrestrial colonies of Atlantis and Lemuria were long gone, and proto-humans were starting to use tools, the "Old Empire" came to power. Their base of power, or primary settlement, is at a cluster of stars that we identify as the "tail stars" in the Ursa Major (Big Dipper) Constellation.
    
    It does not mean that the huge enormous O, B, and A stars were the ones that harbored the civilization seat. But rather that this was the geographic region for the planets, where ever their existed or orbited.
    
    They were brutal in conquering the previous civilizations and nuclear weapons and other very dangerous weapons of destruction were utilized, and we can well imagine that they completely devastated the civilizations that they encountered in severe "space opera" style.

    After the radioactivity subsided and the clean-up and restoration were completed, it received the immigration of beings from another galaxy into this galaxy. Those beings set up a society that kept going until about 10,000 years ago when it was superseded by The Domain.

    Again, this is just full of information. We don't know what the "Old Empire" was. But what we do know is that right after they had conquered the major civilizations in this section of our galaxy, they started to import or migrate other species from another galaxy to here.
    
    This "other group of immigrants" were either of the same type, species, or sentience of the "Old Empire" and thus were able to occupy the conquered worlds of that empire.
    
    This continued for 10,000 years.
    
    Then the "Domain" entered the region, and took over, and conquered them. We know from (part 3) that they did not use nuclear weapons, but rather highly powerful disruptive beans that affected the IS-BE consciousnesses directly.

    Very recently Earth civilization has come to resemble aspects of that civilization, now that it has fallen out of its immediate control.

    I personally find this statement alluring. This was 1947. This was right before the 1950's and the 1960's in America. What he is referring to is the creation of central-power governments that controlled all else.
    
    Hitler and the Nazi Germans out of Berlin.
    Mao and China out of Beijing.
    Stalin and Russia out of Moscow.
    The United States out of Washington DC
    A central European "block".
    
    From this we can extrapolate that the central power model with very little control locally represents the fundamental structural elements of the "Old Empire".

    In particular, the appearance and technology of transportation such as planes, trains, ships, fire engines, and automobiles, as well as what you consider to be “modern” or “futuristic” architecture, which emulate the design of buildings in the major cities of the “Old Empire”.

    Again, very interesting. It is saying that all the "modern" advancements of technology resemble those which defined the "Old Empire".

    Before 75,000 BCE — Colonies on Earth

    The Domain records contain very little information about the civilizations on the continental land masses of Atlanta and Lemur, except to note that they did coexist on Earth at more or less the same time.

    The records of the "Domain" were just cursory reviews of the solar system as a whole. And between 400,000 and 75,000 years ago, both Atlantis and Lemuria colonies  existed at that time.

    Apparently, both civilizations were founded by remnants of electronic, space opera cultures who fled from their native planetary systems to escape political or religious persecution.

    So we can well imagine a solid science-fiction narrative where an escaping group of settlers leave a harsh "space opera" galactic empire. Where they fled to an out-of-the-way planet, in a generally not well traveled part of the galaxy.

    The Domain knows that a long-standing edict of the “Old Empire” prohibits unauthorized colonization of planets.

    At this time of the founding of the "Old Empire" was the same time as the colonies of Atlantis and Lemuria came into being. Since the "Old Empire" did not authorize these colonies, they must have been illegal.
    
    We can imagine that when the "Old Empire" came into being, that some of the people or creatures that they conquered, fled the ruins and devastation and came to earth to start a new life.
    
    And apparently, for many years they had good, prosperous societies upon the earth. But eventually we know that both were destroyed suddenly and with a complete violence that left very little remaining.

    Therefore, it is possible that their destruction was caused by police or military forces who pursued the colonists as criminals and destroyed them.

    The extraterrestrial hypothesise that the destruction of the "renegade" colonies was conducted by the "Old Empire".

    Although this seems a likely supposition, no conclusive evidence exists that explains the complete destruction and disappearance of two entire electronic civilizations.

    It's just a hypothesis. There isn't any proof for it. What is interesting is that both civilizations of Atlantis and Lemuria were both "entire electronic civilizations" which would be well understood to be similar to what exists around the world today.

    Another possibility is that a massive submarine volcanic eruption in the region of Lake Toba, in Sumatra and Mt. Krakatoa in Java caused the destruction of Lemur.

    The flood waters caused by the eruption overwhelmed all the land masses, including the highest mountains.

    Survivors of the destruction of the civilization, the Lemurians, are the earliest ancestors of the Chinese.

    This is very interesting. The Chinese race then are descended from the survivors of the Lemuria colony, which were survivors of a previous civilization that was conquered by the "Old Empire", and who thus fled to Earth.

    Australia and the ocean areas to the north were the center of the Lemurian civilization and are the source of Oriental races. Both civilizations possessed electronics, flight and similar technologies of space opera cultures.

    Both of the colonies of Atlantis, and Lemuria were fully modern and electronic civilizations possessing great technology.
    
    Now, aside from the idea that the "Old Empire" eradicated and destroyed the colonies of those that fled when the "Old Empire" took over, the extraterrestrial posits that there might be another explanation. The loss of the colonies could be the result of natural geologic forces...

    Apparently, the volcanic eruption expelled such a significant mass of molten rock that the resulting vacuum beneath the crust of Earth caused great areas of the land masses to sink below the oceans.

    The continental areas occupied by both civilizations were covered with volcanic matter, and then submerged, leaving very little evidence that they ever existed except for legends of a global flood which prevail in every culture of the Earth, and for survivors who are the genus of oriental races and cultures.

    That kind of colossal volcanic explosion fills the stratosphere with toxic gases which are carried around the whole planet. The usual refuse of these volcanic eruptions can easily cause a rain that lasts for “40 days and 40 nights” due to atmospheric pollution as well as an extensive period during which radiation from the sun is deflected back into space, and cause global cooling.

    Certainly such an event would cause an ice age, extinctions of life forms and many other relatively long-term changes lasting thousands of years.

    The extraterrestrial states that aside from [1] the systematic destruction of the two colonies by the "Old Empire", the only remaining potential cause for the destruction is [2] a natural event, and in this case, it offers the idea of a global wide volcanic eruption of significant magnitude and duration.

    Due to the myriad types of naturally occurring global cataclysmic events which are indigenous to Earth, it is not a suitable planet for habitation by IS-BEs.

    The Earth is not a suitable environment for IS-BE's. This is because of natural events. And that these natural events can cause global cataclysmic calamities.

    In addition there have been occasional global cataclysms caused by IS-BEs such as the one that destroyed the dinosaurs more than 70 million years ago.

    This extraterrestrial states that the Cretaceous–Paleogene Extinction was not a natural event, but rather an intentional event made by IS-BE's. 
    
    About 66 million years ago, 75% of species became extinct during the Cretaceous–Paleogene Extinction. Rates of extinction broadly swept the land, sea, and air. 
    
    In the oceans, ammonites disappeared. All non-avian dinosaurs became extinct. But avian dinosaurs survived because it was birds that descended from theropod dinosaurs. Eventually, mammals emerged as dominant large land animals. 
    
    It is believed that the cause of this extinction event was from an asteroid impact which left an impact called the Chicxulub Crater. Also, giant floor basalts aggravated called Deccan Traps.

    That destruction was caused by intergalactic warfare during which time Earth, and many other neighboring moons and planets, were bombarded by atomic weapons.

    This is also an interesting statement. So in the extraterrestrials' narrative, which is talking about the "Old Empire" from 400,000 BCE to 10,000 BCE.
    
    Now, the narrative suddenly jumps to a point in time, long before the period of discussion.
    
    At this point in time, 66 - 70 million years ago, long before the "Old Empire", and "The Domain", there was a terrible war in our solar system. It is not mentioned who were involved in this war, or why.

    Atomic explosions cause atmospheric fallout much like that of volcanic eruptions. Most of the planets in this sector of the galaxy have been uninhabitable deserts since then.

    Another interesting point. This war of 66 - 70 million years ago was not limited to our solar system, but rather involved multiple star systems. It also was devastating. Many otherwise habitable planets were turned into wasteland and barren deserts as a result of it.

    An old 3D map showing the many of the stars in a 20 light year radius from our solar system. Since this graphic map was made substantial numbers of very cool brown dwarfs have been discovered that makes this map obsolete. Never the less, we can assume that many of the (once inhabitable) stars are shown on this map.

    Earth is undesirable for many other reasons: heavy gravity and dense atmosphere, floods, earthquakes, volcanoes, polar shifts, continental drift, meteor impacts, atmospheric and climatic changes, to name a few.

    An interesting point, and something that I have stated elsewhere.
    
    [1] heavy gravity 
    [2] dense atmosphere, 
    [3] floods, 
    [4] earthquakes, 
    [5] volcanoes, 
    [6] polar shifts, 
    [7] continental drift, 
    [8] meteor impacts, 
    [9] atmospheric and climatic changes, 
    
    The changes that greatly affect the Earth for many thousands of years after the event are shown in bold.

    What kind of lasting civilization could any sophisticated culture propose to develop in such an environment?

    Good point. I have no problem with this.

    In addition, Earth is a small planet of a “rim star” of a galaxy.

    Not really true; geographically. The solar system is smack dab in one of the major "arms" of the galaxy geographically. You can see this on a map.

    Location in our galaxy.

    However, if you look at the statement from the point of view of the population centers of the galaxy in our region, then you can find some answers. 
    
    The extraterrestrial stated that an enormous war took place in our section of the galaxy 70 million years ago and it resulted in many neighboring solar system to lose what ever habitable worlds that existed.
    
    Imagine that in all that devastation, nothing much remains, and the Earth solar system is one of the few "oasis" in a sea of death, destruction and wasteland.

    This makes Earth very isolated geographically from the more concentrated planetary civilizations which exist toward the center of the galaxy.

    These obvious facts have made Earth suitable for use only as a zoological or botanical garden, or for it’s current use as a prison – but not much else.

    Which is also something that I have stated in my previous articles.

    Before 30,000 BCE — Misfits started arriving to the Earth

    I can tell you that I have long known about the presence of "federation" craft in and around our Earth at 30,000 years ago. Its just that I assumed that they were type-1 grey vehicles. This disclosure clarifies my information. It states that the visitations to the earth at 30,000 BCE were "Old Empire" vehicles performing specific activities in and around the Earth.

    Earth started being used a dumping ground and prison for IS-BEs who were judged “untouchable”, meaning criminal or non-conformists.

    IS-BEs were captured, encapsulated in electronic traps and transported to Earth from various parts of the “Old Empire”.

    Underground “amnesia stations” were set up on Mars…

    …and on Earth in the Rwenzori Mountains in Africa…

    … in the Pyrenees Mountains of Portugal…

    Pyrenees Mountains of Portugal.

    … and in steppes of Mongolia.

    Mongolian Mountains.

    These electronic monitoring points create force screens designed to detect and capture IS-BEs, when the IS-BE departs the body at death.

    The way these devices work is it [1] senses when a person dies, and the consciousness departs the body at death. Then, [2] it attracts, snares or captures that consciousness.

    IS-BEs are brainwashed using extreme electronic force in order to maintain Earth’s population in state of perpetual amnesia.

    A high enough, or powerful enough, electronic force can do anything. This then provides amnesia for the consciousness.
    
    However, there is evidence that it no longer is wholly functional.
    
    You see, according to the extraterrestrial, the devices (the electronic amnesia screens) only work when the person departs the body as consciousness, they lose all memories and then are reshuffled back to the Earth.
    
    Yet, we know, that through various techniques (such as hypnosis) we can recover these memories of time before lives, and within other lives. 
    
    I have copied complete books of Robert Newton in this regard. You can see my articles here;
    
    Thus the works by the great Doctor Michael Newton who studied the geography of Heaven through regression hypnosis. It might be something that most people would discount as "tin foil hat" nonsense, but his works absolutely and accurately describe what I have observed personally in my MAJestic dealings.
    
    Though, please take note that he did not understand the MWI, and some of his assumptions are in error. What he did was try to map out what Heaven was from the basis of what "time" and "reality" is. Still the best reads out there.

    The first book is considered “ground breaking”, I however thought that it was rather elementary. Thus, I strongly urge any reader to read this book first before you tackle the second…

    The Geography of Heaven; Journey of Souls (full text) by Michael Newton

    Unfortunately, this first book has all kinds of “new age” things inside of it that pretty much “turned off” my readership. It also had some misconceptions. So I went ahead and annotated the book and explained things so that my base readership would understand what is going on, relative to MAJestic and the entire universe. Here are the posts broken down for easy reading and study…

    The Geography of Heaven; Journey of Souls (full text) by Michael Newton (part 1a) with world-line (MWI) annotations.

    The Geography of Heaven; Journey of Souls (full text) by Michael Newton (part 1b) with world-line (MWI) annotations.

    https://metallicman.com/laoban4site/the-geography-of-heaven-journey-of-souls-full-text-by-michael-newton-part-1c-with-world-line-mwi-annotations/

     

    https://metallicman.com/laoban4site/the-geography-of-heaven-journey-of-souls-full-text-by-michael-newton-part-1d-with-world-line-mwi-annotations/

     

    The Geography of Heaven; Journey of Souls (full text) by Michael Newton (part 1e) with world-line (MWI) annotations.

    The second book is full of “red meat” and is just packed with information. However, most readers will not be able to understand it unless they read the first book. This book, due to the size and complexity has been broken down into three posts. A lot of good stuff is here.
    
    Again, realize that he and his patents did not understand what “time”, “realities” and the concept of “quantum shadows”. Please take his misconceptions into account when you read his works.

    A detailed look into the topography of Heaven; The Destiny of Souls (full text) by Michael Newton. (Part 1)

    https://metallicman.com/laoban4site/a-detailed-look-into-the-topography-of-heaven-the-destiny-of-souls-full-text-by-michael-newton-part-2/

     

    https://metallicman.com/laoban4site/a-detailed-look-into-the-topography-of-heaven-the-destiny-of-souls-full-text-by-michael-newton-part-3/

     

    So in summary, my point is that [1] things have certainly changed since 1947. And that [2] during the 1970's all sorts of discoveries were starting to be made regarding regaining memories of past lives, and the interim period between lives.
    
    Combined, this offers [3] the suggestion that efforts of MAJestic and the Domain extraterrestrials have been successful in greatly reducing the influences of these force screens.
    
    Yet, some questions remain.
    
    [4] Being able to recall past lives, that occurred before 10,000 years ago suggests that the shield amnesia effect is not permanent.
    
    [5] However, most human subjects that I have read in the Dr. Newton studies suggest that their memories are more recent than that. Which suggests that it was only after the shield was turned off that they were able to remember memories that happened after 10,000 years.
    
    But,
    
    I can tell you that MM has partial memory retention, and that MM memories date back to around 250,000 years.
    
    What does this mean?
    
    [6] I have a EBP that (perhaps) assists in memory retention.
    
    [7] If the memory can be recalled under hypnosis earlier than 1150AD (the destruction of a major "old Empire" base), it means that your memory amnesia is not permanent.
    
    [8] If your memory can be recalled under hypnosis earlier than 8,000 BCE, it means that you are probably not part of the 3,000 domain expeditionary forces that had complete memory wipes. For they had a complete and permanent wipe that was (at 1947) unrecoverable.
    
    Obviously there are many unanswered questions.
    
    Could it be lying, or could things have changed substantially since 1947 and with MAJestic support and assistance starting one year later in 1948? I personally believe that things have changed, and I also believe that the world-line clustering, slides to anchor world-lines were very effective in the support of bringing about a recovery of memories.
    
    But that is just me.
    

    Further population controls are installed through the use of long range electronic thought control mechanisms.

    So it is not just one or two facilities or bases that run these devices, but an entire constellation of them, with many located far away geographically.

    These stations are still in operation and they are extremely difficult to attack or destroy, even for The Domain, which will not maintain a significant military force in this area until a later date.

    That later date may have already happened. Most certainly things have changed substantially since 1947.

    The pyramid civilizations were intentionally created as part of the IS-BE prison system on Earth.

    Interesting. The Egyptian pyramids are part of the prison structure? Tell me more.

    The pyramid is alleged to be the symbol for “wisdom”. However, the “wisdom” of the “Old Empire” on planet Earth is intended to operate as part of the elaborate amnesia “trap” consisting of MASS, MEANING and MYSTERY.

    These are opposite to the qualities of an Immortal Spiritual Being which have no mass, or meaning. An IS-BE “is” solely because it thinks that it “is”.

    A consciousness consists of:
    
    [1] Thoughts. Not physical mass.
    [2] Formlessness. Not tangible meaning.
    [3] Clarity. Not mystery.

    MASS: represents the physical universe, including objects such as stars, planets, gases, liquids, energy particles and tea cups. The Pyramids were very, very solid objects, as were all of the structures created by the “Old Empire”. Heavy, massive, dense, solid objects create the illusion of eternity.

    Dead bodies wrapped in linen, soaked in resin, placed inside engraved golden coffins and entombed with Earthly possessions amid cryptic symbols create an illusion of eternal life.

    However, dense, heavy physical universe symbols are the exact opposite of an IS-BE. An IS-BE has no mass or time. Objects do not endure forever. An IS-BE “is” forever.

    I have absolutely no problem with these statements.

    MEANING: False meanings prevent knowledge of the truth. The pyramid cultures of Earth are a fabricated illusion. They are nothing more than “false civilizations” contrived by the “Old Empire” mystery cult called the Brothers of the Serpent.

    False meanings were invented to create the illusion of a false society to further reinforce the amnesia mechanism among the intimates in the Earth prison system.

    I have absolutely no problem with these statements.

    MYSTERY: is built of lies and half-truths. Lies cause persistence because they alter facts which are comprised of exact dates, places and events. When truth is known, a lie no longer persists. If the exact truth is revealed, it is no longer a mystery.

    I have absolutely no problem with these statements.

    All of the pyramid civilizations of Earth were carefully contrived of layer upon layer of lies, skillfully combined with a few truths. The priest cult of the “Old Empire” combined sophisticated mathematics and space opera technology, with theatrical metaphors and symbolism. All of these are complete fabrications of truth, baited with the allure of aesthetics and mystery.

    I have absolutely no problem with these statements.

    The intricate rituals, astronomical alignments, secret rites, massive monuments, marvelous architecture, artistically rendered hieroglyphs and man-animal “gods” were designed to create an unsolvable mystery for the IS-BE prison population on Earth. The mystery diverts attention away from the truth that IS-BEs have been captured, given amnesia and imprisoned on a planet far, far away from their home.

    I have absolutely no problem with these statements. It is the common misdirection technique deployed by black program, and the American media mechanism today.

    The truth is that every single IS-BE on Earth came to Earth from some other planetary system.

    This is very curious. Every single person... every single human on Earth is an immigrant or a descendant of an immigrant.

    Not one person on Earth is a “native” inhabitant. Human beings did not “evolve” on Earth.

    Humans did not evolve from primates. 
    
    Primates evolved, and went into various "dead ends". 
    
    But the humans that existed upon the earth were transplants. None of them evolved per the common belief that everyone holds. Monkeys did not eventual evolve into humans.

    In the past, Egyptian society was run by the prison administrators or priests, who, in turn, manipulated a Pharaoh, controlled the treasury and kept the inmate population enslaved physically and spiritually. In modern times, the priests have changed, but the function is the same. However, now the priest are prisoners too.

    This system of religion controlling the leadership is an on-going theme throughout the human cultures and societies, and it has only been most recently that this has changed.

    Mystery reinforces the walls of the prison. The “Old Empire” feared that the IS-BEs on Earth might regain their memory. Therefore, one of the primary functions of The “Old Empire” priesthood is to prevent IS-BEs on Earth from remembering who they really are, how they came to Earth, where they came from.

    And so they destroyed the mere idea of reincarnation...

    The “Old Empire” operators of the prison system, and their superiors, do not want IS-BEs to remember who murdered them, captured them, stole all of their possessions, sent them to Earth, gave them amnesia and condemned them to eternal imprisonment!

    Well, of course not!

    Imagine what might happen if all of the inmates in the prison suddenly remembered that they have the right to be free! What if they suddenly realized that they have been falsely imprisoned and rise up as one against the guards?

    Yikes!

    They are afraid to reveal anything that looks like the civilization of the inmates home planets. A body, a piece of clothing, a symbol, a space ship, an advanced electronics device, or any other remnant of civilization from a home planet could “remind” a being and rekindle his memory.

    So they did everything in their power to keep everyone primitive. When Greece started to advance, it was destroyed. When Persia started to advance, it was destroyed. When Rome started to advance it was destroyed. When the Chinese kingdoms advanced, they were destroyed. But it all came to an end, more or less around 1150 ad.

    Sophisticated technologies of entrapment and enslavement, which were developed over millions of years in the “Old Empire”, have been applied to the IS-BEs on Earth with the intention to create a false facade for the prison. These facades were installed on Earth in totality, all at once. Every piece is a fully integrated part of the prison system.

    This idea that everything was established all at once is highly suggestive of a pre-designed system of prison construction. This goes along with my strong belief that there are five "sentience nurseries" in this region of space. 
    
    All of which occupy the formerly ruined worlds of the catastrophic space wars of 66 million years ago.

    This includes a religion of mumbo-jumbo double-speak.

    Every pyramid civilization uses this as part of a control mechanism to keep the population enslaved by force, by fear and by ignorance.

    The indecipherable muddle of irrelevant information, geometric designs, mathematical calculation, astronomical alignments, are part of a false spirituality based on solid objects, rather than immortal spirits, in order to confuse and disorient the IS-BEs on Earth.

    I have no problem with these statements.

    When the body of a person died they were buried with their Earthly possessions, including their former body wrapped in linen, to sustain their “soul” or “Ka” after death. An IS-BE does not “have” as soul. An IS-BE is a soul.

    I agree.

    On the home planet of an IS-BE their material possessions were not lost, stolen or forgotten when the being died or left the body. An IS-BE could return and claim the possessions.

    Nothing is ever lost in our universe it only changes shape.

    However, if the IS-BE has amnesia, they will not remember that they had any possessions. So, governments, insurance companies, bankers, family members and other vultures can pick their possessions clean without fear of retribution from the deceased.

    This is something that the Roswell leadership could well understand. And something that I too understand most perfectly.

    The only reason for these false meanings is to instill the idea that an IS-BE is NOT a spirit, but a physical object!

    This is a lie.

    It is a trap for an IS-BE.

    And, isn't that exactly what is taught in schools and religions?

    Countless people have spent endless hours attempting to solve the jig-saw puzzle of Egypt and other “Old Empire” civilizations. They are puzzles made of pieces that do not fit. A question states its own answer.

    Everything is an intentional "dead end".

    What is the mystery of Egypt and other pyramid cultures? Mystery!

    circa 15,000 BCE – Bolivia mining operations

    The “Old Empire” forces supervised the construction of a hydraulic mining operations in the Andes Mountains in present day Bolivia near Lake Titicaca (Lake of Tin Stones) at Tiahuanaco including construction of the massive stone complex of carved stone buildings known as Kalasasaya and its “Gate of the Sun” at an elevation of nearly 14,000 feet.

    No problem with this.

    11,600 BCE – Polar Axis Shift

    The Polar Axis of Earth shifted to a sea area. The last Ice Age came to an end abruptly as the polar ice caps melted and the level of the ocean rose to submerge large sections of the land masses of Earth. The last remaining vestiges of Atlantis and Lemuria were covered by water. Massive extinctions of animals occurred in the Americas, Australia and the Arctic Regions due to the shift of the poles.

    Worlds in Collision, Velikovsky, Immanuel. 

    10,450 BCE — Plans for the Great Pryramid were created.

    Plans were made by the “Old Empire” IS-BE called Thoth for construction of a Great Pyramid of Giza. The 4 “air shafts” of the pyramid point precisely to key stars in the “Old Empire” as seen from Giza in this year. The alignment of the Pyramids of Giza on the ground matches perfectly the alignment of the constellation of Orion as seen in the sky from Giza relative to the Nile as the earthly representation of the Milky Way in the sky.

    No problem with this. This date is in alignment with Graham Hancock. Like the Cayce Association, he continues to argue for a 10,500 B.C. "origin" of the Great Pyramid and Giza Plateau.

    10,400 BCE – Herodotus records that Atlantis records are buried under the Sphinx.

    According to the Earth historian, Herodotus, records from the ruined civilization of Atlantis, containing electronic technology and other technology of that society, were buried in a vault beneath the paws of The Sphinx.

    The Greek historian wrote that he was told this by some of his friends who were Priests of Anu, the Sumerian god, at the Egyptian city of Heliopolis.

    However, it is highly unlikely that any traces of an electronic civilization would be allowed to be left intact on Earth by the “old empire” prison system administrators.

    No problem with this.

    8,212 BCE — Veda Hymns created.

    The Veda or Vedic hymns are a set of religious hymns that were introduced into the societies of Earth. They came forward in spoken tradition, memorized, from generation to generation. “The Hymn to the Dawn Child” includes an idea called the “cycle of the physical universe”: the creation, growth, conservation, decay and death or destruction of energy and matter in a space. These cycles produce time. The same set of hymns describes the “theory of evolution”.

    Here is a tremendous body of knowledge which contains a great deal of spiritual truth. Unfortunately, it has been incorrectly evaluated by humans and altered with lies and reversals of fact by priests which are a booby trap to prevent anyone from using the wisdom to discover a way to escape from the prison planet.

    No problem with this.

    8,050 BCE — Old Empire Home Planet is conquered and destroyed.

    Destruction of the “Old Empire” home planet government in this galaxy.

    This was the end of the “Old Empire” as a political entity in the galaxy.

    However, the vast size of the “Old Empire” will take many thousands of years for The Domain to conquer completely.

    The inertia of the political, economic and cultural systems of the “Old Empire” will remain in place for some time to come.

    No problem with this.

    However, remnants of the “Old Empire” space fleet in the solar system of Earth were finally destroyed in 1,230 AD.

    Massive destruction in the solar system at 1230 AD. Meanwhile on Earth everyone was fighting everyone else. See HERE.

    In addition to operatives of the “Old Empire” who run the Earth prison operation, there were other beings from the “Old Empire” who came to Earth.

    Since Earth was no longer under the control of the “Old Empire” after their defeat by The Domain Forces, there was no police force to control military renegades, space pirates, miners, merchants and entrepreneurs who came to Earth to exploit the resources of the planet for personal gain, and many other nefarious reasons.

    No problem with this. After the government collapsed, everyone came to take advantage of the situation, loot and acquire power.

    For example, the history of Earth, according to the Jewish people, describes the “Nephilim“. Chapter 6 of The Book of Genesis, describes the origin of the “Nephilim” :

    “Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the “sons of God” saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.

    The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.”

    We would call these people "carpetbaggers".

    The ancient Jewish people who wrote the history book called the Old Testament were slaves, herders and gatherers. Any modern technology, even a simple flashlight, would seem astounding and miraculous to them. They attributed any unexplainable phenomenon or technology to the workings of a “god”.

    This is Eric Von Daniken stuff. He wrote about this three decades later in the 1970's.

    Unfortunately, this behavior is universal among all IS-BEs who have been given amnesia, and cannot remember their own experiences, training, technology, personality or identity.

    Obviously, if these were men, and they mated with Earth women, they were not “sons of god”.

    They were humans that mated with human Earth women who had no recollections of their true nature.

    They were IS-BEs who inhabited biological bodies in order to take advantage of the political situation in the “Old Empire”, or simply to indulge in physical sensation.

    They set up small colonies of their own on Earth beyond the reach of the police and tax authorities.

    I am sure... all over the world.

    Coincidentally, one of the most serious crimes an IS-BE could commit in the “Old Empire” was to violate income tax regulations. Income taxes were used as a slavery mechanism and as a punishment in the “Old Empire”. The slightest error in a tax report made an IS-BE “untouchable”, followed by imprisonment on Earth.

    It sounds so much like America today.

    6,750 BCE — Other “Pyramid Civilizations” set up.

    Other Pyramid civilizations were set up by the “Old Empire” on Earth.

    These were established in Babylon, Egypt, China and Mesoamerica. The Mesopotamian area provided service facilities, communication stations, space ports, and stone quarry operations for these false civilizations.

    Ptah was the name given to the first in a succession of administrators from the “Old Empire” who represented themselves to the Earth population as “divine” rulers.

    Ptah’s importance may be understood when one learns that the word “Egypt” is a Greek corruption of the phrase “Het-Ka-Ptah,” or “House of the Spirit of Ptah”. Ptah, was nick-named “The Developer”. He was a construction engineer. His high priest was given the title ‘Great Leader of Craftsmen’.

    Ptah was also the god of reincarnation in Egypt. He originated the “opening of the mouth ceremony” which was performed by priests at funerals to “release souls” from their corpses. Of course, when the “souls” were released, they were captured, given amnesia, and returned to Earth again.

    The so-called “Devine” rulers who followed Ptah on Earth were called “Ntr”, meaning “Guardians or Watchers” by the Egyptians. Their symbol was the Serpent, or Dragon which represented a secret priesthood of the “Old Empire” called the “Brothers of the Serpent”.

    “Old Empire” engineers used cutting tools of highly concentrated light waves to quickly carve and excavate stone blocks. They also used force fields and space craft to lift and transport blocks of stone weighing hundred or thousands of tons each. The placement on the ground of some of these structures will be found to have geodetic or astronomical significance relative to various stars in this galactic region.

    The buildings are crude and impractical, compared to building standards on most planets.

    As an engineer of The Domain, I can attest that make-shift structures like these would never pass inspection on a planet in The Domain. Stone blocks such as those used in the pyramid civilizations can still be seen, partially excavated, in the stone quarries in the Middle East and elsewhere.

    Most of the structures were hastily built “props”, much like the false facades of a western town on the set of a motion picture. They appear to be real, and to have some use or value however, they have no value. They have no useful purpose. The pyramids and all of the other stone monuments erected by the “Old Empire” could be called “mystery monuments”.

    Good points. Why create these enormous stone structures unless to support some kind of an illusion of power? The people lived in wood structures. Why make these big stone creations that apparently served no functional purpose?
    
    Most of these discussions sound very familiar as the "alternative history" of the world. People point to the alternative "historians" as the folk that started these beliefs, but aside from the Edgar Cayce narratives, everything actually began at this "Alien Interview". And it was kept secret from the general population for decades.

    For what reason would anyone waste so many resources to construct so many useless buildings? To create a mysterious illusion.

    The fact of the matter is that each one of the “divine rulers” were IS-BEs who served as operatives of the “Old Empire”. They were certainly not “divine”, although they were IS-BEs.

    6248 BCE – Battles for the Solar System

    The beginning of active warfare between The Domain Space Command and the surviving remnants of the “Old Empire” space fleet in this solar system that lasted nearly 7,500 years.

    So for the firm dates, we can say that the warfare began in 6278 BCE, and ended in 1150 AD. Or roughly 7500 years.

    It began when an installation was established in the Himalaya mountains by a battalion of the 3,000 officers and crew members of The Domain Expeditionary Force. The installation was not fortified as The Domain was not aware that the “Old Empire” maintained Earth as a prison planet.

    So the Domain set up a undefended base. And it was destroyed and the members imprisoned.

    The Domain installation was attacked and destroyed by space forces of the “Old Empire” who continued to operate in the solar system of Earth.

    IS-BEs of The Domain battalion were captured, taken to Mars, given amnesia, and sent back to Earth to inhabit human biological bodies. They are still on Earth.

    5,965 BCE — Dominion bases on Venus set up to fight the Old Empire forces

    Investigations into the disappearance of Domain forces in this solar system led to the discovery of “Old Empire” bases on Mars and elsewhere.

    The Domain took over the planet Venus as a defensive position against the space forces of the “Old Empire”.

    When the warfare began, the Domain set up defensive positions on Venus.

    The Domain Expeditionary Force also monitors life forms on Venus which has a very dense, hot and heavy atmosphere of sulfuric acid clouds. There are a few life forms on Earth that can endure an atmospheric environment like Venus.

    This provided them protection from the "Old Empire" forces, which were, after all, all humans.

    The Domain also established secret installations or space stations in the (Earth) solar system.

    This solar system has a planet that is broken up – the asteroid belt. It provides a very useful low-gravity platform for take off and landing of space craft. It is used as a “galactic jump” between the Milky Way and adjoining galaxies.

    This asteroid belt is in the "frost zone" and planetary formation in this area is not stable.

    There aren’t any planets at this end of the galaxy that can serve as a good galactic entering spot for incoming transport, and other ships. But this broken up planet makes a very ideal space station.

    As a result of our war against the “Old Empire”, this area of the solar system is now a valuable possession of The Domain.

    So as a side effect of cleaning out the "rat's nest" that was the "Old Empire" was the ability to set up staging locations for on-ward progress towards the more populated sections of the galaxy.

    3,450 – 3,100 BCE — The Domain interrupts Prison Planet Management

    The intervention into the affairs on Earth by the “Old Empire” operatives or “divine gods” was disrupted at this time by The Domain Forces.

    They were forced to replace themselves with human rulers.

    The Warden(s) for the "Prison planet" of Earth now had to leave. They could no longer maintain their roles and their positions. If they did, the Domain, would secure them, and remove them. So the roles were taken over by the "inmates".

    The First Dynasty of human Pharaohs who united Upper and Lower Egypt began with the rule of a Pharaoh who, coincidentally, was named “MEN”. He established the capital city called Men-Nefer, “The Beauty of Men” in Egypt.

    This started the first succession of 10 human Pharaohs and a period of 350 years of chaos that followed in the administrative ranks of the “Old Empire”.

    I have no problem with this statement.

    3,200 BCE — Open war between the Domain and the Old Empire on Earth

    As I mentioned earlier, Earth was under attack between The Domain and the “Old Empire” forces during this period.

    Of course this does not make any sense to archaeologists or historians on Earth, because the Egyptian period is a space opera era period. Since Earth historians have amnesia, they assume that this was only a religious period.

    Archaeologists who study ancient Egypt assume all the writings are not technical or historical. Instead they view it as religious and superstitious.

    Further, because the technology and civilizations installed on Earth during this period were “prepackaged”, they did not “evolve” on Earth.

    Of course, there is no evidence anywhere on Earth of an evolutionary transition which resulted in sophisticated mathematics, language, writing, religion, architecture, cultural traditions in Egypt or any of the pyramid civilizations.

    These cultures, complete with all of the details of racial body types, hair-styles, facial makeup, rituals, moral codes and so forth, just “appeared” as complete integrated packages.

    This is something that I too have commented about.

    The physical evidence suggests that all evidence of the intervention of The Domain or “Old Empire” Forces, or any other extraterrestrial activity, has been carefully “cleaned up”, so as not to create suspicion.

    I would agree with this as well.

    The “Old Empire” force does not want the IS-BEs of Earth to suspect that they have been captured, transplanted to Earth and brainwashed.

    I have no problem with this statement.

    So, Earth historians continue to assume that Egyptian priests were not supposed to have “ray guns” or other technology of the “Old Empire”. And, they suppose that there was nothing going on, on Earth, except some priests walking around saying ‘Amen’, which the Christians still say.

    3,172 BCE – Astronomical grid layout

    Layout of the astronomical grid that joins the key mining sites and astronomical buildings of ‘the gods’ in the Andes Mountains such as Tiahuanaco, Cuzco, Quito, the cities of Ollantaytambu, Machu Picchu and for the mining of rare metals, including tin for use in making bronze.

    Metals were the property of “the gods”, of course.

    Graham Hancock  discussed this in one of his books.

    A great variety of entrepreneurial mining was done on Earth at that time due to the war between the “Old Empire” force and The Domain.

    These miners did carve a few sculptures of themselves.

    They are seen wearing mining helmets.

    The Ponce stela sculpture in the sunken courtyard of the Kalasasaya temple is a crude rendering of a stone worker using an electronic, light-wave emitting stone cutter and carving tools, held in a holster.

    Ponce stela sculpture.

    The “Old Empire” has also maintained mining operations on planets throughout the galaxy for a very long time. The mineral resources of Earth are now a property of The Domain.

    2,450 BCE — Great pyramid complex finished

    The “great” pyramid and complex of pyramids near Cairo were completed.

    I am a little bit confused with this. 
    
    Earlier he started talking or discussing the creation of pyramids in Egypt at around 10,000 BCE. Now he is saying that they were completed at 2450 BCE, which is about 7,500 years later.

    An inscription created by the “Old Empire” administrators can be seen in the so-called Pyramid texts.

    The pyramid texts inscription.

    The texts say that the pyramid was built under the direction of Thoth, Son of Ptah.

    Of course there was never a King buried in the chamber, since the pyramids were never intended to be used as a burial chamber.

    The great pyramid was located precisely at the exact center of all of the land masses of Earth, as viewed from space.

    Obviously such precise measurements require aerial perspective and a view of the land masses of Earth from space. Purely mathematical calculations of the geodetic center of the continents of Earth could not be made otherwise.

    Of course. This is one of the many arguments made by alternative historians.

    Shafts were constructed inside the pyramid to align with the configuration of stars in the constellation of Orion, Canus Majora, and specifically Sirius.

    The shafts are also aligned to the Big Dipper, where the home planet of the “Old Empire” existed.

    Also, Ainitak, Alpha Draconis and Beta Ursa Minor. These stars are each one of the key systems in the “Old Empire” from which IS-BEs were brought to Earth and dumped, as unwanted merchandise.

    Well, now another point of confusion. All the stars listed are huge, hot, short lived and energetic stars. Certainly not the kind of a place that one could assume humans would live. But I will pause my incredulity, and make the statement that there is much that we do not know about stars, and the technological abilities of the "Old Empire".
    
    I am now going to diverge a small bit from the narrative to take a closer look at the stars that the extraterrestrial mentioned.
    
    I have color coded the information to make it easier to understand.
    Orion Constellation
    Great Pyramid alignment
    
    The constellation of Orion is among the oldest recognized constellations in the world. Among the earliest known depictions of Orion lies in a prehistoric Aurignacian mammoth ivory carving dated to be between 32,000 to 38,000 years old. The constellation of Orion is probably the most prominent, and amongst the oldest constellations in the night sky, hosting numerous bright stars, nebulae, clusters, and more.
    
    The distinctive pattern of Orion is recognized in several cultures around the world, and thus many myths and legends are associated with it.
    Canis Major
    Great pyramid alignment
    
    (Latin: “Greater Dog”) constellation in the southern sky, at about 7 hours right ascension and 20° south in declination. The brightest star in Canis Major is Sirius, the brightest star in the sky and the fifth nearest to Earth, at a distance of 8.6 light-years. This constellation is also home to the Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy, which at a distance of 25,000 light-years is the closest galaxy to Earth. Because of its proximity to Orion, the constellation was identified as one of Orion’s hunting dogs. Canis Major was also thought to represent other dogs in Greek mythology, such as one of the hounds of Actaeon.
    Sirius System Summary
    Great pyramid alignment
    
    Also known as Alpha Canis Majoris, Sirius is the fifth closest system to Sol, at 8.6 light-years (ly) away. It is located in the north central part (06:45:08.92-16:42:58.02, ICRS 2000.0) of Constellation Canis Major, the Larger Dog. Sirius is also the lower left member of the "Winter Triangle" of first magnitude stars, whose other components are Procyon (Alpha Canis Minoris) at upper left and Betegeuse (Alpha Orionis) at right center.
    
    The bright star is the title member of the Sirius stellar moving group (also known as the Sirius Super Cluster or Ursa Major star stream), which include all five stars of the Great Dipper as well as Gemma and are mostly around 490 million years old and all moving towards the galactic center.
    
    Although Ejnar Hertzsprung (1873-1967) claimed that Sirius was a likely member of the Ursa Major moving group as early as 1909, a 2003 study of possible moving group members using HIPPARCOS' parallax data led by Jeremy King was not able to confirm the system's membership (Ken Croswell, Astronomy.com, March 2005), and the Sirius system appears to be too young, only about half the apparent age of the Ursa Major star stream (Liebert et al, 2005; and Ken Croswell, 2005).
    And now for the systems that the extraterrestrial says were home solar systems for the various "Old Empire" citizenry.
    Alnitak 3
    This star is one of the key systems in the "Old Empire" from which IS-BEs were brought to Earth and dumped, as unwanted merchandise.
    
    Once thought to be around 1,500 to 1,600 light-years (ly) away, the Alnitak, or Zeta Orionis, system is now estimated to be located around 820 +/- 170 ly from Sol (based on a HIPPARCOS Plx= 3.99 +/- e_Plx= 0.79 mas).
    
    It lies in the south central part (5:40:45.5-1:56:34 for Stars Aab, J2000, or 5:40:45.5-1:56:33.3, ICRS 2000) of Constellation Orion (see chart and labelled photo), the Hunter.
    
    There, Alnitak can be found at: left or immediately southeast of the neighboring belt stars of Alnilam (Epsilon Orionis) and Mintaka (Delta Orionis); southwest of Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis), northeast of Rigel, and northwest of Saiph (Kappa Orionis).
    
    In addition to wide binary companion Star B, Alnitak's primary also has a close stellar companion Ab, (USNO press release). However, the star (sometimes called "C") that has a separation of around 57.6" away is thought to be a optical companion.
    
    Alnitak lies in a region crowded with several dusty clouds of interstellar gas actively forming new stars, including the famous "Horsehead Nebula" to the south. The system is a member of the "Orion OB1 Association," where massive young objects with over 10 times the Sol's mass can be found in abundance (more on OB associations and stellar nurseries).
    Zeta Orionis A or Aa
    Detailed information.
    
    Alnitak Aa is a blue supergiant star of spectral and luminosity type O9.7 Ibe (with "peculiar" emission lines), where O-type stars are the hottest stars in the spectral sequence excluding white dwarfs. The star may have as much as 28 times Sol's mass (Hummel et al, 2000, in pdf), perhaps 20 times Sol's diameter (Remie and Lamers, 1982, page 87; as reported in Pasinetti-Fracassini et al, 2001), and around 100,000 times its bolometric luminosity, which is much greater than its visual luminosity of around 10,500 times Solar.
    
    The European Space Agency's astrometry satellite HIPPARCOS has measured Zeta Orionis Aab's distance from Earth to be around 820 light years, giving it an absolute visual magnitude of -5.25 (based on a HIPPARCOS Vmag= 1.74), somewhat under-luminous for stars of its class; however, these measurements may have been significantly affected by the presence of the recently discovered, dimmer close stellar companion Ab (described below). Even so, Alnitak Aa is the brightest O-type star in Earth's night sky (according to Professor Jim Kaler's excellent Stars' web page on Alnitak). Its 31,000-degree-Kelvin surface, however, radiates mostly ultraviolet wavelengths that are invisible to Human eyes.
    
    Type-O supergiants show strong stellar winds that produce optical spectral emission lines and thermal radio and X-ray emissions. How these stars produce high-energy X-rays, however, is still subject to intense research because they lack significant magnetic fields and are not sufficiently hot despite their very high surface temperatures.
    
    Alnitak Aa seems to generate and maintain magnetic loops like Sol, which is difficult for astronomers to explain. Although O-type stars have inner convection zones in their core, they are believed to lack outer convection zones, which astronomers considered necessary to create the hot and energetic plasmas confined in magnetic loops. Convection zones are internal regions where most of the energy is transported by fluid motions from hotter regions to cooler ones.
    
    Without such zones located near a star's surface, astronomers are currently unable to explain how high-density knots of X-rays could exist. On the other hand, shock waves created in the turbulent stellar wind flow are an important part of current theories. Like all O stars, Alnitak Aa's X-rays may come from a wind that blows from its surface at nearly 2,000 km (1,200 miles) per second, which produces x-rays when blobs of gas in the wind crash violently into one another (Donati et al, 2002; Waldron and Cassinelli, 2001, and 2000 in pdf; and CXC press release, 10/18/2000).
    
    Massive stars use their fuel quickly and do not live very long. Although Alnitak Aa may only be around six million years old, hydrogen fusion may already have ceased at its core. The star will eventually become a red supergiant somewhat like Betelgeuse and will probably explode as a supernova. Useful catalogue numbers and designations for the star include: Zet Ori A, 50 Ori A, HR 1948/9, HIP 26727, HD 37742, BD-02 1338, SAO 132444, STF 774 A, and ADS 4263 A.
    
    In a wide orbit around the primary is a 4th magnitude visual companion, a B-type giant star that is currently separated by about 2.3 arcseconds (USNO press release, 4/15/1998). The pair orbits each other with a period estimated around 1,500 years long. According to old calculations (from J. Hopmann in 1967) cited in the Sixth Catalog of Orbits of Visual Binaries, Star "B" is separated on average from the primary by around 680 AUs (a semi-major axis of a= 2.728" at a distance of 817 ly), with an estimated orbital period of 1,508.6 years. Their highly circular orbit (e= 0.07) is inclined 72.0° from the perspective of an observer from Earth.
    
    In 1998, Star A was found to have a close stellar companion ("Ab") only around 11 AUs away (0.042" in February and March 1998 at a distance of 820 ly). The close companion is only two magnitudes fainter and would be easily visible to the naked eye from Earth if it was farther from its brighter neighbor. The relative motion of the inner stellar pair has been detected, which was "most likely due to their being gravitationaly bound with an orbital period of only a few years" (Hummel et al, 2000, in pdf; and USNO press release).
    
    The distance from the star pair Aab where an Earth-type planet would be "comfortable" with liquid water is at least 300 AUs -- over seven times the orbital of Pluto in the Solar System. Given that the stars are only a few million years old, however, they are too probably young for any forming planets to have cooled off sufficiently to have much surface water instead of superheated steam. Astronomers would find it very difficult to detect an Earth-sized planet around this star using present methods.
    Zeta Orionis Ab
    Detailed information
    
    As Star Ab has a high visual magnitude (around 4) and a presumably youthful age of a few million years shared with the primary, it may be a late O-type main sequence dwarf (Hummel et al, 2000, in pdf). Hence, it should have a much greater mass (e.g., 23 times Solar), diameter, and visual luminosity (over 1,300 times Solar) than Sol.
    
    According to the Yale Bright Star Catalogue, 1991 5th Revised Edition notes entry for HR 1948 and 1949, Star B is a blue-white giant star of spectral and luminosity type B2 III. It may have 14 times Sol's mass, a much larger diameter, and around 1,100 times its visual luminosity, based on an apparent magnitude of 4.2 with an even greater bolometric luminosity due to the high ultraviolet emission of its spectral type (Hummel et al, 2000, in pdf).
    
    As with the inner star pair Aab, the orbit of an Earth-like planet (with liquid water) around Star B would be centered beyond the orbital distance of Pluto in the Solar System. Given the youth of the host star (which should be similar to that of the primary), moreover, such a planet is unlikely to have cooled sufficiently to have much surface water instead of steamon its surface. Useful catalogue numbers and designations for the star include: Zet Ori B, 50 Leo B, HD 17743, and ADS 4263 B.
    Thuban (α Draconis) Facts
    This star is one of the key systems in the "Old Empire" from which IS-BEs were brought to Earth and dumped, as unwanted merchandise.
    
    Thuban is a relatively inconspicuous star in the night sky of the Northern Hemisphere, located at around 305 light-years away from the Sun. Thuban, also designated as Alpha Draconis, is a double star system located in the constellation of Draco. Thuban is historically significant since it was the north pole star from the 4th to 2nd millennium BCE. Based upon it metallicity, the interstellar medium from which Thuban formed, was somewhat metal-poor. Thuban’s exact age is uncertain. However, it has ceased hydrogen fusion in its core, and it is no longer in the main-sequence.
    Distance, Size, and Mass
    
    Thuban is located at around 303 light-years / 93 parsecs away from the Sun. The primary component star is both more massive and several times bigger than our Sun.

    Thuban has 2.8 solar masses, or 280% of the Sun’s mass, and a radius of 3.4 solar radii, or 340% of the Sun’s radius. Based upon its radius, Thuban should be around six times, or more, bigger than our Sun. Thuban’s companion star has 2.6 solar masses or 260% of our Sun’s mass.
    Other Characteristics
    
    Thuban is a white giant star of spectral class A0III, indicating similarities to Vega in temperature and spectrum, but more luminous and massive.
    
    Thuban has been used as an MK spectral standard for the A0III type. It has ceased hydrogen fusion in its core and started to expand. It has an apparent magnitude of 3.6 and an absolute magnitude of -1.20.
    
    Thuban is 479 times brighter than our Sun and has average surface temperatures of around 10,100 K, or 1.7 times hotter than our Sun.
    
    Thuban’s companion, Alpha Draconis B, is 40 times brighter than our Sun, being 1.83 magnitudes fainter than the primary star. Not much is known about the companion, though it is speculated that it is a main-sequence star slightly cooler than Thuban, and possibly of spectral type A2.
    Stellar System
    
    The Thuban / Alpha Draconis star system is a single-lined spectroscopic binary star system, which means that only the spectral liens of the primary component are visible.
    
    The two stars orbit each other once every 51.5 days and have an orbital eccentricity of 0.43. The two components are separated from one another by about 0.46 AU.
    
    This system is an eclipsing binary star system. The eclipses displayed are only partial, with an inclination of slightly less than 90 degrees, with depths of 9% and 2%. These eclipses last for only six hours.
    
    Thuban is one of the stars that take turns as the North Star during the Earth’s precession cycle. Thuban was the Pole Star from 3942 BCE to 1793 BCE, during the creation of some of Egypt’s largest pyramids.
    
    Thuban was closest to the pole in 2830 BCE, coming closest to the north celestial pole out of all the other pole stars. However, Thuban was among the faintest pole stars.

    In comparison, the current pole star, Polaris, comes within 0.5 degrees of the north celestial pole and has an apparent magnitude of 1.98.
    
    As the North Star, Thuban was preceded by Edasich (Iota Draconis) and succeeded by the brighter Kochab (Beta Ursae Minoris), one of the stars of the Little Dipper, and the fainter Kappa Draconis. Thuban has slowly drifted away from true north over the last 4,800 years.
    Location
    
    Thuban is located in the constellation of Draco, the eighth largest constellation in the sky and the fourth largest northern constellation, occupying an area of 1,083 square degrees.
    
    Thuban is easy to spot though, from light-polluted areas, this can become a challenge. Thuban lies about halfway between Mizar, the middle star of the Big Dipper’s handle, and Kochab and Pherkad, the stars that form the outer side of the Little Dipper’s Bowl.
    44 Boötis System Summary
    This star system is one of the key systems in the "Old Empire" from which IS-BEs were brought to Earth and dumped, as unwanted merchandise.
    
    This triple star system is located about 41.6 light-years (ly) away from our Sun, Sol. It lies in the northwestern part (15:3:47.3+47:39:14.6, ICRS 2000.0) of Constellation Boötes, the Herdsman or Bear Driver -- north of Nekkar (Beta Boötis), east of Lamda Boötis, northeast of Seginus (Gamma Boötis), southwest of Edasich (Iota Draconis), southeast of Theta Boötis and Alkaid (Eta Ursae Majoris), and west of Tau and Nu Herculis. 
    
    The "star" was noted to be variable in 1785 by Sir William Herschel (1738-1822), who was born Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel. According to Robert Burnham, Jr. (1931-93), the system was confirmed to be a visual binary in 1832 by Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve (1793-1864). 
    
    In 1926, the fainter component itself was found to be an eclipsing binary by Jan Schilt by photographic observations, which had already been suspected from a spectrum that showed rotationally broadened absorption lines. 
    
    The system has the variable star designation i Boötis and is often confused with Iota Boötis, a Delta-Scuti-type variable star of spectral and luminosity type A9 V.
    
    All three stars of the 44 Boötis system are similar to Sol in size, brightness, and color. The annual proper motion of the system is about 40" in PA 274°, and it's radial velocity is around 24 km per second (15 miles per second) in approach. It is visible to the naked eye. All three are believed to be more than a billion years old (Alan Hale, 1994, pp. 312 and 314).
    
    44 (i) Boötis A
    
    This star is a yellowish main sequence dwarf star of spectral and luminosity type F5-G1 Vn (Nikolic et al, 1997; based on Frans van't Veer, 1971; and Kurpinska and van't Veer, 1970; versus Hill et al, 1989, page 89). It may be as massive as (or slightly more so than) Sol, with about the same diameter -- 1.03 to 1.05 percent Solar (Johnson and Wright, 1983, page 683; and Hill et al, 1989) and around 1.14 times its luminosity. Useful star catalogue numbers and designations for 44 Boötis A include: 44 Boo, i Boo, 44i Boo, HR 5618*, Gl 575 A, Hip 73695, HD 133640, BD+48 2259, SAO 45357, Struve 1909 A, and ADS 9494 A.
    
    From the perspective of an observer on Earth, the orbit of Star A and the BC tight binary pair exhibit a very elongated and narrow ellipse whose separation has varied from 4.7" in 1880 to less than 0.4" in 1969 (Kaj Aage Gunnar Strand, 1937; A. Gennaro, 1940; L. Bennendijk, 1955; Worley and Heintz, 1983; and Wulff Dieter Heintz, 1963 to 1997; among others). According to new measurements (Staffan Soderhjelm, 1999) found in the new Sixth Catalog of Visual Orbits of Binary Stars, Stars A and B are separated by an "average distance" of about 48.5 AUs (semi-major axis of 3.8" with a HIPPARCOS distance estimate of 41.6 ly), or more than the average of orbital distance of Pluto in the Solar System. They move in a highly elliptical orbit (e= 0.55) that takes about 206 years to complete. Their orbit is inclined about 84° from the perspective of an observer on Earth. These elements are similar to Heintz's 1997 elements of: P=220.0 years; a=3.70"; e= 0.451; and i=83.7 (Wulff Dieter Heintz, 1997). (See an animation of the orbits of Stars A, B, and C and their potentially habitable zones, with a table of basic orbital and physical characteristics.)
    
    44 (i) Boötis B
    
    This star is a yellow-orange main sequence dwarf star of spectral and luminosity type G2 V (Nikolic et al, 1997; and Hill et al, 1989). This star may have around the same mass as Sol, 87 to 89 percent of its diameter (Johnson and Wright, 1983, page 683; and Hill et al, 1989), and as little as 54 percent of its luminosity. Useful catalogue numbers for the star include: Gl 575 B, Struve 1909 B, and ADS 9494 B.

    44 Boötis is classified as an eclipsing variable of W Ursae Majoris type (that also resembles U Pegasi) because Star B has a double-lined, spectroscopic companion that is close enough to be considered a (weak thermal) shallow contact binary (Hill et al, 1989, page 96; and Jan Schilt, 1926). Since the outer gas envelopes of the stars are in contact (overflowing their Roche lobes), they essentially share a common photosphere despite having two distinct nuclear-burning cores. Indeed, Stars B and C are separated by only some 0.008 AU, around three quarters of a million miles (more than one million km) or about three times the distance between the Earth and its Moon. They are revolving in a highly circular orbit (e~ 0) that takes only 6.427 hours to complete. Moreover, from the perspective of an observer on Earth, Stars B and C eclipse each other twice at every revolution (every three hours). (See an animation of the orbits of Stars A, B, and C and their potentially habitable zones, with a table of basic orbital and physical characteristics.)

    X-ray emission from stellar coronal material has been observed around Stars B and C with the Chandra X-Ray Observatory (press release; Brickhouse et al, 2001; and Nikolic et al, 1997; among others). According to the Yale Bright Star Catalogue's notes entry for HR 5618, a variation in the light curve for this close spectroscopic binary pair appears to be caused by mass transfer, which is supported by observations of gaseous streams between the stars. Eclipsing variables of this type may develop into eruptive "dwarf novae" similar to U Geminorum and SS Cygni, and U Pegasi has been observed to exhibit flares or eruptions of small amplitude that may presage more violent activity at a later stage of evolution. (More discussion on W Ursae Majoris type binaries is available from: Maceroni and van't Veer, 1996.)
    
    44 (i) Boötis C
    
    This star is a yellow-orange main sequence dwarf star of possibly spectral and luminosity type G V (Nikolic et al, 1997; and Hill et al, 1989), or later spectral type. This star probably has less mass than Sol, as little as 66 percent of its diameter (Hill et al, 1989), and significantly lower luminosity than Star B. Useful catalogue numbers for the star include Gl 575 C and NS 1503+4739 C.
    
    Hunt for Substellar Companions
    
    Since at least one of the stars of 44 Boötis is fairly similar to our Sun, some speculate whether the system might contain planets that harbor life. The distance from Star A where an Earth-type planet would be "comfortable" with liquid water is centered around 1.07 AU -- just beyond the orbital distances of Earth in the Solar System, with an orbital period of more than an Earth year. For close-orbiting Stars B and C, the liquid water zone may be centered around 0.73 AU -- between the orbital distances of Venus and Earth, with an orbital period around half a year. Astronomers would find it very difficult to detect an Earth-type planet around either of these stars using present methods.
    Sorry for the detailed stellar data, but I couldn't help myself. Let's get back to the extraterrestrial narrative.

    The configuration of all the pyramids of the Giza Plateau was intended to create a “mirror image”, on Earth of the solar system and certain constellations within the “Old Empire”.

    2,181 BCE — Some manage to escape

    MIN, became the God of Fertility of Egypt. The IS-BE, also known as Pan, was also a Greek god. Min or Pan, was an IS-BE who somehow managed to escape from the “Old Empire” amnesia system.

    2,160 – 2040 BCE — Old Empire Rulers left

    One of the results of the intensifying battle between The Domain Forces and the “Old Empire” forces was that the control of the “divine rulers”, was broken at this time.

    They finally left Egypt and returned to the “heavens”, so to speak, in defeat.

    Human beings took over the ruling role as Pharaohs. The first human pharaoh moved the Capital city of Egypt from Memphis to Heracleopolis.

    I have no problem with this.

    1,500 BCE – Destruction of Crete

    This is the date for the destruction of Atlantis given by the Egyptian high-priests, Psenophis of Heliopolis, and Sonchis of Sais, to the Greek sage Solon.

    This is the date of the destruction of the colony of Atlantis provided by the Egyptians. It differs from that provided by the extraterrestrial, who stated that Atlantis was destroyed.
    
    While the extraterrestrial stated that between 400,000 and 75,000 years ago, both Atlantis and Lemuria colonies existed.

    The Priests of Anu recorded that the Mediterranean area was invaded by “Atlantean” people about this time. Of course, these people were not from the ancient continent of Atlanta, in the Atlantic Ocean, which existed more than 70,000 years earlier.

    These were refugees from the Minoan civilization on Crete escaping from the volcanic eruption and tidal waves of Mt. Thera that destroyed their civilization.

    Here, the extraterrestrial clarifies the discrepancy.

    Plato’s references to Atlantis were borrowed from the writings of the Greek philosopher Solon, who was given the information by the Egyptian priest who called Atlantis “Kepchu”, which also happens to be the Egyptian name for the people of Crete.

    Nicely clarified.

    Some of the survivors of the Minoan volcanic disaster asked Egypt for help, since they were the only other civilization with high culture in the Mediterranean area at the time.

    1351 BCE – 1337 BCE — Earth Warfare

    The Domain Expeditionary Force actively waged a war of religious conquest against the Egyptian mystery cult called the Priest of Amun, also known as the “Old Empire” Brothers of The Serpent.

    While the space fleet of the "Old Empire" was destroyed in the solar system much earlier. We can say that the warfare began in 6278 BCE, and ended in 1150 AD. Or roughly 7500 years.
    
    The "Old Empire" IS-BE's maintained occupancy in the human bodies on Earth. 
    
    As the leaders were removed, one by one, their cohorts formed "fifth column activities and "secret societies" that needed to be rooted out and eliminated.

    During this time the Pharaoh Akhenaten abolished the priesthood of Amun, and moved the capital of Egypt from Thebes to the new location at Amarna, at the exact geodetic center of Egypt. However, this plot to overthrow the “Old Empire” religious control was quickly spoiled.

    1,193 BCE — Greek wars / battle for control of space stations

    In the Near East and Achaea, the Greeks and Trojans fought for supremacy, which ended in the destruction of Troy as the finale of the Trojan War.

    During this same time, war was being fought out in the space of the solar system between two forces for control of the “space stations” surrounding Earth.

    That period of 300 years was a very violent resistance to The Domain Forces by the remnants of the “Old Empire” forces. It did not last long however, as it is futile to resist The Domain.

    I have no problem with this.

    850 BCE — Homer wrote about IS-BE’s

    Homer, the blind Greek poet, wrote the stories ‘the gods’ as borrowed and modified from earlier sources in Vedic texts, Sumerian texts, Babylonian and Egyptian mythology.

    His poems, as well as many other “myths” of the ancient world are very accurate descriptions of the exploits of IS-BE’s on Earth who were able to avoid the “Old Empire amnesia operation and operate without biological bodies.

    Interesting. Homer wrote stories about IS-BE's that escaped the amnesia operations. They were accurate descriptions. And so it was absolutely possible to undo the Empire amnesia operations.

    700 BCE – Vedic Hymns translated into Greek

    The Vedic Hymns were first translated in the Greek language. This was the beginning of a cultural revolution in Western civilization that transformed crude and brutal tribal cultures into democratic republics based on more reasonable conduct.

    638 – 559 BCE — Atlantis reported to exist

    Solon, a wise man from Greece, reported the existence of Atlantis. This was information he received from the “Old Empire” high-priests, Psenophis of Heliopolis and Sonchis of Sais, with whom he studied in Egypt.

    630 BCE – Domain replacements for Old Empire religions

    Zoroaster  created religious practices in Persia around an IS-BE called Ahura Mazda.  This was yet another of the growing number of “monotheistic” gods put in place by operatives of The Domain to displace a panoply of “Old Empire” gods.

    604 BCE -Laozi

    Laozi, a philosopher who wrote a small book called “The Way”,  was an IS-BE of great wisdom, who overcame the effects of the “Old Empire” amnesia/hypnosis machinery and escaped from Earth. His understanding of the nature of an IS-BE must have been very good to accomplish this.

    According to the common legend, his last lifetime as a human was lived in a small village in China. He contemplated the essence of his own life. Like Gautama Siddhartha, he confronted his own thoughts, and past lives. In so doing, he recovered some of his own memory, ability and immortality.

    As an old man, he decided to leave the village and go to the forest to depart the body. The village gatekeeper stopped him and begged him to write down his personal philosophy before leaving.

    Here is a small piece of advice he gave about “the way” he rediscovered his own spirit:

    "He who looks will not see it;
    
    He who listens will not hear it;
    
    He who gropes will not grasp it.
    The formless nonentity,
    
    the motionless source of motion.
    
    The infinite essence of the spirit is the source of life.
    Spirit is self.
    Walls form and support a room,
    yet the space between them is most important.
    
    A pot is formed of clay,
    yet the space formed therein is most useful.
    Action is caused by the force of nothing on something,
    just as the nothing of spirit is the source of all form.
    One suffers great afflictions because one has a body.
    
    Without a body what afflictions could one suffer?
    
    When one cares more for the body than for his own spirit,
    One becomes the body and looses the way of the spirit.
    
    The self, the spirit, creates illusion.
    The delusion of Man is that reality is not an illusion.
    
    One who creates illusions and makes them more real than reality,
    
    follows the path of the spirit and finds the way of heaven".

    593 BCE – Genesis Story

    The Genesis story written by the Jewish people describe “angels” or “sons of god” mating with women of Earth, who bore them children. These were probably renegades from the “Old Empire”. They may also have been space pirates or merchants from a system outside the galaxy who came to steal mineral resources, or smuggle drugs.

    The Domain has observed that there are many visitors to Earth from neighboring planets and galaxies, but they rarely stop and live here. What kind of beings would live on a prison planet if they were not forced to do so?

    The same book also reports the story of a human named Ezekiel who witnessed a spacecraft or aircraft landing near Chebar River in Chaldea. His description of the craft uses very archaic language, technically, but is nevertheless, quite an accurate description of an “Old Empire” saucer or scout craft. It is similar to the sighting of “vimanas” by the people in the foothills of the Himalayas.

    Their Genesis story also mentions that “Yahweh” designed biological bodies to live for 120 years on Earth. Biological bodies on most “Sun Type 12, Class 7” planets are usually engineered to last for an average of about 150 years.

    Human bodies on Earth last only about one half as long.

    We suspect this is because the prison administrators have altered the biological material of human bodies on Earth to die more frequently so that the
    IS-BEs who inhabit them will recycle through the amnesia mechanism more frequently.

    It should be noted that much of the “Old Testament” was written during the captivity of the Jews who were enslaved in Babylon, which was very heavily controlled by priests of the “Old Empire”. The book introduces a false sense of time and a false concept of the origin of the creation.

    The serpent is the symbol of the “Old Empire“. It appears in the beginning of their creation story, or as the Greeks say, “Genesis”, and causes the spiritual destruction of the first human beings, who are metaphorically represented by Adam and Eve.

    The Old Testament, clearly influenced by the “Old Empire” Forces, gives a detailed description of the IS-BEs being induced into biological bodies on Earth.

    This book also describes many of the “Old Empire” brainwashing activities, including the installation of false memories, lies, superstitions, commands to “forget” and all manner of tricks and traps designed to keep IS-BEs on Earth. Most importantly, it destroys the awareness that humans are Immortal Spiritual Beings.

    I have no problem at all with these statements.

    580 BCE — Communication centers

    The Oracle at Delphi was one temple in a network of many oracle temples. Each temple was a communication center.

    The “Old Empire” priests designated a local “god” for each temple.

    Each of the temples in this network were located at precisely 5 degrees of latitude intervals from the capital city of Thebes throughout the Mediterranean area as far north as the Baltic Sea.

    The shrines served, among other things, as a grid, housing electronic beacons, later called “Omphalus Stones”.  The grid arrangement of Oracle sites can only be seen from miles above the Earth.

    An Omphalus Stone

    The original network of electronic communications beacons were disabled when the priesthood was dispersed, and were replaced by carved stones.

    Very interesting. The original network of electronic communications beacons were disabled when the priesthood was dispersed, and were replaced by carved stones.

    The symbol of the “Old Empire” priesthood is a Python, dragon or serpent. It was called the “earth-dragon” at Delphi, which is always represented in sculpture and vase-paintings as a serpent.

    In Greek mythology the guardian of the Omphalus Stone at the temple at Delphi was an oracle whose name was Python, the serpent.

    She was an IS-BE, who was conquered by a “god” named Apollo.

    He buried her under the Omphalos stone.

    This is a case of one “god” setting up his temple on the grave of another. This is a very accurate euphemism for The Domain Force that detected and disabled the “Old Empire” temple network on Earth.

    It was one of the fatal blows to the “Old Empire” Force in the solar system of Earth.

    As I parse this document, I find more and more tidbits of extreme interest. You must keep in mind that all of this was recorded after ten days in captivity and after scanning some books.

    559 BCE – Lost Commander of The Domain Battalion was rediscovered

    The Commanding Officer of The Domain Battalion who was lost in 5,965 BCE was detected and located by a search party sent to Earth from The Domain Expeditionary Force.

    He was incarnated as Cyrus II of Persia during this time.

    A unique system of organization was used by Cyrus II  and the members of that Battalion who followed him from India through his progression of human lives on Earth.

    In part, it enabled them to build the largest empire in the history of the Earth to that date.

    The Domain Search Party who located him traveled around the Earth searching for the lost Battalion for several thousand years.

    The party consisted of 900 officers of The Domain, divided into teams of 300 each.

    One team searched the land, another team search the oceans and the third team searched the space surrounding Earth.

    There are many reports made in various human civilizations concerning their activities, which humans did not understand, of course.

    The Domain Search Party devised a wide variety of electronic detection devices needed to track the electronic signature or wavelength of each of the missing members of the Battalion.

    Some were used in space, others on land, and special devices were invented to detect IS-BEs under water.

    One of these electronic detection devices is referred to as a “tree of life”.

    The device is literally a tool designed to detect the presence of life, which is an IS-BE. This was a large electronic screen generator designed to permeate wide areas.

    To the ancient humans on Earth it resembled a sort of tree, since is consists of an interwoven lattice of electronic field generators and receivers.

    The electronic field detects the presence of IS-BEs, whether the IS-BE is occupying a body, or if they are outside a body.

    A portable version of this detection device was carried by each of the members of The Domain Search Party.

    Stone carvings in Sumeria show winged beings using pinecone-shaped instruments to scan the bodies of human beings. They are also shown carrying the power unit for the scanner which are depicted as stylized baskets or water buckets, being carried by eagle-headed, winged beings.

    Stone carvings in Sumeria show winged beings using pinecone-shaped instruments to scan the bodies of human beings.

    Members of the aerial unit of The Domain Search Party, led by Ahura Mazda, were often called “winged gods” in human interpretations.

    Throughout the Persian civilization there are a great many stone relief carving that depict winged space craft, that they called a “faravahar”.

    A faravahar.

    Members of the Aquatic Unit of The Domain Search Party were called “Oannes” by local humans.

    Stone carvings of the so-called Oannes are shown wearing silver diving suits. They lived in the sea and appeared to the human population to be men dressed to look like fish. Some members of the lost Battalion were found in the oceans inhabiting the bodies of dolphins or whales.

    Stone carvings of the so-called Oannes.

    Very interesting stuff.

    Therefore, although mythology and history may be based on factual events, they are likewise full of misunderstood and misinterpreted evaluations of the data, and embellished with assumptions, theories and hypotheses which are false.

    The space unit of The Domain Expeditionary Force are shown flying in a “Winged-Disc”. This is an allusion to the spiritual power of the IS-BEs, as well as to the space craft used by The Domain Search Party.

    I have no problem with this statement.

    The Commander of the lost Battalion, as Cyrus II, was an IS-BE who was regarded as a messiah on Earth by both the Jews, and the Muslims. In less than 50 years he established a highly ethical, and humanitarian philosophy which pervaded all of Western Civilization.

    Be the Rufus!

    His territorial conquests, organization of people and monumental building projects were unprecedented before or since. Such sweeping accomplishments in a short period of time could only have been achieved by a leader and a team of trained officers, pilots, engineers and crew members of a unit of The Domain, acting as a team, who had been trained and worked together for thousands of years.

    Although we have discovered the location of many of the IS-BEs in the lost Battalion, The Domain has been unable to restore their memory and return them to active duty as yet.

    Of course we cannot transport IS-BEs who are inhabiting biological bodies to the space stations of The Domain since there is no oxygen in our space craft.

    Also we do not maintain life support facilities for biological entities there.

    Our only hope has been to locate and rekindle the awareness, memory and identity of the IS-BEs of the Lost Battalion. One day they will be capable of rejoining us.

    So this differs from what many "more conventionally minded" readers might think. The Domain cannot ever rescue or recover a amnesiac IS-BE member that is in the human form. They have to find other methods to recover their memories, and then extract them from the prison system that exists. Or that did exist in 1947.

    200 BCE — Teotihuacan

    The last remnant of the “Old Empire” pyramid civilization is at “Teotihuacan“. The Aztec name means “place of the gods” or “where men were transformed into gods”.

    Like the astronomical configuration of the Giza pyramids in Egypt, the entire complex is a precise scale-model of the solar system that accurately reflects the orbital distances of the inner planets, the asteroid belt, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.

    Since the planet Uranus had only been “discovered” with modern Earth telescopes in 1787, and Pluto not until 1930, it is apparent that the builders had information from “other sources”.

    A common element of the Pyramid Civilizations around the Earth is the constant use of the image of the snake, dragon, or serpent. This is because the beings who planted these civilizations here want to create an illusion that the “gods” are reptilian.

    This is also a part of an illusion designed to perpetuate amnesia.

    The beings who placed false civilizations on Earth are IS-BEs, just like you. Many of the biological bodies inhabited by IS-BEs in the “Old Empire” are very similar in appearance to the bodies on Earth.

    The “gods” are not reptiles, although they often behave like snakes.

    I have no problem with these statements.

    1,034 – 1,124 AD – Hasan ibn-al-Sabbah

    The entire Arab world was enslaved by one man: Hasan ibn-al-Sabbah, the Old Man of the Mountain. He established the Hashshashin who operated a part of Mohammedanism which controlled by terror and fear much of India, Asia Minor and most of the Mediterranean Basin. They became a priesthood that used an extremely effective mind-control mechanism and extortion tool that enabled the “Assassins” to control the civilized world for several hundred years.

    Their method was simple. Young men were kidnapped and knocked unconscious with hashish. They were taken to a garden filled with beautiful black-eyed houris in a harem decorated with rivers of milk and honey.

    The young men were told that they were in paradise.

    They were promised they could return and live there forever if they sacrificed themselves as an assassin of whomever they were commanded to kill. The men were knocked out again, and shoved out into the world to carry out the assassination mission.

    Meanwhile, the Old Man of the Mountain sent a messenger to the caliph or, whatever wealthy ruler from whom they demanded payment, demanding camel-loads of gold, spices, incense or other valuables.

    If payment did not arrive on time, the assassin would be sent to kill the offending party.

    There was virtually no defense against the unknown assailant who wanted nothing more than to carry out his mission, be killed and return to “heaven”.

    This is a very crude example of how simple and effective a brainwashing and mind-control operation can be when it is used skillfully, and forcefully. It is a small scale demonstration of how the amnesia mind-control operation is used against the entire IS-BE population of Earth by the “Old Empire”.

    Very interesting.

    1119 AD — The Knights Templar

    The Knights Templar was established as a Christian military unit after the First Crusade.

    But (it) quickly transformed into the basis for the international banking system to accumulate money.

    (With a purpose of) conducting funding the agenda of operatives for vestiges of the “Old Empire” on Earth.

    I have no problem with this.

    1135 – 1230 AD – Old Empire Space Fleet completely removed from the solar system

    The Domain Expeditionary Force completed the annihilation of the remaining remnants of the “Old Empire” space fleet operating in the solar system around Earth.

    Unfortunately, their long established thought control operation remains largely intact.

    I have no problem with this. Just keep in mind that it was narrated back in 1947.

    1307 AD – Knights Templar disbanded

    The Knights Templar was disbanded by King Philip IV of France, who was deeply in debt to the Order.  He pressured Pope Clement V to condemn the Order’s members, have them arrested, tortured them into giving false confessions, and burned them at the stake in an effort to erase his debt by seizing all of their wealth.

    A majority of the Templars fled to Switzerland where they established an international banking system which secretly controls the economy of Earth.

    “Old Empire” operatives act as an unseen influence on international bankers.

    The "traditional" West banking system, that controls the US dollar, and all that fiat currency, isn't so much as controlled by "Jews" as it is controlled by elements of the "Old Empire" that need to fund their efforts and activities.
    
    It is no wonder that the "Old Empire" operatives are scared shitless with the advent of e-yuan and all those electronic currency options now being implemented.

    The banks are operated covertly as a on-combatant provocateur.

    (It is designed) to covertly promote and finance weapons and warfare between the nations of Earth.

    Warfare is an internal mechanism of control over the inmate population.

    This was written in 1947, and most people today in 2021 realize this with the crazy shit coming out of America today.

    The purpose of the senseless genocide and carnage of wars financed by these international banks is to prevent the IS-BEs of Earth from sharing open communication, cooperate together in activities that might enable IS-BEs to prosper, become enlightened, and escape their imprisonment.”

    I have no problem with these statements.

    End of part 4

    Sure, there are miss-translations on time, confusions in regard to galaxies and universes, and a mish-mash of confusion between consciousness+, humans, and some confusion regarding galactic “ownership” and “power projection” between different species, however this is the real deal. It fits in perfectly with everything that I know about MAJestic.

    The more I parse it in detail, the clearer to me that this is exactly what it is claimed to be.

    I will admit that I was unaware of the “Old Empire”, and the role that the Earth had as a “prison planet” for it. I am also unaware of the details regarding it.

    But as I compare what I know, and what I have experienced with what I have parsed, I have been able to “open doors” so to speak, and suddenly mysteries that I have been part of have now been explained. I can tell you that this document has really been a real benefit to me personally.

    Please do NOT read the document without reading my parsing. I think my parsing will help you all move foreword with this.

    Key Points

    Never the less, I believe the following to be true in regards to this parsing of this section of the book…

    • Everything here is true.
    • Earth is no longer a “prison planet”
    • Earth is now a “sentience nursery”.
    • Fear not an “abduction”. It’s actually a good thing. Not a bad thing.
    • Type-1 greys of “the Domain” are service-for-others sentience.
    • MAJestic is changing everything, hand in hand with the Type-1 greys.

    In regards to much of this “historical data” it is very interesting, and rings true to those of us who have read the alternative-histories that abound in the books and the internet.  Yet, we must always keep in mind that this document was recorded from an extraterrestrial that had only ten or so days in interrogation, and this is it’s statement made in 1947.

    Part five

    You can visit part five HERE.

    Do you want more?

    You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

    ET Species

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    A breakdown of the report “alien interview” by MM from a MAJ perspective (part 3)

    I have presented the PDF titled “Alien Interview” to the readership. It is supposed to be the transcripts of the interview that a nurse had with an extraterrestrial entity that was recovered from a spaceship crash in Roswell, New Mexico. There is a lot of good stuff there, and a lot of things that run counter to what I know and understand to be true. My intention here is to parse the entire book, and compare it to what I know. Where the two diverge, it will be up to you (the readership) to sort it out.

    This is part 3.

    Document appears to be genuine

    And I can tell you all that the more that I parse this document, the clearer it is (to me) that it is genuine.It is exactly what it says it is. And the extraterrestrial is actually telling the truth, so far.

    Errors

    However, there are errors in translation, and confusion in the interpretation of what is being stated. Anything concerning “time” and the translation of dates are all wrong.

    Humans think of time as “shared” and “linear”.

    The type-1 greys think of time as circular and repeating. As in, consciousness enters and exits different world lines” and if you graph that movement of consciousness you will see a “corkscrew” movement through the MWI. Which is what it was referring to. All of which was WAY beyond the concepts of anyone in Roswell at that time.

    Therefore all dates and time, and anything associated with these characteristics are in error, and can be ignored.

    This document predates MAJestic

    Also take note that this document pre-dates MAJestic, and it is crystal clear to me now, that my role was, and still is, in the rehabilitation aspects of moving the Earth from a Hellish “Prison Planet” to that of a “sentience nursery”.

    This document has (for me, personally) helped to clarify elements and aspects of my role that were “blurred” and obscured from me. To that I am eternally grateful.

    Look at the dates on my articles, and look at what I covered. You will see that they match up nearly perfectly with this “Alien Interview” transcript. And this is the first time that I have ever heard of this document. The timing was transcendental.

    This is part three of the parsing of this document

    You can view part 1 HERE.

    SUBJECT: ALIEN INTERVIEW, 26. 7. 1947, 1st Session

    “The Domain Expeditionary Force has observed a resurgence in science and culture of the Western world since 1150 AD when the remaining remnants of the space fleet of the “Old Empire” in this solar system were destroyed.

    No problem with this.

    The influence of the remote control hypnosis operation diminished slightly after that time, but still remains largely in force.

    By removing the local leadership, the impact on the "electromagnetic force projection field" wasn't really affected. It still remained in place as of 1948. Therefore, there must have been other systems, facilities, bases, and operations scattered in and around the Earth that were still functional.

    Apparently a small amount of damage was done to the “Old Empire” remote mind control operation which resulted in a small decrease in the power of this mechanism.

    This offered a clue as to the techniques and methodologies involved, but at the time of the interview little else was understood.

    As a result, some memory of technologies that IS-BEs already knew before they came to Earth started to be remembered.

    It appears to me that the methodology seemed to be stratified. And by taking out the leadership, a great deal of the suppression system disappeared.

    Thereafter the oppression of knowledge that is called the “Dark Ages” in Europe began to diminish after that time.


    Since then knowledge of the basic laws of physics and electricity have revolutionized Earth culture virtually overnight.

    No problem with this.

    The ability to remember technology by many of the geniuses in the IS-BE population of Earth was partially restored, when not so actively suppressed as it was before 1150 AD. Sir Isaac Newton, is one of the best examples of this. In only a few decades he single-handedly reinvented several major and fundamental scientific and mathematical disciplines.

    The men who “remembered” these sciences already knew them before they were sent to Earth.

    No problem with this.

    Ordinarily, no one would ever observe or discover as much about science and mathematics in a single life-time, or even in a few hundred life-times. These subjects have taken civilizations billions and billions of years to create!

    No problem with this. Genius level skills and abilities point to much deeper understandings and connections. Much the same way that I discuss world-line travel int he MWI. I did not "invent" it. It's knowledge that lies all around us, it's just that the suppression field keeps this knowledge from us.

    IS-BEs on Earth have only just begun to remember small fragments of all the technologies that exist throughout the universe. Theoretically, if the amnesia mechanisms being used against Earth could be broken entirely, IS-BEs would regain all of their memory!

    We can only hope! But it will take time, and it cannot happen too quickly, as the result would be catastrophic. So things need to be nurtured into place.

    Unfortunately, similar advances have not been seen in the humanities as the IS-BEs of Earth continue to behave very badly toward each other.

    I have no problem with this statement.

    This behavior, however, is heavily influenced by the “hypnotic commands” given to each IS-BE between lifetimes.

    I have no problem with this. The pre-birth world-line template is what he is talking about. Though in different terms, adjusted to the mindset of Roswell military leadership in 1948. Specifically, he is referring the the consciousness components that are established and associated with the pre-birth world-line template.

    And, the very unusual combination of “inmates” on Earth – criminals, perverts, artists, revolutionaries and geniuses – is the cause of a very restive and tumultuous environment.

    No problem with this.

    The purpose of the prison planet is to keep IS-BEs on Earth, forever.

    I have no problem with this.

    Promoting ignorance, superstition, and war between IS-BEs helps to keep the prison population crippled and trapped behind “the wall” of electronic force screens.

    I have no problem with this.

    IS-BEs have been dumped on Earth from all over the galaxy, adjoining galaxies, and from planetary systems all over the “Old Empire”, like Sirius, Aldebaran, the Pleiades, Orion, Draconis, and countless others.

    I am sure that he is referring to star names that the pitiful astronomic knowledge of the Roswell military leadership would recognize. In truth, most civilizations are around much cooler, older, and stable stars. Not the short lived, blazing, and highly transitory stars that he specifically named.

    There are IS-BEs on Earth from unnamed races, civilizations, cultural backgrounds, and planetary environments. Each of the various IS-BE populations have their own languages, belief systems, moral values, religious beliefs, training and unknown and untold histories.

    I have no problem with this.

    These IS-BEs are mixed together with earlier inhabitants of Earth who came from another star system more than 400,000 years ago to establish the civilizations of Atlanta and Lemuria.

    Do not get too caught up in the conventional narratives about "Atlantis" and "Lemuria". That is sure as Hell a route to send you all down into a black hole that you will have a difficult time extracting yourself from.
    
    All evidence, all over the world, points to tool making humanoids around 400,000 years ago. This predates the normally accepted histories of the rise and evolution of man.
    
    The sudden appearance of these humanoid civilizations at 400,000 BCE is clearly indicative of transplanted civilizations.
    
    The size, magnitude and locations of their communities are (as of now) lost in time. Do not get too worked up about the details. Just realize the most basic history.

    Those civilizations vanished beneath the tidal waves caused by a planetary “polar shift”, many thousands of years before the current “prison” population started to arrive.

    Important points here. 
    
    Humanoid colonies were established on the Earth. These eventually were destroyed or collapsed by natural events. 
    
    Following that destruction was the rise of native proto-humans. 
    
    It was during that period came the creation of the Earth as  "Prison Planet" as part of the "Old Empire".

    Apparently, the IS-BEs from those star systems were the source of the original, oriental races of Earth, beginning in Australia.

    The "oriental races", such as the Chinese, the Japanese, the Koreans, and the Indians were all descended from the pre-deluge colonies.

    On the other hand, the civilizations set up on Earth by the “Old Empire” prison system were very different from the civilization of the “Old Empire” itself.

    I have no problem with this statement.

    Which is an electronic space opera, atomic powered conglomeration of earlier civilizations that were conquered with nuclear weapons and colonized by IS-BEs from another galaxy.

    The civilizations set up on Earth differed from the "Old Empire". They are "artificial" and retarded societies. 
    
    This was intentional.
    
    The idea (I am sure) was to create a place of perpetual hardship and torture. A place where everyone was constantly fighting, where starvation, and hardship was normal.

    The Earth was set up to be a perpetual prison where the inmates were trapped to relive Hell over and over again.

    The bureaucracy that controlled the former “Old Empire” was from an ancient space opera society, run by a totalitarian confederation of planetary governments, regulated by a brutal social, economic, and political hierarchy, with a royal monarch as its figurehead.

    It appears to me that this is exactly the kinds of societies that have been setup throughout human history, with the most advanced and strongest manifestations being the current United States, and Western Europe.
    
    Were I to be an administrator of the "Old Empire" that was in charge of this Earth "Prison Plant", and realized that "The Domain" has invaded and taken control, I would flee. But where to? It seems to me that the most likely location would be on Earth itself and to occupy the bodies of the ruling classes. There I could live a life as I have become accustomed to living.

    This type of government emerges with regularity on planets where the citizens abandon personal responsibility for autonomous, self-regulation.

    I have no problem with this statement.

    They frequently lose their freedom to demented IS-BEs who suffer from an overwhelming paranoia that every other IS-BE is their enemy who must be controlled or destroyed.

    I have no problem with this statement.

    Their closest friends and allies, whom they espouse to love and cherish, are literally “loved to death” by them.

    I have no problem with this statement.

    Because such IS-BEs exist, The Domain has learned that freedom must be won and maintained through eternal vigilance and the ability to use defensive force to maintain it.

    I have no problem with this statement. Additionally, I believe that the military leadership at Roswell, would have agreed with this comment as well.

    As a result, The Domain has already conquered the governing planet of the “Old Empire”.

    I was unaware about any of the information regarding the "Old Empire", but I do believe what is being stated.

    The civilization of The Domain, although considerably younger and smaller in size, is already more powerful, better organized, and united by a egalitarian esprit de corps never known in the history of the “Old Empire”.

    I have no problem with this, and I am sure that the Roswell military leadership would recognize this as well.

    The recently despoiled German totalitarian state on Earth was similar to the “Old Empire”, but not nearly as brutal, and about ten thousand times less powerful.

    This statement is directly directed to the Roswell military leadership.

    Many of the IS-BEs on Earth are here because they are violently opposed to totalitarian government, or because they were so psychotically vicious that they could not be controlled by “Old Empire” government.

    Which tends to be the case in most American prisons today.

    Consequently, the population of Earth is disproportionately comprised of a very high percentage of such beings. The conflicting cultural and ethical moral codes of the IS-BEs on Earth is unusual in the extreme.

    I have no problem with this statement.

    The Domain conquest of the central “Old Empire” planets was fought with electronic cannon.

    I think that many readers will not understand. They will probably think of some "new" type of weapon, or a weaponized ray gun based on Nikola Tesla technology. 
    
    This is wrong. 
    
    What he is actually talking about is a weapon that disrupts the consciousness+ in much the same way that the "electromagnetic force screen" disrupted the lives of the consciousnesses on Earth. This type of weapon would be very powerful against consciousness, but do little damage to physical structures.

    The citizens of the planets forming the core of government for the “Old Empire” are a filthy, degraded, slave society of mindless, tax-paying workers, who practice cannibalism. Violent automotive race tracks and bloody, Roman circus type entertainments are their only amusements.

    Pretty much sounds like America today.

    America today.

    Regardless of any reasonable justification we may have had for using atomic weapons to vanquish the planets of the “Old Empire”, The Domain is careful not to ruin the resources of those planets by using weapons of crude, radioactive force.

    The Domain did not use massive weapons like we would associate with war. 
    
    They used disruptive electromagnetically designed beam weapons that upset the consciousness stability in the physical realms.

    The current U.S. civilization is beginning to mimic some of the trappings of that civilization, especially in the design of airplanes, automobiles, ships, trains, and telephones. Likewise, buildings in the cities of Earth are thought to be “modern” or “futuristic” if their design resembles the architecture of the “Old Empire”.

    Yes. I believe this. And this statement was made in 1947.

    The government of the “Old Empire”, before being supplanted by The Domain, was comprised of beings who possessed a very craven intelligence, very much like the Axis powers during your recent world war. Those beings manifested precisely the same behavior as the galactic government that exiled them to eternal imprisonment on Earth.

    A bit confused wording. 
    
    The ruling class of the "Old Empire" very much resembled Nazi Germany. 
    
    And the Nazi Germans exhibited the same behaviors that the leadership of the "Old Empire" maintained. 
    
    I can see this information resonating with the Roswell generals and leadership in 1947.

    They were a gruesome reminder of the ageless maxim that an IS-BE will often manifest the treatment they have received from others. Kindness fosters kindness. Cruelty begets cruelty.

    No problem with this.

    One must be able and willing to use force, tempered with intelligence, to prevent harm to the innocent.

    No problem with this.

    However, extraordinary understanding, self-discipline and courage are required to effectively prevent brutality, without being overwhelmed by the malice that motivated the brutality.

    It takes a special kind of sentience to rise above the brutality that you suffered through. Not necessarily to find and giver forgiveness, but to prevent it from ever happening again.

    Only a demonic, self-serving government would employ a “logic” or “science” to conceive that an “ultimate solution” to any problem is to murder and permanently erase the memory of every artist, genius, skilled manager, and inventor, and cast them into a planetary prison together with political opponents, killers, thieves, perverts, and disabled beings of an entire galaxy!

    "Tell me about it."
    
    Oh how well I know this! If you have any doubts about my experience on this, read about how I was "retired" from MAJestic.

    Once the IS-BEs expelled from the “Old Empire” arrived on Earth, they were given amnesia, and hypnotically tricked into thinking that something else had happened to them.

    It discusses the process. I have no problem with this.

    The next step was to implant the IS-BEs into biological bodies on Earth. The bodies became the human populations of “false civilizations” which were designed and installed in the minds of IS-BEs to look completely unlike the “Old Empire”.

    I have no problem with this. It's a logical extension.

    All of the IS-BEs of India, Egypt, Babylon, Greece, Rome, and Medieval Europe were guided to pattern and build the cultural elements of these societies based on standard patterns developed by the IS-BEs of many earlier, similar civilizations on “Sun Type 12, Class 7” planets that have existed for trillions of years throughout the universe.

    I have no problems with this. The civilization archetypes are quite standard.

    In the earliest times the IS-BEs sent to prison Earth lived in India.

    When Earth was used as a "Prison Planet", the very first convicts were sent to ancient India. At that time, my guess is that this was the most populated, or densely populated area on the Earth. Certainly not like it is today, but more populated than say Africa, or Europe.

    They gradually spread into Mesopotamia, Egypt, Mesoamerica, Achaea, Greece, Rome, Medieval Europe, and to the New World.

    It stated that the migration and expansion of the prison population moved Westward not East. Eventually moving into the  Mediterranean Sea, and associated civilizations there. Into Europe, and then into the Americas.
    
    They did not move into the East, as these areas had descendants of prior civilizations (Atlantis and Lemuria) which maintained the Asian genetic code.

    They were hypnotically “commanded” to follow the pattern of a given civilization by the “Old Empire” prison operators.

    This would be pre-structuring, or "front-loading" the pre-birth world-line template by consciousness component attributes.

    This is an effective mechanism to disguise the actual time and location from the IS-BEs imprisoned on Earth. The languages, costumes and culture of each false civilization are intended to reinforce amnesia because they do not remind the IS-BEs on Earth of the original “Old Empire” planets from which they were deported.

    This make sense. You remove anything that might trigger a memory. You make everything, new, different and contentious.

    On the very far back-track of time these types of civilizations tended to repeat themselves over and over because the IS-BEs who created them become familiar with certain patterns and styles, and stayed with them.

    I have no problem with this.

    It is a lot of work to invent an entire civilization, complete with culture, architecture, language, customs, mathematics, moral values, and so forth. It is much easier to replicate a copy based on a familiar and successful pattern.

    I have no problem with this.

    A “Sun Type 12, Class 7” planet is the designation given to a planet inhabited by carbon-oxygen based life forms.

    This is in 1947. Long, long before the television series "Star Trek". No one ever thought like this back then. Not even in the wildest dreams of the scientists of the day, no one ever thought like this.

    The class of the planet is based on the size and radiation intensity of the star, the distance of the planetary orbit from the star, and the size, density, gravity, and chemical composition of the planet. Likewise, flora and fauna are designated and identified according to the star type and class of planet they inhabit.

    I have no problem with this.

    On the average, the percentage of planets in the physical universe with a breathable atmosphere is relatively small.

    I have no problem with this. While life abounds in the universe, the idea that there are lifeforms identical to what we have on the Earth isn't as common as we would hope for.

    Most planets do not have an atmosphere upon which life-forms “feed”, as on Earth, where the chemical composition of the atmosphere provides nutrition to plants, and other organisms, which in turn support other life forms.

    I have no problem with this. 
    
    Though, when it was addressing the Roswell leadership it was speaking in terms that they could understand, such as human-like creatures and intelligence's. Today, we would widen up the scope a bit, and include all types of microbes and other bacterial forms.

    When the Domain Force brought the Vedic Hymns to the Himalayas region 8,200 years ago, some human societies already existed. The Aryan people invaded and conquered India, bringing the Vedic Hymns to the area.

    What was discussed by the Type-1 extraterrestrial in 1947 is common knowledge today.

    Population migration out of India.

    The Vedas were learned by them, memorized and carried forward verbally for 7,000 years before being committed to written form.

    During that span of time one of the officers of The Domain Expeditionary Force was incarnated on Earth as “Vishnu”. He is described many times in the Rig-Veda. He is still considered to be a god by the Hindus.

    Vishnu fought in the religious wars against the “Old Empire” forces. He is a very able and aggressive IS-BE as well as a highly effective officer, who has since been reassigned to other duties in The Domain.

    This Domain officer inhabited a human body and was involved in the teaching and changing the conditions of the human civilization at that time. It was never erased, and never sentenced to the "Prison Planet" and is now performing other duties within the Domain.

    This entire episode was orchestrated as an attack and revolt against the Egyptian pantheon installed by “Old Empire” administrators.

    The type-1 greys planned and orchestrated this and other series of battles and Geo-political posturings to help break the grip of the "electro-magnetic force screen" that had so completely incarcerated them.

    The conflict was intended to help free humankind from implanted elements of the false civilization that focused attention on many “gods” and superstitious ritual worship demanded by the priests who “managed” them. It is all part of the mental manipulation by the “Old Empire” to hide their criminal actions against the IS-BEs on Earth.

    I have no problem with this.

    A priesthood, or prison guards, were used to help reinforce the idea that an individual, is only a biological body, and is not an Immortal Spiritual Being. The individual has no identity. The individuals have no past lives. The individual has no power. Only the gods have power. And, the gods are a contrivance of the priests who intercede between men and the gods they serve.

    It's a power control mechanism,. I have no problem with this.

    Men are slaves to the dictates of the priests who threaten eternal spiritual punishment if men do not obey them.

    I have no problem with this. This is a theme that has been repeated over, and over, and over again. From the Americas, to Europe, to Egypt, to Rome, to today inside of America, and televangelists.

    What else would one expect on a prison planet where all prisoners have amnesia, and the priests themselves are prisoners?

    I have no problem with this.

    The intervention of The Domain Force on Earth has not been entirely successful due to the secret mind-control operation of the “Old Empire” that still continues to operate.

    As of 1947, the Dominion has not been all that successful erasing the programming and changing the destructive paths that mankind was set upon.

    A battle was waged between the “Old Empire” forces and The Domain through religious conquest.

    The attempts to change the planetary system began around 8,000 BCE, and wasn't really all that successful.

    Between 1500 BCE and about 1200 BCE, The Domain Forces attempted to teach the concept of an individual, Immortal Spiritual Being to several influential beings on Earth.

    A new avenue, or methodology was attempted during a 300 year span of time. It started around 1500 BCE.

    One such instance resulted in a very tragic misunderstanding, misinterpretation and misapplication of the concept. The idea was perverted and applied to mean that there is only one IS-BE, instead of the truth that everyone is an IS-BE! Obviously, this was a gross incomprehension and an utter unwillingness to take responsibility for one’s own power.

    What a fiasco!

    The “Old Empire” priests managed to corrupt the concept of individual immortality into the idea that there is only one, all-powerful IS-BE, and that no one else is or is allowed to be an IS-BE. Obviously, this is the work of the “Old Empire” amnesia operation.

    I have no problem with this statement.

    It is easy to teach this altered notion to beings who do not want to be responsible for their own lives. Slaves are such beings. As long as one chooses to assign responsibility for creation, existence and personal accountability for one’s own thoughts and actions to others, one is a slave.

    Which is a major issue going on inside the United States today.

    As a result, the concept of a single monotheistic “god” resulted and was promoted by many self-proclaimed prophets, such as the Jewish slave leaderMoses -who grew up in the household of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III and his son, Akhenaten and his wife Nefertiti, as well as his son Tutankhamen.

    I am not well versed in the lineages of Ancient Egypt. However, I can see how this could take place.

    The attempt to teach certain beings on Earth the truth that they are, themselves, IS-BEs, was part of a plan to overthrow the fictional, metaphorical, anthropomorphic panoply of gods created by the “Old Empire” mystery cult called “The Brothers of The Serpent” known in Egypt as the Priests of Amun.

    News to me, but I can see it happening.

    They were a very ancient, secret society within the “Old Empire”.

    I have no problem with this statement.

    The Pharaoh Akhenaten was not a very intelligent being, and was heavily influenced by his personal ambition for self-glorification. He altered the concept of the individual spiritual being and embodied the concept in the sun god, Aten. His pitiful existence was soon ended. He was assassinated by Maya and Parennefer, two of the Priests of Amun, or “Amen”, which the Christians still say, who represented the interests of the “Old Empire” forces.

    I am not well versed in Ancient Egyptian history, but this does make sense and could very well have happened.

    The idea of “One God” was perpetuated by the Hebrew leader Moses while he was in Egypt. He left Egypt with his adopted people, the Jewish slaves. While they were crossing the desert, Moses was intercepted by an operative of the “Old Empire” near Mt. Sinai. Moses was tricked into believing that this operative was “the” One God through the use of hypnotic commands, as well as technical and aesthetic tricks which are commonly used by the “Old Empire” to trap IS-BEs.

    I have no problem with this statement.

    Thereafter, the Jewish slaves, who trusted the word of Moses implicitly, have worshiped a single god they call “Yaweh“.

    I have no problem with this statement.

    The name “Yaweh” means “anonymous”, as the IS-BE who “worked with” Moses could not use an actual name or anything that would identify himself, or blow the cover of the amnesia/prison operation. The last thing the covert amnesia/hypnosis/prison system wants to do is to reveal themselves openly to the IS-BEs on Earth. They feel that this would restore the inmates memories!

    I have no problem with this statement.

    This is the reason that all traces of physical encounters between operatives of space civilizations and humans is very carefully hidden, disguised, covered-up, denied or misdirected.

    I have no problem with this statement.

    This “Old Empire” operative contacted Moses on a desert mountain top and delivered the “Ten Hypnotic Commands” to him. These commands are very forcefully worded, and compel an IS-BE into utter subservience to the will of the operator. These hypnotic commands are still in effect and influence the thought patterns of millions of IS-BEs thousands of years later!

    So, and if you read this exactly as written. It states that any of the ten commandments trigger hypnotic commands. And thus are used by the "Old Empire" to influence the will of the people who thus believe them. Petty powerful, and yes, even dangerous stuff. 
    
    Is it true or not? I do not know.

    Incidentally, we later discovered that the so-called “Yaweh” also wrote, programmed and encoded the text of the Torah, which when it is read literally, or in its decoded, form, will provide a great deal more false information to those who read it.

    The type-1 extraterrestrial is saying that all of the major religions at that time spouted writings which were trigger hypnotic commands, and thus influenced all the people who read or listened to them.

    Ultimately, the Vedic Hymns became the source of nearly all of Eastern the religions and were the philosophical source of the ideas common to Buddha, Laozi, Zoroaster , and other philosophers.

    So it spread throughout the world...

    The civilizing influences of these philosophies eventually replaced the brutal idolatry of the “Old Empire” religions and were the true genesis of kindness and compassion.

    You asked me earlier why The Domain, and other space civilizations do not land on Earth or make their presence known. Land on Earth? Do you think we are crazy or want to be crazy?

    Obviously, it knew very well how to respond to the questions poised by the Roswell military leadership.

    It takes a very brave IS-BE to come down through the atmosphere and land on Earth, because this is a prison planet, with a very uncontrolled, psychotic population.

    Well stated, and factually correct.

    And, no IS-BE is entirely proof against the risk of entrapment, as with the members of The Domain Expeditionary Force who were captured in the Himalayas 8,200 years ago.

    As powerful as the type-1 greys of the Dominion are, they can be hurt and harmed. And they need to be very cautious when they are in dangerous situations and dangerous people.

    No one knows what IS-BEs on Earth are going to do.

    I think that is is a very accurate statement.

    We are not scheduled to invest the resources of The Domain to take total control of all the space surrounding the area at this time.

    This should be well understood.

    This will occur in the not-to-distant future – about 5,000 Earth years – according to the time schedule of The Domain.

    I believe that this time-line has sped up substantially with the formation of MAJestic, and with people such as MM, and Sebastian providing "boots on the ground" and performing various "anchoring" activities.

    At this time we do not prevent transports from other planetary systems or galaxies from continuing to drop IS-BEs into the amnesia force screen area.

    A couple of points here.
    
    [1] In 1947, the Domain did not prevent interstellar "drop offs". I do know that that policy changed when I was active in MAJestic.
    
    [2] The "amnesia force screen area" is a specific region. It is not infinite. It has geographic boundaries, and limits.

    Eventually, this will change.

    In addition, Earth, inherently, is a highly unstable planet. It is not suitable for settlement or permanent habitation for any sustainable civilization. This is part of the reason why it is being used as a prison planet.

    This is a serious point that no one, in any analysis that I have read really understands. Contrary to the other statements about O, B and A stars, (Those were proximity locations for civilization anchors, not the homes of specific species themselves) most civilizations prefer the cooler, longer life, K, M and drown dwarfs for civilization stability.
    
    The next point(s) are all very important and you all should read them, and pay attention to them.

    No one else would seriously consider living here for a variety of simple and compelling reasons:

    • The continental land masses of Earth are floating on a sea of molten lava beneath the surface which causes the land masses to crack, crumble and drift continually.
    • Because of the liquid nature of the core, the planet is largely volcanic and subject to earthquakes and volcanic explosions.
    • The magnetic poles of the planet shift radically about once every 20, 000 years.  This causes a greater or lesser degree of devastation as a result of tidal waves, and climatic changes.
    This was written long before "Worlds in Collision".
    • Earth is very distant from the center of the galaxy and from any other significant galactic civilization. This isolation makes it unsuitable for use, except as a “pit stop” or jumping off point along the way between galaxies. The moon and asteroids are far more suitable for this purpose because they do not have any significant gravity.
    Our solar system is in a relatively "rural area" in our galaxy. Though, the center of our galaxy is rather dangerous for us humans, it isn't for other species that have adapted to that environment.
    • Earth is a heavy gravity planet, with heavy metallic soil and a dense atmosphere. This makes it treacherous for navigational purposes. That fact that I am in this room, as the result of an in flight accident, in spite of the technology of my craft and my extensive expertise as a pilot, are proof of these facts.
    • There are approximately sixty billion Earth-like (Sun Type 12, Class 7) planets in the Milky Way galaxy alone, not to mention the vast expanses of The Domain, and the territories we will claim in the future. It is difficult to stretch our resources to do much more than a periodic reconnaissance of Earth. Especially when there are no immediate advantages to invest resources here.
    • On Earth most beings are not aware that they are IS-BEs, or that there are spirits of any kind. Many other beings are aware of this, but nearly everyone has a very limited understanding of themselves as an IS-BE.

    One of the reasons for this is that IS-BEs have been waging war against each other since the beginning of time.

    I have no problem with this.

    The purpose of these wars have always been to establish domination by one IS-BE or group of IS-BEs over another. Since an IS-BE cannot be “killed”, the objective has been to capture and immobilize IS-BEs. This has been done in an nearly unlimited variety of ways. The most basic method to capture and immobilize an IS-BE is through the use of various kinds of “traps”.

    I prefer the use of the term "snare" instead. But I am sure that the point was made in the communication narrative.

    IS-BE traps have been made and put in place by many invading societies, such as the one that established the “Old Empire”, beginning about sixty-four trillion years ago.

    Again, ignore the dates and time. They are wholly messed up and incomprehensible to the translator and the Roswell military leadership audience.

    Traps are often set up in the “territory” of the IS-BEs being attacked. Usually a trap is set with the electronic wave of “beauty” to attract the interest and attention of the IS-BE. When the IS-BE moves toward the source of the aesthetic wave, such as a beautiful building or beautiful music, the trap is activated by the energy put out by the IS-BE.

    A trap or snare of beauty, or attractiveness. Yikes!

    One of the most common trap mechanism uses the IS-BE’s own thought energy output when the IS-BE tries to attack or fight back against the trap. The trap is activated and energized by the IS-BE’s own thought energy. The harder the IS-BE fights against the trap, the more it pulls the IBS toward it and keeps them “stuck” in the trap.

    It's like trying to stop smoking, by just smoking the last pack instead of throwing it away.

    Throughout the entire history of this physical universe, vast areas of space have been taken over and colonized by IS-BE societies who invade and take over new areas of space in this fashion.

    Not just the "Old Empire", but many others. The universe has a history of consciousness dominance.

    In the past, these invasions have always shared common elements:

    • the overwhelming use of force of arms, usually with nuclear or electronic weapons.
    • mind control of the IS-BEs in the invaded area through the use of electroshock, drugs, hypnosis, erasure of memory and the implantation of false memory or false information intended to subjugate and enslave the local IS-BE population.
    • take over of natural resources by the invading IS-BEs.
    • political, economic and social slavery of the local population.

    These activities continue in present time.

    I have no problem with these statements.

    All of the IS-BEs on Earth have been members of one or more of these activities in the past, both as an invader, or as part of the population being invaded. There are no “saints” in this universe. Very few have avoided or been exempted from warfare between IS-BEs.

    I have no problem with these statements.

    IS-BEs on Earth are still the victims of this activity at this very moment. The between-lives amnesia administered to IS-BEs is one on the mechanisms of an elaborate system of “Old Empire” IS-BE traps, that prevent an IS-BE from escaping.

    I have no problem with these statements.

    This operation is managed by an illicit, renegade secret police force of the “Old Empire”, using false provocation operations to disguise their activities in order to prevent detection by their own government, The Domain and by the victims of their activities.

    All this is news to me, but it does explain the fear and concern that the Type-1 grey has when dealing with humans. I can tell you that things have improved significantly once MAJestic became involved. And movement with the type-1 greys and other species proceeded unhindered and unmolested.

    They are mind-control methods developed by government psychiatrists.

    Of course. I have no problem with this statement.

    Earth is a “ghetto” planet. It is the result of an intergalactic “Holocaust”.

    This is news to me, but I can see it happening by a very big, very corrupt and very powerful "Old Empire".

    IS-BEs have been sentenced to Earth either because:

    • They are too viciously insane or perverse to function as part of any civilization, no matter how degraded or corrupt.
    • Or, they are a revolutionary threat to the social, economic and political caste system that has been so carefully built and brutally enforced in the “Old Empire”. Biological bodies are specifically designed and designated as the lowest order of entity in the “Old Empire” caste system. When an IS-BE is sent to Earth, and then tricked or coerced into operating in a biological body, they are actually in a prison, inside a prison.
    • In an effort to permanently and irreversibly rid the “Old Empire” of such “untouchables”, the eternal identity, memory, and abilities of every IS-BE is forcefully erased. This “final solution”  was conceived and carried out by the psychopathic criminals who are controlled by the “Old Empire”.
    I have no problem with these statements.

    The mass extermination of “untouchables” and prison camps created by Germany during World War II were recently revealed. Likewise, the IS-BEs of Earth are the victims of spiritual eradication and eternal slavery inside frail, biological bodies, inspired by the same kind of craven hatred in the “Old Empire”.

    I have no problem with these statements.

    The kind and creative inmates of Earth are continuously tortured by butchers and lunatics who are controlled by the “Old Empire” prison operators. The so-called “civilizations” of Earth, from the age of useless pyramids to the age of nuclear holocaust, have been a colossal waste of natural resources, a perverted use of intelligence, and an overt oppression of the spiritual essence of every single IS-BE on the planet.

    I have no problem with these statements.

    If The Domain sent ships to every corner of the universe in search of “Hell”, their quest could end on Earth. What greater brutality can be inflicted on anyone than to erase the spiritual awareness, identity, ability, and memory that is the essence of oneself?

    I have no problem with these statements.

    The Domain has, as yet, been unable to rescue the 3,000 IS-BEs of the Expeditionary Force Battalion either. They are forced to inhabit biological bodies on Earth. We have been able to recognize and track most of them for the past 8,000 years. However, our attempts to communicate with them are usually futile, as they are unable to remember their true identity.

    I have no problem with these statements. However, I do know that there is a program with "abductees" who are taken to type-1 grey facilities and undergo biological monitoring, cleansing techniques, and other procedures designed to rehabilitate them.
    
    MAJestic members (such as myself) participate in various ways. Sometimes assisting, sometimes providing <redacted> and sometimes being part of the procedure ourselves.
    
    I myself have taken part in these rehabilitation procedures, and I even wrote up about one. I think I wrote about it last year or so.
    
    Wouldn't it truly be something if I was one of the lost legion!
    
    Anyways, all this stuff about "abductions" are misinterpretations of important efforts made to take care of the consciousnesses+ that inhabit this Earth wide region.

    The majority of lost members of The Domain force have followed the general progression of Western civilization from India, into the Middle East, then to Chaldea, and Babylon, into Egypt, through Achaia, Greece, Rome, into Europe, to the Western Hemisphere, and then all around the world.

    I can tell you that all MAJestic members must be of service-to-others sentience, and that is the sentience that all of the Type-1 greys that I have encountered possessed. I cannot help but to believe that any members of the lost members of the Domain would also possess this sentience.

    The members of the lost Battalion and many other IS-BEs on Earth, could be valuable citizens of The Domain, not including those who are vicious criminals or perverts. Unfortunately, there has been no workable method conceived to emancipate the IS-BEs from Earth.

    As of 1947. I believe that this situation has changed somewhat. I can tell you that <redacted>.

    Therefore, as a matter of common logic, as well as the official policy of The Domain, it is safer and more sensible to avoid contact with the IS-BE population of Earth until such time as the proper resources can be allocated to locate and destroy the “Old Empire” force screen and amnesia machinery and develop a therapy to restore the memory of an IS-BE.”

    I agree with this, and I personally believe that this situation changed one year later when MAJestic was formed. And that substantial strides and changes were made and implemented throughout the 1980's and 1990's up until my retirement as well as the mass retirement of everyone within my cluster of cells.

    End of part 3

    Sure, there are miss-translations on time, confusions in regard to galaxies and universes, and a mish-mash of confusion between consciousness+, humans, and some confusion regarding galactic “ownership” and “power projection” between different species, however this is the real deal. It fits in perfectly with everything that I know about MAJestic.

    The more I parse it in detail, the clearer to me that this is exactly what it is claimed to be.

    I will admit that I was unaware of the “Old Empire”, and the role that the Earth had as a “prison planet” for it. I am also unaware of the details regarding it.

    But as I compare what I know, and what I have experienced with what I have parsed, I have been able to “open doors” so to speak, and suddenly mysteries that I have been part of have now been explained. I can tell you that this document has really been a real benefit to me personally. I have seen and read many, many, MANY faked bullshit nonsense on the internet. But folks, this is the real deal. It has been able to unlock some things that only I know, and open them and suddenly all sorts of puzzle pieces that I have participated in, like <redacted> and the time that <redacted> with the particular <redacted> explains the ancient <redacted> and the especial oddity that I encountered when dealing with the Oxia Palus <redacted>.

    I well remember an event that I had regarding a world-line slide, and it really was a mystery to me. Most of the time, I would just brush them off as just odd things that I had to endure, but on one occasion it seemed to me that they all fit together, and when <redacted> which brought me to the understanding of the anchoring process for world-line groupings, and at this time the <redacted> along with a type-1 grey were involved in <redacted> and it clearly showed to me that there MUST have been a previous or prior Empire or federation” of some sort, or of some type that were involved in <redacted> to such an extent. All requiring some kind of “work around” to accomplish specific goals and changes. Now I know.

    The solution to the reversal of the amnesia was tied to the “world-line” anchoring that I have been so painfully involved in these last three decades. And with that, and the understanding that the <redacted> of the various attributes <redacted> fit in the consciousness <redacted> collaboration <redacted> reconfiguration by region, time, and <redacted>.

    I just cannot express myself in any way that you can understand. Guys! This is the missing cypher.

    Please do NOT read the document without reading my parsing. I think my parsing will help you all move foreword with this.

    Key Points

    Never the less, I believe the following to be true in regards to this parsing of this section of the book…

    • Everything here is true.
    • Earth is no longer a “prison planet”
    • Earth is now a “sentience nursery”.
    • Fear not an “abduction”. It’s actually a good thing. Not a bad thing.
    • Type-1 greys of “the Domain” are service-for-others sentience.
    • MAJestic is changing everything, hand in hand with the Type-1 greys.

    Part four

    You can visit part four HERE.

    Do you want more?

    You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

    ET Species

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    A breakdown of the report “alien interview” by MM from a MAJ perspective (part 2)

    I have presented the PDF titled “Alien Interview” to the readership. It is supposed to be the transcripts of the interview that a nurse had with an extraterrestrial entity that was recovered from a spaceship crash in Roswell, New Mexico. There is a lot of good stuff there, and a lot of things that run counter to what I know and understand to be true. My intention here is to parse the entire book, and compare it to what I know. Where the two diverge, it will be up to you (the readership) to sort it out.

    This is part 2.

    You can view part 1 HERE.

    SUBJECT: ALIEN INTERVIEW, 25. 7. 1947, 1st Session

    “Before you can understand the subject of history, you must first understand the subject of time. Time is simply an arbitrary measurement of the motion of objects through space.

    No problem with this.

    Space is not linear. Space is determined by the point of view of an IS-BE when viewing a object. The distance between an IS-BE and the object being viewed is called “space”.

    No problem with this.

    Objects, or energy masses, in space do not necessarily move in a linear fashion. In this universe, objects tend to move randomly or in a curving or cyclical pattern, or as determined by agreed upon rules.

    No problem with this.

    History is not only a linear record of events, as many authors of Earth history books imply, because it is not a string that can be stretched out and marked like a measuring tool. History is a subjective observation of the movement of objects through space, recorded from the point of view of a survivor, rather than of those who succumbed.

    No problem with this.

    Events occur interactively and concurrently, just as the biological body has a heart that pumps blood, while the lungs provide oxygen to the cells, which reproduce, using energy from the sun and chemicals from plants, at the same time as the liver strains toxic wastes from the blood, and eliminates them through the bladder and the bowels.

    All of these interactions are concurrent and simultaneous. Although time runs consecutively, events do not happen in an independent, linear stream. In order to view and understand the history or reality of the past, one must view all events as part of an interactive whole. Time can also be sensed as a vibration which is uniform throughout the entire physical universe.

    No problem with this.

    Airl explained that IS-BEs have been around since before the beginning of the universe. The reason they are called “immortal”, is because a “spirit” is not born and cannot die, but exists in a personally postulated perception of “is – will be”. She was careful to explain that every spirit is not the same. Each is completely unique in identity, power, awareness and ability.

    No problem with this.

    The difference between an IS-BE like Airl and most of the IS-BEs inhabiting bodies on Earth, is that Airl can enter and depart from her “doll” at will. She can perceive at selective depths through matter. Airl and other officers of The Domain can communicate telepathically. Since an IS-BE is not a physical universe entity it has no location in space or time. An IS-BE is literally, “immaterial”.

    No problem with this.

    They can span great distances of space instantly.

    No problem with this.

    They can experience sensations, more intensely than a biological body, without the use of physical sensory mechanisms. An IS-BE can exclude pain from their perception. Airl can also remember her “identity”, so to speak, all the way back into the dim mists of time, for trillions of years!

    No problem with this.

    She says that the existing collection of suns in this immediate vicinity of the universe have been burning for the last 200 trillion years. The age of the physical universe is nearly infinitely old, but probably at least four quadrillion years since its earliest beginnings.

    Not true. 
    
    You can calculate the age of a star based upon how long it takes to burn. A star is like this big tureen of fuel, that is on fire. The fire will burn and burn until all the fuel is gone. There is a relationship between the mass of the star, the size of the star, and it's longevity. 
    
    The oldest stars in our Milky Way galaxy are 13.4 billion years, give or take 800 million years. This is somewhat close to what the age of the Universe is (which hovers around 13.7 billion years).
    
    Personally, I believe that this paragraph is an error in understanding by the translator.
    
    All the statements leading up to this point discussed consciousness+. And then suddenly "out of the blue" comes this discussion about physical stars. It is totally and completely out of place, and out of context to the thought stream. Thus, I believe that the translator miss-translated it.
    
    My best guess is that the extraterrestrial was trying to continue on this statement...
    
    "Airl can also remember her "identity", so to speak, all the way back into the dim mists of time, for trillions of years!"
    
    In which case the proper translation should have been...
    
    "She says that the existing collection of consciousness+ in this (particular) immediate vicinity of the universe have been in existence for the last 200 trillion years."
    
    It far out-dates the physical universe. Which is something that I agree with.

    Time is a difficult factor to measure as it depends on the subjective memory of IS-BEs and there has been no uniform record of events throughout the physical universe since it began.

    No problem with this.

    As on Earth, there are many different time measurement systems, defined by various cultures, which use cycles of motion, and points of origin to establish age and duration.

    No problem with this.

    The physical universe itself is formed from the convergence and amalgamation of many other individual universes, each one of which were created by an IS-BE or group of IS-BEs.

    No problem with this. A universe is created as a tool by a consciousness, or a group of consciousnesses.

    The collision of these illusory universes commingled and coalesced and were solidified to form a mutually created universe.

    No problem with this.

    Because it is agreed that energy and forms can be created, but not destroyed, this creative process has continued to form an ever-expanding universe of nearly infinite physical proportions.

    No problem with this.

    Before the formation of the physical universe there was a vast period during which universes were not solid, but wholly illusionary. You might say that the universe was a universe of magical illusions which were made to appear and vanish at the will of the magician.

    No problem with this. There was a point in time where the only thing that existed was thoughts and consciousnesses. Then over time, the consciousnesses began to construct physical realities as tools to obtain experiences within, and thus further their individual growth.

    In every case, the “magician” was one or more IS-BEs. Many IS-BEs on Earth can still recall vague images from that period. Tales of magic, sorcery and enchantment, fairy tales and mythology speak of such things, although in very crude terms.

    No problem with this.

    Each IS-BE entered into the physical universe when they lost their own, “home” universe. That is, when an IS-BE’s “home” universe was overwhelmed by the physical universe, or when the IS-BE joined with other IS-BEs to create or conquer the physical universe.

    This understanding differs from mine. But only slightly. I was always under the impression that a physical universe (bubble) was a stable and constant thing. This extraterrestrial says that once the consciousness+ leaves that physical universe that it ceases to exist.
    
    As I see it, a "soul" anchors itself in the original physical universe, then creates a consciousness+ that migrates from that universe to another one to obtain experiences in. Since the consciousness+ and the soul are still connected by quantum entanglement, both physical universes exist simultaneously.

    On Earth, the ability to determine when an IS-BE entered the physical universe is difficult for two reasons:

    1. the memory of IS-BEs on Earth have been erased, and
    2. IS-BEs arrival or invasion into the physical universe took place at different times, some 60 trillion years ago, and others only 3 trillion. Every once in a short while, a few million years, an area or planet will be taken over by another group of IS-BEs entering into the area.
    At this point, the extraterrestrial is discussing the injection of consciousness+ into the bodies of creatures in the Earth sphere of influence.
    
    What we can gather from this discussion is that...
    
    [1] Entry point for consciousness+ injection into physical bodies in and around the Earth is difficult to determine both geographically, and by date and time.
    
    [2] Consciousness+ injections in this region came in waves from different points and from different locations in geographical location and in time.

    Sometimes they will capture other IS-BEs as slaves. They will be forced to inhabit bodies to perform menial, or manual work – especially mining mineral ores on heavy-gravity planets, such as Earth.

    No problem with this. I work about this is a similar vein regarding "farming sentience's".

    Airl says that she has been a member of The Domain Expeditionary Force for more than 625 million years, when she became a pilot for a biological survey mission which included occasional visits to Earth. She can remember her entire career there, and for a very long time before that.

    No problem with this. For a non-corporal being the enormous spans of time involved are given and expected.

    She told me that Earth scientists do not have an accurate measuring system to gauge the age of matter. They assume that because certain types of materials seem to deteriorate rather quickly, such as organic or carbon-based matter, that there is a deterioration of matter. It is not accurate to measure the age of stone, based on the measurement of the age of wood or bone.

    No problem with this. In all of this, I see a fundamental difference in dating things from the point of view of a non-corporal entity, and that of cycling biological creatures.

    This is a fundamental error. Factually, matter does not deteriorate. It cannot be destroyed. Matter may be altered in form, but it is never truly destroyed.

    No problem with this. Einstein E=mc2.

    The Domain has conducted a periodic survey of the galaxies in this sector of the universe since it developed space travel technologies about 80 trillion years ago.

    Actually it should be written as: 
    
    "The Domain has conducted periodic surveys of this sector of the universe. It has done so ever since it first developed space travel technologies."

    A review of changes in the complexion of Earth reveal that mountain ranges rise and fall, continents change location, the poles of the planet shift, ice caps come and go, oceans appear and disappear, rivers, valleys and canyons change. In all cases, the matter is the same. It is always the same sand.

    Every form and substance is made of the same basic material, which never deteriorates.

    I have no problem with this.

    “Airl described the abilities of an IS-BE officer of The Domain to me, and she demonstrated one to me when she contacted – telepathically – a communications officer of The Domain who is stationed in the asteroid belt.

    No problem.

    The asteroid belt is composed of thousands of broken up pieces of a planet that once existed between Mars and Jupiter. It serves as a good low-gravity jumping off point for incoming space craft traveling toward the center of our galaxy.

    No problem. Sure the asteroid belt is a region of the "frost line" in our solar system, and rocky planets are not stable there. They tend to break up.

    She requested that this officer consult information stored in the “files” of The Domain, concerning the history of Earth. She asked the communications officer to “feed” this information to Airl. The communications officer immediately complied with the request. Based on the information stored in the files of The Domain, Airl was able to give me a brief overview or “history lesson”.

    No problem with this.

    This is what Airl told me that The Domain had observed about the history of Earth:

    She told me that The Domain Expeditionary Force first entered into the Milky Way galaxy very recently – only about 10,000 years ago.

    This does not match my understanding. 
    
    As I understand things, the type-1 greys have been around for much longer than that. And as far as Earth goes, they have been around for at least 30,000 years.
    
    From the human point of view, there has been observations and contacts with space vehicles, and their crews for all of human history. Whether or not they are Type-1 greys, members of the "Old Empire", or something else is unknown.

    Their first action was to conquer the home planets of the “Old Empire” (this is not the official name, but a nick-name given to the conquered civilization by The Domain Forces) that served as the seat of central government for this galaxy, and other adjoining regions of space.

    As I interpret this, the extraterrestrial is saying that they are from outside of the Milky Way Galaxy. When they entered our galaxy, the first thing that they needed to do was conquer the ruling "federation" or national communities on this side of the galaxy first.  That this "federation" was the seat of the central government of our galaxy, and nearby regions of space.
    
    This idea of conquering a region of space, and becoming the ruler of that area is something that the military leadership in Roswell New Mexico would well understand. After all, they just finished a long war with the Nazi Germans and the Japanese.
    
    Yet, it makes no sense.
    
    These extraterrestrials are non-corporal creatures. They exist as waves and inhabit manufactured bodies as they desire. They do not need to "claim" any geographic region for any purpose.
    
    My "gut instinct" is that there is a very complicated and complex relationship of governance between different species, and the physical and non-physical realms. Whether this results in "space opera" type galactic battles or not is hard to say, but my guess, unlikely. 
    
    At least "unlikely" as described by this entity in how it was depicted to the Roswell military leadership. 
    
    I suspect other situations, truths and considerations were in play. And this entire detailed bit of narrative was just simply to evoke specific reactions from the military leadership.
    
    To me, it appears that the extraterrestrial wanted to make some strong points apparent to the Roswell Military members...
    
    [1] It is an officer of a large and powerful military empire.
    [2] This military empire is so powerful that it completely broke and took over the massive galactic empire that ruled this section of space.

    These planets are located in the stars systems in the tail of the Big Dipper constellation. She did not mention which stars, exactly.

    "Within Ursa Major the stars of the Big Dipper have Bayer designations in consecutive Greek alphabetical order from the bowl to the handle.
    Proper
    Name
    Bayer
    Designation
    Apparent
    Magnitude
    Distance
    (L Yrs)
      Dubhe     α UMa       1.8    124
      Merak     β UMa       2.4      79
      Phecda     γ UMa       2.4      84
      Megrez     δ UMa       3.3      81
      Alioth     ε UMa       1.8      81
      Mizar     ζ UMa       2.1      78
      Alkaid     η UMa       1.9     101
    Near Mizar is a star called Alcorr and together they are informally known as the Horse and Rider. At magnitude 4.1, Alcor would normally be relatively easy to see with the unaided eye, but its proximity to Mizar renders it more difficult to resolve, and it has served as a traditional test of sight. In the 17th century, Mizar itself was discovered to be a binary star system — the first telescopic binary found.
    
     The component stars are known as Mizar A and Mizar B. In 1889, Mizar A was discovered to in fact be a binary as well, the first spectroscopic binary discovered, and with the subsequent discovery that Mizar B itself is also a binary, in total Mizar currently is known to be at least a quadruple star system."

    About 1,500 years later The Domain began the installation bases for their own forces along the path of invasion which leads toward the center of this galaxy and beyond.

    Based on what is being stated, I made up this simple drawing of our physical galaxy; The Milky Way.  On it, I located the solar system, and  the purported movement of the invasion forces.

    Invasion path.

    If this is the true case, and what he said is correct, then the dominance of the galaxy by his "federation" would look something like this...

    About 8,200 years ago The Domain forces set up a base on Earth in the Himalaya Mountains near the border of modern Pakistan and Afghanistan. This was a base for a battalion of The Domain Expeditionary Force, which included about 3,000 members.

    So this base would be inside of China in the Tibet (XiZang) autonomous region.

    Regions of China.

    They set up a base under or inside the top of a mountain. The mountain top was drilled into and made hollow to create an area large enough to house the ships and personnel of that force. An electronic illusion of the mountain top was then created to hide the base by projecting a false image from inside the mountain against a “force screen”.

    The ships could then enter and exit through the force screen, yet remain unseen by homo sapiens.

    This is standard, well known, Type-1 grey technology.

    Shortly after they settled there the base was surprised by an attack from a remnant of the military forces of the “Old Empire”. Unbeknownst to The Domain, a hidden, underground base on Mars, operated by the “Old Empire”, had existed for a very long time. The Domain base was wiped out by a military attack from the Mars base and the IS-BEs of The Domain Expeditionary Force were captured.

    You can imagine that The Domain was very upset about losing such a large force of officers and crew, so they sent other crews to Earth to look for them. Those crews were also attacked.

    This is most certainly an interesting story. But whether or not it is true is something else entirely.
    
    On one hand, the story does nothing aside from provide background information on a battle between two groups of opposing forces, and establishes a narrative in support of the reasoning behind the presence of Type-1 greys in this section of the galaxy.
    
    On the other hand, it could be a delicious fiction that would be accepted and acknowledged by the Roswell military leadership at the base at that time.

    The captured IS-BEs from The Domain Forces were handled in the same fashion as all other IS-BEs who have been sent to Earth. They were each given amnesia, had their memories replaced with false pictures and hypnotic commands and sent to Earth to inhabit biological bodies. They are still a part of the human population today.

    Here we see that the "Old Empire" has constructed systems (in this region of Earth) to interrupt the the ability of consciousness+ to easily migrate in and out of world-lines, and an established life-line.

    After a very persistent and extensive investigation into the loss of their crews, The Domain discovered that “Old Empire” has been operating a very extensive, and very carefully hidden, base of operations in this part of the galaxy for millions of years.

    No one knows exactly how long.

    Eventually, the space craft of the “Old Empire” forces and The Domain engaged each other in open combat in the space of the solar system.

    No problem with this. If the story about this war is true, this is the logical conclusion that you can expect.

    According to Airl, there was a running battle between the “Old Empire” forces and The Domain until about 1235 AD, when The Domain forces finally destroyed the last of the space craft of the “Old Empire” force in this area. The Domain Expeditionary Force lost many of its own ships in this area during that time also.

    About 1,000 years later the “Old Empire” base was discovered by accident in the spring of 1914 AD.

    The dates and all of the matters regarding "time" are suspect as they do not make any sense. 1235AD + 1000 = 2235AD. Not 1914AD.

    The discovery was made when the body of the Archduke of Austria, was “taken over” by an officer of The Domain Expeditionary Force. This officer, who was stationed in the asteroid belt, was sent to Earth on a routine mission to gather reconnaissance.

    The extraterrestrial goes into some detail how a non-corporal entity can take over the body of a physical person. I am quite sure that this astounded, and "blew the minds" of the military leadership at the Roswell base.

    The purpose of this “take over” was to use the body as a “disguise” through which to infiltrate human society in order to gather information about current events on Earth. The officer, as an IS-BE, having greater power than the being inhabiting the body of the Archduke, simply “pushed” the being out and took over control of the body.

    No problem with this. Though it might have scared the living Dejesus out of the Roswell leadership at that time.

    However, this officer did not realize how much the Hapsburgs were hated by feuding factions in the country, so he was caught off guard when the body of the Archduke was assassinated by a Bosnian student. The officer, or IS-BE, was suddenly “knocked out” of the body when it was shot by the assassin. Disoriented, the IS-BE inadvertently penetrated one of the “amnesia force screens” and was captured.

    And that is how this species learned about the "electronic force field" that prevents wave form data transfer, consciousness+ movement, and all other associated elements.
    
    "Franz Ferdinand (December 18, 1863 - June 28, 1914) was an Archduke of Austria-Este, Prince Imperial of Austria and Prince Royal of Hungary and Bohemia, and from 1896 until his death, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne. His assassination in Sarajevo precipitated the Austrian declaration of war. This caused countries allied with Austria-Hungary (the Central Powers) and countries allied with Serbia (the Entente Powers) to declare war on each other, starting World War I.
    
    In 1889, Franz Ferdinand's life changed dramatically. His cousin Crown Prince Rudolf committed suicide at his hunting lodge in Mayerling, leaving Franz Ferdinand's father, Archduke Karl Ludwig, as first in line to the throne. However his father renounced his succession rights a few days after the Crown Prince's death. Henceforth, Franz Ferdinand was groomed to succeed.
    
    On June 28, 1914, at approximately 11:15 am, Franz Ferdinand and his wife were killed in Sarajevo, the capital of the Austro-Hungarian province of Bosnia and Herzegovina, by Gavrilo Princip, a member of Young Bosnia and one of several (a few) assassins organized by The Black Hand (UpHa pyKa/Tsrna Ruka). The event, known as the Assassination in Sarajevo, triggered World War I.
    
    Franz and Sophie had previously been attacked when a bomb was thrown at their car. It missed them, but many civilians were injured. Franz and Sophie both insisted on going to see all those injured at the hospital. As a result of this, Princip saw them and shot Sophie in the abdomen. Franz was shot in the jugular and was still alive when witnesses arrived to his aid, but it was too late; he died within minutes.
    
    The assassinations, along with the arms race, nationalism, imperialism, militarism, and the alliance system all contributed to the beginning of World War I, which began less than two months after Franz Ferdinand's death, with Austria-Hungary's declaration of war against Serbia."

    Eventually The Domain discovered that a wide area of space is monitored by an “electronic force field” which controls all of the IS-BEs in this end of the galaxy, including Earth. The electronic force screen is designed to detect IS-BEs and prevent them from leaving the area.

    Using the prison analogy, you can liken it to walls, barbed wire, and search lights.

    If any IS-BE attempts to penetrate the force screen, it “captures” them in a kind of “electronic net”. The result is that the captured IS-BE is subjected to a very severe “brainwashing” treatment which erases the memory of the IS-BE.

    No problem with this.

    This process uses a tremendous electrical shock, just like Earth psychiatrists use “electric shock therapy” to erase the memory and personality of a “patient” and to make them more “cooperative”.

    "The story of electric shock began in 1938, when Italian psychiatrist Ugo Cerletti visited a Rome slaughterhouse to see what could be learned from the method that was employed to butcher hogs. In Cerletti's own words, "As soon as the hogs were clamped by the [electric] tongs, they fell unconscious, stiffened, then after a few seconds they were shaken by convulsions.... During this period of unconsciousness (epileptic coma), the butcher stabbed and bled the animals without difficulty
    
    "At this point I felt we could venture to experiment on man, and I instructed my assistants to be on the alert for the selection of a suitable subject."
    
    Cerletti's first victim was provided by the local police - a man described by Cerletti as "lucid and well-oriented." After surviving the first blast without losing consciousness, the victim overheard Cerletti discussing a second application with a higher voltage. He begged Cerletti, "Non una seconda! Mortifierel" ("Not another one! It will kill me!")
    
    Ignoring the objections of his assistants, Cerletti increased the voltage and duration and fired again. With the "successful" electrically induced convulsion of his victim, Ugo Cerletti brought about the application of hog-slaughtering skills to humans, creating one of the most brutal techniques of psychiatry.
    
    'Electric shock is also called electro-convulsive "therapy" or treatment (ECT), electroshock therapy or electric shock treatment (EST), electrostimulation, and electrolytic therapy (ELT). All are euphemistic terms for the same process: sending a searing blast of electricity through the brain in order to alter behavior."
    
    (Reference: http://www.sntp.net/ect/ect3.htm)
    
    Today Electroshock therapy (ECT) is most often used as a treatment for severe major depression which has not responded to other treatment, and is also used in the treatment of mania, catatonia, schizophrenia and other disorders. It first gained widespread use as a form of treatment in the 1940s and 50s. Today, an estimated 1 million people worldwide receive ECT every year, usually in a course of 6-12 treatments administered 2 or 3 times a week.
    
    Electroconvulsive therapy has "side-effects" which include confusion and memory loss for events around the time period of treatment. ECT have been shown to cause persistent memory loss. It is the effects of ECT on long-term memory that give rise to much of the concern surrounding its use. The acute effects of ECT include amnesia.
    
    Registered nurse Barbara C. Cody reports in a letter to the Washington Post that her life "was forever changed by 13 outpatient ECTs I received in 1983. Shock 'therapy' totally and permanently disabled me. "EEGs [electroencephalograms] verify the extensive damage shock did to my brain. Fifteen to 20 years of my life were simply erased; only small bits and pieces have returned. I was also left with short-term memory impairment and serious cognitive deficits. "Shock 'therapy' took my past, my college education, my musical abilities, even the knowledge that my children were, in fact, my children."
    
    Ernest Hemingway, American author, committed suicide shortly after Electric Shock treatment at the Menninger Clinic in 1961. He is reported to have said to his biographer, "Well, what is the sense of ruining my head and erasing my memory, which is my capital, and putting me out of business? It was a brilliant cure but we lost the patient...."

    On Earth this “therapy” uses only a few hundred volts of electricity. However, the electrical voltage used by the “Old Empire” operation against IS-BEs is on the order of magnitude of billions of volts!

    "The general public may consider household mains circuits (100-250 V AC), which carry the highest voltages they normally encounter, to be high voltage. For example, an installer of heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment may be licensed to install 24 Volt control circuits, but may not be permitted to connect the 240 volt power circuits of the equipment.
    
    Voltages over approximately 50 volts can usually cause dangerous amounts of current to flow through a human being touching two points of a circuit.
    
    Voltages of greater than 50 V are capable of producing heart fibrillation if they produce electric currents in body tissues which happen to pass through the chest area. The electrocution danger is mostly determined by the low conductivity of dry human skin. If skin is wet, or if there are wounds, or if the voltage is applied to electrodes which penetrate the skin, then even voltage sources below 40 V can be lethal if contacted."

    This tremendous shock completely wipes out all the memory of the IS-BE. The memory erasure is not just for one life or one body. It wipes out the all of the accumulated experiences of a nearly infinite past, as well as the identity of the IS-BE!

    I wrote about this before. This is how you take subjects, and "farm them", and then capture their experiences. Then erase and then send them back to relive the experiences.

    The shock is intended to make it impossible for the IS-BE to remember who they are, where they came from, their knowledge or skills, their memory of the past, and ability to function as a spiritual entity. They are overwhelmed into becoming a mindless, robotic nonentity.

    No problem with this.

    After the shock a series of post hypnotic suggestions are used to install false memories, and a false time orientation in each IS-BE.

    "The ability of a human to be induced into a form of behavior or thinking pattern after coming out of the hypnotic state. Post hypnotic suggestions are administered by the hypnotist and may optionally include a time scope. An altered sense of perception or behavioral pattern may be "programmed" into the person under hypnosis. Certain sequences of events may be set as triggers to enter or exit the post-hypnotic pattern. The behavior patterns resemble conditioned reflexes, though administered without classical behavior alteration techniques.
    
    Examples:
    
    Any number, color, object, etc. may be induced to be ignored by the patient after full consciousness. A certain keyword starts the suggestion and a different word ends it. The patient will not know nor use the item to be ignored. He/she may state that the sea is colored red, if suggested to ignore the color blue. A count of eleven may be achieved if asked to count ones fingers if a number -say 5- is suggested to be ignored. Thus the patient counts 1-2-3-4-6-7-8-9-10-11
    
    Different type of behavior patterns may be induced such as forcing the patient to recite a certain sentence whenever anyone says out loud the special keyword. The patient is fully aware of the conditioned action but it is very difficult, if not impossible, to restrain from doing it. Sweating, loss of coordination and full lack of concentration plagues the patient until he/she performs the programmed action.
    
    An object may be set to be perceived as invisible and it will be fully ignored and evaded during the period of suggestion. Experiments may be performed with a coffee mug, induced to be invisible. If the mug is put on top of a page with writing, the patient will only read the parts not covered by the mug. Even though the sentences may make no sense, nothing is seemingly wrong to the suspected. It is difficult to suggest an object be invisible, yet stay tactile. Usually the object is completely ignored by all senses. Thus, the mug in the example will reportedly not exist, even when the patient is touching it.
    
    Stage hypnotists will sometimes perform shows in which they hypnotize participants to think they are some celebrity and behave exactly like them. John Mohl, stage hypnotist and member of The National Guild of Hypnotists, says that he has often hypnotized people to become someone else! Mohl noticed that adults often became a celebrity while Middle or High School students usually become something much more creative or imaginative."
    
    What I find most interesting about this is that this concept of "brain washing" and suggestion to control others was NEW information provided to the Roswell military leadership in 1947.
    
    From it, was spawned Monarch programming.
    
    I can clearly see a straight line  military development from this interrogation, to the Monarch mind control program. And since I do, it lends credibility to this entire disclosure.

    This includes the command to “return” to the base after the body dies, so that the same kind of shock and hypnosis can be done again, and again, again – forever. The hypnotic command also tells the “patient” to forget to remember.

    No problem with this.

    What The Domain learned from the experience of this officer is that the “Old Empire” has been using Earth as a “prison planet” for a very long time – exactly how long is unknown – perhaps millions of years.

    This is not what I understand. I think that "Prison Planet" is much too strong a term. I prefer the term "sentience nursery".
    
    Aside from a completely different connotation, it helps us to understand that this area is a place for growth and development. While the idea of a "prison planet" is one of isolation and punishment.
    
    It is very important that the reader  understand the difference, between these two, and the relationship and role that thy have here in this life that they are living. While it might be true that this earth once might have been a "prison plant", today it is in the process of being reformed, and the Type-1 greys are working with other entities to make sure that this happens.
    
    In fact, I am 100% convinced that the Earth being a "sentience nursery" is the recovery effort initiated by the Type-1 greys to rehabilitate the human species and get them out from under this horrible "electromagnetic force field". Which is why the Mantids are involved in dealing on a person-to-person, consciousness-to-consciousness basis.

    So, when the body of the IS-BE dies they depart from the body. They are detected by the “force screen”, they are captured and “ordered” by hypnotic command to “return to the light“.

    No problem with this.

    The idea of “heaven” and the “afterlife” are part of the hypnotic suggestion – a part of the treachery that makes the whole mechanism work.

    (Read “The Invisible CollegeWar in Heaven – A Completely New And Revolutionary Conception of The Nature of Spiritual Reality”).

    After the IS-BE has been shocked and hypnotized to erase the memory of the life just lived, the IS-BE is immediately “commanded”, hypnotically, to “report” back to Earth, as though they were on a secret mission, to inhabit a new body. Each IS-BE is told that they have a special purpose for being on Earth. But, of course there is no purpose for being in a prison – at least not for the prisoner.

    No problem with this.

    Any undesirable IS-BEs who are sentenced to Earth were classified as “untouchable” by the “Old Empire”.

    "In the Indian caste system, a Dalit, often called an untouchable, or an outcaste, is a person who according to traditional Hindu belief does not have any 'varnas". Varna refers to the Hindu belief that most humans were supposedly created from different parts of the body of the divinity Purusha.
    
    The part from which a varna was supposedly created defines a person's social status with regard to issues such as whom they may marry and which professions they may hold. Dalits fall outside the varnas system and have historically been prevented from doing any but the most menial jobs. (However, a distinction must be made between lower-caste people and Pariahs.) Included are leather-workers (called chamar), carcass handlers (called mahar), poor farmers and landless labourers, night soil scavengers (called bhangi or chura), street handicrafters, folk artists, street cleaners, dhobi, etc.
    
    Traditionally, they were treated as pariahs in South Asian society and isolated in their own communities, to the point that even their shadows were avoided by the upper castes.
    
    Discrimination against Dalits still exists in rural areas in the private sphere, in ritual matters such as access to eating places and water sources. It has largely disappeared, however, in urban areas and in the public sphere, in rights of movement and access to schools. The earliest rejection of discrimination, at least in spiritual matters, was made as far back as the Bhagavada Gita, which says that no person, no matter what, is barred from enlightenment There are an estimated 160 million Dalits in India."
    Reference: Wikipedia.org
    
    "Human rights abuses against these people, known as Dalits, are legion. A random sampling of headlines in mainstream Indian newspapers tells their story: "Dalit boy beaten to death for plucking flowers"; "Dalit tortured by cops for three days"; "Dalit 'witch' paraded naked in Bihar"; "Dalit killed in lock-up at Kurnool"; '7 Dalits burnt alive in caste clash"; "5 Dalits lynched in Haryana"; "Dalit woman gang-raped, paraded naked"; "Police egged on mob to lynch Dalits".
    
    "Dalits are not allowed to drink from the same wells, attend the same temples, wear shoes in the presence of an upper caste, or drink from the same cups in tea stalls," said Smita Narula, a senior researcher with Human Rights Watch, and author of Broken People: Caste Violence Against India's "Untouchables." Human Rights Watch is a worldwide activist organization based in New York. India's Untouchables are relegated to the lowest jobs, and live in constant fear of being publicly humiliated, paraded naked, beaten, and raped with impunity by upper-caste Hindus seeking to keep them in their place. Merely walking through an upper-caste neighborhood is a life-threatening offense. Nearly 90 percent of all the poor Indians and 95 percent of all the illiterate Indians are Dalits."
    Reference: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/06/0602_030602_untouchables.html

    This included anyone that the “Old Empire” judged to be criminals who are too vicious to be reformed or subdued, as well as other criminals such as sexual perverts, or beings unwilling to do any productive work.

    No problem with this.

    An “untouchable” classification of IS-BEs also includes a wide variety of “political prisoners”.

    "A political prisoner is someone held in prison or otherwise detained, perhaps under house arrest, for his/her involvement in political activity.
    political prisoners are arrested and tried with a veneer of legality, where false criminal charges, manufactured evidence, and unfair trials are used to disguise the fact that an individual is a political prisoner. This is common in situations which may otherwise be decried nationally and internationally as a human rights violation and suppression of a political dissident. A political prisoner can also be someone that has been denied bail unfairly, denied parole when it would reasonably have been given to a prisoner charged with a comparable crime, or special powers may be invoked by the judiciary.
    
    Particularly in this latter situation, whether an individual is regarded as a political prisoner may depend upon subjective political perspective or interpretation of the evidence. Governments typically reject assertions that they hold political prisoners.
    Examples:
    
    In the Soviet Union, dubious psychiatric diagnoses were sometimes used to confine political prisoners. In Nazi Germany, "Night and Fog"prisoners were among the first victims of fascist repression. In North Korea, entire families are jailed if one family member is suspected of anti-government sentiments."
    -- Reference: Wikipedia.org

    This includes IS-BEs who are considered to be noncompliant “free thinkers” or “revolutionaries” who make trouble for the governments of the various planets of the “Old Empire”. Of course, anyone with a previous military record against the “Old Empire” is also shipped off to Earth.

    No problem with this.

    A list of “untouchables” include artists, painters, singers, musicians, writers, actors, and performers of every kind. For this reason Earth has more artists per capita than any other planet in the “Old Empire”.

    No problem with this.

    “Untouchables” also include intellectuals, inventors and geniuses in almost every field. Since everything the “Old Empire” considers valuable has long since been invented or created over the last few trillion years, they have no further use for such beings. This includes skilled managers also, which are not needed in a society of obedient, robotic citizens.

    No problem with this.

    Anyone who is not willing or able to submit to mindless economic, political and religious servitude as a tax-paying worker in the class system of the “Old Empire” are “untouchable” and sentenced to receive memory wipe-out and permanent imprisonment on Earth.

    Is it just me? But it just seems like the United States is trying to replicate The "Old Empire".

    The net result is that an IS-BE is unable to escape because they can’t remember who they are, where they came from, where they are. They have been hypnotized to think they are someone, something, sometime, and somewhere other than were they really are.

    No problem with this.

    The Domain officer who was “assassinated” while in the body of Archduke of Austria was, likewise, captured by the “Old Empire” force. Because this particular officer was a high powered IS-BE, compared to most, he was taken away to a secret “Old Empire” base under the surface of the planet Mars. They put him into a special electronic prison cell and held him there.

    No problem with this.

    Fortunately, this Domain officer was able to escape from the underground base after 27 years in captivity. When he escaped from the “Old Empire” base, he returned immediately to his own base in the asteroid belt.

    No problem with this.

    His commanding officer ordered that a battle cruiser be dispatched to the coordinates of the base, provided by this officer, and to destroy that base completely.

    No problem with this.

    This “Old Empire” base was located a few hundred miles north of the equator on Mars in the Cydonia region.

    (The following internet links shows maps of a complex of artificial looking structures which some people have referred to a the "Pyramid Complex, The Face on Mars, and other geological features that are strikingly similar to symbols and architecture found in Mesoamerican and Egyptian pyramid civilizations. Notice how the "pyramids and face structures look as though they have been partially destroyed! Had there been an "Old Empire" base at this location, which was destroyed by a cruiser attack from The Domain Force, it base would have been significantly damaged.)
    http://www.greatdreams.com/cydonia.htm
    http://www.qtm.net/~geibdan/cydonia.html
    
    "In addition, a team of scientists from the United States Geological Survey reported at the recent annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Houston, Texas, that images taken by NASA s Mars-orbiting spacecraft Mars Odyssey show what appear to be cave entrances where primitive life forms - "past or present microbial life" - could have been sheltered, and where water could exist in liquid form.
    
    A more detailed perusal of the report reveals that the spacecraft actually photographed, in both visual and infrared, puzzling dark circular structures associated with these caves -structures ranging in size from 100 to 250 meters (330 to 825 feet). Picking up the hardly-noticed story in its June 2007 issue, the prestigious journal Scientific American has now provided additional information: Seven such "football size" caverns were identified; they are 425 feet deep. "

    Although the military base of the “Old Empire” was destroyed, unfortunately, much of the vast machinery of the IS-BE force screens, the electroshock / amnesia / hypnosis machinery continues to function in other undiscovered locations right up to the present moment. The main base or control center for this “mind control prison” operation has never been found. So, the influences of this base, or bases, are still in effect.

    No problem with this.

    The Domain has observed that since the “Old Empire” space forces were destroyed there is no one left to actively prevent other planetary systems from bringing their own “untouchable” IS-BEs to Earth from all over this galaxy, and from other galaxies nearby.

    Therefore, Earth has become a universal dumping ground for this entire region of space.

    Well, maybe, but who really knows?

    This, in part, explains the very unusual mix of races, cultures, languages, moral codes, religious and political influences among the IS-BE population on Earth. The number and variety of heterogeneous societies on Earth are extremely unusual on a normal planet. Most “Sun Type 12, Class 7” planets are inhabited by only one humanoid body type or race, if any.

    No problem with this.

    In addition, most of the ancient civilizations of Earth, and many of the events of Earth have been heavily influenced by the hidden, hypnotic operation of the “Old Empire” base. So far, no one has figured out exactly where and how this operation is run, or by whom because it is so heavily protected by screens and traps.

    No problem with this.

    Furthermore, there has been no operation undertaken to seek out, discover and destroy the vast and ancient network of electronics machinery that create the IS-BE force screens at this end of the galaxy.

    No problem with this.

    Until this has been done, we are not able to prevent or interrupt the electric shock operation, hypnosis and remote thought control of the “Old Empire” prison planet.

    No problem with this.

    Of course all of the crew members of The Domain Expeditionary Force now remain aware of this phenomena at all times while operating in this solar system space so as to prevent detection and the capture by “Old Empire” traps.”

    End of part 2

    There are miss-translations on time, confusions in regard to galaxies and universes, and a mish-mash of confusion between consciousness+, humans, and some confusion regarding galactic “ownership” and “power projection” between different species.

    The more I parse it in detail, the clearer to me that this is exactly what it is claimed to be.

    Key Points

    Never the less, I believe the following to be true in regards to this parsing of this section of the book…

    • Most of what was stated was factually accurate… provided that the war between the “Dominion” and the “Old Empire” is correct. But this has never been a key knowledge base for my role, and thus I know nothing at all about it.
    • The information about “time” is also correct. It is wholly misunderstood by most humans.
    • Since the 1980’s MAJestic has taken a major role in working with this species and <redacted>, <redacted> and the Mantids towards the maintenance and development of this “Prison Planet” into a “Sentience Nursery”.
    • The Roswell leadership should be able to understand and relate to the military aspects of the narrative.
    • The aspects regarding consciousness+ movement would probably simply terrify the Roswell leadership, and confuse them. But they are really actually very accurate.
    • So far, in parsing this document, I see no reason to describe it as a fictional work. It appears to be exactly what it said it is.
    • Apparently the writings about “Mind Control” ended up spawning American covert effort in the Monarch Program.
    • There is no reason for the Type-1 grey extraterrestrial to lie. None.
    • The information provided had / has a purpose. It appears that the background information is truthful, but tailored to the limitations of the target audience, and worded to appeal to their understandings.

    And finally…

    • Because MAJestic was established, and my role involved strong interaction with this species, and you all in MM land can see the content and the direction of my articles, it should be obvious that [1] MAJestic believed what the extraterrestrial said, and [2] my role is part of this reconstruction effort.

    Part three

    You can visit part three HERE.

    Do you want more?

    You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

    ET Species

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
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    This great interregnum or why are heavily weaponized squads of urban militants roaming the woods outside of rural white communities?

    Traffic on Interstate 95 is diverted in the area of an hours long standoff with a group of armed men that partially shut down the highway, Saturday, July 3, 2021, in Wakefield, Mass. Massachusetts state police say nine suspects have been taken into custody. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

    It’s one day after the fourth of July, 2021.

    I woke up this morning and scanned my news feeds. I often just look at the titles. Taking the time to read the content is useless, as most have zero content of worth.

    And I discovered this…

    And when I read the content, it was clear that they were avoiding the fact that these were all urban African-american militants who are traipsing in the Massachusetts countryside far from their homes. In fact, they were “practicing maneuvers” around white-dominated communities and villages.

    I wonder why?

    Why would they do that?

    When interviewed and interrogated by the police, they claimed that they were “Moors”.

    At least some of the suspects were clad in military-style gear with long guns and pistols, Mass State Police Col. Christopher Mason said. He added that they were headed to Maine from Rhode Island for “training.”
    
    “You can imagine 11 armed individuals standing with long guns slung on an interstate highway at 2 in the morning certainly raises concerns and is not consistent with the firearms laws that we have in Massachusetts,” Mason said.
    
    In a video posted to social media Saturday morning, a man who did not give his name, but said he was from a group called Rise of the Moors, broadcast from Interstate 95 in Wakefield near exit 57.
    
    “We are not anti-government. We are not anti-police, we are not sovereign citizens, we’re not Black identity extremists,” said the man who appeared to be wearing military-style equipment. “As specified multiple times to the police that we are abiding by the peaceful journey laws of the United States.”
    
    The website for the group says they are “Moorish Americans dedicated to educating new Moors and influencing our Elders.”

    Police work on in the area of an hours long standoff with a group of armed men that partially shut down interstate 95, Saturday, July 3, 2021, in Wakefield, Mass. Massachusetts state police say nine suspects have been taken into custody. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

    The interesting aspects about this entire event are what is not well reported…

    • These ethnic individuals are not from the region that they were found.
    • The region where they targeted was disarmed by very strict anti-gun and anti-weapon legislation, thus leaving most residents unable to defend themselves.
    • The “long arms” were (what would otherwise be reported as) “assault weapons”.
    • Everyone wore either camouflage clothing, military attire, or black colored garb.

    Curious.

    I wonder what this means…

    …hum?

    What were these people doing outside of the quiet rural community of Wakefield, Massachusetts?

    Well,

    We know that this is not a “new” event.

    Coming to rural America.

    Meanwhile, let’s see what some of the more learned people on the planet has to say about the current state of American politics and the changes going on in America. And this is a pretty good write up…

    Silicon Valley has a monopoly of social capital now. Every call, every text message, and every email is theirs to use as they see fit. This allows them to derive information about the public and use it for financial and political advantage. Tucker Carlson worries about the NSA when he volunteers to carry around a tracking device that records his every movement for the benefit of the Silicon Valley oligarchs.

    The great class struggle among white people has also stopped making sense. The old left-right conflict of the prior era manifested itself as a battle between the working and upper classes. The white middle class in America, for example, operated as a ballast and referee. Both sides of the political class courted them in elections, while making promises to their base in the other classes.

    The great divide in this age is demographics. America is increasingly nonwhite and headed for majority-minority status. The politics reflected the old demographics, which was 80% white. Fretting over minority rights, for example, makes no sense in a world where everyone is a minority. It makes even less sense when a unique minority is the ruling elite and has total control of the institutions.

    The ruling elite has evolved a colonial mentality in response to the crisis, but white people are increasingly embracing demographic reality. The uproar over critical race theory is an omen of what is to come. This intermediate conflict is between a ruling class that thinks it can keep feeding the alligator, hoping to be eaten last, and a public that has no desire to be erased from the book of life. Demographic reality is the new class struggle.

    This July 4th, America finds itself in the middle of a great interregnum, a transition period between the old order and the new order. The reason the buildings that symbolize the political institutions of America remain behind layers of razor-wire fencing and armed guards is not a fear of insurrectionist soccer moms. Those barriers exist as a bulwark against the inevitable, protecting an ossified and obsolete political elite along with the political system that maintains them.

    Predicting the future is always a mug’s game. Just as our frozen lefty would be stunned to see how history unfolded, we will be shocked to see what comes after this great interregnum. Therein lies the reason to celebrate. The current crisis environment is a transitory state. It cannot last and everything that cannot last eventually comes to an end, usually sooner than anyone expects.

    Well everyone is trying to understand

    The USA is in a mess, and everyone is trying to grasp aspects of it in handfuls that they can understand. All the time they failure to see the big picture. Things do not happen in isolation. An event here, or an event there, are aspects of a much larger plan. Whether intended or not.

    Intellectuals try to intellectualize it. Patriots try to look at it from a revolutionary angle, and socialists try to analysis the functional vectors of group behaviors.

    Hey!

    Wake up folks. The dinner is almost ready. The bridge is wobbling and the cables are about to snap. The cattle are restless and the fence is about to go down.

    Can’t you smell it in the air?

    I can, and I’m far way in China.

    The Kakistocracy Is Real

    An easily ignored aspect of the Tucker Carlson spying story is just how ham-fisted this caper was executed, regardless of the reason. Carlson is a relentless critic of the regime, but his audience is relative tiny. His average total audience is roughly 3 million people per night. Even if every night is a new crowd, that is an audience of 15 million in a country of 330 million people. He may be the biggest name in cable news, but the reality is, cable news is a low impact medium.

    This was always the lesson of the Trump phenomenon. The entirety of the mass media, including the so-called conservatives, aligned against Trump but he was able to win the nomination and the general election. These are people who were sure they were the king makers in national politics. This TV carny comes along and walks right through their lines as if they were not there. Then he turned them into objects of ridicule and mockery by calling them childish names.

    If the intelligence agencies were what they imagine themselves to be, they would see that Tucker is never going to be much of a problem. They could just ignore him, like most everyone does, or they could use him. Carlson is one of the few serious people on television, but he is still on TV. He wants ratings, so a shrewd intel operative could feed him some juicy tidbits that serve the interests of the regime. Instead, they are in a petty spat and making him the sympathetic victim.

    These sorts of thumbless capers raise an important issue. Our managerial elite is rapidly getting dumber. This is plainly obvious in the military side. Sure, rural peasants armed with Russian surplus were able to defeat the US army in the 1960’s, but that theater negated the primary American advantage at the time. Armor and advanced transport are useless in a jungle. Air dominance is not terribly effective against guerilla tactics in urban and jungle conditions.

    In Afghanistan and Iraq, the US military could exploit every technological advantage against a poorly equipped and trained opponent. In Afghanistan, the US faced off against a Bronze Age opponent. After two decades the white flag has gone up and the Taliban will take over this autumn. In Iraq, a ragtag force of insurgents led by a cleric came close to defeating the US army. The final peace looked more like a concession by the US, as Iraq is now an Iranian client.

    The gross incompetency of the military is not unique. The entire managerial class is suffering from a rapid decline in intelligence. The truth is the system evolved for an adult population of the last century. It reflected the demographics of the population as a whole, but also the demographics of the ruling class. Over the last couple of generations, the people taking up positions in the system are significantly dumber, reflecting the changing demographics of the country.

    This IQ decline will only become more acute in the next decade. The great Baby Boomer retirement will hit the civil service harder than the dreaded private sector, because the civil service is much older. The average age of the private workforce is roughly 35, depending upon who is doing the measuring. Similarly, the average age of the government workforce is 50. The leadership class is even older. In other words, the people running the system are geezers, not long for the world.

    This is most stark in politics. Joe Biden is so old he has been in office longer than most people have been alive. The leadership of both parties is close behind. Pelosi, Schumer, McCarthy, Hoyer and McConnel reflect the sensibilities and the mating decisions of the disappearing past. Their replacements, Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Tim Scott, and so on, reflect the rapidly approaching future. Repeat this throughout the civil service and you can see the problem. The kakistocracy is real.

    This decline in IQ is evident in the current upheaval. The great Progressive awakening of the 1950’s and 1960’s was driven by idealism. They really thought they were going to create a better world. It was also driven by the big change in the ruling class. Jews had taken up positions in the post-war ruling elite. They were making their mark by leading many of the cultural revolutions, like civil rights. Self-interest played a role, but social justice has always been a part of the Jewish cultural outlook.

    Today, the revolts we see look like a cargo cult. They are reenactors playing parts they heard about in school. They think if they can replay the events of the past, the past will come alive and the great do-over begins. They are led by a carnival of simpletons and lunatics who mostly like smashing things and making noise. Antifa and BLM are the short bus passengers in the story of street activism. None of what we are seeing makes any sense or has any point. It is just mayhem for the sake of it.

    The institutions of a society are the tools of the people running the society, designed for their use over the course of time. The institutions of America were made for people a full standard deviation smarter than today’s rulers. Those tools were also created with certain cultural assumptions missing from the current class. The next generation of rulers are the opening scenes of 2001: A Space Odyssey compared to the men who created the tools used to run the empire.

    It will not end well.

    Conclusion

    Obviously some “Moors” are emboldened to reconnoiter the defenselessness communities of wealthy Massachusetts, while the intellectual class are busy trying to intellectualize the turmoil inside of the United States fiasco.

    Why?

    What gave them the idea that they could do this?

    What the FUCK is going on?

    I can tell you all ONE THING. This kind of activity would NEVER be tolerated in China, and it would be taken cared of immediately and absolutely. The fact that the United States is unable to do anything… shows exactly what a huge, colossal, and absolute failure the nation it; the leadership is; and the system is. There is only one solution remaining…

    Allow it to collapse.

    Let the rot fester, then purge it completely.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    A breakdown of the report “alien interview” by MM from a MAJ perspective (part 1)

    I have presented the PDF titled “Alien Interview” to the readership. It is supposed to be the transcripts of the interview that a nurse had with an extraterrestrial entity that was recovered from a spaceship crash in Roswell, New Mexico. There is a lot of good stuff there, and a lot of things that run counter to what I know and understand to be true. My intention here is to parse the entire book, and compare it to what I know. Where the two diverge, it will be up to you (the readership) to sort it out.

    Website

    There is a website devoted to this book. You can visit it HERE.

    They seem to make posts based of passages from the book, and then delve into greater detail from there.

    I do not (personally) believe that this is warranted. From what I know of the Type-1 greys they tell us what we want to hear, for the most part. And if you look at the content of the book, you can easily see fraudulent elements that were remnants of the popular culture at the time.

    Never the less I believe the transcript to be authentic.

    Links

    • A free PDF provided HERE in an MM article.
    • The bibliotecapleyades on-line version of the book. HERE.

    Introduction

    A Mrs. MacElroy presented an envelope of transcripts to a publisher in 2007. In the envelope and over the phone she asked the publisher to do what he could to get them to be published. She claimed to be the duty nurse at the Roswell Army base in New Mexico in 1947. And further, she claimed that she was the sole interpreter / translator of the sole surviving extraterrestrial fro the wreckage.

    The content of this book is primarily excerpted from the letter, interview transcripts and personal notes I received from the late Matilda O'Donnell MacElroy. Her letter to me asserts that this material is based on her recollection of communication with an alien being, who "spoke" with her telepathically.
    
    During July and August of 1947 she interviewed an extraterrestrial being who she identifies as "Airl", and whom she claims was and continues to be an officer, pilot and engineer who was recovered from a flyer saucer that crashed near Roswell, New Mexico on July 8th, 1947.

    She was late in age and was ready to die. This, apparently, was her effort to make sure that the experience that she had would not be forgotten.

    The initial letter from Mrs. MacElroy was received on September 14th, 2007, together with a package of documents. The package contained three types of documents:

    • Hand-written notes in cursive on ordinary, lined, 8 1/2″ X 11″school notebook paper, which I assume had been written personally by Mrs. MacElroy.
    • Notes typed on a manual typewriter on plain, white 20 lb. bond paper, which I am assume were prepared personally by her. At least both had the appearance of having been written in the same hand writing, and / or typed on the same typewriter consistently throughout. The writing in the notes I received also appeared to be the same as the writing on the address and return address of the manila envelope I received from Navan, Ireland, which was postmarked on 3 September, 2007. Since I am not a forensic expert, or handwriting analyst, my opinion in these matter is not a professionally qualified judgment.
    • Many pages of typewritten transcriptions of her interview with the alien. These were obviously typed on a different typewriter. These pages were typed on a different type of paper and showed apparent signs of age and repeated handling.

    There is a lot, especially in the front 1/3 of the document, that seems credible to me an MAJestic “operator”. There is also quite a lot that is alien to me, and a substantial amount that does not match what I know to be the truth.

    Thus, I must rightfully conclude that a large bulk of the information follows the type-1 grey MAJestic warning:

    They tell you what you want to believe, not necessarily the truth.“.

    All in all, I think that [1] the truth is this is that these are actual transcripts from the Roswell event. However, [2] the content is tailored to the interpreter and her superiors. Thus, [3] most of it’s content is inaccurate, or misleading to us reading it 70 years later.

    I have first-hand experience with these type-1 greys. I have worked with them. I have been at their facilities. I have interacted them in both the physical and the non-physical. So I do have more than just a little bit of knowledge concerning this subject.

    However, my EBP entanglement was with another species known as the Mantids, and they view things quite differently. Though, truthfully, it was THIS species that manufactured the EBP, installed it inside my skull (off world), and laid out the “training” that I had at NAS, NASC China Lake.

    From the MM point of view, this [4] entire exercise offers us a great “spring board” for investigation, and I would like to use what I know to sort out this document and turn it into something that is useful for all of us to learn from.

    Finally, [5] there are errors in understanding of a 1948 nurse and terminology and lexicon, that I will try to resolve here.

    Limitations

    I am not going to reprint the entire book here. The same does for the notes by the nurse, and the various supporting documents held within the PDF.

    That is available provided HERE.

    Instead, I am going to parse the  transcript of what the type-1 grey had to say. I will do so based on my role in MAJestic, and what I know through the EBP entanglements.

    SUBJECT: ALIEN INTERVIEW, 9. 7. 1947

    QUESTION – “Are you injured?”
    ANSWER -NO

    QUESTION – “What medical assistance do you require?”
    ANSWER -NONE

    QUESTION – “Do need food or water or other sustenance?”
    ANSWER -NO

    QUESTION – “Do you have any special environmental needs, such as air temperature, atmospheric chemical content, air pressure, or waste elimination?”
    ANSWER – NO. I AM NOT A BIOLOGICAL BEING.

    At this point, early on in the interview we see that the body is a construct used by a being in wave form. It does not require any of the support equipment needed by biological creatures.

    QUESTION – “Does your body or space craft carry any germs or contamination that may be harmful to humans or other Earth life forms?”
    ANSWER -NO GERMS IN SPACE.

    QUESTION – “Does your government know you are here?”
    ANSWER – NOT AT THIS TIME

    QUESTION – “Are others of your kind going to come looking for you?”
    ANSWER – YES

    QUESTION – “What is the weapons capability of your people?”
    ANSWER – VERY DESTRUCTIVE.

    QUESTION – “Why did your space craft crash?”

    ANSWER – IT WAS STRUCK BY AN ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE FROM THE ATMOSPHERE WHICH CAUSED US TO LOSE CONTROL.

    This differs from my understanding. I was told that radar technology developed by the Germans during World War II were being tested in New Mexico, and they are what brought the vehicle down. Aircraft getting hit by lightening is a common event and rarely causes the crash of a vehicle.

    QUESTION – “Why was your space craft in this area?”
    ANSWER – INVESTIGATION OF “BURNING CLOUDS” / RADIATION /
    EXPLOSIONS

    The first test of a nuclear weapon was in the atmosphere on July 16, 1945, in a remote part of New Mexico on what was then the Alamogordo Bombing Range, and is now the White Sands Missile Range. The site is 55 miles northwest of Alamogordo, New Mexico.

    QUESTION – “How does your space craft fly?”

    ANSWER -IT IS CONTROLLED THROUGH “MIND”. RESPONDS TO “THOUGHT COMMANDS”.

    QUESTION – “How do your people communicate with each other?”
    ANSWER –
    THROUGH MIND /THOUGHT.

    QUESTION – “Do you have a written language or symbols for communication?”
    ANSWER -YES

    QUESTION – “What planet are you from?”

    ANSWER – THE HOME / BIRTHPLACE WORLD OF THE DOMAIN

    QUESTION – “Will your government send representatives to meet with our leaders?”
    ANSWER -NO

    QUESTION – “What are your intentions concerning
    Earth?”

    ANSWER -PRESERVE / PROTECT PROPERTY OF THE DOMAIN

    QUESTION – “What have you learned about Earth governments and military installations?”
    ANSWER – POOR / SMALL. DESTROY PLANET.

    Earth governments are "poor" and "small", but they have the power to destroy the entire planet.

    QUESTION – “Why haven’t your people made your existence known to the people of Earth?”
    ANSWER – WATCH / OBSERVE. NO CONTACT.

    QUESTION – “Have your people visited Earth’s previously?”
    ANSWER – PERIODIC / REPEATING OBSERVATIONS.

    QUESTION – “How long have you known about Earth?”
    ANSWER – LONG BEFORE HUMANS.

    Pre-historic humanoids date back to 400,000 years. At that time they were tool making, cart making creatures that seemed to have an appreciation of music, speaking, and society. Though no written language. Proto-humans date back even further, going back 2 million years. This knowledge will be useful to explain other statements made later on.

    QUESTION – “What do you know about the history of civilization on Earth?”
    ANSWER – SMALL INTEREST / ATTENTION. SMALL TIME.

    QUESTION – “Can you describe your home world to us?”
    ANSWER – PLACE OF CIVILIZATION / CULTURE / HISTORY. LARGE PLANET. WEALTH / RESOURCES ALWAYS. ORDER. POWER.
    KNOWLEDGE / WISDOM. TWO STARS. THREE MOONS.

    QUESTION – “What is the state of development of your civilization?”
    ANSWER – ANCIENT. TRILLIONS OF YEARS. ALWAYS. ABOVE ALL OTHERS. PLAN. SCHEDULE. PROGRESS. WIN. HIGH GOALS / IDEAS.

    Our universe is roughly 14 billion years old. While a soul and consciousness can be much older than that, I take the term "trillions" to mean "an unfathomably long period of time".

    QUESTION – “Do you believe in God?”
    ANSWER – WE THINK. IT IS. MAKE IT CONTINUE. ALWAYS.

    QUESTION – “What type of society do you have?”
    ANSWER – ORDER. POWER. FUTURE ALWAYS. CONTROL. GROW.

    QUESTION – “Are there other intelligent life forms besides yourself in the universe?”
    ANSWER – EVERYWHERE. WE ARE GREATEST / HIGHEST OF ALL.

    Thoughts from the first interview

    Obviously the book has the notes hand written on the paper that pretty much helped explain her thoughts and impressions. I left those out.

    As you can see, not much was gleaned from the first interview.

    But as it was, it was very productive. At that time, the entire Army base was abuzz with soldiers all of which just finished fighting a bloody global war with fanatical Nazi’s and Japanese. Their mind-set was militaristic, aggressive, defensive, protective, and nationalistic. It was a hostile environment for an extraterrestrial species to enter.

    The extraterrestrial pilot, who like all type-1 greys, can read the non-physical world about it, fully understood the situation and was actively reading and absorbing the thoughts of everyone around it. And like all type-1 greys, assimilated the knowledge, and made the appropriate physical actions.

    Which was do nothing. Wait in the room.

    The next day…

    SUBJECT: ALIEN INTERVIEW, 10. 7. 1947

    “QUESTION – “Why have you stopped communicating?”
    ANSWER -NO STOP. OTHERS. HIDDEN / COVERED. SECRET FEAR.

    SUBJECT: ALIEN INTERVIEW, 11. 7. 1947

    “QUESTION – Can you read or write any Earth languages?
    ANSWER -NO.

    QUESTION – Do you understand numbers or mathematics?
    ANSWER – YES. I AM OFFICER / PILOT / ENGINEER

    QUESTION – Can you write or draw symbols or pictures that we may be able to translate into our own language?
    ANSWER –UNCERTAIN

    QUESTION – Are there any other signs or means of communication you can use to help us understand your thoughts more clearly?
    ANSWER -NO.”

    SUBJECT: ALIEN INTERVIEW, 11. 7. 1947, 2nd Session

    QUESTION – Can you show us on a map of the stars which is the star of your home planet?
    ANSWER -NO.

    As discussed, this question is based on the assumption that there is one singular planet that the species departed, and that is it's "home planet". Which is false, and if you understand that this species is a non-physical species that creates physical bodies for use in physical space, you can recognize what an impossible question this is to answer. 
    
    This species is part of a wide organization, with many, many regions that they inhabit. This includes both the physical and non-physical. Most of which 99.999% were unknown to the military and scientists at that time. In fact, at that time, they didn't know about brown dwarfs, or even if there were planets around stars. And many thought that the earth was the center of the universe.

    QUESTION – How long will it take your people to locate you here?
    ANSWER -UNKNOWN.

    QUESTION – How long would it take your people to travel here to rescue you?
    ANSWER – MINUTES OR HOURS.

    QUESTION – How can we make them understand that we do not intend to harm you?
    ANSWER – INTENTIONS ARE CLEAR. SEE IN YOUR MIND / IMAGES /FEELINGS.

    At this point, the more astute should realize that they were absolutely transparent to this being. And that their plans, thoughts, secrets and desires were open and presented to it and they had no defense against it.

    QUESTION – If you are not a biological entity, why do you refer to yourself as feminine?
    ANSWER – I AM A CREATOR. MOTHER. SOURCE.”

    SUBJECT: ALIEN INTERVIEW, 11. 7. 1947, 3rd Session

    “QUESTION – “What assurance or proof do you require from us that will make you feel safe enough to answer our questions.”
    ANSWER – ONLY SHE SPEAKS. ONLY SHE HEARS. ONLY SHE QUESTIONS. NO OTHERS. MUST LEARN / KNOW / UNDERSTAND.”

    There it is.  The type-1 grey defines who, what, when, why, how and where. No one else.

    Then, according to the notes;

    “On the afternoon of the 16th day Airl and I sat next to each other as she read. She closed the last page of a book she was reading and placed it aside. I was about to hand her the next book from a large pile waiting to be read, when she turned and said or “thought” to me, “I am ready to speak now”. At first I was a little confused by the remark. I gestured for her to continue and she began to teach me my first lesson.

    Up to this point, everything was very matter-of-fact, clear, cut and dry. Now we enter “the twilight zone” and start getting into the real “meat” of the interview. And it is this part that REALLY NEEDS to be sorted out and put into context.

    SUBJECT: ALIEN INTERVIEW, 24. 7. 1947, 1st Session

    “What would you like to say, Airl?”, I asked.

    “I have been a part of the Domain Expeditionary Force in this sector of space for several thousand years. However, I have not personally had intimate contact with beings on Earth since 5,965 BCE. It is not my primary function to interact with inhabitants of planets within The Domain. I am an Officer, Pilot and Engineer, with many duties to perform. Nonetheless, although I am fluent in 347 other languages within The Domain, I have not been exposed to your English language.

    Said very interestingly. However, let's parse this statement to it's basics. 
    
    This officer 
    
    [1] has been assigned to this region for a long stretch of time (from a human perspective). 
    [2] Hasn't interacted with humans for roughly 8,000 years. 
    [3] Is an officer, a pilot, and an engineer. 
    [4] Is fluent in numerous languages spoken within their "nation" / "federation". 
    [5] Does not speak English until now.

    The last Earth language with which I was conversant was the Sanskrit language of the Vedic Hymns. At that time I was a member of a mission sent to investigate the loss of a Domain base located in the Himalaya Mountains. An entire battalion of officers, pilots, communications and administrative personnel disappeared and the base destroyed.

    This officer learned the local Earth language when investigating the loss of one of their outposts. This was in the Himalaya mountains, and at that time 8,000 years ago, the locals spoke Sanskrit. It was a large outpost.
    
    Knowing what I know, I can tell you that this was a sizable installation. It was large, and it maintained a large contingent of personnel, and they were active in doing what ever they were active in doing. A facility this size has a purpose. And what it was, or what it was doing, is not specified.

    Several million years ago I was trained and served as an Investigation, Data Evaluation and Program Development Officer for The Domain. Because I was experienced in that technology, I was sent to Earth as part of the search team.

    Again, do not get all caught up on the specific numbers and terms. Just look at the basics what it was saying.
    
    The type-1 extraterrestrial had training in the specialties needed to investigate the mystery of the lost outpost. So it was sent down to the area to investigate.

    One of my duties involved interrogation of the human population that inhabited the adjoining area at that time.  Many of the people in that region reported sighting “vimanas” or space craft in the area.

    Thus the reason why the "non-contact" protocols were breached. The local humans needed to be interviewed, and they needed to be understood. So it learned the local language at that time.
    
    In interviewing them (not specified how), the humans reported seeing spaceships and vehicles in the area. Which was telling. As the type-1 greys have a "non-contact" / "non-interference" policy and all their ships are hidden from view (cloaked).
    
    This means that they were observing space vehicles of another nation / civilization / species.

    Following the logical extension of evidence, testimony, observation, as well as the absence of certain evidence, I led my team to the discovery that there were still “Old Empire” ships and well-hidden “Old Empire” installations in this solar system of which we had been completely unaware.

    It makes reference to an "old empire". This is entirely plausible, however, it does seem to be contrived to fit the mind-set of the military at the facility at that time. 
    
    For all of military at the base (at that time) had just spent the last few years fighting the Nazi Germans and the Japanese empires. It seems logical to me that the Type-1 grey would carefully construct a narrative that the human base commanders would relate to, accept and understand.

    You and I were unable to communicate in your language because I, personally, have not been exposed to your language. However, now that I have scanned the books and material you provided me this data has been relayed to our space station in this region and processed by our communications officer through our computers. It has been translated into my own language and relayed back to me in a context that I can think with. I have also received additional information from the files stored in our computers about the English language and Domain records concerning Earth civilization.”

    It obtained the books. Scanned the content. Relayed it to "the cloud" at the base. Massaged it, cross-indexed it with known available records, and now is able to converse in English at a more professional level.

    “Now I am prepared to give you certain information that I feel will be of great value to you.

    Up until this point in time, I believe that all the information was wholly accurate, and truthful to the understanding of the people in the Roswell facility.
    
    It is at this juncture, that it decides to "give certain information" that might benefit humans.

    I will tell you the truth. Although truth is relative to all other truth, I wish to share with you as honestly and accurately as possible, truth as I see it, within the boundaries of my integrity to myself, to my race and without violating my obligations to the organization I serve and have sworn to uphold and protect”.

    The key phrase is "truth is relative to other truths". And that is the KEY to unlocking and understanding all which was stated. 
    
    It is [1] providing a mixture of information that [2] will be believable to the military leadership at the base, all intended to convey [3] various points that it wants to establish.
    
    Knowing what I know, the points that it wanted to establish were...
    
    [A] The Type-1 greys are a old, advanced species.
    [B] The Type-1 greys own the Earth and everything surrounding it.
    [C] The Type-1 greys are very strong militarily.
    [D] Avenues for further communication will be made possible but on the terms established by the Type-1 greys.
    
    Everything else is clouded in a mish-mash of mercurial and seemingly unrelated, but highly detailed (trigger) subjects designed to evoke a certain degree of emotional and mental reactions from the military staff at the facility.

    “OK”, I thought. “Will you answer questions from the gallery now?”

    “No. I will not answer questions. I will provide information to you that I think will be beneficial to the well-being of the immortal spiritual beings who comprise humanity, and that will foster the survival of all the myriad life forms and the environment of Earth, as it is a part of my mission to ensure the preservation of Earth.

    As part of it's role and mission to ensure the preservation of the Earth, it will provide a narrative. This narrative will provide "information" which will eventually be beneficial to the souls of the humans that exist on the Earth.

    “Personally, it is my conviction that all sentient beings are immortal spiritual beings. This includes human beings. For the sake of accuracy and simplicity I will use a made-up word: “IS-BE“. Because the primary nature of an immortal being is that they live in a timeless state of “is”, and the only reason for their existence is that they decide to “be”.

    What it is talking about is "individual consciousness" which is a creation of soul. 
    
    This term "IS-BE" is confusing. For our purposes here, we will simply refer to it as "consciousness+". 
    
    It describes consciousness as it has decided to enter various life-lines through various world-lines. Of course, this understanding was well-beyond the military minded folk right after world war 2. So it made up it's own term.

    No matter how lowly their station in a society, every IS-BE deserves the respect and treatment that I myself would like to receive from others. Each person on Earth continues to be an IS-BE whether they are aware of the fact or not.”

    Continued, and with personal notes from the interpreter.

    “Airl told me her reasons for coming to Earth and for being in the area of the 509th Bomber Squadron. She was sent by her superior officers to investigate the explosions of nuclear weapons which have been tested in New Mexico. Her superiors ordered her to gather information from the atmosphere that could be used to determine the extent of radiation and potential harm this might cause to the environment. During her mission, the space craft was struck by a lighting which caused her to lose control and crash.

    This was covered earlier (above).
    
    While investigating nuclear detonations in the New Mexico region, the vehicle experienced some kind of wave frequency / electro-magnetic interference. The type-1 extraterrestrial believed that it was due to natural weather irregularities. But, within two years, they will realize that it was due to radar interference with their electrical control systems.

    The space craft is operated by IS-BEs who use “doll bodies” in much the same way that an actor wears a mask and costume. It is a like a mechanical tool through which to operate in the physical world. She, as well as all of the other IS-BEs of the officer class and their superiors, inhabit these “doll bodies” when they are on duty in space. When they are not on duty, they “leave” the body and operate, think, communicate, travel, and exist without the use of a body.

    Not stated in the transcripts, but in the personal notes of the nurse is the understanding that these constructed bodies are just like suits of clothing that the type-1 grey extraterrestrial entities wear.

    The bodies are constructed of synthetic materials, including a very sensitive electrical nervous system, to which each IS-BE adjusts themselves or “tune in” to an electronic wave length that is matched uniquely to the wavelength or frequency emitted by each IS-BE.

    Each IS-BE is capable of creating a unique wave frequency which identifies them, much like a radio signal frequency. This serves, in part, as identification like a finger print. The doll body acts like a radio receiver for the IS-BE. No two frequencies or doll bodies are exactly the same.

    The bodies of each IS-BE crew member are likewise tuned into and connected to the “nervous system” built into the space craft. The space craft is built in much the same way as the doll body. It is adjusted specifically to the frequency of each IS-BE crew member. Therefore, the craft can be operated by the “thoughts” or energy emitted by the IS-BE. It is really a very simple, direct control system. So, there are no complicated controls or navigation equipment on board the space craft. They operate as an extension of the IS-BE.

    When the lightning bolt struck the space craft this caused a short circuit and consequently “disconnected” them from the control of the ship momentarily which resulted in the crash.

    Again, the belief is that the default explanation for the crash was a natural phenomenon based upon assumption. 
    
    Were the type-1 greys to investigate the crash and wreckage, they would (and eventually will) identify the root cause failure. Which was a real surprise to them, I am sure. And resulted in changes to the control systems of the spacecraft.

    Airl was, and still is, an officer, pilot and engineer in an expeditionary force which is part of a space opera civilization which refers to itself as “The Domain”.

    I have no problem calling the type-1 greys part of a "space opera civilization". 
    
    Firstly [1] because they are one of the dominant species in our region. Secondly [2] that the military leadership at Roswell would easily understand this reference. And thirdly [3] all the subsequent information provided illustrates this point most clearly.

    This civilization controls a vast number of galaxies, stars, planets, moons and asteroids throughout an area of space that is approximately one-fourth of the entire physical universe!

    It could be. Or it could not. No one really actually knows.
    
    My understanding from this differs substantially. 
    
    As I understand it, this species can travel the universe, and has control over regions of space in other galaxies. But as far as our galaxy is concerned, it's control is about 25% of it, and our solar system is somewhere off to the side of the central area of control. The are expanding inward towards the center from the outer rim.
    
    This nurse, is making a common mistake associating "the universe" with "the galaxy".

    The continuing mission of her organization is to “Secure, control and expand the territory and resources of The Domain”.

    Airl pointed out that their own activities were very similar in many ways to the European explorers who “discovered” and “claimed” the New World for The Holy Father, The Pope and for the kings of Spain, Portugal and later, Holland, England, France and so forth.

    Europe benefited from the property “acquired” from the native inhabitants. However, the native inhabitants were never consulted with or asked for their permission to become a part of the “domain” of European nations and the soldiers and priests they sent to acquire territory and wealth in order to advance their interests.

    Airl said she read in a history book that the Spanish king regretted the brutal treatment of the native inhabitants by his soldiers. He feared retribution from the gods he worshiped, as described in the various testaments of the Bible. He asked the Pope to prepare a statement called “The Requirement” which was supposed to be read to each of the newly encountered native inhabitants.

    The king hoped that the statement, whether it was accepted or rejected by the natives, would absolve the King of all responsibility for the resulting slaughter and enslavement of these people. He used this statement as justification to confiscate their lands and possessions by his soldiers and the Pope’s priests. Apparently, the Pope, personally, did not have any feelings of guilt or responsibility in the matter.

    Airl thought that such actions were those of a coward and that it is no surprise that the territory of Spain was diminished so quickly. Only a few years later the king was dead and his empire had been assimilated by other nations.

    While this entire narrative and story was not included in the interview transcripts, I do not doubt that it occurred in silent unspoken communication between the two.
    
    Souls are constructed and grow from the experiences that consciousness generates.
    
    If your consciousness (in whatever form you take) creates destructive, unwarranted and unfair actions, tumult, pain, sadness, and emotional and physical strife...
    
    ...this creation will reside upon all your works, and your soul construct no matter how pleasant and beautiful you (and your works) look on the outside.
    
    Eventually, it will try to find a point of lowest energy potential and all will manifest and come down hard on your "great works". It is no surprise that the type-1 grey talked in these terms.

    Airl said that this sort of behavior does not occur in The Domain. Their leaders assume full responsibility for the actions of The Domain, and would not denigrate themselves in this fashion. Nor do they fear any gods or have any regret for their actions.

    This idea reinforces my earlier suggestion that Airl and her people are probably atheists.

    Missing the point.
    
    Say that you kidnapped someone when you were in your 20's. You raped them, then you killed them, you hid the body, and no one knew anything at all about it. 
    
    For sixty years you raised a family, went to church, and worked at your job and got your gold watch at retirement. 
    
    On your death bed, you made a last confession. You told the priest about the murder, and he "absolved you of all your sins", and you died and expected to go into Heaven.
    
    What's next?
    
    A mantid (angel) comes and you go in front of a committee and they review your life. They see the good works, the bad works, and the terrible works.
    
    Are your sins absolved? 
    
    No. They are not.
    
    Buy doing those terrible things, you have "hoisted a huge grand piano, with a strong hemp rope, a full 80 stories above your head". 
    
    (This is a figurative illustration that suggests that you have created a very dangerous situation and now lie under the threat of this situation that you created.)
    
    Until you resolve your deeds, you will have that danger with you always, and it attracts people who have sharp knives and who love to cut ropes.
    
    (Again, figuratively, you will attract to you events, and things that will trigger a release of that danger that you created.)
    
    You will need to resolve that, and the best way is a role reversal in your next life. The second best, is to take on a positive and helpful role doing good deeds and making great things happen. A third way is to accept it, and allow the piano to fall on you as that is the consequence for your actions.
    
    Now all of this would have been totally alien to the military leadership at Roswell at that time.

    In the case of the acquisition of Earth by The Domain, the rulers of The Domain have chosen not to openly reveal this intention to the “native inhabitants” of Earth until a later time when it may, or may not, suit their interests to reveal themselves. For the present time, it is not strategically necessary to make the presence of The Domain Expeditionary Force known to Mankind. In fact, until now, it has been very aggressively hidden, for reasons that will be revealed later.

    Simple. The Earth is owned by the type-1 greys. There is no need to tell any of the Earth inhabitants of this truth. Maybe sometime in the future, the Type-1 greys will work and communicate with humans in various nations of the world, but not in 1948.
    
    I can tell you that this occurred with the United States in the 1970's and MAJestic was formed as a result of this level of communication.
    
    I can also tell you that both China, and Russia have also been in contact with the Type-1 greys. But I cannot elaborate on the extent of that communication.

    The asteroid belt near Earth is a very small, but important location for The Domain in this part of space. Actually, some of the objects in our solar system are very valuable for use as low-gravity “space stations”. They are interested primarily in the low gravity satellites in this solar system which consists mainly of the side of the moon facing away from Earth and the asteroid belt, which was a planet that was destroyed billions of years ago, and to a lesser degree, Mars and Venus.

    Nothing new here. The Type-1 greys are interested in the asteroid belt, and the moon (on the "far side").

    Doom Domed structures synthesized from gypsum or underground bases covered by electromagnetic force screens are easily constructed to house the Domain forces.

    Bases and facilities are easily created in this solar system. They consist of domed structures, or underground facilities hidden by electromagnetic force screens.

    Once an area of space is acquired by The Domain and becomes a part of the territory under its control, it is treated as the “property” of The Domain. The space station near the planet Earth is important only because it lay along a path of The Domain expansion route toward the center of the Milky Way galaxy and beyond.

    Nothing new. And this information can be well understood by the Roswell military at that time.

    End of part 1

    So far there is NOTHING in this transcript that I can find fault with.

    There’s some minor errors in translation, and misconceptions, but most of what is going on is what you would expect. In this first part, there wasn’t any intentional misdirection, falsehoods, or deceptions that I can identify.

    Of course, this information would have been an absolute SHOCK to the world at that time. And no one was ready for the idea that [1] there were other species in universe, or that [2] they owned us lock, stock and barrel.

    In this article, I tried to put things into perspective with what I know, and added some insight. I also purposefully omitted much of the opinions, thoughts and clutter that the book has. I just wanted to “get to the meat” of it.

    The next section(s) describe some very difficult things to absorb. Mostly because you (and most MM readers) do not have the mind-set of a 1947 military officer. And THAT was the target audience for the narrative presented.

    We will continue with a parsing of this document / book in part 2.

    Key Points

    • The Roswell military event that acquired a UFO is not a fiction.
    • A Type-1 grey extraterrestrial craft crashed and was recovered by military personnel.
    • One creature was captured and interrogated.
    • The person who was able to ask him questions and record the answers was an Army nurse.
    • She kept all records of the event, including the actual transcripts, and disclosed them on her death-bed.
    • The creature was a construct and the species wore the animated creature like we would wear clothing.
    • The creature claims to be very ancient, and that they own the Earth, and their role is to protect it and make sure that it is maintained
    • There is another extraterrestrial group. This group is referred to as the “old empire” and it has been administrating this region of space for a long time.

    Do you want more?

    You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

    ET Species

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

    Alien Interview by Lawrence Spencer

    A type 1 grey extraterrestrial was acquired from the vehicle wreckage in Roswell, New Mexico. One Army nurse was able to interview it. When the nurse was in her 80’s she moved to England and got ready to die, and left behind this document that describes her encounter with this creature, and all of her interrogations with it.

    I was exposed to this document on the fourth of July, 2021, and when I read the book I was astounded how much matched MAJestic knowledge and understanding, and how much matched what I was exposed to through entanglement. I would say that it’s a solid 98% match.

    For me, personally, it reaffirms (from a secondary source) the validity of my experiences, purpose and writings today.

    Some notes
    
    Sometimes, when the nurse refers to "the universe", I think she actually means "our galaxy". When you look at the writings, in this light, many things come into focus.
    
    Other times, when she refers to "the universe", she is referring to the entire "universe" as we know it to be.
    
    Dating is confusing. Enormous dates like "trillions of years" is again meaningless as we humans are not using the same "yard stick" for comparative measurement.
    
    The "old empire" is a service-for-self species that farms the sentience on Earth. The way it is presented is more accurate than anything that I have said.

    Both MM and this document, when combined together, establishes a solid framework towards understanding our place in this universe and YOUR ultimate role in it. I am presenting it here in PDF form.

    I hope that you enjoy it as much as I have. And answers the questions that I have been unable to answer for you.

    Do you want more?

    You can find many more videos in my “Extraterrestrial Species index” over here…

    ET Species

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

     

    Coping while in chrysalis

    Background

    While my story is filled with all sorts of issues and elements, this particular article will discuss a time in my life where I was in the “Parole System”.

    When I was “retired” from three decades in the MAJ (which is a branch of the ONI) under the United States department of the Navy, I was placed under the control of the Arkansas state prison system. Also known as “the ADC”. And under that system, I was accused, tried, convicted, and sent off to be a “sex offender” working at hard labor.

    I spent roughly two years in the hot Arkansas sun and then was granted parole. This is the story of that brief period of time. Roughly two years in duration, before I returned back to the ADC to finish my sentence

    My story

    In my darkest days while I was still in the Prison system, I was granted parole under very rigid limitations on everything that I could do. Parole is a good thing. We all wanted it. It was the “rehabilitation” portion of our prison sentence. While “hard labor” was the punishment phase.

    Parole can ONLY be granted to a relative or a close friend (with no criminal background). Barring that, you can be sent to a “half way” house. That is, as long as you are not a “sex offender”.

    Quick Tip
    Half-way houses, religious organizations (that accept federal funding), state organizations, or private organizations (that accept state funding) are barred from accepting "sex offenders".

    I had one option. My father.

    And he gladly took on that role, and welcomed me into his house. He did so under the objections of my step-mother who grudgingly went along with the arrangement.

    From left to right; My step-mother, My father, and then me (MM) way off to the right.

    Terms of Parole

    Under parole my freedom was severely curtailed.

    I couldn’t have a cell phone, or be near one. I couldn’t go to a restaurant that served alcohol, nor could I apply for a job that had access to a telephone, computer, printer, or camera. And I couldn’t watch any movies unless it was “G” rated. Any violations would cause me to go right back to prison.

    It’s very difficult as a “sex offender” because not only are you a undesirable felon, but the non-stop anti sex offender barrage on the media turned you into a shunned leper.

    Things fell apart

    After about four months living at my long-retired father’s house (He was in his late 70’s at the time.), his wife (my step mother) decided that I was a “grown adult” and kicked me out of the house. I tried to explain that my parole was contingent on living with my father. But she didn’t care. She no longer wanted me there.

    I was part of his “old life” and his “old wife” and I was a constant reminder of that.

    She would have no part of it.

    My father, and you know I must give him credit, put up a cursory defense on my behalf. But the situation was unstable, and I was escorted out of the house with my meager belongings in a small suitcase.

    I was kicked out on Christmas eve. (Again, long time MM readers will recognize the significance of this event.) And that is how I spent my Christmas in 2007.

    Not just losing my jobs on Christmas eve, over and over, and over again, but also getting kicked out of the house as well. Sigh.

    Some background
    For those of you who are unaware, it just seemed that the preferred date to lay me off from work in industry was right before Christmas. This included Delco Electronics, Magnavox, Poulan Weedeater, Pollak, Grote, Guardian Glass, and Holmes Products.
    
    To quote "John McClain" from the "Die Hard" series of movies. "What are the odds?"

    Aside from being a total dick about the entire thing, she made pronouncements that she wanted me to rot in prison, get raped in prison, and have my life totally and utterly destroyed. And that she hoped that she could make this happen personally.

    I well remember telling her that “Oh, you are just angry. You don’t mean what you are saying.

    To which she replied. “Oh, yes I do. I know exactly what I am saying and exactly what I want.”

    (To make a long story short) I ended up in a “flop house” for until after Christmas when the Parole staff could deal with my case.

    Flophouse. 
    Any house/apartment/ frat house /trailer/etc. which is used for individuals to crash (sleep, chill, hang out, lurk, etc.) for a period of time. In order to "crash", one must not actually live there (e.g. have their name on the lease, own said flophouse, etc.). Flophouses are typically used by college students, drug addicts, transients, vagrants, or other unsavory characters.

    The entire staff at the parole office were all celebrating the holidays, don’t you know.

    So I had to wait in a limbo state. Locked in a room. I called the 1-800 hot line which instructed me to go to the designated address and stay inside the room and do not leave for any reason until they would get back to work after the holiday.

    Eventually they came back from holiday. Picked me up in a van, and hauled me off to a monastery to live.

    A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone. 
    
    A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which may be a chapel, church, or temple, and may also serve as an oratory, or in the case of communities anything from a single building housing only one senior and two or three junior monks or nuns, to vast complexes and estates housing tens or hundreds. 
    
    A monastery complex typically comprises a number of buildings which include a church, dormitory, cloister, refectory, library, balneary and infirmary, and outlying granges. 
    
    Depending on the location, the monastic order and the occupation of its inhabitants, the complex may also include a wide range of buildings that facilitate self-sufficiency and service to the community. 
    
    These may include a hospice, a school, and a range of agricultural and manufacturing buildings such as a barn, a forge, or a brewery.
    
    -Wikipedia

    Actually, it was a really good thing. But at the time I knew nothing about it and was petrified.

    A talk with my father

    Anyways, my father came to visit me while I sat alone in that bare hotel room. All the light bulbs were burnt out, so I opened the blinds to let the street light illuminate the room.It was a pretty dismal hotel room. It had a very tiny commode in the corner with a beaded curtain separating it from the room, and a old black and white television with “rabbit ears” on the top that didn’t work.

    The television looked something like this.

    My father sat down on the lumpy bed while I sat on the low 1940’s style chair with mattress springs that jut up from below. He tried to explain his situation, while acknowledging (all the time repeatedly) that his wife was being a horrible bitch to me. But really, he was old and really wasn’t able to handle all the discord.

    I understood his situation.

    I really did.

    This was his life, his family, and I was not wanted by his wife, and he (at his age) did not need the strife and aggravation.

    But, I did tell him the truth. I told him what the parole officers told me. that he was incapable of being a “guardian” for me during parole. That he was not behaving like a father. That they were not behaving like a functional family, and there was no way that that environment was healthy for me.

    He failed.

    He lied to the parole board.

    He promoted himself as a good father, and a loving and nurturing home for me to recover and start the long road towards rehabilitation. But the parole office disagreed. Real functional families do not kick family members out of the house, and they most certainly do not do so under the conditions and situation that I was in. Frankly, I was a “basket case”. You don’t go from white-collar professional to slave laborer in the deep South surrounded with urban blacks, SA’s and other misfits of society.

    Basketcase
    informal : a person who is functionally incapacitated from extreme nervousness, emotional distress, mental or physical overwork, etc.

    And he didn’t like to hear it, and told me that he was going to have a “word with them on my behalf”.

    I told him not to bother. The decision was already made.

    And then the next day, he visited me crestfallen. And he just repeated what they told me. In fact, they suggested that he and his wife go to couples counseling, and see a sociologist to straighten out their dysfunction.

    All of which was a major slap in his face.

    Anyways, both he and his wife passed on. (They died. My father in late December 2008) and my step-mother sometime in 2010. All I really want to do is to give some background to the situation at hand.

    A dark night of soul

    For me, it was a dark night of soul. And I sat there awaiting my next form of incarceration. I went from Jail to Prison, to Parole, and now was facing some kind of rehabilitation camp in the deep forests of Pennsylvania.

    I didn’t know what to expect.

    I was very down and pretty gloomy and my father tried to cheer me up. He said that he was never in my shoes, and did not know what it was like to lose everything, go to a hard labor prison, and then be scorned and rejected by family…

    …but he said, that he knew that eventually all this would end. I would will exit it stronger and a better person.

    But you know, I didn’t want to hear any platitudes. I didn’t want to hear any excuses. He failed me. And nothing he could say could comfort my crumpled and broken heart. And I certainly didn’t want the sympathy from a person who offered words instead of physical and tangible assistance.

    But he was right.

    It took a long time. A damn long time.

    It took some time to adjust to, and I had to really adapt and configure things, but eventually I thrived inside the monastery. And then when I exited it and was able to live inside a joint men’s home as part of my parole I was doing better, and I was stronger.

    Coping and Adaptation

    Other parolees, that were “sex offenders” were not doing so well. They tried to adapt to their life before prison, and were having problems. They just couldn’t do it.

    I knew their stories because state law mandated that I attend a three hour long counseling session every week to help us readjust back to society as fourth-rate citizens. You know; the “slave class”. Or better yet; “The destitute class”.

    Work

    They tried to find work as accountants, plumbers, doctors, dentists, managers and other white-collar professions. And simply couldn’t find work. No one would hire them. But they still kept at it, day in and day out. As far as I know (from the circle that I communicated with) no one was ever able to return to their former professions.

    But, I was a little different. I knew that I couldn’t work as an engineer or a manager. We used computers, all the time. No one would hire me with that kind of limitation. So, I applied for the jobs that no one wanted. I scrubbed bathrooms. Cleaned up murder crime scenes, I cleaned toilets, I scrubbed up vomit, dug out sewers and hauled trash. I did the dirty and grimy work that no one wanted to do.

    Transportation

    They (the other parolee “sex offenders”) tried to get a car to get around in, but being a “sex offender”, and parolee, the best they could do is get a “junker”, a “clunker” and pay in cash. And as a result it was like riding in a ratty old junk yard that was forever breaking down.

    Typical “sex offender” parolee vehicular transportation.

    But I was different. I bought a used bicycle, and rode it everywhere. It was good exercise, healthy, and fun. And cost nothing to drive, and never broke down. And because it was old, and ugly, no one wanted it. So it was never stolen.

    Loneliness

    Right off the bat just everyone got a girlfriend, but I have always been choosy. Much to my personal lament (when I look back in my memories). And while I had opportunity to make some new friends, and started to get involved with some of them, I quickly realized that there was some kind of quanta “stuff” that was sticking to me that attracted all kinds of negative people to me. Most of which were double and triple trouble. And in our weekly counseling sessions, the other parolees would lament their relationship complexities.

    I shied away from women. I got a cat. His name was Coco. He was black. And he was easy to take care of, was there when I was lonely. And was so very happy to see me.

    Coco.

    Food

    Many of my fellow parolees were living with a girlfriend, and this involved all sorts of drama. For meals, most tended to eat out more than their meager budgets would allow, and when they did eat out, they would eat cheap and fast food. Often burgers, fried chicken, or what ever cheap food could be bought in bulk. All heavily laden in sugar, super-processed, and often deep fried.

    I sponsored a formal sit-down meal in our jointly shared home. Everyone contributed to the pantry, and we all took turns making dinner. The rule was simple, the person would choose the meal, but it had to have a main dish, and two sides, and that we would all sit down and eat it together. Lunches were on our own, as were breakfasts, and for me, I frequently obtained “subway sandwiches” for lunch.

    Simple basic healthy American food.

    Your life is now transitional

    And all, in all, I did much better than my parolee peers.

    This article / podcast is for people who are having trouble coping with their situation in life. And (of course) everyone is different, and I can offer no hard direction. I can tell you all that how you deal with the situation that you are in, will determine how successful you will be in moving out of that situation.

    Keep in mind that the situation that you are in now is TRANSITIONAL.

    You are moving from one OLD LIFE to a NEW LIFE.

    Much like a caterpillar goes into chrysalis to be come a butterfly. This period of time in your life is that chrysalis.

    The transformation of a caterpillar to a butterfly takes place in the chrysalis or pupa. Butterflies goes through a life cycle of five stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Inside the chrysalis, several things are happening and it is not a “resting” stage.
    
    -What Happens Inside the Chrysalis of a Butterfly?

    It is not a passive time.

    It is a time of activity.

    So STOP thinking about what you were before. And stop thinking about what your life is now. Look forward to what you will become. And I gave you all the tools. You WILL become it. I fucking promise you.

    How you handle and deal though this transitional period will define what your new life will become.

    An example

    This is an example. This is a true example, it’s the real deal, but many people will not be able to relate to it because it is so personal.

    After I left the monastery I was living in a shared men’s house, and working as a midnight to 4am housekeeper / janitor.

    I lived in a shared “men’s house” with five others. This is the living room. You can see some of my paintings on the wall.

    I had enough money to make rent, pay for meals, and utilities and a lot of time on my hands in the daytime. In fact, I only worked four hours a night, and everything was taken cared for. No one bothered me. So I scrubbed toilets, and showers. Big deal. It was an easy life and no one bothered me.

    During the day time I would ride my bicycle along the city streets of Erie, Pennsylvania, check out and visit the beaches and just go home and paint. I read a lot. I practiced my art. I wrote poetry, learned Chinese and enjoyed life.

    Many of my other fellow parolees were constantly embroiled in relationship issues, substance issues, and going in and out with the seedier and bad groups of people that frequented our neighborhood.

    I just kept focused.

    Anyways, everyday I had a routine where I would ride my bicycle to the library, and read for a spell, then grab a “subway sandwich” (which is a long sandwich full of cold-cuts and vegetables) and then ride back home.

    Subway sandwich.

    While I did this, I had a iPod full of music that I would listen to. Most of which were Korean, Japanese and Chinese with a healthy mix of 70’s rock, Country and Western, and Reggie.

    And this is the song that I listened to the most, when I was riding my bike at that time. It set the pace for my life-transition. I purposely filled my life with happy up-beat music. Even if I didn’t speak the language. And you can well imagine the looks of the passersby as I sang in Japanese as I rode my bicycle through town.

    Riding my bicycle.

    And doing so…

    I filled myself with upbeat, positive music.

    And sometimes I rode with tears running down my face. It was not always easy. In fact, it was often very, very difficult.

    Lyrics (English translation)

    Obviously the song is in Japanese. But here is what it is all about. It’s about taking on the world with a good, and great attitude. And this is what I filled myself day in and day out was I went through this transitional period. And as I have said, imagine me, an older guy in his 50’s, pedaling around on a bicycle with ear buds and singing in Japanese along the empty residential streets…

    Good Morning The east sky is bright again, Yeah Yeah.
    Good Morning Let's Go Meet New MySelf (Yeah!)
    It's not like yesterday. I'm excited about the sun shining more, Yeah.
    What kind of day is waiting for the future that is likely to start today...
    
    Good morning alarm is admony
    I'm not going to do it. 
    
    Dozens of options. It's still going well.
    A new journey begins where the morning sun and the cityscape begin to cross each other.
    .
    New Sneakers Exhilarating Freedom
    .
    Japanese morning Brazil follows last night's tears emptyly
    Today is more important than today. It's a waste to have something.
    so every day birthday morning shot can coffee
    I swallow it and jump into the morning burn.
    
    Good Morning The east sky is bright again, Yeah Yeah.
    Good Morning Let's Go Meet New MySelf (Yeah!)
    It's not like yesterday. I'm excited about the sun shining more, Yeah.
    What kind of day is waiting for the future that is likely to start today...
    
    Sunrise with bright blue sky
    "If today is a good day..." What a toothpaste to think about
    In the morning zooming in, milk and bread salad.
    Dressing is Southern Island, let's stand by.
    .
    Birds chirping in 2 seconds when the entrance is opened (Chun Chun ♪)
    .
    Even if you wake up and have a dull face, at the very most, only feelings are positive...
    ...so certainly the world is serious still stretched and take a deep breath
    Junior high and high school students on the salaried man Run with a dream chuo line
    
    Good Morning The east sky is bright again, Yeah Yeah.
    Good Morning Let's Go Meet New MySelf (Yeah!)
    It's not like yesterday. I'm excited about the sun shining more, Yeah.
    What kind of day is waiting for the future that is likely to start today...
    
    Even if it rains yesterday, but today it's high pressure, and there's nothing else.
    Hope alone makes dreams possible The morning sun lights up the way
    Good Morning This call has reached you again, Yeah Yeah.
    Good Morning There's a lovely event to come to you (Yeah!)
    
    Good Morning The east sky is bright again, Yeah Yeah.
    Good Morning Let's Go Meet My New Person (Yeah!)
    It's not like yesterday. I'm excited about the sun shining more, Yeah.
    What kind of day is waiting for the future that is likely to start today...

    And I would ride to my house, and my cat Coco would run up to me. So very happy to see me.

    My cat Coco was so very happy to see me.

    What kind of new day is waiting for me…

    …I’ve shown you all what my life is like.

    Have faith. Grit and hold on. Adapt and cope. YOU WILL MAKE IT.

    I believe in you.

    Keep in mind…

    If you are experiencing hardship, that MEANS that you are in transition.

    The size of the discomfort is equal to the magnitude of change. If you are a MM follower and you are experiencing discomfort, then recognize that you are in chrysalis. This is a good thing.

    What you will eventually become…

    …is determined how you adapt to the chrysalis phase.

    The Podcast

    I made up a podcast and placed it here. My app that links the podcast to the articles suddenly became a for-profit venture (after my “free trial”) and will delete all my existing podcasts unless I pay them healthy piles of money every month. Meanwhile, they were never able to really host the videos. They never were able to stream to MM as promised.

    Never the less, here’ my podcast. Please watch and download. Then check out the rest of this article below.

    Direct Download

    You can download the entire podcast directly HERE.

    Postscript – Janitorial Job on Parole

    Well, that job that I had being a janitor eventually ended.

    All jobs end, but being fired for scrubbing toilets has to be a new low for me.

    A new person was put in charge of the program (that employed us felons in transition), and she would not have any “sex offenders” working for her.It was her decision, and she had the power to implement her desires.

    She let me and a few other sex offenders go as well. Of course, not with the excuse that we were “sex offenders”. No. That would be illegal.

    She came up with other excuses.

    Each one of us were fired with a different excuse.

    One “sex offender” was fired for “stealing the trash bags” that we used when emptying the trash. She claimed that of the 1000 bags that we used, there were ten or fifteen missing and she blamed him.

    One “sex offender” was let go for taking too long a break at 2am. Apparently she called his work location at 2:25am and they answered the phone from the office instead of being on the floor mopping.

    And I was let go because I allowed my crew to finish early.

    Loss of the job violated my parole. I mean just how hard is it to get in trouble working scrubbing toilets at 3am in the morning? But, that was what happened, and by losing my job, I violated my parole.

    And guess when this happened?

    Yup. You guessed right. Yet another Christmas eve. And that is how I spent my Christmas in 2009.

    Die Hard has become my life. And the base commander at NAS, NASC Pensacola, Fla told me never to forget “Yippee Ki Yay.” Ah. The one-liner “Yippee Ki Yay, motherfucker” is one of John McClane’s most famous lines. And it become my fucking life.

    And eventually after a bunch of nonsense that really isn’t necessary to get into now, I ended up being hauled back to Arkansas and finished the rest of my sentence.

    Postscript – Mother in law.

    In regards to my mother in law that kicked me out of the house; she died while I was in prison. I knew that she was dying, when I went back to the ADC. I also knew that she wanted to die and elected not to undergo any type of treatment for her cancer, just to die with pain medicine to control the pain.

    And I was in prison, while she elected to die in comfort without strife and pain.

    Felon (2008)

    And you know, being entangled like I am (provides me with insight and events that most people do not get a chance to experience. And so I experienced “an event.”

    Explanation
    The EBP enables me to peer into the non-physical reality when approved. I can "see" things that most non-implanted people cannot.

    You all probably do not want to hear this, but when a person dies, they tend to review their life with other entities.

    These other entities, well I call them Mantids, but others refer to them as Angels.

    And sure enough, an Ebenezer Scrooge event took place. It’s a tour of her life by her mantid. When she was exposed to the consequences of her life, the past the future and the present.

    And in the present she came to me.

    And I was in prison.

    Yeah. And she could see that I fully saw her, heard her, and knew what was going on. And she was not surprised, though she was happy to see it occur.

    (Which is strange, you would figure that she would realize that I must a be a pretty "special" person to be able to see her in the non-physical body while I was in the physical. But she wasn't all that aware, I guess.)

    Anyways, to make a long story short; she said that she was sorry and wanted me to forgive her. She was remorseful from the point of view of a person who is in a disembodied spirit and can feel no pain, nor worry. To me, at that point in time, and knowing what I knew, seemed like “cheating”. No. There was no easy way out.

    And I said no.

    I said FUCKING NO!

    I told her (thought to her, but you all know what I mean) that she was a real “dick” to me and caused me all sorts of grief that was undeserving, and that I would not forgive her.

    I specifically told her that our karma has ended.

    I will neither bless or condemn her, but that from that moment on-wards, I did not want anything to do with her in any way. And I do not care about what centuries of entanglements and relationships that we may or may not have had in the past. Our relationship was OVER, and the karma that is due her (in whatever form or shape) must be handled by another different consciousness, and another soul. Not by me. And if it cannot be resolved, then she will have to correct the damage to her soul manually.

    And I know that will NOT be easy.

    And at that the Mantid let her away and I was back in the prison barracks lying in my rack.

    And I just lay there pondering my experience.

    The Main Podcast Index

    Podcast Index

     

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my MAJestic index…

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

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    Post graduate studies on the mechanism of world line travel in the MWI and how consciousness feeds world line selection

    This is a very advanced article on world-line travel. In it we go into the details on how consciousness helps to target specific world-line groupings or clusters to navigate toward.  And we are going to discuss the actual mechanism of how this occurs. As opposed to what I have described in the past “that it occurs”.

    But first, before we get to that let’s discuss a few key points.

    Where all this comes from

    Long time MM readers will recognize that the information presented regarding the MWI and world-line travel is MAJ information. And while I am restricted from discussing MAJestic details in any way, shape or form, I am (however) permitted to discuss the technologies and sciences that I was exposed to by our benefactors.

    That is, perhaps the reason why I am permitted to disclose all this stuff.

    Just keep in mind that this, and all the related information, is not my invention. I did not come up with this information, these concepts, and these ideas as theories on my own. They were taught to me. And I had just as a difficult time embracing them as you all are dealing with now.

    Nor are these writings descriptions of technologies as MAJestic understands it. What I present is not MAJestic information. It’s a side effect of my role. Not the role itself.

    Nor is what is presented my theories, and ideas and concepts. I didn’t think these things out on my own. That is a fundamental truth. Long time MM readers will recognize this. Actually, I would rather eat some fine food, play with some girls, drink more than just a little, and enjoy the more physical aspects of life (the visceral aspects) rather than spend too much time on these esoteric subjects.

    Instead it is what our benefactors believe how the universe works. It is what THEY believe, and by extension (knowing what I know), I believe it as well. I’m entangled with them. I will be until I die, and by all accounts, long after that as well. It’s the way things work.

    And as such it is alien to everything taught inside American schools today. So you can either [1] believe what is conventionally accepted as truth, [2] adopt what I present as what our extraterrestrial benefactors believe, or [3] come up with your own ideas.

    You might ask “well which species believes this?”

    And (to that) my response is that all four species that I have had contact with believe it (to one degree or the other). Certainly the Type 1, <redacted>, <redacted> and the Mantids do.

    A Quick Review

    I have long described what time is.

    Time is the movement of consciousness.

    I have described world-lines as separate histories that a physical body can live. And there are nearly an infinite number of them.

    I have described that consciousness cycles in and out between wave and particle forms to move in and out through world-lines.

    And I have described how you can navigate through the MWI by controlling your thoughts.

    And all of that is really all you really NEED to know. Right?

    We focused on Consciousness as a singular entity

    We have focused on consciousness as a singular homogeneous entity.

    You start at world-line “A”

    This world-line has it’s own history; it’s own past and it’s own future. And you are just residing inside the world-line for just a moment.

    You can see that from the point of view of your consciousness, you see the world-line as a moment. In this case the moment is shown in yellow. And the world-line is shown in orange. It has it’s own past, and it has it’s own future, and your consciousness resides in it for a fraction of a second before moving on.

    And by doing this over and over and over again, your consciousness is able to travel the MWI. You navigate through your thoughts in wave form, or your actions in physical form.

    But that’s a rather simplistic explanation.

    It’s a simple way of looking at MWI navigation

    There’s this “blob” that we refer to as “our consciousness”.

    When it is in particle form, it controls a physical body. As such it can perform physical actions with a reality.

    When it is in wave form, it can think; generate thoughts, and thus select a world-line to occupy. This world line become the reality that the physical body will occupy.

    And it is true. That’s how it works, but…

    …it’s a really good approximation.

    Yes. But it’s not the entire story.

    And I covered this in another post / article. Your consciousness is not a singular “blob”.

    Instead it is spread out thinly all over the MWI, with a tiny, tiny part of you in every single (active) world-line that has an active consciousness inside of it.

    And the world-line that we consider to be the one that your consciousness travels to is the one where most of your consciousness resides for that frozen moment in time.

    So…

    The consciousness that actually occupies a world-line at any given moment is actually…

    …the largest cluster of (your) consciousness components gathered together on a world-line.

    So this is really difficult for us humans to visualize.

    How can someone (a consciousness) be everywhere at once and experience everything at once?

    But that’s actually not the way it is. Our consciousness has the potential to be everywhere at once and the potential to experience everything at once. But in all actuality, our consciousness does prefer to clump together. And thus FOR THE MOST PART, we can pretty much assume that the world-line that our consciousness is mostly part of is the one we are on at that given moment.

    So, the tendency for our consciousness to “lump together” provides us this simplified understanding on how world-line travel works.

    We just say, “well, 90% of my consciousness is hanging on on world-line Zelda, so I’ll just say that I am on world-line Zelda”.

    But it gets interesting

    As I described in another post, what actually tends to happen is that the consciousness likes to “straddle” nearby world-lines.

    As in “Ugh, 90% of my consciousness is here on this boring world-line. It’s crowded. But if I put 30% here, 30% there, and 30% way over there, things will be more interesting, lighter and easier for me.”

    And thus, the consciousness tends to separate and fraction out on the lines that it “straddles”.

    Now, obviously these world-lines are all extremely similar to each other. You might have 560,000 grains of salt in your salt shaker in one world-line, and the nearby world-line that you are “straddling” has 559,000 grains of salt in the salt shaker.

    Expert Tip 
    The more world-lines that your consciousness "straddles" the greater your awareness of your reality, and the possibilities that you have to change it.

    The “straddling” of multiple adjacent world-lines is a very common action of consciousness. People who tend to be more “aware”, or who can “sense things or others”, or those that have various degrees of extrasensory perception, have consciousnesses that tend to “straddle” far and wide.

    Key Take Aways
    Consciousness straddles numerous world-lines at any given moment. The consciousness still operates as one singular unit, even though it occupies different world-lines. And thus it can use the sensory variations to help navigate the MWI and avoid problems.

    You can never tell if you consciousness is “lumped together” or if it is straddling multiple world-lines at any given moment.

    Nor is it important that you are aware of the actual distribution of the consciousness on the MWI.

    But understanding that the consciousness can separate on different world-lines and still operate as one singular unified consciousness is important…

    …and the entire purpose of this article.

    Now this following point is VERY important…

    From the point of view of our consciousness, there isn’t really anything like a world-line. Our consciousness does not see, nor recognize world-lines. Our brain does. Our mind does. But not our consciousness.

    Instead it views world-lines on the MWI as “breezes” (I am trying to describe things using terms that I and you are familiar with.), Thicknesses. Heaviness, and lightness. As colors. As scents. As familiar and the unfamiliar. As comfortable, and as garish. So think of the MWI as a tumultuous current of colored oils and water, and stuff all moving about.

    Like a fine flowing stream of water.

    And the consciousness “swims” in that water…

    And some parts of the consciousness are attracted to the “fast streams of water”. While other parts are attracted to the “cold streams of water”. While still other parts are attracted to the “thick streams of water”. While other parts of the consciousness are attracted to the “steamy parts of the water”.

    So…

    Parts of the consciousness move to the “nearest” sections of the MWI that appeals to it.

    Key Point
    The consciousness is made up of parts, and components just like the soul is. And these parts and components are attracted to those MWI elements that are closest in similarity to it.

    Now our mind has a very difficult time visualizing this.

    We think of the consequence in that it would cause a break up of the consciousness in to all sort of tiny pieces all going this way and that.

    But this visualization is wrong.

    But that is exactly how it works.

    Consciousness stays connected together no matter what direction it’s elements / components are attracted to…

    So that brings us up to the HOW.

    Here we will get into the precise mechanism that enables our prayer affirmations and desires to navigate us to exactly what we affirm.

    You see, there are all sorts of variations in individual world-lines. Each world-line path comes with it’s own complete future and it’s own complete path. As well as it’s own attributes and characteristics.

    For instance all the following lines might be similar (from the point of view of your affirmation objectives);

    1. America has been renamed to Am-Erica. It banned pizza, beer, wine, and pork chops. It recognizes 45 genders, and only 12 genders are considered able to run for government. But the house you wish for, the relationship you have, and the lifestyle you desire exists in perfection there.
    2. America was invaded by Canada. It has two space stations, a moon base and is the leader in harmonica manufacture. But the house you wish for, the relationship you have, and the lifestyle you desire exists in perfection there.
    3. America doesn’t change much at all. A new political party is formed. The Purple Party, and it lies in opposition to another new political party; the rainbow party. Democrat and Republicans go the way of the Dodo bird, and the government continues to exist playing the same old games, and the same media narratives. But the house you wish for, the relationship you have, and the lifestyle you desire exists in perfection there.
    4. America has split in three nations. One of the nations still refers to itself as the United States, and it’s citizens call themselves “the real Americans”. The rest have gone their own ways.  The central nation now includes most of the American plains and the cities of Chicago and Denver. The capital of this new nation is called “Rainbowland” and has a democratically elected sovereign. But the house you wish for, the relationship you have, and the lifestyle you desire exists in perfection there.

    The obvious world line direction would be the scenarios that has the smallest number of world-lines to traverse. Which would be the third scenario.

    But what, by chance, the topography of your pre-birth world line precludes this obvious choice? What if the topography offers ‘smooth sailing’ for the top scenario (number one)? What then? And why would that be the case?

    The elements that comprise your consciousness determines your world-line destination

    Now, obviously, your thoughts set the direction.

    But the actual manifested reality; the actual world-line that appears, is determined by the construction of your consciousness. And that, in turn is shaped by your soul.

    Thus, how the world-lines materialize in front of you is not by random luck.

    They (the world-lines as defined on the world-line template map) are formed “on the fly” as determined by where you are now… AND… the various elements that comprise the consciousness.

    Expert Tip
    The world-line template map is constantly being revised and adapted to changes as your consciousness evolves, and your thoughts change. It's not really fixed. It just seems that way.

    Now I do not know all that much about the intricacies of consciousness construction. All that I really know is [1] that complex construction of the consciousness exist. I also know [2] that consciousness is far more complex than what we (humans) think of as some kind of nebulous “blob”. [3] (Consciousness) has components, each with functions and features. And components [4] all work intimately with each other.

    So…

    For purposes of simplification, and to recognize that there is very little that I know regarding the components of consciousness, let’s just label them simply and describe how they work.

    Component A

    The first component we will call “A”. I suppose we could use a Latin name to sound impressive and scholarly. Like “Alpha”. But the truth is that we really do not know much about this component, or element of consciousness. At least not now. And at this stage “in the game”, we really don’t need to know. All we need to recognize is that “A” exists.

    Further, we know that “A” is attracted to certain quanta arrangements.

    So, as you are living your life and you keep on finding that you keep on experiencing the same kinds of things over and over again, might be an indicator that one aspect of the consciousness component “A” is attracted to those things.

    For instance…

    • A certain kind of person, or personality.
    • A reoccurring problem, or event.
    • A situation, that seems to repeat.

    And so forth.

    And you know, all of the components that comprise consciousness, will behave similarly.

    So if we consider that consciousness component “A” is attracted to attributes “a”, then we can say that consciousness component “B” is likewise attracted to attributes “b” and so forth right down through all the various components that comprise the consciousness.

    An example

    So what makes a given target objective more desirable than another?

    Your consciousness is following a trajectory upon the pre-birth world-line template, and heading to objectives(s) as defined by your thoughts. But there is a near infinite number of world-lines what would all meet your criteria, and your desires. So what makes one world-line better than all the others (that also meet your criteria)?

    As an extreme example, we can consider a strawberry coke float made out of kiwi ice-cream possible on (for example) the following three scenarios…

    • One is served in a ice-cream parlor that has flirtatious red head (the hair is red color) waitresses.
    • One is served in a truck stop while you are waiting to have your car repaired for a broken universal joint.
    • One is served in an Army mess hall, after you came from battle fighting the Russians in the Crimea.

    So…

    If your consciousness component “A” is fixated on red haired waitresses, the first scenario would incorporate the attribute “a” that meets that desire.

    If your consciousness component “A” is attracted to mechanical disruptions of any types, then the second scenario would incorporate the attribute “a” that meets that desire.

    And if the consciousness component “A”  is attracted to the thoughts and feelings, emotions of those that surround you, and if everyone around you is fixated on a  war with Russia, then the third scenario would incorporate the attribute “a” that meets that desire.

    And that is how it works.

    Of course, there are multiple consciousness components

    There are multiple consciousness components. And the components, in arrangement, interaction, and utility, differ from other consciousnesses. There is no set “standard” consciousness.

    Thus…

    It is the consciousness components that  define the pre-birth world-line template.

    The pre-birth world-line template

    The pre-birth world-line template is the topographical “surface” that your consciousness travels upon when traversing the MWI.

    It is functionally defined by the interaction of your consciousness “components” make up, and interactions.

    And each consciousness has a different one…

    John
    The template is a,b,c,d,e,and f.

    While for Suzy…

    Suzy
    The template is 2a,c,d,e,f,h,and,3k

    And for Peter, it’s even more extreme

    Peter
    The template is (a+c), d,e, H, (H+x), and u.

    Thus, no matter how many “slides” you perform off the pre-birth world-line template, you consciousness will drive you back to it. So you must keep on working and performing the prayer / affirmation campaigns to keep on track towards your goals.

    Functionally, while the consciousness does change and evolve through a given lifetime, for the vast majority of people, the changes are not significant enough to move you to a completely different pre-birth world-line template.

    And for the world-lines themselves…

    Obviously the most likely world-line (next) for your consciousness to visit is heavily influenced by the world-line map topography.

    And this is determined by the individual components of the consciousness.

    And this is why that you will, and are experiencing, the world-lines as you have. And why you find yourself in a world-line where everyone wears masks, people are worried about climate change, and where a hamburger meal costs $10.

    How to use this knowledge – The “slipstream effect”

    If you tie your affirmation campaigns to a group of other people, who also run and operate campaigns, you can benefit from the mass of shared thoughts. It’s a “slipstream effect”.

    A slipstream created by turbulent flow has a slightly lower pressure than the ambient fluid around the object When the flow is laminar, the pressure behind the object is higher than the surrounding fluid The shape of an object determines how strong the effect is. This enables less force to be applied to move though a fluid.

    If you add the following affirmations, they will contribute to manifest this slipstream effect…

    • My affirmations tie together with affirmations of other MM followers so that they all combine with a positive “slipsteam” effect.
    • This slipstream effect acts as an accelerator for all of us to benefit from.
    • In slipstram affirmations that run counter to my personal affirmations listed herein, they are ignored, and does not influence this campaign.

    The “slipstream effect” combines consciousness component targets to a shared pool.

    So instead of your consciousness…

    Your active template

    You
    a,b,c,d,e

    And Roger’s active template

    Roger
    a,b,c,x,y,z

    Your new “active” world-line template (provided you permit the “slip steam effect”) will not look like this…

    Shared
    2a,2b,2c,d,e,x,y,z

    Those elements of “a,b,and c” will manifest twice as fast (in this example.). Now, just imagine, say, twenty people. All with a much wider and diverse targets for the individual consciousness components. And then, add this to the complexities of the shared and combined quanta associations…

    …in ways that we just don’t really understand…

    …with rules as odd as…

    15f = 3a and f + h
    6y = x,d+t, and 21s

    Can really create some amazing outcomes for prayer affirmation campaigns. Amazing, like you have NO IDEA!

    Keep in mind…

    At all times, you must keep in mind that the methodology (of using a visual guide for mapping world-lines) and the idea that consciousness is broken into clusters (that define components) is but a mental “crutch” that describes a very, very complex system.

    Other techniques can be used. But this is the one that my mind established by direction by <redacted> as part of my MAJ operations.

    By understanding this principle, you can best understand how all the other “rules” as specified all fit together and work together regarding prayer affirmation campaigns.

    Key take aways

    • Consciousness is complex.
    • Consciousness is not a “blob” but  consists of multi-dimensional components that work together in unison.
    • These components that define the make-up of consciousness also define the structure of the pre-birth world-line template.
    • These components, working alongside our thoughts, define the types of world-lines that we encounter and occupy.
    • Consciousness can and does evolve with experiences.
    • Consciousness components are difficult to change, and thus if left alone, all travel on the MWI falls upon the default pre-birth world-line template.

    .

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Affirmation prayer Campaign Index here…

    Intention Campaigns

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

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    The Chinese didn’t allow the Americans to participate on their Space Station. Not a fact. But the truth.

    I do love to check out Russian news.

    The Russians are an interesting people. They are hardy, tough, rough-around-the-edges, and a hoot! to be around.

    The Chinese consider them to be similar to Chinese, only a bit rough-and-tumble. You know, like your drunk crazy uncle, when he was caught having sex with the milk-maid inside the outhouse.

    Russians are a tough hardy folk.

    Here’s an interesting article that I pulled from a Russian resource.

    On the internet is a lot of bullshit. many of State sponsored, and much of it just biases and opinions that you read and either agree to, or are repelled by.

    What I want to do is throw this article out to the MM readership. And knowing that the likelihood of the article being false, or misleading is high, let’s consider instead the audience reactions to the article. Because this article is very, very anti-American.

    Yet, this is a very popular article in both Russia and (apparently now) in China. Remember and keep in mind that Russia is a land of hardy and tough people. They do not tolerate weakness.

    Russian women are a force to be reckoned with.

    Perhaps we can learn something from the audience reactions to it.

    Key points

    Congress would never permit American government agencies outside of the State Department to collaborate with China in any way. This is codified into law. Not just one law, but a host of laws, and executive orders. So this article is just wishful thinking from our Russian friends.

    Bilateral cooperation between NASA and Chinese organizations is currently restricted by the so-called Wolf Amendment, a provision first added to a NASA spending bill in 2011 by then-U. S. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) that requires NASA to seek congressional approval for any bilateral collaboration with Chinese entities.
    
    NASA’s China exclusion could mean missed opportunity for Mars InSight

    Well, that being said, there is a chance.

    So maybe, just maybe, there is some truth to this article.

    Interested American scientists and State Department officials might want to be able to get up front and close to the Chinese to observe what they are doing first hand. What better way to do this then to participate jointly in scientific activities.

    While collaboration with China is not entirely prohibited, NASA would need to notify Congress in advance and provide certification that there are no risks for a specific engagement. NASA and China were able to discuss the potential for the NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to monitor the landing of China’s Chang’e-4on the lunar far side in early 2019. The two sides also occasionally meet for the U.S.-China Civil Space Dialogue. A third and most recent such meeting washeld in Beijing in 2017 while a fourth was delayed partly by the COVID-19 outbreak. The Chinese Academy of Sciences, which is involved in Tianwen-1 science payloads and spacecraft integration, had not responded by press time to a request for comment on the possibility of coordination or release of information.
    
    The effective ban of bilateral activities applies only to NASA, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the National Space Council. Scientists at other U.S. institutions can, for example, request access to China’s newly acquired lunar samples by following procedures announced in January by the China National Space Administration, a month after Chang’e-5 delivered the goods to Earth. There is no platform yet for sharing Tianwen-1 mission data, but conversations between Chinese and non-NASA scientists could take place, though passing along sensitive information relating to missions may not be straightforward.
    
    NASA’s China exclusion could mean missed opportunity for Mars InSight

    Do these Russians look like they are open to new trans-gender policies?

    Found here, and all credit to the author, and the same usual disclaimers. Translated from Russian. If you can read Cyrillic script you might be best served to read the article in it’s original form.

    If it is true…
    .

    The Chinese didn’t let the Yankees into their space station? Not a fact. But-the truth

    The Chinese have declared Americans undesirable elements on board their orbiting space station. But this news is too … juicy to give her complete confidence. What’s the real deal?

    Now, if only you could also read it, so to speak, in the original source…

    Unfortunately, my mother did not say to me as a child: “Learn Chinese, my son.” And that’s why I can’t check out the great news that ran all over the Internet today.

    But the news is worth posting without checking it.

    A hieroglyphic print on a yankee’s ass

    Here’s the news. An American application to participate in scientific work on board the new Chinese Tiangong space station was rejected by the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA).

    The core module.

    A special flavor of this information is given by the addition that

    "invitations to scientific cooperation on the Chinese orbital station were received by 17 countries, including Russia," and "an official request from the United States was refused due to non-compliance with standards in terms of scientific value and technology."

    If there is not enough color, then the kind authors of the message added more:

    "[Russia] has been granted the right to occupy a separate compartment or attach its own module to the Chinese station."

    Cool, classic work!

    If everything is not so in life, then it is still the same in the current information war as launching an Iskander missile at an enemy military airfield. You can still see the classic caricature of a Yankee, wiry as a crane, falling screaming out of the open hatch of the Tiangong station. And on the most elongated part of his uniform trousers of olive color – a print of the sole with the inscription开开开.

    Why do you doubt that the news is consistent with the facts? First of all, it’s too pretty to be true. The truth is usually angular and unfriendly, like a subway passenger at 6 am. So you always have to fight for it. And here it appears in this form, even if you cancel the war – you will not force anyone to go to a military trick.

    The Chinese Space Station.

    Secondly, the Chinese resource Baijiahao published this information. And this is not some traditional media with traditional ideas about the limits of what is allowed in the handling of information, but just a free Internet platform. Something like the Chinese Yandex.Zen. Because we know that our Yandex.Zen is charming for its variety of topics and their freedom, but at the same time for the freedom of their interpretation by the authors, and in the Chinese version it would be worth going deeper into the links.

    But my mother sent me to a German school… 

    No confirmations…

    Life is usually more cruel than our mothers, so at her behest, the minted perfection of German had to be supplemented with the sour porridge of English. And the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) just have a website in English.

    But even here, an ambush was waiting: the last message mentioning the American aerospace agency NASA was dated there on November 14, 2014. And it said only that Director Wang Zhaoyao had a conversation with NASA Chief Charles Bolden.

    A search for the word USA gave generally mocking results: the second space power of the planet was last mentioned in 2011, and the latest news, where these three letters would stand, fell on January 2020. And then there it was said about the thousand-year dream of the Chinese people about flying into space – thousand-year, etc.

    The US agency NASA also did not post anything fresh about its Chinese colleagues on its website. Well, they’re shy, maybe…

    I went through the websites of news agencies around the world. The most reliable – TASS-about the described demarche of the Chinese was silent. RIA Novosti published the news that China plans to launch a probe in 2030 to collect samples from Mars. That’s all.

    Omniscient English Reuters as top news issues a howl that

    Russian forces reportedly fire warning shots at British destroyer in Black Sea.

    Well, of course: a peaceful British destroyer (aka fighter, aka, politely, destroyer) entered Russian waters in the Black Sea, and then it was preemptively fired at by evil Russians from a warship, and the plane dropped four high-explosive fragmentation bombs as a warning on the path of the British Royal Navy destroyer. And what right did they have? – after all, the West still insists that the Crimean Peninsula is Ukrainian territory.

    The Americans are also silent about their fiasco with the Chinese, as if it’s not written on their trousers in fiery letters: 离开开.

    The Chinese really don’t need Americans

    So what? Let’s assume that nothing happened? Someone posted unverified information, or even joked at all, threw a fake on the Network-and the province went to write! Our province. Because it’s nice?

    It’s not that simple.

    The Chinese really don’t expect Americans as partners in space exploration. First, because the Yankees are too much for them, and the Han Chinese can’t give them anything more than what Russia has already given them. Secondly, because the Americans still do not know how to build space stations, and the entire ISS, including the American segment, is still a cast of Russian modules. The ISS, we recall, began with the Russian module, which was bought by the Americans and called its own.

    The competencies of manned cosmonautics are much more complex than the technologies of automatic cosmonautics. And if in the latter the Americans still have no equal (although the same Chinese are catching up with them at a gallop), then in the first only three countries were able to achieve something on their own equipment-Russia (in the incarnation of the USSR and in the current one), the United States (orbital ships) and China. Which builds its space technology on the platform of Russian space technology. Sometimes on a platform so close that tears of emotion drop by themselves.

    The Chinese Space Station.

    And third, the Chinese don’t need the Americans in space because China (thank Confucius) has enough money for its own space programs.

    And they don’t need to” give ” the Yankees their modules and their technologies, their medical developments and even bathrooms to finance their projects and their research.

    They don’t even need to take Americans to the ISS to use this two-kopeck cab to pay for a place on the station for their cosmonaut.

    So the Chinese can afford to leave the тав开开 brand on the American ass. But the Russian letters WENT OVER there do not have to wait…

    A typical Russian party.

    Some thoughts

    The worst kind of propaganda, or the worst kind of echo chamber, are those that reference what we want to believe. Certainly America is hated all over the world, and if you thought that the nation was despised after eight years under the Bush Military Campaigns, you haven’t seen anything yet. Obama started to change that perception, and then Trump drove the perception right into the ground.

    Pretty much, the rest of the world considers the United States to be a “laughing stock”.

    So, I don’t want anyone reading this to believe it. I don’t. I think that it is a “wet dream” by some folk in Russia.

    The Russians have ZERO respect for Americans, and most certainly what American culture is. Maybe I’ll go as far to say that they consider it to be evil. And you can see this disrespect in their responses to news articles. Much like this one.

    Yet, both China and Russia have similar cultures.

    Both China and Russia have a “bride price” if you want to marry a girl. Bride price, also known as bride wealth, bride token, is an amount of money or property or wealth paid by the groom or his family to the parents of a woman upon the marriage of their daughter to the groom. This tradition is followed by many cultures.

    This is a very interesting subject.

    Though I must admit that “Bride Price” varies from region to region in China. In Wenzhou, where I met my wife, the bride price was to buy a house for her parents. Most others throw in a high-end luxury automobile, and a full set of furniture as well. But since I am a foreigner, they pretty much accepted the fact that I was an outsider that did not understand the rules. (Phew!)

    There are regions, such as Guangzhou that has no bride price at all. Lucky them. But there are also other tradeoffs that you have to contend with.

    Russian “Bride Prices” are much more reasonable. As this lady here suggests…

    Gilyana Bugurova, 23 years old. Presently a student of the Academy of Law, Ketchenery village, Kalmykia. She comes from a rural village, and a modest family.Bride wealth: six boxes of vodka, one box of cognac, two pieces of chintz, a set of headscarves, a box of sweets, a box of cookies, a box of sweet pastry, a boiled sheep, a living sheep with a ribbon.

    Comparisons

    Both Russia and China are very similar to each other. America and the West seem to be the outliers.

    Just by looking at the most basic and crude comparison above, you can see the Resentment and disgust that the Russians must have for the new progressive America. China, on the other hand, is like the little boy (or girl) who discovers that the Easter Bunny was a made up fantasy.

    Russia is a tough land. A cold land. A rugged land, and the people show it.

    Russians having fun.

    China is a land full of hard working folk that study hard. They, work hard, play hard and strive, and strive to become better and better.

    The Chinese work insanely hard, but when it is all done and finished, they party like it’s 1999!

    America is a land, that has grown fat and dumb. The leaders have become so isolated from the “rabble” that they no longer resemble humans, but have become something else entirely.

    America is an affluent nation. Most Americans do not need to work. So they can pursue what ever lifestyle they desire.

    And so the Russians tend to make fun of Americans.

    But back to the Space Station…

    Even if the American government gave the “A-Ok” to work with the Chinese Space Exploration Agencies, it’s unlikely that China would consider it. They consider America to be a very bad, spoiled child, very unreliable, dangerous, and simply not within the core desires, or needs for the Chinese people.

    Keep in mind what I stated earlier…

    Congress would never permit American government agencies outside of the State Department to collaborate with China in any way. This is codified into law. Not just one law, but a host of laws, and executive orders. So this article is just wishful thinking from our Russian friends.

    I love space, and space exploration, and all sorts of things related to extraterrestrials and so on and so forth. But the entire United States today is just a massive, colossal fuck-up that’s it’s really not worth bothering commenting on.

    Consider this…

    NASA shifts goal from space exploration to space diversity
    
    NASA has been a driving force of scientific innovation and advancement ever since its creation in the 1950s.
    
    After more than six decades of space exploration, you’d think NASA would be an organization free of petty politics and idiotic logic.
    
    As an agency dedicated to the future, for example, one might imagine that NASA’s top priority would be hiring the brightest, most talented people they can find, irrespective of irrelevant characteristics like skin color, gender, or sexual orientation.
    
    Sadly this is not the case.
    
    Science is once again taking a back seat with the agency’s “Artemis Project,” whose goal is “to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon.”
    
    Again, it seems like NASA wouldn’t notice or care what’s swinging (or not swinging) between someone’s legs.
    
    If the entire crew of the next voyage happens to consist exclusively of people who identify as seedless watermelons, because those are the most qualified individuals for the mission, then it shouldn’t matter. It shouldn’t even make the news.
    
    But instead they’re going to spend $86 billion of taxpayer money to show the world how woke they are.
    
    Click here to read the full story.

    And somehow, I am supposed to believe that America is serious about space, technology and space exploration?

    Now, couple that with the on-going “any day now the American government is going to release the truth about UFO’s”. Oh, brother!

    Well…

    The narrative began, and then got hijacked by the neocon military-industrial mafia and got twisted to “the Chinese have advanced military technology! We need billions of dollars to catch up!”.

    And now, we have these articles flooding my feed…

    Oh. For Pete’s sake.

    As if, it’s going to happen. Jeeze Louise!

    Well, let’s just kind of sit back and turn off the “news”. Both from the USA, and from Russia.

    America is Bat-Shit Crazy!

    I am absolutely convinced that the United States today is bat-shit crazy and I really don’t need any further confirmation of it. They are, and while there are many, many, MANY good and decent folk in the United States, the entire system si so broken and such a mess that it’s just a useless pursuit trying to sort it all out. It’s like trying to clean an apartment occupied by a slob.

    America today is like this apartment. Found HERE

    Messy Apartment 1

    And let’s look at some of the details…

    Messy Apartment 2

    Notice the lack of ashtrays, the amazing dependence on soda pop, and the poor computer monitor discipline.

    Messy Apartment 3

    Yuuuuck! This bathroom is horrid.

    But at least they have a cat.

    But the poor thing doesn’t have a place to go when it needs to take a litter-box break. Ugh!

    Living room.

    A tenant in a north Houston apartment complex has an overdue payment for more than a month.

    No one can get in touch with her.

    Eventually the bookkeeper goes inside to leave a note. And finds . . .

    Mistreatment of the computer.

    The photographer wrote:

    We cannot get ahold of her, there is still 20% of the residents out from the hurricane. My manager is FREAKING out.
    
    The pictures don’t show the amount of FLEAS inside I’m STILL scratching

    Terrible keyboard discipline.

    The tenant’s two cats have been found, safe with a neighbor.

    Living room sofa. Why no ashtrays?

    Is it just a horrible mess?

    Or something . . . more?

    Lou Minatti decides:

    I am so proud that a Houstonian has created such a masterpiece! The way the cigarette butts are arranged… it’s almost like performance art.

    Coffee-table.

    More photos. Even worse.

    Kitchen.

    Hey! Well at least the gal used one of my products. Yup! MM designed that clothes iron. Right there on the ironing board. Designed in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and manufactured in the tiny Town of Coushatta – Louisiana.

    Anyways…

    You get the idea.

    In my mind, I think that this person who lives in this apartment, or who did. I would imagine that they were evicted, were representative of the kinds of people (citizens) that the United States government nurtures.

    And thus…

    …they are the true and real face of the United States today.

    And boy, oh, boy. In my mind this snapshot of a Houston, Texas apartment is what the United States government has honestly become. I just wish that Americans can see what I see, and what the rest of the world sees. I almost wish that there was a set of eyeglasses that you could put on and where you could see the American oligarchy for what it actually is.

    They Live.

    And while they might appear on the surface to resemble polished, handsome and attractive people, with sensible demeanor, polite mannerisms, and a calm wisdom, they are truthfully, anything but that.

    They are not what they appear to be.

    The real leadership behind the smiles and masks; they are humans who have evolved into something else. And their actual appearance is recognizable to anyone WHO IS NOT READING THE AMERICAN MEDIA.

    I need a drink.

    Do you want proof?

    This just came on my desk.

    Congressman: Can we alter the moon’s orbit for climate change?
    
    In a recent webcam Congressional hearing, Texas Rep Louie Gohmert asked an associate deputy chief of the Forest Service if her agency could alter the moon’s orbit to address climate change.
    
    Gohmert said:
    
    "I was informed by the immediate past director of NASA that they've found that the moon's orbit is changing slightly and so is the Earth's orbit around the sun... [I]s there anything that the National Forest Service or [Bureau of Land Management] can do to change the course of the moon's orbit or the Earth's orbit around the sun?"
    
    She smiled and politely said, “I would have to follow up with you on that one Mr. Gohmert.”
    
    She was holding back laughter, but Gohmert was dead serious. He responded, “Well, if you figure out a way that you in the Forest Service could make that change, I'd like to know.”
    
    Click here to see the video.

    Like I said.

    “Bat-shit crazy”.

    Here he is.

    Texas Rep Louie Gohmert.

    Conclusion

    The future of the world will not be determined by America, the West, or the G7 nations. They are “has beens”, and are incapable of reason. It will be determined by Asia.

    The only way that American can alter this vector is to engage in a full-scale nuclear war against Asia, and perhaps that’s exactly what they are trying to do. But it will not succeed.

    So do not worry about it.

    The future is becoming more and more clear with each passing day.  Continue to protect your personal life. Make sure that you run your affirmation prayers, and make sure that they protect you and your loved ones from any strange behaviors on the part of the out of control American empire.

    There’s a future ahead. By being aware of what’s going on the the rest of the world we can determine what our part in that world will be.

    Keep focused.

    Be the Rufus.

    Our relationships with others will make our affirmations manifest. Nurture them. Protect them. become a meaningful person in your small group of friends and family.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Life inside the Hothouse while the world twists in torment

    One of the things that I have been musing about lately is blueberry muffins. You see, muffins just aren’t all that common in China, and when you find them, they are really over priced and part of a dessert menu that is part of a Starbucks franchise, or similar venue.  I miss them. I miss the hot piping interior, the explosion of blueberry flavor when you bit into them, and that nice pad of salted butter that melts on the top of them.

    They used to be quite common in diners. Almost as common as pies.

    Blueberry muffins in automats

    But my best memories about muffins come from those automats that my family used to frequent when I was a boy. (Of course in those world-lines automats were much more common than what you find here. Apparently, on this world-line path, automats died out in the 1940’s.) Anyways, my father would give me a quarter and I would get up from the table and go to the little window with a muffin in it. I’d plop the quarter in the slot, and the door would spring open, and out I would take the muffin on the heavy white ceramic plate.

    My memories of this are all very clear. And I well remember us eating as a family at the tables. Of course my father would be having a coffee and reading a newspaper. My mother was always fussing over us kids, and generally attending to my younger brother and sisters. I, being the oldest, was supposed to be more mature and more responsible.

    Meh.

    Blueberry muffins in Salem, Massachusetts

    And while those memories are true treasures for me, they are a little dated in that my best muffin experience that I ever had did not occur in an automat. It occurred in a wharf coffee house in Salem, Massachusetts. It was a dark and stormy night and I was riding my motorcycle with a girl, and we pulled into the complex. It was the late 1970’s, and I was still in university.

    The world outside was but sheets of rain, dull blues and greys, a howling wind and drops of rain that stung when they hit you.

    But through the windows of the coffee house was inviting warmth, a pleasant and cozy atmosphere, and a calming shelter against the storm. When the waitress brought out the blueberry muffin, it was fresh, hot and toasty, and had two pads of butter on the plate that I dutifully added on top. You could see the whiffs of steam rising up off the muffin, and they formed strings next to the the hot steamy fragrant coffee that sat besides it.

    A blueberry muffin and a cup of coffee.

    Personally, I don’t think that many people appreciate blueberry muffins. It’s sort of the “bad boy” of the muffin family, and is great overshadowed by it’s more popular cousins; the chocolate and the cranberry muffins.

    But the point behind this is the little coffee house was a unique moment, a unique place, in a unique time, while a raging storm crashed and banged outside. And while we, my girlfriend and myself, were grateful for the shelter from the storm, the workers were oblivious to it. They had spent all day inside. Sure they knew that there was a storm outside, but they were detached from it. It was remote from their direct and personal experience. They knew about it, but they didn’t appreciate the environment like we outsiders did.

    It was almost like they were in their own little protective bubble; a safe world, where they could live, work and exist free of the tumult outside.

    Like a hot house.

    Hot Houses

    A hot house is a conservatory where flowers and plants are grown under controlled conditions. The plants live their entire lives inside that environment. They are comfortable there and there is no reason to be concerned about what happens outside of the walls of the conservatory.

    I once visited the oldest conservatory in Connecticut, and it was awesome. It was over 200 years old and had many common plants that we consider to be weeds and plants of no consequence in it. But those “weeds” once they turn 200 years old become these amazing tangled plants with thick and interesting trunks, cool branches, and amazing clusters of leaves.

    It was awesome. Absolutely awesome.

    There’s a conservatory in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that is enormous and beautiful as well. But it isn’t nearly as old. And so while it is a pleasure to go from room to room and experience the different kinds of plants and flowers, it’s really the very ancient hot houses that are amazing. It’s really something else to see what happens when plants live within these stable and sheltered environments for really long periods of time.

    Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens …

    What I remember the most about my trip to the conservatory in Connecticut, was not simply the cool plants, and the nooks and crannies filled with the most curious of antiquated Bric-a-brac. But it was the very cool diner that we visited on the trip back home.

    A very cool diner

    Long time MM readers will appreciate my love of diners and local regional stories.

    I will never forget that diner. Though I have forgotten it’s name, and location. They had a “blue plate special”. And you know, I am always one for a good “blue plate special”. You know, is it just me, or I’ve never had a “blue plate special” on a blue plate. It’s one of those head scratchers.

    Anyways, I had a “blue plate special”. It was a hot pastrami sandwich with cheese, fully “dressed” with a side of coleslaw and a side of “longhorn” fires covered (smothered) in beef gravy. Now, I don’t know why they called the fries “longhorn fries. Basically, they were huge thick french fries. Perhaps three times the width of a regular french fry. Oh, with a iced tea or Coke.

    And I, of course enjoyed every morsel of it.

    It looked a little bit like this…

    A thickly piled sandwich of meat (whether beef or pastrami) with fries all slathered in gravy.

    I do believe that one of the lest appreciated characteristics of America is it’s diners. A diner is the lunch counter for the American work force. And in the days when American worked in factories, often they would get a “home cooked” (style) of meal at a diner. This was always preferable to the latest in fast food fare.

    Diners are great.

    A typical diner interior.

    And while I was a munching on my meal, I contemplated the conservatory; the “hot house” that I had just visited. For the plants were unlike anything outside. These plants were not only gorgeous, but huge.

    Without the need to deal with weather changes, the encroachment of man, pesticides, and strip mining, they were able to thrive and grow in ways that was impossible in the real, actual environment.

    Echo Chambers

    We often talk about people being in an “echo chamber”. That is that they surround themselves with like-minded people who echo each other’s points of view. And then, over time, without getting any new ideas, their points of view become stale and more outlandish over time. To a person outside that “echo chamber” they seem crazy, odd, distorted, and mentally deranged.

    In discussions of news media, an echo chamber refers to situations in which beliefs are amplified or reinforced by communication and repetition inside a closed system and insulated from rebuttal. 
    
    By participating in an echo chamber, people are able to seek out information that reinforces their existing views without encountering opposing views, potentially resulting in an unintended exercise in confirmation bias. 
    
    Echo chambers may increase social and political polarization and extremism. 
    
    The term is a metaphor based on an acoustic echo chamber, in which sounds reverberate in a hollow enclosure. 
    
    Another emerging term for this echoing and homogenizing effect within social media communities on the Internet is cultural tribalism. 
    
    Many scholars note the effects that echo chambers can have on citizens' stances and viewpoints, and specifically implications has for politics. 
    
    -Echo Chamber Wikipedia
    

    I would imagine that were the plants to chat with each other inside the “Hot House”, that they would be unaware that they were within an “echo chamber”. And as long as the walls of the conservatory were solid and maintained, they were safe, secure, and could live their lives and prosper. They would grow to become huge, beautiful and magnificent.

    The following is a reasonably decent article.

    Of course all credit to the author, note that it was reprinted as found, but with slight editing to fit this venue.

    While you are reading it, maybe you might want to fix yourself a “Dagwood sandwich” and munch while absorbing the content.

    One man’s Dagwood sandwich.

     

    The Hothouse

    The sales pitch for the American political system is that it is a robust debate between two distinct political parties. The Republicans and Democrats are coalitions of interests opposed to one another. The groups that make up each party are held together by a shared ideological outlook. The Republicans are the conservative party, and the Democrats are the liberal party. The political process adjudicates the disputes between the parties over public policy and the result is a compromise.

    In reality, America is a one party system.

    It has been since Gettysburg.

    The differences between the two parties are miniscule. This is why public policy never changes when the party in charge changes.

    The mild reforms of the Reagan years were followed by a consensus that remains in place to this day. There is some tinkering around the edges to keep up appearances, but otherwise the results of each election have no impact on public policy or the priorities of government.

    As for those two ideologies, they are just two faces of a single ruling class ideology that is something like a religion now.

    There is left-liberalism and there is right-liberalism held together by a common moral framework.

    • Like the old Bolsheviks, the left side of the American ideology is maximalist and radical. It wants to usher in the promises of the revolution right now.
    • The right side is more cautious, preferring an evolutionary approach to ushering in the promised utopia.

    Unlike the old communists, the American ideology has always existed in a popular political system, so it is built to sell itself to the public.

    The main role of the right-liberals is to protect the left-liberals from themselves. They function as barrier between the tenets of the one true faith and any questioning of the faith. The left side is the heart of the beast, driving the agenda and pushing society along from one fad to the next, always chasing the avatar of egalitarian paradise.

    This arrangement has worked amazingly well.

    Perhaps too well.

    It has been over a century since there has been a threat to the system. Anarchists and communists at the start of the last century started to get some traction, but they were never really a threat to the basic arrangements. Otherwise, it has been smooth sailing for the uniparty system for generations.

    The left-liberals are free to dream up new social innovations without being disturbed and the right stands quietly at guard.

    The trouble is the party is looking like a freak show inside a hot house.

    For example, the Air Force now has drag shows to boost morale. To normal people, this is completely nuts (pun intended), but to the people in charge it is perfectly normal. In fact, they think it is bizarre that anyone would question it. They are not entirely wrong, as the people who arranged it will never be pressed on it. The politicians all agree that drag queens are who we are now, and the press echoes the sentiment.

    Where the ruling orthodoxy finds itself is in a place where there is never a need to explain themselves and defend their positions.

    The right-liberals never challenge the left-liberals on orthodoxy.

    Both sides just put on shows where they pretend to disagree, but then kick back together after the show to laugh about it. The right-liberals have insulated themselves from defending their position. They tell themselves that they are simply too good to discuss these things with their critics.

    The folks at the Daily Wire are supposed to be the smart kids of conservatism, but they spend their days making sure the hothouse is airtight.

    Ben Shapiro’s one venture outside the tightly controlled environment of his life ended in disaster. Ever since that public relations debacle his people have made sure that no one can utter a discouraging word in his presence. In fact, that whole scene has become a closed shop, never interacting with anyone outside their hive.

    It is not just the pundits who have become hot house flowers.

    Look at what happens to the military leaders when they go before Congress. This guy went before Congress and told one whopper after another. To outsiders, he looks like a complete fool, but inside that room he is just par for the course. Anyone reading this could have wrecked him with a few simple questions, but no one in the room has the intelligence or the temperament to question anything.

    This is the motivation behind the mass censorship and de-platforming.

    The people inside the political system are incapable of defending or even discussing their positions and they live in fear of having to do it. It is not so much that the critics have great arguments or have superior debating skills. That is a silly conceit. It is simply that the people outside the system, the dissidents, are comfortable defending their positions and discussing them in public. They can take a punch.

    This underlying sense of weakness is probably what lies behind the persecution of the January protestors. January 6th, from the perspective of the ruling class, was an emperor has no clothes moment. The torture and torment of the protestors is as much about reassuring themselves that they are tough and in charge as it is about sending a message to the Dirt People. The ruling class revealed themselves to be cowards and now they are lashing out in a fit of petty spite.

    All ruling elites have an abundance of sissies and ridiculous people.

    They are the entertainment and decoration for the serious men who run things. Those serious men are made serious by regular contact with reality. Remove that contact and those serious men become as silly and ridiculous as their retainers.

    That is where the empire finds itself now, ruled by fops and popinjays living in a hothouse. They live in fear of someone opening the door and letting in reality.

    Conclusion

    And it was well stated.

    The American Empire is being ruled by people who have been in the “hot house” for way too long. They have grown large, powerful, and (even) beautiful in a way. We look at them in amazement. We watch their brazen actions, and their odd statements like we would a monkey in a zoo. Curious. Mischievous. Maybe even a little dangerous.

    But not one of us.

    They, like their ilk in Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece, in the Soviet Union, in the Palace of Versailles, the leadership behind their tall walls are slowly losing their collective minds. They are no longer part of society. And some may even question if they are part of the human race.

    Such as MM here.

    All empires fall, but the rot crumbles from within the top tiers of the leadership.

    We are watching this today, in real time. And it’s slow. Really slow. Like a sloooow motion train wreck.

    We need not worry too much about their madness, that is unless they start making crazed laws, rules, pronouncements or engage in wars that can affect you. Because that is the great concern.

    Truthfully, most Americans realize that everything in America today is a farce. Elections are a farce. Political parties are a farce. American “greatness” is a farce, and “freedom, liberty, and justice for all” is a sad, sad farce.

    That instead, America is a out-of-control military empire, and the the much touted “democracy” model is a complete and abject failure.

    But you know, that shouldn’t, and needn’t be your concern.

    What should be your concern is how you, and your community will be able to weather out their madness.

    And yes. It is frustrating, angering, and frightening.

    But it is beyond your control. You can either leave the United States of Insanity, or you an stay. Both choices have their good and bad points. I left. But my situation was intolerable and I manufactured a ratty-old tattered “parachute”. No “golden parachute” for MM.

    You make the best with what you have.

    You make the best with what you have available.

    So, guys and gals, enjoy the ride.

    It will eventually settle out and over. One way or the other.

    In the meantime, make sure that [1] your larder is well stocked, and that [2] you are surrounded by a community that appreciates and likes you. [3] Perform your prayer affirmations. This is the MOST important thing that you can do. By FAR.

    Make sure that you are [4] healthy; mentally, emotionally, socially, physically, and in every other way possible. These times are taking it’s toll. Focus on your well being.

    Lay out a “spread”. Invite some friends. If you have no friends, then invite some strangers. Just start.

    With the basics taken cared for, then enjoy some time in quiet relaxation. That means companionship (whether it is the opposite sex, friends, family or pets) and enjoy some food.

    Everyone loves food.

    Well, almost everyone. I once met a fellow in a mental institution that hated food. But then again, he hated everything.

    This is June moving towards July.

    That could very well mean watermelon, corn on the cob, hotdogs, hamburgers, and all manner of fruits and vegetables.

    All that calls for a major smunch!

    A delicious Cuban sandwich.

    Have a beer.

    Call a friend.

    Share a beer with a friend.

    Make up a spread of cold cuts, vegetables, some potato salad, chips, and plan on some chatting. Even if you have nothing to talk about. Come up with an excuse. Have fun.

    You make the best with what you have available.

    You are never too old for fun.

    Make up a sandwich, Or two. Or heck, a whole bunch of them. Put some beer in a chest full of ice. Or, make up some sangria. Or heck! Just have a bar and everyone can make their own cocktails.

    Don’t let life pass your by simply because your government is run by idiots.

    Make a sandwich. You make the best with what you have available.

    Make it fun.

    Maybe use some sweet grandmother pickles. Or, use turkey, ham, pickle loaf, and all sorts of deli cheeses on your “spread”. Allow everyone to experiment.

    Like this…

    Sorry about the “activate windows 10” overlay in the lower right corner. Windows crowbar opened up and updated without permission and now demands that I activate it by providing my personal information on their servers. Not going to happen. So I will need to endure this overlaid message until HarmonyOS is available.

    Ah.

    Life is too short not to eat good food. Drink good beverages. Spend good time with friends. Whether they are family, animals, associates, or members of the opposite sex.

    Just have a good time.

    Maybe take a trip to explore a museum, a state park, a pool, a historical society, a small town restaurant, an animal shelter, a fishing hole, or a walk on a trail. Dust off your old bicycle sitting in the garage and give it a spin.

    Do something fun.

    Ignore the madness in the hothouse.

    You make the best with what you have available.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
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    Using Grabovoi “cheat codes” as a prayer and affirmation technique

    I want to continue discussing the use of thought to control your life.

    As many long duration MM members can attest to, all you need to do to navigate on your reality template is to think and vocalize what you want. And if you write about, and think about, and talk about… bad things… then you will have that in your life. While if you think about good things, they instead will enter your life.

    A “prayer” is a method of intentionally thinking certain thoughts, in a certain manner, to manifest certain things to occur in YOUR life.

    There are many ways to run and conduct prayers. I have covered just a mere fraction of the ways in prior articles. It’s actually really based on the understanding that what you believe and what you think actually manifests. And for prayers, well, it’s actually only a way (or a method) that you can use to help you focus and direct your thoughts.

    Good right?

    Well, not so fast.

    But this can cause all sorts of problems, when bad or malevolent people concoct systems of mechanisms based on prayer intention for personal gain, profit or fame. Whether it is a woman dressed up in Haitian garb on television in the late 1990’s telling you to call 1-800-know your life, or a white robed televangelist that you too can guarantee a set on the Heaven-express for only small weekly payments of $9.98.  Or the Magick Dawn teaching you to control your life by the practice of Aleister Crowley’s magick.

    And we are going to talk about this right here and right now.

    You see, in Russia, many young folk are following Tiktok videos and describing their experiences with “magic numbers”. And then telling about how their wishes and desires manifested.

    Does it work?

    Sure. Fundamentally.

    If you believe anything, and you think anything, it will manifest.

    Is this technique bad, dangerous or harmful?

    Well that depends.

    Grabovoi numbers

    Found HERE. All credit to the author, and note that it was edited to fit this venue.
    A rich husband, a slim figure, clear skin or good grades at school can be obtained with the help of special cheat codes. All you have to do is to write them on your hand and send a request into space, according to English-speaking bloggers on TikTok. In actual fact, the codes are part of the teachings of a Russian sect leader who served two years in prison.
    .

    On the smartphone screen in front of me is an image of a light-colored wall with plants and in the foreground are rows of numbers with headings such as ‘Beauty’, ‘Love’, ‘Health’, ‘Ideal Figure’ and so on. There are hundreds of both positive and negative opinions in the comments. I choose the most common heading – ‘Money’ – which has the greatest amount of number sequences under it. As I am diligently copying them, using a pen to inscribe them on my left wrist, my mom enters the room. 

    “What are you doing?” she asks suspiciously.

    “I’m writing out some cheat codes for money,” 

    I reply, as if I do it every day.

    “Then write them down in a column going up to your elbow and leave them there for as long as possible before washing them off - at least that way it might work,” 

    she says ironically and leaves the room to do other things.

    The number sequences in the video are so-called cheat codes or “Grabovoi numbers”, which, according to Russian and foreign bloggers, must be written down in order to produce the desired outcomes.

    On English-language TikTok, videos with codes and instructions on how to use them, accompanied by the appropriate hashtags, have gathered over one hundred million views. And, in the comments, representatives of Generation Z share the results of their use of the codes, with many positive comments among them.

    Where do the codes come from, who publishes them and why?

    Cheat codes for well-defined abs & YouTube subscribers and their ‘side effects’

    Russian and foreign bloggers started actively making videos about these “cheat codes” in the spring of 2021.

    The instructions in all the videos look the same – you need to choose the required number sequence, write it down on a piece of paper or directly on your wrist and also trace the same number sequence in the air with your finger – this increases the chances of “your request reaching space”. It is best to leave the number sequence on your wrist for up to three days. And then, all you have to do is wait for your wish to come true.

    Apart from classic blessings, such as health, happiness, money or love, you can use the code to ask the “Universe” for almost any whim – bloggers publish codes for good grades at school, for a slim figure with well-defined abs, for popularity on YouTube, clear skin without acne, a rich husband and so on.

    Russian-speaking TikTokers are more malicious – in addition to “positive” codes, they share number sequences for poisoning, high fever, coma and cardiac arrest.

    Eighteen-year-old aspiring artist Viktor Alekseyev says that his code for money worked, even though he himself thinks it was pure coincidence.

    “I wrote the code for money on my hand for a laugh. Until then, my art was not selling very well, but before the code I had submitted my drawings to a special organization that sells artists’ work and they started selling much better. It must have been autosuggestion or coincidence,” 

    Viktor says.

    Senior school student Olesya says that a code helped her to become a star pupil in class.

    “I did everything according to the instructions and, the next day, I started getting excellent grades. To be honest, I was doing well even before then. It’s just that before the code, I was getting 4s [Bs], but now, like magic, I’m getting 5s [As],” 

    …she opined.

     

    Another schoolgirl from Moscow, Anna, says she wrote down a code for success in her school work and, the next day, her Russian language teacher cancelled a lesson. Anna attributes this to the code, since Russian was the class for which she had not had time to do her homework.

    Many users complain that the codes just don’t work and some even experience “side effects”.

    “I wrote down a code for luck and almost straight away I started to feel bad, I got a headache, then I erased it and felt better. I don’t believe in the codes, but who knows what the hell it was,” 

    …says schoolgirl Alina Batchayeva.

    In addition, some users say that using the codes is dangerous – according to some TikTokers, the codes are connected to black magic, since the wishes vested in the codes are fulfilled by the Devil, who takes away your soul in return.

    Numbers for health and bringing back the dead for money

    The invention of cheat codes is attributed to the psychic healer Grigori Grabovoi.

    Born in Soviet Uzbekistan, upon finishing school, Grigori studied mechanics at Tashkent State University and then worked for the Uzbek civil aviation authority. There, he was already passing himself off as a psychic and taking money for investigations into the “extrasensory” repair of airplanes.

    In 1996, he obtained a paramedical qualification in Moscow.

    At that time, Grabovoi announced that he could raise people from the dead and set up a sect called, ‘The Teachings of Grigori Grabovoi’ and a foundation. He gave talks at the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, appeared on television and was a member of various public organizations and, additionally, referred to himself as Christ. 

    In 1999, Grigori published his book titled ‘Restoration of the Human Organism Through Concentration on Numbers’, in which he proposed the use of numbers to heal physical and mental ailments.

    In his view, all illnesses and maladies should be regarded as energy with a specific frequency that can be expressed in numbers and these numbers can be enlisted to eliminate illnesses and everyday problems.

    After the terrorist act at the school in Beslan on September. 1, 2004, which resulted in 334 deaths, Grabovoi proposed to the mothers of the dead children that he would bring them back from the dead for 39,000 rubles (approx. $1,400 according to the 2004 exchange rate).

    The outraged residents of Beslan reported Grigori to the law enforcement bodies, but it was only four years later, in 2008, that he was sentenced to 11 years for fraud.

    Two years later, in 2010, Grabovoi was granted early conditional release.

    Grigori moved abroad and continued to expand his sect outside Russia – his books were translated into several languages, and a ‘Grigori Grabovoi Education Center’ was opened in Serbia.

    He also started selling instruments for stopping the ageing process for 9,700 euros a piece and, in early 2020, he released two more codes – for treating Coronavirus.

    ‘Grabovoi trainers’ and revenue from viewers

    Many foreign and Russian TikTokers, who make videos about the Grabovoi codes, also offer their own paid services on their accounts – from personal growth training sessions to sales of trinkets and T-shirts.

    For instance, blogger Lindsey Rummel sells T-shirts with monkey designs and a range of nutritional supplements to maintain the functioning of the gut, brain and heart. Candice Nikeia, whose account on TikTok is fully dedicated to the Grabovoi codes, conducts private lessons in positive autosuggestion.

    I sent questions to 20 Russian-language and English-language bloggers who publish Grabovoi codes. Out of these, only the Russian-speaking blogger Lady Di replied, demanding a fee of $200 for an interview.

    When I refused, she blocked me on Instagram.

    Many bloggers follow the fashionable trend of publishing videos about the codes for free for the sake of views and likes on social media, but, at the same time, some of those on TikTok publish clips, in order to make money out of teenagers and poorly-educated adult users, according to clinical psychiatrist and hypnotherapist Andrei Efremov.

    “People who believe in the codes uncritically accept what they are told. <...> They see the positive example of someone, they see a lot of comments and they blindly follow the instructions. What is more, such people themselves are going to be on the look-out for situations that will demonstrate that the ritual works and will attribute all positive events to the codes. This is how autosuggestion works. The followers of Grabovoi themselves - probably also swindlers - will seek out such people on TikTok and make money off of them, while the latter will lose their savings and possibly even their apartments,” 

    …Efremov says.

    In my case, I did not manage to accept uncritically what I was told – possibly that is why, at the time of writing, the cheat code for money hasn’t worked yet.

    And thus the article ends.

    The codes

    In his books, Grigori offers a very large list of codes to the readers. Thus, they can choose those that best match their needs and finally put them into practice. However, it is not necessary to read all the books to get into action.

    Here, is a list containing the main codes.

    1. Grabovoi Code for Self-healing of the body – 9187948181;
    2. Grabovoi Code for Love – 888 412 1289018;
    3. Grabovoi Code for Weight loss and health – 1891014;
    4. Grabovoi Code for Fight against alcoholism – 14843292;
    5. Grabovoi Code for Peace – 1001105010;
    6. Grabovoi Code for Depression – 519 514 319891;
    7. Grabovoi Code for Self esteem – 4818951749814;
    8. Grabovoi Code for Unemployment – 318514517618;
    9. Grabovoi Code for Rejuvenate – 2145432;
    10. Grabovoi Code for Protection – 9187756981818;
    11. Grabovoi Code for Universal harmonization – 14854232190;
    12. Grabovoi Code for Environmental sustainability – 97318541218;
    13. Grabovoi Code for Determination – 498518498;
    14. Grabovoi Code for Chemical dependency – 5333353;
    15. Grabovoi Code for Nicotine addiction – 1414551;
    16. Grabovoi Code for Determination and focus for learning – 212585212;
    17. Grabovoi Code for Entrepreneurship – 71974131981;
    18. Grabovoi Code for Understanding – 39119488061.

    It is unknown how he came up with these number codes. My guess is that he used a random number generator.

    Thoughts

    What ever you believe will manifest. And perhaps one of the reasons why the United States is falling apart right now is simply because such a large number of people believe that it will happen.

    Along this vein, I argue that generational turnings as described by Strauss and Howe is generated in defined waves of thought, and what makes things so contentious right now during this wave is that the government has been trying o manipulate thought for it’s own purposes. Yikes!

    It doesn’t matter if you believe in a charismatic leader, drawings and symbols, vocalized prayers, or a mindless string of numbers. Your belief is what actuates the manifestation of thought. Not the physical elements that you use to focus your thoughts upon.

    With this being said, I offer a way to understanding how this mechanism actually works.

    And yes, bad people can profit from it. And others can fear it. But you can utilize it to achieve your desires.

    I suggest just focusing on the end objectives in a positive and good way. I recommend that you vocalize and write them down, and follow the actualization of them properly. And if you do so, there is no question in my mind, that they will manifest.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my index about prayer and affirmation campaigns.

    Intention Plans

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.
    Intention Campaigns

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    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index
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    Falling in Love with the Haunting Sounds of Interwar Polish Tango

    Who’d figure? Right?

    Well it is true. I discovered this sound while looking for information on vintage cast iron doorstops and came across an article on the subject. then I went on Kouguo and started download the tunes. Wow! Quite an unusual sound.

    How to describe it?

    Have you ever woken up on the couch in the middle of the night to find yourself staring at a black-and-white movie from the 1930s flickering on the TV? If so, your slumber may have been gently stirred by the film’s melancholy soundtrack.

    Drifting between dream-state and consciousness, at first you may think you recognize the tinny strains of a slow Argentine tango, but then you discern a melody suggesting a Chopin nocturne, albeit one that’s been tuned to an even gloomier minor key of an Eastern European klezmer dance number. Perhaps you’re still dreaming?

    In fact, you’re wide awake, and what you’re hearing is a Hollywoodized version of Polish tango.

    It’s a popular genre of sentimental songs composed between 1918 and 1939 by classically trained Polish musicians.

    “That’s the soundtrack of interwar Poland,”

    …says Juliette Bretan, a journalist and researcher based in Lincolnshire and studying in London.

    “The music is very melodramatic and really rather sad, filled with these depressing lyrics about people wanting to take their own lives, or the fights they’re having with their lovers. But it’s also a very mature sound, a very Polish sound. Had World War II not happened,”

    She adds,

    “I believe Polish music would’ve had an even bigger impact than it did on the global stage.”

    Bretan has been on a mission to learn about her Eastern European roots.

    “We know my grandmother was taken from Poland in 1941 to perform slave labor in Germany,”

    Bretan says.

    “We think she was in some camps for a time, but it’s very unclear. After the war, she met my granddad in a displaced-persons’ camp, but we don’t really know what happened to him before that. They married and then came here in ’46 or ’47, and that was that.”

    As Bretan delved into her family’s history, Polish tango became her soundtrack.

    “I stumbled onto this music purely by chance,”

    she says.

    “I find the sound intoxicating, so it became a connection to the world my grandparents would’ve known when they were living in Poland. On the one hand, for me, the music is like a reconnection to my heritage, but on the other hand, what is there to reconnect to? That heritage is all gone, so it’s almost like I’m writing a new history of my family.”

    Bretan fell hard for Polish tango, which, in an article for culture.pl, she described as

    “merging pinches of the age-old Polish romantic and sentimental melodies with Jewish inflections and a more modern, brassy sound, dripping in glissandos and vibrato.”

    There is some very interesting background on all this regarding the inter-war years when Germany embraced nationalism in the form of Nazi Facism. But I really don’t have the stomach to get into that right now. I just want to enjoy the music.

    History

    Tango was first introduced to Poland in 1913, with the performance of Victor Jacobi’s opera Targ na Dziewczęta (Girls’ Market) at the New Theatre in Warsaw. Its popularity over the following years grew not from palpable influences, but gramophone records, the radio and newspaper reports.

    This popular consumption through media prompted Polish tangos to carve their own position in the history of the nation’s music: with a lack of direct contact, pieces began to veer away from the original Argentinian form, adopting a more melancholic sound influenced heavily by klezmer, and a softer melody and harmony; replacing the underlying rhythm of the stereotypical bandoneon with a proliferation of slides and rigorous vibrato. Theirs was a journey that blossomed along with the Polish state itself – these tangos were bulwarks of a new, revitalised Polish popular culture.

    In 1925, Henryk Gold and his brother Artur established the Gold Orchestra, an 8-piece jazz band that played regularly at the Cafe Bodega in Warsaw. At first, the orchestra exclusively played ragtime, but soon, with the echoes of a more exotic yet wistful sound creeping across the continent, it slowly began to dabble with tangos and waltzes, styles that would become the pair’s legacy.

    A year later in 1926, Artur Gold and his cousin, Jerzy Petersburski, co-founded the Petersburski & Gold Orchestra. By the end of the decade, it was one of the most renowned dance orchestras in Warsaw, performing in the fashionable Adria restaurant.

    Alongside this development was the growth in popularity of theatres and cabarets, the most significant being the Qui Pro Quo theatre, led largely by Julian Tuwim and Marian Hemar, and, later, the Morskie Oko cabaret.

    These two groups competed fiercely to recruit the best Polish stars of the interbellum era: artists like the now legendary Eugeniusz Bodo (often pictured with his dog, Sambo) and Mieczysław Fogg, who performed alongside Mira Zimińska, Zula Pogorzelska, Adolf Dymsza, and the smouldering Hanka Ordonówna.

    Experiments in 1920s music, which at the time were coming thick and fast, now had epicentres from which new innovations and styles could thrive: Poland was beginning to embrace tango-fever like nothing else.

    The Wall Street Crash and subsequent global economic downturn in the late 1920s hit entertainment establishments hard. Both Qui Pro Quo and Morskie Oko closed in 1933 – but the music passionately cultivated by the artists of these clubs only played louder, and interest in the style swelled. By the 1930s, Poland – and particularly Warsaw – was seeping with the sensuous melancholic passion of the tango, with new tunes churned out on a daily basis.

    Above all, the record company Syrena Rekord, Poland’s first and arguably most eminent recording company, helped facilitated the development of this culture. Established in 1908 by Juliusz Feigenbaum to satisfy the Polish demand for popular music, Syrena Rekord was already booming on the eve of WWI, producing 2.5 million records a year.

    But it was after the war that the popularity of the company truly soared: where other record companies fell following the economic depression, Syrena jumped from strength to strength.

    The music of 1930s Poland that Wars helped produce was influenced not only by traditional Polish countryside folk motifs, but also by the cosmopolitan nature of the interwar state: after regaining independence, the Polish nation exploded in freedoms of cultures, languages and lifestyles, with Warsaw the pivot. Entertainment united these disparate voices in a pleasant environment, providing a means by which any style could be heard and appreciated.

    This was particularly true for the Jewish population, who were integral to the Polish interwar music scene. Jewish composers, singers, songwriters and musicians, many of whom originated from families steeped in traditions of classical music, found liberty in popular culture, combining their efforts with other previously-silenced minorities and cultivating an original sound for the new nation.

    The Syrena founder Feigenbaum himself epitomised this atmosphere: a Catholic of Jewish descent, he worked as a musician, composer, inventor and businessman – the ultimate cosmopolitan multi-talent that inspired a generation of Poles to follow.

    Though Polish Radio was the driver behind the record business at the time, they only wanted to push the most renowned artists – making Syrena the only medium by which all the Polish popular music of the period, all the new melodies and styles and flairs, could reach the heights of fame. Waltzes like Szklanka Wina – Fest Dziewczyna!, slow-foxes like Już Jestem Taka Głupia, and foxtrots like Nikodem and Tokaj perpetually quavered from gramophones and echoed out of the doors of fashionable nightclubs across the country in the 1930s.

    But it was the wealth of unique tango sounds that the Polish population craved the most. With its influences from Eastern European, Jewish and Gypsy music, these particular interbellum pieces spoke to the population like no other music could: a population characterised by a tumultuous history, an investment in multi-culture, and the desire for sophistication and charm.

    Poles of the 1930s were allured by the exotic yearning desire of such music: the quivering Slavic intonations, the broken passion, and enigmatic performers. The artists themselves sustained the vision through the adoption of a multiplicity of enthralling pseudonyms, adding a soupçon of piquant mystery to the culture.

    Biggest hits

    The breakout tango hit of Syrena happened early: in 1929, Petersburski’s Tango Milonga [provided below] (with lyrics by Andrzej Włast) burst onto the scene and quickly became not only a national favourite but also a widespread international triumph, with the English title being Oh Donna Clara. The aching cadences and swelling Eastern European melody gave the piece a lively originality, and it is no wonder that it is still remembered by many as a classic interwar tune.

    But there were also other tangos which had a momentous impact in Poland. The popular Umówiłem Się z Nią na Dziewiątą premiered in 1937, sung by Eugeniusz Bodo, with a legacy that lasts even today. The yearning 1935 hit Graj Skrzypku, Graj portrayed by the rich voice of Adam Aston and the charming tones of Mieczysław Fogg, among many others, was characteristic of the tango culture emerging at the time.

    Meanwhile, the 1932 piece Rebeka, and its 1934 complement Rebeka Tańczy Tango epitomised the figure of the heartbroken female lover, a trope found in so many tangos of the period. Another of Petersburski’s greats, the ominous lament To Ostatnia Niedziela, nicknamed ‘Suicide Tango’, came in 1935 and still remains a symbol of pre-war Polish culture.

    Here’s some examples.

    See if any of you find it appealing.

    There’s something about violins, Accordion & Concertina music. It gives me the chills. I hope you all enjoy this playlist.

    An Interview with Noam Zylberberg

    From HERE. All credit to the author, and  kindly note that it was edited to fit this venue.

    It was an exciting time in music history – there was nothing to base these songs on. The result was something simple but not simplistic. That’s what I love about it,’ says Noam Zylberberg. The musician, who is performing Polish pieces written and composed in the Interwar period, told us about the sound he is trying to resurrect.

    Noam Zylberberg studied conducting at the Jerusalem Academy of Music. He became fascinated with interwar Polish music and established Mała Orkiestra Dancingowa (The Little Dancing Orchestra), which has played concerts in Poland and abroad. Their first album was released this year.

    Juliette Bretan: So let’s start from the beginning. Where do your links to Poland come from?

    Noam Zylberberg: My grandparents were born in Warsaw but left Poland in 1934. They were young. They wanted to follow their ideals and reinvent themselves. My grandmother’s family were Warsaw people going back many generations and so Warsaw has always been present in my life.

    JB: When did you begin to become more involved with Poland and Polish culture?

    NZ: I became curious after my grandparents passed away – I was still very young, but I began wondering about their pasts. They never spoke Polish at home, but I’d heard about their lives and families in Warsaw. This fascination followed me into my student years and still does till this day.

    JB:Did your interest in interwar Polish music begin from that period?

    NZ: Not really; It was a long time until I discovered this music. It all started through an interesting family connection – one of my grandmother’s cousins, Tadeusz Raabe, was a friend of Antoni Słonimski’s. Tadeusz was from a wealthy background – his family owned a factory.

    When World War I broke out, they had to leave to Russia. During those years, Tadeusz spent time in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. That was when he discovered their modern art cafés and avant-garde culture – which didn’t exist in Poland at all.

    Back then, Poland was in the midst of the Young Poland movement; art was very serious and patriotic. So when Tadeusz returned home, he opened the first modern art café in the city with Antoni Słonimski, who in turn brought with him Julian Tuwim. This was the famous Pod Picadorem cafe.

    Later, he also married a well-known singer and movie star, Tola Mankiewiczówna. When I first learned about this, her name meant nothing to me. I found a video online of her singing the tango Odrobinę Szczęścia w Miłości (A Little Luck in Love). If I’m honest, I wasn’t that taken by it – it’s a video of her dressed as a maid, shining a shoe, and at that time I didn’t understand Polish, so I didn’t know what she was singing about.

    JB: And when were you taken by these songs?

    NZ: I gradually became more familiar with these songs, and as I started to learn about different individuals and pieces I began to think that it would be cool to do something with them, though I didn’t exactly know what. There was something special about these pieces. I was interested in the sound – it’s such a specific sound of the 1920s and 1930s.

    The main genre of this style is the Tango.

    It was popular all over Europe in the early years of the 20th century, but its life in Warsaw was longer than abroad. Tango was being danced to in Warsaw in the 1920s, but it was only towards the end of that decade that the local musicians began composing them. The first initiative was taken by Jerzy Petersburski and his cousins, the Gold brothers.

    JB: What makes a tango Polish?

    It’s difficult to answer the question of what makes a Polish tango. I don’t know if I have a good answer, but I suppose there’s a certain softness; the basics of tango are there, but everything else is from a different world. There’s a different warmth to it; it’s less aggressive.

    One good example of a Polish tango is O Piękna Nieznajoma (O Beautiful Unknown Woman). It’s split into two parts – a chorus and an interlude. It’s very soft and lyrical; there’s an elegant countermelody in the background; it’s very sophisticated. It sounds almost like an aria from a Puccini opera. When the intersection comes, it’s like a reminder– ‘this is tango!’

    That part is as if not connected to the rest of the song, and when the main theme returns, you can almost forget that it’s really a tango: the only thing that suggests tango at the beginning is the rhythm, like an engine in the background. Everything else is water.

    JB: And what about the multicultural aspects of Poland back then – the mix of Poles and Jews and Ukrainians and other minorities?

    NZ: It was multicultural – but they were all Poles. They all spoke the same language. Most of the Jewish composers and musicians came from assimilated families. They may have come from different backgrounds, but they shared similar values. Almost all of them were professional musicians, and they all received classical musical education.

    They knew what they were doing – if they used a Jewish-sounding motive, it was done deliberately. The same way they also wrote songs in Spanish style about Spain, even though most of them probably hadn’t been there – for the audience, going to the cabarets and the theatres was their way of travelling and accessing something exotic.

    They worked quickly. A piece composed one morning could be played the same evening. If something didn’t work the way they’d hoped, they could change it the next day. This way of work is like experimenting in a laboratory. This allowed a new style to take shape relatively quickly. They were even writing for particular musicians, basing their arrangements on who would be in the band on any particular day. One day, they might have three clarinets – so they would arrange the piece for them. The next day, they might have one – and so the next arrangement would be different.

    The specific musicians and instruments played a big role in shaping this style. This is what differed it from early pop music played in Berlin or London at the same time.

    JB: How were the instruments different?

    NZ: A good example is the Hawaiian guitar, which features in so many songs from the period. The main musician playing it was a man called Wiktor Tychowski – he was crazy about the Hawaiian guitar. It’s actually him playing it in a lot of these recordings – the other musicians probably liked working with him – it featured so much that eventually it became a characteristic of the style. Tychowski was just one person but he left a mark – each of these individuals had influence.

    JB: And what was the next step for you?

    NZ: I spent a lot of time getting to know the style and the people, and then I went through the songs online and made transcriptions of them. Still in Tel Aviv, my idea was to collect a group of people together to play Polish tangos and have dance parties … you know, a very underground scene, playing in a dark basement with hipsters who don’t even look you in the eye – that kind of thing.

    Eventually, I never actually set it up. Instead I started travelling to and from Warsaw and met up with some musicians in the city – and one day I just stayed. I spent my time making transcriptions and preparing scores – mostly tangos at that stage.

    JB: So you said you transcribe these songs to be able to perform them?

    NZ: Yes. When we talk about style, a lot of it has to do with instrumentation. The notes that were published and were available to the public have all the harmonic and melodic information but don’t include any instrumentation, so they’re not helpful for playing in the original style. So I use old recordings and transcribe them.

    We try to follow the stylistic traditions of the time – it will never be 100% the same, and that’s not what we want. We’re different people living in a different world, and we’re not interested in imitation. But we try to think about it in similar terms to those in which they were thinking when they created it.

    For example, the instruments didn’t change that much, but the technique and approach did. Back then violin players tended to use a lot of portamento – sliding from note to note. But today this is considered bad playing. I can’t ask my violinists to completely change their technique, but I want them to know about it. I want them to be informed, to listen and understand why it sounds the way it sounds.

    JB: Do you think this music is coming back into fashion? There seem to be a lot of performers like you whose repertoires include these songs.

    NZ: Yes, but each group is doing it differently. There’s room for everyone.

    JB: Has this sound always been here, or did it dissipate in 1939?

    NZ: In the late 1940s, for a few more years, you could still hear reminiscences of the style in Warsaw. But most of the musicians of the previous generation were gone by then – some perished in the war and other immigrated soon after – and the sound changed. The style back then was based on people; they made it the way it was.

    JB: So what about those who survived and kept playing and singing – the best example being, of course, Mieczysław Fogg?

    NZ: Fogg’s style changed – you could even say he was a different singer between the 1930s and the 1970s.

    What Fogg did – what we owe him for the most – was to be a symbol. Because he was here, he became a symbol of old Warsaw. Some musicians who stayed couldn’t find themselves in the new world. But after the war, Fogg recorded the songs from the 1920s and 1930s in new versions. The songs Fogg didn’t record are mostly forgotten, and those he recorded are the ones we remember. He’s responsible for that.

    JB: So what made the Interwar period special?

    NZ: It was a peculiar and interesting time all over the world, and it was the beginning of pop culture. Before, there had been serious and folk music – but not pop. The world was changing quickly; technological advances and changes in the social structure changed the way people lived. Suddenly, you have recording and films that need music, and cities were getting larger. It was the first time in history when people had money and time and wanted to have fun. Consumers of culture grew, so there was a need for music.

    This music had to be invented. There were questions – ‘How do you write a pop song?’ ‘How long should it be?’ ‘How should you sing one?’

    Many of the early songs just don’t work anymore; they’re not relevant and no one speaks this way, so they can’t connect. But things changed – there was an influx of artists, many from Lwów (today’s Lviv), who could create charming rhymes and simple feelings.

    JB: And how are your performances taking this into account? Are you performing at the moment?

    NZ: There is still more to do – there always is. We perform at SPATiF [a club in Warsaw] regularly, and we have the album, which was produced with the support of Polish Radio.

    Almost all of our musicians come from a classical background – they’re a bunch of people who are interested in exploring . None of them grew up with these sounds. This style is not natural for modern musicians. So we have to think: ‘How do we achieve this?’ So even just the way of thinking about the notes was something that we had to work out together.

    One point is swing. Today, everyone knows what swing sounds like, but back then, it was something new and unnatural. When we started rehearsing, it sounded more like New York in the 1950s than Warsaw in the 1930s. We had to forget it. Even in concerts, I’ll remind the musicians not to swing. When you start swinging in these songs, everything falls apart and that engine dies. The piece gets heavier – it should be light.

    JB: And do you have any favourite pieces?

    NZ:  One song which is close to me is Codziennie Inna (Different Every Day), which opens our album.

    It wasn’t part of our original repertoire – but we had a concert in SPATiF and a couple of the musicians were running a little late. Eventually, we couldn’t wait any more so, in the meantime, I decided I would teach everyone a song. The orchestra didn’t know it either. They caught the melody, and the audience quickly learned the lyrics. By the end, everyone was singing together – it was a great experience.

    These songs were a part of this city; these melodies were once hummed in the streets – but then they disappeared. When we did that concert with Codziennie Inna – the audience sang it 20 times. I’m sure it stuck in their heads. Some of them may have even hummed it to themselves on the street the next day.

    It’s giving the city back its sounds.

    Do you want more?

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    What to expect inside of America if the USA decides to engage either Russia or China in a war

    Lately, there has been all this talk and speculation about how the USA is going to “counter” China. All made with the best of intentions by nationalists with little experience, poor or fraudulent Intel, and a lack of awareness at how incompetent the United States actually is today. Yet they own the MSM; the media mouthpiece and everyone desires to go ahead and pick a fight for “freedom™” and “democracy™”.

    I have argued over and over and over again that America is very, very fragile. It is more than balkanized, it is tottering on the edge of chaos. And all it would take to send it over the side is China or Russia doing what the US Military is vocally planning to do.

    One strike on a city.

    It doesn’t even need to be a nuclear strike.

    This strike completely collapse “the house of cards”, and all the people in the city will be forced to deal with a very bad situation. Will they come together? Will they work together? Will they [1] obey the advisement’s on the Emergency Broadcast System? Or will they [2] all go their own way, do their own thing, and take advantage of the situation for their own personal benefit?

    The answer should be obvious to all Americans.

    But somehow, and it’s unfathomable to me, that Americans separate a “war with China over Taiwan”, from “America urban enclaves erupting in an orgy of hate, rapes and killings”.

    Because both will happen simultaneously.

    China and Russia will make sure that it occurs.

    Fifteen years ago we were able to watch what happens when a local disaster hits a city. And it isn’t pretty. I argue that this will become commonplace throughout the United States once the tipping point has been reached.

    Are you ready?

    The following is titled “Africa in our midst“. It reports on what happened in an American city New Orleans when a natural disaster struck. It is absolutely horrifying. All credit to the MM influencer that turned me on to it. Reprinted as found, all credit to the author, edited to fit this venue.

    Africa in our Midst

    In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which blasted the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, 2005 the entire world saw images that left no doubt that what is repeatedly called the sole remaining superpower can be reduced to squalor and chaos nearly as gruesome as anything found in the Third World. The weather — a Category 4 hurricane — certainly had something to do with it, but the most serious damage was done not by nature but by man.

    Much has been and will be written about why the levees that are supposed to keep the water out of below-sea-level New Orleans failed. There will be bitter recrimination about whether the federal rescue effort could have been launched sooner. Commissions will ask questions and lessons will be learned. But there was another human failing that was far more ominous. No commission will study it, and official America will refuse to learn from it. In the orgy of finger-pointing it will be all but forgotten. That human failing — vastly more significant than the ones the commissions will investigate — is the barbaric behavior of the people of New Orleans.

    New Orleans is 67 percent black, and about half the blacks are poor. Of the city’s 480,000 people, all but an estimated 80 to 100 thousand left before the hurricane struck. This meant that aside from patients in hospitals and eccentrics in the French Quarter, most of the people who stayed behind were not just blacks, but lower-class blacks without the means or foresight to leave.

    Katrina hit on the morning of Monday, Aug. 29. The levees broke on Tuesday and the city began to flood. Before long, 80 percent of New Orleans was under as much as 20 feet of water.

    The city’s 70,000-seat football stadium, known as the Superdome, had been officially designated as a public shelter before the hurricane, and several thousand people were already there the night before the storm. It had some food and medical supplies, but when the waters began to rise, people poured in from all directions, swelling its numbers to an estimated 25,000.

    People came because their houses were under water, but also because New Orleans very quickly collapsed into banditry. Looting began even while the storm was still blowing. At first there was sympathetic clucking about the need for food and medicine, but news clips of blacks wading happily through waist-deep water with television sets over their heads dispelled that view.

    The day after the hurricane, a reporter caught the atmosphere of high-spirited chaos at a Wal-Mart in the Lower Garden District. People were grabbing things as quickly as they could, smashing open jewelry cabinets and scooping up double-handfuls. One man packed his van so full of electronic equipment he could not close the rear doors. A teenage girl passed out, face down, and people stepped on her. A man stopped to roll her onto her back, and she vomited pink liquid. “This is f***ed up,” he said, and rolled her back on her stomach. An NBC correspondent filmed black, uniformed police officers strolling through the aisles, filling shopping carts.

    At one store, a policeman broke the glass on the DVD case so civilians would not cut themselves trying to break it, but one man was ungrateful. “The police got all the best stuff,” he said. “They’re crookeder than us.” One woman stocking up on makeup was glad to see the officers. “It must be legal,” she said. “The police are here taking stuff, too.”

    Violence of all kinds quickly spread through the paralyzed city, where robbery, rape, and even murder became routine. There were still thousands of people trapped on rooftops and in attics, but on Sept. 1, Mayor Ray Nagin called the entire police force off of rescue work and ordered it to secure the city. The response from the force? An estimated 200 officers just walked off the job. “They indicated that they had lost everything and didn’t feel that it was worth them going back to take fire from looters and losing their lives,” explained Henry Whitehorn, chief of the Louisiana State Police. Many disappeared without a word. Sheriff Harry Lee of Jefferson Parish in New Orleans also said his men were deserting. “They want to be with their families,” he said. “Well, I want to be with my family too, but you don’t quit in the middle of a crisis.”

    Two police officers, including the department’s official spokesman Paul Accardo, committed suicide by shooting themselves in the head. The London Times estimated that one in five officers refused to work, and some of those who stayed on the job were useless. When Debbie Durso, a tourist from Washington, Michigan, asked a policeman for help he told her, “Go to hell — it’s every man for himself.”

    Ged Scott, 36, of Liverpool, told BBC News what happened when a group of stranded British women shouted to police for help from the rooftop of a flooded hotel: “They [the officers] said to them, ‘Well, show us what you’ve got’ — doing signs for them to lift their T-shirts up. The girls said no, and they said ‘well fine,’ and motored off down the road in their motorboat. That’s the sort of help we had from the authorities.”

    “No one anticipated the disintegration or the erosion of the civilian police force in New Orleans,” explained Lieutenant General Steven Blum of the National Guard. He said the city was operating on only one third of its pre-storm strength of 1,500 officers, and that the guard suddenly had to switch from rescue to law enforcement: “And that’s when we started flowing military police into the theater.”

    New Orleans has had only black mayors since 1978, and has spent decades making the police force as black as possible. It established a city-residency requirement for officers to keep suburban whites from applying for jobs, and lowered recruitment standards so blacks could pass them. Katrina blew away any pretence that the force was competent.

    (On September 5, exactly a week after the hurricane, Mayor Ray Nagin offered to pay for the entire police force, firefighters, and city emergency workers to go on five-day vacations — with their families — to Las Vegas or some other destination. He said there were enough National Guard in the city to maintain order, and that his men “have been through a lot.” He brushed off suggestions that this was dereliction of duty. He even asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to pay for the vacations, but FEMA refused. “We haven’t turned over control of the city,” a city spokesman explained. “We’re going to leave a skeleton force — about 20 percent of the department — for leadership and liaison with the troops while we get some rest.”)

    New Orleans has a high crime rate at the best of times — it is usually in top contention for the American city with the highest murder rate — and looted firearms spilled into the street. Some blacks fired on any symbol of authority, blazing away at rescue helicopters and Coast Guard vessels. Several days after the hurricane, with desperate people still huddled on rooftops, FEMA said it was too dangerous to attempt rescues.

    On Wednesday, along one stretch of Highway 10, hundreds of volunteer firefighters, auxiliary coastguardmsmen and citizens with small boats were eager to reach people, but could not set out because of sniper fire. “We are trying to do our job here but we can’t if they are shooting at us,” explained Major Joey Broussard of the Louisiana State Fisheries and Wildlife Division. “We don’t know who and we don’t know why, but we don’t want to get in a situation of having to return fire out there,” he said.

    Perhaps the most chilling accounts were from hospitals, where staff desperately tried to move patients up stairs as the water rose, while blacks looted the floors below. Most hospitals had emergency generators, but these began to give out. Two days after the hurricane, the city had no running water, and as food ran out, doctors and nurses gave themselves intravenous feedings to keep going.

    Just outside New Orleans, gunmen held up a supply truck carrying food, water, and medical supplies that were on their way to a 203-bed hospital. Patients all across the city eventually had to be taken out, but rescuers met resistance. Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Cheri Ben-Iesan told reporters at an emergency headquarters: “Hospitals are trying to evacuate. At every one of them, there are reports that as the helicopters come in people are shooting at them, saying, ‘You better come get my family.’” An effort to evacuate patients and staff from Charity Hospital in downtown New Orleans was stopped by sniper fire. Other hospitals reported gangs of looters attacking and overturning ambulances.

    Chris Lawrence, a reporter with CNN, filed a report from the roof of a police station: “Right now it’s the only safe place to be in the city. We were on the street earlier but the police said under no circumstances would you be safe on the street. They said anybody walking in the streets of New Orleans is basically taking their life in their hands. . . . They directed some of the young women to get off the street immediately.”

    What may have been the most shocking headline of the entire crisis was in the September 2 issue of Army Times: “Troops Begin Combat Operations in New Orleans.” The article was about the Louisiana National Guard massing near the Superdome in preparation for a citywide security mission. “This place is going to look like Little Somalia,” Brig. Gen. Gary Jones explained. “We’re going to go out and take this city back. This will be a combat operation to get this city under control.” The amphibious assault ship Bataan was in the area, but kept its helicopters on board after pilots reported sniper fire.

    Many soldiers came under gunfire from civilians. “I never thought that as a National Guardsman I would be shot at by other Americans,” said Philip Baccus of the 527th Engineer Battalion. “And I never thought I’d have to carry a rifle when on a hurricane relief mission. This is a disgrace.” Cliff Ferguson of the same battalion added: “You have to think about whether it is worth risking your neck for someone who will turn around and shoot at you. We didn’t come here to fight a war. We came here to help.”

    Michael Brown, head of FEMA, said: “We are working under conditions of urban warfare.” General Blum of the National Guard said half of the 7,000 guardsmen under his command had just returned from overseas assignments and were “highly proficient in the use of lethal force.” He promised to deal with thugs “in a quick and efficient manner.”

    Shoot-to-kill orders were supposed to have gone out, and Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco boasted that battle-hardened veterans would put down the violence in no time. However, there were few accounts of soldiers firing their weapons. The London Times reported that a New Orleans policeman explained through tears that he had seen bodies riddled with bullets, and one man with the top of his head shot off. He said looters were armed with stolen AK-47 rifles, and that the police were outgunned just like in Somalia. “It’s a war-zone, and they’re [the federal government] not treating it like one,” he said.

    We will never know the full extent of the mayhem blacks loosed on their own city. Many victims will not be found for weeks or even months, rotted beyond recognition, their killers never found. Drowned or murdered, the bloated, stinking bodies that turn up by the hundreds will look much the same. In their haste to get cadavers off the streets, the authorities may not worry much about cause of death.

    From Hurricane to Jungle

    In the two main refugee centers, however — the Superdome and the Convention Center — too many people witnessed the degeneracy for it to be ignored. The first refugees had arrived at the Superdome the day before the hurricane, on Sunday, August 28. The last finally left the stadium on Saturday, Sept, 3, so some people may have spent nearly a week in what, after the toilets began to overflow, became known as the “Sewerdome.”

    Preparation for refugees was pitifully inadequate. By day, as many as 25,000 people sweltered in temperatures that rose into the 100s. Whatever order had been established soon melted away, and the stadium reverted to the jungle. Young men robbed and raped with impunity. Occasional gunshots panicked the crowd. At least one man committed suicide by throwing himself off a high deck and splattering onto the playing field. Bodies of the murdered, and of infants and the elderly who died of heat exhaustion began to accumulate. Six babies were born in the stadium. Charles Womack, a 30-year-old roofer, said he saw one man beaten to death, and was, himself beaten with a pipe. Crack addicts — who had brought their most valuable possession with them — smoked openly and fought over drugs.

    A group of about 30 British students were among the very small number of whites in the stadium, where they spent four harrowing days. Jamie Trout, 22, an economics major, wrote that the scene “was like something out of Lord of the Flies,” with “people shouting racial abuse about us being white.” One night, word came that the power was failing, and that there was only ten minutes’ worth of gas for the generators. Zoe Smith, 21, from Hull, said they all feared for their lives: “All us girls sat in the middle while the boys sat on the outside, with chairs as protection,” she said. “We were absolutely terrified, the situation had descended into chaos, people were very hostile and the living conditions were horrendous.” She said that even during the day, “when we offered to help with the cleaning, the locals gave us abuse.”

    Mr. Trout said the National Guard finally recognized how dangerous the threat was from blacks, and moved the British under guard to the basketball area, which was safer. “The army warned us to keep our bags close to us and to grip them tight,” he said, as they were escorted out. Twenty-year-old Jane Wheeldon credited one man in particular, Sgt. Garland Ogden, with getting the Britons safely out. “He went against a lot of rules to get us moved,” she said.

    Australian tourists stuck in the Superdome had the same experience. Bud Hopes, a 32-year-old man from Kangaroo Point, Brisbane, took control and may have saved many lives. As the stadium reverted to anarchy, he realized whites were in danger, and gathered tourists together for safety. “There were 65 of us altogether so we were able to look after each other, especially the girls who were being grabbed and threatened,” said Mr. Hopes. They organized escorts for women who had to go to the toilet or for food, and set up a roster of men to stand guard while others slept. “We sat through the night just watching each other, not knowing if we would be alive in the morning,” Mr. Hopes said. “Ninety-eight percent of the people around the world are good,” he said; “in that place 98 per cent of the people were bad.”

    John McNeil of Coorparoo in Brisbane tells what happened when their group, too, heard the lights were about to go out: “I looked at Bud [Hopes] and said, ‘That will be the end of us.’ The gangs had already eyed us off. If the lights had gone out we would have been in deep trouble. We were sitting there praying for a miracle and the lights stayed on.” Mr. Hopes said the Australians owed their lives to a National Guardsman who broke the rules and got whites out to a medical center past seething crowds of blacks.

    Peter McNeil of Brisbane told the Australian AP that his son John was one of the 65 who managed to get out. The blacks were reportedly so hostile “they would stab you as soon as look at you.” “He’s never been so scared in his life,” explained Mr. McNeil. “He just said they had to get out of the dark. Otherwise, another night, he said, they would have been gone.” No American newspaper wrote about what these white tourists went through.

    When guardsmen began to show up in force on Sept. 1 and take control, some blacks met them with cheers, but others shouted obscenities. Capt. John Pollard of the Texas Air National Guard said 20,000 people were in the dome when the evacuation began, but thousands more appeared from surrounding areas when word got out that there were buses leaving town. Soldiers held their M-16s and grenade-launchers at the ready, and kept a sharp eye out for snipers.

    That same day, when it was time to board buses for Houston, soldiers had trouble controlling the crowd. People at the back of the mob crushed the people in front against barricades soldiers put up to control the flow. Many people continued to yell obscenities whenever a patrol went by. Some were afraid of losing their place in line and defecated where they stood. The Army Times reported that Sgt. 1st Class Ron Dixon of the Oklahoma National Guard, who had recently come home from Afghanistan, said he was struck by the fact Afghanis wanted to help themselves, but that the people of New Orleans only wanted others to help them.

    By the evening of Sept. 3, the Superdome was finally evacuated, but the state-of-the-art stadium was a reeking cavern of filth, human waste, and an unknown number of corpses. It, too, had been looted of everything not bolted down. Janice Singleton was working at the stadium when the storm hit. She said she was robbed of everything, even her shoes. As for the building: “They tore that dome apart,” she said sadly. “They tore it down. They taking everything out of there they can take.”

    Only afterwards did the public learn there were 50 police officers assigned to the Superdome, but they appear to have been completely ineffectual. Toni Blanco, a 24-year veteran, said police could not arrest anyone because there was no place to hold suspects, and they were afraid to use their guns for fear of the crowd. “You felt helpless in the sense there was absolutely nothing we could do for the city,” she said. What did she do at night, when conditions were worst? She and another officer, Alecia Wright, would slip out to a patrol car and have a good cry. “Many times we laid in the car and tears just rolled,” said Miss Blanco. Some officers simply abandoned their posts and fled the Superdome.

    Conditions were even worse at the Convention Center. Although on high ground not far from the stadium, it had not been designated as a shelter. It was, however, beyond reach of the high water, and soon some 20,000 people were huddled in its cavernous halls. There were no supplies or staff, and for several days neither FEMA nor the National Guard seems to have known anyone was there.

    Armed gangs took control, and occasional gunshots caused panic. There was no power, and at night the center was plunged into complete darkness. Degeneracy struck almost immediately, with rapes, robbery, and murder. Terrible shrieking tore through the night, but no one could see, or dared to move. When Police Chief Eddie Compass heard what was happening, he sent a squad of 88 officers to investigate. They were overwhelmed by superior forces and retreated, leaving thousands to the mercy of criminals.

    It was not until Sept. 2 — four days after the hurricane — that a force of 1,000 National Guardsmen finally took over from the armed gangs. “Had we gone in with a lesser force we may have been challenged, [and] innocents may have been caught in a fight,” explained Gen. Blum.

    Sitting with her daughter and other relatives, Trolkyn Joseph, 37, told a reporter that men had wandered the center at night raping and murdering children. She said she found a dead 14-year old girl at 5 a.m. on Friday morning, four hours after the girl went missing. “She was raped for four hours until she was dead,” Miss Joseph said through tears. “Another child, a seven-year old boy, was found raped and murdered in the kitchen freezer last night.”

    Africa Brumfield, 32, explained that women were in particular fear: “There is rapes going on here. Women cannot go to the bathroom without men. They are raping them and slitting their throats.” Donald Anderson, 43, was at the convention center with his wife, who was six months pregnant: “We circled the chairs like wagons because at night there are stampedes,” he said. “We had to survive.”

    The very few whites in the crowd were terrified. Eighty-year-old Selma Valenti, who was with her husband, said blacks threatened to kill them on Thursday, Sept. 1. “They hated us. Four young black men told us the buses were going to come last night and pick up the elderly so they were going to kill us,” she said, sobbing. Presumably, the blacks wanted to take their places on the buses.

    The center was not entirely without a form of rough justice. A National Guardsman reported that a man who had raped and killed a young girl in the bathroom was caught by the crowd — which beat him to death.

    At one time there were as many as seven or eight corpses in front of the center, some of them with blood streaming from bullet wounds. Inside, there was an emergency morgue, but a National Guardsman refused to let a Reuters photographer take pictures. “We’re not letting anyone in there anymore,” he said. “If you want to take pictures of dead bodies, go to Iraq.” By Saturday, Sept. 3, the center was mostly cleared of the living. Refugees pulled shirts over their noses trying to block out the smell as they walked past rotting bodies.

    Later it would be learned there were 30 to 40 bodies piled into the convention center’s freezer, almost all of them murder victims. Arkansas National Guardsman Mikel Brooks showed a reporter the charnel house: “I ain’t got the stomach for it, even after what I saw in Iraq. In Iraq, it’s one-on-one. It’s war. It’s fair. Here, it’s just crazy. It’s anarchy. . . . And this is America. This is just 300 miles south of where I live.”

    For the city as a whole, not even 50,000 soldiers and federal rescue workers could bring calm. On Sunday, Sept. 4, contractors working for the US Army Corps of Engineers came under fire. Their police escort returned fire and killed four attackers.

    On Monday, Sept, 5, a week after the hurricane and after virtually everyone who wanted to get out was gone, there was still widespread banditry. “We’re having some pretty intense gun battles breaking out around the city,” said Capt. Jeff Winn of the New Orleans SWAT team. “Armed gangs of from eight to 15 young men are riding around in pickup trucks, looting and raping.”

    Brian McKay was one of 300 Arkansas guardsmen just back from Iraq. He was in full battle gear, including body armor, putting down insurgents. “It’s like Baghdad on a bad day,” he said. Another Arkansan veteran under fire agreed: “It’s just so much like Iraq, it’s not funny, except for all the water, and they speak English.”

    Since the old jail was flooded, police set up a holding pen at the Greyhound bus terminal. State Attorney General Charles Foti said there were plans for a temporary court system, but no one knew how they were going to assemble juries or call witnesses. The grim business began of combing the drowning city for corpses and the remaining survivors.

    Reactions

    The world reacted with astonishment to sights it never expected to see in America. “Anarchy in the USA,” read the headline in Britain’s best-selling newspaper, The Sun. “Apocalypse Now,” said Handelsblatt in Germany. Mario de Carvalho, a veteran Portuguese cameraman, who covers the world’s trouble spots, said he saw the bodies of babies and old people along the highways leading out of New Orleans. “It’s a chaotic situation. It’s terrible. It’s a situation we generally see in other countries, in the Third World,” he said.

    Some Third-Worlders would have been insulted. “I am absolutely disgusted,” said Sajeewa Chinthaka, 36, of the looters. The Sri Lanka native added: “After the tsunami our people, even the ones who lost everything, wanted to help the others who were suffering. Not a single tourist caught in the tsunami was mugged. Now with all this happening in the U.S. we can easily see where the civilized part of the world’s population is.”

    In the United States, the stark contrast between endless scenes of appalling behavior by blacks and rescue personnel who were almost all white was greeted with the standard foolishness. Some people accused the “biased” media of suppressing footage of rampaging whites and heroic black helicopter pilots.

    Many blacks made excuses for looters. “Desperate people do desperate things,” said US Rep. Diane Watson of California. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. from Illinois, said we must not judge harshly: “Who are we to say what law and order should be in this unspeakable environment?” Rep. Melvin Watt, North Carolina Democrat and chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, was perhaps the greatest ass of all: “Whatever is being taken could not be used by anyone else anyway,” he said.

    Many blacks took it for granted that federal relief was slow because the victims were black. Rep. Elijah Cummings said “poverty, age and skin color” determined who lived and who died. Hilary Shelton, director of the NAACP’s Washington bureau, blasted “disparate treatment” of Katrina victims. “Many black people feel that their race, their property conditions and their voting patterns have been a factor in the response,” explained Jesse Jackson, Sr. He said the rubbish outside the Convention Center made the place look “like the hull of a slave ship.” Black activist and reparations-booster Randall Robinson said the relief effort was the “defining watershed moment in America’s racial history.” He said he had “finally come to see my country for what it really is. A monstrous fraud.”

    Democratic Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick of Michigan said she was “ashamed of America and . . . of our government.” The mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin — the man who gave city workers a vacation when the feds arrived — shouted and wept on local radio, demanding of federal officials: “Get off your asses, and let’s do something.” There was an undercurrent of fury at a meeting of black leaders in Detroit. One audience member wanted to know whether the slow federal response was “black genocide.” Another shouted, “African Americans built this nation. Descendants of slaves are being allowed to die.”

    One black man, observing the chaos from abroad, took a different view. Leighton Levy wrote in the Sept. 2 Jamaica Star: “I am beginning to believe that black people, no matter where in the world they are, are cursed with a genetic predisposition to steal, murder, and create mayhem.” He wanted to know why there was no footage of white looters: “Is it that the media are not showing pictures of them looting and robbing? Or is it that they are too busy trying to stay alive, waiting to be rescued, and hiding from the blacks?”

    Most blacks and many whites fell into the usual assumptions about omnipotent white government and helpless Negroes. If black people were suffering it was because whites had not done enough for them. It did not occur to them that it was the responsibility of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana — not the federal government — to prepare for hurricanes. Before the storm, Mayor Nagin issued a mandatory evacuation only under pressure from the Bush administration. The mayor then did nothing to enforce the order, leaving hundreds of city buses and school buses to drown, rather than use them to offer transportation to people without cars.

    Something of the mood of black New Orleans was caught by Fox News film crews as late as Sunday, Sept. 4. White volunteers were trying to persuade a black woman and her small children to leave her flooded house. “You’ve got to get out,” they explained. “The water isn’t going away.” A black man at the top of a multi-story building told a helicopter crew he didn’t need to leave. All he needed was some supplies.

    These people could not understand something that was obvious to the whole world: New Orleans had no electricity, no plumbing, no transport, and no food. Blacks refused to leave their flooded homes, even though to stay meant near-certain death.

    Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff noted how crazy it was to stay in the wreckage. “That is not a reasonable alternative,” he said. “We are not going to be able to have people sitting in houses in the city of New Orleans for weeks and months while we de-water and clean this city.”

    FEMA reported that it had pulled three Carnival Cruise Lines ships from commercial duty to shelter the blacks of New Orleans. Maybe the chance of berth on the Ecstasy, the Sensation or the Holiday would be enough to drag them out of the muck.

    Lessons

    Ninety-nine percent of the white people left New Orleans when the evacuation order went out. Some 80,000 blacks could not or would not leave. Whites did not “leave them behind,” as the editorial writers keep telling us. No one could have gotten some of them to leave — a number of men cheerfully admitted they stayed in town to loot — but if it was anyone’s job to give them the option, it was that of the black-run city government. Of the blacks who stayed, probably only a minority committed crimes, but they were enough to turn the city into a hell hole. Some did unspeakable things: loot hospitals, fire on rescue teams, destroy ambulances. No amount of excuse-making and finger-pointing can paper over degeneracy like that. Black people — and only black people — did these things.

    The Superdome and the Convention Center were certainly unpleasant places to spend three or four days, but 50,000 whites would have behaved completely differently. They would have established rules, organized supplies, cared for the sick and dying. They would have organized games for children. The papers would be full of stories of selflessness and community spirit.

    Natural disasters usually bring out the best in people, who help neighbors and strangers alike. For blacks — at least the lower-class blacks of New Orleans — disaster was an excuse to loot, rob, rape and kill.

    Our rulers and media executives will try to turn the story of Hurricane Katrina into yet another morality tale of downtrodden blacks and heartless whites, but pandering of this kind fools fewer and fewer people.

    Many whites will realize — some for the first time — that we have Africa in our midst, that utterly alien Africa of road-side corpses, cruelty, and anarchy that they thought could never wash up on these shores.

    To be sure, the story of Hurricane Katrina does have a moral for anyone not deliberately blind. The races are different. Blacks and whites are different. When blacks are left entirely to their own devices, Western Civilization — any kind of civilization — disappears.

    And in a crisis, Western Civilization disappears overnight.

    Conclusion

    America is fragile.

    What happens when an EMP wipes out all communication, vehicular traffic, internet, and batteries? Who will come out of the balkanized enclaves? And what will they do?

    The writing has been on the wall for some time, and now hate has been institutionalized, and the social structure is gone. It is in tatters. America is a wreck, and the ruling oligarchy really isn’t aware at the actual fragility of America.

    If they were (aware) they would be conducting emergency domestic rebuilding, and hiring.

    They would NOT be constructing trillion-dollar spending campaigns on the military “to counter” anyone.

    And they most certainly wouldn’t be giving away trillion-dollars to any other nations for a counter program for the BRI.

    Instead, they would be spending money and time dealing with the festering problems that exists right now. That means all sorts of restructuring of local and state and federal governments, wholesale readjustments of federal agencies, and many, many rebuilding programs at the LOCAL LEVEL. Not throwing away money at the FEDERAL LEVEL.

    But they are not.

    Instead we see the nation gearing up for a major war with either China or Russia. And trust me, it will be against both simultaneously.

    What will happen after the missiles fly is anyone’s guess. But I am leaning strongly on a short-war, with both Russia and China being victorious. And America absolutely, completely and utterly, devastated; broken and destroyed in every single conceivable way.

    Are you all ready for a devastated America?

    Do you have any idea what that means? Do you have any idea what it will be like for the people inside of America? A balkanized racist America?

    Guess.

    Coming to your neighborhood soon.

    Now, a word about whether this might come about…

    I wrote this back over a year ago. And the events of the last few months put everything in a stunning new light…

    Deagel August 2020 Forecast For America has the population dropping a full 70% by 2025

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    Sitrep Global Politics, food, tea, Louisiana, and the general collapse of the United States

    A lot of interesting articles out lately concerning Geo-Politics. Most of which are unavailable on Google or in the states. As they are “shadow banned”. I want to chat about some of the stuff that’s “out there”. And in this post I am going to throw a lot of the banned stuff out for you all to absorb.

    But first, let me take a sip of tea.

    You know, I have come to enjoy Earl Grey Tea. It’s got this lovely aroma, a nice soothing feel, and is wholly enjoyable to drink. But I do not drink it every day. Sometimes I drink roasted Oolong tea. And I have become a fan of green tea. It’s healthier for you, don’t you know.

    Earl Grey Tea.

    With the Earl Grey Tea, I like to drink it UK / Australian style. Nicely seeped in a pot, poured into a a nice cup sitting on a saucer, and I add some sugar and milk. Though it’s not all that proper. I do enjoy it that way.

    This is how a “real” (an authentic) British person (man, or woman, or “thing”) makes a cup of tea.

    How to Make a “Proper” Cup of Tea (British Tea, that is)

    Tea is an institution in the UK. Its fibers are woven into the British culture in such a way that it is difficult to describe to a “non-Brit.” I came across this video a while ago and was so awed by the impact a beverage can have on a country.

    FYI to Americans, Eastenders is a popular soap-opera type show in the UK. When the show finishes, most viewers turn the kettle on for a cup of tea resulting in a huge surge for electricity! Who’d figure?

    The British love their tea. I wonder if people in Singapore drink tea properly like the British do?

    I put “proper” in quotation marks because this is my version of how to make a proper cup of tea. It’s not the “proper-proper” tea made with loose leaf tea, of course. That’s more for a leisurely afternoon tea, but this is an everyday process with tea bags which is less time consuming.

    In the UK they say to put one teabag per person and “one for the pot.” However, in my opinion that’s too strong for most people in the US and Canada who are used to a weaker tea.

    If you are using a British brand of tea, which is already much stronger and has a lot more flavor than most US tea brands, you might just want to use a teabag per person.

    Three teabags for a 32 ounce pot, not completely filled to the rim (about 4 cups of tea) is perfect for a fine British family, but you can just adjust accordingly.

    First of all, a proper-proper cup of tea is made with loose leaf tea, but most of us don’t have time for that on a daily basis, two or three times a day.

    So this is mostly aimed at US households who are used to a Lipton teabag in hot water in a mug. This will be a big change in flavor for those of you.

    1.Boil the water.

    First, bring water to a boil, but do not let it keep boiling. Remove it as soon as it comes to a boil. This is critical. This is important.

    As soon as the tea comes to a boil, remove it from the stove.

    Hot water will not do.

    We want the tea leaves to infuse the flavor of the tea into the water, and tepid or hot water will not do this nearly as well as boiling water. I use an electric kettle because we use it all the time.

    You will also need a good teapot, preferably one made in the UK (they know their tea there).

    2.Warm the teapot for the perfect cup of tea.

    So, when the kettle is almost boiling, put some water in the pot, just to warm up the teapot. Return the kettle to its base (or stovetop) to make it come to a full boil. Swirl the hot water around the teapot and then drain it out. Make sure to have your teabags ready.

    A proper teapot.

    3.Add the teabags and water to the pot.

    When the water just comes to a boil, put the teabags in the teapot and immediately pour the water into the pot.

    You do not place them in the cup.

    You place the teabags in the kettle. That is it’s purpose.

    4.Use a tea cosy (if you have one).

    Next, if you have a tea cosy, cover the pot. If not, use a heavy tea towel or something to keep the pot warm. You’ll discover that this also makes a big difference in the outcome of the flavor of the tea.

    A tea cosy.

    5.Steep the tea.

    Let the tea steep for about 3 to 5 minutes; the longer you leave it, the stronger it will be. (Three minutes in a tea pot is pretty weak.)

    6.Pour the tea and add the milk (and sugar, if desired).

    Now it’s time to pour the perfectly steeped tea.

    If you’re going to add sugar, add it before the milk so that it has a chance to start melting before adding the cold milk. Regarding the whole “milk, or tea first” debate, it used to be that milk went in first to protect the china from cracking, so that’s no longer a reason.

    I think it’s a personal preference. I like to add the milk after so I can better control the ratio of milk to tea, and you may think I’m crazy, but I say it tastes better, too. I also prefer whole milk. 2% milk is passable, but don’t offer me 1% or even talk to me about skim milk. Although you should NEVER add cream to a cup of tea, the natural cream that’s in whole milk adds a lot to the flavor of a proper cup of tea.

    Now enjoy with a crumpet or a biscuit.

    British (or Hong Kong) style crumpet. Toasted with well-salted butter.

    Now…

    With a cup of tea in one hand, and a fine hot buttered crumpet nearby. Let’s adjust our monocle to look at the editorial sections of the paper. Shall we?

    Ah. A fine Rugby match. It’s all Crickets, don’t you know.

    Oh, here’s something from the colonies…

    It seems that President Biden is trying to incentivize Russia to stop dealing with China. It’s what he has been doing with the G7 folk in Europe. But, you know, Russia is “not biting”.

    Russia and China

    MOSCOW (Xinhua): Russian President Vladimir Putin has denounced actions aimed at driving a wedge between Moscow and Beijing, stressing that China is a strategic partner, not a threat.

    "We can see attempts to destroy the relationship between Russia and China. We can see that those attempts are being made in practical policies,"

    Putin said in an interview with US television network NBC published on Monday (June 14).

    "We are pleased with the unprecedentedly high level of our relationship as it has evolved over the last few decades. We cherish it just like our Chinese friends do, which we can see,"

    He said.

    Putin praised…

    "a high level of trust and cooperation in all areas"

    …between the two countries, from politics and economy to technology and military.

    "We do not believe that China is a threat to us. China is a friendly nation. It has not declared us an enemy as the United States has done,"

    He said.

    A huge and powerful country, China has been developing with its great economy and a tremendous volume of foreign trade,

    He added.

    "We have been working and will continue to work with China, which applies to all kinds of programs, including exploring deep space,"

    The Russian leader concluded.

    Meanwhile, exactly what’s up with the Western G7 nations?

    Popular WhatsApp forwarded message:

    I never saw this until now. But that’s probably because I don’t have WhatsApp. I don’t want it, and there’s a bunch of chicks that want to hook up with me because they see my LinkedIN account and mistakenly believe that I have lots of money that they can somehow extract via their sultry means…

    LOL.

    Anyways I got this jammed in my proton mail account from a reliable source, and it makes for a great read. I enjoyed it. Maybe you will too.

    *A Lesson In History…* 

    1. Which countries invaded and occupied Indonesia?

    *Netherlands for 350 years and Japan for 3.5 years*.

    2. Which country was once the colony master of Malaya & India?

    *Britain*.

     3. Which countries invaded and occupied Vietnam?

    *France 1857-1940 & 1946-1954, Japan 1940-1945 and USA (in Southern Vietnam) 1955-1975*.

    4. Which countries were responsible for colonization of the African continent?

    *Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain and Italy*.

     5. Which 8 countries were responsible for the occupation of China in early 20th century?

    *Britain, US, Germany, France, Russia, Japan, Italy & Austria-Hungary*.

    6. Which countries are responsible for colonizing and almost annihilating the Red Indians in northern America?

    *France & Britain*.

    7. Which country colonized and almost annihilated Aborigines in Australia and New Zealand?

    *Britain* .

    8. Which are the member countries of G7?

     *United Kingdom/Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan & USA*.

    And now the million dollar question…

    9. Why are the G7 members see China as a threat even though China is the only major nation on earth that has never invaded or occupied another country?

     *Ego or fear of retribution* ?

    America today is so many ways from being Right, that it’s easy to pick it’s imperfections. Here’s another article by a Pentagon worker who is alarmed at what is going on inside of the Washington DC beltway for war (with either or Russia and / or China)…

    Horrified by the actual discussions going on inside of the Pentagon today.

    America trying to get make the Chinese look evil

    Merriam Webster dictionary defines the word "othering" as an act wherein a race or culture is made to appear as "a large, uniform mass, rather than a diverse group of individuals… treating people from another group as less human than one's own group." 
    
    Historically, "othering" has served as a conditioning mechanism to dehumanize US adversaries, preparing normally empathetic men and women to act with less discrimination and greater brutality in war.
    
    During WWII, US othering of the Japanese involved weaponizing disinformation and propagating racist stereotypes. It was considered as effective at setting the necessary psychological conditions for the controversial internment of Japanese Americans, firebombing of Tokyo, and dropping of atomic bombs on Japanese cities merely to deter the Soviet Union. Conceivably, left unmodified, a soldier's empathy for non-combatant human beings otherwise could have placed those ruthless American operations and their objectives at risk.
    
    Othering of the Chinese people is evident in recent US news media in the form of a mix of unverified rumors, disinformation, and selective exclusion of contradictory facts. It has been reported that China-averse special interests have even paid US journalists to publish stories biased against China's policies, to include encouraging a US-China confrontation. Meanwhile, the island of Taiwan's secession champions in the US Congress have nurtured the absurd public perception that the US-emulating people aboard the island of Taiwan are "non-Chinese" in ethnic identity.
    
    The apparent sophistication and coordination of Chinese othering are indications that some in the US are working to desensitize Americans to the certain horrors of a war with China over Taiwan. Its effects are already being witnessed in American society. Despite a presidential-level denouncement, racially motivated assaults on Chinese and Asians generally are sharply increasing. The dehumanization of our future foe is in full swing to the delight of China-averse special interests.
    
    Some argue that a US war with China over Taiwan would be a just war, claiming the "non-Chinese" island citizenry deserves our protection, not just ideological support. Others will go further and assert that the US nuclear umbrella needs to be extended to encompass the island. They try to make the desperate case that the island of Taiwan is the last bastion of American values in Southeast Asia, and the final barricade that contains China.
    
    The nuclear weapons theme deserves a closer look. Senior US military leaders at different times in the 20th century glibly suggested the employment of nuclear weapons to regain initiative in conventional conflicts with non-nuclear Asian nations. In addition to the island of Taiwan, these included conflicts in and with Vietnam, Korea, and China. Similarly, the employment of firebombing and nuclear weapons against a densely populated Japan was rationalized without significant opposition.
    
    This was not so in the European theater. The firebombings of Dresden, Hamburg and elsewhere were emotionally contested even at the time of their planning, although the fanaticism and atrocious behavior of Imperial Japan was on a par with that of Nazi Germany. In fact, Winston Churchill went so far as to write: the destruction of Dresden remains a serious query against the conduct of Allied bombing. Tokyo, Nagasaki and Hiroshima did not benefit from such a distinguished Western advocate, and evidently neither does China.
    
    Today hawkish members of Congress, most of whom have not served their country in uniform, casually resurrect such options as it pertains to supporting the island of Taiwan's split from China. It is easy for them to talk tough on the matter as most don't know the sacrifices of Service, and perhaps because of lacking ethnic identification with Chinese and other Asian races and cultures. This thoughtless devaluation of Asian casualties to mere nuclear attrition statistics results from the same sort of American othering seen in the 20th century.
    
    In a war, the small island of Taiwan would erupt into a battleground with an intensity unknown since the world wars. All parties have known that the island's citizenry would be devastated far beyond the value of attempting to secede from China. Since this is known by the US Congress in advance, it illuminates the reality that the Chinese aboard the island of Taiwan are expendable. The issue of the island province is not and never was about protecting its people. Instead, it is all about the US striving to maintain its hegemonic reach during a period of decline in global influence.
    
    This difference in the US perspectives on Asian and European lives is nothing new to any overseas or indigenous Asian citizen. To contort the present American devaluation and othering into a dubious justification for violating China's internal affairs and sovereignty is futile and transparent. It also portends that a fight over the island of Taiwan will rapidly devolve into a primitive, brutal, unrestricted war that has every appearance of, and is at its core an imperial US expedition.
    
    As an American, my priority is US national interest. Attempting to support the renegade island of Taiwan's secession is directly contrary to the US national interest as we know in advance we will lose. Even in defeat many politicians, conservative ideologues, financially incentivized journalists, and special interests such as the US defense industry would benefit, just as a similar cabal did after Vietnam. But Taiwan secession is a transparently shallow cause with no path to victory. In fact, historical precedent shows that the US will lose primarily because the American public will see through the fraudulent deadly farce, but only after the unspeakable tragedy unfolds.
    
    In the end, China' Province of Taiwan will always mean more to the physically proximate, ethnically identical, and nationalistically fueled China of over 1.4 billion, than it will to the distant, over-extended, and above all falsely incentivized US of 350 million. The heaviest burden of the tragedy of war will fall on the young, patriotic men and women who volunteered to serve in the US military in the faith that an assigned cause is legitimate and worthy of their sacrifice. Unfortunately, a war between the US and China over the island of Taiwan would be a complete betrayal of their good faith.

    The author is a retired Marine Corps infantry officer who now serves as a US civil servant in the Pentagon. Opinions are of the author and do not represent the US government obviously.

    So when a Pentagon insider is seeing things starting to turn in one direction and is willing to risk his life and his career over it, maybe we all should shit up and take notice.

    This all makes me hungry because it reminds me of Po-Boy sandwiches

    Well it does.

    You see, this near religious fervor towards war reminds me of the “Bible thumping” ministers of the deep, deep American South. Like Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. As much as I love Louisiana, and I do love it in so many, many ways, the “Bible Thumpers” are just plain obnoxious.

    They really are.

    Louisiana and Mississippi are just beautiful, and I consider my days in Hattiesburgh and Pervis to be very special ones.

    This picture reminds me of my home in Hattiesburgh Mississippi. This is sort of what the front yard looked like. I can tell you that my cats just loved the place. Behind my house was a wooded bog / swamp and they would spend all the time exploring it and doing cat things.

    Anyways…

    This reminds me of Louisiana because of the assholes pushing for war. They are of the same type; a belief that they have been issued by GOD to be the “cleansers of the world” to remove all impurities that does not embrace the righteous nature of “democracy’!

    Now getting to my point.

    They remind me of food.

    Why?

    I do not know.

    Girls remind me of food too. But I know why. I always picture myself eating with them and chatting with them, and telling stories, and drinking wine over delicious food. So it’s really understandable that I would associate women with food.

    But sicko egomaniacs?

    Let me continue….

    …and try to explain. First, let’s discuss what a “Po’boy” is…

    A Po-Boy is a traditional sandwich from Louisiana. It almost always consists of meat, which is usually roast beef or fried seafood, often shrimp, crawfish, fish, oysters or crab. The meat is served on New Orleans French bread, known for its crisp crust and fluffy center.

    Fried catfish po’boy sandwich.

    When I read about how America is going to “save the Taiwanese” for “democracy” and “freedom” I am reminded of the Southern Baptist minister in the deep South of Louisiana. The local folk were all pretty darn decent, and I served some time with them in prison, but the local government was so very corrupt, and the Baptist Ministers were the worst kind of “fire and brimstone” evangelicals.

    You know like Tom Cotton is. Yeah, I know he’s from Arkansas. But it’s not that far away from Louisiana. Maybe one or two inches.

    One inch.

    Tom Cotton.

    What a fella.

    He’s (you know) one of the jack-asses pushing for World War III.

    I associate him with his environment. As we should all associate people so that we can best understand them, their motivations, and why they do the crazy things that they do.

    So it makes me think of what it was like, and how can I omit the wonderful Po’boy sandwiches and fine Cajun Cooking?

    Cajun Cooking. Um um good em’ yah. You betya.

    Well…

    There are no easy answers.

    Corrupt people in America push to become leaders and live in the enclave of the psychopaths; Washington DC. And he is one of them.

    Personally, I cannot imagine him eating delicious food.

    Instead, I picture him (somehow) eating food like this…

    Not bad.

    Just saying.

    The USA will lose in a war concerning Taiwan

    Here’s a pretty decent article by another ex-military working inside the Pentagon who is, justifiably horrified at all the talk about war, war, war! He wrote this and subsequently had his secret clearances revoked. He was then fired.

    It would seem to some that a US war with China over the island of Taiwan appears imminent.
    
    Considering the congestion of hostile forces in, above, and below the Taiwan Straits and South China Sea, conflict could explode by accident or design. Once blood is drawn, the US will have few options. If the US elects to fight China over the island of Taiwan, then it will lose.
    
    Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) independence hubris is fueled by US cabinet-level China hawks and Congress' bipartisan, bicameral Taiwan Caucus. The DPP has rejected political reunification in one China and dismissed the "one country, two systems" model under which both Taiwan and Hong Kong have gotten rich. Encouraged by US trivialization of the three joint communiqués, the DPP parades a sense of entitlement, taking for granted an umbrella of protection with full knowledge of the dire consequences for the US
    
    The Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) may not have been intended to give birth to Taiwan's renegade secessionists, but it has done exactly that.
    
    The DPP's champions in the US Congress dismiss omens of fanatical China grit on the topic of Taiwan. China-bashing and Taiwan-coveting rhetoric forms an echo chamber reminiscent of the groupthink-led American Friends of Vietnam (AFV) lobby that pressured the US to commit to the Vietnam War killing 60,000 American patriots before the US disgracefully abandoned its ally.
    
    But the Chinese are different. 
    
    China's history of the whole-of-society commitment to core national security priorities is legendary. The rebellions and unrests in the 19th century cost millions of Chinese lives. Twentieth century Chinese civil war losses ranged between 5 and 8 million, and 360,000 Chinese died in Korea, while routing and humiliating US and UN forces. In each case, the dynasties emerged stronger.
    
    The US Congress' interests in Taiwan are deeply conflicted, better said corrupt. 
    
    The reciprocal relationship between defense lobbyists, industry contributions, and a Caucus Member's reelectability is well documented. The bipartisan support for increasing arms sales to Taiwan and even larger defense expenditures on the US Indo-Pacific Command are logical and transparent as all parties profit from the tension and war.
    
    Many Americans assume China's citizenry longs for a liberal democracy like that on the island of Taiwan, and that war will trigger popular revolt. 
    
    But the Taiwan question is not an ideological dispute. 
    
    Rather it is a raw and painful open wound in China's civilizational identity. Today, US othering of Chinese only fuels a fierce nationalism in its 1.4 billion citizens. China has a traditional self-narrative wherein the preservation of face and enforcement of sovereignty are inseparable.
    
    All the while the balance of power has shifted fundamentally. The US would be wise to regard China as a peer superpower, if only due to her casualty-tolerance - China's decisive advantage in any fight with the US. China also shares a binding mutual defense treaty with North Korea, and the depths of its friendship and security bonds with Russia should never be underestimated.
    
    The US can think whatever it wants about China's ideology, culture, Xinjiang and Hong Kong policies, and sovereign claims to Taiwan, Hong Kong, and surrounding seas. But, whether the US likes it or not, those are ultimately China's internal affairs.
    
    As for DPP claims of the Province of Taiwan's non-Chinese identity, they are historical fiction. 
    
    Fate made them Chinese just as fate made us Americans. We also know that the free will choice to carve out a territory and people from an existing nation incurs a steep price, one the Confederacy paid not long ago.
    
    The US has never paid an existential price for violating another nation's sovereignty, leading to our smug sense of military invincibility. 
    
    However, with Taiwan being a core Chinese priority, that would be a fatal miscalculation. 
    
    Still, the US counts on regional allies to share the pain. Yet some will have blood debts to pay if they engage in China's civil war. For example, India was bloodied badly in the 1960s for testing China's territorial resolve. Japan's humiliating 50-year occupation of Taiwan and the Rape of Nanjing also remain fresh, unforgettable wounds for China. The US allies will definitely think twice before militarily intervening in China's unresolved civil war and internal affairs.
    
    The US could advise Taiwan's secessionists to peaceably accept "one country, two systems" and cease its "independence" ambitions. If they don't stop their rhetoric, the US president could rescind the TRA, as baiting China to force reunification is of the DPP's own choosing. If Congress obstructs TRA recension, the US president could order all national security agencies to stand down in cross-Straits conflicts, keeping our powder dry for actual existential threats in the future.
    
    In the end, the prosperous Taiwan people will make every effort to wag the American dog. But Taiwan's fate poses no existential threat to the US, and the US should not fall into the trap of paying for their hubris with American blood. However, in view of the violent political polarization of the US at home, an ill-advised foreign war with no path to victory would only serve to accelerate America's decline.

    But he’s right. Don’t you know.

    But the United States is absolutely out-of-control right now and no one wants to hear that “the emperor isn’t wearing any clothes”.

    About as important as any band playing Jazz Fest is a bowl of Crawfish Monica, best enjoyed while festin’. Creamy, rich pasta (usually corkscrew rotini) is blended with lump crawfish meat and plenty of butter, heavy cream and spices. It’s kind of like mac and cheese took a wrong turn and ended up in Cajun country. The creators of Crawfish Monica, the folks at Kajun Kettle Foods, have crazy lines each year at Jazz Fest, and unfortunately they aren’t restaurateurs, so they don’t have a location you can visit. Could there be a better excuse to book your Jazz Fest tickets today?

    The story “the emperor isn’t wearing any clothes”

    Is everyone, or anyone, aware of this children’s story written by Hans Christian Anderson. You know the one. It was first published in April of 1873?

    Well, then, here is a short summary.

    The story is about a vain emperor whose favorite thing was buying and wearing the latest style of clothes. The story points out how the emperor cared nothing about reviewing his troops, going to the theater or going for carriage rides (Unless the rides were to show off his newest clothes). “He had a different coat for every hour of the day,” the story continues. When the emperor was late for a meeting or other event the excuse was usually, “The emperor is in his dressing room.”

    The kingdom is described as a festive place with many visitors.

    The story continues that on one day two “swindlers” came to the emperor’s town. The swindlers claimed to be weavers and bragged to anyone who would listen how they, “Could weave the most magnificent of clothes.” The swindler’s story continued that, “Not only were the colors uncommonly fine, but clothes made of this cloth had a wonderful way of becoming invisible to anyone who was unfit for his office, or who was unusually stupid.”

    Word of the “weavers” reached the emperor and he thought this was great, he felt it would be the ideal product for him so he could determine who was not worthy of their position!

    “He paid a large sum of money to the swindlers to start at once.” “They set up two looms and pretended to weave, though there was nothing on the looms. All the finest silk and purest old thread which they demanded went into their travel bags, while they worked the empty looms well into the night.”

    The emperor was anxious to check on the progress and, while he was a very confident person, he was concerned that he might not see the material and asked a trusted old minister to check on the progress.

    The swindlers, pretending to be weaving the material, greeted the minister when he arrived and said, “Don’t hesitate a moment to tell us what you think.” The minister was embarrassed and did not want anyone to suspect he was not worthy of his post, or stupid. “It’s beautiful.” was his reply.

    The swindlers thanked him and then recited a list of all the colors and explained the intricacies of the weave. The minister listened intently as he feared everyone else would see the clothes. The swindlers then asked the emperor for more money, silk and thread.

    The Emperor asked another trusted advisor to check on the progress. That advisor looked at the empty looms and said to himself, “Well I know that I am not stupid, so I must be unfit for my position. I can’t let anyone know.” He reported that the material was coming along splendidly.

    When the emperor then viewed his new clothes, with all of his noblemen present, the swindlers pretended to hold up the finished product. The emperor did not see anything, but pretended he did because all of the noblemen said they saw it, and he did not want them to think that he was not fit for his position. The noblemen suggested the emperor wear his new clothes to the procession later that day. All in attendance agreed, afraid to be the only one to admit they could not see the clothes.

    The swindlers then “dressed” the emperor in his new outfit and the entourage went off to the procession.

    At the procession the townspeople, all aware of the special quality of the material, pretended the emperor was dressed magnificently until a child said, “He has no clothes!” The crowd started to repeat what had been said and finally cried out as one, “He has no clothes on.”

    The story ends saying, “The emperor shivered, for he suspected they were right. But he thought, ‘This procession has to go on.’ So he walked more proudly than ever, as his noblemen held high the train that wasn’t there at all.”

    Another French word picked up by the Cajuns, étouffée means “smothered,” and it’s the smothering technique that gives this stewlike dish its thick, near-gravy texture. For locals, etouffee is one of those dishes where there’s no definitive recipe. Some folks make it with a dark roux, and others with a lighter roux; some use tomato, and others don’t. Sometimes crawfish is used, and sometimes shrimp is: It all depends on what’s in season. Bon Ton Cafe in New Orleans serves a solid plate of both crawfish and shrimp etouffee, to suit both tastes.

    That’s America today

    And isn’t it though?

    It’s pretty bat-shit crazy. Like the UK is.

    When I was growing up as a boy, we had this magazine called “MAD Magazine” that we all used to read. We would read it cover to cover. It was filled with just off-the-wall interpretations of life, and we all loved it.

    Today, it seems, America is just one big old MAD Magazine.

    I'm sure everyone remembers their first issue of Mad Magazine. It was odd, uproariously funny, and immature enough for everyone. My first issue was when I was about twelves, when my mom bought me an issue to read at the orthopedic surgeon's office (I had broken my arm about a week prior). However, I'm no kid anymore (or so the judge tells me). I'm a college student, looking to become a professional teacher, and I'm a respected reviewer for this website. How can I like something as immature as Mad?
    
    Simply put, Mad is the most dead-on entertainment magazine available. Through a combination of peurile humor, self-deprication, excellent art, and witty writing, Mad has seperated itself from the pack of low-end satire mags (like Cracked) and made itself a true piece of American culture. Stop groaning out there.
    
    First, Mad brings itself to attention primarily for its spoofs of popular movies and television shows. I think this results in the "Weird Al" syndrome - you pay more attention to the obvious mockeries than the subtle ones. As time has gone on, Mad's style has cleaned up considerably - which means that now, you can catch marginal jokes even better than before, and the magazine fits more in. While occasionally lewd, Mad also recognizes that sometimes, humor is best left suggested, and many jokes are subtle innuendos, much beyond what people would initially give the mag credit for.
    
    Mad's jokes work so well because they first did what Mystery Science Theater 3000 became famous for - finding what everyone makes fun of about in a given piece of entertainment and finding the perfect gag to make about it. For a classic example, in their parody of "Big Daddy," "Big Bladder," they have someone go up to the kid and complain about his wooden delivery. Who would be such an expert on bad childhood acting? The block of wood that played Anakin in "Phantom Menace." 
    
    I couldn't have come up with a better gag myself, and generally, Mad gives this kind of performance consistently. While it does occasionally foul up - I found some of their Pokemon parodies lacking the punch of other shots - Mad creates gags much better than, say, your average night of NBC's "Must See TV."
    
    However, Mad also has a rabid following because of their regular gags that appear often. Of course, despite the passing of its creator, "Spy vs. Spy" is going on as strong as ever, with a new airbrushed style that doesn't detract from "the famous duo of double-cross and deceit." Dave Berg still puts in regular duty with his clever "The Lighter Side Of..." which has modern lampoonings of everyday situations. Newer additions to this mix are sure to become classics - "Jenkins and Melvin," an answer to Highlight's "Goofus and Gallant," brings me to tears laughing every time. While Jenkins is even more of a proper gentleman than Gallant, Melvin is sure to provide a situation even more ridiculous than Goofus ever could. Almost frighteningly educational.
    
    However, nothing showcases Mad's continued tradition of excellence like one new feature and one classic. Al Jaffee is still around, and he still makes a new, highly entertaining "Mad Fold-In" for the back cover of every issue. There is sure to be an off-beat answer to the fold-in, and the art is rather cleverly done - I still wish I knew how Jaffee does it. On the opposite page from the fold-in is a new regular feature which has quickly become a favorite of mine - the Celebrity Odds of Death listing. When I first saw it, it listed the various odds of the Spice Girls dying in various ways - "Terminal Giggling" had a 1:1 chance, while "Choking on a chicken bone during a dinner celebrating their 5th year in the music business" had over a billion to one shot. I enjoy this feature so much, I start with it first whenever I pick up a new issue.
    
    One thing about Mad, though, is that the humor is aimed for all levels - I wonder if the writers had a steady diet of "Rocky and Bullwinkle" when they were younger. 
    
    While there are plenty of obvious jokes for all ages, there is plenty of subtle humor, especially political humor, in each issue. Looking back on older issues I have, I'm surprised at how many jokes I didn't get because I didn't know much about politics then. If Mad felt like trying a bit harder, they could probably make a sister magazine that concentrated on politics. Of course, that would just scare people afraid of the magazine multiplying.
    
    Mad isn't totally perfect. There are still occasional rough spots in the art, and sometimes, a whole section will just lack laughs, such as the first parody of Pokemon that Mad put together. Also, a new feature, "Monroe," usually lacks the punch and humor of the other segments - you can generally skip it. Also, Mad sometimes skimps over parts you wish were mocked, due to the limited amount of space the magazine has. I sometimes wish the magazine would expand and maybe carry a few ads (from Archie McPhee and other such companies) to pack in more sufficiently wickedly barbed jokes.
    
    But in all honesty, this doesn't detract from the magazine as a whole. It consistently gives you more laughs than anything since Monty Python. Moreover, unlike most topical humor, it ages like wine, getting better with the passing years. And with the new humorous monthly features, the magazine is insuring that it will have a healthy continued existence. From 61 Man Squamish to Superduperman, from Spy vs. Spy to the Fold-In, Mad has helped define itself as a prominent piece of our culture. Find out why - while America may be going somewhere in a handbasket, Mad is here to save our sanity.
    
    -MAGSConnect

    I like that. “…while America may be going somewhere in a handbasket, Mad is here to save our sanity.”

    But is America really going bat-shit crazy? Does it really resemble the movie “Idiocracity”?

    “Idiocracy” Was a Film — Now it’s 2021 America

    A well-informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny,” noted Thomas Jefferson. It follows from this that if you want to visit tyranny upon a people, you can start by dumbing them down.
    
    Ergo, 21st-century America.
    
    So laments commentator Andrea Widburg. Writing Monday in a piece titled “There is no bottom to the ignorance of supposedly educated Americans,” she reminds us that the American system, “going all the way back to the Founding Fathers,” was predicated on having an educated population. “People weren’t expected to be scholars,” she pointed out, but the Founders did emphasize that their government couldn’t work without “a literate and moral population.”
    
    “And that is what they got: most Americans were literate before public schooling,” Widburg continued. “Colonial Americans could also read at a very sophisticated level. The colonists would not have known what to make of the abysmally educated people this scary, funny video shows.”
    
    They wouldn’t have known what to make of much that’s going on today. But the video in question, posted Sunday on YouTube, and showing supposedly average Americans trying to answer simple questions, and failing, is striking.
    
    The question: “Who was the first person to land on the sun?” was taken seriously by the interviewees shown. Another highlight (lowlight) was when the questioner asked, “What country is Venice, Italy, located in?” The young woman queried responded, “Gosh, I’m gonna’ be a teacher, so I should know this.”
    
    You can just see what is going on in the USA by the opinions of Americans on the outside looking in. Here's an article written by a Washington DC insider back on 2019 right before Coronavirus hit, and Donald Trump was getting ready for reelection...
    
    One commenter under the video remarked “This can’t be legit” or “we are doomed.” But not only does it seem authentic, it simply reflects a multitude of “man on the street” interviews conducted over the years by comedian Jay Leno, shock jock Howard Stern, and others.
    
    Knowing this, it’s not surprising to me that the referenced young woman would be a prospective teacher. It’s not just that studies have shown how little many educators know; it’s also that the people educating the educators — the pseudo-elites — are in their own way no better.
    
    Shocked by her experiences at “prestigious” Columbia University, North Korean defector Yeonmi Park recently remarked about the state of America that even “North Korea is not this nuts.” Park was referring to the anti-Western sentiment and intense political correctness prevalent today, and she wasn’t joking.
    
    Yet while our “wokeness” is called many things, nuts and dangerous among them, it’s also something else: profoundly stupid.
    
    It can be said without exaggeration that America has become “Idiocracy.” This term is the title of a 2006 film portraying a dystopian, future United States in which IQs have dropped precipitously. People are obsessed with sex (sound familiar?), the president is a former professional wrestler and porn star who still dresses as befitting his former vocation (the one requiring clothes), vulgarity is everywhere, and entertainment has become über-simplistic and crude.
    
    Of course, IQs are still high enough in the United States today, though some studies do show that they’ve been dropping for decades now. But the real issue is a moral corruption which infects everything else.
    
    While real threats (e.g., China, the aforementioned moral crisis) are largely ignored, our pseudo-elites concern themselves with stupid things. Wholly contrary to science/evidence, they claim a boy can be a girl by willing it, we should be concerned about new “pronouns,” “diversity” is a strength, children should be vaccinated against a disease that doesn’t imperil them, a nation that has allowed 85 to 90 percent of its post-1967 immigrants to be from the Third World is “white supremacist,” and more.
    
    It’s no wonder, either, that pseudo-elites want to “cancel” people who dispute the above. Their assertions are literally too stupid to be debated successfully; all they can do is make sure the debates never happen.
    
    Then consider whom we now elevate to prominence. Curricula nationwide have been influenced by the 1619 Project, a deceit-filled, propagandistic portrayal of American history created by one Nikole Hannah-Jones. With red-dyed hair, Jones wouldn’t be out of place in Idiocracy, and she’s not out of place in ours: She was given a professorship by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
    
    Also fitting in is New York City-based psychoanalyst Dr. Donald Moss, who penned a recent paper in which he called “whiteness” a “malignant, parasitic like condition” that lacks a “permanent cure.”
    
    His work was published in a medical journal.
    
    And Jones and Moss are just two of a multitude of idiocrats.
    
    The skids for their nonsensical thinking have long been well greased with philoso-babble. Years ago, the idiocrats labeled logic “white, male, and linear,” as if it’s a cultural oddity. Then there’s Critical Race Theory, whose proponents have claimed that “rugged individualism,” “a can-do attitude,” “hard work,” and “striving towards success” reflect “white male culture” and that planning for the future and punctuality are “white norms.” 
    
    The idiocrats have also bemoaned the teaching of “facts” — even though facts, as little snippets of Truth, are how we piece together life’s jigsaw puzzle. But it’s no surprise pseudo-elites deemphasize facts: They want to replace them with fiction.
    
    They’ve succeeded, too, which is why “the most recent generations of school graduates will bore you to tears talking about gender, racism, class victimization, America’s wrongdoing over the centuries, etc.,” writes Widburg. As Ronald Reagan put it, they “know so much that isn’t so.”
    
    The solution to this, of course and as I’m wont to emphasize, is a return to virtue (objectively good moral habits). Virtue neutralizes moral corruption. In this regard, one entity doing good work, and helping to mold children’s minds properly, is the Freedom Project Academy, a fully accredited, online school offering classical education to students in kindergarten through high school.
    
    But lacking this, it’s unsurprising that a senile man was elevated to the presidency. Joe Biden is the perfect leader and metaphor for a nation that’s forgotten its history, its virtue, its faith, and its reason for being.

    OK. So America is senile.

    But when did this all happen? Last year? What was going on and what turned America to the shit-storm that it is today?

    Just When Did America Go Nuts?

    “At first we thought they were just another snake cult, but now their towers are everywhere.” —Conan the Barbarian 1982

    At the dawn of my congressional career, after some of us staffers endured a particularly egregious dose of idiocy, one of my colleagues was moved to compare our office to Saint Elizabeth’s, then still functioning as a mental hospital in DC (and now, fittingly, as headquarters of the Department of Homeland Security). “Not quite,” I responded. “Here the lunatics are in charge.”
    
    That exchange, alas, has become a prophecy for the nation at large. It begins, as we are made aware by each daily tweet-storm, at the very top, but this insanity could not persist without broad and intense public support. It has become commonplace to characterize such supporters as haters, but while it would be dangerous to underestimate the role of sheer malice, Trumpism could only sustain itself with tens of millions of people who might not fit the profile of a hater, but are assuredly either borderline imbeciles or not-quite-certifiably insane. Examples there are in profusion; but rather than ringing the changes on every single winner of the Darwin Awards, let us examine three cases that have wider policy implications.
    
    Item. Measles, an infectious disease that each year once killed several hundred people and caused about a thousand cases of encephalitis in America, was declared eradicated in the United States in 2000. But thanks to a kind of misbegotten Hitler-Stalin alliance between right-wing religious nuts and New Age-Hollywood Hills types, the disease has come roaring back.
    
    What other topic could unite such a disparate gaggle of characters as Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., trading on his father’s martyr credibility to whisk us back to pre-Enlightenment times, and Texas Republican State Rep. Jonathan Stickland, (apparently such an extreme Neanderthal that even Texas’ own hardline Freedom Caucus was too liberal for him) who has called vaccinations “sorcery?”
    
    Mimicking the measles that their evangelism spreads, American anti-vaxxers are also some of the most industrious Internet pests known to science, even if their trolling is supplemented by bots from a certain foreign country.
    
    Item. One of the “noble lies” undergirding modern society is the myth of the rational actor. So-called enlightened self-interest suffuses economics (although corporations know better, which explains their lavish expenditures on advertising); as well as game theory, which supposedly prevents nuclear war from breaking out; and politics.
    
    Political scientists (and some psychologists) are fond of proving that people “vote their interests” by the simple, circular expedient of defining a subject’s true interests as whatever they opt for. It is time for a sweeping reevaluation of this canard.
    
    In 2016, American farmers voted by a margin of between 3 and 4 to 1 in favor of Donald Trump over the Democrat. This happened in spite of the fact that he told them in clear and unmistakable terms that he would, if elected, ignite a trade war with their most lucrative export market. Further, he would cut off their supply of the low cost, often undocumented labor needed for fruit and vegetable picking as well as beef, pork, and poultry processing.
    
    As a result, farm income is down, even though the income calculation includes the Market Facilitation Program, money extorted from the rest of us to reward Trump’s political base. Farm bankruptcies have soared. There is alleged evidence (not quantified by polling) that “farmers are losing their patience” amid mealy-mouthed equivocating from farm belt, GOP-elected officials over Trump’s latest tariff threats.
    
    For now, though, it appears that farmers are sticking with Trump. If his electoral margin among them should even fall to 2½ to 1 in 2020, Democrats will think of it as a miraculous breakthrough. The bulk of farmers would likely prefer to go down in whatever fate decides will be America’s functional equivalent of the rubble of Berlin.
    
    Item. For decades, American religious fundamentalists have ceaselessly worked to poison whole departments of knowledge – from geology to history to herpetology – with ignorance and disinformation. All of this in the service of a project to turn the country into a living tableau of The Handmaid’s Tale.
    
    But a funny thing happened on the way to the Apocalypse. They seem to have dropped Jesus altogether as the ostensible object of their adoration and instead became a cult of the Antichrist. Every single sin they claimed to revile—adultery, fornication, false witness, the Mephistophelean sin of overweening pride—is now embodied in their new god incarnate, Donald Trump.
    
    Like Lucifer, he led them to the mountaintop and offered them the world if they would but bow down to him. And they obediently dropped like ninepins.
    
    Ecclesiastical dervishes like Jerry Falwell, Jr., Franklin Graham, and Robert Jeffress seem to be working out the theology to replace Jesus in the holy trinity with Donald Trump. And the faithful lap it all up like bulimics at an all-you-can-eat buffet.
    
    *   *   *
    
    How in the world did we get here? Journalist Kurt Andersen, writing in his abundantly detailed Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire, believes craziness was baked into the American cake from the moment the Mayflower hove to at Plymouth Rock. Whether the holy man was Cotton Mather, P.T. Barnum, or Deepak Chopra, Americans have been primed to believe with the faith of a five-year-old in Santa Claus. That said, he posits that there were cycles of remission, when rationality was apparently on top, and then outbreaks of fever, when the passion burned with naked flame. The latter applies to an age like this.
    
    My own pet theory is that American craziness, while always abundant, was relatively contained until 9/11, which opened a Pandora’s Box of hysterical fear, one of the basic ingredients of irrationality. It was quickly followed by the invasion of Iraq, which unloosed an avalanche of vaunting that we were endowed with special powers to remake the world. Note an essential component of stupidity: we retaliated for 9/11 by invading a country which had nothing to do with it.
    
    On the heels of the mournful realization that remaking the Middle East wasn’t all it was cracked up to be came the financial crash of 2008, a folly of such greed and wishful thinking that it pushed a sizable portion of the public, already emotionally labile from the previous two shocks, right over the edge. Everything that followed, like the birther mania, was a signal flare that the Republican Party and its assorted hangers-on had devolved from merely being a pack of cynical crooks to full-dress nihilistic cultists.
    
    All of this was supercharged by the Internet, right-wing talk radio, and Fox News – media nonexistent during previous bouts of mania. They acted as an electronic petri dish to purify and amplify the craziness.
    
    We are now seeing the infection of lunacy on full display, like the alien monster in John Carpenter’s The Thing bursting out of its human hosts. Where exactly it will all end is anyone’s guess, but the odds are not good that it will end well.

    Geopolitics

    America is not a lone region full of “special” people like the American Nationalists want to believe. It is part of the mechanism that is humanity. And when the cog in the machine breaks, the machine stops working.

    Geopolitics revolves around national economic might and during the historical era of Modernity economic might was always procured by capital and the products and services that it offers. These products and services generate the national income which allow a nation to spend on bettering its peoples’ lives and/or on military means to submit other nations or to defend from such submission.

    One thing is clear. The West, over the last 200 years, has been selling the most advanced products and this gained it the largest national incomes.

    But, you do know, that the West decided not to share the wealth with its citizens.

    Instead, it decided to invest in military means to submit other nations.

    Yah. And it worked.

    The West was hegemonic for all this time.

    America was the leader and the rest of the world bowed on bended knee to America. Most did not like it. Most did not care for it. Most actually despised it. But they were powerless to do anything about it.

    But things have suddenly turned lately.

    China is now at the core of the factory of the world. It is at the core of the East-Asian supply-chain. And no East-Asian country would dare detach itself from this chain because its national economy would immediately collapse.

    I mean, at the exception of ideological bull-dogs like Australia’s Morrison, everyone recognizes the hard reality that dominates the Geopolitical scene of this 1st half of the 21th century.

    Morrison and Trump; ideological brothers.

    After it had lost the Yeltsin opportunity…

    …of a near infinite supply of energy and resources…

    …the West abruptly awoke to the shift of the center of gravity of the economy-world from its shores to East-Asia.

    The Geo-Political world got enraged as Trump so well demonstrated for the whole world to see.

    But the fact is that the American empire has lost its clothes :

    American GDP
    By all accounts America's GDP is largely inflated and the reality is that it could easily be half the size of what is announced officially (see hedonic adjustments)
    
    Finance vs. Manufacturing
    American production is no longer its core activity. Financial shenanigans are now what accounts for the bulk of its GDP.
    
    Technology 
    Technologically the US has fallen from its pedestal and has now to reckon with the emergence of China as a technological leader. This explains why the US is now panicking and literally copying Chinese political economics while drafting new legislation ordering the state to invest 150 billion in the technological development of its national champions…
    
    GDP Growth is an illusion
    American GDP growth over the last 40 years was generated exclusively by the injection of new money in the form of new debts. During the last year US total debt increased by one third the size of GDP ! . This is not just unsustainable it is pushing the can down the road until a reckoning is imposed by the facts…
    
    Destruction of the American workforce
    The incomes of the 99% have been stagnating and even sinking for at least 50% of them and this explains the sheer social misery that litters the land of the free.
    
    Balkanization 
    In the meantime the cohesion of the USA has been tanking and today US society is completely atomized as was so well demonstrated during its handling of Covid-19. Societal atomization means that the country is now unable to act as one unity. Each time it wants to undertake something the country shreds itself into multiple pieces going their own directions all at once. This is the best recipe to lose a war… the military knows that darn well and it wants to avoid that price !

    So what we observe today is much noise and theater but very little really consequent actions.

    But observers of the Geopolitical scene make a whole lot of this theater…

    The fact is that the US military is not inclined to commit suicide. And so we discover that through various concomitant statements the US lately announced it is abandoning any possibility of direct defense of Taiwan.

    The article is unfortunately in French.

    We are entering in the early stages of the Western recognition of the new realities on the ground.

    It will, without any doubt, take some time for the dust to settle but the outcome is now unavoidable for the following reasons :

    1. Economic Shifts are in process. They cannot be stopped. By all accounts the shift of the economy world is irreversible and will further amplify going forward

    2. The current global supply chain is fixed. The West does no longer have what it takes financially, nor societally, to set up an independent supply-chain. In other words it is forced to compose with East-Asia and more particularly with China.

    3. China is gargantuan. By all accounts China’s economy is soon going to pass the size of the US economy in dollar terms and it will pass the combined West soon thereafter.

    4. The world will continue without America. The internationalist wing, among Western big capital holders, wants to share in the profits generated by the Juggernaut China and by East-Asia. It is thus no longer going to sit passively when a Western political servant has a mental breakdown. Diplomacy will thus be forced to make a come-back soon.

    In the meantime a last ditch propaganda effort is being made by the nationalist wing among big capital holders to try to cover China under a thick layer of dirt. But facts are necessarily going to emerge that will soon turn the tables on them.

    5. China will grow to megalithic size and power. If it were not for “the Great Convergence of Late-Modernity” in the near future China’s economy should reach multiple times the size of the combined Western economies.

    6. Convergences. The Great Convergence of Late-Modernity is the convergence of the following series of complex factors :

    The multiple side-effects of Modernity are converging toward each other and starting to unleash all kinds of feed-back loops that are accelerating the die-off of life on earth. Many biologists, and complex-systems analysts, are warning that humanity’s activities are approaching a threshold after which the world natural systems will shift one after another outside of the bandwidth of life. Climate change is but one among this multitude of side-effects…
    
    The present shift of the economy-world outside, of the realm of the Western civilization, is unleashing a mental breakdown on the West. And it will be extremely difficult for it to regain its composure and face the facts that are responsible for what is transforming into a real predicament for humanity.
    
    The predicament of humanity is that to survive it has to abandon its present societal paradigm (the reason that is at work within capital) and adopt a new one (the reason that is at work within life).

    . Grillades, pronounced “gree-ahds,” are little medallions of pounded-thin steak smothered in a tomato gravy. Typically served over a bed of grits, grillades are a popular brunch dish, but there are no rules saying you can’t eat them for dinner, too. Though Louisiana natives tend to make them at home, there’s a great version on the brunch menu at Café Adelaide in New Orleans.

    Selections from Godfree Roberts’ extensive weekly newsletter: Here Comes China.

    The expectation expressed by Russia and China is…

    …that the US is no longer stable…

    …and is becoming dysfunctional…

    …and a bigger problem than what is worth to prop up.

    A retreat, a crash, or a type of retrenchment from the world is imminent.

    Russia and China. Top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi and Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev co-chaired the 16th round of strategic security consultations. This is a high-level meeting focusing on strategic cooperation in confronting both regional and global security and geopolitical threats. Or, in other words, “what to do about America and it’s war-loving-neocons”.

    Quote:

    China and Russia held a new round of strategic security consultations on Tuesday in Moscow, and during the frequent interactions between the two major powers in recent months.
    
    The world has showed a dangerous trend of disorder or tensions in some regions, including the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Western Pacific.
    
    All, and everyone, due to global strategic shifts made by the US,

    Quote:

    So Beijing and Moscow must keep close coordination to handle the upcoming situation.
    
    Including how to establish a new order.
    
    This new order will replace the US-dominated one.
    
    This will occur once the latter gets totally dysfunctional.

    Quote:

    Chinese analysts said that the recent change has been generally caused by the decline of US hegemony.
    
    Not only will the US pressure and hostility push China and Russia to stand closer...
    
    ... but the decline in Washington’s strength and influence (in some regions)...
    
    ... will also make Beijing and Moscow consider how (to figure out new regional order) to stabilize the situation and protect their interests after the US pullout.

    The similar remarks made by China and Russia toward the US is a clear signal to the world that the US hegemony will no longer be tolerated.

    The world order dominated by the US and its allies is unable to keep stability in many regions.

    This failure of American order is causing more tensions and conflicts.

    Weapons and nukes

    We understand at the Saker Blog, that Russia has the weapons complexes and the ability to defend itself even in this climate of withdrawal from the many weapons treaties.

    We also know that the US tried to force China to attend Nuclear Proliferation or Reduction talks with the US, up to the point of staging a meeting to pretend that China did not turn up.

    China of course had actually declined the invitation, but reading the western media you will not know this. https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/china-rejects-new-us-invite-to-join-nuclear-talks

    The world has accepted that China had not done a major weapons build-out up to now, and if they did, it was muted. For decades, China only maintained the smallest nuclear weapons array.

    This may be changing in front of our eyes.

    After both Trump and Biden running all sorts of openly hostile efforts full-spectrum against China, a wise China, would ramp up production of MAD (Mutually Assured destruction) armories to counter any American aggressive action.

    China urged the increase of sea-based nuclear deterrents amid US intensified strategic threat – https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202105/1224773.shtml

    Those that follow China and its news closely understand that if Hu Xijin says something like this, or writes a column such as this, the build-out of a Chinese nuclear deterrence is in full swing.

    In the midst of these happenings, Daniel Ellsberg, the leaker of the Pentagon papers leaked another top secret document. One that he had worked on, and kept secret for 50 years. Parts of it were obtainable but not the full document.

    He drops a powerful warning of the present threat of nuclear war with Russia and China.

    Here’s his thoughts…

    Daniel Ellsberg: This Month We Must Discuss If We Should Go to Nuclear War Over Taiwan, Ukraine or Syria

    The 1958 nuke China over Taiwan project was really quite amazing. The Pentagon wasn’t even ‘defending’ Taiwan, they wanted to do it over small islands held by the Chiang Kai-shek regime just 5 miles from mainland China. A classic bully move, ‘I have the right to punch you because you let your shadow touch me!’

    ——————————————————————————————————————

    “Celebrated whistle-blower Daniel Ellsberg, … now age 90…

    … used the occasion of the April 30-May 1 commemoration of the 50th anniversary of his release of the Pentagon Papers

    …in an event organized by the University of Massachusetts-Amherst…

    … to reveal that John Foster Dulles had proposed in 1958 that the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff recommend to the President of the USA…

    …that a nuclear exchange with China be launched in the Taiwan Straits.

    Even though that would mean that Taiwan and its people would be wiped out completely.

    The reason being for the sole geopolitical purpose of maintaining the United States “position” in the world.

    I’m getting hungry

    Right now I am drinking my favorite Shiraz wine from Australia and eating nuts, but still my stomach is a grumbling. I know that I can get some noodles, some rice, some dumplings, but really I am “hankering” (desiring) some delicious chicken. Whether it is BBQ or fully cooked.

    You know, people in different areas cook chicken differently.

    I grew up on Polish Hill in Pittsburgh that cooked the chicken in the oven with bacon on the top until the chicken was well done. A comparative cooking method in China is to cook it in mud, and the the chicken some out all moist and tender but well cooked. But here in the Southern section of China in the Guangzhou corridor, they like he chicken nearly raw with lots of exposed fat and grizzle. Not really to my liking.

    I once had a Polish engineer visiting one of my factories and once he tasted the mud baked chicken, he devoured the entire bird. He sore that it reminded him of how his grandmother cooked chicken.

    BBQ chicken.

    Why have another world war?

    “The 1958 Taiwan Straits Crisis, A Documented History,” Ellsberg quoted Dulles’s message to the meeting:

    “Nothing seems worth a world war … until you looked at the effect of not standing up to its challenge.”

    The RAND study explained that

    “the issue then was, would we, as the joint chiefs, recommend the use of nuclear weapons to defend Quemoy, and Matsu, and Taiwan.
    
    And possibly use seven- to ten-kiloton weapons with the expectation that … the Soviets would respond and would hit Taiwan.”

    Why have a war?

    Finally:

    “Let them try to jail me for disclosing this still-top secret fact today,” 
    
    Ellsberg declared, adding that he was revealing the secret because, 
    
    “I have no doubt whatever, that that discussion is going on in the Pentagon right now…. This is the month we have to be discussing the issue, in public, of whether we should go to nuclear war over Taiwan, or Ukraine, or Syria.”

    The Grayzone published a summary: https://thegrayzone.com/2021/05/27/eisenhower-military-chiefs-nuclear-war-china-classified-taiwan-strait/

    “Although the circumstances surrounding the U.S.-China conflict over Taiwan have changed dramatically since that stage of the Cold War, the 1958 Taiwan crisis provides a sobering lesson as the US military gears up for a new military confrontation with China.”

    Of course the western and specifically the US provocative and unintelligent statements via their media containment complex continue. It is what Andrei Martyanov calls “a very acute case of a bipolar disorder .

    When driving through Acadiana (aka Cajun country), you likely won’t be able to miss highway billboards advertising boudin at the next butcher shop or gas station — and you’d be foolish not to pull over. Handed to you still steamy, boudin is made from all those good, unctuous spare pork parts, which get mixed with rice and spices and stuffed into a casing. A local obsession, it’s best tried at Best Stop market in Scott, La. The casing can be thick and chewy, so you’re better off squeezing out the filling. While you’re at Best Stop, be sure to order a boudin ball — its fried-orb cousin — too.

    Pentagon Special Forces nominee says US should ‘strongly consider’ training Taiwanese guerillas against ‘Chinese invasion’

    Whether it is Taiwan, or Xinjiang or Hong Kong or any other area where propaganda can be manufactured, the US mighty Wurlitzer continues.

    This is then the summary of the situation today:

    • Ellsberg warns that the same talks that happened 50 years ago to possibly strike China with nuclear weapons is no doubt happening in the Pentagon today.
    • Yang Jiechi and Nikolai Patrushev states that Russia and China must coordinate in order to establish a new order to replace the US-domination, once the latter gets totally dysfunctional.
    • China is mass producing hyper-velocity MIRV ICBM’s armed with massive warheads in a frantic pace.
    • Pentagon Insiders are horrified by the discussions and all warn that not only would America lose a war, but that could be destroyed and subjugated to an unfathomable degree.

    Given the stature of Yang Jiechi and Nikolai Patrushev, I would consider the above some of the most significant moves in the world today. There are those who reason that as the US-dominated world order gets more dysfunctional, the urge for them to use nuclear weapons will become stronger. I will leave this here for you to make up your own mind and comment on what you see.

    Moves around SARSCoV-2 and its progeny Covid-19 and more leaks

    There is also the major US accusation that Covid-19 was a lab leak and China is responsible. Yet China has no history of creating these kinds of bioweapons (if indeed it was created as such) but the US has a rich history of creating and using such weapons.

    So why do we always say that Americans are effectively the most brainwashed people in the world?

    Take a look at what happened to information similar to the Daniel Elsberg Pentagon Papers Leak…

    …and his current leak of nuclear planning against China even to the point of demolishing and sacrificing Taiwan.

    Godfree Roberts took a specific document and updated and annotated it for clarity. This is called The ISC (Needham) Report.

    Published at the height of the Korean War, it validated claims by North Korea and China that the US had launched bacteriological warfare (biological warfare, BW) attacks against both troops and civilian targets in those two countries over a period of several months in 1952.

    The Report of the International Scientific Commission for the Investigation of Facts Concerning Bacteriological Warfare in Korea and China (the ISC report)

    The cleaned up, updated and annotated version is available for Kindle on Amazon for a small amount here. , And a free copy (not very readable) is available here

    If you wonder why the Americans have not seen this, or have not known about it, this will give you all the information…

    https://jeff-kaye.medium.com/censored-north-korea-accused-u-s-of-working-with-unit-731-war-criminals-on-bw-attacks-d7fd819ed8b7

    The traditional Monday night meal of red (kidney) beans dates back to the 19th century, when the ladies of the house did laundry every Monday while the beans slow-cooked in a pot all day. It’s still a popular Monday night tradition, even if we stopped doing our laundry quite so regularly. The beans are served on a bed of rice and with the almost mandatory bottle of hot sauce. The best place to eat some is right at home, but the Creole Lunch House in Lafayette — open only for lunch — is also worth the trip.

    Jeffrey Kaye says:

    If you ask anyone in Cajun country, cochon de lait is French for “a pig still sucking on his mama.” (Outsiders know this creature as a suckling pig.) When cooked over a raging wood-fueled fire for hours, this pig becomes juicy, tender pulled pork. Many people have their first cochon de lait experience at Jazz Fest from Walker’s Southern Style BBQ, where the lines never die down. Thankfully, you can go to their smokehouse at any time of year for their Cochon de Lait Po’ Boy (and you should).

    Secular vs. Traditional Values

    An more than interesting visual for thoughts and reflection : the 2020 Inglehart–Welzel cultural map of the world by political scientists Ronald Inglehart (April, 2021) and Christian Welzel.

    Some current geopolitical tensions can be seen through the distances on this map. One can imagine that this survey visual is significantly subject to change these days, through among others economic developments, political and media-psychological movements. Some triggered to find more distance towards corners while others moving towards centers and clusters.

    My thought would be a map how much do different countries learn from each other in terms of values, followed by communication, society and governance. Might it not be that self-expression, traditional values have a harder time accepting other ways, even if it would be to the advantage of the actual practice and policy ??

    It is noteworthy that today’s tensions are caused by differences in values, not by models such as capitalism or communism, not by economies.

    Cross cultural awareness and mutual learnings with psycho-political projections/reflections is what counts for 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘 towards a better and fairer future.

    Everything is going crazy in America today

    Consider the collapse of the remaining American companies. A this article clearly demonstrates.

    The world is in flux. If that sounds like another virus, it certainly feels like it on some days.  Most of us have been pivoting so fast to adjust we are simply falling over from dizziness.  Are we still resilient if we refuse to get back on a twirling carousel? Sometimes it feels like we are moving too fast to even see the brass ring, let alone grab it. Rubbing a Buddha belly is a calmer alternative. No pivoting needed. A friendly little rub, smile and breathe…
    
    Peace is not a commodity for politicians.  Despite past and current events, it’s not an item up for sale. Media rushes us from one regurgitated opinion to the next, parading it as news.  Things to “like” or “follow” directed by Google algorithms and data mining. Our worlds narrowed through complex AI that doesn’t yet understand the randomness of human thought. The internet that previously opened the world, has become a political and marketing tool making our personal worlds smaller and smaller. The informational windows to other worlds, ideas, and ways of living get lost in advert hit scores.
    
    Believing “our” world is the whole world is a slippery slide into the mud of bigotry and intolerance. And, rudeness! I for one, am missing Miss Manners.  Poor thing crashed off stage faster than she could run out with her walker.  Slander and Libel grabbed their wigs running for the exit without waiting for Justice to keep up. Nobody was holding the door open for anyone.
    
    Maybe being our “true and transparent” selves needs a few hard check stops. A different kind of “wokeness” that embraces the idea of getting along for the benefit of everyone in society. Why do manners matter in our changing world?  Nobody cares if the fork is different for salad or meat, when you’re hungry, it’s just a damn fork getting food in your mouth.
    
    Manners and civility need a comeback. For all our sakes. If someone holds the door open, it doesn’t matter whether the door-holder is a man or, woman. I don’t feel my ability to open a door is in question. It’s just a nice gesture. Manners are a code of actions for consideration, respect and, grace. An acknowledgment of another, human. It is the foundation for a functioning society, of being -humane.
    
    

    Why is the American leadership so against people living their lives and being happy ? It seems like they have a mental disorder and re surrounded by sycophants who also share the same disorder.

    No need to spout false positive “thank-you’s” or to pretend you like something you don’t. We can still be transparent and true to ourselves while respecting the space and ideas of others.

    Corporate America, is having a hard time in the pandemic as workers are quitting their jobs in droves. Walking resolutely away from environments that are now recognized as “toxic”.  Previously “normal” work environments that lacked basic respect for employees.  This attitude caused historical business losses of over $250 billion dollars per year.  Which begs the question, how much can companies afford to lose, before it hurts enough to change? Giants like Amazon and TJX have been churning people for years without regard for basic human dignity or, respect.  Dudes have no manners.
    
    25 states have officially cut the extra $300 of Federal unemployment aid. In a sad display of very bad manners and name-calling, they claim a mere $300 is stopping people from working.  With a Federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, people can’t afford to work. Not only is this 100% below what is needed today for a living wage, but in addition, employees are treated like disposable trash as companies rake in billions of dollars in clear profit.
    
    Yes, corporate America, backed by an embedded political system, is screaming. They are furious that the pandemic has shown them with their pants down.  The “you can’t live without us” myth has been broken.  The truth is, corporate America can’t work without employees.  And, workers are now “woke” and demanding what they deserve.  Respect, a living wage, and more importantly, as 3 in 5 refuse to return to the “office”, an environment that is not toxic.  Where humanity is not just displayed as a pretty mission statement but transparently practiced with good manners.
    
    My Mexican mocha coffee at Kaflex Roasters came with heart layered in. This small business survived the 2020 pandemic devastation. Why? Customers and employees agreed; it’s a pleasure to be here. It feels “real”.  Kindness and respect mix with the smell of ground coffee beans, people smile at each other.  “Good morning” and “thank-you” are genuine, not HR-directed practices. Good manners spread, a virus of consideration and kindness toward the stranger next to you in line. Everything seems to work better and the day is a little brighter.
    
    

    It’s time for corporate and political America to wake up and “smell the coffee”.  We, The People want a Better America.

    One based in good manners. Humane, inclusive and transparent practices for the good of everyone in our society.  We want a clear agenda of change that includes workers’ rights and protections.  A legal system that has equality and justice-directed enforcements. Affordable education. Respect.
    
    America is barely 246 years old. Our version of democracy is an evolving experiment. It’s time for the system to pivot again.  Time for both politicians and corporations to say “thank you” and hold the door open for their workers.  It’s time. Make America Better.

    But when and while the USA collapses, the rest of the world continues and are all ready to fill the vacuum that the USA leaves behind.

    PLA exercise could be a rehearsal of combat plan over the island: expert

    The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) conducted an exercise near the island of Taiwan on Monday with the largest number of warplanes ever recorded, which could be a rehearsal of a reunification-by-force operation, again sending a clear warning to Taiwan secessionists and the US that have been making provocative moves to escalate tensions in the region, Chinese mainland experts said on Tuesday.
    
    A US aircraft carrier exited the South China Sea via waters south of the island of Taiwan also on Monday, a region close to the PLA warplane exercise. And analysts said the PLA displayed the capability of driving away foreign forces interfering in the Taiwan question.
    
    Twenty-five PLA aircraft, namely two Y-8 anti-submarine warfare aircraft, one KJ-500 early warning aircraft, four J-10 and 14 J-16 fighter jets, and four H-6K bombers, entered Taiwan's self-proclaimed southwest air defense identification zone on Monday, the island's defense authorities said late that day.
    
    The number of PLA warplanes featured in the exercise was a record since Taiwan's defense authorities began to release information about PLA aircraft activities in the region on September 17, 2020, surpassing the previous record of 20 on March 26. The number of J-16s, a powerful fighter jet, was also the biggest of all exercises, media on the island said on Monday.
    
    The exercise conducted by the PLA served as a warning to Taiwan secessionists and the US after the two had made a series of provocative moves, mainland analysts said.
    
    On Saturday, the US Department of State announced new guidelines to encourage US government engagement with the island that reflects their "deepening unofficial relationship." Officials on the island recently also claimed that the island is drawing a line 30 nautical miles away from the island, attempting to deny PLA aircraft approaches.
    
    Monday's exercise was characterized by the large number of aircraft, and as the PLA deepens its regular, combat-scenario drills near the island of Taiwan, the scale could continue to expand in the future. As this is normal, related parties should get used to it if they insist on provoking, Fu Qianshao, a Chinese mainland military aviation expert, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
    
    Taiwan's secessionist forces and the US must stop making provocations unless they hope to see further escalations in the region, mainland experts warned, noting that the PLA is taking pragmatic steps to make sure it can effectively reunify the island of Taiwan if it comes to that.
    
    The exercise could be a rehearsal of its combat plan over the Taiwan island, and it could feature air superiority seizure, and attack on land and maritime targets, including warships of interfering foreign countries, Song Zhongping, a Chinese mainland military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
    
    PLA's Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft target foreign submarines, the KJ-500 commands the battlefield, the H-6Ks attack maritime and land targets, the J-10s seize air superiority, while the J-16s plays a multirole of both aerial combat and attack, Song said.
    
    Coinciding with the PLA's warplane exercise, the Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group, which held a series of drills in the South China Sea in the past week, left the South China Sea via south of the Taiwan island on the same day, according to the monitoring of the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCSPI), a Beijing-based think tank, on Monday.
    
    Overlying the flight paths of PLA warplanes released by Taiwan's defense authorities and the movement of the Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier released by SCSPI, observers said they were not far away from each other.
    
    Citing analysts on the island of Taiwan, Taipei-based Central News Agency reported on Monday that the PLA warplanes likely simulated attacks on the US aircraft carrier.
    
    Fu said that the PLA has been conducting daily exercises in the region, and it is the US warships' presence that is irregular. "If they pose potential threats to China's national security, we will surely take countermeasures, including monitoring," he said.
    
    The PLA is rightfully responsible to safeguard peace and stability in the region when foreign warships and warplanes stir up tensions and make provocations, Fu said.
    
    Similar exercises demonstrated that the PLA is capable of cutting off foreign interventions in the Taiwan region if the situation arises, as it has a powerful aerial combat system to drive away foreign maritime forces, including aircraft carrier strike groups, a Beijing-based military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Tuesday.

    China’s Artificial Sun Just Smashed a Fusion World Record

    China’s “artificial sun” tokamak has sustained a plasma reaction for a whopping 101 seconds at 120 million degrees Celsius, setting new records in the field of nuclear fusion. The breakthrough could pave the way for a carbon-neutral energy future.
    
    EAST (Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak), or HT-7U, is a custom-built fusion reactor that has operated in different phases since 2006. Like many of the world’s tokamak experiments, EAST has reached fusion before. As a refresher, inside the donut-shaped (or, sometimes, more spherical) containment of a tokamak, sun-hot plasma swirls in a circle that’s held in place by supercooled electromagnets.
    
    This magnetic field is the only thing floating between 360-million-degree plasma and a bunch of human-made materials that obviously can’t sustain that temperature. The plasma results from smashing different nuclei together, fusing them rather than splitting them.
    
    This requires a huge energy investment, which critics say means fusion will never really get off the ground. And so far, all tokamaks work for just a scant few seconds at lower temperatures before something goes wrong.
    
    This is why EAST—which just properly “turned on” last December—running for 101 seconds at 120 million Celsius is such a huge deal. It’s a double whammy: a very long runtime at an extraordinarily high temperature. In 2018, the tokamak reached 180 million degrees Fahrenheit, or about 82 million degrees Celsius. But back then, EAST could only sustain the plasma for around 10 seconds.
    
    
    That’s not hot enough or long enough, but 120 million degrees Celsius and 101 seconds, which EAST achieved in late May, certainly are. So, this is a record for both the required power-generating temperature and the duration for keeping the temperature at a stable level.
    
    As for other high-profile reactors around the world, the U.K.’s MAST reactor recently made headlines with a new exhaust system that reduces heat 10 times better than its predecessor. In the meantime, the global International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is on track to build the hugest tokamak ever, with first plasma projected in 2030. Each experimental reactor has goals to help push technology forward to help all the others.
    
    The future of EAST could involve lessons learned by ITER, Korea’s KSTAR reactor (which held the previous fusion record), MAST, and even private tokamak researchers that are chipping away at the major obstacles to fusion energy. All have the same goal: to sustain an extremely hot reaction and keep their equipment safely running for as long as possible.

    Gosh! All of this stuff about society, and culture really makes me hunger for some fine Louisianian cooking!

    Do you all have any idea what I am in the mood for? I am yearning for something like this…

    Some fine Southern American food.

    I’ll bet you that you don’t. I’ll bet that you are thinking something like steak, a find hamburger, or some pizza or lasagna. Nope. That’s not what I am yearning for.

    I know that many Americans in the audience don’t “get it”. But that’s because everyone can get mashed potatoes, corn, and cheesy elbows. But not here. they are special treats. Not to mention deep fried catfish and chicken.

    If you have the ability to eat this fine, but basic food, then do so. I think that it’s wonderful. It’s delicious and wonderful and the smells and the taste are wonderful.

    Do you wonder why China is asking serious questions?

    Beijing called on the US to explain a respiratory disease outbreak in northern Virginia in July, 2019 and a large-scale outbreak of e-cigarette disease in Wisconsin.

    “When will the US release detailed data and information on relevant cases to the international community? The United States owes an explanation to the international community.” 

    Read full article →

    Can you imagine what will happen if China is kinetically attacked?

    A big part of the US industrial base is now in China.

    The US would be attacking its own sources of food, commodities, and its own supply chain.

    Looking at Elsberg’s ‘warning’ is this not a spectacular example of insane short-term thinking?

    To end this section, taking the previous summary and adding one point, it looks like this:

    • Ellsberg warns that the same talks that happened 50 years ago to possibly strike China with nuclear weapons is no doubt happening in the Pentagon today.  Is the Ellsberg warning more serious than what we think?
    • Yang Jiechi and Nikolai Patrushev states that Russia and China must coordinate in order to establish a new order to replace the US-dominated one, once the latter gets totally dysfunctional.
    • China is mass producing hyper-velocity MIRV ICBM’s armed with massive warheads in a frantic pace.
    • Pentagon Insiders are horrified by the discussions and all warn that not only would America lose a war, but that could be destroyed and subjugated to an unfathomable degree.
    • The US has clearly and unequivocally used bioweapons (even excluding Vietnam), in the past, and hidden this.

    Conclusion: Unfortunately the mindset has not changed and the actions have not changed since the time described in both the Ellsberg report, or the reveals of the Needham report. This is currently the danger and is what we mean by doubling-down.

    But I’m not done about Louisiana food…

    Throughout the deep American South people eat this kind of food called BBQ. But you know, it must be the most misunderstood BBQ in America. In Boston, for instance a BBQ sandwich was nothing more than cold sliced ham and BBQ sauce. Ugh!

    When in actuality, it’s really slow cooked brisket served on a hot toasty bun just dripping and oozing with delicious and tasty sauce.

    I could use one right now.

    Mississippi style BBQ.

    Maybe with an icy beer.

    Or two.

    Another Cajun roadside specialty, cracklins, are Louisiana’s version of pork rinds. Fatty pork bits that puff up into something special, these savory morsels provide some crunchy bites, some chewy bites and some melty edges. It’s an altogether beautiful experience, especially when it happens at Don’s Specialty Meats in Scott, La. These are the ultimate road-trip snack.

    I remember going on work related travel to different factories throughout the Southern American states. AN we would make a point to stop at the various BBQ place sand sample their food. The BBQ varied regionally from place to place. All were just great! Just simply great!

    Following on from the last China Sitrep, we have banking news, a cute helicopter and drone soccer.

    E-Hang’s electric VT-30 travels 300km in 100 minutes. With eight propellers, two fixed wings, and a propeller at the rear, it achieves a balance of hybrid lift and push, so needs no runway. Its tri-redundant, fly-by-wire controls can be flexibly altered for multiple modes, implying a much higher safety level for the aircraft. Read full article  →


    Chinese scientists set a new world record of achieving a plasma temperature of 120 million degrees Celsius for 101 seconds in the latest experiment on Friday, a key step toward the test running of a fusion reactor. Read full article  →


    China dominates consumer and commercial drones globally, and 369 exhibitors showcased 2,000 drone products in Shenzen this week. Mini drones the size of a wristwatch hovered next to cargo drones like four-seater planes. Kids played 3v3 drone soccer before a crowd of adoring parents.  Read full article  →

    (They also say they need a million drone pilots!)


    The Maglev trains are just running faster:  A groundbreaking ceremony launched a 620 mph maglev test line. The train uses superconducting magnetic levitation to disengage from the ground to eliminate frictional drag and a near-vacuum internal duct lines to dramatically reduce air resistance to achieve its speed. Read full article  →


    European BRI Rail Freight rose 100% in 2020.  Austria’s Rail Cargo Group (RCG) transported 70,000 TEUs across BRI routes and, compared to 2019, doubled its Eurasian volumes and reached an all-time high of 700 trains running on these routes, This year, the company aims to run 1,000 freight trains. Read full article →

    Oh, gumbo. Served from a big ol’ pot, it’s the kind of food that warms your heart, your soul and your belly, all at the same time. It starts with a roux, the flavorful base of fat and flour, which gets added to the holy trinity (onions, bell peppers and celery). From there, gumbo can go in many directions, most popularly chicken and sausage or a seafood medley. Around Easter, there’s a special bowl of Gumbo Z’Herbes served at Dooky Chase’s in New Orleans, made with bright, verdant greens. The rest of the year, you can’t go wrong with the seafood rendition from Li’l Dizzy’s (also in New Orleans), which makes a regular appearance on the lunch buffet (along with killer fried chicken and mac and cheese).

    But the USA has signed agreements with the G7 nations to construct an American BRI to go “head to head” with the Chinese BRI.

    Show me the money, the G7’s B3W will have a hard time replacing China’s BRI.
    
    Biden and the G7s Build Back Better for the World (B3W) program is going to have a hard time without money and so far no one will say where it will come from. 
    
    Finding the massive $40+ tn needed for infrastructure needed in the developing world won’t be easy. The US can’t agree on its own domestic infrastructure spending and how much money can it print for B3?
    
    Comments that the private sector will pay are utter nonsense.
    
    Say what you will China have already funded $4tn in projects. Most importantly, China saw the need in the developing world long before the West. 
    
    The real question is where was the G7 for the past decade? 
    
    Another major issue is that B3W funds will come with strings attached on democratic values, human rights, climate change, corruption, and the rule of law. Good luck. 
    
    In the end it comes down to “Show me the money.”
    

    Cats and Louisiana BBQ.

    I used to have cats when I lived in Mississippi and Louisiana, and Texas. But you know, they were always happy to nibble on a piece of sliced brisket or chicken. But over all, my cats were just as happy to eat fish or whatever I had on hand. For them, eating a slice of brisket or a McDonald’s creamer when I brought home a  couple of cups of coffee were a real treat. I would drink my coffee, and they would have their creamers. Special times.

    Cat eating a hamburger. I used to share my subway sandwiches with my cats. They loved the chicken and the meatball subs.

    China will never allow island of Taiwan to go independent: vice foreign minister

    And this warning is being ignored in the Pentagon. Which is why there are people speaking out warning that the neocons inside of Washington are fucking bat-shit crazy nuts, and America will not survive their arrogance and idiocy.

    Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng said China will never allow the island of Taiwan to go independent as Beijing hit back at a US-Japan joint statement which for the first time in half a century mentioned China's Taiwan.
    
    "National reunification of the island of Taiwan and China is a historical process. It will not be stopped by anyone or any force. We will never let Taiwan go independent," Le made the remarks on Friday in an interview with the Associated Press.
    
    Asked if there was any timeline for the reunification and if the current situation could continue to exist for many years, Le stressed that "it's a process of history."
    
    Le said China is firmly committed to safeguarding national sovereignty, security and promoting national reunification. "We are prepared to do everything we can for a peaceful reunification. That said, we don't pledge to give up other options. No option is excluded."
    
    Le's remarks comes amidst the recent provocation from the US and Japan's joint statement.
    
    The direct mentioning of Taiwan was regarded as a severe interference in China's domestic affairs and sends a signal that Japan and the US are attempting to challenge China's possible moves to reunification.
    
    Chinese analysts said the US and Japan's move will only send the wrong signal to the Taiwan separatists and allow the DPP to go further down the wrong path.
    
    Le stressed the one-China principle is China's red line and no one should try to cross it, whether low-level or high-level, official engagement is what China firmly opposes.
    
    "The Taiwan question bears on China's core interests. There is simply no room for compromise," the Chinese vice foreign minister noted.

    CIPS is proceeding without delay

    Maybe SWIFT will collapse upon itself.

    China ramped up its Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS) and set up clearing banks at all major offshore yuan trading hubs, like Hong Kong, Singapore, London, and Frankfurt. The CIPS clearing system operates during work hours of financial markets in every time zone.

    Read full article from Pekingologist →


    Russia won’t alienate China over US; ‘We’re smarter than Americans think’: Russian Ambassador to China

    Russia does not expect impossible outcomes from the upcoming summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden in Geneva, and the two sides are unlikely to resolve important issues at the meeting, Russian Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov told the Global Times in an exclusive interview.
    
    The ambassador noted that if the two leaders talk about issues related to China during their meeting, Russia will discuss them with the Chinese side. He stressed that Russia-China relations will not change no matter what attitude the US takes toward Russia.
    
    Putin and Biden are set to meet in Geneva on June 16, the first meeting between the two leaders since Biden took office.
    
    Some analysts believed that during their first bilateral meeting, Biden and Putin will discuss topics including strategic stability, disarmament, ecology, COVID-19 and conflicts in hot spots.
    
    Denisov told the Global Times that Russia welcomes any measures that reduce tensions and competition, but they are also very cautious about what they can expect from Russian-American relations, especially in the context of the very tense relationship between the two countries.
    
    He said Russia is a "realist" and does not expect impossible outcomes, and the summit is not likely to resolve important issues between the two countries. A better outcome is one that sets conditions for resolving problems in the future, said the diplomat.
    
    Media reports showed that while the upcoming summit is seen by some analysts as an "ice-breaking" opportunity to reshape US-Russia relations, the two sides have been talking tough to each other and sending signals to lower external expectations ahead of the summit. Biden vowed to be tough with Russia and press it on human rights, while Putin has said he does not expect any breakthroughs from his meeting with US counterpart.
    
    Some analysts pointed out that while it would be hard to break the ice in US-Russia relations, the US should stabilize relations and ease tensions with Russia so as to concentrate on dealing with China. As a result, the Geneva meeting may become an opportunity to lobby Russia.
    
    In response to this view, Denisov told the Global Times that the idea that Russia would alienate China over the possibility of the US temporarily easing tensions with Russia is "very short-sighted."
    
    "Russia is smarter than Americans think," he said.
    
    The diplomat said that during the visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to China and the visit of Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, to Russia, both sides discussed US topics. If the US and Russia talk about issues related to China during the upcoming summit, the Russian side will also communicate and discuss it with China.

    Idiocracy: Flawed comedy or terrifyingly prescient science fiction?

    It should be no surprise to anyone that our culture is rapidly drowning in lowbrow media. The perception that as a race we are being worryingly dumbed-down is not something new. Is this gradual intellectual decline something we can stop? Or is it the inevitable trajectory of our current society? One film that has managed to stay relevant seven years after release is Idiocracy, Mike Judge’s satirical take on our dumbed-down future. But for a comedy that was a little low on laughs for my liking, why has it caused such controversy and managed to stay in the public consciousness so long? And should we be worried that this film is accurately predicting our future?

    The funny side of idiocy

    Idiocracy manages to have a sense of humour about the potential bleakness of our shared stupidity-induced future. Mike Judge’s 2006 comedy Idiocracy did just that, though was sadly overlooked at the time of its release. The film isn’t Judge’s best, with the comedy often falling a little flat. Idiocracy couldn’t possibly hold a torch to Judge’s Office Space (1999). The core idea behind Idiocracy is what makes it worthy of remembering: a satirical view of Earth’s future where everyone is incredibly stupid. Sounds simple enough, and not too hard to imagine (wait, there’s another reality TV show starting?!). All these years later, this small film is still causing a stir.

    For those of you who aren’t familiar with this now cult film, the premise is fairly simple. Joe (Luke Wilson) is an average guy, put into stasis as part of a scientific experiment. When the experiment is cancelled, he is forgotten and left in stasis, waking up accidentally 500 years in the future. The future is a bleak one, where the average IQ of the world is worryingly low.

    A misunderstood sentiment

    According to Matt Novak on Gizmodo’s Paleofuture, the film is an affront for suggesting eugenics is the answer to this potentially dire future, and anyone who enjoys the film should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.

    Does anyone else think he’s missing the point a little bit? Sorry to disagree with you Matt, but I actually always thought Judge was being satirical. I don’t believe that he ever wanted to argue for eugenics. The rich vs poor set-up is again a deliberate choice, highlighting the prejudiced views of both ends of the economical spectrum. Not, as Novak argues, a simple boiling down of the situation to ‘the intelligent people are wealthy, while the uneducated people are poor.’ I would say that cheating husbands with a dozen kids is just as stereotypical as a frigid, unpleasant, career-driven, rich couple.

    Novak claims that the film makes an unhealthy link between wealth and intelligence, but like many satirical films, it uses stereotypes to highlight the issues with that kind of thinking. In other words, Judge is using those precise stereotypes to make a point. Novak’s disgust at the stereotypes being used is entirely missing the point.

    Nature vs nurture

    The real premise of the film, in my opinion, is an argument for respecting nurture over and above nature. As such, it is in direct opposition to an argument of eugenics. The ‘stupidity’ that has taken hold of the country results in a great wealth of knowledge being lost. It is not the genius scientists, but the more menial labourers and their work that is missed most. Judge’s futuristic world needs mechanics to fix their robotic helpers, bin men and janitors to clean the country, gardeners, builders, etc. Is Judge really bemoaning the loss of the highly intelligent or asking us to look back at the basic pillars that keep our society going?

    If you look at the main character’s story arc, the argument for nurture over nature is overtly apparent: you see an average man who was looked down on and not treated with much respect in his own time. When he is re-awakened in the future and found to be more intelligent, the nurturing atmosphere helps him to rise up and do more than he ever could have in the negative environment he was in before. The film is asking us to remember that everyone has potential, and that we need to be supportive of that no matter what their economic circumstances, who their families were, where they came form, etc.

    While Idiocracy had a tiny limited release at the cinema back in 2006. Since then, it has found its place as a cultural yardstick for the dumbing down of society. When people bemoan the intellectual lows to which our society has sunk, referencing Idiocracy, I don’t believe that anyone is implying we should employ the use of the discredited science of eugenics. If anything, the film encourages us to always nurture potential, both intellectual and artistic.

    A Historical piece from the 2nd World War

    The secret deportations: how Britain betrayed the Chinese men who served the country in the war

    During the second world war, Chinese merchant seamen helped keep Britain fed, fuelled and safe – and many gave their lives doing so. But from late 1945, hundreds of them who had settled in Liverpool suddenly disappeared. Now their children are piecing together the truth

    https://www.theguardian.com/news/2021/may/25/chinese-merchant-seamen-liverpool-deportations

    We need to talk about food

    I like to believe that every problem in the world can be resolved with generous quantities of alcohol, fine delicious food, smiling and happy people, and dogs and cats scurrying about.

    Taste of New Orleans : Creole Food.

    The world decoupling from the horrible U.S. economy

    Well, just how does the world break its dollar habit?

    The most clear explanation I ever heard as to why the dollar maintains its global status is really quite straightforward, the U.S. trade deficit. USD’s are constantly filling everyone’s foreign exchange reserve, so almost everyone has these extra dollars to use for trading between themselves.

    Sow how does one get rid of this gum stuck to the bottom of your shoe?

    • Buying treasuries – no, that is investing directly in the USD.
    • Buying assets in the U.S. – no, same problem as 1, you have assets valued in USD and something the U.S. govt can seize from you.
    • Buying assets in other countries – dang, you just gave them a boatload of dollars, that stuff is like dark matter.
    • Buy hard assets in the U.S. and ship it back to China – this is your best bet, buy gold, silver, platinum, or any hard asset and ship it to your vaults, now does the U.S. let you do that?

    The USA is setting itself up for a three-front war

    An article published by Foreign Policy on Tuesday, entitled "China and Russia Turn Deeper Ties into a Military Challenge for Biden," quoted an former US politician as saying the US faces "a two-front war where we don't have a two-front military." This seems to be an emerging possible scenario that is puzzling some American analysts.
    
    On April 14, Reuters published a similar commentary headlined "US faces test on Taiwan, Ukraine," which articulated the concern.
    
    Yet the test is caused by the US itself, thanks to its recklessness in handling major global issues. It is Washington itself which has been stirring up troubles worldwide, rather than resolving crises. Now the tactic is backfiring - Western media are becoming concerned that "rising tension over both Ukraine and Taiwan is putting the Biden administration in a bind," or worse, lead to "a two-front war."
    
    The Taiwan question is China's domestic affair, where the US is not supposed to interfere at all. The Ukraine crisis involves the issue that should be decided by the Ukrainian people. But the US won't cease creating tensions over it.
    
    US political elites have shown little interest in self reflection. More importantly, they attach too much significance to major power geopolitical games. In their eyes, if the US makes concessions over the Ukraine issue, it could result in Russia returning to Europe. In that case, everything Washington has been struggling for over the past 30 years since the end of the Cold War will crumble to dust.
    
    When it comes to Taiwan, the US regards the island, from the military perspective, as a crucial link in its first island chain to contain China. Diplomatically, the US is utilizing the island as leverage to boost secessionist forces in China, in an attempt to split the latter, or launch a "peaceful revolution."
    
    Suppressing Russia and China has been a long tradition in US politics. Apart from former US president Donald Trump, who once attempted to cozy up to Russia, yet failed due to opposition from the Democratic Party, most US presidents tend to pile pressure on both countries. Yet the problem is that the US has found it increasingly difficult to do so.
    
    The US' biggest challenge is at home, not so-called threats from China or Russia. If the US hastily engages in, or creates more external geopolitical tests, while not having resolved its own domestic problems, it will only have its nose rubbed in the dust both at home and abroad, not to mention winning the "battle" on either side.
    
    The US has its own calculations. It is hoping to push the EU to the forefront of the Ukraine crisis, letting the EU invest in more resources while the US could just play a commanding role. In addition, although the US reiterated its support for Ukraine, the latter's top diplomat has been stressing that Ukraine "is looking for more than words," Politico reported on April 13. It means the US' capability is very limited. It is just like the way Washington is dealing with Beijing - trying to establish an anti-China camp with as many allies as possible. If the US believes it can handle the Taiwan question and Ukraine crisis as it wishes, or in other words, China and Russia, at the same time, it has overestimated its strength and wisdom.
    
    The truth is, the US is not confronting two tests, but three. The biggest crisis is from its home affairs. The biggest battlefield for US policymakers is on US soil. The best solution for elites in Washington is to put more energy in focusing on their country's domestic puzzles and stop creating troubles abroad.

    Why is the American leadership so out of touch? Are the suck?

    And Taiwan…

    American neocons are pushing, pushing, pushing for a war regarding Taiwan.

    ... China remained the top issue on her mind, and on the minds of her fellow Republicans in the room. Haley hammered home that China remained an existential threat to the U.S. and democracies around the world and that government officials there should never be trusted.
    
    Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative, building bridges, tunnels and other infrastructure projects in dozens of nations, is nothing more than a ploy to gain influence and power around the world, Haley said.
    
    "What they're doing is they're running out the deck for such a time as this and then waiting for times like COVID. And they say, 'You can't pay it? Now give me your power grid. Now give me your military installation. We want your port.' Now you look at that map - it will send a chill up your spine at what they're trying to do."
    
    Haley also painted a haunting portrait of the war China is waging in cyberspace. Beijing, she said, just adopted a data-security measure that states that all private data is now a national asset.
    
    "Think about the health data they have. Think about the financial data they have. Think about the surveillance actions they have on all of us," Haley said. "Now think that that's in the hands of the Chinese military. The way President Xi sees it is, whoever owns the data rules the world."
    
    Haley was asked by one GOP lawmaker how the U.S. could respond to China when it sells pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and so many cheap goods to America.
    
    "Don't lead with fear. Don't be scared of China. Go after them strong. Go after them aggressively," the former ambassador said.
    
    -Nikki Haley warns Republicans on China: 'If they take Taiwan, it's all over'

    American generals say otherwise…

    While acknowledging that uniting with Taiwan is a "core interest" for China, Milley signaled that he thought Beijing will pursue such ambitions through peaceful means.
    
    "The internal politics of China are up to China, as long as whatever is done is done peacefully and doesn't destabilize the region nor the world," Milley said.
    
    Milley appeared in front of the committee to discuss the Pentagon's Fiscal 2022 budget request, alongside Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
    
    Rachel Esplin Odell, a research fellow in the East Asia Program at the Quincy Institute, said Milley's comments "basically reaffirmed the longstanding U.S. One China Policy, which includes the understanding that the United States supports any peaceful, uncoerced resolution of cross-Strait differences."
    
    "However, a somewhat more accurate statement of longstanding policy would have been that cross-Strait differences are up to both China and Taiwan to resolve peacefully through mutual agreement,"
    
    "Nonetheless, Gen. Milley's comments are, on the whole, a welcome corrective to dangerous rhetoric from some analysts and politicians in Washington that portrays Taiwan as a strategic asset for the United States that must be kept separate from China. It is encouraging that Gen. Milley recognizes that danger," she said.
    
    -Nikkei
    

    What is the USA doing?

    All of this isn’t secret information. It’s obvious and only the most deluded sheeple can’t see the build up towards war that the United States is marching towards. Knowing what is spread out before you all, as above. And noting that China and Russia are not fools.

    What do you think they are going to do? Wait until the USA does something stupid? Or are they going to take proactive steps to castrate the “mad dog” before it infects the entire world with it’s madness?

    I tire of this insanity.

    It makes me want to gather up all the lunatics, lock them up in cages and bury them deep deep down in a place that they cannot harm themselves, or anyone around them.

    But on the bright side there is China.

    And China is doing well, they know what is going on. They are strong and formidable. And no matter what crazy-assed plans the Idiocracity world of America might think up, China is there to deal with them promptly.

    American leadership in Washington DC as depicted in the movie Idiocracity.

    I hope you enjoyed this visit in news that is unavailable to Americans. I’m tired and hungry. You probably didn’t notice. So I am going to go and eat some food. Have a great day you all!

    I’ll leave you with this…

    Why do people want to believe in lies about China when they know those lies come from their machinery of lies (politicians and MSM) which people already know do nothing but lie? Answer: They’re racist hypocrites.  Turns out it’s not just a hunch.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
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    Escape from America the story of a man who ran and is happy as a peach he did so

    Well, aside from being thrown into a Thai jail for a couple of weeks, that is.

    Anyways, here is a piece that I found on the UNZ site. It’s worth a read, not so much for the content (which is good) but for the comments that it attracted. You end up seeing a nice group of American society in the disparagement column, and some thoughtful analysis in the Brit and Aussie columns.

    I like to read what other expats have to say about their experiences. As, well you should all know, everyone has a story and often those of expats tend to be the most colorful. This particular story revolves around a fellow in Thailand who made the mistake of fighting back when he was being scammed by locals. That’s  a big no-no.

    We have a saying in America. It goes like this… “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”.

    The phrase ‘when in Rome, do as the Romans do’ means that ‘when you are living in, or visiting, a community of people, you should follow the laws and customs of that community’. Literally, the proverb means that when you are in Rome, you should act like the Romans.
    
    -'When in Rome, do as the Romans do' 

    Well, he didn’t follow this very simple advice, and ended up paying for that mistake. This is his story. And the comments are really interesting.

    As with all reprints, the usual disclaimer apply.

    For young guys, yes… rise up and abandon the creeping meatball. I don’t care if it’s the UK meatball, the US meatball…. just get out while you can. There is serious talk of raising exit fees!
    
    -Franz
    

    As an expat myself, I am both charmed and repelled by the experiences of other Americans as the peek outside of the gulag that the inhabit.

    Some comments are gold. Some remind me of bad experience I have had with Jerk-offs, and others remind me of just why I left. I really enjoy the more thoughtful and productive comments, and dialogs. they point to some interesting trends.

    The ‘least developed’ European countries have the most interesting long-term prospects, at least as places I like to live."
    
    Yeah, and they know it.
    
    I worked steel, plus allied fabrications. These countries are buying up razor wire faster than anyone can make it! Trust me, in a few years, countries that are not yet holes will be off limits to wanderers.
    
    -Franz

    While you are reading it, please keep in mind that one person’s happiness is meaningless to another. We all live within our very own realities.

    One person’s happiness is meaningless to another. We all live within our very own realities.

    Here is the article with comments embedded within.

    Escape from America: 90 Countries and Counting

    gotmituns says:
    
    The only ones “escaping” from our wonderful and proud American nation are the cowards and shirkers who wouldn’t do either side any good when the shit hits the fan in this country. Nobody needs such people in their midst.

    With my Escape from America series, I’ve interviewed American ex-pats who have settled in Mexico, the Philippines, Hungary, Costa Rica, Brazil or England, etc., but you’re constantly escaping from one country to the next, with the goal of experiencing all 180 of them! What made you choose such an unusual lifestyle, and how did you prepare yourself for it?

    No preparation whatsoever and, in fact, no plan.

    I’d had what’s called a ‘liquidity event’ back in NYC. Two, actually: a startup sale and then an IPO. Which just means I don’t have to work again if I don’t want to.

    I was burnt out. 15 years of 10 hour days, grinding towards some pointless goal of accumulation. When I cashed-out I wasn’t sure what to do next.

    I looked around and decided it was time to leave NYC and the US in general.

    The path the country was heading down was pretty obvious to anyone willing to look.

    So I threw a bunch of stuff in storage. Locked up the apartment. And left.

    That was 2017 and I’ve only returned now and then: for weddings or near-deaths.

    I hope to never have to return permanently.

    Radicalcenter says:
    
    ... mere permanent residency in another country never requires giving up US citizenship, so why renounce US citizenship if mere permanent residency in the other country suits one’s purposes? 
    
    (Permanent residents often have the right to use the public healthcare system the same as citizens. Some countries, like Russia, give them the right to vote in local elections.)
    
    US citizens who reside abroad full-time do indeed have to file a US income tax return even on income earned abroad. 
    
    But in 2021, a married couple can exclude the first $217,400 per year from US federal taxation:
    
    https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/figuring-the-foreign-earned-income-exclusion
    
    In 2022 the exclusion rises with inflation, probably to $224-225,000.
    
    The system is unfair, grasping, and should be abolished. 
    
    But American worldwide taxation shouldn’t be a deterrent for most Americans who would seriously consider residing abroad. Seriously, what percentage of older American couples moving abroad will have more than $225,000 in income per year while they are retired? 
    
    Not many.

    In Tirana, I ran into a folk singer who performed in Turkish, but was actually an American! In his early 40’s, “Dandelion Lakewood” left the States nearly 6 years ago, and has been in Europe ever since, mostly in the Balkans. Busking, he needs just $12 a day to survive.

    In Tirana, Dandy was paying $8 daily to share a room with another American. Dandy has slept outside, it’s not a problem.

    Different people have different requirements. You’re obviously in a different category, but most Americans with cash would not have made your choice. You told me you once drove from Atlanta to Juarez to sample an interesting Chinese buffet. Do you think you’ll ever get tired of traveling? If so, where might you settle down, and why?

    Right.

    And I don’t make the money point to brag or anything. I just got lucky. Right place, right time.

    The bigger point I wanted to make is that guys like me are leaving the US in droves. Even before the pandemic.

    We are not better or smarter than those that didn’t get lucky.

    But I think some of us realized that the “juice wasn’t worth the squeeze”. So we bailed.

    I feel a kinship with anyone that has left America, regardless of their situation.

    PJ London says:
    
    You sound like 99.9% of Americans, totally anal and caring only about their bank balance. 
    
    The rest of the world (and yes I have lived in 8 countries) have a far better life, as they do not rank existence on the thickness of their wallet. 
    
    Given a free choice and some income I would live in a Muslim country or eastern European. I would move to Abkhazia tomorrow if I could. Unfortunately, in my 70s, my travel and choices have become limited.

    In terms of traveling and settling down.

    I don’t know.

    I have a reckless streak. I always have. Going to Juarez to eat Chinese food, or moving a bunch of gold over the Burmese border, or spending weeks in a Thai jail, or designing the interior of some Chechen billionaire’s yacht. I just can’t stop collecting experiences.

    That, to me, is real wealth.

    I’ve been to around 90 countries at this point.

    There are a handful of places I could see myself staying long-term. For me, they have the right combination of cost of living/quality of life. Decent infrastructure. Nice people. Low-ish inequality coefficient.

    They’re usually Muslim/Asian countries.

    I think that was the biggest surprise.

    I want to avoid the forced degeneracy of the West.

    This is weird as, in my youth, I was the biggest champion of orgies and drugs and personal freedom and all that faux-liberal youth-culture decadent bullshit.

    Alfred says:
    
    The issuance of a second valid passport should therefore be considered an exception to the one passport policy and will be issued at the discretion of the Consular Officer. If issued it will be valid for a maximum of two years.
    
    U.S. Embassy and Consulate in the Netherlands – Second Passports

    I like being around happy, multi-generational families.

    People eating together as a family or flying kites in a park or a group of old-timers nursing a 3-hour conversation over a cup of coffee.

    They still do that!

    I am not ready to stop.

    Perhaps that is the recklessness I was referring to earlier.

    In German, real estate is ‘Immobilen’. It’s ‘immobiliere’ in French. Even without knowing Kraut or French, I bet you can deduce the meaning… purchasing a home renders one immobile.

    A lease is a landlock.

    You’re stuck in one place, one culture, one point of view.

    To stay in the same place still seems like death to me.

    Or perhaps a series of small compromises, small deaths, that add up to a more prolonged expiation.

    Disclaimer says:
    The introduction of Nassim Talebs book “Black Swan” has a interesting paragraph about growing up in Lebanon in the 1960s.  It is worth revisiting...
    
    "Increasingly, Celebrities and the upper 10% of US society have been getting second passports for themselves and their families for quite some time. After the financial crisis of 2007-08 it seems this trend accelerated. Its also illuminating how many of the upper 10% also have real estate overseas. These people are not doing these measures for fun. And they sure as heck keep their Plan B quiet."

    The goal of travel is to court and embrace discomfort.

    Otherwise, you’re just a fat Boomer on a cruise!

    What did you do to spend weeks in a Thai jail?! And how were you treated by the other inmates?

    To many white nationalists, Muslims are just low IQ losers, and Orientals are just conformists with disgusting culinary habits, yet both groups have managed to maintain their heritage, and hence dignity, better than the degenerate West. Is there any hope for white people, or are they condemned to rage impotently online as their societies unravel? Is Europe better off than America? And which European countries do you think have the best prospects?

    The Thailand story is sad–and typical.

    I’ll tell it here as a warning to anyone reading.

    This stuff happens and, in retrospect, you should not handle the situation in the way I did. Linh, you can chop this if you don’t think it’s relevant.

    I was in one of those seedy beach resort towns filled with decaying, SPAM-tinted Anglo men and their 21-year-old Isaan wives.

    I was talking to as many of the men as I could, as they figure fairly prominently in a book I am working on.

    A few of the blokes had warned me of a scam going on in that particular town.

    The locals would wait until you rented a scooter and had a few beers at some local bar. Then, when you scooted off home, they’d put three teenagers on a shittier scooter than yours and drive full speed into you. The cops would conveniently be nearby to handle the proceedings.

    I ignored this warning as typical ‘falang’ fearmongering.

    But sure enough, a week into my stay this happened to me.

    I’d had a big Chang beer and puttered off home.

    Three kids on a crappy Vespa (motor scooter) hit me out of nowhere. Cops come out. from behind a nearby building: ‘You drunk Mister! You come to station and make right!’ They sounded like some Hollywood-stereotype from the 80s. But they were real and extremely angry.

    I was terrified.

    I had had a beer and driven my scooter (like everyone else in that town) but I had no idea what my ‘rights’ were.

    Ha!

    We went to the station and the officer demanded 40,000 baht to make it go away, plus some money for each of the three teenagers that were on the scooter.

    In the meantime, they had already gone to the hospital after the accident and returned, bandaged up, with hospital bills ready to go.

    They’d done this under an hour.

    All three presented the hospital bills to me meekly.

    I think they were another 60,000 baht.

    Conveniently, 100,000 baht is the maximum you can withdraw from a Thai bank branch in one day.

    Around $3k.

    I told them this was absurd.

    I ‘knew my rights’. Typical American arrogance.

    After two hours of yelling at each other via Google Translate in their sweaty little station, they made me go back to my apartment and give them my passport, told me they’d be in touch and that I was not to leave Thailand.

    Jeff Stryker says:
    
    Michigan Native & Long-term South East Asia (SEA) Expat Here
    
    I cannot say I would prefer a Thai jail but I would live on Thai beach in a fishing hut & let lizards crawl up my anus before I would return to the low-cost housing of Greater Detroit Washtenaw county.
    
    I spent 30 K building my estate here & the irony is that my grandmother’s condo in Washtenaw County was worth $400 K in 1986 & after it was sold 20 years later it was worth 50 K-and my brother told me that whoever bought it was a fool. That is property value in Michigan for you.
    
    Not long ago on FB I got ahold of a Polish kid who shared my dorm room at Central. The poor fool is still stuck in Flint. His formerly tidy if modest Polish-Catholic neighborhood is one great big crack house.
    
    So that is one expat’s response.
    
    As for Canukistan, well, they may export our leaders but try immigrating there. They don’t want us.

    Americans that travel a lot can legally have two passports.

    Not a lot of people know this.

    It’s the same passport number but you can usually bank on the fact that if you get into trouble somewhere, it will take time for the various government departments to communicate with each other, and you have a window to clear the country.

    I’d talked with a nice local lawyer girl after this happened and her advice was to get the hell out of Thailand. So that’s what I did.

    I was gone within 48 hours, this time via a land border, which I assumed was insecure.

    I crossed into Cambodia, made my way to Phnom Penh, and then flew to Bali for a few weeks.

    Stupidly, I returned to Thailand a month later.

    I thought somehow the problem would have ‘gone away’, as it was all a scam.

    Ha!

    They grabbed me at the airport, after clearing customs. That’s always the shitty part. They let you clear customs and grab your bag, thinking you are free. And then they grab you.

    My passport number had been communicated to Border Police.

    They were as surprised as I was that I had returned!

    The charges were now serious.

    In addition to injuring others on a scooter, I had tried to flee the country.

    A few other minor charges.

    Worst case: I was facing up to 3 years in a Thai prison.

    I would now be remanded until I had a chance to appear before a judge. There were a series of holidays going on, related to the new King’s ascension, so the whole country was closed for at least a week. Bad timing on my part.

    I spent around two weeks in a Thai jail back in the town where the crime had been committed.

    Mulga Mumblebrain says:
    It is very hard to contemplate leaving your homeland. Just leaving Sydney, that I knew like the back of my hand, but was unaffordable, was a dreadful break. 
    
    Unfortunately, Australia, that from c.1970 to 1990 was making good progress in creating a decent society, has since fallen into the Pit of Hell, led by the Right, monsters like Howard, Abbott, Morrison et al, and the complicity of the zombie remnants of the ALP, now the Another Liberal Party. 
    
    All driven by the Murdoch cancer. 
    
    Now the place is locked in a suicidal frenzy of treacherous and deeply racist Sinophobia, after decades when China did us NOTHING but good. Such duplicity is bound to get its just desserts-and soon.

    The Thai jail is not a place I’d want to return to.

    I was new so I had to sleep with my head directly next to the open toilet in the corner, my head getting kicked every time someone went to shit in the middle of the night.

    I did meet a lot of nice Burmese guys in there, who insisted on sharing every single meal they had with me.

    They taught me how to sleep with a water bottle under your neck, as it helps your posture on the concrete floor.

    There was a Dutch man who’d killed his Thai wife.

    A few Americans and Australians recently nabbed on drug charges. Lots of Iranian guys. They were the most aggressive towards Americans.

    The common theme from everyone was, ‘I was set up’. I began to doubt my own story.

    Fast forward a few weeks later.

    I am out on some sort of conditional release.

    They have both passports this time. I have to check in every week to a ‘parole’ office and wait for my official trial date which is set 4 or 5 months in the future.

    I can’t leave Thailand.

    Radicalcenter says:
    
    Sweet numbers, brah. But that works only if you can avoid spending all the profit on the next, also wildly appreciated house, right?
    
    One can do this by moving to a house that is smaller, older, or in a less desirable climate or location, of course. That isn’t a good option for everyone, though, especially families. We have a number of children, so we need to move someplace bigger, not smaller.
    
    Once past that stage of life, yeah, it’s usually feasible to downsize and come out ahead that way on housing costs and equity: i.e., sell a big house and buy a smaller house. That way you come ahead even if you stay in the same locale, saving/investing some of the proceeds and/or having a lower monthly mortgage payment.
    
    Also, those inland “flight” / retirement areas aren’t so cheap anymore. 
    
    One used to profit from expensive coastal and/or big-city home sales and buy really cheap inland. But this is changing fast. Primarily due to the acceleration of decent people fleeing even mid-sized cities (not just NY, LA, Chicago, Houston), and millions working mostly online for the first time.
    
    Home prices continue to rise far faster than our salaries/wages in booming country & exurban counties across Utah, Nevada, Texas, Florida, eastern OR and WA, Montana, Wyoming, etc.
    
    My mother is selling her house in a fairly expensive part of NJ and buying out West. The prices for the newer houses far from any city in Utah or Nevada, are shockingly higher than when we started looking in earnest less than two hears ago. We thought we were savvy and sufficiently apprised of costs in these boom-towns, but nope.
    
    In the two inland flight areas we’re looking at, newer-home prices are going up maybe 4x faster than my Mom’s house. Houses we thought might cost $300,000 are surging to $400,000 and $500,000. If we thought she might pick up a house with a certain amount of property for $400,000, it’s now $600,000 to $800,000.
    
    As for California real estate, man, you killed it! 
    
    I’m happy for you. I too would have bought when you did if we had lived in Cali then. We’d try to buy in SoCal even now, as overpriced and overcrowded as it is, if we weren’t raising children. But we won’t subject our kids to the California curriculum much longer — it’s getting more extreme by the month. Nor will we live in a jurisdiction with “vaccine” “passports”, which may be on their way here. In the new lockdown America, even the prospect of real estate profits isn’t enough to keep families in certain places long-term, like California.
    
    Also, how are young Americans to buy real estate to raise their own families? The artificially low interest rates won’t last. And even rock-bottom rates don’t help if you can’t come up with a down-payment. A 20% down-payment could easily be $70-80,000 or more in many areas with good jobs. Many, probably most, Americans don’t inherit a house. Given the number of children we have, ours won’t each inherit a house either. How do they ever get on this absurd merry-go-round?
    
    When home prices consistently riser faster than salaries and wages, this cannot serve most people well in the long run. You made out very well, and we may do alright, but this system already hurts more people than it helps, and it cannot go on forever.

    And before you ask, no, the embassy does nothing.

    You’ve watched too many television dramas. They only intervene in capital crimes or a crime that makes the US look bad.

    While I was in the jail, they told me to hang tight and let them know if I was being mistreated.

    When I got out they gave me a list of lawyers.

    I picked the one who bragged to me that ‘Her husband was a high up police officer’. In any other country, this would have been a warning sign, but I figured in Thailand, it was a golden ticket.

    I hang out in Thailand for a while.

    Avoiding scooters and bars. freaking out, obviously, but pretty powerless.

    No amount of American money could help me at that point. The government didn’t care.

    The “trial” was bizarre.

    No visitors are allowed. The courtroom I was in was underground. You’re brought to a jail before the trial where you have to take off your shoes and belt and then stand in a cage inside the trial room.

    I was with three other guys in the cage.

    There’s no one in the courtroom aside from some grim-looking guard with a rifle.

    Jeff Stryker says:
    
    An Expert Speaks
    
    [1] You can stagger around drunk & be puking on yourself in Siam & nobody will care a whit.
    
    [2] However, you can stone cold sober & drive & if you get into an accident…you are in trouble.
    
    [3] Generally, you can buy yourself out of any reasonable situation for a few grand. You really should not be traveling in SEA if you don’t have $3000 spare cash in the event of a serious situation.
    
    [4] It would be typical of an American new comer to believe that Americans are not detested overseas & that being American will mean jack in SEA. Canadian? Maybe a little respect. British? Okay. American? Zero. The USA is regarded as the worst Superpower that ever existed & the average white American is regarded as a loudmouthed hick & ignorant too boot. However, in Siam, generally Thais don’t care.
    
    [5] If you get locked in jail its the other American-hating nationals like Iranians, of whom there are a considerable number, or even Pakistanis who will threaten you for political reasons. Thais do not care. For that matter, even some Aussies or Brits are anti-American to come at you in an Immigration jail.
    
    [6] Doing drugs is a tricky business. If you have to do drugs, score from ladyboys or from hotel staff of a younger hipper variety who themselves smoke weed. You can buy your way out of a weed bust, but Ya Ba & Meth are going to get you time. If you deal drugs or try to smuggle them in Pattaya or Bangkok, you are so stupid you should commit suicide when you get busted. Which you will be. Scoring drugs randomly on the street will always be a set up. With Tuk Tuk drivers or taxi drivers who ask you if you want to purchase drugs it will be a set up. You can score in Sukhumivit around Soi 4 from the Africans but they are periodically hit for raids.
    
    [7] Many bar girls or hookers are meth addicts.
    
    [8] An American married to Issan girl who does not know these ropes is not very bright.
    
    [9] Make one or two semi-important friends.
    
    [10] Remember the property laws. They are not in your favor. Property belongs to your wife.
    
    Many posters here are naive hicks who have no business being outside the small city or town they were born. Some hicks are scammed in SEA.

    After an hour of waiting, a prim little woman walks in, sits down at a table facing the cage.

    She calls out your name and you walk to the front of the cage.

    She reads your file out loud: the charges, I guess. It’s all in Thai.

    My lawyer is then allowed to enter the room.

    They talk quietly for a few minutes in Thai.

    She’s very deferential, not making eye contact with the judge.

    The lawyer then approaches the cage and asks if I am sorry.

    I’m ready: I know this is my cue to turn on the histrionics.

    I bow and wai repeatedly at the judge, the guards, the other Thais in the cage.

    My lawyer had prepared me.

    I repeat the Thai phrase I had prepared, over and over again and again. “I am so sorry and ashamed. I am so sorry and ashamed.” Likely mangling the pronunciation.

    I cry. I plead.

    The judge looks at the lawyer. Laughs.

    Scribbles something on the file and then proclaims something in Thai. Before the lawyer has a chance to translate, I’m taken by a guard from the cage back to the primary jail in the courthouse.

    I sit there for two hours.

    Eventually, they call my name and my lawyer is at the jail door.

    She’s smiling.

    If you’re interested, my total penalty was…wait for it…a 100,000 baht fine paid to the court and an agreement to ‘not do anything bad in Thailand’ for one full year.

    Emslander says: 
    
    Your experience with the Thai legal system is fairly typical of experiences with any legal system anywhere.  I have drilled it into my sons’ heads from birth to NEVER get involved with the police other than to say “Yes, sir” or “No, sir.” I told them that, if they wanted bad attention or to be punished, to just come home and I’d accommodate. They mostly complied. The deeper you get into any sort of trouble, the more it will cost you in time, money and degradation.

    I pay my lawyer another 100,000 baht, wait to get my 100,000 baht bond back from the courthouse (which has to be fronted by a Thai…in this case, my lawyer), and I am on my way.

    I fly to KL that night.

    I bear no ill will towards the Thai people.

    I made a stupid mistake and, in retrospect, should have paid the fine upfront. Scam or no scam.

    The normal Thai people live in a shitty, corrupt system. They’re just trying to get by. At least they have the comforts of family, community, culture, and tradition to return to after a long day of sentencing Americans to prison.

    Disclaimer says:
    
    In response to a comment by @obwandiyag who said 
    
    “…Wait till he needs a doctor…”
    
    The medical care in most of the world is far better than in the US. Its not even close. US is ranked 37th (and dropping) on quality of medical care which is basically dead last in the first world. 
    
    US medical care was the best in the world until around 1975 or so since then its been steadily downhill.

    To answer your earlier question, I think most of the white nationalists are the disgusting pigs. Potato-shaped genetic-mutt trash dropping rancor and CheezeIt crumbs all over their cum-stained keyboards.

    There is no hope for the United States if these guys are the vanguards of “our” future. I’ll take the “Orientals” or the Muslims any day of the week.

    Europe is a weird case.

    As a political or economic union it’s toast, but the individual states will still have a lot of interesting possibilities. In many ways, Europe’s inevitable dissolution is good for guys like me.

    It will be easier to get in and purchase citizenship, or property, or whatever. The fragmentation of Europe will be a boon for those fleeing the West.

    The ‘least developed’ European countries have the most interesting long-term prospects, at least as places I like to live. I’d look for those that are food-secure and have good access to clean water.

    john cronk says: 
    
    I find the guy’s life as described to be mis-spent, randomly purposeless and morally bankrupt. He may as well have been an ant or a fly. However, the subject of escaping the deteriorating West is a salient one and I’m interested in how it can be done in a sensible, considered, and productive way.

    There are some nice towns in Bulgaria (mostly in the Rhodope foothills) and Albania that I’d consider long-term. Portugal was great until the Golden Visa, and will now be flooded with Brits heading back to Spain or Chinese opportunists.

    I’ve always been a fan of Poland, of Polish cities and people. Georgia and Abkhazia are gorgeous and ripe for sustainable development–whatever that means.

    Northern Spain, west of Basque country, towards Galacia, is gorgeous and peaceful. There are some great small towns in Slovakia but you have to be ready to handle Gypsies. Northwestern Greece, in the mountains, has a great climate and food culture. No one will bug you there.

    There’s also East Asia, but that’s a whole other article.

    Reading about your adventures everywhere, some readers might think you’re just an anchorless hedonist, but you’re actually happily married, and your wife does travel with you. Since it’s nearly impossible to synchronize wishes or demands on the road, this is very rare. You’re very lucky. To wrap up, do you have advice for Americans who might want to get out?

    Yes, for much of the past 5 years of non-stop travel my wife has been by my side. It’s been pretty amazing and I am incredibly fortunate to have someone so willing to be ‘unsettled’ throughout the world.

    It’s always fun to travel alone but having someone to wake up and make breakfast for–no matter the weird city we’re in–is pure pleasure.

    For those looking to escape, my advice would be to have a plan but not to commit to it too firmly.

    Too many people over-utilize the Internet to the detriment of on-the-ground intelligence.

    I can’t tell you how many people I’ve met who’ve ‘sold everything’ back in the States and then bought a one-way ticket to Fethiye or Chiang Mai without ever visiting these places once! All based on some Youtuber’s drone videos.

    It’s ridiculous.

    These are, unsurprisingly, the people that go back to Michigan in a few years.

    Once travel opens back up, get your money right in the US first. Don’t burn bridges.

    Then, pick a region.

    Pack minimally.

    I recommend warmer countries first simply because there’s less to pack. Don’t worry about booking an apartment for a month. Book a few days on Airbnb. Move around to a different neighborhood. In a city like Jakarta or Yangon or even Milan, you can have a dramatically different experience based on your neighborhood.

    Keep in mind, no matter where you travel, you’ll always bring yourself along. If you aren’t happy in your own head, in your own body, then no amount of wandering will change that.

    Jonathan (41-years-old)

    cohen says:
    
    Linh
    You are doing a good job to some degree in telling the audience the real interesting and historical stuff about counties you travel to.. unlike you, when I travel I don't talk to “intellectuals”. 
    
    I to go to small cafes and talk to locals who don't speak a word of English but somehow there is always a one eyed men among blinds, one who wants to speak and brush up his English with in the crowd. To me that is fun. 
    
    The most common bonding is the sense of humor and bonding through jokes. That is something so common among people of various background. Try that experience next time.
    
    Your stories about Serbia, and Lebanon did lack information. For instance, in Belgrade the American bombing or missiles attack were incredibly precise and ironically US got away bombing the Chinese Embassy by claiming an error. No way Jose. The defense ministry building destroyed were among big building and in front of each. There was no damage to any neighboring buildings.
    
    Philip Morris bought the Serbian Cigarette company for one dollar? and the Yugo (bad or good beside the point) car company was sold to an American car company for 1 dollar. There are three KPMG offices in Belgrade. Why an American company needs 3 offices in the same city. Privatization my man.
    
    You are hung up on Albania. Did you see the digging of an old gladiator arena by the sea? Or their political parties. People like me care less about the nice pictures of food from a restaurant menu. At least I for one.
    
    Go to Jakarta, or Casablanca and see Muslim women with their Hijab driving taxi without fear of any physical harm. You can not imagine that happening in America, This is information and not pictures of food which is very subjective. Try to go to Tangier in Morocco and get a taste of Europe and Africa in one place. And the weather one has to experience it oneself. Daniel Craig has a house in Tangier on the Atlantic side (lot of French artists, mostly fags).
    
    Talk to a native Jews of Casablanca and learn why on earth they don't want to go to their “promised homeland”. The answer would surprise you. I was amused when one of them in a synagogue said “Then what the hell we will be doing there once we get to Israel”.
    
    Try some volcanic islands in Indonesia where Comodo dragons still roam. Or Lake Biakal. Very different than the food information with prices.
    Put some information in your writing that would be worth reading. Food? Who gives a sh… We have the tendency to talk about foreign foods and feel cultured and well informed.

    Or at least that HIS opinion.

    I liked the story. Seems like this fellow was in the right place, at the right time, and husbanded his money well. Good for him. My life has been one scramble after the other, with no time to take a breather.

    Americans have a lot of issues they need to sort out before they go elsewhere. One of which is the hooks and claws that “Uncle Sam” has in just about everything you do. And another thing is the bad Intel that you have. You are better off living under a mattress for the last forty years than listen to anything available off the internet.

    The Ugly American

    All of this reminds me of an old movie titled “The Ugly American”.

    An intelligent, articulate scholar, Harrison MacWhite, survives a hostile Senate confirmation hearing at the hands of conservatives to become ambassador to Sarkan. Sarkan is a southeast Asian country where civil war threatens a tense peace.

    Despite his knowledge, once he’s there, MacWhite sees only a dichotomy between the U.S. and Communism.

    He can’t accept that anti-American sentiment might be a longing for self-determination and nationalism.

    Imagine that!

    This 1963 MARLON BRANDO film ' The UGLY AMERICAN ' is an all too often overlooked effort from such a truly talented actor as was Mr. Brando. Relevant upon release 53 years ago, it is relevant today. The AIRPORT ARRIVAL scenes as Ambassador MacWhite speeds off in his 1957 Cadillac Fleetwood limousine are a CINEMATIC TRIUMPH alone ! 
    
    -Robert D.

    Over the years, the term “the ugly American” has come to describe a pompus know-it all attitude that is dismissive of others, and that basks in the tattered remains of American patriotism.

    The big problem with expatriation is the IRS. If you renounce your citizenship you are treated as though you have sold all your assets at fair market value, and must pay tax accordingly. If you don’t do that, you can simply live abroad and keep your US citizenship (and hopefully your new country allows dual citizenship). You will still have to file US tax returns and pay US taxes, although you will get a credit against it for any foreign taxes paid. 
    
    -Hapalong Cassidy

    I found this review of the movie enlightening.

    Viet Nam 1963

    Hum.

    Not nearly good enough.

    What is “it” with Americans?

    I’m an American. So what’s the deal, eh?

    America soon.

    Why do we want to leave the “home of the free”, and “the shining house on the hill”, where the entire world wants to move to? Are we stupid? Are we too full of ourselves?

    The U.S. government doesn’t formally track how many Americans leave the U.S. but the most recent estimate puts the figure at nearly nine million. This figure represents a doubling of the 1999 figure, placed at 4.1 million. The number of expats has more than doubled in the last fifteen years — a number growing faster than the rate of the U.S. population itself.

    Juan jwayne says:
    
    I live in Nicaragua/ Costa Rica. My $ goes much farther. The people are poor but happy,happier than Americans.You must have an income, me, union pension. My Atm card works here,so no worries.Takes a lil while to get used to it, different culture, but you’re easy going about things, it’ll work out. Good Luck

    So where are these American expats going? According to the Association of American Residents Overseas (AARO), US expats can be found in more than 160 countries:

    • 40% opt for the Western hemisphere — Canada, Central and South America.
    • 26% move to Europe.
    • 14% head to East Asia and the Pacific
    • 14% head to the Middle East.
    • 3% travel to Central or South Asia.
    • 3% choose Africa.

    Apparently, the most popular countries for expats of all nations to move to are:

    1. Ecuador
    2. Mexico
    3. Malta
    4. Singapore
    5. Luxembourg
    6. New Zealand
    7. Thailand
    8. Panama
    9. Canada
    10. Australia

    steinbergfeldwitzcohen says:
    I would think that a smart guy would have learned something about the culture of THAILAND before he went there! You can go to jail for being disrespectful to their Royals. 
    
    Never, ever show anger. 
    
    Never: it is disrespectful and shows weakness (an inability to control emotions or to be properly afraid of those with the power of life and death, ie. 3rd world cops). 
    
    In fact, treat every cop and govt official as a long missed uncle you deeply love and respect. If you do that you cannot lose in the game. 
    
    You could have walked out of that station in 1 hr or less by being respectful and calm, wishing to pay while indicating a recent family hardship of a medical nature or, even better, allude to a recent family death that you had to cover the funeral costs for as you are the eldest. 
    
    The cops and robbers would have settled for 50% and you would have left happy.

    I believe that you must live life on YOUR terms…

    Live life on your terms.

    Perhaps this Chick might give us some insight.

    Amanda Machado tells her story…

    After fifteen months of travel, I returned to the United States ready to give American life another try. After a few months at home with my family, I moved back to San Francisco, the city I lived and worked in before traveling. I started looking for a job, looking for apartments, looking for new friends. I felt eager to re-enter American society, and pick up somewhat where I left off.

    Within four months, I had changed my mind.

    After struggling with so many aspects of United States society and culture, I ended up finding a pretty great life in Cape Town, South Africa (along with a pretty great American boyfriend who had moved here years ago and found the same). I spent much of last year, hopping back and forth between the two countries, allowing me to distinctly see the differences between them. I moved here officially this past July.

    A new survey shows I’m not alone: according to a TransferWise national survey of over 2000 adults, around one in three Americans say they’d consider leaving the United States for another country.

    For us millennials, it’s even worse: 55% of America­ns between the ages of 18-34 say they’d consider it.

    What scares me most is that I won’t be able to enjoy life as I do here if I were to move back to the United States. Though life in South Africa comes with its own unique set of struggles, my life here in many ways became far easier than what I experienced in the States.

    Here’s how:

    1. I don’t have to worry about getting sick.

    In the Transferwise Survey, “more affordable healthcare” was the number one improvement respondents said would make living in the US more appealing.

    For years, the US has had the most expensive yet least effective healthcare system in the world. The recent drug price-hike scandal reminded us that unlike Canada, Australia, and many countries in Europe, our country does not regulate drug prices in the same way we regulate other basic needs, like water and electricity. Instead, we are the only developed nation that allows drug makers to set their own prices, regardless of whether average Americans can afford it.

    America today.

    As a freelancer, healthcare became one of my top priorities when deciding where to live. Individual plans in New York city can go up to a grand a month. And in my homestate of Florida, the limited access to affordable women’s health needs like pap smears, yearly gynocologist visits, and affordable birth control became a large part of why I left. Planned Parenthood was few and far between in Florida, and charged comparatively high rates after losing funding from the state government. The St. Petersburg Times reported that in 2001, presidential candidate Jeb Bush cut over $300,000 for family planning services through Planned Parenthood. The result? In 2014, an evaluation of health data found that Florida was tied with Oklahoma and Arkansas for the worst state for women’s health.

    2. “Work-life balance” actually seems possible.

    In the Transferwise survey, “a better quality of life” was the most popular reason people chose to consider leaving the country. It was top on my list too.

    I enjoy living in places that prioritize joy instead of only productivity.

    But in the US, the anxieties of professional life are almost cliche: People work more and get paid less. Corporate profits increase, while incomes stay stagnant.

    The New York Times has published pieces arguing that our work world is toxic and doesn’t even leave you time to be nice. We are one of only nine countries that don’t offer paid annual leave. And workers skip vacations because they’re afraid of the workload that will stack up while they’re gone, or because they fear taking vacations will make them look lazy. Meanwhile, American presidential candidates claim the problem is Americans aren’t working long and hard enough.

    Living outside of the United States, I saw that this didn’t have to be the norm. Other countries are far better at making work-life balance a reality.

    In South Africa, I saw people both engaging in meaningful work, and enjoying their weekends. I saw workers consider their loved ones and their overall well-being in their work decisions, without feeling guilty or selfish.

    And, I’ve seen people with the most opportunity for financial gain simply choose not to capitalize on it. My boyfriend once asked the owner of a coffee shop we often visited why she closed on Saturdays and Sundays, and so early during the week. He explained to her she could make a killing with brunches on Saturday.

    She shrugged her shoulders and told him she already knew that.

    But she said she’d rather be with her family on Saturdays than have to worry about work. Similarly, I’ve seen some wine bars close Friday at 10pm, at the time they’d perhaps be most profitable.

    I prefer this kind of prioritizing.

    3. As a person of color, being an “expat” instead of a “minority” is kind of relieving.

    Many articles have discussed how a person of color from the US can often receive more privileges abroad than in the United States.

    In his New York Times article “The Next Great Migration” Thomas Chatterton Williams describes the story of his friend who moved from New York to London:

    “He confessed, ‘The race situation back home occupies so much space in your mind, even just safety-wise, I actually never fully understood what it meant to be American, and all the advantages that come with it, until now…
    
    You immediately remove that affirmative action target from your back. 
    
    A work visa gives you the validation that you’re good at what you do.”

    In South Africa, I’ve had similar experiences. Instead of being the “affirmative action kid” I was often labeled at college, here my achievements are never tied to my racial background. People care far more about my US college degree and work experience than how I racially identify.

    And because my racial background doesn’t matter nearly as much, race no longer has to matter as much in my life.

    My primary identity in South Africa is “American” in a way it never was back in the States. After years of trying to figure out my how my Latino identity fits among my life, it’s kind of relieving for once to live in a place where frankly, no one gives a shit.

    4. My values as a global citizen are affirmed.

    Life in the United States is generally only about the United States. This is reflected in everything from American travel habits to American media to American curriculum in schools.

    But life in other countries is about the world.

    For example, Business Insider ran a story that illustrated the differences between US media and media internationally. They put side-to-side the cover stories for Time magazine’s US edition versus its editions abroad.

    One month, the cover in the US had the headline “Chore Wars”, while the rest of the world got “Travels Through Islam.” Another month, while the rest of the world had a front page story on rebellion in the Middle East, the US got “Why Anxiety is Good For You.”

    Statistics back up this apparent lack of interest in the rest of the world: a State of the Media survey found that in 2008, news agencies in the US devoted only 10.3% to foreign coverage.

    While watching the news in South Africa, I also noticed that how we present international coverage also makes a difference. When watching coverage of developments in Iraq and Syria, newscasters actually interviewed Iraqis and Syrians.

    I realized that this was perhaps the first time I had ever seen an Iraqi or Syrian civilian given substantial time on television to tell their story. In the US, though civilians from these areas were covered briefly in video footage, I never saw them personally asked for their opinion.

    In some ways you could argue that our media is just catering to what Americans truly want to know– which unfortunately, seems to be only about ourselves. People from the US generally don’t have an interest in what happens internationally.

    In 2013, The Daily Mail reported that in a survey of over 2,000 Americans, almost half of respondents who had never been abroad said that the only things worth seeing were in our own country. Almost a third answered that even if they had the money, they’d prefer to travel to local areas.

    I know I want to live in a place where citizens and institutions care about the world around them and have a natural curiosity for learning about others. Unfortunately, it seems more difficult to find that in the States.

    I’m not sure if I’ll live abroad forever, or if these four priorities will be my same priorities in the future. But for now, the US will have to put up a far better show to convince me it’s worth going “home.”

    The Alarmist says:
    
    When I was still military, in a so-called “friendly” country, one of my buddies decided our cab fare to town was too much … it was about $1 too much … BFD or Biloxi Fire Department, as we used to say … anyway, buddy decides to pay what he thinks is fair and walk away, so cabbie says, “No good… we go to police!” So buddy says, “Ok, we go to police.” I say, “You know the police beat people in this country, right?” and hand the cabbie the rest of the fare, figuring I was feeding one of his rugrats. When you are an American abroad, you have far fewer friends than you think, and they certainly don’t include the authorities … their and ours.

    America soon.

    So I am going to kind of throw some shit to America right now…

    6 Uncomfortable truths about life in the United States

    Found HERE. All the normal disclaimers apply.

    1. The only country that incarcerates a higher percentage of its population than the U.S. is North Korea.

    The International Centre for Prison Studies estimates that we have more than 2.2 million people behind bars, or around 716 people per 100,000 citizens, which is far higher than Russia, China, and Iran. To put this in even more perspective, the number per 100,000 citizens in European countries: 78 in Germany, 103 in France, and 99 in Italy. Even worse, 60% of U.S. prisoners are non-violent offenders. The numbers demonstrate how the United States contributes a completely disproportional amount of prisoners to the global environment: we are responsible for around 22% of the total amount of inmates in the world, even though we only account for 4.4% of the world population.

    2. Though we spend more money on health care than any other country in the world, our life expectancy in some areas of the South is lower than the life expectancy in Nicaragua, Algeria and Bangladesh.

    Though our life expectancy overall has improved (Americans live around eight years longer now than they did in 1970), our rate of improvement is far slower than other countries, and in some counties is on-par with countries far less developed than we are. We also rank last among rich countries in overall health performance, according to a 2014 survey by the Commonwealth Fund that looked at measures like equity of care and efficiency.

    This suggests that Americans overspend on technology, without achieving higher results. For example, Americans have the highest rate of MRI exams. And yet in Austria, where the MRI exam rate is around half of ours, the life expectancy is still two years longer than ours.

    We also rank low among developed nations for the amount of doctors we have: only 2.5 per 1,000 people (in 2005). In most of Europe, that number is far above three. In Cuba it was 6.7 in 2010. A 2015 report suggested that by 2025 our country would need between 46,000 and 90,000 more physicians than we have today.

    3. Out of all developed nations, we have the highest teen pregnancy rate.

    The Guttmacher Institute found that the pregnancy rate for American girls is 57 out of every 1,000 girls, far higher than most developed countries. Many argue that this derives from the failure of our abstinence-only education programs. The majority of European countries use comprehensive sex-ed. The result? A teen pregnancy rate of 5.3 per 1,000 in the Netherlands, 4.3 per 1,000 in Switzerland and 9.8 per 1,000 in Germany.

    4. Even though we account for 4.4% of the world’s population, we use 18% of the world’s energy.

    And …

    …one-third of the world’s paper and around a quarter of the world’s oil, coal and aluminum.

    5. We are the only developed country that still executes prisoners.

    111 UN member nations have expressed their agreement with a moratorium on the death penalty. And yet the US stands alone among developing countries in continuing the practice.

    We can’t argue that we’ve kept the death penalty because it works: several articles have shown how capital punishment in the U.S. has been significantly racist, economically costly, and ultimately inefffective in deterring future crime.

    6. We are one of only three nations in the world that does not guarantee paid maternal leave.

    Though 70 percent of children live in families where both adults work, the United States still has made little effort to provide paid maternal leave for American families.

    The small company we keep? Papua New Guinea and Swaziland.

    A 2010 survey found that 76 of registered voters supported some form of paid leave.

    Other studies also show that when maternity leaves are short and unpaid, immunization and health visit rates go down and infant mortality rates go up. An OECD study on nineteen countries from 1979 to 2003 also found that paid parental led to significantly greater productivity.


    So what is the point in all of this?

    Life is what you make of it.

    Do not live your life in fear.

    Just because you were born in the United States, and was raised as an American with all the baggage and advantages that comes with it, you can change the script.

    Forest Gump says that “life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get”. I argue that you can change the box.

    And who cares why?

    Really!

    If you want to be a hedonistic slime-ball or, a forever-back-packer, or settle down with a family somewhere else. It is no one else’s business. It’s only yours.

    So when I read the comments here, I see the arrogance of self-righteous American calling others out for doing things that they themselves are far too afraid to do.

    It is really quite simple, really.

    You migrate to where your happiness can manifest and become reality. That chick that I mentioned above was far happier in South Africa than in the States. And I am not doubting her. the things that matter to her are important. You just don’t brush them off to the side and call her a “coward” or a “traitor”. Do you?

    If you are happy were you are now, then stay there.

    I do miss many things about the United States, but for me personally it is literally a prison as a third-rate citizen.No matter what aspects that I miss, that I long for, and what fond memories that I have, I know that they are just that; memories.

    We have to look at what is important to us all, and use faith, prayer and affirmation campaigns to make it manifest.

    With a plan, backed up with action, understanding and wisdom, you will be able to manifest your desires

    May your life become the source for your greatest happiness.

    May your life become the source for your greatest happiness.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my index about Escape! (from America)

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    Why the Coronavirus narrative about vaccines resembles the science fiction movie Push

    All through our lives we have been told that “news” provides us with a “window to the world”, and that we need to keep abreast of the events of the day. The argument is that this is how we grow, learn and understand our place in society.

    This, now more than ever, is absolutely false.

    And as I have repeatedly tried to explain this to you all, you all still don’t FUCKING GET IT!

    (Sorry for being so brash and in your face, but Jeeze! Louise!)

    All, yes all and every, item of “news” that comes out of the United States is manipulative propaganda. That’s what it is, that’s all it is, and if you respond that you have something that you read from this alternative news source… I will have to shake my head in sadness and disbelief.

    There is no longer any free, independent “news” out of the United States today. It is all a very well-honed network of manipulation and deceit.

    This means ALL OF IT.

    Key Points

    Point One. All “news” manipulates.

    If you want to get a full perspective on something then you need to get a wide selection of information from many sources. And NO I DO NOT MEAN AMERICAN SOURCES. I mean international sources.

    This is key point Two.

    Oh, Mr. So-and-so wrote a "well researched" book on China. Great. 
    
    Did he write on his experiences inside of China?
    
    No. 
    
    Why not?
    
    He used many well documented sources.
    
    Well, what were his sources? 
    
    Oh! All American publications, written in English, by people who have never been to China regurgitating what they have read.

    And how is the opinion, of a person, who forms his opinions, by other opinionated people who know absolutely nothing about China going to improve your life?

    It isn’t.

    Instead, you should use that money and you buy a plane ticket and you look around yourself.

    That’s key point Three. See what is important with your own two eyes, using your ears, on the ground and touching things with your hands. Books and periodicals and articles are so deceptive these days that they are more of a hindrance to the truth than information.

    Now, the world has many many, MANY people pretending to be journalists.

    Thus, you have to take each and every “report” and “news article” cautiously (in America we call this “with a grain of salt“). You can read it as most articles are really nothing more than opinions, NOT reporting, and some of those opinions have some value.

    I think the most important key point is four. There is no longer any actual reporting inside of America today.

    Zero.

    Reporting of events in America has been replaced by carefully constructed narratives used to manipulate American citizens to follow herd behaviors.

    One of the most important things that we must understand is that America has constructed the most powerful and elaborate propaganda network in history.

    The American (levers of government) owns, through proxy, all of the major media, and all of the alternative media.

    Yes, please read that again.

    The American government owned Rush Limbaugh. The American government owns Free Republic. The American government supports GAB, the American government promotes Salon, the American government is the voice of the Huffington Post. The American government injects Zero Hedge. The American government controls the narratives on LinkedIN.

    Those beloved Conservatives, and those funny progressives are all tools for the government. ALL OF THEM.

    Thus key point five; actual events (and truths) are hidden from Americans.

    So what is the purpose of “news” manipulation?

    The actual purpose brings us to key Six. It is more than just a distraction. It’s a “snipe hunt”. The purpose of American news is to keep the American people ignorant.

    It is to keep Americans away from the truths.

    It is to keep Americans ignorant of the real situations.

    This is because if they realized what they were, they would be extremely angry; angry to a point of killing everyone on sight in rolling fits of rage.

    That’s why.

    SNIPE HUNT
    A snipe hunt is a type of practical joke or fool's errand, in existence in North America as early as the 1840s, in which an unsuspecting newcomer is duped into trying to catch a nonexistent animal called a snipe. Although snipe are an actual family of birds, a snipe hunt is a quest for an imaginary creature whose description varies.
    
    -Wikipedia
    

    Those of us “in the know” only have clarity on small tidbits of Intel. However, when we start linking up with others (such as through MM, here) who also have their information and we start putting the information together a very… very… VERY disturbing picture comes to light.

    Which is point Seven. The actual reality of how Americans are, the lives they live, and the operation of the government is so far distanced from that which is promoted by the media that it resembles something completely different.

    Indeed, the true reality of what America is really resembles the movie the Matrix where young Neo is exposed to the truth of what the world actually looks like.

    Central to the philosophical edge of The Matrix is the red and blue pill scene. Morpheus, a human awakened to mankind’s reality, offers the same enlightenment to Neo, who is still plugged into an illusion. Alas, the choice must be Neo’s alone and to this end, Morpheus presents him with a metaphorical choice between two brightly colored pills. Take the red variety, and Neo will be unplugged, finally capable of seeing the world for what it really is. Swallow the blue pill, however, and Neo will not only go back to his digital, make-believe existence, but he’ll also forget ever having questioned what is real and what could be a lie.

    Thus point eight. America is not a “shining city on the hill” with “democracy” and “freedom”, with a nation ruled by “justice”.

    America is instead, an [1] oligarchy-owned Corporatocracy.

    It is one that [2] operates as a military empire, and budgets it appropriately.

    America [3] treats it’s people as disposable debit-serfs for profit, with a million tiny “hands in the wallet” with thousands (no longer hundreds) of taxes, fees, rules, and requirements that siphon money away from the citizenry in every shape, and in every form.

    And America [4] engages on the international scene as a war-mongering bully, and is [5] presently a serious threat to the future of mankind.

    Like a cancer the sicknesses that the leadership has permitted to grow has festered until now, the cancer has metastasized.  America has become a dangerous monster that is thrashing around angerly, and trying to maintain it’s respect, it’s authority, and it’s world position. It cannot do that, and of which, it is quite dangerous.

    But we are not going to talk about that.

    Instead we are going to get back to the point that American “news” is a SNIPE HUNT of misdirection to keep Americans going around and around, and around, and around in circles.

    American “news” as a “snipe hunt”

    To illustrate how Americans are manipulated to go after “snipes” on a “snipe hunt” we will use the 2009 movie “Push” to illustrate this point.

    What is real and what is an illusion when someone else controls your eyes and your memories?

    Really.

    What if everything that you know is an artificial construct that you now believe and that the truth was erased and false memories were implanted in your brain? Could you tell the difference?

    I argue you cannot.

    And just like many Americans “had a bad experience with Huawei”, who never owned a Huawei phone…

    Who swear that they are never going “to use 5G”…

    And now “will not get their RNA vaccination”…

    … is no different than you remembering a brother that never existed.

    The movie “Push” 2009

    As that was one of the scenes in this movie. I am going to use this movie as the basis of discussion on the idea that other forces are so powerful that they can change what you think, what you believe, what you remember, and thus control how you act.

    Push 2009.

    This movie is sort of a “sleeper” movie about people with super-powers. But unlike that same-old nonsense about being bitten by radioactive spiders and the like, this one discusses …

    … how abilities are used by very evil people.

    First up. Push: Theatrical Trailer on INDB here.

    These days you can't throw a half-brick in the air without it landing on someone who can fly, or was bitten by a radioactive spider (and that's assuming that the 'half-brick' in question doesn't GIVE the person it lands on the power to fly or climb walls!). 
    
    However, back in 2009, superhero movies (or those generally showing young, good-looking people with superpowers) weren't quite always guaranteed to make as much money as today's average Marvel Cinematic Universe film. 
    
    Therefore, 'Push' sort of flew below radar at the time. 
    
    I'd like to say that it's achieved a 'cult following' over time and it's a bit more of a 'sleeper hit,' however, it seems to have been completely forgotten. And, in my opinion, that's a shame - I really enjoyed it!
    
    -bowmanblue

    The movie start out with a narrator describing how those with “abilities” have been involved with the US government since 1945.

    These abilities are various flavors of telekinetic powers. Some can push thoughts into other people’s brains, others can see into the future, and some can kill others by thoughts alone.

    Two of the people with these special “abilities” or “powers”, are known as “movers”.

    Movers
    Movers are powerful telekinetics who are trained to identify the specific atomic frequency of a given material and alter the gravitational field around it, usually causing the nearby air to appear warped. 
    
    This allows them to move both animate and inanimate objects. 
    
    Advanced Movers can work at the molecular level, creating protective force fields in the air around them or to reinforce punches and other strikes to make them stronger.

    A “mover” can move things with their mind.

    Two “Movers”, Nick Gant and his father, are on the run from the “Division”. Which is a waved, unacknowledged special access program in the United States government W(U)-SAP.

    Realizing that escape is impossible, Nick’s father tells him of a vision he received from a “Watcher”.

    Watchers
    Watchers have the ability to foresee the future to varying degrees. 
    
    As knowledge of the future invariably causes that future to change, Watchers' visions of the future in their direct sphere of influence are subject to frequent shifting.
    
    This is another type of person who's telekinetic powers involve the power to see the future.
    
    This, in this case, a girl will give him a flower and he is to do whatever she says in order to "save us all."

    A “watcher” can see into the future.

    Nick’s father throws Nick into an air vent as Agent Henry Carver of the Division arrives. Nick sees his father get killed before escaping.

    A decade later, the American Division tests an augmentation drug on a “Pusher”, named Kira.

    Pushers
    Pushers have the ability to implant memories, thoughts and emotions into the minds of other people in order to manipulate them. 
    
    The skill level of the Pusher determines how many people the Pusher is able to control at one time, and how vivid the implanted memories are. 
    
    A powerful Pusher can push a large group of people at the same time, basically creating a personal army. 
    
    A Pusher is able to make a person do anything the Pusher desires, even commit suicide. 
    
    A Pusher's eyes indicate how powerful they are: their pupils will dilate to certain degrees depending on how powerful the push is (for example, Henry Carver's eyes are rendered completely black, signifying that he is an extremely able and effective Pusher).

    A “pusher” can put thoughts in your head, and change your memories.

    This drug either kills the host or greatly increases their powers exponentially.

    The test works after many tries.

    Rendering the doctor unconscious, Kira steals his security clearance card and an augmentation drug-filled syringe and escapes.

    In Hong Kong, Nick (now older as a young man) is hiding from the Division as an expatriate.

    He attempts to use his ability to make a living, but his poor skills at “moving” at a dice game leave him indebted to a local Triad. Which for you all who do not know, is the name of a Chinese criminal organization.

    This particular Triad is controlled by “Bleeders”, bred by the now-defunct Chinese Division.

    In the movie, the Chinese tried to make their own version of the American “division” but failed. The remnants were either absorbed by the American organization or went “underground” and became criminal syndicates.

    Bleeder
    Bleeders have the ability to emit high-pitched sonic vibrations that cause ruptures in a target's blood vessels. 
    
    While using this ability, their eyes turn into slits because of synthetic materials implanted in them to protect the blood vessels from the effects of their own ability. 
    
    They are also sometimes known as Joe Mama.

    Bleeders can kill you.

    A young girl named Cassie Holmes arrives at Nick’s apartment.

    She explains to him that she is a “Watcher”.

    Watchers
    Watchers have the ability to foresee the future to varying degrees. 
    
    As knowledge of the future invariably causes that future to change, Watchers' visions of the future in their direct sphere of influence are subject to frequent shifting.

    She further explains that they are going to find a case containing 6 million dollars. But shortly afterwards, they are attacked by Triad Bleeders but escape.

    All of the reviews I've read of this movie have savaged it and, personally, I didn't think it was nearly bad as bad as all that. 
    
    There were some interesting characters (the guy they enlist to help them hide themselves from the bad guys comes to mind here), and it put a new and interesting spin on the whole "people with super powers" genre. 
    
    BUT...what really makes me love this film is the depictions of Hong Kong. 
    
    See, I have been living in Hong Kong for almost 5 years now and I've told all my friends and family that if they want to get a good look at the many sides of the city (other than the touristy facade is typically presented), watch this movie. 
    
    The film makers really did a great job of capturing what it's like to wander around Hong Kong, and the cinematography is like eye candy. 
    
    -srvblooze

    Problems arise.

    And Nick is nearly killed by the Triads. To recover, Cassie uses the help of a “stitch” to heal him.

    Stitch
    Stitches are psychic surgeons trained to quickly reconstruct cells to their previous or healthy state. 
    
    Using only their hands, they can heal and even "unheal" whatever they have done. For more detailed work, Stitches use a silver based cream on their hands which acts as a conductor for their ability.

    Once healed up, Nick and Cassie go to a nightclub on a hint from Cassie’s predictions.

    Nick sees an old friend, “Hook” Waters, who happens to be a “Shifter”.

    Shifters
    Shifters can temporarily alter the appearance of an object by manipulating the patterns of light interacting with it. 
    
    Once the illusion is established, it remains with the object for a short period of time. 
    
    For example, a Shifter could touch a one dollar bill and alter it to appear as a one hundred dollar bill until the effect expires. 
    
    The object shifted must have roughly the same dimensions as the object it is shifted into. The length of time that the effect will last is based on the Shifter's experience and ability.

    Shifters can temporarily alter the appearance of an object by manipulating the patterns of light interacting with it.

    The shifter uses his abilities to make a replica of the clue in Cassie’s drawing and tells them to go to Emily Hu, a highly skilled “Sniffer” who can help them find Kira.

    Sniffer
    Sniffs are highly developed psychometrics who can track the location of people or objects over varying distances. 
    
    Like bloodhounds, their ability is increased if they have tactile access to an object that has been in direct contact with the subject. 
    
    Sniffs receive information in the form of images, which is why identifiable landmarks help increase their effectiveness.

    Nick and Cassie find Kira, who once had a romantic relationship with Nick.

    They recruit a “Shadow” named “Pinky” Stein to hide Kira from the “Sniffers”.

    Shadows
    Shadows are trained to block the vision of other clairvoyants such as Sniffs, making any subject within their target radius appear "dark". 
    
    Experience will enhance the size of the area they can shadow and the intensity of their shielding effect. 
    
    Shadows need to be awake to manifest their ability, so it is common for a detail of two Shadows to operate in shifts while protecting a person or object for extended periods. 
    
    Most Shadows are effective only against Sniffs, but some extremely powerful Shadows are able to block even Watchers.

    Cassie finds the key to a locker in which Kira hid a valuable case.

    With the aid of Cassie’s visions, they piece together the events that led them to meet; Cassie’s mother used her visions to set a complex plan in motion that will destroy Division.

    The plan to thwart the American Government

    Nick comes up with a plan that involves seven envelopes in which he places instructions; each person in the group is entrusted with one red envelope, and none are to be opened until the right time.

    Thus no one knows the content in the envelopes. That way, no one knows the plan except the person who made the envelopes.

    While Kira and Pinky leave in a taxi, Nick and Cassie share a goodbye. Cassie tells him to “take an umbrella, it’s going to rain”, he replies with “you be careful too”.

    Nick uses a “Wiper” to erase his memories of the plan, ensuring that Watchers from both Division and the Triads will no longer be able to interfere.

    Wiper
    Wipers are skilled at either temporarily or permanently erasing memory, an invaluable asset in espionage. 
    
    Experience will dictate the accuracy of their wipes, though there is always the danger that they will eliminate a desired memory.

    Wipers are skilled at either temporarily or permanently erasing memory, an invaluable asset in espionage.

    Hook retrieves the case (which does not have 6 million dollars, but instead has the syringe Kira stole) and brings it back to Cassie.

    He shifts another case to match the case with the syringe.

    Cassie takes the shifted case to Nick’s apartment and waits.

    Nick regains consciousness: he has no memory of the envelopes or his plan.

    He opens his envelope, which tells him to return home.

    He finds the case in his room but Carver introduces himself to Kira as a friend, stating that her memories are false; she is a Division agent who volunteered to take the augmentation injection and suffered amnesia as a side-effect.

    Agent Carver is the All-Powerful, all-controlling United States government.

    Carver shows Kira her badge.

    She believes him, because (after all) her memories and all the events confirm this narrative.

    Nick goes to retrieve the augmentation drug and confronts Carver and Kira.

    Carver tells Kira and Nick that the relationship they believe they had never happened and a special evening together at Coney Island was a “push” memory.

    Kira reveals she has been using Nick the entire time and Nick takes the three to the building which contain the lockers and the case.

    They are ambushed by the Triads.

    In the midst of the fight, Carver injures Nick.

    Nick grabs the case and jams the syringe into his arm, which “kills” him.  This is because, after all, the injection is fatal to over 90% of the people so injected.

    After the fights ends, Nick wakes up. He wasn’t killed.

    Cassie appears with an umbrella and smiles at him, “I told you it was going to rain” she tells him, revealing that it was part of the plan.

    Cassie retrieves the true case, revealing that Nick injected himself with soy sauce, as they planned.

    Asked whether they will see Kira again, Cassie tells Nick that they will see “little miss trouble-maker soon enough”.

    “Little miss trouble-maker”, a watcher for the Triad.

    Flying back to America with a sleeping Agent Carver, Kira opens her purse, finding her red envelope.

    She remembers Nick telling her to open it when “she started doubting the truth” and opens it.

    She finds a photograph of herself and Nick, obviously in a relationship, at Coney Island and a message that says “Kill him, See you soon!”.

    Kira “pushes” Carver, commanding him to put his gun in his mouth and pull the trigger.

    The screen fades to black, followed by the sound of a gun shot.

    Push is also, as I said, greatly artistical. 
    
    It has a lot of fantastic colors and utilizes lighting very well, it's set in very beautiful environments, and there are a lot of other great cinematic techniques being used. 
    
    I especially like the choice of soundtrack in this movie. 
    
    It reminds me a lot of the way they choose to use music in The Dark Knight. Instead of some really catchy, noticeable soundtrack there's been a very diligent work done with a subtle yet powerful soundtrack that emerges only when necessary and gives an indescribable force to the movie. 
    
    All in all, Push is a quite non-mainstream, entertaining, good movie worth watching. 
    
    -that-wierd-guy

    Conclusion

    For you to really understand what is going on in this reality, that you inhabit, you need to understand that (just like in the movie “Push”) that there are very powerful forces that want to control your mind. If they cannot have you, control you or profit from you, then they will kill you.

    Just like in the movie.

    They have unlimited resources, buckets of money, skilled and talented assistants, and experts in abilities equal or better than the best you can cobble together.

    Just like in the movie.

    They control what everyone around you does, plans, thinks, behaves and acts upon.

    Just like in the movie.

    And they are convinced at how everything will work out. They believe that they will be successful stamping out what tiny inconsequential opposition that still remains to their idea of a global utopia.

    Just like in the movie.

    But, like the movie, you need to realize that there are ways for you to counter their efforts and avoid becoming one of the mindless zombies that they control. And all of these techniques are spelled out in the movie.

    [1] Look at what is NOT being presented as “news”.

    For the origin of the Coronavirus, all the discussions boil down to two narratives, and only two narratives.
    
    The Coronavirus is either a natural pandemic or a Chinese bio-weapon. Nothing else.
    
    There is absolutely ZERO coverage on the idea that it was all part of the Donald Trump "hybrid war" against China and that John Bolton was the man in charge of the United States Bio-weapon program.
    
    Which is amazing as that theory is the only one where ALL of the puzzle pieces come together.

    [2] If the subject is being presented in a thousand different ways and details, then you are GUARANTEED that it is a United States government narrative. It is not independent and unique. It’s just another color of “Soylant Green”.

    Notice that the same narrative is not present in other international publications. Of those, only the ones associated with the "five eyes" intelligence organizations will have similar articles. With some "bleed over" into the EU.

    [3] You have to control your memories, as to what is real and what is not, to be fully independent.

    We have all be preconditioned to act like Pavlov's Dog. We instinctively behave in certain ways reactively without thinking. 
    
    All the time we believe what was taught to us as being correct. 
    
    But that is false. Very few things that you accept as truth are really factual. They are all erroneous programming.

    So you all are concerned about vaccinations. You are worried about the implications of “passports” and RNA, and unproven issues, and all this against a virus that is promoted as being nothing special nor dangerous. And I am telling you that all the “news” is bullshit. All of it.

    The truth is hidden from you.

    The dangers to you and your family are real, but NOT  what is being described. The American RNA vaccinations are adaptable. They have abilities to adapt to a wide spectrum of viruses and biological weapons.

    …a wide spectrum of biological weapons.

    And it is critical that people be vaccinated right NOW.

    So please ignore all the noise. Be careful and judicious in the selection of the vaccine that you take, and realize that the West has opted for a very unlikely candidate to fight an apparently “harmless” virus.

    That makes my, and all of my hidden friends*, hair stand on end.

    "Hidden friends" and idiom that refers to non-public MM members who have prior experience in American Black Programs and who understandably do not want any public association with MM, but communicate with me through back channels.

    I do not trust anything out of America. But that is just me.

    The Sinopham vaccine is based on long-duration, tried and proven technology, but is limited to the Coronavirus.

    The American vaccines seem to have a for-profit motive, does involve unproven technology, and is  adaptable (with some other injection boosters) to be able to  combat a spectrum of other viruses. All this points to the construction of a new type of vaccination market that would require boosters from everything from the common cold to smallpox.

    …with some additional boosters (at a price)…

    …with annual or semi-annual inoculations (also at a price)…

    …can enable the human host to combat new viruses…

    …that can vary from the common cold to Smallpox.

    The evil American empire has some nefarious plans ahead. I do not know what they are. But I do know that discussion of this, and what the plans could be are functionally being omitted or steered away from the public dialog.

    If you read about it in the “news”…

    …then you are being misdirected.

    Any questions, please query in the comments.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Russia and China have both warned the United States; Playtime is over

    Of course, I have covered the insane level of disinformation, lies, and distortions that are spewed from the American media. I have discussed why and how this has come about, and have provided  quite an excessive number of examples. But what this article is about is what is NOT being reported.

    If you would tell an American that they are ignorant of the “news” they would laugh in your face. They would respond that that idea is absurd. With the millions of articles being pumped out hourly from the vast American media, in all of it’s forms, of course Americans are “well informed”.

    But nope. Americans are not.

    Americans are subject to a fire-hose of outright lies, intentional distortions, eye-catching gossip, nonessential tidbits, and fear mongering. It is amazing in it’s size, scope, intensity and diversity.

    If you exist within the by now almost hermetically sealed-off mindscape of Western mainstream media, and if you also happen to like knowing the truth, then life must seem increasingly unfair to you—because you can’t win.
    
    For decades now the modus operandi has been as follows. Regardless of which party has the majority in Congress or controls the presidency, the same unchanging national (and increasingly transnational) elite ensconced in Washington sets the agenda and pushes it through using any means necessary, whether legal, illegal or blatantly criminal (increasingly the latter as national bankruptcy looms and desperation sets in).
    
    Their operatives make sure that there is no real investigation of what happened. All Western media reports that contradict the official mendacious narrative are quashed. Any independent efforts to investigate and to find out the truth are denigrated as “conspiracy theories”—a derogatory term coined by the CIA for exactly this purpose.
    
    Any non-Western media sources that dare to contradict the official mendacious narrative are ignored, subjected to ad hominem attacks and all manner of false allegations and, if all else fails, banned outright (as is currently happening with the satellite TV channel Russia Today).

    But do not be under the impression and “real and actual news” is somehow caught up in this flood of articles. The good stuff are all culled away before Americans ever get near the truth. Americans never see the REAL news.

    Some recent examples of “withheld news” include…

    • The use of drones to spray swine flu over Chinese pig farms.
    • The content of John Bolton’s meetings when he was the head of the American military bio-weapons office.
    • The Chinese complaint about American involvement of COVID-19 to the UN.

    And those are just right at the top of my head.

    If you read foreign news, you will be well aware of these events, but Americans… nope. they would rather read other things.

    Pretty pathetic, I’ll tell you what.

    This particular article is going to concentrate on the public messages that both Putin and Xi Peng have been making to the United States. They are not being (accurately) reported at all.

    Any reports are of the content style of “Foreign clownish national leader says something insulting to America. They are just jealous.” And the same yada, yada, yada that you can expect from the Alt-Right and the American mainstream press.

    If we swallow the official lies we are being told, knowing full well that they are lies, then we feel like fools. 
    
    If we refuse to swallow them, then we either have to accept some alternative interpretation...
    
    ... or narrative as real in spite of lacking all the facts we need to prove the case...
    
    ...because nobody is going to give them to us—and risk ostracism and marginalization...
    
    ... or we have to take an agnostic stance and declare that while we are not privy to the truth.
    
    We know enough to declare that the official story is a tissue of lies. 
    
    The first two of these are both clearly losing moves while the last is a refusal to play and therefore a forfeit; thus, all three are defeats.
    
    There are no winning moves here.
    
    But it’s even worse than that; not only do we lack a winning strategy, but we also happen to be on a losing team that doesn’t know how to play and loves to be played.

    If Americans would read what I am presenting here, maybe they would start placing calls to their Congressmen representatives urging them to tone-down the belligerent aggressive war-drums.

    Ai.

    Take the example of the ill-fated US invasion of Iraq: 4,801 servicemen dead, 1,455,590 dead Iraqis, a once prosperous country destroyed and turned into a terrorist playground with a weak central government that is aligned with Iran, buying weapons from Russia and increasingly hostile toward the US.
    
    The war was sold to the public in the US using a technique called “proof by juxtaposition” which works like this: keep showing a picture of Bob next to a giant pile of corpses and eventually everyone comes to believe that Bob is a mass murderer, never mind the fact that Bob only killed maybe half a dozen people, and all but one in self-defense or by accident.
    
    This is what was done with Saddam Hussein (who, by the way, was Osama bin Laden’s arch-enemy, who, in turn, had worked for the CIA). By 2003 70% of Americans had been made to believe that Saddam Hussein was responsible for the destruction of the World Trade Center.
    
    “Proof by juxtaposition” works well for the TV-addled zombies in the US, but for the rest of the world, as represented by the UN Security Council, a stronger tissue of lies had to be woven—using forged “intelligence” of Iraqi “weapons of mass destruction.” The world blinked and either voted for or failed to veto the resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq.
    
    The putative weapons were never found and the intelligence that was used to convince the world of their existence turned out to have been fabricated.

    But since the American people (the “sheeple”) are so dumbed down and are unaware of what is going on, no one is sending up messages to Washington, and so they all believe what they want to believe.

    “Foreign clownish national leader says something insulting to America. They are just jealous.”

    First up is an article about what Putin had to say to America and it’s “allies”…

    Putin to Western Elites: Playtime is Over

    An excellent blogger about Russia distills Putin’s Sochi speech into 10 simple points

    Dmitry Orlov Thu, Mar 17 2016 .A longer version of this article originally appeared at the ClubOrlov blog. All credit to the author.

    Most people in the English-speaking parts of the world missed Putin’s speech at the Valdai conference in Sochi a few years ago, and, chances are, those who have heard of the speech didn’t get a chance to read it, and missed its importance.

    Western media did their best to ignore it or to twist its meaning. Regardless of what you think or don’t think of Putin (like the sun and the moon, he does not exist for you to cultivate an opinion) this is probably the most important political speech since Churchill’s “Iron Curtain” speech of March 5, 1946.

    In this speech, Putin abruptly changed the rules of the game. Previously, the game of international politics was played as follows: politicians made public pronouncements, for the sake of maintaining a pleasant fiction of national sovereignty, but they were strictly for show and had nothing to do with the substance of international politics; in the meantime, they engaged in secret back-room negotiations, in which the actual deals were hammered out.

    Previously, Putin tried to play this game, expecting only that Russia be treated as an equal. But these hopes have been dashed, and at this conference he declared the game to be over, explicitly violating Western taboo by speaking directly to the people over the heads of elite clans and political leaders.

    Here’s what he said…

    1. The games are OVER.

    Russia will no longer play games and engage in back-room negotiations over trifles. But Russia is prepared for serious conversations and agreements, if these are conducive to collective security, are based on fairness and take into account the interests of each side.

    2. America cannot guarantee anything. 

    All systems of global collective security now lie in ruins. There are no longer any international security guarantees at all. And the entity that destroyed them has a name: The United States of America.

    3. There is no New World Order as envisioned by America.

    The builders of the New World Order have failed, having built a sand castle. Whether or not a new world order of any sort is to be built is not just Russia's decision, but it is a decision that will not be made without Russia.

    The UN failed.

    The NWO failed.

    And so America launched the “Rules Based Order”, and it is…

    …failing.

    4. Russia prefers cautious and careful diplomacy.

    Russia favors a conservative approach to introducing innovations into the social order, but is not opposed to investigating and discussing such innovations, to see if introducing any of them might be justified.

    5. Russia will not play any games that America has created.

    Russia has no intention of going fishing in the murky waters created by America's ever-expanding “empire of chaos,” and has no interest in building a new empire of her own (this is unnecessary; Russia's challenges lie in developing her already vast territory). Neither is Russia willing to act as a savior of the world, as she had in the past.

    6. Russia does not want to lead the world.

    Russia will not attempt to reformat the world in her own image, but neither will she allow anyone to reformat her in their image. Russia will not close herself off from the world, but anyone who tries to close her off from the world will be sure to reap a whirlwind.

    And neither does China.

    Which, of course, runs contrary to the K-street narrative out of Washington DC.

    7. Russia does not want war, but sees America eyeing it as the next world war.

    Russia does not wish for the chaos to spread, does not want war, and has no intention of starting one. However, today Russia sees the outbreak of global war as almost inevitable, is prepared for it, and is continuing to prepare for it. Russia does not war—nor does she fear it.

    8. Russia will not interfere in the goals and objectives of other nations, just leave it alone.

    Russia does not intend to take an active role in thwarting those who are still attempting to construct their New World Order—until their efforts start to impinge on Russia's key interests. Russia would prefer to stand by and watch them give themselves as many lumps as their poor heads can take. But those who manage to drag Russia into this process, through disregard for her interestswill be taught the true meaning of pain.

    This is what China is doing as well. It’s a big night and day comparison to what the Untied Sates and it’s “allies” are doing.

    9. Russia is about Russians. Nothing else.

    In her external, and, even more so, internal politics, Russia's power will rely not on the elites and their back-room dealing, but on the will of the people.

    Yes., And China is for the Chinese.

    To these nine points I would like to add a tenth:

    10. There can be no unilateral action.

    There is still a chance to construct a new world order that will avoid a world war. This new world order must of necessity include the United States—but can only do so on the same terms as everyone else: subject to international law and international agreements; refraining from all unilateral action; in full respect of the sovereignty of other nations.

    To sum it all up: play-time is over. Children, put away your toys. Now is the time for the adults to make decisions. Russia is ready for this; is the world?

    But Americans just don’t “get it”

    They are living in some kind of stupid haze, or just morons, or perhaps they have never seen the pain and suffering and despair that war brings. Maybe they view war as something that is done far away and that doesn’t affect them. they don’t see that when Putin and Xi Peng are making these statements that they are not talking about Russians and Chinese dying. They are talking about American dying in mass.

    They just don’t “get it”.

    So here is another article. This one is about the absolute frustration that Putin has with the fucking morons that run the West.

    Putin LOSES IT, Warns Journalists of War: ‘I Don’t Know How to Get Through to You People’

    ‘How do you not understand that the world is being pulled in an irreversible direction?’

    Enrico Braun Wed, Jul 6 2016 | 320 words 238,361 Comments This post first appeared on Russia Insider.

    Vladimir Putin has finally taken the kid gloves off.

    The Russian president was meeting with foreign journalists at the conclusion of the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 17th, 2016 when he left no one in any doubt that the world is headed down a course which could lead to nuclear war.

    This was in 2016, right before Trump was elected President of the United States.

    Putin railed against the journalists for their “tall tales” in blindly repeating lies and misinformation provided to them by the United States on its anti-ballistic missile systems being constructed in Eastern Europe. He pointed out that since the Iran nuclear deal, the claim the system is to protect against Iranian missiles has been exposed as a lie.

    The journalists were informed that within a few years, Russia predicted the US would be able to extend the range of the system to 1000 km. At that point, Russia’s nuclear potential, and thus the nuclear balance between the US and Russia, would be placed in jeopardy.

    Putin completely lost patience with the journalists, berating them for lazily helping to accelerate a nuclear confrontation by repeating US propaganda.

    He virtually pleaded with the western media, for the sake of the world, to change their line:

    We know year by year what's going to happen, and they know that we know. It's only you that they tell tall tales to, and you buy it, and spread it to the citizens of your countries. 
    
    You people in turn do not feel a sense of the impending danger - this is what worries me. 
    
    How do you not understand that the world is being pulled in an irreversible direction? 
    
    While they pretend that nothing is going on. 
    
    I don't know how to get through to you anymore.

    Does anyone in the reeking garbage heap that is the Western mainstream western media have a conscience? Do they even have enough intellect to get what Putin is saying – that they are helping to push the planet towards World War III?

    That all was five years ago.

    What about today?

    Quite a bit has happened since Putin laid the line down with the West, and they repeatedly ignored his warnings. But you see trump started to focus on China instead, and that gave Russia a “breather” .

    Of course the world has been turned upside down and no there is not a person alive who thinks that 2016 was an unstable time compared to the Biden / Trump years.

    What has happened since then is a sequence of war events that were not reported in the Western press. And taken as a whole we can easily see what actually has transpired. And knowing this, and the results of the March 2021 Anchorage Alaska meeting, we know that after that meeting a significant shift occurred in Geo-political relations.

    • America told the world to accept it as their overlord or expect to be destroyed.
    • Russia, China and Iran formed a massive joint defense and economic block. Then laid out precise lines; “Red Lines” that will trigger World War III.

    And sure, most certainly, the ambassadors have been quite clear on this.

    And while I can well relate the various warnings over and over, and over to the moronic idiots who run Washington DC, let’s just keep things simple.

    The stage has been set. Both China, and Russia are not going to pretend that America (and it’s cronies) are anything other than despotic-ruled military empire desirous of world conquest, and they WILL retaliate against the United States in a very substantive and spectacular way.

    You all might as well ignore the “news”. None of this is being reported, and if you rely on the “news” for Intel, one day you will wake up in a reality that might not be to your liking.

    No one is buying the mainstream media, or the same-old dialog any longer. It’s a new day. it’s a new beginning, and the old is sinking into the waters aflame. The only ones unable to see this are the rats scrambling on the deck of the collapsing ship.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    How to read and understand world-line template maps as a visual depiction of the MWI

    This article discusses “mapping the MWI”. It looks at how it works and how to visualize the multiverse full of a near infinite number of world-lines.

    There are many, many variables and world-lines involved that our consciousness experiences and uses to achieve it’s goals and desires. And truly it tends to become mind-boggling trying to sort things out to go from location “A” to location “B”. The easiest way to get around this is to use a map or a device that will enable us to visualize how best to get to our destination.

    In my DIY Dimensional Portal Index, I suggest that you take experimental measurements as a function of geography, gravity, and time, and plot the coordinates out in such a way as to develop a mantle-bot set. Then use that as an indicator of where you are and what settings you can change to alter your reality.

    When John Titor discussed his vehicular dimensional warping vehicle (found in my John Titor Index) he discussed using sensors to measure gravity displacement. And in that way his ability to travel was locked and limited by the technology that he used.

    Well, here we are going to discuss using (or creating) a visualization topographical map for personal prayer affirmation campaigns. These maps are conceptional and do not require you to collect reams and sets of data to map out. Only to use them to help visualize what you are doing, where you are going and what is going on.

    The Map

    To best map the MWI it would “float” within a three dimensional framework.

    As such, it might look something a little like this. With the positions of the world-lines geographically positioned relatively to the pathways as a function of the intrinsic value of the particular world-line.

    The path that consciousness takes might be just as well placed on a map of sorts. THis map might show nodes and paths where the consciousness might migrate depending on thought manifestation, generation and progression.
    .
    The path that consciousness takes might be just as well placed on a map of sorts. This map might show nodes and paths where the consciousness might migrate depending on thought manifestation, generation and progression.
    .

    However, it would not look so much like a cluster of grapes, or bubbles on a foamy sea of bath water. No.

    Topographical 3D Map

    It turns out that the highest probability pathway forms a kind of sheet or flat surface when plotted in the three dimensions.
    
    If you end up plotting everything, you can't make out heads or tails of the map. It's just this one big mess. But, if you plot the pathways that have the greatest probability of travel, it simplifies immensely.

    Instead of a cluster of grapes, it would look a little like a mesh or a grid. With the points being world-lines, and the lines connecting the points as the shortest distance to that world-line.

    Now, if you take a step away from this “map” of “world-lines” and their lines of “high-probability” consciousness transfer it might start looking a little like this.

    Where you would see a “surface” of “highest probability” pathways, with the relative ease of travel and the strength of character needed to traverse affecting the heights and valleys of the apparent surface.

    How the world-lines with consciousness migration paths migh look when a person takes a larger overview. You will see that the map is not a flat surface, but rather undulates. It forms hills, valleys and "mountains". This surface is the "geography" of the world-line transition map. Each posible destination world-line would have a different value of "potential". Which is a potential for the consciousness to move towards it and occupy it.
    .
    How the world-lines with consciousness migration paths might look when a person takes a larger overview. You will see that the map is not a flat surface, but rather undulates.
    .
    It forms hills, valleys and “mountains”. This surface is the “geography” of the world-line transition map. Each possible destination world-line would have a different value of “potential”. Which is a potential for the consciousness to move towards it and occupy it.

    What the geometry of the map means

    To really use map to a point of functionality, we need to actually study it’s attributes..

    The “surface” that this map forms is the HIGHEST PROBABILITY of consciousness movement from one world-line node to another.

    If the individual just goes along with life, and does a minimum of effort, the path on the world-line template map would look like this. He / she would follow the topographical surface of the map. There would be “easy periods” of life when he / she is going “downhill”, and rough or difficult times when they are going “up hill”.
    • Going above the surface indicates a strength of will over the combined strength of inertia of a given world-line. The individual can apply themselves, and exert thought, planning, determination and “grit” to achieve their objectives. When this happens, they are no longer following the “easy path”, but has instead “cut a path” for themselves to follow.

    Going above the surface on a mapped world-line template shows the necessary strength of will needed to overcome hardship and discomfort to achieve objectives.

    • Going below the surface indicates a weak strength of will and a consciousness being overwhelmed by the inherent inertia of a given world-line. But sometimes the inertia of the situation that surrounds you is too strong and too powerful. It can “pull you under” and overwhelm you.

    The geometry of the MWI template topography is the baseline default that most people follow. However, situations can occur, such as illness, or society that can “pull the person under” and overwhelm the person so that they are no longer following the topographical terrain.

    Additionally…

    I am using the “right hand convention” which is arbitrary. If you are “left handed” then you can reverse this convention. This is a visualization technique that relies on the relative comfort that a person, or consciousness feels when they generate thoughts and make decisions.

    • Moving to the left upon the mapped surface indicates more freedom of movement upon a given world-line reality. You can control your life on a day to day basis. And in general, the decisions that you will make will be a function of the needs and situations associated with your physical body.

    • Moving to the right upon the mapped surface indicates less freedom of movement upon a given world-line reality. Conversely, moving to the right will hamper your ability to move and will become progressively more difficult over time.

    Moving to the right will tend to generate a more difficult path on the template for you to follow.

    Conclusions

    There is much that can be said about aspects to these conceptualization maps. Such as how does a slide manifest, and maybe even the idea that you can get off the topological surface. But these maps are visualization aids. No more and no less. Some people don’t need them. But I do.

    And other things come into play as well. Such as the idea that the topographical surface isn’t solid like a piece of paper, but rather buoyant like the surface of water. (Which is a very important concept, by the way.) and other things such as why left and right navigation and all the rest.

    You need to keep in mind that this is a visualization methodology that you can use within your templates to help navigate the MWI to meet your affirmation prayer campaign goals.

    Some examples;

    When traveling on my MWI world-line map, I am never overwhelmed and "pulled under" the topography. Instead I avoid those crisis situations well in advance.

    Or,

    I meter my life-line path over the "hills and valleys" of the topographical world-line template in such as way that I have a minimum of physical distress when I navigate to my objectives.

    Phew! So wordy. But you all do understand what the affirmation is saying, and that understanding is a generated thought, and thus a navigation criteria on the MWI.

    My Video of the day

    I am trying to include a video with each post that I make. This is just a little video of what it is like for me here in China. For those of you who have never visited China you will be surprised as it doesn’t even remotely resemble anything that the “news” says it is.

    The “news” is dangerous. Don’t believe any of it.

    Overall, most people enjoy this little window into the MM life and lifestyle. And you can turn off the audio is you don’t want to hear my opinions. My latest video was taken last night. I hope you like it. HERE. 131MB. Nice beach bar with some tender music, and fine deep, dark shady shadows.

    I also have another one HERE. 166MB. It shows a children’s “rope course”, which of course are banned in the Untied States as too dangerous.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Affirmation prayer Campaign Index here…

    Intention Campaigns

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
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    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

     

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    What the heck is going on inside of America?

    I am not in America. I live in China, and I am getting these occasional “feelings” that indeed something was wrong. Something inside of America is seriously wrong.

    Not “wrong” as in… The Fourth Turning is in process.

    Not wrong as in “get your SHTF” preps in order.

    Not wrong as in “Uh oh, the USA wants to start World War III”.

    Wrong as in “why are my cats hiding, and where is my dog? Hey! Where are the birds?” And why is the sky so dark? Wrong.

    Of course, I know all about the Fourth Turning. I know about the collapse of empires, and I am aware of the social upheavals that can occur when empires collapse.

    I’ve written about them extensively, and I have suggested that others get on a “lifeboat” and sail off away from the United States to safety. It’s just that I never…

    …in my wildest dreams…

    …thought that the idea that you need to abandon the USA would become a meme, or a widespread theme that many others, not just preppers, would embrace.

    And so, yeah. I knew all about the changes and the collapse and I have written about it extensively. It’s just that the full extent of what must be going on RIGHT NOW inside of the USA, just surprises me.

    It’s not just for preppers any longer…

    I suppose it all began when Nomen Nescio said this in a comment…

    “Yes, they still believe Democrats are the worst, Biden sucks, Pelosi is the devil, etc, but they still feel pretty burned right about now. 
    
    They went from FNC to Bongino to Infowars to Rush to Breitbart, back to FNC, over to NewsMax, on to QAN, and...
    
    ...finally, now, many have just found some new hobbies.”

    Does that mean that Americans have pretty much “given up” and succumbed? That they no longer believe in the “news” or in a political “savior”, or hope in change from the Washington DC establishment?

    What happened to the America that I grew up in?

    Yes, boys and girls, change is upon us all. But there has to be some kind of baseline of hope. Even if it is far away off in a far away land. There is always hope.

    When I was in my darkest days in Prison, I still had hope.

    Hope is what keeps us going on. Hope is what anchors us down and in place while the hurricane rages, and hope is what energizes us to calm down, accept things as a fleeting passage of time.

    Hope.

    In the America that I grew up in, it was a very calm and relaxed pace of life. The worries that seem to permeate modern society were absent.

    All my SHTF writings relate to a handful of survivalists who are paying attention to what is going on, and are thus taking the necessary steps to assure survival in a contentious and changing environment.

    But something unexpected is also going on.

    Mr Joe and Suzy Average seems to be accepting the prepper meme. Many want to “get out of Dodge”. And that is shocking (to me) and illustrative of the late stage of societal collapse that is in process.

    So it’s no longer “just” a small minority of Americans that want to bail (out of the insanity), but it is an ever growing proportion.

    And as this proportion grows and increase in size, very bad people; very crazy people, very silly ideological-minded people can use the fright and fear that these people hold, and manipulate it to bad ends.

    Then, I read this on the UNZ

    ...I thought of these curious examples because, recently, a 31-year-old wanted my guidance. Not the best idea, but sure, why not, so we chattered via Skype.
    
    A Vietnamese-American married to a Filipina, he was pondering moving to Vietnam.
    
    “How many times have you been there?” I asked.
    
    “Actually, none.”
    
    “Wow! Why not?”
    
    “I never had the opportunity.”
    
    “Have you traveled much?”
    
    “No. I’ve only been to Canada.”
    
    “Man, you’re in for a real culture shock. You might hate it! Just go there, and see how you feel. Who knows? Has your wife been to the Philippines?”
    
    “A couple times.”
    
    “Hey, why don’t you move to the Philippines? Your wife will fit in better, and you can get by with English. Many Filipinos speak English. They’re all over Asia, singing American music!” I laughed. “First, though, you must go there and see how you feel. Do you have money saved up to last a while?”
    
    “Yeah.”
    
    “You’re probably ten times richer than me, so just go there and see how you feel. Don’t overthink it. Just do it!”
    
    Why would someone with a decent job in the federal government consider moving to a country he knows almost nothing about? Because there’s no sanity or security left in America, and no meaningful resistance.
    
    Constantly cowed, everybody is hiding and, hunched over, guarding his cans of baked beans, with the only boldness unleashed pseudonymously online, nearly always against the wrong targets. Unlike Hamas or Hezbollah, Americans don’t even know who they must fight!

    Why indeed?

    Why would an American with a good job want to leave it for a nation where he has never been to?

    As in…

    "Hey! You know my mail is late again. Where is that pesky post-person? I'm sick of this. It's time for me to move to Greenland!"

    Maybe for something like this…

    I mean, I understand why I left the States. But I was different. I had no other options. No friends. No family. No money. No ties. No job. No job prospects, and forced to live as a third class slave. So I left.

    It made sense for me.

    Living in flop-houses, eating at soup kitchens, and living alone with no job, no job prospects, and shunned from society is not a life.

    And, of course, if I rode in a car …

    …and the driver owned a gun, or a cell phone…

    …or even had an outstanding warrant for jay walking…

    … I would immediately violate the law, just by being in close proximity of that person. And then…

    …boom!

    I would go back to prison as a two-time offender and looking at forever-prison as a consequence. I did not want to go back to the ADC. I did not enjoy working on the chain gangs, and I most certainly hated hoe-squad and picking cotton. And don’t even get me started on the institutionalized gruel that was “Global” that they fed us.

    Nope. I did not like it.

    The threat of a return to the ADC was part of the reason why I bailed out onto my lifeboat.

    But…

    But what of the rest of you all in the “bright and shining castle on the hill”? You still have work. You still have jobs. You have family, friends, clubs, associations and roots. You don’t have that same kind of Damoclessword hanging over your head. As I did. You all don’t need to leave. It’s just a tad bit uncomfortable for you. Not really lifestyle-threatening.

    Is it worth chucking it all away?

    What would your ancestors think?

    America was founded by hard-scrabble pioneers. Not prissy-boys who flee the first moment when someone says a mean word or two.

    Then he adds…

    “Something very evil is coming,” I wrote to a Pennsylvania acquaintance, “but it won’t just be in the US. 
    
    In Albania, there won’t be race riots, at least, as stoked by the Jews. I don’t know what your work or family situation is, but it would be wise to at least think about leaving the country, just in case life there becomes too dangerous or just unbearable.
    
    “You should also consider what to do should they shut down all airports and close all land borders. 
    
    You can also escape to a safer and saner place inside the country, of course, but you must think ahead about the possibilities. This is not paranoia. 
    
    All the ominous signs are there.

    Yes. I know all about the social re-engineering efforts.

    But, if people have jobs, a career, and a chance to build a life, it all fades into the background. You just go to your job. You put food on the table. You invest your money and you plan for your family and their future. You spend time with loved ones, and you don’t worry about life or “what might happen”.

    I just cannot imagine that the “woke” reality has saturated American culture to such an extent that people want to flee the USA.

    Why flee the USA when you have an entire life ahead of you?

    Seriously is all this “woke” culture all that bad? It’s not like you are being forced to wear golden stars of David on your lapels, or being chased down the streets by mobs with clubs. Is it?

    It’s not like you will lose your job for not having the right political viewpoint, or not getting a promotion because of the color of your skin. Is it?

    So what is actually going on?

    Yes, flee the USA for better opportunities. Flee the USA to avoid insurrection, riots, and discord. Flee the United States police state.

    But to flee it  because a minority of vocal woke activists are spouting nonsense is absurd.

    So what is going on?

    Woke folk.

    What is really going on?

    Is the “woke” culture far more invasive than it appears to me (sitting outside the USA), or has Americans become just too sensitive to handle a diversity of opinion?

    You just don’t leave a comfortable life with loved ones simply because of an expression that you read about on social media. You just do not.

    Chances are you might read about it, and maybe ponder it, but you won’t take action on it aside from a trivial Google search, or an article or two. You won’t be traipsing down to get a visa for the nation you want to go, and you won’t start emptying out your bank accounts. Will you?

    A worry free life with a big cat.

    So what is really going on?

    You are too busy making a life than to worry about chucking it all away and fleeing to a “third world cesspool” to quote Mike Pompeo about the rest of the world.

    Certainly the people that are “running” the United States today are bat-shit crazy, dysfunctional and insane. Their toadies might be more capable, but hardly, and the ship that they set in motion is far too difficult to steer, to navigate and to dock.

    All the “noise” in the daily media barrages cannot compete to the reality that you are working, that you have a paycheck and a chance at the “American pie”.

    President Biden says that “America is Back” and industry is roaring back to life.

    He continues…

    “In early March of 1975, I was still going to school and taking judo lessons. 
    
    (then...)
    
    By the end of April, I was on a military transport plane to fly to Guam, where I would live in a tent as a refugee. Normality can disappear in a flash.”
    
    His response, “I have thought long about where this is all headed. It is pretty obvious that the US is fucked five ways to Sunday. The masses just haven’t figured it out and are slowly cottoning on.
    
    “You asked about my family and work situation. I work in the construction field doing semi-skilled labor and maintenance and have started learning HVAC over the last couple years.
    
    “I’ve been with the same woman for about 13 years. We aren’t legally married but own a house together. I love her and her family very much. Her mother is widowed and in her 70’s. She has an aunt and uncle that live up the road from us. We look out for them a bit too.
    
    “At this point it’s hard seeing a way out. I’ve known a lot of people over the years that have had to flee. I’m old enough to have met Polish and Ukrainians that got out during or right after the War to Save Stalin. Same with people such as yourself. While traveling through Vietnam, I met old ARVN guys who stayed and were ‘reeducated.’ Certainly do not envy them.
    
    “Lancaster is a great town. However we did not escape the peace riots of this past summer. This area has been overrun by New York ‘creatives’ and their pets, the various lumpen proles that have moved down because the welfare benefits are good and the Section 8 voucher goes further.
    
    “The city council mayor and head of police are all avowed BLM and Antifa supporters. In essence I am behind enemy lines.
    
    “My lady is pretty level-headed and no dummy as far as certain non-PC topics are concerned. Working in health care and moving from small town PA to Baltimore will do that, I guess.
    
    “However she is reticent to leave the familiarity of family and friends for more rural, less populated areas. Ironic because most of her family and social circle are essentially on board with the whole raft of neo-Bolshevik BS that is being churned out by the multinationals and Zionist Occupied Government…
    
    “At the end of the day, I don’t see any real way to get out from under the falling limbs of this dying empire. If I were single, I would be holed up somewhere in the mountains of Appalachia. Possibly west Texas. Maybe overseas.”
    
    Although fleeing abroad entails its own complicated and drawn-out set of problems, just about every nationality, save Americans, have had to do so during the last 100-odd years. I’ve fled twice, and am still drifting.

    Why does everyone want to leave? What are they afraid of?

    Getting yelled at?

    Somehow I do not, or cannot, believe that people are terrified of hurt feelings.

    Why do Americans feel this way? It seems uncharacteristic.

    Perhaps it a general feeling of discomfort; a generalized anxiety disorder that has entangled vast swaths of the American population. And I do not make this statement lightly. Aspects of this is something that I have learned to live with ever since I was implanted.

    Since I moved to China, all my worry (for the most part) ended. The only time that I start worrying is when ever some jackass in the United States tries to lob bio-weapons at my home, discusses firing ICBM's in my front yard, or making arbitrary rules concerning my passport.

    Perhaps, living under the thumb of out-of-control psychopaths inside a military empire…

    …and see the entire nation decay and collapse as the entire nations is geared, not for serving the citizenry…

    …but rather to destroy the rest of the world at the pleasure of the oligarchy…

    …is the source of this discomfort.

    And like frightened rabbits, the citizenry are trying to run and hide from the voracious wolves that are running all over the fields untamed and unchecked.

    Gonzaga says:

    For American preppers there’s only one solution: move to a red state. 
    
    Most red states are in the South. So the best place to ride out America’s collapse is a region with a history of racial tension and antagonism towards the Federal government, a region with a Ford F-150 lifestyle totally dependent on cheap petroleum and cheap imports. 
    
    Hmm, but guns right?
    
    Call me crazy but my native California doesn’t sound so bad in comparison: https://linhdinhphotos.blogspot.com/2015/04/postcard-from-end-of-america-silicon.html. At least there’s some anti-anti-White Asians and Hispanics around. 
    
    Maybe I’ll go teach English in Asia or live in Europe for a while. 
    
    Call me a commie traitor but I have no ability/desire to become an Idaho potato farmer / small arms instructor.

    Others have different ideas.

    Americans from different backgrounds and parts of the country are saying the same things.

    Like Frans here…

    Franz says:

    Americans in the Bubble are the 21st century equivalents of the British Colonel Blimp. It’s good to snicker and make snotty remarks at them because they’ll be the last ones to see it coming and even then they STILL WON’T BELIEVE IT.
    
    I’ve seen well-off almost rich dudes go homeless. It happens because they can’t believe this sort of thing happens to them, only “losers”.
    
    A loser is any one of us whose luck runs out. Hope your luck holds, and don’t let the bastards get you down.

    PJ London says:

    Those who have never experienced the hospitality and happiness of ‘poor’ foreigners have absolutely no idea of life. Those with no experience of Albania, or Bulgaria, or Romania, Lesotho, Botswana, Chile etc. don’t have a clue.
    
    Mix with the working class (as well as the bankers) if you want to know what life is about.
    
    The hospitality of all Arab people is beyond belief.
    
    Ignore the USA-USA-USA mob, they are brainless and take their limited horizon as being the whole planet. Thank you for bringing light to those of us who have not the opportunity to visit the east and parts of Europe.

    What about those that have already left the USA. What are their thoughts?

    What about those that left the United States, what are their thoughts?

    TheBoom says:

    That is a key reason why I moved out of the US. 
    
    I see no hope for at least a few generations. 
    
    Whites are very uncomfortable addressing the blatantly anti White hate that is permeating nearly all institutions. 
    
    The JQ is completely off the table for 90 percent of whites. 
    
    Asians see what is happening so they increasingly mimic Jewish hatred of whites even though most don’t actually hate whites.
    
    Whites spring from one simplistic solution to another. 
    
    The most recent is Secession. 
    
    Thinking that Secession can happen requires not dealing with the reality of the country. Even if the country did break into two, that would just mean that the Jews had two countries to rule and spread anti white hate and degeneracy.
    
    I just can’t see being associated with a country that flies the BLM flag at its embassies and publically worships a repeat felon who died of a drug overdose. Sometimes societies are just too stupid to survive.
    
    It is a big world out there and there are pockets where things are much saner than the US and not under a Jewish stranglehold

    But according to the news media everything is just fine.

    Just hunky-dory.

    The news says that everything is fine.

    Emslander says:

    Don’t believe for a second that the majority of Norteamericanos believe the claptrap that is being promoted by the digital minesweeping social media or the coastal newspapers. That’s the mistake.
    
    Election results don’t mean much in the scheme of things, except in 2020. I live in a county that voted 75-25 for Trump. All of the counties in this region have similar numbers. I’ve obtained this information from NYT election data, so it’s not my wishful thinking. Every county in America outside of those where open blatant ballot box stuffing took place have similar results.
    
    Since Trump accomplished nothing governmentally important and even advanced policies I find disgusting, he has to be seen merely as an indicator of discontent with the Ruling Class. 
    
    The Ruling Class has corrupted the entire education system, has made economic progress meaningless and has insulted anyone with a modicum of traditional morality. A Trump vote was a protest vote, both in 2016 and in 2020.

    The article itself soon fell apart with the “Jews, Jews, Jews” narrative. Jeeze and I stopped reading.  But I am still wondering (pondering) about these various comments. It seems like these “proud” American are very unhappy. And so, I wonder how can that be?

    Joe Biden announced that “America is back!” to a hysterically joyous crowd, and all the indicators show that crime is down, unemployment is down, the Coronavirus has been tamed, and it’s the beginning of a “New America“. So what the heck is going on?

    The mutterings that I am hearing just don’t match the “news” that is being reported.

    Why is that?

    Fundamentally, the media must reflect the opinions and feelings of it's readership, or else the people reading it will leave. So eventually, "news" becomes an echo chamber for the readership. 
    
    Yet, what I am apparently seeing is that all flavors of the "news"; Alt-Right, mainstream to Alt-left are out of touch with what the vast majority of Americans feel.

    The speed of the collapse

    I admit that I am a little stunned that the collapse has moved ahead so quickly in what seems like a matter of months. For it has been less than six months that the general American population has suddenly embraced fundamental prepper beliefs, and most regard America falling into a SHTF situation.

    This is FAST.

    And while I have announced that I believe that the year 2020 was the climax of the Fourth Turning, I have never the less been stunned by the rapid conversion of most Americans to “abandon ship”.

    What is going on?

    Well, here are the four signposts of American Collapse that the Soviet Union experienced when it collapsed.

    Article from HERE. All credit, etc. This article from the Russia Insider archives and was first published on RI in June 2018. You guys all know the drill.

    "Having witnessed one collapse, and now witnessing another, the one approach I would definitely not recommend is doing nothing and hoping for the best."

    In thinking through the (for now) gradually unfolding collapse of the American empire, the collapse of the USSR, which occurred close through three decades ago, continues to perform as a goldmine of useful examples and analogies.

    Certain events that occurred during the Soviet collapse can serve as useful signposts in the American one.

    Thus, allowing us to formulate better guesses about the timing of events that can suddenly turn a gradual collapse into a precipitous one.

    When the Soviet collapse occurred, the universal reaction was “Who could have known?”

    Well, I knew.

    I distinctly remember a conversation I had with a surgeon in the summer of 1990, right as I was going under the knife to get my appendix excised, waiting for the anesthesia to kick in.

    He asked me about what will happen to the Soviet republics, Armenia in particular.

    I told him that they will be independent in less than a year.

    He looked positively shocked.

    I was off by a couple of months.

    I hope to be able to call the American collapse with the same degree of precision.

    So what to expect?

    It is difficult to concentrate on things that matter to you when your government is acting like an out of control lunatic.

    I suppose I was well positioned to know, and I am tempted to venture a guess at how I achieved that.

    My area of expertise at the time was measurement and data acquisition electronics for high energy physics experiments, not Sovietology.

    But I spent the previous summer in Leningrad, where I grew up, and had a fair idea of what was up in the USSR.

    Meanwhile, the entire gaggle of actual paid, professional Russia “experts”…

    …that was ensconced in various government agencies in Washington or consuming oxygen at various foundations and universities in the US…

    …had absolutely no idea what to expect.

    I suspect that there is a principle involved:

    [1] If your career depends on the continued existence of X, and if X is about to cease to exist, then you are not going to be highly motivated to accurately predict that event.

    Conversely, [2] if you could manage to accurately predict the spontaneous existence failure of X, then you would also be clever enough to switch careers ahead of time. Thus, you would no longer be an expert on X and your opinion on the matter would be disregarded.

    People would think that you screwed yourself out of a perfectly good job and are now embittered.

    What he is seeing…

    Some people say that it is time to pack up and leave.

    Right now I am observing the same phenomenon at work among Russian experts on the United States: they can’t imagine that the various things they spent their lives studying are fast fading into irrelevance.

    Or perhaps they can, but keep this realization to themselves, for fear of no longer being invited on talk shows.

    I suppose that since expertise is a matter of knowing a whole lot about very little, knowing everything about nothing—a thing that doesn’t exist—is its logical endpoint.

    Be that as it may.

    But I feel that we non-experts, armed with the 20/20 hindsight afforded to us by the example of the Soviet collapse, can avoid being similarly blindsided and dumbfounded by the American one.

    This is not an academic question: those who gauge it accurately may be able to get the hell out ahead of time.

    While the lights are mostly still on, while not everybody is walking around in a drug-induced mental haze, and mass shootings and other types of mayhem are still considered newsworthy.

    This hindsight makes it possible for us to spot certain markers that showed up then.

    And are showing up now.

    The four that I want to discuss now are the following:

    1. Allies are being alienated
    2. Enmities dissipate
    3. Ideology becomes irrelevant
    4. Military posture turns flaccid

    All of these are plain to see already in the American collapse.

    As with the Soviet collapse, there is a certain incubation period for each of these trends.

    Each incubation period ended up lasting perhaps a year or two.

    And during this incubation period, not much seems to be happening.

    But…

    … but when it is over everything comes unstuck all at once.

    1. Alliances

    As the Soviet collapse unfolded, former friendships deteriorated, first into irrelevance, then into outright enmity.

    Prior to the collapse, the Iron Curtain ran between Eastern and Western Europe.

    After the collapse; three decades later, it runs between Russia and the Baltic countries, Poland and the Ukraine.

    Whereas in the post-war period the Warsaw Pact countries derived many benefits from its association with Russia and its industrial might.

    But as the end neared their membership in the Soviet camp became more and more of a hinderance to progress.

    In effect, hampering their integration with the more prosperous, less troubled countries further west and with the rest of the world.

    Similarly with the US and the EU now, this partnership is also showing major signs of strain as Washington tries to prevent the Europe from integrating with the rest of Eurasia.

    The particular threat of unilateral economic sanctions as part of a vain effort to block additional Russian natural gas pipelines into Europe.

    As well as to force the Europeans to buy an uncertain and overpriced American liquefied natural gas scheme.

    Other issues include Huawei, 5G technology, and the BRI.

    All of this has laid bare the fact that the relationship between the USA and Europe is no longer mutually beneficial.

    And as Britain splits from Europe and clings closer to the US, a new Iron Curtain is gradually emerging, but this time it will run through the English Channel, separating the Anglophone world from Eurasia.

    Similar developments are afoot in the east, affecting South Korea and Japan.

    Trump’s flip-flopping between tempestuous tweeting and conciliatory rhetoric vis-à-vis North Korea have laid bare the emptiness of American security guarantees.

    Both of these countries now see the need to make their own security arrangements and to start reasserting their sovereignty in military matters.

    Meanwhile, for the US, being incoherent is but a pit stop on the way to becoming irrelevant.

    2. Enmities

    Enmity | Definition of Enmity by Merriam-Webster
    https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enmity
    
    Enmity (which derives from an Anglo-French word meaning "enemy") suggests true hatred, either overt or concealed. Hostility implies strong, open enmity that shows itself in attacks or aggression. Animosity carries the sense of anger, vindictiveness, and sometimes the desire to destroy what one hates.

    During the entire period of the Cold War the United States was the Soviet Union’s arch-enemy.

    Any effort by Washington to give advice or to dictate terms was met with loud, synchronized, ideologically fortified barking from Moscow:

    "The imperialist aggressor is at it again; pay no heed."

    This self-righteous noise worked quite well for a surprisingly long time, and continued to work while the Soviet Union was making impressive new conquests.

    The Soviet Union continued to advance, in space, in technology, science and medicine, in international humanitarian projects and so on, but as stagnation set in it started to ring hollow.

    After the Soviet collapse, this immunity against American contagion disappeared.

    Western “experts” and “advisors” flooded in, and proposed “reforms”.

    Reforms such as…

    • The dismemberment of the USSR into 15 separate countries (trapping millions of people on the wrong side of some newly thought-up border.
    • Shock therapy (which impoverished almost the entirety of the Russian population),
    • Privatization (which put major public assets in the hands of a few politically connected, mostly Jewish oligarchs)
    • As well as various other schemes designed to destroy Russia and drive its population into extinction.

    They would probably have succeeded had they not been stopped in time.

    Symmetrically, the Washingtonians considered the USSR as their arch-enemy.

    After it went away, there was a bit of confusion.

    The Pentagon tried talking up “Russian mafia” as a major threat to world peace, but that seemed laughable.

    Then, by dint of demolishing a couple of New York skyscrapers…

    …perhaps by placing small nuclear charges in the bedrock beneath their foundations (those were the demolition plans that were on file)…

    …they happily embraced the concept of “war on terror”…

    …and went about bombing various countries that didn’t have a terrorism problem before then but certainly do now.

    Then, once that stupid plan ran its course, the Washingtonians went back to reviling and harassing Russia.

    But now a strange smell is in the wind in Washington: the smell of failure.

    Air is leaking out of the campaign to vilify Russia, and it is putrid.

    Meanwhile, Trump is continuing to make noises to the effect that a rapprochement with Russia is desirable and that a summit between the leaders should be held.

    Trump is also borrowing some pages from the Russian rulebook: just as Russia responded to Western sanctions with countersanctions, Trump is starting to respond to Western tariffs with countertariffs.

    We should expect American enmity against Russia to dissipate some time before American attitudes toward Russia (and much else) become irrelevant.

    We should also expect that, once the fracking bubble pops, the US will become dependent on Russian oil and liquefied natural gas…

    … which it will be forced to pay for with gold.

    (Fracking involves a two-phase combustion process: the first phase burns borrowed money to produce oil and gas; the second burns the oil and the gas.)

    Other enmities are on the wane as well.

    Trump has just signed an interesting piece of paper with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. The deal (if we call it that) is a tacit act of surrender. It was orchestrated by Russia and China. It affirms what North and South Korea had already agreed to: eventual denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

    Just as Gorbachev acquiesced to the reunification of Germany and the withdrawal of Soviet troops from East Germany, Trump is getting ready to acquiesce to the reunification of Korea and the withdrawal of American troops from South Korea.

    Just as the fall of the Berlin Wall spelled the end of the Soviet imperium, the dismantlement of the Korean Demilitarized Zone will spell the end of the American one.

    3. Ideology

    While the US never had anything as rigorous as the Soviet Union’s communist dogma, its hodgepodge of pro-democracy propaganda, laissez-faire capitalism, free trade and military domination was potent for a time.

    Once the US stopped being the world’s largest industrial powerhouse, ceding ground first to Germany and Japan…

    … then to China…

    … it went along accumulating prodigious levels of debt…

    … essentially confiscating and spending the world’s savings…

    … while defending the US dollar with the threat of violence.

    It was, for a time, understood that the exorbitant privilege of endless money printing needs to be defended with the blood of American soldiers.

    The US saw itself, and positioned itself, as the indispensable country.

    A country able to control and to dictate terms to the entire planet.

    As such, terrorizing or blockading various other countries as needed.

    Now all of these ideological shibboleths are in shambles.

    The pro-democracy rhetoric is still dutifully spouted by politicians mass media mouthpieces, but in practice the US is no longer a democracy. 
    
    It has been turned into a lobbyist’s paradise in which the lobbyists are no longer confined to the lobby but have installed themselves in congressional offices and are drafting prodigious quantities of legislation to suit the private interests of corporations and oligarchs. 
    
    Nor is the American penchant for democracy traceable in the support the US lavishes on dictatorships around the world or in its increasing tendency to enact and enforce extraterritorial laws without international consent.

    Laissez-fair capitalism is also very much dead, supplanted by crony capitalism nurtured by a thorough melding of Washington and Wall Street elites.

    Private enterprise is no longer free but concentrated in a handful of giant corporations while about a third of the employed population in the US works in the public sector.

    The US Department of Defense is the largest single employer in the country as well as in the whole world.

    About 100 million of working-age able-bodied Americans do not work.

    Most of the rest work in service jobs, producing nothing durable.

    An increasing number of people is holding onto a precarious livelihood by working sporadic gigs.

    The whole system is fueled—including parts of it that actually produce the fuel, such as the fracking industry—by debt.

    No sane person, if asked to provide a workable description of capitalism, would come up with such a derelict scheme.

    Free trade was talked up until very recently, if not actually implemented.

    Unimpeded trade over great distances is the sine qua non of all empires, the US empire included.

    In the past, warships and the threat of occupation were used to force countries, such as Japan, to open themselves up to international trade.

    Quite recently, the Obama administration was quite active in its attempts to push through various transoceanic partnerships, but none of them succeeded. And now Trump has set about wrecking what free trade there was by a combination of sanctions and tariffs, in a misguided attempt to rekindle America’s lost greatness by turning inward.

    Along the way, sanctions on the use of the US dollar in international trade, especially with key energy exporting nations such as Iran and Venezuela, are accelerating the process by which the US dollar is being dethroned as the world’s reserve currency, demolishing America’s exorbitant privilege of endless money-printing.

    4. Militarism

    The Soviet collapse was to some extent presaged by the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan.

    Prior to that point, it was still possible to talk up the “international duty” of the Red Army to make the world (or at least the liberated parts of it) safe for socialism.

    After that point the very concept of military domination was lost, and interventions that were possible before, such as in Hungary in 1956 and in Czechoslovakia in 1968, were no longer even thinkable.

    When Eastern Europe rose in rebellion in 1989, the Soviet military empire simply folded, abandoning its bases and military hardware and pulling out.

    In the case of the US, for now it remains capable of quite a lot of mischief, but it has become clear that military domination of the whole planet is no longer possible for it.

    The US military is still huge, but it is quite flaccid.

    It is no longer able to field a ground force of any size and confines itself to aerial bombardment, training and arming of “moderate terrorists” and mercenaries, and pointless steaming about the oceans.

    None of the recent military adventures have resulted in anything resembling peace on terms that the American planners originally envisioned or have ever considered desirable:

    • Afghanistan has been turned into a terrorist incubator and a heroin factory;
    • Iraq has been absorbed into a continuous Shia crescent that now runs from the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.

    US military bases are still found throughout the world.

    They were meant to project American power over both hemispheres of the globe, but they have been largely neutralized by the advent of new long-range precision weapons, potent air defense technology and electronic warfare wizardry.

    These numerous “lily pads,” as they are sometimes called, are the opposite of military assets: they are useless but expensive targets located in places that are hard to defend but easy for potential adversaries to attack.

    They can only be used for pretend-combat, and the endless series of military training exercises.

    Such as the ones in the Baltic statelets, right on the Russian border…

    … or the ones in South Korea, are meant to be provocative, but they are paragons of pointlessness…

    … since attacking either Russia or North Korea would be a suicidal move.

    They are basically confidence-building exercises, and their increasing intensity testifies to a pronounced and growing deficit of confidence.

    People never tire of pointing out the huge size of the US military budget, but they almost always neglect to mention that what the US gets per unit money is ten times less than, for example Russia.

    It is a bloated and ineffectual extortion scheme that produces large quantities of boondoggles—an endlessly thirsty public money sponge.

    No matter how much money it soaks up, it will never solve the fundamental problem of being incapable to go to war against any adequately armed opponent without suffering unacceptable levels of damage.

    Around the world, the US is still loathed, but it is feared less and less: a fatal trend for an empire.

    But America has done quite well in militarizing its local police departments, so that when the time comes it will be ready to go to war… against itself.

    This analysis may read like a historical survey detached from practical, everyday considerations. But I believe that it has practical merit.

    If the citizens of the USSR were informed, prior to the events of 1990, of what was about to happen to them, they would have behaved quite differently, and quite a lot of personal tragedy might have been avoided.

    A very useful distinction

    A very useful distinction can be made between collapse avoidance (which is futile; all empires collapse)…

    … and worst-case scenario avoidance…

    … which will become, as collapse picks up speed, your most important concern.

    Your approach may involve fleeing to safer ground, or preparing to survive it where you are.

    You may choose your own collapse markers and make your own predictions about their timing instead of relying on mine.

    But, having witnessed one collapse, and now witnessing another, the one approach I would definitely not recommend is doing nothing and hoping for the best.

    Humanity

    No matter what happens, or what crazy shit is going down in the United States, never forget your humanity. It’s not what happens that matter. It’s how you deal with them that does.

    Remember your humanity.

    Others might not understand

    Do not try to convince others to understand why you are doing what you do. It’s not their business; it’s not their reality. You are doign what feels best to you, for the good or the bad. And sure, they might think you crazy, strange or a little bit “off your rocker”, but so what.

    It’s your life.

    Do what you want and live your life as you see fit and let the rest of the world howl.

    Do what you want and live your life as you see fit and let the rest of the world howl.

    Everything follows cycles

    Empires come and go, and during the sunset period it is a time of harvesting what you can and then move on to the New Beginning. But some hate change, and they have made a nice cushy life for themself and they don’t want the change, and they fight it “tooth and nail”. But MM readers realize that when you see things go cyclic, you hop on the train and ride it out of town.

    Cycles are natural.

    Cycles are natural.

    What about war?

    Well, there is a lot of provocations being made by the United States on the international front. The aggression is spellbinding in breadth and with as well as intensity. And no one can predict the future, but maybe we can take a look at what happened with the former Soviet Union for some guidance.

    From HERE. It's titled "Russian Missile Tech has Made America's Trillion Dollar Navy Obsolete". With a sub-heading of "Times have changed and America can no longer project its military power like it did in Iraq. Those days are over.". All credit to the author and note it was formatted to fit this venue.

    For the past 500 years European nations—Portugal, the Netherlands, Spain, Britain, France and, briefly, Germany—were able to plunder much of the planet by projecting their naval power overseas.

    Since much of the world’s population lives along the coasts, and much of it trades over water, armed ships that arrived suddenly out of nowhere were able to put local populations at their mercy.

    The armadas could plunder, impose tribute, punish the disobedient, and then use that plunder and tribute to build more ships, enlarging the scope of their naval empires.

    This allowed a small region with few natural resources and few native advantages beyond extreme orneriness and a wealth of communicable diseases to dominate the globe for half a millennium.

    The ultimate inheritor of this naval imperial project is the United States, which, with the new addition of air power, and with its large aircraft carrier fleet and huge network of military bases throughout the planet, is supposedly able to impose Pax Americana on the entire world.

    Or, rather, was able to do so—during the brief period between the collapse of the USSR and the emergence of Russia and China as new global powers and their development of new anti-ship and antiaircraft technologies. But now this imperial project is at an end.

    Russian battle tanks.

    Prior to the Soviet collapse, the US military generally did not dare to directly threaten those countries to which the USSR had extended its protection.

    Nevertheless, by using its naval power to dominate the sea lanes that carried crude oil, and by insisting that oil be traded in US dollars, it was able to live beyond its means by issuing dollar-denominated debt instruments and forcing countries around the world to invest in them.

    It imported whatever it wanted using borrowed money while exporting inflation, expropriating the savings of people across the world. In the process, the US has accumulated absolutely stunning levels of national debt—beyond anything seen before in either absolute or relative terms.

    When this debt bomb finally explodes, it will spread economic devastation far beyond US borders. And it will explode, once the petrodollar wealth pump, imposed on the world through American naval and air superiority, stops working.

    Chinese hyper-velocity nuclear missiles.

    New missile technology has made a naval empire cheap to defeat. Previously, to fight a naval battle, one had to have ships that outmatched those of the enemy in their speed and artillery power. The Spanish Armada was sunk by the British armada.

    More recently, this meant that only those countries whose industrial might matched that of the United States could ever dream of opposing it militarily. But this has now changed: Russia’s new missiles can be launched from thousands of kilometers away, are unstoppable, and it takes just one to sink a destroyer and just two to sink an aircraft carrier.

    The American armada can now be sunk without having an armada of one’s own. The relative sizes of American and Russian economies or defense budgets are irrelevant: the Russians can build more hypersonic missiles much more quickly and cheaply than the Americans would be able to build more aircraft carriers.

    Russian aircraft.

    Equally significant is the development of new Russian air defense capabilities: the S-300 and S-400 systems, which can essentially seal off a country’s airspace. Wherever these systems are deployed, such as in Syria, US forces are now forced to stay out of their range.

    With its naval and air superiority rapidly evaporating, all that the US can fall back on militarily is the use of large expeditionary forces—an option that is politically unpalatable and has proven to be ineffective in Iraq and Afghanistan. There is also the nuclear option, and while its nuclear arsenal is not likely to be neutralized any time soon, nuclear weapons are only useful as deterrents.

    Their special value is in preventing wars from escalating beyond a certain point, but that point lies beyond the elimination of their global naval and air dominance.

    Nuclear weapons are much worse than useless in augmenting one’s aggressive behavior against a nuclear-armed opponent; invariably, it would be a suicidal move. What the US now faces is essentially a financial problem of unrepayable debt and a failing wealth pump, and it should be a stunningly obvious point that setting off nuclear explosions anywhere in the world would not fix the problems of an empire that is going broke.

    Chinese ICBM with MIRV nuclear hyper-velocity warheads with swarm targeting ability.

    Events that signal vast, epochal changes in the world often appear minor when viewed in isolation.

    Julius Caesar’s crossing of the Rubicon was just one river crossing; Soviet and American troops meeting and fraternizing at the Elbe was, relatively speaking, a minor event—nowhere near the scale of the siege of Leningrad, the battle of Stalingrad or the fall of Berlin.

    Yet they signaled a tectonic shift in the historical landscape. And perhaps we have just witnessed something similar with the recent pathetically tiny Battle of East Gouta in Syria, where the US used a make-believe chemical weapons incident as a pretense to launch an equally make-believe attack on some airfields and buildings in Syria.

    The US foreign policy establishment wanted to show that it still matters and has a role to play, but what really happened was that US naval and air power were demonstrated to be almost entirely beside the point.

    More Russian food.

    Of course, all of this is terrible news to the US military and foreign policy establishments, as well as to the many US Congressmen in whose districts military contractors operate or military bases are situated.

    Obviously, this is also bad news for the defense contractors, for personnel at the military bases, and for many others as well. It is also simply awful news economically, since defense spending is about the only effective means of economic stimulus of which the US government is politically capable.

    Obama’s “shovel-ready jobs,” if you recall, did nothing to forestall the dramatic slide in the labor participation rate, which is a euphemism for the inverse of the real unemployment rate.

    There is also the wonderful plan to throw lots of money at Elon Musk’s SpaceX (while continuing to buy vitally important rocket engines from the Russians—who are currently discussing blocking their export to the US in retaliation for more US sanctions). In short, take away the defense stimulus, and the US economy will make a loud popping sound followed by a gradually diminishing hissing noise.

    Needless to say, all those involved will do their best to deny or hide for as long as possible the fact that the US foreign policy and defense establishments have now been neutralized.

    My prediction is that America’s naval and air empire will not fail because it will be defeated militarily, nor will it be dismantled once the news sinks in that it is useless; instead, it will be forced to curtail its operations due to lack of funds.

    There may still be a few loud bangs before it gives up, but mostly what we will hear is a whole lot of whimpering. That’s how the USSR went; that’s how the USA will go too.

    Russian food.

    Mr. Wilder Comments

    From HERE.

    Our economy has been goosed in the last decade (and even more so recently) by:

    • Artificially, and permanently low, interest rates.
    • Rampant money printing.
    • A never-ending supply of “stimulus” packages and tax cuts to goose the economy.
    • An experiment in Universal Basic Income by paying out of work people more than they were paid working to not work.
    • Blatant political cronyism far in excess of the usual – your elected representatives are even trying to bail out Jeff Bezos’ so he can compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX®. This is actually happening (LINK).

    One hundred miles per hour sounded like it was really fast to me when I was driving a pickup truck that wouldn’t go that fast downhill on a mountain pass (topped out at 95). But the economy is so goosed now that we see $100 plywood sheets tumbling in the breeze as we cruise down the highway. The stresses from the velocity as we shamble and skitter between the lines are evident.

    What’s next, a $50 ribeye?

    When they film a post-apocalypse movie in Detroit, they have to use CGI to repair buildings.

    I didn’t use Texas, because I like Texas and Texans, so I picked Minneapolis because I think it’s on its way to becoming a quaint “Detroit on the Mississippi” where the primary source of amusement is Thunderdome Friday nights.  Large Marge, a frequent commenter, called me on this quip (edits only in formatting):

    A)  Military recruits from prison

    I am a former Corrections Officer.
    I worked at three penitentiaries . . . including a max.

    Some of the most intelligent individuals are prisoners.  The most intelligent of them are organized and exceptionally efficient in the use of violence and intimidation.

    Although better people than me might question their primary loyalties — gang/club? or Constitution? — I would expect them to continue to hone their adaptive skills in a military setting.

    In fact, I would anticipate them quickly establishing a hierarchy and running the joint in no time… while eliminating slackers.  Anybody they cannot eliminate, they recruit.  No middle ground, no spectators.

    Two of my ‘adopted’ sons are also Corrections Officers.  Both are Marines, one was a SEAL.  Intelligent, competitive, dedicated, observant.

    Ask around, you may discover your assumptions to be the opposite of reality.
    And assumptions can get somebody hurt.

    B)  Military recruits from inner-city slums

    Happens daily.  Pigment is no guarantee of inbred stupidity or ineffectiveness, however, it is a guarantee of tribal acceptance.

    Anybody not in the tribe is prey:

    If you are alone, they are five.

    If you are five, they are a faceless two hundred in a spontaneous leaderless non-thinking swarm . . . they act, then disperse into nothingness.

    Similar to recruits from prison, these folks are effective at violence and intimidation.
    Just do not expect complex thought processes resulting in traditional long-term ‘White Collar’ crimes.
    Complex planning is not required for crimes of opportunity.

    C)  These A and B elements are not exclusive.

    Expect cross-overs.

    Flyers can ruin your afternoon.

    Large Marge is, of course, right in every respect.

    The first point is that the general attitude is that all of the Left is represented by the soy-boy weakness we see from the Left’s poster children.

    It is not.

    A final thought

    If any alarm bells were ringing earlier, it should be considered to be foreplay.

    Right now, the Civil Defense sirens are blaring, and everyone should be running for their underground bunkers.

    There might be world War III any day now, or not.

    There might be riots in the streets, or maybe not.

    There might be a complete collapse of the US Dollar, or maybe not.

    Do not be lulled into complacency. There was a nice Memorial Day holiday. I hope that you enjoyed yourself, and worked on prudent measures to adapt to a changing environment. To quote from the above article…

    If the citizens of the USSR were informed, prior to the events of 1990, of what was about to happen to them, they would have behaved quite differently, and quite a lot of personal tragedy might have been avoided.

    And this one…

    But, having witnessed one collapse, and now witnessing another, the one approach I would definitely not recommend is doing nothing and hoping for the best.

    Of course, my opinion is well understood.

    From the movie “Aliens”…

    And my Video

    I am not in America. I am in China.

    It is my “lifeboat” while the USS Titanic American sinks under the waves.

    And for me, sitting in my lifeboat, I am watching the rats scurry all over the deck. A few are starting to jump into the cold, cold ocean. But most are still on the deck and starting to fight against each other.

    Yeah.

    That is the way it is, and to end up this article, let me provide a final glimpse of what my lifeboat looks like.

    Here is an end of article video for your enjoyment. It shows a little about what China is like where I live. HERE. 127MB.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts like this in my New Beginnings Index…

    New Beginnings

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    Articles & Links

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
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    China has made it’s own secure Harmony OS and the US military empire is in hysterics

    Well China has unveiled a new operating system, and it is a BIG DEAL. And I am going to tell you why.

    Why this is a big deal.

    Presently America controls 99% of all operating systems in the world. America controls the vast number of computer operating systems (Microsoft, and Apple), and the vast number of cell phone operating systems (Microsoft, Google, and Android). The few remaining systems such and Linux and other odd-balls are hit and miss in regards to this control.

    Now, I am not talking about American companies being in control of these operating systems.

    Instead, I am discussing the American government controlling the operating systems themselves.

    It is no secret that the United States government has offices in the development offices of Microsoft, Apple, and Google. And it is more than just “back doors” to operation access.

    The Utah Data Collection Center.

    To use any of these systems is to give the United States absolute control over your electronics,

    As I can PERSONALLY affirm when the government burst into my home in 2006, seized my computer, plugged it into a machine and had full access effectively bypassing all of my passwords, biomedical fingerprint scanning mechanisms and folder locks. They (passwords, biometrics, etc.) are there to give you the illusion of security. The fact is, the US Government owns your computer and they can access it at will.

    They can do it at any time. At any place, and there isn’t a fucking thing that you can do about it.

    Enter China

    This situation, where America has it’s fingers and hands on all communication and electronic communication, is dangerous. Not just for you as an individual who no longer has privacy in any form, but for governments who are exposed to electronic blackmail at the touch of a button.

    Which pretty much explains the Morrison government in Australia.

    Whether this is economic, such as what the Trump Administration was trying to do with Huawei, or domestically, such as the control of dams, pipelines, and military, the risk of a malevolent foreign actor… especially an out of control military empire such as the United States to have this ability is very, very dangerous.

    And now China has it’s own OS.

    And the entire “ballgame” has changed.

    America must stop this from happening!

    Thus we have an on-going war with everything Huawei.

    After four years of anti-China disinformation, and anti-Huawei disinformation, most Americans will regurgitate the propaganda that they have been programmed.

    All the sheeple feel “bad” about Huawei and have “bad experiences”. Not that they have any experiences, mind you, but they just regurgitate the narratives. And it’s like listening to a robot. Seriously.

    I met a fellow who was like this just last week. We were in a Shaomi store, and we started chatting. He said that he didn’t like Huawei products. And so I naturally asked him why.

    He said that he had a “bad experience” with it.

    So, I wanted to know. What was it? Was it breaking down? Was it too expensive, did it remind him of a bad girl friend? What? Was he swindled? Did the screen fall off? Were there connection problems? What was it?

    I asked him over and over.

    All he would say for the umpteen time was that he had a “bad experience”. I was just about to give up when he admitted that he never really and actually owned a Huawei phone. It’s just that he read a lot of bad stuff about it.

    Sheeple.

    You can’t make this stuff up.

    Harmony OS

    After years of speculation and rumor, Chinese tech giant Huawei formally unveiled its Harmony OS operating system in 2019. It’s fair to say that more questions have been raised than answered. How does it work? What problems does it solve? And is it a product of the current feud between Huawei and the U.S. government?

    Is Harmony OS Based on Linux?

    No. Although both are free software products (or, more accurately, Huawei has pledged to release Harmony OS with an open-source license), Harmony OS is its own distinct product.  Moreover, it uses a different design architecture to Linux, preferring a microkernel design over monolithic kernel.

    But wait. Microkernel? Monolithic kernel? I’ve lost you.

    Let’s try again. At the heart of every operating system is something called a kernel. Like the name implies, kernels are at the heart of every operating system, effectively serving as a foundation. They handle interactions with the underlying hardware, allocate resources, and define how programs are executed and operated.

    All kernels have these fundamental responsibilities. However, they differ in how they work.

    Let’s talk about memory. Modern operating systems try to segregate user applications (like Steam or Google Chrome) from the more sensitive parts of the operating system. Imagine an impenetrable line dividing the memory used by system-level services from your applications. There are two main good reasons for this: security and stability.

    Microkernels, like the one used by Harmony OS, are extremely discerning about what runs in kernel mode, effectively limiting it to the basics.

    Bluntly, monolithic kernels aren’t discerning. Linux, for example, allows many OS-level utilities and processes to run within this privileged space in memory.

    At the time Linus Torvalds started work on the Linux kernel, microkernels were still something of an unknown quantity, with few real-world commercial uses. Microkernels also proved harder to develop, and tended to be slower.

    Nearly 30 years later, things have changed. Computers are faster and cheaper. Microkernels have made the leap from academia into production.

    The XNU kernel, which sits at the heart of macOS and iOS, lends much inspiration from earlier microkernel designs, namely the Mach kernel developed by Carnegie Mellon University. Meanwhile QNX, which forms the basis of the Blackberry 10 operating system, as well as many vehicular infotainment systems, uses a microkernel design.

    It’s All About the Extensibility, Man

    Because Microkernel designs are intentionally limited, they’re easy to extend. Adding a new system service, like a device driver, doesn’t require the developer to fundamentally alter or interfere with the kernel.

    And that hints towards why Huawei chose this approach with Harmony OS. Although Huawei is perhaps best known for its phones, it’s a company involved in most sectors of the consumer technology market. Its lineup includes things like fitness wearables, routers, and televisions.

    And let’s not even get into AI, robotics, infrastructure such as roads, trains and intelligent mining and farming initiatives.

    And Huawei is an incredibly ambitious company. Taking a leaf from rival Xiaomi’s book, the firm has started selling IoT products through its youth-focused subsidiary Honor, including intelligent toothbrushes and smart desk lamps.

    And while it’s not clear whether Harmony OS will run on every bit of consumer technology it ultimately sells, Huawei aspires to have an operating system that will run on as many devices as possible.

    Part of the reason is compatibility. If you disregard hardware requirements, any application written for Harmony OS should work on any device running it. That’s an attractive proposition for developers. But it should also have benefits for consumers, too. As more and more devices become computerized, it makes sense for them to be able to easily work as part of a broader ecosystem.

    But What About Phones?

    It’s been nearly three years since the Trump administration’s Treasury Department placed Huawei on an “entity list,” thereby preventing American firms from trading with the company. While this has exerted pressure on all levels of Huawei’s business, the biggest pain has been felt in the company’s mobile division, preventing it from releasing new devices with Google Mobile Services (GMS) included.

    Google Mobile Services is effectively the entire Google ecosystem for Android, including mundane apps like Google Maps and Gmail, as well as the Google Play Store. With Huawei’s latest phones lacking access to most apps, many have wondered whether the Chinese giant will abandon Android, instead moving to a homegrown operating system.

    This seems unlikely. At least, in the short term.

    For starters, Huawei’s leadership has reiterated its commitment to the Android platform. Instead, it’s focused on developing its own alternative to GMS called Huawei Mobile Services (HMS).

    At the heart of this is the company’s app ecosystem, the Huawei AppGallery. Huawei states it’s spending $1 billion to close the “app gap” with the Google Play Store and has 3,000 software engineers working on it.

    A new mobile operating system would be forced to start from scratch. Huawei would have to attract developers to port or redevelop their apps for Harmony OS. And, as we’ve learned from Windows Mobile, BlackBerry 10, and Samsung’s Tizen (and previously Bada), that’s not an easy proposition.

    That said, Huawei is one of the most well-resourced tech firms in the world. And thus, it would be unwise to completely dismiss the prospect of a Harmony OS-powered phone.

    Made in China 2025

    There’s an interesting political angle to discuss here. For decades, China has acted as the world’s factory, building products designed overseas. But in recent years, China’s government and its own private sector has invested heavily in research and development. Increasingly, Chinese-designed products are making their way onto the international stage, offering new competition for Silicon Valley’s tech elite.

    Amidst this, the Beijing government has an ambition it calls “Made in China 2025.” Effectively, it wants to end its reliance on imported high-tech products, such as semiconductors and airplanes, replacing them with their own homegrown alternatives. The motivation from this stems from economic and political security, as well as national prestige.

    Harmony OS fits into this ambition perfectly. If it takes off, it’ll be the first globally successful operating system to emerge from China—with the exception of those used in niche markets, like cellular base stations. These homegrown credentials will come in particularly handy should the cold war between China and the United States continue to rage.

    And as a result, I wouldn’t be surprised for Harmony OS to have some very enthusiastic supporters in the central government, as well as within the wider Chinese private sector. And it’s these supporters who will ultimately determine its success.

    China Manufactures hardware for the world

    99% of all hardware is made in China. What happens when China decides not to preload Windows 10, Apple OS, or Linux and only allows Harmony OS installed?

    Sure you can write over the OS when you get the hardware. And that is probably what will happen. Certainly in the USA, American will be FORCED to use American OS.

    It will begin as coercion. Where Americans will be warned about the dangers of Harmony OS.

    Then it will be mandated by law.

    Americans will be FORCED to use American computer operating systems. Just like they are forced to do other things, like pay taxes, buy health insurance, register guns, show identification to buy alcohol, and buy car insurance, etc.

    Americans will be forced to use systems to allow their monitoring by the US government.

    But that’s not the real concern. Actually. Americans lost their freedoms back hundreds of years ago.

    What the real concern is that Microsoft will lose it’s substantial market share, as will google, and Apple. And without this dominance int he market will come a slowly eroding Intel collection ability for the American government.

    And the folk at Langley are all in arms about it.

    Keep in mind why the United States government wants you to hate Huawei.

    Conclusion

    The United States dominance on access to privacy, control of information, control of the media, and manipulation of thought are all being challenged by China. And the oligarchy inside of Washington DC do not like this one single bit.

    They are flooding the media with warnings, fears and hype and doing everything within their power to assure complete dominance in the intelligence, and communication technologies.

    The sheeple believe this.

    That is because they have nothing else to compare it against. So they believe the one thousandth article on why Huawei is dangerous and how China is stealing from YOU!

    Do not believe it.

    If you all could only see things from my point of view, from me…

    …standing outside…

    …and looking in at the absolutely insanity inside of America today, you too would see what is going on and why.

    And a nice little video that I took. I want all you you readers in MM land to start seeing what it is like living outside of America. So that you can see how God-awful America has become. You can watch it HERE. 180MB.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
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    The biggest mistakes that people make when trying to conduct an affirmation prayer campaign

    You know, there are many people out there in MM land that are running their own affirmation / prayer campaigns. And many are very enthusiastic about it. They give me reports on what is going on; what is working and what is falling apart.

    And then when they are this close…

    … they change their affirmations and it all comes falling apart.

    What is going on, they ask me. Why is everything getting so close to happening and then it all seems to fall apart?

    And I am going to talk about this particular issue right now.

    Rule Number One

    Do not change your affirmations.

    You can tweak them. You can become more specific or broader. You can make them more colorful. You have change how your read them out. You can change the number of them, and their order.

    But…

    Do not stop them.

    It is only until the affirmation is realized that you can stop. And then, only if you are 100% confident that the changes are permanent enough so that they will not dissipate as time goes one.

    For instance…

    I have an affirmation that goes like this…

    I live in a beautiful area, that is calm, friendly, has fantastic colors and is very relaxed.

    Now, I live in Zhuhai. It is indeed, calm, friendly. It has fantastic colors and is very relaxed.

    But I still have it inside my prayer affirmations. Why? Well, this is simply because I do not want this to change. I am making sure that my life stays this way and is not displaced by future affirmations campaigns. So I keep it “active” in my affirmation campaigns.

    That way, no matter what new campaigns I launch, this fundamental aspect of my life does not change.

    Now consider this affirmation that I had last year…

    My XXXX no longer YYYY and thus ZZZZ.

    (Obviously this is a very personal affirmation. So I’m not going to throw out the details.) Anyways it materialized. In fact, it even surprised me! I was expecting a less than 10% chance of it actually occurring but, it really did.

    I actually looked at XXXX and was amazed that what I saw. Even I was surprised, that exactly what I navigated to; a very unlikely world-line, actually materialized.

    Now this is a one-shot deal. Once it’s done, it’s done. The affirmation is complete and I can cross it off from the list. It is over.

    So that is what I did. It is now greyed out on my spreadsheet.

    So rule one is this;

    You continue your affirmation campaign using the previous campaign as a baseline. You then cross out or grey out those things that have either occurred or are no longer of interest to you, and you leave the ones that you are still striving for. 

    As well as leaving in the affirmations that has materialized, but that you do not want to disappear away.

    Rule Number Two.

    When you see things start to manifest, do not ASSUME that your goals are being realized.

    They could be false positives, or any number of things.

    Do not take the cake out of the oven until it is fully baked. The inside might still be doughy, and the cake might completely collapse when you take it out of the oven. If the recipe calls for 350 degrees for two hours, then you follow that recipe exactly. You do not say… “it looks like it is done” in the first one half hour of baking. Do you?

    You sit down. You make yourself a cup of tea. You turn on a show and you wait it out. You know that when the oven goes “ding” that the cake is baked and you can take it out of the oven.

    But… nooooooo!

    Many people just can’t wait to take the cake out early. Most especially young cooks who don’t have the patience to let the things bake properly.

    Let’s suppose you have an affirmation that looks something like this…

    I have a long passionate relationship with a rugged mountain man, who has a cabin in the woods, likes poetry, drives a truck, and knows how to knit.

    Then, one day you realize that this man who you are just starting to get to know (not yet dating, even) is a (sort of) “mountain man”, he does have a cabin in the woods. He does have a truck.

    And so you assume that your affirmation has materialized.

    No.

    It has not.

    Well, for starters, you don’t have a relationship with him (yet), and you don’t know if he knits, and your certainly do not have a “passionate” relationship either. All you see is a POTENTIAL, and that can mean absolutely nothing.

    As we used to say in the United States, “do not count your chickens until they are hatched.”

    DO NOT COUNT YOUR CHICKENS BEFORE THEY ARE HATCHED.” ― Æsop Fables. 

    Definition of count one's chickens ( before they hatch ) -usually used in negative statements to mean that someone should not depend on something hoped for until he or she knows for certain that it will happen

    People who count their chickens before they are hatched act very wisely because chickens run about so absurdly that it’s impossible to count them accurately. ― Oscar Wilde.

    Never count your chickens before they’re hatched.


    -Do not count your chickens before they are hatched

    If you do in an affirmation campaign, you could easily terminate something that is going ahead according to plan, but your impatience will ruin the entire sequence of events. Some things need time to cook.

    So rule two is this…

    It isn't over until the fat woman sings.

    You keep on doing the affirmations, and running your campaigns until every single aspect of your desires come true. Do not assume that you are close to realizing them. Do not assume that they will manifest "any day now".

    If you order a pizza to eat in a restaurant, you cannot tell others that "you ate pizza in the restaurant" until AFTER [1] you were served the pizza, [2] ate the pizza to [3] your satisfaction, [4] paid for the pizza, and then [5] left the establishment.

    Rule Number Three

    Do not concentrate on the material aspects of your affirmations. Concentrate on the ultimate end goals.

    • Instead of an affirmation campaign for a Dior gown, how about concentrating on a gown that fits you perfectly, is comfortable, and that looks stunning on you.
    • Instead of a campaign that asks for one thousand dollars in your wallet. Ask about having a wallet that always has enough cash for you to live life in the way you see fit.
    • Instead of asking for the ability to win at every sports game you play, how about asking for you to play games where you are always comfortable and satisfied with the game and the outcome.

    Rule three is…

    Always concentrate on the end result.

    Often this is the emotions that you anticipate you will have if your goals are achieved. Focus always on the end game, not on the details.

    Does it matter what color your beloved pet is? All that matters is that you and your beloved pet are happy together.

    Rule number four

    Nothing works until you have a “pause” in your affirmation campaign.

    I have repeatedly stated this over and over, and yet… still… people are running long prayer campaigns without a break. People(!) you do not wind up a toy continuously without letting the spring unwind. What is the purpose of obtaining six PhD degrees if you cannot apply your knowledge? Why work at a job that you hate, if they are not going to pay you?

    Do not overwind the spring.

    A campaign requires two sections. The first section is the verbal affirmation phase, and the second section is an equal period of letting the affirmations run their program.

    Rule four is…

    Conduct your campaign, and then stop all affirmations for an equal amount of time.

    Actually, the rest period can be shorter, but that is another subject for advanced students. In general, keep to the basics and do not deviate from it.

    Rule Five

    Everything is interconnected.

    You cannot isolate a certain action in an affirmation campaign and expect it to manifest alone. There will always be other things that will move and happen associated with your affirmation.

    Suppose that you have a tree in your front yard. And for reasons that I don’t understand, you will to get rid of that tree. So you cut it down. The good news is that you no longer need to rake the leaves in the fall, and mow around the tree trunk. Yay! But the bad news is that your Summer electricity bill has doubled, as the sun is not hitting the side of your house directly, and is no longer being blocked by the leaves on the tree.

    Your goal was realized, but other things occurred that might not be to your liking.

    I argue that you should try to be as helpful and positive as possible in your affirmation campaigns. Remember that if you try to change something, get rid of something, alter something, that those changes will come with associated other events. Some of which might be welcome. Some not so much, and others might end up being a complete surprise.

    Do not not place contradicting affirmations in your prayer campaign.

    Rule five is…

    Affirmations do not work in isolation. They work together with other intentions. And what ever intentions you had in your past, and will have in your future will be tied and influenced by the affirmations you make now.

    Therefore, always strive to place good, happy and benevolent affirmations in your campaigns, least undesirable situations manifest.

    Rule Six

    There is no such thing as time.

    Time is a construct to help us sort out things as they occur. It is the observed movement of your consciousness through the MWI. That’s all.

    What you prayed for when you were seven years old has just as much power as what your affirmation campaign has right now. As well as what you will be praying for in the future.

    To maximize the strength of your affirmations you need to be specific regarding them, but general on the outcome manifestation.

    Long time readers will confirm that the more “unique” and “special” the affirmation is, the quicker it apparently seems to manifest. While other long-time, long-duration desires just seem to “hang there” and move really slowly.

    This rule…

    There is no such thing as time. In order to prevent negative past prayer campaigns, or future campaigns from influencing your current campaign, you must do either one of two things.

    [1] Add an affirmation that prevents the influences of other prior or future affirmations.

    [2] Make sure that your campaigns are broad scoped and will not have any negative consequences associated with them.

    Oh, by the way, I use this affirmation in my campaigns…

    These intention prayers supersede any and all previous ones that would conflict with the ones listed here.

    And this one…

    Any previous actions, statements or affirmations that I have made in my past, that will have a contrary effect on my current affirmation prayer campaign, are ignored and does not influence my current affirmation campaign.

    Some thoughts…

    Sometimes we are our worst enemy. We try to take control over a system that is working.

    It’s like a drunk guy in the back seat of a car, who insists on driving the car. The rest of the passengers know that he will probably drive off the road and wreck the car, but he’s too big and powerful to subdue.

    Follow the script. Do not deviate, and accept things as they manifest. Do not try to take control. Never try to take control. Just let the events unravel and manifest.

    And NEVER, never, ever take the pizza out of the oven before the dough is properly cooked, the cheese is melted, and the meat is well cooked. No matter how good it smells, and no matter how delicious it looks, do NOT take it out until the timer goes off!

    Do not remove the pizza from the oven until the cooking is finished.

    Finally

    I have a couple of videos that I would like to throw out to the MM audience. I took it earlier this week. It just shows a few minutes of my life.

    Now, you realize that I did not say in my verbal affirmations “I will live in JiDa, Zhuhai, China and have a great life“. I said; “I live good healthy life in a beautiful, calm and relaxed place.” 

    When I left the United States, I landed in Erie, Pennsylvania after prison. It was also calm and pleasant. It was in late August into September, and a rather nice time of the year. I could have stated “Yeah, it has materialized.

    But no. It really didn’t.

    Erie is a beautiful town, and great if you are affluent.

    Erie looked and appeared to be beautiful. But for me it was not “calm and pleasant”. For me it was a scene of constant and perpetual stress. Try living in the USA as a “sex offender”. That was not “calm and relaxed”. It is a forever stress that you learn to deal with. Miss one reporting date, get one traffic violation, get snagged on laws that were constantly changing, and your life is toast.

    And due to the local Pennsylvania laws, I wouldn’t be living in the “nice section”. I would either live far away in the woods outside of town, or in the “bad section”. I would have to live on the East Side of Erie.

    The East Side of Erie, Pennsylvania. Home of ethnic youth gangs, shootings, prostitution, drugs, and weekly shootings. It is the lower class section of town.

    But I did not accept Erie as the result of my affirmation prayers.

    You see, an affirmation prayer campaign is a very personal thing. What is beautiful and stress free for me might mean something else to a different person. And for me, I really wanted a nice, calm and beautiful place to live in.

    Not one in a urban ghetto where I was constantly on the alert.

    Indeed, I didn’t take the pizza out of the oven until it was cooked.

    It took me to Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Pago Pago, TangXia in Dongguang, and finally to where I live now in Zhuhai.

    The first movie is all about the pace of life during lunchtime in China. You can see it HERE. 101MB.

    The second movie is about the importance society places on the living environment, but it still is 180MB, and I talk about trees and parks. If you all think that trees aren’t important, maybe you might find this a tad boring. But I do want you all to see what my verbal affirmations manifested for me. You can see this video HERE. 180MB. Notice how calm and peaceful everything is.

    The point here is that what makes a person realize their dream is something personal. You cannot use television, movies or stories to illustrate it. You must use what you find most desirable in your life and emphasize that as a core requirement of your goals. And you should NEVER abort the process early when you think you see “light at the end of the tunnel”. You stick to your plans, and continue walking the walk.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my index about prayer and affirmation campaigns.

    Intention Plans

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    Master Index

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    Intention Campaigns

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    Master Index
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    What America has taught the world about democracy

    Can you believe that the morons in the American “news” media, the assholes in Washington DC, and the “talking heads” all still refer to America as a “democracy”. Really! Seriously!

    It’s a De Facto Military Empire.

    It’s the largest Military Empire in history. And it lives for war. The vast budget of America is devoted to…

    …wait for it…

    …war!

    Ah…

    Which goes to show you just how stupid and idiotic America is today. It’s no longer a matter of being delusional. It’s a matter of pure and utter insanity and stupidity.

    The American government would look quite different if it was focused on serving the needs of it’s people. It would look something like this…

    But you know, people are slowly waking up. It only took them all until the nation is teetering at the edge of the cliff to notice, but well, better late than never. Don’t you know.

    I initially found this on MoA in the comment section. It’s pretty good and I expounded upon it. It was originally found on Zero Hedge alongside the rest of the COVID nonsense that is day-to-day fodder in the “alternative” media.

    Ah. You know what I am talking about; that Coronavius is just an excuse for more government powers.

    Yup. It’s a comfortable narrative.

    Far easier to digest than the truth; that the Coronavirus was a part of a multi-stage bio-weapons attack against China on CNY that went “tits up”.

    go tits up
    
    [1] rude slang To break or malfunction; to die, fall apart, or cease to work. (A play on the phrase "go belly up." "Tits up" is sometimes hyphenated.)
    
    [2] rude slang By extension, to have a poor, undesired, or ruinous outcome; to fail completely or not come together at all.

    Never the less, the obvious points that he had made are worthy of consideration, and at that, I have expounded upon that comment and added my very own “two cents”.

    Here are Ten Things We Have Learned …. about American (and United States) government, democracy and the superiority of “the American way of life”, “freedom” and “liberty”…

    1. The American political system is hopelessly corrupt.

    It is irredeemably corrupt. Virtually all politicians are hopelessly corrupt. No political party can be trusted. They all can be, and have been, bought. They serve themselves, pretend to work in the interests of the nation while all the time acting as the "bag men" for the oligarchy.

    2. Democracy is a sham.

    It has been a sham for a very long time. 
    
    There will never be any real democracy when money and power amount to the same thing. 
    
    The Founding Fathers who wrote the Federalist Papers were absolutely correct. A Republic tends to turn into a Democracy. A Democracy tends to turn into an Oligarchy, and an Oligarchy tends to devolve into a Military Empire if left unchecked.
    
    America is an oligarchy ruled military empire. It hasn't been a democracy for centuries.

    3. The system will stop at nothing to hold on to its power and, if possible, increase its levels of control and exploitation.

    It has no scruples. No lie is too outrageous, no hypocrisy too nauseating, no human sacrifice too great. 
    
    Those in power are psychopaths, surrounded by psychopathic toadies, and empowered by a corrupt well-established "good old boys" network.

    4. So-called radical movements are usually nothing of the sort.

    From whatever direction they claim to attack the system, they are just pretending to do so.
    
    These "radical movements" are just useful tools of the oligarchy, and serve to channel discontent in directions which are harmless to the power clique and even useful to its agendas.

    5. Any “dissident” voice you have ever heard of through corporate media is probably a fake.

    The system does not hand out free publicity to its actual enemies. 
    
    The entire media machine is owned, run, funded (either directly or indirectly) by the government, or it's controlling interests; the oligarchy. 
    
    Real and actually dissident voices are silenced through technological means, or barring that, killed outright.

    6. Most people in our society are cowards.

    They will jettison all the fine values and principles which they have been loudly boasting about all their lives merely to avoid the slightest chance of public criticism, inconvenience or even minor financial loss. 
    
    Additionally, most American people have a price, and they will sell their soul, their businesses, their families and their futures for financial gain.

    7. The mainstream media is nothing but a propaganda machine for the system…

    ...and those journalists who work for it have sold their sorry souls, placing their (often minimal) writing skills entirely at the disposition of Power.
    
    There are no longer any true dissident voices, or real journalism. 
    
    Those that try to practice it must rely on social networks to get their messages heard, and the government, in one way or the other, controls all social media.

    8. Police are not servants of the public…

    ...but servants of a powerful and extremely wealthy minority which seeks to control and exploit the public for its own narrow and greedy interests.

    9. Scientists cannot be trusted.

    They will use the hypnotic power of their white coats and authoritative status for the benefit of whoever funds their work and lifestyle. 
    
    He who pays the piper calls the tune. And they all live for government funding. Either direct, or though an NGO that is supervised through the government.

    10. Progress is a misleading illusion.

    The “progress” of increasing automation and industrialization does not go hand in hand with a progress in the quality of human life.
    
    Rather, it is becoming increasingly evident, that it will tend to “progressively” reduce it to the point of complete extinction unless managed expertly and adroitly.

    So… is “black”, actually “white”?

    There is a percentage of the population in America that is waking up to the fact that the American government is corrupt. That it controls all media, not just the mainstream media, and that “alternative” media outlets are all corrupted. And the beloved alternatives are now, themselves part of the government narrative.

    To check who is who…

    See which of your favorite “alternative media” sources are parroting the government line. Let’s use this one; “China is the source of Coronavirus, and they are covering it up.”

    Any “alternative media” that repeats some form of this narrative, is a de facto arm of the American government.

    When they should really be talking about how neocon John Bolton (psychopathic neocon) was put in charge of the bio-weapons office in 2017.

    When anyone is talking about Coronavirus being a bio-weapon but omits this most critical piece of information should tell you reams about what your source of information is. That’s like buying a new automobile without wheels, an engine, and a steering wheel.

    If you cannot see that your beloved “alternative media” are simply parroting one of three key media talking directions, then you too… must be… a sheeple.

    And while I am at it…

    How all that “dangers of 5G” working out now?

    Why, all the news articles about it all suddenly came to an end when American companies were able to compete against the Chinese lead in 5G technology. Imagine that! What a coincidence!

    Who was promoting the “don’t use 5G” narrative?

    • Rush Limbaugh
    • Hall Turner
    • FOX News

    The ones who promoted the government narrative, are themselves agents of the government.

    Remember, boys and girls, your most beloved “alternative media” are just mouthpieces of the government. That way they control your actions and your behaviors by controlling your favorite news outlets. They construct one of three narratives and you end up following the narrative that appeals to what you want to believe.

    Meanwhile, what is actually going on is hidden from sight.

    Alt-Right

    “It’s the evil Chinese. They mishandled a bio-weapon that they stole and are covering it up.”

    Mainstream

    “Everything is just fine, and America will recover soon.”

    Alt-Left

    “Don’t be afraid. Everything is under control and the Coronavirus is being tracked.”

    Conclusion

    I need a beer.

    Is there any American out there in MM land that disagrees with this appraisal? If so, I would love to hear your thoughts on this matter. Personally, I found it “on point” and accurate. But then again, I have a “bone to pick” with the USA, so I am biased.

    And with that in mind, let me close with a short video that I made of my life here in China. It’s all of a few minutes long and worth the while for you all to have some perspective what things are like…

    …for me on the outside looking into the house of madness that the USA is today. The video is HERE. 150MB.

    To understand what is going on inside of the forest, you need to step out of it, climb a nearby hill and look at the bigger picture. There, from that vantage point, you will be able to see a much clearer and bigger picture of what is going on.

    Forest Fire.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    A new beginning; Can game theory accurately model human behaviors?

    There was a song that I used to listen to by Triumph called “It’s Just a Game”. Their theme, at the time, was that life was just one game after the other. Ah. It was a nice theme, but you know, maybe they were right? Humans follow the rules of society, and when you have rules, you are actually playing a game.

    Such as described in a particular song “Lay it on the line” where they decry the apparent game-play in relationships. It’s all just a game. Work. Relationships. Career. Family.

    It’s all just a game.

    And sure things have changed since the late 1970’s when I listened to this music and used the album covers to clean my nickel bags of twigs and seeds. And when I would have parties at my parent’s house with beer, whiskey, and (then illegal) marijuana.

    Yes, sure things have changed since the late 1970’s.

    But just because you are not wearing earth shoes, elephant bell-bottom trousers, and a fringe leather vest, doesn’t mean that the ideas and concepts of that time …

    …”me and my arrow“, Bread’s “Guitar Man”, “The Peter Principle“, “The Last Whole Earth Catalog“, and 80 cent medium pizzas

    …were just short-lived conceptional fads. Perhaps what we thought at that time was actually correct. Maybe life was actually a game.

    And whether you were downing Rolling Rock beer, or Coors, or an imported Beck’s beer you were too distracted to take note on the “rules of the game”. You just accepted your role. Whether it was a pawn, a rook, or a knight.

    Maybe life was actually a game.

    And maybe…

    …just maybe…

    …we all have been taking it far too seriously.

    Life is a game and we have been taking it far too seriously.

    And thus, maybe we should sit back, and stop being so anal about life. So what if you want to drive home and have lunch with your family during lunch break? So what if you want to go have a smoke outside? So what if you need to stretch your legs and walk around the building to give yourself a chance to think. So what if you want to have a icy cold beer at lunch with your hamburger?

    What?

    Burger King does not sell beer!

    My goodness!

    Well they do in England. For goodness sakes!

    In England you can get a beer with your whopper. It’s all very English, don’t you know.

    Imagine that! Well, why not get a bottle from the quickie-mart, get some takeout burgers and drink the beer, eat the burger in a park?

    That’s always a good idea. I used to do that. I would hop in my car, go through the drive through and order a combo meal, and then drive to a shady glade and sit there listening to El’ Rush Bo. I wouldn’t dare buy a beer. That would have gotten me fired. Not that they needed the excuse, mind you. In those days, they treated employees like toilet paper. Use and discard. Use and discard. Use and discard. There was always plenty more where they came from.

    Of course, I do not advise sitting in the car listening to Rush Limbaugh right now. Since, he’s dead, and the narrative is still the alt-right US government propaganda. They are still following the script, set forth by John Bolton back in 2016, and drinking coke-cola daily is not good for you, and it’s lonely to boot.

    But heck…

    Go ahead, get a taco salad, and get a beer from the quickie mart, and go to a park.

    What?

    No park?

    Well, how about driving your car to the never-visited cemetery at the end of the lane. Pulling over and either sitting in your car under the shade of a mighty oak tree, or getting out and enjoying the beer on a granite tombstone?

    Lunch in a car is a typical way that American corporate clones get some private time.

    What?

    The grounds-keeper might call the police for observing your flagrant display of enjoying lunch with a beer in a quiet park setting!

    Sacrilege!

    Go to a cemetery and enjoy a beer.

    Like I am saying. We are playing the game too seriously, and we are way too caught up in it.

    If you are a corporate drone, and you sit back. Watch how you are participating inside a big elaborate game. And …

    … no one can win the game…

    …you can only play.

    Thus the song from Triumph called “It’s Just a Game“.

    It's just a game, you're in it all the way
    It's just a game, don't let yourself slip away
    It's such a shame, I heard somebody say
    It's just a game, and all I can do...is play

    And it is a game.

    And the rules of the game are constantly changing, and we are all adapting to the changing rules instead of defining our own rules.

    Did you realize that they made a female version of Sherlock Holmes? Yup. I am not shitting you. It’s a bonafied version of Sherlock Holmes with his sister taking all the credit. Jeeze! It’s called Enola Holmes (2020).

    When Enola Holmes-Sherlock's teen sister-discovers her mother missing, she sets off to find her, becoming a super-sleuth in her own right as she outwits her famous brother and unravels a dangerous conspiracy around a mysterious young Lord.

    It’s all just a game.

    Don’t get too caught up in it.

    I dug up this interesting article on Strategic Culture, and it’s worth a study. Now, before we get into the subject matter too deeply, let’s consider life as a human has evolved (devolved?) into some kind of game with rules. All of which were created by other humans a long, long time ago. And we are all stuck “playing the game”, when we really don’t have to…

    The Curse of Game Theory: Why It’s in Your Self-Interest to Exit the Rules of the Game

    Game theory, the mathematical theory of games of strategy, was developed by John von Neumann. It was created in several successive stages from 1928 and into 1940-41. It was published in his book “Theory of Games and Economic Behaviour” which he co-authored with Oskar Morgenstern.

    The crux of the theory is that an individuals’ behavior will always be motivated towards achieving an optimal outcome, which is determined by self-interest.

    An assumption made is that the players in such a game are rational, which translates to, “will strive to maximize their payoffs in the game”.

    In other words, it is assumed they are motivated by selfish self-interests.

    Over the years, other contributors such as John Nash (Nash equilibrium) and John Maynard Smith (evolutionary stable strategy) have added to the theory.

    Today,  we are now at a point where it is considered by many to be an essential tool when modelling economic, political, sociological or military behaviors and outcomes.

    As such, it is taught as such in many prestigious universities as something pretty much set in stone.

    But what if we have made a terrible mistake?

    After all, it is acknowledged by the theorists themselves that the entire functioning of their model relies upon the assumption that we are governed by rational selfish behavior.

    People feel confident about this assumption since reality has apparently confirmed this fact to them.

    But what if this game is not objectively mirroring a truthful depiction of us?

    What if this game has rather, been used as a conditioning tool, a self-fulfilling prophecy, a positive feedback loop?

    How can we know what is true?

    How can we know what kind of a person we truly are and not what we have been conditioned to think of ourselves as?

    Theory of Games and Economic Behavior

    Before we can answer such a question, we need to look at the forms of simplification and assumptions that were used.

    This may be counter-intuitive to some, but the “philosophy” or “hypothesis” must always precede the actual model.

    The [1] variables you choose to use, [2] the variables you discount for, [3] how you define the variables, [4] how you define the relationship between the variables are not being defined by the model, but rather the creator of the model.

    Once the model is created it can now, theoretically, add to that beginning structure and mimic a simplified version of reality.

    However, we should keep in mind that a model that has been created on a false hypothesis could still “function.”

    That is, of course, if the variables are not too much in contradiction to the other variables’ operations.

    Such a model is not “aware” that it is not a representation of “reality,” and cannot indicate so to its creator.

    Thus, a model can be a representation of a simplified reality or it can represent a completely artificial reality.

    The Disclaimers

    At the beginning of von Neumann’s book, he goes through several disclaimers which are highly problematic towards the relevance of his theory.

    One of them being the acknowledgement that “there exists, at present, no satisfactory treatment of the question of rational behavior.

    There may, for example, exist several ways by which to reach the optimum position.

    They may depend upon the knowledge and understanding which the individual has and upon the paths of action open to them, because they imply, as must be evident, quantitative relationships.”

    As becomes rapidly evident, von Neumann makes endless assertions such as these.

    As if they were obvious and thus need not be examined at all.

    The assumption that an under-defined “rational” selfish behavior is merely quantifiable and nothing more…

    … and does not account for qualitative change (a mathematician’s worst nightmare)…

    … is taking great liberty in over-simplifying human behavior to conveniently fit the limited parameters of his model.

    In other words, it is cheating.

    You are manipulating the definitions and interactions of your variables to fit an artificial reality of your model.

    An Example of how this model fails

    Let me give you an example.

    In Euclid’s fifth postulate, it is considered a “rule” that two parallel lines will never intersect. Euclid was alive around the time of the mid-4th century BCE, before Eratosthenes (276-194 BCE) made his beautifully elegant discovery that the Earth was indeed curved and also made a pretty accurate first measurement of the size of Earth.

    That is, Euclid assumed a linear geometric space upon which the real universe was expected to “fit”. While it is true that two parallel lines will never meet on a two-dimensional plane, they can meet on a three-dimensional plane.

    As is now understood, line A and line G, can be measured as 90 degrees from the equator line and thus are parallel lines, and yet they can eventually interface with each other if the surface is curved.

    The problem with assumptions such Euclid’s is that they are ultimately only true in an artificial situation and are not reflective of how such things will interact in reality. Also, there is no way to predict from Euclid’s fifth law, how two parallel lines would interact in a three dimensional space, let alone in n dimensional space as described by the physicist Bernard Riemann.

    Ironically, in his book, von Neumann likens his “pioneering” work in the field of game theory to that of what physicists have been doing for centuries, that is, mathematical formulations that represent, albeit simplified, the “laws of nature,” concerning matter and energy. However, von Neumann again showcases that he has no comprehension as to what constitutes the foundation for such “laws of nature.”

    In his Hypotheses that Lie at the Foundation of Geometry and other works, Riemann rigorously developed the notion of an anti-Euclidean physical space time shaped not by linear dimensions of an “x,y,z grid”…

    …but rather dimensions defined by an ever growing array of discovered physical principles such as magnetism, light, heat, gravity, sound, etc….

    … each organizing principle being ironically characterized by both a finiteness and unboundedness with quantized least-action pathways discoverable therein.

    According to Euclid’s logic, you never “see” two parallel lines intersecting and thus it is unfathomable that they ever could intersect.

    His “rule” was based off of shared assumptions of what we “think” we are observing in such phenomena, however, this is not necessarily reality and it certainly does not translate to a “rule” that governs all.

    By von Neumann acknowledging that he himself is heavily relying on his so-called “self-evident” truths in simplifying human behavior…

    … he is asserting an outcome…

    … he is not proving the outcome’s natural occurrence.

    The Robinson Crusoe example in Monetarist Economic Theory

    According to von Neumann, the Robinson Crusoe example was used by the Austrian economic school to model an individual’s behavior towards maximizing pay-off in an environment (in this case an island) where the resources available to you are set and limited.

    There are many problems with this…

    … but the most unforgivable one is the assumption of a set, limited and unchanging reserve of resources available to the individual.

    In other words, the Austrian school of economy and von Neumann with them, consider Crusoe’s deserted island as the perfect case study for a limited resource, zero-sum game scenario.

    Ironically, this assertion is entirely missing the point of what actually occurs in Daniel Defoe’s story of “Robinson Crusoe,”…

    …and it causes one to wonder whether these theorists ever read the book or rather read a two line cliff’s notes synopsis.

    Henry C. Carey, Lincoln’s economic advisor, would say in his book “Unity of Law” (1872):

    “Crusoe having made a bow, had thus acquired wealth; that wealth exhibiting itself in the power obtained over certain natural properties of wood and muscular fibre, thereby enabling him to secure increased supplies of food with greatly diminished expenditure of labor. 
    
    Having made a canoe, he found his wealth much increased, his new machine enabling him to obtain still further increase of food, and of the raw materials of clothing, at still decreased cost of personal effort. 
    
    Erecting a pole on his canoe, he now commands the services of wind, and with each and every step in this direction finds himself advancing, with constantly accelerated rapidity, toward becoming master of nature, and a being of real wealth and power.”

    Does that sound like the description of a “limited resource,” “zero-sum game” scenario?

    In other words, where is the “set” limit?

    The limit is constantly being readjusted to what the individual creates which changes his/her relationship to the “utility” of the resource.

    For example, the resource wood, depending on the individual’s innovation can be used to keep one warm and dry, cook food, create weapons, create shelter, create a ship for travel etc. etc.

    The existence of yet-to-be-created potential thus offsets the entire system of von Neumann because his system has no way of predicting potential, i.e. qualitative transformations, nor how it will affect behavior.

    If you cannot predict future qualitative change, which is ongoing, such as the discovery of electricity or the creation of man-made Plutonium and other transuranic elements…

    … or the potential waiting to be unlocked by the very feasible fusion plasma torch that can turn landfills into resource mines…

    … how can you assume a defined set limit or even a defined zero-sum game as a “self-evident” truth when you cannot even predict what is the limit?

    The Supposed Paradox of “The Greatest Good for the Greatest Possible Number”

    In von Neumann’s book he refers to “the greatest good for the greatest possible number” as a contradiction, because according to von Neumann you cannot maximize two or more functions at once, that in a social economy, all maxima are desired at once by various players.

    That is, there is no concept that it is possible to cooperate and share an optimal outcome, without it coming out of “your” share so to speak, that comes at a cost of having less instead of more.

    This is a very basic understanding of economy, and again does not account for how cooperation and creative potential can work to transform the “goods” of an outcome.

    For instance, country A is militarily stronger than country B, which is rich in many raw resources. 
    
    Country A is also stronger politically than country B in that, there are no other countries that will likely intervene against country A’s actions if it chooses to invade country B. 
    
    What course of action will yield the greatest return to country A?

    Well, there is a very obvious answer to that question; however, contrary to popular thought it will not yield the greatest optimal outcome.

    The greatest optimal outcome is rather to cooperate.

    It is in both country A and country B’s best interest to share knowledge, even if country A has much more knowledge, such that country B develops the capability to refine its raw resources.

    By doing so, country B will yield a greater return in trade over the long-term to country A, and country A does not have to worry about a future retaliation from country B.

    By developing a more advanced economy the wealth of trade is increased for both countries.

    By cooperation, the optimal outcome is transformed and offers a greater return.

    This is exactly the model that is being used by China presently in their philosophy of “win-win cooperation,” and it has proven itself most effective despite all attempts to villainize it as something nefarious.

    Rather than fight over resources, there is a cooperation to share technology, increase resource yield and share a greater boon than originally existed.

    John von Neumann goes on to state in his book, that the more players in the model, the easier it is to predict the outcome, since the use of statistics and probability are increasingly better indicators of behavior and performance. As he states:

    “When the number of participants becomes really great, some hope emerges that the influence of every particular participant will become negligible and that the above difficulties may recede and a more conventional theory become possible. These are, of course, the classical conditions of ‘free competition’.”

    He goes on to use the example of our solar system, with its nine major bodies, as being much harder to model than 10^25 freely moving gas particles, as per gas theory, simply due to the sheer number of objects you are dealing with.

    This is truly a remarkably absurd statement, where von Neumann is asserting that if the solar system had more major bodies orbiting within it, it would thus be easier to model based off of probability.

    Every planet in our solar system is a different size and weight, with a different number of moons. Every planet revolves around the sun in imperfect elliptical orbits that change slowly overtime, the planets travel along these orbits in a non-uniform way that is observable through planetary retrograde motions.

    The fact is that our solar system is not some perfectly closed system that is uniform and consistent in its actions, there are cyclical changes but there are also non-cyclical changes that are occurring.

    This is due to our solar system orbiting around a galactic center of the Milky Way which is itself moving in yet-to-be discovered ways within a larger cluster of galaxies.

    Therefore, you cannot use any theory of probability because the system is in a state of ongoing non-linear change. The more bodies you add to such a system the more complex it becomes, not the more negligible.

    For example, there exists no straightforward formula to identify all prime numbers, though there are an infinite number of prime numbers.

    Prime numbers are a reflection of a non-linear process of change.

    Such an oversimplification of nature shows the audacity behind the assumptions that make up such formulations like game theory.

    You are nothing more than a virtual avatar in their synthetic world with programmed limits to what you can and cannot do in the game they have created for you.

    • Game theory does not represent the motivations behind human nature, but rather imposes such limitations since, as they acknowledge themselves, it is easier to predict and control your chosen selfish behaviors which are encouraged and rewarded with “incentives.”
    • It is a system of enslavement that encourages its slaves to fight each other for “table scraps” and never question the hand that withholds, the system that creates false scarcity and promotes antagonism over artificial stressors.
    • We are taught never to question the rules given to us in these game theory scenarios, but to react accordingly to what has been defined to us as a limited set of options in an artificial scenario.

    Perhaps the best indicator to this is, ironically, the very creator of the prisoner’s dilemma, John Nash. Nash had won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1994 for his “landmark” work beginning in the 1950s on game theory.

    Although it is not clear whether he was suffering with paranoid schizophrenia when he developed the Nash Equilibrium, starting in 1959, Nash would go in and out of mental hospitals for over nine years.

    In 2007, he was interviewed while still working at Princeton. Here is his very unselfish offering of his “enlightenment” (his words) on game theory after over 50 years of work in the field. Keep in mind he is using the definition of rational behavior according to game theory, which is defined as a selfish self-interest:

    “I have had some trouble myself on the psychological level; I’ve been in mental hospitals…
    
    I realize that what I had said at some time may have overemphasized rationality…
    
    And I don’t want to overemphasize rational thinking on the part of humans…
    
    Human beings are much more complicated, the human being as a businessman….
    
    Human behavior is not entirely motivated by self-interest of each human…
    
    ...game theory works in terms of self-interest, but…
    
    ...some game theory concepts could be unsound. There is over-dependence on rationality. That is my enlightenment.”

    This article was originally published on Strategic Culture.

    MM Ending Thoughts

    The entire West are basing all their plans, their strategies, their efforts, and their predictions upon “Game Theory”. But this theory is faulted,; tremendously faulted, and those that follow it against a society that has a better understanding of how the world works, will lose.

    And the entire world is waking up to this realization.

    There’s one easy prediction, though. The US is just about done as a world power, society, economy, concept or even joke. 
    
    - One night in Amerika

    Inside America you have people that are watching their world crumble around them… and it’s not a game, and they want out.

    On the global stage, we see nations in competition and those that follow the “Game theory” model fail, time and time again.

    The world belongs to those societies that embrace things as they are, and not as they want them to be. And that means getting off the game board, and changing out the game pieces for real, tangible and accurate measures of society.

    Daily Video Report

    I am going to add a semi-daily video report on what is going on in China. This is going to be my first one. I took it about 45 minutes ago. I guess you can say it’s my pissed off opinions to counter the wide-spread of lies and disinformation that bombards my morning feeds day-in and day-out.

    You can view it HERE. 137MB. I talk a bit about cameras and why the “color revolution” sponsored by the NED (the CIA) failed in Hong Kong. Of course, you will never read what I am talking about in the Western press.

    They have more important things to talk about, don’t you know…

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings

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    A detailed break down on how consciousness navigates the MWI within a one second period of time

    Here we will “walk through” a one second span of time and observe what happens as consciousness navigates the MWI.

    Long time readers of MM will recognize many of what is being stated herein. But what is uniquely special about this post is the conceptualization of what happens when the “second hand” on your watch goes from one mark to the next. It is something that you can witness, and can conceptualize.

    Many people have trouble trying to understand the ideas and mechanisms involved here simply because they are far too radical and goes against everything that they have learned at school.

    The first moment

    You start at world-line “A”

    This world-line has it’s own history; it’s own past and it’s own future. And you are just residing inside the world-line for just a moment.

    You can see that from the point of view of your consciousness, you see the world-line as a moment. In this case the moment is shown in yellow. And the world-line is shown in orange. It has it’s own past, and it has it’s own future, and your consciousness resides in it for a fraction of a second before moving on.

    Your consciousness has anchored (momentarily) at the pineal gland in the brain.

    Pineal gland
    
    The pineal gland, conarium, or epiphysis cerebri, is a small endocrine gland in the brain of most vertebrates. 
    
    The pineal gland produces melatonin, a serotonin-derived hormone which modulates sleep patterns in both circadian and seasonal cycles. The shape of the gland resembles a pine cone, which gives it its name. The pineal gland is located in the epithalamus, near the center of the brain, between the two hemispheres, tucked in a groove where the two halves of the thalamus join. The pineal gland is one of the neuroendocrine secretory circumventricular organs in which capillaries are mostly permeable to solutes in the blood.
    
    -Wikipedia
    

    As long as consciousness is anchored it resides in “particle form” …

    We have seen that the essential idea of quantum theory is that matter, fundamentally, exists in a state that is, roughly speaking, a combination of wave and particle-like properties. 
    
    To enter into the foundational problems of quantum theory, we will need to look more closely at the "roughly speaking." 
    
    It is needed since it is not so easy to see how matter can have both wave and particle properties at once. 
    
    One of the essential properties of waves is that they can be added: take two waves, add them together and we have a new wave. That is a commonplace for waves. 
    
    But it makes no sense for particles, classically conceived. Just how do we "add up" two particles?
    
    Quantum theory demands that we get some of the properties of classical particles back into the waves. 
    
    Doing that is what is going to visit problems upon us. It will lead us to the problem of indeterminism and then to very serious worries about how ordinary matter in the large is to be accommodated into quantum theory. 
    
    For the picture of matter in the small presented by quantum theory is quite unlike our ordinary experience of matter in the large.
    
    -The Quantum Theory of Waves and Particles

    So think of your consciousness as an undulating, or pulsing, rotating beacon. One moment it is in “particle form”, and then the next moment, it is in “wave form”. And it goes through these forms continuously.

    Wave, particle, wave, particle, wave, particle and so on.

    And if you look at it, you will see that it follows a sinusoidal path.

    So, now it turns quickly. It goes from particle form to wave form. And when it is in wave form, it is no longer anchored to the pineal gland, and thus it can exit the body…

    …and exit the world-line too.

    To the next wold-line

    And so we see that in a fraction of a second’ 1/4 of a second to be exact, the consciousness moves from world-line A to world-line B.

    Both world-lines are very similar to each other.

    They might differ in the slightest of items. Aside from being a fraction of a second older, the world-line might have a minor change or two that differs from the world-line A.

    We call a group of similar world-lines as "clustering", or that the world-lines "cluster together". They are all very similar to each other with only the smallest of variations.

    Now, it was the thoughts generated by the consciousness when it is outside of the world-lines that navigates to the most likely nearby world-lines. No thoughts are ever generated when the consciousness is in particle form.

    The selection of the "most likely" next world-line is the entropy profile of the thoughts generated by consciousness. Or, in other words, the world-line that is the "best fit" for the thoughts, or accumulated thought profile, of the consciousness.

    When the consciousness is on a world-line all it can do is operate a body physically. And when the consciousness is outside of the body (and outside of the world-lines) is when it can think and generate thoughts.

    • Inside the body = particle form = move the body
    • Outside the body = wave form = think thoughts

    And thoughts are how the consciousness navigates the MWI and selects the most likely world-line.

    A bigger picture

    If you look at the “bigger pictures” you can place the highest likelihood of nearby world-lines on a flat surface, and measure their relative comfort or discomfort by the size of the “hills and valleys” that undulate on the surface.

    Such as here…

    So, knowing this, let’s consider another fraction of a second. Now, the consciousness moves towards and occupies a world-line “C”…

    Movement to a third world-line

    And we can see that the process repeats. Every time the consciousness switches from particle form to wave form, it exits the world-line (and the body it inhabits) and goes to the closest world-line that matches the thoughts generated by consciousness.

    Now, you might want to consider how YOU as consciousness has observed the events of the last three world-lines.

    For starters, YOUR “past” is unique to the path that your consciousness took. In the picture above, you have a “life line” that is brown and shown in a dashed line.

    You also have another “past”.

    Each time you visit a world-line, you are exposed to completely different past. Many of which are similar, but some can be really different.

    Movement to a fourth world-line

    If you are an average, and typical human, exactly one second has passed from the moment you were in world-line “A” to now at world-line “D”.

    For every second, most humans pass through four different world-lines. And for most of them they are all so very similar to each other.

    And if you map them all out on a three dimensional grip where the topographic surface represents the most likely world-lines that you can visit (from your momentary point of reference) it would look something like this…

    And at that, please realize that you control your momentary thoughts by verbal prayer affirmations. And since each affirmation takes more than one second to read (usually from four to twelve seconds), the mere action of reading your prayer / affirmation campaign is actual navigation and piloting of your consciousness through the MWI.

    Consider this affirmation;

    "I live a happy, healthy and comfortable life."

    It took me 4.66 seconds to read. Which equates to 18.64 world-lines. During the time that I read it out loud, that was all that I was thinking of. You can be assured that my consciousness navigation would be the most likely world-lines to manifest those thoughts.

    Conclusion

    This is the “secret of the universe”. This is how our reality works, and the actual operation of the MWI, and all the aspects of quantum physics as it applies to day to day life.

    As you can see, it differs considerably from what mainstream understanding is, as well as scientific belief. But it is the way it works.

    Now, you can say that I am either [1] a crazy madman for coming up with this belief, or that [2] I am an absolute genus for coming up with this. Or, conversely, you can believe what I am telling you. That [3] I am part of MAJestic, and my role in the organization was (and is) to be a liaison to extraterrestrial benefactors that will help the human species grow and advance.

    And whether you believe it or not, is not my concern.

    This is how our reality works, and in a few centuries this understanding will be embraced and accepted as normal and “the way it is”.

    And at that, you can thank me for giving you the “secrets of the universe”. And if you can understand it, then you are in the top 0.000001% of the human race right now.

    Conversely, if you refuse to accept this, then you can believe in shape-changing reptilians that want to control the human race, huge American-led space fleets with “space marines”, and a Heaven and Hell that you can control through donations to the largest church in the neighborhood. It’s YOUR reality.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Affirmation prayer Campaign Index here…

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    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

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    Is the crisis of the Fourth Turning in process right now?

    For the longest time, I had believed that the Strauss and Howe predictions for the Fourth Turning was correct but that the timing was slightly off. Instead of a Crisis Catalyst in 2005 and a Climax in 2020. I argued that the Crisis Catalyst occurred three years later in 2008. Which would launch a Climax in 2023.

    Now I am not so sure.

    What Strauss and Howe stated

    If the Crisis catalyst comes on schedule, around the year 2005, then the  climax will be due around 2020, the resolution around 2026. 
    
    What will  America be like as it exits the Fourth Turning? History offers no  guarantees. Obviously, things could go horribly wrong—the  possibilities ranging from a nuclear exchange to incurable plagues,  from terrorist anarchy to high-tech dictatorship. We should not assume  that Providence will always exempt our nation from the irreversible  tragedies that have overtaken so many others: not just temporary  hardship, but debasement and total ruin. 
    
    Since Vietnam, many Americans  suppose they know what it means to lose a war. 
    
    Losing in the next Fourth  Turning, however, could mean something incomparably worse. It could  mean a lasting defeat from which our national innocence—and perhaps even  our nation—might never recover. As many Americans know from their own  ancestral backgrounds, history provides numerous examples of  societies that have been wiped off the map, ground into submission, or  beaten so badly they revert to barbarism.

    Indeed, the dates are close but seem to be off by a few years.

    In our case, it appears that the “Crisis catalyst” did not occur in 2005 as predicted. It occurred in 2008 with the Wall Street “too big to fail” debacle.

    That was three years later.

    But does that mean that the Climax would also be delayed by three years?

    I am now thinking “no”.

    What is the Forth Turning Crisis?

    This is what Strauss and Howe wrote;

    And finally we enter the Fourth Turning, which is a Crisis. 
    
    This is an era in which America’s institutional life is torn down and rebuilt from the ground up—always in response to a perceived threat to the nation’s very survival. 
    
    Civic authority revives, cultural expression finds a community purpose, and people begin to locate themselves as members of a larger group. 
    
    In every instance, Fourth Turnings have eventually become new “founding moments” in America’s history, refreshing and redefining the national identity. 
    
    Currently, this period began in 2008, with the Global Financial Crisis and the deepening of the War on Terror, and will extend to around 2030. 
    
    If the past is any prelude to what is to come, as we contend, consider the prior Fourth Turning which was kicked off by the stock market crash of 1929 and climaxed with World War II. 
    
    Just as a Second Turning reshapes our inner world (of values, culture and religion), a Fourth Turning reshapes our outer world (of politics, economy and empire). 
    
    To be clear, the road ahead for America will be rough. 
    
    But I take comfort in the idea that history cycles back and that the past offers us a guide to what we can expect in the future. 
    
    Like Nature’s four seasons, the cycles of history follow a natural rhythm or pattern. Make no mistake. Winter is coming. How mild or harsh it will be is anyone’s guess but the basic progression is as natural as counting down the days, weeks and months until Spring. 

    As you can see, the essay originally published on 3/11/19 by Neil Howe confirmed that the “Crisis catalyst” did not occur in 2005 as predicted. It occurred in 2008 with the Wall Street “too big to fail” debacle.

    But no one knows exactly WHEN the actual Crisis will occur.

    It could be as early as 2020, or as late as 2025. And as I look at what is going on around the world, most especially with the belligerent activities of the American military empire, I see elements of a Hot War everywhere.

    A “hot war” is a hallmark of this Crisis.

    The Hot War

    America has been involved in all sorts of operations against China since 2017 when Trump become President and John Bolton was put in charge of the Bio-Weapons office.

    John Bolton was in charge of the American military bio-weapons operation.

    Most notably was the attempt(s) at trying to generate famine and starvation inside China. This all was attempted by the selective destruction of food, grains, and livestock via drone-propagated bio-weapons.

    But…

    …it is when PEOPLE are targeted for death and destruction is when a “hot war” occurs.

    I am convinced that the Hot War started in 2020 with the carpet bombing of China by the three strains of bio-weapons designed to target the Chinese people.

    But, China hit back…

    The plan to “suppress” China fell flat on it’s face.

    You see, China threw the COVID 19 B-strain right back at the USA in April 2020.

    No longer was the COVID-19 A-strain (light sniffle virus) going to provide herd immunity. The lethal B-strain was starting to rampage. And Americans started to “drop like flies” just like they did inside of China on CNY2020.

    And suddenly, out of the blue, all Americans were told to start wearing masks in (May 2020). That the “herd immunity” is no longer possible.

    And the Washington Elite were clueless…

    Well, you would think that the USA would “take the hint”.

    Nope.

    They “stuck to their guns” and “doubled down”.

    And when the reports started to surface that the American designed COVID-19 B-strain lethal bio-weapon suddenly showed up inside of America…

    …in April 2020…

    …Trump said, not more “Mr. Nice Guy”, and used his black operation forces inside of China to torch the newest Chinese Naval vessel…

    Which the Chinese effectively put out. They repaired the damage in record time, and launched on schedule.

    But then, you know…

    …and make no mistake…

    … the Chinese were well aware of what was going on and told the American leadership exactly that.

    They told the Americans that a measured response to all provocations will now occur. And a “tit for tat” series of battles began.

    So, two months later…

    Oh, well, that was not to the liking of President Trump.

    Washington still did not accept the message…

    So that is when he unleashed the (Death by diarrhea virus) in July 2020 in China. This is a very, very nasty tick based virus. In Beijing. You do realize that there are no ticks in Beijing, don’t you?

    Ah, the American media...
    
    ...keeping Americans stupefied since 1980.

    And as soon as the CIA courtiers handed the vials to their local assets inside of China…

    …these “assets”, in a strong action suggesting of Chinese patriotism, and perhaps some Geo-political understanding…

    … dutifully handed over the vials to the PLA immediately.

    And Washington DC was stunned.

    So. Round Two. Or is it three, or four…

    So then round two, the two-double punch, was unleashed. H1N1 flu G4 strain (Death by diarrhea virus) July 2020. It’s an extremely dangerous, lethal and contagious swine flu that was adapted to kill humans.

    And yet again…

    … the CIA assets dutifully handed over the vials to the PLA.

    And China took action. China started to perform the “famous” anal swabs for testing for the three viral agents, and the American press is aghast as to why would China dare do this for a simple “flu like” virus.

    Ah. The ignorance of the manipulated American sheeple.

    But China handling three bio-weapons strains and interrogating the CIA assets inside of China did not go down well in Washington. As soon as it was discovered that the Chinese (and Russian) leadership were aware of what was going on…

    Trump went into a secure bunker immediately and set the USA on DEFCON ONE.

    But nothing happened, and three days later, in October 2020 he exited. With a remarkable “cure”. In which case he was miraculously cured in three days.  And the media was all aghast at how amazing the President was to get cured so quickly.

    Ah. American sheeple. Kept as clueless as ever.

    Now, of course, none of this is reported in the “news”. At least not in context. It’s just random noise with no contextual meaning or connections.

    So a Carrier Battle Group set sail for China

    But you know, the morons in Washington DC, and Jesus H. Christ, they must be morons…

    …decided to go ahead with that eight carrier flotilla to the South China Sea.

    And the result of it has not been reported in the Western press. Still giving the idea of the American invincibility on the high seas.

    Ah. American media is the "window to the world" as described by Washington DC.

    Such a pity.

    As well as the absolute fiasco that occurred with the Trump eight carrier invasion force that steamed home with it’s tail between it’s legs after confronting China in the South China Sea. Read about it HERE.

    This is only the tip of the iceberg

    As well as a number of other events that I will not go into detail about. Anyways, all of this pretty much tells me that a hot “shooting” war between China and the USA started in 2020.

    Both American and Chinese people have died as a result of it.

    The showdown.

    And the policy positions of the two belligerents were put on the table for the entire world to see in the meeting on March 2021 in Anchorage, Alaska. And that meeting told the world that war was on-going.

    Sure, there were other elements of conflict.

    We have the eight viral strains designed to cause starvation inside of China that were propagated by drones. We had the color revolutions in Hong Kong. We had the positioning and build up for action “to save the Uighur Muslims” in Xinjiang, and the efforts to make Taiwan a United States protectorate.

    But none of those events involved military forces.

    American military were used to hurt China on Chinese soil

    The American military forces started using their skills to kill, destroy and create havoc in 2020. In fact, it was precisely American military “boots on the ground” in China, at Wuhan that kicked off the first wave of biological warfare.

    And the only reason that it did not erupt into World War III is because of the calm composure of China in the face of the moronic instability of the United States leadership.

    But don’t relax yet.

    Let’s not forget these words…

    The next Fourth Turning could mark the end of man.  It could be an omnicidal armageddon, destroying everything, leaving nothing.  If mankind ever extinguishes itself, this will probably happen when its dominant civilization triggers a Fourth Turning that ends horribly. 

    So with that being said, let’s look at the timing.

    The date of 2020 is the Strauss and Howe initial target date for the Climax of the Fourth Turning. But the Crisis Catalyst was supposed to occur in 2005 to have a Climax in 2020.

    I have previously argued that since the Crisis Catalyst occurred three years later in 2008, it would launch a Climax in 2023. Now I am not so sure.

    I am starting to believe that the Climax hit as planned on 2020. And as a result we are seeing the Strauss and Howe “textbook” results of that Climax.

    The only difference is that it is not being reported at all in the American media. Which is surreal, in all the previous Fourth Turning events, the issues were always reported. But the United States is so absolutely fucked up today, that no one really knows anything, and the amount of crime, corruption and sheer incompetence is mind boggling.

    So, with all that being said, let’s make it official…

    The Fourth Turning Climax hit in 2020

    And the next three years to five years will determine the followup events that the crisis started.

    Historically, the Crisis would always set the pace of the resulting changes that would follow in the subsequent decades. And there are so many aspects and issues going on that it is difficult to anticipate what to expect.

    What can we look forward to?

    [1] It could go really, really, REALLY bad…

    And when I mean BAD, I mean Baaaaaaaad!

    The next Fourth Turning could mark the end of man.  
    
    It could be an omnicidal armageddon, destroying everything, leaving nothing.  If mankind ever extinguishes itself, this will probably happen when its dominant civilization triggers a Fourth Turning that ends horribly.  
    
    But this end, while possible, is not likely.  
    
    Human life is not so easily extinguishable.  
    
    One conceit of linear thinking is the confidence that we possess such godlike power that—at the mere push of a button—we can obliterate nature, destroy our own seed, and make ourselves the final generations of our species.  
    
    Civilized (post-Neolithic) man has endured some 500 generations, prehistoric (fire-using) man perhaps 5,000 generations, Homo Erectus ten times that.  
    
    For the next Fourth Turning to put an end to all this would require an extremely unlikely blend of social disaster, human malevolence, technological perfection, and bad luck.  
    
    Only the worst pessimist can imagine that.

    [2] It could change the way the world works.

    And if the United States keeps on bearing down and pushing the combined nations of Russia/China/Iran you can well expect to see this…

    The Fourth Turning could mark the end of modernity.  
    
    The Western saecular rhythm—which began in the mid-fifteenth century with the Renaissance—could come to an abrupt terminus.  The seventh modern saeculum would be the last.  
    
    This too could come from total war, terrible but not final.  
    
    There could be a complete collapse of science, culture, politics, and society.  
    
    The “Western Civilization” of Toynbee and the “Faustian Culture” of Spengler would come to the inexorable close their prophesiers foresaw.  
    
    A new dark ages would settle in, until some new civilization could be cobbled together from the ruins.  
    
    The cycle of generations would also end, replaced by an ancient cycle of tradition (and fixed social roles for each phase of life) that would not allow progress.  
    
    As with an omnicide, such a dire result would probably happen only when a dominant nation (like today’s America) lets a Fourth Turning ekpyrosis engulf the planet.  
    
    But this outcome is well within the reach of foreseeable technology and malevolence.

    [3] It could end the USA, but spare the rest of the world.

    Which seems to be what the entire globe is hoping for. Few people outside of Washington DC wants America to continue being what it is. That includes most Americans. America is not “balkanized” for nothing. Most people want this “nightmare” to end.

    The Fourth Turning could spare modernity but mark the end of our nation.  
    
    It could close the book on the political constitution, popular culture, and moral standing that the word America has come to signify.  
    
    This nation has endured for three saecula; Rome lasted twelve, Etruria ten, the Soviet Union (perhaps) only one.  
    
    Fourth Turnings are critical thresholds for national survival.  
    
    Each of the last three American Crises produced moments of extreme danger: 
    
    In the Revolution, the very birth of the republic hung by a threat in more than one battle.  
    
    In the Civil War, the union barely survived a four-year slaughter that in its own time was regarded as the most horrible war in history.  
    
    In World War II, the nation destroyed an enemy of democracy that for a time was winning; had the enemy won, America might have itself been destroyed.  
    
    In all likelihood, the next Crisis will present the nation with a threat and a consequence on a similar scale.
    
    ...
    
    The new saeculum could find America a worse place.  
    
    As Paul Kennedy has warned, it might no longer be a “great power.”  
    
    Its global stature might be eclipsed by foreign rivals.  
    
    Its geography might be smaller, its culture less dominant, its military less effective, its government less democratic, its Constitution less inspiring.  
    
    Emerging from its millennial chrysalis, it might evoke nothing like the hope and respect of its “American Century” forbear.  
    
    Abroad, people of goodwill and civilized taste might perceive this society as a newly dangerous place.  
    
    Or they might see it as decayed, antiquated, an Old New World less central to human progress than we now are.  
    
    All this is plausible, and possible, in the natural turning of saecular time.
    

    The items highlighted in BROWN have already happened.

    [4] Or, it could just be a “place holder” in the grand scheme of things.

    The aggressive elements inside of Washington DC might retreat, and the same-old would continue in the same-old “well worn” pathways.

    Or the Fourth Turning could simply mark the end of the Millennial Saeculum.  
    
    Mankind, modernity, and America would all persevere.  
    
    Afterward, there would be a new mood, a new High, and a new saeculum.  America would be reborn.  But, reborn, it would not be the same.

    [5] Or,alternatively, things could end up being very, very good.

    Alternatively, the new saeculum could find America, and the world, a much better place.  
    
    Like England in the Reformation Saeculum, the Superpower America of the Millennial Saeculum might merely be a prelude to a higher plane of civilization.  
    
    Its new civic life might more nearly resemble that “shining city on a hill” to which its colonial ancestors aspired.  
    
    Its ecology might be freshly repaired and newly sustainable, its economy rejuvenated, its politics functional and fair, its media elevated in tone, its culture creative and uplifting, its gender and race relations improved, its commonalities embraced and differences accepted, its institutions free of the corruptions that today seem entrenched beyond correction.  
    
    People might enjoy new realms of personal, family, community, and national fulfillment.  
    
    America’s borders might be redrawn around an altered but more cogent geography of public community.  
    
    Its influence on world peace could be more potent, on world culture more uplifting.  
    
    All this is achievable as well.

    But I strongly doubt that such a positive outcome is possible.

    Conclusion

    As I sit here in a hot May 2021, it appears that scenario number [3] (above) is the most likely scenario.

    With the option scenario number [2] (above) still possible.

    We can only wait and see.

    And these are my thoughts on this matter. If you feel otherwise, you are welcome to posit which of the five scenarios that you believe is possible. But for now, I am strongly placing my bets on scenario number [3].

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
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    The West has created an imaginary, evil China for its people to hate and fear – and it’s working

    This is another reprint. This one from RT. I suppose you can agree with the American media that it is Russian propaganda. But after all, isn’t that what American “news” is to begin with? Ugh. All this is a royal PAIN IN THE ASS, I’ll tell you what.

    The American “news” has become the largest pile of steaming dog shit that I have ever had the unfortunate experience to encounter. There is absolutely ZERO redeeming qualities remaining in what passes for “news” out of America these days.

    But you all know that, now, don’t you?

    When I was a boy, maybe 13 or 14 years old, I went with my family to Florida to go to Disney Land. It was quite the adventure for me. And yes, on numerous levels. It was my first experience with real science fiction. As we rode int he long, long drive to  central Florida, my father gave me a paperback book full of short science fiction stories, and I read away. I was amazed and loved every moment of it. The car ride passed by so quickly, and by the time we arrived at the park, I was refreshed and changed… ever so slightly.

    Books can do that to a person.

    Don’t you know.

    While the ride was long, hot and boring, I was engrossed in a world that I did not know existed. I voraciously read every story, and after each one, I would put the book down and glance upwards and think about the twisty ending and what it meant to me. It was all so very profound.

    You know, I did not expect to be so influenced, or changed by what I read. It was just a paper book that my father carelessly handed over to me to occupy my time in the car. He also provided me with a small puzzle game, and a game of dice and equations, both of which that I didn’t really do much of anything with. But it was the book that made all the difference in the world to me.

    Sometimes the apparently non-essential aspects of our experiences can have the greatest impact in our lives.

    The following is a reprint from RT. All the usual disclaimers follow. Please enjoy and contemplate.

    The West has created an imaginary, evil China for its people to hate and fear – and it’s working

    Western regimes are brainwashing their people with Sinophobia.
    .
    They want them to both hate and fear China to manufacture consent for anti-China aggression. A fictional, Mordor-like China has been created to achieve this aim.
    .

    If an alien landed on Earth today and read Western media reports on China, they would reach an unambiguous conclusion: China is a comprehensively and uniquely evil nation.

    It [1] jails and kills civilians for no reason, [2] commits all sorts of atrocities on its people (who are apparently also filthy and spread diseases), [3] commits genocide on ethnic minorities, [4] obsessively controls people’s thoughts, [5] unleashes deadly plagues upon the world, [6] bullies other nations and traps them in debt, and [7] is a nation whose evil leaders are all fanatics, obsessed with power and bent on destroying the world.

    The aliens could be forgiven for assuming that all evil on this planet is because of China…

    …(and perhaps Russia and Iran thrown in for good measure)…

    … and the US, while not perfect, is nevertheless a force for good, a global guardian angel, the benevolent superpower keeping the world together.

    It is the sole driver of world peace and international solidarity, the solitary bulwark against the evil Chinese communist hordes.

    Manufacturing powerhouse vs manufacturing consent

    Ever since Chinese economic reforms began and China started ‘rising’, Western media has unleashed a massive propaganda campaign against it.

    Every single Chinese action is scrutinized to death, every wrong deed or mistake criticized endlessly, and every achievement mostly ignored or downplayed.

    Two factors help explain this Sinophobic hate campaign.

    The first is the standard policy to ‘manufacture consent’ and manufacture hatred – the purpose of Western journalism, especially against the only nation on Earth that can counter US hegemony.

    The second is plain-old racism – the core pillar of Western culture.

    The middle kingdom

    The US sees itself as the center of the universe, with other nations merely orbiting around it and paying homage.

    America treats many of them like its minions, or “allies” and “partners”, to use the popular – if inaccurate – terminology.

    Maintaining global and racial hegemony remains central to US foreign policy.

    Any successful development model that doesn’t obey Western norms cannot be tolerated.

    Thus, today, when the US sees another successful power center emerging, its Pavlovian response is to violently push back.

    Since China is too successful, it has to be suppressed.

    A non-allied nation that is not a Western-style “democracy” cannot be allowed to develop – whether technologically or financially, and certainly not militarily.

    And since China is not even a white-majority nation, it needs to be crushed even more.

    However, there is one small problem: China is not like America.

    It [1] does not kill millions on false pretexts, it [2] does not bomb nations and their hospitals and schools, [3] it does not launch drone strikes against civilians, [4] it does not violate international law repeatedly while lecturing others to follow it, [5] it does not have an imperial empire for stealing and hoarding other nations’ wealth…

    … it does none of the things that has made the West rich and prosperous.

    China became rich largely without doing any of the above.

    Dr. China and Mr. Hyde

    Since China is not as evil as the West, an alternate, evil version of China has to be created – a mirror image in an alternate reality.

    The West can then project anything they want into this imaginary China.

    It can be accused of any evil in the world – based on equally imaginary evidence.

    This alternate China requires massive doses of propaganda and lies to construct – and the lapdog Western media is all too willing to oblige.

    After all, the US can’t openly say that it wants to destroy China in order to maintain US hegemony.

    Thus, they lie through their teeth and spread conspiracy theories.

    People can then be successfully brainwashed to hate and fear China.

    In America, we refer to these manipulated people as "sheeple".

    For example, when the US regime sanctions Chinese companies, it does so with the aim of preserving the dominance of Western companies that are unable to compete fairly.

    However, this cannot be said out loud, since it goes against “free market” principles the US regularly espouses.

    Thus, a strawman needs to be manufactured: that Chinese companies are a “threat to national security” or have “backdoors” in them that allow the evil Chinese to snoop on you.

    Of course, this needs no evidence; the media will amplify US rhetoric without proof.

    After all, in the West, freedom of the press includes the freedom to lie.

    Freedom of the press includes the freedom to lie.

    China’s Belt and Road Initiative is another glaring example.

    Western loans from the IMF or World Bank are brutal and predatory in nature, and frequently impose tough repayment terms and severe austerity measures on host nations, often causing downright bankruptcy.

    Recipient nations are required to privatize parts of their economy and surrender natural resources.

    Thus, in the topsy-turvy, Catch-22 world of Western propaganda, China is accused of predatory lending and ‘debt-trap diplomacy’.

    Even human lives are not spared.

    Pfizer, a wicked US pharma firm, allegedly demanded that South American nations surrender their sovereign assets as collateral in exchange for life-saving Covid-19 vaccines.

    Thus, as if on cue, China is accused of deploying “vaccine diplomacy” and taking advantage of smaller nations.

    A superpower race – with a different race

    Once a justification is created that China is evil…

    …and that every action China commits is an act of evil …

    … the US can paint itself as the good, benevolent superpower acting in the world’s best interests.

    This ‘Good v Evil’ binary is constantly reinforced through stereotypical Sinophobic tropes.

    The template is applied to every single story about China, from Hong Kong to Huawei.

    Enter racism.

    The way the West sees it, China is the proverbial “Other” – essentially a different civilization with different standards – almost a different type of human.

    As the bigoted Rudy Giuliani, “America’s mayor” and a former Trump adviser once said, human life “doesn’t mean the same thing” to the Chinese as it does to the West.

    Few Americans criticized his remarks.

    Many agreed with him, secretly pleased that he said out loud what they couldn’t.

    This is not an aberration.

    Racism is central to US society, and Sinophobia is deeply ingrained in US culture and policy-making.

    The former US president himself kept dog whistling “China virus” endlessly to anyone who would listen.

    His cronies were no better.

    Kiron Skinner (who is ironically black; Sinophobia in America transcends racial boundaries), the then-director of policy planning at the State Department, said openly that this is “the first time that we will have a great-power competitor that is not Caucasian,” and that the previous Cold War with the Soviet Union was at least “a fight within the Western family.”

    Unsurprisingly, the Western corporate media largely ignored her remarks.

    FBI Director Christopher Wray recently declared China a threat that requires a “whole-of-societyresponse.

    This was an almost exact replication of 19th-century propaganda portraying Chinese people as evil hordes coming over to infiltrate and destroy the pure, innocent Western societies.

    When COVID-19 stuck, western media openly blamed China for the disease.

    The more conservative outlets pounced at the ‘lab-leak theory’ and defended the use of the phrase “China virus”, while the more liberal ones focused on the tried-and-trusted ‘Chinese authoritarianism’ trope.

    The New York Times accused China’s “old habits” of “secrecy” and “controlling the narrative” of slowing the response.

    It pinned the blame on China and tried to deflect from western countries’ own criminal neglect in controlling their outbreaks.

    Yet, had the ‘democratic’ West adopted China’s ‘authoritarian’ methods, they wouldn’t have been on their knees today, struggling with recurrent waves.

    Blaming China was a coping mechanism; today, more people have died from COVID-19 just in Orange county in California, US than in the whole of China.

    So much for democracy.

    Combine all this with the regular Sinophobic reporting, and a steady picture begins to emerge: Barbaric China is an existential threat to our enlightened Western civilization. The Communist Party of China is just a modern-day Fu Manchu, that will stop at nothing to take our “freedoms.”

    After the Soviets and Muslims, it is now China’s turn to fill the role of the villain.

    Such imaginary rogues are useful to the US regime to distract the proles from domestic problems.

    A world without war

    And herein lies the real reason why they hate China.

    The West is prosperous today not because of hard work or perseverance, but because of centuries of imperialism, colonialism, and wealth hoarding.

    China, though, is on the path to becoming a superpower without committing such atrocities.

    This is what really riles them up; after all, jealousy is the root of most hatred.

    China’s rise shows that an alternative, multi-polar world is possible, a world not besieged by endless wars and genocidal sanctions, a world where poverty and hunger are distant memories – a world where people can live happily without being afraid that a superpower from across the planet may bomb them into oblivion because they have something it wants.

    And the US cannot allow that.

    Conclusion

    Ai!

    I know you all realize this. Most MM readers are of the intelligence to be receptive to narratives that lie outside the normal government channels; Alt-Right, Alt-Let and mainstream. that’s not to say that any of us are perfect, we are all learning, and our thoughts and opinions change daily. So let’s not get too caught up on new ideas or different ways of doing things.

    Just accept the differences. Relish in them, and move on.

    Just what ever you do, don’t believe anything that the American media says. It’s all lies.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
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    Law 1 of the 48 laws of Power by Robert Greene. Never Outshine the Master

    Fearless (2006)

    Fearless, as Jet Li's Fearless in the United Kingdom and in the United States, is a 2006 Chinese-Hong Kong martial arts film. It is loosely based on the life of Huo Yuanjia, a Chinese martial artist who challenged foreign fighters in highly publicised events, restoring pride and nationalism to China at a time when Western imperialism and Japanese manipulation were eroding the country in the final years of the Qing Dynasty before the birth of the Republic of China.

    Lesson One.

    This is one of the most important points that Robert Greene has taught us. Once a student, always a student until the day your mentor leaves. For a true master is a great ally, but an even worst foe. Be constantly on guard for your actions, and beware of your environment, least you damage something that has developed to be part of your very being.

    LAW 1

    NEVER OUTSHINE THE MASTER

    JUDGMENT

    Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire to please and impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite—inspire fear and insecurity. Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power.

    TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW

    Nicolas Fouquet, Louis XIV’s finance minister in the first years of his reign, was a generous man who loved lavish parties, pretty women, and poetry. He also loved money, for he led an extravagant lifestyle.

    Fouquet was clever and very much indispensable to the king, so when the prime minister, Jules Mazarin, died, in 1661, the finance minister expected to be named the successor. Instead, the king decided to abolish the position.

    This and other signs made Fouquet suspect that he was falling out of favor, and so he decided to ingratiate himself with the king by staging the most spectacular party the world had ever seen. The party’s ostensible purpose would be to commemorate the completion of Fouquet’s château, Vaux-le- Vicomte, but its real function was to pay tribute to the king, the guest of honor.

    The most brilliant nobility of Europe and some of the greatest minds of the time—La Fontaine, La Rochefoucauld, Madame de Sévigné attended the party. Molière wrote a play for the occasion, in which he himself was to perform at the evening’s conclusion. The party began with a lavish seven- course dinner, featuring foods from the Orient never before tasted in France, as well as new dishes created especially for the night. The meal was accompanied with music commissioned by Fouquet to honor the king.

    After dinner there was a promenade through the château’s gardens. The grounds and fountains of Vaux-le-Vicomte were to be the inspiration for Versailles.

    Fouquet personally accompanied the young king through the geometrically aligned arrangements of shrubbery and flower beds.

    Arriving at the gardens’ canals, they witnessed a fireworks display, which was followed by the performance of Molière’s play.

    The party ran well into the night and everyone agreed it was the most amazing affair they had ever attended.

    The next day, Fouquet was arrested by the king’s head musketeer, D’Artagnan. Three months later he went on trial for stealing from the country’s treasury. (Actually, most of the stealing he was accused of he had done on the king’s behalf and with the king’s permission.)

    Fouquet was found guilty and sent to the most isolated prison in France, high in the Pyrenees Mountains, where he spent the last twenty years of his life in solitary confinement.

    Interpretation

    Louis XIV, the Sun King, was a proud and arrogant man who wanted to be the center of attention at all times; he could not countenance being outdone in lavishness by anyone, and certainly not his finance minister.

    To succeed Fouquet, Louis chose Jean-Baptiste Colbert, a man famous for his parsimony and for giving the dullest parties in Paris. Colbert made sure that any money liberated from the treasury went straight into Louis’s hands.

    With the money, Louis built a palace even more magnificent than Fouquet’s —the glorious palace of Versailles. He used the same architects, decorators, and garden designer. And at Versailles, Louis hosted parties even more extravagant than the one that cost Fouquet his freedom.

    Let us examine the situation.

    The evening of the party, as Fouquet presented spectacle on spectacle to Louis, each more magnificent than the one before, he imagined the affair as demonstrating his loyalty and devotion to the king.

    Not only did he think the party would put him back in the king’s favor, he thought it would show his good taste, his connections, and his popularity, making him indispensable to the king and demonstrating that he would make an excellent prime minister.

    Instead, however, each new spectacle, each appreciative smile bestowed by the guests on Fouquet, made it seem to Louis that his own friends and subjects were more charmed by the finance minister than by the king himself, and that Fouquet was actually flaunting his wealth and power.

    Rather than flattering Louis XIV, Fouquet’s elaborate party offended the king’s vanity.

    Louis would not admit this to anyone, of course—instead, he found a convenient excuse to rid himself of a man who had inadvertently made him feel insecure.

    Such is the fate, in some form or other, of all those who unbalance the master’s sense of self, poke holes in his vanity, or make him doubt his pre- eminence.

    When the evening began, Fouquet was at the top of the world.

    By the time it had ended, he was at the bottom.

    Voltaire, 1694-1778

    OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

    In the early 1600s, the Italian astronomer and mathematician Galileo found himself in a precarious position.

    He depended on the generosity of great rulers to support his research, and so, like all Renaissance scientists, he would sometimes make gifts of his inventions and discoveries to the leading patrons of the time.

    Once, for instance, he presented a military compass he had invented to the Duke of Gonzaga.

    Then he dedicated a book explaining the use of the compass to the Medicis.

    Both rulers were grateful, and through them Galileo was able to find more students to teach.

    No matter how great the discovery, however, his patrons usually paid him with gifts, not cash.

    This made for a life of constant insecurity and dependence. There must be an easier way, he thought.

    Galileo hit on a new strategy in 1610, when he discovered the moons of Jupiter. Instead of dividing the discovery among his patrons—giving one the telescope he had used, dedicating a book to another, and so on—as he had done in the past, he decided to focus exclusively on the Medicis.

    He chose the Medicis for one reason: Shortly after Cosimo I had established the Medici dynasty, in 1540, he had made Jupiter, the mightiest of the gods, the Medici symbol—a symbol of a power that went beyond politics and banking, one linked to ancient Rome and its divinities.

    Galileo turned his discovery of Jupiter’s moons into a cosmic event honoring the Medicis’ greatness.

    Shortly after the discovery, he announced that “the bright stars [the moons of Jupiter] offered themselves in the heavens” to his telescope at the same time as Cosimo II’s enthronement.

    He said that the number of the moons—four—harmonized with the number of the Medicis (Cosimo II had three brothers) and that the moons orbited Jupiter as these four sons revolved around Cosimo I, the dynasty’s founder.

    More than coincidence, this showed that the heavens themselves reflected the ascendancy of the Medici family.

    After he dedicated the discovery to the Medicis, Galileo commissioned an emblem representing Jupiter sitting on a cloud with the four stars circling about him, and presented this to Cosimo II as a symbol of his link to the stars.

    In 1610 Cosimo II made Galileo his official court philosopher and mathematician, with a full salary. For a scientist this was the coup of a lifetime.

    The days of begging for patronage were over.

    Interpretation

    In one stroke, Galileo gained more with his new strategy than he had in years of begging.

    The reason is simple: All masters want to appear more brilliant than other people.

    They do not care about science or empirical truth or the latest invention ; they care about their name and their glory.

    Galileo gave the Medicis infinitely more glory by linking their name with cosmic forces than he had by making them the patrons of some new scientific gadget or discovery.

    Scientists are not spared the vagaries of court life and patronage.

    They too must serve masters who hold the purse strings. And their great intellectual powers can make the master feel insecure, as if he were only there to supply the funds—an ugly, ignoble job.

    The producer of a great work wants to feel he is more than just the provider of the financing. He wants to appear creative and powerful, and also more important than the work produced in his name.

    Instead of insecurity you must give him glory. Galileo did not challenge the intellectual authority of the Medicis with his discovery, or make them feel inferior in any way; by literally aligning them with the stars, he made them shine brilliantly among the courts of Italy.

    He did not outshine the master, he made the master outshine all others.

    KEYS TO POWER

    Everyone has insecurities.

    When you show yourself in the world and display your talents, you naturally stir up all kinds of resentment, envy, and other manifestations of insecurity. This is to be expected.

    You cannot spend your life worrying about the petty feelings of others.

    With those above you, however, you must take a different approach: When it comes to power, outshining the master is perhaps the worst mistake of all.

    Do not fool yourself into thinking that life has changed much since the days of Louis XIV and the Medicis.

    Those who attain high standing in life are like kings and queens: They want to feel secure in their positions, and superior to those around them in intelligence, wit, and charm.

    It is a deadly but common misperception to believe that by displaying and vaunting your gifts and talents, you are winning the master’s affection.

    He may feign appreciation, but at his first opportunity he will replace you with someone less intelligent, less attractive, less threatening, just as Louis XIV replaced the sparkling Fouquet with the bland Colbert. And as with Louis, he will not admit the truth, but will find an excuse to rid himself of your presence.

    This Law involves two rules that you must realize. First, you can inadvertently outshine a master simply by being yourself. There are masters who are more insecure than others, monstrously insecure; you may naturally outshine them by your charm and grace.

    No one had more natural talents than Astorre Manfredi, prince of Faenza.

    The most handsome of all the young princes of Italy, he captivated his subjects with his generosity and open spirit.

    In the year 1500, Cesare Borgia laid siege to Faenza.

    When the city surrendered, the citizens expected the worst from the cruel Borgia, who, however, decided to spare the town: He simply occupied its fortress, executed none of its citizens, and allowed Prince Manfredi, eighteen at the time, to remain with his court, in complete freedom.

    A few weeks later, though, soldiers hauled Astorre Manfredi away to a Roman prison.

    A year after that, his body was fished out of the River Tiber, a stone tied around his neck.

    Borgia justified the horrible deed with some sort of trumped-up charge of treason and conspiracy, but the real problem was that he was notoriously vain and insecure.

    The young man was outshining him without even trying.

    Given Manfredi’s natural talents, the prince’s mere presence made Borgia seem less attractive and charismatic.

    The lesson is simple: If you cannot help being charming and superior, you must learn to avoid such monsters of vanity.

    Either that, or find a way to mute your good qualities when in the company of a Cesare Borgia.

    Second, never imagine that because the master loves you, you can do anything you want.

    Entire books could be written about favorites who fell out of favor by taking their status for granted, for daring to outshine.

    In late- sixteenth-century Japan, the favorite of Emperor Hideyoshi was a man called Sen no Rikyu.

    The premier artist of the tea ceremony, which had become an obsession with the nobility, he was one of Hideyoshi’s most trusted advisers, had his own apartment in the palace, and was honored throughout Japan.

    Yet in 1591, Hideyoshi had him arrested and sentenced to death.

    Rikyu took his own life, instead.

    The cause for his sudden change of fortune was discovered later: It seems that Rikyu, former peasant and later court favorite, had had a wooden statue made of himself wearing sandals (a sign of nobility) and posing loftily. He had had this statue placed in the most important temple inside the palace gates, in clear sight of the royalty who often would pass by.

    To Hideyoshi this signified that Rikyu had no sense of limits. Presuming that he had the same rights as those of the highest nobility, he had forgotten that his position depended on the emperor, and had come to believe that he had earned it on his own.

    This was an unforgivable miscalculation of his own importance and he paid for it with his life.

    Remember the following: Never take your position for granted and never let any favors you receive go to your head.

    Knowing the dangers of outshining your master, you can turn this Law to your advantage.

    First you must flatter and puff up your master.

    Overt flattery can be effective but has its limits; it is too direct and obvious, and looks bad to other courtiers.

    Discreet flattery is much more powerful. If you are more intelligent than your master, for example, seem the opposite: Make him appear more intelligent than you. Act naive. Make it seem that you need his expertise. Commit harmless mistakes that will not hurt you in the long run but will give you the chance to ask for his help. Masters adore such requests. A master who cannot bestow on you the gifts of his experience may direct rancor and ill will at you instead.

    If your ideas are more creative than your master’s, ascribe them to him, in as public a manner as possible.

    Make it clear that your advice is merely an echo of his advice.

    If you surpass your master in wit, it is okay to play the role of the court jester, but do not make him appear cold and surly by comparison.

    Tone down your humor if necessary, and find ways to make him seem the dispenser of amusement and good cheer.

    If you are naturally more sociable and generous than your master, be careful not to be the cloud that blocks his radiance from others.

    He must appear as the sun around which everyone revolves, radiating power and brilliance, the center of attention.

    If you are thrust into the position of entertaining him, a display of your limited means may win you his sympathy. Any attempt to impress him with your grace and generosity can prove fatal: Learn from Fouquet or pay the price.

    In all of these cases it is not a weakness to disguise your strengths if in the end they lead to power.

    By letting others outshine you, you remain in control, instead of being a victim of their insecurity.

    This will all come in handy the day you decide to rise above your inferior status.

    If, like Galileo, you can make your master shine even more in the eyes of others, then you are a godsend and you will be instantly promoted.

    Image:

    The Stars in the Sky. There can be only one sun at a time. Never obscure the sunlight, or rival the sun’s brilliance; rather, fade into the sky and find ways to heighten the master star’s intensity.

    Authority:

    Avoid outshining the master. All superiority is odious, but the superiority of a subject over his prince is not only stupid, it is fatal. This is a lesson that the stars in the sky teach us—they may be related to the sun, and just as brilliant, but they never appear in her company. 

    (Baltasar Gracián, 1601-1658)

    REVERSAL

    You cannot worry about upsetting every person you come across, but you must be selectively cruel.

    If your superior is a falling star, there is nothing to fear from outshining him.

    Do not be merciful—your master had no such scruples in his own cold-blooded climb to the top.

    Gauge his strength.

    If he is weak, discreetly hasten his downfall: Outdo, outcharm, outsmart him at key moments.

    If he is very weak and ready to fall, let nature take its course.

    Do not risk outshining a feeble superior—it might appear cruel or spiteful. But if your master is firm in his position, yet you know yourself to be the more capable, bide your time and be patient.

    It is the natural course of things that power eventually fades and weakens. Your master will fall someday, and if you play it right, you will outlive and someday outshine him.

    Conclusion

    We are often nothing if we act alone, but we can achieve greatness if we form a bond with a group of people.

    Within those people are those of great skill, knowledge, experience and ability. You can use their talents for the greater good of the group. You can also learn from them and then in tern become proficient as they.

    However, when you are in a group, you must never outshine anyone. You must fit within the group and all praises o to the group, not to the individual stars. Once a group of hard-working individuals are ignored by a singular member, the negative emotions of human greet, envy, lust and others start to corrupt the group. It can harm everyone.

    Be careful of what you do, and be humble in your assigned position in life.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my “48 Laws of Power” Index here…

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    And more and more anti-China propaganda is heading your way. Weee! Here’s how to identify what is going on.

    They are all maniacs you see. Maniacs. Pure maniacs.

    A propaganda barrage always comes before an American war.

    The bigger the target; the enemy is, then the longer and harsher the propaganda barrage.

    So, after four and a half long years of HATE – HATE – HATE China related media, only a fool would assume that a war isn’t imminent.

    But that is just wishful thinking.

    History tells us otherwise…

    10 ways to recognize war propaganda in western media

    A Handy checklist

    The ten rules of war propaganda were set forth by the historian Anne Morelli in her book The Principles of War Propaganda. Well, let’s look at these rules.

    In doing so, we will see that our mainstream media follow them exactly.

    Anyone who follows the media reports in the West must realize that our German media, free, objective, and critical, are engaged in war propaganda.

    There are 10 fundamental well-known rules of American war propaganda that are easy to verify.

    Rule 1: We don’t want war

    Fun fact: Every war that American has been in for the last seventy five years involved a discussion with the (eventual) enemy where the United States made the statement (word for word) exactly stated "We don't want war". 
    
    It's so obvious that it has become the "Calling Card of America".

    The West supposedly never wants wars. Even so, the West wages more wars than all other states put together. Germany is fighting in Mali to supply the French nuclear power plants with uranium (officially against terrorists, of course). Germany fought in Afghanistan for 20 years, so long that most have already forgotten what it was all about. Germany has been militarily active in Kosovo for over 20 years to build democracy, but the Albanian mafia still rules there under the protection of the Bundeswehr. And so on.

    All of these – and also the other – wars of the US-dominated West in Iraq, Syria, Libya, and on, all have one thing in common: Of course, the West did not want them at all, but was forced to war by the evil rulers. This is the official reading every time, and none of the “rulers” has ever attacked a country in the West.

    It was always the other way around, the West attacked.

    “We don’t want war”

    If you want a fun activity, read the transcript of the March 2021 meeting in Anchorage Alaska between the United States and China. Look for the announcement statement “We don’t want war” coming from the American side.

    That is how the rest of the world knows that American has decided to wage a hot war, soon to become world war III, nuclear style with China.

    Look for the specific wording.

    That’s exactly how you know that America plans to attack China under some kind of excuse and that a propaganda barrage to justify that attack is being conducted.

    Rule 2: The opposing camp is solely responsible for the war

    It's all their fault.

    See point one.

    Assad is allegedly responsible for the war in Syria, although the media in the West consistently keep silent about the CIA operation “Timber Sycamore” with which the CIA started the war. If this is new to you, it’s no wonder. Der Spiegel, for example, has never reported on how you can find the term “Timber Sycamore” when you search the Spiegel archive. The relevant documents of the CIA were published in Washington years ago. If this is new to you, check it out.

    It is always done that way. So it was with Iraq, Libya and all other wars in which the West is fighting. The blame was placed on the other side, concealing that the West started the wars itself.

    Rule 3: The leader of the opposing camp has the face of the devil

    This is the classic. The choice of words is crucial. Putin, Assad and whoever are “potentates”, “autocrats”, “dictators” who commit all the deadly sins of the world. When a war is imminent, the media bring – in order to make the population ready for war – the inevitable formulations of the “Second Hitler”, from whom the world must be saved.

    Of course, the enemies do not have “governments”, they are “regimes”. With all these formulations the “enemy” is dehumanized, the public should feel hatred and be ready to overthrow such an evil person, even at the cost of thousands of lives.

    Anti-China bullshit from the American media.

    This is what is called “hatespeech” in modern German and what the same media, that use this hate propaganda against unloved heads of government, always find very bad.

    .

    "America doesn't hate the Chinese people, just the Chinese government."

    Rule 4: We defend a good cause and not special interests

    Of course, the US wanted to bring human rights, democracy and prosperity to Iraq. Of course, it wasn’t about the oil wells that US corporations have secured for themselves. Not even in Libya, where France (one of the driving forces in the war) has secured many oil wells. And Mali is about the fight against terrorism, not the uranium on which the French nuclear industry depends. And of course Syria is not about oil or the only Russian naval base in the Mediterranean, it is only about democracy, human rights and prosperity.

    Wherever a government is critical of the West and where there are also natural resources (or where one of the main enemies China and Russia can be harmed), the West finds democracy and human rights very important. But if a government is pro-Western and allows the West access to natural resources, such as the absolutist Saudi dictatorship, then democracy and human rights are not so important.

    Regime change in China The last major policy shift in China caught many off guard; we are at another such turning point. For the past ten years or so, bad news in China was usually good news. Growth shocks triggered sizable stimuli, leading to asset price rebounds in China, emerging markets and the world more broadly.
    
    -China regime change 

    Incidentally, this is the key to understanding why Russia, which was a political friend under Yeltsin, has become enemy number one again under Putin: Under Yeltsin, Western corporations had secured control of Russian oil and gas. Putin ended that by 2003, and suddenly he was the number one villain. It doesn’t say that in the “quality media”, but it was actually so banal.

    Rule 5: The enemy commits atrocities deliberately; on the other hand, when we cross the line, it is unintentional

    We experience this one all the time. If the US is undoubtedly bombing a hospital in Afghanistan, then that is “collateral damage” and it was an accident. Nobody is punished, the “quality media” quickly forget it and do not ask for clarification.

    On the other hand, it is enough if someone claims without evidence that Russia or Syria bombed a hospital and the media in the West are reporting not only for days, but also afterwards, so that the public does not forget who it must hate.

    .

    Rule 6: The enemy uses illegal weapons

    That is also a classic.

    We have all heard many times that Assad uses “barrel bombs”. Nobody really knows what that actually is, but it sounds pretty nasty. The USA constantly uses barrel bombs, except they are called “cluster bombs” and the “quality media” are almost always shyly silent about them, because these weapons are internationally banned.

    Whether Assad uses this weapon has not been proven at all, but as a precaution the media have come up with a separate word for it so that the readers don’t even get the idea that the West could also use such weapons. ‘But he does that all the time.

    Rule 7: We suffer only slight losses; the enemy’s losses are enormous

    This rule only applies when the war has entered its critical phase. Before the war it was the other way around. Before the war it was reported that the enemy was aggressive and, for example, had killed so many of “our” soldiers again when violating a ceasefire. This is to prepare the public for a war.

    We have been seeing this in Ukraine for years. The “quality media” always report when it gets “hotter” there that the rebels have killed so many Ukrainian soldiers. In doing so, they keep silent about the fact that the mostly Ukrainian shelling of residential areas preceded them, in which civilians were killed.

    But you don’t find out about that from the “quality media”, you have to read the reports of the OSCE. The “quality media” did not consider the fact that the OSCE presented a report in November 2020 in which it stated that almost 75 percent of civilian casualties in Donbass were due to the Ukrainian armed forces.

    Rule 8: The artists and intellectuals support our cause

    Notice how often celebrities have their say in the media who think the Western wars are good for moral reasons. Celebs have spoken out against Assad, Gaddafi, and Saddam in recent years. This is particularly evident in the American media.

    John Wayne fights the demon heathen communists in Vietnam in the movie The Green Berets.

    In 2019 a prominent “benefit concert” for Venezuela took place in the Colombian border town of Cucuta. Famous artists appeared in the middle of the jungle to sing against Maduro. Conveniently right next to the US military base there.

    And for Navalny, for example, Western celebrities wrote an open letter to Putin in April 2021. It did not contain any truths and probably hardly anyone has read it. It was just important to be able to name the celebrities in the headlines of the media who are against Putin.

    There are innumerable examples of this method of war propaganda.

    But none of this has anything to do with politics, after all, what politician is interested in a singer’s opinion? These reports only have the purpose of giving the public the feeling that the position of the West is morally correct and thus the fans of the stars are to be influenced accordingly and to follow their idol. It’s all about emotions, not the actuality.

    Rule 9: Our concern is something sacred

    Of course, after all, it is supposedly about the “holy” values ​​of the West, that is to say about democracy and human rights. You can also kill people for this.

    This is probably the oldest means of war propaganda in world history. In ancient Rome one had to bring civilization to the barbarians, of course it was not about the enrichment of the generals. Caesar moved to Gaul as a practically bankrupt man and came back very rich.

    Later the Spaniards had to bring the “savages” in America the right faith so that they would not burn in the hell to which the Spaniards sent them on the occasion. It wasn’t about the gold, of course. And the British Empire wanted to bring civilization back to the “backward” colonies, because the poor, backward people in the colonies couldn’t rule themselves.

    What I am writing here so ironically is true. You can read it in the documents from the corresponding periods. There was always a “sacred” reason for urgently going to war.

    And today the “holy” concerns are democracy, human rights, women’s rights and so on. It’s still the same principle as in antiquity, only the “sacred” concern changes every now and then.

    Rule 10: Anyone who questions our propaganda is a traitor

    Today the word “traitor” is out of date.

    Today you can choose to say “Putin understanders”, “Kremlin trolls”, “conspiracy theorists”, “anti-Americans” and whatever other names are currently circulating.

    Anyone who disagrees is demonized and marginalized.

    But all of these terms have one thing in common: They identify the named person as an opponent of “Western values” or democracy.

    Ergo: it’s a traitor.

    It’s shocking, but the German media is actually doing war propaganda like in the darkest times in history. And not just since yesterday, it happened in 1991 in the First Gulf War with the incubator lie and has not been less since then, on the contrary, it has become more, and the techniques have been refined more and more.

    Do you think it is a coincidence that the media works exactly according to the propaganda textbook?

    The Conclusion

    The United States has already decided to wage war with China.

    The initial attempts, have all failed, resulting in (as best as I can determine) five HOT-level Assaults…

    • Carpet bombing using 8 bio-weapons to destroy livestock 2016 through 2020.
    • A hard attack using the COVID19 B-strain “death by brain seizure” during CNY 2020, with herd immunity for US allies using the inoculation A-strain . The “three day sniffles” variant.
    • A follow up (two punch) “desperation” (vindictive) bio-weapon attack(s) targeted on Beijing using the “death by vomiting” virus known as the Jingmen tick virus (JMTV), and the “death by diarrhea” virus. Which is itself being a human version of (ASF version of the H1N1) people transmittable Swine-flu 2020 virus. Also (curiously) disseminated by “criminal elements” using drones to spray the virus all over China. Good thing for China that the CIA assets turned themselves into the authorities.
    • The “tit-for-tat” minor assault carrier fires. China’s first big-deck amphibious assault ship, a type 075; a huge vessel that was built in a miraculously short amount of time, mysteriously caught fire on Saturday, April 11th, 2020. And then the gutting of the U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard.
    • And the enormous late Summer US Navy armada that sailed to the South China Sea in 2020. And the return back to the USA with their “tail between their legs”. The USA was unprepared to to deal with the kinds of defensive capabilities that the Chinese had arrayed in the South China Sea.

    Additionally, there are failures in collapse of particular cities, and Chinese efforts…

    • Color Revolution in Hong Kong.
    • Color Revolution in Tibet.
    • Turn XinJIang and the Uighur Muslims into a Syria-like battlefield.

    The attempts to destabilize Chinese allies are a mixed bag…

    • Myanmar “regime change” to a pro-American anti-China nation.
    • Thailand “regime change” to a pro-American anti-China nation.
    • Chinese BRI construction in the Beirut port (destroyed by missiles).

    And so on and so forth.

    It’s a big effort, with the blocking the Suez canal, and mysterious fires in IC factories, and the like…

    The propaganda is still in full active attack mode.

    Which pretty much means that more, and worse events are scheduled to occur.

    I think that the United States should realize that China is NOT a nation that is an easy target and that it would be in the best interests for America to work with China rather than try to destroy it. But what else can I say? America is run by idiots.

    That’s the only thing that you can conclude.

    They are all maniacs you see. Maniacs. Pure maniacs.

    Do you want more?

    This article is going into a new sub-index that I am creating for it titled VLOG. You can access it here.

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    A Post-USA Ruled World; Yes, the rest of the world can develop new technology

    I have decided to devote some time to a new series of posts / articles. These articles discuss the transition from a United States Military Empire led world reality, to a world governed by merit out of Asia. This is one such post.

    In this post, we tear down one of the fundamental lies that the ginormous American propaganda machine spews out; That America is the machine, and the driver for all the success in the rest of the world, and that without America the rest of the world would be one big “shit hole”.

    And along with this narrative comes the belief that Germany is nothing without American “rebuilding”.

    Japan is nothing without American “rebuilding”.

    That Korea is nothing without American “rebuilding”…

    … and that any success that China has… is the result of American “rebuilding” in one form or the other.

    This is false.

    This is a lie.

    The following article tears apart this lie, and discusses from whence the Chinese technological, and engineering success came from. It’s a good read. And whether or not you want to continue to believe the lies issued forth out of the American lie machine or not, it does give one pause to think… to contemplate… and to ponder.

    Because…

    And with a nation that is capable of all this home-grown independent research, development and engineering, is most certainly capable of many more great things.

    For after all 5G is a wholly Chinese invention, and the USA is trying to play “catch up”. The same goes for AI, and while there are American innovations in robotics, the primary groundwork has been developed by Chinese researchers on American visas. Hyper-glide technology, swarm drone technology, digital financial transactions, and room-temperature vaccines for Covid are all Chinese innovations.

    "I understand now why the Chinese like to travel to Western countries. It's so that they can travel back to the stone age."

    And what is going on NOW…

    Seriously this is what China is right NOW!

    It’s like a scene from a cyber-punk anime cartoon, and it’s real.

    And the rest of the world sees this and wants to join China, Russia and the rest of Asia to become prosperous and successful.

    They no longer want the criminally corrupt psychopathic evil that is what the United States represents today.

    Check out the video.

    Click HERE to watch the reality of what Chinese is right now.

    The following is from Gmachine, and copied as found with all credit to the author. It was edited to fit this venue.

    Why Chinese do not owe anything to America for their success

    In response to https://infoproc.blogspot.com/2021/05/three-thousand-years-and-115.html

    The biggest lie obstructing Chinese-American repatriation to China is that Chinese somehow owe America for their success.

    Chinese haven’t even gotten all that much from America.

    Sure, some Chinese studied in America, including in STEM, before 1949. People like Qian Xuesen. Also humanities people like Hu Shih and Soong Mei-ling (Chiang’s wife) and Hsiang-Hsi Kung.

    That class of humanities graduated people from Ivy League who entered higher echelons of KMT eventually lost the war and fled to Taiwan or America.

    Also, for STEM, Europe was much better (to learn from and be educated in) than America especially in the early 1900s.

    Chinese students would have benefited much more from studying STEM in Europe at that time. Unfortunately, it was the situation that arose after the suppression of the Boxer Uprising in 1900 (by Eight-Nation Alliance) that resulted in the Chinese studying in America over studying in Europe.

    Modern China, especially the practical aspect of it, was far more influenced by USSR and Japan.

    PRC had its industrial base in it’s Northeast region simply because the invading colonized Japanese colonized and industrialized it. It did so during it’s over 14 years of occupation.

    As far as the military goes, the PRC’s military technology is based upon the very generous Soviet transfers in 1950s. And then again by the Russian ones in 1990s.

    China also acquired some basic high speed rail technology from Japan and Germany in 2000s.

    And most of the Chinese chemical industry technology came from Western Europe back in the 1970s.

    There is little in terms of concrete practical high tech that China has gotten from America.

    I think it’s without doubt that even though people like Qian Xuesen, Guo Yonghuai, and Deng Jiaxian (who were leaders of PRC’s nuclear and missile programs) had American PhDs, the Soviet influence on technology was substantially greater.

    After all, USSR transferred to the PRC a missile that was an upgrade of V-2 in the late 1950s.

    Without that, even with all those top talents in aerodynamics who had been professors or postdocs in America, it would have taken much much longer for PRC to develop its own missile program.

    In contrast, if not for those top American returnees…

    … as long as Soviets transferred the base technology…

    … the other smart people in China, who never set foot in America, would have sooner or later figured it out too.

    Provided, of course that the Chinese government made the decision to invest in that technology, (which I believe Qian influenced substantially).

    I believe Qian after returning to China did not actually directly work at the “nuts and bolts” details level.

    He was more of a strategist and administrator.

    As well as the primary decision maker with respect to the PRC missile/rocket/space program.

    He convinced the PRC political elites to invest in missiles instead of fighter aircraft.

    And in hindsight, was an extremely important and correct decision.

    And done at a time when the future of China was still uncertain.

    The guy who actually most qualifies as the pure technical leader of PRC missile/rocket/space program goes by the name of Sun Jiadong. And he graduated from a Soviet university in the 1950s.

    The thing is that those Chinese educated in America would have been just as good had they done their PhD or masters in Europe or Soviet Union.

    Only that pre-1949 at that time, American graduate schools had more spots for Chinese students than European schools.

    What China needed the most then was practical technology, and in this area, America did not really have any direct effect.

    Actually, it was more like a negative effect.

    This is because of the American embargo after the Korean War.

    There were a few Chinese who studied in America who had actually did serious work in the American industry.

    There were few Chinese who did not settle in America, and who ended up returning to China. And these precious few did not make any major contributions to Chinese technology. The historical record is quite clear on this.

    However, after they returned to China, they obviously had to work from a much lower technology base to work with. And as such they ended up adapting their expertise and experience obtained in America for China.

    There were certain things that could easily be done in America…

    … a much richer country then…

    … that was not really practically feasible in China due to lack of resources.

    The Chinese who studied in Europe and USSR pretty much all returned.

    While perhaps most of the Chinese who studied STEM in America pre-1949 stayed there instead of returning back to China.

    China at that time, when STEM human capital was very important and needed, the government basically wasted a bunch of money and resources giving those “best and brightest” a higher education. They left China. They went to America. they learned technical skills. They obtained work, and they stayed there.

    So I have a good reason to believe that America’s net effect on China in 20th century was rather negative.

    I won’t even go into all the ideological and cultural “garbage” that America exports to the world.

    Modern America.

    Also, doing a higher degree abroad is not necessarily to great work in STEM in China.

    Even during WWII, China already had some top or at least very good theoretical mathematicians, fluid dynamicists, or theoretical physicists.

    The guy most responsible for PRC’s hydrogen bomb, Yu Min, never went abroad until he was pretty much retired.

    As I’ve said, what China needed most then was the practical, industrial technology.

    The difference between theoretical and practical uses in technology.

    There were many top-notch theoretical brains. For the theoretical stuff, you need a top brain, access to books and journals, and an environment that let’s you concentrate on that stuff.

    The practical stuff, on the other hand, despite being less g-loaded, is in practice much harder.

    For China, America was more of an obstruction in that regard.

    The difference between theoretical and practical uses in technology.

    America enforced the embargo on PRC the most after the Korean War.

    In contrast, in the 1950s and 1960s, while China could not get any help or technology from America, they were still able to obtain technology from Japan and Europe.

    Unfortunately, so many people see the American PhD as a symbol of being technically top-notch.

    It’s a fallacy.

    It’s a legacy of America’s having been default destination for study abroad from 1900s on.

    Many also studied in Japan, and there were good number of Japanese educated people who made it to the elite of CPC.

    But, take particular note, there were no American educated ones.

    The CPC simply cannot trust any American educated Chinese to any position of political decision making power.

    They are considered to be contaminated by far too much cultural and ideological toxin.

    Conclusion

    And what is America right now? What happens when there is no longer any nations to loot? Any people to subjugate? What happens when the “house of cards” all falls down?

    A house of cards is a structure created by stacking playing cards on top of each other, often in the shape of a pyramid. "House of cards" is also an expression that dates back to 1645 meaning a structure or argument built on a shaky foundation or one that will collapse if a necessary element is removed. Structures built by layering in this way, such as Stonehenge, are referred to as "house of cards architecture", which dates back to the Cyclopean and Megalithic ages.
    
    -House of Cards, Wikipedia

    What we are all witnessing in America today is the exact opposite from what is happening in China. And thus, it is no wonder that the American oligarchy-ruled Military Empire wants to cripple, suppress or otherwise destroy the Chinese rise.

    It is nice to believe the lie, the fantasy that the rest of the world is nothing without American guidance, American culture, American technology, and American “know how”. But it’s not true.

    And the rest of the world is growing up.

    They no longer believe in the Easter Bunny, or Santa Claus, or in other fabled childhood dreams.

    And while it was nice to occasionally get a present or two under the tree, the rest of the world has realized that they are far better off with making their own way in the world unencumbered by the thousands of tiny American government hands in their wallets, and the millions of rules and regulations that limit their access to self determination. It’s not normal, and they are saying enough is enough.

    As the world slowly adapts to the new reality of a sun-setted America, the sky looks clearer, better and frostier. There’s a feeling in the air. There is a lightness of being and a kind of anything is possible excitement that wasn’t possible under the oppressive yoke of the American oligarchy ruled military empire.

    Obviously the United States is not taking this change in roles quietly, and there are all sorts of subterfuge and behind the scenes efforts going on to sabotage the global future so that the 0.0001 who rule the West can stay relevant.

    But that too is doomed to fail.

    Meanwhile, in the West…

    They publish a “report” that the USA leads the world in innovation, and that China cannot innovate,  which is total rubbish, but is targeted for the uneducated population to read.

    Here’s a rebuttal to the technology growth in China, with a “Innovation index”. Which claims that there are so many western countries still ahead of China! What a rubbish.

    Do you want more?

    You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

    New Beginnings

    .

    Articles & Links

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
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    The big secret; America is unable to wage a war with peer capable enemies

    It's true, and as time goes on it appears that America is just the big bad neighborhood bully that everyone is afraid of, and that no one ever stands up to. That is until one day...

    This is a pretty damning and frightening title, don’t you think? Well, it’s true and it’s accurate. But you won’t ever see anyone be so absolutely blunt as MM here. This isn’t salacious and eye catching as some kind of “click bait” for “doom porn”. Never the less, it’s a real and serous issue. And we are talking about it here, simply because the “drums of war” are beating loudly inside of America.

    American war drums are beating loudly.

     #7  ·   
    
    It's a shame that everyone is China bashing these days, and all of that is based on the USA government controlled press. 
    
    If anyone were to do some research on the subject of China's claim to sovereignty over these South China Sea Islands, then they would quickly agree with China's stance. 
    
    However, almost all are like "LindaLou" who watched "some" of a morning program "Inside China" and immediately made up his/her mind that China was bad and should be condemned for standing up for their rights. 
    
    If this were the USA, making these claims, then ALL of the pandering USA citizens would be following the government press and saying "YES, YES, YES". 
    
    The citizens of the USA should be very mindful of the fact that you're being manipulated to believe whatever the government wants you to believe. 
    
    Ever watched "1984" ?
    Listen to me.
    .
    Please.
    .

    America is not able, and is not capable, of fighting either Russia, or China on their territory. And would suffer catastrophic losses at a horrific level. Probably one that would result in the absolute collapse of the country (the entire United States as a nation) to a point where it is completely unrecognizable afterwards.

    And you know, many, many people are starting to wake up to this fact. Even the most deluded sheeple. Some Americans. Maybe in numbers as high as 1% are scratching their heads and asking… what? You want to fight?

    Why?

    You're not suggesting that taking out China would be as easy, are you? 

    I guarantee you that the US cannot defeat China. We are no longer the world's leading super power and, in fact, we're on the verge of becoming #3.

    China is #1 and we're close to coming in behind Russia. #18 ·

    Any of the following areas of American provocation would result in the nuclear detonation upon American cities…

        • China over Taiwan.
        • China over Tibet.
        • China over Hong Kong.
        • China over Xinjiang.
        • China over the South China Sea.
        • Russia over the Ukraine.

    The American military planners are aware of this fact. And so they have been conducting all sorts of studies, and war games, to find solutions where America would win a war again either Russia, China or both simultaneously.

    They can’t find ANY.

    Many in the know, believe America has two options when it comes to  winning a world war against China and Russia. Also, what most agree on  is the fact that America cannot win a conventional war against either  power, or both. 
    
    -  Can America Win World War III? A Critical Analysis 

    Of course, because everyone is “dancing around it” and refuses to look at the issue “face to face” the actual study results (studies… many) are coded in euphemisms. Instead of saying that the United States military was wiped off the face of the globe, the studies say…

     "...there were challenges and difficulties that were encountered..."

    Instead of saying that all the United States carriers were non-functional after three days, the reports read…

    "...the Navy needs to invest money to improve defensive capabilities in a new and contentious environment...".

    Instead of saying that half of the expensive and elaborate high cost weapons and equipment were no longer operable, the reports stated…

    "...challenges in training must be addressed..."

    These euphemisms have become the “New Speak” of American Imperial Policy. As this quote outlays…

    "Question: So you think that the United States can no longer be called a democracy?
    
    "Answer: Democratic countries do not engage in blackmail and threats against other sovereign states, do not interfere in their internal affairs. They do not violate international law, do not use military force and economic sanctions bypassing the UN. They do not trample on human rights or restrict freedom of speech on their territory and abroad. They do not try to use racism of all stripes to solve internal problems, nor do they lure extremists and terrorists to their side for geopolitical purposes. They do not allow transnational corporations to interfere in the work of the government, imposing their own interests on the country and society, much less block the legitimate head of state in social networks and mass media. In democratic countries, the administration that came to power does not disavow the decisions of its predecessors simply because there has been a personal antagonism between them."
    
    But a "democratic country" is whatever America defines it as--at any given moment!
    
    America is just like Humpty Dumpty in Alice in Wonderland: “When I use a word ... it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less."
    
    Torture is Enhanced Interrogation.
    Coup D'etats are Regime Change.
    Kill Lists are a Disposition Threat Matrix.
    Wars of Aggression are Wars of Choice (or Pre-emptive kinetic military action).
    
    Ignorance is Strength....
    
    As a former high-level Bush Regime official boasted, “We’re an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you’re studying that reality — judiciously, as you will — we’ll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that’s how things will sort out. We’re history’s actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.”
    
    Welcome to the American Rules-Based Order.
    
    -Posted by: ak74 | May 4 2021 23:21 utc | 30

    And this use of euphemisms has been seriously misinterpreted by the American leadership elite who mistakenly believe that they can fight either or both Russia and China simultaneously and win in any conflict. And here you have Metallicman saying that this is simply not true.

    Fifty years of fighting small, lightly armed military, in under-developed nations that rely on obsolete technology and who, at best engage in Guerilla Warfare  should not be considered the same thing as fighting a determined, skilled, peer capable military in Asia.

    Well, this is well understood.

    But whether or not American military is able to fight a war is not a concern to the bureaucracy in Washington DC. Whether they are able to profit from the threat of war is. And thus we have this curious article…

    The following is an article titled “US ‘Gets Its Ass Handed To It’ In Wargames: Here’s A $24 Billion Fix “

    By   Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. on March 07, 2019 at 5:53 PM And of course, all credit to the author, it was edited to fit this venue.

    US ‘Gets Its Ass Handed To It’ In Wargames: Here’s A $24 Billion Fix

    Warships sink. Bases burn. F-35s die on the runway. Can $24 billion a year — 3.3 % of the Pentagon budget — fix the problem?

    WASHINGTON: The US keeps losing, hard, in simulated wars with Russia and China. Bases burn. Warships sink. But we could fix the problem for about $24 billion a year, one well-connected expert said, less than four percent of the Pentagon budget.

    Easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy.

    “In our games, when we fight Russia and China,” RAND analyst David Ochmanek said this afternoon, “blue gets its ass handed to it.”

    In other words, in RAND’s wargames, which are often sponsored by the Pentagon, the US forces — colored blue on wargame maps — suffer heavy losses in one scenario after another and still can’t stop Russia or China — red — from achieving their objectives, like overrunning US allies.

    No, it’s not a Red Dawn nightmare scenario where the Commies conquer Colorado.

    But losing the Baltics or Taiwan would shatter American alliances, shock the global economy, and topple the world order the US has led since World War II.

    Hey! Boys and Girls! I've got news for you all. The US no longer leads the world. It just thinks it does. The American Leadership shill haven't read the reports yet. -MM

    Body Blows & Head Hits

    How could this happen, when we spend over $700 billion a year on everything from thousand-foot-long nuclear-powered aircraft carriers to supersonic stealth fighters?

    Well, it turns out US superweapons have a little too much Achilles in their heels.

    “In every case I know of,” said Robert Work, a former deputy secretary of defense with decades of wargaming experience, “the F-35 rules the sky when it’s in the sky, but it gets killed on the ground in large numbers.”

    Even the hottest jet has to land somewhere.

    But big airbases on land and big aircraft carriers on the water turn out to be big targets for long-range precision-guided missiles.

    Once an American monopoly, such smart weapons are now a rapidly growing part of Russian and Chinese arsenals — as are the long-range sensors, communications networks, and command systems required to aim them.

    So, as potential adversaries improve their technology, “things that rely on sophisticated base infrastructure like runways and fuel tanks are going to have a hard time,” Ochmanek said. “Things that sail on the surface of the sea are going to have a hard time.”

    That’s why the 2020 budget retires the carrier USS Truman decades early and cuts two amphibious landing ships, as we’ve reported. 
    
    It’s also why the Marine Corps is buying the jump-jet version of the F-35, which can take off and land from tiny, ad hoc airstrips, but how well they can maintain a high-tech aircraft in low-tech surroundings is an open question.

    While the Air Force and Navy took most of the flak today at this afternoon’s Center for a New American Security panel on the need for “A New American Way of War.” the Army doesn’t look too great, either.

    Its huge supply bases go up in smoke as well, Work and Ochmanek said. Its tank brigades get shot up by cruise missiles, drones, and helicopters because the Army largely got rid of its mobile anti-aircraft troops, a shortfall it’s now hastening to correct.

    And its missile defense units get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of incoming fire.

    “I think it’s unanimous from all the soldiers involved that we got this one right,” said the Army’s project manager for the Future Tactical Unmanned Aerial System. Manned aircraft, FARA and FLRAA, are also moving out sharply.
    
    - Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.

    “If we went to war in Europe, there would be one Patriot battery moving, and it would go to Ramstein. And that’s it,” Work growled. “We have 58 Brigade Combat Teams, but we don’t have anything to protect our bases, so what different does it make?”

    Worst of all, Work and Ochmanek said, the US doesn’t just take body blows, it takes a hard hit to the head as well.

    Its communications satellites, wireless networks, and other command-and-control systems suffer such heavy hacking and jamming that they are, in Ochmanek’s words, “suppressed, if not completely shattered.”

    The US has wargamed cyber and electronic warfare in field exercises, Work said, but the simulated enemy forces tend to shut down US networks so effectively that nothing works and nobody else gets any training done.

    “Whenever we have an exercise and the red force really destroys our command and control, we stop the exercise,” Work said, instead of trying to figure out how to keep fighting when your command post gives you nothing but blank screens and radio static.

    The Chinese call this “system destruction warfare,” Work said: They plan to “attack the American battle network at all levels, relentlessly, and they practice it all the time.”

    Our Navy “gets its ass handed to it” in one scenario examining a fight against China over Taiwan and the Air Force “is going to lose fast.” 

    In short, if Biden rashly sends the military to Taiwan’s defense, he could be sending us to our greatest naval defeat in our history.

    If the president’s military advisers convince him to attack military targets on the mainland, the results would be mushroom clouds over U.S. cities. -1945

    The $24 Billion Fix — And Cuts

    So how do you fix such glaring problems?

    The Air Force asked RAND to come up with a plan two years ago, and, surprisingly, Ochmanek said, “we found it impossible to spend more than $8 billion a year.”

    That’s $8 billion for the Air Force. Triple that to cover for the Army and the Navy Department (which includes the US Marines), Ochmanek said, and you get $24 billion.

    Yes, these are very broad strokes, but that’s only 3.3 percent of the $750 billion defense budget President Trump will propose for the 2020 fiscal year.

    Work was less worried about the near-term risk — he thinks China and Russia aren’t eager to try anything right now — and more about what happens 10 to 20 years from now. But, he said, “sure, $24 billion a year for the next five years would be a good expenditure.

    So what does that $24 billion buy?

    To start with, missiles. Lots and lots of missiles. The US and its allies notoriously keep underestimating how many smart weapons they’ll need for a shooting war, then start to run out against enemies as weak as the Serbs or Libyans. Against a Russia or China, which can match not only our technology but our mass, you run out of munitions fast.

    Specifically, you want lots of long-range offensive missiles. Ochmanek mentioned Army artillery brigades, which use MLRS missile launchers, and the Air Force’s JAGM-ER smart bomb, while Work touted the Navy’s LRASM ship-killer. You also want lots of defensive missiles to shoot down the enemy‘s offensive missiles, aircraft, and drones. One short-term fix there is the Army’s new Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense (MSHORAD) batteries, Stinger missiles mounted on 8×8 Stryker armored vehicles. In the longer term, lasers, railguns, and high-powered microwaves could shoot down incoming missiles much less expensively.

    The other big fix: toughening up our command, control, and communications networks. That includes everything from jam-proof datalinks to electronic warfare gear on combat aircraft and warships. The services are fond of cutting corners on electronics to get as many planes in the air and hulls in the water as possible, Ochmanek said, but a multi-billion dollar ship that dies for lack of a million-dollar decoy is a lousy return on investment.

    In the longer run, Work added, you want to invest heavily in artificial intelligence: not killer robots, he said, but “loyal wingmen” drones to support manned aircraft and big-data crunchers to help humans analyze intelligence and plan. Of course, you have to find the money for new stuff somewhere, which means either raising the defense budget even further — unlikely — or cutting existing programs. Ochmanek was unsurprisingly shy about specifics, saying only that the services could certainly squeeze out $8 billion each for new technologies.

    Work was a little harder-edged. He said cutting a carrier and two amphibious ships over the forthcoming 2020-2024 budget “seems right to me.” He argued the US Army has way too many brigade combat teams — tanks and infantry — and way too little missile defense to protect them. And he bemoaned reports the US Air Force will retire the B-1 bomber, one of its few long-range strike aircraft: If the Air Force doesn’t want them, he said, give them to the Navy, revive the old VPB “Patrol Bomber” squadrons, and load them with Long-Range Anti-Ship Missiles to sink the Chinese navy. Pentagon leaders should challenge the armed services to solve very hard, very specific problems.

    Work said: Sink 350 Chinese navy and coast guard vessels in the first 72 hours of a war, or destroy 2,400 Russian armored vehicles. Whoever has the best solution gets the most money. Those are hardly easy goals, Work said, but they’re also doable with technology now in development.

    Easy Solution. The immediate problems could be fixed with technology already in production, Ochmanek said. For $24 billion, “I can buy the whole kit,” he said. “It’s all mature technologies and it would scare the crap out of adversaries, in a good way.”

    It’s all about the money…

    According to Washington DC K-Street neocons, the solution is more money. Not, instead, to rethink the value of conducting war against a peer-capable enemy. Especially one that has no intention on invading America. And they should think about the consequences…

    No matter how one calculates it, fighting China over Taiwan would harm American interests and security without even holding the potential for benefit. 
    
    We must resist the temptation to act on the presumption that we can always choose to fight because we will always win. 
    
    The future of our country might hinge on getting this right.
    
    -1945

    The only threat to America these days is domestic. Internally, America is collapsing and the rest of the world isn’t. But… Let’s suppose that the money-grabbing Washington “think tanks” have made the necessary Power Point PPT presentations and convinced, actually convinced, those that control the utilization of the military that it is indeed possible to win a war. What then? Well let’s look at the situation from this point of view…

    Biden Can’t Assume America Beats China in a Taiwan War

    By  . Published 

    Joe Biden will face a host of difficulties and challenges when he assumes office on January 20, but perhaps none more consequential than deteriorating China-U.S. relations.

    It is the potential flashpoint of Taiwan that will have the greatest urgency. Many in Washington are advocating a shedding of the decades’ old policy of “strategic ambiguity,” in favor of an overt declaration that we would come to the defense of Taiwan if China ever seeks to reunify the island by force.

    Well. According to the UN, and both China and Taiwan, Taiwan is Han Chinese and part of China. It operates independently like Hong Kong does. But in no way is it an American territory. Which is something that the United States media and the neocons in Washington DC wants everyone to believe.

    Assumed in such advocacy is the presumption the U.S. Armed Forces would be able to successfully accomplish that mission. For at least three major reasons, those assumptions are badly misplaced.

    First, the risk is high that on purely military fundamentals, the United States would fail to successfully prevent a resolute and committed Chinese assault. As the most recent Department of Defense annual report to Congress on China details, China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) – remains on a multi-decade modernization push that has seen them develop a substantial defensive capability, known as anti-access, area-denial (A2/AD).

    China’s A2/AD strategy, the Pentagon report explains, is designed to “dissuade, deter, or, if ordered, defeat third-party intervention during a large-scale, theater campaign such as a Taiwan contingency.”

    Their strategy includes the use of modern weaponry including warships, new fighters, increasingly lethal missile forces, heavy armor, and cyberattack capability.

    When comparing the armed forces of the United States and China, we are still substantially more capable than China. Our ability to project power, for example, remains ahead of China.

    Critically, however, the balance of power near China’s shores would give them virtually EVERY military advantage.

    Repeated wargames conducted in the United States pitting the U.S. against China in a Taiwan scenario reveal the ugly truth.

    Former Assistant Secretary of Defense and current RAND analyst David A. Ochmanek revealed earlier this year that simulation exercises have exposed troubling results when the U.S. intervenes in war between China and Taiwan.

    The American side, Ochmanek admitted, has “had its ass handed to it for years.”  

    The reasons for the simulated combat losses aren’t hard to understand.

    Over the past few decades, the Chinese have developed modern weapons of war and have improved the quality of their fighting force substantially above where they were when the U.S. dismantled Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi army in 1991.

    Though our military is globally superior any fight within the so-called “first island chain” near China’s coast would play to Beijing’s tactical advantage.

    As if 2020, this is now obsolete. According to the United States military, and the Trump White House the "first island chain" delimitation line is no longer an American advantage. 

    It is an area of Chinese military advantage.

    Our conventional and nuclear power deter China from ever attacking the U.S. mainland or Armed Forces – but if we choose to intervene in their back yard, they would have the advantage.

    Second, in the event of war, Taiwan may defend itself not merely by targeting the attacking Chinese forces, but by hitting military bases on the Chinese mainland

    If the U.S. joins the fight against China, it is unlikely China would differentiate whether an attack against its mainland came from a Taiwanese or American source and may well prompt a Chinese retaliation against U.S. targets either in the region (such as in Japan, South Korea, Guam, or Hawaii) or directly on our continental homeland. The risk would then rise precipitously of a nuclear response against American Cities on American soil.

    Third, even if we overcame all the difficulties and imposed an outright defeat on the Chinese, there’s no guarantee China wouldn’t try again and we would be saddled with permanently garrisoning Taiwan, indefinitely making its security our responsibility. It would also all but guarantee a new war with China, as an American military presence across the Strait would entice Beijing to prepare for the next round. Taiwan is a core interest of China and they would never quit fighting.

    As China has repeatedly warned the brain-dead American leadership, that Taiwan is Chinese territory. 

    Any American killing of Chinese people on Chinese soil would result in American deaths on American soil.

    Of course, the idea that China would stick to a conventional strategy and isolate Taiwan and allow it to work with the United States unencumbered is another major illusion.

    There is a much higher chance of San Fransisco turned to a flat, glassed over radioactive plain than this scenario coming into being. The Chinese leadership does not think like an American oligarch.

    We would have to spend scores of billions annually to perpetually defend Taiwan, placing severe strain on our economy, diverting military forces and resources from everywhere else in the world, and require a major increase in the size of our military and thus base defense budget.

    Undertaking such a burden as the “prize” for successfully preventing China from taking Taiwan could literally bankrupt our country and leave us more vulnerable than we’ve been since before World War I.

    If you thought that Afghanistan's trillions of dollars was a waste, you ain't seen nothing yet. 

    China would make that look like play-money.

    China could turn Taiwan into Verdun if it wanted to. And America would be trapped in throwing trillions of dollars into that sink hole, all to the glee of the neocons on K-street.

    It should be beyond clear that it is not in America’s interests to take such an enormous risk. Naturally, the United States is a genuine advocate for freedom and self-determination across the globe.

    It is not, however, our responsibility to be the global guarantor of every land and peoples’ freedom on the planet.

    It would be a tragedy beyond compare if in trying to defend one country’s freedom, we put at risk our ability to guarantee our own.

    Why are we even talking about this?

    Well? Why?

    Like him or hate him. Bernie Sanders made a great point thirty years ago (30 years!) that is even more pointed now. And it describes exactly what is going on right now. It describes the WHY everyone in Washington DC is talking about war with China, or War with Russia…

    This video was made exactly 30 years ago.

    Now, China at that time was truly third world. Over 90% of it’s people lived in poverty. But the government did exactly what Bernie Sanders proposes in this video, and now look at China today.

    Now we have America looking to start a major war.

    Idiots!

    The next war will reduce all of America to slag. All of it. And the nations… nations… fractured remains that rise up, will be fourth world nations working hard to become more than just a radioactive banana republic.

    How a War Against China Could Cripple the United States

    By  . Published 

    Once China has decided to use military force to reunify Taiwan, their first actions will be covert actions designed to quietly set the stage for the assault of their main combat forces.

    The assumption is...

    The first action that will signal a full-on war has begun will be an initial, major barrage of ballistic missiles screaming across the strait at multiple civilian and military targets.

    Once that happens, everything happens at warp speed.

    The first barrage of missiles will target critical infrastructure and seek to destroy Taiwan’s ability to respond to the Chinese onslaught.

    They will target military airfields to make them unusable, seek to destroy aircraft on the ground, especially those with the ability to conduct command and control and to direct other weapons (like AWACs-type craft); missile boats and Aegis-type destroyers in their births; anti-air and missile batteries on the ground.

    “We warn those ‘Taiwan independence’ elements – those who play with fire will burn themselves, and Taiwan independence means war.”
    
    Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian

    In the early hours of the battle, Taiwanese troops are shocked, confused, lack clear communications, and are fighting in the rear and from the front at the beaches.

    Also an assumption. 

    China’s initial objectives will be to secure at least one of the three airfields and capture one or more beach landing sites by the end of the first day of fighting.

    If they do, they will have a chance to open an airbridge and beach landing site through which they can pour more and more material with limited opposition. Like at the Normandy beach landings in 1944, once the invading force breaks through at the beach, it is almost impossible for the defenders to win.

    The defenders’ primary objective is to identify and destroy all Chinese efforts on the island as quickly as possible, retain control of all airfields, and keep the beaches impregnable.

    If China is not successful in landing the knock-out blow within the first 48 hours, it will likely have to switch its efforts to dramatically increasing its use of ballistic and cruise missiles, fighter and bomber sorties, and ship-to-shore missiles to try and force an opening at one or more beach landing zones.

    They will try to overwhelm the island through brute force. If Taiwan is successful at preventing any large scale incursions either on the beach or via airborne or air-assault operations, their chances of thwarting the invasion increase dramatically. But they still won’t be out of the woods.

    If China cannot penetrate the beach after two weeks of fighting, they may shift to a siege mentality, in which they will continue sustained bombing of the island, but at a reduced rate while putting into effect a naval blockade.

    If things broke well for Taiwan, it is entirely possible that they could prevent China from opening any beachheads against their defenses. A naval blockade, however, will be more difficult to overcome.

    Without any ability to replace the missiles and other ammunition they expend, no way to medically evacuate their wounded, or to import oil to power their warships, fuel their armored vehicles, and generate electricity – not to mention feed the population.

    Though Taiwan can inflict serious damage to the PLA military, China’s capacity to absorb the damage and replace losses – while maintaining a blockade – is unlikely to be enough to stave off eventual defeat.

    Taipei’s hope that by holding out long enough the U.S. will come riding to a the rescue will, one way or another, be dashed.

    Constraints on U.S. Response

    As Admiral Philip Davidson said in recent Congressional testimony, it would take American ships based in Alaska 17 days to reach Taiwan; 21 days from the U.S. West Coast.

    Which is the entire idea behind the QUAD. To have massive military forces within close proximity of China. And thus American military would stream from Australia into the South Pacific Sea.

    Beijing’s attack will require a no-notice launch to minimize the Taiwanese defender’s ability to man their positions, but possibly the greater purpose will be to ensure the U.S. Navy and Air Force are caught flat-footed and unable to mount an effective response.

    To even have a chance at success, U.S. Forces in the Pacific region would have to have months to prepare.

    They would have to bring personnel strength up near 100%, make all their ships and aircraft combat ready and fully supplied with wartime ammunition and fuel stocks.

    That will never happen. At best American equipment is at 35% readiness, with a goal of some day reaching 50% readiness.

    Any shortfalls in personnel, ships, and planes would have to be redeployed from other theaters to bring the Pacific naval and air fleets up to full capacity. None of those will be possible with a no-notice surprise attack by Beijing – and that vulnerability will put the U.S. president in a real bind.

    Crisis in the White House Situation Room

    The instant the first report reaches the Situation Room, the White House will assemble a crisis response team of senior advisors to begin analyzing the situation and debating potential responses.

    Some will suggest the president order immediate long-range missile attacks against Chinese invasion air and naval forces in an attempt to aid the defenders.

    Others may advocate hitting the Chinese bases supporting the invasion.

    China will likely warn Biden that any attack on China-proper will result in missile strikes on American cities with conventional warheads* (still very lethal).

    Word is that America HAS been warned. And the type of weapon used has not be specified. 
    
    *One of the biggest problems that Americans make is assuming that everyone else thinks like them.

    As Mike Sweeny recently wrote for Defense Priorities, such attacks against targets on the Chinese mainland will inflame the Chinese domestic audience against the United States in increase the pressure for a nuclear response.

    Again. There is a serious fundamental difference between China and America. In China, day to day public option does not matter. Decisions are not made by mob rule. They are made by merit-appointed true experts and the decisions are always sound. If China believes that the advantage would be to eviscerate New York City with a cluster of six nuclear war heads, then it will do so, and what the newspaper reader on the street thinks will not factor into the equation.

    The risk of a war between Washington and Beijing escalating to nuclear is higher than many understand.

    Duh!

    But the president will face enormous pressures to act militarily in the face of Chinese aggression.

    Taiwanese officials will certainly be pleading for the U.S. to intervene. Those in the United States who are already China hawks will almost certainly advocate “limited” military retaliation.

    They will argue that Washington cannot stand passively by while China swallows a leading democratic country in Asia.

    To refuse to act would be tantamount to Neville Chamberlain’s infamous appeasement at Munich and encourage China to try and conquer other nations militarily. In all fairness, such concerns would not be without merit.

    But Biden’s ability to respond militarily would be far more limited than would be commonly understood.

    If Congress declared war on China or gave Biden authority to launch a military strike, the best he could do would be to unleash a relatively few cruise missiles and order some long-range bombing sorties from regional bases.

    Those would have some impact but be insufficient to stop China’s invasion.

    “China’s navy is viewed as posing a major challenge to the U.S. Navy’s ability to achieve and maintain wartime control of blue-water ocean areas in the Western Pacific.” 
    
    Congressional Research Service analysis

    To engage in sustained operations in support of Taiwan’s defenses, it would take the U.S. Navy and Air Force months to properly enter the war theater.

    Trying to rush our military into a fight as soon as it can reach Taiwan would be near suicidal, as we would be arriving to the fight in sub-optimal condition, not fully resourced – and would face the full brunt of the Chinese air and naval forces (which are about double the size of the U.S. Pacific fleets). As importantly, PRC air and naval forces have long had existing plans to fight a U.S. force sent to aid Taiwan and have conducted countless computer simulations and field exercises.

    We would be outnumbered, out-prepared, and out-gunned while fighting a motivated enemy engaged in what it considers an existential battle.

    Duh! If Texas was Attacked how would American react? The same kind of visceral reaction should be expected of China.

    All of the recent U.S.-based computer simulations reach similar conclusions.

    Our Navy “gets its ass handed to it” in one scenario examining a fight against China over Taiwan and the Air Force “is going to lose fast.”

    In short, if Biden rashly sends the military to Taiwan’s defense, he could be sending us to our greatest naval defeat in our history.

    If the president’s military advisers convince him to attack military targets on the mainland, the results could be mushroom clouds over U.S. cities.

    The leaders in Washington DC believe that the loss of a city like Los Angles would be acceptable “collateral losses” in the quest to maintain Democracy off the coast of China.

    Fortunately, however, there are superior options for Biden to choose that don’t involve dead Americans.

    Preserving U.S. Military Power, Maintaining Security and Freedom

    If China bull-headedly turns to violence to take Taiwan by force, the U.S. Government’s overriding priority will be to safeguard American security, freedom, and prosperity.

    America's "freedom", and "prosperity"? Americans are so used to repeating the narrative that they no longer know what the words mean.

    If Biden resists the temptation to respond immediately, he can dramatically shift the balance of power back in America’s favor by adopting realistic and attainable diplomatic and military strategy that features isolating, resisting, and containing China.

    LOL. As if that is going to happen. Did you see any reasoning or strategy in the Alaskan meeting in April 2021 between Washington and China?

    If China is foolish enough to gamble its future by attacking Taiwan – and America is smart enough to stay out of the war – the PRC will be severely weakened from its current status.

    I disagree. 

    The entire world relies on Chinese manufacturing. And factories do not grow on trees. There are no quality alternatives for precision manufacturing, high technology products or innovation. Everything has been outsourced to China, and that includes Japanese products and design, German products and design, Korean products and design and all the rest.

    The United States has, for some time, championed Taipei building a defensive fortress that would make any Chinese attempt to invade prohibitively expensive.

    If anything, (America)  should encourage Taiwan to expand further their defenses.

    Even if China were successful in catching Taiwan unprepared, the surprise would not be complete, and Taipei would still have the ability to launch retaliatory strikes against the Chinese.

    Unlike the United States, Taiwan would have no incentive to resist attacking mainland targets and would attack mainland airfields, naval bases, rocket and missile launch sites, and Chinese defense industry targets.

    It would be very difficult seeing that the Chinese can render all missiles inactive by energy beam weapons.

    They would also successfully sink some Chinese warships, knock out some fighter jets, and destroy thousands of their troops.

    Maybe.

    But China does not think like that.

    Let me tell you what is more probable.

    Nothing happens. Then one day the news says that Taiwan has embraced China as a co-family member. And has decided to get closer to the mainland.

    That is the kind of level of strategy that we are dealing with here. Not the crude "blow 'em up" Rambo style of neocon warfare.

    The net result of even a successful attack would gouge the PLA, severely weakening their ability to wage war; if Taiwan somehow held out and prevented an island takeover, the PLA would be set back decades and the PRC itself at risk of falling internally.

    Um. Not even remotely realistic. 

    Any nation that can build two (x2) 4000 bed hospitals in ten days, or a 80 story skyscraper in a week, would have no problem replenishing military forces.

    In either event, America’s advantage over China would be significantly increased, our ability to protect U.S. interests global continue to be unmatched, and our people continue in complete freedom.

    Americans living in "freedom"? Obviously he was doing drugs when he wrote this. I think that he is just rolling off some trite sayings without thinking, rather than adding constructive dialog to make his points with.

    Moreover, we would then have decades to increase our defenses from Guam to Hawaii to the West Coast – should that be deemed necessary – to ensure China could never, even decades into the future, successfully mount a cross-Pacific attack.

    With what money? When it would take a wheel-barrel full of $100 bills to buy a hamburger?

    What Americans think China’s military is like…

    This is exactly what Americans think that the Chinese military is today. It’s what most people think. It’s a group of peasant, illiterate, with little training using 1980’s era hand-me-down old Soviet Union weapons. Where, their only strength is in their enormous numbers of people.

    What China’s military is actually like…

    This has rapidly become my favorite video. This is what the Chinese military is actually like.

    This is a singular unit in XinJiang, you know the place; where the gateway to the BRI is, and where America must stop at nothing to disrupt it.

    You probably know of it though the propaganda campaign about Uighur Muslims in Concentration Camps and other bullshit. You know. That America “must do something to help those poor oppressed Muslims”. As if the American oligarchy ever cared about Muslims at all, ever.

    And some of the technologies that China has. Their quads operate and behave quite differently than what the American units do. And it’s very interesting. You have to keep in mind that all, and every Chinese person is a member of the irregulars. They all have military training, and the enormous size of the Chinese military is only the active “professional” warrior class. Not the irregulars.

    And every squad has one of these curious weapons. They also have this other “neato” gun which is sort of a pocket howitzer that is the size of a rifle.

    Chinese knives are sure cool, eh?

    A personal mortar. Also standard with all squads…

    The jeep howitzers are pretty cool too…

    And aside from the regular training, and the mandatory of all military train for every single 14 year old boy and girl in China, you have elements of training that is simply not present in the United States, such as being able to shoot, and load a weapon with one hand. As in this movie…

    And of course, since all the parts and engines, and subsystems of all the latest military hardware is contracted out to China, it should be no surprise that their home-gown, home-design, and home-manufactured weapons systems would be equal or better than the American ones that spawned them…

    All the videos

    If you cannot access all or some of the videos you can get them all HERE. Some good stuff, especially if you are a military buff.

    Conclusion

    In sum, by staying out of a China vs. Taiwan war, not only would America  maintain our current strength, our national security would be stronger.

    Conversely, if we foolishly insert ourselves into their fight, we will suffer severe damage to our Armed Forces at a minimum, placing our national security around the world at higher risk; in a worst-case, American cities could smolder in radioactive waste for years to come.

    No matter how one calculates it, fighting China over Taiwan would harm American interests and security without even holding the potential for benefit.

    We must resist the temptation to act on the presumption that we can always choose to fight because we will always win.

    The future of our country might hinge on getting this right.

    MM Comments

    Ah. Perhaps. I can parse though many of his comments and poke holes through them.

    (Taiwan) "...would attack mainland airfields, naval bases, rocket and missile launch sites, and Chinese defense industry targets."

    Perhaps if he looked at a map he would see how ridiculous this statement is.

    Taiwan would try.

    And the planes wouldn’t be able to fly with  directed energy beam weapons causing them to fall out of the sky.

    And even if they could make it back, where would they land.

    All the airfields would be cratered.

    Ok. You can never predict the outcome of a military operation.

    Certainly [1] the failure of the Trump administration to cause starvation in China by using drone launched bio-weapons against livestock didn’t work. The [2] aggressive “color revolution” in Hong Kong didn’t work. The [3] attempt at destabilizing Xinjiang didn’t work, and most certainly [4] the COVID bio-weapon attack against China on CNY with the lethal B-strain did not work.

    Any military action in defense of Taiwan… … has a very small likelihood of working.

    Chances are that it would not be successful.

    And the participation of the American military against China WILL LAUNCH a hot war against America. Which would have  at least a few of the following characteristics.

    • Destruction of Guam
    • Destruction of Diego Garcia
    • End of all trade with China… resulting in a collapse of many American industries as they still rely on Chinese trade to operate.
    • Probable war with Australia and the destruction of Australian Cities.
    • Russian involvement for certain as an ally of China.
    • Destruction of the cities in Hawaii.
    • And a high chance of nuclear destruction of American cities.

    I would suggest the destruction of every city over a population of 750,000 in America. That would include all the “big names”. Perhaps the capital of the United States could relocate to Salina , Kansas.

    All of these potential issues have an over 65% chance of happening if the USA gets involved and tries to provoke a war regarding China.

    So the question really is… …just how out of touch, insane and crazy is the United States leadership? Would they be that foolish to tangle with Russia and China over some South China Sea incident?

    Well…

    Maybe this next article will provide the answer…

    CIA Wokeness

    Michael Tracey writes about a weird CIA video that is making the rounds (emphasis added):

    In a mind-blowing marketing video first published on March 25, but which had escaped widespread notice until recent days, the CIA enthusiastically endorsed several key tenets of what has now indisputably become a hegemonic left/liberal ideological and rhetorical construct:
    
    “I am a woman of color,” the video’s protagonist, an unnamed CIA officer, triumphantly proclaims. “I am a cisgender millennial who’s been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder. I am intersectional, but my existence is not a box-checking exercise.”
    
    She continues, “I used to struggle with imposter syndrome. But at 36, I refuse to internalize misguided patriarchal ideas of what a woman can or should be. I am tired of feeling like I’m supposed to apologize for the space I occupy.”

    I have to admit that I do not know what the words are supposed to mean. (Nor does my Firefox spellchecker. It flags them.) I also do not understand the  phrases. To me they sounds like utter bullshit. But if the CIA wants to hire more such people I am all for it. Folks who can not leave their personal issues at the door typically muck up their workplace and create productivity problems. A less effective CIA will be a plus for the rest of the world.

    But it will certainly enable the already insane leadership to go blindly towards a very dangerous path.

    And that path looks, more and more everyday, like a high-speed rail straight to Hell.

    But America is invincible, don’t you know!

    It’s all over the chat rooms. America has the best training, the most capable leaders, the strongest military, and the best manufacturing in the world. While China is what? “A third world, has been nation, that has stolen more than it contributes”, right? That’s the narrative. This is typical…

    (This article is) Complete BS. You don't understand how military power and capability works. 
    
    China doesn't have any Carrier groups, not one. That is a BIG deal. 
    
    They can't project any significant sea / air power. 
    
    They also don't have any significant amphibious assault capabilities such as the USMC. 
    
    Their air-force isn't close in capability. 
    
    The majority of their service members have very rudimentary training at best. There is much more to "staff" a military than just hand a rifle to a 16 year old peasant. A 155mm artillery shell or 1000 lb air delivered bomb takes care of numbers. 
    
    #34  ·   

    But the interesting retort is here…

    • I completely understand how military power and capability works. I didn’t say they could or would invade the US. I said we couldn’t defeat them in a context of their island building in the South Pacific. They’ve been testing and demonstrating anti-satellite weapons for over a decade. They don’t have a lot of carriers but they have a lot of submarines to take out carriers. They don’t have the capability to deliver an invasion force on the US but they definitely have that capacity throughout the South Pacific. They have massive manufacturing capacity and we have dwindled ours to virtual non-existence. In WWII, our fleet was decimated in short order but we had massive manufacturing capacity and we cranked out ships and carriers in droves. Where are we going to do that today? Where are we going to make the electronic components to drive a modern fleet?
      http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...56/US-weapons-full-of-fake-Chinese-parts.html
      Read that carefully. We get our legitimate Mil-Spec electronic parts from China and we get fake parts from China. Where are we going to get them when we go to war with China and have to rebuild a fleet? What about training? We’re training them on how to defeat us:
      http://blogs.reuters.com/great-deba...hinas-military-while-inching-toward-conflict/
      
      http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnew...up-u-s-training-of-communist-chinese-military
      If you think of China as a backwards country where the soldiers would be 16-year-old peasants, I think you’re wrong. Then you have to consider the likelihood of China using a tactical nuke. Are they crazy enough? They don’t have to be; they need only convince our President that they might be.

    But it doesn’t matter. Decades of anti-China propaganda and an onslaught in the belief that America is a nation of Rambo’s has created a situation where everyone is living in this fantasy world…

    They would not stand a chance vs the US today.

    China has never won a war. They are defensive by nature, they are not an offensive power. historically they build walls. Their "islands" are an example of that. They don't plan on projecting force, they plan on defending what they see as their's.

    China can't build a jet engine worth a poop.
    China can't come up with their own ideas and relies on stealing to make their military products - so how do you conclude they can figure out how to out-think the west?

    China has virtually NO access to oil/gas/coal should a war happen. Sounds like a short war.

    Their navy would have a fair fight with japan.

    If I recall correctly, Japan was beaten without any foot troops...

    #40 ·

    Lots of underestimating your enemy going on here.

    Ah. A bunch of “arm chair” warriors debating some war that is on the other side of the world. A place where they never visited, and a society and culture that they know nothing about. It’s 2021. China has been very clear about what would happen;

    • Taiwan, and the SCS islands are all Chinese territory.
    • Kill one Chinese person on Chinese land, and China will retaliate in an equal measured manner.

    They have already demonstrated this…

    April 2020 China’s first Type-075 amphibious assault carrier, designed for launching helicopters, caught fire. It was mysterious how it happened. The Chinese Navy put out the fire, and repaired the damage and launched the ship as scheduled.

    Then…

    July 2020 The Navy’s USS Bonhomme Richard burned for days at its pier in San Diego. After the fire was put out, the Navy registered the destruction as “total” and wrote off the vessel as a total loss.

    The Chinese Do Not Play.

    A fine reminder…

    Here’s a fine reminder for all the jack-asses that believe that American could shoot and kill Chinese people, on Chinese land, and somehow go unscathed…

    Nuclear detonations map of the USA one

    And let’s continue…

    We need to look at the full scope about what it going on…

    The full scope

    • American leadership are clueless psychopaths.
    • Their toadies are sociopaths that run the levels of government.
    • The bureaucracy that serves them has been politically and socially corrupted beyond usefulness.
    • Never the less, all studies point to catastrophic consequences if the United States tries to get involved in a war with either Russia or China.
    • And Russia and China have signed mutual military treaties so that they will work together if the USA tries to instigate a war.

    The public is not aware of this. And because of that, we have a situation where American and their leadership wants a war. And this was made obvious in the April 2021 meeting in Anchorage Alaska.          

    Meanwhile, the Chinese are not FOOLS. They know exactly what the stakes are, and they will absolutely not permit any “wars of democracy” to land anywhere near them. And if they do… oh, Lordy. God help the American citizenry. There will not be any mercy.

    Why?

    Because the Chinese know history…

    .

    Make no mistake.

    The Chinese will fight to the death to guarantee that they will not be exterminated like vermin by the psychopaths in Washington DC. They will guarantee it.

    Like it or not, but Trump has a real chance of winning the 2024 elections. 
    This in fact will be the best thing ever because the whole world will immediately turn their backs on USA the way they did.

    Personally I can't wait for him to f*ck USA up and try to start a war with either China or/and Iran. About time USA get its ass whipped.

    Posted by: Hoyeru | May 18 2021 3:28 utc | 66

    The USA is ready with a new army

    Do not worry, the “new and improved” military forces are more than ready to deal with 16 year old goat-herders with malfunctioning cheapo Chinese AK-47 clones…

    Oh, and you want a real hoot?

    Check out what the fuck happened to the enormous Armada that steamed to China in 2020. Nope, it did not go as planned. It was a fiasco, and President Trump sacked the top military brass for not following through on his wishes.

    You all just got to read this…

    Check out the stats

    They don’t tell you the entire picture, but they do give you a feel for what is going on. Click on the link.

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    Some thoughts on what it was like, for me running MAJ operations, and relationships.

    This is a MAJestic post. In this article I look at some of the aspects of operations and how it impacted my life within the MWI.

    This article opens up an entire “can of worms”.

    You see, nothing is like Hollywood movies. It’s not some lone brave hero with no background, relationships, or friendships. We all have relationships, families, friends, pleasures, pastimes and interests.

    And when you join any program (not just MAJestic) that just doesn’t disappear.

    You remain who you are. Your interests stay the same. Your family stays the same, and your relationships stay the same.

    This is true regardless to what happens to you on a personal level.  You just don’t chuck it all away when you “sign on the dotted line”, enter into a facility, or start interacting with other people, species or events.

    This is very true.

    And for me (for instance), I would be involved in some calibration training exercises with a <redacted> discussing and going through a <redacted> procedure, yet at the end of the day, I would go home. I would fill my motorcycle with gas, pick up some Betamax tapes to watch, and grab a bucket of KFC chicken and a 30-pack of Budweiser beer.

    Your life doesn’t change. You just add experiences, events and knowledge to what you already possess.

    KFC in Ridgecrest, CA, right outside the Main Gate to China Lake NWC.

    Relationships are more than what you think

    Everyone realizes what “love” is, and the bond that two people have when they are together and when they get married. It’s a bond; an understanding, a shared behavior, and a degree of comfort.

    But what people do not realize is that on the quantum level this bond is a very important two-way communication stream. It’s a very strong and powerful communication channel.

    Yes, it is complex, and yes it is interesting. And Yes, I am going to get really “deep” into this subject on two particular levels.

    • Level one is the idea about “quantum shadows” being your loved ones and family members.

    And …

    • Level Two is the idea of what it was like for me to go through all these “slides” and “anchoring” events as part of MAJestic. All the while still maintaining a quantum level bond and connection with my spouse and my family.

    Level One – Anchoring activity for MAJ while conducting “slides”

    As I have explained elsewhere, every moment that your consciousness occupies a world-line, it is (for the most part) alone. All those “other” people are just empty shells and they really don’t have the same kind of consciousness density as you have.

    It’s easy to misunderstand this. It’s easy to believe that we occupy a singular lonely world. But that’s not really the case.

    And, yes, I have used this simplification in my early posts when introducing this concept.

    It’s just a simplification for our minds to understand a very complex reality. Which is that consciousness is not a point, a blob, or a ghostly vaporous something. It is a shared construction, established by your soul, that operates on a multitude of world-lines simultaneously.

    And when you are upon any given specific world-line, what that means is that your consciousness density for YOU at that point in time is the dominant density within that particular world-line. All the other consciousness’s within that world-line have a much lighter and trivial density.

    It’s not exactly zero.

    But it’s not as dominant as yours is.

    Now that you understand this point then you can understand how the family bonding occurs. Your particular consciousness bonds, or sets up a quantum line of communication, with other consciousness’s within that particular world-line. The density does not matter.

    All that matters is that one consciousness is connected to another.

    So…

    When I am going through rapid world-line cycling and slides, my wife and my pets seemingly go through it with me. I am with my wife, and my cat is on a chair. A slide occurs and suddenly I am wearing white socks with these big black dots on them (do not laugh, it actually occurred). My wife is still there, except that she has much longer hair, and my cat looks up at me inquiringly. (as if to say, “what?”)

    But they actually don’t travel with me. They appear to. But their thoughts and memories are unaware of the transposition of realities.

    Are you confused?

    It looks that way because when I arrive at the new world-line their quantum shadows are there. They seem, they appear, to go with me.

    And since each quantum shadow has a trivial level of consciousness, the bonding methodology remains intact. You still love your spouse, and your pets no matter how strange the rest of the world-line appears to you.

    So you can go through a “slide” and you can be in a really deep dive.

    The world around you can be very unusual. Like having green(!) chili sauce for your hotdog (also really happened. But at least on this world-line ketchup is the normal red color that we have grown to love), with odd colored deep fried yams instead of French Fries.

    And with this would be comparable changes to the physical appearance (and memories) of your spouse.

    In my case, she might be shorter, or taller. She might have different colored hair, or eyes, and a different figure entirely. But she was still my spouse. I was always able to recognize her as that. No matter how strange she appeared to me.

    Different body shapes for women, simplified and illustrated.

    I attribute that to the conscious bonding mechanism of quantum entanglement between closely associated consciousness’s.

    And the same is true with my pets as well. Though, seriously, I swear that my cats knew what was going on all the time with me. They would sort of look at me with this expression “What? Again!”

    And you all know that things can really change.

    Cars can change, houses can change, entire landscapes can change, and along with all of that are entire histories and the past. Not only of the body that your consciousness occupies, but also of the entire world-line.

    And yes, mental processes as well.

    You spouse might be a crack genius one moment, and then a slide will turn her into a simpleton, with no education or understandings.

    One minute you are on a world-line where Gerald Ford is President, and the next moment your world-line has Ross Perot as President. And yes, it did happen, and sometimes it can be extraordinarily confusing. Not to mention extremely frustrating.

    On a personal note that I can tell you that while my wife would change from slide to slide, it was never far too radical. Or in other words, she didn’t go from a “Whoopi Goldberg” to a Alessandra Ambrosio during a slide.

    I was always able to recognize her.

    But that being said, that actually could have happened. She could have looked like Whoopi and then ended up looking like Alessandra. She could have. It’s just that in my experience, she didn’t.

    That doesn’t mean that she didn’t have cosmetic surface differences. Sometimes her skin color was different, the hair style and color would be different, and yes, her body would change. Sometimes rather drastically. Yet, though all of this, she “felt” right.

    I well remember one time there was a slide and while we were having sex (it happened at all times, I had no control of it) she ended up becoming shorter. Like really shorter. Maybe three inches shorter (9 cm). But her boobs got much bigger, so it was one of those cases of a little of this, and a little of that, you know.

    And don’t ask me how I dealt with it.

    I am a human, when you start to experience changes, you learn to adapt to them. And so I did. I adapted.

    This is true for my cats, and my dogs. They might have physically changed, but I was immediately able to identify who they were. Our internal relationships were not altered by the MWI taskings. Though it could be frustrating. I once was used to having my dog go out for walks with me, and he would keep close by, then there would be a slide, and I would need to take him out of a leash each time, because otherwise he would run away.

    So, what I am trying to say is that everything is inner-connected.  You don’t go from being a middle-class noob driving an average car, to suddenly living in a high-rise penthouse with a movie-starlet in your bed. All slides happened for reasons, and when I was involved in the slides, the changes were always in equal amounts of good with bad, new changes with old familiars, and situations that resembled where I departed from.

    Level Two – The relationships

    Now, as I have stated, this bond; this connection between my consciousness and the consciousness’s of my family, loved ones and pets did not change.

    It still existed.

    And because it did, I was able to identify them and their association with me. This was true no matter how messed up the rest of the world appeared to me, to be.

    Yet…

    Bonds and quantum level communication is a two-way street.  Even though my wife had no idea what was going on, aside from what I told her, she was able to “feel” or sense changes.

    In fact, she was an unusually sensitive person. She possessed this nearly 6th or 7th sense that at times amazed me. For instance, she knew that the earthquake in San Francisco was going to occur. She  knew what I was doing when I was at the other end of the world on business travel. She even knew if I had indigestion if I was in a hotel room miles away. She knew, in great detail, if I was being a very “bad boy”. And she knew if I was missing her and my little family.

    And strangely she could sense when I went to the bathroom, and would always, absolutely always, call me when I left my desk to go to the toilet. (She didn’t realize that this was going on, but it drove me nuts. And in those days, we didn’t have cell phones.)

    She was special like that.

    Because even though the world-lines changed, and the bonds did not, the bonds themselves were altered by the environmental changes.

    And she could sense this.

    So she would compensate.

    Her brain, affected by what her “quantum shadow” was at the time, would also create changes in the bonding between us individuals. And that slowly drove her crazy.

    She started to manifest strange behaviors around 1987.

    Was diagnosed with Schizoaffective personality in the early 1990’s, and exhibited full schizophrenia around 1998.

    Which is one of the reasons why I was so very upset by the comments by “Osiander” on 30APR21.

    "It seems to me to be hearing the thought stream of a schizophrenic person."

    A person with this illness is very sick indeed, and their loved ones have a herculean task in dealing with them, on top of everything else.

    For me, personally, not only did I need to endure the slides via MAJestic, but I held some very competitive and hard-charging technical positions in the industry. It was awful.

    You are making a presentation in a meeting, you are standing in front of the white-board, and the secretary breaks into the room with a phone call. It's the hospital and my wife tried to kill herself, and they needed me to go to the hospital immediately and sign the necessary papers. So I would need to excuse myself from the meeting, and run off to the emergency room at the hospital, and sign the necessary papers to put her under observation and then into the hospital for treatment. Sometimes as short as a few weeks, but towards the end of the 1990's lasting months inside a high-security ward.
    
    Not a fun life.

    And add that to the fact that the role I had was not changing. I had to deal through all the slides and changes while everyone else just lived their normal day-to-day life. Ugh!

    In the world-lines, they (the world-line itself) always seemed to adjust to our situations.

    Not the other way around.

    And things changed.

    The past would change each time we went though a slide.

    Not, typically big changes. But all those little details that can add up to a very fundamentally strange life.

    When we first met, her family were normal, middle class. Then over the slides and jumps, things started to change. Her family history migrated to lower class. And then her family started to have “a past”, and a history of mental illnesses. Where earlier there wasn’t any.

    And indeed she was having a hard go at it. If I was involved in a deep-dive, you can pretty much guarantee that she would suffer the consequence for in on some way, one way or the other.

    New subject.

    The fantasies

    All men have these fantasies of encountered strange, interesting and fun women and having sex with them.

    The porn industry isn’t a billion dollar industry for nothing.

    And if you fully understand what I am relating you can see that there is this real distinct possibility that this kind of thing can seemingly happen when you are involved in a slide.

    But I can tell you that while there is a certain element of that that POSSIBLY could occur, it just never materialized in the way that you would it that it would. At least not in my situation.

    My wife was always my wife.

    She might look thin and tall, or short and round, but she was always my wife. You immediately recognize her as “the wife”.

    Though she might be tall and thin, or short and round. She was always easily identifiable to me as my wife, my spouse and I immediately knew her by close proximity “feeling”, not by visual confirmation.

    When the alarm went off in the morning, you woke up with your wife. Regardless of how she looked, the length of her hair, the colors of her eyes, or the way she was built. She was your spouse for good or for bad.

    I will admit that there is a certain excitement having sex with a spouse that one day looks like an athletic gymnast, and the next day looks like someone who lounges on the sofa eating bon-bons, and then the day after that was a prissy doll-faced scold.  But the bonding of family members goes far deeper than the physical appearance, and that I can tell you (first hand) is really the fundamental case.

    In fact, during really crazy times, when the cycling was “off the charts”, all I really wanted to do is sort of get back to the woman who I married, not what ever quantum shadow she was at that particular time.

    So much for the fantasy. Eh?

    However, for the record, for the vast majority of the time we were married she was always attractive and upscale in that particular area. This was the result of many things that are too involved to get into at this time.

    It’s like all those fancy promotions of the life of the “jet set” businessmen. The people that travel three or five times a week, always flying to one city or to the other.

    It looks so glamorous and exciting.

    The life of the “jet set” businessmen.

    But as someone who actually did it, nope, it’s something else altogether different.

    Truthfully, it’s a pain in the ass and all you want is a nice home-cooked meal, a rest on your couch, and maybe some time in the backyard with your family. The life of a “road warrior” is not fun.

    It sucks.

    It’s mostly a world of lonely restaurants, airports, rental cars, and hotel-rooms.

    This was me. High tech road warrior.

    That’s the way life is.

    How you picture something is usually not the way it actually is.

    So what am I saying?

    Look, if you are able to conduct prayer campaigns, you can navigate the MWI successfully and end up with the kind of life that you desire.

    And if you have a role, such as I have had, where you have zero navigation control, you can still grasp the reigns of power and steer your life in the direction that you want. You just need to alter the programming. As I did in ADC Pine Bluff.

    What ever you do, just remember that we are all connected together.

    For you to navigate you must be aware of your interpersonal relationships and then leverage them for mutual satisfaction. NEVER discount the interpersonal relationships that you are involved in. They have a great deal of influence on how your desires and wishes manifest.

    In the meantime, as best as you can… just enjoy that life that you are living right now. It’s a blessing that might not come your way again.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts like this in my MAJestic Index here…

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    Law 33 – Discover each mans thumbscrew (full text) from the 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

    This is the complete full text of law #33 titled “Discover each man’s thumbscrew” which is found in the book by Robert Greene titled “The 48 Laws of Power”.

    LAW 33

    DISCOVER EACH MAN’S THUMBSCREW

    JUDGMENT

    Everyone has a weakness, a gap in the castle wall. That weakness is usually an insecurity, an uncontrollable emotion or need; it can also be a small secret pleasure. Either way, once found, it is a thumbscrew you can turn to your advantage.

    FINDING THE THUMBSCREW: A Strategic Plan of Action

    We all have resistances. We live with a perpetual armor around ourselves to defend against change and the intrusive actions of friends and rivals. We would like nothing more than to be left to do things our own way. Constantly butting up against these resistances will cost you a lot of energy. One of the most important things to realize about people, though, is that they all have a weakness, some part of their psychological armor that will not resist, that will bend to your will if you find it and push on it. Some people wear their weaknesses openly, others disguise them. Those who disguise them are often the ones most effectively undone through that one chink in their armor.

    THE LION. THE CHAMOIS. AND THE FOX

    A lion was chasing a chamois along a valley. 

    He had all but caught it, and with longing eyes was anticipating a certain and a satisfying repast.

    It seemed as if it were utterly impossible for the victim to escape; for a deep ravine appeared to bar the way for both the hunter and the hunted.

    But the nimble chamois, gathering together all its strength, shot like an arrow from a bow across the chasm, and stood still on the rocky cliff on the other side.

    Our lion pulled up short.

    But at that moment a friend of his happened to be near at hand. That friend was the fox. “What!” said he, “with your strength and agility, is it possible that you will yield to a feeble chamois?

    You have only to will, and you will be able to work wonders.

    Though the abyss be deep, yet, if you are only in earnest, I am certain you will clear it.

    Surely you can confide in my disinterested friendship.

    I would not expose your life to danger if I were not so well aware of your strength and dexterity. ”

    The lion’s blood waxed hot, and began to boil in his veins.

    He flung himself with all his might into space.

    But he could not clear the chasm; so down he tumbled headlong, and was killed by the fall.

    Then what did his dear friend do?

    He cautiously made his way down to the bottom of the ravine. and there, out in the open space and the free air, seeing that the lion wanted neither flattery nor obedience now, he set to work to pay the last sad rites to his dead friend, and in a month picked his bones clean.

    FABLES, IVAN KRILOFF, 1768-1844

    In planning your assault, keep these principles in mind:

    Pay Attention to Gestures and Unconscious Signals. As Sigmund Freud remarked, “No mortal can keep a secret. If his lips are silent, he chatters with his fingertips; betrayal oozes out of him at every pore.” This is a critical concept in the search for a person’s weakness—it is revealed by seemingly unimportant gestures and passing words.

    The key is not only what you look for but where and how you look. Everyday conversation supplies the richest mine of weaknesses, so train yourself to listen. Start by always seeming interested—the appearance of a sympathetic ear will spur anyone to talk. A clever trick, often used by the nineteenth-century French statesman Talleyrand, is to appear to open up to the other person, to share a secret with them. It can be completely made up, or it can be real but of no great importance to you—the important thing is that it should seem to come from the heart. This will usually elicit a response that is not only as frank as yours but more genuine—a response that reveals a weakness.

    If you suspect that someone has a particular soft spot, probe for it indirectly. If, for instance, you sense that a man has a need to be loved, openly flatter him. If he laps up your compliments, no matter how obvious, you are on the right track. Train your eye for details—how someone tips a waiter, what delights a person, the hidden messages in clothes. Find people’s idols, the things they worship and will do anything to get—perhaps you can be the supplier of their fantasies. Remember: Since we all try to hide our weaknesses, there is little to be learned from our conscious behavior. What oozes out in the little things outside our conscious control is what you want to know.

    Find the Helpless Child. Most weaknesses begin in childhood, before the self builds up compensatory defenses. Perhaps the child was pampered or indulged in a particular area, or perhaps a certain emotional need went unfulfilled; as he or she grows older, the indulgence or the deficiency may be buried but never disappears. Knowing about a childhood need gives you a powerful key to a person’s weakness.

    One sign of this weakness is that when you touch on it the person will often act like a child. Be on the lookout, then, for any behavior that should have been outgrown. If your victims or rivals went without something important, such as parental support, when they were children, supply it, or its facsimile. If they reveal a secret taste, a hidden indulgence, indulge it. In either case they will be unable to resist you.

    Look for Contrasts. An overt trait often conceals its opposite. People who thump their chests are often big cowards; a prudish exterior may hide a lascivious soul; the uptight are often screaming for adventure; the shy are dying for attention. By probing beyond appearances, you will often find people’s weaknesses in the opposite of the qualities they reveal to you.

    Find the Weak Link. Sometimes in your search for weaknesses it is not what but who that matters. In today’s versions of the court, there is often someone behind the scenes who has a great deal of power, a tremendous influence over the person superficially on top. These behind-the-scenes powerbrokers are the group’s weak link: Win their favor and you indirectly influence the king. Alternatively, even in a group of people acting with the appearance of one will—as when a group under attack closes ranks to resist an outsider—there is always a weak link in the chain. Find the one person who will bend under pressure.

    Fill the Void. The two main emotional voids to fill are insecurity and unhappiness. The insecure are suckers for any kind of social validation; as for the chronically unhappy, look for the roots of their unhappiness. The insecure and the unhappy are the people least able to disguise their weaknesses. The ability to fill their emotional voids is a great source of power, and an indefinitely prolongable one.

    Feed on Uncontrollable Emotions. The uncontrollable emotion can be a paranoid fear—a fear disproportionate to the situation—or any base motive such as lust, greed, vanity, or hatred. People in the grip of these emotions often cannot control themselves, and you can do the controlling for them.

    IRING IZAR

    [Hollywood super-agent] Irving Paul Lazar was once anxious to sell [studio mogul] Jack L. Warner a play. 

    “I had a long meeting with him today,” Lazar explained [to screenwriter Garson Kanin], “but I didn’t mention it, I didn’t even bring it up.”

    “Why not?” I asked.

    “Because I’m going to wait until the weekend after next, when I go to Palm Springs.”

    “I don’t understand.”

    “You don’t? I go to Palm Springs every weekend, but Warner isn’t going this weekend. He’s got a preview or something. So he’s not coming down till the next weekend, so that’s when I’m going to bring it up. ”

    “Irving, I’m more and more confused.”

    “Look,” said Irving impatiently, ”I know what I’m doing. I know how to sell Warner. This is a type of material that he’s uneasy with, so I have to hit him with it hard and suddenly to get an okay.”

    ”But why Palm Springs?”

    ”Because in Palm Springs, every day he goes to the baths at The Spa. And that’s where I’m going to be when he’s there. Now there’s a thing about Jack: He’s eighty and he’s very vain, and he doesn’t like people to see him naked. So when I walk up to him naked at The Spa—I mean he’s naked—well, I’m naked too, but I don’t care who sees me. He does. And I walk up to him naked, and I start to talk to him about this thing, he’ll be very embarrassed.And he’ll want to get away from me, and the easiest way is to say ‘Yes,’ because he knows if he says ‘No,’ then I’m going to stick with him, and stay right on it, and not give up. So to get rid of me, he’ll probably say, ‘Yes.’”

    Two weeks later, I read of the acquisition of this particular property by Warner Brothers. I phoned Lazar and asked how it had been accomplished.

    ”How do you think?” he asked.

    ”In the buff, that’s how... just the way I told you it was going to work.”

    HOLLYWOOD, GARSON KANIN, 1974

    OBSERVANCES OF THE LAW

    Observance I

    In 1615 the thirty-year-old bishop of Luçon, later known as Cardinal Richelieu, gave a speech before representatives of the three estates of France—clergy, nobility, and commoners.

    Richelieu had been chosen to serve as the mouthpiece for the clergy—an immense responsibility for a man still young and not particularly well known.

    On all of the important issues of the day, the speech followed the Church line.

    But near the end of it Richelieu did something that had nothing to do with the Church and everything to do with his career.

    He turned to the throne of the fifteen-year-old King Louis XIII, and to the Queen Mother Marie de’ Médicis, who sat beside Louis, as the regent ruling France until her son reached his majority.

    Everyone expected Richelieu to say the usual kind words to the young king.

    Instead, however, he looked directly at and only at the queen mother.

    Indeed his speech ended in long and fulsome praise of her, praise so glowing that it actually offended some in the Church.

    But the smile on the queen’s face as she lapped up Richelieu’s compliments was unforgettable.

    A year later the queen mother appointed Richelieu secretary of state for foreign affairs, an incredible coup for the young bishop.

    He had now entered the inner circle of power, and he studied the workings of the court as if it were the machinery of a watch.

    An Italian, Concino Concini, was the queen mother’s favorite, or rather her lover, a role that made him perhaps the most powerful man in France.

    Concini was vain and foppish, and Richelieu played him perfectly—attending to him as if he were the king.

    Within months Richelieu had become one of Concini’s favorites.

    But something happened in 1617 that turned everything upside down: the young king, who up until then had shown every sign of being an idiot, had Concini murdered and his most important associates imprisoned.

    In so doing Louis took command of the country with one blow, sweeping the queen mother aside.

    Had Richelieu played it wrong?

    He had been close to both Concini and Marie de Médicis, whose advisers and ministers were now all out of favor, some even arrested.

    The queen mother herself was shut up in the Louvre, a virtual prisoner.

    Richelieu wasted no time.

    If everyone was deserting Marie de Médicis, he would stand by her.

    He knew Louis could not get rid of her, for the king was still very young, and had in any case always been inordinately attached to her.

    As Marie’s only remaining powerful friend, Richelieu filled the valuable function of liaison between the king and his mother.

    In return he received her protection, and was able to survive the palace coup, even to thrive.

    Over the next few years the queen mother grew still more dependent on him, and in 1622 she repaid him for his loyalty: Through the intercession of her allies in Rome, Richelieu was elevated to the powerful rank of cardinal.

    By 1623 King Louis was in trouble.

    He had no one he could trust to advise him, and although he was now a young man instead of a boy, he remained childish in spirit, and affairs of state came hard to him.

    Now that he had taken the throne, Marie was no longer the regent and theoretically had no power, but she still had her son’s ear, and she kept telling him that Richelieu was his only possible savior.

    At first Louis would have none of it—he hated the cardinal with a passion, only tolerating him out of love for Marie.

    In the end, however, isolated in the court and crippled by his own indecisiveness, he yielded to his mother and made Richelieu first his chief councilor and later prime minister.

    Now Richelieu no longer needed Marie de Médicis.

    He stopped visiting and courting her, stopped listening to her opinions, even argued with her and opposed her wishes.

    Instead he concentrated on the king, making himself indispensable to his new master.

    All the previous premiers, understanding the king’s childishness, had tried to keep him out of trouble; the shrewd Richelieu played him differently, deliberately pushing him into one ambitious project after another, such as a crusade against the Huguenots and finally an extended war with Spain.

    The immensity of these projects only made the king more dependent on his powerful premier, the only man able to keep order in the realm.

    And so, for the next eighteen years, Richelieu, exploiting the king’s weaknesses, governed and molded France according to his own vision, unifying the country and making it a strong European power for centuries to come.

    Interpretation

    Richelieu saw everything as a military campaign, and no strategic move was more important to him than discovering his enemy’s weaknesses and applying pressure to them.

    As early as his speech in 1615, he was looking for the weak link in the chain of power, and he saw that it was the queen mother.

    Not that Marie was obviously weak—she governed both France and her son; but Richelieu saw that she was really an insecure woman who needed constant masculine attention.

    He showered her with affection and respect, even toadying up to her favorite, Concini.

    He knew the day would come when the king would take over, but he also recognized that Louis loved his mother dearly and would always remain a child in relation to her.

    The way to control Louis, then, was not by gaining his favor, which could change overnight, but by gaining sway over his mother, for whom his affection would never change.

    Once Richelieu had the position he desired—prime minister—he discarded the queen mother, moving on to the next weak link in the chain: the king’s own character.

    There was a part of him that would always be a helpless child in need of higher authority.

    It was on the foundation of the king’s weakness that Richelieu established his own power and fame.

    Remember: When entering the court, find the weak link. The person in control is often not the king or queen; it is someone behind the scenes—the favorite, the husband or wife, even the court fool. This person may have more weaknesses than the king himself, because his power depends on all kinds of capricious factors outside his control.

    Finally, when dealing with helpless children who cannot make decisions, play on their weakness and push them into bold ventures. They will have to depend on you even more, for you will become the adult figure whom they rely on to get them out of scrapes and to safety.

    THE THINGS ON

    As time went on I came to look for the little weaknesses.... 

    It’s the little things that count.

    On one occasion, I worked on the president of a large bank in Omaha. The [phony] deal involved the purchase of the street railway system of Omaha, including a bridge across the Mississippi River.

    My principals were supposedly German and I had to negotiate with Berlin.

    While awaiting word from them I introduced my fake mining-stock proposition.

    Since this man was rich, I decided to play for high stakes....

    Meanwhile, I played golf with the banker, visited his home, and went to the theater with him and his wife.

    Though he showed some interest in my stock deal, he still wasn’t convinced.

    I had built it up to the point that an investment of $1,250,000 was required.

    Of this I was to put up $900,000, the banker $350,000.

    But still he hesitated.

    One evening when I was at his home for dinner I wore some perfume-Coty’s “April Violets.”

    It was not then considered effeminate for a man to use a dash of perfume.

    The banker’s wife thought it very lovely.

    “Where did you get it?”

    “It is a rare blend,” I told her, “especially made for me by a French perfumer. Do you like it?”

    ”l love it,” she replied.

    The following day I went through my effects and found two empty bottles.

    Both had come from France, but were empty.

    I went to a downtown department store and purchased ten ounces of Coty’s ”April Violets.”

    I poured this into the two French bottles, carefully sealed them, wrapped them in tissue paper.

    That evening I dropped by the banker’s home and presented the two bottles to his wife.

    ”They were especially put up for me in Cologne,” I told her.

    The next day the banker called at my hotel.

    His wife was enraptured by the perfume.

    She considered it the most wonderful, the most exotic fragrance she had ever used.

    I did not tell the banker he could get all he wanted right in Omaha.

    ”She said,” the banker added, ”that I was fortunate to be associated with a man like you.”

    From then on his attitude was changed, for he had complete faith in his wife’s judgment .... He parted with $350,000.

    This, incidentally was my biggest [con] score.

    -“YELLOW KID” WEIL, 1875-1976

    Observance II

    In December of 1925, guests at the swankiest hotel in Palm Beach, Florida, watched with interest as a mysterious man arrived in a Rolls-Royce driven by a Japanese chauffeur.

    Over the next few days they studied this handsome man, who walked with an elegant cane, received telegrams at all hours, and only engaged in the briefest of conversations.

    He was a count, they heard, Count Victor Lustig, and he came from one of the wealthiest families in Europe—but this was all they could find out.

    Imagine their amazement, then, when Lustig one day walked up to one of the least distinguished guests in the hotel, a Mr. Herman Loller, head of an engineering company, and entered into conversation with him.

    Loller had made his fortune only recently, and forging social connections was very important to him.

    He felt honored and somewhat intimidated by this sophisticated man, who spoke perfect English with a hint of a foreign accent.

    Over the days to come, the two became friends.

    Loller of course did most of the talking, and one night he confessed that his business was doing poorly, with more troubles ahead.

    In return, Lustig confided in his new friend that he too had serious money problems—Communists had seized his family estate and all its assets.

    He was too old to learn a trade and go to work.

    Luckily he had found an answer—“ a money-making machine.”

    “You counterfeit?”

    Loller whispered in half-shock.

    No, Lustig replied, explaining that through a secret chemical process, his machine could duplicate any paper currency with complete accuracy.

    Put in a dollar bill and six hours later you had two, both perfect.

    He proceeded to explain how the machine had been smuggled out of Europe, how the Germans had developed it to undermine the British, how it had supported the count for several years, and on and on.

    When Loller insisted on a demonstration, the two men went to Lustig’s room, where the count produced a magnificent mahogany box fitted with slots, cranks, and dials.

    Loller watched as Lustig inserted a dollar bill in the box. Sure enough, early the following morning Lustig pulled out two bills, still wet from the chemicals.

    Lustig gave the notes to Loller, who immediately took the bills to a local bank—which accepted them as genuine.

    Now the businessman feverishly begged Lustig to sell him a machine.

    The count explained that there was only one in existence, so Loller made him a high offer: $25,000, then a considerable amount (more than $400,000 in today’s terms).

    Even so, Lustig seemed reluctant: He did not feel right about making his friend pay so much.

    Yet finally he agreed to the sale.

    After all, he said,

    “I suppose it matters little what you pay me. You are, after all, going to recover the amount within a few days by duplicating your own bills.” 

    Making Loller swear never to reveal the machine’s existence to other people, Lustig accepted the money.

    Later the same day he checked out of the hotel.

    A year later, after many futile attempts at duplicating bills, Loller finally went to the police with the story of how Count Lustig had conned him with a pair of dollar bills, some chemicals, and a worthless mahogany box.

    Interpretation

    Count Lustig had an eagle eye for other people’s weaknesses.

    He saw them in the smallest gesture.

    Loller, for instance, overtipped waiters, seemed nervous in conversation with the concierge, talked loudly about his business.

    His weakness, Lustig knew, was his need for social validation and for the respect that he thought his wealth had earned him.

    He was also chronically insecure.

    Lustig had come to the hotel to hunt for prey.

    In Loller he homed in on the perfect sucker—a man hungering for someone to fill his psychic voids.

    In offering Loller his friendship, then, Lustig knew he was offering him the immediate respect of the other guests.

    As a count, Lustig was also offering the newly rich businessman access to the glittering world of old wealth.

    And for the coup de grace, he apparently owned a machine that would rescue Loller from his worries.

    It would even put him on a par with Lustig himself, who had also used the machine to maintain his status.

    No wonder Loller took the bait.

    Remember: When searching for suckers, always look for the dissatisfied, the unhappy, the insecure. Such people are riddled with weaknesses and have needs that you can fill. Their neediness is the groove in which you place your thumbnail and turn them at will.

    Observance III

    In the year 1559, the French king Henri II died in a jousting exhibition.

    His son assumed the throne, becoming Francis II, but in the background stood Henri’s wife and queen, Catherine de’ Médicis, a woman who had long ago proven her skill in affairs of state.

    When Francis died the next year, Catherine took control of the country as regent to her next son in line of succession, the future Charles IX, a mere ten years old at the time.

    The main threats to the queen’s power were Antoine de Bourbon, king of Navarre, and his brother, Louis, the powerful prince of Condé, both of whom could claim the right to serve as regent instead of Catherine, who, after all, was Italian—a foreigner.

    Catherine quickly appointed Antoine lieutenant general of the kingdom, a title that seemed to satisfy his ambition.

    It also meant that he had to remain in court, where Catherine could keep an eye on him.

    Her next move proved smarter still: Antoine had a notorious weakness for young women, so she assigned one of her most attractive maids of honor, Louise de Rouet, to seduce him.

    Now Antoine’s intimate, Louise reported all of his actions to Catherine.

    The move worked so brilliantly that Catherine assigned another of her maids to Prince Condé, and thus was formed her escadron volant—“flying squadron”—of young girls whom she used to keep the unsuspecting males in the court under her control.

    In 1572 Catherine married off her daughter, Marguerite de Valois, to Henri, the son of Antoine and the new king of Navarre.

    To put a family that had always struggled against her so close to power was a dangerous move, so to make sure of Henri’s loyalty she unleashed on him the loveliest member of her “flying squadron,” Charlotte de Beaune Semblançay, baroness of Sauves.

    Catherine did this even though Henri was married to her daughter.

    Within weeks, Marguerite de Valois wrote in her memoirs,

    “Mme. de Sauves so completely ensnared my husband that we no longer slept together, nor even conversed.”

    And while I am on the subject, there is another fact that deserves mention. It is this. A man shows his character just in the way in which he deals with trifles-for then he is off his guard.

    This will often afford a good opportunity of observing the boundless egoism of a man’s nature, and his total lack of consideration for others; and if these defects show themselves in small things, or merely in his general demeanor, you will find that they also underlie his action in matters of importance, although he may disguise the fact.

    This is an opportunity which should not be missed.

    If in the little affairs of every day—the trifles of life...—a man is inconsiderate and seeks only what is advantageous or convenient to himself, to the prejudice of others’ rights; if he appropriates to himself that which belongs to all alike, you may be sure there is no justice in his heart, and that he would be a scoundrel on a wholesale scale, only that law and compulsion bind his hands.

    -Arthur SCHOPENHAUER, 1788-1860

    The baroness was an excellent spy and helped to keep Henri under Catherine’s thumb.

    When the queen’s youngest son, the Duke of Alençon, grew so close to Henri that she feared the two might plot against her, she assigned the baroness to him as well.

    This most infamous member of the flying squadron quickly seduced Alençon, and soon the two young men fought over her and their friendship quickly ended, along with any danger of a conspiracy.

    Interpretation

    Catherine had seen very early on the sway that a mistress has over a man of power: Her own husband, Henri II, had kept one of the most infamous mistresses of them all, Diane de Poitiers.

    What Catherine learned from the experience was that a man like her husband wanted to feel he could win a woman over without having to rely on his status, which he had inherited rather than earned.

    And such a need contained a huge blind spot: As long as the woman began the affair by acting as if she had been conquered, the man would fail to notice that as time passed the mistress had come to hold power over him, as Diane de Poitiers did over Henri.

    It was Catherine’s strategy to turn this weakness to her advantage, using it as a way to conquer and control men.

    All she had to do was unleash the loveliest women in the court, her “flying squadron,” on men whom she knew shared her husband’s vulnerability.

    Remember: Always look for passions and obsessions that cannot be controlled. The stronger the passion, the more vulnerable the person.

    This may seem surprising, for passionate people look strong.

    In fact, however, they are simply filling the stage with their theatricality, distracting people from how weak and helpless they really are.

    A man’s need to conquer women actually reveals a tremendous helplessness that has made suckers out of them for thousands of years.

    Look at the part of a person that is most visible—their greed, their lust, their intense fear.

    These are the emotions they cannot conceal, and over which they have the least control.

    And what people cannot control, you can control for them.

    THE BATTLE AT PHARSALIA

    When the two armies [Julius Caesar’s and Pompey‘s] were come into Pharsalia, and both encamped there, Pompey’s thoughts ran the same way as they had done before, against fighting.... 

    But those who were about him were greatly confident of success ...

    ...as if they had already conquered....

    The cavalry especially were obstinate for fighting, being splendidly armed and bravely mounted, and valuing themselves upon the fine horses they kept, and upon their own handsome persons; as also upon the advantage of their numbers, for they were five thousand against one thousand of Caesar’s.

    Nor were the numbers of the infantry less disproportionate, there being forty-five thousand of Pompey’s against twenty-two thousand of the enemy.

    [The next day] whilst the infantry was thus sharply engaged in the main battle, on the flank Pompey’s horse rode up confidently, and opened [his cavalry’s] ranks very wide, that they might surround the right wing of Caesar.

    But before they engaged, Caesar’s cohorts rushed out and attacked them, and did not dart their javelins at a distance, nor strike at the thighs and legs, as they usually did in close battle, but aimed at their faces.

    For thus Caesar had instructed them, in hopes that young gentlemen, who had not known much of battles and wounds, but came wearing their hair long, in the flower of their age and height of their beauty, would be more apprehensive of such blows, and not care for hazarding both a danger at present and a blemish for the future.

    And so it proved, for they were so far from bearing the stroke of the javelins, that they could not stand the sight of them, but turned about, and covered their faces to secure them.

    Once in disorder, presently they turned about to fly; and so most shamefully ruined all.

    For those who had beat them back at once outflanked the infantry, and falling on their rear, cut them to pieces.

    Pompey, who commanded the other wing of the army, when he saw his cavalry thus broken and flying, was no longer himself, nor did he now remember that he was Pompey the Great, but, like one whom some god had deprived of his senses, retired to his tent without speaking a word, and there sat to expect the event, till the whole army was routed.

    -THE LIFE OF JULIUS CAESAR. PLUIARCH, c. A.D. 46-120

    Observance IV

    Arabella Huntington, wife of the great late-nineteenth-century railroad magnate Collis P. Huntington, came from humble origins and always struggled for social recognition among her wealthy peers.

    When she gave a party in her San Francisco mansion, few of the social elite would show up; most of them took her for a gold digger, not their kind.

    Because of her husband’s fabulous wealth, art dealers courted her, but with such condescension they obviously saw her as an upstart.

    Only one man of consequence treated her differently: the dealer Joseph Duveen.

    For the first few years of Duveen’s relationship with Arabella, he made no effort to sell expensive art to her.

    Instead he accompanied her to fine stores, chatted endlessly about queens and princesses he knew, on and on.

    At last, she thought, a man who treated her as an equal, even a superior, in high society.

    Meanwhile, if Duveen did not try to sell art to her, he did subtly educate her in his aesthetic ideas—namely, that the best art was the most expensive art.

    And after Arabella had soaked up his way of seeing things, Duveen would act as if she always had exquisite taste, even though before she met him her aesthetics had been abysmal.

    When Collis Huntington died, in 1900, Arabella came into a fortune.

    She suddenly started to buy expensive paintings, by Rembrandt and Velázquez, for example—and only from Duveen.

    Years later Duveen sold her Gainsborough’s Blue Boy for the highest price ever paid for a work of art at the time, an astounding purchase for a family that previously had shown little interest in collecting.

    Interpretation

    Joseph Duveen instantly understood Arabella Huntington and what made her tick: She wanted to feel important, at home in society.

    Intensely insecure about her lower-class background, she needed confirmation of her new social status.

    Duveen waited. Instead of rushing into trying to persuade her to collect art, he subtly went to work on her weaknesses.

    He made her feel that she deserved his attention not because she was the wife of one of the wealthiest men in the world but because of her own special character—and this completely melted her.

    Duveen never condescended to Arabella; rather than lecturing to her, he instilled his ideas in her indirectly.

    The result was one of his best and most devoted clients, and also the sale of The Blue Boy.

    People’s need for validation and recognition, their need to feel important, is the best kind of weakness to exploit.

    First, it is almost universal; second, exploiting it is so very easy.

    All you have to do is find ways to make people feel better about their taste, their social standing, their intelligence.

    Once the fish are hooked, you can reel them in again and again, for years—you are filling a positive role, giving them what they cannot get on their own.

    They may never suspect that you are turning them like a thumbscrew, and if they do they may not care, because you are making them feel better about themselves, and that is worth any price.

    Observance V

    In 1862 King William of Prussia named Otto von Bismarck premier and minister for foreign affairs.

    Bismarck was known for his boldness, his ambition—and his interest in strengthening the military.

    Since William was surrounded by liberals in his government and cabinet, politicians who already wanted to limit his powers, it was quite dangerous for him to put Bismarck in this sensitive position.

    His wife, Queen Augusta, had tried to dissuade him, but although she usually got her way with him, this time William stuck to his guns.

    Only a week after becoming prime minister, Bismarck made an impromptu speech to a few dozen ministers to convince them of the need to enlarge the army.

    He ended by saying, “The great questions of the time will be decided, not by speeches and resolutions of majorities, but by iron and blood.”

    His speech was immediately disseminated throughout Germany.

    The queen screamed at her husband that Bismarck was a barbaric militarist who was out to usurp control of Prussia, and that William had to fire him.

    The liberals in the government agreed with her.

    The outcry was so vehement that William began to be afraid he would end up on a scaffold, like Louis XVI of France, if he kept Bismarck on as prime minister.

    Bismarck knew he had to get to the king before it was too late.

    He also knew he had blundered, and should have tempered his fiery words.

    Yet as he contemplated his strategy, he decided not to apologize but to do the exact opposite.

    Bismarck knew the king well.

    When the two men met, William, predictably, had been worked into a tizzy by the queen.

    He reiterated his fear of being guillotined.

    But Bismarck only replied,

    “Yes, then we shall be dead! We must die sooner or later, and could there be a more respectable way of dying? I should die fighting for the cause of my king and master. Your Majesty would die sealing with your own blood your royal rights granted by God’s grace. Whether upon the scaffold or upon the battlefield makes no difference to the glorious staking of body and life on behalf of rights granted by God’s grace!” 

    On he went, appealing to William’s sense of honor and the majesty of his position as head of the army.

    How could the king allow people to push him around?

    Wasn’t the honor of Germany more important than quibbling over words?

    Not only did the prime minister convince the king to stand up to both his wife and his parliament, he persuaded him to build up the army—Bismarck’s goal all along.

    Interpretation

    Bismarck knew the king felt bullied by those around him.

    He knew that William had a military background and a deep sense of honor, and that he felt ashamed at his cravenness before his wife and his government.

    William secretly yearned to be a great and mighty king, but he dared not express this ambition because he was afraid of ending up like Louis XVI.

    Where a show of courage often conceals a man’s timidity, William’s timidity concealed his need to show courage and thump his chest.

    Bismarck sensed the longing for glory beneath William’s pacifist front, so he played to the king’s insecurity about his manhood, finally pushing him into three wars and the creation of a German empire.

    Timidity is a potent weakness to exploit. Timid souls often yearn to be their opposite—to be Napoleons. Yet they lack the inner strength.

    You, in essence, can become their Napoleon, pushing them into bold actions that serve your needs while also making them dependent on you.

    Remember: Look to the opposites and never take appearances at face value.

    Image: The
    Thumbscrew.
    Your enemy
    has secrets that
    he guards, thinks
    thoughts he will
    not reveal. But
    they come out in
    ways he cannot
    help. It is there some
    where, a groove of
    weakness on his head,
    at his heart, over his
    belly. Once you find the
    groove, put your thumb in
    it and turn him at will.

    Authority: Find out each man’s thumbscrew.

    ’Tis the art of setting their wills in action. It needs more skill than resolution. You must know where to get at anyone. Every volition has a special motive which varies according to taste. All men are idolaters, some of fame, others of self-interest, most of pleasure. Skill consists in knowing these idols in order to bring them into play. Knowing any man’s mainspring of motive you have as it were the key to his will. 

    (Baltasar Gracián, 1601-1658)

    REVERSAL

    Playing on people’s weakness has one significant danger: You may stir up an action you cannot control.

    In your games of power you always look several steps ahead and plan accordingly. And you exploit the fact that other people are more emotional and incapable of such foresight.

    But when you play on their vulnerabilities, the areas over which they have least control, you can unleash emotions that will upset your plans. Push timid people into bold action and they may go too far; answer their need for attention or recognition and they may need more than you want to give them.

    The helpless, childish element you are playing on can turn against you.

    The more emotional the weakness, the greater the potential danger. Know the limits to this game, then, and never get carried away by your control over your victims. You are after power, not the thrill of control.

    Conclusion

    I just cannot help but wonder if the American neocons are playing President Biden using this Thumbscrew technique to force Biden to approve of outlandish military actions that run counter to his decades of behavior within the Untied States government. It’s something to ponder.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my “48 Laws of Power” Index here…

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    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

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    Life & Happiness

    Articles & Links

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    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

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    A comparison of news articles from America and China

    I have a premise that you can gauge the relative health of a nation by looking at what it is being promoted as “news” day in, and day out. While there are elements of information, promotion, propaganda, and scandal, over all by comparing the two sources you can get a general idea of the “social climate” in each individual nation. And from this, you can gauge it’s overall health and the direction of the society.

    America

    Here’s the “news” from Drudge on 29APR21…

    Any articles about China are highlighted in Red.

    China

    Here’s the news from CGTN on 29APR21…

    Chinese articles about America are shown in blue.

    Comparisons

    There are many comparisons that one can make.

    For starters, in the articles about the “other” nation, it is very interesting.

    • American “news” warns about the bad things about China.
    • Chinese news reports on the given situations inside of America.

    Most of the other news discusses the events that “buy papers”, or in other words, that are of interest to the readership.

    Today, a huge segment of media has been taken over by video. While article about certain subjects continue to sell, a huge percentage of media rely on videos to get their messages across. In fact, all “news” organizations have video elements as part of their articles.

    I’d post some from America, but almost all of the videos come from organizations that are banned in China because they are associated with American “alphabet” agencies.

    Here’s some from China…

    Videos.

    In regards to videos, China is all about the latest technologies, the new space station and well, you get the idea…

    This is very cool. 5G, AI controlled location and positioning overlay upon the arm…

    Here, we have the new space station…

    Here’s a pretty girl. She has this “fish shape” that is considered to be very beautiful within China.

    Here’s another gal. This is another girl that is selling her light and easy pants. I like her. She has good appeal.

    Of course the news about what is going on in India with the COVID-19 and the new “India Strain” is heartbreaking. Judging from the pictures it seems to be almost as bad as the “B” strain that was unleashed on China on CNY 2020. I wonder why you aren’t seeing these images in America?

    And here’s one thing that you see pretty irregularly. It’s applications of technology that are in use. In this case we see a guy using a hand sensor to map out an old village that is being torn down for new homes.

    And finally a comparison of cities for fun.

    Conclusions

    If left alone, with no major “fire-hose of disinformation” drenching everyone with the propaganda of the day, Most media are the same. They concentrate on the things that interest their readership.

    Obviously, the hate-China narrative from 2016 through 2020 had an impact.

    Chinese readership want to know about technology, good things, and what’s going on in the world. More or less presented in a “neutral” fashion and manner. American readership seems to want (whether they want it or not) things that are alarming, salacious, interesting, fearful or worrisome.

    America…

    The “news” from America tend to fall into these kinds of categories…

    Salacious
    Scientists say space SEX will be challenging...
    
    Worrisome
    India virus surge breaks health system... Developing...
    
    Fearful
    Your tech devices want to read your brain. What could go wrong? 
    
    Alarming
    Virus Alters Genes, Explaining Mystery Behind 'Long Haulers'...

    And China…

    While the news content and the presentation of it are quite different…

    Exciting
    China launches core module of space station 
    
    Happy
    Infrared cameras recorded the growth of a family-of-3 snow leopards 
    
    New Possibilities
    Xi: No one would be left behind on the way to poverty alleviation 
    
    Curiosities
    Watch traditional Tibetan costumes in 30 seconds

    I believe that these trends are indicative of the way that the people think. As well as how the entire society thinks.

    Perhaps instead of thinking about controlling people to do this, or to do that via fear (the American way), maybe you should give them hope instead. Provide hope, provide help and throw in a dash of compassion.

    Its the Chinese way.

    And a direction, that I must add, that President Biden is attempting to do in his most recent speech. It’s a nice change of pace from what most Americans have seen or been exposed to.

    Maybe there is some hope for Western society after all.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Chinese Index here…

    China Experience

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles sequentially by going HERE.
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    FAQ Questions and answers from readers and influencers with MM responses

    Well, I have been so busy lately that I have forgotten to deal with some of my other sub categories. Here is something for the FAQ Index. It’s just a collection of unsorted Q&A that I’ve accumulated over the last year or so. I think you all might find one or two answers of interest.

    Some questions and comments are in regards to my experiences in retirement, some are in regards to slides and mission parameters. Some are in regards to spiritual beings and the non-physical reality, and some are just all over the place. maybe there is something for you all to chew on.

    I put forth the questions anonymously.

    If you are reading this and see your questions please do not be alarmed or insulted. I put them here simply because you are not the only one. I have others, with situations very similar to yours asking the same kinds of questions. Seriously.

    This is my way to make it easier for everyone to pull together and work together.

    And if you are reading these Q&A and want to comment, please do so in the comment section and refer to the specific question (Question 4a…etc.). This way we all can participate in helping each other out just like a real Rufus does. Just like what and who you are.

    Question 1

    Can you remember any “slides” where the earth was empty of people, you were all alone on planet earth during your mission?

    I have a feeling that the “elites” are getting ready to “thin the herd” of humanity, I understand that they want to get rid of around 90% of humanity so they can have the entire place to themselves (YIKES!!!)

    The reason I mention it is because there’s this guy named Javier that I learned of through YouTube who claims to be trapped in an empty world in the year 2027. He has many elaborate videos on his exploring the empty city of  Valencia, Spain in 2027 without a single other person around, it made me think to ask if you had experienced a similar thing in your past slides?
    At least I don’t need to convince you on the nature of variable time and the theory of information existing at all points within it, you “get it” already from your past experience 😉
    If you check it out, let me know what you think bud.
    Links:

    Answer 1

    Now that you mention it, there were times when things seemed really “empty”. It would be maybe 4 in the afternoon on a weekend. Normally, where I lived at that time (in a trailer park) there would be all sorts of activity. Kids would be playing. Lawnmowers would be non-stop noise makers. Cars would come and go. But for some reason it would be ghostly quiet.

    No big deal, you brush it off. You say “Well, maybe there is something going on. Like a school event, a game, or something.”

    Empty. Quiet.

    And then you drive into town and most of the fast food franchises are closed. Again, you brush it off. You say “it must be a local holiday or something”.

    Few people on the roads. No one on the sidewalk. But still, the dogs still bark. The birds still sing. The one thing that strikes me (now that I think about it) was that many lawns really needed to be mowed. Not only was the grass tall, but there were long weeds sprouting up in most of them. But aside from that, it was like a quiet day at 5:00 in the morning. Not too much activity at all.

    I don’t recall anything on the “news”, but at that time (in my life) I was just listening to cassettes in the car. My own family was normal. Wife and cats were just fine. And then later on around 7pm I slid to a new reality, and the world “woke up” and came alive again.

    I cannot definitively state that there was a depopulated world-line reality. But then at the time it could have been. I just never looked at it that way.

    Question 2

    What do you think the aliens were trying to accomplish through you, their agenda (as it were)?

    Are you SURE they were not also agents of The Devil, how did they smell?

    Answer 2

    Well, for starters there are numerous extraterrestrial species involved in the earth. Some of the extraterrestrials actually “own” the earth, and are supported by other terrestrial species that we do not recognize as such.

    In general, though, I am not sure about anything.

    I feel a neutral level of respect that emanates from them. I myself, personally have a great deal of affection towards them. As far as smell, I haven’t really noticed anything worthy of note. But then again, at the times when I was interacting with them personally, my senses were so overloaded with sensory stimulus and new experiences that it would be pretty easy to overlook something like a scent.

    Question 3

    This question is in regards to a slide to a world-line where people were dying.

    Interesting, since Rush was alive in that time-frame, we can probably assume it was a jump into the recent past, (you know he died in February, right?). Maybe Covid took hold of humanity more severely in that reference frame than it did in ours, who knows?

    The whole bat soup thing is just a bunch of BS to cover the actual story, namely the intentional release of the thing by the CCP, that’s my analysis. They had sick people loaded onto airliners going all over the world in late 2019, bat soup accident my ass!

    Back here at home, things are weird, nobody really knows who’s in charge. Biden is too feeble, Harris is a nut (The Scarecrow and the Joker I call them) and Rice and 0bama are running things from behind the scenes. People have mostly tuned out and are trying to go about their business best they can, you know, like they always do(?).

    Answer 3

    Yeah, well, the slides were always a mix of the culture AT THAT TIME with other elements that were alien to it. Well, the slide took place in the 1990’s so El Rushbo was still alive then, and I used to listen to him then. So yeah, he was going on and on…

    Rush Limbaugh 1990’s.

    Slides are not like time-travel. You just kind of go into a different reality that is contemporaneous with your departure point (world-line).

    The “sickly reality” that I experienced (in many ways) resembles a sort of mix of 1995, 2020 and something else much different. It doesn’t mean that I had an image of the future, it’s just that certain events that seem to be scheduled for decades away, seem to be placed in my (then) present reality.

    Other things just didn’t make sense to me. Like the shortage of masks (in October), or my car no longer using a key to start it! At the time, these things were very odd and very startling. The slide at that particular time was a pretty long one, and went for much of the day. It was a working week-day. And the office didn’t change much. Just a lot of really sickly co-workers, and general silence in the office.

    At that time in my life, the slides tended to be of rapid cycle. And so it was “normal” for me to cycle in and out of unusual things. Like the “Denny’s” restaurant chain having a drive through window, or my vacuum cleaner having a hose instead of a stand-up model. After a while you just get used to the changes, and you roll with them. It becomes normal.

    The ones I remember are the ones that stuck in my head.

    Question 4

    You know, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about that “jump” you made into the world where everybody was either sick or dying.

    Consider that the mRNA vaccine (if effective, big IF) will cause your cells to produce the antigens inside your body for corona/SARs viruses so that no antibodies will be produced if you should become infected from another one, resulting in it killing you.

    The Covid vaccine will DELETE your immunity towards corona viruses so that the next “accidental” pandemic release wipes out all the share of the population that got the vax. Then they’ll do the same thing over again.

    What do you remember seeing during that “jump” it would probably be useful to know any other snippets of info you might have remembered about that one?

    Answer 4

    Good question. Gosh that (event) was a long time ago.

    I well remember that I thought that it was a bio-weapon attack, but I was confused because no one was talking about an attack at all. And the people just looked sickly. There weren’t any bumps, rashes or anything like that.

    In my mind, a bio-weapon event would look like small-pox, measles, or Scarlet fever.

    Smallpox.

    I felt “heavy” like I was well winded, and my chest felt like cement.

    Everything else was normal. The radio worked and the stations were the same. There was a greater number of stores closed than what I would normally expect. Maybe about one in three were closed. The roads had less traffic, and no one was walking on the streets. The office was quiet. People were in their cubicles. The parking lot was unusually emptier. Not vacant, but maybe about 70% full. For the most part everything seemed normal.

    The news was about some sports figure dying in an airplane crash. El’ Rushbo was talking about the evil bat soup slurping Chinese (which is strange as the Chinese don’t eat bat soup).

    The people dressed slightly differently. More sport-shoes instead of loafers. Open collars instead of ties. But nothing to really say it was all that different. The office coffee machine was there and running normally. I think that I made a pot of regular coffee for the group. No donuts on the table though. At that time, I would say that maybe 3 out of ten days would be some kind of donuts for the group to eat with the coffee.

    I guess that you could say that everything seemed like a normal everyday work day. The only thing was that everyone seemed to be very sickly, weak and very, very tired. Including myself. It was a struggle to get up out of the chair. A struggle to walk to the car. A struggle to place an order at the drive through, and a lack of desire to eat what I ordered.

    I do remember drinking more coffee than I usually would. I liked the hot warmth and the energy that it seemed to give me.

    Question 5

    I still don’t understand why China is not defending itself against the conclusion and dissemination of ALL US-based analysts that the virus “leaked” from the Wuhan lab.

    And if it had, then what do you make of all the preparations in place by the Gates, WHO, etc just before this “leak”. Are they genies who looked into the bottle?

    There is no logic in all this. Are they pretty soon going to start teaching our kids in America that 2+2=4 except when…

    There’s something I’m missing. Or maybe I should go back to my desk and continue to stress on this proposal I’m working on due in 2 day…

    Answer 5

    China did defend itself. It followed the global protocol. Which is to use the United Nations, and lodge a complaint.

    As such it lodged a formal complaint and made a formal statement at the UN.

    The thing is that it was NOT reported in the Western press at all. One of the big mistakes that people in the West make is the assumption (based upon the enormous volume of “news”) that everything that happens is eventually reported to the public.

    This is not true at all.

    Americans live within an isolation bubble. Information that you are not supposed to see is prevented from your access.

    You need not worry.
    .
    China doesn’t NEED to defend itself and go tit-for-tat with the huge propaganda onslaught. It’s not arguing for the hearts and minds of Americans or Brits.
    .
    The Chinese are sitting from a position of strength. Real strength. Not inflated numbers on spread sheets or the idea that America has a robust economy because the stock market is artificially inflated, or that it has tons of factories that can replace the things that China makes.
    .
    That attitude is the most stunning thing that came out the US-China talks in Alaska. The Biden team went in cocky and demanding, and China hit back hard, then went to Russia the next day and strengthened the social-economic-and-military ties with it.
    .
    China knows what’s going on. This game of pretend has worn thin. That; American “democracy” is the best and China must adopt it. Nonsense. Or that China should not follow the UN, and instead adopt American-lead “rule based order”. Or that Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet or Xinjiang are American protectorates.  It’s bullshit. It plays well to the brain-dead American sheeple, but it is not flying in the rest of the world.
    .
    Is the greater public ever going to get a clear view of the difference behind the "rules based order" of the West (we own the money system and make the rules) and the negotiated International law based order?
    
    
    Posted by: psychohistorian | Apr 20 2021 17:05 utc | 4
    .
    Over the last 75 years, America has really angered the rest of the world, and the rest of the world cheered when China bitch-slapped Blinkein.
    .
    What about your family back in <redacted>? Do they really cheer on the United States for fighting eight wars and bringing “democracy” to the world, Seriously. The social media all over Japan, and South Korea are saying (about the way China does things) “Why can’t our government do the same thing”.
    .
    Which is one of the reasons why Blinkedin went to those other countries to talk to the leadership.
    .
    Look. Let’s imagine that you have a nice house. It’s not the best house on the block. But it’s a good solid house. You have made sure that the foundation is strong, the roof is repaired, the windows and doors are robust, and the water and electricity works great. That’s China.
    .
    Down the street is America. It’s an enormous mansion. But the lawn is unruly and untended. The paint is peeling, the roof IS LEAKING. And upon closer inspection you can see that the fixings are all gold-plated, not actual goal, and the windows are single pane, not triple pane like China. The sheets on the beds are all rough weaves at 300 threads / square inch, while the Chinese sheets are around 3000 threads per square inch, and the furniture is old. In fact, aside from the master bedroom, the entire rest of the house is gutted and looks like it same from the 1940’s.
    .
    China doesn’t need to respond to the lies.
    .
    It just continues on.
    .
    I wrote some latest posts, no need to get upset, but the American “leadership” are just corrupted idiots. Sorry to say. So relax. Things are going to sort themselves out one way or the other.
    .
    This is how the rest of the world sees America today…
    .
    .
    China is running their nation as a merit-driven leadership would naturally operate. And so they view a WIN-WIN scenario to be int he best interests of everyone. This is called, or referred to as “soft power”.
    .
    This term “soft power” is very misunderstood in the West. And to make matters worse the Hard-Right describes it as something horrible, and insidious. Like this…
    .

    .

    And so now, after decades of non-stop American government propaganda that directs the thoughts of Americans towards certain objectives, we can see how this manifests. When people start taking “hard line”, and “evil combative stances” and thinking that it is normal, the rest of the world looks at them with incredulity.

    Consider this little video…

    .

    So after explaining that America is desirous to push all the Chinese into a world of poverty and corruption just so that America can be the predominant nation on the planet, and the American news anchor asks “what’s wrong with that?

    Evil has become normal inside of America today.

    Question 6

    All of this "news", and the Coronavirus situation, and the War-like Biden administration, the frustration, and the anger that is festering all over America is really getting people down. It's hurting people.

    I have been following alternative news since this covid saga started. I have followed the development of those experimental injections they claim are “vaccines”, most likely yearly, though by their own admission, they don’t prevent infections and transmission.

    I personally won’t be caught dead trusting Fauci and the Bill Gates or the CDC or Governor Cuomo who renamed the iconic Tappan Zee bridge the “Governor Cuomo Bridge”.

    It has been quite evident to me that they don’t give a damn about us: To this date they are not providing their patients prophylaxis or early treatment, and HCQ and Ivermectin are not prescribed by mainstream doctors, even though the politicians including Giuliani and Trump have admitted that they have been on HCQ since the very beginning.

    The recommendation is still stay home, take Tylenol, and when you can’t breathe go to the emergency room.

    My cousin who lives in Cuba has told me of the Cuban government’s immediate distribution of prophylaxis for their entire population.

    Yet (in comparison) I have a friend who right now is completely alone in the hospital since Saturday. They have given her pain killers and an antibiotic, that’s it.

    The first few days of her illness the doctor gave her zero early treatment. She has never seen a doctor, they only talk to her once a day by phone, the nurses just about never enter her room – this is how they have killed thousand in America, through neglect. My girlfriend is right now sitting alone in terror, which is probably even more detrimental to her psyche, it might even be fatal.

    Bref… to go back to my initial thought, everyone, including my cousins who are doctors, their pregnant daughters and even my own daughter in law who is a nurse and is trying to get pregnant, have jumped at the front of the line and taken the Moderna vaccine.

    I’m just floored.

    I love music, and arts, and nature, and travels, architecture, and peace on earth, and good friends, laughter and compassion for others. I’m just not sure I want to be around for what’s coming for us, this “new nomal” that my doctor cousins are so happy about, the kids in masks and “social distancing”, the forced vaccinations, the militarization of our lives to the point that free spirits and rebels like me will have to be eliminated…

    Oh MM, I am afraid we’ve lost the battle, certainly, I have lost the battle in my own little world…

    Answer 6

    Oh dear…

    Please do not feel that way. It’s not as bad as it appears. Not by a long shot.

    One of the first things that you MUST do is stop reading “news”. Alternative, Right, Left, Foreign. What ever. Please stop. It’s got so much bullshit that no one is getting accurate and timely information.

    You need to reset your thinking process.

    America is collapsing, and it’s every-person for themself. Or so it appears…

    There was this movie called The Lathe of Heaven. It’s based on a science fiction story by Ursula K. Le Guin.

    https://letterboxd.com/film/the-lathe-of-heaven/
    
    In a future world racked by violence and environmental catastrophes, George Orr wakes up one day to discover that his dreams have the ability to alter reality. He seeks help from Dr. William Haber, a psychiatrist who immediately grasps the power George wields. Soon George must preserve reality itself as Dr. Haber becomes adept at manipulating George’s dreams for his own purposes.

    So get this… when this guy falls asleep, his dreams are so strong that he switches world-lines and arrives on the reality that he dreamed about. Yikes! And of course if he has a nightmare he wakes up to a nightmare, and if he has a happy dream, he wakes up to a happy life.

    Well, this guy sees what is happening and decides to hypnotize him and thus beable to manually control what the world will become… all with good intentions, don’t you know. But of course, everythign goes to shit.

    In so many ways this resembles the world that we are inhabiting right now. Big, rich and powerful people are controlling things, and others are trying to sound the alarm. All of it is like a slow-motion car wreck and it’s terrifying. It really is. Our lives, our mental health, our families, our incomes are all disrupted. We dont know what to do and we are going and moving towards a panic state.

    You are in this state right now.

    And it is awful.

    The good news is that it is all an illusion. It really is. Sure things are happening, but what is happening regarding you, and your family will not, and does not resemble the narrative that you are reading about. So the first thing that you must do is turn off “THE NOISE”. Stop the “news” feeds and all that nonsense. It’s not gonna be as bad as everyone with a microphone is yelling about.

    Second thing. Go to my post about Hemi-sync. Download one or all of the files. Put them on a player, and lie in bed and listen to them.

    Why? Well all this howling noise is moving your center of consciousness about. It is no longer centered on the pineal gland. It is off somewhere else. The hemi-sync will recenter it to where you need it to be.

    Location of the pineal gland within the brain.

    It might take two or three sessions to get the effect, but I guarantee that the first session (listen to 1-8 in a straight shot)… might take you one hour WILL ABSOLUTELY make a difference and you will see and feel the difference.

    I am not saying that there is nothing to worry about. I am not saying that you need not be concerned.

    What I am saying is that your family needs you right now. They need you to be alert, strong, composed and in control. You must fake it, show a good happy face. And show some leadership. You have a role and this is the time for you to shine.

    When you are in a plane you don’t want to hear the airline pilot screaming into the microphone “Oh my God, we are out of control, we’re all going to die!“.

    No. You want to hear “Hello folks, we have a minor technical alert. It’s probably nothing. But the policy is to land at the nearest airport. Sorry for the delay.”

    Here’s my little secret. You are protected. I’m trying to make sure of it. So don’t worry too much about other things, none of the really bad things will happen to you and your family. What you need to do is turn off the noise, calm and compose yourself and realize that it’s all gonna end really soon.

    Question 7

    My question has to do with the events described on this site:
    .
    Where it appears as though I’ve suddenly become a Targeted Individual.  I’m 63 years old and have been retired from the military for 21 years, and I have no idea why or how I suddenly became targeted at the end of October 2020, just before the elections.  It is definitely some sort of energetic (scalar weapon?) attack, and it follows me 24 hours per day.
    With your background in the USAP programs and your incredible ability to engage in deep research, I think you would be my best option to discover how/why I’m suddenly in the program, and maybe ways to defeat or at least mitigate the attacks.
    Thank you – and thank you for your service!  It sucks the way they made you exit the program, but that brought you to China and a much better 2nd half of your life.  You wouldn’t believe how much life has gone south in the USA in the past year or two.
    I’m 63 years old, and like I said retired in 1999 from the Air Force. I flew the F-4E Phantom, F-16C Falcon, and F-117 Stealth Fighter, and had a short stint as a Liaison with the Army in 1990-91 which was mostly spent in Iraq and Kuwait. I planned and controlled airstrikes for the 24th Infantry Division during Operation Desert Storm, which was the first Gulf War.
    That went very well, and I was rewarded with my top choice assignment, which was to go to Tonopah Nevada and fly the F-117. The entire wing moved in 1993-94 to New Mexico, and another highly classified program went in to fill the hangers in Tonopah.
    I think this is where my Gangstalking (Targeted Individual) story might begin.
    .
    My time in Nevada was wonderful, and it was one of the best flying assignments imaginable. However, once we moved the entire Stealth Fighter Wing to Holloman AFB, New Mexico a number of strange things happened.
    .
    This seemed to be the holy city for what would surface as the LGBT-QPB movement. Bizarre is an understatement!
    There were openly gay people serving on active duty, long before the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” system was implemented. Top Secret documents about Space Warning (Nuclear Command & Control) and Stealth Technology were waltzing out the gate in the arms of some of the gay officers, which never returned to their rightful place in the SCIF.
    My roots in the military go back to the Air Force Academy, which is known for a very strict honor and ethics code. So for a bit I was a classic Whistleblower, in a case where a fair haired gay Captain in the later stages of AIDS had taken some TS Code Word materials about the Stealth Fighter to Vienna, Austria.
    .
    Shortly after that he collapsed from respiratory arrest at his downtown residence, spreading the TS Codeword material all over the neighborhood.
    And shortly after that an F-117 pilot in my squadron was shot down over Serbia.
    .
    I spent some time exiled to Saudi Arabia, and of course had the usual array of classic Gangstalking at the hands of some very incompetent OSI Agents.
    .
    After I left the Air Force, I realized that the LGBT-QPB movement was part & parcel of the Deep State, and their Agenda was for a much bigger Game involving the components we now see described in Agenda 2030, and in play with such things as the COVID-19 overt/covert war with China.
    To be honest, I don’t care at all about people’s individual sexual preferences. My point is that it was so far out of line with legal & regulatory norms at the time. The Air Force really needed my GIS and Airspace Management expertise after I left the military, so they actually brought me back as a highly paid contractor for about 4-5 years for a number of multi-national bombing range construction projects running into the hundreds of millions of dollars.
    So I became “normal” again and found myself briefing and involved with deliberations of people like the SecDef and Secretary of the Air Force, not to mention a number of Congressional Delegates.
    All seemed to be forgotten about events from the 90’s. Then shortly before the 2020 elections, maybe late October I found myself in the “spotlight” of what appears to be the 21st century version of Gangstalking (Targeted Individuals). The program is fairly well described by the web site I mentioned (https://www.targetedjustice.com/).
    I’m of course not absolutely certain that is the entity/agency that is targeting me, but the description matches at the 99% rate. And I don’t have any other idea of who or why. I completely finished my contractor work with the Gov around 2006, and have been a model citizen and Grandpa since.
    My only other claim to fame is that I love to read about as much as you love to write. So I voraciously read everything online and in my library, which tend to average about 1 book per day (400 pages when I measured) of reading. Likewise, I have a small group of friends that I exchange e-mails with and discuss current events and political news as well as esoteric and high tech stuff.
    My friends are mostly retired engineers, credentialed professionals, and people like me. We discuss amongst ourselves topics that range from the Deep State agenda to things you write about involving off-planet technology and species.
    My research includes things like Ayahuasca and Monoatomic Gold Elixirs, but perfectly legal versions and settings. I don’t ingest or smoke anything illegal or questionable, and I absolutely do NOT do any sort of
    social media.
    In fact I’m so private I don’t have e-mail or internet on my phone. I keep it all separate between my phone and my computers. My other passion or hobby is ancient texts and prophecy, to include the Scriptures. Absolutely no religion or dogma though, just the Science, History, Culture, and Prophecy in the ancient texts. As a very personal but critically important side note, I was the Commander of a team of Forward Air Controllers in my time spent in Iraq.
    During that period I was “summoned” to an out of body meeting early one morning in Oct 1990, and on the other side of the conversation was none other than the Deity you and I know as the LORD Jesus Christ.
    Very profound and life changing meeting, where I was “commissioned” to do certain things in Iraq, and warned that there would come a day with another type of “War” that I would also play an important role. That “War” is the one that started for me on Dec 21st, 2019 – and became the COVID-19 overt/covert war to install a one-world government and global banking system.
    The US vs China part of it is just a strategy to create fear, which allows the Deep State to enslave, control, and of course orchestrate an economic collapse. To my family and close friends, we think of it as the period described in Revelation, called “The Tribulation” by the religious nuts.
    From my prophetic research, that will start in the Fall of 2023, plus or minus a year. But it is a very small group of people that I discuss this with via e-mails. Granted, I know e-mails are read and all that, but it is just a discussion. No social media, no broadcasting or advocating.
    Just very pleasant analysis that the good times are finally here! I’ve considered the possibility that my attacks are coming from the demonic sectors, but that never plays out. Even when I query a handful of gifted and Energy Sensitive friends I’ve known and trusted over the years, nothing shows up indicating the attacks are from demonic sectors.
    I’ve dealt with those entities dozens of times, and have a pretty robust toolbox to eradicate them. Plus, I have friends in the Higher Realms that step in to help! This seems to be a human controlled Gangstalking system, pretty much like it is described in the Targeted Justice web site.
    There might be dark entities in the mix or behind the technology, but at the wheel seems to be human and artificial intelligent algorithms. The “beam” or whatever it is called follows me 24 hours per day, everywhere I go. The scalar component can go through many hundreds of feet of solid earth, so there isn’t any place on the planet that I know of where I could get away from it.
    My only solution will involve facing it head on, and finding out ways to spoof, jam, disable, mitigate, and so on. There’s a chain of events involved in the guidance and tracking systems that include GPS, evoked potential biofeedback, microwave beams that intersect to create the Scalar beam, and of course computers and sensors to aid in the tracking.
    At night time the signal to noise ratio is the best, so the energetic attack is strongest. Plus it needs the person to be still for it to be the most effective. Walking around or staying in motion just keeps it chasing you but not really affecting your health.
    Once I stop to work in my office or try to sleep, it locks on and goes into the “kill” mode. I’ve noticed that it tries to turn my stomach into a battery, much like a lead acid battery in a car. It “charges” it up for a few minutes if I sit still, and then triggers a release like a capacitor discharging.
    If I lay down, it is much more powerful in its operation and can (I think) easily kill a person. So, I don’t lay down or get horizontal – ever! I sleep sitting up in a chair, and have done so for the past 4 months. Usually only about 20 minutes at a time in any particular location, and I’m so exhausted and sleep deprived that I go immediately into REM sleep. 15-20 minutes later I get up and move to another location. Lather, rinse, repeat.
    I’ve been evaluating a number of shielding and jamming devices and materials, and have made some progress. Likewise, I’ve had to call upon my help in the Higher Realms to keep me alive, particularly on New and Full Moons, which probably has to do with Microwave Propagation (S:N ratio). We’ll talk about that more if you are interested, but I don’t yet want to pollute your research if you decide you want to go into a detailed analysis.
    .
    I don’t know why I was suddenly targeted at the end of October. I suspect it might have something to do with the research and private e-mail conversations about the Deep State, but nothing clear in terms of what. In previous episodes with the AI Algorithms, I did notice sometimes I’d get several days of nonstop computer attacks after some particularly noteworthy (ie accurate?) research or e-mails about the Deep State Agenda. But no clear answers on why I was suddenly targeted this time with a Kill Vector, what agency is responsible, or how the system works. That’s the first level of analysis.
    The deeper research of course would be how to disable or defeat the technology, which would also reveal who was behind it all. Considering there are something like 170,000 people being Gangstalked, that is definitely the end game and most noble cause. From what I can find thus far, just about all of the Gangstalked people at this level are either ex Military (or some type of DoD service), or are a serious threat to the Deep State.
    Like a doctors speaking up against lockdowns and social distancing, and saying the COVID-19 is just a hoax. Let me know what you think, and how far you want to dive into this project. I suspect there is a priority list, and at the top of the stack are retired military that reach a certain age, whistleblowers, independent thinkers, and specific DNA types involving Gaelic, Cherokee, or Iriquois – with the Haplogroup X-2A gene from the original Hebrew Tribe.
    There’s a spiritual component to that DNA that when activated it becomes rather powerful. I think the Deep State is scared of those people. Unfortunately, I don’t have the DNA. I’m back on the ex-military and whistleblower and fully informed critical thinker side of the list. I suspect that you will find yourself on the receiving end of the Scalar beam something in the next few years.

    Answer 7

    Yeah. There’s a lot of very strange things going on in the USA over the last four years, and especially in the last two years. It’s not your worries. It has been reported to me though others as well.

    Obviously, you have tapped into something that has targeted you. It’s never pleasant. And you are correct that it’s a human-driven event. It’s not from our benefactors. The best way that I can describe this difference is like this…

    Imagine that you are in a room, playing a Avalon Hill Board Game (Like Squad Leader or Panzer Blitz). You are playing, and all is good. Someone moves in the room and secretly, when you are not looking, changes some of the pieces around. – That is how our fellow humans might interact with you.

    Our benefactors are different. One minute you are playing the game in a room. You blink, and the next minute you are sitting inside a cafeteria having lunch, and you have no idea what happened.

    All technology can be thwarted. That’s the good news. But somehow you ended up getting targeted, and we need to find out how this happened, and then disentangle you from that mess.

    Most people are unaware about all the slicing and dicing Trump was engaged in regarding China. One of which was Zoom. You can still use it in China, but the fees are really excessive. No fees anywhere else, but a few hundred USD for a video conference on zoom… Give me a break. When chatting to the states I use skype.

    When I was “retired” the shutdown of the ELF field went though this curious cycle. And part of the cycle involved some influences on my gut and stomach area. You are describing an interesting effect for certain. I don’t know if it is like a battery in so much as an internal feedback loop.

    My mystery is WTF, dude? Who the Hell did you piss off?

    For the most part once my retirement was set in motion most people were very respectful to me. Almost like they were afraid of me. And these were the outsourced dudes that hadn’t a clue as to what I was, am or have done.

    Now granted, the initial intention was to disable and cripple me and put me in a nursing home for the rest of my life. But that didn’t happen. I didn’t write about it because it’s oh so painful. And it only makes my unbelievable story even more outrageous. The general public is not ready for the realty of what all this is like.

    You pissed off someone, and that lies the key to controlling what ever you are going through.

    Pissing off the wrong people. I get the impression that the people or person who decided to retire myself, my entire cell, and others in our unit was someone like a Mike Pompeo. Brash, uncaring, pompus and full of himself. Is in control of some very important levers or power, but is unaware of the details and the depth of the “big picture”.

    I get the impression that somehow, in some way, you pissed of one of this kind of person’s underlings. Like one of the direct reports to this level of personage. It seems to be visceral, and up-close and personal. Maybe you can see a promotion of someone that you interacted with; getting promoted in 2017-2018. It’s personal. Which seems to indicate (what I know about people) either a gay-person, or an alternative-lifestyle person that you have directly and absolutely PISSED OFF.

    When my group was “retired” it was very cold, calculating. It was methodical and ruthless. I was targeted for “disable and discard”.

    A chick came into my life. Dragged me to Arkansas on the promise of a great job and a new life, poisoned the living shit out of me with heavy metals while having me sign away on multiple life insurance policies. The neurological effects got to be pretty pronounced, and was noted by the hospital staff (a doctor and two nurses), and that is what triggered the “fall back” solution; retirement as a sex offender.

    Aside from the personal angst, it really was “click off the boxes”, “ram through the system”, and “discharge” into the arms of another agency that knows Jack-shit about what the fuck is really going on.

    My situation.

    For you, it really doesn’t seem to be that way. It seems to me that you pissed off someone really personally. And he has never forgotten. Then when he has risen to a position of power, he uses that power to attack you ruthlessly for his own personal purposes. It’s really a totally different situation.

    I would suggest you read this…

     

     

     

     

    Now, for the USN, (and myself) the ELF transmission facility was shut down the same year that I (and my cell) were all retired. It’s like someone decided to shut down the program and discard the players. The facility was closed. The participants were either killed off, or exiled (such as myself). So it seems for me and in my case we were all just being checked off the list.

    But yours is really up-front and personal.

    Now, this activity that is going on is telling in that it does not seem like the person doing this has the ability to give a kill-order. Only a torture-order. If you get my drift.

    To authorize the execution of an asset or an American citizen you do need to have some very high level authorization. Even I wasn’t killed. They just wanted me to become a vegetable in a nursing home. So the impression that I get is that someone is doing this unofficially to you.

    Never the less, they have the ability to authorize a broad spectrum of irritants on you, but is afraid to make their actions noticeable to their superiors.

    As long as this person is at this level of power they can probably irritate the fuck out of you. I am sorry to say, but there are limitations. At least with the USN systems.

    They needed to observe me to give them feedback as to how everything was working. And this would manifest as monitoring my electronic communication and having people “check up” on me from time to time.

    Nothing really bad. Just an occasional observation to see “how I was doing”. I would imagine that that is along the lines of what you are going through.

    Now, if MAJ wants to re-de-mothball the ELF probes for me, they would have to fireup the broadcast station (or create an equivalent), and then have someone local (in China) to check up on me. All this is too expensive and really a big hassle for a no-body such as myself. But the impression that I get is that the AF systems are currently operational.

    Question one; do you have hardwired ELF probes like I do? Or is all of this direct radiation, targeted with technology that I am unaware of? That will help determine what the Hell is going on with you.

    Question response 7a

    Who the hell did I piss off?  LoL, that’s exactly what I’d like to know!  My experiences are very similar to yours, where most people (post military service) have been very respectful of me, while there is a group or agency lurking somewhere in the background that really wants me off the planet.  It might be the same people, where the local guys are respectful and the senior leadership wants me to disappear.
    .
    My best guess (at the moment) is that I have an uncanny ability to see through smokescreens.  LoL, that happens when you spend your entire career as a warfighter!  But I tend to connect the dots quite well (in my world) with whistleblower & leaked information, and match it up against the true Deep State Agenda behind all the Dog & Pony Show (Propaganda).
    .
    Said differently, what really seems to scare the Deep State leadership is when I connect Biblical Prophecy with the Deep State Agenda, and place in on a Timeline of Current Events.  That’s when I’ve always gotten the most “pushback” from various Algorithms/AI that manifests in the form of computer disruptions for a week or so.  E-mails shut down or disappear or do weird things, and all my computers sort of blue screen at once.  Things like that.
    .
    Nothing new there, as that has gone on for about 30 years, counting the last 10 years of my active duty time.  Things seem to have changed on/around Dec 21, 2019 when the Deep State went “Active” with their plans to orchestrate a global Economic Collapse and attempt to install a one-world government and banking system (etc).  Just exactly like it is described in Biblical Prophecy.  Note that I don’t care which Deity or Entity created the prophecies, as in the end it doesn’t matter.
    .
    I think you’ve described it as a four year battle, particularly with bioweapon attacks in China, courtesy of Uncle Sam.  I agree, although I would describe that as “preparation of the battlefield” as opposed to actual combat.
    .
    All of 2019 was full of events between the US and China, and every month things were heating up.  The Trade War that didn’t have good optics for DJT (Trump), the 5G/Huawei corporate espionage and economic prowess war, the BSL-4 labs where the Bioweapons were making their way from North Carolina and Canada (etc) back to Wuhan, the Fentanyl problem that connected to the Chinese port in the Virgin Islands (Abaco), some bioweapon espionage events with Dr. Xiangguo Qiu, her husband Keding Cheng at the Canadian BSL-4 Lab, and so on.
    .
    Hurricane Dorian in Sept 2019 magically sat stationary on the Chinese Port of Abaco as a Cat 5 storm for 48 hours, which took care of the Fentanyl problem the C_eye_A was having with China.
    .
    In July of 2019 the Biowar heated up:  I saw reports that somebody on our side of the ocean wanted to solve ALL of the above US-China problems with a single chess move.  They did it by inserting a poison pill in the Corona Virus (gain of function) bioweapon research, where it would specifically target the ACE2 Receptor.  That of course primarily targets Chinese men because they have 5x as many ACE2 Receptors.
    .
    From what I read (and connected the dots), somebody put the poison pill version in the Canadian BSL-4 lab, knowing that Dr Qiu would “steal” it and take it back to Wuhan, as she had been doing for years with all of the other bioweapon research.  Once she did that and returned to Canada (about July 2019) she was promptly escorted off the premises and sent home, along with her husband (Dr Cheng) and I think some of her interns.
    Mission Accomplished to get the Poison Pill to Wuhan, and then it was a matter of getting the bioweapon released.
    Not a lot of information on how/when, but it does seem to connect to the Military Games that were held in Wuhan, that started the same day as Event 201 (Oct 18, 2019).  Likewise, I saw a lot of information at the time that 5G had the ability to tweak gene selection and gain of function with COVID-19, which is why areas where 5G was deployed were particularly hard hit.  And again, all of that connected to the 5G/Huawei “conflicts” that had been raging between the US and China for quite some time.
    Dr Charlies Lieberman (Harvard Chemistry Chair) was arrested in early 2021, which is tightly connected to this story.  He had a $4 million private lab inside the Wuhan BSL-4, and was also being paid $50,000 per month by China.  His specialty is nanoparticles, which is a big part of the COVID-19 and Vaccine technology, and apparently connects to 5G as well.  I think Lieberman was arrested to make him disappear, as 4-5 days after his arrest Canadian Scientist Dr Frank Plumber (SARS/COVID-19 global expert) mysteriously died at a conference in Kenya.
    Even with all the smokscreens, deception, conspiracy theories (etc), it was pretty obvious that the war between the US and China was heating up and about to go kinetic, which was against a backdrop of an urgent need for the Deep State to get their Orchestrated Collapse underway, so they could install their One-World Government and Banking System.
    I knew from a number of sources and pointers and whistleblowers throughout 2019 that December 21st was some sort of a tipping point for things to kick off.
    Consequently, everything from about July to Dec were these preparatory events to set the stage.  It appears as though COVID-19 was “cooking” in China 3-4 weeks after Event 201, which means China (CCP) knew by about Thanksgiving what was going on and that they had been attacked by the US Gov with yet another bioweapon.  This one targeted humans instead of pigs or chickens.
    In early Jan 2020, DJT (sigh… Israel?) took out Iranian Gen Soleimani, which I’m guessing was supposed to trigger a larger war with Iran, and then bring in China to back Iran and get the US and China directly engaged.  It didn’t go as planned, and DJT “allowed” Iran to retaliate by an attack on a military base where all the US Soldiers had been removed or bunkered down from ground zero.
    You have written up a much more detailed and accurate description of all the COVID-19 events and back story through 2020.  I was just following the military and Deep State events, primarily from 2018-2019, knowing that things would kick off in 2020.  I was expecting more directly military operations and less biowar, but that part is yet to come.
    There were some very interesting tidbits from whistleblowers, which indicated that the Deep State was going to start eradicating (exterminating?) US Citizens, particularly ones that were most likely to resist bringing in the One-World Government to the USA.
    Those projects seem to have kicked off in 2018-19 as described in the leaked material, while the usual deception and conspiracy labels flooded the internet sources.  And all the whistleblowers and leaks were “plugged” (assassinated) in June-July 2019.
    This story connects to the strange fires in Paradise California, where cars and homes burned but the trees and shrubbery didn’t seem to be affected.  The particular “targets” to eradicate are the ethnic group being demonized now, which is the usual playbook:  white, business or credentialed people, heterosexual, family & Christian values, property and gun owners, etc.  The same role the Jews had in Nazi Germany.   That’s BLM & Antifa’s role.
    You can see that it is a close scrutiny of the Deep State.  Even filtering out the conspiracies, deception, and smoke screen efforts, news and events tend to follow that Narrative.  More aligned with events since the Summer of 2019, and very tightly so since Dec 21st, that year.
    What I’ve found and connected is the Deep State Timeline is driven by planetary events in the solar system.  Some of which are caused by weather cycles (Grand Solar Minimum), and some of which are related to a flyby event that again connects to Prophecies and Deities in the Scriptures.
    That seems to be the hot button that keeps someone or some agency in the Deep State very worried about me.  No broadcasting or social media, just e-mails and conversations with a handful of close friends.  Maybe 2 dozen all told, but something I’ve said or been saying seems to be rather sensitive, yes?

    Question Response 7b

    Hurricane Dorian in Sept 2019 magically sat stationary on the Chinese Port of Abaco as a Cat 5 storm for 48 hours, which took care of the Fentanyl problem the C_eye_A was having with China. 

    Indeed, the two super typhoons that hit China in 2017 – 2019 were far too suspicious.

    But nothing that you have stated was sensitive enough to authorize your death. Someone targeted you on a personal basis.

    Question 8

    “Likewise, something doesn’t sit right with me when the Gov takes its best, brightest, and most competitive aviators & engineers, put’s ’em through a brutal career including war, implants, and obscene responsibilities, and then turns around and wants to put ’em in the garbage disposal when they go to retire.  That is really bizarre.  Maybe you can write more about that one of these days. “

    Answer 8

    Indeed. You take the best and the brightest. You do remember the battery of test, after test to qualify for the AF Academy. Then after six or seven tests, you are sitting alone in a big room with just one or two others. It’s like that.

    Only a handful of people got the chance to fly Navy and be a Naval Aviator. (Of course, your view might be different, LOL), and then when you get that opportunity and you are there in your first of several briefings, you are told over and over just how special you are. The 1% of the 1% of the 1%. You just don’t throw it away.

    And then, those of us who excelled and survived and surpassed our classmates, we achieved various levels of success. And we, who have (for most of our lives) been promoted through merit, raise up to a position where those who “retire” us, don’t appear to have that same kind of background.

    Indeed, to me it seems like America and many of it’s agencies are run by psychopathic idiots or…

    …perhaps (better yet) sycophants appointed by psychopathic idiots. It really seems that way.

    You can really see the difference here in China. I wouldn’t have thought about things this way, but when you experience leadership run by merit, and people who work together as a group, and who follow the rules. It’s all really rather refreshing.

    And it’s starting to become obvious…

    A similar anti-China fiasco emerged during last week's ABC.net.au Q & A which devoted its last 25 minutes to Oz's trade relationship with China. 
    
    It was introduced with a question from a young graduate of the Greta Garbo School for Wayward Boys & Girls. 
    
    He was already in an emotional lather when he stood up to castigate China for torturing Uighur Slaves, and subjecting them to forced abortion and forced sterilization etc sourced, Ahem, from that Tabernacle of Truthiness the BBC!
    
    Anyway, it was slithering along quite hysterically until a young bloke stood up and asked...
    
    ... why no-one wants to talk about China virtually eliminating poverty, and a few other praiseworthy achievements absent from Western Homeland policies. 
    
    And then whilst the bashers were digesting those assertions, a young Oz entrepreneur pointed out that he couldn't get research funding from Oz.gov or Biz for his new concept.
    
    But he asked China.gov if they were interested in helping commercialize it? 
    
    China.gov had a look and a listen and said Yes We Can! 
    Come on over!
    
    Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Apr 20 2021 18:26 utc | 12

    Question 9

    Speaking of random images, look at the very last attachment and see if you can make anything of it.  Just a random bit of evidence I scooped up on my research.  The image was from June 21st, 2020.

    But posted on February 16, 2020.  CNY was on Saturday, January 25. So this image was originally  posted two weeks into CNY.

    Answer 9

    Very interesting comment about the dry block of ice in Wuhan. Very interesting, and plausible. I don’t know if it is true or not, but it is certainly plausible. What many American fail to appreciate is just how technologically advanced China is, and just how many cameras are available.

    When the HK “pro-democracy” color-revolution was instigated, everything was known and caught on tape.

    From the US State Department chick promising “the world” to the leaders of the “pro-democracy” movement…

    … to the NGO (CIA assets) being told to “light Hong Kong on fire and let it burn!“. All on tape. All on high-definition 5G.

    What was surprising to me was why China let the nonsense continue for so long. They could have stopped everything immediately.

    Question 10

    Have you ever heard of “Project Preserve Destiny?”  There is a book called Above Black by Dan Sherman that describes it.

    This story is tightly intertwined with my world back in the early to mid-90’s, where my life went south after the Whistleblowing events that centered on the Fair Haired Captain that was dying of AIDS.  He was the training mate or counterpart to Dan Sherman, who wrote the book.  Sort of like your Sebastian character, where Sherman was going through training with the Gay Captain, but they never spoke to each other.  Or, weren’t supposed to or something like that.

    But they trained together and were given psychotropic drugs to boost their Intuitive Communicator abilities.  The Gay Captain died in 1994, and turned my life into a shitstorm.

    I’ll attach the 1.5 MB PDF, on the off chance it will make it to you.  It will be more background material to chat about…

    Answer 10

    Curious.

    The 1986 photo of Dan Sherman who wrote the book “Above Black” looks a lot like Sebastian. Funny that you would mention this. While in the Navy in training all of our hair was short and  we were clean shaven, but when we met up again at NAS NASC China Lake, he had this same hair cut, mustache, and color hair. LOL.

    I successfully downloaded the PDF and will take the time to read it. I have many things on my plate right now. No time this weekend for a conference chat. Maybe during the subsequent week. I think this weekend will be more cigarettes and tea, rather than VSOP and pretty girls. But you never know.

    Question 11

    By the way, no probes for me.  I was a straight up combat coded pilot.  I had people work for me that were implanted, including other test pilots that did some reverse engineering and flying of the craft.  I wasn’t briefed on their program(s), so I didn’t have to be implanted.

    One more level deep, and it would have happened.  Likewise, when I flew the F-117A, it was a TS Codeword SAP.  No direct access to off-planet species, so we got by on non-disclosure agreements and some pretty tight “monitoring.”

    Answer 11

    That’s fine that you didn’t have probes. MAJ is a carveout and lies embedded within the various military branches, and industry.

    I do not think that it has fundamentally changed much, as I understood it, the ONI pretty much directs or funnels the funding.

    My experience was that at NAS China Lake my direct MAJ supervisor was retired AF. His name was <redacted>, and used to fly the F-111 Aardvarks during the Vietnam conflict when they were having all sorts of deployment problems.

    F-111 Aardvark

    Curiously, he was gay (as were many people at China Lake) and was part of a “clique” with the facility. There was a lot, A LOT, of groups, internal politics and fiefdoms there. I’ll tell you what. If I was older, I might have gone running for the hills, it was that bad!

    Anyways, the probes are part and parcel about access and control. The ELF probes were / are MAJ mandated and control and monitor participants. The EBP is a very special device that our benefactors install. Once you have them you are in for life.

    I can understand how some of your subordinates would have it but you wouldn’t.

    Question 12

    LoL – sorry if I was too long winded!  That’s just how I observed things setting up on this side of the ocean.  It will be interesting to compare notes and see how & where your research diverges from what I can find here.
    I found a used laptop today, so I’ll load Skype on it and try to get familiar with the controls.
    Have you ever heard of “Project Preserve Destiny?”  There is a book called Above Black by Dan Sherman that describes it.  This story is tightly intertwined with my world back in the early to mid-90’s, where my life went south after the Whistleblowing events that centered on the Fair Haired Captain that was dying of AIDS.  He was the training mate or counterpart to Dan Sherman, who wrote the book.  Sort of like your Sebastian character, where Sherman was going through training with the Gay Captain, but they never spoke to each other.  Or, weren’t supposed to or something like that.  But they trained together and were given psychotropic drugs to boost their Intuitive Communicator abilities.  The Gay Captain died in 1994, and turned my life into a shitstorm.
    I’ll attach the 1.5 MB PDF, on the off chance it will make it to you.  It will be more background material to chat about.
    By the way, no probes for me.  I was a straight up combat coded pilot.  I had people work for me that were implanted, including other test pilots that did some reverse engineering and flying of the craft.  I wasn’t briefed on their program(s), so I didn’t have to be implanted.  One more level deep, and it would have happened.  Likewise, when I flew the F-117A, it was a TS Codeword SAP.  No direct access to off-planet species, so we got by on non-disclosure agreements and some pretty tight “monitoring.”

    F-117A

    Answer 12

    Here’s the book and provided for reading pleasure.

    Question 13

    (Regarding China)

    Would it be strange to say it almost has the feel, very much of an almost 50s or early 80s American upward mobility sensibility, with well appointed civic systems of order, cleanliness, and beauty!

    Well done is all I can say.

    Most Americans have no idea.

    I am only tuned in because I have known and still known people of so many nationalities and lived in a number of countries like yourself! So that sense of civic self esteem is getting hard to see in the US but it does exist here and there in little pockets!

    I love this country, it’s peoples, it’s foods, it’s sights, it’s traditions, it’s hard won formation, and it’s principles and styles of government… but I am not so pleased with the amount of evil that has become entrenched anywhere in the world.

    But China does seem a bit upward mobility obsessed, almost like we all were in the 50’s, and boy we loved that car era too, and having the hottest wheels, whether power for boys, or comfort for girls, was the ticket!

    Everybody had to buy their own house, everyone had to have savings, everyone.

    Now it’s different in the USA, it’s very very cynical.

    And it’s seems, not Pollyanna, but deeply optimistic in some ways what is going on in modern China. A force for the good, who knew, with all the narrative noise in the channel!

    Answer 13

    Yes. that is exactly how it is.

    There’s this live-and-let-live feeling inside of China. No one bothers you. If you want to walk around the mall will a beer in your hand while you sip it, it’s totally fine. If you want to spend the night sleeping on the sidewalk, that’s fine too. But since people don’t need to do that…

    …they don’t.

    And in many ways, China does feel like the 1950’s and the 1960’s. Seriously. Just go ahead and compare the police for instance.

    You know, the photo of the American police reminds me of a scale model that I built when I was in tenth grade. It was by Tamiya. Compare the two pictures. Then compare it to the current Chinese police force.

    Question 14

    My presumptuous take on it is Type 1Grey conduct themselves in a dispassionate neutral way but welcome chaos and strife as a so-called grit in the oyster growth factor for cultivating the current human species.

    Basically inviting in the wave cycle sense, a dialectic antitheses or cancellation wave to close out and dissolve manifest theses constructs of reality.

    This can be a great blessing to unstick a really stuck consciousnesses, OR be a curse forcing uninvited transcendence of identity.

    Ego gets a full serving of whoop ass either way I suppose.

    Answer 14

    Yes. In the movie The Matrix, the main character Neo learns that the computer tried to create a pleasant “Heaven” for all the humans to live within. There was no hunger, no starvation, no strife, and…

    …all the humans died as a result. We, as a species need to grow and learn. And that means getting out of our “comfort zone” and entering an area of distress. It’s how we grow.

    In this scene Morpheus tells Neo about the real history of the world.

    Question 15

    On mutations yes of course I was assuming, in that negative future world line, at least 100 years or 5 generations out for such compound natural replication errors to fully emerge.

    The human response will be the CRISPR the shit out of the human genome to attempt recovery, and in another 100 years that comes to stable fruition.

    Neosapiens type R (will create) a whole future dedicated to global recovery from mutations caused via multiple vectors.

    It’s one very negative human future to avoid that I suspect is on the actionable watch-list of any world line sentinels.

    Also with these issues on the minds of the benefactors, I can see many will help, wittingly or unwittingly, to seed trim tab causal counter flows to help buffer and steer us to a better outcome.

    Answer 15

    You are so very close to what is really and actually going on.

    Question 16

    Yeah the list is long and only starts with the obvious first likely cause being that ionizing radiation from nukes or dirty nukes could do it…

    … but then there are also-binary genetic toxins that could do it,

    …non-ionizing radiation (NIEMR) at certain frequency and intensity profiles that could do it,

    …non conventional nuke contamination events could do it,

    …a really bad CME could do it (Carrington x5?),

    …an exposure of mutagenic material fallen all over the globe from a passing comet could do it,

    …a pure mutagenic chemical weapon or bio weapon could do it,

    …much later a quantum biogenic munition experiment gone bad could do it…

    …it doesn’t take much imagination to imagine a few more plausible tipping points, or crucial key causal trigger events, for such hell on Earth to come about.

    Then I think why lay it all out? Lol but duh as you know so well, there is no way around the fact that for the most part most of these alternate wildcards are just that wildcards that are entirely unlikely.

    The largest causal likelihood is apt to be what we agree is looming the most – the risks of nuclear exchange.

    But you know somehow I am optimistic that sanity will somehow prevail and the unity of the global marketplace will derail fomenting anti-BRI military strategy.

    Is blind entitled hegemony worth all our children’s lives? Obviously not, but we do live in an age of highly engineered stupidity, docility, and group think. I don’t mind healthy group think, because it can withstand logical inquiry and ethical justification.

    Answer 16

    There are so many avenues that can play out. And they have on many world-line, world-path, trajectories. But what matters is the “end game”; the “end result” of all this so that the human species can develop to fit within the galactic society, and there are some very tricky things that must transpire first for it to come to fruition.

    OK. Enough for now. I hope you all had a chance to digest some of this and toy with it in your minds.

    Question 17

    You really seem to make China out as some kind of great glorious place. Sure I suppose that there are some things that China does that are better than America. But you don’t have to be so gungho about it. You need to show some balance to make yourself believable. I just cannot see it ever being as great as you say. You need to tone it down and show some balance.

    Answer 17

    America is so full of shit right now, that balance is impossible.

    It’s gone down into the sewer and it is beyond redemption. Meanwhile China has it’s act together. To make China look a little foul, and dirty by making up things so that it would seem believable to Americans is just… well, silly.

    Americans have zero idea how deep they have fallen.

    I would guess that the point of divergence happened in the societies in the late 1960’s. China took one path. America took the other path. Now look where everyone is

    You see, everything is expensive in America because the corrupt and the evil have taken over the “democracy” and have made it that they rigged the game. Everything flows into one hundred billion tiny pockets. Fees, taxes, regulations, approvals… all are designed to siphon money away from the government to the corrupt individuals.

    This just doesn’t happen in China.

    There are two reasons for it. The first is that the culture and society has adapted and changed making whole-scale corruption frowned upon. But most importantly secondly, there is a special police branch; the corruption police that will hunt you down and kill you if you try to put your “fingers in the till”.

    China does not play.

    So when I see America, or the UK, or Australia, this particular scene comes to mind…

    You know…

    America is being “really really bad” right now. It’s pushing, and pushing for war. The entire fucking world can see this.

    I really don’t know what the Hell is wrong with the American leadership. China is not going to be another Yemen. Maybe they want to go out with a “bang” instead of a “whimper”? I don’t know.

    One thing that I can tell you is that China is a very deathly serous nation. As the video says, it has taken over a decade for the city of Boston to renovate a fucking bridge. China does it in 48 hours.

    Imagine, just imagine what China can do if it is attacked! Especially since it is allied with Russia, North Korea, and Iran. And has pretty much unified all of Asia to include the EU (minus the UK). Imagine…

    Question 18

    Now you may think this is a bit way out, but I share anyway.  I guess you of all people can accept way way out!
    I resonate with your site as you know.  I also resonate with this site which I have been following intuitively for many years after an event of my own which confirmed this lady had something very special to share.  It may not be fitting with your venue, or you may find it too far out which is why I haven’t added a comment.  Every day I visit your site, I enjoy all the readers’ comments, sometimes I feel a bit overwhelmed by the intellect and to keep saying, wonderful thank you isn’t really cutting it!  But your site is wonderful thank you!
    So I share because it might relate to the changes you call the big bump.
    This was the newsletter for March.  You can listen to her voice if you don’t have time to read all the script.  It is very meaningful to me but its all down to personal experience I guess.  I don’t understand all of how she puts things, but a part of me does greatly.
    It is a very positive shift all the same, and light and sound are the name of the game.  I connect with stones and trees and hear sounds naturally.  My happy place is on the hills and loving the earth.

    Answer 18

    I will check it out and so will others that visit the MM site. Best regards and a big thank you!

    Question 19

    While you were in the organization, have you at any time, walked on Mars?

    Answer 19

    I can say that I have used the transport portal to go to other places. And they had gravity that in every case was less than the earth. At no time was it more than what I am used to on Earth.

    I can tell you that I was inside of a structure that had lighting, and an atmosphere that was suited for other species other than humans, but I did not find it uncomfortable.

    I can also say that I had no idea where I went. I can only guess.

    That being said, I do know about a very specific facility on Mars. I know about it because that is where the “pilot” that controlled the (EBP / ELF) artifice lived. And being so entangled with this artifice, I was able to “sense” or “overlay” thoughts, impressions or images with this “pilot” entity (as long as it permitted it).

    It is through these impressions that I am able to remember, specific (and very limited), images feelings and events. For me, it is almost like being there. Almost.

    On a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 being no experience. And 10 being the full human sensory experience. We can thus rate other forms of media and electronics to obtain a better understanding of what I have been able to capture in sensory stimuli.

    • Reading a story is about a 1.
    • Reading poetry is about a 2.
    • Radio and television are pretty much a 3 and a 4 on this scale.
    • A 4D movie with movement and scents is around a 5.
    • Wearing a deep sea diving suit, and walking on the ocean floor is around a 6.
    • And the overlay of sensory input on the experiences of this other being is a 7.5.

    So, no. To my knowledge I was never physically on the planet Mars that I am aware of. Though I could have been.

    But I was entangled with the Pilot of the artifice, and that provided me with some experiences that were similar to being on Mars. And so I have written about them. As strange and unusual as they seem. But what do you want me to do? Shut the fuck up about it, then die. And thus leave my experiences to disappear into nothingness so that no one benefits from it? Is that what you want?

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my FAQ Index here…

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    Articles & Links

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    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

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    Chinese Nationalists Smash Cyber Network of Feminists and Foreign Backed SJWs

    China is a traditional nation that has zero tolerance for progressive ideas or values. And we, within China, see this every day. This is a point that I have made time and time again, and have written various articles on this particular subject. And yet, we are reminded of this fact once again.

    Here's a great article. All credit to the original author. Republished from National Justice. Edited to fit this venue.

    China: Nationalists Smash Cyber Network of Feminists and Foreign Backed Social Justice Warriors

    A cyber army of nationalists have successfully shut down a network of feminists and American-style leftists on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter.

    More than a dozen prominent accounts belonging to purple haired women preaching homosexuality, hatred against men, and attacks on the traditional family were banned from the site for violating Weibo’s policy on promoting hate.

    How it began…

    The confrontation began when US supported Chinese feminist Xiao Meili posted a video.

    It was a video of a woman harassing a random man for smoking a cigarette near a restaurant.

    Smoking in China.
    SJW feminists have a “death wish”.

    The man responded by throwing his drink in her face.

    Meili attempted to paint the incident as a social indictment of Chinese men.

    Instead online users swarmed her comments and began protesting her “xenocentrism”.

    Xenocentrism is a term used against people attempting to import American and European Union values to China.

    When several prominent Chinese “social justice warriors” rallied to her defense and accused the critics of “intimidating” her, the dispute spiraled into an all out cyber war.

    The Result

    Eventually, the feminists were all banned.

    The banished accounts include women who…

    • Promote sexual boycotts of men.
    • That promote boycotts of marriage.
    • Those that promote lesbianism.
    • Those that attack the Confucian ethic of caring for the elderly.
    • And those that engage in frivolous sexual harassment accusations.

    Western Media are howling!

    Western media is up in arms about the affair, blaming the Chinese government for having a role in “silencing” or “censoring” these women.

    Article 35 of the Chinese constitution guarantees the right to free speech.

    However, Weibo is a privately owned company, meaning that it wouldn’t even be censorship under American law.

    The feminists have filed an impotent lawsuit against Weibo similar to ones filed by Americans against Silicon Valley monopolies in hopes of being reinstated.

    “Free Speech” or CIA sponsored NGO “Color Revolutions”?

    “Human rights” groups, US/European controlled media, and NGOs attempting to spur a political response for merely banning users engaged in what the Chinese perceive as hate speech contradicts their position on online speech in America.

    Every powerful institution in the West supports ruthlessly suppressing pro-normal beliefs in America and Europe, including affirming that men cannot be transformed into women through drugs and mutilation.

    As politicians, corporations and feminist activists in the United States like to remind us, the right to free speech is not a right to a platform.

    Traditional Values within China

    Under Xi Jinping, the Chinese government has sought to avoid a looming demographic winter by increasing national birth rates.

    Defending the dignity of the traditional Chinese family, which includes a husband, a wife, children and often older relatives, has been made a national priority by president Xi.

    This embrace of tradition is a drastic departure from Mao Zedong’s Marxist campaign to “liberate” women from marriage and force them to go to work instead.

    Conclusion

    China is quickly becoming a photo-negative of America.

    • Billionaires who try to exert political influence have their monopolies busted instead.
    • Anti-social people are bullied and humiliated.
    • Chinese manhood is celebrated.
    • The Han majority is taught to be proud of their race rather than ashamed of it.

    History will soon decide which civilization model is superior.

    • America’s oligarchy-ruled military-empire under the guise of “democracy”, or
    • China’s “Traditional Familial Society with communist characteristics”.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my China Index here…

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    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

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    The creature with a great rack; the Megaloceros

    Did you know that some species of creatures view size of particular shapes or body forms as sexually stimulating.  It’s sort of like how birds are attracted to displays of plumage, and precise mating dances, or how bees and insects are attracted to scents and colors. Well, what is very interesting and what we are going to talk about here are the sexual “turn ons” for long extinct animals.
    .
    Sounds like fun, huh?
    .
    In particular we are going to amuse ourselves with the magnificent rack on the megaloceros.
    .
    I mean, when you see this creature cross the street, or walk into a store, or get into a car, you will not be able to help yourself. You will be staring at that absolutely stunning enormous rack. I am not kidding, I will tell you what!
    .

    Megaloceros

    Quick Megaloceros Facts

    • Lived from the Pleistocene through the Modern Period
    • Lived on the plains of Eurasia
    • Was as long as an elk
    • Weighed as much as 10 white-tailed deer
    • Was an herbivore
    • Its antlers were longer than a car

    About Megaloceros

    Megaloceros, also known as the Irish Elk, was a genus of deer which lived approximately 2 million to 10,000 years ago – from the Pleistocene through the Modern Period. It was first discovered during the late 18th century and was named by Johann Friedrich Blumenbach in 1799. Its name means “giant horn.”

    The genus of Megaloceros covers 9 distinct species of this genus, but only one of them were as large as small dinosaurs. And that species is Megaloceros giganteus. It is also the one that we will be talking about today.

    Megaloceros.

    If you look at Megaloceros pictures, then you’ll quickly realize that this animal looks like an elk with an extremely large set of horns. However, that is not entirely accurate. These mammals had more in common with North American deer than it did with European elks. Another one of the interesting facts about Megaloceros is that it wasn’t exclusive to Ireland either.  This deer lived all over Eurasia.

    This animal was approximately 8 feet long and weighed around 1,500 pounds. Which is about the length of a modern elk but nearly double the weight of one. Another feature that made it quite different from looking like a modern elk is its antlers. Its antlers were about 12 feet long and weighed around 100 pounds.

    As impressive as that sounds, their antlers weren’t used for combat, however. They were almost certainly used by the male deer to attract females.

    Megaloceros went extinct right at the cusp of the last Ice Age. And scientists aren’t exactly sure why.

    Some paleontologists have speculated that overpopulation and inbreeding led to a population of Megaloceros’s that were unable to adapt when the climate changed. Other paleontologists believe that mankind hunted them into extinction. Most likely, it was a combination of these two facts which led to the inevitable demise of these majestic looking animals.

    Speaking about some large racks…

    Of course, I just couldn’t help myself. Heh heh.

    Index of large racks.

    Here’s the videos. Most are under thirty seconds. Very quick. To open them up, just click on the link below.

    • MOV1 – She’s from Hunan, and I love her in traditional clothes.
    • MOV2 – She’s a mighty big girl.
    • MOV3 – She’s a clothing model.
    • MOV4 – It’s hard to concentrate on her trousers.
    • MOV5 – I do like her top.
    • MOV6 – Demure, but impressive.
    • MOV7 – Damn!
    • MOV8 – This is a really nice girl.
    • MOV9 – One of my favorites.
    • MOV10 – She always puts a smile on my face.

    And a second group…

    Now wasn’t that fun? Yeah. I like looking at pretty girls.

    And the point that I am trying to make is… um… well, big physical attributes tell us nothing about the person who displays them. But they DO tend to get our attention.

    I posit that the Megaloceros evolved with these large enormous horns not because it offered it better ability to forage, to run, to camouflage or to survive, but rather to attract the attention of females that wouldn’t help but notice his enormous, gigantic presence.

    Instead of survival, it was procreation of the species.

    Which is a very important driving force for life. And while it might not be all that progressively popular to admit, it is true. Species that are not able to procreate to the point where it is able to live within it’s environment are doomed for extinction.

    Perhaps we see that manifesting in humans as well. Eh?

    It does make you wonder about the LGBT movement…

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    Law 5 of the 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene; So much depends on reputation, guard it with your life (Full Text)

    The photo above reminds me so very much of the old Doc Savage paperbacks that I used to read when I was in Middle School. This is a promo image of Dwayne Johnson in one of his Jumanji movies.

    Dwayne is an interesting person, but the thing is that few people hate him. He’s a kind soul, or at least tries to portray that image. And without that image, he’s just another smuck that went from weight-lifting to movies.

    It’s difficult to keep your reputation. Certainly no one knows that better than myself who now has the ugly reputation of being a nasty filthy child predator now living inside the filthy evil communist Hell-hole.

    And that’s the way it works, you know.

    To destroy a person completely, you need only destroy his reputation so that no one wants to associate with him, employ him, listen to him, or be friends with him. Then alone, shunned, starving, and destitute he can die inside the hole you made for him to crawl into.

    This is a great chapter by Robert Greene. Read it and learn from it.

    LAW 5

    SO MUCH DEPENDS ON REPUTATION—GUARD IT WITH YOUR LIFE

    JUDGMENT

    Reputation is the cornerstone of power. Through reputation alone you can intimidate and win; once it slips, however, you are vulnerable, and will be attacked on all sides. Make your reputation unassailable. Always be alert to potential attacks and thwart them before they happen. Meanwhile, learn to destroy your enemies by opening holes in their own reputations. Then stand aside and let public opinion hang them.

    OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW I

    During China’s War of the Three Kingdoms (A.D. 207-265), the great general Chuko Liang, leading the forces of the Shu Kingdom, dispatched his vast army to a distant camp while he rested in a small town with a handful of soldiers.

    Suddenly sentinels hurried in with the alarming news that an enemy force of over 150,000 troops under Sima Yi was approaching.

    With only a hundred men to defend him, Chuko Liang’s situation was hopeless.

    The enemy would finally capture this renowned leader.

    Without lamenting his fate, or wasting time trying to figure out how he had been caught, Liang ordered his troops to take down their flags, throw open the city gates, and hide.

    He himself then took a seat on the most visible part of the city’s wall, wearing a Taoist robe.

    He lit some incense, strummed his lute, and began to chant.

    Minutes later he could see the vast enemy army approaching, an endless phalanx of soldiers.

    Pretending not to notice them, he continued to sing and play the lute.

    Soon the army stood at the town gates.

    At its head was Sima Yi, who instantly recognized the man on the wall.

    Even so, as his soldiers itched to enter the unguarded town through its open gates, Sima Yi hesitated, held them back, and studied Liang on the wall.

    Then, he ordered an immediate and speedy retreat.

    THE ANIMALS STRICKEN WITH THE PLAGUE

    A frightful epidemic sent To earth by Heaven intent to vent Its fury on a sinful world, to call It by its rightful name, the pestilence, That Acheron- filling vial of virulence Had fallen on every animal. 

    Not all were dead, but all lay near to dying, And none was any longer trying To find new fuel to feed life’s flickering fires.

    No foods excited their desires; No more did wolves and foxes rove In search of harmless, helpless prey; And dove would not consort with dove, For love and joy had flown away.

    The Lion assumed the chair to say: “Dear friends, I doubt not it’s for heaven’s high ends That on us sinners woe must fall. Let him of us who’s sinned the most Fall victim to the avenging heavenly host, And may he win salvation for us all; For history teaches us that in these crises We must make sacrifices. Undeceived and stern-eyed, let’s inspect Our conscience. As I recollect, To put my greedy appetite to sleep, I’ve banqueted on many a sheep Who’d injured me in no respect, And even in my time been known to try Shepherd pie. If need be, then. I’ll die. Yet I suspect That others also ought to own their sins. It’s only fair that all should do their best To single out the guiltiest.


    “Sire, you’re too good a king,“the Fox begins; ”Such scruples are too delicate. My word, To eat sheep, that profane and vulgar herd. That’s sin? Nay. Sire, enough for such a crew To be devoured by such as you; While of the shepherds we may say That they deserved the worst they got. Theirs being the lot that over us beasts plot A flimsy dream-begotten sway.”

    Thus spake the Fox, and toady cheers rose high, While none dared cast too cold an eye On Tiger‘s, Bear’s, and other eminences Most unpardonable offences.

    Each, of never mind what currish breed, Was really a saint, they all agreed.

    Then came the Ass, to say: ”I do recall How once I crossed an abbey-mead Where hunger, grass in plenty, and withal, I have no doubt, some imp of
    greed. Assailed me, and I shaved a tongue’s-breadth wide Where frankly I’d no right to any grass.”

    All forthwith fell full cry upon the Ass: A Wolf of some book-learning testified That that curst beast must suffer their despite, That gallskinned author of their piteous plight.

    They judged him fit for nought but gallows-bait: How vile, another’s grass to sequestrate! His death alone could expiate A crime so heinous, as full well he learns. The court, as you’re of great or poor estate, Will paint you either white or black by turns.


    THE BEST FABLES OF LA FONTAINE, JEAN DE LA FONTAINE, 1621- 1695

    Interpretation

    Chuko Liang was commonly known as the “Sleeping Dragon.”

    His exploits in the War of the Three Kingdoms were legendary.

    Once a man claiming to be a disaffected enemy lieutenant came to his camp, offering help and information. Liang instantly recognized the situation as a setup; this man was a false deserter, and should be beheaded.

    At the last minute, though, as the ax was about to fall, Liang stopped the execution and offered to spare the man’s life if he agreed to become a double agent.

    Grateful and terrified, the man agreed, and began supplying false information to the enemy. Liang won battle after battle.

    On another occasion Liang stole a military seal and created false documents dispatching his enemy’s troops to distant locations.

    Once the troops had dispersed, he was able to capture three cities, so that he controlled an entire corridor of the enemy’s kingdom.

    He also once tricked the enemy into believing one of its best generals was a traitor, forcing the man to escape and join forces with Liang.

    The Sleeping Dragon carefully cultivated his reputation of being the cleverest man in China, one who always had a trick up his sleeve.

    As powerful as any weapon, this reputation struck fear into his enemy.

    Sima Yi had fought against Chuko Liang dozens of times and knew him well.

    When he came on the empty city, with Liang praying on the wall, he was stunned.

    The Taoist robes, the chanting, the incense—this had to be a game of intimidation.

    The man was obviously taunting him, daring him to walk into a trap.

    The game was so obvious that for one moment it crossed Yi’s mind that Liang actually was alone, and desperate.

    But so great was his fear of Liang that he dared not risk finding out.

    Such is the power of reputation.

    It can put a vast army on the defensive, even force them into retreat, without a single arrow being fired.

    For, as Cicero says, even those who argue against fame still want the books they write against it to bear their name in the title and hope to become famous for despising it. Everything else is subject to barter: we will let our friends have our goods and our lives if need be; but a case of sharing our fame and making someone else the gift of our reputation is hardly to be found. 

    Montaigne, 1533-1592

    OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW II

    In 1841 the young P. T. Barnum, trying to establish his reputation as America’s premier showman, decided to purchase the American Museum in Manhattan and turn it into a collection of curiosities that would secure his fame.

    The problem was that he had no money.

    The museum’s asking price was $15,000, but Barnum was able to put together a proposal that appealed to the institution’s owners even though it replaced cash up front with dozens of guarantees and references.

    The owners came to a verbal agreement with Barnum, but at the last minute, the principal partner changed his mind, and the museum and its collection were sold to the directors of Peale’s Museum.

    Barnum was infuriated, but the partner explained that business was business —the museum had been sold to Peale’s because Peale’s had a reputation and Barnum had none.

    Barnum immediately decided that if he had no reputation to bank on, his only recourse was to ruin the reputation of Peale’s.

    Accordingly he launched a letter-writing campaign in the newspapers, calling the owners a bunch of “broken-down bank directors” who had no idea how to run a museum or entertain people.

    He warned the public against buying Peale’s stock, since the business’s purchase of another museum would invariably spread its resources thin.

    The campaign was effective, the stock plummeted, and with no more confidence in Peale’s track record and reputation, the owners of the American Museum reneged on their deal and sold the whole thing to Barnum.

    It took years for Peale’s to recover, and they never forgot what Barnum had done.

    Mr. Peale himself decided to attack Barnum by building a reputation for “high-brow entertainment,” promoting his museum’s programs as more scientific than those of his vulgar competitor.

    Mesmerism (hypnotism) was one of Peale’s “scientific” attractions, and for a while it drew big crowds and was quite successful. To fight back, Barnum decided to attack Peale’s reputation yet again.

    Barnum organized a rival mesmeric performance in which he himself apparently put a little girl into a trance.

    Once she seemed to have fallen deeply under, he tried to hypnotize members of the audience—but no matter how hard he tried, none of the spectators fell under his spell, and many of them began to laugh.

    A frustrated Barnum finally announced that to prove the little girl’s trance was real, he would cut off one of her fingers without her noticing.

    But as he sharpened the knife, the little girl’s eyes popped open and she ran away, to the audience’s delight.

    He repeated this and other parodies for several weeks.

    Soon no one could take Peale’s show seriously, and attendance went way down.

    Within a few weeks, the show closed.

    Over the next few years Barnum established a reputation for audacity and consummate showmanship that lasted his whole life.

    Peale’s reputation, on the other hand, never recovered.

    Interpretation

    Barnum used two different tactics to ruin Peale’s reputation.

    The first was simple: He sowed doubts about the museum’s stability and solvency. Doubt is a powerful weapon: Once you let it out of the bag with insidious rumors, your opponents are in a horrible dilemma. On the one hand they can deny the rumors, even prove that you have slandered them. But a layer of suspicion will remain: Why are they defending themselves so desperately?

    Maybe the rumor has some truth to it? If, on the other hand, they take the high road and ignore you, the doubts, unrefuted, will be even stronger. If done correctly, the sowing of rumors can so infuriate and unsettle your rivals that in defending themselves they will make numerous mistakes. This is the perfect weapon for those who have no reputation of their own to work from.

    Once Barnum did have a reputation of his own, he used the second, gentler tactic, the fake hypnotism demonstration: He ridiculed his rivals’ reputation.

    This too was extremely successful.

    Once you have a solid base of respect, ridiculing your opponent both puts him on the defensive and draws more attention to you, enhancing your own reputation.

    Outright slander and insult are too strong at this point; they are ugly, and may hurt you more than help you.

    But gentle barbs and mockery suggest that you have a strong enough sense of your own worth to enjoy a good laugh at your rival’s expense.

    A humorous front can make you out as a harmless entertainer while poking holes in the reputation of your rival.

    It is easier to cope with a bad conscience than with a bad reputation.

    Friedrich Nietzsche, 1844-1900

    KEYS TO POWER

    The people around us, even our closest friends, will always to some extent remain mysterious and unfathomable.

    Their characters have secret recesses that they never reveal.

    The unknowableness of other people could prove disturbing if we thought about it long enough, since it would make it impossible for us really to judge other people.

    So we prefer to ignore this fact, and to judge people on their appearances, on what is most visible to our eyes—clothes, gestures, words, actions. In the social realm, appearances are the barometer of almost all of our judgments, and you must never be mis led into believing otherwise.

    One false slip, one awkward or sudden change in your appearance, can prove disastrous.

    This is the reason for the supreme importance of making and maintaining a reputation that is of your own creation.

    That reputation will protect you in the dangerous game of appearances, distracting the probing eyes of others from knowing what you are really like, and giving you a degree of control over how the world judges you—a powerful position to be in.

    Reputation has a power like magic: With one stroke of its wand, it can double your strength.

    It can also send people scurrying away from you.

    Whether the exact same deeds appear brilliant or dreadful can depend entirely on the reputation of the doer.

    In the ancient Chinese court of the Wei kingdom there was a man named Mi Tzu-hsia who had a reputation for supreme civility and graciousness.

    He became the ruler’s favorite.

    It was a law in Wei that “whoever rides secretly in the ruler’s coach shall have his feet cut off,” but when Mi Tzu-hsia’s mother fell ill, he used the royal coach to visit her, pretending that the ruler had given him permission.

    When the ruler found out, he said, “How dutiful is Mi Tzu-hsia!

    For his mother’s sake he even forgot that he was committing a crime making him liable to lose his feet!”

    Another time the two of them took a stroll in an orchard.

    Mi Tzu-hsia began eating a peach that he could not finish, and he gave the ruler the other half to eat.

    The ruler remarked, “You love me so much that you would even forget your own saliva taste and let me eat the rest of the peach!”

    Later, however, envious fellow courtiers, spreading word that Mi Tzu- hsia was actually devious and arrogant, succeeded in damaging his reputation; the ruler came to see his actions in a new light.

    “This fellow once rode in my coach under pretense of my order,” he told the courtiers angrily, “and another time he gave me a half-eaten peach.”

    For the same actions that had charmed the ruler when he was the favorite, Mi Tzu-hsia now had to suffer the penalties.

    The fate of his feet depended solely on the strength of his reputation.

    In the beginning, you must work to establish a reputation for one outstanding quality, whether generosity or honesty or cunning.

    This quality sets you apart and gets other people to talk about you.

    You then make your reputation known to as many people as possible (subtly, though; take care to build slowly, and with a firm foundation), and watch as it spreads like wildfire.

    A solid reputation increases your presence and exaggerates your strengths without your having to spend much energy.

    It can also create an aura around you that will instill respect, even fear. In the fighting in the North African desert during World War II, the German general Erwin Rommel had a reputation for cunning and for deceptive maneuvering that struck terror into everyone who faced him.

    Even when his forces were depleted, and when British tanks outnumbered his by five to one, entire cities would be evacuated at the news of his approach.

    As they say, your reputation inevitably precedes you, and if it inspires respect, a lot of your work is done for you before you arrive on the scene, or utter a single word.

    Your success seems destined by your past triumphs.

    Much of the success of Henry Kissinger’s shuttle diplomacy rested on his reputation for ironing out differences; no one wanted to be seen as so unreasonable that Kissinger could not sway him.

    A peace treaty seemed a fait accompli as soon as Kissinger’s name became involved in the negotiations.

    Make your reputation simple and base it on one sterling quality.

    This single quality—efficiency, say, or seductiveness—becomes a kind of calling card that announces your presence and places others under a spell.

    A reputation for honesty will allow you to practice all manner of deception.

    Casanova used his reputation as a great seducer to pave the way for his future conquests; women who had heard of his powers became immensely curious, and wanted to discover for themselves what had made him so romantically successful.

    Perhaps you have already stained your reputation, so that you are prevented from establishing a new one.

    In such cases it is wise to associate with someone whose image counteracts your own, using their good name to whitewash and elevate yours.

    It is hard, for example, to erase a reputation for dishonesty by yourself; but a paragon of honesty can help. When P. T. Barnum wanted to clean up a reputation for promoting vulgar entertainment, he brought the singer Jenny Lind over from Europe.

    She had a stellar, high-class reputation, and the American tour Barnum sponsored for her greatly enhanced his own image.

    Similarly the great robber barons of nineteenth-century America were long unable to rid themselves of a reputation for cruelty and mean-spiritedness.

    Only when they began collecting art, so that the names of Morgan and Frick became permanently associated with those of da Vinci and Rembrandt, were they able to soften their unpleasant image.

    Reputation is a treasure to be carefully collected and hoarded.

    Especially when you are first establishing it, you must protect it strictly, anticipating all attacks on it.

    Once it is solid, do not let yourself get angry or defensive at the slanderous comments of your enemies—that reveals insecurity, not confidence in your reputation.

    Take the high road instead, and never appear desperate in your self-defense.

    On the other hand, an attack on another man’s reputation is a potent weapon, particularly when you have less power than he does.

    He has much more to lose in such a battle, and your own thus- far-small reputation gives him a small target when he tries to return your fire.

    Barnum used such campaigns to great effect in his early career. But this tactic must be practiced with skill; you must not seem to engage in petty vengeance.

    If you do not break your enemy’s reputation cleverly, you will inadvertently ruin your own.

    Thomas Edison, considered the inventor who harnessed electricity, believed that a workable system would have to be based on direct current (DC).

    When the Serbian scientist Nikola Tesla appeared to have succeeded in creating a system based on alternating current (AC), Edison was furious.

    He determined to ruin Tesla’s reputation, by making the public believe that the AC system was inherently unsafe, and Tesla irresponsible in promoting it.

    To this end he captured all kinds of household pets and electrocuted them to death with an AC current.

    When this wasn’t enough, in 1890 he got New York State prison authorities to organize the world’s first execution by electrocution, using an AC current.

    But Edison’s electrocution experiments had all been with small creatures; the charge was too weak, and the man was only half killed.

    In perhaps the country’s cruelest state-authorized execution, the procedure had to be repeated. It was an awful spectacle.

    Although, in the long run, it is Edison’s name that has survived, at the time his campaign damaged his own reputation more than Tesla’s.

    He backed off.

    The lesson is simple—never go too far in attacks like these, for that will draw more attention to your own vengefulness than to the person you are slandering.

    When your own reputation is solid, use subtler tactics, such as satire and ridicule, to weaken your opponent while making you out as a charming rogue.

    The mighty lion toys with the mouse that crosses his path—any other reaction would mar his fearsome reputation.

    Image:

    A Mine Full of Diamonds and Rubies.

    You dug for it, you found it, and your wealth is now assured.

    Guard it with your life. Robbers and thieves will appear from all sides. Never take your wealth

    for granted, and constantly renew it—time will diminish the jewels’ luster,

    and bury them from sight.

    Authority:

    Therefore I should wish our courtier to bolster up his inherent worth with skill and cunning, and ensure that whenever he has to go where he is a stranger, he is preceded by a good reputation.... For the fame which appears to rest on the opinions of many fosters a certain unshakable belief in a man’s worth which is then easily strengthened in minds already thus disposed and prepared. 

    (Baldassare Castiglione, 1478-1529)

    REVERSAL

    There is no possible Reversal.

    Reputation is critical; there are no exceptions to this law.

    Perhaps, not caring what others think of you, you gain a reputation for insolence and arrogance, but that can be a valuable image in itself—Oscar Wilde used it to great advantage.

    Since we must live in society and must depend on the opinions of others, there is nothing to be gained by neglecting your reputation.

    By not caring how you are perceived, you let others decide this for you.

    Be the master of your fate, and also of your reputation.

    Conclusion

    Let Dwayne Johnson tell you himself.

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    Buildup to a Second American Civil War; to overthrow the Elites that control America

    We have all seen this coming. Admit it.

    “We are fast approaching the stage of the ultimate inversion: the stage where the government is free to do anything it pleases, while the citizens may act only by permission; which is the stage of the darkest periods of human history, the stage of rule by brute force.” 

    — Ayn Rand

    Rule by brute force.

    That’s about as good a description as you’ll find for the sorry state of our nation.

    SWAT teams crashing through doors. Militarized police shooting unarmed citizens. Traffic cops tasering old men and pregnant women for not complying fast enough with an order. Resource officers shackling children for acting like children. Homeowners finding their homes under siege by police out to confiscate lawfully-owned guns. Drivers having their cash seized under the pretext that they might have done something wrong.

    The list of abuses being perpetrated against the American people by their government is growing rapidly.

    We are approaching critical mass.

    The groundwork has been laid for a new kind of government where it won’t matter if you’re innocent or guilty, whether you’re a threat to the nation, or even if you’re a citizen. What will matter is what the government—or whoever happens to be calling the shots at the time—thinks. And if the powers-that-be think you’re a threat to the nation and should be locked up, then you’ll be locked up with no access to the protections our Constitution provides.

    In effect, you will disappear.

    American Citizens are just “things” that the elites use

    Our freedoms are already being made to disappear.

    We have seen this come to pass under past presidents with their use of executive orders, decrees, memorandums, proclamations, national security directives and legislative signing statements.

    President Biden’s long list of executive orders, executive actions, proclamations and directives is just more of the same: rule by fiat.

    Now the Biden Administration is setting its sights on gun control.

    Mark my words: gun control legislation, especially in the form of red flag gun laws, which allow the police to remove guns from people “suspected” of being threats, will become yet another means by which to subvert the Constitution and sabotage the rights of the people.

    In Radley Balko's study of police raids of the homes of civilians for the CATO Institute, he described the mayhem currently taking place at the hands of federal and state governments in the United States in the name of law enforcement:

    "Americans have long maintained that a man's home is his castle and that he has the right to defend it from unlawful intruders. Unfortunately, that right may be disappearing. Over the last 25 years, America has seen a disturbing militarization of its civilian law enforcement, along with a dramatic and unsettling rise in the use of paramilitary police units (most commonly called Special Weapons and Tactics, or SWAT) for routine police work. The most common use of SWAT teams today is to serve narcotics warrants, usually with forced, unannounced entry into the home.

    "These increasingly frequent raids, 40,000 per year by one estimate, are needlessly subjecting nonviolent drug offenders, bystanders, and wrongly targeted civilians to the terror of having their homes invaded while they're sleeping, usually by teams of heavily armed paramilitary units dressed not as police officers but as soldiers. These raids bring unnecessary violence and provocation to nonviolent drug offenders, many of whom were guilty of only misdemeanors. The raids terrorize innocents when police mistakenly target the wrong residence. And they have resulted in dozens of needless deaths and injuries, not only of drug offenders, but also of police officers, children, bystanders, and innocent suspects."

    - from the Executive Summary of a research paper titled,
    Overkill: he Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids in America
    by Radley Balko, CATO Institute.

    But you have already heard this spiel…

    America is a military empire, it’s police are military soldiers.

    These “red flag” laws, growing in popularity as a legislative means by which to seize guns from individuals.  They are an excuse. The excuse sounds so reasonable. People who are viewed as a danger to themselves or others, have their guns removed. Yes, this is yet another Trojan Horse, a stealth maneuver by the police state to gain greater power over an unsuspecting and largely gullible populace.

    Nineteen states and Washington DC have red flag laws on their books.

    That number is growing.

    As The Washington Post reports, these laws “allow a family member, roommate, beau, law enforcement officer or any type of medical professional to file a petition [with a court] asking that a person’s home be temporarily cleared of firearms. It doesn’t require a mental-health diagnosis or an arrest.

    America is a military empire, it’s police are military soldiers.

    Sound familiar?

    Someone in the neighborhood doesn’t like you…

    … they claim that you are a witch…

    …or you are a communist…

    …or a child sex offender…

    …or are a danger to yourself.

    In the midst of what feels like an epidemic of mass shootings (the statistics suggest otherwise), these gun confiscation laws—extreme risk protection order (ERPO) laws—may appease the fears of those who believe that fewer guns in the hands of the general populace will make our society safer.

    Of course, it doesn’t always work that way.

    It’s just an excuse

    SWAT team raids "The Garden of Eden" The beast is gaining more and more unbridled power to lash out as he did this week at "The Garden of Eden" - a small organic farm in Texas reported by a RT News. This is but one of many raids that take place on a daily basis throughout the U.S. In this case they held 6 adults at gunpoint and handcuffed them for 10 hours saying they were looking for marijuana. Throughout the day the police conducted their search, destroying parts of the farm in the process. However, the property owner Shelley Smith told the media, "They came here under the guise that we were doing a drug trafficking, marijuana growing operation. They destroyed everything.”

    The residents believe the raid was only an excuse to allow them to change the farm's "unconventional appearance." Code enforcement cops came along with the SWAT team and Smith said that they had been issued a number of code violations recently including, “grass that was too tall, bushes growing too close to the street, a couch and piano in the yard, chopped wood that was not properly stacked, a piece of siding that was missing from the side of the house and generally unclean premises,” The cops found no drugs or criminal activity but arrested one of the members of the group for an unpaid parking ticket.

    -Axis of logic
    America is a military empire, it’s police are military soldiers.

    Anything—knives, vehicles, planes, pressure cookers—can become a weapon when wielded with deadly intentions.

    With these red flag gun laws, the stated intention is to disarm individuals who are potential threats… to “stop dangerous people before they act.”

    While in theory it appears perfectly reasonable to want to disarm individuals who are clearly suicidal and/or pose an “immediate danger” to themselves or others, where the problem arises is when you put the power to determine who is a potential danger in the hands of government agencies, the courts and the police.

    Any excuse serves a tyrant

    It took place in August, 2005 when a SWAT team killed an innocent man in his home while his wife and 4 year old son hid in a bedroom closet in Sunrise Florida. After killing the man, the police claimed they knocked on his door and announced they were police. But according to neighbors who watched the scene unfold from their window, the police in black masks did not identify themselves before smashing down his door and using a flash grenade expecting to find drugs and guns. The neighbors said that if the police had yelled, "POLICE!" - they would have heard it. The police claimed that 23 year old Anthony Diotaiuto (a two-time Iraq war veteran) fled from his bed into another room and "armed himself." Radley Balko (quoted above) reported that the police initially claimed that he fled to the bedroom for a handgun and pointed the gun at them. Later, the story changed with a spokesperson for the police saying that the "found the weapon next to his body" after they killed him.

    Diotaiuto returned from his night shift at one of the two jobs he had to provide for his family. According to his friends, he had a shotgun and handgun which he kept for protection with a valid concealed weapons permit. Balko surmised that he rose from a deep sleep, disoriented by the crashing of his door and flash grenade and ran terrified into another room. After they killed him, the police claimed that they found 2 ounces of marijuana, some plastic baggies and a scale. But by the time the case went to a jury trial, that amount of marijuana was determined to be 16 grams, a little more than half an ounce. The Broward County medical examiner reported 10 bullet wounds in his head, chest, torso, and limbs.

    -Axis of Logic
    America is a military empire, it’s police are military soldiers.

    We’ve been down this road before.

    Remember, this is the same government that uses the words “anti-government,” “extremist” and “terrorist” interchangeably.

    This is the same government whose agents are spinning a sticky spider-web of threat assessments, behavioral sensing warnings, flagged “words,” and “suspicious” activity reports using automated eyes and ears, social media, behavior sensing software, and citizen spies to identify potential threats.

    This is the same government that keeps re-upping the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which allows the military to detain American citizens with no access to friends, family or the courts if the government believes them to be a threat.

    This is the same government that has a growing list—shared with fusion centers and law enforcement agencies—of ideologies, behaviors, affiliations and other characteristics that could flag someone as suspicious and result in their being labeled potential enemies of the state.

    For instance, if you believe in and exercise your rights under the Constitution ...

    (namely, your right to speak freely, worship freely, associate with like-minded individuals who share your political views, criticize the government, own a weapon, demand a warrant before being questioned or searched, or any other activity viewed as potentially anti-government, racist, bigoted, anarchic or sovereign),

    ...you could be at the top of the government’s terrorism watch list.

    Moreover, as a New York Times editorial warns, you may be an anti-government extremist (a.k.a. domestic terrorist) in the eyes of the police if you are afraid that the government is plotting to confiscate your firearms, if you believe the economy is about to collapse and the government will soon declare martial law, or if you display an unusual number of political and/or ideological bumper stickers on your car.

    Let that sink in a moment.

    You are a threat by your very existence

    Radley Balko’s White Paper, Overkill: The Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids in America:

    Balko said that botched raids such as this one are not 'isolated incidents.' Other examples of SWAT teams misused are the hundreds of raids conducted each year at a wrong address. Often the people targeted are completely innocent, unlike in the Diotaiuto tragedy. Further, the 'no-knock' and 'quick-knock' raids often rely on anonymous tips and 'dubious informants to obtain the search warrants.'
    The raids are intended to terrify. The police generally break down the doors with a battering ram or blow them off with explosives. Sometimes police use a flash bang grenade. Once inside, police force the occupants to lie prone, generally at gunpoint...

    Balko wrote in Overkill, 'The idea of sending battalions of men dressed, trained, and armed like soldiers to do civilian police work should give us great discomfort'.”
    America is a military empire, it’s police are military soldiers.

    Now consider the ramifications of giving police that kind of authority: to preemptively raid homes in order to neutralize a potential threat.

    It’s a powder keg waiting for a lit match.

    Duncan Lemp

    Under these red flag laws, what happened to Duncan Lemp—who was gunned down in his bedroom during an early morning, no-knock SWAT team raid on his family’s home—could very well happen to more people.

    At 4:30 a.m. on March 12, 2020, in the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic that had most of the country under a partial lockdown and sheltering at home, a masked SWAT team—deployed to execute a “high risk” search warrant for unauthorized firearms—stormed the suburban house where 21-year-old Duncan, a software engineer and Second Amendment advocate, lived with his parents and 19-year-old brother.

    The entire household, including Lemp and his girlfriend, was reportedly asleep when the SWAT team directed flash bang grenades and gunfire through Lemp’s bedroom window.

    Lemp was killed and his girlfriend injured.

    America is a military empire, it’s police are military soldiers.

    No one in the house that morning, including Lemp, had a criminal record.

    No one in the house that morning, including Lemp, was considered an “imminent threat” to law enforcement or the public, at least not according to the search warrant.

    So what was so urgent that militarized police felt compelled to employ battlefield tactics in the pre-dawn hours of a day when most people are asleep in bed, not to mention stuck at home as part of a nationwide lockdown?

    According to police, they were tipped off that Lemp was in possession of “firearms.”

    Thus, rather than approaching the house by the front door at a reasonable hour in order to investigate this complaint—which is what the Fourth Amendment requires—police instead strapped on their guns, loaded up their flash bang grenades and acted like battle-crazed warriors.

    In May, 2010 Joseph Weekley, a Detroit cop shot and killed Aiyana Stanley Jones, a seven-year-old girl when they raided a home during the early morning hours as she lay sleeping on a sofa in her home on Lillibridge Street in Detroit. Aiyana was shot in the head and neck. Assistant Police Chief Ralph Godbee said the heavily armed "Special Response Team" was executing a "no-knock" search warrant for a homicide suspect and they threw a flash grenade through an unopened window around 12:45 a.m. before charging in with guns drawn but they got the wrong house. It may have never gained international attention except that it was recorded by a reality TV crew, which was filming an episode of “The First 48,” a program like "Cops" and other racist TV shows that feed off the misery of victims in praise of the work of US police.

    In June, 2013 Weekley went on trial for involuntary manslaughter with a possible sentence of 15 years in prison. The cop claimed that he had "physical contact" with the little girl's grandmother, Mertilla Jones, after entering the home. On June 18, the trial ended in a hung jury and he is now to be retried. In the trial, Grandmother Mertilla testified,
    "I saw the light leave out of her eyes, and blood gushed out of her mouth. I knew she was dead.” After the first trial, Mertilla stated, "He admitted he shot and killed her. He's a dirty cop because he said I touched him. I never touched that man. ... I was never anywhere near Joseph Weekley. He's a lying [expletive] cop."

    The Military patrol America today

    America is a military empire, it’s police are military soldiers.

    This is what you get when you live inside a Military Empire.

    This is the blowback from all that military weaponry flowing to domestic police departments.

    This is what happens when you use SWAT teams to carry out routine search warrants.

    Red Flag Laws

    America is a military empire, it’s police are military soldiers.

    This is what happens when you adopt red flag gun laws, which Maryland did in 2018, painting anyone who might be in possession of a gun—legal or otherwise—as a threat that must be neutralized.

    Therein lies the danger of these red flag laws, specifically, and pre-crime laws such as these generally where the burden of proof is reversed and you are guilty before you are given any chance to prove you are innocent.

    Red flag gun laws merely push us that much closer towards a suspect society where everyone is potentially guilty of some crime or another and must be preemptively rendered harmless.

    Where many Americans go wrong is in naively assuming that you have to be doing something illegal or harmful in order to be flagged and targeted for some form of intervention or detention.

    The American Police State

    America is a military empire, it’s police are military soldiers.

    In fact, U.S. police agencies have been working to identify and manage potential extremist “threats,” violent or otherwise, before they can become actual threats for some time now.

    All you need to do these days to end up on a government watch list or be subjected to heightened scrutiny is use certain trigger words (like cloud, pork and pirates)…

    …surf the internet,

    …communicate using a cell phone,

    …limp or stutter

    …drive a car,

    …stay at a hotel,

    …attend a political rally,

    …express yourself on social media

    …appear mentally ill,

    …serve in the military

    …disagree with a law enforcement official

    …call in sick to work,

    …purchase materials at a hardware store,

    …take flying or boating lessons,

    …appear suspicious,

    …appear confused or nervous,

    …fidget or whistle or smell bad,

    …be seen in public waving a toy gun or anything remotely resembling a gun (such as a water nozzle or a remote control or a walking cane),

    …stare at a police officer,

    …question government authority,

    …appear to be pro-gun or pro-freedom,

    …or …

    ….generally live in the United States.

    Government Watch Lists

    America is a military empire, it’s police are military soldiers.

    Be warned: once you get on such a government watch list—whether it’s a terrorist watch list, a mental health watch list, a dissident watch list, or a red flag gun watch list—there’s no clear-cut way to get off, whether or not you should actually be on there.

    You will be tracked wherever you go.

    You will be flagged as a potential threat and dealt with accordingly.

    This is pre-crime on an ideological scale and it’s been a long time coming.

    The government has been building its pre-crime, surveillance network in concert with fusion centers (of which there are 78 nationwide, with partners in the private sector and globally), data collection agencies, behavioral scientists, corporations, social media, and community organizers and by relying on cutting-edge technology for surveillance, facial recognition, predictive policing, biometrics, and behavioral epigenetics (in which life experiences alter one’s genetic makeup).

    America is a military empire, it’s police are military soldiers.

    To that noxious mix, add in a proposal introduced under the Trump Administration and being considered by Biden for a new government agency HARPA (a healthcare counterpart to the Pentagon’s research and development arm DARPA) that will take the lead in identifying and targeting “signs” of mental illness or violent inclinations among the populace by using artificial intelligence to collect data from Apple Watches, Fitbits, Amazon Echo and Google Home.

    It’s the American police state’s take on the dystopian terrors foreshadowed by George Orwell, Aldous Huxley and Phillip K. Dick all rolled up into one oppressive pre-crime and pre-thought crime package.

    If you’re not scared yet, you should be.

    It’s a Nightmare America

    America is a military empire, it’s police are military soldiers.

    Connect the dots.

    Start with the powers amassed by the government under the USA Patriot Act, note the government’s ever-broadening definition of what it considers to be an “extremist,” then add in the government’s detention powers under NDAA, the National Security Agency’s far-reaching surveillance networks, and fusion centers that collect and share surveillance data between local, state and federal police agencies.

    To that, add tens of thousands of armed, surveillance drones that will soon blanket American skies, facial recognition technology that will identify and track you wherever you go and whatever you do. And then to complete the picture, toss in the real-time crime centers being deployed in cities across the country, which will be attempting to “predict” crimes and identify criminals before they happen based on widespread surveillance, complex mathematical algorithms and prognostication programs.

    Hopefully you’re starting to understand how easy we’ve made it for the government to identify, label, target, defuse and detain anyone it views as a potential threat for a variety of reasons that run the gamut from mental illness to having a military background to challenging its authority to just being on the government’s list of persona non grata. Finally, add in the local police agencies and SWAT teams that are being “gifted” military-grade weaponry and equipment designed for the battlefield and trained in the tactics of war.

    It all adds up to a terrifying package of brute force coupled with invasive technology and totalitarian tactics.

    This brings me back to those red flag gun laws.

    It’s the nail in the American Coffin

    America is a military empire, it’s police are military soldiers.

    In the short term, these gun confiscation laws may serve to temporarily delay or discourage those wishing to inflict violence on others, but it will not resolve whatever madness or hate or instability therein that causes someone to pull a trigger or launch a bomb or unleash violence on another.

    Indeed, those same individuals sick enough to walk into an elementary school or a movie theater and open fire using a gun can and do wreak just as much havoc with homemade bombs made out of pressure cookers and a handful of knives.

    Nor will these laws save us from government-instigated and directed violence at the hands of the militarized police state or the blowback from the war-drenched, violence-imbued, profit-driven military industrial complex, both of which remain largely overlooked and underestimated pieces of the discussion on gun violence in America.

    No matter how well-meaning the politicians make these encroachments on our rights appear, in the right (or wrong) hands, benevolent plans can easily be put to malevolent purposes. In this way, even the most well-intentioned government law or program can be—and has been—perverted, corrupted and used to advance illegitimate purposes once profit and power are added to the equation.

    The war on terror, the war on drugs, the war on illegal immigration, asset forfeiture schemes, road safety schemes, school safety schemes, eminent domain: all of these programs started out as legitimate responses to pressing concerns and have since become weapons of compliance and control in the police state’s hands.

    And what is next…
    .
    Well, it’s when the elites declare that they are a class that is up and above that of the American citizenry.
    .
    The following article is reprinted as found with limited editing to fit in this venue, and all credit to the original author. by Baruch Pletner,PhD,MBA
     

    The Hi-Tech Traditionalist: A Revolution In Reverse: The Uprising Of The American Elites Against The American People

    The great Bolshevik revolutions of the last century in Russia, in China, and in Cuba all followed a familiar pattern: a group of young, energetic, endlessly corruptible, but not yet corrupt outsiders take on, in the name of the people, a tired corrupt establishment.

    A civil war ensues in which the people side with the revolutionaries because they (mistakenly) think that things can never be worse.

    Revolutionaries win, slaughter the establishment elites, and proceed to rob and enslave the people in even more outrageous fashion.

    In May, 2008, a SWAT team raided a home in Norwalk, Connecticut after a prostitute called the police telling them that the home contained drugs and weapons. She gave the police a false name and after the killing no weapons were found but the police killed Gonzalo Guizan and dragged the home owner, Ronald Terebesi out in handcuffs. In February, 2013 taxpayers from 5 Fairfield County towns were ordered to pay $3,500,000.00 resulting from the raid on the residence in Norwalk that left Guizan dead, Terebesi traumatized and heavy damage done to his house. Reporter Jonathan Turley expressed his view of the $3.5 million settlement:
    "Now, Easton First Selectman Thomas Herrmann insists that the settlement does not reflect any negligence by his officers or those of the other towns: 'While the defendants, police departments and officers from Darien, Easton, Trumbull, Monroe and Wilton maintain they were not responsible for the unfortunate death of Mr. Guizan, the insurers for the defendants, who will bear the full cost of the settlement, believed that it was best to resolve the matter rather than incur further attorneys’ fees, which were anticipated to be significant. The defendants concurred, further believing it was important to facilitate the Guizan family being relieved of the combined burden of litigation.'
    "That seems a rather belated concern for the Guizan family since you first launched a virtual military assault on a drug allegation, then killed the unarmed Guizan, and then fought their claim for damages until you had little practical alternative but to settle."
    The only thing the police found were two smoking pipes and a tin with a minuscule amount of drugs. Jonathan Turley described the raid and this part of his original story has since been redacted,
    "One would have thought this was the alleged bin Laden raid, as it looked like a military operation in a war zone. Heavily armed police and SWAT teams raided a home owned by Ronald Terebesi based on a tip from a local stripper that she had a “dispute” with Terebesi. This sounds pretty harmless so far, but SWAT team members dressed in armor bore down on this home with flash grenades, snipers surrounding the house, and a virtual tank supplied to this police department after the cover up of 9/11 by DHS.
    "When all was said and done, one man, Gonzalo Guizan, was killed and Terebesi was dragged from his home. Both of these men were unarmed, and had done nothing to warrant this raid, and in fact were cowering in a corner when the spray of bullets were fired."

    Soon enough the old guard revolutionaries become every bit as corrupt as the ones they have replaced if not more so and the cycle repeats itself. 

    In America, the situation is rather farcically backwards.

    America is a military empire, it’s police are military soldiers.

    In America, the corrupt establishment elites have decided to stage a Bolshevik coup against the American people rather than the other way around.

    A Tsar fully in command of his own kingdom staging a coup against his own people is a bizarre development to say the least, and yet, here we are in 2021 America.

    Like always, there are reasons.

    First and foremost among them is the sheer scope of the nepotism and corruption of the American elites in business, government, technology, and the intelligence services.

    This scope has very likely far exceeded anything previously known in human history.

    Had the dimensions of the robbery perpetrated by the American ruling classes against the American people become widely known earlier, America could well have experienced a more typical revolution, one by the people against the elites. 

    Well aware of the possibility if not probability of such an outcome, the people who run America put in place a plan to make it all but impossible.

    America is a military empire, it’s police are military soldiers.

    The plan involved the gradually escalating erosion of the limits on government powers put in place by the Constitution with a parallel erosion in the God-given rights guaranteed every American by the same document.

    This was a fully bipartisan effort, put in place immediately after president Reagan departed office.

    It is sufficient to observe the exponential increase in government versus private sector employment in America from 1988 to 2019 to fully grasp this point.

    Stopping immigration from countries that have (or at least used to have) a tradition of personal freedom and limited government while throwing open the spigots for immigration from countries that have neither was the second part of the same plan.

    The destruction of family values and Christianity in America was the third.

    On the whole, the plan was a spectacular success.

    Americans proved easy targets for propaganda on pro-gay rights and every other kind of moral depravity and have learned to bite their tongues and bow low whenever they heard the phrase: “diversity is our strength”.

    White Americans learned to internalize guilt for something they had no control over – the very color of their skin.

    Americans allowed themselves to become squeezed out of well-paying jobs by the elites-induced trifecta of low and high-skilled immigration and automation, with nary a whisper in protest.

    All was going well for the elites until they had a panic attack, a freakout of unheard of proportions when a non-establishment person, Donald Trump managed to get himself elected president. 

    The problem for the elites inherent in Trump’s election was simple: they have not done much, if anything, to cover the tracks of their massive robbery of the American people.

    America is a military empire, it’s police are military soldiers.

    That meant that when Trump assumed office even their best efforts would likely not be good enough to stop him from perceiving at least a glimpse of the true scale of their crimes. 

    There is a certain irony in the fact that being criminals themselves, the American establishment has found, in Trump, the one true nemesis.

    For he is a New York developer who cut his teeth dealing with the New York building trades, which are, of course, a criminal element in and of themselves. 

    Trying to pin on Trump their own sins of sexual corruption, nepotism, embezzlement, etc. has not been a well-thought out strategy on the part of the American power elites.

    America is a military empire, it’s police are military soldiers.

    This is simply because it enabled him to begin educating the American public as to the breathtaking scope of their own criminality.

    And that pretty much explains what happened during the election of 2020;  a coup d’etat against the American people, the American Constitution, and the American Republic itself.

    Since the elites still very much permeate every hall of power in America, this is a one-off deal in which the rulers of a country set out to violently overthrow the very political structure of the country they are ruling, but, as they say, it is what it is.

    The cover may be different, but the playbook is the same, so we are already being exposed to the oldies but goodies of…

    • escalating agitprop (weaponized lies and propaganda),
    • suppression of unwanted elements (cancel culture),
    • and paid snitching (whistleblowing).

    Now we are entering into a new phase, that of secret trials with a predetermined outcome. 

    Apparently congressional Democrats are going to hold impeachment hearings (read Bolshevik tribunal) at a secret location with no rights whatsoever being afforded to the accused.

    America is a military empire, it’s police are military soldiers.

    Unfortunately for all of us, however, the scope of their criminal acts is such that they cannot contemplate any due process without committing political and even non-political suicide. 

    The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said federal government programs that armed police “with the weapons and tactics of war” had led forces across the United States to become unnecessarily and dangerously militarized.

    “The use of hyper-aggressive tools and tactics results in tragedy for civilians and police officers, escalates the risk of needless violence, destroys property and undermines individual liberties,” the ACLU said in a report.

    It said police forces set up special weapons and tactics (SWAT) units initially to face emergencies such as hostage situations and active-shooter scenarios.

    But after studying more than 800 SWAT deployments conducted by 20 law enforcement agencies between 2011-2012, it said the specialized teams had moved away from that original role and were increasingly used to search people’s homes for drugs.

    It said the raids were often violent, involving 20 or more officers armed with assault rifles and stun grenades, breaking down doors and windows, and screaming at occupants to get on the floor. It said children were present on numerous occasions.

    The ACLU said the militarization of policing was also evident in police training that it said encouraged officers to adopt a “warrior” mentality – something it said was reinforced by the use of equipment such as battering rams, flashbang grenades, and armored personnel carriers.

    It said the shift in culture was partly driven by U.S. Supreme Court rulings that gave police increased authority to force their way into homes, often in narcotics probes.

    All things are on the table right now, including things that now sound crazy like setting up a parallel Supreme Court having declared the Constitution illegitimate because it was written by white males some of whom supported slavery and ratified without African American and other minority votes. 

    Needless to say, such actions may well precipitate an armed conflict we know of as civil war, but that would not be an unexpected outcome for the elites.

    We know now that the American intelligence services all work for the elites and not for the people.

    They will fight on their side in the coming war. What we don’t know is to what degree the armed forces have been infiltrated, especially the mid-level officer corps. 

    The outcomes of such cataclysms are never possible to predict, but we know what we know.

    American ruling classes have long since betrayed her and her people to make themselves fabulously, generationally rich and powerful.

    They could have cut a power-sharing deal with the American people as represented by president Trump; his hand has always been open to them.

    They didn’t take him up on it.

    Massive anger is building up in America now and the battle lines are drawn: either the American republic overthrows her own criminal elites or they overthrow her.

    Which shall it be? To quote the Commander in Chief of the forces of light: “we’ll see what happens.”

    The MM Opinion

    Nothing is going to happen domestically. People are getting ready, ready, ready but there isn’t any “trigger” that will enable the unleashing of holy terror internally.

    If something is going to happen, then it will happen externally.

    Which brings up all these “waltzes” and “dances” that the Biden administration is involved in regarding other nations. It’s very blatant and “in your face”. Here’s my terms, you lowly Chink.. you lowly scum Russki… you evil Iranian… accept them or we will squelch you like the vermin you are.

    Is it intentional? Or is the leadership complete morons? It’s difficult to tell these days. So I must ask…

    What is the end game?

    Do you want more?

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    America is stepping back from war with China, and stepping up to the plate to take on Russia. A Rand recommendation.

    The soaring contempt and smug exceptionalism made me almost gag on my weetbix as I read this. I've never met an empire more in dire need of a slap down...
    
    -Posted by: Patroklos | Apr 14 2021 19:50 utc | 6

    For shits and giggle, I often read some of the policy papers that are generated out of Washington DC. They are fantastical and outlandish and shows that either [1] America is a nation run by herd-mentality idiots, or [2] that they are so enraptured in their own echo chamber that they don’t realize what fresh-air is. Here is one such policy paper.

    It is from RAND.

    Which is a big “Think Tank” out in Washington DC that loves war, like I love sex, pizza and wine.

    I love sex, pizza and wine.

    It’s a hoot. I’ll tell you what.

    Here’s access to the document yourself, and a nice summary with my MM comments thrown in for some points of stability.

    Russia Is a Rogue, Not a Peer; China Is a Peer, Not a Rogue

    Different Challenges, Different Responses

    by James Dobbins, Howard J. Shatz, Ali Wyne

    Full Document

    Format File Size Notes
    PDF file 0.3 MB

    Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 10 or higher for the best experience.

    Research Questions

    1. How do Russia and China challenge U.S. national security and global influence?
    2. How can the United States meet those challenges?

    Russia and China represent distinct challenges to U.S. national security.

    Russia is not a peer or near-peer competitor but rather a well-armed rogue state that seeks to subvert an international order it can never hope to dominate.

    So Russia; enormous Russia with a population larger than the United States is a "well armed" rogue state.
    
    I can agree that it is well-armed. But, a rogue state?
    
    A rogue state otherwise known as an outlaw state, is a term applied by some international theorists to states that they consider threatening to "the world's peace". 
    
    This means being seen to meet certain criteria, such as [1] being ruled by authoritarian or totalitarian governments. [2] That severely restrict human rights. That [3] sponsors terrorism and [4] seeking to proliferate weapons of mass destruction. 
    
    By these criteria, it is America that is a rogue state.
    
    Yet, the term is used most by the United States, and in his speech at the United Nations in 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated this phrase. 

    In contrast, China is a peer competitor that wants to shape an international order that it can aspire to dominate.

    Yes. China is a peer competitor with the Untied States, and in many areas it has surpassed the Untied States.
    
    But this idea that it wants to "shape an international order" that it can dominate is flat-out false.
    
    It wants to follow confucianism values in cooperation and harmony so that all can benefit. Of course China wants to put the Chinese people first. This is the function of all governments. But to call a peaceful nation that hasn't been involve din a war for over 50 years desirous of dominating others is really outlandish.
    
    
    4 Confucian principles that are integral to a moral life and a moral society
    
    [1] Development of the self. The development of the self and the cultivation of virtue and morality are crucial to Confucius’ vision of a harmonised world.
    
    [2] Filial Piety. Filial piety is a love and respect for one’s parents. ...
    
    [3] The importance of tradition. ...
    
    [4] We must be humane. ...
    
    No wonder that RAND and those psychopathic personalities in Washington DC are confused with China. these values are completely alien to them.
    

    Both countries seek to alter the status quo.

    But only Russia has attacked neighboring states, annexed conquered territory, and supported insurgent forces seeking to detach yet more territory.

    Russia assassinates its opponents at home and abroad.

    Russia interferes in foreign elections.

    Russia subverts foreign democracies.

    Russia works to undermine European and Atlantic institutions.

    And so does the United States. Historically this is known as spy-craft, international politics, and intrigue. It's not a reason to go to war over.

    In contrast, China’s growing influence is based largely on more-positive measures: trade, investment, and development assistance. These attributes make China a less immediate threat but a much greater long-term challenge.

    True. China is not an immediate military threat.
    
    But the only challenge here is whether the Untied States is able to compete with it. After throwing away it's scientists and engineers, it's going to be a hard slog trying to compete with "diversity directors" and "accountants".

    In the military realm, Russia can be contained, but China cannot.

    Its military predominance in east Asia will grow over time, compelling the United States to accept greater costs and risks just to secure existing commitments.

    But it is geoeconomics, rather than geopolitics, in which the contest for world leadership will play out.

    It is in the domain of geoeconomics that the balance of global influence between the United States and China has begun shifting in China’s favor.

    Key Findings

    China presents a greater geoeconomic challenge to the United States than Russia does

    • China’s per capita GDP approaches Russia’s; its population is eight times Russia’s, and its growth rate three times.
    • As of 2017, China’s economy was the second largest in the world, behind only that of the United States. Russia’s was 11th.
    • Russia’s military expenditure is lower than China’s, and that gap is likely to grow.
    • Russia is far smaller, has poorer economic prospects, and is less likely to dramatically increase its military power in the long term.
    You can tell just how out of sync this entire paper is when they start using GDP instead of PPP for comparison values. I argue, rather convincingly I must add, that if you remove the top 0.1% of the super-billionaires out of America in your GDP calculations, the GDP slides way down to a value that is half of China's GDP.
    
    Also the level of crime and corruption is far lower than what you see in America. Thus you can make and create things with far, far less effort and money.
    
    Thus you really cannot make the comparisons that are being made here.
    
    It truly is like comparing apples with bananas.

    Russia is a more immediate and more proximate military threat to U.S. national security than China is but can be countered

    • Russia will probably remain militarily superior to all its immediate neighbors other than China.
    • Russia is vulnerable to a range of nonmilitary deterrents, such as sanctions on the Russian economy and limiting Russian income from exports of fossil fuels; multilateral efforts would be more effective than U.S.-only operations, however.

    China presents a regional military challenge and a global economic one

    • Militarily, China can be contained for a while longer; economically, it has already broken free of regional constraints.
    • Russia backs far-right and far-left political movements with a view to disrupting the politics of adversarial societies and, if possible, installing friendlier regimes. China, in contrast, seems basically indifferent to the types of government of the states with which it interacts, increasing its attractiveness as an economic partner.

    Recommendations

    • In the security sphere, the United States should continue to hold the line in east and southeast Asia, accepting the larger costs and risks involved in counterbalancing growing Chinese military capabilities. Meanwhile, Washington should help its regional allies and partners to field their own antiaccess and area denial systems. Finally, the United States should take advantage of any opportunities to resolve issues and remove points of Sino-American tension, recognizing that its bargaining position will gradually deteriorate over time.
    • In the economic realm, the United States needs to compete more effectively in foreign markets, persevere and strengthen international norms for trade and investment, and incentivize China to operate within those norms. Given China’s efforts to take technological leadership in the long term and the potential advantages that such leadership brings, the United States also needs to improve its innovation environment. Measures could include greater funding for research, retention of U.S.-educated foreign scientists and technologists, and regulatory reforms that ease the introduction of product and process improvements into businesses and the market.
    • In responding to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, the United States should move to secure its own preferential access to the world’s largest markets, the industrialized countries of Europe and Asia; assist nations in increasing connectivity with the world economy; work with partners to ensure more transparency in China’s Belt and Road projects; and increase support to U.S. exporters and investors.
    • In all these challenges, the United States will be more successful coordinating action with allies and trading partners.

    Research conducted by

    This research was conducted within the Strategy, Doctrine, and Resources Program of the RAND Arroyo Center. RAND Arroyo Center is a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) sponsored by the United States Army.

    This report is part of the RAND Corporation perspective series. RAND perspectives present informed perspective on a timely topic that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND perspectives undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity.


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    Instead of the USA trying to contain Russia and China, the rest of the world is determined to contain the United States instead.

    Well, well. Here’s some thing for thought. What? You didn’t think that the United States couldn’t be contained, did you?
    I struggle to understand people like Cohen (and Blinken and Pompeo and Albright and the rest of them). I don't think pathologizing them as psychopaths or sociopaths is definitive. Simply evil comes closer. And yet we let them rule us.
    
    -Posted by: NoOneYouKnow | Apr 14 2021 19:26 utc | 2
    .
    Indeed, everything on the “news”, almost without exception, is about how America is doing this to “contain China”, and doing that “to sanction Iran”, and doing this other such thing to “contain Russian actions”.  You read this automatically, and you automatically get this idea in the back of your mind that…
    .
    • America is out of control.
    • It is everywhere doing everything.
    • America is super powerful.
    • No one dares fight back.

    .

    And that is only because America controls the “news” media over most of the Western world, and if you read, speak or think in English, your thoughts are being manipulated.

    But,you know, don’t you think that it is pretty fucking sick for the United States to try to contain anyone? I mean, that’s what “freedom” and “liberty” is supposed to be all about. It’s supposed to be a “live and let live”, and only fight at the very last possible moment when someone gets up in your face…

    Instead, the US is out in everyone else’s face and “laying down the law”.

    Like this…

    Contain Russia

    Contain China

    Contain Iran

    People! this is all very fucked up.

    A schoolyard bully located in The state of Alabama purportedly assaulted a 9-year-old female, resulting in the girl having a major concussion, a pair of black eyes in addition to a head rife with bruises. Institution authorities were adamant that this particular young lady had not been picked on, rather these bruises were self-inflicted and that the girl had some personality “issues”. Not that a bully had beat her to a pulp.

    .

    That’s what the USA is today.

    It’s a big bully, and when anyone tries to point it out, the toadies of the bully come up with all kinds of excuses.

    It is NOT, not, not sustainable.

    And unless it stops, and stops quickly, someone’s nose is going to get awfully bloody.

    Unless the bullying stops, some of the victims of the bullies are going to rise up and go “Sandy Hook” on their asses.

    Here's a pretty good article. It's worth the read, don't you know. It's By Andrew Korybko, and all credit to him. It was edited to fit this venue.

    Here’s The 20-Point Plan For How Russia Could Contain The US

    Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov’s dramatic declaration that his country “will pursue the policy of active containment of the US on all fronts” if American pressure on Russia doesn’t soon end inspired a unique 20-point plan for what this could look like in practice.

    Russia’s Anti-American Containment Policy

    Russia finally appears to be serious about “decoupling” from the West after over half a decade of its well-intended and passionate efforts to enter into a rapprochement with it following the onset of the Ukrainian Crisis.

    This event was a game-changer which would push Russia to accelerate its foreign policy diversification strategy towards non-Western countries, especially those in the Global South.

    Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov is evidently very serious about this after dramatically declaring in February 2021 that his country “will pursue the policy of active containment of the US on all fronts” if American pressure on Russia doesn’t soon end.

    He promised to [1] prevent foreign meddling in his country’s democratic processes, [2] promote multipolarity across the world, and [3] impose counter-sanctions on the US.

    Markov’s 10 Euro-Centric Proposals

    Prior to Ryabkov’s policy announcement, Russian expert Sergey Markov predicted ten ways in which his country could respond to more EU sanctions against it. As Google Translated into English from his original Facebook post and slightly edited for clarity, these are:

    1. Russia may recognize the DPR and the LPR and accelerate their integration into Russia;

    2. Russia may impose strict sanctions in the economy against the EU;

    3. Russia may cease to consider the interests of Europe in Syria and Libya;

    4. Russia may impose strict restrictions on the work of Russian-speaking media that are supported by the EU;

    5. Russia may limit the work of NGOs, with which the EU tries to influence Russian public opinion;

    6. Russia may tighten the position regarding the Russophobic regime in Ukraine and start working on its elimination and replacement with a pro-Russian government;

    7. Russia may switch its economic projects from the EU to other countries, especially the East;

    8. Russia may significantly increase its military resources in the Kaliningrad region and other regions close to the EU;

    9. Russia may begin to react significantly more strictly to the Russophobic policies of EU countries such as Poland, the Baltic countries, Romania;

    10. Russia may dramatically reduce consultations with France and Germany on important global strategic issues. This will reduce the impact of France and Germany in the world.”

    Korybko’s 10 Non-Western Proposals

    I regard all ten of his proposals as viable options.

    However, you have to understand and believe that they are (never the less) quite Euro-centric and reactionary.

    For that reason, here are ten non-Western ones that could prospectively be paired with Markov’s and pursued even in the event that the West temporarily stops provoking Russia:

    1. Rigorously implement “Democratic Security” at home to safeguard Russia’s domestic political processes in accordance with Ryabkov’s vision;

    2. Thoroughly articulate the unofficial national ideology of multipolarity and actively promote these views abroad through foreign policy & civil society outreaches, including through academia and the media;

    3. Export bespoke “Democratic Security” solutions to at-risk Global South states modeled off of the Central African Republic, Congo Republic, and Togo precedents to help defend others from US Hybrid War threats;

    4. Double down on “military diplomacy” with China through increased cutting-edge arms sales and joint military drills in order to send a message of unwavering security solidarity with the People’s Republic;

    5. Pull out all the stops in seeking to jointly lead a new Non-Aligned Movement (“Neo-Nam”) with India in order to restore “balance” via tripolarity to the increasingly bipolar world that defines the US-Chinese New Cold War;

    6. Prioritize progress on the N-CPEC+/RuPak Corridor in order to fulfill President Putin’s envisioned Arctic-Indian Ocean corridor that he first publicly proposed in October 2019 while speaking at the Valdai Club;

    7. Ensure that Azerbaijani President Aliyev’s six-country regional integration platform is a success in turning the South Caucasus into the zone of geostrategic convergence between Russia, Iran, and Turkey;

    8. Bring together steps 4-7 to ultimately create an expanded Golden Ring in the Eurasian Heartland which would function as the center of gravity for the emerging Multipolar World Order;

    9. Continue practicing “vaccine diplomacy” to creatively establish strategic inroads in non-traditional partners that could then be courted to contribute to the collective cause of multipolarity;

    10. Fulfill “Russia’s Five Most Important Tasks For Surviving World War C” and do everything to ensure that the entire world is aware of the significant insight that President Putin shared about this during his Davos speech.

    Concluding Thoughts on Russia

    Ryabkov’s official announcement that Russia is seriously countenancing the creation of an anti-American containment strategy proves that the Kremlin is finally fed up with the West’s games.

    Markov’s prior ten proposals for how his country could react to the potential EU-initiated worsening of bilateral relations are thought-provoking and deserve to be considered.

    However thy are nevertheless Euro-centric and reactionary.

    The addition of these other points, which are non-Western in focus can be added to the mix. As such they can be proactively undertaken even without Brussels taking the first step by sanctioning Russia.

    Taken together, this 20-point containment strategy should hopefully give Russian decision makers a better understanding of the full range of options available to them.

    They probably won’t implement every proposal, but it’s likely that at least some of them will see the light of day, though it might still take time for their effects to be felt as would be the case with my long-term policy suggestions.

    Comments

    Is the greater public ever going to get a clear view of the difference behind the "rules based order" of the West (we own the money system and make the rules) and the negotiated International law based order?
    
    Posted by: psychohistorian | Apr 20 2021 17:05 utc | 4

    You know, most American don’t have a clue to what is going on in Russia. it’s the same thing about China. It’s been a near non-stop hate-fest against Shina for the last five years, and yet the American (and Western) readership still hasn’t a clue as to anything. It’s all the same old nonsense.

    And they are all falling for it. It’s like this…

    Well…

    These other nations are fed up.

    They are linking together. They are investing time and money and doing so with very little “fan fare” and publicity. You might read about one thing or the others in your travels of daily “news” reading. But that’s about it. You read about a rail line in Pakistan, and an oil pipeline in the Black Sea. But since most people don’t know geography or history they have no context to put everything into context.

    Russia has stopping playing games.

    China has stopped playing games.

    They have set things up for a big “spring loaded” global powers reset, and are just waiting for the USA-led Western powers to walk into the trap.

    Mouse Trap.

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    The Dunning-Kruger effect on an actual MAJestic disclosure.

    Many drive-by visitors to Metallicman often raise their noses and proclaim “I’ve seen it all before”, and then leave. They don’t stick around and really study what is being presents. They just assume that it’s just another ‘same old”, “same old”, and thus not worthy of their time.

    A lesser person might be upset.

    But I know, and most long time MM readers know, that this is all an illusion.

    The people who come and stay are here for the content, and the juicy nuggets of gold that you won’t find anywhere else.

    Arthur Schopenhauer famously observed that talent hits a target that no one else can hit, but genius hits a target that no one else can see.

    We now know that, through the Dunning-Kruger effect, each of us is limited by cognition: anything more complex than our minds can grasp appears as ludicrous bizarre gibberish to us.

    Let. That. Sink. In.

    Can you fly a “Frisbee”? If not, then why?

    Knowledge and skills are learned. And that includes the ability to reason, to plan, and to sort things out.

    This creates a framework of genius as that which notices the obvious but ignored. As explained in the biography of a famous gun designer, high cognitive ability seems mystifying until the results are seen:

    It is often said in the industry that small arms now are designed by committee. But the design process will always need that one unique person, the imaginative individual with a new way of looking at a problem. 

    Eugene Stoner was the man with the ideas who passed them on to the design committees. According to a long-time friend and colleague, Stoner was “the master of the obvious”. “When he came up with an idea you would ask yourself, ‘Why didn’t I think of that?’ But you didn’t.”

    Most people cannot see genius.

    To them, it appears as an oddity, something incomprehensible, and when it succeeds, they hate it. The last three centuries in the West have been a rebellion against genius, replacing it with inferior substitutes like navel-gazing novels, pop culture, and modern art.

    Face it.

    People who have genius capability are shunned and thwarted in society.

    Yet, early on, Western Civilization succeeded because it embraced genius. Under the kings, those of great potential were subsidized so that all could enjoy their insights.

    Not so today.

    Under democracy, they are treated with suspicion and thrust into the workforce, where they often flounder.  Individual genius is a fast train ticket to oblivion and poverty.

    If we are to rise again, much of our focus must be on finding good people instead of trying to regulate mediocre people with complex systems in the Asiatic model. In the meantime, it helps to recognize that genius is most commonly unrecognized except by those on its level.

    The Dunning-Kruger effect

    The Dunning–Kruger effect is a hypothetical cognitive bias stating that people with low ability at a task overestimate their ability. As described by social psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger, the bias results from an internal illusion in people of low ability and from an external misperception in people of high ability; that is, "the miscalibration of the incompetent stems from an error about the self, whereas the miscalibration of the highly competent stems from an error about others". It is related to the cognitive bias of illusory superiority and comes from people's inability to recognize their lack of ability. Without the self-awareness of metacognition, people cannot objectively evaluate their level of competence.

    -Wikipedia

    The Dunning-Kruger effect states that incompetent people are also incompetent in assessing their own performance.

    Let. That. Sink. In.

    Therefore, less competent people think their performance is competent, while smarter people focus on their own flaws.

    It explains, among other things, how in a society that places too much value on image, idiots and insane people are able to get ahead by overestimating their value and getting fools to agree with them.

    The essence of the Dunning-Kruger effect is that “ignorance more frequently begets confidence than knowledge.” 

    Studies have shown that the most incompetent individuals are the ones that are most convinced of their competence.

    At work this translates into lots of incompetent people who think they are superstars.

    And what is worse is that if you have a manager that doesn’t closely supervise work, he or she may judge performance based on outward appearances using information like the confidence with which these incompetent blockheads speak.
    An important corollary of this effect is that the most competent people often underestimate their competence. 

    This is a result of how you frame knowledge.

    The more you know, the more you focus on what you don’t know. For instance, people who can name 15 of the 50 state capitals tend to think “I know 15.” People who know 45 of the 50 state capitals tend to think “I don’t know 5.”1

    Dunning and Kruger, two researchers at Cornell University, described their findings in a paper entitled “Unskilled and Unaware Of It: How Difficulties In Recognising Ones Own Incompetence Lead To Inflated Self-Assessments” in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

    Their conclusions can be summarized this way:

    Incompetent individuals…

    1. Tend to overestimate their own level of skill,
    2. Fail to recognize genuine skill in others,
    3. Fail to recognize the extremity of their inadequacy,
    4. If they can be trained to substantially improve their own skill level, these individuals can recognize and acknowledge their own previous lack of skill.
    Translation: 
    Without leadership at the top of the curve who is willing to call people on their incompetence, the incompetents will appear competent to other incompetents and be advanced, possibly even to the presidency.

    This causes a mathematical problem for democracies since most people are not particularly competent at leadership, government or logical argument, meaning they are both unable to assess the best leadership choices and sure that they’re right.

    It’s essentially similar to the Downing effect:

    One of the main effects of illusory superiority in IQ is the Downing effect. This describes the tendency of people with a below average IQ to overestimate their IQ, and of people with an above average IQ to underestimate their IQ. 

    The propensity to predictably misjudge one’s own IQ was first noted by C. L. Downing who conducted the first cross-cultural studies on perceived ‘intelligence’.
    His studies also evidenced that the ability to accurately estimate others’ IQ was proportional to one’s own IQ. This means that the lower the IQ of an individual, the less capable they are of appreciating and accurately appraising others’ IQ. Therefore individuals with a lower IQ are more likely to rate themselves as having a higher IQ than those around them. Conversely, people with a higher IQ, while better at appraising others’ IQ overall, are still likely to rate people of similar IQ as themselves as having higher IQs.
    The disparity between actual IQ and perceived IQ has also been noted between genders by British psychologist Adrian Furnham, in whose work there was a suggestion that, on average, men are more likely to overestimate their intelligence by 5 points, while women are more likely to underestimate their IQ by a similar margin.2

    That tendency could go a long way toward explaining why many successful societies have relied on strong leaders who had no problem beating down the incompetent with force.

    Unless suppressed, the 90% of humanity who per the “Bell Curve” are unskilled and unaware of it will take over and, being incompetent, run society into the ground.

    In addition, while people can be taught specific tasks, they cannot be taught to reason in general; education does not raise IQ and in the process of trying, becomes dumbed-down to the point where no one intelligent will get any benefit from it, which discriminates against the intelligent.

    Conclusion

    The conclusion is obvious.

    When you combine the Bell Curve, the Dunning-Kruger and Downing effects, and the natural tendency of human beings to compromise, you have a working explanation why human societies inevitably begin the pursuit of a “race to the bottom” once they become powerful enough to stop losing so many people to natural events, disease and war.

    A case in point is the United States…

    You do know that in the movie “Idiocracity”, all Starbucks coffee comes with a “full release”. LOL.

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    Mars is Heaven! by Ray Bradbury (Full text)

    Here is a nice story to get your mind off of whatever it might be on right now. Please relax, fix yourself a nice coffee, tea, or beer… get into your most comfortable chair, and relax.

    MARS IS HEAVEN!

    by Ray Bradbury

    The ship came down from space. It came from the stars and the black velocities, and the shining movements, and the silent gulfs of space. It was a new ship; it had fire in its body and men in its metal cells, and it moved with a clean silence, fiery and warm. In it were seventeen men, including a captain.

    The crowd at the Ohio field had shouted and waved their hands up into the sunlight, and the rocket bad bloomed out great flowers of beat and cobs and run away into space on the third voyage to Mars!

    Now it was decelerating with metal efficiency in the upper Martian atmospheres. It was still a thing of beauty and strength. It had moved in the midnight waters of space like a pale sea leviathan; it had passed the ancient moon and thrown itself onward into one nothingness following another. The men within it had been battered,, thrown about, sickened, made well again, each in his turn. One man had died, but now the remaining sixteen, with their eyes clear in their heads and their faces pressed to the thick glass ports, watched Mars swing up under them.

    “Mars! Mars! Good old Mars, here we are!” cried Navigator Lustig.
    “Good old Mars!” said Samuel Hinkston, archaeologist.
    “Well,” said Captain John Black.

    The ship landed softly. on a lawn of green grass. Outside, upon the lawn, stood an iron deer. Further up the lawn, a tall brown Victorian house sat in the quiet sunlight, all covered with scrolls and rococo, its windows made of blue and pink and yellow and green colored glass. Upon the porch were hairy geraniums and an old swing which was hooked into the porch ceiling and which now swung back and forth, back and forth, in a little breeze.

    At the top of the house was a cupola with diamond, leaded-glass windows, and a dunce-cap roof! Through the front window you could see an ancient piano with yellow keys and a piece of music titled Beautiful Ohio sitting on the music rest.

    Around the rocket in four directions spread the little town, green and motionless in the Martian spring, There were white houses and red brick ones, and tall elm trees blowing in the wind, and tall maples and horse chestnuts. And church steeples with golden bells silent in them.

    The men in the rocket looked out and saw this. Then they looked at one another and then they looked out again. They held on~ to each other’s elbows, suddenly unable to breathe, it seemed. Their faces grew pale and they blinked constantly, running from glass port to glass port of the ship.

    “I’ll be damned,” whispered Lustig, rubbing his face with his numb fingers, his eyes wet. “Ill be thinned, damned, damned.’~

    “It can~t be, it just can’t be,” said Samuel Hinkston.
    “Lord,” said Captain John Black.
    There was a call from the chemist. “Sir, the atmosphere is fine for
    breathing, sir.” –

    Black turned slowly. “Are you sure?’
    “No doubt of it, sir.”
    “Then we’ll go. out,” said Lustig.
    “Lord, yes,” said Samuel Hinkston.
    “Hold on,” said Captain John Black. “Just a moment, Nobody gave any orders.”
    “But, sir-.-”
    “Sir, nothing. How do we know what this is?”

    “We know what it is, sir,” said the chemist. “It’s a small town with good air in it, sir.”
    “And it’s a small town the like of Earth towns,” said Samuel Hinkston,
    the archaeologist. “Incredible. it~ can’t be, but it is.”
    Captain John Black looked at him, idly. “Do you think that the civilizations of two planets can progress at the same rate and evolve in the same way, Hinkston?”

    “I wouldn’t have thought so, sir.”
    Captain Black stood by the port. “Look out there. The geraniums. A specialized plant. That specific variety has only been known on Earth for fifty years. Think of the thousands of years of time it takes to evolve plants. Then tell me if it is logical that the Martians should have: one, leaded glass windows; two, cupolas; three, porch swings; four, an instrument that looks like, a . piano and probably is a piano; and, five, if you look closely, . if a Martian composer would have published a piece of music titled, strangely enough, Beautiful Ohio. All of which means that we have an Ohio River here on Marst”

    “It is quite strange, sir.”
    “Strange, hell, it’s absolutely impossible, and I suspect the whole bloody shooting setup. Something’s wrong here, and I’m not leaving the ship until I know what it is.”

    “Oh, sir,” said Lustig.
    “Dam it,” said Samuel Hinkston. “Sir, I want to investigate this at first hand. It may be that there are similar patterns of thought, movement, civilization on every planet in our system. We may be on the threshold of the great psychological and metaphysical discovery In our time, sir, don’t you think?”

    “I’m willing to wait a moment,” said Captain. John Black. – “It may be, sir, that we are looking upon a phenomenon that, for the first time, would absolutely prove the existence of a God, sir.”
    “There are many people who are of good faith without such proof, Mr. Hinkston.”

    “I’m one myself, sir. But certainly a thing like this, out there,” said Hinkston, “could not occur without divine intervention, sir. It fills me with such terror and elation I’ don’t know whether to laugh or cry, sir.”
    “Do neither,. then, until we know what we’re up against.”

    “Up against, sir?” inquired Lustig. “I see that we’re up against nothing.

    It’s a good quiet, green town, much like the one I was born in, and I like the looks of It.”
    “When were you born, Lustig?” –
    – “In- 1910, sfr.”
    “That makes you fifty years old, now, doesn’t it?”
    “This being 1960, yes, sir.”
    – “And you, Hinkston?”
    “1920, sir. In Illinois. And this looks swell to me, sir.”

    “This couldn’t be Heaven,” said the captain, ironically. “Though, I must admit, it looks peaceful and cool, and pretty much like Green Bluff, where I was born, in 1915.”
    lie looked at the chemist. “The air’s all right, is it?”
    “Yes, sir.”
    ‘Well, then, tell you what we’ll do. Lustig, you and Ilinkston and I will fetch ourselves out to look this town over. The other 14 men will stay aboard ship. If’ anything untoward happens, lift ‘the Ship ‘and get the hell out, do you bear what I say, Craner?”

    “Yes, sir. The hell out we’ll go, sir. Leaving you?”,
    “A loss of three men’s better than a whole ship. If something bad happens get back to Earth and warn the next Rocket, that’s Lingle’s Rocket, I think, which will be completed and ready to take off some time around next Christmas, what he has to meet up with. If there’s something hostile about Mars we certainly want the next expedition to be well armed.”

    “So are we, sir. We’ve got a regular arsenal with us.”
    “Tell the ‘men to stand by the guns, then, as. Lustig and Hinkston and I go out,”
    “Right, sir.”
    “Come along, Lustig, Hinkston.”
    The three men walked together, down through the levels of the ship.

    It was a beautiful spring day. A robin sat on a blossoming apple tree and sang continuously. Showers of petal snow sifted down when the wind touched the apple tree, and the blossom smell drifted upon the air. Somewhere in the town, somebody was playing the piano and the music came and went, came and went, softly, drowsily. The song was Beautiful Dreamer. Somewhere else, a phonograph, scratchy and faded, was hissing out a record of Roamin’ In The Gloamin,’ sung by Harry Lapder.

    The three men stood outside the ship. The port closed behind them. At every window, a face pressed, looking out. The large metal guns pointed this way and that, ready.
    Now the phonograph record being played was:


    “Oh give me a June night
    The moonlight and you—”

    Lustig began to tremble. Samuel Hinkston did likewise.
    Hinkston’s voice was so feeble and uneven that the captain had to ask him to repeat what he had said. “I said, sir, that I think I have solved this, all of this, sir!”
    “And what is the solution, Hinkston?”

    The soft wind blew. The sky was serene and quiet and somewhere a stream of water ran through the cool caverns and tree-shadings of a ravine.

    Somewhere a horse and wagon trotted and rolled by, bumping.

    “Sir, it must be, it has to be, this is the only solution!
    Rocket travel began to Mars in the years before the first’ World War, sir!” S
    The captain stared at his archaeologist. “No!”

    “But, yes, sir! You must admit, look at all of this! How else explain it, the houses, the lawns, the iron deer, the flowers, the pianos, the music!”

    “Hinkston, Hinkston, oh,” and the captain put his hand to his face, shaking his head, his hand shaking no , his lips blue.

    “Sir, listen to me.” Hinkston took his elbow persuasively and looked up into the captain’s face, pleading. “Say that there -were some people in the year 1905, perhaps, who hated wars and wanted to get away from Earth and they got together, some scientists, in secret, and built a rocket and came out here to Mars.”

    “No, no, Hinkston.”
    “Why not? The world was a different place in 1905, they could have kept
    -it a secret much more easily.”

    “But the work, Hinkston, the work of building a complex thing like a rocket, oh, no, no.” The captain looked at his shoes, looked -at his hands, looked at the houses, and then at Hinkston.

    “And they caine up here, and haturally the houses they built were similar to Earth houses because they
    brought the cultural -~architecture with them, and here it is!”

    “And they’ve lived here all these years?” said the captain.
    “In peace and quiet, sir, yes. Maybe they made a few trips, to bring enough people here for one small town, and then stopped, for fear of being discovered. That’s why the town seems so old-fashioned. I don’t see a thing,
    myself, that is older than the year 1927, do you?”

    “No, frankly, I don’t, Hinkston.”
    “These are our people, sir. This is an American city; it’s definitely not
    European!”
    “That—that’s right, too, Hinkston.”
    “Or maybe, just maybe, sir, rocket travel is older than we think. Perhaps it started in some part of the world hundreds of years ago, was discovered and kept secret by a small number of men, and they came to Mars, with only occasional visits to Earth over the centuries.”

    “You make it sound almost reasonable.”
    “it is, sir. It has to be. We have the proof here before us, all we have ‘to do now, is find some people and verify it!”

    “You’re right- there, of course. We can’t just stand here and talk. Did’ you bring your gun?”
    “Yes, but we won’t need it.”
    “We’ll see about it. Come along, we’ll ring that doorbell and see if anyone is home.”

    Their boots were deadened of all sound in the thick green grass. It smelled from a fresh mowing. In spite of himself, Captain John Black felt a great peace come over him. It had been thirty years since he had  een in a small’ town, and the buzzing of spring bees on the air lulled and quieted him, and the fresh look of things was a balm to the soul.

    Hollow echoes sounded from under the boards as they walked across the porch and stood before the screen door. Inside, they could see a bead curtain hung across the hall entry, and a crystal chandelier and a Maxfleld Parrish painting framed on one wall over a comfortable Morris, Chair. The house smelled old, and of the attic, and infinitely comfortable. You could hear the tinkle of ice rattling in a lemonade pitcher~ In a distant kitchen, because of the day, someone was preparing a soft, lemon drieL – –

    Captain’ John Black rang the bell.
    Footsteps, dainty and thin, came along the hail and a kind-faced lady of some forty years, dressed in the sort of dress you might expect in the year 1909, peered out at them.
    “Can I help you?” she asked.
    “Beg your pardon,” said Captain Black, uncertainly.
    “But we’re looking for, that is, could you help us, I mean.” He stopped. She looked out at him with dark wondering eyes.
    “If you’re selling something,” she said, “I’m much too busy and I haven’t time.” She turned to go.

    “No, wail,” he cried bewilderingly. “What town is this?”
    She looked him up and down as if he were crazy.
    “What do you mean, what town is it? How could you be in a town and not know what town it was?”
    The captain looked as if he wanted to go sit under a shady apple tree. “I beg your pardon,” he said, “But we’re strangers here. We’re from Earth, and we want to know how this town got here and you’ got here.”

    “Are you census takers?” she asked.
    “No,” be said. –
    “What do you want then?” she demanded.
    “Well,” said the captain.
    “Well?” she asked. -‘
    “How long has this town been here?” he wondered.
    “It was built in 1868,” she snapped at them. “Is this a game?”
    “No, not a game,” cried the captain. “Oh, God,” – be said. “Look here.
    We’re from Earth”
    “From where?” she said.

    ‘Prom Earth!” he said. –
    “Where’s that?” she said.
    “From Earth,” he cried. ‘ –
    “Out of the ground, do you mean?”
    “No, from the planet Earth!” he almost shouted.
    “Here,” she insisted, “come out on the porch and I’ll show you.” , –
    “No,” she said, “I won’t come out there, you are all evidently quite mad
    from the sun.”

    Lustig and Hinkston stood behind the captain. Hinkston now spoke up.

    “Mrs.,” he said. ‘We came in a flying ship across space, among the stars. We came from the third planet from the sun, Earth, to tb-is planet, which is Mars.

    Now do you understand, Mrs.?”
    “Mad from the sun,” she said, taking hold of the door. “Go away now, before I call my husband who’s upstairs taking a nap, and he’ll beat you all with his fists.”
    “But—” said Hinkston. “This is Mars, is it not?”

    “This,” explained the woman, as if she were addressing a child, “is Green Lake, Wisconsin, on the continent of America, surrounded by the Pacific and ~Atlantic Oceans, on a place called the world, or sometimes, the Earth. Go away now. Good-bye!”
    She slammed the door. –

    -The three men stood before the door with their hands up in the air toward it, as if pleading with her to open it once more.

    They looked at one another.
    – “Let’s knock the door down,” said Lustig.
    “We can’t,” sighed the captain.
    “Why not?”

    “She didn’t do anything bad, did she? We’re the strangers here. This is private property. Good God, Hinkstonl” He went and sat down on the porchstep.
    “What, sir?”

    Did it ever strike you, that maybe we got ourselves, somehow, some way, fouled up. And, by accident, came back and landed on Earth!”

    “Oh, sir, oh, sir, oh oh, sir.” And Hinkston sat down numbly and thought about it.
    Lustig stood up in the sunlight. “How could we have done that?”
    “I don’t know, just let me think.”

    }Iinkston said, “But we checked every mile of the way, and we saw Mars and our chronometers said so many miles ‘gone, and we went past the moon and out into space and here we are, on Mars. I’m sure we’re on Mars, ‘ sir.” Lustig said, “But, suppose that, by accident, in space, in time, or something, we landed on a planet in space, in another time.

    Suppose this is Earth, thirty or fifty years ago? Maybe we got lost in the dimensions, do you think?”

    “Oh, go away, Lustig.” -‘
    “Are the men in the ship keeping an eye on us, Hink..

    ston?” , –
    “At their guns, sir.”

    Lustig went to the door, rang the bell. When the door opened again, he asked, ‘What year is this?’ –
    “1926, of, course!” cried the woman, furiously, and slammed the door again. “Did you bear that?” Lustig ran back to them, wildly, “She said 1926! We – have gone back in time. This is Earth!”

    Lustig sat down and the three men let the wonder and terror of the thought afflict them. Their hands stirred fitfully on their knees. The wind blew, nodding the locks of hair on their heads.

    The captain stood up, brushing off his pants. “I never thought it would be like this. It scares the hell out of me. How ‘can a thing like this happen?”

    “Will anybody in the whole town believe us?” wondered Hinkston.
    “Are we playing around with something dangerous? Time, I mean. Shouldn’t we just take off and go home?”
    “No. We’ll try another house.”

    They walked three houses down to a little white cottage under an oak tree. “I like to be as logical as I can’ get,” said the captain, He nodded at the town. “How does this sound to you, Hinkston? Suppose, as you- said  originally, that rocket travel occurred years ago. And when the Earth people had lived here a number of years they began to get homesick for Earth. First a mild neurosis about it, then a full-fledged psychosis. Then, threatened insanity. What would you do, as a psychiatrist, if fated with such a problem?”
    – –
    Hinkston thought. “Well, I think I’d re-arrange the civilization on Mars so it resembled Earth more and more each day. If there was any way of reproducing every plant, every road and every lake, and even an ocean, I would do so. Then I would, by some vast crowd hypnosis, theoretically anyway, convince  veryone in a town this size that this really was Earth, not Mars at all.”

    “Good enough, Hinkston. I think we’re on the right track now. That woman in that house back there, just’ minks she’s living on Earth. It protects ‘her sanity. She and all the others in this town are the patients of the greatest experiment in migration and hypnosis you will ever lay your eyes on in your life.” –

    “That’s it, sir!” cried Lustig.
    “Well,” the captain sighed. “Now we’re getting some- – where. I feel better. It all sounds a bit more logical now. This talk about time and going back and forth and traveling in time turns my stomach upside
    down. But, this way—”- He actually smiled for the first time in a month. “Well. It looks as if we’ll be fairly welcome here.”

    “Or, will we, sir?” said Lustig. “After all, like the Pilgrims, these people came here to escape Earth. Maybe they won’t be too happy to see us, sir Maybe they’ll try to drive us ~out or kill us?”

    ‘We have superior weapons if that should happen. Anyway, all we can do is try. This next house now. Up we go.”

    But they had hardly crossed the lawn when Lustig stopped and looked off across the town, down the quiet, dreaming afternoon street. “Sir,” he said.

    “What is it, Lustig?” asked the captain.

    “Oh, sir, sir, what I see, what I do see now before me, oh, oh—” said Lustig, and he began to cry. His fingers came up, twisting and trembling, and his face was all wonder and joy and incredulity. He sounded as if any moment he might go quite insane with happiness. He looked down the street and he began to run, stumbling awkwardly, falling, picking himself up, and running on. “Oh, God, God, thank you, God! Thank you!”

    – “Don’t let him get away!” The captain broke into a run.
    Now Lustig was running at full speed, shouting. He turned into a yard half way down the little shady side street and leaped up upon the porch of a large green house with an iron rooster on the roof

    He was beating upon the door, shouting and hollering and crying when Hinkston and the captain ran up and stood in the yard, The door opened. Lustig yanked the screen wide and in a high wail of discovery and happiness, cried out, “Grandma! Grandpa!” –

    Two old people stood in the doorway, their faces light. lug up.
    “Albert!” Their voices piped and they rushed out to embrace and pat him on the back and move around him, “Albert, oh, Albert, it’s been so many years! How you’ve grown, boy, how big you ate, boy, oh,  lbert boy, how are you!”

    “Grandma, Grandpa!” sobbed Albert Lustig. “Good to see you! You look fine, fine! Oh, fine.” He held them, turned them, kissed them, hugged them, cried on them, held them out again, blinked at the little old people.- The, sun was in the sky, the wind blew, the grass was green, the screen door stood
    open.

    “Come in, lad, come in, there’s lemonade for you,fresh, lots of- it!”

    “Grandma, Grandpa, good to see you! I’ve got- friends down here!

    Here!” Lustig turned and waved wildly at the captain and Hinkston, who, all during the adventure on the porch, had stood in’ the shade of a tree, holding onto each other. “Captain, captain, come up, come up, I want you to meet my grandfolks!”

    “Howdy,” said the folks. “Any- friend of Albert’s is ours, too! Don’t stand there with your mouths open Come on!”

    In the living room of the old house it was cool and a grandfather clock ticked high and long and bronzed in one corner. There were soft pillows on large couches and walls filled with books and a rug cut in a thick rose pattern and antimacassars pinned to furniture, and lemonade in the hand, sweating, and cool on the thirsty tongue. “Here’s to our health.” Grandma tipped her glass to her porcelain teeth. – –

    “How long you been here, Grandma?” said Lustig.
    “A good many years,” she said, tartly. “Ever since we died.”
    “Ever since you what?” asked Captain John Black, putting his drink down. – –
    “Oh, yes,” Lustig looked at his captain. “They’ve been dead thirty years.”

    “And you sit there, calmly!” cried the captain.
    “Tush,” said the old woman, and winked glitteringly – at John Black. “Who are we to question what happens?

    Here we are. What’s life, anyways? Who does what for why and where? All we know is here we are, alive again, and no questions -asked. A second chance.”
    She toddled over and held out her -thin wrist to Captain John Black.
    “Feel” He felt.~ “Solid, ain’t I?” she ask~ed. He nodded.
    “You hear my voice, don’t you?” she inquired. Yes, he did. “Well, then,” she said in triumph, “why go around questioning?”
    “Well,” said the captain, “it’s simply that we never thought we’d find a
    thing like this on Mars.”

    “And now you’ve found it. I dare say there’s lots on every planet that’ll show you God’s infinite ways.”
    is this Heaven?” asked Hinkston.
    “Nonsense, no. It’s a world and we get a second chance. Nobody told us why. But then nobody told us why we were on Earth, either. That other Earth, I mean. The one you came from. How do we know there wasn’t another before that one?”

    “A good question,” said the captain.
    The captain stood up and slapped his hand on his leg in an off-hand fashion. “We’ve got to be going. It’s been nice. Thank you for the drinks.”

    He stopped. He turned and looked toward the door, startled. ‘ –
    Far away, in the sunlight, there was a sound of voices, a crowd, a shouting and a great hello.

    “What’s that?” asked Hinkston.
    “We’ll soon find out!” And Captain John Black was out the front door abruptly, jolting across the green lawn and into the street of the Martian town.

    He stood looking at the ship. The ports were open and his crew were streaming out, waving their hands. A crowd of people had gathered and in and through and among these people the members of the crew were running, talking, laughing, shaking hands. People did little dances. People swarmed. The rocket lay – empty and abandoned.

    A brass band exploded in the sunlight, flinging off a gay tune from upraised tubas and trumpets. There was a bang of drums and a shrill of fifes. Little girls with golden hair jumped up and down. Little boys shouted, “Hoorayl” And fat men passed around ten-cent cigars. The mayor of the town made a speech. Then, each member of the crew with a mother on one -arm, a father or sister on the other, was spirited off down the street, into little cottages or big mansions and doors slammed shut.

    The wind rose in the clear spring sky and all was silent. The brass band had banged off around a corner leaving the rocket to shine and dazzle alone in the sunlight.

    “Abandoned!” cried the captain. “Abandoned the ship, they did! I’ll have their skins; by God! They had orders!”
    “Sir,” said Lustig. “Don’t be too -hard on them. Those were all old relatives and friends.”

    “That’s no excuse!” – –
    “Think how they felt, captain, seeing familiar faces outside the ship!” –
    “I would have obeyed orders! I would have~!’ The captain’s mouth
    remained open.

    Striding along the sidewalk – under the Martian sun, tall, smiling, eyes blue, face tan, came a young man of some twenty-six years. –
    “John!” the man cried, and broke into a run.
    “What?” said Captain .John Black. He swayed. –

    “John, you old beggar, you!”
    The man ran up and gripped his hand and slapped him
    on the back. –
    “It’s you,” said John Black.
    “Of course, who’d you think it was!” –
    “Edward!” The captain appealed now to Lustig and Hinkston, holding the stranger’s hand. “This is my brother – Edward. Ed, meet my men, Lustig, Hinkston My brother!” – – –
    They tugged at each other’s hands and arms and then finally embraced.

    “Ed!” “John, you old bum, you!” “You!re locking fine, Ed, but, Ed, what .is this? You haven’t ,changed over the years. You died, I remember, when you were twenty-six, and 1 was nineteen, oh God,
    so many years ago, and here you are, and, Lord, what goes on, what goes on?”

    Edward Black gave him a brotherly knock on the chin.
    “Mom’s waiting,” he said.
    “Mom?”
    “And Dad, too.”
    – “And Dad?” The- captain almost fell to earth as if hit upon the chest with a mighty weapon. He walked stiffly and awkwardly, out of coordination. He stuttered and whispered and talked only one or two  ords at a time.

    “Mom alive? Dad? Where?”
    “At the old house on Oak Knoll Avenue.” –
    “The old house.” The captain stared in delighted amazement. “Did you hear that, Lustig, Hinkston?”
    ~‘I know it’s hard for you to believe.”

    “But alive. Real.”
    “Don’t I feel real?” The strong arm, the firm grip, the white smile. The light, curling hair.
    Hinkaton was gone. He had seen his own house down the street and was running for it. Lustig was grinning.

    “Now you understand, sir, what happened to everybody on the ship. They couldn’t help themselves.”
    “Yes. Yes,” said the captain, eyes shut. “Yes.” He put out his hand.
    “When I open my eyes, you’ll be gone.” He opened his eyes. “You’re still here.
    God, Edward, you look fine!” – – –
    “Come along, lunch is waiting for you. I told Mom.” Lustig said, “Sir, Ui
    be with my grandfolks if you want me.” –

    “What? Oh, fine, Lustig. Later, then.”
    Edward grabbed his arm and marched him. “You need support.” –
    “I do. My knees, all funny. My stomach, loose. God.”

    “There’s the house. Remember it?” –
    “Remember it? Hell! I bet I can beat you to the front porch!” –

    They ran. The wind roared over Captain John Black’s ears. The earth roared -under his feet. He saw the golden figure of Edward Black pull ahead of him in the amazing dream of reality. He saw the house rush- forward, the door open, the screen swing back. “Beat you!” cried Edward, – bounding up the steps. “I’m an old man,” panted the captain, “and you’re still young. But, then, you always beat me, I remember!”

    In the doorway, Mom, pink, and plump and bright. And behind her, pepper grey, Dad, with his pipe in his hand.

    “Mom, Dad!”
    He ran up -the steps like a child, to meet them.

    It was a fine long afternoon. They finished lunch and they sat in the living room and he told them all about his rocket and his being captain and they nodded and smiled upon him and Mother was just the same, and Dad bit the end off a cigar and lighted it in his old fashion. Mom brought in some iced tea in the middle of the afternoon. Then, there was a big turkey dinner at night and time flowing oil. When the drumsticks were sucked clean and lay brittle upon the plates, the captain leaned back in his chair and exhaled his deep contentment. Dad poured him a small glass of dry sherry. It was seven thirty in the evening. Night was in all the trees and coloring the sky, and the lamps were halos of dim light in the gentle house. From all the other houses down the streets came sounds of music; pianos playing, laughter.

    Mom put a record on the victrola and she and Captain John Black bad a – dance. She was wearing the same perfume he remembered from the summer when she and Dad had been killed in the train accident. She was very real in his arms as they danced lightly to the music. –

    “I’ll wake in the morning,” said the captain. “And I’ll be in my rocket in space, and this will be gone.”
    “No, no, don’t think that,” she cried, softly, pleadingly~ “We’re here.
    Don’t question. God is good to- us. Let’s be happy.”

    The record ended with a – hissing.
    “You’re tired, son,” said Dad. He waved his pipe. “You and Ed go on
    upstairs. Your old bedroom is waiting for you.” . – –
    “The old one?”
    “The brass bed and all,” laughed Edward.
    “But I should report my men in.”
    “Why?” Mother was logical
    “Why? Well, I don’t know. No reason, I guess. No,. none at all. What’s the difference?” He shook his head.

    “I’m not being very logical these days,” –
    “Good night, son.” She kissed his cheek. “‘Night, Mom.”
    “Sleep tight, son.” Dad shook his hand.
    “Same to you, Pop.” – “It’s good to have you home.”

    “It’s good to be home.”
    He left the land of cigar smoke and perfume and books and gentle light and ascended the stairs, talking, talking with Edward. Edward pushed a door open and there was the yellow brass bed and the old semaphore banners from college days and a -very musty raccoon coat which he petted with strange, muted affection. “It’s too much,” he said faintly. “Like -being in a thunder- shower without an umbrella. Fm soaked to the skin with emotion. I’m numb. I’m tired.” –

    “A night’s sleep between cool clean sheets for you, my bucko.” Edward slapped wide the snowy linens and flounced the pillows. Then he put up a window and let the night blooming jasmine float in. There was moonlight and the sound of distant dancing and whispering.

    “So this is Mars,” said the captain undressing.
    “So this is Mars.” Edward undressed in idle, leisurely moves, drawing his shirt off over his head, revealing golden shoulders and the good muscular neck. –

    – The lights were out, they were into bed, side by side, as in the days, how many decades ago? The captain lolled and was nourished by the night wind pushing the lace curtains out upon the dark room air. Among the trees, upon a lawn, someone had cranked up a portable phonograph and now it was
    playing softly, “I’ll be loving you, always,- with a love that’s true, always.”

    The thought of Anna came to his mind. “Is Anna here?”
    His brother, lying straight out in the moonlight from the window,waited and then said, “Yes. She’s out of town. But she’ll be here in the morning.” –
    The captain shut his eyes. “I want to see Anna very much?’ –
    The room was square and quiet except for their breathing. “Good night, Ed.”
    A pause. “Good night, John.”

    He lay peacefully, letting his thoughts float. For the — first time the stress of the day was -moved aside, all of the excitement was calmed. He could think logically now. It had all been emotion. The bands playing, the sight – of familiar faces, the sick pounding of your heart. But—

    now… –

    How? He thought. How was all this made? And why? For what purpose?

    Out of the goodness of some kind God? Was God, then, really that fine and thoughtful of his children? -How and why and what for? –

    He thought of the various theories advanced in the first heat of the afternoon by Hinkston and Lustig. He let all kinds of new theories drop in lazy pebbles down through his mind, as through a dark water, now, turning, throwing out dull flashes of white light. Mars. Earth. Mom. Dad Edward. Mars. Martians.
    Who had – lived here a thousand years ago on Mars? Martians? Or had this always been like this? Martians. He repeated the word quietly, inwardly. –

    He laughed out loud, – almost. He had the ridiculous theory, all of a sudden. It gave him a kind of chilled feeling. It was really nothing to think of, of course. Highly. improbable. Silly. Forget it. Ridiculous.

    But, he thought, Just suppose. Just suppose now, that there were Martians living on Mars and they saw our ship coming and -saw us inside our ship and hated – us. Suppose, now, just for the hell of it, that they wanted to destroy us, as invaders, as unwanted ones, and – they wanted to do it in a very clever way, so that we would be taken- off guard. Well, what would the best weapon be that a Martian could use against Earthmen with atom weapons? –

    The answer was interesting. Telepathy, hypnosis, memory and imagination. –
    Suppose all these houses weren’t real at all, – this bed not real, but only figments of my own imagination, given substance by telepathy and hypnosis by the Martians.

    Suppose these houses are really some other shape, a Martian shape, but, -by playing on my desires and wants, these Martians have made this seem like my old home town, my old house, to lull me out of my suspicions?

    What better way to fool a man, by his own emotions.

    And suppose those two people in the next room, asleep, are not my mother and- father at all. But two Martians, incredibly brilliant, with –the ability to keep me under this dreaming hypnosis all of the time?

    And that brass band, today? What a clever plan it would be. First, fool Lustig, then fool Hinkston, then gather a crowd around -the rocket ship and wave. And- all the men in the ship, seeing mothers, aunts, uncles, sweethearts dead ten, twenty years ago, naturally, disregarding orders, would rush- out and abandon the ship. What more natural?- What more unsuspecting? What more simple? A man doesn’t ask too many questions when his mother is suddenly brought back to life; he’s much too happy. And – the brass band played and everybody was taken off to private homes. And here we all are, tonight, in various houses, in various beds, with no weapons to protect us, and the rocket lies in the moonlight, empty. And wouldn’t it be horrible and terrifying to discover that all of this was part of some -great clever plan by the Martians to divide and conquer us, and kill us. Some time during the night, perhaps, my brother here on this bed, wifi change form, melt, shift, and become a one eyed, green and yellow-toothed Martian. It would be very simple for him just – to -turn over in bed and put a- knife into my heart. And in all those other houses down the street a dozen other brothers or fathers suddenly melting away and taking out knives and doing things to the unsuspecting, sleeping men of Earth. –

    His hands were shaking under the covers. His body was cold, -Suddenly it was not a theory. Suddenly he was very afraid. He lifted- himself in bed and listened. The night was very quiet. The music had stopped. The wind had died.

    His brother (?) lay sleeping beside him.

    Very carefully he lifted the sheets, rolled them back. He slipped from bed and was walking softly across the room when his brother’s voice said, “Where are you going?”

    “What?” –
    His brother’s voice was quite cold. “I said, where do you think you’re going?”
    “For a drink of water.”
    “But you’re not thirsty.”
    “Yes, yes, I am.” –
    “No, you’re not.” –
    Captain John Black broke and ran across the room.
    He screamed. He screamed twice. – He never reached- the door.

    In the morning, the brass band played a mournful dirge. From every house in the street came little solemn processions bearing long boxes and along the sun-filled street, weeping and changing, came the grandmas and grandfathers and mothers and sisters and brothers, walking -to the churchyard, where there were open holes – dug freshly and new- tombstones installed. Seventeen – holes in all, and seventeen tombstones. Three of the tombstones said, CAPTAIN JOHN BLACK, ALBERT LUSTIG, and SAMUEL HINKSTON. – – –

    The mayor made a little sad speech, his face sometimes looking like the
    mayor, sometimes looking like something else. — – – –

    Mother and Father Black were there, with Brother Edward, and they ‘cried, their faces melting now – from a familiar face into something else. – –

    Grandpa and Grandma Lustig were there, weeping~ their faces. Also shifting- like wax, – shivering as a- thing does in waves of heat on a summer day. – –

    The coffins were lowered. Somebody murmured –about “the unexpected and sudden deaths of seventeen fine men during the night—”. – – – –

    Earth was shoveled in on the coffin tops. –

    After the funeral the brass band slammed and banged into town and the crowd stood around and waved and shouted as the rocket was torn to pieces and strewn about and blown up. – –

    The End

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    The mysterious recon drones that scanned American military bases prior to the Trump bio-weapons attack in 2019

    Hows’ that for a mouthful? Yeah, it’s a long title, but it has to be. You know with what “news” has actually become over the last few decades, most Americans are the most ignorant and uninformed people on the planet. Sure they have tons and tons of media outlets… but all the outlets originate from one or two main sources. And those are all controlled by the United States government.

    Sad to say.

    Anyways…

    Grab a glass of wine and some delicious pizza and listen to a little story that I want to tell…

    Pizza and wine go together nicely.

    Firstly, for those of you that are unaware of the background, here’s a brief overview…

    • The Trump Administration was engaged in a hybrid war with China that included carpet-bombing of Chinese food and livestock with bio-weapons (8 strains). HERE.
    • It was planned to be a minimum of 8 years in duration, and 2020 was the year that was to “kick off” the “hot” (shooting) portion of the war. HERE.
    • The Coronavirus was a really devilish plot using and A-strain to inoculate four “friendly” nations, and the B-strain to attack four “enemy” nations. HERE.

    Tin foil hat stuff, eh?

    Nah.

    Let me tell you all a nice little story…

    When Donald Trump was elected there were some high hopes that a “businessman” would be able to conduct global and international trade and relationships from a business point of view with China. That is, as opposed to a political viewpoint as was displayed by the Obama administration when it was in Washington. Many nations, specifically China, believed that America would (finally) join the rest of the world in being a reasonable partner in trade and a steward for the planet.

    That did not happen.

    Instead, he staffed his administration with “hard Right” neocons and went on a ‘war footing” regarding China. Publicly, it was a series of “failed negotiations” and an increase in tariffs on Chinese made goods. Privately it was a complete “hybrid-war” gearing up for a “hot war” event that was to be “kicked off” in late 2019.

    The idea was to to create all kind of stresses on the Chinese people, and then when the nation was at it’s weakest, America could invade under the pretext of saving “democracy” all “for the people”.

    The public actions are well known. that included tariffs, censorship, attacks on Huawei, etc. This includes the “pro democracy” (NGO-sponsored) “color revolutions” in Hong Kong, and the military incursions to destabilize the Uighur population in Xinjiang.

    The non-public actions are not that well known. These included carpet bombing of Chinese livestock with bio-weapons agents, the use of drones to hit remote villages, the destruction and suppression of chip-making equipment to China, interruption of precious mining operations, behind-the-scenes manipulations and black-mailing of “friendly” national leaders, and military probes into Chinese territory and systems.

    Now, around 2019 China received word that a “big event” was planned to occur on or during CNY (Chinese New Year), and whether they knew exactly what it was, or how it would manifest, they knew something was up somehow. So once they received word, they immediate began reconnaissance efforts.

    These reconnaissance efforts are just now coming to light…

    The following article is from The Drive. Reprinted as found, and all credit to the author. Edited to fit this venue.

    Mysterious Drone Incursions Have Occurred Over U.S. THAAD Anti-Ballistic Missile Battery In Guam

    It's yet another reminder of just how vulnerable highly strategic assets, even air defense systems, are to low-end drones.
    Earlier this year, it came to The War Zone‘s attention that a series of bizarre and highly concerning events took place in the late Winter of 2019 at Andersen Air Force Base on the Island of Guam.

    Map of Guam.

    As we understand it, between late February and early March of last year, the massive installation experienced repeated incursions by unmanned aircraft. The aircraft that appeared to be extremely interested in one highly sensitive area of the highly strategic base. This area of interest is the U.S. Army’s Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery that is tasked with defending the island from ballistic missile attacks.
    .
    The incursions, which were said to have occurred in late March and early April 2019, had been observed by personnel manning the guard towers that loom over the highly secure THAAD area. This area, situated towards the northern end of the air base, is often referred to as “North West Field.” Andersen itself takes up the northern and western reaches of the entire island.

    U.S. THAAD Anti-Ballistic Missile Battery, showing the deployment of the radar module and the launcher tubes.

    .

    The intruding craft were described as “quadcopter-like” vehicles with bright spotlights that flew from over the water and then across the North West Base area. They flew at not much higher than treetop level, about 20 to 30 feet above the ground. On a number of nights, the craft would make multiple incursions in the very early morning hours. They would show up, disappear, then come back a few hours later.

    Quad rotor drone with camera.

    The spotlight that shone down from the craft made it hard for personnel to make out a detailed description of the craft, although estimates range from being three to five feet in diameter largely based on the size of the spotlight.

    The craft would maneuver dynamically, appearing with the spotlight on, then disappearing, just to reappear moments later over to one side or another with the spotlight on, which was unsettling to those that witnessed it.

    Supposedly, there was a concerted effort to identify, track, and down the mysterious craft, but it doesn’t seem that those efforts were successful based on our understanding of events.

    U.S. THAAD Anti-Ballistic Missile Battery.

    This information was highly interesting if not downright alarming, but we had to find hard evidence that at least something similar did indeed happen during this timeframe.

    We got just that straight from the U.S. Air Force.

    The War Zone was able to confirm that at least one of the incidents described above did occur through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), by which we obtained a copy of the relevant entry from the Air Force’s 36th Security Forces Squadron’s internal crime blotter. The is unit is part of the 36th Wing at Andersen Air Force Base.

    The entry describes the “possible drone” as being of an

    "unknown color and size, [with a] bright white light."

    Army personnel at “THAAD Tower #2” had radioed in at

    "2315," or 11:15 PM  to report "a bright white light was seen from [their] LOCATION hovering over a field and quickly disappeared."
    "Tower #2 personnel were unable to provide any further description,"

    .

    U.S. THAAD Anti-Ballistic Missile Battery. Showing the missiles in the pre-launch configuration.

    The “JET PATROLS” that are referenced in the document are not aircraft, but are Jungle Enforcement Teams of the 36th Security Forces Squadron.

    …the blotter entry continues.

    "At 2318, JET PATROLS were in the vicinity conducting covert operations. None of the JET PATROLS were able to locate the suspicious white light."

    The Air Force describes the teams as being

    "tasked with preventing security breaches, apprehending poachers, and securing the perimeter around the jungle."

    U.S. THAAD Anti-Ballistic Missile Battery showing a launch.

    The team’s personnel move silently through the jungle that permeates much of the base at night and have unique human tracking skills. You can read all about this specialized security force in this official media release.

    Interestingly, the 36th Security Force Squadron’s blotter lists this incident as

    "Unauthorized Unmanned Aerial Systems/Security Incident #2019-2,"

    which implied that there was at least one other similarly classified drone incident at Andersen Air Force Base before this one by that point in the early 2019 calendar or fiscal year.

    Radar for a U.S. THAAD Anti-Ballistic Missile Battery.

    Another FOIA request confirmed that there was a “2019-1” blotter entry, but the Air Force withheld information about that event citing privacy and law enforcement exemptions.

    Agencies typically withhold records for law enforcement reasons because of a potential risk of exposing sensitive tactics, techniques, or procedures, or because of an ongoing investigation.

    It is then doubly interesting that the March 2019 incident near the Army’s THAAD battery at North West Field was not also subject to the exemptions.

    U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) forwarded a separate FOIA request regarding this incident, any other similar occurrences around the same timeframe, to the U.S. Army. The War Zone is still awaiting a response to that request, as well as another one to the Guam Police Department. We inquired directly to the 36th Wing and INDOPACOM, but never got a response.

    A general diagram showing how a U.S. THAAD Anti-Ballistic Missile Battery operates.

    We found this information to be highly troubling for a number of reasons.

    The most important is that this craft was able to penetrate its way over an air defense system that is tasked with defending the highly strategic island from ballistic missile attacks.

    In other words, that THAAD battery is largely what stands in the way of a country like North Korea from holding the island at imminent risk.

    The system is even capable of shielding against a lower volume barrage from a peer state competitor, such as China.

    .

    Guam would be near the top of Beijing’s targeting list during a conflict with the United States and its growing ballistic missile arsenal has been developed largely to deny the U.S. the utility of its regional bases during the open stages of a conflict.

    U.S. THAAD Anti-Ballistic Missile Battery.

    The thing is that destruction of enemy air defenses (DEAD) is not defined by a platform, it is a mission.

    Traditionally we associate the objective of destroying enemy air defenses with standoff cruise missile attacks and ‘wild weasel’ fighter jet operations, but DEAD can be carried out by a team of special operators with some well-placed explosives or via a barrage of naval gunfire.

    Even carefully deployed malware that targets the software that an air defense system and its mechanical component run on could potentially be destructive enough to be considered a DEAD method.

    U.S. THAAD Anti-Ballistic Missile Battery showing the inception stage.

    With that said, America’s preeminent adversaries in the entire region would make taking out the THAAD battery on Guam a top priority during a conflict or even as part of a limited demonstration of force.

    Why barrage it with ballistic missiles or attempt a cruise missile launch from a forward-deployed submarine or even a clandestine commando raid when you can just fly a drone loaded with explosives into it?

    A diagram of an ICBM showing and indicating interception stages.

    And no, you don’t need some high-end drone system to do this as real-world events have highlighted many times over.

    Drug cartels are now whacking their enemies with off-the-shelf drone-borne improvised explosive devices and even U.S. allies are actually manufacturing hobby-like drones just for this purpose.

    Somewhat more sophisticated types can be launched from longer distances and can even home in on radar or other RF emissions sources, like THAAD’s powerful AN/TPY-2 Radar and data-links, autonomously, beyond just striking a certain point on a map.

    U.S. THAAD Anti-Ballistic Missile Battery.

    Simply put, ‘shooting the archer,’ in this case an advanced anti-ballistic missile system that protects America’s most strategic base in the entire region, via a relatively cheap drone is both an absurdly obvious and terrifyingly ironic tactic—the U.S. can shoot down ballistic missiles, but the critical systems used to do so remain extremely vulnerable to the lowliest of airborne threats—cheap drones.

    For those that follow our work, this is not news. The U.S. military was dangerously aloof when it came to the threat posed by low-end drones.

    We spent years highlighting this threat while seeing the U.S. military do very little to actually counter it, that is until ISIS was constantly dropping bomblets from drones or just flying explosive-laden drones into allied positions during the Battle of Mosul, Iraq.

    U.S. THAAD Anti-Ballistic Missile Battery showing the three points and opportunities for interception.

    The threat has ballooned exactly as we predicted since then, with mass drone attacks on forward operating bases, attempted assassinations of ruling figures via drone, and even a successful drone assault right at the heart of Saudi oil production a year ago.

    In fact, the threat has gotten so bad that top U.S. commanders in the field are saying the constant presence of nefarious drones over or near their troops and equipment is what keeps them up at night.

    The radar unit of a U.S. THAAD Anti-Ballistic Missile Battery.

    In the meantime, it’s abundantly clear that even America’s most capable air defenses are vulnerable to the most meager of aerial capabilities—commercially available drones.

    If anything else, this is yet another, but possibly the biggest example of just how misplaced the U.S. military’s priorities had become when it comes to investments in air defense over the last two decades or so.

    The components of a U.S. THAAD Anti-Ballistic Missile Battery minus the launcher truck module.

    You can read how the Pentagon let its short-range air defense (SHORAD) capabilities wither on the vine to an appalling degree while concentrating on higher-profile, ‘sexier,’ and drastically more lucrative weapon systems in this past feature of ours.

    The Pentagon’s appalling lack of vision regarding the emergence of this threat has made quickly ramping-up efforts to counter it that much more of a scramble, which is ongoing now.

    The radar and command and power modules for a U.S. THAAD Anti-Ballistic Missile Battery.

    Still, America’s potential enemies are already a step ahead, working on swarming low-end drone concepts that will overwhelm most countermeasures currently in the works.

    A comparison of three anti-ballistic missile batteries deployed by the United States; the Patriot, Thaad, and Ages.

    So what is happening here? How does this all play into a rash of other troubling drone sightings, including highly similar ones that have occurred over American nuclear facilities and in other highly restricted airspace, as well as the ongoing buzz about unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP)? We will tie years worth of reporting on all these issues and others together very soon in a capstone piece.

    In the meantime, the events on Guam in 2019 serve as maybe the most outstanding reminder of how the Pentagon’s fixation on high-end threats, and the huge gold plated weapons programs that are put into play to counter them, have left even those very capabilities remarkably vulnerable to far less advanced attacks.

    As to quote the character from “Laugh In”… “Very Interesting…”

    So what does this mean?

    Well, strangely…

    …immediately before the bio-weapons attack on CNY 2020 there were incursions of a reconnaissance nature on Guam investigating the THAAD missile batteries. These incursions were visible. They intentionally turned on flood and spot lights and were not secretive. Which is a very UNUSUAL way to conduct reconnaissance operations.

    One must wonder what was actually going on.

    • Who operated the drones? Was it the Chinese? Or an American operation that was testing the defenses? Was it someone else?
    • Where were the drones controlled from? Was it from a civilian located on the South end of the island, or was it from a submarine or some other vehicle?
    • Why did the drones turn on the lights? Was it to be noticed, or was it to take quick photographs?
    • Why isn’t the American military concerned? Perhaps this event is really nothing to worry about. You can trust the United States government, right?

    The thing is, however, this is not the only event leading up to the 2020 CNY bio-weapon attack on China. Throughout 2019, American bases, and Naval ships were being probed.

    Such as described in this article. Reprinted as found. All credit to the writer, and edited to fit this venue.

    Navy’s Top Officer Says ‘Drones’ That Swarmed Destroyers Remain Unidentified

    A series of bizarre events off Southern California in 2019 remain unexplained according to the Chief of Naval Operations.
    .

    At a roundtable with reporters today, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michael Gilday, the U.S. Navy’s top officer, was asked about a series of bizarre incidents that took place in July 2019 and involved what only have been described as ‘drones’ swarming American destroyers off the coast of Southern California.

    American destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill

    The War Zone was the first to report in detail on this series of mysterious events after the incident was originally uncovered by filmmaker Dave Beaty.

    Asked by Jeff Schogol of Task & Purpose if the Navy had positively identified any of the aircraft involved, Gilday responded by saying:

    “No, we have not. I am aware of those sightings and as it’s been reported there have been other sightings by aviators in the air and by other ships not only of the United States, but other nations – and of course other elements within the U.S. joint force.”
    
    “Those findings have been collected and they still are being analyzed," Gilday added. "I don’t have anything new to report, Jeff, on what those findings have revealed thus far. But I will tell you we do have a well-established process in place across the joint force to collect that data and to get it to a separate repository for analysis.”

    At the time of writing, it is unclear if Admiral Gilday was referring to the Department of Defense’s Navy-led Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF), created last August to examine “incursions by unauthorized aircraft into our training ranges or designated airspace.”

    A Senate-requested report on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena is expected later this year. Representatives from the UAPTF could not be reached for comment.

    Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell (DDG 85)

    A preliminary response to our Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) inquiries indicates that the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) possesses documents about the incident and that they are intermingled with records from several other agencies. This would make sense as the UAPTF was established within ONI, according to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

    Schogol also asked if there was any suspicion that the aircraft described as drones were “extraterrestrial.” Gilday responded,

    “No, I can’t speak to that - I have no indications at all of that.”

    American destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill

    The War Zone has reached out to the Navy, Coast Guard, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for further details regarding the drones flying near Navy destroyers in 2019. Members of the intelligence and armed services committees in both the Senate and the House were asked for comment, as well. While at least some elected officials indicated they were aware of the issue, none were able to make a statement at this time regarding the encounters off the coast of Southern California two years ago.

    So What is going on?

    Well, you know that throughout the Pacific in 2019, drones were “buzzing” and observing United States military operations. They studied defense operations, ship capabilities, and base operations.

    This all occurred simultaneously while the Trump Administration was ramping up a “war stance” towards China.

    • 2010 – 2016 Obama setting up bases that surrounded China.
    • 2017 – 2019 Trump media march for war, color revolutions, tariffs, and induce famine inside of China.
    • 2020 was to be the year for actual military operations, kicked off by a full-scale bio-weapon attack with R0=20% lethal COVID-19B strain. (Not the “safe” American R0=0.01% COVID-19A strain.)

    Also simultaneously during this time period was a complete restructuring of the American military…

    As well as…

    Combined we see a picture that is quite disturbing.

    • A Washington DC establishment desirous of a “Hot War” with China. Not only one of the largest nations on the planet, but the home of most of the factories, technology, and and military on the planet.
    • A realization that China has Intel that indicates activities that might happen in the future. Somehow they found out about the CNY plans a year earlier.
    • Scanning and recon of American Naval forces, bases and defenses in the South Pacific right before the CNY 2020 Bio-weapon attack.
    • A politically focused restructuring of the military.
    • An over emphasis in American technical superiority, and a discounting of the basic physical standards of the military.

    One cannot help to remember stories about similar events in the past and how they all turned out.

    I am reminded of Babylon.  Not the city written about in the Bible, but the much later incarnation. The Babylon of the Islamic Empire. It was the center of all society, technology, and manufacturing in the ancient world.

    But it was ruled by self-absorbed fools.

    And out from the East came a “rough and tumble” people that DID.NOT.PLAY. They wanted to align with the Islamic nation, they wanted to expand but incorporate the nation and peoples in with their society.

    Nope!

    Says the self-absorbed Babylon ruler drinking his wines. Singing his songs, dancing with his friends…

    The following is from HERE. All credit to the author, and reprinted as found and edited to fit within this venue.

    The Mongol Sack of Baghdad in 1258

    By Eamonn Gearon, MAJohns Hopkins University
    The Mongol conquest of the Abbasid Caliphate culminated in the horrific sack of Baghdad that effectively ended the Islamic Golden Age.

    The Islamic Golden Age—from the 8th to the mid-13th century—was one of the greatest periods of human flourishment in knowledge and progress, with Baghdad as its focal point.

    A truly global repository of human knowledge, this Arab-Muslim imperial capital also welcomed—indeed encouraged—scholars from across the known world. As its wealth and fame grew, more and more scholars and engineers were drawn to the city from all over civilization.

    But in January 1258, a vast Mongol army reached the city’s perimeter and demanded that the caliph—al-Musta’sim, the nominal spiritual authority of the Islamic world—surrender.

    History of Baghdad: The Greatest City in the World

    If you can imagine the shock waves, were London razed to the ground tomorrow, you’d be getting close to the horror that was about to accompany the Sack of Baghdad in 1258.

    Founded 500 years earlier, Baghdad’s population had reached one million within a century, making it the world’s largest, most prosperous, and celebrated city. If one thinks of London in 1897—the year when Queen Victoria celebrated her Golden Jubilee—the English city on the Thames was by then the largest and most important city on earth. In 1897, London was peerless in the world, with nowhere else coming close to matching its power and influence. It was the capital, and the fulcrum, of the British Empire.

    A Devastating Moment in History for Muslims in the Middle East

    For many historians, the arrival of the Mongols into the heart of the Muslim faith and empire is the single most devastating moment in the history of the Muslim Middle East. It’s easy to see why—and hard to argue otherwise—because the Sack of Baghdad would mark the end of the Islamic Golden Age.

    Rather than submit, the Abbasid caliph challenged the Mongols to attempt to storm his city, if they dared. The nomadic army from Asia—led by Hulagu Khan, one of Genghis Khan’s grandsons—did indeed dare. Doing what they are most famous for, the Mongols thrashed Baghdad. In 10 days of unremitting violence and destruction, Baghdad and its inhabitants were completely and utterly vanquished. Almost without exception, the population was either put to the sword or sold into slavery. The River Tigris ran red—to cite one of the most over-quoted, and overwrought phrases in history—with the blood of slaughtered men, women, and children.

    After this, every building of note in Baghdad—including mosques, palaces, and markets—was utterly destroyed, among them the world-famous House of Wisdom. Hundreds of thousands of priceless manuscripts and books were tossed into the river, clogging the arterial waterway with so many texts, according to eyewitnesses, that soldiers could ride on horseback from one side to the other. Of course, the river turned from red to black with ink.

    Who Were the Mongols?

    The Sack of Baghdad fits, like a hinge, almost exactly in the middle of two defining dates in the history of Islam, from the founding of the faith in the year 622 to the end of the last caliphate in 1924. Even by the standards of the day, the destruction was shocking, and the results long-lasting, if not permanent. The Mongols’ name during this period in history was a byword for destruction. Who were they and where did they come from? Is there any reason to think that they were any more destructive than other peoples at the time?

    The Mongols, an ethnic group, originating in north and central Asia, were typically pastoral peoples, whose nomadic lifestyle inevitably brought them into conflict with more settled populations. Probably the best example of how settled peoples tried to restrict their otherwise free movement is the Great Wall of China. The wall was essentially built to hold back incursions of their Mongolian neighbors to the north.

    This preference for nomadism over a settled existence is central to the view of the Mongols as especially destructive. As one writer put it, while Muslims built cities—Baghdad and Cairo, for example—Mongols destroyed them. Does this mean that the Mongols were inherently more ruthless or violent than Muslims or crusading Christians? Not necessarily. Rather, it shows that their priority, in terms of conquest, was for land, for grazing—for space even—rather than for cities and confinement.

    As one writer put it, while Muslims built cities—Baghdad and Cairo, for example—Mongols destroyed them.

    One thing that came out of the Mongols’ lack of interest in seizing cities was their enhanced mobility. Often living on a diet of mare’s milk—or blood, if the mares were not lactating—Mongol custom meant that they never washed their clothes. This, along with a heavy fat diet—both milk and meat—no doubt accounted for the Mongols’ reputation as a very smelly, as well as scary, foe.

    The Fierce Mongol Warriors

    Contemporary chroniclers tell us that Mongol warriors were most comfortable in the saddle, literally, it seems. If they had to move more than a hundred yards, or so, they’d jump on a horse and ride. Also, all warriors owned numerous mounts, allowing them to cover larger distances than more traditional cavalry found in the Near East and Europe. While they rode light into battle, the Mongols used harnessed oxen to pull their heavier and more cumbersome possessions from place to place.

    An important facet of the Mongol way of war and conquest was their use of terror as a tactic. The banging of metal pots and the rattling of bells was the usual way of announcing the start of a battle. This created such a din that defenders of a city under siege would find it almost impossible to hear their officers’ commands.

    Whenever they entered new territory, the Mongols would offer the local rulers an opportunity to surrender. But in the language of many a salesman, this was a one-time offer. For those foolish enough not to surrender immediately, conquest and destruction without quarter would be their lot, and the people of Baghdad knew this.

    Setting the Scene for Catastrophe Before the Sack of Baghdad

    In 1206, just 52 years before the Sack of Baghdad, the Mongol Empire was formed and led by the legendary Genghis Khan. Khan is originally a Mongolian word that means military leader, or sovereign, a king, in English. Being accepted as the Great Khan effectively elevated Genghis to the status of an emperor. His grandsons now ruled the Mongolian Empire. In addition to Hulagu Khan, who led the attack against Baghdad, there was Kublai Khan, conqueror of China, and Mongke Khan, who became the Great Khan and sent his brother Hulagu to Baghdad.

    Hulagu marched at the head of perhaps the largest Mongolian army ever assembled, consisting of as many as 150,000 troops, with Baghdad one of several goals for this mission. First, Hulagu was told to subdue southern Iran, which he did. Next, he was to destroy the infamous Assassins.

    A breakaway Nizari-Ismaili-Shia sect, founded in the 11th century, the Assassins had achieved infamy for the political assassinations—hence, the term we use today—carried out by certain of their number. Although it was known that the Assassins were based at the castle of Alamut in northwestern Iran, many of their adversaries thought they were somehow invincible because of the stealth they typically employed. Hulagu Khan proved this was not the case. After destroying the Assassins and their castle fortress at Alamut, Baghdad was the next stop on his list.

    The majority of Hulagu Khan’s men were Mongolian warriors, but the force also contained Christians, including soldiers led by the king of Armenia, Frankish Crusaders from the Principality of Antioch, and Georgians.

    The majority of Hulagu Khan’s men were Mongolian warriors, but the force also contained Christians, including soldiers led by the king of Armenia, Frankish Crusaders from the Principality of Antioch, and Georgians. There were also Muslim soldiers from various Turkic and Persian tribes, and 1,000 Chinese engineers—artillery specialists, who were always in demand when the need arose to reduce walls to rubble.

    The Abbasid Caliphate

    The Abbasids—the third Islamic caliphate to rule the Muslim Middle East since the death of Muhammad—had risen to power in 750, after overthrowing their rivals, the Damascus-based Umayyads. Taking their name from one of Muhammad’s uncles, Abbas, the Abbasids quickly took control of almost all Umayyad lands, and so found themselves ruling over an enormous empire that covered the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, Syria, Iraq, Persia and beyond to modern Afghanistan.

    A new Abbasid caliphate deserved a new capital, which they established in Baghdad, in 762, and immediately built it into an imperial city worthy of their greatness.

    A new Abbasid caliphate deserved a new capital, which they established in Baghdad, in 762, and immediately built it into an imperial city worthy of their greatness. Within a couple of generations, Baghdad had attracted some of the world’s greatest scholars. Alongside Persian scholarship and cultural traditions—and Arab authority—one saw people from other parts of Asia, Europe, and Africa. Numerous Jews and Christians also pursued studies there.

    Baghdad: A City of Learning

    Among the greatest of them all was founded by the early Abbasid caliphs. Called the Bayt al-Hikma—or House of Wisdom—this was the place that the best scholars and professors aspired to reach—not just Muslims from the Islamic world. Imagine if you will, all of America’s Ivy League Colleges rolled into one; add to those the science and technological power of Carnegie Mellon, MIT, Stanford, and Berkley, then add Oxford and Cambridge to the mix, and the world’s great non-English-speaking universities. It comes close to what the House of Wisdom was like—except it was even more influential.

    Imagine if you will all of America’s Ivy League Colleges rolled into one; add to those the science and technological power of Carnegie Mellon, MIT, Stanford, and Berkley, then add Oxford and Cambridge to the mix, and the world’s great non-English-speaking universities. It comes close to what the House of Wisdom was like—except it was even more influential.

    There were two distinct sides to scholarship in Baghdad. One was translation work, with texts from India, Persia, and Greece gathered in huge numbers. Texts originally composed in Persian, Sanskrit, Greek, Syriac, and Chinese were all eagerly rendered into Arabic. Combined with this extensive translation work, however, was a wealth of original scholarship, funded and encouraged by the caliphs. The arts and sciences alike were covered, so that advances were made in almost every imaginable subject, including mathematics, medicine, astronomy, physics, cartography, zoology, and poetry.

    A Weak-Willed Caliph in Thirteenth-Century Baghdad

    In the year 1242, al-Musta’sim became the 37th caliph in the Abbasid line. Baghdad’s glory days were behind it. By this stage, the Abbasid caliphs were largely figureheads, propped up by outside forces. If they were important at all, it was as the inheritors of Islamic orthodoxy and as beacons of cultural greatness, but not as a political power to be obeyed nor a military force to be feared. Indeed, the Abbasids already were in the habit of paying an annual tribute to the Mongols. Despite this, the city was still large and prosperous.

    A weak-willed, even dissolute character, al-Musta’sim was happier hanging out with musicians and drinking wine than he was ruling…

    Alas for Baghdad, the court of history doesn’t rate the caliph as the greatest of his line. A weak-willed, even dissolute character, al-Musta’sim was happier hanging out with musicians and drinking wine than he was ruling an already weakened empire. In 1251, the Abbasids sent a delegation to pay homage on the coronation of Hulagu’s brother, Mongke, when he became the Great Khan, but this was no longer considered enough.

    Mongols Demand Submission by Abbasid Caliph al-Mustasim

    Mongke insisted that the Abbasid Caliph al-Musta’sim come in person to Karakorum, the 13th century capital of the Mongol Empire, in the north of modern Mongolia, to fully submit to Mongol rule. The Caliph al-Musta’sim refused to do so. The final showdown between the Mongols and the Abbasids was set. With the Mongol horde marching on Baghdad, a clash was inevitable, although this wouldn’t be the first encounter between the Abbasids and the Mongols.

    In the recent past, the Abbasids had managed a couple of small-scale military victories against Mongol forces; however, these were soon overturned and weren’t part of any trend of a militarily resurgent Abbasid Empire. Their days of martial glory were long gone. Adding fuel to the fire, al-Musta’sim is said to have slighted Shia Muslims by various acts and decrees. He should have known better, as his grand vizier, or senior advisor, was himself a Shia Muslim. This vizier is said to have sided with the Mongols, encouraging their takeover of the city, perhaps imagining that he’d be given control of Baghdad by a grateful Hulagu. If this is what he thought, he didn’t know anything about Hulagu.

    A Difficult Decision for the Caliph to Surrender to the Mongols

    The caliph was faced with a choice between surrendering to the Mongol leader and presumably saving his city, or building up his army, and riding out to meet the invading warriors in combat. It likely never crossed the caliph’s mind that he should probably surrender rather than send threats to Hulagu. Al-Musta’sim discovered a third option: Doing nothing.

    Baghdad was surrounded, and al-Musta’sim realized too late that the Mongol army was far larger and stronger than he’d been told. The rest of the Muslim world wasn’t about to rush to his rescue either. The siege of Baghdad began on January 29, 1258. The Mongols quickly built a palisade and ditch and brought siege engines, such as covered battering rams that protected their men from the defenders’ arrows and other missiles, and catapults to attack the city’s walls. At this stage, al-Musta’sim made a last-ditch attempt to negotiate with Hulagu and was rebuffed. Al-Musta’sim surrendered Baghdad to Hulagu five days later, on February 10. Adding to the distress of those inside the city, Hulagu and his horde didn’t make any attempt to enter the city for three days.

    A Glimmer of Compassion for Baghdad Christians

    Late in life, Hulagu became a Buddhist. At this moment, however, the only sign of compassion he showed was towards Baghdad’s Nestorian Christian community. Nestorianism was a form of Christianity that church authorities had declared heretical in the 5th century. It stressed that the divine and human aspects of Jesus’s nature were separate. Many Nestorians had moved to Persia, where they’d lived ever since. Hulagu, upon entering Baghdad, told the Nestorians to lock themselves in their church and ordered his men not to touch them. What was the reason for this act of kindness before the bloodbath that was to follow? Simply that Hulagu’s mother and his favorite wife were both Nestorian Christians.

    Mongols Execute Baghdad Notables

    About 3,000 of Baghdad’s notables—including officials, members of the Abbasid family, and the caliph himself—pleaded for clemency. But all 3,000 were put to death without compunction…

    With the Nestorians secure, Hulagu allowed his army an unfettered week of rape, pillage, and murder to celebrate their victory. About 3,000 of Baghdad’s notables—including officials, members of the Abbasid family, and the caliph himself—pleaded for clemency. But all 3,000 were put to death without compunction; all, that is, except for the caliph. He was held prisoner for a little while longer, perhaps in part so that he could see the full extent of what befell his capital.

    Estimates of the death toll range from 90,000 at the lowest end to one million at the other. Apart from being a conveniently round number, the population of Baghdad was around a million, and the historical record tells us not everyone was killed. Whatever the actual number, it included the army that had dared resist Hulagu’s advance, and the civilians, who had no choice either way. Men, women, and children down to babes in arms were put to the sword or clubbed to death. Little mercy was shown unless it was of a quick rather than a lingering death.

    Death of a Caliph

    The Caliph al-Musta’sim was forced to watch these murders and the plundering of his treasury and palaces. Hulagu taunted him that, with so much gold and so many jewels, he’d have been better off spending some of these riches on building up a bigger army. As for how the caliph met his end, one account says he was locked in his treasury, surrounded by his wealth, and left alone to starve to death. As colorful as this account is, it doesn’t sound likely, given the widespread looting that took place, nor is it corroborated by any sources.

    A more plausible account, as reported by several chroniclers, goes like this: Hulagu had been warned by his astronomers that royal blood shouldn’t be spilled onto the earth. If it were, the earth would reject it, and earthquakes and natural destruction would follow. If we consider his record, one might not think Hulagu an especially cautious man. However, in this case, he plotted the safer course. The caliph was rolled in carpets, which would catch any blood spilled, and then he was trampled to death by his cavalry. For the first time since the death of Muhammad, 636 years earlier, Islam had no Caliph whose name could be quoted in Friday prayers.

    Destruction of the City of Baghdad

    If you’re looking for an example of a city razed to the ground, Baghdad in 1258 would be a good choice.

    Apart from the human casualties, there was the destruction of the 500-year old city itself. Fires were set so that the fragrant scent of sandalwood and other aromatics was smelled up to 30 miles away. If you’re looking for an example of a city razed to the ground, Baghdad in 1258 would be a good choice. After a week, Hulagu ordered his camp out of the city, and moved upwind, away from the stench of rotting corpses.

    Hulagu left Baghdad a broken and depopulated city. Even if those left alive had wanted to rebuild, they lacked the numbers, the resources, and the skills to do so. The death and destruction were such that it would be more than a decade before anyone from Baghdad performed the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. In attacking Baghdad, Hulagu also destroyed the network of canals that irrigated the arable land thereabouts. Famine and plague followed the Mongol horde to Baghdad as elsewhere. Their scorched-earth tactics make it easy to see why they’re often tagged with a reputation as the most destructive of all the great empires.

    Conclusion

    All things taken into account, and the knowledge that history tends to repeat itself…

    …it seems that the entire United States is Hell-bent on duplicating the fall of the “Golden Age of Islam” and the destruction of Baghdad.

    Which is a bitter-sweet thing. After all, there are many great people in the United States, and it is a beautiful land, with some wonderful cities, some great food, and basically decent culture.  Taken a a whole.

    But…

    On the other hand…

    Can you imagine what happens if the United States does NOT correct it’s posture. That it does not correct it’s desire to rule over the world. That it does not change it’s social structure, it’s ownership by corporations, and it’s basic inequalities. What if it implements “The Long Telegram” and it is successful in doing so; where the entire world becomes like Detroit or Baltimore and ruled by a 0.001% of psychopathic individuals under a global plutocracy?? Can you just imagine it?

    Burrrr!

    I get shivers just thinking about it.

    Ugh!

    It’s time to think about something else. If any one asks. I’ll be jammin’.

    Click HERE for the video of Bob Marley Jammin’…

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my International America SHTF Index here…

    International USA

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    Articles & Links

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    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
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    The litmus test to determine if you are a “Sheeple”. Definition and criteria for membership.

    "Trying to wade through the muck that passes as news today IS a fools errand."

    A “sheeple” is a person who has very strong, visceral, and vibrant emotions about a subject that they have NO FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE about. That is how you can define what a “sheeple” is. It is an easily manipulated person that follows various “shepherds”, and listens to their “pied piper” song and dance. Even to their deaths.

    In American, and conservative media you can often hear the term “sheeple” bantered about commonly. It tends to be a disparaging title directed towards others who seemingly, and mindlessly repeat narratives without thinking.

    • In conservative media, “sheeple” tends to represent everyone else outside of the “conservative news media”. It’s a rather catch-all phrase that is used to describe anyone else who believe anything else other than the conservative narrative.
    • In liberal media, while the term “sheeple” is used, the more common phrase is to “avoid the electric kool aide“, which refers to both the Reverend Jim Jones group suicide (by drinking poisoned Kool Aide punch), and the 1960’s counter-culture practice of lacing kool aide with LSD.

    Combined, it features the words “sheep” and “people” to describe a human that maintains herd-like concepts of self.

    As interesting as this is, the fact is that people of all political alignments qualify as sheeple. It’s not just “the other guy”. Probably you too, dear MM reader. It’s so very easy to get snookered in; sucked in a heavily promoted lie. (I’ve been sucked in. Many times in fact. So do not get too hot and bothered about it. It happens.)

    "Simply put, the collective West--led by the America and the Anglosphere--resembles a civilization of paranoid schizophrenics, whose delusional ravings will drive them towards world war--total war."

    Moreover, the method to determine whether or not you are a sheeple is very simple.

    Here is the litmus test;

    A "sheeple" is a person who has very strong, visceral, and vibrant  emotions about a subject that they have NO FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE about.

    For instance…

    Buying a used car

    You buy a used car. After two months the motor dies, the transmission fails, and the bumper falls off. You get angry about this. And when you go to talk to the man who sold you the car, and he refuses to talk to you. Instead he responds that "all sales are final".
    
    You get angry at him. Your anger is real, and full of anger and emotion.

    Not a sheeple. Just a man who is angry at a man who swindled him.

    Eating at a restaurant

    You go into a restaurant, and order the "blue plate special". After you pay for the meal and leave, you notice that your stomach starts to churn. By the time you get home, you are vomiting uncontrollably. You spend the entire night on the toilet, and the next day your spouse has to cart you off to the hospital to have your stomach pumped.
    
    You are angry at the restaurant, and vow never to eat there again.

    Not a sheeple. Just a man who is angry at a restaurant that poisoned him.

    Dating a person

    You go on a date and that person is rude, obnoxious, and has terrible body odor. They refuse to pay for the meal, and makes a big "scene" inside the restaurant, and then afterwards demands sexual favors when you are clearly repulsed by them.
    
    You are angry at this person and vow never to repeat this mistake ever again. From this moment forward, you never date anyone who even remotely reminds you of this "date from Hell".

    Not a sheeple. Just a person who had a bad experience on a data and vows never to repeat that mistake ever again.

    Reading about Slavery

    You read an article about forced sexual slavery in a particular nation. Then two articles later, you read about how they are injecting malware into your computer. The next day the newspapers describe how they have caused the deaths of thousands of innocent cats and dogs, and how their children are trained to lie, cheat, and trip people.
    
    You are angry, and whenever you calm down, there is yet another article that keeps your anger alive and fresh.

    You are a sheeple. You are angry about something you have read, NOT at what you experienced.

    Unless you have experienced the events that generate your anger personally, you are being manipulated by those that own the media companies that you use.

    Summary

    The 0.1% of the population that own 99.999% of the media use it to manipulate.

    The manipulations turn normal thinking humans into creatures that maintain herd behaviors.

    There are many, many variations on their techniques and on the subjects so utilized. The techniques are honed after decades of utility, and supplanted by artificial intelligence for improved efficiency.

    No one is immune from these manipulations.

    Most people are unaware that they are being expertly manipulated.

    The most dangerous and effective manipulations are those that we WANT to BELIEVE.

    The only way to guard from these manipulations is to perform a self check…

    Self Check

    • Have you lived in the nation that you are angry about? (Yes / No)
    • Have you personally met a person that described to you a situation (that they experienced) that you are specifically angry about? (Yes/No)
    • Have you shared a meal, been to a hospital, or dated a person associated with the issue you are angry about? (Yes / No)
    • Is the beliefs that you hold about an issue from personal experience, or from something you read, or watched on the internet? (Yes / No)

    Be very careful in what you read about.

    The world is filled with evil, and powerful people that take absolute pleasure in manipulating people for their own gain.

    Examples

    Let’s take a look at an article found on “Free Republic”.

    Forced COVID-19 Vaccination Widespread in China, Sources Say
    4/4/2021, 3:16:34 AM · by SeekAndFind · 10 replies
    Epoch Times ^ | 04/03/2021 | Frank Yue
    
    Mounting evidence shows the Chinese Communist Party has been imposing vaccinations upon the public, despite concerns over efficacy and health implications. A female netizen named Duan Da Dan posted in Chinese on social media site Weibo on March 31: “I’m really annoyed that my employer forces me to receive jabs even if I’m planning to get pregnant. [They] never consider the possible impact on the fetus.” Another internet user claimed in Chinese-language Weibo post on March 30 that she had contracted hives twice, meaning she suffers from allergies. However, she was upset that her employer was pressuring her every day...
    Of course, most people reading this article would believe it. As they have nothing to compare it against.
    .
    • “forced vaccinations are widespread”
    • “sources say”
    • “posted on a social media site”
    • “upset her employer is pressuring her every day”
    Damn those evil Chinese!
    Further, if they are inclined to hold an anti-VAX stance, they would be infuriated that the evil Chinese would be so aggressive about forcing people to get vaccines.

    Um. Yeah. Sure. What ever you say.

    Let’s do a sanity check.

    I’m here in China.

    And the vaccinations take place inside the malls.

    So, here’s what the vaccinations in China actually look like. It looks like a normal, everyday visit to the mall. This is a mall next to my house. The vaccinations are being conducted on the fifth floor, right off the elevator. It’s free for everyone (Chinese residents that show their ID card, and non-residents that have a residency stamp in their passport.)  between the ages of 18 and 60.

    I suppose that exceptions can be made if you are older or younger, but you will need to consult with the doctor first.

    Here is a short video I took of the line on the fifth floor (from the fourth floor) for the vaccination process. You can see the people clearly lined up, calm. Patient. Unhurried.

    You can also see the instruction cards (those three white rectangular marquis). On the other side would be the QR code that would automatically link your ID with the hospital and then log in your vaccination with your social scoring. ,You can see the registration counter and the injection area off to the right.

    Do you see evil Chicom police forcing innocent people to get injections? Do you see people freaking out and “demanding their rights”? Do you see the horrors and anger that is so characteristic of how the Chinese are portrayed in American media?

    Doe it resemble anything, at all, like the images you get in your “mind’s eye” regarding what China is like?

    Are there crowds of hungry, starving, angry people? Is it dirty, filthy and disease ridden? Is the air so full of smog and filth? What about the infrastructure? Is it falling down? What about the police and military presence? Do you see police dogs, anyone with an AK-47?

    I wish that I would have gotten a picture of one of those cute roving robots that are all over the place. But that’s the luck of the draw don’t you know. They respond back to you. If you go up to them you can see what they see on the video and they will ask you if you need anything. Then they will answer using your actual name! I guess the face recognition and the AI enables them to converse to you as a person.

    And here’s another…

    And for a strong comparison, let’s compare what my FIRST HAND, up front and personal video with what is written inside the American media…

    "Chinese Communist Party has been imposing vaccinations upon the public, despite concerns over efficacy and health implications. "

    Does the video, in any way what so ever, reflect what was written in America? Does the videos show people being coerced, being forced, or being made to do anything that they don’t want to do?

    Can't see the videos? Then you can download a ZIP file of them HERE.

    Conclusion

    Most Americans are sheeple whether they like the title or not.

    If you find yourself getting upset with something that you cannot verify with your own two eyes, or touch with your hands, or smell with your nose, then you are being manipulated.

    If you believe those manipulations, then you are a sheeple.

    Dangers of such manipulations

    You might end up believing…

    • The President “has your back” if you decide to riot in Congress.
    • The United States is capable of fighting and winning World War III.
    • Using a 3G cell phone will not only give you brain cancer, but it will cause gasoline pumps to explode.
    • Social Security deductions from your pay are put in a “lock box”.
    • Unless you update your computer software with the new government approved version, the Y2K will rampage through your house and kill you.
    • Pizza is a vegetable. Coital silver supplements will give you a healthier life. And most vitamins are fake.
    • Eating a hamburger will turn you into a drooling moron though mad cow disease.
    • Using an e-cigarette will cause you to die of vaping.
    • Angry Zombie Killer Wasps (imported from China) will kill you.
    • Florine in your water is a way of altering your precious bodily fluids.
    • Senator Sessions is going to throw Hillary Clinton in jail, he has a plan with his enormous mind that is playing 54-d strategy.
    • The economy is roaring. Unemployment is way down, and America leads the world in satisfaction.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts that might be of interest. Go ahead and check out my Happiness Index here…

    Media News

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    Articles & Links

    Master Index

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    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE .
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
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    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

     

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    The unmentioned looming fiasco in America; what happens when all the money is in the hands of those that inherited it

    There is a lot of changes that are set in motion. Many long-overdue changes are coming to America, and those that have been doing quite well do not want change. They want to fight change, and they will go as far as to start a nuclear World War III to guarantee that their lives never change.

    Here we are going to chat a little bit about the root, and the source of much of the problems in America today…

    … the American system that permits people, and companies to become fantastically wealthy while all the time making everyone around them much poorer.

    The American Promise

    In America, the media narrative is that this is a good thing. A “lone wolf”, “hard working” person can “pull himself up by his bootstraps” and become successful. Look at Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos. See! Normal people. Everyone can do it.

    Ah. The American promise…

    The American Reality

    Nope.

    That’s not how it works. Maybe it used to be that way some two hundred years ago, and maybe as recent as seventy five years ago. But today, it’s a hopeless proposition.  There are too many layers of government regulation. Too many powerful companies. The “little guy” has too many hurtles to overcome.

    Leaving only the existing wealth structures in control and in power.

    It’s the American reality.

    The problem with America

    This situation where only the wealthy have the vast bulk of the money has created far too many problems. And if left unchecked will generate many more to come. Including, eventually, the potential end of the world as we know it today.

    For instance, to keep the people from rising up in revolution, you need [1] propaganda and [2] control of the media, you need [3] armed and strong militarized domestic police forces, you need [4] distractions which tend to mean [5] wars and chaos, and you need to [6] constantly decrease the standard of life of the rabble so that you can maintain your own power.

    And isn’t that what we have been observing?

    American income distribution

    The chart of the income distribution for America today greatly resembles what it must have been in France before the French revolution, and in Russia before the Russian revolution.

    The poor got much poorer.

    The middle class disappeared.

    The super-duper wealthy become stratospheric wealthy.

    Which brings me to an article. It was written back in 2014, and back then the alarms were a ringing and the sirens were screaming, and the lights were flashing, but few paid attention…

    The Rise of the Non-Working Rich

    Tuesday, July 15, 2014

    In a new Pew poll, more than three quarters of self-described conservatives believe…

     “poor people have it easy because they can get government benefits without doing anything.”

    In reality, most of America’s poor work hard, often in two or more jobs.

    The real non-workers are the wealthy who inherit their fortunes. And their ranks are growing.

    In fact, we’re on the cusp of the largest inter-generational wealth transfer in history.

    MM Comment
    
    This was written in 2014. The cusp has passed and now America is at this state, firmly entrenched within this condition; firmly put in place. Rock solid and immovable.

    The wealth is coming from those who over the last three decades earned huge amounts on Wall Street, in corporate boardrooms, or as high-tech entrepreneurs.

    It’s going to their children, who did nothing except be born into the right family.

    The “self-made” man or woman, the symbol of American meritocracy, is disappearing. Six of today’s ten wealthiest Americans are heirs to prominent fortunes. Just six Walmart heirs have more wealth than the bottom 42 percent of Americans combined (up from 30 percent in 2007).

    The U.S. Trust bank just released a poll of Americans with more than $3 million of investable assets.

    Nearly three-quarters of those over age 69, and 61 per cent of boomers (between the ages of 50 and 68), were the first in their generation to accumulate significant wealth.

    But the bank found inherited wealth far more common among rich millennials under age 35.

    This is the dynastic form of wealth French economist Thomas Piketty warns about. It’s been the major source of wealth in Europe for centuries. It’s about to become the major source in America – unless, that is, we do something about it.

    As income from work has become more concentrated in America, the super rich have invested in businesses, real estate, art, and other assets. The income from these assets is now concentrating even faster than income from work.

    In 1979, the richest 1 percent of households accounted for 17 percent of business income. By 2007 they were getting 43 percent. They were also taking in 75 percent of capital gains. Today, with the stock market significantly higher than where it was before the crash, the top is raking even more from their investments.

    Both political parties have encouraged this great wealth transfer, as beneficiaries provide a growing share of campaign contributions.

    MM Comment
    
    The reader is asked to put a clothespin to their noses as some politics is bantered about. It's the same nauseatingly "Wonderful Democrats", and "terrible Republicans". Ugh.
    
    Both are members of the Uni-party. They are identical.

    But Republicans have been even more ardent than Democrats.

    For example, family trusts used to be limited to about 90 years. Legal changes implemented under Ronald Reagan extended them in perpetuity. So-called “dynasty trusts” now allow super-rich families to pass on to their heirs money and property largely free from taxes, and to do so for generations.

    George W. Bush’s biggest tax breaks helped high earners but they provided even more help to people living off accumulated wealth. While the top tax rate on income from work dropped from 39.6% to 35 percent, the top rate on dividends went from 39.6% (taxed as ordinary income) to 15 percent, and the estate tax was completely eliminated. (Conservatives called it the “death tax” even though it only applied to the richest two-tenths of one percent.)

    Barack Obama rolled back some of these cuts, but many remain.

    Before George W. Bush, the estate tax kicked in at $2 million of assets per couple, and then applied a 55 percent rate. Now it kicks in at $10 million per couple, with a 40 percent rate.

    House Republicans want to go even further than Bush did.

    Rep. Paul Ryan’s “road map,” which continues to be the bible of Republican economic policy, eliminates all taxes on interest, dividends, capital gains, and estates.

    Yet the specter of an entire generation who do nothing for their money other than speed-dial their wealth management advisors isn’t particularly attractive.

    It’s also dangerous to our democracy, as dynastic wealth inevitably accumulates political influence.

    MM Comment
    
    America is not a democracy. It is a military empire that is run by a global oligarchy.

    What to do? First, restore the estate tax in full.

    MM Comment
    
    His solution; the same-old, same-old. More taxes. More regulation. Bigger government. 
    
    Not what is needed; a complete structural overhaul on  the entire American government-society system.

    Second, eliminate the “stepped-up-basis on death” rule. This obscure tax provision allows heirs to avoid paying capital gains taxes on the increased value of assets accumulated during the life of the deceased. Such untaxed gains account for more than half of the value of estates worth more than $100 million, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

    Third, institute a wealth tax. We already have an annual wealth tax on homes, the major asset of the middle class. It’s called the property tax. Why not a small annual tax on the value of stocks and bonds, the major assets of the wealthy?

    MM Comment
    
    All the solutions are the same-old, same-old. More taxes to go to government. Not any systematic changes to the entire way the system operates.

    We don’t have to sit by and watch our “meritocracy” be replaced by a permanent aristocracy, and our democracy be undermined by dynastic wealth. We can and must take action – before it’s too late.

    MM Comment
    
    It is too late. America has a permanent aristocracy where the vast wealth is either concocted out of thin air, or by dynastic wealth.

    But you know…

    China is taking notes…

    Let’s open up the dialog with this comment that I found in my e-mailbox…

    In China, the CCP draw from the experience of the first 30 years of opening up, and [has] concluded that:
    
    1) China endorsed the part of the free market logic that encourage individual innovation and that rewards hardwork.
    
    2) However, China will not allow the ultimate outcome of a free market economy. As it is one where a handful of billionaires will eventually take control of the market, killing competition, and dictate the price and distribution chain of supply and demand. 
    
    The world has been controlled by the Western set of rules for far too long. These rules were set up at the time they are working towards Western advantages. 
    
    The collapse of the USSR and the drop in standard of living and life expectancy in Russia is widely studied in China and experienced is learned. 
    
    Now, China will open up further to counter US strategy to form a war alliance against China.
    
    Instead, China is strategically beginning a dual circle economy build on food security, financial security, economic security, and national security. As well as a discussion on the evil doing of privatized capital and western capital across the world. 
    
    The CCP armed with Mao theories of how to run a country with serving the people as the party motto is far more down to earth than the capitalists who control western politicians. 
    
    When Xi came to power, he openly pledged that the SOEs sector has to become larger, and stronger. 
    
    In contemporaneous China, any large scale businesses are require to sell to the government 1% of their share. Now with this 1%, the government representatives will sit in a broad of director meeting, and have the power to stop any plan that threaten the security of any sector of the Chinese economy or society. 
    
    Therefore, if it only involved expanding product ranges, improve services, opening a few more outlets, they are totally free to do so. 
    
    ... 
    
    Cheers 
    
    <redacted>

    And perhaps that will give you all some perspective why America must DESTROY China, and why there is no-room for co-habitation. It’s all or nothing with America. For once the rest of the world sees that the American emperor has “no clothes”, the fall of the empire will only be minutes away.

    All of this should be no surprise. Because…

    America is an Oligarchy

    Read about it here.

    And it’s all pretty depressing. Anyways, I’m tossing this idea out to you all. That the idea of “what America stands for” is wealth accumulation by the super-rich, for themselves, and everyone else is just a herd animal to service them. Being so fantastically wealthy they not only own most of what you eat, use, and read, but they also control your government, and as a result you have zero influence on what your government is doing.

    Pot-holes need fixing? No problem, your government is going to bomb the shit out of Yemen! Now, don’t you feel better?

    Taxes too high? No problem, the government is going to reclassify the taxes in a fee, and then make it mandatory for you to pay that fee or else you will go to prison. There! Don’t you feel better?

    Can’t find work? No problem. You can enlist in the military, get on welfare, or donate blood. The news says that the economy is roaring and that everything is just “hunky-dory”. So you must be lazy. Don’t you know!

    Conclusion

    This exhausts me. This situation is not sustainable. The question and the big unknown is when will it all fall down?

    I have no answers.

    I think that I need to go out, eat some fine delicious food, quaff some brews, and go a whoring. Life is too short not to have fun.

    And that is my definitive opinion on this subject.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts elsewhere. I don’t know what this will file under. But you can probably find others like it here…

    The Oligarchy

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    The End of the Beginning by Ray Bradbury (Full text)

    Here’s a nice charming story. I guess it is a bit dated, but the hopefulness of the 1960’s shines through. Lovely.

    THE END OF THE BEGINNING
    Ray Bradbury

    He stopped the lawn mower in the middie of the yard, because he felt that the
    sun at just that moment had gone down and the stars come out. The fresh-cut
    grass that had showered his face and body died soft!y away. Yes, the stars were
    there, faint at first, but brightening in the clear desert sky. He heard the
    porch screen door tap shut and felt his wife watching him as he watched the
    night.
    “Almost time,” she said.
    He nodded; he did not have to check his watch. In the passing moments he felt
    very old, then very young, very cold, then very warm, now this, now that.
    Suddenly he was miles away. He was his own son talking steadily, moving briskly
    to cover his pounding heart and the resurgent panics as he felt himself slip
    into fresh uniform, check food supplies, oxygen flasks, pressure helmet,
    space-suiting, and turn as every man on earth tonight turned, to gaze at the
    swiftly filling sky.
    Then, quickly, he was back, once more the father of the son, hands gripped to
    the lawn-mower handle. His wife called, “Come sit on the porch.”
    “I’ve got to keep busy!”
    She came down the steps and across the lawn. “Don’t worry about Robert; he’ll be
    all right.”
    “But it’s all so new,” he heard himself say. “It’s never been done before. Think
    of it – a manned rocket going up tonight to build the first space station. Good
    lord, it can’t be done, it doesn’t exist, there’s no rocket, no proving ground,
    no take-off time, no technicians. For that matter, I don’t even have a son named
    Bob. The whole thing’s too much for me!”
    “Then what are you doing out here, staring?”
    He shook his head. “Well, late this morning, walking to the office, I heard
    someone laugh out loud. It shocked me, so I froze in the middle of the street.
    It was me, laughing! Why? Because finally I really knew what Bob was going to do tonight; at last I believed it. Holy is a word I never use, but that’s how I
    felt stranded in all that traffic. Then, middle of the afternoon I caught myself
    humming. You know the song. ‘A wheel in a wheel. Way in the middle of the air.’
    I laughed again. The space station, of course, I thought. The big wheel with
    hollow spokes where Bob’ll live six or eight months, then get along to the moon.

    Walking home, I remembered more of the song. ‘Little wheel run by faith, Big
    wheel run by the grace of God.’ I wanted to jump, yell, and flame-out myself!”
    His wife touched his arm. “If we stay out here, let’s at least be comfortable.”
    They placed two wicker rockers in the center of the lawn and sat quietly as the
    stars dissolved out of darkness in pale crushings of rock salt strewn from
    horizon to horizon.
    “Why,” said his wife, at last, “it’s like waiting for the fireworks at Sisley
    Field every year.”
    “Bigger crowd tonight . . .”
    “I keep thinking – a billion people watching the sky right now, their mouths all
    open at the same time.”
    They waited, feeling the earth move under their chairs.
    “What time is it now?”
    “Eleven minutes to eight.”
    “You’re always right; there must be a clock in your head.”
    “I can’t be wrong tonight. I’ll be able to tell you one second before they blast
    off. Look! The ten-minute warning!”
    On the western sky they saw four crimson flares open out, float shimmering down the wind above the desert, then sink silently to the extinguishing earth.
    In the new darkness the husband and wife did not rock in their chairs.
    After a while he said, “Eight minutes.” A pause. “Seven minutes.” What seemed a
    much longer pause. “Six . . .”
    His wife, her head back, studied the stars immediately above her and murmured,
    “Why?” She closed her eyes. “Why the rockets, why tonight? Why all this? I’d
    like to know.”
    He examined her face, pale in the vast powdering light of the Milky Way. He felt
    the stirring of an answer, but let his wife continue.
    “I mean it’s not that old thing again, is it, when people asked why men climbed
    Mt. Everest and they said, ‘Because it’s there’? I never understood. That was no
    answer to me.”
    Five minutes, he thought. Time ticking . . . his wrist watch . . . a wheel in a
    wheel . . . little wheel run by . . . big wheel run by . . . way in the middle
    of . . . four minutes! . . . The men snug in the rocket by now, the hive, the
    control board flickering with light.
    His lips moved.
    “All I know is it’s really the end of the beginning. The Stone Age, Bronze Age,
    Iron Age; from now on we’ll lump all those together under one big name for when we walked on Earth and heard the birds at morning and cried with envy. Maybe we’ll call it the Earth Age, or maybe the Age of Gravity. Millions of years we fought gravity. When we were amoebas and fish we struggled to get out of the sea without gravity crushing us. Once safe on the shore we fought to stand upright without gravity breaking our new invention, the spine, tried to walk without stumbling, run without falling. A billion years Gravity kept us home, mocked us with wind and clouds, cabbage moths and locusts. That’s what’s so god-awful big about tonight . . . it’s the end of old man Gravity and the age we’ll remember him by, for once and all. I don’t know where they’ll divide the ages, at the Persians, who dreamt of flying carpets, or the Chinese, who all unknowing
    celebrated birthdays and New Years with strung ladyfingers and high skyrockets,
    or some minute, some incredible second the next hour. But we’re in at the end of
    a billion years trying, the end of something long and to us humans, anyway,
    honorable.”
    Three minutes . . . two minutes fifty-nine seconds . . . two minutes fifty-eight
    seconds . . .
    “But,” said his wife, “I still don’t know why.”
    Two minutes, he thought. Ready? Ready? Ready? The far radio voice calling.
    Ready! Ready! Ready! The quick, faint replies from the humming rocket. Check!
    Check! Check!
    Tonight, he thought, even if we fail with this first, we’ll send a second and a
    third ship and move on out to all the planets and later, all the stars. We’ll
    just keep going until the big words like immortal and forever take on meaning.
    Big words, yes, that’s what we want. Continuity. Since our tongues first moved
    in our mouths we’ve asked, What does it all mean? No other question made sense, with death breathing down our necks. But just let us settle in on ten thousand worlds spinning around ten thousand alien suns and the question will fade away. Man will be endless and infinite, even as space is endless and infinite. Man will go on, as space goes on, forever. Individuals will die as always, but our
    history will reach as far as we’ll ever need to see into the future, and with
    the knowledge of our survival for all time to come, we’ll know security and thus
    the answer we’ve always searched for. Gifted with life, the least we can do is
    preserve and pass on the gift to infinity. That’s a goal worth shooting for.
    The wicker chairs whispered ever so softly on the grass.
    One minute.
    “One minute,” he said aloud.
    “Oh!” His wife moved suddenly to seize his hands. “I hope that Bob . . .”
    “He’ll be all right!”
    “Oh, God, take care . . .”
    Thirty seconds.
    “Watch now.”
    Fifteen, ten, five . . .
    “Watch!”
    Four, three, two, one.
    “There! There! Oh, there, there!”

    They both cried out. They both stood. The chairs toppled back, fell flat on the
    lawn. The man and his wife swayed, their hands struggled to find each other,
    grip, hold. They saw the brightening color in the sky and, ten seconds later,
    the great uprising comet burn the air, put out the stars, and rush away in fire
    flight to become another star in the returning profusion of the Milky Way. The
    man and wife held each other as if they had stumbled on the rim of an incredible
    cliff that faced an abyss so deep and dark there seemed no end to it. Staring
    up, they heard themselves sobbing and crying. Only after a long time were they
    able to speak.
    “It got away, it did, didn’t it?”
    “Yes . . .”
    “It’s all right, isn’t it?”
    “Yes . . . yes . . .”
    “It didn’t fall back . . .?”
    “No, no, it’s all right, Bob’s all right, it’s all right.”
    They stood away from each other at last.
    He touched his face with his hand and looked at his wet fingers. “I’ll be
    damned,” he said, “I’ll be damned.”
    They waited another five and then ten minutes until the darkness in their heads,
    the retina, ached with a million specks of fiery salt. Then they had to close
    their eyes.
    “Well,” she said, “now let’s go in.”
    He could not move. Only his hand reached a long way out by itself to find the
    lawn-mower handle. He saw what his hand had done and said, “There’s just a
    little more to do . . .”
    “But you can’t see.”
    “Well enough,” he said. “I must finish this. Then we’ll sit on the porch awhile
    before we turn in.”
    He helped her put the chairs on the porch and sat her down and then walked back out to put his hands on the guide bar of the lawn mower. The lawn mower. A wheel in a wheel. A simple machine which you held in your bands, which you sent on ahead with a rush and a clatter while you walked behind with your quiet
    philosophy. Racket, followed by warm silence. Whirling wheel, then soft footfall
    of thought.
    I’m a billion years old, he told himself; I’m one minute old. I’m one inch, no,
    ten thousand miles, tall. I look down and can’t see my feet they’re so far off
    and gone away below.
    He moved the lawn mower. The grass showering up fell softly around him; he
    relished and savored it and felt that he was all mankind bathing at last in the
    fresh waters of the fountain of youth.
    Thus bathed, he remembered the song again about the wheels and the faith and the  grace of God being way up there in the middle of the sky where that single star, among a million motionless stars, dared to move and keep on moving.
    Then he finished cutting the grass.

    The End

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    Conversations with God (full text) and free

    The following are the three volumes of the book(s) titled “Conversations with God” by Neale Donald Walsch. All three volumes are provided in PDF format. They are presented here free and in full PDF text for your learning, enjoyment and understanding. Just click on the link and read.

    It’s that simple.

    No need to enter a credit card number to prove that you are a human, or to register. You don’t need to do anything. This is a service as these books are getting harder and harder to obtain. Overseas, at least. And everyone is just trying to make a buck or two.

    So relax, and enjoy.

    The books

    These books were brought to my attention by an influencer who recommended them to me.

    I find their take a little different from mine, but many of the basic ideas are pretty much the same.  Certainly the terms are different, but that is to be expected.

    It’s a good read, and there are some differences in belief and understanding between these works and mine. It doesn’t mean that I am right and they are wrong or vice versa, it just means that there are different ways to interpret the same thing.

    Hmmm, Ive read all 3 books. Some terrific insights, granted. But “God’s” description of the soul as firmly encased in the body–physically– doesn’t jive with Mr Man’s or my notion/sense of the soul being most definitely elsewhere and connected to the body via consciousness.
    
    So, the author IMHO isn’t really speaking to God at all. But he’s quite the imagination. And the explanation given for the soul in these books is quite detailed. But again, unlike our understanding.
    Caveat emptor, I guess. As usual.
    
    -Ultan

    Never the less, they are a good read, and I recommend them for the searcher.

    About the Trilogy “Conversations with God”

    Conversations with God” is a book trilogy in which the author transcripts the dialog he had with God (the meaning of God is discussed in the book) through the process of automatic writing or channeling.

    With over 7 million copies sold worldwide, this extraordinary dialog was a huge hit in the New Age bookstores due to its groundbreaking and hopeful testimonial on spirituality. Accused of blasphemy and wanting to reinvent Christianism, Neale Donald Walsch didn’t make everyone happy when publishing his books. He denies that this transcription has been built on spiritual frustration or on an attempt to get absolution from his past mistakes in his life. He was just laying down questions in his notepad and would get answers filled with wisdom directly through his writing. Friends and family then pushed him to publish his transcripts publicly t o share his experience.

    Highly criticized, the author’s statements put the human experience and free will at the heart of the spiritual experience on earth. He also suggests a new definition of God, more like a best friend than a taciturn father figure whose love would come under certain conditions.

    With a casual and sometimes humoristic style, these books often bring up questions that we all once asked ourselves: life, love, purpose of life, the Good, the Evil, guilt, Heaven, Hell, power, health, joy, pain, marriage, money, death …

    Introduction

    During Easter 1992, the Author was having a huge existential crisis. On a personal, professional and emotional standpoint, his life seemed to him like a complete failure.

    Accustomed through the years to write down his frustrations in letters (that he would almost never send), he grabbed his old notepad and started pouring in there all his misfortune and decided to address this letter to his biggest bully that was causing all of his problems: God.

    Filled with pain and passion, Neale Donald Walsch wrote down his questions, doubts and confusion: “What did I do to deserve this life of constant battle?”

    To his surprise, while scribbling the last of his bitter questions, his pen remained floating above the note pad, like an invisible force holding it back. Suddenly, it started moving on its own and answering his questions like it was dictated. In shock but inspired, the author took advantage of the situation and started asking all the questions he had on his mind and took note of every answers given by God by thoughts or feelings, in a very clear and intelligible way…

    In the first paragraph of the book, there is a cute anecdote about a Small Candle which helps us understand what is a soul and why it incarnates itself.

    The Small Candle anecdote

    There was a time when a soul knew it was light. As it was a new soul, it was excited to experiment. “I am the light, it said. I am the light”

    But as it knew and said it was light, it wasn’t like experiencing it. In the kingdom where it appeared, there was only life. Each soul was big, each soul was beautiful and each soul was shining an intense light. So, the tiny soul was like a candle in the sun. Amongst the brightest light (from which it belonged), it couldn’t see itself, experience Who and What It Really Was.

    So this soul committed to know itself more and more. So committed that one day I told her: “Do you know, little one, what you need to do to fulfil your aspiration ?”

    “What, God? What ? I would do anything” said the little soul.
    “You have to separate yourself from us, I answered, then you must invoke obscurity upon you”
    “What is obscurity, O Almighty ?” asked the little soul.
    “It is what you are not” I replied and the soul understood.

    So, that is what the soul did: it separated itself from everything and went to another kingdom. In this kingdom, the soul could invoke in its experience any kind of obscurity. That’s what it did.

    But amongst all this obscurity she cried out :”Father, Father, why did you abandoned me?”

    (then reaching out to Neale Donald Walsch): “As you once did yourself, in your darkest hours. But i haven’t abandoned you. I am eternally faithful, ready to remind you who you truly are, ready, always ready, to bring you back where you belong”

    Thus, be the light in the obscurity and don’t damn it.

    And don’t forget who you are when surrounded by what you are not. Bless the Creation when you are looking to change it.

    And do know that what you will do in the face of your biggest challenge might be your biggest triumph. Because the experience you create is the affirmation of who you are and you want to be.

    “Conversations with God” is broken down in 3 volumes:

    • The first one is focused on personal topics but also on challenges and opportunities one can face in its life.
    • The second one talks about global matters, geopolitical and metaphysical life on this planet but also on the current challenges it has to face.
    • The third one deals with the universal truths of the highest order, the challenges and opportunities of the soul after its terrestrial experience.

    The Downloads

    Click on the picture to download or open up the PDF in your browser. It’s usually pretty fast, though if you are still using a “dial up” modem, it might take a while.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Prayer and Intention Campaign index. Here…

    Intention Campaigns

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    Articles & Links

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    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
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    Dash and Grab, what is going on during the collapse of the United States

    Yeah. So today I went and got myself a nice beer, as is my custom on my way to the house for lunch. It’s a nice day. The weather is warming up. Getting a little glare from the clouds and the “feeling” in the air is one of calmness. There was a gaggle of young girls near the elevator. All  in their lower to mid 20’s. Nice. Cute. Entry-level office workers.

    Came home, and my damn dog decides to break the afternoon stillness by barking like a mad-dog.

    He’s getting old and doggie dementia is kicking in. I had to go up to him let him smell my hand before I could calm him down. Ah. That’s life, you know. There’s always different folk on different wavelengths creating the canopy of life that we know and love.

    The wife made me a Cobb Salad to have with my beer. It’s good stuff, I’ll tell you what.

    Cobb salad.

    Lately I have been a-wondering about what is “next”. You know, World War III, a new beginning, or something else. I have come to the conclusion that we have reached the point that I like to refer to as “The end of the beginning“.

    Ah. Isn’t that the case.

    It’s like this video (below).

    As always, please click on the picture to have the video load and open up in a new window.

    It’s not a dreary thing.

    It’s a realization that things are changing, and yet the changes will continue.

    My top running posts, by far, are my writings on SHTF. As has been the case for the last three months or so. People from all over the internet have been visiting my writings on these matters. They don’t post comments, but they read, stick around and then disappear. Like ghosts in the night. I don’t know who they are, or why they are reading about how to prepare for turmoil inside of America. But they do.

    People are scared.

    As uncomfortable as things are, they are not yet dire. There is this feeling like an axe is going to fall any day now, and it’s at all levels. It’s like the cats and dogs barking before an earthquake, or that bird migrate South before a disaster. Something is up, but no one can put their finger on it.

    The “news” is following the direction that must have been set in place years earlier. It does not reflect this feeling; this situation, or this condition. Instead its the same old bullshit.

    The same bullshit.

    • Accuse China of XXXX, and YYYY.
    • Don’t report on radical Marxist legislation or progressive issues, but they continue apace.
    • Harp on the Coronavirus.
    • Promote the super wealthy as if the debt-serfs give a fuck anymore.
    • New taxes on the horizon!
    • But NASA is developing new things!

    Yeah. Different subjects, but the same tired old formula.

    It’s the end of the beginning.

    People know. They KNOW.

    The world that we all used to live in, and the ideas and the beliefs that we all used to have are long gone. They are dead. Dead as in two day old fish dead. Dead like Fat Fredy’s Cat  sniffing a dead fish dead.

    Fat Fredy’s cat

    .

    But why?

    Why is the human species out in the West (not in China, nor Russia, nor Africa) feel this way?

    Why?

    Certainly there’s a lot of “chatter” on the social media. Today “Moon Over Alabama” and all sort of “armchair experts” talking and discussing the Tao inside of China and how that defines what China is today. LOL!

    Fact of the matter.

    Inside of China… no one talks about the Tao.

    I do mean NO ONE.

    Although Taoism is China's only indigenous religion, its sway now pales compared with its previous status. 
    
    - Corespirit

    That’s like assuming all Americans have daily discussions about the influences of President Taft on contemporaneous social media platforms. Especially what President Traft would have to say in regards to selfies on Tiktok, and shadow-blocking trolls.

    So silly.

    Seriously.

    I don’t know whether to laugh or to cry.

    Perhaps it has something to do with how the West; the American run Western societies have evolved. And to which degree they sit as the world around them evolves in a different direction. Perhaps it is something much more fundamental to this degree…

    The End of the Beginning

    I believe that the big changes that all of us are due to experience have already been set in motion. And with this understanding comes the realization that “the stage is set”.

    What is next…

    Well it is the Start of the changes.

    All that we have experienced so far is just the prep-work. And it’s all in place. Every single thing is where it needs to be for the big changes to take place.

    What am I talking about?

    I am talking about this….

    This is a most excellent interview from the Greanville post. All credit to the authors. It was edited to fit this venue, but aside from that it is as intact as possible.

    It deals with economics and finance and government systems. All stuff that I find boring. But this point of view is refreshing as it looks at what is going on and how the banking class is looking at profiting from the collapse. Yikes! What a great read!

    Pepe: So, what’s going to happen in the, let’s say, short to mid-term in the U.S.? 
    
    Michael, we are seeing the corrosion of the whole system, not only externally in terms of foreign policy and the end of the free lunch, but internally with those 70-million-plus “deplorables” being literally canceled from public debate, the impoverishment of the middle classes, with over 50 million people in America who are practically becoming literally poor. 
    
    And obviously the American dream ended a few decades ago, maybe, but now there’s not even a glimpse of it, that there could be a renewal of the American dream. 
    
    So we have a larval civil war situation, degrading on a daily basis. 
    
    What’s the end game in fact? And what exactly does Wall Street, the American ruling class —the guys who have those lunches at the Harvard club — what do they ultimately want?
    
    Michael: Well, what you call a disaster for the economy, isn’t it a bonanza for the 1 percent? 
    
    This is a victory of finance. 
    
    You look at it as a collapse of industrial capitalism. I look at it as the victory of rentier finance capitalism. 
    
    You’re having probably 10 million Americans that are going to be thrown out of their apartments and their homes in June when the moratorium on rents and mortgages ends. 
    
    You’re going to have a vast increase in the homeless population. 
    
    That will probably represent an increase in people who use the subways. Where else are they going to live? 
    
    And all of this, there’s an immense amount of private capital firms that have all been created in the last year of just wealth accumulations and they’re saying there are going to be such great opportunities to pick up real estate at bargain prices, all of this for the commercial real estate, that’s broken, all the buildings and the restaurants that have to be sold because they can’t meet their mortgage payments and their rents, all the houses that are going to be under, private capital can come in and do what was done after the Obama evictions.
    
    We can do what Blackstone did. We can buy them all out for pennies on the dollar. So, for them, they’re looking at their own 20-year plan. And their 20-year plan is to grab everything!

    Ouch.

    Here’s the article…

    Part one and part two. Bam! And Bam!

    Pepe Escobar in conversation with Michael Hudson

    At The Henry George School of Social Science

    The United States is an object lesson for China on what to avoid, not only in industrializing the economy, but in creating a picture of the economy as if everybody earns everything and there’s no exploitation, no unearned income, nobody makes money in their sleep and there’s no 1 percent..."

    Michael Hudson: Well, I’m honored to be here on the same show with Pepe and discuss our mutual concern. And I think you have to frame the whole issue that China is thriving, and the West has reached the end of the whole 75-year expansion it had since 1945.

    So, there was an illusion that America is de-industrializing because of competition from China. And the reality is there is no way that America can re-industrialize and regain its export markets with the way that it’s organized today, financialized and privatized and if China didn’t exist. You’d still have the Rust Belt rusting out. You’d still have American industry not being able to compete abroad simply because the cost structure is so high in the United States.

     

    The wealth is no longer made here by industrializing. It’s made financially, mainly by making capital gains. Rising prices for real estate or for stocks and for bonds.  In the last nine months, since the coronavirus came here, the top 1 percent of the U.S. economy grew by $1 trillion. It’s been a windfall for the 1 percent. The stock market is way up, the bond market is up, the real estate market is up while the rest of the economy is going down. Despite the tariffs that Trump put on, Chinese imports, trade with China is going up because we’re just not producing materials.

    America doesn’t make its own shoes. It doesn’t make some nuts and bolts or fasteners, it doesn’t make industrial things anymore because if money is to be made off an industrial company it’s to buy and sell the company, not to make loans to increase the company’s production. New York City, where I live, used to be an industrial city and, the industrial buildings, the mercantile buildings have all been gentrified into high-priced real estate and the result is that Americans have to pay so much money on education, rent, medical care that if they got all of their physical needs, their food, their clothing, all the goods and services for nothing, they still couldn’t compete with foreign labor because of all of the costs that they have to pay that are essentially called rent-seeking.

    Housing in the United States now absorbs about 40 percent of the average worker’s paycheck. There’s 15 percent taken off the top of paychecks for pensions, Social Security and for Medicare. Further medical insurance adds more to the paycheck, income taxes and sales taxes add about another 10 percent. Then you have student loans and bank debt. So basically, the American worker can only spend about one third of his or her income on buying the goods and services they produce. All the rest goes into the FIRE sector — the finance, insurance and real estate sector — and other monopolies.



    And essentially, we became what’s called a rent-seeking economy, not a productive economy. So, when people in Washington talk about American capitalism versus Chinese socialism this is confusing the issue. What kind of capitalism are we talking about?

    America used to have industrial capitalism in the 19th century. That’s how it got richer originally but now it’s moved away from industrial capitalism towards finance capitalism. And what that means is that essentially the mixed economy that made America rich — where the government would invest in education and infrastructure and transportation and provide these at low costs so that the employers didn’t have to pay labor to afford high costs — all of this has been transformed over the last hundred years.

    And we’ve moved away from the whole ethic of what was industrial capitalism. Before, the idea of capitalism in the 19th century from Adam Smith to Ricardo, to John Stuart Mill to Marx was very clear and Marx stated it quite clearly; capitalism was revolutionary. It was to get rid of the landlord class. It was to get rid of the rentier class. It was to get rid of the banking class essentially, and just bear all the costs that were unnecessary for production, because how did England and America and Germany gain their markets?


    “We’ve moved away from the whole ethic of what was industrial capitalism.”
    They gained their markets basically by the government picking up a lot of the costs of the economy. The government in America provided low-cost education, not student debt. It provided transportation at subsidized prices. It provided basic infrastructure at low cost. And so, government infrastructure was considered a fourth factor of production.

    And if you read what the business schools in the late 19th century taught like Simon Patten at the Wharton School, it’s very much like socialism. In fact, it’s very much like what China is doing. And in fact, China is following in the last 30 or 40 years pretty much the same way of getting rich that America followed.

    It had its government fund basic infrastructure. It provides low-cost education. It invests in high-speed railroads and airports, in the building of cities. So, the government bears most of the costs and, that means that employers don’t have to pay workers enough to pay a student loan debt. They don’t have to pay workers enough to pay enormous rent such as you have in the United States.  They don’t have to pay workers to save for a pension fund, to pay the pension later on.  And most of all the Chinese economy doesn’t really have to pay a banking class because banking is the most important public utility of all.  Banking is what China has kept in the hands of government and Chinese banks don’t lend for the same reasons that American banks lend.

    (When I said that China can pay lower wages than the U.S., what I meant was that China provides as public services many things that American workers have to pay out of their own pockets – such as health care, free education, subsidized education, and above all, much lower debt service.

    When workers have to go into debt in order to live, they need much higher wages to keep solvent. When they have to pay for their own health insurance, they have to earn more. The same is true of education and student debt. So much of what Americans seem to be earning — more than workers in other countries — goes right through their hands to the FIRE sector. So, what seems to be “low wages” in China go a lot further than higher wages in the United States.)

    Eighty percent of American bank loans are mortgage loans to real estate and the effect of loosening loan standards and increasing the market for real estate is to push up the cost of living, push up the cost of housing. So, Americans have to pay more and more money for their housing whether they’re renters or they’re buyers, in which case the rent is for paying mortgage interest.

    So, all of this cost structure has been built into the economy. China’s been able pretty much, to avoid all of this, because its objective in banking is not to make a profit and interest, not to make capital gains and speculation. It creates money to fund actual means of production to build factories, to build research and development, to build transportation facilities, to build infrastructure. Banks in America don’t lend for that kind of thing.

    “So, you have a diametric opposite philosophy of how to develop between the United States and China.”


    They only lend against collateral that’s already in place because they won’t make a loan if it’s not backed by collateral. Well, China creates money through its public banks to create capital, to create the means of production. So, you have a diametric opposite philosophy of how to develop between the United States and China.

    The United States has decided not to gain wealth by actually investing in means of production and producing goods and services, but in financial ways. China is gaining wealth the old-fashioned way, by producing it. And whether you call this, industrial capitalism or a state capitalism or a state socialism or Marxism, it basically follows the same logic of real economics, the real economy, not the financial overhead.  So, you have China operating as a real economy, increasing its production, becoming the workshop of the world as England used to be called and America trying to draw in foreign resources, live off of foreign resources, live by trying to make money by investing in the Chinese stock market or now, moving investment banks into China and making loans to China not actual industrial capitalism ways.


    “China is gaining wealth the old-fashioned way, by producing it.”


    So, you could say that America has gone beyond industrial capitalism, and they call it the post-industrial society, but you could call it the neo-feudal society. You could call it the neo-rentier society, or you could call it debt peonage but it’s not industrial capitalism.

    And in that sense, there’s no rivalry between China and America. These are different systems going their own way and I better let Pepe pick it up from there.

    Pepe Escobar: Okay. Thank you, Michael, this is brilliant. And you did it in less than 15 minutes. You told the whole story in 15 minutes. Well, my journalistic instinct is immediately to start questions to Michael. So, this is exactly what I’m gonna do now. I think it is much better to basically illustrate some points of what Michael just said, comparing the American system, which is finance capitalism essentially, with industrial capitalism that is in effect in China. Let me try to start with a very concrete and straight to the point question, Michael.

    Okay. let’s says that more or less, if we want to summarize it, basically they try to tax the nonproductive rentier class. So, this would be the Chinese way to distribute wealth, right? Sifting through the Chinese economic literature, there is a very interesting concept, which is relatively new (correct me if I am wrong, Michael) in China, which they call stable investment. So stable investment, according to the Chinese would be to issue special bonds as extra capital in fact, to be invested in infrastructure building all across China, and they choose these projects in what they call weak areas and weak links. So probably in some of the inner provinces, or probably in some parts of Tibet or Xinjiang for instance. So, this is a way to invest in the real economy and in real government investment projects.

    Right? So, my question in fact, is does this system create extra local debt, coming directly from this financing from Beijing? Is this a good recipe for sustainable development, the Chinese way and the recipe that they could expand to other parts of the Global South?

    Michael: Well, this is a big problem that they’re discussing right now. The localities, especially rural China, (and China is still largely rural) only cover about half of their working budget from taxation. So, they have a problem. How are they going to get the balance of the money? Well, there is no official revenue sharing between the federal government and its state banks and the localities.

    So, the localities can’t simply go to central government and say, give us more money. The government lets the localities be very independent. And it is sort of the “let a hundred flowers bloom” concept. And so, they’ve let each locality just go the long way, but the localities have run a big deficit.

    What do they do?  Well in the United States they would issue bonds on which New York is about to default. But in China, the easiest way for the localities to make money, is unfortunately they will do something like Chicago did. They will sell their tax rights for the next 75 years for current money now.

    So, a real estate developer will come in and say; look we will give you the next 75 years of tax on this land, because we want to build projects on this (a set of buildings). So, what this means is that now the cities have given away all their source of rent.

    Let me show you the problem by what Indiana and Chicago did. Chicago also was very much like China’s countryside cities. So, it sold parking meters and its sidewalks to a whole series of Wall Street investors, including the Abu Dhabi Investment Fund for seventy-five years. And that meant that for 75 years, this Wall Street consortium got to control the parking meters.

    So, they put up the parking meters all over Chicago, raised the price of parking, raised the cost of driving to Chicago. And if Chicago would have a parade and interrupt parking, then Chicago has to pay the Abu Dhabi fund and Wall Street company what it would have made anyway. And this became such an awful disaster that finally Wall Street had to reverse the deal and undo it because it was giving privatization a bad name here.  The same thing happened in Indiana.
    Indiana was running a deficit and it decided to sell its roads to a Wall Street investment firm to make a toll road. The toll on the Indiana turnpike was so high that drivers began to take over the side roads. That’s the problem if you sell future tax revenues in advance.
    Now what China and the localities there are discussing is that we’ve already given the real estate tax at very low estimates to the commercial developers, so what do we do? Well, I’ve given them my advice. I’m a professor of economics at the Peking University, School of Marxist studies and I’ve had discussions with the Central Committee. I also have an official position at Wuhan University. There, we’re discussing how China can put an added tax for all of the valuable land, that’s gone up. How can it be done to let the cities collect this tax? Our claim is that the cities, in selling these tax rights for 75 years, have sold what in Britain would be called ground rent (i.e. what’s paid to the landed aristocracy).
    Over and above that there’s the market rent. So, China should pass a market-rent tax over and above the ground rent tax to reflect the current value. And there they’re thinking of, well, do we say that this is a capital gain on the land? Well, it’s not really a capital gain until you sell the land, but it’s value. It’s the valuation of the capital. And they’re looking at whether they should just say this is the market rent tax over and above the flat tax that has been paid in advance, or it’s a land tax on the capital gain for land.
    Now, all of this requires that there be a land map of the whole country. And they are just beginning to create such a land map as a basis for how you calculate how much the rent there is.
    What I found in China is something very strange. A few years ago, in Beijing, they had the first, International Marxist conference where I was the main speaker and I was talking about Marx’s discussion of the history of rent theory in Volume II and Volume III of Capital where Marx discusses all of the classical economics that led up to his view; Adam Smith, Ricardo, Malthus, John Stuart Mill, and Marx’s theory of surplus value was really the first history of economic thought that was written, although it wasn’t published until after he died. Well, you could see that there was a little bit of discomfort with some of the Marxists at the conference. And so, they invited for the next time my colleague David Harvey to come and talk about Marxism in the West.

    Well, David gave both the leading and the closing speech of the conference and said, you’ve got to go beyond volume I of Capital. Volume I was what Marx wrote as his addition to classical economics, saying that there was exploitation in industrial employment of labor as well as rent seeking and then he said, now that I’ve done my introduction here, let me talk about how capitalism works in Volumes II and III. Volumes II and III are all about rent and finance and David Harvey has published a book on Volume III of Capital and his message to Peking University and the second Marxist conference was – you’ve got to read Volume II, and III.


    Well, you can see that, there’s a discussion now over what is Marxism and a friend and colleague at PKU said Marxism is a Chinese word; It’s the Chinese word for politics. That made everything clear to me. Now I get it!  I’ve been asked by the Academy of Social Sciences in China to create a syllabus of the history of rent theory and value theory. And essentially in order to have an idea of how you calculate rent, how do you make a national income analysis where you show rent, you have to have a theory of value and price and rent is the excess of price over the actual cost value. Well, for that you need a concept of cost of production and that’s what classical economics is all about. Post-classical economics denied all of this. The whole idea of classical economics is that not all income is earned.
    Landlords don’t earn their income for making rent in their sleep as John Stuart Mill said. Banks don’t earn their income by just sitting there and letting debts accrue and interest compounding and doubling. The classical economists separated actual unearned income from the production and consumption economy.
    Well, around the late 19th century in America, you had economists fighting against not only Marx, but also even against Henry George, who at that time, was urging a land tax in New York. And so, at Columbia University, John Bates Clark developed a whole theory that everybody earns whatever they can get. That there was no such thing as unearned income and that has become the basis for American national income statistics and thought ever since. So, if you look at today’s GDP figures for the United States, they have a figure for 8 percent of the GDP for the homeowners’ rent. But homeowners wouldn’t pay themselves if they had to rent the apartment to themselves, then you’ll have interest at about 12 percent of GDP.
    And I thought, well how can interest be so steady? What happens to all of the late fees; that 29 percent that credit card companies charge? I called up the national income people in Washington, when I was there. And they said well, late fees and penalties are considered financial services.
    And so, this is what you call a service economy. Well, there’s no service in charging a late fee, but they add all of the late fees. When people can’t pay their debts and they owe more and more, all of that is considered an addition to GDP. When housing becomes more expensive and prices American labor out of the market, that’s called an increase in GDP.

    This is not how a country that wants to develop is going to create a national income account. So, there’s a long discussion in China about, just to answer your question, how do you create an account to distinguish between what’s the necessary cost to production and what’s an unnecessary production cost and how do we avoid doing what the United States did. So again, no rivalry. The United States is an object lesson for China on what to avoid, not only in industrializing the economy, but in creating a picture of the economy as if everybody earns everything and there’s no exploitation, no unearned income, nobody makes money in their sleep and there’s no 1 percent. Well, that’s what’s really at issue and why the whole world is splitting apart as you and I are discussing in what we’re writing.

    “When people can’t pay their debts and they owe more and more, all of that is considered an addition to GDP.”


    Pepe: Thank you, Michael. Thank you very much. So just to sum it all up, can we say that Beijing’s strategy is to save especially provincial areas from leasing their land, their infrastructure for 60 years or 75 years?  As you just mentioned, can we say that the fulcrum of their national strategy is what you define as the market rent tax? Is this the No. 1 mechanism that they are developing?

    Michael: Ideally, they want to keep rents as low as possible because rent is a cost of living and a cost of doing business. They don’t have banks that are lending to inflate the real estate market.

    However, in almost every Western country — the U.S., Germany England — the value of stocks and bonds and the value of real estate is just about exactly the same. But for China, the value of real estate is way, way larger than the value of stocks.

    And the reason is not because the Chinese Central bank, the Bank of China lends for real estate; it’s because they lend to intermediaries and the intermediaries have financed a lot of housing purchases in China. And, this is really the problem for if they levy a land tax, then you’re going to make a lot of these financial intermediaries go bust.

    That’s what I’m advocating, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. These financial intermediaries shouldn’t exist, and this same issue came up in 2009 in the United States. You had the leading American bank being the most crooked and internally corrupt bank in the country, Citibank making junk mortgage, and it was broke.

     

    Its entire net worth was wiped out as a result of its fraudulent junk mortgages. Well, Sheila Bair, the head of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) wanted to close it down and take it over. Essentially that would have made it into a public bank and that would be a wonderful thing. She said, look Citibank shouldn’t be doing what it’s doing. And she wrote all this up in an autobiography. And, she was overruled by President Obama and Tim Geithner saying, but wait a minute, those are our campaign contributors. So, they were loyal to the campaign contributors, but not the voters; and they didn’t close Citibank down.

    And the result is that the Federal Reserve ended up creating about $7 trillion of quantitative easing to bail out the banks. The homeowners weren’t bailed out.  Ten million American families lost their homes as a result of junk mortgages in excess of what the property was actually worth.

    All of this was left on the books, foreclosed and sold to private capital companies like Blackstone. And the result is that home ownership in America declined from 68 percent of the population down to about 61 percent. Well, right where the Obama administration left off, you’re about to have the Biden administration begin in January with an estimated 5 million Americans losing their homes. They’re going to be evicted because they’ve been unemployed during the pandemic. They’ve been working in restaurants or gyms or other industries that have been shut down because of the pandemic. They’re going to be evicted and many homeowners, low-income homeowners have been unable to pay their mortgages.

    There’s going to be a wave of foreclosures. The question is, who’s going to bear the cost? Should it be 15 million American families who lose their homes just so the banks won’t lose money? Or should we let the banks that have made all of the growth since 2008? Ninety five percent of American GDP of the population has seen its wealth go down. All the wealth has been accumulating for the 5 percent in statistics. Now the question is should this 5 percent that’s got all the wealth lose or should the 95 percent lose?
    The Biden administration says the 95 percent should lose basically. And you’re going to see a wave of closures so that the question in China should be that, these intermediate banks (they’re not really banks they are sort of like payday loan lenders), should they come in and, bear the loss or should Chinese localities and the people bear the loss?  Somebody has to lose when you’re charging, you’re collecting the land’s rent that was paid to the creditors, and either the creditors have to lose or, the tax collector loses and that’s the conflict that exists in every society of the world today.   And, in the West, the idea is the tax collectors should lose and whatever the tax collector relinquishes should be free for the banks to collect. In China obviously, they don’t want that to happen and they don’t want to see a financial class developing along US lines.

    Pepe: Michael, there’s a quick question in all this, which is the official position by Beijing in terms of helping the localities. Their official position is that there won’t be any bailouts of local debt. How do they plan to do that?

    Michael: What they’re discussing, how are you not going to do it? They think they sort of let localities go their own way. And they think, well you know which ones are going to succeed, and which ones aren’t, they didn’t want to have a one-size-fits all central planning. They wanted to have flexibility. Well, now they have flexibility. And when you have many different “let a hundred flowers bloom,” not all the flowers are going to bloom at the same rate.

    And the question is, if they don’t bail out the cities, how are the cities going to operate? Certainly, China has never let markets steer the economy, the government steers the markets. That’s what socialism is as opposed to finance capitalism. So, the question is, you can let localities go broke and yet you’re not going to destroy any of the physical assets of the localities, and all of this is going to be in place. The question is how are you going to arrange the flow of income to all of these roads and buildings and land that’s in place? How do you create a system?  Essentially, they’re saying well, if we’re industrial engineers, how do we just plan things? Forget credit, forget property claims, forget the rentier claims. How are we just going to design an economy that operates most efficiently? And that’s what they’re working on now to resolve this situation because it’s gotten fairly critical.

    Pepe: Yes, especially in the countryside. Well, I think, a very good metaphor in terms of comparing both systems are investment in infrastructure. You travel to China a lot so, you’ve seen. You’ll travel through high-speed rail. You’ll see those fantastic airports, in Pudong or the new airport in Beijing. And then you’ll take the Acela to go from Washington to New York City, which is something that I used to do years ago. And the comparison is striking. Isn’t it?

    Or if you go to France, for instance, when France started development of the TGV, which in terms of a national infrastructure network, is one of the best networks on the planet. And the French started doing this 30 years ago, even more. Is there…it’s not in terms of way out, but if we analyze the minutia, it’s obvious that following the American finance utilization system, we could never have something remotely similar happening in United States in terms of building infrastructure.
    So, do you see any realistic bypass mechanism in terms of improving American infrastructure, especially in the big cities?

    Michael: No, and there are two reasons for that. No. 1, let’s take a look at the long-term railroads. The railroads go through the center of town or even in the countryside, all along the railroads, the railroads brought business and all the businesses had been located as close to the railroad tracks as they could.

    Factories with sightings off the railroad, hotels and especially right through the middle of town where you have the railway gates going up and down. In order to make a high-speed rail as in China, you need a dedicated roadway without trucks and cars, imagine a car going through a railway gate at 350 miles an hour.

    So, when I would go from Beijing to Tianjin, here’s the high-speed rail, there’s one highway on one side, one highway on the other side. There’ll be underpasses. But there it goes straight now. How can you suppose you would have a straight Acela line from Washington up to Boston when all along the line, there’s all this real estate right along the line that has been built up? There’s no way you can get a dedicated roadway without having to tear down all of this real estate that’s on either side and the cost of making the current owners whole would be prohibitive. And anywhere you would go, that’s not in the center of the city, you would also have to have the problem that there’s already private property there.

    And there’s no legal, constitutional way for such a physical investment to be made. China was able to make this investment because it was still largely rural. It wasn’t as built up along the railways. It didn’t have any particular area that was built up right where the railroad already was.

    So certainly, any high-speed rail could not go where the current railways would be, and they’d have to go on somebody’s land. And, there’s also, what do you do if you want to get to New York and Long Island from New Jersey?

    Sixty years ago, when I went into Wall Street, the cost of getting and transporting goods from California to Newark, New Jersey, was as large as from Newark right across the Hudson River to New York, not only because of the mafia and control of the local labor unions, but because of the tunnels. Right now, the tunnels from New Jersey to New York are broke, they are leaking, the subways in New York City, which continually break down because there was a hurricane a few years ago and the switches were made in the 1940s. The switches are 80 years old. They had water damage and the trains have to go at a crawl. But the city and state, because it is not collecting the real estate tax and other taxes and because ridership fell on the subways to about 20 percent, the city’s broke. They’re talking about 70 percent of city services being cut back. They’re talking about cutting back the subways to 40 percent capacity, meaning everybody will have to get in — when there’s still a virus and not many people are wearing masks, and there was no means of enforcing masks here.

     

    So, there’s no way that you can rebuild the infrastructure because, for one thing the banking system here has subsidized for a hundred years junk economics saying you have to balance the budget. If the government creates credit it’s inflationary as if when banks create credit, it’s not inflationary. Well, the monetary effect is the same, no matter who creates the money. And so, Biden has already said that President Trump ran a big deficit, we’re going to run a bunch of surpluses or a budget balance. And he was advocating that all along. Essentially Biden is saying we have to increase unemployment by 20 percent, lower wages by 20 percent, shrink the economy by about 10 percent in order to, in order for the banks not to lose money.


    “You’re going to price the American economy even further out of business because they say that public investment is socialism.”


    And, we’re going to privatize but we are going to do it by selling the hospitals, the schools, the parks, the transportation to finance, to Wall Street finance capital groups. And so, you can imagine what’s going to happen if the Wall Street groups buy the infrastructure. They’ll do what happened to Chicago when it sold all the parking meters, they’ll say, OK, instead of 25 cents an hour, it’s now charged $3 an hour. Instead of a $2 for the subway, let’s make it $8.

    You’re going to price the American economy even further out of business because they say that public investment is socialism. Well, it’s not socialism. It’s industrial capitalism. It’s industrialization, that’s basic economics. The idea of what, and how an economy works is so twisted academically that it’s the antithesis of what Adam Smith, John Stewart Mill and Marx all talked about. For them a free- market economy was an economy free of rentiers. Free of rent, it didn’t have any rent seeking. But now for the Americans, a free-market economy is free for the rentiers, free for the landlord, free for the banks to make a killing. And that is basically the class war back in business with a vengeance. That blocks and is preventing any kind infrastructure recovery. I don’t see how it can possibly take place.

    Pepe: Well, based on what you just described, there is a process of turning the United States into a giant Brazil. In fact, this is what the Brazilian Finance Minister Paulo Guedes, a Pinochetista, as you know Michael, has been doing with the Brazilian economy for the past two years, privatizing everything and selling everything to big Brazilian interests and with lots of Wall Street interests involved as well. So, this is a recipe that goes all across the Global South as well. And it’s fully copied all across the Global South with no way out now.

     Michael: Yes, and this is promoted by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. And when I was brought down to Brazil to meet with the council of economic advisers under Lula, [Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, former president of Brazil], they said, well the whole problem is that Lula’s been obliged to let the banks do the planning.

    So, basically free markets and libertarianism is adopting central planning, but with central planning by the banks. America is a much more centrally planned economy than China. China is letting a hundred flowers bloom; America has concentrated the planning and the resource allocation in Wall Street. And that’s the central planning that is much more corrosive than any government planning, could be. Now the irony is that China’s sending its students to America to study economics. And, most of the Chinese I had talked to say, well we went to America to take economics courses because that gives us a prestige here in China.

    I’m working now, with Chinese groups trying to develop a “reality economics” to be taught in China as different from American economics.

    “America has concentrated the planning and the resource allocation in Wall Street. And that’s the central planning that is much more corrosive than any government planning, could be.”

     

    Pepe: Exactly, because of what they study at Beijing University, Renmin or Tsinghua is not exactly what they would study in big American universities. Probably what they study in the U.S. is what not to do in China. When they go back to China, what they won’t be doing. It’s an object lesson for what to avoid.

    Michael, I’d like to go back to what the BRICS [Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa] had been discussing in the 2000s when Lula was still president of Brazil and many of his ideas deeply impressed, especially Hu Jintao at the time, which is bypassing the U.S. dollar. Well, at the moment obviously we’re still at 87 percent of international transactions still in U.S. dollars. So, we are very far away from it, but if you have a truly sovereign economy, which is the case of China, which we can say is the case of Russia to a certain extent and obviously in a completely different framework, Iran. Iran is a completely sovereign, independent economy from the West. The only way to try to develop different mechanisms to not fall into the rentier mind space would be to bypass the U.S. dollar.

    Michael: Yes, for many reasons. For one thing the United States can simply print the dollars and lend to other countries and then say, now you have to pay us interest. Well, Russia doesn’t need American dollars. It can print its own rubles to provide labor. There’s no need for a foreign currency at all for domestic spending, the only reason you would have to borrow a foreign currency is to balance your exchange rate, or to finance a trade deficit. But China doesn’t have a trade deficit. And in fact, if China were to work to accept more dollars, Americans would love to buy into the Chinese market and make a profit there, but that would push up China’s exchange rate and that would make it more difficult for her to make its exports because the exchange rate would come up not because it’s exporting more but because it’s letting American dollars come in and push it up.

    Well, fortunately, President Trump as if he works for the Chinese National Committee, said, look, we don’t want to really hurt China by pushing up its currency and we want to keep it competitive. So, I’m going to prevent American companies from lending money to China, I’m going to isolate it and so he’s helping them protect their economy. And in Russia he said, look Russia really needs to feed itself. And, there’s a real danger that when the Democrats come in, there are a lot of anti-Russians in the Biden administration. They may go to war. They may do to Russia what they tried to do to China in the ‘50s. Stop exporting food and grain. And only Canada was able to break the embargo. So, we’re going to impose sanctions on Russia. So immediately, what happened is Russia very quickly became the largest grain exporter in the world. And instead of importing cheese from the Baltics, it created its own cheese industry. So, Trump said look, I know that Russians followed the American idea of not having protective tariffs, they need protective tariffs. They’re not doing it. We’re going to help them out by just not importing from them and really helping them.

    Pepe: Yeah. Michael, what do you think Black Rock wants from the Chinese? You know that they are making a few inroads at the highest levels? Of course, I’m sure you’re aware of that. And also, JP Morgan, Citibank, etc. What do they really want?

    Michael: They’d like to be able to create dollars to begin to buy and make loans to real estate; let companies grow, let the real estate market grow and make capital gains.

    The way people get wealthy today isn’t by making an income, it’s been by making a capital gain. Total returns are current income plus the capital gains. As for capital gains each year; the land value gains alone are larger than the whole GDP growth from year to year. So that’s where the money is, that’s where the wealth is. So, they are after speculative capital gains, they would like to push money into the Chinese stock market and real estate market. See the prices go up and then inflate the prices by buying in and then sell out at the high price. Pull the money out, get a capital gain and let the economy crash, I mean that’s the business plan.

    Pepe: Exactly. But Beijing will never allow that.

    Michael: Well, here’s the problem right now, they know that Biden is pushing militarily aggressive people in his cabinet. There’s one kind of overhead that China is really trying to avoid and that’s the military overhead because if you spend money on the military, you can’t spend it on the real economy. They’re very worried about the military and they say, how do we deter the Biden administration from actually trying a military adventure in the South China Sea or elsewhere? They said well, fortunately America is multi-layered. They don’t think of America as a group. They realize there’s a layer and they say, who’s going to represent our interests?

    “There’s one kind of overhead that China is really trying to avoid and that’s the military overhead because if you spend money on the military, you can’t spend it on the real economy.”

    Well, Blackstone and Wall Street are going to represent their interests. Then I think one of the Chinese officials last week gave a big speech on this very thing, saying look, our best hope in stopping America’s military adventurism in China is to have Wall Street acting as our support because after all, Wall Street is the main campaign contributor and the president works for the campaign contributors.

    The politician works for the campaign contributors. They’re in it for the money! So fortunately, we have Wall Street on our side, we’ve got control of the political system and they’re not there to go to war so that helps explain why a month ago they let wholly-owned U.S. banks and bankers in. On the one hand, they don’t like the idea of somebody outside the government creating credit for reasons that the economy doesn’t need. If they needed it, the Bank of China would do it. They have no need for foreign currency to come in to make loans in domestic currency, out of China.

    The only reason that they could do it is No. 1, it helps meet the World Trade Organization’s principles and, No. 2, especially during this formative few months of the Biden administration, it helps to have Wall Street saying; we can make a fortune in China, go easy on them and that essentially counters the military hawks in Washington.

    Pepe: So, do you foresee a scenario when Black Rock starts wreaking havoc in the Shanghai stock exchange for instance?

    Michael: It would love to do that. It would love to move things up and down. The money’s made by companies with the stock market going up and down; the zigzag. So of course, it wants to do a predatory zigzag. The question is whether China will impose a tax to stop this, all sorts of financial transactions. That’s what’s under discussion now. They know exactly what Black Rock wants to do because they have some very savvy billionaire Chinese advisers that are quite good. I can tell you stories, but I better not.

    Pepe: Okay. If it’s not okay to tell it all, tell us part of the story then.

    Michael: The American banks have been cultivating leading Chinese people by providing them enough money to make money here, that they think that, okay they will now try to make money in the same way in China and we can join in. It’s a conflict of systems again, between the finance capital system and industrial socialism. You don’t get any of this discussion in the U.S. press, which is why I read what you write because in the U.S. press, the neocons talk about the fake idea of Greek history and fake idea of the Thucydides’ problem of a country jealous of another country’s development.

    There’s no jealousy between America and China. They’re different, they have their own way. We are going to destroy them. And if you look at the analogy that the Americans draw —and this is how the Pentagon thinks — with the war between Athens and Sparta. It’s hard to tell, which is which. Here you have Athens, a democracy backing other democracies and having the military support of the democracies and the military in these democracies all had to pay Athens protection money for the military support and that’s the money that Athens got to ostensibly support its navy and protection that built up all of the Athenian public buildings and everything else. So, that’s a democracy exploiting its allies, to enrich itself via the military. Then you have Sparta, which was funding all of the oligarchies, and it was helping the oligarchies overthrow democracies. Well, that was America too. So, America is both sides of the Thucydides war if the democracy is exploiting the fellow democracies and is the supporter of oligarchies in Brazil, Latin America, Africa and everyone else.

    So, you could say the Thucydides problem was between two sides, two aspects of America and has nothing to do with China at all except, for the fact that the whole war was a war between economic systems. They’re acting as if somehow if only China did not export to us, we could be re-industrialized and somehow export to Europe and the Third World.

    And as you and I have described, it’s over. We painted ourselves into such a debt corner that without writing down the debts, we’re in the same position that the Eurozone is in. There’s so much money that goes to the creditors to the top 1 percent or 5 percent that there is no money for capital investment, there is no money for growth. And, since 1980 as you know, real wages in America have been stable. All the growth has been in property owners and predators and the FIRE sector, the rest of the economy is in stagnation. And now the coronavirus has simply acted as a catalyst to make it very clear that the game is over; it’s time to move away from the homeowner economy to rentier economy, time for Blackstone to be the landlord. America wants to recreate the British landlord class and essentially what we’re seeing now is like the Norman invasion of England taking over the land and the infrastructure. That’s what Blackstone would love to do in China.
    “There’s so much money that goes to the creditors to the top 1 percent or 5 percent that there is no money for capital investment, there is no money for growth.”
    Pepe: Wow. I’m afraid that they may have a lot of leeway by some members of the Beijing leadership now, because as you know very well, it’s not a consensus in the political arena.
    Michael: We’re talking about Volume II and III of Capital.
    Pepe: Exactly. But you know, you were talking about debt. Coming back to that, in fact I just checked this morning, apparently global debt as it stands today is $277 trillion, which is something like 365 percent of global GDP. What does that mean in practice?
    Michael: Yeah, well fortunately this is discussed in the 19th century and there was a word for that — fictitious capital — it’s a debt that can’t be paid, but you’ll keep it on the books anyway. And every country has this. You could say the question now, and The Financial Times just had an article a few days ago that China’s claims on Third World countries on the Belt and Road Initiative is fictitious capital, because how can it collect?

    Well, China’s already thought of that. It doesn’t want money. It wants the raw materials. It wants to be paid in real things. But a debt that can’t be paid, can only be paid either by foreclosing on the debtors or by writing down the debts and obviously a debt that can’t be paid won’t be paid.

    “Fictitious capital — it’s a debt that can’t be paid, but you’ll keep it on the books anyway. And every country has this.”

     

    And so, you have not only Marx using the word fictitious capital. At the other end of the spectrum, you had Henry George talking about fictive capital. In other words, these are property claims that have no real capital behind them. There’s no capital that makes profit. That’s just a property claim for payment or a rentier claim for payment.

    So, the question is, can you make money somehow without having any production at all, without having wages, without having profits, without any capital? Can you just have asset grabbing and buying-and-selling assets? And as long as you have the Federal Reserve in America, come in, Trump’s $10 trillion Covid program gave $2 trillion to the population at large with these $1,200 checks, that my wife and I got, and $8 trillion all just to buy stocks and bonds. None of this was to build infrastructure. None of this $8 trillion was to build a single factory. None of this 8 trillion was to employ a single worker. It was all just to support the prices of stocks and bonds, and to keep the illusion that the economy had not stopped growing. Well, it’s growing for the 5 percent. So, it’s all become fictitious. And if you look at the GDP as I said, it’s fictitious.

    Pepe: And the most extraordinary thing is none of that is discussed in American media. There’s not a single word about what you would have been describing.

    Michael: It’s not even discussed in academia. Our graduates at the university of Missouri at Kansas City, we’re all trained in Modern Monetary Theory. And as hired professors they have to be able to publish in the refereed journals and the refereed journals are all essentially controlled by the Chicago School. So, you have a censorship of the kind of ideas that we’re talking about. You can’t get it into the economic journals, so you can’t get it into the economics curriculum. So, where on earth are you going to get it? If you didn’t have the internet you wouldn’t be discussing at all. Most of my books sell mainly in China, more than in all the other countries put together so I can discuss these things there. I stopped publishing in orthodox journals so many years ago because it’s talking to the deaf.

    “None of this $8 trillion was to build a single factory, employee, a single worker.” 

     

    Pepe: Absolutely. Yeah. Can I ask you a question about Russia, Michael? There is a raging debate in Russia for many years now between let’s say the Eurasianists and the Atlanticists. It involves of course, economic policy under Putin, industrial capitalism Russian style. The Eurasianists basically say that the central problem with Russia is how the Russian central bank is basically affiliated with all the mechanisms that you know so well, that it is an Atlanticist Trojan Horse inside the Russian economy. How do you see it?

    Michael: Russia was brainwashed by the West when the Soviet Union broke up in 1991. First of all, the IMF announced in advance that there was a big meeting in Houston with the IMF and the World Bank. And the IMF published all of its reports saying, first you don’t want inflation in Russia so let’s wipe out all of the Russian savings with hyperinflation, which they did. They then said, well now to cure the hyperinflation the Russian central bank needs a stable currency and you need a backup for the currency. You will need to back it with U.S. dollars.

    “Russia was brainwashed by the West when the Soviet Union broke up in 1991.”

    So, from the early 1990s, as you know, labor was going unpaid. The Russian central bank could have created the rubles to pay the domestic labor and to keep the factories in place. But, the IMF advisers from Harvard said, no you’ll have to borrow U.S. dollars. I met with people from the Hermitage Fund and the Renaissance Fund and others. We had meetings and I met with the investors. Russia was paying 100 percent interest for years to leading American financial institutions for money that it didn’t need and could have created itself. Russia was so dispirited with Stalinism that, essentially, it thought the opposite of Stalinism must be what they have in America.

    “…to destroy a country, you don’t need an army anymore. All you have to do is teach it American economics.”

    They thought that America was going to tell it how America got rich, but America didn’t want to tell Russia how it got rich, but instead wanted to make money off Russia. They didn’t get it. They trusted the Americans. They really didn’t understand that, industrial capitalism that Marx described had metamorphosized into finance capitalism and was completely different.

    And that’s because Russia didn’t charge rent, it didn’t charge interest. I gave three speeches before the Duma, urging it to impose a land tax. Some of the people I noticed, Ed Dodson was there with us and we were all trying to convince Russia, don’t let this land be privatized. If you let it be privatized, then you’re going to have such high rents and housing costs in Russia that you’re not going to be able to essentially compete for an industrial growth. Well, the politician who brought us there, Viatcheslav Zolensky was sort of maneuvered out of the election by the American advisers.

    The Americans put billions of dollars into essentially financing American propagandists to destroy Russia, mainly from the Harvard Institute of International Development. And essentially, they were a bunch of gangsters and the prosecutors in Boston were about to prosecute them.

    The attorney general of Boston was going to bring a big case for Harvard against the looting of Russia and the corruption of Russia. And I was asked to organize and to bring a number of Russian politicians and industrialists over to say how this destroyed everything. Well, Harvard settled out of court and essentially that made the perpetrators the leading university people up there. (I’m associated with Harvard Anthropology Department, not the Economics Department.)
    So, we never had a chance to bring my witnesses, and have our report on what happened, but I published for the Russian Academy of Sciences a long study of how all of this destruction of Russia was laid out in advance at the Houston meetings by the IMF. America went to the leading bureaucrats and said; look, we can make you rich why don’t you register the factories in your own name, and if you’re registered in your own name, you know, then you’ll own it. And then you can cash out. You can essentially sell, but obviously you can’t sell to the Russians because the IMF has just wiped out all of their savings.
    You can only cash out by selling to the West. And so, the Russian stock market became the leading stock market in the world from 1994 with the Norilsk Nickel and the seven bankers in the bank loans for shares deal through 1997. And, I had worked for a firm Scutter Stevens and, the head adviser, a former student of mine didn’t want to invest in Russia because she said, this is just a rip off, it’s going to crash. She was fired for not investing. They said look, we know that’s going to crash. That’s the whole idea, it’s going to crash. We can make a mint off it before the crash. And then when it crashes, we can make another mint by selling short and then all over again. Well, the problem is that the system that was put in with the privatization that’s occurred, how do you have Russia’s wealth used to develop its own industry and its own economy like China was doing. Well, China has rules for all of this, but Russia doesn’t have rules, it’s really all centralized, it’s President Putin that keeps it this way.
    Well, this was the great fear of the West. When you had Mikhail Gorbachev beginning to plan to do pretty much what is done today, to restrain private capital, the IMF said hold off. We’re not going to make any loans to stabilize the Russian currency until you remove Mr. Primakov.
    The U.S. said we won’t deal with Russia until you remove him. So, he was pushed out and he was probably the smartest guy at the time there. So, they thought [President Vladimir] Putin was going to be sort of the patsy. And he almost single-handedly, holding the oligarchs in and saying, look, you can keep your money as long as you do exactly what the government would do. You can keep the gains as long as you’re serving the public interest.
    But none of this resulted into a legal system, a tax system, and a system where the government actually does get most of the benefits. Russia could have emerged in 1990 as one the most competitive economies in Eurasia by giving all of the houses to its people instead of giving Norilsk Nickel and the oil companies to Yukos. It could have given everybody their own house and their own apartment, the same thing in the Baltics. And instead it didn’t give the land out to the people. And Russians were paying 3 percent of their income for housing in 1990. And rent is the largest element in every household’s budget.
    “Russia could have emerged in 1990 as one the most competitive economies in Eurasia by giving all of the houses to its people.”
    So, Russia could have had low-price labor. It could have financed all of its capital investment for the government by taxing, collecting the rising rental value. Instead, Russian real estate was privatized on credit and it was even worse in the Baltics.
    In Latvia, where I was research director for the Riga Graduate School of Law, Latvia borrowed primarily from Swedish banks. And so, in order to buy a house, you had to borrow from Swedish banks. And they said, well, we’re not going to lend in the Latvian currency because it can go down. So, you have a choice; Swiss Francs or German Marks or U.S. Dollars. And so, all of this rent was paid in foreign currency. There came an outflow that essentially drained all the Baltic economies. Latvia lost 20 percent of its population. Estonia and Lithuania followed suit.
    And of course, the worst hit by neo-liberalism was Russia. As you know, President Putin said that neo-liberalism cost Russia more of its population than World War II. And you know that to destroy a country, you don’t need an army anymore. All you have to do is teach it American economics.
    Pepe: Yes, I remember well, I arrived in Russia in the winter of 91 coming from China. So, I transited from the Chinese miracle. In fact, a few days after Deng Xiaoping’s famous Southern tour when he went to Guangzhou and Shenzhen.  And that was the kick for the 1990s boom, in fact a few years before the handover, and then I took the Trans-Siberian and I arrived in Moscow a few days after the end, in fact, a few weeks after the end of the Soviet Union.

    But yeah, I remember the Americans arrived almost at the exact minute, wasn’t it, Michael? I think they already were there in the spring of 1992. If I’m not mistaken.

    Michael:  The Houston meeting was in 1990.  But all before that already in, 1988 and 1989, there was a huge outflow of embezzlement money via Latvia. The assistant dean of the university who ended up creating Nordex, essentially the money was all flying out because Ventspils in Latvia, was where Russian oil was exported and it was all fake invoicing. So, the Russian kleptocrats basically made their money off false export invoicing, ostensibly selling it for one price and having the rest paid abroad and, this was all organized through Latvia and the man who did it later moved to Israel and finally gave a billion dollars back to Russia so that he went on to live safely for the rest of his life in Israel.
    Pepe: Well, the crash of the ruble in 1998 was what, roughly one year after the crash of the baht and the whole Asian financial crisis, no? It was interlinked of course, but let me see if I have a question for you, in fact, I’m just thinking out loud now. If the economies of Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia, the case of South Korea and Russia, were more integrated at the time as they are trying to integrate now, do you think that the Asian financial crisis would have been preventable in 1997?
    Michael: Well, look at what happened in Malaysia with Mohammad Mahathir. Malaysia avoided it. So of course, it was preventable, and they had the capital controls. All you would have needed was to do what Malaysia did. But you needed an economic theory for that.
    And essentially the current mode of warfare is to conquer the brains of a country to shape how people think and how they perceive the economy. And if you can twist their view into an unreality economics, where they think that you’re there to help them not to take money out of them, then you’ve got them hooked. That was what happened in Asia. Asia thought it was getting rich off the dollars inflows and then the IMF and all the creditors pulled the plug, crash the industry. And now that all of a sudden you had a crash, they bought up Korean industry and other South Asian industries at giveaway prices.
    That’s what you do. You lend the money; you pull the plug. You then let them go under and you pick up the piecesThat’s what Blackstone did after the Obama depression began, when Obama saved the banks, not the constituency, the mortgage borrowers. Essentially that’s Blackstone’s modus operandi to pick up distressed prices at a bankruptcy sale, but you need to lend money and then crash it in order to make that work.

    Pepe: Michael, I think we have only five minutes left. So, I would expect you to go on a relatively long answer and I’m really dying for it. It’s about debt, it about the debt trap. And it’s about the New Silk Roads, the Belt and Road Initiative, because I think rounding up our discussion and coming back to the theme of debt and global debt.

    The No. 1 criticism apart from the demonization of China that you hear from American media and a few American academics as well against the Belt and Road is that it’s creating a debt trap for Southeast Asian nations, Central Asian nations and nations in Africa, etc…. Obviously, I expect you to debunk that, but the framework is there is no other global development project as extensive and as complex as Belt and Road, which as you know very well was initially dreamed up by the Ministry of Commerce. Then they sold it more or less to Xi Jinping who got the geopolitical stamp on it, announcing it, simultaneously, (which was a stroke of genius) in Central Asia in Astana and then in Southeast Asia in Jakarta. So, he was announcing the overland corridors through the heartland and the Maritime Silk Road at the same time.

    At the time people didn’t see the reach and depth of all that. And now of course, finally the Trump administration woke up and saw what was in play, not only across Eurasia but reaching Africa and even selected parts of Latin America as well. And obviously the only sort of criticism, and it’s not even a fact-based criticism, that I’ve seen about the Belt and Road is it’s creating a debt trap because as you know Laos is indebted, Sri Lanka is indebted, Kyrgyzstan is indebted etc. So, how do you view Belt and Road within the larger framework of the West and China, East Asia and Eurasia relations? And how would you debunk misconceptions created, especially in the U S that this is a debt trap.

    Six proposed corridors of Belt and Road Initiative, showing Italy inside circle, on maritime blue route. (Lommes, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons)
    Michael: There are two points to answer there.  The first is how the Belt and Road began. And as you pointed out, the Belt and Road began, when China said, what is it we need to grow and how do we grow within our neighboring countries so we don’t have to depend upon the West, and we don’t have to depend on sea trade that can be shut down? How do we get to roads instead of seas in a way that we can integrate our economy with the neighboring economies so that there can be mutual growth?
    So, this was done pretty much on industrial engineering grounds. Here’s where you need the roads and the railroads. And then how do we finance it? Well, The Financial Times article, last week, said didn’t the Chinese know that [with past] railroad development, they’ve all gone broke? The Panama Canal went broke, you know, the first few times there were European railway investment in Latin America in the 19th century, that all went broke.

    Well, what they don’t get is China’s aim was not to make a profit off the railroads.

    The railroads were built to be part of the economy. They don’t want to make profit. It was to make the real economy grow, not to make profits for the owners of the railroad stocks. The Western press can’t imagine that you’re building a railroad without trying to make money out of it.

    Then you get to the debt issue.
    Countries only have a debt crisis if their debt is in a foreign currency. The first way that the United States gained power was to fight against its allies. The great enemy of America was England and it made the British block their currency in the 1940s. And so, India and other countries, that had all these currencies holdings in sterling, were able to convert it all into dollars.
    The whole move of the U.S. was to denominate world debt in dollars. So that No. 1, U.S. banks would end up with the interest in financing the debt. And No. 2, the United States could, by using the debt leverage, control domestic politics.
    Well, as you’re seeing right now in Argentina, for instance, Argentina is broke because it owes foreign-dollar debt. When I started the first Third World bond fund in 1990 at Scutter Stevens, Brazil and China and Argentina were paying 45 percent interest per year, 45 percent per year in dollars debt. Yet we tried to sell them in America. No American would buy. We went to Europe, no European buy this debt. And so, we worked with Merrill Lynch and Merrill Lynch was able to make an offshore fund in the Dutch West Indies and all of the debt was sold to the Brazilian ruling class in the central bank and the Argentinian bankers in the ruling class, we thought oh, that’s wonderful.
    We know that they’re going to pay the foreign Yankee Dollars debt because the Yankee Dollars debt is owed to themselves. They’re the Yankees! They’re the client oligarchy. And you know, from Brazil client oligarchy is, you know, they’re cosmopolitan, that’s the word. So, the problem is that on the Belt and Road, how did these other countries pay the debt to China?
    Well, the key there again is the de-dollarization, and one way to solve it is since we’re trying to get finance out of the picture, we’re doing something very much like, Japan did with Canada in the 1960s. It made loans to develop Canadian copper mines taking its payment, not in Canadian dollars, that would have pushed up the yen’s exchange rate, but in copper.
    So, China says, you know you don’t have to pay currency for this debt. We didn’t build a railroad to make a profit and you want, we can print all the currency we want. We don’t need to make a profit. We made the Belt and Road because it’s part of our geopolitical attempt to create what we need to be prosperous and have a prosperous region. So, these are self-reinforcing mutual gain. Well, so that’s what the West doesn’t get — mutual gain?  Are we talking anthropology? What do you mean mutual? This is capitalism! So, the West doesn’t understand what the original aim of the Belt and Road was, and it wasn’t to make a profitable railroad to enable people to buy and sell railway stocks. And it wasn’t to make toll roads to sell off to Goldman Sachs, you know. We’re dealing with two different economic systems, and it’s very hard for one system to understand the other system because of the tunnel vision that you get when you get a degree in economics.
    “We’re dealing with two different economic systems, and it’s very hard for one system to understand the other system because of the tunnel vision that you get when you get a degree in economics.”
    Pepe:  Belt and Road loans are long-term and at very low interest and they are renegotiable. They are renegotiating with the Pakistanis all the time for instance.
    Michael: China’s intention is not to repeat an Asia crisis of 1997. It doesn’t gain anything by forcing a crisis because it’s not trying to come in and buy property at a discount at a distressed sale. It has no desire to create a distressed sale. So obviously, the idea is the capacity to pay. Now, this whole argument occurred in the 1920s, between [John Maynard] Keynes and his opponents that wanted to collect German reparations and, Keynes made it very clear. What is the capacity to pay? It’s the ability to export and the ability to obtain foreign currency. Well, China’s not looking for foreign currency. It is looking for economic returns but the return is to the whole society, the return isn’t from a railroad. The return is for the entire economy because it’s looking at the economy as a system.
    The way that neoliberalism works, it divides the economy in parts, and it makes every part trying to make a gain, and if you do that, then you don’t have any infrastructure that’s lowering the cost for the other parts. You have every part fighting for itself. You don’t look at in terms of a system the way China’s looking at it. That’s the great advantage of Marxism, you’ll look at the system, not just the parts.
    Pepe:  Exactly and this is at the heart of the Chinese concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, which is the approximate translation from Mandarin. So, we compare community with a shared future for mankind, which is, let’s say the driving force between the idea of Belt and Road, expanded across Eurasia, Africa and Latin America as well with our good old friends’, “greed is good” concept from the eighties, which is still ruling America apparently.
    Michael: And the corollary is that non-greed is bad.
    Pepe: Exactly and non-greed is evil.
    Michael: I see. I think we ran out of time. I do. I don’t know if Alanna wants to step in to wrap it up.
    Michael: There may be somebody who has a question.
    Pepe: Somebody has a question? That’ll be fantastic.
    Alanna: There is a question from Ed Dodson. He wanted to know why there are these ghost cities in China? And who’s financing all this real estate that’s developed, but nobody’s living there? We’ve all been hearing about that. So, what is happening with that?
    Michael: Okay. China had most of its population living in the countryside and it made many deals with Chinese landholders who have land rights, and they said, if you will give up your land right to the community, we will give you free apartment in the city that you could rent out.
    So, China has been building apartments in cities and trading these basically in exchange to support what used to be called a rural exodus. China doesn’t need as many farmers on the land as it now has, and the question is how are you going to get them into cities? So, China began building these cities and many of these apartments are owned by people who’ve got them in exchange for trading their land rights. The deals are part of the rural reconstruction program.
    Alanna: Do you think it was a good deal? Vacant apartments everywhere.
    Pepe: You don’t have ghost cities in Xinjiang for instance, Xinjiang is under-populated, it’s mostly desert. And it’s extremely sensitive to relocate people to Xinjiang. So basically, they concentrated on expanding Urumqi. When you arrive in Urumqi it is like almost like arriving in, Guangzhou. It’s enormous. It’s a huge generic city in the middle of the desert. And it’s also a high-tech Mecca, which is something that very few people in the West know. And is the direct link between the eastern seaboard via Belt and Road to Central Asia.

     

    Last year I was on an amazing trip. I went to the three borders, the Tajik-Xinjiang border, Kyrgiz-Xinjiang border and the Kazakh-Xinjiang border, which is three borders in one. It’s a fascinating area to explore and specially to talk to the local populations, the Kyrgiz, the Kazakhs and the Tajiks.

    How do they see the Belt and Road directly affecting their lives from now on?

    So, you don’t see something spectacular for instance, in the Xinjiang – Kazakh boarder, there is one border for the trucks, lots of them like in Europe, crossing from all points, from Central Asia to China and bringing Chinese merchandise to Central Asia.

    There’s the train border, which is a very simple two tracks and the pedestrian border, which is very funny because you have people arriving in buses from all parts of Central Asia. They stop on the Kazakh border. They take a shuttle, they clear customs for one day, they go to a series of shopping malls on the Chinese side of the border. They buy like crazy, shop till it drops, I don’t know for 12 hours? And then they cross back the same day because the visa is for one day. They step on their buses and they go back.

    So, for the moment it’s sort of a pedestrian form of Belt and Road, but in the future, we’re going to have high-speed rail. We’re going to have, well the pipelines are already there as Michael knows, but it’s fascinating to see on the spot. You see the closer integration; you see for instance Uyghurs traveling back and forth. You know, Uyghurs that have families in Kyrgizstan for instance, I met some Uyghurs in Kyrgyzstan who do the back-and-forth all the time. And they said, there’s no problem. They are seen as businessmen so there’s no interference. There are no concentration camps involved, you know, but you have to go to these places to see how it works on the ground and with Covid, that’s the problem for us journalists who travel, because for one year we cannot go anywhere and Xinjiang was on my travel list this year, Afghanistan as well, Mongolia.

    These are all parts of Belt and Road or future parts of Belt and Road, like Afghanistan. The Chinese and the Russians as well; they want to bring Afghanistan in a peace process organized by Asians themselves without the United States, within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, because they want Afghanistan to be part of the intersection of Belt and Road and Eurasian Economic Union. This is something Michael knows very well. You don’t see this kind of discussions in the American media for instance, integration of Eurasia on the ground, how it’s actually happening.

    Michael: That’s called cognitive dissonance.

    Alanna: To try to understand it gets you cognitive dissonance.

    Pepe: Oh yeah, of course. And obviously you are a Chinese agent, a Russian agent. And so, I hear that all the time. Well, in our jobs we hear that all the time. Especially, unfortunately from our American friends.

    Alanna: Okay. I know you have other things to do. This has been fabulous. I want to thank you so much, both of you, uh, with so easy to get attendance for this webinar. There were 20 people in five minutes enrolled and in two days we were at capacity. So, I know there are many more people who would love to hear you talk another time, whenever you two are so willing. And I think you both got much out of your first conversation in person. Everybody listening knows these two wonderful gentlemen, they have written more than 10 books, and they have traveled all over the world. They are on the top of geopolitical and geoeconomic analysis, and they are caring, loving people. So, you can see that these are the people we need to be listening to and understanding all around the world.
    This was part ONE.
    Now for the follow up; part TWO…

    INDISPENSABLE READS: In Quest of a Multi-Polar World

    Michael Hudson and Pepe Escobar resume their conversation about a global monetary system that appears headed for divorce. 

    “Free market meant giving power to the monopolists, to the oppressors, to violence. A free market was where armies can come in, take over your country, impose a client dictatorship like [Gen. Augusto] Pinochet in Chile or the neo-Nazis in the Ukraine. And you call that a free market…”

    Read Part One of this conversation.

    Pepe Escobar in conversation with Michael Hudson 
    At The Henry George School of Social Science

    Michael Hudson: Fifty ago, I wrote Super Imperialism about basically how America dominates the world financially and gets a free ride.

    I wrote it right after America went off gold in 1971, when the Vietnam War, which was responsible for the entire balance of payments deficit, forced the country to go off gold. And everybody at that time worried the dollar was going to go down. There’d be hyperinflation. And what happened was something entirely different.

    Once there was no gold, America strong-armed its allies to invest in U.S. Treasury bonds because their central banks don’t buy companies. They don’t buy raw materials. All they could buy is other central bank’s treasury bonds. So, all of a sudden, the only thing that other people could buy with all the dollars coming in were U.S. Treasury securities.

    And the securities they bought essentially were to finance yet more war making and the balance of payments deficit from war and the 800 military bases America has around the world. And the largest customer, I think we discussed it before, are the Defense Department and the CIA that looked at it [Super Imperialism] as a how-to-do it book. Well, that was 50 years ago.

    And what I’ve done is not only re-edit the book and add more information that’s come out, but I’ve picked up the last 50 years and how it’s absolutely transformed the whole world. And it’s a new kind of imperialism.

    There was still a view 50 years ago that imperialism was [essentially] economic. And this is the view that there’s still a rivalry for instance, between America and China or America and Europe and other countries.

    But I think the whole world has changed so much in the last 50 years that what we have now is not really so much a conflict between America and China or America and Russia, but between a financial system economy run by finance and an economy run by governments — democratic or less democratic, but certainly a mixed economy.

    Well, everything that made industrial capitalism rich, everything that made America so strong in the 19th century, through its protective tariffs, through its public infrastructure investment all the way down through World War II and the aftermath. We had a mixed economy in America, and that was very balanced. Europe had a mixed economy. Every economy since Babylon and Rome has been a mixed economy, but in America you’ve had since 1980 something entirely different. That was not foreseen by anybody because it seemed to be so disruptive.

    And what that was, was the financial sector saying we need liberty and by liberty, meaning we have to take planning and subsidy and economic policy and tax policy out of the hands of government. And put it in the hands of Wall Street.

    And so, libertarianism and free market is a centralized economy that is centralized in the hands of the financial centers, Wall Street, the City of London, the Paris Bourse. And what you’re having today is the attempt of the financial sector to take the role that the landlord class had in Europe, from feudal times through the 19th century.  It’s a kind of resurgence.

    If you look at the whole last 200 years of economic theory — from Adam Smith and, Henry George and Marx, onward — the whole idea was that everybody expected a mixed economy to become more and more productive and to free itself from the landlords, to free itself from banking to make land a public utility.

    That was the tax base to make finance basically something public, and government would decide who gets the funding and thus, the idea of finance in the public sector was going to be pretty much what it is in China. You create bank credit in order to finance capital investment in factories. It means the production of machinery, agricultural modernization, of transport, infrastructure of high-speed trains of ports and all of that.

    But in the United States and England, you have finance becoming something completely different.  Banks don’t lend money to factories. They don’t want money to make means of production. They make money to take over other assets. Eighty percent of bank loans are mortgage loans to transfer the ownership of real estate. And of course that’s what created a middle class in the United States.

    The middle class was able to buy its own housing, it didn’t have to pay rent to landlords or absentee owners or warlords and their descendants in England and Europe. They could buy their own. What nobody realized is that if you borrowed the money to take a mortgage, there’s still an economic rental value that is not paid to the landlords. It’s paid to the banks. And so, in the Western civilizations in America and Europe, the banks have played the role that the landlords played a hundred years ago.

    And just as the landlord is trying to do everything they could through the House of Lords in England and the upper houses of government in Europe, they’re trying to block any kind of democratic government. And the fight really is against government that would do anything that is not controlled by the 1 percent, by the banks. Essentially the merger between finance insurance and real estate; the FIRE sector. So, you have almost a relapse of capitalism in the West back into feudalism, but feudalism with a financialized twist much more than it was in medieval times.

    The fight against China, the fear of China is that you can’t do to China, what you did to Russia.  America would love for there to be a [former Russian President Boris] Yeltsin figure in China to say, just give all of the railroads that you’ve built, the high-speed rail, the wealth, all the factories to individuals. And let the individuals run everything and, then we’ll lend them the money, or we’ll buy them out and then we can control them financially.

    And China’s not letting that happen. And Russia stopped that from happening. And the fury in the West is that somehow, the American financial system is unable to take over foreign resources, foreign agriculture. It is left only with military means of grabbing them as we are seeing in the near East. And you’re seeing in the Ukraine right now.

    Pepe Escobar: Well, as an introduction, Michael that was perfect because now we have the overall framework — geo-economic and historically — at least for the past 70 years.

    I have a series of questions for you. I was saving one of these for the end, but I think I should start really the Metallica way. Let’s go heavy metal for a start, right?

    So considering  what you describe as a new kind of imperialism and the fact that this sort of extended free lunch cannot apply anymore because sovereigns around the world, especially Russia and China, I tried to formulate the idea that there are only three real sovereign powers on the planet, apart from the hegemon; Russia, China, and Iran, these three, which happen to be the main hub and the main focus of not only of the New Silk Roads but of the Eurasia integration process, they are actively working for some sort of change of the rules that predominated for the past 70 years.

    So my first question to you would be, do you see any realistic possibility of a, sort of a Bretton Woods 2.0, which would imply the end of the dollar hegemony as we know it, and petrodollar recycling on and on and on, with the very important presence of that oily hacienda in the lands of Arabia. And do you think this is possible considering that President [Vladimir] Putin himself only a few days ago reiterated once again that the U.S. is no longer agreement- capable?  So that destroys already the possibility of the emergence of the new rules of the game. But do you think this is still realistically possible?

    Michael: I certainly do not see any repetition of a Bretton Woods because as I described in Super Imperialism, the whole of Bretton Woods was designed to make American control over Britain, over Europe total. Bretton Woods was a U.S.-centered system to prevent England from maintaining its empire. That’s okay. To prevent France from maintaining its empire and for America to take over the sterling area and, essentially with the World Bank, to prevent other countries from becoming independent and feeding themselves, to make sure that they supported plantation agriculture, not land reform. The one single fight of the World Bank was to prevent land reform and to make sure that America, and foreign investors, would take over the agriculture of these countries.

    And very often people think of capitalism, certainly in the sense that Marx described in Volume One, capitalism is the exploitation of wage labor by employers. But capitalism also is an appropriation of the land rent, the agricultural rent, the natural resource rent, the oil and the mineral rent. And the idea of Bretton Woods was to make sure that other countries could not impose capital controls to prevent American finance coming in and appropriating their resources, of making the loans to foreign governments so that governments would not create their own money to promote their own social development but would have to borrow from the World Bank and the IMF, which essentially meant from the Pentagon and the State Department, in U.S. dollars.

    And they would dollarize their economies and the economies would all be sucked. The economic rents from oil, agriculture, mining would all be sucked into the United States. That kind of Bretton Woods cannot be done again. And since Bretton Woods was an idea of centralizing the world’s economic surplus in a single country, the United States, no, that can never be done again.

    What is happening? You mentioned the world of free, free lunch, and that’s what was a theme of Super Imperialism, when America issues dollars, for these all end up in central banks and they hold the dollars as a surplus. That means what can they do? All they can do is really lend them to the United States. America got a free lunch. It could spend and spend on its military, on bumping up corporate takeovers of other countries. The dollars have come in and foreign countries couldn’t cash them in for gold. They had nothing to cash them into. And all they could do is finance the U.S. budget deficit by buying Treasury bills.

    That’s the irony now, what has happened in the last few years in the fight against Russia and China is America has killed the free lunch because it said, okay, now we’re going to have sanctions against Russia and China. We’re going to all of a sudden grab whatever money you have in foreign banks like we grabbed Venezuela’s money. Let’s go, we’re going to excommunicate you from the bank clearing system. So, you can’t use banking. We’re going to put sanctions against banks that deal with you.

    So obviously Russia and China said, okay, we can’t deal with the dollar anymore, because the United States just crammed them. And if we do have dollars, we’re just going to hold everything in reserves and lending to the United States, the dollars that it’s going to spend building more military bases around us to make us waste our money on monetary spending. And so, America itself by the way, in fighting against China and Russia, has ended the free lunch.

    In America you’ve had since 1980 something entirely different. That was not foreseen by anybody because it seemed to be so disruptive.”

    And now, Russia and China as you pointed out, are de-dollarizing, they’re trading in each other’s currency. They’re being the exact opposite of everything that Bretton Woods tried to create. They’re trying to create independence from the United States.

    If Bretton Woods is this dependence on the United States, a centralized system dependent ultimately on Wall Street financial planners then, what China and Russia are trying to create is an economy that’s not run by the financial sector, but it is run by, let’s say, industrial and economic engineering and saying, what kind of an economy do we need in order to raise living standards and wages and self-sufficiency and preserve the environment, what is needed for the ideal world that we want?

    Well, in order to do that, you’re going to have to have a lot of infrastructure. And in America, infrastructure is all privatized. You have to make a profit. And once you have infrastructure, a railroad or electric utility, like you see in Texas recently, it’s a monopoly. Infrastructure, for 5,000 years, Europe, the near East, Asia was always kept in the public domain that goes, if you’ll give it to private owners, they’ll charge a monopoly rent.

    Well, the idea that China has is, “OK, we’re going to provide the educational system freely and let everybody try to get an education.” In America if you have an education, you have to go into debt for the banks for between $50,000 and $200,000. And whatever you make you’re going to end up paying the bank while in China, if you give free education, the money that they earned from the education will be spent into the economy, buying the goods and services that they produce, and the economy will be expanding, not shrinking, not having it all sucked out into the financial banks that are financing the education, same thing with the railroads, same things with the healthcare.

    If you provide healthcare freely then the employers do not have to pay for the healthcare because that’s provided freely. In the United States, if the  corporation and the employees have to pay for healthcare, that means that the employees have to be paid a much higher wage in order to afford the healthcare, in order to afford the transportation that gets him to work, in order to afford the auto loans, in order to drive to work, all of this is free, or subsidized in other countries, who create their own credit.

    In the United States and Europe, governments feel that they have to borrow from the wealthy people in a bond and pay interest. In China they say, “we don’t have to borrow from a wealthy class. We can simply print the money.” That’s Modern Monetary Theory. As Donald Trump has explained in the United States, we can print whatever we want. Dick Cheney said, deficits don’t matter. We can just print it.  And of course, Stephanie Kelton and my colleagues in MMT at Kansas City for many years have been saying.

    The economy has been saturated and Reaganized and the result is a fight of economic systems against China and Russia.”

    The banks fear this because they say, “Wait a minute, Modern Monetary Theory means it’s not feudal monetary theory. We want feudal monetary theory. We want the rich people to be able to have a choke point on the economy that you can’t survive unless you borrow from us and pay us interest. We want the choke points.” That’s called economic rent.

    And so, you have the West turning into a rent-extractive economy, a rent-seeking economy. And you’ll have the whole ideal of Russia, China, and other countries being the ideal of not only Marx, but Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill, Ricardo. The whole of classical economics was to free economies from economic rent. And the American economy is all about extracting rent through the real estate sector, the financial sector, the health insurance sector, the monopolies and infrastructure sector.

    The economy has been saturated and Reaganized and the result is a fight of economic systems against China and Russia. So, it’s not simply that, there’s a fight between who makes the best computer chips and the best iPhones. It’s: are we going to have a fallback of civilization back into feudalism, back into control by a narrow class at the top of the economy, that 1 percent? Or are we going to have the ideal of democratic industrialization that used to be called socialism but it was also called capitalism. Industrial capitalism was socialism; it was socialized medicine, it was socialized infrastructure, it was socialized schooling. And so, the fight against socialism is a fight against industrial capitalism, a fight against democracy, a fight against prosperity.

    [See previous coverage:  The Consequences of Moving from Industrial to Financial Capitalism]

    That’s why what you’re seeing now is a fight for what direction civilization will go into. And you can’t have a Bretton Woods for a single kind of organization because the United States would never join that civilization. The United States calls a country trying to make its labor force prosperous, educated and healthy instead of sick with shorter lifespans, they call it communism or socialism.

    Well, it can call it whatever it wants, but that’s the dynamic we are talking about.

    Pepe:  Well, you put it very, I would say starkly. The opposition between two completely different systems, what the Chinese are proposing, including, from productive capitalism to trade and investment all across Eurasia and beyond, including Africa, parts of Latin America as well. And the rentier obsession of the 0.01 percent that controls the U.S. financial system. In terms of facts on the ground, are we going slowly but surely and ominously towards an absolute divorce by a system based on rentier, ultra-financialization, which is the American system, not productive capitalism at all.

    I was going through a small list of what the U.S. exports, it’s not much as you know, better than I do. Agricultural products but always privileging U.S. farmers.  Hollywood, we are all hostages of Hollywood all over the world. Pop culture? That’s not the pop culture that used to be absolutely impregnable and omniscient during the ‘60s, the 70s, during the Madonna, Michael Jackson era in the ‘80s, right? Infotech. And that’s where a big bet comes in. And this is maybe the most important American export at the moment because American Big Tech controls social networks all over the planet. Big Pharma. Now we see the power of Big Pharma with the whole Covid operations, right?  But Boeing prefers to invest in financial engineering instead of building decent products. Right?

    So, in terms of a major superpower, the hyperpower, that’s not much, and obviously buyers all over the world already noticed that. So, China is proposing the New Silk Roads, which is a foreign-policy strategy, and a trade, investment and sustainable development strategy. [It’s] applied not only to the whole of Eurasia, but Eurasia and beyond to grow a great deal of the Global South and that’s why we have Global South partners to the New Silk Roads — 130-and-counting as we speak.

    So, the dichotomy could not be clearer. What will the 0.001 percent do? Because they don’t have anything seductive to sell. To all those nations in the Global South to start with; the new version of the Non-Aligned Movement, NAM, the countries that are already part of New Silk Road projects, not even to Europe and this, we could see by the end of last year when the China-European Union agreement was more or less sealed. It’s probably going to be sealed in 2021 for good.

    And at the same time, we had the Regional Economic Comprehensive Partnership, RCEP, with the ASEAN 10, my neighbors here, the Association of South East Asian Nations, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. So, when you have the China-EU deal, and when you have RCEP, you have China as the number one trade partner on the planet, no competition whatsoever.

    And obviously every one of these players wants to do business with China. And they’re privileging doing business with China to doing business with the U.S., especially with a country that once again, according to President Putin, is non-agreement capable. So, Michael, what is your key geo-economic view of the next steps? Are we going towards the divorce of the American financialization system and the Eurasia-and-beyond integration system?

    Michael: Well, you you’ve made the whole point clear. There is incompatibility between a rentier society controlled by the finance and real estate interests and military interests and an industrial democracy.

    Industry in England and Europe in the 19th century — the whole fight for democratic reform to increase the role of the House of Commons against the House of Lords in England and the lower house in Europe — was a fight to get labor on the side of industry [and] to get rid of the landlord class. And it was expected that … capitalism [would then be] free of the landlord class, free of something that wasn’t really capitalism at all, it was a carry-over from feudalism. Once you free capitalism, you wouldn’t have this overhead of the idle 1 percent, only consuming resources and going to war, anymore.

    And then World War I changed all of that . … Already, in the late 19th century, the landlords and the banks fought back, and they fought back largely through the Austrian School of individualism and the English marginalist and they called it freedom. They call it free markets. Free market meant giving power to the monopolists, to the oppressors, to violence. A free market was where armies can come in, take over your country, impose a client dictatorship like [Gen. Augusto] Pinochet in Chile or the neo-Nazis in the Ukraine. And you call that a free market.

    The free world was a world centrally planned by the American military and finance together. So, it’s Orwellian, and the dynamic of this world is shrinking because it’s polarizing and you’ve seen with the Covid pandemic in the United States, the economy has polarized much more sharply than ever before between the 1 percent, the 10 percent and the rest of the economy.

    Well, as opposed to that here, you have economies that are not run by a rentier class, that do not have a banking class and the landlord class controlling the economy, but a partnership. The kind of thing you had in Germany in the late 19th century, government industry and labor, all working together to design how we provide the financing for industry so that it can provide not only industrial capital formation, but public funding for us to build infrastructure and uplift the population.

    What China is doing is what made America rich in the 19th century, what made Germany rich. It’s exactly the same logical engineering plan. Now, this plan because it’s based on economic expansion, and environmental preservation and economic balance instead of concentration, this is going to be a growing economy. So, you’re having a growing economy outside of the United States and a shrinking economy in the States and its satellites in Europe.

    What China is doing is what made America rich in the 19th century, what made Germany rich.”

    Europe had a choice; either it could shrink, and be American, or it could join the growth. Europe has decided unanimously, we don’t want to grow. We want to be constant. We want our banks to take over just like in America. That’s a free market because Americans have found out, and I’m told by American officials we just buy the European politicians, they’re bribable. That’s why when president Putin says, America and Europe are not agreement capable, it means they’re just in it for the money. There is no ideology there. There is no idea of the overall social benefit. The system is “how can I get rich, and you can get rich by being bribed?” That’s why you go into politics. As you can tell in America with the Supreme Court law saying politics can be personally financed.

    So, you’re having two incompatible systems and, they’re on different trajectories and if you have a system that is shrinking like the West and growing in the East, you have resentment.  People who obtain their wealth in crooked ways, or without working — by inheritance, by crime, by exploitation — they will fight like anything to keep that. Whereas people who actually create wealth, labor, capital, they, they’re not willing to fight, they just want to be creative. So you have a destructive military force, in the West. And, basically a productive, economic growth force. And in Eurasia, the clash now is occurring largely in Ukraine. You’re having the United States back the neo-Nazis.

    Pepe: The old Nazi movement!

    Michael: It’s the same swastika-carrying group that threatened Russia in World War II. And this is like waving a red flag before a bull. Putin continues to remind the Russians. We know what happened with the 22 million Russians that died, in World War II with Europe coming in. We’re not going to let it happen again.

    And you can be certain Russia is not going to be sucked into invading the Ukraine. The United States has its military advisers in the Ukraine. Now, the Vineyard of the Saker has a very good report on that. America’s trying to needle Russia into fighting back against the terrorist groups and Russia has no desire at all to. There’s nothing that Russia has to gain by taking it over. It’s essentially a bankrupt country.

    The United States is trying to provoke a response so it can say Russia is attacking the West.  The result will probably be that Russia will very simply provide arms to the Eastern Ukrainians to fight back the invasion. And you’re going to have a wasteland in Western Ukraine and Poland. And this wasteland will be the new buffer state with Europe. Already you have, maybe 10 percent of the Ukrainians having moved to Russia and the east. [Another] 10 percent are now plumbers in England and Europe, working. They’re beginning to look like Latvia and other neo-liberalized countries. Neo-liberalized countries? If you want to see the future, look at Latvia, Estonia. Look at Greece. That’s the American plan. Essentially, an emigration of skilled labor, a sharp reduction of living standards, a 20 percent decline in population. And although it may appear to have more income, all of this income and GDP is, essentially, interest collection and rents to the FIRE sector.

    All the American GDP growth is essentially payment to the bank, to the landlords and the monopolist, it’s not, the population, the employees are not sharing in the GDP. It’s all concentrated at the top. They make a desert, and they call it growth.


    It hasn’t changed.  Rome was a predatory economy held by military force that ultimately collapsed and America is on the same trajectory as Rome. And it knows this, I have spoken to American policymakers and they say, “you know, we we’re going to be dead by then. It doesn’t matter if the West loses. I’m going to get rich. I’m going to buy a farm in New Zealand and make a big bomb shelter there and live underground, you know, like a cave dweller.”

     

    The financial time frame and the predatory rentier time frame is short term. The Eurasian time frame is long-term. So, you’ve got to have the short-term burning what wealth it has as opposed to the longer-term building up.

    [Consider the Biden Covid relief measure.] They call it a stimulus bill, but if you’re starving, if you haven’t been able to pay your rent, if you’re six months behind in your rent and you get enough money to pay the landlord, at least one month back rent, that’s not a stimulus, that’s a survival.  And it’s a one-time payment. This kind of stimulus checks that America’s sending out are sent out every month in Germany and parts of Europe.

    All the American GDP growth is essentially payment to the bank, to the landlords and the monopolist.”

    The whole idea in Europe is: OK, you have a pandemic, you have business interrupted. What we’re going to do is we’re going to have a pause. You don’t pay the rent, but the landlords are not going to pay the banks. And the banks are not going to be in arrears. We’re just going to have a pause so that when it’s all over people will go back to normal. Well, China and Russia are already pretty much there and where you are [in Asia], and especially in Thailand, are already back to normal.

    But in America anybody who’s renting or who’s bought a house on mortgage credit or who has credit card debt or personal debt or automobile debt they’re way behind. And all of these stimulus checks are just being used to pay the banks and the landlords not to not to buy more goods and services.

    All they’re trying to do is, is get out of the hole that they’ve been dug into in the last 12 months. That’s not a stimulus that’s a partial, desperation paymentThis problem never existed in other civilizations. You have the whole tradition of Greece, Babylonia that’s what my book Forgiving the Debt is all about. The whole idea is when there is an economic interruption, you have an interruption, you don’t have people into debt. You wipe out all of the arrears that have mounted up. You wipe out the tax arrears, the rent arrears, the debt of payment arrears. So once the crisis is over, you can start from a normal position again.

    There’s no normalization in America, there’s no normal position to start. You’re starting from a position, even more behind the financial problems than you were when you went in. The foreign economies of China and Russia don’t have that kind of problem, they don’t have any kind of deficit. So, the West is beginning with 99 percent of the population deeper and deeper into debt to the 1 percent.

    Where is that whole polarization between the 1 percent and the 99 percent? It doesn’t exist certainly in China and in Russia, Putin is trying to minimize it, given the legacy of the kleptocracy that the neo-liberals put in he’s still trying to deal with that, but you really have that. It’s a difference in economic systems and the direction in which these systems are moving in.

    Pepe: I’m really glad that you brought up Ukraine, Michael, because this, let’s say U.S. foreign policy, even, before Trump and now with the new Biden-Harris administration, basically more or less what it boils down to is sanction sanctions, sanctions, as we know, and provocations, which is what they’re doing certainly in Syria with that recent bombing.

    And, in the case of Ukraine and Donbass, it’s absolutely crazy because NATO so-called strategists, when you talk to them in Brussels, they know very, very well about each state or whatever they weaponize and financialize to profit Kiev to mount some sort of offensive against the Donbass and even if they would have like 300,000 soldiers against like 30,000 in Donbass.

    If the Russians see that this is going to get really heavy if they intervene in directly, with their bombing, with their super missiles, they can finish this story in one day. And if they want it, they could finish the whole story, including invading Ukraine in three days, like they did in 2008 with Georgia and still they keep the provocations, loosely acted on by  people from inside the Pentagon.

    And so, we have sanctions, we have nonstop provocations, and we have also a sort of introducing a Fifth Column — elements inside or at the top of government — which brings me to, and I would love to have your personal analysis on the role of Mario (Goldman Sachs) Draghi now in Italy, which is something I had been discussing with my Italian friends. And there’s more or less a consensus, among very well informed, independent Italian analysts that Draghi may be the perfect Trojan horse to accelerate the destruction of the Italian state, which will accelerate the globalist project of the European Union, which is absolutely non-state centric.

    Let’s put it this way, which is also part of the Great Reset so if you could briefly talk to us about the role of Super Mario at the moment.

    Michael: Well, Italy is a very good example to look at. It had strings for a long time. When you have a country that needs infrastructure, that needs public, social democratic spending, you need a government to create the credit. But when Americans and specifically the University of Chicago free market lobbyists created the European, the Eurozone financial system, their premise was that governments cannot create money. Only banks can create money. Only banks owned by the bond holders can create money for the benefit of their owners and bond holders. So, no European government, first of all, can run a budget deficit sufficient to cope with the coronavirus or with the problems that have been plaguing Italy for a decade. They can’t create their money to revive employment, to revive infrastructure, to revive the economy. The European Central Bank only lends to other central banks.

    It’s created trillions of euros just to buy stocks and bonds, not to spend into the economy, not to hire labor, not to build infrastructure, but just for the holders of the stocks and bonds. The 1 percent or 5 percent of the population gets richer. The function of the European Central Bank is to create money, to save the wealthiest 5 percent from losing a single penny on their stocks and bonds.

    And the cost is to impoverish the economy and to basically make the economy end up looking like Greece, which was sort of the dress rehearsal for how the Eurozone was going to just essentially reduce Europe to debt dependency, just like in feudalism everybody had to have access to the land by becoming a serf.

    Well now you’re in debt peonage. It’s the modern, finance capital’s version of serfdom. And so, in Italy we’re going to need government spending. We’re going to need to do in our way what China’s doing in its way and what Russia is doing in its way. We’re going to have some kind of government program. And we can’t have the economy being impoverished just because the University of Chicago has designed a plan for Europe to prevent the euro ever from being a rival to the U.S. dollar. If there’s no European central bank to borrow, to pump euros into the world economy, then, only dollars will be left for central bank reserves. The United States doesn’t ever want a rival. It wants satellites and so that’s what it’s basically turned Europe into. And I don’t see any response outside of Italy for an attempt to say we can’t be a part of this system. Let’s withdraw from the euro.

    I know that the Greeks, when I was in Greece years ago, we all thought can’t we join with Italy and Portugal and Ireland and say look, the system isn’t working. Everybody else no, no, the Americans will just simply get us out of office one way or another. And in Italy, of course, if you look at what happened after World War II, the great threat was Italian communism.  You had the Americans essentially say well, we know the answer to communism, it’s fascism and, you saw where they put the money. They essentially did every dirty trick in the book in order to fight any left- wing group in Italy, just as they did in Yugoslavia, just as they did in Greece, wiping out the partisans, all the leading anti-Nazi groups from Greece to Italy to elsewhere. All of a sudden they were all either assassinated or moved out of office and replaced by the very people that America had been fighting against during World War II.

    Well, now Italy is finally coming to terms with this and trying to fight back and you’re having what’s happening there, between Northern Italy and Southern Italy. You’re having the same splits occur in other countries.

    Pepe: Yeah. Well, I’m going to bring up, perhaps an even more extreme case now Michael, which is the case of Brazil, which at the moment is in the middle of an absolutely out of this world mix of telenovela and Kabuki theater that even for most Brazilians is absolutely incomprehensible. It’s like a fragmentation bomb exploding over and over again, a Groundhog Day of fragmentation bombs.

    In fact, it’s completely crazy. Lula [former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silvais back in the picture as well. We still don’t know under which terms, we still don’t know how the guys who run the show, which are the Brazilian military, are going to deal with him or instrumentalize him, et cetera.

    In 2007, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Lula) and his wife Marisa Letícia review troops during the Independence Day military parade. (Ricardo Stuckert, Agência Brasil, CC BY 3.0. Wikimedia Commons)

    I bring up this case because … essentially it has convulsed Brazil completely and large parts of Latin America. It is a telenovela with one cliffhanger after another, sometimes in a matter of minutes, but it encompasses all the basic themes of what really interests the 0.01 percent, which we can identify for instance as a class war against labor which is what the system in Brazil, since the coup against Dilma [Former President Dilma Vana Rousseff] has been waging. A war against mixed economies, economic sovereignty, which is something that the Masters of the Universe of the 0.01 percent cannot wage against Russia and China. But that was very successfully waged against Brazil and implemented in Brazil. In fact, in a matter of two years, they completely devastated the country in every possible sense, industrially, sociologically, you name it…

    And of course, because the main objective is something that you keep stressing over and over again, unipolar rentier dominance, in fact.

    Brazil, I would say is the extreme case in the world not only in the Global South, but in planetary terms of let’s say the last frontier of the rentier economy, when you manage to capture a country that was slowly emerging as a leader in the Global South, as an economic leader. Don’t forget that a few years ago, Brazil was the sixth-largest economy in the world and on the way to become the fifth. Now it’s the 12th and falling down nonstop and controlled by a mafia that includes not by accident, a Chicago Boy Pinochetista, Minister Paulo Guedes, who is implementing, in the 21st century, something that was implemented in Chile in the ‘70s and ‘80s. And they were successful. Apparently, at least so far.

    Brazil is so disorganized as a nation, so shattered, so fragmented and atomized as a nation that basically it depends on the re-emergence of a single political leader, in this case, Lula to try to rebuild the nation from scratch. And even in a position where he cannot control the game he can interfere in the game, which is what happened, like you know, … when he gave a larger-than-life press conference, mixed with a re-presentation of himself as a statesman and  said, “Look  the whole thing is shattered, but there is some light at the end of the tunnel.”

    But still he cannot confront the real Masters of the Universe that have allowed this to happen in the first place. So just to give an example to many of you who are not familiar with some details of the Brazilian case, and it involves directly the Obama-Biden scheme or the Obama-Biden larger operation.  When Biden was vice president in 2013, in May 2013, he visited Brazil for three days and he met with President Dilma.

    They discussed very touchy subjects, including the most important one, the absolutely enormous, pre-salt oil reserves, which obviously, the Americans wanted to be part of the whole thing, not by accident. You know what happened one week later? The start of the Brazilian color revolution, in fact, and this thing kept rolling and rolling and rolling.

    We got the coup against Dilma in 2016, we got to the Car Wash operation landing Lula in jail. And we got to the election of [President Jair] Bolsanaro. And now we are in a place where even if the military controls this whole process, even if Bolsanaro is becoming bad for business will he become bad for the rentier class business, for the 0.01 percent in the U.S. that has all the connections in their new, large neo-colony in the tropics, which has enormous strategic value, not to mention, unforeseen resources, wealth resources, right? So, this is an extreme case and I know that you follow Brazil relatively closely. So, your geo-economic and geopolitical input on the running telenovela I think would be priceless for all of us.

    Michael: Well, this problem goes back 60 years. In 1965, the former president of Brazil came to New York and we met. He explained to me how the United States essentially got rid of him because he wasn’t representing the banking class. And he said that they built Brasilia because it’s apart from the big industrial cities, they wanted to prevent industry and democracy and the population from controlling the government.

    So, they built Brasilia. He said maybe they’ll use it as an atom bomb site. It certainly doesn’t have an economic thing. Well, fast forward, in 1980, after Mexico defaulted on its foreign debt in 1972, nobody would invest in Latin America. And by 1990, Brazil was paying 45 percent interest per year to borrow the dollars to be able to finance its deficit, which is mainly flight capital by the wealthy. Well, I think I’d mentioned before here, I was hired by Scudder, Stevens and Clark for the Third World bond fund. Forty five percent: I mean, just imagine that. That’s a fortune every year. No American would buy it, no European would buy it. Who bought it? The Brazilians and the Argentineans bought, and I get it, they’re the government, they’re the central bankers. They’re the president’s family. They’re the 1 percent, they’re the only people that are holding Brazil’s dollar debt.

    So when Brazil pays its foreign dollar debt, it’s paying to its own 1 percent who are holding, who are saying well, we’re holding it off shore in the Dutch West Indies where the fund was located for tax-exempt purposes and pretending to be American imperialists, but actually being local imperialists.

    Well then, just towards the end of Lula’s reign, the Council of Economic Advisors brought Jamie Galbraith and Randy Wray and me down for a discussion. How do we, you know, we’re, we’re really worried because, Lula in order to get elected, had to meet with the banks and agree to give them what they wanted.

    They said, look, we can see that, you know, you have the power to be elected. We don’t want to have to fight you in dirty ways, but will let you be elected, but you’re going to have to do the policies and certainly the financial policies that we want and Lula made a kind of a devil’s agreement with them because he didn’t want to be killed and he wanted to do some good things.

    So, he was sort of like a Bernie Sanders-type character. Okay, you have to go along with a really bad system in order to get something good done, because Brazil really needs something good done. Well, the fact is that even the little bit he did the finance couldn’t take because one of the characteristics of financial wealth is it’s addictive. It’s not like diminishing marginal utility. If you give more food to an employee or to a worker you know, at the end of the meal, you’re satiated, you don’t want much more. If you give enough money you know, OK, they buy a few luxuries and then, OK, they save it. But if you give more money to a billionaire they want even more and they grow even more desperate. It’s like a cocaine-addicted person and the Brazilian ruling class wanted it so desperately that they framed up and controlled the utterly corrupt judiciary.  The judiciary in Brazil is almost as corrupt as it is in New York City.

    Pepe: More, even more.

    Michael: They framed them up and they want totalitarian control. And that sort of is what free market is. Totalitarian control by the financial class. That’s freedom for the financial class, if the freedom to do what they want to do to the rest of the economy, that’s libertarianism, it’s a free market, it’s Austrian economics.

    It’s the right wing’s fight against government, it’s a fight against any governments for long enough who resist the financial and real estate interests. That’s what the free market is. And Brazil is merely the most devastating example of this because it takes such a racial term there. Not only does Brazil want to make a fortune, tearing down the Amazon, cutting up the Amazon, selling the lumber to China, turning the Amazon into soy production to sell to China. But for that, you have to exterminate the domestic population, the indigenous population that wants to use the land to feed itself. So you see the kind of race war and ethnic war that you have, not to mention the war against the blacks in the Brazilian slums that Lula tried so much to overcome.

    So you have a resumption of the ethnic war there, and on Wall Street, I had discussions with money managers back in 1990. Well I wonder whether that’s going to be a model for what’s happening in the United States with the ethnic war here.

    Essentially, it’s a tragedy what’s happening in Brazil, but it’s pretty much what happened in Chile under Pinochet which is why they have the Pinochetistas and the Chicago boys that you mentioned.

    Pepe: Absolutely. Coming back to China, Michael, and the [recent] approval of the Five-Year Plan, which is not actually the five-year plan. It’s actually three five-year plans in one because they are already planning 2035, which is something absolutely unimaginable anywhere in the West. Right?

    So, it’s a different strategy of productive investment, of expansion of social welfare and solidifying social welfare, technological improvements.  I would say by 2025 China would be very close to the same infotech level of the U.S., which is part of “Made in China 2025,” which is fantastic. They stopped talking about it, but they are still implementing it, the technological drive in all those standard areas that they had codified a few years ago. And of course, this notion, which I found particularly fascinating because it is in one sense socialism with some Confucianist elements, but it’s also very Taoist: The dual development strategy, which is inversions and expansion of domestic investment and consumption and balancing all the time with projects across Eurasia, not only affiliated with the Belt and Road, with the New Silk Road, but all other projects as well. So, when you have a leadership that is capable of planning with this scope, amplitude breadth and reach, and when we compare it to the money managers in the West, which basically their planning goes, not even quarterly in many cases, it’s 24 hours.

    So our dichotomy between rentier capitalism, financialization, or whatever we want to define it, and state planning with the view of social benefit is even starker in fact, and I’m not saying that the Chinese system can be exported to the rest of the world, but I’m sure that, all across the Global South, when people look at Chinese policies, long-term, how they are planning, how they are developed and how they are always fine tuning what they developed and discuss…. As you said in the beginning, this is a frontal shock of two systems and sooner or later we’re going to have the bulk of the Global South including nations which nowadays are still American vassals or satrapies or puppets or poodles, et cetera.

    They’re going to see which way the wind is blowing. Right?

    Michael: Why can’t the Chinese system be exported to the West? That’s a good question…. How would you make American industry able to follow the same productive path that China did? Well for one thing the biggest element in workers’ budget today is housing, 40 percent. There was one way to get rid of it, get rid of the high housing prices that essentially, or whatever a bank would lend. And the banks lend essentially the economic rent. There’s a very simple way to keep housing prices down. You tax the land rent, you use your tax system, not on taxing labor, that increases the cost of labor, not increasing capital, that leaves less, industrial capital, but your tax of the land and the real estate and the banks.

    Well, suppose you were to lower the price of housing in America from 40 percent to 10 percent like China has, and this is the big element in the cost structure difference. Well, if all of a sudden people only had to pay 10 percent of their income for housing, then all the banks would go under because 80 percent of the bank loans are mortgage loans.

    The whole idea is that the purpose of housing is to force how many buyers and renters go into debt to the banks so that the banks end up with all of the lend rent that the landlord class used to get. This is what’s preventing America from being like China. What if America would try to develop a high-speed railroad like China?

    Well, then you need the right of way. You’d need to have the railroads go in a straight line. … They need a right of way and it doesn’t have a right of way because that conflicts with private property and most of the right of way is a very expensive real estate.

    So, you can’t have high-speed rail in the United States, like in China.  Suppose you would have a low-cost education. Well then, you get rid of the whole means of siphoning off labor’s income to pay for education loans. You could go, suppose you had private healthcare and prevent Americans from getting sick like they do in China and Thailand, where you are.

    One of China’s many super-speed electric trains. They are generations ahead of America’s rail system. (Wikicommons)


    Well, then the health insurance companies and the pharmaceutical companies wouldn’t be able to make their rent. So you could not have America adopt a China type industrial program without what would be really a revolution against the legacy of the monopoly of private banking, of finance and all of the fortunes that have been built up financially really in the last 40 years since 1980.

    Pepe: So, what’s going to happen in the, let’s say, short to mid-term in the U.S.? Michael, we are seeing the corrosion of the whole system, not only externally in terms of foreign policy and the end of the free lunch, but internally with those 70-million-plus “deplorables” being literally canceled from public debate, the impoverishment of the middle classes, with over 50 million people in America who are practically becoming literally poor. And obviously the American dream ended a few decades ago, maybe, but now there’s not even a glimpse of it, that there could be a renewal of the  American dream. So we have a larval civil war situation, degrading on a daily basis.  What’s the end game in fact? And what exactly does Wall Street, the American ruling class —the guys who have those lunches at the Harvard club — what do they ultimately want?

    Michael: Well, what you call a disaster for the economy, isn’t it a bonanza for the 1 percent?  This is a victory of finance. You look at it as a collapse of industrial capitalism. I look at it as the victory of rentier finance capitalism.  You’re having probably 10 million Americans that are going to be thrown out of their apartments and their homes in June when the moratorium on rents and mortgages ends. You’re going to have a vast increase in the homeless population. That will probably represent an increase in people who use the subways. Where else are they going to live? And all of this, there’s an immense amount of private capital firms that have all been created in the last year of just wealth accumulations and they’re saying there are going to be such great opportunities to pick up real estate at bargain prices, all of this for the commercial real estate, that’s broken, all the buildings and the restaurants that have to be sold because they can’t meet their mortgage payments and their rents, all the houses that are going to be under, private capital can come in and do what was done after the Obama evictions.

    We can do what Blackstone did. We can buy them all out for pennies on the dollar. So, for them, they’re looking at their own 20-year plan. And their 20-year plan is to grab everything!

    A Long read, eh?

    Yeah. I know it was a long read. Maybe you all should have gotten a beer and some pizza before you started to read it, maybe.

    Delicious Beer and pizza.

    .

    Keep in mind that any disruption will be uneven. It will be in patches. Avoid the high-risk areas if you can, and be part of a group.

    A Comment that generated this post…

    The question;

    Your website is by far THE MOST IMPORTANT resource for westerners right now. I have a lot to learn from site, and I also have some questions. The most important question I have at this moment is –
    
    1) How do you advise Americans/Europeans who understand what is happening, the future that is approaching to prepare, survive AND maintain their sanity in these trying times. Especially those who can’t move outside USA/EU?
    
    Your help and answer will be much appreciated. The feeling of doom and dread while your compatriots run towards jumping off a cliff (and forcibly drag you along) is not a fun feeling.
    
    Note: I am in EU but I am using a VPN for my safety. My IP address will indicate an Asian country close to China but I am living in EU. Please approve my comment, it’s not a spam.

    The Answer:

    Thank you for this. This question has been asked of me my many people, and I have answered it. Long time MM readers can answer this for you, but I will take a quick stab at it yet again. 
    
    Essentially, the social system that humans established way back around 5000 years ago is faulted. The moment that banking interest obtained the same value as gold or physical exertion, the system was doomed. It just took 7000 years to manifest. 
    
    Now the USA is in debt for nearly 30 trillion dollars. All the gold on the planet earth wouldn’t be able to pay this debt. Yet this debt is jut an artificial creation. It’s just money out of thin air. Value from nothing.
    
    For the last 75 years, the United States used this artificial value to control the world. The wealthy became like Gods. The poor became like slaves. 
    
    And as a result the world became a very difficult place to live. Are you enjoying life right now? If not, why? 
    
    Everything can be traced down to people who make nothing, who produce nothing, becoming Gods over those that do. And these “Gods” have their own group of toadies who service them. Creating wars, strife, and elements of control. It’s all ungainly and unraveling.
    
    China, Russia and Iran are unifying. 
    
    They are not allowing this artificial wealth creation mechanism to become the monster that it is in the West, and this is a major threat to the “American way of life”, “democracy” and what little is left of “freedom”.
    
    The world is resetting.
    
    Now, America and the West (the five eyes) is like a big old enraged old elephant on a jet aircraft. It is thrashing about, banging into the side of the aircraft and is roaring and howling and tearing up the floor. The pilot and his crew are deciding whether or not it is in the best interests to just open up the rear cargo door and throw him out the plane with no parachute. This is where we are today.
    
    You have no control on whether or not the elephant will get ejected. For you are just a tiny, tiny flea on the back of this enraged elephant. Your choices are quite limited, but they are clear. Do you [1] jump off now and land on the sterile clean floor of the aircraft, while the elephant stomps about, [2] ride the elephant as you have been and hope that the elephant calms down and the plane lands safely, [3] fight with the other fleas on the back of the elephant and try to build a little nest of elephant hair, and float gently to the side of the plane intact.
    
    And who is this elephant? Why it is the United States; an Oligarchy-ruled Military-Empire.
    
    I have advised everyone who could, to take option [1] and flee. 
    
    Those that could not, like yourself, I suggest option [3]. What ever you do, do not take option [2]. That is the herd option and it will be lethal.
    
    And I will repeat my advice. Here is the advice for option [3]...
    
    [1] Do not be a “lone wolf”. That is going to get you killed. Be part of a local community. Know who you can trust and who you cannot. Identify friends and foes. Again, I will repeat, do not try to be alone. You need to be part of a community to survive. This is your MOST IMPORTANT task.
    
    [2] Learn a skill. Take an online class in paramedic technology, know some basic repair skills. You need to be useful when things go really crazy. have a skill. Have abilities. be able to work as a "team player". Be reasonable, balanced, and provide something of worth.
    
    [3] Stock up on food supplies. Make sure that you have an enormous larder of dry goods. 
    
    [4] Guns and weapons. Having a firearm is beneficial only if you know how to use it well. Otherwise, count on the avoidance strategy of survival, but be absolutely ready to kill with your bare hands if necessary. If you are not at this point, then you need to get to that point. Its basic survival 101. 
    
    [5] Basics of location. If you are going to "hunker down", then be ready. Make sure that you have a hidden room in your basement or a place to go where you can hide if need be. Know where to get water, potable water easily, if you need to. Know how to recharge a batter with solar power or a generator from a bicycle. 
    
    [6] Do not trust the “news”.  The "news" do not report anything, they actually provide deceptive reporting. 
    
    [5] Lie low, be low key. Do not get on any public or private arguments. Be as neutral as possible. Do not be a target. Use the avoidance strategy at every point.
    
    [6] Do not have “burned bridges”. Go ahead “mend your fences”. Your future depends on your ability to work as a team.
    
    [7] Barter goods. When times are rough, and money is worthless, humans resort to bartering. Women will provide sexual favors. Men can provide items, or services. Top rated items are small bottles of cheap whiskey, vodka, or spirits. Also good are tobacco, cigarettes and pipe tobacco. A box of 100 disposable lighters is very cheap and you would be surprised how valuable they can become. Be able to reload ammo even if you don't have a gun. Antibiotics will be worth YOUR weight in gold. Whether for animals, or humans or next best herbal alternatives, having a supply is important. Same goes with condoms. You do not want to have a nasty STD when you are in a SHTF situation.
    
    [8] Avoid crowds. Stay out of the cities. Do not isolate in the country.
    
    [9] Do not trust anyone. We are all entering a time where betrayal and lies have become normal. Don't believe anyone. Don't trust anyone.
    
    In America today is a world of hurt because everyone demands their “freedom” and “independence”. Contrast that to here in China where people work together to the greater good of everyone. Sure there might be a star basketball player, but he is shit when he comes across a well trained and organized team.
    
    Welcome to MM. Start reading. Know who we are and what we represent. Go to the main index HERE. Best Regards.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my SHTF Index here…

    SHTF Articles

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    Making course corrections on a prayer and affirmation campaign and how to minimize any grievous errors that you might have made in the past

    Here is another prayer and affirmation campaign post.

    In this post we look at making “course corrections” in a prayer and affirmation campaign. This is pretty important. Because as your life progresses you grow, and as you grow your opinions, attitudes and ideas about life change. What might have been important to you as a “piss and vinegar” young person in their twenties, is not the same as you in your mid-thirties with a family, children and a rough job situation. You grow and you need to conduct prayer affirmation campaigns that either build upon previous ones, or that erases previous efforts and allow you to plow ahead free of encumbrances.

    So let’s look at this.

    First item of clarity

    The very first item of clarity is the understanding that there is no such thing as time. And thus every single speech, talk, writing, or prayer all are happening and continues to happen today. Even though you have moved on with your life and the prayers happened decades ago, they still have equal validity as if you are making them right now. Yikes!

    Which means that all of those thoughts, prayers, talks, and writings has set your consciousness on a vector path that you are now following.

    And when you make a new prayer affirmation campaign, it is in effect, making “nudges” or pushes to the existing vector path that you have already laid out.

    It is not a brand new vector direction. Rather it is a modification of a vector direction that you are currently on and engaged upon.

    So what you REALLY want to do is have new affirmation prayer campaigns that establish brand new directions (instead of building upon old ones), if that is your desire. Here we are going to discuss ways and means to manage this. I like to call this “making course corrections”.

    Making Course Corrections

    Consider this image below…

    The path vector that a person is on when he / she travels the MWI is the combined result of thoughts, actions, behaviors, talks, writings and experiences. And while you might have a very robust and determined affirmation prayer campaign, you still need to deal with the accumulated combination of all your prior efforts and thoughts.

    The best and easiest way to “reset” these actions is to make a “course correction”.

    In the image above, a “course correction” on the MWI enables a completely new prayer affirmation campaign to redirect and reset the direction vector that your consciousness has embarked upon. As you can see, the new revised course is on red. it is an easier and less frightening course. Not so precarious.

    As the old path has the vector direction on the side of “mountains” on the topographical map. Meaning that it would be very easy to “slide off the cliff side” and end up further away from your goal.

    The new and revised map is much better with only the final stages of the vector directed path being contentious and potentially problematic.

    But how to do it?

    How do you make a “course correction”?

    Well, there are various techniques and methods.

        1. Don’t do anything.
        2. Selectively erase the past affirmations.
        3. Scrub and clean the template map

    [1] Don’t do anything.

    This strategy is quite simple. You run the affirmation prayer campaign as all of us do and don’t make any allowances otherwise. You pretty much acknowledge that you have done and said things in the past that may or may not influence your current affirmation prayer campaign, but you don’t worry about the influence of it.

    This is fine when you are pretty much a loner, never prayed before, never had an affirmation campaign before, and pretty much lived a low-key lifestyle. The chances are that your previous influences were not all that serious and were unable to result in strange meaningful opposition to what every prayer campaign that you are now involved in.

    As illustrated in this picture below…

    You really don’t need to do anything at all about your previous affirmations or statements.

    [2] Erase the past selectively

    Let’s suppose that you have made mistakes in prior statements, and affirmations and prayers. You don’t want them to continue to haunt your contemporaneous prayer and affirmation campaign, what do you do?

    Well, you can add statements within your campaign that selectively erases the mistakes that you have made in the past. Such as some of these suggestions…

    • Any previous actions, statements or affirmations that I have made in my past, that will have a contrary effect on my current affirmation prayer campaign, are ignored and does not influence my current affirmation campaign.

    Which is a pretty good affirmation if you don’t want to completely erase prior efforts.

    Of course, you could also “nuke” all past efforts, mistake completely and force a “clean, white paper” to begin your latest affirmation campaign upon. Such as this example…

    • My current affirmation prayer campaign is free from any detours, delays, complications or modifiers as a result of prior campaigns, actions or thoughts.

    [3] You can refresh the template

    Your verbal prayer affirmations are all very powerful. You will be amazed at what they are capable of. Here in this technique, you actually end up refreshing the template. Or, in other words, removing the soiled linen tablecloth and replacing it with a clean and new one.

    The technique involves a slide.

    You “slide” off the old template map (whether a pre-birth world-line template or something else) and on to an absolute duplicate one that now possess the characteristics that you specify.

    There are many ways to accomplish this. Let me offer the easiest technique. It’s where you simply specify sliding to a “refreshed” world-line template.

    • I authorize a slide to a cleaned up version of my current world-line topographic map. This new map is functionally identical to the map that I am using right now with the exception that any obstacles, debris, confusion, and detours that are a direct result of prior affirmation campaigns, spells, mistakes, or problems are removed from it.

    Then you can rest assured that you can continue on your life journey with the understanding that past mistakes (in regards to prayer affirmations) will not haunt your efforts.

    On the MM scene

    Well, I am starting a new affirmation campaign this April. And I want to de-clutter. I do this from time to time. Not often enough, I am afraid. But you know that for us to grow our previous expectations and life changes. Everyone should be experiencing a new appreciation of life and their families after the horrible 2020 that we all endured. Right?

    Well I am no exception.

    I have been conducting affirmation prayer campaigns for the last four decades, or at least ever since I went through my calibration at China Lake NWC. This was something that became easy and necessary for me to do and engage in. I had no choice. I really needed to do it. You know, to keep my sanity.

    And after many decades of campaigns, false starts, dead ends, road blocks, adjustments and all of that, my MWI topographical map tends to look like a messy battlefield. Which I suppose is workable, but not optional.

    So every now and again I need to clean things up. Because, as I have explained earlier, there is no such thing as time. My desire to have a Miami Vice style home in a Florida like environment has been supplanted by a more reasonable desire to have a beautiful home overlooking the ocean full of plants, wine, great food and pretty girls. Not to forget friends and family. You know, something like from the movie “A Walk in the clouds“.

    A Walk in the Clouds

    .

    Now, of course, if I don’t clean up my terrain, it won’t be a problem. As I will have both the aspects of my Miami Vice lifestyle along with the wine and lifestyle that I desire. But maybe I don’t want to have that relic of the past. Maybe I just want exactly the new lifestyle, and nothing associated with the dreams that I had as a young man. Maybe…

    I no longer want ANY association with the dreams and desires of a young man…

    Miami Vice

    .

    And that is life, don’t you know, you grow. You change. You age. Your desires mature and advance. You have other priorities in your life and you find that things that used to be of interest to you no longer hold that grasp on your soul.

    It’s called maturing.

    It’s what happens when life hits your hard on the head and you experience those things that you longed for. And when you discover that they really weren’t all what they were cracked up to be. Yeah.

    Right now, to me, a life in Grady, Hooterville, or Mayberry RFD seems to be the kind of environment that I want my children to grow up in. A Chinese versions (of course) and near the ocean and beaches, of course. But this reality differs considerably from the image of a beach house in Vero Beach, Sana Barbara, or Fort Lauderdale. Don’t you know.

    Hooterville. From the television show “Green Acres”.

    .

    Yeah. I know. It’s all Hollywood. And there are aspects of the back woods, small town life that I do not like. But the fundamental aspects of knowing everyone, being a member within society, and having a more relaxed and easy-going pace is something that appeals to me. It differs substantially from that of the fast-pace, all-excitement image portrayed within Miami Vice.

    Grady, from the movie Doc Hollywood.

    .

    And that is what life is all about. Growth. And you can establish the life that you want to live. You simply navigate the map and the template that you were given. You are careful on mow you interpret the map and you make sure that you are cautious and observant.

    No.

    I do not want the erasure of my past to begin a totally different life.

    I want the addition of new aspects, and a clarification of certain specific aspects to what I already possess. This takes thought. This takes planning. This takes concern. This takes action.

    Mayberry RFD

    .

    So what do you do when you have a great life, but there are elements within it that your old life your enjoy, but now as a much older person are not all that important to you. What do you do?

    Well you dust off the old template, and you make sure that the older desires, wishes, prayers and affirmations no longer have a new bearing on your direction and you current desires. You cleanse the template.

    Conclusion

    Right now, I must say, lovely Zhuhai is sort of like America in the 1950’s. Only very high-tech. If that makes any sense. And I want to keep it this way. I do not want any of this to change. I think that it is a lovely area to raise a family, live a life, work and cavort with friends.

    And since I am doing fine right now, the idea of cleaning the template must be considered most carefully, and (of course) selectively. You need to identify the things that you might no longer want and place a softer, easier way to excise them form your plan and map.

    Of course other issues come into play. I most certainly don’t want Shenzhen and Hong Kong to be obliterated in a fireball by an American ICBM. I don’t want to get ill, have some kinds of “old man” health issues, and I really don’t want the kinds of surprises that many Americans tend to deal with on a daily basis.

    As long as I hold an American passport, these concerns will continue to be stabled to my soul.

    Yet, you and I know that we can control our reality by thought. And so we do. The use of a method to clean out the underbrush is always something to keep in mind when you are running an affirmation prayer campaign, and this is exactly how you do it.

    May all your dreams, wishes and desires come true for you. Best Regards.

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    When prayers counter act each other and cancel out in an affirmation campaign

    Prayers can seemingly cancel each other out. Yikes!

    This happens, and the larger the number of affirmations you have, the greater the risk you have in having them cancel out each other. It happens, and you have to be aware and careful about your affirmations. Most certainly, the simple and sweet rule applies. Do not get too hung up on elaborate campaigns. Keep things simple.

    Let’s talk about this here.

    An example

    This is a true example that was sent to me.

    A MM follower had a problem. (Most of us do, but this has to deal with his affirmations. He felt that he was “spinning his wheels”.) While there were all sorts of things going on in his life, his most important two affirmations had not yet been realized. It had been at least a year maybe longer.

    And while I told him that it takes time for the more distant goals to be realized, he argued that he must be doing something wrong.

    So, after a few probing questions, he let me see his list of prayer affirmations, and at the top, under the heading “Most important” were two affirmations. They were…

    • Be the CEO of a large and important company.
    • Have a nice calm, happy and peaceful life.

    Now, of course, it is possible to have both. It is not impossible. For with affirmation prayers, anything is possible. It’s just that some things require more world-lines to traverse to get to.

    I suggested to him to do one or the other. Not both simultaneously.

    And why you might ask…

    Pick the one that he desires first, and then work towards it.

    The reason for this, is that the combination of both together is going to be a difficult one to obtain quickly. Now I said “quickly”. I did not say unobtainable. His combination made quick implementation of his desires rather problematic.

    How to understand this…

    When your objective prayers are not being realized that means that there might be one or more of a number of things going on.

    • Your prayer goal takes a large number of world-lines to traverse. It is farther away than your would like, and you have yet to reach it.
    • Your goal is in conflict with another goal, thus obtaining both goals together sends your ultimate objective further down the time track.
    • Your goal is off your pre-birth world-line template and you have not approved or blessed a slide to get off your fated life.
    • You are being blocked by non-physical issues that you are unaware of.
    • Your prayer is simply not possible within your template.

    Regarding this last point…

    Anything and everything is possible in our reality. In the movie The Craft (1996),  the three other witches placed curses, hexes and spells on a girl in their coven. Her life turned to shit, and even her parents died. Then, after running a prayer / spell campaign she awoke to a new reality. One where her parents didn’t really die as was reported on television, it was all a bad mistake.

    Anything is possible in this reality.

    It’s just that there is a measure of your opposition to change that plays a role. And I want to discuss that right now.

    Inertia

    Our “reality universe” in both the physical reality, and the non-physical reality has this quality, or attribute known as “inertia”. It is measurable, and there have been many studies on it. Essentially, inertia is the resistance to change. We see this everyday.

    If you are running and you want to stop suddenly, you end up toppling and going heads over heals. Or if you are trying to push a car that is broken down, its hard to get it moving, but once it starts to roll, it is so much easier. All of this is known as “inertia”.

    Inertia 
    Inertia is the resistance of any physical object to any change in its velocity. This includes changes to the object's speed, or direction of motion. An aspect of this property is the tendency of objects to keep moving in a straight line at a constant speed, when no forces act upon them.
    This property affects everything. And it is not just the physical. It is the non-physical as well. And yes, thoughts and ideas also have inertia.
    .
    So you really cannot expect to start and stop affirmation prayers at will. While you physically might start and stop the actual vocalizations, you cannot stop the non-physical things that you set in motion.
    .
    It’s due to a non-physical attribute that is similar to inertia.
    .

    Now, I want the reader to take into account that there is no such thing as “time”, and since there is no such thing…

    …that means that the affirmations that you made last year has the same validity or “juiciness” as if you were making them today. And thus all the affirmations and writings that you have ever done is part of the big stew that you have been cooking all your life to get to the point where you are now.

    We can refer to this characteristic as the inertial component of an affirmation / prayer campaign.

    An Illustration

    Let’s look at this example.

    We see that the “hills” and valleys” of a topographical world-line map that is representative of the MWI  is a measure of how difficult, stressful, or contentious a person’s life might be RELATIVE to the other world-lines that preceded it.

    And here we see that you can accumulate benefit by climbing these “hills”…

    And here I make the point that effort, strife, discomfort accumulates a specific type of experience that the consciousness can use.

    How it is used depends on many things.

    As we go “up the hill” in the MWI topographical map, we can also go “down the hill” upon the topographical map. And the ease of your life would be wholly a function of the release of the “good stuff” or “good karma” that you have accumulated during your travels.

    As shown here…

    But we can consider the benefits and liabilities of this accumulated effort in dealing with strife to be similar to that of inertia.

    You climb the “hills” and you experience discomfort. You do down the “hills” and you experience a relatively easy period of time.

    If we consider it to be analogous to “karma” as well as “inertia” then we have a real actual characteristic that is fundamental to our movement within the MWI and when we go from world-line to world-line.

    This can be counter intuitive. After all, how can you “gain something” when you expend effort?

    And I am here to tell you that no matter what you do in life, everything is inner connected.

    So when you make a prayer affirmation campaign a few years back, the impressions that they made still slings to your being. Even though (for instance) you recognize that that you made some grievous errors in judgment when you defined those prayers.

    Back to the example

    So here, let’s go back to the example of the follower who is upset that he is not achieving the life of comfort and success as he pictured in his affirmation prayer campaign.

    His life apparently isn’t going anywhere.

    He seems stuck in his current situation.

    He is frustrated, and he desperately wants that vision of a new life. You know which one. Something like this…

    Boss life.

    Ah.

    There are many things at play. But I am willing to wager that the primary contributors are that his prayers counter-act each other, and ended up putting his goals in a far-away location on the MWI, as well as residual inertial influence of previous desires, wishes and vocalizations.

    Time does not exist.

    So the things that he said, and the writings that he made, and the actions that he dreamed of and contemplated upon has created a “tablecloth” upon which his new (and latest) prayer affirmations rest upon.

    And while we want to believe that each and every new affirmation prayer campaign is a “new slate” from which to conduct our desires and goals, it is in all actuality a new meal that is placed on a tablecloth already soiled by your previous dining efforts.

    In this particular case, I believe that it is a combination of things going on that has set his goals far off “in the distance” (MWI speaking)…

    • Too complex of a goal.
    • Characteristics of that goal that are too specific for immediate implementation.
    • A history of other wishes, desires, actions, or verbalization’s that further remove his goal form easy direct access.

    Such as…

    “Oh the boss is an idiot. I would never work like he does”

    or,

    “It’s a hard life. having a calm life is just a dream and wishful thinking”

    or,

    “Who needs money and the lifestyle of a boss? I’m happy as I am right now”

    For him to move forward, he needs to counter act all what he has created over the years and then build upon this new foundation with his affirmations. Then he needs to adjust his affirmation campaign to be simpler. Concentrate on it step by step and don’t but too many big enormous desires without laying a foundation to travel upon.

    Conclusion

    Keep in mind that everything we do has an accumulated characteristic that color and alters the prayer campaign. I do not believe that it can completely render the campaign inept and non-functional, but rather that they tend to add a few “extra” world-lines between you and your objective. For you to advance forward you need to be of clear mind and purpose, and control any negative and counter active thoughts and actions that might have developed into habitual problems within your life.

    If you do, you can be guaranteed of speedier implementation of your desires.

    Best Regards.

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    America has decided to wage a hot war against China. It’s not if, it’s when.

    I pretty much agree with migueljose. I'm 77 years old, US native-born citizen and life-long resident. The main problem in the US is the intense interracial animosity of all against all, and the deliberate race baiting by our ruling class. Race relations were better in the 50's despite segregation (worse in the North).
    
    The second problem is the collapse of our educational system K-post doc, and the resulting incompetence of our Ruling Class. The attempt to actually destroy important Russian and Chinese companies and institutions, like Huawei, is an actual act of war. When that game was run against Japan in the late 30's, we got the Pacific War. Our current policies will give us a war with Russia-China. After the Biden interview and Alaska meeting fiascos, it is clear Russia and China are now coordinating their future actions. One fears the worst.
    
    Posted by: bob sykes | Mar 23 2021 19:23 utc | 6

    I do not want to sound alarming. But… Jeeze Louise…

    After this last week with [1] the events of the Alaskan meeting between the United States and China, and [2] the “write ups” leading to it are quite horrifying.

    I wonder what the Hell is going on in the minds of the folks back in Washington DC, for they have obviously have a mixture of numerous mental illnesses. Not a singular one. A mixture.

    The Alaskan meeting was stunning in it’s insanity.

    For starters, America demands that China (and the rest of the world) STOP working with the United Nations. Instead they order all other nations, and their leaders to “follow the United States” as it leads.

    Yes.

    You read that correctly.

    Well, for one thing, the Americans demand a “Rules based obedience“. Not one that follows the United Nations. I know that it sounds so nice, and so orderly. “Rules”. ‘Why would anyone not want to follow “rules”?’ says the American sheeple. And yes, it does play well in the “red states” back inside of America, but it is dangerous.

    It is very, very dangerous.

    Because this “rules based obedience” means…

    1. There is not any kind of national sovereignty, only American sovereignty.
    2. Nations exist at the pleasure and allowance of the United States.
    3. The United States makes the rules at will.
    4. The United States changes the rules at will.
    5. All other nations are subservient to the United States.
    6. The United Nations has no say what so ever in International affairs.
    7. The United Nations is a convenience that America uses when it wants to, and ignores when it decides to.

    This is a very authoritarian and demanding posture.

    It is unyielding and fixed.

    It’s almost as if the leaders in America are Megalomaniacs. To believe and allow such an insane level of insanity.

    Megalomania is a psychopathological condition characterized by delusional fantasies of power, relevance, omnipotence, and by inflated self-esteem. 
    
    Historically it was used as a name for narcissistic personality disorder prior to the latter's first use by Heinz Kohut in 1968, and is used today as a non-clinical equivalent. 
    

    But it’s not just that.

    It’s many other things.

    Such as the litany of demands that America placed on China.

    Such as…

    • China’s actions and behavior regarding 台湾.
    • China’s actions and behavior regarding 西藏.
    • China’s actions and behavior regarding 香港.
    • China’s actions and behavior regarding 快乐的脚.

    All of which might not look familiar to the American readers in the audience.

    As all of the items (that America demanded on China) are de facto Chinese land, cities, areas and territories.

    These are regions as specified within the United Nations and identified as Chinese domains.

    Such as Hong Kong, Tibet, Xinjiang, and Taiwan.

    So it really is insulting that these jackasses from Washington DC have the fucking nerve to tell the Chinese what to do in 香港.

    Which is like China demanding that America do thing about Baltimore, the killings in Chicago, and the maritime operations in the Gulf of Mexico and Boston harbor.

    This illness, where you cannot understand the personal barriers of others is known as Cognitive Dysfunction.

    Cognitive disorders, also known as neurocognitive disorders, are a category of mental health disorders that primarily affect cognitive abilities including learning, memory, perception, and problem solving. 
    
    Neurocognitive disorders include delirium and mild and major neurocognitive disorder. 
    
    They are defined by deficits in cognitive ability that are acquired, typically represent decline, and may have an underlying brain pathology. 
    
    The DSM-5 defines six key domains of cognitive function: executive function, learning and memory, perceptual-motor function, language, complex attention, and social cognition.

    Why were the American delegation so rude, demanding, and ill behaved during the Alaskan meeting? Could it be that they ACTUALLY BELIEVED that they were that powerful, and that they indeed represented the United States within that capacity?

    How and why would they hold this amazingly dangerous position? It’s not patriotism. It’s pure evil.

    It is exactly what Hitler demanded of Austria, West Prussia, Poland, the Netherlands, and France in the late 1930’s.

    It’s pure evil.

    The hatred towards China inside America is just ripe for war

    The last four years of spewed hate has been horrible. Here’s the “news” from today…

    The Mike Pompeo Speech is codified into policy

    In April 2020, immediately after China stopped the COVID-19B virus, Mike Pompeo laid out a speech decrying China. In his speech he stated that all efforts to contain it has failed and that new aggressive measures must be taken.

    I guess Pompeo and trump were surprised that China could completely stop a major bio-weapons attack with an R0=20; the very dangerous “B strain” when China was must vulnerable; CNY.

    In comparison, the American "safe strain", has a much smaller R0=0.01, and a much small lethality footprint. Which is why it is called the "herd inoculation strain".

    This speech was bemoaned by the entire global community as unrealistic, a throwback to World War II, and entirely antagonistic as well as a violation of the UN charter.

    Well, guess what?

    Yup. It’s now official American policy.

    The Longer Telegram

    Don’t believe me? Here we look at an American “policy paper” known as “The Longer Telegram“.

    It’s called a “telegraph” as it is used as a “fair warning” that the United States considers China as a hostile enemy that must be destroyed. Thus the message is “telegraphed” to all people involved.

    It is a reissue, and rewording of a post World War II document on how to be Master of the World. And it is being followed with religious fervor in the United States by the Biden administration. Following this outdated, outmoded, and insane cartoon-image of what the world is today is hastening the demise of the United States.

    As well as forcing the hands of the Chinese, Iranians and Russians towards nuclear war.

    It’s authored by “anonymous“, but we can see clearly that the contributors are the entire neocon establishment on “K street”. That’s John Bolton, Mike Pompeo, and the rest of the neocon cabal.

    What is this “telegram”?

    It’s a strategy and orders towards “reclaiming American greatness” by the destruction of the largest threats “to the American way of life” in the world. In it, it describes a very militaristic policy of total annihilation of the enemies of the United States.

    Not cooperation.

    Not negotiation, and trade.

    Not Geo-political alignments, and posturing.

    No.

    It’s about total annihilation of all the threats the the United States global leadership, and how to go about making sure that it is successful.

    • Primarily the destruction of China.
    • Isolation of China from Russian support and alliances.
    • Isolation of China geographically.
    • Isolation of China internationally, culturally and socially.
    • Isolation of China in technology, skills, knowledge and science.

    America is a military empire.

    It’s a long-worded tome.

    Obviously it was written by one or more “think tanks” in the military-industrial complex. Obviously a number of committees wrote various parts, spliced them together, and achieved “buy in” as a group.

    As Strategic Culture writes…

    The Atlantic Council has emitted The Longer Telegram: Toward A New American China Strategy written by Anonymous. Clearly it is supposed to echo Mr X’s (George Kennan’s) Long Telegram. But some differences: this is longer – much longer, grinding on for seven times the length of Kennan’s essay.

    And what is it about…

    It’s about China…

    It’s about Russia too.

    The document describes a China that exists only in their furtive imaginations; 
    
    An “authoritarian” country whose communist rulers are divorced from the people they rule, in which President Xi is described as more or less a warlord surrounded by “cronies,” enriching themselves at the expense of everyone else, and who have visions of ruling the world. 
    
    This fantasy is in fact a mirror-image of the United States.

    Indeed.

    It has absolutely no resemblance with China, as it is today, in any way, shape or form.

    The American military are experts at fighting wars in far away lands.

    Facts do not matter to the ideologically obsessed.

    The Strategic Culture Foundation says it quite clearly…

    But, enough of Anonymous’ fancies – they have no base in reality: 
    
    The USA out-sourced its manufacturing to China long ago and won’t be getting it back.
    
    Wokeism is killing its education system.
    America's politics are broken.
    America's military is losing everywhere and doesn’t realize it.
    A tsunami of debt has built up. 
    
    Most absurd of all, after years of needless hostility to Russia, Washington has no hope of separating Moscow from Beijing. 
    
    And Xi Jinping is not some rogue who seized control...
    ...he is the top of a robust pyramid.
    
    The only significance of this paltry effort is that it gives us another – and depressingly influential – example of the curious American obsession with personalities – everything in Chinese-U.S. relations was going along swimmingly until Xi. 
    
    But actually, as anyone capable of seeing reality knows, China is much, much more than one man.
    
    China/Russia/Iran/Iraq/insert-name-of-country was happy to accept its place in the Rules-Based International Order...
    
    ... until that nasty Xi/Putin/Ayatollah/Saddam/insert-name changed everything; get rid of him and it will all fix itself.
    
    Sure...
    
    When are they going to understand that it’s a whole country, not just one guy?

    America is a Military Empire.

    How about the details…

    But what is this thing… this “Longer Telegram”…

    In an extraordinarily provocative move, the U.S. foreign policy establishment has warned China that it is pushing for a more aggressive strategy...
    
    ... all the way up to instigating war. 
    
    In a tome-like article published by the Washington-based Atlantic Council, there are foreboding demands for numerous “red lines” to confront China over.
    
    Entitled ‘The Longer Telegram’ the article is a strange throwback to Cold War thinking. It is ostentatiously mimicking the famous document authored by George Kennan in 1946 who as a U.S. diplomat based in the Moscow wrote ‘The Long Telegram’ prescribing a hostile strategy of containment against the Soviet Union.
    
    Thus the Atlantic Council is billing the recent article as a seminal historical contribution to formulating U.S. policy towards China, and one that is more bellicose and “comprehensive”.

    The suppression of China will require “boots on the ground” inside of China.

    Here’s a reprint of a very informative article…

    The Longer Telegram: To Contain China or the USA?
    Christopher Black
    March 14, 2021

    The paper repeats the mistake inherent in all American thinking about the world, of [1] inventing a rival that does not exist, and then [2] positing strategies to deal with this fiction.

    Washington, Beijing and European capitals have been firing off barrages of commentary in the past weeks on an anonymously authored paper on China published on January 28 by the U.S.-NATO think tank, the Atlantic Council, entitled “The Longer Telegram: Toward A New American China Strategy.

    It is modeled on another policy paper written by George Kennan in 1946.

    That policy paper was called the Long Telegram. In it Kennan set out a strategy for “containing” the Soviet Union.

    Which is a nice euphemism that means “destroying it”.

    The American military has been training to seize Chinese islands and fight within Chinese cities.

    Kennan’s advice was adopted and became U.S. strategy. The Longer Telegram purports to set out a strategy for undermining China and its socialist system.

    Which is really fucked up as the Chinese system is far, far, FAR superior to the American system of oligarchy-run military-empire that pretends to be a democracy.

    The Longer Telegram has met with approval by some U.S. and allied strategists and governments but alarm by others. China has denounced it for what it is, a plan for aggression against China and its socialist system.

    The paper repeats the mistake inherent in all American thinking about the world, of inventing a rival that does not exist, and then positing strategies to deal with this fiction.

    This delusory thinking has led the United States into one defeat after another and caused the world untold troubles as it tried to throw its weight around to secure markets and resources for its industries and capital.

    • Yemen
    • Panama
    • Libera
    • Afghanistan
    • Syria
    • etc, etc…

    The destruction of one country after another to achieve that objective, the deaths of millions, the immiseration of entire regions of the world are nothing to American capital so long as it can make money.

    All their rhetoric about “human rights” “democracy” and other such platitudes is just a cover for maintaining their economic hegemony and keeping everyone else down.

    American occupation of Xinjiang, Taiwan, Tibet and Hing Kong are all part of the war plans.

    They even sometimes admit this.

    In the National Defence Strategy issued in 2018, the real reason for the slanders against China, the constant provocations in Hong Kong, and the South China Sea is stated clearly…

    “Failure to meet our defense objectives will result in decreasing U.S. global influence...
    
    ...eroding cohesion among allies and partners...
    
    ...and reduced access to markets...
    
    ...that will contribute to a decline in our prosperity and standard of living.”

    Of course even this is a lie since American capital does not care at all about the standard of living of the American people, only about the prosperity and standard of living of the big capitalists.

    The world can see what conditions are in the United States.

    The [1] failure to protect their people from the Covid pandemic, [2] the almost daily extrajudicial killings of blacks and poor people, [3] the hollow promise of Biden to institute a higher minimum wage, [4] the collapse of the power grid in Texas are[5] eloquent expressions of the contempt and disregard big capital has for the common people.

    The document describes a China that exists only in their furtive imaginations;

    …an “authoritarian” country whose communist rulers are divorced from the people they rule, in which President Xi is described as more or less a warlord surrounded by “cronies,” enriching themselves at the expense of everyone else, and who have visions of ruling the world.

    This fantasy is in fact a mirror image of the United States.

    The American marines have been drilling and practicing the invasion and seizure of Chinese held islands for the last four years.

    The anonymous author(s) sees China as he has been conditioned to see America, and then projects that outward to any nation that attempts to develop its economy and improve the conditions of its people.

    And just as the forces of capital in the United States manipulate elections and the political system to guarantee their power in order to feather their own nests, the author of the Longer Telegram accuses the President of China of doing the same in China, of using his position for his own benefit.

    It then offers recommendations on how to try to split the Chinese leadership from the people, and even on how to split the Communist Party from its membership and the people, using false claims as propaganda to undermine social cohesion.

    American military.

    China did well to kick out the BBC last week and to arrest the U.S. and British agents in Hong Kong.

    The document adopts the Henry Kissinger strategy urging a soft approach to Russia to try to lure it away from its alliance with China.

    This would require a complete reversal of American strategy of surrounding Russia with bases, ships and missile systems, of attempting to ruin the Russian economy with all the illegal trade and financial embargoes.

    It is not going to happen.

    But the suggestion shows the confusion in the American leadership on how to stop its economic decline that precedes its decline as the world hegemon.

    For decades the Americans have claimed to support nations trying to raise themselves from the poverty created by European and American colonialism, to achieve economic prosperity and a better life for their peoples.

    But when a country achieves those goals it suddenly becomes an enemy.

    America want no rivals.

    The Chinese military are not 1980’s era conscripts with out-of-date Russian weapons systems. They are a modern and formidable army.

    China is declared an enemy simply because the Communist Party has, over its long struggle from the Long March to today, raised a billion and more people out of poverty, has created a social and economic system no western nation can equal.

    • China is as big as the United States.
    • China has more factories than the United States.
    • China has a peer capable military.
    • China is a threat on all levels of (former) United States dominance.

    And most importantly…

    Their example shows the world what can be achieved by nations finally freed from colonialism, and shows the strength and vitality of socialism.

    But now America faces renewed threats from the aspiring colonial powers.

    China is a serious, serious nation that does not play.

    Defeated in 1949, the colonial powers have never abandoned their ambitions to again reduce China to a colony.

    They are, once again, actively engaged in trying to undermine China as a sovereign nation.

    To slander it.

    To sabotage its economy.

    To threaten it with armed force.

    And to break it into smaller, manageable pieces, as they want to do with Russia.

    The method of attack is wide.

    The Canadians, on U.S. orders, have essentially kidnapped and still hold hostage, Meng Wanzhou, Chief Financial Officer of the technology company, Huawei.

    At the same time, the U.S. used the arrest as a warning to others trading with Iran.

    They have increased their military provocations off the Chinese coast.

    With the U.S. and its vassal states sending naval ships, time and again, through the Taiwan Strait, claiming to be enforcing “freedom of navigation” …

    …but in reality declaring that Taiwan, a province of China, is an American protectorate.

    The Chinese are not illiterate goat herders living in mud huts.

    The complete response to the Longer Telegram is found in China’s national defence white paper which states, “Though a country may become strong, bellicosity will lead to its ruin.

    The Chinese nation has always loved peace.

    Since the beginning of modern times, the Chinese people have suffered from aggressions and wars, and have learned the value of peace and the pressing need for development.

    Therefore, China will never inflict such sufferings on any other country.

    Any attack on China will come with an enormous price tag.

    Since its founding 70 years ago, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has never started any war or conflict.

    You just cannot say this about America; the biggest military empire in history.

    Since the introduction of reform and opening-up, China has been committed to promoting world peace, and has voluntarily downsized the PLA by over 4 million troops.

    China has grown from a poor and weak country to be the world’s second largest economy neither by receiving handouts from others nor by engaging in military expansion or colonial plunder.

    Instead, it has developed through its people’s hard work and its efforts to maintain peace.

    China has made every effort to create favorable conditions for its development through maintaining world peace, and has equally endeavored to promote world peace through its own development.

    China sincerely hopes that all countries will choose the path of peaceful development and jointly prevent conflicts and wars.”

    All those who want peace in the world, can support that statement.

    The US military experts gave a high estimate of the tests of the new Chinese anti-ship ballistic missile which showed that the US aircraft carriers are in real danger as reported by Washington Free Beacon at the beginning of July. The tests took place in the South China Sea, where, in particular, the US Navy ships are deployed. It is specified that the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBM) requires hi-tech surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting systems. According to the Pentagon, China has already deployed all of those. The US has no missile systems of the kind, and the possibilities to counteract them are limited, according to the website.

    The Longer Telegram is not just a policy paper, it is also propaganda.

    Dangerous anti-UN propaganda

    Propaganda which must be rejected as a call for the violation of all the principles set out in the Charter of the United Nations.

    A charter that guarantee every nation [1] the right to peaceful development, [2] to its sovereignty and [3] to non-interference from other nations; [4] to be treated with respect.

    All of which were missing in the 19MAR21 Alaskan meeting between the USA and America.

    Instead of contemplating strategies on how to contain China…

    ….the world must instead contemplate strategies for containing the United States of America.”


    It’s all pretty damning. But why does MM believe that America has chosen to engage in a hot war?

    Americans are ripe and “chomping at the bit” for a war.

    There is unrestrained budget constraints and the debt is at twenty trillion dollars with no signs of any kind of fiscal responsibility. Either the American governance is counting on a financial and fiscal collapse, or…

    …or…

    …they plan on looting a large, plump and ripe nation to compensate for their fiscal irresponsibility.

    And they are eyeing China.

    History tells us that when nations have depleted their coffers, and their citizenry have taken to “torches and pitchforks” the only way out…

    …socially, economically, and as a way to control the situation…

    …is a war.

    If they win, and conquer the opposing targeted nation, they can loot it, and fill their empty coffers. They can unite an upset and disturbingly angry citizenry with an enemy, and they can postpone the demise of their government that caused the fiscal irresponsibility in the first place.

    China does not play.

    Let’s look at this article, shall we…


    Washington Telegrams China of Red Lines and Aggression

    For a start (the policy paper) denigrates China’s President Xi Jinping in the most pejorative terms unbecoming of diplomatic norms. It proposes that “U.S. strategy must remain laser-focused on Xi, [and] his inner circle.”

    The document states:

    “At home, Xi has returned China to classical Marxism-Leninism and fostered a quasi-Maoist personality cult, pursuing the systematic elimination of his political opponents… Xi is no longer just a problem for U.S. primacy. He now presents a serious problem for the whole of the democratic world.”

    What the Washington policy elite are explicitly calling for is “regime change” in Beijing by aiming to destabilize the senior government.

    This marks an unprecedented notice of increased hostility towards the Chinese leadership. This is taking things way past U.S. aggression under Obama and Trump and brings it to a whole new level.

    What’s even more alarming is the Atlantic Council article sets out numerous “red lines” which could trigger military confrontation.

    These red lines include [1] “major hostile action” by China in the South China Sea, or [2] an attack on Taiwan, or [3] cyberattacks against the United States.

    This is alarming because these actions are being exacerbated by the U.S. itself.

    China is not afraid to use it’s nuclear weapons on any attacking force, and no one within America, England, Australia or wherever the aggressors want to hide .

    [1] A“major hostile action” by China in the South China Sea

    Since Biden took office last month, his administration has sent two navy carrier strike groups to conduct exercises in the South China Sea, which Beijing has condemned.

    [2] Taiwan

    A U.S. warship also recently passed through the Strait of Taiwan.

    [3] And cyberattacks against the United States.

    As for cyberattacks, they can be easily fabricated and falsely attributed by U.S. intelligence agencies. As clearly specified in the Vault 7 release by Wikileaks.

    At one point the Atlantic Council article notes:

    “U.S. strategy must understand that China remains for the time being highly anxious about military conflict with the United States, but that this attitude will change as the military balance shifts over the next decade. 
    
    If military conflict were to erupt between China and the United States, and China failed to win decisively, then – given the party’s domestic propaganda offensive over many years proclaiming China’s inevitable rise – Xi would probably fall and the regime’s overall political legitimacy would collapse.”

    This last paragraph is a clear sign that Washington planners are actually considering a preemptive war against China in which the latter “failed to win decisively” thereby precipitating the fall of President Xi.

    The reaction from China has been surprisingly reserved.

    Beijing condemned the American Cold War mentality but seemed to avoid condemning what are clearly U.S. threats of war.

    One analyst for Global Times speculated that the Atlantic Council article was a “remnant from the Trump administration”.

    Such thinking is dangerously complacent.

    America wants China destroyed

    For the evidence points to the article being an expression of policy formulation by the Biden administration.

    It is notable in a recent interview with CBS, President Biden sounded remarkably disrespectful towards his Chinese counterpart.

    Biden said he hadn’t yet spoken directly with Xi since the U.S. presidential inauguration ceremony nearly three weeks ago.

    Such an absence of communication seems to be a calculated snub from Biden and his policy planners in Washington which is in total keeping with the proposed strategy outlined in the Atlantic Council article to “laser-focus” on denigrating Xi and his leadership.

    Here’s another notable oddity.

    While Biden has yet to contact Xi, the American leader held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin the day after his inauguration.

    In the Atlantic Council article, the author proposes:

    “Dividing Russia from China… is critical.” It calls for “stabilizing relations with Russia” and the United States.

    In the 1970s, it was the other way around.

    U.S. policy then, first under Richard Nixon and later successors, was all about drawing China away from the Soviet Union because Moscow was perceived as the main threat to American hegemony.

    Now, as the Biden administration and other Washington planners assert over and over, it is Beijing that is perceived as the principal challenger to the waning U.S. global empire.

    But the same tactic of divide and rule is at play.

    Officially, the Biden White House says it has yet to formulate definitive policies on relations with China or Russia.

    America has no defense for the hypersonic DF-17 carrier killer.

    But the vibe and tone of the Atlantic Council article has Team Biden’s fingerprints all over it – indicating that it is preparing to take a reckless aggressive course toward China. The Trump administration – which was brazenly antagonistic to China – is criticized for lacking “comprehensive strategy”.

    That’s Orwellian euphemism for the Biden administration telegramming the threat of much more confrontational policy.

    It may all just be reckless rhetoric by Washington’s imperial planners.

    Nevertheless, the mere playing with war rhetoric is reprehensible and speaks of American desperation to salvage its diminishing global power.

    It’s a time to be very careful and guarded.

    Do not be under the impression that Russia and China are all unaware of all this.

    No wonder, China has been hurriedly mass-producing nuclear warheads, MIRV ICBM missiles, and state of the art weapons technology at a hectic pace.

    They are not fools.

    The DF-41 will render all of America completely radioactive rubble.

    Do not be under the illusion that China is a far away land and that American military can engage China…

    …on Chinese territory…

    … in a superior manner…

    …where American lays out the terms of conflict…

    …and Americans can watch on their television sets eating popcorn as the war and conflict rages in far, far away China.

    Nope.

    It’s not going to be like that.

    As the Saker has pointed out…

    And crucially, “keep the barbarians from coming together” applied to Russia, China and Iran. That was Pax Americana in a nutshell. And that’s what’s totally unraveling now.

    Hence the Kill Bill logic. It goes back a long way. Less than two months after the collapse of the USSR, the 1992 Defense Planning Guidance preached total global dominance and, following Dr Zbig, the absolute imperative of preventing the emergence of any future peer competitor.

    Especially Russia, defined as “the only power in the world with the capacity of destroying the United States.”

    Then, in 2002, at the start of the “axis of evil” era, came the full spectrum dominance doctrine as the bedrock of the US National Security Strategy. Domination, domination everywhere: terrestrial, aerial, maritime, subterranean, cosmic, psychological, biological, cyber-technological.

    And, not by accident, the Indo-Pacific strategy – which guides the Quad – is all about “how to maintain US strategic primacy.”

    China should be taken seriously and respected.

    This mindset is what enables US Think Tankland to formulate risible “analyses” in which the only “win” for the US imperatively requires a failed Chinese “regime.”

    After all, Leviathan is congenitally incapable of accepting a “win-win”; it only runs on “zero-sum,” based on divide and rule.

    And that’s what’s leading the Russia-China strategic partnership to progressively establish a wide-ranging, comprehensive security environment, spanning everything from high-tech weaponry to banking and finance, energy supplies and the flow of information.

    Yup. Russia and China are coming together to defend against the American monster…

    Do not be under the misguided impression that America can conduct a far-away war with China or Russia independently. They are working together.

    It will not happen that way.

    Neither China, or Russia will allow that to occur.

    Doing so, would result in American cities blasted out of existence. It’s real.

    Consider the “dead hand” for instance…

    Dead Hand
    Dead Hand, also known as Perimeter, is a Cold War-era automatic nuclear weapons-control system that was used by the Soviet Union. 
    
    General speculation from insiders alleges that the system remains in use in the post-Soviet Russian Federation as well. 
    
    An example of fail-deadly and mutual assured destruction deterrence, it can automatically trigger the launch of the Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles by sending a pre-entered highest-authority order from the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Strategic Missile Force Management to command posts and individual silos if a nuclear strike is detected by seismic, light, radioactivity, and pressure sensors even with the commanding elements fully destroyed. 
    
    By most accounts, it is normally switched off and is supposed to be activated during times of crisis; however, it is said to remain fully functional and able to serve its purpose whenever it may be needed.
    
    -Wikipedia

    But, America need not worry, right? A few strategically placed bombs here and there, a capture of an island or two and some “boot on the ground” will force China to obey America. Right?

    Dead Hand

    Russia upgrading its ‘Dead Hand’

    29 Mar 2018 in 10:20

    It’s active and alive. As this three year old article points out…

    Russia is upgrading its nuclear final defence system which automatically launches it entire arsenal in a doomsday-like barrage, one of the US leading authorities on nuclear disarmament Bruce Blair said.

    Russia’s defence chiefs are working to improve the so-called “Dead Hand” weapons system – also known as Perimeter. It has been referred to as a “Doomsday device” by analysts and was first developed during the paranoia of the Cold War.

    Blair, who is the former US Air Force nuclear launch officer, said he believes the system is still operational and is even being “upgraded,” Daily Star Online reported.

    Dead Hand is described as a “fully automatic” system which is turned on amid times of crisis by Russia. It is operated by three crew members whose sole job is just to make sure the system is operational with “no judgement” involvement.

    Despite the terrifying concept, Dr Blair, co-founder of disarmament campaign group Global Zero, said the existence of such a weapon actually helps reduce the risk of nuclear war.

    However, he questioned the system’s “vulnerability to cyber attack” as a cause for concern to global security. Dead Hand’s operation means the West will always have to think twice if there is a temptation for a nuclear strike.

    “[Dead Hand] is fully automatic except that it has to be turned on by the general staff during a crisis, and there is a small crew that would perform a small number of functions before it would operate,” Blair said. “It is not a risk unless it could hacked and trigger an unauthorized launch,” he added

    But don’t worry. China is isolated from Russia. And can be beaten easily by the superior American military…

    Right?

    Are you willing to bet your life, and your families lives on it?

    So you really trust this man with your future…

    Mike Pompeo

    Or

    Or, his “official” replacement in the Biden Administration.

    Antony Blinken

    So

    So, do you really think that things are just going to be a lot of “hot air” and posturing?

    And that nothing will come of all this, that somehow it will all go away…?

    China will not be provoked

    America will try and push and push China into an action. If China fails “to take the bait”, then America will make up and excuse a “false flag” event that will justify a war.

    Now, let it be understood that America is not allowed to go to war without Congressional approval.

    But that is meaningless.

    America is currently fighting eight simultaneous wars all over the world directly and another twenty or so surreptitiously. None of which were specifically authorized by Congress.

    So do not expect that the normal war declaration process will be followed. It will not.

    Just expect a “false flag” event as an excuse to go to war within the next couple of years, if not months.

    A false flag operation is an act committed with the intent of disguising the actual source of responsibility and pinning blame on a second party. The term is popular amongst conspiracy theory promoters in referring to covert operations of various governments and cabals.
    
    -Wikipedia

    Keep in mind that war is unpredictable

    Please keep in mind that war is madness.

    .

    Yes it is crazy.

    On one hand, don’t be so sure that China will be able to stop America, and this “road map towards destruction”. They might not be able to. And the United States might, and could very well, roll right over China. Destroy it, and carve it up into much smaller vassal states to service the American wealthy. Indeed, China might easily crumble after a concerted attack by skilled military forces working in unison.

    After all, America is a well trained battle empire. It has over 75 years of non-stop military excursions, the top line and highest quality weaponry, and lots and lots of nuclear missiles.

    It also has it’s cronies like the UK, Australia Korea, Japan and India who will participate in a conflict with China. Combined, it seems that China doesn’t have a chance, and while China can train and train, they do not have active hostile fighting experience like the American military has. The United States could plausibly rip right through China like a hot knife though butter.

    And of course, please don’t be so sure that Russia will sit everything out. They might. They might just allow America and China to duke it out while they watch from the side-lines. Yes. That could happen, but don’t count on it. Russia and China see America as a very unpredictable enemy.

    But war is about betrayals.

    You will think that one nation and people are on your side, and then they could flip at a moments notice. Sort of how Italy was aligned with the Nazi Germans and then flipped and allied with the American during World War II.

    Expect betrayals, and sabotage.

    Expect messy things, and terrible reporting of the “news“. Like how the Trump Armada flotilla fared in the South China Sea in 2020.

    Don’t be so sure that America will win a war against Asia. I know that this will come to a shock to those that watch the Rush Limbaugh show and watch FOX news. For in their minds, America is invincible!

    There is no such thing as invincibility. There is only layers and degrees of damage, and ones varying ability to contain and repair the damage.

    Don’t be so sure that any destroyed American cities will be able to be rebuilt either. America does have that ability any longer. Sure there are handymen, and construction companies. Sure there is the potential. But the real, active and genuine skills required to rebuild a devastated nation, it’s not really there.

    I am sure that any destroyed city can be rebuilt. However we know from history that when Genghis Khan decimated Western Europe and the “Silk Road” cities, they remained empty and devoid of inhabitants for centuries afterwards. Indeed, many were never rebuilt.

    America has lost the skills, and the ability to build, let alone rebuild. As well as the technical expertise in the most basic of constructions. While there are trillions of dollars in the value of American companies, most do not make anything. They either play with numbers or images in communication venues, or provide services. Both of which are not capable of rebuilding cities, infrastructure or societies.

    Don’t be so sure that nuclear weapons will not be used. China does not play. They have repeatedly warned in words and deeds that they will respond in absolute terms with any American aggression. Do not think, for a minute, that they will risk allowing the United States to attack them unopposed.

    This idea, this fantasy, that America can dictate terms to China, and bludgeon them into compliance as some kind of bargain-basement slave is very dangerous. China is like the nerd in High School that everyone picks on, makes fun of, and taunts without mercy….

    ….Meanwhile he’s also the kid who has built a death-ray in his basement.

    Don’t expect anything.

    But do not be under the misguided impression that the bullshit narrative the the “Long Telegram” is based upon has validity. It is a fantasy, and if the American leadership follows this “roadmap” for the “suppression” of China, it was end up turning out quite…

    …ugly.

    Conclusion

    Yes, this is a profoundly sobering and disgusting article. I am sorry for it.

    Any war with China will not be contained to the South China Sea, but will land inside of America in a most horrific manner.

    But everything points to a historical progression of events. One that can no longer be ignored. It’s not if there will be a hot war, but rather how it will develop and whether or not it can be contained.

    Certainly the American leadership believes that China can be “suppressed” and a war could be fought on American terms, with American rules of engagement, and on American defined battle fields. They might be right.

    But I have a completely different projection.

    And the earth might not survive the resulting insanity that will manifest.

    If I were to take bets, I would argue that both Russia and China are working on plans to preemptively annihilate and castrate the United States before it slaughters the entire world.

    But what do I know?

    Be safe you all.

    This is the meeting that China had with Russia immediately after the Alaskan meeting with the United States. I wonder why China was in such a rush to chat with the Russians…?

    Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying’s Regular Press Conference on March 22, 2021

    CCTV:Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said in an interview that the Untied States and Western countries are pursuing policy of hegemony in international affairs, trying to impede the trend toward a multi-polar and democratic world, and imposing its will and requirements on others. The primary task of China and Russia is to strengthen high-level collaboration and jointly advance multipolarity and regional integration and collaboration. What’s your comment?
    Hua Chunying: Foreign Minister Lavrov’s remarks are right to the point. The more unstable the world is, the more China and Russia need to advance our cooperation.
    For a long period, the US and the West wantonly interfered in other country’s domestic affairs by using democracy and human rights as an excuse. Such moves created troubles in the world and even became the source of instability and war.
    China and Russia always stand together in close cooperation, firmly rejects hegemony and bullying practice and have become a pillar for world peace and stability.
    In the past year, under the leadership of President Xi Jinping and President Putin, China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era achieved remarkable outcomes. In the face of once-in-a-century pandemic and changes, China and Russia stand in solidarity to fight the virus together, and advance cooperation in such areas as economy, trade and scientific innovation despite challenges.
    The two sides firmly support each other on issues concerning each other’s core interests and jointly uphold international fairness and justice. It is fair to say that China-Russia relations withstood the test and emerged stronger with our friendship becoming even closer.
    We believe Foreign Minister Lavrov’s on-going visit will further cement the sound momentum of the high-level bilateral relations and bring the two countries closer in the strategic collaboration on international affairs.
    China is ready to work with Russia to follow through on the consensus of the two heads of state, and take the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Good-neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation as an opportunity to carry forward the spirit of the treaty and advance China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era at greater scope, in wider areas and at deeper levels.
    The two sides will join hands in building a model of international relations featuring strategic trust, mutually beneficial cooperation, close people-to-people ties, fairness and justice. Together, the two sides can make greater contribution to upholding world peace and stability.

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    A collection of opinions from outside of America regarding the American behavior at the China and USA meeting in Alaska 19MAR21

    In the first 100 days of the Biden Presidency, the international world awaited to see how the new administration would handle itself. Many remained hopeful. Certainly Mr. Biden, a seasoned diplomat, and a member of the “dove” (political) party would soften the anti-China attacks, and reach-out to China and the world. The Alaska meeting, would thus lay out a foundation of what the international community would be able to expect in United States and China affairs in the next few years.

    This is what China was expecting…

    "We hope that through the dialogue, the two sides can focus on cooperation, manage differences and promote the healthy and stable development of China-U.S. relations in accordance with the spirit of the conversation between the two heads of state."

    And the actual meeting was stunning.

    It really was.

    When the meeting opened up, the American “negotiation” team came out with fists slinging making all sorts of demands. No time for pleasantries. The American team immediately began telling China how to handle it’s internal domestic matters, manage it’s territories, and govern it’s cities.  It told them that it must obey the “US-Led rule of law” instead of UN conventions. It did not offer help, assistance, or propose ideas of joint cooperation. The opening statements made by the American delegation were a long list of demands, complaints, and accusations.

    Then after that first volley was fired, A delegation member added…

    “Of course, we only want peace, no one wants war”.

    Which in "bully speak" is actually translated as...
    "Obey our demands or we will plummet you into a bloody pulp".

    Then when it was time for the Chinese to respond, they politely told the American delegation to go to Hell.

    When the Chinese delegation arrived in Alaska, their hearts were chilled by the biting cold, but even more by the reception from their American hosts. Blinken and his State Department may felt quite proud of their efforts to isolate and embarrass China ahead of the meeting in Anchorage. 
    
    But after facing insult after insult, the Chinese delegation stood up and said "No!" to Western condescension and bullying.
    
    The U.S. had better get used to it.
    
    -CGTN

    American reporting

    Of course, the United States media is a little confused by this. The Conservative Hard-Right and neocon websites are all so proud that “America is staying tough on China”, and the mainstream media is reporting that the meeting did not go well, but that is expected as the Chinese were so demanding

    Here’s a pro-America article that is accusing China of being arrogant. When the obvious arrogance comes from the United States.

    • No lunch. Cold instant noodles for lunch.
    • Demanding China allow American NGO’s in Xinjiang.
    • Demanding that the US dictate how Hong Kong be governed.
    • Demanding how China handles it’s state of Taiwan.
    • Demanding how China handles it’s state of Tibet.
    • Demanding how, who, and what China does on the international scene.

    While the title is spot-on, the content must have been written before the meeting. It seemed like some kind of “boiler plate” text, and did not match up with the title nor the actual events which transpired.

    The article is certainly pro-America with statements such as…

    “They (the Chinese) came to dictate.
    
    China’s arrogant and insecure leaders are at their most dangerous. 
    
    Deterrence is failing. 
    
    Biden’s most urgent task is to reestablish it.”

    Which is nonsense.

    China told them to FUCK OFF and mind their own business. China follows the International rule of law as determined by the UN, not the biggest thug on the block. And that they were aghast at the rudeness, the arrogance, and the sheer demanding tone set forth by the American delegation.

    This article was so brief and devoid of facts, I have more characters on my mail box address than the content of this “article“.

    Here’s some links to more American based articles all parroting the idea that the negotiations were “contentious and rocky”. All the articles in the American media parrot this predetermined narrative…

    Conservative Media

    Mainstream Media

    It’s not just this, but this same week Biden directly insulted the President of Russia a “Killer”. And thus, within the span of one week, the United States has collectively and intentionally insulted the two other major nations. This does not bode well.

    I can tell you that the rest of the world is actually horrified, and if you read what they have to say, you will get a better idea about what is actually going on. Lord help us.

    Comments from the rest of the world

    These comments are very insightful.

    They provide a vision of how America is viewed in the world today, and what people (outside of the American media echo chamber) think. If for anything else, it will give you, the MM reader, and idea of the size and scope of the monster that America has turned into.

    Here’s the comments…

    The Chinese emphasis on most of the world rejecting a US-directed 'rules-based order' ...
    
    ...instead of honoring the UN Charter and settled international law ...
    
    ...is of supreme importance and must be re-emphasized ad nauseum.

    Posted by: chet380 | Mar 19 2021 19:16 utc | 1

    I'm glad China says what every country should have been saying for the last 40 years. 
    
    The US is a liar and always has been.

    Posted by: Jezabeel | Mar 19 2021 19:17 utc | 2

    What a bunch of amateurish megalomaniac idiots. 
    
    It was an exhibition of a total lack of tact, self-perception, decency or any equilibrium. 
    
    The Chinese's confident offensive resulted in a rapid emotional dive from a state of megalomaniac bravado to shaky self-confidence. 
    
    In comparison they made even Trump look like a cultivated gentleman.

    Posted by: Sadde | Mar 19 2021 19:22 utc | 3

    To translate from Orwellian Western Newspeak to English:
    
    'Rules-based order' means 
    'Our rules for you, 
    that we don't have to follow, 
    and can change anytime we like.'
    
    'International order' means 
    'Western-ruled-world order.'
    
    'International community' means 
    the US-led Western community and vassal states. 
    (The Western media spouts this all the time.)
    
    'Rules-based' is the modern day incarnation of Americans/British throwing around the phrase 'treaty', 'treaty-based' in colonial days. 
    
    Different words, same con.

    And of course the Chinese have a few things to say…

    Such as

    From surrendering to Western powers in 1901, to telling the US in 2021 it doesn't have the qualification to speak to China “from a position of strength”
    
    China needs to convey in a language that US understands.
    
    Straight Forward, Up to the Point, Right at their Faces.
    
    The construct of their brains cannot understand any other ways, Least Not the Diplomatic 'Soft' & Amicable Styles of Communications.
    
    They perceive those to be Weak.

    And then we have more Western comments…

    USA provided a transcript of both US Govt & China Govt speakers.

    I thought this a little unusual, as foreign miminstries like to publish their own transcripts so that they control the authentic translation of their words, free from the opposing parties editing or mis-translation.
    
    "cutthroat competition" may be an arguably alternative translation of "strangle" in the China readout "those who seek to strangle China will suffer in the end."
    
    I was waiting for the China verbatim translation to check the fidelity of the USA translation.
    
    https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/wjdt_665385/wshd_665389/t1862641.shtml
    https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/wjdt_665385/wshd_665389/t1862643.shtml
    
    But there is only an unquoted report, which is the meeting, but without quotation marks to distinguish between the authors voice and the Officials voice.
    
    Verbatim would be better.
    
    Maybe the USA had reciprocal concerns about the verbatim accuracy of the China transcript.
    
    But its on video anyway, so???

    Posted by: powerandpeople | Mar 19 2021 19:37 utc | 7

    Toothless sabre rattling is about all the USA has left. 
    
    A bunch of old men with a world view from the 1950s whose own virility is long gone is not going to come to an epiphany about their encroaching impotence. The Establishment has no other choice, absent common sense and critical thinking, but to double-down on arrogant self-righteousness bred by sophomoric jingoism that defines 'shallow.'
    
    Empire is crumbling before our eyes. The question is will it take the rest of the world with it as it falls into its own footprint.

    Posted by: gottlieb | Mar 19 2021 19:39 utc | 9

    And we have this…

     Footage of China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi lashing out at U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Anchorage, Alaska, was played repeatedly by China’s state-backed media at home.
    
    “China has Chinese-style democracy,” Yang said, not mincing words in his first encounter with the U.S. President Joe Biden’s team.
    
    “Many people within the United States actually have little confidence in the democracy of the United States, and they have various views regarding the government of the United States.” 

    The Communist Party Politburo member assailed the U.S., feeding fiery words to the news corps of both countries.

    And I really love this next comment. It pretty much sums up my thinking…

    Perhaps one of the more predictable mistakes the US will commit next, is misinterpret the stern warnings of the past few days by Russia, China and even NK, as evidence the new Biden/Blinken regime is less feared or respected than the Trump/Pompeo one.
    
    I suspect a more accurate interpretation would be...
    
    "ok, you had the crazy guy for 4 years and we cut you some slack, hoping once the grown ups were back we could reason as adults, but if you're gonna carry on with the same attitude, basically, Democrat or Republican, you can all summarily go fuck yourselves".
    
    Particularly at the end of the term, the Obama regime was already being met by a very hostile China and Russia, well before Trump took over with his less than diplomatic style (or lack thereof). Anyone recall the airport security debacle with China during Obama's last weeks?

    Posted by: Et Tu | Mar 19 2021 19:51 utc | 12

    Who will fill the empty shoes of the lost and vanished Homo sapiens sapiens?

    Posted by: Copeland | Mar 19 2021 19:55 utc | 13

    And this…

    .

    Which compares the Alaskan meeting of 2021 with the meeting of 1901 which allowed the Western nations to rape, pillage, and destroy China for decades. Perhaps this picture might be a better illustration…

    And FOX news reported on the event

    It was of course very pro-America. Leading to this comment…

    How our interaction w/China was reported FOX did a full throated, fake narrative just to suit their pro-Trump agenda. When they quoted, 'you cannot talk to us from a position of strength' they made is sound like the Chinese were scoffing at Blinken's weakness rather than his moral turpitude. They made it sound like Blinken surrendering to his Chinese overlords, squandering the strong hand the Trump gave him.
    
    In FOX land, all that matters is that you come up with a great sounding argument. The truthfulness of that arguments is not relevant.

    Posted by: Christian J. Chuba | Mar 19 2021 19:55 utc | 14

    This is how things look to the rest of the world…

    The USA's situation is very dire indeed. The Americans are resorting more and more to "Hail Mary" moves to keep their hegemonic position.
    
    And even then they're blundering. 
    
    I would not be surprised at all if they start to straight out have to falsify diplomatic transcripts in order to try to create something favorable to them.

    Posted by: vk | Mar 19 2021 20:05 utc | 17

    Related to US-China tensions, if anyone likes documentary shows, CNA (Channel News Asia, a broadcaster out of Singapore) has a good four-part documentary released in January 2021 called "When Titans Clash", about the US-China trade/tech tensions, that I would recommend. (I watched the first two yesterday and will watch the other two this weekend.)
    
    Each of the 4 parts is about 48 minutes long and available for watching on YouTube and CNA's website too.
    
    When Titans Clash - part 1 of 4 - Pride & Shame - The Roots of US-China Tensions
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL2gBUxblO8
    
    When Titans Clash - part 2 of 4 - The Real Losers of the US-China Trade War
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mYrWYSTW28
    
    When Titans Clash - part 3 of 4 - A US-China Tech War - The True Costs
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8XnLW26bmg
    
    When Titans Clash - part 4 of 4 - US or China - Will Southeast Asia Have to Pick a Side
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ8A5jiGICM
    
    Touches on some of the things ak74 mentioned in his comment on the other thread: outsourcing, deindustrialization, the US dollar as reserve currency, etc.
    
    It's from Pearl Forss who was also involved in CNA's 2015-2019 series "The New Silk Road", about China's BRI, that I can recommend as well.

    Posted by: Canadian Cents | Mar 19 2021 20:07 utc | 19

    And Scott Addams has a thing to say…

    And from Northern Europe…

    The world appreciates that Russia and China give the US Regime a sublime verbal spanking.

    Posted by: Norwegian | Mar 19 2021 20:14 utc | 23

    Blinken is Secretary of State for USA, head of the US State Department.
    
    He mentioned in his nomination hearing, & makes allusion in this meeting with China, to a genocide in Xinjiang.
    
    Foreign Affairs magazine article reports US State Department legal office saying they have no evidence for a genocide in Xinjiang.
    
    Is Blinken in touch with his department?

    Posted by: dave constable | Mar 19 2021 20:22 utc | 27

    same deal as @ 26 dave constable notes too... accusing others of genocide when you have been the main merchant of death on the planet the past 40 or more years doesn't stand.. if anyone is the killer here it is the usa, so the irony isn't lost on everyone..

    Posted by: james | Mar 19 2021 20:38 utc | 31

    In my opinion, the Chinese representatives gave a good answer to the American side, although this answer will obviously not be heard.
    
    The Americans have completely lost the culture of negotiation. If there are no elementary human manners, then what kind of agreements can we talk about?
    
    A sad picture. And dangerous. A madman with nuclear weapons (and chemical weapons, by the way) is not the best option for a reliable negotiating partner.

    Posted by: alaff | Mar 19 2021 20:44 utc | 33

    b Posted:
    
    “The alternative to a rules-based order is a world in which might makes right and winner takes all and that would be a far more violent and unstable world,” Blinken said.
    
    The 'rules based order' means 'do what we say' and is of course unacceptable. Here is how the Chinese replied:
    
    What China and the international community follow or uphold is the United Nations-centered international system and the international order underpinned by international law, not what is advocated by a small number of countries of the so-called “rules-based” international order.
    
    Say it to uncle Sam. Say it every time they meet. The bankruptcy of the "rules based order" gang of five or six is a failure.
    
    For all its appalling faults the UN and established international courts are the place to go. Suck it up uncle Sam.

    Posted by: uncle tungsten | Mar 19 2021 20:59 utc | 35

    And from my email

    I am so happy 😊 China tell the oppressor to piss off.
    Attached short video with English translation: China tell US you are not qualify to tell us you want to talk to us with strength. 20 to 30 years ago, you already not qualify…

    https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/US-China-tensions/How-it-happened-Transcript-of-the-US-China-opening-remarks-in-Alaska

    More comments…

    “The alternative to a rules-based order is a world in which might makes right and winner takes all and that would be a far more violent and unstable world,” Blinken said.
    
    LOL.
    
    You really have to wonder if the Americans believe their own bullshit about their hollowed "Rules Based International Order"?
    
    The violent and unstable world is ALREADY here thanks to ... this very same American "Rules" Based Order.
    
    Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Serbia, Somalia--these are just a few of the countries America has either invaded, bombed, or supported moderate jihadi Head-Choppers against to destabilize in the past generation.
    
    Two decades of US “war on terror” responsible for displacing at least 37 million people and killing up to 12 million
    https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/09/09/cost-s09.html?view=print

    Posted by: ak74 | Mar 19 2021 21:31 utc | 40

    This is interesting. 
    
    Apparently both the Russians and the Chinese have concluded that Biden intends to use "CornPop" faux-macho posturing as his foreign policy, and they have both decided that "fuck that, let's nip this in the bud".
    
    Because it looks like they have decided they have had a gut-full of US "exceptionalism" and are quite determined to say so. 
    
    To anyone, but especially to the Americans.
    
    Going to be a lot of very confused people at Foggy Bottom. They may never have experienced this degree of contempt before.

    Posted by: Yeah, Right | Mar 19 2021 22:08 utc | 46

    I about fell on the floor when I read Blinken's words, my first thought being "this klutz has zero knowledge of history since 1588 and just admitted as much. 
    
    In China, Blinken would never achieve any position of power.
    
    The decadence of the Outlaw US Empire's government is like so many prions turning brain tissue into a swiss-cheese-like mass and then boasting about how finely tuned are its cognitive abilities. And when Harris is installed, we'll have a genuine novice in charge--The Blind leading the Blind.
    
    It's no wonder the Chinese sought an audience with Lavrov ASAP.

    Posted by: karlof1 | Mar 19 2021 22:10 utc | 47

    Yes. The meeting went so bad that the already tight China-Russia relationship was strengthened. I am sure that certain actions, policies and activities were on hold pending he result of these “talks”. But the American actions were so appalling that China and Russia have decided that more forceful means of persuasion are necessary.

    Contrived moulded whatever the case I leave this excerpt. I feel it hits the head.
    
    Here's what journalist Joe Bageant wrote in 2007:
    
    Much of the ongoing battle for America's soul is about healing the souls of these Americans and rousing them from the stupefying glut of commodity and spectacle. 
    
    It is about making sure that they—and we—refuse to accept torture as the act of "heroes" and babies deformed by depleted uranium as the "price of freedom." 
    
    Caught up in the great self-referential hologram of imperial America, force-fed goods and hubris like fattened steers, working people like World Championship Wrestling and Confederate flags and flat-screen televisions and the idea of an American empire. 
    
    ("American Empire! I like the sound of that!" they think to themselves, without even the slightest idea what it means historically.) 
    
    "The people" doing our hardest work and fighting our wars are not altruistic and probably never were. 
    
    They don't give a rat's bunghole about the world's poor or the planet or animals or anything else. Not really. 
    
    "The people" like cheap gas. 
    
    They like chasing post-Thanksgiving Day Christmas sales. 
    
    And if fascism comes, they will like that too if the cost of gas isn't too high and Comcast comes through with a twenty-four-hour NFL channel.
    
    That is the American hologram. 
    
    That is the peculiar illusion we live within, the illusion that holds us together, makes us alike, yet tells each of us we are unique. 
    
    And it will remain in force until the whole shiteree comes down around our heads. 
    
    Working people do not deny reality. 
    
    They create it from the depths of their perverse ignorance, even as the so-called left speaks in non sequiturs and wonders why it cannot gain any political traction. 
    
    Meanwhile, for the people, it is football and NASCAR and a republic free from married queers and trigger locks on guns. 
    
    That's what they voted for—an armed and moral republic. 
    
    And that's what we get when we stand by and watch the humanity get hammered out of our fellow citizens, letting them be worked cheap and farmed like a human crop for profit.
    Genuine moral values have jack to do with politics. 
    
    But in an obsessively religious nation, values remain the most effective smoke screen for larceny by the rich and hatred and fear by the rest. 
    
    What Christians and so many quiet, ordinary Americans were voting for in the presidential elections of 2000 and 2004 was fear of human beings culturally unlike themselves, particularly gays and lesbians and Muslims and other non-Christians. 
    
    That's why in eleven states Republicans got constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage on the ballot. 
    
    In nine of them the bill passed easily. 
    
    It was always about fearing and, in the worst cases, hating "the other."
    Being a southerner, I have hated in my lifetime. 
    
    I can remember schoolyard discussions of supposed "nigger knifing" of white boys at night and such. 
    
    And like most people over fifty, it shows in my face, because by that age we have the faces we deserve. 
    
    Likewise I have seen hate in others and know it when I see it. 
    
    I am seeing more of it now than ever before in my lifetime, which is saying something considering that I grew up down here during the Jim Crow era. 
    
    Fanned and nurtured by neoconservative elements, the hate is every bit equal to the kind I saw in my people during those violent years.
    
    Irrational. Deeply rooted. Based on inchoate fears.
    
    The fear is particularly prevalent in the middle and upper-middle classes here, the very ones most openly vehement about being against using the words nigger and fuck. 
    
    They are what passes for educated people in a place like Winchester. 
    
    You can smell their fear. 
    
    Fear of losing their advantages and money. 
    
    Fear there won't be enough time to grab and stash enough geet to keep themselves and their offspring in Chardonnay and farting through silk for the next fifty years. 
    
    So they keep the lie machinery and the smoke generators cranking full blast as long as possible, hoping to elect another one of their own kind to the White House—Democratic or Republican, it doesn't matter so long as they keep the scam going. 
    
    The Laurita Barrs speak in knowing, authoritative tones, and the inwardly fearful house painter and single-mom forklift driver listen and nod. 
    
    Why take a chance on voting for a party that would let homos be scout masters?
    (Dear Hunting with Jesus: Dispatches from America's Class War, chapter 2)

    Posted by: ld | Mar 19 2021 22:20 utc | 48

    How shameful to have insults thrown by US leadership at both China and Russia in less than a week! Is that a record?

    Posted by: juliania | Mar 19 2021 22:28 utc | 51

    Well, the US is obviously in a deep crisis: riots all over the place, the southern border is a mess, and the government even needs the national guard to protect itself from the people.
    
    Under the circumstances, one should expect the establishment to act hysterically. It's just a symptom.

    Posted by: Mao Cheng Ji | Mar 19 2021 22:32 utc | 53

    The madness of the Outlaw Empire is not about to shrink from bringing down the curtain on the human race, if that's what it takes to see their power of command obeyed. 
    
    The US, as it is today, doesn't respect any nation's sovereignty and is mostly indifferent to allies and foes alike. 
    
    The regime considers itself the only sovereign worthy of such title on earth; and expects to be allowed to run the table at its pleasure, or else it will supervise the burning down of the house.
    
    Biden meanders about, not even possessed of his right mind, holding on to the delusions and lies of several presidents who lately came before him; and he is just the man to keep all the fires of destruction burning, while the torture of innocence is unceasing, and as the arrogant demands made against other countries become more absurd. What else is more obvious? 
    
    These are the things we have seen foreshadowed before and after 9/11.
    
    As long ago as the 80s Reagan was told about the reality of nuclear winter. 
    
    In A Man Without a Country, Kurt Vonnegut described how scientists explained to G.W. Bush that a nuclear exchange of even a moderate duration and size, could still depopulate the earth of most of its people. 
    
    The Bush Administration, toying with the idea of deploying baby nukes, for strategic exigency, short of total war, went with "guesswork" rather than prudent scientific advice. 
    
    It was their best guess that the circumspect, abbreviated use of nukes wouldn't destroy humanity itself, or cause ice age conditions, or bring about global starvation.

    Posted by: Copeland | Mar 19 2021 22:37 utc | 54

    Re Sadde @3 "What a bunch of amateurish megalomaniac idiots. It was an exhibition of a total lack of tact, self-perception, decency or any equilibrium."
    
    Seems like just the other day I was reading the same description about Pompeo lol. And yet somehow this is much worse, as we have a clearly demented, recently installed "president" who can't make it up a flight of stairs or give a press conference, who has the nuclear football following him around 24/.7.
    
    Been nice knowing y'all.

    Posted by: Perimetr | Mar 19 2021 22:55 utc | 55

    This next comment is also pretty good…

    Well Russia has been very seriously preparing for total war for some years now, and China too has caught that drift and begun to do the same. 
    
    By comparison, the US is ready for aggravation, but nothing beyond that. 
    
    The US has no capability for war.
    
    How then, for the free nations of the world to defeat the US? 
    
    One could surmise that the best way would be to force the US to accept defeat. 
    
    Iran already showed the way. 
    
    The lesson is not that hard to understand, although the tactics are obviously more complex. 
    
    Who will punch the bully? 
    
    Because we all know that this is what causes the bully to slink away, and to behave a little better.
    
    It begins with words, because that's what the US likes to fight with, treating then merely as weapons, treating them with contempt. 
    
    And now words of contempt itself, as Yeah Right @45 points out, are being driven forward like a moving wall against the US.
    
    First come the words. Next will come...
    
    ...whatever will come, but it is a certainty that the Russia/China team has every contingency war-gamed.
    
    As Piotr Berman points out in the previous thread, the US neurotic dynamic is to escalate blindly until it achieves control. 
    
    This is the dynamic that must be defeated. 
    
    Obviously, this will involve situations in which the US has nothing left to escalate with (situations that don't allow the nuke specter)...
    
    ...at which point, the US has to slink away - under cover of words of bluster, to be sure, to salve the ego, but slink away even so.
    
    And a few more of these lessons of defeat will re-train that ego, over time, lessons carefully administered, and all watched over by armies of loving grace.

    Posted by: Grieved | Mar 19 2021 23:05 utc | 56

    This is also a pretty good comment…

    Blenkin and co just got thoroughly washed in a Chinese laundry, washed clean dried and starched, ready to put on their fully cleaned washed self's for taste of some Russian pastries. 
    
    Soon after on the coming Iranian 13th day of the new year (thirteenth out) they can go for an Iranian picnic for taste of gourmet delicious Persian soup (Ash). 
    
    I really enjoyed the Chinese exchange with shining city on hill guys, Happy Iranian new year and New century (1400) to you all, MOA and b.

    Posted by: kooshy | Mar 19 2021 23:10 utc | 58

    Suffice it to say, I love the Chinese (and they highly cultured ways etc) when they talk and act like this to the barbarians aka the Americans.
    
    Everything the Chinese FM said was correct, and spot on.
    
    Blinken and Bush are as boorish and rude, perhaps even more condescending than Pompeo and Trump - But it is hard to choose between the lesser of two American evils

    Posted by: michaelj72 | Mar 19 2021 23:14 utc | 60

    The editors at Strategic-Culture see it this way:
    
    "In a desperate bid to thwart the strategic partnership between Russia and Europe, Washington is resorting to ever-more frantic threats of sanctions and other disruptive measures. 
    
    Biden is playing the personal insult card in a gambit for blowing up bilateral relations with Russia as a way to sabotage Nord Stream 2.
    
    "It’s a pathetic move, one that actually speaks more of America’s historic enfeeblement rather than pretensions of power. Russia would do well to stay calm and let the Americans make fools of themselves."
    
    It seems Russia's doing just that--attending to the vital business of developing its nation and peoples. Russia's geared for numerous patriotic celebrations throughout the year, and Biden's comments were made on the eve of Crimean reunification with Russia, which only served to cement Russians closer and hold Putin in even greater esteem. Talk about an Own Goal!
    
    Outlaw US Empire Nord Stream policy is close to being the same as literally torpedoing it, making it an act of war against the EU and Russia. Somehow, I don't think Blinken understands that fundamental fact.

    Posted by: karlof1 | Mar 19 2021 23:15 utc | 61

    The fact that Blinken has to read what he supposedly thinks, compared with the Chinese representatives and diplomats like Lavrov, Zakarov, and even Putin who know their thoughts without someone else writing their script.
    
    Same as all the MSM. They all appear to get their news sent to them in writing and maybe a few fluff up the news but they know what the agenda is.

    Posted by: arby | Mar 19 2021 23:20 utc | 62

    So in just a matter of weeks, the US just antagonized both Russia and China.
    
    This seems a surprise to me, US is getting very bold, I thought they would be more active but subversive, but this is just straight up insulting your opponents.

    Posted by: Smith | Mar 19 2021 23:23 utc | 63

    I'm in the middle of Armstrong's essay and am at the first reference to Kagan's vision:
    
    "What should that role be? Benevolent global hegemony. Having defeated the 'evil empire,' the United States enjoys strategic and ideological predominance. The first objective of U.S. foreign policy should be to preserve and enhance that predominance by strengthening America’s security, supporting its friends, advancing its interests, and standing up for its principles around the world.'
    
    It's absolutely clear that Kagan has no clue as to the reality of what is actually the objective of the Neoliberal Parasites running the Outlaw US Empire; for aside from "advancing its interests," the Parasites have zero motivation to do any of that.
    
    As their sole ambition/goal is to vacuum up all the wealth they can and leave a shell just as they planned and failed with Russia, but have succeeded elsewhere. 
    
    And as for principles, the reality is it has none, nor does it have any friends, just vassals and victims. 
    
    This analogy by Armstrong's excellent:
    
    "The U.S. is sitting on a dragon and it daren’t get off or the dragon will kill it. But because it can’t kill the dragon, it must sit on it forever: no escape. And dragon’s eggs are hatching out all around: think how much bigger the Russian, Chinese and Iranian dragons are today than they were a quarter-century ago when Kagan & Co so confidently started PNAC; think how bigger they’ll be in another....
    
    "But the more sanctions, the stronger Russia gets: as an analogy, think of sanctions on Russia as similar to the over-use of antibiotics – Russia is becoming immune."
    
    And tying it all up is this excellent summation:
    
    "Has there ever been a subject on which people have been so wrong for so long as Russia? How many times have they said Putin’s finished? Remember when cheese was going to bring him down? Always a terminal economic crisis. A year ago they were sure COVID would do it. A U.S. general is in Ukraine and Kiev’s heavy weapons are moving east but, no, it’s Putin who, for ego reasons – and his “failing” economy – wants the war. Why do they keep doing it? Well, it’s easy money – Putin (did we tell you he was in the KGB?) wants to expand Russia and rule forever; therefore, he’s about to invade somebody. He doesn’t, no problem, our timely warning scared him off; we’ll change the date and regurgitate it next year. In the meantime his despotic rule trembles because of some-triviality-of-the-moment. These pieces write themselves: the anti-Russia business is the easiest scam ever. And there’s the difficulty of admitting you’re wrong: how can somebody like Kagan, such a triumphantasiser back then, admit that it’s all turned to dust and worse, turned to dust because they took his advice? Much better to press on – it’s not as if anybody in the lügenpresse will call him out or deny him space. Finally, these people are locked in psychological projection: because they can only envisage military expansion, they assume the other guy is equally obsessed and so they must expand to counter his expansion. They suspect everybody of suspecting them. Their hostility sees hostility everywhere. Their belligerence finds belligerence. The hyperpower is forever compelled to respond to lesser powers. They look outside, see themselves and fear; in their mental universe the USA is arrogantly strong and fearfully weak at the same time."
    
    The Walking Dead is finally becoming a metaphor for the Outlaw US Empire, its policies, and what it terms values--which aren't values but vices. But TWD was fiction and was thus capable of reforming itself. The Empire's goals and polices are essentially the same as in 1940 and even further back to 1913, and haven't changed very much, being just as illegal and immoral then as now. What's different are the "Dragons" which didn't exist in 1918 or 1944, and the Parasites have almost total control that's finally seeing domestic pushback.

    Posted by: karlof1 | Mar 20 2021 0:11 utc | 68

    Here's Sputnik's initial report on the Alaska meet. Not much reference to commerce. Here's an excerpt:
    
    "Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who accompanied Yang to the talks, told CGTN that their side had made clear to the Americans that China takes its sovereignty very seriously and warned them not to 'underestimate China's determination to defend its territory, to defend its people, and maintain its righteous interests.'
    
    "Washington has criticized China's security policies in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, where Western-backed separatist forces have created chronic unrest, as well as its longstanding claim to rule Taiwan, an autonomous island ruled by the Republic of China that lost the civil war in mainland China in 1949, when the socialist People's Republic of China was formed. 
    
    The US technically recognizes Beijing's claim to be the sole legitimate representative of China, but in reality is the primary backer of the Taiwanese government. 
    
    Beijing says all of these are internal matters and not of Washington's concern."
    
    Very little's reported of the Outlaw US Empire's response. This little bit doesn't bode well:
    
    "US State Department officials noted they did not see the Alaska summit as the beginning of a new mechanism or dialogue."
    
    I see that as a confession that they aren't agreement capable since they can't even continue a dialogue.

    Posted by: karlof1 | Mar 20 2021 0:30 utc | 74

    i've been a reader of moa for quite a few years now, but never contributed to the forum. mostly because after a while i found what i wanted to say anyway, and why pile on? 
    
    i really enjoy the civility of the forum, and it's internationality. 
    
    And of course b's insights. as a german myself I share many points of view with him in matters i have knowledge in, or think that i do. for example i think that trump sure might be seen as a desaster by many, but it was a gift to europe, and germany in particular, because he openend the eyes of many, many people here who for decades thought murrica is our friend, our big brother, who will always protect us from the evil of the world - namely communism, russia and lately china. 
    
    a majority of the people here, as well as in the rest of the so called "western world" have been brainwashed for about 7 decades to think that way, even when america committed the most obvious, heinous, horrible crimes against humanity and our civilization as a whole. there was always a spin, "human rights", "democracy", "free trade" and so on, values that had to be "defended" - when in reality it was always an offensive aggression or even a "pre-emptive strike". 
    
    people just swallowed what the media fed them and went on with their daily chores.
    
    trump changed that, suddenly the ugly side of the empire became visible, and i will always be grateful for that. because now it cannot be hidden anymore. 
    
    it wasn't just the unruly behaviour of a "new rich" and uneducated bully who accidentally became president. politically, the general attitude was always the same, trump only worded it much more obvious, making it harder for politicians and media to spin. 
    
    that's why our politicians and media (for the most part fed by trans-atlantic "think tanks") hated him almost more than americans themselves - he made their lies obvious and transparent. 
    
    if it wasn't so sad, it sometimes was almost funny to see them squirm, having to explain why our friend and protector suddenly became so selfish and hostile.
    
    All of them welcomed of course the new harris administration, being so progressive, just and friendly again - only to witness a change of paradigm they probably didn't even think trump was capable of, or willing to: i think in later years, this week will mark the "official" beginning of the new cold war era. 
    
    This behaviour against Russia and China was not a slap, but a punch in the face and will NEVER be forgiven nor forgotten. 
    
    The only question for europe is: does it finally have the balls to emancipate and stand up against the bully? or will it submit and become a collateral damage of it's downfall? 
    
    in form of a nuclear wasteland maybe? i think that nord stream II is a turning point. 
    
    if Germany caves in here, there's little hope to get rid of the leash for it and the whole of Europe. if it stands tall, Europe might become a buffer instead of a frontline. knowing and seeing our politicians, i'd say it doesn't look good.

    Posted by: xototox | Mar 20 2021 0:34 utc | 75

    @Posted by: Grieved | Mar 19 2021 23:05 utc | 55:
    
    ...., the US neurotic dynamic is to escalate blindly until it achieves control. This is the dynamic that must be defeated.
    
    Yes that's problem all right, but can you ever defeat that dynamic given that the gorilla owns 10,000 nukes and has no moral qualms whatsoever of using them? Until a near perfect anti-nuke defense system is developed I surmise the world would just have to live with, and get used to, the juvenile antics of King Kong because it has stated time and again it would escalate all the way up to using its nukes, because that's what they are for according to a former Sec. of State.
    
    I'm a pessimist on this issue. I'm afraid we'll just have to endure and live with a wild beast for a while to come.

    Posted by: Oriental Voice | Mar 20 2021 0:35 utc | 76

    The Alaska talks have ended and the Global Times Editor writes:
    
    "China and the US are two major world powers. No matter how many disputes they have, the two countries should not impulsively break their relations. Coexistence and cooperation are the only options for China and the US. Whether we like it or not, the two countries should learn to patiently explore mutual compromises and pursue strategic win-win cooperation." [My Emphasis]
    
    The big question: Does the Outlaw US Empire possess enough wisdom to act in that manner.

    Posted by: karlof1 | Mar 20 2021 0:44 utc | 77

    Russia is a classical construct with more than 1000 years of history and culture. These are part and parcel of what Russia is and who her people are....
    
    The USA on the other hand, has never coalesced into a cultural entity.... Most of US culture was created by advertizers during the post WWII period..... The rock & roll generation... hippies.... etc.
    
    A state based upon a covenant between itself and God... mediated by orthodox christianity... is totally foreign to Steve and most US denizens...
    
    But it exists.... Ditto for China... now 5000 years young.... the embodiment of confucianism... meritocracy...
    
    All foreign to Steve and Blinken and Biden....
    
    INDY

    Posted by: Dr. George W Oprisko | Mar 20 2021 0:47 utc | 78

    so here is the white house press briefing for today on this thread topic - Department Press Briefing – March 19, 2021
    
    here is the segment on china-usa meeting.. interestingly our prime minister trudeau mention the issue of the 2 michaels held in china and the phrase something to the effect "china must adhere to the 'rule based law' b.s. was at the top of his words in the radio when i was in the car earlier..
    
    "QUESTION: (Inaudible) Alaska, if you’re able to talk about that. Obviously, there’s been a lot of reporting since yesterday about how sort of tense the initial encounter was. And there’s been discussions of – I think both sides have accused the other of breaking protocol in those initial exchanges. But I wonder if – does the State Department – based on the tone of that first meeting, does that give you any concern for the future of the relationship with China and the possibility of reaching some agreements or getting some achievables out of these meetings? Thank you.
    
    MS PORTER: Thank you for your question, Simon, and just as a response to that, of course, as you know, Secretary Blinken and NSA Sullivan had their first meetings with Director Yang Jiechi and State Councilor Wang Yi, and of course, are in sessions this morning. And these were serious discussions. Again, I’ll just reiterate something that NSA Sullivan said. And of course, to your point about it, the – being contentious or not, again, we – he said we don’t see conflict, but of course, welcome stiff competition.
    
    Again, this was a single meeting, and again, we know that sometimes these diplomatic presentations can be exaggerated or maybe even aimed at a domestic audience, but we’re not letting the theatrics from the other side stop us from doing what we were intending to do in Alaska, which is lay out our principles as well as our expectations and have these tough conversations early that we need to have with the PRC.
    
    Let’s go to the line of Edward Keenan.
    
    QUESTION: (Inaudible) of the Alaska meetings, the two Michaels, Kovrig and – the two Canadian Michaels who are being held as political prisoners in China, widely perceived as leverage against the United States, who are going to trial now as these meetings take place. Secretary Blinken and President Biden expressed their desire to see those two Michaels released when they met with the Canadian prime minister recently. I wonder to what extent those cases are up for discussion in Alaska right now, and if so, like, to what extent and how?
    
    MS PORTER: Well, let me start off by saying that the United States continues to publicly call on the PRC to end the arbitrary and unacceptable detentions of the Canadians citizens Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig. And again, the United States is deeply concerned by the PRC’s decision to hold a closed-court hearing with the Canadian citizens. Obviously, no one from – no diplomat from Canada or the U.S. were involved in that. And we’re also deeply alarmed by a report that the PRC will commence the trial of Canadian citizen Michael Kovrig on March 22nd and we renew our call for PRC authorities to attend this trial.
    
    We’ll always just reiterate that we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Canada in calling for their immediate release, and we also continue to condemn their lack of minimum procedural protections during their two-year arbitrary detention."

    Posted by: james | Mar 20 2021 0:56 utc | 79

    The Americans have completely lost the culture of negotiation. If there are no elementary human manners, then what kind of agreements can we talk about? A sad picture. And dangerous. A madman with nuclear weapons (and chemical weapons, by the way) is not the best option for a reliable negotiating partner.
    
    alaff | Mar 19 2021 20:44 utc | 32:
    
    And Bio-weapons.

    Posted by: Ian2 | Mar 20 2021 1:53 utc | 85

    Another Comment from China…

    Another comment from Europe…

    I suspect Blinken/Sullivan/Biden need to show that they are "tough" to the Chinese in public because otherwise, they will be roasted by the 78 millions Trump supporters for being "weak" to China compared with Trump. Behind the close door, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi characterized the talks to be NOT "very tense." I believe Biden actually is quite keen to get some "achievements" from the Chinese side, probably not realistically in this meeting, but hopefully in the near future.
    
    Ha, but the weather is cold, the hotel is shoddy, and the Chinese delegate had to have instant noodle for lunch - that sounds like a very low budget “Hongmen Banquet” by the Americans. Maybe they are still waiting for their 1.9 trillion stimulus check?

    Posted by: d dan | Mar 20 2021 2:12 utc | 86

    trump changed that, suddenly the ugly side of the empire became visible
    
    I've heard this about Trump a lot, but I've always wondered why Trump was the ultimate catalyst for this epiphany. You would think that the Iraq War should have been that watershed moment, or even Libya (and perhaps they were for many, like me). I suppose from the perspective of inter-imperialist relations in the first world, a lack of decorum of the level of Trump's is more anomalous and egregious than the imposition of death and destruction of people in the global south.

    Posted by: Kapusta | Mar 20 2021 2:37 utc |

    89

    Mr. Id
    
    Truly dreadful but very likely true portrait of America and not only the South; of which not much has remained after the mass migrations from the North in these past 40 years.
    
    My personal observations have been consistent with your in the interior of the United States, the Judeo-Christians have become meaner and more bigoted and more racist. They are aggressive with an in-your-face attitude. They hate, and they hate Catholics, Muslims, and especially Iranians.
    
    A wealthy preacher was recently asked why always flew in a private jet. He answered that he saw so much hatred on the face of fellow passengers that he could no longer endure it. Others laughed at him, but I believed him.
    
    The late Carl Gustav Jung once observed that he knew World War II was coming because he could see Wotan in every German.
    
    As I wrote to Mr. Kooshy, America could have been the Love of all nations of the world, their second home. But the leaders of Judeo-Christian, such as the late John Hay or the late Theodore Roosvelt, went after Imperial America chimera and their folksy plebs after Second Coming and Palestine. This project of 150 years has now failed.

    Posted by: Fyi | Mar 20 2021 3:03 utc | 91

    I think that the presidency of Mr. Trump revealed the ugly side of the United States; suddenly the gilded papier marche of America, carefully created by the best propaganda techniques over 70 years, was shredded and USA was revealed to be a country just like so many others.
    
    It is up to American people, Judeo-Christians as well as others, to address the deep deep social problems of the United States.

    Posted by: Fyi | Mar 20 2021 3:13 utc | 92

    Rape camps in Yugo, rape camps in Libya, rape camps in Xinjiang.....
    
    Somebody sure have certain fetishism for sex and violence.
    
    One from the archive,
    That 'humanitarian intervention in Sudan'
    
    Indeed, the Darfur crisis is following a pattern which is so well-worn now that it has almost become routine. Saturation reporting from a crisis region; emergency calls for help broadcast on the electronic media (such as the one recently on the BBC Radio 4 flagship ‘Today’ programme); televised pictures of refugees; lurid stories of “mass rapes”, which are surely designed to titillate as much to provoke outrage; reproachful evocations of the Rwandan genocide; demands that something must be done (”How can we stand idly by?”, etc.); editorials in the Daily Telegraph calling for a return to the days of Rudyard Kipling's benevolent imperialism[6]; and, finally, the announcement that plans are indeed being drawn up for an intervention.

    ……………..

    Intervention will allow Western forces to control an oil rich region, and perhaps to expel the present holders of concessions. The fact that the biggest of these is China, and that America’s other foreign adventures also seem to have as their goal the control of energy supplies to that strategic rival, only adds further piquancy to what is, otherwise, an all too banal case of modern imperialistic meddling.

    http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/27e/764.html

    Posted by: denk | Mar 20 2021 5:13 utc | 97

    This is just great…

    Many great observations tonight, but all, beg the question; How do we change a nation state that has so thoroughly morphed into an advertising and marketing phony, aided and abetted by so many deluded morons?

    Posted by: vetinLA | Mar 20 2021 5:24 utc | 98

    And then we have this…

    I don’t know if the title will match up with the content. I cannot access the content here. But the truth remains everyone should have humility when entering in diplomatic negotiations. Arrogance has no place there.

    .

    And this…

    All this nonsense about Xinjiang is being exposed for what it actually is… a convenient fiction.

    .

    And this…

    Of course, the USA “media” will translate this as arrogance. But what is China supposed to do after a seven minute tirade demanding China to do certain things or else experience a hot war…

    .

    And he is correct.

    On the global scene, America is the weak nation.

    And this…

    Yeah, after the terrible behavior of the United States “diplomats” we have a major “pile on” against America…

    …the American narrative is that the BRI is bad and will result in a “debt trap”. So says the 20 trillion dollar debt nation.

    .

    Roderrick

    Here’s a post from Roderick…

    US took to Alaska the same attitude as it has had for 250 years.

    That must change.

    We imposed democracy and capitalism on other nations, only to learn that many cultures simply could not find those a successful replacement for what they had for centuries. Even following the USSR, people wanted the old ways back, feeling their safety net had been taken from them and billionaire oligarchs had looted state assets.

    We have corrupted democracy and capitalism, both have become ugly in the rebellion and corruption that have permeated our nation like cancer. Consequently we no longer have anything worthwhile to ‘sell’ or impose.

    But more importantly, our self-assigned charter as the world policeman, only creating more problems by every war since WWII, has created a world that reviles us, indeed more and more nations view us as their enemy, even as they are getting stronger by the day.

    Humility rather than hubris. That is the only means for America to survive long-term. Get along, stop invading, stop threatening, stop harming other nations economically. If we cannot change, a global coalition will finally have had enough of their increasingly common enemy.

    And within China…

    Well the response to the Alaskan negotiations and the arrogance of the American delegation was quick. Already there are tee-shirts, and iPhone cases being made.

    And here’s some more pictures. It’s all over China, now.

    And here…

    And here…

    Some comments by 周齐汉 (Qi Han Zhou)

    从国社通稿来看,此次重启对话还是具有一定效果。比如,美方重申坚持一个中国原则。比如,商议对等便利双方外交机构人员和媒体记者的活动。我方阐明了红线和底线。红线,中共的执政地位和制度安全不容损害。底线,台湾是中国领土,不容分裂,没有任何余地。还是那句话,谈大门打开,打奉陪到底。
    Judging from the draft of the State News Agency, the resumption of the dialogue still has some effect.
    For example, the U.S. side reiterated its adherence to the one-China principle.
    For example, it is easier to discuss re-equivalent facilities for the activities of diplomatic personnel and media journalists on both sides.
    We set out the red line and the bottom line.
    Red line, the ruling position of the Communist Party of China and institutional security should not be compromised.
    Bottom line, Taiwan is China’s territory and cannot be divided, and there is no room for maneuver.
    Or that sentence, talk about the door open, play with the end.

    And some comments by Josef Gregory Mahoney

    Was asked by Maria Siow at #scmp for his take on the Alaska meetings. His responses: 
    
    Genuine frustration and posturing by both sides... both countries have compelling reasons to improve relations... We won’t see a lot of movement on more contentious issues in in the next few weeks, but the groundwork will be laid in this meeting, quietly, for resolving the trade war, drawing clearer lines on tech competition, and a mutual understanding if not respect for each others redlines... Don’t be too distracted by the tough talk. China’s two top foreign policy officials wouldn’t be in Alaska if positive prospects were unlikely. They don’t walk into traps. 
    
    Biden appears to have confirmed what many already suspected: that Allies have some key concerns with China, all hope the US can help resolve these and provide security guarantees, but none want to see relations worsen or follow Washington into an aggressive containment strategy. I’m optimistic that we’ll see tensions relax on multiple fronts, but it will depend in part on whether Washington will better discipline itself on Taiwan and likewise better discipline Taiwan, as was often the case before Trump, and whether Beijing will find an acceptable way forward through this as well. Taiwan is really the stickiest issue to work through.

    From CTGN

    The Chinese “red lines”. From the article “China says no compromise on sovereignty issues after talks with U.S. conclude“.

    China pretty much stated that the USA has no say what so ever on how China deals with it’s domestic issues, and to FUCK OFF regarding them. If the USA pushes on these issues they will cross a “red line” which is very dangerous…

    China will not change it’s government structure.

    The U.S. brags about its democracy, even though its policy is most frequently dictated by the bureaucrats and the bureaucratic system. Congress struggles with basic tasks such as keeping the government funded and running. The U.S. is in a new gilded age, where selling digital kittens for millions of dollars is mistaken for innovation. Its politics are stalemated, its institutions are brittle, and its wealth is funneled to a small circle of elites.
    
    -CGTN
    

    Stop demanding that China adopt the American way of governance. American government, and leadership is an abject failure. It is insanity to expect a prosperous, growing, and successful nation to adopt the failed policies that characterize America.

    In the statement, the Chinese side emphasized that the ruling position of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is a choice of history and the people's choice, and the development of China is inseparable from CPC's leadership.
    
    The ruling position of the CPC and the security of the system is "an intangible red line" and "must not be compromised," the statement highlighted.
    
    It added that the socialist system with Chinese characteristics is the system most in line with China's national conditions and the "code" for China's development, and stated that China's development goal is to achieve the "two centenary" goals and the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through hard work.

    And this translation from the Chinese is most certainly a “bitch slap”…

    China's reply to US at Alaska meeting:
    
    You have your type of democracy. we have our type of democracy.
    
    We lifted millions if not all of our population out of poverty. You created millions of unemployed and homeless.
    
    We controlled and eradicated Covid. You let Covid devastate you.
    
    Your infrastructures are at least 30 to 40 years old.
    
    We build and provide cheap and affordable housing for the people. You build houses but the economic situation that you are in now resulted in more foreclosures (people giving up) than people buying.
    
    We don't have homeless people sleeping in the street. You have plenty sleeping all over the place.
    
    Our people have sufficient good food to eat. You too have food but the people have no money to buy food and have to rely on Govt Food stamps to pay for their food.
    
    We have very little crime rate. You have one of the highest crime rate in the world which keeps your police very busy.
    
    We have affordable health insurance and health care. Your health care is so out of reach such that the average household could not afford to fall sick.
    
    Our people are united behind us. Your people are divided behind you.
    
    Our democratic systems are quite different. Ours can deliver the goods. Yours make you indebted.
    
    Why must you make us follow your way of running the country?

    China’s human rights, not an excuse for interference

    Using the excuse of “human rights” has long been the methodology for interference in the affairs of other nations. China will not allow it, nor tolerate it.

    "China will not impose its democratic system and values ​​on other countries, while firmly safeguarding its own political system and values, and opposes accusing and discrediting China and interfering in China's internal affairs under the guise of human rights issues," according to the statement.
    
    China also pointed out that it has no intention to interfere in America's political system or to challenge and replace U.S. position and its influence. It called on the U.S. side to properly view China's political system, its development path, national strategies as well as its influence worldwide.

    Commitment to independent foreign policy of peace

    Both America and China said that they were committed to “peace”. But how and when they said it differed.

    The American delegation produced a long line of demands on China’s internal affairs, and followed up with the demand that China obey “the US-Led rule-of-law” instead of the UN charter. Then immediately afterwards, said “of course the US is committed to peace and wants to avoid war”.

    China stated…

    In the statement, the Chinese side reiterated that its commitment to an independent foreign policy of peace, insist on independence, uphold peaceful development, uphold win-win cooperation, uphold multilateralism, uphold fairness and justice, and continue to promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind
    
    "We firmly defend national sovereignty and national dignity, and we firmly oppose other countries' accusations on China's internal affairs," it claimed, reiterating that China adheres to the path of peaceful development.

    Support for ‘true multilateralism’

    America wants to ignore the UN. Instead it has a “US-Led Rule-of-law” that they expect China to obey.

    China and the world follows the dictates of the UN. America wants to have a US-Led “rules-based” order upon the rules that the United States make. This is not acceptable to China, (and Russia).

    China also highlighted multilateralism in the statement by regarding it as an "important cornerstone of the current international system."
    
    According to China, true multilateralism should adhere to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, respect the basic norms of international relations, respect the sovereignty of all countries in the world, respect the diversity of civilizations, and work for the democratization of international relations.
    
    "We are willing to work with the United States to maintain true multilateralism in the multilateral mechanism such as the United Nations and provide the international community with more and better international public products," said the statement.

    China, U.S. need cooperation not confrontation

    America came into the negotiations on a strategy of “zero sum”, meaning do things as I dictate, or face the consequences. While China was looking forward to a “win – win” outcome.

    Regarding relationship between China and the U.S., the Chinese side stated that the essence of Sino-U.S. relations is mutual benefit and win-win, rather than a zero-sum game.
    
    "Neither China nor the United States can bear the consequences of conflict and confrontation," the statement warned, calling on the two sides to "trust each other instead of suspicion, understand each other instead of accusing each other, and cooperate with each other instead of dismantling, so as to ensure that both sides focus on handling their domestic priorities and achieving their respective development goals."
    
    The statement stressed that China's policy on U.S., with a high degree of stability and continuity, is committed to "achieving non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation with the U.S."
    
    It called on the two sides to keep communication channels open, resume normal dialogue and exchange mechanisms, carry out mutually beneficial cooperation, so as to properly manage differences, and avoid misunderstandings and misjudgments.

    No compromise on Taiwan question

    This is a major “red line” and will result in military conflict if it is crossed.

    Calling the Taiwan question core to China's interests and a matter of China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, China reiterated that there is no compromise in this regard.

    No rights to interfere in China’s Hong Kong affairs

    How can one engage in cooperation for example, if America is obsessed with interfering in China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity? 
    
    Sure the U.S. has its "principles" - but this must be done in a fair, pragmatic and reconciliatory way as opposed to, for example, whipping up unrest in Hong Kong, clinging onto the "genocide" rhetoric on Xinjiang, or promoting tensions in the Taiwan Straits. 
    
    How China conducts its internal policies is its business, nobody else's.
    
    -CGTN

    This is a major “red line” and will result in military conflict if it is crossed.

    Regarding the recent decisions made by China's top legislature, the National People's Congress, on the improvement of electoral system in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), the Chinese delegation said the U.S. should respect the decision and follow the international law and basic norms of international relations.
    
    "It is the central government's task to improve the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. How to design, develop and improve the electoral system is China's internal affairs. No foreign government, organization or individual has the right to interfere," read the statement.

    ‘Xinjiang genocide’ claim: ‘Biggest lie of the century’

    America needs to interrupt the BRI. And key to that is Xinjiang. China says that this lie of “concentration camps” and ‘Genocide” is simply not true and must end. But it will not. America is planning on military intervention into the Chinese territory and are moving forces in Afghanistan concurrently.

    China also dismissed the claim that there is genocide in China's Xinjiang, calling it "the biggest lie of the century."
    
    The delegation said the door of Xinjiang is wide open to the world. It welcomed exchanges with the U.S. side on the basis of mutual respect while stressed that China will not accept any investigation in Xinjiang based on the presumption of guilt by those who are biased, condescending and want to lecture China.
    
    It is hoped that the U.S. side can respect facts, call off attacks against and smearing of China's Xinjiang policy, and abandon double standards on anti-terrorism, it added.

    Tibet ‘part of China,’ ‘Dalai Lama has long engaged in anti-China separatist activities’

    Again. This is a major “red line” and will result in military conflict if it is crossed.

    China also pointed out that the 14th Dalai Lama is a political exile who has long engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the guise of religion.
    
    "It is hoped that the U.S. will abide by its commitment to recognize Tibet as part of China and not support 'Tibet independence,' handle Tibet-related issues carefully and properly, lift sanctions on relevant Chinese officials, and stop using Tibet-related issues to interfere in China's internal affairs," it stated.

     

    On a positive note. From the article “Why China and U.S. can seek a reset after Anchorage”

    It's a strange truth that during the two-day sit-down, the director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi did just that. They wasted no time in highlighting the importance of "mutual respect" and the avoidance of harmful extremes in addressing bilateral relations and structural disparities.
    
    Perhaps the Chinese diplomats did not want to be disrespected and misunderstood. But they soon found out their U.S. counterparts, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, were from another universe with their own brands of isolation. They seemed out of touch with reality to acknowledge the existence of differences, and to find the safety of the middle ground to resolve them amicably, rather than go for the imbalance of the extremes in the hope to validate America's shell games in East Asia and the Western Pacific.
    
    The senior American diplomats walked into the meeting ostensibly from a position of self-righteousness and strength, absolutely unprepared and reluctant to drop the interventionist claims and instincts, to discuss the delicate process of resetting the pivotal relationship, and to compartmentalize and contain the structural differences.
    
    From this perspective, the downfall of their hopeless quest to enforce their interventionist worldview in the testy exchange is found in this...
    
    ...in the wrong message that China ought to be confronted and contained, and that accommodation, mutual coexistence, or even extensive cooperation on matters of mutual interest must be ruled out...
    
    ... (that is) until China respects "the U.S.-led rules-based international order."

    Strategic Culture Foundation chimes in…

    The Biden administration has displayed initial deluded and antiquated thinking when it comes to foreign policy.

    After the four-year interregnum of Donald Trump’s “Cirque du Stupide,” America’s foreign diplomacy should be undergoing a total facelift.

    Returning to the stodgy “business as usual” foreign policy of the past is not the answer.

    As the Biden administration began to nestle into office, there was a familiar refrain in press releases from the Department of State, otherwise known as “Foggy Bottom.”

    These included such old ditties as “The Secretary and the Foreign Minister discussed ways to strengthen cooperation with allies and partners to address the [blah . . . blah . . . blah].”

    The Biden administration has displayed initial deluded and antiquated thinking when it comes to foreign policy.

    It should be remembered that Biden’s Senate career began when Mao Zedong was still in charge in China, a war with the U.S. as a main participant continued to rage in Southeast Asia, a country called the United Arab Republic was the center of political activity in the Middle East, white rule and apartheid was the name of the game in southern Africa, and right-wing dictatorships ruled throughout Latin America.

    Those who live in the past will never be prepared to face the future.

     

    The Spectator has some thoughts…

    “Very frank. It was the first high-level meeting between members of the Biden administration and their Chinese counterparts. To say that it was a public relations disaster for the US is to understate the case.”

    “Blinken and his sidekick, Jake Sullivan, a Hillary Clinton factotum who is now national security adviser, sat down to read China the riot act. It was not a success.”

    “The United States, said Yang, in one of the most dismissive diplomatic rejoinders I have ever heard, does not have the ‘qualifications’ to address China ‘from a position of strength’. F, my dear Blinken, you.”

    “Joe Biden has been in office for just two months. Has any US president had such a disastrous opening chapter on the world stage? None that I can recall.”

    Some great articles…

    US can’t accept painful fact that China is now its equal: Martin Jacques

    We learnt two things from the China-US high-level dialogue held in Alaska last week.
    
    The first was from the session at the beginning when the media were present. This would normally be conducted in a polite and somewhat anodyne fashion dressed up in diplomatic nicety. It could not have been more different. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan commenced the proceedings and made some sharp criticisms of China. In response, Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Leading Group for Foreign Affairs, gave a bravura performance. Far from pulling his punches or couching his words in diplomatic language, he let his American counterparts have it with both barrels, challenging not just the US position but its very legitimacy. And all this before the world's media.
    
    Let me quote some of his choice barbs: "When I entered this room, I should have reminded the US side of paying attention to its tone." "The US is not qualified to say it wants to speak to China from a position of strength." "China and the international community…uphold the UN-centered international order…not what is advocated by a small number of countries of the so-called 'rules-based' international order." "On human rights, we do hope the US will do better on human rights. The challenges facing the US in human rights are deep-seated. They did not just emerge over the past four years, such as Black Lives Matter." "On cyber-attacks, let me say that whether it's the ability to launch cyber-attacks or the technologies that could be deployed, the US is the champion." "The US does not represent international opinion and neither does the Western world."
    
    While delivering these shots, Yang spoke with passion but never raised his voice. There were no cheap jibes. He occupied the high ground in the argument and left the Americans bewildered and belittled.
    
    This is not normally the Chinese manner on such occasions. It is a sign that something has changed. There is a new sense of confidence on the part of the Chinese. That they are - or can - win the argument. That they are at least the equals of America. That they speak from a position of strength and America from a position of weakness. That history is on their side. It feels like the diplomatic equivalent of moving from "keeping a low profile" to "striving for achievement," or from being a relative spectator in the global system to becoming a major architect. The Americans have hitherto always thought of themselves as running the show; the shock visible in the body language of Blinken and Sullivan was the realization, conscious or unconscious, that this was no longer the case. The same was apparent in the Western media. The BBC, for example, invariably critical of China, reported it with an unfamiliar neutrality, as if stunned by the role reversal.
    
    The second thing we found out from the dialogue (albeit already evident from the signals emanating from the White House), was that there will be no return to the status quo ante. That Biden is desperately anxious to appear as hostile to China as Trump was before him. The underlying forces at work here are very deep. America is in the process of coming to the painful realization that China is now its equal. But it cannot bring itself to accept or acquiesce in what is already an historical reality. That is why there can be no return to 1972 (Mao-Nixon Accord) or 1979 (US recognition of China). The relationship that prevailed then between China and the US was entirely different: the US was the giant, China a minnow. That was the basis of the US-China relationship for 45 years from 1972 until Trump torpedoed it in 2017, even though, of course, by the end China's rise was already undermining America's assumptions about the relationship. The realization that China was on the verge of overtaking the US economically, that China enjoyed a huge global presence, that it was already in effect its equal, came as an enormous shock to the American psyche and body politic.
    
    Addicted to its hubris, it failed to see the blatantly obvious coming. As there can be no return to the past, the China-US relationship, so crucial to both and to the whole world, will have to be rethought on an entirely new basis, namely one of mutuality and equality. The problem is that the US is very far from thinking like this. How America needs for these times a giant like Henry Kissinger: someone who understands - and admires - China in a very profound way.
    
    For the time being we must think in more mundane ways. Cooperation will be confined to the foothills, it will be a case of issue by issue, a bit here and a bit there, rebuilding contacts and communications between the two countries, ending as best can be done the toxicity and wanton destruction wrought by Donald Trump. Even this will not be easy but it ought, at a pinch, to be possible, with climate change offering the most important challenge and opportunity. For without cooperation between the two countries, climate change will imperil the very future of the planet and humanity.

    China puts the Anglo-Americans in their place, and the cowardly EU, too, for good measure

    China's representatives easily demolish the mountains of lies built by the US and its vassals, as part of their hybrid war on all independent nations, but now chiefly aimed at China and Russia, designated by the US hegemon, behind the pretext of "national security",  as America's chief global "rivals". Truth weakens and eventually destroys imperialism, that's why it is now completely banned throughout the Western establishment media. Observe the barely repressed tone of exasperation in China's spokesperson. It's clear Beijing and Moscow have had just about enough of Western harassment, imperialist hostility, bad faith and hypocrisy. March 2021 clearly marks a turning point in international relations.
    
    ...
    
    "China's position on the Meng Wanzhou case is very clear. This is nothing short of a political incident in which Canada played a very disgraceful role as an accomplice. We urge the Canadian side to immediately release Ms. Meng Wanzhou, who has been arbitrarily and unreasonably detained by the Canadian side, and ensure her early and safe return to China..."
    
    Leaders, politicians and diplomats that have wisdom and serve their people will not pursue the so-called “alliance of democracies”. Many countries in the region want to see a sound and steady China-US relationship. Working together for a better life is democracy in real sense.
    
    According to #US media, in 2016, a #Uyghur couple went to Italy with 3 children, leaving another 4 in #Xinjiang. If there's "forced sterilization" and "genocide" in Xinjiang as some in the west claim, how come this Uyghur couple have 7 children?
    
    The #US, #UK and #Canada together account for only 5.7% of the world's population. Even if #EU is added, that will be about 11%. They cannot represent the international community.
    
    #Democracy comes about when power belongs to people. There is no unified model for democracy. Sovereign states should be respected in their independent choose of development path. No one has the right to meddle in their internal affairs under the guise of "democracy".
    
    I wonder in what way the west's democracy is superior. Amid #COVID19, the world's richest nations watch hundreds of thousands of their people die. Is this #democracy? While western politicians are busy wooing their party voters, the Chinese government serves all wholeheartedly.
    In Guilin, FM Wang Yi & FM #Lavrov issued a joint statement that shed light on what is real human rights, democracy, international order & multilateralism. #China & #Russia will jointly and resolutely defend international justice & fairness.
    
    China & Russia, with great sense of commitment & responsibility as major countries in the world & permanent members of the #UNSC, will give strong backing to each other on issues of core interests as important partners & play an underpinning role in international affairs. 
    
    
    In 40 years, the #Uyghur population has grown from 5.5 million to 12.8 million. The fact that #Xinjiang residents of various ethnic groups enjoy stability, security, development and progress, makes it one of the most successful human rights stories.
    Some in the #US, #UK, #Canada and #EU clearly don't want to acknowledge the real facts about #Xinjiang & don't care about the truth, but hold on to accusations based on lies & false information. They just do not want to see #China's success, development and better livelihood.
    What the #US, #UK, #Canada and #EU have done is utter denigration and offense to the reputation and dignity of the #Chinese people, blatant interference of China's internal affairs, and grave violation of China's sovereignty and security interests.
    The #US and #UK used some test tube of washing powder and a staged video as evidence to launch wars against sovereign countries such as #Iraq and #Syria, leaving numerous death and displacement. Shouldn't they be sanctioned?
    #France, #UK and #EU launched a war in #Libya, leading to regional turbulence & grave migrant and refugee issues. Shouldn't they be held accountable?
    Tens of hundreds of people died of #COVID19 because these most developed countries are indifferent to their people's rights to life and health. They hoard #vaccines far in excess of their population's needs, leaving developing countries struggling with insufficient vaccines.
    How can people enjoy rights if they lost their lives? Some in the west talk a lot about #humanrights, but who and what right on earth are they protecting? In what way are they respecting and protecting human rights.
    #China is not what it was 120 years ago, when foreign powers could force open its door with guns. Certain colluding individuals in politics, academics and media should think twice if they think they could make wanton smears with impunity.
    The west shall entertain no illusion as regards #China's firm determination to defend national interests and dignity. It's a courtesy to reciprocate what we receive. They will have to pay a price for their ignorance and arrogance.

    Chinese Government Statement

    #China deplores and rejects the unilateral sanctions by #EU citing so-called #HumanRights issues in #Xinjiang. 
    
    This move is based on nothing but lies and disinformation, and will inevitably undermine China-EU relations. 
    
    To safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interest, #China will sanction #EU individuals and entities that have been spreading lies and disinformation at the cost of China's interests...
    
    The #EU must drop its hypocritical double standards, and stop going further down the wrong path. Otherwise, it will be met with further resolute reactions. 
    
    https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/.../s2510_665401/t1863106.shtml

    MM Comments

    I had high hopes for the meeting. I was wrong.

    Rather than improve relationships between the United States and China, the Alaskan meeting pretty much depicted America as an out of control bully that stated that it did not need to follow the UN and global governance standards. Instead it was the biggest, meanest and baddest thug on the block and laid out it’d demands on China.

    It told China that “you will obey what we say or risk a hot war with us and our very powerful allies”.

    While I am sure that most Americans would welcome this attitude, I found this arrogant, and very upsetting.

    Reports are that immediately afterwards, China and Russia set up and held meetings.

    I wonder what they are talking about…

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    Going through one of the poorer fifth tier cities in China, a video exposé.

    Yeah. This is what it is like. I’ve got a video that you’ll all will want to see. It’s pretty good. Almost as good as being here. It’s a pretty much grass-roots view of China in one of the “back water” towns in the “hinterland”. LOL. I think that you will all enjoy it.

    But first…

    … let’s talk about things that aren’t so serious. I mean, why not? Right? Like Pistachios. And Jarts. And blueberry pop-tarts, and big breakfasts with baked beans, easy over eggs, and lots and lots of bacon. And coffee. Percolated coffee. Thick.

    The postman always drinks twice.

    Not so serious things.

    Or, maybe serious.

    And right off the bat I want to discuss some of the odd things that make me scratch my head in thought. Well, actually pet my beard, up and down, and go hummmm.It’s some thoughts that aren’t big enough for a post of their own, but curious enough not to omit.

    And the first up is this little critter. Kinda cute. You know.

    Cute little creature. I think that he is a really good candidate for an actual dragon. Don’t you?

    I always thought that dragons were a creature from fantasy, and the legends of dragons might be from remote memories of dinosaurs in our common shared humanity. But here, it pretty much seems definitive. Here be an actual dragon.

    So here I am, minding my own business and I come across this little picture. I look at it, scroll past it. Pause. Stop. Think about the little guy, and go back to him.

    He’s sort of cute, eh?

    And here’s a group of guys from “Trailer Park Boys”. Not so cute. They remind me of my friends from Arkansas. In fact, their stereotype can pretty much be found all over America.  Not that it’s bad mind you, but that it is not the narrative, its the way people interact with each other at different levels of financial success or distress.

    Here’ to “the crew”!

    Trailer Park Boys chilling out.

    I know that it is supposed to be a comedy, but really I actually know a lot of people like this. It’s the human experience, don’t you know.

    The human experience.

    You all have a front-row-seat. Don’t you know.

    And speaking about the human experience, look at this little tool. It’s advertised to massage the gums. But come on! You aren’t  going to tell me that that’s the real purpose of this little gizmo. Are you?

    Designed to massage the gums.

    No. The real reason and the real purpose of this little device is to make it easier to pick your nose. Now with this vibrating finger your nose can be really get all clean and worked up.

    Next up is a nostalgic picture.

    When a government is working, and efficient, and has crime under control, inflation doesn’t exist. All inflation can be traced back to government mismanagement at some level. And sure there are all kinds of excuses justifying it’s existence, I like to believe that it is a measure of government mismanagement.

    With that in mind, look at this picture please…

    The good old days.

    …and then, boom!

    We are back to serious things.

    Where has Americans’ income gone?
    
    By Ding Gang 
    
    Ten years ago, I went to New York City with the correspondent group of then Chinese premier Wen Jiabao's delegation. After we arrived, the Chinese side invited some former US senior officials and entrepreneurs to hold a symposium. At that time, the trade imbalance between China and the US was already prominent.
    
    Wen gave the example of an iPod player, whose price was about $290 in the US at the time, but a Chinese manufacturer can only get $6 from each sale. I remember there was a heated discussion in China at that time - we would exchange 800 million shirts for a Boeing plane.
    
    Do Americans earn more because they make more money? From what I have learned during my visits to the US these years, prices of commodities did not change much, or even become cheaper as production bases have been moved to China and other countries. But wages for middle- and low-income Americans have not risen much, or none at all. Reports show that in a 2015 contract between the United Automobile Workers and the Detroit automakers, senior workers received just a 2 percent annual pay increase, after suffering a 10-year pay freeze.
    
    Where has Americans' income gone?
    
    To answer this question, we need to look at the earnings of the biggest companies in the stock market. Apple, for example, was number one, with a net income of $57.4 billion in 2020, up from $14 billion in 2010. Of course, the growth of income of the senior executives at big companies and the big investors is even more startling. In January, The New York Times reported that "America's richest 10 percent, who own more than 80 percent of US stocks, have seen their wealth more than triple in 30 years, while the bottom 50 percent, relying on their day jobs in real markets to survive, had zero gains." 
    
    Economist Jonathan Rothwell listed an example in his book A Republic of Equals: A Manifesto for a Just Society: In Spain, Sweden and Iceland, doctors earn twice as much as the average worker, but in the US, physicians and surgeons earn nearly five times as much.
    
    Such a huge gap between the rich and poor will bring at least two troubles for the future reforms in the US. First, the large-scale relief measures which aim at helping relieve the pressure of middle- and low-income Americans will actually help big enterprises, the rich and the upper class. In other words, the measures won't address the problem of the rich-poor gap.
    
    Second, the US design of system is based on the principle of "profits first." But the increase of profits for big companies comes more and more at the cost of unemployment of the middle and lower classes. As New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman wrote, "We're in the middle of a pandemic that has crushed jobs and small businesses - but the stock market is soaring. That's not right. That's elephants flying. I always get worried watching elephants fly. It usually doesn't end well."
    
    Both of these issues touch upon the old issue of raising taxes from big companies and from the rich. This will inevitably touch the foundation on which the US is built - competition in the free market economy which aims at improving efficiency. Moreover, getting vested interests to concede benefits is not an easy task.
    
    If money can't be obtained from taxes, there is only one way to go: printing more money. When things get to this point, it is no longer just a question of whether the social divisions can be healed, whether people can be united to move forward.
    
    US economist Stephen Roach recently pointed out that last year, the combined COVID-19 relief packages in the US hit a total of $5 trillion, or 24 percent of GDP in 2020. This far exceeds all records. On March 6, US Senate passed President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill. 
    
    Will this destroy the world's confidence in the dollar? After all, green note is the foundation of US hegemony.

    Will all this destroy the world’s confidence in the United States dollar? Heck! You bet. It’s already destroyed, and most nations welcome alternatives. Leading the pack is China with Gold Backed digital yuan. And trading directly and electronically.

    Which brings up this most timely article from the Economic Collapse Blog;

    Brace Yourselves For The Most Dramatic Shift In The Standard Of Living In All Of U.S. History

    They are assuring us that we don’t have to be concerned about “inflation” because they have everything under control.  Do you believe them?  The value of the U.S. dollar has been steadily declining for a long time, and most Americans have grown accustomed to having the cost of living rise at a faster pace than their paychecks do.  But over the past 12 months an enormous paradigm shift has begun.  Instead of devaluing our currency a little bit at a time, now our leaders are going “full Weimar”.

    Our money supply is growing at an exponential rate, and this is becoming a major national crisis.  As I pointed out yesterday, it took from the founding of our county all the way to 2020 for M1 to reach 4 trillion dollars.  But then from the start of the pandemic to today, M1 has gone from 4 trillion dollars to 18 trillion dollars.  To call that “economic malpractice” would be way too kind.

    The truth is that it is complete and utter lunacy, and we are all going to literally pay the price for such madness. Sadly, inflation is already starting to show up in a major way all throughout our economy.

    For example, most Americans have noticed that the price of gasoline has really started to shoot up over the last several weeks

    Gas prices have been increasing at the pump for the past few weeks, reaching a national average of $2.77 a gallon as of Monday, which is 39 cents higher than the same time in 2020, according to AAA.

    A lot of people are alarmed by this, but the Federal Reserve insists that this is completely normal.

    Meanwhile, the price of agricultural commodities has risen by 50 percent over the past year…

    The price of agricultural commodities traded on the global stage has shot up by 50 percent since the middle of 2020, according to economists at Rabobank.
    In a new report, the bank pins the lift in the price of wheat, corn, soy, sugar, and a range of other commodities on the northern La Niña, a weakening US currency, market speculators, and rising demand from importing nations.

    As those prices are passed along to the consumer, you will be paying more for groceries at your local supermarket, but authorities assure us that prices will stabilize once the economy returns to “normal”.

    The good news is that at least the price of food is not rising as fast as the price of lumber is

    Lumber prices have increased more than 180 percent since last spring, and this price spike has caused the price of an average new single-family home to increase by $24,386 since April 17, 2020, according to the NAHB standard estimates of lumber used to build the average home.

    Now that is some serious inflation!

    There are so many people that have had to put their plans to build a home on hold in recent months because the price of lumber has gotten so ridiculously high.

    But the experts at the Fed insist that those that are warning of hyperinflation just have wild imaginations. Over the course of the past year, our leaders have pumped trillions and trillions and trillions of dollars into the system, and all of that money has to go somewhere.

    In such a highly inflationary environment, this sort of a thing can happen

    A digital collage by American artist Beeple which exists only as a JPG file sold Thursday for a record $69.3 million at Christie’s, fetching more money than physical works by many better-known artists.
    ‘Everydays: The First 5,000 Days’ became the most expensive ever ‘non-fungible token’ (NFT) – a collectible digital asset that uses blockchain technology to turn virtual work into a unique item – after being listed at the start of the two-week auction for only $100.

    The U.S. dollar is being transformed into “toilet paper money”, and we are rapidly approaching the point of no return.

    At least if our paychecks were rising as fast as the cost of living was, American families would be able to keep up with the escalating prices. But of course that is not happening, and more Americans are falling out of the middle class with each passing day.

    In fact, vast numbers of formerly middle class Americans no longer have jobs at all.  Last week another 712,000 Americans filed new claims for unemployment benefits, and the number of claims continues to hover around “four times the typical pre-crisis level”

    Weekly jobless claims have remained stubbornly high for months, hovering around four times the typical pre-crisis level, although it’s well below the peak of almost 7 million that was reached when stay-at-home orders were first issued a year ago in March.
    There are roughly 10 million fewer jobs than there were last year in February before the crisis began.

    This is not what an “economic recovery” looks like.

    The truth is that the U.S. economy is broken, and the only solution our leaders have is to print, borrow and spend even more money.  Now Biden and his minions are about to pump another 1.9 trillion dollars into the system. Do you think that will make the inflation crisis better or do you think that it will make it worse?

    You don’t need to answer, because the answer is self-evident.

    As prices soar into the stratosphere, life is going to become increasingly difficult for most Americans.

    If your income does not rise as fast as prices are going up, your standard of living will go down. Of course you will be far from alone.  The vast majority of Americans are about to experience a dramatic shift in the standard of living, and most of the population doesn’t even realize what is happening.

    All they know is that more government checks are on the way, and most of them are absolutely thrilled about that. But all of this printing, borrowing and spending has put us on a path to national financial suicide. As we continue to recklessly destroy the value of our currency, other nations will begin to realize that a move to a different reserve currency is needed.

    And once the U.S. dollar is no longer the reserve currency of the world, there will never be any going back to the “good old days”.

    We are so close to the economic endgame, and the word “collapse” is not nearly strong enough to describe what is eventually going to happen to the United States.

    Yikes!

    It makes me yearn for the good old days.

    Well for all the good stuff that I have to say about China, now I am going to vent on some of the bad stuff. It’s not that I want to, but sometimes it’s just so frustrating. You want to eat some olives, and some slices of cheese, maybe Swiss or a fine Lorraine, and the only think that you can find is the pseudo cheese slices. Ugh!

    It is difficult to truly enjoy cheese.

    Ah. The Chinese enjoy everything, but cheese seems to elude them. Sigh.

    Oh sure, you can find it here, but it’s not common and it’s not enjoyed the same way. It is sprinkled on items like you would sprinkle salt and pepper. Not layered and melted into a smooth creamy consistency. Like on Pizza.

    It’s treated like a spice. Not as a major food group.

    Which brings me to the delicious subject of Fondue. Now, I know it’s not all that popular in America these days, but at least there’s a few Americans get to try it at least once a year or so. And at that, when you pair it with a fine wine, it becomes a wonderful occasion.

    Oh, and do not mistakenly believe that you need to buy any expensive fondue pots, pans or utensils to make it. You don’t. All you need is a pan, and the ingredients, and some long stemmed forks. That’s it. So what is stopping you?

    Eh?

    From HERE

    Fondue is a traditional Swiss dish that is prepared from pieces of cheese, thermally melted with white wine in a special fondue pot – “caquelon”, to a creamy consistency, flavored with cherry rakia or cherry brandy. It’s tasted by dipping hard bread cubes, rolled in the melted cheese with special fondue forks.
    
     Fondue is a warm dish that can contain one or more types of cheese, usually Gruyere and Vacherine Fribourgeois. It is the main national dish of Switzerland together with с raclette. It is also known in the Eastern French regions Savoie and Franch-Comte since the 1950s where it is prepared with Beaufort cheese or Comte cheese.

    Now, maybe the “officially correct” way of making fondue uses the dish, the forks, and the special cheeses. But we are just simple people wanting to have simple pleasures with our friends… RIGHT NOW.

    Here’s a hint, you make use of what you have. And you call up your friends, and you add some wine. Some nice music, and you all work together to make that delicious cheesy fondue happen.

    Delicious fondue.

    And he continues on the narrative…

    At the table, the fondue of melted cheeses is served in the so-called “caquelon” (a type of enameled, cast iron or ceramic pot) in which pieces of bread are dipped with a special fork with three prongs (there are also forks with two prongs, but they are mainly associated with the meat fondue – the Bourguignon or the Chinese type). The fondue pot (caquelon) is located on a metal pad (usually made of wrought iron) at the base of which is located the heat source (a heater or candles) that keeps the fondue at the desired temperature throughout the meal.
    
    Fondue forks are long-stemmed with a round handle. A piece of bread or rarely potato slices (traditionally consumed with Fondue fribourgeoise) are dipped into the melted cheese stirring in a circular or a figure-eight motion of the fork. 
    
    When removing the fork from the fondue, it should be rotated continuously in a circle so that the melted cheese doesn’t drip outside the pot. The soaked mouthful is served towards the mouth when the cheese is already cooled to a suitable temperature for consumption and thus a full taste is achieved.
    
    It is a common rule for cheese producers to sell ready-made cheese mixes, especially for fondue preparation, which makes it possible to avoid the difficult choice of the cheese combination. In Switzerland, these cheese mixes can be found in supermarkets.

    They are not generally found in the United States, and most certainly not in China.

    But that’s the price you pay when you live in different areas. If I lived in Switzerland, I would be in “seventh Heaven” smunching on all that delicious food. I’ll tell you what.

    There are many and varied Fondue recipes. For example, before beginning the fondue preparation, several cloves of garlic can be crushed at the bottom of the caquelon, then add the grated or sliced cheese and finally pour the wine.
    
    The specific thin in the Fribourgeoise fondue recipe is that the wine is replaced with water. The fondue set is turned on on a slow fire while stirring periodically until the cheese is completely melted. Then pepper and other supplements are added according to the desired recipe, such as sliced in cubes shallots, morel mushroom, mustard, etc. Corn starch dissolved in a little bit of cherry brandy can be used to thicken and improve consistency in cases where more wine is added, for example, or when the fondue is more liquid.
    
    Sometimes, a little bit of cardamom powder (which improves digestion) or other spices can be poured directly into the plate, where the cheese dipped bite is rolled right before consumption.
    
    Finally, when the fondue is over, it is possible to have dregs or crust of toasted cheese, called “religieuse”, which is removed with a fork, sometimes it is quite difficult.
    
    Also, at the end of the fondue you can add and prepare scrambled eggs.

    Main varieties of Swiss cheese fondues

    FONDUE CHEESE CONTENT
    Moitié–Moitié 50% Gruyére and 50% Vacherin
    Fribourgeoise 100% Vacherin Fribourgeois
    Appenzelloise 100% Appenzeller
    Neuchateloise 50% Gruyére and 50% Emmental
    Central Switzerland 1/3 Gruyére, 1/3 Emmental, 1/3 Sbrinz
    Savoyard 50% Emmental of Savoy and 50% Beaufort or Comté
    Franc-Comtois 100% Comté

    Now my deep secret…

    I love cheese. Oh I really do. And you know you don’t appreciate things until you live without them. And that is so very true about cheese and China.

    Like on hamburgers turning them magically into cheeseburgers. (It’s magical how it works.) You put the cheese on top of the burger after you cooked one side, and then you let the heat from inside the burger melt the cheese on to the paddy. You don’t rely on the heat around the burger to do it. Then you watch the cheese melt. It gets soft at the edges and then starts to wrap around the burger and starts to clutch it like a firm loving embrace.

    Ahhh.

    Turning hamburgers into cheeseburgers.

    And…

    As much as the delicious improvements to hamburgers come from cheese, so do improvements in just about anything else. You know like this…

    Delicious cheeseburger.

    Do you know what is better than thick gooey cheese on top of a cheeseburger? It’s thick gooey cheese inside of a cheeseburger. That’s what.

    You know, it’s been years, but I used to make the “pizza burgers”. I would mix pizza sauce with the hamburger meat. Then put a chunk of mozzarella cheese in the middle of the patty and cook it that way. My only problem was that the meat would tend to crumble and resemble a “sloppy Joe” more than a burger. But it tasted oh so good. I’ll tell you what.

    What a pizza burger is not…

    There are many ideas of what a pizza-burger is. I’m gonna tell you all what it is not…

    • It is not a burger with pizza sauce instead of ketchup.
    • It is not an open bun burger (the top missing) with pepperoni slices.
    • It is not a mini-pizza the size of a hamburger.

    And if you try to do an image search on Bing that is what you are going to find.  Sad. So very, very sad.

    Not real pizza-burgers.

    Nope. A real pizza burger has the burger consisting of meat and pizza sauce, and lots and lots of gooey melted cheese. That’s a pizza burger!

    Smunching on a burger, and then enjoying life.

    Maybe it’s time to go out and do some shopping. Eh?

    Going shopping with Mom.

    Moving on

    You know that there is one very special thing that would really improve the taste of cheese. Aside from friends, and your favorite pets, and some nice tunes (music). Can you guess what I am thinking about?

    Yes. You are right.

    Alcohol.

    Or, more specifically… wine.

    Wine and a cheeseburger. So very delicious.

    While I have my thoughts, other people are far better versed in explaining the nuances between the different kinds of wines.

    A good hamburger is an indulgence. It is also pretty much always a little decadent, rich and hearty, which makes it a natural match for red wine. Sure, some white wines could work, and lots of sparkling wines too. But come on, let’s drink some red wine with our red meat.

    • A Red wine goes best with a hamburger / cheeseburger. You can tell if it is a red wine by it’s color. Red wine has a red color.

    Below are some classic wine styles (and bottle recommendations) that pair with burgers, plus a couple of not-so-classic picks that worked well recently with a variety of burger styles — from a simple Swiss cheeseburger with all-American condiments, to a black-truffle-mayo-and-fried-egg stunner, to a bison burger with cheddar, caramelized onions and wasabi mayo.

    I would never suggest a ho-hum wine just because burgers are, at the end of the night, just hot sandwiches with toppings.  With that in mind, only one of these 10 bottles rings up higher than $20. (140 RMB for those of you in China.)

    Zinfandel

    Not a “white Zinfandel” which is everywhere, but rather a “red Zinfandel”. A red Zinfandel wine is both fruity and spicy. Some fruit aromas such as raspberries, blackberries, cherries, cranberries. And there is a generous sprinkling of cinnamon and black pepper. Depending on the winemaking and ageing methods it undergoes Zinfandel can display a range of secondary and tertiary aromas.

    Red Zinfandel Wine Information
    The color of a zinfandel wine is deep red, bordering on black. Zinfandel is a spicy, peppery wine, with a hint of fruity flavor – berries or dark cherries are often the taste range. Zinfandel goes well with “typical American” food – pizza, burgers, and steaks. It’s hearty enough to match up with thick red sauces.

    Zinfandel is one of the all-time classic burger wines. Big, jammy, juicy and spicy, it’s almost as if it were invented for this most-American of sandwiches.

    Cabernet

    A Taste of Cabernet Sauvignon | wine.co.za
    https://wine.co.za/wine/wine.aspx?WINEID=41057
    
    2021-2-16 · Cabernet Sauvignon is a noble variety red grape - and is usually deep red in colour, full-bodied, with dark fruit flavours. It arose out of an accidental breeding between a red Cabernet Franc and a white Sauvignon Blanc grape plant - which subsequently has become one of the most planted and popular varieties in the red wine world.

    There used to be an old television commercial. I forget what was being sold. Maybe it was a Heinz product for “57 Steak Sauce”. Encouraging people to shake a particular steak sauce onto their hamburgers instead of ketchup, the TV advertising campaign went something like this:

    "...Is a hamburger made of ground ham? No — it's made of ground steak."

    As long as it is not a tannic powerhouse, a California cabernet sauvignon, best friend of the juicy steak, is probably going to be a good match for your burger. It’s got a rich flavor, and when you drink it after a bite of a fine thick, cheesy burger the taste really excels.

    Oh, I get goosebumps thinking about it.

    A nice Cabernet is my favorite, as well as a fine sweet Shiraz.

    Malbec

    Taste and Flavor Profile Malbec wines are dry, full-bodied, and exhibit rich, dark fruit nose and flavors like blackberry and red plum. They're juicy and jammy, with notes of vanilla, tobacco, dark chocolate, and oak. With medium acid and moderate levels of tannins, they pair well with food.
    
    What Is Malbec Wine? - The Spruce Eats
    www.thespruceeats.com/what-are-malbec-wines-3511186

    Argentines love their beef, and they wouldn’t dream of eating one of their famous steaks without a glass of malbec. Naturally, malbec is also a great burger wine, with its velvety plum, blackberry, chocolate and earth.

    Rhone varieties

    The Rhône, a major river in France, rises in the Alps and flows south to the Mediterranean Sea. This river lends its name to the southern French wine region on its banks, the Rhône Valley, as well as its major AOC, Côtes du Rhône.

    The indigenous grape varieties that grow in the region, like Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Viognier and Roussanne, are often referred to as Rhône grapes. So, regardless of their place of origin, wines made from these grapes are said to be Rhône-style wines the world over.

    Rhone Blend
    https://www.tastemonterey.com/rhone=blend
    Definition: The Rhone region of France has a delightful selection of red varieties. There are 22 grapes allowed in the Rhone AOC, about half of them red. Most of these varieties are used as secondary blending partners, often comprising less than 10% of the blend. The primary red players of Rhone blends are Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre.

    Can you imagine not seasoning a hamburger patty with a little bit of salt and black pepper? This is where the Rhone grape varieties come into play, especially the powerful and legendary syrah, which can range from floral to leathery, often with a bite of pepper.

    Merlot

    Most Merlot wines are thick and full-bodies. It’s sort of the “milkshake” of the wine world. It’s considered to be “heavy”, and if you are not used to it, it will get you drunk faster than the lighter wines. Because of this, you will need to drink it slowly and eat it with some fine beef or mutton.

    A Taste of Merlot - wine.co.za
    https://cellardirect.co.za/a-taste-of-merlot
    The Eikendal Merlot 2017 has an attractive nose that reminds one of forest floor, violets, plums, black berries, cherries and peppery spices. On the palate the wine and full and rounded, with soft tannins and a rich taste of black berries and plums.

    With richness and a silky mouthfeel, merlot is sort of the wine equivalent of a milkshake in this pairing scenario — if you consider that some people like the fizz and tang of soda with a burger, and others opt for a mouth-coating chocolate shake.

    Here’s a picture where someone went into a White Castle fast-food franchise and got some sliders with their wine.

    What a better moment than to think of Harold and Kumar…

    Harold and Kumar go to White Castle.

    So, here I am enjoying a home made cheese burger. (And no, I did not skimp on the tomatoes, and yes, I do enjoy a nice onion with my burger) and drinking it with a fine local wine; Great Wall. It’s a very reasonably priced good real wine. Basic. Just the way I like it.

    And I thought that I would cruse the internet, like I used to back in the mid 1990’s during the Bill Clinton years. Back then I actually believed the “news”. Now I know better.

    The state of American “news”

    Let me say a few words about the state of “news” in America today…

    It sucks.

    Yup, that’s pretty much it.

    Tell ’em George.

    For Shits and Giggles

    So, for shits and giggles I visited Free Republic to check out what narratives are being promoted these days.

    I used to frequent it excessively. But it’s become the mouthpiece of the hard-right, and no longer stands for anything resembling free discourse. And my being perma-banned pretty much validated that belief. After all, what is more hypicritical than to promote the idea of a “Free Republic” where you can freely experss ideas, and then perma-ban a member because “your ideas and thoughts are not welcome here.”

    No longer searching for truth and providing a medium for free exchange of ideas it has become a money making venue which now maintains a niche market that caters to a mixture of old-world-conservatives, war-mongering neocons, and the religious right.

    One of the first things you learn once you've been out of the United States for six months or longer is just how absolutely bad the American "news" actually is. It's horrible. They lie, and they distort and they do everything in their power to make you afraid.

    I check up on the American media enclaves from time to time so that I don’t go too far off the deep end. (It’s easy to do.) Hard right. Hard left. Mainstream. I mostly just scan the headlines. It tells me all that I need to know.

    I try to give equal time to all the “news” venues. They all have soemthing to say. They all are visited by people who are searching. It’s just that they all manipulate to push their own agendas.

    I am NOT saying bad things about liberals or conservatives, or moderates or any other flavor. I am saying that there are some seriously ill people with some very little minds, and very big mouths. If not properly corralled they will end up causing all the rest of us to endure some real pain.

    Contemporaneous news…

    BUCS Sign Brady To 4-Year Contract... 
    
    Michelle Obama considers 'retiring' from public life... 
    
    Rubio sides with Alabama workers in AMAZON union battle...
    
    Bezos invited by Sanders to hearing on income, wealth inequality... 
    
    Congress Leaning Towards Big Tech Breakup...
    
    What the AT&T Split Teaches About Antitrust... 
    
    GOOGLE Faces 'Very Large' EU Advertising Probe, Vestager Says...
    
    Claims MICROSOFT's Stance on News Is Effort to Distract from Hack... 
    
    'NEWSROOM' actress appears to have plagiarized NYTIMES essay... 
    
    Spring forward forever? Push to keep daylight saving time year-round grows... 
    
    UPDATE: 'Historic' snowstorm to pummel Wyoming, Colorado...
    
    '6 FEET'...
    
    'Impossible travel conditions'... 
    
    USA had coldest February in 30 years... 
    
    ISIS creates 'elite new cell of jihadis to carry out attacks on West'... 
    
    Rioters Set Fire to Federal Courthouse in Portland 1 Day after Fencing Removed... 
    
    MYSTERY: Number of twins being born at 'all-time high', researchers say... 
    
    Two-Thirds of Italians Set For Lockdown as Pandemic Worsens... 
    
    Germany declares 'third wave' has begun... 
    
    LA primed for disaster, but virus took it to another level! 
    
    HALF adults infected with virus have symptoms of depression... 
    
    Mexico czar got infected -- then walked through Mexico City... 
    
    EU Governments Push to Relax Ban on Travel From Rest of World... 
    
    Maskless, boozing JETBLUE passenger faces $14,500 FAA fine... 
    
    Latest hotel amenity: Free test... 

    And yeah, Free Republic hasn’t changed, it’s still the anti-China crusade running hard and hot, plus the usual fearful articles, and a bunch of shit about anti-vax, anti-5G, anti-social reform, and anti-huawei. It’s anti-everything. Except for guns, walls, and war.

    The only thing positive that I can say about it is that the culprits are pretty well brazen. They aren’t hiding their disgust about the rest of the world at all. It’s all pretty open, and well-aired. I’ve got to give them credit for that.

    Yeah…

    So I went through the first three pages and pulled out a slew of anti-China articles. And guess what? They are all from the same source. I wonder why they are spamming FR so aggressively?

    Theyare all from the hard-religious-Right publication The Epoch Times.

    What is The Epoch Times?. Dangerous Propaganda ...
    https://medium.com/politically-speaking/what-is-the-epoch-times-e8f80d152a6f 
    
    May 15, 2020 · The Epoch Times was started by John Tang in the year 2000 as a Chinese language newspaper. John Tang is a graduate of Georgia Tech who publicly supports the Fulan Gong...

    All of the articles came from this singular source.

    All of the anti-China articles are from this publication that advocates world war III to bring about global social change. Yeah, not all that different from other dooms-day-cults. Like Heaven’s Gate. Or the Jonestown Massacre in 1978. It’s curious to know that so many American conservatives are willing to listen, follow and fund a lunatic that follows in the same footsteps as the Jim Jones when he lead more than 900  followers to their deaths.

    People do not drink the Kool-Aide that is being offered by The Epoch Times. It can lead you down a very dark, and scary, path.

    Check out their religious-justified Anti-China war-mongering…

    Let’s start here with this one. This one is simple. This article is just a rewording of a Reuters piece to bang-on China. Now the Reuters piece pretty much reports that the FCC is following the already in-place policies of the former Trump Administration. This republishing keeps the narrative alive. Giving the FR readership the idea that the Biden Administration is “keeping the heat on China”.

    My comments:

    It’s all fun and games for now. Just wait in ten years. When China and Russia tire of all this and the American electronic industry and software industry is under a graduated state of collapse. (Just like every other industry in America over the last few decades.) And then when it is tottering before the big fall, China, Russia and all of Europe pulls the rug out, and performs a “tit for tat” payback.

    Oh, you all think that cannot happen?

    How about this next article…

    This one is a laugh. It’s implying and making statements that the Chinese people are fearful of what is going on and how the government is handing things. At a 93% Chinese approval rating the narrative doesn’t make sense. While I am sure that the local government is very active in Beijing, just as they are here, no one, and I do mean NOBODY is concerned. But the American readership knows none of that.

    So they believe these LIES.

    • Beijing Pushes for Door-to-Door COVID-19 Vaccinations, Citizens Worry
      3/13/2021, 9:38:12 AM · by SeekAndFind · 11 replies
      Epoch Times ^ | 03/12/2021 | Alex Wu
      
      Chinese authorities recently launched a door-to-door COVID-19 vaccination program in Chaoyang District, in the capital city of Beijing. Some residents shared their concerns with The Epoch Times over their distrust of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its propaganda about COVID-19 vaccines and the pandemic. Mainland Chinese media reported on March 10 that Beijing’s Chaoyang District began a new door-to-door vaccination program in residential communities and villages. The program is also carried out in five types of places such as government offices, the Central Business District (CBD), industrial parks, business offices, and school campuses. Chaoyang is where international companies, foreign...
      Now of course, all this anti-China narrative makes you think certain things about China. And since there are NO NAMES, and there are NO PICTURES, and there are NO VIDEOS, and no one is willing to provide links to the ACTUAL CHINESE DOCUMENTS, you all just believe what is being told. Yet the actual validity of what you read has as much worth as the ten year old riding the bike down the street.

    And this one… it really cracks me up!

    • Nearly Half of Trump Supporters Won’t Take the CCP Virus Vaccine: NPR, PBS, Marist Poll
      3/13/2021, 9:35:04 AM · by SeekAndFind · 94 replies
      Epoch Times ^ | 03/12/2021 | Samuel Allegri
      
      Almost half of former President Trump’s supporters don’t plan to take a CCP virus vaccine according to a poll by NPR, PBS, and Marist. The poll indicates that 47 percent of people who identified themselves as Trump supporters would not want to be vaccinated when the doses became available to them. Upon widening the demographics, the survey found that 41 percent of Republicans would not take the vaccine, compared to only 11 percent of Democrats saying they wouldn’t take it. In total, about two-thirds of Americans polled said that they’ve already taken a vaccine or would take one when they...
      Do you want something funny? Half the Trump supporters won’t take ANY vaccine, let alone one from China. But it’ll be hard for them to get the Chinese vaccine inside of America because it is not being shipped to America.

    Uh Duh!

    I’ll tell ya, you’ve got to be a fucking brainless morn to actually believe the bullshit that is being peddled in America today.

    Here’s another…

    • 3 Deaths in 9 Days After Hongkongers Get China’s Sinovac Vaccine
      3/13/2021, 5:21:07 AM · by SeekAndFind · 12 replies
      Epoch Times ^ | 03/12/2021 | Emma Yu
      
      Since Hong Kong began vaccinating the public with the China’s domestically-produced Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine, CoronaVac, on Feb. 26, three deaths in nine days have increased anxiety about the vaccine’s safety. On March 8, a 71-year-old man in Hong Kong died four days after receiving his vaccine shot. The patient was reported to be in good health before the vaccination. This was the third death in nine days in Hong Kong following a CoronaVac injection. It’s unclear whether the vaccine contributed to the deaths. Authorities have said they are investigating the causes of death. The first known death in Hong Kong...
      This one is simple. This article is just a rewording of a Jimmy Lai piece to bang-on China. He might be behind bars, and probably getting ready for organ harvesting, but his papers and media empire lives on…

    …for now.

    Hate. Hate. Hate.

    And you all wonder why these sources and editors, and writers are being banned off the min platforms?

    And here’s a hate spewing nonsense trying to associate the COVID-19 lite with China. You all want to know what these people look like to me…

    • Florida Gov. DeSantis Cancels All CCP Virus Fines Issued by Local Officials
      3/13/2021, 3:15:54 AM · by lightman · 36 replies
      epoch times ^ | 12 March A.D. 2021 | Lorenz Duchamps
      
      Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order that will eliminate all fines issued by local government officials over the past year to people and businesses in the state who violated restrictions related to the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. The order (pdf) was signed after the Board of Executive Clemency approved DeSantis’s proposal on March 10 to categorically remit all fines related to local government CCP virus restrictions. “I hereby remit any fines imposed between March 1, 2020, and March 10, 2021, by any political subdivision of Florida related to local government COVID-19 restrictions,” DeSantis confirmed in the order,...

    It’s all war-mongering antagonistic bullshit. And if left unchecked it will lead to war. And people are gonna die!

    Listen to me.

    These NEOCONS are Dangerous.

    The History of the Neocon Takeover of the USA

    Copied as found with editing to fit this venue. It’s a good read and worth your time. All credit to the author.

    This is the interview I just did with authors, Elizabeth Gould and Paul Fitzgerald, who have written a definitive 4-part article on the origins and the  history of the Neocon movement. The influence of the Neoconservatives has been catastrophic to the American government – and to much of the world, yet as they point out, it never seems to end. The authors describe it as an elitist cult; a rabid ideology which doesn’t rely on facts to justify itself.
    
    This is the interview I just did with authors, Elizabeth Gould and Paul Fitzgerald, who have written a definitive 4-part article on the origins and the  history of the Neocon movement. The influence of the Neoconservatives has been catastrophic to the American government – and to much of the world, yet as they point out, it never seems to end. The authors describe it as an elitist cult; a rabid ideology which doesn’t rely on facts to justify itself.
    
    Senator J. William Fulbright identified the Neocons’ irrational system for making endless war in Vietnam 45 years ago, in a New Yorker article titled Reflections in Thrall to Fear: “Cold War psychology is the totally illogical transfer of the burden of proof from those who make charges to those who question them”, leading to “The ultimate illogic: war is the course of prudence and sobriety until the case for peace is proved under impossible rules of evidence [or never] – or until the enemy surrenders. Rational men cannot deal with each other on this basis…But these were not rational men and their need to further their irrational quest only increased with the loss of the Vietnam War.”
    
    This same ideology drove the failed War in Iraq – and now, they’re at it again, with their foolhardy saber-rattling towards Russia.
    
    The birth of the Neocon movement grew out of what had previously been known within the Eastern Establishment as “Team B”, in which official policies were tested by “competitive analysis”. The first Team B was created by George H. W. Bush, while he was Director of the CIA. This brought together very unlikely bedfellows, such as the ex-Trotskyite, James Burnham and Right Wing business interests, both of whom lobbied heavily for big military budgets, advanced weapons systems and aggressive action to confront Soviet Communism.
    
    This Team B/Neocon doomsday cult managed to weather the defeat of the Vietnam War and their non-fact-based analyses continue to maintain a stranglehold on US policy.
    
    James Burnham’s nihilist, elitist vision was criticized by George Orwell in his 1946 essay, Second Thoughts on James Burnham, in which he wrote, “What Burnham is mainly concerned to show [in the latter’s book, The Machiavellians] is that a democratic society has never existed and, so far as we can see, never will exist. Society is of its nature oligarchical, and the power of the oligarchy always rests upon force and fraud… Power can sometimes be won and maintained without violence, but never without fraud.” In fact, George Orwell’s classic book, 1984 was based on Burnham’s vision of the coming totalitarian state, which he described as “A new kind of society, neither Capitalist nor Socialist, and probably based upon slavery.”
    
    There are many well-known godfathers of the Neoconservative agenda of “Endless War”, the guiding principle of America’s foreign policymakers today but Gould and Fitzgerald identify James Burnham as by far its most important figure, although he is little-known today.
    
    Burnham was born in Chicago, the son of an English immigrant father. He attended Princeton University and later Oxford University’s Balliol College. He briefly became a close advisor to Communist revolutionary Leon Trotsky, from whom he learned the tactics and strategies of infiltration, political subversion and dirty tricks. Gould and Fitzgerald note that the Right Wing Neocon cult of “Endless War” is ironically rooted in Trotsky’s permanent “Communist Revolution” and they describe how James Burnham helped to turn this into the permanent battle plan for a global Anglo-American empire. They write, “All that was needed to complete Burnham’s dialectic was a permanent enemy and that would require a sophisticated psychological campaign to keep the hatred of Russia alive for generations.”
    
    In 1941, Burnham renounced his allegiance to Trotsky and Marxist idealism and he moved towards a cruel realism, with his belief in the inevitable failure of democracy and the rise of the oligarch. During the following years, he wrote several books and memos, predicting the rise of a technocratic elite. By 1947, Burnham’s transformation from Communist radical to New World Order American Conservative was complete, landing him smack into the loving arms of America’s Right Wing defense establishment during and after World War II.
    
    In my own writings, I’ve noted that the use of the word “Freedom” by the US Government, whether it be “Freedom Fries”, “Operation Iraqi Freedom” or “They hate us for our freedom,” has completely mangled the significance of this F-word, certainly from a Constitutional perspective. Gould and Fitzgerald trace the bastardization of this word to James Burnham:
    
    “Burnham’s Freedom only applied to those intellectuals (the Machiavellians) willing to tell people the hard truth about the unpopular political realities they faced. These were the realities that would usher in a brave new world of the managerial class who would set about denying Americans the very Democracy they thought they already owned. As Orwell observed about Burnham’s Machiavellian beliefs, in his 1946 Second Thoughts, ‘Power can sometimes be won or maintained without violence, but never without fraud, because it is necessary to use the masses.’”
    
    With the CIA’s 1950 founding of the Congress for Cultural Freedom (CCF), Gould and Fitzgerald write, “By its own admission, the CIA’s strategy of promoting the non-Communist Left would become the theoretical foundation of the Agency’s political operations against Communism over the next two decades.”
    
    Today, it appears that this strategy has been a smashing success, where we see the so-called Left in the US playing the role of fulminating, pro-Establishment Statists, a behavior formerly relegated to the Right. Never, in my wildest dreams would I have imagined the “tolerant Left” behaving like an army of Phyllis Schlaflys!
    
    Prior to the catastrophe that was the Vietnam War, the Right was the establishment. The factual defeat of the ideals which drove this war was instrumental to the rise of the 1960s Counterculture movement, which was an even bigger disaster for the Neocons than losing the war. The Counterculture needed to be co-opted by any means necessary and I believe this has been successfully achieved.
    
    Gould and Fitzgerald write that, “CIA’s control over the non-Communist Left and the West’s ‘free’ intellectuals [enabled] the CIA to secretly disenfranchise Europeans and Americans from their own political culture in such a way they would never really know it.”
    
    Gould and Fitzgerald cite historian Christopher Lasch, who wrote in 1969 of the CIA’s co-optation of the American Left: “The modern state… is an engine of propaganda, alternately manufacturing crises and claiming to be the only instrument that can effectively deal with them. This propaganda, in order to be successful, demands the cooperation of writers, teachers, and artists, not as paid propagandists or state-censored time-servers but as ‘free’ intellectuals capable of policing their own jurisdictions and of enforcing acceptable standards of responsibility within the various intellectual professions.”
    
    We see this very much today, in the Late Night comedy of Stephen Colbert, Trevor Noah and SNL, the staff writers of which are largely hand-picked from the Harvard Lampoon, where young comedians are trained in a particular brand of comedy that deftly implants a fascist philosophy of extreme elitism and which fuses the ideals of the old Trotskyist left together with those of the right-wing Anglo-American elite, aka the Deep State.
    
    The product of this fusion is called “Neoconservatism” – or its sneaky twin, “Neoliberalism”. The overt mission of this ideology is to roll back Russian influence everywhere. The covert mission is to reassert British cultural dominance over the Anglo-American Empire, maintained through propaganda. Traditionally, comedy has been used as a form of social and political criticism. Today, it cows the hapless consumer into submission to the hegemony.
    
    Gould and Fitzgerald then inform us about the secret Information Research Department of the British and Commonwealth Foreign Office known as the IRD, which was funded by the CIA and served as a covert anti-Communist propaganda unit from 1946 until 1977. Gould and Fitzgerald cite Paul Lashmar and James Oliver, authors of Britain’s Secret Propaganda War, which describes how the IRD spread ceaseless disinformational propaganda (a mixture of lies and distorted facts) among top-ranking journalists working for major news agencies, including Reuters and the BBC and all other available channels. This was but one of many similar initiatives launched by the CIA’s Psychological Strategy Board, including Project Mockingbird and the abovementioned Congress for Cultural Freedom.
    
    The mind is the ultimate battlefield. In my next talk with Gould and Fitzgerald, we will go into how the Deep State has designs on our dream life, in such figures as Robert Moss, a former assassin who now gives New Age workshops on “Active Dreaming.” (Incidentally, the New Age Movement was a CIA subproject of MK Ultra mind control programs). The soon-to-be-released 5G network will enable Virtual Reality, as predicted by Gould and Fitzgerald’s book, ‘The Voice: An Encrypted Monologue’, which takes the reader through the process of reclaiming one’s own narrative from the “noize” of unrelenting psychological warfare that saturates our environment.
    
    Check out their book, ‘The Voice’ here:
    https://www.forbiddenmedia.com/product/the-voice/

    All this neocon “firehose” of disinformation from the hard-right seriously give me a headache. It’s like this…

    (Since we are talking about 1994, and the Bill Clinton years of surfing the “web”.)

    Oh, and where was I, oh yeah…

    Video on the fifth tier cities in China

    Let’s move away from the American “news” and let’s see a taste of what real reality actually is.

    Here we just provide a video that is making the rounds in China. A fellow from the UK, who lives in China, has been making various You-tube videos of his experiences in China. And you can come across these kinds of videos all over the internet. But what makes this particular video so special is that it isn’t a first or second tier city. He’s making videos in the smaller “back woods” communities within China. It’s the real deal.

    You see, most you-tube videos are of expats exploring Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Cool and big cities most certainly. But they are first-tier enormous urban landscapes.  But those of us, like myself, live in the smaller communities.

    Here he is visiting some of the “smaller communities”. To an American, or Brit, it looks like a city. To a Chinese person, it is considered a small village. It’s not big and it doesn’t qualify for high speed rail, or subway access. But it is still vibrant and alive as all of China is these days.

    Here’s the video. Click on the picture for the video to open up in a new tab. It’s around 12 minutes or so long, and is narrated by a British expat. Please excuse his accent, and his “squirly” appearance. He’s a typical. Don’t you know.

    I do hope that you enjoy it. It’s pretty much what it is like when you enter the Chinese version of “Fly over country”, and a “Red State”.

    Now, go and get some cheese, a bottle of wine, some music and call up some friends. Time is too short to waste!

    Do you want more?

    I have more articles in my China experience section. Go here…

    China Experience

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    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

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    Using the MWI to explain the unexplainable, the supernatural, and the strange.

    Hello everyone. Did you know that I died?  Yup. I did. But, you know, I didn’t really die. I just experienced a sudden death event that was short duration and then snapped to a nearby world-line.

    Strange, eh? Yeah it was.

    In 1992 I was living in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. I loved it there. Rural. Lush. Friendly. Great catfish. Easy going. Warm. Fragrant. Great place to live. But the people couldn’t drive for shit. I mean it. The road would be straight as an arrow for miles and miles and miles, and sure as shit, someone would drive off the road and hit the only tree for miles around.

    Or, maybe it’s because of the “The Drive-Thru Daiquiri stands” in Louisiana, eh?

    Drive-through.

    Anyways, I’m in the car with my wife (at the time) and we are at an intersection. As I recall we had one of our cats with us. Probably taking it to or from the vet in it’s car-carrier. We drive down the twisty rural road and go to the intersection of one of the major highways in Mississippi.

    I look left, and I look right, and suddenly I’m dizzy. An emergency slide occurs. Next three seconds, I’m reliving the moment. I put my foot on the brake hard. And a tractor trailer flies right in front of me.

    We (my wife and I) died.

    But we didn’t.

    That is an event that I want to stress. And that I want to discuss right now. And you can say that it was my imagination, or that my guardian angel was by my side, or that I am reading too much into it, I can tell you that I know what happened and the mechanisms involved.

    I died.

    A tractor-trailer rig was flying down the road and hit me square on the drivers side and smashed my body into a bag of jelly and bones, and completely wiped out my wife next to me. Bam! Swoosh!

    Restart button.

    The world, the universe, the MWI is not at all what you think, and you have far better control on what will happen in your life than you believe.

    There was a Star Trek (The Next Generation) Episode that rings a bell here…

    Here’s some science fiction to get us started in this journey…

    A temporal causality loop, also known as a causality loop or a repeating time loop, is a type of phenomenon whereby a specific moment in time repeats itself continually inside an independent fragment of time. (TNG: "Cause and Effect"; VOY: "Coda", "Q2", DIS: "Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad")

    Ai! It’s science fiction. But you know, it can be useful to understand (sort of) what is going on.

    The following is an article titled "Cause and Effect: The Star Trek: TNG Episode That Stuck with Me" or the by-line "How one time loop stayed with a fan long after the Enterprise escaped." It was written by Christina Griffith on 16DEC20. Reprinted as found. All credit to the author. Edited to fit this venue.

    Stories that don’t fit conventional understanding

    Here’s some stories that I have collected on the internet. They are, I believe true, as viewed by the person telling and relating the story. Other people have experienced what I have experienced, and it is only because of my role within the MAJ and our benefactors that I have some degree of insight as to what is going on (and some examples where I don’t).

    I place it here for thoughtful consideration.

    Examples of World-line slides that I collected from the internet.

    We will begin with a narrative that describes something similar to what I experienced so long ago. A guy died, but then didn’t.

    Death

    So this actually happened last week… It just took me some time to come to terms with it…

    I got a phone call from my next door neighbor late in the evening asking if I can help him move a mattress into his upstairs. His mom is ill and has a big heavy sleep number bed. I of course ran over to help because they’re great neighbors.

    I get over there and his friend, who is also a priest, was there to help. I helped them figure out how to separate the mattress from the bed so we could fit it up stairs. We get it all moved up and back in place when my neighbor asks if I can help them move an armoire upstairs too. I think nothing of it and we pull it out of his travel trailer and start bringing it up the front stairs of his house.

    This is where I died. The front stairs are 11 steps. I was on the lower end of the armoire about 6 steps up when my neighbor and his friend lose a handle on the armoire and it comes crashing down on me and I fall backwards towards the pavement…

    I then wake up in my dining room to my phone ringing and my wife asking me if I’m going to answer the phone. It’s my neighbor asking me if I can help move a bed upstairs for his mom…

    I go over there and meet his priest friend again, as this has been the first time I met him. I say I can help with the bed but I cannot help with the armoire. My neighbor was like “how’d you know about the armoire?”. I then proceeded to tell them I’m pretty sure I just died.

    I spent the next hour talking with the priest.

    He had so many questions. My neighbor didn’t believe it until I described the upstairs bedroom in perfect detail down to the metal mattress frame on the floor and the intricate headboard leaning against the wall and I had never been upstairs in their house before.

    The priest asked me what I saw after I died. I told him I never actually died. Before it happened I woke up at my dining room table.

    TL;DR… I experienced my death but woke up alive about 20 minutes earlier in my life.

    Accident

    And here’s another example, from another person.

    My mom and I were on the highway driving home, and there was a semi truck in the lane next to us. Suddenly the semi swerved in to our lane. Luckily my mom was able to get out of the way before it hit us, but soon after I began feeling strangely. The entire right side of my face felt hot and sticky, I tasted blood, and smelled the very pungent scent of gasoline. Then my head and right arm started to ache really badly, and I couldn’t feel my legs. Just as soon as the pain started to worsen, it went away, replaced with a cold eerie chill. I told my mom about this and she couldn’t come up with an explanation. I think I was feeling the pain in another timeline where my mom wasn’t able to avoid that semi.

    Signpost

    Here’s yet another…

    So I work for a joinery company and was delivering a load to a construction site about an hour away from work, and whenever I’m out and about, I just play reddit compilation videos through my headphones.

    I was about 8 minutes into a video when in the middle of the town at a red light, with a bad feeling of deja vu. the video started buffering. I thought it was odd since I had good reception but was just going to wait it out. The light went green, and the video played just long enough to say the word “wait” and started buffering again. I couldn’t see anything at all, The road was clear, but I thought I’d listen, looked left, then right again and there was a massive semi at Speed that appeared out of nowhere and ran the red light. It would have taken out the drivers side of the cab, and I’d have been toast if I didn’t wait. Definitely reminded me of my own mortality.

    A redo

    And yet another example, only from a bystander.

    This technically happened last night, but I was just starting a graveyard shift and am only now getting it all down.

    I work at a gas station chain with only numbers in its name. We’re just outside of a large chunk of suburbs- none if that “middle of nowhere”, like we aren’t exactly near any other businesses but we are rarely completely dead for hours at a time.

    It was just past midnight, and with everything going on in the US right now not a lot of things other than gas stations and bars are open at night anymore so it was a slower evening.

    I was the only one in the store and a car pulled up to one if the 2 double-sided pumps out front. Pretty standard white four door. I’m not great with car brands but it was a little nicer, like upper middle class and probably only a few years old.

    A woman gets out and starts walking towards our door like she’s in a daze. Legit this woman looked like she saw a ghost. She wanders up, sort of freezes at the door for a second with a thousand yard stare before opening it and coming in. She didn’t go looking for anything, didn’t start shopping, just sort of stood inside for what felt like ages.

    Again, bars are still open so I think maybe she’s a little drunk or had a rough night or something so I give the usual “Welcome to ‘gas station’ let me know if you need any help finding anything” and she finally notices me and immediately asks me the weirdest damn question I have ever been asked on the job. “You can see me right?”

    “Yeah”. Like what else do you say? She breaks down crying in the middle of my store so I’m already headed around the corner to see what’s up. I have my cellphone out incase I need to call the cops or something for her.

    I get her to sit down on a nearby pallet of soda and I’m grabbing her a bottle of water and after she catches her breath a little she tells me “I thought I had died”. Again I’m thinking maybe she is on something but she’s a middle aged woman who looks like a standard local suburban housewife. We’re a pretty boring township without your average junkies like you’d find closer to the cities.

    So she asks if she can call her husband to pick her up and wait with me. She has her own phone and does so, not really telling him anything either just where she is at and if he can come get her. He says he’ll call an uber and be there as soon as possible.

    We’re waiting, so far nobody else has showed up, so I’m keeping most of my attention on her- and eventually she starts to explain to me-

    “I was driving home from dinner with my coworkers and as I’m driving through (nearby intersection I recognized) a truck ran a redlight and hit me.” Now, her car is still at the pump without a scratch on it. She goes on to say she remembers her car being pushed into a pole, going airborne, and then nothing.

    I tried to calm her down letting her know that her car is out front and it looks fine, but she insisted that she completely blacked out, woke up in an ambulance for a split second, passed out again, and then woke up again in the driver seat of her car- at the intersection waiting for the light to change, perfectly fine.

    This whole thing freaked her out so badly that she drove to the nearest anything (us) just so she could get out of the car.

    Husband eventually showed up to get her. He asked if I had any idea what happened and even though she sort of explained to me I just shrugged because no, I had no idea what was happening anymore. She reluctantly got into the passenger seat of the car and he drove them back home.

    That was hours ago, after which I worked an entire shift at the station trying to wrap my head around what the absolute hell I had just witnessed.

    World-line slide

    What about this one…

    Do you guys know the whole theory about how when people die in one time line, they shift into another? I think that may have happened to me.

    Back in early July of this year, my family (M45, F54, Me:19, B16), S(13) were going on a road trip to Montana to visit our grandparents. Prior to the trip, I had a horrible, horrible feeling about going. I kept having flashes of car accidents in my head, and I was sure that we were going to get in one if we left. It was so strange, because I have a pretty severe anxiety disorder, but this didn’t feel like my anxiety at all, and I never have anxiety about road trips: I love them!!

    So we left Saturday of that week, I had told my parents I had a bad feeling about driving up there, but they dismissed me as being anxious, but I had never felt so certain about something in my life. Getting into that car felt like signing my death sentence. So we get about 6 hours in, and at this point, I start to think I was being ridiculous, and a wave of calmness just washes over me. This is where shit gets strange. My dad passes an underpass and everything just shifts. I feel like I saw everything in slow motion for a whole 4 or so minutes. My parents were joking beforehand, but their faces moved so slowly, and then the light in the car started to shift. This was the scary part because I thought I must have been going insane. For a few seconds, there was a huge illumination of light into our car, and I looked at my family, and could not tell who they were or what they meant to me. And then it’s like everything just came back. The light shifted back, and I knew who everyone was, but it felt like something imperceptible had changed.

    I closed my eyes and tried to make sense of the past few minutes, and when I reached back to remember; I saw blood, our car and another minivan in shambles on the side of the highway right beyond the underpass, and mangled bodies. I remembered sensations I should not have known: what spattered brain matter looks like, the smell of something burning, the way I couldn’t breathe. But this never happened? Yet I remember that the car in front of us had switched lanes even though there was a truck in front of us, realized it at the last second, and hit us with a lateral impact.

    I have no history of psychosis, and I have never been in any sort of car accident. This wasn’t PTSD, and I have never had anxiety over being in the car in any sort of way prior to this. And maybe I could have just brushed it off, but I still think about it when I’m driving in my own car. And it’s made me a more cautious driver. I don’t know what happened, it was just a weird situation, and I remember having the distinct feeling in that moment that I had died in some sense. I am not a spiritually sensitive person by any means, I am a scientist at heart, but this truly was something I cannot explain. And I fully accept that I might be reading to much into this, and for some reason, I imagined an event that never happened, but I thought I would share anyway.

    Accident

    I was driving about 50 mph, and a car ran a stop sign on an on ramp and pulled out right in front of me. I remember bracing for impact and then I was about 300 yards down the highway and I saw the car at the ramp in my rearview, just about to pull out. –Chaithecat

    Blink and you are elsewhere

    But you know, it doesn’t necessarily mean that someone needs to have a near-death experience…

    This is only a small thing, but it still confuses the hell out of me and I can’t think of any explanation.

    I was playing fetch with my dog in my living room. I threw the ball, she’d bring it back, you get it. My dog dropped the ball on my foot and waited whilst I leant down to pick it up, but then I blinked and it was gone.

    I quickly checked under the sofa, thinking she’d nudged it under there or I’d accidentally kicked it, but it was nowhere to be seen. My dog was still staring at the spot where she dropped it and when it disappeared she looked just as confused as I was and jumped round looking for it.

    I scoured the whole room (which wasn’t very big) and eventually found it on the opposite side of the room in the middle of the floor, even after I’d looked everywhere. We only had this one particular ball at the time, so we couldn’t have mistaken it for another one.

    Not particularly exciting, but I can’t think of any explanation. My dog was just happy to have her ball back at least.

    Doggie Mysteries

    Dogs can be a trip…

    About 30 seconds ago I was sitting on the couch, as my dog walked by to go sit on her bed we have behind the “L” part of the sectional. She had something small caught in her throat last night, I think a popcorn shell, so I was paying attention to her breathing just to make sure she got it out.

    For a few minutes she was breathing fine, and then what sounded like a light snore started happening. This is semi-normal for her depending on what position she’s laying in, so I didn’t bother to go over and check on her. That went on for about 5 minutes, until the most disgusting(and to my now realization, terrifying) snore/cough/wheezing sound started happening. I go over to her to make sure she’s okay, and the exact moment I looked at her bed the sound stoped ‘mid-breath’ and she wasn’t there.

    She was outside with my parents, had been for around 30 minutes. There’s no way to get out of the room without walking right past me. I don’t know who’s fucking dog I saw, and what was making that creepy ass sound 5 feet away from me, but I’m going to be staying outside for the rest of the day and hiring an exorcist.

    A Slide

    And this one…

    My dad drank out of the same black cup everyday. One day he filled up a different white cup. I asked him what gives and he claimed to always have used that cup. I asked the rest of my family and they all said the same thing.

    Slide to a different world-line template

    As is this one…

    I dropped my phone in the kitchen and I looked to grab it off of the floor but it wasn’t there. I heard it hit the floor but I couldn’t find it. It was in the middle of the room too, there was no way it could’ve gone more than 3 feet away from me. I checked under everything and went through the entire house looking for it but it was gone. I had my mom call my phone and it said that my line was disconnected. I checked the Find My IPhone app and it said it couldn’t find my phone because it couldn’t find a signal. That was 4 years ago, and we still haven’t found it. It’s like it hit the ground and immediately disappeared afterwards.

    Shared memories of a different world-line

    And check out this one…

    My husband recently took an overnights job to help us out during covid. He’s only been there about two weeks and works evenings/overnights, 9pm-6am.

    Last night was no different, he left home around 8:15pm. Our daughter, age 11, and I decided to make it a movie night. Around 11pm, I heard keys in my backdoor and the usual sounds my husband makes when he comes home. I creep out to the kitchen to make sure it was him, and it was. He told me he needed to grab his knee compression sleeve, walks down the hall, says hi to our daughter as he passes the living room, and goes upstairs. He came back down, gave me a kiss and left again.

    We finished our movie and went to bed. In the morning when he got home I made a joking comment about him forgetting his knee sleeve. He was genuinely confused as I recalled the previous night. Our daughter confirmed everything I said and he still was acting confused. I pulled up our security motion camera on my phone to show him when he popped in quick. But there was no footage from the night before, or any other night, of him coming home after he’s left for work.

    My daughter and I both heard him, saw him, and I touched him. But he was never home during that time. Nothing else out of the ordinary happened that night. We seriously have no idea what happened.

    Memory wipe

    And check out this one…

    The year was 2011. I was in med school while my brother joined engineering college in same city.my brother is 3 years younger to me.

    One day i asked him to come to my hostel as it was his free day from college.(he used to come in his free day as he missed family )

    We were chatting and having foods while he suddenly asked me about a girl.

    Convo

    Bro- do you remember nisha(altered name for obvious reason)?

    Me-nisha,who??

    Bro-it seems like you have forgotten her.good for you.

    Me(visibly confused)-which nisha you are talking about?

    Bro(still playing)- don’t try so hard brother.you know exactly about whom i am taking about. Leave it if that’s still hurting you.i shouldn’t have bring her up.

    Me(thinking that he is pulling my leg,i started to play along)- yeah i remember.i forgot her.it was bitter.i am not in touch with her.

    Bro-it is not like that you can be in touch with her anyway..

    Me(trying to play along)- yeah.she is probably married by now.

    Bro(visibly confused)- now what nisha are you talking about???

    Me-exactly the nisha you are talking about..

    Bro-leave it then..

    Me-yeah..

    After 30 or so minutes after lunch is over

    Bro-do you really not remember her?nisha?

    Me(tired of this game,agitated)- bro stop this game it’s not funny anymore.i am tired of this stupid game.

    Bro-what game ?

    Me-i don’t really know nisha.who is she?

    Bro-forget it.

    And he left for the day…

    I asked mom after few days about nisha.she was distraught when i asked about her.after few mon she told me that she was my gf while i was in school.she was my brothers best friend. she died in a car accident few years back.

    I was dumbfounded.i don’t even recall her name,face,memory .nothing..

    Her memory is totally wiped out from me.

    I was disturbed and went back to home where mom showed me a pic where i was with a girl and my brother.i don’t even remember the girl.

    In some cases of ptsd selective amnesia happens.but that repressed memory can be triggered by related memory.but in this case i didn’t even recall her.i was agitated because i don’t remember her.

    Till this day i don’t recall anything.according to family, we were close.i didn’t try to ask her family or any other people because it seems insensitive..

    World-line slide

    Check out this one…

    Me (M26) and my girlfriend (F25) have been living together in an apartment for two and a half years. Everything has been normal until quarantine started (around 4 weeks ago), when I started noticing some odd things.

    For instance, for the last three weeks or so, my GF has been putting sugar in her morning coffee, while throughout our entire relationship she’s always been very much against it. It may seem like a small detail, but she’s always been complaining about how I don’t know what real coffee is since I put quite a lot of sugar. On the first day that I saw her drinking coffee with sugar I asked her why would she do that, and she looked at me weirded out and said something like “What are you talking about? I’ve always been putting sugar in my coffee”. I felt a bit confused for a moment but then we started talking about some other things, so I didn’t think anymore about it until the morning after, when she did the exactly same thing, and had once again the same reaction.

    Fast forward a few days and another odd thing happened. We were having sex and she suddenly suggested a sex pose that we had already tried once, but it had gone wrong and it hurt her a lot so we had simply decided not to try it anymore. Naturally, I was very surprised with her suggestion, and reminded her about the time when it went wrong, and she just completely dismissed it, saying that i probably mixed her up with some ex-girlfriend or that I was just tripping. We then did the pose and we actually enjoyed it.

    Today, the weirdest thing happened, which is the reason I’m writing this post. In the afternoon, I was working at home (I’m employed as a PhD student at the computer science department of a university), when my gf asked me what’s up with a guy who I’ve never heard of before. I asked her who is she referring to and she said “Well, it’s that colleague of yours who you always talk about, the one from the company where you are employed at”. I froze, and asked her to repeat, and she said the exactly same thing all over again. Then I told her that I don’t work at any company nor have I ever worked at any company, since I started a PhD straight after my Master degree. At this point, she also completely froze and we were just staring at each other completely confused and shocked for a few moments. She then asked me wtf is going on and I reminded her about the coffee thing and about the sex pose and that I don’t know anymore what is going on. At this point, she started crying too and asked what is wrong with us.

    Nor she, nor me nor anyone in both families have ever had any mental problems in the past. We don’t know what to do about this.

    Can anyone explain what’s wrong with us?

    Yah. It’s all pretty crazy.

    But all of the above examples can be explained as either intentional, or accidental slides or cross-dimensional effects.

    Some examples of slides

    Here’s some examples of what the slides or pre-birth world-line template switches work.

    In the first example is a “slide”. You actually “fall off” your pre-birth world-line template, or the template map that you have been following and onto a new map, a new template. It diagrammatically looks something a little bit like this…

    .

    I have described slides in other posts. But in this post I also bring up “Glitches” and “jumps”. These are mini-changes to the world-line path that may or may not result in a slide to a new map.

    And here’s an example of a “glitch” or a “jump”.

    .

    I really do not know why these things happen, or the mechanisms involved. I just know that they do happen, but are not an “everyday” occurrence. In a person’s life, it might only happen once in a “blue moon”.

    The easiest explanation for a “almost death” is that it just wasn’t your time. But that’s a pretty lazy answer. Don’t you think? But it’s the most reasonable answer that I can think of.

    As far as “glitches”, “jumps”, and “accidental slides” go, I just haven’t much of a clue. There are “holes” in our reality that open and close, and sometimes we, or things, fall through them.

    And as far as I am concerned, obviously, I was “pulled out of harms way” intentionally in an “emergency slide”. The mechanism and what was going on, well… I haven’t a clue.

    Let’s look at some other events which might be misunderstandings, examples of elements within our MWI, or something else. In any event, they could be “head scratchers”…

    Hello Son

    So, this happened about seven or eight years ago. My husband and I were laying in the bed one night, watching television. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a child in the doorway of our bedroom. Thinking it was our only child at the time, I tapped my hubby and said “Hey, shhhh b look, but I think Connor is going to try to scare us ! He turns and looks and this child walked into our room. I can’t explain it, bc it was one of those moments that seemed … somehow different. We watched in silence, soon realizing that this child was NOT out son. He toddles in, head slightly tilted back, curls bouncing and diaper squish squishing as he goes to the end of our bed.. we see his head go down (like he was crouching) and when we got up to look- he was gone. I looked at chris (my husband) and said “ Did we just see a ghost?!” Then, almost as an after thought, I said “well, we know if we have another baby, and he has curls, that he was here before he was born.” We both laugh, bc We were not trying for another baby at the time. Fascinated, we go to check on our son, and he was fast asleep. A few months later.. I’m pregnant. (Surprise!) So fast forward aNd our new baby, Liam, is two. He toddles in the room, head titled slightly back and curls bouncing, and it hit me like a bucket of ice water.. holy crap, this is the baby that came to visit us! I mean, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind.. now, on top of that, whenever Liam is staying the night elsewhere (like with my parents) he comes to visit me in my sleep .. for example- one time he came and just smiled at me while I was taking a nap.. He was in a little red shirt, and his hair was cut short (he left with it long) the next day I go to pick the kiddos up from mom, and lo and behold- his hair is freshly shorn and he is wearing a little red shirt. I asked my mom “did he wear this yesterday?” And she replies “oh, yeah he did, but he insisted on wearing it today, so he is..”. So, I look at him and say “did you go see momma yesterday in mommas dreams” he just looked at me (he was four) all big blue eyes and serious, and nodded his head.

    So that’s my glitch in the matrix story. One of many, but the most profound. Our son, I guess, travels astral, and even stopped to see us before he was born. I would know those curls anywhere. the fact that my husband witnessed it with me makes it even more weird, but utterly fascinating. Thanks for reading and forgive typos please

    Message

    My mom died 13 years ago. About four years ago my dad was on vacation in Arizona with his girlfriend. He said he was up watching tv and the hotel phone rang.

    He answered it and said it was my moms voice saying “I’m ok” he said he said “Cass?” And he said the phone was crackly and said tell HEATHER (me) I am ok” he said his girlfriend was confused why the phone ring.

    He immediately called me even though it was late and he was crying. My dad doesn’t believe in the supernatural but still to this day can’t explain that call.

    Message through time

    Three days ago I was having conversation with my father and he was telling me about his university life. Basically my dad came from nothing, he had a very difficult up bringing and went to the worst school and high school in our city. When it was time for him to join university, my grandfather passed away leaving my dad to take care for the rest of the family as he was the oldest son. He took a wrong a major because of the wrong advices of the people and how he regrets that to this day. The courses were taught in English which is a second language for us and how he didn’t even know the language. My dad told me that it was the darkest times in his life and he just wanted to run away and was even thinking of taking his own life. Now very recently he got his masters in English literature and he was telling me that he didn’t think it would be ever possible for him. My dad just recently finished this degree at an age of 55.

    The next morning my dad had to drive to this town because his distant relatives live there and they are struggling financially, my dad is very a kind soul and he wanted to help them . The town is 3 hours drive away. He usually takes public transport but didn’t because of recent crisis. He drove there and my mom was worried so we decided we will keep calling him after every hour to check. Well i decided to call him , now keep in mind because it’s highway network signals get very weak. He told me to wait and parked at a nearby restaurant it was like a check point for trucks. I don’t know what came over me but I started crying and went on to tell him how proud i was of him, i just babbled and kept saying that he shouldn’t think he is lacking because he is not. He was an amazing father and a great person to look up to.

    You guys my dad started crying he told me that he will talk to me when he returns. Well he returned and he just hugged me and was telling me that how 30 years ago he was visiting the same town and it was the time when he was at his lowest. He was visiting the same relatives and he was in a bus which stopped at a petrol station. He called his mother and when he picked the phone without even dialling he heard my voice. It was me telling him the exact same thing which I just said yesterday. He said that he didn’t even called my grandmother, he just stood there and cried. It gave him strength to keep fighting. He said he just now realized it was me whose voice he heard.

    My parents are now taking this as sign from God who helped my dad when he thought no one was there for him.

    World-line switch

    I am a bit shocked.

    I had a very good friend who crafted small jewellery and I have a few pieces from her. I got a pair of earrings more than 8 years ago and lost one of it after wearing them just a couple of times.

    I always told her she had to craft a replacement but unfortunately she got very sick and died of cancer very quickly, she never had the chance to craft anything else.

    I kept the single earring in a little box with some other small random memories and trinkets.

    I am now moving to my own place and checking the memories in this little box, both earrings are there and I can’t explain when or how or why.

    Probably in other universe my own me lost the unique earring she had.

    World-line glitch

    This is my first post, so bear with me, but after reading many other glitch stories, I wanted to share mine here.

    In early December 2015, my now ex-boyfriend’s mother passed away in the home following surgery and other health problems related to her heart (she was born with a rare condition). Unfortunately she went into cardiac arrest and we were unable to save her, so the event in and of itself was extremely traumatic and unexpected.

    A couple of nights later, we decided to go see some friends who wanted to offer their condolences to my ex; everyone loved his mom. We were all sitting in our friends’ living room watching tv and, to be honest, they were really trying to distract us from everything.

    One friend was just being her goofy self and I was taking Snapchat videos and I DISTINCTLY remember taking a video of (let’s call her) Amy… I saved the video, but when I looked at my screen to watch it, it was not Amy…. it was a grainy video with a background that appeared to be outside and 100000% not in a living room, but on the screen was my ex’s mom…

    She said the words, “I’m okay baby. I’m okay” and multiple other friends saw it on my phone before it disappeared. She looked young and vibrant and has a huge smile on her face. Someone had tossed my phone to another friend across the couch to see and the video then disappeared. When we watched the original video back immediately after, my ex’s mom was gone. It was Amy in the video again just like I saw it while recording it in the first place.

    My ex and his mom had a very close relationship, best friends really, so when we saw her on my screen letting him know she was okay… it was astounding.

    I saw it first and everyone noticed i was visibly upset. I cannot imagine what went through my ex’s mind and heart when he saw that, but to this day, it’s something we talk about and something he shares with new friends… something we simply cannot explain other than her coming thru in a glitch to let us know she was okay.

    Visit to the past

    I live in a very small town. We have a small grocery store, hardware store, you know the drill. I was done getting groceries and hopped in my car to head home. As I pulled up to the end of the driveway of the store, blinker on to get onto the main road, I see a big, white, lifted Chevy pickup driving toward me that I need to wait for. I watch it as drives closer to me, remarking to myself that it looks so similar to my husband’s, just older and rusted around the edges. It even has the same black emblem and large iron cross bumper. As the truck goes past me my jaw nearly fell open. Staring at me intently was a man almost identical to my husband… but with a longer, greying beard, and grey hair around the ears. I quickly gathered myself together and pulled out behind the truck and up to the stop sign that followed. He was staring at me still in his side mirror. Glancing away and then staring at me again. He took off like a shot the first chance he got, and I tried to follow to see which direction he took, but a car was coming and I couldn’t get out behind him in time. The truck sped off toward my road, but I don’t know if he turned in that direction or not.

    I know that’s a little crazy, but I couldn’t help feeling the total connection I feel with my husband when I saw his reflection in that side mirror staring at me. It gives me goosebumps to think about it because it was like he knew that I was me, and I was the wrong age, and that he needed to get out of there before i could follow. I got home and my husband was there, working in his woodshop. I told him about it and he chuckled and asked if he looked hot when he was old. I mean…. he did if it was really him!

    Disappearing gal

    So mobile alert . This happened two days ago.

    I was at my home because of quarantine and according to me i was sleeping.

    When i woke up my mom was looking at me having a very shocked and worried expression and tears in her eyes. She asked me where the hell i was and i said that i was sleeping right here in my bed. She didn’t believe me said she checked and i wasn’t there.

    So apparently, my family woke up in the morning and i didn’t come for breakfast, my dad came into my room and just saw the blanket and pillow (i do sleep with blanket on face). Then my mom came to wake me up and took the blanket off no one was there . Then she panicked and told my dad. They searched the entire house and tried calling me nothing worked. Then they asked the neighbours if they had seen me leaving but neighbours couldn’t help as well. My mom was very afraid at that point and they called the police and that’s when my dad had went to file the report and i woke up.

    We called my dad and told him i was back and he wanted an explanation and I couldn’t give one. I said i was just sleeping and then i woke up and this whole thing has happened.

    I wanted to make it clear that i do sleep with blanket covering my entire body and my mom did made it clear that she took the blanket off and no one was there. We all are very shaken rn.

    Strange ghosts

    Let me preface this by saying there has always been creepy shit happening around me and I have several stories of my Dad’s old house which myself and my siblings all agree is haunted as fuck. I also had my dead best friend visit me twice which was nice.

    So this evening, my partner (42 M) and I (30 F) were upstairs sorting laundry, when his daughter (17) called us downstairs as dinner was ready.

    I was heading down the stairs, my partner right behind me, literally two steps behind me.

    He did his usual thing of tickling the back of my neck as we walked.

    The bottom of our stairs is wooden so you can hear when somebody steps onto it from the carpeted stairs. When we got to the bottom, my feet hit the floor as usual. I turned to ask him something and he wasn’t there.

    He wasn’t fucking there.

    I totally froze for a second and looked up the stairs and there he was. On the top step, pale and shaking.

    Asked him what the fuck just happened and he kept saying

    “I don’t know, I don’t know, I was behind you and before I hit the bottom, the next step took me back upstairs!”

    We are very freaked out. Didn’t say shit to our girl as she is already leery of this stuff although he and I are somewhat used to it.

    I am trying to get the courage to leave my laptop recording audio overnight because there definitely is SOMETHING weird happening.

    EDITED TO ADD

    I was JUST talking to my partner about the jump while we were cleaning our bedroom and the second he made a joke about “Spooks A-Poppin'” our bedroom door and bathroom door just slammed shut one after the other.

    I’m chalking it up to our bedroom window being open a crack…I don’t want to think of alternatives.

    FURTHER UPDATE

    To the people messaging me saying my relationship is “yikes” and to join certain subs (Female Dating Strategy) I appreciate the concern.

    To the other eejit who messaged calling my partner a sexual deviant, kindly relax and focus in your own relationship, if you have one. We are together 11years. I’m second Mom to the kids.

    Not every relationship with an age gap is abusive. Not every relationship with an age gap is coercive.

    I love him and the kids more than anything, and I would DO anything for my family.

    So please, I appreciate the concern, but don’t assume he is abusive or that I was “groomed” as one lovely person messaged.

    And finally, to the person who asked me why I would want to be “fake Mom” to his kids- I’m sorry that’s how you view my life from this one small snippet I posted and I hope you are content in your own life.

    Goin’ to California

    Back story, this is important later: for about 9 months or so I was planning to move to California last September. Plans fell through do to financial reasons and other opportunities had come my way.

    This happened to me while I was at work closing, so I was completely alone. A customer came in, he was maybe in his early 60’s (I’m 21). I wouldn’t say he looked like me, But he was definitely dressed similar to me, and that’s how I’d expect myself to dress at that age. Kinda old man surfy SoCal vibes. But this guy says “man I need some caffeine, I know it’s late but I’ve been consuming that stuff daily since I was a little kid.” I told him “ME TOO! Since I was about 8 I started drinking coffee” which is a fact about me. This guy continues to talk about how he loves the music I was playing in the store, etc. Then out of the blue this guy says “so I have to ask, why’d you choose not to move to California?”…. I did not mention California to this man at all, I have never met this man, I don’t know who he is or how he knew. None of my coworkers, or really anyone beside my family knew about my plans for California. I served him his drink, and as he walked out he said “you’ll go, maybe not now, but you love that place”… Again, I never spoke about California to him, but he knew I was planning to move there and he knew I loved that place. He walked out and I have not seen him since. I asked my parents and anyone who knew about my plans if they had told anyone, more specifically an older man. They all said no per my request to keep it on the down low. To this day I am still in awe.

    Seeing with better eyesight

    For a bit of context, my eyesight is horrible, even half a foot in front of my face is nothing but blurry color. Yesterday my mom and brother picked me up to go to an appointment. I was running a little late, so didn’t have time to put my contacts in/ do my makeup and was getting ready on the drive.

    So while mom was driving I was in the passenger seat with the mirror down. I took off my glasses to apply my eyeshadow. My brother, who was sitting behind me, asked me a question and I turned to look back at him. When I turned my head back around, I quickly finished my eyeshadow and shut the mirror.

    I was looking out my window at the farmland just off the road and thinking how beautiful it was when I suddenly realized that I hadn’t put my glasses back on, they were sitting on the dashboard. As soon as I had the realization, my perfect vision went back to being just blurred colors. It was instant, like flipping a switch on my sight. It was so shocking that I yelled “Holy shit!”

    My outburst startled my mom and brother, so I told them what had just happened and they said they believed me but couldn’t think of a rational reason for it. We tried to figure it out for the rest of the drive but honestly couldn’t. Tbh, if there’s some secret to magically fixing my eyesight that I accidentally stumbled upon, then I wish I could find it again!

    Complex

    This just happened, and my heart is still beating like crazy.

    I was chilling on the couch, scrolling through instagram, when I heard my cat jumping down from his bed. He usually wants to go outside after sleeping, so I looked at him and said «you wanna go outside, buddy?» with my annoying cat-voice. He just looked at me, not answering, like a normal cat. I was ready to go let him out, but looked back at my phone for just a second. That’s when it hit me. I let him outside a few hours ago. I turned my head to look back at him in confusion, but he wasnt there.

    I went to the front door, and yep, he was outside and came running when I opened the door. I have no idea what just happened

    Alice in wonderland effect

    This happened a few days ago. My husband and I were at home, neither of us were intoxicated etc, just a normal evening. For reference, I’m 5’8″ and my husband is 5’7″; we’ve been together for years and know very well what the other looks like head on. I had gone to the kitchen to make a sandwich, and something felt off. I wasn’t sure what until my husband asked if I was taller than usual. I was flat footed and barefoot, but realized my viewpoint was as if I was on my tiptoes – I could see the top of the fridge, and my hips were above the kitchen counter. I turned to face my husband and he seemed much shorter to me than usual; our eyes are usually pretty close to even but they seemed much lower than mine. He says he felt like his height didn’t change at all, just mine.

    Understandably, we were both freaked out and were wandering around our apartment trying to figure out what was going on. Suddenly, everything felt right again and I returned to the kitchen; I could no longer see the top of the fridge and the counter was back even with my hips. My husband returned, and both of us looked “right” again to the other. It was like once we couldn’t see each other anymore, it fixed itself.

    I’ve heard of alice in wonderland syndrome before, but for it to happen where someone else can see it seems impossible. Has anyone else experienced anything like this or have any ideas?

    Unspoken communication

    Visited my BF’s parents in a city where I had never been before. We sat around in the kitchen talking and then his mother asked me to get her her scissors. I got up, went to the guest room dresser, opened the second drawer and got them out. There was no way I could have known where they were.

    Consciousness sharing / Transposition

    We were all completely sober , quick preface.

    I’m currently driving home from my lunch break so I’m using Siri to talk hopefully this makes sense. So back in the summer we had a huge friend trip to Lake Powell. For anyone that has been there you know it’s absolutely beautiful, anyways we were boating through the canyons and going deeper and deeper into the canyons lake Powell.

    At one point I thought in my mind something along the lines of “damn, this place is so beautiful it almost looks fake or like it was designed to look this way by something” when I started saying that in my mind, a friend turned around to me and said “dude, it feels like we’re in a movie and we are looking at movie props, it looks so fake” and I turned around and looked and and said “dude what the fuck did you just say? I was thinking the EXACT SAME THING.”

    We were both freaking out about it but then it got a little freakier. We were sitting at the back of the boat looking at our 10 or so friends standing up while the boat was slowly going through the canyons, and as I watched them looking at the scenery I experienced an altered state of conscience. The best way to describe it is the façade of the human experience was dropped and all of a sudden my friends looked like gods or angelic beings experiencing “earth” and just enjoying the moment.

    My friend turned to me and said, “dude, look at our friends, they’re so beautiful and alive, they look like angels!” And I knew at that moment we were both experiencing the same thing.

    The best way to describe what we saw, is it looked like we placed ourselves in a video game and were enjoying what we created. It’s super hard to describe this experience. If you’ve seen maze runner, you know how they make you forget everything before you go into the maze but yet you had an existence before? It felt like that! That nature of reality teased us and slightly withdrew, and we saw our friends and this earth for what it could truly be for a brief moment in time

    EDIT #1. I heard a story of a man who experienced something similar where at random times he also would “tap in” to this outside reality whilst being sober. He came up with a theory that human consciousness and our Brains can act like a Needle finding the groove on a vinyl record. Once we tune it specifically and find ourselves in this “groove” music can be played, or in other words, we can start experiencing some fascinating things. I have to find where I read this though, but supposedly it happens randomly to a lot of people!

    Superpowers

    I worked at Applebee’s and an older coworker told me he’d gotten in a car accident that left him with a scar and some brain damage. So he had memory problems, but also said he’d developed powers. He said he could get inside people’s heads and feel exactly what they were feeling, and could even influence their feelings, and also influence the objects around him. This seemed bizarre to me, and I thought him looney because of his brain damage. Well, a few weeks later we had a busy shift, and some customers pissed him off. I asked what was wrong and he shouted that they were assholes and gestured with his arm up in the air. At that instant on a table several feet away, everything flew off of it–plates, cups, napkin holder–everything! They hit the seat and wall, and I stood there shocked because no else was nearby. He didn’t even notice. I told him later, and he was embarrassed, saying when he got angry he couldnt control his powers. The guy got fired soon after and I never saw him again

    Premonitions

    One more and this one has happened to other people. You can even search this one up to hear their stories too. It’s dreams of 9/11, before it happened. It was 1999 and I had a dream about a plane and 2 tall buildings. A plane crashed into one. The next plane I’m on it, and talking to an older lady across from me. Next thing I know I’m out of the plane and I see it crash into the other building. Then there was an odd shaped building and a plane crashes near that too. A dream like that for me at 11yrs old was odd. Did I dream of 9/11? It still haunts me. Same year, I dreamt of a train crash, deadly one, it derailed badly. Woke in a cold sweat. Got up, go to living room, my mom turns the news on, then we both see a train accident, exactly what I just saw in my dream. I was so shocked, I wouldn’t speak that day. My mom even called a counselor to come over, but I still wouldn’t speak. And no, that news wasn’t on while I was asleep. It was breaking news. And it happened in another country

    Meeting dead people

    A beautiful thing happened to me a week after my dad died. I had slept at my mums house with my 2 youngest kids to keep my mum company, we all slept in the living room, I was on the couch and the kids were on the sofa bed. I was dreaming that I woke up and my dad was standing over me smiling. I told him he looked like one of my brothers and he just smiled wider but didn’t speak. I could see all this from above like I wasn’t looking out of my eyes but watching from above. When I woke up I was in the exact position I had been in in my dream and my kids were too. Its probably nothing just my subconscious showing me what I wanted to be real, but I like to think it was real and he was showing me he was still there.

    A visit from Dad

    Not too long after my dad died, I was sleeping on the couch and my mom on the floor of the living room. She suddenly woke up and saw my dad standing off to the side watching me. She called his name and he looked over at her and disappeared. Story 2: I graduated college a month after my brother died. My brother was a very silly and goofy person by nature. As I was walking with my classmates to our seats at the beginning of the ceremony my mom took a video of me and mentioned that my brother was here with us. I don’t think my brother ever went to my campus before he died either. When we looked back to the video we see the screen just contorting going every which direction until filming was stopped. It seemed like my brother was just trying to mess with me one last time.

    Loss of a loved one

    The only “supernatural” thing thats happen to me and I don’t quite know if its my psyche or really happened. My half brother who i was quite close with took his life nearly 11 years ago now. I was absolutely devastated when I found out the next day. The night before (when he was dieing) i had this absolute horribly bad feeling in my chest and i kept saying to my husband “something doesn’t feel right….something really bad is happening. I forever regret not calling family members to check on them all and have tremendous guilt over it. I feel like God was trying to tell me and I just didn’t realize.

    So what is going on?

    Answer: “Many things”.

    When I generate a flat terrain topographical map to illustrate the pre-birth world-line template, I just describe it as a simple frame of dots connected by lines. In reality, there are “other things” also present. Maybe best described as a kind of “cloud like” area that pulls, tugs, or alters the movement through certain sections of MWI travel.

    I will cover all that later on.

    I guess the point is that humans don’t really understand our reality very well.

    Oh. We think that we do, but we do not. And if we pay attention and listen to the experiences of others, we can see elements of our reality and the lives that we live.

    I have some insight as to what could possibly be going on, but I do not have all the answers. Perhaps some astute MM reader might do some sleuthing and come up with some ideas or conclusions where I cannot provide insight.

    In any event, I do hope that you enjoyed this post.

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    Some rambling thoughts on what my MAJestic purpose(s) were. Because on the surface nothing really makes sense.

    This article is a bit of a ramble-on meandering stream of disjointed thoughts and wanderings. It concerns the WTF concept and idea that the USN would take a Naval Aviator, implant them, train them to interface with an artifice, and then let them wander about the United States as an “average Joe” experiencing life. It makes no sense, and then to be “retired” in the manner that I have (previously) described, adds complexity to a really basic question. What was this all about?

    And yes, I have mentioned all this before.

    Nothing makes sense

    I described my experiences. I described my travels. I described my work experience. I described how the systems worked. I described my “retirement”, and I described what I know of our benefactors, and their understanding of the universe. I’ve described it all.

    But yet none of it makes sense.

    I mean, I can understand that it doesn’t make sense to “sheeple”. They are automatons that are born and bred to serve. But it just doesn’t make sense to me. I mean, come on, even the bullshit narratives of “Space Marines”, and “Reptilians” make better sense.

    There’s no clear cut answers.

    Instead, all I find myself doing is writing reams upon reams of lore here on MM. And I seem to be driven to describe things related to how the universe works, and how thoughts work, and the quantum aspects of our associations within this nursery that the human species seems to be so damn attached to.

    What’s the point?

    What’s the point?

    I am reminded of a scene from the Woody Allen movie “Annie Hall”.

    Annie Hall is one of the truest, most bittersweet romances on film. In it, Allen plays a thinly disguised version of himself: Alvy Singer, a successful--if neurotic--television comedian living in Manhattan. 
    
    Annie (the wholesomely luminous Dianne Keaton) is a Midwestern transplant who dabbles in photography and sings in small clubs. 
    
    When the two meet, the sparks are immediate--if repressed. 
    
    Alone in her apartment for the first time, Alvy and Annie navigate a minefield of self-conscious "is-this-person-someone-I'd-want-to-get-involved-with?" conversation. 
    
    As they speak, subtitles flash their unspoken thoughts: the likes of "I'm not smart enough for him" and "I sound like a jerk." 
    
    Despite all their caution, they connect, and we're swept up in the flush of their new romance. 
    
    Allen's antic sensibility shines here in a series of flashbacks to Alvy's childhood, growing up, quite literally, under a rumbling roller coaster. 
    
    His boisterous Jewish family's dinner table shares a split screen with the WASP-y Hall's tight-lipped holiday table, one Alvy has joined for the first time. 
    
    His position as outsider is uncontestable he looks down the table and sizes up Annie's "Grammy Hall" as "a classic Jew-hater." The relationship arcs, as does Annie's growing desire for independence. 
    
    It quickly becomes clear that the two are on separate tracks, as what was once endearing becomes annoying. 
    
    Annie Hall embraces Allen's central themes--his love affair with New York (and hatred of Los Angeles), how impossible relationships are, and his fear of death. 
    
    But their balance is just right, the chemistry between Allen's worry-wart Alvy and Keaton's gangly, loopy Annie is one of the screen's best pairings. It couldn't be more engaging. 
    
    --Susan Benson

    In the scene a young Woody Allen is seeing a (school) psychologist because he doesn’t seem to be interested in anything. No matter what his parents or his teachers do, he just cannot get motivated. The dialog goes like this…

    Indeed.

    If the universe is going to expand in a hundred trillion, billion years, and then all collapse upon it’s self a trillion, trillion leaders later…

    ….What’s the point?

    Yeah. The movie is a trip. If you haven’t seen it, go ahead and watch it. It’s pretty bizarre, and I must of watched it about four times while in University.

    Alvy Singer:  You know, even as a kid, I always went for the wrong women. I think that's my problem. When my mother took me to see Snow White, everyone fell in love with Snow White. I immediately fell for the Wicked Queen.

    So, all jokes aside, I’ve been wondering about all this.

    Nothing makes sense to me.

    The harsh retirement just doesn’t seem to fit. The purposes, as I understand it to be doesn’t seem to fit either. I mean (to say), “Anchoring world-lines”, heck! Most people don’t even know what the population of the United States is, and I’m supposed to describe a role in manipulation of world-line clusters?

    When I lived in Arkansas, they actually thought that Boston was a city outside of Kentucky. I kid you not. They didn’t even know how many inches were in a foot, or how many inches were in a meter for goodness sakes!

    And yet, I am to try to explain all this…!

    And what I do end up explaining is so fundamental simple that it defies the imagination the I would be tasked to write on about it. Like “time” for instance, or the relation of the non-physical to the physical. Or how different species think differently, or even the very nature of thoughts! All of these things are so obvious that it doesn’t make sense that I would configured as some sort of tool to disseminate this information.

    The point is really clear.

    Why am I tasked to explain the outrageously simple to my fellow humans via this venue?

    After all, and it seems quite clear right now, that the PTB that rule over the levers of power (that ultimately control MAJ) do not give a flying fuck about Americans, humanity, knowledge or spirit. They just do not care.

    They. Just. Do. Not Care.

    So it makes little sense (to me) that they would allow or approve of my “retirement”, yet at the same time making it so that I must continually and passionately  discharge, and de-gorge my “knowledge” to the public. They do not care. They make no money off of it.

    Why set me to full-on gouge?

    Questions

    An influencer asked this question…

    “Likewise, something doesn't sit right with me when the Gov takes its best, brightest, and most competitive aviators & engineers, put's 'em through a brutal career including war, implants, and obscene responsibilities, and then turns around and wants to put 'em in the garbage disposal when they go to retire.  That is really bizarre.  Maybe you can write more about that one of these days. “
    

    Indeed. And I pretty much responded much like this…

    Indeed, to me it seems like America and many of it’s agencies are run by psychopathic idiots or… perhaps (better yet)  sycophants appointed by psychopathic idiots. It really seems that way.

    What was my purpose?

    What was it? To anchor world-lines?

    Well, if that was the case, perhaps the MAJestic leadership could have found more “average” folk to perform that “heavy lifting”. It seems that in that particular role, being average was a mandated requirement. So it just doesn’t seem that the performance criteria was all that well mapped out … if that was the sole objective.

    Perhaps THIS is the sole objective. THIS, right now, all this…..

    Maybe this MM is the sole accumulation of over forty years in MAJestic. Maybe my purpose is to (for what ever reason)  is to help the human species understand their place in a universe that is way outside of their ability to grasp. Maybe its to help give a little nudge towards some pretty fundamental understandings that most humans haven’t a clue about. Maybe…

    Maybe…

    Or, maybe not.

    Really. What’s the point of a mechanic realizes that thoughts can bend reality? What benefit does mankind obtain when a Uber Driver knows that time is nothing more than the accumulation of world-line travels? What benefit to mankind is it that there are different kinds of sentience, and that there are approved archetypes? How important is it that a carpenter, a computer technician, an accountant, a bus driver, and a housewife understands that we humans are growing and learning inside a policed nursery?

    Nothing, I must add, really is all that clear.

    The entire internet is filled with hordes of folk that are selling “snake oil” to a gullible audience. Some of it is “magic crystals”, some of it is “advice about reptilians”, some of it is “how to get rich”, while others talk about other things…

    Ai!

    And then to top it all off…

    …what about my retirement. I mean, I get it. MAJ outsources the retirement. Just take the “best and brightest” and then when you are finished your toss them out into the dumpster with no fanfare. I mean, that’s the “American Way”, as illustrated in such timeless classic movies and “Office space” and “Joe vs the Volcano“.

    But seriously, do you do that to people who you have invested millions, of not billions of dollars, on?

    It’s like the spoiled, petulant child that pulls a temper tantrum and destroys the massive big-screen television by throwing an iPad at it. Everything is gone and wasted, and the child continues in complete oblivion as to the value and worth of the loss.

    A discussion with a friend

    I was having a discussion with a friend, not too long ago. In it we were talking about certain people we knew, and certain bosses. And one of the things that kept on cropping up was the idea that there are these people, bosses, people in power, that have zero ability to emote or see the consequences of their acitions.

    As my friend said…

    "A guy works for twenty years. You know his family, you see him day in and day out. you go through good times and bad times together. Then well, you need to cut head count. So you fire him. And that's that. And suddenly he no longer exists."

    And there is no remorse. No compassion. No guilt. No understanding. It’s almost like you press the DEL key and Poof! all your association with him is gone in a nano-second.

    Yeah. We know that these people abound.

    What is so absolutely frightening is just how common it is in the United States today that they exist, and that they are thriving within enormous positions of absolute power.

    Merit advancement only so far

    It appears that advancement through merit only goes so far. Then you hit a “glass ceiling”, and you just cannot pass through that barrier. For above you lies the realm of the “special” people, and you do not belong there.

    In that realm, other rules apply.

    It’s sort of like this…

    It seems like you must work really hard to be promoted though merit to get anywhere in America today. Then when you have achieved so much, there is this invisible glass ceiling that you hit. And no matter what you do, you cannot break through that invisible barrier.

    Now above that barrier are the “anointed ones”. These are the people who are appointed by the upper-level bosses. We often don’t know what the appointment criteria is because many of them are absolutely clueless. I call them “the toadies”.

    And of course, the “Bosses” are over all.

    And that is how it appears the United States works today.

    Sorry to say.

    That is the impression that I get.

    Answers

    And with that impression comes some answers. You see, as long as you believe that the systems in place for control, power and advancement are the same for everyone, then my story and my experience makes no sense.

    But, when you come to the conclusion that the leadership is stratified, and that each strata has it’s own set of systems for advancement, control, monitoring and understandings, then EVERYTHING falls into place. The toadies could care less about the underlings below them. They no more care about them than a cow cares about ants in the grass. Check off some boxes, and move on. No need to stop and take heed.

    And when I look at things in that manner, it all makes sense. Everything makes sense.

    The US elite, as the stupidest ruling class in the world, won't be able to stop relative or absolute decline.
    
    Yup! Main reason is because the American ruling class is one that does not deserve to be in that class. Just look at the top layer of people in that class. They are no more than mouthpieces having memorized buzz words and cliches, who got to where they are because of the stupidity of a dumbified populace. Oh, the same can be said of the rest of the so-called West.
    
    -Posted by: Oriental Voice | Mar 3 2021 19:28 utc | 35

    And you can pretty much see the overall scheme of things. Right?

    The Leadership are appointees

    Yup, and they put their sycophant toadies in top levels of their organizations.

    Here's a nice rambling rant along these lines, more or less from the Burning Platform blog. It is titled The ship of Theseus.  Reprinted as found. All credit to the author. Edited to fit this venue, and I do believe that it's a pretty good read.

    “Here is a rule to remember in the future when anything tempts you to feel bitter: not ‘This is misfortune’, but ‘To bear this worthily is good fortune.’”Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

    Somewhere between elementary school and fifth grade my parents bought a townhouse in a brand-new community built on a former farm field in East Windsor. The development was named Twin Rivers and it sat about a half a mile from Exit 8 of the New Jersey Turnpike. The project was designed to capitalize on commuters to NYC fifty miles to the north and young Boomer families fleeing the urban jungle of the late 1960’s.

    The word townhouse makes it sound sophisticated, but it was just a plywood box in a long string of plywood boxes banged out under the Mid-Atlantic sun by the last of the old-school tradesmen that dominated the sprawl of suburbia; Italian masons, Polish plumbers, Piney carpenters. In the field in front of my house they built a monstrosity of a school, a squatting, gold, geodesic dome fixed to the ground like a cross between a UFO and a Bucky Fuller fever dream.

    It was called the Ethel McKnight School after a local teacher who had served the community for over 45 years. For her efforts she received, as a token of respect and admiration, the world’s noisiest, hottest, asbestos-sprayed middle school, named in her honor.

    We’d moved in from our former residence at Northgate Garden Apartments which featured no gardens and served as a gate to an endless plain of potato farms that happened to be to the north. We were, by today’s standards, fairly low on the economic ladder and the new home in a slightly nicer location was a mark of my parent’s upward mobility. It cost them a whopping twenty-seven thousand dollars and it was a stripped-down minimalist dwelling, but it had two floors and basement with a backyard-not much larger than a one car garage surrounded by fence to separate from the neighbors on either side.

    I had my own room; my parents had a bigger one with its own bathroom and from the moment they moved in they went at it, one project after another to turn it into our own home. I spent most of my time in those first couple of months before school started exploring my surroundings. At the end of the row of houses that marked Bennington Drive was a freshly dug lake filled with murky brown water and snapping turtles. All of the streets had historical names based on the American Revolution as a way of giving some history to what was otherwise a brand-new town.

    The place was saturated with history. I regularly picked up jasper arrowheads and grooved axes pecked from river cobbles in the adjoining field, ancient relics turned up by brand new activity and I kept them lined neatly on the shelves above my desk. Sometimes I’d turn up white, lead musket balls and verdigris colonial coppers, bits of broken Delftware, and blackened silver shoe buckles, wondering about the people who’d left them behind and where they’d gone. Just up the road was the site of Washington’s decisive blow against the retreating British columns at the battle of Monmouth, and on the other side of Route 1 to the west was Princeton where my own ancestors had fought so long ago.

    And everywhere you looked there were scores of granite monuments and weathered memorial plaques commemorating one famous colonial figure or another. Washington Slept Here was an actual sign planted in the middle of Quaker Bridge Road, rooted beside a massive oak tree that had stood there for at least three centuries until it was removed years later, disappeared into the bowels of some State of New Jersey storage locker, the tree soon to follow to make room for more lanes, for more cars.

    My father had taken a job with a Wall Street helping to integrate a computer language for business named COBOL into the mainframe computers that were just beginning to come on line. He took the bus every morning to Port Authority and in the evenings my mother and I would drive to the parking lot of Mom’s Peppermill and wait for him to climb off the orange and black striped Suburban Express, his pant cuffs filled with pale yellow punched tape chads.

    Those years were, for me at least, the idyllic American childhood. I rode my bike, a blue Schwinn Stingray Deluxe with a banana seat and a sissy bar to deliver The Trenton Times to a couple dozen customers every morning of the week and twice that number on Sundays. I don’t remember how much I earned, it couldn’t have been much, but I remember having money of my own, of being able to buy a slice of pizza- only thirty-five cents, that I recall- and a cold 8 oz. Coca-Cola in the green glass bottle for another dime.

    I held on to some of the change I earned, Mercury dimes and Standing Liberty quarters, not because they were made of silver, but because they looked like Roman coins to me; classic, beautiful. I didn’t like the Roosevelt dimes because they had little ridges, called reeding, that ran around the perimeter and because right down the road there was a gigantic sculpture of his head in the town bearing his name right on the edge of Lake Etra and every time we passed by it to go to the lumber yard, I’d look at his baleful stare, looking out across the lily pads like he was watching a bobber waiting for a strike.

    I could never understand why they’d put that pensive face on a coin instead of the graceful Mercury with his winged cap and I have held a strange grudge ever since. And so, I grew up there for a time, solitary mostly, studiously aware of the world around me, imbued by the long trail of people that had been here before me, their artifacts and statues scattered about.

    In the field between our home and the school was an old MIG, a captured North Korean jet stripped down to nothing more than the fuselage and canopy, dropped there on a small concrete pad by the local VFW post for kids to climb on. The skin was a sun-scorched olive drab and on each wing, there was a faded red start that vibrated in contrast to the rest. It was pretty big to an 11-year-old and I’d seen more than a few kids take a bad fall from the wings, divots of kid skin dug out on the raised rivets and bolts, heads split open climbing in and out of the derelict cockpit, little tufts of children’s hair sprouting from every metal snag.

    Beyond that sat my school, its gilded dome oddly reminiscent of the shells on the giant snappers that lurked in the muddy lake beside it. I could walk across the field in a couple of minutes and be home before the rest of the kids finished filling the seats on the bus each afternoon. That year featured a lot of fragmented memories, some of which were clear as day to me half a century later while others remain concealed by a darkness that never abates.

    At night the radio in my room played a mix of AM music that came in clear as a bell, 77 WABC and Cousin Brucie playing a constant mix of the greatest music I had ever heard; Black Magic Woman, The Long and Winding Road, Your Song, Green-Eyed Lady and The Tears of a Clown. The songs were always about some kind of love, but there was an innocence to it that fit the time, from I Want You Back sung by a kid my own age, to the heartbreaking words of a much older lady who’d lost out again in One Last Bell to Answer.

    I would listen to those tunes, memorizing every line and then just before I fell asleep, I’d turn the dial to WOR and listen to Jean Shepherd from the opening music, the trumpet trill from some far off race track that led into the heart pumping tempo of Authur Fiedler and the Boston Pops knocking out one minute and fifty-seven seconds of Richard Stauss’ Bahn Frei Polka. He’d shill for a few minutes for his sponsor, General Tires (sooner or later you’ll own General) and then he’d launch into yet another nightly shaggy dog story from his own childhood in far off Gary, Indiana, an impossibly wonderful and far off place from my darkened bedroom in central New Jersey.

    A few years later my parents moved us again. My mother had taken a course in bookkeeping at Trenton State College and began to do work for a string of shady businesses along Route 130. A banana importer with a name right out of a Scorcese movie and an aluminum siding sales company that morphed into an above ground swimming pool company when the weather warmed up. There was a retired boxer and sometime mentioned in the newspapers Gambino associate that had a couple of car washes and a TV rental outfit that did an early version of the check cashing business on the side and half dozen others besides.

    I have no idea if my mother knew about the kind of work she was doing but there’s no way she couldn’t and now, looking back on her life through the rearview mirror of the years since she died, there’s no doubt that she was both smart enough and shrewd enough to parlay that skill set to our benefit. She had been born into abject poverty moving as she described it, from pillar to post her entire life until she met my father and fell in love. My father for his part continued to please his employers with his acumen and capacity to solve complex problems simply.

    Eventually my parents, who’d married as teenagers and with nothing, bought a beautiful home in Princeton where I spent my teenage years attending a celebrated prep school and reaping the benefits of the American dream come to fruition. I went from memorizing the times tables and dressing like a pilgrim each Autumn, to learning Latin that I cannot forget even though I cannot use it; bo, bis, bit, bamus, bantus, bantur. I, isti, it, imus, istus, erunt.

    My parents, descended from 11 generations of impoverished founders that struggled from the first colonies on the edge of the Hudson and the Millstone and through the centuries that followed, had finally reached the Promised Land. Where they had spent their lives sitting down to supper in the kitchen, we could now eat our dinner in the dining room.

    Plutarch told the story of ship which sailed under Theseus and the youth of Athens, returned from Crete and continued to sail until the time of Demetrious Phalereus. And in that time whenever the boards would rot or the oars grow old, each piece was replaced one by one, over time until no part of that original ship remained, but that ship appeared to all who looked upon it to be the same as she ever was from the outside.

    Philosophers Heraclitus, Plato, Plutarch, Hobbes and Locke have revisited the question over time, questioning that it either was or was not the same ship and thus the paradox arose. Old things go away, and once the living die. What was real becomes a memory, and then is forgotten, leaving little more than shards and fragments from which we can only surmise at their original purpose.

    I did not turn out as my mother had hoped. I did well in school, nearly aced the SAT’s bound for an Ivy League education and shot for the gold ring but I chose to follow another path and enlisted in the Army to become a paratrooper, just like my uncle had. I wanted to serve my country like the long line of men in my family who’d gone before me, fighting and sometimes dying in places like Pleiku and Anzio, Kasserine and The Somme, Fredricksburg and Trenton.

    I had, like all those singers I had listened to on the radio in my room at night, fallen in love, not with a girl but with my country, or at least the image I had of it in my mind. All of those trips to the Shore with its salty air and thundering waves and the moonlit drives home through the Pine Barrens, the picnics at Washington’s Crossing on the Delaware, the sight of New York City rising in the distance like some modern Camelot on those day trips my father would take us on, to see the museums and shop at Macy’s and FAO Schwartz, they all added up to something much bigger than any ambition my mother may have had for me.

    And I followed it along gladly, expectantly, filled with pride, resolute. The tales told by my relatives under the apple tree in my grandparent’s yard while the sky dimmed and lightning bugs glowed, the hikes up to Bowman’s Tower not far from the old glassworks where my great-grandfather drowned, the camp-outs in backyards, the squirrel hunts with .22’s and later, frosty mugs of Stewart’s root beer brought to you on a tray they’d hook to the driver’s side window while you sat on the big leather seats in the big green Dodge and listening to the gentle sound of a parent’s laughter on a Summer night, they weighed more than the Universe in the balance of life as I rode the scale from the bottom to the top and back down again.

    Near the end of my grandfather’s life, he told me that he was ready to go. He said that he had outgrown his time and I joked with him that he had years left, even at 95. I have spent my lifetime in love with my country but that is not the same thing as it once was. I feel like that woman singing that song about having one less bell to answer, one less egg to fry. I don’t choke up at the National Anthem anymore and the military haircut I have worn my entire adult life has grown out like the old man banging the drum in The Spirit of ’76, not out of fashion, but because no one will cut my hair unless I wear a mask.

    I have become an anachronism in the country of my birth and every part of the contract I had between what I was taught to respect and uphold, to serve and protect has been breached and in bad faith, not by me, but my own government, by my own people. They have moved on to some other place while I march on to the beat of a different drummer, another time. It’s not easy to become an anachronism, but I understand my grandfather’s words now in a way I could never have known then.

    I drove into Boston with my son today to visit a friend and to look at a greenhouse to dismantle and bring back home. It has been a good while since I have left the farm, never mind visit a city, but it was a shock to me. Everyone wearing their masks, resignedly, in complete capitulation to some obscene diktat that makes a mockery of everything I have ever believed about freedom, about liberty.

    It broke my heart, not for me, but for the future my children will inherit. And though I kept it to myself the entire drive home, I could not help but wish for another outcome, a different course that we could have taken somewhere along the way. But this is our time and so I will make the very best of it that I can so that my children will have the kind of memories I have before they too discover those truths that everyone must at some point face.

    America is the ship of Theseus. For all appearances it resembles the country in which I was born, in which my father and his father before him were born, grew up, lived and prospered in, but it has been replaced, board by board, nail by nail, until it is a paradox built of nothing more than memories of what it once was.

    Oh isn’t that the truth?

    Yes it is.

    And people are getting FED UP with the United States today. Consider this rant by Frank Scott…

    Ring Out The Old: Ring In The Old

    By Frank Scott

    While our sacred democracy was allegedly being served by a stupid attempt to unsuccessfully impeach an ex-president for the second time and essentially tell more than 70 million Americans that they might as well vote for Pavlov, FDR, Hitler or Oprah Winfrey since any alleged exercise of supposed freedom on their part would be meaningless in the rape of language we call a democracy.

    You know, the one with a billionaire class getting richer by the second and Americans across the board sinking lower by the minute.

    But enough good news, let’s move on to the even better signs of our political economic progress against logic, morality and majority rule, something that vanished in practice the moment our euro ancestors arrived and the people who’d lived here for millennia were brutally forced out of their homelands.

    The world’s most expensive medical wealth-care system has killed more than 500,000 Americans while we’re being told that China has only created protection for its people that makes us look like bloodthirsty private profit fanatics because it is run by authoritarians and isn’t a sacred democracy like ours.

    You know, the one where your vote and mine are equal to the vote of any billionaire, if you believe nose picking is a way to perform a self lobotomy or you are a venture capitalist interested in a start up called Butt Coin which operates on a revolutionary AI system (Amoral Intelligence) called Blockhead.

    Its stock just went up 23 billion points ten minutes ago so college graduates should start investing and show just how good your education was and how strong your belief is in capitalist democracy.

    After all, how can any formally indoctrinated American not appreciate the incredible logic of our free market in which milk is more expensive than gasoline.

    What could make more economic sense?

    Milk comes from a cow, which produces more of it on a daily basis while petroleum takes millions of years to reproduce its supply. Even without consideration of either ones affect on the environment, that makes at least as much sense as nose picking self-lobotomies.

    Or are you one of those deplorables concerned about our environment and the market green profit ventures said to be our only hope for useless long-term change to save humanity and not just its upper classes?

    Who is most responsible for creating the destruction of nature reduced to a branding title of Climate Change?

    A menacing American socialist gang has pointed out that the wealthiest billion people on earth produce 60% of greenhouse gases while the poorest billion produce only 5%.

    But who can trust a murderous institution like The National Academy of Sciences?

    Worse, another unholy representative of global communism reports that the tens of trillions of dollars in debt carried by earth residents collectively – whether we like it or not – represent a threat to the entire human race while the 2,000 richest people on earth have amassed more wealth than 4.5 billon human beings combined.

    But who can believe a communist conglomeration of the richest institutions on earth and calling itself The World Bank?

    Both institutions were talking about something much bigger than the egocentric American chosen people mythology since we play a major role in creating that inequality but also suffering it, with a public debt of 19 trillion and private debt of 27 trillion.

    And if we believe, as too many of us still do, in what consciousness control and its professional staff of mind managers tell us, it’s all due to greedy union labor getting far too much in wages, salaries and pensions while a struggling investor class has to wait anxious moments for their deliveries of pet food, cosmetics, weapons, bitcoins, jewelry, and leisure wear.

    And this with union membership which has been dwindling for the past forty years under assault by minority capital while the affluent top ten percent has seen its wealth skyrocket with the support of that same minority.

    Isn’t the free market a marvel of democracy?

    Yes, if you are among those who find rape a cost effective form of dating that avoids dinner and a movie and gets right to the sex.

    While pondering this, be sure to participate in a round of democratic marketing called the 2022 elections with requests for money…

    … the real stuff of our financially sacred democracy…

    … coming along with any and all messages about how we need to elect progressives or regressives to maintain the system of two party politics that makes sure the capitalist market continues…

    …setting us against one another to prevent us from ever uniting as a people…

    …and not a collection of reduced-to-less-than human minorities who compete with one another across identity groups with common interest…

    ….hidden by the tiniest minority in the country: the incredibly richest of the rich and their wealthy – and diverse –   servant class.

    The warfare state continues without the fiery if intellectually empty rhetoric of the last president replaced by the most recent who quietly, if he had any idea what the hell was going on, presided over another bombing of a foreign country- Syria- to protect American lives.

    Those not yet reduced to total brain death under the abuse of consciousness by anti-social corporate and personal media might well ask: what the hell are Americans doing in Syria?

    And if there are Syrians in America does Syria now have the right to bomb America in their defense?

    But logic has no place in our government market where laws of political supply and demand assure continued profits for the tiny ruling minority and its well-paid servants in corporate business.

    The real menace, we are warned by the triumphant sector of the ruling class representing the best educated bigots in America, are terrifying groups with names that make them sound like gay dance troupes.

    Of course the horrible fears we are taught to react to when told of blood thirsty white supremacist* groups like the “Proud Boys” are nothing compared to the corporate investor class which would never dream of attacking our revered national capital: they already own it.

    Make no mistake, the new team at the helm of our titanic ship of state isn’t nearly as dumb, domestically, as the last egotist led cabal with a leader who at least spoke like a populist while acting like a pampered rich brat.

    But the warfare state in which Israel exercises far more power in our sacred democracy than the average American citizen, will continue and hundreds of billions of our tax dollars will be rubber stamped by a hired staff of corporadoes in order to fend off alleged menaces like China…

    … which has ended urban poverty in a population of more than 850 million…

    … three times greater than our total, while we suffer rising poverty among millions of families in a population of less than 330 million.

    Quick, more bombs, death rays, drones, and especially propaganda from our free press which is available for a price, like the bombs, pet food, health care, entertainment, sports and democracy like no other in the world.

    We have a new board of directors which still serves the same corporation with an experienced if nearly addle pated leader replacing the most dangerous one ever…

    …in that he bluntly acted as the boorish at best murderous at worst executive of an imperial danger to humanity…

    …masked as a democracy by psycho-neurotic therapists and other professionals.

    Every few years we are indulged in moving from fundamentalist theologians of the market-church to fundamentalist economists of the church-market and we call that belief system our democracy.

    Who else can perform self-lobotomies and pay more for milk than gasoline?

    Just wait until the pandemic is overcome, more likely if we asked China to help us organize a more cooperative…

    …than individualistic gang of identity groups, each with beliefs that it transcends humanity…

    …and will best be served by accepting slavery as long as it works in the house and not in the fields.

    No wonder China is such a menace to the gods of capital when it ought to be a lesson to the people of earth.

    Especially Americans who are propagandized by their mind managers to mind too many other people’s business in imperial fashion while being told it’s all about democracy.

    You know, like cheap gas, self-lobotomies and all that other good stuff.

    The real thing and the demand for it is growing, worldwide, and the sooner we end our alienated domination and begin working together as members of the one and only human race, the better for the future.

    And that future cannot be run, as it still is, for the benefit of private profit but for the public good.

    *White supremacist and white privilege are among the favorite all-encompassing labels attached to lesser beings by people of higher intellectual and moral awareness made obvious by the fact that they are all members of the more privileged bigot class.

    email: fpscott@gmail.com Frank Scott writes  political commentary and satire which appears online at the blog Legalienate  http://legalienate.blogspot.com)  

    Brilliant!

    But what about today?

    It’s one thing, me writing about my experiences and the seemingly disjointed, and off-scale, way that I was “retired”, and another thing entirely about how you (the reader) and your friends and family deal with this situation. Yes, the USA is sinking. And yes, 2020 was a God-awful year. And ye, there are so many things going on…

    …and the “news’ is amplifying everything to a fever pitch WTF? What is going on?

    I’ll tell you. Listen up.

    They want you IN A STATE OF PANIC. Then, while you are in a “reactive” and “receptive” mode, they can do what ever they want. Just like the shock after the 9-11 event, had George Bush create the largest police state in history, and clamp down all all the bill of rights. When people are scared, or in a state of panic, they are easily led; easily manipulated.

    The corrupt leadership, the PTB and their toadies want this.

    Please do not feel that way. It’s not as bad as it appears. Not by a long shot.
    So, one of the first things that you MUST do is stop reading “news”. Alternative, Right, Left, Foreign. What ever. Please stop. It’s got so much bullshit that no one is getting accurate and timely information. And much of that is exactly that lies, distortions and just plain bullshit.
    Look back through history, did any of the howling and screeching narrative come to pass?
    • Y2K. When your toaster would burn your house down. Your radio would start yelling at you.
    • 3G radiation. Yes. that dangerous 3G radiation would cause you to have radiation burns on your brain, seizures, and cancer.
    • Mad Cow. Yup, one day you are eating a hamburger, the next moment you go to work and don’t know how to turn on your computer.
    • WMD. Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction, one of the largest armies in the world, and desperately wants to kill American infidels!
    • TikTok. Watching cat videos is a forms of sly mind control. Before you know it, they will take over our “democracy”!

    And now…

    • COVID Vaccine. It’s dangerous, and can cause cancer. It’s a way to alter DNA and turn Americans into mind-controlled robot sheeple!

    Hey! I’ve got news for you all. Most Americans are already “mind controlled sheeple”. So don’t get all hot and bothered about it. Ok?

    The ruling class wants the citizenry in a state of panic.

    That is what is going on.

    For you to survive this period of time you need to be calm, and frosty. You need to be able to know and see what is going on, and do so as a third-person observer so that you can handle the changes as they arrive. Don’t be the freaked out pet that starts running across a busy four lane intersection in panic. Be alert, be aware. Be calm.

    The Lathe of Heaven

    America is collapsing, and it’s every-person for themself. Or so it appears…
    There was this movie called The Lathe of Heaven. It’s based on a science fiction story by Ursula K. Le Guin.
     
    In a future world racked by violence and environmental catastrophes, George Orr wakes up one day to discover that his dreams have the ability to alter reality. He seeks help from Dr. William Haber, a psychiatrist who immediately grasps the power George wields. Soon George must preserve reality itself as Dr. Haber becomes adept at manipulating George’s dreams for his own purposes.
     
    So get this… when this guy falls asleep, his dreams are so strong that he switches world-lines and arrives on the reality that he dreamed about. Yikes! And of course if he has a nightmare he wakes up to a nightmare, and if he has a happy dream, he wakes up to a happy life.
    Well, this guy sees what is happening and decides to hypnotize him and thus be able to manually control what the world will become… all with good intentions, don’t you know. But of course, everything goes to shit.
    In so many ways this resembles the world that we are inhabiting right now. Big, rich and powerful people are controlling things, and others are trying to sound the alarm. All of it is like a slow-motion car wreck and it’s terrifying. It really is. Our lives, our mental health, our families, our incomes are all disrupted. We don’t know what to do and we are going and moving towards a panic state.
    You are in this state right now.
    And it is awful.
    A must see for science fiction fans - be careful what you dream about Dilip12 
    March 2001
    
    I had public television on several days ago (March 10, 2001) and "Lathe of Heaven" was starting on their series "Movies Worth Taping". I'm glad I happened to turn the TV on, as it was a movie well worth watching! It was made in 1987 as the first made-for-public-TV film, and is based on a novel by Ursula Le Guin.
    
    This movie explores the notion of "effective dreaming", where one's dreams actually come true. It explores the strange dreams of George Orr (Bruce Davison). When he has these dreams, he wakes to find that his dreamt-up situations are now not only reality, but other people suddenly have adapted as if this reality has been with the world for some time.
    
    George is traumatized by these dreams, and seeks the help of Dr. William Haber (Kevin Conway). Dr. Haber's intentions are good, to harness the power of these effective dreams to the betterment of the world, but he clearly abuses the doctor-patient relationship and hypnotizes George to have specific kinds of dreams. One motto of this film might be "be careful what you dream about"!
    
    I found the special effects sometimes interesting, but often heavy-handed and not so smoothly executed. The setting, sometime in the near future in Portland, Oregon, was inexplicably dreary, beyond the rain that the city is well known for. The character development could have been stronger, with ancillary characters like Dr. Haber's secretary and the very few others seeming to be made out of cardboard and lacking emotion. George and Heather LeLache (Margaret Avery), however, enjoyed more solid and believable depictions.
    
    In spite of these criticisms, the film was an exciting journey into inner space that indulges us to think about deep philosophical questions.
    
    What is reality?
    
    Are there parallel realities?
    
    What is or should be knowable about the nature of existence (to me reminiscent a bit of "2010", one of my favorite science fiction films)?
    
    What happens if we dream each other into or out of reality?
    
    "The greatest good for the greatest number" or rights of the individual?
    
    Can we design a utopia or will we be doomed to experience accidents we never considered that render such a proposed utopia much less than ideal?
    “The Lathe of Heaven” doesn’t have the fresh and exciting visual effects of earlier science fiction films like “2001” or later ones, but is an interesting film that is a must see for science fiction fans.
    Interesting look at the consequences of playing god. 
    
    maochichi
    22 June 2000
    
    This was finally re-shown here on OPB in Portland during the spring membership drive after it's first and only showing in 1980 or so (apparently it was the most requested show of all time) and it is a rather effective piece of science fiction.
    
    George Orr, a simple man by most standards, has dreams that change the world, and after overdosing on drugs trying to quell these dreams, he is charged to the care of Dr. Haber -- a well meaning and philanthropic therapist. Dr. Haber recognizes George's ability to change the future via dreaming of alternate realities, and he adopts a plan to create a perfect world by suggesting dreams of ridding humanity of the scourges that plague it (overpopulation, racism, war, etc) to George through hypnosis.
    
    The world created by George and Dr. Haber is alternately perfect and irrevocably flawed as it is soon revealed that the consequences fixing one problem that plagues humanity only creates another equally serious dilemma. George in his simplicity realizes that there is no "perfect world", and that the meaning of human existence is not necessarily to create a perfect world, a concept that Dr. Haber fails to grasp.
    If there is one movie that I can suggest best represents what is going on TODAY, it is this movie.
    It really is.
    Powerful, rich people. People who have evolved to be something else (other than human) and want to redo, remake the world into their idea of utopia are pushing all the buttons, and removing all the stops to make it happen. They are purposely inciting panic. They are purposely trying to alter the thinking patterns of people.
    The good news is that it is all an illusion.
    It really is. Sure things are happening, but what is happening regarding you, and your family will not, and does not resemble the narrative that you are reading about.

    Step by step

    So the first thing that you must do is turn off “THE NOISE”. Stop the “news” feeds and all that nonsense. It’s not gonna be as bad as everyone with a microphone is yelling about.
    Second thing. Go to my post about Hemi-sync. Download one or all of the files. Put them on a player, and lie in bed and listen to them. Why? Well all this howling noise is moving your center of consciousness about. It is no longer centered on the pineal gland. It is off somewhere else. The hemi-sync will recenter it to where you need it to be.
    It might take two or three sessions to get the effect, but I guarantee that the first session WILL ABSOLUTELY make a difference and you will see and feel the difference. You won’t be so caught up and your panic will be way, way down.
    I am not saying that there is nothing to worry about. I am not saying that you need not be concerned. What I am saying is that your family needs you right now.
    They need you to be alert, strong, composed and in control. You must fake it, show a good happy face. And show some leadership. You have a role and this is the time for you to shine.
    When you are in a plane you don’t want to hear the airline pilot screaming into the microphone…
    ..."we're all going to die!".
    No. You want to hear (in a calm, clear and confident voice) …
    "...hello folks, we have a minor technical alert. It's probably nothing. But the policy is to land at the nearest airport. Sorry for the delay."
    Remember the key take aways…

    The Take Aways

    The “ruling class” running the entire Western group of nations (led by America) is all in a state of collapse, or barring that, an organized and function intentional state of disorder. They are typing to induce change to happen, and it is frightening. And part of this change is to induce panic. They want the people to react on emotion, and not by reason.
    It’s not right. It’s not fair. It’s not pleasant.
    But that’s the way it is.
    And if you want to see exactly what is going on, then watch the 197
    0’s movie “The Lathe of Heaven”.
    A Science Fiction Classic reclaimed from the vaults. 
    
    Klaatu-1812 August 2000
    
    Last night I got a chance to see one of my favorite SF movies, and it only took 20 years.
    
    Back in 1978, I was working at a mom-and-pop bookstore in Dallas called Taylors. One day one of the customers bought a book by Ursula K. LeGuin: "The Lathe of Heaven". I told her that she was one of my favorite authors, and that I loved the book. She said that she was involved in the production of a film of the book that was to be done locally.
    
    Early in 1980 it was aired. Bruce Davison (recently the Senator in "X-men") played the protagonist, George Orr. And various Metroplex locations stood in for Portland in the near-future year of 2002. City Hall (later the OCP HQ in "Robocop"), Reunion Arena and the Water Gardens in FW (previously used in "Logan's Run").
    
    George Orr has a problem: dreams. He doesn't want to have any. He takes drugs to try and thwart his unconscious so that he can sleep but not dream. Because if he does dream a special kind of dream, an "effective" dream, it changes reality "all the way back to the Stone Age".
    
    Dr. William Haber is an oneirologist: a dream specialist. He doesn't believe George's story, of course. He thinks that George is sick, not cursed. He eventually comes around to the realization that George is right. A power struggle ensues to decide who will be in charge of deciding who gets to make the decisions of how to use this power.
    
    The story touches on race relations, psychology, Taoism and more. And all on a miniscule budget of 250K.
    
    An added bonus was the addition of interviews with Bruce Davison and Ms. LeGuin, the latter with Bill Moyers. She rarely does interviews, and it was wonderful hearing her add little behind-the-scenes details and commenting on the story and film. Since my understanding of Taoism is limited to readings of "The Tao of Pooh", I didn't realize the use of Taoism until I heard UKL mention it.
    
    If I had had 90 bucks to blow on a KERA membership, I could have gotten the video from them. In fact, the on-air weasel said that the tape was "only available through public TV". If you check amazon.com, as I did last night, you will find that this is a bald-faced lie: TLoH will be released on VHS and DVD later this month, with the interviews and all.
    
    The only thing that burned my butt about the film that I saw last night was the one change they made. Originally, they used Ringo Starr's version of the Beatles tune "A Little Help from My Friends". The new version has a different cover version. One of the reviews on amazon.com stated that this was because it would cost too much to get the rights from Michael Jackson, who now owns the entire Beatle catalog. This doesn't work. IMHO, MJ would get money no matter who did it.
    
    Uncle Steve says check it out.

    Panic to war

    Why does the ruling class want Americans and their subservient nations to be in a state of panic?

    It was a gripping, stunning testimony. Before Congress, a 15 year old volunteer nurse, Nayirah, struggled to compose her trembling voice, barely holding back tears, as she testified that marauding soldiers had thrown babies out of incubators in a hospital, leaving them to die on the floor.

    Later, Amnesty International confirmed authoritatively that 312 babies had been killed this way. [1] All the news agencies ran with the story, and the country and Congress were in a total uproar.

    There was only one problem: it was completely, utterly, totally fraudulent. It was engineered, perjured, coached testimony concocted by PR experts, designed to manufacture consent for a U.S. war on Iraq.

    At the time, it was also crystal clear that the claims were absurd—Kuwait had a population of less than 1.5 million at the time, and given its birth rate, would have had a few hundred premature babies a year. It’s inconceivable that over 300 of them could have been clustered in a single hospital on a single day.

    Nevertheless, this was the story that was sold to the U.S. people. Representative John Porter stated, “We have never heard…[such] a record of inhumanity and brutality and sadism…I don’t know how the people of the civilized countries of this world can fail to do everything within their power to remove this scourge from the face of the earth.”

    Not long afterward, the U.S. went to war with Iraq.  It would wage war again, 12 years later, doubling down with even more monstrous lies about weapons of mass destruction.

    Today, we are facing a similar situation: the U.S. is escalating rapidly towards a shooting war with China, and similar absurd, astonishing, and monstrous lies are being spread. In fact, the U.S. is already engaged in “multi-domain” “hybrid warfare” with China. This is warfare just below the threshold of direct military engagement. On the ground this involves:

    • Economic Warfare: trade sanctions and tariff war, as well as technological warfare: attempted seizure of Chinese companies (TikTok); attacks on China’s international 5G contracts; sanctions on the primary & secondary supply chains of key sectors of Chinese industry (e.g. Huawei’s semiconductor supply chain); attacks on Ant Financial’s IPO.

    • Legal Warfare, or “lawfare,” including over 380 anti-China bills in Congress, and 14 individual and state lawsuits against China for over $30 trillion in “Covid damages”; the long arm “legal” kidnapping of Huawei’s executive

    • Diplomatic Warfare, including consulate shutdowns, harassment of diplomats, breaching of diplomatic pouches and compounds, and calls for regime change.

    • Military Brinksmanship and posturing in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, the Taiwan straits; complete encirclement of China with strategic weapons, surveillance, and 400 offensive bases (“The Pacific Pivot”), the use of air bases in Taiwan for military surveillance, and plans to station intermediate range nuclear missiles all along China’s periphery. [2]

    • Civil Subversion: color revolution, urban terror, destabilization and delegitimation operations in Hong Kong (and other places where China has interests), including millions of dollars of funneled for organization & training, and encrypted communications infrastructure built to coordinate anti-government activities.

    • Academic Warfare: through the FBI’s China Initiative, every 10 hours a case is opened against a Chinese student or researcher in the U.S. (currently 2700 cases) and all Chinese students are considered potential “non-traditional” “collectors” and “spies” involved in a “thousand grains of sand” collection strategy.

    • Information Warfare: last but not least, we are seeing total Information warfare.
      The stories about so-called “massive human rights abuses,” “Chinese concentration camps,” “Chinese-made-and-released Covid,” “China has harmed us economically,” “China has stolen its way to the top,” “China is oppressing independent Hong Kong,” are part of this information warfare.

    This mass propaganda incites people to hate China irrationally and unconditionally, to manufacture consent for war. The U.S. military calls this information warfare, “the firehose of falsehoods” and we are all being drenched with these lies. This is necessary to justify war against an enemy and to curtail any rational discussion or questioning.

    Some of the questions that the public are kept from asking are:

    • Are these allegations supported by any facts?

    • Has China threatened us? Is the U.S. at risk from China?

    • Is this war justifiable by any means? Is it legal?

    • Do the citizens of the U.S. want to go to war? Could the U.S. even fight, let alone win a war with China?

    A careful, reasoned approach to these questions, would lead one to say, No.

    Before we try to play whack-a-mole with the blatant war propaganda, a more useful and clarifying approach is to ask, why is the U.S. telling these lies to go to war?

    War and change

    It’s a dangerous path and very, very dangerous game that the PTB are playing. Emotional manipulation, economic squeeze, followed by tyrannical suppression so that a hot war can distract and eliminate threats.

    One fallback model of U.S. supremacy is to plunge the rest of the world back into the dark ages through hybrid warfare—while the U.S. controls the key systems of communication, information, surveillance, finance, rent extraction, along with the corridors of maritime transport.

    Um. It will not go as planned. It really won’t.

    Stay frosty you all.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my SHTF index…

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    Synchronicities and affirmation prayer campaigns. How to sort out what is going on when we live in a world where everyone is trying to control our mind.

    In this article we will look at an important part of prayer affirmation campaigns. And that is an element known as “synchronicity”. Now, “synchronicity” may or may not be part of the “sign posts” or “feedback loops” that your soul established for your consciousness to take note of. This is because synchronicity is often a direct answer or feedback to individual affirmations within a campaign.

    A Personal Example

    You know…

    Yeah, you know that where I live now is sort of like a Chinese version of (the American television show) “Mayberry RFD”. It’s got that lower pace of life, a much more relaxed, laid back attitude, and a far calmer “feeling” to it. It’s not so hurried, upsetting, radical or drastic as what America (or any larger city) is today.

    It’s actually a little bit like this as far as “feeling” goes…

    Evenings in Zhuhai, China feel a little bit like this. Where all the neighbors come out in the evening. they play with the kids, or just hang out. They drink beer and eat chicken, or just laze about. It’s an easy and fine pace of life.

    .

    Ah, but sure. China does not resemble the “Deep South” in America. It’s totally and completely different. It has modern and advanced transportation, brand new and impressive buildings, High technology, and parks everywhere.

    No. China does not physically resemble The small town of Grady, or Mayberry.

    Zhuhai, China

    .

    But yet it does have the same “feeling“.

    Yet, how, just how can I say that it resembles a scene from the movie “Doc Hollywood”?

    Sometimes, heck – many times, the things that we wish for or want are not direct one-on-one comparisons. And this is a good example of that.

    What I wanted, and asked for (And still maintain) in my personal affirmation campaigns;

    • I have a calm and relaxed pace of life in a beautiful area that is family friendly, stress free, clean, and full of fresh air and lush greenery.

    I know, that it’s not for everyone, but heck, I live a “retired” life and I want a slower pace of life. Don’t you know. I want and maintain, a life where I eat food without being in a rush, where I say hi to all the neighbors and they all know me, and where the air is fresh, the trees are lush, the flowers are fragrant, and the neighborhood is safe.

    Look at what I specified (in the affirmation above)…

    • Calm and relaxed pace of life.
    • Beautiful Area.
    • Family friendly environment.
    • Stress free.
    • Clean.
    • Full of fresh air.
    • Clean, neat and tidy.
    • With lush greenery.

    You see, that I KNEW when (certain specific affirmations) were manifesting when there were elements of synchronicity that would crop up. In this particular example, Chinese words describing Zhuhai would manifest “all over the place”. As in advertisements, on Tiktok videos, on WeChat message, and the like.

    Look at the above key “bullet points”.

    And yes… I would start reading and seeing the same Chinese wording all… over… the place…

    • 平静和轻松的生活节奏。
    • 美丽的地区。
    • 家庭友好的环境。
    • 无压力。
    • 清洁。
    • 充满新鲜空气。
    • 干净、整洁、整洁。
    • 郁郁葱葱的绿色植物。

    And it wasn’t one statement here, and then seven months later another. No. It was all of them, over and over within a very short span of time. Just a few days.

    Suddenly the same words that I described in my affirmations, manifested physically within my life.

    The people, and the interactions between them resembled a Chinese version of “small town” America.

    .

    Anyways…

    Back to the point at hand.

    What you want, but not what you specify…

    it can be pretty confusing you know. That on one hand, if you specify things explicitly (within your prayer affirmations) that there will usually be some kind of unexpected or unforeseen system, condition, event or person that would rise up and surprise you.

    You can be very specific in your affirmations. And your results will be just as specific. They will evolve from the point in time, and the world-line that you make them in.

    .

    While on the other hand, the best and most satisfying results were ones that were NOT explicitly specified, but rather “imaged” as a ultimate desire.

    In the personal example above, I could have been very specific…

    • I live in the rural Southern States of America. The town is small, and relaxed, and doesn’t have direct interstate highway access. It is rather back-wards and isolated.

    And I probably would have eventually gotten exactly what I specified. I might have ended up in New Iberia, Louisiana or some other deep Southern town / small city.

    You can always be very specific during an affirmation prayer campaign. And if so, you will get exactly what you asked for.

    .

    And, is that bad?

    Well…

    Sometimes when you ask for really, very explicit things, you will automatically slide off your pre-birth world-line template. And where you end up might have all sorts of consequences that you might not be ready for.

    In the movie “Doc Hollywood”, the main character literally crashes into the small town of Grady by destroying the local Judge’s fence while being helped by the town constable.

    .

    Why not? Why didn’t I do that? Why did I allow my affirmation to be so “broad based” and “open ended”?

    When you conduct a prayer / affirmation campaign it STARTS at the point in time (upon the world-line) where you are presently. It doesn’t back-track a few months or years early. It starts when you start the campaign.

    Which means that  the conditions of your life, at the time you start the campaign, are the initial starting conditions that the prayer / affirmations build upon.

    The orange line running left to right is your life-line path. This is the route that you have been taking. Now, you have this GOAL that your affirmation / prayers define. Depending on WHEN you start your affirmations will determine exactly what your goal will manifest as.

    .

    So, for me, when I started my campaign I had already visited numerous locations all over the world. I had been to China. I had been to Japan. I had traveled all over the United States. So when I started my campaign, the best-fit solutions for my end goals resembled the closest opportunities based from my experiences. Which was China.

    Perhaps, if I had not experienced China, and instead spent the majority of my life in Los Angles, New York City, or Chicago the results would have manifested differently…

    Your life and experiences at the time of your initial affirmation prayer campaign will determine how your goals will manifest in your life.

    .

    Doc Hollywood
    Benjamin Stone is a young doctor driving to L.A., where he is interviewing for a high-paying job as a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills. He gets off the highway to avoid a traffic jam, but gets lost and ends up crashing into a fence in the small town of Grady. He is sentenced to 32 hours of community service at the local hospital. All he wants is to serve the sentence, get his car fixed and get moving, but gradually the locals become attached to the new doctor, and he falls for the pretty ambulance driver, Lou. Will he leave? 
    
    -Written by Sami Al-Taher <staher2000@yahoo.com>

    What is “synchronicity”?

    So what about this “synchronicity”? What is it, and why is it important, and why (for goodness sakes) am I devoting an entire article to it?

    Well, for starters, it is considered to be nonsense by the “experts”, and fundamental to understand ourselves by “spiritualists”.

    Synchronicity is a phenomenon in which people interpret two separate—and seemingly unrelated—experiences as being meaningfully intertwined, even though there is no evidence that one led to the other or that the two events are linked in any other causal way. 
    
    Though many people perceive signs or spiritual meaning in synchronistic events, most scientists believe that such events are more likely coincidences that only seem meaningful due to aspects of human thinking such as confirmation bias.
    
    -Psychology Today

    Some would say that coincidences are random, but if we look carefully into our lives, we realize it is not so. No matter what the “experts” say.

    Some people believe that synchronicities can be guides when we do not know what to choose or what to change in our lives. It is like someone from above hears our silent prayers and talks to us through other people, images or events. As a matter of fact, Einstein described coincidences as being “God’s way of remaining unknown”.

    Spiritual individuals may interpret coincidences as signs from God or the universe. However, there is no way to scientifically test these beliefs. While seeing coincidences as signs can provide a sense of purpose, following them too closely can lead to ignoring critical evidence. It’s best to weigh common sense, intuition, and verifiable facts when interpreting coincidences.
    
    -Psychology Today

    Synchronicity connects the material world to the spiritual world. It does so  through symbols. These symbols are not always understood but they do arise from the collective unconscious.

    Remember; nothing is by chance. It is the direct result of our thoughts.

    And for us, those who take an active and proactive role in shaping our future though prayer / affirmation campaigns, we can USE synchronicity as one (of many ways) to validate that we are “on the right track” and on the way towards our goals.

    Examples of synchronicity in your life

    In general, synchronicity is a very, very personal event. It is only something the YOU notice that the rest of the world seems oblivious to.

    1)    The same numbers keep showing up over and over in your life.

    2)    You have met someone out of the blue who talked about an event or said some sentences which in fact sounded like answers to that you have been asking yourself recently.

    3)    Perfect timing! Things happen for you just when you need them most.

    4)    Help and support appear in your life when you expect less from people you never met before.

    In 1983, when I was dating my first wife she took a moment to pray. I didn't know what she was praying about. But right after she prayed, the DJ on the radio interrupted the song he was playing. He changed the song to one that was about "getting married and living happily ever after." He said on the air that he was so very sorry for interrupting the song and the music rotation schedule, but that he felt a strong urge to change the song to the one that he played.
    
    And yes. You guessed it. My future-wife had prayed for "a sign" that would give her direction to get married to me or not.

    Of course,the “experts” believe that all this is just coincidence, or that we are reading too much into what we observe. But that is not true at all.

    The list of synchronicities can be endless and subjective as synchronicity is a rather complex phenomenon. These are a few general examples that we all experience at a certain point in our lives.

    The best way to recognize your synchronicities is to “think less and feel more”, listen to your intuition. By being in tune with your inner voice, you can understand the outer signs easier.

    Intuition is usually validated by an external “magic” or unusual event.

    Therefore, if you seek an answer and you randomly read a sentence in a newspaper or watch a video related to your current situation, you will feel a revelation. Then you should ask yourself if that is the answer you were waiting for.

    How can you use synchronicities?

    The great value in synchronicities is that they can help us track our progress and goals within an affirmation / prayer campaign.

    They act as a “wake up call”, or “alarm” for us to TAKE NOTICE that we have arrived [1] at a certain point of time, [2] a certain place, or [3] a goal has been fulfilled.

    Synchronicities are like a big large sign that tells you that you have arrived at a specific point in time or a specific objective.

    What inspired this post…

    It began with  a comment…

    First let me thank you big time for this.
    Its good to read more about the technical side of prayers.
    
    You already stated that you will have some more follow up posts and my guess is it involves synchronicities. And when you re going to do that one, and please don't feel in a rush, but Please include why they mean that someone performed a slide.
    
    And if I may say so how its possible that I have had a lot of them after about a week into my pause on 2 occasions already. And I specifically tried to avoid causing a slide.
    
    And my prayers in general have relative small improvements over my current life. And when it comes to my far out prayer, i still asked that it only materializes if its able without causing any strife or danger.
    
    And besides that probably false positive I told you about a couple months ago , nothing shows up about that one. Yet.
    
    Big thanks again. It feels good that you took the time and effort to write this.
    
    And I hope my fellow MM readers find value in it too.

    So…

    What do I mean when I say that “someone has performed a slide…

    Slides and Synchronicities.

    Now a “slide” is an event that describes moving off your pre-birth world-line template onto a new world-line terrain.

    It can roughly be described as…

    • Playing golf. Where you hit a ball and it goes off the fairway, and goes into the woods.
    • Driving on a road. Where you leave the highway, and take a “short cut” that ends up being a bumpy dirt road.
    • Flying on a plane to Paris, France, and when it finally lands, you find yourself in Zambia, Africa.
    • Going to eat a nice cheap dinner, and walking into an exclusive very-expensive high-end dining establishment.

    If you map out your life-line, and you plot the highest probability paths that your life can take you, with the life and decisions you actually made, you would end up with a two dimensional topographical surface. This surface for all people is typically known as the pre-birth world-line template.

    A “slide” happens when the world-line that you target, or that you end up going to is NOT on that topographic surface.

    You “slide” off that map, and enter another map; a totally different map.

    Now, the good news (or bad, depending on your point of view) is that you will automatically migrate back to your original world-line. It’s biologically encoded to the physical body that you inhabit. So, if you want to have an exceptional life, when your pre-birth world-line template would not allow you, you would need to keep on a steady and active affirmation prayer campaign(s) for the rest of your life.

    A slide will take you onto “unknown” territory. It is a realm that your physical body is not pre-programmed to accept.

    • A slide will take you where your affirmation prayers lead you.
    • A slide can be an easier or harsher life. There is no way to determine which.
    • A slide happens automatically, and the only way for you to control it is to add “navigation affirmations” within your prayer campaign.

    And while you might have to pass through all sorts of things, events, encounters and adventures to get there (your targeted objective that lies off the pre-birth world-line template) there will come a point in time when you will have arrived at your destination.

    Now, destinations can be obtained anywhere. Most commonly they occur upon the pre-birth world-line template.

    But when you get off the template, even for slight detours or deviations, you will know because you will experience Synchronicities.

    What are Synchronicities according to Metallicman?

    Synchronicities are echoes of similar world-lines that lie off of your present world-line topography.

    Not helpful?

    I know.

    The best way that I can describe this is visually.

    In the picture above you see three different topographical world-line templates. The very first one is the pre-birth world-line template that you were born into. You can see the life-line that you have taken in the goldenrod color. You were following the normal life and then you had a slide.

    The slide took you off your pre-birth world-line template.

    And then placed you on a completely new “map” with completely different topography.

    Now, you will notice that upon your pre-birth world-line template were some goals that you want (Well, I used my own personal goals from the personal narrative that I presented earlier.)

    • Lush green
    • Relaxed clean
    • Calm pleasant

    None of them were present simultaneously on your one individual world-line.  This was your pre-birth world-line template. They were present, but not all at one place. Not at one place at one time.

    But they are on the new world-line template topographical surface that you slid towards.

    The slide took you to a new topographical “map”. And it took you directly to your objectives; a place, a world-line, where all the criteria that you prayed for were present simultaneously on one world-line.

    Now, you will notice another world-line topographic surface that lies “nearby” your own. You have never visited it. But it too has the criteria and goals that you have established in your affirmation prayers. But they too are not simultaneously located on one particular world-line.

    The key here, and the point here, is that synchronicities are the “echoes” of your targets manifesting when you have arrived at a given world-line. When you have “arrived”, you will start seeing synchronicities that only you will notice.

    In the picture above, I denoted the area of where your goals would manifest as a wide dispersed group of world-lines. This is the brown oval in the top and the bottom world-line topographical maps.

    And then in the middle map you see that the points are all present; the goals are all present in on set world-line. The brown lines converge to that point.

    This converging of goals manifests as synchronicities.

    Yes, Synchronicities are a sign that you have arrived and your goals have been attained.

    Synchronicities are meaningful coincidences.

    Here's a story that I found on the internet. All credit to the author, and edited to fit this venue.  It's a very illustrative story...

    I used to be a reporter for the Cincinnati Enquirer, back in my 20s, and for roughly half of my decade-long tenure there I kept hearing a call to quit and become a freelance writer, a decision I largely ignored for years because it was Scary Stuff.

    However, after years of trying to ignore this call, the signs pointing toward it took on a whole new tack. This is how it began:

    I was driving home from work one day, listening to a song on the radio called “Desperado,” by the Eagles, and as I pulled up to the curb in front of my house, the last line I heard before I turned off the car was “Don’t you draw the Queen of Diamonds, she’ll beat you if she’s able; the Queen of Hearts is always your best bet.” I turned off the ignition, opened the door, stepped my foot onto the curb, and there at my left foot was a playing card—the Queen of Hearts.

    I just sat there utterly dumbfounded, and wondering, of course, what it meant?

    When I mentioned the incident to a friend that evening, she said, with an extravagant quality of assuredness, that when you’re on the right path, the universe winks and nods at you from time to time, to let you know. She also said that once you start noticing these little cosmic cairns, once you understand that you’re on a path at all, you’ll begin to see them everywhere. It’s what happened, she reminded me, when I bought my Toyota and suddenly started seeing Toyotas everywhere.

    I didn’t know I was even on a path, I told her, much less whether it was the right one. I simply found myself unable to make heads or tails of the episode, and ended up filing it under “Unexplained Phenomena,” along with esp, deja vu, spoon-bending, water-witching, spontaneous remission, and certain incomprehensible acts of human forgiveness.

    But even more remarkable than finding that Queen card when I did, was that over the next two years, as I searched for a sense of clarity (and courage) about this call, I found five more Queen playing cards, in incredibly improbable locations all around the country: a sidewalk in Cincinnati, a conference room in Santa Fe, a sand dune in Cannon Beach Oregon, a mountain wilderness in Colorado six miles from the nearest trailhead. The whole thing made the Twilight Zone seem like Mister Rogers Neighborhood.

    And every time I found another Queen card, the sheer unbelievability of it took another giant step forward, and eventually, it went so far beyond the laws of probability that I only barely hesitate to say that it’s impossible there was nothing more going on here than a statistical aberration. This was orchestrated by something with wits. Which shot my rational view of the universe pretty much to hell.

    I come from a family of scientists, detectives, journalists, non-fiction writers, and New Yorkers—and you don’t get a more cynical bunch than this—and this stuff just doesn’t happen in our universe. And yet, though the phenomenon became more inscrutable with each find, in a way it also began making more and more sense. A pattern—more, a passageway—seemed to emerge.

    I came to understand that this rather profound administering of chance was directing me toward something both my writing and my life needed at that time: more heart, less head. More intuition, less intellect. More of the inner life, the emotional life, the life of the senses. More listening. More of what Carl Jung referred to as the anima, the force of the feminine in a man’s life. And the Queen, of course, is the archetype of powerful feminine energy, which I felt myself being compelled toward by the kind of meaningful coincidence Jung called synchronicity.

    Of course, he offers his ideas and thoughts to what it is all about…

    Synchronicities are events connected to one another not by strict cause-and-effect, but by what in classical times were known as sympathies, by the belief that an acausal relationship exists between events on the inside and the outside of ourselves, crosstalk between mind and matter—which is governed by a certain species of attraction.

    Jung believed that synchronicities mirror deep psychological processes, carry messages the way dreams do, and take on meaning and provide guidance to the degree they correspond to emotional states and inner experiences.

    For example, you’re trying to decide whether to say yes or no to a particular opportunity and while driving on the freeway someone suddenly cuts in front of you and you notice the bumper sticker: Just Do It!

    Or you’re struggling to focus your energies, not spread yourself so thin and scatter your interests and attentions among too many projects, and while taking photographs one afternoon, you drop your wide-angle lens and shatter it.

    You can derive meaning from “just a coincidence” when an external event matches up with an event on the inside. It doesn’t always. You might be sitting in a waiting room, for instance, reading a magazine article about George Gershwin, when the receptionist sticks her head out the door and calls for the next patient, a Mr. Gershwin, and as outlandish as this may seem to you, if it finds no hook on the inside, it’s not a synchronicity, only an amazing coincidence. If it means something to you, however, then it’s amazing and potentially instructive.

    A synchronicity is a coincidence that has an analog in the psyche, and depending on how you understand it, it can inform you, primarily through intuition and emotion, how near or far you are from what Carlos Castaneda calls “the path with heart.” Among shamanic cultures, says anthropologist Michael Harner in The Way of the Shaman, synchronicities are considered “a kind of homing beacon analogous to a radio directional signal indicating that the right procedures and methods are being employed.”

    Like anything, you look at things through the lens of your very own personal experience. You might be a scientist, and you look at it from that view point. You might be a sociologist, and you look at it through that view point. You might be religious and so you look at it through that point of view.

    It doesn’t mean that there is a right, or a wrong way of looking at things. Only a personal understanding of the events that you can accept.

    Synchronicities are minor miracles, little mysteries that point to a bigger one, perhaps a central one, of which we’re all a part. In contemplating synchronicities, don’t just marvel at the laws of probability, but wonder at their meaning.

    “The primary reality of synchronicities is emotional, not intellectual,” says Mark Holland, co-author of Synchronicity. “The reason they’re there is to make us feel something, and the feeling that our lives are rich and worth our reflection comes in part from our sense of the depth and mystery of life.”

    In fact, maybe the most important thing synchronicities offer is astonishment. How often, after all, in the course of a day or a week or a month, do you find yourself thunderstruck, flabbergasted at life, amazed by its finesse? Synchronicities are like the glimpse of a wild animal seldom seen, the discovery of an arrowhead or a geode, the return of your purse by some good Samaritan. Far removed from the mundaneness that seems to characterize such a vast portion of daily life, they help reconnect you to your sense of awe, and given the tyranny of the commonplace, what a service!

    No one has been able to fully explain synchronicity, so perhaps you should simply accept it as a wild card and an ordering principle, the height of absurdity and the depth of profundity, and a crack in the door through which you can catch sight of the universe and its mysterious ways.

    There are no clear answers.

    However, if you look at synchronicity as the obtainment of a goal that you have presented within your affirmation /prayer campaign, then you can accept the fact that you are “one the right track”, that things are falling in place, and that your affirmations are working.

    An important point

    Synchronicity does not automatically happen when you achieve a goal. You cannot plan for it unless you specifically add it to your affirmation / prayers. You cannot keep rowing a boat waiting for the fish to leap out of the water and tell you that this is the best fishing spot. It doesn’t work that way.

    What Synchronicity means.

    Synchronicity seems to be associated with “goal attainment” ONLY when otherwise you might miss, ignore, or overlook the situation that you find yourself in. It’s almost like a sign on the road that says “go no further, you have reached the end of the road”. It’s a way or a system to tells us that we reached our goals, and now know where we are and what to do next.

    Pay attention to it.

    Do you want more?

    Ai! I have many more posts like this in my prayer affirmation Index here… Intention and Prayer Campaigns

    Intention Campaigns

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    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index; Master Index

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE .
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
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    The mechanism of how your thoughts are able to navigate the MWI and select appropriate world-lines. What you need to do and how to accomplish it.

    This article is part of my prayer / intention campaign sub-index. In it we discuss how you can change your life by your thoughts. And, in this particular article, we look at the mechanism(s) involved. We look at just how a consciousness is able to navigate. This is a rather deep conversation, and certainly more involved than what I have been saying in the past. That “thoughts create reality“. Here we talk about how and why it works that way.

    It all began with a simple question;

    ...Another thing I noticed and perhaps this is of value to my fellow MM.
    
    Six months ago when starting my first prayer campaign MM style I started to feel tired of praying after about 3 weeks already. And my former prayer style was just as long So it wasn't the change in style. Just tired after years of relentless prayer I guess. As a result my other 2 campaigns I still go through all my rituals and prayers but as a robot So to speak. So much less intensity in the words.
    
    Yet I have seen lots of things manifesting.
    
    It seems one can go through prayers by just saying them out loud even when you don't feel like it much sometimes.
    
    Is that the case? And if so, how come just talking to other people when saying you are gonna do things doesn't cause that to happen. Whats the technical difference.
    
    Or has my brain been primed by my previous years of prayer?
    
    Would love your take on it MM and some readers too I think.

    The point here is the basic question;

    If thoughts change the reality, why does vocalizing them out loud appear to have an effect, when thinking about them in silence doesn't?

    And we will answer it here.

    To understand how affirmation prayers work, you need to look at the way things work. Forget about Newtonian science. You need to look at Quantum science for answers.

    You Must vocalize or write down your thoughts.

    You just cannot think things and expect them to happen.

    Yes. I know. I know. I have repeatedly stated that what you think causes your desires to manifest. And yes, that is the general outline of how it works, but that is not the “operation manual”. You need to perform a physical action regarding those thoughts to use them to navigate.

    You must either [1] vocalize or [2] write the thoughts down. You must do something physically to connect the thoughts to your reality. Other techniques might include the display of pictures that you can view while you are thinking about things. You need a physical connection.

    You need to physically write and vocalize your navigation direction for it to work.

    Otherwise NOTHING will happen.

    Thoughts alone will not cause things to happen. Wishing for things to happen will not make them happen. Worrying about things will not cause them to manifest. You MUST do something physically.

    You must do something physically

    It has been my experience that if you write things down in a list, and then read them out verbally (not silently), the system will work.

    You can also use rituals, create talismans, generate electronic mechanisms that operate in the physical to generate physical navigation movements.

    You can create a “vision board”. The creation of the vision board will have the same effect as reading a verbal affirmation. And the viewing of the board, will contribute to that effect. (The contribution magnitude will be lesser than the actual creation of the board.) So viewing a vision board isn’t as effective as creating one.

    Recommendation for best results

    I recommend that [1] you generate a list of affirmations, and [2] that you read them out loud in a campaign, that [3] consists of an on/off cycle for the best effects.

    The pre-birth world-line template

    The most important thing that you must understand is that our consciousness is foreign to this universe.

    Our consciousness did not evolve in THIS universe. It evolved in a different universe. 
    
    Thus it is alien. It doesn't fit here.
    
    This universe is something that the consciousness USES for it's own purposes.

    I know that that opens up a ton-load of questions. Answers to that and their implications are “above my pay grade”, but I do have some thoughts. I can cover them later on if you wish.

    Our consciousness comes from soul.

    Soul creates a smaller part of itself. This part is known as "consciousness" and it is used to travel outside of the "Heaven" universe.

    Again. The “soul” does not exist here; in this (apparent) universe. The soul occupies an entirely separate universe. One which I refer to as “The Heaven Universe”.

    The Soul creates a consciousness.

    It ejects that consciousness into a “transport tube”; a kind of tunnel.

    This tunnel is a mechanism for the consciousness to move from one universe to another.

    Then the consciousness arrives in the “reality” universe.

    Being foreign, there is really nothing that our consciousness is able to do in this “reality” universe. It is like water and oil. They just do not interact together well.

    The only thing that our consciousness is able to do is generate thoughts. That is it.

    Like a sun generates light, or how a flame creates sparks. The consciousness is able to create the same kinds of "stuff" that it is comprised of. This is what thoughts are.
    
    Thoughts are a form of the same kind of constructions as one's consciousness is.

    And this reality universe (as I like to call it), consists of a near infinite number of fixed world-lines.

    The "Heaven" universe is completely different from the "reality" universe.
    
    In fact, it is almost like the "reality" universe is an "artificial"  construct of some type.
    
    The "reality" universe consists of an infinite number of static moments in time, or what I call "world-lines".

    All that our soul can do, is inject our consciousness into a body. Then, once the consciousness is there, the thoughts that the consciousness has navigates to the next world-line based on the highest-probability occurrence. This highest-probability of occurrence is a pre-established vector that the consciousness follows independent of thought.

    We call this the “world-line pre-birth template”.

    It is the fated direction that your life will unfold towards as your consciousness rides the physical body life-time. It is critically important in what your life will present to you to experience. (At least that is what your very own soul expects.)

    You could be an infant, brain-dead in a vegetative state, or mind dulled by drugs and abuse, but the vector path of the life that you will live will be following the pre-mapped out “pre-birth world-line template”. It is the system that your soul establishes for your consciousness. It is the way for your consciousness to obtain experiences.

    How to navigate the world-lines

    Well, thoughts are the ONLY thing that the consciousness can create.

    And thoughts act like a magnet to the most similar world-lines. The thoughts form a “shape” or better yet, a “profile” that surrounds the consciousness. And the consciousness automatically moves towards the world-lines that match that profile.

    This is a basic activity that describes MOVEMENT UPON the pre-birth world-line template.

    But it does not describe movement off the pre-birth world-line template. That requires a different mechanism for movement. (A similar mechanism, but fundamentally different.)

    So thoughts alone, without any further actions, can navigate upon the pre-birth world-line template. It is what is known as a “fated life”.

    So if you rely on your thoughts alone to navigate, you will find that your life seems to be “fated”. That you might wish and yearn for things, but they never materialize. You might think about that nice guy or gal at the coffeehouse, but nothing will really manifest. Your life will just follow your pre-mapped out life.

    Your thoughts might move you close to certain areas, but it won’t take you to where you want to go.

    Movement off the Pre-Birth World-line Template

    If this situation describes you…

    That you think, wish and dream for things, but they never materialize. It seems that your life is fated to some degree.

    Then, you are “trapped” following the pre-birth world-line template.

    If you do not want to follow the fated life that has been provided to you, then you will need to incorporate additional measures to navigate the MWI. You will need to navigate off the pre-birth world-line template.

    There are two main techniques to do so.

    • Verbal Affirmations
    • Slides

    Quick recap

    There are three techniques in total.

    • Thoughts alone (dreams, wishes, desires, plans and obsessions).
    • Verbal affirmations (Written goals, and verbalizing them aloud.)
    • Slides.

    Let’s talk about the systems that take you off your “fated life”…

    Verbal Affirmations

    You must physically say, write down, or illustrate your dreams and wishes and desires to navigate using this method. This connection; between thoughts  and action is the most fundamental  way that you can move upon your pre-birth world-line template.

    • You can move upon the “fated” pre-birth world-line template.
    • You can move “nearby” to your targets that might lie off the pre-birth world-line template, but are not that too “far distant”.

    Now in illustration, for illustration and descriptive purposes, I have illustrated the pre-birth world-line template as a “flat sheet” showing a matrix of world-lines connected by highest probability routes. In reality, it’s not really flat. It actually looks like a thick slab. And the world-lines that lie upon this sheet actually are (instead) embedded within this slab.

    So movement, most movement, whether directed by thoughts alone, or by verbal affirmations will lie within the “pre-birth world-line template” slab.

    To move about off the pre-defined vector path (as defined by the pre-birth world-line template) you need to navigate further than what the (default) pre-birth world-line template allows.

    That requires actual physical activity, or physically associated thoughts.

    You see, our consciousness moves in a cyclic fashion following a sine curve. One half the time it is in wave form, in which is it moving from world-line to world-line. The other half of the time it is in particle form where it occupies the physical body.

    • It is ONLY when it is in wave form that the consciousness can physically move within the MWI.
    • It is ONLY when it is in particle form that the consciousness can control the navigation.

    So, [1] to navigate you need a starting world-line; the one that you occupy at that moment. Thus your consciousness is in particle form. [2] Your consciousness can only generate thoughts when it is in wave form. So your thoughts are basically generated entering and leaving a reality.

    In Wave Form...
    You generate thoughts. 
    You move on the MWI.
    
    In Particle form...
    You occupy a world-line.
    You navigate to the next world line.

    Combined together, the ONLY way to effective navigate through the MWI off the pre-birth world-line template, (or to extreme points upon the pre-birth world-line template), you must do so by directing while in particle form.

    Thoughts alone.
    You move and navigate at the same time. 
    You can only do this upon a Pre-Birth World-Line Template.
    
    Verbal Affirmations.
    You do this while in particle form, upon a world-line.
    You program the physical reality by your actions.

    Thus, thoughts (in wave form) cannot alter your course vector substantively. Only your actions while in particle form can.

    In short, when you are in the physical form, you are operating the levers that control the body via quantum particle forms. You MUST perform physical actions to navigate. This usually means thinking while you are doing something physical. Thus reading affirmations out loud.

    Now, let’s talk about making REAL and SUBSTANTIVE changes to your life…

    Performing a “Slide”

    A “slide” is a complete movement off and outside of the pre-birth world-line template. And what defines it from the “verbal affirmations” are two primary characteristics.

    • You navigate in a similar fashion to “verbal affirmations” AND…
    • You establish a completely new world-line template terrain geometry.

    This new world-line template replaces your pre-birth world-line template.

    The smart MWI traveler would define the new world-line template that he/she would travel upon. And he/she would make sure and provide safeguards to guarantee that accidental world-line template geometry wouldn’t be accidentally created.

    How to generate a replacement template to travel upon

    It’s actually rather simple.

    The “devil is in the details”.

    Scene from “Breaking Bad”. Be careful about what you wish for. It might not be what you really want.

    Or, in other words, you must verbally create the new replacement world-line template that you will follow. But of course, there are many unknowns doing this. You might think that you are creating one new reality for yourself by constructing the template, only to discover that you have “created a monster” and other unexpected events, and consequences have cropped up and appeared “out of the blue”.

    Let’s use the following as an example…

    You live a nice, but boring life. You have a small pizza business in a small town. You are pretty happy doing it, but you hear and read about how everyone else is getting rich investing in the stock-market and in bit-coin. So you decide to completely replace your pre-birth world-line template with a template of your own design.
    
    You perform your normal verbal affirmation campaigns, but you specifically state that you have slid off the pre-birth world-line template and on to a a new template of your own geometry.
    
    You describe the new template as a life of wealth as a big important businessman, with factories making frozen pizza that everyone loves. You describe your rich cars, fancy mansion and tons of money in the bank.
    
    What you fail to realize that these possessions, when they manifest, all come with other attachments and events. many of which you do not like at all. Such as a divorce, arrest for tax evasion, and medical problems. And while you might try to alter the manifestation of these side effects, many cannot be helped.

    You see, the illusion that a 20-something beauty queen can be a world famous scientist, knows kung-fu, and live in a mansion is just Hollywood nonsense. The real world does not work that way. Do not try to replicate that fantasy. It will not work the way you intend.

    A slide to a new world-line template can come with all sorts of unintended consequences.

    There are numerous techniques and methods to slide off your pre-birth world-line template. This is just an overview. Keep in mind that I would advise careful thought be given to this decision. Any slide, no matter how well intentioned, WILL come with unanticipated consequences.

    Conclusion

    You must verbalize and write down your verbal affirmations for them to work. Thoughts alone are ineffective in world-line navigation. As I have stated in my answer to the above question…

    The act of talking involves a wide range of activities. More than just thinking.
    
    Consider thinking about eating Lasagna. Now, I love the stuff, but it’s very difficult to get in China. I’d have to make it myself or have my wife order the ingredients, learn how to make it, and then present it to me as a meal. Yet, I find myself thinking about this luscious dish often. Yet is doesn’t appear.
    
    Why?
    
    Consider worrying about paying a bill. And you worry and worry how you are going to come up with the money. You think about strategies, and your mind goes off in all sorts of tangents related to the debt that just sits there festering. Yet nothing is resolved.
    
    Why?
    
    Thoughts alone are not associated with the physical reality. They are just creations of your consciousness, and the only… the ONLY exposure those thoughts have with anyone or anything else is the consciousness that generated them. That’s it.
    
    But, if you connect those thoughts to the reality that you inhabit, they leave the wave form, and enter the particle form. That is how thoughts are able to influence the physical. They are created by the consciousness, and transmuted into a form that the reality can accept. The techniques for this to occur include speech, sounds, writing, actions, etc. Physical activity must occur to connect the thoughts to the reality that you inhabit.
    
    Thus worrying and fretting but not speaking, or writing about it results in no effect. Nothing happens. But if you speak about the worries (in such a way that they are resolved) the solution and navigation within the reality that you navigate manifests.
    
    YOU MUST WRITE and/or SPEAK thoughts out for them to manifest within your reality.

    Sanity Check

    This is easy enough to check.

    Generate two sets of affirmations.

    • One set you read aloud and read what you have written down on paper.
    • The next second set is a picture that you will look at and think about what you want.

    Watch and record which thoughts manifest sooner.

    I hope that I was able to clarify some key points and added some understand on how the mechanism actually works. There will be more posts and articles on this in the future, as there will probably be many more questions generated by this discussion.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Affirmation prayer Campaign Index here…

    Intention Campaigns

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE .
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

     

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    Please kindly enter any notes that you would like to attach to the donation here:

     

     

     

    Ghosts, spirits, strange apparitions, and other mysteries that come from the non-physical reality and enter our physical experience.

    Here, in this article we will spend a little bit of time discussing the non-physical envelope that surrounds our physical reality. This is the realm of the “spirit world” and consists of many strange and interesting sights, sounds and apparitions. It tends to frighten, but that is just ignorance and superstition influences. In reality, the non-physical world is just as real as the physical world is, with one exception. Our human senses are not able to peer into the reality that it cannot see.

    But…

    In many instance, the machines and the devices that we construct, are able to sense it. And if we configure the equipment to look for the right things, we could well be astounded at what we might find.

    What would we find?

    Well, aside from the natural world, we would find people and places, and things, and activities that are intended to be hidden from our human observation.

    A quick review

    For those of you who have just stumbled on this article in the MM universe, here’s a most basic primer. You know, to put everyone on the “same page” in regards to ideas and concepts.

    We are consciousness.We are not a person, nor a body, nor a brain. We are consciousness. We temporarily reside within a body. But we are not that body. It’s much like this picture describes…

    We do not share a universe. Our singular consciousness moves from static world-line to static world-line. We move from one world-line to another by our thoughts. Thoughts are the ONLY thing that consciousness can control.

    .

    Instead of sharing a physical universe, where we are a brain that controls the movement of a physical person inside that universe (the Newtonian reality), we are something else. We are consciousness. Which is a collection of very, very, VERY tiny particles (many, many times smaller than atoms). And our consciousness moves from one frozen snapshot in time to the next.

    Time is how this movement is perceived. In our universe there is no such thing as time. It just simply drops out of the equations. And what we have left is a universe of quanta. It is a quantum universe of possibilities. And the reality is that there is an infinite (or near infinite) number of world-lines. These are frozen “snap shots in time” that our consciousness moves through and navigates by thought.

    So, over all, it pretty much looks like this graphic below. If we map out each world-line as a “dot”, and place the most-likely or highest-probability world-lines that our thoughts will take us, then our life-line would look something like this…

    Our consciousness travels the MWI, world-line by world-line at the speed of thought. We view this movement as the “passage of time”. In this topography, we see a three dimensional landscape that represents the highest probability world-lines that we might visit at any given moment in our life.

    .

    Thoughts are extremely important. What we think about steers us towards the world-lines that we inhabit.

    • If we think “bad” thoughts we will head towards world-lines with “bad” events.
    • If we think “neutral” thoughts we will head towards world-lines with “neutral ” content.
    • If we think “happy” thoughts, we will head towards world-lines full of happy events.

    Everything is real to us. Each world-line is a real physical world. It is a frozen snapshot of time. And our movement though it is exactly how we experience time.

    Our thoughts can influence the kind of life we live. Our thoughts navigate our lives, and while there are are various limitations placed upon us, we ultimately control what happens to us by our thoughts.

    Our thoughts control our world-line navigation.

    .

    World-lines are complex. Now each world-line has two components. They are a physical reality, and a non-physical reality. The physical reality is what we can sense with our human body. The non-physical is what we cannot sense with our physical body.

    • Physical-reality is what our human senses can sense, see and observe.
    • Non-Physical-reality is what our human senses are unable to see and observe.

    And given the right conditions, the right technology, and the right circumstances, we can sometimes get glimpses of the non-physical world that surrounds us. And we are going to talk about this subject now…

    Density Levels and Technological Advancement

    “Sometimes people hold a core belief that is very strong.  When they are presented with evidence that works against that belief, the new evidence cannot be accepted.  
    
    It would create a feeling that is extremely uncomfortable, called cognitive dissonance.  
    
    And because it is so important to protect that core belief, they will rationalize, ignore and even deny anything that doesn’t fit with the core belief.”
    
    -ThinkSquad, 2015

    Quantum particles are ubiquitous throughout our universe.  They are everywhere.  They are primarily comprised of minuscule small vibrating strings that vibrate and resonate at a very high speed or frequency.

    [1] Understanding particle physics: 7) particles are quanta
    [2] What are quanta? – quantum interactive
    [3] A New Map of All the Particles and Forces - Quanta Magazine

    As particles collect together in groups, or cluster together, their frequency of vibration shows down.  This has to do with the inherent inertial components of a group creation.    The bigger the group cluster of particles, the slower the frequency of vibration.

    Vibrational frequency in the strictest sense that I refer to here, is not the physical component, normally referred to in the chemical sciences.  But rather the behavior of the vibrating strings themselves.  This is quantum level vibration, as opposed to atomic level vibration and the equivalent change in potentials.

    Note: On the dimension of the physical.  The purpose of this article is to describe in an easy way, very difficult concepts.  To do so, certain “crutches” need to be employed, which many not be wholly accurate.  Truth be told, there is no physical space at all.  But the quanta themselves create this illusion.  In so doing, they create layers or dimensional boundaries.  Space and the illusion of space is one such creation.  Thus, within this boundary we can see that particles tend to cluster together in groups upon this fabric or cloth which is raw dimensionless space.

    Those readers who have been following the nonsense that is often available on the Internet will be quite confused here.  When I refer to density, I am specifically referring to quantum level behaviors of groups of particles within a dimensional framework.

    I am absolutely NOT referring to any of the “New age” redefinitions of “density”.  These new definitions are confusing.  These are definitions such as in the Cassiopaea and Ra materials related to extraterrestrial beings and consciousness.

    Magnitude

    Higher orders of existence utilize widely dispersed groups of quantum clusters.

    Phew! Did I just say that?
    
    OK. In other words, the more complex a "thing"... the greater the number of quanta that are are involved.
    
    A pencil (you do remember those things, don't you?) has a set amount of quanta associated with it. yet, a living creature, such as a cow, would have many, many, MANY more quanta associated with it.
    
    The difference between a pencil and a cow, can be considered a "higher order of existence".
    
    And as the number of these quantum cluster increase, so does the number of interactions that they have with each other. Which is known as "entanglement". And thus they tend to disperse as they get more, and more entangled.

    This way, they can maintain high frequencies of vibration, while maintaining a soul cloud consciousness.

    This is important.  Read it again and study it again if your do not understand it completely.
    
    As collections of quanta increase in size, so does the accumulated properties of the aggregate. It's synergistic, not additive.
    
    2 + 2 = 8
    
    As the properties of the aggregate increase, so does the resultant vibrations of those clusters. 
    
    Vibration?
    
    Vibration is this understanding relates to the wave properties of the quanta. While a bare and lonely individual quanta might have a low and sluggish pulse, when it interacts and entangles with other quanta, the vibrational rate increases. The more quanta that becomes entangled, the greater the vibrational levels attained.
    
    At a certain threshold, the vibrational frequency becomes one that can support a consciousness. Which is pretty much why pencils don't have a consciousness, while cattle do.

    Lower orders of existence rely on large, closely packed, groups of clusters.  These tend to vibrate at slower rates dependent on their size.

    Such as a pencil, a stone, and a glass of water.

    Because there are functional limits on the quanta that one can absorb into ones cloud as a function of density inertia, entitles tend to strive to grow and modify their quantum existence in such a way as to operate in higher vibratory levels.

    Obviously the universe is populated with intelligence and consciousness. Otherwise, you would not be reading this. It is a natural evolution that quanta entangle with other quanta.
    
    And part of this evolution is the increase in vibration of the entangled bodies.
    
    As the size of the entanglement increases, so does the complexity of the entangled body as a whole, and at some point in time, consciousness evolves and manifests.

    Thus, an entity that has a very large quantum cloud and that maintains it successfully at a high frequency of vibration is considered to have a high “spiritual” or “quantum” (light) density.

    Many entangled quanta = rapid and profound vibrations.
    
    These vibrations are known as "high frequency" and are associated with light. Thus they are considered to be of light density.

    Their various frequencies overlap in great, beautiful patterns.

    While, an entity, with a smaller quantum cloud, or one that operates at a lower frequency is considered to have a high (thick) density.

    One must think of density as a jar containing all the quanta of a given entity.

    An “advanced” entity will have a big jar full of quanta.  But that quanta will have a lot of space to move around in.

    Conversely, a more “primitive” entity would have a small, mostly layered, jar of quanta.  The quanta would be clustered in a corner or on the bottom of the jar in a thick pile of goo.

    We thus, say that the more advanced entity has a container (jar) of quanta that is less dense than the novice entity.

    .

    Personally, I don’t like these terms because they are confusing.

    Physical manifestations of quanta are slower and closer together in the physical world (thus, denser).  We also thus use the term to describe a lower state of energy.  Thus possibly, generating two polar opposites in meaning.

    For all purposes here, please consider that one should have a quanta signature that is organized in pure basic forms of great physical expanse.  That would be opposed to tight, dense forms of quanta clusters.

    Structure and order

    Further, Higher frequency quanta organized as smaller discrete packets follow a more organized or pure structure.

    Quanta clumps together though entanglements. These form structures, or "packets".

    Quanta can combine together into “building blocks”. Much like this (as an example)…

    The building blocks…

    Their combined “dances” are more harmonic.  The coarser, less organized quanta follow a chaotic pattern.

    (Not especially accurate, but good enough for the model that is presented here.  All quanta form patterns.  The more chaotic patterns are just extremely complex relationships, and thus appear to be confused, disorganized and complex.) 

    A chaotic system is one in which infinitesimal differences in the starting conditions lead to drastically different results as the system evolves.

    This concept was summarized by mathematician Edward Lorenz,” Chaos (is at the point) when the present determines the future, but the approximate present does not approximately determine the future.”

    There’s an important distinction to make between a chaotic quantum system and a random quanta system.

    Given the starting conditions, a chaotic system is entirely deterministic.

    A random system, on the other hand, is entirely non-deterministic, even when the starting conditions are known.

    That is, with enough information, the evolution of a chaotic system is entirely predictable, but in a random system there’s no amount of information that would be enough to predict the system’s evolution.  All of this predictability defines inter-dimensional order.

    Variations

    Other races, both terrestrial and extraterrestrial, operate at different density levels.

    Understanding that consciousness is connected with the number of entangled quanta, it should thus be evident that it is also tied to energy levels of existence.
    
    A snail would have a different energy level than a dog.
    
    A tiger would have a different energy level than a human.
    
    A human would have a different energy level than an extraterrestrial from Tralfamador.

    Since we can only perceive those at the most coarsest levels (the densest), we often are ignorant of many entities that cohabit the planet with us.

    Sometimes, due to various physical events, we can occasionally perceive these other entities.

    When we do they are often misinterpreted as spirits, sprites, ghosts, angels, demons and the like.    These creatures exist, but humans have a very hard time distinguishing what they perceive.

    Generally, higher order frequency beings are usually benign and harmless.

    It the fear of the unknown that causes many false and deceptive myths that propagate about these creatures through history.

    Death

    When a creature dies, the body remains but the consciousness exits the reality section of the world-line. It exists. It’s just that we humans are not able to “see” wave forms. We can only see physical things when the consciousness is attached to bodies in the particle state.

    With the advent of cameras, and the technology that enables high “shutter speeds” and extended wavelength records, we can sometimes observe the departed in wave form. While the body is now long dead and has been removed.

    This is actually quite common in hospitals and nursing homes. Such as this example.

    See anything unusual about this picture?

    Empty hospital room in a Senior Care Facility in the United States.

    .

    Look at the mirror.

    Here’s a close up view of the mirror…

    Closeup view of a mirror in an empty Senior Care Facility inside of America.

    .

    Spirits and other creatures that operate at higher density levels do exist and are quite common.

    They contain both terrestrial derived entities and extraterrestrial entities.  Most do not really care to have dealings with humans.

    And since they are of wave duality, they are able to enter the MWI at any point, independent of time. Which provides us some very interesting observations.

    Here’s the spirit of a little (American Indian) girl wandering in the woods late at night and startling a buck (male deer) at a feeding station where a trail-cam was able to photograph the encounter.

    Deer sees ghost on trailcam

    .

    The ability to see humans, in the non-physical form is very common. They are generally associated with ghosts and spirits, and many people are fearful of them, but it need not be the case. When a person stops traveling the MWI in the particle form, they continue to do so in the wave form. And thus people can (if they are sensitive), or equipment can (if it is properly configured) observe and record these encounters…

    Ghost caught on CCV outside a nursing home. Can you see him?

    .

    Which brings up the interesting subject of “phasing“.

    Phasing Ability

    Some of the higher density entities, whether terrestrial or extraterrestrial, have the ability to “phase” in and out of the lower densities.

    it is the ability to lower your aggregate vibrational level to a point where simpler, and denser, entities and creatures can observe and interact with you.
    
    Or, raise their level. Thus making them invisible to lower density entities.

    This ability can make them invisible to humans on demand.  They do not need a machine, device or technology to cloak their person or activities.

    Only the more dense entities need these types of devices.

    In phasing, the energy state and vibration rates change out of the normal physical visual range (as seen by humans).  To be able to do this, the body must be capable of handling higher vibratory frequencies and states of existence.

    Other animals, with different optical cones and different ways that their brains perceive vision, can often times see these entities, even when humans are unable to see them.

    The principle behind this is simple.

    Perception comes in many forms.

    The form most commonly relied upon by humans is eyesight.  Human eyesight is a very limited mechanism.  We can only see in a very narrow band of frequencies and wavelengths.

    Most of the universe operates at frequencies far higher than we can perceive.

    For us to see these “other” things, we must either [1] speed up our ability to perceive, or [2] slow the frequency of vibration of the observed object down.

    When a frequency of vibration of a given object is changed, it is known as “phasing”.

    When the frequency speed is slowed down in such a way as it becomes observable by humans, we call that “phasing in and out of existence”.

    The idea and concept that most other beings, entities, consciousness, and objects are unobservable to humans because of our limited range of perception is a fundamental one.

    We, as humans, only observe a very small part of the world that we live in.

    An example of phasing

    Here we have a human (or humanoid creature) wearing a suit that enables them to “phase in and out” of the human observed reality.

    The mystery of the Solway Spaceman - BBC News
    The Solway Firth Photo, 1964,(Spaceman) UFO Casebook Files

    The Solway Firth Photo, 1964

    On 24th May 1964, Jim Templeton, a fireman from Carlisle in the North of England, took his young daughter out to the marches overlooking the Solway Firth to take some photographs. Nothing untoward happened, although both he and his wife noticed that an unusual aura in the atmosphere. n unusual aura in the atmosphere.
    There was a kind of electric charge in the air, though no storm came. Even nearby cows seemed upset by it.
    
    Some days later Mr Templeton got his photographs processed by the chemist, who said that it was a pity that the man who had walked past had spoiled the best shot of Elizabeth holding a bunch of flowers. Jim was puzzled. There had been nobody else on the marshes nearby at the time.
    
    But sure enough, on the picture in question there was a figure in a silvery white space suit projecting at an odd angle into the air behind the girl's back, as if an unwanted snooper had wrecked the shot.
    
    The case was reported to the police and taken up by Kodak, the film manufacturers, who offered free film for life to anyone who could solve the mystery when their experts failed.
    
    It was not, as the police at first guessed, a simple double exposure with one negative accidentally printed on top of another during processing. It was, as Chief Superintendent Oldcorn quickly concluded, just "one of those things... a freak picture."
    
    A few weeks later Jim Templeton received two mysterious visitors. He had never heard of MIBs: the subject was almost unknown in Britain then. But the two men who came to his house in a large Jaguar car wore dark suits and otherwise looked normal. The weird thing about them was their behavior.
    
    They only referred to one another by numbers and asked the most unusual questions as they drove Jim out to the marshes. They wanted to know in minute detail about the weather on the day of the photograph, the activities of local bird life and odd asides like that.
    
    Then they tried to make him admit that he had just photographed an ordinary man walking past. Jim responded politely, but nevertheless rejected their idea, at which they became irrationally angry and hustled themselves into the car, driving off and leaving him.
    
    The fire officer had to hike five miles across country to get home.
    
    - Landon Howell Owner & Editor - juiceenewsdaily.com

    Examples of Consciousness phasing to wave forms…

    Here’s some more examples of people who have died and the consciousness is still attached to the physical reality. Here’s another hospital CCV camera. On it was the short, few-second long video of a ghostly girl walking down the hallway…

    The quanta of the deceased can sometimes be filmed

    .

    Here’s another hospital CCV camera capture…

    Children’s hospital.

    .

    This ghostly figure was seen near the children’s ward at Leeds General Infirmary by hospital worker Andrew Milburn. There have been several stories of the sounds of footsteps in the corridors with no one around but nothing had been caught on camera.

    Ghosts appear to be all over hospitals, don’t you know.

    Spirit in the elevator.

    They can be recorded in elevators.

    This unsettling image was first posted to Reddit in 2014 by user EskimoJake. They claim that their friend who is a doctor, took this picture while working at a Bolivian hospital in 2010.

    Supposedly, the doctor and his friends didn’t initially notice the elevator door opening as they were too busy laughing and joking around. When they did finally see it, there was no one inside.

    She has nice long hair.

    If you take a closer look at the ghostly figure, you can see that it appears to be a female with long, black hair. Her face looks pale and gaunt and she seems to be wearing a hospital gown.

    Has the doctor actually managed to photograph a ghost in the elevator? If so, could it be that of a former patient? Perhaps even someone who may have passed away while being treated at this very hospital?

    Ghost Nurse

    .

    There is very little information available about this photo other than that it was taken at St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma. At first glance, it doesn’t appear that the camera has captured anything unusual at all. That is until you spot the ghostly nurse standing on the far side of the bed.

    St. Francis Hospital was founded in 1955 and some claim that this photograph may show the ghost of a former nurse who worked there. With her long, white apron and hair neatly tucked under her hat, the figure’s appearance certainly resembles a nurse from that era.

    The Little Girl in The Lunatic Asylum

    This photo was taken in the Grevillia Wing of the Beechworth Lunatic Asylum in Victoria, Australia by ghost hunters Rayleen Kable and Allen Tiller. They took the picture while investigating the grounds at Beechworth and believe that it shows the spirit of a young girl kneeling on the floor.

    The figure certainly does look like a child. It appears to be wearing a nightgown and it looks as though it is holding something in its right hand, possibly a doll or teddy bear.

    Beechworth Asylum was famous for its lax rules regarding institutionalization. With only two signatures, a person could be committed. Almost ten thousand people died in the building, the patients often restrained and treated with electroshock therapy.

    Beechworth is reportedly haunted by the ghost of a young, Jewish woman who was mysteriously thrown to her death from a window. Because of strict religious beliefs, her body lay decomposing on the ground for two days while a rabbi came from Melbourne to officially move the body. Several visitors claim they’ve even seen a young girl under the window where the incident happened.

    Another traumatic tale is that of a missing patient who couldn’t be found for weeks. Finally his body was discovered by a local dog named Max near the gatehouse at the edge of the property. A search party was assembled to search the area and they eventually found the patient’s body up a tree. Since then, people have reported seeing a man wandering around the gatehouse at night.

    Countless other paranormal sightings have taken place at Beechworth Lunatic Asylum. Visions of doctors walking down dark hallways, screams, nurses kneeling by bedsides, one ghost hunter says a demonic voice told him to ‘get out’ and leave the asylum.

    Is it possible that this photograph has captured the ghostly vision one of the former patients of Beechworth?

    Ghost of Patient Appears in Wheelchair

    .

    This photo first appeared online sometime around 2012. It was supposedly captured in the Clemente Alvarez Emergency Hospital in Argentina by a staff member known only as Diego.

    Here’s another photo of a ghost in a hospital. This one comes with his own wheelchair thingy of-sorts thing-of-a-jig!

    Roaming the hallways.

    .

    Around the same time, this photo was taken in the Kith Haven Assisted Living nursing home in Flint, Michigan. It shows a very similar figure rolling down a hallway in a wheelchair.

    The employee who captured the picture said she saw it with her own eyes and quickly grabbed her phone to take a photo.

    The apparition appears to have dark, sunken eyes and a wide open mouth. It also looks rather decrepit and thin. The white shirt that the figure is wearing seems to be too large for its frail frame.

    And what of this?

    The Hospital Demon

    .

    This spine chilling photo first appeared on social media in 2014 and since then has become rather well known. The are several stories of its origin however the most common one is that a nurse in a hospital took a screen shot of a security camera that was monitoring patients in the ward. She claims that she saw a demon-like figure walking up and down the bed of one particular patient. It had long black legs, and eerie slender fingers.

    When she went to the ward to check on the patient there was no sign of the figure in the room, however the patient’s vitals began declining rapidly and the person passed away shortly after.

    While many believe the nurse’s story to be true, several skeptics claim that the ‘demon’ is nothing more than a series of objects that are coincidentally lined up, giving the effect of a lurking creature.

    La Planchada

    .

    Opened in Mexico City in 1847, Hospital Juarez is an active medical center known for sightings of La Planchada (“the ironed lady”), a ghostly nurse from the mid-1900s who appears in a perfectly pressed nurse’s uniform.

    Over the years, La Planchada has come to be known for treating patients in the hospital’s emergency section, often bringing about miraculous recoveries. This photo is believed by many to be the only one to have ever captured proof of the ghostly nurse as she makes her rounds.

    Like many ghost stories, there are several versions of tale of La Planchada. Some say she was a nurse in love with a doctor who rejected her and drove her to suicide; others claim she would euthanize patients to relieve their pain. Whatever her origins, La Planchada is known as a benevolent spirit and there probably isn’t a patient in Hospital Juarez who wouldn’t be happy to see her.

    And there is this vision of the right instant in time when the camera shutter clicks on the right spot at the right time and discovers… this.

    The quanta of the deceased can sometimes be filmed

    .

    When a person dies, their quanta starts to detach from their physical selves and begins to enter the other dimensions in the universe.

    Oh, here I go again! Not being specific enough.
    
    The non-physical reality surrounds the physical reality in layers, like an onion. And many Eastern religions have mapped these layers and given them names like "astral plane", "causal plane", etc.
    
    Once the consciousness is in the wave form it can do many things. Namely it can travel. Travel.
    
    It can travel in the various physical reality.
    
    It can travel through the various (onion layers) of the non-physical reality.
    
    It can enter "the tunnel of light" and depart this universe and enter the universe of soul. From when the consciousness originated.
    
    But...
    
    It can travel within the MWI; the various world-lines itself. This it can do, as the MWI are part of our "physical universe". But many choose not to do so simply because it is rather boring for them to do.

    To some this looks like ghosts and spirits, but there is no reason to be fearful.

    This is a natural aspect of quantum realignment.

    On occasion, due to specific atmospheric conditions, sometimes entities of souls can have various aspects of their being photographed.  When this happens, we are actually photographing the quanta “phasing” from the physical to another dimensional state.

    Our equipment can record the wave lengths during transition.

    Consciousness has form.

    Did you notice something?

    When a person’s quanta is photographed in wave form, or the transition to it (via “phasing”) it’s not a floating globe (as I have depicted throughout MM). It is the general shape and form of a body.

    This is very important.

    The consciousness has a FORM. It’s form tends to consist of the upper torso, and the head. Legs and arms might be present, but not always.

    Fears, Frauds, and Boogiemen…

    Now, let’s broach the uncomfortable reality. There are many, many frauds out there masquerading as actual events. Thus making it very difficult to compile a list of real examples of visions of the non-physical reality.

    Thus, simply because there are so many hoaxes prevalent out there, anything out of the normal is discounted as a hoax, and a fraud. This is intentional.

    On one hand, you have “experts” who use this avenue to acquire prestige within their respective fields. Such as in the Science Fiction movie “Contact” with actress Jodie Foster. In that movie was a couple of characters; Mr. David Drumlin, and James Woods (Michael Kitz) who played that role. They thwarted her every move, and constantly blocked funding, all so that he could climb the rings of power within the United States government. Personal power, and wealth accumulation, over the truth and science.

    Photo of “David Drumlin”, as portrayed by Tom Skerritt from “Contact” (1997), alongside James Woods (Michael Kitz)

    .

    And then on the other hand, you have profiteers. They create “ghost” websites and then generate content to scare people with it. These individuals create photos and videos to amuse, scare and titillate, and derive personal profit from ad revenue and product placement. Often their forgeries are rather good, or at least better than amateurs.

    • Top 10 Ghost WebsitesParanormal | Higgypop

      Then, of course, you have amateurs. These people just throw together some kind of hoax for “shits and giggles”. Their motivations are unclear, their ultimate goals are kept to themselves.

      And then finally, you have real mysteries. These are actual “real deal” events that cannot be discounted away oh so easily. These events are important because they offer us a glimpse into a world that we are not apt to observe normally. You might come across a photo here, or there, or a video on you-tube. But with the great collection of hoaxes out there, it’s really difficult to find convincing examples.

      Let’s look at a couple borderline cases…

    What of ghosts?

    You can see all sorts of things on the internet. But what is true and what is fake?

    In this instance, you most certainly have a cat hissing at something at the other side of the door, and the housewife is not seeing anything strange. That is obvious. What is odd is the image of a ghostly figure in the door.

    Was this figure photoshopped there? Intentionally, you understand, to create a ghostly narrative? Or, was the “back story” accurate?

    The back story…

    Supposedly, this image was captured on a computer cam. The cat was behaving strangely and hissing at thin air. No one saw the spirit, it was only recorded on the computer.

    This photo dates back to 2013, perhaps even earlier. It isn’t known where this took place, but it is believed to be somewhere in North America. It could be a hoax, or genuine. No one will ever know.

    It is provided here as an example only.

    You see, it dos not matter to us whether or not it is a hoax. It is just a good illustration that different species can see different things. In this case the cat can sense things that the human woman cannot.

    As we have discussed, the non-physical world for a cat is different than the non-physical world of a human. Thus they can sense things that humans cannot.

    This isn’t just MM talking. This is well established physical and biological understandings. Different species can see different things and all of us perceive the physical reality differently than others.

    What of ghosts of loved ones?

    Here’s another borderline case. This backstory is much better, than a computer happened to be on that recorded a cat interaction with a porch door. This is a an intentionally left-on security camera.

    An Atlanta woman believes her home security camera spotted her son’s ghost.

    On January 5, 2019, Jennifer Hodge was in her bedroom when she received an beeping notification: her Nest security camera had spotted a person in the kitchen. The rest is a story right off the televisions show “Night Gallery”.

    “I was laying in bed watching TV with my daughter, and I was just about asleep,” Hodge said in a Facebook post. 
    
    “The phone was between us, and I got a notification saying someone was in the kitchen. 
    
    My daughter was like, ‘Mum, there’s a person in the kitchen. It looks like Robbie.’ 
    
    I was stunned. It did look just like him — beard and all.”

    Robbie, Michelle’s son, died of an overdose in 2016. He was just 23 years old. Michelle and her daughter were reportedly the only people at home at the time of the recording.

    What of ghosts who want to pose in pictures?

    Pretty odd stuff.

    But check them out. Fakes or real? No one knows.

    Mystery Pale Chick.

    .

    One could say it seems like ghosts really like to make an appearance at the parties they weren’t invited to. This is case like that. A group of friends were having a nice Easter brunch and they decided to take a picture of it. There was a mirror next to the table they were sitting at and while there is nobody but the people supposed to be there sitting at the table on one side of the photo, there is an extra person’s reflection caught in the mirror on the other side of the photo.

    It looks like a woman with an extremely pale face, standing next to the table. All of the guests at the brunch claimed there was no one like that there with them and they had no idea who the person caught in the mirror reflection was.

    .

    This picture was taken at Tantallon Castle near North Berwick. A ruined fortress badly damaged by an attack from Oliver Cromwell’s forces in 1651. The figure looks to be in period costume but no mannequins or costumed guides are used at the castle, adding to the mystery of the suspected ghost.

    This photograph of the Combermere Abbey library was taken in 1891 by Sybell Corbet.

    The figure of a man can faintly be seen sitting in the chair to the left.

    His head, collar and right arm on the armrest are clearly discernible. It is believed to be the ghost of Lord Combermere.

    Lord Combermere was a British cavalry commander in the early 1800s, who distinguished himself in several military campaigns.

    Combermere Abbey, located in Cheshire, England, was founded by Benedictine monks in 1133. In 1540, King Henry VII kicked out the Benedictines, and the Abbey later became the Seat of Sir George Cotton KT, Vice Chamberlain to the household of Prince Edward, son of Henry VIII.

    In 1814, Sir Stapleton Cotton, a descendent of Sir George, took the title “Lord Combermere” and in 1817 became became the Governor of Barbados. Today the Abbey is a tourist attraction and hotel.

    Lord Combermere died in 1891, having been struck and killed by a horse-drawn carriage.  At the time Sybell Corbet took the above photo, Combermere’s funeral was taking place some four miles away.

    The photographic exposure, Corbet recorded, took about an hour. It is thought by some that during that time a servant might have come into the room and sat briefly in the chair, creating the transparent image.

    This idea was refuted by members of the household, however, testifying that all were attending Lord Combermere’s funeral.

    A 13 year old girl takes a selfie in the car. Then discovers a strange boy in the back seat. What is going on?  You can see from her reflection in her sunglasses that the picture was taken while on the road. The adult who is driving the vehicle would know whether there was a kid in the back seat, you would assume.

    .

    So this 13 year old girl takes a selfie in the car while her mother is driving down the road. No one is in the back seat, yet it appears that her photo captures an image of someone int he back seat.

    Maybe true. Maybe fake. Who really knows?

    Spirit in the balcony.

    In 1982, photographer Chris Brackley took a photograph of the interior of London’s St. Botolph’s Church, but never expected what would appear on the film. High in the church’s loft, seen in the upper right-hand corner of his photograph, is the transparent form of what looks like a woman.

    According to Brackley, to his knowledge there were only three people in the church at the time the photo was taken, and none of them were in that loft.
    According to London Paranormal Database Records…

    "Mr. Brackley was later contacted by a builder who recognized the face of one that he had seen in a coffin in the church."
    

    Two chicks pose for a picture and then discover this when developed.

    My goodness. This interesting photo was taken sometime around the year 2000 in Manilla, Republic of the Philippines.

    According to The Ghost Research Society, two girlfriends were out for a walk one warm night. One of them entreated a passing stranger to photograph them using her cell phone’s camera (hence the low-resolution picture).

    The result is shown here, with a transparent figure seeming to tug on the girl’s arm with a firm if friendly grip. Without further information on this photo, we have to admit that the ghost could have been added with image processing software. But if it’s genuine and untouched, it certainly qualifies as one of the best ghost photos around.

    It’s pretty creepy.

    It’s so very easy to modify pictures these days. Everything is digital, and Photoshop is everywhere. But you know, just because it can be done, doesn’t necessarily mean that it is being done.

    Strange green boy.

    .

    There was a controversial photo posted on Instagram by a news anchor, capturing a moment of the party she had thrown the night before. One of her friends was entertaining everybody by playing the guitar and singing, so she captured the whole thing with her phone.

    Later, as she was going through the pictures, she noticed something strange in the background. It looked like a young boy peeking around the corner, trying to get a better view on the show.

    After she posted the photo on Instagram, a wave of discussions started. People speculated that she faked the whole thing in order to get more media attention that could help her kick off her news anchor career, and others believed it was proof of yet another haunted house. No one can be sure what the truth actually was, but it indeed seemed strange.

    Look up the picture and decide for yourself.

    .

    The ghostly object concealed in this spooky Irish snap will really give you a fright. Taken more than 100 years ago, experts tried to explain the hand as trick of light or a ruffle in a shirt. But neither idea works out.

    It’s all pretty messed up.

    Who is this kid?

    .

    The Amityville house is one of the most famous haunted houses in the world. The tales of the ghosts living in this house have spread so much that they have inspired a huge franchise known as The Amityville Horror.

    Before this whole story started going around, the Amityville house was a place like every other and there was, what appeared to be, a happy family living there. One night, the man went crazy and he killed his wife, all of his children, and he committed suicide after that.

    From that moment on, people have been claiming that their ghosts have still been living in the house. Paranormal investigators went there to see if there was a truth to that story and they took a photo of a little boy. The curious thing about that photo was that there were absolutely no children around at the time the photo was taken.

    .

    CCTV footage showing a shadowy spectre emerging from a driveway and straight into oncoming traffic.

    On November 19, 1995, Wem Town Hall in Shropshire, England burned to the ground. Many spectators gathered to watch the old building, built in 1905, as it was being consumed by the flames.

    Tony O’Rahilly, a local resident, was one of those onlookers and took photos of the spectacle with a 200mm telephoto lens from across the street. One of those photos shows what looks like a small, partially transparent girl standing in the doorway.

    Nether O’Rahilly nor any of the other onlookers or firefighters recalled seeing the girl there. O’Rahilly submitted the photo to the Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena which, in turn, presented it for analysis to Dr. Vernon Harrison, a photographic expert and former president of the Royal Photographic Society.

    Harrison carefully examined both the print and the original negative, and concluded that it was genuine. “The negative is a straightforward piece of black-and-white work and shows no sign of having been tampered with,” Harrison said.

    But who is the little girl?

    Wem, a quiet market town in northern Shropshire, had been ravaged by fire in the past.  In 1677, historical records note, a fire destroyed many of the town's old timber houses.  A young girl named Jane Churm, the legends say, accidentally set fire to a thatched roof with a candle. 
    

    This photo was taken during an investigation of Bachelor’s Grove cemetery near Chicago by the Ghost Research Society (GRS). On August 10, 1991, several members of of the GRS were at the cemetery, a small, abandoned graveyard on the edge of the Rubio Woods Forest Preserve, near the suburb of Midlothian, Illinois.

    Reputed to be one of the most haunted cemeteries in the U.S., Bachelor’s Grove has been the site of well over 100 different reports of strange phenomena, including apparitions, unexplained sights and sounds, and even glowing balls of light.

    GRS member Mari Huff was taking black and white photos with a high-speed infrared camera in an area where the group had experienced some anomalies with their ghost-hunting equipment.  The cemetery was empty, except for the GRS members.

    When developed, this image emerged: what looks like a lonely-looking young woman dressed in white sitting on a tombstone.  Parts of her body are partially transparent and the style of the dress seems to be out of date.

    Other ghosts reportedly seen in Bachelor's Grove include figures in monks' clothes and the spirit of a glowing yellow man.

    And now for something odd…

    Who is the kid?

    .

    This photo, taken on a cell-phone shows a group of girls posing for a picture in the middle of the lounge room. The young girl seen crying in the bottom right corner of the image refused to take part in the picture because she said ‘The little boy was scaring her!’ It wasn’t until later, when her mother was reviewing the photo that she realized what the little girl was talking about.

    Take a look between the legs of the girls second and third from the left. You can clearly see the face of a young boy peering out from behind the group. If it was simply a shadow or optical illusion why did the little girl get so scared?

    Security guard alerted by motion sensors.

    .

    Theaters are believed by many to be common haunting grounds for ghosts. There is something about their unique atmosphere that seems to attract the supernatural. According to Mary Destany Martin, security guards at the theater at her local high school captured some weird photos of the school’s own resident ghost.

    The security guards visited the theater after a motion alarm went off at around 1:00 early one morning. They didn’t see anything but took a photo on their way out, just in case. When reviewing the photo, a guard was shocked to notice the figure of a woman walking down the stairs of what he was certain was an empty theater. The figure appears to be entirely black and white, in stark contrast to the rest of the theater, giving her a strange, otherworldly appearance.

    Yes. It’s pretty strange.

    Who is this girl?

    .

    One thing is for certain, she was able to trip the motion sensors. So she had substance.

    A person appears from thin air.

    .

    This photo was received from Denise Russell.

    “The lady in the color photo is my granny,” she says. “She lived on her own until age 94, when her mind started to weaken and had to be moved to an assisted living home for her own safety. At the end of the first week, there was a picnic for the residents and their families. My mother and sister attended. My sister took two pictures that day, and this is one of them.

    It was taken on Sunday, 8/17/97, and we think the man behind her is my grandpa who passed away on Sunday, 8/14/84.

    We did not notice the man in the picture until Christmas Day, 2000 (granny had since passed away), while browsing through some loose family photos at my parents’ house. My sister thought it was such a nice picture of granny that she even made a copy for mom, but still, nobody noticed the man behind her for over three years!

    When I arrived at my parents’ house that Christmas day, my sister handed me the picture and said, “Who do you think this man behind granny looks like?”

    It took a few seconds for it to sink in. I was absolutely speechless. The black and white photos show that it really looks like him.

    Spiritualist convention in Los Angeles, California.

    This photo was taken on November 16, 1968 when Robert A. Ferguson, author of Psychic Telemetry: New Key to Health, Wealth, and Perfect Living, was giving a speech at a Spiritualist convention in Los Angeles, California.

    Faintly appearing next to Ferguson is a figure that he later identified as his brother, Walter, who died in 1944 during World War II. At first glance, this might seem to be a double exposure or some kind of darkroom trickery, but this photo is a Polaroid (one of several taken of Ferguson at the time), making any kind of hoaxing quite unlikely.

    Sefton Church

    .

    Sefton Church is an ancient structure (started in the 12th century and finished in the early 16th century) in Merseyside, England, just north of Liverpool. This particular photograph was taken inside the church in September, 1999.

    According to Brad Steiger’s Real Ghosts, Restless Spirits and Haunted Places, where this photo was found, there was only one other photographer in the church beside the person who took this picture. Neither of them recalled seeing the ghost or any flesh-and-blood person standing there who could account for this image. Because the figure is all in black, it has been theorized that the apparition could be that of a church minister.

    It has been reported that a pub next door to the church, called the Punch Bowl, is said to be haunted by the ghost of a man in blue nautical garb, which has been reported there for many years.

    A dinner event at St. Mary’s Guildhall in Coventry, U.K.

    .

    On January 22, 1985, the Coventry Freeman organization were having a dinner event at St. Mary’s Guildhall in Coventry, U.K. Everyone in the group had her or his head bowed in prayer when this photo was taken — including a towering, mysterious figure standing top left. The strange cowled spectre appears to be wearing very odd clothing. The clothing looks like a kind of battle armor from the software game “Doom”.

    Lord Mayor Walter Brandish, who was present at the dinner, said there was no one at the event who was dressed like that, and he could not explain the presence of the interloper in the photo. St. Mary’s Guildhall dates back to the 14th century and served as a prison for Mary, Queen of Scots.

    Posing in a helicopter.

    .

    Mrs. Sayer and some friends were visiting the Fleet Air Arm Station at Yelverton, Somerset, England in 1987 when this photo was taken. They thought it would be cute to take a picture of her sitting in the seat of retired helicopter.

    No one, Mrs. Sayer insists, was sitting next to her in the pilot’s seat… although a figure in a white shirt can clearly be seen sitting there.

    She told an investigator with the Society for Psychical Research that she  remembered feeling rather cold sitting in that seat, even though it was a hot day.
    Other pictures taken at the same time did not come out. Worth noting is that the helicopter was used in the Falklands War, but there is no information as to whether or not a pilot died in that aircraft.

    .

    Kim Davison from Queensland, Australia posted a picture on the Toowoomba Ghost Chasers Facebook page showing what appears to be the ghost of a young girl, who died in the same spot 100 years ago

    Merry Christmas.

    .

    It was what seemed to be a completely normal Christmas get-together; people sitting in their living room next to their Christmas tree and a pile of presents. Nothing curious about that at all. At least until someone decided to take a picture of that merry moment. After that, the moment wasn’t so marry anymore.

    In the middle of the picture, there seems to be a ghostly figure squatting over the pile of presents. You can clearly see the feet that belong to this mysterious being.

    After the photo was analyzed by experts, the conclusion was that the feet probably belong to one of the kids in the picture, and it was nothing more than a glitch in the camera. However, there still is some doubt since the child in question was wearing socks, while the feet in front of the present seem to be bare. Besides that, they are also too large to belong to the little boy in question.

    Then you have this absolutely odd-ball photo…

    .

    This photo was taken at Corroboree Rock at Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia in 1959. What does not seem to be a trick of light and shadow is a human form, semi-transparent, wearing what looks like a long white dress or gown. More curious, the figure seems to be holding something in the manner that a person holds a camera or binoculars.

    High forehead, long back hair in a mullet style. Appears to be a male, wearing a long white gown, and holding a what?

    One possibility is that this is a double exposure of a living person. In 1959, this image would have been captured on film.

    If it is not a double exposure and this is a spirit captured on film, then a number of questions arise: [1] What is the entity looking and why? [2] Do they have cameras and binoculars in the afterlife? Or [3] is this an instance of a time slip in which the camera has recorded a scene from a different time?

    My goodness!

    Now this next picture is something that is concerning and allows your mind to wonder what is going on…

    An abandoned house.

    .

    When it comes to abandoned houses, it is quite easy to start a rumor about some paranormal activity. Most of the ghost stories actually start this way; “Once upon a time, there was an abandoned house…”

    We’ve all heard something like that already.

    However, there is one specific house that has drawn a lot of people’s attention after a picture of a ghostly figure was captured there. No one knows exactly who used to live there or what happened to the people living there previously.

    There has been some speculation about different horror stories connected to this house and the ghosts inhabiting it. But the picture was quite clear; someone was standing in the doorway. We can’t be sure if it was just a shadow shaped like a person, but from the look of it, it surely seemed like a ghostly, transparent figure.

    And some things are truly WTF!

    Like this, for instance…

    What is this?

    .

    There was a girl who wanted to take some silly pictures of her cousins while they were playing. Instead of that, she captured something that can hardly be identified as anything else other than a potential paranormal activity.

    The weirdest thing about this photo is that it’s impossible to say what we actually see in it. It is clear that there is some weirdly shaped gray and black figure behind the little boy, but it’s impossible to say what it resembles.

    It is not a human nor an animal, but it clearly is something that has appeared only in the picture; nobody saw it in the room before or after that.

    This picture is definitely unique and different from the others, which is what makes it even more disturbing and mysterious. What do you think the shape in the picture was? Or was it just another attempt to make an ordinary picture go viral?

    Indeed, somethings just defy description.

    In 2015, Kevin Brown snapped a series of photos on his iPad while he was at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History in Texas. Brown, who was there with his niece and two nephews didn’t see anything strange about the images at the time they were taken. It wasn’t until later that day that his niece noticed something very unsettling in one of the photos…

    A big What-The-Fuck is thing thing?

    .

    Yeah.

    And here’s a close-up.

    Photoshop? WTF?

    And now for some more strange stuff…

    Ah yes. there are all sorts of creatures and things out there. Both terrestrial and extraterrestrial.

    And while it is easy enough to assume that every picture, and every video on the internet is a hoax of one sort or the other (because, after all many of them actually are) there are videos that can and do depict things that might…

    …just might…

    …describe a window into the non-physical reality that surrounds our visible reality…

    …or might not.

    But do not discount EVERY video and picture you see as a hoax. For they might, just maybe, give you an insight into the reality that surrounds us.

    Webcams

    There are numerous internet websites that post live feeds of “haunted” areas. These feeds have produced hundreds, even thousands of images that defy rational description.

    Such as this one…

    Willard Library Paranormal Webcams

    .

    According to those who have worked at or visited the Willard Library, there is definitely a supernatural entity or two walking the halls of the building. To prove it, they have set up paranormal webcams so that ghost hunters around the world can keep a close eye out and send in screenshots when they spot something ghostly.

    There are a few types of ghosts that have been spotted by viewers and patrons of the library. The most common entity to make an appearance on film is different colored orbs hovering in various places, usually the stairwell. However, employees of the library have reported spotting a Grey Lady and a young boy haunting this stairwell. They believe that the orbs are merely how the ghosts manifest on camera.

    You can see a listing of different ghost-sighting webcams HERE.

    Is that it?

    Now, is everything that we sense related to the non-physical world that surrounds us, or are there other things involved?

    Well, there are other things.

    As you all recall, we travel the MWI as a lone consciousness. We share world-lines in a “ghost shadow” consciousness but actually meeting up with another consciousness where we are both the dominant consciousnesses on that world-line is a rare event. And sometimes, we can pick up some events that are difficult to explain as they involve both consciousness, the MWI, and physical manifestation.

    Consider this graphic…

    An observed cross-over event.

    .

    Now consider this…

    These two photos were taken in 1988 at the Hotel Vierjahreszeiten in Maurach, Austria.

    .

    These two photos were taken in 1988 at the Hotel Vierjahreszeiten in Maurach, Austria. Several vacationers gathered for a farewell party at the hotel and decided to take a group photo. One of the party, Mr. Todd, set up is Canon film camera on a nearby table and pointed it at the group.

    (The table is the white band at the bottom of the photos.) He set the self-timer on the camera and hurried back to the table.

    The shutter clicked and the film wound forward, but the flash did not fire. So Todd set the camera for a second shot. This time the flash fired.

    The film was later developed, and it wasn’t until one of party members was viewing the photos that it was noticed that the first (non-flash) photo showed a somewhat blurry extra head! (In the sequence above, the second (flash) photo is actually shown first for the sake of comparison.)

    No one recognized the ghostly woman, and they could not imagine how her image appeared in the picture.

    Besides being a bit out of focus, the woman’s head is also too large compared to the other vacationers, unless she is sitting closer to the camera, which would put her in the middle of the table. The photo was examined by the Royal Photographic Society, the photographic department of Leicester University, and the Society for Psychical Research, all of which ruled out a double exposure as the cause.

    And consider this…

    On July 6th, 2014, Martin Springall took a series of photos of his 4 year old daughter on a beach in Zushi, Japan. Springall, who was living in Tokyo at the time claims that no one else was around when he took the photographs and that he didn’t notice anything strange until he looked at the pictures later that night. In one of the images there appears to be a person in black boots standing directly behind his daughter.

    Cute little girl posing for her daddy.

    .

    When asked about what he had captured, Springall recalled, “I took a few pictures, and when I was looking through them at night, I noticed what appeared to be a pair of boots behind her in one of the photos,” he said. “I took several of her in the same spot, but only one had the boots.” My daughter is really shy, and she wouldn’t have taken a picture if there was someone standing behind her, which I would have definitely noticed.”

    What are they talking about?

    They are taking about this frozen moment in time…

    A snap-shot of a world-line; a “frozen moment in time”.

    .

    And then we have this…

    Two girls playing around.

    .

    There is nothing weird about two girlfriends taking a selfie while they’re alone. Or is there? The word “alone” is actually open for a discussion in this case. Those two girls were partying in a house all by themselves and nothing weird has happened for the whole time until they decided to take a selfie. While the girls stated that they had been all alone in the house, there is a clear reflection in the mirror of a third girl standing behind them. So who is she and what was she doing there?

    Conclusions

    There is a non-physical reality that surrounds us. It is present in every world-line and it tracks our reality as we experience “time”.

    Other species can see things that we cannot. And we can see things (by using certain technologies) that they cannot sense.

    Extraterrestrials, dimensional travelers, visitors, and intelligent entities hide from humans in “plain sight” by phasing out of our observation. This is how the human species is monitored, observed, manipulated and controlled.

    It is nothing to get all “hot and bothered about”, it is just simply how it is done.

    Additionally, there are cross-over considerations regarding the MWI and world-lines that can be recorded on film for a fleeting moment.

    The truth is that we, as humans, do not understand the nature of our reality well enough to account for various odd-ball events that are periodically captured on film or video. Rather than automatically discount them as hoaxes, simply because they do not fit within the confines of our established world-view, perhaps we need to embrace a larger and more comprehensive understanding of the universe and our reality, instead.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my MAJestic Index, here…

    MAJestic

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    The unreported two subsequent viral attacks to China. And they are now going to come to you soon. Heads up.

    Uh oh.

    Two of my staff are at the hospital for severe chronic diarrhea. A close friend and his entire family are also in a different hospital, for the same god-damn thing. A friend just called me and told me that he cannot meet with me as planned because of…

    Guess what?

    Chronic Diarrhea

    .

    The American news is such a pile of horse-manure it boggles my mind that I still pay it any attention. But there you are, once an American, it’s hard as Hell to break out of long-standing habits. Here, I am going to straighten up some misconceptions that the American “news” still promote. As well as say that “it’s all not over”. Trump does not take losing easily… he’s a sore, sore loser. And actions… his unreported actions… indicate this.

    One of the things is that once the COVID-19B failed to devastate China, and China thwarted his efforts in HK, Xinjiang, and Taiwan, the USA threw two additional biological weapons at China. The first [1] was in mid-Summer when China started arresting all the CIA agents and NED / NID agents in Hong Kong. And the second [2] was in October, after the enormous US Navy flotilla returned back to the United States with it’s tail between it’s legs in defeat.

    This post is going to discuss these two subsequent biological weapons attacks. For purposes of simplification, we will give them the following names;

    • COVID-20 The June 2020 biological attack.
    • COVID-21 The October 2020 biological attack.

    The Big Lie

    There is one pandemic. It’s a variant of the flu. Now it is evolving. It only kills the old and the sick. Once you get it, you are inoculated. And you don’t even need to wear any masks, or take any protections. You are now “forever” safe.

    That is false.

    The Truth

    President Trump waged biological warfare on China starting in 2017. This was a four year campaign of intensive and constant bio-warfare attacks. It began with viruses designed to destroy grains, and poultry. Then advanced to include meats. To attack the pork industry, the CIA used drones to spray remote farms. And when China was still not starving and “begging for mercy”, he unleashed COVID-19 against the world.

    Against the world…

    Why the world?

    Of course the entire world knows about how COVID-19 ravished the world. What no one has been paying attention to is the timing and distribution of the COVID-19.

    There are different strains of COVID-19. They go by the indicators of A, B, C, D…etc.

    The first COVID-19 strain to hit the world was the COVID-19A. This strain was discovered throughout America. And it seemed to appear “out of nowhere” in a very short period of time, with clusters originating out of all of the major American cities. This strain is a very light strain. It has an R0=0.1%. In most cases it doesn’t even cause a sniffle, let alone a cough. It is no wonder that Donald Trump wanted everyone to get this stain. As it was his belief that once you get sick with this “harmless” strain that you get immunity to all further strains.

    That is FALSE.

    The Second COVID-19 strain to hit the world was COVID-19B. This is a lethal strain. Not only does it cause seizures and death, but it’s got a horrific R0=15-20%. This strain was identified and traced directly to the Wuhan “wet” market where American servicemen and women were filed touching and fondling the produce, and the fish tanks there. While this strain was first detected inside of China, it was also found in Russia, Iran, and North Korea. It began to propagate at the exact moment of the major Chinese holiday CNY and forced the Chinese government to go into a complete lock down or else a sizable percentage of the nation would be dead or dying.

    If this sounds suspicious, you are correct. It is suspicious.

    It appears that someone unleashed a mild COVID-19A to immunize the United States and it’s allies, while unleashing a horrific and lethal COVID-19B against the “enemies” of the United States. China. Russia. Iran. North Korea.

    If this sounds suspicious, you are correct. It is suspicious.

    While there are some minor mysteries surrounding this. You need only listen to the studies that China presented to the United Nations in August 2020 when they (and Russia) accused the United States of launching a biological weapon attack against them. For instance, the mystery of how Italy become infected with COVID-19B is easily explained that the Italian soldiers shared the same hotel as the American solders did in Wuhan in December 2019.

    If this sounds suspicious, you are correct. It is suspicious.

    Anyways, I’ve covered this entire subject in great detail elsewhere. If you want to go spelunking through the data, there’s some great tools available. The WHO and the Chinese have mapped the various strains of COVID-19. And it is all pretty damning for the United States.

    You can use this tool…

    https://lnkd.in/gBM2Fur

    SNAG-GIF-00018- 10-18-2020.jpg
    SNAG-GIF-00018- 10-18-2020.jpg

    Exploring the unreported

    Of course none of this is reported inside of America. It’s all a HATE-CHINA-fest.

    "It's not fair to say that Americans are  silent about everything. Americans are very vocal about China stealing and China having no freedom and China having the largest concentration camp for Muslims and China having no human rights for Tibetans.  
    
    All these must be true because our politicians and free press say so.   
    
    Americans are right to stand up against China imperialism of Belt and Road. Americans will never be silent about China trying to take over the world's islands and oceans.  
    
    As for the Capitol insurrection, we blame China for poisoning the minds of Americans with their Hong Kong revolution footage. 
    
    We also blame Hong Kong freedom fighters for taking American money and then messing it up.  
    
    In fact, China gave Trump the royal treatment and then suckered him into a trade war which damages America. 
    
    China is to blame for Trump and his trade wars. 
    China is to  blame for discovering the Covid virus.  
    
    We now know that it's been all  over the world with no one the wiser, but China had to make a big stink  and shut down the country. 
    
    China has few Covid deaths but China also has  no freedom and no human rights. What do you prefer?  
    
    Don't forget some  spokesmen for some secret American agency said that China may have  corrupted American elections.  
    
    China is to blame for destroying American  democracy. Who can we believe if we don't believe in patriotic American  elected officials, the free press, and American agencies? 
    
    Don't worry  Jay, Americans will be very vocal about China.  They will support more  patriotic wars by any means and sanctions against the great evil China  with their democratic elections and tax dollars. God bless America! 
    
    -Jay Janson's Blog

    If this sounds suspicious, you are correct. It is suspicious.

    COVID-20

    Well, a pissed of Trump, furious that the enormous flotilla he sent off to China returned back with it’s tail between it’s legs, unleashed a very nasty virus aimed directly at China.

    The following is "COVID-19: China Reseeded with COVID-20" by Larry Romanoff written on June 22, 2020 with 292 Comments.

    From the date of the initial outbreak in Wuhan I watched carefully on a daily basis the dispersion and progression of the coronavirus in China and then abroad, collecting as much data as were available on each location. By late May of 2020, China had been infection-free for many weeks, the concern turning to the identification and quarantine of imported cases. At the same time, the US became once again ‘the leader of the world’, this time in virus infections and deaths, producing 20,000 to 30,000 new cases and around 1,000 deaths per day.

    At the time, American hostility toward China’s success in stopping the virus was palpable, with many nasty media articles and White House accusations about China’s false statistics and blaming China for “spreading the virus” to the US. CNN stated, “Chinese state media has repeatedly touted China’s effective measures in containing the virus as the number of infections and deaths surged abroad, contrasting its success with the failures of Western governments, especially the United States.”[1] Clearly there was much surprise and bitterness at China’s success and America’s failure, this coated in a sticky layer of resentment based partly on a justified suspicion that the Chinese were not overly distressed at the Americans enjoying the fruits of their own labor.

    But even then I had a sense of an apparition, a version of Dickens’ ‘ghost of coronavirus past’, accompanied by an uncomfortable feeling the Americans were sufficiently bitter (and vicious) to deny the Chinese their apparently easy victory.

    My fear was that the Americans would try to reseed China as they did Russia, and it would seem my fears were not unjustified. The new virus that broke out at the Xinfadi market in Beijing was a different strain than any previously existing in China, one that existed only in the US and Europe and could only have been brought in from the outside. And once again at a seafood market with no identifiable patient zero, no clear epidemiology (source and distribution) of a virus that did not exist in China. It almost had to be deliberately seeded, the odds against being infinitesimally small.

    In terms of what I am calling COVID-20 (to differentiate it from the initial outbreak), China may have been fortunate to detect and corral this new pathogen before it could spread. The outbreak did expand to three other provinces but in single digits and the medical authorities have taken extreme action to prevent further spread since this variety – which again did not exist in China and had to be seeded from another country, appears to be much more contagious than the original COVID-19.[2]

    In response, Beijing has locked down everything and sent a group of experts to guide the fight against this new potential epidemic, so far with good success. Nucleic acid testing has been initiated on a massive scale, already many millions of people tested, and all those in contact with the Xinfadi market being in quarantine. Many residential compounds in the city strictly prohibit anyone from entering or leaving, with residents having their temperatures checked and reported on a daily basis, and their food and daily necessities delivered.[3]

    Before this new outbreak, Beijing had been virus-free for nearly 60 days, meaning there were no local viruses and that this new pathogen was definitely an import (or an American export). On June 19, China’s CDC experts, after intensive investigations of the Xinfadi market, announced what they termed “a groundbreaking virus tracing discovery”, which was that the strain of the new virus in Beijing was the same as that in much of Europe – but much older than those in Europe, and “had been around for quite some time” – and that can mean only that it came from the US because that was the source of all the original varieties many months ago.[4]

    The investigators said they obtained so many positive samples that the entire market was “severely contaminated by the virus”, but also that no one should form the conclusion that the market was the origin merely because the outbreak took place there. More importantly, they also said “Beijing’s outbreak gives us the opportunity to re-examine our previous speculation that the virus originated from wildlife”, because unlike Wuhan, “the possibility of wildlife causing Beijing’s latest outbreak is slim.” Their conclusion was that “an infected individual or object contaminated with the virus entered the wet market, and the market only gave it an environment to multiply”.[3]

    The authorities have already produced the genome sequence and are now establishing when and how the virus was likely imported into China, and how long was the transmission chain. There is no question this pathogen was brought into China “by people”, the question being the identity of those people and their purpose.[5] And, what better way to “teach those smug Chinese a lesson” and attempt to derail China’s rapid economic recovery.

    The use of open, public areas with produce and food is the preferred environment from which to launch a bio-weapons attack. Not just in Wuhan with COVID-19, but in America at a Salad Bar.

    Russia Re-seeded

    There is something equally strange about the virus in Russia. For a long time, Russia had only a few infections, rising steadily by only five or ten per day, then suddenly it exploded, rising by 5,000, then 10,000 and 20,000 per day. Virus outbreaks don’t normally manifest that way. The normal process upon an outbreak is a rapid acceleration in the number of infections until it peaks, as happened with all other countries.

    But with Russia, the infections were minor for a long time, steady at very low numbers, with all the indications of an unsuccessful epidemic, and the Russian government took strict measures to control the spread. The US government was clearly resentful at the failure of the virus to devastate Russia and the US media bemoaned the fact that Russia’s death rate was so low. I would be very interested to see the genome sequences from the first infections in January and February, and for those happening in April and May. I haven’t any definitive proof, but I am certain Russia, as China, was seeded again with another variety for a second attempt.

    Virus Distribution

    But to return to our main point, it isn’t necessary for us to determine the physical origin of the virus. We know the virus originated in bats; that much is confirmed, but the more important issue is the epidemiology, particularly the incidence and distribution.

    First of all, for China and most other nations originally infected, there were so many multiple and simultaneous sources that locating a patient zero was a hopeless task. Virus outbreaks, left to their own natural devices, do not behave in this fashion, but begin with one person in a tightly localised situation and provably spreading from that point. Equally distressing is that we have the truly unprecedented “two waves” of worldwide infections. For this, let’s review my observations from an earlier article[6] and take a quick look at those two waves of infections that circled the globe.

    The First Wave simultaneously infected 25 nations within a few days centered on January 25.

    One month later, the Second Wave simultaneously infected 85 nations within a few days centered on February 25.

    A natural virus hasn’t the ability to simultaneously (within three days) infect 85 different countries on all continents of the world. More peculiar is that these countries were not all infected with the same variety of the virus, and that most reported simultaneous outbreaks in multiple locations.

    Considering the above information in light of the basics of virus transmission, the only theory that fits all the known facts is that these waves resulted from many people leaving Fort Detrick on the same day carrying a pail of different live viruses, because those multiple varieties at the time existed only in the US. It could not possibly have resulted from air travel because that timing would have been scattered. When 85 countries experience a virus outbreak on virtually the same day, this can happen only with human assistance. The Americans have steadfastly refused to address this point.

    Experts on biological weapons are in unanimous agreement that eruptions in a human population of a new and unusual pathogen in multiple locations simultaneously, with no clear idea of source and cases with no proven links, is virtually prima facie evidence of a pathogen deliberately released.

    Since natural outbreaks can almost always be resolved to one location and one patient zero. But with COVID-19 (or COVID-20), not one country out of 200 has been able to do this.

    It should be firmly noted that this new infection in Beijing is not a “second wave” as termed by the Western media. This is an entirely new and different infection by a new virus and totally unrelated to anything prior, a strain of a new and different virus that was deliberately carried to Beijing and flooded in the Xinfadi Market.

    This infection is not related to COVID-19 but is the seeding of yet another biological pathogen in China, making that now seven different biological attacks on China in two years. And China has suffered others similar.

    One of the most notable was the H1N1 virus that caused the 1918 flu pandemic – and which was extinct for decades – but which suddenly appeared in 1977 in both China and Russia causing a global pandemic, prompting immediate claims by the Americans that it “escaped from a Chinese lab”.

    But the only sensible explanation is that the H1N1 virus ‘escaped’ from the Americans because there were persistent reports that the US military had found or saved samples of the original ‘Spanish Flu’ virus and were attempting to re-activate it. There was never a shred of evidence that either China or Russia had anything to do with this, and both were taken entirely by surprise.

    It is my view that the world needs to stop pretending that COVID-19 was an accident of nature.

    Consider China’s recent experience. In addition to SARS – which was indisputably man-made, China has suffered repeated viral pandemics in the past two years.

    • February 15, 2018: H7N4 bird flu.
    • June, 2018: H7N9 bird flu.
    • August, 2018: outbreak of African swine flu.
    • May 24, 2019: massive infestation of armyworms.
    • December, 2019: COVID-19.
    • January, 2020: A “highly pathogenic” strain of bird flu.
    • June, 2020: China is hit with COVID-20.

    Are we to tell ourselves it was merely a run of bad luck that China was the only nation in the world to be hit repeatedly with so many different biological pathogens in such a short time? And merely more ‘bad luck’ that China became the only country in the world that was domestically virus-free and was suddenly hit again with a foreign strain in another wet market? This assumption is too ridiculous to bother refuting.

    It is unfortunate that so much of our information today comes to us in a passive receptance from the mass media because one result is the loss of our ability to examine information critically and use our minds to assess the presentation.

    As an example, it was very clever for the Americans to use a wet market as a distribution point for a virus and for the media to give this point massive air time, because we instinctively associate such markets with at least a possibility of germs and bacteria and thus passively accept the claims as true without the necessary evidence and thus avoid using our brains as intended. Our assessment of wet markets as unsanitary may be correct, but common germs and bacteria are a very different thing from a coronavirus that makes its home in bats and has no business being in a vegetable market.

    It isn’t important for our purposes to decide if COVID-19 was created in a lab; the important point is that a coronavirus [1] has no means of transportation from bat caves in Sichuan to a market in Wuhan, nor [2] the ability to mutate itself in such a way as to be energetically contagious to humans, and much less [3] the conscious intelligence to choose China’s largest passenger transportation hub as the distribution point and [4] the Eve of the Chinese New Year as the best time to attack. For these, the coronavirus required a helping ‘black hand’.

    The Noose Tightens on the US

    There is almost daily an increase in the volume of evidence that COVID-19 was circulating in the US far earlier than admitted, and serving as incriminating proof that the CDC’s deliberate (and threatening) forbidding of testing was to bury this evidence.

    The most recent example is headlines in the US media on June 21, 2020, stating, “Over 40 mysterious respiratory deaths in California could dramatically rewrite narrative of COVID-19” in the US.[7] The LA Times reported on “a cluster of mysterious respiratory deaths” beginning in December of 2019. The local news website www.bakersfield.com stated this meant that COVID-19 was circulating in California “way earlier than we knew”. And let’s not forget too quickly that Japanese tourists were infected in Hawaii in September of 2019.

    And on June 20, 2020, the Italian National Institute of Health (ISS) revealed that they had discovered that COVID-19 was present in water samples dating back to mid-December of 2019. The results were confirmed by two separate labs that used two entirely different testing methods, and also showed that environmental wastewater from Milan, Turin and Bologna returned positive traces of the virus dating back to December if not earlier. Apparently, the RNA from COVID-19 does not readily dissolve or disintegrate in water and polymerase chain reaction testing allows scientists to identify the RNA after many months.[8][9]

    And it wasn’t only Italy. Dutch researchers discovered COVID-19 RNA in a wastewater plant in the Utrecht, Netherlands, city of Amersfoort. French scientists detected “high concentrations” of COVID-19 RNA in samples of sewage water from greater Paris that were obtained before Paris first recorded any deaths. Sputnik News reported in May that a Paris hospital confirmed it had treated Amirouche Hammar, the country’s first COVID-19 patient, on December 27, 2019 – one month before France’s first announcement of infections and four days before the WHO China bureau was informed of a “pneumonia of unknown etiology” on December 31.[10]

    The Irish Mirror reported on June 19 that “many countries are beginning to use wastewater sampling to track the spread of the disease”, scientists claiming these detections were “consistent with evidence emerging in other countries” that COVID-19 was circulating around the world long before China reported its first cases, all of which would of necessity have had to have originated in the US and transported around the world.

    It is now beginning to appear that many countries were seeded at approximately the same time, perhaps in their water distribution systems. Following these discoveries, the ISS told Reuters it intends to launch a new study of the wastewater of Italian tourist resorts. I suspect other nations will follow.

    And it would seem the NYT, WSJ, WP, CNN, ABC, NBC, National Post, Globe & Mail, have no knowledge of this. The Chinese and Europeans know, but the Americans and Canadians don’t know because the owners of their major newspapers and TV networks don’t want them to know.

    A Brief Update

    If you look at the graph (courtesy of CNN), you can see the European infection pattern (in pink) and the American (in green). The Europeans followed China’s protocols in varying degrees, and thus with varying degrees of success. Europe’s infections peaked at around 30,000 per day then descended to around 2,000 near the end of June, while the Americans, led by a man who is living proof that democracy is the worst possible form of government, saw their infections peak at the same level, slightly decrease, then revert to 30,000 infections and around 1,000 deaths per day where they will now remain until the virus surges through the entire population. Twenty-six states are already experiencing dramatic spikes reaching new records each day, so Trump ordered the CDC to “stop testing” because it makes him look bad.

    .

    The next graphic is a list of the top ten nations for COVID-19 infections. Missing from this picture is a comparison I want to make about leadership and competence, to say nothing of intelligence.

    Shanghai is a city only two hours from Wuhan and, when the infections exploded, had no warning and almost no time to prepare, but acted so quickly and decisively that the city had only 26 infections and 7 deaths. Missing from the graphic is Canada, with a population very similar to Shanghai, and who, with months to plan and prepare, had 101,000 infections and 8,400 deaths. Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau is also living proof of democracy’s vast failings.

    .

    The Americans elected a pathetic buffoon who lives in outer space, while the Canadians elected a bullied child so painfully unintelligent and indecisive his wife would have to tell him to call the fire department if his house were burning down. I would include here the Brazilians who, with excessive assistance from the Americans, elected an arrogant sociopath who said famously, “It’s not my fault. What do you want me to do about it?”

    In all three countries the leaderless pandemic results are the same, with infections and deaths likely increasing until at least the end of the year. China, with a population of more than 1.4 billion people, had about 80,000 infections and little more than 4,000 deaths, and stopped the virus cold in about three months. But according to the NYT, WSJ, WP, and Canada’s terminally-obnoxious National Post, the “free-market capitalist” countries are God’s first choice while “socialist authoritarian” China should incur yet more sanctions for all its mistakes.

    Larry Romanoff is a retired management consultant and businessman. He has held senior executive positions in international consulting firms, and owned an international import-export business. He has been a visiting professor at Shanghai’s Fudan University, presenting case studies in international affairs to senior EMBA classes. Mr. Romanoff lives in Shanghai and is currently writing a series of ten books generally related to China and the West. He can be contacted at: 2186604556@qq.com. He is a frequent contributor to Global Research.

    Trump goes into hiding

    When China discovered the COVID-20 President Trump suddenly was whisked off to a military base, the Nation goes into DEFCON ONE, and on full-alert status. Then when China does nothing, President Trump is miraculously “cured” of the COVID-19 coronavirus illness and he returns to the White House.

    Imagine that!

    What a coincidence!

    Notes:

    [1] https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/15/asia/coronavirus-beijing-outbreak-intl-hnk/index.html

    [2] https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1191598.shtml

    [3] https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/15/asia/coronavirus-beijing-outbreak-intl-hnk/index.html

    [4] https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1192146.shtml

    [5] http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202006/15/WS5ee6b33da310834817252ec9.html

    [6] COVID-19 – Two Major ‘Waves’ of Global Infection; https://www.moonofshanghai.com/2020/05/covid-19-two-major-waves-of-global.html

    [7] https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1192389.shtml

    [8] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-italy-sewage-idUSKBN23Q1J9

    [9] https://www.news.com.au/world/coronavirus/global/italy-sewage-study-suggests-covid19-was-there-in-december-2019/news-story/2fd865f7b12a33698f3e9ab2f15a35e3

    [10] https://sputniknews.com/europe/202006191079667103-scientists-find-traces-of-sars-cov-2-in-italian-wastewater-predating-2019-wuhan-outbreak/

    Pretty Crazy, eh?

    Well. It is.

    If this sounds suspicious, you are correct. It is suspicious.

    I do not know how everything will work out. But I can tell you my opinion on this matter. And I will.

    My opinion;

    Trump and his little army of Neocons attacked China with unconventional warfare. It was the first massive use of biological weapons in a full-spectrum spread. China survived it, but the world is now infected with but one of the viral agents.

    Other viral agents lie dormant and are winding through society. How and when they will hit is unknown. One is the "death by shitting" virus. Which is just now getting noticed within China. This is the case, even though China has implemented very strict controls to control this particular and spectacularly nasty virus.

    And that means that…

    … all human transmitted viruses will always circle the globe. national borders are meaningless. And you cannot isolate a nation and pretend that the virus will not escape.

    I would advise everyone to maintain very strict isolation and anti-virus protocols. Wear a mask, even if no one else is. Make sure that you always wash your hands, and if you touch something, make sure that you use hand sanitizer afterwards.

    Sure, it seems like over-kill. And maybe it is. If nothing further happens, at least your exposure to the common cold will be greatly reduced. But if something does actually happen, you will be well protected against it.

    Do. Not. Follow. The. Herd.

    • Johns Hopkins Doctor Predicts Covid ‘Will Be Mostly Gone By April’ – Mediaite

    There is more than one virus out there. And the nasty strains have yet to hit the USA. You heard it here first. Let’s pray that I am WRONG.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my SHTF Index here…

    SHTF Articles

    .

    And my Trump Trade Wars / COVID-19 bio-weapon “carpet bombing”…

    Trump Trade War

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
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    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

     

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    America is slowly being rebuilt brick by brick towards a more community focus instead of an automobile focus.

    Who would have known?

    Throughout history, nations rise when there is righteous leadership that cared for its citizens' welfare and do the greater good. When they are corrupt and self-serving, those nations fall. Learn from history because we live in a world governed by cause and effect. History will repeat itself.
    
    -Tom Tan

    Imagine that. A nation decides to adapt to the people instead of legislating behaviors for them to follow. I know, I know, it’s a long way to go. But to hear that this is happening in the United States is absolutely astounding. It really is.

    Wow!

    Good stuff!

    Great.

    It’s about time.

    It’s a new world

    Yes it is.

    I see the global pandemic starting a trend. Actually a series of trends. One of which would be a severely curtailed movement of people across national borders. While others involve a decrease in the use of airlines and planes to go from place to place. You will see these venues downsize.

    Just like American malls have down-scaled due to the loss of the American middle class.

    the world is changing. you can see it everywhere.

    Here’s a scanning robot that I encountered at the mall when I was out getting some groceries. (We go to the mall for fun, we really don’t need to. The delivery services of Er-le-ma and Kangaroo are quite functional.) He said a cheery “Ni Hao!” as I walked by.

    Scanning robot in China.
    It’s a new world out there.

    .

    But you all have got to get the stupid “elected officials” out of Washington DC and start working together to help Americans. All this finger pointing, first to Russia and then to China is just useless and very counter productive. Nothing good will come of it. You have to look inside and address the problems there.

    Why is “democracy” so valuable?

    It’s heavily promoted (don’t you know) that one-person, one-vote system is the pinnacle of “freedom” and “liberty” in the world. Which is rather strange as the founders of the United States said the absolute opposite.

    And people are looking at these various systems of governance with a keen eye. Maybe there needs to be some changes they wonder…

    Daniel Bell has put forward his views in favor of China's political meritocracy... against the one person one vote (Western Democracy model) as a mode of selection for political leaders. He has done this  in two books.
    
    The China Model: Political Meritocracy and the Limits of Democracy
    Princeton University Press, 2015. ISBN 9781400865505.
     
    Dean of the School of Political Science and Public Administration at Shandong University and professor at Tsinghua University (Schwarzman College and Department of Philosophy). He was born in Montreal, educated at McGill and Oxford, has taught in Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai, and has held research fellowships at Princeton's University Center for Human Values, Stanford's Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioural Sciences and Hebrew University's Department of Political Science. 
     
    Here:
    https://youtu.be/e63ro_suARA

    If you are fat and overweight, you change your diet, go to a doctor, exercise more, and monitor your vitals. You do not point at a thin and healthy person and blame them for your problems. Nothing positive or good will come out of it.

    Speaking about blaming China…

    Pause in WeChat, TikTok ban a positive signal for China-US ties: analysts
    The Americans were going to ban WeChat and TikTok from the USA. Then  they realized many of their businesses - specially the precious petite  bourgeois "small businesses" - are only profitable with WeChat, while a  whole sector of the "influencers" business only existed (and prospered)  because of TikTok (the same way many glorified salesmen only exist in  YouTube).
     
    My bet is, if they can't outright expropriate WeChat and TikTok  (Trump tried to expropriate TikTok, forcing it to include their  algorithm and source code in the forced selling of their American branch  of the business, essentially creating a second, American clone of the  company), the Americans will simply let this legal aberration to slowly  die and fade into oblivion.
     
    China shows zero tolerance for fake news by banning BBC World News
    Propaganda is not information. Fake news is not press. Lies are not speech. Therefore, the BBC is not press and is not speech.
     
    The USA's response was hilarious. It basically stated that, because  China has an oppressive system and the West has a free system (because  of reasons), China is not entitled to ban Western news outlets, while  the West is entitled to ban Chinese newspapers at will. Typical case of  infantile "I'm better than you" rant.
     
    Chinese consumption unabated on Spring Festival Eve despite 'stay put' policy
    After months of double digit cases, Mainland China finally zeroed new  cases and is holding its Spring Festival. Meanwhile, the self-governed  province of Taiwan cancelled its Spring Festival after eight consecutive  months of (officially) zero new cases and just some 20 cases in January  (12 of which happened in a cluster, a hospital). Weird, somebody is  cooking the books here...
     
    UK economy hit by record slump in 2020 but double-dip recession avoided
    The UK's economy fell double the expected - but at least it avoided a double-dip recession!
     
    Why Japan Inc can’t and won’t quit China
    Welcome to the world of capitalism, Mr. Pesek.
     
    -Posted by: vk | Feb 12 2021 12:18 utc | 72

    It’s actually pretty bad.

    It’s sort of like this…

    It’s the way of losers.

    To blame others for things that you yourself cause. And yet I find it difficult to accept that America is populated with losers. Sure there are evil people in government, and dregs of society shopping at Wal-mart, but certainly decent people still exist, don’t you think?

    America is a real mess

    Tax freedom day this year fell on Aug. 12. That’s how long it now takes for the middle-class worker to fulfill his “obligation” to the leviathan. The Ponzi scheme that is our fiat money system is insatiable. It inflates away the savings and investments of Main Street America.

    Angel protects.
    Americans need some protection.

    .

    While the middle-class struggles, the entitlement class grows. High unemployment (who can even count the unemployed at this point), directly caused by government lockdown policies, pushes more people out of the middle class and into the parasite class. One in five American children now lives in poverty, according to a report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

    But the parasites live well off the producers. They get “free” housing, “free” food, “free” cable television, “free” cell phones. Their kids eat “free” at school (meals are still handed out at schools, even in lockdown). These “entitlements,” along with ever-extended long-term unemployment benefits, become so attractive that the incentive to work is suppressed.

    The workers look with disdain on the parasites. The parasites look with envy on the workers, wanting not their jobs but what they have. Recent riots in Great Britain demonstrate what happens when the parasites decide they want more.

    Meanwhile, even the working class is at war with one another. This is encouraged by the elites, but the current Administration has doubled down. The thugocracy of the Labor Unions terrorize non-union workers and companies large and small.

    We need to help each other.
    .
    In America, everyone is at war with each other. America should be offering a helping hand to others in need. Not trying to fight each other.

    .

    Tea Party members, at least those who gathered in 2009 and much of 2010 before the Republican Party began to co-opt the movement, were blue collar and white collar, owners of small businesses, retirees, former military, salt-of-the-earth people from all political spectrums who would not support toppling foreign regimes, making war on countries that have not attacked us “for democracy,” or perpetual wars.

    And while they indicated they are fed up with the status quo, Tea Party rallies were peaceful and orderly gatherings: Americans engaging in their right to petition government.

    Now? Capitol protestors are “terrorists.” Right wing, left wing? Republican, Democrat? Engage in your Two Minutes Hate. The lamestream media talking heads are proud.

    The elites love war abroad and at home. It distracts the masses from government’s ongoing theft and manipulation. Anger with one another allows them to continue their looting. It promotes threats and violence, which allows them to further clamp down on freedom.

     

    Endless wars, abroad and at home, equal totalitarianism. It’s totalitarianism under the sweet-sounding name of “democracy“.

    American Police State. Domestic arrest within a military empire. What would the Founders of the United States think of this? Do you think that they would approve?

    .

    Lest you think this is not the case, ABC News reports that …

    "The Pentagon will deploy more than 1,100 troops to five vaccination centers in what will be the first wave of increased military support for the White House campaign to get more Americans inoculated against COVID-19."

    You all think that America isn’t a Oligarchy-run Military Empire?

    We need some angels to intervene and set things right.

    Angels.
    Angels.

    .

    The American cult of the individual denies not just community but the very idea of society. No one owes anything to anyone. All must be prepared to fight for everything: education, shelter, food, medical care. What every prosperous and successful democracy deems to be fundamental rights — universal health care, equal access to quality public education, a social safety net for the weak, elderly, and infirmed — America dismisses as socialist indulgences, as if so many signs of weakness.

    How can the rest of the world expect America to lead on global threats — climate change, the extinction crisis, pandemics — when the country no longer has a sense of benign purpose, or collective well-being, even within its own national community? Flag-wrapped patriotism is no substitute for compassion; anger and hostility no match for love. Those who flock to beaches, bars, and political rallies, putting their fellow citizens at risk, are not exercising freedom; they are displaying, as one commentator has noted, the weakness of a people who lack both the stoicism to endure the pandemic and the fortitude to defeat it.

    -The Unraveling of America

     

    Anyways…

    Let’s get on a more positive note. And let’s start talking about rebuilding America into something better.

    The People the Suburbs Were Built for Are Gone

    A new book documents the “retrofitting” of obsolete suburban malls, box stores, office parks, parking lots, motels, and more. by Shayla Love written on January 22, 2021, at 1:00am. Edited to fit this venue. All credit to the author.

    Last summer, Donald Trump and Ben Carson, then Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, co-bylined an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal promising to “protect America’s suburbs,” describing how they reversed policies that would allow for the creation of denser living structures in areas zoned only for single-family homes.Advertisement

    “America’s suburbs are a shining example of the American Dream, where people can live in their own homes, in safe, pleasant neighborhoods,” they wrote. 

    But the suburbs, in the sense of the idyllic American pastoral Trump and Carson referenced, have been changing for some time—not necessarily the physical homes, stores, roads, and offices that populate them, but the people who live there, along with their needs and desires. Previous mainstays of suburban life are now myths: that the majority of people own their homes; that the suburbs are havens for the middle class; or that the bulk of people are young families who value privacy over urban amenities like communal spaces, walkability, and mixed-use properties. 

    This mismatch has led to a phenomenon called “suburban retrofitting,” as documented by June Williamson, an associate professor of architecture at the City College of New York, and Ellen Dunham-Jones, a professor of architecture at the Georgia Institute of Technology. They have a new book out this week: Case Studies in Retrofitting Suburbia: Urban Design Strategies for Urgent Challenges.

    Welcome to Metropica, a Supposed City of the Future

    Allie Conti

    Since the 1990s, Williamson and Dunham-Jones have been watching the suburbs evolve. They have found that much of the suburban sprawl of the 20th century was built to serve a very different population than the one that exists now, and so preserving what the suburbs once were doesn’t make sense. 

    Their book describes 32 recent instances in which suburban structures have been transformed into something new. Many of the cases in Williamson and Dunham-Jones first book from 2011 on the same topic were focused on underused parking lots being transformed into mixed-use spaces. But in this new book, the retrofitting projects have become more ambitious, as cities and towns turn old box stores, malls, motels, or office parks into places for people to live, work, eat, play, exercise, go to the doctor, or even watch Mexican wrestling.Advertisement

    They have found that when the suburbs are retrofitted, they can take on an astonishing array of modern issues: car dependency, public health, supporting aging people, helping people compete for jobs, creating water and energy resilience, and helping with social equity and justice.

    Motherboard talked with Williamson and Dunham-Jones about why and how we should retrofit the suburbs, and whether or not the COVID-19 has made the suburbs appealing again, or instead accelerated the desire to retrofit the burbs. 

    The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

    Motherboard: How do you define the suburbs—a slippery term with no concrete definition? You write in the book that you define something as suburban based on its “suburban form," not necessarily on location or city lines—what do you mean by that?

    June Williamson: We’re architects and urban designers and so we are focused on the built environment. That means that when we’re looking at places, generally, that have been built out in the second half of the 20th century to be car dependent, not walkable, and have comparatively lower density.

    Ellen Dunham-Jones: Similarly, you can look at the street networks. If you’ve got a grid, more or less, with small, walkable-sized blocks, that’s urban form. If you have a highway leading off into cul de sacs, that’s suburban form, which is a more treelike kind of pattern.

    JW: That kind of development certainly characterizes most of the peripheral areas around the older urban cores in Northern American cities. But it can also be found within municipal boundaries of cities. We advocate for an erosion of oppositional thinking that you’re either in the city or the suburbs. When you look at a larger metropolitan area, suburban form can also be found near the center in need of retrofitting. 



    You argue that many of these suburban forms are obsolete today because they don't fit the needs of the people who live there now. Can you walk me through some of the major demographic changes that have led to these suburban forms becoming obsolete? 

     

    EDJ: One of the biggest shifts is that the U.S. now is a majority of one to two person households. And yet, the majority of land within regional urban boundaries is zoned for single-family houses. That already is something of a mismatch.

    The expectation going forward is that something like 80 percent of new households that will form over the next 15 years will be these one to two person households. A lot of them would prefer an apartment or a condo—smaller units.Advertisement

    Plus you have the aging of the society, that’s the other really big piece. Especially in the suburbs, a lot of elderly people loved their single-family house while they were raising the kids. But now that they’re empty nesters and retiring, it’s kind of lonely. They want to stay in their community with doctors and friends nearby. But a lot of them are looking for, frankly, a more urban lifestyle.News

    Our Infrastructure Is Being Built for a Climate That’s Already Gone

    Shayla Love

    It's pretty interesting how the desires of both the younger millennials, Gen Z, and a lot of those aging boomers are converging on an interest in more walkable, mixed-use, compact urban places out in the burbs. 

    JW: Commuting has also been transformed dramatically over the past decade or so, too. The notion that people live in the suburbs and work in the cities just isn’t true anymore.

    EDJ: We tend to think that the jobs are downtown. Since the 1980s, the majority of jobs have been more than three miles from the central business district. In places like Atlanta, where I live, it’s closer to 90 percent of jobs are way outside. The central business district often has high rises and so it’s really visible, but we’re really seeing something called job sprawl. I certainly see in Atlanta, we have a lot of reverse commuters in that situation. 

    So when you talk about retrofitting, you mean finding and altering underused or abandoned suburban buildings to better accommodate the demographics and desires of the people who live there now?

    JW: Absolutely. And in most of the cases we’ve studied, this is happening because the built places have failed or are struggling to some degree. Advertisement

    The dead and dying malls, the vacated office parks, the ghost box stores left behind. Rather than bring back the same thing, this is a tremendous opportunity. 

    It can be as simple as re-inhabiting, or an adaptive reuse—fixing up the building, or changing the parking lot for something that’s better suited to the times. Taking something that was commercial and turning it into housing. 

    It can also involve re-greening because so much of the suburbanization processes disrupted the regional ecologies and stormwater flow systems. Then it’s an opportunity for wider ranging benefits. There could be places of recreation or social exchange having small plazas and program parks. And then there is redevelopment. Taking a low density, car-dependent use-separated or mono-use place and mixing it up and investing in it. 

    I was really struck by the statistics in the book about how many parking spaces there are per household in certain cities. Like how there are 1.97 cars per U.S. household, but in Des Moines, Iowa, there are 19 parking spaces per household. In Jackson, Wyoming, there are 27. These all seem like really obvious places to re-think about how we're using land. 

    JW: These choices around parking we’ve made have been codified through regulations and naturalized as normal.

    EDJ: We really have made it almost a right to park as opposed to a right to housing. Cars have much more protection than people do.Advertisement

    There are these aging properties for the most part; a lot of them have become obsolete and those are places to retrofit. But sometimes [properties] are thriving. They’re doing well. Yet they still look at their parking lot as this underperforming asphalt. It’s not doing enough of the job. Sometimes there’s a mall that is doing well, and it makes more sense now to build a parking deck and build housing and bring in offices and make more mixed use. Tech

    The Broken Algorithm That Poisoned American Transportation

    Aaron Gordon

    All of these: the parking lots, the dead space, the vacant spaces. Those are the opportunities for the suburbs to finally address really urgent challenges of equity, climate change, and health.

    You’ve been documenting retrofitting since 2011, when your first book came out, and now this second book includes even more case studies. Is the retrofitting phenomenon increasing, or does it need a push? 

    EDJ: If you go into any architecture school or city planning school’s library, there are tons of books on downtowns. There’s remarkably little written about the suburbs or suburbia. Most of what is there are sort of condemning them as wasteful and ecological boring places. 

    We’re academics, we’re documenting this stuff, but we’re not exactly neutral. We are advocates. We’re advocates within our disciplines to to sort of say, hey, we really need to bring design to the suburbs

    There’s so much opportunity. It is where most Americans live. We saw a lot of these projects happening and noticed that none of the architecture magazines would cover them because they weren’t cool looking enough. Advertisement

    And yet this stuff was happening. We thought it was important both to say it’s important that the suburbs do retrofit and become more sustainable and resilient in just places. But it’s also really important to recognize this is actually happening. And that this should happen even more. A lot of communities are afraid to do something unless they know that some other community has already done it. 

    A former Big Lots box store and parking lot converted into the Collinwood Recreation Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

    You discuss the many social challenges retrofitting can take on. Some are more obvious like reducing dependency on cars or becoming more environmentally friendly. But there are some less intuitive ways retrofitting can impact our lives, like improving public health. 

    JW: One of the observations in public health is that there are chronic diseases of our time in developed countries, and certainly in Northern America, related to obesity and the higher incidences of diabetes, and so on. 

    One way to address those kinds of diseases is simple physical activity, yet we’ve designed physical activity out of our environments. To design it back in is a kind of low cost way of getting people to move their bodies.

    A lot of literature looks at how access to nature, being able to have a view of trees, but also being able to socialize with others is really important. That links back to the demographic prevalence of one and two person households. That leads to loneliness. How can our physical environments create places—not force people to be physically active or to socialize in any particular ways—but to support the possibility?Advertisement

    Can you explain one specific facet of intentionally designed well-being called the "third place?"

    JW: This is a sociological concept. The “first place” is home and then the “second place” is work. The third place is is a little harder to define.

    You might know it as the coffee shop, barbershop, or pub—so it might be a privately owned place, a place of business. It’s where one habitually gathers with others, forms friendships, and is engaging in social life. These are the places that we can design into suburbs as a way to support the overall social body. 

    EDJ: The suburbs largely sold themselves on the value of the terrific private realm that they present. The suburbs emphasize privacy. As these demographics are changing, there’s more and more people recognizing, “I’m lonely. I would like a little bit more of a public realm.”

    If your public realm is just a commercial corridor full of strip malls and parking lots, there’s not much opportunity. 

    What we see happening are both the incorporation of the third places, but also small programmed parks, little town greens that have places for yoga classes, farmers’ markets, concerts, movie nights, and those kinds of activities that don’t force people to talk to one another, but at least enable the building of community. 

    The atrium at Bell Works, formerly Bell Labs in Holmdel, New Jersey.

    You also write how retrofitting the suburbs can be a tool for social equity, or minority community building—how does that work? 

    JW: When thinking about social equity, it’s about how people use their social relationships in their social network in order to get connected to opportunity. It really is worth a lot. And it’s one of the reasons we need to challenge the exclusionary practices that have been codified in suburban jurisdictions for decades now. And the coarse sorting that we find in suburbs. 

    Some of the ways to break out of that is in older retail properties, the rent might be less. There’s an opportunity for networks of immigrant groups with social and business relationships to form businesses, bring people in, and enliven a place. Advertisement

    There is a number of examples of vanilla shopping malls that had seen better days that were dead and dying. They have been reinhabited and revitalized by reflecting the changing demographics of the neighboring areas. 

    One example is Grand Plaza in Fort Worth, what has been rebranded as a Latino mall. One of the large several story department stores was broken up into hundreds of stalls for very small businesses, like a mercato that you might find in Central America or Mexico. The central atrium space in the mall now hosts Mexican wrestling and other kinds of themed events that reflect the culture of the dominant ethnoburb demographics surrounding it. 

    These places can also become flash points in political movements. If you’re in the suburbs and you want to gather to have a peaceful protest, where do you go? One of the places you might go is the mall parking lot or along an arterial boulevard. 

    What is there still left to do when it comes to retrofitting the suburbs with social equity in mind? 

    EDJ: One of the other myths about suburbia is that the suburbs are middle class. Well, the middle class has been shrinking—we all know that. What we also see is that the suburbanization of poverty has really been tremendous. And yet it’s relatively invisible. 

    Poverty remains most highly concentrated in our cities. But there’s actually more Americans living in poverty out in the suburbs.Advertisement

    We draw attention to some of the efforts that have been made. Sadly, we don’t yet see nearly enough examples of retrofitting that are really addressing the problem.

    There have been some cases of aging garden apartments that are the housing of last resort for a lot of very, very poor people. 

    Those are just kind of aging out. In some cases, they’re being redeveloped into more expensive fancy apartments. We need a lot more attention to preserving and restoring a lot of those. It’s not solving a lot of ecological problems. These places are very auto dependent. But there’s such desperate need for more affordable housing out in the burbs. 

    JW: I don’t think we can emphasize enough that there are people in very precarious conditions across the metropolitan landscapes of North America, and that retrofitting is a way by increasing the mix and introducing supportive housing and other kinds of support services in places where people aren’t marooned if their car breaks down and so forth. It’s an important factor in this conversation. It’s not something that can be isolated as only a city or urban problem. 

    Remaking these garden complexes or old motels, if you’re going to add transit, make sure there’s access for lower income people, and also younger people who might be on the beginning stages of their kind of lifelong earning trajectory. They should be saving money and shouldn’t have all of their income poured into housing and supporting a vehicle.

    There were a couple other case studies from the book I wanted to bring up. For example, I did not know that Bell Labs had been retrofitted! 

    JW: That’s a super interesting retrofit. Bell Labs is a storied mid-century modern research and development campus designed by Eero Saarinen, a famous architect who unfortunately died right near its completion.

    All sorts of things were invented there: transistors and technologies that led to cell phones. But it lay vacant for many years.

    It’s in an affluent exurb in New Jersey, and the municipality hoped to tear it all down and develop 50 or so McMansions there

    But the Preservation Society and other groups rallied and a developer got interested, and now it’s become like a vertical downtown. It has a quarter-mile long atrium and dozens of businesses located on the ground floor. They have a farmer’s market, yoga, a hairdresser, a Montessori school, a branch of the local public library, and fireworks on the Fourth of July. It’s called Bell Works. 

    This kind of development concept is being repeated in another former AT&T property outside Chicago, so we’ll see how that goes. 

    EDJ: There’s well over 150 office parks that are now being urbanized in some way. 

    Bell Works is an example of mixing the uses of a space that used to be just offices, and where the assumption was that scientists would have epiphanies if they were isolated in their office looking at a pastoral landscape. Now, we tend to think of innovation as occurring in much more urban places, and it’s the chance encounters that trigger innovation.

    It’s also being driven because employers recognize that the younger workers do not want to work in a cubicle in an office park. They do not want to work in a place that is only “work.”Advertisement

    Another great example is the old box store that became a recreation center.

    JW: Yes,in this case it was Big Lots in a relatively low-income neighborhood on the periphery of Cleveland that has been transformed into a recreational center. 

    It now has a running track through it, a pool, some outdoor recreational spaces, and it’s yards from the lake there, too. 

    There are opportunities to take these dead retail boxes all across the country—and there are thousands of them—and rethink not only the building itself, but the entire property and parking lots to support health, wellness, day care clinics, clinics for routine health care, libraries, and other kinds of sharing services.

     

    Sometimes it's not about redeveloping these spaces, but about regreening them. Can you give an example of that kind of project?

    JW: Back in the 19th century, Meriden, Connecticut lost all of its industrial use and job space, and so by the middle of the 20th century, a suburban, enclosed shopping mall had been built in the middle of downtown over in creek, and it failed miserably. 

    Every time there was a big storm event, the creek would flood and cause millions of dollars of damage to all the neighboring businesses and the town had become increasingly lower-income. 

    Formerly a mall and parking lot, Meriden Green, CT, now has relocated subsidized housing, and green infrastructure including a daylit brook and stormwater park. 

    What happened here was an incredible greening retrofit where the mall was demolished, the creek that had been put into concrete below ground was opened back up to the air. The ground was regraded—that’s a technical term, but basically the surface of the ground was made lower. 

    The whole property was turned into a park, which is a stormwater park. The next time there’s a big storm event, the park becomes like a big bathtub and water will drain there and eventually percolate into the soil and not cause all of the damages that it had in previous cycles.

    There’s this beautiful amenity and then around it, lots of new housing is being built that then has the park amenity. There’s a train station right there that’s been rebuilt with increased service through central Connecticut. It has all of these kinds of connected benefits around taking away development.

    Last summer, the New York Times wrote that "New Yorkers Are Fleeing to the Suburbs" because of the pandemic. There's been this narrative that people who live in urban areas are moving back to the suburbs—and they suddenly want the things that were previously obsolete. Do you think that's true, and would it put a stall on these kinds of retrofitting projects?


    JW:
    Broadly, what we’ve seen in this past year is an intensification, or an acceleration, of some of the trends that were happening already. There was already the redistributing of populations to some of those locations, especially in metro areas like New York, which are so insanely expensive. If you could find something that was New York-like in New Jersey or Westchester or Long Island, it would make sense that those places might be attractive to people.

    What we’re seeing right now, I think in New York certainly, is people who’d been thinking about this acting on it. But where are they moving in the suburbs? They’re not rejecting the urban lifestyle altogether. They’re being drawn to already urbanizing locations in the suburbs.

    It’s not a complete rejection of one for the other, but it’s finding like for like. Still, the evidence is mostly anecdotal at this point. Time will tell. 

    I think it’s also understood that developers who are planning new projects in these suburban locations are looking to make mixed-use places, and are looking to add different housing types in their suburban projects. 

    EDJ: In the long run a lot of those suburbs that those folks are moving to, if they’re going to retain those households, they’re going to have to start providing more of the urban amenities. 

    I’m certainly seeing around Atlanta as one example, a lot more communities changing their zoning to allow for access to accessory dwelling units, to allow for what’s been called the “missing middle”—duplexes, quadplexes, townhouses—in existing neighborhoods with suburban neighborhoods that were single family [only]. Now they’re allowing that densification. 

    Those regulatory changes have happened just in the last eight months. There’s been a surge of that. And it’s very much in response to recognizing that there is the market, the demand. People want these more urban lifestyles, even if they are choosing to move to the burbs. A lot of people who have isolated themselves might still be craving places to be able to gather safely. And so it could accelerate the retrofitting of suburbia.

    America is a real mess.

    But it’s changing.

    It is a constructed gulag for Americans and you all had best not get “out of line”. You must obey or suffer the consequences. I am reminded about how the jails and prisons are in Communist China. Did you know that they have been modeled after the Arkansas (American state) Hard-Labor Camps? Yeah, it was a surprise to me too. But when I was in the ADC, sure enough, there was a delegation from China there at Pine Bluff, and Brickey’s learning about how best to construct workable hard-labor camps.

    You can see that they have taken a page from the American police state and improved upon it…

    The Chinese Jail and Prison system. All modeled after the Arkansas hard-Labor system.

    .

    Now, the Arkansas hard-labor system was modeled by Nazi German immigrants after World War II who took former slave plantations such as Brickey’s North Arkansas Regional Unit and turned them into hard-labor camps. Which is why they greatly resemble the old “resettlement” camps that the Nazi’s constructed in Poland during World War II. Anyways, the Chinese see the efficiency of this system and have incorporated elements in their own prison system.

    So yes, America is a model for the world!

    Chinese Jail and Prison.

    America is changing

    Yes, it is.

    After the crisis event during a fourth turning, the resulting America will be substantially changed afterwards. We can see that the changes are starting. And they are long over due. We do not know the full extent of the changes, but we do need to be aware that they are in process.

    Forget your fantasies that America will relive the American Civil War, the American Reconstruction Period, or the growth of suburbia in the 1950’s and 1960’s. The resulting American will be quite different, and will NOT resemble any other nation on the globe. It will be a uniquely American change. Let’s pray and hope that it will be a good one

    In the meantime, please keep your eyes open. Look for examples of change. That will provide you with insight on the future of America. It is your “weather vane” to judge the direction that America is heading towards. Keep in mind that the “news” is really a horrible medium to view changes. You need to take “deep dives” into other sources, and use your own eyes and ears to provide you guidance.

    Fauci, Biden's top medical adviser, told CNN that the approaching deaths tally (of 500,000) was "a terribly historic milestone in the history of this country."

    -Reuters

    Evidence of the changes are all around us.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts along these lines in my Functional Notes Index.

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    Superiority by Arthur C. Clarke (Full Text)

    Superiority

    This is a full posting of the short story by Arthur C. Clarke. It is titled “Superiority”. “Superiority” is a science fiction short story by Arthur C. Clarke, first published in 1951. It depicts an arms race, and shows how the side which is more technologically advanced can be defeated, despite its apparent superiority, because of its own organizational flaws and its willingness to discard old technology without having fully perfected the new.

    Please enjoy.

    Arthur C. Clarke

    IN MAKING THIS STATEMENT—which I do of my own free will—I wish first to make it perfectly clear that I am not in any way trying to gain sympathy, nor do I expect any mitigation of whatever sentence the Court may pronounce. I am writing this in an attempt to refute some of the lying reports broadcast over the prison radio and published in the papers I have been allowed to see. These have given an entirely false picture of the true cause of our defeat, and as the leader of my race’s armed forces at the cessation of hostilities I feel it my duty to protest against such libels upon those who served under me.

    I also hope that this statement may explain the reasons for the application I have twice made to the Court, and will now induce it to grant a favor for which I can see no possible grounds of refusal.

    The ultimate cause of our failure was a simple one: despite all statements to the contrary, it was not due to lack of bravery on the part of our men, or to any fault of the Fleet’s. We were defeated by one thing only—by the inferior science of our enemies. I repeat—by the inferior science of our enemies.

    When the war opened we had no doubt of our ultimate victory. The combined fleets of our allies greatly exceeded in number and armament those which the enemy could muster against us, and in almost all branches of military science we were their superiors. We were sure that we could maintain this superiority. Our belief proved, alas, to be only too well founded.

    At the opening of the war our main weapons were the long-range homing torpedo, dirigible ball-lightning and the various modifications of the Klydon beam. Every unit of the Fleet was equipped with these and though the enemy possessed similar weapons their installations were generally of lesser power. Moreover, we had behind us a far greater military Research Organization, and with this initial advantage we could not possibly lose.

    The campaign proceeded according to plan until the Battle of the Five Suns. We won this, of course, but the opposition proved stronger than we had expected. It was realized that victory might be more difficult, and more delayed, than had first been imagined. A conference of supreme commanders was therefore called to discuss our future strategy.

    Present for the first time at one of our war conferences was Professor-General Norden, the new Chief of the Research Staff, who had just been appointed to fill the gap left by the death of Malvar, our greatest scientist. Malvar’s leadership had been responsible, more than any other single factor, for the efficiency and power of our weapons. His loss was a very serious blow, but no one doubted the brilliance of his successor—though many of us disputed the wisdom of appointing a theoretical scientist to fill a post of such vital importance. But we had been overruled.

    I can well remember the impression Norden made at that conference. The military advisers were worried, and as usual turned to the scientists for help. Would it be possible to improve our existing weapons, they asked, so that our present advantage could be increased still further?

    Norden’s reply was quite unexpected. Malvar had often been asked such a question—and he had always done what we requested.

    “Frankly, gentlemen,” said Norden, “I doubt it. Our existing weapons have practically reached finality. I don’t wish to criticize my predecessor, or the excellent work done by the Research Staff in the last few generations, but do you realize that there has been no basic change in armaments for over a century? It is, I am afraid, the result of a tradition that has become conservative. For too long, the Research Staff has devoted itself to perfecting old weapons instead of developing new ones. It is fortunate for us that our opponents have been no wiser: we cannot assume that this will always be so.”

    Norden’s words left an uncomfortable impression, as he had no doubt intended. He quickly pressed home the attack.

    “What we want are new weapons—weapons totally different from any that have been employed before. Such weapons can be made: it will take time, of course, but since assuming charge I have replaced some of the older scientists with young men and have directed research into several unexplored fields which show great promise. I believe, in fact, that a revolution in warfare may soon be upon us.”

    We were skeptical. There was a bombastic tone in Norden’s voice that made us suspicious of his claims. We did not know, then, that he never promised anything that he had not already almost perfected in the laboratory. In the laboratory—that was the operative phrase.

    Norden proved his case less than a month later, when he demonstrated the Sphere of Annihilation, which produced complete disintegration of matter over a radius of several hundred meters. We were intoxicated by the power of the new weapon, and were quite prepared to overlook one fundamental defect—the fact that it was a sphere and hence destroyed its rather complicated generating equipment at the instant of formation. This meant, of course, that it could not be used on warships but only on guided missiles, and a great program was started to convert all homing torpedoes to carry the new weapon. For the time being all further offensives were suspended.

    We realize now that this was our first mistake. I still think that it was a natural one, for it seemed to us then that all our existing weapons had become obsolete overnight, and we already regarded them as almost primitive survivals. What we did not appreciate was the magnitude of the task we were attempting, and the length of time it would take to get the revolutionary super-weapon into battle. Nothing like this had happened for a hundred years and we had no previous experience to guide us.

    The conversion problem proved far more difficult than anticipated. A new class of torpedo had to be designed, as the standard model was too small. This meant in turn that only the larger ships could launch the weapon, but we were prepared to accept this penalty. After six months, the heavy units of the Fleet were being equipped with the Sphere. Training maneuvers and tests had shown that it was operating satisfactorily and we were ready to take it into action. Norden was already being hailed as the architect of victory, and had half promised even more spectacular weapons.

    Then two things happened. One of our battleships disappeared completely on a training flight, and an investigation showed that under certain conditions the ship’s long-range radar could trigger the Sphere immediately after it had been launched. The modification needed to overcome this defect was trivial, but it caused a delay of another month and was the source of much bad feeling between the naval staff and the scientists. We were ready for action again—when Norden announced that the radius of effectiveness of the Sphere had now been increased by ten, thus multiplying by a thousand the chances of destroying an enemy ship.

    So the modifications started all over again, but everyone agreed that the delay would be worth it. Meanwhile, however, the enemy had been emboldened by the absence of further attacks and had made an unexpected onslaught. Our ships were short of torpedoes, since none had been coming from the factories, and were forced to retire. So we lost the systems of Kyrane and Floranus, and the planetary fortress of Rhamsandron.

    It was an annoying but not a serious blow, for the recaptured systems had been unfriendly, and difficult to administer. We had no doubt that we could restore the position in the near future, as soon as the new weapon became operational.

    These hopes were only partially fulfilled. When we renewed our offensive, we had to do so with fewer of the Spheres of Annihilation than had been planned, and this was one reason for our limited success. The other reason was more serious.

    While we had been equipping as many of our ships as we could with the irresistible weapon, the enemy had been building feverishly. His ships were of the old pattern with the old weapons—but they now out-numbered ours. When we went into action, we found that the numbers ranged against us were often 100 percent greater than expected, causing target confusion among the automatic weapons and resulting in higher losses than anticipated. The enemy losses were higher still, for once a Sphere had reached its objective, destruction was certain, but the balance had not swung as far in our favor as we had hoped.

    Moreover, while the main fleets had been engaged, the enemy had launched a daring attack on the lightly held systems of Eriston, Duranus, Carmanidora and Pharanidon—recapturing them all. We were thus faced with a threat only fifty light-years from our home planets.

    There was much recrimination at the next meeting of the supreme commanders. Most of the complaints were addressed to Norden-Grand Admiral Taxaris in particular maintaining that thanks to our admittedly irresistible weapon we were now considerably worse off than before. We should, he claimed, have continued to build conventional ships, thus preventing the loss of our numerical superiority.

    Norden was equally angry and called the naval staff ungrateful bunglers. But I could tell that he was worried—as indeed we all were—by the unexpected turn of events. He hinted that there might be a speedy way of remedying the situation.

    We now know that Research had been working on the Battle Analyzer for many years, but at the time it came as a revelation to us and perhaps we were too easily swept off our feet. Norden’s argument, also, was seductively convincing. What did it matter, he said, if the enemy had twice as many ships as we—if the efficiency of ours could be doubled or even trebled? For decades the limiting factor in warfare had been not mechanical but biological—it had become more and more difficult for any single mind, or group of minds, to cope with the rapidly changing complexities of battle in three-dimensional space. Norden’s mathematicians had analyzed some of the classic engagements of the past, and had shown that even when we had been victorious we had often operated our units at much less than half of their theoretical efficiency.

    The Battle Analyzer would change all this by replacing the operations staff with electronic calculators. The idea was not new, in theory, but until now it had been no more than a Utopian dream. Many of us found it difficult to believe that it was still anything but a dream: after we had run through several very complex dummy battles, however, we were convinced.

    It was decided to install the Analyzer in four of our heaviest ships, so that each of the main fleets could be equipped with one. At this stage, the trouble began—though we did not know it until later.

    The Analyzer contained just short of a million vacuum tubes and needed a team of five hundred technicians to maintain and operate it. It was quite impossible to accommodate the extra staff aboard a battleship, so each of the four units had to be accompanied by a converted liner to carry the technicians not on duty. Installation was also a very slow and tedious business, but by gigantic efforts it was completed in six months.

    Then, to our dismay, we were confronted by another crisis. Nearly five thousand highly skilled men had been selected to serve the Analyzers and had been given an intensive course at the Technical Training Schools. At the end of seven months, 10 percent of them had had nervous breakdowns and only 40 per cent had qualified.

    Once again, everyone started to blame everyone else. Norden, of course, said that the Research Staff could not be held responsible, and so incurred the enmity of the Personnel and Training Commands. It was finally decided that the only thing to do was to use two instead of four Analyzers and to bring the others into action as soon as men could be trained. There was little time to lose, for the enemy was still on the offensive and his morale was rising.

    The first Analyzer fleet was ordered to recapture the system of Eriston. On the way, by one of the hazards of war, the liner carrying the technicians was struck by a roving mine. A warship would have survived, but the liner with its irreplaceable cargo was totally destroyed. So the operation had to be abandoned.

    The other expedition was, at first, more successful. There was no doubt at all that the Analyzer fulfilled its designers’ claims, and the enemy was heavily defeated in the first engagements. He withdrew, leaving us in possession of Saphran, Leucon and Hexanerax. But his Intelligence Staff must have noted the change in our tactics and the inexplicable presence of a liner in the heart of our battlefleet. It must have noted, also, that our first fleet had been accompanied by a similar ship—and had withdrawn when it had been destroyed.

    In the next engagement, the enemy used his superior numbers to launch an overwhelming attack on the Analyzer ship and its unarmed consort. The attack was made without regard to losses—both ships were, of course, very heavily protected—and it succeeded. The result was the virtual decapitation of the Fleet, since an effectual transfer to the old operational methods proved impossible. We disengaged under heavy fire, and so lost all our gains and also the systems of Lormyia, Ismarnus, Beronis, Alphanidon and Sideneus.

    At this stage, Grand Admiral Taxaris expressed his disapproval of Norden by committing suicide, and I assumed supreme command.

    The situation was now both serious and infuriating. With stubborn conservatism and complete lack of imagination, the enemy continued to advance with his old-fashioned and inefficient but now vastly more numerous ships. It was galling to realize that if we had only continued building, without seeking new weapons, we would have been in a far more advantageous position. There were many acrimonious conferences at which Norden defended the scientists while everyone else blamed them for all that had happened. The difficulty was that Norden had proved every one of his claims: he had a perfect excuse for all the disasters that had occurred. And we could not now turn back—the search for an irresistible weapon must go on. At first it had been a luxury that would shorten the war. Now it was a necessity if we were to end it victoriously.

    We were on the defensive, and so was Norden. He was more than ever determined to reestablish his prestige and that of the Research Staff. But we had been twice disappointed, and would not make the same mistake again. No doubt Norden’s twenty thousand scientists would produce many further weapons: we would remain unimpressed.

    We were wrong. The final weapon was something so fantastic that even now it seems difficult to believe that it ever existed. Its innocent, noncommittal name—The Exponential Field—gave no hint of its real potentialities. Some of Norden’s mathematicians had discovered it during a piece of entirely theoretical research into the properties of space, and to everyone’s great surprise their results were found to be physically realizable.

    It seems very difficult to explain the operation of the Field to the layman. According to the technical description, it “produces an exponential condition of space, so that a finite distance in normal, linear space may become infinite in pseudo-space.” Norden gave an analogy which some of us found useful. It was as if one took a flat disk of rubber—representing a region of normal space—and then pulled its center out to infinity. The circumference of the disk would be unaltered—but its “diameter” would be infinite. That was the sort of thing the generator of the Field did to the space around it.

    As an example, suppose that a ship carrying the generator was surrounded by a ring of hostile machines. If it switched on the Field, each of the enemy ships would think that it—and the ships on the far side of the circle—had suddenly receded into nothingness. Yet the circumference of the circle would be the same as before: only the journey to the center would be of infinite duration, for as one proceeded, distances would appear to become greater and greater as the “scale” of space altered.

    It was a nightmare condition, but a very useful one. Nothing could reach a ship carrying the Field: it might be englobed by an enemy fleet yet would be as inaccessible as if it were at the other side of the Universe. Against this, of course, it could not fight back without switching off the Field, but this still left it at a very great advantage, not only in defense but in offense. For a ship fitted with the Field could approach an enemy fleet undetected and suddenly appear in its midst.

    This time there seemed to be no flaws in the new weapon. Needless to say, we looked for all the possible objections before we committed ourselves again. Fortunately the equipment was fairly simple and did not require a large operating staff. After much debate, we decided to rush it into production, for we realized that time was running short and the war was going against us. We had now lost about the whole of our initial gains and enemy forces had made several raids into our own solar system.

    We managed to hold off the enemy while the Fleet was reequipped and the new battle techniques were worked out. To use the Field operationally it was necessary to locate an enemy formation, set a course that would intercept it, and then switch on the generator for the calculated period of time. On releasing the Field again—if the calculations had been accurate—one would be in the enemy’s midst and could do great damage during the resulting confusion, retreating by the same route when necessary.

    The first trial maneuvers proved satisfactory and the equipment seemed quite reliable. Numerous mock attacks were made and the crews became accustomed to the new technique. I was on one of the test flights and can vividly remember my impressions as the Field was switched on. The ships around us seemed to dwindle as if on the surface of an expanding bubble: in an instant they had vanished completely. So had the stars—but presently we could see that the Galaxy was still visible as a faint band of light around the ship. The virtual radius of our pseudo-space was not really infinite, but some hundred thousand light-years, and so the distance to the farthest stars of our system had not been greatly increased—though the nearest had of course totally disappeared. These training maneuvers, however, had to be canceled before they were completed, owing to a whole flock of minor technical troubles in various pieces of equipment, notably the communications circuits. These were annoying, but not important, though it was thought best to return to Base to clear them up.

    At that moment the enemy made what was obviously intended to be a decisive attack against the fortress planet of Iton at the limits of our Solar System. The Fleet had to go into battle before repairs could be made.

    The enemy must have believed that we had mastered the secret of invisibility—as in a sense we had. Our ships appeared suddenly out of no-where and inflicted tremendous damage—for a while. And then something quite baffling and inexplicable happened.

    I was in command of the flagship Hircania when the trouble started. We had been operating as independent units, each against assigned objectives. Our detectors observed an enemy formation at medium range and the navigating officers measured its distance with great accuracy. We set course and switched on the generator.

    The Exponential Field was released at the moment when we should have been passing through the center of the enemy group. To our consternation, we emerged into normal space at a distance of many hundred miles—and when we found the enemy, he had already found us. We retreated, and tried again. This time we were so far away from the enemy that he located us first.

    Obviously, something was seriously wrong. We broke communicator silence and tried to contact the other ships of the Fleet to see if they had experienced the same trouble. Once again we failed—and this time the failure was beyond all reason, for the communication equipment appeared to be working perfectly. We could only assume, fantastic though it seemed, that the rest of the Fleet had been destroyed.

    I do not wish to describe the scenes when the scattered units of the Fleet struggled back to Base. Our casualties had actually been negligible, but the ships were completely demoralized. Almost all had lost touch with one another and had found that their ranging equipment showed inexplicable errors. It was obvious that the Exponential Field was the cause of the troubles, despite the fact that they were only apparent when it was switched off.

    The explanation came too late to do us any good, and Norden’s final discomfiture was small consolation for the virtual loss of the war. As I have explained, the Field generators produced a radial distortion of space, distances appearing greater and greater as one approached the center of the artificial pseudo-space. When the Field was switched off, conditions returned to normal.

    But not quite. It was never possible to restore the initial state exactly. Switching the Field on and off was equivalent to an elongation and contraction of the ship carrying the generator, but there was a hysteretic effect, as it were, and the initial condition was never quite reproducible, owing to all the thousands of electrical changes and movements of mass aboard the ship while the Field was on. These asymmetries and distortions were cumulative, and though they seldom amounted to more than a fraction of one per cent, that was quite enough. It meant that the precision ranging equipment and the tuned circuits in the communication apparatus were thrown completely out of adjustment. Any single ship could never detect the change—only when it compared its equipment with that of another vessel, or tried to communicate with it, could it tell what had happened.

    It is impossible to describe the resultant chaos. Not a single component of one ship could be expected with certainty to work aboard another. The very nuts and bolts were no longer interchangeable, and the supply position became quite impossible. Given time, we might even have overcome these difficulties, but the enemy ships were already attacking in thousands with weapons which now seemed centuries behind those that we had invented. Our magnificent Fleet, crippled by our own science, fought on as best it could until it was overwhelmed and forced to surrender. The ships fitted with the Field were still invulnerable, but as fighting units they were almost helpless. Every time they switched on their generators to escape from enemy attack, the permanent distortion of their equipment increased. In a month, it was all over.

    THIS IS THE true story of our defeat, which I give without prejudice to my defense before this Court. I make it, as I have said, to counteract the libels that have been circulating against the men who fought under me, and to show where the true blame for our misfortunes lay.

    Finally, my request, which as the Court will now realize I make in no frivolous manner and which I hope will therefore be granted.

    The Court will be aware that the conditions under which we are housed and the constant surveillance to which we are subjected night and day are somewhat distressing. Yet I am not complaining of this: nor do I complain of the fact that shortage of accommodation has made it necessary to house us in pairs.

    But I cannot be held responsible for my future actions if I am compelled any longer to share my cell with Professor Norden, late Chief of the Research Staff of my armed forces.

    The End

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    The Deactivation Procedure (How my ELF probes were shut off, and my role within the WU-SAP terminated.) Part 2

    This is a continuation of part 1. It discusses what it was like for me to go through the decommissioning process.

    When my group was “retired” it was very cold, calculating. 

    It was methodical and ruthless. I was targeted for “disable and discard”. A chick came into my life. Dragged me to Arkansas on the promise of a great job and a new life, poisoned the living shit out of me with heavy metals while having me sign away on multiple life insurance policies.

    The neurological effects got to be pretty pronounced, and was noted by the hospital, and that is what triggered the “fall back” solution; retirement as a sex offender. Aside from the personal angst, it really was “click off the boxes”, “ram through the system”, and “discharge” into the arms of another agency that knows Jack-shit.

    [#08] The promise of a new life

    After proceeding through ten closure programs; ten figurines, I stood facing the frozen Asian girl figurine.  Why was she important?  What did she represent?  Well, as I will explain here, she represented my closure and rewards.  But how?

    Can it be that these were the promises of what would happen once I completed my retirement? 

    It would make sense if that were the case.  To promise me great rewards of an enviable life of promise, love and adventure in a far away and exotic land; a land of which occurred only in adventure yarns and romance novels.  Was this the purpose of this subroutine?  I believe that this was the case as well as the purpose.  Yet… One must wonder.  Truly, what good is a promise if it is empty?  How could this promise be manifested?  Certainly no public official, or MAJestic member would cut me a check; buy me a plane ticket and put me on a plane to the South Pacific, would they?

    That lies and belies the entire sequence of importance that resides within the quantum mental state; thoughts create realities.  Our thoughts (no matter how we obtain them) eventually create the reality that we experience in the physical.

    And, if so, was it [1] because my thoughts control and create my future, or that [2] the extraterrestrial technology had the ability to dimensionally split me off to another reality?  A reality, mind you, that they have created for me once I have successfully completed their tasks?  This is truly heady stuff, guys.

    I say this, because I am right now living the life that was promised to me by this program. 

    I thought about this while living in a beach house on the ocean on an island in Polynesia, being married to a very busty and attractive Asian, half my age, with a great set of legs.  You know, I can’t help but wonder about this.  This is not a life that one just suddenly stumbles into by accident.  It is a life that is materialized and manifested through thought.  And if one’s thoughts can be controlled by implanted probes, and those probes can have a program that directs thought… then the program can create the life that you will live.  (This paragraph is perhaps the most important paragraph in this manuscript.  Therefore it deserves a second read.  Understand what I am saying.)

    Let me begin by relating how I was able to access this program. 

    This retirement program ran all day long, and I was exhausted.  I guess that perhaps six hours had transpired by the time I reached the frozen figurine of the Asian girl.  Up until this time, I would spend it running fully ten other subprogram routines. 

    Each program would be accessed by going up to the frozen figurine and looking at it intently.  As I would do so, I would become absorbed into it, and I would find myself in a different place and situation.  Each situation revolved around the idea or concept embodied inside the figurine that stood before me. 

    These figurines represented a closure program. 

    At times I was reliving or running these individual programs.  I was learning lessons, or reliving events.  I was obtaining emotional satisfaction and closure on events and mysteries that were just now being presented to me. 

    It was all very complex and elaborate. 

    It was as if I was at the pinnacle of my life and learning the; who, where, and why of my significance.  This was all about closure.  This was all concerning my life and the impact that it has on others. 

    After I would run the program, I would exit it, and the figurine would remain. 

    But it would be a little different.  It would have changed.  After I ran the program, I felt a tremendous release, as if a burden had been released from my shoulders.  The figurines reflected this.

    After ten such programs, all that remained were two remaining figurines.  They were the [1] Asian girl, and the [2] Marine warrior.

    I stood in front of the Asian girl, and merged with the program. 

    In it; I found myself walking on a lush tropical beach with a wonderful azure blue sky and daylight filtering from the leaves of mango and durian trees.  I could see the waves softly lapping on the wide expanses of sand, and the occasional sea shell or conch shell that had washed up upon the beach. I could see the green-blue water lapping upon my toes, and the curved beach ahead of me. 

    Before me walked the Polynesian / Asian beauty.  Her long lush blueish black hair blew in the breeze.  Dressed, as she was in a sarong and not much else.  Her toes splayed out as she walked in the sand, and she held a tropical drink in her hand.  (I know this sounds very corny and terribly stereotypical, but that is what I experienced.  I was reliving a Harlequin Novel; no matter how nauseating it might seem to the reader.  It is what happened.)

    Harlequin Novel
    The romance novel or romantic novel is a literary genre. Novels of this type of genre fiction place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." There are many subgenres of the romance novel including fantasy, historical, science fiction and paranormal.

    “You want this.”

    Yes, I know it is corny, but this is what I experienced, as stereotypical as it is. This is exactly what I experienced.  I wish it wasn’t so stereotypical or odd, but it is what it was.  So I present it her in all it’s stereotypical and obscure glory.

    The drink was a piña colada and it was inside a coconut shell with chunks of pineapple floating in it. 

    The piña colada is a sweet, rum-based cocktail made with rum, cream of coconut, and pineapple juice, usually served either blended or shaken with ice. It may be garnished with a pineapple wedge, a maraschino cherry or both.

    It had a standard plastic straw of red color just sticking out of it with a 1960’s style tiny umbrella attached to it.  She looked at me with the most amazing big dark eyes.  She had unusually large and lush lips that were moist, open and inviting.  She approached and got up really close to me.  I could smell the sun on her skin, and the smell of the ocean and sand.  I detected a faint whiff of some tropical perfume in her hair.  She was much shorter than I was.  Perhaps 5’2” tall. 

    Typically I could not experience smells when I was engaged in the ELF field.  But I was able to in this sequence.  I must wonder why.

    I know.

    I know, that all this is super corny.

    But this is EXACTLY WHAT I EXPERIENCED, for good, bad or corniness.

    The drink disappeared from her hand and with both hands she softly and lightly held my hands in hers.  She looked at me intently.  She whispered to me.  It was a promise. 

    She said to me that I did not want wealth, nor did I want power. 

    She knew me, she said. 

    She looked at me with a serious expression.  “You want this”, she said. 

    She placed my hand on her breast and turned around so that my arm was holding her chest and she pressed her back against my chest.  And moved her hand out upon the expanse of Lush Ocean, and green tropical hills with beautiful clouds.  “You want this”, she said again.

    Then she turned around again to face me. 

    She continued to look into my eyes deeply.  “You deserve this.”  She said.  “You need this.  You earned this.  This is yours.  Take it.  Accept it.  Move on with your life.” 

    She then paused. 

    She softly put her head in my chest.  And hugged me softly, and the sun rapidly set upon the vast tropical ocean.  As it gradually got dimmer and dimmer, the words resonated in my mind.

    I knew that she was giving me this life, this new state of life and being.  But how could it possibly mature and transpire?  I did not know.  Yet, still the words echoed in the gathering darkness.  The breeze increased and she held me closer.  “This is your reward”, she cooed.  “This is all yours.  Thank you.”  She kissed me, and the program ceased and I found myself back in the black nothingness room with the twelve frozen figurines.

    Her words just echoed on my mind…

    “You want this.” 
    
    “You deserve this.  You need this.  You earned this.  This is yours.  Take it.  Accept it.  Move on with your life.”

    + + +

    Look, I know this was a program.  I knew what was going on.  This was all about my retirement from a system that controlled my mind.  As such, they could get into my mind.  They could expose me to holographic events and movies in which I would be able to participate in. 

    While the previous ten figurines all had specific closure sequences.  This one was different. 

    Instead of shutting down knowledge and experiences, this was about a future.  A future in which I will be rewarded for my efforts in a way and manner that suits my personality profile.  Not through the rewards of money or lavish expensive collections of possessions, but rather of a stress free life with a beautiful (and sexy) companion in a beautiful place. 

    But, still I had to wonder…

    How would this come to be?  How could this possibly transpire?  I was facing five years ahead of me at hard labor and probation.  My immediate future was hardly a paradise by any stretch of the imagination.  It was a mystery that I would not even begin to contemplate to a full ten years afterwards.  Because, exactly ten years later, this life actually and did completely manifest into reality.

    This promise that was made to me that day, manifested into reality, ten years later.

    This was no literary fiction.  I actually ended up living on Tutuila island in the Samoan island chain.  That is another story for another time.  
    
    But the idea that a software program associated with the ELF probes would direct my thoughts to manifest reality is a significant point that the reader must not discount.  
    
    We live in a multi-dimensional universe.  
    
    If we control our thoughts we can manifest our physical realities in the way that we prefer.  
    
    But if people, of evil or other intent, have the ability to do so, they can also mold and create the reality that we experience.  That is why the manifestation of sentience is important to the <redacted>.  
    
    They do not want us to develop into service to self-sentience.   If we did so, then the clutch of mankind evolutionary prospects would be minimized to the great detriment of the local federation.

    + + +

    I was pretty tired from the events of the day so far.  I had gone through eleven subprograms and I was exhausted.  Yet one final program remained.  This was the final program. 

    This program was the Marine program. 

    (In my mind.) I walked up to the frozen figuring and stood looking at myself as a battle hardened Marine.  I looked up into its eyes.  I knew what it was about.  I knew what it represented.  I understood what and why I had to make this final encounter.

    [#12] The retirement of the spirit of a Marine

    Upon merging with the image (computer sub-program) I found myself walking upon the ruins of a giant ship yard. 

    The image that I had was piles of wrecked and dissembled ships that lay bare upon a sea side.  The metal and steel shone brightly and reflectively in the clear day.  The sky was blue and trees could be seen in the distance.  The impression that I had was that the site was huge, but containable, and that I was in a large naval scrap yard.  It was near the sea or ocean and it was a bright and sunny day.
    
    It was so sunny that the light glinting off the bare and exposed steel was painful to look at. yet the trees at the edge of the wrecking yard were beautiful florescent green upon a nice blue, blue, blue cloudless sky.

    This yard was involved in the dismantling of boats, and ships of various sizes and ages.  It was a bright and clear day.  Maybe ten in the morning.  The sky was pristine blue, and the colors of the distant trees and buildings were remarkably colorful.  In particular, the trees were a bright lush green, and the sky was nearly cloudless. 

    Surrounding me were piles of shiny metal and the ruins of many a fine steel ship.  Most of the piles were just collections of town ship parts.  There would be a partial stern of a ship here, and a torn bulkhead there.  Wires, sheet metal, and fixtures lay about everywhere.

    As I walked about, I saw no one to greet me.  This was quite unusual.  As all the other program subroutines involved a persona or character that I would interact with.  I could see tiny workers in the distance.  One man, wearing a plaid red shirt, was inside a booth controlling a crane, and there were a few men in the distance walking along the tree line.

    I found myself led, by curiosity or random activity (?), towards a pile of debris off to my right.  As I approached it, I could see what it was. 

    It was a (fragment or a broken section of) bulkhead with an array of small boxes set into the wall. 

    They looked like little mail boxes.  Each mail box had a number.  I was curious and so I walked up to it to observe it closer.  I reached my hand to brace myself as I got closer to peer at the boxes.  I maneuvered myself to get closer, carefully avoiding the rough jagged sharp edges…  As I touched the rough edge of the torn bulkhead…

    + + +

    Everything was different.  It was a different time and a different place.  I was a deck hand.  I was an immigrant to America.  My name was (Sorry, but at the time of this writing I have discovered that I have forgotten the name.  I just cannot remember the name), and I came from an eastern European country.  I had black curly hair, and a black beard.  I wore a watch cap of sorts, and period costume naval work clothes.  I was in the merchant marine.  The year was sometime in the 1880’s to 1900’s more or less. (Post American civil war, but before the turn of the century.)


    Watch Cap 
    A knit cap, originally of wool (though now often of synthetic fibers) is designed to provide warmth in cold weather. Typically, the knit cap is of simple, tapering constructions, though many variants exist. Historically, the wool knit cap was an extremely common form of headgear for seamen, fishers, hunters and others spending their working day outdoors from the 18th century and forward, and is still commonly used for this purpose in Scandinavia and other cold regions of the world. Being found all over the world where climate demands a warm hat, the knit cap can be found under a multitude of local names.

    In the blink of a nanosecond, I found myself at the bow of the ship, near the chain locker. 

    It was yet another reality. 

    It was an understanding, or a realization of my place; my role, or my life.  I had a task.  I had a chore to perform.  Staring down the dark portal below I could see the deep bowls of the inner ship below.  It was dark and dim, but I could barely make out  the sides of the steel bulkheads below. 

    My job was to clean it, or to retrieve something that had fallen down inside of it.  I do not know which. 

    Access hatch to the forward anchor chain locker.

    .

    I had to do my job, or perform my task.  It was my role; my purpose.  So I did as I was instructed.  I went to another part of the ship and moved towards the bow.  I entered the (chain) locker through a small hatch below decks.  It was an access hatch; seldom used. 

    I opened the port, and stepped inside.  I found myself standing there.  I stood there looking around the dim chamber. 

    Chain storage locker.
    .

    It was dim, but not entirely dark.  It was smelly and smelled of mud, dirt, grime and oil.  The chamber was hot, damp, humid and stifling.  I started to look around the small chamber. 

    I was searching for something. 

    I had to climb up and around various rough edges and huge chain that occupied the entire deck of the chamber. 

    When suddenly I heard a sound above me. 

    I looked up.  I saw the chain spilling down towards me.

    As the anchor chain in the portal above me started to move, I started to move.  But it was no use.  The heavy steel links flowed down into the small chamber

    The chain cascaded down into the chain locker.  I watched it come towards me.

    I watched it come towards me.

    It hit me on the face.

    It hit me.

    The tons upon tons of heavy iron chain fell down and smashed me. 

    All became dark.

    I was buried, dead, under a tons of steel chain.

    .

    (I died.  I was in the bow chain locker and tons of anchor chain fell down upon me killing me instantly.  I don’t really know the significance of this portrayal of the event at the time; though I would later.  But for now the reader must understand that I experienced the death event of a Merchant Marine sailor in the late 1880’s.)

    The next sequence of events was like participating in a documentary.  Not watching a documentary, but rather participating in it.

    I saw the ship sail on without the seaman.  I saw how the seaman became part of the ship.  How his soul became the very soul of the ship.  He did not haunt the ship as a ghostly specter, but rather, became an integral part of the lifeblood of the ship.  As we deal with possessions and things, our quanta entangles with it, and we become combined.  This is the same with anything.  Be it relationships, items, desires, thoughts.  The seaman had become part of the ship.  The thoughts and dreams, hopes and desires of the other sailors, through the years merged with the spirit of the dead merchant marine sailor.

    The metal, of the ship, had a soul.

    But as all things do, the ship became old and obsolete.  Eventually, it too was retired.  Much like I was.  But a soul cannot be destroyed.  Can’t you understand?  A soul can be changed, and altered, but it still exits.  The soul of this sailor still existed, even when the ship was torn up and shattered apart and sold for scrap.  Every part of that ship was a soul of that sailor.  And, his soul was the complete embodiment of all the hopes and dreams and experiences of all the men who sailed on that ship with him, and since that sailor died.

    + + +

    It was as if shreds of this piece of metal were scattered throughout the world.  Small pieces of shiny metal went everywhere.  I could see the spirit of the dead crew-member leaving his body at the moment of impact and death.  But it was not a linear progression of past, present and future.  But instead it was the simultaneous expansion of all potential futures and presents.  For as the seaman rose to join the rest of his quantum cloud, he simultaneously felt the expansion of a future where his soul would merge with the ship.

    I lived his death sequence.

    I felt his soul rise up following the chain that cascaded upon his smashed and lifeless body.  It rose higher and higher.  The brightness became magnificent.  It rose above the deck of the ship and traveled up the mast of the ship.  It grew brighter and more powerful.  It became like a small star.  I found myself shouting out loud (outside the program, and inside my cell);

    May I be the shining light for all to see…
    
    So that others may follow me…
    
    And be the man who I was truly meant to be…

    A buzzing noise reached a crescendo and I exploded into tiny fragments that cascaded down upon the twelve frozen figurines.  Each piece was a small sliver of silver metal.  (A sliver of metal that was in itself a small part of the ship that my soul had merged with.) 

    And each one floated to a position inside the tassel affixed to the swords that suddenly all the frozen figurines were holding. 

    To my surprise, I found myself standing in front of all the figurines again.  But this time they were all holding up their swords to create an arch from which I would walk under.

    Each sword had a tassel, and associated with that tassel was a little ball, or bead that dangled next to it. 

    Inside that bead was the soul of the ship. 

    It wasn’t just the soul of the ship, but the soul of every man and every sailor.  It was their combined hopes and dreams and every one of the figurines carried this essence with them. 

    My goal was to walk under this protective canopy to release my soul to find a new life of greatness and meaning.

    .

    I began to walk forward.  Each time as I passed a frozen figurine it dissolved and disappeared, and I became lighter, more powerful and stronger.  I absorbed the essence and very being of each figurine that I walked past.  They were all part of me, but of isolated connectivity.  But when I walked by them, we connected.  With each step this happened.  I continued through to the end of the line.  Each time, getting stronger and brighter and lighter.

    Finally I reached the end of the line and I saw the Marine before me.  He looked me sternly in the eyes and picking up his sword, snapped it in two on his knee.  And when it snapped… when the event occurred, it was like a bolt of lightning struck me.  Everything went white; a blazing and blinding white light.

    + + +

    I found myself in a strange state.  I was a disembodied white orb hovering over the former ship which killed the merchant marine sailor.  I was both everywhere at once, and nowhere at all.  It was an odd feeling.  It was unlike anything that I can ever describe.  It was a feeling totally unlike anything that a human can or will experience.

    Shutting down of all my programs

    At that time, one of my handlers at the ELF control booth, spoke up.  “What is the code?” he asked.  “Tell us the code”, my interlocutor ordered.

    The imagery around me changed.  I found myself standing outside the wreckage of the shipyard scrap heap.  I was next to the bulkhead with the many small “mail boxes”.  I walked closer to it and looked at the boxes.  On each box was a number and a name of a seaman.  The name of my patron seaman was on one of the boxes.  The writing was in pencil and old fashioned script but still legible.  I read the number on the box.

    Four. Three. Seven.

    I stated.  There was no questioning it.  That was the number on the box.  The box still remained.  It had a combination lock on it.  This combination lock had two dials.  Each dial pointed to a letter instead of a number.

    Old style post office mail box with two dials instead of three.

    .

    The handler from the ELF control booth said “open the box”.  And, without even thinking about it, or how I was able to do so, I moved the dials to the correct combination.  I moved the dials to “H” and to “R”.

    The box popped open. 

    “What is inside?” he asked.

    I looked inside.  There was a scrap of paper.  It looked like the torn bottom from a letter.  It was as if someone had torn away the bottom of a page of paper.  On it, in pencil were words.  But I couldn’t make them out.  They were smudged and faint.  Again, it looked like someone had written in script in the bottom margins of a book or paper.

    “Read it.” The handler commanded.

    The words became clear and took form.  I could clearly make the words out and it took on a new meaning as I read the words.  I now understood everything.  It was clear to me.  All of this, it was all clear to me now.

    “What does it say?” the handler asked again.

    I read the scrap of paper. 

     “I will wait for you.  You belong in the islands with me.  Our futures are entwined. I don’t know how or when you will return to me.  But I will wait for you.  When your labors are done, I will be ready and waiting for you.  Come home, my love.  Come home to me.”

    And next to the slip of paper was an old faded black and white photo.  It was one of those photos that required a person stand in front of an old style camera.  One by which the photographer would stand under a dark cape to take.  On it was a picture of the (now dead) merchant marine sailor standing next to his girlfriend.  She was a cute girl of Polynesian / Asian descent.  She was the splitting image of the frozen figurine that I had encountered earlier.

    She was waiting for me.  I knew it.  When my adventures were complete, I could return to her.  I had been away too long, and it was now time to hang up my gear and finish my labors.  It was time to go home.

    “Are you ready to go home?” the handler asked.

    “Yes”, I paused.  “Yes I am” I replied

    I felt a warm wash of emotion flow through my body.  It was a calming of expanse of mind.  My heart expanded as did my mind.  I felt my body get light and the sights around me grew lighter and brighter.  I felt myself flying up, up higher… And higher

    Higher.

    Lighter and lighter.

    “What are you?” He asked.

    “I am the bright and shining star for all to see.”

    I am a bright and shining star for all to see.

    .

    Completion

    My vision returned and I was back inside my cell.  I had been at this entire exercise all day, and I was totally and completely wet.  My cell was hot, and I had been perspiring terribly.  I got up to get some water at the sink, but it mustn’t have been well grounded, so every time I went near it I got a pretty nasty electric shock. (Pretty hard to accomplish with moist sweat covered palms.)

    I sponge bathed myself and then laid down to sleep.  I was exhausted.  I didn’t eat all day, and I was famished.  The entire exercise lasted from the morning after breakfast through to about six in the evening.  I just simply closed my eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

    I meet the former Commander from NAS NASC Pensacola

    The next day I woke up and my cell door was opened.  I was free to join the line with the rest of the inmates.  Just so, and got in line with the rest of the inmates.  By now, after over a week of evaluation (ten days), they were able to trust me somewhat, and I no longer had to be so sedated.  Nor did I require guards to march me everywhere.  I was almost completely finished with my deactivation, as well as the “official” purpose of the evaluation; to measure my threat to the community as a sex offender.

    I was told to get out of my one-piece white coveralls and was issued some “state issue”. Which is a pair of pants (with a rope draw-string) and a top. Both white. And had my Prison identification number stenciled in big black letters over my left breast. We were all issued two sets.

    I was issued, like everyone else, a faded outfit that looked like others had worn it. You can tell with their old identification numbers crossed out, and mine written over them.

    After I received my “state issue”, I went back to the barracks. It was time to et, and you did not want to miss that.

    As I waited in line, another “inmate” walked up to me.  He was older than me, and came up to me in a very friendly way.  He was wearing crisp brand-new ‘state issue” (prison uniform) with no lettering. (Which was curious, as all of us had our identification number stenciled upon our clothing.

    He said “Hi”, and looked at me closely.  And then, staring into my eyes, asked “Do you remember me?”.  I looked back at him.  Indeed he looked familiar.  But I could not place him at all.  So I told him that.  I said “Well, you certainly look familiar, but I just can’t place you.”  He smiled, and walked away.  That was the first and the last time that I saw him there.

    “Do you remember me?”

    It wasn’t until later on, after I ate, and later on that night that I realized just who this person was.  It was the Naval Commander.  The exact one who I met so many years ago at NAS NASC Pensacola. 

    He was there to say good bye.

    The reader should pay close attention.  The base commander was there, dressed in inmate attire in GP, but he was NOT an inmate.  He did not accompany us into the mess hall.  He did not have an assigned cell in the barracks.  He was dressed in the prison whites so that he could meet me up close, but he was not an inmate.

    The last time that I saw him was when he dropped me off at the Chow Hall in 1981.

    Accessing the Source Code for Deactivation

    Things were winding down during this evaluation period.  Overhearing the guards, I knew that the gentlemen from Washington would be leaving soon.  That only could mean that the final stages of my decommission would occur shortly.  I didn’t have to wait long.  While I was standing up, I suddenly felt the familiar buzzing associated with centering on the feducials.  And I knew what I had to do.  I stood up and looked at the feducials and centered myself.

    Suddenly there was the long forgotten, but familiar album art overlay in my visual field.  I went to lay down and watched the operators modify the settings.  I watched passively and let them do their tasks.  It was pretty simple, really.  They simply would lock a suppression command in place, and archive the transmittal abilities associated with the probes.  They did this and then let me alone.  I was decommissioned.

    Conclusion of my Evaluation

    With the conclusion of these mind-numbing sequence of events, I was finally deactivated.  The “experts” who were present at the facility had packed up and left the prison complex.  Everything was settling down into a normal prison routine.  While the ELF field was still on, it was more or less, unused.  My handlers were silent.  The carrier waves associated with it was off, and the cadence beats were completely silent.  For all practical purposes, I was near the end of my deactivation sequence.

    I went to the psychiatric expert at the prison and he told me that they had concluded that I was no threat to the community.  They labeled me a level 1 threat level and told me that I did not have to attend the reeducation program for sex offenders.  This was good news, and he issued me a paper associated with it.

    Arkansas, at that time, had four classification levels.  That was different from the three level system that is federally mandated.  

    Upon handing me the paper, for some strange reason, my diagnostic screen again snapped on and it overlaid my field of vision.  I could see that everything was shut down and locked into place.  I felt calm and relaxed.  It stayed in my field of vision for about four hours and then snapped off.  I knew that my deactivation ordeal would soon be ending.

    Or….

    So I thought.

    Lester has some Fun

    Well, that is what we all thought.  The gentlemen from Washington thought that their work was finished.  I thought that I was decommissioned.  And we both believed that everything was finished. 

    This is what we thought, but the ELF signals did not originate locally, their origination point is somewhere else.  And, thus the field was still on.  It would remain on for another three to four days until turned off.  In the meantime, the local prison guards still had access to the local command booth in the diagnostic center.  And one of the guards, a guard appropriately named Lester, thought it‘d be great fun to play with the controls.

    It ended up being one of the most horrific events of my stint in the ADC.

    For reasons; not entirely clear to me, the primary core kit of implant probes provided a base line or first-line of control (or defense) in memory retention and access by MAJestic or other branch operatives.  
    
    The ELF signal point of origination was often very far away from the targeted agent.  The signal modulated thoughts and some basic memory functions, but the full spectrum and range of control (for some reason) required close (on site) supervision.  
    
    That is to say; there had to be someone near me, monitoring me and controlling the implants in some way.  
    
    That control had physical limitations in distance and range of control.  
    
    The secondary kit; which controlled the drones, obviously did not have this limitation.  My retirement was predicated in the closure and security of my memory access.  Thus it mandated that the core kit one probes be accessed in great detail.  Thus the requirement for a physical retirement facility where I could be contained; restrained and eventually deactivated.

    Oh, Lester was a funny fellow.

    He started to adjust the knobs and buttons.  He enjoyed me howling with pain.  He could make my arm twitch, and could make me lose my bowel movements.  He could make me ejaculate and give me tremendous headaches.  He was having a great time doing this.  There was nothing that I could do to stop it.  Everything I tried; every plea I cried, and every action I took were inefficacious.  I begged him to stop, but he wouldn’t.  My body would start thrashing about and twisting.  Yet he would not stop.  Suddenly; somehow,  he actuated the source code menu.  I don’t think that he had any idea what he was up to.  He just continued to play with the switches and dials.  I do not think he knew, at all, what he was doing.  (Then surprisingly; out of the blue, something amazing happened.) My source code control dialog menu filled my visual cortex.

    And, even though he continued to play with all manner of switches in the control booth, and played at the control panel, I was able to now access my own brain software.  I was no longer locked out.  Oh, it is true, I continued to undergo this period of crazy torture, but all the time, now the access menu filled my cerebral cortex.

    I took advantage of this situation.

    The reader should know and realize that by using the codes that were still present on the source code display, I was able to retain my memories and reverse the suppression of the memories.  I did not change anything else.  I left the transmission ability of the ELF probes to be turned off, and pretty much left everything else in the same state.  He did manage to alter some of the comfort settings, but I was able to reset them.

    Eventually, the guard was relieved, and I was able to rest.  While there were some minor events since that time, in general, my role as an ELF agent was decommissioned.  But thanks to the wayward guard, I now had full and total recall of all my memories associated with the two ELF programs that I participated in.  In fact; I had more memories than when I was first arrested.  I remembered everything; everything that ever happened to me.  This entire event released every single memory lock placed in my brain.  Every single one was unlocked and I remembered the most amazing things; things that, I am sure, I was not intended to recall.

    …not intended for me to recall.

    I regain control of my software

    Let’s chat about this for a little while, in more detail.

    I might have made bad decisions.  I most certainly was not in the situation that I wanted to be in, but I was not stupid.  I knew what had transpired.  That bozo of a guard messed up the settings that both my handlers and the “experts” had put in place.  Like a spoiled child he had completely made a mess of the internal settings and lock-downs associated with my mind.  Who knows what long term consequences that would have?

    Bozo the Clown is a clown character very popular in the United States, peaking in the 1960s as a result of widespread franchising in early television.  As slang the term “bozo” refers to a clownish and silly person who is known for stupidity and poor judgement.

    Would I [1] get cancer?  Could I become [2] sick, [3] mentally unstable?  Would I have [4] memory loss, or [5] persistent nightmares?  Anything could happen.  Could I [6] accidentally get locked inside the drone with no drone pilot controlling it?  It was a frightening proposal.  I had to do something.  And I took immediate steps to take action…

    I knew what to do.  It might have been decades ago, but I now had a complete memory recall.  That included all of my training at NAS China Lake.  I knew what was going on.  I knew what was involved.  I understood what controls were in place and why.  I realized the entire situation and how everything fit together.  There was no question of what I should do.  And thus, I took control of the situation, as only I knew how to do.

    I pulled up my diagnostic screen, and using my long unused skills, I removed all the terminal locks on the root core memories. 


    From my point of view it was similar to that of accessing an early version of Microsoft Windows 3.2 except instead of “windows” or boxes appearing, a page in a book would open up.  (An icon of a hand would turn the pages, and on each page was a parameter that I could change with “check boxes” that I could set. )  I could flip through the pages with my mind.  It was an interesting GUI; crude by the standards by which I was accustomed to when I was retired in 2005.  But functional, never the less.  The colors were all pastel.  It consisted of pale greens, pale oranges, yellows and blues.  Some moron chose pastels for all the GUI and brain functions whenever the brain was accessed.  I guess that we “cool” in the 1980’s, but decidedly archaic in the year 2005.

    I kept everything locked down, but retained the memories.  I needed to do this, for that is the only way that I would be able to correct things if I accidentally made a mistake in resetting my programming.  It didn’t take long, but I needed to do so.

    It was a simple matter of checking or unchecking the “boxes” that resided on the GUI pages as they materialized.  Truthfully, my training at NAS China Lake only covered about 60% of the functions of these boxes, so when there was a question concerning a given box or issue, I let it stay at the default, or safe setting whenever possible.  You could see easily how this was manifested in the GUI.

    I think that I would have preferred to reset everything into the exact condition that the “experts” left it in.  But I did not know what that situation was.  So I had to improvise.  I don’t know if it was my fate, or I was supposed to do so, but I did the best that I could.  I set up my (controllable) settings as best I could. 

    I locked out all outside ELF interference (The core routines, at least.), and returned everything back to “nominal” range.  I left the access portals to my memories intact, but left the adjunct connections to the Core Core Kit #2 probes alone.

    This was by design.  I really did not understand the complexities of the secondary kit as well as the core kit.  I did not want to really mess up my brain inadvertently, so I chose to be very conservative in my lockouts and restrictions.

    Thus, after all of this, and thanks to Lester, I regained both full control of my memories and was able to lock out invasive ELF fields as well.  I became fully empowered, and this empowerment is what enabled me to write upon Metallicman.

    I wonder; was this all really “accidental”, or are there actually subroutines within subroutines?  That is to say; schemes and plans within plans or great complexity?  I wonder about this often.

    Field turned off

    (I place this here a little bit out of order to avoid reader confusion.)  The ELF field stayed on for days after the “experts” left.  The entire time it was on, I felt its effects.  I could see cavitation everywhere, and I tended to be rather physically hot.  I sweated; even when it was 40°F outside.  My skin was hot and moist and I drank a lot of water.  The high pitched ringing in my ears wasn’t so loud and painful, but still persisted at a much lower volume.  But there was no communication with the handlers, and no cadence, nor were there any other effects that were always present when I was involved in an integrated operation.

    Here, I would like to discuss what happened with the ELF field was turned off. 

    I wish I could tell you that it was a mind blowing experience, or that it was a relief.  But it wasn’t anything like that.  Perhaps it was because of how I reset my mind, or perhaps this is what happens after deactivation.  But when the field was turned off it was, well…ordinary.

    Have you ever switched off an old style vacuum-tube television?  It “felt” like that.  The screen shrunk in a second into a single dot.  It collapsed into that dot, and then the dot faded away quietly. 

    Invented in about 1910, vacuum tubes were a basic component for electronics throughout the first half of the twentieth century, which saw the diffusion of radio, television, radar, sound reinforcement, sound recording and reproduction, large telephone networks, analog and digital computers, and industrial process control. 
    
    Although some applications had counterparts using earlier technologies such as the spark gap transmitter or mechanical computers, it was the invention of the vacuum tubes that made these technologies widespread and practical. 
    
    In the forties the invention of semiconductor devices made it possible to produce solid-state devices, which are smaller, more efficient, more reliable, more durable, and cheaper than tubes. Hence, in the '50s and '60s, solid-state devices such as transistors gradually replaced tubes. 
    
    The cathode-ray tube (CRT) remained the basis for televisions and video monitors until superseded in the 21st century. However there are still a few applications for which tubes are preferred to semiconductors; for example, the magnetron used in microwave ovens, and certain high frequency amplifiers.

    For me; I felt like the ELF field just collapsed upon itself, and then the remaining signal just faded away quietly.  It was not, however, as if I “saw” this occurring.  No.  Instead it was as if I “felt the field end” just like someone turning off an old vacuum tube oscilloscope or television set.

    That was all there was to it.

    To those who might be watching me on the prison cameras, they would see no changes what so ever.  Everything that I experienced was experienced by only one person. 

    That was me, and me alone.

    Aside from no longer ever being entangled with the drone and the drone pilot, my long steam of nightime dreams consisting of attending futuristic schools and sitting in classes all ended abruptly. It all ended.  It was over, and I haven’t attended any schools (in my dreams) ever since.

    I meet Sebastian at the Intake Facility

    As we were lining up to exit the facility, we were each paired with another inmate to whom were chained.  (In the ADC, we were all chained together with leg chains and connected handcuffs.)  To my surprise, and amazement, he looked familiar.  As I looked closely, he too recognized me.  It was Sebastian!  (Sebastian was [1] my former AOC from NAS NASC Pensacola, and who [2] also worked alongside me at NAS China Lake.)  It had been a long time (30 years!), and he had aged somewhat, but he was still recognizable.

    What were the odds?  Not only were we at the same facility, in the same state, at the same time, but we were chained together.  The last time that I saw him was at China Lake Naval Weapons Center in Ridgecrest, California.  That was thirty years ago.  It had to be more than just a coincidence.  It had to be.

    The reader can disagree with my appraisal.

    He told me that he was arrested for possession of child porn, just like I was, but he had decided to take it to trial instead of pleading out.  He did not fare too well, however.  He felt that it was a setup, as did I, since we were both heterosexuals with absolutely normal, and even a little dated, feelings about female attractiveness. 

    But, it turned out he didn’t do too well in court.  In the state were we were charged, they had a massive campaign about child porn as well as a very vocal and supportive religious organizations that were going on, it seemed, like weekly crusades against those who commit those crimes. 

    This in itself was curious.  Who or what was behind all this orchestrated antagonism?  Was it part of the process to retire all us agents, or was it just a massive coincidence?  
    
    I do not know.  
    
    What I do know, is that the American media is owned and controlled by the United States government.  There is no question about that.  So whether they actually controlled this media blitz is unknown.  What is known is that the American government did have the ability to do so if they wanted to.

    So when he had his trial, the evidence did not matter.  It was an emotional hot button, and the jury of his peers turned out to be mostly uneducated, deep southern people with strong racial and cultural biases (Think of the character “Ricky” from the Television show “Trailer Park Boys”.). 

    Actually, the truth is that they were under-educated, or little experience outside of the country where they were born and raised.  
    
    Their life experiences were often colored by prejudice and local norms of behavior that were exclusionary in their totality.  
    
    Typically, they had a high school degree but forgot most of what they had learned in school, and they worked blue-collar or manual labor positions with little application of reason or understanding.  
    
    They based their decisions on emotion.  Thus they were easily manipulated by anyone serving up a story comprised of emotional issues.
    Trailer Park Boys is a Canadian mockumentary television series created and directed by Mike Clattenburg that focuses on the misadventures of a group of trailer park residents, some of whom are ex-convicts, living in the fictional Sunnyvale Trailer Park in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The television series, a continuation of Clattenburg's 1999 film of the same name, premiered on Showcase in 2001. The planned final season ended in 2007, and the planned final episode, "Say Goodnight to the Bad Guys", premiered as a special on Showcase on December 7, 2008, ending the initial run of the series.  There have been three films released in the series: The Big Dirty, released on October 6, 2006; Countdown to Liquor Day, released on September 25, 2009; and Don't Legalize It, released on April 18, 2014 after issues during production.
    .

    In any issue; whether it is related to this manuscript or whether it is a fight with your spouse or a political argument, one must realize that humans have the strong tendency to accept the comfort of what they know and have seen.  If they come across something different; strange or unusual, they will usually tend to argue against it.  We, as humans, have to realize that we need to see things for all angles and all perspectives.  That wisdom is a not just a laudable goal, but a necessity towards growth and expansion of the soul.

    It didn’t matter that they couldn’t prove how he got the images, or even if they actually were under the legal age.  It didn’t matter that medical doctors could find no evidence of abhorrent behavior or tendencies or predilections toward pedophilia.  It didn’t matter that this was his first offense.  In the eyes of the community, he was a “sick individual” who needed to be incarcerated for a long, long time.  I believe that he was sentenced to sixty years at hard labor (60 years) on “the third”.

    One third of the sentence must be at hard labor punishment (33%), the rest can be released to parole (66%) provided that he accepted the terms of parole and passed the Sex Offender reeducation program.  For him, that meant that he had a minimum of ten years at hard labor before he could even consider to be released on parole.

    We rode in the bus together to our destination prisons.  He was slated to go to a different one than I was, but we both knew that it was not going to be pleasant.  The prison that I was designated to attend was known as the “worst” prison in the entire (state) system. 

    There was a saying “There ain’t nothin’ good about Brickeys.”  (Let me tell you; it is an accurate appraisal.) 

    This was the De Facto hard labor prison.  It was a common destination for most reoffenders in the prison system, but not necessarily one of the prisons that you send a newbie to, especially one for a “soft” crime. 

    A “soft” crime is a victimless crime, which did not involve violence or any kind or theft of property.  Crimes in this category include smoking an illegal substance alone, possession of banned books, or making a copy of music or movies.  
    
    There are those who insist that there is no such thing as a victimless crime; that for a law to be passed, someone had to be a victim.  
    
    That’s really an argument for “arm-chair” philosophers. 
    
    On a practical basis; a victim according to the founding fathers of the United States (read your Federalist Papers) is someone who was harmed or hurt or suffered directly and physically by (your) criminal activities.  
    
    A victim might be a person hit by a drunk driver, a person who suffered through a mugging, a spouse who was beaten up, someone who was swindled of their life’s saving or any other direct; provable physical damage.  
    
    The accused has the right to confront their accuser (this is encoded in the Constitution, as well as many state constitutions); and if the accuser is not a victim; then it is a “victimless crime”.
    
    The term “victimless crime” is a recent addition to the American judicial lexicon.  Before 1920, all crimes required a victim to be aggrieved.

    He was to be shipped off to a labor/work prison.  Here his skills would be used to provide free slave labor to other industries in the region.  I believe that he became a logger and worked the local lumber industry there.


    As a “rent-a-slave”.  Here, prisoners are rented out to companies at a low rate.  They work for free, and get “credit” towards their eventual release from prison.

    As we rode the bus, we chatted a little bit and caught up on some things.  He (politely and strongly) suggested that we don’t talk about our experiences and the true nature of who we were.  No one would believe us anyways.  He also warned me that since our brains were hardwired, they could do anything to us, so it was best for us to ride out the journey. 


    The term “hardwired” means to physically connect one thing to another.  In a like way, something has to be cut or damaged to extract the said object.  Thus in this case, our probes were functionally and physically installed in our brains.  We could never remove them without risking brain damage.

    He offered me some candy that he had bought from the commissary and we chatted about life in general and what fate will have in store for us when we finally reached our destination.

    While there were many individuals tangentially involved in our operations and training, only three people (that I actively knew of) were actively involved in our little part of the program.  This cell of people comprised myself, Sebastian, and the base Commander. 

    Everyone else performed tasks tangential to us.  While we worked on <redacted>, we knew each other through our drones.  We had no clue who the drone commander was underneath the outer shell of the drones that we worked alongside.  While we were being trained on the NAS China Lake facility, we worked alongside many people, but no one really had a clue as to our real purpose and training there.  In every event, throughout our entire existence, there was only three people –out little cell- who truly knew what was going on.

    Our missions and activities were all terminated and concluded upon closure at prison.  That is how it all ended.  It ended by [1] shutting off our internal systems, [2] accusing us and imprisoning us as sex offenders for child related crimes (!), and [3] life time monitoring and observation.

    Exit to Prison

    The ride to the prison was long and tiring.  It was a six hour drive, mostly on an unplanned route, and through many back rural roads.  This route was taken for reasons of safety.  Any inmate that wants to plan an escape would have a hard time determining where the transport vehicle would be.

    We rode in a van with three bench seats.  Nine inmates rode inside.  We were all chained together to the inmate next to us.  Up front, sat two guards; the driver and the squad leader.  Both were armed with guns and even though they were nice and polite to us, they would have certainly shot us if we appeared to be a threat to them.  The driver was an older white man in his late 60’s.  He talked to the inmates along the way.  Chatting about the soybean fields that we drove by.  The squad leader was a black woman who was also very nice and professional.  These were just people doing their job.  They weren’t power hungry cops, or egotistical sadistic guards, but just plain, ordinary people doing a job.  We rode in the van listening to the local radio station, which was, for the state where we were incarcerated in; Country Music.

    ADC transport van.

    .

    The van itself was a white plain van marked with the States department of corrections insignia on it.  Covering the windows were long bars of metal so that it was impossible to exit the vehicle, even if it overturned in a mishap.  Up front, in a wire cage directly behind the driver were the sole possessions of each inmate.  All categorized and accounted for inside a brown paper bag, folded and stapled shut with our name and ID number on it.

    At one point, the van turned down a rural road, and we saw squads of inmates working the fields.  They were all either marching, or banging away at the ground in their “State Issue” uniforms. 

    Hard Labor at the former slave plantation of Brickey’s.

    .

    Each squad was led by an armed corrections officer on horseback.  He held one hand on the horses reign, and the other rested solidly on his powerful .44 magnum Smith & Wesson revolver.  The guards all wore brown vests, a scarf, and a large white cowboy hat that shaded their face.  Most wore sunglasses, but not all did.  They all had on cowboy boots with spurs.  We knew that we would arrive shortly.

    Before us, sprawled in the hot fields like a Nazi concentration camp, lay our destination; ADC Brickeys.

    Brickeys is also known as the “East Arkansas Regional Unit”.  It is one of the most dangerous prisons in Arkansas.  You can read about it here in the article “These 6 Deadly Prisons Can Only Be Found In Arkansas”.   http://www.onlyinyourstate.com/arkansas/deadly-prisons-ar/
    ADC Prison.

    You can read the rest of my narrative…

    This tires me, exhausts me, and disgusts me. I DO NOT WANT to relive this. I seriously do not want to think about it one single bit. But I am putting it all out there for posterity. Let the world know what is really going on. let everyone come to their own conclusions. That’s what is best.

    Childish Gambino – Redbone

    .

    The rest of my narrative and “adventure” is in the MAJestic index here…

    MAJestic

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index
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    The Gateway technique to isolate your consciousness for independent travel through space and time. An introduction.

    This post serves as an introduction to “Hemi-Sync” or the “Gateway Process”. It is a system that permits the isolation of consciousness from the reality that it inhabits. There have been a flood of articles regarding this process because the CIA declassified it’s use when it was involved in “Remote Viewing” activities. Yet all of the theories, and articles put forth still come associated with the “baggage” of an imperfect understanding of the true and real nature of the universe. Here, we are going to present the techniques alongside the way the universe actually operates.

    This post was originally posted on VICE. It was edited to fit this venue and all credit to the author. Note that my comments on the post are highlighted and italicized. Written by Thobey Campion on February 16, 2021, at 11:33pm. The original post is from VICE.

    Dear MM reader; don't get too caught up on the CIA, and other things that seem outer-worldly and fantastical. Keep yourself grounded and keep in mind that we are consciousness that inhabits a body within a reality that is constantly changing through our thoughts.

    How to Escape the Confines of Time and Space According to the CIA

    In the 80s, the spy agency investigated the “Gateway Experience” technique to alter consciousness and ultimately escape spacetime.

    Thobey Campion writes...

    She turned to me the other morning and said, “You heard of The Gateway?” It didn’t register in the moment. She continued, “It’s blowing up on TikTok.”

    Later on, she elaborated: it was not in fact the ill-fated 90s computer hardware company folks were freaking out about. No, they’ve gone further back in time, to find a true treasure of functional media. 

    The intrigue revolves around a classified 1983 CIA report on a technique called the Gateway Experience. The “Gateway Experience” is a training system designed to focus brainwave output to control one’s consciousness.

    As such it can ultimately be used to escape the restrictions of time and space.

    The CIA was interested in all sorts of psychic research at the time. This included the theory and applications of remote viewing.

    "Remote Viewing"  is when someone views real events with only the power of their mind. The documents have since been declassified and are available to view

    This is a comprehensive excavation of The Gateway Process report.

    The first section provides a timeline of the key historical developments that led to the CIA’s investigation and subsequent experimentations.

    The second section is a review of The Gateway Process report. It opens with a wall of theoretical context, on the other side of which lies enough understanding to begin to grasp the principles underlying the Gateway Experience training.

    The last section outlines the Gateway technique itself and the steps that go into achieving spacetime transcendence. 

    The Timeline

    1950s – Robert Monroe, a radio broadcasting executive, begins producing evidence that specific sound patterns have identifiable effects on human capabilities. These include alertness, sleepiness, and expanded states of consciousness.

    1956 – Monroe forms an R&D division inside his radio program production corporation RAM Enterprises. The goal is to study sound’s effect on human consciousness. He was obsessed with “Sleep-Learning,” or hypnopedia, which exposes sleepers to sound recordings to boost memory of previously learned information.Advertisement

    1958 – While experimenting with Sleep-Learning, Monroe discovers an unusual phenomenon. He describes it as sensations of paralysis and vibration accompanied by bright light. It allegedly happens nine times over the proceeding six weeks, and culminates in an out-of-body experience (OBE).

    1962 – RAM Enterprises moves to Virginia, and renames itself Monroe Industries. It becomes active in radio station ownership, cable television, and later in the production and sale of audio cassettes. These cassettes contain applied learnings from the corporate research program, which is renamed The Monroe Institute.

    1971 – Monroe publishes Journeys Out of the Body, a book that is credited with popularizing the term “out-of-body experience.”

    Journeys Out of the Body, Books by Robert Monroe.
    Journeys Out of the Body,

    .

    1972 – A classified report circulates in the U.S. military and intelligence communities. It claims that the Soviet Union is pouring money into research involving ESP and psychokinesis for espionage purposes.

    1975 – Monroe registers the first of several patents concerning audio techniques designed to stimulate brain functions until the left and right hemispheres become synchronized. Monroe dubs the state “Hemi-Sync” (hemispheric synchronization), and claims it could be used to promote mental well-being or to trigger an altered state of consciousness.

    1978 to 1984 – Army veteran Joseph McMoneagle contributes to 450 remote viewing missions under Project Stargate. He is known as “Remote View No. 1”. This is kind of a whole other story.

    June 9th, 1983 – The CIA report “Analysis and Assessment of The Gateway Process” is produced. It provides a scientific framework for understanding and expanding human consciousness, out-of-body experiments, and other altered states of mind.

    1989 – Remote viewer Angela Dellafiora Ford helps track down a former customs agent who has gone on the run. She pinpoints his location as “Lowell, Wyoming”. U.S. Customs apprehend him 100 miles west of a Wyoming town called Lovell.

    2003 – The CIA approves declassification of the Gateway Process report.

    2017 – The CIA declassifies 12 million pages of records revealing previously unknown details about the program, which would eventually become known as Project Stargate.

    The Report

    CIA screengrab.

    Personnel

    The author of The Gateway Process report is Lieutenant Colonel Wayne M. McDonnell, hereon referred to simply as Wayne. There isn’t a tremendous amount of information available on the man, nor any photographs.

    In 1983, Wayne was tasked by the Commander of the U.S. Army Operational Group with figuring out how The Gateway Experience, astral projection and out-of-body experiences work.

    Wayne partnered with a bunch of different folks to produce the report, most notably Itzhak Bentov, a very Googleable American-Israeli scientist who helped pioneer the biomedical engineering industry.

    A scientific approach

    From the outset of the report, Wayne states his intent to employ an objective scientific method in order to understand the Gateway process. The various scientific avenues he takes include:

    • A biomedical inquiry to understand the physical aspects of the process. 
    • Information on quantum mechanics to describe the nature and functioning of human consciousness.
    • Theoretical physics to explain the time-space dimension and means by which expanded human consciousness transcends it.
    • Classical physics to bring the whole phenomenon of out-of-body states into the language of physical science (and remove the stigma of an occult connotation). 

    Methodological frames of reference

    Before diving into the Gateway Experience, Wayne develops a frame of reference by dissecting three discrete consciousness-altering methodologies.

    He’s basically saying, there’s no way you’re going to get through The Gateway without a solid grounding in the brain-altering techniques that came before it.

    1) He begins with hypnosis.

    The language is extremely dense, but the basic gist is as follows: 
    
    ..the left side of the brain screens incoming stimuli, categorizing, assessing and assigning meaning to everything through self-cognitive, verbal, and linear reasoning. 
    
    The left hemisphere then dishes the carefully prepared data to the non-critical, holistic, pattern-oriented right hemisphere, which accepts everything without question. 
    
    Hypnosis works by putting the left side to sleep, or at least distracting it long enough to allow incoming data directly, unchallenged entry to the right hemisphere. 
    
    There, stimuli can reach the sensor and motor cortices of the right brain, which corresponds to points in the body. 
    
    Suggestions then can send electrical signals from the brain to certain parts of the body. 
    
    Directing these signals appropriately, according to the report, can elicit reactions ranging from left leg numbness to feelings of happiness. Same goes for increased powers of concentration.

    2) Wayne continues with a snapshot of transcendental meditation.

    He distinguishes it from hypnotism. 
    
    Through concentration the subject draws energy up the spinal cord, resulting in acoustical waves that run through the cerebral ventricles, to the right hemisphere, where they stimulate the cerebral cortex, run along the homunculus and then to the body. 
    
    The waves are the altered rhythm of heart sounds, which create sympathetic vibrations in the walls of the fluid-filled cavities of the brain’s ventricles. 
    
    He observed that the symptoms begin in the left side of the body, confirming the right brain’s complicity. 
    
    Bentov also states that the same effect might be achieved by prolonged exposure to 4 - 7 Hertz/second acoustical vibrations. 
    
    He suggests standing by an air conditioning duct might also do the trick. (David Lynch and other celebrities are committed adherents to transcendental meditation today.)

    3) Biofeedback, on the other hand, uses the left hemisphere to gain access to the right brain’s lower cerebral, motor, and sensory cortices.

    Whereas hypnosis suppresses one side of the brain, and TM bypasses that side altogether, biofeedback teaches the left hemisphere to visualize the desired result, recognize the feelings associated with right hemisphere access, and ultimately achieve the result again. 
    
    With repetition, the left brain can reliably key into the right brain, and strengthen the pathways so that it can be accessed during a conscious demand mode. 
    
    A digital thermometer is subsequently placed on a target part of the body. 
    
    When its temperature increases, objective affirmation is recognized and the state is reinforced. Achieving biofeedback can block pain, enhance feeling, and even suppress tumors, according to the report.  
    E2-E4 records.

    The Gateway mechanics

    With that, Wayne takes a first stab at the Gateway process.

    He classifies it as a “training system designed to bring enhanced strength, focus and coherence to the amplitude and frequency of brainwave output between the left and right hemispheres so as to alter consciousness.”

    What distinguishes the Gateway process from hypnosis, TM, and biofeedback, is that it requires achieving  a state of consciousness in which the electrical brain patterns of both hemispheres are equal in amplitude and frequency.

    This is called Hemi-Sync.

    Hemi-Sync

    Lamentably, and perhaps conveniently, we cannot as humans achieve this state on our own.

    The audio techniques developed by Bob Monroe and his Institute (which comprise a series of  tapes), claim to induce and sustain Hemi-Sync.

    Here, the document shifts to the usage of quotes and other reports to describe the powers of Hemi-Sync. Wayne employs  the analogy of a lamp versus a laser.

    Left to its own devices the human mind expends energy like a lamp, in a chaotic and incoherent way, achieving lots of diffusion but relatively little depth. 
    
    Under Hemi-Sync though, the mind produces a “disciplined stream of light.” 
    
    So, once the frequency and amplitude of the brain are rendered coherent it can then synchronize with the rarified energy levels of the universe. 
    
    With this connection intact, the brain begins to receive symbols and display astonishing flashes of holistic intuition. 

    The Hemi-Sync technique takes advantage of a Frequency Following Response (FFR).

    It works like this: an external frequency emulating a recognized one will cause the brain to mimic it.

    So if a subject hears a frequency at the Theta level, it will shift from its resting Beta level. To achieve these unnatural levels, Hemi-Sync puts a single frequency in the left ear and a contrasting frequency in the right.

    The brain then experiences the Delta frequency, also known as the beat frequency.

    It’s more familiarly referred to these days as binaural music.

    With the FFR and beat frequency phenomena firmly in place, The Gateway Process introduces a series of frequencies at marginally audible, subliminal levels. With the left brain relaxed and the body in a virtual sleep state, the conditions are ideal to promote brainwave outputs of higher and higher amplitude and frequency.

    Alongside subliminal suggestions from Bob Monroe (naturally), the subject can then alter their consciousness. 

    Illustration of FFR.
    FFR

    .

    The Gateway system only works when the audio, which is introduced through headphones, is accompanied by a physical quietude comparable to other forms of meditation.

    This increases the subject’s internal resonance to the body’s sound frequencies, for example the heart.

    This eliminates the “bifurcation echo”, in which the heartbeat moves up and down the body seven times a second.

    By placing the body in a sleep-like state, The Gateway Tapes, like meditation, lessen the force and frequency of the heartbeat pushing blood into the aorta.

    The result is a rhythmic sine wave that in turn amplifies the sound volume of the heart three times. This then amplifies the frequency of brainwave output. The film surrounding the brain—the dura—and fluid between that film and the skull, eventually begin to move up and down, by .0005 and .010 millimeters.

    The body, based on its own micro-motions, then functions as a tuned vibrational system.

    The report claims that the entire body eventually transfers energy at between 6.8 and 7.5 Hertz. This matches Earth’s own energy (7 – 7.5 Hertz). The resulting wavelengths are long. They are about 40,000 kilometers in length. Which curiously also happens to be the perimeter of the planet earth.

    According to Bentov, the signal can move around the world’s electrostatic field in 1/7th of a second.

    To recap, the Gateway Process goes like this:  

    • Induced state of calm 
    • Blood pressure lowers 
    • Circulatory system, skeleton and other organ systems begin to vibrate at 7 – 7.5 cycles per second 
    • Increased resonance is achieved 
    • The resulting sound waves matches the electrostatic field of the earth 

    The body and earth and other similarly tuned minds become a single energy continuum. 

    Image from Getty Images.

    Image: kovacevicmiro via Getty Images

    A psycho-quantum level deeper

    Wayne then turns to the very nature of matter and energy.

    More materially (or less if you will), solid matter in the strict construction of the term, he explains, doesn’t exist.

    The atomic structure is composed of oscillating energy grids surrounded by other oscillating energy grids at tremendous speeds.

    These oscillation rates vary—the nucleus of an atom vibrates at 10 to the power of 22, a molecule vibrates at 10 to the power of 9, a human cell vibrates at 10 to the power of 3. The point is that the entire universe is one complex system of energy fields. States of matter in this conception then are merely variations in the state of energy.

    The result of all these moving energies, bouncing off of energy at rest, projects a 3D mode, a pattern, called a hologram, A.K.A our reality as we experience it.

    This describes the individual world-line realities. Don't get too confused.

    It’s best to think of it as a 3D photograph. There’s a whole rabbit hole to go down here. Suffice it to say, the hologram that is our experience is incredibly good at depicting and recording all the various energies bouncing around creating matter. So good, in fact, that we buy into it hook, line, and sinker, going so far as to call it our “life.”

    Consciousness then can be envisaged as a 3D grid system superimposed over all energy patterns, Wayne writes…

    Using mathematics, each plane of the grid system can then reduce the data to a 2D form. Our binary (go/no go) minds can then process the data and compare it to other historical data saved in our memory. Our reality is then formed by comparisons. The right hemisphere of the brain acts as the primary matrix or receptor for this holographic input. The left hemisphere then compares it to other data, reducing it to its 2D form.

    In keeping with our species’ commitment to exceptionalism, as far as we know humans are uniquely capable of achieving this level of consciousness. Simply, humans not only know, but we know that we know. This bestows upon us the ability to duplicate aspects of our own hologram, project them out, perceive that projection, run it through a comparison with our own memory of the hologram, measure the differences using 3D geometry, then run it through our binary system to yield verbal cognition of the self.

    CIA screen grab.

    Screengrab: CIA

    Metallicman comment

    This is very similar to the way that the consciousness moves in and out of different world-lines. It moves in a sine wave. One instance it is in a world-line, and the next it is between world-lines in the non-physical reality. We move in this similar way.

    The click-out phase

    Wayne then shows his cards as a true punisher, issuing, “Up to this point our discussion of the Gateway process has been relatively simple and easy to follow. Now the fun begins.”

    Shots fired, Wayne.

    What he’s preparing the commander reading this heady report for is the reveal—how we can use the Gateway to transcend the dimension of spacetime.

    Time is a measurement of energy or force in motion; it is a measurement of change.

    This is really important.

    For energy to be classified as in motion, it must be confined within a vibratory pattern that can contain its motion, keeping it still. Energy not contained like this is boundary-less, and moves without limit or dimension, to infinity. This disqualifies boundary-less energy from the dimension of time because it has no rate of change.

    Energy in infinity, also called “the absolute state,” is completely at rest because nothing is accelerating or decelerating it—again, no change. It therefore does not contribute to our hologram, our physical experience.

    We cannot perceive it.

    Now back to frequencies.

    Wave oscillation occurs because a wave is bouncing between two rigid points of rest. It’s like a game of electromagnetic hot potato (the potato being the wave and the participants’ hands being the boundaries of the wave).

    Without these limits, there would be no oscillation. When a wave hits one of those points of rest, just for a very brief instant, it “clicks out” of spacetime and joins infinity.

    For this to occur, the speed of the oscillation has to drop below 10 the power of -33 centimeters per second. For a moment, the wave enters into a new world.

    The potato simply disappears into a dimension we cannot perceive.

    Theoretically speaking, if the human consciousness wave pattern reaches a high enough frequency, the “click-outs” can reach continuity.

    Put another way, if the frequency of human consciousness can dip below 10 to the power of 33 centimeters per second but above a state of total rest, it can transcend spacetime.

    The Gateway experience and associated Hemi-Sync technique is designed for humans to achieve this state and establish a coherent pattern of perception in the newly realized dimensions.

    Image: Spectral-Design via Getty Images

    Passport to the hologram

    In theory, we can achieve the above at any time.

    The entire process though is helped along if we can separate the consciousness from our body. It’s like an existential running head start where the click-out of a consciousness already separated from its body starts much closer to, and has more time to dialogue with, other dimensions.

    This is where things get a little slippery; hold on as best you can.

    The universe is in on the whole hologram thing, too, Wayne writes. This super hologram is called a “torus” because it takes the shape of a fuck-off massive self-contained spiral.

    Give yourself a moment to let the above motion sink in…

    This pattern of the universe conspicuously mirrors the patterns of electrons around the nucleus of an atom. Galaxies north of our own are moving away from us faster than the galaxies to the south; galaxies to the east and west of us are more distant. The energy that produced the matter that makes up the universe we presently enjoy, will turn back in on itself eventually. Its trajectory is ovoid, also known as the cosmic egg. As it curls back on itself it enters a black hole, goes through a densely packed energy nucleus then gets spat out the other side of a white hole and begins the process again. Springtime in the cosmos, baby!

    Screen grab from the CIA.

    Screengrab: CIA

    The entire universe hologram—the torus—represents all the phases of time: the past, present, and future.

    The takeaway is that human consciousness brought to a sufficiently altered (focused) state could obtain information about the past, present, and future, since they all live in the universal hologram simultaneously.

    Wayne reasons that our all-reaching consciousness eventually participates in an all-knowing infinite continuum.

    Long after we depart the space-time dimension and the hologram each one of us perceives is snuffed out, our consciousness continues. Reassuring in a way.

    And that is the context in which the Gateway Experience sits.

    The Technique

    The following is an outline of the key steps to reach focus levels necessary to defy the spacetime dimension. This is an involved and lengthy process best attempted in controlled settings.

    If you’re in a rush, you can apparently listen to enough Monroe Institute Gateway Tapes in 7 days to get there.

    The Energy Conversion Box: The Gateway Process begins by teaching the subject to isolate any extraneous concerns using a visualization process called “the energy conversion box.”

    Resonant Humming: The individual is introduced to resonant humming. Through the utterance of a protracted single tone, alongside a chorus on the tapes, the mind and body achieve a state of resonance.

    The Gateway Affirmation: The participant is exposed to something close to a mantra called The Gateway Affirmation  . They must repeat to themselves variations of, “I am merely a physical body and deeply desire to expand my consciousness.”

    Hemi-Sync: The individual is finally exposed to the Hemi-Sync sound frequencies, and encouraged to develop a relationship with the feelings that emerge.

    Additional Noise: Physical relaxation techniques are practiced while the Hemi-Sync frequencies are expanded to include “pink and white” noise. This puts the body in a state of virtual sleep, while calming the left hemisphere and raising the attentiveness of the right hemisphere.Advertisement

    The Energy Balloon: The individual is then encouraged to visualize the creation of an “energy balloon” beginning at the top of the head, extending down in all directions to the feet then back up again. There are a few reasons for this, the main one being that this balloon will provide protection against conscious entities possessing lower energy levels that he or she may encounter when in the out-of-body state.

    Focus 12: The practitioner can consistently achieve sufficient expanded awareness to begin interacting with dimensions beyond their physical reality. To achieve this state requires conscious efforts and more “pink and white noise” from the sound stream.

    Tools: Once Focus 12 is achieved, the subject can then employ a series of tools to obtain feedback from alternative dimensions.

    Problem Solving: The individual identifies fundamental problems, fills their expanded awareness with them, and then projects them out into the universe. These can include personal difficulties, as well as technical or practical problems.

    Patterning: Consciousness is used to achieve desired objectives in the physical, emotional, or intellectual sphere.

    Color Breathing: A healing technique that revitalizes the body’s energy flows by imagining colors in a particularly vivid manner.

    Energy Bar Tool: This technique involves imagining a small intensely pulsating dot of light that the participant charges up. He or she then uses the sparkling, vibrating cylinder of energy (formerly known as the dot) to channel forces from the universe to heal and revitalize the body.

    Remote Viewing: A follow-on technique of the Energy Bar Tool where the dot is turned into a whirling vortex through which the individual sends their imagination in search of illuminating insights.

    Living Body Map: A more organized use of the energy bar in which streams of different colors flow from the dot on to correspondingly-colored bodily systems.https://oembed.vice.com/MBh6HBt?img=1&lazy=1&v=1&app=1

    Seven days of training have now occurred. Approximately 5 percent of participants get to this next level, according to the report.

    Focus 15 – Travel Into the Past: Additional sound on the Hemi-Sync tapes includes more of the same, plus some subliminal suggestions to further expand the consciousness. The instructions are highly symbolic: time is a huge wheel, in which different spokes give access to the participant’s past.

    Focus 21 – The Future: This is the last and most advanced state. Like Focus 15, this is a movement out of spacetime into the future.

    Out-of-Body Movement: Only one tape of the many is devoted to out-of-body movement. This tape is devoted to facilitating out-of-body state when the participant’s brain wave patterns and energy levels reach harmony with the surrounding electromagnetic environment. According to Bob Monroe, the participant has to be exposed to Beta signals of around 2877.3 cycles per second.

    Conclusions

    Wayne expresses concern about the fidelity of information brought back from out-of-body states using the Gateway technique. Practical applications are of particular concern because of the potential for “information distortion.” 

    The Monroe Institute also ran into a bunch of issues in which they had individuals travel from the West to the East Coast of the U.S. to read a series of numbers off of a computer screen. They never got them exactly right. Wayne chalks this up to the trouble of differentiating between physical entities and extra-time-space dimensions when in the out-of-body state.

    Wayne swings back to support mode though, lending credence to the physics foundation of the report. He cites multiple belief systems that have established identical findings. These include the Tibetan Shoug, the Hindu heaven of Indra, the Hebrew mystical philosophy, and the Christian concept of the Trinity.  Here he seems more interested in hammering home the  theoretical underpinnings that make The Gateway Experience possible, rather than  the practical possibilities promised by The Gateway Tapes.

    Possibly with his CIA top brass audience in mind, Wayne then gives an A-type nod to The Gateway Experience for providing a faster, more efficient, less subservient, energy-saving route to expanded consciousness. This finishes with a series of recommendations to the CIA for how to exploit Gateway’s potential for national defense purposes.

    The missing page

    One curious feature of The Gateway Report is that it seems to be missing page 25. It’s a real cliffhanger too. The bottom of page 24 reads “And, the eternal thought or concept of self which results from this self-consciousness serves the,” The report picks back up on page 26 and 3 sections later as if Wayne hadn’t just revealed the very secret of existence. 

    The gap has not gone unnoticed. There’s a Change.org petition requesting its release. Multiple Freedom of Information Act requests have demanded the same. In all cases, the CIA has said they never had the page to begin with. Here’s a 2019 response from Mark Lilly, the CIA’s Information and Privacy Coordinator, to one Bailey Stoner regarding these records: 

    One theory goes that that rascal Wayne M.-fricking-McDonnell left the page out on purpose. The theory contends that it was a litmus test—if anyone truly defies time-space dimensions, they’ll certainly be able to locate page 25.

    Quick notes

    This is an introductory post to this subject. I will include better, more “meaty” posts subsequent to this. I will also include the Hemi-Sync audio tracks that the MM reader can experiment with.

    Do you want more?

    This post starts it’s own sub-Index. Within this index will be (or are) a collection of audio files (in either MP3 or FLAC formats) for your personal use, adventures and exploration. Free.

    I have more posts like this in my World-Line Travel Index

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index
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    The Deactivation Procedure (How my ELF probes were shut off, and my role within the WU-SAP terminated.) Part 1

    This is probably my worst article / post on MM. But it is something that I have to get off my system, and preserve. Thus I present it as is, all in it's own terrible ratty configuration.
    
    If life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.

    This post / article discusses what my deactivation procedure was like from my point of view. To an outside observer, I was either lying on the bed thrashing about, or just acting strangely. I will do my best to give the reader a full understanding and the full scope of the experience.

    These fuckers had to be shut off. You just don’t deactivate a MAJestic operative without shutting them down. That’s a fact jack.

    It’s a difficult thing to relate, and even harder to describe. It also tends to get rather strange at times. But this is what happened. And it is here, recorded for prosperity.

    Time to change your switch to "off".

    .

    My deactivation absolutely required that my probes be mothballed.

    This was not an easy task, and it required that I be placed in a secure facility, and treated in a special manner .

    This section discusses this procedure in the only way that I know how; from the point of view of the person being deactivated.  Because of that, it is confusing and can be misunderstood easily. The reader is reminded that everything that happened is as described from my point of view.

    To an outside observer, I was bat-shit crazy.

    “Some are born mad, some achieve madness, and some have madness thrust upon 'em.” 
    
     ― Emilie Autumn, The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls 

    From what I know now, this procedure is very straight forward from the point of view of an outside observer.  As such, I will try my best to describe it as such.  But in truth, it was anything but easy.  This was my mind that they were dealing with.  And my perceptions, thoughts, feelings, and memories were involved.  Our experiences are colored by all these things, and thus when they are being tampered with, we have a tendency to become disoriented and confused.

    Some basic clarification

    I was implanted with three groups / clusters of probes.. As a reminder, I was injected with two (x2) “kits” of devices at NAS NASC Pensacola, Florida. And then afterwards I went through a dimensional portal to another place. It was another location and involved another species. That is where I obtained my EBP device.

    In total;

    • EBP – Alien manufacture, and installation.
    • ELF Kit #1 – MAJestic “kit”. Basic.
    • ELF Kit #2 – MAJestic “kit”. Advanced with special functions.

    Core Kit I probes activated

    This process was akin to “waking me up from a long slumber”.  Because while I was actively aware of my role during the operation of the Core Core Kit #2 probes, I had forgotten everything related to and concerning the Core Core Kit #1 probes. 

    I knew, but didn't know. My memories were all very remote and empty. It was like when you opened the door to your house two days before Easter ten years ago. You remember it, but it isn't an "active" memory

    To shut me off, and deactivate me, the core Core Kit #1 probes had to be reactivated, and from there, shut down manually, once the Core #2 kit was reset. 

    There was no easy way to do it. 

    For over 30 years had passed since I was last active under the probes effects.  The physical probes had naturally migrated out of their initial set locations, and I needed to be re-calibrated, and engaged for the new locations of the probes.  (In other words, what was once located at the far left of the upper part of my brain, has now moved diagonally towards the back and a little bit to the mid-center.) How to do this was not clean or pleasant.

    For me it was hell.

     “She’ll be coming around the mountain when she comes…
     She’ll be coming around the mountain when she comes…
     She’ll be riding six white horses.
     She’ll be riding six white horses.
     When she comes…”
    
     -Old Susanna 

    It began at lights out. 

    It began with “lights out”.

    The lights usually shut down at 11:00 pm, but for some reason, the lights out period started at 9:00 pm.  And we all settled down to rest.  I tried to rest.  As I settled down, everything got still and quiet.  I started to drift off to sleep.  My brain waves went from Alpha waves, to beta waves.  My mind started to quiet down.  It was quiet, and peaceful.  But just as I began to drift into sleep; into theta waves, I was suddenly jerked up wide awake. 

    Someone, another inmate perhaps, started singing.  This singing was loud and garish.  He sang one old song from the days of the California Gold Rush.  He sang “Old Susanna”.   He wouldn’t let up.  After a full five minutes of this, I was wide awake.  And, he mercifully stopped.

    The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California.
    
    "Oh! Susanna" is a minstrel song by Stephen Foster (1826–1864), first published in 1848. It is among the most popular American songs ever written.

    I began to rest again. 

    And again, as soon as I started to rest and drift off into theta brain wave activity, I was suddenly shaken wide awake.  It was the other man singing “Old Susanna”.  Again this singing continued for about ten more minutes and then stopped.    I was now wide awake.  Tired.  Grouchy, and irritable.  I tried to go back to sleep.

    I began to rest again. 

    And again, no sooner as I started to rest and drift off into theta brain wave activity, I was suddenly shaken wide awake.  Again, I listened to the crisp old tune of “Old Susanna”.  Again this singing continued for about ten more minutes and then stopped.    I stayed wide awake.  I stayed tired.  I continued to be grouchy, and irritable.  Yet, still, I tried to go back to sleep.

    The entire night continued like this.

    Each time, as the night wore on, I got angrier and angrier. 

    Now, what one must understand is that I was chosen for the program for my ability to control my emotions.  Though my wife might disagree with this appraisal, it was true that I could take a large amount of abuse before I would lash out.  So even though I was terribly tired and exhausted, I didn’t do anything about it.  I just took the abuse in silence.

    Until about at around 4:00 am something snapped.

    I snapped into a “state”

    I cannot relate the exact mechanics of what transpired. 

    It reached a point of emotional turmoil, and mental confusion through the accumulation of pressure and the lack of sleep.  In any event, at some point in time, my body and mind just snapped.  That is the best way that I can describe it. 

    A feeling of warmth came over me, and I became lucid.  I was no longer sleepy, but alert, calm, and entirely pissed.

    Pissed, as in "pissed off" and absolutely furiously angry.

    I was frosty calm and pissed off in a way that defies description.

    I did not at all have a full recall of my Core Core Kit #1 memories.  But I did have a recall of specialized training that I picked up somewhere (?). 

    And that came out in a flood of reactive autonomous movements and gestures.  I found myself exercising and limbering up.  I immediately went into some old martial arts training that I had taken years ago, and I started to organize all my gear.  I made a mental count of everything I owned and this inventory was used for an automatic survival, evasion and escape routine that somehow I had access to.

    (How and where did I get this training?  I do not recall.)

    Now, in case the reader gets confused, it needs to be clearly pointed out that I did not have any kind of formalized military combat training aside from what I experienced in the Navy at NAS NASC Pensacola. 

    Well, mostly that is…

    Aside from one or two specialized para-military training camps in Louisiana.  But I put this information here as a full disclosure of my apparent skill sets.I was there because of a"project" that I was involved in. <redacted>  
    
    Just because I had cursory training as a “Swamp Rat” did not make me a professional military fighter or combat soldier.  I only had the most rudimentary training in these fields.  
    
    I was a technical nerd who’s experiences, for the most part, were devoid of any such experiences.

    This was a meager amount. 

    When you watch television and movies, the heroes all have a great deal of skill and experience with knife fighting, martial arts, weaponry and high duration endurance.  That is fine for the movies, but I was not trained as a navy SEAL, or a member of DELTA team. 

    I was more or less a highly technical individual, who through an array of events ended up in this program.  I was not, am not, nor will I ever be a combat fighter.  Yet, for some reason, this persona; a persona of just such a swarthy fellow, took hold of my very being. 

    I became that person. 

    How, and why, I have no idea.

    I started to act… peculiarly.

    All of this was not my personality.

    At least nothing that I would associate with myself for the last three decades.

    What was most astounding was that I started yelling in Chinese.  Now, today, my Chinese linguistic skills are much better than then.  But one must understand that, at that time, I couldn’t tell the difference from between a pair of shoes from a carrot in Chinese.  I possessed absolutely zero Chinese linguistic skill. 

    But yet, I found myself shouting in Chinese.  I started to implore the guards for information.  I started to ask them what was going on.  I did so in Mandarin Chinese!

    你为什么这样做呢?我在哪里?做了什么我做错了?


    Not that anyone else knew what I was saying.  But, for some reason, my automatic reaction; one that I am loathe to recall here, kicked in.  It involved a number of automatic behaviors that I automatically started to adopt. 

    These included a [1] calm composure, [2] the ability to think and reason in certain defined patterns, [3] the ability to speak in Chinese, and [4] the knowledge of what to do and how to handle the circumstances that came before me.  It was almost like I was programmed to react in a certain manner under a certain series of events or circumstances.

    This concluded until about 6:00 am. 

    When I finally was able to rest.  At that time, the staff surrounding my cell and barracks also shut down and left for home.  As they gathered their papers, books and possessions, they commented about the night.  They complained about the costs, but also commented as to how unique the experience was. 

    They were curious about me, and they wanted to find out more as to what I was involved in.  They joked about the event, saying to the effect that that was certainly strange and weird.  That it was unexpected that I would know and speak Chinese, but that proved that something that they were told was correct.  They stated that they would keep me under special care and evaluation until the team arrived from Washington to finish the work.

    For me, however, everything was different. 

    I turned into someone different.

    Now, I was someone else.  I was like a robot.  In truth, I was in-between activation’s.  Neither my core Core Kit #1 nor my Core Core Kit #2 probes were apparently activated.  But somehow, through stress and situations they were able to induce upon me some kind of repressed reactive persona. 

    This was unexpected by everyone. 

    It was certainly unexpected by me. 

    I had no idea that this stuff was locked away inside my head.  It was surprising to the staff at the prison as well.  While the doctor and the authorities were apparently told that I would have to be handled in a certain special way, they didn’t believe that anything would actually, really occur.  They thought that it would be just nonsense.  But sure as the day is bright, the manuals were correct and I snapped into a secondary persona.  One that was not to be trifled with.

    At this point in time, I was in a “survival” and “protective” persona.  (I found myself walking with “direct registering” and operating in a most observant manner. )

    Direct Registering
    
    Walking like a feline in a specific prescribed manner designed for silence and readiness. Felines walk in a stalking silent mode where their hind paws fall inside the place of their forepaws, minimizing noise and visible tracks, while ensuring more stable footing.

    A different personality.

    This was something that I was unaware I possessed, and the only way and place that I could of obtained these skills was during the week-long absence through the dimensional portal on the base years ago.  In hindsight, I actually now possessed a total of four modes of operation. 

    They were;

    • Normal human
    • “Survival” and “Protective” Persona
    • Core Core Kit #1 Activation
    • Core Core Kit #2 Entanglement with the drone

    Lord only knows how many personas I have locked away in my brain.  

    What did the fucking government do to me?  Are there still other personas that are lying dormant ready to be released under a series of aggressive external stimuli?  I do not know.

    I simply do NOT know.

    At this time, I was still quite confused as to what was going on.  While I understood where I was and what I was doing there.  All my subsequent history related to the US Navy was still a complete blank. 

    I had no idea about the connection between my incarceration and that of my involvement in the MAJestic USAP program.  At that point, I was convinced that it was due to an overly zealous DA, and an unfortunate series of personal events on my behalf.

    Turning on the probes

    “Courage doesn’t happen when you have all the answers.   It happens when you are ready to face the questions you have been avoiding your whole life.”
    
    ― Shannon L. Alder

    I spent the entire day in the cell.

    .

    I spent the entire day in the cell. 

    A fore-taste of things to come. Eh?

    When it came time for me to eat, I was lead out of my cell by following a special procedure.  In this procedure, six guards came to my cell, they opened the door with an elaborate call out procedure, and each one took up a special role.  One would call out “Prepare to blow the door”, while another would say “On my count, blow the door”, and another would count “3, 2, 1”.  Then they would unlock the door while saying “Blowing the door”.  I think all of this was completely unnecessary.  But they weren’t taking any chances.  When the door was opened, two guards got on both sides of me and grabbed my arms and back collar.  Then they led / carried me out of the cell. 

    Blowing the port.
    They would line up on both sides of the port and formalize the egress procedure so that I would be more easily controlled when they took me from my cell.

    .

    While I told them this wasn’t necessary, they told me that this procedure was necessary for everyone’s safety and I had just get along with the program.  So I shrugged my shoulders and said OK.  And thus, I was led to chow hall this way, and returned back to my cell in this matter for reasons of safety for myself and for other inmates.

    For most of my evaluation I was brought to mess hall and from it in this manner.  But that is not all that was done. 

    When I arrived in the mess hall, I was placed at a table along the wall, and there, standing along the wall was about fifteen guards.  I couldn’t do anything without them subduing me. 

    But of course, I did nothing.  I was not crazy, unwise or stupid.  I knew the odds, and why should I do anything anyways?  There was no benefit for me.  The wisest thing for me to do was to follow the program and track that was established for me to its conclusion.

    They also heavily sedated me. 

    I alone, of all the inmates, was given a glass of orange juice.  And that liquid was severely laced with a medicine known as Chlorpromazine. 

    Thioridazine (Mellaril (DE, BD, ET, ID, BR), Melleril.  
    
    It is used in the treatment of schizophrenia.  
    
    But it is also used to control people with behavioral problems because of the way it causes the body to react to external stimuli. 
    
    It works on a variety of receptors in the central nervous system, producing potent anticholinergic, antidopaminergic, antihistaminic, and antiadrenergic effects. Both the clinical indications and side effect profile of CPZ are determined by the broadness of its action: its anticholinergic properties cause constipation, sedation, and hypotension but also help relieve nausea. 
    
    It also has anxiolytic (anxiety-relieving) properties. 
    
    Its antidopaminergic properties can cause extrapyramidal symptoms, such as akathisia (restlessness, aka the 'Thorazine shuffle' where the patient walks almost constantly, despite having nowhere to go due to mandatory confinement, and takes small, shuffling steps) and dystonia.

    From the moment I drank this orange juice to all subsequent servings, I knew exactly what was going on. 

    My speech became slurred, and while my mind remained sharp and clear, the ability for me to move my body was severely retarded.  For instance, I would want to stand up, but the ability for me to move my legs was severely repressed.  Instead, I would just sit there trying to move, but unable to do so. 

    Chlorpromazine

    .

    It was not at all a pleasant experience.  But rather uncomfortable.  I believe that they gave me a rather high dosage of this chemical, and they kept me sedated throughout my evaluation period.

    Since I was under an ELF field, I could easily see the cavitation effects while laying on the bed in my cell.

    This period of waiting while under the effects of the drug, and being sedated was short lived.  After two days, the team of experts arrived from Washington, and my deactivation procedure began. 

    The truth is that I assumed that they were from Washington, D.C.  They could have been from anywhere.  What I did know was that they were not local to the state where I was, and thus they had to be flown in from out of state.  Their names, and point of origin, as well as their backgrounds are all unknown to me.

    Retirement Team flown in

    "[UFOs are] considered top secret by intelligence officers of both the Army and the Air Forces."   
    
    --From a declassified 1949 FBI document from the San Antonio FBI office, to J. Edgar Hoover.

    I knew something was “afoot” when I was moved from my upper tier cell, to a (special) first floor cell. 

    This refers to the knowledge that something is occurring behind the observed scenery, which might directly affect someone or something.

    This was cell number 7. 

    It was a “special” cell. 

    To an outside observer it was a cell like any other.  But this one was quite different.  For starters, the wall graffiti was different.  In most cells, and wall graffiti involved curse words, stick figures showing genital areas and perhaps a statement about prison life.  Like “I’ll be back!”, and “The food here blows”. However, this cell was different. 

    The graffiti in this cell was unique.  Instead of curse words, there were words related to thoughts and actions.  For instance, next to the rack was the phrase “Be careful what you say.”  And, over the door, were the words that stated “Do nothing stupid.”  And near the sink, and the air vent, and the foot of the bed were drawings of three triangles.  The drawings showed the triangles lined up in a row.

    Three triangles.
    Three triangles with a line drawn through them.

    .

    They had kept me heavily sedated on Chlorpromazine because I was apparently unpredictable and dangerous.  It was a safety precaution, though I told them repeatedly that I wasn’t going to do anything.  The purpose of this cell was to put me into a specially constructed cell that was functionally intended for the ELF decommissioning procedure.

    The cell was on the first floor and it was a little different than the others. 

    One of the problems that I had while the ELF filed was turned on was the heat that was being generated by my body.  So this cell had an extra high capacity fan that was used to exhaust the air quickly.  It was also grounded as a kind of faraday cage.  However, the sink was not properly grounded, and was disconnected from the metal supports due to corrosion.  Therefore whenever I went near it I would get a most terrible shock.

    Also in this cell were some graffiti and doodles that you would find in any cell.  Except this cell had the three triangle nomenclature that I recognized so well.  It also had graffiti specifically pointing the locations of the microphone and the closed circuit camera. 

    Though I didn’t need the graffiti to show me these items. 

    Perhaps the most notable thing about this particular cell was outside of it.  Directly outside the cell was the three embedded triangular feducial markings.  If I were to stand up straight at the door to the cell, I would be able to focus directly at the feducials.

    When looking out of the door to my cell I could see two individuals discussing things with the Captain of the guards, and the head of the Prison System’s Psychiatric Unit.  They were wearing suits and ties, which is quite different from that of most white color employees local to the region.  Due to the heat, most local white collar employees tended to wear collared short sleeve polo shirts.  I couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but they would occasionally look over my way and continue talking like I was a slab of beef or some other object of little importance.

    I could talk directly to the ELF team

    With my probes now fully engaged and my cell irradiated with ELF radiation everything that I would say was heard directly to the ELF control station (in Minnesota) I could talk and they would answer me. Not only that, but I could whisper and they would be able to talk back to me.

    It’s all pretty odd. And no we did not get “chummy”.

    For instance, I told the on-site staff at the prison facility to adjust the amplitude of the gain on the ELF waves, and I was able to tell them it’s “size” relative to my cell. They had the gain really high and I took it down about six steps and then one step up. (For personal comfort.)

    The Deactivation Procedure

    It was around 6:00pm when the deactivation procedure began.  I had been given an extremely large dose of medication during dinner and it was just then beginning to affect me. 

    I was sitting on my rack, wanting to lie down, but being unable to do so easily.  Eventually I was able to collapse onto the bed, but I did not lie down comfortably, but rather laid on my bed in a half-on, half-off manner.  My legs were still in a sitting position, but my head was on the pillow.  I laid on my side with my arm extended half off the bed.

    I was in a near comatose state. The Thorazine was hitting me hard.

    Cell #7 in the Evaluation Barracks.

    .

    I immediately knew that there was “something going on” whenever I felt an electric wave travel through my body and when I looked up at the ceiling, I “saw” cavitation effects. 

    Cavitation is the visual effect inside my visual cortex that indicates harmonics formed by the ELF waves in a confined space.  In the test chamber at China Lake NWC I could see the effects though they were obscured by the confusing array of the grey triangles that dotted the walls. 

    But here in the white cinderblock cell, they were obvious.  They appeared to me as waves and rows of grey worm like distortions. 

    While I still didn’t remember anything of my relevant past, it seemed quite familiar and strikingly disturbing.  Losing control of one’s mind, and the observation of what could be hallucinations, is not something that you want to experience in prison.

    That evening, as I relaxed on my rack, I suddenly saw the sudden bright flashes of light in my head.  Just as quickly, in a short span of time, numbering in the milliseconds, a new vision flooded my visual cortex. 

    With it…

    … came an awareness.

    But it wasn’t long before I really and truly and completely knew what was truly going on. 

    For in a short period of time I lost all external vision and the ELF calibration screen flooded my visual cortex.  And, while I am kind of ashamed to admit it, again I was intrigued by the red edges of the pastel landscape. 

    The ELF calibration screen filled my eyesight and consisted of "hills" and "valleys" upon an undulating terrain map that I would be able to navigate a reticle upon. 

    Without thinking too deeply about it, I started to look and peer intently into the imagery.  Without thinking, I said out loud, “I wonder what those red cracks are”, and was equally surprised when a loud voice flooded my mind. 

    An unknown man sternly replied “Shut up!  Concentrate on centering the reticle like you were trained to do!”

    Ah, such reminders. 

    Unknown to my handler, this was an exact duplicate of the same event decades earlier.  There, I also made inquiries of the reddish edges.  And then, they also told me to ignore those colors and concentrate on the task before me. 

    All of this became evident.  The true and actual awareness flooded my mind when the pastel map appeared.  This is a map that I hadn’t seen for over 30 years.  It was so long ago I forgot all about it.  While the life with the interaction of the drone was known to me and understood, the life of the ELF core kit was forgotten. 

    The last time I had used it was for some minor tasks back in the 1990’s, when I was recalled for some domestic activities.  At that time, I was temporarily tasked to <redacted>.

    The reticle on the map was terribly out of place.  It was way out to the left of where it should have been, and, I used the time to put it back where it belonged.  As soon as the reticle went back in place, my normal eyesight returned.  But, I could easily tell that I was in the presence of the ELF field.  I knew, somewhat, what was going on.  Indeed, I could see the cavitation effects in the cell all around me.  And, to my amazement, but not without some concern, dolefully centered the reticle in the proper area.  And the pastel map disappeared and I was back in my evaluation cell.

    I looked up at the ceiling and saw the cavitation effects clearly.  Now, the reader might think that I would have full and immediate recall of everything that I had ever experienced at this point.  And that I would also understand what I was going through and why.  But the truth was that I did not.  I was confused, a bit scared, and completely in a quandary over this entire situation.

    It truthfully took me at least two days to fully recall what was going on and why.  In the meantime, I had a deactivation procedure to endure, and at this state, the hell was only just starting.  As I recall, I was only finally to put all the pieces together when I looked outside the door to my cell.  For there, directly opposite to my door, was the triangle shaped feducials embedded in the cinder-block wall of the intake facility!

    What it sort of looked like.

    .

    Was I actually a Sex Offender?

    “The greatest prison that people live in is the fear of what other people think.”
    
    —Unknown

    Actually, the first task, once the deactivation team arrived, was to meet the qualifications and expectations of the facility itself.  Those expectations were as I discussed earlier.  It was, after all, why I signed the waiver of my Constitutional rights. 

    Our founders set up a brilliant system which has served the country well for over two centuries. What people seem to forget is our system of government wasn’t set up to create a new set of parental authority figures for the public. 
    
    The entire intent behind the Constitution was to create a series of checks and balances to restrain government from becoming too powerful and working against the interests of the public. 
    
    Government’s primary role in America is supposed to be to protect the Constitution and defend the cherished civil liberties defined within it. 
    
    Today, it does precisely opposite. 
    
    Our government isn’t just corrupt though. Indeed, the primary function of government at the moment is to protect status quo criminals from the public, not the other way around. This is why the rich and powerful are never held to account, which is in turn why it continues to get worse and worse.

    Was a danger to the community as a Sexual Offender?  Was I a [1] pedophile or a [2] predator that would prey on people or little children?  Did I have a [3] secret history that others need to be told about?  Have I [4] hurt someone in my deep, dark, remote past?  They needed to know just how [5] licentious I actually was.  These questions needed to be answered.

    From the point of view of everyone there, with the exception of the two “experts” that were flowing in to supervise this procedure, no one knew the answer. 

    So they had to run the necessary tests to determine this.  But, unlike many other inmates, this would be much easier for them to find out, because, here (in my case) they have a hard-wired conduit direct to my brain and they could actively monitor how my brain would react to thoughts, and images placed there.

    Not to mention that the Navy, or the MAJestic arm of the Navy, had a complete record of everything that I did.  From phone records for the last thirty years, candid photographs of me and my wife in hotel rooms (!) and in our house (!), a completely compiled dossier of my medical history and a listing of every (MAJestic) operation that I had ever participated in. 

    Though, I am sure that that dossier would not of been shared with anyone outside of the MAJestic organization.

    MAJestic knew EVERYTHING about me. 

    But, the State where I was incarcerated did not. 

    The team had to follow the law, [1] determine how severe a “Sex Offender” I actually was, while at the same time [2] permitting MAJestic to “disable my lethalness” and render me “inoperable” as an agent.

    Most people are not aware of this, but not all "sexual offenders" are the same. While everyone gets classified as a Sexual offender, they have a secondary rating that is used to determine their frequency of monitoring and their restrictions.
    
    The scale goes from a 1, which is a minor level offender, up to a 3 / 4 (depending on the state where you live) as the worst of the worst.

    While, I am sure, the State officials did not have the clearances to know everything that I was involved in, they did have the right to know my medical, mental and criminal histories as compiled by MAJestic.  And that, it was certain, was enough to dispel any doubts about my threat level assessment.   Though, since they did contact the MAJestic authorities (somehow, maybe they were notified by triggering an access query for my records), they realized that I was “somehow” connected to the US government in some high capacity level. 

    What they thought it was is anyone’s guess.  However, they probably envisioned something that Hollywood would dream up.

    CIA scene from one of the Jason Bourne movies.

    .

    That’s the way it works you know.  We can only envision what we have been exposed to.  For most unusual events, the exposure experience is “Hollywood”.

    Again, while the procedure was complicated in actual implementation, the core basic theory behind it was quite simple.  My visual cortex would be flooded with an image or series of images, or video movie routines.  How my body reacted to those images would be noticed and recorded.  If my penis would become erect that, for instance, would show the possible potential for interest in that picture or image. 

    Good luck with that.  Once a man gets older, spontaneous erections are very rare.  In fact, any kind of erection is a rare event.

    Though in truth, they did not need to observe me get erections by. looking at pictures. All they needed to do is to monitor my brainwaves. The Thorazine reduced my body to “sluggish jello” while keeping my mind clear and focused. Yet at the same time, by emotions were all very calm. Thus, any reaction to images that I would see (and after all they had a complete pathway to my visual cortex through the ELF Kit #1 probes) could be observed by the monitoring of my brainwaves.

    But since they now had the probes inside my head they could actually determine is the image was pleasurable or disgusting to me.  And it was that by which they measured my interest. 

    There was no running away from it. They could tell, through the reactions in my brain, what interest that I had in sex, children, and images and whether or not I had any tendencies to harm, hurt or bother others in pursuit of said interests.

    “If you would know a man, observe how he treats a cat.”
    
    -Robert Heinlein in The Door into Summer.

    In hindsight, it is interesting that I was arrested for the unproven potential for having an image on a computer that I owned, but whether this was an indicator of my threat to society was another matter entirely. 

    Actually the mere presence of a file on a computer, by itself, does not mean that it was used or accessed by a person.  That has to be determined by computer forensics.  There, an IT professional can determine when the file was last accessed, what program accessed it, and for how long it was accessed.  A longer period of forensic study can identify how the file got onto the computer, and when.  But the mere presence of an illegal photo does not imply that the owner of the computer used, viewed or even knew that that file existed. 

    The same is true for a farmer who owns 1000 acres of land.  The presence of two or three marijuana plants on this property does not imply that he was aware of them, cultivated them, or had any interest in growing them. 

    But it is easy for a Congressman to make a law saying that if a marijuana plant was on your property, you were De Facto a cultivator of that drug.

    The criminal and legal systems must be specifically worded and carefully followed specifically with neutral intent towards obtainment of the truth, and whether true criminal intent was present. 

    But all that is meaningless. 

    A direct interpretation of the law simply states that if you possess an item that is illegal, you have broken the law.  The old saying that “Intent is 9/10’s of the law” is an obsolete phrase that has no place in modern American law.

    This entire theory is disgusting and disturbing to me.  Does that mean that if I watched a movie about Hitler that I was a follower of his policies?  Or that if someone flashed a picture to me in a mere fraction of a second that I would treasure that image and cultivate it in my mind over and over again, eventually becoming a dangerous maniac? 

    Most human brains operate at 4 Hz.  Most computers operate at 3 GHz.  Or in other words, flashing an image on the computer screen at 3Gz cannot be seen by the human brain.  
    
    The only way that it would be seen is if the picture froze in place for 4 x 1024,000,000 Hz.  (1GHz = 1024 MHz).  That is a real long time for a computer.  
    
    That is why computer forensics is so important.  To watch and look at a picture, humans tend to look, or gawk at it for substantially longer than their brains work.  Suppose it would take 30 seconds, or in this case 30x4x1024,000,000 computer cycles at least.  
    
    A true prosecutor should need to show that the image was OBSERVED rather than just a file on a computer.  In any event, this is all academic.  The law says one thing, and if you have a file on your computer, it doesn’t matter how it got there or whether you looked at it or not.  
    
    You become guilty.

    Obviously the laws and the system behind them were more akin to a huge dragnet rather than a surgical investigative attack on dangerous community predators.  But that is how the state dealt with these issues, and I was caught in the system.  My place was not to wonder why, but rather to survive the ordeal as they “investigated” me.

    This is an interesting subject, and one that I have spent many years considering.  That is because the systems in place currently in the United States, on both the State and the Federal level seem to violate the core principles of common law.  
    
    In those principles, a law is something that protects the rights and privileges of another. 
    
    For instance, you can’t steal someone’s horse because it is a violation of another’s property ownership rights.  Or you cannot kill someone because it is a violation of their God-given right of existence.  
    
    So, this being said, what property right, personal right, or sovereign right of a nation is being enforced by those laws related to possession of a banned substance or article?  
    
    As it stands, the law is contorted into something else entirely.  In this convolution, it is the [1] premise of the potential for wrongdoing that is [2] evidenced by the suggestion of improper thought, through [3] possession of a banned object that is the driving force behind the laws as written.
    Scene from “A Clockwork Orange”.
    When a person is revolted, or shocked, or experiences emotion, the body chemistry changes. If you are in love, your body becomes filled with emotion. If you are in fear, your body is also filled with different chemicals. And dogs can sense this. With the proper equipment it can also be measured remotely.

    .

    In any event, a period of time was devoted to determining whether I was a threat to society based on my body’s reactions to injected visual imagery into my cerebral cortex.

    Actually by measuring the activity in my  anterior dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a region that is involved in suppressing emotional responses, and the inferior frontal gyrus, an area responsible for evaluating social behavior and cooperation, the investigators could get a much better understanding of my individual motivations than only just relying on my more primitive cerebral functions.  Luckily for me, I have over thirty years of ELF monitoring of this, but I don’t think that anyone told the medical staff at the diagnostic facility about that.

    While I lay there on the rack, images started to flood my mind.  Each image enveloped my entire visual cortex and paused there for five seconds.  Apparently, it took from three to five seconds to determine how my body would react to these images. 

    It began easily enough with “soft” images.  There were pictures of trees, plants, zoo animals, ocean scenes, fish, clouds and other nice and pleasant imagery.  Then, they slowly started to insert pictures of girls.  Some clothed, some in bathing suits, and some nude. 

    In short order the pictures started to diversify. 

    Some were pictures of thin girls, some were girls with large mammary breasts, and some were pictures of girls with long legs.  Some pictures included children, while other pictures included animals. 

    Over a short period of time, the pictures became more diversified.  There were pictures of piles of shit, urine and feces.  There were pictures depicting torture, rotting things, and pictures of extreme violence. 

    There were totally repugnant pictures and pictures of absolute pleasantry.  All of my reactions to each of these pictures were then assigned a series of values and were mapped out on a grid. 

    The grid was a graphical display of my overall sexual interests. 

    In it, various characteristics, regarding my heartbeat, electro-biological chemistry, and physical reactions were mapped and put down upon the display.  For me, as I lay there listening in on the discussions surrounding me, was rather plain and boring.  I had a sharp “drop off”, as most normal humans would, regarding death, violence, feces, and odd sexual acts. 

    I also had a normal transition of interest from beautiful, to cute, to attractive, to stimulating.  This gradient needed to be present, for that defines discernment.  This is a characteristic of a normal childhood, and thankfully I had a solid grounding in that area.  

    I had no sexual interest in children, but rather a kind of parental protectiveness seemed to emerge during the evaluation.  I had no interest in pursuing anything or a desire to “still” or “hold” the image.  This was indicative of a general apathy towards possession and possessiveness.  That was certainly not a trait of a sexual predator. 

    I held strong emphatic reactions that clearly showed that I was not a sociopath, nor did I exhibit odd thinking or reasoning patterns in my brain that were indicative of mental instability in one form or the other.  I was surprisingly normal, perhaps a little bit sexually conservative (maybe even embarrassingly puritan in some ways), but aside from that rather normal.

    Anyways, that what they said, and I heard them say that. How would you like to be classified as “Puritan” in your sexual interests?

    Furthermore, the graph most certainly showed areas in which I had a great deal of sexual attractiveness towards.  Not every man is the same, and for me, it appeared, that I had a strong preference in curvy woman with large chests and long legs.  I was also fond of wide shoulders (?) for some unknown reason. 

    My tests showed a predilection towards woman who would be able to have these physical features, which involved girls as young as in their early 20’s, and as old as I was.  But there was a rather severe drop off as they approached the age that I would consider to be my daughter.  At that point, a different series of emotions came into play with were of a parental protective nature.

    All in all, my tests were normal.

    In comparison with others who went through this evaluation with me, (apparently) my graph was smaller and more limiting.  Others were not so disturbed by certain kinds of sexual positions, or actions.  They also tended to be “more open minded” about same-sex fetishes than I was. 

    They said that I was “bland” and “boring”. How would you like to be considered to be “plan vanilla”, “bland and boring” regarding sex?

    My graph was indicative of a rather defined line that separates repulsion, neutrality, and attraction.  For me, my graph was indicative of “traditionally oriented sexual attractiveness”.  In no way was there any hint of an interest in child porn, sex with a child, voyeurism, necrophilia, bondage, S &M, observing violent sexual fantasies, nor anything related to sex outside of a more or less male to female orientation.  I was just conventional; plain and ordinary.

    This test lasted approximately five hours.  And the conclusions were final, and without question.  I was [1] not a threat to society, nor was [2] I at all interested in any kind of sexual activity with a child. It also showed that [3] I was not violent or enjoyed violence in any way.

    Upon conclusion of this part of the test, there was an apparent break, and I was able to lay back and relax.  I just listen to them discuss my brain and interests.  Apparently, somehow they were able to see the images that they placed in my visual cortex.  And they commented on them.  Some would say that the picture was funny, or disgusting, or really attractive.  It was an interesting dialog, but I didn’t care.  I was tired, as it took a lot of work to endure the test, and I was very tired, as well as very hot.  During the test, the probes in my brain generate heat, and unless I am able to cool down, it could kill me.  So I just laid back, and drifted off to sleep with my head buried into my soaking-wet pillow.

    What did I recall?

    Since it was now determined that I was not a danger to anyone, and thus the sole remaining procedure remaining was to retire my probes. 

    This should have been rather easy, you would think. 

    You would just turn the “on” switch to “off”.  But that isn’t the way it worked, and for me, it was neither simple, nor easy.

    In order to first shut down the probes, there had to be a [1] complete reawakening of brain, followed by a [2] downloading (of sorts) of what I knew and experienced, followed by a [3] re-compartmentalization of memories.  This was to be conducted in a certain way, because if not done so properly, certain memories would persist, while others would be erased. 

    Thus a dangerous condition could inadvertently be created. 

    It could possibly create a person with patches of memories, and skill sets, all completely out of their proper context.  And that is a dangerous precedent. Just like “Nomad” in the Star Trek series…

    The Changeling (1968)

    .

    Ye Gods!  I might relive the “The Changeling (1967)” episode from Star Trek.  Where some memories that I should of forgotten be remembered, and others that I should of remembered be forgotten.  The reality of a bastardized memory stack was a frightening possibility.

    A malfunctioning space probe, Nomad, comes aboard the Enterprise, mistaking Kirk for its creator. The half-earth, half-alien probe thinks it has orders to sterilize imperfect life-forms, and the crew has to find a way to keep it under control before it kills them.  
    
    Its original orders were to find life-forms, but it had merged with another probe whose orders were to sterilize imperfect minerals.  
    
    When combined, and placed out of the proper context, a hybrid creature; Nomad, was created.  Whose goal and objective was the perverted “Find life-forms, and sterilize all imperfect life-forms”. 
    
    -https://www.hulu.com/watch/283817

    The second task took all day, and began right after breakfast the next day.  Again, like I had been all week, I was provided a large dose of medication to control me, and I just went to my rack and lay down. 

    This was an important exercise, as all my core Core Kit #1 interlocks were removed, and all my memories were made accessible to me. 

    From an observer in the barracks, nothing at all was going on, but that was completely illusionary.  To everyone else, I was alone, lying down on my rack. But in my mind a pure cascade of thoughts and images flooded my mind. 

    Not only that, but the activation protocol was engaged.  That meant a full power ELF field, and a constant and steady background cadence was present to my ears.

    A steady and constant cadence was played in my head. It was constant and it lasted for the ten days or so that I was being evaluated.

    While I understood the purpose of the pastel map and the movement of the reticle, I still did not have any recollection of my memories about the ELF Core Kit.  That would only come about once my memories were unlocked. 

    To unlock my memories a sequence of commands must be issued from the control booth external to my body.  I cannot do that myself.

    The diagnostic screen appeared briefly.  In a flash I could see the screen overlaid in my field of sight.  I watched as the icons were clicked and activated in quick succession.  Whomever was doing this was quite skilled in doing so.  This overlay and the resultant operation passed away quickly, perhaps under three minutes, and then the screen disappeared.  Then everything went calm again.

    And then, slowly, one by one, (all the rest of) my memories returned.

    Unlike the memory retrieval at NAS China Lake, this was a much more arduous process.  The reasons for this, perhaps, were many.  For one, a much larger period of time had elapsed.  When I was at China Lake, a period of around three years had elapsed. 

    But at this time, a far larger period of time had elapsed and this period of time was over thirty years. 

    As time wears on, the memories become embedded deeper and deeper in the records of one’s past.  As such, it becomes comparatively more difficult to retrieve them.  Additionally, other memories, not repressed, crowd out the significance of the repressed memories.  Thus, a sorting and prioritizing technique must be employed by the agent to figure out exactly what was transpiring, what had transpired, and why.  This was not easy, and as the pieces to the huge puzzle of my life started to come together, I was at times amazed, shocked, and disgusted as to the kind of life that I had lived.

    Pieces fell into place. Connections were made, and mysteries that I wondered about (Like “why did I do that?) all started to make sense.

    As these memories flooded my consciousness, somehow the operators were able to observe the snatches that would flutter by in my visual cortex.  I was being monitored, and as these memories arose others would view them, and at times comment on them.

    From my perspective

    At this time, the world that I was involved is was quite unique and unusual.  What I was experiencing; what I was seeing and hearing was oblivious to the outside world.  I was trapped inside a world of my own. 

    My brain saw and heard sounds and visions that only I could see and experience.

    In my mind, I could [1] hear the chatter from the ELF control staff.  I could [2] listen to my handlers, the [3] program managers and the [4] operators at their stations.  It was like I was on speaker-phone and I could (judging from the volume and the echoes in the room) determine their relative positions within the ELF control room.

    I could also [5] overhear the local medical staff in the diagnostic facility talking about me to the [6] “experts” flown in to evaluate me. 

    I could also [7] hear the rest of the barracks, which was now just beginning to be repopulated with other inmates.  All of this confusion passed through my senses with an [8] underlying “awakening” cadence that was put in place by my handlers.

    Reactions of the others

    Of course, to everyone else in the barracks I was a raving loon.  I was talking to myself, conducting focusing exercises to center upon the feducials.  I looked like a complete nut.  But something else was also happening.  Others were listening to me.  The doctors and the guards were listening in on the chatter with my handlers.  Some of the inmates were also listening in. 

    It was because of these alert few that directed the attention of the other inmates to what was going on and to whom I really was.  In a short period of time, almost the entire barracks knew who I really was, and why I was truly and actually there. 

    This was absolutely unexpected.  No, not everyone knew.  But there was a significant number of both guards, and inmates that knew that I was a “special” inmate and that I had a “special” background. 

    They also knew that I was there for reasons other than why I was there “officially”.

    To show their respect for me they would honor me.  To be honest, the method of showing honor to me was alien to my experiences.  They were obvious respectful gestures, but I had never experienced them before.

    Respect and other strange observances

    All through the day, various inmates, and guards as well, would come near to my cell.    They would stand next to the door.

    Everyone (in the barracks) knew what was going on.  They all knew that I was being “retired” or in prison for some kind of special government operation. As such, they all showed me respect.

    They wouldn’t salute or anything like that, but they would stand tall with their back straight.  They would hold a small torn piece of paper in their palm.  In that paper were three letters.  The initials of the person honoring me.  They then folded the small ½ inch long sized scrap of paper into a butterfly shape and softly blow it towards my cell. 

    This went on all day.  And when I returned back from dinner at the chow hall, I found that someone had taken all the tiny slips of paper, now numbering 60 or 70 and put them in the grill vent in my cell.  I can tell you that while it was certainly an uncomfortable experience being in prison, and getting accused like I was, to have this level of respect and support was meaningful and import to me. 

    It touched me.

    (I do not know the origins of this ritual.  I have never seen it before, and it was not part of my training in the Navy.  But the standardization of it was suggestive of some kind of military ritual, of which I knew nothing of.  To this day it remains a mystery to me.  How could dozens of strangers all act uniformly towards me in this way?  I do not know.)

    During this entire time period, as long as the cadence was on, and they were reviewing my experiences, I tended to act, talk, and walk differently.  It was as if I was still in training in the Navy.  It was like I was a drill instructor or some other kind of military automation.  I couldn’t help it.  I automatically took on that persona, and that is who I was and what I was during this period of time.

    Scrolling through my memories

    I am sure that there were a lot of interesting memories tucked away inside my brain.  After all, I not only operated as a normal human, but I also shared my experiences with an entangled drone. 

    All of my memories for the over thirty years that I was entangled are now shared experiences and shared memories. 

    But, what they wanted to do was look for specific memory sets, isolate them, and sever my access to them.

    When the command to unlock it was received, the memories came back in a flood.  Apparently, the longer the memories lie dormant within the brain the more painful they are to extract them. 

    Correction. It is not necessarily a painful experience, than it is a jarring one. 

    For with each memories comes with its own associated emotions.  The memories of what it was like in flight school, as well as the time of being a newlywed at China Lake all flooded my body. 

    To handle this flood of memories the beat tempo was broadcast to my auditory center.  This helped me to handle the memories and emotions.  There were different kinds of tempos.  This was a military march beat with underlining references towards the song that I selected as my favorite song back when I first signed up into the program. 

    This tempo caused me to maintain a military bearing just like I maintained it at NAS NASC Pensacola, Florida.  Of course, the rest of the inmates thought that I was a little bonkers.  But the team who was deprogramming me knew exactly what was going on at the time.

    Reviewing the “Discovery” paperwork

    In Law, “discovery” is the exchange of legal information and known facts of a case. Think of discovery as obtaining and disclosing the evidence and position of each side of a case so that all parties involved can decide what their best options are – move forward toward trial or negotiate an early settlement.
    
    -What Is Discovery? – Legal Meaning

    Critical to the identification of whether I was a criminal or not, was a reviewing of the “Discovery” documentation that was used by the DA and prosecutor to convict me. 

    Correction. They did not use it to convict me. They threatened me with 80 years in Prison that would be determined by a panel of Jurists from rural Arkansas. 
    
    They offered me a plea bargain of 6-9 months in home detention and my record expunged if I agreed to possession of two images. I did so. And the DA used sign language to raise the sentence with the Judge.

    The purpose of the prosecutor is to prosecute and to win a conviction.  He has no motivation or concern about the real truth or the causes of any given crime event. 

    His job and the ability to rise within his career is based solely in his ability to convict others. 

    A “Discovery” is a document listing the findings by the detective on the case.

    Like the prosecutor, the detective has no real stake in finding out the relative truth in a crime.  Their purpose is only to support the conviction by the prosecutor.  The detective generates a document called a “Discovery” that lists the findings.  My “Discovery” was about 60 pages long.  In it was a boiler plate background on how most Child Predators were loners and who had antisocial tendencies, but could adequately fit into society. 

    My “discovery” consisted of two cover pages directly concerning my findings, and 58 pages of “boiler plate” data regarding sexual predatory behaviors.  There was nothing about my mental history, or background at all in it. 

    Only the first two pages in the 60 page document listed anything directly relating to me.  In that there were [1] the references to the two pictures that a doctor, working for the Arkansas Police, claimed was a person that could be under the age of 18.  It also discussed [2] that I had thousands of porn pictures on the CDROMS in the storage box.  But they were not illegal.  They also (curiously) made note that I had [3] pictures of German military tanks and weapons from World War II, and that this was indicative of the possibility that I had neo-Nazi leaning tendencies. 

    Compared my known histories

    They compared my known histories and reviewed my training.  To my surprise I also had memory blackout of various paramilitary course, and education. 

    This was certainly curious.  As even while I was entangled I had completely forgot about all subsequent training.

    One was involved in the “Louisiana Swamp Rats”.  This was, at one time, a hard-core para-military training center. 

    Others discussed my advanced education, and still others related some of the various minor tasks that I was called upon to do, that weren’t so minor after all.  My favorite quote was when one of the observers said that I was part mountain man, part bear, and part Einstein.  That comment, well, it made my day.

    They made many such statements; but I am afraid that I cannot remember all of them.

    Because of the inadequacies in the Discovery, the team went inside my memories to extract what I had actually done.  This was an interesting experience, where they probed the innermost workings of my mind. 

    They compared my physical reactions to ELF generated pulses.  Trying to trigger any sort of aggressive or antisocial tendencies.  Of course, since I was previously vetted, none could be found, so my case was closed. 

    And I was assigned a low threat level.

    I was assigned a level #1 threat level.  

    Running the software routines


    “I'm lonely, he thought.
    
    Distantly he heard soft, high voices.
    
    He turned his eyes in upon a vision. There was a group of hills from which flowed a clear river, and in the shallows of that river, sending up spray, their faces shimmering, were the beautiful women. They played like children on the shore. And it came to Forester to know about them and their life. They were nomads, roaming the face of this world as was their desire. There were no highways or cities, there were only hills and plains and winds to carry them like white feathers where they wished. As Forester shaped the questions, some invisible answerer whispered the answers. There were no men. These women, alone, produced their race. The men had vanished fifty thousand years ago. And where were these women now? A mile down from the green forest, a mile over on the wine stream by the six white stones, and a third mile to the large river. There, in the shallows, were the women who would make fine wives, and raise beautiful children.
    
    Forester opened his eyes. 
    
    The other men were sitting up.
    
    "I had a dream."
    
    They had all dreamed.
    
    "A mile flown from the green forest a mile over on the wine stream . . . ."
    ". . . by the six white stones," said Koestler.
    ". . . and a third mile to the large river," said Driscoll, sitting there.
    
    Nobody spoke again for at moment. 
    
    They looked at the silver rocket standing there in the starlight"
    
    Do we walk or fly, Captain?"
    

    Things were very weird for me. 

    I cannot express how unusual this situation was for me.  Not only from the environment surrounding me, but also from what my mind and emotions were experiencing.  It is hard to describe, but when a person’s mind, memories and thoughts are being accessed what one experiences (at that time) becomes “outside the normal”. 

    What happens, is that the mind tries to piece together, in a logical fashion, what is occurring.  It does this even if what is occurring is illogical.  The end result becomes a confused jumble of events, sequences of events, emotions, sensory impressions and memories that are all entangled in a huge mess of confusion.

    I had amazingly vivid dreams, and a convoluted mixture of past memories, shared drone experiences, current events, and embedded program “movies” or “subroutines” all flooded my mind. 

    Trying to piece them all together was rather impossible and difficult. 

    I will not relate here what I experienced.  For, as far as I am concerned, they are nothing less than visual hallucinations.  And, thus have no useful purpose in this extracted dialog.  Because of this, I will refrain from relating the fantastical impressions that I experienced during this time. 

    They serve no benefit to the reader.

    That being stated, there are other aspects of this period that are truly significant.  These are themselves worthy of discussion.  What is interesting are a number of events that are special “retirement” programs. 

    These routines ran in my mind with [1] audio, [2] visual, and [3] tactile impressions. 

    The senses of taste and smell were absent from these experiences.

    That means that I was living or reliving these experiences as if they were actually happening.  When, I knew that they were not real at all, but rather programs that ran inside my brain.

    So…

    Once the “on” switch was set to “off”, a set number of closure routines rain inside my brain. These routines were amazing as it was as if I were experiencing them physically. Not that I was reliving a memory, or watching a television show.

    I have speculated that these routines ran from a source outside of my human consciousness and that their operation was directed through the controllers at the ELF facility that was decommissioning me.  But this is speculation only.  I say this because I do not believe that the probes had any kind of software that met these stated capabilities.

    There were a number of such programs. 

    I can recall about 12 in total.  I will relate three of the most significant.  One must keep in mind that these are the retirement events based upon what responses that I gave on the questionnaire before I entered the dimensional field.  A person with different answers would of experienced different software programs.

    Or, alternatively, the same program, but with different variables and emotional content.  This is all speculation on my part.

    The programs that I shall relate here are;

    • The gathering of the retirement programs
    • The promise of a new life awaits me upon retirement.
    • The retirement of the “spirit of a Marine” (within the hilt of a sword).

    Needless to explain, all these experiences are extremely personal and private. 

    As such, it will be very difficult for me to relate the emotional impact running these confusing program events were to me.  But I will do my best to relate them. 

    The names and titles that I provide here are my own. 

    Please understand that these programs are designed to evoke mental and emotional responses used to satiate the need for curiosity and to add full and complete closure to my experiences in a friendly and caring way. 

    Even though those Fuckers turned me into a sex offender and gave me five years at hard labor.

    The closure subroutines are not meant to hurt, harm, or belittle me in any way.  But rather, are intended to close out my role comfortably and with compassion, all the time meeting the overall goal of maintaining program secrecy.

    The reader must keep in mind that someone had to write these programs that did these things.  Someone had to conceive of them, and someone had to design and implement them.  They did not just “pop up” out of nowhere.

    Shutting off system access, memories, and communication links.
    Shutting off system access, memories, and communication links.

    The gathering of the retirement programs

    It was going to be a long night. 

    I knew it, you know.  It was one of those feelings that one gets when they watch a darkness brewing out off in the ocean.  It was eerie.  It was a kind of gathering of clouds, metaphorically speaking.  Soft but ultimately a foreboding of impending doom.

    During this entire two week period the field was never turned off.  It remained on, and I was under the constant onslaught of its effects.  It affected me in various ways.  But I could certainly tell when an individual program ran.  This is because the implanted probes would switch on various parts of my brain and interact with them in clearly unnatural, and often uncomfortable, ways. 

    What is explained at this point might be a bit confusing.  I describe what my visual cortex “saw” and how I felt during this period.  To everyone else in the prison facility, I was lying alone on my rack in the tiny cell.  (Mumbling, perhaps yelling… certainly trembling and sweating.)  One needs to keep this in mind.  As all the events that are now described happened only in my mind and were oblivious to everyone except those handlers who were monitoring my mind and watching the programs interact with my brain.

    Thus, I knew that I was entering a program when suddenly my visual cortex switched on and my audio and tactile responses became noticeably different. 

    In this case, what would best be described as a lucid dream, with full auditory, tactile and visual stimulation flooded my mind. 

    It was, from my point of view, nearly indistinguishable from reality. 

    Nearly, does not mean totally, and to this end I want to convey to the reader that from my point of view it was like participating in a 6D movie.  It was real enough, but easily distinguishable from reality.

    The best way to describe this was as if I was inside a “holodeck” much like was in the Star-Trek series.  It was just a large dark chamber that seemed real enough to me.

    A holodeck, in the fictional Star Trek universe, is a simulated reality facility located on star-ships and star-bases. Most holodeck programs shown in the episodes run in first person "subjective mode", in which the user actively interacts with the program and its characters. The user may also employ third-person "objective mode", in which he or she is "apart" from the actual running of the program and does not interact with it.
    A holodeck, in the fictional Star Trek universe, is a simulated reality facility located on star-ships and star-bases.

    .

    I found myself standing inside a large dark chamber. 

    I couldn’t see the extent of the chamber as everything was dark and black.  Where I was standing was illuminated in some way and showed the presence of twelve individuals or life-size Figures. 

    These figures stood frozen without moving.  Like large chess pieces. 

    Everything was in breath-taking full color and absolutely sparking clear and crisp.  The twelve figures stood in two rows of six individuals.  One row of six stood in mute silence facing the other row of six.  I stood in the middle between both of the rows.  I looked forward at them.  The row to my right held six individuals and the row to my left held six individuals.

    I was able to walk around them and look at them. 

    One was a Marine.  He had my face, but stood taller than I did, and was stronger than I was.  He had the wrinkles and scars of many a battle and of nights of restless vigilance.  He reminded me a little bit of the gunnery sergeant (played by Clint Eastwood) from the movie “Heartbreak Ridge”.

    Gunny Highway.

    .

    Across from him was a large Mantid.  It was easily seven feet tall, and reminded me of the alien from the movie series Aliens.  It was not (at all) representative of the Mantids that I worked with as a drone commander.  This one was much larger and tended to be a bit more terrifying.  It also had a larger caprice than what I was familiar with. It had a triangular head with two large eyes.

    The Alien film franchise (also known as Aliens) is a science fiction horror film series consisting of four installments, focusing on Lieutenant Ellen Ripley (played by Sigourney Weaver) and her battles with an extraterrestrial life form, commonly referred to as the "Alien". Produced by 20th Century Fox, the series started with the 1979 film Alien, which led to three movie sequels, as well as numerous books, comics and video game spin-offs.

    There was a naval officer in dress whites.  He had my face, was clean shaven, and held the rank of Commander.  He had an impressive array of ribbons, and had signs of greying at the temples.  He seemed to be calm and quiet with an easy smile and friendly demeanor. 

    This version of “me” was different than the Marine version of “me”.  They indicated different lives that they lead.  And how they both turned out after living those lives.

    The Dress White uniform consists of a stand-collar white tunic, white trousers, and white dress shoes. Rank for officers is displayed on shoulder boards for males and on the sleeve cuffs for females, while CPO rank insignia is worn on the collar for both sexes. Service dress white includes ribbons, whereas full dress white includes ribbons and medals. This uniform is informally called "Chokers", due to the stand-collar.
    
    "Greying at the temples" means; had white hair around the front near the ears.
    Well, he looked something like this. Only with a different rank.

    .

    There was a scientist / intellectual version of “me”.  He wore a tattered button-down sweater with elbow patches, and pockets.  He had bifocal wire-rim glasses on, and was balding.  He had a white beard and stood there petting a large beautiful Maine-coon cat.  Strangely, he wore a pair of slippers and was smoking a pipe.

    I wonder if these characters were all composed of images that I have collected in my subconscious (such as Albert Einstein) and then juxtaposed into my image stream.

    Frayed. Comfortably worn and a little frayed; as what one would expect from a favorite item of clothing that has been worn extensively.
    Scientist.

    .

    There was an archaeologist version of myself.  He was quite stereotypical; attired in a pith helmet, dirty khaki shirt and riding britches with a pair or brown long (horse riding) boots.  He was thin, and looked a little gaunt.  He was well tanned, and had a week’s stubble of hair on his chin.

    An archaeologist wearing a pith helmet on a “dig”.

    .

    There was a Type-II gray drone.  It was slightly transparent.  And it looked like it was composed of <redacted>. Which were somewhat similar to the lines of futuristic code shown on the movie “The Matrix”.  It was taller than I remembered it to be.  The color was also a <redacted> complexion that I was accustomed to.  (Odd.  I do not know why this was so.)

    This was the strangest figurine in the line-up.

    There was a beautiful Asian girl.  She was deeply tanned, and looked like Polynesian mix of part Polynesian and part Japanese.  She was, perhaps, Indonesian or Malaysian in racial makeup.  She was short with an hourglass shape, shapely legs and dark liquid eyes set deep with a cute nose and deep black hair.  She wore a simple sarong with bare feet, and holding a basket of fruit.  The fruit was of a tropical bent, being mostly durian, dragon fruit, pineapples, bananas, guava, and coconuts.  She had a red passion flower in her hair. 

    (So stereotypical, but also so lovely….)

    Yeah. She sort of looked a little like this lass.

    .

    I won’t go into the full range of figures that stood there before me.  Each one represented a different series of memories and had a special role in my life. 

    While most of what we were involved in was related to closure and suppression of the memories, other programs served different functions and purposes.  (They were but the representations of various programs.  As such they maintained a purposeful stereotypical significance that somehow “plugged into” or connected to my sub-consciousness.)

    You all will see the various roles that they held in part 2. Each special subroutine had a role and it was used to “condition” me properly so that I can exist MAJestic in a healthy way, and not be scared for life due to an abrupt and improperly conducted ELF shut-down sequence.

    In truth, I endured the entire software routines.  But, for purposes of simplification, as well as to avoid reliving the entire strenuous event, I have decided to limit recalling this event.  Instead I am just going to relate only two of the twelve programs. 

    The first [1] is the program concerning the Asian female.  I call this subroutine promise, the “promise of a new life after retirement”. 

    The second [2] is the complete closure ceremony.  I call this the “retirement of the spirit of a Marine”.

    I will ignore the other ten programs, as they would probably devote an entire book in their own right to relate. Maybe I’ll write another post on them later on. But for now, it’s way too much.

    This is the end of part one

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    The primary fundamentals of an affirmation and prayer campaign that you must never forget.

    I practice what I preach. I, like you all, run and operate intention prayer campaigns. The big difference is that I have been running them for decades and out of necessity. But even I need to keep a focus and an overview of how this all works. And to this end, I utilize a like “cheat sheet” to remind me. In fact, I will go as far as to say that the “cheat sheet” is a necessary component to all affirmation prayer campaigns. In this article / post I replicate my “cheat sheet” that I use daily. I do this to keep me focused on the “big picture” and as a reminder as to how all this works within our reality.

    I hope, sincerely, that it is as useful to you as it is to me.

    The rules

    There are six (x6) major rules, or laws, that you must obey to have your prayer affirmations work. They are…

    • You attract good, or bad, experiences based on your thoughts.
    • Thinking about something invites it into your reality. This is true even if you don’t want it.
    • The more you focus on something, the more powerful it becomes.
    • It’s far better to trust your emotions than to over-think or reason things out.
    • You can make good things happen by thinking about them more.
    • Your environment affects your thoughts, and your thoughts affect your environment.

    Let’s go one by one through these rules.

    You attract good, or bad, experiences based on your thoughts.

    The one that speaks most about an illness, ends up getting the illness. The one that speaks about success and wealth gets prosperity and wealth. You attract everything you think about. By focusing on something you make it happen.

    Thoughts are the ONLY way that conscious is able to control the reality that it inhabits. That’s it. Thoughts, create actions that the brain is commanded to obey. In order to have a life that you enjoy, you must silence your brain, and improve the command of your emotions. Once you are successful in doing this, your entire world becomes your creation, and you become as God intended.

    If you do not, then you are just a five year old in a china shop. You will end up destroying valuable opportunities that are destined to manifest in your life. But now, cannot, because your thoughts destroyed the opportunities presented to you.

    Children making a mess.
    Children do not know the consequences of their actions. They do not understand the value of things. They do not see the connections between their actions and how they affect their surroundings. This is exactly how you must understand how thoughts work within our reality.

    Thinking about something invites it into your reality. This is true even if you don’t want it.

    When you think about something, it tends to spawn other thoughts. This is true whether it is "good" or "bad". The key to this is to only think about that which you like and want to happen. Stop thinking about what you fear or are afraid of.

    Worry and fear are not just a nuisance, they are “wrecking balls” to your reality. Anyone who is trying to generate fear, or cause you to worry are taking an active effort to destroy your reality. Realize this.

    They are bad, evil and dangerous to your reality.

    Now, it is true that these other people are “quantum shadows” but within your reality they are REAL. They create events and you end up reacting to the creations that they spawn. You have a responsibility to identify the source of all your worries and fears, and then take active and proactive actions to prevent them from influencing your reality.

    Other people use our fears and worries to control us. This, in turn, shapes our thoughts, when then in turn alter and fabricate our reality.

    The more you focus on something, the more powerful it becomes.

    This allows you to create your own reality by attracting the things that you want to have in your life. This can be physical things, people, relationships or the environment which surrounds you. Fears and worry allow bad things to enter your reality and manifest. The volume of the specific thoughts that you have is directly proportional to the power they manifest.

    One of the biggest problems to our happiness is the constant onslaught of negative “news” bombarding us from social networks, alternative “news” and our government. This in turn shapes what we think about. We start dwelling on those thoughts and before we know it, all of our positive affirmations disappear in a flood of negative news.

    Do not allow it.

    Don't be affected by the news media.
    As the “news” media rages on about guns and gun control, violence skyrockets and people break records in the purchase of guns and ammo.

    It’s far better to trust your emotions than to over-think or reason things out.

    Listen to your intuition. Your brain is a machine or a computer that runs commands. Your higher self; your consciousness is accessed by our feelings. Not by the brain. Let your "feelings" or your emotions guide your life, and use the brain to fill in the day to day details that you must deal with.

    To do otherwise is a very common mistake. Never allow your brain to “do the heavy lifting”. It just runs programs. Get in tune with your feelings, run on instinct more, and then use the brain to carry out your commands.

    When I was waiting in jail to go to prison, everyone around me were constantly berating me and telling me about all the horrible things that awaited me. I was quite shaken up. That’s true and I was a nervous wreck. I think that they took a real sinister bent in doing that. But my over all feeling that it wouldn’t be all that bad, that I would be fine, thought it wouldn’t be enjoyable.

    In hindsight, it was my feelings that were correct, and my brain that was wrong.

    Do not allow yourself to over-think and get all caught up in your imagination or your thoughts, and most certainly do not get all worried about the “news” or what others think. Trust your feelings. They will tell you exactly what is going on.

    A Special Note...
    
    Sometimes your "feelings" will describe a bad or horrible event. And it is something that you will want to avoid. It is at those moments that you will conduct a prayer / affirmation campaign to thwart the impending doom that you feel.
    
    Such is the case with the Trump Trade War leading towards a thermonuclear exchange between Russia & China against the USA in 2020. MM readers will know what I am talking about. You use your "feelings" to guide your prayer campaign. Not the other way around.

    You can make good things happen by thinking about them more.

    "Want" and "desire" consists of focusing attention on a given subject, while at the same time experiencing positive emotion. When you target a subject, event, person, or item... and only direct positive thoughts and strong emotion regarding what you want. It will enter your reality very quickly.

    It’s not just that you need to control what you think, but you need to control how often you think about things. People with OCD will have an easy and a hard time with this. Being able to focus all your thoughts and energies towards a singular objective is the guaranteed methodology to make your dreams and desires manifest.

    Think only what you want.

    Do not think about what you fear or are afraid of.

    Realize that things will work themselves out. Do not obsess on working out ways and means to make something happen. Just think and believe that they will happen the way that you want them to, and they will. Put all of your thoughts and energies into good, solid, productive actions that will manifest your dreams.

    Good thoughts must dominate your life.
    You image what you want in your life and you let those images dominate your thoughts. Over time, the thoughts will crush all the negative and worrisome thoughts that have been wrecking your life.

    Your environment affects your thoughts, and your thoughts affect your environment.

    Your reality is constructed from your thoughts. If you control your thoughts you can control your reality. Thus if you want to live in a tropical paradise with a tropical drink in your hand, and a straw hat on your head focus on that and think about it to the exclusion of everything else. It will manifest for you.
    Your thoughts will change your reality.

    After I left prison, I noticed that no matter what I did, I kept on running into fraudsters, tricksters, and petty criminals. This was true even though I really had not desire to think about where I just left. It was almost like I dragged an non-visible reality around me that was “polluted” by the environment that I had just left.

    Once you find yourself in a good environment, you should never leave it. Not for money. Not for “success”, or not for promises of [fill in the blank here]. Your reality is the environment that you create, and whether it is good or bad, it transcends much more than the physically observed attributes. It includes the non-visible reality as well.

    It will take time for the “poisoned” non-physical reality to dissipate. So be aware of this, and work only on building upon and improving the reality that you manifest.

    Your environment will drag along with the thoughts that you generate.
    Your environment will affect your reality. And when you leave one environment, the thoughts associated with the old environment will continue to affect your new environment. You you must control what you think, especially when you move to a new location.

    Conclusions

    I pretty much review and remind myself of these six points at least once a week. If you don’t do so, it’s easy to fall into the trap that you mind constructs for you. You must always strive to be in a state of constant awareness of who and what you really are. And not get caught up in other non-important activities.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts like this in my Affirmation / Prayer Index here…

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    What is coming to America. No punches pulled and telling you all straight.

    This post is in response to an Influencer who asked…

    What troubles me the most is what is coming to my country and you covered it so well but if there is anything that you can add i am sure the majority of readers are concerned with this and would greatly appreciate your input.  
    
    What is so odd is everyone  I talk with  tells me that they can feel something coming but they don't know what it is.  
    
    i love my country dearly but to see what has happened to it and to so many lazy, entitled and plain stupid Americans i know that this has to happen.   I do so very much appreciate MM. 

    Yes. Something is coming. Everyone can feel it. But no one knows what it is.

    All throughout history there have been critical turning points when  events have greatly accelerated, and it appears that we have reached one  of those turning points.
    
     In fact, this may be turn out to be the biggest turning point of them all.
     Millions upon millions of Americans can sense that big trouble is  ahead.  For many, it is like a “gut feeling” that they just can’t shake.
    
     Just a few days ago, my wife met a woman from the west coast that  just moved here.  This woman and her husband were desperate to leave  California, and they felt very strongly that they should move somewhere  safe.
    
     What makes her story remarkable is the fact that my wife and I have  heard similar stories from others countless times over the past 12  months.
    
     Our nation is being shaken in thousands of different ways, and so  many of us can feel that things are building up to some sort of a grand  crescendo.
    
    -Why Are So Many Americans Stockpiling Guns, Silver And Food Right Now?

    Part of the problem, maybe a big part, is that the American “free” media doesn’t report anything. And Americans are manipulated and kept in the dark about so many things that the rest of the world knows about. Since Americans are kept ignorant for manipulation purposes, they can “feel” things, but have no “knowledge” to channel their feelings into understandings.

    Feelings + Intel = Knowledge

    I’ve tried to lay out information (Intel) so that you all can be ready and prepared. But even with that people as asking for more concrete and hard predictions.

    Timing

    Historical records clearly point out the the United States will go through a severe and harsh change in society. This has been building up for some time. The worst and most catastrophic elements of that change has already been set in motion. Anything that will occur will occur during the ten-year span from 2020 though 2030.

    Serious upheaval in America will occur from 2020 though to 2030. This is a ten year period of time. As this post was written in 2021, there are nine years remaining during this period.

    Summary

    I’m going to lay out some points and some information. I’ve covered the background elsewhere in great detail. However, here we are just going to throw it all out for purposes of review.

    Generational Turnings are a historically accurate methodology for predictive behaviors.

    America; the United States, will go through the following in the next ten years;

    • Domestic unrest resulting in death(s).
    • A complete change in the Federal Government.
    • The value of the USD will collapse.
    • A very serious “Hot War” on American soil.
    • Cultural, and societal collapse.
    
    Normalcy bias, or normality bias, is a cognitive bias which leads people to disbelieve or minimize threat warnings. Consequently, individuals underestimate the likelihood of a disaster, when it might affect them, and its potential adverse effects. The normalcy bias causes many people to not adequately prepare for natural disasters, pandemics, and calamities caused by human error. About 70% of people reportedly display normalcy bias during a disaster.
    
    -Wikipedia

    Let’s go one by one on these points.

    [1] Domestic unrest resulting in death(s).

    Historically, Fourth Turnings are always associated with domestic unrest. Not only that but people die. Yes. There is an entire sub-culture of Americans that believe that domestic unrest will occur. All you need to do is google SHTF and “prepper”. And you know that many Americans expect this. Gun stores are empty of guns and ammo.

    Everyone is expecting societal unrest. And they plan on defending themselves and their family. In fact, for the last three months the top MM posts are those devoted to the SHTF Index.

    And sure… nothing is guaranteed. This fear might just be a passing fad. Or the absolute result of American media going “off the rails”. Or some kind of mass psychosis due to being locked inside all 2020. It could be anything.

    I am of the opinion …

    • Most Americans are unhappy.
    • Most Americans are locked inside of a class structure with little upward movement.
    • There are terrible and systematic problems regarding American society.
    • Government “solutions” are insufficient, meager and viewed as an insult.
    • There are groups who desire to capitalize on domestic discord to promote their own agendas.
    • There are elements inside of the Federal Government that have the power and plans to come down aggressively to any disruption of society.

    None of the above should come as any surprise to most Americans. And thus I conclude…

    There is a higher than average chance that there will be domestic revolt / upset. This is not a continuation of BLM, Antifa “riots”, or a Trump Supporter “frat party” style takeover of Congress. This will be something far more serious, sinister and deadly. It will not be reported, or if it is, it will be reported in such a way as to minimize what is actually going on.

    Historically, these kinds of events are preceded by the government trying to take preemptive actions. That could be [1] “false flag” events, [2] a banning of weapons or one or more Rights / freedoms, and [3] a call to fight some kind of “enemy” or “threat”.

    If any of the above occurs to any serious degree, you can well expect domestic discord to follow promptly.

    Historically, all Democrat Presidents have had a major "Gun-related mass-killing event" within the first nine months of their Presidency. That includes Trump who was supposed to lose to Hillary Clinton.

    [2] A complete change in the Federal Government.

    Historically, Fourth Turnings are always associated with a serious and large change in the Government. The current American government is an enormous behemoth, it is sluggish, inefficient, lazy, and is out of control. To believe that it is working fine or that it could be improved is to ignore the facts. Both sides of the political divide demand a restructuring.

    • Democrats are looking towards a Socialist and Marxist solution.
    • Republicans are looking for a return to the 1776 Republic.

    The compass is all over the place on this. One thing is for certain, the wealthy oligarchy loves the status quo and do not want to change anything. To make the changes that are necessary, a real revolution must occur.

    The Federal Government will change substantially. I can offer no insight into what it will change into. Needless to say, the nation is completely divided and polarized and no matter who obtains the reins of power, large segments of the population will be unhappy. The only way that I can see any kind of satisfaction is by an overwhelmingly exhausted citizenry that is ready to accept change, no matter how radical it is.

    Nor can I offer insight as to how this will happen. What I do know is that unless it happens, there will be no ‘Crisis Event”.

    [3] The value of the USD will collapse.

    Historically, Fourth Turnings are always associated with economic changes. I see an exponential increase in the value of the stock market with zero connection to the lives of actual American citizenry. I also see an exponential increase in the national debt. It doesn’t take a genius to see that both of these things are not sustainable.

    People have been predicting the eventual collapse of the American economy for decades. Yet it still hums along. The only way that this will change is if the international medium of exchange changes. And there is evidence that this is exactly what is going on. I do not see this as a sudden, precipitous event, but rather a trend that continues over a long swath of time before the USD stabilizes.

    The USD will significantly change in value negatively. This will occur over a period of time. The end result will be generalized discomfort for Americans on many levels.

    [4] A very serious “Hot War” on American soil.

    Historically, Fourth Turnings are always associated with “hot wars”; shooting wars that occurring using the most advanced technology available, and they occur on American soil.

    Even if the nation stays together, its geography could be fundamentally changed, its party structure altered, its Constitution and Bill of Rights amended beyond recognition. 
    
    History offers even more sobering warnings: Armed confrontation usually occurs around the climax of Crisis. If there is confrontation, it is likely to lead to war. This could be any kind of war—class war, sectional war, war against global anarchists or terrorists, or superpower war. 
    
    If there is war, it is likely to culminate in total war, fought until the losing side has been rendered nil—its will broken, territory taken, and leaders captured. And if there is total war, it is likely that the most destructive weapons available will be deployed.

    There is no avoiding this. Anyone who thinks that China will allow another Yemen, Afghanistan or Syria to occur in the South China Sea is delusional. The same goes for Russia. These nations do not play, are peer-capable, or superior in training and weaponry, and work together. The idea that America can take on China or Russia independently is a fantasy. Any war with either will result in a war with both simultaneously.

    So forget the illusions that America has the biggest, the baddest, and the best military. It might get by trying twenty years to fight goat-herders with AK-47’s, but is no match for merit-based, well-trained, superior-armed, and a pissed-off Asia.

    From 2017 through 2020, the United States “carpet bombed” China with bio-weapons. This effort affected Russia, and Iran. And of course, China, Iran and Russia knows who was involved, why and how.

    But China, Russia and Iran didn’t take any obvious retaliatory action.

    That should make every single Americans hair stand on end.

    We should expect a major hot war. This war will be instigated though American actions and international activities. Neither China, nor Russia are stupid. They will strike first. They will use full-spectrum nuclear weapons, and America will resemble one of the nations that it “bombed the shit out of” for “democracy”.

    [5] Cultural, and societal collapse.

    Historically, Fourth Turnings are always associated with severe changes to society and the individuals who live inside America. In the past, Americans have been resilient enough, independent enough, and hardy enough to rebuild any collapsed society. But today, I am not so sure.

    With or without war, American society will be transformed into something different. The emergent society may be something better, a nation that sustains its Framers' visions with a robust new pride. Or it may be something unspeakably worse. The Fourth Turning will be a time of glory or ruin.

    Most Americans are terribly overweight, and while many are functional with technology, during a period of societal collapse most technology will not operate in an optimal manner during a full scale Crisis Event. During 2020 large segments of the American population failed to work together and wear masks during the pandemic. I just cannot imagine that Americans would rebuild radioactive cities, start planting vegetables in their suburban lawns, and working together for free.

    Americans have been a historically resilient people, but whether or not they will be able to come together during the Crisis Event is unlikely. It is not a politically attractive position, but it is a realistic expectation.

    Let’s combine everything together.

    Well, there is nothing that I have said here that I have not covered elsewhere. But let’s see if we can compile some knowns to help us make a substantive predictive engine for our use.

    Keep in mind that this is just a predictive map. It may or may not happen.

    Uh Oh!

    My argument is that the COVID-19 fiasco in the United States is not part of this collapse crisis vector. It is only a contributor.

    Whether the future occurs as predicted will depend on the actions or inaction’s of the American Presidency. Any of the following events will probably unleash a particular singular element of the Crisis event.

    • Passage of restrictive laws that infringe on cherished Rights.
    • A military action that involves either China, Russia or Iran.
    • No attempts at financial, banking or economic restructuring.
    • A “false flag” event of any purpose.

    Knowing that these are exactly the same kind of modus operandi that Washington has used over the last fifty years, you can well expect that some or all of them will precipitate the Crisis event.

    Year by Year expectations

    The graphic above is pretty complex. Let’s look at it like you would a newspaper horoscope.

    2021

    • The pandemic continues all year.
    • Posturing of various political and special interests organized by various oligarchies.
    • Continued (minor) unrest on many levels.
    • A somewhat stabilization of the overall economic consideration.
    • A “false flag” event.

    2022

    • The pandemic continues.
    • Domestic unrest starts to manifest. Maybe shootings or some kind of organized behavior.
    • Some unpopular laws or regulations are implemented.
    • The USA starts to get involved in some strong covert (not visible) international military actions.

    2023 Crisis

    • People are adapting to the Pandemic and it seems to be subsiding.
    • Domestic unrest continues and gets more violent.
    • The economy and the USD starts to falter. Economic Balloons start to “pop”.
    • The Federal Government looks towards a hot war with a major power as a desirable technique of distraction and unification.
    • The USA starts to engage in International Military Actions of some visible type.
    • Risk of a HOT WAR is very high. It may or may not hit American soil.

    2024 Insanity

    • Still a pandemic, but is under control.
    • Domestic unrest breaks out in open conflict in numerous areas.
    • The Federal Government starts to decentralize, or change in some significant manner.
    • The economy starts a long sequence of contractions and mini-collapses.
    • The USD starts to have it’s value erode significantly.
    • HOT WAR! Americans on American soil are affected. It’s not a “police action” in a far away land or sea.
    • The health system, inefficient and expensive collapses completely.
    • Society is disrupted. Communication, transport, food, and electricity are all unreliable and disrupted.
    • The Election is a landslide for one political party who promises massive change.

    2025 “Everything but the kitchen sink”

    • 2025 will be like 2024, only crazier, and more intense.
    • Discord and disruptions are commonplace and are no longer isolated to certain geographic regions. Everyone “feels the pinch”.
    • May people start to die of illnesses that could have been prevented or cured.
    • New illnesses and viruses start to appear all over America. These are far worse than the COVID-19. Americans treat them like the “seasonal flu”.
    • Everyone is in “survival mode”.
    • Americans start to turn to non-American news for information.

    2026 “The Kitchen Sink gets included”

    • Anything that was good about 2025, is now gone.
    • Normal lifestyles are permanently disrupted.
    • Urban areas are hotbeds of contentious activity.
    • Woods and forests are flooded with urban refugees.
    • Hot war ends.

    2027

    • Things are still crazy, but groups of people are working together to sort out the craziness.
    • A new type of government emerges.
    • Domestic discord and fighting continues, but it’s mostly “turf wars”.
    • The USD has substantially collapsed.
    • US economy is in ruins.
    • The government begins to discuss reconstruction efforts and mobilization of work forces for a common good.

    2028

    • A new normal has arrived in America.
    • There is a new government, new people, new ideas, and new systems.
    • The USA is shattered and a real mess, but people are starting to band together in small groups to make things right in their little area of control.
    • People can see the “light at the end of the tunnel”.

    2029

    • Reconstruction efforts begin.
    • Rehabilitation efforts begin.
    • New policies and lifestyles start to manifest.
    • A brighter future lies ahead for everyone.

    The sky is falling!

    We were told that 2021 would be the year when everything starts to get  back to normal.  But that hasn’t exactly been the case, has it?  It has  been just over a month, and there is still chaos everywhere.  We have  seen a wild riot at the U.S. Capitol, civil unrest has been erupting in major cities from coast to coast, millions of people have filed for unemployment benefits, a president was impeached, and a crazy ride on Wall Street  made “GameStop” a national phenomenon.  That would normally be enough  for an entire year, but we are still in the first week of February. 
    
    Economic Collapse Blog (Read More...)

    Oh, sure. Doomsday predictions are a “dime a dozen”. From Global Cooling, to Global Warming, to Chinese Killer Zombie Hornets, to 5G radiation. From California sliding into the Pacific, to Y2K collapsing the entire basis of civilization. To …

    …well you get the picture.

    Those that run the government and their oligarchy owners know all of this. The trick is, and the key is, to identify just how the President and Congress will be able to prevent any of this from occurring. I argue that it’s like the little boy with his finger in a dike. He might not be able to stop the great enormous explosion of change.

    But if he is able to, if he is able to redirect it, than much of all this can be avoided, and the status quo can continue for another 150 years.

    Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

    Remember the final scene in the movie “Back to the Future III”, when the Professor Emmet Brown tells Marty and his girlfriend that the future is not carved in stone. You have the ability and the tools to change it.

    Back to the future III scene.
    The future is not carved in stone. You have the ability to change it.

    Do you want to see similar posts?

    I hope that you found this post curious. Please take care. You can view other similar posts in my SHTF Index, here…

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    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
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    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you.

    Contemporaneous China through the eyes of NZBZ. Lets spend some time for humanity. MM is tired of hit and run fellows of ill intent.

    You only see a handful of comments on MM. But in truth, I average many more comments than what I allow to present itself on the site.

    Just because you don’t read the disparaging comments, doesn’t mean that they don’t exist. I get a “shit load”. I just don’t print them. It’s all pretty much what you would expect. It’s nonsense like this…

    I regret having read your articles. At least you had the decency to quote Alexandyr Solsenetzyn. Frankly I would rather perish than live in China, if I had to choose. 
    
    You’ve turned your back on the land of your fathers. 

    It’s all pretty irritating.

    Here’s another asshole.

    Moreover, there was NO HOLOCAUST of 6 million Jews, and in fact this not only an egregious lie, but a truth inversion. 
    
    It was the Germans who were holocausted at the end of and after the war in far greater numbers than the great 6 million Jew hoax

    Which is why I don’t post any comments automatically and why I pre-screen everything. If someone wants to get on a “soapbox” to repeat the narratives from the Alt-Right, or mainstream they can do so. Just not on this forum.

    You’ve lost the plot, clearly. All I have to do is go to LiveLeak and search for “China accident compilation” to know that everything you’re saying about China is false. 

    “False”, eh?

    Why would I even want to check anything on Google or “LiveLeak” when all I need to do is open up my window and look outside?

    Um. Maybe it’s because I live here.

    I do not have to check with the Google department of propaganda to see what China is like. I just look out my window. I just walk out my front door. I just pull out my cell-phone and take a picture. Like this one.

    .

    Here at MM we have ZERO tolerance for this nonsense. Whether it is a hard-Right racist, or some idiot trying to troll me…

    You did not answer my claim that in “many parts of China, people still live in huts and heat/cook with yak dung.” Your picture is meaningless. 
    
    Are there, or are there not, millions of people in China still living in huts and heating/cooking with yak dung? 
    
    How many of them would you guesstimate? 
    
    1M? 10M? 100M? 300M?

    This is not a “freedom of speech” (anything goes) website. Before you try to comment, you should read my commenting guidelines. I have them in two locations. [1] Main Index, and [2] The Grey Web. Commenting is a privilege.

    This is my place.

    I am God here.

    I really do not need the bullshit that seems to saturate everything about the United States today. The United States is completely going to shit, with many people just wailing in near-insanity. The American government is out of control. The American companies are out of control, and everyone is trying to grab whatever they can before the entire house of cards collapses.

    Everything is being kept propped up with lies and a manipulative media.

    Do you think that this kind of “news” is a sign of a healthy society? A healthy population? A healthy government?

    ...have a little fun and whatever you do - turn off the news! I have been killing off my social media accounts and you would be amazed how much more peaceful life is without them! Why try to impress people you don't like or even know? 
    
    -prepper365

    Meanwhile, I live in China. With my family.

    I just want to be left alone, though there are elements back in the USA that want to drag me, kicking and screaming, back into the maelstrom and inferno.

    It's the usual malevolent players. You know which ones. The same folk that China has perma-banned from ever setting foot near China.

    My life is good.

    My friends are kind. My food is delicious. My happiness is special.

    I just report on what I experience. This is quite different from what you will find elsewhere on the internet. There, most people report and repeat what they have read about on other internet websites.

    .

    So please bear with me as I take my time to pre-screen each and every one of your comments. And I know that it is frustrating for you. You ask “Did my comment get posted? Why the wait?” Then, maybe you check back a couple of time throughout the day to see what is going on. Maybe you reload your browser. Eh?

    But I need to do this.

    These “hit and run” jackasses don’t even bother reading the posting guidelines in the top index. They just assume that this site is just another website like all the rest, and they act accordingly.

    And so MM gets flooded with nonsense like this…

    This is not correct. You are spouting nonsense!
    
    Hitler DID rebuild Germany, after taking the reigns of power back from the genocidal and parasitic Rothschild Jewish bankers, who had already spread Jewish communism into Russia and Eastern Europe, when he cancelled the undeserved & unwarranted post WW1 Treaty of Versailles land grabs and crushing debt payments and backing the German Deutschmark by German Labor, and outlawing usury (Jewish economic tyranny/terrorism via debt and interest). He also setup fair and equal trade deals w other countries like Mexico & other South American countries. Once the parasitic Jew was rightly removed from power, the economy took off like a rocket. All because of Hitler.

    Typically, I am not reporting what others said (well, there are exceptions), but when it comes to China and MAJestic I report my own personal experiences. And those things are what seemingly gets everyone so darn upset.

    No one cares about my posts on food, the nature of the universe, souls and consciousness, KTV’s, cats, art and literature. Which are the posts and articles that I am most proud about. But boy oh boy, do they get “hot and bothered” when I dare talk about China.

    How dare I say anything good about those “Godless Communists!”

    Jeeze!

    If you don’t like it, or feel that it makes America look bad, well that’s just too terrible. If you want to see what China is like you don’t read the American “news” with opinions and articles on Reddit about what others think. You get an airplane ticket and you fly on over.

    it’s not difficult.

    All in all, it’s pretty simple.

    The life that manifests around you in the world; in this reality, is not due to popular opinion. It’s generated by thoughts. Primarily YOUR thoughts. Not the thoughts of those around you. As THIS post most clearly explains.

    Here’s what I wake up to. Every day.

    View from my living room.

    .

    Well, it’s time for some humanity.

    Webster Dictionary 
    Humanity (noun) the quality of being human; the peculiar nature of man, by which he is distinguished from other beings. Etymology: [L. humanitas: cf. F. humanit. See Human.] Humanity (noun) mankind collectively; the human race.
    What does humanity mean?
    
    www.definitions.net/definition/humanity

    As time moves forward I see how culturally, socially and intellectually isolated Americans are getting. As the American government, the American companies, the American oligarchy clamps down harder and harder against the average person they become more and more isolated, and….

    …well neurotic.

    neurotic. ( njʊˈrɒtɪk) adj. 
    (Psychiatry) of, relating to, or afflicted by neurosis. n. (Psychiatry) a person who is afflicted with a neurosis or who tends to be emotionally unstable or unusually anxious.
    Neurotic - definition of neurotic by The Free Dictionary
    
    www.thefreedictionary.com/neurotic

    The rest of the world is growing. They are moving forward. They are moving away from the old ways of doing things, and working on providing a far more prosperous life for their citizens.

    Typical China.
    Typical China.

    America is unaware of this. instead, Americans cover in fear. “They” are “going to steal our democracy!” they chant.

    It is sad and (I suppose) alarming. But it’s not my problem.

    It’s YOURS.

    Typical America.
    Typical America.

    .

    Meanwhile inside of China, everyone is starting to close up shop. The CNY is fast approaching and everyone is gearing up for the month long holiday. And this week is full of business dinners and celebrations. Like this one from one of my friends.

    They are having fun.

    It’s been a difficult year for everyone, but that hasn’t stopped them from getting together and celebrating.

    CNY party inside of China.
    Company CNY party in China.

    .

    Some things that I want to point out;

    Everyone is holding up these red bags and red envelopes. Those are monetary gifts from the company. Typical bonuses are one to three months salary in CASH. Thus the bag. Three months in $100 bills are too thick to put into a red (colored) envelope. Plus, who knows what other surprises are placed in those red bags, eh? How big were your bonuses from your company this year?

    Notice that there are children there. Yes, China is very family-friendly. You can bring your children to company parties, and get togethers. You don’t need to worry that some American “alphabet” government agency will not fine or arrest you for “child labor”, or “change your insurance” because of the addition of minors to an adult venue. What was your company end-of-the-year party like? Did it include children and families?

    Stuffed bulls. 2021 is the Year of the Bull. So it is rather commonplace to give stuffed animals and display picture of the year’s animal. 2020 was the year of the rat. Not very many people retained their stuffed rat plushies, though. Did your company hand out presents or gifts aside from a ball-pint pen that had the company logo? What were the most popular gifts that your company handed out and gave to you?

    Year of the rat.
    Stuffed rat doll.

    Drinking alcohol. There are glasses of red wine and of course white wine. All Chinese business and social affairs include alcohol. It’s a cultural norm, and the idea that children will watch the adults drink is culturally normal. Doesn’t it feel good to relax with your coworkers and down a few drinks? Perhaps you might have a few humorous stories that you might want to share, eh?

    Happy CNY you all!

    American “news” reports on CNY…

    Tell me please, how the American “news” is reporting all these events. It’s a huge event. Half of the world are celebrating it. Nothing in America. It’s not “important”. So what is “important”?

    So, let’s check out the American “news” and see what they are reporting. First up, Yahoo!

    Yahoo! Screen capture 4FEB21 at 9:47am China Time.

    .

    Nope. No reporting what so ever.

    Next up is MSN…

    MSN news.
    MSN screen capture 4FEB21 at 9:55am China time.

    .

    Nope. No reporting what so ever.

    All in all pretty much all stable. Both Yahoo! and MSN seem to have a good mixture of light stuff and heavy stuff, and seems to put the political stuff off to the side. In other words all the DOOM and GLOOM doesn’t really dominate.

    So where are all these maniacs coming from that are invading MM? Where do they get all their ideas about “Jews” and “China”?

    Next up… FOX “news”…

    FOX news.
    FOX “news” screen capture 4FEB21 at 9:59am.

    .

    You know guys, it’s kind of a mystery to me.

    None of the big American “news” outlets seem to be all that bad. They seem to post a mixture of “news”. I just am unable to point any kind of finger towards why some people would get these kinds of radical ideas that they try to bombard my comment section with.

    So I checked out FOX world “news”.

    Look what I discovered…

    Hey! Did you know that China is trying to infiltrate American politics? I didn’t. Most Chinese, and that includes the government, just DOESN’T GIVE A RAT’S ASS about American politics. Everyone here (in China) thinks it’s just one big loony bin.

    .

    America…

    loony bin
    Insane asylum. The word “lunatic” comes from the word for “moon”; madness was associated in many cultures with the effect of the phases of the moon on the human mind. From lunatic came loony, and loony bin was where insane people were incarcerated. The phrase is now considered insulting in the extreme, as are “booby hatch” (originally a covered passageway down a ship deck), “funny farm,” “drool academy,” and “foam rubber city” (a reference to padded cells).

    Posting about humanity.

    Ok. Enough of my rant-a-thon.

    rant ( plural rants ) A criticism done by ranting.  A wild, emotional, and sometimes incoherent articulation. A type of  dance step usually performed in clogs, and particularly (but not  exclusively) associated with the English North West Morris tradition.
    
    rant - Wiktionary

    Just bear with me when I check your comments. I have other things going on in my life and I am not tethered to my PC 24-7. I try to check at least two times a day, and often much more than that. I’ve found that I must guard against spamming, track-back assaults, commenting barrages, and other such nonsense. And please forgive me if you want to hijack MM to become a soapbox for your anger and pent-up angst.

    Let’s get to what this post is all about.

    It’s about humanity.

    This post is about some videos by NZBZ. They are a Pop / RAP group of of China. They are pretty representative, and their videos show scenes and life about what modern China is all about. As well as contemporaneous Chinese pop lifestyle. So when I read the pure hatred and bullshit that spews forth from the “five eyes” out of America, I just shake my head, and get back to my real life.

    Five Eyes Alliance: Everything You Need to Know | Business ...
    https://www.businessleader.co.uk/five-eyes-alliance-everything-you-need-to-know/73523
    
    2019-9-20 · Before 2003, very little about the five eyes alliance  was known to the public. Things got clearer in 2013 when a former NSA  contractor, Edward Snowden, leaked some documents connected to the Five Eyes alliance. These documents brought to light the widespread surveillance on the public’s online activities by this alliance.

    A life not unlike what is portrayed in these videos. If you want to see what China is, then check out these videos. They will help paint a picture of Chinese culture and society. It’s one (at least for now) that is inclusive, traditional, respects diversity, is helpful, positive and rewards people based on merit.

    What. Is. Wrong. With. That?

    I put the videos here on MM, but just have a link instead of a photo to access them. I think that the page would load faster that way, and easier for you all to enjoy.

    南征北战NZBZ – 二十多岁

    “Twenty Years Old”.

    What kind of difference are you going to make in the world? You are twenty years old, and the entire world awaits to see what you are going to do. Do not be shy. Make a difference.

    .

    You can view the video HERE on MM. Comes up in a different window.

    南征北战NZBZ – 冠军

    “Champion”.

    To become great and realize your full potential, you must get down deep and reach down. Strive. Push, and be the best you can be. Nothing is impossible.

    .

    You can view the video HERE on MM. Comes up in a different window.

    南征北战NZBZ – 骄傲的少年

    “Proud teenager”.

    The Chinese society has gone through oh so much. The Chinese people have had to deal with so much. The individuals all had to put themselves aside for the better good, and now after decades, and centuries of strife, striving and pushing, they have achieved so much. And more is coming…

    .

    You can view the video HERE on MM. Comes up in a different window.

    南征北战NZBZ – 生来倔强

    “Born stubborn”.

    Face up to history and face the future bravely. Perseverance of the heart and footsteps… No one can stop it… I don’t care if people laugh at me…

    .

    You can view the video HERE on MM. Comes up in a different window.

    南征北战NZBZ – 搓搓

    “It’s a slug”.

    We can all change. Maybe we come from a humble background, but we can change. Maybe it takes ten years. But we will change. Keep your feet on the ground, and follow that road before you. Believe.

    .

    You can view the video HERE on MM. Comes up in a different window.

    南征北战NZBZ – 我的天空

    “My Sky”.

    This song is perhaps the Anthem of Chinese youth today.

    Goodby to the old, and hello – hello to the new. To the new life, and to the new beginnings. It’s all possible… and watch what I can do.

    .

    You can view the video HERE on MM. Comes up in a different window.

    南征北战NZBZ – 哈尼宝贝

    “Hani baby”. Ha Ni Bao Bei 哈尼宝贝.

    It’s a love song about a girl. It’s also very popular in China. Kind of catchy. Upbeat.

    .

    You can view the video HERE on MM. Comes up in a different window.

    南征北战NZBZ – 别无他求

    “There’s no other desire”.

    Some Great Reviews;

    Listener 1: “A particularly meaningful song dedicated to left-behind children. In fact, from the early songs such as “My Sky” and “Proud Boy”, it is nothing new for us to speak up for left-behind children today. It is also inspiring and full of positive energy, and it also proves our uniqueness with songs. The realistic lyrics plus the melodic euphemism lyric, let listen to people unconsciously fall into it. “

    Listener 2: “It is really rare for The Southern Campaign to personally produce the lyrics and music creation of the new song ‘Nothing Else’. The whole song is melodious and melodious, and under the deep and vigorous voice of the three, it expresses the yearning of the left-behind children for their parents on the other end of the phone, as long as you are there. “

    Listener 3: “the song” has no other desire “inspired a public welfare activities, last year, fighting NZBZ led volunteers to the countryside, all the way to see a lot of left-behind children, not their parents around them, helpless and lonely desolation in their world, and they have sprung up in thinking inspiration, record the miss and thinking of leaving. “

    Listener 4: “To love someone is to love them until seven points are enough, but there are still three points left to love yourself. Love is too full, for him is not happiness, but a burden. The truth of the world, originally is so simple, whether love things, or lovers, to be temperate. Full moon is deficient, full water is overflowing, sometimes, too much love is not love, but great harm. “

    .

    You can view the video HERE on MM. Comes up in a different window.

    Hot Tub Time Machine

    You all know that we can find inspiration in the strangest things. And in this post, I used the Chinese music group NZBZ to help describe China as what it is today. It is inspirational. And only a fool, a real goodness-to-gracious fool, would think otherwise.

    China is taking the world and society seriously. The people, the musicians, the workers, the society are all working together. The entire nation came together and worked as one during the 2020 pandemic. This was not an accident. People realize that when they work together, there is a synergy.

    1 + 1 = 5

    We become greater though collaborative effort.

    And you know what, we all can work together to make the world a better place. Not by being the “lone wolf” struggling to climb to the top of that pile of money. But working together with others to make the world a better place to live in.

    China is showing us the way.

    Don’t like what you hear on the “news”? Well, you can do something about it.

    Yes, you.

    No, I’m not talking about building a school, investing billions of dollars in one social program or the other. I am taking about a million people each doing one small thing. Be kind. Pick up the trash on the road. Help that dog or cat that needs a home. Be nicer to the cashier who had a bad day.

    Show some humanity.

    In the American comedy “Hot Tub Time Machine” the characters go into a Hot Tub and go back in time. They end up reliving one of the pivotal moments in their lives. And then realizing, with the eyes of experience placed in their young bodies, that they can make a difference. That they can change things. That they can have a good life, and make the world a better place.

    Hot Tub Time Machine. You can make a difference.
    Hot Tub Time Machine.

    And you know what?

    You don’t need a “time machine” to do it.

    You can do it right now.

    Say “hi” to the person next to you. Buy a co-worker a cup of tea or coffee. Open the door for the old man, or help the girl on the bike who dropped a package. And if there is nothing you can do… then just smile.

    That’s all you need to do.

    Just smile.

    The world today that you see on the “news” is in many ways the direct result of bad actions by bad people. That are magnified a million, billion times by electronic amplification. When you have a jackass typing bad things on the computer in the basement of his rented house, those words of hate and disgust is then transmitted to a million others who then have to feel his words manifest into disgusting influences.

    Stop it.

    The Deer Hunter

    Robbie never made it.

    It was hard growing up in Western PA. The steel mills were all shutting down. The coal mines were closing as well. Most of my friends couldn’t find steady work. At best they did gig jobs or landed part-time work at minimum wage. When they weren’t working, they drank. They did drugs. They watched television or played games, or stared into the glowing blue monitor of their computer.

    The deer hunter.
    Western Pennsylvania. Scene from the movie “The Deer Hunter”. It was filmed near the house where I grew up.

    Meanwhile entire towns and communities fell apart.

    Robbie became a statistic.

    But not to me.

    We used to talk, and drink. We would go out fishing, take walks in the woods or just ride in his International Harvester Scout (a Jeep like vehicle) where we would talk. He was a kind person who wanted to do good, but there just wasn’t any positive outlets for him.

    There was nothing there.

    He tried to make walking paths in the wood so that people could enjoy nature. But that got him arrested for trespassing, and destruction of “Pennsylvania game lands”. He tried to take in lost dogs, but all that ended up was flooding his mobile home house with nine ravenously hungry German Shepard’s. He was always talking big, and hustling for a buck or two.

    But gainful employment always eluded him.

    Western PA.
    Western Pennsylvania. My heritage.

    He would try to get work. He was personable. He was kind and likable. But the America where he lived did not have a role in society for him. In America you either make money or you are useless. And he, as hard as he tried, couldn’t break through the limits.

    He died alone. He died with a needle in his arm in darkness with the television on, and him lying cold on his brown plaid, distressed, living room couch. A can of beer on the coffee table. And a job application under the ash tray.

    It’s not his fault.

    It’s the society that permitted this to occur.

    What are YOU doing to make the world a better place?

    No, I’m not talking about writing a letter to the editor demanding that taxes be raised “for the children”. Nor am I talking about censoring anyone.

    I am talking about you volunteering. I am talking about you contributing. I am talking about you stop allowing those with negative, hateful, or damaging language from affecting society. I am talking about you doing something physically that helps your community.

    In our world, you must give to receive. In Pennsylvania and in America, so many have taken, taken, and taken for so long that those that are left behind are left to rot and die. Not just figuratively. They are dying literally.

    When you go out today, just be more aware of how you affect the world around you. Your thoughts, your actions, and your participation are required to make the world a better, safer, and more desirable place to live.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my China Music Index here…

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index
    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
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    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

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    What are “shadow people” in the MWI.

    This is a MAJestic post. It fits somewhere in between “what is the nature of the universe” and “how thoughts can alter our reality”. This article focuses on the idea that when you are in a world-line you are pretty much “alone”. Everyone else are just “shadows” or “shadow people” that occupy the world-line that you inhabit. Here we are going to spend more time flushing out what “shadow people” are, and what you are when you are on a world-line.

    We covered some of this material in other posts.

    Here we are going to elaborate on some of the finer details to help provide a better picture of what is actually going on. And of course, this knowledge that I am transcribing to the MM audience is not the mainstream scientific understanding (at least as I understand it), but rather what the <redacted> benefactors that worked with us at MAJestic believe that it is.

    You, being who you are, can take it or leave it, and even ignore this article. But I would argue that you need to pay attention as it will best describe how the universe actually works, in far better detail than anything currently available within conventional science.

    I have simplified the way the universe works so that people can understand it. And this posts leaves the simplification to start getting to the intricacies of the entire system.

    Quick Review – “Time”

    We are consciousness. Not a physical being.

    Our consciousness is part of something much larger. We refer to this “bigger” thing as a “soul”.

    Everything that you know, experience and think derives from your consciousness.

    This consciousness constantly moves.

    It moves from a fixed (unchanging) world-line to another world-line. We move from one to the other, and we call this movement “time”.

    “Time” is the movement of your consciousness from one world-line to another.

    Consciousness defines “time”.

    Quick Review- Properties of a world-line

    Each world-line is static.

    Meaning that nothing is moving. A “world-line” is a frozen moment in time.

    And each world-line represents, not only a frozen moment in time, of what have happened in the past, but also what will happen in the future. As well as every single “what-if” world-lines no matter how trivial.

    And while we consider them to be “world-lines”, they are actually a small frozen in place complete universe. With planets, galaxies, stars, and all sorts of things that we associate with “our reality”.

    Each world-line is a frozen universe.

    Quick Review – A Template

    For our purposes, we can consider world-lines to occupy a “location” independent of time and space. Thus it is very difficult to associate them with any kinds of geometry. Never the less, these world-lines can be “stacked”, “arranged” or “associated” with others for purposes of invention. Meaning; These frozen world-lines can be arranged to provide a utility, or a purpose.

    A “template” is an arrangement of world-lines.

    The world-lines are set up so that it is easy for consciousness to move from one to another, and thus experience “time”. This arrangement has elements of intelligent design inherent in it.

    Obviously, those world-lines that are most similar to each other are organized in close proximity. It is called a “template”.

    Quick review – Pre-birth template

    A “pre-birth” (world-line) Template is an arranged template.

    It is referred to as a “pre-birth” template because the Soul created it (arranged it) prior to your consciousness entering the physical body on world-line number one.

    It is an arrangement of world-lines with the intent on creating a (more or less) “default” path of least resistance for a (given specific) consciousness to travel through.

    The consciousness, of course, can enter any world-lines that it’s thoughts desire. However, the pre-birth template defines the path of “least resistance” for the consciousness. This template is pre-arranged specifically for the consciousness to acquire specific experiences while it is part of a physical body.

    This manifests in a very simple manner.

    A person finds a $100 bill on the sidewalk.
    
    The default action, and the most likely response, is for the person to pick up the money and put it in his/her pocket. That is the adjacent world-line route upon the pre-birth template. It is the easy to implement world-line migration path that the consciousness would / should take.
    
    However, other options are available.
    
    These other options lie off that of the pre-birth world-line template. They can include...
    
    [1] Picking up the money, and lighting it on fire.
    [2] Picking it up and using it as toilet paper.
    [3] Ignoring the money.
    [4] Putting it in a Salvation Army donation canister.
    [5] Giving it to the neighborhood kids to play with.

    For most consciousnesses, the easiest path – “the path of least resistance” – is the pre-birth template. The consciousness can take very little initiative, aside from following the conditions and situations presented to them, and experience life as defined by the template.

    Following the path of least resistance on a pre-birth world-line template is to live a “fated life”.

    For most consciousnesses, the easiest path – “the path of least resistance” – is the pre-birth template.

    Quick review – Slide

    When you, as a consciousness, decide to do something out of the normal, something difficult or something extraordinary… you travel off the template. This travel, is automatic, and it appears that you “slide” off onto some other template.

    A slide is when you exit the pre-birth world-line template and go to another template.

    Moving off of the pre-birth world-line template is known as a “slide”. You “slide off” of it and enter a new template. This new template can provide you with new experiences and new opportunities. However, unless you maintain your position within that new template, you will always revert back to your original pre-birth world-line template.

    Quick review – Occupancy

    99.99999% of world-lines are empty.

    Meaning that all they are, are just full and populated with other people, animals and things without consciousness. And only YOU, the one who is moving, possesses any kind of consciousness.

    These people, and animals, are referred to as “shadows” or Shadow people” because while they appear to move and think, they do not have a consciousness like you have.

    They are the “what if” actions, and scenery that your consciousness interacts with.

    Everything in the world-line is scenery. And it is mostly devoid of other consciousnesses.

    .

    And the basic reality of our reality and our universe is that most of our world-lines are empty of all other consciousnesses except for our own. And so to see what it looks like is pretty much like this…

    And the world-lines that we occupy only has our own singular consciousness in it.

    .

    And this is how I have been discussing world-line travel for some time now.

    Well, that is not exactly correct.

    In reality, all the “shadow people” possess a consciousness.

    It’s not zero like I have stated.

    That is an over-simplification.

    There is some small percentage of a consciousness within every shadow entity. It’s just that the percentage is very, very tiny.

    So, let’s take off the “training wheels”.

    Every single one of the infinity of world-lines has consciousnesses throughout. Not just of everyone else, but also yours. It’s a tiny, tiny nearly infinitesimal amount. So what is ACTUALLY going on is that your consciousness dominates all the other consciousnesses in the world-line.

    It’s like this…

    Some explanations are necessary – How

    In quantum physics, when two quanta meet, they become entangled.

    Quantum Entanglement in Physics - ThoughtCo
    
    Quantum entanglement is one of the central principles of quantum physics, though it is also highly misunderstood.In short, quantum entanglement means that multiple particles are linked together in a way such that the measurement of one particle's quantum state determines the possible quantum states of the other particles.
    
    https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-quantum-entanglement-2699355
    

    And in the realm outside of our reality; the one that contains all the near-infinite numbers of world-lines, there isn’t any time or space. It’s a region with no geometry. So everything can entangle in a quantum sense.

    No world-lines are independent. They are all connected to each other.

    .

    Theoretically.

    What is actually happening is that clusters of world-lines entangle with other clusters of world-lines. They do this when ever a consciousness is injected into a world-line template.

    A soul injects a consciousness into a template, and them BOOM! A hundred trillion world-lines automatically get entangled.

    When a consciousness is injected into a world-line template, all the world-lines become entangled with each other.

    .

    This happens each time when a soul injects a consciousness.

    This happens each time the consciousness enters and leaves world-lines, and life-lines (life-times).

    And all of this entanglement puts a little infinitesimal part of you, and those around you near you in what ever world-line that your consciousness happens to occupy at that moment.

    Now…

    It should be understood that there are other factors that come into play. One injection of consciousness into a template does not mean that the entire infinite numbers of world-lines are all entangled. The effect does “peter out”, or decline as the variance increases.

    In effect, and for our purposes, it will resemble something like this…

    The ability of a consciousness to entangle with “close proximity” world-lines happens automatically. However, the ability for the entangled world-lines to entangle with other world-lines drops off as the degree of variance increases.

    .

    So lets consider this illustration.

    You, as consciousness, are injected into a template by your soul.
    
    You have pre-arranged the template layout and "geometry" so that you will have a very interesting and special arrangement of experiences that your consciousness would enjoy.
    
    You, as consciousness, are injected into this template and immediately all the world-lines mapped out by your soul are now entangled. This effect ripples through all the world-lines... to a point.
    
    Certainly the world-lines where you are driving a car, and go through an intersection has your consciousness presence. 
    
    But does the world-lines where you are a duck eating (what ever ducks eat) as well? 
    
    No. That is very unlikely. As the degree of variance from your point of entry increases, so does the drop off of entanglement.You driving a car does not resemble a duck eating (what ever ducks eat).

    Now…

    Consider that this is happening for the billions upon billions of people that are entering and leaving our template surface. Each one is “making their marks”. Good or bad. Right or work. Strong or soft. All combine to provide some “foot print” of their present upon the template that you inhabit.

    Explanations – why

    You might want to know why this occurs this way. To which I must shrug my shoulders and respond that I really do not know. I suppose that if everyone was a full-on 100% consciousness inside their body, and if thoughts control our reality, then our reality could be come a very confusing mess of constantly changing realities.

    By only having one dominant consciousness inside a world-line, the thoughts that navigate though the template path are clearer and easy to track.

    Or inother worlds, if everyone within your world-line were operating their consciousness at 100%, like you…

    …and thoughts create our reality, and navigate on and off world-lines and their associated templates…

    …then…

    ,,,reality would be changing and moving far too rapidly. It would be very difficult to corral your personal thoughts into any kind of functional application. The “reality” would be a real mess.

    Observed “reality” as the world-lines change through time would resemble a very complex mess and confusing state were everyone that co-inhabited your world-line operated at 100% consciousness efficiency.

    .

    How can we use this knowledge

    There are many positives to understanding how the universe actually works. But I would guess that the greatest value comes from what you do with that knowledge personally. Once you realize that your consciousness is THE dominant consciousness in the world-line that you inhabit, that means that your thoughts are also the DOMINANT THOUGHTS in the world-line as well.

    Thus the need to control your thoughts has never been greater.

    Not only can we control our navigation, but our influence in the strong quantum entanglements of “near-by” (but untraveled) world-lines means that we have the potential to influence the trends and behaviors of the environment around us.

    Which is why my role as a “dimensional anchor” was so important.

    Turn off that “news”. You define what you want to happen in the world around you.

    I suppose you can "skim" the headlines. But really forget about most of it. Most are lies and manipulations. If you are all caught up on 5G and brain damage, the dangers of vaccines, and the government plot to do this or that...
    
    ...you all need to start drinking alcohol more, and reading the computer less.

    Have a “bad boss”? You can think him out of your influence cycle?

    The nation going crazy? You can calm it down, make it stable and anchor it against the winds of the radicals.

    Unsatisfied with your life? Think yourself a better one.

    The path and the road lies a head of you. You have more control over it’s navigation than you are aware of. Turn off the criteria of what “happiness is”, or the need to “accumulate wealth to be happy”, or the idea of “you need to do this, or that”. The only one who knows what you need is YOU.

    Control your thoughts, and you will control your mind. Control your mind, and you will navigate towards the life you want.

    It’s all in your hands.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Intention Campaign Index here…

    Intention Campaigns

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index
    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

    [wp_paypal_payment]

    If you enjoy what you see, it would be helpful if you could assist in hosting this forum. A donation would be appreciated.

    The little guys start to fight back, and the oligarchy is left hurting from the bitch slap.

    This post is a little tad boring in that it relates to money and how money is used to generate more money. I find that boring. I also find it trivial.
    
    However, this mechanism is ingrained in the United States and the West as the ONLY way for people to move upward in the class-caste structure that has been constructed.
    
    The "big news" is that "the little guy" (people who live outside the oligarchy class) have devised a way to "get even" with the wealthy oligarchy that has been "sticking it to the rest of us" for decades now. And this "get even" event is well... it's fucking awesome.

    Game Stop Corp

    Late in January 2021, a few amateur stock trading nerds decided to promote a stock that was heavily shortened by certain hedge funds. The idea was to raise the stock price of Game Stop Corp., a vendor for computer games, by having lots of small stock traders to buy into it. The hedge fund that shortened the stock, and thereby bet on a dropping stock price, would then make huge losses while the many small buyers would potentially profit.

    .

    These people, who had joined up in the sub-reddit /r/WallStreetBets, were not driven by greed but by rage against the financial machine:

    Instead of greed, this latest bout of speculation, and especially the extraordinary excitement at GameStop, has a different emotional driver: anger. The people investing today are driven by righteous anger, about generational injustice, about what they see as the corruption and unfairness of the way banks were bailed out in 2008 without having to pay legal penalties later, and about lacerating poverty and inequality. This makes it unlike any of the speculative rallies and crashes that have preceded it.
    1990’s portrayal of teenage hackers.

    .

    The movement was successful. The stock price of Game Stop Corp. rose from some $10 to over $400 within just a few days. The short seller had to take cover under a larger firm:

    Hedge fund Melvin Capital closed out its short position in GameStop on Tuesday after taking huge losses as a target of the army of retail investors. Citadel and Point72 have infused close to $3 billion into Gabe Plotkin's hedge fund to shore up its finances.

    Then the system hit back.

    Discord, the company which hosted the server for the sub-reddit /r/WallStreetBets suddenly found that there was ‘hate-speech’ in the threads. It unplugged the server. (Discord had previously unplugged the sub-reddit /r/The_Donald.)

    Glenn Greenwald @ggreenwald - 0:53 UTC · Jan 28, 2021
    
    What an absolutely extraordinary coincidence of timing that Discord happened to decide the r/Wall Streetbets sub-reddit had too much “hate speech” to tolerate on the same day hedge fund billionaires declared them a huge threat for the crime of winning at their expense!

    Next the trading app Robinhood, which many of the amateur traders use, blocked further buys into the stock:

    Robinhood, the fee-free investment app that has helped Redditors and other retail investors pump dark horse stocks like GameStop, AMC, BlackBerry, and Nokia, has stopped allowing users to buy those stocks and others YOLO picks.
    
    According to screenshots shared on social media, on Thursday morning a notification appeared on Robinhood telling users that they could close their position on GameStop's stock, but not buy any additional shares. 
    
    Redditors are currently panicking, looking for ways to transfer their shares of GameStop off of Robinhood to other platforms, and are generally furious at the platform.
    
    In a blog post, Robinhood confirmed that it has placed restrictions on several stocks due to volatility.

    “Volatility” = the prols are messing up Wall Street by doing legal stock transactions our overlords do not like. What an irony that a company named Robin Hood is protecting the rich from the poor.

    The many people who use Robinhood can now only sell their shares and not buy additional ones:

    This is likely to have a massive impact on Robinhood users and ultimately the company. According to a popup on the app's homepage, 56 percent of all Robinhood users own at least some GameStop stock. They are now unable to freely trade it; the app is only allowing users to close out their positions, meaning they can sell it but not buy more. This is potentially devastating for novice investors or those who simply want to follow the general marching orders of the r/WallStreetBets subreddit, which is to hold (and buy more) GameStop stock until further notice.

    .

    That outright manipulation of the stock markets was noticed and may even have consequences. Unlike Joe Biden it united legislators across the aisle.

    Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @AOC - 16:36 UTC · Jan 28, 2021
    
    This is unacceptable.
    
    We now need to know more about @RobinhoodApp’s decision to block retail investors from purchasing stock while hedge funds are freely able to trade the stock as they see fit.
    
    As a member of the Financial Services Cmte, I’d support a hearing if necessary.

    .

    Ted Cruz @tedcruz - 16:47 UTC · Jan 28, 2021
    Retweeting @AOC
    Fully agree.

    House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will take care that nothing will comes from it. The system has proven again and again that it is rigged. No change to it will be condoned.

    .

    As Glenn Greenwald noted yesterday:

    Glenn Greenwald @ggreenwald - 13:49 UTC · Jan 27, 2021
    
    To review:
    - Politics is to be manipulated only by K Street.
    - The stock market is to be manipulated only by Wall St.
    - Dissemination of information is to be manipulated only by corporate media outlets.
    
    Those are the rules.
    
    The lesson they want us to learn: Don't even think of ever breaking those rules.
    
    Posted by b on January 28, 2021 at 18:05 UTC | Permalink

    .

    It’s all been brutal.

    Furthermore, everybody “understands” what happened with GameStop.  Unlike some other Wall Street stories, this one isn’t complicated. The  entire tale, in a nutshell, goes like this. One group of gamblers  announced, “Fuck you!” Another group announced back: “No, fuck YOU!”  That’s it. Or, as one market analyst put it to me this morning, “A bunch  of guys made a bet, got killed, then doubled and tripled down and got  killed even more.”
    
    -Suck It, Wall Street  by Matt Taibbi   

    Why?

    Well, because the oligarchy believe that they and their system were untouchable. That it was unassailable, and that they were forever free of the consequences of their actions. Does “Too big to fail” ring a bell.

    .

    Guess that the response from Joe Average and Suzi Average has been a little brutal. But can you blame them?

    A best-selling fiction author could not have spun a more ironic tale so completely representative of our time.

    Just as an unprecedented situation—COVID and lockdowns—unfolded over the past year and led to massive gains for corporate titans like Walmart and Amazon. Meanwhile governments have crushed small businesses and individuals…

    And a new, unprecedented situation has unfolded.

    Spilling off the pages of Reddit to become a substantial threat to the stock market’s stability Is amazing.

    It is a microcosm of this tale of big business quashing the little guy.

    It is a tale of Wall Street profiting despite the best, most subversive efforts of the underdogs.

    In short, what started out as a long stock play in a subreddit full of rocketship and “diamond hand” emojis and anti-elitist snark has fueled a form of class warfare that extends well beyond rhetoric.

    Big Tech and Wall Street are fighting back, and right now it appears they’re winning.

    But in the long run, you do know, you can only tread water only for so long.

    The subreddit has shown us the way forward.

    You Do Need Some Background

    The background of this story may seem dry to some, but as with “The Big Short” of ’08, the full extent of malfeasance and recklessness by big Wall Street players can’t be understood without some working knowledge.

    Reddit user “u/DeepF*ckingValue” has been touting the potential of GameStop (GME) for months.

    Seen as a dying retail breed, its stock price had hovered around $5 per share for several years as people move away from brick and mortar for video games and more towards digital copies of games and online purchases of consoles.

    Enter Ryan Cohen.

    He is the founder of Chewy, which he sold for a cool $3 billion back in 2018. This was after successfully competing with Amazon for the e-commerce dog food market.

    Then, after stepping away from dog food domination, he turned his sights towards GameStop. Where he endedup buying a 13 percent share in the company and joining its board of directors in mid-January.

    This move boosted the stock price, but it was still trading under $20.

    While a visionary joining a failing company has brought about spikes in stock price in the past, GameStop had another unique factor against it.

    Its stock, GME, was shorted at an astronomical rate by several hedge funds, including Melvin Capital.

    A short position is taken when a person or fund believes the stock price will go down. They borrow against the current market price with the intention of paying it back when the market price is lower.

    For example;

    Stock A is trading at $3. 
    
    Bob believes it will drop to $1 and shorts 100 shares of stock. Meaning he "borrows" the 100 shares.
    
    He “sells” those "shorted" (borrowed) stocks immediately for $300. 
    
    In a week, if the stock price goes to $1 he can close his stock position and buy the 100 shares he “borrowed” for only $100. 
    
    At the end of it all, Bob makes $200.

    However, if a week later the price rises to $5 per share, he could close out his short position by paying $500 for 100 shares at $5 per share. In the end, he’d lose $200 on his bet.

    Yikes.

    But…

    Bob has another option.

    He can hold on to it longer.

    If his short position isn’t looking too hot with a current price of $5 per share. He could stick with his short position and hope it drops back down to $3 or less sometime in the future to cover his current paper loss. The risk with this is that his loss potential is theoretically unlimited. If he holds onto his short position for another week and the stock price rises to $10, he’s even more in the red.

    The longer you wait; and hold on to the stock, the greater the risk or gain.

    Well, this is only one of the ways you can short a stock.

    The bigger you or your fund is, the more complicated a short position can become, all the way into “naked” short (selling a stock you haven’t even borrowed yet, akin to listing and selling a home you don’t even own), which are illegal but hard to track and therefore rarely prosecuted.

    SEC.gov | Naked Short Sales
    https://www.sec.gov/answers/nakedshortsale.htm
    
    2010-7-23 · In a "naked" short  sale, the seller does not borrow or arrange to borrow the securities in  time to make delivery to the buyer within the standard three-day  settlement period.As a result, the seller fails to deliver securities to  the buyer when delivery is due; this is known as a "failure to deliver"  or "fail."

    Back to GameStop

    GameStop was shorted at 140 percent of all the shares available to purchase, meaning it is likely more shares were shorted than there were to buy back to cover those short positions.

    140 %.

    140%

    Think about it. 100% is all you have to work with.

    This should never happen.

    It suggests the types of shorts that were used were questionable at best and illegal at worst.

    And the US government, and SEC looked the other way. They always “look the other way”.

    .

    So “u/DeepF*ckingValue” and a group of redditors saw an opportunity: take advantage of those who are taking advantage.

    What has unfolded over the past couple weeks has been a run on purchasing GME stock to try and buy up as much shares as possible to take advantage of this short position.

    Buying all those shares naturally drove up the stock price, but it also did something else.

    Every time the price went a little bit higher, hedge funds that had massive short positions took more and more of a loss as they were forced to buy an ever-increasing stock to cover their short positions.

    .

    As reddit user u/myne put it:

    [Hedge funds] short-sold AT LEAST 40% more shares than ever existed. 
    
    They’re obliged to buy back more shares than is possible. 
    
    The only way out of that self-made trap is a complicated mess of desperately buying, returning, rebuying from the people you borrowed them from, and returning them with losses at every step. 
    
    Imagine if I sold you 10 cars, but only delivered 6. 
    
    You’re standing there with your WTF face and I say ‘Hey! how much would you sell those 4 cars for?’ 
    
    You can name your price at this point. 
    
    I pay it. Then I ‘finish’ my ‘10 car delivery.’

    At this point, some fund managers and individuals exited their short position realizing that as long as people who were long GME held their position, the stock price would continue to go up and there was nothing they could do about it.

    This is known as a short squeeze.

    As short positions become due and shorters have to cover these positions, they’re forced to buy at the price set by the shareholder.

    Since these same shorters shorted more stock than was available to buy to try and make an extra buck, they’re now at the mercy of those holding the shares, leading to exponentially increasing prices.

    Uh oh!

    Punishing Hedge Funds for Cheating

    While some shorters realized the potential losses could be catastrophic, others decided to double down on their position.

    Melvin Capital lost 30 percent of their portfolio value by Jan. 25, or close to $4 billion. On that day, Citadel and Steven Cohen gifted Melvin Capital $2.75 billion to help cover their losses. They then doubled down on their shorts and their losses have skyrocketed.

    On Jan. 25, they announced they finally exited their short positions.

    This is when the war with individual retail investors started.

    While it cannot be technically proven that Melvin didn’t exit their short positions, short positions on GME as a percentage of available float were still at the same 140 percent.

    Statistically, this should’ve fallen off hard if Melvin really did sell their short positions. Thousands of retail investors thus doubted this news and continued to hold onto their stocks.

    GME stock had continued to skyrocket.

    On Friday 22JAN21, it closed at $65 per share.

    One week later it closed at $345 per share.

    Last night, u/DeepF*ckingValue’s initial $50,000 position grew to $50,000,000, and he’s continuing to hold.

    Now, a lot of short positions will become due by the end of the week, and that’s when the much-anticipated short squeeze is expected to kick in.

    What started out as a humorous stock projection has become a realistic prediction.

    We might see GME share prices above $1,000. With this attention on targeting heavily shorted stocks, other stocks have seen massive gains as well, including AMC, BB, and NOSS.

    Recent aftermarket trading pushed GME close to $500 and bankruptcy for funds with heavy short positions seemed to become more and more probable.

    It appeared that the underdog small-time investors betting against the big hedge fund pessimists successfully dealt a blow to Wall Street know-it-alls.

    Robinhood Turns on the Little Guy

    Then suddenly, Robinhood suspended the ability to purchase shares of GME, AMC, and others due to “market volatility.”

    Of course, you still can sell these shares, you just can’t buy them.

    And what happens to a stock when you can only sell it or hold it? People sell it and losses start to pile up.

    Within an hour, GME dropped from $469 to $132 and AMC dropped from $12 to $7. Several traders reported orders being cancelled.

    This may seem like a responsible reaction to slow volatility, but one doesn’t need to look that deeply to see what’s really going on.

    Mega hedge fund Citadel gave Melvin Capital, the company with the most to lose the higher these prices go, a $2.75 billion bailout. According to Yahoo News, “Citadel’s founder is Ken Griffin, who also founded Citadel Securities, a big investor in Robinhood that also works with TD Ameritrade and Charles Schwab.”

    Citadel’s founder is Ken Griffin
    Citadel’s founder is Ken Griffin.

    .

    The company that touts “democratizing finance for all,” that many redditors have relied on to foil the fat cats’ plan to short a beloved videogame store, is really stealing from the poor to give to the rich.

    Within an hour, billions have been transferred from individual retail investors to hedge fund managers in the name of Robinhood.

    Its app store rating plummeted from 5 to 1.

    This is a blatant act of market manipulation, and lovers of freedom on both sides of the aisle should be outraged.

    In a free market, stocks should be able to be bought or sold at any time and foolish actions should reap negative consequences—even if those consequences come via spiteful “average joe” investors. Investors who’ve likely gone through a hellish year where they’ve felt squeezed and short-changed by establishment elites in government and big business.

    You’re probably wondering what’s next.

    That depends on the constitution of retail investors. The subredditors of r/wallstreetbets have received an overwhelming amount of support for the hold position as trade volumes indicate the price crash was caused by very few sellers but high-frequency small trades that artificially crashed the price.

    This is Melvin’s/Robinhood’s/Citadel’s/Cohen’s last battle effort before the inevitable short squeeze.

    As long as retail investors hold, they should see their position skyrocket.

    But do they have the strength to do so as prices artificially tanked? Considering GME has recovered to $246, it appears they might. This is a once in a decade spectacle that has pitted retail investors against hedge fund managers, with irony off-the-charts: a platform called Robinhood screwing small-time investors?

    Really?

    Whether the trend of Big Business succeeding while the average American suffers continues through 2021 is anyone’s guess.

    But we deserve a better ending than bitter irony.

    .

    The key point in this, and the actions of the government, clearly demonstrate in clear and unambiguous terms that there are no absolute laws. There are just what they can do, and lip service about what YOU can do.

    Laws? Only For You. Bend Over

    Let’s start with the law: 

    It is illegal to "manipulate" a stock or other security -- that is, it is unlawful to express an intent to sell or buy for any other reason than to actually sell or buy, and it is also illegal to intentionally mislead others about your reasons for doing so.

    This is why “spoofing” (although almost-never prosecuted) is against the law.

    “Spoofing” is the practice of laying in a bid or offer you have no intention of being filled on for the express reason of making other people think you want to sell or buy something, when in fact you want to do the opposite.  

    They attempt to follow your claimed “expression of intent” only to find your offer or bid has disappeared, the price moves and they come in on the other side. 

    It sounds like picking up pennies in front of a steamroller and it is, but it can be very profitable especially if your connection to the exchange is fast enough that the risk of getting filled is extremely low in that you can cancel your order before anyone can hit it.

    This could be prevented on a trivial basis by the exchanges through a simple rule: 

    All orders must remain valid for enough time for the signal to travel around the globe twice (once there and once back) or until executed and you may not have more open orders at any given instant than you can clear (e.g. margin capacity.)  

    Now if you try to “spoof” you will get filled and the scheme fails. 

    .

    But note that despite this being blatantly obvious not one exchange has implemented such a rule and neither has the SEC demanded it.  

    Gee, I wonder why not?  Might it be that they really don't give a rats ass so long as only the "right" people cheat?

    Spoofing is an extremely common practice, a practice that especially screws small retail traders because we are nowhere near as fast with our fingers as a computer and also not sitting next to the exchange either

    … and a number of years ago one particular idiot was dumb enough to do it when the futures market was open over a holiday weekend. 

    It was caught on video and put on Youtube, which got the CME very pissed off.

    Oh by the way, they never have gone after the “big guys” doing the same thing nor changed the rules on order validity.

    Just the “little guys”.

    .

    Given how simple it would be to instantly stop this crap does that tell you everything you need to know?

    But there is nothing illegal about bidding up (or shorting) a stock for a transparent and truthful reason that has nothing to do with its underlying value.  The only requirement is that you not lie; witness firms like Tesla that have crazy valuations for which there is no rational justification, or Amazon, or similar.  

    They’re everywhere and always on the exchanges and always have been. 

    Fundamentally a company that pays no dividend has no value beyond the liquidation value of its assets in the free market when it comes to common stock.  Therefore, if you want to get down to it every single stock that pays no dividend trades on nothing more than hype since there is no discounted cash flow to you as a holder, ever, and no expectation there will be.

    That’s the dirty little secret that nobody wants to talk about when it comes to the stock market.

    And that is why you can have a market that trades at 666 one year and a few years later trades at 3,700.  Did the economy expand by a factor of five over that period?  Did it even double?  Not even close.

    The sort of short squeeze that we’ve seen occurred due to fraud — but not by the people causing the squeeze. 

    .

    And don’t get your panties in a wad about this either; yes, the “at home” trading cadre has materially expanded with the pandemic lockdowns and such, and we’re sending “stimulus checks” to a lot of young adults with nothing to do with their time, so staring at a trading terminal attempting to make money sounds pretty good, especially if you win a few times.  But that’s not the whole story — not even close.

    If you want to short a stock you are supposed to first borrow it. 

    That is, ordinary people cannot sell what they don’t have, so if you wish to short you must first borrow that which you want to sell.  This is one of the ways brokers make money; they keep all the stock their customers have in “street name” and keep track of who has what. 

    They can (and if supply is limited do) charge you to borrow that stock. 

    There’s nothing wrong with this, provided the stock borrowed is real. 

    It’s one of the things you agree to allow if you have a margin account; as part of the “price” of that privilege the broker can loan your stock to others for the purpose of shorting it.  However, since you own it if you demand it back because you wish to sell it the broker either has to find some other set of shares to replace what he lent out of yours or the short-seller is forcibly bought-in at the market because they have to return your shares. 

    If that causes to take a loss, tough crap.

    .

    There is an exception to this rule: 

    If you are a market maker then you can short naked, that is, without borrowing first.  

    Why?  Because a market maker’s job is, as the name implies, to make the market — that is, to take the other side of whatever the customer wants to do.  If I want to be long something in order to do it someone else has to sell it.  Now in the physical security market this is easy; there either is or is not what I want to buy out there on the sheet offered by someone else.  

    But in the options market there is no physical security; the entirety of it is synthetic.  This means if someone wishes to buy a CALL someone else has to sell one. 

    Well, that’s dangerous because naked short options positions are obligations to deliver. 

    .

    Specifically if you are short an IBM CALL @ $100 (for example) then you are obligated to deliver 100 shares of IBM stock on demand at any time before expiration for $100 each. 

    It does not matter what IBM’s stock is worth; if the holder of the CALL exercises their option you must deliver them.  If the shares cost $500 at that time you’re fucked.

    Likewise I can buy a $20 PUT on some stock. This gives me the right to PUT that stock on the other person for $20/share up until expiration.  
    
    IF the price is under $20 I of course have every reason to do that -- I can buy the shares for $10 and make you pay me $20!  
    
    Who doesn't like that deal?  
    
    Likewise, the market maker never wants that directional bet either since on the short side of an options trade you're obligated to perform if demanded by the long side.

    Nobody would stay in business being a market maker if this sort of thing could happen to them, so as soon as they take the opposing side they execute a balancing trade on the other side.  

    .

    In short if you’re a market maker you always want to be neutral on every security you make a market in; you make a (very) small profit on each transaction but you never, ever want to be exposed directionally because the amount you get paid is tiny compared to the risk, and one mistake will bankrupt you.

    Therefore if you’re a market maker you can short without locating first for this explicit reason.  This doesn’t lead to a problem generally because nobody in their right mind as a market maker wants a directional exposure, ever.  As a result the failure to locate is transient and does not accumulate; you will lay that risk off and remove the imbalance if you have to since you can construct synthetic positions that perform financially the same as real ones.

    So how do you get 140% of the available shares short? 

    It would seem impossible and is…

    …. unless someone cheats.

    There are some players in the market who have “market maker” status but also trade their own books or have cross-interests with those who do. 

    .

    Allegedly there are “Chinese walls” between those pieces (or interconnected entities.)  Quite obviously that is a load of crap because otherwise what you’ve seen would be impossible but it clearly not only has happened before but is still happening to this day. 

    These entities are how you wind up with short sales where the locate and borrow hasn’t happened first and the position remains open across time.  This is supposed to be illegal but other than a few hand-slaps in the futures markets for physical commodities I’m not aware of any criminal prosecution for doing it.

    And let’s be clear here: This practice is counterfeiting.

    There is nothing wrong with borrowing a share of stock from someone and selling it, provided that if the person who you borrowed it from wants it back you are forced to deliver it.  That is, if there are 100 shares of stock in the world the only entity who have the right to control how many total shares there are is the company itself.  Provided there are 100 shares who loans them and on what terms is nobody’s business; that’s a private transaction and it’s perfectly legal.  If I own something I have the right to lend or sell it to someone on whatever terms I choose.

    .

    But if you sell something without locating it first you are counterfeiting because you are now representing that there are 110 shares in the marketplace but the company never authorized the other 10. 

    You thus are in fact diluting every one of the existing and real shares by 10% and pocketing the money from those sales.  In short you are stealing by partially destroying the value of everyone else's holdings in that stock.

    Counterfeiting is a criminal offense — always and everywhere.

    .

    So now you have some folks who have discerned that in fact there is more than 100% of the public float out short.  This cannot happen through lawful trading activity, but it leads to an interesting conundrum: If you drive the price up you force those who committed that offense to cover their bets and there aren’t enough shares to do it.  Oh, someone will eventually fork up their shares at ever-increasing prices to unwind the fraud but in the process the people who shorted naked get a telephone pole up their ass in terms of losses.

    There is nothing illegal about targeting people who do this; you are not lying about your intentions and ramming someone’s criminal conduct up their ass is not only legal it’s what they deserve to have happen to them.  Remember that no company stock is actually worth anything beyond liquidation value at any instant in time when it comes to hard valuation; the entire remainder of the price is speculative premium — that is, the expression of belief in future prospects.

    Further, the folks on Reddit aren’t the whole story of the pressure either. 

    There appears to be a "gentleman's agreement" among hedgies that they don't go after this when done by their "friends."  The practice would never survive a day otherwise; competition is like that if it's honest competition.  The reason we ban collusion generally is because it destroys honest competition and that is bad.

    But as with any thieves guild breaking ranks can make you a lot of money and when something like this gets going you can bet there are folks with lots of money happy to jump on the bandwagon and add a few telephone poles — or a few hundred — to the pile being shoved up the short side’s ass.  Why not if they can profit from it especially if they don’t get identified to the other guild members as the ones who broke ranks?

    .

    So cry me a river, hedge fund mavens and screamers like Cramer — who, by the way, admitted on video many years ago how he used to manipulate markets before he had his own TV show.  He never went to jail for that, did he?

    What’s the difference?

    These folks on WSB are telling you exactly why they're doing what they're doing -- they intend to shove a telephone pole up some cheater's asses and break it off, making a profit at the same time, which is the truth.  
    
    That's legal.  
    
    There's no deception at all; every one of their "buy" orders is in fact a bona-fide intent to purchase and they're being entirely transparent as to why.

    That their intent has nothing to do with their view of the underlying company’s value in its present state means nothing; basically zero of the stock and option trades on the market, ever, are about today’s state of a given firm — they’re all about tomorrow’s beliefs which by the very nature of that being tomorrow are speculative.

    .

    Now one more thing: Why would Robinhood and others halt buys in a stock?

    Not crank margin to 100% (or some multiple of it for a short), stop it entirely irrespective of cash in your account?
    
    The broker does not care what the buyer and seller transact at and further, if there is no margin involved the broker also does not care if you grossly overpay and wind up with zero.  
    
    He loses nothing and this was your own self-directed decision, not his recommendation. All an actual broker does is match buyers and sellers; they are not involved directionally.  
    
    Well, not legally anyway.....
    
    Further, there are claims that people not on margin were force-liquidated.  On what basis?  Legally, maybe you signed something saying they could liquidate you "if they believed you were placing at risk" or even "if they're at risk" (without you being the cause.)  
    
    However the question still stands: Why did they liquidate the accounts if in fact they did?

    National Review claims Robinhood and IB were “adults in the room.”  Bullshit.  Let me quote some of their nonsense:

    Robinhood makes money by routing trades from its platform to large brokers, who compensate the company for its order flow. The larger the trading volume, the better for Robinhood. But Robinhood also makes money through various forms of lending, primarily margin lending to customers.

    Which is immaterial, as they had already set margin to 100%.  In other words, there were no margin loans on GME stock.  You put up cash before you buy, or you don’t buy.  If you have an existing position you can’t borrow against it.  That’s perfectly legit and brokers do that all the time when things get volatile.

    That generates no exposure for the brokerage.

    From Robinhood’s perspective, the GameStop rally is beneficial insofar as it generates revenue from increased trading activity, but it is also extremely risky, because the brokerage platform is lending millions of dollars to retail investors buying a world-historically volatile stock. As more and more buyers have flocked to GameStop, Robinhood has lent out more and more money.

    That’s a lie since they had already set margin to 100%.  They’re not lending money against those positions; those are cash transactions and, allegedly and if nobody is cheating, all Robinhood is doing is matching buyers and sellers.

    It’s unclear how much GameStop stock Robinhood has lent to hedge funds, but whatever the amount, they’ve been lucrative, commanding as much as 80 percent in interest due to the massive amount of money betting against the stock.

    Ah…. now we’re getting somewhere. 

    You see, brokers do that; they lend out stock and, in cases of hard to borrow shares there is often a fee that can get quite steep.  

    The brokerage would lose that income stream if the short was closed. 

    .

    But….

    …so what?  There’s no existential risk here — just lost opportunity.  Which doesn’t explain the clamp-down, does it?

    NR goes on to try to excuse this as being the “adults in the room.” 

    Nope.  Once you have margin set to 100% of a long position (and, I remind you, if there is no available float then you can’t short without breaking the law) then there is no risk to the brokerage.  If the bubble pops, it pops.  Your job is to match buyers and sellers and so long as you’re doing that and not doing something you shouldn’t be there is no problem.  The customer may lose his or her shirt but in a self-directed account with no margin loan outstanding against the position there is no risk to the firm provided everything you’re doing on the up and up.

    THERE ARE ANSWERS TO THE “WHY” QUESTION and I’d love to hear one that doesn’t implicate criminal activity.  National Review is, to be blunt, playing cover for people; their “explanation” makes no sense.  So why publish it at all until and unless they can get the answer to the actual question: Why?

    So why did certain platforms do what they did?

    I’ll bet there’s a common thread in all of this, and you won’t like it if and when it comes out into public view….

    Fallout

    Um. Maybe. More than likely, however, nothing is going to happen.

    A little review.

    But so what?

    Some teenagers found a missing clink in Smaug’s armor.

    Smaug is portrayed as being psychopathic, extremely sadistic, confident, violent, cruel, arrogant, intelligent and greedy, possessing an unquenchable desire for gold. 
    
    His most distinguishing characteristic (aside from his greed) is his arrogance, as Smaug proudly boasts of his superiority and impregnability to Bilbo during their encounter. 
    
    However, this proves to be his downfall, as he unwittingly reveals the weak spot in his chest to Bilbo when showing the Hobbit how he had willfully coated…
    
    -Smaug | The One Wiki to Rule Them All 

    Smaug roared back, and burnt them all to a dark crisp. A lesson will be made of them, and business will continue as normal. Right?

    Perhaps a little review about what we have been dealing with is in order.

    Let’s consider the fantastic “stimulus” check that the US government ave Americans. This stimulus check per person was $600 dollars. And was intended to “help” Americans deal with being unemployed for nine months. The cost of this stimulus was $900 billion and it was labeled the ” coronavirus relief package“. The United States population is 329.45 million people. Thus, the actual and real amount that should have gone to each American should have been $2,735,000.

    So, if you simply take the total amount of money allocated to helping Americans out, and divide it by the number of Americans...
    
    ...each American should get a check for $2.7 million dollars.

    But truthfully, an stimulus should go to each family. Not to each individual. THis was, after all, how the United States was first intended to operate.

    And since 83.68 million families were living in the United States, in 2020, each family should have been given 10,843,000 dollars US.

    So, if you simply take the total amount of money allocated to helping Americans out, and divide it by the number of American families...
    
    ...each American family should get a check for $10.8 million dollars.

    So why do Americans only get a fraction of that amount?

    $600.

    What. The. Fuck.

    .

    Well, it’s all fun and games.

    Now, heads up, when historians write about the collapse of the United States, you can be quite sure that they will list this event as one of the signs of the eventual downfall. The sign of the pathetic attempts of the “little guys” to “take down” the massive fraud and corruption that runs rampant inside of America today.

    No matter what…

    Keep in mind that everyone is rooting for the little “normal” people, and enjoy seeing the oligarchy hurt. That is, everyone except the oligarchy themselves. Depending on how the government reacts, you can see this as either…

    • A minor skirmish of class warfare.
    • A pivot point that enacts some much needed change.
    • Or, a spark that contributes to a major event to follow.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Front Row Seat Index here…

    Articles & Links

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    Entering a state of understanding

    Have you ever suddenly came to “an understanding”, or a”realization” that what you have thought, what you have known, and what you have “felt” was all wrong?

    Wrong.

    This happens to all of us, at one time or the other.

    We realize that what we thought at one time, was entirely wrong, or false or not at all the entire picture. Do you know what I am talking about? A realization of the way you think the world works, or how things work, or a relationship works, is not what is really going on? It’s usually a shock. Right?

    You can say that about anything really.

    You can say that you thought America was one thing, when it was really something else.

    Or you could say that you thought China was one thing, when it was something else.

    Or you could say that you thought Boston was one place, when it was something else…

    But you could say that about relationships as well.

    You thought he was one thing when he was really something else.

    Or your friends were one thing when they were really something else.

    Or your company was one way, when it was really something else entirely different.

    It’s a sudden realization that what you thought existed was all a big lie.

    And no. I’m not going to start delving into secret government programs, the lifestyles of the rich oligarchy, the casting couches in Hollywood, or the secrets of the Lincoln Bedroom. I’m not going to discuss how your high school text books “got it wrong” or whether or not your best friend is sleeping with your spouse. We are going to go in a different direction here…

    We are going to talk about a state of mind where there are NO preconceptions of what reality is. Things are as you see them, or not. And what you might want to happen, could or could not occur.

    We are going to talk about your little universe.

    The picture above.

    The picture at the top of this post above is pretty amazing, eh? It depicts a gladiator over his dying opponent asking the audience for guidance as to whether to kill him or not. It’s stunning. Actually. Not only in the subject matter, but also in the artistic technique.

    Now. I want to conduct a thought exercise with you. Let’s go from character to character in the painting. Try to imagine their thoughts, feelings and life that day prior to that snapshot in time.

    • The Audience that is giving a “thumbs down”. What do you think their life was like on that day? Maybe ate a boiled egg, and some bread and looked forward to “The Games” at “The Circus”. And after the bloody gore, will probably go home and hand out with their friends. maybe enjoy the day, and perhaps do a little shopping in the market.
    • The Emperor. He sits there watching on. IS this what he wants? And if so why? What does the loss of this life mean to him? After the “Games” he will have a nice big meal, cavort with women, and drink enough wine until he falls asleep.
    • The Losing Gladiator. He struggles for his life and asks the audience for pity. What do you think is going through his head right now? What do you think he thought about the day as he was getting ready to fight? What was his morning like?
    • The Winning Gladiator. He’s panting. he fought hard. He is over another person like himself. But he must do what is asked of him. Does he want to do it? Is there any emotion or any compassion? What is he feeling?

    In this example, you can see that there are a host of different people in this painting. All with different stories, different histories, different ideals families, passions and futures. Some experience pain. Some experience emotions – such as elation, adoration, fear, terror, and agony.

    But there is one person in that painting that doesn’t seem to be showing any emotion, or any care. It is the Emperor. He sits there in numb isolation. Those people are nothing to him. Kill them. Not kill them. It doesn’t matter. Not to him now. Not to him in the future. He just doesn’t care.

    He cannot feel. He cannot emote. He is typical. He is a psychopath.

    Now…

    …Consider this. Almost every single person in the American Government today, no matter how they appear to you in public, or though the media are psychopaths. They have no feelings, no cares, and no desires. They do what they need to do to stay within their roles, but that is it.

    They put on a show, of course…

    Donald Trump hugging the flag.
    Donald Trump hugging the flag.

    .

    Consider Hillary Clinton…

    Hillary Clinton.
    Hillary Clinton showing that she loves and respects farmers.

    .

    Al Gore showing that he is relatable to the folk in the “rust belt” states…

    Al gore hunting.
    Al Gore, he’s one of us, don’t you know?

    .

    The truth is that they are all just playing a “song and dance”; a “puppet show” for all of us to watch because it’s all just a big “game” to them. To them, well they don’t think like we do. They don’t act like we do. They don’t live like we do.

    And all this “stuff” is what they do (naturally) to convince us to do things for them, to give them money, power, respect, and anything else they desire. This is what they are. Their desires, and actions are not that of the humans that you see around you.

    Instead they are something else…

    They have evolved.

    These “politicians” might look like humans, dress like humans, and talk like humans, but they are different. They are a different type of creature entirely. They have a different sentience.

    They have a different sentience that the rest of us.

    If you were to look at their non-physical body with the kinds of eyes that <redacted> then you would see that their appearance is very superficial. They are something else.

    No they are not reptilians, or some other kind of obscene joke, they are a kind of distorted humanoid shape. And yes, you could say that their non-physical form greatly resembles a galactic quantum archetype.

    Have you ever wondered why so many people BELIEVE the fantasy that Reptilian extraterrestrials, that can shape form, have taken over control of the United States?
    
    Could it be that these people, who are in control of the levers of power, are not acting and behaving like the "normal" people that surrounds you and I?

    As such, then what is YOUR role regarding them?

    Your role

    Saint Eulalia
    Saint Eulalia
    There are several paintings that had a particularly strong impact on me  and remain memorable.  First is John William Waterhouse's painting of Saint Eulalia.   
    
    The painting depicts, in a startling manner, the murder of a  12-year-old girl, Eulalia, who was martyred because she refused, as a  Christian, to worship the imperial Roman gods.  
    
    The 4th  century Spanish poet, Prudentius, places her death in 313 AD, and tells  of the miracle, signaling her martyrdom, that occurred after her  death-it began to snow and doves flew out of her mouth. 
    
    He further  describes her torture as being brutal, with hooks tearing her flesh and  her body being burnt with torches. 
    
    Waterhouse has been inspired by this  poem as is explained in the exhibit's text. 
    
    Waterhouse does something  remarkable in this painting.  He eliminates the gory signs of her  extreme torture, and yet impresses upon the viewer the horror of what  has happened.  
    
    She is partly undressed, her upper torso bare, but her  lower body is covered in her torn brown-red and dirty garment.  Waterhouse has taken poetic license in order to give the child dignity  and yet convey the suffering and indignities she endured.  
    
    He makes a  masterful use of perspective by placing Eulalia in the foreground.  He  uses extreme foreshortening which he accomplishes with masterful skill, a  very difficult feat.  Eulalia, in this foreshortened pose, is lying  headfirst on her back and her image takes up one third of the large  canvas.  
    
    The viewer is looking up the length of her body to her legs  that are turned slightly askew to the viewer's left.  Her blood red hair  (a red with dark burnt umber and sepia) is reminiscent of spilt blood  beginning to age.  The hair flows toward the viewer almost to the edge  of the canvas.  
    
    The thin layer of snow on the ground accentuates the  sense of drying blood, as does her garment, which gives, at second  viewing, the look of flayed skin.  The snow is of course also a symbol  of her virginity. The doves that have issued from her mouth are now just  ordinary doves and flit about her indifferently.  
    
    This adds to the dead  child's sense of abandonment.  
    
    On her left wrist remains a piece of  tied rope, symbol of her torture.  As your eyes move up the canvas you  are met with the shaft of the makeshift cross she was roped and nailed  to on your right, not far from where the she lies.  Moving further away  from Eulalia, the remainder of the upper canvas depicts Roman guards and  a cluster of people on steps that lead to the square where Eulalia lies  dead.  
    
    The backdrop is of Roman columns. 
    
    The crowd seems only to be  there out of curiosity.  
    
    One figure, a woman in white robes, kneeling,  head down, at the top of the steps, grieves.  One wonders if it is a  sister or maybe the girl's mother, forbidden to go to Eulalia by the  foremost guard who holds a spear.   
    
    There is absolutely nothing sexually  titillating about this painting.  It takes an overwhelming stretch in a  critic's mind, in order to fit this image into a predetermined  aesthetic agenda, to see otherwise. The all-over coloration of the  painting is in hues of white, gray, brown, gray-blue and the dark  drenched reds.  
    
    This powerful image will stay with me. 
    
    -Art Renewal center        

    In this painting we see how a young innocent girl is hurt, tortured and killed by the uncaring machine that government has become. People do their jobs. They follow their orders. They obey their commands.

    We all know about how uncaring, methodical and ritualized our governments have become. You enter the “system” and you become “processed” by it.

    But you know, there are two mechanisms at play. There is a mechanism of government that favors the wealthy oligarchy in power, and one that is used on everyone else. Needless to say, it is the one used on “Joe and Suzy Average” that is harsh and brutal. But that system used against the oligarchy is trivial. Those in power live a different kind of life than you and I do.

    It’s not just that they are surrounded by wealth and opulence. It’s that they, their friends and all their associations are with those of one singular sentience.

    America is segregated by sentience. Not class.

    Voluntary sentience segregation

    Nothing that I have so far mentioned should come as a surprise. We all know how “well heeled” the oligarchy that runs America is. And we all know that they seem “off” or a little different from you and I and the rest of the people around us. But would you accept the notion that this kind of sentience segregation fits an approved galactic archetype?

    Censoring.
    The powers-that-be censoring books.

    .

    I guess that the big shocker that I have to announce to the MM readership is that things have advanced for the human species. And while the past have always had a wealthy class and a poor class, advances in technology has moved the human species to a point of inflection. It’s a “tip over event”. It’s a point where sentience becomes established within a society, and in our cases, within a species.

    Throughout the Metallicman writings I have pushed the idea that our human species has been striving to weed out the confused sentience’s, and establish a unified sentience.

    What ever it might be.

    And to this end, I have stated that it would take years, if not centuries to do so. In this regards, I have suggest (if not stated out right) that humans must choose between either a [1] Service-to-self sentience, or [2] a Service-to-others sentience.

    However, what appears to be happening is something quite different, and my personal biases are hereby notified to stop being so “black and white” about everything.

    You see, all that matters to our benefactors is that Humans get their collective acts together and work out a unified sentience. They don’t really care what it would be, just that it is unified, and that it fits (or can fit with some RNA changes) into a galactic archetype.

    It has nothing to do whether they like or hate humans as a species. It has to do with the generation of the thoughts that we have, their power and our ability to entangle with other species. If our sentience does not develop into an approved archetype, then our thoughts and actions can be ruinous for the rest of the galaxy (as well as the rest of the universe).

    But…

    But…

    But you know, there is every evidence that the oligarchy that runs the United States and much of the world are already within a galactic archetype. It’s a Service-for-self archetype.

    They are no longer evolving.

    They ARE evolved.

    And for the world to fit within the matching schedule made by our benefactors, that means that the rest of the earth must fit within one of two (remaining) complementary sentience’s.

    • Service-for-self. (Where 100% of the human species has the same sentience.)
    • Service-for-another. (Where a caste system forms, and the rest of us serve the oligarchy.)

    Or, perhaps a picture would explain it better. Consider the HG Wells science fiction class “The Time Machine“.

    On January 5, 1900, a disheveled looking H.G. Wells  - George to his friends - arrives late to his own dinner party. He  tells his guests of his travels in his time machine, the work about  which his friends knew. 
    
    They were also unbelieving, and skeptical of any  practical use if it did indeed work. George knew that his machine was  stationary in geographic position, but he did not account for changes in  what happens over time to that location. 
    
    He also learns that the  machine is not impervious and he is not immune to those who do not  understand him or the machine's purpose. 
    
    George tells his friends that  he did not find the Utopian society he so wished had developed. 
    
    He mentions specifically a civilization several thousand years into the future which consists of the subterranean morlocks and the surface dwelling eloi, who on first glance lead a carefree life.

    In the movie, the wealthy, the smart, the powerful move underground. They evolve in that environment. They become a new kind of human; The Morlock.

    The evolved American oligarchy.
    The evolved oligarchy. A sub-species of humans that has fully adopted a service-for-self sentience. Scene is from the 1960 movie “The Time Machine.”

    .

    The rest of the people stay above ground. They live in the abandoned cities, and live a pastoral life. They are the people that serve the Morloks. They are the Eloi.

    The evolved human species. This is the other sub-species. This species is full of service-for-another humans. Scene is from the 1960 movie “The Time Machine”.

    .

    Is that the direction that the world is heading towards right now? That the human species is segregating into two separate sentience’s intentionally? Or in other words, two completely different sub-species of humans?

    Spelling things out...
    
    If the human species is already at a point where a portion of the human species has decided to branch off into their own species - A service-to-self species.
    
    Then...
    
    That leaves the rest of us to become either [1] Like them. We too become a service-for-self species. Or [2] we take on the role of a sub-servant species of human. The service-for-another species.

    And understanding this fact, will help to explain a lot of the strange and freaky (deaky) things that are going on contemporaneously.

    What things?

    Well…

    Let’s look at this. Ok?

    You know, Trump tried to suppress China. He conducted a “hybrid war”, declared himself a “War President”, he festooned his office with war-themed objects and flags, posted his “campaign coins” prominently on display and did everything possible short of nuclear war.

    And one aspect of this “hybrid” war was the release of six viral bio-weapons to collapse the Chinese agricultural and livestock industries (2017 through 2018), followed up with three strains (2019 and 2020) to take out the Chinese people themselves.

    Got me down.
    I have to admit that it really bums me out. (Sigh.)

    .

    The first assault was on CNY 2020 with the COVID-19B.

    Subsequent assaults (after the six attempts of the destruction of grains and livestock) were the COVID-19. This came in numerous strains. A, B, C... and mutated into many others...
    
    Bu the USA launched other biological weapons against the Chinese people as well.
    
    There is the (yet unofficially named) completely new virus COVID-20. This is not a strain of the COVID-19, but yet another "novel" virus, and yes it is unusually enormous in size. This nasty virus was unleashed about a month after Trump "gave up" the "color revolution in Hong Kong. Super nasty. This was super lethal and caused death by vomiting. It lies in the gut and in the anus. It was discovered by the PLA by monitoring one of the Chinese CIA "assets" (that was involved in drone spraying of the swine flu in 2019.) This was the reason why Trump went into hiding for three days, and America went DEFCON ONE. He feared military retaliation. Not the "Trump caught coronavirus" nonsense that the "news" reported.
    
    Drat! Trump snarled and twisted his evil long mustache. "I'll show them who's boss!"
    
    What followed was the worst virus of all. Yet another (unofficially un-named) novel new, and enormous in size COVID-21 new virus. This nasty, nasty, horrible virus was unleashed about a month after the seven battle carrier Naval fleet left the South China Sea. Also very deadly, and with a very high R0. Also found in hyper vigilant sweeps of all imported food and visitors to China. It lies within the gut and anus and results in death by diarrhea. 
    
    Today 28JAN21, the Western media is finally reporting on the Chinese "new" swab testing regime that was implemented right after the new year during the first week in January. The new technique uses swabs of the anus to detect for viral infections. Of course, the media are perplexed. Why do this with a COVID-19 with is a virus that affects the nasal passages and throat? Why test in the gut and anus? 
    
    That is because the new test not just tests for COVID-19, but also the two new lethal viruses COVID-20 and COVID-21. Both of which affect the gut and the anus.

    And part of this plan was to protect Americans from “blow back”. Meaning that he didn’t want any of the bio-weapon released upon the Chinese to end up hurting America. Which was why trump insisted that COVID-19A be spread to all Americans and that no one is to wear a mask. He wanted everyone to be immunized.

    blowback
    ...unintended adverse results of a political action or situation.

    He wanted the light strain COVID-19A to spread to all Americans and the “West” to get this virus. Why? So that they would be immune to “blow back”. This was through giving everyone “herd immunity”.

    The plan was devious. And extensively documented.

    Two strains were released…

    Because of President Trump…

    … the COVID-19A ran unchecked through America and the nations of “The West”. As it did so, it gave everyone “herd immunity” to the nasty virus; the COVID-19B, the Chinese, Russian and Iranian strain.

    And don’t give me the Alex Jones / Rush Limbaugh / Sean Hannity / CIA narrative that the Coronavirus was a Chinese bio-weapon gone wrong. Sheech!

    𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆  𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱-𝟭𝟵 𝘃𝗶𝗿𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼  𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮. The Covid virus genome was found  in waste water samples in Barcelona in March 2019, almost a year before  it was first reported in Wuhan China. A USA mayor said he tested to  have COVID antibody as early as November 2019, meaning he was infected  much earlier. Scientists at University of Milan confirmed the virus was  present in Italy since November 2019.
     
    https://lnkd.in/e4rH_eY

    But…

    But, suddenly the entire “news” dialog has changed.

    Now everyone MUST take this new vaccination. It is very important or you will die! You must do it now! Hurry up take it NOW! Now. Now. Nowwwwww!

     6 signs of 'new Covid' to watch for... Changes to tongue, hands or feet... 
     Americans warned against travel as variants spread and testing rules go
     Shape-Shifting Virus Threatens Cycles of Illness, Lockdowns... 
     Vaccine Rollout Misses TSA Screeners... Hollywood elites skipping line...
     Philly let 'college kids' distribute jabs. Result was 'disaster'... 
     Wear THREE masks?
     Oregon Weighs Race-Based Preferences...
     DEATH TOLL TOPS 100,000 IN UK... BORIS:  I'M DEEPLY SORRY...
     Pandemic Fueling Deaths Of Despair...
     Germany mulls cutting all international flights...
     Life inside quarantine hotel:  Locked windows, police guarding room... CCTV...
     Billionaires thriving as poor suffer...
     Tech companies could see blowout fourth quarters... 
     Fertitta optimistic: 'Going to be Roaring Twenties'...
     Bill Gates Shocked by 'Evil' Microchip Theories...

    Nothing has changed.

    It seems like things have changed. The news media leads one to believe that things are different, and that things have changed.

    Oh sure, there’s all sorts of warnings and alerts about new strains popping out of nowhere inside of America…

    Sick child.
    No one wants to be a casualty in a pandemic. It’s heart-rendering.

    .

    Now, pay attention.

    China, Russia and their allies are using the viral inoculation for the very nasty COVID-19B. This is a unique vaccination and is quite unlike what has been bantered about in America. This is necessary, and the Chinese version, the COVID-19B has a R0 or 15% to 20%. Much more dangerous than the “lite” American strain COVID-19A with a R0=0.1%.

    But suddenly, America has a vaccination and everyone MUST take it!

    This viral inoculation is very, very different from the Chinese solution, and involves changing the RNA of the person so inoculated.

    .

    I find it very curious that there is this urgency to inoculate every America, and every citizen of a nation allied with America, with a RNA altering vaccination for COVID-19A with a very low R0. It’s very odd.

    And I am not the only one questioning this either…

    Pretty amazing claim, especially seen news about China releasing the  virus genome data to the world early January 2020, and subsequent  vaccine developments based on the isolate:
      
    https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-isolated/fact-check-the-virus-that-causes-covid-19-has-been-isolated-and-is-the-basis-for-the-vaccines-currently-in-development-idUSKBN28E2SB

    Another amazing claim…

    SARS-CoV-2 has not been proven to exist: the shocking research  of Christine Massey « Jon Rappoport's Blog (nomorefakenews.com)

    Now, the “news” is all filled with bullshit. So it’s pretty hard to make heads or tails out of what is going on. I can tell you the following are as clear as day…

    • President Trump declared war on China. And launched biological warfare attacks to that end.
    • The COVID-19B is real. People die from it. China locked the entire down over it, and went DEFCON ONE with armed nuclear weapons over it. This is the deadly strain.
    • The COVID-19A is real, and this strain was exposed to Americans almost six months prior to the release of the lethal strain in China. This is the inoculation strain.
    • For the Trump / Bolton / Pompeo / Tom Cotton plan to work, it is important that herd immunity be obtained using COVID-19A inside of America.

    So what is going on with this sudden frantic “need” to inject everyone with a RNA changing vaccine against a mild strain of COVID-19A?

    What indeed?

    Right now inside America everything is a big mess. Certainly no one can disagree. The “news” or what constitutes it’s modern replacement is all over the place and fear-mongering is the norm. It’s hard to figure out what is going on.

    Don’t allow MM here to be yet another tale of fear and woe.

    I really don’t know what is going on in America and the West. To me, it really seems to be in a state of turmoil, where everything is upside down and there are a lot of crazy atmospheric conditions that point to dangerously dark storm clouds a brewing. And in and among all this turmoil is a sudden “change in direction” regarding the COVID-19 coronavirus.

    Recall that in January 2020 the narrative was DO NOT WEAR MASKS. It’s not as bad as the flu, and “herd immunity”.

    And now, one complete year later…

    In January 2021, the narrative is WEAR MASKS. It’s much worse than the flu. Take the vaccination or die!!!!

    Now…

    Is this just because there is a new President…? Or is it because of a bigger plan? Or is it that the United States is so confused that it is like a thrashing elephant out of control and in a rage?

    I. Do. Not. Know.

    What I do know is the following…

    • This change in direction, it’s suddenness and crazed haphazard implementation is not a comforting sign. It points to an out-of-control government and leadership system.
    • From the point of view of DNA / RNA, any use of a vaccination that alter genetic structure should be of concern. (Look what happened to the tomato). It doesn’t matter if the intentions are good or bad. New technologies require vetting and careful controlled trials and experimentation.
    • What ever eventually does happen, the benefactors are just fine with it.

    And if you get the inoculation…

    And the RNA does it’s work. What then? You will look human, but what changes with the RNA alter?

    Could it be like the 1956 movie “Invasion of the body snatchers”…

    He looks like my uncle. He sounds like my uncle. He dresses like my uncle, he acts and walks and talks like my uncle.
    
    ...but he's NOT my uncle.
    Scene from the science fiction movie "invasion of the body snatchers".
    The 1956 movie “Invasion of the body snatchers”.

    America seems to be going the way of the former Soviet Union

    Unknown to most Americans, in the 1980s and 1990s, the Soviet Union break-up created a host of changes and discomfort for the people there. Many lost their incomes, their places of employment, food supplies dwindled and everything was very “iffy” for a while. Angered youth took over a ballistic nuclear submarine, for Pete’s sake. It was a trying time.

    But now things have settled out and calmed down.

    All that remains of the “glory days” of the former Soviet Union are abandoned buildings…

    Abandoned research hospital in Russia.
    An abandoned medical research hospital.

    .

    And this, an abandoned space complex….

    An abandoned space complex within Russia.
    An abandoned space complex inside Russia.

    .

    And this telecommunications station left to rot…

    Abandoned telecommunications station.
    An abandoned Russian Telecommunications station.

    .

    Or all these planes and aircraft in an abandoned Russian “skunk works”…

    An abandoned aircraft R&D facility.
    Abandoned Russian “Skunk works”.

    .

    Um, yeah it’s all sad.

    If you liked these photos, you can find a ton lot more at this great site; https://rusue.com/. It's got urban explorers going through the bones of the old former Soviet Union. It's a great site to explore.

    Anyways,

    It seems like the changes inside of America are starting to manifest, and guess what? It’s not like anyone thought that they would be like. Nope. It’s not an American Civil War II – thought that is still on the table, or a scene from “The Walking Dead” and a Zombie apocalypse. It’s bio-weapons, invisible dangers, government authority, and massive control, with pockets of balkanized folk all over the place that are angry, pissed off, confused and out of their minds in blood-lust anger.

    Conclusion

    So we enter a state of understanding.

    The war for sentience domination has begun in the United States. It is following the Former Soviet Union model, and involves all kinds of new and novel characteristics that places “common citizens” at a great disadvantage, and the ruling oligarchy at a great advantage. The only people who seemingly will survive during the culling process are those that will fit within the niche’s provided for them.

    I suggest the MM readership to be aware, cautious and accommodating. But not to be in agreement. Just keep your thoughts to your selves. Do not place a big “bulls eye” on your chest. Do not flaunt disgust or anger. Be as publicly neutral as possible you need to survive thought this stressful time by keeping your wits about your and controlling your emotions.

    Clan up with friends and family. Know who your neighbors are and be helpful and a participant within your own closed society. Be good. Be the kind ear to listen and the strong shoulder for other to cry upon. Remember this time WILL PASS. What it important that you pass through it unscathed.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Front Row Seat Index, here…

    And… even more…

    Do you want to see similar posts?

    I hope that you found this post curious. Please take care. You can view other similar posts in my SHTF Index, here…

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    BlueNarwhal comments on Remote Viewing, intention, world-lines, and the MWI on Metallicman

    You guys realize that MM is not as popular or as well-promoted as such “big names” as Politico, MSN, Time, Newsweek, Rush Limbaugh, Drudge report or any other American media outlets. It’s that way for a reason. Well, maybe a couple of reasons, eh? But that doesn’t mean that we don’t have a readership. We do. And we have some pretty impressive readers with some pretty impressive credentials that follow us from time to time and throw out their “two cents”.

    One such influencer is BlueNarwhal.

    This fellow has an interesting point of view concerning some of the MM writings and I would like to expose the rest of the readership to his words and thoughts. Who knows, maybe he’ll end up being a contributor?

    What is Remote viewing

    I haven’t covered any Remote Viewing activity in terms of the MWI, simply because I am not an expert in it. All I have done is read a few books on it, and maybe practiced a time or two. But that’s just about it.

    According to the “mainstream internet” / “mainstream media” it’s pseudoscience.

    Remote Viewing
    Remote viewing (RV) is the practice of seeking impressions about a distant or unseen target, purportedly "sensing" with the mind. Remote viewing experiments have historically been criticized for lack of proper controls and repeatability. There is no scientific evidence that remote viewing exists, and the topic of remote viewing is generally regarded as pseudoscience.
    
    Wikipedia

    But I can tell you that this “pseudoscience” is well funded by the United States and Russian governments. It is used by Bankers, and in American Industry, and has a track record of success that shows a sizable and significant record of success.

    Remote viewing is defined as the ability to acquire accurate information about a distant or non-local place, person or event without using your physical senses or any other obvious means. It’s associated with the idea of clairvoyance, seemingly being able to spontaneously know something without actually knowing how you got the information. It is also sometimes called “anomalous cognition” or “second sight.”

    Many of us experience this from time to time as an intuitive flash of insight that turns out to be correct. Many well-known entrepreneurs and business people, like George Soros, Conrad Hilton, Thomas Alva Edison and Akio Morita, the co-founder of Sony, have attributed their business success to this ability. And we’ve all seen natural psychics perform seemingly amazing feats of mental skill on TV.

    The difference between natural psychic receptivity and remote viewing is that the latter is a trained skill, a controlled process, that the average person can learn to do, to some degree or another.

    The CIA uses Remote Viewing

    Money and resources were given by the Central Intelligence Agency to Stanford Research Institute (SRI), located on the campus of Stanford University at the time, to test the possibility of remote viewing. The goal was to disprove that psychic functioning was real. No one wanted it to exist. It was the last thing that the military establishment wanted to worry about, especially if it was a new Soviet threat.

    Physicists Russell Targ and Hal Putoff working at SRI were tasked with determining whether Extrasensory Perception (ESP) and related phenomena were real or not. Targ and Putoff set about to locate some natural psychics and test them. Their first subject was artist, psychic and scientist Ingo Swann of New York City who had demonstrated an ability to accurately “remote view” weather in various American cities. He had published some articles about ESP and also psychokinesis, the ability to mentally affect distant objects, when he worked with researcher Gertrude Schmeidler of City College, New York and the American Society for Psychical Research.

    Ingo Swann - Consciousness Researcher | Ingo Swann
    https://ingoswann.com
    
    INGO SWANN (September 14, 1933 January 31, 2013) was internationally known as an advocate and researcher of the exceptional powers of the human mind, and as a leading figure in governmental and scientific projects to investigate and identify the scope of subtle human perceptions.

    Working with Schmeidler, Swann had shown that he could affect the temperature of thermistors sealed in insulated thermos canisters twenty-five feet away from him.

    Thermistor.
    A thermistor is a a sensor that measures temperature. Swann was able to raise the temperature of the region around the thermistor and cause the readings on the computer to change.

    At a friend’s request, Swann sent his published findings to Putoff, who asked Swann to come to SRI and demonstrate his abilities. The first thing they had Swann do was to see if he could affect a super sensitive, electromagnetically shielded quark detector buried five feet underground in a cement floor.

    Every time Putoff asked Swann to think about the detector (used to detect subatomic particles), the readings from the device would noticeably deviate from the baseline readings. Putoff was convinced that Swann had special abilities and so the program to test and develop remote viewing began.

    At first they had Swann view objects in a box: this was a practice he was good at but quickly became bored with. Swann said to them: “I can view anything in the universe, this is a trivialization of my abilities.”

    Remote Viewing physical locations by GPS coordinates

    A few days later he came up with a new way to do remote viewing: viewing map coordinates.

    Targ and Putoff went out and bought the biggest atlas they could find at the local book store. The would pull coordinates off of the map, and write them down on paper inside a sealed envelope. Then give the envelope to the remote viewer.

    The Swann’s coordinate map viewing turned out to be a big success.

    Of course, not everyone believed that is was truly possible. A critic at the Central Intelligence Agency suggested that maybe he had memorized the entire global map.

    .

    Swann went on to use randomly chosen numerical coordinates to view randomly selected events, people and structures around the planet. He performed equally well using this coordinate-based viewing system.

    Swann coined to term “remote viewing” to describe the process though you can question whether the information is actually remote to the viewer or whether the process is entirely visual.

    Some people are more sensitive to auditory, kinesthetic or other types of sensory information and few viewers actually “see” the target very clearly. Nonetheless, the name stuck and was sufficient to convince the intelligence agencies to fund the project.

    Other viewers were also tasked to help Targ and Putoff understand remote viewing.

    Pat Price

    Pat Price, a former police commissioner from Burbank, CA also proved to be an excellent viewer. Price used his own system to view where he actually imagined that he was at the distant target site. His results were so good that the Central Intelligence Agency hired him to work for them directly.

    Pat Price was one of the most skilled  of the U.S. government’s remote-viewers of the 1970s. He was someone  who regularly used his psychic abilities to spy on hostile nations for  various military and intelligence departments. There is very little  doubt that Price would have continued with his work had death not intervened  in a very strange (and even sinister) way. Price passed away on July  14, 1975. It was, however, the nature of his death that was so  disturbing of all. Just a few days before his untimely death, Price had a  number of covert rendezvous’ with a variety of agents of the National  Security Agency. Also, with personnel from the Office of Naval  Intelligence. The meetings were initiated to determine if Price would be  willing to undertake remote-viewing operations for both agencies. Price  was gung-ho for both projects. In no time at all, the operations began.
    
    Just a few days after the meetings, Price flew out of Washington, D.C.  His destination: he first took a flight to Salt Lake City, and then onto  Sin City itself: Las Vegas. We may never know for sure if Price  suspected that his life was in danger. The fact is, however, that with  all of this top secret work being undertaken for U.S. intelligence,  Price became concerned about his safety to at least a certain degree. To  the extent that the purpose of the flight to have over some important,  sensitive documents to a friend; just in case anything were to happen to  him. It was in the afternoon of July 13 that Price checked into Vegas’  Stardust Hotel. All was going good. That is, until it wasn’t. As he  approached the desk to check-in, a man walked straight into Price.  It was a violent collision. He felt a shooting pain in his leg, as if  he had been hit with a needle. With hindsight, that may very well have  been what happened. In near-quick time, Price started to feel ill and  decided to lay down and take a nap. But, not before handed over those  precious documents.
    
    A few hours later, and still not feeling so good, Price met with several friends for dinner. There was something on his mind. Not only did Price tell them about the collision in the lobby just a few hours earlier, but he also confided in them that while he was in Washington, D.C. just a little more than a day earlier, he had seen someone slip something in his coffee. Having seen this chilling, covert action occur, Price left the coffee well alone and exited the restaurant quickly. As for the evening at the Stardust Hotel, it wasn’t going to well. In fact, not at all. Price cut the dinner meeting short and went back to his room.
    
    Around 5:00 a.m. the next day, Price woke up in significant  physical distress. His breathing was not right. He had severe cramps in  his back and stomach and he was sweating profusely. He called his  friend who had those important papers, who quickly raced to Price’s  room. A doctor was about to be called when Price began to convulse.  Then, he went into cardiac arrest. Despite the best efforts of  paramedics, who were quickly on the scene, and who managed to briefly  kick-start his heart, it was all to no avail. Price was soon dead.  It  is a fact that Price had heart disease. With that in mind, his death  could have been due to wholly natural causes and nothing else at all.  But, we cannot – and should not – forget the fact that Price had seen  someone surreptitiously slip something into his coffee, just a couple of  days earlier. Then there was the matter of the potentially suspicious  collision in the lobby of the Stardust Hotel in Vegas. To this day, the  death of Pat Price – almost certainly the work of an overseas, hostile  nation – is still discussed in hushed tones where the conspiratorial  lurk.
    
    -Mysterious Universe

    Joe McMoneagle

    Back East, another natural viewer Joe McMoneagle, also known as “Remote Viewer No. 1,” worked directly with the U.S. Army and the Defense Intelligence Agency. He was also tested and found to have amazing abilities to describe and sketch distant locations. Upon retirement, McMoneagle was awarded a Legion of Merit award, in part, for his five years of remote viewing missions for the military and various government agencies.

    Joseph McMoneagle is a former US Army soldier who played a leading role as a 'remote viewer' in the Star Gate psychic spying program run by American military and intelligence organizations until the 1990s. Since retiring from the military he has continued his activities in the private sector. He gives talks and public demonstrations, and has published several books.
    
    -PSI Encyclopedia 

    Swann’s 6-stage RV system

    However, Swann was able to describe, with great precision, what he was doing with his mind and attention as he was viewing, an ability other viewers did not have. This allowed him to come up with a 6-stage system that could be taught to anyone, including you or me.

    It became known as CRV: Coordinate (or Controlled) Remote Viewing.

    Controlled Remote Viewing an introduction and explanation
    
    Controlled Remote Viewing
    The Six Stages of Controlled Remote Viewing CRV was first called “coordinate remote viewing” because it used geographic coordinates instead of outbounder “beacon” teams to focus the viewer on the target. Years later, Ingo Swann changed the term “coordinate” remote viewing to “controlled” remote viewing.

    Swann’s CRV system is based on separating out signal from noise in your mind as you are viewing.

    All the information is recorded during a session, but the viewer puts the noise in a different place on the paper than the signal. At the end of the session, you can separate them from one another.

    The method became the basis of the remote viewing protocols that the U.S. army taught to several groups of viewers. The program lasted until 1995 when it was declassified; about $20 million was spent over the two decades.

    Controlled Remote Viewing
    remoteviewed.com/crv_docs_full.pdf
    
    a. Remote Viewing (RV): The name of a method of psychoenergetic perception. A term coined by SRI-International and defined as “the acquisition and description, by mental means, of information blocked from ordinary perception by distance, shielding, or time.” b. Coordinate Remote Viewing (CRV): The process of remote viewing using geographic coordinates for cueing or prompting.

    Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research Lab (PEAR)

    During this time, the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research Lab (PEAR) at Princeton University, run by Bob Jahn and Brenda Dunn, also conducted twenty years of research into remote viewing and so-called “micro-psychokinesis” with experiments on the effect of human intention on Random Number Generators (RNGs).

    Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research
    pearlab.icrl.org
    
    The Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) program, which flourished for nearly three decades under the aegis of Princeton University's School of Engineering and Applied Science, has completed its experimental agenda of studying the interaction of human consciousness with sensitive physical devices, systems, and processes, and developing complementary theoretical models to …

    They found that, looking at the cumulative results of hundreds of thousands of trials, that their subjects could influence about 2 or 3 events per 10,000 random coin flips seemingly moving the device away from true randomness in an inexplicable way.

    The odds of these results being by chance were an astonishing 375 trillion to one.

    The Technique – opening the aperture

    When someone asks you to describe something, you normally proceed to name what you’re perceiving using nouns and symbols. Remote viewing is just the opposite. You begin by describing your perceptions without trying to identify anything about what they mean or what the larger picture is. You begin with basic gestalts: fundamental, general components of the target site like whether it’s manmade or living or natural. You then proceed to basic colors, smells, temperatures, shapes and sizes.

    Only after you’ve been describing the target for a while can you proceed to more specific ideas and possibly names, nouns and more analytical types of information.

    In this you way, Swan would say that you are opening the aperture of your perception, slowly and resisting the temptation to draw conclusions about what you are viewing.

    Our minds are always attempting to draw conclusions from what we’ve perceiving at any given moment, but because you have no conscious, physical information to work from in RV, you’re almost always likely to be wrong if you do so. Which brings us to one of the great paradoxes of RV: the fainter the perception, the more likely it is to be accurate and the less likely you are to feel confident in that perception.

    In other words, the more confident you are about your psychic perceptions during the session, the less likely those perceptions are to be correct! And the less confident you feel, the more likely it is that your perceptions are right on. How’s that for a paradox?

    Good remote viewers learn to trust the feelings of uncertainty and ambiguity they get while doing a session.

    Someone familiar with the military viewing program said that if a viewer finished a session and said with confidence “I nailed it!,” that viewer’s session would be thrown in the garbage. A good session is one in which the viewer has no idea what they’ve been doing or whether it’s accurate or not.

    This is very different from the way our educational system, which stresses linear and rational thinking, trains us to deal with acquiring and processing information. And believe me, it takes some time to get used it.

    Eventually, you see the benefits:

    • You learn to trust your intuition more and don’t necessarily need to rationalize everything before you take action.
    • You become more spontaneous which can often be a good thing if you’re used to over-thinking things in your life.

    When the RV program was declassified, one of the two people asked to evaluate the program was statistician Jessica Utts, the head of the American Statistical Association at the time of this writing. She concluded:

    “Using the standards applied to any other area of science, it is concluded that psychic functioning has been well established. Arguments that these results could be due to methodological flaws in the experiments are soundly refuted. 
    
    Effects of similar magnitude to those found in government-sponsored research at SRI and SAIC (another government sponsored think tank) have been replicated at a number of laboratories across the world. Such consistency cannot be readily explained by claims of flaws or fraud.”

    And researcher Dean Radin, doing very complex meta-analyses using the results of many studies about psychic perception over many decades, came to the same conclusion.

    Looking at the entire population, not just trained viewers, RV is a weak effect, about four to eight percent higher than expected if we were only using our physical senses to gather information: yet, it’s consistently there in everyone.

    How Does Remote Viewing Work?

    So RV is scientifically proven to work. But how? What’s going inside the viewer’s body and mind? How do they access far away information with such great accuracy? You can pick your favorite explanation but the truth is, no one knows for sure. But my feeling is shared with others in that it has something to do with resonance, vibration and frequency.

    Right brain thinking tends to be free flowing, intuitive and descriptive while left brain thinking is more analytical, linear and symbolic. Good remote viewers learn to distinguish their own left and right-brain thinking. They’re good at discerning the difference between the two and can separate signal from noise. Remote viewing tends to be more more accessible to the right-brain type. If you have artistic tendencies, can play music and have an ear for sound, are creative, and / or who are very spiritual as opposed to religious you would probably excel in Remote Viewing.

    Picking Up Signals Through Vibrational Resonance

    Where does the information come from? Well, if you look around the space wherever you are at the moment, the air will seem empty: you can’t see the air with your eyes. But you also know that it’s filled with electromagnetic information from cell phone signals, radio waves, TV signals, etc. So empty space can be filled with information coming to you from distance. Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it isn’t there.

    That information is coming to you through a type of vibrational resonance that fills space-time.

    When you have a receiver that is tuned to the frequency of those signals, you’ll pick them up. All you need to do after that is to amplify the signal. Remote viewing doesn’t necessarily amplify the signal of what you’re viewing, but it does teach you how to reduce your own mental noise, your monkey mind.

    What is the Farsight Institute

    Since the CIA have been using this system for decades and has documented successes, the private industry has (often) decided to use the techniques, and skilled RV observers for their own purposes. And thus organizations have materialized that provide this service. The Farsight Institute is one such organization.

    The Farsight Institute is a nonprofit research and educational organization that is dedicated to understanding the remote-viewing phenomenon itself through the process of scientific experimentation. 
    
    It is our belief that a more complete understanding of the remote-viewing phenomenon will have collateral benefits to much of science and society. 
    
    Due to how the remote-viewing phenomenon manifests in controlled experiments, the remote-viewing phenomenon appears to be based on quantum-processes. 
    
    Much of the research done at The Farsight Institute blends theories of quantum mechanics with interpretations of experimental remote-viewing data. This has lead to new insights into the remote-viewing phenomenon as well as the nature of time and physical reality. 
    
    For example, new research indicates that alternate futures actually do exist, and that the past exists simultaneously with the present. 
    
    New research also suggests that information transfer across time does not require enormous energy consumption that would be associated with worm hole singularities. These questions are among the most profound addressed by science today.
    
    -The FarSight Institute

    OK.

    With all that introductory information out of the way…

    Some introductory stuff on BlueNarwhal.

    Just a little bit. Here’s the (edited) text to MM from BlueNarwhal…

    I have had an interesting history in studying in some rather great detail everything on JT especially the physics, and then again everything with the drone affair.

    I am assuming that he is referring to JT gravity. And (of course) he is referring to CARET when he mentions the “drone affair“.

    I spent maybe a half year developing some implications of theory about how the glyphs actually function and felt I was starting to translate.  

    When he refers to the “glyphs” he is referring to the “language” used on the CARET drones. And while the language is similar to that of what I have been exposed to in the programming of my EBP, there are differences.

    Some amazing breakthroughs have come from that disclosure all of which I realized for the most part I needed to keep quiet.  
    
    I lived right where those sightings happened LoL.  
    
    And then there’s my 20 years of work in Remote viewing being good friends with s few of the greats there - I focused a lot remote viewing future tech for clients.  Worked with Pru, and good friends with many of her team.  She shuttered her $8m per year RV commercial business (amazing stories in there) because TPTB ... 

    TPTB = “The Powers That Be”.

    ...(they) started a heavy target hijacking and remote influence attempts on her team of 15 viewers she had hand picked from thousands she had trained.
    
    And she is the subject of a major resources debunking after London Sunday  Times cover story! Websites like pruwatch! 
    
    She was a large scale magnet physicist before that.  Courtney is a long time acquaintance too.  Just all really good folks in truth. I love them all. 

    Luckily for me I have always been outside that fray. But that does not mean that it doesn’t go on. Most of the things that occur in our world and within our reality is unknown and completely transparent to the general population.

    I would be in a <redacted> and eating at a restaurant there. And I would see other engineers and scientists come in during lunch break. They would have their name badges and I would casually over hear snippets. People talked and chatted about stuff using the arcane language of scientists, and defense contractors, and while others might not have a clue as to what they were discussing… but I would.

    For all of us, it’s no “big deal”.

    And of course, the mainstream media “news” would be about some “expert” proving that some photograph of a blurry UFO was a hoax. Yeah. It’s like that.

    ... anyway, again all of your words not only ring true but actually change the person reading it.
    
    It has been so utterly refreshing, validating, delightful and yes heartwarming because I can sense the absolutely wonderful nature of who you are, in the spiritually lovely person so it is an honor to read your words indeed.  It’s like drinking clean fresh pure water, thank you!  

    Yes. I blushed when I read this. But we all like validation.

    Yah funny you are of course just an nice average human being like me - who has a few really special skills and is really just working to have a wonderful life! 
    
    Yeah fate has decided you were ready to live up to some future legacy and be a anchor exemplar establishing certain influence factors of evolutionary value - and why not!? 
    
    What I think I like best about your writing is you have maintained a true service to others template expression so yeah you are kinda special but I can say that because I simply know to ain’t goin to yer noggin - your just sweet family man and right on for that!!

    Again, I love this validation.

    Remote Viewing in the MWI

    Ok here’s what I wrote yesterday reflecting on what you have said in the context of my communications about this w Courtney at farsight...

    So BlueNarwhal was discussing the MWI as it pertains to Remote viewing with Courtney at the Farsight Institute.

    Working hypothesis: 
     
    Predictive remote viewer naturally quantum-couples or entangles their viewing range to be occur across multiple proximal world line probability trajectories in the multiverse.

    I have no problems with this. In fact, this hypothesis is well stated and agrees with all my posts and articles in my Prayer / Intention Index. Here, however he is saying that the use of Remote Viewing is like a special “radar” that targets high-probability trajectories (vectors) in the MWI. Here we illustrate a remote viewing exercise of an observer of his/her future.

    It is difficult to determine what the future will be. As everything is based up probabilities. So any kind of Remote Viewing activity will result in multiple targets depending on the situation and conditions imposed. In general, what we see is that Remote Viewing is like a “radar” that scans the world-line template surface for a region of highest probability (given the conditions specified). It looks something like this.
    Outlier world line target coupling by RVers occurs simply due to the collateral quantum attractive influence that higher relative disruptive novelty factors exert on selected souls and consciousnesses.
    
    e.g. a group of top viewers all view a disaster scenario that never happens in the world line from which the viewers viewed.  
    
    Yet it clearly happened in some nearby world line of greater variance to our own.

    This is a very interesting perspective. This is something that I have not paid attention to. It is the idea that nearby world lines might possess more “novelty” to the Remote Viewer. It could be more “attractive” and thus dominate the viewing “radar”.

    Consider this…

    The most attractive RV targets.
    Within a remote viewing target, there is an area of most likely, or highest probability world-lines. We argue that there is a bias to the more interesting world-lines.
    Some of these influences can be injected into remote viewing sessions. 
    
    This is due to the idea that individual remote viewers couple with targets via universal quantum field or “soul intelligence”. 
    
    This target coupling process can allow insertion of universal intent to bias the remote viewer to couple with a more novel world line but less likely or even unlikely the mutual world line viewers are viewing from.

    This explanation suggests that bias of the observer (the Remote Viewer) influences his / her ability to target properly.

    This bias, of course, isn’t just interest of a personal nature, but also includes pre-disposition “programming” by the soul prior to injection onto the Pre-Birth World-Line template. Which is, of course, tied into the universal quantum field.

    Universal Intent Coupling

    This seems to a form of universal intent coupling with (a) conscious individual.

    Interesting wording.

    I would agree with this appraisal. Only that I refer to it with the very clumsy name “Pre-Birth World-Line Template“. Or in other words, perhaps the desire or natural inclination of a consciousness to view certain types, kinds or relative magnitudes of world-line possibilities (within the RV target coordinates) is a primary characteristic of the Pre-Birth World-Line Template.

    Not just in geography, but in the way that the body thinks, feels and behaves.

    This seems to a form of universal intent coupling with (a) conscious individual.

    Again, could the ability to Remote View a place, an action, a person at another time is due to the “intent coupling” with another individual at that target coordinate? Or, not even a different person. Perhaps the same person as the Remote Viewer observer. Just viewing their knowledge and understanding at another time or another place…

    But what if…

    …if the person, thought streams, or target environment is in error? Suppose that you, back in 1982 remote viewed 2020. What would you see?

    • A Real Estate mogul as President.
    • Many protests everywhere.
    • Some people wearing masks.
    • News discussing how bad China is.

    How would it manifest to a Remote Viewer as an observer of the events?

    • Crowds cheering.
    • Sad people wearing masks.
    • Some general images of China.
    • Riot police.

    What would you conclude?

    This is a bias. A bias associated with the nature of the “intent coupling” activity.

    The effect is to widen the multiple world line range of consideration aperture...
    
    ... to provide high value insight about probabilities on other world lines...
    
    ... about similar lurking but unmanifest novel high impact eventualities for the viewer world line. 

    This is a very interesting observation.

    I broke the sentence down into manageable bites for digestive autopsy, and to make fine MM points of interest.

    Essentially, he is saying that the process of “intent coupling” with the thoughts, items, situation, or personalities at the target area opens up the target area, not narrows it down. And that the reason for this seems to be the bias associated with the mechanism used in “intent coupling”.

    He says that this is a good thing. Because it provides us insight into the geography of the World-Line Template.

    Differences in targeting with the same target objectives.
    The differences in observed Remote Viewed targets as a function of two different observers who both share the same target objectives. Simplified for illustration purposes.
    Could universal intent (being entangled for target coupling by remote viewers) be making individual intent see outcomes that might happen but likely won’t? 

    I would argue, YES.

    We live in a universe where our manifested world-lines are based on thoughts that hit most probable targets. Sure, my pizza could conceivable grow legs and do a tap-dance before it jumps into my mouth, but that result is highly unlikely.

    Instead, the most probable outcome, if you plop a pizza in front of me, is that I would get a slice and eat it.

    I do not know if the geography of world-lines outside of our most probable world-lines that lie on our life-line path has any relevance. The only issue and aspect to this (and the only exception) is how these other world-lines affect the “quantum shadows” of the people that surround us that their “parent” consciousnesses that inhabit them.

    Which was, as best that I can vocalize, what my role was in regards to our benefactors point of view. As a “dimensional anchor” I was able to “lasso” adjacent world-line trajectories to avoid mass catastrophes that are a typical result of the mass manipulation of people through use of media.

    Improving sensing ability

    While working with universal intent sentient within the multiverse quantum super field...
    
    ... encompassing all our souls and individual quantum clouds, 
    
    ... there is no issue with requesting super sentience...
    
    ... to limit target viewing hits ...
    
    ... to only the higher probability outcomes for the present world line in which the viewers reside. 

    Another interesting consideration. You can use intention / prayer communication, whether or not it is part of a campaign or not to communicate to your “higher self” …

    … or as I believe, to program your brain to direct your probing thoughts and senses toward specific awareness profiles. And, in so doing, improve your targeting ability.

    Using different awareness profiles
    You can use different awareness profiles; either differing statements of targeting intent, or even different people to assist narrowing down the target coordinates.
    Universal intent is certainly willing to limit targeting to single world line...
    
    ... or widen the reception aperture to proximal cluster of most probable but yet alternate world lines relative to an anchor referential consciousnesses.

    It does seem that way.

    Target Identification

    Another different possibility is that remote viewing “picking up signals” of a proximal relative cluster of world lines...
    
    ... is likely only possible because remote viewers are evolving souls and consciousness themselves.  
    
    And despite their proclivity for rationally limiting future probabilities viewing to the world line in which they reside, multiple world lines will be viewed. 

    Picking up signals. Yes whatever is received by the remote viewer will be colored by the knowledge and experiences of the observer.

    For instance, an observer who has never been to China would have a difficult time imagining China as it is today. With everyone paying using QR instead of paper money, where High Speed Travel is the norm and preferred over aircraft, where even the tiniest town has 40-story tall sky-scrapers. Where everyone wears masks even when it is not required. Where fifth graders can speak both English and Chinese while they study their calculus.

    Shanghai, China.
    Most Americans have absolutely no concept as to what China is today.

    .

    An American who is remote viewing modern China, say from the perspective of 1983, would be unable to comprehend that what he is seeing is actually China. And perhaps, maybe, would discard the images as perhaps representative of Japan or another date in a far-away future.

    These are limitations that we have to deal with. You only know what you know. And thus remote viewing things that are beyond our own personal experience would be too alien to us to interpret properly.

    The viewers themselves, as do human beings in general, possess individually, in groups and even globally possess the natural ability to shift/move/migrate to different world lines.  
    
    The quantum wave field of the soul focuses consciousness on inhabiting a physical embodiment existing in nearby variant world lines that furthers soul growth.  
      
     This is in turn depends on their in-body own associated outside influences, their own resonant thoughts, feelings, core beliefs and choices that normally bias target coupling to that which holds the greatest growth value for the viewer alone, unless they alter the target description to anchor its viewing parameters to exclude world line coupling that is less likely for the anchoring set of consciousnesses.

    Thus…

    If there are proximity world-lines, even outside that of the target area, that are more familiar to the observer, it would be a natural proclivity of the observer to migrate to those world-line influences that are easier to relate to (based on their personal experiences).

    But change is part of growth. For our soul to grow and expand the consciousness it must experience the uncomfortable and novel world-lines, and if they lie on the path in our future they might be difficult to observe.

    Certainly the Incas might have had a difficult time picturing the Spanish Galleons that lay at anchor off their beaches.

    But what of this?

    What of cross talk between different world-lines? What if wildly divergent world-lines reside in “close proximity” to your world-line template, and their novelty (no matter how strange) could alter your attention and sensing ability?

    Woman in the red dress.
    “The woman in the red dress” a scene from the Movie “The Matrix”. Our focus and our observation is drawn to that which appeals to us or that which we can clam is novel, of interest, or more interesting that the most probably reality that is within the target area.
    On analyzing this particular scene in The Matrix, it becomes clear that the woman in red is a deliberate distraction, a simulated character who is a part of the Agent training program. While the woman appears harmless, she wears a vibrant shade of red in order to distract trainees, triggering what's known as the "red dress effect" - a phenomenon where women wearing red are perceived to be more attractive and open to sexual advances than those in plain colors.
    
    The Matrix: What the Woman in the Red Dress Really Means

    Let’s talk about world-line cross-talk

    The result is remote viewing in any single timeline easily gets crosstalk from other multiverse proximal timelines.  

    I argue that cross-talk is a natural, and a fundamental aspect of our reality.

    Cross-talk illustration.
    .

    But how does the subtle influences manifest?

    Let’s look at 2020. I argue that the entire world “missed a bullet”. That the President and his team of neocons were Hell-bent on attacking China in a “hot war”, and knowing China (& Russia) as I do, this would be a very brief and (to Americans) surprising nuclear exchange.

    It was something like this…

    .

    I could write a ton-load of information on world-line cross-talk, and perhaps I will. But for now, keep things simple. There is no such thing as isolation. Either for consciousness or for world-lines. We are all connected and the purpose of our consciousness within this reality IS TO MAKE entangled associations.

    Using this understanding to improve Remote Viewing capabilities and targeting

    OK. Consider this…

    If proven, this may predict targeting protocols with means...
    
    ... to bind multiverse RV target coupling range...
    
    ... to viewing only the most probable eventuality for the timeline...
    
    ... in which the remote viewer originates the session, 
    
    ... thereby filtering the quantum coupling multiverse range...
    
    ... to the most novel punctuated variations across a cluster of intersecting world lines. 

    Using this knowledge and carefully improving the targeting protocols we should be able to not only [1] improve the targeting ability, but also we should be able to [2] begin to understand and even describe the near-by world-lines that will influence the ones that our trajectories will bypass.

    Mapping the MWI.
    .

    There is a lot of work that needs to go into this exploration of the MWI, but I personally believe that it is worth it.

    Some Ideas

    There are all sorts of ways to accomplish this, once we recognize that our reality is the MWI, and not some kind of shared “universe” as it is conventionally taught.

    For example, one may find some means to construct the RV target description to...
    
    ... effectively limit multi-timeline target coupling ...
    
    ....to only the most large population probable common future for a selected anchor subjects....
    
    ... in the timeline as of the session or as of an identified target date.

    By realizing the true and realistic nature of the MWI, we can greatly increase our ability to target future and past events along specific shared or specific world-line trajectories. As opposed to say…

    …assuming that we all share the same universe and everything that is viewed is shared and experienced by everyone.

    Other ideas…

    However, taskers for remote viewers can design target descriptions to block receptive coupling to less than large selected sample group collective likelihoods.  
    
    This couples the target range to a more commonly desired and likely world line so that predictive RV sessions entangle only relative to and biased from the selected baseline group of anchor parties.  
    
    It effects a proximal world line variance clamping function to block entanglement with less likely outcomes for this present world line.  

    Other ideas and comments…

    World line entanglement blocking prevents viewer intermediaries drifting towards natural attraction of more novel world lines, 
    
    ...regardless of present world line probability momentum and mass habitation factors. 
    
    It simply works to exclude less likely world line outcomes relative to an anchor reference group of persons or beings to thereby yield more likely valid predictive data for the present world line. 

    Bravo!

    Using MM for creative discussion and information transfer.

    “Free talk” and brainstorming is a great way for everyone to learn from each other. For me, I don’t have that much knowledge about remote viewing, but I do understand the MWI as far as my role was codified. By working together, we can improve the techniques, the technologies, the results for all. And perhaps, just perhaps, save the earth and make it a better place for all of us to live within.

    The Ukraine on our world-line and within our world-line template…

    Today.
    Post-Soviet countries look worse than ever. There are no drastic changes happening, so cityscapes are clogged with handmade balconies and other outbuildings, messy advertising, and ugly signs.

    But…

    Imagine what would happen if we, as a species, worked together to address the haphazard trajectories that we live upon. Consider what our reality would start to look like. Consider what we can do, should do, and how we can begin.

    The Ukraine on a different world-line template and upon a different vector direction.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Prayer / Intention Campaign Index here…

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    A comparison of American Capitalism and Chinese Capitalism and what the war of sentience dominance is all about.

    Phew! Another title that you will not find anywhere else in your “Google” searches.

    "Everything has an end, so do empires, both the United States and the  Soviet Union. Washington has outrageously favoured a small camarilla of  ultra-billionaires. Now it has to face its old demons, prepare for  secession and civil war..."
     
    "...Part of the power has already tipped democratic institutions into  the hands of a few ultra-billionaires. The United States that we knew  no longer exists. Their agony has begun."
     
    -https://www.voltairenet.org/article211982.html

    The following is a most excellent article. And the commentary by MM is just pure gold, if I must say so myself. It’s a long read, but well worth it. In it, it compares the two forms of capitalism; [1] a Chinese form, and [2] an American form. Then argues that the American form is at an advanced state of development, whereas the Chinese form is in an infantile stage.

    According to the thought process, industrial capitalism – earning money through making things is an early step that growing nations adopt. While earning money through taxation, rent, regulation and interest is a late-stage step that advanced nations evolve into.

    The discussion behind all this is interesting. It starts off great and then kind of meanders about, but the content is very curious. And we provide this article here for people to consider. In all of it’s imperfections and curiosities.

    Personally, I find the late-stage step; capitalism through non-physical activities to be a wasteful endeavor and a cancer upon society. As such, it is the major driver behind all the problems that the United States is currently dealing with at this moment. Please kindly read the article below. It is a full reprint, with little editing and all credit to the author.

    It’s original form can be found HERE.

    The Consequences of Moving from Industrial to Financial Capitalism

    By Michael Hudson and Pepe Escobar

    January 17, 2021 “Information Clearing House” – Michael Hudson: Well, I’m honored to be here on the same show with Pepe and discuss our mutual concern. And I think you have to frame the whole issue that China is thriving, and the West has reached the end of the whole 75-year expansion it had since 1945.

    So, there was an illusion that America is de-industrializing because of competition from China. And the reality is there is no way that America can re-industrialize and regain its export markets with the way that it’s organized today, financialized and privatized and if China didn’t exist. You’d still have the Rust Belt rusting out. You’d still have American industry not being able to compete abroad simply because the cost structure is so high in the United States.

    The wealth is no longer made here by industrializing. It’s made financially, mainly by making capital gains. Rising prices for real estate or for stocks and for bonds.  In the last nine months, since the coronavirus came here, the top 1 percent of the U.S. economy grew by $1 trillion. It’s been a windfall for the 1 percent. The stock market is way up, the bond market is up, the real estate market is up while the rest of the economy is going down. Despite the tariffs that Trump put on, Chinese imports, trade with China is going up because we’re just not producing materials.

    America doesn’t make its own shoes. It doesn’t make some nuts and bolts or fasteners, it doesn’t make industrial things anymore because if money is to be made off an industrial company it’s to buy and sell the company, not to make loans to increase the company’s production. New York City, where I live, used to be an industrial city and, the industrial buildings, the mercantile buildings have all been gentrified into high-priced real estate and the result is that Americans have to pay so much money on education, rent, medical care that if they got all of their physical needs, their food, their clothing, all the goods and services for nothing, they still couldn’t compete with foreign labor because of all of the costs that they have to pay that are essentially called rent-seeking.

    America comic.
    America

    Housing in the United States now absorbs about 40 percent of the average worker’s paycheck. There’s 15 percent taken off the top of paychecks for pensions, Social Security and for Medicare. Further medical insurance adds more to the paycheck, income taxes and sales taxes add about another 10 percent. Then you have student loans and bank debt. So basically, the American worker can only spend about one third of his or her income on buying the goods and services they produce. All the rest goes into the FIRE sector — the finance, insurance and real estate sector — and other monopolies.

    And essentially, we became what’s called a rent-seeking economy, not a productive economy. So, when people in Washington talk about American capitalism versus Chinese socialism this is confusing the issue. What kind of capitalism are we talking about?

    America used to have industrial capitalism in the 19th century. That’s how it got richer originally but now it’s moved away from industrial capitalism towards finance capitalism. And what that means is that essentially the mixed economy that made America rich — where the government would invest in education and infrastructure and transportation and provide these at low costs so that the employers didn’t have to pay labor to afford high costs — all of this has been transformed over the last hundred years.

    And we’ve moved away from the whole ethic of what was industrial capitalism. Before, the idea of capitalism in the 19th century from Adam Smith to Ricardo, to John Stuart Mill to Marx was very clear and Marx stated it quite clearly; capitalism was revolutionary. It was to get rid of the landlord class. It was to get rid of the rentier class. It was to get rid of the banking class essentially, and just bear all the costs that were unnecessary for production, because how did England and America and Germany gain their markets?

    They gained their markets basically by the government picking up a lot of the costs of the economy. The government in America provided low-cost education, not student debt. It provided transportation at subsidized prices. It provided basic infrastructure at low cost. And so, government infrastructure was considered a fourth factor of production.

    And if you read what the business schools in the late 19th century taught like Simon Patten at the Wharton School, it’s very much like socialism. In fact, it’s very much like what China is doing. And in fact, China is following in the last 30 or 40 years pretty much the same way of getting rich that America followed.

    It had its government fund basic infrastructure. It provides low-cost education. It invests in high-speed railroads and airports, in the building of cities. So, the government bears most of the costs and, that means that employers don’t have to pay workers enough to pay a student loan debt. They don’t have to pay workers enough to pay enormous rent such as you have in the United States.  They don’t have to pay workers to save for a pension fund, to pay the pension later on.  And most of all the Chinese economy doesn’t really have to pay a banking class because banking is the most important public utility of all.  Banking is what China has kept in the hands of government and Chinese banks don’t lend for the same reasons that American banks lend.

    (When I said that China can pay lower wages than the U.S., what I meant was that China provides as public services many things that American workers have to pay out of their own pockets – such as health care, free education, subsidized education, and above all, much lower debt service.

    When workers have to go into debt in order to live, they need much higher wages to keep solvent. When they have to pay for their own health insurance, they have to earn more. The same is true of education and student debt. So much of what Americans seem to be earning — more than workers in other countries — goes right through their hands to the FIRE sector. So, what seems to be “low wages” in China go a lot further than higher wages in the United States.)

    Eighty percent of American bank loans are mortgage loans to real estate and the effect of loosening loan standards and increasing the market for real estate is to push up the cost of living, push up the cost of housing. So, Americans have to pay more and more money for their housing whether they’re renters or they’re buyers, in which case the rent is for paying mortgage interest.

    They only lend against collateral that’s already in place because they won’t make a loan if it’s not backed by collateral. Well, China creates money through its public banks to create capital, to create the means of production. So, you have a diametric opposite philosophy of how to develop between the United States and China.

    The United States has decided not to gain wealth by actually investing in means of production and producing goods and services, but in financial ways. China is gaining wealth the old-fashioned way, by producing it. And whether you call this, industrial capitalism or a state capitalism or a state socialism or Marxism, it basically follows the same logic of real economics, the real economy, not the financial overhead.  So, you have China operating as a real economy, increasing its production, becoming the workshop of the world as England used to be called and America trying to draw in foreign resources, live off of foreign resources, live by trying to make money by investing in the Chinese stock market or now, moving investment banks into China and making loans to China not actual industrial capitalism ways.

    So, you could say that America has gone beyond industrial capitalism, and they call it the post-industrial society, but you could call it the neo-feudal society. You could call it the neo-rentier society, or you could call it debt peonage but it’s not industrial capitalism.

    And in that sense, there’s no rivalry between China and America. These are different systems going their own way and I better let Pepe pick it up from there.

    Pepe Escobar: Okay. Thank you, Michael, this is brilliant. And you did it in less than 15 minutes. You told the whole story in 15 minutes. Well, my journalistic instinct is immediately to start questions to Michael. So, this is exactly what I’m gonna do now. I think it is much better to basically illustrate some points of what Michael just said, comparing the American system, which is finance capitalism essentially, with industrial capitalism that is in effect in China. Let me try to start with a very concrete and straight to the point question, Michael.

    Okay. let’s says that more or less, if we want to summarize it, basically they try to tax the nonproductive rentier class. So, this would be the Chinese way to distribute wealth, right? Sifting through the Chinese economic literature, there is a very interesting concept, which is relatively new (correct me if I am wrong, Michael) in China, which they call stable investment. So stable investment, according to the Chinese would be to issue special bonds as extra capital in fact, to be invested in infrastructure building all across China, and they choose these projects in what they call weak areas and weak links. So probably in some of the inner provinces, or probably in some parts of Tibet or Xinjiang for instance. So, this is a way to invest in the real economy and in real government investment projects.

    Right? So, my question in fact, is does this system create extra local debt, coming directly from this financing from Beijing? Is this a good recipe for sustainable development, the Chinese way and the recipe that they could expand to other parts of the Global South?

    Michael: Well, this is a big problem that they’re discussing right now. The localities, especially rural China, (and China is still largely rural) only cover about half of their working budget from taxation. So, they have a problem. How are they going to get the balance of the money? Well, there is no official revenue sharing between the federal government and its state banks and the localities.

    So, the localities can’t simply go to central government and say, give us more money. The government lets the localities be very independent. And it is sort of the “let a hundred flowers bloom” concept. And so, they’ve let each locality just go the long way, but the localities have run a big deficit.

    What do they do?  Well in the United States they would issue bonds on which New York is about to default. But in China, the easiest way for the localities to make money, is unfortunately they will do something like Chicago did. They will sell their tax rights for the next 75 years for current money now.

    So, a real estate developer will come in and say; look we will give you the next 75 years of tax on this land, because we want to build projects on this (a set of buildings). So, what this means is that now the cities have given away all their source of rent.

    Let me show you the problem by what Indiana and Chicago did. Chicago also was very much like China’s countryside cities. So, it sold parking meters and its sidewalks to a whole series of Wall Street investors, including the Abu Dhabi Investment Fund for seventy-five years. And that meant that for 75 years, this Wall Street consortium got to control the parking meters.

    So, they put up the parking meters all over Chicago, raised the price of parking, raised the cost of driving to Chicago. And if Chicago would have a parade and interrupt parking, then Chicago has to pay the Abu Dhabi fund and Wall Street company what it would have made anyway. And this became such an awful disaster that finally Wall Street had to reverse the deal and undo it because it was giving privatization a bad name here.  The same thing happened in Indiana.

    Indiana was running a deficit and it decided to sell its roads to a Wall Street investment firm to make a toll road. The toll on the Indiana turnpike was so high that drivers began to take over the side roads. That’s the problem if you sell future tax revenues in advance.

    Now what China and the localities there are discussing is that we’ve already given the real estate tax at very low estimates to the commercial developers, so what do we do? Well, I’ve given them my advice. I’m a professor of economics at the Peking University, School of Marxist studies and I’ve had discussions with the Central Committee. I also have an official position at Wuhan University. There, we’re discussing how China can put an added tax for all of the valuable land, that’s gone up. How can it be done to let the cities collect this tax? Our claim is that the cities, in selling these tax rights for 75 years, have sold what in Britain would be called ground rent (i.e. what’s paid to the landed aristocracy).

    Over and above that there’s the market rent. So, China should pass a market-rent tax over and above the ground rent tax to reflect the current value. And there they’re thinking of, well, do we say that this is a capital gain on the land? Well, it’s not really a capital gain until you sell the land, but it’s value. It’s the valuation of the capital. And they’re looking at whether they should just say this is the market rent tax over and above the flat tax that has been paid in advance, or it’s a land tax on the capital gain for land.

    Now, all of this requires that there be a land map of the whole country. And they are just beginning to create such a land map as a basis for how you calculate how much the rent there is. 

    What I found in China is something very strange. A few years ago, in Beijing, they had the first, International Marxist conference where I was the main speaker and I was talking about Marx’s discussion of the history of rent theory in Volume II and Volume III of Capital where Marx discusses all of the classical economics that led up to his view; Adam Smith, Ricardo, Malthus, John Stuart Mill, and Marx’s theory of surplus value was really the first history of economic thought that was written, although it wasn’t published until after he died. Well, you could see that there was a little bit of discomfort with some of the Marxists at the conference. And so, they invited for the next time my colleague David Harvey to come and talk about Marxism in the West.

    Well, David gave both the leading and the closing speech of the conference and said, you’ve got to go beyond volume I of Capital. Volume I was what Marx wrote as his addition to classical economics, saying that there was exploitation in industrial employment of labor as well as rent seeking and then he said, now that I’ve done my introduction here, let me talk about how capitalism works in Volumes II and III. Volumes II and III are all about rent and finance and David Harvey has published a book on Volume III of Capital and his message to Peking University and the second Marxist conference was – you’ve got to read Volume II, and III.

    Well, you can see that, there’s a discussion now over what is Marxism and a friend and colleague at PKU said Marxism is a Chinese word; It’s the Chinese word for politics. That made everything clear to me. Now I get it!  I’ve been asked by the Academy of Social Sciences in China to create a syllabus of the history of rent theory and value theory. And essentially in order to have an idea of how you calculate rent, how do you make a national income analysis where you show rent, you have to have a theory of value and price and rent is the excess of price over the actual cost value. Well, for that you need a concept of cost of production and that’s what classical economics is all about. Post-classical economics denied all of this. The whole idea of classical economics is that not all income is earned.

    Landlords don’t earn their income for making rent in their sleep as John Stuart Mill said. Banks don’t earn their income by just sitting there and letting debts accrue and interest compounding and doubling. The classical economists separated actual unearned income from the production and consumption economy.

    Well, around the late 19th century in America, you had economists fighting against not only Marx, but also even against Henry George, who at that time, was urging a land tax in New York. And so, at Columbia University, John Bates Clark developed a whole theory that everybody earns whatever they can get. That there was no such thing as unearned income and that has become the basis for American national income statistics and thought ever since. So, if you look at today’s GDP figures for the United States, they have a figure for 8 percent of the GDP for the homeowners’ rent. But homeowners wouldn’t pay themselves if they had to rent the apartment to themselves, then you’ll have interest at about 12 percent of GDP.

    And I thought, well how can interest be so steady? What happens to all of the late fees; that 29 percent that credit card companies charge? I called up the national income people in Washington, when I was there. And they said well, late fees and penalties are considered financial services.

    And so, this is what you call a service economy. Well, there’s no service in charging a late fee, but they add all of the late fees. When people can’t pay their debts and they owe more and more, all of that is considered an addition to GDP. When housing becomes more expensive and prices American labor out of the market, that’s called an increase in GDP.

    This is not how a country that wants to develop is going to create a national income account. So, there’s a long discussion in China about, just to answer your question, how do you create an account to distinguish between what’s the necessary cost to production and what’s an unnecessary production cost and how do we avoid doing what the United States did.

    So again, no rivalry.

    The United States is an object lesson for China on what to avoid, not only in industrializing the economy, but in creating a picture of the economy as if everybody earns everything and there’s no exploitation, no earned income, nobody makes money in their sleep and there’s no 1 percent.

    Well, that’s what’s really at issue and why the whole world is splitting apart as you and I are discussing in what we’re writing.

    Pepe: Thank you, Michael. Thank you very much. So just to sum it all up, can we say that Beijing’s strategy is to save especially provincial areas from leasing their land, their infrastructure for 60 years or 75 years?  As you just mentioned, can we say that the fulcrum of their national strategy is what you define as the market rent tax? Is this the No. 1 mechanism that they are developing?

    Michael: Ideally, they want to keep rents as low as possible because rent is a cost of living and a cost of doing business. They don’t have banks that are lending to inflate the real estate market.

    However, in almost every Western country — the U.S., Germany England — the value of stocks and bonds and the value of real estate is just about exactly the same. But for China, the value of real estate is way, way larger than the value of stocks.

    And the reason is not because the Chinese Central bank, the Bank of China lends for real estate; it’s because they lend to intermediaries and the intermediaries have financed a lot of housing purchases in China. And, this is really the problem for if they levy a land tax, then you’re going to make a lot of these financial intermediaries go bust.

    That’s what I’m advocating, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. These financial intermediaries shouldn’t exist, and this same issue came up in 2009 in the United States. You had the leading American bank being the most crooked and internally corrupt bank in the country, Citibank making junk mortgage, and it was broke.

    Its entire net worth was wiped out as a result of its fraudulent junk mortgages.

    Well, Sheila Bair, the head of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) wanted to close it down and take it over. Essentially that would have made it into a public bank and that would be a wonderful thing. She said, look Citibank shouldn’t be doing what it’s doing. And she wrote all this up in an autobiography. And, she was overruled by President Obama and Tim Geithner saying, but wait a minute, those are our campaign contributors. So, they were loyal to the campaign contributors, but not the voters; and they didn’t close Citibank down.

    And the result is that the Federal Reserve ended up creating about $7 trillion of quantitative easing to bail out the banks. The homeowners weren’t bailed out.  Ten million American families lost their homes as a result of junk mortgages in excess of what the property was actually worth.

    All of this was left on the books, foreclosed and sold to a private capital companies like Blackstone. And the result is that home ownership in America declined from 68 percent of the population down to about 61 percent. Well, right where the Obama administration left off, you’re about to have the Biden administration begin in January with an estimated 5 million Americans losing their homes.

    Decline in home ownership.
    Decline in home ownership in the United States prior to the Coronavirus.

    They’re going to be evicted because they’ve been unemployed during the pandemic. They’ve been working in restaurants or gyms or other industries that have been shut down because of the pandemic. They’re going to be evicted and many homeowners and, low-income homeowners have been unable to pay their mortgages.

    There’s going to be a wave of foreclosures. The question is, who’s going to bear the cost? Should it be 15 million American families who lose their homes just so the banks won’t lose money? Or should we let the banks that have made all of the growth since 2008? Ninety five percent of American GDP of the population has seen its wealth go down. All the wealth has been accumulating for the 5 percent in statistics. Now the question is should this 5 percent that’s got all the wealth lose or should the 95 percent lose?

    The Biden administration says the 95 percent should lose basically. And you’re going to see a wave of closures so that the question in China should be that, these intermediate banks (they’re not really banks they are sort of like payday loan lenders), should they come in and, bear the loss or should Chinese localities and the people bear the loss?

     Somebody has to lose when you’re charging, you’re collecting the land’s rent that was paid to the creditors, and either the creditors have to lose or, the tax collector loses and that’s the conflict that exists in every society of the world today.   And, in the West, the idea is the tax collectors should lose and whatever the tax collector relinquishes should be free for the banks to collect.

    In China obviously, they don’t want that to happen and they don’t want to see a financial class developing along US lines.

    Pepe: Michael, there’s a quick question in all this, which is the official position by Beijing in terms of helping the localities. Their official position is that there won’t be any bailouts of local debt. How do they plan to do that?

    Michael: What they’re discussing, how are you not going to do it? They think they sort of let localities go their own way. And they think, well you know which ones are going to succeed, and which ones aren’t, they didn’t want to have a one-size-fits all central planning. They wanted to have flexibility. Well, now they have flexibility. And when you have many different “let a hundred flowers bloom,” not all the flowers are going to bloom at the same rate.

    And the question is, if they don’t bail out the cities, how are the cities going to operate? Certainly, China has never let markets steer the economy, the government steers the markets. That’s what socialism is as opposed to finance capitalism. So, the question is, you can let localities go broke and yet you’re not going to destroy any of the physical assets of the localities, and all of this is going to be in place. The question is how are you going to arrange the flow of income to all of these roads and buildings and land that’s in place? How do you create a system? 

    Essentially, they’re saying well, if we’re industrial engineers, how do we just plan things? Forget credit, forget property claims, forget the rentier claims. How are we just going to design an economy that operates most efficiently? And that’s what they’re working on now to resolve this situation because it’s gotten fairly critical.

    Pepe: Yes, especially in the countryside. Well, I think, a very good metaphor in terms of comparing both systems are investment in infrastructure. You travel to China a lot so, you’ve seen. You’ll travel through high-speed rail. You’ll see those fantastic airports, in Pudong or the new airport in Beijing. And then you’ll take the Acela to go from Washington to New York City, which is something that I used to do years ago. And the comparison is striking. Isn’t it?

    High speed rail.
    Chinese high speed rail.

    Or if you go to France, for instance, when France started development of the TGV, which in terms of a national infrastructure network, is one of the best networks on the planet. And the French started doing this 30 years ago, even more. Is there……, it’s not in terms of way out, but if we analyze the minutia, it’s obvious that following the American finance utilization system, we could never have something remotely similar happening in United States in terms of building infrastructure.

    So, do you see any realistic bypass mechanism in terms of improving American infrastructure, especially in the big cities?

    Michael: No, and there are two reasons for that. No. 1, let’s take a look at the long-term railroads. The railroads go through the center of town or even in the countryside, all along the railroads, the railroads brought business and all the businesses had been located as close to the railroad tracks as they could. Factories with sightings off the railroad, hotels and especially right through the middle of town where you have the railway gates going up and down. In order to make a high-speed rail as in China, you need a dedicated roadway without trucks and cars, imagine a car going through a railway gate at 350 miles an hour.

    Railroad station.
    Railroad station in China.

    So, when I would go from Beijing to Tianjin, here’s the high-speed rail, there’s one highway on one side, one highway on the other side. There’ll be underpasses. But there it goes straight now.

    How can you suppose you would have a straight Acela line from Washington up to Boston when all along the line, there’s all this real estate right along the line that has been built up? There’s no way you can get a dedicated roadway without having to tear down all of this real estate that’s on either side and the cost of making the current owners whole would be prohibitive. And anywhere you would go, that’s not in the center of the city, you would also have to have the problem that there’s already private property there.

    And there’s no legal, constitutional way for such a physical investment to be made. China was able to make this investment because it was still largely rural. It wasn’t as built up along the railways. It didn’t have any particular area that was built up right where the railroad already was.

    So certainly, any high-speed rail could not go where the current railways would be, and they’d have to go on somebody’s land. And, there’s also, what do you do if you want to get to New York and Long Island from New Jersey?

    Sixty years ago, when I went into Wall Street, the cost of getting and transporting goods from California to Newark, New Jersey, was as large as from Newark right across the Hudson River to New York, not only because of the mafia and control of the local labor unions, but because of the tunnels.

    Right now, the tunnels from New Jersey to New York are broke, they are leaking, the subways in New York City, which continually break down because there was a hurricane a few years ago and the switches were made in the 1940s. The switches are 80 years old. They had water damage and the trains have to go at a crawl. But the city and state, because it is not collecting the real estate tax and other taxes and because ridership fell on the subways to about 20 percent, the city’s broke. They’re talking about 70 percent of city services being cut back. They’re talking about cutting back the subways to 40 percent capacity, meaning everybody will have to get in — when there’s still a virus and not many people are wearing masks, and there was no means of enforcing masks here.

    So, there’s no way that you can rebuild the infrastructure because, for one thing the banking system here has subsidized for a hundred years junk economics saying you have to balance the budget. If the government creates credit it’s inflationary as if when banks create credit, it’s not inflationary. Well, the monetary effect is the same, no matter who creates the money. And so, Biden has already said that President Trump ran a big deficit, we’re going to run a bunch of surpluses or a budget balance. And he was advocating that all along.

    Essentially Biden is saying we have to increase unemployment by 20 percent, lower wages by 20 percent, shrink the economy by about 10 percent in order to, in order for the banks not to lose money.

    And, we’re going to privatize but we are going to do it by selling the hospitals, the schools, the parks, the transportation to finance, to Wall Street finance capital groups. And so, you can imagine what’s going to happen if the Wall Street groups buy the infrastructure.

    They’ll do what happened to Chicago when it sold all the parking meters, they’ll say, OK, instead of 25 cents an hour, it’s now charged $3 an hour. Instead of a $2 for the subway, let’s make it $8.

    You’re going to price the American economy even further out of business because they say that public investment is socialism. Well, it’s not socialism. It’s industrial capitalism. It’s industrialization, that’s basic economics. The idea of what, and how an economy works is so twisted academically that it’s the antithesis of what Adam Smith, John Stewart Mill and Marx all talked about. For them a free- market economy was an economy free of rentiers. Free of rent, it didn’t have any rent seeking. But now for the Americans, a free-market economy is free for the rentiers, free for the landlord, free for the banks to make a killing. And that is basically the class war back in business with a vengeance. That blocks and is preventing any kind infrastructure recovery. I don’t see how it can possibly take place.

    Pepe: Well, based on what you just described, there is a process of turning the United States into a giant Brazil. In fact, this is what the Brazilian Finance Minister Paulo Guedes, a Pinochetista, as you know Michael, has been doing with the Brazilian economy for the past two years, privatizing everything and selling everything to big Brazilian interests and with lots of Wall Street interests involved as well. So, this is a recipe that goes all across the Global South as well. And it’s fully copied all across the Global South with no way out now.

     Michael: Yes, and this is promoted by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. And when I was brought down to Brazil to meet with the council of economic advisers under Lula, [Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, former president of Brazil], they said, well the whole problem is that Lula’s been obliged to let the banks do the planning.

    So, basically free markets and libertarianism is adopting central planning, but with central planning by the banks. America is a much more centrally planned economy than China. China is letting a hundred flowers bloom; America has concentrated the planning and the resource allocation in Wall Street. And that’s the central planning that is much more corrosive than any government planning, could be. Now the irony is that China’s sending its students to America to study economics. And, most of the Chinese I had talked to say, well we went to America to take economics courses because that gives us a prestige here in China.

    I’m working now, with Chinese groups trying to develop a “reality economics” to be taught in China as different from American economics.

    Pepe: Exactly, because of what they study at Beijing University, Renmin or Tsinghua

    is not exactly what they would study in big American universities. Probably what they study in the U.S. is what not to do in China. When they go back to China, what they won’t be doing. It’s an object lesson for what to avoid.

    Michael, I’d like to go back to what the BRICS [Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa] had been discussing in the 2000s when Lula was still president of Brazil and many of his ideas deeply impressed, especially Hu Jintao at the time, which is bypassing the U.S. dollar. Well, at the moment obviously we’re still at 87 percent of international transactions still in U.S. dollars. So, we are very far away from it, but if you have a truly sovereign economy, which is the case of China, which we can say is the case of Russia to a certain extent and obviously in a completely different framework, Iran. Iran is a completely sovereign, independent economy from the West. The only way to try to develop different mechanisms to not fall into the rentier mind space would be to bypass the U.S. dollar.

    Michael: Yes, for many reasons. For one thing the United States can simply print the dollars and lend to other countries and then say, now you have to pay us interest.

    Well, Russia doesn’t need American dollars. It can print its own rubles to provide labor. There’s no need for a foreign currency at all for domestic spending, the only reason you would have to borrow a foreign currency is to balance your exchange rate, or to finance a trade deficit.

    But China doesn’t have a trade deficit. And in fact, if China were to work to accept more dollars, Americans would love to buy into the Chinese market and make a profit there, but that would push up China’s exchange rate and that would make it more difficult for her to make its exports because the exchange rate would come up not because it’s exporting more but because it’s letting American dollars come in and push it up.

    Well, fortunately, President Trump as if he works for the Chinese National Committee, said, look, we don’t want to really hurt China by pushing up its currency and we want to keep it competitive. So, I’m going to prevent American companies from lending money to China, I’m going to isolate it and so he’s helping them protect their economy. And in Russia he said, look Russia really needs to feed itself. And, there’s a real danger that when the Democrats come in, there are a lot of anti-Russians in the Biden administration.

    They may go to war.

    They may do to Russia what they tried to do to China in the ‘50s. Stop exporting food and grain. And only Canada was able to break the embargo. So, we’re going to impose sanctions on Russia. So immediately, what happened is Russia very quickly became the largest grain exporter in the world.

    And instead of importing cheese from the Baltics, it created its own cheese industry.

    So, Trump said look, I know that Russians followed the American idea of not having protective tariffs, they need protective tariffs. They’re not doing it. We’re going to help them out by just not importing from them and really helping them.

    Pepe: Yeah. Michael, what do you think Black Rock wants from the Chinese? You know that they are making a few inroads at the highest levels? Of course, I’m sure you’re aware of that. And also, JP Morgan, Citybank, etc. What do they really want?

    Michael: They’d like to be able to create dollars to begin to buy and make loans to real estate; let companies grow, let the real estate market grow and make capital gains.

    The way people get wealthy today isn’t by making an income, it’s been by making a capital gain. Total returns are current income plus the capital gains. As for capital gains each year; the land value gains alone are larger than the whole GDP growth from year to year. So that’s where the money is, that’s where the wealth is. So, they are after speculative capital gains, they would like to push money into the Chinese stock market and real estate market. See the prices go up and then inflate the prices by buying in and then sell out at the high price. Pull the money out, get a capital gain and let the economy crash, I mean that’s the business plan.

    Pepe: Exactly. But Beijing will never allow that.

    Michael: Well, here’s the problem right now, they know that Biden is pushing militarily aggressive people in his cabinet. There’s one kind of overhead that China is really trying to avoid and that’s the military overhead because if you spend money on the military, you can’t spend it on the real economy.

    They’re very worried about the military and they say, how do we deter the Biden administration from actually trying a military adventure in the South China Sea or elsewhere? They said well, fortunately America is multi-layered. They don’t think of America as a group. They realize there’s a layer and they say, who’s going to represent our interests?

    Well, Blackstone and Wall Street are going to represent their interests.

    Then I think one of the, Chinese officials last week gave a big speech on this very thing, saying look, our best hope in stopping America’s military adventurism in China is to have Wall Street acting as our support because after all, Wall Street is the main campaign contributor and the president works for the campaign contributors.

    The politician works for the campaign contributors. They’re in it for the money! So fortunately, we have Wall Street on our side, we’ve got control of the political system and they’re not there to go to war so that helps explain why a month ago they let wholly-owned U.S. banks and bankers in. On the one hand, they don’t like the idea of somebody outside the government creating credit for reasons that the economy doesn’t need. If they needed it, the Bank of China would do it. They have no need for foreign currency to come in to make loans in domestic currency, out of China.

    The only reason that they could do it is No. 1, it helps meet the World Trade Organization’s principles and, No. 2, especially during this formative few months of the Biden administration, it helps to have Wall Street saying; we can make a fortune in China, go easy on them and that essentially counters the military hawks in Washington.

    Pepe: So, do you foresee a scenario when Black Rock starts wreaking havoc in the Shanghai stock exchange for instance?

    Michael: It would love to do that. It would love to move things up and down. The money’s made by companies with the stock market going up and down; the zigzag. So of course, it wants to do a predatory zigzag. The question is whether China will impose a tax to stop this, all sorts of financial transactions. That’s what’s under discussion now. They know exactly what Black Rock wants to do because they have some very savvy billionaire Chinese advisers that are quite good. I can tell you stories, but I better not.

    Pepe: Okay. If it’s not okay to tell it all, tell us part of the story then.

    Michael: The American banks have been cultivating leading Chinese people by providing them enough money to make money here, that they think that, okay they will now try to make money in the same way in China and we can join in. It’s a conflict of systems again, between the finance capital system and industrial socialism. You don’t get any of this discussion in the U.S. press, which is why I read what you write because in the U.S. press, the neocons talk about the fake idea of Greek history and fake idea of the Thucydides’ problem of a country jealous of another country’s development.

    There’s no jealousy between America and China.

    They’re different, they have their own way. We are going to destroy them. And if you look at the analogy that the Americans draw —and this is how the Pentagon thinks — with the war between Athens and Sparta.

    It’s hard to tell, which is which. Here you have Athens, a democracy backing other democracies and having the military support of the democracies and the military in these democracies all had to pay Athens protection money for the military support and that’s the money that Athens got to ostensibly support its navy and protection that built up all of the Athenian public buildings and everything else.

    So, that’s a democracy exploiting its allies, to enrich itself via the military.

    Then you have Sparta, which was funding all of the oligarchies, and it was helping the oligarchies overthrow democracies. Well, that was America too. So, America is both sides of the Thucydides war if the democracy is exploiting the fellow democracies and is the supporter of oligarchies in Brazil, Latin America, Africa and everyone else.

    So, you could say the Thucydides problem was between two sides, two aspects of America and has nothing to do with China at all except, for the fact that the whole war was a war between economic systems. They’re acting as if somehow if only China did not export to us, we could be re-industrialized and somehow export to Europe and the Third World.

    And as you and I have described, it’s over.

    We painted ourselves into such a debt corner that without writing down the debts, we’re in the same position that the Eurozone is in. There’s so much money that goes to the creditors to the top 1 percent or 5 percent that there is no money for capital investment, there is no money for growth. And, since 1980 as you know, real wages in America have been stable. All the growth has been in property owners and predators and the FIRE sector, the rest of the economy is in stagnation.

    And now the coronavirus has simply acted as a catalyst to make it very clear that the game is over; it’s time to move away from the homeowner economy to rentier economy, time for Blackstone to be the landlord. America wants to recreate the British landlord class and essentially what we’re seeing now is like the Norman invasion of England taking over the land and the infrastructure.

    That’s what Blackstone would love to do in China.

    Pepe: Wow. I’m afraid that they may have a lot of leeway by some members of the Beijing leadership now, because as you know very well, it’s not a consensus in the political arena.

    Michael: We’re talking about Volume II and III of Capital.

    Pepe: Exactly. But you know, you were talking about debt. Coming back to that, in fact I just checked this morning, apparently global debt as it stands today is $277 trillion, which is something like 365 percent of global GDP. What does that mean in practice?

    Michael: Yeah, well fortunately this is discussed in the 19th century and there was a word for that — fictitious capital — it’s a debt that can’t be paid, but you’ll keep it on the books anyway. And every country has this. You could say the question now, and The Financial Times just had an article a few days ago that China’s claims on Third World countries on the Belt and Road Initiative is fictitious capital, because how can it collect?

    Well, China’s already thought of that. It doesn’t want money. It wants the raw materials. It wants to be paid in real things. But a debt that can’t be paid, can only be paid either by foreclosing on the debtors or by writing down the debts and obviously a debt that can’t be paid won’t be paid.

    And so, you have not only Marx using the word fictitious capital. At the other end of the spectrum, you had Henry George talking about fictive capital. In other words, these are property claims that have no real capital behind them. There’s no capital that makes profit. That’s just a property claim for payment or a rentier claim for payment.

    So, the question is, can you make money somehow without having any production at all, without having wages, without having profits, without any capital? Can you just have asset grabbing and buying-and-selling assets? And as long as you have the Federal Reserve in America, come in, Trump’s $10 trillion Covid program gave $2 trillion to the population at large with these $1,200 checks, that my wife and I got, and $8 trillion all just to buy stocks and bonds.

    None of this was to build infrastructure. None of this $8 trillion was to build a single factory. None of this 8 trillion was to employee a single worker. It was all just to support the prices of stocks and bonds, and to keep the illusion that the economy had not stopped growing. Well, it’s growing for the 5 percent. So, it’s all become fictitious. And if you look at the GDP as I said, it’s fictitious.

    Pepe: And the most extraordinary thing is none of that is discussed in American media. There’s not a single word about what you would have been describing.

    Michael: It’s not even discussed in academia. Our graduates at the university of Missouri at Kansas City, we’re all trained in Modern Monetary Theory. And as hired professors they have to be able to publish in the refereed journals and the refereed journals are all essentially controlled by the Chicago School. So, you have a censorship of the kind of ideas that we’re talking about. You can’t get it into the economic journals, so you can’t get it into the economics curriculum. So, where on earth are you going to get it? If you didn’t have the internet you wouldn’t be discussing at all. Most of my books sell mainly in China, more than in all the other countries put together so I can discuss these things there. I stopped publishing in orthodox journals so many years ago because it’s talking to the deaf.

    Pepe: Absolutely. Yeah. Can I ask you a question about Russia, Michael? There is a raging, debate in Russia for many years now between let’s say the Eurasianists and the Atlanticists. It involves of course, economic policy under Putin, industrial capitalism Russian style. The Eurasianists basically say that the central problem with Russia is how the Russian central bank is basically affiliated with all the mechanisms that you know so well, that it is an Atlanticist Trojan Horse inside the Russian economy. How do you see it?

    Russian Eurasianism: An Ideology of Empire | Wilson Center
    
    Eurasianism can be defined as an ideology which affirms that Russia and its "margins" occupy a median position between Europe and Asia, that their specific features have to do with their culture being a "mix" born of the fusion of Slavic and Turko-Muslim peoples, and that Russia should specifically highlight its Asian features.
    
    https://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/russian-eurasianism-ideology-empire
    

    Michael: Russia was brainwashed by the West when the Soviet Union broke up in 1991. First of all, the IMF announced in advance that there was a big meeting in Houston with the IMF and the World Bank. And the IMF published all of its report saying, first you don’t want inflation in Russia so let’s wipe out all of the Russian savings with hyperinflation, which they did. They then said, well now to cure the hyperinflation the Russian central bank needs a stable currency and you need a backup for the currency. You will need to back it with U.S. dollars.

    So, from the early 1990s, as you know, labor was going unpaid. The Russian central bank could have created the rubles to pay the domestic labor and to keep the factories in place. But, the IMF advisers from Harvard said, no you’ll have to borrow U.S. dollars. I met with people from the Hermitage Fund and the Renaissance Fund and others.

    We had meetings and I met with the investors. Russia was paying 100 percent interest for years to leading American financial institutions for money that it didn’t need and could have created itself. Russia was so dispirited with Stalinism that, essentially, it thought the opposite of Stalinism must be what they have in America.

    They thought that America was going to tell it how America got rich, but America didn’t want to tell Russia how it got rich, but instead wanted to make money off Russia. They didn’t get it. They trusted the Americans. They really didn’t understand that, industrial capitalism that Marx described had metamorphosized into finance capitalism and was completely different.

    Finance capitalism
    Finance capitalism or financial capitalism is the subordination of processes of production to the accumulation of money profits in a financial system. Financial capitalism is thus a form of capitalism where the intermediation of saving to investment becomes a dominant function in the economy, with wider implications for the political process and social evolution. Since the late 20th century, in a process sometimes called financialization, it has become the predominant force in the global economy, whether in neoliberal or other form.
    
    Wikipedia

    And that’s because Russia didn’t charge rent, it didn’t charge interest. I gave three speeches before the Duma, urging it to impose a land tax. Some of the people I noticed, Ed Dodson was there with us and we were all trying to convince Russia, don’t let this land be privatized. If you let it be privatized, then you’re going to have such high rents and housing costs in Russia that you’re not going to be able to essentially compete for an industrial growth. Well, the politician who brought us there, Viatcheslav Zolensky was sort of maneuvered out of the election by the American advisers.

    The Americans put billions of dollars in to essentially finance American propagandists to destroy Russia, mainly from the Harvard Institute of International Development. And essentially, they were a bunch of gangsters and the prosecutors in Boston were about to prosecute them.

    The attorney general of Boston was going to bring a big case for Harvard against the looting of Russia and the corruption of Russia. And I was asked to organize and to bring a number of Russian politicians and industrialists over to say how this destroyed everything. Well, Harvard settled out of court and essentially that made the perpetrators the leading university people up there. (I’m associated with Harvard Anthropology Department, not the Economics Department.)

    So, we never had a chance to bring my witnesses, and have our report on what happened, but I published for the Russian Academy of Sciences a long study of how all of this destruction of Russia was laid out in advance at the Houston meetings by the IMF. America went to the leading bureaucrats and said; look, we can make you rich why don’t you register the factories in your own name, and if you’re registered in your own name, you know, then you’ll own it. And then you can cash out. You can essentially sell, but obviously you can’t sell to the Russians because the IMF has just wiped out all of their savings.

    You can only cash out by selling to the West. And so, the Russian stock market became the leading stock market in the world from 1994 with the Norilsk Nickel and the seven bankers in the bank loans for shares deal through 1997. And, I had worked for a firm Scutter Stevens and, the head adviser, a former student of mine didn’t want to invest in Russia because she said, this is just a rip off, it’s going to crash. She was fired for not investing. They said look, we know that’s going to crash. That’s the whole idea it’s going to crash. We can make a mint off it before the crash. And then when it crashes, we can make another mint by selling short and then all over again. Well, the problem is that the system that was put in with the privatization that’s occurred, how do you have Russia’s wealth used to develop its own industry and its own economy like China was doing. Well, China has rules for all of this, but Russia doesn’t have rules, it’s really all centralized, it’s President Putin that keeps it this way.

    Well, this was the great fear of the West. When you had Mikhail Gorbachev beginning to plan to do pretty much what is done today, to restrain private capital, the IMF said hold off. We’re not going to make any loans to stabilize the Russian currency until you remove Mr. Primakov.

    The U.S. said we won’t deal with Russia until you remove him. So, he was pushed out and he was probably the smartest guy at the time there. So, they thought [President Vladimir] Putin was going to be sort of the patsy. And he almost single-handedly, holding the oligarchs in and saying, look, you can keep your money as long as you do exactly what the government would do. You can keep the gains as long as you’re serving the public interest.

    But none of this resulted into a legal system, a tax system, and a system where the government actually does get most of the benefits. Russia could have emerged in 1990 as one the most competitive economies in Eurasia by giving all of the houses to its people instead of giving Norilsk Nickel and the oil companies to Yukos. It could have given everybody their own house and their own apartment, the same thing in the Baltics. And instead it didn’t give the land out to the people. And Russians were paying 3 percent of their income for housing in 1990. And rent is the largest element in every household’s budget.

    So, Russia could have had low-price labor. It could have financed all of its capital investment for the government by taxing, collecting the rising rental value. Instead, Russian real estate was privatized on credit and it was even worse in the Baltics.

    In Latvia, where I was research director for the Riga Graduate School of Law, Latvia borrowed primarily from Swedish banks. And so, in order to buy a house, you had to borrow from Swedish banks. And they said, well, we’re not going to lend in the Latvian currency because it can go down. So, you have a choice; Swiss Francs or German Marks or U.S. Dollars. And so, all of this rent was paid in foreign currency. There came an outflow that essentially drained all the Baltic economies. Latvia lost 20 percent of its population. Estonia and Lithuania followed suit.

    And of course, the worst hit by neo-liberalism was Russia. As you know, President Putin said that neo-liberalism cost Russia more of its population than World War II.

    And you know that to destroy a country, you don’t need an army anymore. All you have to do is teach it American economics.

    Pepe: Yes, I remember well, I arrived in Russia in the winter of 91 coming from China. So, I transited from the Chinese miracle. In fact, a few days after Deng Xiaoping’s famous Southern tour when he went to Guangzhou and Shenzhen.  And that was the kick for the 1990s boom, in fact a few years before the handover, and then I took the Trans-Siberian and I arrived in Moscow a few days after the end, in fact, a few weeks after the end of the Soviet Union.

    But yeah, I remember the Americans arrived almost at the exact minute, wasn’t it, Michael? I think they already were there in the spring of 1992. If I’m not mistaken.

    Michael:  The Houston meeting was in 1990.  But all before that already in, 1988 and 1989, there was a huge outflow of embezzlement money via Latvia. The assistant dean of the university who ended up creating Nordex, essentially the money was all flying out because Ventspils in Latvia, was where Russian oil was exported and it was all fake invoicing. So, the Russian kleptocrats basically made their money off false export invoicing, ostensibly selling it for one price and having the rest paid abroad and, this was all organized through Latvia and the man who did it later moved to Israel and finally gave a billion dollars back to Russia so that he went on to live safely for the rest of his life in Israel.

    Pepe: Well, the crash of the ruble in 1998 was what, roughly one year after the crash of the baht and the whole Asian financial crisis, no? It was interlinked of course, but let me see if I have a question for you, in fact, I’m just thinking out loud now. If the economies of Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia, the case of South Korea and Russia, were more integrated at the time as they are trying to integrate now, do you think that the Asian financial crisis would have been preventable in 1997?

    Michael: Well, look at what happened in Malaysia with Mohammad Mahathir. Malaysia avoided it. So of course, it was preventable, and they had the capital controls. All you would have needed was to do what Malaysia did. But you needed an economic theory for that.

    And essentially the current mode of warfare is to conquer the brains of a country to shape how people think and how they perceive the economy.

    And if you can twist their view into an unreality economics, where they think that you’re there to help them not to take money out of them, then you’ve got them hooked. That was what happened in Asia. Asia thought it was getting rich off the dollars inflows and then the IMF and all the creditors pulled the plug, crash the industry. And now that all of a sudden you had a crash, they bought up Korean industry and other South Asian industries at giveaway prices.

    That’s what you do. You lend the money; you pull the plug. You then let them go under and you pick up the pieces. That’s what Blackstone did after the Obama depression began, when Obama saved the banks, not the constituency, the mortgage borrowers. Essentially that’s Blackstone’s modus operandi to pick up distressed prices at a bankruptcy sale, but you need to lend money and then crash it in order to make that work.

    Pepe: Michael, I think we have only five minutes left. So, I would expect you to go on a relatively long answer and I’m really dying for it. It’s about debt, it about the debt trap. And it’s about the New Silk Roads, the Belt and Road Initiative, because I think rounding up our discussion and coming back to the theme of debt and global debt.

    The No. 1 criticism apart from the demonization of China that you hear from American media and a few American academics as well against the Belt and Road is that it’s creating a debt trap for Southeast Asian nations, Central Asian nations and nations in Africa, etc…. Obviously, I expect you to debunk that, but the framework is there is no other global development project as extensive and as complex as Belt and Road, which as you know very well was initially dreamed up by the Ministry of Commerce. Then they sold it more or less to Xi Jinping who got the geopolitical stamp on it, announcing it, simultaneously, (which was a stroke of genius) in Central Asia in Astana and then in Southeast Asia in Jakarta. So, he was announcing the overland corridors through the heartland and the Maritime Silk Road at the same time.

    At the time people didn’t see the reach and depth of all that. And now of course, finally the Trump administration woke up and saw what was in play, not only across Eurasia but reaching Africa and even selected parts of Latin America as well. And obviously the only sort of criticism, and it’s not even a fact-based criticism, that I’ve seen about the Belt and Road is it’s creating a debt trap because as you know Laos is indebted, Sri Lanka is indebted, Kyrgyzstan is indebted etc. So, how do you view Belt and Road within the large framework of the West and China, East Asia and Eurasia relations? And how would you debunk misconceptions created, especially in the U S that this is a debt trap.

    Michael: There are two points to answer there.  The first is how the Belt and Road began. And as you pointed out, the Belt and Road began, when China said, what is it we need to grow and how do we grow within our neighboring countries so we don’t have to depend upon the West, and we don’t have to depend on sea trade that can be shut down? How do we get to roads instead of seas in a way that we can integrate our economy with the neighboring economies so that there can be mutual growth?

    So, this was done pretty much on industrial engineering grounds. Here’s where you need the roads and the railroads. And then how do we finance it? Well, The Financial Times article, last week, said didn’t the Chinese know that [with past] railroad development, they’ve all gone broke? The Panama Canal went broke, you know, the first few times there were European railway investment in Latin America in the 19th century, that all went broke.

    Well, what they don’t get is China’s aim was not to make a profit off the railroads. The railroads were built to be part of the economy. They don’t want to make profit. It was to make the real economy grow, not to make profits for the owners of the railroad stocks. The Western press can’t imagine that you’re building a railroad without trying to make money out of it.

    Then you get to the debt issue. Countries only have a debt crisis if their debt is in a foreign currency. The first way that the United States gained power was to fight against its allies. The great enemy of America was England and it made the British block their currency in the 1940s. And so, India and other countries, that had all these currencies holdings in sterling, were able to convert it all into dollars.

    The whole move of the U.S. was to denominate world debt in dollars. So that No. 1, U.S. banks would end up with the interest in financing the debt. And No. 2, the United States could, by using the debt leverage, control domestic politics.

    Map of national debt as a function of GDP.
    National debt as a function of GDP.

    Well, as you’re seeing right now in Argentina, for instance, Argentina is broke because it owes foreign-dollar debt. When I started the first Third World bond fund in 1990 at Scutter Stevens, Brazil and China and Argentina were paying 45 percent interest per year, 45 percent per year in dollars debt.

    Yet we tried to sell them in America. No American would buy. We went to Europe, no European buy this debt. And so, we worked with Merrill Lynch and Merrill Lynch was able to make an offshore fund in the Dutch West Indies and all of the debt was sold to the Brazilian ruling class in the central bank and the Argentinian bankers in the ruling class, we thought oh, that’s wonderful.

    We know that they’re going to pay the foreign Yankee Dollars debt because the Yankee Dollars debt is owed to themselves. They’re the Yankees! They’re the client oligarchy. And you know, from Brazil client oligarchy is, you know, they’re cosmopolitan, that’s the word. So, the problem is that on the Belt and Road, how did these other countries pay the debt to China?

    Well, the key there again is the de-dollarization, and one way to solve it is since we’re trying to get finance out of the picture, we’re doing something very much like, Japan did with Canada in the 1960s. It made loans to develop Canadian copper mines taking its payment, not in Canadian dollars, that would have pushed up the yen’s exchange rate, but in copper.

    China's BRI is opposed most strongly by the United States.

    So, China says, you know you don’t have to pay currency for this debt. We didn’t build a railroad to make a profit and you want, we can print all the currency we want. We don’t need to make a profit.

    We made the Belt and Road because it’s part of our geopolitical attempt to create what we need to be prosperous and have a prosperous region. So, these are self-reinforcing mutual gain. Well, so that’s what the West doesn’t get — mutual gain?  Are we talking anthropology? What do you mean mutual? This is capitalism!

    So, the West doesn’t understand what the original aim of the Belt and Road was, and it wasn’t to make a profitable railroad to enable people to buy and sell railway stocks. And it wasn’t to make toll roads to sell off to Goldman Sachs, you know.

    We’re dealing with two different economic systems, and it’s very hard for one system to understand the other system because of the tunnel vision that you get when you get a degree in economics.

    Pepe:  Belt and Road loans are long-term and at very low interest and they are renegotiable. They are renegotiating with the Pakistanis all the time for instance.

    Michael: China’s intention is not to repeat an Asia crisis of 1997. It doesn’t gain anything by forcing a crisis because it’s not trying to come in and buying property at a discount at a distressed sale. It has no desire to create a distressed sale. So obviously, the idea is the capacity to pay. Now, this whole argument occurred in the 1920s, between [John Maynard] Keynes and his opponents that wanted to collect German reparations and, Keynes made it very clear. What is the capacity to pay? It’s the ability to export and the ability to obtain foreign currency. Well, China’s not looking for foreign currency. It is looking for economic returns but the return is to the whole society, the return isn’t from a railroad. The return is for the entire economy because it’s looking at the economy as a system.

    The way that neoliberalism works, it divides the economy in parts, and it makes every part trying to make a gain, and if you do that, then you don’t have any infrastructure that’s lowering the cost for the other parts. You have every part fighting for itself. You don’t look at in terms of a system the way China’s looking at it. That’s the great advantage of Marxism, you’ll look at the system, not just the parts.

    Pepe:  Exactly and this is at the heart of the Chinese concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, which is the approximate translation from Mandarin. So, we compare community with a shared future for mankind, which is, let’s say the driving force between the idea of Belt and Road, expanded across Eurasia, Africa and Latin America as well with our good old friends’, “greed is good” concept from the eighties, which is still ruling America apparently.

    Michael: And the corollary is that non-greed is bad.

    Pepe: Exactly and non-greed is evil.

    Michael: I see. I think we ran out of time. I do. I don’t know if Alanna wants to step in to wrap it up.

    Michael: There may be somebody who has a question.

    Pepe: Somebody has a question? That’ll be fantastic.

    Alanna: There is a question from Ed Dodson. He wanted to know why there are these ghost cities in China? And who’s financing all this real estate that’s developed, but nobody’s living there? We’ve all been hearing about that. So, what is happening with that?

    Michael: Okay. China had most of its population living in the countryside and it made many deals with Chinese landholders who have land rights, and they said, if you will give up your land right to the community, we will give you free apartment in the city that you could rent out.

    So, China has been building apartments in cities and trading these basically in exchange to support what used to be called a rural exodus. China doesn’t need as many farmers on the land as it now has, and the question is how are you going to get them into cities? So, China began building these cities and many of these apartments are owned by people who’ve got them in exchange for trading their land rights. The deals are part of the rural reconstruction program.

    Alanna: Do you think it was a good deal? Vacant apartments everywhere.

    Pepe: You don’t have ghost cities in Xinjiang for instance, Xinjiang is under-populated, it’s mostly desert. And it’s extremely sensitive to relocate people to Xinjiang. So basically, they concentrated on expanding Urumqi. When you arrive in Urumqi it is like almost like arriving in, Guangzhou. It’s enormous. It’s a huge generic city in the middle of the desert. And it’s also a high-tech Mecca, which is something that very few people in the West know. And is the direct link between the eastern seaboard via Belt and Road to Central Asia.

    Urumqi in the mountains.
    Urumqi, China.

    Last year I was on an amazing trip. I went to the three borders, the Tajik-Xinjiang border, Kyrgiz-Xinjiang border and the Kazakh-Xinjiang border, which is three borders in one. It’s a fascinating area to explore and specially to talk to the local populations, the Kyrgiz, the Kazakhs and the Tajiks.

    How do they see the Belt and Road directly affecting their lives from now on? So, you don’t see something spectacular for instance, in the Xinjiang – Kazakh boarder, there is one border for the trucks, lots of them like in Europe, crossing from all points, from Central Asia to China and bringing Chinese merchandise to Central Asia.

    There’s the train border, which is a very simple two tracks and the pedestrian border, which is very funny because you have people arriving in buses from all parts of Central Asia. They stop on the Kazakh border. They take a shuttle, they clear customs for one day, they go to a series of shopping malls on the Chinese side of the border. They buy like crazy, shop till it drops, I don’t know for 12 hours? And then they cross back the same day because the visa is for one day. They step on their buses and they go back.

    So, for the moment it’s sort of a pedestrian form of Belt and Road, but in the future, we’re going to have high-speed rail. We’re going to have, well the pipelines are already there as Michael knows, but it’s fascinating to see on the spot. You see the closer integration; you see for instance Uyghurs traveling back and forth.

    You know, Uyghurs that have families in Kyrgizstan for instance, I met some Uyghurs in Kyrgyzstan who do the back-and-forth all the time. And they said, there’s no problem. They are seen as businessmen so there’s no interference. There are no concentration camps involved, you know, but you have to go to these places to see how it works on the ground and with Covid, that’s the problem for us journalists who travel, because for one year we cannot go anywhere and Xinjiang was on my travel list this year, Afghanistan as well, Mongolia.

    Urumqi
    Urumqi, China.

    These are all parts of Belt and Road or future parts of Belt and Road, like Afghanistan. The Chinese and the Russians as well; they want to bring Afghanistan in a peace process organized by Asians themselves without the United States, within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, because they want Afghanistan to be part of the intersection of Belt and Road and Eurasian Economic Union. This is something Michael knows very well. You don’t see this kind of discussions in the American media for instance, integration of Eurasia on the ground, how it’s actually happening.

    Michael: That’s called cognitive dissonance.

    Alanna: To try to understand it gets you cognitive dissonance.

    Pepe: Oh yeah, of course. And obviously you are a Chinese agent, a Russian agent. And so, I hear that all the time. Well, in our jobs we hear that all the time. Especially, unfortunately from our American friends.

    Alanna: Okay. I know you have other things to do. This has been fabulous. I want to thank you so much, both of you, uh, with so easy to get attendance for this webinar. There were 20 people in five minutes enrolled and in two days we were at capacity. So, I know there are many more people who would love to hear you talk another time, whenever you two are so willing. And I think you both got much out of your first conversation in person. Everybody listening knows these two wonderful gentlemen, they have written more than 10 books, and they have traveled all over the world. They are on the top of geopolitical and geoeconomic analysis, and they are caring, loving people. So, you can see that these are the people we need to be listening to and understanding all around the world.

    So, thank you so much. Ibrahima Drame from the Henry George School is now going to say goodbye to you and will wrap this up.  Thank you again.

    Pepe: Michael it was a huge pleasure. Really, it was fantastic. Really nice, we’re on the same website. So, let’s have a second version of this.

    Ibrahima:  So, let’s have a second version of this two months from now. Thank you very much for participating and I really hope you liked this event. And, we also want to ask for your support by making a tax-deductible donation to the Henry George School. I believe I shared the link on the chat. Thank you. And see you soon.

    Pepe: Thank you very much. Thanks Michael. Bye!

    Attributions

    Michael Hudson is an American economist professor of economics at the university of Missouri Kansas City and a researcher at the Levy Economics Institute at Bard College. He’s a former Wall Street analyst political consultant commentator and journalist. He identifies himself as a classical economist. Michael is the author of J is for Junk Economics, Killing the Host, The Bubble and Beyond, Super Imperialism: The Economic Strategy of American Empire, Trade Development and Foreign Debtand The Myth of Aid, among others. His books have been published translated into Japanese, Chinese, German, Spanish and Russian.
    Pepe Escobar, born in Brazil, is a correspondent and editor-at-large at Asia Times and columnist for Consortium News and Strategic Culture in Moscow. Since the mid-1980s he’s lived and worked as a foreign correspondent in London, Paris, Milan, Los Angeles, Singapore, Bangkok. He has extensively covered Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia to China, Iran, Iraq and the wider Middle East. Pepe is the author of Globalistan – How the Globalized World is Dissolving into Liquid War;Red Zone Blues: A Snapshot of Baghdad during the Surge. He was contributing editor to The Empire and The Crescent and Tutto in Vendita in Italy. His last two books are Empire of Chaos and 2030. Pepe is also associated with the Paris-based European Academy of Geopolitics. When not on the road he lives between Paris and Bangkok.

    Source –  

    MetallicMan Conclusions

    Just a couple of guys chatting away about America and China and the theories behind capitalism; meaning …

    Capitalism
    Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, a price system, private property and the recognition of property rights, voluntary exchange and wage labor. In a capitalist market economy, decision-making and investments are determined by every owner of wealth, property or production ability in capital and financial markets whereas prices and the distribution of goods and services are mainly determined by competition in goods and services markets.
    
    Wikipedia

    Ugh.

    No. No. No.

    Meaning;

    Using money as a medium of exchange for products or services. And the idea of private ownership of the things that you can exchange it for.

    I found the discussion interesting in that it validated my belief. Which is a belief that China is growing and is successful today, while the USA is apparently collapsing upon itself.

    They came at it from a very interesting angle.

    In their mind, the state of America today (and other leading Western nations) is because the medium of exchange differs.

    • China – exchanges – products & services for money.
    • USA – exchanges – interest on debt to generate money.

    Looking at the world from this lens, or with this set of crystal-clear glasses you can see that no matter what the USA does, China will overtake it.

    Not by it’s enormous size, or the great number of STEM graduates, or it’s philosophical drivers or social engineering advances…

    …but rather through the nature of the capitalism that it employs.

    The United States debt is over 20 trillion dollars and climbing. Those that enjoy this debt, those that make money off of it are bankers, and speculators such as the Stock Market. They are a small minority of people. A very, very, very tiny group of people.

    According to this article, half the world's wealth (!) was controlled by 62 individuals in 2016. In 2017 (see here) this number drops substantially. From only these two articles, these are the numbers.
    
    2011 - 388 people
    2012/13 - 177 people
    2014 - 80 people
    2015/16 - 62 people
    2017 - 8 people!

    Meanwhile, China not only makes products and provides services, but also has a philosophy where the community REQUIRES everyone to participate making products, and providing services.

    The United States has a different philosophy. Be the best, capture all the money, sit at the top. Let the rest of the world flounder.

    Where I am getting to on all this is simple…

    Imagine three hundred years in the future.

    China
     
    Everyone is either making things or providing services for others. Milk is being delivered; new gizmos and gadgets are being designed and sold. People are learning and striving. Extreme poverty is gone. But so is extreme wealth. All people have a comfortable life. But extremes in poverty and wealth do not exist. 

    And the United States…

    United States
     
    There is only one oligarchy running things. It is a family where the oldest member is tremendously old and is on advanced life support. He is fawned over by his family. 
    
    The rest of the world lives in extreme poverty with electronic tracking of actions and behaviors. Few own anything. They rent it all to others who funnel the money to this lone individual. These poorer people, the vast majority of them provide maintenance and protection services. No one is skilled at reason or fabrication. The most skilled are those that count the money that the wealthy own. 

    Oh for certain, the “citizens” of the United States will loudly and most vociferously proclaim their “freedom”! And you know what, they will probably still be able to own guns too. They will proudly take the bullets out of the display case and shine then up every Fourth of July as a symbol of how exceptional they are.

    As I see it, the American system is not sustainable. It is not healthy and it is a waste of time. It is one that converts the citizens of the United States into a caste system of two types of people; the Rulers and the Servants.

    This is a battle for the potential future of the sentience of the human species;

    • Service to Self society with a two-tiered caste system This is the American / Western model.

    While the Chinese model, is sustainable. It is doable, and it is workable, and it will provide advantage to the vast bulk of society, not just one singular family and their psychopathic leeches.

    • Service to Others society, with no class distinction, only individual merit.

    I strongly believe that anyone in support of the current way that the United States is and how it operates and who is desirous of continuing this path is either evil, not thinking properly, or has some kind of selfish agenda.

    And this, boys and girls, is what the big “sentience selection” event(s) are all about. Our benefactors want us humans to select the pathways for our species. And you can rest assured that there are individuals on both sides of this issue that are willing to fight to the death for their vision of utopia.

    Mike Pompeo.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my China Index here…

    China

    Articles & Links

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    Master Index
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    An example of how the prayer affirmation campaigns work in a world seeming gone crazy.

    This post talks about the world going to shit fast, and our frustrations and fears that it is beyond our control. That is not true at all. In fact, we are in control of it, it just looks like we are powerless.

    Back in 2016, grassroots white Americans voted anti-establishment  Trump into the Oval Office. For the first time, long-held ideals of  American democracy have been challenged. Pledging to “Make America Great  Again”, Trump's solution was straightforward – waging trade wars on  friends and foes alike; withdrawing the country from global pacts, and  avoiding responsibilities for international affairs.
    
    The  consequences have been catastrophic. Populist policies originally  introduced to woo American voters were ironically implemented at the  sacrifice of blue-collar workers – the same group of people who  supported Trump in 2016. Establishment forces are also fed up with  Trump's "madness."
    
    The 2020 election was more a fight between  Biden-represented American institutions and anti-establishment forces  with Trump being the spokesperson than a partisan battle. Biden,  although a Democrat, has high hopes pinned on him by establishment  politicians of both parties to bring the United States back to the right  track. This requires the new president to restore multilateralism,  intensify cooperation with allies, and mend ties with China.
    
    -When will U.S. anti-China hysteria come to an end?

    It all began with a comment;

    “…our consciousness.”
    
    It appears that my consciousness is being overwhelmed (or over-ruled) by the 99.99% who believe that shit on “TV” or “News”. 
    
    Again: 
     
    Other than your prayers to nowhere, is there simply a method to  say “I’ve had enough of this charade”? Like “Help Mr. Wizard… I don’t  wanna be a peon human anymore.” Suicide, is that it? Seriously, what the  fuck am I learning these days (in the “sentience nursery”) that I had  not known years and years ago?

    And I responded with…

    In reply to DSKlausler.
    
    I  want to take more time to answering your question. Unfortunately I was  busy with personal things and all I could do was throw off a quick  response. But I have been thinking about you and your last few emails. I  can sense a great deal of frustration and angst. And I do understand  it.
    
    Do not be under the impression that the reality that you see is ruled  and controlled by the masses…the manipulated masses. That point was  made very clearly by the base commander when I joined MAJestic. Most of  the world is populated by sheeple. Or just folk that haven’t a clue, and  who graze upon the lands in a reactive way. Only a handful of people  are actually really in control. these are the cowboys, the unappreciated  and the under-deserved. You never hear about them, because they are not  attracted to fame and fortune.
     
    Look at 2020. Was a fucking year, right?
     
    During the entire year, just about every other article in the United  States, mainstream Alt-Right and Alt-left was all HATE CHINA! and it was  non-stop. By the end of the year, the 330 million American either  totally despised China, (and wanted to go to war) or were guardedly  neutral. No one put up any kind of a fight when Trump started kicking  the Chinese out of America, banning things, and launched a huge flotilla  to attack China.
     
    330 million people HATING China. COVID-19B launched as part of a 8-strain biological attack, a military flotilla…
     
    …but no war happened. Donald Trump and Mike Pompeo were kicked out of  office. 
    
    The American economy is in shambles. And China is bigger and  stronger than ever. Not only that, but it has grown and the world is now  turning it’s back on the broken promises of Trump and look at the ruins  of the United States… with incredulity and disgust.
     
    Do you actually believe that this is the result of the combined  HATRED of 330 million people? Or, maybe that a MAJestic operator that  happened to live inside China had a Prayer Affirmation Campaign that  said…
     
    [1] Donald Trump will not be able to harm China.
    [2] All American military ventures to China will fail.
    [3] The harder that Donald Trump tries to break or destroy China, the  same and equal effect will hit him and his family personally.
    [4] Any WMD’s implemented by America to hurt China will boomerang to the USA a hundred-fold and more.
     
    And yeah. It doesn’t make sense. Except it does if you read everything that I am saying.
     
    COVID-19B deaths China = 4634
    COVID-19A deaths USA = 397,600
     
    As far as you and other MM readers. I will not allow any harm to come  to you all. Not if I can help it. You all are true believers. So relish  in that.
     
    [5] Followers of MM are protected with the same kind of protections  that I utilize for my family provided that it is their desire.
     
    If the shadow people thoughts have an equal power as a single person,  and there at 330,000,000 of them then it is logical to say (just what  you stated) that the tyranny of the majority will define the reality  that we all inhabit. After all, that is the primary theory behind  propaganda. But I argue quite differently. It is the strength of the  thoughts of an individual consciousness that controls the reality that  maintains the power to shape and shift the reality that surrounds us.
     
    If you do not understand, I will provide more information.

    After the response above, I have received some positive responses.

    First from ULTan

    I get it, Mr Man. Couldnt be clearer. If folks read your Maj and MWI sections thoroughly, all these concerns are addressed.
     
    I should add again, though, if I may and IMHO: Stop watching MMMedia whatever ya’ll do. And don’t fight the masses head on. Lie low and observe their madness. Learn from it. Is it something that’s happened to them? Or does it just reveal what they really were all along. (Quantum shadows? Existing only to teach u personally? Or is that too far out for ya?) Do not get dragged into arguments with zombified and terrified normies over masks, rules, etc. Work out a method of avoidance. They’ve been driven crazy by Wizards at the top of the pile. Their pile, that is. Avoid this at all costs. Surf that wave, look after your loved ones and especially pets, other critters nearby, too. They need you at this time of year.
     
    Trust in the Plan. And I don’t mean the Qtard one.
     
    How is that working out for ya’ll by the way? Sealed indictments opened yet? Mass paedophilia arrests? America great again, yet?
     
    Trump the saviour avatar?
     
    Ehhh, not really.
     
    Be more careful what you read and follow next time.
     
    And if you were a Qfan and are still sane: please read about how cults work. Start with Jim Jones or the Moonies. Pentacostals, too.
     
    Scary stuff. I assure you.
     
    And thanks again, Mr Man. My cats– each and every one of ’em– say a bigggg hi!
     
    Stay safe,
    U.

    And again from the original poster, Mr. DSKlausler…

    In reply to congjing yu.Thanks for that… and I DO read everything you publish.
     
    It just doesn’t seem right… can’t the simple folks just be left alone  to live and grow at their own pace without a bunch of twits ruining the  world?
     
    I will give the affirmation deal another go.
     
    Just switch me to the world line where people aren’t so stupid.

    Let’s look at the situation

    The world seems to be going to Hell. The “news”, the media, the people in Charge and everyone around you are seemingly idiots. “What is their malfunction”, you ask. And you are in fear for your life, your livelihood, and your family. Not to mention your community and your nation.

    It doesn’t matter what side of the American Political Spectrum you reside on, everything is seemingly going to Hell straight away. You yearn for stability, a return to quieter and more peaceful times, and management by reason and reasonable people. And when you read the “news” it only amplifies your concerns…

    That last link reflects the concerns of many, many Americans (and perhaps many people around the world). “Give me something. Give me hope. Give me Xanax.” Seemingly the population is ready for change…

    …and this is a dangerous time. Eh?

    Because Change is always uncomfortable, and can usher is a wonderful life, or an indescribably worse on. As we used to say in the United States “jump from the frying pan into the fire”.

    To quote from the article;

    Can’t quite put my finger on why. Oh yes, I just flipped on ‘MSDNC’ and opened my Failing New York Times,  and now I remember: because I’ve been watching my country set ablaze,  and Donald Trump and his faithful Trumpsters are holding  the flamethrower.
     
    By now, we’ve all sat rapt and horrified, watching the highlights:  the MAGA-bots following the Dear Leader’s call to riot, invading the  Capitol building, smashing windows, battering down doors, stealing the  Speaker’s lectern and literally covering the floors in shit, for fans of  too-on-the-nose metaphors. They accosted police, threatened to hang  the traitor Mike Pence and trotted through the legislative chamber in  full tactical gear holding flex cuffs in the hope of taking  hostages. (Possibly before executing them: someone did erect a gallows  on the grounds.) Five people died. Four of them Trump supporters, one of  them a Capitol Police officer, hit in the head with a fire  extinguisher.
     
    I doubt Mr Trump wanted anybody to die. He just wanted to put a good  scare into Congress, while trying to overturn a free and fair election,  the very bedrock without which the whole system collapses. So nothing to  see here, folks. Let’s talk about what really matters, Trump getting  banned from Twitter!
     
    If you haven’t gathered by now, I’ve had it. Plenty of us have always  been Trump skeptical; my skepticism dates all the way back to 1999. But  it’s time for his acolytes to reckon with the cancer that they’ve  let metastasize. I haven’t been terribly subtle, so let’s just go ahead  and lay it out: Donald Trump is a sociopathic cult leader, a moral black  hole with a weird tan and a combover. Yes, I know it’s old hat to make  fun of his hair, but his confidantes have told me it wounds him. And I  just want him to hurt like he’s hurt America.
     
    So now that we’re coming to the conclusion of DJT’s first and only  term — which has ended in impeachment and could include imprisonment —  it’s time to legacy-assess the effects of Trumpism. As several have  already noted, after everything from Trump’s social-media meltdowns to  him falling asleep at the wheel during the deadliest pandemic in a  century, Americans are now poorer, angrier, dumber, meaner, more  divided, sicker (both physically and mentally) and deader than they were  four years ago. But how ’bout that wall?! (The one that’s one-fourth of  the way built, that Mexico didn’t pay for.)
     
    I wasn’t a big fan of The Establishment, either. But we threw them over for this?
     
    I don’t detest Trumpsters: that would leave me hating roughly 60  percent of my friends and 80 percent of my family. But I would like to  know how so many good people of my acquaintance could be so blind to the  glaringly obvious. You edit American Greatness, one of the  house organs of the movement. But by my lights, America isn’t looking so  great right now. Feels more like American Mediocrity. Or America  Needs Improvement. Lots of it. Give me something. Give me hope. Give me  Xanax. Give me shelter from the storm. Or I might do something truly  unthinkable, like quote Dylan lyrics in print. Nobody wants to see that.

    Ah…

    Pointing a nice big finger on a figurehead. Ah. It’s all Trump’s fault, and it’s his followers fault…

    No it’s not.

    It’s the way that governments crumble. They start young and youthful, they go through a “middle age”, they get old, and senile, and then they die. We are watching America die, and no singular person is at fault. So stop blaming the person at the helm. A doomed ship is going to hit that iceberg, and while the captain might be able to steer the ship somewhat, if he doesn’t hit THAT particular iceberg, he will hit the next one instead, or the one after that. A doomed ship is a doomed ship.

    And this fact is recognizable. From Chris Buskirk

    The one thing I’ve noticed over the past five years is that the only  people more consumed by the person of Donald Trump — from his psychology  to his physiognomy — than the most diehard, plan-trusting,  steal-stopping, Trump super-fans are his obsessive detractors. However  large the number of actual Trump cultists is, the anti-Trump cult is  orders of magnitude larger, more intense and more powerful. That’s not  surprising, because Trump’s rise to power is less a direct threat to the  established order and the ruling class it serves than it is an  indictment of their failure. Of course they react with visceral hatred.  Perhaps we can stipulate that a country with a healthy culture and  competent, trusted (and trustworthy) institutions would not have elected  Donald Trump as president. Yet, Donald Trump has received more votes  than any other Republican ever. Twice.
     
    That suggests two possibilities. Either half the country is comprised  of Deplorables, reprobates, morons or sociopaths (I’d love to see the  Venn Diagram). Or something has gone quite wrong and America isn’t  working very well for a lot of Americans.
     
    Option one is the default answer of the ruling class and its  aspirants and retainers. But in fact something has gone wrong.  Late-stage liberalism isn’t able to keep its promises. That’s why both  Trump and Bernie Sanders were so popular. That’s why there is so much  social and political conflict. And Trump-obsession of any kind is a  distraction and a coping mechanism.
     
    Over the past 50 years median real wages have barely budged. Worse,  the growth that has occurred has all happened at the top. The top 10  percent did OK, the top 1 percent did very well and the top 0.1 percent  blasted way ahead of everyone else. Everyone except the very top fell a  little behind the group ahead of them, but the group below the top 10  percent fell further and faster. This made it harder to get married, buy  a house and raise a family. The cost of being middle class kept rising  faster than middle class wages. That created — and continues to create —  a lot of people who are socially and economically precarious.
     
    You say ‘I wasn’t a big fan of The Establishment, either. But we  threw them over for this?’ Yes. Why? Because there wasn’t a better  option. Look at the group of Republicans running in 2016 and Democrats  in 2020. All of them are standard-bearers for a shattered consensus. And  there are a lot of mediocrities and has-beens. Biden himself is a  retread of a retread. The ‘uniparty’ that runs the country either  doesn’t know or doesn’t care that for a lot of people the American Dream  is dead. In the cohort of people born in 1940, about 95 percent did  better economically than their parents. For the cohort born in 1980  (border line millennials), only about 40 percent of those raised in  middle-class families are better off than their parents at the same  stage of life. These are people who were raised mostly by boomer parents  to follow the program that worked so well for them: go to college,  maybe grad school, trust the plan and you’ll have a life filled with  grilling and long weekends. But it hasn’t worked out that way. It’s been  tough. And for those that didn’t go to college, it’s even worse.
     
    What do we do about it? That’s a big subject. But Trump offered  answers in 2016 that made some intuitive sense and resonated with a lot  of people. We sent our factories and their high-paying jobs to China?  Let’s bring them back. Mass immigration undercuts wages? Let’s slow it  down. The ruling class is corrupt, self-serving and doesn’t give a damn  about anyone else? Let’s take the country back from them.
     
    Trump accomplished some of the good things he was talking about back  then, though not as many as I would have liked. But he was often stymied  by a combination of internal incoherence and external opposition. In  2017, Trump had both unified government and the most political capital  to spend. The fact that the Republican party’s primary goal and  signature achievement was a reduction in corporate tax rates says  something about the depth of institutional decay that Trump had taken  advantage of when he sought the nomination.

    Yes. There’s all sorts of things wrong with America right now. It’s a fucking mess. It really is. And the people want out of this mess. And the people in control aren’t really up to taking on that job. They really aren’t.

    The uniparty is in control and they are not what the nation needs. It needs leadership, understanding, and merit-based managers who know how systems work and how to clean out the entire clogged up and gutted system.

    I'm going to use a Chinese reference, that most Americans are unaware of...

    America needs a Mr. Deng-style revolution.

    In the 1980's Mr. Deng single-handedly implemented American-style Reaganomics to China. He got rid of hard-core Marxism. He tossed much of the state-mandated industries and implemented private controls. He built cities, disposed political corruptions and changed China from a hard-core Marxist Communist nation to something else.
    
    He changed it to a single-party, traditional values, merit-based system that serves the people, and that is policed by harsh systems to makes sure that the ruling class does not move away from these values.

    Ok. Let’s not get too bogged down here.

    China changed, and it was hard-core Marxist. America too can change. In fact, if America is what everyone says it is, whether a “democracy” or a “republic”, it should be rather easy to change. But it’s not. You know it. I know it. And it has corrupted well past the point of band-aides and minor surgery. One half of the nation wants to burn it down, and the other half wants to restructure it into something really different.

    And thus the fear.

    Elements on both the LEFT and the RIGHT are scaring the living daylights out of everyone. And those in charge of the United States government today are not reassuring anyone.

    Thus the feeling of helplessness.

    Proactive actions

    But, if you read the MM writings you realize that your reality is not what it appears to be.

    We “share” an apparent reality, but we are not part of what we observe.

    We are consciousness. And we are moving world-line to world-line based on our thoughts. And it is important that we NOT get too hung up on what we observe around us. For that too will alter our thoughts. What we are observing is the world-line template. Not our individual world-line.

    Do not get too caught up about that looming iceberg ahead of you. Navigate round it. And then when you see another iceberg behind it, navigate around it as well. In fact, maybe you all need to start sailing South as fast as you can to get out of the looming ice pack that is up ahead. You see the warning signs, start the navigation.

    Make sure that you have lookouts posted everywhere and that they are rested and alert. Make sure that the engineers and the folk loading coal into the furnaces are up to the job and in control. Make sure that you go to the map room and navigate a path out of the ice floes. Make sure that you radio your concerns and telegraph your direction changes.

    Take proactive steps.

    You have control

    In my real world example that I gave at the top of the post, I referenced my personal affirmation campaign that I implemented back at the start of the year when the COVID-19 outbreak hit.

    Up until that time, I kept on believing that Trump wanted to work with China on trade for the mutual benefit of all. I intentionally ignored the hard facts, the neocons in his administrations and his other actions. I wanted to believe. I really wanted to believe. I wanted what I hoped to happen to actually happen and I ignored the facts.

    But when people all around me started having seizures, my family became locked inside the house, and the Chinese military went DEFCON ONE, I no longer could live the lie. Donald Trump declared full-spectrum war against China and I was sitting smack dab on the bullseye at ground zero.

    Ground zero.

    And all the neocon publications were talking about how the USA was going to win a “hot war” against China and invade the South China Sea…

    …my home.

    I had to do something.

    Affirmation Prayer Campaigns

    Normally my prayer affirmations are associated with myself. I rarely refer to others and certainly not to Geo-political, or national politics. Those things are like oil and water in regards to my affirmations. I just don’t put affirmations where a preferential presidential candidate wins over another. Instead, my affirmations are about me.

    But this WAS about me.

    It Was about my FAMILY, and my FRIENDS.

    And unlike most Americans, this was not some faraway place that lies at the other end of the world. It is up front and close sitting smack dab in my front yard. i had to so something.

    And it seemed like an up-hill battle.

    The Fire Hose of Disinformation

    Donald Trump and Mike Pompeo turned on the “fire hose of disinformation” against China and it was ridiculous. China could have saved a baby from a burning building and the “news” would report that the Chinese were burning babies.

    Anyways, after a full year of this, most Americans consider China evil and are willing and ready to go to war for all the same old reasons and excuses.

    330 million people.

    And I am but one lone singular person.

    What can I do?

    You run a Affirmation / Prayer Campaign and you address your fears. You do it to the exclusion of everything else. That’s what you do.

    And that is what I did.

    My Prayer Affirmation Campaign

    Well, I did indeed include personal things, and it was a long slug-fest, I’ll tell you what. But it did work. When I started the campaign, Trump was at the top of his game. He successfully launched numerous events, wars and attacks upon China. six biological weapons designed to destroy crops and livestock. Some with drones carrying vials of toxic bio-weapons to far distant farms. A “color revolution” in Hong Kong, and insurgents flowing into Xinjiang to create another Syria war there. Not to mention the COVID-19B which targeted MYSELF AND MY FAMILY.

    Fuck him!

    So I launched my own prayer campaign. So if he wanted to be “top dog”, let’s see who’s boss, eh?

    At the time I began, everything was pro-Trump and his plans were working out more or less. He was on the verge of creating strife, conflict, starvation, a bio-weapon war, and a future of decades of warfare on the other end of the globe.

    So, here’s my relevant affirmations.

    [1] Donald Trump will not be able to harm China.
    [2] All American military ventures to China will fail.
    [3] The harder that Donald Trump tries to break or destroy China, the  same and equal effect will hit him and his family personally.
    [4] Any WMD’s implemented by America to hurt China will boomerang to the USA a hundred-fold and more.

    While he tried to implement policies that would harm me and my family personally, my affirmation campaign was not personal. It was defensive and proactive. He and his minions will be unable to harm me, my family, my friends or China. If he tried, it would all come back to hit him.

    Some quick terms on how the MWI operates.

    And what?

    With 330 million people seething at rage at China, and all those thoughts, anger and emotion, it was my affirmation campaign that turned things around. At least in my neck of the woods, things have become quite the opposite of what was intended.

    The point here is that I was able to stop a war in China. And, by extension, world war III … nuclear war on American soil.

    One person has the power to change their life. That is you. Do your prayer affirmation campaign religiously. You, it’s up to you, to make the world surrounding you a better place to live. Do not let the “world-line template” alter the fears you generate while in a world-line that lies upon that template.

    If you are filled with dread or fear, that can act as a “signpost” to push you to action. You need to hop onto your affirmation campaigns STAT! and perform corrective measures. Concentrate on your personal life, our family and friends. Do not… DO NOT… put anything that you read about in the “news” in your affirmations. That’s alike a dog chasing it’s tail. You’ll go around and around in circles . You will go no where. Focus on you and your family.

    .

    What ever you do, run your campaign on a PERSONAL note.

    Do not implement things that you read about in the “news”, or your favorite political leanings or anything like that. Those are distractions and they WILL take away from your core desires as specified within your affirmation campaign.

    Trust me on this.

    The ONLY reason why I included Mr. Trump in my affirmations was because he had targeted me with his war machine. Other than that, he was no where to be seen anywhere in my campaigns.

    But how does it work?

    The world that you observe is not real. What you are observing is the highest likely probability at any given moment on a world-line.

    You are viewing the “world-line template surface”.

    You are not viewing your particular, individual, world-line.

    • That shrub over there looks that way because that is the highest probability of it’s appearance at that moment of time…

    …as VIEWED by your consciousness within that particular world-line.

    • That person over there is stopping to tie their shoe because that is that highest probability of occurrence at that moment in time…

    …as VIEWED by your consciousness within that particular world-line.

    • The President on television is making a speech raising taxes because that is the highest probability of occurrence at that moment of time…

    …as VIEWED by your consciousness within that particular world-line.

    You CANNOT change them.

    All you can change is your navigation to other world-lines.

    So do not worry about what the world-line template looks like, or appears to be. That is, unless there is a guy lunging at you with a knife or some other dangerous event. And that is a special event, just like I am describing herein.

    What I did…

    I conducted a slide.

    I slid the world-line, and carried a lot of people with me, to a new world-line template where I am, and my family, are safe. It is a world-line that avoids a Trump / Pompeo created nuclear war, and one where the human species can continue to develop their individual sentience’s while avoiding some truly horrific consequences.

    No. I’m not perfect.

    Trump did launch the COVID-19 bio-weapons genie and it is out of the bottle. The Chinese stopped the two successive subsequent follow-up bio-weapons attacks (more on them later), but we all still will need to deal with this mess that he got us all involved in.

    I’m good. But, I’m not God.

    Conclusions

    At a time when an entire nation of 330 million people were ready to go to war with China, and attack my front yard, I adjusted my affirmation campaign for a different result.

    I was successful.

    And all the thoughts of 330 million people had zero effect on my life.

    Frankly obnoxious headlines like “Trump wasn’t wrong about China. But here’s how Biden can do a better job” and “Biden must not fall into China’s smooth relations trap” suggest that Washington’s political class is single-minded: maintain an aggressive, hostile stance toward China.
     
    Trump was wrong about China. In 2016, as a presidential contender and he launched a rhetorical tirade against China accusing that country of “raping” the U.S. economy. In 2018, he added that in addition to rape, it had caused the opioid crisis.  These accusations depended on racist stereotypes about China and worked  to hide the ineptness of the profit-driven U.S. health system and poor  innovation record of the economy.
    
    Trump launched his racist hysteria against China in 2018 with deceitful  claims about opioids,  trade, technology, and continued in 2020 with  demonstrably false allegations about COVID-19’s origins. (Notably, recent media accounts, including the U.K.-based Independent and the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, have reported that COVID-19 cases appeared in Europe  far earlier than initially believed.) Trump’s racially-driven rhetoric  exposed the U.S. ruling class’s deepening leadership incapacity in a  crisis and its frightening inability to offer and implement rational  solutions to complex problems.

    .

    [1] Donald trump will not be able to hurt or harm China.

    Happened. Donald Trump’s anti-China policies were a complete failure. Oh, it’s much worse than that. It was a “train wreck”. The USA ended up getting harmed in so many ways. From domestically, to internationally, to scientifically, to socially. The United States has paid the price for these actions.

    It’s not that I wanted to hurt the USA, but I just didn’t want myself or my family to die. And that meant that I had to take on the President and his well-paid army of war-mongering neocons with a lust for war, and desire to kill. I was successful. The complete and utter failure of the Trump policies against China were astounding and will be recorded in the history books as something that you want to avoid at all costs.

    [2] All American military ventures against China will fail.

    This anti-China line of thought provides no real insight into Trump’s  demented psychology or the validity of the establishment’s China views.  Instead, it only further exposes the persistent void in policy ideas on  economic development and the ruling class’s helplessness in leading  innovation. Blaming China replaces reasonable interrogation of this  failure of economic and social innovation.
     
    One egregious example of the general incapacity for efficient  leadership can be seen in the bloated military sector. According to a Government Accounting Office  report published this month, of “46 types of aircraft [examined by  inspectors] … only three met their annual mission capable goals in a  majority of the years for fiscal years 2011 through 2019.” Less than 3%  of military aircraft types are consistently service-ready, in other  words. Meanwhile, the military budget approaches $800 billion annually. 
     
    Massive waste that ties government contracts to political donations  (to both major parties), reflects the failure across all sectors to  produce sustainability, innovative technology, and necessary  infrastructure for a high-level quality of life. If comparisons to the  1970s are permissible, the U.S. is approaching levels of stagnation that  required the ruling class to craft neoliberalism as a class strategy  for renewing its power and restoring capital accumulation. This time,  neoliberalism is in crisis.

    And fail they did. From HK, to Xinjigng, to Taiwan, to the South China Sea. They all failed, and failed spectacularly. You can go one by one, but there are no successes in any of them; not one.

    It was hardly a secret throughout the Trump administration. Now, dying embers within sight, and with minimum fanfare, comes the declassification – virtually the whole document, minus a few redactions – of the US Strategic Framework for the Indo-Pacific.
     
    Why  now, no less than 30 years before the usual, standard US  declassification/public record protocols apply? Don’t expect an answer  from Trump or from his National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien.
    
    -UNZ

    [3] The harder Donald Trump tries to take on China and hurt it, the effects will boomerang back to hurt Trump and his family personally.

    And isn’t that what is happening? Isn’t his family and him personally getting “hits” by the American public and legal system?

    [4] Any WMD’s implemented by America to hurt China will boomerang to the USA a hundred-fold and more

    Evidence for this botched leadership can be seen in the incapacity to adequately meet the COVID-19 danger. The U.S. government proved unable to deliver necessary medical equipment or to define a scientifically-sound national public health policy. It wasted time and resources and still seems incapable of controlling a contagion that has cost more than 263,000 lives.

    And look at how America is handling the COVID-19 coronavirus issue, eh? This singular issue is toppling the entire nation, and government alone. It’s more than just mismanagement, it’s a fiasco of historic proportions.

    In fact, this mishandling (whether it is a bio-weapon or a pandemic) will go down in the history books as a massive blunder and mistakes and Trump and his administration will be labeled as clowns and buffoons for all of eternity as a result.

    The bottom line is this.

    You can control the events that affect your personal life and the lives of your family. You just need to control your personal affirmations. You cannot control the entire nations, you are not MM. But you have the ability to control that realm that you inhabit. So do NOT get all hung up and hot and bothered with what you read in the “news”. It’s nonsense. Concentrate on you and your family.

    And keep in mind, that here, yes I Mr. MM himself, have you all in my affirmation prayers. I’m watching your backs. So don’t get too fearful.

    It’s all good.

    Keep in mind that what you think might be bad, if you read the “news” might end up being the best thing that could ever happen to you and your family. So do not let the “news” affect you. Again… for the third time… concentrate on you and your family. Concentrate on happiness and safety. You will be fine.

    I love this story: 
    
    "One evening, my mother made dinner after she had completed a hard day's work. 
    
    She put a plate of eggs, salad and burnt toast in front of my father and me.
    
    I immediately noticed. 
    
    The burnt toast and I were waiting to see if my father was going to complain about it. 
    
    But he started to eat everything. 
    
    Then smiling, he asked me how was my day at school.
    
    My mum apologized to my father for the burnt toast. 
    
    I will never forget his response to her:  
    
    'Honey, I love burnt toast!'
    
    Later, when I went to bed and my father came over to kiss me goodnight, I asked him if he really liked the burnt toast. 
    
    He hugged me and said, 
    
    'Your  mother has had a difficult and hard day and she is really tired. She  went out of her way to prepare the meal for us. Why blame her and hurt  her! 
    
    Burnt toast never hurt anyone; but words can be very painful!'
    
    We  have to know how to appreciate what others do for us, even if it's not  perfect, because it's the intention to do well that counts, and no one  is perfect."
    

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Affirmation Campaign Index here…

    Intention Campaigns

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index
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    Humanity breaks out all over the world. Good signs are everywhere.

    This post is about people. It’s about families. It’s about relationships. It’s about cultures, societies, and life. It’s about lifestyle. And I want to start the year with a good humane post that discusses these elements in our life.

    Unlike previous years, there seems to be an increase in videos and movies about humanity. Sure there’s the action videos, and lots and lots of guns. There’s monsters and super heroes, but a new kind of video is emerging from the old. It’s a video about people and their humanity. And these videos are becoming more an more common.

    This article, this post, highlights those videos.

    Please kick on the picture to see the video. It will open up in another tab. Allow some time for it to load. Most videos are in the 20MB range, but one is 65MB. I do hope that you all will enjoy them as much as I have.

    A Chinese video about a father and his daughter..

    The night before my father died, he left me an email message. It was a stupid one-sentence email along the likes of “do you have the link for the website we talked about?” And I kept that message. It’s still there, sitting in a dusty file folder on my long disused Yahoo! account. And account I only refresh every year or so to keep my old archives and records intact.

    The following is a video. It’s a Chinese video. It’s about a man, now an old man. He’s a man, a father, who likes to listen to the voice-mail message left by his (now dead) daughter. We don’t know how she died, or what their personal situation is. But we do know that they had a relationship, and hearing her voice was very important to him. So important that he has paid for her cell-phone account to stay active for years and years.

    But then suddenly, her voice-message disappears. And a story ensues…

    .

    I hope that you all enjoyed this video as much as I have. You don’t need to understand Chinese. Just watch what is going on.

    So what might the oligarchs think of Chinese people with their resounding support for the Communist Party of China? 
    
    They will hate them  with every bone in their body, they will be furious that this country  resists and denies them a chance to plunder it - yet again. 
    
    The  oligarchic death cult will be extremely angry that a single country  presents an excellent and achievable system of government and financial  management and community betterment to all the other nations on earth.
     
    -Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jan  5 2021 20:48 utc | 14

    Two strangers in Europe

    This next video is about two strangers. It’s a European video. And they get stuck in an elevator. You know those places where you just stand and focus on the lighted numbers, the buttons or the advertisements on the walls. never communicating with the other people that you share that brief moment of time with.

    Enjoy, it’s actually a little cute.

    .

    That was good. Right? A nice fun and kind of cute video. But the message is important.

    How are you going to behave this month?

    A sense of community.

    In the next video we have a typical small family run business. These places are everywhere in China. You can get a breakfast for under $1. Usually some hot Jiu (which is a rice porridge soup), some Baozi (which is a small roll with meat or vegetables inside), some noodles, and some sweet bean drink. The business is thriving…

    …but there is an emergency and the entire family must leave now. And all the people are stuck with no one to serve them, and the family devoid of income for the say. What is going to happen? As these establishments typically don’t have doors, are out in the open, with the family living in the back room watching the store.

    What is going to happen?

    It’s all about community.

    .

    It’s all about community and our role in it.

    Lets look at what China plans to do over the next 5 years.  The article provides a very broad explanation then links to some  specifics at the bottom, the item about the Yangtze River Economic Belt  being most important. I found this bit of reporting highly important:
     
    "More specifically, these days the government uses the five-year  plans to reinforce and complement the market dynamic by providing  regulation and guidance. That includes providing the legal and social  framework, such as issuing monetary and fiscal policies, providing  public goods and services, such as building high-speed rails, and  correcting for market failures like pollution."
     
    There's a vast difference in focus between China and the West--China's sharply focused on its development in ways the West isn't  whatsoever, and it makes certain its citizenry knows that and everyone's  working as a team--every job has its own value and is important. 
    
    The  best explanation I have is that China is doing while the West is watching and not doing; therefore, China continues to grow ahead of those standing watching with their jaws agape. 
     
    China outnumbers the Outlaw US Empire by more than one billion people. That's a huge team working together to advance their nation and  themselves. 
    
    Within the US Empire, at least 30% of the labor force is idle  and not even counted for unemployment purposes since they aren't  actively looking for non-existent jobs while about 24% of the active labor force is unemployed. That's 54% of your human capital that's not  being used at all to better themselves and their nation. Honestly, which  one has the better outlook? 
     
    - Posted by: karlof1 | Jan  5 2021 22:57 utc | 28

    Bravery, sacrifice and respect

    The next movie consists of excerpts from a Chinese war drama.

    Most Americans haven’t a clue to the fact that China has been embroiled in centuries of very, very bloody warfare. People have suffered well enough, and one of the great polices of modern Communist China is to avoid war and get off that “bandwagon” of exporting “communism”, or “democracy” to the rest of the world.

    Instead, China has adopted a “live and let live” attitude, and all of China, from the laws, to the media play this narrative over and over.

    Never the less, if you need to fight, you fight to the best of your ability. And you do your best. You fight for family, and your die for family. For in China your community is who you are.

    Which is the opposite of what it is in America.

    In America, it is “every man for himself“, it’s a “dog eat dog” world and you need to “carve out a life for yourself“, or you are a failure. So in America you don’t have teams. You don’t have families. Instead you have successful individuals.

    Instead of Huawei’s leadership committee supported by the Huawei engineering group, you have Elon Musk.

    You have Jeff Bezos, you have Hugh Hefner, you have Bill Gates, and you have Donald J. Trump.

    In Chinese movies the emphasis is on being the best you can be as part of something bigger. While in American movies it is the individual that fights against all odds.

    This next clip is a Chinese war drama. Notice the depictions of bravery for the community of friends. It’s all very Chinese, but maybe…

    …just maybe…

    …it’s that we are all part of something bigger, and we need to contribute to it.

    .

    War is not going to help humanity grow.

    It’s working together, not fighting apart.

    The tale of the thermos

    In our culture, well in most cultures, it seems very odd to open up to strangers. It’s difficult to meet them, to talk to them without feeling a jerk. For in most societies the people that tend to come up to you are typically undesirable…

    • A policeman.
    • A beggar.
    • A mentally ill person.
    • A drunk asshole.
    • A mass murderer.
    • A religious zealot.

    And so we avoid others. We stare at our shoes. We read our cell phones, we look at the scenery, we stare off into space. We do anything and everything possible to not engage into inter-personal contact with others. We self isolate. We go home to our dark home and there we stare into the flickering blue glow of the monitors until the next day, when we get up and drive alone to our destination.

    This is undesirable.

    Humans are social creatures. We need society. We need to communicate with each other. We need that inter-personal level of relationship.

    The next story, is a cute one. It’s about a boy who wants to strike up a communication with a pretty girl, but there is nothing to “break the ice with”, just his thermos.

    .

    This is the central theme behind the first Howard and Kumar movie; Harold and Kumar go to White Castle (plus a heady dose of smoking that marijuana.)

    Help others by active participation…

    The next video is from the Middle East. And a man decides to help a beggar out. And maybe the point is clear. Rather than pass by, or rather than just give him a coin. Perhaps assisting in a more active way…

    …even if it seems trivial…

    …is important.

    I personally believe that every action that we perform has meaning and substance. Everything that we do, and every thought that we have, all combine towards the reality that we create for ourselves. Maybe the fellow in the video cannot change this beggars life, nor does he want to. He just wants to help him out a little bit more.

    The world would be a much nicer place to live in, if everyone stopped thinking about themselves and instead abandons the “for-profit” model embraced by the capitalist oligarchy out of Washington DC and starts going on the local level ….

    …helping each other out.

    .

    And from Europe we have a similar themed movie. And in this one the same type of action is performed. The point should be clear, you all…

    …all over the world…

    …most especially in Asia…

    …people are waking up to the realization that we all must contribute to the well being of each other, and that the greedy “mine, mine, mine…” oh, you are “bad and evil, we must destroy you“, and all the bans, the nonsense and the hate must end. It is a time that is long over due.

    .

    Funny thing about all these videos.

    I pulled them off of DouXing which is the Chinese version of Tiktok. You know, the one that Donald Trump banned in the United States for “natural security reasons“.

    Perhaps, if you are an American, you will need to destroy your computer now because you watched these dangerous videos with their dangerous ideas. You don’t want the American thought police to come banging in your door and arrest you.

    Do you?

    It always gets me when the American press says that there can't be peace without "democracy" and "liberalization."
     
    Huh ...  try 20 million dead in America's wars since WW II. 
     
    And as for "democracy," living in America I would love to see some of it. 
     
    Posted by: Mike from Jersey | Jan  5 2021 20:41 utc | 12

    Conclusion

    I think the main problem are the two different approaches taken by  the US or Chinese, which are diametrically different.  The Chinese seem  to use a "Cumulative" approach, while the US is based on what I call "Winnowing" as a state. Take their respective attitudes towards the poor.
    
     First the Chinese; Cumulative, we are all in this together.  If everyone has a "job" be it ever-so lowly, selling food on a street  corner for example, then for the Chinese this is a "plus". The person is  more or less responsible for his own well being, is not a burden on the  State for handouts, and could be (potentially) taxable etc.  The object  being that ALL Chinese then become positive factors in the society.  They are also more motivated because they have a "place" in society. The  recent case of Jack Ma and an IPO is not the opposite, but he was  trying to get ahead by means that would have led to more unemployment -  on the back of the Chinese Government. He was not adding to the  cumulative good of the country. Only his own riches. (The Chinese do  have billionaires and riches - but are constrained by Corporate credit  ratings as explained on a previous - very interesting - thread. Thanks  to: psychohistorian | Jan 5 2021 2:08 utc | 162. The MoA Week In Review -  OT 2021-001)
    
     The US. The attitude is to beat out the chaff leaving only the "kernel". To "Winnow"  the population leaving only the top. ie the poor are sidelined, they  become a problem for the Government (needing support, food etc.). A net  negative value to US society. (The Rich also get handouts from the Fed.  as free money has become an habitude, but that is an another way of  winnowing out the chaff - as others do NOT get the trillion dollar  handouts) The poor have no "place" in a society that has rejected them  and so are less motivated. They must fend for themselves and are  expected to obey. If they do not there are always the police to enforce  obedience. 
    
     "Cumulative = win-win", and "Winnowing = Only the top win". 
     
     Posted by: Stonebird | Jan  5 2021 20:26 utc | 11

    The world is changing, and it is a good thing. Awareness of it, and awareness of our role in the world is very important. And we do not need to subscribe to any service, pay any fee or provide any user login information to participate. All that matters is to smile, and be more open to the world around you.

    Who knows what interesting people you might meet?

    Do you want some more of this?

    I have more posts along these lines in my Rufus index here…

    Hero Stories

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

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    Will our benefactors stop the coming American SHTF event and what do they think about everything going on?

    This is a detailed response to a question that was asked of my on 1JAN20. It is not the only person who has asked this. Many people, most especially those in America are very concerned. The Trump supporters see a looming civil war, and the Biden supporters see a fractional America being town by extremism on both sides of the political spectrum. Everyone is concerned, and the news media are running just as amok as the American government. Not to mention that a sizable portion of the American population are just hopeful for a major war with either China or Russia. Naturally, people are worried, concerned and upset.

    Let me try to provide insight.

    This is the question…

    You said in a few posts that you still have an active connection with them (Our extraterrestrial benefactors). Could you ‘ask’ or ’emote’ our problem with the elites having been gifted this technology and what their opinion of it is? Was it a mistake? Could they resolve that mistake if so ?

    It’s a straight-forward question. Using what communication skills that I maintain, can I query the “other side” of the PTB about the current terrifying condition in the world? Can I ask them if the believe that they made a mistake in gifting technology to the global elite?

    My Answer

    Yes, I still have contact. Yes, I am still connected via the EBP. Yes. They still monitor me. I am on a list of contacts. We (all MAJestic members in my cell) still have activity that we are all involved in.

    While MAJestic retired me. Our benefactors did not.

    But it is not like everyone thinks.

    Now there are many things that I simply CANNOT TALK ABOUT. It’s not like I took an oath or something like that. When I try to type sentences, my fingers top working, my words get all jumbled, I get “foggy brain”, and personal emergencies” crop up. Like the dog shitting on my pillow, or the water heater blowing up, or the window on the porch suddenly fractures and collapses in a heap.

    And talking about the future in detail is one such trigger. Which is strange as I really don’t know much in the way of specifics.

    But I can answer this question in a round-about manner. Please bear with me.

    A Farm.

    Imagine a farm.

    And on the big farm is a wide open spaces for the cattle to run around in. It’s a massive pasture. One with many hills and low areas and ponds for the cattle to drink from. This pasture is further subdivided into smaller regions. All separated by electric fences. The farmer, and his dogs, use these fences to isolate the herd into groups.

    But as big and as open it seems, it is actually all a specifically fenced in area. For around the entire farm is this massive heavy steel bar fence. It’s not like the electric fences on the inside. It is sturdy and heavy. It is made out of both steel pipe and bricks and cement.

    And guess what, there are only one or two gates, and the cattle are not able to open them. Additionally there’s a small troop of barn dogs. These dogs monitor the cattle and do tasks for the farmers.

    The farmers spend most of the time in their house. They rarely go out. When they do it is to check on the cattle, examine them, and see that they are healthy. The barn dogs, however, are periodically permitted inside the farm house but only when called for by the farmer.

    But they are never permitted in the kitchen. The dogs can smell the food cooking, and watch the farmer and his wife and kids do things, but most of it is really incomprehensible.

    Yet, when the farmer calls the dogs in, the dog automatically and instinctively knows what the farmer wants. It’s really amazing. There is this connection. No words need to be spoken. The dog is happy, and the farmer sees the dog wag his tail. The farmer is upset, and the dog put his tail between his legs.

    The farmer summons the dog.

    He arrives and the farmer dispatches him out to do a specific task. The dog of course, brings in the newspaper, the mail, and snaps at the mailman. But has no concept of what mail, and news is all about.

    The dog sees a little what is going on inside the farmhouse, and watches the cattle. The dog dances and runs around with the cattle, but they really do not care about what the dog has to say. They know that he goes into the farmhouse. They understand that occasionally he gets the newspaper, but all that is uninteresting to them. The cattle don’t care, and couldn’t comprehend the relationship between the dog and the farmer and family.

    The farmer has tracking chips on everything in the farm. The most advanced chips are on the dog collars. But all the cattle also has tracking chips. These are rudimentary GPS systems, showing ownership and location.

    Now, lately, the largest bulls in the pen of cattle are starting to use their identity collars to rub up against the electric fences that border the inner fields.

    This is normally not a problem. But in doing so, there is a chance that the electrical fence wire will come undone. And there, lying on the ground it could be dangerous. The wire could start shocking groups of cattle. Obviously this is not desirable. Some cattle might die, others might get damaged and become useless.

    Now the dogs see this and watch this. So they start barking at the bulls. They tell them to stop. But those pesky bulls are fucking idiots. They see but don’t understand. Or maybe they think that they are invincible.

    They haven’t a clue to anything, really.

    A great power.
    The bulls, and the cattle, have no idea what they are doing or how their actions will manifest. They have at their fingertips a great power. And they think that THEY are in control. They are not.

    .

    Now the farmer hears the barking dogs. He knows what is going on. And he has even gone out to inspect the damage.

    On numerous occasions.

    In fact, the farmer knows of other farms where entire herds of cattle died off for just this kind of thing. So the farmer must go out and inspect. He sees that many of the fence posts are damaged, and are weak.

    He also sees that the bulls are getting really out of control. He is concerned, maybe even alarmed. However he knows things that the dogs don’t know.

    The farmer knows that after a hurricane, or big storm that the farm land is refreshed and super fertile afterwards. He also knows, from prior experience and from other farmers that when the herds are culled by this kind of electrical wire fence damage, that eventually the herd is better culled.

    It is much easier to manage the herds and the cattle. The big bad bulls tend to be gone, and the rest of the cattle end up (after a long spell) stronger, more adaptable, and better. So while the dog might panic and worry, the farmer sees everything as following a path that other farms have experienced. And so he takes the necessary actions and precautions.

    He starts to move the herds into certain groups. Some he keeps safe away from the wire. While others, he just lets them bang against the shabby electrical fence. All the time knowing full well and good that no matter what happens none of the cattle will ever leave the corral and the farm fields.

    The dogs don’t know what the farmer knows. But they see the confidence and understanding on the faces of the farmer and the family. Especially after they have observed the damage up close. The dogs see that everything is going according to plan, and they watch the farmer take special care to groups of cattle, and to specific fields on the farm.

    It is almost like the farmer has selected certain groups of cattle to be safe and tended to, while others he allows to get unruly and get into trouble. He is obviously doing this intentionally. So that most, almost all of the bad bulls, are now in a certain penned in area on the vast farm pasture. And the farmer is permitting them to run amok.

    Of course, not all cattle are the same. There are smart ones, alert ones and the exact opposite. Many cattle follow the more popular cows. They follow behind them not paying attending where the popular cows are going. Many are just heading straight towards the downed electrical lines. And their herd of following-cows are as happy as can be. They moo loudly “Make our grass green again!”. Other cows follow other noteworthy cows. These other cows moo such things as “cow milk matters!” while they tear up the grass and shrubby.

    The dogs watch this with a degree of curiosity.

    Certainly, it’s a good thing for the grass to be green and healthy. And yes, it is also true that cow milk is important. But is that all going to be the result of the stampeding herd? Or is it just a mechanism for the more popular cows to obtain bull-level grass and pleasures?

    Right now, the farmer and the family are not panicking at all. All is good. In fact, it is almost like they have expected this event to occur for a long, ling time. They are not buying new cattle, sending teams out to fix the fence, or doing anything like that. They are just behaving normally without any kind of concern or panic.

    Just because the bulk of the herd is happily munching on grass and following the well-promoted cows-of-importance, does not mean that the MM cattle are destined for the same fate.

    I like to think of MM readership NOT as the cattle on the pasture, but actually as the protected puppies of the guard dogs. I mean this in a good way and not as an insult.

    The farm guard dogs have an idea what is going on and the puppies can sense this. They know not to leave their kennel and stray too far. They know to avoid the big bulls that are all a snorting and roaring. They know not to follow the popular cows to the downed electrical fence. And why they do agree that the grass needs to be greener and that cow milk is excellent, they are not willing to follow the herd in that regards.

    So…

    Do not worry.

    Yes, [1] there will be some SHTF events in America in the future. But [2] the events will not be homogenized. They will not be uniformly distributed. [3] There will be pockets of calm, and [4] even in the areas of danger, there will be areas of peace.

    Avoid large clusters and groups of people. Become known within your community. Be beneficial and significant.

    .

    MM readers will know by now to avoid any large collections of people or big urban areas in the USA.

    Find your niche inside of the community that you live within.

    [1] Know who your neighbors are, [2] obtain skills. Not just what you do for a living, but other skills that might benefit your community. Be conservative in what you do meaning [3] have a nice well-stocked larder (just in case), and [4] have a nice small garden if you can.

    If you all followed this advice that I gave back in 2018 and 2019, you would have been best prepared for the 2020 “pandemic”. Wouldn’t you have? Yes?

    My advice has not changed.

    The situation described above still holds true. There will be good areas, and dangerous areas. There will be spewed nonsense out of the news media, and the real facts will be denied to you. The ruling oligarchy is running amok, and since there are no brakes on their behaviors, they are only going to get worse.

    While it appears that there will be a SHTF, and I most certainly strongly think this will happen, it is NOT CERTAIN.

    I have been musing with the thought that it will more likely resemble a very controlled implosion with some violent elements thrown in.

    When the dust settles, Americans will be better, stronger for all of it. Though the resultant America might not resemble anything that we know about today. It might not even be called “America” or the “United States”. It will continue to be isolated from the rest of the world. This is a good thing – for the world as a whole, and up until the USA gets it’s collective shit back together.

    Back to the farm analogy…

    From the farmer’s point of view, the identification tags that the bulls are using to tear up the farm isn’t really all that advanced. It might be “high tech” for the bulls, but from the point of the view of the farmer, it’s just old mechanical things that they buy in bulk, apply with a tool, and forget about it. The technology is not going to permit the cattle from breaking out of the farm, or go through the outer perimeter fence. At worst it might take down some of the internal wire electrical fences, but that’s about it.

    And they won’t certainly have any influence on access to the farmhouse, and the farmer and his family.

    Still…

    The farm guard dogs are getting nervous. The bulls are huge! They are a roaring and carrying on with crazy abandon, and with each day they seem to get stronger, more embolden, and the damage that they are making is getting really noticeable. They are doing what they have always done, only larger, nosier, and more aggressively.

    So the guard dogs sit on the farmhouse porch, or even the better trained “house dogs” who actually allowed outside the kitchen (like myself) are all whimpering and shivering. And to tell you all the truth the farmer’s family has noticed, and the farmer has come out and petted the “house dogs”. He offered soothing calm, kind words, and a tasty nugget. But then he was gone. He was busy on other things that the guard dogs haven’t any concept of.

    The bulls are still out there. They are really unruly, and the guard dogs are wondering how to deal with the problem. As the bulls are not afraid of any barking or really anything at all.

    But now, the puppies are all worried.

    As are the cats, the sheep, the horses, and the chickens on the farm. Everyone seems afraid and very concerned.

    The guard dog has an idea of where the bulls are, and where the damage of the fences will be the worst. They cannot predict the future, of course, but they have a pretty good idea of the relatively “safe” areas on the farm, and where the really potentially dangerous areas are.

    They are slowly telling their puppies, who are just beginning to walk, to avoid the dangerous areas, and stick to the safer areas. They tell the puppies not to drink the anti-freeze that the bulls knocked on the garage floor, and not to go snap at the legs of any of the gathering herd cows or their leadership. They tell the puppies to keep to themselves, lie low, keep a safe distance and be on their best behavior, and they tell them that everything will be all right.

    The farm dogs do not have the power nor the ability to “speak directly” to the farmer or anyone in the household. But they are trained, they are special. They do have access to things and understandings that the general cattle does not have.

    They have insight.

    They have understanding.

    Insight and understanding.
    The dogs have insight and understanding.

    .

    They might not know how the electronic devices and ID tags that the farmer puts on the cattle work. But they do know the general reason why they are there. They also have an understanding of the limitations of the farmer. They know that the farmer, if he wanted to, could walk out onto the farm pasture and shoot the troublesome bulls dead. And what’s more, the bulls wouldn’t even see it coming. The farmer would just sit on his porch, drinking his cup of coffee and shoot his Winchester .303.

    The dogs know just how powerful the farmer is. The cattle do not.

    Heck! The farmer could just as easily instruct the dogs to herd the troublesome cattle into a certain part of the pasture, and then load them all into trucks and cart them off to the rendering plant.

    But no. The farmer is not doing this.

    The farmer WANTS the upcoming turmoil to happen. And the dogs and the puppies are a little surprised at this. Doesn’t he value his cattle? Doesn’t he care for the other barnyard critters? It’s almost like the turmoil will yield a far better grade of beef, and higher quality milk. It’s almost like permitting the upcoming turmoil as a kind of passage of growth that it very important.

    Like an IPO stock going public, or when the percolator pot of coffee starts to perk in the morning.

    All this being said…

    The dogs have some bones that they can throw out to their puppies…

    Throwing out a bone

    Most rural states, in the United States, those known as “Red States” are safe areas. Never the less, within those areas are military bases. Stay away from the bases that store, launch, or maintain nuclear delivery systems.

    US Nuclear Weapons Bases

    If you have a military base near you, and it is not devoted to the strategic delivery of nuclear or biological weapons, then that is a plus in your favor. It’s of great advantage to you. When (and if) the SHTF, these areas will provide a strong degree of safety when the rest of the nation goes to shit.

    Make the most of your time NOW. The future is very uncertain. There are certainly dangerous trends, but you have the power to thwart the worst elements yourself.

    .

    Just living near a large metropolitan city is not to be considered a problem either. It really depends on the primary constellation of threats that are presently developing in the United States;

    • Intentional domestic civil strife or war.
    • The US poking either the Russian Bear, or the Panda Bear.

    In other words, you do not need to live off in a cabin in the woods of Alaska to avoid any potential future chaos. You can live in a suburb of Chattanooga, Syracuse, State College, even a large city like Atlanta, Tampa, or Pittsburgh…

    …provided that the local city and state governments are not pushing domestic discord like Portland, Detroit or Baltimore are, and you and your families will end up safe.

    I strongly believe were any civil discord to evolve…

    …avoid the areas infected. Like stay fucking away. Do NOT get involved. It does not matter which side that you agree with. Stay out of it. All of it.

    I strongly believe that if the USA tries to provoke a major Asian nation…

    …a flood of nuclear tipped missiles will strike the USA.

    Of course, you all don’t have to agree with my assessment. The National Review, Rush Limbaugh, Hall Turner and Alex Jones most certainly don’t. They believe that the USA can go anywhere in the world and instigate a regional conflict far away, and the only impact that it will have on Americans will be a positive one; one that will help corral the citizenry towards one objective or the other.

    But…

    …I am telling you that the louder they promote this fantasy, the greater the likelihood of nuclear conflagration.

    For Pete’s sakes, The USA has been involved in a full-scale biological warfare against China for the last four years, and you all think that the PTB aren’t going to stop; to give up now?

    Some considerations

    Is it really a bad thing if all the big bad bulls are blown to smithereens?

    Is it a bad thing if the big fenced in pen where the big bad bulls live becomes a big crater?

    Is it a bad thing if the herd of cows follow the attractive cows into an electric fence?

    Is any farmer bad for culling his herd?

    Conclusion

    The dogs want their puppies to play, learn and be safe. Don’t get all caught up in the bullshit made by the crazed bulls. The day of reckoning is fast approaching. It’s only a precious few years away. If you are a puppy, then listen. Stay away from dangerous areas in the pasture. Ignore the Bulls, and don’t follow the attractive herds.

    Play and enjoy life now.

    You will thank me later.

    Being happy and being active in your prayer affirmation campaigns will be your best guards against what is brewing on the horizon. Happy thoughts. Happy memories. Friendships. Productive community activities, and a feeling of belonging will do WONDERS for your personal protections against what might happen in the future.

    It is exactly like this…

    G.E.M.邓紫棋 – 倒数

    Do you want more?

    Check out my MAJestic Index…

    MAJestic

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index
    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
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    What to do when you are having trouble writing new affirmations for your prayer campaign.

    Are you having trouble with your affirmation campaign? Well, you are not alone. I am getting numerous private emails by people that describe this problem. That includes just about everyone. Including MM myself. As a result, I am releasing this “emergency” post to help everyone out of this situation.

    Oh what to do?

    Suddenly you have a difficult time writing your affirmations, and everything seems discordant. Your words no longer pour out of you, and it’s feels difficult to move forward with any new ideas, new wordings, or even the most basic reviews of where you are are now in your writings.

    You are not alone.

    I am in the first month of my new campaign and I must say, I’m having a hard time with wording. Something feels off about it, almost as if I’m being too vague and basic about the words. I surely don’t want to mess it up, because these are very very important to me. Do you have any suggestions? 

    The Basic Suggestion

    For starters, you can always continue your old campaign. Just continue reading off the good-old standby affirmations that you have written down. By doing so you add energy and strength to your earlier affirmations and they will continue to plow through the waves of the MWI and move you towards to destinations.

    Don’t try too hard.

    If you have something new you want to add, then add it. And do not worry about whether it is polished perfectly or not. Just plop it there in it’s imperfect form. It’s the thoughts that matter, not the specific wording.

    Stick to the basics. Good health for you and your loved ones. Protection from discord, bad people, evil intentions, or events that might destroy your familial happiness.

    Make sure that your affirmations say only good and positive things about you and your loved ones futures. If you are feeling discord, then this is NOT the time to start new affirmation campaign goals. You need to solidify the seeds that you have already planted.

    What’s going on?

    There are many reasons for a “mind block” in regards to the generation of new affirmation prayers for a campaign. Though the larger number of inquiries that I am currently getting is quite alarming. It’s almost like there is a “disturbance in the force” to use a Star Wars movie reference.

    I wrote this a few days back in my personal journal…

    Feel an ugly crazy disturbance of some sort. Something is going on… not me personally. Just in general. Like how dogs and cats freak out before an earthquake.

    It’s like this…

    Ripples in the MWI.
    Ripples in the MWI. Where the Y-axis is a measure of world-line entropy variance from previous life-line vectors.

    .

    If you, the reader, are not feeling any of this do not be alarmed. A person’s reality is a very personal thing and not everyone shares the same world-line template. We just have a tendency to touch or share the templates of others (rarely the world-lines) occasionally.

    We are individuals

    Yes we are. We are all different. And as such what we might experience or feel will differ from person to person. That is a good thing.

    Having a difficulty in laying out a new set of affirmations need not be alarming. It’s just that perhaps there are other things that are making it difficult to concentrate on the future… like a discordant future. Or, a discordant present.

    Don’t worry about it.

    It’s called “being a human”.

    Just follow the basic rules…

    • When in doubt, just default to the last campaign affirmations.
    • If you feel a need to add “something”, just add affirmations that relate to personal health and well-being. Make sure that not matter what, your prayers are protective in nature.
    • Unless you are young and experimental, it is far better to have health and stability in your life. Focus on that.
    • If you want to push for new “things” then be specific and then forget about them when your affirmations end.

    Sample affirmations

    Here’s some sample affirmations to get you all started…

    • I, my family, and my friends are safe, healthy, and live a stable and secure life.
    • Good things and moving into place for me, my family and my friends.
    • My life is very lucky and I am able to avoid problems, distress or upset.
    • I know why I am having what ever troubles that I am experiencing now, and I understand the reasons and purposes for them.

    Don’t “freak out”

    Change is difficult to take, but usually results in new experiences, new adventures and new opportunities. If you are having trouble and feel these disturbances, do not get too worked out about it. Just “go with the flow”. All will be good.

    Chill out with some friends or family, or a much beloved pet. When in doubt, do not isolate. Get around people. The people will help break you out of whatever “funk” you are in, and you will end up being able to break out of the “prayer affirmation writing block” that you are in.

    …and…

    Merry Christmas!

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my affirmation prayer index here…

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    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

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    A view from outside the American echo chambers and a glimpse of what the rest of the world thinks of America today.

    Here’s some articles that you just will not find in any American media. But they are very descriptive and pretty accurate regarding what the rest of the world thinks about America today. No, you won’t find Rush Limbaugh quoting from these articles, nor will you find a reference to them in Politco or MSNBC. These are the type of articles that the oligarchy; the rulers of the American government do not want the tax-serfs to read.

    It’s not so hard to find articles in the American media. They run the gambit from “America is great and the best”, to fear-mongering “the world outside of America looks like a save the children commercial”. But you won’t find anything really critical or persuasive about what America is going through right now. That is the kind of information that Americans MUST NOT SEE.

    Well, surprise! You are going to read some of these articles right here and right now, and they are (for the most part) not very flattering.

    It’s not that America or Americans are bad. They are not. It is that the entire nation is run by evil psychopaths.

    Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is traditionally a personality disorder characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits. Different conceptions of psychopathy have been used throughout history that are only partly overlapping and may sometimes be contradictory.
    
    -Wikipedia

    These leaders possess behaviors are dangerous and will will end up destroying the entire world if they are not suppressed. It’s like the drunk friend who is trying to pick a fight with everyone in the bar, and you and your friends just roll your eyes, and after a spell, you all need to leave early before some “shit goes down”. Damn!

    Have any of you been in that situation?

    Well, that is America today. And it’s pretty bad, and very dangerous.

    That’s why the articles outside of the USA are not finding their way into the “approved” American media.

    Yes. The reason why these negative articles about America are not cropping up inside of any of the “approved” American media outlets is because they are more than just unflattering. The psychopaths that run America do not want the serf-slaves to revolt against them. So they deliberately suppress any contrary news related to them or their true personalities.

    Psychopathy is a condition characterized by the absence of empathy  and the blunting of other affective states. Callousness, detachment and  a lack of empathy enable psychopaths to be highly manipulative.  Nevertheless, psychopathy is among the most difficult disorders to spot. 
     
    Psychopaths can appear normal, even charming. Underneath, they lack any semblance of conscience. Their antisocial nature inclines them often (but by no means always) to criminality.
     
    Psychopaths spark popular fascination and clinical anguish:  Adult psychopathy is largely resistant to treatment, though programs  exist to treat callous, unemotional youth in hopes of preventing them  from maturing into psychopaths.
     
    Brain anatomy, genetics,  and a person’s environment may all contribute to the development of  psychopathic traits. For more on causes, symptoms, and treatments of the  related condition called antisocial personality disorder, see our Diagnosis Dictionary.                  

    Ol’ Busted Knucke’s said it best when he said that Russia and the USA have a lot to offer each other. Why not work together and concentrate on our similarities, instead of threatening each other about some imaginary differences. And he’s right, but you and I know that that is not going to happen as the USA is run by a bunch of maniacal evil villains.

    What are we dealing with here…

    Well, what are we dealing with? Am I being glib concerning who is actually running the American nations, or am I being painfully accurate?

    President Donald Trump.
    President Donald Trump.
    The term “con artist” or “conman” comes from one of  American history’s earliest scammers, a man by the name of William  Thompson. In 1849, Thompson was arrested in New York City for a slew of  successful scams during which he duped unassuming passersby on the  street into lending him their valuables before vanishing with them. 
    
    Thompson was consequently known  among local authorities as “the confidence man,” which was eventually  shortened to “con man.” But Thompson was hardly alone in his clever  grifts. According to historian Karen Halttunen, approximately 10 percent  of all criminals in New York City in the 1860s were con artists.
     
    Nearly all “confidence men” or scam artists are charming. Take Victor  Lustig, for example. This conman managed to “sell” the Eiffel Tower and  allegedly even swindled notorious mobster Al Capone. He was fittingly dubbed “the Count” by authorities because he was so debonair. 
     
    Beyond the smooth talkers, there are also those conmen who play on  people’s biases like Anna Sorokin, who cheated her way into the ranks of  New York City’s elite by pretending to be a rich heiress named Anna  Delvey. The scam artist’s former friends, nearly all of them wealthy  socialites, alleged that she had convinced them to loan her cash for  lavish vacations abroad only to never be repaid.
    
    Today, the term “Ponzi scheme” is used to describe an illegitimate operation. But the term actually came from the real-life Charles Ponzi, whose $15 million investment scheme claimed to turn the average American working man into a multimillionaire overnight. 
    
    -All that's interesting

    The Signs of a Psychopath

    The following is from Psychology Today.

    Psychopathy is a spectrum disorder and can be diagnosed using the 20-item Hare Psychopathy Checklist, which features traits such as lack of empathy, pathological lying, and impulsivity, each scored on a three-point scale based on whether the item does not apply (0), applies to a certain extent (1), or fully applies (2) to the individual. The bar for clinical psychopathy is a score of 30 or higher; serial killer Ted Bundy scored 39.

    The checklist was developed in the 1970s by the Canadian researcher Robert Hare. A true assessment should be conducted by a mental health professional.

    The revised version of the checklist includes the following characteristics:

    The first group really describes Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, Mike Pompeo and Barrack Obama, don’t you all think?

    • glibness/superficial charm
    • grandiose sense of self-worth
    • need for stimulation/proneness to boredom
    • pathological lying
    • conning/manipulative
    • lack of remorse or guilt

    And these other traits can be applied to the American leadership just as well.

    • shallow affect (i.e., reduced emotional responses)
    • callous/lack of empathy
    • parasitic lifestyle
    • poor behavioral controls
    • promiscuous sexual behavior

    The sexual exploits of Bill Clinton are legendary. And do you really think that being a member of the Senate for 60 years isn’t a “parasitic lifestyle”? What about banning coal and sending the citizenry of five states into poverty? Doesn’t that count as a “lack of empathy”?

    The list continues…

    • early behavioral problems
    • lack of realistic, long-term goals
    • impulsivity
    • irresponsibility
    • failure to accept responsibility for one’s own actions

    And what about Donald Trump. It’s always someone else’s fault isn’t it? And those 70+ tweets per night, isn’t that a sign of impulsivity?

    • many short-term marital relationships
    • juvenile delinquency
    • revocation of conditional release (from prison)
    • criminal versatility (i.e., commits diverse types of crimes)
    If this does not describe American leadership, Congressmen and Senators, then I don't know what does.

    What percentage of people are psychopaths?

    Psychopaths exist across cultures and ethnic groups. It has been estimated that approximately 1 percent of males and 0.3–0.7 percent of females could be classified as psychopaths. An individual may show elevated levels of multiple traits associated with psychopathy without qualifying as a psychopath according to a measure such as the Hare checklist.

    When we refer to the oligarchy or the PTB, we often refer to them as the 1%. I find it curious that this is also the same percentage of psychopaths in society. Could it be the natural inclination of psychopaths to rise over others and seize the levers of control of a society, and if so, isn’t that a very, very dangerous situation?

    Let’s learn about the American Leadership

    From ThoughtCo…

    Psychopaths  are incapable of feeling guilt, remorse, or empathy for their actions  or the objects of their actions. They are generally cunning and  manipulative. They know the difference between right and wrong but don't  believe the rules apply to them. 
     
    First Encounter With a Psychopath  
    On first impression, psychopaths generally appear charming, engaged,  caring, friendly, logical, and reasonable, with well thought-out goals.  They give the impression that they can reason, that they know the  consequences for antisocial and unlawful behavior and will react appropriately. They appear capable of self-examination and will criticize themselves for mistakes. 
     
    Under clinical evaluation, psychopaths don't show common symptoms  associated with neurotic behavior: nervousness, high anxiety, hysteria,  mood swings, extreme fatigue, and headaches. In situations that most  normal people would find upsetting, psychopaths appear calm and void of  fear and anxiety. 
     
    An About-Face  
    Initially, psychopaths appear reliable, devoted, and trustworthy, but,  suddenly and without provocation, become unreliable, with no regard for  how their actions affect the situation, regardless of its importance.  Once viewed as honest and sincere, they do a sudden about-face and begin  lying without concern, even in small matters when there is no benefit  in lying. 
     
    Because psychopaths have mastered the art of deception, those around  them are slow to accept the abrupt change. When psychopaths are  confronted with their lack of responsibility, honesty or loyalty, it  generally has no impact on their attitude or future performance. They  are unable to perceive that other people value truthfulness and  integrity. 
     
    Can't Accept Responsibility for Failure  
    Psychopaths turn into performers who can mimic normal human emotions  that they have never felt. This holds true when they're faced with  failure. If they appear to be humble and own up to their mistakes, their  true goal is to be perceived as the martyr or sacrificial lamb willing  to accept blame so others don't have to. 
     
    If the ploy fails and they are blamed, they will emphatically deny any  responsibility and, without feeling shame, turn to lies, manipulation,  and finger-pointing. When psychopaths can't convince others that they  are innocent, they fume and obsess over it, often murmuring sarcastic  comments and plotting revenge. 
     
    Risky Behavior With No Gain  
    Antisocial behavior—cheating, lying, robbing, stealing, agitating,  fighting, committing adultery, killing—appeals to psychopaths, whether  or not they reap any rewards. They appear drawn to high-risk antisocial  behavior that has no apparent goal. Some experts theorize that  psychopaths like to put themselves into dangerous situations because of  the adrenaline rush they experience. Because psychopaths generally don't  feel many emotions that normal people do, any extreme sensation feels  good. Others believe that they do it to reinforce their sense of  superiority and to prove that they are smarter than everyone, including  the police. 
     
    Horrible Judgment  
    Although psychopaths are logical thinkers and view themselves as highly  intelligent, they consistently exhibit bad judgment. Faced with two  paths, one to gold and the other to ashes, the psychopath will take the  latter. Because psychopaths can't learn from their experiences, they are  prone to taking the same path again and again. 
     
    Egocentric and Unable to Love  
    Psychopaths are highly egomaniacal, to the point that a normal person  has difficulty comprehending it. Their self-centeredness is so deeply  rooted that it renders them incapable of loving others, including  parents, spouses, and their own children. 
     
    The only time psychopaths show an ordinary response to kindness or  special treatment by others is when it can be used to their advantage.  For example, a psychopathic father still loved by his children despite  the deep suffering he has caused them may put on a show of appreciation  so that they continue to put money into his prison account or pay his  legal fees. 
     
    Conventional Treatment Empowers Psychopaths  
    Most studies indicate that there are no conventional methods to cure  psychopathic behavior. When conventional methods have been used,  psychopaths become empowered and react by improving their cunning,  manipulative methods and their ability to conceal their true  personality, even from trained eyes. 
     
    Difference Between Psychopaths and Sociopaths  
    Psychopaths and sociopaths  share a diagnosis as having antisocial personality disorder and similar  traits, but there are significant differences. Psychopaths are more  deceptive and manipulative and maintain more control over their outward  personas. They are able to lead what appear to be normal lives,  sometimes throughout their lifetime. When psychopaths become criminals  they believe they are smarter than the average person and invincible. 
     
    Sociopaths often let their inner rage surface with violent episodes,  verbally and physically. They become reckless and spontaneous and have  little control over what they say or how they act. Because they are  impulse driven, they rarely consider the consequences of their actions.  It is difficult for sociopaths to live normal lives, and because of  their imprudence many of them drop out of school, can't hold jobs, turn  to crime, and end up in prison. 
     
    Which Is More Dangerous?  
    Sociopaths have a difficult time hiding their disorder, while  psychopaths pride themselves on their manipulative abilities.  Psychopaths are masters of disassociation and less likely to feel guilt  or remorse for their actions or for the pain that they cause others.  Because of this, psychopaths are considered to be more dangerous than  sociopaths. 

    Well, we know that the USA is run by a bunch of crazed lunatics with some severely dangerous tendencies…

    What now? Americans, for the most part are unaware of this. And they follow them in the belief that the leaders represent them and their beliefs. But the rest of the world does not see this, and are frankly aghast at the United States for “electing” these people to the levers of power.

    And they write articles about this.

    The more “mainstream” articles tend to be rather sanitized. But the alternative articles tend to be very spot-on and even vicious. Here we are going to look at some of the articles. It’s a venting of what the world thinks of what America has become and exists as it sits today, in the closing months of 2020.

    The US Has Lost Global Power, and Is Now Just Faking It

    This article from the Russian Insider archives was first published on RI in April 2018 by Dmitry Orlov . It was republished on Sun, Dec 13 2020 | 1510 words 26,694 Comments

    Orlov is one of our favorite essayists on Russia and all sorts of other things. He moved to the US as a child, and lives in the Boston area.
     
    Description: https://russia-insider.com/sites/insider/files/styles/1200xauto/public/webp.net-resizeimage_2.jpg?itok=EAZxA1dL
    
    He is one of the better-known thinkers The New Yorker has dubbed 'The Dystopians' in an excellent 2009 profile, along with James Howard Kunstler, another regular contributor to RI (archive). These theorists believe that modern society is headed for a jarring and painful crack-up.
    
    He is best known for his 2011 book comparing Soviet and American collapse (he thinks America's will be worse). He is a prolific author on a wide array of subjects, and you can see his work by searching him on Amazon. He has a large following on the web, and on Patreon, and we urge you to support him there, as Russia Insider does.
     
    If you haven't discovered his work yet, please take a look at his archive of articles on RI. They are a real treasure, full of invaluable insight into both the US and Russia and how they are related.
    The US Has Lost Global Power, and Is Now Just Faking It
     
    "If the US manages to convince enough people, at home and around the world, that it is still dangerous, then it will be able to hide its increasing enfeeblement for a while longer."
     
    It’s a hard job being a global hegemon and the world’s sole superpower.
     
    You have to keep the entire planet in line. Every country needs to be taught its place, and kept there, by force if need be. Now and again a country or two has to be conquered or destroyed, just to teach others a lesson. Plus you have to relentlessly meddle in other countries’ politics, rigging elections so that only US-friendly candidates can win, run regime change operations and organize colored revolutions. Stop doing this, and some countries will start ignoring you. And then the rest will quickly realize that you are losing control and go their separate ways while ignoring you.
    
     Description: https://russia-insider.com/sites/insider/files/styles/1200xauto/public/1a56c05bbfebfd7630982c5b5740246f.jpg?itok=y_y3vKeO
     
    Is the United States still the world’s greatest power, in control of the entire planet, or has that moment in history already come and gone? We are constantly hearing how the situation is becoming dire: relations between the US and NATO countries and Russia are going from bad to worse; there is a trade war going on with China; North Korea remains an intractable problem and an embarrassment.
     
    Many people maintain that we are very close to a world war. But does “very close” actually mean anything? It is quite possible to stand for hours with your toes hanging over the edge of a cliff and never jump. Suicide is a big decision: big even for a person, much bigger for a large country.
    
     Description: https://russia-insider.com/sites/insider/files/styles/1200xauto/public/DacN3xMXcAAk2bJ.jpg?itok=4d9p_1B7
     
    On March 1, 2018 president Putin unveiled Russia’s new weapons systems against which the United States is defenseless and will remain so for the foreseeable future. Previously, the plan was to surround Russia with military bases and missile batteries, then launch a preemptive first strike, destroying its ability to retaliate and forcing it to capitulate.
     
    This plan has now conclusively failed, and a US/NATO attack on Russia is once again assured to be an act of suicide. Worse than that, even limited military confrontations are now mostly unthinkable, because Russia can now inflict unacceptable damage on US/NATO forces from a safe distance and without putting any of its own assets at risk. If Russia won’t attack and the US/NATO can’t attack, then how likely is a war?
     
    The new weapons systems have made it possible to start ignoring the US. It is still important to maintain a credible military posture, but politically the US is no longer in control, and neither are the global institutions on which it has relied. Instead, what we are seeing is the reemergence of nation states, and even of empires.
     
    The political future of Syria is being decided by Russia, Turkey and Iran, with no useful input from the United States at all. 
    
    Significantly, whereas Russia and Iran are in categories of their own as far as the US is concerned, Turkey has been a US ally and the second-largest armed force in NATO. The fact that Turkey is no longer eager to please the Americans is quite telling.
     
    Except during the strange and tumultuous twentieth century during which the US briefly flashed across the world stage, these three countries went by different names, which all ended in “empire”: the Russian Empire, the Ottoman Empire and the Persian Empire. Of these three, the Russian and the Ottoman empires were heirs to the Holy Roman Empire, whose eastern half, with its capital Constantinople, went on for centuries after Rome had turned into a depopulated ruin and a dark age had descended on Europe.
     
    After Constantinople fell to the Turks and Islam took over the region, the center of Orthodox Christianity migrated north to Moscow. Now add China, or the Chinese Empire if you like, which is now aligned with Russia, and complete the picture: all of the greatest and most ancient Eurasian empires have come back and are talking and cooperating, while the has-been upstart on the other side of the planet isn’t even invited.
     
    Given this situation, what is the US to do? 
    
    It has three choices. 
    
    The first is to start a major war, thus committing national suicide (while taking other countries with it). It lacks the political will to make this decision, although it could blunder into a major war by accident.
     
    The second choice is to basically just fold: give up trying to project power around the world, retreat into its own borders and lick its wounds. It lacks the political will to do this as well; all that remains in the realm of possibility is to pretend that everything is still fine for as long as possible.
     
    But how is it possible to pretend that everything is still fine even as everything is falling apart? The answer is to start faking it. 
    
    If the US manages to convince enough people, at home and around the world, that it is still dangerous, then it will be able to hide its increasing enfeeblement for a while longer. It may no longer be capable of achieving any of its aims, but it is still very much capable of mass murder, as was recently demonstrated by the US “coalition” bombings of Mosul and Raqqa, which now lay in ruins. Similar wanton acts of mass murder have been committed America’s Saudi-Arabian proxy in Yemen, and by their Ukrainian proxies in the Donbass.
     
    But even the opportunities to commit mindless mass murder with impunity are now becoming fewer and farther between, forcing the US to resort to more boutique acts of violence. To justify these acts, the US (and much of Europe) curtains itself off from the rest of the world using an elaborately constructed wall of complete nonsense.
     
    A favorite trope has to do with dreamed-up chemical weapons as the main frightener. Take a look at the recent Israeli rocket attack on Syria. It was justified using obviously fake video footage produced by the White Helmets—a group known for staging fake terror events. At this point, they don’t even care how fake their product looks: this time around, they didn’t bother editing out the clapper (used to sync up video with sound). The setting was obviously a movie set, but production values were rather missing. Instead, we had actors, some wearing white helmets, but no protective gear whatsoever, dumping buckets of water over shivering children. How is that even supposed to make any sense?
     
    And then note that the rockets (five which got shot down by the Syrians, with only three making it through) came from Israel. Why Israel? Because the Russians had warned the US that they knew the fake chemical weapons provocation was being organized as a pretext to launch a rocket attack, and that they were going to shoot not just at the rockets but also at those who launch them. Therefore, Americans decided that it would be too risky to launch the attack from navy ships, and instead asked the Israelis to do the honor of lobbing a few missiles at a remote airbase in Syria, correctly thinking that the Russians wouldn’t immediately retaliate against Israel if no Russians would hurt, and knowing that there would be no Russians at that airbase during their attack. This is, on the one hand, quite pathetic, but on the other it shows that the Americans are still capable of a modicum of rational thought.
     
    This, then is the strange period of history we are going through. The US is lying nonstop (since truth is not on its side) while pretending to still be dangerous by committing wanton acts of mass murder (small-scale ones, which it can be sure to carry out with impunity).
     
    Meanwhile, both national suicide (via large-scale war) and the decision to shut down the whole imperial project both remain politically impossible. How long this strange, unstable period of murderous nonsense can persist isn’t known—your guess is as good as mine—but it obviously can’t go on for ages.
     
    Give it a few years, or less. 

    Perhaps you can understand why Rush Limbaugh is not talking about this kind of analysis, or why Alex Jones isn’t. Or why Politico or the Huffington Post isn’t. Or why MSNBC isn’t.

    • Their calculus uses examples of news articles that are not well-promoted in the USA.
    • Their conclusions are based on unflattering narratives.
    • The key players involved in the decision making process are not glorified.

    Thus this kind of opinion will not be promoted in any of the “approved” American media. Neither the mainstream, the Alt-Right or the Alt-Left.

    Times have changed all across the board. America is nothing like it was intended to be. Instead it is a prison-nation that enslaves citizens under a service-for-self oligarchy run by psychopaths. And us “Joe Averages” haven’t any say in the matter.

    America Has Traded God for Empire, Narcissism, Militarism, Usury, Sodomy

    Fr. Joseph Gleason, is editor of the website titled “Russian Faith” . In this article he explains America’s current predicament. This article comes from the Russian Insider archives and was first published on RI in February 2019. It is written by Mark Dankof on Wed, Oct 21 2020 | 1120 words 8,438 Comments . All credit to the author.

    America Has Traded God for Empire, Narcissism, Militarism, Usury, Sodomy 
                                                                                                       
    
    It goes without saying that Father Joseph Gleason of Russian Faith is making his mark in the world for the Kingdom of God in Jesus Christ. His theological journey has finally taken him into the priesthood of the  Russian Orthodox Church. Geographically, the journey he and his family  have embarked upon has taken them from the United States to Russia and a place called Rostov-The-Great.  His is a story worth following on an ongoing basis. I sense his personal odyssey may prove larger in history than he or anyone else imagines right now.
    
    His most recent entry on the Russian Faith website is entitled, “Homosexuals Persecuting Christians in America:  Do You Feel The Walls Closing In?”  
    
    This marvelous piece is 5,050 words long.  My succinct initial response  to his labors before even reading the essay itself was–and is–a simple “Yes.”
    
    I  do not come to this conclusion quickly or without study and  engagement.  Since 9-11, I have set aside most of the rest of my life to  attempt to bring the people of America to an awareness of how late the  hour is, and the perilous state of both individual souls and a  collective people that has turned its back on God in favor of an Empire  built on narcissism, militarism, usury, and sodomy. 
     
    But the painful truth is that I have failed.  
    
    I have lost 17  years of my life in the process. I admitted as much some years ago in a  well publicized essay entitled, “Why We’re Finished.”  Later, I found myself being pilloried by the Jerusalem Post and the international Jewish press for telling Press TV Iran the truth after the infamous Obergefell Supreme Court decision of 2015 about who played a pivotally disproportionate  role in bringing this latest advance of Cultural Marxism to pass in the  United States, as was the case in the Roe v Wade decision of January of 1973.  
    
    Joseph Biden said the same thing I did,  only he hailed the development as a new dawning in America. 
    
    I didn’t.   
    
    Thus, I was in the cross-hairs of the usual suspects.  Not one of my  Lutheran colleagues in the United States came to my public defense.  I  was on my own and I knew it, just as I have been for years in these  circles for discussing 9-11, Empire foreign and military policy, the  Kennedy Assassination, and the abortion and LGBTQ issues among many others.
       
    Nothing in the last 4 years has changed the equation.  
    
    I said as much in an essay entitled, “A ‘Communist’s’ Thoughts on the 4th of July,” appropriately retitled, “Russia is a Beacon of Promise for a Christian Future” for Russia Faith and Russian Insider readers.   
    
    The thousands of hits on those sites revealed I had struck a chord or a  raw nerve depending on the perspective of the reader, which is why  editors like Charles Bausman and Father Joseph Gleason have increasingly  come under attack by MSM rags in the United States like The Daily Beast as agents of the Kremlin, which assaulted me well before it did these fine people.  I wore that as a badge of honor. I still do.
     
    Which brings me back to Father Gleason’s latest post.  His  conclusions about what the LGBTQ movement and the power elite’s goals  are in both the United States and globally in regard to authentic  Christianity and its adherents are no different than what Rod Dreher  wrote in Time Magazine after the Obergefell decision,  only sharper in focus in the implications.  This sharpening of focus  leads the American Christian who prayerfully contemplates the reality of  the homeland advances of the New World Order to examine his or her  position very carefully as the Holy Spirit of God leads and directs.
     
    For the record, after examination over time, I humbly conclude personally that:
     
    1) Father Joseph Gleason has made the right decision for himself and his family in moving to Russia;
     
    2) Recent developments in that country and  elsewhere make it clear to me that Orthodoxy is especially being used of  God in the proclamation of the Gospel in an age of advancing heresy and  apostasy–not declining Lutheranism, Catholicism, or a Protestant  Evangelical movement overcome with worship of Zionism and increasing pop  accommodation to cancerous American and European cultures headed for  absolute shipwreck; 
     
    3) For young believers around the world including a  couple I have recently read about in Brazil, and young American  Christians feeling bewildered and embattled as they Feel the Walls Closing In,  examine the Lord’s will very closely in regard to the beckoning of  Father Gleason and his migrating minions to the place that the Triune  God is restoring at this eschatological hour in history to counter the  evil plans of a Western Globalist and Zionist movement bent on using  moral and sexual perversion, mass media manipulation, consumerism,  economic sanctions, and overt military aggression to achieve Satan’s  final victory in this present realm; 
     
    4) The latest actions of the United States in the Ukraine in  sewing discord in the Orthodox Church only underscore the depths to  which the political leadership in America will go on behalf the  objectives of the New World Order, along with the entire spectrum of  moves being made by The Empire against Iran, Syria, Russia, and  Venezuela;  
    
    5) When all of this is understood in discernment by the  Christian believer in the West in terms of prophetic developments, those  of us whose circumstances mandate remaining in our earthly homeland in  exile must do so only in the clear understanding that the outcome is not  merely an exilic experience of alienation and marginalization, but one  which promises martyrdom itself.
       
    My last public address to  a Lutheran group discussed this.  
    
    I’m still not sure those in the  lecture hall in upstate Wisconsin last year really had the foggiest  notion of what I was trying to say in the Lord to them.  But Father  Joseph Gleason knows of what I speak, and so do most of his readers at Russian Faith. 
    
    There are a few Christian homeschoolers in Texas who  certainly understand. For those in the United States and the West in a  position to make choices for themselves and their families on the basis  of their individual circumstances and Christian witness for the truth in  history, follow him to higher ground.  
    
    Get out of Dodge while you can.
     
    I believe God has truly raised this man up at this most  critical and final hour in world and redemptive history. Consider his  witness and his words carefully. That is my best advice to you. The clock is ticking to midnight.
                 
    
    Wholesome tradition or degenerate empire, take your pick             

    His opinion is dire and gloomy. He does not feel that he is free to practice his religious freedom, nor raise his family safely or properly in the United States. There was a time, don’t you know, where this was the measurement by which the “freedom” and “liberty” offered by the United States was measured. But it no longer exists.

    You will note that none of the American government controlled media; the mainstream, the Alt-Left and the Alt-Right will cover this subject it’s all the same nonsense. Over and over.

    Ugh! When I think about the United States government, I get a headache. I just want to chill out and be left alone.
    Ugh! When I think about the United States government, I get a headache. I just want to chill out and be left alone.

    American Collapse – Great Podcast About How and When – with James Howard Kunstler

    Now, we go to James Howard Kunstler.

    “Personally, I expect our collapse to be as sudden and unexpected as the USSR’s … and to express itself first in the financial markets …”

    This article from our archives was first published on Russian Insider in April 2018. Written by Mr James Howard Kunstler on Mon, Dec 14 2020 | 1000 words 11,640 Comments . All credit to the author.

    The author is a prominent American social critic, blogger, and podcaster, and one of our all-time favorite pessimists. We carry his articles regularly on RI. His writing on Russia-gate has been highly entertaining.
     
    He is one of the better-known thinkers The New Yorker has dubbed 'The Dystopians' in an excellent 2009 profile, along with the brilliant Dmitry Orlov, another regular contributor to RI (archive). These theorists believe that modern society is headed for a jarring and painful crack-up.
     
    You can find his popular fiction and novels on this subject, here. To get a sense of how entertaining he is, watch this 2004 TED talk about the cruel misery of American urban design - it is one of the most-viewed on TED. Here is a recent audio interview with him which gives a good overview of his work.

    And the article in question…

    American Collapse - Great Podcast About How and When - with James Howard Kunstler
                                                                                                       
    
    I had a fellow on my latest podcast, released  Sunday, who insists that the world population will crash 90-plus  percent from the current 7.6 billion to 600 million by the end of this  century. Jack Alpert heads an outfit called the Stanford Knowledge Integration Lab (SKIL) which he started at Stanford University in 1978 and now runs as a private research foundation. Alpert is primarily an engineer.
       
    At 600 million, the living standard in the USA would be on a level  with the post-Roman peasantry of Fifth century Europe, but without the  charm, since many of the planet’s linked systems — soils, oceans,  climate, mineral resources — will be in much greater disarray than was  the case 1,500 years ago. 
    
    Anyway, that state-of-life may be a way-station so something more dire. 
    
    Alpert’s optimal case would be a  world human population of 50 million, deployed in three “city-states,”  in the Pacific Northwest, the Uruguay / Paraguay border region, and  China, that could support something close to today’s living standards  for a tiny population, along with science and advanced technology, run  on hydropower. 
    
    The rest of world, he says, would just go back to nature,  or what’s left of it. Alpert’s project aims to engineer a path to that  optimal outcome.
     
    I hadn’t encountered quite such an extreme view of the future before,  except for some fictional exercises like Cormac McCarthy’s The Road.  (Alpert, too, sees cannibalism as one likely byproduct of the journey  ahead.) 
    
    Obviously, my own venture into the fictionalized future of the World Made by Hand books  depicted a much kinder and gentler re-set to life at the circa-1800  level of living, at least in the USA. Apparently, I’m a sentimental  softie.
     
    Both of us are at odds with the more generic techno-optimists who are  waiting patiently for miracle rescue remedies like cold fusion while  enjoying re-runs of The Big Bang Theory. (Alpert doesn’t  completely rule out as-yet-undeveloped energy sources, though he  acknowledges that they’re a low-percentage prospect.) We do agree with  basic premise that the energy supply is mainly what supports the way we  live now, and that it shows every evidence of entering a deep and  destabilizing decline that will halt the activities necessary to keep  our networks of dynamic systems running.
     
    A  question of interest to many readers is how soon or how rapid the  unraveling of these systems might be. 
    
    When civilizations crumble, it  tends to fast-track. 
    
    The Roman empire seems to be an exception, but in  many ways it was far more resilient than ours, being a sort of advanced  Flintstones economy, with even its giant-scale activities (e.g. building  the Coliseum) being accomplished by human-powered work. 
    
    In any case,  the outfit really fell apart steadily after the reign of emperor Marcus  Aurelius (180 AD).
     
    The Romans had their own version of a financialized economy:  they simply devalued their coins by mixing in less and less silver at  the mint, so they could pretend to pay for the same luxuries they had  grown accustomed to as resources stretched thin. 
    
    Our financialized  economy — like everything else we do — operates at levels of complexity  so baffling that even its supposed managers at the central banks are flying blind through fogs of debt, deception, and moral hazard. When  that vessel of pretense slams into a mountain top, the effects are  likely to be quick and lethal to the economies on the ground below.
     
    In our time, the most recent crash of a major socioeconomic system  was the fall of the Soviet Union in 1990-91. 
    
    Of course, it happened  against the backdrop of a global system that was still revving pretty  well outside the USSR, and that softened the blow. Ultimately, the  Russians still had plenty of oil to sell, which allowed them to re-set  well above the Fifth Century peasant level of existence. 
    
    At least for  now. 
    
    The Soviet Union collapsed because it was a thoroughly dishonest  system that ran on pretense and coercion. Apparently, the US Intel  Community completely missed the signs that political collapse was  underway.
     
    They seem to be pretty clueless about the fate of the USA these days,  too. 
    
    If you consider the preoccupations of two very recent Intel chiefs  — John Brennan of CIA and James Clapper, DNI — who now inveigh  full-time on CNN as avatars of the Deep State against the wicked Golden  Golem of Greatness.
     
    Personally, I expect our collapse to be as sudden and unexpected as  the USSR’s, but probably bloodier because there’s simply more stuff just  lying around to fight over.
     
    Of  course, I expect the collapse to express itself first in banking,  finance, and markets — being so deeply faith-based and so subject to  simple failures of faith. But it will become political and social soon  enough, maybe all-at once. And when it happens in the USA, it will  spread through the financial systems the whole world round.          

    It’s heavy dose of “doom and gloom”, but you know, I am much more optimistic about the future.

    There will be an American collapse, and systems are in place to keep it localized to the North American hemisphere. There will be economic global ramifications of course, and no nation will really remain unscathed, but the vast amount of damage and hurt will be in America. And of that, it will be localized. If you are prudent and a member of a local community, you should be able to weather “the storm”, and you and yours will survive to carry on through the 2030’s and 2040’s.

    Perhaps is best if Americans believe that the rest of the world is a “shit hole”.

    Korcula, Croatia.
    The rest of the world is actually quite beautiful.

    AMERICA: A Gigantic Clown Car Being Driven Into a Ditch

    And another article from James Howard Kunstler. This article from the Russia Insider archives and was first published on RI in September 2017, with a reprint on Sunday, Dec 13 2020 | 900 words 18,995 Comments.

    “This homework assignment should be given to the Democratic members of congress, since they are otherwise preoccupied only with hunting for Russian gremlins and discovering new sexual abnormalities to protect and defend.”

    AMERICA: A Gigantic Clown Car Being Driven Into a Ditch
                                                                                                                       
    Poor old Karl Marx, tortured by boils and phantoms, was right about one thing: History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.  Thus, I give you the Roman Empire and now the United States of America.  Rome surrendered to time and entropy. Our method is to drive a gigantic clown car into a ditch.
     
    Is anyone out there interested in redemption? 
    
    I have an idea for the political party out of power, the Democrats, sunk in its special  Okefenokee Swamp of identity politics and Russia paranoia: make an  effort to legislate the Citizens United calamity out of  existence. 
    
    Who knows, a handful of Republicans may be shamed into going along with it. 
    
    For those of you who have been mentally vacationing on  Mars with Elon Musk, Citizens United was a Supreme Court decision — Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission 558  U.S. 310 (2010) — which determined that corporations had the right, as  hypothetical “persons,” to give as much money as they liked to political candidates.
                 
    ...
    
    We've made important contributions to world culture   
     
    This “right” devolved from the First Amendment of the constitution,  the 5-4 majority opinion said — giving money to political candidates and  causes amounts to “freedom of speech.” The Citizens United ruling  opened the door for unlimited election spending by corporations and  enormous mischief in our national life. Then-President Obama — a  constitutional law professor before his career in politics — complained  bitterly about the opinion days later in his State of the Union address,  saying that the court had “reversed a century of law to open the  floodgates, including foreign corporations, to spend without limit in  our elections.”
     
    And for the next seven years he did absolutely nothing about it, nor  did the Democratic Party majority in congress. Rather, they vacuumed in  as much corporate campaign money as possible from every hokey political  action committee (PAC) from sea to shining sea, especially in the 2016  presidential election starring Hillary “It’s My Turn” Clinton. It turned  out to not be her turn in large part because the voters noticed the  stench of corruption wafting off this toxic flow of corporate money,  which Hillary was using to vastly outspend her billionaire opponent,  troll that he was.
                 
    It's been a heck of a ride, and it's coming to an end ...   
     
    Of course, corporations have not always been what they are deemed to  be today. They evolved with the increasingly complex activities of  industrial economies. Along the way — in Great Britain first, actually —  they were deemed to exist as the equivalent of legal persons,  to establish that the liabilities of the company were separate and  distinct from those of its owners. In the USA, forming a corporation  usually required an act of legislation until the late 19th century.  After that, they merely had to register with the states. Then congress  had to sort out the additional problems of giant “trusts” and holding  companies (hence, anti-trust laws, now generally ignored).
     
    In short, the definition of what a corporation is and what it  has a right to do is in a pretty constant state of change as economies  evolve. And insofar as the current economy is sinking like the USS  Titanic — and our republic as a mode of governance with it — surely the  time has come to redefine in legislation the role and existential nature  of a corporation in this polity. This homework assignment should be  given to the Democratic members of congress, since they are otherwise  preoccupied only with hunting for Russian gremlins and discovering new sexual abnormalities to protect and defend.
     
    The crux of the argument is that corporations cannot be said  to be entirely and altogether the equivalent of persons for all legal  purposes. In law, corporations have duties, obligations, and  responsibilities to their shareholders first, and only after that to the  public interest or the common good, and only then by pretty strict  legal prescription. It may be assumed that the interests of corporations and their shareholders are in opposition to, and in conflict with, the  public interest. And insofar as elections are fundamentally matters of the public interest, corporations must be prohibited from efforts to  influence the outcome of elections.
     
    That’s your assignment Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, and the rest of  the Democratic Party leadership. Get serious. Show a little initiative.  Do something useful. Draw up some legislation. Get behind something real that might make a difference in this decrepitating country.
     
    Or get out of the way and let a new party do the job.

    Politics are a pin in the ass, but even those outside of the USA can see that the United State is wholly out of control. “What planet do they live on” is a common phrase that I am starting to hear in day to day conversation.

    For the rest of us, the craziness of Washington DC doesn’t resemble anything in our normal day-to-day lives…

    Dear America – You Are Delusional, and Failing at Everything You Undertake

    Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan, Russia sanctions –  “All of these harebrained schemes, hatched in Washington, have backfired grandly.” 

    “Those who have pushed for them are now reduced to just two face-saving maneuvers: blaming their political opponents; and blaming Russia. And these two maneuvers are set to backfire as well.”

    This article from the Russia Insider archives and was first published on RI in November 2017. Written by Dmitry Orlov Fri, Dec 11 2020 | 1610 words 43,193 Comments .

    Dear America - You Are Delusional, and Failing at Everything You Undertake  
                                                                                                                     
    
    Back in the days when I was still trying to do the corporate thing, I  regularly found myself in a bit of a tight spot simply by failing to  keep my mouth shut.
     
    I seem to carry some sort of gene that makes me naturally  irrepressible. I can keep my mouth shut for only so long before I have  to blurt out what I really think, and in a corporate setting, where  thinking isn’t really allowed, this causes no end of trouble. It didn’t  matter that I often turned out to be right. It didn’t matter what I thought; it only mattered that I thought.
     
    American involvement in the  middle-eastern project is now limited to Putin’s sporadic courtesy calls  to Trump, to keep him updated. 
     
    Of all the thoughts you aren’t allowed to think, perhaps the  most offensive one is adequately expressed by a single short phrase:  
    
    “That’s not gonna work.”
                 
    ...
    
    The end is near ...   
     
    Suppose there is a meeting to unveil a great new initiative,  with PowerPoint presentations complete with fancy graphics, org charts,  timelines, proposed budgets, yada-yada, and everything is going great  until this curmudgeonly Russian opens his mouth and says “That’s not  gonna work.”
    
    And when it is patiently explained to him (doing one’s best to hide one’s extreme irritation) that it absolutely has to work because Senior Management would like it to, that furthermore it is his job  to make it work and that failure is not an option, he opens his mouth  again and says “That’s not gonna work either.” And then it’s time to  avoid acting flustered while ignoring him and to think up some  face-saving excuse to adjourn the meeting early and regroup.
     
    I lasted for as long as I did in that world because once in a while I  would instead say “Sure, that’ll work, let’s do it.” And then, sure  enough, it did work, the company had a banner year or two, with lots of  bonuses and atta-boy (and atta-girl) certificates handed out to those  not at all responsible for any of it. Flushed with victory, they, in  turn, would think up more harebrained schemes for me to rain on, and the  cycle would repeat.
                 
    America seems to be blissfully unaware of how it comes across to the rest of the world   
     
    It is probably one of the main saving graces of corporations that  they do sometimes (mainly by mistake) allow some thought to leak  through. The mistake in question is a staffing error in promoting those  constitutionally incapable of keeping their mouths shut or shutting off  their brains. Such errors create chinks in the monolithic phalanxes of  corporate yes-men and yes-women.
     
    Trump is too old to be a reformer or a  revolutionary. He is of an age when men are generally mostly concerned  about the quantity and consistency of their stool and how it interacts  with their enlarged prostates. 
     
    The likelihood of such mistakes increases with the agony of  defeat, which causes attrition among the ranks of qualified yes-sayers,  creating holes that can only be plugged by promoting a few  non-yes-sayers. However, this only seems to work in the smaller,  hungrier corporations; the larger, better-fed ones seem to be able to  avoid experiencing the agony of defeat for a very long time by moving  the goal posts, outlawing any discussion of said defeat or other similar  tactics. Eventually the entire organization goes over the cliff, but by  then it is of no benefit to anyone to attempt to inform them of their  folly.
     
    It is much the same with governments, except here the  situation is even worse. While the smaller, hungrier governments, and  those blessed with a fresh institutional memory of extreme pain, do not  have the luxury of lying to themselves, the larger political  agglomerations—the USSR, the EU, the USA—have the ability to keep  themselves completely immunized against the truth for historically  significant periods of time.
       
    The USSR clung to the fiction of great socialist progress even when  it was clear to all that the cupboard was bare and there were rats  gnawing through the rafters. The EU has been able to ignore the fact  that its entire scheme is one of enriching Germany while impoverishing  and depopulating eastern and southern Europe, neglecting the interests  of the native populations throughout. And the amount of self-delusion  that is still currently in effect in the USA makes it a rather large  subject.
     
    Regardless of how great the lies are and how forcefully they are  defended, a moment always comes when the phalanx of truth-blocking  yes-men and yes-women stops marching, turns and runs. This event results  in a tremendous loss of face and confidence for all involved.
     
    It is the crisis of confidence, more than anything else, that  precipitates the going-off-a-cliff phenomenon that we could so readily  observe in the collapse of the USSR in the early 1990s. I have a very  strong hunch that similar cliff-diving exercises are coming up for the  EU and the USA.
     
    But for the time being I am just another disembodied voice on  the internet, watching from the sidelines and periodically saying the  unfashionable thing, which is: “This isn’t gonna work.” However, I’ve  said this a number of times over the years, on the record and more or  less forcefully, and I feel vindicated most of the time.
     
    Internationally, for example: Carving the Ukraine away from Russia, having it  join the EU and NATO and building a NATO naval base in Crimea “wasn’t  gonna work.” The Ukraine is a part of Russia, the Ukrainians are  Russian, and the Ukrainian ethnic identity is a Bolshevik concoction.  Look for a reversion to norm in a decade or two.
    
     • Destroying and partitioning Syria with the help of  Wahhabi extremists and foreign mercenaries supported by the US, Saudi  Arabia and Israel while Russia, Iran, Turkey and China stand idly by  “wasn’t gonna work”; and so it hasn’t.
    
     • Giving Afghanistan “freedom and democracy” and  turning it into a stable pro-Western regime with the help of invading  NATO troops “wasn’t gonna work,” and hasn’t. Western involvement in  Afghanistan can go on, but the results it can achieve are limited to  further enhancing the heroin trade. 
    
    • Destroying the Russian economy using sanctions  “wasn’t gonna work,” and hasn’t. The sanctions have helped Russia  regroup internally and achieve a great deal of self-sufficiency in  energy production and other forms of technology, in food and in numerous  other sectors.
     
    All of these harebrained schemes, hatched in Washington, have  backfired grandly. Those who have pushed for them are now reduced to  just two face-saving maneuvers: blaming their political opponents; and  blaming Russia. And these two maneuvers are set to backfire as well.
     
    In the meantime, the world isn’t waiting for the US to shake itself out of its stupor.
    
    The fulcrum of American influence in the Middle East is Saudi Arabia  and the petrodollar. In turn, Saudi Arabia rests on three pillars: the  Saudi monarchy, Wahhabi Islam and the petrodollar. As I write this, the  next king, Mohammed bin Salman, is busy hacking away at all three:  robbing, imprisoning and torturing his fellow-princes, working to  replace the Wahhabi clerics with moderate ones and embracing the  petro-yuan instead of the now very tired petrodollar.
     
    Not that any of these three pillars were in good shape in any case:  the defeat of ISIS in Syria was a defeat for the Saudi monarchy which  supported it, for the Wahhabi clerics who inspired it and, consequently,  for the petrodollar as well, because Saudi Arabia was until now its  greatest defender.
     
    The new guarantors of peace in the region are Russia, Iran and  Turkey, with China watching carefully in the wings. American  involvement in the middle-eastern project is now limited to Putin’s  sporadic courtesy calls to Trump, to keep him updated.
     
    And so here’s my latest prediction: Trump’s goal of “making America great” “isn’t gonna work” either.
     
    The country is so far gone that just taking the first step—of  allowing the truth of its condition to leak through the media  filters—will undermine public confidence to such an extent that a  subsequent cliff-dive will become unavoidable. It’s a nice slogan as  slogans go, but Trump is too old to be a reformer or a revolutionary. He  is of an age when men are generally mostly concerned about the quantity  and consistency of their stool and how it interacts with their enlarged  prostates.
     
    Perhaps he will succeed in making America great… big piles of feces, but I wouldn’t expect much more than that.

    And time has proven him to be correct.

    Remember that the American government controls all mainstream, and Alt-Left and Alt-Right media inside of America.
    Remember that the American government controls all mainstream, and Alt-Left and Alt-Right media inside of America.

    Now that it is official, and Biden is President, I scan the “news”…

    Suddenly all the anti-China narrative has collapsed. the only anti-China article (15DEC20) that I can find is this one…

    And this is just “only” a lite narrative with some segmented Chinese political infighting. Nothing about how horrible and awful China is. Not like before. But compared to the average of five to twelve articles per day about how terrible China is, this is really nothing.

    But on Russia…

    Imagine that! Who would figure?

    Russian Missile Tech has Made America’s Trillion Dollar Navy Obsolete

    Times have changed and America can no longer project its military power like it did in Iraq. Those days are over. ”

    This article from the archives was first published on RI in April 2018. Written by Dmitry Orlov Fri, Dec 11 2020 | 1400 words 52,084 Comments

    Russian Missile Tech has Made America's Trillion Dollar Navy Obsolete
                                                                                                       
    For the past 500 years European nations—Portugal, the Netherlands,  Spain, Britain, France and, briefly, Germany—were able to plunder much  of the planet by projecting their naval power overseas. Since much of  the world’s population lives along the coasts, and much of it trades  over water, armed ships that arrived suddenly out of nowhere were able  to put local populations at their mercy.
                 
    A financially crippling military brontosaurus   
    
    The armadas could plunder, impose tribute, punish the disobedient,  and then use that plunder and tribute to build more ships, enlarging the  scope of their naval empires. This allowed a small region with few  natural resources and few native advantages beyond extreme orneriness  and a wealth of communicable diseases to dominate the globe for half a  millennium.
     
    The ultimate inheritor of this naval imperial project is the  United States, which, with the new addition of air power, and with its  large aircraft carrier fleet and huge network of military bases  throughout the planet, is supposedly able to impose Pax Americana on the  entire world. Or, rather, was able to do so—during the brief  period between the collapse of the USSR and the emergence of Russia and  China as new global powers and their development of new anti-ship and  antiaircraft technologies. But now this imperial project is at an end.
     
    Prior to the Soviet collapse, the US military generally did  not dare to directly threaten those countries to which the USSR had  extended its protection. Nevertheless, by using its naval power to  dominate the sea lanes that carried crude oil, and by insisting that oil  be traded in US dollars, it was able to live beyond its means by  issuing dollar-denominated debt instruments and forcing countries around  the world to invest in them. 
    
    It imported whatever it wanted using  borrowed money while exporting inflation, expropriating the savings of  people across the world. In the process, the US has accumulated  absolutely stunning levels of national debt—beyond anything seen before  in either absolute or relative terms. When this debt bomb finally  explodes, it will spread economic devastation far beyond US borders. And  it will explode, once the petrodollar wealth pump, imposed on the world  through American naval and air superiority, stops working.
     
    New missile technology has made a naval empire cheap to defeat.  Previously, to fight a naval battle, one had to have ships that  outmatched those of the enemy in their speed and artillery power. The  Spanish Armada was sunk by the British armada. More recently, this meant  that only those countries whose industrial might matched that of the  United States could ever dream of opposing it militarily. 
    
    But this has  now changed: 
    
    Russia’s new missiles can be launched from thousands of  kilometers away, are unstoppable, and it takes just one to sink a  destroyer and just two to sink an aircraft carrier. The American armada  can now be sunk without having an armada of one’s own. The relative  sizes of American and Russian economies or defense budgets are  irrelevant: the Russians can build more hypersonic missiles much more  quickly and cheaply than the Americans would be able to build more  aircraft carriers.  
     
    Equally significant is the development of new Russian air defense  capabilities: the S-300 and S-400 systems.  These systems can essentially seal  off a country’s airspace. Wherever these systems are deployed, such as  in Syria, US forces are now forced to stay out of their range. 
    
    With its  naval and air superiority rapidly evaporating, all that the US can fall  back on militarily is the use of large expeditionary forces—an option  that is politically unpalatable and has proven to be ineffective in Iraq  and Afghanistan. 
    
    There is also the nuclear option.
    
    And while its  nuclear arsenal is not likely to be neutralized any time soon, nuclear  weapons are only useful as deterrents. Their special value is in  preventing wars from escalating beyond a certain point.  But that point lies beyond the elimination of their global naval and air dominance.  
    
    Nuclear weapons are much worse than useless in augmenting one’s  aggressive behavior against a nuclear-armed opponent; invariably, it  would be a suicidal move. 
    
    What the US now faces is essentially a  financial problem of unrepayable debt and a failing wealth pump.
    
    It  should be a stunningly obvious point that setting off nuclear explosions  anywhere in the world would not fix the problems of an empire that is  going broke.
     
    Events that signal vast, epochal changes in the world often appear minor when viewed in isolation. 
    
    Julius Caesar’s crossing of the Rubicon  was just one river crossing. Soviet and American troops meeting and  fraternizing at the Elbe was, relatively speaking, a minor event—nowhere  near the scale of the siege of Leningrad, the battle of Stalingrad or  the fall of Berlin. Yet they signaled a tectonic shift in the historical  landscape. 
    
    And perhaps we have just witnessed something similar with  the recent pathetically tiny Battle of East Gouta in Syria.
    
    Where the US  used a make-believe chemical weapons incident as a pretense to launch  an equally make-believe attack on some airfields and buildings in Syria.  The US foreign policy establishment wanted to show that it still  matters and has a role to play, but what really happened was that US  naval and air power were demonstrated to be almost entirely beside the point.
     
    Of course, all of this is terrible news to the US military and foreign policy establishments, as well as to the many US Congressmen (in whose districts military contractors operate or military bases are situated). 
    
    Obviously, this is also bad news for the defense contractors,  for personnel at the military bases, and for many others as well. 
    
    It is  also simply awful news economically, since defense spending is about the  only effective means of economic stimulus of which the US government is  politically capable. 
    
    Obama’s “shovel-ready jobs,” if you recall, did  nothing to forestall the dramatic slide in the labor participation rate,  which is a euphemism for the inverse of the real unemployment rate.  There is also the wonderful plan to throw lots of money at Elon Musk’s  SpaceX (while continuing to buy vitally important rocket engines from the Russians—who are currently discussing blocking their export to the  US in retaliation for more US sanctions). 
    
    In short, take away the  defense stimulus, and the US economy will make a loud popping sound followed by a gradually diminishing hissing noise.
     
    Needless to say, all those involved will do their best to deny  or hide for as long as possible the fact that the US foreign policy and  defense establishments have now been neutralized. 
    
    My prediction is that  America’s naval and air empire will not fail because it will be  defeated militarily, nor will it be dismantled once the news sinks in  that it is useless; instead, it will be forced to curtail its operations  due to lack of funds. 
    
    There may still be a few loud bangs before it  gives up, but mostly what we will hear is a whole lot of whimpering.  
    
    That’s how the USSR went; that’s how the USA will go too.

    Things are in the process of change. It is my hope that the changes will be calm and peaceful, but those that live off the old systems will fight “tooth and nail” against change.

    The United States fields some very impressive and advanced military systems. But [1] are they sustainable against a large and peer-capable, aggressive nations? And if they are, [2] is it worth the risk of mutual global annihilation for the egos of the psychopathic American leadership?

    The United States fields some very impressive and advanced military systems.
    The United States fields some very impressive and advanced military systems.

    .

    But you know, I fear that I am not making my point clear. War is not something that you read about in your daily feed. It is something that you endure with heartache and sadness. It is something that destroys relationships, cultures and societies. It destroys civilizations. But the psychopaths don’t care. But you and I should…

    War is a horror.
    War is horrible. It is nothing that should be taken lightly.

    .

    War is a horror.

    Things are dire.

    From my email feed…

    We are in a situation bleaker than during the last Cold War, and similar to the Cuban Missile Crisis.
    And  US media is not reporting on any of it.  Most of you know this. But I'm  posting it because it points out things that most people don't know,  because it's suppressed.
     
    This interview with Ray  McGovern, who advised US presidents and briefed them daily for many  years talks about the very precarious state of US Russia relations.  Frankly this dwarfs controversy about the election.
     
    Please watch this. And share with friends and family.
     
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHaBjdRI-DU   
    Many people who live outside the United States think that the USA is a corrupt nation that is bound to collapse any day now.
    Many people who live outside the United States think that the USA is a corrupt nation that is bound to collapse any day now.

    EPIC FAIL: Why Most US Weapons Systems Are Worse than Russia’s

    “Two reasons: complexity, and too much money .”

    This article from the Russia Insider archives was first published on RI in April 2018. It was written by Jacob Dreizin Wed, Dec 9 2020 | 2300 words 52,407 Comments

    EPIC FAIL: Why Most US Weapons Systems Are Worse than Russia's
                                                                                                       
    
    The F-35: Insanely expensive, its costs keep soaring - and it's worse than Russian planes which cost 20 times less
    Lately  we have seen some good analysis on the limits and vulnerabilities of  the American military in light of events in the former Ukraine and  especially Russia’s demonstrated competence in Syria.  
     
    So we have the “what” of the issue, but how about the “why”?  
     
    As a U.S. Army veteran and a longtime resident of the  Beltway—including four-and-a-half years living on Crystal Drive in  Arlington, Virginia, which has probably the densest concentration of  “defense” contractors anywhere in America — I think I understand what is  fundamentally wrong with the U.S. military-industrial complex (MIC.)
     
    First and foremost, the MIC has long been incapable of producing durable, efficient, versatile weapons.  
     
    We don’t even have to look to the F-35 on this one.  
     
    (America's latest fighter which has turned into a spectacular technical failure and massive  ($1.5 trillion!) expense  - see our super-popular article about how this plane stacks up against the Russian competition- edit)   
     Just consider the most basic item, the M-16. 
     
    The M-16 Assault Rifle
     
    My field experience with this piece of junk is that it runs into problems in the presence of even a small amount of sand. When  enough sand gets in to the chamber and mixes with the lube oil on the  bolt assembly, the grit thus formed results in up to every second round misloading.
     
    God forbid you should brush an oiled open breach against the side of  your foxhole—you are out of commission.  In the absence of air or  artillery support or sheer overwhelming numbers on your side, you are  dead meat against anyone with a gun that functions in a sandy  environment.  
    
    And why?  
    
    Because, as I was told in boot camp (whether  it’s true or not), this thing is perfectly built to have zero fault  tolerance.  
     
    Supposedly, just about every metal component in the M-16 is cast and/or machined to perfection rather than stamped.  Contrast this with  Russian or Chinese weapons that are said to be built like can-openers to spray lead under any conditions.  In other words, the M-16 is so  sophisticated that it doesn't work well.
     
    It is now acknowledged that the M-16 with its 5.56mm rounds  is insufficiently lethal beyond a couple of hundred meters, making  it unsuited to long-distance firefights over open terrain (again those  deserts, or perhaps shootouts between mountain ridges.)
     
    The M-1 Abrams tank
    
    Another great example - this can be a real dog.  The engine is a gas  turbine, like with an aircraft, except that it is being driven around in  deserts and even sandstorms, making it extremely finicky and  high-maintenance.  (Would you fly your Boeing into a sandstorm?)  Of  course, the Abrams was designed to fight in Germany where sand is not an  issue.  But during the Iraq adventure, sand so tore up the turbine fans  (or whatever) that over 1000 of these million-dollar "power packs" had  to be removed and sent up for depot-level maintenance or refurbishment  stateside.  
     
    Yes, that’s right—these things cannot even be fixed in the  field.  All you can do is pull them out with a crane and ship them back  to the civilians at enormous expense.  At the height of the Iraq  adventure, around 2007, the maintenance backlog was so bad that even the  national media got wind of it.  
     
    Of course, when you have the world’s reserve currency, you can afford  all that and more—the entire world is paying for your wars.  
     
    But the waste and inefficiency are a fact.
     
    The Basic Problem :  Excessive Complexity
     
    I think the problem here is that American war planners and  logisticians prefer originality, complexity, and/or  expense-for-the-hell-of-it over versatility and ease of use and  maintenance.  This is no surprise given America’s wealth and the  longtime generous funding of its armed forces.  After all, every  military reflects its own society. 
     
    Unfortunately for Uncle Sam, what he gets is equipment that may work very well in one environment but not another.
     
    But so much for American equipment per se.  Let’s talk about  Crystal Drive (a neighborhood in suburban Washington where many defense  contractors have offices - edit.) —or more broadly, the MIC.
     
    The Military Industrial Complex (MIC) is failing on a massive scale
     
    It is clear now that the MIC cannot build anything for less  than 200 percent of its original planned budget (and that’s  being extremely conservative.)  Nor can anything it cranks out nowadays  meet performance or survivability expectations.  Besides the  never-ending supersonic train wreck known as the F-35, we have other  boondoggle failures such as the Littoral Combat Ship, which by all  accounts is less capable and more vulnerable than the 20 to 30  year-old vessels it was supposed to replace.
     
    Or, going back a few years, we see the Army’s “Commanche” helicopter,  an intended replacement for the Apache, which blew through $6.9  billion—in 1983-2004 dollars, probably over $10 billion today—before the  entire program was scrapped.  That’s right, over $10 billion  for nothing—not one Commanche was ever delivered for permanent use to an  Army operational unit!  
     
    Where did that money go, if they didn’t actually manufacture anything  besides a few prototypes?  Did they spend $10 billion on PowerPoint  presentations?  
     
    My brain cannot even wrap around this.  Can you imagine what Russia or China could do for $10 billion?  
     
    However, even that pales before the Army's cancelled Future  Combat Systems program, which burned through an estimated (no one knows  exactly) $20 billion from 2003 to somewhere between 2012 and 2014  (depending on what termination milestone you go by), with almost nothing  to show beyond a few prototypes, a lot of concept art, and a 29-pound toy robot made by iRobot of "Roomba" vacuum cleaner fame.   In fact, I can’t think of one big new U.S. weapons system that has  succeeded in the last 25 years, other than perhaps the Stryker armored  car (though some have argued that point, and I just don’t know enough  about it.)
     
    As pointed out by many other observers, part of the blame lies  with our political system, where MIC corporations buy politicians and  then receive favors in the form of contracts, whether or not the  contracts make any sense. However, I think this is not the only problem,  nor even necessarily the biggest.  
     
    Fundamentally what I think we have is systemic over-complexity resulting in nothing getting done, or done well anyway.
     
    US intelligence agencies have the same problem
     
    This is akin to the deep systemic crisis in Uncle Sam’s intelligence  agencies, where from 9/11 to the Arab Spring to Crimea to the ISIS  conquest of Mosul to Russia in Syria, the word is always “we didn’t  expect…”  In this case, we have numerous agencies—some of them with  overlapping functions—that are drowning in paperwork and garbage data  (or too much data) and are almost totally useless.  
     
    As some readers will remember, it got so bad that in April 2014 the  State Department released a photo collage aiming to prove that (among  other things) a bearded Chechen battalion commander going by the name  Hamza, who appeared in Russian TV footage of the 2008 Olympic War, was  none other than the bearded, overweight Slaviansk militiaman going by  the call-sign “Babai”—in other words, Russian special forces have  invaded the Donbass.  (The New York Times ran with this and was then  oh-so-vaguely and gently reproached by its own ombudsman.)  
     
    Shouldn’t this awful joke have been prevented by the Office of the  Director of National Intelligence, which is supposed to promote  info-sharing among agencies and centrally vet all claims and  conclusions—especially those being trumpeted on the State Department’s  website or at its briefings?  Apparently not!
     
    Bureaucratic bloat
     
    On the other hand, what the U.S. lack-of-intelligence complex is very  good at—besides hiring way too many buxom, flirty young things straight  out of college and with no language skills or any experience at  all (DIA and NGA, you know your ex-military managers like to beautify  their offices)—is providing employment for tens of thousands of its own  staff as well as tens of thousands of grotesquely-overpaid contractors,  including those who build and run billion-dollar eavesdropping centers  that have proven incapable of picking up anything useful, perhaps  because when you try to listen to everything, you end up hearing  nothing. 
     
    The lesson here is that the more offices and agencies, the more  managers and political appointees who will seek to justify and expand  their turf and budgets by shoveling out as much money on as many  contracts as possible, as quickly as possible, in many cases even paying  contractors to do little more than just sit around (sometimes at home)  waiting for the next contract.  (I have seen this many times in  Washington.)  
     
    Then you get so big that people simply trip over each other and the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing.
     
    The US MIC worked great 50 years ago because less money and people were involved
     
    So I think this is what’s going on not only in the intelligence  apparatus, but in the MIC as a whole.  We have hundreds of thousands of  staff and contractors as well as military officers assigned to liaise  with them, all kinds of project managers and “six-sigma black belts” and  other buzzwords, juggling millions of PowerPoints across the river from  Washington and throughout the country, and they can’t field a  helicopter after spending $10 billion on it. 
     
    Really?  How did this great country ever defeat the Japanese Empire?
     
    Go to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington; you will see  the most amazing things—e.g. generators designed to operate on the  surface of the Moon, drawing electricity from the heat of plutonium  decay—that were developed when there was no Crystal Drive, no Tysons  Corner, etc.  
     
    Then go to the museum’s extension near Dulles airport and check out  the SR-71 “Blackbird”, the fastest and highest-flying airplane ever  built (this was about 50 years ago.)  
     
    How did they do it?  
     
    Although there were more men in uniform back then, the MIC itself (or  should I say the  Military-Industrial-Intelligence-Homeland-Insecurity-Complex (MIIHIC)) -  had but a fraction of today’s civilian workforce.  Luckily, most of  those paper-pushing “systems integrators” and PowerPoint rangers did not  exist.  Blueprints were drafted with pencil and paper.  
     
    Today, Uncle Sam can’t even build a heavy rocket engine, not to mention a good helmet or ejection seat for his F-35.
     
    No hope for change going forward
     
    So it seems that as a technical civilization we are degenerating.  
     
    Sure, there are constant advancements in microelectronics (a.k.a.  integrated circuits) and the programs they allow, but in terms of heavy  engineering—of which the MIIHIC and other government initiatives like  the space program were at the forefront since WWII—it seems that the  U.S. is tapped out.  
     
    And you know what?  Throwing more money at it is just going to make it worse. 
     
    The organizations with their budgets and their perfectly  reasonable-sounding arguments for ever-greater budgets will grow, their  workforces will grow, the contracting sector will grow, more shiny  office buildings will go up, but the result will be an  ever-increasingly-negative marginal return.  
     
    John McCain and all the other broken records in and out of the  Pentagon will say we still don't have enough funds to counter a  pointless Russian invasion of parasitic, inconsequential Lithuania  (currently headed by a longtime communist) or any other 1990s-era  speculative wargame training scenario that somehow carried over into the  public consciousness and morphed into the Greatest Threat to World  Peace.
     
    Of course, as long as the U.S. has the money to send gazillion-dollar  armies and armadas against illiterate natives armed with sharp sticks  and coconuts, this may not visibly threaten its hegemony.  Almost any  problem or mistake can be papered over with money, for a long time  anyway.  
     
    But eventually, even if the money spigot does not constrict, we will  get to the point where the military really can’t be used as anything  more than a façade or a gunboat road-show, hoping no one calls the  bluff, because the stuff just doesn’t work like it’s supposed to, or  else is too vulnerable (witness the evacuation of the U.S. aircraft  carrier from the Persian Gulf after Uncle Sam found out that Russia has  cruise missiles with a range of at least 1500km, or the ridiculous  sail-around of China's little islands which had the sense to infringe  only very slightly and briefly on that country's imaginary territorial  waters), or the natives can devise their own countermeasures. 
     
    In fact, I would say we are at that point already.  Not to mention,  the U.S. Army and the Department of Veterans Affairs are still so  tapped-out after Iraq and Afghanistan that another major ground  operation is unthinkable.  (At this point, Washington is more  likely to launch nukes at somebody than risk another ground war.)
     
    So you can anticipate a lot of hand-wringing and a lot more money  being thrown into the breach.  That’s simply what the machine does;  there is no chance to reform it, nor will the Hegemony dissipate  willingly (although lately it’s done a good job of  dissipating unwillingly.)  
     
    But all that money may as well be flushed down the can. 
     
    The threshold has been reached and it's all downhill from here.   

    This is all pretty much standard knowledge within the defense industry. The MIL-STD-810 (whatever revision it is now) is all about this particular issue. But the things is that the money is NOT in making better weapons systems for use, but rather as a system to make a lot of money to the owners of the military-industrial industry.

    And that is already very well known.

    Many people who live outside the United States think that the USA is a corrupt nation that is bound to collapse any day now.
    Many people who live outside the United States think that the USA is a corrupt nation that is bound to collapse any day now.

    Russia’s Airborne Forces Differ Greatly from NATO’s (Cool Video)

    Many analysts consider them the best in the world and totally unique.  Why?
    They are much bigger (50,000 troops fully combat ready)
    They are mechanized (they parachute heavy equipment in with troops)
    They are constantly innovating and have legendary esprit de corps
    Interesting:  They include a saint among their veterans  
     
    -This article from our archives was first published on RI in August 2015               

    This article originally appeared at The Vineyard of the Saker. The Saker (The Vineyard of the Saker) Wed, Dec 9 2020 | 1100 words 16,197 Comments

    Russia's Airborne Forces Differ Greatly from NATO's  (Cool Video)
                                                                                                       
    
    What I want to share with you today is a promo movie by Zvezda TV,  the semi-official TV channel of the Russian Ministry of Defense, at the  occasion of the 85th anniversary of the Russian Airborne Forces.  So  don’t expect a hard-hitting documentary asking the tough questions and  making critical comments. 
     
    However, this is nonetheless a very interesting  video and when I saw it, I begged Alena Scarecrow and Tatzhit to  translate and subtitle it, which they very kindly did.  Before letting  you watch the video, I would like to share with you a few thoughts about  the Russian Airborne Forces (called ‘VDV’ in Russian) and about their  military, social, political and even spiritual role in modern Russia.
    
    The Russian Airborne Forces
    
    The Russian VDV are truly an absolutely unique phenomenon and they should not be confused with any other airborne force.
    
    For one thing, the VDV are fully mechanized.   
    
    Firstly. So while they are ‘paratroopers’, these paratroopers are not just light  infantry (like, say, the US 82nd AB), but a very mobile force, fully  mechanized and with a *lot* of firepower.  In the movie you are about to  watch, you will see some of their armored vehicles and artillery pieces  which, uniquely, can also be delivered by parachute.  What the movie  does not show is the artillery of the VDV which includes such systems as  the 2S9 Nona,  the D-30 howitzer or the 2S25 self-propelled tank destroyer.
    
    Second,  the VDV are a numerically huge force which currently totals 50’000 men  and includes 5 Airborne Divisions and 6 Airborne Brigades (including the  45th Special Forces of the VDV Brigade).  All of them air-deployable  and on a top-level or readiness.
    
    Thirdly, the VDV truly are the  embodiment of military valor and tactical skills and they have played an  absolutely crucial role in many Soviet and Russian battles, but  probably never more so than during the worst tragedy in their long  history: the battle for Ulus-Kert in which the entire 6th Airborne  company perished. 
    
    I don’t have the space and time to  recount in detail what happened on that day of early 2000 but to those  interested by this amazing event I would recommend the article “ULUS-KERT: An Airborne Company’s Last Stand” by Sergeant Michael D. Wilmoth, US Army Reserve, and Lieutenant Colonel Peter G. Tsouras, US Army Reserve, Retired, in the Military Review of July-August 1991, pp 91-96 (click here for  this article reposted on this blog).   Keep in mind that this article  was not written by the promotions department of Zvezda TV, but by two US  military experts who are very critical of many aspects of what took  place that day (and rightly so).
    
    What is absolutely crucial for the understanding of the importance of this battle for Hill 776 in  Ulus-Kert is that the year 2000 marked the absolute rock-bottom of the  “democratic experiment” (aka the American colonization) of Russia.  
    
    Yes,  Putin has just come to power, but the country was absolutely devastated  by a decade of Soviet stagnation followed by another decade of  “democratic reforms” and Putin was just making his very first steps as a  new head of state. 
    
    What the 6th company achieved on Hill 776 was  an immense wake-up call to the entire Russian nation saying “enough is  enough” and “not one single step back”.  
    
    The article by Wilmoth and  Tsouras accurately describes all the failures in command and execution  which resulted in the tragedy of the 6th company, but it is precisely these  failures which made the sacrifice of these men so amazing: the country  had essentially abandoned its own military, but the young men of the VDV  did not hesitate to die, all of them, to resist the face of evil (and, in those days, nothing embodied absolute evil as much as the Chechen  Wahabis and their reign of terror and medieval atrocities). 
    
    It is  hard to over-estimate the contribution which the Russian Airborne  Forces have made to the rebirth of Russia.  But this goes even further.
    
    I  strongly believe that it is not a coincidence that the Russian Airborne  Forces have even produced an Orthodox martyr and saint: Evgenii  Aleksandrovich Rodionov.  You can read a short summary of the life and  death of Rodionov in the Wikipedia article under his name.
    
    What  is so important about the case of Rodionov is that died as a martyr  because he refused to abandon his Orthodox faith and that his podvig (spiritual feat) happened away from everybody at a time when, as the sad expression went, “every boy wanted to become a criminal thug and every girl a prostitute” as people used to say in 1996, in the midst of the “democratic hell” Russia had become. 
    
    Though  I cannot prove it, I am personally deeply convinced that the fact that  Rodionov was a solider of the Airborne Forces is not a coincidence.  I  have met enough Airborne officers and soldiers myself and I know that  their level of patriotism and spiritual awareness is exceptionally high  because they live by an honor code, an ideal, which has it roots in the  most ancient Russian military traditions which have always been immersed  in spiritual and moral values far beyond just winning a battle.
    
    Now, please don’t misunderstand me, I am not saying  that all the soldiers of the VDV are some kind of invincible saints or  anything like that.  Far from it.  It is enough to see the footage of  the kind of silly drunken nonsense these guys display each August 2nd  (the day of the Holy Prophet Elijah, Patron of the Russian Airborne  Forces) to lose any such illusions:
    
    And one reality should not overshadow the other one: they are both equally Russian and equally typical of the VDV.
    What  I am trying to illustrate by all of the above is that the Russian  Airborne Forces are an absolutely unique, and uniquely Russian,  phenomenon and that they are a truly formidable force by any measure.   Now for a more US-style promo movie, with lot’s of high-tech hardware  and “cool” shots, please see the following video. 
    
    It will show  you that the Russian VDV are also very modern and forward looking  military forces with over 85 years of development behind their back.   And, having watched that video, ask yourself this simple question: how impressed to you think these guys are with the new multi-national NATO “spearhead” and “rapid reaction” forces?
    
    
    the day of the Holy Prophet Elijah, Patron of the Russian Airborne  Forces
    The day of the Holy Prophet Elijah, Patron of the Russian Airborne Forces.

    You know…

    Yeah, you know, that it’s a really cold day in Hell when the American news would say anything good about any other military force, whether it is Russian on Chinese. But here, on MM we try to provide insight.

    As I have tried to state elsewhere, if you want to hear about what other narrative is being promoted in the American echo chambers (election fraud, political bribes, mind control, etc) you need not come to MM. This is a completely different type of site. We are not a “me too” of the preferred NSA narrative venue cabal.

    Here’s a taste of what the echo chambers in the USA report on Chinese and Russian military forces… America is the best! America is the largest, strongest and best trained. China and Russia military are “push overs”. We are undefeated, and the most powerful military in the history of the world!

    American military.
    American military in the eyes of American media.

    .

    The experts have spoken and Americans are ready to die for “their” country…

    Russia

    Not So Scary: This Is Why Russia's Military Is a Paper Tiger. Certainly Moscow’s military forces will continue to modernize, but Russian military mightother than its nuclear forcesis an ...
    
    -National Interest
    Russia banned from using its name, flag at next two Olympics
     
    Russia will not be able to use its name, flag and  anthem at the next two Olympics or at any world championships for the  next two years after a ruling Thursday by the Court of Arbitration for  Sport.
    
    In other words: this doping scandal never existed; but it was never  about sports: it is all - and always was - about propaganda. Russian  athletes will continue to compete normally - only without the Russian  symbols.
    This is a clear attack against Russia.

    China

    Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said Wednesday that while China has  more ships, it'll be a while before it can match the power of the US  Navy.
     
    "I want to make clear that China cannot match the United States when it comes to naval power," Esper explained at a RAND Corporation event.
    
    "Even  if we stopped building new ships, it would take the [People's Republic  of China] years to close the gap when it comes to our capability on the  high seas," he said. "Ship numbers are important, but they don't tell  the whole story."

    And of course, there is the obligatory bullshit reporting on how strange China is. Uh. Sure….

    Anti China news.
    Is this a thing? Only inside American newspapers.

    .

    Meanwhile…

    What does all this mean?

    Well, I have been promoting the idea that America as it stands today is not sustainable. But I am NOT a “lone voice in the wilderness”. Many others have also made these observations. For instance…

    Other opinions.
    Other opinions.

    .

    But you all don’t need to be a reader to follow this. All you need to do is take a casual look around you. Just look.

    Fight club.
    Fight Club.

    .

    The stench of decay permeates America at all levels…

    America today.
    Women offer sex for McDonald’s food.

    .

    Not yet convinced?

    Cheap sex.
    I guess that sex comes cheaply in the United States.

    .

    I guess that if the American leadership are all psychopaths, and that they rigged the elections in their favor so that the serf-slaves serve them, then everything is pretty much following the natural progression of order. It ‘s a stratification of society into a ruler class and a servant class, and that’s just the way it is. If this keeps up, castes will form, and America will resemble the caste system within India.

    Any your boys and girls who read this will be in the lower, servant, classes.

    If not, then the United States will collapse upon itself. Which is why everyone is writing about this issue, no one wants to face the idea that the USA can continue and be permitted to set up a stratified society. One of the Haves, and the other a “disposable class”.

    So, as uncomfortable as it is, let’s all hope for the collapse of the USA.

    Difficult.
    It’s very difficult to argue otherwise.

    .

    Let’s trust that the global oligarchy have successfully managed to isolate the USA on the global stage to the extent that any damage during the American meltdown will be limited to the North American region. I sincerely hope that this remains the case.

    That is my “gut” feeling. And that is what I am betting on.

    But others seem to think that if America collapses, then the entire world will collapse as well. In their minds the USA …IS THE WORLD. And thus it’s collapse will destroy the world (more or less). Nope.

    Nope.

    Not true.

    But you can read for yourself and come to your own conclusions…

    That Collapse You Ordered…?

     That Collapse You Ordered…? 
     
    
    I had a fellow on my latest podcast, released  Sunday, who insists that the world population will crash 90-plus  percent from the current 7.6 billion to 600 million by the end of this  century. Jack Alpert heads an outfit called the Stanford Knowledge Integration Lab (SKIL) which he started at Stanford University in 1978 and now runs as a private research foundation. Alpert is primarily an engineer.
     
    At 600 million, the living standard in the USA would be on a level  with the post-Roman peasantry of Fifth century Europe, but without the  charm, since many of the planet’s linked systems — soils, oceans,  climate, mineral resources — will be in much greater disarray than was  the case 1,500 years ago. Anyway, that state-of-life may be a  way-station to something more dire. Alpert’s optimal case would be a  world human population of 50 million, deployed in three “city-states,”  in the Pacific Northwest, the Uruguay / Paraguay border region, and  China, that could support something close to today’s living standards  for a tiny population, along with science and advanced technology, run  on hydropower. The rest of world, he says, would just go back to nature,  or what’s left of it. Alpert’s project aims to engineer a path to that  optimal outcome.
     
    I hadn’t encountered quite such an extreme view of the future before,  except for some fictional exercises like Cormac McCarthy’s The Road.  (Alpert, too, sees cannibalism as one likely byproduct of the journey  ahead.) Obviously, my own venture into the fictionalized future of the World Made by Hand  books depicted a much kinder and gentler re-set to life at the  circa-1800 level of living, at least in the USA. Apparently, I’m a  sentimental softie.
     
    Both of us are at odds with the more generic techno-optimists who are  waiting patiently for miracle rescue remedies like cold fusion while  enjoying re-runs of The Big Bang Theory. (Alpert doesn’t  completely rule out as-yet-undeveloped energy sources, though he  acknowledges that they’re a low-percentage prospect.) We do agree with  basic premise that the energy supply is mainly what supports the way we  live now, and that it shows every evidence of entering a deep and  destabilizing decline that will halt the activities necessary to keep  our networks of dynamic systems running.
     
    A question of interest to many readers is how soon or how rapid the  unraveling of these systems might be. When civilizations crumble, it  tends to fast-track. The Roman empire seems to be an exception, but in  many ways it was far more resilient than ours, being a sort of advanced  Flintstones economy, with even its giant-scale activities (e.g. building  the Coliseum) being accomplished by human-powered work. In any case,  the outfit really fell apart steadily after the reign of emperor Marcus  Aurelius (180 AD).
     
    The Romans had their own version of a financialized economy: they  simply devalued their coins by mixing in less and less silver at the  mint, so they could pretend to pay for the same luxuries they had grown  accustomed to as resources stretched thin. Our financialized economy —  like everything else we do — operates at levels of complexity so  baffling that even its supposed managers at the central banks are flying  blind through fogs of debt, deception, and moral hazard. When that  vessel of pretense slams into a mountain top, the effects are likely to  be quick and lethal to the economies on the ground below.
     
    In our time, the most recent crash of a major socioeconomic system  was the fall of the Soviet Union in 1990-91. Of course, it happened  against the backdrop of a global system that was still revving pretty  well outside the USSR, and that softened the blow. Ultimately, the  Russians still had plenty of oil to sell, which allowed them to re-set  well above the Fifth Century peasant level of existence. At least for  now. The Soviet Union collapsed because it was a thoroughly dishonest  system that ran on pretense and coercion. Apparently, the US Intel  Community completely missed the signs that political collapse was  underway.
     
    They seem to be pretty clueless about the fate of the USA these days,  too. If you consider the preoccupations of two very recent Intel chiefs  — John Brennan of CIA and James Clapper, DNI — who now inveigh  full-time on CNN as avatars of the Deep State against the wicked Golden  Golem of Greatness. Personally, I expect our collapse to be as sudden  and unexpected as the USSR’s, but probably bloodier because there’s  simply more stuff just lying around to fight over. Of course, I expect  the collapse to express itself first in banking, finance, and markets —  being so deeply faith-based and so subject to simple failures of faith.  But it will become political and social soon enough, maybe all-at once.  And when it happens in the USA, it will spread through the financial  systems the whole world round.

    Conclusion

    I need a beer.

    [Result 1] So all evidence points to a massive collapse with the inclusion of civil strife, civil war, and global war set up as distractions that quickly get out of hand.

    If this does not happen…

    [Restult 2] Then evidence points to a fully enslaved nation of dumbed-down slaves that service the wealthy in a forced stratification system that would resemble the caste system in India.

    You will not hear any of this in the American “news” because you are not to know of it. Your rulers are all psychopaths that indeed want either of the two outcomes to manifest. They want either result one or two. Nothing else is acceptable to them.

    Some John Titor Stuff…

    John Titor visits to our primary world line template, showing the deviation values.
    John Titor visits to our primary world line template, showing the deviation values.

    A final Thought

    And my thoughts…

    Do you want to see similar posts?

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    Snapshots of America, while cutting away all the bullshit. A good look at realty, karma, culture, and whats next.

    Well, I just received a comment that I have been living in China too long. That I have lost my understanding about what America is, what it stands for, and yada, yada, yada. Yeah, I get it. I am not promoting any of the narratives out of the American government. So therefore, I must be a traitor!

    A quick recap for anyone who doesn’t understand what I am talking about;

    • The United States government controls ALL American for-profit media.
    • The mainstream media was acquired in the 1980’s.
    • The Alt-Left was acquired around 2000.
    • The Alt-Right was acquired in the second decade of 2000.

    If you listen or read anything out of any of those media sources, then you are feeding at the trough of the American Government. And as such, you are believing everything Washington DC wants you to believe.

    • MSNBC = USA Government.
    • Huffington Post = USA Government.
    • Rush Limbaugh = USA Government.
    • Polico = USA Government.
    • Alex Jones = USA Government.

    Yeah. Do you “get it”?

    Take note that Rush Limbaugh is functionally a mouth-piece for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. At NO time has he ever said anything in disagreement with him, his actions, or his activities. While it might have "questioned" them, they would always turn that questioning into something favorable.

    They are not “independent” and represent an alternate view. They are snares that trap people of similar mindsets into an environment where the government can intentionally manipulate…and control.

    If you enjoy the “alternative media”, then you are caught up in the government propaganda snare.

    The only non-influenced sources of information on the Internet are “independent bloggers”. And of that, it’s a mixed bag. With many simply placing their opinions and observations based upon the (government controlled) Alternative narratives instead of their own first-hand experiences.

    Regarding the derogatory comments. It’s what happens when the uninformed stumble upon Metallicman. They read an article or two, come to some snap and quick opinions before going through the voluminous stacks of information and come to conclusions.

    They cannot see what this venue is, what it represents, and how it is different. They are searching for articles that they believe or that they want to believe. And NO ONE in American want’s to see the truth. They want to live the lies that they are being spoon-fed. Which are…

    • America is the best,the greatest, the most powerful nation on the Earth.
    • The USA is blessed by God, and give domination over all else.
    • Americans are better, kinder, and more understanding than the rest of the world.

    And if you mostly follow the Alt-left sites…

    • America is growing in diversity, allowing for differences in individuality.
    • America is historically corrupt and is in the process of correction.
    • Russia is behind all the problems in America today.

    But if you mostly follow the Alt-Right sites…

    • A Marxist takeover is imminent.
    • The Progressives are going to disarm you, and probably do nasty things.
    • China is behind all the evil in America today.

    It’s all nice to read. If a bit terrifying. Over all, it tends to make you feel good about yourself and help you reach out to others of a similar mind-set. That’s why it is called an echo chamber. But, a lot of it is not really true. Not by a long shot.

    Yes. There are going to be some dicey times ahead for America.

    Yes. Some Progressive Marxists are going to secure areas near urban areas using historically successful methods.

    Yes. Changes are going to be implemented that not everyone will agree with.

    Yes, there will be some conflict and confrontations, and maybe a very nasty global war as a result of the American idiocy.

    But it’s going to be in fits and starts. It’s going to be confined to certain regions, and might not affect everyone.

    Probably not.

    But what is going to actually happen will not be what is being presented in any of the government controlled media. They do not want the citizens to know what is going on. Instead, they have set the media on “auto pilot” and they are leading their readership towards blind alleys and dangerous objectives. All for the government to capitalize upon.

    • Within the first year of the Biden Presidency; 2021 will be a horrific gun-related event. The media will launch into a hysterical anti-gun campaign. And this will kick off a serious escalation of the ongoing American Civil War.

    What follows are just glimpses into the “mixed bag” of what the world is today. In short, it is just a bunch a stuff about America, good and bad. It doesn’t necessarily mean that America is horrible, but rather that the alarm bells have been going off for decades now. The USA is in a shit-load of hurt, and unless people start taking active and proactive steps to correct things, a big fiery catastrophe is sure to follow.

    Just because you live in a nice home, drive a nice car, and eat nice food does not mean that you are successful. It just means that you are thriving in an environment AT THIS PARTICULAR MOMENT IN TIME. Unless you are able to determine the duration of this environment, you are just living on “borrowed time” and your future can change in unsavory ways unless you take adequate precautions.

    So first, an opinion…

    Even if the American people wake up, it will not help because they'll have to first look in the mirror. 
    
    The American people are not  pawns. They elect the war-mongers and give them impunity. They pay taxes  to feed the beasts of war. They send their sons and daughters to  perform the atrocities for their ruling class masters. As long as the  American people continue to live in the lie of their hypocrisy, they  cannot be saved. 
    
    Ask yourself how is it  possible for 99% to be ruled and fooled by the 1% in a democratic and  free society if the people don't allow it? 
    
    It won't even happen in an  authoritarian society. 
    
    Don't blame it on the ruling class and the  war-mongers because the American people empower them. 
    
    Don't blame it on  the freedom-to-lie free press because the people want the freedom to lie  and slander. Why else would Americans accept 250,000 deaths and blame  everything on China? 
    
    In fact, if this happened in China, such egregious  liars and perpetrators of atrocities would be festooned on trees. China  does have a long and rich history of peasant rebellions. Don't blame it  on that nebulous "they." Blame it on ourselves. We have met the enemy  and he is us. 
    
    By the way, globalization is an  American idea. America has the dollar hegemony. It buys everything with  money it prints. Others must earn that US dollar in order to pay for  things that they need for development and trade. 
    
    America is the  wealthiest, most powerful, and freest country in the world, why would  the people want shit jobs mining or making shoes at minimum wage? In  American politics, everyone wants jobs. Have the American people turned  to brainless zombies? Do people want the freedom to be ignorant? Why  would they need 80-hour a week shit jobs that pay two dollars an hour so  their children can grow up without a family? 
    
    China sacrificed a  generation of its people to working in shit jobs for Americans so  China's children can get educated and be more competitive in the global  market dominated by America and the West. Americans don't need jobs.  They need the basic guarantee of a home, healthcare, education, food,  and the means to communicate. They can use their spare time to stop  raping and bombing other countries, sanctioning whoever whenever for  whatever reasons, and travel the world to learn about how to live and  let live. 
    
    The American people are not pawns.  They are America. Wake up indeed and look in the mirror. Change yourself  and then go out and change America. That is the only hope for America  and the only possibility of peace for the rest of the world.
    
    
    Peter Man
    Toronto

    Let’s take a look at things from my point of view. Here’s what America is…

    Politics

    The worst, absolutely worst thing in America today is the political scene. Lordy, it is awful. I try to avoid it, but no matter what I do, it sort of creeps up on me and throws me to the ground. Screeching in agony and writhing in pain.

    Here’s a twitter about the election of 2020, and an opinion about the election loss by Donald Trump…

    Ouch!

    Look guys, part of the problem with America today isn’t just one singular person, or their behaviors. It is the accumulation of decades if not centuries of selfish, intentional mismanagement. So don’t get too down on Mr. Trump, there’s lots of blame to go around.

    Yes, it is so easy to point to a figurehead, a media celebrity or anyone else who is well-known and famous, we really do need to get to take a full “360 degree review” audit…

    And, you know, it’s not all bad…

    Of course it’s not all bad.

    Here are some positive things that show the general resourcefulness of Americans during the entire horrible COVID-19 pandemic…

    .

    And no it isn’t. But you know we need to look at the good along with the bad to see the bigger picture. Instead of showing all doom and gloom, we have to look at the positive elements of life in the USA, don’t you know.

    Here is what I call innovation…

    Real American innovation.
    Real Innovation.

    .

    Now this is something that I wholeheartedly support.

    Messed up?

    But the fact is that the United States is terribly messed up. It really is, and even though we look at the good inside America, it’s usually on a small level – a interpersonal level where it manifests. Anything on a large scale is corrupted beyond functionality.

    In an attempt to change what is wrong with the United States, those in power want the citizens to change. And to change their history, their cultures and their society. Not change the ruling class. That is fucked up.

    Medicine

    We’ve all heard a thing or two about the American healthcare system. To put it simply—it’s probably not the best system in the world. Well, as a person who has used medical systems in other parts of the world, I can pretty much say that the American system is perhaps one of the worst.

    People who get ill are often left with huge debts, it costs hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars to call an ambulance. It’s an out-of-control for-profit mechanism, and it is running amok. Heck, hospitals in America even charge you for “skin to skin” contact when you give birth to your child.

    That is not a “great” system. Rather it is a wholly corrupt one.

    When it comes to medicine, the situation seems even direr. Recently, Emily Porter, a doctor based in Austin, Texas, shared an infuriating Twitter thread about the cost of drugs and ridiculous markups on medicine.

    The thread shared by an Austin-based MD has caused quite a stir and received more than 56k likes and over 18k retweets. A lot of people on Twitter found the thread infuriating. “Why aren’t Americans smashing [things] up over this and demanding a better system?” someone tweeted. “The worst thing is that American healthcare ideology is bleeding over the pond. There needs to be some direct action ASAP.”

    Uh. Well DUH! But you know, if you are an American, that nothing is going to change. Those in power are far too powerful. You just cannot do anything about it.

    I can tell you that this medicine is actually very cheap in the rest of the world, and inside of China, not only do you NOT need a doctors’ prescription (and the costs for a visit), but a bottle of 50 pills of Ondansetron OD is under $2.

    CARE ACT

    Well… Trump promised to change things and make America great again. And he went about changing the Healthcare system. He scrapped the “Affordable Care Act” and implemented the CARE Act to help people who had COVID-19 related illnesses.

    The idea is that America is a nation run for the people and by the people. And this narrative is heavily promoted. But is it really true?

    Let’s look at the CARE Act. In 2020, President trump pushed through, with great fanfare and loud posturing, the CARE act.

    The government says (and people believe)…
    The CARES Act Works for All Americans The CARES Act provides fast and direct economic assistance for American workers and families, small businesses, and preserves jobs for American industries. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed by Congress with overwhelming, bipartisan support and signed into law by President Trump on March 27th, 2020.
     
    -The CARES Act Works for All Americans 
    And how it manifests…
    Reality.
    How the average American benefits from the CARE Act.

    .

    Analysis…

    In the example above, the cost for the medical treatments were $41,649.50. The big, and heavily promoted “help” from the government was $371. So the measured impact of this assistance was 0.89%. Functionally equal to ZERO. Thus pretty much the American citizen must pay full price minus an insignificant amount if they catch COVID-19 and need hospitalization to any degree.

    In comparison…

    And I will use China in this example because that is where I live, and that is where I have data that I can use to make a comparison with. Thus, using this as a baseline. If you are in China, and you get COVID-19, all treatment is free including all associated hospital costs.

    Hospital treatment for COVID-19 in America$41,650
    Hospital treatment for COVID-19 in ChinaFree
    Conclusion…

    Americans roar with glee! We are the best! America is number one! Hurray for us! Woo Woo. Freedom! Democracy! Yay!

    Woo woo.
    Proud to be an American.

    .

    But what about the costs, and the minuscule “help” that the government promised? Well, when you point out the facts, and the figures and the numbers the reactions are…

    Face the facts.

    In America the “health care system” is a for-profit mechanism that the oligarchy uses to fleece the American citizenry. There are very few exceptions to this rule.

    American health care truths.
    American health care truths.

    But why is everything about money in the USA today?

    Well, maybe this chart will put things into perspective.

    Perspective.
    Perspective on why.

    And how it affects most people like you and I.

    This chart pretty much sums up the life of a serf-sheeple, work-slave, for the Federal Government racket.

    American reality.

    Yeah. Let’s review…

    So let’s review. On the small interpersonal level, Americans are pretty good folk. And it doesn’t matter if you are politically left or right, most are pretty decent folk. The problem comes when you start talking about larger organizations, government, programs, and money. then it’s completely “off the rails” and a complete “cluster fuck”.

    And the people, independent of where they lie politically, hate this. They want to change it. They want America to survive and become something better than the fucked up mess that it is today…

    … and the leadership of America know this. They have spent decades preparing for the backlash and they have systems in place to mitigate the effects of this populist revolt. The biggest and primary mechanism, the tried and true device to redirect American anger, is to identify an external threat. You identify it as evil and use it as the scapegoat from which to vilify and attack. And since the problems in America today are so horrible and out of control, the villain must be a large nation. But you all know, those large nations do not like that villainization.

    So as a recap.

    In 2016, under President Obama, China retained the “Most Favored Trading nation Status” as sent in place two decades earlier by Presidents Bush and Clinton. Then Donald Trump came to office. Suddenly the name of China became equated with evil, disgust and horror. Most certainly the Alt-Right promoted this narrative ruthlessly. With it all coming to a head in 2020 with China being named as “enemy”. The unleashing of biological warfare to destroy food, livestock and people, and an enormous naval armada to the South China Sea to wage war against China.

    It didn’t happen.

    The American military was sufficiently told to back down, and they did. The armada steamed home and Trump Fires Mark Esper, Defense Secretary as a direct result of his inability to create a war.

    Well, good thing though.

    I really don’t want to see Boston, New York, San Francisco, Houston, or Chicago reduced to huge craters of ruin. You see I do know a few things about China. A war with China would be fought on American soil. NOT in the far-away South China Sea.

    So now…

    Biden is in office, and now the narrative is going to change to Russia is the enemy.

    Uh oh!

    God Loves Cowboys

    You all don’t know what I am talking about do you?

    Aaron Watson – That’s Why God Loves Cowboys

    .

    When America is spiraling out of control. And all the institutions, the leadership, and all the famous people are shown to be evil or incompetent or both, that is when us individuals must “step up to the plate”. And do what needs to be done.

    Which is why we need to be part of a community.

    We all will need to “carry our weight” to get though this time. We will all need to be strong, compassionate and helpful. Instead of embracing the hate-hate-hate narrative out of Washington DC that are using the media to pit us all one against the other, we need to unify and throw those bastards in the slammer; French Revolution style.

    But they are never going to allow that.

    Sanity Check

    It’s so very easy to get all caught up in the nightmare that America has become. But the truth is that if you aren’t listening to the internet, and have no dealings with banks, or any government institutions, your life is pretty tranquil. The “news” floods our consciousness with dangerous and toxic shit…

    It is only when the Federal Government gets into your life that you start having problems. And to this I argue that not only is the Federal Government dangerous, but that it is toxic and is a major contributor to all the ailments going on inside of America today.

    The Federal Government has problems. They need to be diagnosed and corrected.

    If you turn off, and tune out from anything that involves the Federal Government, your life would tend to be quieter and gentler.

    .

    And that is pretty much the way it is.

    There are a host of good things going on in the United States. You just need to appreciate them. You really need to stop all the fear-mongering. And as I have said earlier, yes there are radical elements, and their fears are being inflamed by interested Federal Government entities. Please do not fall for the fear.

    Yes. Bad people are going to try to “improve” America in some way over the next few years. And, Yes, you probably won’t agree to the “improvements”. But you must realize that this roller-coaster will eventually end, and it is up to you to survive it. Do not get too caught up either way in what you read in the news. It’s mostly bullshit.

    Look at the good things around you…

    Delicious BBQ.
    America is full of decent people doing good things. Do not be manipulated into thinking otherwise. Wouldn’t you enjoy a delicious icy cold beer with this delicious BBQ?

    .

    But you do know that the rest of the world is watching America right now. They have observed Trump and the mess his neocons made, and they are watching with increased worry what the Biden Administration might do. Everyone pretty much agrees that the United States needs to identify a villain from which they can wage war upon. And if it isn’t going to be China, then it’s going to be Russia.

    And Russia does not play…

    As I have said before…

    To repeat…

    Oh, the narrative about “us vs. them” is going to continue all right. America needs an outside enemy to direct it’s frustration and anger towards. Perhaps you know what I am talking about. If you don’t read George Orwell’s book “1984” and refer to the Geo-political issues as described in that masterpiece.

    The book is set in 1984 in Oceania, one of three perpetually warring  totalitarian states (the other two are Eurasia and Eastasia). 
    
    Oceania is  governed by the all-controlling Party, which has brainwashed the  population into unthinking obedience to its leader, Big Brother. The  Party has created a propagandistic language known as Newspeak, which is designed to limit free thought and promote the Party’s doctrines. Its words include doublethink  (belief in contradictory ideas simultaneously), which is reflected in  the Party’s slogans: “War is peace,” “Freedom is slavery,” and  “Ignorance is strength.” The Party maintains control through the Thought  Police and continual surveillance.
    
    -Nineteen Eighty-four | Summary, Characters, Analysis ...

    You all can consider the following Geo-Political alignments…

    • USA = Oceania
    • Russia = Eurasia
    • China = Eastasia
    There are three major powers in the world right now.
     
    USA = (Oceania) Oligarchy controlled military empire running amok. Populated by an intentionally dumbed down, weakened society, of work serfs. Military operations are the norm, and America is military empire with over 800+ military bases all over the globe, and currently fighting 8 hot wars. Americans view it as a normal occurrence, being in a state of war. Military is geared towards offensive conventional weapon operations outside the USA in far away lands.
     
    Russia = (Eurasia) Fierce, pissed off people, who do not want another War where they are positioned within a defensive posture. They will NEVER allow that situation, a replay of World War II to reoccur. Russia suffered horribly during it, and Russians have never forgotten. Military is geared to preventative operations at a large and harsh scale.
     
    China = (Eastasia) Old, smart, intelligent, and diligent. Does not want war, but will respond in a measured manner. On their terms. Using their timing. Planed for their advantage. Any attack on China will have an equal measured response within the continental United States. Military is geared towards responsive operations.

    You will see the anti-China propaganda to decrease substantially and sharply, as it is already doing. And you will see a rise of anti-Russia propaganda. And I watch all this as an educated observer, and it horrifies me.

    • Firstly, because the lead up for war with China was so effective. Most Americans now hate China and support the idea of a (far off) war in the distant South China Sea. They actually believe that China would take the hits and not retaliate. They actually believe that it can be “contained” in a far away land. And now, soon it will change to Russia with a (supposedly) far-off war in Eastern Europe.
    • Secondly, that the ignorance of what China is, and what it is truly capable of is ignored, as it is discounted by most of the West. Which pretty much is the general American attitude of all other nations. And that is magnified by a factor of ten with Russia.
    • Thirdly, that the lead up for a war with China pretty much parallels what happened in the lead up to World War II. And we can expect it to be duplicated with Russia. So buckle up. Yeah. It’s not over yet.
    Ugh! There is this recent article:
    
    http://eu.eot.su/2020/12/12/kurginyan-the-us-has-been-developing-a-covid-19-style-pandemic-scenario-for-years/

    Now, from my point of view, the activities will be directed towards Russia instead of China.

    Yikes!

    Russia? Seriously?

    Russia knows whats next.

    And so do the readers of MM.

    The Defense Ministry  said that the Vladimir Monomakh submarine of the Pacific Fleet launched  four Bulava missiles in quick succession from an underwater position in  the Sea of Okhotsk. Their dummy warheads hit their designated targets  on the Chiza shooting range in the Arkhangelsk region in northwestern  Russia more than 5,500 kilometers (over 3,400 miles) away, the ministry  said in a statement.
    
    The  Vladimir Monomakh is one of the new Borei-class nuclear submarines that  carry 16 Bulava missiles each and are intended to serve as the core of  the naval component of the nation’s nuclear forces for decades to come.  Another submarine of the same type performed a similar launch of four  Bulava missiles in 2018 — a costly demonstration of the efficiency of  the country’s nuclear deterrent mimicking the conditions of a major  nuclear conflict.

    Yikes!

    In  a report to President Vladimir Putin, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu  said that Saturday’s launch wrapped up large-scale drills of Russia’s  strategic nuclear forces that began Wednesday. As part of those  maneuvers, another Russian nuclear submarine also performed a practice  launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile from the Barents Sea, a  ground-based ICBM was launched from the Plesetsk facility in  northwestern Russia and Tu-160 and Tu-95 strategic bombers fired cruise  missiles at test targets at an Arctic range.

    And no one in the American media are taking notes?

    .

    So if no one is paying attention, then what are they reporting on?

    Jesus.

    Seriously. This is not note worthy, or “news” worthy?

    Russia has expanded  its military drills in recent years amid tensions with the West as  relations have sunk to post-Cold War lows after Moscow’s 2014 annexation  of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. 
    
    The  series of missile launches comes less than two months before the New  START U.S.-Russian arms control treaty expires in early February. Moscow  and Washington have discussed the possibility of its extension, but so  far have failed to overcome their differences. 
    New START was signed  in 2010 by U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry  Medvedev. It limits each country to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear  warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers, and envisages sweeping  on-site inspections to verify compliance.
    
    After  both Moscow and Washington withdrew from the 1987 Intermediate-Range  Nuclear Forces Treaty last year, New START is the only remaining nuclear  arms control deal between the two countries still standing.
    
    Arms  control advocates have warned that its expiration would remove any  checks on U.S. and Russian nuclear forces, in a blow to global  stability.

    Ah. But Russia is not what everyone thinks.

    Just like China did IN NO WAY reflects the narrative as promoted by the Alt-Right, Russia does not resemble anything that the Alt-Left is promoting either.

    Russia, like China, is different from the United States, but an evil empire desirous of taking over the United States through invasion is absurd. Actually their view of America is one full of weak-wristed wimps that are living the high life because their inherited their wealth though their hard-working relatives. Now Americans are squandering what they have, and they deserve to be put back into their place…

    Nah.

    This is an opinion that you will not read anywhere in American media. But them again, all the sheeple must believe in their strength and ability. Even if it is a lie.

    Contemporaneous Russia.
    Contemporaneous Russia.

    .

    Yeah. There’s a lot of pretty Russian girls out there in them hills. And speaking about Russian hills…

    Contemporaneous Russia.

    .

    Yeah. It looks a lot like Modern America, at least in the countryside.

    And yeah. This is also modern Russia. At least there their rights to own weapons is NOT INFRINGED like in America.

    .

    Sure, there are some cultural differences you know.

    Russian Wedding Party.
    Russian wedding party.

    .

    But that is no reason to point at them and say loudly “They are trying to steal our democracy”. Seriously that is so fucking absurd.

    Absurd.

    But the fact remains that facts do not matter. The USA government NEEDS to redirect attention outside of America and eight “brush wars” are no longer capable of that feat. A major serious war is necessary. And it cannot be China. Because China has clearly demonstrated that the USA will lost it’s entire Navy in the process and anger the rest of the world.

    Both of which would result in unintended consequences for the American people.

    Look guys…

    America must stop. Just stop and get on fuck of a new type of government. If no one can think of anything, then just dissolve the federal government and resort to State Governments. Right now the Federal government is a real mess and it is going to destroy the USA in the process. The rest of the world realize this and put Trump in place to minimize the destruction to the shores of the Untied States.

    Washington DC and the surrounding area will resort to a radioactive swamp / bog with ruins and with numerous and massive fresh-water craters.

    Please try to avoid the red areas on the map.

    .

    Personally, I do wish it can all be avoided, but looking at the current crop of “elected” officials, I see little hope in that happening.

    So at which point I need to post this following image. You know to make it perfectly clear to the slower folk in the MM audience….

    .

    Now what?

    God, I truly hope that the crescendo rises and then falls before anything peaks. I hope that you all can say MM was full of it. I will never read his writings ever again. I hope that this is as bad as it gets and sensible people take the levers of government inside of America and steers it away, far away from the shit storm of disaster that it is barrelling towards.

    I hope.

    But our leadership in America doesn’t think like that. They have another view of themselves, and this view is nothing that us serf-sheeple can understand. It is alien to us.

    They think of themselves as something wonderful and great.

    American leadership today.

    .

    Yikes!

    So whats next?

    I am predicting an American civil war from 2020 though to 2025. It will not be well reported. It will be regional and it will involve the extreme elements of both the Left and the Right, with both sides being financed by shadowy oligarchy figures and organizations. They will commit atrocities.

    Atrocities will be committed..

    .

    The Federal government will use the DHS to keep the peace. It will be hit and miss. Nothing will be reported.

    Meanwhile the Federal Government would unleash a “fire hose of disinformation” an anti-Russia barrage that will make it clear that war is imminent.

    Only that Russia will strike in the USA preemptively.

    Russia will strike in the USA preemptively.

    .

    The USA will suffer immense causalities. And it will end up a ruined nation, and will resemble the nations that the USA has “liberated” for “democracy” already. Like Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Liberia.

    The spiritual picture

    Folk, you have to realize that we think about, and what we do eventually creates OUR reality. And if America has been spending the last fifty years destroying all sorts of nations using the excuse of “democracy” then the connection between wars and democracy will strike the USA. It’s a point that I have been hammering down for just about forever.

    American trust plummets.
    Trust in America reaches the lowest levels in history. In one year it went from “trust” to “distrust”.

    .

    You can call it karma or something else, but the fact is the USA is in the cross-hairs of a violent reset, of the same nature and permanency of the damage that it has set upon the rest of the world. And that’s the way it is.

    Oh, perhaps you all don’t know what I am talking about when I say “karma is a bitch”…

    American Improvements to Syria for “democracy”

    The main reason for US intervention in Syria was the apparent use of chemical weapons by Assad outside the Syrian capital Damascus on August 21, 2013. The US has blamed the Syrian government forces for the deaths of hundreds of civilians in the attack, an accusation vehemently denied by Syria.
    
    -Reasons for US intervention in Syria
    American Improvements to Syria for “democracy”

    American Improvements to Libya for “democracy”

    U.S. bombs terrorist and military targets in Libya On April 14, 1986, the United States launches air strikes against Libya in retaliation for the Libyan sponsorship of terrorism against American troops and citizens.
    
    -U.S. bombs terrorist and military targets in Libya - HISTORY
    American Improvements to Libya for “democracy”

    American Improvements to Afghanistan for “democracy”

    The Bush administration then commenced a bombing campaign and invasion of Afghanistan, asserting the need to capture or kill bin Laden and crush his terrorist organization so that they could not launch another deadly attack on the American homeland.
    
    -Why Did the United States Invade Afghanistan?
    American Improvements to Afghanistan for “democracy”

    American Improvements to Yemen for “democracy”

    The United States has, for more than a year now, been quietly participating in a Saudi-led war against the Houthis, providing valuable logistical support for Saudi Arabia’s airstrikes. So this missile exchange isn’t something out of the blue. It’s an escalation of current US policy, moving from indirect to direct participation in the Saudi offensive. 
    
    -Why the hell is the US helping Saudi Arabia bomb Yemen?
    American Improvements to Yemen for “democracy”

    American Improvements to Iraq for “democracy”

    The chief reason for U.S. involvement in the Iraq-Kuwait conflict was concern over Iraq’s antagonism to Saudi Arabia, a key Western ally. Iraq’s presence in Kuwait gave them strategic positioning in relation to Saudi Arabia.
    
    -Why Did the U.S. Get Involved With Iraq
    American Improvements to Iraq for “democracy”

    .

    You can call it karma or something else, but the fact is the USA is in the cross-hairs of a violent reset, of the same nature and permanency of the damage that it has set upon the rest of the world. And that’s the way it is.

    You just don’t spend every day kicking dogs, and not expect to have a pack of dogs attack you. You just don’t expect to gorge yourself on food, over and over again, and not throw up. You just cannot expect to devote so much time and thought to hurting other societies and not expect it all to “come to roost” in your own backyard.

    Things need to change.

    Yes. Things do need to change. But the good thing is that change is how we grow as individuals. The United States is set for a massive reset, and that is going to create all sorts of opportunities for positive and constructive change. Opportunities that you can take advantage of.

    Wrapping it up

    Let’s try to summarize this rant-a-thon that I have been locked into today.

    On a personal level, Americans are pretty decent folk. But everyone pretty much recognizes that the Federal government is a big mess.

    They have poisoned everything inside the nation with their toxic ideas, and their horrible sadistic behaviors.

    There are elements within this evil governance that are conspiring to “further improve” America by forcing a Civil War to “purge” it of opposition forces. It will not go as they plan.

    To distract attention, a world war is necessary, and both China and Russia do not play. American leadership isn’t really aware of this disconnect, as we have seen with the Trump and Pompeo misadventures with China. We can only imagine what might happen with Russia…

    And, Biden isn’t even in office yet, and already the anti-Russia narrative is in full swing…

    Russia will launch a preemptive attack. America will respond with a much weaker military. Russia will get dinged. And to a lesser extent, so will China. But, for the most part, most of the remaining world will be spared. America will be in shambles.

    Again, with the John Titor stuff…

    Add ten years to his dates, and take notes.

    Part 1 – 25:00 A message for the world leaders in government. “Revel in your confidence today, because you will not win tomorrow.” 
    
    Part 2 – 1:45 “There was an armed resistance (from the cities).  We killed most of them by 2020.”
    
    Part 2 – 3:10 Question: “Why do you think that our future will be like your future?” Answer: “Because our world-lines are so similar.”
    
    Part 2 – 12:11 “There were no Olympics after 2004.”
    Part 2 – 17:40 Most people blamed the “government organizations” for the nuclear war.
    
    Part 2 – 20:50 “When the civil war broke out most decided to stay in the cities and lose most of their civil rights in the guise of security…”

    Ah. It’s crazy times that we live in, but you know, it’s NOT really as bad as the news media makes out. And I want to describe why…

    Imagine

    Imagine that you are a tiny small flea riding on the back of a old, crazed thrashing angry elephant. Some of your flea-friends see the jumping and the thrashing as something bad and they really want to do something about it. Every flea has an idea about what is going on and how to control it. But no one knows for sure.

    The fleas are fighting among themselves and that is just fine with the elephant. As long as the fleas aren’t biting the elephant he is just fine. He doesn’t want to get bit. Not at all. He, the elephant, knows that too many flea bite can cause him to get sick and even die. So it is important that the elephant keeps all the fleas busy fighting each other, and not him.

    But he is one uncomfortable elephant. He has done some bad stuff over the years and it is all starting to catch up with him.

    The Western financial  system is basically in a coma and kept alive only by generous IV  injections of central bank liquidity.  We are living the end of Western  hegemony.
    
    Today we are observing the transition from a so called  unipolar world, one in which a single nation (or group of allied  nations) dictates the terms of life for all global citizens, to a more  balanced and natural multipolar world.
    
    The current dominating  group, the “western” bloc of nations, is led by the United States along  with numerous vassal states; this order has persisted since the end of  the WW2. This construct is held together using a combination of  supranational organizations (UN, WTO, World Bank, IMF etc.), propaganda  (mainstream media complex), armed might (MIC,NATO, private mercenary  forces) & chiefly economics (central banks, corporations).
    
    The  true “rulers” of this bloc are a cabal of very wealthy & powerful  oligarchs that work in the background (shadow banking, dark pool  finance, shadow governments, think tanks, NGO’s) to subvert the various  sovereignties to their advantage. These oligarchs are the principal  owners of, not just the industries and corporations that front for them,  but the governments that rule over the masses.
    
    Most importantly this Western cabal owns the means by which real wealth extraction is carried out:  fiat currency, chiefly the “worlds reserve currency”- the United States dollar and it’s derivatives. 
    
    These currencies are backed not by equitable assets; such as natural resources, precious metals or productive capacities; instead they are backed by the CREATION OF DEBT. 
    
    Debt that represents a claim on real assets that virtually all participants in global commerce must pay. 
    
    A new bloc of nations has been pushed toward an alliance. 
    
    This bloc of nations consists of principally China, Russia and Iran (“eastern bloc”). These nations are led by various actors who seem to comprehend the likely nature of the end game inherent to the current financial construction. They are out of necessity seeking a path toward a different and more balanced and hopefully sustainable economic and global governance paradigm.
    
    -Comment by Lisa Yuen on the article titled Analyzing the Emerging World Order

    He (the elephant) is now caged, loaded inside a plane and is being sent to another place. A place where he will no longer be the top-elephant. And he does not like this. Not one bit. So he is thrashing about, howling and screeching with anger at everything around him.

    And you, as a lone flea, are seeing all this with worry and concern.

    You also see your fellow fleas gear up towards fighting each other. That is worrisome as well. You don’t want to have any part of that. That’s for certain.

    So what can we say about this moment in time?

    • There’s the makings of a civil war. But you don’t want to participate in it.
    • The Federal Elephant Beast is dangerous and is unpredictable and causing all sorts of disruptions.
    • This Federal Elephant beast might create a situation that is far worse than what it seems to be heading towards right now.

    And that is pretty much it, isn’t it? Left on it’s own, the plane will take the elephant to a destination that it will not like, and that unhappy elephant will make life for the fleas very unhappy. As we used to say in the States “shit flows downhill”. And so now the elephant is trying to burst forth from it’s chains and attack the rest of the crew and creatures on the plane. As such it’s one fuck of a bumpy ride.

    US foreign policy.
    United States Foreign Policy

    2020 was not random, or bad luck, it was the direct result of Donald Trump trying to suppress global trade and suppress China. It didn’t work out as planned, and instead the entire world was suppressed, and China is doing well.

    And so what is next…

    Will the elephant calm down, and resign to it’s fate, or will it rebound it’s efforts to “rock the plane” break loose from it’s shackles and do something drastic? Which would mean taking the plane down and crashing it, and in the process killing the rest of the people on the plane.

    And will the rest of the plane need to shoot the elephant dead so that the plane can at least land safely?

    • If you were on the plane, what would you do to the elephant?
    • If you were the flea what would you do?

    Analyzing the Emerging World Order

    This is a reprint in full of the referenced article by Lisa Yuen above. It can be found HERE, and is reprinted in full with only minor editing to fit this venue. All credit to the author.

    The global community today is clearly in a state of flux. This is not an aberration – we are in the midst of a normal and periodic global reordering. We shall briefly take a “big picture” look at this phenomenon and attempt to glean an understanding as to the direction that we are heading as citizens of a global society.

    It is my hope that these observations can foster a more in depth discussion between reasonable people; leading to the development of ideas which can then be implemented to improve the human condition.

    Current Paradigm

    We live in a world subdivided by societies: nations and their respective subdivisions. As a matter of fact, there are over 200 nations recognized by the United Nations (UN). We are taught that a society must conform to a binary label such as “free” or “unfree”, “democratic” or “non-democratic” and so on. This is done principally for two reasons – to provide a tautological definition, also for easier control of the masses via manipulation.

    The current overarching narrative provides that we are divided between the “western” and “eastern” worlds. What does this really mean? We can distill this down to one principal root: economics. What do we mean by economics? We can say that in it’s purest form, it is simply the structured allocation of finite resources.

    Today we are observing the transition from a so called unipolar world, one in which a single nation (or group of allied nations) dictates the terms of life for all global citizens, to a more balanced and natural multipolar world.

    The current dominating group, the “western” bloc of nations, is led by the United States along with numerous vassal states; this order has persisted since the end of the Second World War. This construct is held together using a combination of supranational organizations (UN,WTO,World Bank, IMF, et cetera), propaganda (mainstream media complex), armed might (MIC,NATO, private mercenary forces) and chiefly economics (central banks, corporations).

    The true “rulers” of this bloc are a cabal of very wealthy and powerful oligarchs that work in the background (shadow banking, dark pool finance, shadow governments, think tanks, NGO’s) to subvert the various sovereignties to their advantage. These oligarchs are the principal owners of, not just the industries and corporations that front for them, but the governments that rule over the masses.

    Most importantly this cabal owns the means by which real wealth extraction is carried out: fiat currency, chiefly the “worlds reserve currency”- the United States dollar and it’s derivatives. These currencies are backed not by equitable assets; such as natural resources, precious metals or productive capacities; instead they are backed by the creation of debt. Debt that represents a claim on real assets that virtually all participants in global commerce must pay.

    How did this cabal come into power? This is a complex question that is subject to many possible answers and interpretations. Briefly, we know from historical fact that a global empire is a central part of this construct, today the United States empire holds that role (previously British, French so on…). This provides the controlling force behind such a cabal. The privately owned quasi-governmental western central banks are at the heart of this operation. They form the crucial nexus between sovereign governments and the financial world in which they derive their revenue stream, and by extension, their power.

    The current seat of this construct (United States) was founded as a Constitutional Republic. Unfortunately, the United States Constitution is quite amorphous. Using many acts of legislative, executive and even judicial fiat, this cabal has been able to effectively take over the reigns of the nation. With that feat accomplished, near world domination was made possible.

    A complex web of regulations, laws, and rules; coupled with a financial system few fully comprehend has been put into place across the west. This became the mechanism by which this “new world order” has been enforced.

    The unsolvable problem here is that this debt based system is really just an elaborate pyramid scheme predicated on ever increasing amounts of debt in a world where sources of real wealth are finite. At present, the growth rate and the total amount of debt issuance, is outpacing the extraction rate and amount of available reserves of resources on the planet.

    A Path Forward?…..

    A new bloc of nations has been pushed toward an alliance. This bloc of nations consists of principally China, Russia and Iran (“eastern bloc”). These nations are led by various actors who seem to comprehend the likely nature of the end game inherent to the current financial construction. They are out of necessity seeking a path toward a different and more balanced and hopefully sustainable economic and global governance paradigm.

    Not individually formidable, these nations collectively are quite powerful.

    Lets take a look at the derivation of that power. Firstly we examine a crucial metric: energy, it is well documented that these nations collectively possess enough energy resources to adequately power their economies for a long time. They also possess much of the worlds’ known stores of natural commercial use resources (metals, minerals, rare earth elements).

    Additionally, owing in part to technological advances and also to long term changes in the earth’s climate, they possess the means to adequately feed their populations. They are also taking advantage of the fact that scientific knowledge and technological innovation (the key to a sustainable and competitive economy) are geographical location independent, as scientific axioms are immutable and provable anywhere on the planet.

    Lastly, the differences between these nations is paradoxically what makes them a powerful bloc. As example: China has become the world’s workshop and an innovation leader whilst Russia proper contains large deposits of natural resources, carries very low external debt levels and possesses a very technologically advanced war machine.

    Initiatives led by China such as the OBOR (One Belt One Road) infrastructure project, the AIIB (Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank) and the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) are aimed at providing distinct alternatives to western backed organizations such as the World Bank, IMF, UN, et cetera. The key piece of this strategy seems to be the use of the fiat system itself to fund the accumulation of tangible assets (businesses, technologies, resources, PM’s).

    These assets can be then be utilized as a hedge against probable future turbulence with the current western based fiat regime. Why are these nations not publicly clamoring for this system to be dismantled sooner rather then later? First of all, this is a dangerous proposition, as they would likely be economically punished (Greece, Brazil) or worse, suffer an armed attack/invasion (Iraq, Libya).

    One just needs to observe the large amount of vitriol directed toward these nations in the western mainstream press to connect theses dots – these nations surely get the message. Secondly, they are slowly dissolving this system on their own terms (direct bilateral trade agreements via own currencies, accumulation of PM’s as a potential partial backing to their respective currencies).

    As of now, these nations are taking advantage of the current system to build up their economies and national infrastructures for the long term. As an example, Russia and China have begun co-developing a wide body passenger aircraft using their respective indigenous technologies and knowledge bases. These activities are made possible by their embedment into the current monetary system.

    Conclusion

    For the human condition to improve, the following possible actions should be taken under serious consideration.

    The western fiat currency regime should be dissolved, most outstanding debts should be extinguished (debt jubilee, massive write offs, large scale revaluations), and national sovereignty must regain prominence across the entire globe.

    Load the elephant on the plane and ship it elsewhere.

    A balanced financial system based principally on equitable assets must take the place of the current debt based system. Sovereign governments should look to take on the crucial role as their own primary issuer of currency; this of course would require much more honest and transparent governments’ than we currently have in place.

    The workers must use currency based on tangible items. Not promises.

    A new system of loose decentralized global governance should be constructed to act as an impartial arbiter in geopolitical and economic affairs. These are but a few of the possible reforms that could be made to affect a more intelligent paradigm of globalism. Whether the alternative system(s) being pursued by the emergent eastern bloc will fulfill these objectives still remains to be seen, as big challenges remain, e.g. environmental degradation.

    Centralized government control has created the elephant that exists today. It is not sustainable and not desirable.

    The best outcome for the world at large is a general reset of sorts. A new paradigm in which malinvestments are discouraged and cleared away, success and effort are rewarded, and opportunity for all is sought as a societal virtue, should be pursued. Worse case is a long term continuation of the current system. This outcome is likely to lead to increasing levels of civil and political unrest, and possible widespread conflict as the planet’s capacity to support the growth rates demanded by a debt based system is diminished by a declining real ROI.

    The elephant must be taken away before it can do more damage.

    Priorities

    Yes it appears that the United States is fucked. But it doesn’t mean that you and your family are as well. It’s all a matter of [1] planning and [2] thought control.

    You need to gather your priorities together and then plan accordingly. I have written about affirmation prayer campaigns, and if you really are concerned, then start breaking out your affirmation campaigns and work your life from that angle. It does work. Please believe me, and remember that things are not all or nothing. It’s all going to be periods of highs and lows, and you want to be in the most tranquil area as possible.

    Your priorities might be something like this…

    A man’s priorities.

    .

    Or perhaps, as a woman you might have different priorities…

    Life goals.

    .

    I really cannot write an article where I can provide a “one size fits all” solution to the myriad of needs that people have, or their many, many desires. All that I can do is provide ideas, suggestions and some general direction vectors, and maybe some hope.

    If you all are going to do something about this “crazy elephant” that the United States has become, and you are trapped riding this crazed elephant as it bounces and carries on so, then please find what your priorities are personally. Sit down. Think hard. Discuss hings with loved ones.

    Then figure out what you want, and what you need. Then work the plan.

    Simple dreams.
    Some people have simple dreams.

    .

    Some people have simple dreams. While others are more complex.

    What are yours?

    2021 is the time to plan, and implement that plan. Truth.

    Work your plan.

    A final note

    Since it’s a few weeks before Christmas, let me recommend one of my favorite Christmas movies to all the viewers to MM might enjoy.

    Die hard.
    Can you guess what movie that I am recommending?

    Do you want to see similar posts?

    I hope that you found this post curious. Please take care. You can view other similar posts in my SHTF Index, here…

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    The Nazi Invasion of Poland, Adolf Hitler’s First hot war, with an emphasis on the events leading up to World War II with consideration to time travel and sentience

    Phew! My titles are getting longer and longer, but then again, my subjects are getting more and more involved. Who’d figure, eh?

    This post is going to cover a lot of material. It is going to be banging off the walls every which way from the crazed American politics, to the history of the start of the second world war, to what to expect when wars go badly for you, and a bunch of stuff from John Titor, the alleged time traveler.
    
    Please do NOT be offended by my personal opinions of either Trump or Biden. They BOTH have a role, and important one. And both are fulfilling a serious need and space on the "food chain".
    
    There are no absolutes. Just influences that infringe on our own individual lives, and liberties.
    
    So, do not throw your computer against the wall in anger because I said something bad about Trump. Nor should you stomp off and spam-bot me because I said something bad about Biden. I have an equal-opportunity disgust for all American politics.
    
    So...
    
    When reading this meandering maze of opinionated discourse please keep in mind that the over all direction that a nation takes is encoded in our biological sentience. Remember that it would be a truly rare event for the cycles of change not to manifest. It has no bearing on who is the President of the United States, what is going on with Bretexit, or the international trade situation. 
    
    Do not fall into the trap of belief that we can control the sentience of others. We cannot. All that we can do is accept who we are, and ride out the changes while everyone else figures out their roles.
    
    So grab a beverage of your choice and sit down and enjoy the journey.  It's all about the human condition; a condition that you are all part of. Like it or not.

    There are many students of World War II. There are many students of Hitler and how he came to power. There are many students of the battles and the technology of the time. There are also many students of the Geo-political conditions at that time. What few people are doing is comparing the actions that Hitler took leading up to World War II.

    They never do this, or if they do, they keep the analysis secret. It never reaches the masses. It just floats away like the ash of a a burning pile of newspapers.

    It horrifies me.

    Yet, as a student of history, I was slow to catch on. I read the news about Donald Trump and his staffing decisions. I read about his election, and the “Never Trumpers”, and all the political in-fighting in Washington. For a while I too cheering his tweets, and his brash “in your face” attitude. I cheered when he responded and fought back. I enjoyed his attacks and it was a welcome change to all the fawning bullshit that we have become accustomed to.

    President Donald Trump went on a tweet-storm Thursday  morning, assailing the election results, threatening a forthcoming  “dangerous moment,” and blasting President-elect Joe Biden and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R).
    
    -‘This is Going to Escalate Dramatically’: Trump Threatens a ‘Dangerous Moment’ in Twitter Spree Assailing Election

    That lasted for a few years. But, then again…

    … I also watched the “Trump Trade Wars” unfold. And I did so as as a man inside the technical-trade-logistics industry.

    Yikes!

    So, no. I wasn’t just some smuck checking my daily feed and cheering for this fucking jack-ass. Like most Americans were. I was a guy on the “front lines”.

    And when he said that “China is stealing our jobs”, he was saying “Metallicman is stealing your jobs”. And when he would go traipse off to Germany to tell Merkel “stop trading with China”, I would find all my business with my German customers put on hold. Yeah.

    Every time the news mentions China, they were talking about me, or at least things that would affect my life, personally. “You had better stop trading or doing business with Metallicman” Mike Pompeo would demand, “or, else you might have some color revolutions inside your country next year”.

    So, yeah. I am biased. No shit.

    I watched Trump paint a big red bulls-eye over my city, my house, my family, and my friends. I watched him start making crazy and arbitrary decisions, bans, and arrests… all in the name of “national security“.

    You know, like banning “cat videos” and “lip singing to 10 second music excerpts”.

    All for “national security“.

    And I watched him, through his proxy; Mike Pompeo try to begin World War III. And try, and try he did. The thing was, no one had a taste for war.

    I watched as it became impossible for me to communicate with my friends and family in the United States. I watched as applications out of the United States such as Zoom either stopped business with people in China or started charging outrageous fees to use their products. I did this in real time, and it fucking hurt.

    Yeah. I could live in Timbuktu, and get Paypal payments, but Shanghai…forgetaboutit!

    And I watched the American population, like the cattle they are, start foaming at the mouth.; believing that they are the best, and that they are invincible, and that small “surgical” nuclear weapons can be used, with no consequence what so ever.

    Trump and Mike Pompeo would announce “I am banning all Chinese social media applications“, and the crowd would cheer with outrageous abandon.

    American sheeple align with both political parties, and they always tout the narrative promoted by their preferred alternative Media networks.

    .

    And I was here, on ground zero, when he unleashed the biggest biological weapon assault in history during the busiest, and most crowded holiday in China.

    Overall, it was horrific. It was a slaughter.

    COVID-19B, the strain unleashed upon China, is the nasty shit. This is the bad mama-jamba. Extreme contagiousness, and outrageous effects. Videos were everywhere showing people having seizures and collapsing. The COVID-19A, the mild strain, is what Trump gave to America and it’s allies.

    NationStrainR0EffectsDeaths
    ChinaCOVID-19B15%Seizures4,749
    USACOVID-19A0.1%Chest cold291,403
    Can you imagine what America would be like if the lethal strain were to be released inside of America by a REALLY pissed-off China?

    The Trump cabal of neocons single-handily suppressed global trade to such an extent that a global recession occurred. And I, my family, my friends, my business, and just about every aspect of my connections to my home-nation was under attack by this jack-ass.

    Yet, I still believed. I still had hope.

    Maybe Trump would do some of the things he professed.

    But he didn’t. It was all a big “con game” from the start.

    • No wall was built.
    • Hillary Clinton remained free.
    • Wall Street bankers became outrageously wealthy.
    • No industry came back to America.
    • America became the despised pariah globally.
    • American are not back to work. Most are unemployed, sheltering inside their homes.

    It was exactly what it seemed.

    He was a popular clown, or puppet, acting on a stage entertaining millions of Americans with his non-stop antics. It was, for Trump, better than having his own television show. He was entertaining the world. And Shit! No one could shut him off.

    We were all, a captive audience.

    But it wasn’t until I started to notice that the “fire hose of disinformation”; the anti-China propaganda campaign had reached a Fever Pitch. And there it became clear to me, the eight unusual biological virus attacks on livestock, the COVID-19, the “color revolutions” in HK, and the largest armada in all of recorded history steaming towards China. Yeah! It was unmistakable.

    No. This was not a “hybrid war”. This the the early stages of a global war with a major nuclear armed nation.

    For FreedomTM and DemocracyTM!

    .

    Trump was launching World War III upon China on the illusion that it could be “contained” within the South China Sea, and “managed” properly. And the accumulation of all this anti-China activities resulted in the largest Naval armada in the history of the world plopping themselves off the Chinese coast and threatening China, Chinese trade, and Chinese lives. It included a vast flotilla of hunter-killer subs threatening all the shipping traffic, and daily flights of B-1 bombers and stealth aircraft with nuclear weapons probing Chinese air space.

    Luckily a hot war didn’t happen.

    The armada steamed home, and Trump sacked his Secretary of Defense for…

    …<no one knows>…

    … but WE know. Don’t we?

    What’s up next.

    This entire affair is not over by a long-shot.

    But at least the crazy psychopath and his small army of neoconservatives are being displaced by better and more sensible professionals. And still, we at MM are the outliers. My opinion of this matter does not agree with the American media narrative.

    Which pretty much means that it is correct.

    The American media narrative is that Biden will be "tougher" on China than Trumps war-loving, killing-frenzy, neocons were. That's right! Biden is going to be tougher on China.
    
    How is that even possible?

    Nope.

    The true situation is something that the American citizen-serf- cattle are never let in on. The real truth is that the Biden administration will consider…

    • China as an economic competitor to the USA.
    • Russia as a military threat to the USA.
    Biden and Xi Peng have known each other for decades.

    .

    Of course, the hawkish neocons who still control the mainstream and alternative media are doing everything that they can to portray Biden as harder and harsher on China than trump. I’m not personally clear on the reasoning. Maybe it’s hope, or maybe it’s desperation in trying to secure or maintain some kind of control.

    What ever, here’s a pretty good write-up on MoA about the actual Biden Presidency and what to expect in regards to China. And no, you won’t find this narrative in any of the three main American “news” outlets…

    .

    Oh, the narrative about “us vs. them” is going to continue all right. America needs an outside enemy to direct it’s frustration and anger towards. Perhaps you know what I am talking about. If you don’t read George Orwell’s book “1984” and refer to the Geo-political issues as described in that masterpiece.

    The book is set in 1984 in Oceania, one of three perpetually warring  totalitarian states (the other two are Eurasia and Eastasia). 
    
    Oceania is  governed by the all-controlling Party, which has brainwashed the  population into unthinking obedience to its leader, Big Brother. The  Party has created a propagandistic language known as Newspeak, which is designed to limit free thought and promote the Party’s doctrines. Its words include doublethink  (belief in contradictory ideas simultaneously), which is reflected in  the Party’s slogans: “War is peace,” “Freedom is slavery,” and  “Ignorance is strength.” The Party maintains control through the Thought  Police and continual surveillance.
    
    -Nineteen Eighty-four | Summary, Characters, Analysis ...

    You all can consider the following Geo-Political alignments…

    • USA = Oceania
    • Russia = Eurasia
    • China = Eastasia
    There are three major powers in the world right now.
     
    USA = (Oceania) Oligarchy controlled military empire running amok. Populated by an intentionally dumbed down, weakened society, of work serfs. Military operations are the norm, and America is military empire with over 800+ military bases all over the globe, and currently fighting 8 hot wars. Americans view it as a normal occurrence, being in a state of war. Military is geared towards offensive conventional weapon operations outside the USA in far away lands.
     
    Russia = (Eurasia) Fierce, pissed off people, who do not want another War where they are positioned within a defensive posture. They will NEVER allow that situation, a replay of World War II to reoccur. Russia suffered horribly during it, and Russians have never forgotten. Military is geared to preventative operations at a large and harsh scale.
     
    China = (Eastasia) Old, smart, intelligent, and diligent. Does not want war, but will respond in a measured manner. On their terms. Using their timing. Planed for their advantage. Any attack on China will have an equal measured response within the continental United States. Military is geared towards responsive operations.
    George Orwell

    .

    You will see the anti-China propaganda to decrease substantially and sharply, as it is already doing. And you will see a rise of anti-Russia propaganda. And I watch all this as an educated observer, and it horrifies me.

    • Firstly, because the lead up for war with China was so effective. Most Americans now hate China and support the idea of a (far off) war in the distant South China Sea. They actually believe that China would take the hits and not retaliate. They actually believe that it can be “contained” in a far away land. And now, soon it will change to Russia with a (supposedly) far-off war in Eastern Europe.
    • Secondly, that the ignorance of what China is, and what it is truly capable of is ignored, as it is discounted by most of the West. Which pretty much is the general American attitude of all other nations. And that is magnified by a factor of ten with Russia.
    • Thirdly, that the lead up for a war with China pretty much parallels what happened in the lead up to World War II. And we can expect it to be duplicated with Russia. So buckle up. Yeah. It’s not over yet.

    Now, from my point of view, the activities will be directed towards Russia instead of China.

    Yikes!

    Russia? Seriously?

    Russia is hard core.

    Because while both China and Russia are serious, nuclear armed, nations run on merit and ability, they are also students of history and DO NOT PLAY.

    China conducts Geo-Political actions using a "defensive policy". Meaning "tit for tat" responses. 
    
    So, if the USA military tries to destroy their latest VTOL carrier...
    
    ...two months later the US VTOL carrier USS Bonhomme Richard catches fire and is completely destroyed. 
    
    China always (so far, at least) responds to American aggression in a similar, and measured, manner.
    
    But Russia is different. Russia conducts Geo-Political actions using a "preemptive offensive policy". Meaning that if a build up towards war becomes evident, they will unleash unholy nuclear armageddon upon the United States.

    And why is this? Why is Russia like this, and why won’t they respond to American aggression like China has?

    The answer lies in the differences in culture and society.

    Krútost
      
    During the last two decades, the notion of krutói (“tough”, “hard  nut”, “smart”) became very central for the Russian definition of success. But  even though the meaning is new (krutói means originally “steep” or  “hard-boiled”), the concept is centuries-long. In it, you can find  something in common with the religious search for purity, or the  American obsession with self-help and self-improvement. But the starting  point is different.
      
    It’s the eternal Russian admiration of power. Our universe is choke  full with predators—some benign, but many not—cruising and looking for  prey in competition with each other. It’s about where in the food chain  you want to place yourself.
      
    Topping from bottom
      
    No one insists on depredation. But this world is not for the fragile.  Even if your meek predisposition or your charitable ethics command you  to linger on the very bottom, it pays to be krutói. You can duck, you  can run, you can hide, you can talk your way out of trouble—the better  you do it, the longer you last.
      
    As a Russian, this is a quest nothing can exonerate you from. Ever  wondered why spoken Russian sounds so tough, our ladies look so  gorgeous, and the men act so macho in online forums? Here’s your answer.
      
    No one knows what kind of riches waits for us at the end of this  quest. Yet, if you one day find yourself reincarnated somewhere in  Russia, expect everyone telling you in a zillion ways to pull up your britches and beating your ego into shape.

    So, not only is China a serious, studious, thoughtful measured nation, but Russia is a nation of hard-core chomping at the bit, leather clad, biker types. I really don’t think that America is ready to tangle with them.

    Tony Soprano and the gang.
    America is not ready to take on Russia. They, like China, DOES NOT PLAY.

    .

    To this, I will add…

    As soon as the USA ramps up the “fever” of war for the American populations, you can well expect Russia (and possibly China) to preemptively strike America with a double-tap nuclear salvo.

    And why do I believe this?

    Because I, like the leaders of both Russia and China, read history.

    Military comparisons between Chinese and American military.
    China compared to America.

    Pre-war preparations for World War II by Adolf Hitler and his cabal of Nazi-cons.

    To really get an appreciation about what is going on…

    And this is really what is going on, the United States is a bloated, sick, wounded, and terrified monstrous military empire in it's death throes, and tamping and threatening everyone around it.
    
    And the global oligarchy is doing it's darnedest to limit the future carnage to the geographic United States least the entire world is destroyed in the process.

    … we need to simply reread history. And I am not talking about boring stuff like names, dates and times, but rather the entire picture and the entire scope of the issues at hand. Let’s see how World War II started from the point of view of Hitler and his small collection of Nazi-cons sitting in Berlin.

    Everyone who tried to fuck with Russia failed, and their nations were forever vanquished afterwards.

    • Napoleon and France.
    • Germany and Hitler.
    • America with Biden.

    The following is a reprint of an Article on the warfare history network. All credit to the authors and the site. It was not edited except to fit this venue.

    https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/2020/10/16/the-nazi-invasion-of-poland-adolf-hitlers-first-gamble-in-the-east/

    The decision to invade Poland was one in a series of risky moves that led to World War II.

    By Christopher Miskimon

    Historians often compare Adolf Hitler to a gambler. He kept making risky bets that paid off time and again—until they didn’t. Poland was one example because it led to general war. What brought Hitler to take this risk? With the benefit of hindsight it is seen as enormous, but what did the situation look like to the German Führer and his closest advisers at the time? The popular modern view of Hitler is that of a raving lunatic, screaming at subordinates while pushing phantom armies around a map in his bunker. While he deserves every negative epithet given him, he did not decide all his strategic and operational decisions from mad, angry rants. In the years leading to World War II there were numerous events that took him down the road from a promise to rebuild the nation to inevitable conflict. However skewed, there was method to his madness, which came close to paying off in the early years of the fighting. The war officially began with the Nazi invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, but numerous factors led to this attack.

    Logic, Planning, Revenge: Why Hitler Targeted Poland

    While many of the calculations for war were based on some modicum of logic and reasoned planning, revenge, the basest of human emotions, played its part. German humiliation over the conditions placed upon the nation at the end of World War I had not abated in the two decades since the conflict ended. Over time the mass emotional reaction to the treaty stipulations became a festering sore among the population. This wound was ripe for exploitation by the Nazi propaganda machine during the party’s rise to power.

    The Treaty of Versailles imposed severe restrictions on the German military. The ground forces were limited in size to 100,000 troops in 10 divisions, including 4,000 officers. The Army could be used only for the “internal maintenance of order” and defense. Also prohibited were staples of the German military system, such as a general staff, most officer training schools, and any sort of reserves or paramilitary groups.  Additionally, tanks and heavy weapons were denied. Chemical weapons were expressly forbidden. Defensive positions along the east bank of the Rhine River had to be demolished for a distance of 50 kilometers from the riverbank. The west bank was similarly denuded of defenses. This left the country defenseless against attack.

    The humiliation of Versailles went beyond just military limitations. Germany lost land to Poland and France. The French received Alsace-Lorraine, lost decades before during the Franco-Prussian War of 1871. The “Polish Corridor,” a strip of land given to Poland granting it access to the Baltic Sea, meant East Prussia was now physically separate from the rest of the country. The formerly German city of Danzig was made a “Free City,” controlled by the Poles despite its largely German population. All of Germany’s overseas colonies and territories were transferred to other nations. Last was a crushing debt of reparations, equivalent to billions of dollars today. (Read more about the conflicts and events that led to the Second World War inside the pages of WWII History magazine.) 

    The cumulative effect of the treaty requirements created a sense of injustice among the German populace, which the Nazis were all too willing to use in their grab for power. The party came into power on a promise to right the wrongs of Versailles and make Germany strong again. Germany suffered many internal troubles throughout the 1920s and early 30s, something the German people remembered. Once national power was restored in the late 1930s, it became a natural, brutal progression to use that power against nations that had taken German lands. The Polish Corridor stood out in particular; regaining it meant reconnecting East Prussia to Germany proper.

    During the 1930s, the German armed forces undertook an extensive and mostly clandestine rearmament program. In this photo of the period, German soldiers ride in a wagon which is towing a wooden antitank gun.

    With revenge in mind, the next step for Hitler was rearmament. This was the key prerequisite for any resurgence of Germany as a major power. Even before Hitler began rearmament in late 1933, the military had been secretly preparing for a fast expansion through a combination of training, liberal interpretation of the treaty restrictions, and secret weapons development projects. This allowed the Nazis to quickly create a massive military machine, faster than Germany’s opponents thought possible.

    Initial steps included rebuilding the German arms industry so it could produce the necessary weapons. The plans for fast wartime expansion of the Army were instead applied to peacetime growth. The first increase was to 300,000 troops in 21 divisions. This program was to be finished by 1937, but Hitler advanced this timetable to the fall of 1934, barely a year later. During this period Hitler began to consolidate his power, moving against men like Ernst Röhm, the leader of the Nazi Party’s paramilitary arm, the Sturmabteilung (SA). He also absorbed the powers of the military commander in chief when the German President Paul von Hindenburg died in August 1934. Afterward German soldiers and sailors were required to swear an oath of allegiance to Hitler personally, a throwback to the oath given the kaiser during the imperial period. By the end of 1934, German Army strength reached 240,000.

    On March 16, 1935, Hitler publicly rejected the Versailles Treaty and ordered a further expansion of the army to 36 divisions under a new defense law. Conscription was also reintroduced. Within two months another law created the Luftwaffe. The conscription program created a large pool of trained manpower, something the Germans lacked due to Versailles. Changes at the command level also made the German military more effective. The Reichswehr was renamed the Wehrmacht, with the three branches called the Heer (army), Kriegsmarine (navy), and Luftwaffe (air force). The general staff was rebuilt, and Hitler was solidly placed as the military’s supreme commander. Generals who disagreed with Hitler were retired or removed through scandal or accusations of misconduct. The Führer created a modern, powerful force completely under his control.

    While this buildup was touted as smooth and organized with Teutonic efficiency, the process was difficult. German industry needed time to create modern weapons, most of which were only designs on a drawing board. Raw materials, trained labor, and factory capacity were insufficient to provide for all three services’ needs. The navy took a back seat to the Army and air force. This decision made sense because Germany’s primary opponents bordered the nation, rendering a powerful fleet unnecessary in the short term.

    Making it Up as they Go: The Rapid Expansion of the Nazi German Army

    Building on its secret experiments, the Army started an ambitious program for armored vehicles, but they were learning as they went. The first models were lightly armed and armored vehicles, which would later prove inferior to enemy tanks, though the Germans usually handled theirs better. Without making sacrifices elsewhere, it was impossible to build as many vehicles and artillery pieces as were needed. Hitler was unwilling to strain the peacetime German economy, so production rates were kept low.

    The rapid expansion also placed a strain on personnel. There were not enough qualified officers and NCOs to fill all the required billets. Fast promotions and the recall of World War I veterans alleviated these problems, but only to a limited extent. Many of the veterans were getting too old for field service and needed refresher training. Many officers were lost to the newly formed Luftwaffe, and many staff officers for air units were ground forces men untrained and inexperienced in air operations. Another quick solution was to militarize entire police units to capitalize on the training and discipline of their NCOs and officers.

    In a bold and risky maneuver, Hitler ordered German troops into the Rhineland in the spring of 1936. Hitler’s generals feared the aggressive move would spark French military intervention.

    Despite these difficulties, rearmament did produce results. By October 1937, the army reached an active strength of 39 divisions in 14 corps, including three panzer and four motorized divisions. There were 29 divisions in reserve with more of their soldiers having recent training through the conscription program. In 1938, a dozen more divisions, including two panzer and four motorized, were also formed along with 22 more reserve divisions. Some of these units came from the absorption of the Austrian Army, which occurred that year. Further expansion occurred in 1939.

    Possessing a powerful army gave Hitler options in the expansionist risks he took. Like many Germans, he sought revenge for perceived injustices. For the Führer the scales could only be balanced through war, and a strong military made war feasible, even desirable, as it would prove Germany was again formidable and to be respected. By 1939, the Army had 102 divisions, half of them active. Total strength was around 1.8 million troops. While there were still shortages in certain types of weapons and equipment, the Nazi propaganda machine had done its work, and these shortcomings were not apparent. Foreign observers saw a formidable modern force, and Hitler was happy to let them believe that image.

    Prior to the Polish Crisis, Germany had gotten extensive practice in territorial acquisition, though without war. Instead, political maneuvering and bluff achieved Nazi goals up to that point. There was tension; war clouds loomed over Europe for several years before September 1939. However, until then each crisis had been resolved in Germany’s favor, a winning streak that increased confidence within the Reich in its own ability and the moral cowardice of its opponents. Hitler was susceptible to a gambler’s faith in a winning streak, and this was a factor in the Nazi invasion of Poland.

    The Saar, 1935: Nazi Aggression Takes its First Steps

    The Third Reich’s first success came in the Saar in 1935. This region of Germany was placed under Anglo-French occupation and control in 1920 for a period of 15 years. The Saar was an industrial center and contained coal fields that were given to France. A commission oversaw the territory until 1935, when a plebiscite was held to determine what would happen to the area. The situation was a reminder of German defeat in World War I and another territory stripped from the nation despite the ethnically German citizens in residence.

    Jubilant young Austrian citizens cheer the news that their country has been annexed by Nazi Germany and is now a part of the Third Reich. Hitler coerced Austrian leaders into accepting the union, which was completed in March 1938.

    Once the Nazis came to power in 1933, large numbers of Germans who opposed their rule moved to the Saar precisely to escape them. Over the next two years, as the plebiscite grew near, these opponents of Hitler’s regime campaigned to have the region remain under French occupation. The Führer had other plans, as regaining the Saar would be a propaganda victory for his government. He directed Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels to conduct a media campaign aimed at swaying the populace to vote for return to the Reich. When the vote came in January 1935, over 90 percent of the voters chose to return to Germany. On March 1 the Saar became German again. With German reoccupation came the arrest of those considered to have collaborated with the French government and Nazi opponents who had fled there previously. Regaining the Saar was a first step for Nazi aggression.

    The following year Hitler went further and reoccupied the Rhineland. The demilitarization of the area was stipulated in the Versailles Treaty and made permanent in the Locarno Treaty of 1925, which sought to normalize relations between various European powers. The Rhineland was occupied by Allied troops until 1935 under the terms of the treaty. In actuality these troops were withdrawn by 1930. Over the next five years, as the Nazis came to power and more openly disregarded the Versailles Treaty, German reoccupation of the Rhineland became an expected development, calculated to cause a crisis.

    Hitler’s Annexation Gambles in the Rhineland, Austria, and the Sudetenland 

    In early 1936 Hitler gambled and sent a small force into the demilitarized zone. Hitler knew there was a possibility of war but deemed it minimal; when War Minister Field Marshal Werner Von Blomberg expressed his fears, Hitler told him German troops would be withdrawn if French forces entered the Rhineland. The Reich went ahead with the move on March 7, 1936, sending a handful of infantry battalions into the Rhineland, where they joined local police and prepared for a French counterattack, planning a fighting withdrawal if necessary. When French troops stayed on their side of the border, Hitler’s confidence was bolstered, and he ordered the troops to stay. 

    Two years later Hitler made more moves that consolidated his nation’s position even further and reinforced his belief in the moral cowardice of the Western powers. In March 1938, Germany annexed Austria, incorporating its military into the Reich. There was a small pro-Nazi movement within Austria that was agitating for integration with Germany. This movement was suppressed by the Austrian government, which believed most Austrians wanted nothing to do with Hitler. On March 9, Austrian Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg announced a plebiscite to allow voters to state their preference about integration with Germany.

    30th September 1938: British prime minister Neville Chamberlain (1869 – 1940) making his ‘peace in our time’ address at Heston Airport on his return from Munich. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)

    The Nazi propaganda machine went into full swing, announcing riots in Austria and unfair rules for the vote to sway the decision against integration. It claimed the uproar was a plea by Austrians for Germany to enter Austria and restore order. On March 12, Wehrmacht troops crossed the border, meeting no opposition. Hitler himself entered Austria that evening. Within days the union of Germany and Austria, known as the Anschluss, was announced. Hitler had once again increased German power without a war.

    The second Nazi move of 1938 was the annexation of the Sudetenland. This event, the result of an agreement meant to maintain peace, was a major step toward the conflict to come. After obtaining Austria with such relative ease, Hitler turned his gaze toward the north-northwestern area of Czechoslovakia, a region known as the Sudetenland. Many ethnic Germans lived in this area, making it a good target for expansion. The usual propaganda claims were made, stating the Czech government was abusing ethnic Germans within its borders.

    The Czechs prepared for war, but no one else did. Hitler met with representatives of Britain, France, and Italy in Munich during late September. There, he obtained an agreement from those powers to give the Sudetenland to Germany. Without support, Czechoslovakia had little choice but to acquiesce. German troops entered the Sudetenland to the applause of its Germanic populace.

    Following the annexation of the Sudetenland, German troops eventually occupied all of neighboring Czechoslovakia. On March 15, 1939, German forces rolled through the streets of the Czech capital of Prague. Some Czech citizens offered the Nazi salute; others were determined to resist.

    Supposedly this was Germany’s last territorial demand; returning from Munich, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain made his now infamous statement of having achieved “peace with honour” and “peace in our time.” That peace lasted less than six months; on March 15, 1939, the Wehrmacht marched into the rest of Czechoslovakia. Appeasement had failed, and Hitler had Poland in his sights. With Czech territory in German hands, a Nazi invasion of Poland could proceed from both the west and south, making that nation’s defense more difficult.

    Planning the Nazi Invasion of Poland

    The Polish Crisis began 10 days after the Nazis took Czechoslovakia. Hitler ordered the Wehrmacht High Command (Oberkommando Der Wehrmacht, OKW) to prepare a military campaign against Poland. He tried obtaining concessions from the Poles regarding Danzig and the Polish Corridor, including threats of military action. The efforts proved futile as the Poles refused to give in. Both sides began aggressive propaganda campaigns, with the Nazis claiming Polish atrocities against Germans in the corridor area.

    Given his string of successes, Hitler was willing to gamble on Poland, although the situation in 1939 was worse than in earlier years. Unlike at Munich, there was no agreement with France and Great Britain for a resolution, and previous German actions had destroyed trust in Hitler’s word. The Third Reich’s racist policies and actions were also turning world opinion against it. Other members of Hitler’s civilian and military hierarchy were unwilling to express resistance to his plans. The Nazi leader had decided on another risky gamble, and with his absolute control there was no one to stop him.

    With the decision made, a plan had to be created. During April 1939, OKW issued its annual directive to the armed forces. Within it was Fall Weiss (Case White). The plan was introduced with a statement from Hitler himself describing current relations with Poland. It required the German military to be prepared to attack by September 1. The plan stressed surprise. Mobilization would not take place until just before the actual invasion. Only regular Army units would be used at first, since calling up reserves would alert the Poles.

    These active units would be secretly moved into assembly areas along the frontier before being ordered into their jumping-off points. The Army could also attack from Czech territory. There were also arrangements for defending the border with France, the Baltic Sea area, and German airspace. All this would effectively isolate Poland from her Western supporters until it was too late.

    On April 28, Hitler nullified the German non-aggression treaty with Poland and demanded resolution on the Danzig issue. German operatives were sent into Danzig, where they attacked a customs house and tore down Polish flags. Polish actions against ethnic Germans were given wide press coverage. There was a Nazi faction in Danzig, and it clamored for return to Germany. This was the beginning of a months-long campaign to pave the way for German goals, with or without war.

    Diplomatic Machinations and Nazi Propaganda 

    Over the following months further diplomatic machinations took place. On May 22, a pact was signed with Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, taking pressure off Germany’s southern flank. However, Hitler assured Mussolini there would be no war, and the Italians made no promise of military support. This kept Italy from the Allied camp and threatened France’s and Britain’s Mediterranean holdings. Hitler also received visits from the leaders of Yugoslavia, Hungary, and Bulgaria. These affairs were accompanied by extravagant displays of German military power, with scores of aircraft roaring overhead or hundreds of tanks clanking past.

    Fully equipped for aggressive action, German troops, who appear to be fresh and not yet bloodied by fighting, march along a road in Poland. Although German and Soviet troops had completed their seizure of Polish territory in a matter of weeks, the campaign was more costly than some senior commanders had envisioned.

    A major victory for the Nazis was the rapprochement with the Soviet Union. The British and French were seeking a tacit alliance with the Soviets as a counterbalance to Germany, but this new development quashed that hope. Russia and Germany secretly negotiated an agreement for respective spheres of influence. The Soviets would have a free hand in Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia along with eastern Poland. In exchange, Germany would regain Danzig, the Polish Corridor, and western Poland.

    Openly, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was a non-aggression treaty between the nations. This was a surprise development as the Nazis were staunchly anti-communist. Both Hitler and Stalin still expected eventual war; the Soviets expected conflict as early as 1944. While war would come much sooner with the German invasion on June 22, 1941, in August 1939 the issue seemed settled.

    The Polish Crisis came to a head in August. The Germans placed more pressure on Poland over Danzig and the corridor, with civil disturbances taking place. The Poles stood firm, bolstered by assurances of support from France and Britain. On August 12-13, Italian Foreign Minister Count Galeazzo Ciano met with Hitler to discuss a diplomatic solution. Italy did not want its ally going to war; the nation was still recovering from its campaigns in Albania, Ethiopia, and Spain and was not ready to fight the French and British. The Italian military needed time to modernize its forces and did not expect to be ready until 1942. Hitler, confident in his course, would not be swayed. Ciano felt the Germans had breached their agreement, but there was little to be done.

    On August 17, the Nazis enacted their scheme to justify invasion. The Wehrmacht supplied Polish Army uniforms to operatives commanded by senior SS officer Reinhard Heydrich to create incidents of Polish attacks on German soil. Hitler addressed his military leaders about the issue on August 22, admitting an incident would be “arranged.” The morality of such an act was irrelevant; only victory mattered. He thought it unlikely the British and French would intervene, and if they did they could not reinforce Poland directly. If war came, Germany would win. Hitler also mentioned the impending treaty with the Soviets, which was signed the next day. The speech ended with a statement of belief that the Wehrmacht could carry out any order successfully.

    When the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact became public on August 23, it seemed war was inevitable. Hitler ordered the attack to begin on August 26. The next day the British sent Poland a written guarantee that Britain and France would come to its aid if Germany invaded. When he learned of the move, Hitler rescinded his attack order and engaged in a last-minute move to forestall the involvement of the Western Allies. He promised to respect the current borders with France and to support the British. This offer did not impress either nation, which had no reason to trust such promises. Negotiations were essentially broken off.

    Nazi Germany Declares War on Poland

    On August 31, Hitler signed the order for the Nazi invasion of Poland, to begin the next morning at 4:45. At 8 pm on the night before the invasion, Germans in Polish uniforms “captured” a German radio station in Silesia. A broadcast in Polish announced an attack on Germany. Soon German police subdued the “attackers.” Casualties were found dressed in Polish uniforms, but they were actually condemned German criminals. Within hours the full might of the Wehrmacht was thrown against the Poles.

    German armored forces in PzKpfw. I and PzKpfw. II tanks pause momentarily along a muddy road somewhere in Poland.

    When the invasion of Poland came, the Wehrmacht pursued a plan to envelop and destroy the Polish Army west of the Vistula and Narew Rivers. The main blow came from Army Group South under Generaloberst Gerd Von Rundstedt, striking northeast out of Silesia toward Warsaw. A secondary thrust would come from occupied Czechoslovakia to handle Polish troops in Galicia. Generaloberst Fedor von Bock’s Army Group North would strike east through the Polish Corridor to link with East Prussia. That done, Bock would then advance on Warsaw from the north.

    Polish plans were for a forward defense in western Poland. This was required; much of the Polish Army was made up of ethnic Poles who lived in the western part of the nation. They would need time to mobilize. A quick defense would hopefully also draw Britain and France into the war sooner. It was an imperfect plan, as it allowed the Poles to be decisively engaged early in the fighting. Polish units would also have to cover more territory than was prudent. Combined with Allied underestimation of Germany’s new army and tactics, it was a recipe for defeat, though in fairness the Poles were in a bad position no matter what plans they enacted.

    Despite all the mobilizations and signs, the attack was a tactical surprise for the Poles. The Luftwaffe commenced bombing while the old German battleship Schleswig-Holstein began shelling the Polish fortress at Westerplatte. The Polish Navy was attacked and would be effectively destroyed within a few days. The advancing ground troops swept aside a few Polish patrols and border guards and moved into Poland itself. Paramilitary troops from both sides engaged in a vicious struggle for Danzig.

    German armored spearheads raced across Poland, trapping large numbers of Polish troops. Simultaneously, Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed many planes of the Polish Air Force on the ground.

    The Polish Corridor was defended by two infantry divisions and a cavalry brigade. The German 4th Army attacked, and the Polish cavalry fought a series of delaying actions, including a raid that resulted in a cavalry charge against a surprised German infantry battalion. They were only beaten off with the arrival of a few armored cars. The next day Italian war correspondents were brought to the scene. They reported being told the Polish cavalrymen had been killed while charging German panzers. The story took hold of the popular imagination until it became an accepted reality, but the tale is just a myth.

    As 4th Army hit the Polish Corridor, 3rd Army advanced out of East Prussia toward Warsaw. Two corps attacked but ran into the Mlawa Line, a fortified zone guarding the obvious route of attack. The Germans tried to outflank the position, but swamps secured both flanks, bogging down the effort after several assaults failed. The Polish Mazowiecka Cavalry Brigade met the German 1st Cavalry Brigade along the Ulatkowka River. Engagements between mounted patrols soon led to heavy dismounted combat. By sunset of the first day of the war, 3rd Army was stopped cold.

    POLISH ARMY MANOEUVRES NEAR FRONTIER. DANZIG COUP EXPECTED. 18.4.39. Polish army manoeuvres are now being carried out near the German frontier, and cavalry regiments are being called up. – Polish circles in Berlin state that Poland is ready to fire her guns if spontaneous actions occur in Danzig. O.P.S. A long column of Polish tanks during manoeuvres near the frontier. Anm. Nazityskland invaderade Polen 1 september 1939. Manöver Förberedelser Tanks Kolonn På rad Larvfötter CD520 sites: POLEN

    Making the main effort, Army Group South saw extensive action, particularly with its 8th and 10th Armies in Silesia. They intended to strike against the Polish Armies Lodz and Krakow, get over the Warta River, and cut off enemy forces in western Poland. Afterward they would advance on Warsaw. These two Wehrmacht formations contained many of the German armored and mechanized divisions.

    Initially fighting was light since the Polish defenses were 20 miles behind the border. The worst fighting took place when the 4th Panzer Division attacked the Wolynska Cavalry Brigade at the village of Mokra. The horsemen were assisted by an armored train, while the Germans had trouble coordinating their tanks and infantry. A Stuka raid succeeded in destroying Polish supplies and killing many of their horses, but the cavalrymen held firm. High casualties forced them to finally retreat at sunset, with German tanks hounding them. Meanwhile, Army Krakow suffered badly, its 7th Infantry Division being cut off and overwhelmed by several German divisions. The fortified city of Katowice fared better, however, limiting German success. The rear areas were threatened by guerrilla units of ethnic Germans formed by German intelligence before the war.

    Advancing from Slovakia, the 22nd Panzer Corps got around the Polish border units manning the Dunajec Line, forcing Army Krakow to deploy its 10th Mechanized Brigade. The attack was stopped only when the Polish 6th Infantry Division was also committed. Two German mountain divisions attacked across the Carpathian Mountains against Army Karpaty, but the terrain kept them from making any gains.

    Heroic Polish cavalrymen ride toward the sounds of battle. Some stories of Polish lancers attacking German tanks emerged after the campaign ended. These remain a topic of debate.

    The Luftwaffe tried to destroy the Polish Air Force on the ground, but most of it was already dispersed to auxiliary fields. Despite more myths, only 24 Polish combat aircraft were destroyed on the ground during the entire campaign, though many trainers and unserviceable planes were destroyed. The Luftwaffe also hit railways and important roads in preplanned attacks. Also contrary to legend, the Germans were not yet capable of hasty close air support missions. In the days to come more planned targets were hit, and Polish troop movements were successfully interdicted, hampering the mobilization of reserves. A few close air support missions were attempted late in the campaign.

    This photo has been reproduced countless times during the decades since World War II but has lost none of its poignancy. A 10-year-old girl weeps over the body of her older sister, who has just been killed during a German air raid near Warsaw.

    A bombing attack on Warsaw took heavy losses to the fighters of the Polish Pursuit Brigade on the first day of the war, but Luftwaffe numerical superiority enabled repeated strikes and by September 6 the Polish unit had lost 70 percent of its fighters, forcing its withdrawal. The rest of the Polish fighter strength was used up in the skies over the main fighting, inflicting at least 126 losses on the Germans. Polish bomber crews flew bravely against the advancing German armies but likewise suffered terribly for little effect.   

    Back in the north, the Wehrmacht continued advancing along the corridor while Polish forces withdrew southward, leaving the Westerplatte garrison cut off. In the Tuchola Forest, the 3rd Panzer Division managed to cross the Brda River. Two German divisions also advanced west down the corridor from East Prussia, nearly trapping the Polish units between them. Only one Polish division was able to escape the encirclement on September 3. The Germans kept up pressure on the Mlawa Line, finally starting to outflank it. The beleaguered Polish cavalry was reinforced with the 8th Infantry Division but could not hold the line any longer. By the next day the Mlawa defenders and the remaining Poles not encircled in Pomerania were ordered to withdraw to the Vistula Line.

    During the night of September 2, the Polish Podlaska Cavalry Brigade conducted a raid into East Prussia, the only Polish attack on German territory. It withdrew after some skirmishes with German militia. The Polish 20th Infantry continued manning the Mlawa Line to allow their comrades to withdraw. It was soon surrounded but continued to resist. Army Modlin tried to hold at the town of the same name, but German river crossing operations threatened the Polish position. After a failed counterattack, the Poles withdrew again across the San River. Another Polish garrison tried to delay the Germans at Modlin but was also surrounded by the advancing Nazis.

    German Junkers Ju-87 Stuka dive bombers fly in formation above the Polish countryside. During the blitzkrieg, these planes acted as flying artillery, striking deep behind enemy lines to disrupt supply and communications, inflict casualties on troop concentrations, and spread terror among Polish civilians.

    The German army groups now began their encirclement of Army Poznan in western Poland. Army Poznan’s commander, General Tadeusz Kutrzeba, asked to attack the German 8th Army, the northern formation of Army Group South. He was refused permission by Marshal Edward Rydz-Smigly, supreme Polish commander, who feared the unit would be destroyed; he wanted to avoid a decisive battle west of the Vistula. Sadly, the Germans were vulnerable on this flank and feared just such an attack.

    The Polish 7th Division, decimated earlier, was mauled again by the 1st Panzer Division and several infantry units as the Germans exploited the gap between the Polish Armies Lodz and Krakow. This fighting enabled the German 10th Army, with its heavy armored contingent, to move toward Warsaw. The tanks struck out across flat farmland through the heart of Poland. The Polish units south of this exploitation withdrew skillfully, delaying the 2nd Panzer Division and maintaining their cohesion.

    Polish infantrymen execute field maneuvers during peacetime exercises in April 1939, just five months before World War II erupted in Europe. The Poles fought back on two fronts but were conquered by the Germans from the west and the Soviets from the east.

    The panzer divisions made for Warsaw directly toward the Polish Army Prusy, which had been placed there in expectation that the Germans would advance from that direction. Containing three infantry divisions and a cavalry brigade, this army also had a small force of tanks to defend against the panzers bearing down on them. The 1st and 4th Panzer Divisions quickly made for Piotrkow, where they were met by Polish infantry and the 2nd Tank Battalion with its 7TP light tanks. The Polish tankers fought well, knocking out 33 German armored vehicles, but since they were not concentrated their efforts had no lasting effect.

    Meanwhile, the German 10th Army pushed back Army Krakow to Kielce by September 5, further opening the path to Warsaw.  General Kutrzeba again asked to attack the German flank but was refused. That evening Marshal Rydz-Smigly ordered all four engaged Polish armies—Poznan, Prusy, Lodz and Krakow—to withdraw to the Vistula.

    The Germans noticed the Polish moves; Rundstedt and other field commanders realized what was happening and asked to penetrate deeper to encircle the Poles. OKW still worried about a French attack in the west, however, and delayed. It took until September 9, when it was becoming obvious the French were not moving quickly, for the high command to change its mind. Meanwhile, the Poles continued retreating to the Vistula. Rydz-Smigly became worried that the fast-moving Germans would cut off his forces and decided to move his headquarters forward to Brzesc. This location was not able to handle the level of communications needed, and the move proved a major error as the high command could not effectively communicate with units in the field.

    The fast-moving German units were easily outdistancing the Polish forces now; time and again Polish troops reached a position only to find German tanks behind them. The gap between Army Prusy and Army Lodz was the worst, with the 1st and 4th Panzer Divisions pushing ever deeper toward Warsaw. Other German forces were moving through the Polish Corridor for another offensive. General Bock was allowed to push his troops down the east bank of the Vistula to endanger the Poles defending along that line. 

    Captured Polish soldiers are marched toward temporary camps after surrendering to the advancing Germans. Many Polish troops were cut off and forced to capitulate as the German armored spearheads moved rapidly toward their objectives.

    With the Germans closing on Warsaw, Marshal Rydz-Smigly finally began to consider the counterattack General Kutrzeba was suggesting, hoping to relieve pressure on Army Lodz and allow the Poles time to reorganize around Warsaw and the Vistula River. The counterattack came along the Bzura River on September 9; the Germans were still aware of the vulnerability of their flank but were lulled by bad intelligence reports and the lack of Polish movement up to this point. Three Polish infantry divisions (14th, 17th, and 25th) attacked the German 24th and 30th Infantry Divisions. A pair of Polish cavalry brigades guarded the flanks of the advance. The initial fighting was heavy, but the Poles threw in their reserves supported by armor and turned the tide. Both German divisions fell back; the 30th lost more than 1,500 as prisoners by September 10. The Poles were finally striking back.

    Rundstedt remained calm and ordered the 1st and 4th Panzer Divisions to turn west from the outskirts of Warsaw and begin encircling Army Poznan. He hoped to cut off and destroy this large concentration of enemy troops. Other units were also rushed to the area, establishing numerical superiority. Within two days the Polish offensive was done, and Kutrzeba was ordered to break through to the south toward the Romanian border. However, his command was now badly outnumbered, nine Polish divisions with two cavalry brigades against 19 German divisions, of which five were armored or mechanized.

    Kutrzeba understood his predicament and instead moved eastward. The Germans attacked, but the fighting proved difficult until air support arrived. On September 16, some 820 Luftwaffe planes attacked along with the 16th Panzer Corps on the ground. By that evening Kutrzeba ordered his troops to try and escape the pocket through a gap at Sochaczew. Elements of two divisions and two cavalry brigades made it out, but 120,000 Poles were taken prisoner when the Bzura Pocket capitulated on September 18. Both Army Poznan and Army Pomorze were destroyed. Their sacrifice had delayed the German advance on Warsaw and allowed their comrades to prepare better defenses, but the price was staggering.

    The Polish command was operating in confusion as stragglers and partially mobilized units began arriving, not knowing where to go. The Polish leadership within Warsaw decided to make a stand and defend the city. Since Rundstedt’s Army Group South was still fighting at Bzura, Army Group North attacked the city on September 15. It was led by the German 3rd Army, which had troops on both banks of the Vistula. The Germans entered the suburbs of the city and engaged in heavy fighting, but since Warsaw was not yet surrounded some Polish troops were still filtering in. After September 21, the Germans finished mopping up the Bzura Pocket and redistributed divisions to surround Warsaw. Army Group South spread out along the south and west sides of the city.

    German and Soviet troops met near the city of Brest-Litovsk and celebrated their successful military victory in Poland. Hitler and Soviet Premier Josef Stalin had secretly agreed to partition Poland once their conquest was complete.

    The Soviet Union Moves in, Sealing Poland’s Fate

    On September 17, Polish fortunes reached a new low when the Soviet Union moved into Poland with 41 divisions and 12 tank brigades totaling over 466,000 troops. Some Poles expected the Soviets might be coming to assist them, but those hopes were quickly dashed. Most of the Polish Army was fighting to the west, leaving only token border troops on the eastern frontier. On average, there was one Polish battalion against a Soviet corps. There was some fighting, mostly skirmishing, but all real hope was now lost. Marshal Rydz-Smigly ordered all Polish units to make for the Romanian border.

    On September 23, the Germans began their first attempt to take Warsaw, supported by 1,000 field guns, but few gains were made. The Poles were resisting fiercely. On September 25, another attack came with both artillery and air bombardment. Known as “Black Monday,” the city was pelted with bombs and shells. Even German Junkers Ju-52 transport planes were pressed into service, dropping many incendiary bombs. There was so much smoke that target identification was almost impossible, and many Luftwaffe aircraft dropped their payloads on German troops.

    The Nazi campaign to eradicate European Jewry continued as German forces occupied Poland. The day after Poland surrendered, SS personnel were engaged in rounding up Polish Jews and other undesirable elements of the population for resettlement or execution.

    The next day the Germans seized three old forts on the south side of Warsaw. To increase the suffering within the city and hopefully speed the surrender, Hitler ordered that no civilians were allowed to leave, trapping them inside the shattered capital. During the evening of September 26, Army Warsaw’s commander, General Juliusz Rommel, sent word to the Germans that he was prepared to discuss surrender. The fighting ended the next day, and more than 140,000 Polish troops became prisoners. A separate Polish force at Modlin held out for another two days, and then it too gave up, 24,000 soldiers marching into captivity.

    A small Polish force, east of Warsaw and out of communication, was unaware of the city’s surrender and tried to get there to join the fighting. It ran into the German 13th Infantry Division, a motorized unit, and fought until October 6. Since by this point the Soviets had invaded eastern Poland, there was no longer anywhere for Polish troops to go, and the campaign was effectively over.  

    Hitler’s great gamble for a Nazi invasion of Poland had succeeded at the cost of 48,000 casualties and a nation now at war. Further gambles would bring France, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, and Norway under his control by the end of 1940. It would be to the east, on the vast unending plains of the Soviet Union, where the gambles would begin to fail, leading to the ruin of the Reich Hitler had claimed would last a millennium.

    And now for a review…

    So now you know about how Hitler’s Germany started World War II, and how the Poles were not ready for the event. Even though they knew of the non-stop anti-Polish propaganda, they erroneously believe that they were stronger, better equipped and ready to handle anything that Hitler might unleash.

    Expert tip
    Do not ever fall for the belief that you are “better” than someone else, or some other society. This belief has failed time and time again. Just ask all those dead leaders of all those cities that Genghis Khan vanquished. Just ask the Spartans. Just ask the Athenians. Just ask the American Indians.

    They thought that, at worst, they would be fighting Germany alone. Not a betrayal of Russia, and the slicing up of their nation within a month.

    And the people paid the price.

    When one nation conquers your nation bad things will happen.

    As in what happened to all the intelligent, trained, educated, and influential people in Poland, once the nation is conquered, it will be the people who will suffer. For once stripped of their ability to fight, and organization, the threat-vectors will be identified, collected, and killed in mass.

    1940 Katyn Forest Massacre

    The Russian eagerness to slaughter Poland's military leadership was not simply born out of savagery. Many believe that Stalin reckoned that such ruthless tactics would permanently weaken the Poles, and make them a  much easier people to subdue.  -Dailymail

    Know your history. It is going to be repeated. It is going to happen in the United States. It is going to happen.

    Do not let it happen to you.

    Katyn massacre
    The progressive liberal communists collected anyone who could possibly be a threat to them. They loaded them into trucks and trains, and carted them off to an isolated forest. There, they tied their hands behind their backs and systematically killed each one.

    .

    So let’s talk about what happened to the conquered people after the war ended. Let’s talk a little about the people in Poland…

    In 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union invaded Poland. They came from both sides, and within weeks, Poland was captured. The Western half of Poland became occupied by Germany. The Eastern side of Poland became occupied by the Soviets.

    Poland division
    Once the Germans and the Soviets took over Poland, it was divided up. The Poles in the West had to deal with the German Nazi’s. The Poles on the East had to deal with the Soviets.

    .

    In 1940, once Russia took over a huge portion of Poland, they collected people. They collected anyone who was smart. They collected anyone who had skills. They collected anyone who had an education. They considered these people threats to the “new progressive reality” that they planned to impose on Poland. They collected them.

    And, then they massacred them.

    • Anyone with a college education.
    • Anyone who was an educator.
    • Anyone in politics.
    • Anyone who owned or supervised in a factory.
    • Anyone who was related to anyone who was famous.
    • Anyone who held an officer rank in the military.
    • Anyone who was a small business owner.
    • Anyone who was a land owner (owned a house).
    • Anyone who was singled out by someone else as non-progressive.
    Expert tip
    When your nation is conquered and vanquished, your chances of survival drop considerably. In order to survive you need to stop listening to all “authorities”. No one has your best interests at heart.

    In November 1939, the Russians arrested over 15,000 Polish officers and deported them to western Russia.

    Among them were civilians, professors, doctors, lawyers, journalists, artists, judges,an Olympic athlete, priests, and the Chief Rabbi of the Polish Army.  

    The prisoners sat there for months, afraid of what was going to happen, but few guessing their true fate. As Peszkowski said: ‘We did not think it possible that the Russians would kill us without mercy.’

    Katyn Poland
    Desc: Katyn massacre (Polish army officers killed by Soviet troops in Katyn forest, near Smolensk, western Russia,1943), Nazi propaganda poster, Central Europe • Credit: [ The Art Archive / Private Collection / Marc Charmet ] • Ref: AA399882

    .

    The military leaders were sent to three prison camps, at Kozielsk, Starobielsk, and Ostashkov.

    In April of the following year, the Polish prisoners were told that they would be repatriated to Poland. It was a lie, of course. When progressive liberal democrats (whether they call themselves Marxists or Communists is of not matter) say anything, it is ALWAYS a lie.

    Progressive Liberal Socialists always lie.

    Katyn map
    Multiple locations were used to kill all of the intellectual class of Poland. The workers, ignorant, and women were singled out, and segregated. The men were taken to remote locations and shot.

    .

    The first group boarded a train, but oddly it was not traveling east, but rather westward.  It came to a stop outside Katyn Forest, situated near Smolensk.  

    With orders to kill everyone.
    Executions normally take place hurriedly, but in this case the killers were in no rush. The victims were taken from their prison camp and put on a train for two days without food and water. When they arrived at their final destination, they were bundled onto coaches with windows smeared with cement to obscure their view. After a short drive, the men were directed one by one to the rear door of the vehicle. As each man stepped into the gloomy light of the Russian forest, he would have had no doubt as to his fate.

    .

    From there the Polish officers were herded into black vans which drove them to a clearing in the woods.  

    When they stepped out, they were simply led to the edge of what would imminently be their grave. The Russians took them to a large pit inside the forest, and forced them to kneel at its edge.

    Led, forced to kneel and then killed.
    Led to the edge of the pit. Held and bound, then forced to your knees. The progressive liberal socialists will put the pistol to the back of your head and kill you dead with it.

    .

    Their hands were tied behind their backs, and a choke knot tied around their neck and hands so that if they struggled they would have strangled themselves.

    Held on either side, the victims were approached from behind by an NKVD man equipped with a German Walther 7.65mm pistol.

    The relatively small recoil, compared to that of heavier Russian pistols, made the task far easier on the executioner’s wrist, an essential requisite for a killer with so many men to dispatch.

    The shot was fired at the base of the man’s skull, and if the job was done correctly, the bullet would have exited through the forehead. Death was instantaneous, as one by one the Polish officers filled the mass grave.

    They were surrounded by dozens of armed NKVD agents who made sure that everyone was killed. No one escaped.

    Killed by progressive socialsts.
    Polish officer shot in the back of the head by progressive liberal socialists from the Soviet Union. These people are dangerous.

    .

    Their bodies were thrown into mass graves.

    This convoy of death went on for several weeks.  By mid-May almost 4,500 Polish officers were murdered and buried in eight mass graves – the largest grave contained 12 layers of corpses.

    Shot in the back of the head.
    Polish aviator shot in the back of the head. This is what the progressive liberal socialists have in store for anyone that does not agree with them on any of their crazed ideology.

    .

    Among the dead were more than 200 pilots including friends and classmates of the Kosciuszko Air Squadron.  

    In memory
    Is is a photo of a memorial ceremony in Poland for the absolute slaughter of the Polish leadership, intellectuals, and workers of Poland, by progressive liberal socialist democrats from the Soviet Union. They called themselves “Communists”.

    .

    One of its’ victims was the brother-in-law of Witold Lokociewski.    The sole survivor of Katyn was Professor Stanislaw Swianiewicz.  

    He was on board the train headed to Katyn Forest, and was standing in the line ready to board the van, but an NKVD colonel had pulled him out of the line. 

    The Germans invaded Russia in July 1942, but it wasn’t until the next spring that they discovered the mass graves in Katyn.

    The bodies were exhumed and examined by a team of experts, and they accused the Russians of having committed the atrocity.  The Russians denied all responsibility and countered by saying that the Germans had committed the massacre.  

    • Nazi Germans said the Communist Russians did it.
    • Communist Russians said that the Nazi Germans did it.

    But, you know, they both were complicit. As both nations invaded Poland, both nations captured the people, and both nations took over Poland. Who pulled the actual trigger is meaningless. They died because both Russia and Germany promoted the idea of war against Poland.

    Fact.

    When Polish Prime Minister Sikorski called for an investigation by the International Red Cross, the Russian government abruptly severed all diplomatic ties with Poland. Sir Owen O’Malley, the British Ambassador to the Polish government-in-exile, described the grisly scene:

    ” In the broad deep pit their comrades lay, packed closely around the edge, head to feet, like sardines in a tin….up and down on the bodies the executioners tramped, hauling [the corpses] about and treading in the blood like butchers in a stockyard. “

    Sir Owen O’Malley conducted an investigation and produced a detailed report that proved that the Soviets were guilty.  But Churchill hastily absconded with the report and warned everyone not to ever speak a word about it.

    They rounded them up. They loaded them into trucks. They tied their hands behind their backs, and they killed them.
    
    -Katyn Massacre 

    They politely told them to turn around. They asked them to put their hands behind their backs. Then they shot them FUCKING dead.

    Dead.

    Dead as a fish. Dead. D-E-A-D.

    Execution
    The progressive liberal communists rounded up anyone who could possibly be a threat to them. They loaded them into trucks. They tied their hands behind their backs, and they killed them.

    .

    When the atrocity was reported, the governments all, ordered it to be kept quiet and for no one to say a word about it.

    Know your history.

    You see, the progressive liberals; the communists wanted a complete extinction of all opposition in Poland. They destroyed anyone with knowledge. They eviscerated anyone with skills, ability or talent. They erased anyone who could organize against them.

    You know…

    People like YOU.

    In the spring of 1940, Stalin and Lavrenty Beria planned to liquidate  this potential source of opposition to Soviet control and gave orders to murder over 20,000 Polish officers.
    
    The murders were carried out at several sites. The most famous was the NKVD burial ground at Katyn, near Minsk (today in Belarus), but killings were also carried out at Piatikhatki (near Kharkiv in Ukraine) and at Mednoye in Russia.
    
    Other killing sites were never identified, although it is believed  that another group of officers was placed on old barges towed out into  the White Sea near the Arctic Circle and used for target practice by the  Soviet Navy.
    
    Those who died at Katyn included an admiral, two generals, 24 colonels, 79 lieutenant colonels, 258 majors, 654 captains, 17 naval captains, 3,420 NCOs, seven chaplains, three landowners, a prince, 43 officials, 85 privates, and 131 refugees. 
     
    One female air force officer was among the dead. Also among the dead were 20 university professors; 300 physicians; several hundred lawyers, engineers, and teachers; and more than 100 writers and journalists as well as about 200 pilots. 
    
    -Learning History

    We know about this because, while Stalin ordered everyone to be killed, their bodies were discovered by the Nazi’s that invaded Russia the subsequent year. They heard about the bodies and they investigated.

    Expert tip
    Do not board any trains, trucks, buses, or transport vehicles with others that appear to be leaving in a massive group. Do not believe the excuses that they give you, or what the destination will ultimately be. It is all a lie to trick you to go to a very bad place, and stay there.

    They used the information and pictures of what they found as anti-Soviet propaganda.

    Killed Polish General remains
    The remains of Brigadier General Smorawinski (
    Mieczysław Smorawiński ) found in one of the many graves in the Katyn forest. He had his hands tied behind his back and shot in the back of the head. After a short stay in various Soviet prisons and POW camps, at the end of 1939 he was transferred to the NKVD Special Camp in Kozelsk. Smorawiński left the camp on 7 April 1940. Together with most of the Polish officers imprisoned there he was executed by the NKVD at Katyn, in the spring of 1940, aged forty-six, in what became known as the Katyn massacre. During the exhumation of 1943 his body was exhumed and identified, as one of the Polish generals to be identified.
    Katyn Memorial in Jersey City
    Katyn Memorial in Jersey City. The progressive liberal democrats in power want it removed, or put in an isolated area so that “mothers don’t have to explain what happened in history”.

    .

    There are memorials to this horrible massacre in the United States. Though the local politicians in power wants the statues to be removed.

    In Jersey City, a park official proposed relocating a monument of the massacre to a less-traveled locale. He argued this because he found it “a little gruesome”, adding that “I can’t imagine how many mothers go by and have to explain it to their children.”

    This happened in Katyn, but also in Cambodia. As well as in China. It also happened in Cuba, North Korea, and Vietnam. Know your history. All of the ground-work is being laid down today for a near by future.

    Killing fields
    The Cambodian Killing Fields are a number of sites in Cambodia where collectively more than a million people were killed and buried by the Khmer Rouge regime, during its rule of the country from 1975 to 1979, immediately after the end of the Cambodian Civil War. The mass killings are widely regarded as part of a broad state-sponsored genocide. Analysis of 20,000 mass grave sites by the DC-Cam Mapping Program and Yale University indicate at least 1,386,734 victims of execution.

    .

    There will not be any leniency in this matter. If you are a threat, maybe you wrote something, or maybe you said an off-hand comment at work, you will be singled out. The “Diversity Officers” in your company have a firm lock-grip on who is not “with the program”. Take heed.

    You will be taken to the edge of a dug hole in the ground and you will be shot dead.

    Dead.

     
    Please kindly be advised that all of this will happen before you are aware that the SHTF. 
    
    You will wake up in the morning and dress like normal. You will drive in your car like normal, and get a coffee at a fast food restaurant like normal. The only thing out of the normal might be a friendly police officer that might pull you aside to "have a small chat with you". 

    Then, it is all downhill from there.

    Cambodian genocide
    We see pictures in history books and say, “nah that could never happen here”. The roads are dirt. The people are wearing military clothing. There isn’t anything that looks like a part of America in the pictures.

    But the truth is that yes it can happen here, and if you read ANYTHING at all about genocide, know the [1] it is always government sponsored, and [2] it is rare for a nation to escape a period of genocide longer than 100 year period between genocidal events. [3] It is always preceded by disarming of the citizenry.

    America is long overdue for one.
    Then you will turn around nicely while they put handcuffs on you. You will be entrapped long before you have any idea that things are going down. IT WILL NOT BE REPORTED, and you will be unaware.
    
    Do you think that all those people killed in Katyn had any idea what awaited them? Do you think that those factory workers in Serbia had any idea how their day would end? Do you think that those teachers in Cambodia had any idea what would happen when they "worked the fields".
    
    Be ready to be SURPRISED.

    If you are handcuffed, you will stand there while they go through your house.

    Betrayal is as old as man, but the pace and severity seems to be  accelerating. It hasn’t touched you or me yet, but someday soon we will  be told to “be patient, as we restore your account balance,” or “the FBI  will not allow this to happen again,” or “we’ve made some mistakes in  the past but we (the same people) will do better going forward.” Ya,  thanks. 
    
    - Karl Ushanka 

    Yes, war is ugly.

    Yes it is, but the reason why I am carrying on about it is really simple. Washington DC is under the impression that they can conduct another “war” and it will be one where the American Military wages war over decades, from distant areas of safety to hurt people who DO NOT FIGHT BACK.

    Nope.

    Those days are over.

    Every time you read or hear, or watch someone talking about Taiwan, the South China Sea, the Uighur Muslims, the Ukraine, or Russian spying realize that you are being prepped for agreeing to World War III.

    Remember also that wars NEVER go as planned, and the idea that a war with a major nuclear armed nation will be limited to conventional small arms on distant shores is a big fucking lie.

    And shame on you for believing it.

    The truth is that you are being set up for a war; a BIG NUCLEAR WAR.

    Expert tip
    Every article about Taiwan, the Uighur Muslims, Hong Kong pro-democracy movement, the Ukraine, or any contrary article about Russia or China are all propaganda setting you all up to agree to massive nuclear conflagration. Do not fall for it. As the intensity of these article increase, so does the changes of your death. Take note on what the “talking heads” and political commentators are saying. If they are devoting significant time to either of the other two global powers, then “head for the hills”.

    A nuclear nightmare.

    There is a very strong likelihood that this anti-Russia or Anti-China propaganda campaign will result in large-scale nuclear weapon detonations on American soil.

    Yes.

    You read that correctly.

    There is a strong likelihood that large-scale nuclear weapon(s) will be detonated on American soil within the next few years.

    There are numerous reasons why I hold this belief. But the biggest, I suppose, is the pro-war faction in the United States government.

    You see, the United States now believes that we should improve our nuclear warfare fighting capability so that we can use it.

    After all, with all those proxy wars the United States is fighting now, (eight in total as of 2019) that we should be able to field and use nuclear weapons freely without worry of retaliation. (After all, what’s all this nonsense about going to battle against Turkey and “our allies” the Kurds?)

     John  Bolton, openly advocates a first-strike policy against nuclear-armed  enemies, and the Pentagon, after decades of careful disarmament, wants  to spend $1.2 trillion to upgrade its nuclear arsenal. 
    
    If you’ve felt a  new shiver of nuclear fear over the past year, you’re not alone: The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has moved its “Doomsday Clock” to within two minutes of midnight — closer than it has been since the height of the Cold War.  
    
     - This Is What a Nuclear Bomb Looks Like  

    You see, according to the military and political planned deep within the bowels of Washington, America can use “low yield” tactical nuclear weapons on a sovereign foreign nation, and aside from some “political squawk”, nothing bad will come of it.

    No one ever fights back. Right?

    In December 2016, the US Defense Science Board – a semi-independent  group that advises the Secretary of Defense – warned that “the nuclear  threshold may be decreasing owing to the stated doctrines and weapons  developments of some states.” 
    
    Therefore, the DSB recommended DOD should  “provide many more options in stemming proliferation or escalation; and a  more flexible nuclear enterprise that could produce, if needed, a rapid, tailored nuclear option for limited use should existing non-nuclear or nuclear options prove insufficient.” This would involve “lower yield, primary only options” for strategic warheads on long-range ballistic missiles. 
    
    - The Terrifying Nuclear War Game the US Shouldn't Play  

    Now along with this attitude, is the strong belief that if America fields “low yield” nuclear devices that it will NOT result in devastating nuclear retaliatory strikes. That is considered inconceivable, as “everyone knows” that the United States is the strongest and most powerful nation in the world.

    There wouldn’t ever be any repercussions.

    It’s inconceivable.

    America still thinks that it is the only dog in the barn-yard. But, you know, the rest of the farm animals are getting mightily tired of the dog bullying everyone around. Especially as the dog is getting old, has arthritis, and other problems. One day, another animal might just say that enough is enough.

    America spent millions of dollars on NED, which actively went into China, into Hong Kong, on Chinese soil. They taught and trained the anti-government forces there. They taught them how to perform "soft violence" to provoke the mainland Chinese. They paid protestors, and gave them the skills to build bombs, and target maps and a strategy. 
    The US involvement in the HK "Democracy Now" movement.
    All of which was caught on video. With Trumps advisors caught on film (with a clear audio track) in the HK Marriot hotel explaining how to conduct the riots and how to destroy the subway stations. The Chinese have videos of the teaching and training classes for the insurgents, and the NED even has the gall to have their members on LinkedIN boasting about their involvement in HK.
    
    China did nothing. 
    
    Though, if the roles were reversed, it would be a different story. If China sent advisors to train the BLM and Antifa on how to bomb bus stations, trains, airports and destroy all public transportation. And they were caught on film and broadcast on all the Conservative networks, with Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity talking about it 24-7. It would be a catastrophic error in judgement. Don't you agree?
    
    But China did nothing.

    So America believes that it can go about launching all sorts of military, quasi and semi-para military operations all over the globe and no one will ever raise a finger to stop the empire expansionism.

    Snow ball strike from the movie "A Christmas Story".
    (Limited Yield) Snow ball strike from the movie “A Christmas Story”.

    It can be Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Afghanistan, the Ukraine. It can be anywhere from Venezuela to Turkey. No one will or can stop us. Right?

    China will do nothing. Right?

    Russia will do nothing. Right?

    No one will fight back. Russia and China won’t ever work together against the USA. Right?

    Right?

    Ralph fights back against the schoolyard bully. The scene is from the 1980's movie A Christmas Story.
    Ralph fights back against the schoolyard bully. The scene is from the 1980’s movie “A Christmas Story”.

    .

    The belief is that the US can launch a few “low yield” nuclear weapons and no nation would dare strike back. The USA can deploy Marines in Hong Kong or Taiwan, and China won’t do anything.

    It’s inconceivable. Don’t you know.

    I am not the only person that believes this. Read John Paul Roberts excellent article on the pre-nuclear  holocaust  preparations that America is currently engaged in. 
    
    Are You Ready To Die? 

    And since it would be inconceivable, the military and the United States government officials are today, far more likely and prone to using “safe”, “tactical” nuclear weapons to further their agendas.

    And these are dangerous agendas.

    These are agendas that are BLIND to the idea that the rest of the world might put it’s collective foot down and say “ENOUGH!”. And launch a retaliatory strike in full force, not only against the military forces on their territory, but rather at the American homeland, the American cities, and the American people who allowed these morons to get anywhere near nuclear launch codes.

    This map should scare the living Dejesus out of you. It shows how Washington DC and the political establishment views the use of low-yield nuclear weapons against Asia in the assumption that no one would strike back.
    This map should scare the living Dejesus out of you. It shows how Washington DC and the political establishment views the use of low-yield nuclear weapons against Asia in the assumption that no one would strike back.

    .

    I argue that if the United States, for what ever reason, launches and detonates any kind of nuclear weapon (low-yield, small backpack, tactical strike, or strategic nuclear), that there will be a FULL SCALE retaliatory response aimed at the United States.

    Any use of nuclear weapons anywhere in Asia will result in the complete destruction of the United States.

    And when American military planners contemplate the use of nuclear weapons it is along the lines of tailored tactical responses for set specific objectives. It’s always with “surgical” precision and “contained” destruction. Never taking into account the strong possibility of “unleashing the dogs of war” against us.

    They never take into account that the rest of the world thinks of America as a big loud-mouth bully that one day will get it's comeuppance.

    Here we consider a “slap back” response up to an all-out MAD-level (Mutually Assured Destruction) response to the United States.

    Expert tip
    Any use of American “surgical” nuclear weapons anywhere in Asia will result in the complete destruction of the United States.

    It assumes that we initiate the actions though our military use of “low yield” nuclear weapons in Asia. As such, we look at a large super-power unleashing modern large-capacity nuclear munitions, using hyper-glide technology against an unsuspecting America.

    Though, at that, many basement computer nerds think that a nuclear war is winnable and not all that bad...
    
    "A nuke is a big bomb, but not that big. Most of DC would survive, a lot of radiation poisoning though, and as you can see from the occasional floor shot, most of our congress is out of the building at least and most of the time... "

    We consider them releasing this onslaught within minutes after the USA detonates a”low yield” device in Asia. Which means, that nuclear detonations over coastal cities by SLBM MIRVs will detonate within minutes of launch.

    Minutes.

    Two minutes after the SLBM launches off the USA coast, the red lights will light up at NORAD and they will scramble to contact the American leadership. Five minutes later Washington will be erased from the surface of the globe.

    Thus obliterating the leadership of America in one fell swoop.

    These scenarios assume that the leadership in both Russia and China are not idiots. That they have anticipated the use by America of a tactical "low yield" nuclear weapon, and have positioned submarines and other systems for an immediate kill-level response that would detonate on American soil within minutes.
    
    Perhaps, you the reader disagree. Maybe you think that the rest of the world are idiots, and only Americans are smart. Good for you. Then.

    A quick reminder.

    While the United States has been very busy funding conventional military operations around the globe, strategic nuclear missile forces have taken a back seat to the realities of global proxy wars without nuclear strike-back.

    Once a missile launch is detected, I am comfortable knowing that it will be detected via satellite and the knowledge relayed to SAC HQ. That is…

    …unless the Chinese and the Russian hunter-killer satellites don’t take them out.

    REACT console
    Missile Combat Crew Commander, Capt. Kenny Gibaldo, (left) and 2nd Lt. John Butler, Deputy Crew Commander of the 320th Missile Squadron, simulate the launch of a Minuteman III using the REACT console in a Launch Control Capsule at Missile Alert Facility Hotel-1.

    People!

    People!

    Five minutes is not enough time to react to nuclear destruction. Whether or not the United States strategic forces are aware of a launch means nothing when hyper-speed technology and delivery weapons are used.

    Fundamentals

    According to the “Fourth Turning”, we can expect a major critical event to take place sometime from 2023 to 2025. This critical event historically involves mass deaths, the destruction of cities using the most advanced weapons of the time, and a complete over-haul of society.

    As shown in the following illustration…

    Here are the next few years before the Fourth Turning is expected to reach a crisis point. The astitute reader should realize that the event is scheduled immediately after the 2024 election. Historically, this will mean that a progressive democrat will take over the Presidency. In that event, we can expect a full -on gun conscification effort that would be the result of a mass-shooting event. Democrat presidents always have mass-shooting events int he first six months of their presidency. Then they unlease the anti-gun narrative to a fever pitch. The event that was supposted to really work this last time was the 2016 Los Vegas shooter, but of course it wasn't HIllary Clinton at the Helm it was Donald Trump..
    Here are the next few years before the Fourth Turning is expected to reach a crisis point.

    .

    I am betting on 2023, but it can be any time from 2023 to 2027.

    And you all might ask why. And to this I just look at the cycles of turning; the “Fourth Turning” cycles. Which pretty much seems to be repeating the same old bullshit that led to World War II, and the American Civil War.

    Expert tip
    John Titor claimed to be a time traveler. He discussed the “future” of America in 1998. All of his predictions came true, the only thing is that his dates were off by ten years. If you follow the events that hey laid out, and add ten years, you will see a contemporaneous civil war brewing in unreported balkanized areas where it is rural vs urban Americans. That the rich oligarchy is pulling the strings and making events happen, and that military overtures towards Russia will be significant and will result in Russia launching a devastating preemptive nuclear strike… not a retaliatory one against the United States.

    Can things get worse? Oh, you betya. If you think that 2021 was shit, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Things are sizing up for a really bad event…

    • Well, maybe you, I and the rest of the sheeple are not told what is going on, but the rest of the world’s leadership isn’t so ill-informed. Russia is most certainly taking all this seriously. Moscow conducts drills of nuke forces…

    And of course, Asia is uniting against the out-of-control American military empire…

    Do you remember earlier in this article how Germany and Russia teamed up together to destroy Poland? Do be so sure that Russia and China haven’t had enough of the USA bullshit.

    But not to worry, America has something called “diversity” and “democracy” and that no matter what happens, American troops will save us…

    .

    Not just that, but the nature of the American military is changing. It is getting rid of “basic training” and focusing on a softer and gentler military. Not one that responds to a harsh crisis, but one ready to handle the advanced high technology systems that the military uses within a fine well ordered environment. They are readying the military to become office and cubicle workers, able to push buttons, and rapidly respond to blinking lights on computer consoles.

    You think I am kidding? Nope…

    Why?

    I know that President Biden will have a different style that President Trump had, and a totally different mind-set. But that will only result in rearranging the passenger seats on the train, NOT the direction that the train is going in.

    America Today

    America today.
    How do you think people in Russia would act? What about people in China? I’ll tell you one thing, they wouldn’t be running into their cars in fear. That’s for certain. They would probably chase after them and kill it with their bar hands.

    .

    The United States leadership has an over-inflated perception of who they are and what capabilities that they possess.

    Already that anti-Russia campaign has started…

    I am not saying that Global Nuclear War is going to happen, but what I am saying is that the leadership in the rest of the world are being threatened by the United States and are teaming up together to prevent the USA from destroying the rest of the world.

    The Russian – China alliance is a very formidable block that Americans are unaware of.

    .

    This is not a popular opinion. But it is the reality. And showing people the reality, and that is the true and actual reality is often quite shocking to cattle that have been feeding from the trough for too long.

    People!

    You don’t fuck around with Russia!

    Tough childhood.
    It’s tough to grow up in Russia.

    .

    And of course, you all should well realize, by now at least, that you don’t fuck with China either.

    John Titor

    Believe him or not, if you add ten years on to his dates then EVERYTHING that he predicted would happen, actually happened. Keep note that he made these predictions back in 1998. And according to him…

    .

    And knowing that he said…

    Part 2 – 3:10 Question: “Why do you think that our future will be like your future?” Answer: “Because our world-lines are so similar.” 
    
    Part 2 – 3:43 “This world-line and my own are almost exactly alike.” 

    He talked about what his “past” in his world-line had to say…

    Part 2 – 17:40 Most people blamed the “government organizations” for the war.  Fast forward to 2017, where one the largest obstacles to meaningful change is the entrenched federal bureaucracy.  Curious that John Titor would say “government organizations” and not “the government”.  He actually predicted this problem.
     
    Part 2 – 20:50 “When the civil war broke out most decided to stay in the cities and lose most of their civil rights in the guise of security…” 
    America and privacy.

    And…

    Part 2 – 21:20 “avoiding conflict with the federal police” (The Department of Homeland Security the DHS = the “federal Police”.  Which was established by George Bush after 9-11. John Titor PREDICTED the Department of Homeland Security.)
     
    Part 2 – 22:30 “The US cities were attacked by Russia who was our enemy.”  In other words, the cities had become the de facto home of the enemies of the United States, and Russia attacked them. 

    With…

    Part 2 – 47:00 Hawaii will probably avoid much of the conflict, but it is dependent on the mainland for food.  Therefore, there would be strife on any small island. Interesting that he should make this statement.  Most people, by far, would assume that an island would be the best place to “ride out” world war III.  But John Titor says differently.  He says that the number one cause of death was starvation, and since most food to the island is imported, it would seem that it would not be a desirable location to hide. 

    With significant notes that say…

    Part 3 – 3:14 “There is a civil war in the United States that starts in 2005.”
     
    Part 3 – 3:30 “A nuclear war against the federal empire and the cities occurred in 2015, and thus we (in the countryside) won.” 

    Here, John Titor discusses “taking out the cities” by Russia and nuclear weapons. Which is what is currently being discussed in contemporaneous American Conservative media…

    RUSH: So during the obscene profit time-out mere moments ago, Mr.  Snerdley, the Official Program Observer, peppered me with a question.  The question was… what exactly was the question? Are we ever gonna win  the — (interruption) Are you talking about win elections or just…  (interruption) Okay. All right. Mr. Snerdley is asking if we’re ever  going to be able to win. And he’s talking about elections. Votes.
    
     Are we ever gonna be able to win without taking back some of these  cities? He’s talking about blue cities like New York, Philadelphia. I  assume you mean Detroit? (interruption) Do you include Milwaukee in  this? (Interruption) Definitely. All right. What about Oakland,  California? (interruption) Too far gone. San Francisco? (interruption)  You think we can get San Francisco? Look, we won election after election  after election without winning these cities or the states they’re in.  (interruption)
    
     I thought you were asking me something else when you said, “Can we  win?” I thought you meant can we win the culture, can we dominate the  culture. I actually think — and I’ve referenced this, I’ve alluded to  this a couple of times cause I’ve seen others allude to this. I actually  think that we’re trending toward secession. I see more and more people  asking what in the world do we have in common with the people who live  in, say, New York? What is there that makes us believe that there is  enough of us there to even have a chance at winning New York, especially  if you’re talking about votes.
    
    -Rush Limbaugh

    Adding ten years, we get…

    • Civil War that starts during the Obama Presidency in 2015.
    • Nuclear War with Russia that starts in 2025; the Biden Presidency.

    Additionally he said this about Florida

    Part 3 – 9:00 Jacksonville, Florida was vaporized by a nuclear weapon. He worked out of a military base in Tampa.  That assumes that Tampa must not have been hit by a nuclear strike. 

    Very curious. If these “minor” facilities were attacked, then you can guarantee that all the other larger bases were obliterated.

    Military bases in Florida.

    .

    He said this about Nebraska

    Part 2 – 7:30 He tells his parents in the 2000 world-line to move to Omaha Nebraska because that is where the new capital will be, and it is a safe rural farming community. 

    And he said this about Canada

    Part 2 – 40:10 Canada is full of very dangerous and ruthless people. 

    And his opinion about us at this point in time…

    Part 3 – 11:45 Imagine that you are a Jew and could travel back in time to Germany at the time of the rise of Hitler in the early 1930’s.  You know what the future would be.  Yet, you see all around you, the ignorant masses of people who continue their behaviors in complete ignorance in what it will eventually lead towards. 
    
    Part 3 – 13:25 Question: Which parts of the United States are safe from the conflict of Civil war, and Nuclear war?  Answer:  Take a close look at the county by county voting maps of the last election. 
    
    Part 3 - 16:15 “Russia’s enemy is not you the people.  Russia’s enemy is the United States government.”
     
    Part 3 – 16:45 Statements hint at the deterioration of the Middle East as a negative influence on global stability. 
    American global relationships.
    American global relationships.

    .

    And if you add ten years to every date that John Titor gave, this statement should bring “goose bump pimples” to your arms…

    Part 3 – 24:54 “The year 2008 was a general time when everyone realized that the world they thought they lived in was over.” 

    2018.

    Part 3 – 34:13 When the war comes it will be blatantly obvious to everyone in the nation that it will occur. The shocking thing was that so many people decided to stay in the very cities where they knew the bombs would be dropped.
     
    Part 3 – 37:30 The president at the time of the Civil War tried to be another Lincoln and hold the country together, but many of the government policies drove a wedge in the civil rights of Americans and created divisions that were irreconcilable. The President in 2009 was concerned ONLY in keeping his power base. (Stated with eerily accuracy in 2000.)
     
    Part 3 – 38:10 One of the things that John Titor alluded to was that the United States president elected in 2008 might be a man or a woman.  Yet, back in the year 2000 it was inconceivable that a woman would even consider running for President.  Yet, we know now that Hillary Clinton did do exactly that and ran for President in 2008.  It seems strange today, after the Hollywood blitz of Madam President Movies all in support of a Hillary Clinton Presidency.  But at that time it was unknown. 

    And this most accurate description…

    Part 3 – 9:45 “Let me let you in on a little secret.  No one likes you in the future.  This time period is looked upon as a lazy, self-centered, civilly ignorant sheep.” 
    American freedom.
    Americans in COVID-19 isolation pens, 2020.

    .

    And about the American Civil War as a buildup toward the total destruction of America by nuclear weapons…

    Part 3 – 47:15  Most people will starve, the rest will die of disease, followed by bullet wounds and radiation.  In that order.
     
    Part 3 – 52:48 “The conflict was not about taking and holding ground, it was about order and rights… …they were betting that people wanted security over freedom and they were wrong.” 
    
    Part 3 – 54:38 “The cities were not isolated because of them, they were isolated because of us (the people in the “red states” or countryside.)” 

    The mix of American civil war and global nuclear war is interesting. Keep in mind that neither Russia or China are communist. They retain the historical terms and phrases, but functionally they do not resemble anything like what is being portrayed in American media.

    Russia…

    Russia is not Communist.
    Part 5 – 3:31 The police actually got away with harming an American citizen, filming it, and getting off with no negative consequences. Perhaps John Titor was right, because these are exactly the kinds of things that he stated would lead up to the American civil war.
     
    Part 5 – 4:50 Our enemy was the global banking elite which were all centered in the cities.
     
    Part 5 – 7:30 It is now Russia that is stopping the globalists, the New World Order people and the global Banking Elite. 
    
    Part 5 – 11:05 When Russia nukes our cities, they are killing off our citizen’s enemies. Our enemies are internal, not external. (According to John Titor, the nukes were accurate and relatively “clean” and used in clusters of three.)
     
    Part 5 – 15:00 John Titor said that he would prefer to have lived the live after World War III than a peaceful solution. The only way to fix the issues is to start fresh. 

    Interesting stuff these John Titor predictions. And remember…

    Part 3 – 42:30 The people with the most to lose would be the most untrustworthy when the world changes.
     
    Part 3 – 43:10 “We have a saying here.  Safe is anywhere a hungry person cannot walk in three days.” 

    So knowing this, and knowing that, and knowing history, we NEED to observe how the people of Poland managed to survive during those Hellish years from 1939 through 1945…

    …and emulate them.

    Which will be on another post. Please stand by.

    A final Metallicman word and some final thoughts.

    All this is stressful. It is stressful because there is nothing you all can do about it. So you make do with what you have. You appreciate your life and the loved ones that surround you, and you reach out to your neighbors and your community.

    Take pleasure in the little things.

    Snow outside, cozy bed inside.
    Take pleasure in the little things.

    .

    Appreciate the loved ones that care for you, and give them your time and affections. Seriously too little of our precious time is being spent like this…

    Appreciate the loved ones that care for you, and give them your time and affections.

    .

    MM is a free website. It’s not a for-profit enterprise. I am doing this because I do understand how the universe works, I do understand the mediums of exchange, and the consequences of actions, and I do understand what is going on. As do our benefactors.

    Stop being so profit-oriented. Start being more people-oriented. Stop thinking of money and things. Start considering people and relationships.

    Expert tip
    Remember, if some “expert” on the extraterrestrial issue asks you for money or to pay, they actually have ZERO experience with extraterrestrials, and ZERO knowledge of how the universe works. Exchanging knowledge for profit creates a very undesirable situation for us who know what the fuck is going on. We accept donations. We accept meals, friendships and kind words and deeds. But we do not demand financial gain.

    Everything is falling into place. But do not allow the fear of what might occur change who you are internally. Things are following a specific path, and all is being actuated wihtin those vectors. Keep with the program. Be a Rufus. Appreciate the world around you. Be helpful and kind. Not hurt, trick or try to profit unneedlessly.

    Be a “good guy”.

    Metallicman gives some most excellent advice.

    .

    Please look around you and take pleasure in what you see. The world is big and beautiful and there are people who are worthy of your time, your love, your consideration. Do what you can to shut out the evil and corrupted from your life, and appreciate the world that lies around you in abundance.

    Look around. Watch.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my SHTF Index here…

    SHTF Articles

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index
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    Part ten – Calculating the geometry of the DIY dimensional portal egress station.

    This post we will look at the general considerations for the design of the egress portal itself.

    This is part of the DIY series in making your very own dimensional portal. The geometry of the egress station will stay the same regardless of how you use this dimensional portal. Whether it is intended as a “time machine”, a mechanism to traverse the “what if” worlds, or just something you want to use to improve your physical appearance, the geometry will not change.

    Dimensional portal showing magnetic field generator.
    Dimensional portal showing magnetic field generator, and the “air gap” that the traveler must pass through to use the mechanism. This post discusses the geometry of this “air gap”.

    Basic Introduction

    Note that this is an article that is part of a long series of posts on DIY construction of a dimensional portal. 
    
    This technology will permit a person to move anywhere in the universe geographically, move through time, and more in and out of different world-lines. 

    This page is part of a collection of my writings on how to make a home-made dimensional portal that actually works. This portal is a “poor man’s” version of the MAJestic dimensional portal that was present in NAS NASC Pensacola Florida back in 1981.

    This particular post covers the geometry of the portal itself’ the “air gap” or region that that traveled must walk through in order to travel the various world-lines.

    Teleportation is a proven fact, and is well understood in the quantum physics world. It has been demonstrated continuously and repeatedly in the laboratory as well. 
    
    Though public demonstration of large objects is not available and considered "far fetched", the fact is this is a mature technology.
    
    This technology has been in possession of the United States Navy's ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence) branch of high technology MAJestic branch, of which I was a part of.

    Overall, this post is part of a much larger series of posts. All of which describe a rather comprehensive DIY project. Within it is everything that you need to construct your very own dimensional portal. The big missing gap is the mapping of the dimensional coordinates. Because unless you are able to lay out a destination coordinate, you will have little use for this mechanism.

    The equations tend to be a tad esoteric, but it’s nothing too difficult as long as you know some basic mathematics. Just follow the narrative and the instructions and you will be just fine.

    This is part 10. The calculations and equations related to the actual portal geometry.

    You are here.

    I always like it when you are lost in a big museum, hospital or factory, and you come up to a big sign on the wall; a map really, that says “You are here.”. It helps you figure out where you are relative to the over all scheme of things.

    You are here.
    You are here.

    Let’s see where this post fits into the big scheme of things.

    Essentially, the idea is quite simple, really. [1] You generate a massive, simply massive; “big honker” electromagnet. In it is [2] this “air gap” or a gap large enough for a person to walk though. [3] The magnetic field generated in the electromagnet is enormous. It is [4] strong enough to “erase” or “obscure” your current “coordinates” associated with this world-line and your life. Then, [5] new coordinates are over-laid over your body, [6] using frequency generation techniques, and [7] when the magnetic field collapses you “snap” right to the new reality or dimensions that you have imprinted.

    It’s rather simple. The issues are in the implementation of the various steps.

    You need to [8] measure the frequencies of location with extreme precision. You need [9] to be able to functionally understand how to change them to take you where ever you want to go. You need [10] to pulse the electromagnet into sine wave configuration, and [11] you need to have the traveler become brainwave neutral during the egress operation.

    I’ve covered those steps elsewhere.

    Here we will concentrate on the geometry of the “air gap” that the person (traveler) will walk into. It is section #2, above and highlighted in BOLD.

    With this in mind, let’s crack open our electromagnetic handbooks and review just how a magnet works and how we can apply that knowledge to our particular application.

    The design of magnets and electromagnets is a mature technology. I personally find it fascinating. As it is just a very interesting subject that I have taken a shine to. You can find all sorts of texts, websites, and papers written about this technology. And anything listed herein can be found elsewhere if you were so inclined to research elsewhere.
    
    In this post, I am going to take this very interesting technology and break it down into a very simple format, so that anyone trying to (or who desires of) building their own dimensional portal can understand the issues involved.

    Air Gap

    This is the “interface” where the traveler enters the transport mechanism. It is an open area. It is a space, and since it contains air, it is known as a “air gap” as it is typically a gap within a large metal ring.

    Air gap, is a non-magnetic part of a magnetic circuit.

    It is usually connected magnetically in series with the rest of the circuit, so that a substantial part of the magnetic flux flows through the gap. Here’s a three dimensional diagram of an air gap in a magnetic circuit…

    S. Zurek, Encyclopedia Magnetica, CC-BY-3.0.
    S. Zurek, Encyclopedia Magnetica, CC-BY-3.0.

    Depending on application, air gap may be filled with a non-magnetic material such as gas, water, vacuum, plastic, wood etc. and not necessarily just with air.3)4)

    So we can say that if the device were enclosed within a pool of water, the person could swim though the gap and teleport to a new location. But why bother, right? We live and breathe and walk in air.

    Flux Fringing

    Due to increased reluctance of an air gap the flux spreads into the surrounding medium.

    Think of water in a tube, as long as the tube keeps the water inside the tube, it flows forward without any loss or leakage. But the moment that you add a hole, or series of holes in the tube, you will have leaks. Water will squirt out, and as it does so, it will “take away” from the smooth flow of the rest of the water in the tube.

    When you add an air gap to increase the reluctance of the core then it is almost as if you have decreased its permeability, and thereby lowered the inductance of a winding on it. Indeed, when you buy a core with a pre-fabricated gap then the manufacturer may specify what is called the effective permeability of the core, μ e.
    
    -Air gapped magnetic cores

    This spreading eventually causes an ‘effect” known as the “flux fringing effect.”

    Flux fringing - a phenomenon in which the magnetic flux flowing in a magnetic core spreads out (or fringes out) into the surrounding medium, for example in the vicinity of an air gap. 
    
    -Flux fringing [Encyclopedia of magnetics and electromagneti…
    Flux fringing.
    Flux fringing

    The point behind this is that we need a gap for the traveler to walk through, but the mere presence of the gap will “take away” or detract from the energy, power and efficiency of the magnetic flux in that gap.

    In order to quantify how much magnetic flux you will lose, you need to calculate it. This is done by observing the “eddy current loss”.

    Eddy Current Loss

    Flux Fringing is generally an unwanted phenomenon which usually increases proximity and eddy current loss in conductors located in the vicinity of the air gap. To simplify; the “flux fringing” phenomenon subtracts away from the strength of the magnetic flux inside the air gap.

    Eddy Current Loss
    Eddy Current Loss

    A sectional view of the magnetic core is shown in the figure above. When the changing flux links with the core itself, it induces emf in the core which in turns sets up the circulating current called Eddy Current. And these current in return produces a loss called eddy current loss or (I2R) loss, where I is the value of the current and R is the resistance of the eddy current path.

    The strength and the magnitude of the loss of magnetic flux is a function of the geometry of the air gap and the over-all magnitude of the flux itself.

    Reducing the Eddy Current Loss

    If the core is made up of solid iron of larger cross-sectional area, the magnitude of I (current) will be very large and hence losses will be high. To reduce the eddy current loss mainly there are two methods.

    • By reducing the magnitude of the eddy current.

    The magnitude of the current can be reduced by splitting the solid core into thin sheets called laminations, in the plane parallel to the magnetic field. Each lamination is insulated from the other by a thin layer of coating of varnish or oxide film.

    Instead of a solid metal core, if you make it out of thin lamination’s, you will be able to be able to control eddy current loss.
    • By laminating the core.

    By laminating the core, the area of each section is reduced and hence the induced emf also reduces. As the area through which the current is passed is smaller, the resistance of eddy current path increases.

    Diagram showing how laminated cores operate within an magnetic field environment.
    Diagram showing how laminated cores operate within an magnetic field environment.

    Influence on B-H loop

    The B-H loop of a magnetic circuit is affected by the presence of an air gap. This is an important characteristic of the environment inside of the air gap.

    The B-H loop is produced by measuring the magnetic flux (B) of a ferromagnetic material when the applied magnetizing force is changed (H). A ferromagnetic material which has been never before magnetized or demagnetized ferromagnetic material will trail the dashed line (see the figure) as magnetizing force (H) is increased.

    A B-H Loop in  soft magnet.
    A B-H Loop in soft magnet.

    Permeability of non-magnetic material is low (such as air) and therefore it requires greater values of to obtain the same value of as compared with magnetically soft materials (such as iron). Here is a more detailed image of a typical B-H Loop showing key features of it.

    B-H Loop
    B-H loop

    With the introduction of an air gap the B-H loop of a magnetic circuit gets “sheared” (slanted), hence the value of its slope proportional to the effective permeability is reduced.

    Effective magnetic permeability (also apparent magnetic permeability1)), often denoted as μe, μeff or μa - a term used in analysis of magnetic performance of gapped cores. For a non-homogeneous core (e.g. gapped or composed of powder-like particles) this would be the value of magnetic permeability of a hypothetical homogeneous material which would exhibit the same permeability.

    The amount of “shearing” is proportional to the length of the air gap – the larger the air gap the lower the slope. For our application, this air gap is quite large; it is the height of a human being.

    For air core coil (no magnetic material present) the B-H characteristics become by definition the same as for the non-magnetic material encircled by the winding (e.g. air).

    The influence of air gap on the shape of B-H loop for a cut core is shown below…

    B-H loops (hysteresis loops) measured on a toroidal core, made from grain-oriented electrical steel grade M4. The core was cut and lapped. Blue curve shows the B-H loop with the lapped faces touching. Red curve shows data measured for the same core, with an air gap of 0.07 mm (plastic shim) introduced between the lapped faces. B-H loops measured at 1.7T, 50Hz. Power loss was 1.49 W/kg without air gap, and 1.45 W/kg with the air gap, so very little change comparing to great changes of the shape of the loop.

    by S. Zurek, Encyclopedia Magnetica, CC-BY-3.0

    Changes of effective permeability and linearisation of the B-H loops caused by increasing the air gap …

     A comparative graph showing the influence of increasing air gap in a magnetic core. The numbers denote the unitless ratio lg/lc, where: lg - length of gap and lc - length of core.

Drawing based on: G.B. Finke, Gapped magnetic core structures, Magnetic Metals Corporation, {accessed 17 Jun 2013}.
    A comparative graph showing the influence of increasing air gap in a magnetic core. The numbers denote the unitless ratio lg/lc, where: lg – length of gap and lc – length of core.
    Drawing based on: G.B. Finke, Gapped magnetic core structures, Magnetic Metals Corporation, {accessed 17 Jun 2013}.

    by S. Zurek, Encyclopedia Magnetica, CC-BY-3.0

    Conversely, if no air gap is present then the slope becomes as steep as possible, and the B-H loop will represent the closest approximation of the characteristic of the magnetic material (for a given shape of the magnetic circuit). For our egress portal design, the B-H Loop is very, extremely slanted. It is nearly horizontal. And that does pose some design challenges.

    The creation of a workable “air gap” can be achieved for instance by careful polishing or lapping of the flat faces, in order to reduce the surface roughness and the amount of space between the magnetic surfaces. 5)

    Calculator of effective magnetic permeability from air gap

    For a magnetic circuit with uniform cross-section the value of effective permeability μeff can be calculated if the lengths and permeabilities of both part of the circuit are known.

    The equation is valid only for a simple magnetic circuit, made out of bulk material, for relative permeability if lcore >> lgap, and if µcore >> 1.
    The equation is valid only for a simple magnetic circuit, made out of bulk material, for relative permeability if lcore >> lgap, and if µcore >> 1.
    Gapped core.
    Gapped core with: total magnetic path length l (orange), length of core lcore (blue) and length of air gap(red)

    .

    I find this all very interesting. But you know, many people cannot visualize the differences between a small model and the actual real object. It’s like that scene from the Movie Hangover III. Where the one character looks at the model of an estate, and comments, (more or less)…

    [to Phil and Stu]
    Alan: You guys know what’s going on, right?
    Phil: What do you mean?
    Alan: Well…
    [to Chow]
    Alan: And please correct me if I’m wrong.
    [pointing to the miniature villa]
    Alan: We’re not breaking into this house, this house is too small. We’re breaking into another house. This is just a model, right, Chow?
    Mr. Chow: What?
    

    In short, if we use the simpler, most basic design for this electromagnet, then the magnet will have to be huge. You would take the picture of the above magnet, and scale it up. So the air gap which is perhaps 1/8 of an inch wide, would actually be six or seven feet tall.

    Thus making the entire magnet building-sized.

    Gapped and air-cored inductors

    To understand other alternatives to this design and style of an electromagnet, we need to understand what options that we have. And, lucky for us, there are many. We can use the technologies involved in inductors to help us work out more “reasonable” solutions that won’t require us to get a building permit to create a five story tall electromagnet.

    Now, fundamentally, the presence of the air-gap will change the ability of the electromagnet to work efficiently. From it’s initial conception through to utility, the entire system is fraught with inefficiencies. Never the less, use of it in our application is guaranteed to work provided that the magnetic flux is large enough.

    Energy storing inductors

    Air gaps are an integral part of gapped inductors.

    An analogy of the movement of magnetic flux within an air-gapped inductor and that of an electrical circuit.
    An analogy of the movement of magnetic flux within an air-gapped inductor and that of an electrical circuit.

    .

    The gap reduces effective permeability of a given magnetic circuit and allows storing much greater energy before saturation is reached.

    Effective magnetic permeability (also apparent magnetic permeability), often denoted as μe, μeff or μa - a term used in analysis of magnetic performance of gapped cores. For a non-homogeneous core (e.g. gapped or composed of powder-like particles) this would be the value of magnetic permeability of a hypothetical homogeneous material which would exhibit the same permeability.

    Increasing the gap reduces the inductance, so the winding must have more turns to compensate accordingly.12)

    The larger the air-gap, the more turns of wire that must be used in the electro-magnet.

    For a given size of inductor the amount of stored energy versus applied air gap can be represented by a Hanna curve.13)

    If operation with high currents is required then the air gap might be very large, so that the magnetic circuit is quite “open”.

    For instance, a common design for electronic chokes is to place a winding on a magnetic rod. The magnetic field lines must close through the surrounding air (outside of the winding), so the length of the air gap is comparable with the length of the rod.14)

    In some cases the currents are so high that it is very difficult or cost prohibitive to design the inductor with a magnetic core. In such case a so-called “air core” is used, where the windings are supported by a non-magnetic structure, and the whole magnetic circuit is effectively one big air gap.

    The distribution of air gap can be also extended even further. There are magnetic materials, which are made from small particles (mostly based on powder iron, sendust or moly permalloy powder) bound together in such a way as to contain certain percentage of non-magnetic volume in them.

    Sendust
    Sendust is a magnetic metal powder that was invented by Hakaru Masumoto at Tohoku Imperial University in Sendai, Japan, about 1936 as an alternative to permalloy in inductor applications for telephone networks. Sendust composition is typically 85% iron, 9% silicon and 6% aluminum. The powder is sintered into cores to manufacture inductors. Sendust cores have high magnetic permeability (up to 140 000), low loss, low coercivity (5 A/m) good temperature stability and saturation flux density up to 1 T.
    Moly Permalloy . 
    An alloy with exceptionally high magnetic permeability, very low coercive force, very low core losses, and low remnance by magnetic field annealing. The alloy finds application in magnetic shielding where fields much less than the Earth’s magnetic field are required. The highest volume applications using laminations or tape wound cores today are ground fault interrupter and modem transformer cores. The alloy is used as well in a variety of other high performance transformer core applications such as tape recorder heads and audio transformers. Control of the cooling rate during heat treatment and superimposition of various customer bake treatments are used to develop the most suitable magnetic quality for the application

    The resultant effective permeability is much lower, but the air gap is uniformly distributed throughout the whole material.16) The fringing effect and leakage flux is greatly reduced, which is especially important for high-frequency applications.

    Electromagnets

    If the idea of creating a building-sized electromagnet is not appealing, there are other ways of conducting and producing electromagnets. Such as this one. Large electromagnet with a 200 mm long air gap..

    Large semi-industrial DC electromagnet, made by Magneto (and co-designed by Stan Zurek). The air gap allows exposing objects 20 x 20 x 20 cm to flux density 0.4 T and higher.
    Large semi-industrial DC electromagnet, made by Magneto (and co-designed by Stan Zurek). The air gap allows exposing objects 20 x 20 x 20 cm to flux density 0.4 T and higher.

    by S. Zurek, Encyclopedia Magnetica, CC-BY-3.0

    A common performance expected from an electromagnet is to generate magnetic field within a given volume of an air gap.

    The purpose of an electromagnet is to generate a strong magnetic field within the air gap.

    This could be done for a number of tasks, for instance:

    • to exert mechanical force on a designed part – this operation is similar to electromagnetic actuators
    • to exert mechanical force on inclusions or other elements suspended in non-magnetic matter – a principle used in magnetic separators42), recording of shapes on magnetic film43) and some medical applications (e.g. guiding particles inside of blood vessels)44)
    • to provide magnetic field required for material processing45)46)

    And this is exactly what our use of this system is for.

    Of the shelf designs for experimentation purposes.

    Why go straight to the creation of large (building sized) electromagnets, when there are well made, smaller, units available? You can buy these smaller units, and run tests and experiments using them. You will be able to do everything that a big electromagnet can do, except send a human-sized object to another dimension.

    Here is one such product…

    DXSBV Double-Yoke Single-Tuning Adjustable Air Gap Electromagnet
    Double-yoke electromagnet, whose magnetic pole pieces stay vertically to the ground, with downward magnetic pole piece to be fixed, topside magnetic pole piece and air gap to be adjustable, the magnetic field is vertical with the ground. The main feature is easy to place and remove the sample, which is suitable for repeated measurement, widely used in magnetic materials testing.

    And here are some specifications for some of the models that this company produces…

    Specifications.
    Specifications

    .

    The inspired DIY dimensional experimenter might be interested in following up with this at the company website HERE.

    Energy stored in air gap

    A magnetic circuit behaves like a “conductor” so that the magnetic field can be efficiently guided along desired path. If a high-permeability material is used then very little energy will be stored in the magnetic core. However, an air gap introduces a discontinuity and due to its low permeability stores significant amount of magnetic energy, as compared to the same volume of magnetic core.

    This energy storing property is utilized, for instance, in energy storing inductors and flyback transformers, in which air gap in a pivotal design parameter. On the one hand, the air gap is used for storing the actual energy, but on the other it changes operating characteristics of the B-H curve and allows driving the inductor at higher currents hence higher magnetic field strength thus extending the range before magnetic saturation occurs.

    For a simple magnetic circuit with a single air gap (see the first image at the top), for which the core is made out of high-permeability material such that , with the air gap itself and the flux density in the air gap being uniform, and if the flux fringing can be neglected, it can be derived that the stored energy is: 47)

    where: – stored energy (J), – flux density in the air gap (T), – volume of the air gap (m3),
    permeability of free space (H/m).

    .

    This equation is our GOLD STANDARD from which to calculate the air gap dimensions.

    Air Gap Dimensions

    Here is what I would suggest to use as the volume and the dimensions for the air gap.

    Air gap Dimensions.
    Air gap Dimensions.

    Flux fringing

    Flux fringing (red arc) around an air gap in magnetic core

    An FEM simulation of a gapped inductor. The field lines show the magnetic flux. In the air gap the green trajectory (between the poles) is the desired path for flux, but the red one shows fringing flux. S. Zurek, Encyclopedia Magnetica, CC-BY-3.0
    An FEM simulation of a gapped inductor. The field lines show the magnetic flux. In the air gap the green trajectory (between the poles) is the desired path for flux, but the red one shows fringing flux.

    by S. Zurek, Encyclopedia Magnetica, CC-BY-3.0

    Flux fringing is caused by the fact that the reluctance of the concentrated air gap is much greater than that of the core. The flux tries to spread as wide as possible in order to minimise the drop of magnetomotive force across the air gap. As a result of flux fringing the total reluctance of the circuit is somewhat lower. This has several major effects.

    In energy-storing inductors the inductance is related to the reluctance of the air gap. The fringing lowers the overall reluctance, so that the resulting inductance is somewhat higher. This needs to be taken into account so that the inductance value is appropriate for a given design. There are various empirical equations suggested in literature for calculating the correction of this effect.

    McLyman

    For instance McLyman suggest the following “flux fringing factor” ():48)

    where: F – factor by which the inductance is increased (unitless),lgap– length of the air gap (m),A – cross-section area of the core (m2), lwindow— length of the inside (in the window) of the core leg in which the gap is present (m).

    Rectangular Cross Section

    Another example is when the area of the air gap is scaled according to its length. For instance if the magnetic core cross-section is a rectangle the following calculation can be used: 49)

    where: and are the lengths of each side of the rectangular cross-section of the magnetic core (m).

    Hurley and Wölfle

    Yet another approximating equation is given by Hurley and Wölfle50)

    However, all such equations are only approximate, and usually work only under the assumption that the length of the air gap is much smaller than any of the dimensions of the core.

    Additional Copper Loss

    The second effect is additional copper loss due to the fact that fringing flux “bulges away” from the air gap. Usually most of the core window is occupied by windings and if they are exposed to fast-changing fringing flux (e.g. in flyback transformers) this causes additional eddy current losses in the windings.51)

    Entry Angle

    The third effect is that the fringing flux enters the core perpendicularly to the normal flow of magnetic field. In soft ferrites this is not a problem. But in laminated cores this flux does not travel along the laminations, but enters them perpendicularly to their surface, resulting in a large value of normal component, inducing elevated eddy currents and thus additional iron loss. A distributed air gap is employed in order to reduce this effect (see next section).

    References

    Here’s some reference for further research.

    Conclusion

    The first step in building this DIY teleportation / dimensional egress portal is to construct the electromagnet that will be used to erase the universal location frequencies of the traveler. Any strong and powerful enough magnetic field will do, but in this post we discuss using electomagnets with an enormous air gap to provide this ability.

    Further, commercially available systems (of a much smaller scale) are available for purchase and use for experimentation purposes, and for purposes of obtaining location frequency data, and that associated with time, and location.

    Do you want more?

    I’d hope so. I have more posts in my DIY dimensional Portal Index here…

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    From then to now; how my unrelenting sequence of prayer & affirmation campaigns changed my life.

    Oh boy! Buckle up!

    One of my friends, in casual conversation, asked me (while talking about prayer campaigns and affirmations) what all the changes were like, for me, after over four decades of prayer / affirmation campaigns.

    And I read what she asked of me, and I’ll tell you truthfully, I just leaned back in my chair and stared dumb-founded at the screen. Oh, yes. Things have really changed. They really, really, REALLY have changed. I just never really thought about it that way.

    But… yeah.

    And yeah…

    It’s complicated.

    Our experiences change us. My role in MAJestic changed me. My relationships with others changed me. The culture sand society changed me, and all kinds of influences shaped my life. And if you take one such influence out, I would be a completely different person.

    Life changes you.

    And, I’ll tell you what, four decades of life is gonna change you.

    It’s one thing to live life, and sway in the wind, guideless and directionless. Like some clothing hung on a clothes line to dry. But it’s another thing to pilot an ocean steamer, blind in the dark, dark night trying to make it to paradise.

    Since I left the Navy, and entered MAJestic, my entire life has been that of directed prayer / thought / affirmations and intention.

    In fact, what I am trying to say is that without the prayer / affirmation campaigns I would not have had so many changes. Without my role in MAJestic, I wouldn’t have been exposed to so many things, ideas and changes. And all things taken together as a whole, I have to admit… life, and experiences are all intertwined with affirmation campaigns.

    Do. Not. Assume.

    That.

    I. Would. Be.

    What. I. Am. Today.

    Without. Prayer. Campaigns.

    Don’t make that assumption. It’s a foolish and stupid assumption. I attribute my material wealth, the quality and quantity of life, and my experiences are all a direct result of my personal prayer affirmations that I have conducted for over four decades.

    My current life, and lifestyle is the direct result of my prayer affirmation campaigns.

    For Starters

    Let’s begin with answering the question.

    What changes do I have in my life right now, compared to the life that I had in the 1980's?

    Well, since I started the affirmation campaigns in the late 1980’s. We will begin there. Let’s use the starting point where it’s a few years after my calibration and training at China Lake NWC outside of Ridgecrest, California.

    At that time, I had left the Navy and MAJestic told me to “make a living and live life”, and so I found work in an automotive electronics company in central Indiana.

    So we will use that as the initial baseline. We will refer to that period of time, say middle to late 1980’s as the comparison subject. And on the other end, we will compare it to my life, right now today.

    The differences are stark. And i have never really thought about things in that way. So it kind of took me back a little.

    So thinking about all this, I ended up pausing. Contemplating.

    At which point, I made this little picture…

    .

    Indeed, you just cannot assume that every single office dweeb that working in the monstrosity work environments of the 1980’s are now big powerful bosses. You just cannot say that this is what happens, that everyone follows a career and that they naturally rise up. It’s been my personal experience that I was the outlier.

    My co-workers from those days pretty much “bailed out” of that environment after maybe four or five job layoffs. Many are now retired or wrapping up their own (much smaller) self-employed businesses, or are running consultancies, or teaching. Very, very few are as “successful” as I am.

    As if “success” is a universally understood concept.

    Everyone is different, and life has a way of grabbing you “by the balls” and give you “a few knocks in the head”, in order to “straighten you out”. And as a result, you end up changing. You become a different person.

    I like to think that many of my former co-workers are doing well. They are certainly doing and living life different than I am. But one man’s ideal, might be another man’s nightmare.

    Who’s to say that my life is “better” than theirs are?

    You cannot.

    Instead, you have to judge “success” on the basis of the individual. AND STOP COMPARING yourself to others. Instead, we will compare myself to myself. And if we do that, we can see the relationship that time, and intention has over my own personal life. And that, my friends, might be illustrative… and I hope… inspiring.

    You should be able to see things…

    You should be able to see that my overall attitude is quite different. The feelings of helplessness compared to the feelings of raw power that I hold today are beyond compare. But it is more than that. Much more.

    There used to be a song (in the 1970’s), and while I have long since forgotten the name of the song and who sang it, the lyrics went something like this…

    "Life is what you make it...
    ...if you can take it...
    ...you don't have to break it...
    ...life is what you make it."

    Well…

    Is my life “better” than it was four decades ago in the 1980’s working in the States? Am I living a fantastic life? How does my life compare now? Can it be attributed to intention prayer campaigns, or to something else? Like coincidence?

    First off, let’s see if my life can be judged as a “success” compared to what it was four decades ago. But, we have a problem. What actually is “success”?

    Judging by money and wealth

    If you judge a man, or anyone, or me (even) by the amount of money that I have then I would be classified as a failure. I have restructured my life so that I do not have any money, nor savings accounts, nor credit accounts, nor any tangible means to equate personal value with my monetary wealth.

    • No bank accounts.
    • No legal ownership papers in my name.
    • No “paper trail” of employment.
    • No credit rating.

    An investigator would find me a very boring subject. I don’t have anything. And that includes money. So under these terms, I would be classified as an abject failure. This is absolute, in those specific terms.

    Of course, Heh heh, what do you all think an ex-spook would look like? You think that we would be on the grid, and monitored like some kind of common criminal, felon or hoodlum. 

    Judging by number of children

    Some people view success as the ability to father the most children as possible during their lifetime.

    I have met many ethnic youth in America, and some SA’s that feel this way. They talk about their “baby mama” and how they have 12, 14, or 16 of them. This single unemployed African American man impregnating 16 women, but not being a father to any children. Some people define that as success.

    I don’t.

    But if you did, then the king of this effort would be Genghis Khan.

    And yet again, I would be considered a failure by those lofty standards. There’s a very precious few metallic-babies walking round in this world today. And I for one, think of this as a good thing. I’m not a mass-production baby-making factory. Don’t you know.

    I do not have a long train of children crying for their daddy, or a a zillion courts demanding the garnishment of my pay checks.

    I think that it is a good thing, but other people might not consider this a “successful” life.

    Judging by appearance

    Some people, most especially those in the 20’s judge others by appearance. If you are attractive, or cart around an attractive wife (or two) on your arm, and drive a nice expensive car, and wear the most stylish and trendy clothes, you are considered to be successful.

    I know how it works.

    And then you have a kid, and your priorities change. Or you get locked into a career, and things change further. Or, that you start having obligations, and your children need braces, school books and they want a pony. Oh, it is amazing how these criteria change so rapidly.

    Yah. Well, but these criteria I too would still be considered a failure.

    I dress fine, and wear nice comfortable clothing, but I don’t own or drive a Ferrari. In fact, my days of driving a care are pretty much sunsetted. Let others deal with the headaches, and the hassles. Just take me where I need to be, and be done with it, Sir.

    Truthfully, I happen to like being driven around by my driver, and I really don’t care what people think about the car that I am riding in. As long as it is big and roomy and fits my personality, I am fine with it. I like the door being opened for me, and the driver and my aides buckling me in. I like it when they say “you can take a nap, sir, it’s going to be a couple of hours”. And I like it when we arrive at the destination and they stand outside ready for my calling.

    Now, it's true that a Maybach is certainly something that I would enjoy riding in, but the price tag is not something that I believe is worthy of consideration.

    Yet, to others, judging by this kind of criteria, I do not appear to be a very successful and wealthy businessman. I don’t have fine expensive sports cars to flaunt and to rev up the engines with.

    Judging by physical attribute

    Many, many people judge others by their appearances. And while I just covered the appearance of wealthy people, here, we can talk about physical beauty and their attractiveness towards the opposite sex.

    Physical appearance.

    For women it might be big boobs, Big hair, Big ass, or long legs, long silky hair, clear complexion, or a naturally curvy backside. And, for men it might be a big dick, a full set of hair, impressive pecks or something else… like a enormous wallet.

    All this is silly.

    By these criteria, I’m just so-so. I am average. Pretty much.

    A big cock.
    Here’s a guy proudly showing his big cock for the whole world to see and be amazed by.

    .

    Now, truthfully, if I were to improve my appearance it would be to slim down my waist some, clean up some of my wrinkles and thicken my hair a tad. There are a precious few people who are completely satisfied with their appearances, and there are entire product segments that capitalize on this fact.

    I wouldn’t touch my penis. It’s big enough, thank you. I want to be comfortable with myself. And when I am, I am naturally happy and light, and I radiate.

    This is real and true attractiveness.

    I strongly believe that if you take care of your body. Fill it with fine delicious food, smile and laugh a lot and ignore the sad, doom and gloom others that surround us, that you will do fine. Just be clean, and if that means taking three showers a day, then do it. A happy, scrubbed clean, cheerful person who is open and friendly is amazingly attractive to a wide range of people.

    But, you know…

    Since there are so many things that are desirous of improvement, you could also say that I am pretty much a failure in those areas. I am not the most handsome man in the world. I’m just an older man. And I pretty much live that role.

    Judging by experience

    Ah. Now this is something that I am proud to say that I am worthy of judgement. Few people have experienced the wide ranging and comprehensive diversity of experiences that I have had. Very few. Perhaps Sebastian has.

    And there is so much more open to experience…!

    And I argue that this is a good thing. As the more experiences that you have, the more quantum associations you make. And thus the more quantum bonds and entanglements, the more you grow.

    Ah…

    But it doesn’t make for “good television” or movies. Don’t you know.

    So what’s the deal?

    Indeed. So what is “the deal”?

    Well, you are not in competition with anyone. So there is no need to be or become “the best”.

    What you want is a suitable, and comfortable life that fits YOUR personality, not that which is provided to you via the American media.

    And. That. Is. It.

    • Do not use the media as a yardstick for success.
    • Your goal should be to be the best you as possible, and live the life that you deem fit.

    You need to find out what you like, and the kind of life that holds meaning for you, and then you need to set your prayer campaign in motion to obtain those goals and objectives. And for me, I am very sad to say, that this understanding and realization did not occur immediately. It developed over time.

    Ugh. And what you see now is not the pristine result of four decades of planning and implementation, but rather the result of a back and forth, mish mash, of attempts and direction-seeking prayer / affirmation campaigns trying to discern the best fit lifestyle for myself to adopt.

    But, all in all, I think that I’m pretty darn close.

    Let’s look at the changes the affirmation campaigns have brought about.

    Well, right off the bat, you have seen the differences in my work / career. It’s pretty dramatic, I’ll tell you what. I studied to become an astronaut, trained as a Naval Aviator, worked as an engineer, lived as a hobo, toiled in prison, and now am a Boss out of necessity.

    Life can have many twists and turns, don’t you think?

    Living Environment

    Let’s start with the house and living environment.

    Back in the late 1980’s, I was working as an engineer inside a massive electronics corporation, owned by GM, and modeled after the work environments in Silicon Valley. They constructed these facilities in the middle of nowhere; Kokomo, Indian and all the top tier of management snagged up all the housing. I ended up living in a mobile home in a flat (former) soybean field.

    Think of a mobile home on the tundra wastes in Alaska. That is what it was like. Though in the Spring and Fall, it was pretty lovely.

    Today, I live in a big house off the beach. I can watch the people walk their dogs and play on the beach from my living room window, and my neighborhood is nice, and friendly.

    So you might want to say that in comparison, it is sort of like this… (I will not use actual pictures of my personal life in this post. I do hope that you all understand.)

    .

    Yeah, it’s a bit of a change.

    Do you all think that it is luck? Or that I somehow managed to eventually save my way to my current lifestyle though scrimping and saving, or through the stock market, or a “big break”? Eh?

    Let’s compare companions

    Oh. Now, none of these pictures that I am using is of MM’s personal life. I don’t have any pictures of my life in the 1980’s, and I sure as Hell aren’t gonna provide pictures of my current home and personal shit.

    But, for the most part the pictures are accurate and are designed to give the proper IMPRESSION of the changes that I have personally experienced as a result of my life and four decades of affirmation and prayer campaigns.

    And now, let’s talk about my wife; my companion.

    You know, the BIGGEST influence in your happiness, your success in life, and you ability to be happy is your spouse. It’s true and I do believe it.

    To understand the differences between then and now, you need to understand the ladies that I was with. And while today, my current wife is beautiful, stacked, tough as nails, but sweet as a kitten, and a strong powerful mother, my wife from the 1980’s was almost the exact opposite.

    At that time, in the 1980’s my wife ( a lovely and attractive lass when I married her ) was just starting to lose her mind. Literally, not figuratively. She had an inherited mental illness known as Schizophrenia. It’s a pretty horrible illness, and at that time it was just starting to manifest, and it hit her hard. Really, really hard.

    She was incapable of normal life, and started to behave very strangely. She started to hear “messages” in the radio and the television. She started to obsess about events that took place when she was seven years old, and she started performing all sorts of odd and crazy rituals. Her mannerisms changed. Her actions changed. The way she spoke changed, and her interactions with others began a near immediate down-hill side. She was impossible to take around anyone.

    And so for personal tranquility, we stayed at home most of the time.

    Schizophrenia is a serious brain disorder that distorts the way a person thinks, acts, expresses emotions, perceives reality, and relates to others. People with schizophrenia -- the most chronic and disabling of the major mental illnesses -- often have problems functioning in society, at work, at school, and in relationships. Schizophrenia can leave its sufferer frightened and withdrawn. It is a life-long disease that cannot be cured but can be controlled with proper treatment.
    Schizophrenia is a serious brain disorder that distorts the way a person thinks, acts, expresses emotions, perceives reality, and relates to others. People with schizophrenia — the most chronic and disabling of the major mental illnesses — often have problems functioning in society, at work, at school, and in relationships. Schizophrenia can leave its sufferer frightened and withdrawn. It is a life-long disease that cannot be cured but can be controlled with proper treatment.

    .

    At that time, she started to get counseling, and the doctors prescribed some medication for her to take.

    The medicine worked, but ended up causing certain side effects. One of which was that she gained an enormous amount of weight, became very lethargic, and would just spend the entire day sitting around doing absolutely nothing. Then out of the blue, she would become enraged and passionate. And it was absolutely maddening.

    After an entire night of dealing with this madness, I would have to drag myself to work and deal with a true-to-life scene from the movie “Office Space”. It was horrible, and absolutely not enjoyable.

    • Nightime = caretaker for a mentally ill person.
    • Daytime = Worker drone right out of the “Office Space” movie.

    When I would return home, I would need to clean up her messes (she would destroy things, break things, and became completely incapable of normal activity. Like throwing the chicken bones from KTC on the living room rug when she was through eating, or never taking a shower or brushing her teeth.), then I would make dinner for both of us, and try to act as her counselor to help her sort out her near-constant distress and emotional turmoil.

    Times change…

    We divorced, she managed to control her illness somewhat, and last I heard she was doing fine.

    And me, today I am happily married to a beautiful Chinese gal, and she is normal and healthy and wholly functional. Praise the Lord!

    You know, the BIGGEST influence in your happiness, your success in life, and you ability to be happy is your spouse. It's true and I do believe it.

    .

    Time changes everything.

    Where I am today is a direct result of my prayer affirmations. Listen to me. I tell you this two times. Where my life is today is the direct result of my various prayer affirmation campaigns.

    Let’s compare automobiles

    This is pretty easy, but it didn’t work out as planned. But it all manifested when I started to concentrate on the end result of my desire. Not so much on the details. And as a result, an amazing thing happened…

    Today I do not drive.

    I have contemplated buying a car, and it is on the family table as a discussion item, but we have held back. There are numerous reasons for that, but mostly its that the local public and private transportation avenues are so well established and cheap where we live in China, there just isn’t a serious need to get a car. Though, it would be nice to have one to go outside of the community, and we are contemplating it as a future option. But right now, nah.

    Instead, right now, I employ private drivers. I have them on retainer that stand by for me and drive me here and there (as a chauffeur). When I am elsewhere on travel, and not with my driver, I will if necessary, use DD or ShaoJiu which are Chinese equivalents of Uber.

    Back in the day, of course, I had my own car. And at that particular point of time in my life, I drove a distressed Mazda RX-7. It was a good little car, but every month I was out in the cold or the heat trying to fix one thing or the other. A few years later, I bought a brand new car to replace it and my life changed accordingly. But right now we are talking about then compared to now, and it looked a little something like this…

    Let’s compare meals

    You can really see the differences in what I ate then, compared to what I eat now. Back then I ate a lot of simple foods that were cheap and easy to prepare. Much of our budget went into paying medical bills, as my wife at that time was very prone to call 9-11 and have an ambulance take her to the hospital because “she didn’t feel right”.

    Breakfasts were mostly cereals with milk, and a drive through coffee and breakfast sandwich. Lunches were a drive through burger meal. I would often mix it up between McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s.) And dinners were either spaghetti, hamburgers, hotdogs, a tuna salad, a can of Campbell’s tomato (or chicken noodle) soup or chicken wings. Simple and plain, easy to make, American meals. Often the sides would come from a can. Canned corn. Canned peas. Canned beans. Canned spinach. We would eat salads. But fruit were pretty rare in our household. We would buy bananas maybe once a month.

    Like I said, my wife was sick. I did all the cooking, and I was exhausted after dealing with my career and work. Only to come home to a house that looked like an army of five year olds played in it, and an out-of-control wife that was raging about something or another that she watched on television.

    Today, things are quite different.

    I tend to eat really well.

    My wife does all the cooking, and every meal is planned and cooked by her. We go out numerous times during the week for a much more extensive meal which tends to be steaks, seafood, or specialty Chinese dishes.

    And of course, there are always exceptions. There are days where I need to get something outside, or make up something myself. It's called "reality".

    Today, my typical breakfast is usually a bean porridge, rice congiee, toasted Italian baguette, eggs and sausage and, of course coffee. Lunch tends to be the biggest meal of the day and it is a multi-dish affair with meats and vegetables. Dinner (supper) is slightly smaller. The difference is that I have a few beers during lunches, and my wine or VSOP at dinner.

    When I am on travel, of course, I eat like a real King.

    Let’s compare weekend recreation

    This is also a big change, and again, doesn’t look like anything that I could have ever planned for. Back in the 1980’s my weekends were so damn predictable. We would go out for a breakfast in a diner, the highlight of the weekend might be a hike in a state forest, and I would spend most of the weekend tending to the things around the house. I would mow the grass, repair things, like the porches or windows, and of course, fix the perpetually broken car.

    Today, I have a very relaxed lifestyle. We go out, walk a lot and enjoy nature. We eat really well. It might be boring to others, but lazing by the beach and chilling with a glass of wine in my hand is what I like to do.

    This is not instragram

    No it isn’t. This is real life.

    But if I show you the pictures of my real life, it will just look “normal” and “everyday”. My life doesn’t look anywhere near as exciting and glamorous as Hollywood and social media makes out an “ideal” life to be.

    Do not compare yourself to the images that you find on line.

    .

    I could have easily enough pulled off some amazing photos from the internet, pointed at them and said “this is me, and this Lamborghini is my car, and this beautiful instragram beauty is my wife”. But I didn’t.

    Do not ever be under the impression that I have an “ideal ” life (what ever the fuck that means).

    I have plusses and minuses in my life, just like every other person in this world. Just like you (the reader) does. And yes, just like you, there are things that I want to change, and things that I want to improve upon. And yes, I do maintain active affirmation / prayer campaigns. And yes, I have just finished one a few days ago.

    And yeah, I do get it. What I have presented as my life looks just fantastic. Well, that is because I am using stock images and selected pictures off the internet. I tried to carefully select the ones closest in appearance and general “feeling” that represents the point that I am trying to make…

    But, let’s be real. OK?

    As in… REAL.

    My life might not be what you, the reader might desire. It is what fits me. And I am sure that there are elements in my life that you would find undesirable. Please do not compare yourself to others, and certainly do not compare yourself to me. It’s like comparing apples to green-beans.

    The reality is a little bit (not that much, though) different.

    So, for instance the picture of a delicious steak does not mean that every single meal that I eat has steak. It means that I eat quite well, all things considered. I eat a lot of fresh food, and far more sea food than I did when I lived in the States. And while I might of had 80% of my day to day meals as fast food, today, it is much less than 1%.

    I eat well.

    But it is difficult to quantify directly… I eat delicious, and healthy and tasty food in nice eating establishments, or cooked at home with a degree of special care and love. It is not a mass produced GMO-laden artificial-food-product dished out to drone-workers in a corporate grind-mill.

    I eat well.

    The real deal; Metallicman and family having "paper fish" at a restaurant. The fish is cooked in a paper wrap with all sorts of spices and tasty vegetables. It is so very super delicious! So yes, I eat far better now than then, but it's not always steaks, don't you know.
    The real deal; Metallicman and family having “paper fish” at a restaurant. The fish is cooked in a paper wrap with all sorts of spices and tasty vegetables. It is so very super delicious! So yes, I eat far better now than then, but it’s not always steaks, don’t you know.

    .

    And you know that chick that I use to represent my wife, is not my actual wife, but (you know) she actually is a pretty darn good approximation. Asian, big smile, attractive, stacked, nice long hair, great personality, happy. She’s fine for me, and yeah she had a lot of suitors. But she ‘chose” me. Good and bad.

    Here’s a more realistic picture of her, not showing anything, with our youngest. Looks so plain, un-glamorous, and so very uninspiring. Right? Real life is not all glamor. It is… real.

    Don't compare yourself to others.
    Mrs. Metallicman with our metallic baby in front of our old house on the bay. It’s not instragram. It’s real life. And the point of all this is NOT to compare yourself to what you THINK others live their lives. You need to compare it to yourself based on your prior experiences.

    .

    And the picture of the guy holding the wine glass and relaxing. That isn’t me, and that isn’t my glass of wine. (I tend to fill the glass up to 80% full, not the “oh so dainty” one fourth glass full.) Nor is the guy pushing the lawn mower. In fact, in the 1980’s I had a used lawn mower that continually broke down all the time, and I was constantly playing around with it.

    And that guy holding open the door for me to get in is actually a stock image off the internet. Though they really do open the doors and close them for me in actual life when I get into the automobile.

    And the picture of the boss isn’t me, but gosh darn it, it could well be. My reality is not that far off from what is depicted. Let me tell youse guys that for certain. I am a BOSS. And I portray that image and that feeling. I don’t wear a tie, and if my customers can’t handle that fact, well… too bad.

    And that image of me as a beta cluck worker drone in corporate cubicle-ville in the 1980’s could very much have been me.

    So you can see that my life has it’s plusses and minuses.

    And it is about tradeoffs.

    For instance, I love living near the ocean in a laid back area, with friendly folk around. But living on the beach in the tropics is quite different from living in a mountain top, with swirling snow while you are all cozy and snuggled inside of a toasty cabin.

    It’s about trade-offs.

    To live on the beach in the tropics means that I will not be able to experience the cabin in the snow squall. Tradeoffs.

    it’s all about tradeoffs and what matters to you personally.

    Life is about tradeoffs.

    Conclusion

    It is all good and bad, and areas that need improvement, but all accounts much better than what it was forty years ago, and it wasn’t by accident either. I worked and toiled and controlled my mental processes to make it all happen.

    So…

    If that is what I can do, what about you?

    You have something that I didn’t have. You have guidance, direction and skills on how to conduct prayer campaigns. I had to learn as a consequence of my MAJestic role, and a lot of it was forced trial and forced error. And now you can greatly improve your life to an extent that would amaze. So make it be.

    Do you all want some more?

    You can see more in my writings about Prayer and Affirmation campaigns here…

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    Master Index

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    Law 18 from The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene; Do not build fortresses to protect yourself, isolation is dangerous (Full Text)

    I’ve been in a kind of strange funk lately. It’s difficult to put my finger on it. It could be anything. It’s really just been a strange year all in all.

    Those of us expats that applied for our Federal Government Coronavirus checks never received them and we can’t seem to figure out why. Everyone else in the world got theirs. But a quick review of the news explains it all. [1] If you don’t have a social security number tied to a bank account, you just aren’t going to see the money. Or, [2] if you use a bank account not on SWIFT, or [3] if you have a family bank account with a non-citizen. If you want a stimulus check, no matter what anyone says, it must be deposited in an account that the US government can tax. It’s something that we suspected all along, but nothing hits home hard, then having money denied to you.

    I’ve been terribly nostalgic for Boston, and the surrounding environs lately. I go to Visitnewengland.com and check out my old stomping grounds and some of my favorite restaurants and pubs. Sigh. There I can see that some of the places are still standing and I look at the fine blue skies of Massachusetts and the fall leaves, and just… well…

    And…

    .

    Yah. While I do enjoy where I live, I have to admit that I really, really loved living in Boston, and the surrounding area. As you can well guess, I used to live in Milford, Walpole, Woonsockett, and Uxbridge. I wonder what it must be like now. I’ll bet that it is glorious. That’s what, and probably really nice for a nice little walk in the Wrenthan state forest.

    F. Gilbert Hills state forest.
    F. Gilbert Hills state forest.

    .

    Anyways, I feel (you know “feel”) it’s time to wind some things down, pause a while, regroup and contemplate new directions. It’s a strong feeling. And I cannot explain it, except to say that my “feelings” and “hunches” have merit and are illustrative of other things.

    Whether it is only personal, or suggestive of other things, bigger things, in a more expansive Geo-political arena is unknown. It’s just a really persistent, super odd feeling. Really.

    When you get into these kinds of funk, the first thing that you want to do is hide. You go into your attic and read old magazines, you get the tackle box out and go fishing, or you hop in your truck and go on long rides in the countryside. You try to settle yourself. But it’s difficult.

    It’s sort of like you are a (old fashioned) peculator coffee-pot and you are sitting on the stove and the water is starting to sizzle and a few pops of coffee are hitting the glass bulb on top. It’s almost exactly like that.

    A peculator coffee-pot.
    A peculator coffee-pot.

    .

    It’s a strong feeling that I cannot shake.

    The thing about these feelings, for me, is that I am unable to discern what’s going on. Is it [1] me personally? Is it [2] something having to do with my latest affirmation campaign? [3] Is it part of my MAJesic mission parameters? [4] Is it a trend or series of changes that I am sensitive to? [5] Is it something having to do with our benefactors?

    I really do not know.

    Jeeze!

    These feelings pretty much come and go with me all the time. You get in tune with yourself and your body, and you can feel when you need to rest, or you need to exercise, or when an organ is going to give your trouble, or when you should avoid doing certain activities. It’s an internal awareness of self. These feelings, well, they are like tides or swells with the ocean. Only this time, it’s really, really, REALLY strong and persistent. Gosh darn it, I might need to go ahead and drink some VSOP and some beer to chill way the fuck down.

    This reminds me of something…

    You know, my first wife, well she had a mental illness known as schizophrenia. And she was the sweetest and kindest girl that I have ever met, but when the illness would hit her, she was unmanageable and needed to go into seclusion in a mental hospital staffed with trained and experienced doctors. And the thing about this illness is that while she had it, she was also really seriously super psychic. She could see things, predict things, and experience things hours or days before they occurred.

    Good and bad.

    Drove her crazy. Or, according to the doctors; crazier.

    Anyways, this feeling that I have right now reminds me of an event years ago.

    On October 17, 1989, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit the San Francisco Bay Area, killing 67 people and causing more than $5 billion in damages. On October 17, 1989, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit ...
    
    -San Francisco Earthquake of 1989 - HISTORY

    On October 16, all day long, I watched her experience this kind of discomfort that I am kind of feeling now. Now, we were not living in California at that time, we were living in Indiana, but she had this desire to call our friends in San Francisco and talk to them. Just talk. She didn’t feel anything bad. She just wanted to talk.

    Weeks later the friends (in San Francisco) called us and told us that when the power was eventually restored they found my wife’s messages on their answering machine asking if they were all all-right. They all asked “how did you know?”

    Anyways, I’m just throwing this all out there. It’s probably nothing for you all to be concerned about. Just go about your daily lives. Just remember that isolation is a danger. Get out and be with friends. Be social. Don’t trap yourself in a place or within a isolation bubble.

    From Robert Greene…

    LAW 18

    DO NOT BUILD FORTRESSES TO PROTECT YOURSELF— ISOLATION IS DANGEROUS

    JUDGMENT

    The world is dangerous and enemies are everywhereeveryone has to protect themselves. A fortress seems the safest. But isolation exposes you to more dangers than it Protects you from—it cuts you off from valuable information, it makes you conspicuous and an easy target. Better to circulate among people, find allies, mingle. You are shielded from your enemies by the crowd.

    TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW

    Ch‘in Shih Huang Ti, the first emperor of China (221-210 B.C.), was the mightiest man of his day. His empire was vaster and more powerful than that of Alexander the Great. He had conquered all of the kingdoms surrounding his own kingdom of Ch’in and unified them into one massive realm called China. But in the last years of his life, few, if anyone, saw him.

    The emperor lived in the most magnificent palace built to that date, in the capital of Hsien-yang. The palace had 270 pavilions; all of these were connected by secret underground passageways, allowing the emperor to move through the palace without anyone seeing him. He slept in a different room every night, and anyone who inadvertently laid eyes on him was instantly beheaded. Only a handful of men knew his whereabouts, and if they revealed it to anyone, they, too, were put to death.

    The first emperor had grown so terrified of human contact that when he had to leave the palace he traveled incognito, disguising himself carefully. On one such trip through the provinces, he suddenly died. His body was borne back to the capital in the emperor’s carriage, with a cart packed with salted fish trailing behind it to cover up the smell of the rotting corpse—no one was to know of his death. He died alone, far from his wives, his family, his friends, and his courtiers, accompanied only by a minister and a handful of eunuchs.

    IIII MASQU I OI IIII. RI.DDI ATH

    The “Red Death” had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous. Blood was its Avatur and its seal—the redness and horror of blood. There were sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores, with dissolution.... 
    
    And the whole seizure, progress, and termination of the disease, were the incidents of half an hour. But the Prince Prospero was happy and dauntless and sagacious. When his dominions were half-depopulated, he summoned to his presence a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from among the knight, and dames of his court, and with these retired to the deep seclusion of one of his castellated abbeys. 
    
    This was an extensive and magnificent structure, the creation of the prince’s own eccentric yet august taste. A strong and lofty wall girdled it in. This wall had gates of iron. The courtier.s, having entered, brought furnaces and massy hammers and welded the bolts. 
    
    They resolved to leave means neither of ingress nor egress to the sudden impulses of despair or of frenzy from within. The abbey was amply provisioned. With such precautions the courtiers might bid defiance to contagion. 
    
    The external world could take care of itself In the meantime it was folly to grieve, or to think. The prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure. There were buffoons, there were improvisatori, there were ballet-dancers, there were musicians, there was Beauty, there was wine. 
    
    All these and security were within. Without was the “Red Death.” It was toward the close of the fifth or sixth month of his seclusion, and while the pestilence raged most furiously abroad, that the Prince Prospero entertained his thousand friends at a masked ball of the most unusual magnificence. It was a voluptuous scene, that masquerade.... 
    
    ... And the revel went whirlingly on, until at length there commenced the sounding of midnight upon the clock.... 
    
    And thus too, it happened, perhaps, that before the last echoes of the last chime had utterly sunk into silence, there were many individuals in the crowd who had found leisure to become aware of the presence of a masked fzgecre which had arrested the attention of no single individual before.... 
    
    The figure was tall and gaunt, and shrouded from head to foot in the habiliments of the grave. The mask which concealed the visage was made so nearly to resemble the countenance of a stiffened corpse that the closest scrutiny must have had difficulty in detecting the cheat. 
    
    And yet all this might have been endured, if not approved, by the mad revellers around. But the mummer had gone so far as to assume the type of the Red Death. His vesture was dabbled in blood—and his broad brow, with all the features of the face, was sprinkled with the scarlet horror ... ... 
    
    A throng of the revellers at once threw themselves into the black apartment, and, seizing the mummer, whose tall figure stood erect and motionless within the shadow of the ebony clock, gasped in unutterable horror at finding the grave cerements and corpse-like mask, which they handled with so violent a rudeness, untenanted by any tangible form. 
    
    And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death. He had come like a thief in the night. And one by one dropped the revellers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. And the life of the ebony clock went out with that of the last of the gay. And the flames of the tripods expired. And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all. 
    
    THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEAIH, EDGAR ALLAN POE, 1809-1849

    Interpretation

    Shih Huang Ti started off as the king of Ch’in, a fearless warrior of unbridled ambition. Writers of the time described him as a man with “a waspish nose, eyes like slits, the voice of a jackal, and the heart of a tiger or wolf.”

    He could be merciful sometimes, but more often he “swallowed men up without a scruple.” It was through trickery and violence that he conquered the provinces surrounding his own and created China, forging a single nation and culture out of many.

    He broke up the feudal system, and to keep an eye on the many members of the royal families that were scattered across the realm’s various kingdoms, he moved 120,000 of them to the capital, where he housed the most important courtiers in the vast palace of Hsien-yang. He consolidated the many walls on the borders and built them into the Great Wall of China.

    He standardized the country’s laws, its written language, even the size of its cartwheels.

    As part of this process of unification, however, the first emperor outlawed the writings and teachings of Confucius, the philosopher whose ideas on the moral life had already become virtually a religion in Chinese culture.

    On Shih Huang Ti’s order, thousands of books relating to Confucius were burned, and anyone who quoted Confucius was to be beheaded. This made many enemies for the emperor, and he grew constantly afraid, even paranoid.

    The executions mounted.

    A contemporary, the writer Han-fei-tzu, noted that “Ch’in has been victorious for four generations, yet has lived in constant terror and apprehension of destruction.”

    As the emperor withdrew deeper and deeper into the palace to protect himself, he slowly lost control of the realm. Eunuchs and ministers enacted political policies without his approval or even his knowledge; they also plotted against him.

    By the end, he was emperor in name only, and was so isolated that barely anyone knew he had died. He had probably been poisoned by the same scheming ministers who encouraged his isolation.

    That is what isolation brings: Retreat into a fortress and you lose contact with the sources of your power. You lose your ear for what is happening around you, as well as a sense of proportion. Instead of being safer, you cut yourself off from the kind of knowledge on which your life depends. Never enclose yourself so far from the streets that you cannot hear what is happening around you, including the plots against you.

    OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

    Louis XIV had the palace of Versailles built for him and his court in the 1660s, and it was like no other royal palace in the world. As in a beehive,

    everything revolved around the royal person. He lived surrounded by the nobility, who were allotted apartments nestled around his, their closeness to him dependent on their rank. The king’s bedroom occupied the literal center of the palace and was the focus of everyone’s attention. Every morning the king was greeted in this room by a ritual known as the lever.

    At eight A.M., the king’s first valet, who slept at the foot of the royal bed, would awaken His Majesty. Then pages would open the door and admit those who had a function in the lever. The order of their entry was precise: First came the king’s illegitimate sons and his grandchildren, then the princes and princesses of the blood, and then his physician and surgeon.

    There followed the grand officers of the wardrobe, the king’s official reader, and those in charge of entertaining the king. Next would arrive various government officials, in ascending order of rank. Last but not least came those attending the lever by special invitation. By the end of the ceremony, the room would be packed with well over a hundred royal attendants and visitors.

    The day was organized so that all the palace’s energy was directed at and passed through the king. Louis was constantly attended by courtiers and officials, all asking for his advice and judgment. To all their questions he usually replied, “I shall see.”

    As Saint-Simon noted, “If he turned to someone, asked him a question, made an insignificant remark, the eyes of all present were turned on this person. It was a distinction that was talked of and increased prestige.” There was no possibility of privacy in the palace, not even for the king—every room communicated with another, and every hallway led to larger rooms where groups of nobles gathered constantly. Everyone’s actions were interdependent, and nothing and no one passed unnoticed: “The king not only saw to it that all the high nobility was present at his court,” wrote

    Saint-Simon, “he demanded the same of the minor nobility. At his lever and coucher, at his meals, in his gardens of Versailles, he always looked about him, noticing everything. He was offended if the most distinguished nobles did not live permanently at court, and those who showed themselves never or hardly ever, incurred his full displeasure. If one of these desired something, the king would say proudly: ‘I do not know him,’ and the judgment was irrevocable.”

    Interpretation

    Louis XIV came to power at the end of a terrible civil war, the Fronde. A principal instigator of the war had been the nobility, which deeply resented the growing power of the throne and yearned for the days of feudalism, when the lords ruled their own fiefdoms and the king had little authority over them.

    The nobles had lost the civil war, but they remained a fractious, resentful lot.

    The construction of Versailles, then, was far more than the decadent whim of a luxury-loving king. It served a crucial function: The king could keep an eye and an ear on everyone and everything around him. The once proud nobility was reduced to squabbling over the right to help the king put on his robes in the morning. There was no possibility here of privacy—no possibility of isolation.

    Louis XIV very early grasped the truth that for a king to isolate himself is gravely dangerous.

    In his absence, conspiracies will spring up like mushrooms after rain, animosities will crystallize into factions, and rebellion will break out before he has the time to react. To combat this, sociability and openness must not only be encouraged, they must be formally organized and channeled.

    These conditions at Versailles lasted for Louis’s entire reign, some fifty years of relative peace and tranquillity. Through it all, not a pin dropped without Louis hearing it.

    Solitude is dangerous to reason, without being favorable to virtue....
    
    Remember that the solitary mortal is certainly luxurious, probably superstitious, and possibly mad.
    
    -Dr. Samuel John son, 1709-1784

    KEYS TO POWER

    Machiavelli makes the argument that in a strictly military sense a fortress is invariably a mistake. It becomes a symbol of power’s isolation, and is an easy target for its builders’ enemies. Designed to defend you, fortresses actually cut you off from help and cut into your flexibility. They may

    appear impregnable, but once you retire to one, everyone knows where you are; and a siege does not have to succeed to turn your fortress into a prison. With their small and confined spaces, fortresses are also extremely vulnerable to the plague and contagious diseases. In a strategic sense, the isolation of a fortress provides no protection, and actually creates more problems than it solves.

    Because humans are social creatures by nature, power depends on social interaction and circulation. To make yourself powerful you must place yourself at the center of things, as Louis XIV did at Versailles. All activity should revolve around you, and you should be aware of everything happening on the street, and of anyone who might be hatching plots against you. The danger for most people comes when they feel threatened. In such times they tend to retreat and close ranks, to find security in a kind of fortress. In doing so, however, they come to rely for information on a smaller and smaller circle, and lose perspective on events around them. They lose maneuverability and become easy targets, and their isolation makes them paranoid. As in warfare and most games of strategy, isolation often precedes defeat and death.

    In moments of uncertainty and danger, you need to fight this desire to turn inward. Instead, make yourself more accessible, seek out old allies and make new ones, force yourself into more and more different circles. This has been the trick of powerful people for centuries.

    The Roman statesman Cicero was born into the lower nobility, and had little chance of power unless he managed to make a place for himself among the aristocrats who controlled the city. He succeeded brilliantly, identifying everyone with influence and figuring out how they were connected to one another. He mingled everywhere, knew everyone, and had such a vast network of connections that an enemy here could easily be counterbalanced by an ally there.

    The French statesman Talleyrand played the game the same way. Although he came from one of the oldest aristocratic families in France, he made a point of always staying in touch with what was happening in the streets of Paris, allowing him to foresee trends and troubles. He even got a certain pleasure out of mingling with shady criminal types, who supplied him with valuable information. Every time there was a crisis, a transition of power—the end of the Directory, the fall of Napoleon, the abdication of

    Louis XVIII—he was able to survive and even thrive, because he never closed himself up in a small circle but always forged connections with the new order.

    This law pertains to kings and queens, and to those of the highest power: The moment you lose contact with your people, seeking security in isolation, rebellion is brewing. Never imagine yourself so elevated that you can afford to cut yourself off from even the lowest echelons. By retreating to a fortress, you make yourself an easy target for your plotting subjects, who view your isolation as an insult and a reason for rebellion.

    Since humans are such social creatures, it follows that the social arts that make us pleasant to be around can be practiced only by constant exposure and circulation. The more you are in contact with others, the more graceful and at ease you become. Isolation, on the other hand, engenders an awkwardness in your gestures, and leads to further isolation, as people start avoiding you.

    In 1545 Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici decided that to ensure the immortality of his name he would commission frescoes for the main chapel of the church of San Lorenzo in Florence. He had many great painters to choose from, and in the end he picked Jacopo da Pontormo. Getting on in years, Pontormo wanted to make these frescoes his chef d’oeuvre and legacy. His first decision was to close the chapel off with walls, partitions, and blinds. He wanted no one to witness the creation of his masterpiece, or to steal his ideas. He would outdo Michelangelo himself. When some young men broke into the chapel out of curiosity, Jacopo sealed it off even further.

    Pontormo filled the chapel’s ceiling with biblical scenes—the Creation, Adam and Eve, Noah’s ark, on and on. At the top of the middle wall he painted Christ in his majesty, raising the dead on Judgment Day. The artist worked on the chapel for eleven years, rarely leaving it, since he had developed a phobia for human contact and was afraid his ideas would be stolen.

    Pontormo died before completing the frescoes, and none of them has survived. But the great Renaissance writer Vasari, a friend of Pontormo’s who saw the frescoes shortly after the artist’s death, left a description of what they looked like. There was a total lack of proportion. Scenes bumped against scenes, figures in one story being juxtaposed with those in another, in maddening numbers. Pontormo had become obsessed with detail but had lost any sense of the overall composition. Vasari left off his description of the frescoes by writing that if he continued, “I think I would go mad and become entangled in this painting, just as I believe that in the eleven years of time Jacopo spent on it, he entangled himself and anyone else who saw it.”

    Instead of crowning Pontormo’s career, the work became his undoing.

    These frescoes were visual equivalents of the effects of isolation on the human mind: a loss of proportion, an obsession with detail combined with an inability to see the larger picture, a kind of extravagant ugliness that no longer communicates. Clearly, isolation is as deadly for the creative arts as for the social arts. Shakespeare is the most famous writer in history because, as a dramatist for the popular stage, he opened himself up to the masses, making his work accessible to people no matter what their education and taste. Artists who hole themselves up in their fortress lose a sense of proportion, their work communicating only to their small circle. Such art remains cornered and powerless.

    Finally, since power is a human creation, it is inevitably increased by contact with other people. Instead of falling into the fortress mentality, view the world in the following manner: It is like a vast Versailles, with every room communicating with another. You need to be permeable, able to float in and out of different circles and mix with different types. That kind of mobility and social contact will protect you from plotters, who will be unable to keep secrets from you, and from your enemies, who will be unable to isolate you from your allies. Always on the move, you mix and mingle in the rooms of the palace, never sitting or settling in one place. No hunter can fix his aim on such a swift-moving creature.

    Image: The Fortress. High up on the hill, the citadel be comes a symbol of all that is hateful in power and authority.

    The citizens of the town betray you to the first enemy that comes. Cut off from communication and intelligence, the citadel falls with ease.

    Authority: A good and wise prince, desirous of maintaining that character, and to avoid giving the opportunity to his sons to become oppressive, will never build fortresses, so that they may place their reliance upon the good will of their subjects, and not upon the strength of citadels. (Niccolò Machiavelli, 1469-1527)

    REVERSAL

    It is hardly ever right and propitious to choose isolation. Without keeping an ear on what is happening in the streets, you will be unable to protect yourself. About the only thing that constant human contact cannot facilitate is thought. The weight of society’s pressure to conform, and the lack of distance from other people, can make it impossible to think clearly about what is going on around you. As a temporary recourse, then, isolation can help you to gain perspective. Many a serious thinker has been produced in prisons, where we have nothing to do but think. Machiavelli could write The Prince only once he found himself in exile and isolated on a farm far from the political intrigues of Florence.

    The danger is, however, that this kind of isolation will sire all kinds of strange and perverted ideas. You may gain perspective on the larger picture, but you lose a sense of your own smallness and limitations. Also, the more isolated you are, the harder it is to break out of your isolation when you choose to—it sinks you deep into its quicksand without your noticing. If you need time to think, then, choose isolation only as a last resort, and only in small doses. Be careful to keep your way back into society open.

    Conclusion

    Whenever you feel strange, or are angry, fearful, or upset, or confused… don’t isolate. Reach out to others, and get with your friends and support network. It might be the local watering hole, or your extended relatives. It might be some friends, or if you have no-one then just get out in nature and take your favorite dog with you.

    Everyone has times where things “don’t feel right”. And it is at those times that we need to get in touch with what is going on, calm the fuck way, way down, and get with others. Others that care about us.

    For me, this is one of those times. You all shouldn’t read more into this than what it probably is. Nothing. But use this as a reminder that we are all part of an environment with a complex social structures and a network that involves others. tap into that network and you will mitigate any negative concerns or worries that you might have.

    For me, I’m going out to eat some delicious food, have a smoke or two with some friends, and gonna eat some fine delicious food. I’d suggest you all do the same. God Bless.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my 48 Laws of Power Index here…

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    Various stories about prayer affirmation campaigns, and deviation lessons learned in the process.

    Or, some history on how my knowledge about affirmation prayer campaigns developed and evolved over the years. With intentional omission of the the primary drivers – my MAJ involvement, and the need to maintain my sanity. This write-up provides some insight in to how they work, and involves a span of time going back four decades.

    Here are just some stores about some of my experiences in conducting prayer affirmations campaigns. They are in no particular order, and have no other ranking aside from their personal illustrations. I think that I have learned lessons from them, and I have applied what I have learned to all my subsequent affirmation campaigns. I think that if I were to relate my stores, you too (dear reader) might learn a thing or two that you can use to put your efforts and your own affirmation campaigns into better focus.

    We will begin with a campaign that I had almost completely forgotten about. As it was initiated a decade or more ago, and it was something that I did WHILE I was still within MAJestic. (Performing prayer and affirmations campaigns during my operational years greatly assisted in me keeping my sanity, and being able to have and hold some degree of control over my life.)

    So let’s begin with…

    Big house, one the beach, with a wine cellar.

    Yup. That’s exactly what I asked for. I did so way back in the late 1980’s to middle 1990’s. And since it didn’t materialize within a few years, I thought that it would never materialize.

    I was wrong.

    It materialized in 2017.

    And it was exactly as I specified. It was huge. I mean HUGE (by Chinese standards), perhaps six times larger than the typical middle class household, with an enormous yard (porch). Yes, it overlooked the ocean. Yes, it was roomy and airy, and the walls were white and off yellow-white exactly as I specified (back in the day). And, yes, it even had a wine cellar! In a land where cellars are a rarity, let alone a wine cellar, this one had it, and it too was enormous!

    And I loved it when I got it, and I loved the location. I loved how the air moved about the house, the cool and calm location, and my neighbors.

    But…

    A number of things happened. (And that is life don’t you know.) Nothing bad, or good. Just “neutral”.

    First off, let’s confront the “elephant in the room”…

    Why did it take 20 to 30 years for this affirmation to manifest?

    Best I can figure out is that my goals were way, way outside of my abilities and my lifestyle track. You can ask, wish and dream for all sorts of things, but if your current lifestyle cannot not support them, then you would have to go through some changes to get to that state, and at that time, I was happy with my life. 
    
    I asked for all sorts of things, on the condition that my life would not change.
    
    WTF?
    
    Yes, you read that correct. To make and achieve your desires you will need to go through changes, and changes are always never comfortable. So what you need to do is come up with a staged set of affirmation objectives to get to that point. 
    
    In my life, I had to...
    
    [1] Change my relationships.
    [2] Move to the coast.
    [3] Change my occupation.
    [4] Change my attitude about life.
    
    An only once I had achieved these interim stages were my base line desires and objectives able to materialize. This is true. Don't think that you are going to suddenly have a "lifestyle of the rich and famous" without moving out of your mobile home first.

    And then,

    Why aren’t I living in this house now?

    This is what is funny about life. You think you want one thing, and when you get it, you discover that there are other things that you do not like, or that does not appeal to you. 
    
    For me, when I made the affirmation, I was living in and around Boston. It was a beautiful area, most certainly, but a ride to the beach was a two to three hour drive, and thus I could only go to it on the weekends, and for all practical purposes limited my beach excursions to maybe four times or so a year.
    
    Truthfully, a beach-side home in Massachusetts, even the cheapest and most remote run down broken homes would have run me millions of dollars. It was way, way beyond my means at that time. (And true, it still is. Which is why I don't own a beach-side home in Massachusetts.) 
    
    Now, once you get a beach-side home you learn a few things  about home ownership on a beach. Things, I dare say, that I was unaware of at that time.
    
    Everything gets wet.
    
    Everything.
    
    Condensate collects on the walls. Art, paintings and pictures, warp and get ruined. Clothes never fully dry. Door knobs get sticky with clammy residue, and winter down jackets and clothing starts to deteriorate when stored in plastic bags.
    
    Screws rust.
    
    Mattresses get cold and clammy. Even on sunny warm days. Fog isn't just something that is outside, it is something that you find in the hallway and closets. Tools all rust out. And sand gets into everything.
    
    And while I did enjoy my time in that house, after a while I decided that some place close to the ocean, but not on the beach was more desirable for me, and my family, personally.

    So let’s look a little deeper into the drivers behind our desires, and what we want.

    It wasn’t what I thought it was.

    This is a theme that will come up time and time again when your dreams and wishes manifest. You have one image, one vision of what you want, and when it happens it just isn't the "same thing". Even though it might look and feel just absolutely identical to what you desired.
    
    Somehow I absolutely pictured a cross between the images of Miami Vice, the homes in Cape Cod, and a Hodge-podge of "homes of the wealthy" on television and movies. If you were to quiz me back in 1998, what I wanted, you might see one of those Miami Beach-front homes that resemble a LA mansion overlooking a long stretch of white sand under a blue - blue sky.

    Do not laugh.

    The television show Miami Vice defined American culture in the 1980’s and 1990’s.

    Miami Vice. 
    No television series represented the style or dominant cultural aesthetic of the 1980s as fully or indelibly as Miami Vice. A popular one-hour police drama that aired on NBC from 1984 to 1989, Miami Vice was in one sense a conventional buddy-cop show—not unlike Dragnet, Adam 12, and Starsky and Hutch —featuring an interracial pair of narcotics detectives who wage a weekly ...
    
    -Miami Vice | Encyclopedia.com
    Television heavily influenced what I thought what I wanted.
    Television heavily influenced what I thought what I wanted. Scene is a beach-front mansion (with a wine cellar) on the 1980’s hit television show “Miami Vice”.
    Now, you all might think that I was crazy for wanting such a thing. I was doing fine. I had a nice home, cabin, in a small town outside of a state forest in Massachusetts, and it was cozy, nice and I loved Massachusetts.
    
    And that's the way it is.
    
    When you are bombarded with culture and contemporaneous television and movies, you start to see other things, and they are always portrayed in such a way that you can relate to the characters in those flicks. You end up saying "hey! I'm just as good as that guy. Why can't I live that kind of lifestyle, like him?"

    Well?

    Isn’t that the way it is?

    Like all those Instragram Influencers that everyone is jealous of?

    Scene from Miami Vice.
    Would you believe that I actually owned a (red) convertible with a phone just like this and cruised around back and forth to work wearing a similar style of attire? Yeah. It’s strange, but it was on my affirmation campaign, and so it did actually happen! Just not at the same time as my beach house.
    What we think we want, and what we actually (deep down inside) want is often polluted by the media, culture, society and popular culture.
    
    It shapes our thoughts.
    
    That's a DANGER.
    
    For me, I was heavily influenced by the Miami Vice television show of the 1980's. As well as most of America. This influenced what I believed that I could be, aspire to, and what kind of lifestyle that I felt was deserving for me and my family at that time.
    
    Instead of saving money, building a family like what was depicted in television shows of the 1960's...
    
    Leave it to Beaver
    The Brady Bunch
    The Andy Griffith Show
    My Three Sons.
    Bewitched
    The Dick Van Dyke Show
    Mayberry R.F.D
    
    A new kind of narrative took hold. It was one of bright blue skies, fast and expensive cars. Beach houses, attractive girls in bikinis and live fast. It's a narrative where you could like a billionaire while you were still in your 20's. After all, how did some detectives (Miami Vice) get to drive around in a Ferrari?

    Anyways, you become what your environment influences you to be….

    The 1980s were called the Reagan years, because he was president for eight of them. During his first term, the recession ended. Inflation was controlled. He reduced taxes. Americans felt hopeful that they could make money again.

    Observers created several expressions to describe some groups of people at that time. One expression was “the ‘me’ generation”. This described Americans who were only concerned about themselves. Another expression was “yuppie”. It meant “young urban professional”. Both these groups seemed as if they lived just to make and spend money, money, and more money.

    Entertainment in the 1980s showed the interest society placed on financial success. The characters in a number of television programs, for example, lived in costly homes, wore costly clothes, and drove costly automobiles. They were not at all like average Americans. They lived lives that required huge amounts of money.

    Two of these television programs became extremely popular in the United States and in other countries. They were called “Dallas” and “Dynasty”.

    At the movie theater, a very popular film was called “Wall Street”. It was about a young, wealthy, dishonest — powerful — man who traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Power was a popular program idea in action films, too.

    And what did this all get me?

    Yes…

    It got me a corporate life that pretty much fit that image plastered and burned into the skull of just about everyone in the United States.

    Scene from Miami Vice.
    When television, the most popular television shows, portrayed a working environment with whites and greys, where the management lived inside these white rooms, and you sat facing computer screens, and had projects in big empty bare chambers… they begin to manifest all over America… as a REALITY.

    It’s not just work.

    It’s everything.

    You see, our brains take what we see and watch and change our reality to fit those images. And this can be anything from a desire for a certain kind of house, to a way of dress, and an office space. But it can be anything. Like food for instance…

    Other examples of reality deviance from expectation

    This next example is a perfect example of how what you wish for might not match what you ask for.

    Ah, we all like fine delicious food. And when we think of the wonderful food we have images of our “comfort” foods. Those foods that we grew up with, and that which gave us pleasure and enjoyment. For me, growing up in Western Pennsylvania, these images have always been of pizza, hamburgers, fine Polish – Italian food. Hot crusty buttered rolls.

    And of course, being who I am, I wanted MORE!

    • More is better, right?
    • Bigger is better? Eh?
    • Lots is better than a few? Eh?

    A few years back I added a simple line statement affirmation to my affirmation lists. I have kept this statement in over the years and I have watched it affect my life. The statement is very simple, but…

    But…

    … the results were unexpected.

    Unexpected.

    The statement is…

    I eat fine, delicious and healthy food all the time.

    Oh, what a change that it has made in my life. I am not at all kidding. It really changed my life. And since I added this statement the number of hamburgers that I would eat, the plates of spaghetti, and the other types of deep fired American food just about “dropped off the cliff” to a point where I rarely eat those items at all any longer.

    What!

    Is that what I wanted?

    No. No. No.

    Something else materialized, instead.

    Instead, I find myself eating delicious Thai and Hunan food, with imported wine and beer. If I eat Western and American food, instead of it been greasy or fatty deep fried delicious goodness, it’s mostly steaks and fresh sea food.

    Fine. Delicious. Healthy. Food.

    I said it.

    It materialized.

    Delicious Thai food.
    Since I added this singular affirmation to my various campaigns, my quality of eating has increased enormously, and the type of foods that I used to eat have become fewer and far between. I eat fresh fish, steaks and cooked vegetables. Not so much deep fried chicken and french fries.

    Now, I will tell you, the reader, that I was NOT expecting this. Actually, I was expecting a nice run of delicious think subway sandwiches, large platters of delicious mac and cheese with tons of gooey cheese, and deep pan pizza. But that is not what happened. instead, I now find myself eating a higher quality of tasty food with enormous quantities of delicious vegetables, top and choice cuts of meat, and very little in the way of fats.

    Funny how things work. Eh?

    Remember… what your eyes see, what your thoughts create, and what those around you think about… becomes what you will experience.

    From the movie My Cousin Vinny.
    Typical small town Southern community. This is in Georgia.

    Deviance is obvious when it involves material objects

    The difference between what you ask for, and what you actually get is obvious when your affirmation revolves around material objects. This can be a car, a home, a location, a boat…

    Here we look at how thoughts change your reality and generate new ones. And it's any thoughts, and any passions. Not just those associated with prayer campaigns.

    This one is seemingly about boats. Ships. Sailing.

    Seemingly.

    When I lived in Indiana, I had this dream about sailing to the South Pacific and exploring the islands there. At that time in my life, I worked in the “corporate world” and it was every bit as real as the movie “Office Space”. It was the same. The same bland colors, the same irritating people, the same grayness.

    And like “Joe”, in the movie “Joe vs the Volcano”, I longed to escape it.

    Scene from the movie office space.
    The movie “Office Space” has a cult following simply because it is more than just a comedy. It is a snapshot of what American corporate life was like for millions of us back in the 1980’s and 1990’s. It was awful, and the truth is that many of the “so called” humorous” elements in the movie actually occurred to us on a regular basis.

    Ah, but sailing…

    Now that was an adventure.

    So, I read a ton load of books, on the subject and subscribed to all sorts of magazines related to sailing and the cruising lifestyle. And many a cold frosty day stuck in the icy sub-arctic weather of a horrific Indiana winter was spent thinking, reading, day dreaming and planning of traveling all over the world in a boat.

    No. I did not devise an affirmation campaign to manifest this desire.

    But I thought about it all the time. I talked about it all the time. It was not just my hobby at that time, it was my obsession.

    Now, thoughts create your reality.

    Right?

    Thoughts create your reality. Whether they are planned and formalized as in a prayer campaign, or just seemingly “random” as in a passion or an obsession.

    Scene from Office Space.
    For millions of us “cubicle warriors” the type of lifestyle that was depicted in the movie “Office Space” was a reality. It was a harsh reality, and what made the money such a hit is that it gave us participants a chance to step back, and look at the lives that we were living from a third-person perspective.

    And while I argue that you need to utilize formal affirmation prayer campaigns to focus your desires into a materialization of your desires in the reality, you can use many other techniques to make this happen. Often, you aren’t aware that you are manifesting and creating such realities.

    Now, all this focus and all these thoughts had created various manifestations.

    I ended up meeting people who were building and constructing their very own ocean-sailing yachts. yes! In rural Indiana of all places. They would be building these large metal vessels in their back yards, in barns and on flatbed trucks. Each time I met them, I felt closer to my dream, and felt that I could live a more rewarding life than what I was on track for…

    …the clutching for the almighty dollar.

    Scene from the movie "Joe vs the volcano".
    Scene from the movie “Joe vs the Volcano”. Joe arrives at work. And deals with the stress at his job, his company and his life.

    It was great seeing other people who were working on their “escape plan”. Many of them had formulated their dreams and desires over the years and had spent decades building their vessels from which they could change their lives and go onto adventures with.

    So, naturally, something happened.

    I bought a boat.

    No, not an ocean sailing yacht. I was in Indiana, for goodness sakes! But I bought a power boat for the local lakes in Indiana. It was a 18 foot ski-boat, and it was beautiful. We (my wife and I) named it “Going Coconuts”, and we kept it at a large lake about an hour drive North of where we lived in Kokomo, Indiana.

    And even though it was a small ski boat, it taught us things about the boating lifestyle that we were not thinking about all the times we read, and lived the dream of sailing. All sorts of things. And things that we were unaware of while we were sitting and reading those fine glossy magazines on sailing.

    • Boats require licensing just like cars do.
    • They require loan payments as well.
    • And insurance.
    • And you only get to ride in them a few precious times of the year…
    • But you need to store them somewhere, and that costs money.
    • They need more care and maintenance than a car requires.
    • And they are a lot of work to keep clean.

    Somehow, all those articles kind of glossed over these points. And while they talked about doing this repair, and paying that cost, We were unprepared for the shear magnitude of time, effort and cost to maintain the boat. It was almost like a big hole that you ended up throwing your money into.

    "A boat is a hole in the water into which you pour money” is a popular saying that has been printed on gift items, such as T-shirts and posters. “A yacht, they say, is a hole in the water surrounded by wood into which money is poured” has been cited in print since at least 1961 and is of unknown authorship.
    
    -The Big Apple: “A boat is a hole in the water into which ...

    After buying the boat, I was beginning to think that my thoughts and dreams were misplaced. That perhaps I was yearning for something that the purchase of THINGS cannot repair…

    And then… came a movie.

    Captain Ron

    Captain Ron.
    This screen splash says it all.
    Caroline Harvey: Captain Ron, I was wondering. Are we going to be going to any more "human" type places?
    Captain Ron: Well, you heard of St. Croix?
    Caroline Harvey: Yeah.
    Captain Ron: We're going to the island just to the left of it.
    Caroline Harvey: What's it called?
    Captain Ron: Ted's.

    Let’s talk about the movie “Captain Ron”. You see at that time, in my life, I yearned for a life that was more adventuresome and exciting than living the “Office Space” existence that I had at Delco Electronics.

    Delco Electronics designed and developed automobile electronics, computers and systems for GM. It was an enormous facility that was the absolute clone of the horror of (the movie) "Office Space". It had the worst aspects of the enormous General Motors culture in the nightmarish existence of Silicon Valley smack dab in the middle of the flat corn belt of Indiana.

    And then the movie “Captain Ron” appeared.

    This is wonderful movie, and one of my favorite movies of all time!

    A family inherits a sailboat and decides to flee the urban rat race. They don’t realize that they will have to over come many hurdles, including aspects of them selves, Capt. Ron, the boat and the environment. It’s a movie about adventure, change, and a reappraisal of your values and why your work so hard for what you think is important to you.

    Captain Ron.
    Captain Ron discusses one issue or the other with the new owners of the schooner.

    .

    Captain Ron Rico is about as laid back as laid back can be.

    [as Ben, who's 12, moves Captain Ron's beer]
    
    Captain Ron: 
    Hey. Get your hands off that.
    
    Benjamin Harvey: 
    I was just moving it. I wasn't gonna drink it.
    
    Captain Ron: 
    You bet your little booty, you wasn't. You want a beer, you get your own beer.
    
    -- Captain Ron

    He’s an ex Navy carrier driver whose been through one too many squalls, not to mention a stint in rehab.

    A treasure chest of worldly knowledge, he’s never at a loss to relate his exploits even when it comes to his glass eye, “Won it in a crap game a few years back.”

    Yah.

    [Lost in a heavy storm]
    
    Captain Ron: 
    The boss is right. We should be okay. 'Cause I know we're near land.
    
    Martin Harvey: 
    Great, Cap. Great. Ya hear that? We're almost there. Explain to the kids how you know that, Captain Ron. Someone translate for General Armando.
    
    Captain Ron: 
    Alright, now stay with me: When we left, we had just enough fuel to make it to San Juan. And now... we are out of fuel!

    At first glance he’s a man you wouldn’t trust to float an inner tube, but as he proves to Martin Short throughout the course of the movie, he’s “far more cunning than first suspected.” After all, you gotta love a guy who as he’s sipping beer with Short’s young son, he tells the young lad that he just caught his parents “Playing hide-the-salami in the shower.”

    Martin Harvey: 
    Slow down! There's boats all over the place!
    
    Captain Ron: 
    Don't worry. They'll get out of the way. I learned that driving the Saratoga.

    The daughter plays a teenager that is simultaneously apathetic and nearly out of control. The son is a kid who hasn’t taken an interest in life until now. The father assumes that Capt. Ron can’t know anything while the family begins to believe that it’s the father who doesn’t know anything.

    Captain Ron: 
    [telling how he lost his eye] Yeah, it happened when I went down off the coast of Australia.
    
    Katherine Harvey: 
    Your boat sank?
    
    Captain Ron: 
    No, no, no, no. Not my boat. My boss's boat. Yeah, we hit this reef. Huge son-of-a-bitch. Ran the whole coast.
    
    Katherine Harvey: 
    Wait. The Great Barrier Reef?
    
    Captain Ron: 
    You've heard of it, huh? Smart lady.
    The son in Captain Ron.
    After a while the Influence of Captain Ron affects everyone, and even the son seems to have been influenced by the antics and behaviors of Captain Ron.
    Captain Ron: 
    [to Ben] Hey swab. C'mere. Listen up. Now, the way it works shipboard is, you do your job. You do it good, you get a better job. Maybe you get promoted from swab to mate.
    [Ben nods]
    
    Captain Ron: 
    Alright. Get on it.
    
    Captain Ron: 
    [to Martin] Sort've an incentive kind of a deal, huh?
    
    Martin Harvey: 
    Ah. Good.
    
    Captain Ron: 
    Yeah, incentives are important. 
    I learned that in rehab.

    By the end of the movie, I actually found myself nostalgic for the sense of freedom and fun that only Captain Ron can steer you towards…

    This movie was one of the triggers to me moving away…

    …far, far away from the corporate life, and mindless pursuits of more and more money, and more and more things.

    [Approaching Martin and Katherine in a holding cell on San Juan]
    
    Bill Zachary: 
    Mr. and Mrs. Harvey? I'm Bill Zachary from the U.S. State Department. I've got some good news for you.
    
    Katherine Harvey: 
    Oh. You found our children.
    
    Bill Zachary: 
    No. But you're not being charged with subversion.

    What’s really going on?

    Was it really that I wanted to build a boat, that I wanted to sail the world? That I wanted to partake in the adventure of skippers and the ocean breezes? Or was it something else?

    Was it that I was so tired of the bland corporate life…

    And the sterile sameness and pleasantries of Central Indiana…

    … flat…

    …bland …

    Typical Indiana.
    Typical Indiana.

    … pleasant ….

    …made “good” money….

    …that my soul was screeching and screaming for some “LIFE” and some excitement! That maybe I just wanted some “color” in my life. Some fun. Something different. Something that would alert my senses…

    …something “real”…

    …anything, really…

    …and without anyone to guide me…

    …I reached out to things that appealed to me, but that weren’t really practical and in tune with my real and direct needs.

    Long story short…

    I conducted an affirmation prayer campaign, and within a very short period of time, say nine months…

    …I moved.

    And I moved to really interesting places. And my first stop was the very unique and colorful Hattiesburg, Mississippi. And let me tell you’se guys something serious. This is a great and unique and super dooper colorful area.

    Doc Hollywood

    We generally do not know where our affirmation campaigns will take us. That is, unless we are specific in our destinations. At that time, I knew in my heart and soul that a serous change was required and that I was unhappy where I was, and while I was eating and sleeping well, I was also miserable. It was not the life that I wanted. It was far too clean, far too boring, and far too bland.

    So I wanted excitement.

    Or, maybe, not “excitement. I wanted a change. I wanted a more colorful area, with more interesting people, more tasty choices in food instead of the McDonald’s, or other clone restaurants that had displaced all the family diners and changed them to Applebys, and Pantera Bread chains.

    I was tired of manicured lawns. Cinder-block stores, with the same prices, the same canned music, the same types of cars, in the same colors and shapes. I was tired of every house having a red door, a General Motors made car, and a mail box that they bought from Lowe’s.

    I was tired of McMansions.

    I was tired of corporate life. Corporate radio (and at that time, big corporations bought all the radio stations in Central Indiana, and played a rotating 50 songs over, and over, and over…)

    I was tired of Maggie May!

    My soul was screaming for … change!

    And what manifested was sort of unexpected. It was very much like a cross between Mayberry RFD (The television show.) and the movie Doc Hollywood.

    Like I said.

    Unexpected.

    Doc Hollywood

    Scene from Doc Hollywood.
    Hattiesburg, MS resembled the scenes within the Movie Doc Hollywood. It was uncanny. What’s more, it wasn’t Mc-anything. Everything was authentic. Everything was “real” with substance, and a genuine nature that was the opposite of “corporate”.
    I have to laugh! 
    Thubanstar8 December 2004
    
    I have to laugh at all the comments on this board which say this movie's plot or the characters are not "plausible".
    
    I live near the town this movie was shot in, (I was an extra for one day, and a "stand in" for two days on this film. It was neat!) and believe me, the characters are not only believable, you can meet versions of them in small towns all through the south.
    
    There is a big difference between city and deep country life. Maybe people in very urban areas and countries tend to forget that. Quite honestly, I know several people down here in the boonies who make the folk of "Grady" look downright sophisticated.
    
    That criticism shot down, I just have to say it's a really sweet film. It has a lot of atmosphere and some good character development, even in the minor roles. It portrays small, small town America pretty accurately and with a great deal of charm.

    Dr. Ben Stone is leaving DC for a job doing plastic surgery for celebs in LA when he runs into a picket fence in a small Southern town and has to do 3 days of community service at their clinic as penance.

    His fancy sports car is totaled anyway and he has to get it fixed.

    Miffed at being waylaid in such a hokey place, he tries to get through the next few days in time for his new job.

    Scene from Doc Hollywood.
    There’s a real charm in the deep South. And it was like a refreshing burst of fresh air compared to the stifling conformity of corporate life in Indiana.

    .

    He meets a wide cast of characters — and to their credit, not everyone in a small town is so gosh-friendly. Some are mean, some are troubled, some are nice — like any other array of people. Ben meets Lou, a single mother who drives the ambulance, as well as Nancy Lee Nicholson, a confused beauty who wants him to take her to LA.

    In a town full of colorful characters, two ‘stars in the making’ stand out; Woody Harrelson, as ‘Lou’s’ suitor, Hank Gordon, a country variation of his bartending character from ‘Cheers’, talks dumb but has a knack for selling, only lacking a place to make big money at it; and Bridget Fonda, as Mayor Nicholson’s oversexed but ‘out of place’ daughter, hopes Stone will take her away to the bright lights of Hollywood.

    For me, the movie was a representation of my life in Hattiesburgh.

    Actually, if you all want to get "technical". I lived in Pervis. Which was a small town outside of Hattiesburg.
    Scene from Doc Hollywood.
    Yes. The citizens of Hattiesburg Mississippi pretty much resembled those portrayed in Grady in the movie “Doc Hollywood”.
    I have watched Doc Hollywood umpteen times and like it more each time . macpherr20 October 1999
    
    To most people this movie is about a small town in the South. To me that one small town street is the place where my husband and I used to day dreaming about buying antique furniture after he would finish graduate school at the University of Florida, in Gainesville, Florida. 
    
    The movie location, the one street town of Micanopy, is just a few miles away from Gainesville. 
    
    They show the entire downtown! 
    
    As I have watched Doc Hollywood umpteen times, I love to see the corner store, which was a jewelry store called the Strawberry Bank specializing in antique jewelry about seventeen years ago. I would put stuff on lay-way as graduate students could not afford the luxury of buying something faster. 
    
    Then we would drive around those back roads full of trees and Spanish moss and eat an early dinner: fried cat fish, fried okra, rice, and whatever fresh thing they had that our small stomachs could contain. 
    
    It was such a great time in our lives! 
    
    That area is surrounded by students. I guess we did not realize how little we had as graduate students, since we were even able to afford an off-campus apartment! Everybody else had about the same youth and enthusiasm and we were looking to our bright futures. 
    
    I would go to the library and get books on antiques furniture, old lace and antique jewelry. I would audit French classes, take classes in jewelry making techniques: such as lost wax and casting. 
    
    I learned so much about life in that town, and biked until I ended up tan without ever sitting in the sun.
    
    Like Michael J. Fox (The American President) "Dr. Benjamin Stone," I was fascinated with the big city. Coming from one of the largest cities in the world, I just wondered what I was going to do after I finished my classes as a Visiting Student at the UF. 
    
    Well after living there for about four years, I learned much more than what graduate school could ever teach. 
    
    Like Dr. Stone, I fell in love with the place, I would not mind having a pig named Jasmine, I fell in love with the quilt making, the silence, the southern hospitality, and how "they all" thought I had an accent. 
    
    I can even do a pretty good southern accent now myself! 
    
    Every once in while a celebrity would come to town like Sally Fields (Forest Gump) raising support for a project that her brother a physics professor at UF was working on. Those college folk, they sure come up with strange ideas. That was so cool!
    
    Julie Warner (Mr. Saturday Night) "Lou" was so adorable with her down to earth attitude. 
    A catfish dinner.
    A mainstay meal in Mississippi; the fried catfish dinner with chips, slaw, and pickled tomatoes with hush-puppies.
    I loved to see the Mayor dressed like a squash. That is the South!
    
    This is an excellent movie.
    
    It has values. Ben Stone realized that being a Doctor in a small town might even mean having to read to your clients personal letters to them because they could not read.
    
    He in the end realizes that being needed is far more important than money.
    
    My favorite quotes: " Watch your language Doc, you are in the belt of the Bible belt."
    
    Stone: "There were cows in the middle of the road! I told you my insurance company will be happy to pay for that fence."
    
    Judge:"I built that fence myself. Neither you, nor, your insurance company can pay for a fence that I built myself."
    
    My favorite scenes: the one street in Micanopy, the cute wooden cabin, the little old ladies quilting and arguing.
    
    Ben Stone and Lou driving around on that old huge ambulance, and acting like real animals demarcating their territories by scent. They would urinate and distribute the liquid around to detract deer that would attract the hunters.
    
    My husbands favorite scene is Julie Warner slowing rising from under water when she was skinny dipping. Not lewd, but enchanting.
    
    Well we are going to "visit all " the relatives down south and eat fresh catfish in some back road "ma &pa restaurant." I guess " you all" have to go buy or rent this movie.

    This movie is great because it is about many people deciding for themselves how they want to live — whether in a big city or in a small town — and why they value what they do. It is also about an epiphany for Ben Stone and changing of his ways internally.

    And that’s pretty much what I moved to.

    A super nice small community with it’s own unique (and very different) culture, society and food. And it was refreshing! Absolutely and positively refreshing!

    The point here is that you need to leave your affirmation campaigns wide open so that things that you are not aware of, but that meet your deepest desires are able to manifest. If you are too specific, you might end up with a house like what you see on television, and not like one that your really want.

    Here’s what Hattiesburg was sort of like…

    Rural Mississippi. Very nice.
    Rural Mississippi. Very nice.

    Now…

    There’s many things that I can say and lessons to be learned. But at this point we will park this conversation here for a spell.

    And the rest of the story here…

    Eventually, I had to leave my position in Hattiesburg. Which was really sad. It happened when there was a restructuring in the corporate office (in Chicago) and they input new management in (from Silicon Valley) who remade the entire working environment…

    …wait for it…

    …yet another clone of “Office Space”.

    Ugh!

    Office Space.
    And suddenly, just like that (snaps fingers) I was living in corporate America all over again, as a “power” yellow-tie corporate executive remade my Mississippi company into a clone of Silicon Valley.

    So…

    Some trends are too large, and too invasive to escape from. It’s like trying to run away from sweat. It will form, and the only thing that you can do is try to get / make yourself comfortable.

    Ugh.

    Conclusion

    My skills in regards to affirmation / prayer campaigns were honed over four decades out of necessity. It was like I was on this churning, bobbing, sea of turmoil that was frequently trying to push me under. And my only way to maintain sanity was to take control of my thoughts and actions. And over time, I realized just how critical the control of my thoughts were.

    Indeed, if I were not careful others, and other things would change and alter my thoughts to something else, and something quite different. And I didn’t want anything to do with it.

    Gosh and golly, there are so many lessons here, some of which I spelled out to you, the reader, and others that you might be able to see if you read between the lines. It is our thoughts, and the shadow thoughts of others which can make our lives great, or a Hellish experience. Our only recourse is to control the barrage of thoughts to something that we can manage.

    Be careful of your affirmations. What you think you want, might not be what you earnestly truly want deep down inside. It’s like the guy who says that he want’s a “big dick”, when in reality, he just wants a lot of sex. Be real, and be truthful with yourself.

    This was my story.

    I am sure that you have your own stories that you can add to this. For life is a very interesting journey. And learning, and experiencing life is our duty.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Affirmation Index here…

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    The effects of de-cluttering and purging on affirmation campaigns

    I have been writing a bunch of articles (posts) on how to conduct prayer and affirmation campaigns that work. But I haven’t spent too much time on other things that you can do to increase the likelihood of accelerating or amplifying the campaign.

    So, in this post we will look at de-cluttering as a way of clearing away the “trash” that often stands in the way between you and your desires.

    Your past, and every one you met, every thing you touched, every thought you have are all being swept up and makes an impression upon you, your life, and your lifestyle. In order for you to free yourself from the influences of your past, you need to take proactive steps to clear away the bad (or stubborn) from influencing your future plans.

    Declutter to remove inertial obstacles that prevent your intentions from manifesting.
    Declutter to remove inertial obstacles that prevent your intentions from manifesting.

    Summary

    Thoughts and quanta form attachments with physical things. Thus good and bad thoughts, and their associated quanta can be absorbed by physical things, and thus affect the users and owners of those objects.

    When you conduct a prayer / affirmation campaign, the thoughts and quanta of the physical surrounds can have an influence in the success of your campaign.

    I suggest that you take the time to de-clutter your affirmation “runway”, so that when the time comes for your affirmations “to take off”, there will not be any hindrances, or obstacles in your way.

    Step one

    The very first thing that you need to do is get rid of any “hexed”, “bad luck”, “cursed” or problematic items in you possession. Maybe you don’t have any, that’s fine. But if there is something that you don’t feel comfortable with, maybe it’s something stuck in the attic or stored away in the garage, toss it out.

    Cursed or entangled physical items surround us everywhere.
    Christine is considered one of the great classic 80’s horror movies, based on Stephen King’s novel and directed by John Carpenter. It is the story about a cursed automobile.

    Forget about who gave it to you. Forget about it’s potential monetary value. Forget about any sentimentality associated or attached with it. Just clear it out of your life.

    It does not matter if it is “good”, “bad”, “cursed intentionally”, or just unlucky. Get rid of that fucker.

    You see, there are no “good” or “bad” attachments. Aside from those relative to our comfort and our structured desires. Think of it as inertia.

    If you want to run a race, you try to be all muscle. You cut away your body fat, you get lighter and you exercise. So you can well imagine this effort as a slimming down and streamlining of your affirmation campaign.

    Cut off the fat.

    Step two. Declutter clothing.

    All those things that you don’t use, that occupy space in your closets and in your drawers, form an inertial mass. It is a big rock that makes it difficult for you to make any changes. This inertial mass is a continuity of the present, and if the articles include memories of the past, then the inertial effect is to tie you to that mass.

    If you don’t need the items, don’t use the items, or have no attachments to the items aside from “one day I’ll”, or “it cost so much when I bought it”, then discard.

    Here’s some general rules of thumb for clothing…

    • If you haven’t worn it for two years – discard.
    • If you like the clothing, but you no longer can wear that size – discard.
    • If you moved to the tropics, but you retain your winter clothing – discard.
    • Old socks, underwear (and bras) should be replaced yearly. (Do you hear me girls?)

    From now on, starting now, come up with a strategy to wear fitting, and stylish clothes and discard your old wardrobe. Now, I am not talking about being a “Jim Dandy” of Town, but rather something quite different.

    Replace your clothes and your wardrobe. Invest the thousand or so dollars to do so. Make sure that [1] everything fits, and fits well. [2] That the style is “you” and NOT the latest fashion. And that [3] you feel great, look great, wearing the clothes. Then discard everything else.

    Do this by going through your current clothing and setting aside everything that you 1) have not worn for two years, 2) is noticeably stained, and 3) fits so poorly not even a master tailor could adjust it to fit. Package it all up and mark it for the Salvation Army or eBay.
    
    -Building a Men's Wardrobe | The Art of Manliness

    For men…

    If you are a man, you should NEVER buy clothing yourself. You need a female that you trust to help you work on your look, and a good trustworthy tailor to work with. Tell them what you are trying to do. You will NOT regret this move.

    For women, the same thing applies.

    There is a significant difference in the spiritual, emotional and quantum “baggage” associated and attached to clothing between the two sexes. Men have a tendency to wear things over and over, and they tend to carry with them a lot of quantum debris and inertia. Women not so much. But women, also have a tendency to have large closets of items that just sit there waiting for the “right” moment to wear.

    Both accumulate inertia and resistance to change. Both need to be purged to only what you you need and associate with the GOALS and DREAMS of your affirmation campaign.

    Unless you use it, it is just wasted space. Further it is polluting your new efforts to change you life.

    Think of it as a big block of frozen shit sitting inside a big tub of water. Slowly it is affected all the water in the tub. If you remove it, the water no longer needs to contend with the pollution. And you will notice that the water level in the tub is lower. You can fill it up with nice fresh, sparking clear water.

    Discard what you haven’t used in two years. Don’t pause. Don’t think about it. Just do it.

    And do not forget to gain the support of your spouse or the person who will be helping you to pay for all this. I find my clients’ wives are ecstatic and fully supportive of their husband’s efforts to dress better. If you keep your partner out of the decision, however, you could be met with unexpected resistance.
    
    -

    Step Three – Declutter things

    Not everything is “haunted” or cursed. Often good memories are associated with things and objects. It’s just that we need to be sure that the object provides us a positive to neutral affect in our day to day lives.

    All in all, I would hazard to pronounce that about 20% of the items might have some negative effects that would detract from your life. And another 60% might have a neutral effect. and another 20% might have a positive effect. It all depends on who you are, and what YOUR quantum associations are.

    You need to remove all the items that you don't use or need from your life.
    You need to remove all the items that you don’t use or need from your life.

    So, I would advise that you make an inventory of the things in your house. And just like the clothing above, discard what is not needed. For they do hold and retain quantum connections. And while they might be neutral, the large mass of them will still work to keep you EXACTLY WHERE YOU ARE RIGHT NOW.

    So get rid of the bad, and do not argue with your family about that. Discard the bad.

    Weed out the neutral. Just keep what you like, want or need. (No one needs 6 mop buckets, 15 flashlights, and your great grandparents Christmas tree lights.) If you have a broken toaster, that you haven’t used, but will fix one of these days, toss it. If you have a throw rug from your old house, but have nowhere to put is, discard it. If you are still keeping the old bird cage from the bird that died five years ago, guess what, discard it.

    It’s nice to know that that big serving bowl reminds you of your long lost grandmother. If it fills you with happy emotions and thoughts, well then keep it. If you have a nearly new broom, but years of storage has messed up the hairs in the bottom of the broom, and you just can’t get the nerve to discard it, then set that sucker on fire. Unless you are using it, a tool is junk.

    I am NOT advising you all to take on a minimalist lifestyle. I am just simply saying that THINGS collect more than just dust. They collect quanta. And quanta, both good, bad or neutral can act like an anchor holding your and tying you to the current life that you are living.

    Step Four – Bless your property

    Just like evil, bad, or contrary ideas, thoughts and quanta can become attached to things, so can good will.

    All, or most religions, will bless things and objects. I know that this is certainly true for the Catholic and the Buddhist religions.

    I personally wear three items on me that are blessed. One [1] is a Catholic cross that I wear around my neck. It was blessed by Monseigneur Pete in Erie, PA when I lived at a monastery / retreat for men years ago. (Yeah. Bet you all didn’t know that, did ya?) And I also wear two bracelets. Both were blessed by Buddhists in the temples. One [2] (with large wooden beads) was blessed in TangXia, China, and the other [3] is a red rope bracelet blessed in Wenzhou, China.

    That’s the extent of my blessed items for now.

    Perhaps if Trump continues on his rampage of destruction and scorched earth, I might need to take a more proactive approach. In which case, I would certainly pay to have a priest bless my household. heck! I might even put in one of those Chinese mini-shrines near my front door.

    Chinese mini household shrine.
    Many older Chinese, as well as successful businessmen maintain these mini shrines in their homes and in their companies. They make sure that it is continually stocked with fresh fruit and flowers.

    It’s interesting, really.

    In the United States, I have uncles and aunties that would have their own religious shrines in their upstairs hallways. These small shrines are for their private purposes and for prayer and other blessings. As they are devout Catholics, they use the shrines to run through their “Hail Marys” and “Stations of the Cross” in their daily prayers.

    Hail Mary full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death Amen.
    
    -Hail Mary - Prayers - Catholic Online

    Now, I am not saying that I intend to put a small shrine in my home (I think my wife would kill me), but that having a priest come over and bless your home and apartment might be a good thing to do. Most especially if you have any questions why there seems to be a “big potato” or “dark cloud” or invisible wall that lies between you and your goals and objectives.

    It won’t cost too much. Provide a meal and offer a monetary “red envelope” to make it worth their while.

    Home shrine in a non-Catholic household.
    Home alter in a non-Catholic household. Alters are personal affairs and you place upon them what you feel is right, and just in according to your own personal beliefs and feelings.

    So…

    Try to have items that you always wear blessed. This can be your stinking wrist-watch it you want, or a wedding ring. Or a pinky ring. Or a belt. Or a John Deere baseball cap.

    If you feel the need, purify your residence in the ways and manner that your feel appropriate for you.

    Part Six – Tattoos

    A tattoo is like an anchor. It binds you to a stat of mind and a set of conditions. If you have the ability, I would suggest that you purge yourself of all tattoos.

    Tattoos anchor you to a specific set of world-line conditions. Thus are undesirable for practical world-line navigation using affirmation campaigns.
    Tattoos anchor you to a specific set of world-line conditions. Thus are undesirable for practical world-line navigation using affirmation campaigns.

    Part Seven -Nature

    Nature is neutral.

    The best way to shed the inertial quanta that collects upon us or around us is to spend time in nature.

    This can be a small flower garden, vegetable patch, or a small pond. This can be walks in the woods, or canoeing on a lake.

    If, for whatever reason, you are unable to perform any of the suggestions herein to declutter your life and reduce the quantum inertia, then please spend more time in nature. It need not be something all that dramatic, but it does need to occur.

    It could be something as simple as leaving the natural air to flow through your house more often.

    Or, it could mean that you start putting potted plants all over your house.

    It could be something as drastic as turning off all power to your house for a week, opening up all your windows and door, and just giving your old house a good ‘airing out”.

    What ever you do…

    …Just remember that affirmation campaigns alone often need little “nudges”, and pushes in certain areas to have your desires manifest. Do what you can to “freshen things up”, and provide “baggage free” opportunity.

    Oh, and a nice slice of pie in a good old-fashioned diner wouldn’t hurt.

    Delicious pies.
    A fine delicious pie. Go out to a diner, and do so especially if it is something that you do not normally do. To enact change, you must change things, and that includes habits.

    Conclusion

    Thoughts and quanta form attachments with physical things. Thus good and bad thoughts, and their associated quanta can be absorbed by physical things, and thus affect the users and owners of those objects.

    When you conduct a prayer / affirmation campaign, the thoughts and quanta of the physical surrounds can have an influence in the success of your campaign. It can be good, bad, or neutral, but it will have an effect.

    I suggest that you take the time to de-clutter your affirmation “runway”, so that when the time comes for your affirmations “to take off”, there will not be any hindrances, or obstacles in your way.

    Do you want more?

    I have more articles along these lines in my Affirmation Campaign Index here…

    Intention Campaigns

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
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    The Struggle with China is not a Replay of the Cold War: Remarks to the Asia American Forum

    Most of what you read in the Western press is “China = Bad”. And since this is an election year, anything related to China (the evil devil incarnate) association with the opposition party (=Biden) is fabricated and promoted. Oh don’t be too surprised to see all sorts of tweets, videos, and the like on how China has it’s “dirty little hands” in the wallets of Biden and company. It’s pretty much normal this time of year.

    Lies.

    Distortions.

    More lies.

    Insane level of howling and screeching of the lies…

    Those of us who know better have either stopped reading the “news” or following our feeds, or intentionally point out the ‘bots and other nonsense spewing (and it is truly SPEWING) forth out of the government-owned and controlled Alt-Right, Alt-Left, and mainstream American and Western press.

    Fuck that all!

    It’s all nonsense and the last thing you want to read when you get up in the morning and check the news is to find out about what ever the calamity of the day is.

    OK. Well, then…

    Imagine my surprise when I read this piece of sensibility.

    It’s penned by a former ambassador and (of course CIA) well experienced in Asian Geo-politics, and well aware of all the shenanigans going on right now. It is long, but gosh and golly is it spot on correct. It’s worth a read.

    Reposed as found. All credit to the author. No editing at all simply because the venue it was pulled from was WordPress friendly and devoid of java-script and for-profit advertisements. Obviously this author is like me. Stop making everything for-profit.

    The Struggle with China is not a Replay of the Cold War: Remarks to the Asia American Forum

    By Chas Freeman | On 4 October 2020

    Washington has declared war on China.  The administration and its allies hope that the war will be “cold,” but have no strategy for keeping it so.  I find it noteworthy that the most belligerently anti-Chinese members of the current U.S. Senate are also its youngest. 

    They came to adulthood after the end of the post-World War II “Cold War” and have no experience of its anxieties.  They appear to take its sudden end as predestined – something that was so inevitably right ideologically that it can and should be taken for granted.  Their military experience, if any, has been in the contemporary equivalent of the 19th century’s Indian Wars – combat with gun-toting farmers with no air forces, air defenses, navies, guided missiles, or nuclear weapons with which to answer U.S. hostility.  To paraphrase Hilaire Belloc’s riff on Britain’s hubris in its colonial wars:

    “Whatever happens, we have got
    Close air support and they have not.”

    The Cold War was radically different from this.  It was a global struggle between two competing ideological blocs and nuclear-armed power centers capable of destroying not just each other but all life on the planet except maybe the cockroaches.  It began as a series of squabbles over the spoils of a worldwide war.  Each side strove to consolidate spheres of politico-military and economic influence and deny the other access to them.  But each learned to avoid confrontations that might lead to armed combat directly with the other.  Each limited itself to proxy wars aimed at sustaining or imposing its ideology somewhere not in the grip of the other.  Each sought to minimize and contain interaction with the other.  That was not difficult, given the utter lack of interdependence between the two and the blocs of nations they formally and informally commanded.

    The struggle we Americans have now initiated with China has none of these characteristics.  To analogize it to the Cold War of 1947 – 1991 is intellectually lazy.  More important, it is profoundly misleading and delusional.  The Sino-American split is not the sequel to a bloody world war.  However politically convenient it may be for Americans to cast antagonism to China in all-encompassing Manichean terms, this is a contest born of contending national self-images and ambitions, not ideologies.  The struggle with China on which Americans have embarked is a bilateral contest in which others may or may not choose to take sides, not one between two committed blocs of nations.  China is both a much less inherently hostile and far more robust rival than the Soviet Union was.

    Emulating China’s autocracy by closing America to foreign goods, services, people, and ideas, as the United States is now doing, is self-defeating.  Modeling China policy on Ronald Reagan’s treatment of the USSR before he met Mikhail Gorbachev, as Secretary of State Pompeo has done, is the path to receipt of a national “Darwin award.”  The U.S. contention with a resurgent China cannot be conducted in the same manner as the Cold War.  It will not end, as the Cold War did, with the voluntary resignation of an ideologically disillusioned and exhausted adversary.

    Before I discuss China and how our contest with it is likely to proceed, it may be useful to spend a minute or two on what China is not.

    In Chinese literature, there is a beast called a 四不像that is satirically defined by the “four things it ain’t.”  The head and face of a “four ain’t[1]” is slender like a horse, but it ain’t a horse.  Its horns are like a deer’s, but different.  Its neck is like a camel’s, but it is no camel.  Its tail is like a donkey’s, but it’s not an ass.  The point is that describing a “four ain’t” by reference to previously encountered animals it does not resemble is worse than no help at all in understanding and dealing with it.

    China is the “four ain’t” of today’s geopolitics.  [1] It is ruled by a “Communist Party” but is an overachieving participant in global capitalism, committed to free trade, expanded foreign investment, and a market economy guided by industrial policy, not central planning.  [2] China is armed with nuclear weapons, but it has sized and configured its arsenal for a retaliatory response to an attack on it by other nuclear powers, not for a first strike, which it has abjured and is not equipped to conduct.  [3] China is a threat to American global primacy, but mostly in economic and technological rather than political or military terms, in which it remains decidedly inferior.  [4] China is once again the immovable economic and cultural center of its native region – where the United States has for seventy-five years been the resident overlord – but China seeks no “allies” and has no political satrapies or military dependencies.

    Crucially, China is not the Soviet Union:

    • China has no messianic ideology to export. Its appeal derives from its performance, not its ideas.  It is happy to be emulated, but justly charged with callous indifference to how foreign societies govern themselves.
    • China is not engaged in regime change operations to create an ideological sphere of influence. It seeks to prevent the overthrow of its own authoritarian system of governance but does not oppose democracy or promote authoritarianism abroad.  Where tested, as in Korea, it often has a better relationship with democracies than with their undemocratic opponents.
    • China’s relationships with foreign nations are transactional rather than sentimental. It has no “satellites,” “allies,” or entente partners to divert its attention from its own defense.  Beijing has no ideological soul mates, committed followers, or dedicated sycophants abroad.
    • China’s economy dwarfs that of the USSR. It accounts for 30 percent of global manufacturing and continues to grow.  China has an economy that is almost one-third larger than that of the United States in purchasing power terms and that is rapidly approaching parity at nominal exchange rates.
    • China is now the largest consumer market on the planet and the biggest trading partner of three-fourths of the world’s other economies. It is fully integrated into the global capitalist system and cannot be walled off from it.
    • China already possesses one-fourth of the world’s scientific, technological, engineering, and mathematics workforce. It is steadily increasing its ascendancy.
    • China’s “Belt and Road Initiative” is an order-setting geoeconomic strategy with no Soviet parallel that dwarfs the nearest American equivalent – the Marshall Plan.
    • China spends two percent or less of GDP on its military vs. the estimated 9 – 15 percent of the USSR and the current 7.9 percent spent by the United States.[2] Unlike the USSR, if pushed to do so, China has the capacity to more than match any U.S. military spending increases.
    • Despite much wishful thinking on the part of its detractors, premising a policy on China’s collapse from systemic defects, as George Kennan shrewdly did in the case of the USSR in 1947, is – on the evidence – delusional.
    • China has not built a nuclear arsenal to match that of either the United States or Russia. It has instead adopted a “no first use” policy for nuclear weapons backed by a modest force de frappe that can conduct a limited but devastating retaliatory counterstrike to any foreign nuclear attack on it.
    • There are no U.S. arms control agreements, exchanges of information, understandings on mutual restraint, or escalation control mechanisms between the U.S. and Chinese armed forces as there were with the USSR
    • American military intervention in the Russian civil war lasted only two years (1918-1920). Overt U.S. intervention in China’s ongoing civil war, sparked by the Korean War, began in 1950.  Seventy years later, U.S. support for the heirs to Chiang Kai-shek’s defeated Chinese regime not only continues but is escalating.
    • The United States backs challenges to China’s sovereignty over Taiwan and islets in its near seas. By contrast, despite rhetorical opposition to its incorporation of the three Baltic states, America never actively contested the USSR’s territorial integrity.
    • The armed forces of the United States aggressively patrol China’s shorelines and test its defenses, as they did those of the Soviet Union. But, so far, unlike the USSR, China has not reciprocated.

    Equally important, the United States of the 2020s is not the America of the early Cold War.

    • As the Cold War began, the United States produced one-half or more of the world’s manufactures. It now makes about one-sixth.
    • For the first time in American history, foreigners do not envy American freedoms. Once almost-universal admiration for the United States has been overwritten by repeated displays of racism, gun violence, political venality, xenophobia, and – most recently – executive incompetence and legislative default in the face of national challenges.  No one abroad now seeks to emulate the U.S. political system or believes that the United States illustrates the possibilities of democracy.
    • During the Cold War, the United States was the uncontested leader of a bloc of dependent nations that it called “the free world.” That bloc is now in an advanced state of decay.  America’s international followership is greatly diminished and its capacity to organize coalitions that integrate lesser powers in support of common objectives has atrophied.
    • Legacy U.S. alliances formed to contain the USSR have little relevance to American contention with China:
      • US-European alliances like NATO are withering. Though cautious about China, Europeans do not and will not support an effort to “contain” it.
      • No Asian security partner of the United States wants to choose between America and China.[3] S. “alliances” in Asia embody U.S. undertakings to protect partners rather than commitments by them to come to America’s aid.  Such dependent relationships cannot be repurposed to form a coalition to counter China.
    • The United States is isolated on a widening list of issues of importance to other countries. It has withdrawn or excluded itself from a growing number of multilateral instruments of global and regional governance and is no longer able to lead the international community as it once did.
    • Americans have repeatedly declined to recapitalize or cooperate in reforming international financial institutions to meet new global and regional investment requirements. This has led China, India, and other rising powers to create supplementary lenders like the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the New Development Bank.  The United States has chosen to have no voice in these and continues inadvertently to stimulate the creation of still more institutions that can act without reference to American interests or views.
    • Since 1950, the Taiwan issue has been a casus belli between the United States and China. But U.S. allies or security partners see it as a fight among Chinese to be managed rather than joined.  If the U.S. mismanages the Taiwan issue, as it now appears to be doing, it will have no overt allies in the resulting war.
    • No claimant against China in the South China Sea is prepared to join the U.S. in naval conflict with China.
    • U.S. foreign policy is now as partisan as domestic policy. It is often driven by special rather than national interests and is unrealistic, strategically incoherent, divisive, and fickle.
    • Partisan oligopolies have swallowed independent media in the United States and reduced the thousands of U.S. correspondents once reporting on international affairs to mere dozens. S. corporate media now treat the news as an entertainment-based cost center and consumer product rather than as a necessary public service or civic duty.  These developments and the politicization of the U.S. intelligence community diminish and distort American situational awareness, helping spurious narratives to overwrite facts.

    In short, this time is different. 

    Sino-American relations have a history and dynamic that do not conform to those of the US-Soviet contest.  If you have seen one “communist,” you have not seen them all.  And the United States is much less well equipped to inspire and lead opposition to China than it was to the USSR.

    The US-China contention is far broader than that of the Cold War, in part because China, unlike the determinedly autarkic USSR, is part of the same global society as the United States. 

    The battlefields include 

    • global governance
    • geoeconomics
    • trade
    • investment
    • finance
    • currency usage
    • supply chain management
    • technology standards and systems,
    • and scientific collaboration

    In addition to the geopolitical and military domains in which the Cold War played out. 

    Short of nuclear war, the struggle the United States has begun with China may not be existential, as the Cold War was, but it cannot avoid being hugely consequential.

    Four years ago, the U.S. unilaterally decided that geopolitics are inherently driven by great power military rivalry that precludes cooperation.  

    In 2016 when Donald Trump became President and appointed war-hawk neocons to all the international positions in his administration.

    The policies derived from this militaristic reconceptualization of international relations are generating a series of zero-sum games between adversaries seemingly as interested in hurting each other as they are in raising their own status.  The newly pugnacious U.S. stance legitimizes xenophobia and justifies bilateral approaches to foreign relations that don’t just ignore issues like global terrorism, pandemic diseases, climate change, migration, nuclear proliferation, or regional tensions but actually cripple the global governance and international coordination needed to tackle them.  The United States is going out of its way to demonstrate its indifference to the interests and sensibilities of its past and potential partners.  It is withdrawing from international organizations it can no longer dominate.  These actions amount to unilateral diplomatic disarmament and the creation of politico-economic vacuums for others – not just China – to fill.

    Future historians will puzzle over why Americans have chosen to dismantle and discard the connections and capacities – other than military prowess – that long enabled the United States to direct the trend of events in most global and regional arenas.  When they unravel this mystery, they will also need to explain the simultaneous collapse of the separation of powers structure on which the American republic was founded and on which its liberties were built.  The checks and balances that made America uniquely resilient are now on life support.  A legislative branch that refuses to take a stand on the issues entrusted to it by the plain text of the U.S. Constitution has been sidelined by an increasingly despotic and bellicose presidency.  The American judiciary, once the custodian of constitutional rectitude, is now selected and appointed by reference to political rather than legal criteria.  The result is governance with declining legitimacy at home and next to no appeal abroad.

    Fortunately for post-constitutional America, China’s political system, despite the stability and prosperity it has fostered, has even less appeal beyond China’s borders than the degenerate and debased U.S. “model” now does.   Both China and the United States are now repelling other nations rather than attracting them.  If the contest were military and didn’t go nuclear, the United States, with its battle-hardened and uniquely lethal military, would enjoy insuperable advantages.  But politics and armed conflict are not the central elements in the Sino-American confrontation.  And the zero-sum games in other competitive arenas do not look promising for America.

    After World War II, the United States made the rules.  American statesmen crafted a world order that expressed American ideals and served American interests.  In the post-Cold War period Washington began to contract its commitments and to disengage from the global institutions and norms it had sponsored.  It also abandoned the effort to lead an expansion of the rule-bound order it had created.  Over three dozen treaties are pending in the U.S. Senate.  The last time it approved one was in 2008.

    The United States has failed to ratify international compacts that regulate a widening range of arenas of importance to it.  These include conventions on the law of the sea, nuclear testing, the arms trade, human rights, and crimes against humanity.  Washington has withdrawn from or suspended compliance with conventions on the laws of war and agreements on arms control, combating climate change, and trade and investment.  It has ceased to participate in or sought to sabotage a growing list of United Nations specialized agencies and related institutions.  Notwithstanding the current global pandemic, these include the World Health Organization.  This generation of American politicians does not seem to understand that if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.

    America’s withdrawal from its traditional role in global rule-setting and enforcement deprives the United States of the dominant influence it long exercised through the institutions it created.  Other great powers remain wedded to the old American-led order expressed in the United Nations Charter.  But America’s exemption of itself from the comity of nations and its spontaneous metamorphosis from world leader to global dropout have left it unable to aggregate the power of other nations to its own.  Washington’s resort to abusive language, threats and coercive measures has grown as its capacity to apply its power non-coercively has declined, further reducing the numbers of foreign allies, partners, and friends willing to bandwagon with America.

    The European Union remains impotent and cannot fill the breach created by the United States’ sidelining of itself.  Rising and resurgent great powers – like China, India, Brazil, and Russia – now have a free hand to reshape and supplement legacy institutions to their advantage, and they are doing so.  In some ways, their initiatives are constructive.  Unfortunately, in others they are not.  This is especially true of their reliance on precedents set at Guantánamo that justify “extraordinary rendition,” “enhanced interrogation,” the criminalization of resistance to military occupation, “targeted killings,” and the replacement of the rule of law with ruthless expediency.  Russia saw the example of NATO’s war to separate Kosovo from Serbia as a precedent justifying its separation of Crimea from Ukraine.  As America ceased to set a good example, the world became less civilized.

    The decline in U.S. clout internationally is made even more consequential by the fact that China has resources, including money, to offer its partners, and – except for military shock and awe – the United States does not.  The United States’ budget is in chronic deficit.  Even routine government operations must now be funded with debt.  America has spent trillions of borrowed dollars on wars in the Islamic world that it can neither win nor end.  Its so-called “forever wars” siphoned off the funds needed to keep its human and physical infrastructure at levels competitive with those of China and other great economic powers.  They also crippled U.S. statecraft by defunding non-military means to advance or defend American interests abroad and curtailing U.S. contributions to the international institutions charged with assuring global peace and development.

    The Asian Infrastructure Development Bank and the New Development Bank and their infant sister institutions affirm American-invented global systems and practices.  They do not challenge legacy lenders like the Asian Development Bank and World Bank.  They supplement such institutions by recreating and recapitalizing them in forms exempt from American veto, sabotage, or stonewalling.  The most recent example of such necessity-driven invention is the Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement.  This effectively nullifies a key element of American vandalism of the World Trade Organization (WTO).  It enables the continued orderly resolution of trade and investment disputes between the EU, China, and others without the participation of the United States.  Similarly, current international efforts to craft a multi-currency system for trade settlement and reserve management to replace the dollar do not reflect dissatisfaction with its service in these roles.  They are driven by universal foreign objections to hegemonic American bullying through unilateral dollar sovereignty-based sanctions.

    Coercive approaches to statecraft are inherently alienating.  Claims to superiority that are not empirically substantiable are unpersuasive.  Asking countries to choose between China and the United States, when China is clearly rising and America is simultaneously stagnating and declining, practically guarantees the progressive eclipse of American prestige and power.  Advocating democracy abroad while deviating from it at home destroys rather than enhances American credibility.  America’s addiction to debt risks eventual financial collapse even as it limits immediate policy options both at home and abroad.

    If the United States succeeds in making its contest with China mainly military, as the military-industrial-congressional complex desires, Americans are less likely to spend the Chinese into national bankruptcy than the Chinese are to bankrupt the United States.  A strategy based on the presumption that Asian and other nations are committed to eternal dependence on U.S. military protection against Washington’s enemy du jour cannot succeed. 

    No country wants to be caught in a Sino-American firefight.  If the United States goes to war with China, the outcome is at best uncertain. 

    A nuclear exchange cannot be ruled out.

    Protectionism and xenophobia promise to reduce American prosperity and retard innovation, not make the United States once again competitive.  Trade and investment policies based on the rejection of comparative advantage promote inefficiency and stagnation rather than growth.  Retreating into the “Five Eyes” technology stockade while barring the gates to Chinese scientists and students is less likely to sustain American international standard setting and scientific primacy than to cede the global commons to China and others.  Withdrawal from multilateral organizations forfeits influence in them and yields it to others more open to diplomatic give and take.  The United States is weakened, not strengthened, by muscular diplomacy-free foreign policy and the incapacitation of every instrument of statecraft other than the military.

    For the first time in our history, we Americans must decide how to deal with a country that not only has the capacity to surpass us but is actually doing so.  Unless the United States cures its fiscal feebleness, rebuilds the capacities and competence of its government, upgrades its human and physical infrastructure, and reopens itself to trade, investment, and immigration, America’s roles in global governance, trade, investment, finance, supply chain management, technology standards and systems, and scientific collaboration will continue to contract as those of China and others expand.  The United States’ capacity to innovate will decline, as will American well-being and self-confidence.  This diminishment of the United States is not the consequence of Chinese predation but of American hubris, political ineptitude, and diplomatic decrepitude.  To compete internationally with China, the United States must get its act together at home and, in its foreign relations be everything it claims China is now not – that is: trustworthy, truthful, empathetic, considerate, courteous, and dignified.  Above all, America must itself return to living by the rules – old and new – it expects others to follow.

    The essence of any strategy is the efficient linkage of resources and capabilities to feasible objectives.  Current U.S. China policy is strategy-free.  With neither resources nor institutional capabilities to back it, it amounts to puerile fantasy.  Washington is determined to crush the China of its imagination, but China exists whether the United States understands it or not. 

    The American turn against China began as neurosis but has now crossed into psychosis…

    … evidencing a loss of contact with reality and inability to interact normally with other nations.  This is a product of populism, which habitually disdains facts, embraces politically appealing xenophobic narratives, corrodes discipline and the capacity for self-sacrifice, and rejects expertise…

    … in favor of ideologically inspired preconceptions implemented by true believers and untested amateurs.

    U.S. China policy at present is a classic example of demonizing a foreign foe to rally support at home and divert attention from festering political, economic, and social problems.  This is an approach that is highly unlikely to result in a Cold War-style victory for the United States or the Enlightenment values that gave birth to it.  Quite the opposite.  All the more so if spurious analogies to a cock-eyed view of the Cold War continue to shape the American approach to competitive interaction with China.

    End Notes

    [1] The 四不像 [sìbùxiàng] is actually the Père David’s deer or 麋鹿 [mílù], a unique species of elk long extinct in the wild but preserved in the imperial game parks of Beijing and saved from complete extinction by rendition to European zoos before its Chinese remnant herd was slaughtered in the Boxer Rebellion.  In 1985, the 麋鹿 was reintroduced to China from England, where a breeding population had been established.

    [2] Proposed U.S. spending on national security in FY-2021 totals $1.21 trillion, about twice the Pentagon “base budget.”  In March 2020, when this budget proposal was put forward, U.S. GDP was $21.535 trillion and falling.  For a breakdown, see https://www.pogo.org/analysis/2020/03/creating-a-national-insecurity-state/

    [3] SEATO is dead, as is CENTO.  The Philippines is moving toward strategic neutrality.  Thailand is now closer to China than to America.  Pakistan is estranged from the United States.  Iran and Iraq are both anti-American.  Japan sensibly prioritizes its own defense.  South Korea is appropriately obsessed with North Korea and avoiding Sino-Korean hostility.  Even Australia is torn between its reliance on the China market and its distaste for China’s increasingly hegemonic behavior.

    Conclusion

    It’s pretty much an accurate appraisal of what is going on in the world today, and regarding China.

    I am personally stunned that you will find this in the English-language press. As most of those venues have been co-opted by the USA and UK governments.

    This is it.

    So don’t get so hot and bothered and twisted up into a pretzel. over the latest ‘news” out of America. This is pretty much everything that you need to know right now. And as you can well guess, American “greatness” is in shambles and the childish neocons running Washington DC are dangerous in their ignorance.

    But that’s all gonna change. One way or the other.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Trump Trade War Index here…

    Trump Trade War

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE .
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

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    Some notes out of the Prayer Affirmation Campaign handbook

    Here, in this post, we will cover some passages that I pulled out of my Affirmation Campaign notebook. Yeah. I’ll bet you all never realized that I have an affirmation “handbook”, well I do. I have a ton load of notebooks and notes all lying around everywhere. Being “old school”, I don’t rely on the computer alone.

    One computer crash and you lose everything. One raid by religious fundamentalists in Arkansas and you’ll never see your notes ever again. One lost password, and you will be forever locked out of your writings.

    OK.

    Well, anyways, this post is a collection of my notes and thoughts on affirmation campaigns. I am including techniques and thoughts that I actually use within my very own personal campaigns. I like to think that others might find these techniques to be of use.

    The first technique that I will cover is “font shading”.

    Font Shading

    I like to use “font shading” to keep track of the weighed importance of a given affirmation.

    Here is an example of "font shading".
    An example of “font shading” in an affirmation campaign list.

    Font shading is very useful in keeping the size of a prayer / affirmation campaign down to a practical size. If you have a large affirmation list, like I do, you will find that it is very time consuming to read the list out loud. Most people keep lists that they can read in under ten minutes. While mine tend to be very lengthy.

    In general, if your list is over fifteen minutes long when you read your affirmations, you need to either cut it down or conduct your campaign using the “font shading” technique.

    The use of this technique is very simple. As follows…

    • Text in black color – read out loud.
    • Text in light grey color – just read silently with your eyes.

    It enables the same results in a fraction of the time when conducting an affirmation prayer campaign. Just make sure that the “highlighted” text in black are the most significant important elements of your campaign.

    Pacing Techniques

    Pacing refers to the system that you use for on / off affirmation campaigns. I have discussed this subject in other posts. Essentially, with each and every affirmation campaign are three elements. Which are…

    • Reading / reciting your affirmations for a set period of time.
    • A complete stop with zero affirmation reading for a set period of time.
    • The start of the follow-up affirmation campaign.

    And as I had stated earlier, it is critically important that all prayer / affirmation campaigns follow the same template. You define a set period of time where you read out your affirmations, and then stop. The period that you stop should be approximately the same length as the time devoted to the affirmations. Then once the period of time is complete, you repeat only with revised affirmations.

    Here, we are going to look at some of the many variations of this process.

    And they are;

    • Trot
    • Stroll
    • Mosey
    • Gallop

    The pacing of this process depends on you and what you intend to get out of the process. It depends on your personality. It depends on your situation. It depends on you.

    How you want your life to turn out is wholly dependent on how your conduct your affirmation campaigns.
    How you want your life to turn out is wholly dependent on how your conduct your affirmation campaigns.

    Now…

    Let’s look at the different kinds of ways to pace your affirmation campaigns.

    • The Trot – (2 month 1 on / 1 off cycle)

    The Trot is exactly like it is presented. It is a steady, but relentless sequence and series of campaigns all separated by equal duration breaks. After a while in experimenting with different systems, I (myself) have settled on this pace for me personally. I run a relentless one month on, then one month off, then repeat. For me, it has been working out splendidly, as it permits me to actively adjust thought navigation quickly and get near immediate feedback on the relative success of the campaigns.

    • The Stroll – (6 month 3 on / 3 off cycle)

    This is a more leisurely pace, and a pace that I recommend for newbies to prayer affirmation campaigns. The length of a campaign is one season. It is three months long. Followed by three months off. What is great about this pace is that you can get the best mixture of observed results and learned skills, while at the same time avoiding over all fatigue and depression that things seem to be taking too long to manifest.

    • The Mosey – (1 year 6 on / 6 off cycle)

    This is a much longer affirmation effort. You typically run the affirmation campaign for around six months, and then stop for six months. Because the campaign runs for so long, you need to make sure that your affirmations are at an easy to recite size. Too long, and you will tend to give up quickly. This system is perhaps one of the best systems, and the nice long pause really gives you time to reflect, think and enjoy life. But one of the problems with this is that the pause is so long (six months) that you might forget to start a new affirmation follow-up campaign afterwards.

    • The Gallop – Sawtooth effort.

    This is a rather different technique for pacing your prayer campaigns. It requires some planning. In this technique you use different prayer affirmation lists and then rotate the lists through the campaign.

    You have two affirmation lists. (You can call them “A” and “B”, or “Red” and “Blue”, if you want to.) One week you read your “red” affirmations. Then the next week you stop. Then on the third week, you read your “blue” affirmations. Then you stop for a whole week. Then you repeat this cycle. You do this for a minimum of two months.

    Sawtooth prayer affirmation campaign.
    “Sawtooth” Affirmation campaign.

    This system has advantages.

    It enables you to cut down the size of your affirmations to something more manageable. The drawback however should be obvious. If the “red” objectives differ substantially from the “blue” objectives, you will end up zig-zagging back and forth in the general directions of your objectives, but have a difficult time arriving there. However, if your objectives are complementary, or mutually exclusive, you will be able to enjoy the objective realization in a shorter amount of time.

    Our expectations are influenced by the media, not reality.

    Many people put goals and desires in their affirmations based upon their impressions made by the media. This is a danger. It might have you investing in a $75,000 car instead of spending the year cavorting with pretty girls on the beach. It might have you spending thousands of dollars on the latest outfits instead of having your house paid off. It might misdirect your desires to what you SHOULD own, instead of what your heart needs.

    Don’t let your decisions be influenced by appearance.

    .

    Hollywood and media provide dangerous illusions.

    The truth is that everyone is different.

    People tend to evaluate the same situation differently depending on the environment. This was proven by an experiment where people were asked to evaluate products that were located in 2 areas, one with laminate flooring and another with carpet. Respondents walking on the carpet gave the same products better feedback.

    I remember a study that was comparing restaurants. The food was identical, the environment was identical, but one restaurant had heavy plates and massive silverware. The other had cheap plates and light flatware. Obviously the customers preferred the more robust eating environment.

    For instance, when choosing a job, you might accept one with a nice office, while rejecting another opportunity with better career growth. So to make decisions that will lead you to financial success, try to make sure that visual attributes don’t affect you.

    And this means, don’t let the idea “this is a great job” or everyone knows that you will be happier if you XXXXXXX. It’s all a lie.

    Search your heart about what matters to you. Define what it is, and navigate to that objective.

    Introductory Transition Mechanisms

    If your goal is really “far out”, complex or distant, you might want to break it down into bite sized steps. For instance, if you want to become the President of the Untied States, you might want to start with affirmations closer to your current situation. Then move forward thinking of a series of battles and campaigns to get you where you want to be. Like this, perhaps…

    • Dog catcher.
    • Local Sheriff.
    • State Representative.
    • Federal Representative.
    • Federal Senator.
    • VP of the USA.
    • President of the USA.

    In a like way, you need to be able to map our your most cherished and distant desires so that your objectives are manifested.

    What do I mean?

    I mean something like this…

    • 2020 through 2026 – local government.
    • 2026 through 2034 – State government.
    • 2034 through 2045 – Federal government.

    Plan things out in detail, and have a long term vision that matches your long term plans.

    Affirm the NOW

    I suppose that everyone has heard the (tired old) saying “live in the now“. But, gosh and golly, is it ever so important when conducting a prayer affirmation campaign.

    Mindfulness, or living in the now, is making the choice to focus on our present and live in our experiences. It sounds like something that should be easy, but it takes effort and practice. If you are struggling to live in the now, it might be because of one of these seven things.
    
    -7 Things That Keep You From Living In the Now | Power of Positivity

    In the movie “Wayne’s World” there is even a parody of this saying. Where the main character tells his “side kick” Garth to “live in the now!”. It’s actually pretty darn funny.

    But…

    The point of this should not be lost on anyone.

    The "NOW" is a very specific point in your travels on the MWI and world-lines.  It is a description of the world-line that you are inside at the moment that you made the affirmation statement.

    When you conduct your prayer affirmation campaign you must specifically define the time for the affirmations to take place. You can do this a number of ways, and the way that I recommend is this…

    • Do NOT state a date, or a time for it to manifest.

    Of course, it is pretty much a given that the affirmation will manifest. But it will do so in accordance with the balance (the rest of) your other affirmations, and what ever your current life situation actually is.

    If your affirmation campaign has prayers; A, B, C, D and E in it, then the entire campaign will not distinguish the priority of the implementation of any of those prayers. Rather, instead, they will manifest in the greatest likelihood of manifestation given your current navigational vector.
    
    The only way to control this is to say something like. A will happen first, then B, then C, then D, and finally E.

    But, all this being stated, there are things that you MUST NOT do.

    You should NOT use any of the following terms regarding when the affirmation will manifest…

    • General dates like “soon”, “near”, “going to happen”, “one of these days”, “eventually”, “after a while”, “later”, and other terms that point to a general time somewhere in the future.

    Don’t say an affirmation anything like this…

    Eventually, some day, my dream of having a little raise in salary might come true.

    Because what you want is things to start NOW. Maybe not manifest NOW, but to start to move things in place NOW.

    You see, the moment you verbalize a word, you are generating a thought AT THAT MOMENT. How that thought will materialize in your physical reality is a direct function of the sentence structure.

    If you say something like…

    Really soon, I will get a big salary increase.

    You can guarantee that you set your “world-line navigation system” destination coordinates towards “a big salary increase”. It’s input into your navigation console, and you are already on the path towards that goal.

    Thumbs up!

    But…

    Wait!

    What will actually happen?

    Well, look at it plotted or charted out, and see.

    Pretty Soon.
    Pretty soon my dreams will come true.

    You stated “really soon”. This modifier is “soft”. Meaning that it is not precise and well defined. In terms of glaciers, really soon could mean 500 years. In terms of an old many, it could mean five years. In terms of an infant, it could mean five minutes.

    What you want to do is avoid “soft” affirmations.

    You want everything to be immediately encoded (which is automatic), but implemented within a reasonable amount of time. In fact, you want the implementation to be within a reasonable amount of time IN ALIGNMENT with the rest of the prayers during your current prayer campaign.

    So I would recommend something along these lines, instead…

    I am given a big salary increase.

    It’s straight forward, simple, defined and is not modified by any aspect of time.

    Now, of course, you can just as well say something along these lines…

    Now, my reality is strongly conducive for a big salary increase.

    But, isn’t that a bit complex? I would argue that simpler is better. And let the navigation engine move your consciousness to those world-lines properly.

    My salary has been increased by a large amount.

    This doesn’t place your reality somewhere in the future. Instead, it places you past that event. Which is what you actually want.

    All your affirmation is your prayer campaign should describe a point where as your reality is well past the time when the goal or event occurred.
    All your affirmation is your prayer campaign should describe a point where as your reality is well past the time when the goal or event occurred.

    So I must advise to plot your navigation for each specific affirmation such that you are in a reality where that event has already happened in the past. Knowing, full well, that while it has not yet happened, the systems are happening now to bring you to the point.

    And…

    Well, this is pretty much how all your affirmations should read. Your campaign should describe what your life is like AFTER the affirmations manifest.

    If it does not, then you are not doing things efficiently.

    There are exceptions, of course. You can describe how the affirmations implement in real time, For example.

    Incorporate all the characteristics of success in your campaign

    It doesn’t really matter what your affirmation campaign consists of or what details you have within it. The basic elements of a successful life should have some part or role in your affirmation campaign.

    Of course, you can go ahead to any website on the internet and you will see such things listed as [1] creativity, [2] resourcefulness, [3] persistence, and so on. And while all those things are certainly important, they are also part of your personality. Something that was formed in your early childhood by the age of three.

    I am not talking about that.

    Though, go ahead and add these elements to your campaign if you want to. Here’s some links to get you started…

    So, if you want to be and have a success, you might want to go ahead and use the affirmation campaign to alter your personality to incorporate these characteristics.

    But…

    That is NOT what I am talking about here.

    I am talking about incorporating those elements that your personality, your experience, your friendships, your knowledge, and your skills have no control over…

    • Luck
    • Being in the right place at the right time.
    • Having the right set of skills and connections when you need them.
    • A favorable environment.
    • Awareness.

    And, if there is one thing that I know. It’s this. Those business owners, for the most part, just so happened to be at the right place at the right time and they pounced on the opportunity. For you to have the life that you desire it will require a combination of numerous aspects and changes in your life. It will require your resourcefulness, your ability to know that an opportunity has arrived. It will require you to use your skills, and to have the knowledge on how to use the tools at your disposal. And…

    It will also include some “luck”.

    And “luck” is actually the positioning of a desirable world-line within close proximity.

    So, what this aspect of your affirmation campaign is to specify, specifically that the “pivot point” (that will make your affirmations occur) will exist and happen in one of your immediate world-lines.

    Luck is always part of my life. 
    I am always in the right place at the right time. 
    I have the right set of skills, and connections whenever I need them. 
    My affirmations have found a fertile and favorable environment from which to grow and manifest. 

    Ah, but this isn’t just “opportunity”…

    Opportunities

    You need to be diabolically precise when stating that “opportunities” will manifest for you. You would be surprised at the kinds of “opportunities” used to come my way until I reigned them in and forced them to conform to my desires.

    In my affirmations I said that that “opportunities” would come into my life. Yet, I failed to associate those opportunities with my goals. So what happened?

    Yeah. You guessed it.

    All sorts of “out of the blue” things were presented to me. All were opportunities, but nothing that was of interest to me specifically.

    Like…

    • Given a chance to gather companies to sponsor European Soccer (football) teams. You know, wear their logos on their clothing. A lot of work. But an opportunity.
    • Given a chance to sell Generic Viagra in Iran. No problem, except that I am an American passport holder. This could get me in a full shit-load of trouble.
    • Being on a Judge Committee for English language students to debate the differences between ancient Chinese and Japanese history in English.
    • Create an on-line marketplace (B2B) to sell caskets to funeral homes around the world.
    • Run a crew of people that would decontaminate public places, hotels, and vehicles from those who had COVID and other infectious diseases.

    And many more.

    Unless you specify that you want the “opportunities” to be germane to your other affirmation goals, you will end up getting a ton load of useless opportunistic ventures. Sure, eventually with some hard-work and “elbow grease” you can make things happen. But unless they are part of your over-riding goals, you will just ignore these opportunities as worthless.

    So, be careful on what you desire as “opportunities”. Connect them with specific results.

    I have an opportunity that will make me a large fortune.
    
    I am provided an opportunity to meet the woman of my dreams.
    
    I have an opportunity to buy my dream house at a dirt cheap price.

    Always specify specifically what your opportunity will provide for you.

    Visualization of your target life.

    Oh, it’s not just enough to say the affirmations. You need to visualize you enjoying your target goals.

    You need to have a reminder at the end of your affirmation list, to visualize your goals. Visualization will speed up the implementation. Maybe something like this…

    .

    Visualize you living in the situation that you affirm during your prayer campaign. Doing so will accelerate the manifestation of that situation.

    Don’t allow counter productive bad habits.

    So, you are spending every day doing your affirmations. You say them out load and you visualize. But when people talk you normally, at home, in the bar, or on the street, you become self-depreciating. They ask you how you are doing and you say “oh, so-so”, or your friends ask you if you have plans or what you are going to do, and you “oh, I don’t know. I’ll just do nothing”.

    If you have nothing good to say… then say nothing.

    From now on every thing out of your mouth must be an extension of your vocalization. Do not allow anything bad out of your mouth. Do not vocalize anything negative. Do not be gloated into negativity.

    Each negative statement erases one affirmation campaign session.

    Stifle your depreciating natures, and for good golly sakes STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM NEGATIVE PEOPLE.

    Conclusion

    I have become VERY GOOD at manifesting my desires. I think that I am doing “something” right. And I like to help others duplicate my success. Thus this series in Prayer and Intention Manifestation.

    Never the less…

    Every now and then I check out what is going on in the rest of the internet on thoughts regarding things that I am focused on. This includes China, MAJ, American culture, and Intention.

    What a big disappointment!

    • China…. hate, hate, hate, lies, distortions and more hate.
    • MAJ… nothing. Zero. Na-da.
    • American culture… cluster fuck going down the commode.
    • Intention… they all haven’t a fucking clue.

    I figured that it was high time to continue my writings on this subject after I read a particularly erroneous piece. I mean, their hearts are in the right place, but boy oh boy, is their advice wrong.

    Seriously you need to be careful and not “rubber stamp” other’s mistakes. Here’s an example of one of the “better” websites out there. Here a partial list of the suggestions for affirmations.

    I am worthy of love.
    I carry strength and resilience with me.
    My every step is one of courage.
    I have the ability to overcome any challenge life gives me. (Find out how compassion can improve your life: Overcome...
    Abundance and love flow from me.
    I am pure beauty.
    I am a radiant and joyous person.
    I am cocooned in the loving energy of the Universe.
    I am successful.
    I am enough.
    
    -50 Self-Loving Affirmations – Uncover Your Joy

    All in all, it’s not really a BAD group of affirmations. It’s just that they are primarily focused on changing the persons attitude about life, emotions and themselves. Not about world-line navigation. This is a pretty common problem that I can see is duplicated all over the internet.

    Here’s another example.

    This website suggests that you perform these affirmations every evening. I am sure that you will be a very trusting person afterwards…

    Ah.

    For certain, you will be a more trusting person. But will it buy you an ice cream cone the day after?

    As I have said, it seems to me that many of these prayer / affirmation suggestions are not associated with world-line navigation or any sort of defined campaign. Rather they are just nice sayings to make you feel better about yourself.

    How about this list

    List of 37 Abundance Affirmations
    
    1. Whatever I can conceive, I believe.
    2. If I see it in my mind, I am going to hold it in my hand.
    3. I open myself to receiving abundance of the Universe.
    4. The Universe provides me with all that I will ever need.
    5. I am richly blessed.
    6. I am love.
    7. I am One with Spirit.
    8. My higher self rules over my ego.
    9. My spirit dances in step with joy in my heart.
    10. I am whole and in perfect health
    11. Every cell in my body vibrates with health and positive energy.
    12. Beauty is the breath of my soul.
    13. I see beauty everywhere I go.
    14. I am financially wealthy!
    15. Checks arrive in my inbox every single day.
    16. My wealth grows in ever increasing amounts.
    17. I love my car!
    18. I live in the house of my dreams; in tranquil surroundings filled with love, a blessed family and happy kids!!
    19. I attract love everywhere.
    20. My relationships are harmonious!
    21. I work as and when I want to, anywhere I want to.
    22. My business is a resounding success!
    23. I enjoy absolute freedom!
    24. I experience the world in all its glory.
    25. I have a wealth of fond memories.
    26. My life is one big adventure.
    27. I serve the community with love.
    28. I help those in need.
    29. My teachers inspire me to live in the now!
    30. My inner home is a peaceful retreat, a storehouse of practical wisdom.
    31. I celebrate life.
    32. Inspiration flows easily to me.
    33. Opportunities arrive at the right time in the right place
    34. I am divinely guided in all that I do.
    35. Miracles manifest everyday in wondrous ways!
    36. My prayers are always answered, in support of my dreams!
    37. Love and gratitude…Thank you, thank you, thank you.

    Hey! You long term MM readers and affirmation students, can you pick out the mistakes in the list? There’s a bunch, don’t you know, but some are ok.

    Maybe I should take a “whack” at it, eh?

    I have a wealth of fond memories.
    
    Um. Really? That's what you want in your intention campaign. I mean different strokes for different folks and all that. But, doesn't it imply that you will be living in your past?

    Or…

    I love my car!
    
    Pretty general. Easy to obtain, but you will have an obsession with a material possession. I cannot see that as being good.

    I see a lot of these affirmations as pleasant distractions. They will take you places, and many will have your going around and around in circles. But still, many of those creating these affirmations have their heart in the right place. The results of the manifestations will improve that particular person in some way. Most seem to relate to feelings and emotions that the person has.

    Certainly getting a hold of out-of-control emotions is a good thing.

    So, you all need not be as critical as I am.

    Just be mindful of what you affirm. As this article stated, “opportunities” can be wildly off target. And if you follow these pre-packaged affirmations you might end up going to places that you might not to be. Be careful.

    33. Opportunities arrive at the right time in the right place

    Be careful.

    I hope that in some way that I can improve the dreams and lives of those that this MM venue touches.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts along these lines in my prayer / affirmation campaign index, here…

    Intention Campaigns

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

    .

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    Tweaking the MAJ Operator. A narrative of what it is like.

    Humans are herd animals. We graze upon the grass in yards fenced in by other sheep. All the time being watched over by the farmer and his barn-dogs.

    Now, in this post I am gonna talk about an aspect that I have yet to cover. This is, pretty much, and essentially “the other side of the coin”. Or, to put it in more conventional language, what the other half of me is doing.

    Ah. Confused?

    Well, of course you are. Or you should be.

    In order to explain what is going on, or has happened with me, and what is going to happen to you all, you need to understand what our reality is. you need to understand what our universe is. You need to understand what time is. You need to understand what world-lines are.

    And with that being understood, then and only then, I can explain things to you all.

    Because it’s really a Hell of a lot of work, and just a casual conversation with a “normal” just isn’t fruitful.

    Hey! You're the Jackass that says he was a SEAL and has alien implants in his head and can time travel! Yeah. Yeahhhh right.

    It’s like that.

    No really.

    It’s EXACTLY like that.

    It’s a twisting of words, by the intensely ignorant who are not listening, have no desire to listen, and substitute their ideas to replace what I actually say. Then regurgitate it in a disparaging manner so as to ridicule my actions, my experience and my exposures.

    But, here… for you handful that are actually reading what I write, who are actually following my lesson plans and learning… I am presenting something that I have not talked about much.

    Here we are going to talk about a few things.

    They are…

    • The division of consciousness in any particular world-line.
    • How consciousness splits between the Heavenly realms and the Reality Universe.
    • What is going on “behind the scenes” with myself as a “MAJ Operator”.

    Quick Note

    The post concerns a “medical operation” that I underwent.

    When ever one of these “adjustments”, “procedures” or “operations” occur, there are usually larger scale events in the physical world going on afterwards. Whether that is the result of the procedures, or whether the procedures are to mitigate the effects of those events, I do not know.

    This post describes an event that took place on 14OCT20 in the early morning.

    Introduction

    Today in my early morning slumber, I experienced one of my “medical procedures” that I have from time to time. It doesn’t happen in the physical reality.

    Nor is it tied to a given place or world-line.

    It is not tied to any particular world line.

    It occurs outside the world-line travel vector (known as time and space), and for most people it is “just” a dream. That is how we interpret it. It is an event that lies outside our physical reality, and which lies outside our dreams, and which lies outside what we know and understand as “reality”.

    Many people mistakenly call these events “abductions”. Where they are forcefully taken against their will to strange places or labs for medical dissection, weird sexual experiments and other horrors.

    It’s nothing of that type.

    But I can see how someone would get that impression.

    What I am going to describe is something that I consider to be “normal”, because I have lived with it for the last four decades. But it will sound strange to “normal people”. I have all sorts of things that are going on regarding me. I mean, not just in my day-to-day life, but outside my life (my 30% of consciousness associated with world-line travel) . It’s the realm of what my other 70% is up to.

    Consciousness is divided.
    
    The soul divides the consciousness into groups.
    
    10% to 30% is associated with getting experiences on earth. I call this "world-line travel" within our "reality universe".
    
    The rest is off doing "other" things.

    Usually, because it has no direct bearing on my day-to-day activities, I pretty much ignore it all. Much like everyone else does. And for most people, that is all that there is.

    Your day-to-day life and then you die.

    Game over.

    .

    .

    Well, it’s not that way.

    Instead, everyone has a big (huge) part of them off doing “things”.

    Much of that is in the “Heavenly realms”, but a lot has to do with nearby (to the “Reality Universe”). Because being a human means that part of your travels the MWI in the physical body, and the rest of you do other things elsewhere. It’s normal. It’s what being a human is.

    And me, well…

    Well…I signed up for all this.

    So I am more active in these other areas (I personally believe) that most of my fellow human brothers and sisters. I am an active participant. I am more involved. I am thus a little bit different.

    Like how you might have a stud bull, or a prized milking cow. Or maybe how one of your calves won the State fair. 

    And, as part of my role…

    …It’s many things that I have (already) talked about. All pretty much revolving around sentience sorting…

    … and evolution…

    …and all that is wrapped up within the program that I entered back in April 1981 in the United States Navy, Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) for a program that fell under MAJestic operations…

    … that I be handed over to a specific extraterrestrial species …

    … and that they would do things to me…

    … and that it would be for the good of all humanity.

    But…

    While it was explained to me that I would be in the program for life, and that my role would be an important one, and that I would be exposed to very advanced and top secret technologies and concepts…

    …I had no idea that I would still be actively involved and being tweaked well past my retirement years.

    Narrative

    I always know that I am going to have a procedure done when I enter this particular room / chamber. Yeah. It’s mostly plan and painted white. But the room is of complex geometry, with rectangular budges here and there, and some odd wall and ceiling shapes.

    It’s like the most oddly shaped room that you can think of. Not rectangular. Perhaps trapezoidal with the protrusions to the room rendering it’s shape intensively difficult to discern.

    The way that I remember this room is actually rather silly.

    There is this particular panel in the deck. It appears to be a pane of glass covering over a wiring conduit (empty and devoid of wires) of a pretty odd shape. Think of a rectangular “T” shaped cutout in the floor of a white deck, only with the top of the “T” cut off forming a Trapezoidal shape. The bottom leg of the “T” forming a long squeezed extension, with a kind of rhomboid shape. And all covered with a clear thick pane of acrylic or glass. Under the glass is just an empty space. Rectangular in shape. White and plain.

    It’s odd. I know.

    And that is how I remember.

    Every time I see this strange feature, I am able to recall other times that I have been in this chamber and (pretty much) what to expect.

    And now, let’s talk about this time…

    Prep for the procedure

    It’s all pretty conventional.

    I find myself in this chamber. I’m alone. So I look around and get my bearings.

    I notice the room size, the walls, the strange “cut out” in the deck, and move forward.

    A few minutes later…

    A large group of short people fully dressed in medical garb enter the chamber (and it’s a real bunch. Perhaps twelve or fifteen.) and they all start laying out all sorts of tools, devices and equipment around an operating table. Three or four come to me and two of them get to each side of me and softly but firmly hold me…

    “Oh, he’s one of the good ones.”

    And they relax their grip, and I take the injection. And it is an injection, of sorts. I mean there is no needle it is just applied to my skin like the soft touch of a cold metal ball bearing. And I just stand there watching the events transpire.

    After a few minutes the effect starts to take hold.

    A numbness, a ringing in the ears, an inability to feel anything, and I just kind of “stand there” swaying in the room. My consciousness remains in place in the room, but my “dream body” is carried to the table. (By the two orderly nurses, that stood beside me, on my left and on my right.)

    My consciousness is "glued" to that spot. Meanwhile my body collapses into the arms of the other two nurses and is carried to the operating table.

    One of the “nurses” (the third one that said that I was a “good one”) asks if I would like to observe.

    I respond “Yes. Sure.”

    I think this. No physical words are actually spoken.

    And my eyesight changes (to what I immediately infer as to the kind of eyesight that the doctors and nurses see).

    It’s really, really different. With exaggerated reds and yellows, and glaring white spots. Everything else is in light blues. Like a pastel world. The entire room is bluish, but the table, the equipment and the gadgets on the tray surfaces are all light pink and white.

    I watch for a while as they perform some kind of actual operation procedure on my “dream body”. I have no idea what they are doing or why.

    It continues like that.

    I drift off…

    I wake up early in the morning. It’s 4:45am. The sky is getting light, and the morning clouds over the ocean are really nice. Red. “Red sky in the morning. Sailors take warning.” It’s calm and I hear the morning birds singing their song. I can even hear the sweep of the brooms of the building cleaning ladies as they sweep the sidewalks and ready the complex for the day.

    What in “blue blazes” is going on?

    Blue blazes. Unknown. An imaginary place somewhere on earth that is said to be excruciatingly hot. invented by old people . grandma: my goodness , its hotter than blue blazes in here!
    
    -Urban Dictionary: blue blazes

    Well?

    Do you all think that I am just making this up? That I have too much time on my hands and that I just live vicariously in my Metallicman postings? Nope. I’m telling you all what is going on, how it works (to the best of my ability) and how everything fits together.

    This little bit of personal exposure can tell you A LOT about our universe and how it works, if you just take the time to listen.

    Consciousness Partitioning

    I have covered much of this elsewhere.

    The universe is complex, and we reside within a specific reality known as a “reality universe”. Our soul inhabits a “Heaven Universe”. And it is a part of our soul that we call a consciousness. And that is what occupies this “reality universe”.

    But…

    The consciousness is not 100% dedicated to any given world-line. Instead it puts part of it all over the place. But, for purposes of simplicity, we can say that the physical reality has control of from 10% to 30% of our consciousness at any given moment, and the non-physical reality has much of the rest.

    In the picture, I showed the physical reality that one inhabits as part of the MWI. And I show a person who's consciousness inhabits a given body. I write in purple that the remainder of the consciousness is split in that non-physical realm. This is shown as 60%.
    Physical vs. non-physical realities.

    So…

    In the picture, I showed the physical reality that one inhabits as part of the MWI. And I show a person who’s consciousness inhabits a given body. I write in purple that the remainder of the consciousness is split in that non-physical realm. This is shown as 60%.

    Ah.

    But it should be 70% you argue.

    What happened to the remaining 10%? Well, it’s elsewhere. Some in the Heaven Universe and some off and frittering about all over the many, many multitudes of the MWI world-lines. It’s here, there and everywhere.

    Ok…

    So what is going on here.

    Well, as far as I can figure, and I’m pretty convinced that this is the case, my physical body is snoozing and sleeping as my consciousness moves though the MWI. And other entities are spending time dealing with my non-physical body.

    Yeah.

    We have two (recognizable) bodies that our consciousness occupies. They are…

    • A physical body.
    • A non-physical body.

    And they both inhabit the “reality universe” simultaneously.

    Reality separation (physical and non-physical)

    So, let’s look into this a little deeper.

    But first. Let’s make sure that we are all on the same page. OK?

    • Soul. Soul is what we are. It dwells inside it’s own special universe. We call that universe “Heaven”. I like to call that place the “Heaven Universe”. It tends to stay there.
    • Consciousness. Soul takes a part of itself and forms a vehicle to travel outside of Heaven with. This vehicle is known as “Consciousness”.
    • Reality. The universe that soul uses to obtain experiences. It’s called “the Reality Universe”. Each experience creates new associations and entanglements at the quanta level. The soul exports the consciousness that it creates into this reality so that it can grow.
    • Physical. The physical reality is the part of the reality that we humans can sense and interact with.
    • Non-physical. The non-physical reality is the part of our “reality universe” that our physical bodies cannot see, or sense.
    • World-line. The “reality universe” is a series of fixed points in time. Each one is a frozen “snap shot” of every possibility of everything in the universe. Each “snapshot” is a world-line.
    • Time. Time is the movement of our consciousness. It moves in and out of reality in a sequence. It moves one world-line to another at a rate that is governed by the frequency that our physical brain operates in.

    Perhaps it looks something like how the Eastern Religions portray it. If so, maybe it is something more in alignment to any of the many pictorials of the various states of the non-physical realities that us humans deal with. Perhaps like this…

    The five koshas.
    The three bodies and the five Koshas.

    As I see it…

    The physical world and the non-physical world are both sides of the same coin. Your consciousness inhabits both simultaneously.

    Yet, strangely enough, when your consciousness moves about (in wave form) you can observe your physical body asleep in bed, or your non-physical body being operated upon in a operating room.

    It seems strange to us. But that is the way it actually is.

    And, more intelligent, older, more technology advanced species do not see this as an odd separation at all. They view this as the natural order of things and proceed in their day to day lives without a moments thought to this. They use this separation between the physical and the non-physical to “gate us all in” the “pastures” where we can roam free and graze.

    We cannot leave the pasture because we don’t know how to open up the gate.

    But what do I know?

    It could very well be something completely different. But to communicate what I experience, one must recognize the idea that our physical body is covered in sheaths or layers that reside outside the physical. They reside int he non-physical realms, and have their own attributes.

    Attributes, that others in various religions, have mapped out.

    For me, as a novice in regards to Eastern Religious and Spiritual thought, I simply say that there is [1] a physical body and [2] a non-physical body. This non-physical body is different from the physical one. And as such, the extraterrestrial doctors and nurses provided operations upon it. Operations that were apparently unnecessary on my physical body.

    And for simplicity purposes. Let’s leave it at that, for now.

    Anyways, to fully understand what I have described…

    … you must recognize that I am telling you all, in the physical reality, what my consciousness was exposed to. As well as what my consciousness observed while events that transpired within the non-physical reality.

    My consciousness observed medical procedures conducted by Type-I extraterrestrials on my non-physical body. It is a common enough procedure for me, and something that I have learned to live with. I do not know what they were doing. I do not know why they were doing it.

    • I am one of numerous humans that have these procedures.
    • It is part of my role within MAJestic.
    • I believe that it is for the good of our species.
    • It is a unique experience, and sounds fucking crazy to an outsider.

    The procedure is something that is common enough (for me), so that I recognize the facility. And the nurse comment is such that it implies that I am not the only one who goes through these kinds of procedures. Whether they are all related to my MAJ program is unknown.

    Medical procedures on the non-physical aspects of the body

    Well…

    You all can read between the line on this.

    Other species can operate and live, work and “play” within the non-physical reality, and we (humans) haven’t a clue as to what is going on because our senses are far too rudimentary.

    These other species thus have a life, with structures, buildings, work, procedures, and relationships there in the non-physical reality. And if they do, so must us humans.

    If a species is technologically advanced, it would make sense that they would be masters of the physical environment. But they would also be masters of the non-physical environment.

    And as far as the “medical procedures” go…

    What are they? I don’t know. I really don’t understand much of any of this. What I can tell you all is that this procedure was NOT “biological sampling” of a random human for monitoring programs. (That involves other activities and <redacted> involvement.)

    They were (and I very strongly believe) that they were making CHANGES to my non-physical body of some type. That this is part of a long series of procedures that has been fairly regular over the decades at a rate of maybe four to five a year for the last forty odd years.

    I strongly do not believe, at all, that the procedure is corrective in nature or intention.

    This procedure is one of a long series of procedures that is altering myself in both the physical and non-physical realities to become something else. Perhaps a more “metallic” sort of person. And I mean that as something different than a robot. I mean that as on the elemental level. Something quite different that what I was biologically intended to be.

    Physical areas in the non-physical realms

    Yet…

    How can there be a “Operating Room” in this non-physical environment? And why is it so oddly shaped?

    I do not know.

    But what I actually do know is that there all sorts of physical analogs in the non-physical worlds. And others who have traveled through them (no matter what they refer to them as) have reported the same thing. Call it the “astral plane”, or “the realm of the spirits”, or whatever you fancy, the fact is that there are physical analogs of buildings, structures, and creatures off in the non-physical worlds.

    But… Wait!

    Maybe what is going on isn’t what I think it is. Maybe what I think has been too unduly influenced by the books that I have read, my Catholic upbringing, the occult, and popular narratives. Maybe, just maybe something else is happening…

    Maybe I was not observing my non-physical body being operated upon. Maybe I only thought that that was what was going on. Perhaps I am completely misinterpreting the events.

    Or, even yet. Perhaps I am just crazy.

    But, for the purposes of clarity and to really unload all my experiences as part of being who I am, I’m dishing this all out to you all. Right here and right now. It’s the truth, and you can learn from it. It can provide you glimpses of what our reality actually is, and what your role actually is.

    And maybe, just maybe…

    Conclusion

    …you can see that your thought generation in the physical worlds, have an effect on your non-physical analog body.

    That there are species and races that so-inhabit these non-physical realms with us. And that if we welcome their assistance, and not fight it, we can end up growing, improving and becoming a better person and a more active member of society.

    Truthfully, as I have stated in my other posts regarding my post-implantation experiences, the “spiritual side” of our reality is stronger and more robust than anything that we can understand. If we are able to control our thoughts, and use affirmation navigation, not only can we improve the physical lifestyle and comforts that we experience, but we can just as well improve it for our communities.

    The non-physical worlds are MORE important than we give them credit for. They define what our physical life becomes. We need to spend more time understanding this aspect of our lives, and paying more attention to our thoughts and our actions. Especially when it involves the lives and thoughts of others that we care about in our communities.

    Humans are herd animals. We graze upon the grass in yards fenced in by other sheep. All the time being watched over by the farmer and his barn-dogs.
    Pink Floyd – Sheep.mp3

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts and articles like this in my MAJestic Index…

    MAJestic

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

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    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
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    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

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    Oh! Those God-damn busy-bodies are at it again! Can’t we ever get a break?

    The rewriting of history is a hallmark of tyranny.

    And today, just like what happened in China during the Cultural Revolution, “modern” and “progressive” busybodies are active in changing society to embrace their own idea of perfection. And much of that involves erasing history, and rewriting it to fit their ideas of perfection. What ever they might be.

    Here is a great story of one such event. Here, a “busybody” is successfully rewriting history to pave the way for more aggressive progressive changes in her realm of control.

    Crazies inhabit both sides of the political spectrum. Both are dangerous to the stability that us “normals” need to conduct our lives in peace.

    • ‘Pet Shop Karen’ Calls 911 After Being Told to Put On Her Mask – Towleroad

    The following is an article titled “How did the Unassigned Lands become unassigned?” By Michael Bates on September 15, 2020 12:09 AM. It was edited to fit this venue and all credit to the author.

    How did the Unassigned Lands become unassigned?

    This past April 22, 2020, was the 131st anniversary of the land run that opened the central part of today’s State of Oklahoma to homesteading by non-Indian settlers. These were lands owned by the U. S. Government and not assigned to any organized territory nor to any Indian nation or reservation. It was the first time and one of a handful of times that land was allocated based on who could get there the quickest. Tent cities with populations in the thousands sprung up in a matter of hours after the guns were fired to start the run. The land runs, particularly the first land run in 1889, constitute an aspect of Oklahoma’s history unmatched by any other state, and, as far as I’m aware, any other region of the world.

    For many years, April 22 was marked at elementary schools across Oklahoma by land run reenactments. Kids would come to school dressed in cowboy hats and denim overalls or bonnets and gingham dresses, would line up at the edge of the football field, some pulling Radio Flyers made up as covered wagons. At noon, they would rush across the sideline to drive a stake in the ground, claim a homestead, and eat a picnic lunch.

    But this fun, child-friendly introduction to Oklahoma’s unique history is threatened by a handful of busybody killjoys who distort the real story of how the 1889 Land Run territory came to be available for settlement and by the school officials who cave into their demands. I’ve done some digging into the treaties and agreements leading up to the 1889 run, and what strikes me is that the U. S. Government bent over backwards to give the tribes that previously held the land a fair deal.

    When I was a third-grader, our land-run reenactment was the culmination of a few weeks of focus on Oklahoma history. We learned to square dance. We studied the map of tribal lands before statehood. We learned about the Trail of Tears. On land-run day, teachers led a re-enactment of the one-room school house, complete with dunce cap. One of the covered wagons, belonging to a young Chip McElroy, was motorized, thanks to the assistance of his dad, Art McElroy, then head of McElroy Manufacturing. KOTV covered the re-enactment that year, and the closing credits of that night’s newscast crawled over footage of one of my classmates relieving himself, pioneer style, against a tree.

    All of my own children have participated in land-run re-enactments — at “The Barn” at 109th & Louisville, on Augustine Christian Academy’s grailball field, and at Harn Homestead in Oklahoma City, where Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb signed the homestead claims. It’s a fun event that provides a memorable hook on which to hang a beginning understanding of our state’s unusual origins.

    Unfortunately, Leftist activists have been persuading schools to drop the land-run reenactments by claiming that Land Run reenactments are celebrations of genocide and land theft. In 2014, the Oklahoma City school board banned reenactments. A Leftist activist named Sarah Adams-Cornell had already persuaded all but one classroom in the district to drop the activity — this in a city that owes its very origin to the 1889 Land Run — making unsubstantiated claims that 10,000 Indians were made homeless by the Land Run and that “in many cases land grabbers walked right into a house and took over.”

    As far as I have been able to find, Adams-Cornell offered no evidence for her claims. The first instinct of a typically risk-averse school bureaucrat, when confronted with a claim of oppression by someone who ticks several intersectional boxes, would be to capitulate immediately, without asking for evidence. To resist in even the mildest terms would bring protests and bad publicity, but immediate compliance would bring praise for virtue-signaling.

    There is no question that American Indian nations suffered great oppression and hardship at the hands of the U. S. Government, particularly in the passage and enforcement of the Indian Removal Act of 1830. But the guilt that attaches to the actions of Andrew Jackson or, say, gold-hungry north Georgia settlers, doesn’t necessarily attach to the ’89ers who staked claims on the Unassigned Lands. We need to look at the documentation and understand exactly how these lands came to be unassigned.

    Indian territory: compiled under the direction of the Hon. John H. Oberly, Commissioner of Indian Affairs, by C.A. Maxwell, 1889. Click on the map to view a high-resolution version on the Library of Congress website. The map shows various tribal assignments and cessions, using colored numbers and outlines and a numbered legend in the upper right corner. Significant treaty dates are noted on the map.

    The Unassigned Lands were part of the lands purchased from the Creek and Seminole Nations under the 1866 treaties following the Civil War. The two nations had signed treaties with the Confederacy at the start of the war, in violation of their treaties with the U. S. government. Despite official Creek and Seminole support for the rebellion, the Federal government didn’t simply claim their lands as spoils of war. Instead, the U. S. paid the two nations for their western, unoccupied lands, ($975,168 to the Creek Nation, $15,673,385.66 in 2019 dollars; $325,362 to the Seminole Nation, $5,229,283.55 in 2019 dollars, less $100,000 to the Creek Nation for a new reservation), and then settled several Plains tribes on the land, including Pottawatomie, Iowa, Kickapoo, Sac and Fox, Cheyenne, and Arapaho. Some of the funds were earmarked for paying reparations to Creek and Seminole citizens who remained loyal to the Union during the war and suffered losses as a result.

    When the U. S. wanted to open the Unassigned Lands — lands that had not been reallocated to other Native peoples — for non-Native settlement, they had to get permission from the Creek and Seminole Nations, because the 1866 treaty only allowed for other Native tribes and freedmen to be assigned reservations within the ceded land. In 1885, Congress authorized new negotiations to remove the deed restriction on the land:

    Most of the enthusiastic home seekers did not then know of that clause in the treaty of 1866--whereby the surplus lands of both the Creeks and Seminoles were ceded back to they United States for the purpose of "locating other friendly tribes of Indians and freedmen." While no other Indians or freed Negroes were to be located on the land, yet the government claimed that while the cloud was on the title, no white citizen would be permitted to make settlement. 
    
    By an Act of March 3, 1885 [48th Congress, Session 2, Chapter 341, Section 8], a commission was appointed to negotiate a new deal with these two tribes whereby the clause as to the "friendly Indians and Freedmen" would be stricken from the treaty of 1866 and the unassigned lands would be, without question, public domain and opened to homestead settlement. The negotiations were concluded and the price agreed upon before the country was opened. 
    
    ("Colonel Crocker and the Boomer Movement, Chronicles of Oklahoma, Volume 13, No. 3 (September 1935), p. 275 [21], hyperlink added)

    The 1889 agreements required the U. S. Government to pay a further $2.2 million to the Creek nation [50th Congress, Session 2, Chapter 317] and $1.9 million to the Seminole nation [50th Congress, Session 2, Chapter 412, Section 12] — that’s in 1889 dollars. The only people authorized to live in the Unassigned Lands between the sale of the land in 1866 and April 22, 1889, were railroad workers and Federal marshals.

    From Rand McNally, 1889, “Map of the Indian Territory showing Oklahoma country “

    (And who had the land before the Creeks and Seminoles? Nearly all of present-day Oklahoma was part of the land ceded by the 1825 treaty with the Great Osage and Little Osage Nations. The Osage tribes, with a population of about 4,000 in 1807, had villages in western Missouri and a colony along the Grand River that was founded circa 1796 under the leadership of Chief Clermont (namesake of Claremore) and with the encouragement of fur trader Pierre Chouteau.

    With the 1825 treaty, they ceded all their claims for a 50-by-150 mile reservation in southern Kansas. A small number of mixed-blood Osage were granted homesteads along the Grand River. The specific territory that became the Unassigned Lands might have been used as hunting grounds — Washington Irving’s party came across Pawnee and Osage hunters and warriors in the region — but don’t appear to have been settled by any tribe.)

    At noon on April 22, 1889, guns were fired and settlers began streaming across the border into a region known as the Unassigned Lands, trying to stake a claim on one of the best quarter-sections for homesteading or a good lot in the new townsites along the Santa Fe railroad, like Guthrie, Edmond, Oklahoma City, Moore, and Norman. They were beaten to some of the best land by “Sooners,” who were in the territory illegally, having stolen across the border ahead of the gun, and by federal officials and railroad workers, who were in the territory legally but were legally barred from competing for lots and homesteads. Collectively, these settlers became known as the Eighty-Niners — the original settlers who were renowned for their grit and determination to survive the harsh conditions on the prairie.

    A first-hand account by William Willard Howard, published a month after the Land Run in Harper’s Weekly, paints a vivid picture of the chaos and hardship of those early days. (A note to the reader: Howard uses the name Oklahoma to refer specifically to the Unassigned Lands opened by the ’89 run, not the larger Oklahoma Territory or present-day State of Oklahoma.)


    A year later, in 1890, Congress and President Benjamin Harrison would approve the Organic Act for Oklahoma Territory, establishing Oklahoma Territory as a non-contiguous collection of the Unassigned Lands, the Public Land Strip (better known as No Man’s Land and the Panhandle), and the tribal lands that had been assigned after the end of the Civil War (e.g. Pawnee, Tonkawa, Sac and Fox, Pottawatomie). This excluded the portion of the Cherokee Outlet that had yet to be assigned to another tribe or opened for settlement, and the area that the act would, for the first time, officially designate as Indian Territory: the lands of the Five Civilized Tribes, and the tribal lands overseen by the Quapaw Agency near present-day Miami.

    The Cherokee Outlet lands would be added to Oklahoma Territory at a later date. The territorial capitol would be at Guthrie, and the territorial government would be elected by the residents of the former Unassigned Lands and No Man’s Land. Greer County, the land between the north and south forks of the Red River, was also excluded from Oklahoma Territory until the boundary dispute between the State of Texas and the Federal Government could be settled by the courts.

    The Organic Act makes references to agreements made with the Muscogee (or Creek) Nation, ratified by Congress on March 1, 1889, and with the Seminole Nation, ratified by Congress on March 16, 1889. The western lands that the two nations had ceded to the United States in the post-Civil War treaties of 1866 could only be occupied by peaceful Indian tribes. In order to open the lands to non-Indian settlement, the government had to negotiate an additional treaty with the Creeks and the Seminoles, which included a significant amount of money.

    Pursuant to the 1889 agreement, the US made an immediate payment to the Muscogee Creek Nation $280,857.10, and held an additional $2,000,000 in a trust account at 5% annual interest, to be paid to the tribe semi-annually — $50,000 every six months, in addition to the government’s existing financial obligations under earlier treaties. That’s an immediate payment of $7,760,264.84 in 2019 dollars, and a semi-annual payment of $1,381,532.61. An 1890 tribal census counted 14,800 Creeks. These interest rates were set at 5% at a time when the economy was deflating — prices declined by 3.16% in 1889. In the 18 years between 1889 and statehood in 1907, prices rose only by 2.17%

    The Seminoles received $412,942.20 immediately, and an additional $1,500,000 in a trust account at 5% annual interest — $37,500 every six months. In 2019 dollars, that’s $11,409,862.30 immediately and $1,036,149.46 every six months. The 1890 census counted 2,427 Seminoles.

    Critics may argue with the amount of money that was paid, or the way in which it was paid. It’s fair to say that the Creeks and Seminoles were not in a strong negotiating position after the Civil War or in 1889, but, nevertheless, the U. S. Government didn’t simply say, like Darth Vader, “I am altering the deal; pray I don’t alter it any further.” If the U. S. Government had simply forced its will without compensation — claiming the land as spoils of war and later modifying its deed restrictions — who would have stopped it? Instead, whether from moral convictions or from concern for its reputation for treaty fidelity in the wider world, the U. S. Government negotiated and paid for the changes it sought.

    The result was an unoccupied region of two million acres to which the U. S. Government had clear legal and moral title, ready for settlement by Americans who were desperate for land to farm.

    NOTE: I started writing this in April of 2019, hoping to finish in time for that year’s anniversary of the 1889 Land run, but it has been sitting in draft since that time. I had in mind to delve deeper into some details, but at this point, I simply want to publish what I have, as I find I keep referring to the information in online discussions.

    Conclusion

    It is so easy for us to politicize everything. The progressives are bad, and the traditional conservatives are good, and all that “rot”. But the fact is that most people are just trying to live life in the best way that they know how, and in America today there are no “speed brakes on the roller coaster”. No one is reining in the crazies.

    Busybodies are crazies. They are people with serious mental illnesses and they tend to be unemployed because they simply are unable to function within society. They are on BOTH sides of the political spectrum.

    • Progressive crazies tend to be SJW types.
    • Conservative crazies tend to be neocons.

    This is just another story of a busybody, and just because no one is reporting on their lunacy, doesn’t mean that it isn’t going on. It is, and it’s “off the rails” out of control. As this simple article illustrates.

    In this case, what’s their disconnect? WTF? Don’t they have better things to do with their time?

    Apparently not.

    And in our modern contemporaneous life please recognize that the “news” does not report events. They try to manipulate. And much of what is going on all around you is indeed all sorts of social re-engineering by dangerously crazy and malevolent individuals.

    Head’s up.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Happiness Index here…

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    Why the US is collapsing much faster than you might otherwise expect

    Yeah. The title says it all.

    Well, the much promoted debates on television between Donald Trump and Biden has finally concluded, and all of us who watched them were disgusted. Very few left feeling better about ourselves, about our nation, and about where the world was heading. Instead, it actually reminded us of something quite different. It reminded us of two dirty old rats fighting for moldy turnip greens on the deck of a sinking ship.

    That’s what it was like.

    It was disgusting, horrifying, and just awful. But don’t worry. Trump just announced that he has COVID-19. And meanwhile…

    Anyone who cannot see that the United States is in a state of decay and collapse is delusional. The USA is a mess, and the best leadership that the two parties can come up with are these two sorry washed-out clowns. It’s… well, pathetic.

    Words fail me.

    Perhaps, you might well appreciate what is going on through a song, eh?

    Conrad Harris – Paradise (Tiny Tim on vocals.)

    Yes.

    It’s sort of like this.

    You, yes you, are sitting in the front row seat to the collapse.

    Now, maybe it will be quiet and peaceful. Maybe it will be calumnious and frightening. But, it will be a collapse. It is well beyond the point of recovery. The nation is collapsing in upon itself, and the best thing for the rest of the world to do is… stand back and let the whole thing implode.

    Can you imagine Xi Peng acting like Donald Trump did?

    Can you imagine Mr. Putin acting like Biden did?

    I cannot. I see no leadership in either of the “preferred” candidates. I see just comical satire that has been streamlined into some kind of sick cartoon. It doesn’t matter who started the entire fiasco. Donald Trump appears to be the culprit. But the entire situation reeks of failure.

    This is NOT what the world needs right now.

    This is NOT what leadership is.

    Instead, we were treated to a glimpse on the terrible, and misguided distortions of what some crazy people think is “how you rule the world”. And, people, It is dog-shit frightening.

    If the world is to be handed over to these two clowns, then let me off the boat. The world is in for a shit-load of hurt on a mega-scale.

    One thing is certain, and should be absolute crystal clear by now, the USA has ceased to be a leader in world governance. Further, it is under a state of collapse that is astounding in it’s magnitude and breadth and scope. And even beyond that, the general collapse of the American society on all levels; social, economic, financial, business, family, religion, morals, ethics, educational, and governance is so profound that no one can deny the truth.

    The USA and the illusion of the “Strength and power” of the United States is over and long gone.

    Jesus. Watching the debates was like watching two feral dogs in a remote countryside village fight over a leg of maggot infested mutton. It was that bad.

    Two dogs fighting.
    It was like watching two village dogs fighting.

    It was that terrible.

    Terrible.

    The only thing that could recuse the participants would be either [1] a sudden war or [2] if one of them ended up with a life-threatening illness.

    Oh, guess what?

    Well, it does looks like it is all theater for the dumbed-down masses…

    When Donald Trump left Walter Reed Medical Center in a car this afternoon, he simply had Secret Service agents drive him around the block so he could see his cheering idiot supporters outside the hospital, only to drive him right back into the hospital. If this stunt left a bad taste in your mouth, you’re not the only one.
    
    Dr. James P. Phillips, who works at Walter Reed, tweeted this: “Every single person in the vehicle during that completely unnecessary Presidential “drive-by” just now has to be quarantined for 14 days. They might get sick. They may die. For political theater. Commanded by Trump to put their lives at risk for theater. This is insanity.

    Which brings me to the latest in my SHTF series on the collapse of America.

    The following is titled “Why the US is falling – and faster than you may expect: A 40-year-old prediction coming true”. Written by JO (Jan Oberg) on September 30, 2020. Reprinted with minor alterations to fit this venue. All credit to the author.

    Why the US is falling – and faster than you may expect: A 40-year-old prediction coming true

    The unique, dominating position of the United States in the post-1945 world is well-known. It maintains this position thanks to both a very large historical goodwill capital and former glory in the eyes of generations around the world – and thanks to rampant militarism and imperialism that has destroyed the good ‘America’ that it used to be.

    The world’s major division the next few years will be this: Are you on the side of [1] continued US global dominance or [2] do you want to see a new multipolar world with more balance and the US in the role of a partner among equals?

    In my view, the US no longer has the capacity to lead itself effectively.

    Nor can it find solutions to its own multi-dimensional crisis be it the economy, democracy, climate change, warfare addiction, social polarization, racism and on top of it all the Covid-19 crisis.

    Not being able to lead itself, no one should wish that the US should lead the world. Neither does it have any right to.

    Reread that sentence. Any nation that cannot handle its own domestic matters, cannot lead the world. It is like putting a pyromaniac in charge of a fire department.

    While its allies, friends and admirers are increasingly turning skeptical, others turn away and look for other partners be it China, Russia or Iran.

    While the friends of the US should try to help it out of its addiction to its outdated self-image…

    … the designated enemies, of course, cannot help the US…

    … as it simply would not listen. Strangely, these countries also need the US and have sought and still seek constructive cooperation but in vain.

    The fact is that no one threatens the US (and certainly not Russia with less than 8 % of the military expenditures of NATO. The US has become its own worst enemy but blames others for its problems.

    Sadly, it seems that there is not one ministry of foreign affairs among the EU /NATO countries that has even thought of developing a strategy for the post-US dominated West.

    Countries such as China, other BRICS and many others are building a new world order. Will the West, therefore, loose completely, or will parts of it still be able to save what can be saved and transition into the future multipolar world order?

    The chances of a “yes” to that question is diminishing by the day.

    The list of twenty points below was written long before the Presidential candidate debate on September 29 (it would be an offense to children to say that they behaved like children). But that debate only confirmed these points – and the simple point that it doesn’t matter much whether the next president of the US will be Trump or Biden.

    It’s the system, stupid!

    And it is rapidly coming to an end.

    It’s a valid intellectual-theoretical point that one cannot apply characteristics from psychology – basically the science of the individual – to much larger aggregates such as people, nations or the global system. That’s the fallacy of levels.

    That said, let’s anyhow try to just a bit of such “psychologizing” to make it more familiar to the reader.

    1. All empires go down, sooner or later – the latest was the Soviet Union, and the US/West has not been able to cope since its beloved enemy disappeared. All empires emerge, grow, reach a peak point, climax – and then begins to lose it to move to relative decline (others coming up) and then fall. Rather much like the individual life.
    2. Over-reach or you never get enough – there is no one and nothing you don’t want to try to influence, dominate or control.
    3. Hubris we can get away with everything, we are big and powerful. May be right for a time, then reality catches up.
    4. Exceptionalism – we can do things nobody else can because we are those we are – and we can tell others not to do what we ourselves do. We are above the law that others must follow, we fight wars for good while others fight for evil and are evil. Because we are good and have God on our side.
    5. The unbearable lightness of routine it’s all gone so well for so long thanks to our pervasive mind- and lifestyle-shaping influence through the media, film, culture, arts – Hollywood and all that. For as long as the rest of the world sees you as an ideal to imitate, – Americanization – everything goes smoothly.
    6. The Number One problem – meaning that if you are (or believe you are) Number One in a rank order, there is no one to look up to and learn from so you end up becoming a teacher, master, dictator, more or less arrogantly “downwards”. If you are No 37, there are 36 others to learn from – how did they do it better than we did? However, sooner or later, the “pupils” stop listening and obeying the Master – His Master’s Voice, so to speak.
    7. Mission activity or ‘mission civilisatrice – you try ad absurdum to shape others in the image of yourself; they shall become like us. Our national thinking is universalizable. The world should adapt to us, not we to the world. Remember who was The First World – (the Second and the Third) earlier?
    8. Legitimacy in the eyes of others slowly disappears – you may get away with some bad acts once or twice, but when it becomes a habit, others begin to think. As time goes by, your normative power is eroded, and you rely increasingly on naked force – the military. My country, right or wrong: Send the marines!
    9. Overmilitarization – the system needs a war more or less regularly; that means you need images of enemies (invented or real) all the time. Like a drug addict needs a fix. The US surely cannot do without enemies. The problem is that that military colossus called the Military-Industrial Media Academic Complex (MIMAC) always wants more – also in times when the economy cannot carry that burden. (Like the Sovjet Union in the 1970s and 1980s couldn’t). And the Coronavirus weakens the economy even further.
    10. Increasing autism, denial of the real world plus Group Think – “everything worked so fine in the past, it cannot be true that we cannot just continue what we used to do. (So, let’s start a new Cold War, this time against China). Group think means that a small group of people over time build a common worldview that repels any new thoughts from the outside and become convinced that it’s right and everybody else wrong. The problem is that they don’t know they sit in that restaurant on US Titanic, the music playing so well…
    11. Socio-political metal fatigue – something has been strong for a long time but suddenly there is a crack, and then comes another. The unthinkable, or at least unlikely and unforseen, suddenly happens repeatedly. And old tools can’t fix the problems.
    12. Lack of vision and lack of the pioneering new dynamics – of the type that makes other want to follow you voluntarily. Little by little, everything signal you send out is negative or destructive.
    13. The old positive life energy ebbs, and paranoia enters – like the increasingly old crumpy person who feels that the world turns its back and become unreasonable. Is there any important country in today’s world that the Trump US is not running some kind of conflict with, even friends and allies? Enters paranoia – “The whole world is against us… we see enemies all around – the world doesn’t understand us anymore. But we shall teach them a lesson…”
    14. Stagnation and anti-intellectualism – you continue to do what worked before, such as solving every problem with the military and increasingly becoming unable to think. To the person who has only a hammer in the toolbox, every problem in the house is about hammering…So, don’t allow anything new, don’t tolerate diversity, and crack down on critical voices.
    15. The normative and cultural power vanish – the perception by others of the Empire’s values as good and fair and as part of a vision crumbles. They embark on a future without the Empire’s diktat and/or protection and build a new world order (that the US will not hear about or let its subordinates participate in).
    16. Over-extension through self-aggrandizement – you engage in conflicts and wars which you don’t stand a chance to win, increasingly losing a sense of reality and of your own strength vis-a-vis others.
    17. Addiction & uni-dimensionality – since the only power scale in which you are “second to none” is the military, you use that where other means would be much more effective and cheaper as well as create respect worldwide. Diplomacy fades – lacking carrots, use the big stick.
    18. Decadence, illusions and lies the Secretary of State, Pompeo, is on record boasting that it is part of the American tradition to “cheat, steal and lie” – in other words, moral decay. Fake and omission, a struggle about what reality really is mounted.
    19. Psychopaths and kakistocrats increasingly win influence = Pathocracy! Kakistocracy means government by the worst, least qualified, and/or most unscrupulous citizens. The tempo with which norms and expectations of normal behaviour is broken overwhelms the world. Leader senility may play its role too – remember Breznev? And then, somebody usually turns up in the chaotic developments and declares that s/he is the saviour.
    20. Democracy and people’s participation in it crumbles most citizens sense what happens but in disbelief. Mobilization of counterforces to save what can be saved, become more difficult by the day.

    “And faster than you may expect”?

    One should hesitate to appear too sure about predicting the final end. Sometimes terminally ill people live longer than medical expertise predicted. Taking the risk anyhow, I would say within the next presidential term 2021-2026 or at the latest by 2030.

    When the cracks are frequent enough and big enough, the decline and breakdown accelerate exponentially. Remember the end of the Cold War in 1989 when border guards just opened the gates and people started moving freely.

    In a Danish academic book from 1981 (1) I predicted the fall of the West thus:

    “The Western world is on its way down and the present crisis is not just cyclical and also not just a crisis of capitalism (it is not exclusively economic) but a sort of civilizational crisis. The global system that has existed with Europe-US as its center and developed over the last 400-500 years is going through convulsions of a deeper nature than is normally perceived.
    
    Neither liberalism nor Marxism which are both Western thought systems and neither the US nor the Soviet Union appears as attractive models to the rest of the world. They are in deep crisis themselves – socially as well as economically – while Japan, China and a series of new growth centers and regional larger powers are rising, particularly in Asia.
    
    The wealthy, overdeveloped countries are approaching certain ‘objective’ limitations in terms of nature, raw materials, exploitation of human beings, the sheer size of the systems as well as management problems, social pressures, etc.
    
    Armament and the increasing militarization of various types of social structures everywhere is an (attempt at) “rejuvenation treatment” in the old- age phase of the West, a sort of compensation for diminishing power in other areas.”

    Perhaps another song is in order…

    Conrad Harris – All of me (Tiny Tim on vocals.)

    Conclusion

    Those governments, businesses, academia and others who (in these years) hold on to the US Empire (as the leader of the “free world”)…

    … will become a periphery in the future world order.

    Why chain yourself to the anchor of a sinking ship? But that is what Australia is doing. That is the the United Kingdom is doing. Is that really an intelligent thing to do? Is it in the best interests of the citizens that they are supposed to represent?

    A sinking ship.
    America is like this big, enormous, and beautiful ship that is sinking into the deep dark oceans. It’s because the interior of the ship has not been maintained. That the hull has rusted out and the engineers and Captain do not have the skills needed to fix it and prevent it from sinking.

    The future belongs to the builders, the makers and the contributors.

    Not to those who hold on to the old methods, suppress any new methods, and praise themselves for tabulating and monitoring the spreadsheets in support of their activities.

    True. You just cannot deny this.

    Now for a frightening thought.

    It’s gonna get far, far worse.

    "A majority of Americans are bracing for the possibility of a politically-fired civil war, and more than half are already stockpiling food and other essential items to survive and fight back, according to a new survey shared with Secrets.
    
    In the survey, 61% said that the United States is nearing a second civil war, including a shocking 41% who “strongly agree” with that assessment.
    
    And 52% are so convinced that it is just around the corner, or after Election Day, that they are putting away food and other essentials, an historic expansion of the prepper movement that has been brewing for years, now driven by fear and coronavirus-induced shortages."
    
    And the other 48% who have not prepared at all will now understand the process of natural selection first hand.
    
    -Powder keg: 61% say United States ‘on verge of civil war,’ 52% already preparing

    And the final song for this theme shall be…

    Conrad Harris、tiny tim – Auf Wiedersehen, My Dear (Remaster)

    ..

    .

    .

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    The American Civil War is now considered in process. The narrative is not about what or when, but is all about the how.

    Its going to get a lot worse regardless of who wins in November. Get ready
    
    -kerry

    As the good Metallicman readership should know, the Second American Civil War started early in 2020. It was at that point in time that a number of unique events transpired that would have been impossible, were American to be a healthy and productive nation. Since then, things have gone downhill fast. Now, prior to the 2020 elections, no one knows who will be elected. But one thing is certain, who ever is elected will not make any difference in the course of what American will go through.

    This is true on both sides of the political spectrum, and perhaps that is the only thing that is unifying America right now.

    The long, long postponed collapse of the oligarchy run military empire is in process, and no matter what happens, you can rest assured that…

    • No one will really know what is actually going on.
    • The “news” is never reported upon. Instead, a confluence of confusing “media reports” and disinformation will occupy much of American media.
    • External enemies will be identified, and effort made to direct American attention outside the US borders.
    • Money will continue to be made, but only at the oligarchy level. Everyone else will steadily lose everything.
    • The stratification of the United States is complete. Most Americans will not be able to ever leave their current status in life.

    Now, what this post is all about is something that I have noticed over the last few months, and it is really becoming evident now. It is that idea that [1] the United States is in the middle of an ideological conflict right now, and [2] that it is right before the shooting starts.

    Most people, on both sides, agree to this assessment to one extent or the other.

    Further, most [3] agree that the election will have a very minor impact on what transpires. That a “hot” American civil war is “in the works”.

    I have been told that if President Trump wins the election, that the Progressive Marxists are all set and ready to “burn the nation down”. And the Conservatives, by and large, pretty much agree with this assessment.

    In a like way, if the Democratic candidate, Mr. Biden wins, then most Conservatives that I know pretty much expect a forced socialist takeover, and that they would have to fight a militarized Social Marxist America.

    Of course…

    Life goes on.

    Businessmen conduct business. Students go to school. Families make babies. Workers go and toil. Rich people get wealthier. The stock market keeps on going higher and higher. And China is evil, bat-soup slurping monsters. Yada. Yada. Yada.

    But behind this colorful exterior lies a cauldron of turmoil that you can cut with a knife.

    Yes. All along the “watch-towers” (the modern day equivalents; personal blogs, and small-isolated alternative media) the signals are clear. America is embroiled in a Civil War Right Now. And everyone needs to prepare for the time, in the near future, when things will get ugly.

    Most of these blogs are pretty much saying the same thing.

    • Civil War is going to happen, or is happening.
    • Other nations will not get involved.
    • Whatever “external distractions” that are planned will only make things worse.
    • Prepare.

    This article is typical…

    The following is an article titled “The U.S. military would not be invincible against domestic revolt” It was written on 19 September 2020, and all credit to the author. IT was edited to fit this venue.

    The U.S. military would not be invincible against domestic revolt

    September 19, 2020

    Among those who discuss the prospects of overthrowing the United States government, there’s a common belief that it would be impossible for domestic rebels to militarily defeat the U.S. armed forces. This inevitably leads to speculations about alternative ways for the rebels to prevail. Maybe we could win most of the U.S. military personnel over to the side of the revolutionaries, or maybe we could get a powerful U.S. rival like China to come to the aid of the rebel forces.

    But upon thoroughly examining the situation, these hopes look ever more wishful. China’s goal is not to help foment revolutions abroad. And given that a civil war in the U.S. would no doubt prompt many U.S. allies to get their own militaries involved, Russia, China, and other superpowers would be especially hesitant to intervene given how much risk this would create of world war. Maybe Cuba or the DPRK would come to our aid, but we can’t bank on any foreign army to turn the direction of the class war in our favor.

    Propagating Marxist-Leninist theory among U.S. troops is a worthwhile goal. But for every armed forces defector towards the socialist movement that appears in the coming chaotic years of U.S. imperial collapse, there will be plenty of other military members who remain loyal to the forces of fascism and capitalist reaction. Thus comes the recently articulated conclusion from communist YouTuber Hakim that:

    The U.S. military and police will never, and I mean will never, join a potential revolution in the U.S. They are a barrier to a revolution. These are the agents of capital sent worldwide to rob, steal, and murder, all for the wealth and power of the bourgeoisie. Reactionary attitudes and counter-revolutionary mindsets are manufactured within the American military and police. For every soldier or policeman that lays down his weapons or, even better, joins the revolution, there will be a hundred, if not a thousand, cracking black skulls and shooting children. I saw it in Iraq. It isn’t far-fetched for it to be the norm in the U.S.

    As you look at these facts, you slowly come to realize the stark reality of your situation as someone who’s committed themselves to liberating the world from U.S. capitalism, imperialism, and colonialism. This reality is that you can only rely on the revolutionary organizations within the U.S. to help bring you to victory against the forces of bourgeois reaction. In all likelihood, an army from across the ocean isn’t coming to save you. The throngs of heavily indoctrinated fascists in the U.S. military aren’t going to overwhelmingly join your side. Victory is only going to come from how good you are at sticking with the revolutionary tasks that the material conditions will demand from you.

    These tasks are apparent from looking at how the Taliban, despite lacking tanks or warplanes and despite having always been outnumbered and technologically outmatched by the U.S., has managed to prevent the U.S. from defeating it after nineteen years of war. The Taliban has done this by winning the loyalty of much of the local populations in the parts of Afghanistan that they control, using the massive violence and corruption that U.S. imperialism has brought to the country to get many people to see aligning with their organization as the best option.

    The Taliban has had advantages that rebel forces in the U.S. won’t necessarily have the equivalent of, like highly mountainous terrain and support from Pakistan. But even if we don’t manage to get military support from Cuba or the DPRK, and even if the U.S. surveillance apparatus forces us to operate with great secrecy, we’ll be able to gain a comparable advantage if we do the work to build popular support for a revolutionary guerrilla effort. 

    This step is where agitation and organizing come in. If we spend the coming years using the country’s crises to get many more people to join communist parties, and if we do this while educating the masses about the capitalist and imperialist contradictions behind the crises they’re experiencing, we’ll gain a large base of support. Not one that includes the enormous population of reactionaries in the U.S., but one that’s capable of providing a guerrilla struggle with popular backing. With this vision in mind, Hakim has articulated the actions which must accompany these efforts: 

    Arm yourselves. Establish armed wings of revolutionary organizations. Start coordinating armed actions across the country with as many organizations as you can. Remember, never terrorist activity-only military and state targets. Establish Red bases around the country, and begin building dual power. People’s war is the solution. If you truly want radical change, and if you really want to turn the U.S. from an overwhelming agent of bad in the world into an agent of good, you will need to turn upheaval-with sufficient development-into a civil war.

    When this war starts, we’ll need to apply the guerrilla tactics that can make us win. These are the tactics that focus around attrition, the action of gradually weakening the forces of the enemy. Attacking military and state targets, as Hakim said, is how we can accomplish this. If we sustain these attacks, the forces of the U.S. will over time be forced to retreat. 

    And despite what the “a rebellion can never defeat the U.S. military” perception seems to imply about how such a conflict would play out, the U.S. won’t initially use its heaviest military tools for attacking the rebels. The U.S. will start to cripple itself if it begins bombing cities and infrastructure, and the more military resources it has to sacrifice at home, the less ability it will have to project power abroad. This certainly won’t be good for them in a future scenario where the current resource, climatic, economic, and social crises have all been massively exacerbated, and where U.S. imperial decline will have gone on for much longer than it has so far. Our enemies may have the might of empire on their side, but we’ll have the advantage of fighting against a power structure that’s destabilizing itself amid the collapse of global capitalism. 

    The foundations of capitalism are falling out. Through guerrilla warfare, we can tear the whole structure down. What this will require from you is the psychological commitment needed to carry forth this operation.

    The guerrilla warrior has to endure great bodily sacrifices. In addition to the risks of being killed or injured in battle, the life of a guerrilla can consist of severe hunger, thirst, lack of domestic sanitation, demands for great physical exertion, and the other costs of hiding and traveling outdoors. The accounts of the great guerrilla Che Guevara make these costs apparent. But when you realize the value of revolutionary sacrifice, these things will no longer deter you. The alternative to joining the struggle is to remain complacent, to keep standing by while the U.S. empire collapses into fascism and while your material conditions keep deteriorating. Without making the necessary sacrifices, we won’t be able to defeat the ruling class.

    Capitalism and U.S. imperialism may be collapsing, but revolution won’t come of its own accord. It won’t happen after a grand foreign invasion, or after thousands of armed fascists suddenly have a change of heart. It will happen after we realize that the U.S. military is not invincible, and that we have the capacity to win the class war ourselves.

    Conclusions

    The American media, and the Alt-left and Alt-Right branches are all controlled by the United States government. There is no such thing as a “free independent press” any longer in the United States. That pretty much disappeared in the middle 1980’s. And the narratives that they are promoting today includes a Civil War.

    The American media, controlled by the American government / oligarchy, is promoting the idea of an American Civil War.

    So here you have an American government that controls the media, promoting the narrative that a civil war is either ongoing or will happen soon. This narrative saturates modern life. It affects how Americans view their life, their friends, and their families.

    Why are they doing this?

    This pushing, this pressing, this march, and drum beat of civil strife is leading up to something. It has a profound influence in what Americans do, how they act, how they save, and how they survive.

    People are reacting. But not in ways that you (the reader) and I would presuppose. People are guarded, more cautious, and gloomy… but hopeful. Many hold this secret desire that the pain of this year (2020 pandemic, trump trade wars, trump twitter storms, and the city wide riots, not to mention unemployment, etc.) will all come to an end. People want normalcy.

    But the media is not giving anyone a break.

    Economist Stephen Roach warns next year will be brutal for the dollar.
    
    Not only does he see growing odds of a double-dip recession, the Yale University senior fellow believes his “seemingly crazed idea” that the dollar would crash shouldn’t be so crazy anymore.
    
    “We’ve got data that’s confirmed both the saving and current account dynamic in a much more dramatic fashion than even I was looking for,” Roach told CNBC’s “Trading Nation” on Wednesday.
    
    -Economist Stephen Roach issues new dollar crash warning, sees double-dip recession odds above 50%

    It’s non-stop “the world is falling apart” headlines…

    Republicans hope Supreme Court fight boosts President’s reelection bid…
    But private fears it can backfire, energize the left…

    Supreme Court to be most conservative since 1950…
    Kavanaugh Emerges as Liberal Hope?
    Dems worry Feinstein can’t handle battle…
    MAGA clashes over Barrett vs. Lagoa…
    Abortion stirs Republican tensions…

    TRUMP DOESN’T COMMIT TO TRANSFER OF POWER
    CONTINGENCY PLANS TO BYPASS RESULTS
    WHAT IF?

    And of course those “evil Chinese” , and “deadly Russians” have to be dealt with, don’t ya know…

    Hint: You can tell that the article originated out of the United States government when you see the "index key words" in the title. 
    
    In this case "repression". 
    
    Let's Google "China + Repression" shall we? I found 10,400,000 results.

    So, the United States is careening towards a major domestic “hot war”. The government is aware of this, is active in setting the stage for this to occur, and plans to “manage” it in some way.

    What we know, from past histories…

    • The conflicts will be splotchy throughout the United States. Some areas will be basket cases, while other areas will be unaffected.
    • The leadership plans to be able to ride out the events safely.
    • The United States (recently) has a terrible record of managing anything.
    • When the leadership is threatened, the final card will be played (a conflict with a major external power).

    What does all this mean?

    It means that the next two to three years are going to be testy in the United States. It means that if you planned well, that you will be in a safe area that will be relatively unaffected by the civil assaults. You will not be able to believe the American media. That includes most all alternative media.

    Your life will look completely different from what is being “reported”. Just like my life looks completely different from the anti-China “news” reports out of the States.

    Now…

    Keep in mind, that this is not all.

    When things become unmanageable, when the violence they created starts to flow outside their containment structures, then they will set up their back up plans. This will be when the leadership and oligarchy is threatened, they will invoke a war with a major global power. And they DO KNOW the risks. No matter what, they are convinced by their analysts that it will be a long and prolonged conventional war, and that it will be fought far away from the American shores.

    But people… listen to me.

    It will NOT be [1] a long duration, [2] conventional war, [3] fought in far away battlegrounds, where [4] Americans can be distracted by nightly updates.

    It will be a short war.

    It will be a nuclear war.

    It will be absolutely devastating for the United States.

    That war will end the United States as we know it.

    Why? Because America as big, and plump and juicy a target as it is, the top leadership, and all the infrastructure has collapsed. It’s a very inflexible, behemoth run by fixed intransigents.

    America is FRAGILE.

    America is remarkably fragile. All the wealth and industry are concentrated in only a handful of locations.
    America is remarkably fragile. All the wealth and industry are concentrated in only a handful of locations.

    Ten nuclear missiles is only ONE Chinese ICBM with MIRV’s. One singular submarine can reduce the United States to a third-world shithole within five minutes from launch. (As they tend to carry ten of these missiles each holding ten of these nuclear devices.) And let’s not even talk about the enormous nuclear might of Russia

    America IS fragile.

    As I see it…

    • The United States has an enormous military, with far-flung bases all around the world that are dependent upon well-established and fixed lines of supply. But once they logistics channels are interrupted, they are vulnerable.
    • The United States has some amazing high technology weaponry. But these are complex and need to be maintained, unit readiness is at best 60% and they require fully capable supporting logistics and talent to repair, maintain and operate. All these great weapons systems are vulnerable.
    • The United States (Through Donald Trump) has pissed of the world. His sole global alignments are Canada, the UK, and Australia. The rest are mercurial, and will change when situations warrant it. Politically, globally, the Untied States is vulnerable.

    The oligarchy, and their minions, the American “leadership” fully expect the United States to undergo dramatic change within the next five years. 2020 through 2025.

    They have planned for this.

    This planning has been in place for decades, and instead of Donald Trump being an aberration in the plan, it is perhaps all a part of the grand scheme of things.

    It is curious how the isolation of America "from the world stage" will absolutely limit any chaos and damage that will in America during this period to... ONLY America. There will be very little "spill over" to the rest of the world.

    These members of the oligarchy are not fools, and they do not follow the “news” like you and I do. They can see the real picture (to an extent) and know exactly what is going on. And that includes all the various factions vying for power and control in the United States.

    What will happen?

    No one knows. Certainly I don’t, and I’m perhaps the only “spook” that has some insight into things that’s gonna tell you all the situation publicly. (I am actually much more than a “spook” but you know what I mean.) But all this should be obvious to anyone who spends sometime outside of the American media echo chamber.

    But I can say this…

    John Titor’s Vision

    John Titor claimed to be a time traveler from the future. The world he described is exactly identical to what we are seeing today. The only significant difference are his dates. But, if you add exactly ten years to his dates you get the following….

    • American civil war starting in 2020 with the first shots fired.
    • Democratic leadership in control of government afterwards.
    • Democrat President trying to hold things together and using the DHS (Federal Police) to control the “rebels” in the rural areas.

    Well, we will see what happens in November, eh? Who will win? Will Trump win reelection, or will there be a complete sweep of Government to the far-left Marxists? We will find out.

    Anyways, John Titor further says that under the democrat President (DHS in control of forces that hunt down Conservatives, according to John Titor.) We have a…

    • A civil war that lasts for three years.

    And then…

    • An event that triggers a war with Russia.
    • A possible “First strike” by Russia that devastates all the major cities in America.
    Chinese SLBM with MIRV (dummy) warheads launched in a practice fun right after Trump pulled the three Carrier Assault flotillas off the Chinese coastline in July 2020.
    Launch of a Chinese SLBM with MIRV (dummy) warheads launched in a practice fun right after Trump pulled the three Carrier Assault flotillas off the Chinese coastline in July 2020.

    What is not stated, but implied…

    • America surrenders.
    • America is then “sacked”.
    Sacked - having been robbed and destroyed by force and violence; "the raped countryside". despoiled, raped, ravaged, pillaged. destroyed - spoiled or ruined or demolished; "war left many cities destroyed"; "

    Ten years of so afterwards, after a great “sorting”, many people will die. Many will starve. In fact, John Titor said that the majority of deaths were from Starvation, followed by illness. Then, Guns and radiation, in that order.

    A “New America” rises from the ashes of the old.

    • America is broken up into five nations.
    • A new world order emerges.
    • Russia (and China) remain the top trade partners to America.

    How accurate is John Titor? I don’t know. But he made these statements back in 1998. He’s been pretty much spot-on, regarding a large number of innocuous predictions and how he described his life. You all might want to plan on his predictions coming true.

    It would probably be prudent to plan on his predictions coming true.

    Do you want more?

    Do you want to see similar posts?

    I hope that you found this post curious. Please take care. You can view other similar posts in my SHTF Index, here…

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    What being a boss is like. (A review of the movie The Freshman)

    I am a boss.

    Yeah, I keep quiet about it. And, you know, I have a retired lifestyle and have pretty much mellowed the fuck out, but I do own and run numerous companies, and I am the boss of them. I might be the CEO, the Executive Director, the Manager, the Owner… but first and foremost, I am the BOSS.

    And yet, being a boss is not like what you would think it is.

    And it is neither of the extremes that you might think it is from television, movies, or your personal experiences with the owners of companies elsewhere. It is something else entirely and at a complete an unique level as well. And since I am a foreigner as a Boss in China, that places the “awe level” quite high.

    So…

    Like my posts on other subjects…

    • Like what [1] the actual situation is about extraterrestrials,
    • And [2] what the actual situation is about prostitutes,
    • And [3] what the actual situation is about China,
    • And [4] the actual situation is about the Trade War… etc. etc.

    This post is going to be what the actual situation is about being “A Boss”. What it is like, and how one qualities and what it is all about.

    I’m gonna tell you all straight.

    I’ll probably make a shit load of enemies in the process.

    Keep in mind that this is true for a very select group of people. For less than 1% of American CEO’s are actually a “real Boss”. The rest are more or less, cogs in a big, vast, machine.

    • Supervisor
    • Manager
    • Team Leader
    • Vice something or other
    • C level someone

    Etc. Etc. Etc.

    I read many of the reviews and I concur with the positive ones. A wonderful blend of acting, direction and writing that improves with each viewing. I was surprised at the small number of quotes. The scene between Tina and Fleeber from when she enters the room to when she leaves is priceless. "My father thinks Clark is an A student", "I am Carmine Sabatini's only daughter", etc. So many excellent quotes. My wife and I bring them up often. "Rodolfo Lasparri of Palermo". Classic, subtle comic performances. I wonder if Brando saw the edited version? Plus, the cast call exits and the end add a wonderful touch, as they did in "The Quiet Man" and others.
    The Boss is always busy working and talking with others, making arrangements and cutting deals.

    The movie “The Freshman”

    In this post I use images from the movie “The Freshman”. Which is an old 1980’s / 1990 comedy movie. And while it is a comedy, and it is all fun and games, I do want to use the situation(s) as depicted within the movie to make some points.

    Charming points

    A comedy no one can refuse ... ElMaruecan82
    26 June 2012
    
    How many actors could have parodied their most classic roles without falling into caricature? Think about it: while it takes a certain talent to make a performance that elevates a character to a legendary status, overplaying enough to make it comical but not over-the-top is the ultimate proof of acting genius. And only Marlon Brando could have got away with playing his most iconic character, the Godfather, and make it so damn believable. And it's this very seriousness in his performance that makes "The Freshman" so delightful and naturally, hilarious.
    
    Although not revolutionary, what makes "The Freshman" such a classic on its own is that it accomplishes a real miracle by resuscitating Vito Corleone, his name is Carmine Sabatini but the movie can't fool us: the guy IS Vito Corleone. As explained in the film, Sabatini's the one who inspired Vito's character, in other words, "The Freshman" is so confident over its comical premise, and rightfully so, that it doesn't even hesitate to insert several references to "The Godfather". And these are not just gratuitous 'Godfather' references thrown away for the sake of it, it's important to know that it's not a parallel world where the movie isn't supposed to exist. 
    
    On the contrary, not only it does, but whoever sees Carmine Sabatini has the most natural reaction by immediately thinking of Vito Corleone. The movie, in a way, asks the question, how any of us would react in front of a movie character. How would I if I met my favorite character? I guess, probably like Clark Kellog, Matthew Broderick as a film college student, the titular "Freshman".
    
    And the deserved praises on Brando's performance shouldn't diminish Broderick's talent at all. With his awkward youngish look, Broderick is the perfect straight-man for a comical duo with Brando. Indeed, the comedic power of "The Freshman" relies on the extraordinary ability of Brando to play his character seriously in a non-serious film. Consequently, we don't laugh at Brando because he's too believable (we'd never treat him so disrespectfully), but at Broderick's disbelief. 
    
    There's one part where Carmine offers a job to Clark, and gives him the hand of friendship as a solemn promise that no harm would happen to him. 'How can I say no?' replies Clark, to which Carmine dryly retorts 'that's not a yes, I want to hear yes', he takes a walnut and break it with his own hand, making a threatening sound. This improvisation, proving that Brando didn't lose his acting instinct and trademark use of props in movie scenes, provoked an even more genuine reaction from Broderick who didn't know the walnut had already been broken before the shooting.
    
    Clark had no other choice than to say yes, after all, isn't Vito Corleone, the man who makes offers we can't refuse? The film's funniest moments are driven by Sabantini's aura and Clark's incapability to control the situation or to say 'no'. The script finds the perfect tone to show a guy screwed but in a way that inspires our sympathy without feeling antipathy toward Sabatini. And another triumph on the writing department is the way everything seems believable despite all the zany material it employs. 
    
    Whether it's a picture of Mussolini in an Italian Social club, an espresso that takes three spoons of sugar, the Mona Lisa painting in Carmine's house, and a weird traffic involving a Komodo dragon, I wonder why I wanted to believe that the first time I saw it. Maybe I was just a 10-year old kid who just laughed at the gags without looking too much deeper into it. 
    
    The irony is that after watching 'The Godfather' so many times, I believed in Sabatini even more.
    
    That's not to say that it takes to be a 'Godfather' fan to enjoy the film, but it sure helps and not just for laughs. There is a heart in this film, and there is something very nostalgic, almost poignant to see Sabatini interacting with Clark. Sabatini is so sweet you'd forget he's a dangerous person. 
    
    Brando finds the perfect note because he makes Sabatini lovable, while Vito was feared and respected, the way he treats Clark like the son he never had, his unexpected outburst of joy or sadness, his tender kisses or slaps in the face are all expression of a sincere love. 
    
    Yes, we laugh when he never remembers Clark's hometown ("You're from Connecticut" he joyfully says as if it meant something), when he calls him "Kent" instead of "Clark", or casually tells him that he'll marry his beautiful daughter Tina (Penelop Ann Mirren), but we still take him seriously because we never see when he's acting and when he's serious. And it doesn't really matter since in both cases, it's funny.
    
    But I make the film sound like the 'Brando' show, while it features a great cast of supporting characters, notably Bruno Kirby as Vic the streetwise nephew who emphasizes every word said by his Carmine. Maximilan Schells steals the show as a demented German chef. You would probably notice Frank Whaley, the 'what?' man from "Pulp Fiction" as Clark's slick roommate. The film makes many references to "The Godfather" series, an apparent favorite of Clark's teacher, the goofy monomaniacal Pr. Fleeber (Paul Benedict). Interestingly, the film was released the same year than the last opus of the trilogy, but I see it more as a coincidence, since the film is much more a reminder of how iconic the first two were.
    
    "The Freshman" is still a delightful comedy, cleverly written, with the perfect dosage of verbal humor and slapstick, the journey featuring the Komodo dragon would be seen as an oddity considering the film's context, but it totally makes sense at the end. Everything brilliantly tie up at the end, even the weird affection between Sabatini and Kellon, the little spice that gives this film, its unique flavor ... with basil cream sauce.
    In the movie "The Freshman", the Boss tells the young freshman that he is to wed his daughter. The girl that he just met yesterday, and that he cannot get out of the "business" as he is in it for life.
    In the movie “The Freshman”, the Boss tells the young freshman that he is to wed his daughter. The girl that he just met yesterday, and that he cannot get out of the “business” as he is in it for life.

    And another review…

    Further Viewings rmax304823
    11 June 2004
    
    What a wacky plot. Broderick is hired to convey illegally imported endangered species by Brando, playing Carmine ("Jimmy the Toucan") Sabatini, in order to provide million-dollar-a-plate dinners for a bunch of international degenerates who revel in eating forbidden fruit, or in this instance lizards. It's the kind of plot you dream up while sitting around all night half-gassed with a couple of buddies who have a good sense of the absurd.
    
    Broderick is Clark Kellog (whom Sabatini calls "Kent"), a naif just in from Vermont to attend film school at NYU. Sabatini is the "importer" he works for and a ringer for "The Godfather." (The original was almost a self parody.) Those are the principal roles and Broderick handles the role of straight man, being sucked into a Mafia-like existence, competently. Brando is unforgettable. He tried one or two comedies before and they tanked, but he's a winner here, cracking walnuts in his fist, weeping with emotion as he embraces his new employee.
    
    But it's not just the relationship between Clark and Sabatini that's amusing. It's also just about everything in between, including what we see of the film school, where the professor assigns seven hundred dollars worth of his own books as required reading, and is working on a paper that will combine -- what was it? -- Plato, Marx, and semiotics in a deconstruction of "The Godfather", or something equally insane? Maximilian Schell is a much under-rated or unnoticed actor. 
    
    He consistently turns in riveting performances but has never achieved major stardom. It doesn't matter whether it's drama ("Judgment at Nurenberg"), comedy thrillers ("Topkapi"), or, as in this case, comedy. He never fails to bring something extra to the role. 
    
    His first entrance here knocks the whole situation askew. Clark has enlisted a fellow student to help him carry this giant lizard (Varanus komodoensis -- they pronounce the specific name wrong) and a bearded sunglassed Schell ambles into the scene during the delivery, fondling a ferret, looks up with a big smile, and says, "Sabatini said one boy.... Here are two!" Clark runs through his explanation while Schell listens politely before replying, "Sabatini said one boy.... Here are two!" He says it a third time before ambling off. That's ALL he says.
    
    I've seen this about three times since I first commented on it and, although this is anything but a "deep" movie, I've continually found things, mostly jokes, that I'd missed earlier. I must give a few examples.
    
    Never before had I noticed some particular details in the scene in which Brando cracks the walnuts. I had just seen him cracking walnuts. More recently I've noticed that in this scene Brando, apparently dead serious, tells Broderick that he wants him to accept the job offer. "I don't want to hear 'no', I want to hear 'yes.'" And that, immediately after these lines, while Broderick is pondering an answer, Brando picks up TWO walnuts, rolls them in his palm, and slowly but noisily CRACKS them.
    
    And another of the many allusions to "The Godfather" finally registered on my interpretive apparatus. As the end credits begin to roll, Broderick and Brando are taking the monitor for a walk through the cornfields in long shot. And we can hear Brando's voice offering Broderick some career assistance. "Y'know, Clark, when you get out to Hollywood, maybe I can help you." "No, please." "It wouldn't take much. Just a few phone calls." "NO!" "I could kick open a few doors for you." The penny finally dropped and I could see Brando arranging to have a lopped-off horse head planted in some producer's bed.
    
    Just a few other points. One is that the score owes something to "The Stunt Man." Another is that Brando seems so perfectly comfortable in this self parody. He seems to be genuinely enjoying himself. His body language is exquisite. He lolls around in his chair, sticks his tongue in his cheek (literally), waves his hands, shrugs, and does everything else flawlessly. Sometimes his whiskery voice gets away from the Don Corleone model. I don't think Vito Corleone would be so indignant when talking about Polaroid and IBM on the phone. "I told you before, Charlie, I don't LIKE it when they go DOWN. Listen. I had another stock broker once and he only called me with bad news. It got very UNPLEASANT, Charlie, y'unnerstand me?"
    
    And anyone who thinks of the later Brando as a bloated hypocrite who has lost whatever acting chops he once had should take another look at the scene in which he visits Broderick in the college dorm room. Broderick, at Brando's own request, recites a poem written by his father, a rather elliptical one, and Brando's character picks it up immediately -- "Ah, the cat." And the discussion about Curious George. And Brando's momentary melancholy as he looks around the college dorm, an environment as alien to him as the planet Neptune, shrugs and comments, "Well, I didn't miss nuthin'." It isn't funny. It's touching.
    
    I thought this movie was very funny and quite original, considering the stale material it was sending up, and I still think so. Two years' worth of additional viewings hasn't changed things. You must see it, if only to hear Bert Parks sing "I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more."

    I am sure that most people reading this will have seen the movie, so we can move on. But if you haven’t you might want to rent it, buy it, or torrent it.

    Managers vs Bosses

    In the United States, we have what is called “bosses”, but you know, they really aren’t bosses. They are just managers. Manages with a “small m”. They perform a role, but are still, no matter what, employees. And you have “technical experts” and while they might have all kinds of certifications, and diplomas and documentation to their name, they too are only employees.

    And yes, you have those “higher ups”. Those “Big Bosses” that have paneled offices, credenzas, and maybe their very own secretary or two. But then again, they are just still “manager employees”.

    Rule number one;

    #1 Rule; Only the owner of a company can be a Boss.

    Everyone else is just a manager.

    What is a Boss?

    A boss is a person that owns, operates, runs, manages and controls a company.

    When they make a statement, a policy, or a rule it is firm and never questioned. The decision has been made and it is final.

    A scene from the 1980’s movie “The Freshman”. Here in this scene, the Boss describes to the young freshman that the boss cannot lose face. There are too many important things involved and that he just cannot risk a much younger person saying “no” to the Boss.

    As such there are rules that they follow. But these rules of behavior are different than that for the rest of the company. They have a much greater degree of flexibility and latitude in what they can do and how they can behave.

    • Workers and staff follow one set of rules.
    • The boss follows a different set of rules.

    They might have a business “empire” that spans the world and has hundreds of people, or they might have a small operation that only has three key people, and others that come and go as needed. Size does not matter. What matters is [1] attitude, [2] respect and [3] control that one has over their operations.

    What does NOT matter is [1] how much money the company makes, [2] how much money the boss makes, or [3] what the rest of the world thinks about the boss or his company.

    Respect

    This is interesting and cultural. In China, far more respect and deference is given to the boss and managers than anything ever seen in the United States. To put this into perspective, let’s look at my handy dandy chart below…

    A comparison between the respect given to a boss in China compared to that of a typical American boss, or leader.
    A comparison between the respect given to a boss in China compared to that of a typical American boss, or leader.

    Boss tales

    Like me. I am a small-time boss.

    You might call me a “mini-boss”, or a “boss” with a under-case “b”.

    My operations are small, up front, in person, and direct.

    It’s the nature of my life.

    Long term Metallicman readers will recognize that I am talking about. You do not need a lot of fame, fortune, big fancy expensive cars, and multi-million dollar houses to live the life of your dreams. Truthfully guys, if I told you half about what my life is actually like, you all would think that I am just full of shit.
    Scene from the 1980’s movie “The Freshman”. Here, a Boss is discussing employment opportunities with a young college student to wants to join “The Business”.

    I have structured my life this way, and through the power of [1] affirmation campaigns, [2] experience, [3] thoughts, [4] relationships and friendships, and [5] opportunity, I am living a lifestyle that fits me personally.

    There are many such people in the world.

    • The owner of a small garage that fixes and repairs cars.
    • The owner of a small ethnic operation that provides legal help, financial help, and other services to the local ethnic people in an area.
    • The owner of a small machine shop.
    • The owner of a local laundrymat.

    And while the “news”, television and Hollywood just loves to talk about the trillions and billions of dollars that the handful of ultra-super-dooper-crazily-wealthy have, the vast bulk of real bosses (in the world) are really just “small time” operations.

    Most “real” bosses, though not everyone, got to where they are now through hard blister-on-the-hands mind-dullingly boring work. It’s just that we kept up at it, time after time after time, after time. Sooner or later, eventually something happens, and some money starts to roll in, and believe you me, it’s not really a lot at first.

    And it is the journey to that point…

    …the trials, the pains, the anguish, the failures, and all the heartbreak…

    …creates the boss that you see standing in front of you.

    Scene from the movie The Freshman.
    In the movie “The Freshman”, the Boss sees himself as a young man in the young freshman that wants to work for him.

    And for me…

    Well…

    It has been a seemingly endless string of companies that worked me to the bone, and discarded me just as abruptly. Heartless, painful and relentless. It fucking sucked, and so I, out of necessity, had to create my very own company. (Companies, actually.)

    Not to mention all the associated hassles with my MAJestic retirement and all that load of fucking crap.

    What it takes

    You know, talking about “one day” being a Boss is not the same as being one. And being a manager in a company working for someone else isn’t being a boss either. having an impressive title, or a business card doesn’t make you a boss. Nor does having a corner office, a potted plant, or a company cell phone.

    A Boss does things his own way.

    #2 Rule; A Boss does things HIS way.

    To be a boss you control everything. If you want all the gals in the office to wear mini-skirts, you make it so, and if you want to smoke a cigar in your office, you do so. If you want to make a pot of chili and have it cook in the office all day, you do so, and if you want to come in early or late, you do you as you feel fit.

    But it’s more than that.

    It is the bosses that do their own thing…

    …that strive anyways…

    …that push and strive following their very own dream…

    …while the rest of the world makes fun of them, attacks them, bemoans them, and pretty much abuses them…

    It’s these bosses that end up making the world a better place to live.

    First-year film student (Matthew Broderick) at New York University finds himself working for an apparent Mafia chieftain (Marlon Brando) with a surprisingly close resemblance to Don Corleone in The Godfather, in a delightful, imaginative screwball comedy written and directed by Andrew Bergman (So Fine). Though Bergman is more accomplished as a comic writer than as a director (his credits include Blazing Saddles, The In-Laws, and Big Trouble), his madcap ideas carry the picture, and Brando's wonderful low-key performance—less a parody of his Don Corleone than a revised-and-corrected life-size version—never falters. Sweet and warm as well as manic, this is full of loopy surprises, and the supporting cast (including Penelope Ann Miller, Bruno Kirby, Steve Bushak, Maximilian Schell, and Bert Parks, playing himself in his film debut) is uniformly fine (1990).
    The Boss in the movie “The Freshman” adding a little bit of sugar to the young freshman’s coffee. It’s his way of showing kindness.

    Have you ever wondered why real Bosses don’t just copy other people, and other successful companies? Have you ever wondered why they want, and insist on doing things their ways? Have you ever wondered why?

    Why…?

    Some other Bosses

    People naturally succeed at what they love doing. They just plug away at it day in, and night long. It is what makes them happy, and what makes them “tick” (like a clock). And such, when others see them, they cannot help but to find them a positive influence.

    Other well known bosses include…

    Rob Ross

    When you are doing something you love, on your terms, and you are the boss, your life transcends perfection. Consider some other (well known) bosses to not only owned their own company and “brand”, but also enjoyed what they did to a point where their life became transcendental.

    Bob Ross passed away in 1995 at the age of 52. We were lucky enough to have him all those years, but obviously we still miss him. Luckily he lives on, thanks to his painting legacy, all over the internet now. If you are ever looking for something soothing to watch in the evening, I highly recommend it! And if you are feeling particularly crafty give it a try! He's a great teacher and you will surprise yourself with how well you can do!
    
    -10 Amazing Facts About Bob Ross That Prove He Was Exactly As Wonderful As You Thought He Was
    Probably one of the most soothing people who has ever appeared on TV is Bob Ross. The talented painter is capable of making every brush stroke into an incredible landscape that you couldn't even imagine, all the while speaking some of the most positively joyful words you will ever hear. We all have watched it on PBS at least once in our life, some of us have even attempted to follow along.
    Robert Norman Ross was an American painter, art instructor and television host. He was the creator and host of The Joy of Painting, an instructional television program that aired from 1983 to 1994 on PBS in the United States and in Canada, Latin America and Europe. Ross subsequently became widely known via his internet presence.

    Fred Rogers

    Another Boss is the great Fred Rogers. He, like Bob Ross, owned his own production operation, and headed it and was the leading talent in it.

    Here at Fred Rogers Productions, children come first, now and always. We connect with them through shows that are fun, relatable, and put their social and emotional learning front and center. That’s how we’ve earned the trust of parents, caregivers, and teachers.
    
    -Fred Rogers Productions
    
    Home
    Fred Rogers was the creator of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood as well as the host of all 895 episodes, the composer of its more than 200 songs, and the puppeteer who imagined 14 characters into being. More importantly, he changed the face of children’s television and transformed the way we think about the inner lives of young children.
    Fred McFeely Rogers, also known as Mister Rogers, was an American television personality, musician, puppeteer, writer, producer, and Presbyterian minister. He was the creator, showrunner, and host of the preschool television series Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, which ran from 1968 to 2001.

    Jim Henson

    Jim Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was the creator of the Muppets, founder of The Jim Henson Company, and the performer behind many of his company’s most famous characters, including Kermit the Frog, Ernie, and Rowlf the Dog.

    Jim Henson, the man behind the Muppets, began working as a puppeteer in college, creating characters like Kermit the Frog.
    In February 2004, The Walt Disney Company purchased the Muppets and the Bear in the Big Blue House characters from The Jim Henson Company. The purchase did not include the Sesame Street characters, which are separately owned by Sesame Workshop , nor did it include Fraggle Rock and other franchises, which The Jim Henson Company retained.

    Ben & Jerry

    Here’s an ultra-liberal duo who made a fortune doing what they love; making ice cream. And being (joint) Bosses, they defined their life, their business and their product line. And while many Americans might find them a bit flamboyant and outrageous, they are Bosses in the truest sense of the word. They own their business and run it as they see fit. And if you don’t like it, you all can take a hike!

    With a $5 correspondence course in ice cream-making from Penn State and a $12,000 investment ($4,000 of it borrowed), Ben and Jerry open their first ice cream scoop shop in a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vermont.
    
    -About Us
    In 1951, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield were born. Just four days apart in age, these childhood best friends decided to start a food company in 1978, and after considering bagels, they switched to ice cream.
    Ben & Jerry’s produces a wide variety of super-premium ice cream and ice cream novelties, using high-quality ingredients including milk and cream from family farmers who do not treat their cows with the synthetic hormone rBGH.

    There are many more examples…

    Yah. There are many more examples, but most are not all that well known. Today, in the new government controlled narratives, fame and glory come attached to huge mega-corporations. Not to the smaller people like you (the reader, and myself). For the most part, most people don’t know we even exist.

    Clark Kellogg: 
    You promise?
    
    Carmine Sabatini: 
    Every word I say, by definition, is a promise.”

    But, let me tell youse all…

    As a Boss you define your image. You define what you do, and whether or not you want to be super rich and popular, or just very comfortable – doing what you love. (Which is what I chose.)

    This is a very funny movie that casts Matthew Broderick as a new-to-the-city college kid who gets mixed up with a shady character named Vic right after he arrives. Through a series of events, he becomes involved with Vic's family, which include Uncle Carmine and his daughter Tina.

Everyone is perfectly suited to his role and even Brando appears to be having a lot of fun with his own image. The supporting cast is worth mentioning - especially Paul Benedict as an obnoxious college professor, and Maximillian Shell as a business associate of Carmine Sabatini.

This is ultimately a touching movie about loyalty and family, and it sure is fun.
    And while a boss might be busily defined his life, maintaining his work and doing what ever his business is, he finds time to work with other people. To take them “under his wing”, and work with them, to help them, and help everyone around them to thrive.

    Can anyone become a Boss?

    Well, can anyone become a Boss?

    The answer is yes. Yes, anyone can become a Boss. You just need to keep on doing what you love and follow your own dream, what ever it is.

    Then you need to create your business, and that provides an income. And you as the Boss control it.

    Maybe it’s collecting trash, or fixing cars, and reselling them. Maybe it’s buying up old rental properties, fixing them up and selling them, or maybe it’s making your very own brand of chewing gun. It’s all up to you.

    Maybe it’s making your own home-made pistols, or growing ginseng and curing it to make ginseng cigarettes. Maybe it’s something else. The point is, not HOW MUCH MONEY that you are going to make. The point is rather YOU DOING WHAT YOU WANT TO DO, and doing it YOUR WAY.

    How do you know that you are working for a Boss?

    The primary characteristic of a Boss is that they own their own company, and that they define their rules. They go and do things their way.

    But how do you know, if your “Boss” is actually, and really a real Boss?

    It’s all about loyalty.

    Clark Kellogg: 
    You had a choice - not to turn me in.
    
    Dwight Armstrong: 
    If it was your son, you would have...
    
    Clark Kellogg: 
    If it was my son, I would have treated him like he was my son. If he was my step son, I would have treated him like my son.

    If you, and the people around you have a strong feeling of loyalty towards your Boss, then he is, INDEED a real, honest to goodness Boss. Because a Boss, no matter what his exterior never, NEVER makes people feel like things. Real Bosses make people feel like family.

    How anyone can say this is not a great film except for Marlon Brando's performance is beyond me. His performance is great, of course. But the whole movie is phenomenal, not just Brando. It is perfect -- a 10-plus -- from start to finish. The entire cast stands out -- not just Brando. How a reviewer can focus on Brando's piece of business with walnuts is beyond me -- his business with the espresso is even more effective. But why zoom in on one relatively insignificant piece of Brando schtick when you have his whole performance to salivate over, and the equally outstanding performances of the entire cast. There is not one false note or faltering moment in this fabulously clever and eminently watchable film. Yes, Bert Parks does stand out in his cameo performance, as does B.D. Wong, as does Bruno Kirby, and on and on and on. This underrated comedy made the American Film Institute's list of 100 funniest comedies -- I could hardly believe it. Despite that, it is one of the best American movies, certainly best American comedies, ever made.
    A real Boss will make you feel like family, and you will have a natural loyalty to that person. Scene is from the movie “The Freshman”.

    As I have repeatedly stated, in America today, the entire culture and society…

    • Loves things.
    • Uses people.

    Instead of…

    • Loves people.
    • Uses things.

    Being a Boss is your great escape valve off this “rat race”. For as a Boss you can define your own life your way. And if people don’t like it, too bad.

    Conclusion – The Movie

    Some reflections on my life, and a great movie that many have just discounted as a silly comedy. They didn’t “get it” because their understanding about life was just too shallow.

    I must have seen this film twenty times. It's one of my absolute favorites. It's gentle, heartfelt, funny, subtle and delicate. It's also, of course, an absolute delight for movie buffs. 
    
    I know it's an absurd thing to say, but in many ways this is my favorite Brando performance: he's having such a good time sending himself up. He does it with such obvious relish but, at the same time, he IS Marlon Brando, the greatest actor Hollywood ever produced, and his character has all the regal gravitas that he brought to bear so effectively in "The Godfather". 
    
    For those of us who thought that the only thing wrong with "The Godfather" was that there wasn't enough of the old man, this film is an unheard of feast.
    
    Of course the story is daft, so what? I LOVE the scenes with the giant lizard - especially the end with Brando walking it and talking to it. There are so many great lines - I suggest that your reviewer who couldn't understand a word Brando said throughout the film cleans his ears out so he can hear gems such as: "So this is college. I didn't miss nothing'", and, "When you get to Hollywood I want you to gimme a call. I could kick a few doors open for ya." 
    
    And Maximilion Schell: superb as the mad chef. "Carmine said one boy, here are two." There are so few gentle Hollywood comedies, with genuine poignancy, where the "feelgood" factor isn't tacked on, where's there's no sentimental slop, just humanity and warmth. 
    
    Cherish this beautiful little film and marvel that it even ever came to be made.
    
    adamblake77
    25 June 2006

    The movie “The Freshman” is a touching and warm movie about being a Boss, and is ultimately about loyalty and family.

    How anyone can say this is not a great film except for Marlon Brando's performance is beyond me. His performance is great, of course. But the whole movie is phenomenal, not just Brando. It is perfect -- a 10-plus -- from start to finish. The entire cast stands out -- not just Brando. How a reviewer can focus on Brando's piece of business with walnuts is beyond me -- his business with the espresso is even more effective. But why zoom in on one relatively insignificant piece of Brando schtick when you have his whole performance to salivate over, and the equally outstanding performances of the entire cast. There is not one false note or faltering moment in this fabulously clever and eminently watchable film. Yes, Bert Parks does stand out in his cameo performance, as does B.D. Wong, as does Bruno Kirby, and on and on and on. This underrated comedy made the American Film Institute's list of 100 funniest comedies -- I could hardly believe it. Despite that, it is one of the best American movies, certainly best American comedies, ever made.
    
    Gosh, this is one of the very best comedies ever made, folks. 
    negevoli-44
    20 June 2000

    Conclusion – On Bosses

    Being a Boss is about taking your life in your own two hands. It’s about ejecting out of the realities created by others, and the chains and shackles others have put around you. You can be anything you want to be, and being a Boss is the legal avenue that will allow you to get there. It is the vehicle that you drive in to finish this stage in your life.

    Being a Boss gives you freedom, and a chance and opportunity to mold your life to fit your desires. Don’t squander it.

    And it is my sincerest wish that everyone reading this post, somehow finds the character inside them to carve out their life and become just this sort of Boss. You all can do it. I believe in you.

    A small, delightful film, which let's Brando playfully deconstruct his Vito Corleone. Full of laughs and surprises, it accomplishes its goal of being a small, funny coming of age story as admirably as Godfather accomplishes its grander goals. The coincidences build on each other as in a Pynchon novel. And the scattered references to the Curious George books turn out to have a funny payoff as well.
    I believe in you. You can accept this opportunity, And you too can join the ranks of the Bosses that own their own businesses.
    Carmine Sabatini: 
    I want you to take this opportunity. Totally legitimate work for $1,000 dollars a week. And I know that you're not gonna disappoint me.
    
    Clark Kellogg: 
    Well, I don't see how I could say no.
    
    Carmine Sabatini: 
    This is not a yes. I want to hear yes.”

    Do you want more?

    I have more articles and posts in my Movie Index here…

    MOVIES

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    Bits and pieces concerning the American neocon desire for World War III, and some comedic push back on all the absurdity

    The cult of the Biblical end of the world and the rapture does not reflect the view of the majority of Christians. But rather it is a distortion of one of the books of the Bible, twisted, and taken way, way out of context. Mentioning it here in no way is intended to disparage any Christians, or anyone who following the writings of the Bible.
    
    It is placed here as informative background only.

    Yes, this year (2020) has really been something else. I mean it’s just been absurd.

    Well, there is a human role in what is going on, don’t you know. It’s not all coincidence, and chance. It’s all part of a huge scheme of things that are all caught up within yet an even greater scheme of things.

    And people like me and you, well we are trapped inside this car that is being driven by drunk madmen towards what appears to be… the end of the road.

    Yikes!

    Heads up!
    
    I am going to say some nasty things about President Trump. 
    
    Sorry, but anyone who favors WAR in any shape, size or color, and tries to justify it is going to get "bitch slapped" by me. War is not a game. War is serious, serious business. 
    
    Stop hiding behind the soft tones of a "police action" or a "hybrid war", or a "trade war". War is war is war is war.
    
    And anyone promoting it is a dangerous person.
    
    This post is about the association of the United States government with hard-core neocons and evangelical Christians, I consider it a very dangerous combination. Much akin to playing with matches inside of a warehouse full of dynamite.
    
    kapish?

    This post is going to be a little bit “off the wall”.

    It’s all about what happens when some ideologically motivated people, with insanely odd-ball and distorted views of their place / role in society, take the reins of power of the largest nation on the planet.

    We’ve seen this in the past with Roman emperors. Like Nero.

    Right?

    A review of some of the madness of Nero

    Nero.

    Short name.

    Insane.

    Yeah. He was a pretty crazy guy. That is for certain, and his antics made modern politicians seem tame by comparison. But you all must keep in mind that the worst Nero could do was sack a city. He didn’t have the power to lay waste to the earth a thousand times over.

    Here’s a review of what can happen when you have a psychopath in charge of a nation…

    • Nero Used Burning Christians To Light His Garden At Night
    The most famous myth about Emperor Nero says that the crazed emperor actually played a fiddle while Rome burned during the Great Fire of 64 AD. That’s patently false. Nero did a bunch of crazy things, but this wasn’t one of them. When the fire broke out, Nero was actually 35 miles away at his villa at Antium. When he got the news, he rushed back to the city to begin administering aid immediately.
    
    The reason that the “fiddling” myth arose was thanks to the Roman people’s belief that Nero was a pampered aristocrat who cared little for the plight of his people. He was considered to be so callous and carefree that he could play music while his people suffered.
    
    After the Great Fire, the public came to the (incorrect) conclusion that Nero had actually started the nine-day blaze that engulfed two-thirds of Rome. In order to throw the scent off his trail, Nero put the blame squarely on Christians. Nero took to persecuting believers with glee. He had them thrown to dogs, nailed to crosses, and on occasion, he dipped Christians in oil, set them on fire, and used the light to illuminate his gardens at night.
    • Nero Kicked His Second Wife To Death And Then Married A Guy Who Looked Like Her
    The case could be made that Poppaea Sabina was Nero’s great love. He divorced his first wife to marry her, then quickly impregnated her once they were married. Then Poppaea mysteriously perished before having their second child. Historians of the time claim that Nero actually kicked Poppaea to death. Modern historians are a bit more forgiving, and claim it's equally as likely that Poppaea perished of a miscarriage.
    
    At any rate, what is known is that some time later, Nero fell in love with a man named Sporus whose most striking feature was his resemblance to Nero’s late wife. Nero had the boy castrated and brought back to the palace, where he took to calling him “lady” and “queen.”
    • Nero Liked To Dress Up As A Wild Animal And… Well, There’s More
    As Nero’s reign progressed, so did his sexual peculiarities. Though he was content to simply hit up some brothels in his youth, as he got older, his tastes got a little more violent.
    
    According to Roman historian Cassius Dion, “Nero would fasten naked boys and girls to stakes, and then putting on the hide of a wild beast would attack them and satisfy his brutal lust under the appearance of devouring parts of their bodies.”
    • In His Quest To Consolidate Power, Nero Ended Both His Brother And His Mother
    Initially, Nero wasn’t expected to be emperor. However, after Emperor Claudius married his niece, Nero's mother Agrippina, Agrippina persuaded her husband to adopt Nero as his son. It was then - with Nero next in line for the throne - that Nero’s mother Agrippina supposedly poisoned Claudius and pinned the deed on another woman.
    
    This plan ultimately backfired, though, as once Nero took the throne at the young age of 17, he was warned by both his advisors and his friends to watch out for Agrippina. In an attempt to secure his hold on the throne, Nero poisoned his stepbrother Britanicus and then, fearing his own mother’s wrath, he had Agrippina taken out a few years after taking the throne.
    • He Panicked And Ordered His Servant To Slay Him
    In the final months of his short life, the emperor tried to flee Rome after some political hostility (and a healthy dose of paranoia). He made it as far as the port city of Ostia; unfortunately, a few of the officers in the city refused to listen when the emperor gave them commands, so Nero slunk back to the Roman palace. 
    
    In a move of Shakespearean-level drama, a courier arrived to tell Nero that the Senate had declared him an enemy of the state and that they intended to beat him to death at their earliest convenience. This was actually a miscommunication, as the Senate was only considering bashing in Nero’s skull. Ultimately, they decided to reinstate the emperor and sent a second envoy to let him know.
    
    Meanwhile, Nero had spent the intervening time trying to work up the nerve to take his own life. He reportedly paced around saying what amounted to “what an artist dies in me!” He tried to convince some of his buddies to end their own lives first to show him how easy it was. When the Senate messenger arrived to tell him everything was cool, Nero heard the sound of horses approaching, panicked, and ordered his secretary Epaphroditus to do the job for him. Epaphroditus obliged and stabbed Nero.
    
    For his loyalty, Epaphroditus was met his end in 95 AD.
    • Nero Had His Own Corps Of Personal Clappers
    Okay, so let’s be fair here - Nero might have been an okay performer. Some of his closest advisors supposedly encouraged him to perform publicly. According to some historians, however, the emperor had “a slight and indistinct voice, so that he moved his whole audience to laughter and tears at once.”
    
    In order to ensure that his poor ego wasn’t hurt, however, Nero pulled together a special squad of 5,000 soldiers, called Augustans, whose only job was to clap when Nero’s performances prompted it. These soldiers were also encouraged to get the audience involved in the shouting and applause, as well.
    • He Instituted Juvenalia, Games In Honor Of His Own Beard
    In 59 AD, when Nero was 22, he finally started getting enough facial hair to merit a shave. In honor of this rite of passage, the boy emperor instituted Juvenalia, or "the games of youth," literally a festival commissioned because Nero was going to shave.
    
    The festival distinguished itself as a showcase for the performing arts, consisting of every known kind of theatrical performance. Rome’s most prominent members were expected to join the cast and look like they enjoyed doing it. When some members put on masks to hide their identities, Nero demanded their faces be shown to the public.
    • Nero Emptied The Roman Treasury Rebuilding His Palace
    After the Great Fire, Nero opted to spend the expansive Roman treasury not on rebuilding the city at large, but on building an opulent 100-acre palatial complex that came to be known as the Domus Aurea, or the “Golden House.”
    
    At the center of the Domus Aurea was a 100-foot-tall bronze statue of Nero himself, which the emperor dubbed the Colossus Neronis.
    • Nero Seriously Breached Protocol By Giving Public Performances
    Until his mother’s passing in 59 AD, Nero wasn’t doing half bad as emperor. He spoke out for Rome’s slaves, he did away with capital punishment, and he even lowered taxes in the empire. Though he always had a reputation for hitting brothels and taverns and acting a fool, Nero was able to keep it together. Once Agrippina passed, though, the boy emperor quickly lost control.
    
    Around this time, with his popularity waning, Nero felt the need to increase his popularity. Just like any struggling star of today, the emperor began to perform in public by singing songs he’d written. Though his performances were a huge no-no because of his standing in the hierarchy, some historians suggest that Nero was actually encouraged to play in public by the Senate and his inner circle.
    • He May Have Been The Model For The Antichrist
    When Nero passed in 68 AD, there were some who believed that his “suicide” couldn’t have been real and that the mad emperor still lived. There were even several occasions when men who claimed to be Emperor Nero - men who resembled the ruler and sang to the music of the lyre - would arise in the public eye momentarily.
    
    Typically, these men were strung up and slain with a quickness.
    
    The image of Nero as dastardly was so pervasive that his actions might have contributed to the personification of the Antichrist in the New Testament, and the belief that when said Antichrist arose, he would do so in the form of the emperor.

    But…

    But…

    But, you say. “America is different.” “America is the shining light on the hill.”, and “America is special.”

    We know.

    We know.

    We know.

    America today

    It’s true that there is nothing in America today that comes close to these distortions, right?

    Or maybe not.

    After all, there’s no such thing as gender in America, and the amount of money that flows in and out of Washington DC is staggering. I would say that (while it is both substantively, and qualitatively, different) than what Rome was like under Nero, that the belief structure of the two rulers are disturbingly similar.

    For example… Both Nero and Trump believe(d)…

    • That God empowered them for their role.
    • That they have full control of the treasury and can spend it without limits.
    • That they can pretty much do what they want, and the Senate and Congress will not stop them.

    And that’s only the tip of the iceberg.

    And so we have this modern incarnation of an ideologically religious leader who represents the largest and most powerful nation on the planet…

    The Trump neocon Administration

    The truth is that from 2016 though 2020, the Trump administration has been in charge of America. He has staffed his administration with hard-core neocons, and their vision of the world is a very different from the one that you and I have.

    They think differently.

    Their experiences are different from ours. They live differently, and their view of themselves and the world around them is quite different from the rest of us.

    They want WAR!

    If you think that the last 75 years of America have been war-like, all I can say is that “you haven’t seen anything yet.” Those predecessors to the Trump Administration were “pikers” in comparison. To them, war was business. You attack a nation, you secure it. You seize it’s resources, and then you move on.

    No. Not with these people.

    To them. War is a religious duty.

    You know, many of President Trumps followers do not follow him for his policy positions. Instead, they follow him because the evangelical Christian movement has assigned him as the savior of the American culture; the American society, and as the hope for the entire world.

    War is a religious duty.

    America has, over the last 75 or so years, really been involved in global war, and military activities. And while the last fifty or so years has been off fighting numerous small scale conflicts all over the world, the truth is that things are different now.

    For, this time, it’s a cadre of far-Right neocons in America that earnestly believe that their role is to start World War III.

    What?

    Yes.

    Since 2001, the US ‘war on terror’ has killed, injured and displaced millions across 24 countries, while America’s defense spending is nearly 40 per cent of the global total. In contrast, China has waged one foreign war in the past 50 years
    
    -Forget China, America is the biggest warmonger by far

    Yes, that is correct.

    They believe that it is their role to initiate this thing called “the rapture“.

    The Rapture.
    The rapture is an eschatological concept of a minority of Christians, particularly within branches of American evangelicalism, consisting of an end-time event when all Christian believers who are alive, along with resurrected believers, will rise "in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air."
    
    -Wikipedia

    And during this rapture, Jesus will fly down from Heaven and grant blessings to the annotated, and punish the heathen. (And by “heathen”, I mean about 99% of my readership.) Unless you’ve been “birthed” in the “blood of our Lord”, you will spend life as the eternally damned.

    You think that I am exaggerating, eh?

    Hardly.

    First some supporting evidence

    The identification of the 45th president with an ancient Middle Eastern potentate isn’t a fringe thing, says @kathsstewart 
    https://t.co/VOPxWVGKJk
    
    — New York Times Opinion (@nytopinion) January 1, 2019

    Most outlandish statements at least need some kind of background. You don’t think that I pulled all this out of my ass, do you?

    Do you think that I am making it up?

    And further, you must realize that I am not talking about everyone, or every Christian.

    A chilling op-ed in the NY Times by author Katherine Stewart, who has extensively studied and written about the Christian right, says that the far right have been pushing a meme for several years now that Donald Trump, conman and egomaniac, has been sent by God to be “a vessel for the purposes of the faithful” in the role of King of the United States of America.

    Oh…

    My…

    I will repeat…

    A chilling op-ed in the NY Times by author Katherine Stewart, who has extensively studied and written about the Christian right, says that the far right have been pushing a meme for several years now that Donald Trump, conman and egomaniac, has been sent by God to be “a vessel for the purposes of the faithful” in the role of King of the United States of America.

    Unbeknownst to people with even a tenuous grip on reality, prior to the midterms a thousand theaters showed “The Trump Prophecy,” a film about a firefighter who, in a blinding orgiastic epiphany, picks up a Bible and turns to Isaiah 45, “which describes the anointment of King Cyrus by God.”

    Do you get it, Isaiah “45”?

    Trump “45”?

    What more proof do you need, right?

    Stewart goes on, saying that evangelical author and speaker Lance Wallnau has said:

    I believe the 45th president is meant to be an Isaiah 45 Cyrus [who will] restore … us from cultural collapse.

    And in this telling it is not at all paradoxical that Trump is a non-believer intent on wrecking our democracy and government. Apparently the story of Cyrus is of a nonbeliever who becomes the first emperor of Babylon (“Babble-on” — it’s all starting to come together now, isn’t it?) and…

    … frees the Jews.

    Stewart provides numerous quotations from across the spectrum of the religious right leadership pushing this meme that God sent Trump to be King. This includs Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council and Ralph Drollinger who leads weekly bible study groups at the White House attended by Mike Pence and members of the Cabinet.

    In her article Stewart confirms our worst suspicions about what Trump’s core followers see in him:

    This isn’t the religious right we thought we knew. 
    
    The Christian nationalist movement today is authoritarian, paranoid and patriarchal at its core. 
    
    They aren’t fighting a culture war. 
    
    They’re making a direct attack on democracy itself.

    And, according to Stewart, Trump has been egging them on, goading their preachers for becoming too “soft” — as he openly muses about becoming “President for life”.

    "The Good News Club: The Christian Right's Stealth Assault on America's Children" by Katherine Stewart. 
    
    https://t.co/tFb2w1QTi5 
    pic.twitter.com/ittduwioTd
    
    — Church and State (@ChurchAndStateN) January 2, 2019

    This all sounds so absolutely outrageous.

    But it’s more than that. It’s not just the evangelical Christian (political) base that supports this notion. It is about another group of very, very dangerous people.

    I am talking about a special group of people inside America known as “neocons”. You know these people. They are the ones in charge of the United States right now. And most specifically the observation that [1] many of these neocons are also [2] American evangelical Christians…

    And you all think that I am a little crazy. To repeat these beliefs.

    Because the beliefs of others will be strange, and appear strange to the uninitiated.

    You know what I mean. Me, going on and on, talking about intention, and world-lines and thought imposition, and slides to alternative realities. Well, my point is that everyone is different, and some people live really off the mainstream world-line paths into these realms of other possibilities. People call me “crazy”.

    But at least I have a documented “back story”. At least I can provide substantive proofs, understandings and relationships.

    Not so with these people. They have nothing. Instead they want you to believe blindly. “Have faith they say. Have faith they implore. Have faith and listen to me, they demand.”

    Some of these people are mad. “Mad” as in crazy.

    Mad as Hatters!

    Mad as a hatter means absolutely crazy. 
    
    The most famous illustration of the phrase mad as a hatter occurs in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, with the character the Mad Hatter. In the nineteenth century, milliners or hatmakers used mercury in the processing of hats, and many succumbed to mercury poisoning.
    
    -Mad as a hatter Idiom Definition
    Many Hard-Right Christians believe that Donald Trump is a savior of traditional conservative thought that will lead the United States into the “End Times”.

    And that means…

    Yikes!

    World War III and the rapture

    Some fun links from the collective minds of the dangerously insane.

    You see they equate [1] what is written in the Bible with global war. And that [2] the war will be nuclear, and [3] it will involve China and Russia, and [4] and it will be exactly what is foretold as “the rapture”, and [5] a savior will appear (maybe a prophet) who will do the bidding of God to bring the rapture to a climax. And [6] the “Jews” and the “Jewish nation” will be central to this event. As they are the “chosen ones”.

    Yah.

    And you think that I am crazy.

    Many Hard-Right Christians believe that Donald Trump is a savior of traditional conservative thought that will lead the United States into the “End Times”.

    And many of these people believe that President Trump is that “savior”.

    In Denial…

    Of course this connection between Donald Trump and the writings of the Biblical Book of Revelation has caused a kind of schism in the Hard-Right American evangelical Christians conservative movement. There was “push back” that has existed for years now, where the conservative Christians say…

    Oh no! We do not believe that Donald Trump is my savior and will lead us into the “End Times”. Donald Trump is my President, Jesus is my Savior.”

    And as such, an entire line of products (all made in China, of course) have promoted this narrative…

    “Push back” in the form of commercialism.

    China and Russia’s role

    Well that is well and good, I suppose.

    The point is that a percentage (how small is unknown) actually believe that the White House is occupied by a man who (call him a savior, or something else) is going to perform some Biblical level of activity that will result in the prophesies foretold in the Bible.

    • The world that we know it is going to end.
    • There will be a great purge of the righteous from the infidels.
    • A prophet will come and lead this effort.
    • Jesus will come down from Heaven and start a killing people left and right.
    • The world will be remade.
    • Those that are “annotated” will be spared. The rest will suffer terribly.
    Many Hard-Right Christians believe that Donald Trump is a savior of traditional conservative thought that will lead the United States into the “End Times”.

    Uh. Huh.

    Well, of course, with the 800+ military bases around the world, and the USA busily fighting eight simultaneous hot wars, and an active hybrid-war with China, it’s all someone else’s fault. I mean the USA is totally innocent, because Americans are “God’s people”, right?

    So, of course, it would be the evil and nasty Russians and China that would start it…

    Not America, Right? America would never try to provoke anything. Right?

    Meanwhile the march of American “color revolutions” for “democracy” is still on going. Today it is Thailand…

    Let me guess. “Targets the government”, and “demands for democratic reform”, and “want more freedom”. And so on and so forth…

    Yada Yada Yada.

    NED.

    Funded and trained by the United States government, as a line item budgetary allocation under the Central Intelligence Agency. All under the control of Mike Pompeo.

    Make a case against either Russia or China

    Apparently US think tanks believe they can occupy Beijing and overthrow CCP without even using nukes
    https://youtu.be/FxYwD_n21wI
    
    -Bo Chen

    Or course not all America feels this way.

    Only the small minority of neocons do. So they must “make a case” and validate their reasoning so as to get the rest of the nation to support them in a war. And that means a relentless propaganda onslaught. Which is pretty much what has been going on all 2020.

    The US military announced Friday that it is deploying armored vehicles and other military assets to Syria to protect US troops fighting ISIS amid tensions with Russia as President Donald Trump told a White House news conference that "we are out of Syria," saying the remaining US forces are there exclusively "guarding the oil."
    
    -US sending armored vehicles into Syria as Trump says 'we are out'

    But even that’s not good enough so the neocons want an excuse. And just like the invasion of Syria was searching for (nonexistent) WMD’s…

    … the Trump army of neocons are trying to blame China for the COVID-19.

    The thing is, everything goes right back to them directly. All of the lies, all of the distortions, all of the confusion, and all of the war-mongering can all be traced back (one way or the other) to a neocon associated with the White-house.

    You can go on and on…

    On the other hand, don't underestimate the crude simple mindedness of
    Washington's war monger armchair Neocons. They have had a hand in
    steering US foreign policy for decades now and they can't remember
    whether they are Israelis or Americans.
    
    -Len

    Down this endless “rabbit hole” of insanity, propaganda and nonsense. But, I really don’t want to go there.

    The Big Picture is that America is falling apart at the seams and desperately wants a scapegoat to distract the population from their misery. And right now, China is that scapegoat.

    The Little Picture is that this methodology is designed, concocted, and implemented by radical evangelical Christian neocons who have the power, and the resources of America behind them.

    And now for some perspective

    The following are some videos are this situation. They are on the lighter side. I mean, why not? You just cannot get too caught up in other people’s madness. Please enjoy.

    Let’s start with the idea that China does not lie.

    It’s pretty stunning to an American. Of course, all governments lie. It’s what government so, and China must be the absolute worst that is because they drink bat soup, are stinky and are book smart, but cannot do anything but copy things. Tight?

    Well…. right?

    Check it out.

    He’s a pretty funny guy. Check this out…

    And now for some words from other Americans…

    And this too…

    China does not want anything that the American media is saying that they want.

    And this too…

    And of course after a solid year of hate-hate-hate China, the American citizenry are nearly ripe for a war. You can hear it in the speech patterns, and this is something that the neocons want to happen. They want “blood lust”.

    The Chinese are helping people. That’s bad, and evil!

    This is pretty much the neocon “end game”…

    Quint and funny, eh?

    Well, let’s be serious. There is nothing different from the American nationalist; Mr. Trump and his fellow neocons and another famous nationalist. Mr. Hitler. Both came to power because the domestic issues were a complete mess. And both had tried to galvanize their nation against an external source.

    • Hitler’s war on the Jews.
    • Trump’s war on China.

    And with Hitler, all of Germany followed him. They followed him right up until the absolute collapse of the nation, and the absolute sacking of everything German.

    Do NOT be under the impression that history does not repeat itself. It does.

    The sacking of America

    After a period of time that involved ineffectual leaders, corrupt politicians, and a collapsing society, Rome was invaded. Numerous times. And sacked. Numerous times.

    As I watch the incredibly inept leadership at all levels) in America today, I am reminded of Rome and how oblivious the Roman elite were to the dangers outside the borders of the once great Roman Republic.

    Perhaps it’s time to remind everyone that losing in war can happen to anyone, and history has shown that the more oblivious the leadership is to the dangers of military consequences, the greater the collapse of that society, and the horrific consequences of the resulting purges and sacks of the population.

    And…

    America WILL be sacked.

    And you can well expect all the horrors of war; torture, rape, pillage, murder, destruction of things, and mindless retribution to be normalized.

    To sack a city is a concept imported from the latin languages [esp. French, mettre à sac] in the mid-16th Century to mean, essentially, putting a town or community ‘in the sack’, in the sense of taking its goods.
    
    -law - Why was the the sack of cities acceptable?

    Let’s not forget that as soon as the Russians moved into Germany, they allowed all their soldiers to rape every single German woman that they could find. This is history. And if you think that any war that America sets up will be yet another televised war in a remote, remote place that American can watch from their social media feeds, you are sorely mistaken.

    America will relive the German experience…

    One young officer coming upon a unit that had overtaken a column of German refugees fleeing westward later recalled: ‘Women, mothers and their children lie to the right and left along the route, and in front of each of them stands a raucous armada of men with their trousers down. The women who are bleeding or losing consciousness get shoved to one side, and our men shoot the ones who try to save their children.’ A group of ‘grinning’ officers was standing near by, making sure ‘that every soldier without exception would take part’.
    
    Women and girls were subjected to serial rape wherever they were encountered. Rape was often accompanied by torture and mutilation and frequently ended in the victim being shot or bludgeoned to death.
    
    The raging violence was undiscriminating. Often, especially in Berlin, women were deliberately raped in the presence of their menfolk, to underline the humiliation. The men were usually killed if they tried to intervene. In East Prussia, Pomerania and Silesia it is thought that around 1.400.000 women were raped, a good number of them several times. Gang-rapes were the norm rather than the exception. The two largest Berlin hospitals estimated that at least 100.000 women had been raped in the German capital. Many caught a sexually transmitted disease, and not a few fell pregnant; the vast majority of the latter obtained an abortion, or, if they did give birth, abandoned their baby in hospital. The sexual violence went on for many weeks, even after the war formally came to an end. German women learned to hide, especially after dark; or, if they were young, to take a Soviet soldier, preferably an officer, as a lover and protector. On 4 May 1945 an anonymous Berlin woman wrote in her diary: ‘Slowly but surely we’re starting to view all the raping with a sense of humor -gallows humor.’
    
    She noted with a certain satisfaction that the Russian soldiers tended to prefer plump and well-fed women as their victims after the initial fury was over, and that these, unsurprisingly, were usually the wives of Nazi Party functionaries.
    
    -2 million German women aged 13-70 were allegedly raped …
    If the German advance into the Soviet Union previously could be characterized as horrifyingly systematic and industrialized in its genocidal slaughter of the innocent, then the Soviet advance into Central Europe was brutal, primitive, and bestial in nature. Millions of German women joined their female brethren raped in Hungary, Romania, Poland, wherever the Red Army conquered; albeit with far worse excesses committed against the women from Axis nations such as Hungary, Austria and Germany. More Slavic Axis nations, such as Bulgaria fared somewhat better, though try telling that to a Pole. Eastern and Central Europe’s women were raped repeatedly and viciously, by desensitized individuals for whom killing had become meaningless, or bent on vengeance after witnessing Germany’s crimes in Eastern Europe. Many of these women either expired from their wounds, were killed outright once used up as mere objects, killed by their own families, or died at their own hand in shame. The Swiss Embassy in Hungary reported,
    
    The worst suffering of the Hungarian population is due to the rape of women. Rapes-affecting all age groups from ten to seventy-are so common that very few women in Hungary have been spared. They are sometimes accompanied by incredible brutalities. Many women prefer suicide to these horrors…The misery is made worse by the sad fact that many Russian soldiers are diseased and there are absolutely no medicines in Hungary.
    
    In addition, the Red Army did not reserve the wholesale rape of Central and Eastern Europe’s women to just foreign women. The Red Army’s men repeatedly raped liberated Russian female forced laborers. When the Red Army captured the Ravensbruck concentration camp, located 50 miles north of Berlin, Soviet soldiers gang-raped the surviving emaciated female concentration camp victims. Even teenage girls hailing from the western Soviet Union were not immune. The Russian archives detail these mass assaults, as reported by the deputy chief of the political department from the 1st Ukrainian Front, by members of the Red Army upon Russian, Ukrainian, and Byelorussian women.
    
    “On the night of 24 February a group of thirty-five provisional lieutenants on a course and their battalion commander entered the women’s dormitory in the village of Grutenberg, ten kilometers east of Els, and raped them...an unknown senior lieutenant of tank troops went by horse to where girls were gathering grain. He left his horse and spoke to a girl from the Dnepropetrovsk region called Gritzenko, Anna, ‘Where are you from?’ he asked. She answered this senior lieutenant. He ordered her to come closer. She refused. So he took his gun and shot her, but she did not die. Many similar  incidents took place…In the town of Bunslau, there are over 100 women and girls in the headquarters….On March 5, late at night, sixty officers and soldiers entered, mainly from the 3rd Guards Tank Army. Most of them were drunk, and they attacked and offended against women and girls…This is not the only incident. It happens every night…On the night of February 14-15 in one of the villages where the cattle are herded a shtraf company under the command of a senior lieutenant surrounded the village and shot the Red Army soldiers who where on guard there. They went to the women’s dormitory and started their organized mass rape of the women, who had just been liberated by the Red Army.”
    
    Freed Soviet prisoners of war and male forced laborers fared only marginally better. They underwent screening processes at the hands of the NKVD, to “guarantee” they were not traitors, via political re-education instead of receiving desperately needed medical care. Others were immediately sent, with no training or medical attention, to flesh out the ranks of the Red Army’s woefully under strength Rifle Divisions.The Red Army and NKVD also rounded up German civilians by the thousands and forcibly marched them to the Soviet Union for use as forced labor. The NKVD processed back to Russian farms and factories 66,680 German forced laborers by March 9, 1945. The enslaved women faced not only backbreaking work, but also constant sexual assault and disease.
    
    There is no question the Red Army’s appalling behavior emanated from the Soviet leadership. Stalin implicitly authorized the Red Army to rape its way through Eastern Europe. Stalin’s cavalier attitude toward rape had earlier begun through the process of dehumanizing women, by referring to women employed by the Red Army as “campaign wives” (pokhodno-polevaya zhena) for the officers. Stalin’s casual attitude toward sexual exploitation and violence easily carried over to the treatment of civilian women in captured lands. The men joined in their officers predations upon these female populations. Ideology and propaganda played an important role. So did the low quality of the men serving in the Red Army’s ranks. Beginning in April 1943 former prison convicts joined teenage boys and other ill-trained conscripts in fleshing out the rifle companies. Revenge also has to be considered, with more and more White Russians and other recently liberated ethnic groups in the Red Army’s ranks men that had seen their villages destroyed and families and friends regularly killed by German soldiers during years under tyrannical Nazi rule had their chance to turn the tables.
    
    -The Red Army's Rape of Europe | The Globe at War

    And let’s never forget history…

    With this agreed, they divided up the spoils. The imperial palace, along with 25% of the city and Byzantine lands would go the the new emperor. The other 75% would be divided between the Crusaders and the Venetians equally. There was no mention of any expedition to Egypt.
    
    All seemed in reasonably good order that night when the Venetian Doge and the crusading nobles gathered in the imperial palace. Then the Doge made his announcement --his final act of vengeance on the Greeks for the blinding facial wound he had received as a youth. As a reward for all their suffering and hardships, the army would have three days to plunder the city! This they did with wanton abandon --killing, desecrating, raping, burning, destroying.
    
    After the 3-day debauchery, the army was brought to a reasonable state of control, although many resisted the order that their plunder should be delivered to three collection points throughout the city. A French count hanged one of his own knights for hoarding some loot; and Greek citizens were routinely tortured for hiding treasure.
    
    The first payment made from the plunder was the money owed to the Venetians: the Crusader's debt, which Emperor Alexius had promised to pay. These rest was divided equally with the Venetians, a sum of 400,000 marks, which one chronicler noted was seven times the annual royal revenue of the entire kingdom of England.
    
    Next came the division of the land. With the whole empire to hand out, there was more than enough. Commander Boniface of Monferrat (the patron of the late Alexius) received broad territories, including the island of Crete, which the Venetians were more than happy to buy from him with part of their treasure.
    . . . Historians who wax eloquent and indignant - with considerable reason - about the sack of Constantinople . . . rarely if ever mention the massacre of the Westerners in Constantinople in 1182 (only 22 years before) . . . a nightmarish massacre of thousands [about 2000 Greeks were killed in Constantinople in 1204, according to secular historian Will Durant], . .
    
     . in which the slaughterers spared neither women nor children, neither old nor sick, neither priest nor monk. Cardinal John, the Pope's representative, was beheaded and his head was dragged through the streets at the tail of a dog; children were cut out of their mother's wombs; bodies of dead Westerners were exhumed and abused; some 4,000 who escaped death were sold into slavery to the Turks.
    The Gauls
    The story of the first sack of Rome is steeped in myth and legend, but it most likely began when the young city became embroiled in a conflict with a band of Gallic Celts led by the warlord Brennus. On July 18, 387 B.C., the two sides met in battle along the banks of the River Allia. The Romans had yet to perfect the fighting style that would make their legions famous, and many of their men scattered at the first charge of the wild-haired, bare-chested Gallic army. The rest were butchered, leaving Brennus with a clear road to Rome. His men entered the city a few days later and commenced with an orgy of rape and pillage. Buildings were burned or plundered of all their valuables, and most of the Roman senate was put to the sword at the Forum.
    
    While the Gauls wreaked havoc on the rest of the city, the surviving Romans fortified themselves atop the Capitoline Hill. They repelled several Gallic attacks, but after several months of siege, they agreed to pay 1,000 pounds of gold in exchange for Brennus and his army leaving the city. Legend has it that Brennus used rigged scales to weigh out the ransom. When the Romans complained, he threw his sword on the scales and cried out “Vae Victis!” (“Woe to the Vanquished!”). The Romans rebuilt after the Gauls departed, but the defeat at the River Allia left deep wounds. For the rest of Roman history, July 18 was considered a cursed day.
    
    The Visigoths
    
    Rome recovered from the Gallic debacle and went on to flourish for nearly 800 years, but its second sacking in A.D. 410 marked the beginning of a long and excruciating fall. At the time, the Roman Empire was divided and on the decline. Marauding Germanic tribes had begun making incursions across the Rhine and Danube, and one of them, a group of Visigoths led by a king named Alaric, had already besieged Rome on two separate occasions. When the barbarians returned for a third siege, a group of rebellious slaves opened the Salarian Gate and allowed them to pour into the city. Alaric and his hordes proceeded to burn buildings, murder aristocrats and steal anything that wasn’t nailed down. Three days later, having stripped the city of all its valuables, they withdrew from Rome and disappeared along the Appian Way.
    
    The Visigoth sacking had been relatively controlled. Many of Rome’s most famous monuments and buildings were left untouched, and since the Goths were Christians, they allowed people to take refuge inside the basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul. Nevertheless, news that the Eternal City had fallen sent shockwaves across the Mediterranean. “My voice sticks in my throat, and, as I dictate, sobs choke me,” wrote the Christian St. Jerome. “The city which had taken the whole world was itself taken.”
    
    The Vandals
    
    Use of the word “vandalism” to describe the wanton destruction of public property owes it origins to the Vandals, a Germanic tribal people who carried out a famous sack of Rome. The raid was triggered by the assassination of the Roman Emperor Valentinian III, who had previously pledged his daughter Eudocia to the son of the Vandal King Genseric as part of a peace treaty. Claiming the deal was invalidated by the Emperor’s death, Genseric invaded Italy and marched on Rome in 455. The Romans were powerless to stop his advancing army, so they sent Pope Leo to negotiate. The pontiff persuaded Genseric not to burn the city or murder its inhabitants, and in exchange, the Vandals were allowed to pass through the gates of Rome without a fight.
    
    Genseric and his band spent the next two weeks gathering up all the booty they could carry. They looted the city’s patrician homes of gold, silver and furniture, and even ransacked the imperial palace and the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus. True to their word—if not their name—they refrained from destroying buildings or killing anyone, but they did claim a few prisoners. Chief among them was Valentinian’s daughter, Princess Eudocia, who was later married to Genseric’s son in accordance with their earlier agreement.
    
    The Ostrogoths
    
    After the ousting of the last Western Emperor in A.D. 476, Rome was ruled by a series of Germanic and Ostrogoth kings. The Eastern Emperor Justinian succeeded in recapturing the region during the sixth century, but the Ostrogoth resistance later returned courtesy of Totila, a magnetic leader who rallied the Goths under his banner and laid siege to Rome. According to the historian Procopius, Totila and his men gained access to the city in 546 by scaling its walls under cover of darkness and opening the Asinarian Gate. Rome’s small garrison immediately fled in terror, leaving it defenseless and open to plunder.
    
    The Ostrogoths spent several highly profitable weeks sacking the city, but despite having previously vowed to turn Rome into a sheep pasture, Totila avoided demolishing it when he departed in early 547. Even with most it buildings still standing, the once-great metropolis was rendered a barren ruin. It had boasted more than a million inhabitants during the glory days of the Empire, but by the time the Goths finally left, its population had dwindled to only a few hundred.
    
    The Normans
    
    Only a few years after his countryman William the Conqueror launched his 1066 invasion of England, the Norman warlord Robert Guiscard carried out a grisly sack of Rome. Guiscard—a name meaning “cunning” or “wily”—marched on the city in 1084 after receiving a plea for aid from his ally Pope Gregory VII, who was under siege by the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV. Guiscard easily captured the city and rescued the Pope, but his soldiers were greeted as enemies by the Roman citizenry, many of whom had thrown their support behind Henry. When the people rose up against him, Guiscard crushed their revolt and allowed his men to indulge their lust for rape and plunder. Fires broke out across the city, and many of its inhabitants were butchered or sold into slavery. Sources differ on just how destructive the three-day rampage really was, but some historians would later blame Guiscard and his Normans for demolishing many of Rome’s most priceless ancient monuments.
    
    The Holy Roman Empire
    
    “They wept a lot; all of us are rich.” That was how one of the participants summed up the events of May 1527, when a mutinous army under the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V savaged the city of Rome. The imperial troops were fresh off a campaign against the League of Cognac—with whom Pope Clement VII was allied—but they hadn’t been paid in months. To keep them on the march, their commander, the Duke of Bourbon, had promised them a chance to plunder Rome. The impoverished soldiers arrived on May 6 and launched an assault. The Duke was killed during the fighting, but his men breached the defensive walls and poured into the city. The Vatican’s Swiss Guard was all but annihilated during a famous last stand near St. Peter’s Basilica. Pope Clement, meanwhile, was forced to escape via a secret tunnel and barricade himself in the impregnable Castel Sant’Angelo.
    
    Once inside Rome, the leaderless army devolved in a bloodthirsty mob. Buildings were looted and burned; men and children were tortured and killed; and women—even Catholic nuns—were raped or auctioned off at public markets. By the time the imperial army finally left the city, Rome was stripped bare and half of its 55,000 inhabitants were either dead or homeless. The cultural blow was equally severe. Scores of artists had been killed, and many priceless artworks were destroyed or missing. Some scholars have since used the 1527 sacking as the official end date of the Italian Renaissance.
    The Roman legend of the sack is that Brennus devastated the city in an orgy of chaotic looting and besieged those who remained in the Capitol before they were forced to offer an enormous ransom for their city. At this point, but before the ransom could be paid, Cammilus returned from exile, defeated the Gauls and drove them out.
    
    ...
    
    While the Roman account of the sack and the city’s salvation does appear to be somewhat heavily embellished. – which, given the notorious unreliability of Roman reports on casualty numbers is not very surprising-  the sack did have a profound effect on Rome, which can be seen projected into their legend. The vulnerability and paranoia derived from that disaster certainly informed later Roman behavior, particularly towards the idea of a continued Gallic threat and a near bloody minded determination not to submit to other powers in future.
    You're looking at this with 21st century eyes. Back then, pillaging and looting were part of war. It was customary to let your troops plunder for a few days (typically three) after winning a siege - doing so basically was how you'd pay your troops.
    
    A few examples of atrocities that shocked by the standards of the time:
    
    After the Romans defeated Carthage, they sold its population into slavery, and burnt and razed it to the ground. The event was unusual in that the Romans additionally salted the grounds for good measure.
    
    After the Crusaders captured Jerusalem for the first time, they massacred the Muslim and Jewish population wholesale, leaving few survivors behind.
    
    The Sack of Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade went down in history as one that a 20th century author described as having been "on a scale which even the ancient Vandals and Goths would have found unbelievable".
    
    The Mongols practiced the "promise" of wholesale execution, which is best described as a form of psychological warfare: they'd massacre every last person in cities that would resist them, bar a few survivors who were then let loose so they could spread the word that resistance should not be an option.
    
    During the Franco-Dutch War of 1672-1678, Turenne chocked Europe in 1674 by plundering the Palatinate far and wide, essentially burning the whole region to the ground, in an scorched earth effort to cause logistics-related problems to Imperial troops arriving as reinforcements.
    
    At the other extreme, history also tells us of milder sacks and unusually generous surrender terms:
    
    When the Visigoths sacked Rome, it shocked contemporaries but it was actually restrained by the standards of the time: there was no general slaughter of the inhabitants, the two main basilicas of Peter and Paul were nominated places of sanctuary, and most of the city survived intact - though stripped of its valuables.
    
    When the Vandals sacked Rome a few years later, they were a bit more thorough - staying 14 days vs three, with a bit more damage done. But Pope Leo I had convinced Genseric to not raze the city or kill the population wholesale - certainly a welcome concession.
    
    Saladin, in stark contrast with the First Crusaders, offered the Christians surprisingly generous terms by the time's standards when he reconquered Jerusalem. He went as far as allowing many families who could not afford their ransom to leave, against the wishes of his treasurers.
    
    Mindsets and the standards of troop behavior eventually evolved. Restraint was expected by the early 20th century. To illustrate this, consider how Kaiser Wilhelm II sent his German troops to China as part of the punitive expedition against the Boxer Rebellion: he instructed them to show no restraints and basically behave like Huns. The anecdote is particularly telling, but not because it shocked some at the time or because it was used a few years later for WW1 propaganda purposes. Rather, it's because behaving like Huns would have been such a matter of course a few centuries earlier that it would not have been worth mentioning. Times had changed.

    And now, let’s go back to reality

    The things that happened back in the past is what we call “history”. There are many people who mistakenly believe that “once in the past; always in the past”. They believe that “what you don’t know, won’t hurt you“. Ah, so dangerous.

    The past, and “history” tells us, and illustrates to us in a most graphic way, what the human race actually is.

    And we are oh… so very close to reverting back to a more feral existence. Once of great barbarism, and great pain and suffering. All it takes is one lunatic that is in charge of weapons and systems of great power and even greater control.

    There will always be lunatics.

    But it is our job, and our responsibility, as humans to police society so that these dangerous people never get near any levers of power. We need stable people who sees the big picture and who sees their role as something minor in the big scheme of things. Not as someone who believe that they are the hand of God and everything that they do will have the blessings of the angels.

    I have illustrated the that United States is run by a cabal of neocons.

    Whether President Trump is one such neocon is not clear. What is clear is that this cabal is driving America into dangerous territory and walking straight forward to dangerous situations. And while all this is going on, the rest of the world watches in horror and rising apprehension.

    And you know…

    The rest of the world aren’t some barefoot peasants riding bicycles, and using the water buffalo to plow the fields. they are pretty darn contemporaneous and equals with Americans. You all just don’t realize it. Because the PTB want to think otherwise.

    It makes it easier for them to launch their “dream war”. The one that the angels told them personally to launch. You know… “for democracy” and for the “American way of life”.

    Here’s a reminder of just WHO, and WHAT Donald Trump…

    … and Mike Pompeo…

    … and Steve Bannon…

    … and John Bolton want to destroy…

    …for “freedom”, and “the American way of life”, don’t you know.

    Take a good hard look at what they want to destroy. For the truth is, and YOU MUST FACE IT. They want to destroy average people, doing average things in average places…

    Again…

    I will repeat myself.

    Call it a “trade war”. Call it a “hybrid war”. Call it a “police action”. Call it “enforcing peace”. Call it “making the world safe”…

    A war.

    Is a war.

    Is a war.

    is a WAR.

    And this, ladies and gentleman is what they HATE, and what they WANT TO DESTROY…

    …this…

    Here’s a video of a pretty much average (but pretty) girl in China. She’s walking down a typical Chinese street with typical Chinese buses and Chinese kids and Chinese old ladies. This all must be DESTROYED for the “American way of life and freedom!”.

    And speaking about pretty Chinese girls…

    Here’s another video of some more pretty girls. A smart person appreciates the world around them as it is. They don’t try to “improve” it by killing people, forcing them to adopt their culture, or kill them outright because they enjoy watching cat videos that you hate. The neocons think that the world would be a better place if all these people were KILLED.

    They are so filled with hate, and the belief that they are better and smarter than every one else…

    …and that since they are all so much smarter than the rest of us, that they are doing the right thing by starting a global thermonuclear conflation. It’s what Jesus has personally empowered them to do…

    …to kill and slaughter people like this…

    This video clearly shows how dirty and filthy the rest of the world is. How they need to be killed and destroyed and their history erased, and so that they can be fed drugs again so that they would be easy to control and that “the American way” can manifest the real and true reality; One where they are the masters, and everyone else in the world serves them. Why? Because they are anointed by God.

    They are so terrible!

    They are drinking alcohol, and we all know that Donald Trump doesn’t drink alcohol. Why? Well, if you don’t know, you need to read the Bible. But let’s be real about this. Go to any evangelical church and ask them if it is ok and fine to drink alcohol. And they will tell you flatly NO! God’s chosen people do not drink alcohol.

    So yes…

    Even “normal” people like me and you are automatically damned. For we are sinners and in the “eyes of the Lord”, we are beyond redemption.

    This video shows how toxic the association of the Chinese people are with “normal” Westerners. Where now they drink hard alcohol in their coffee. And not avoid and abstain from the evils of the flesh like a good Christian would.

    In the mind of these evangelical neocons, “we gave Hong Kong a chance“. We failed, so now they must be destroyed and eradicated off the face of the world.

    Sounds so strange you know.

    That anyone at the other side of the world would have such a large ego that they could possibly believe that they have ANY association with such a far away and distant land. But, they do. They really and earnestly believe that they have a role in telling others how to live their life.

    What arrogance.

    Name another nation that tells others how to live their lives, run their businesses, or do things their way. Does China tell Americans “You MUST use this app.”, or say “You Americans cannot…”

    But the current American government does.

    Why?

    Because they believe that they have the power to do so, and that it comes straight to them by God himself.

    Here’s Hong Kong, China today. Well, do they look all that repressed after the CIA and the NED were kicked out of the country? Does it look like they need the “proud American soldier to rescue them”? Does it look like it needs a few bombs dropped on these party-goes to “straighten them out”?

    A video of a group of repressed Hong Kong Chinese that are terribly abused, and you can see it in how downtrodden they are. They must need to be given the harsh slap of “freedom” and awaken to a new life in the “blood of the annotated one”.

    And some more…

    … here’s some more Hong Kong folk that really need to stop their evil fornication and ways….

    Another video of more Hong Kong youth showing off their devil ways and evil mannerisms. Can you not see why they all must be killed? How else can the savior clean off the earth and make way for the chosen people? All these heathens must be killed off, don’t you know. (Maybe they would be better off having a nice “gig job” in the United States, eh? And living in a nice quiet suburb, with a nice home, nice car payments, and nice taxes… for democracy, don’t you know.)

    You must understand…

    These neocons do not see the world like we do. They do not see people, families, relationships, actions and activities. They see serfs, peasants, and the uncouth. And in their world, the earth must be cleaned and sterilized from these vermin to make the world a better place. A place for them and their families.

    Not for me and you.

    But for them. And them only.

    And while these kinds of blurbs on the “news” goes in one ear and out the other, combined… when everything is all added up, it makes for a very dangerous and threatening picture.

    It is a picture of some dangerous people, with some strange and warped ideas are trying to remake the world in their vision of what it should be.

    Heaven Help Us!

    Personally…

    I don’t want any of their “improvements”. I pretty much like things as they are already. I don’t need to have someone like Mike Pompeo or Donald Trump tell me how to live my life, or threaten me and my family because I cannot conform to their idea of perfection.

    This is what I have now…

    I don’t think it needs any improvement…

    This video is what China is right now. I just cannot imagine that Donald Trump, John Bolton, or Mike Pompeo could improve upon this. I really don’t think so.

    I think that China is just doing fine.

    It doesn’t need any “improvements” that are being discussed so earnestly on all the major and alternative American media outlets. China is doing well. It is clean, and prosperous. The people are smart and industrious. And they are doing things unfettered with the crime and corruptions out of the American landscape.

    China today is actually quite nice.

    Much nicer than many places in America.

    This video says it most clearly. China is doing just fine and does not need any more of that American bullshit. It doesn’t need to be saved. Or attacked… “for democracy”.

    Quick Update

    This October, Donald Trump is going to have a “special meeting” with the Presidents of Japan, India, Australia, and the US. I wonder what they are going to talk about.

    Conclusion

    Andy Browne makes a persuasive case that Trump's trade war with China is a failure: "On just about every metric that matters, China is ahead. At every turn, Trump seems to have been outplayed and outsmarted throughout the global trade war that began shortly after he took office."
    
    -Bloomberg New Economy: China is Winning the Trade War With Trump

    The human condition is still as primitive as it has ever been. We still exist and small bands of very wealthy leaders determine our fates.

    Do not think that anything has changed. It hasn’t.

    Right now, the President of the United States is no different from any other megalomaniac ruler from the past.

    You don’t need to use (the offensive example) of Hitler. Pick any other ruler of any other city or nation. Consider the cities in Hungry prior to the attacks by Genghis Khan. Consider the wars in Syria when the ISIS took over. Consider the former Yugoslavia. Consider what happened in many of those nations that the CIA has had it’s hand in…

    Sigh.

    And to be truthful, most Americans just want to live their lives, and be left alone. And that is the same with the people anywhere. And I can tell you all specifically, that is what China wants. they just want to be left alone and stop the crazies from hassling them because “they are empowered” to do so.

    Chinese people are like anyone else. Just like in this video. They just want to live their lives freely. Eat what they want to eat, go to school. Go to work, and have productive and meaningful lives. They don’t need some busybody who believe that GOD empowered them to kill all heathens to get int their face and fuck things up.

    Sigh.

    Big Sigh.

    I have to tell youse guys that I am horrified that any one in the present administration, regardless of political affiliation, is even considering doing ANY KIND OF ACTION against another major nation. It doesn’t matter if it is China, or Russia, or Germany, or Iran.

    The next war is going to be a “game changer”.

    it’s not going to be another “police action”, or isolated to the South China Sea. It’s going to be “in your face”, up front, and very, very personal.

    How personal?

    Keep in mind that when the victorious American servicemen came to occupy Japan, that they were NOT “enlightened” in the least. And they sacked that nation just like any other conflict in all of history. And it was the local non-military civilians that paid that price.

    Now. It is American’s turn “to face the music”.

    Being led by their savior and leader.

    Donald Trump in Bible prophecy? 
    January 20, 2017 by Gene Veith 
    
    Many End Times preachers are saying that the rise of Donald Trump was prophesied in the Bible …
    
    -Donald Trump in Bible prophecy? | Gene Veith

    And going up against hard working and determined people…

    China is a serious, serious nation that does not play.

    Do you want more?

    Do you want to see similar posts?

    I hope that you found this post curious. Please take care. You can view other similar posts in my SHTF Index, here…

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    Law 9 of the 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene; Win through your actions, never through argument

    This is the full text of law #9 from “The 48 Laws of Power” written by Robert Greene. This specific law is titled “Win through your actions, never through argument.” I personally believe that this most basic of laws should be taught in elementary school. Once you master it, you realize that your life is in your hands and under your control. For only with you doing things, and taking action, can you win any argument. This law is not for the passive. This law is not for the sheep. This law is for the self actuated that live among us within society.

    This law is something that I have learned and appreciated over time. Don’t explain. Demonstrate.

    And if people “don’t get it”, well then… it’s not your problem.

    And while I am at it…

    Alpha Males never explain or justify their actions. They are never on the defensive. They never try to convince any one of any thing. The weaker beta-males do.

    Be yourself. Anything less is below you.

    LAW 9

    WIN THROUGH YOUR ACTIONS, NEVER THROUGH ARGUMENT

    JUDGMENT

    Any momentary triumph you think you have gained through argument is really a Pyrrhic victory: The resentment and ill will you stir up is stronger and lasts longer than any momentary change of opinion. It is much more powerful to get others to agree with you through your actions, without saying a word. Demonstrate, do not explicate.

    TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW

    In 131 B.C., the Roman consul Publius Crassus Dives Mucianus, laying siege to the Greek town of Pergamus, found himself in need of a battering ram to force through the town’s walls. He had seen a couple of hefty ship’s masts in a shipyard in Athens a few days before, and he ordered that the larger of these be sent to him immediately. The military engineer in Athens who received the order felt certain that the consul really wanted the smaller of the masts. He argued endlessly with the soldiers who delivered the request: The smaller mast, he told them, was much better suited to the task. And indeed it would be easier to transport.

    The soldiers warned the engineer that their master was not a man to argue with, but he insisted that the smaller mast would be the only one that would work with a machine that he was constructing to go with it. He drew diagram after diagram, and went so far as to say that he was the expert and they had no clue what they were talking about. The soldiers knew their leader and at last convinced the engineer that it would be better to swallow his expertise and obey.

    After they left, though, the engineer thought about it some more. What was the point, he asked himself, in obeying an order that would lead to failure? And so he sent the smaller mast, confident that the consul would see how much more effective it was and reward him justly.

    When the smaller mast arrived, Mucianus asked his soldiers for an explanation. They described to him how the engineer had argued endlessly for the smaller mast, but had finally promised to send the larger one. Mucianus went into a rage. He could not concentrate on the siege, or consider the importance of breaching the walls before the town received reinforcements. All he could think about was the impudent engineer, whom he ordered to be brought to him immediately.

    Arriving a few days later, the engineer gladly explained to the consul, one more time, the reasons for the smaller mast. He went on and on, using the same arguments he had made with the soldiers. He said it was wise to listen to experts in these matters, and if the attack was only tried with the battering ram he had sent, the consul would not regret it. Mucianus let him finish, then had him stripped naked before the soldiers and flogged and scourged with rods until he died.

    THE SULTAN AND THE VIZIER

    A vizier had served his master for some thirty years and was known and admired for his loyalty, truthfulness, and devotion to God. His honesty, however, had made him many enemies in the court, who spread stories of

    his duplicity and perfidy. They worked on the sultan day in and day out until he too came to distrust the innocent vizier and finally ordered the man who had served him so well to be put to death. In this realm, those condemned to death were tied up and thrown into the pen where the sultan kept his fiercest hunting dogs. The dogs would promptly tear the victim to pieces. Before being thrown to the dogs, however, the vizier asked for one last request. “I would like ten days’ respite,” he said, “so that I can pay my debts, collect any money due to me, return items that people have put in my care, and share out my goods among the members of my family and my children and appoint a guardian for them.” After receiving a guarantee that the vizier

    would not try to escape, the sultan granted this request. The vizier hurried home, collected one hundred gold pieces, then paid a visit to the huntsman who looked after the sultan’s dogs. He offered this man the one hundred gold pieces and said, “Let me look after the dogs for ten days.” The huntsman agreed, and for the next ten days the vizier cared for the beasts with great attention, grooming them well and feeding them handsomely. By the end of the ten days they were eating out of his hand.

    On the eleventh day the vizier was called before the sultan, the charges were repeated, and the sultan watched as the vizier was tied up and thrown to the dogs. Yet when the beasts saw him, they ran up to him with wagging tails. They nibbled affectionately at his shoulders and began playing with him. The sultan and the other witnesses were amazed, and the sultan asked the vizier why the dogs had spared his life. The vizier replied, “I have looked after these dogs for ten days. The sultan has seen the result for

    himself. I have looked after you for thirty years, and what is the result? I am condemned to death on the strength of accusations brought by my enemies. ”The sultan blushed with shame. He not only pardoned the vizier but gave him a fine set of clothes and handed over to him the men who had slandered his reputation. The noble vizier set them free and continued to treat them with kindness.

    -THE SUBTLE RUSE: THE BOOK OF ARABIC WISDOM AND GUILE, THIRTEENTH CENTURY

    Interpretation

    The engineer, whose name has not been recorded by history, had spent his life designing masts and pillars, and was respected as the finest engineer in a city that had excelled in the science. He knew that he was right. A smaller ram would allow more speed and carry more force. Larger is not necessarily better. Of course the consul would see his logic, and would eventually understand that science is neutral and reason superior. How could the consul possibly persist in his ignorance if the engineer showed him detailed diagrams and explained the theories behind his advice?

    The military engineer was the quintessence of the Arguer, a type found everywhere among us. The Arguer does not understand that words are never neutral, and that by arguing with a superior he impugns the intelligence of one more powerful than he. He also has no awareness of the person he is dealing with. Since each man believes that he is right, and words will rarely convince him otherwise, the arguer’s reasoning falls on deaf ears. When cornered, he only argues more, digging his own grave. Once he has made the other person feel insecure and inferior in his beliefs, the eloquence of Socrates could not save the situation.

    It is not simply a question of avoiding an argument with those who stand above you. We all believe we are masters in the realm of opinions and reasoning. You must be careful, then: Learn to demonstrate the correctness of your ideas indirectly.

    OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

    In 1502, in Florence, Italy, an enormous block of marble stood in the works department of the church of Santa Maria del Fiore. It had once been a magnificent piece of raw stone, but an unskillful sculptor had mistakenly bored a hole through it where there should have been a figure’s legs, generally mutilating it. Piero Soderini, Florence’s mayor, had contemplated trying to save the block by commissioning Leonardo da Vinci to work on it, or some other master, but had given up, since everyone agreed that the stone had been ruined. So, despite the money that had been wasted on it, it gathered dust in the dark halls of the church.

    This was where things stood until some Florentine friends of the great Michelangelo decided to write to the artist, then living in Rome. He alone, they said, could do something with the marble, which was still magnificent raw material. Michelangelo traveled to Florence, examined the stone, and came to the conclusion that he could in fact carve a fine figure from it, by adapting the pose to the way the rock had been mutilated. Soderini argued that this was a waste of time—nobody could salvage such a disaster—but he finally agreed to let the artist work on it. Michelangelo decided he would depict a young David, sling in hand.

    Weeks later, as Michelangelo was putting the final touches on the statue, Soderini entered the studio. Fancying himself a bit of a connoisseur, he studied the huge work, and told Michelangelo that while he thought it was magnificent, the nose, he judged, was too big. Michelangelo realized that Soderini was standing in a place right under the giant figure and did not have the proper perspective. Without a word, he gestured for Soderini to follow him up the scaffolding. Reaching the nose, he picked up his chisel, as well as a bit of marble dust that lay on the planks. With Soderini just a few feet below him on the scaffolding, Michelangelo started to tap lightly with the chisel, letting the bits of dust he had gathered in his hand to fall little by little. He actually did nothing to change the nose, but gave every appearance of working on it. After a few minutes of this charade he stood aside: “Look at it now.” “I like it better,” replied Soderini, “you’ve made it come alive.”

    Interpretation

    Michelangelo knew that by changing the shape of the nose he might ruin the entire sculpture. Yet Soderini was a patron who prided himself on his aesthetic judgment. To offend such a man by arguing would not only gain Michelangelo nothing, it would put future commissions in jeopardy. Michelangelo was too clever to argue. His solution was to change Soderini’s perspective (literally bringing him closer to the nose) without making him realize that this was the cause of his misperception.

    Fortunately for posterity, Michelangelo found a way to keep the perfection of the statue intact while at the same time making Soderini believe he had improved it. Such is the double power of winning through actions rather than argument: No one is offended, and your point is proven.

    THE WORKS OF AMASIS
    
    When Apries had been deposed in the way I have described, Amasis came to the throne. He belonged to the district of Sais and was a native of the town called Siuph. At first the Egyptians were inclined to be contemptuous, and did not think much of him because of his humble and undistinguished origin; but later on he cleverly brought them to heel, without having recourse to harsh measures. Amongst his innumerable treasures, he had a gold footbath, which he and his guests used on occasion to wash their feet in. This he broke up, and with the material had a statue made to one of the gods, which he then set up in what he thought the most suitable spot in the city. The Egyptians constantly coming upon the statue, treated it with profound reverence, and as soon as Amasis heard of the effect it had upon them, he called a meeting and revealed the fact that the deeply revered statue was once a footbath, which they washed their feet and pissed and vomited in. He went on to say that his own case was much the same, in that once he had been only an ordinary person and was now their king; so that just as they had come to revere the transformed footbath, so they had better pay honor and respect to him, too. In this way the Egyptians were persuaded to accept him as their master.
    
    -THE HISTORIES. HERODOTUS. FIFTH CENTURY B.C.

    KEYS TO POWER

    In the realm of power you must learn to judge your moves by their long- term effects on other people. The problem in trying to prove a point or gain a victory through argument is that in the end you can never be certain how it affects the people you’re arguing with: They may appear to agree with you politely, but inside they may resent you. Or perhaps something you said inadvertently even offended them—words have that insidious ability to be interpreted according to the other person’s mood and insecurities. Even the best argument has no solid foundation, for we have all come to distrust the slippery nature of words. And days after agreeing with someone, we often revert to our old opinion out of sheer habit.

    Understand this: Words are a dime a dozen. Everyone knows that in the heat of an argument, we will all say anything to support our cause. We will quote the Bible, refer to unverifiable statistics. Who can be persuaded by bags of air like that? Action and demonstration are much more powerful and meaningful. They are there, before our eyes, for us to see—“Yes, now the statue’s nose does look just right.” There are no offensive words, no possibility of misinterpretation. No one can argue with a demonstrated proof. As Baltasar Gracián remarks, “The truth is generally seen, rarely heard.”

    Sir Christopher Wren was England’s version of the Renaissance man. He had mastered the sciences of mathematics, astronomy, physics, and physiology. Yet during his extremely long career as England’s most celebrated architect he was often told by his patrons to make impractical changes in his designs. Never once did he argue or offend. He had other ways of proving his point.

    In 1688 Wren designed a magnificent town hall for the city of Westminster. The mayor, however, was not satisfied; in fact he was nervous. He told Wren he was afraid the second floor was not secure, and that it could all come crashing down on his office on the first floor. He demanded that Wren add two stone columns for extra support. Wren, the consummate engineer, knew that these columns would serve no purpose, and that the mayor’s fears were baseless. But build them he did, and the mayor was grateful. It was only years later that workmen on a high scaffold saw that the columns stopped just short of the ceiling.

    They were dummies. But both men got what they wanted: The mayor could relax, and Wren knew posterity would understand that his original design worked and the columns were unnecessary.

    The power of demonstrating your idea is that your opponents do not get defensive, and are therefore more open to persuasion. Making them literally and physically feel your meaning is infinitely more powerful than argument.

    A heckler once interrupted Nikita Khrushchev in the middle of a speech in which he was denouncing the crimes of Stalin. “You were a colleague of Stalin’s,” the heckler yelled, “why didn’t you stop him then?” Khrushschev apparently could not see the heckler and barked out, “Who said that?” No hand went up. No one moved a muscle. After a few seconds of tense silence, Khrushchev finally said in a quiet voice, “Now you know why I didn’t stop him.” Instead of just arguing that anyone facing Stalin was afraid, knowing that the slightest sign of rebellion would mean certain death, he had made them feel what it was like to face Stalin—had made them feel the paranoia, the fear of speaking up, the terror of confronting the leader, in this case Khrushchev. The demonstration was visceral and no more argument was necessary.

    The most powerful persuasion goes beyond action into symbol. The power of a symbol—a flag, a mythic story, a monument to some emotional event—is that everyone understands you without anything being said. In 1975, when Henry Kissinger was engaged in some frustrating negotiations with the Israelis over the return of part of the Sinai desert that they had seized in the 1967 war, he suddenly broke off a tense meeting and decided to do some sight-seeing. He paid a visit to the ruins of the ancient fortress of Masada, known to all Israelis as the place where seven hundred Jewish warriors committed mass suicide in A.D. 73 rather than give in to the Roman troops besieging them. The Israelis instantly understood the message of Kissinger’s visit: He was indirectly accusing them of courting mass suicide. Although the visit did not by itself change their minds, it made them think far more seriously than any direct warning would have. Symbols like this one carry great emotional significance.

    When aiming for power, or trying to conserve it, always look for the indirect route. And also choose your battles carefully. If it does not matter in the long run whether the other person agrees with you—or if time and their own experience will make them understand what you mean—then it is best not even to bother with a demonstration. Save your energy and walk away.

    GOD AND ABRAUIM

    The Most High God had promised that He would not take Abraham’s soul unless the man wanted to die and asked Him to do so. When Abraham’s life was drawing to a close, and God determined to seize him, He sent an angel in the guise of a decrepit old man who was almost entirely incapacitated. The old man stopped outside Abraham door and said to him, “Oh Abraham, I would like something to eat.” Abraham was amazed to hear him say this. “Die, exclaimed Abraham.”It would be better for you than to go on living in that condition.”

    Abraham always kept food ready at his home for passing guests. So he gave the old man a bowl containing broth and meat with bread crumbs. The old man sat down to eat. He swallowed laboriously, with great effort, and once when he took some food it dropped from his hand, scattering on the ground. “Oh Abraham, ” he said, “help me to eat.” Abraham took the food in his hand and lifted it to the old man’s lips. But it slid down his beard and over his chest. “What is your age, old man?” asked Abraham. The old man mentioned a number of years slightly greater than Abraham’s old age. Then Abraham exclaimed: “Oh Lord Our God, take me unto You before I reach this man’s age and sink into the same condition as he is in now. ” No sooner had Abraham spoken those words than God took possession of his soul.

    -THE SUBTLE RUSE: THE BOOK OF ARABIC WISDOM AND GUILE, THIRTEENTH CENTURY

    Image: The Seesaw. Up and down and up and down go the arguers, getting nowhere fast. Get off the seesaw and show them your meaning without kick ing or pushing. Leave them at the top and let gravity bring them gently to the ground.

    Authority: Never argue. In society nothing must be discussed; give only results. (Benjamin Disraeli, 1804-1881)

    REVERSAL

    Verbal argument has one vital use in the realm of power: To distract and cover your tracks when you are practicing deception or are caught in a lie.

    In such cases it is to your advantage to argue with all the conviction you can muster. Draw the other person into an argument to distract them from your deceptive move. When caught in a lie, the more emotional and certain you appear, the less likely it seems that you are lying.

    This technique has saved the hide of many a con artist. Once Count Victor Lustig, swindler par excellence, had sold dozens of suckers around the country a phony box with which he claimed to be able to copy money. Discovering their mistake, the suckers generally chose not to go the police, rather than risk the embarrassment of publicity. But one Sheriff Richards, of Remsen County, Oklahoma, was not the kind of man to accept being conned out of $10,000, and one morning he tracked Lustig down to a hotel in Chicago.

    Lustig heard a knock on the door. When he opened it he was looking down the barrel of a gun. “What seems to be the problem?” he calmly asked. “You son of a bitch,” yelled the sheriff, “I’m going to kill you. You conned me with that damn box of yours!” Lustig feigned confusion. “You mean it’s not working?” he asked. “You know it’s not working,” replied the sheriff. “But that’s impossible,” said Lustig. “There’s no way it couldn’t be working. Did you operate it properly?” “I did exactly what you told me to do,” said the sheriff. “No, you must have done something wrong,” said Lustig. The argument went in circles. The barrel of the gun was gently lowered.

    Lustig next went to phase two in the argument tactic: He poured out a whole bunch of technical gobbledygook about the box’s operation, completely beguiling the sheriff, who now appeared less sure of himself and argued less forcefully. “Look,” said Lustig, “I’ll give you your money back right now. I’ll also give you written instructions on how to work the machine and I’ll come out to Oklahoma to make sure it’s working properly. There’s no way you can lose on that.” The sheriff reluctantly agreed. To satisfy him totally, Lustig took out a hundred one-hundred-dollar bills and gave them to him, telling him to relax and have a fun weekend in Chicago. Calmer and a little confused, the sheriff finally left. Over the next few days Lustig checked the paper every morning. He finally found what he was looking for: A short article reporting Sheriff Richards’s arrest, trial, and conviction for passing counterfeit notes. Lustig had won the argument; the sheriff never bothered him again.

    Conclusion

    Why do you argue?

    Is it because you want to show someone your point of view? Is that why?

    But they don’t see it because they have different experiences and a different mindset. So don’t bother wasting your time. Your time is too valuable.

    Act and live your life on your terms and forget about everyone else.

    Story time…

    I well remember the last time when I gave a fuck what people thought.

    I was in a KTV, in China (of course).

    Chinese business KTV, a pretty standard practice.

    I had two girls with me (bought for me, don’t ya know). One was on my left thigh feeding me (those green sweet) grapes and the other was singing some sobby love ballad (in Chinese, that I had no clue about) on my right. I was enjoying the moment, chewing on some grapes and drinking Johnny Walker Red with Green Tea (long story, not too popular these days) and checking my social media.

    It was a long day where I had ate this fantastic meal of lord only know what, and signed some contracts and made some agreements. Now it was time to relax and celebrate.

    What was I doing?

    Dumb-ass me was checking my social media. Back then, I was still addicted to it.

    At that time, I was commenting on a website called “Free Republic” (I have since been kicked off of it, too bad – their loss) and some jackass was riding on all my comments. He just went on and on about on how filthy, stinky and polluted China was. He said he knew because he visited it back in 1998, and he knew what he was talking about. He had spent four long days in “that filthy cesspool” and couldn’t wait to leave.

    And you know what?

    I didn’t respond.

    But, I did stop eating the grapes and slid my right hand on the chick to the left of me’s dress and cupped her soft breast. She smiled (as they all do when I do that) and I started to nibble on her neck. (KTV’s are all “hands on” and all the time. It’s pretty much a normal, not a lecherous thing, to do.) That got the singing gal to come over and start massaging my back. Oh … yeah. things got really fun after that.

    Soon afterwards, I was up there singing “Better than I used to be“, and while everyone was clapping and cheering me on, I’m sure that no one knew what I was singing about. But my aide did know English, and she couldn’t get over the lyrics to “MacArthur Park”. LOL. Heh. he. (She kept on saying… “do you know what you are singing? Do you know what the song is about?”)

    “Someone left the cake out in the rain, and it took so long to make it, and took so long to bake it, and I’ll never have that recipe again! Oh no!”

    And you know, that’s a part of what my life is. Don’t you know. It’s fun. It’s spending time with interesting people, and playing with them. It’s about eating delicious food, and just being who you are and not giving a rat’s ass if you are politically correct or not.

    Anyways. That was one of the last times I commented on that site.

    Because I was the one having fun, and the rest of the people on social media, well, there were all just full of horse shit. To them, everything outside their house was gray, dark and dirty. When they turned on the movies, it’s all war, war, war, or FBI investigates serial murders, or child abductions by pedio’s or magic superheros who got bit by radioactive spiders…

    It’s nonsense.

    And when they try to communicate to me; the person outside their box, they cannot possibly imagine what it is like. Because they have been PROGRAMMED to fear everything outside.

    So, fuck him.

    What he right or wrong? Was I good or bad? I don’t know. What I do know is that I was having fun, and he was probably at home alone typing in the dark trying to convince me that I was wrong to enjoy China like I do. And, well, he would never, ever believe what happened later on that night, and up until six am when they both turned into pumpkins…

    Actions.

    Always remember that your life becomes [1] what you think about, and [2] what you do. And in that calculus, lies no one else. And if someone doesn’t like your behaviors, well, fuck them. You owe nothing to strangers. Just go forth and have a great time. And let it be well understood that that is what I am actually doing.

    Life is too short not to enjoy life.

    Go forth. Make new friends. Have new adventures, experience all the wonderful things that life has available for you. That means good food, great drink, fun companions, and “memory makers”. Ah. Memory Makers like this fine young lass here…

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts along these lines in my Happiness Index here…

    Life & Happiness

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    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

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    Remote Viewing within the MWI; how it works and what to watch out for in your world-line activity.

    Remote viewing is defined as the ability to acquire accurate information about a distant or non-local place, person or event without using your physical senses or any other obvious means. It’s associated with the idea of clairvoyance, seemingly being able to spontaneously know something without actually knowing how you got the information. It is also sometimes called “anomalous cognition” or “second sight.”
    
    Many of us experience this from time to time as an intuitive flash of insight that turns out to be correct. Many well-known entrepreneurs and business people, like George Soros, Conrad Hilton, Thomas Alva Edison and Akio Morita, the co-founder of Sony, have attributed their business success to this ability. And we’ve all seen natural psychics perform seemingly amazing feats of mental skill on TV.
    
    The difference between natural psychic receptivity and remote viewing is that the latter is a trained skill, a controlled process, that the average person can learn to do, to some degree or another.
    
    -Gaia

    This post covers remote viewing of the future and how it works. But instead of saying that remote viewing of the future is a glimpse of the shared universe, we look at it in it’s true state. For the “shared universe” is really the MWI. And thus you have a quandary. If you are on a world-line following your own specific paths, and you read about someone remote viewing the future, is it accurate?

    • Does the remote viewing of their extrapolated future, have meaning for you?
    • And, how can you know anything at all about their extrapolated future when you are on your very own personal world-line?
    • What is the mechanism for observing world-line futures?

    Well, here in this post we will look at all these elements and more. So this post will enable the reader to obtain a far better understanding of our universe, and the abilities that we have and hold within it.

    First off…

    What is the Mechanism for observing world-line futures?

    It’s pretty much understood that certain people have “tapped” into our reality and have trained themselves to observe things and relate these things to others. It’s known as “Remote Viewing”. There is not too much that I can add to this, except to lay out the general mechanism(s) involved.

    • Thoughts control our reality.
    • By awareness, and training, one is able to see, and track what our reality is.
    • This might manifest in all kinds of abilities that go by the labels of ESP and PSI.

    You can pretty much INDIVIDUALLY see what your own future holds by [1] adding affirmations that state that ability and that allow your to learn and cultivate it, and [2] try using any of the well publicized techniques of remote viewing yourself.

    I have done both.

    But I do not use it very often at all.

    The reason is this…

    Remote Viewing of my death

    I used both techniques [1 & 2] above to view what would happen in my future.

    The year was 2005 and I was going through a remarkable time. My mother died, I went through a divorce, there was a fight over her estate, and I was caught up in the middle of it, I lost my job, my car, my house, and my pets. And then I was retired from MAJestic.

    I went though a serious crisis after crisis and I was fearful of my future as everyone was telling me what to expect once I entered retirement…

    I fully expected to be hurt seriously, and killed as part of MAJestic. It was not an idle concern. I knew from <redacted> . Certainly there was a couple of attempts along these lines (I haven’t written about them, yet) And I was literally shaking all day and everyday.

    Once the papers got the news that I was being arrested as a Sex Offender, all hell broke out. And the vast amount of hatred and disgust poured into my life. People were driving by my house, and stopping and looking it over. People started to follow me. I even caught a guy with a can of gasoline trying to break into my back door.

    I was at a low point.

    The fear was eating me alive.

    And so I added these affirmations. I specifically asked for direction, calmness, solutions and starting points.

    Answers started to flow into my consciousness…

    • Go to a counselor.
    • Have a doctor look at my shaking, fear, and upset.
    • Realize that my possessions are only things.
    • My mother’s time was over. It had nothing to do with me.
    • The divorce was part of MAJestic retirement.
    • I had to be retired. I was considered “dangerous”.
    • Do not fight the retirement, accept it and focus on the objectives.
    • Don’t flee.
    • Migrate what remaining assets I had outside the country.
    • Focus on reestablishing my friendships and community in China.
    • The retirement will be short, and then I can move to China.

    Finally…

    • I “saw” my death.

    I was thin, and looked like I was in my 90’s. I was in a hospital bed in a very modern hospital. I had two or three others in my room looking at me, and I expired peacefully. Calmly. Smoothly. Like drifting off into luke-warm water.

    This image.

    This image was all that I really needed to have. It told me that no matter what I was going to go through, that I would go through it and survive. i would be fine and die an old man being taken cared for and surrounded with people who cared for me.

    And that was all I needed.

    To understand how remote viewing works you need to understand how our “reality universe works”…

    As I have repeatedly stated, [1] we are consciousness.

    We are NOT a body.

    Further, [2] our consciousness enters a specific singular world-line. Usually empty and devoid of other “active” consciousnesses.

    We do not share a “place” inside a universe with others.

    And [3] it appears that we share things because billions of years of thoughts have created an underlying “template” that all the world-lines feed off of.

    But…

    It’s [4] not a singular template. Wildly divergent thoughts and actions have created multiple “template(s)”.

    And thus when your consciousness enters a body on the earth, you are positioned upon one of a multitude of templates.

    This template is the “pre-birth world-line template”.

    A starting point

    A “pre-birth world-line template” is the starting point that the consciousness uses when it enters the earth reality to obtain experiences. It is a point in “time”. It is a spatial location. And it comes with a “map” of the highest-probability world-lines for the “passage of time”.

    This template is called a “template” because it is used by other consciousness’s as well. There are many, many such templates. And, as such, many, many, such maps.

    What a map is, is a cluster of “highest probability” outcomes of the decision process for a given consciousness.

    • If your routine is to drink coffee with toast in the morning, it would be a point on the map.
    • Jumping out the window and killing a chicken and eating it for breakfast is a possibility, but a remote one. Thus it is not on the map.
    • To get to that remote possibility, you need to “slide” off the map onto another world-line template map.
    • The map is a display of the “highest probability” world-lines that your thoughts will generate for you.

    It is (often) mapped out on the MWI in the form of a 3-D (three dimensional map). With the “lessons a soul can learn” (also known as hardships or entropy) mapped in the Y-axis. And it would appear to us (observing the map) as highs and lows; as mountains or valleys.

    Of course, the newbie might think that since changes and feelings change on a moment to moment basis, then the basic map would change as well. Well, that is false. We only believe that we have control over our thoughts and the generation of the world-lines. In all actuality we do not. We are like sheets in the wind and our thoughts are predictable based upon the stimuli that our consciousness experiences in any given world-line. 

    In the image below, we see two individuals that share the same pre-birth world-line templates. They MAP is identical for each, but the path that they take is different. (This is a rather extreme simplification, but it is a useful exercise.) Notice that they both use the same pre-birth world-line template. Thus, they both “understand” each other. Notice that they make different decisions within the same template, but the decisions make sense to each other.

    A “pre-birth world-line template” all mapped out with that of another whom actually shares your template.

    Because [1] they use the SAME “pre-birth world-line template”, and that [2] both of them follow the same predictive pathways within the MAP, we can say that both Mr. Red and Mr. Blue’s world-lines are “clustered together”.

    • You can be on the same map and cluster together.
    • But also different maps can also cluster together if their thoughts are similar enough.

    As such, while they are on different individual world-lines they might share the same sights that each observes. They might watch the same birds flying in the sky or the same mountains in the distance. And they might observe the same things that other people who use the same “pre-birth world-line template” do. As in this example…

    The experiences that a consciousness is exposed to varies from person to person, yet we all can experience the same kinds of things in similar ways.

    Here we can see that all three individuals are using [1] the same “pre-birth world-line template”, and [2] the same map, and [3] are all clustered together.

    The Pre-Birth World-Line Template is THE MOST IMPORTANT aspect of your life upon the earth. No matter what decisions or thoughts that you have, this template is the foundation from which they derive from. This is the starting point; the initial conditions that your consciousness uses when it thinks and makes decisions and initializes physical actions.

    And while you can move away using world-line travel, and strange and unexpected behaviors, and even slide off the world-line map into new, strange and unexpected maps (and their associated world-lines), the basic “programming” of your physical body will remain intact. You will always have the “pre-birth world-line template” influence in your life.

    So stop that idea that once you are on a new world-line that everything is fresh and new. It isn’t. It’s just a continuation of your “passage of time” as it “hauls about a large line of experiences behind it”.

    But…

    Is it possible to predict the future using Remote Viewing in the MWI?

    Well, the answer to this is YES it is.

    However the future that you (or the person making the remote viewing activity) is able to predict is your own shared template, and shared map. If you are not on a shared map then the predictions would have very little relevance to you.

    Here’s an example.

    Let’s suppose that you have been [1] conducting consciousness navigation using “Prayer / Intention Campaigns”, and [2] you have been very aggressive about it. Because you have been so aggressive,  [3] you have been sliding off your baseline “pre-birth world-line template” onto new maps.

    Like this image…

    In this map we see that Mr. Red has slid off his “pre-birth world-line template” map and entered a new map full of new realities for him. He uses Remote Viewing to see what lies ahead of him. In this instance, he views the future WITHOUT any slides to other maps. And he has a blurry image of the future, because the strongest candidates for his future lie in three separate world-lines. Thus he tries to interpret the results as best as he can using the tools at his disposal.

    In this case, the remote viewed points are designated as three potential blue dots. YES. A person can remote view their future. But the nature of the MWI is one of a blurry and unsure future. For he (you, perhaps) are seeing three possible “blue dot” futures. It’s not all that clear.

    Now, some things are stable enough to resolve clearly. Because all three “blue dots” share many attributes. You can see those attributes most clearly. But it will be the specifics that will be difficult to pin down.

    Now, that does not necessarily mean that they cannot see the futures for other templates. Many such templates themselves cluster together. And thus one remote viewing of the future can apply to broad swaths of population.

    Of course, the ideal is that since “time” is the real progression of your consciousness through the MWI. And you go world-line through world-line on a “pre-birth world-line template”, of course it is possible for you to “see” the future. You just need to be aware about the map topography.

    And, if you KNOW that you are conducting Intention Campaigns that involve slides, you can factor those slides into your remote viewing efforts. Thus, you are best able to see the future that you, yourself are in the process of mapping out.

    However the ability to do so for others involves a completely different set of skills. It is one that has to be cultivated and trained for over time.

    So let’s talk about other people.

    Does the remote viewing of someone else’s extrapolated future, have meaning for you?

    Maybe yes and maybe no. It depends upon if the pre-birth world-line template resides upon the same cluster or grouping of world-lines.

    • Yes. If you share the same underlying pre-birth world-line template, and / or reside on a MAP from whence the future was perceived from.
    • No. If your MAP, template, and world-lines have no connection to that of the remote viewer.

    If you are both on the same template then, the future is likely to be the same for you. As well as same or similar to all others that share that template or similar maps. It makes sense, yes?

    Here are two different people. One Mr. Red and one Mr. Yellow. They do not share the same “Pre-birth world-line template”, nor do they share the same kinds of world-lines and neither of their world-line paths and maps are part of the same cluster. The end result is that both people remote view their futures and come up with widely different futures.

    Now, the use of Remote viewing is not just a skill that anyone can use. It is a skill that you can learn, and achieve a great degree of accuracy with, provided that you understand that you are dealing with the MWI and that there are limits to what you can observe.

    In the example (picture above) you can see that two different people would have widely different remote viewing results simply due to the nature of the map that their world-line travels follow upon.

    Therefore, it would ONLY have meaning for you if your world-lines are all clustered (in some way) with the world-lines of the person conducting the Remote Viewing exercise. Which for many people (or at least a sizable percentage) would actually be the same.

    How can one know about someone else’s future when you are on a different world-line?

    Good question this.

    The odds are that you cannot.

    UNLESS, of course, you have chosen to enhance and cultivate your inherent awareness to the point where you could actually do so. These other skills are possible, but you need to cultivate and develop them. This entire exercise relates to the ability to tap into the non-physical worlds, get the date there and extrapolate with your senses. There are those that can do it. After all, there was a CIA program specifically devoted to this exercise.

    In general, I would advise the reader just to mind your own business and stick to your own issues, and ignore the thoughts and predictions of others. Their realities will not have anything to do with yours (for the most part).

    Predictions are what we make out of fear in the hope of trying to find some guidance when we feel that our life is “out of control”. You don’t need to worry about that, really. If you seriously want to have insight into what YOUR future will hold, then just simply add affirmations to your intention campaign. Such as these…

    • I have occasional glimpses or visions of clarity that will depict my life at points in time of six, nine and twelve months in the future.
    • I intrinsically understand the relative importance of other predictions that I read and hear about.
    • I do not fear the future, and am very comfortable with my life as it unfolds.

    Metallicman predictions

    So, please don’t ask me if I know what is going to happen in the future. I do not. No one does because we are all within our very own bubble of reality. The best that I can do is predict what is going on within MY cluster of world-lines and what the end result might be for others that share my similar train of thoughts.

    As such, I pretty much assume that Metallicman readers pretty much share some of my baseline maps and templates. So you might be pleased or horrified to see your future though the eyes of us out here.
    
    Which means, the PTB are correct.
    Spicy times are coming, but they will not be distributed equally.
    Care and due diligence will be necessary.
    Avoid crowds, and establish yourself firmly within a community.
    Be a Rufus.

    In which case, I predict a period of global turbulence lasting at least ten years. Followed by a nice and slow period of extended calm and peace.

    The last period of upset was 80 years ago and that was the 1940’s. The first five years of that decade was marked by a global wide war.

    The next few years will prove to be exciting and if you all don’t want to share in that excitement, perhaps you should find quieter and more boring places to live. Maybe you might try to replicate what the oligarchy has done and buried themselves deep underground in hidy-holes in the remote sections of quiet and non-intrusive nations.

    Don’t waste your time trying to find answers on the internet. Almost everything on the internet is censored. If you can find things that are not censored, you must carefully determine and discern whether it is disinformation or not. Most Alt-Left, and Hard-Right are saturated with disinformation. Avoid them.

    Remember, boys and girls. Real wars, nuclear explosions, and biological weapon use will not be televised. As will the horrors of concentration camps, and genocide. None of that is ever televised. The “dumbed down” sheeple need not be informed.

    Find the answers inside yourself. You’ll be a better person for it.

    Is it possible to perform Remote Viewing?

    Yes. Anyone can.

    I will cover Remote Viewing in another post. I am not an expert in it, and at best I am just a hobbyist who used it occasionally. Yet I know a thing or two that might give the experimenter some advantage when using the techniques.

    Declassified remote viewing sketch.

    But here in this post we are concerned with the Remote Viewing of others and whether or not they have any relevance to a practitioner of prayer / affirmation campaigns. In general they don’t. The only real relevance is what you, yourself thinks about.

    Conclusion

    In times of trouble or change, people become fearful of the future. They try to search for ways or understandings on how their life might stabilize into some kind of calm and predictable life. As a result they tend to look at those who might give them predictions of what the future might hold.

    Right now, there is an American election coming up. It is between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. And people are consulting their favorite “news” organizations for reassurance that their “guy” would win. Also along these lines are polls and “experts” who crunch data and try to help people sort out what the future will be.

    Impressive prediction graphics abound on the Internet. This one was found here.

    There are techniques that utilize the resources of clairvoyants and people who conduct Remote Viewing exercises.

    There are also other ways to divine what the future might hold. Such as tarot cards, soothsayers, people who speak in tongues and other techniques like automatic writing, and mediums.

    All this might give the reader a pause to hope, but the truth is that the ONLY way that you can control your future is through your thoughts and your actions. (And that includes buying a plane ticket to Bora Bora.) And if you want to live in a stable and peaceful world, the answer lies in your affirmation campaigns. Concentrate on yourself and your family. Don’t worry too much about the alarms and predictions of others.

    Bora Bora.

    And that includes Metallicman. For I see some spicy times ahead on my clustered world-lines. Perhaps it might be a good opportunity for you (if you have concerns) to slide off the current world-track you are on, and slip into a far calmer world-line. Don’t you think?

    It’s NOT that difficult.

    If you are truly worried then conduct an affirmation prayer campaign using the following affirmations;

    • Myself, my family and my immediate friends are all safe, secure, and happy. We are isolated from any conflict, trouble and strife that swirls around us.
    • We are protected, happy, and have a safe and calm life. We are insulated from danger.
    • Whatever is reported in the news I have an immediate understanding of it’s relevance to my life.
    • I and my family are given direction on how to act, behave, think, and work so as to avoid any troubles and conflicts that might come near us.

    And finally,

    Please avoid crowds. Avoid danger. Cultivate friendships. Learn skills, and volunteer in your community. Be known within your community.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts of a similar nature in my Prayer / affirmation index here…

    Intention Campaigns

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    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

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    Deagel August 2020 Forecast For America has the population dropping a full 70% by 2025

    It’s one thing to have Alex Jones predicting that the United States is going to collapse any day now, and it is another thing entirely when an intelligence analyst says so. And thus we have this bit of shocking news. A global military intelligence website has revised it’s five year forecast to predict a massive drop in American population by 2025.

    Deagel.com is apparently some sort of global military intelligence site. They have had an online presence since 2003. They report on high-level military equipment assets and keep track of military expenditures by country “with nearly impeccable numbers”. It’s very similar to Janes.

    However, unlike Janes, this is not an “Industry” outlet. But rather an “intelligence” outlet staffed with retired or former intelligence and military folk. As such, it is interesting to those of us that follow the military trends in industry.

    Now, since the Military-Industrial cabal has pretty much the “lion’s share” of the oligarchy control over the United States government, any military intelligence related to this should be considered important. For this level of intelligence is what industry uses to make forecasts and projects for markets and survivability of the sales generation options.

    In Late August, the Internet was all buzzing about a forecast on this website…

    Deagel Forecast For USA – Population Drops 70% by 2025

    One aspect of their site is to “forecast” financial outlooks for countries around the world. They track GDP (gross domestic product), defense budgets, and even population (forecasts) for each country.

    No one knows for sure, but I’ve read that their sources are “the ‘deep state’ with the CIA, US Department of Defense, US Department of State and World Bank contributing data for their forecasts.

    According to their own website, Deagel provides news and intelligence on international military aviation and advanced technologies.

    Little is known about the real owner(s). The site name is registered in France. All online information about them is “redacted for privacy”. The site hosting company is located in Old Tappan, New Jersey. Which is pretty much in a semi-rural location with some nice wooded hills and nothing much else. The only thing that I can recall (personally) about that area is the rather large contingent of Jewish establishments there.

    Deagel Forecasts Massive Depopulation in the USA by 2025

    They have been forecasting a huge population drop in the United States for several years. They haven’t changed their forecast. It’s been projected to decrease for a long time now. And the election of Donald trump made no difference in the projection.

    Current population of the USA is about 327 million.

    Deagle forecast for 2025 is 100 million.

    What this means is that the defense intelligence organizations represented by Deagel believe that there will be some kind of event or series of events that will result in a major population drop by 2025.

    Deagel site projections.

    From the chart above we can clearly see a number of conclusions or extrapolations that they have made.

    [1] USA Population (Red notations)

    According to their projections, by the years 2025, the population of the United States would decrease. It would go from 327 million people to 100 million people. This would be approximately a 70% decrease in population over a short period of time (from now 2020 to 2025 = five years).

    [2] World Population (Purple notations)

    According to their projections, the entire world would suffer through a depopulation event. With the population decreasing from 7,385 million people to 6.870 million people. This is a drop of 515 million people. This is about a 7% decrease in the world population.

    Thus taking [1] and [2] together, we can see that they expect the United States to take the brunt of most of the population decrease.

    [3] American Defense Budget (Blue Notations)

    We can see that they anticipate a very drastic decrease in American military spending by 2025. From $637 billion to $32 billion. It would be a reduction to 5% of what the current budget is.

    Certainly they anticipate that the American military would be repurposed to a significant extent and this budget would not be able to support any kinds of expeditionary foreign operations.

    [4] Global Defense Budgets (Green Notations)

    This is very interesting, while there is a slight decrease in global defense spending, the change in spending values is small (comparatively). The global spending would go from $1.7 trillion to $1.2 trillion dollars.

    Obviously they believe that the rest of the world’s military would still be funded at nearly the same levels as presently shown.

    What are they saying?

    To look at the chart and observe the numbers, they anticipate some kind of event or series of events that will take place IN AMERICA between 2020 and 2025.

    These event(s) will dramatically decrease the size of the United States population.

    The global population will also be reduced as well, but not at all at the same level of catastrophic drop that America will experience. It will not be as catastrophic to the rest of the world as it will be for Americans.

    By 2025, the American military would be severely scaled down to a mere 5% of what it is now (by budget). But the rest of the world would pretty much keep their military budgets as the same level.

    And this all means that…

    • America’s GDP will collapse from $19T to $1.6T.
    • PPP (Power purchasing parity) would collapse from $60,000 to $16,000

    The resulting America would not look like anything that would be recognizable to anyone today. Those survivors would be struggling financially, and economically. America would not longer be a global superpower or “the policeman” for the world. Most of the rest of the world would move on, and continue with their lives and societies. While Americans would be undergoing some very severe changes to it’s society and cultures.

    How did they arrive at these conclusions?

    No one really knows how they came to these numbers and figures. But we do know that these are the same kinds of figures that the intelligence and military agencies use to make forecasts for spending, planning and purchases.

    What I can pretty much say is that these figures pretty much match up with the John Titor narrative. He claimed to be a time traveler from the future, and pretty much said all of what is being presented here. It’s just that his dates were off by exactly ten years.

    You all can read what he had to say in my John Titor Index here…

    John Titor

    But these figures pretty much agree with the Fourth Turning predictions and other predictive sources that I have mentioned in my SHTF Index. Many people are pretty much convinced that the USA is under a state of collapse. The question is not “if”, but “When” and “how bad” it will be.

    And let me offer some thoughts…

    Metallicman commentary

    There’s much I can say, and much that I cannot. But I will throw out some things to give the reader pause to contemplate…

    • A 70% decrease in the population signifies either [1] massive starvation, [2] a bio-weapon (i.e. smallpox. Something with a high R0 and high lethality.) WMD, or [3] A MAD level nuclear exchange with Russia.
    • China is “small potatoes” in regards to nuclear weapons. Their entire military is defensive in nature. They are no slouches, and could render the top ten American cities into radioactive glass. But they are not equipped to wage this kind of war with the USA. This level of destruction involves Russia.
    • Many people could die in an American Civil War, but not at a 70% level.
    The low estimate of 600,000 is 1.91 percent of the census population. And 750,000 deaths would represent 2.38 percent of the total population. All told, the Civil War likely claimed somewhere between 2 percent and 2.5 percent of the total population.
    
    -What Percentage of Americans Died During the Civil War ...

    Starvation

    Intentional starvation is the ONLY method, short of a full-on MAD-level nuclear exchange would result in these kinds of deaths. History tells us that Stalin, Mao and Pol Pot all were very successful in this effort.

    In fact, the starvation of the Eastern European peoples by Stalin is exactly the kinds of events that can result in these high and terrifying numbers…

    So I would have to suggest that it might be due to starvation.  This is a true and real possibility. Either through the loss and destruction of crops, or transportation and distribution channels, or by pricing the foods to un-affordable levels.

    Bio-Weapons

    The only nation that still maintains bio-weapon inventories and development is America. Last I heard it was under the control of neocon John Bolton.

    The rest of the world just simply isn’t a threat.

    Russia scaled down their operations back in the 1990’s. If the Russians still have this capability I would be surprised.

    China has no bio-warfare labs, nor do they train and practice in this environment. Their only concern is defense.

    North Korea might have bio-weapons, but there is no actual verification of this. Iran might also have bio-weapons, but again there is no actual verification of this.

    The rest of the world just simply doesn’t have the resources to develop such weapons.

    Since there is a real lack of “enemies” with this capability, it is unlikely that a bio-weapon event would ever occur. The only way that it would occur is if America used the weapons against some enemy and it boomeranged back to the United States.

    Nuclear

    True to form, Donald Trump has been re-configuring the military to use nuclear weapons in a strategic and tactical “humane” way. If so, this could trigger the Russian “Dead Hand” system, and unleash holy Hell upon an unprepared America.

    Conclusion

    How many times have you wished that you invested in Google back in the day when you had a chance? How many times do you lament not buying stock in Walmart, McDonald’s, Starbucks, or Microsoft? Well the future seems to be written on the wall…

    Well, it pretty much looks like anyone who is going to remain in the United States for the next ten years is in for a very exciting and dangerous time. I do hope that it does not materialize, but it looks to me that a nice small bungalow cabin in Chile might be preferable to a penthouse apartment in Los Angles, a suburban house near Portland, or a mobile home in Kentucky.

    As I have stated before, if you can

    …then leave the States. At this point, it doesn’t matter where, or how ill-prepared you are. I think you all need to start making the preparations to either shelter-in-place, or bug-out to less dangerous neighborhoods.

    • Those top-tier oligarchy members left for their underground bunkers in early March 2020.
    • Their highly-paid enablers and support “armies” are all publishing articles like this one. You can well recognize that “the writing is on the wall”, and that action should be well in process by now.

    What ever happens, please keep in mind that food storage is important, as is being armed with something simple and reliable and dangerous. Like a shotgun. (Forget about those AK-47 look-alike clones. They cannot hit the side of a barn.) Learn skills like first aid, and other things that can enable you to be a well liked and well-needed person in your community. And finally, stop being a lone wolf. You work as part of a community, or you will DIE.

    Good wishes.

    Do you want more?

    Do you want to see similar posts?

    I hope that you found this post curious. Please take care. You can view other similar posts in my SHTF Index, here…

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    Law 35 (full text) Master the art of Timing from the 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

    This is a complete reprint of law 35 titled “Master the art of Timing” by Robert Greene from his book “The 48 Laws of Power”. You must anticipate the ebb and flow of power. Recognize when the time is right, and align yourself with the right side. Be patient and wait for your moment when you know you’ll benefit in the long run. Master the art of timing. When it’s time to make your end move against an opponent, strike without hesitation.

    LAW 35

    MASTER THE ART OF TIMING

    JUDGMENT

    Never seem to be in a hurry-hurrying betrays a lack of control over yourself, and over time.

    Always seem patient, as if you know that everything will come to you eventually.

    Become a detective of the right moment; sniff out the spirit of the times, the trends that will carry you to power.

    Learn to stand back when the time is not yet ripe, and to strike fiercely when it has reached fruition.

    SERTORIUS’S LESSON
    
    Sertorius’s strength was now rapidly increasing, for all the tribes between the Ebro and the Pyrenees came over to his side, and troops came flocking daily to join him from every quarter. 
    
    At the same time he was troubled by the lack of discipline and the overconfidence of these newly arrived barbarians, who would shout at him to attack the enemy and had no patience with his delaying tactics, and he therefore tried to win them over by argument. them over by argument. 
    
    But when he saw that they were discontented and persisted in pressing their demands regardless of the circumstances, he let them have their way and allowed them to engage the enemy; he hoped that they would suffer a severe defeat without being completely crushed, and that this would make them better disposed to obey his orders in future. 
    
    The event turned out as he expected and Sertorius came to their rescue, provided a rallying point for the fugitives, and led them safely back to his camp. 
    
    His next step was to revive their dejected spirits, and so a few days later he summoned a general assembly. Before it he produced two horses, one of them old and enfeebled, the other large and lusty and possessing a flowing tail, which was remarkable for the thickness and beauty of its hair. 
    
    By the side of the weak horse stood a tall strong man, and by the side of the powerful horse a short man of mean physique. 
    
    At a signal the strong man seized the tail of his horse and tried with all his strength to pull it towards him, as if to tear it off, while the weak man began to pull the hairs one by one from the tail of the strong horse.
    
    The strong man, after tugging with all his might to no purpose and causing the spectators a great deal of amusement in the process, finally gave up the attempt, while the weak man quickly and with very little trouble stripped his horse’s tail completely bare. 
    
    Then Sertorius rose to his feet and said, “Now you can see, my friends and allies, that perseverance is more effective than brute strength and that there are many difficulties that cannot be overcome if you try to do everything at once, but which will yield if you master them little by little. The truth is that a steady continuous effort is irresistible, for this is the way in which Time captures and subdues the greatest powers on earth. 
    
    Now Time, you should remember, is a good friend and ally to those who use their intelligence to choose the right moment, but a most dangerous enemy to those who rush into action at the wrong one.
    
    -”LIFE OF SERTORIUS, PLUTARCH, C.A.D. 46-120

    OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

    Starting out in life as a nondescript French seminary-school teacher, Joseph Fouché wandered from town to town for most of the decade of the 1780s, teaching mathematics to young boys. Yet he never completely committed himself to the church, never took his vows as a priest—he had bigger plans.

    Patiently waiting for his chance, he kept his options open.

    And when the French Revolution broke out, in 1789, Fouché waited no longer: He got rid of his cassock, grew his hair long, and became a revolutionary. For this was the spirit of the times.

    To miss the boat at this critical moment could have spelt disaster.

    Fouché did not miss the boat: Befriending the revolutionary leader Robespierre, he quickly rose in the rebel ranks.

    In 1792 the town of Nantes elected Fouche to be its representative to the National Convention (created that year to frame a new constitution for a French republic).

    When Fouché arrived in Paris to take his seat at the convention, a violent rift had broken out between the moderates and the radical Jacobins. Fouché sensed that in the long run neither side would emerge victorious.

    Power rarely ends up in the hands of those who start a revolution, or even of those who further it; power sticks to those who bring it to a conclusion.

    That was the side Fouche wanted to be on.

    His sense of timing was uncanny.

    He started as a moderate, for moderates were in the majority. When the time came to decide on whether or not to execute Louis XVI, however, he saw that the people were clamoring for the king’s head, so he cast the deciding vote—for the guillotine.

    Now he had become a radical.

    Yet as tensions came to the boil in Paris, he foresaw the danger of being too closely associated with any one faction, so he accepted a position in the provinces, where he could lie low for a while.

    A few months later he was assigned to the post of proconsul in Lyons, where he oversaw the execution of dozens of aristocrats.

    At a certain moment, however, he called a halt to the killings, sensing that the mood of the country was turning-and despite the blood already on his hands, the citizens of Lyons hailed him as a savior from what had become known as the Terror.

    So far Fouché had played his cards brilliantly, but in 1794 his old friend Robespierre recalled him to Paris to account for his actions in Lyons.

    Robespierre had been the driving force behind the Terror. He had sent heads on both the right and the left rolling, and Fouché, whom he no longer trusted, seemed destined to provide the next head.

    Over the next few weeks, a tense struggle ensued: While Robespierre railed openly against Fouché, accusing of him dangerous ambitions and calling for his arrest, the crafty Fouché worked more indirectly, quietly gaining support among those who were beginning to tire of Robespierre’s dictatorial control.

    Fouche was playing for time. He knew that the longer he survived, the more disaffected citizens he could rally against Robespierre. He had to have broad support before he moved against the powerful leader. He rallied support among both the moderates and the Jacobins, playing on the widespread fear of Robespierre-everyone was afraid of being the next to go to the guillotine.

    It all came to fruition on July 27: The convention turned against Robespierre, shouting down his usual lengthy speech.

    He was quickly arrested, and a few days later it was Robespierre’s head, not Fouché’s, that fell into the basket.

    When Fouché returned to the convention after Robespierre’s death, he played his most unexpected move: Having led the conspiracy against Robespierre, he was expected to sit with the moderates, but lo and behold, he once again changed sides, joining the radical Jacobins.

    For perhaps the first time in his life he aligned himself with the minority.

    Clearly he sensed a reaction stirring: He knew that the moderate faction that had executed Robespierre, and was now about to take power, would initiate a new round of the Terror, this time against the radicals.

    In siding with the Jacobins, then, Fouché was sitting with the martyrs of the days to come—the people who would be considered blameless in the troubles that were on their way.

    Taking sides with what was about to become the losing team was a risky gambit, of course, but Fouché must have calculated he could keep his head long enough to quietly stir up the populace against the moderates and watch them fall from power.

    And indeed, although the moderates did call for his arrest in December of 1795, and would have sent him to the guillotine, too much time had passed. The executions had become unpopular with the people, and Fouché survived the swing of the pendulum one more time.

    A new government took over, the Directoire. It was not, however, a Jacobin government, but a moderate one—more moderate than the government that had reimposed the Terror.

    Fouché, the radical, had kept his head, but now he had to keep a low profile.

    He waited patiently on the sidelines for several years, allowing time to soften any bitter feelings against him, then he approached the Directoire and convinced them he had a new passion: intelligence-gathering.

    He became a paid spy for the government, excelled at the job, and in 1799 was rewarded by being made minister of police.

    Now he was not just empowered but required to extend his spying to every corner of France—a responsibility that would greatly reinforce his natural ability to sniff out where the wind was blowing.

    One of the first social trends he detected, in fact, came in the person of Napoleon, a brash young general whose destiny he right away saw was entwined with the future of France. When Napoleon unleashed a coup d‘etat, on November 9, 1799, Fouche pretended to be asleep.

    Indeed he slept the whole day.

    For this indirect assistance—it might have been thought his job, after all, to prevent a military coup—Napoleon kept him on as minister of police in the new regime.

    Over the next few years, Napoleon came to rely on Fouché more and more. He even gave this former revolutionary a title, duke of Otranto, and rewarded him with great wealth.

    By 1808, however, Fouché, always attuned to the times, sensed that Napoleon was on the downswing. His futile war with Spain, a country that posed no threat to France, was a sign that he was losing a sense of proportion.

    Never one to be caught on a sinking ship, Fouché conspired with Talleyrand to bring about Napoleon’s downfall. Although the conspiracy failed—Talleyrand was fired; Fouché stayed, but was kept on a tight leash—it publicized a growing discontent with the emperor, who seemed to be losing control.

    By 1814 Napoleon’s power had crumbled and allied forces finally conquered him.

    The next government was a restoration of the monarchy, in the form of King Louis XVIII, brother of Louis XVI. Fouché, his nose always sniffing the air for the next social shift, knew Louis would not last long—he had none of Napoleon’s flair.

    Fouché once again played his waiting game, lying low, staying away from the spotlight.

    Sure enough, in February of 1815, Napoleon escaped from the island of Elba, where he had been imprisoned.

    Louis XVIII panicked: His policies had alienated the citizenry, who were clamoring for Napoleon’s return. So Louis turned to the one man who could maybe have saved his hide, Fouché, the former radical who had sent his brother, Louis XVI, to the guillotine, but was now one of the most popular and widely admired politicians in France.

    Fouché, however, would not side with a loser: He refused Louis’s request for help by pretending that his help was unnecessary—by swearing that Napoleon would never return to power (although he knew otherwise).

    A short time later, of course, Napoleon and his new citizen army were closing in on Paris.

    Seeing his reign about to collapse, feeling that Fouché had betrayed him, and certain that he did not want this powerful and able man on Napoleon’s team, King Louis ordered the minister’s arrest and execution.

    On March 16, 1815, policemen surrounded Fouché’s coach on a Paris boulevard. Was this finally his end? Perhaps, but not immediately: Fouché told the police that an ex-member of government could not be arrested on the street.

    They fell for the story and allowed him to return home. Later that day, though, they came to his house and once again declared him under arrest.

    Fouché nodded—but would the officers be so kind as allow a gentleman to wash and to change his clothes before leaving his house for the last time? They gave their permission, Fouché left the room, and the minutes went by.

    Fouché did not return.

    Finally the policemen went into the next room—where they saw a ladder against an open window, leading down to the garden below.

    That day and the next the police combed Paris for Fouche, but by then Napoleon’s cannons were audible in the distance and the king and all the king’s men had to flee the city.

    As soon as Napoleon entered Paris, Fouché came out of hiding.

    He had cheated the executioner once again.

    Napoleon greeted his former minister of police and gladly restored him to his old post. During the 100 days that Napoleon remained in power, until Waterloo, it was essentially Fouché who governed France.

    After Napoleon fell, Louis XVIII returned to the throne, and like a cat with nine lives, Fouche stayed on to serve in yet another government—by then his power and influence had grown so great that not even the king dared challenge him.

    Mr. Shih had two sons: one loved learning; the other war. 
    
    The first expounded his moral teachings at the admiring court of Ch‘i and was made a tutor, while the second talked strategy at the bellicose court of Ch’u and was made a general. 
    
    The impecunious Mr. Meng, hearing of these successes, sent his own two sons out to follow the example of the Shih boys. 
    
    The first expounded his moral teachings at the court ofCh‘in, but the King of Ch’in said: “At present the states are quarreling violently and every prince is busy arming his troops to the teeth. If I followed this prig’s pratings we should soon be annihilated.” 
    
    So he had the fellow castrated. 
    
    Meanwhile, the second brother displayed his military genius at the court of Wei. But the King of Wei said: “Mine is a weak state. If I relied on force instead of diplomacy, we should soon be wiped out. If, on the other hand, I let this fire-eater go, he will offer his services to another state and then we shall be in trouble.” 
    
    So he had the fellow’s feet cut off.
    
    Both families did exactly the same thing, but one timed it right, the other wrong. This success depends not on ratiocination but on rhythm.
    
    LlEH TZU. QUOTED IN THE CHINESE LOOKING GLASS. DENNIS BLOODWORTH, 1967

    Interpretation

    In a period of unprecedented turmoil, Joseph Fouché thrived through his mastery of the art of timing. He teaches us a number of key lessons.

    First, it is critical to recognize the spirit of the times. Fouché always looked two steps ahead, found the wave that would carry him to power, and rode it. You must always work with the times, anticipate twists and turns, and never miss the boat. Sometimes the spirit of the times is obscure: Recognize it not by what is loudest and most obvious in it, but by what lies hidden and dormant. Look forward to the Napoleons of the future rather than holding on to the ruins of the past.

    Second, recognizing the prevailing winds does not necessarily mean running with them. Any potent social movement creates a powerful reaction, and it is wise to anticipate what that reaction will be, as Fouché did after the execution of Robespierre. Rather than ride the cresting wave of the moment, wait for the tide’s ebb to carry you back to power. Upon occasion bet on the reaction that is brewing, and place yourself in the vanguard of it.

    Finally, Fouché had remarkable patience. Without patience as your sword and shield, your timing will fail and you will inevitably find yourself a loser. When the times were against Fouché, he did not struggle, get emotional, or strike out rashly. He kept his cool and maintained a low profile, patiently building support among the citizenry, the bulwark in his next rise to power. Whenever he found himself in the weaker position, he played for time, which he knew would always be his ally if he was patient. Recognize the moment, then, to hide in the grass or slither under a rock, as well as the moment to bare your fangs and attack.

    Space we can recover, time never.
    
    -Napoleon Bonaparte, 1769-1821

    KEYS TO POWER

    Time is an artificial concept that we ourselves have created to make the limitlessness of eternity and the universe more bearable, more human. Since we have constructed the concept of time, we are also able to mold it to some degree, to play tricks with it.

    The time of a child is long and slow, with vast expanses; the time of an adult whizzes by frighteningly fast. Time, then, depends on perception, which, we know, can be willfully altered.

    This is the first thing to understand in mastering the art of timing.

    If the inner turmoil caused by our emotions tends to make time move faster, it follows that once we control our emotional responses to events, time will move much more slowly. This altered way of dealing with things tends to lengthen our perception of future time, opens up possibilities that fear and anger close off, and allows us the patience that is the principal requirement in the art of timing.

    The sultan [of Persia] had sentenced two men to death. 
    
    One of them, knowing how much the sultan loved his stallion, offered to teach the horse to fly within a year in return for his life. The sultan, fancying himself as the rider of the only flying horse in the world, agreed. 
    
    The other prisoner looked at his friend in disbelief “You know horses don’t fly. What made you come up with a crazv idea like that? You’re only postponing the inevitable.” 
    
    “Not so, ” said the (first prisoner]. 
    
    “I have actuallv given myself four chances for freedom. 
    
    First, the sultan might die during the year. 
    Second, I might die. 
    Third, the horse might die. 
    And fourth ... I might teach the horse to fly!
    
    -”THE CRAFT OF POWER, R.G.H. SIU, 1979

    There are three kinds of time for us to deal with; each presents problems that can be solved with skill and practice.

    First there is long time: the drawn-out, years-long kind of time that must be managed with patience and gentle guidance. Our handling of long time should be mostly defensive—this is the art of not reacting impulsively, of waiting for opportunity.

    Next there is forced time: the short-term time that we can manipulate as an offensive weapon, upsetting the timing of our opponents.

    Finally there is end time, when a plan must be executed with speed and force. We have waited, found the moment, and must not hesitate.

    Long Time.

    The famous seventeenth-century Ming painter Chou Yung relates a story that altered his behavior forever. Late one winter afternoon he set out to visit a town that lay across the river from his own town. He was bringing some important books and papers with him and had commissioned a young boy to help him carry them. As the ferry neared the other side of the river, Chou Yung asked the boatman if they would have time to get to the town before its gates closed, since it was a mile away and night was approaching. The boatman glanced at the boy, and at the bundle of loosely tied papers and books—“Yes,” he replied, “if you do not walk too fast.”

    As they started out, however, the sun was setting. Afraid of being locked out of the town at night, prey to local bandits, Chou and the boy walked faster and faster, finally breaking into a run. Suddenly the string around the papers broke and the documents scattered on the ground. It took them many minutes to put the packet together again, and by the time they had reached the city gates, it was too late.

    When you force the pace out of fear and impatience, you create a nest of problems that require fixing, and you end up taking much longer than if you had taken your time.

    Hurriers may occasionally get there quicker, but papers fly everywhere, new dangers arise, and they find themselves in constant crisis mode, fixing the problems that they themselves have created. Sometimes not acting in the face of danger is your best move—you wait, you deliberately slow down. As time passes it will eventually present opportunities you had not imagined.

    Waiting involves controlling not only your own emotions but those of your colleagues, who, mistaking action for power, may try to push you into making rash moves.

    In your rivals, on the other hand, you can encourage this same mistake: If you let them rush headlong into trouble while you stand back and wait, you will soon find ripe moments to intervene and pick up the pieces.

    This wise policy was the principal strategy of the great early-seventeenth-century emperor Tokugawa Ieyasu of Japan. When his predecessor, the headstrong Hideyoshi, whom he served as a general, staged a rash invasion of Korea, Ieyasu did not involve himself.

    He knew the invasion would be a disaster and would lead to Hideyoshi’s downfall.

    Better to stand patiently on the sidelines, even for many years, and then be in position to seize power when the time is right—exactly what Ieyasu did, with great artistry.

    THE TROUT AND THE GUDGEON 
    
    A Fisherman in the month of May stood angling on the bank of the Thames with an artificial fly. He threw his bait with so much art, that a young trout was rushing toward it, when she was prevented by her mother. 
    
    “Never,” said she, “my child, be too precipitate, where there is a possibility of danger. Take due time to consider, before you risk an action that may be fatal. 
    
    How know you whether yon appearance be indeed a fly, or the snare of an enemy? 
    
    Let someone else make the experiment before you. If it be a fly, he will very probably elude the first attack: and the second may be made, if not with success, at least with safety.” She had no sooner spoken, than a gudgeon seized the pretended fly, and became an example to the giddy daughter of the importance of her mother’s counsel.
    
    -FABLES, ROBERT DODSLEY, 1703-1764

    You do not deliberately slow time down to live longer, or to take more pleasure in the moment, but the better to play the game of power. First, when your mind is uncluttered by constant emergencies you will see further into the future. Second, you will be able to resist the baits that people dangle in front of you, and will keep yourself from becoming another impatient sucker. Third, you will have more room to be flexible. Opportunities will inevitably arise that you had not expected and would have missed had you forced the pace. Fourth, you will not move from one deal to the next without completing the first one. To build your power’s foundation can take years; make sure that foundation is secure. Do not be a flash in the pan—success that is built up slowly and surely is the only kind that lasts.

    Finally, slowing time down will give you a perspective on the times you live in, letting you take a certain distance and putting you in a less emotionally charged position to see the shapes of things to come. Hurriers will often mistake surface phenomena for a real trend, seeing only what they want to see. How much better to see what is really happening, even if it is unpleasant or makes your task harder.

    Forced Time.

    The trick in forcing time is to upset the timing of others—to make them hurry, to make them wait, to make them abandon their own pace, to distort their perception of time. By upsetting the timing of your opponent while you stay patient, you open up time for yourself, which is half the game.

    In 1473 the great Turkish sultan Mehmed the Conqueror invited negotiations with Hungary to end the off-and-on war the two countries had waged for years. When the Hungarian emissary arrived in Turkey to start the talks, Turkish officials humbly apologized—Mehmed had just left Istanbul, the capital, to battle his longtime foe, Uzun Hasan.

    But he urgently wanted peace with Hungary, and had asked that the emissary join him at the front.

    When the emissary arrived at the site of the fighting, Mehmed had already left it, moving eastward in pursuit of his swift foe.

    This happened several times.

    Wherever the emissary stopped, the Turks lavished gifts and banquets on him, in pleasurable but time-consuming ceremonies. Finally Mehmed defeated Uzun and met with the emissary.

    Yet his terms for peace with Hungary were excessively harsh.

    After a few days, the negotiations ended, and the usual stalemate remained in place.

    But this was fine with Mehmed. In fact he had planned it that way all along: Plotting his campaign against Uzun, he had seen that diverting his armies to the east would leave his western flank vulnerable. To prevent Hungary from taking advantage of his weakness and his preoccupation elsewhere, he first dangled the lure of peace before his enemy, then made them wait—all on his own terms.

    Making people wait is a powerful way of forcing time, as long as they do not figure out what you are up to.

    You control the clock, they linger in limbo—and rapidly come unglued, opening up opportunities for you to strike.

    The opposite effect is equally powerful: You make your opponents hurry.

    Start off your dealings with them slowly, then suddenly apply pressure, making them feel that everything is happening at once. People who lack the time to think will make mistakes—so set their deadlines for them.

    This was the technique Machiavelli admired in Cesare Borgia, who, during negotiations, would suddenly press vehemently for a decision, upsetting his opponent’s timing and patience. For who would dare make Cesare wait?

    Joseph Duveen, the famous art dealer, knew that if he gave an indecisive buyer like John D. Rockefeller a deadline—the painting had to leave the country, another tycoon was interested in it—the client would buy just in time.

    Freud noticed that patients who had spent years in psychoanalysis without improvement would miraculously recover just in time if he fixed a definite date for the end of the therapy.

    Jacques Lacan, the famous French psychoanalyst, used a variation on this tactic—he would sometimes end the customary hour session of therapy after only ten minutes, without warning.

    After this happened several times, the patient would realize that he had better make maximum use of the time, rather than wasting much of the hour with a lot of talk that meant nothing.

    The deadline, then, is a powerful tool.

    Close off the vistas of indecision and force people to make up their damn minds or get to the point never let them make you play on their excruciating terms.

    Never give them time.

    Magicians and showmen are experts in forcing time. Houdini could often wriggle free of handcuffs in minutes, but he would draw the escape out to an hour, making the audience sweat, as time came to an apparent standstill.

    Magicians have always known that the best way to alter our perception of time is often to slow down the pace. Creating suspense brings time to a terrifying pause: The slower the magician’s hands move, the easier it is to create the illusion of speed, making people think the rabbit has appeared instantaneously.

    The great nineteenth-century magician Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin took explicit notice of this effect: “The more slowly a story is told,” he said, “the shorter it seems.”

    Going slower also makes what you are doing more interesting—the audience yields to your pace, becomes entranced. It is a state in which time whizzes delightfully by. You must practice such illusions, which share in the hypnotist’s power to alter perceptions of time.

    End Time.

    You can play the game with the utmost artistry—waiting patiently for the right moment to act, putting your competitors off their form by messing with their timing—but it won’t mean a thing unless you know how to finish.

    Do not be one of those people who look like paragons of patience but are actually just afraid to bring things to a close: Patience is worthless unless combined with a willingness to fall ruthlessly on your opponent at the right moment.

    You can wait as long as necessary for the conclusion to come, but when it comes it must come quickly. Use speed to paralyze your opponent, cover up any mistakes you might make, and impress people with your aura of authority and finality.

    With the patience of a snake charmer, you draw the snake out with calm and steady rhythms. Once the snake is out, though, would you dangle your foot above its deadly head? There is never a good reason to allow the slightest hitch in your endgame. Your mastery of timing can really only be judged by how you work with end time—how you quickly change the pace and bring things to a swift and definitive conclusion.

    Image: The Hawk. Patiently and silently it circles the sky, high
    above, all-seeing with its powerful eyes. Those below have
    no awareness that they are being tracked. Suddenly,
    when the moment arrives, the hawk swoops
    down with a speed that cannot be de
    fended against; before its prey
    knows what has happened,
    the bird’s viselike talons
    have carried it
    up into the
    sky.
    Authority: 
    
    There is a tide in the affairs of men, / Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; / Omitted, all the voyage of their life / Is bound in shallows and in miseries. 
    
    -(Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare, 1564-1616)

    REVERSAL

    There is no power to be gained in letting go of the reins and adapting to whatever time brings. To some degree you must guide time or you will be its merciless victim. There is accordingly no reversal to this law.

    Overview of Law #35: Master the Art of Timing

    Anticipate the ebb and flow of power. Recognize when the time is right, and align yourself with the right side. Be patient and wait for your moment when you know you’ll benefit in the long run. Master the art of timing. When it’s time to make your end move against an opponent, strike without hesitation.

    Principles of Law 35

    In the quest for power, timing is everything. To take advantage of changing fortunes, you need to recognize the moment to act. Constantly read the signs and ally yourself with the right side. But be ready to switch again right before the pendulum swings. 

    According to Law 35 of the 48 Laws of Power, to survive and thrive while others are swept away, apply these principles:

    • Recognize change in the air: Be alert to the undercurrent as well as what’s happening around the edges of society. Rather than aligning with a crumbling past, look for the new leaders and movements to join.
    • Anticipate the reaction: When a new movement gathers momentum or a new power takes the throne, anticipate a reactionary wave and be ready to ride it.
    • Be patient and keep your cool: When things get chaotic, keep a low profile and play for time so you can see the right moment when it comes again.

    You can master the art of timing in three ways:

    Take the Long View

    One way to apply Law 35 of the 48 Laws of Power is to take the long view. There’s a time frame that stretches years ahead and should be viewed with an eye to opportunity. Have a defensive strategy and play a patient, waiting game.

    Waiting requires controlling your emotions and those of your colleagues who might get impatient and push you to act at the wrong time. It’s better to let your rivals rush to act, if you know they’ll fail. You can wait and pick up the pieces. In the 17th century, General Ieyasu of Japan knew that invading Korea would be a disaster. He simply waited while the emperor launched an invasion against his advice, which indeed failed. It took years, but when the emperor fell Ieyasu seized power. Ieyasu mastered the art of timing.

    Taking the long view has several advantages:

    • When you’re not in immediate or crisis mode, you’re more clear-eyed and can see farther into the future.
    • You’ll be able to resist others’ intentional provocations.
    • You can be more flexible and able to take advantage of opportunities along the way that you would miss by rushing.
    • You can be methodical, completing each step properly before moving to the next.
    • When making long-range decisions, you’ll be less driven by emotion.

    Force Your Opponent’s Hand

    Another principle of Law 35 of the 48 Laws of Power is to force your opponent’s hand. There is a short, immediate time frame in which you can act offensively to upset the timing of your opponents.

    The Turkish sultan Mehmed distracted Hungary from noticing he was vulnerable to attack while he battled another foe. Mehmed did this by inviting Hungarian officials to negotiations, then repeatedly postponing the meetings after they arrived. They waited, on his terms, until he finally returned from battle and canceled the whole thing.

    In contrast to making your opponents wait, you can make them hurry. You can start dealing with someone slowly, then suddenly speed things up: Demand a decision or set an unrealistic deadline. Under pressure, they’re likely to make mistakes.

    Salespeople use this technique by telling you that someone else is interested in the item you’re thinking of buying, so you’d better put money down right away. This is another way to master the art of timing.

    Finish the Job

    The third step to Law 35 of the 48 Laws of Power is to finish the job. There’s a specific moment when you need to execute your plan, forcefully and without hesitation. Patience has its place, but when it’s time to act, you must act, suddenly pouncing on your opponent and ending the game conclusively.

    Conclusion

    During the Trade War with China (2016 to 2020), did you notice which side had control of the time? Was it Donald Trump and his neocon advisors, or was it China? And when the United States tried to force a “color revolution” in Hong Kong through use of the NED, it was China that controlled the pace and the timing of the events.

    Currently the United States is trying to force China to make a move against Taiwan. I would be willing to bet that any action or activity against Taiwan would be on Chinese terms and following a Chinese timetable.

    Be smart and learn from this law.

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    The great danger; stopping your intention campaign when only a few objectives have materialized

    Here we are going to talk about a very common theme with intention / prayer campaigns. It’s when you stop running a campaign because some of your objectives and goals have been realized and materialized.

    • Is it desirable?
    • What are the consequences?
    • What are the benefits?

    Here, and let me be clear on this, there is a big difference between a pause between campaigns and the complete end of doing any kind of intention campaign.

    Once you start working intention campaigns you need to continue to do so for the rest of your life. If you do not, all your gains will eventually evaporate away. And like dust, everything that you have worked towards will just blow away like dust in the wind.

    Everything.

    And you will regress back to the pre-birth world-line template “path” that you started out on.

    Surprise!

    I’ll bet that you weren’t expecting that.

    Scene from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.

    It’s all about the pre-birth template world-line

    The issue here, and what I want to emphasize, is that the pre-birth template is very important. It is more than just the world-line that you started out as. It is the box of the entire set of initial conditions that will control you for the rest of your life.

    For those of you that believe in astrology, it is similar to how if you were born a Leo, or a Libra, or a Scorpio that you would continue to behave with those traits no matter where you move to, who you know, and what career you take. It is fundamentally encoded into your physical body.

    As long as you conduct intention campaigns and prayer affirmations, you can navigate your ways and paths throughout your life. And when you pause between campaigns the affirmation campaign has a chance to run the program that you put into motion.

    But when you stop, not pause, but come to a full and complete stop your world-lines will start to “drift” back to your initial conditions. This is not something that you want to happen.

    And thus we have the term “drifting back”.

    It’s easy enough to prevent, however. You just make sure that you continue conducting periodic “maintenance prayers” that provide good will and acknowledgement of the good things in your life that you want to keep and maintain.

    “Maintenance Prayers”

    If you ever decide to “hang up” and end your life of on and off prayer intention campaigns, you will find that your life will start (over a period of time) to drift back to the pre-birth initial conditions world-line that you began this embarkation upon.

    Obviously you do not want that.

    As most of your materialized desires will evaporate.

    So what do you do? You don’t want to conduct any more prayer / intention campaigns, and you also don’t want your life to regress back to what it was when you started. How to reconcile these two attributes?

    The thing to prevent, and the thing to do, is to conduct periodic “maintenance prayer” affirmations. These are nothing more than a set of unstructured verbal affirmations that you make from time to time. Something like this…

    • My current life is stable, safe and secure.
    • There are no major serious or adverse things that happen to me or my loved ones.

    And that is it. You don’t need to do much more than that.

    The ideal way to run long duration affirmation campaigns

    To prevent “drift back” you need to conduct on and off intention prayer campaigns for the duration of your life. You run a campaign and then you pause. Then you run another campaign and so on and so forth.

    These campaigns need not be long or large or have ambitious goals. But they should contain your prayers and desires so that you are able to navigate your life towards what you desire it to be or become.

    You also need to include the aspects of your life that you have, and that you appreciate within your affirmation campaign. If you are happy in your life, then you must add an affirmation that says that you are happy and satisfied with your life. If you like having Saturday morning breakfasts with bacon and coffee and that is important to you, then please go ahead and make that part of your campaign.

    The point is that if you do not maintain the things that you love about your life, they could just as easily evaporate away from your grasp.

    The disappearing items

    I once had an affirmation campaign for a “big luxury automobile”. This was years ago, back before 9-11. And in those days the way and means for me to control my crazy life from the jarring amount of slides and jiggling world-line realities was to focus on my affirmations. And, as a result, in a very short period of time I learned that I could pray for just about anything, and it would appear.

    So a Cadillac DeVille appeared in my life. And I loved that sucker. It was big and roomy. It has a white / creme interior and a teal blue exterior. It was roomy. Roomy. When you got inside, all the noise of the outside world left and you were in a calm and nice relaxed bubble. And I loved to accelerate while going up a hill. That was great.

    But, alas, once my goals were realized. I was living fine. And so I stopped my affirmation campaigns. I just went ahead and lived life. I was just happy “doing my thing”, and chilling out with what I had.

    A Cadillac DeVille from the television series The Sopranos.

    And then, just as suddenly as I obtained the car, I lost it.

    And then (at that time) when I looked around me, I noticed that just about everything that I had materialized via my affirmation campaigns were all disappearing. One by one, they were all going away. And I found myself…

    • Living in the same county where I grew up in.
    • Driving a vehicle with the nearly identical set of problems that I had when I first started my campaigns.
    • Single (which was my marriage state when I first started my campaigns).
    • A near zero bank account balance. Just within a few dollars of what it was when I first started my campaign.

    And I came to the conclusion that maybe I shouldn’t have stopped my affirmation campaigns.

    The morphing of relationships

    To really and truly understand what is going on here, you need to go back to the most fundamental premise. That thoughts create our reality.

    Now, get go even deeper.

    Thoughts ARE our reality.

    And if you look at life in this far deeper and richer way, then you can actually see that everything you see around you is a physical manifestation of a thought. And while they might have a degree of “stickiness” to your world-lines (that you travel upon) the “stickiness” will go away as your thoughts start taking your situation for granted.

    If you don’t water a flower, it will die.

    If you have a skill and don’t use it, you will forget how to use it.

    And if you have materialized realities and items, relationships and lifestyle, unless you maintain them within your affirmation campaigns, you will lose them. All things that exist in your reality are comprised of organized quanta.

    And the organization is shaped by your thoughts.

    If you do not materialize, and refresh those thoughts, they will be influenced by the thoughts associated with “shadow consciousnesses” and they will change and morph into something else. The only way that you can stop that is to …

    • Maintain periodic on / off intention prayer campaigns.
    • Include affirmation text and saying that reinforce that you want to keep the things you desire and discard those that you do not.

    The “grow back” effect

    So unless you “water your garden” periodically, and tend to it you will have all sorts of problems. You will have weeds start to grow. You will have cross-pollination of plants. You will have rabbits that came in and nibble at the leaves, and children that will come in and pick the green tomatoes. You will have insects chew up your bounty, and weird plant diseases that will devastate your entire crop.

    You will need to be vigilant.

    So you do not want that “old life” of yours to “grow back”. You want to be in control of your life and you don’t want all the old things that you have discarded to start to manifest back into your life again. You need to continuing to navigate through the MWI. And like a plane that is flying through a storm, you just don’t say “Well, I’m gonna stop of a while and see what happens”. Life does not work that way.

    When you start to navigate your life on the world-lines, you will need to continue to do so until your life ends.

    Affirmations that you can use

    If you have no plans to terminate a lifestyle that includes rolling prayer/intention campaigns, you might want to add this affirmation to your campaign…

    • My affirmation campaigns continue with normal pauses and continuity.

    And if you do not want to continue your campaigns and get back to a pre-affirmation life, then you might want to add this affirmation into your final campaign…

    • All of what I have manifested by any of my actions, thoughts or intention campaigns does not regress back to a previous level that existed prior to launching any of my campaigns.

    Conclusions

    Thoughts ARE our reality. Once you stop navigating the MWI, your old previously determined world-line path will begin to materialize all over again. And you will start out pretty much, where you left off.

    The only way for you to prevent this is to constantly conduct periodic on and off prayer affirmation campaigns for the rest of your life.

    And know that the IMAGES that you observe, and the IMAGES that others see you in are all contributors to the lifestyle that you will obtain. Be careful. Be good. Be kind, and above all else think good thoughts towards everyone.

    Thoughts ARE our reality.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts related to this in my Affirmation Campaign index here…

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    The amazing art of Henri-Paul Motte highlighting some of my personal favorites

    Henri-Paul Motte (13 December 1846 – 1 April 1922) was a 19th-century French painter from Pariswho specialised in history painting and historical genre. Motte was a pupil of Jean-Léon Gérôme and began to exhibit at the Paris Salon from 1874 onwards.
    
    -Henri-Paul Motte - 12 artworks - painting

    There is very little information about French artist Henri-Paul Motte (1846 – 1922) online. Motte studied under Jean-Léon Gérôme and was a regular exhibitor at the Paris Salon.

    I love his work, and I consider it very curious and interesting. However when I point it out to some of the younger folk today they just shrug their shoulders and say that Instagram has better photos, and that painting and art is too “rigid” and not suitable for their tastes.

    They explain that representative art is just an old style of photography from before the time of the invention of the camera. Since the camera is “better” at recording images, that art need not be true to form, but can be free-form and shapeless.

    I disagree.

    I guess that I am just an old codger. I guess.

    Here’s some great examples of Motte’s work. To fully appreciate what is going on, you do need a few short history lessons. But, it’s all fun and very interesting. I’ll tell you what.

    The Fiancée of Belus

    I’ve always loved this painting. It’s rather fantastic, and unlikely to be historically accurate, but never the less, it’s beautiful.

    For the Tyrian king in Roman mythology, see Belus (Tyrian). Belus was the son of Poseidon and Libya; a descendant of the river god Inachus and nymph Melia. His brother was King Agenor of Phoenicia and he was married to Achiroe, the daughter of the river god Chremetes. Achiroe's sister Telephassa, was married to Agenor.
    
    -Belus | Mythology wiki

    Cardinal Richelieu at the Siege of La Rochelle

    The painting is concerned with a major player of the “Thirty Years War”.

    Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu, Cardinal-Duc de Richelieu (September 9, 1585 – December 4, 1642), was a French clergyman, noble, and statesman. He was consecrated as a bishop in 1607, he later entered politics, becoming a Secretary of State in 1616. Richelieu soon rose in both the Church and the state, becoming a cardinal in 1622, and King Louis XIII's chief minister in 1624. He remained in office until his death in 1642; he was succeeded by Jules Cardinal Mazarin.
    
    The Cardinal de Richelieu was often known by the title of the King's "Chief Minister." He sought to consolidate royal power and crush domestic factions. By restraining the power of the nobility, he transformed France into a strong, centralized state. His chief foreign policy objective was to check the power of the Austro-Spanish Habsburg dynasty. Although he was a Roman Catholic cardinal, he did not hesitate to make alliances with Protestant rulers in attempting to achieve this goal. His tenure was marked by the Thirty Years' War that engulfed Europe.
    
    -Cardinal Richelieu - New World Encyclopedia

    Druids Cutting the Mistletoe on the Sixth Day of the Moon

    Who were the Druids?

    Well, when Roman armies set about the conquest of Iron Age Britain in AD 43, they later attacked Anglesey under the command of Suetonius Paullinus. The Romans’ Celtic enemies appeared at the shore, among them women in black with torches aflame, resembling mythical Furies.

    Suetonius – ultimately victorious – took care to demolish his opponents’ sacred altars, which were stained with the blood of sacrificed humans.

    The ones apparently responsible for this were the Druids, the educated ‘upper’ class who supposedly officiated as magician-priests, even lawmakers, and who shielded the mysteries of Celtic religious beliefs.

    Julius Caesar – in his Gallic Wars – also mentions human sacrifice among the Celtic upper echelons, with their victims immolated in a huge pyre. (The inspiration for the 1973 pagan horror movie, The Wicker Man.)

    Ancient historian Diodorus Siculus mentioned that one of the Druids’ methods of divining the future was to stab a man in the chest, then observe how he moved in his death throes. So could these elite, educated men also be the barbarians committing human sacrifice?

    For that matter, how much do we really know about the Druids, anyway?

    Some authorities say we know next to nothing, and not even the accounts of ancient historians are to be relied upon. One of them is Professor Ronald Hutton – and I agree (the reasons are given below.)

    As the Daily Telegraph once reported:

    ‘In 1984, peat-cutters at Lindow Moss in Cheshire found a well-preserved body which was eventually dated to the first century AD. 
    
    ‘Lindow Man’ … appeared to have undergone a ritual killing, and his stomach contents included grains of mistletoe pollen. 
    
    Proof at last, it was said, that the Greeks and Romans were right: Druidic sacrifice was a grisly business, involving both mistletoe and blood. But when Ronald Hutton discusses this evidence, he shows that not a single detail can be relied on. 
    
    The pollen consisted of four grains – a literally microscopic quantity, which might have just blown on to the man’s lunch. 
    
    What looked like garroting might have been just the effects of a corroded necklace, and the gash to the man’s jugular could have been caused by peat-cutting equipment. 
    
    As for the Greek and Roman authors, few had any first-hand knowledge of Druids in either Gaul or Britain; and the one who was best placed to gain it, Julius Caesar, seems to have copied his information about Druids out of somebody else’s writings instead.’

    Despite (or because) of our lack of inner knowledge of the Druids, they have fascinated commentators for generations. This is especially true for modern neo-pagans, drawn to their veneer of secrecy and their mystique as guardians of unfathomable, arcane wisdom.

    But there are no texts recording their own beliefs, no contemporary origin stories, as with Christianity – there is no ancient Celtic Bible!

    Accordingly, the word ‘Druid’ is not Celtic but a conflation of the Greek word drus (oak tree or oak wood) and the Indo-European infinitive wid (‘to know’). Thus, a Druid is, metaphorically, ‘one who knows the oak’.

    Oak trees have a special totemic power and sanctity in Celtic tradition.

    It was the Druids’ task to interpret the handiwork of the gods in all its forms, and with its long age and great size, the oak represents everything that speaks of life, that has strength, that endures, that appears immortal, even.

    The Druids and the Mistletoe

    This brings us to that fabled object of ritual desire, the mistletoe. In fact, we’re about to open the door to a treasure trove of magical symbolism. Here is what the Roman historian Pliny (c. AD 77) had to say about the Druids:

    ‘The Druids—for that is the name they give to their magicians held nothing more sacred than the mistletoe and the tree that bears it, supposing always that tree to be the robur [Latin for oak]… 
    
    In fact, it is the notion with them that everything that grows on it has been sent immediately from heaven, and that the mistletoe upon it is a proof that the tree has been selected by God himself as an object of his especial favor. 
    
    The mistletoe, however, is but rarely found upon the robur; and when found, is gathered with rites replete with religious awe … 
    
    Having made due preparation for the sacrifice and a banquet beneath the trees, they bring thither two white bulls, the horns of which are bound then for, the first time. 
    
    Clad in a white robe the priest ascends the tree, and cuts the mistletoe with a golden sickle, which is received by others in a white cloak. 
    
    They then immolate the victims … 
    
    It is the belief with them that the mistletoe, taken in drink, will impart fecundity to all animals that are barren, and that it is an antidote for all poisons.’ 

    We’ll soon see how fanciful this is, but apparently, in the ancient Druid tongue, the word for mistletoe translated as ‘all-healing’, and the parasite mistletoe is indeed said to be used in early medicine. (Even in the 20th century it was thought to be able to cure epilepsy.)

    And yet, the plant is also known to be toxic, and one wonders how safely it was used.

    The Geese of the Capital

    Rome is often viewed in a few set periods. The Fledgling founding by Romulus, the Punic Wars, the Civil wars and Empire, and finally the fall. Once Rome grew to cover most of Italy they it exploded into the Mediterranean, scooping up new territory with almost every war, but the struggle for Italy was a long and taxing period for Rome.

    They fought many fierce enemies near and far and in wars lasting generations. The great siege of Veii was a monumental undertaking of a strong rival city only ten miles away, and that took approximately ten years to complete.

    When hordes of Celts came rampaging through Italy, the Romans were simply not prepared for the new and fearsome enemies from outside their familiar Italy.

    The Celtic expansions of the 6th-3rd centuries BCE caused a lot of early commotion throughout Europe. It would bring about the growth of a Celtiberian realm in Spain, and the Celts traveled so far that they formed their own state in the middle of modern Turkey. A group of Celts known as the Senone was led through Italy by their commander, Brennus.

    The Senone Gauls were threatening the nearby town of Clusium, when Roman Ambassadors from the Fabii family were sent to negotiate peace for Clusium. The Romans were notoriously aggressive, and so it is only a little surprising that when a scuffle broke out between the Gauls and Clusians, the Fabii joined in and actually killed a Senone chieftain.

    The Roman people voted to decide the fate of those who broke the sacred conduct of ambassadors, but the Fabii were so popular that they were instead voted to some of the highest positions in Rome. This absolutely infuriated Brennus and his people and they abandoned everything and headed straight for Rome.

    Rome was woefully unprepared for this sudden attack.

    The Gauls had marched with purpose, declaring to all the towns they passed that they would not harm them, they were heading straight for Rome. The numbers are heavily disputed for this battle with figures ranging from 9,000 to 40,0000 for either side. It seems likely that each side had about 12-15,000 men, but the Gauls had hardened veterans and the Romans mostly raw recruits. The Romans had also earlier exiled a celebrated commander Camillus on corruption charges.

    Brennus

    The battle for the defense of Rome was fought near the Tiber and Allia rivers. The Gauls seemed to have a slight numbers advantage and the Romans, under command of one or a group of Tribunes, decided to put a reserve force on a nearby hill. The hope was to counter-flank the Gauls if the broke through the Roman center or enveloped the wings.

    Brennus saw through this and decided to send a force straight at the Roman hilltop reserves.

    The surprised Romans soon fled. The rest of the battle was an utter disaster for the Romans, likely fearing this new and significantly larger enemy. Many Romans scattered to the recently conquered Veii and many others went to Rome. Many drowned trying to cross the river while still wearing armor.

    The Gauls were astonished by how easy their victory was.

    Rome only had control of a few dozen miles around their city but had built up a powerful reputation throughout Italy. It took only a day for the Gauls to reach Rome, and again they were surprised by how lightly defended it seemed to be.

    The light defense was due to the sheer panic following the battle, only a small portion of the survivors were able to make it back to Rome. People fled to nearby cities or the country, many of the priests and priestesses took their religious artifacts out of the city. Those who stayed mostly fortified the steep Capitoline Hill, though some of the nobles and elderly decided to defend their homes.

    When the Gauls stormed the walls they killed these lingering men and rampaged through the city. They soon realized that the bulk of the remaining inhabitants were entrenched in the tall Capitoline hill and promptly attacked, full of confidence from their earlier victories. For the first time, the Romans effectively fought back, easily holding the high ground.

    The assault a disaster, Brennus decided to simply lay siege to the hill and sent his men out to forage supplies.

    Here they came to blows with the exiled Camillus, who organized a resistance from a nearby town. Back in Veii the disgraced Roman survivors fought back against some Etruscan Raiders hoping to take advantage of the defeat. The Romans in Veii marshaled under the command of Quintus Caedicius, a respected Centurion.

    Caedicius saw that hope rested with Camillus commanding the counter attack.

    It is from here on that some truly unbelievable, almost humorous events ensued. To get permission for the exiled Camillus to lead, Caedicius had to get approval from the senate on the besieged Capitoline. A messenger snuck through the Gallic camp and scaled the unguarded cliff side of the hill to deliver the message. It was quickly decided to restore Camillus to his command and to give him dictatorial powers and then the messenger snuck his way out again.

    Though official word was received the attempt greatly risked the lives of all who resided on the Capitoline for the Senone scouts discovered the messenger’s footprints and figured out that there was a way to scale the cliffs. They choose a night with a full moon and sent their bravest warriors up the cliff. The ascent was so skillful that neither the Roman sentries nor their dogs noticed anything, but the Geese did.

    The Geese were actually a sacred animal of Juno, kept and fed on the Capitoline despite the dwindling food. they began quacking and honking relentlessly and some of the sleeping Romans were awakened. The first to respond was a man named Manlius.

    Manlius did not hesitate for a second and charged the few Gauls cresting the top of the cliff. He killed one and pushed another off the cliff with his shield.

    Soon other Romans joined the fight and killed the remaining Gauls as they came up. Other Gauls still clinging to the rocks had little hope of survival as the Romans threw javelins and rocks at them until they fell to their death.

    After this battle the Gauls themselves suffered some disease and food shortages, as they laid siege to the Romans. With both sides in a difficult position, negotiations were made to pay the Gauls to leave. As the humiliated Romans loaded gold onto the scales they noticed that the Gauls were rigging the weights to make the Romans pay more than agreed.

    Brennus calmly threw his sword on with the Gallic weights and said the famous words “Vae victis” meaning “woe to the vanquished/conquered”, words that the Romans would take to heart. Successive generations would fight with great ferocity in order to never hear those words again.

    Vae victis” meaning “woe to the vanquished/conquered”

    The sources are unclear, but it seems that before the transaction of gold was actually complete the Dictator Camillus appeared on the scene. As dictator, he declared the gold deal void and demanded that the Gauls leave immediately. Camillus told the Romans that they would win back their city through steel, not by gold.

    The Gauls were furious by the retraction of the gold that they were so close to acquiring and marched out to attack Camillus’ newly formed army comprised of the survivors of the earlier battle at Allia and many new volunteers. The Romans under the skilled command of Camillus won an easy victory and attacked the retreating Gauls and completely sacked their camp and killed almost every Gaul.

    The sources for this story are often not in agreement  were written generations after the events. The Geese are a common theme and their saving of the Capitoline is just crazy enough to be plausible. Camillus’ timely intervention and complete defeat of Brennus’ army may have been added to make for a less humiliating story, though other humiliating aspects are left in the accounts.

    The ambassadors flagrantly disregarding the peaceful role and killing Gauls is certainly embarrassing, despite how the men themselves were viewed by their fellow Romans.

    The initial Roman defeat is never put in any sort of good light, it was a humiliating loss and represented that way. So the story could have occurred as written above through primarily Livy as a source. Other sources have the Gauls leaving with the gold and being defeated at a later date, but what we do know is that Rome was very nearly completely captured by a foreign foe, and miraculously saved by some spooked geese.

    By William McLaughlin for War History Online All credit due to William in this great write up.

    Seige of La Rachelle

    The siege of the Huguenot stronghold of La Rochelle by the forces of Louis XIII, 1627-9, was a huge operation that lasted for fifteen months. The king’s forces had to devise massive seaward barriers to prevent the English, who had occupied the fle de Re, from assisting their Huguenot allies. Three-quarters of the population died from starvation.
    
    -Siege of La Rochelle | Weapons and Warfare

    Hannibals crossing of the Rhone

    At the beginning of the treacherous passage, Hannibal entered Gaul with 50,000 infantry and 9,000 cavalry. He then crossed the Rhone river with 38,000 infantry and 8,000 cavalry. After crossing the Alps, Hannibal controlled 12,000 African and 8,000 Spanish infantry.
    
    -Why did Hannibal cross the Alps ? | History Forum

    Hannibal’s plan of persuading the Roman allies to join him required him to take the Second Punic War to Italy.  

    In order to do so, he had huge obstacles to overcome.  

    The feat alone of transporting an entire army of men and elephants to Italy is evidence of Hannibal’s military aptitude.

    The first of these great obstacles came at the 800 yard wide Rhone River. To add to the difficulty of crossing such a body of water, the Volcae people, natives of the Rhone River, wished to stop him. They gathered all of their boats and moved to the far side of the river, intending to use it as a barrier and fight Hannibal while he was vulnerable in crossing.  

    The traditional military strategies of the time would have Hannibal to attempt to find another place to cross the river. Fortunately, Hannibal did not believe in following the traditional approach anymore than Caesar did.  He came up with a new way to cross and thus once again proved himself to be a great innovator.

    When he reached the river, Hannibal gathered what few boats he could find from the inhabitants who stayed in their homes.  

    The Gauls aided him by hollowing out the trunks of trees to make canoes and then taught his Spanish soldiers how to do so.  The problem of how to cross sorted, Hannibal had to find a way to cross without being destroyed by the Volcae.

    An army trying to cross a river cannot fight back, particularly when its enemy has arrows.

    Hannibal selected Hanno from among his officers to lead a division of Spaniards and Gaul guides upriver to cross out of sight of the enemy.

    After a day of marching, Hanno and his company found a shallow part of the river and easily crossed—many of the Spaniards swam with their shields on their backs while the others quickly made rafts for the horses. They proceeded to march uphill behind the Volcae and lit a fire.

    When Hannibal saw the smoke of Hanno’s fire, he ordered his men to begin crossing the river.

    The Volcae were so focused on Hannibal’s army crossing that they did not know Hanno approached from behind. Hanno easily took their camp as they started to fight Hannibal. When the Volcae became aware of the ambush, they realized they were surrounded and fled.

    Hannibal specialized in preparing for battles, setting the field up so he could surround or ambush superior forces. Few would have thought to send a small group of men on a three day detour to fight a force on the other side of the river, yet a head-on attack would surely have spelled doom for Hannibal.

    The surrounding of the Volcae was not Hannibal’s only innovation at the Rhone, however. He was also very creative in how he actually crossed the river. He had a long line of boats moored upstream completely covering the width of the river so that the lighter vessels could be rowed on the side sheltered from the wind and current (Dodge 181).  This enabled his men, largely inexperienced at sailing, to cross calm water easily.  Most of his horses swam but several were taken over barges fully tacked up so they would be ready for battle on the moment of crossing.

    The elephants proved to be the greatest challenge for crossing the Rhone.

    As Hannibal’s elephants were bred in captivity, they never learned to swim, making it difficult to convince them to cross a river.  

    Two theories are held about how he got the elephants across. The first, and most simple, follows the principle of herd mentality. The driver of the dominant female elephant teased her until she chased him into the river. The rest of the elephants, as herd animals, then followed her into the river and across.

    The second, longer theory, if true, demonstrates more great innovations of Hannibal. He had two 200’X50’ rafts made and covered with dirt so they looked like ground. The first raft was moored to the side and would not move while the second lay loose just beyond. The elephants were coaxed onto the first, then second raft and on that moved to the other side. According to Livy, who is the source of this theory, many got scared and jumped off the rafts and swam the rest of the way ashore.  

    Both theories are evidence of the original thinking of Hannibal and his ability to overcome all adversities.

    The Trojan Horse

    The Trojan Horse is a story from the Trojan War about the subterfuge that the Greeks used to enter the independent city of Troy and win the war. 
    
    In the canonical version, after a fruitless 10-year siege, the Greeks constructed a huge wooden horse and hid a select force of men inside, including Odysseus. 
    
    The Greeks pretended to sail away, and the Trojans pulled the horse into their city as a victory trophy. That night the Greek force crept out of the horse and opened the gates for the rest of the Greek army, which had sailed back under cover of night. 
    
    The Greeks entered and destroyed the city of Troy, ending the war.
    
    -Wikipedia

    Trojan horse, huge hollow wooden horse constructed by the Greeks to gain entrance into Troy during the Trojan War. The horse was built by Epeius, a master carpenter and pugilist.

    The Greeks, pretending to desert the war, sailed to the nearby island of Tenedos, leaving behind Sinon, who persuaded the Trojans that the horse was an offering to Athena (goddess of war) that would make Troy impregnable.

    Despite the warnings of Laocoön and Cassandra, the horse was taken inside the city gates.

    That night Greek warriors emerged from it and opened the gates to let in the returned Greek army.

    The story is told at length in Book II of the Aeneid and is touched upon in the Odyssey.

    The Mirage

    Mirage
    An optical illusion caused by atmospheric conditions, especially the appearance of a sheet of water in a desert or on a hot road caused by the refraction of light from the sky by heated air.

    Vercingetorix Before Caesar

    The Gallic chief Vercingetorix (72-46 BC) surrendering to the Roman chief Julius Caesar (100-44 BC) after the battle of Alesia in 52 BC. Painting by Henri Motte (1846-1922) 1886. Crozatier Museum, Le Puy en Velay, France.

    César s’ennuie

    “Ennuyer” (to Bore).

    He we look at Caesar, bored, looking at the caged captives. As he decides on what to do with them.

    Napoleon in Front of the Throne

    In 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte, a general in the army, was named first consul of the French Republic. But Napoleon’s ambitions were too large for the role. At the end of 1804, he crowned himself Emperor of the French in an elaborate, highly planned ceremony. By that time, he had brought much of continental Europe under French control.

    Junos Geese Save the Capitol

    Another painting that aptly describes how the geese saved Rome.

    All that we have of this image is a blurry black and white photograph of it. As the original, I believe, has long been destroyed and is now obliterated from viewing.

    Die Gartenlaube (the Garden Arbor)

    I’m not quite sure what this painting represents. But in full color and in it’s magnificent size, it must have been spectacular. I am sure that it resided over a mantle within one of the great homes in Europe.

    Unfortunately all that remains of this work is this black and white poor photograph of it. We can well imagine that it was destroyed during one of the great wars of Europe. And all we can have is the pale copy of a blurry photograph.

    Die Gartenlaube

    This work of art is probably a black and white photograph of a work that has become lost, misplaced, or damaged over the years. We should consider ourselves fortunate to have the photograph, even though the original would have been magnificently colorful.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Art Index here…

    ART

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
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    A little discussion on how your consciousness is able to navigate the MWI world-lines accurately

    You know, people want to know the "secrets of the universe", and when you present them the information, they go "what's this shit?" They said that they don't want "that". Oh no. They want something that already agrees with their erroneous world view...

    Anyways…

    The way the universe works is pretty straight forward.

    Thoughts create our reality. What you think naturally causes your consciousness to migrate to those places conceived by your thoughts.

    This pretty much agrees with what we understand about quantum physics.

    But this post is going to step into this matter at a deeper level. We are going to get into [1] the fracturing of consciousness and [2] how the whole consciousness works (behind the scenes) to [3] generate very accurate and suitable world-line destinations. Destinations that fit both [4] pre-birth world-line templates, and [5] autonomous consciousness world-line roving ability.

    So, this post is NOT going to be about the nuts and bolts of MWI navigation by an Affirmation Campaign. No, it will not be like the other posts. Instead, it is a discussion about [1] how the world-lines are manifested, and [2] what elements of a given conscious thought generation contribute to them.

    It’s a very, very deep subject. And it is very, very advanced.

    I’ll try to explain it in simple terms so that everyone can understand what is going on and the mechanism(s) involved.

    Review

    For those of who who are new to Metallicman, let’s let put it simply.

    The world that surrounds you has not resemblance to what everyone thinks it is. It is something entirely different.

    I have covered this in other posts, in other places. And I tire about repeating myself.

    You have walked into an advanced discussion area, and you won’t be able to make out anything that is said herein unless you start with the basics. Therefore, for you newcomers, you need to start at the front and work your way up to this point.

    Intro to a first time visitor;

    MAJestic

    If you want to know how to control your world though manifested thoughts and intentions, which is what this particular post is all about, go here…

    Intention Campaigns

    Start at the beginning and work your way down. It’s all there. It’s everything you ever need.

    So to fully appreciate what is being stated here, you must recognize that the world is not a physical place where your body is born into.

    Instead, it is a temporary construction. It changes moment to moment by the thoughts generated by your consciousness. And it is your consciousness that occupies the physical reality. Not your body.

    These changes are known as “world-lines” and the physics involved is known as quantum physics, and the particular branch that this discussion centers upon is known as the MWI.

    • The primary world-line that you start out with at birth is known as your “pre-birth world-line template”.
    • Movement through the various world-lines is known as “time”.
    • Switching the pre-birth templates to completely different sets of initial conditions are known as “slides”.
    • Intentional navigation though the various world-lines is known as an “intention campaign”.
    • Planning and directing a navigation vector through the MWI is known as “mapping”.

    Consciousness is the key to everything

    So here you are.

    You are not a physical body that thinks has emotions and walks about.

    You are soul, that creates a “consciousness” that is placed within a (human) container that is fixed and tied to a pre-birth world-line template.

    Your physical body, and the world surrounding your, as well as all the thoughts floating around and the spirits, and all that history, and the subway cars and everything else is all just a very elaborate construction.

    Not your construction.

    You, your consciousness, your soul did not create this reality.

    You picked it out, and you selected it.

    You (as soul), put part of you inside this “sandbox”, this “playground”, this world-line reality at birth to obtain experiences.

    And with each experience…

    New relationships (known as “entanglements”) were formed at the quantum level.

    Good or bad. Right or wrong. Black or white. Love or hate. All defined what your consciousness experienced, and all defines who you are. For you are the sum total of your experiences.

    Put a “part” of you inside the reality…

    Yes.

    Your soul created a “consciousness”.

    It used quanta that it has, and organized it, and arranged it, and made a “consciousness”,

    Most “consciousnesses” contain from 10% to 35% of the quanta of any given soul.

    Which means that most of who you are is out in Heaven somewhere, doing “other things”.

    And your “consciousness” is busy doing a number of tasks…

    • It is experiencing “life” within the “passage of time”.
    • The “life” is a non-stop sequence of experiences.
    • Each experience is the building, shaping, structuring, and arranging the relationships between different quanta, by your thoughts and your physical actions.
    • Thus it is making and creating memories.

    All the time, the consciousness resides within a fixed physical body. One that has emotions, and feelings and other biological needs that drive it towards behaviors. These behaviors might be normal and bland, like eating and sleeping, or more complex like desiring to own a sports car, or having an interest in someone else, or very complex like emotions and relationship entanglements.

    So the sum total of your “life” as a human, from birth to death, is actions and thoughts that result from experiences within the MWI. It is what the consciousness experiences. And since the consciousness is a part of the soul that created it…

    That comprises from 10% to 35% of the activity of the soul.

    What are these “other things” soul is doing…

    So a big question that you might want to ask is what is the soul doing if a part of it is living life within the MWI?

    Is it up there in Heaven “twiddling it’s thumbs”?

    twiddle (one's) thumbs
    To wait idly because one cannot take action or has nothing to do at the moment.
    
    Although the phrase refers to an actual movement of the hand (in which one's fingers are interlaced and each thumb is brought over the other in succession), the phrase is usually used figuratively.
    Twiddle one’s thumbs.

    No.

    The soul is actually busy doing other things in Heaven.

    Most of which, are way beyond the scope of what the consciousness might understand. For the consciousness is in control of a physical mind, within a physical body, that is physically tied to the understandings of that world-line that it is part of.

    Now, it it be well understood that I do not have privy to what is going on with soul, because (after all) I am like you. I am a consciousness trapped within a physical body. And all I know that might be different is limited in scope, and tied to my EBP and other “understandings”. Things which might or might not be correct.

    Never the less, there are some things that we can infer are going on.

    Namely what the soul is doing in regards to the consciousness that it created.

    For, as we well know, the soul is intimately connected to the consciousness. And, as such, the consciousness (you) can have an “inkling” of what soul might be doing in it’s involvement with the consciousness.

    Orders from Headquarters

    When I was young, and I wanted my father to play with me, the would sometimes explain to me that he couldn’t. I would ask why, and he would say “orders from headquarters”. Which meant that there were powers stronger than him that were telling him what to do and how to do it.

    • Sometimes it would be his job, his career, and his schooling (night school).
    • Sometimes it would be my mother.
    • And sometimes it would be other commitments.

    All of which were beyond my understanding as a young boy.

    So, instead of getting involved with detailed explanations on why he could not play with me, instead he would use this “catch all” phrase. He did this knowing that he did not have the time to explain the various complicated relationships and issues involved. And even if he did, it would have been unlikely for me to understand the reasoning at that time, at that age, and at that stage in my personal development.

    There is NO WAY that any human within the “reality” universe that comprises the MWI can understand what is going on within the “Heaven” universe. All we can relate is the flimsy and tenuous understandings associated with the link between our consciousness and soul. Because, after all, they are intimately tied together.

    So, what we can say is that there is a “relationship” between soul and the consciousness that it creates.

    We can further say that this “relationship” is involved in how the consciousness obtains experiences…

    Because, after all, that is WHY the soul created the consciousness in the first place.

    … and thus the soul is in charge of the degree of comfort or discomfort that the consciousness experiences.

    This has some profound implications.

    What this means

    While the reader should be well versed in the idea that thoughts create our reality, we have to take into account that there might be other influences that might also bend and shape the realities that converge.

    What other influences?

    • Strong, contrary thoughts that might inhabit the world-line(s) that you inhabit. These might inhibit your Intention Navigation Campaign.
    • Physical limitations of the world-line itself.
    • Modification of the intention desires by your soul, which might run contrary to the desires of your consciousness.
    • Other, non-physical entities or mechanisms that might work with your soul to mitigate your intention direction.

    In other words, it is very probable that your soul is assisting in the manifestation of the new world-lines that you enter. The degree of this “assistance” will depend on all sorts of factors. But I guess that the point is that you (as consciousness) have support (from your soul) in the selection of the world-lines that you enter and move towards. And that it will not alloy you (as consciousness) to “get off the track” in regards to learning experiences that it desires.

    Thus you can expect the resulting world-lines that materialize to be what you asked for (in a Intention Campaign) but with very specific “strings attached” (lessons for you to obtain and learn from).

    "Strings attached" is an idiomatic expression we say in English. When you give something to anybody with strings attached, that means there are conditions or obligations to the recipient. 
    
    For example, you give a friend a new car and he is obligated not to refuse you if you ask him for a favor.
    
    -Strings Attached | WordReference Forum

    Thus…

    An Intention Campaign for (example) that might want a girlfriend that is a beautiful model in show business, might come with the “strings attached” that might have things from which you might learn some important lessons. And lessons are always uncomfortable. In this case, perhaps, she has a husband named Bluto, or that she has warts and will give them to you.

    The soul, when working with the consciousness, will determine the level of severity and speed of the lessons that you will obtain within this MWI experience.

    • Some intention campaigns will be exactly what you desire. After all, if your intention campaigns will not work, then you would stop doing them.
    • Some intention campaigns would have resultant desires that would be exactly what you want, and it will come with a lesson that you will learn. If I were to ask other readers of Metallicman about whether they learned anything from their manifested desires, I might get hundreds of responses.
    • Some intention campaigns will result in things manifesting that will change the course of your desires in mid-stream. That is when you know that your soul has a hand in the manifestation of your desires.

    So, do not mistakenly believe that 100% of what you intentionally campaign for will result in a 100% manifestation of your desires. The actual numbers are actually slightly less. It’s more like 95% and 95%. And it is your soul that has the ultimate say over what your consciousness manifests.

    You (consciousness) is part of something much larger (your soul). And what you desire, and think of will manifest within your reality. Just realize that your soul has a say in that manifestation.
    
    And it will come with a "price tag".

    Conclusion

    One thing about “false positives” is that every time they occur, you learn from them. That’s funny, isn’t it? Have you ever stopped and wondered why some manifested intentions have false positives while others don’t?

    It’s all about the lessons that you as consciousness obtain.

    Now, knowing this mechanism, you should be better equipped in using and manifesting your affirmation campaign. You can expect that what you yearn for will continue to manifest, and that the results will not do so by the laws of the physical universe, but rather will be “massaged” and manipulated by your soul to best manifest for your very own personal growth.

    That is a good thing.

    So, you need to keep all this in mind as you observe things manifesting before your very eyes. When they do, you need to review what lessons you are learning and whether or not you are growing as a person, as consciousness, and as soul in the process.

    From the point of view of your soul, this is your learning center. Don’t squander it. Play with whatever “toys” you desire. Just know that their manifestation will be associated with the learning of something, at some time.

    Just know that their manifestation will be associated with the learning of something, at some time.

    Enjoy.

    Life can be far more exciting, far more enjoyable, and far more wonderful than you could ever imagine.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Intention Campaign Index here…

    Intention Campaigns

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE .
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
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    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

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    Having Sex in Thailand while drinking beer, singing, dancing, playing and other worthwhile activities

    This post is a newbie’s guide to having sex in Thailand. It’s a compilation of information that the interested reader can rely on to meet companions and have some fun with them. And by fun, I mean drinking alcohol, singing, dancing, exploring the local sights, eating the amazing food, and having sex with an attractive companion. You can find this information elsewhere on the internet, don’t you know, but here we are going to include it all in one place for your personal use.

    Included herein for your personal use.

    Please realize that I am not a “monger”. I am just a normal guy that likes pretty girls, exotic cultures, singing, dancing and drinking. And I believe that if you would rather sit in front of the boob-tube (television set) rather than have a pretty girl on your lap then you go ahead and do it. As they used to say in the United States “different strokes for different folks”.

    Now, you can take this information and use it. Or you can read it and absorb it, and then forget it. Or, you can take what is provided herein and say “My! What an interesting place. I should go ahead and visit it. Yes, I think.”

    Sex in Thailand

    And so let’s talk about life in interesting places, with interesting people, doing interesting things.

    The Sopranos GIF by Testing 1, 2, 3 - Find & Share on GIPHY

    "People will always buy food, alcohol, drugs, coffee, and sex. A lot of men are stressed and want a release,"
    
    -Loretta from Prostitutes tempt clients with deals. 
    By KEITH LYNCH 13:34, Feb 27 2009

    I like Thailand. It is everything that the USA isn’t.

    “For me I live in Thailand and have done so for the past 3 and a half years and it remains the best decision of my life. 
    
    But what is it really like to live in Thailand day in and day out is it like living anywhere else and does the attractions of what it was like as a tourist still alive or has it waned.
    
    When you live here you don't do the elephant treks or the jet skis on the beach you work and live a life like you would anywhere else except for one difference for me at least you have a lot more sex!
    
    For most of the guys that I know who live here their sex life improves 1000% and it doesn't matter how old you are in fact the older you are the more the improvement! (Good Site for Details)
    
    And more than likely the majority of the guys reading this blog living in Thailand is about having as much sex as you can!”
    
    -LivingThai

    Ah, yes.  But it is true by all accounts.

    Always uses a condom. Most younger men are not ethical in their whoring practices. This is very dangerous.  Listen to me; all it takes is to get the clap or gonorrhea just once, and spend a week in a hospital that will make you wear a condom for the rest of your life. (In addition, don’t try to look on the Internet for medicines and try to cure yourself.  No.  You go to a hospital.)

    Getting an STD involves hospitalization if you get some of the more dangerous strains. Do not mess around. Wear a condom. 
    
    Not only has Metallicman dealt with hospital stays for STD's, but also know more than a few fellow expats that caught HIV/AIDS while "having fun". Their stories are sad, sad, sad.
    
    Wear a condom.
    
    And while you are probably going to say that you have heard this all before, let me be the first to drive this point home to you, in the clearest and most forceful way that I can.
    
    Wear a condom.

    But with the proper precautions and attentions, you stay in Asia can be outstanding and just amazing.

    The point being that Asian women have different cultural norms than American women have.  (Don’t believe me?  Read THIS.)

    However, that does not mean that they aren’t female. They have needs, desires, feelings, and issues like any other normal person would. In all cases, if the man is 100% devoted to sexual pursuit, he will get it. However, he will live a shallow and lonely life.  It would be a life unfulfilled.

    You do need some alcohol.

    You do need some delicious and very tasty food.

    You do need to have some fun activities.

    The truth is that most men, aside from sex, NEEDS a companion.  This would be a person that they can share their life with. Indeed, some of my favorite times is just being at home with my family, drinking VSOP (or wine) and talking. Then comes the sex.  LOL!

    Don’t drink too much – the biggest obstacle to knowing whether a bar girl really likes you or not is alcohol. Also when you get older, the booze inhibits the enjoyment of doing the deed. Finally, is it really fun to get shitfaced? (I don’t know, it doesn’t happen too much any more. The last time that happened to me was at a KTV in China where I drank an entire bottle of Hennesy by myself, and woke up with three nude girls.)

    A man needs a companion…

    Written by Steve Rosse. January 8th, 2014.

    He sits at his desk and dreams about the girl with the French braid. It was the elaborate hair that caught his eye in the Safari Bar, but it was hearing her laugh that made him offer her a drink. It was two days in a room that contained nothing but a bed and a small refrigerator that has kept her at the front of his mind for a whole year.

    She hangs onto the chrome pole and dreams about the man with the gap between his front teeth. He was more generous than most of the men who paid her for sex, but it was the fact that he was a little more clean, and a little more sober, that made her agree to go with him. It was two days in a room that contained nothing but a bed and a small refrigerator that has kept him at the front of her mind for a whole year.

    His job is mundane and he does it without thinking about it. He shuffles the paper from one side of his desk to the other, makes the appropriate comments in meetings. His job is just what he does to pay the bills. His annual trips to Thailand are what he lives for. He’s had many women in Thailand (almost none at home) but when he’s daydreaming at his desk it’s always about the girl with the French braid.

    Her job is mundane and she does it without thinking about it. Her job is just what she does to pay the bills. She shuffles her feet to the music and makes the appropriate comments to the men on their stools. Her annual trips home to Saphan Buri are what she lives for. She’s had many men in Bangkok (none at home) but when she’s daydreaming on the catwalk it’s always about the man with the gap between his front teeth.

    He doesn’t really know why she stands out from the others in his memory. She was pretty enough, but other women were prettier. She was skilled in bed, but others were more skilled. There was just something about her, about the way she was so worried about messing up her braid. About how she folded her clothes so neatly before she got into bed. About how she actually seemed to mean it when she asked, “Was I good for you?”

    She doesn’t really know why he stands out from the others in her memory. He was generous enough, but other men were more generous. His demands in bed were easy enough to satisfy, but other men’s were easier. There was just something about him, about the way he asked if he could do things before he did them. About how he discreetly tucked the money under her purse on the nightstand rather than just hand it to her. It was something about how he actually seemed to mean it when he asked “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

    He shuffles his papers and jokes with the other guys in the break room. He pays his bills and does his shopping and watches TV. But he’s counting the days until his next trip to Thailand. He’s going for the whole month of April, when the air fares are cheapest. He’ll go back to the Safari bar and ask for the girl with the French braid. He wishes he could remember her name. She gave it to him once, at the bar when they met, but after that they were “Darling” to each other and he never thought to ask for it again.

    She shuffles her feet and jokes with the other girls on the catwalk. She pays her bills and does her shopping and watches TV. But she’s counting the days until her next trip to Saphan Buri. She’s going for the whole month of April, for the Songkran holiday. She’ll sit on the bus and dream of the man with the gap between his teeth. She wishes she could remember his name.

    It’s easy to love the “Land of Smiles”

    Typical girl in Thailand.

    Anyways, moving on…

    “Some people have a hard time understanding relationships where the male is significantly older (decades),"what do they have in common" is a question you'll hear a lot and the answer is pretty simple. 
    
    Not much at all.If a 45 year old wants to date a 19y/o Thai university girl then I see nothing wrong with that. 
    
    In fact just a quick look on Thai Cupid and you'll find thousands of girls in their late teens with profile titles like "seeking Farang man 30-50". 
    
    Most guys wet dream!
    
    Do most guys care if they have anything in common? 
    
    No. And that's fine because in most relationships whether they are close to each others age or not there's always compromise. 
    
    If you want to have common interests then find a girl you work with.”
    
    -Living Thai

    Yes. 

    To a young person, it seems all messed up. 

    To an American, indeed, especially to an American woman it seems so disgusting.  Well, that is why you are still in America, and I am outside of it.

    Anyways, here’s a nice rant directed at 20-something millennials who have strong opinions about what us “old farts” do with our life and time.

    “Yeah, I'm supposed to sound like the jaded old guy I am.
    
    But, OK pal...
    
    ... it's all great as you're a youthful stud who happens to be in Bangkok at the right time to meet Thai women...
    
    ...women, who've shed many of their cultural proscriptions against co-mingling with farang, and now have communication vectors making it convenient.
    
    Let's hear from you in a decade or two.
    
    After maybe, just maybe, you've been raked over the coals by an avaricious family and your former teeruk has her golden parachute, your DNA in her kids.
    
    After you've grown weary of corruption / incompetence, built the house and learned you can't own the land.
    
    (Where you've) seen your fortune dwindle and learned how merciless Thai courts can be when it comes to divorce proceedings.
    
    Let's hope this doesn't happen – plenty of happy couples out there.
    
    But in your mid-20s, you don't even know what the wringer looks like, let alone been through it. 
    
    And yes, (you are correct) there are those whose chick magnet days are memories, who've been married / divorced / through the wringer yet we still want to enjoy life, intimacy, friendship and sex (OK, maybe not in that order).
    
    We're not ready for the grave yet, we're just closer than you are. 
    
    And we're not deluded that women in their 20s (or even 30s) will tumble all over us because we are shit-hot farang like you.
    
    Guys in their 20s have no concept of life without mobile comms. 
    
    The older guys will say, yeah, right on – the target audience will think, there's those old guys complaining about "the good old days" again. 
    
    I've seen both ends.
    
    Have you?”
    
    -To the young’uns.

    Ah Thailand.  A land of complex relationships, and are colorful and very interesting. There is all kinds of interesting things about relationships in Thailand.  Like this,

    “If you just want to have sex with a bunch of Thai Girls then it's recommended you search for a farm girl. 
    
    Maybe she works on a rubber plantation or rice plantation, maybe she works in an industrial area where everyone has a factory job. 
    
    Sure these girls have no money but typically these kind of girls are easy to please eat 30 baht meals and know the only thing they have of value is their sex drive so they really turn it on.
    
    This girl doesn't dress very well probably has bad looking toes but she's also 21y/o or younger and a super tight body. 
    
    She doesn't use Tinder prefers Skout and has little English. 
    
    She may even be a virgin or had very few partners. 
    
    She was broken in by some Thai guy who left her shortly so if you're a white guy you're in because she's meeting you with a preconceived notion that if she has sex with you, you won't leave her.”
    
    -LivingThai

    Anyways, many (male) expats move to Thailand to “sow their wild oats”, and to enjoy the more wiley pleasures of the flesh.  That’s fine. Yet, Thailand has much to offer.  One of the benefits, or course, is that Thai girls are not American girls.

    “What does Mr Bean have to do with getting more girls in Thailand?”

    This is a great comment I found somewhere. It's interesting and worth a read.

    I knew you’d ask what Mr Bean has to do with getting more girls in Thailand and it’s pretty simple. Thai’s love slapstick comedy.

    Ever watched those boring Thai TV programs yeah they are a little funny but nothing compared to the Bean in fact I’m sure all those producers of Thai TV reels were first introduced to comedy through Mr Bean.

    Mr Bean never says a word though which is yet another reason why you should learn the Bean way. He can be funny without using lines English or Thai, but they get the humor and they think he’s hilarious.

    You know I’m from Australia and growing up in Australia meant either being or knowing the toughest people in the neighborhood, bully’s and thugs put a tight lid on anyone not conforming.

    If you were gay you were teased, if your fat your teased, if you wore something like plastic fake pink bear claw flip flops with tight half jeans an orange tank top to the mall and walked into a mall shaving your tongue with a razor you’d be taken to the nearest hospital.

    Here in Thailand however people would laugh with you and think your funny and cool.

    And this is where Thai’s and Farang differ the most.

    Farang will go up to one another and say “Fuck man you look like a total wanker” whereas Thais will go up to that person and say “Wow your funny and dressed different want to be my friend”.

    Same reason why there are so many gays and lesbians in this country, in our country if you were gay at school you’d have a shit time because people who didn’t like that shit would tell you, however in Thailand they keep their difference in sex, dress, style to themselves, well mostly anyway.

    I have no way of explaining the Thai reasoning behind this different as you can imagine trying to talk to a Thai about something in depth get’s you answers like “have you eaten yet?”. But it doesn’t really matter why but how to use Mr Bean to take advantage of this difference in cultures.

    Mr Bean is the biggest playboy in Thailand

    Be Stupid!

    The more idiotic your actions the funnier it is to Thai’s, watch some re-runs of Mr Bean and get into his groove then go out and do repeat the same in public, people will come up to you.

    Have you ever been to a mostly Thai nightclub in Thailand, everyone’s just kinda standing around waiting for something to do or look at.

    Maybe it’s you they are waiting to look at, remember if it’s stupid funny and Thai people are looking at you that’s a good thing.

    When my ex was working in Alcatraz Pattaya she comes home one night and tells me about this guy in her club. How he was doing all this stupid Mr Bean shit and the girls in the club were eating it up, all the girls were sitting around his table.

    My next question is of course well how many drinks did he buy, she replies “none, but he so funny”.

    He was doing shit like putting straws up his nose and walking around like a Walrus.

    I’m sure if I did that with some mates around they walk away. But why were the girls all around. I decided to do some tests.

    Test 1: I went to the “go go club” sat down, and bought a drink; didn’t smile

    Test 2: Went to the club sat down bought a drink and smiled.

    Test 3: Went to the club, sat down, bought a drink, and smiled, and waved some girls over.

    Test 4: Went to the club, sat down, bought a drink, stuck two straws in my nose, and walked around like a chicken. When someone asked me where I’m from I turned into a kangaroo.

    The results were surprising!

    The first test was boring, I sat there drank the whole bloody drink and the only person who I spoke to was the waitress and that was very short.

    The second test went a little better with getting more than short talk with the waitress and some girl come over and ask for a drink but still at 150 baht a beer and the crap show I still feel like I’d been ripped.

    The third test which is what I normally do was much more fun had some drinks good time but was down about 1500 baht and really only touched one girl. I had fun but I wouldn’t do it every day.

    The fourth test is something I would never normally do, in fact if you did this shit at the Doonside Pub in Western Sydney someone would come over and smack you in the head, and again don’t believe me go try that one yourself but I want video! So I walk into this GoGo club sit down get my drink put two straws in my nose and walk around like a chicken scratching my feet then sat back down. By the next hangover of girls on stage there were 5 girls around my table. Anytime they’d ask for a drink I’d just do something funny stupid from Mr Bean and they’d laugh after a while they stopped asking but wouldn’t go just wanted more stupid shit. I pretty much danced and felt up every one of those girls in the two hours and got two phone numbers I was there and left with a 240 baht check bin.

    Sure this is only one test but it seems to work well in any nighttime entertainment venue in Thailand. The Mr Bean Playboy effect does have it’s use in Thailand and I’d imagine if the Bean himself came to Thailand he’d have more than all of us.

    http://www.livingthai.org/why-mr-bean-is-the-biggest-playboy-in-thailand.html

    No Sexual hangups

    Ah, you’ve got to love Asia.

    It’s not just Thailand. It’s China, Vietnam, Laos, the Phillippines. It’s everywhere.

    “Love you long time” refers to overnight sex with multiple “shots”.
    “Thai girls can go from 0-100 in a relationship very quickly. 
    
    Typically there is no "will you be my boyfriend" it's pretty assumed that if you have sex that you are now in a relationship.
    
    There should be at no point talking about how you're going to stick your cock down her throat. 
    
    Instead if you want to know how randy she is after  a while of talking you can test the conversation by simply kidding with her like if she says "have you eaten yet?" reply "no, but I want to eat you 555". 
    
    Unless she's a virgin she's going to fuck you anyway.95% of the girls that I meet up with have already decided they will have sex BEFORE they come to meet you. 
    
    So really there is no need to discuss it, discussing it just makes her feel that that's all you're into.”
    
    -Living Thai

    Myths about Sex Workers

    There are many myths about sex workers. 

    Heck, if you believe the feminist social justice warriors around the world you would think that they are all uneducated, trapped, drugged and imprisoned young waifs. Ha! What a crock of bullshit.

    Thailand’s sex tourism industry is polarizing and everyone from do-gooders and religious zealots with the most puritanical attitudes to sex tourists who travel the world looking for the cheapest bonk has an opinion.

    These opinions are just that – opinions – often with no basis in fact, yet they are repeated to the point that many actually believe these myths to be facts.

    Let’s go through these myths and tackle them one by one…

    Myth #1 Thai bargirls are being forced against their will

    Many believe that Thai bargirls are there against their will, are forced in to it / sex slaves / indentured and / or sold by their family.  Western sex tourists have long been aghast at the idea that working ladies may be there against their will and it is one reason why they tend to stick to the expat bar areas.

    In the expat bar areas, girls are there of their own volition and can come and go as they please. 
    
    They are free to leave the bar and spend the night with a customer. 
    
    Contrast this with many Thai-style bars where everything happens on the premises. It may also be where the girls live. That creates doubt about whether she is free to come and go.
    
    I don't think I can recall ever meeting a lady in an expat bar area who was there against her will, enslaved or sold to the bar by her family. Maybe it happened once upon a time, but I have never seen it with my own eyes. 
    
    All the gals I know have a smartphone, and freely access their various social networks with it.
    
    Note:
    
    While I have had experiences with women for sex, the reader might feel uncomfortable with this idea.  After all, isn’t sex “dirty”? Well, it isn’t. And, people have been marketing sex for years.  
    
    This can be for money by [1] one-on-one sexual romps or [2] being filmed engaging in sex for fun. 
    
    Indeed, the reader might ask what it is like to be an actress in the porn industry. For a pretty decent article of what it is really like to work in the porn industry.  Hint – it’s all work. 
    
    Go here; http://www.realclearlife.com/women/eva-lovia-what-it-takes-to-be-porn-star-today/
     

    While it is a myth in terms of the bar areas for Western men, in the Thai bar areas, however, there may be some truth in it. Western Media “reports” suggest that this sort of thing was not uncommon in the past (note the use of the word suggest: many reporting on this issue have an agenda). Yes, there have been a few reports of families in the poorest regions of Thailand, often the rural north, selling their daughter to bar recruitment agents but how widespread it is, I just do not know.

    Myth #2 There are 2 million prostitutes in Thailand.

    The number of prostitutes in Thailand is high and no doubt runs in to 6 figures, but 2 million?

    No chance!

    2 million is roughly 6% of the total female population of Thailand. 2 million would be 17% of all females aged 18 – 40 (assuming most prostitutes are aged 18 – 40) – and there is no way that’s the case. (One in five females is a prostitute? Give me a break!)

    The Thailand has 2 million prostitutes comment is often used by NGOs, religious groups and opponents of the industry to support their argument that prostitution is widespread in Thailand.

    No,

    It’s not that widespread.

    Someone came up with this number a long time ago and it has been repeated ad nauseum by those with an anti-prostitution stance. Is it any wonder today that so many have become cynical about NGOs in the region working with underprivileged women when some are caught perpetrating these myths with outright lies.

    Myth #3 The girls like what they do.

    Comments that bargirls enjoy what they do is barstool banter and naughty boy forum talk. Outside of the naughty bars, no-one suggests the girls like it. 

    A job is a job, is a job.

    Little gets sex tourists more upset than being faced with the reality that the girls hate what they’re doing, and some come to hate themselves and turn to alcohol and / or drugs to deal with it.

    The unusual thing about the myth that the girls like what they do – or at the very least that they don’t mind it – is that the girls themselves are at least partly responsible for this myth. They tell guys that they like their job – they can hardly tell a potential customer that they hate what they do, can they? That’s the last thing a guy with a conscience wants to hear!

    Any Westerner who speaks Thai well or gets close to the girls soon learns that in apart from rare cases, the girls hate it. The girls like the money they make, but that’s all they like.

    The money.

    Myth #4 The girls like sleeping overnight in a customer’s hotel room.

    Thais working in the bar industry often live with friends, colleagues or family.

    For unmarried Thais, especially those from rural areas, communal living is the norm. It’s what they’re used to and how they are most comfortable. Half a dozen ladies may share a small room, a couple sharing the bed and the rest sleeping (quite happily) on the floor.

    A customer staying in a nice hotel might reasonably believe that the lady he is with would prefer to stay in a swanky hotel room with a bathroom larger than her entire apartment, cool air-conditioning and a soft bed. That is seldom the case.

    The reason bargirls may stay the night in a customer’s hotel room is simply because she can charge a higher fee if she stays all night.

    Whether it is a 5-star hotel or Khao San Road flophouse, she is concerned about the cash in the morning, not the state of the room.

    This myth would seem to be perpetrated by guys who appear to be trying to show they treat a lady well. What they don’t get is not only that most girls would rather stay in their own room with their friends (or boyfriend or husband), but that many girls are terrified of spending the night with a stranger, especially a foreigner who is bigger and stronger than she is, who might be a drinker and who could, if he so chose, do whatever he wanted to her.

    Myth #5 The sex you pay for is cheaper than a regular date.

    Some argue that sex with a prostitute is a sure thing and sex with a lady you date is not, and as such sex you don’t pay for can be costlier, both time-wise and in dollar terms. That may be the case in Farangland where it might take a few dates to hit a home run but most guys find they get to take her home much sooner in Thailand!

    A few drinks in a bar for you and lady drink or two for her typically runs several hundred baht or more. Barfines average around 700 baht these days. A room in a short-time hotel is about 500 baht and most girls expect at least 2,000 baht. You’re looking at around 4,000 baht for a short-time with a Bangkok gogo girl. (Yes, it could be much cheaper but this would be about average.)

    Compare that with a regular date in Bangkok. Dinner for two and drinks can be around 2,000 baht. You could do it for much less if you chose to. Starbucks seems to be the favorite and coffee followed by a movie is often followed by a romp.

    The amount of money some guys report spending on a night out in a bar before taking a bargirl to the nearest short-time hotel far exceeds what I have ever spent on a first date. In Farangland you might get some action by the third date; in Bangkok she’s talking marriage by date #3!

    Sex with bargirls in Thailand costs much more than sex with regular girls (and I bet sex with non-bar girls is much better too!)

    Myth #6 Sex tourists are old, fat, bald dudes who can’t get laid in their homeland.

    The old fat and bald stereotype has never held water. While not sex tourists per se, what we know as the expat bar industry today was born out of the Vietnam era when young, fit American soldiers were in Bangkok on R+R. A new sector of the Thai commercial sex industry was born.

    These guys were anything but old, fat and bald!

    Following the Vietnam War, sex tourists followed and no doubt some weren’t shining physical specimens, but photos from the bar industry in the early days show many looked slim and healthy.

    These days the bar industry attracts the full gamut of men from young, fit and handsome guys to older, less healthy guys who may not be so easy on the eye.

    Yes, the average age of sex tourists might be north of 50, but what surprises many mainstream visitors who check out Bangkok’s expat bar areas is that there are plenty of young, handsome guys in the bars – and they are participating!

    The old, fat and bald myth usually comes from Western females…

    … and Western is the critical word here because a Thai female would never say this.

    Some Western women talk ill of sex tourists and use the only two weapons they have in the battle of the sexes – [1] guilt and [2] the withholding of sex. These women want to try and make men participating in the industry to feel guilty about what they are doing because they don’t want the guys to be getting easy sex as that greatly limits their own options.

    Sex tourism has become a lifestyle choice for a wide cross-section of men, some of who simply find they prefer meeting women and attending to their manly needs that way.

    Myth #8 Escorts are a higher class.

    Think of “escort” and you probably think of a higher class of woman who is not just – perhaps even not necessarily – a sex partner, but someone you can take to business functions and someone who you can present to others.

    If your work life is important to you, don’t make that mistake in Bangkok!

    There has been an explosion of escort services in Thailand in recent years. Most come and go in very much the same vein as bars come and go – no surprise given that some of the escort service owners had previously tried and failed with a bar.

    Most Bangkok escort services are not escort services in the traditional sense. Rather, most Bangkok escorts are simply sex workers you can book online. Rather than going to a gogo or other bar, you can simply get online, make a booking and an hour or two later you will get a knock on the door.

    Many of the ladies working as escorts in Bangkok previously worked in other sectors of the industry. Many once (or even still) were on the freelance circuit, and some were gogo dancers.

    Myth #9 The economy would fail if the farang bar areas closed.

    When things don’t go the way that some sex tourists feel they should, such as drinks prices increasing, bars closing early and attitudes and service levels in the industry deteriorating, some say they may choose not to visit Thailand which would cause the industry to go in to decline and which in turn would see the tourism fail because visitor numbers plummeted. This would have a dire effect on the economy, they reckon.

    The sector of the bar industry for foreigners is a very small part of the tourism industry and a tiny part of the greater economy. Granted, Pattaya might face challenges if its nightlife industry was to fail, but even in Sin City the tourism industry is greatly diversified from 10 years ago.

    Sex tourism makes up a very small part of Thailand’s economy and a big chunk of it does not even show up in GDP numbers. If the entire sex tourism industry was to close down, it would barely register a blip economically. Real estate would be turned over and new businesses would be created – and they’d probably pull in more money than the bars do.

    In terms of the Thai economy as a whole, sex tourism is infinitesimal.

    Sex Prices

    “’…We all know why men choose to live in Thailand – to satisfy their sexual appetites with women who are expected to behave in ways that appease the broken egos of men unable, or unwilling, to deal equally with empowered women, in societies that do not condone their sexual exploitation…’
    
    I read a lot of comments like this on places like Reddit. 
    
    That men only move to Asia for ‘submissive’ women, and / or because we can’t get high quality women in our home countries. Like I said maybe there’s some 10% truth to that, but some act like it’s 100%.
    
    I’d just apply Occam’s razor and look for the simple reasons...
    
    [1] girls here are more friendly,
    [2] less fat, 
    [3] they like men more 
    [4] and want a relationship / family instead of chasing careers, 
    [5] and you can live better for the same amount of money.”
    
    -NomadPhilippines
    
     

    Since this is the most commented upon section of this website …

    Seriously! – not world-line travel, not my brief time in the US Navy, it’s questions about sex in Thailand.  Interesting stuff, certainly but not that overwhelmingly controversial.

    let’s spend some time getting down into the “nitty gritty” regarding this fun pastime. 

    I must remind the reader that sexual liasians in Thailand is a popular occupation for some, it is however representative of only a small part of what Thailand has to offer. What Thailand is really about is much more than just sex, food, family and fun.

    It’s about freedom.

    Woo! Woo!

    + + +

    The following is from a Thailand blog called Livingthai. There are many different types of Thai prostitutes and then you’ve got “normal girls” which also have a price as well, here is the list:

    Thai Go Go Girl

    Current standard prices for short time with a go go girl is 2000 baht long time is 3000 baht.

    Short Time = One sex usually under an hour with one ejaculation.
    
    Long Time = Overnight sex sleepover. Multiple ejaculations.

    This is on top of the cost of a few drinks you will have to buy her whilst in the club. The cost of Lady drinks differs from venue to venue, but an average is 130 baht.

    Think of it is you paying for her time, and getting a priority spot in a lineup of guys waiting in line.
    
    Buying a "lady drink" is different than a "barfine".

    A go go bar has a number of Thai bar girls working who you can barfine and sleep with. You simply choose the girl, pay the barfine and leave with her. This means if a girl doesn’t like you, if you pay the barfine you can take her home.

    A "barfine" is the "price of admission" to have sex with the girl you select.

    (Granted if you do this you’ll most likely have a bad experience and terrible time, but nevertheless you can still take her home.) There are times when it was quite obvious the girl did not want to leave with a customer but had no choice because of the mamasan.

    Thai Go-go girls.

    In general, you should buy her a drink and get to know her a little more.

    You’ll know within 15 minutes or so if she really likes you or not, if you’re still unsure you could just go ahead and ask:

    “Do you like me, would you be okay if I barfined you?”

    Don’t be shy, they’ve heard it a 100 times.

    [1] You buy her a "lady drink" and get to know her. This is the price you pay for her wasting time with you.
    
    [2] If you and her are fine, you can "barfine" her. This registers her as "your companion" and you have "dibs" on what you can do later on.

    Although these are always negotiable depending on the feeling you get from the girl but these are standard prices. Bar Fines for the go go are going up though where is used to be 600 is now 800 and some places on Walking Street Pattaya are charging 1000 baht before midnight.

    The good thing about pricing of Go Go girls is all the girls ask the same price in the same shop. So if you pick the best looking girl you’re actually getting a good deal.

    “This is a lesson for anyone who bar fines a girl long time, even if you've agreed on everything your going to do you should always get a receipt. 
    
    Anytime you bar fine a girl for more than one night you must get a receipt. 
    
    Most go go bars are oblivious to this as well and think it's strange that you even want a receipt. 
    
    But without a receipt you have no proof that you paid more than just the day for the girl! 
    
    This happens more often than you'd think as the girls either change their mind or they have a better customer in town.”

    It’s interesting stuff, for sure.  It’s a life that I am not part of.  I don’t know if I could be part of it. Never the less, it’s pretty interesting.

    Here’s a story about dealing with a chick that they wanted to have a threesome with…

    “I'm finding her reason for not staying kinda suspicious but getting a Thai girl to tell the truth is like trying to get water out of a rock. 
    
    My girlfriend suspects the same thing and we demand to hear the truth but she continues to lie and my girl it outraged now and starts hitting this girl and while I break it up she grabs her phone and our suspicion is confirmed one of her customers is in Hua Hin and she wants to go meet up probably because he's paying more money than we will, whatever.
    
    I tell her to get the hell out before my girl puts her in a coma and she asks to be paid in full. 
    
    Hahaha geez the hide of these girls. 
    
    Man my girl goes bat shit now and I try to calm her down and say that i'll pay for the 2 nights minus the bar fine of 2 nights which comes to a grand total of 1700 baht. 
    
    Now she's angry cause she gets like 800 baht a night to come with us when she could have stayed another night can get the 6000 which she just won't have any part of it. 
    
    So I have to pay the money now cause my girl refuses to and we kick her out.”

    Interesting stuff. But, nothing that I personally experienced.

    Coyote Girls

    Go Go Girls are not “coyote dancers”.

    The top of the tree for Pattaya is the Coyote girls, these are regarded as the crème de la crème of the working girls in Pattaya.

    Although strictly speaking not all of these show girls are working, but the majority are willing to top up their incomes with extra activities.

    Coyote’s are show girls, exceptionally beautiful and talented. They are hired into the Go Go bars on a nightly basis and are paid a lot more than your usual Go Go dancer. They perform set shows at designated times and are designed to entice the customers into the clubs.

    A simple rule of thumb is that “coyote dancers” are supposed to perform best on the dance floor.

    Gogo girls save their best performances for the bedroom.

    Gogo girls dress skimpily and dance to promote themselves in the hope that someone will barfine them, take them away so they can make some money. Gogo dancers are primarily sex workers. They wear a bikini, or less.

    Coyote dancers are entertainers who dance and are supposed to be able to really shake it on the dance floor. They typically wear short shorts and sexy tops – more than a bikini.

    They are primarily dancers i.e. entertainers, but they may be available.

    May.

    It varies from bar to bar, girl to girl.

    Coyote dancers are entertainers who dance and are supposed to be able to really shake it on the dance floor.

    Coyote dancers are a relatively recent thing, first introduced around the middle of last decade. Prior to that they basically didn’t exist in gogo bars. Now they are a common sight and today perhaps 1/3 or more of gogo bars feature coyote dancers.

    The reasons for bars hiring coyote girls are numerous; primarily it’s because bars just cannot find pretty girls to recruit these days. Recruiting used to be easy, but with Thailand’s economy now more diverse, more developed, with compulsory education increased from 6 to 9 years and the country experiencing full employment, girls have more options these days and don’t have to resort to bar work.

    Being the top of the tree usually means these girls cost a lot more than your average.

    They are extremely well paid by the clubs and can easily make more in a night, what most Thai girls make in a week. As such they can afford to be choosy with which customers they go with, if any at all.

    The girls can afford to be choosy.

    Expect the bar fine to be at least double that of any other Go Go dancer and a minimum of 3,000 baht. On top of that the fee negotiated between you and the girl depends on many factors, such as the chemistry between you, whether she fancies you, or even whether it is high season or not. Yes even Go Go dancers are subjects of the economic forces of supply and demand. It is not uncommon for these girls to want another 3000 baht for short time, or 5000 baht upwards for overnight.

    Coyote girls are slim, young, attractive, can really dance and whose role it is to entertain. Right? So why is it that in bars from Walking Street to Patpong, Cowboy to Nana, and even Sukhumvit soi 33 there are coyote girls who are available?! 

    Fake Coyotes

    Now for some confusion…

    A few farang bars term their dancers “coyotes”.

    The girls are done up as you would expect a coyote to be done up – in cut-off shorts and tight top. But, and it’s a big but, they don’t dance any different to a gogo dancer. Secrets in Pattaya, a hostess bar, calls its dancers “coyotes” and charges a premium barfine for them, a concept that has been replicated in Pattaya. The barfine for a coyote girl is 1,000 baht, higher than for a hostess – a girl who is available but does not dance. So in Secrets, the coyote girls are the dancers, but they’re not professional or accomplished dancers and in other venues they would be considered gogo girls wearing a coyote’s outfit.

    To confuse things further, there are venues with both gogo dancers and coyotes. Examples would be Club Electric Blue and The Arab’s bars in Soi Cowboy. In each of these bars, gogo dancers and coyotes are available.

    And then there are bars which have both gogo girls and coyote girls, where the gogo girls are available, but the coyotes are not! Tilac in Soi Cowboy is a good example where the coyotes cannot be barfined.

    So no need to be confused…

    • Real coyotes will look great and dance great.
    • Fake coyotes will just look great, but cannot dance.
    • They always make more than a stand-grade “go go” girl.

    Showgirls

    There are also showgirls. Showgirls are employed in gogo bars to perform choreographed and practiced shows in the likes of Angelwitch, Long Gun, Billboard and Las Vegas. The showgirls perform shows which are more elaborate. Showgirls may or may not be available and if they are, again, a premium barfine is placed on them.

    Basically, gogo dancers, showgirls and coyote dancers are all different.

    In Bangkok they are called coyotes, but in Pattaya the term you hear more often is “agency girls”. Because, after all, they work for an agency.

    Bar girls trying to lure customers into the bar.

    Lure away girls.  You can chat with me.  For one thing I’d tell you not to leave the sticker price on the bottom of your high-heels.  Especially when the sole of the shoe is red.  It really looks awful. Otherwise, I’d be happy to pay your bar fine.

    Thai Bar Girl

    Beer bars can be found all over the city, they are everywhere. The term pretty much refers to any open air bar anywhere in Pattaya. The girls here are not employed as dancers or show girls, but as waitresses. This doesn’t mean they are not available to bar fine, as pretty much all of them are.

    The standard of girl really varies from bar to bar, but little diamonds can be found all over the city. When girls first arrive in Pattaya, most will start of working in a bar, before moving up to the Go Go’s or working as Coyote’s. Bars are also where the older ladies work when they have past their Go Go stage.

    Bar girls are always a good choice for those on a budget but want to feel safer with going with a Thai bar girl instead of a Street Walker. Girls cost 1000 baht short time and 1500 long time again these prices are negotiable. An average bar fine will cost 300 baht and a lady drink will be around 100 baht.

    “Working at a beer bar, the pay is very lousy. 
    
    Typically a Thai bar girl would make only 6000 baht a month, and to make that they need to get customers to buy them at least two drinks, normally the first two drinks that the girl gets she doesn't get any money for, after that though she normally gets a very high percentage of the profit of the drink, they normally just get an orange juice this way they can get more money. 
    
    The amount of money she gets working at a bar is very dismal, she may as well be working in a factory and could make more money than that. 
    
    However as a factory worker she can't get someone to pay her 1000 baht for the night now can she? 
    
    The bar fine you pay, usually she gets a small cut of that, and the money you negotiate with her she keeps 100% off it. If a Thai bar girl can go with a John every night (impossible because of periods) she can make a good amount of money, actually more money than any English teacher in Thailand could make. 
    
    Overall the beer bar and Thai bar girl can make money handsomely if she is a hard working. But have you ever seen a hard working Bar Girl....no.”
    Bar girl from Scooter’s Bar.

    The reason why you pay more for a Go Go girl is because you get a better look at her body, watch out for Thai Bar girls you don’t know what you’re going to get…

    Yikes!

    Thai Bar Girls

    Some interesting video links;

    Thai Karaoke Girl (KTV girls)

    Not every Karaoke has girls to take home and because of this scarcity and this contributes to the whole G-Club feel of Thai Karaoke .  Not only that, but the prices have increased considerably while only a few years ago it cost 1500 for a girl overnight prices are now around 3000 baht (all in).

    The overall impression that I get is that KTV is just as popular in Thailand as it is in China, however it’s use as a venue for obtaining girls is not as popular. In China, Business KTV’s with 300 to 400 hostesses is common everywhere.  However, in Thailand, if you want a girl (for private sexual fun) you would try other venues.

    Thai Street Hookers

    It’s still possible to get the 500 baht Thai hooker off the street but like everything else prices are going up. Most street walkers now ask for at least 1000 baht off the bat if they are in OK condition, better looking girls might ask for more but the general cost is 700 baht short time.

    Soapy Massage Girls

    The cost of a Soapy Massage around the country is a standard 1600 baht for what they call Models. In most major cities around the country this is what they cost. But if you want a soapy massage in Bangkok as a Farang you’re going to pay more. But when you pay more you’re expected to get more and some of the Bangkok Soapy Massage Parlors you’ll pay more like 5000 baht. The best value for money soapy mass parlors are in Pattaya.

    Colonze 2

    Some of the most expensive soapy massage girls in all of Thailand can be found at the Colonze 2 soapy massage parlor in Bangkok with prices going up to 20,000 baht for a few hours! Why because they have the hottest girls of any place in Bangkok. This place is also Farang friendly and should be no surcharge.

    Emmanuelle

    If your looking for a Best Happy Endings Massage in Bangkok experience then the one place I suggest is Emmanuelle! There is now Casanova at the same place which is Thai style karaoke and coyote joint something I enjoy more than the actual massage, rooms here are awesome! Price range 2500-6000 baht.

    Colonze 4

    This is a very popular chain soapy house you won’t find any penthouse models at this bad boy but it does have good value for money and the girls are very capable, not looking for 5 star then this is the place to go! Prices start 1600 – 3000 baht makes this place good value for money.

    Angelina

    An older Thai style soapy massage parlor in the Bangkapi area of Bangkok prices are very reasonable starting at 1300 up to about 2600 for the sideline girls. Open from 1pm till midnight every day. There is no extra charge for Farang! There are some cute girls here but nothing outstanding.

    La Belle

    This is a soapy massage parlor that caters mostly to the Japanese clientele well so I’m told I’ve never been here before and their website doesn’t have much in the way of costs so I’m guessing that’s a sign that they have more than a 2 tier pricing structure which isn’t really fair especially for guys that live here.

    Viva Palace

    Another Thai style soapy massage with decent prices starting from 1900 up to 3000 baht. I don’t know how old this place is but the rooms are kinda warn in so don’t expect a 5 star room but then again your not paying 5 star prices either. Helps if you speak Thai here the girls don’t speak much English at all. But I will say this the girls here are young and good looking for the price.

    ลีลาวดี

    You won’t find this bad boy on any other Farang website actually this place has the same name as my favourite Karaoke in Chiang Mai! Pronouced Lee Lah Wadee also the name of a famous Thai Soap Opera they actually have Karaoke available here as well. Honestly the girls are a little country here but if you like that then this is your place!

    Meree

    The girls here are cheap but the room isn’t included you can ask for different rooms girls are 1300-200 baht but rooms start at 1000 baht but are definitely worth it, weired lounge area with band playing kinda like karaoke but it isn’t, still great place and some really good looking girls.

    Catherine

    Nice clean place this soapy massage parlor has a good reputation in the Thai community well run and fair prices starting from 1700 up to 3000 baht for sideline girls. The bathroom although it has granite tiles has a cheap ass jacuzzi that is well worn. I’d give this place a 7 out of 10.

    Amsterdam

    This place looks straight out of France and the prices might be as well starting at 2600 up to 6000 baht the place is brilliant and the girls are gorgeous! This is one of my must see recommendations for a soapy massage in Bangkok. You’d think this place would have a website but I couldn’t find one anyone know what it is?

    Poseidon

    Voted the Best Soapy Massage in Bangkok but most though I don’t like the place because they charge Farang an extra 1000 baht just for the services yet they still have some of the best girls in the businesses. Because of the extra charge I won’t go there but guys have told me half the girls there are just going through the motions and you’ll get a robot experience.

    Caesars Entertainment complex

    Located right near the Poseidon club and roughly the same prices is the Caesars entertainment complex and soapy / spa massage. Definitely take a model here if your coming if you want the cheaper girls you may as well go elsewhere you might find something better for the same deal.

    La De’fense

    Strangest name for a soapy massage that I ever did see. This place has a lounge area with girls as well as a traditional fish bowl. The girls in the lounge are hotter in my opinion but you can also ask the guy for an album and he’ll bring you out an album full of girls. The centre of the room is dim while two of the four walls are brightly lit. In these brightly lit areas sit the girls, in what is sometimes referred to as a fish bowl. Fish bowls often have tiered seating on which sit beautifully made-up Thai women in evening wear. Fish bowls are typically enclosed with glass separating customers outside from the ladies inside.

    One final note about Soapy Massage parlours in Bangkok and Thailand in General is you have to think about how many guys go to these places and all the guys aren’t like you and I some are real freaks, some guys have some nasty diseases and some guys force the girls to not wear a condom! Make sure you protect yourself by wearing a condom and not going down on the girl. It’s still possible to catch something though so use these services at your own risk.

    Soapy massages and nuru massages work by you choosing the girl from a list or fish bowl. The girl cannot reject you (usually). The good thing is that some of these shops allow you to drink a beer and even talk to the girls. In fish bowl situations girls that do like you will keep giving you smiles which is a good sign.

    How a soapy massage works…

    If you’ve never tried a soapy massage before then this is what it is all about;

    Bath

    For starters, typically a bath is run where they clean your entire body, of course they clean themselves as well, then it’s to the mattress where she lathers you down in soap suds and massages you with her naked body, sliding up and down you quickly and with a scary confidence.

    Massage

    Then you will head over to an air mattress where she will give you a sexy body to body massage rubbing her naked body all over yours. This is the type of thing that stands out in soapy massage porn videos. Pro tip: make sure you always ask if the Thai massage girl you choose will do body to body at any soapy massage parlor in Bangkok you visit. Some girls don’t do this part, if you are expecting it to happen make sure you choose on that does it. She will probably finish the body to body with a blowjob, then she will dry you off.

    Sex

    The best part is also the easiest to describe.  After the massage, they will clean you up and dry you off and head to the bed where you get to have sex.

    Online Escort

    Typical costs for an Escort off the internet in Bangkok and Chiang Mai is usually around 5000 baht for 2 hours and they will come to your hotel room. I recommend these good hotels in bangkok to take the girl to. The convenience of an escort online and the appeared anonymity is attractive. However most of these girls work out of the go go bars in Chiang Mai which is often just cheaper to go to. I recommend however you check out Smooci.com which has some of the best priced escorts in all of Thailand.

    Other sites;

    Thai Brothel Worker

    Typically Thai brothels are aimed at those on a budget, real dirty mongers like these places  and I’m not sure why I don’t see more Indians in these places. The girls in these places are typically not of Thai origin they are usually Burmese, Laos, or Cambodian. Short time in these places means 40 minutes and for that you’ll typically pay 300-500 baht.

    Short time girl

    The current going rate for short time girls are 700 baht which typically includes the cost of the room.

    Massage Girl

    Massage girls are more known for getting blow jobs than they are for having sex but if you met one and wanted to go for it and she allows it then the fee is typically 1,000 to 1,500 baht per shot.

    One of the best Massage in Bangkok and Nuru massage specialists is Club 102 near BTS Phrom Phong on Sukhumvit Soi 24. You can pretty much find happy ending massage joints anywhere but a 5 star massage where girls don’t look like granny with perfect surroundings you’d think you were back home in a 500 dollar joint without the 500 dollar price tag.

    Thai Massage girls.

    Bar Freelancer

    As far as working girls go in Pattaya, freelancers are a mixed bunch. They range from the younger Thai girls who don’t want to work in a beer bar or Go Go, but instead punt themselves over internet apps such as Badoo. To the older or less attractive girls who can’t get jobs in the bars or clubs.  Even those Thai ladies who have regular jobs will often top up their incomes with a little freelance work.

    Punting for freelance girls in Pattaya is a bit like playing the lottery, there is no set standard and you have no idea what you will end up with.

    The best of the freelance girls are either generally those who are too shy to work in the bars and clubs, or those with normal 9-5 jobs looking to top up their income. The best place to find these is on the internet, there are now many apps such as Badoo and other Thai dating apps where they will have profiles.

    Many of the nightclubs on Walking street will be packed with freelancers most evenings, looking to hook up for the evening. In the clubs you will generally meet the younger freelance girls. The best club to pick up great looking freelance girls is Insomnia on Walking street.

    Pattaya beachroad is probably the most famous freelance hangout in all of Pattaya, and here you can find ladies and the odd ladyboy most evenings after sunset. Be warned Pattaya beach road generally attracts the lower end of the market, both punter and lady. Pattaya beach is also regularly raided by the police, and is also a well known place for tourists to be scammed. Our advise is steer well clear of the girls on beach road.

    A bar Freelancer has the same price has a regular Bar Girl which is 300 baht bar fine and 1000 baht short time and 1500 baht long time. It is not uncommon for some of the girls, especially in the clubs to not want paying at all, but you would have to be extremely lucky for this to happen.

    Links;

    Sideline Girls

    Sideline girls also known as Dek Thai Sideline Girls can be found everywhere in fact you may even be with one but you don’t even know it. There are reports that Sideline girls are considered to be more attractive than typical Thai girls because they have lighter skin color.  That means they are more white than tan in color. Sometimes Sideline girls will have sex for free in the hope that they will get something else out of it perhaps clothes and makeup or a new Iphone. Sideline girl prices are average 1000 baht short time.

    Thai Sideline Girls

    Internet Sideline Girls

    Internet Sideline girls are ones that need money asap in order to pay for rent or schooling and/or family. They typically don’t do it full time only when they need money and they usually ask for 2000 baht but some of the better looking girls will ask for 3-4000 baht.

    Club Slut

    There are a lot of “club sluts” in Thailand and can be typically found around the tourist areas or clubs that tourists frequent.

    Nightclubs are great hunting spots because girls come here after work on their own accord and have the power to say no. However, there are times when a mamasan will bring her girls to such clubs. You’ll usually know if the girl has a boss because when you discuss price she will pass the information on to the mamasan who makes the final choice, you’ll see a lot of ear whispering and the mamasan may even talk to you directly.

    If you can read situations you’ll also be able to notice who the mamasan is in their group, she is usually the oldest one, isn’t drinking and happens to be fat more often than not… and yes may be able to sleep with her too.

    Thai University Girls

    Thai University girls don’t have a lot of money, you remember being a student you probably didn’t have much money either. There are many Thai University girls that are willing to be sponsored.

    Sponsorship typically costs around 10,000 baht a month but can be as cheap as paying for her accommodation. Really good looking girls can cost as much as 30,000 baht a month to keep. But not all Thai University girls are about money, many if not most are open or trying different experiences and are happy to have sex without any monetized reward.

    Thai  Mall Workers

    Thai mall workers can be lots of fun and very down to earth, they are typically well behaved and diligent. There jobs are boring and they come alive if you show them the right attention. While most are willing to go for free they would love nothing better than to quit their jobs and move in with you. Cost 10,000 baht a month.

    Thai Factory Workers

    Factory workers are only a step down from the Mall Worker. She probably didn’t finish high school like the Mall girls did and lives way out of town with few opportunities. These girls are cheaper at 6,000 baht a month to move in permanently. At first you might not realize that you’ll have to pay because she’s a normal Thai girl. But they all change after they start thinking there is more to the relationship.

    Thai Hiso Girl

    Let’s be honest, you can’t afford a Thai Hiso Girl, real Hiso you’re really not going to touch but the Bangkok Upper middle Class girls are bored and want to try slumming it with a Farang. Hiso girls are then typically free if you’re looking at a one night stand, longer term relationships could also be free and she pays for you but at some point if you don’t have the money she will leave for a Hiso Thai guy.

    Tom

    There are a few Tom clubs in Bangkok and Pattaya catering to the Thai lipstick lesbians who like their men to be women. Typically the Bar Fine on at a Tom club is 500 baht and for the Tom is 1000 baht.

    Gik

    Gik sex is always the best sex, you don’t get to see each other often and you both know that the whole basis of the relationship is to fuck each other. Gik in English is difficult to translate but for our purposes it just means “Thai fuck buddy”.

    Giks are almost exclusively Free but they expect their noodles and movies. If you live in Thailand you’ll probably have sex with a dozen different giks before settling down with a Mia Noi.

    Mia Noi (Mistress or second wife)

    If you get fully entrenched into Thai Life then you’ve probably already married and possibly have some kids. At this point if everything is going good and you have the money you get yourself a Mia Noi.

    A Mia Noi will cost you anywhere from 15,000 baht a month to 100,000 baht, if you have a Mia Noi you probably have a few Giks as well.

    Best places for sex in Thailand

    The guide continues with suggestions on location.

    Bangkok

    Bangkok has the most sex going on in Thailand, it’s also home to the best gentlemen’s clubs[i] in all of Thailand and the best soapy massage parlors[ii] as well. But probably what most expats and even tourists on a month long holiday realize that the dating sites in Thailand are jam packed with Thai girls from Bangkok and when you sign up it makes you wonder why anyone wants to pay for it.

    Pattaya

    Pattaya bar street.

    While Bangkok has more sex available those who come to Thailand and have visited both places still say that Pattaya is the sex Capital of Thailand. This is probably because of the huge number of beer bars and go go bars located along the 4km stretch of beach which are also lined with many Thai Hookers and Prostitutes.

    Be careful while in Thailand.

    However, the Thailand government has taken steps to change that image;

    “The article in the UK Daily Mirror last month, which claimed without evidence that one in five women in Pattaya were prostitutes, has certainly ruffled some feathers in senior Thai bureaucracy.  Normally, criticism of Thailand in the foreign popular press is ignored, so what is different this time is not clear.  Perhaps it was the wide discussion of the article by Thais in the social media, commenting that the Daily Mirror was not telling them anything new.  Or maybe the military-appointed Pattaya City Hall management felt it had to act.”

    Phuket

    Phuket, Thailand. Looks a little bit like my home in Zhuhai, China.

    Patong on Phuket Island in Thailand’s south has a unique feel that you don’t get anywhere else in Thailand. Maybe it’s the smell of the beach that makes the girls in Phuket so horny or the smell of opportunity and tourist dollars but the Sex scene in Phuket is wild. However, you had best take your credit card because this is one place where the sex is cheap, but living isn’t.

    Chiang Mai

    Chang Mai

    People who pass through Chiang Mai on a few days expecting there to be a huge party scene that’s easy to follow and understand are going to be disappointing  Sex in Chiang Mai is not as in your face as elsewhere in the Thailand. But don’t be fooled, those living in Chiang Mai know that if you know how to chase Thai Tale and live there you can get all sorts of free sex especially with the huge University presence.

    Conclusion

    This is your Metallicman “how to / go to” guide for a good time in Thailand. It might be out of date, as I only visit the land of Smiles on occasion. The point here is that this world is quite different than your life in the States, isn’t it?

    You bet.

    Angry boss, crazy taxes, upsetting news, insane demands by the opposite sex. Well it doesn’t have to be that way. You can leave.

    You.

    Can.

    Leave.

    A real man defines his life on his terms.

    Never, ever forget that. If your life is not on par with your desires, then change the script. While “Forrest Gump” might say “life is like a box of chocolates”, I am here to tell you that you can choose the box.

    Choose the box you want to live in.

    Tell the rest of the world to go fuck themselves.

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    It’s gonna blow. It would be a miracle if it don’t

    The USA is a mess. America is a mess. And everyone knows this. Everyone realizes this. In fact, it is a rare person that cannot see this. Gun sales are up. People are joining local militias, and the government is absolutely powerless to do anything.

    On the 27AUG20, a 17 year old conservative shot at and killed members of the progressive BLM on a march and protest event. This is the first open shots at what will eventually be known as a Civil War.

    The first shootings of a Civil War.

    Meanwhile President Trump is going on and on about a “hybrid war” on China, and everyone is pretty much convinced that this will evolve into a “hot” war, and yet the elections are continuing as if nothing is out of the ordinary. “Come on vote for me! The other guy is worse!” Jesus.

    The United States is Bat-Shit crazy.

    The following is a great post titled “It’s Gonna Blow. It would Be a Miracle if it Don’t” by Fred Reed and found on the UNZ website. It was written on July 30, 2020 and has 806 Comments . All credit to the authors. It was edited to fit this venue, aside from that the article is intact as written.

    Hoo-boy. She’s ready to explode, go high order. Smoking ruins, dead bodies, seething hatreds, and a country that can’t be put back together. It may not happen, but she looks ready.

    No one is in charge in this collapsing shell game of a country.

    In Louisville hundreds of armed blacks threaten to “burn the motherfucker down,” meaning Louisville, if they don’t get their way. All cringe before them, with reason. They have guns. Larger numbers marched in Georgia, armed, ready to rock and roll. BLM says it will “go into the suburbs” to get Whitey. Who will stop them? Not the government. It fears them. Weimar Kentucky. An American Freikorps.

    America today in video. Scroll down to the New York footage. It’s Planet of the Apes.

    Gun sales are way up. A friend in Rhode Island went to a gun shop and found a long line outside. A columnist in Virginia was told that the other stores report long wait lists for prize arms, notably the AR 15. People are afraid, or fed up. They are arming. The spring winds.

    There is no leadership, no one in charge.

    In Trump we have perhaps the weakest President in history, mouthy, preening, ineffectual, much talk and no action. He did nothing while the rioters looted, burned, and vandalized, then disengaged himself from the pandemic, leaving decisions to the states. Much cawing and gaudy feathers, but no bird inside.

    Congress does nothing, one parry neutering the other and all bought and paid for by special interests, by Wall Street and the arms makers and the big corporations. Local governments submit to the rioters or stand aside as the burning goes on. This is not society. It is chaos.

    To collapsing countries these usually comes a man on a horse. A man with a big stick. You know, 1789, 1917, 1933. That kind of thing.

    The media encourage the rioters, inflame passions either deliberately or through partisanship. They have little idea what they are encouraging. It may seem strange to say that the media do not know what is going on—it is their business to know–but they don’t. They were blindsided by the Trump because they had no idea of conditions in the country, in Flint and Gary, in Wheeling. Today they do not know what is brewing out there, or of how much they contribute to it.

    Angry urban BLM males arm up to “take what is theirs”.

    After all, nothing out in the great mysterious middle land affects them.

    Journalists in the Beltway Isolation Cage are rich compared to deplorables in in Gary, live in a city proof against recession. Their decisions are whether to go out for Turkish or Vietnamese…

    … not how to pay the rent.

    They censor news they don’t like, suppress the seismic rumblings out there in a country they don’t really know. In censoring others they censor themselves. They cannot read stories they cannot write. For example, sickening racial attacks on whites. That would be racism. Perish or fend.

    But race is just the most explosive part of an unfunctioning polity.

    Other things ratchet up the fury. Add economic decay and you get more anger, more pressure. People live paycheck to paycheck, maxed out on credit cards. They don’t have a thousand dollars, or five hundred, for an emergency. The young live in their parents’ basements because they can’t get jobs to buy houses and start families.

    People don’t see doctors because medical care is both costly and wretched. Student loans crush the young. Grade schools are propaganda mills; parents know it, but can do nothing. Retirement programs vanish as employers turn employees into independent contractors, avoiding the expense of benefits. People see no hope. This makes them dangerous. Watch.

    And BLM wants to go into the suburbs to get Whitey. God help us. Then it will well and truly blow. BLM doesn’t know how many white men are sick of the chaos and destruction, sick of BLM. They quietly say, “Bring it on. Let’s settle it.” Laden words.

    While these undercurrents grow, the media will chirp and lecture and say virtuous things.

    Then…

    … boom!

    No one is in charge. No one will tell the rioters “No” and make it stick. No one, yet. It can blow.

    BLM is cocky, aware of its power, made overconfident by easy victory. It, and Antifa, have never met resistance. If things get really wild, though, they will. They will also find that food does not really grow in Safeway, and that a Safeway burned out does not necessarily return to be burned out again.

    A country gets what it asks for, and deserves what it tolerates.

    Most of the social problems engendering chaos result from the failure or collusion of government. Other countries have good national medical care.

    America does not.

    Student loans are a calculated scam, just as credit card companies deliberately entice people to buy what they cannot afford and then charge them usurious interest. Retirement plans exist elsewhere. European countries have them. But the Pentagon and Wall Street get America’s money.

    It’s gonna blow. Short of a miracle.

    The deadliest question is how to accommodate blacks. One mustn’t say what everyone knows, that blacks are the least educable, least productive, most criminal, most violent, most dependent, and least assimilable of the population. If anything can be done about any of these, it won’t be, because no one is permitted to name the problem. No one is in charge.

    As whites lose economic ground they will be less willing to pay for welfare, food stamps, free housing, and other charity. When a pie shrinks, someone will get less pie and, if the pie shrinks a great deal, some will get almost no pie.

    Meanwhile, gun sales are way up.

    At least six cities had serious riots last night with the mob throwing bricks at the police. A thrown brick is a lethal weapon. It would be met with equally lethal force. Yet governments, mayors, city councils back away, back away, back away. If they stop, it is going to be ugly.

    America does not control its streets. The mob does. Everywhere. Name another country that permits this.

    If confronted by force, the white rioters, mostly young, will melt away. They are Snowflakes, Millennials, young, stupid, ignorant, having the most exalted time of a life boring before and soon to be again, Blacks, more virile, will not. If they do not, the resultant mayhem will make our starter riots like like a PTA meeting at Lake Woebegone.

    Then what?

    Here we come to the joys of diversity. Cultures can be too different to live together. Whites and blacks have almost no common ground, little common history. Whites trace their history back to well before the ancient Greeks, through Rome, the Renaissance, Europe. Blacks had no part in this and, it seems, have no interest in it. Aristotle? Thomas Jefferson? Einstein? Madame Butterfly? Galois? FORTRAN? These might all have come from some remote galactic civilization.

    There is no agreement, anywhere, at any level, over anything. Hardcore conservatives insist that the coronavirus is no worse than the common flu as hospitals report overwhelmed ICUs and epidemiologists cry the alarm.

    Blue states favor lockdown while red states open up.

    Libertarians peddle cockamamie conspiracy theories. Mask laws are ignored or fought over. China, South Korea, Singapore shut down, control the virus, go back to work. Not America.

    Nobody is in charge.

    Nothing holds the country together. There is no social glue, no dominant culture. We have no shared history, language, dialect, ethnicity, or religion. Diversity turns the country into rubble.

    Diversity? It is the end of America. The country once was overwhelmingly white, European, Anglophone, and Christian. It worked, as approximate monocultures usually do.

    No longer. The North hates—the word is not too strong—the South and seeks to erase its culture and uniqueness. The Bible Belt is intensely Christian while the northern elites, heavily Jewish, seek to suppress Christianity. The coastal elites hold the central deplorables in contempt. Blacks hate whites. Feminists hate men.

    Angry BLM armed with an “Assault Gun” protesting for “equality”.

    Hispanics float in indeterminate limbo, not having jumped either way. Amerindians maintain a demanding apartness. Jews, neither Christian nor, in the minds of many, neither quite European or quite American, control the media and finance, generating perennial hostility. Bulk lot Somalis, having nothing in common with Minnesota, are in Minnesota. On and on.

    It is going to blow. If it doesn’t, a miracle will have happened.

    Currently, if weirdly, blacks hold the whip hand in the country, but it will not last and won’t improve racial relations. it is lighting a fuse, fertilizing hatreds that cannot be expressed but, if ever they are, Katie bar the door.

    Statues come down if blacks don’t like them. Universities abandon teaching English grammar because blacks can’t understand it. Whites are fired for saying, “All lives matter.” The country lowers standards for blacks in medical schools, lowers required scores on the bar exam for them. High schools give diplomas to blacks who can barely read.

    Gonna blow, boys and girls. At least that’s the way to bet.

    The “Deplorables” will not accept BLM or Antifa incursions into “fly over” country.

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    Mankind needs real heroes, and perhaps there is a role in society for plausible hero movies

    Again, I am breaking the "text barrier" on post title lengths, but gosh! How else would you possible be able to say this?

    But isn’t it true?

    I mean that we all like to watch the heroes in the movies. You know, the action adventure where every bullet kills a bad-guy instantly, or the actor (Tom Cruse) that hangs on the side of an airplane at 4000 feet trying to get in, or the man that somehow bests a army of hit men and hit women (John Wick series). But…

    But…

    Let’s be real. That does not happen in “real life”. Blood is gooey and sticky and getting wet and damp and being shot at in the middle of the night IS NOT FUN. And I can tell you that once you’ve experienced the “real thing” you really don’t want to watch it in any kind of movie form.

    Whether it is…

    • A prison setting.
    • Getting revenge on someone who did you wrong.
    • A household with an alcoholic.
    • Fighting an impossibly corrupt government.
    • A movie about a divorce that went bad.

    If you have experienced these things first hand, you won’t ever want to relive them. No matter how well made or interesting the story line is. It will trigger bad memories and it will not be fun, escapist movie fare for you.

    Now, I have ranted on (in the past) about the overwhelming majority of super-hero movies and themes that have dominated Hollywood and American media for the last decade, if not longer. I have complained about them, I have expressed my frustration over them.

    My argument goes pretty much like this…

    These people are really not something that you can relate to. Young nerd gets bitten by a spider and turns into spider man, Captain America is changed by a military experiment, Batman is a rich eccentric, and the hulk is the result of a science experiment. Iron man is a rich industrial mogul. Then they all get together and fight some evil that is going to destroy the world. Tons of CGI special effects are used and the adolescents are amused!

    A ton load of CGI effects flood the screen.

    Bullet stop in mid-air. People run in the sky and at the top of tree-tops. Top secret military installations with lots, and lots of shiny black glass and stainless steel finished metal control panels. Monitors everywhere, all showing a whole bunch of impressive graphics and numbers in an incomprehensible matrix array. People move their hands and the air parts, a flick of the wrist and a person is flung into a wall, and teenage experts can hack into government databases in nary a few seconds.

    There is a theory in Hollywood these days that audiences have shorter attention spans and must be distracted by nonstop comic book action.
    
    -RodgerEbert

    Hey!

    So I have to point things out to everyone. Where are the movies that you can relate to?

    At least during the 1940’s people could relate to Humphrey Bogart. During the 1960’s people wanted to relate to James Bond. In the 1970’s people could relate to John Wayne. In the 1980’s people could relate to John Cusack. But now…

    Who can you relate to?

    What can I relate to?

    The new remake of Ghostbusters with an all-female cast? How about the remake of Oceans eleven with an all female cast? Or what about “Dave” in “Dave made a maze”?

    Can you relate to this beta chuck, directionless, ambition-less, unskilled, quasi masculine?

    Interior of the maze that Dave made.

    So…

    So, I have to ask.

    What about Mr. Joe Average? You know, the guy who is just trying to make payments on his bills, and reads every day about assholes that are tearing up his society. Mr. Joe Average that gets shit from his boss, works a crummy job, and is trying to make his way in a pretty pathetic excuse for a business. Mr. Joe Average who has to put the kids through school, and make a life in a career that at bet might mean work in a “gig economy”. What about people like us?

    Sorry, bub.

    Not. That. Interesting.

    2000 Unbreakable

    It’s been slim pickings for many a year. Action figures and heroes dominated the movie industry. If you were a fan of comic books then this time was for you, but if you weren’t… well, I hope that all the CGI offered you enough razzmatazz to keep your interests up.

    Then something magical happened.

    In the year 2000, a move came out titled “Unbreakable”.

    It was also a hero movie. It was about a hero, or a super-hero. You really couldn’t tell. What he actually was.

    Was he a normal guy that had ability, or was he a super-hero that was convinced that he was normal?

    Bruce Willis in Unbreakable.

    It didn’t get very many good reviews. Most people complained that it was too dark, too slow, not enough CGI, not action packed and the hero didn’t wear spandex or a cape. The complaints were legion. It was too dark, and way too slow. People complained that there wasn’t enough “action”, and that the dialog was “retarded” and it was far “too moody” of a film.

    But…

    You know, it was a story about a average man, doing an average job, having an average life, and feeling that something was missing.

    Something…

    But what?

    He was just a normal guy.

    He lived a normal life. He did what everyone told him to do. he did it to the best of his ability, but that was it. It’s just that he had this nagging feeling that he was worth more, and had a real value that he could offer…

    But what?

    Just a normal guy.
    Just a normal guy.

    The movie was special.

    It was about a normal man who had an extraordinary ability.

    One, perhaps, that all men have inside of us. We just never push ourselves and let it out…

    And because of that, everyone hated it. They absolutely despised the movie. They thought that the movie was lame. The acting was lame. The story line was lame, and that there wasn’t any decent CGI effects.

    This movie was dull - The personalities were dull; the lighting was dull; the color was dull; the acting was dull and the story line was BORING. Please explain something to me….the main-woe-is-me character works in security. People in that line of work are finger printed but our hero leaves his finger prints all over the crime scene and yet they have no idea who he is??
    
    -UNBEARABLE
    I'll say it right now, Unbreakable is my pick for worst movie ever made. Not necessarily in terms of quality, I'm sure some Sci-Fi channel movie would snatch that prize, but in terms of writing, acting, and most importantly, directing. I counted how many words Bruce Willis said throughout the entire movie, my final total was 6 (that is not technically true as I didn't really count, but I'm confident my estimate is within about 10 of the actual number).
    
    -Terrible Attempt at Emotion and Drama in this Disappointing Movie

    And the movie was pretty much forgotten.

    Some still enjoyed it, but they hid in the shadows. They kept their thoughts to themselves, and quietly lived their lives.

    Strangely, they formed little enclaves on the internet. Restricted access to their blogs to keep the trolls away, and built up a small group of followers to also, not only loved the movie, but believed in the power of individual “specialness”.

    Unbreakable is a superhero movie disguised as a psychological drama. The movie was marketed as a thriller over Shyamalan’s objections. But once the film unfolded onscreen, it revealed a unique, original, and unexpected superhero origin story. There are no costumes or gimmicks, and it’s a film that values story and character above expensive set pieces and big effects. By ridding the story of almost all of the superhero visual cues, Shyamalan was able to explore the genre in a meaningful and important way.
    
    This movie also features very few special effects or action scenes. Instead, it focuses on finding something fantastic in our mundane and normal world. David Dunn is just a regular man who has to deal with the fact that he might have superpowers. But it’s David’s struggle to accept this reality that really drives the film. There’s not much in the way of plot, but the character moments were extremely rewarding.
    
    -Superherohype
    It doesn't involve special effects and stunts, much of it is puzzling and introspective, and most of the action takes place during conversations. If the earlier film seemed mysteriously low-key until an ending that came like an electric jolt, this one is more fascinating along the way, although the ending is not quite satisfactory. 
    
    In both films, Shyamalan trusts the audience to pay attention, and makes use of Bruce Willis' everyman quality, so we get drawn into the character instead of being distracted by the surface.
    
    -RodgerEbert

    But…

    But…

    I loved this movie.

    I loved it because of it’s premise.

    Just a blurb in the news.

    You see, this movie is the “real deal”.

    It’s about a normal guy.

    It’s about a normal guy who had some extraordinary abilities.

    Like I have, and YOU have.

    And if you don’t realize it, then you have been convinced by others that you are just plain and average. For everyone on this planet has something, some combination of skills and abilities that make them rather special and unique.

    Do you “get it”?

    Inside of all of us, we have something unique and something special. It might be the way that you fix and repair old ford tractors. It might be the way that you can make a nearly magical bowl of Chili. It might be the way that you can inspire and teach others like in Boy Scouts, or it might be the way that you you apply the art of fly fishing.

    You, me, everyone has some very special skills that are way above those of the “average” norm.

    And we live life.

    Unbreakable.

    We live life…

    We live it accepting the idea that we are just alone, and normal, and stuck in a situation that there just isn’t a way out of. That we are trapped. That what ever good we might have has been submerged into the group and we must conform as the group says and hide our abilities, if they are (in any way) obvious to others. We must “lie low”.

    If this movie were about nothing else, it would be a full portrait of a man in crisis at work and at home.
    
    -RodgerEbert

    And because of that, this movie was considered to be a flop, and a waste of time.

    But…

    All of us have a “real hero” inside of us. Oh, we don’t look like it on the outside, but trust me, we are there, and when the opportunity arises, we leap up and out and take on the world. Just like a real, honest to goodness, Rufus would.

    The world needs real, honest, heroes.

    It does.

    That is what “Unbreakable” was all about.

    And that is the premise of the two sequels to the 2000 movie “Unbreakable”.

    The world runs easier when you have found your purpose.

    2017 Split

    Unbreakable is the first in a trilogy of movies.

    • Unbreakable – Discovery of your purpose.
    • Split – Even the confused can have a purpose and a role.
    • Glass – The world needs heroes, and they should not be forced into “normalcy”.

    To fully understand what is going on you must accept the premise that ordinary people are capable of extraordinary things. And thus, the entire trilogy is based upon this concept that ordinary; “normal” people can have some hidden talents that can greatly improve, or hurt, the world that we live in.

    Some, like in the first movie with Bruce Willis, can use these powers for good. And some, like in Split, can use these powers for other goals and achievements. And some, like in the movie “Glass” can use these powers to free the entire world.

    Split.
    Of course I knew the rumors from yore that Unbreakable was intended as a trilogy; but as the years went on and nothing happened, I figured the projected had been abandoned. And a good thing too because Unbreakable was still the best superhero movie ever made after The Incredibles, and it didn't need to be ruined by Shyamalan's decline. But Split seemed interesting and meanwhile the trailers for Glass were coming out, and they were so exciting I had to watch them for closure.
    
    So I watched Split and it was as if Shyamalan had made a smooth transition from Unbreakable to it; it's as if he hadn't made anything else in between. Here was the inventive, sensitive, spiritual filmmaker I remember admiring all the way back in 2000. Here was another one of his beautiful, slow dramas about ordinary people discovering extraordinary gifts and learning to cope with them. And it was packaged as a tense thriller about a kidnapped girl trying to escape from a serial killer with multiple personalities who discovers he's more than human, like David Dunn. It was also an emotional story about finding the courage to face up to our inner demons. Thinking about it now, if I didn't cry at Split's beautiful ending, it's probably because I was subconsciously saving them for Glass.
    
    Ah, Glass. A movie so reviled by critics you'll think it was directed by Tommy Wiseau. I don't understand what happened, I don't know what they expected, and what they saw. For my part, I saw the fitful ending to what is now one of the rare perfect movie trilogies.
    
    Glass builds on the previous movies and maintains its tone and pace. By tone I mean it's a low-key superhero movie grounded on realism. Like in hard sci-fi novels, frequently the characters will discuss plausible theories for feats and powers that seem extraordinary. By pace I mean it's mostly a character drama spiced with tense situations and spliced with trappings from horror, sci-fi, mystery, and thriller.
    
    -IMDB

    By the time 2019 came around, we have three super-heroes in this triad of movies.

    • An average guy who is unbreakable.
    • A man who is split into fractured personalities that combine into one.
    • A mental genius who is as fragile as glass.

    2019 Glass

    The Trilogy ended with the 2019 movie titled Glass.

    What's sadder, though, is that the critics will frighten viewers away from a movie that's better than 90% of what comes out every Summer. 
    
    In a world where any crappy, soulless, mindless blockbuster makes 1 billion dollars easy, this movie probably won't even make it to 300 million. 
    
    Split didn't and had better reviews. 
    
    And so we'll continue to get bad thrillers, action and superhero movies full of CGI, pointless explosions, and boring, by-the-numbers, sequel-hinting storytelling everyone wants - and cynical shareholders will continue to get richer while creative filmmakers see their opportunities dwindle. 
    
    Funny, even in that Glass was grounded on reality: in the end the faceless villains we never suspected existed, chilling out in elitist restaurants we can't get in, always win. 
    
    Curiously, that's one of the messages in the movie: the gifted are always being held back, overshadowed by the uncreative, those who enforce normalcy. 
    
    But as the ending shows, the creative ones always find a way to outsmart the bureaucrats of normalcy. I hope that with time more people will come to know the truth that the critics have been hiding.
    
    -IMDB

    The trio of movies are well worth a watch.

    The world needs heroes

    The world needs heroes. The world needs people that do things just because it’s right and just. Not because they can make a buck on it. The world needs heroes now, more than ever.

    And…

    I think…

    I believe…

    That YOU are one of those heroes.

    The world needs heroes.

    Now, I have other posts in my Rufus Index that talks about everyday, average person heroics. I find them interesting and fascinating to watch. But also very inspirational. What would you do, if a child was dangling from the 23rd floor? What would you do, if a car with a family drives into a river? What would you do if a five year old runs out into the middle of a highway?

    What would you do?

    That’s the stuff that heroes are made of.

    To sacrifice our lives, not for personal profit or financial gain, but to help others within our society. Because that is what we do as part of a society; as part of a community. As part of being part of something bigger than just our lonely, independent selves.

    You are more than what you have been taught to be.

    Conclusion

    There are unknown forces that don’t want us to realize what we are truly capable of.
    I will conclude this post with the final dialog from the movie "Glass". It is poignant, and worth repeating.

    There are unknown forces that don’t want us to realize what we are truly capable of.

    They don’t want us to know that the things we suspect are extraordinary about ourselves are real.

    I believe that if everyone sees what just a few people become when they wholly embrace their gifts, others will awaken.

    Belief in one’s self, is contagious.

    We give each other permission to be swayerolds, we will never awaken otherwise.

    Whoever these people are, who don’t want us to know the truth, today they lose.

    I believe that if everyone sees what just a few people become when they wholly embrace their gifts, others will awaken.
    Funny, even in that Glass was grounded on reality: in the end the faceless villains we never suspected existed, chilling out in elitist restaurants we can't get in, always win.
    
    Curiously, that's one of the messages in the movie: the gifted are always being held back, overshadowed by the uncreative...
    
    ... those who enforce normalcy.
    
    But as the ending shows, the creative ones always find a way to outsmart the bureaucrats of normalcy. I hope that with time more people will come to know the truth that the critics have been hiding.
    
    -IMDB

    Movies are many things.

    They can entertain. They can teach. They can illustrate and they can instruct. By embracing the story line and the dialog embedded within a movie, you can be taught interesting ideas and concepts; novel ideas and concepts that are just not possible with books and other media.

    It’s fun and entertaining to watch simplistic two-dimensional characters fighting it out with impressive CGI graphics and a great explosive sound track. But, it is something else, entirely something else to be taught some ideas and concepts that may seem foreign, alien or unusual for you to grasp.

    You are not a nine year old child.

    This trilogy is about you, the individual. You are an adult that has experienced both the highs and the lows of life. Maybe there were good times, and maybe there were bad times. But sometimes, there is a period in your life where the “wind just doesn’t fill your sails”, where you find yourself drifting aimlessly, doing the same things day in and day out, drifting on a calm motionless sea.

    To be part of a society, you not not NEED to conform to the behaviors and the ideals of that society. You can be yourself. You can contribute your special gifts and special abilities so that all may profit from them.

    But the first step begins with knowledge.

    Whoever these people are, who don’t want us to know the truth, today they lose.

    Know that it is not only possible, but indeed, it is plausible that you have abilities that are suppressed and hidden from you that you are unaware of. And others, maybe they would scoff and laugh at you…

    But who cares. The “typical” is not what you deserve to be any longer.

    Let them laugh…

    • At the woman who can chat with faeries.
    • At the man who can climb up the outside of a 32 story building.
    • At the mechanical prodigy that can diagnose and fix any car, and engine at any time, just be listening to it.
    • At the chef that cooks by scent alone.

    Being special means that you won’t get a prize. You won’t get fame. You won’t make money.

    But you will do what your purpose is intended to be on this earth.

    This is the moment when you are welcomed into the universe.

    Do you want more?

    I have more articles like this in my MOVIE INDEX here…

    MOVIES

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE .
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
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    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

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    John Titor – Full Text of his Transcripts (Part 9)

    From the late 1990’s until around 2001, the Internet was “rocked” by the sudden appearance and subsequent disappearance of a Mr. John Titor.  This person claimed to be a “time traveler” by using inter-dimensional travel. Here is the john titor post history.

    He was rapidly dismissed as a hoax, in unity, by all the major debunking organizations, and his posts mysteriously disappeared off the Internet.  Since then, all the sources that he posted on all found that their files related to John Titor were all corrupted and could not be reclaimed.

    That was the case for over a decade.

    Then, in 2014, a number of private individuals managed to piece together independently saved dialogs relating to John Titor. They constructed numerous websites that hosted these reclaimed dialogs, and posted them on the Internet for others to view.

    Metallicman is one such website.

    Presented here are recovered posts from the Internet collected in 2014.  It is not known if any posts have been deleted or altered.  They are presented as they were found by the author. This is part nine.

    Due to the large size of the transcripts, I have broken it down into multiple pages. This is part nine of the huge body of information. Here is the second group “Transcripts B”. Within it are some very interesting tidbits that many enthusiasts of the John Titor issue are unaware of. These transcripts in this particular Metallicman post represent some of the most obscure and forgotten posts from John Titor.

    For your information.

    Important Warning
    The information within this series of posts are speculative. I have no factual information if this John Titor is what he claimed to be. It is presented herein as the only (or maybe, one of the only) sources that claim to be associated with the vehicles that pop in and out of our reality from time to time. He was, as far as I know, never associated with MAJestic in any way..

    John Titor is “TimeTravel_0 unregistered” in all of the following conversations. Everyone else is just other posters to the forum.

    Original John Titor Posts – Part 9 – Transcripts E

    Here are the original John Titor posts from the Post2Post Art Bell Forum. Obtained from HERE. This is the second group of the john titor post history.

    Metallicman corrected spelling and some punctuation to make the text easier to read and understand. For unedited text, please refer to the source.

    I also added some commentary to liven things up somewhat. Enjoy.

    Unfortunately, we have to start with the need to endure some babbling nonsense from poster “Shadow”. He was obviously upset about the politics of that year. I greyed it out to spare the reader of the nonsensical spewing.

    Shadow unregistered posted 22 December 2000 21:16

    I had a flashback once, not too long ago, just a few seconds ago in fact. It had to be a flashback. I saw a former Governor of Texas, Bush I believe, saying “I wish I were a dictator but this is not a dictatorship!”

    Also he mentioned something to the effect of “You are aware of the fact that any recession that may come along next year or so, is Bill’s fault, really.” FWEEEEET!

    Hey pal, can I interest you in a little tax cut? Very popular in this election year you know. (Hey babe you wanna count some ballots? Your dimples are soooo cute.” “Chad, I think I might be pregnant.”)

    If I’m laid off do I still get my multimillion dollar tax cut, huh Gorge? Huh Huh? George? GEORGE!!??……..”.just wait your turn sir, the President Elect is busy playing with his yo-yo right now.”

    This only thing missing out of national politics right now is a Ryder rental truck full of whoopie cushions.

    Yes, speaking of The Flood. The real flood can’t hold a candle to the flood of bull**** that is commin down the pike these days. Are they TRYING to whizz us off, or do they deserve an Oscar for acting as thought they were.

    There are other possible explanations. Like Terminal Stupidity. Or the desire for population reduction (you). Or how about creepy aliens, time traveling spooks, or maybe even that half spoiled turkey sandwich you had for lunch.

    Of coarse the screamingly hysterical part of it is that they act like we ain’t supposed to notice. Right. “Waiter, check please!”

    mokrie dela Member posted 22 December 2000 21:35

    It’s ok, we can wait while you extract that wild hair from your butt.

    Pamela Member posted 22 December 2000 22:59

    DaViper,

    Just because you cannot figure out where the water came from for the Great Flood is not a good enough reason to conclude that it never took place.

    In the ancient lore and legend of every culture you will find a story of a disastrous flood. These accounts vary but in distant parts of the world these stories agree on one point. Far back in history there was a cataclysmic flood which wiped out all but a handful of people.

    From the Indians of north and south America to the Islanders of the Pacific and from the Chinese to at least 40 aboriginal races we find the elements of a great flood described.

    Geologists of today all over the Earth find a layer of sediment which gives evidence of a worldwide flood. There are several different theories of where the water might have come from.

    Here is the one I have heard:

    The Earth had quite a different climate before and after the flood.

    For in Genesis 2:5-6 it states that the lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth…but there went up a mist from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground.

    They argued that Genesis 1:6 described God separating the waters on the earth from the waters above the Earth. which could describe a canopy of water vapor. Our Earth could have been in effect a giant canopy enclosed garden watered by gentle mists which came out of the ground from the reservoirs of water below the surface.

    If the Earth before the flood had been surrounded by a canopy of water vapor above the Troposphere it would have compressed the air beneath and raised the average atmospheric pressure, just how much would depend on how much water the canopy contained.

    This increased pressure could have resulted in a greater oxidation rate, a much more efficient metabolism and stronger, healthier people.

    The shielding of water vapor canopy could have eliminated almost all genetic mutation from the harmful solar radiation.

    There would be benefits of living under increased atmospheric pressure. During the aquanaut program it was discovered a cut on a aquanauts hand healed completely in 24 hours while submerged in a diving bell.

    Back then the current land mass was joined together in a huge continent.

    The Earth before the flood was a single land mass riding on a blanket of super-heated steam and with an overhead curtain of water vapor protecting it from harmful solar rays.

    After the flood the vapor canopy was gone the Earths climate was changed.

    Atmospheric pressure dropped to what it is today.

    Without the water vapor canopy the Earth received more radiation from the sun and genetic mutations occurred. mans lifespan was greatly reduced. and they obviously did not live as long after the flood.

    The other theory that goes with it sometimes is “the fountains of the deep” were also let lose. Gen 7:11 Which combined with the collapse of the water vapor canopy. produced a great amount of water. The ripping apart of the crust would have triggered tsunamis of unparalleled magnitude, sweeping the Earth with walls of water from the existing oceans.

    The initial rupture of the earths crust would have spewed a tremendous jet of super heated steam high above the earths ionosphere. the vapor blanket resting on the air above the Earth would have been overwhelmed by the intensity and heat of this supersonic blast and would have collapsed as sheets of worldwide rain.

    The jet of water which gushed high above the earths atmosphere would have encountered frigid temperatures converting the water almost instantly to ice crystals.

    When the water vapor canopy which covered the Earth up to that point collapsed in rain, ending the green house effect, the temperatures on earth would have been reduced to much the same as they are today. immediately after the flood, the ice crystals formed high above the earths stratosphere would have fallen, dumping immense quantities of ice on the earths polar regions and northern latitudes. This would explain an enigma which has long perplexed the discovery of animals which had been quick frozen in Siberia and Alaska some still with undigested food in their stomachs and mouths.

    There had to be an abrupt and extremely sudden change in temperature, from near tropical to extreme cold within a matter of minutes.

    I kept this in my mind. and a couple of years ago i saw an article in the newspaper where scientists had found a couple miles long of water vapor in the upper atmosphere that was forming over a specific area and they didn’t know what it was doing up there. If i find the article i will post it I did cut it out and save it.

    Nobody knows for sure where the water came from and can only theorize but there was plenty of evidence that it took place. I have read several scientific theories of the water vapor canopy. I could go on and on but i just don’t have time. I have several books that mention it. I just pulled a few things out of the books for you to think on.This is just one of several theories I have heard.

    sincerely,

    Pamela

    mokrie dela Member posted 23 December 2000 12:31

    Wow, what can be added to that! I do recall reading that “radiolaria”, a fossilized form of tiny sea life has been found in layers of dirt at high elevations in the darnedest places around the earth. I know nothing of biblical things but when you find petrified itty bitty fishies in mountain ranges, something incredible happened involving a whole lot of water.

    Earthship Junior Member posted 23 December 2000 12:49

    Thanks for that Pamela.

    Has anyone read “An Ascension Handbook,” channeled material from Serapis, by Tony Stubbs ? Lots of interesting ideas in there.

    warren

    Pamela Member posted 23 December 2000 19:02

    Well ,I found the article but unfortunately I didnot cut out the date with it. It was in the Repository Newspaper . the author is Randolph E. Schmid associate press writer.

     Here it is word for word:

    VAPOR FLOWS FOUND IN THE ATMOSPHERE

    WASHINGTON- Massive rivers of vapor, some carrying as much water as the Amazon, have been discovered in the lower atmosphere.

    Reginald E. Newell, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said thursday he was surprised to find the flows while analyzing satellite data.

    His findings are reported in Geophysical Research Letters, published by the American Geophysical Union.

    A half-dozen vapor rivers carry water from the equator toward the poles in relatively narrow streams, Newell explained in a telephone interview.

    “I expected to see things following air masses, which usually have much larger horizontal widths. The fact that it’s concentrated was a surprise to us. ” said Newell. The flows “look like a river,” he said.

    The newly discovered rivers do follow these general principles, but move the moisture in narrow streams rather than having it spread out over a large air mass.

    They seem to generally trend toward the poles, Newell explained, though he has found a couple of cases in which the stream encounters a typhoon,”gets entangled in itself and goes back equatorwards.”

    The rivers also display waves in their movement, he said, though why this should occur is not clear.

    The researchers calculated the length of some of these rivers of vapor at as much as 4,800 miles with a width of 420 to 480 miles.

    What does this mean to the world’s weather and climate? Newell and his associates are trying to figure that out.

    “We haven’t solved the relation between these rivers and fronts, highs and lows and the rest of the synoptic (weather) pattern,” Newell said.

    Shadow unregistered posted 23 December 2000 20:08

    Morkie!

    Hair extracted. I’m much better now. Thank you.

    Hear no evil. see no evil, speak no evil. WHEN will I EVER learn?

    WE do digress from time travel don’t we. The earth is going to fall over any minute now……..scratch that………any TIME now.

    My theory on Earth Changes was dismissed because it “rested on shakey ground”. I too will wait for a time.

    mokrie dela Member posted 24 December 2000 12:14 (Christmas Eve)

    Shadow, Don’t feel bad, I live on shakey ground myself. As they used to say, you threw a hissy fit. HAHA We take turns on this board. Your always interesting with or without hairs; and your opinion in always important wether provable or not. Heck, I never shut up and I can’t prove anything myself.

    [OK, finally we can start by ignoring the various cat claws and spitting and hissing fits, and get back to the John Titor narrative. – Metallicman]

    djayr42 Member posted 24 December 2000 15:12 (Christmas Eve)

    Well as far as I can tell, it seems that only two of us here are willing to answer TT_0’s questions. (Three – Shadow answered at least one question.)

    What’s wrong? Are you afraid of being judged in some way?

    Most of the people who post here on this forum seem to enjoy playing around (and sometimes bickering and putting each other down). So what is the problem?

    It seems as though when you find out someone is observing you and says so, you clam up.

    Yes I know that implies that you believe his claims or you don’t think he is worth responding to. Yet most of you will take the time to bicker.

    You could just tell him that you don’t want to answer any of his questions. You can’t even do that instead you will ignore those questions and write a lengthy reply to someone else just to get your point of view across.

    Well that is what TT_0 is asking for.

    Why do you find so hard to answer him? It implies that you believe him more then your willing to admit. And you don’t like the idea of being classified by an observer from a future time.

    I think he is right, on the whole, “sheep” – bickering sheep. Ok, you can blast me by being honest in answering TT_0 questions. (That is the only basting that is acceptable.)

    Pamela Member posted 24 December 2000 16:52 (Christmas Eve)

    Hi djayr42!

    Actually there was another man who answered all of the questions and sent them to me to forward to timetravler_0 in private. Which I did.

    Whether you beleived he was real or not, I think it was only common curtesy to answer the questions after he answered ours. And that had to take a lot of his time to answer all of our questions and debating on how much he wanted to share. when every word you say can have consequences.

    Its no big deal ,he was just curious about how we feel about things as we are about him. Maybe people are just too paranoid.

    It is kind of interesting though…is this how we would treat a person from another world if we ever met one?

    Well anyway..hope everyone has a great Christmas!!!!!!

    sincerely,

    Pamela

    Shadow unregistered posted 25 December 2000 21:27 (Christmas Day)

    TT_0, I’m surprised that they haven’t caught you yet. I’d give dollars-to-donuts that the US military is into time travel already….since the mid sixties I’d guess. Not that its any of my business, nor do I want it to be. Maybe they don’t care. Maybe there is already intertime treaties of noninterference.

    If it doesn’t make it less convient for the rich to ripp-off the masses it could well remain a non-issue.

    DaViper unregistered posted 26 December 2000 03:00

    Timetravel_0:

    I think we’re probably closer than you think here. I’ll certainly buy your explanation of time travel as purely relative to the observer. I’m also not sure we’re that far apart on the reason there are no paradoxes. (Your Dictionary definition is of course the correct one, I was merely making a simplification of it for my own purposes.)

    As to the possibility of multiple universes, well, it gets used a lot to try to explain things that can’t be explained but to me it’s a cop out due to lack of evidence and the very fact that it GETS used so much as a way to explain that which is otherwise currently un-explainable. I need more evidence. The existence of multiple universes leads me to believe that if there is more than one of them, there must therefore be an infinite number of them.

    If there are an infinite number of them, then everything that can happen, has already.

    I dislike this theory for two reasons. 1. It destroys the necessity for free will thereby making all descisions made by choice inherently moot. 2. It goes against “Occam’s Razor”. The principle that the simplest explaination is probably the best one. I really don’t see the Universe needing to be so complicated as to require infinite universes just to solve the concept of paradoxes.

    Peace.

    I thought it interesting that my little “Flood” analogy sparked such conversation.

    By all means many cultures refer to “Great Floods” in their history. And Local phenomenea ARE the reason these persist in mythology.

    Pamela, you’ve been reading the propaganda of the “Young Earth Creationists” I see. Their web sites are all over the place. Unfortunately, these theories they propound are not only NOT POSSIBLE, but have long since proven to be so.

    Unfortunately many of these, like the so-called “Dr.” Kent Hovind have fabricated their own “degrees” in higher education. Hovind for instance, started a “University” in his living room, awarded himself a “Doctorate” in Theology, and uses this to tout his self professed “expertise” in geological and biologocal matters.

    The “Vapor Cloud” myth is a fairly old one trotted out to answer the “Where did the water come from?” question. But YOUR explainations are right out of the Creationists handbook 101. And equally mythological as they are without foundation or acceptance by the Scientific Community at large.

    Think about it. If it never rained before the flood, what did plants live on? As to the Vapor Cloud it self, it’s already been calculated that to produce the water necessary for world wide full deluge, the cloud would be so thick as to block out the sun entirely. Meaning it MUST have been dark always before the so called “Great Flood”. Preposterous. Every Creationists argument on this issue is totally debunk-able. Not just because it isn’t so, but because it can be PROVEN to be not so.

    May I suggest you do some browsing around the various Talk Origins websites where the real scientists hang out and you’ll begin to see how truly silly some of these Literal Scripture interpretations really are.

    Not that I’m arguing against (or for) the existence of God, just that if you want to view the Bible as an informative and inspirational document, may I suggest that you at least study the differences where metaphor is used instead of an intended depiction of reality.

    Genesis has TWO depictions or accounts of Creation. The Creationists won’t tell you about the second one because it is contradictory to THEIR view. And supports the concept of Evolution. It’s called selective interpretation. And they engage in it all the time.

    Or as the old song goes,

    “Some Things That You Libel,

    To Read In The Bible,

    It Ain’t necessarily So.”

    Good luck, and

    Peace.

    Pamela Member posted 26 December 2000 11:01

    DaViper,

    I thought I already answered the questions you posed on this particular theory to me in my last posting. I apologize I didnt have more time to post more info on it. It was only one theory out of many that I have heard. I mentioned this one because of the article I read two years ago in the city newspaper.

    The book the info came from was “A scientific approach to biblical mysteries.”by Robert W. Faid. I have another book called “Beyond Star Wars.”which I cannot locate at this moment. which is a scientifically based book discussing the many theories of ancient mysteries around the world. and it also mentions the water vapor canopy. both of them mention the rain falling for forty days and nights from the canopy and the rest of the water coming from the fountains of the earth being broken up.

    I have never heard of the “young earth creationists.” what is their web site? I would like to check out their theories.

    One thing is certain though, DaViper, there was a flood for the evidence was left in the Earth. How it happened rests now in theories because noone knows for sure.

    You know when it comes to Ancient Events most of the time all you ever have are theories because none of us were there at the time. and many things are not in existance at this time that were there in their time. Theories are formed and based on evidence found at the time and from piecing together writings or anything else found from the time period, or things found in the Earth.

    Someday we shall all know the truth. Maybe someday somebody will go back and “check it out” and see for themself. I am not afraid to study anything or research any theory. I piece it all together as I go keeping everything in mind. I see things from many different angles. and eventually the truth will be known.

    Peace to you always.

    -Pamela

    (Robert W. Faid-a nuclear scientist and consultant to the nuclear power industry, has developed patented processes which have been used to protect nuclear power plants around the world against earthquakes and flooding.)

    [This message has been edited by pamela (edited 26 December 2000).]

    DaViper unregistered posted 27 December 2000 15:01

    Hey Pamela if you want to believe in mythology as opposed to science and fact it’s OK with me. To each his/her own so to speak.

    I prefer knowledge however over the fabricated ideas of those who adjust theory to suit their particular religous beliefs.

    Sure there have been floods. There’s probably one going on right now somewhere. But…

    AT NO TIME was there ever a flood that covered the entire Earth. There isn’t enough water for there to ever have been. And no hocus pocus “vapor cloud” that could ever contain the amount of water needed to produce a rainfall of that proportion has EVER covered the earth.

    But if you choose to believe this, fine. All the belief in the world cannot make it so.

    The whole comment was an analogy in the first place.

    I thought we were discussing time travel paradoxes. That’s the title of the board anyway.

    Peace.

    rgrunt@yahoo.com unregistered posted 27 December 2000 17:00

    Sorry I have been out for a while.

    Does anyone know whether the forces exerted by a universal flooding could produce the force needed to seperate all the continents in in a period of a couple of months? Given the amount of water on the earth now if the land masses were but one land mass and there was one huge earth quake that cause all the land masses to spread at a constant velocity to their present location in a period of three months or so would the kinetic force mediated through the water cause universal flooding by generating huge waves of water covering the land?

    How fast would a land mass have to travel across the earth for there in order to cause the ocean in the direction of travel flow up and over the entire continent of the united states from east coast to west coast?

    How high would the wall of water be?

    Does the needed velocity match the biblical time period for the flood?

    If the continents were to have traveled at the necessary velocity to cause the water to wave over from the pacific ocean to the Atlantic ocean for period of time that Noah’s flood was stated to have lasted in the bible could the continents have reached their present location from the pangea in that period of time at the calculated velocity?

    If not how far could the continents have traveled?

    How much heat would have been generated by the friction of the water over the continents surface if the water flowed over the earth?

    Would it have been enough to produce steam at the calculated pressure?

    If all the above proves true then is it possible find evidence in the soil for such events? If anyone is motivated enough to run a computer simulation and plug in all the variables in order to calculate the above hypothesis I would appreciate it. I do not have enough computer knowledge to run the simulation. Whoever comes up with the answers to the questions above has the write to the discovery naturally so have at it.

    God bless you all and Peace,

    sincerely,

    Edwin G. Schasteen

    [That is the problem with thes BBS chat rooms. People get side-lined on all sorts of discussions, rants and nonsense that are not germane to the subject at hand. Also, I must have spent an hour correcting this fellow’s grammar and spelling. How old is he five? -Metallicman]

    Shadow unregistered posted 27 December 2000 19:35

    To rgrunt

    A computer sim ain’t going to predict ancient earth geologic changes any better than it can predict next years weather

    Go to the library, open a textbook on geology and all your answers will there, indexed and categorized.

    Alternatively there is a cool website on the subject, I believe it is www.tomato-wizzard.com.

    Shadow unregistered posted 27 December 2000 20:06

    Pamela

    Nine out of ten theories are eventually proven false. Let the people who make them up defend them. The Earths history is unimaginably long and complex. It may indeed be harder to find something that has NOT happened over its 5 billion years.

    There a million ways to be wrong and only one way to be right. Daviper will run circles around you because he’s got this million to one rule on his side.

    Pamela Member posted 27 December 2000 21:41

    Shadow,

    Then he will get VERY DIZZY! hehehehehe

    I am not here to defend or prove anything. I simply mentioned one theory out of many I had heard.

    I don’t immediately disregard a theory because it may clash with any belief system I may or may not have. he’s just plain silly! heheheeh. but it was fun!

    Pamela Member posted 27 December 2000 21:52

    Shadow,

    p.s. I cant get your tomato-wizard link to work! And I wanted to see it!

    sincerely,

    pamela

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    DaViper unregistered posted 28 December 2000 05:11

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    The laws of physics have nothing to do with a belief system.

    They are what they are whether one believes them or not. All the old belief that the world was flat didn’t make it so.

    All the belief that the earth was the center of the Solar System and Universe couldn’t make it so.

    And all the belief in the world that a “universal flood” EVER existed can’t change the laws of physics that make such an event utterly impossible.

    Where did all the water go when this “flood” was over? Evaporate into space? Sorry not possible under the laws of physics that are governed by the very gravity of the earth itself. Water which is heavier than air, evaporated into the vacume of space and left the earth’s atmosphere behind? Sorry no dice. It just doesn’t work like that as any meteorologist can tell you.

    The story is based on local phenomenae at the time it originated. It probably looked to the inhabitants at the time that the “whole world” was flooded but the reality of physics is that it is not, never was, and can never be possible. (Barring collisions with several thousand Comets that is. Which would wipe out all life, change the entire structure of the mantle itself and cause evolution to start all over again.)

    There is NO evidence this has ever happened in this manner.

    The belief stems from the desire to insist on a literal interpretation of the Bible that the earth is but 6-8 thousand years old.

    But it isn’t just that meteorology, geology, palentology, astronomy, biology, physics, quantum mechanics or cosmology each show that this is impossible, it’s that ALL these sciences agree thru related and intertwined studies that the aforementioned is simply not possible.

    If one wants to toss aside ALL of these studies and the verifiable evidence they produce in favor of a mytology based on a single text that has NO proof, than I guess one is free to do so.

    But an Ostrich is free to stick his head in the sand also.

    Peace.

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    Pamela Member posted 28 December 2000 06:08

    “They are what they are whether one believes them or not. All the old belief that the world was flat didn’t make it so.”

    Isnt that amazing? but yet thousands of years before they came to the conclusion that the earth was flat it was already stated that it was indeed round!

    Isaiah 40:22 “…the circle of the Earth..” heheh

    For some reason this subject is an offense to you so I will not discuss it with you any longer.

    All science also agreed that nothing could go faster than the speed of light. Scientists beleived and accepted this theory as true for years even based other theories on it. but in the light of new evidence the theory was proved wrong.(Just this year)

    I want to think beyond the current theories. For I see them for what they are..theories only, not concrete facts.Thats why I like to research many different theories and maybe even come up with some of my own.

    I respect your beliefs and theory’s as I do all others.

    peace.

    In search of truth always,

    pamela

    [This message has been edited by pamela (edited 28 December 2000).]

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    Rgrunt unregistered posted 28 December 2000 14:36

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    Not to create dissension for I am a man of science but in my own town there were discovered dinosaur bones that were carbon dated to be 80 million years old. The bones were discovered in a farming area close to bisbee AZ. Now a christian farmer went home slaughtered one of his cows took a bone from it and snuck into the excavation site one that night and buried the cow bone so that the scientists would discover it the following day. And the scientists did. They carbon dated the cow bone and their results stated that the bone was over 50 million years old. Further more the scientist identified the cow bone as being from a dinosaur. They presented their findings that week and the farmer came publicly to dispute them pointing at his cow bone saying that the bone was not 50 million years old that and preached creation. Thge scientists debated claiming that they carbon dated the bone and this evidence proved them wrong. The farmer stated that the evidence couldn’t be right. The scientists argued with the man. And finally the man stated “that bone can’t be 50 million years old, I snuck that bone in yesterday it’s my cow bone My cow ain’t 50 million years old.” everyone laughed and the story spread throughout our town and the scientist left our town in shame and completely humiliated and bewildered. They could no longer use their arguments to sustain the hoax of evolution for in one fowl swoop by a genius farmer their entire argument was brought to ruins.

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    Tomboy unregistered posted 28 December 2000 20:50

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    Hey TT_0

    Can u take some photos’ of the future while ur there?

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    Pamela Member posted 29 December 2000 11:44

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    Timetraveler_0~

    When it is beginning to rain….

    it is time to go rainbow gazing.

    ~pamela

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    DaViper unregistered posted 29 December 2000 16:15

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    Pamela:

    I’m not sensitive about it at all. And I also respect the religious beliefs of others. (I get a kick out of some of the stories I see preffered from time to time.)   But when hypothesis are profferred to suport religious belief that can be proven to be scientifically incorrect, one needs to realize that while religion is a personal matter, one cannot cancel the laws of physics in order to cling to beliefs that simply are not true.

    The only people that see conflict between religion and science are staunch religionists. Sagan, Einstein et al were both believers in God. Hawking is a pure Agnostic. Which means that while he does not firmly accept the existence of God, he doesn’t reject it either.

    Science is not attempting to disprove God (some scientists MAY be atheistic) but Science itself takes no stand on the existence of God. He either is, or He isn’t. To science, it matters not either way.

    Hey, maybe God DID create the Earth. But it’s a simple fact that He did not create it in what WE refer to as “6 days” as is metaphorically described in Genesis.

    If one’s faith is truly strong, all the scientific FACT in the world shouldn’t be able to shake it. Even when preposterous claims are made but such as ‘rgrunt’ above.

    His story is an old one and is without basis in fact. It has been circulated by the “Creationists” for many years. If ‘rgrunt’ did just a little research, he would find that CARBON dating is not used in Paleontology for dating things from MILLIONS of years ago. Other radio-isotope methods are used. There are 5 all in all. Each has it’s own period of effectiviness depending on the half-life or decay rate of the isotope involved.

    No scientist would even TRY to date a 50 million year old sample with Carbon dating. And any story that claims someone did is pure fabrication and bunk since no scientist would ever claim that he has.

    By all means, please keep searching for the truth. But don’t take someone else’s word for anything. Do the research. The web is full of good science and “snake oil” salesmen like ‘rgrunt’.

    I wish you peace and success in your search for truth.

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    DaViper unregistered posted 29 December 2000 16:29

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    1. S. Pamela:

    By the way, think about this.

    Physicists for quite some time now have understood radioactive decay quite well. In fact so well, we’ve been able to construct clocks based of the decay of various elements.

    Since these clocks are SO accurate, they are used by NASA to time events in the travel of our space vehicles. The precision involved in sending the Pioneer, Voyager, etc Spacecraft to the outer planets for picture taking is so intricate that only atomic clocks will do.

    If our understanding of radioactive decay was flawed, then these clocks would not work as we intend them too, and those planetary fly-by events we all remember NEVER took place since the craft would have missed the targets by millions of miles.

    Mr. ‘rgrunt’ has some homework to do.

    By the way, Evolution is observable not only in Nature but reproducable in the laboratory. Those who claim it doesn’t exist are either too afraid to admit they are wrong, or just plain too stubborn to accept reality.

    It’s a scary thing to be proven wrong. Once one realizes it, one is stuck with the idea that other things one believes in MAY be wrong also. This is hard for some people to accept since it shakes the foundation of their whole belief system.

    But an open mind and a willingness to actually learn will always get one through the tough spots.

    I have no idea how or why the Universe came into existence, but I’m not going to worry about it. And I’m for sure NOT going to buy into ideas of how it happened that simply are not so, and can be proven to BE not so.

    I bid you a good day.

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    Fast Member posted 29 December 2000 17:46

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    im sure that a group of scientists could tell the difference between a ‘fresh’ cow bone and a fossilized 50 Million Year Old Dinosaur bone…

    Fast Out

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    DaViper unregistered posted 29 December 2000 19:02

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    Fast:

    Yup! (heh heh).

    Without even having to resort to quantum decay timelines.

    Fossilization is a process where actual organic tissue is replaced by inorganic mineral deposits leaving a remnant of the original in it’s original form, but with no organic material intact.

    In short, a true “fossil” is actually a form of stone, (like the “trees” in the Petrified Forest), while a bone is…well, a bone!

    Only a blind idiot couldn’t tell the difference. (Actually, a “blind idiot” could weigh the two and tell the difference for that!)

    Peace.

    And EVERYONE have a Happy New year.

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    DaViper unregistered posted 29 December 2000 19:32

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    1. S. S.

    And finally just one more…

    (Couldn’t resist on this next-to-next-to-last-day before the TRUE millenium.)

    To all:

    For the sake of pure information and learning, may I present the following links which will hopefully lay to rest the question of the difference between metaphor and actual history in attempts to understand the writings in the Bible.

    Here’s what we know on:

    THE AGE OF THE EARTH http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/2437/apprage.htm

    THE RELIABILITY OF RADIOMETRIC DATING http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/8851/radiometric.html#reliability

    …and since I brought up “Dr” (sic) Kent Hovind earlier, here’s a link to some of his foolishness: http://www.onthenet.com.au/~stear/kent_hovind’s_challenge.htm

    (Please, please, take note of the arguments HE presents and truly foolish they are from a purly LOGICAL standpoint, even before you get to the science parts that show what a ignoramus he actually is.)

    He’s the SOURCE of much of the foolishness that the likes of the ‘rgrunts’ of the world are pushing on us in the name of “science”.

    Ha! LOL

    and finally, some humor for you. (Shades of the type of stuff ‘rgrunt’ has posted above.) http://www.onthenet.com.au/~stear/icr_suckered_by_april_fool’s_joke.htm

    Enjoy all…..

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    P.Light unregistered posted 30 December 2000 04:10

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    To Anyone reading this…

    What happened to the man of the moment T-T-0?!

    All of a sudden i come back to check on the state of the nation and i find all you people talking about “great floods” and carbon dating! LOL!

    Quite ammusing!

    Anyhoo…it would be nice if we focus on the topic people!

    Cheers,

    P.Light

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    Trott unregistered posted 30 December 2000 07:45

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    Mr. O,

    I just read your postings. Something did catch my eye. You mentioned that the physics behind time travel will be realized within the next year at CERN. Currently, the project being run at CERN is the LEP, the large electron positron collider. It was scheduled to be shut down this past November but was not due to some potential evidence of a missing component of the Standard Model, the Higgs Boson. As you may or may not know, the Higgs boson is the theorized mechanism by which particles acquire mass. I will not mention more of this but suffice it to say that I am aware that for an object to travel at the speed of light it would have to be massless(that is to say if the photon is in fact a massless spin 1 boson as assumed). But in order to tip the light cone, you would need to travel faster than light.

    While I do believe that time is not as fragile as some colleagues believe, I do find it interesting that someone would attempt to contaminate the time stream before a point in time at which time travel is possible. Actually, all current feasible theories of time travel negate the possibility of travelling back beyond the point at which the time machine was constructed.

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    in the know unregistered posted 30 December 2000 09:40

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    AH! Is that the official story then? When did Mr. O arrive at this board? Nov. 2, 2000 I see.

    Hmmmm….then again, maybe it had absolutely nothing to do with the diagrams CERN received in Nov.—but then again—-

    you never know.

    good day!

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    TimeTravel_0 unregistered posted 30 December 2000 10:28

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    (I think you know very well the answers to the questions you have asked. You just want to guage the quality of our replies, or just remind us that we SHOULD be up to speed on our constitutional rights and responsibilities.)

    It would be nice to be able to remind everyone about their rights and responsibilities but I am not here to judge you. I am not capable of that nor would I want that in return. As you know, my interest is in history and in the paradox of thought. I do however, find it interesting how important the Constitution became to the average US citizen’s life, if even for a short moment.

    (A young person should want to survive and live for better days ahead. At some point, however, an older person will realize, especially in the face of disaster, that better days are NOT on the horizon…….ever. What you are forecasting for 95% of the present population is 20 years of hell followed by survivors in the rubble. I’ve already put in my 40 year shift of work and worry. Why should we fret over politics on our way to slaughter? Isn’t that like telling the Captain of the Titanic, that all he has to do to save the ship is to back up really fast after the collision?)

    It saddens me that you do not realize your true worth as a keeper of information and experience. Perhaps the end that we fear will open your eyes to your true value as an individual. Young people need wisdom. The captain of the ship knows where the lifeboats are.

    (When it is beginning to rain….

    it is time to go rainbow gazing.)

    I like the lyrics. They remind me of some other songs that are oldies but goodies from where I come from…anyone know these?

    …gotta be home, by sunset. She asked me to giver her a ride, said she had to go, dropped her off by the trism through the atmosphere…by prism. Gotta keep movin , it was the human race to get away, sun bends light through a prism, she bent herself through the trism… …she pulls the lever and then bright light.

    — or this —

    Waiting for bus number 99, goin’ to the store for hotdogs and wine when all of the sudden I felt real cold and wound up in the belly of a UFO… …Movin through the spheres at faster than light on our way to some planets that were out of sight… [well it had been 987 years in outer space when I got back, I couldn’t seem to find any of my friends to tell my interesting stories to.]

    (Currently, the project being run at CERN is the LEP, the large electron positron collider. But in order to tip the light cone, you would need to travel faster than light. I do find it interesting that someone would attempt to contaminate the time stream before a point in time at which time travel is possible. Actually, all current feasible theories of time travel negate the possibility of travelling back beyond the point at which the time machine was constructed.)

    I’m pretty sure they have a number of experiments going on at the same time at CERN. The one I’m referring to involves very high energies using protons. From my historical perspective on my worldline, I do recall the issue was a point of contention about 18 months ago or so. There were some scientists who thought the experiments were too dangerous to try. The time travel I refer to does not require faster than light travel and due to multiple world “reality”, paradoxes do not occur. Natural time machines do exist. Please check these web sites for the basics…on both ends of the scale.

    http://www.leonllo.freeservers.com/blackworm.html

    http://www.geocities.com:0080/Area51/Station/5763/time.html

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    Trott unregistered posted 30 December 2000 11:57

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    Hi Mr.O,

    It is true that CERN has 4 detectors/experiments but they are all centered around the LEP experiment. There are no experiments at CERN which deal with accelerating protons at this time. There is a planned experiment in 2005, when the Large Hadron collider takes over the tunnel at which the LEP is located. The experiment you refer to is not at CERN it is at RHIC in Brookhaven National Lab on Long Island, it is an attempt to create a quark gluon plasma, a form of matter which would have been present shortly after the big bang but before condensation of quarks into particles like protons and neutrons.

    I am aware of the possibility of using wormholes to time travel, however you are still unable to travel back beyond the point of the creation of the wormhole. Even the Tipler cylinder does not allow a traveller to go back beyond the point at which the cylinder was made. It has been my view that in order to have controlled time travel you would need to have a description of the quantum structure of space-time, otherwise I do not see how you could undertake the calculations that would be needed. One reason it is not certain that a wormhole could be used to travel through time is because it is believed that quantum fluctations around the mouth of the wormhole would act to collapse it. Just as in a similar fashion quantum fluctations around the event horizon of a black hole act to make it radiate particles and eventually evaporate.

    If you are a time traveller from 2036, how do you plan to retake your place there. Your presence in this time frame would, as you have pointed out, cause a “temporal divergence” from the natural sequence of events. If you believe in the multiverse theory, may I ask you if you have memories of an unknown uncle being around while you were young?

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    TimeTravel_0 unregistered posted 30 December 2000 13:17

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    To Trott:

    I fear our conversation is in danger of turning due to an effect that is quite common on these boards. I realize what I’m saying is quite hard to swallow and it causes debate, weather serious or entertaining. It is even more difficult when you come into the middle of a conversation or a series of questions that are a few weeks old.

    Your points are all quite valid and I have discussed them at length on this and other boards for quite a while. I do not wish to antagonize you however, we both know the Tippler cylinder is only a thought experiment to explain the very real physics behind Kerr black holes. As to your other comments, again, they are all true as defined by the limits of spacelike trips on single worldlines. It does not account for travel between worldlines.

    I have never claimed to be a physicist or an expert on what the CERN laboratory is doing at any given moment so I feel it is pointless to argue about what they may be doing in the future or what “breakthroughs” they will or might have. My comments about the CERN lab are in reference to particle accelerators in general and other questions that have come up in the past. The major physics break through for controlled gravity distortion does happen at CERN in your future. Heck, we haven’t even touched on “Z” field compression yet.

    I suppose I could say that I was the one that traveled in time and convinced them to change their experiments but even I would have a hard time believing that one and I do not wish to insult your intelligence.

    Just curious…what is it that interests you about time travel?

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    Trott unregistered posted 30 December 2000 14:10

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    I am a graduate student in physics. I feel that the concept of time is in need of a lot more understanding. Because of that my interest in time travel is purely scientific. I am much more interested in the nature of time itself.

    I must admit however that time travel would be the greatest technological breakthrough in all history. With such a machine all questions could be answered objectively.

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    Got light? Make matter.

    pamela2@raex.com

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    Posts: 985 | From: U.S.A | Registered: Apr 2001 | IP: Logged

    Pamela

    Moderator

    Member # 15 posted December 25, 2002 16:13

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    Author Topic: Time-travel Paradoxes!

    TimeTravel_0

    unregistered posted 30 December 2000 23:26

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    I apologize for wasting this much space but I thought some of you would be interested in seeing this after reading some of things I’ve been saying in the last few months. Below is the address to the news site and a copy of the text.

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=004071676359148&rtmo=r9XahmDX&atmo=rrrrrrrq&pg=/et/00/12/31/wcia31.html

    This is the world in 2015

    By James Langton in New York

    Global Trends 2015 – Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]

    CIA

    International Insitute for Strategic Studies

    THE world is on the brink of a new era that may resemble the script of a James Bond film in which international affairs are increasingly determined by large and powerful organisations rather than governments, according to a study just published by the CIA in Washington.

    Click to enlarge

    [Large graphic]

    These could include alliances between some of the most powerful criminal groups such as the Mafia and Chinese triads. Such groups, according to the CIA, “will corrupt leaders of unstable, economically fragile or failing states, insinuate themselves into troubled banks and businesses, and co-operate with insurgent political movements to control substantial geographic areas”.

    The agency adds: “Their income will come from narcotics trafficking; aliens smuggling; trafficking in women and children; smuggling toxic materials, hazardous wastes, illicit arms, military technologies, and other contraband; financial fraud; and racketeering.”

    The 70-page report, Global Trends 2015, will be required reading for the new president, George W Bush, and his senior policy advisers. It suggests that the early years of the coming century are likely to be filled with both potential and peril.

    Compiled with help from think tanks in America and the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, the report projects a future in which globalisation, whether in the shape of the European Union, the International Monetary Fund, giant corporations or terrorist gangs, plays an increasing part in the lives of ordinary people.

    “Governments will have less and less control over flows of information, technology, diseases, migrants, arms, and financial transactions, whether licit or illicit,” it concludes.

    In addition to confronting the growing economic and military power of China and India and the continuing decline of Russia, the CIA says: “Between now and 2015 terrorist tactics will become increasingly sophisticated and designed to achieve mass casualties.”

    In particular it notes the growing threat of biological and chemical weapons and “suitcase” nuclear devices against the United States. In addition, it expects rogue states such as Iraq and Iran to develop long range missiles in the near future.

    Iran, it says, could be testing such weapons by as early as the coming year, and cruise missiles by 2004. Iraq could have missiles capable of hitting America by 2015, with both nations developing nuclear, chemical and biological warheads.

    Potential flashpoints have a familiar ring and include India and Pakistan, China’s relations with Taiwan, and the Middle East, where the best that can be hoped for is a “cold peace”.

    Elsewhere, the world population will grow by more than one billion, to 7.2 billion, most of the increase coming in the mega-cities of the developing world. In Europe and Japan, an ageing population and static birthrate means that allowing more immigration may be the only way of meeting a chronic shortage of workers.

    The gloomiest predictions are reserved for Africa, where Aids, famine, and continuing economic and political turmoil means that populations in many countries will actually fall. At least three billion people will live in regions where water is in increasingly short supply.

    On the other hand, there is good news on energy supplies. “Energy resources will be sufficient to meet demand,” the study says. The CIA report is most optimistic on the world economy, which it says has a potential for growth not seen since the 1960s. Computer technology represents “the most significant global transformation since the Industrial Revolution”.

    “At the same time, genetically modified crops will offer the potential to improve nutrition among the world’s one billion malnourished people. China’s economy will grow to overtake Europe as the world’s second largest but still behind the United States. Russia’s economy will contract to barely a fifth of America’s.

    The study expects the European Union to narrow the economic gap with America. It points out, however, that “lingering labour market rigidity and state regulation” mean that “Europe will not achieve fully the dreams of parity with the US as a shaper of the global economic system”.

    The 2015 report is an update of a 1997 CIA study into the world in 2010, which it admits failed to anticipate the global economic crisis that occurred between 1997 and 1998 which had the hardest impact in the Far East and Russia.

    The new survey suggests a number of alternative scenarios, none of which makes happy reading. These include a trade war between Europe and America, and an alliance between terrorist organisations to attack the West. Most alarming of all, it raises the possibility of economic stagnation, followed by America abdicating its role as the world’s policeman.

    At the same time tensions begin to grow in the Far East, where China orders Japan to dismantle its nuclear programme, leaving, the report says, no alternative but for “US re-engagement in Asia under adverse circumstances at the brink of a major war”.

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    Fast Member posted 30 December 2000 23:59

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    check this out..

    words to the wise from a proclaimed time traveler from the year 2036

    url: http://www.p3n.org/pn120100.shtml

    things concerning TT_0 pop up everywhere..

    who knows whos listening…

    Fast Out

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    djayr42 Member posted 31 December 2000 12:26

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    So it seems to me that this is one possible, most likely scenario.

    In about 4 years the voting system in this country will touch off a civil war. (Or at the very least the civil disobedience of many.) Because people will be divided about who should have power to do things, nothing will be done. When our foreign obligations become lax and we cannot hold up our end of an agreement, (in the far and mid east) they will see that as opportunity to move in on this country. They will feel that they have the right. This is going to take about 10 years for people to get angry enough to do something with more impact. During that 10-year period there will be groups (like organized crime) that will see the division of the people as an opportunity to get rich and/or get power. This will help the in those who seek to hurt this country. By the time we realize what is coming it is already too late, having been distracted by our own civil war and others with in who sought control. Basically we weren’t looking and got hit.

    Doses this seem close? It has been the pattern for other countries in the past.

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    TimeTravel_0 unregistered posted 31 December 2000 12:43

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    I’m flattered and a bit overwhelmed. I can honestly say I’ve never quite had this experience before. I appreciate the news posting. Thank you Time 02112

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    TimeTravel_0 unregistered posted 31 December 2000 11:00

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    Well…you’re getting closer people. Here’s another one I found today. Again, I apologize for taking up this much space but I thought you’de want to see this.

    http://www.observer.co.uk/life/story/0,6903,416412,00.html

    Science 2001

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    A machine called Z

    Under a ring of water in a sealed chamber in the middle of the New Mexico desert lies the heart of a machine that could change the world

    Michael Paterniti

    Sunday December 31, 2000

    It is never night inside the Machine. Even after the sun has set on the mesa and Jimmy Potter and the frogmen and the men in white jumpsuits and the men in blue jumpsuits have showered, packed up, and gone home; even as yawning, befuddled scientists – with names like Jim Bailey and Mark Derzon and Melissa Douglas – sit in offices in a nearby building, trapped by their own reflections and in the blackened windows; and even as this oesophageal dark falls over coyote and jackrabbit and moves everything towards sleep and dreams, towards the deepest centre of the night, the Machine is awake.

    Its 36 Marx generators are set in a ring like a metallic Stonehenge. The 20 Rexolite disks of the vacuum chamber look like flying saucers. Its vast, concentric pool of five-weight oil and deionized water seems bottomless – real oil and real water, in half-million-gallon tanks that sit one inside the other like a wheel within a wheel. Even now, there are depths in the Machine, invisible worlds revealing themselves, the secret body of the universe floating up. Deuterium, tritium, helium.

    It begins with the flip of a cyber switch in the control room at the north end of the hanger. Before a bank of computer screens, a man clicks a mouse, and then electricity, quietly sucked off the municipal power grid in Albuquerque, floods into the outer ring of Marx generators. Which is when the Machine takes control. A siren sounds, red lights flash, doors automatically lock. The frogmen and the white and blue jumpsuits clamber over the high bay, down metal steps, and retreat to a copper-coated room behind a foot of cement.

    Another switch is flipped, another mouse clicked. To the piercing sound of an alarm, a countdown in the Marx generators ensues, or rather a count up, in kilovolts, comes in a monotone, almost hollow voice beneath the frantic alarm. The man in the control room on a tinny loudspeaker, the Machine speaking through the human.

    ‘Twenty kV…’

    ‘Thirty kV…’

    ‘Forty kV…’

    At 90, the floodgates open: a pulse of electricity surges out of the Marx generators toward an inside ring of giant capacitors and then through a series of gas switches. The current is compressed by the Machine into a wild whitewater of electricity that charges toward the vacuum chamber at a speed of 60 million feet per second. On its way, it passes through painted sharks’ mouths, drawn there by the men in white and blue jumpsuits in the way that fighter pilots sometimes draw on their warplanes to show their prowess – or hide their misgivings. The electricity pours past the sharks’ mouths, is redirected downward, along the Z axis, into the vacuum chamber, blitzing and bombarding from all sides a three-dimensional target in a gold-plated can, a delicately strung array of tungsten wires the size of a spool of thread, hanging in black space like a tiny chandelier.

    Driven so furiously in the Machine, and then storming the array, the pulse of electricity – enough juice now to light up America like a birthday cake – instantly vapourises the tungsten wire into plasma, a superheated ion gas. The ions hover and dance along the invisible circumference once described by the array, while a relentless magnetic field keeps pressing on them, shoving them from behind. Thrusting and squeezing and ramming until the ions can no longer resist, the centre cannot hold, and in that hot nanosecond – Boom ! Everything becomes one.

    This is not a gentle conjunction but a Pandora’s box suddenly ripped open by nuclear passion, an orgy of ions. Boom ! Lightning fills the Machine, veins out over the surface of the water. Temperatures flare to those inside the sun. The earth rocks once again. And in few billionths of a second, 290 terawatts – 80 times the power generated on earth at any given time – roar to life inside the Machine.

    Watching it through a Plexiglas window, you might as well be watching the beginning of the universe. Or the end of it. Contained in that single flash of white light, when the Machine holds the heat and the power of the sun, when the room fills with lightning, there is everything we know – and everything we may become. The 21st century. A world covered by rooms of little suns, generating intense energy and, with it, the possibilities of time travel and galaxy hopping. Peace among nations. Or the end of time as we know it, a hole ripped in the universe by the Machine, something many doomsayers predict, and the earth sucked into oblivion. Our downfall or salvation. A fusion machine they call Z.

    The magic bean; the Holy Grail: fusion. The idea is to take two isotopes of the hydrogen atom – deuterium and tritium – and mash them together with a little energy, which in turn releases enormous amounts of energy in the form of a single neutron. Contrarily, fission, the method widely employed by today’s nuclear reactors, splits heavy uranium and plutonium atoms, creating lots of energy but also tons of dangerous and everlasting radioactive waste. Fusion offers a clean source, borne out of the material of roughly a handful of water and a handful of earth, with its only by-product being an easily disposable helium-4 nucleus.

    What would fusion mean? Endless, cheap energy. Amazing Star Trek , space-travel possibilities. Fame, fortune, and undoubtedly a Nobel or two for the lucky scientists. For the better part of five decades, the race has two separate approaches: magnetic confinement and inertial confinement. Most researchers – those from Japan, Russia, Europe and America – focus on the former: big accelerators called stellarators, spheromaks, and tokamaks (a machine designed partly by Andrei Sakharov) use huge magnets to contain and compress hydrogen isotopes that hover in a kind of reddish-blue plasma inside the huge torus-shaped tubes until implosion.

    On the other hand, the idea behind inertial confinement is that tiny fuel pellets of deuterium and tritium are bombarded by lasers or X-rays. In the case of the Z Machine, the explosion that occurs when ions are released by the vapourised wire array, and then when ions are pinched together, creates a huge X-ray pulse, one that scientists hope can be used to heat the tiny pellets and, in turn, create a small thermonuclear explosion. As it is, fusion has never been achieved for an extended time outside the explosion of a hydrogen bomb.

    The first time scientists attempted to shoot an early incarnation of the Z machine, in June 1980, there was bravado and false bravado and downright fear. At Sandia National Laboratories on Kirtland Air Force Base, in the same New Mexican high-desert landscape of America’s greatest, most frightening nuclear discoveries, they’d been working on the Machine for four years. Yet there were still unknown variables, a scientist’s nightmare. First, it was so much bigger and more powerful than any of its predecessors. What if the Marx generators blew up before it could be shot? What if residual X-ray radiation contaminated people in the area? Or a fire destroyed the complex? And what if everything worked perfectly and they got a huge energy release that blew up Albuquerque itself? It was a scenario that had been considered at the highest level. As had something worse: what if people later wished that it had been only Albuquerque that blew up?

    The shot – Sandia shorthand for the firing of the Machine – was scheduled for a Friday night. But then the machine blew a fitting. The technical crew – the frogmen, as well as the men in white and blue jumpsuits – worked feverishly, and by Saturday noon the Machine was ready again. ‘No one knew what to expect,’ remembers Gerry Yonas, 58, an engineer and physicist and one of the founding fathers of the Z Machine. They took all necessary precautions, charged the Marx generators, and crossed their fingers. A switch was flipped, electricity pulsated into the Machine, ripped through the switches, stormed on to the wires. There was a wicked jolt, and… silence. Sweet, beautiful silence. Everyone was still on earth; everything seemed to work. The feeling was surreal. ‘I felt the ground shake,’ says Yonas, grinning at the memory, ‘and everybody said: “Let’s do it again!” Nobody wanted to go home. I had to kick them out. There was nowhere else in the world to be. This was the beginning.’

    The scientists, at that time a group of 20 or so men, threw high fives and drank beer. Pure, silly jubilation. Only later, photographs of what actually had occurred inside the Machine made them gasp: huge dragon snorts of fire filled the hangar. Apparently, plumes of oil had sprayed skyward in the instant of explosion, flamed, and then flamed out before the men returned inside the Machine. They had nearly blown themselves up. By the grace of some benevolent god, or the Machine itself, they were allowed to return to work on Monday morning, giddy limbs intact.

    Over the next 15 years, the Z Machine gradually improved its output, packing an astonishing wallop – 20 trillion watts’ worth of electrical output, as compared with the mea gre 100,000 amps of the first machine – but it wasn’t enough. Scientists and theoreticians estimated that for high-yield fusion to be achieved inside the Machine, it would need to generate something over 1,000 trillion watts. A factor of at least 50 of Z’s output.

    Which is when the men in suits and ties tried to kill the Machine. It was a dinosaur, they argued, no longer useful. They felt Z-pinch technology could not yield the mother lode. By 1995, even Yonas, who was about to become a grandfather, was acutely feeling the passage of time. He sadly had to admit that maybe he should sacrifice Z and all the optimism that had driven the project. Perhaps achieving high-yield fusion, something scientists compare to the invention of the lightbulb for its potential to change the world, did indeed belong to the other fusion machines, the stellarators and spheromaks and tokamaks. To the Russians or the Japanese or the British or the confederate nerds at Princeton or Lawrence Livermore or Oak Ridge. And maybe Sandia National Laboratories – over time, a place known more for its secretive mystique, its downright weird nefariousness, dating to the cloak-and-dagger days of Little Boy and Fat Man – would have to sit on the sidelines while someone else gave the world perhaps its greatest legacy.

    But a funny thing happened on the way to the chop shop. Maybe it was 11th-hour desperation, or some invisible bolt of providence visited on a few overworked scientists, a couple of whom lit on the simple idea of stringing the wire array, the spool-sized target at the centre of the Machine, with double, then triple, the tungsten wire. All of a sudden – Boom ! Forty trillion watts! No one believed it. They reconfigured the Machine, boosting its X-ray production. Then someone, Melissa Douglas, thought to stack the arrays. Boom ! Two hundred trillion watts in a single pulse! Short of a nuclear blast, it was the most energy ever released on earth, and suddenly, in 1998, after five decades of chasing the illusion of high-yield fusion, of regarding it as some far-off Atlantis or dark galaxy’s edge, the Z Machine was a third of the way there.

    In science, if you do something once that’s never been done before, it’s considered a mistake. Do it twice, and it’s simply a mirage. But the third time it becomes the truth. With Z’s new, seemingly impossible results came the first flickering sign that some deep, unknowable power resided in the Machine. And so today, the Z Machine is considered one of the world’s best hopes for achieving fusion. ‘We may not understand how we get these huge pulses of power, the meaning may still elude us,’ says Yonas. ‘But it’s still a fact.’

    One that Yonas himself, at first, had a hard time grasping. After he was handed the results, he remembers squinting at them, and sitting back at his desk as if blown by a solar wind. ‘My God,’ he said in a small voice. ‘This could work. This could really work.’

    Listen to the Z scientists, to their best idea (‘The use of stark-shifted emissions to measure electric-field fluctuations and acceleration gaps’), and their dream (‘To remedy plasmic instability and create higher temp- eratures’), and you enter a kind of friend country that becomes an Andean prison from which it gets harder and harder to escape. The scientists admit that, at moments, their whole selves are inseparable from the Machine, that the pull of the Machine is so great that re-entering normal life can be nearly impossible.

    Jim Bailey, a handsome, soft-spoken, loafer-wearing plasma physicist whose conversation is peppered with references to spectroscopy and ‘the visible regime’, says sometimes it’s even hard to go to a neighbour’s barbecue – can’t make small talk, can’t communicate what you do – let alone talk to your wife. Mark Derzon, a boyish, bearded nuclear physicist, says he works a system with his wife: when he walks through the door at the end of a day, he says green light (‘Yes, everything is fine, I’m ready for the kids’); yellow light (‘Give me 15 to decompress’); or red light (‘I need time’). Melissa Douglas says that there’s no line drawn at all between the Machine and her private life – that the Machine, her place inside of the Machine, studying something called Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities, is her private life. And now, at the age of 36, she’s watched her friends get married, have families, settle, and on occasion she’s wondered to herself: ‘what am I doing? Can we really make fusion work?’

    Since the 1950s, the US government has invested nearly $15bn to find out, always with the promise that fusion is just around the corner – two, three, five years away – and, with it, a fusion revolution that would hurtle us to the centre of the earth, the deepest trenches of the ocean, and the farthest reaches of space. A revolution that would morph the Third World into the First World until we are simply One World.

    After all, how many wars have been fought over oil? And then, with oil reserves expected to reach full depletion by 2050, how many more will be? Remove oil as a vital component of our speed-driven, chip-fitted age and, sure, people would find things to brawl over, but energy wouldn’t be one of them.

    And with limitless, cheap energy, the development of poorer nations wouldn’t be one of them, either.

    And with development, the have-nots and pariahs of the world would theoretically join the haves, and so food and housing and education wouldn’t be one of them.

    And with a higher standard of living would come a new freedom for humanity. For at its heart, fusion, as a Utopian ideal, has always symbolised freedom; freedom from the mistakes and waste of our past, the Hanford Reservations and the Savannah River Sites – those vast, spooky, radiating underground storage facilities chambered with containers of plutonium and iodine waste, on top of which America is built. Though left unsaid, the race for fusion has always been about democracy or a democratic alternative.

    And yet one of the biggest threats to fusion comes from the same group of people responsible for the Hanford Reservations and the Savannah River Sites: the US Government. Recently, Congress and various federal agencies have become disenchanted by the fusion dream. Critics have lambasted it as a waste of time and money. If we haven’t achieved it in the last 45 years, they argue, we never will. The US has dropped out of a proposed $10bn international fusion project called ITER, leaving the facility in doubt of completion. Meanwhile, the government has spent $3bn, with as much as an additional $43bn to come, on developing Nevada’s Yucca Mountain as a vast nuclear-waste site – despite well-documented problems – and continues its commitment to fission reactors despite the fact that radioactive waste can be lethal up to 600 millennia after burial. Leaders in fusion field, like the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, have mothballed their big machines, laid off staff, and now are fighting simply for their own survival.

    ‘You have to find a way to justify doing something that you may never see accomplished in your lifetime,’ says Jim Bailey, who has a penchant for reading Hume. ‘I mean, instead I could be working for a cancer cure, with at least a greater hope of finding one. But I’m OK with this. I’ve made my peace with it. Fusion will be the greatest scientific achievement of our time.’

    Yonas, with the Super Bowl confidence of Joe Namath, predicts that usable high-yield fusion will be made available to the American public by an accelerator called X-1, a generation or two beyond Z, within three decades – maybe sooner. Mark Derzon, a member of what’s called the Advanced Concepts Group at Z, has designed what would be the first practical Z-pinch reactor – ‘A zero-miracle power plant,’ he cheerfully proclaims, and believes that the Z technology is rougher and tougher, able to sustain more of the constant rock and roll of such a plant, than are the sensitive lasers and vacuums necessary for magnetic confinement. But optimism usually carries the day only past lunch; the request to draw up preliminary plans for X-1, with its price tag of up to $1bn dollars, is likely to be approved by the Department of Energy.

    ‘Every day, it’s a leap of faith,’ says Neal Singer, a science writer at Sandia. ‘Adding wires to the array – where did that idea come from? From the outside it makes no sense. It’s incredibly complex and difficult to string tungsten wires 1/10th the diameter of a piece of hair and space them perfectly. And they did it and got tremendous results. Then they added more and more, spaced them a little differently and now we’re a third of the way there. It takes these little steps, this day-by-day thinking. Hour after hour. Ten, 12, 14 hours a day. The constant question is, Can you just make a little change to influence the result?’

    Thus the world inside the Machine is driven down to its smallest, most maddening detail. For in the end, fusion – its possibility and reality, its attainment and capture – comes out of this finely tuned call-and-response with the universe itself, the channelling of some great unknown, copulating force that calls for the perfect alignment of human and Machine. That is, the human culture surrounding the Machine attempts to mimic the Machine itself , which is trying to mimic the universe. The mannerisms of the Machine become the mannerisms of its minions – people rage and tyrannise, overheat, relent, synergise, procreate, vanish, and recur. One idea seems brilliant and fails, while another may start as a quail but then, compressed by other ideas – electrons stripping off, ions colliding – transforms into something sharp and fast, something agitatingly, beautifully right. And then, of course, it is shot into the Machine to see if it is.

    Still there is Melissa Douglas’s nagging doubt, which is the nagging doubt of everyone here. On certain days, it is possible to believe that you are merely trapped in the rubble of some cosmic joke with no punch line, that Godot is eating chilli dogs somewhere and won’t be able to make it. After all, Jim Bailey’s lab books are full of 13 years’ worth of jottings; Mark Derzon has pulled countless all-nighters in the name of what may or may not be the reactor of the future; Melissa Douglas has spent entire months of her life obsessing over a single equation, the pallor of her face reflecting only pale computer light – all of this thought and activity and faith belying the possibility that their efforts might be for nothing. And yet as much as the race for fusion is a race against the Russians at Triniti labs, or the Germans at FZK labs, or other American scientists at Lawrence Livermore, it’s also literally a race against the ticking internal clocks of each scientist who entertains the question: will I live to see it?

    ‘History forgets the individual,’ says Mark Derzon pensively, surrounded by no fewer than 30 photographs of his young daughters. ‘One day Plato will be forgotten. Ultimately, the name you make for yourself is not the important thing. It’s what you did, what you stood up for, what you acted on. Did you try to make the world a better place? In order to do it, the world needs fusion. I just happen to think that Z is the best way to get there. And we’re going to have one serious pizza party around here if it is.’

    Jimmy Potter stands inside the Machine, glaring down into the half-million-gallon pool of water at the submerged refrigerator-sized capacitors where, he suspects, there may be a broken, bubbling gas switch. Potter, a Texan, is the keeper of the Beast, the man who oversees the whole shebang for today’s shot. ‘Are those bubbles down there?’ he asks out loud, vexed. ‘We already sent the divers in. I sure hope not.’

    If Potter is driven by perfection, then he is merely a reflection of the culture at Sandia National Laboratories. And if the quest for fusion is intensely competitive, Moonily quixotic, and at times downright nasty, then Sandia mirrors, among its myriad projects, many of those same contradictory characteristics. Top secret or otherwise, spread over the dusty 27-square-mile patch of Kirtland Airforce Base, the projects include the training of honeybees to detect land mines, the invention of a foam that kills anthrax, the making of a synthetic sludge, and the perfecting of various micromachines, some so small as to be undetectable by the human eye, which might be used to lock down nuclear weapons. Sandia is the home to Teraflops, the fastest computer in the world, as well as the birthplace of moly-99, a radioactive substance widely used in medical procedures. On the east of the base, behind three rows of concertina wire, is a cluster of foothills rumoured to be now-empty nuclear silos. They seem to stand as a reminder of how closely the isotopes of Thanatos and Eros can be held in the same idea, for it to be a real idea, a saving idea, both have to be there, threatening to undo us and remake us at once. To obliterate and immortalise.

    Potter couldn’t care about all that. ‘My job is to work with the personalities here,’ he says, now pacing the high bay, twitching with pent-up energy. He slips behind a pig (a radiation shield), and checks a silver box that houses a cryogenic pump. He monitors the tech crew, confers with the lead scientist on the shot, keeps everything running on time. ‘You’ve got your top of the Ivy League class,’ he continues. ‘You’ve got prima donnas with huge egos. And you’ve got technicians who at least graduated high school. Nobody can operate without the other. The first thing that happens with two strong personalities is clash. It’s my job to go to one and bring him up and maybe bring the other one down and then bring them together.’

    Of course, there are days when everything feels charged with Shakespearean plots and counterplots, days when tension fills up around the Machine. All of it is caused by the Machine, which rarely exists, of course, in its aluminum-and-Rexolite grandeur, oblivious. There is head-butting between the young comers kicking with ideas and the upper echelon of Z veterans, who ultimately hold the power here. There are Iagos trying to ice someone else’s idea in order to promote their own. (The lab rewards the best with bonuses.)

    ‘I’ve become a lot more aggressive,’ says Melissa Douglas, one of only three women among the 60 full-time scientists who work on Z. ‘You have to really stand your ground. It was very hard for me to do that at first.’ In four years on the project, she remembers her worst day as the one when she delivered a seminar and a colleague heckled her mercilessly. Why? Was she that stupid? Did her PhD in plasma physics and her postdoc at Los Alamos make her that inept? So she took her weakness, her insecurity, her lack, and shot it into the Machine, and it came back as power, 290 terawatts’ worth.

    As have others. Marriage is shot in. Love is shot in. Innocence and experience and numbers are shot in, and come back as something almost holy.

    While many of these scientists consider themselves agnostic, they are quick to admit that they still find themselves in thrall to the unknown, to the force that pulses through the Machine. ‘In a deep sense, I would say that my greatest satisfaction here comes from the act of creation,’ says Jim Bailey. ‘Because what we’re trying to do is create knowledge that didn’t exist before. Whether that brings us closer to God or not, I don’t know. It brings us closer to an understanding of the universe, and if you want to think of God in those terms, then I suppose you could define it that way.’

    Melissa Douglas describes the charge of joy she gets from a perfect photograph of a Rayleigh-Taylor instability taken inside the vacuum chamber by a pinhole camera at the moment of the wire array’s implosion. ‘A beautiful picture!’ she says, holding up a snapshot that looks more like a Rorschach test – kind of blobby with spikes and valleys. ‘It sounds ridiculous, but when I first saw it I jumped and hopped around the room. Ecstatic. Just amazing. Being around this machine, you can’t help but feel awe. The universe is mathematical and, you know, God is a mathematician.’

    And Jimmy Potter – Jimmy Potter is clearing the high bay as sirens sound for all personnel to vacate the Machine and retreat to the control room. Today’s shot will attempt to find a way to bombard the wire array uniformly with electricity, so that each last kilovolt of energy can be accelerated into the Machine and come back as more. ‘I mean, how do you explain all this to someone outside of this place?’ he says, gesturing toward the Machine. ‘We don’t make a product that can be sold. You can’t really see what’s going on on in that vacuum chamber. I usually just tell people I work with X-rays. That we’ve got a big machine doing big things, and one day we’re gonna change your life.’

    Dawn inside the Machine, and it’s silent. The frogmen and the men in white and blue jumpsuits are arriving, shaking off their sleep, downing coffee. Jimmy Potter got the shot last night, downloaded the diagnostics, sent everyone home saying they’d take apart the Machine today, and then drove the half hour to his house, over the mesa and the beautiful landscape, to his wife and kids, trying to forget this place for a few hours. At 5.30am, he was back, rallying the crew, which now has sluggishly begun its work, drilling and hammering at the vacuum chamber.

    The people of Z admit there’s a new inten sity, especially given the Machine’s recent exponential gains. There’s something to prove – and they need to prove it fast. Plans to win funds to build a cheaper, intermediary machine named ZX, one that will lead to X-1, are the stuff of new worry and hope. And, like life on the edge of any new frontier, there is still the possibility of danger.

    But there are dreamy days here as well. There are times when some Z scientists find it hard not to let there minds wander, to entertain versions of fusion-propelled rockets arcing the local solar systems, of fuel stations on the moon or Io or Pluto, wherever you can pick up a little lithium and water. And there are others who imagine it as the Peace and Love Machine, who’ve put their trust and idealism for the best possible world in Z. And to get Peace and Love from the Machine, they have to shoot in their souls, holding nothing back.

    Now the crane groans over its huge tracks above the Machine, preparing to lift off the 8,000lb crown of the vacuum chamber. Last evening, the Machine inhaled the sun, this room filled with lightning, and then everything exploded. Now, when the crown is unbolted, hitched to a hook, and lifted away by the crane, a group of men tentatively peer down into the Machine, goggle-eyed, perhaps expecting to find some traces of gold dust or, more absurdly, a pile of confetti – or, by some miracle of the universe, maybe a fully formed angel, sleeping with its white wings pleached and sooty, its legs twisted under its body, both comical and impossible.

    So the men look and look, down into the centre of Z, the womb of the Machine, for some message there sent back from the invisible world. But it is just a well of black space – plasma and atoms unable to hold the weight of their gaze, the chill of their wonder.

    IP: Logged

    NoTime unregistered posted 31 December 2000 11:34

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    A “Z” machine with a Marx generator — is this something invented by Zeppo Marx?

    IP: Logged

    Rgrunt unregistered posted 31 December 2000 13:07

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    Dear Mr Deviper,

    Interesting indeed I will look up the points you stated for they are quite compelling. I do admit that the information I recieved came second hand so I trully cannot vouch for the accuracy of the statements in the story and I appologize to the people on the forum for the confusion. My father once told me that there are two topics that can never be agreed upon…religion and politics. However I do hold to my beliefs but without having performed carbon dating or other methods myself I cannot testify for or against their legitimacy. Is there any documented proof of a positive recorded in any lab? If do you have access to this proof that you may back your claims that creation is completely proven wrong as you so subtely implored in the last two paragraphs? Can you explain to me how it is more logical for such an intelligent existance to acurr merely by trillions of chance happenings whose probabillity of actually acurring is practically imeasurable then for an infinitely intelligent creator to have planned the creation. Do the numbers it is far more logical and probable for the universe to have been created then just to have acurred. By the way infinity has to exist. For infinity not to exist is a violation of thermal dynamics in that something cannot come from nothing. So if every chance happening accurs from a “big bang” before which nothing existed then something came from nothing. No this is not disputed by religion but by scientific law. Tell me how to get around this one. Let us first try to analyse order and chaos. In an infinite period of time does a universe with a mixture of order and chaos degrade to pure chaos resulting in a constant state of infinite entropy. Or does the universe gravitate to a universe of infinite order? Hot or Cold is the big question. If, on the one hand we have an infinite number of quantized randoms confined to a volume what is the shape of that volume? In this case the shape of the volume will be a perfect sphere on acount an infinite number of two or three constantly varying shapes would be at such compression as to form a constant uniform surface or volume. Thus an infinite number of randoms equills perfect order…yet even in such a universe we are measuring the randoms which must therefore exist. The measurement we made and the deduction is in no way connected to the origins of the quantities existant therein by a subtransfinite period. I say subtransfinite instead of infinite because I believe the universe is both finite and infinite and that time and space are quatiized and any movement in them. Thusly I believe that the distance in a finite space-time to infinity in this bounded space-time is finite. Thus any numeral beyond the barrier of the universe is not infinite but a finite number to big to fit in this universe so it exists in the area beyond the present universe…the past or future. If measure infinity in the small beyond any given center mass lies superluminosity and therefore past. The velocity of light is the folcrum point that exists in and marks the boundary between the infinite past and infinite future.I imagine that at this velocity one could part this reality and find another in the past or come in contact with the future. Tell me what would happen to matter if one were to burst infinitely into the future and back in a splitt second? I appologize I got side tracked this is supposed to be an inquisition to evaluate whether or not science supports or crumbles Creation. I appologize I have tried to see how a universe of nonexistance could come into to existance in the form of an infinite number of randoms and I can see no logic in this only a border created to establish the area of impossibility within for the existance of a universe to derive from nothing. But the relation that I see between the domain of non-existance and existance is unstated. I would have said non-linear but even these mathematical interactions acurr within the finite universe. It would appear that only super finite actions could exist within this region of nonexistance thus defining this region an infinite(beyond finite). I see no place for nothing in existance. There is no displacement within an infinite mass and I can therefore not see the possiblility of manufacturing a place of non existance save by an infinite being who alone could traverse this clause to make a domain existant seperated on all sides from the rest of existance by a border of absolute absolute infinite limit.

    All of this is purely my own ascertaining so it more then likely contains some flaws. I also want to state that I ment no insult by the way I stated my view up on top but this is merely how I learned to debate. I assumed creation side of the arguement and stated what I could ascertain in the hopes that others will debate my claims so that I and others may gain knowlege.

    Teach me,

    let us discover the truth.

    Edwin G. Schasteen

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    Trott Member posted 31 December 2000 23:51

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    Who receives the Nobel Prize for inventing time travel? Surely, since there is a divergence from your time line such information would be of no consequence to divulge.

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    Pamela Member posted 01 January 2001 02:01

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    Another time traveler????

    check out: http://paranormal.about.com/science/paranormal/cs/timetravel/index_3.htm

    scroll down till you get to: “the Wave Rider”

    I would have copied and pasted it but it is a handwritten copy of faxes.

    ——————–

    Got light? Make matter.

    pamela2@raex.com

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    Posts: 985 | From: U.S.A | Registered: Apr 2001 | IP: Logged

    Pamela

    Moderator

    Member # 15 posted December 25, 2002 16:19

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    (This group of postings not numbered. Not sure where it went.)

    TimeTravel_0 unregistered posted 30 December 2000 11:47

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    Greetings and happy holidays everyone. I am very surprised and delighted to see the conversation going in the direction it has on this thread. Unknowingly, you all have stepped into the real mystery of time travel that remains speculative in 2036. Based on a couple of questions I see here, I will try my hardest to describe what we in 2036 think space-time looks like and how it behaves. Please keep in mind that I realize how easy it is to dismiss what I say. First, I’m trying to do this from memory. Imagine you are back in 1911 trying to explain a jet engine to the Wright brothers. However, there are some very basic properties of quantum theory that support this model today. I appreciate the fact that you are reading this with an open mind.

    (If parallel universes do exist, did they all start simultaneously? I mean, let’s assume that the universe originated from a singularity. Were there any parallel universes at that point? That would not be very logical and it would also imply that there is a parallel universe in which our universe never existed.)

    It is thought that the event called the “Big Bang” was the start of not only this worldline or universe but all worldlines and all universes that make up the superuniverse. It is also thought that the superuniverse can be imagined as an expanding sphere with the big bang in the center.

    Individual worldliness (or timelines as you call them) can be imagined as lines originating at the center and “trending” toward spiraling around the sphere until they reach the edge. The individual worldlines expand in length and widen as you follow them from the center. Each individual “moment” or “event” on a world line has infinite possibilities or outcomes. Imagine this as a single point with infinite lines shooting away from it, which in turn are made up of points with their own possibilities and outcomes. Now, remember, these individual worldliness with all these points and possibilities are defined by their ability to hold there inhabitants to timelike trips only (no faster than light travel).

    Now consider the reality of a spinning or electrified black hole (Kerr). Penrose diagrams of these oddities show mathematically that you can make simulated spacelike trips (faster than light) through the singularity without being destroyed. In order to do this without wiping out most modern physical laws, you must travel to an alternate worldline or universe. Therefore, if multiple worldlines exist, infinite worldlines exist.

    In trying to imagine a superuniverse with infinite possibilities and worldlines, I think of a room with mirrors on all the walls. You are aware of your captivity but as you look in the distance, you see an infinite number of “yours” in an infinite number of mirrored rooms. The gravity distortion machine allows you to “step” out of your room and into another next to you. The closer you are to your original room, the closer it looks like yours, the farther away, the stranger it looks to you.

    (…If I go forward on this world line, the future will not be my future. I get home by going back to 1975 before I arrived and then going forward to 2036.”)

    A few people have asked me about this statement so I will try to clarify it.

    On my worldline (A) in 2036, I was given a mission in 1975.

    I turn my machine on and jump to another worldline (B) in 1975 with about a 2% divergence from (A).

    From the very point I turn my machine off on (B), I create a new worldline just because I’m there. This line can be described as (C) and started when I got to (B).

    I am now doing my mission on line (C) in 1975 when I discover a very a good reason to go forward on (C) and see what happened. I turn my machine on and go forward on (C) to the year 2000.

    When I turn it off, I start another line called (D). So from my perspective, here we are on line (D) in the year 2000. In order to go home to line (A) I must turn my machine on and go back on (D) until I reach (C) which in turn would take me back to (B) which in turn takes me to a point before I arrived on (B) then I go forward from the point I arrived on (B) back to (A).

    If all this isn’t enough to get your head spinning…here are some issues we’re dealing with in 2036.

    1. Did your worldline (D) exist at all before I got here from (C)? (personally I don’t see how it couldn’t)
    2. What happens at the end of a worldine at the edge of the superuniverse?
    3. If there are infinite worldlines and infinite possibilities and an edge to the superuniverse, doesn’t that mean occurring events on worldliness are staggered as they reach the edge? (time could end at any moment without warning).

    Happy new year everyone!

    TimeTravel_0 unregistered posted 30 December 2000 13:37

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    To: Roel van Houten

    Thank you for trying to answer those questions but I really do not expect that anyone can. I thought I would share with you things we wonder about. Your logic about me is quite correct but again I must state that I am not trying to get you or anyone else to believe or buy anything.

    As far as evidence goes…I have however decided to try an experiment with you that may be more convincing. It involves the travel of information at faster than light. In fact, I have dropped at least three little gems like this that no one else has picked up on.

    You said you are confused by the 5100 story. I will explain further. In 2036, it was discovered (or at least known after testing) that the 5100 computer was capable of reading and changing all of the legacy code written by IBM before the release of that system and still be able to create new code in APL and basic. That is the reason we need it in 2036. However, that information was never published by IBM because it would have probably destroyed a large part of their business infrastructure in the early 70s. In fact, I would bet the engineers were probably told to keep their mouth’s shut.

    Therefore, if I were not here now telling you this, that information would not be discovered for another 36 years. Yet, I would bet there is someone out there who can do the research and discover I am telling the truth. There must be an old IBM engineer out there someplace that worked on the 5100. They just might not have ever asked if I hadn’t pointed it out.

    TimeTravel_0 unregistered posted 06 January 2001 13:10

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    ((I realize that you said you are not a physicist, but I was curious if you are from the future: What is the current status of string theory?))

    Who doesn’t love string theory? Please forgive the next few comments, I’m trying to be cryptic and jump starting my memory at the same time. In 2036, string theory still dominates physics due to its continued “effect” of encompassing other physical properties from unrelated fields. A great deal of the theoretical mathematics behind time travel was discovered by testing various ideas in string theory and eliminating the anomalies. As I recall, it was this original work that led to the final proof that six dimensions do indeed curl up to give us our observable universe. This in turn supported more of the theoretical math behind time travel…etc. It’s ironic that the beauty of string theory gives future engineers the confidence to create the distortion unit even though the final proof is still unknown You’re a physics student, have you ever heard the Princeton String Quartet play?

    Trott Junior Member posted 06 January 2001 20:40

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    Mr. TT_0,

    I am familiar with the Princeton String Quartet. They are physicist who are working on string theory at the Advanced Institute of Physics at Princeton University in New Jersey.

    You mentioned a divergence from time lines. How is it possible to measure such a divergence? I would assume that it would be impossible to calculate how causes of one single event would propagte into the future. Does not chaos theory make such determinations impossible? Even if I gave you the exact position and velocity of all objects in the universe (which is impossible(I can not even give you the exact position and velocity of a single object due to the Heisenberg Uncertainity Principle)) you could not tell me what the future holds. Of course this results from the fact that the objects do not represent individual closed systems but in fact can interact.

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    Trott Junior Member posted 06 January 2001 20:53

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    P.S.

    You said 6 curled up dimensions. The current theory suggests that there should be at least 7 curled up dimensions. It was discovered by Ed Witten that if you added an additional dimension that the 5 slightly different versions of string theory would combine into a single theory, which is often called M-theory.

    I think it would be interesting if one of these extra dimensions was timelike. There are very few people investigating this possibility.

    IP: Lo

    TimeTravel_0 unregistered posted 15 January 2001 13:36

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    RGRUNT:

    Thank you for considering the problem of returning home. You seem to have stumbled on an intuitive proof of some of the physics of time travel. You are correct, getting back to the worldline of origin is easier than picking an exact destination on a different worldline.

    I wrote down the graphic you outlined. If y1 starts perpendicular to x1 and x2 and is rotated, where is the center of rotation? I imagined it between x1 and x2. If this is so, wouldn’t y1 end up parallel between x1 and x2 with each one being 6 inches away from y1 on either side?

    SHADOW:

    ((The artificial singularity you travel with, you say it forms a local gravity field. Does it physically reduce the size of nearby objects during operation? And if so by how much? ))

    Actually, there are 2 singularities in the unit. The gravity field is manipulated by three factors that affect it in distinct ways. Adding electric charge to the singularities increases the diameter of the inner event horizons. Adding mass to the singularities increases the area of gravitational influence around the singularities. Rotating and positioning the polar axis of the singularities affects and alters the gravity sinusoid.

    The effects of the gravity produced by the unit do not have enough time to significantly alter physical objects within a reasonable distance from the outside of the sinusoid. No, things do not get smaller.

    ((If the electron injection system alters the shape of the field, would that not force the unit to accelerate through space as well as time?))

    There is no relative movement in space due to three main factors. Large, kinetic energy inducing effects of the gravity field are compensated for by the interaction of the singularities. The mass of the unit and any objects inside the sinusoid do not exhibit any huge increases on the departure worldline during travel. The observed path of the traveler is obtained by changing the gravity, not by moving the vehicle. The black hole comes to you.

    ((The question is define “time”))

    To me, time has two definitions.

    I see time as a mathematical component of a 10 dimensional super universe. It is a variable I use to define my location and existence.

    I also see time as a metaphysical compromise our senses use to define the area of collective existence God has placed us in.

    When I can measure and sense time, I know I am not with God.

    ——————–

    Got light? Make matter.

    pamela2@raex.com

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    Posts: 985 | From: U.S.A | Registered: Apr 2001 | IP: Logged

    Pamela

    Moderator

    Member # 15 posted December 25, 2002 16:21

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    Pamela Member posted 01 January 2001 10:29

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    piecing together the information in the faxes provided by the “waverider” it sounds to me that if this be true then it is some form of advanced remote viewing.consider the following on how he describes how he time travels:

    “I am a time traveler. Although we refer to it as riding the wave. I am a US citizen born in 1964. I am nearly 40 years old. In 1983 I enlisted in the united states Army .it was shortly after my enlistment and before completing basic training that I was approached by those I now refer to simply as MY FRIENDS. This group does not contain aliens nor interdimensional beings, they are human.

    I have learned over the years that not everyone can safely travel the wave, and I was first approached, I was told, due to an unusually large amount of some chemical that naturally occurs in the human body, it somehow aids in the time travel process,(MY FRIENDS told me what chemical it was back then,but that was many years ago. and I have long forgotten the name of the stuff. I think it has some copper or something in it.) I have since learned that when i enlisted in the US ARmy MY FRIENDS gained a large amount of information about me. My genetic history and so forth, and it was this information that changed my life forever.”

    “I should first explain how I travel in time. The short and sweet of it is that I was taught to target a particular person, place or event. The more information I have on the target the better my chance of success and the faster I reach my target. I take a photo of the target. a sheet of paper with the information on it, a map of the site etc. I circle the target and begin the process. I then enter a quiet darkened area (we use to call it the pad) a period of concentration and meditation begins. For days, weeks, sometimes even months after beginning I will study the target, concentrate on the target,even begin to dress in the period clothing of the target during my time in the pad ( only about two hours per day is all I can manage.) as I begin the feel the wave approaching, i look for the doorway, the gateway. the rip in the fabric of time or whatever you want to call it.For me it almost always looks like a pool of water that I pass through before entering the new time line. Some time travelers had only out of body experiences (these people we call projectors) others of us (called wave riders) physically disappear from the current timeline. Early on in the project I would use a small electromagnetic tuner to help me concentrate and focus on the target, I no longer use any aid when waveriding.”

    Interesting….the US Army again…

    Timetraveler_0 have you ever heard of the “Waveriders”?

    -pamela

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    TimeTravelActivist Member posted 01 January 2001 15:34

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    Well it’s a good thing I got injured in the Army, or else that might have been my fate as well.

    J.C.

    P.S. I’m home… =)

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    Curious unregistered posted 01 January 2001 17:31

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    Pamela, what the Waverider is describing sounds a lot like the technique used by the Incunabula/Ong’s hat group. They supposedly had developed inter-dimentional travel. check out tis site: http://www.incunabula.org/

    A lot of the info on the site seems to be disinfo, but then there are pieces of the truth mixed in. Here is another site with another point of view: http://it.t.boltpages.com/it.t/

    Dimentional displacement requires less power and technology then temporal displacement.

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    Time02112 Member posted 01 January 2001 17:36

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    TT_0,

    I appreciate your comments here, and I thought I would provide you with an example of just how appreciated you are.

    (You’re sincerely welcome my Friend!…any”Time”

    Below is a copy of a recent email from p3n:>

    From: “Webmaster”

    To:

    Date: Mon, 1 Jan 2001 17:34:13 -0800

    Subject: Re: The “Z” Machine

    Hi Gary,

    I posted a link to the “Z” machine story yesterday, the second I saw it.

    Thanks for sending the “Proclaimed” Time Traveler story. It was one of the best things that has come into P3N and with the help of links from other websites it has been one of the most visited pages. It was also very thought provoking. Please feel free to submit more writings or links to good stories when you find them.

    Thanks again,

    Rick Reed

    Webmaster P3N

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    Pamela, I am very familiar with this “Waverider” I listened to his info. on the former “Art Bell Show” known today, as the current “Coast To Coast AM” program.

    since “Premier Radio Networks” purchased Art Bell’s Legacy for a sumisable amount. http://coasttocoastam.com

    you can listen to pre-recorded programs, up to 30 days, in the “Past Shows” selection, on their website. Anything beyond 30 days, you will need to purchase a tape.

    I believe that this “Waverider” information & faxes, are still available in text & jpg formats on the coast to coast website.

    [This message has been edited by Time02112 (edited 01 January 2001).]

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    Time02112 Member posted 01 January 2001 18:25

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    TT_0

    What could you surmise, as to what might happen, as a result if you provided us with copies of various news articles in relation to “Technology Reports” published a year in our future, or any “Time” after (Such as in your “Worldline” as you so describe?

    *Could You?

    *Would You?

    And please explain your reasons for why you would, or would not do something like this for us?

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    Fast Member posted 01 January 2001 18:59

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    i think that when Art Bell retired(unknown reason..) he said that the Wave Rider was not real,it was just some guy messing around.he told that to the sheriff in his town,or something similar..

    i could be mistaken..

    Fast Out

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    TimeTravelActivist Member posted 01 January 2001 20:38

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    I see that I have returned just in time. The concept of Time Travel has overwhelmed some with the idea of accepting it, and going along with it. Have you all forgotten that Time Travel is a means of controlling who we are. For a future collective agenda.
    My site is updated, check it out.

    -INDIVIDUALS OPPOSED TO TEMPORAL MANIPULATION-

    http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Atrium/9822/

    J.C.

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    Pamela Member posted 01 January 2001 23:24

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    Curious,

    thankyou for providing the links to Ong’s hat they are very interesting.I will be looking at it more indepth.

    Time 02112,

    boy, the “z” machine story got around pretty quick!

    Fast,

    If Art Bell has admitted to the time traveler being fake why are the stories still posted on his site? Knowing Art Bells

    character I think he would have written a follow up letter on it or pulled all the faxes from the site.

    It still does not mean the faxes are legitimate however.

    one thing I have been noticing though is some of the predictions were not acurate. A time traveler from another worldline can really only testify to what he has seen on his worldline. but now I am beginning to wonder….how many timetravelers are out there? how many are on this worldline at any given time? how many times can you alter events before something happens?

    a lot of what waverider spoke on in his final faxes sounds a lot like timetraveler_0’s testimony. I know TTO is going to be really interested in reading waveriders faxes. perhaps he may be able to relate to some of the language written.

    sincerely,

    pamela

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    Trott Member posted 02 January 2001 12:46

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    Timetravel Activist,

    If you believe in the multi-universe interpretation of quantum mechanics than everything with a non-zero possibility plays out. Therefore, I do not see how one could say that your future or history is being changed since one possibility, if time travel is possible, is for your future to be changed. Of course in an alternate universe, you would still be whatever it is that you thing has been changed about you.

    If time travel ever becomes more than just theory, it would mark the greatest scientific moment in all history. Surely, you must agree with that.

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    Trott Member posted 02 January 2001 12:57

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    Mr. O,

    You said that there were 7 other time travellers that you knew of who were on various missions from 2036 on your timeline. I am curious have people in 2036 been visited by people from further in the future? One would think that once time travel was possible and widely known that visitors from other time frames would be more likely to be visible and willing to be upfront about their visitation to the period after time travel, A.T.T (after time travel).

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    Fast Member posted 02 January 2001 01:27

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    pamela,

    it is no longer HIS website…at least i think so.

    the last time i checked in was when his page was redirected to CoasttoCoastAM.com.

    i think i first got intrested into gibb’s work after hearing him on the Art Bell show..

    but i remember an interview or something where a friend of his or a sheriff said that the wave rider was a nice story,but it wasnt real.i think thats right.

    Fast Out

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    TimeTravelActivist Member posted 02 January 2001 01:53

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    Trott,

    I see your brand new here, so I can understand if you don’t know the history of what I’ve said in past posts. Let me just say that yes Time Travel will be this worlds greatest technological breakthrough, when it becomes real (to this timeline that is).

    However, unlike you who wishes to see this issue of Time Travel as a scientist in an objective manner.

    I choose to see this issue on a human/moral level. Is it ethical to Time Travel? Is it right to change the past with the knowledge one knows now in the future?

    You’ve all seen “Back to the Future 2” where Marty is in the future, and he attempts to take back with him an almanac to place sports bets in the past.

    Well, you can see where the moral implication can put us in, if our curiosity to go back and do things in this manner will do to our society? If one person does it, others will want to too.

    If others are getting genetically engineered, others will want to too. To keep up at least, since now the rich who can afford it, are this super eugenic species (with intelligence and looks). Will we say then “Survival of the Fittest?”

    Where does that leave out normal hard working honest people? Apparently that no longer exists.

    Therefore, as you can see, my only beef with Time Travel is that it can be abused. Sure it can benefit us, but I am an Activist trying to get the word out that it’s not just glamorous and wonderful as it may sound, and that we should all jump in the band-wagon with it.

    Someone needs to look out for humanities best interest in preserving our way of life, and I’m willing to take on that responsibility. Who can say the same?

    Sincerely,

    J.C.

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    Fast Member posted 02 January 2001 04:14

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    every page in every book has 2 sides..

    2 sides which are to be viewed and judged..

    time travel is just another page in just another book…

    Fast Out

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    Roel van Houten Member posted 02 January 2001 16:32

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    Hi everyone,

    With all due respect, but the story about the “Waverider” sounds pretty ridiculous compared to the story that TimeTravel_0 provided us with.

    I don’t think timetravel will exist for a couple of decades to come, maybe even centuries. But I strongly believe that timetravel will not be possible without the aid of a machine of somekind.

    Nowadays people are said to be using 30% of their brainpower and although people have accomplished many great things, I don’t believe the remaining 70% is enough to travel through time. There are myths about monks and priests who were able to levitate by focussing their thoughts, but that’s nothing compared to timetravel.

    Anyone?

    Roel van Houten

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    Pamela Member posted 02 January 2001 17:33

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    Hi Roel Van Houten,

    Is it still raining over there?

    You forgot the weather report at the end!

    I think time travel already exists.

    One thing you have to remember that it doesnt really matter WHEN it was ever created but IF. because with a time machine you can travel to ANY time.

    TTO has made me realize alot of different possibilities in time travel.Things I never thought of before I am now thinking on.

    New ideas have sprung up. new pieces of the puzzle possibly found.

    about the priests and monks…I think that would involve more the will, spirit, and amplified thoughts than just the brain alone.

    Does anyone have any thoughts on the “Z” machine?

    sincerely,

    pamela

    [This message has been edited by pamela (edited 02 January 2001).]

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    Juanito Junior Member posted 02 January 2001 19:52

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    I’m sorry but I don’t believe the Time Traveler is from the year 2036. Pamela u seem like a smart woman how can you believe that he is a time traveler where there is nothing that he says could prove that he is. You even beleived the guy who called the Art Bell show and it’s pretty sure that HE is a fake. The only thing that makes me think that Time Travel is possible was a incident that happened to me in 1995. It was a Saturday and I was living in Manhattan. I had to get up early to move the car from the meter.Standing in the corner of my block looking like he was waiting for the bus was a man that looked exactly like me.It really scared me. I saw him and he saw me. I just took off running (which I regret). Was that me from the future?? Or was that someone that just looked like me? I don’t know and I don’t think I ever will know

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    Fast Member posted 02 January 2001 21:30

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    Juanito,

    TT_0 provided us with scanned government documents showing the components to a 2036 General Electric Time Machine..check out the other pages on this thread,and you’ll find the url to them…

    FastWalker2

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    Juanito Junior Member posted 02 January 2001 21:57

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    You mean the photos of the paper that say 2036?? I could make those papers. I made birth certifcate and immigration papers that look more real then those papers. If u believe that those photos then I have a bridge to sell u in Brooklyn want to buy it is really cheap!!!!!

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    Andera unregistered posted 03 January 2001 12:30

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    can you tell again the link of that papers, which are you talking about, i wanna se it

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    Pamela Member posted 03 January 2001 06:31

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    Juanito-

    hmmm, I don’t remember ever posting that I beleived the wave rider was true.

    As for timetraveler_0 , I have not posted everything we have discussed.

    I have not been able to find a flaw in any of his discussions so far.

    he has really opened my understanding of time travel.Things I would have never thought of before.

    I will have to say, In some of his thinking he is “ahead of this time.”

    sincerely,

    pamela

    [This message has been edited by pamela (edited 03 January 2001).]

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    Fast Member posted 03 January 2001 07:52

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    Juanito,

    when you have a seamless story that you came from 2036 in a General Electric Time machine and brought documents from the year 2036,then ill buy your bridge.

    TT_0 could have said bloody NASA made the time machine,why did he choose General Electric?possibly because his story is true..?

    and the documents are scanned,and look unedited.they also look photocopied.

    so..

    FastWalker2

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    TimeTravel_0 unregistered posted 03 January 2001 13:47

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    I’ve been reading the last few postings with a bit of confusion. I see there is controversy over my “story” that is causing some people to ask themselves if they believe it or not.

    For quite a while, I have been stating that not only do I not expect anyone to believe me, it’s irrelevant and in my opinion, quite dangerous. Belief implies that you accept what I say as true and real. Over the internet, this is impossible. In fact, I have stated before, there are many people in 2036 who do not believe in time travel.

    As I stated before, I also think that unwavering belief is dangerous. One very disturbing thing I have noticed about your society in general is your blind acceptance of what you are told. Do you really think the news industry doesn’t have an agenda? Do you really think those hamburgers you stuff into your body are safe? Do you really think your government is telling you the truth? What proof do you have of any of that?

    What I do want you to do is open your eyes to the events that happening around you that have nothing to do with me. Some of you have been reading for a while now about the war in 2015 and the breakthroughs in particle physics that would be coming soon. Doesn’t the CIA report on 2015 and news on the z-field compression at least support what I’ve been saying a little bit? I just saw another story today about the Russians moving Nuks into the Balkins to thwart any future expansion by NATO. I also haven’t heard anyone take me up on my “information experiment” on the IBM 5100 or check out the information I’ve given you about the UNIX failure in 2038. With all due respect… I find it hard to take some of you seriously.

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    Andera unregistered posted 03 January 2001 15:51

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    i have read all the 6 pages of this board, and i can see all is about the story of mister tt_0, i only can had 1 conclusion, its AMAZING; but just amazing, i mean the only thing we can do is belive or not, but cmon we are phisycs, we not belive, we KNOW, our knowledge is based on the brain, the belive is based on heart, its important belive in something but not be blind for this, i come to this board(whit another nick) a few months ago and you just talking about ways to travel in time, pure teorical phisics, but now this board seems like belive or not belive, love or not love the mister tt_0.

    I am not against the m. tt_0, if he travel or not, for me is his problem, i mean the first time i read the m. tt_0 i think woao!!! a real time traveler!!, but a few seconds later, i was disapointed because i wanna be the man who make the time machine, i wanna be the first time traveler, and this guy come and said i travel in time, i was blue, but then i think may be i or we will be the builders of the time machine, but this only can hapen if we do phisycs, if we do teories, if we do experiments, ni mean, this cant hapen if we only are limited to belive and love or not belive and no love an “apparental time traveler”, or if we just talk about “its true or not the time traveler”.

    In 6 pages of board you just talk about how will be the future, belive or not, our society is bad or not, cmon stop do this questions, the future we will see it in a few years, the society is so bad all of we know that, the war of 2015 will be (if be)for some valid reasons or not valid but we cant do anithing about that, or if we do it will be another line in time, so we never know if we do it or not.

    So mi point is stop talk about “its true or not ” and lets think about “how can we do a time travel”. Just think, which one is the dream of all of us? and the chose betwen talk or think, belive or do it fact.

    Sincerily andera

    p.s. Answer me, i wanna know the comments of all of you

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    TimeMaster 1a Member posted 03 January 2001 18:19

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    TimeTravel_0:

    It is not logical that you would post the papers and diagrams and picture accecpt to give credibility to your story. The reality is that you are useing this forum to post your very subject views. You and I both know you are not from the future.It is not that you will not, but you can not post any evidence to the contrary.

    However you have done your homework and tell a good story. Useing the Karr black hole as the bases for your time travel drvice is very good, although it will not produce time travel as you claim.

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    Curious unregistered posted 03 January 2001 19:07

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    I think the point TT_0 was trying to make is wake up and look around. He really doesn’t care if we believe him or not. He is just giving us a wake up call. I don’t care if he can time travel or not. I am looking at the bigger picture. Him posting on this board is a small thing. So he can time travel or not. It’s not such a big deal. In a world of infinite possibilities, every thing is probable. And what I believe doesn’t effect this world at all, only me………..

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    Shadow unregistered posted 03 January 2001 21:11

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    TT_O

    Its been a long time since anybody has had to worry about converting IBM legacy code into more modern language. I’m not sure even when the 5100 was made, I’m guessing the early to mid ’70s. The term geek hadn’t even been invented yet. Before 1980 only overworked men with bad hearts ever saw a computer. In short, the supply of 5100 experts is probably too thin to show up on this small board. So wadda we know?

    Heck, Colonel Corsoe & Co. would have us believe that the IBM line was copied from a crashed alien sauser.

    The 2038 date bug in Unix is no secret. It just runs out of bit space for holding larger date code numbers. I worried a whole lot about the Y2K bug. I got my butt fooled. I lost half of my net worth AND two years of work. Whoopie. LET the friggen thing blow up, maybe somebody ELSE will get a well needed lesson.

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    Juanito Junior Member posted 03 January 2001 21:23

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    I hope that you guys can see what I’m talking about. Look at the last post that Time traveler man posted. It’s the same B.S.

    I wonder if he knows of someone in the future with the initals JLR as he is 2 years old (the same age as our alleged time traveler). All I want to know is a simple fact from the future (other then the wars) like after GW Bush who will be the next President?? I mean if CNN can try to predict why can’t our Time traveling friend.

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    TimeTravelActivist Member posted 03 January 2001 23:12

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    Well, no post in this forum can be complete without having my 2 cents added to it =). As an Activist, I agree with some of what TimeTravel_0 has mentioned. I have also been trying to get people to open their eyes. I have a website for just that purpose.

    Please check it out. www.geocities.com/Athens/Atrium/9822/

    However, there is one thing I would like to know. TimeTravel_0 if in fact you have been to the future, what happens to JCS- ME =)? Am I deeply involved in this Time Travel project as well? What of the resistance?

    Don’t want to brag, but I too have had very real dreams of Time Traveling to the future. Some would seem like days, but be only a matter of hours passed. Other times I have visions and transmissions from the future. That’s what one Dr. once said to me. I still experience these Time Distortions, or whatever they are. There pretty trippy.

    Anyway’s, it would only be natural that this is happening to me for a reason. =) So what do you know, if you have been to the future?

    And hey Juanito, I like your critical perspective. Not to critical, and not to gullible, =) I sure could use someone like you in my resistance.

    Truly,

    Javier C.

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    Juanito Junior Member posted 03 January 2001 23:28

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    Javier

    Thanks, I try to keep things real. I believe that Time Travel is possible but I don’t think TT_0 is a time traveler.

    Sure I will like to join your quest for the truth where do I sign up.

    Pamela and the other beleivers do u guys honestly believe this guy. Or is it that u want to believe.

    I believe in GOD because I want to believe but I never seen GOD.

    There is a big difference!!!!!

    Juanito

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    Juanito Junior Member posted 03 January 2001 23:40

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    BTW

    Does anyone know how big an IBM 5100 is??

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    DaViper unregistered posted 04 January 2001 04:41

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    Wow!

    This is some thread huh! The longest and most debated one I’ve ever seen on this board.

    (I trust everyone had a Happy New Year for the true Millenium.)

    And especially want to wish Pamela the best in her continuing pursuits for truth in the next Thousand years.

    For rgrunt:

    It appears I may have publicly judged you too harshly. And I hereby appologize for anything that came across as a personal attack. Your post above has opened the door to a world of dialog that we may indeed find a way to come together on. You are no longer the faceless, dogmatic spewer of antiquated rhetoric I once thought you to be. (It does seem that this “paradox” issue has taken conversation on this board into directions I never thought possible. But then… God is the ultimate paradox is He/She not?)

    Please understand that when you say … “I do admit that the information I recieved came second hand so I trully cannot vouch for the accuracy.” …is something I suspected all along but can’t help myself when it comes to jumping on the particular type of dogma that it represents. No Personal offense was ever intended.

    Please also understand that when you say I “…claims that creation is completely proven wrong ” …

    … that I DO NOT claim THIS at all. I merely state (without CLAIMING anything at all) that the account of creation as is metaphorically described in the Book Of Genesis in The Bible, first version, is just that. A metaphor. Not a true depiction of actual history in the literal sense.

    I’m not disclaiming the existence of God here, or the CONCEPT of Creation per se. Nor am I saying that in so denying, that I am therefore subscriptive to the A-Theistic point of view. On the contrary.

    In the true sprit of Paradox, (which this thread’s topic is all about), I merely offer the easily verifiable evidence and duplicatable proof that such an occurance as the so-called Biblically depicted “great flood” is in itself a physically impossibility.

    It would be a great leap of faith indeed for anyone to PRESUME from this statement that I in any way dispute the existence of God. But also be aware that while I do not refute His existence, I also do not accept it unconditionally. At least based on the words of one anthology that exists from the ancient days of Western European Mythology. Particularly since this Anthology to which I refer (The Bible) never existed in it’s present form until the late 15th Century when Guttenburg invented the printing press that brought all these previously unconnected “Books” together. And even then, after much language translation from various sources such as Hebrew, Islamic, Christian, etc.

    To place scientific credibility in such a document would be folly on the “wishful thinkers” of the world to say the least.

    This is not to say that the document does not have value as a representative example of the moralistic values in any society in folklore, (including our own), but it needs to be studied in the true context of what it is. A historical account of the world as THOSE WHO LIVED AT THAT TIME saw it. The moral lessons contained therin may indeed be timeless, but the science is purly from the point of view of the then ignorant. (No offense to them, they simply didn’t know any better.)

    So ultimately Mr. Schasteen, please understand that from what I see in your last post, we may indeed not be that far apart on the moralistic or philosophistic level, but at the purely scientific level, well, as Einstein said, “God does not play Dice with the Universe.”

    And He (if he truly exists), DID NOT flood the entire Earth 6000 years ago, nor did He “create” the Earth in a matter of what we call “six days”.

    “He” MAY very well have “Created” it, and the rest of the Universe for that matter. I take no issue with this nor do I advocate the possibility either way. I’ll leave the possibility of these matters to the likes of Dr. Stephen Hawking and others of his ilk who can present logical arguments that support BOTH points of view far better than my humble ability to elaborate upon.

    For specifics though, I’ve already provided links to a number of sites where raidiometric dating processes can be studied and understood (I’ll leave you to chase those down and do the same research I’ve already done), and hopefully leave you with the understanding that I also meant NO insult to you in any personal way.

    After all, “rgrunt” and “DaViper” are just handles anyone can use to sign onto a BBS/Message board anywhere on the net and represent themselves to be anyone they wish to present themselves as.

    In the end, it’s the words and what one has to say that matter here.

    And very little else.

    Peace.

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    ——————–

    Got light? Make matter.

    pamela2@raex.com

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    Posts: 985 | From: U.S.A | Registered: Apr 2001 | IP: Logged

    Pamela

    Moderator

    Member # 15 posted December 25, 2002 16:24

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    Time-travel Paradoxes! (Page 7)

    Author Topic: Time-travel Paradoxes!

    DaViper

    unregistered posted 04 January 2001 05:16

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    TT_0:

    Actually, I thought it was a pretty good story. I’d say your fiction skills are coming along quite nicely.

    juanito:

    Bigger than your palm pilot, your laptop, your desktop and even bigger than an IBM 4300 series. But not as big as my grandfather’s old Buick Roadmaster.

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    P.Light unregistered posted 04 January 2001 08:28

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    To Juanito,

    My friend i know where your coming from…

    I’ve had a …erm…falling out with T-T-0 in the past as you have no doubt seen if you have read the past messages.

    Let me say one thing, He knows what he’s talking about.

    More than everyone else on this board i might add, aside from perhaps the moderators!!

    Or else why would people be asking him so many questions about theories and things wev’e only dreamed about. Perhaps your right, perhaps he is only trying to open our eyes. But do you act on the information he has given us or do you dismiss it as pure fantasy? Open your eyes and think about what he has to say! I did and so did everyone else who post or even read this board

    A sidenote… Rgrunt, what happened to your blackhole contraption?

    Sincerly,

    1. Light

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    TimeTravelActivist Member posted 04 January 2001 09:06

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    Juanito,

    I can’t say about the others, but your right. I asked him questions I already know the answers to. If he answers them correctly, then he is from the future.

    He’s not the only one in this board who claims to have Time Traveled =).

    Hey you and me lets stick together on this. There seems to be alot of team play action going on here. Alot of people watching each others backs, if you know what I mean.

    Someone needs to set them stright . Well talk to you all later.

    Truly,

    Javier C.

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    Hello unregistered posted 04 January 2001 12:12

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    The government would have pulled those diagrams off of the web page they are on if they really believed timetraveler_0.

    timetraveler_0 would have been traced and located, spied on and eventually his device stolen from the basement.

    yep, happened to someone else I knew.

    they even posed as the person for awhile.

    you never know who you are talking to on the internet.he is right about that.

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    TimeTravelActivist Member posted 04 January 2001 13:49

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    That’s true, even I’m being watched, and I haven’t even posted anything of a national security nature .

    -J.C.

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    Roel van Houten Member posted 04 January 2001 15:49

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    Hi everyone,

    Pamela, to respond to your previous post:

    yes, we’ve had some snow over here, but it’s raining cats and dogs again as usual..

    From our point of view, lets just say “this worldline”, timetravel does not yet exist. To put it in other words: timetravel will (probably) exist in the future, but assuming time goes by in chronological order it does not exist yet.

    If we take a “non-linear” approach to time, timetravel does indeed already exist. It all just depends on the way you look at things. I guess we’re both right in this case.

    As for Timetravel_0. I’m very sceptic about the story he has provided us with. But it remains an interesting story nonetheless. It doesn’t matter whether we believe it or not. At least he’s caused a 6 page thread and he made people think about certain aspects of modern society. It’s only logical that someone from the future has no gain in proving that he really is a timetraveler.

    So lets just stick to the subject of timetravel instead of proving or disproving the story of Timetravel_0.

    As for Juanito and TimeTravelActivist. Listen very carefully, I shall only say this once   Perhaps it’s a good idea to start a new thread called “The Resistance” or something similar. That would be a great opportunity to discuss the “danger” of timetravel and recruit new members.

    Greetings from rainy Amsterdam, it feels like I’m freezing yet the water that falls from the sky does not :-))

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    Trott Member posted 04 January 2001 17:31

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    The thing that I picked up from Mr. TT_0’s recent post is that he seemed to be saying that time travel is not something you believe in or disbelieve. That is not how things work, you must discover and experiment not just take in what others may say. If people just sat around saying I believe it is possible to fly and never went out and tested it then we would never have made aviation possible. Likewise, we can neither definitively accept or deny TT_O’s claim of being an actual time traveller until physical and hence experimental proof of time travel is obtained.

    My past inquiries of TT_O were merely for my curiousity. I have never accepted or denied his claim. Although, I must admit the easiest and most uncomplicated solution would be that he is not. As far as that wave rider person, his statements on the fax are contrary to our historical line and hence I do not buy his story. I personally do not see how time travel could be possible just using the physical body and mind anyway.

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    Fast Member posted 04 January 2001 19:38

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    thats why you work FOR the government…

    so they cant steal your work because it is funded by THEM..

    there work is usually less fringe science and more proven stuff,and they dont allow errors(error is a kind and benevolent god of inventors..jk)

    TT_0,

    in the 2036,do they still publish books?

    if so,do they still have those Cliff Notes books?the yellow ones,about things like physics and geometry and common time displacement theory and such?

    hint hint…

    is the government regulating the time machine you used to get here,or are you free to do as you choose?

    TimeTravelActivist, why does everyone of your posts have to include something about IOTM??

    FastWalker2

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    TimeTravelActivist Member posted 04 January 2001 22:38

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    Roel van Houten,

    You must be new here… Or else you would know.

    I have started threads for the purpose of recruiting members into my campaign, how you mentioned I should. Some have gone to 7 pages as well… Might want to look them up.

    In addition, to FastWalker2.

    I only mentioned my website twice. What are you talking about me mentioning it every time I post? Count them…

    Gotta go buy food for my cat , c-ya.

    -J.C.

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    TimeTravelActivist Member posted 05 January 2001 09:15

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    TimeTravel_0,

    So do you plan on keep avoid answering my questions? You been awfully quiet since I’ve returned… Time Traveling must keep you very busy huh.

    -J.C.

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    Rgrunt unregistered posted 05 January 2001 10:53

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    Dear Deviper,

    No offence taken I appreciate the posting for it taught me a good lesson not to post something that I can not readily anylize with my own senses. I will look up the information and if I find anything that supports either side I will post it at a later date. I will not endorce it til I have done the experiments myself though to ensure accuracy. I also have a great deal of respect for you in that you seem to be a man that truely seeks for the truth and are carefull to accept only the truth. The bible does say that those who seek the truth shall find it so I wish you success in your endeavors to sift out the truth of things and hope you to have a happy new year.

    sincerely,

    Edwin G. Schasteen

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    Rgrunt unregistered posted 05 January 2001 13:19

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    Dear P-Light,

    I appologize for the delay. I am now teaching myself geometry and calculas for I did not have the opportunity to learn these forms of math in high school. I was lucky to get a chance to learn algebra. After I have finished teaching myself these subjects I believe that I will have the knowlege to convert the theory behind the black hole device into a mathematical statement using calculas. Graphic proofs are great but all of the physics journals I have read are written using calculas to represent mathematically whatever measurement is being discussed in that particular journal. As for the device itself in light of my lack of education I went ahead and contracted it’s development to a research and development firm by the name of Davison and Associates. The device is to be a generator for sale. But the generator operates on the same theory in that increase in electrical current and voltage is obtained by constricting a parallel probagating e and h field to a smaller given space. I am not aware of whether compressing and electric field or an electric field will power output of a generator but I know that focusing a magnetic field to a smaller area increases the strength of the field in that area like sunlight focused through a convex lense. And I believe one way to increase the electrical output of a generator is to increase the field strength of the magnets being used to generate the electricity. So I cannot see why the device will no produce higher electrical voltages at higher amperage. (all parts are powered by dc current)If one tries to focus a magnetic field that is generated by an alternating current the field will decrease in amperage as the field is constricted on acount that the frequency of the field is increased as the field is twisted up. Imagine a spring, if you will, and let each revolution in the helixical spring determine the frequency. If you twist the sring in the one direction the distance between the spring crests and troughs will decrease as the spring is tightened thus increasing the frequency of the spring. As a ac current frequency increases the ac output decreases. I imagine that dc is different. I could be wrong in my interpritation of the ac theorum I just stated.

    sincerely,

    Edwin G. Schasteen

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    TimeTravel_0 unregistered posted 05 January 2001 13:46

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    In 2036, community life is a bit different. People are valued and judged based on their contribution and worth. Work is organized around the family and the value of that work is assessed inside of the community. Most communities range in size from 1000 to 4000 people. If a family wanted to move from one community to another or if a son or daughter wanted to move to another community, they must apply and be interviewed by the community leadership council. During this process, the family or individual is evaluated as to whether or not the work or skill they have is required or necessary to that individual community. Once accepted, the family or individual is expected to uphold their end of the work and support the community. If they don’t, the community stops supporting them and they are forced to change their attitude or move away from the community.

    The family work we did was picking, sorting and shipping oranges by sailboat up and down the coast of Florida. We were expected to produce a certain amount for the community and a certain amount for other communities as agreed to by our CLC. In exchange, we received power, water, a certain amount of food and other necessities that were produced inside our community.

    I see this message board as a small community and I have no other way to value the contributions of others on it other than what my past experiences tell me. I have tried to answer as many questions as I can without being annoying, repetitive or inappropriate… and for some of you entertaining. Under these conditions, I have decided to seek guidance from all of you, the other members of this community, as to whether or not my postings are of any value to the direction of these discussions. If they are getting distracting or repetitive, I will stop and continue to enjoy reading your thoughts and ideas.

    ((Who receives the Nobel Prize for inventing time travel? Surely, since there is a divergence from your time line such information would be of no consequence to divulge.))

    There are a great many people involved with the discovery of time travel. Just as I will not give “stock tips”, I will not divulge their names as that may impact their lives now.

    ((Timetraveler_0 have you ever heard of the “Waveriders”?))

    No, I can’t say that I have although I am in no position to say if it’s true or not.

    ((What could you surmise, as to what might happen, as a result if you provided us with copies of various news articles in relation to “Technology Reports” published a year in our future, or any “Time” after (Such as in your “Worldline” as you so describe?))

    If I had any and I published them, I’m sure they may have a large impact. Unfortunately, I don’t have any with me. Even if I did, I’m sure they would be scrutinized also. Again we get back to the same question. If you were a time traveler, what would you do to establish your credibility?

    ((You said that there were 7 other time travellers that you knew of who were on various missions from 2036 on your timeline. I am curious have people in 2036 been visited by people from further in the future? One would think that once time travel was possible and widely known that visitors from other time frames would be more likely to be visible and willing to be upfront about their visitation to the period after time travel, A.T.T (after time travel)).

    No, I am not aware of time travelers visiting my worldline in 2036. However, that does not mean it can’t or isn’t happening. Also, the possible number of worldlines a time traveler might arrive at would place the chances of them hitting any particular one at very long odds.

    ((However, there is one thing I would like to know. TimeTravel_0 if in fact you have been to the future, what happens to JCS- ME =)? Am I deeply involved in this Time Travel project as well? What of the resistance?))

    I have no idea what happens to you in your future. There was a resistance on my worldline but their goal was to maintain power and control over other people. We killed most of them by 2020.

    (Does anyone know how big an IBM 5100 is??)

    I would say its about 20” long, 10” high and 30” long.

    ((I’ve had a …erm…falling out with T-T-0 in the past as you have no doubt seen if you have read the past messages.))

    I’m not aware we had a falling out. I apologize if you think that’s the case.

    ((in the 2036,do they still publish books? if so,do they still have those Cliff Notes books? the yellow ones,about things like physics and geometry and common time displacement theory and such? hint hint… ))

    Yes, books are still published. If I had any cliff notes with me I would let you decide if they should be posted or not.

    ((is the government regulating the time machine you used to get here, or are you free to do as you choose?))

    The displacement machine is not mine but I am free to make certain decisions based on the experiences and information I gather from each worldline. I am expected back but from their perspective, I will only have been gone for a split second.

    ((So do you plan on keep avoid answering my questions? You been awfully quiet since I’ve returned… Time Traveling must keep you very busy huh.))

    I’m not sure what questions you are referring to. You did ask one question about yourself, right below the link to your website. I am confused why you would think I would know anything about you.

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    DaViper unregistered posted 05 January 2001 15:24

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    Thank you rgrunt. Peace and success to you likewise.

    trott:

    Well said.

    I think sometimes poeple confuse “open minded” with “gullible”.

    Open minded is when you are ready (open) to recieve any information that can be enlightening or even just plain subjective to you. In this, all things are possible.

    Except…

    Being gullible. This is when you unquestioningly accept something just because someone else says so. One has to do one’s own homework to get to real truth.

    Gullibility then deteriorates into the worse condition of all. Self imposed ignorance. This is where one accepts as true, that which has ALREADY BEEN PROVEN to not be so. Or continues to believe that something is NOT so when it has been proven to be true. Those who still believe the world is flat fall into this last category. And they are STILL out there.

    Maybe TT_O IS a Time Traveller. But his reluctance to offer any proof of such damages his credibility. Saying he “doesn’t care” whether he is believed or not is really nothing more than a cop out. And allows him to side-step the issue of proof.

    I cannot say for sure whether Time Travel is, or ever WILL be possible. I simply don’t know. But I have a certain amount of confidence that TT_O is NOT one.

    His story IS creative. But the physics just don’t add up.

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    TimeTravelActivist Member posted 05 January 2001 15:39

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    Well that was a pretty interesting picture of the future you painted for us TimeTravel_0. Although, that is just 1 version of events. And your complete disregard of your Time Line will cease to exist now. Telling us this, will without a doubt change all that you described.

    If in fact it’s true hehe.

    Personally, I know already that life will turn into one big collective in the future. Hence my resistance…

    Individuality as people in the way we lead our lives, is no longer our choice. Then you know that my resistance will fight for the freedom to destroy oppression.

    Further more, my identity in the future would most likely be changed … Nevertheless, if you have been to the future, you know who I am.

    No doubt about that…

    -J.C.

    [This message has been edited by TimeTravelActivist (edited 05 January 2001).]

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    TimeTravelActivist Member posted 05 January 2001 15:40

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    (No Post)…

    [This message has been edited by TimeTravelActivist (edited 05 January 2001).]

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    Observer unregistered posted 05 January 2001 19:44

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    TTO-

    we enjoy reading your posts very much.please continue. we enjoy your contributions. You are obviously a very important part of this small “internet community”.

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    timetravel_1 unregistered posted 06 January 2001 12:45

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    TT_0:

    I belive you, i dont know why but i belive you, but i think the other guys need a real clue for belive you, so, i think you can take a photo of your clothes and post it, or your credencial, because if you work for the goberment, you need to had a credential of the gob in the future, and of curse you need to have clothes from the future, or you travel nude?

    And what about the social system in the future, its so like socialism, only there one thing wrong, on socialism theres no religion, so please tell me, in the future the church stop to steal money, and manipulate people, or how works the structure of the church in the future?

    I had just another question, what happen in the future whit mexico and the latinamericans.

    Atte: a fan of you, TT_1.

    IP: Logged

    Juanito Junior Member posted 06 January 2001 16:02

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    TT_0

    There is an expression that is used here in this “time”.

    Shit or get off the pot.

    Just start naming historical figures in your “time” or stop saying that you are a time traveler

    IP: Logged

    TimeTravelActivist Member posted 06 January 2001 16:33

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    Well, what do we have here ? There seems to be some Latino homiez in da house here… I’m part Hispanic too bro’s.

    Hey, listen up… As a Time Traveler to the future my self, I have seen the uniforms. I have even put one on. Therefore, if TimeTraveler_0 can offer us a picture of his uniform as proof, I will verify it’s legitimacy with the one I wore.

    However, I wouldn’t count on you actually telling us the truth… I know people, and I can sense when they are telling the truth, and when they are lying.

    Isn’t that right people? (Those of you who know me, when have I ever been wrong about people?). I told you so, so many times .

    Anyway’s, if you can get this picture and I know you can’t. I would like to establish a real-time chat. We will invite 3 or 5 members to represent each side.

    Your side, claiming to have Time Traveled and making a big public notice about it. And me, who will set the record straight and who will verify your story. Let me just let you know right now; this won’t be an easy chat for you. There will be no more posts where you can think of what to say and take your time with.

    You will be caught in lies either by me, or my side of members.

    So, are you up to the challenge? Answer A.S.A.P. by Go or No-Go. However, if your answer is No-Go, please supply a statement saying why.

    Got to go for now.

    -J.C.

    [This message has been edited by TimeTravelActivist (edited 06 January 2001).]

    IP: Logged

    Juanito Junior Member posted 06 January 2001 16:38

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    Javier

    If you are really a time travler how is the President after GW Bush?

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    timetravel_1 unregistered posted 06 January 2001 17:31

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    TimetravelActivist:

    I’ll go

    IP: Logged

    Shadow unregistered posted 06 January 2001 19:12

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    To Timetravel Activist;

    you’ve been here longer than TT_O and we are still waiting for YOU to prove that you have ever been to the future. I’m going to the future too, one day at a time. When I get there, I’ll STILL be waiting for you to prove it.

    Here is a little test for you. What is your opinion of the Montauk material?

    IP: Logged

    TimeTravelActivist Member posted 06 January 2001 19:22

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    timetravel_1 whom’s side will you be arguing for?

    Anyone else?

    Juanito, I am not a Time Traveler like TimeTraveler_0 claims to be. I didn’t get into any machine from the future or anything like that.

    No, my connection to Time and its nature is unique. I’ve had it since birth. There is no way to truly explain how I know or seen the future. Nevertheless, everyday I’m finding out new things .

    And about GW Bush, I don’t know what to tell you. Although I have an uncle that looks like him .

    -J.C.

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    Juanito Junior Member posted 06 January 2001 19:31

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    J.C.

    Can u predict my future??

    Why is the government watching you??

    Juanito

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    TimeTravelActivist Member posted 06 January 2001 19:39

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    Shadow,

    Have I never explained my self?

    Thousands of times, and in the best way I know how.

    How many times have I said that the future is a @$#%!* place?

    How many times have I said to band Time Travel?

    Have you ever seen my website?

    It’s been there for the longest time, explaining how I feel about Time Travel, and what we as concerned people should do.

    I don’t need to say I am a Time Traveler like TimeTraveler_0 to tell you what I have seen. In addition, I don’t claim to have been from the future how TimeTraveler_0 states he is. I have explained that I have this connection to it, enabling me to see things.

    Check my past posts and my website, I don’t speak of it directly like TimeTraveler_0 did, but you get the general idea of what I am trying to mean.

    Here it is again http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Atrium/9822/ also read the information about me page.

    Sincerely,

    Javier C.

    IP: Logged

    Time02112 Member posted 06 January 2001 19:51

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    TT_0 thanks for the reply RE: sharing future technological reports, or publications…

    You have expressed an inability to provide them now, for lack of having any with you, before you arrived in our “Worldline”

    Could you please make a note, to remind yourself to bring them with you on your “Next Visit” here?

    (Providing there will be another “Visit”)

    Meanwhile, why not use your memory to paint us a more “Specific” picture of your worldline, by providing us with some more “Detailed” information that would provide to those who may be more skeptical? in the least by accepting this challange (instead of avoiding it) what harm would it possibly bring? if you keep out any information that may not be acceptably permissable in order to prevent any clandestine repercussions of the future outcome of a series of events which are crucial to our future to come, so that they may play out their roles, as they were intended, I can only see that there are still many variable details that you “CAN” Disclose to us that would not be this detrimental, and only “Add” to your Credability.

    One good example of such, I would like to ask you to disclose the names of these “Five Presidents” that you mentioned earlier.

    *Who:> Who are they? and who are those involved with breathing life into this supposed NWO, that many people in our current world-line are so afraid of?

    *What:> A.)What are their primary, and post secondary functions within the New GVT?

    B.) What is the extent of their Authoritive positions of power?

    C.) What is our New GVT like, compared to our worldline’s current GVT?

    (is it anything Like the Dreded NWO as predicted?, or did this dictatorial NWO rise to power as prohecised, and suddenly get defeated?*(was this what you implyed by your earlier comment represented by the nuber of those slain, that attempted to “control” the free citizens?)

    *Where:> Where do they reside?

    *When:> When do each of them officialy acquire their respective positions of Authority?

    Why:> Why did the New GVT suddenly enlist five Presidents?

    (Anyone else care to jump on this & add more questions pertaing?)

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    Juanito Junior Member posted 06 January 2001 19:51

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    JC

    Why is the gov’t after u??

    IP: Logged

    TimeTravelActivist Member posted 06 January 2001 19:56

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    Juanito,

    Slow down high speed … I don’t know your future; it’s what you want it to be. If you are determined to do something with your life, then you will do it.

    How I am determined to do something about Time Travel someday, I know what will be my fate.

    Nevertheless, if your looking for a fortune forecast, I’m not the right person to see about that. Maybe not now anyway’s .

    -J.C.

    P.S. How I know I am being watched? You asked me in an e-mail. Let me just say that if you were to spend a day in my shoes you’d see what I mean. I can’t explain it, you have to experience it. A teacup cannot break the same way twice, or so I once thought.

    IP: Logged

    Trott Member posted 06 January 2001 23:49

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    Assuming time travel is possible. I do not see how one could band it from being used. In fact, how would one even know that it was used? If you buy into the multiple universe intrepretation of quantum mechanics, would not the time traveller simply pop out of existence in our universe never to be seen again? How would it be possible to band time travel in the infinite multitude of parallel universes, since each universe represents one of an infinite albeit different sequence of events/choices? To “fight” against the infinite diversity of existence in all of its infinite combinitations does not seem logical (at least to me that is). And if you do not buy the multiverse idea, then if time travel is to be used it can not be stopped since time travel would only be possible on closed time like curves, i.e. self-fulfilling destinies in a manner of speaking. Personally, I do not even see how it is possible for one to realize that they were in a closed timelike loop much less escape it. For all things would be as they were as they are and as they will be. Actually, a lack of multiple universes seems a little depressing to me. It seems it would imply an unchangeable fate, for whatever actions we take we were destined to and no matter what technologies we may think up would be able to erase the mistakes of our past or change the past course of our existence. And if that is in fact the case, the only real benefit time travel would have is for scientific and historical purposes. Unless, you were killed by a time traveller from the future but if that happens you need not worry because it was suppose to happen!

    IP: Logged

    Lara unregistered posted 07 January 2001 01:15

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    I like your thinking Trott.

    IP: Logged

    DaViper unregistered posted 07 January 2001 07:06

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    I also like your thinking trott. The idea of “banning” Time Travel has already been dealt with in fiction. I can’t remember the author, but it appeared in one of the Hugo Annual Anthologies.

    The premise is, if you have a machine that can travel in time, you can just as easily use it to simply “see” into the future (or past) without having to actually travel there.

    You can set it to whatever period you like. 1 million years from now. Or 100. Or even 1/10th of a second from now.

    Why would you choose this latter setting? Why, to see into your neighboor’s bedroom of course. 1/10th of a second into the future is virtually like being there now.

    This is why it was banned.

    IP: Logged

    Fast Member posted 07 January 2001 13:14

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    DaViper,

    i wasnt aware that time travel had been banned..

    Trott,

    if they wanted to ban time travel,”they” could kill you off when you returned..

    TTA,

    i remember some time ago on the artbell show,some woman claimed to be a “born time traveler”.She said she would occasionally slip in and out of other time lines.she said she always returned to where she left off in our time.

    is this the way it is with you?

    FastWalker2

    IP: Logged

    Roel van Houten Member posted 07 January 2001 16:02

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    Hi people,

    I agree with Trott here… Banning time-travel (if time-travel is possible in the first place) seems virtually impossible.

    However I find it very disturbing that people would want to ban time-travel. That’s like trying to stop the invention of computertechnology. Time-travel may prove to be very useful in the future.

    TimeTravelActivist: You are right, I haven’t been around long enough to know what you’re all about. However, after reading your website I decided that your story is just as trustworthy as Timetravel_0s’story, but it lacks evidence. Yet you want him to prove that he’s a timetraveler. Don’t you think that’s a little bit unfair?

    Greetings from rainy Amsterdam

    IP: Logged

    TimeTravelActivist Member posted 07 January 2001 17:20

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    Roel van Houten

    How is it unfair? He says he can prove it, he has the evidence necessary to.

    What do I have? Just my own experiences as proof. If anything, it’s unfair to me. I have nothing to bring out in the open.

    Fast,

    I’d like to hear this news broadcast. Sounds like something I might be experiencing. Once when I was 7, I told my sister, Abraham Lincoln wasn’t supposed to have been killed. Ever since then, she still thinks I’m a bit crazy . Go fig…

    -J.C.

    P.S. Baning Time Travel to exploit the past is what I meant. You people took me to literal, everybody knows that that’s what I always mean by baning it …

    IP: Logged

    Fast Member posted 07 January 2001 21:36

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    TTA,

    she said that she had woken up in other times,and came back with bruises that she didnt know where she got..

    ever since Art Bell quit the show,they’ve stopped holding his Streamed Audio Shows,so you’ll probably have to look around..or call Art.

    FastWalker2

    IP: Logged

    P.Light unregistered posted 07 January 2001 23:53

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    To T-T-A

    Im in though i will have to decide “For” or “Against” i shall message you when i have an answer.

    Sidenote No.2—–Gullible or Open minded?

    Makeing a long story short:— OPEN MINDED

    (Take in the information given,opinions of others,your own opinion, throw in a few theories, Quotes and more information, and go from there!) Naturally there is more to that but the basics are there. Its all about the scientifics. Who would have thought that we could clone animals? Whats to stop us Cloning people?(As you may have heard)

    P.Light

    IP: Logged

    rgrunt@yahoo.com unregistered posted 08 January 2001 21:14

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    Good evening, morning , or afternoon everybody,

    For a year or two I have started to pay attention to a phenomenon that most people including myself had noticed but taken for granted. The phenomenon is that some days appear to be longer then others. I cannot count the number of times that I felt it was 5:30 pm in the afternoon then go to check the clock and notice that it is only 2:00 pm, merely an hour after I had last checked. Also, I cannot count the number of times that I have thought that it was 2:00 pm in the afternoon and go to check the clock only to find out that it is 5:30 pm. One or two years ago I began to suspect that time itself was indeed fluctuating. So on days that felt longer I asked others if the day was going by fast to them. To my surprize the answer was unanimous. Everyone also felt that the day was going by slower then usual, too. I was looking at an astronomy book last week and noted that space-time is expanding. At the begining of the universe the temperatures of the universe was extremely high and decreased as space expanded. Now I questioned whether there would be any difference if the actual size of the universe were getting bigger as the universe expanded keeping space uniform in density or whether the size of the uniform were fixed and the addition of new space-time resulted in an everincreasing space-time density. I reasoned that the results would be the same for energy occupies space. If the quantity of energy is kept constant and more and more space is crammed into the quantity energy ones first intuition is to assume that the energy per unit volume will increase as a result of the increased compression of space. But this is wrong in fact the energy per unit volume will decrease as a result of compressed space. The reason is that when one compresses a greater quantity of space-time into a constant quantity of energy the energy occupies a greater volume of space. As energy occupies more space the density of the energy decreases as a result of expansion of the energy which is defined as energy occupying greater volumes of space. Now If mass occupies a greater quantity of energy: the energy(that is not mass) will expand and decrease in density. Also energy is generated by friction as the mass is crushed to a smaller volume. This extra energy is neglected in the former statement in that it is the free energy in the form of heat/light that we are interested in not the energy created by the crushing of the mass nor the energy added by the exertion of kenetic force to crush the mass to a smaller volume. As mass increases the energy expands. As energy increases mass expands decreasing in density which is the principle behind the function of hot air baloons. As space increases exponentially and as the number of points increases exponentially the density of space is increased. As the density of space is increased the temperature of space is decreased as the constant thermal energy constant occupies more space. If space increased from all pionts no energy will be created by friction since no space is forced to move into tighter quantities on acount that the number of points is increased symetrically to the increase in volume of space. Now as energy is increased per unit volume time becomes accelerated for that volume as is manifested in a heated object as the molecules of a heated object is sped up relative molecules in cooler masses outside that object.

    Edwin G. Schasteen

    IP: Logged

    rgrunt@yahoo.com unregistered posted 08 January 2001 21:26

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    I noticed last week that time was dragging nearly taking up nearly twice the time then normal for a given day. I also noticed that it was sunny and the humidity level was low and thermal properties high. Today is monday and I and the rest of the people I worked with noticed that the day went by dramatically faster then normal…taking up nearly a quarter the time for a day then any given day last week took. I also noticed that there was a large increase in humidity and it even rained today harder then it had in the whole year. As temperature within water decreases within water the molecules slow down and time also slows down for that object on acount that time is a measurement of a number of events accurring per given instant multiplied by the velocity of those events squared. (If those events have a velocity of light) and the number of events accuring per given instant multiplied by the velocity of events.(if the velocity is subluminal) I could be wrong in that time may be the number of events times the square of the velocity regardless of the velocity with respect to the velocity of light.) So as water increased in the atmosphere the energy perunit volume expanded by occupying the water molecules in our area resulting in a decrease in the velocity at which time traveled within our given region which is why my day went much faster today.

    sincerely,

    Edwin G. Schasteen

    IP: Logged

    WntUlikeToknow unregistered posted 08 January 2001 23:12

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    E.G.S

    Do you realize that the english language lies mortally wounded at the feet of your previous two posts?

    Ok, so time is subjective. Scientists disagree.

    IP: Logged

    ——————–

    Got light? Make matter.

    pamela2@raex.com

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    Posts: 985 | From: U.S.A | Registered: Apr 2001 | IP: Logged

    Pamela

    Moderator

    Member # 15 posted December 25, 2002 16:26

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    Time-travel Paradoxes! (Page 8)

    Author Topic: Time-travel Paradoxes!

    Time02112

    Member posted 09 January 2001 05:42

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    BTW TT_0

    Care to elaborate any further info on the “Other” Time~Travelers from “Your” World-Line”???

    *What are the other TT’s worldline destinations, and missions?

    *Are any of them, besides yourself, on our current worldline that you are aware of?

    *Are you in contact by some special means with any other TT’s? (if so, How is this done?)

    *How is it possible to send a message through Time?

    (Please Review my earlier Questions)

    IP: Logged

    TimeTravel_0 unregistered posted 09 January 2001 09:28

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    ((Could you please make a note, to remind yourself to bring them with you on your “Next Visit” here?))

    I will not be returning to this worldline.

    ((Meanwhile, why not use your memory to paint us a more “Specific” picture of your worldline, by providing us with some more “Detailed” information that would provide to those who may be more skeptical?))

    I think skepticism is a good thing and no one should lose it.

    ((by accepting this challange (instead of avoiding it) what harm would it possibly bring?))

    I’m not sure what “challenge” you are referring to. If you mean the live chat, I have no problem with that. I do that quite often on other boards. However, I fear I have very few bread and circuses left and I fear I am becoming quite boring. Also, I’m not sure I fully understand the nature of the challenge.

    http://communities.msn.com/THETIMETRAVELCOMMUNITY

    ((if you keep out any information that may not be acceptably permissable in order to prevent any clandestine repercussions of the future outcome of a series of events which are crucial to our future to come, so that they may play out their roles, as they were intended, I can only see that there are still many variable details that you “CAN” Disclose to us that would not be this detrimental, and only “Add” to your Credability. ))

    Again, I do not seek to add to my credibility. There is no point to it. Actually, by providing information that was usefull, I would be adding to your collective fear that I am real. In that case, this cycle we are in concerning “truth” only spirals and gets worse.

    ((One good example of such, I would like to ask you to disclose the names of these “Five Presidents” that you mentioned earlier.))

    Over the past few postings, I have tried to describe the limits of what I will talk about and why. Here is a short recap list. In future postings, I will place the following number next to each question as to why I will not discuss it.

    1. I will not disclose any information that will cause someone to personally gain by its knowledge. This means no stock or sports tips.
    2. I will not disclose any detailed information that would allow someone to avoid death by probability. This means no earthquake or bombing information.
    3. I will not disclose any information that may compromise any future actions by individual people or threaten their family and well being.

    ((*Who:> Who are they?…)) ——— 3

    ((…and who are those involved with breathing life into this supposed NWO, that many people in our current world-line are so afraid of?))

    On my worldline, we are no longer afraid of the “NWO”. Are you afraid of Nazis?

    ((*What:> A.)What are their primary, and post secondary functions within the New GVT?))

    The reason the job of President was split into an office of 5 has 4 main reasons. With 5, foreign policy is more consistent, power shifting between parties has less of an impact on the overall government, individual strengths between presidents add to the strength of the overall office, and one president is elected for each major area in the United States.

    ((B.) What is the extent of their Authoritive positions of power?))

    The office of President is far more diluted and decentralized than it is here. The powers of the national government are more defined and reside more at the county and state level.

    ((C.) What is our New GVT like, compared to our worldline’s current GVT?))

    I think the new government is good. However, since the concept of nationally subsidized welfare is gone, most people here may not appreciate it.

    ((*Where:> Where do they reside?))

    The new US capitol is in Omaha Nebraska.

    ((*When:> When do each of them officialy acquire their respective positions of Authority?))

    The voting for individual candidates is on a rotating schedule.

    ((*What are the other TT’s worldline destinations, and missions?))

    I am not aware of the details of other missions. Of the seven, three had already left before I did. I suspect they are on similar missions.

    ((*Are any of them, besides yourself, on our current worldline that you are aware of?))

    No, the chances of that are very slim.

    ((*Are you in contact by some special means with any other TT’s? (if so, How is this done?))

    No, although I would suspect that is not impossible I have no idea how you would do that.

    ((*How is it possible to send a message through Time?))

    Unless the information physically travels with the person, not that I’m aware of.

    IP: Logged

    Rgrunt unregistered posted 09 January 2001 11:01

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    I appologize,

    I meant to say that time was accelerated and the energy per unit volume lower at our respective position as a result of the increased density of air as a result of increased humidity. I donnot mean to say that time actually slows down but sequence of events are accelerated outside the reqion of higher humidity with respect to those events within the region of higher humidity as a result of the area of higher humidity having a lower energy density then the region of lower humidity. This is indeed counter intuitive and requires a unique perspective of the model to totally understand. Most scientist would agree that higher energy densities occupy masses of higher density. This is because the masses of higher density will have atoms with more electrons and protons enabling higher angles of energy deflection within the mass prolonging the period of time required for the free propagation energies to permiate through the solid medium. When I speak of eneries I am refering to the electro-magnetic spectrum. I would like to appologize for butchering the english language in my last two postings, but I was on a timer and did not have time to hit the ‘spell check’ button. In short, I really do wander if there is a sort of time dialation within the atmosphere caused by the fluctuating levels of temperature and humidity. Can anyone coment? I was also realizing that by compressing energy to a smaller volume of space that space would likewise expand taking on lesser density even without having to stretch at all. This would mean that the total volume density of a volume of space is defined mathematically as S=1/e^2 where S is the density of space and e is the density of energy. (a side note to Plight: this is part of the mathematical model for the device in that as the radius of the magnetic field decreases to zero at 180 degrees torque: the energy density of the field increases to infinity as the space-time density decreases to zero. Beyond 180 degrees torque the energy density of space space-time aquires a negative density according to the equation S=1/e^2 where e^2 rises above infinity(infinity not being true infinity but a convenient label for the unknown limit value of e^2.)and the corresponding S value takes on a negative value.

    sincerely,

    Edwin G. Schasteen

    IP: Logged

    Ninth of multiple Posts

    This post is the ninth of a series of posts related to John Titor.

    Conclusion

    Our reality is not what we think it is. I am not the only person who has disclosed that there are others, and other organizations that can enter and leave our reality at will. Another person who made this claim went by the name John Titor.

    Only where as, I claim to be part of MAJestic and was employed as part of human sentience management, John Titor claimed to be a person who was part of another world-line. Together, we both claim that the MWI is real, and we utilize it to perform dimensional egress for our own purposes.

    • I claim that it is a tool that is used to manage human sentience evolution.
    • John Titor claims that he utilized the time variable to conduct acquisition activities in the past.

    He claimed that on that world-line, the United States was fundamentally different after a rapid series of events in the late 1990’s. He claimed that he needed to perform some acquisition of certain technical devices through the use of the time-variance option in dimensional travel.

    Most people has dismissed him as a hoax. However, if you add ten years to every date that he provided, you can well see that he has accurately predicted the events that we are experiencing today.

    While there are many things that came true that I find difficult to believe that anyone would be aware of on 1998, one of two stand out in my mind.

    • The first is that he “liked to watch segments of movies”. This is something that you can do on Tiktok and no where else. Not even on you-tube.
    • The second is that described a United States in a state of revolution. When the government (at most levels) were controlled by progressive Marxists, and the traditional conservatives were being “hunted down” by the “Federal Police”. This could very easily occur with a presidenty with a Democrat administration given the state of things today.

    This is the ninth of a multi-part post.

    Take Aways

    • John Titor claimed to be a time traveler.
    • He utilized dimensional travel to move in and out of the baseline reality.
    • As such, he visited our world-line to acquire some technology needed on his world-line.
    • That technology was produced in “our” past. Thus the idea that it involved “time travel”.

    Do you want more?

    I have more mores along these lines in my John Titor Index here…

    John Titor

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE .
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

    [wp_paypal_payment]

    Law 29 Plan all the way to the end (full text) from the 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene.

    This is the free full text in glorious HTML of law 29 from Robert Greene’s work titled “The 48 Laws of Power”. This law is titled “Plan all the way to the end”. It is a great read, and contains a lot of wisdom on many levels. Indeed, anyone who has ever managed a project can attest to the validity of this law.

    LAW 29

    PLAN ALL THE WAY TO THE END

    JUDGMENT

    The ending is everything.

    Plan all the way to it, taking into account all the possible consequences, obstacles, and twists of fortune that might reverse your hard work and give the glory to others.

    By planning to the end you will not be overwhelmed by circumstances and you will know when to stop.

    Gently guide fortune and help determine the future by thinking far ahead.

    TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW

    In 1510 a ship set out from the island of Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic) for Venezuela, where it was to rescue a besieged Spanish colony.

    Several miles out of port, a stowaway climbed out of a provision chest: Vasco Núñez de Balboa, a noble Spaniard who had come to the New World in search of gold but had fallen into debt and had escaped his creditors by hiding in the chest.

    There are very few men—and they are the exceptions—who are able to think and feel beyond the present moment.
    
    -CARL VON CLAUSEWITZ, 1780-1831

    Balboa had been obsessed with gold ever since Columbus had returned to Spain from his voyages with tales of a fabulous but as yet undiscovered kingdom called El Dorado.

    Balboa was one of the first adventurers to come in search of Columbus’s land of gold, and he had decided from the beginning that he would be the one to find it, through sheer audacity and single-mindedness.

    Now that he was free of his creditors, nothing would stop him.

    Vasco Núñez de Balboa could very well be represented by the Character Aguirre in “The Wrath of God”.

    Unfortunately the ship’s owner, a wealthy jurist named Francisco Fer nández de Enciso, was furious when told of the stowaway, and he ordered that Balboa be left on the first island they came across.

    Before they found any island, however, Enciso received news that the colony he was to rescue had been abandoned.

    This was Balboa’s chance.

    He told the sailors of his previous voyages to Panama, and of the rumors he had heard of gold in the area.

    The excited sailors convinced Enciso to spare Balboa’s life, and to establish a colony in Panama.

    Weeks later they named their new settlement “Darien.”

    Darien’s first governor was Enciso, but Balboa was not a man to let others steal the initiative. He campaigned against Enciso among the sailors, who eventually made it clear that they preferred him as governor.

    Enciso fled to Spain, fearing for his life.

    Months later, when a representative of the Spanish crown arrived to establish himself as the new, official governor of Darien, he was turned away.

    On his return voyage to Spain, this man drowned; the drowning was accidental, but under Spanish law, Balboa had murdered the governor and usurped his position.

    Balboa’s bravado had got him out of scrapes before, but now his hopes of wealth and glory seemed doomed.

    To lay claim to El Dorado, should he discover it, he would need the approval of the Spanish king—which, as an outlaw, he would never receive.

    There was only one solution. Panamanian Indians had told Balboa of a vast ocean on the other side of the Central American isthmus, and had said that by traveling south upon this western coast, he would reach a fabulous land of gold, called by a name that to his ears sounded like “Biru.”

    Balboa decided he would cross the treacherous jungles of Panama and become the first European to bathe his feet in this new ocean.

    From there he would march on El Dorado. If he did this on Spain’s behalf, he would obtain the eternal gratitude of the king, and would secure his own reprieve—only he had to act before Spanish authorities came to arrest him.

    THE TWO FROGS
    
    Two frogs dwelt in the same pool. The pool being dried up under the summer’s heat, they left it, and set out together to seek another home. 
    
    As they went along they chanced to pass a deep well, amply supplied with water, on seeing which one of the frogs said to the other: “Let us descend and make our abode in this well, it will furnish us with shelter and food.” The other replied with greater caution: “But suppose the water should fail us, how can we get out again from so great a depth?” 
    
    Do nothing without a regard to the consequences.
    
    -FABLES, AESOP, SIXTH CENTURY B.C.

    In 1513, then, Balboa set out, with 190 soldiers. Halfway across the isthmus (some ninety miles wide at that point), only sixty soldiers remained, many having succumbed to the harsh conditions—the blood-sucking insects, the torrential rainfall, fever.

    Aguirre the wrath of god..

    Finally, from a mountaintop, Balboa became the first European to lay eyes on the Pacific Ocean. Days later he marched in his armor into its waters, bearing the banner of Castile and claiming all its seas, lands, and islands in the name of the Spanish throne.

    Look to the end, no matter what it is you are considering. Often enough, God gives a man a glimpse of happiness, and then utterly ruins him.
    
    -THE HISTORIES, HERODOTUS, FIFTH CENTURY B.C.

    Indians from the area greeted Balboa with gold, jewels, and precious pearls, the like of which he had never seen.

    When he asked where these had come from, the Indians pointed south, to the land of the Incas. But Balboa had only a few soldiers left. For the moment, he decided, he should return to Darien, send the jewels and gold to Spain as a token of good will, and ask for a large army to aid him in the conquest of El Dorado.

    When news reached Spain of Balboa’s bold crossing of the isthmus, his discovery of the western ocean, and his planned conquest of El Dorado, the former criminal became a hero.

    He was instantly proclaimed governor of the new land.

    But before the king and queen received word of his discovery, they had already sent a dozen ships, under the command of a man named Pedro Arias Dávila, “Pedrarias,” with orders to arrest Balboa for murder and to take command of the colony.

    By the time Pedrarias arrived in Panama, he had learned that Balboa had been pardoned, and that he was to share the governorship with the former outlaw.

    All the same, Balboa felt uneasy.

    Gold was his dream, El Dorado his only desire.

    In pursuit of this goal he had nearly died many times over, and to share the wealth and glory with a newcomer would be intolerable.

    He also soon discovered that Pedrarias was a jealous, bitter man, and equally unhappy with the situation. Once again, the only solution for Balboa was to seize the initiative by proposing to cross the jungle with a larger army, carrying ship-building materials and tools.

    Crossing the mountains.

    Once on the Pacific coast, he would create an armada with which to conquer the Incas.

    Surprisingly enough, Pedrarias agreed to the plan—perhaps sensing it would never work.

    Hundreds died in this second march through the jungle, and the timber they carried rotted in the torrential rains.

    Balboa, as usual, was undaunted—no power in the world could thwart his plan—and on arriving at the Pacific he began to cut down trees for new lumber. But the men remaining to him were too few and too weak to mount an invasion, and once again Balboa had to return to Darien.

    Pedrarias had in any case invited Balboa back to discuss a new plan, and on the outskirts of the settlement, the explorer was met by Francisco Pizarro, an old friend who had accompanied him on his first crossing of the isthmus.

    But this was a trap: Leading one hundred soldiers, Pizarro surrounded his former friend, arrested him, and returned him to Pedrarias, who tried him on charges of rebellion.

    A few days later Balboa’s head fell into a basket, along with those of his most trusted followers. Years later Pizarro himself reached Peru, and Balboa’s deeds were forgotten.

    THE KING. THE SUFI. AND THE SURGEON
    
    In ancient times a king of Tartary was out walking with some of his noblemen. At the roadside was an abdal (a wandering Sufi), who cried out: “Whoever will give me a hundred dinars, I will give him some good advice.” 
    
    The king stopped, and said: “Abdal, what is this good advice for a hundred dinars?” 
    
    “Sir,” answered the abdal, “order the sum to be given to me, and I will tell it you immediately.” 
    
    The king did so, expecting to hear something extraordinary. 
    
    The dervish said to him: “My advice is this: Never begin anything until you have reflected what will be the end of it.” 
    
    At this the nobles and everyone else present laughed, saying that the abdal had been wise to ask for his money in advance. 
    
    But the king said: “You have no reason to laugh at the good advice this abdal has given me. No one is unaware of the fact that we should think well before doing anything. But we are daily guilty of not remembering, and the consequences are evil. I very much value this dervish’s advice. ”
    
    The king decided to bear the advice always in his mind, and commanded it to be written in gold on the walls and even engraved on his silver plate.
    
    Not long afterward a plotter desired to kill the king. 
    
    He bribed the royal surgeon with a promise of the prime ministership if he thrust a poisoned lancet into the king’s arm. 
    
    When the time came to let some of the king’s blood, a silver basin was placed to catch the blood. 
    
    Suddenly the surgeon became aware of the words engraved upon it: “Never begin anything until you have reflected what will be the end of it. ” 
    
    It was only then that he realized that if the plotter became king he could have the surgeon killed instantly, and would not need to fulfill his bargain.
    
    The king, seeing that the surgeon was now trembling, asked him what was wrong with him. And so he confessed the truth, at that very moment.The plotter was seized; and the king sent for all the people who had been present when the abdal gave his advice, and said to them: “Do you still laugh at the dervish?”
    
    -CARAVAN OF DREAMS. IDRIES SHAH, 1968

    Interpretation

    Most men are ruled by the heart, not the head.

    Their plans are vague, and when they meet obstacles they improvise.

    But improvisation will only bring you as far as the next crisis, and is never a substitute for thinking several steps ahead and planning to the end.

    Balboa had a dream of glory and wealth, and a vague plan to reach it.

    Yet his bold deeds, and his discovery of the Pacific, are largely forgotten, for he committed what in the world of power is the ultimate sin: He went part way, leaving the door open for others to take over.

    A real man of power would have had the prudence to see the dangers in the distance—the rivals who would want to share in the conquests, the vultures that would hover once they heard the word “gold.”

    Balboa should have kept his knowledge of the Incas secret until after he had conquered Peru.

    Only then would his wealth, and his head, have been secure.

    Once Pedrarias arrived on the scene, a man of power and prudence would have schemed to kill or imprison him, and to take over the army he had brought for the conquest of Peru.

    But Balboa was locked in the moment, always reacting emotionally, never thinking ahead.

    What good is it to have the greatest dream in the world if others reap the benefits and the glory? Never lose your head over a vague, open-ended dream—plan to the end.

    OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

    In 1863 the Prussian premier Otto von Bismarck surveyed the chessboard of European power as it then stood. The main players were England, France, and Austria.

    Prussia itself was one of several states in the loosely allied German Federation.

    Austria, dominant member of the Federation, made sure that the other German states remained weak, divided and submissive.

    Bismarck believed that Prussia was destined for something far greater than servant boy to Austria.

    This is how Bismarck played the game. His first move was to start a war with lowly Denmark, in order to recover the former Prussian lands of Schleswig-Holstein. He knew that these rumblings of Prussian independence might worry France and England, so he enlisted Austria in the war, claiming that he was recovering Schleswig-Holstein for their benefit.

    In a few months, after the war was decided, Bismarck demanded that the newly conquered lands be made part of Prussia.

    The Austrians of course were furious, but they compromised: First they agreed to give the Prussians Schleswig, and a year later they sold them Holstein. The world began to see that Austria was weakening and that Prussia was on the rise.

    Bismarck’s next move was his boldest: In 1866 he convinced King William of Prussia to withdraw from the German Federation, and in doing so to go to war with Austria itself.

    King William’s wife, his son the crown prince, and the princes of the other German kingdoms vehemently opposed such a war.

    But Bismarck, undaunted, succeeded in forcing the conflict, and Prussia’s superior army defeated the Austrians in the brutally short Seven Weeks War.

    The king and the Prussian generals then wanted to march on Vienna, taking as much land from Austria as possible.

    But Bismarck stopped them—now he presented himself as on the side of peace.

    The result was that he was able to conclude a treaty with Austria that granted Prussia and the other German states total autonomy.

    Bismarck could now position Prussia as the dominant power in Germany and the head of a newly formed North German Confederation.

    The French and the English began to compare Bismarck to Attila the Hun, and to fear that he had designs on all of Europe.

    Once he had started on the path to conquest, there was no telling where he would stop.

    And, indeed, three years later Bismarck provoked a war with France.

    First he appeared to give his permission to France’s annexation of Belgium, then at the last moment he changed his mind.

    Playing a cat-and-mouse game, he infuriated the French emperor, Napoleon III, and stirred up his own king against the French. To no one’s surprise, war broke out in 1870. The newly formed German federation enthusiastically joined in the war on France, and once again the Prussian military machine and its allies destroyed the enemy army in a matter of months.

    Although Bismarck opposed taking any French land, the generals convinced him that Alsace-Lorraine would become part of the federation.

    Now all of Europe feared the next move of the Prussian monster, led by Bismarck, the “Iron Chancellor.” And in fact a year later Bismarck founded the German Empire, with the Prussian king as the newly crowned emperor and Bismarck himself a prince.

    But then something strange happened: Bismarck instigated no more wars.

    And while the other European powers grabbed up land for colonies in other continents, he severely limited Germany’s colonial acquisitions.

    He did not want more land for Germany, but more security.

    For the rest of his life he struggled to maintain peace in Europe and to prevent further wars. Everybody assumed he had changed, mellowing with the years. They had failed to understand: This was the final move of his original plan.

    He who asks fortune-tellers the future unwittingly forfeits an inner intimation of coming events that is a thousand times more exact than anything they may say.
    
    -WALTER BENJAMIN, 1892-1940

    Interpretation

    There is a simple reason why most men never know when to come off the attack: They form no concrete idea of their goal.

    Once they achieve victory they only hunger for more.

    To stop—to aim for a goal and then keep to it—seems almost inhuman, in fact; yet nothing is more critical to the maintenance of power.

    The person who goes too far in his triumphs creates a reaction that inevitably leads to a decline.

    The only solution is to plan for the long run.

    Foresee the future with as much clarity as the gods on Mount Olympus, who look through the clouds and see the ends of all things.

    From the beginning of his career in politics, Bismarck had one goal: to form an independent German state led by Prussia. He instigated the war with Denmark not to conquer territory but to stir up Prussian nationalism and unite the country. He incited the war with Austria only to gain Prussian independence. (This was why he refused to grab Austrian territory.) And he fomented the war with France to unite the German kingdoms against a common enemy, and thus to prepare for the formation of a united Germany.

    Once this was achieved, Bismarck stopped. He never let triumph go to his head, was never tempted by the siren call of more. He held the reins tightly, and whenever the generals, or the king, or the Prussian people demanded new conquests, he held them back. Nothing would spoil the beauty of his creation, certainly not a false euphoria that pushed those around him to attempt to go past the end that he had so carefully planned.

    Experience shows that, if one foresees from far away the designs to be
    undertaken, one can act with speed when the moment comes to execute them.
    
    -Cardinall Richelieu, 1585-1642

    KEYS TO POWER

    According to the cosmology of the ancient Greeks, the gods were thought to have complete vision into the future. They saw everything to come, right down to the intricate details.

    Men, on the other hand, were seen as victims of fate, trapped in the moment and their emotions, unable to see beyond immediate dangers. Those heroes, such as Odysseus, who were able to look beyond the present and plan several steps ahead, seemed to defy fate, to approximate the gods in their ability to determine the future. The comparison is still valid—those among us who think further ahead and patiently bring their plans to fruition seem to have a godlike power.

    Because most people are too imprisoned in the moment to plan with this kind of foresight, the ability to ignore immediate dangers and pleasures translates into power.

    It is the power of being able to overcome the natural human tendency to react to things as they happen, and instead to train oneself to step back, imagining the larger things taking shape beyond one’s immediate vision.

    Most people believe that they are in fact aware of the future, that they are planning and thinking ahead.

    They are usually deluded: What they are really doing is succumbing to their desires, to what they want the future to be. Their plans are vague, based on their imaginations rather than their reality.

    They may believe they are thinking all the way to the end, but they are really only focusing on the happy ending, and deluding themselves by the strength of their desire.

    Athens

    In 415 B.C., the ancient Athenians attacked Sicily, believing their expedition would bring them riches, power, and a glorious ending to the sixteen-year Peloponnesian War.

    They did not consider the dangers of an invasion so far from home; they did not foresee [1] that the Sicilians would fight all the harder since the battles were in their own homeland, or [2] that all of Athens’s enemies would band together against them, or [3] that war would break out on several fronts, stretching their forces way too thin.

    The Sicilian expedition was a complete disaster, leading to the destruction of one of the greatest civilizations of all time.

    The Athenians were led into this disaster by their hearts, not their minds. They saw only the chance of glory, not the dangers that loomed in the distance.

    France

    Cardinal de Retz, the seventeenth-century Frenchman who prided himself on his insights into human schemes and why they mostly fail, analyzed this phenomenon.

    In the course of a rebellion he spearheaded against the French monarchy in 1651, the young king, Louis XIV, and his court had suddenly left Paris and established themselves in a palace outside the capital.

    The presence of the king so close to the heart of the revolution had been a tremendous burden on the revolutionaries, and they breathed a sigh of relief.

    This later proved their downfall, however, since the court’s absence from Paris gave it much more room to maneuver.

    “The most ordinary cause of people’s mistakes,” Cardinal de Retz later wrote, “is their being too much frightened at the present danger, and not enough so at that which is remote.”

    The dangers that are remote, that loom in the distance—if we can see them as they take shape, how many mistakes we avoid.

    How many plans we would instantly abort if we realized we were avoiding a small danger only to step into a larger one. So much of power is not what you do but what you do not do—the rash and foolish actions that you refrain from before they get you into trouble.

    Plan in detail before you act—do not let vague plans lead you into trouble.

    Will this have unintended consequences? Will I stir up new enemies? Will someone else take advantage of my labors? Unhappy endings are much more common than happy ones—do not be swayed by the happy ending in your mind.

    French Elections

    The French elections of 1848 came down to a struggle between Louis-Adolphe Thiers, the man of order, and General Louis Eugène Cavaignac, the rabble-rouser of the right.

    When Thiers realized he was hopelessly behind in this high-stakes race, he searched desperately for a solution.

    His eye fell on Louis Bonaparte, grand-nephew of the great general Napoleon, and a lowly deputy in the parliament.

    This Bonaparte seemed a bit of an imbecile, but his name alone could get him elected in a country yearning for a strong ruler.

    He would be Thiers’s puppet and eventually would be pushed offstage.

    The first part of the plan worked to perfection, and Napoleon was elected by a large margin.

    The problem was that Thiers had not foreseen one simple fact: This “imbecile” was in fact a man of enormous ambition.

    Three years later he [1] dissolved parliament, [2] declared himself emperor, and [3] ruled France for another eighteen years, much to the horror of Thiers and his party.

    The ending is everything. It is the end of the action that determines who gets the glory, the money, the prize. Your conclusion must be crystal clear, and you must keep it constantly in mind. You must also figure out how to ward off the vultures circling overhead, trying to live off the carcass of your creation. And you must anticipate the many possible crises that will tempt you to improvise. Bismarck overcame these dangers because he planned to the end, kept on course through every crisis, and never let others steal the glory. Once he had reached his stated goal, he withdrew into his shell like a turtle. This kind of self-control is godlike.

    When you see several steps ahead, and plan your moves all the way to the end, you will no longer be tempted by emotion or by the desire to improvise. Your clarity will rid you of the anxiety and vagueness that are the primary reasons why so many fail to conclude their actions successfully. You see the ending and you tolerate no deviation.

    Image:
    The Gods on
    Mount Olympus.
    Looking down on
    human actions from the
    clouds, they see in advance the
    endings of all the great dreams that
    lead to disaster and tragedy. And
    they laugh at our inability to see beyond
    the moment, and at how we delude ourselves.

    Authority: How much easier it is never to get in than to get yourself out! We should act contrary to the reed which, when it first appears, throws up a long straight stem but afterwards, as though it were exhausted ... makes several dense knots, indicating that it no longer has its original vigor and drive. We must rather begin gently and coolly, saving our breath for the encounter and our vigorous thrusts for finishing off the job. In their beginnings it is we who guide affairs and hold them in our power; but so often once they are set in motion, it is they which guide us and sweep us along. 
    
    (Montaigne, 1533-1592)

    REVERSAL

    It is a cliché among strategists that your plan must include alternatives and have a degree of flexibility. That is certainly true. If you are locked into a plan too rigidly, you will be unable to deal with sudden shifts of fortune. Once you have examined the future possibilities and decided on your target, you must build in alternatives and be open to new routes toward your goal.

    Most people, however, lose less from overplanning and rigidity than from vagueness and a tendency to improvise constantly in the face of circumstance. There is no real purpose in contemplating a reversal to this Law, then, for no good can come from refusing to think far into the future and planning to the end. If you are clear- and far-thinking enough, you will understand that the future is uncertain, and that you must be open to adaptation. Only having a clear objective and a far-reaching plan allows you that freedom.

    Conclusion

    Today we see the United States, led by Donald Trump trying unsuccessfully to “suppress” China. We see and watch China just continuing on as normal. Just smiling and investing money on new constructions and investments.

    Donald Trump might have a long term strategy, but it appears that all his actions are focused on the resultant opinions of the American electorate. This is a short-term strategy. It is seemingly focused on the results of the November 3rd 2020 election results.

    Meanwhile, the Chinese, though Xi Peng are investing in ten, twenty and fifty year duration projects along a vision that describes China in 2030, 2030 and 2050.

    While no one knows what will happen between these two nations, what we can be assured of is that China will be following the paths mapped out by the Chinese leadership today, while the Americans within America will run from one objective to the other without any apparent cohesive strategy.

    Do you want more?

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    Law 25 Re-Create Yourself (full text) from the 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

    This is one of my favorite chapters in this book. It tells you that you do not have to be that person that you grew up as. That who your elementary classmates thought your were, or who your parents think you are, have no bearing on who you actually are. For you can define that reality. You can forge a new identity; one that best fits who you are right now.

    You can do this by physically moving to a new area and taking on a new identity, to simply creating an affirmation campaign and changing who you are directly, and let the rest of the world forge your new identity for you.

    LAW 25

    RE-CREATE YOURSELF

    JUDGMENT

    Do not accept the roles that society foists on you.

    Re-create yourself by forging a new identity, one that commands attention and never bores the audience.

    Be the master of your own image rather than letting others define it for you.

    Incorporate dramatic devices into your public gestures and actions—your power will be enhanced and your character will seem larger than life.

    OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW I

    Julius Caesar made his first significant mark on Roman society in 65 B.C., when he assumed the post of aedile, the official in charge of grain distribution and public games.

    He began his entrance into the public eye by organizing a series of carefully crafted and well-timed spectacles—wild-beast hunts, extravagant gladiator shows, theatrical contests.

    On several occasions, he paid for these spectacles out of his own pocket.

    To the common man, Julius Caesar became indelibly associated with these much-loved events.

    As he slowly rose to attain the position of consul, his popularity among the masses served as the foundation of his power.

    He had created an image of himself as a great public showman.

    The man who intends to make his fortune in this ancient capital of the world [Rome] must be a chameleon susceptible of reflecting the colors of the atmosphere that surrounds him—a Proteus apt to assume every form, every shape. 
    
    He must be supple, flexible, insinuating, close, inscrutable, often base, sometimes sincere, sometimes perfidious, always concealing a part of his knowledge, indulging in but one tone of voice, patient, a perfect master of his own countenance, as cold as ice when any other man would be all fire; 
    
    ...and if unfortunately he is not religious at heart—a very common occurrence for a soul possessing the above requisites-he must have religion in his mind, that is to say, on his face, on his lips, in his manners; he must suffer quietly, if he be an honest man, the necessity of knowing himself an arrant hypocrite. 
    
    The man whose soul would loathe such a life should leave Rome and seek his fortune elsewhere. 
    
    I do not know whether I am praising or excusing myself, but of all those qualities I possessed but one—namely, flexibility.
    
    -MEMOIRS, GIOVANNI CASANOVA, 1725-1798

    In 49 B.C., Rome was on the brink of a civil war between rival leaders, Caesar and Pompey.

    At the height of the tension, Caesar, an addict of the stage, attended a theatrical performance, and afterward, lost in thought, he wandered in the darkness back to his camp at the Rubicon, the river that divides Italy from Gaul, where he had been campaigning.

    To march his army back into Italy across the Rubicon would mean the beginning of a war with Pompey.

    Before his staff Caesar argued both sides, forming the options like an actor on stage, a precursor of Hamlet.

    Finally, to put his soliloquy to an end, he pointed to a seemingly innocent apparition at the edge of the river—a very tall soldier blasting a call on a trumpet, then going across a bridge over the Rubicon—and pronounced,

    “Let us accept this as a sign from the Gods and follow where they beckon, in vengeance on our double-dealing enemies. 
    
    The die is cast.” 

    All of this he spoke portentously and dramatically, gesturing toward the river and looking his generals in the eye.

    He knew that these generals were uncertain in their support, but his oratory overwhelmed them with a sense of the drama of the moment, and of the need to seize the time.

    A more prosaic speech would never have had the same effect.

    The generals rallied to his cause; Caesar and his army crossed the Rubicon and by the following year had vanquished Pompey, making Caesar dictator of Rome.

    In warfare, Caesar always played the leading man with gusto.

    He was as skilled a horseman as any of his soldiers, and took pride in outdoing them in feats of bravery and endurance.

    He entered battle astride the strongest mount, so that his soldiers would see him in the thick of battle, urging them on, always positioning himself in the center, a godlike symbol of power and a model for them to follow.

    Of all the armies in Rome, Caesar’s was the most devoted and loyal.

    His soldiers, like the common people who had attended his entertainments, had come to identify with him and with his cause.

    After the defeat of Pompey, the entertainments grew in scale. Nothing like them had ever been seen in Rome.

    The chariot races became more spectacular, the gladiator fights more dramatic, as Caesar staged fights to the death among the Roman nobility. He organized enormous mock naval battles on an artificial lake. Plays were performed in every Roman ward.

    A giant new theater was built that sloped dramatically down the Tarpeian Rock.

    Crowds from all over the empire flocked to these events, the roads to Rome lined with visitors’ tents. And in 45 B.C., timing his entry into the city for maximum effect and surprise, Caesar brought Cleopatra back to Rome after his Egyptian campaign, and staged even more extravagant public spectacles.

    These events were more than devices to divert the masses; they dramatically enhanced the public’s sense of Caesar’s character, and made him seem larger than life.

    Caesar was the master of his public image, of which he was forever aware.

    When he appeared before crowds he wore the most spectacular purple robes. He would be upstaged by no one.

    He was notoriously vain about his appearance—it was said that one reason he enjoyed being honored by the Senate and people was that on these occasions he could wear a laurel wreath, hiding his baldness.

    Caesar was a masterful orator.

    He knew how to say a lot by saying a little, intuited the moment to end a speech for maximum effect. He never failed to incorporate a surprise into his public appearances—a startling announcement that would heighten their drama.

    Immensely popular among the Roman people, Caesar was hated and feared by his rivals.

    On the ides of March—March 15—in the year 44 B.C., a group of conspirators led by Brutus and Cassius surrounded him in the senate and stabbed him to death.

    Even dying, however, he kept his sense of drama.

    Drawing the top of his gown over his face, he let go of the cloth’s lower part so that it draped his legs, allowing him to die covered and decent. According to the Roman historian Suetonius, his final words to his old friend Brutus, who was about to deliver a second blow, were in Greek, and as if rehearsed for the end of a play: “You too, my child?”

    Interpretation

    The Roman theater was an event for the masses, attended by crowds unimaginable today.

    Packed into enormous auditoriums, the audience would be amused by raucous comedy or moved by high tragedy. Theater seemed to contain the essence of life, in its concentrated, dramatic form.

    Like a religious ritual, it had a powerful, instant appeal to the common man.

    Julius Caesar was perhaps the first public figure to understand the vital link between power and theater.

    This was because of his own obsessive interest in drama.

    He sublimated this interest by making himself an actor and director on the world stage. He said his lines as if they had been scripted; he gestured and moved through a crowd with a constant sense of how he appeared to his audience.

    He incorporated surprise into his repertoire, building drama into his speeches, staging into his public appearances.

    His gestures were broad enough for the common man to grasp them instantly.

    He became immensely popular.

    Caesar set the ideal for all leaders and people of power. Like him, you must learn to enlarge your actions through dramatic techniques such as surprise, suspense, the creation of sympathy, and symbolic identification. Also like him, you must be constantly aware of your audience—of what will please them and what will bore them.

    You must arrange to place yourself at the center, to command attention, and never to be upstaged at any cost.

    OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW II

    In the year 1831, a young woman named Aurore Dupin Dudevant left her husband and family in the provinces and moved to Paris.

    She wanted to be a writer; marriage, she felt, was worse than prison, for it left her neither the time nor the freedom to pursue her passion. In Paris she would establish her independence and make her living by writing.

    Soon after Dudevant arrived in the capital, however, she had to confront certain harsh realities.

    To have any degree of freedom in Paris you had to have money.

    For a woman, money could only come through marriage or prostitution.

    No woman had ever come close to making a living by writing. Women wrote as a hobby, supported by their husbands, or by an inheritance. In fact when Dudevant first showed her writing to an editor, he told her, “You should make babies, Madame, not literature.”

    Clearly Dudevant had come to Paris to attempt the impossible.

    In the end, though, she came up with a strategy to do what no woman had ever done—a strategy to re-create herself completely, forging a public image of her own making.

    Women writers before her had been forced into a ready-made role, that of the second-rate artist who wrote mostly for other women. Dudevant decided that if she had to play a role, she would turn the game around: She would play the part of a man.

    In 1832 a publisher accepted Dudevant’s first major novel, Indiana.

    She had chosen to publish it under a pseudonym, “George Sand,” and all of Paris assumed this impressive new writer was male. Dudevant had sometimes worn men’s clothes before creating “George Sand” (she had always found men’s shirts and riding breeches more comfortable); now, as a public figure, she exaggerated the image.

    She added long men’s coats, gray hats, heavy boots, and dandyish cravats to her wardrobe. She smoked cigars and in conversation expressed herself like a man, unafraid to dominate the conversation or to use a saucy word.

    This strange “male/female” writer fascinated the public.

    And unlike other women writers, Sand found herself accepted into the clique of male artists. She drank and smoked with them, even carried on affairs with the most famous artists of Europe—Musset, Liszt, Chopin. It was she who did the wooing, and also the abandoning—she moved on at her discretion.

    Those who knew Sand well understood that her male persona protected her from the public’s prying eyes.

    Out in the world, she enjoyed playing the part to the extreme; in private she remained herself. She also realized that the character of “George Sand” could grow stale or predictable, and to avoid this she would every now and then dramatically alter the character she had created; instead of conducting affairs with famous men, she would begin meddling in politics, leading demonstrations, inspiring student rebellions.

    No one would dictate to her the limits of the character she had created. Long after she died, and after most people had stopped reading her novels, the larger-than-life theatricality of that character has continued to fascinate and inspire.

    Interpretation

    Throughout Sand’s public life, acquaintances and other artists who spent time in her company had the feeling they were in the presence of a man.

    But in her journals and to her closest friends, such as Gustave Flaubert, she confessed that she had no desire to be a man, but was playing a part for public consumption.

    What she really wanted was the power to determine her own character.

    She refused the limits her society would have set on her.

    She did not attain her power, however, by being herself; instead she created a persona that she could constantly adapt to her own desires, a persona that attracted attention and gave her presence.

    Understand this: The world wants to assign you a role in life. And once you accept that role you are doomed. Your power is limited to the tiny amount allotted to the role you have selected or have been forced to assume.

    An actor, on the other hand, plays many roles. Enjoy that protean power, and if it is beyond you, at least forge a new identity, one of your own making, one that has had no boundaries assigned to it by an envious and resentful world. This act of defiance is Promethean: It makes you responsible for your own creation.

    Your new identity will protect you from the world precisely because it is not “you”; it is a costume you put on and take off. You need not take it personally. And your new identity sets you apart, gives you theatrical presence. Those in the back rows can see you and hear you. Those in the front rows marvel at your audacity.

    Do not people talk in society of a man being a great actor? They do not mean by
    that that he feels, but that he excels in simulating, though he feels nothing.
    
    -Denis Diderot, 1713-1784

    KEYS TO POWER

    The character you seem to have been born with is not necessarily who you are; beyond the characteristics you have inherited, your parents, your friends, and your peers have helped to shape your personality.

    The Promethean task of the powerful is to take control of the process, to stop allowing others that ability to limit and mold them.

    Remake yourself into a character of power.

    Working on yourself like clay should be one of your greatest and most pleasurable life tasks. It makes you in essence an artist—an artist creating yourself.

    In fact, the idea of self-creation comes from the world of art.

    For thousands of years, only kings and the highest courtiers had the freedom to shape their public image and determine their own identity. Similarly, only kings and the wealthiest lords could contemplate their own image in art, and consciously alter it.

    The rest of mankind played the limited role that society demanded of them, and had little self-consciousness.

    A shift in this condition can be detected in Velázquez’s painting Las Meninas, made in 1656. The artist appears at the left of the canvas, standing before a painting that he is in the process of creating, but that has its back to us—we cannot see it.

    Beside him stands a princess, her attendants, and one of the court dwarves, all watching him work. The people posing for the painting are not directly visible, but we can see them in tiny reflections in a mirror on the back wall—the king and queen of Spain, who must be sitting somewhere in the foreground, outside the picture.

    The painting represents a dramatic change in the dynamics of power and the ability to determine one’s own position in society.

    For Velázquez, the artist, is far more prominently positioned than the king and queen. In a sense he is more powerful than they are, since he is clearly the one controlling the image—their image.

    Velázquez no longer saw himself as the slavish, dependent artist. He had remade himself into a man of power. And indeed the first people other than aristocrats to play openly with their image in Western society were artists and writers, and later on dandies and bohemians.

    Today the concept of self-creation has slowly filtered down to the rest of society, and has become an ideal to aspire to. Like Velazquez, you must demand for yourself the power to determine your position in the painting, and to create your own image.

    The first step in the process of self-creation is self-consciousness—being aware of yourself as an actor and taking control of your appearance and emotions.

    As Diderot said, the bad actor is the one who is always sincere.

    People who wear their hearts on their sleeves out in society are tiresome and embarrassing. Their sincerity notwithstanding, it is hard to take them seriously. Those who cry in public may temporarily elicit sympathy, but sympathy soon turns to scorn and irritation at their self obsessiveness—they are crying to get attention, we feel, and a malicious part of us wants to deny them the satisfaction.

    Good actors control themselves better.

    They can play sincere and heartfelt, can affect a tear and a compassionate look at will, but they don’t have to feel it. They externalize emotion in a form that others can understand.

    Method acting is fatal in the real world.

    No ruler or leader could possibly play the part if all of the emotions he showed had to be real. So learn self-control. Adopt the plasticity of the actor, who can mold his or her face to the emotion required.

    The second step in the process of self-creation is a variation on the George Sand strategy: the creation of a memorable character, one that compels attention, that stands out above the other players on the stage.

    This was the game Abraham Lincoln played.

    The homespun, common country man, he knew, was a kind of president that America had never had but would delight in electing. Although many of these qualities came naturally to him, he played them up—the hat and clothes, the beard. (No president before him had worn a beard.) Lincoln was also the first president to use photographs to spread his image, helping to create the icon of the “homespun president.”

    Good drama, however, needs more than an interesting appearance, or a single stand-out moment. Drama takes place over time—it is an unfolding event. Rhythm and timing are critical. One of the most important elements in the rhythm of drama is suspense. Houdini for instance, could sometimes complete his escape acts in seconds—but he drew them out to minutes, to make the audience sweat.

    The key to keeping the audience on the edge of their seats is letting events unfold slowly, then speeding them up at the right moment, according to a pattern and tempo that you control.

    Great rulers from Napoleon to Mao Tse-tung have used theatrical timing to surprise and divert their public.

    Franklin Delano Roosevelt understood the importance of staging political events in a particular order and rhythm.

    At the time of his 1932 presidential election, the United States was in the midst of a dire economic crisis. Banks were failing at an alarming rate. Shortly after winning the election, Roosevelt went into a kind of retreat. He said nothing about his plans or his cabinet appointments. He even refused to meet the sitting president, Herbert Hoover, to discuss the transition. By the time of Roosevelt’s inauguration the country was in a state of high anxiety.

    In his inaugural address, Roosevelt shifted gears.

    He made a powerful speech, making it clear that he intended to lead the country in a completely new direction, sweeping away the timid gestures of his predecessors.

    From then on the pace of his speeches and public decisions—cabinet appointments, bold legislation—unfolded at an incredibly rapid rate.

    The period after the inauguration became known as the “Hundred Days,” and its success in altering the country’s mood partly stemmed from Roosevelt’s clever pacing and use of dramatic contrast. He held his audience in suspense, then hit them with a series of bold gestures that seemed all the more momentous because they came from nowhere. You must learn to orchestrate events in a similar manner, never revealing all your cards at once, but unfolding them in a way that heightens their dramatic effect.

    Besides covering a multitude of sins, good drama can also confuse and deceive your enemy.

    During World War II, the German playwright Bertolt Brecht worked in Hollywood as a screenwriter. After the war he was called before the House Committee on Un-American Activities for his supposed Communist sympathies.

    Other writers who had been called to testify planned to humiliate the committee members with an angry emotional stand. Brecht was wiser: He would play the committee like a violin, charming them while fooling them as well. He carefully rehearsed his responses, and brought along some props, notably a cigar on which he puffed away, knowing the head of the committee liked cigars.

    And indeed he proceeded to beguile the committee with well-crafted responses that were ambiguous, funny, and double-edged. Instead of an angry, heartfelt tirade, he ran circles around them with a staged production, and they let him off scot-free.

    Other dramatic effects for your repertoire include the beau geste, an action at a climactic moment that symbolizes your triumph or your boldness.

    Caesar’s dramatic crossing of the Rubicon was a beau geste—a move that dazzled the soldiers and gave him heroic proportions. You must also appreciate the importance of stage entrances and exits.

    When Cleopatra first met Caesar in Egypt, she arrived rolled up in a carpet, which she arranged to have unfurled at his feet. George Washington twice left power with flourish and fanfare (first as a general, then as a president who refused to sit for a third term), showing he knew how to make the moment count, dramatically and symbolically. Your own entrances and exits should be crafted and planned as carefully.

    Remember that overacting can be counterproductive—it is another way of spending too much effort trying to attract attention.

    The actor Richard Burton discovered early in his career that by standing totally still onstage, he drew attention to himself and away from the other actors.

    It is less what you do that matters, clearly, than how you do it—your gracefulness and imposing stillness on the social stage count for more than overdoing your part and moving around too much.

    Finally: Learn to play many roles, to be whatever the moment requires. Adapt your mask to the situation—be protean in the faces you wear. Bismarck played this game to perfection: To a liberal he was a liberal, to a hawk he was a hawk. He could not be grasped, and what cannot be grasped cannot be consumed.

    Image:
    The Greek Sea-God Proteus.
    His power came from his ability to
    change shape at will, to be whatever the
    moment required. When Menelaus, brother
    of Agamemnon, tried to seize him, Proteus
    transformed himself into a lion, then a serpent, a
    panther, a boar, running water, and finally a leafy tree.
    Authority: Know how to be all things to all men. A discreet Proteus—a scholar among scholars, a saint among saints. That is the art of winning over everyone, for like attracts like. Take note of temperaments and adapt yourself to that of each person you meet—follow the lead of the serious and jovial in turn, changing your mood discreetly. 
    
    -(Baltasar Gracián, 1601-1658)

    REVERSAL

    There can really be no reversal to this critical law: Bad theater is bad theater.

    Even appearing natural requires art—in other words, acting. Bad acting only creates embarrassment. Of course you should not be too dramatic—avoid the histrionic gesture. But that is simply bad theater anyway, since it violates centuries-old dramatic laws against overacting.

    In essence there is no reversal to this law.

    Conclusion

    During a time of change, one of the most effective survival techniques is to reinvent yourself.

    Watch you you carry yourself and conduct your affairs. Watch your dress and associations. Be aware of your mannerisms.

    To quote a movie that I found amusing; “manners maketh man”.

    Manners maketh man.

    Do you you want more?

    I have more posts along these lines in my Happiness Index here…

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    Prepping update. It’s 2020 and you have another three more years before the peak disruption climax.

    This post is an update to my SHTF series of posts.

    My last SHTF post was back in October 2019, and before the COVID-19, the NED sponsored pro-democracy attempt at a “color revolution” and the fierce anti-China propaganda onslaught. Back then, it seemed that America was waltzing into a state of intensified confusion.

    Now things are much clearer.

    The USA is on an out-of-control bobsled heading straight for disaster.

    There’s no getting off now.

    In previous SHTF posts, I had advised (fellow) Americans that the United States was due to a great reset, and that it would be uncomfortable for many. I also advised that if they were smart, to leave America and go to stable but boring places far away from the “death throes” of a dying empire.

    I was correct.

    Today, most Americans are trapped within the United States are are unable to leave. For the most part, there are very few nations willing to take in American citizens. The terrible handling of the COVID-19 has make the rest of the world frightened in having anything to do with Americans.

    So Americans are trapped. Not only from asking permission to leave America by the American government, but also finding another nation willing to take in Americans. It’s “slim pickings”.

    So…

    Here you are.

    We are in a SHTF situation where you are geographically locked inside a geographic region, while that region experiences all sorts of upheavals and changes. Don’t believe me? Well, take a look at the latest news articles out of the Drudge Report today…

    You are trapped inside the United States, the news is about this chaos…

    … and that chaos.

    It’s all a big nasty mess. From people unemployed because of the COVID-19, to the illness itself. To the BLM and Antifa riots, to food shortages, and armed marches. To Donald Trump going “hog wild” crazy in his anti-China crusade. Seriously, it is nuts.

    Yet…

    It’s all not happening where you live. Right?

    Indeed, in your immediate neighborhood, everything is quiet and calm. Most of the upset is transmitted to you via the Internet, and you have no idea what is true or what is false. Though most of you probably believe in the trends of what you read.

    Well…

    This is normal.

    The Timeline

    Let’s take a review of the timeline for the “great reset”.

    To review, according to all the measurements that I have mentioned beforehand, everything is pointing to a period of discomfort starting in 2008, and increasing in severity in 2018. Then from 2018 to 2028 will be the worst period of discomfort. With things really starting to get bad around 2020. And a peak crisis period from 2023 to 2027, with the major crisis event centering around 2025.

    According to the “Fourth Turning”, we can expect a major critical event to take place around 2025. As shown in the following illustration…

    Here are the next few years before the Fourth Turning is expected to reach a crisis point. The astitute reader should realize that the event is scheduled immediately after the 2024 election. Historically, this will mean that a progressive democrat will take over the Presidency. In that event, we can expect a full -on gun conscification effort that would be the result of a mass-shooting event. Democrat presidents always have mass-shooting events int he first six months of their presidency. Then they unlease the anti-gun narrative to a fever pitch. The event that was supposted to really work this last time was the 2016 Los Vegas shooter, but of course it wasn't HIllary Clinton at the Helm it was Donald Trump..
    Here are the next few years before the Fourth Turning is expected to reach a crisis point.

    Here are my thoughts, and some advice to those of you willing to listen…

    Good News

    There are some good things that I can say right now.

    [1] Firstly, the good news is that change is a natural part of growing. (I know, yada, yada, yada.) But it is true. The United States simply cannot continue as an oligarchy ruled military empire run on imaginary “petrol-dollars”. It has to change. And it will, and you are seeing the start of the changes…

    [2] The climax of the event is not this year. That’s the good news.

    [3] It will be sometime around 2025 (plus or minus two years). Or as early as 2023, or as late as 2027. That’s in three years at the earliest.

    The period of discomfort will last a decade. So expect things to be dicey through 2030.

    [4] Here’s more good news. It will not be uniform. There will be areas that will see terrible change, and others what will not see much change at all.

    So what will it be like?

    Several things will explode all at once…

    Several things could implode all at once. Indeed, this is the likeliest scenario. As there are all sorts of trends and events just about to run “off the rails”, and all sort of “the opportunistic others” who have plans to take advantage of government collapse.

    It could be a meltdown of government…

    It could be a violent readjustment of society…

    All the usual “good people” assure us that violent revolution is not on the table. This means, simply, that it is. 
    
    - From Brett Stevens at Amerika 

    It could be everything and anything. It could be social upheaval in alignment with the Nazi takeover of Germany in the 1930’s, coupled with the genocide of the Cambodians under Pol Pot. It could be a mixture of George Orwell, and the worst elements of THX1138. It could be every nightmare that you could possibly dream of.

    'THX 1138' is a chilling look at a 25th-century totalitarian state where mankind is stripped of any individuality. People are numbered drones, and a government-enforced program of sedating drugs controls the populace. The story's title character, THX, is a factory worker whose life is irrevocably changed when he stops taking his mind-numbing drugs.
    ‘THX 1138’ is a chilling look at a 25th-century totalitarian state where mankind is stripped of any individuality. People are numbered drones, and a government-enforced program of sedating drugs controls the populace. The story’s title character, THX, is a factory worker whose life is irrevocably changed when he stops taking his mind-numbing drugs.

    It could be domestic guerrilla warfare…

    When the violence comes—and it will come—the military and militarized  police forces will face domestic insurgents who are better armed,  trained, supplied, coordinated, and technologically proficient than the  foreign insurgents the military has heretofore been unable to defeat. 
    
    - From Robert Gore at Straight Line Logic 

    It could be a polarization of society…

    Breitbart - Calif. Police Chief Cancels Event to Honor Fallen Officer  Because Republicans Were Invited ... "this is not Trump country, we  don’t want Republicans here" 

    It could be genocide against “white people”…

    We (white people) are now on the same level with Afrikaners in the closing days of apartheid in South Africa. 
    
    - From Taki at Taki's Magazine, about white Americans  

    Indeed, all this anti-white propaganda is geared towards genocide. It is not geared to any objective regarding healing. It is an out of control manipulation by the oligarchy to pit Americans against each other.

    You cannot purify white people through the healing magic of diversity if they are not actually part of diversity. 
    
    -Z Man

    Let’s just clear out all the nonsense and get to the basics…

    When Progressives talk about diversity, they mean blacks. 
    
    We can put the  upper bound on diversity as 20%. Any more than that and white crime  victimization and awareness of it begins to soar. This sets off white  flight. 
    
    Baltimore is a great example. Once its black population crossed  the 25% level, it began a rapid decline into chaos.  
    
    As Rhodesia,  Baltimore and now South Africa show, there is some minimum number of  whites required to keep the lights on, so everyone can enjoy the  wonderfulness of diversity. 
    
    In the case of Rhodesia, the number fell  below the minimum and it became Zimbabwe. In Baltimore, they have  hovered along the critical number for decades. South Africa staggers on,  but they too are approaching the inflection point. 
    
    -Z Man

    Someone, or some group, is organizing a campaign leading towards the genocide of “white people”. This will absolutely manifest during the crisis period. Look, just because the mainstream media isn’t covering the obvious does not mean that that it doesn’t exist.

     Fighting Is Under Way
    
     And leftist blood-lust is not limited to a fringe. A very intelligent  and gentle acquaintance of mine, someone with whom I once enjoyed a  cordial and friendly long-running debate, believes that Trump sent  federal troops into Berkeley the other night to conduct mass arrests of  protesters, trigging the riots. It’s completely untrue and she had no  idea where she heard it, but she believes it as much as she believes in  gravity. And her false belief, what psychologists would call a  hallucination (h/t Scott Adams), allows her to justify anything the rioters did, up to and including murder.
    
     Here’s the thing. You’ve probably heard the word “privilege” so much  you could puke when you hear it. The idea of white privilege is central  to the leftist hallucination. And the idea of a privileged race led  Germany to the Final Solution.
    
     Adolf Hitler wrote in 1919:
    
     "But an anti-Semitism based on reason must lead to a systematic legal elimination of the privileges of the Jews. The ultimate objective of such legislation must, however, be the irrevocable removal of the Jews from civil and cultural influence." 
    
     In fact, the Nazi propagandists worked overtime to defame Jews for  their privilege. Hitler claimed Jews avoided physical labor of any kind,  preferring work in finance, mercantile, and the arts. He lamented that  Jews wrote and produced 90 percent of German movies despite being only  one percent of the population. His propaganda depicted Jewish women as  fat and lazy, yet wealthy, feeding off the labor of the German people.
    
     Substitute “working class whites” for “Jews,” and Nazi propaganda  sounds a lot like CNN commentators and UC Berkeley professors. Even  so-called conservative Bill Kristol says it’s time to replace America’s white working class with immigrants.
    
     It’s pretty clear that the left uses the same rhetoric and  scapegoating against conservatives as the Nazi used against Jews. So we  have to ask if these leftists use the propaganda techniques to the same  end.
    
     The Nazis wanted to vilify and dehumanize Jews so the German people would be conditioned for the Final Solution: extermination.
    
     When you hear the speeches of campus protesters, you have to conclude  that the left has a final solution in mind for people like you and me.  You don’t have to take my word for it. Here are the words of a school teacher in Seattle protesting against Trump and his supporters:
    
     "And we need to start killing people. First off, we need to start  killing the White House. The White House must die. The White House, your  fucking White House, your fucking Presidents, they must go! Fuck the  White House. 
    
     Pay the fuck up, pay the fuck up. It ain’t just your fucking time,  it’s your fucking money, and now your fucking life is devoted to social  change."
    
     Democrats, establishment Republicans, and the supposedly  “responsible” media ignored this story. They ignored it because they are afraid of attracting the mob’s attention. Like Germans in the 1930s,  some people value their own survival too much to stop bloodshed and  brutality. 
    
    -Hennessysview

    It could be an exodus of the wealthy from the urban centers…

    All those pricey urban meccas could become crime-ridden ghost towns. How  could such a reversal occur? Everyone who lives outside protected  enclaves will reach a point where the "urban lifestyle" is no longer  worth the sacrifices and costs. Once enough of the top 10% leave, the  food/beverage service industry implodes. 
    
    Service employees are renters,  paying sky-high rents that unemployment can't cover. Vacant apartments  pile up. As the exodus gathers momentum, all the reasons people clung so  rabidly to urban meccas decay. Local government jacks up fees, tickets,  permits and taxes, accelerating the exodus. 
    
    That's how pricey urban  meccas turn into ghost towns inhabited by those who can't leave and  those living on public services. 
    
    -Of Two Minds Blog

    It could be World War III…

    It could be a shooting Civil War

    And what would happen if a civil war, a CWII or SHTF event were to occur? America would be in chaos. Everything would be a mess, and the central governments from the Federal to the State, and Local levels would be very busy trying to maintain order.

    Would other nations sit by and watch from afar? Would they decide to help and roll in the UN to restore order? Or would they just be content to watch America burn?

    Thus, if a civil war broke out in the United States, would China, Russia, and Iran not jump in to finally render America helpless? To take advantage of the situation, to cripple the United States to a point where it could never ever, ever EVER fully recover?

    Why NOT do a “double tap” and castrate America back into oblivion from which it would take a full 100 years to recover from?

    Nuclear war, one initiated by America in order to control the American mobs, could easily reverse America's fortunes in a nanosecond. The idea that a war out here, or over there, would be created and have no consequences is a very dangerous belief. The world is not the 1960's, and not every nation is a thrid world tiny splat of land. Major nations are now getting involved in the global scene, and they do not take kindly to Americans throwing their weight around.
    Nuclear war, one initiated by America in order to control the American mobs, could easily reverse America’s fortunes in a nanosecond. The idea that a war out here, or over there, would be created and have no consequences is a very dangerous belief. The world is not the 1960’s, and not every nation is a third world tiny splat of land. Major nations are now getting involved in the global scene, and they do not take kindly to Americans throwing their weight around.

    If America has gotten fat, plump and comfortable, being the bully on the global stage, throwing “regime changing” wrenches (via the CIA, NED, and NID) to everyone from Venezuela, Syria, the Ukraine, Hong Kong and China, won’t other nations resent it?

    And, if an opportunity presents itself, would not another nation take advantage of that opportunity. An opportunity to “de-fang” the United States, and “neuter” it’s ability to project global influence (read; power) in the world?

    I would say yes.

    "Hours after the bombs go off in cities, these fires continue to build up and they create firestorms that feed on themselves. They get so hot that everything in the city becomes fuel for its own destruction. The energy released becomes much greater than the weapon itself," Dr. Mills explained, drawing parallels to the way fire consumed the city of Dresden during the World War II.  From each of these 100 detonations, massive firestorms would engulf whole cities and churn five million tons of black carbon into the stratosphere.
    “Hours after the bombs go off in cities, these fires continue to build up and they create firestorms that feed on themselves. They get so hot that everything in the city becomes fuel for its own destruction. The energy released becomes much greater than the weapon itself,” Dr. Mills explained, drawing parallels to the way fire consumed the city of Dresden during the World War II. From each of these 100 detonations, massive firestorms would engulf whole cities and churn five million tons of black carbon into the stratosphere.
    By nuking the major American cities, all industry would grind to a halt. Banking and savings would be non-existent. Everything would collapse and the survivors  would flee the cities into the countryside. 

    Americans should never be under the impression that the rest of the world views us with favor. In fact, it is quite the opposite.

    The next turning could have the worst elements of everything known to ma. The could be nuclear war, chemical, biological and germ warfarem hig tecnology spying and swarm drone weapons. All of which could happen simultaneously while the USA government might to enact genocide against its citizenry.
    The next turning could have the worst elements of everything known to man. This could be nuclear war, chemical, biological and germ warfare high technology spying and swarm drone weapons. All of which could happen simultaneously while the USA government might to enact genocide against its citizenry.

    Oh, and by the way, a fellow by the name of John Titor claimed to be from the future. Yes, he claimed to be a time traveler from the future. He described just this exact scenario, where there was a rather long period of civil unrest and then Russia nuked all the cities. Whether you believe him or not is immaterial. He has some interesting things to ponder.

    The link below opens up into a new tab for your reading pleasure.

    From the post…

    ' The blogger suggests this because he questions what actually occurred  did not match all the conflicts that John Titor predicted.  Perhaps the  events he mentions will actually still occur, only they will actually  occur 10 years later.
      
     Maybe, instead of a civil war in 2013, there is one in 2023Nuclear war in 2025, instead of 2015. '

    Remember those dates;

    • 2020 – Instability.
    • 2023 – Civil War.
    • 2025 – Nuclear War.

    So, there is going to be an increase in the severity of the current mess…

    Yes, there is.

    And no, we don’t know the precise details.

    But, do we really need to know all those details? History has told us that when America goes into a Fourth Turning reset situation, it becomes a no-rules cluster slug-fest. In fact, we can say that…

    • The most advanced weapons will be used.
    • War will be fought on American soil.
    • Foreign nations will be involved to some extent.

    And since this is scheduled to happen pretty soon, what can you do (personally) to protect yourself and your family?

    Well, I have some thoughts on this matter…

    [1] Relocate to a safe, boring area.

    Yes, you are trapped in the USA for now. Maybe things will open up next year, or maybe not. But in the meantime, you can relocate to a safe and quiet location that is pretty bland and boring. That’s the key don’t you know. Be bland. Be boring. Be safe. Be dull. Be uninteresting.

    A great idea me-thinks.

    But where?

    [1a] Avoid all urban areas. You want to avoid crowds and the likelihood of meeting people who you do not know personally. Historically, cities have always been dangerous during societal upsets, resets and wars. Let me be clear about this; Get out while the getting’s good.

    [1b] Avoid wilderness areas. One of the first things that began in March when the COVID-19 outbreak started to happen was all the city-dwellers took their RV’s, trucks, pickups and vehicles and headed for the state forests. The roads were blocked and the entire forests were jammed packed like a New York City rush hour with angry and frustrated city people. There were arguments, stores that were cleaned out and incidents of stabbings and shootings. Do not go where other people might go. Avoid state parks, federal parks, state and federal forests, and other “green areas” that are displayed on maps.

    [1c] Move into a small town. Small towns have the basics that you need to survive. Additionally, it is much easier to make friends there. Now the thing is that if you move into a small community, you absolutely MUST know your neighbors. Do not plan on moving somewhere and not meeting people and making friends. Not only must you make friends, but you must be productive, helpful and good.

    I would suggest that you also…

    [2] Have a secure lifestyle

    Which means…

    [2a] Get involved in the community. A the bare minimum, this would include being a regular member of a church, and a member of some other activity, like the Chamber of Commerce, or the Grange, or the Rotary. make sure that you are known and recognized.

    Many people think about “bugging in”, or “being mobile”. Here, I suggest that you integrate yourself with your community. For there is strength in numbers. Automatically, you will be part of something bigger. And when things go bad, you would be far, far better off than the lone guy hiding in a basement with six months stockpile of rice.

    Now is NOT the time to be a “lone wolf”. You need to integrate yourself as part of a community and do it quickly.

    And that is lifestyle.

    To be a part of something, you must be ready and willing to participate in things and contribute. This is true in life, but it becomes very importantly true during crisis situations.

    So here, I advise that you pick up some skills that you can use to provide help, services, and assistance were things to go really bad…

    [2b] Emergency First Aid. You should take some classes in emergency first aid. You should be able to bend a broken arm, stitch up a cut, and perform emergency surgery. You should know how to handle gunshot wounds, infections, and food poisonings. This means that not only would you take a singular class at the YMCA, but advanced courses at the community college, and have some reference books on hand in your house. Finally, let people KNOW that you have these skills.

    and…

    This is not only a useful skill for yourself, but it is something that you can trade for when you need to trade or barter.

    [2c] Access to fresh water. During great societal upsets the ability to get water, electricity and internet is gone. Some areas might be spared this, but most will not. We know from recent history that in Bosnia, people died trying to get fresh water, or contracted illnesses from drinking tainted water. Either have a way to collect and purify water, or invest in a well.

    [2d] Ability to repair without electricity. Which means that the ability to repair things without electricity would be a very valuable skill. If you have access to a manual lathe, or other such tools, you will be able to provide your services from anything to repairing a windmill on a water pump, to repairing a gun. Be helpful.

    Try repairing things without electricity. You will be surprised how difficult it is. You need to be able to do this with files, hammers and pliers.

    [2e] Local Indian lore. Long before the United States was colonized, the local Indians in your region lived well. They farmed and had their own ways of preserving food, and treating their sick. This is local lore that has been forgotten, but not at the local library or historical society. Connect with these people and learn a thing or two. You will not regret it.

    [3] Household Security

    This is one of those things that you see all over the Internet. How to make hide-holes, and how to secure your windows and other such things. There is much to cover here, but I will stick to the basics.

    [3a] You need well bolted doors. One that can be barricaded with 2×4 lumber pieces from the inside (two beams, top and bottom, resting on a metal clamp). It might not prevent your house from burning down, but it will be able to defend against roving bands of urban youth in jacked cars.

    [3b] Windows need to be secured and covered if need be. Plywood, ready to put up in place, or welded metal bars, or other systems that would make break-ins very difficult.

    [3c] The home needs to be hidden with overgrown shrubbery and debris. Sure, eventually people will find you. But don’t make it easy. Be the junk yard next to the gold refinery. Be the boring electrical sub-station next to the grocery store. Be the abandoned building next to the hardware store.

    [3d] You need a hidden room, or basement chamber. Any hidden room, or any size if far better than none at all. You need to be able to secure your valuables, both things and people.

    [3e] You need guns and you need not to be afraid to use them. I would suggest that you forget about those cheap SKS banana-clip pseudo assault guns. Get yourself a couple of shotguns. And a few reliable 9mm handguns. Expect that when you shoot people, it will NOT be like television. They will not go down on the first shot. Chances are that you would have to empty the entire clip into their chest. Be ready to use them.

    [3f] You need a garden and you need to keep it working year-around. Make sure that you always have potatoes, onions, and other related root crops planted. Most bandits couldn’t tell a potato plant from skunk weed. So while they might raid your tomato bushes, they would tend to leave your potatoes alone. Plant some apple trees, and other berry bushes. Let your property provide sustenance for you.

    [3g] If you have room, consider a chicken coop. Learn how to raise chickens. These are a great thing to do to provide food on your table, and a great way to trade with your neighbors with.

    [4] Supplies

    From what I see, things are going to get really bad over the next three years. Finally around 2025, things are going to go to shit really fast. So you’ve got a precious few years to stock up, learn and prepare. I hope that things won’t go “tits up” in your area, but if they do, you’ll be ready for anything.

    [4a] You need basic food supplies to last you for at least six months. This means canned goods, rice, wheat flour, nuts, and other things of importance. Like cooking oil, salt, pepper, baking soda, yeast, etc. Buy the cans by the case. Buy the staples by the sack. Buy the liquids by the gallon.

    [4b] Additionally, you will need “kits”. These are things that will provide you will options if things go really bad. Like cages to raise pigeons in, fishing tackle, traps for rabbits and other small game, crossbow or other quiet way to hunt. And, with everything, you had best be well prepared in how to use them effectively and properly.

    [4c] Prepare things for trade. You should plan on having things for trade. The most popular things are vices. So you can stock up with cheap alcohol in little bottles (bigger than those airline bottles), smaller than a regular bottle. This can be any alcohol. Same goes for tobacco, cigarettes, and other related items. Including disposable lighters. (You can buy a case of 100 really cheaply.)

    [5] Mobility

    You should have a bicycle or two. Both should be capable of off road use. Do not expect that vehicles will still be operable during the height of the crisis. In fact, you will probably want to keep off the roads. Anything that will enable you to travel quickly and silently through the forest would be an advantage.

    [6] Electric system

    You should have a system of recharging DC batteries. Whether this is by solar power or wind, and then have a set of walkee-talkee’s. You can also have a small battery powered, or hand crank powered radio and lights. Plan now. Do not wait until the last moment.

    Here at MM I can supply shipping containers of this stuff. (nothing smaller than a pallet load). If you are interested contact me privately on laobangbh@163.com .

    [7] Deceptions

    If things get to the point where the government has broken down…

    Police are unavailable. Military are deployed in certain areas. News is periodic or confused, then you know that SHTF is getting worse. You will need to create deceptions to make your property unattractive.

    Some ideas.

    [7a] (Fake) Downed high power lines with signs that warn of “High Voltage”. And (if possible) some low voltage DC shock wires to dissuade any adventuresome individual.

    [7b] A few dead people in the yard that looks like they got trapped when they messed up with the wrong people.

    [7c] Bad odors, flies, maggots, and refuse.

    [7d] Rattling cans, and other things that make a real racket is anyone moves in a certain area on your property. Most people want stealth and quiet. Even after all the turmoil dies down, people will still travel in small groups and move about silently. By rigging up noise makers, you will discourage these people from coming near your property.

    [7e] Traps. With spikes, barbed wire, and other mechanisms that can be lethal if triggered. Think Vietnam booby-traps.

    The idea here is that you do not want anyone to come near your space and your property. You will make it as unappealing as possible, and life threatening tends to work the best.

    These next few years are critical.

    It will be a transformation of sorts.

    And then this, also from The Fourth Turning:

    With or without war, American society will be transformed into something different. 
    
    The emergent society may be something better, a nation that sustains its Framers’ visions with a robust new pride. 
    
    Or it  may be something unspeakably worse. 
    
    The Fourth Turning will be a time of glory or ruin.

    It will be a turning point. It will be a point of inversion, a point of change. A point where things go one way or the other, and everyone in the middle is killed.

    Glory or Ruin.

    It will be the us vs them. The patriots vs the Red Coats. The grey vs the blue. The yanks against the Nazi’s.

    Conclusion

    Aside from the move to a safe spot, every item on this list can be purchased in total under a few thousand dollars.

    If nothing happens, then consider yourself fortunate. You will have squandered your money on a insurance policy. But you and I both know that things are building up. The Antifa and BLM are on the march and are openly telling everyone what they plan to do. Theya re being funded by rich oligarchs, and are receiving large sums of money and weapons…

    If something does happen, while you might not be the best prepared prepper in the nation, you will be able to survive. And that is what all this is about. Survival.

    I wish that you all could have done what I did, and took a “life boat” off to a far away land. But most of you did not. Instead, figuring that you would know when you would need to leave, and then leave then.

    Well… that time came and went. And you should have left the same time as when the oligarchy fled. The last week of March 2020.

    Now, you are left behind.

    You are now completely trapped with the rest of the population upon a ship that is slowly sinking into the deep dark cold waters.

    It’s quiet now…

    But the Captain is busy shouting orders to the staff, and people are a little restless in the lounges and staterooms. He’s slurring his voice, and making all kinds of strange proclamations and orders. Sometimes the stewards just stand there and look at him with a blank expression on their face. “Is he mad?” they ask themselves.

    Do not think that it is just going to go away. Plan and take the necessary actions to secure you and your family’s safety.

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    The Last Night of the World by Ray Bradbury (full text)

    The short story “The Last Night of The World” by Ray Bradbury is very calmed. Perhaps because it portrays speculation and ‘what ifs?’. It gives you an indirect complement, for it does not describe what is causing the end of the world. Only that you know that it is heading towards you and will reach you very, very soon.

    Enjoy.

    The Last Night of the World

    By Ray Bradbury

    “WHAT would you do if you knew that this was the last night of the world?” “What would I do? You mean seriously?”

    “Yes, seriously.”

    “I don’t know. I hadn’t thought.”

    He poured some coffee. In the background the two girls were playing blocks on the parlor rug in the light of the green hurricane lamps. There was an easy, clean aroma of the brewed coffee in the evening air.

    “Well, better start thinking about it,” he said. “You don’t mean it!”

    “A war?”

    He shook his head.

    “Not the hydrogen or atom bomb?” “No.”

    “Or germ warfare?”

    “None of those at all,” he said, stirring his coffee slowly. “But just, let’s say, the closing of a book.” “I don’t think I understand.”

    “No, nor do I, really; it’s just a feeling. Sometimes it frightens me, sometimes I’m not frightened at all but at peace.” He glanced in at the girls and their yellow hair shining in the lamplight. “I didn’t say anything to you. It first happened about four nights ago.”

    “What?”

    “A dream I had. I dreamed that it was all going to be over, and a voice said it was; not any kind of voice I can remember, but a voice anyway, and it said things would stop here on Earth. I didn’t think too much about it the next day, but then I went to the office and caught Stan Willis looking out the window in the middle of the afternoon, and I said a penny for your thoughts, Stan, and he said, I had a dream last night, and before he even told me the dream I knew what it was. I could have told him, but he told me and I listened to him.”

    “It was the same dream?”

    “The same. I told Stan I had dreamed it too. He didn’t seem surprised. He relaxed, in fact. Then we started walking through the office, for the hell of it. It wasn’t planned. We didn’t say, ‘Let’s walk around.’ We just walked on our own, and everywhere we saw people looking at their desks or their hands or out windows. I talked to a few. So did Stan.”

    “And they all had dreamed?”

    “All of them. The same dream, with no difference.” “Do you believe in it?”

    “Yes. I’ve never been more certain.”

    “And when will it stop? The world, I mean.”

    “Sometime during the night for us, and then as the night goes on around the world, that’ll go too. It’ll take twenty-four hours for it all to go.”

    They sat awhile not touching their coffee. Then they lifted it slowly and drank, looking at each other. “Do we deserve this?” she said.

    “It’s not a matter of deserving; it’s just that things didn’t work out. I notice you didn’t even argue about this. Why not?”

    “I guess I’ve a reason,” she said.

    “The same one everyone at the office had?”

    She nodded slowly. “I didn’t want to say anything. It happened last night. And the women on the block talked about it, among themselves, today. They dreamed. I thought it was only a coincidence.” She picked up the evening paper. “There’s nothing in the paper about it.”

    “Everyone knows, so there’s no need.”

    He sat back in his chair, watching her. “Are you afraid?” “No. I always thought I would be, but I’m not.”

    “Where’s that spirit called self-preservation they talk so much about?”

    “I don’t know. You don’t get too excited when you feel things are logical. This is logical. Nothing else but this could have happened from the way we’ve lived.”

    “We haven’t been too bad, have we?”

    “No, nor enormously good. I suppose that’s the trouble—we haven’t been very much of anything except us, while a big part of the world was busy being lots of quite awful things.”

    The girls were laughing in the parlor.

    “I always thought people would be screaming in the streets at a time like this.” “I guess not. You don’t scream about the real thing.”

    “Do you know, I won’t miss anything but you and the girls. I never liked cities or my work or anything except you three. I won’t miss a thing except perhaps the change in the weather, and a glass of ice water when it’s hot, and I might miss sleeping. How can we sit here and talk this way?”

    “Because there’s nothing else to do.”

    “That’s it, of course; for if there were, we’d be doing it. I suppose this is the first time in the history of the world that everyone has known just what they were going to do during the night.”

    “I wonder what everyone else will do now, this evening, for the next few hours.”

    “Go to a show, listen to the radio, watch television, play cards, put the children to bed, go to bed themselves, like always.”

    “In a way that’s something to be proud of—like always.”

    They sat a moment and then he poured himself another coffee. “Why do you suppose it’s tonight?”

    “Because.”

    “Why not some other night in the last century, or five centuries ago, or ten?”

    “Maybe it’s because it was never October 19, 1969, ever before in history, and now it is and that’s it; because this date means more than any other date ever meant; because it’s the year when things are as they are all over the world and that’s why it’s the end.”

    “There are bombers on their schedules both ways across the ocean tonight that’ll never see land.” “That’s part of the reason why.”

    “Well,” he said, getting up, “what shall it be? Wash the dishes?”

    They washed the dishes and stacked them away with special neatness. At eight-thirty the girls were put to bed and kissed good night and the little lights by their beds turned on and the door left open just a trifle.

    “I wonder,” said the husband, coming from the bedroom and glancing back, standing there with his pipe for a moment.

    “What?”

    “If the door will be shut all the way, or if it’ll be left just a little ajar so some light comes in.” “I wonder if the children know.”

    “No, of course not.”

    They sat and read the papers and talked and listened to some radio music and then sat together by the fireplace watching the charcoal embers as the clock struck ten-thirty and eleven and eleven-thirty. They thought of all the other people in the world who had spent their evening, each in his own special way.

    “Well,” he said at last.

    He kissed his wife for a long time.

    “We’ve been good for each other, anyway.” “Do you want to cry?” he asked.

    “I don’t think so.”

    They moved through the house and turned out the lights and went into the bedroom and stood in the night cool darkness undressing and pushing back the covers. “The sheets are so clean and nice.”

    “I’m tired.” “We’reall tired.”

    They got into bed and lay back. “Just a moment,” she said.

    He heard her get out of bed and go into the kitchen. A moment later, she returned. “I left the water running in the sink,” she said.

    Something about this was so very funny that he had to laugh. She laughed with him, knowing what it was that she had done that was funny. They stopped laughing at last and lay in their cool night bed, their hands clasped, their heads together.

    “Good night,” he said, after a moment. “Good night,” she said.

    The End

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    Pet love and shadowing during MWI world-line cross-overs. They can actually follow your consciousness during your travels, and meet you after death.

    Wow! How’s that for a title?

    OK. Here is yet another thing that you will not find elsewhere on the internet.

    This post deals with the quantum attachments of one species consciousness (human) with another species consciousness (dog, cat, horse, etc.) during the MWI world-line switches. Which we tend to refer to as “time”.

    • The universe is composed of quanta.
    • Quanta can form “clumps”.
    • Over time, these “clumps” can obtain intelligence.
    • We refer to collections of “clumps” as species.

    While I have repeatedly stated that “time” is how our consciousness experiences a sequences of world-lines, I have pretty much let it be understood that everyone else isn’t actually sharing those world-lines with us. Instead, they are “what it” versions of other people. Whom I refer to as “quantum shadows”.

    Well, now I am going to lay down some really astounding information to you all.

    When it comes to pets, and loved ones (really close pets, and really close loved ones), their consciousness does ACTUALLY share many of the same world lines that you would. (Not all of them. Not every one of them. But enough to consider a pair or trio of consciousnesses following and surfing the MWI together.)

    You are not truly alone.

    Here we are going to talk about this. But, first we need to really hash out a review of terms and concepts. Just a refresher for all you metallic men and women out there…

    Review – The MWI

    What everyone seems to think “Heaven” is this big old guy in a long white beard on a throne sitting and telling people to life in paradise as long as they worship him.

    Nah. It’s not like that.

    It’s a place, yah. And it is many things. It is more than what our physical reality is. That is for certain.

    Heaven is also graduated.  It possesses different regions and areas.  Each region or area have different concentrations of quanta. (Quanta is the building blocks of our reality.)

    They form different densities.

    Some of which are very dense with one type of quanta, and others are dense with other combinations of quanta.  It is a complex “soup” or “stew” of quanta that pop in and out and move about all under the influence of other “influences” (I will discuss these later.).

    Consider "Heaven" to be everything. It includes the physical universe and the unseen "Heavens" often referred to in religious writings. It is a place where everything is composed of the smallest building blocks or components possible - quanta.

    Within this realm, are clumps and arrangements of quanta. The quanta naturally starts to entangle with other quanta. They form arrangements, and dance about in certain ways. Over time, they get larger and more complex. They form things. They precipitate into simpler, slower and coarser things such as physical rocks, dust and energy.

    Big bang
    On many websites, and books, the concentration of the “Big Bang” theory always revolves around the formation of the physical universe. It rarely discusses the formation of the unseen universe, and the components of branes, strings, and quanta.
    Eventually, some of the quanta form into constructions that obtain sentience. The groups of quanta with sentience are called "souls".

    The souls realize that the way that they can grow and advance is to organize their quanta. There is only one problem. Quanta can only organize through entanglements. They need to entangle with other quanta.

    The way entanglements work is through association, or better yet, experiences.

    Our Bubble of Reality

    So, in order to obtain these experience, the soul creates a bubble within Heaven.

    It is an environment where the soul can obtain experiences. These “bubbles” are regions that can best be defined as a construction. They are constructed regions manufactured by a given soul to obtain experiences within. These regions are unique and custom for a given consciousness.

    Soul creates a bubble
    A soul exists within “Heaven”. It creates a “bubble” and places a physical body within this bubble. This body experiences the bubble as “reality”. That is what our reality actually is. In the picture above, we see a particular soul, soul A creates an construct. This is a bubble of reality. That reality consists of a physical person surrounded by a physical and a non-physical reality that is determined by the senses of the physical person so constructed.

    A soul would connect to this bubble of reality via a “tube” or an interface. We call that interface as “consciousness”. Souls can have multiple consciousnesses but only one consciousness may occupy a given reality at a time.

    A bubble of reality consists of four set “dimensions”. Three spacial dimensions and one of entropy; time.

    The "passage of time" is simply our reality bubble changing by our thoughts. Additionally, other nearby bubbles also move about and change. They can influence our bubble as well.

    The control over this bubble of reality is quite possible. That is because our reality changes with our thoughts. Each thought changes it.

    Thoughts of the consciousness within the reality can alter the reality. Thoughts can make or break the experiences of the consciousness.  As such the soul can learn from the consciousness and it’s decision making process. This is of course, through manipulation of the three dimensions plus the “dimension” of time.

    Consciousness experience events within the reality.  As such they generate thoughts.  The thoughts alter and create the reality that the consciousness exists within. As such, the consciousness obtains experiences and learns from them.

    Heaven - Basic Diagram
    A really basic diagram of the general organization of “Human” Heaven. Each individual soul constructs a “reality”. It them provides a conduit to the biological presence within that reality. This conduit is known as “consciousness”. Note that no two consciousnesses share the same reality. However, there can be influences in the non-physical reality aspects.

    “Seen” dimensions typically are referred to as the physical world.  While “unseen” dimensions are referred to as various levels or dimensions of Heaven.

    But, what exactly is heaven?

    Please refer to the image above. How “heaven” is organized. (above). This diagram if a simplistic version of what a human “heaven” looks like.  Let’s suppose you (the reader) is sitting down in your house reading this manuscript. That figure is the icon of the blue person shown by (B). You exist within this “bubble” or reality also shown by (R1).  This “reality” includes the chair you sit in, the television show that you are watching, and the coffee beside you.

    Illustration 1

    Extending beyond your (physical) reality is your “extended” (non-physical) reality (R2) which consists of your thoughts, memories and everything associated with it (also  known as the “quantum cloud”).

    Your thoughts regarding what you are now reading are moving about in this (R2) reality. This area contains not only thought, but emotion and other generated “influences” (far too complex to discuss at this time).

    illustration 2

    However, you have a soul (A) that is part of who you are.  This soul only partially occupies your reality. In fact, it spends the vast bulk of it’s time outside of your “reality”.  You know it exists, but you are unaware of it’s “day to day” experiences, challenges and behaviors.

    Your soul can create numerous “realities” with numerous “individuals” (of which YOU are but one of the people that your soul creates)  occupying those realities.  This can occur at different times and at different locations. However, for now, let’s keep it simple and suppose your soul has created only one “realty” (R1) and (R2) for one person (B), you the reader.

    illustration 3

    Now, let’s suppose that you are married to another person that is part of your life.  (A pretty common situation.)

    That person would be represented by (C) which is but a “quantum shadow” of another person. It is not the ACTUAL person.  It only seems that way. (Though in your reality, that person is just as real as anything else in your reality.)

    illustration 4

    What you see is their world-line version of where they married you and share your reality.  It is not an actual reality (from their point of view, but rather the world-line version of them). (Your quantum-shadow spouse is but one version of a near infinite number of world-line variations of that particular person.)

    That person (D) is actually living within their own “reality “just like you are.  They may or may not see a quantum shadow of you. It is all determined by their version of reality.  This of course is determined by their soul (E).

    illustration 5

    What is of most interest here is how their thoughts affect your reality (R1 & R2).  While we all have our own “bubble” or reality that we live and exist within, our reality is constantly in flux by the thoughts of others (G). We view these effects as the “passage of time”.

    Heaven - Basic Diagram
    A really basic diagram of the general organization of “Human” Heaven. Each individual soul constructs a “reality”. It them provides a conduit to the biological presence within that reality. This conduit is known as “consciousness”. Note that no two consciousnesses share the same reality. However, there can be influences in the non-physical reality aspects.

    The influence of the quantum-shadow of those nearest to us absolutely shape and mold the realities that we participate in.  We can alter their influence by having “strong personalities”, or trying to isolate ourselves from others.  However, the more we do so, the less likely we are to learn lessons and have experiences.  It is the overlap of thought influences that create the experiences that we learn from.

    Both your (A) soul and your spouse’s soul (E) exist within a heaven (F).

    Your soul’s can work out different “realities” or “adventures” for both of you to share to obtain experiences.

    Life Together.
    A given consciousness with interact with the quantum shadows of other consciousnesses. Together they share experiences. The experiences can be good or bad, but they ultimately help align quanta so that a soul can grow and learn. Thus, it is very important that a given consciousness get the BEST experiences while it is part of a given reality.

    The idea, of course, is to obtain experiences and configure the quantum clouds associated with the constructed realities that the soul utilizes.  As soul grows and configures itself, it can “improve” and evolve.  Hopefully towards an approved soul archetype and sentience.

    Heaven
    In the movie “What dreams may come” a Hollywood version of what Heaven might look like is provided. It’s a nice image. However, Heaven can be anything or nothing depending on the thoughts of the soul. Our sentience creates the type of Heavenly realm that our soul inhabits. Which is WHY it is important for humans to have a single defined sentience; one that does not disrupt the sentience’s of other species. In other words, an approved sentience and physical archetype.

    As it improves and grows, the vast bulk of it’s quantum configuration dwells at different energy states.  Each different energy state has a different place in heaven (F).  Two are indicated by (J) and (I).

    To prevent confusion, I would suggest that the reader consider “reality” as the first three dimensions, plus “time” as the fourth dimension.

    I would then suggest that the fifth dimension, as world-line swapping (alteration of the “reality” “bubble”). This is very easy to visualize by using the above-mentioned model. For to understand what is happening in this case, the “quantum shadows” within your reality are being rearranged.

    Fifth dimensional trave;
    Fifth-dimensional travel as world-line travel.

    In “world-line” travel, all that is taking place is that the “quantum shadows” are being rearranged within one’s “bubble” of “reality”.  This is fifth-dimensional travel. In the example above, Fifth-dimensional travel as world-line travel.

    Quantum shadow (C) changes to fit the new revised “realty”.  (It is now a yellow person instead of a red person.) We, as a participant within our reality look upon these changes as “world-line” travel.

    From this point of view, it should be clear.  That obtaining world-line dimensional travel is actually accessing our own soul and requesting it to alter our reality to fit our needs, while at the same time keeping the educational lessons that we are to obtain the same or better. This can be accomplished through certain techniques.  In my case, we utilized a biological artifice to bend reality (within the confines of my experience structure).

    So, in all actuality, there isn’t really any kind of “travel” at all. What is actually happening is the “reality” construct changes in accordance with the wants and needs of the soul.

    If a given person, within a “reality” bubble wants to change his “world-line” he would be able to do so with the proper technology.  However the changed “world-line” that manifests would be one that would either have the same and equal types of experiences for the soul, or that it would be one that would have more or “better” experiences.

    There are even more interesting nuanced versions of “world-line” travel at the “higher” dimensional values.  However, for our purposes, let’s keep it simple.  I would then suggest anything above the fifth dimension as the realm of “heaven”. (Whether it is actually in a Heaven Universe, or within our “reality” universe.)

    Review – What “time” actually is.

    Most people have a really crap-tastic idea of what the MWI or multiple world-line theory is. They just cannot visualize it for the life of themselves. They have no idea what to think, or how it would manifest.

    They come up with visualizations such as this…

    Contemporaneous visualization of the MWI.
    Contemporaneous visualization of the MWI.

    One major hurtle…

    The problem with all these contemporaneous visualizations is that the artist, philosopher, or scientist does not isolate the concept of consciousness from that of a physical person. It is assumed, and defaulted to one and the same identical thing. When in fact, they are entirely two separate things.

    Everyone assumes that all those people around us also possess a consciousness. We assume they are also like us; that they have an active consciousness and an associated soul as well.
    
    We make this assumption based on our interactions with them. 
    
    They appear, to us to be fully actuated and in possession of a soul and consciousness. We argue here that the appearance of something does not equate to the de facto possession of something.

    There are differences between [1] a “consciousness”, [2] a “physical body”, and [3] a “person”. For our purposes, a person is someone with an active consciousness. Most people think that all three things are just different names for the same thing. They are not.

    The differences between a person, a consciousness and a physical body when discussing the MWI, or multiple world-line theory.
    The differences between a person, a consciousness and a physical body when discussing the MWI, or multiple world-line theory.

    Most laymen, and many scientists do not understand this simple fact. They assume that everyone is a “person”. That we share our universe with other people who all have internal “consciousnesses”.

    We do not.

    We are a consciousness. Not a physical body.

    Instead we are consciousness, that inhabits a physical body, forming a person. (As in the picture above.) We then occupy a reality.

    In this reality, we are surrounded with physical bodies, but none of them possess a consciousness. Instead they appear to have a consciousness simply because of how they interact with us. This interaction of these others is how the soul obtains experiences and thus grows and advances in the quantum sphere.

    Within our reality, we are the only one that is in possession of a consciousness. Everyone else is just a shadow version of themselves. In reality they (too) inhabit their own reality elsewhere, where they too are along and surrounded by the quantum shadows of others.
    Within our reality, we are the only one that is in possession of a consciousness. Everyone else is just a shadow version of themselves. In reality they (too) inhabit their own reality elsewhere, where they too are alone and surrounded by the quantum shadows of others.

    Thus, our universe is comprised with a near infinite number of world-line realities. Many are empty, and some contain a consciousness which is inhabiting a body to obtain experiences with. Our universe, thus looks something a little like this…

    THis is how the universe actually is, and exists within the MWI. It is a place where consciousness travels the infinate world-lines alone, and interacts with shadow equivalents of other people, persons and things.
    This is how the universe actually is, and exists within the MWI. It is a place where consciousness travels the infinite world-lines alone, and interacts with shadow equivalents of other people, persons and things.

    Why this is important.

    If you want to know the “secrets of the universe” then you will need to forget everything you learned in school and college. For all of it is based on assumptions that are rock-hard, firm, fixed and imputable.

    Most of it is really, really incorrect. For our “reality” is not what everyone thinks.

    • We do not “share” our universe with others.
    • We live alone in our universe.
    • Everyone else are “shadow copies” of their true forms.
    • These “shadow copies” are other people acting and living as if they were to share our universe. They are what could possibly exist and manifest. Not that they actually do manifest.

    Shadow copies

    For simplicity purposes, we simplify things to understand them. And in the case of these “quantum shadows” or “shadow people”, we say that they are empty and devoid of a consciousness.

    But that is not really true.

    Every shadow person, on every possible world-line has a teeny-tiny part of the quanta associated with another consciousness. It’s really sparse, and really small, but it does exist there. We just simplify things and say that a person; a consciousness, occupies a world-line alone.

    It’s a simplification. And here we can see how the simplification helps us to understand things…

    What it looks like is NOT the way it is.

    We all think that there is just one universe, and one Earth, and it is populated by all of us together. That we share the earth with each other and that we are all equal and are in the same time-line.

    All these assumptions are wrong.

    We believe that we share our universe with others.
    We believe that we share our universe with others. No. Instead we share this universe with “versions” of other people. These versions are constructs that interacts with our consciousness while we exist within our reality world-line.

    We do not share our universe with others.

    Nope.

    Not. Even. Close.

    Instead, we occupy a universe alone. We do not share it with anyone. Oh, yes, it does appear that we share it, but we really do not.

    All those other people that we interact with are not really what they appear. They are a version of that other person. This is the version of that person were they to actually share the reality with us.

    We seem to be surrounded by others.
    All those other people that we interact with are not really what they appear. They are a version of that other person. This is the version of that person were they to actually share the reality with

    They are but quantum shadows of the possibility of interaction.

    In Plato’s classic Allegory of the Cave,  a group of people living in a cave have a very false view of the world  because the only thing they can see is the shadows on a wall. Plato was  trying to teach his students that the philosopher must see beyond the  shadows to the reality that is projecting them, but what exactly is that  reality.
    
    The reality that Plato wanted his students to see is not  the physical form of the object casting the shadow, those physical  objects are just another level of shadows! The world of matter is the  shadow world, the world of illusion, the world of deception. It is not  at all what it appears to be because our physical eyes, and other  physical senses, can sense only the shadows called matter so we are  deceived into believing that it is real. That is not to say that matter  is not real. Matter is real just as the shadow of a tree is real, but  the shadow is not the tree and matter is not true reality. 
    
    -Cosolargy International

    To understand this please note.

    We are not a physical body. We are soul.

    Now, do not be offended.

    This does not at all mean that there is no love, that there isn’t a thing called togetherness. That there isn’t all the physical, emotional and spiritual relationships that we have with others. Do not be silly. Of course they exist.

    What changes is the understanding of what a physical body is.

    Conventiona thought of what a person is.

    Instead of one (and only one) physical body that your consciousness inhabits, there is an infinite number of physical bodies. Each one within a unique and separate world-line.

    You, as consciousness, moves in and out of all these other bodies of yours through thought.

    This is what a person really is. We are multi-dimensional beings with a singular consciousness. We (as consciousness) move in and out of the MWI world-lines entering similiar physical bodies associated with our consciousness.
    This is what a person really is. We are multi-dimensional beings with a singular consciousness. We (as consciousness) move in and out of the MWI world-lines entering similar physical bodies associated with our consciousness.

    This is also true for the entire rest of the universe. Everyone else also possesses bodies such as this. Your dog has this kind of body. Your cat has this kind of body. In fact, the felines are actually quite cognizant of this ability.

    We are NOT a physical body. We are soul that manifests a consciousness within our reality.

    Knowing and realizing this, makes some of the passages in the religious books far more reasonable, and easier to understand. It doesn’t matter if it is the Koran, or the Bible. Understanding the way the universe works, and truly works, adds a far greater understanding to the wisdom that resides inside of these great works.

    The soul creates a “consciousness” that it places in a “container”. This container is a “world-line”. Our “universe” is a near infinite number of world-lines.

    We are soul.

    We are placed here for our consciousness to obtain experiences.

    We navigate in and out of the world-lines though our thoughts. Our rate of travel (in general) is (for most humans) about 4 Hz. Or, four cycles per second. (Four world-lines each second.)

    There are different rates of travel, and different species travel the MWI at different speeds. In general, the rate of travel is proportional to the operational speed of the brain. This of course varies.
    
    If you dull your brain to such a degree that your brain is slower, then you will not travel the MWI as fast as others would. And you might find your life slowly "falling behind" that of others.

    Thus…

    • We are consciousness. We “rent” a physical body for a fleeting moment of time.
    • Our reality is NOT shared. Instead our consciousness occupies a singular world-line. It is a momentary event.
    • We (our consciousness) migrate between momentary world-lines through our thoughts.
    • This movement is known as “the arrow of time”.

    The best way that I can introduce the reader to this “radical” understanding of how our universe actually works, is to use the “movie projector theory”.

    Movie Projector theory for the MWI.

    What time actually is and how we naturally move through the various world-lines.
    This is an illustration of what time actually is. Time does not exist. It is a perception that our consciousness has as it moves and weaves in and out of different world-lines. Here we use an old-fashioned movie reel projector to help illustrate this understanding.

    Thus, the idea of the actual way things work is really, really, REALLY different than what everyone assumes or believes. The difference is so stark, that many researchers are handicapped in their understanding of reality. Ah, but it need not be that way.

    Come on! You can well understand the movie projector analogy, can’t you?

    If you can, well good for you! Award yourself a gold star.

    The Movie Projector Theory in more detail…

    The problem with that analogy (and it is a really good analogy), that that it does not take into account the individual frame selection in the film role. For in actual contemporaneous movies, it is the movie producer that selects the individual frames, and the person just sits back and watches the movie.

    In reality, it is more like an entire bank of projectors, and we (as soul) selects the movie that interests us.

    In this model, we have numerous movie projectors, all running simultaneously (at the same entropy)… Ah! At the same time.

    We can “jump into” any scene portrayed by any of the movie projectors at will. We just look at the projected images.

    Projector line up.
    Instead of a producer selecting the frames in a film and arranging the movie, and content, the soul consciousness does this instead. Using the movie projector analogy, it is similar to being in a room with multiple movie projectors all running similar films simultaneously. You, as consciousness, can decide which movie to watch. The further away the movie projector is from the movie that you are currently watching, the more effort is required.

    The further away the movie projector is from us, the harder it is to watch that movie. So we must watch closer movies (momentarily) and then “edge our way” closer to the movie projector that we are interested in.

    Most people, sadly, do not do this. They allow the movie projectors to operate randomly and they find themselves watching movies that they may not really care for.

    How it manifests

    So, using this film / movie projector analogy further it is exactly how our consciousness selects the “life experience” that we obtain. Each frame in a given movie reel is a world line. They are all playing about simultaneously, and our consciousness selects the world-lines to occupy by hopping from frame to frame. (World-line to world-line.)

    Movie reel frames as consciousness selected world-line selection criteria.
    By selecting each frame in a given movie, we can navigate within the movie, or even “jump” to another completely different movie all together. It is all dependent upon our thoughts, or the navigation of our consciousness. Our soul decides the very first frame, and the very first movie reel that we will enter. However, it is our consciousness that decides how to make the best of our life, and how to navigate within the framework that is provided to us by the divine.

    Nearby movie projectors are nearly identical to the one that we are viewing at the moment. Their divergence from our “present reality” is often very small.

    As we move further and further away to more distant movie projectors the divergence gets larger and larger and larger.

    This is why it doesn’t seem like we are moving from one world-line to the next. It seems smooth, seamless and transparent. That is because the deviance in nearby world-line (projectors) is very, very small.

    Our thoughts select the world-line…

    In reality, the “film spool” (a collection of “frames”) is known as the “life experience” of a given consciousness as it takes on a life.

    It is a record of our travels in and out of different world-lines. Where a “world-line” is represented as a frame within the movie reel.

    The individual “frames” that are selected, are chosen by the thoughts of the consciousness that inhabits the body. We migrate to things that we think about. We migrate to what we think about.

    Not necessarily what we might desire. It is what occupies our thoughts most of the time. (So shut off that stupid manipulative television, why don’t ya!)

    For all its popularity, Facebook isn’t without its share of scandals.  In the latest one, details came out of an experiment conducted on  700,000 Facebook users over the period of a single week in 2012. News  feeds were manipulated to contain positive or negative news and content,  then users were monitored to see if the change made them use more  positive or negative words in their status updates. 
    
    And it  worked—people’s status updates showed a change in emotion  that went along with the kind of news that they were exposed to. 
    
    The  term used was “emotional contagion,” and it confirms something pretty  frightening.
    
    According to the study, people don’t even have to be physically  around another person in a bad mood to absorb the negativity into  themselves—negativity can be “caught” just from looking at a computer  screen. 
    
    There doesn’t need to be  a personal, emotional connection for emotional contagion to happen. 
    
    Not  surprisingly, the study has brought up a number of disturbing  questions, and it’s now being investigated by organizations like the  Information Commissioner’s Office in Dublin. Those questioning the  ethics of the study state that it’s nothing less than psychological  manipulation. As if that’s not shady enough, Facebook users were unaware  that they were having their emotions and moods manipulated through  another party controlling just what was popping up in their news feeds. 
    
    -List verse
    How consciousness selects thoughts.
    I am hungry, but what do I want to eat? It is our thoughts, coupled with our memories and yearnings that help us decide what actions to take. So what to do? Eat a bowl of dog food, or have a nice tasty delicious pizza? Decisions. Decisions. It is our thoughts that determine which world-lines to occupy, and for most people, they just go with the flow and end up with whatever is provided to them.

    No two thoughts are the same…

    One of the problems that people need to come to grips with is that thoughts are not equal. Thoughts are “weighed”. Each thought is different. And thus each thought has a different degree in influence in world-line selection.

    Thoughts and emotions together form a complex stew of "influence" that can absolutely affect your world-line travel adventures.
    Thoughts and emotions together form a complex stew of “influence” that can absolutely affect your world-line travel adventures. For instance, consider the scenario of you being hungry and desirous of eating a fine New York style pizza. Now your enjoyment at eating that pizza will depend on your emotions at the time. Obviously you won’t be able to enjoy it if you were angry, now would you? Our emotions, our memories our physical health and other factors all work together to influence our world-line navigation ability.

    Thoughts and emotions together form a complex stew of “influence” that can absolutely affect your world-line travel adventures.

    These thoughts are comprised of “levels of influence”.

    • Duration of thinking about something.
    • Emotional attachments with the thoughts.
    • Prior memories of similar events.
    • Prior physical experiences.
    • The thoughts of the people (shadow consciousnesses) around you.
    • Cultural variances, needs and desires.
    • Mass thought manipulation (Have you been paying attention to the news lately?)
    • One’s inherent belief system.

    Ah, no two thoughts are equal. They have a “weighed” value or influence factor. Further, they are also modified by other thoughts by other “shadow consciousnesses” (Individual proxy consciousnesses that share a given reality.)

    Think about it. It has to be this way, or else an obsessed person should be able to have their dreams manifest quite easily. But, the truth is that they don't. That is because of a slew of factors. One of which is the "level of influence" that a thought is given within a given world-line.

    One of the most important and significant factors in thought-directed world-line selection is one’s inherent belief system.

    Consider the cow.

    One mighty big cow.
    One mighty big cow.
    Let's use the cow analogy. 
    
    For instance, you might be starving, and ready to die of starvation.
    
    A typical American would not have any qualms with butchering a cow and eating steak. A Hindu would not, and would rather die than kill a cow. A vegetarian might be against eating it, but would not have any qualms drinking it's milk.
    
    Our actions are determined, in large part, by our belief systems.

    It is our deepest belief systems that have the greatest influences in our thoughts.

    The influence of our deepest thoughts.
    It is our deepest thoughts and core belief systems that have the greatest influence in thought direction and world-line selection. For no two people are the same.

    This is a very important subject, and I will cover it later on. For now, let’s look at things simply. Consider that all thoughts are simple, unique and they can easily select the “frames” or world-lines that the consciousness will migrate to.

    The actual “landscape” of the MWI as viewed by the individual consciousness.

    Imagine a “road map” of nearby world-lines.

    Now, what would it look like? What would it resemble? How would we be able to take into account all the different variables that are constantly shifting and changing all around us?

    Obviously, it would have a form of sorts.

    It would have (as an illustration) globes representing a given “world-line” (or “frame” in the movie using the analogy above). It would also have lines. The lines would represent a path of migration. Which is the most probable paths for a consciousness to take when moving from one world-line to another.

    Movement in and out of the world-lines in the MWI by using the movie projector analogy to describe the way that consciousness moves in and out of different world-lines though thought.
    Movement in and out of the world-lines in the MWI by using the movie projector analogy to describe the way that consciousness moves in and out of different world-lines though thought.

    Now, this is a pretty good analogy as far as it describes the path that a consciousness would take. However, this analogy ignores the world-lines that are not taken. And in general, there a millions or much larger numbers of world-lines that are constantly ignored.

    So a better way of mapping this procedure is to do so in a three dimensional framework.

    Moving away from the movie projector analogy and mapping it upon a three-dimensional grip, it might look something a little like this. With the positions of the world-lines geographically positioned relatively to the pathways as a function of the intrinsic value of the particular world-line.

    The path that consciousness takes might be just as well placed on a map of sorts. THis map might show nodes and paths where the consciousness might migrate depending on thought manifestation, generation and progression.
    The path that consciousness takes might be just as well placed on a map of sorts. This map might show nodes and paths where the consciousness might migrate depending on thought manifestation, generation and progression.

    However, it would not look so much like a cluster of grapes, or bubbles on a foamy sea of bath water. No.

    It turns out that the highest probability pathway forms a kind of sheet or flat surface when plotted in the three dimensions.
    
    If you end up plotting everything, you can't make out heads or tails of the map. It's just this one big mess. But, if you plot the pathways that have the greatest probability of travel, it simplifies immensely.

    Instead of a cluster of grapes, it would look a little like a mesh or a grid. With the points being world-lines, and the lines connecting the points as the shortest distance to that world-line.

    Now, if you take a step away from this “map” of “world-lines” and their lines of “high-probability” consciousness transfer it might start looking a little like this. Where you would see a “surface” of “highest probability” pathways, with the relative ease of travel and the strength of character needed to traverse affecting the heights and valleys of the apparent surface.

    How the world-lines with consciousness migration paths migh look when a person takes a larger overview. You will see that the map is not a flat surface, but rather undulates. It forms hills, valleys and "mountains". This surface is the "geography" of the world-line transition map. Each posible destination world-line would have a different value of "potential". Which is a potential for the consciousness to move towards it and occupy it.
    How the world-lines with consciousness migration paths might look when a person takes a larger overview. You will see that the map is not a flat surface, but rather undulates. It forms hills, valleys and “mountains”. This surface is the “geography” of the world-line transition map. Each possible destination world-line would have a different value of “potential”. Which is a potential for the consciousness to move towards it and occupy it.

    The “surface” that this map forms is the HIGHEST PROBABILITY of consciousness movement from one world-line node to another.

    • Going above the surface indicates a strength of will over the combined strength of inertia of a given world-line.
    • Going below the surface indicates a weak strength of will and a consciousness being overwhelmed by the inherent inertia of a given world-line.

    Additionally…

    • Moving to the left upon the mapped surface indicates more freedom of movement upon a given world-line reality.
    • Moving to the right upon the mapped surface indicates less freedom of movement upon a given world-line reality.

    Thus…

    The topographic map display is a useful tool in understanding the hurtles and trials that one needs to endure to travel forth on the MWI.

    The movement on the topographical map of the highest probability paths is accomplished via thought.
    The movement on the topographical map of the highest probability paths is accomplished via thought.

    However, the rate of travel is fast…

    The thing is, however, that the rate of travel through each world-line in the MWI is quite fast. It is around four world-lines per second. (For some people it is much, much higher.) Thus, for any topographic map to be of any use, it will have to have to exist on a much larger scale than what is presented here.

    As such, the individual world-lines would appear as tiny pixels, and for the map to be of any use, it should describe a travel duration in terms of weeks rather than seconds. This means that the map would look like a smooth gradient rather than an array of “floating”globes.

    MWI geometic map showing an arraw of highest probability world-lines in a seven second cluster of time.
    MWI geometric map showing an array of highest probability world-lines in a seven second cluster of time. As the resolution increases the similarity to geologic topographic maps increases. Often these maps resemble landscapes and other recognizable surfaces.

    Mapping the surface.

    Here, we are going to take a look at the way the landscape actually looks from the point of view of an individual consciousness. It is NOT simple and flat. It is undulating with all sorts of “nearby” world-lines that the thoughts can select and migrate towards.

    In general, it might look something along these lines…

    The general topography of the MWI.
    The general topography of the MWI.

    In reality, this topographical map is much more complex and complicated. However, I was able to (functionally) navigate it using a sort of simple 3d understanding, and that understanding is one that I will provide here. Yes, these are my conventions distilled and illustrated as a teaching aide.

    Here we look at it is the substantially simplified version that I am accustomed to using.

    The purposes of the axes on a MWI graphic.
    The meanings and purposes in the three-dimensional topographical portrayal.

    Now because this is a very simplified diagrammatic representation, numerous variables are incorporated in the “X’ and “Z” axes. (Not to mention the entropy axis “Y”.) In general, as I understand it, the characteristics of the “X’ and “Y” axes are an algebraic sum of the inverses of the individual contributions to the axes elements.

    OK. I know that I lost you. Just think of it as a sum average of all your thoughts.

    Internal Influences

    Internal influences should be understood as the ultimate result of comparative thought-driven MWI transitions by the given consciousness.

    Suppose the mind has a wide selection of thoughts. Everything from anger at a spouse, to frustration at work, and influences in the news, to a loving thoughts related to romance. All these thoughts will work together to generate a (singular) "value" on this axis.
    
    But, it is more than that. It is also the weighed value and the intensity of the thoughts, coupled with the apparent carry-over duration longevity of the thoughts as a person migrates in and through the other world-lines.
    
    Let's keep it simple.
    
    Look, if you drop a slice of pizza in the middle of a muddy road, would you [1] pick it up, wipe the mud off the pizza, and eat it. or [2] say "heck with that", and leave the pizza in the mud as a lost cause.
    
    For most people, they would give up and abandon the slice of pizza. 
    
    The amount of mud is far too distracting to enjoy the slice of pizza. That is that way this system works. For if you abandon the slice, like most people would, your would occupy a world-line on the surface of the undulating map. 
    
    If however, against all probability and convention, you decided to eat the slice, you might be above or below the surface, depending on other factors.

    Here’s an example.

    Let’s suppose that you are a simple fellow and you have five things going on in your life.

    • A spouse that wants a divorce.
    • A boss who is hinting on firing you.
    • A yearning for a club sandwich and an ice cold beer.
    • A pet that loves you and is very loyal.
    • Memories of fishing with your father.

    In this example, some of the items would have more emotion attached to it that others. While other issues might be better at controlling your emotions and directing your thoughts. While still others might be able to erase the thoughts completely (if for a short period of time).

    You might be an emotional wreck and your thoughts would manifest a life that would reflect your thoughts.

    As an aside, drugs and other stimuli can also influence thoughts and behaviors. All of these complexities can alter the navigational ability on the MWI.

    There is no way to judge which thoughts or issues affecting the thoughts would have the greatest influence on the person because it is their deepest internal core belief systems that would result in how the world-lines would manifest.

    Charlie Sheen's Public Meltdown in 2011
    Charlie Sheen’s Public Meltdown in 2011

    All that one can assume is that all the factors would be weighted together and balanced though the core belief systems of the soul / consciousness. This would influence the momentary section of the next world-line.

    Is it no wonder that when things start going wrong, that they often end up spiraling out of control?

    External Influences

    External influences should be considered the inherent inertia that comes with a given world-line.

    Inertia.
    
    Inertia is the resistance of any physical object to any change in its state. Once you have a bowling ball sitting on the floor, it is a little difficult to get it to move. However, once you get it moving, it's hard to slow down. 
    
    That difficulty... getting it started to move, and stopping it from moving... is what is known as inertia.

    For our purposes it is the accumulated influences of the “shadow thoughts” of those (non-consciousness) apparent beings that share a given destination world-line. These are all the physical and non-physical influences that would affect the thoughts of a consciousness while it is in a given world-line.

    You see, there can only be one consciousness per world-line. All those other "people" that we share the world-line with are actually "shadows". They are the bodies and representation of other consciousness were they to share the reality with us. As such, not only are their physical being present with us, but also their thoughts, dreams, desires and urges as well.
    
    A "shadow" is a person that we share the specific world-line with. 
    
    However no consciousness inhabits their body. Their actual consciousness is off in another reality. We are observing their 'shadow" or a portrayal of how they would behave, act and think were they to share our reality with us.

    The arrow of time.

    With this being understood, a consciousness… a person might experience world-line travel at a rate of around 4 Hz, and visit numerous world-lines in any given instance. Thus the “arrow of time” might look something like this…

    How time manifests in the MWI.
    The topography of the MWI showing the apparent “arrow of time”.

    Thus in this simplified diagram showing the geography of the MWI you (the reader) can see [1] how the passage of time manifests, [2] how your thoughts can alter and change the “X” vector component, and [3] how a given world-line can influence the path direction via a “Z” axis vector. You will also notice that the “arrow of time” [4] moves along the direction of decreasing entropy.

    Entropy
    
    A measure of the amount of disorder in a system. Entropy increases as the system's temperature increases. For example, when an  ice cube melts and becomes liquid, the energy of the molecular bonds  which formed the ice crystals is lost, and the arrangement of the water  molecules is more random, or disordered, than it was in the ice cube. We can assume that in a  macrocosmic  universe, that it can be best represented as time.

    The migration process.

    Movement of a soul consciousness to a world-line reality.

    Our consciousness moves from one physical body in one world-line to another in a different world-line. For most humans, most of the time, the rate of travel is around four world-lines per second.

    Expert hint;
    
    If you are using "the power of intention" to manifest your reality, what you are doing is focusing on a destination world line. If you track your success or failure in this effort, you will discover the amount of time it will take for your intentions to manifest.
    
    If it took 6 months, then that means that you had to pass through 62,208,000 (more or less) world lines to arrive at your destination world-line.
    
    Figure around 10 million world-line transitions per month.

    The way that consciousness is able to move in and out of the various world lines is though wave propagation behavior.

    • While it is a given world-line, the consciousness occupies the body in the particle form.
    • While the consciousness moves from one world-line to another, it is no longer occupying a body. It is thus in a wave form.
    Quanta can change states, but this is really a state change by the observer, not an actual change in the object itself.
    It is not that a quanta changes, it is how the observer views the quanta that makes the change. Our soul controls consciousness. Consciousness can be in different states depending upon the point of view of the person (the observer). Here we can see that the two apparently different states are one and the same thing, depending on the point of view of the observer.

    This all happens rather quickly. In most people, mostly the rate of travel from one world-line to another is around 4Hz. For most humans our brains have a difficult time observing the changes in these movements. So we think that we are living in one singular world-line that we share with others.

    Here is a gif that kind of illustrates the point, and the system at work here.

    Wave and particle duality and illustration.
    Wave and particle duality and illustration.

    The entry process

    This is how the consciousness changes from wave to particle for entry within a body within a reality. Our consciousness naturally exists in the wave form.

    However, the moment it “crashes through” into a fabricated world-line reality, it changes form. It becomes a particle. It’s a natural process.

    This is how the consciousness changes from wave to particle for entry within a body within a reality.
    This is how the consciousness changes from wave to particle for entry within a body within a reality. The consciousness takes on the particle form in order to operate the physical body and exist within a reality or world-line reality. Otherwise, it operates in wave form outside of the body.

    Our “universe” is often quite confused and mislabeled. We use that term to define what we observe, when in reality, what we are observing is a string of static world-line universes while we experience “time” Each moment is a snap-shot of a “world-line universe”.

    Time is the movement of consciousness in and out of world-lines. What we see as time is actually the differences between each world-line as we pass through it.
    Time is the movement of consciousness in and out of world-lines. What we see as time is actually the differences between each world-line as we pass through it.

    All of these world-lines lie within a much larger physical place with is called the “physical universe”. It contains many things. Including many non-physical things.

    Review – We inhabit world-lines alone.

    So… what have we reviewed?

    • The reality is a series of world-lines. Each a “frozen” moment in time.
    • Time is the movement of consciousness through those world-lines.
    • We travel alone, with the only thing of interest is our consciousness.
    • Shadow people lie around us, but they are “empty”.

    Now all of this pretty much sums up the idea that everything that you know about the universe, life, spirit, and the physical world is wrong. In fact, it is so very wrong that there can be absolutely zero recognizing the two. You either believe the way things actually work, or you don’t. Instead, or going with the way things actually work, you might try to fit it into the fantasy that we have constructed for ourselves over the last 5000 years.

    Now all of this is a radical notion.

    It is one where the physical universe is a construction. It is used by consciousness (which is controlled by a collection of quanta, known as “soul”) to obtaining new experiences. And experiences is what cause quanta to become entangled with other quanta.

    Thus, the entire “secret of the universe”!

    Ta Da!

    But are we really always alone?

    As such, in order to best describe this process, I explained that consciousness goes in and out of world-lines. But that it does so alone. That each world-line appears to be populated with other people, other animals and other things. But those aren’t “real” people, animals and things, that they are actually “quantum shadows” of others instead.

    Which lends people to mistakenly believe that they are all alone.

    Ah!

    But this isn’t true. Not at all.

    In reality, those quantum shadows are just elements of other consciousnesses and other souls, it’s just that their representation in any given particular world line is very tiny.

    • Your consciousness is 60% present in a given world-line.
    • Everyone else’s is a shadow and only 0.00000000000000000000001% present.

    When your consciousness is in a world-line, it really isn’t there 100%. It might be there 60%. With the remaining 40% spread out among 100,000 trillion other world-lines.

    And that is true with every other animal, person, critter and plant.

    For simplification purposes, it’s just easiest to imagine that you are alone surfing the MWI with empty quantum shadows of others.

    But that simple way of thinking is really just “training wheels” to understand the MWI and world-line travel.

    In reality, you are actually sharing a world-line with others. It’s just that (from their point of view) they are hardly participating in the one that you are in. Their other world-line where they are on might have a reality quite different from yours. But they are touching your world-line, it’s just not that strongly.

    And now for the new stuff…

    Love is very strong and it is an emotion that has quantum components that “plug into” our very bodies, our very natures, and cause us to build up great entanglements with other people, places, things, and …

    … loved pets.

    When we truly love someone and something, we want to be with them. And it is this strong desire that forges very strong emotional bonds. These bonds can quickly become physical with would result in quantum entanglements.

    And that means…

    That something “special” is going on when someone loves another.

    And this “special” thing is the entanglement of emotions, and the quantum entanglements of the two consciousnesses together.

    Which means…

    That a world-line that contains your consciousness at 60%…

    …would attract the consciousness of another…

    …so that both you and your love interest (pet, lover, family member) would both (for a while, at least) share the DOMINANT world-lines together within the same cycle.

    Or, in other words…

    Instead of…

    • Your consciousness at 60% occupancy within a given world line.
    • Your pet, lover or friend occupancy at <1%.

    It would be different.

    It would be more like this…

    • Your consciousness at 60% occupancy within a given world line.
    • Your pet, lover or friend occupancy at 60% as well.

    Both of you two would travel the MWI together.

    Shared world-lines.
    Shared world-lines.

    Pair consciousness exploration of the MWI

    What this means is quite significant.

    No longer does your sole thoughts navigate your destination world-lines. Instead, something else happens. The navigation becomes quite different.

    Both of your now navigate the world-lines together. With the dominant personality taking on the majority of the dimensional navigation responsibilities.

    And we can see his effect in all sorts of ways. Both good and bad.

    Beloved Cat, Horse or Dog
    
    The consciousness and the desires of an animal is different than that of a human. Thus the human who is paired with an animal friend might find their life takes on a kind of controlled calmness and sensibility. If you have a stressful and crazy life at work, it will be the cat or dog that will create a tranquil life for you at home. They will navigate the world-lines while you are with them, and the times will be calm, cool and collected.
    
    The beloved pet will navigate the world-lines for you. They will migrate towards comfort and happiness.
    
    Married to an alcoholic, or someone with an addiction.
    
    Here, the drives and desires of the chemical addiction will alter all the navigation control. The spouse of the alcoholic will find that the alcoholic or addicted person will drive the navigation of the world-lines, and over time, the life style and calmness of life will become more and more chaotic.
    
    The alcoholic would navigate in a very focused and directed manner. It would drag everyone along with that person towards the world-lies they want, whether you want to go or not.
    
    Married to someone with a mental illness.
    
    A person with a mental illness will be just as bad as someone with an addiction, only more so. They will not have the reasoning ability of a "normal" person, and often their odd thoughts and crazy unrestrained emotions will result in all sorts of bad and dangerous world-lines. 
    
    Being a caretaker for a person with a mental illness is not a happy life. At best, it will be chaotic with all manner of stops and starts and redirections.
    
    The only way that a person can get off this crazy union is to [3] have a much stronger personality, or [2] sedate the mentally ill person under strong medication, or [3] leave that person and do not look back.

    Entanglement of different species.

    I can see a lot of lovers, long well-established couples, and animal lovers all over the world nodding their heads in collective agreement. Yes, it is true, as long as the love is present, there is a strong likelihood that the two consciousnesses would share the given world-line switches together.

    You would not be able to tell when you are both on the same world-line actually or you are with a quantum shadow of your beloved. But that is fine. It doesn’t matter, that much.

    In general, the greater the love that you generate towards others, the stronger the associative world-lines are. As long as the love is strong, then the world-lines would either be shared, or at the very least, cluster together.

    Emotional Connections

    Which means that as long as everyone is “on the same page” or in agreement with the ways things should be or get accomplished (family, work, life, friendships) then you can well expect that the life would be calm and controlled and pretty nice.

    If however, you have a dominant personality in the group, and that person does not think the same as the rest of the group, then the entire group could very well be dragged with that person’s thoughts and desires. And this can become very dangerous.

    Which is why I say that both LOVE and HATE are the same thing as far as quantum associations are involved.

    Both will tie you to another, and actually result in you sharing the same world-lines or at least associating with theirs.

    Be very careful concerning this. As both the emotions will tie you all together, how the world-lines will manifest will be by the thoughts that you all would generate. And the truth is that hateful thoughts can create very, very, very black world-lines.

    Be particularly cautious of people who spew hate and dangerous thoughts. They will drag you towards very bad places.

    And control you there.

    Why pets?

    There is an association with our pets that we build up. Whether it is a dog, a cat, a horse, or any of the many, many pets that we might associate with. We share real love with them. They become our buddies and are more than just friends to us. They are our special companions that have a very precious role in our life.

    And I just want to tell everyone that this role also has a component during world-line transitions.

    So please kindly pay attention to my observations…

    • Quantum shadows or shadow people and pets are not devoid of consciousness, it’s just that most only have a very tiny occupancy when your consciousness is on a given world-line.
    • If you have a strong emotional attachment, and they have it as well, you will both end up sharing the world-line cycling together at the same time.
    • The dominant personality will take over the navigation during this period of time. There will always be a dominant and a passive component to this relationship.
    • Beloved pets will mellow out your world-lines considerably. If happiness is your ultimate goal, get a beloved pet.

    Conclusions

    Since you would have an attachment with a person or a pet, and you would share world-lines together for a period of time, then it makes sense that you would have a strong bond of attachment whether you are alive or dead.

    This attachment will come in handle when you two reunite in the non-physical worlds.

    You will reunite in the Heavenly worlds.
    You will reunite in the Heavenly worlds.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my World-Line Index here…

    World-Line Travel

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    Structuring a well-rounded prayer affirmation campaign using world-line transitions

    This is a very simple post that will layout a fundamental template for your prayer affirmations. These affirmations are things that you read aloud (to yourself) everyday during a campaign. Prayer campaigns happen over a period of time, and are interrupted by periods of inaction. In other words, you conduct a campaign and then stop completely. Then after a period of rest, you start a new campaign. The affirmations are a list of your desires laid out in a prayer format.

    Structuring is a term that I use to describe the organization of your prayer list. You do not need to have it organized, but it will really help you out when the time comes to run a campaign.

    The Structuring of a prayer campaign

    Most people put together perhaps ten lines of prayers and call it their verbal affirmations. They repeat them once a day in their private moments. Some put them on a laminated sheet in the shower and read them aloud while taking a shower. Some put them in a notebook and read them when they are alone in their home office. While others have them on a list in their wallet and they read it in their car in the company parking lot.

    When I conduct a prayer affirmation campaign, my list is long. It is very long and very detailed. I do this because I know that if I am not that detailed, what will manifest might not be what I want. So I tend to be very descriptive and very exacting in my campaign.

    I learned the importance of this the hard way.
    
    It's almost like that "contract that you sign with the devil", you will indeed get exactly what you wish for. But you must be very careful in defining your wishes.
    
    So there are really only two recommended techniques (for the newbe and novice) that you can employ. Either have [1] very simple and broad affirmations, or [2] a very complex detailed affirmation campaign.

    You do not need to be like me.

    In fact, I strongly recommend that people new to intention campaigns start out slowly and simply, and then modify the affirmations over time to find our what works for them. For certainly, what works for one person might not work for others.

    I will repeat.

    We are all different. So what works for one person might not work for others. Which is why, pretty much, I tell everyone to stick to plain and simple affirmation campaigns and keep things basic. And then, after you have seen how things manifest for you, you can alter and grow your affirmation campaigns into great complexity with more intense results.

    My suggested campaign template

    Here, I am going to lay out the elements of a very detailed affirmation campaign. One that I use personally (with my personal prayers omitted, of course) and leaving the general affirmations for you all to use and alter as you see fit.

    Now, I have mentioned how to conduct these kinds of prayer campaigns in other posts. So none of this should be a real surprise. What might be different here is that the campaign that I am listing here is an “advanced” campaign. It is one that is intentionally modified for “expert” use.

    Yes.

    This is what I use, and it is what any one who has been doing affirmation campaigns for a couple of years can use. It is not for newbe use.

    What is different here, and why I warn NOT to use if you are new to affirmation campaigns, is that it contains certain elements that you must agree to that will completely and totally alter your campaign implementation.

    The advanced techniques

    This affirmation campaign is full of affirmations that will fundamentally alter and change how your campaign actually runs. This campaign includes “code” that will rewrite the “source code” behind the normal working procedure of an affirmation campaign. And thus it is dangerous for newbe use.

    The advanced coding…

    • [1] Permits the application of world-line slides in your life.
    • [2] Discards your “initial world-line template” or base-line world-line map for others that will achieve your goals.
    • [3] Dramatically decreases the time for implementation of your affirmations by permitting and allowance for periods of “phased out discomfort”.
    • [4] Places guarantees that discomfort will be kept to a minimum.

    To use these advanced techniques would result in some rather impressive changes in your life, but it will come at a cost.

    [1] Using slides

    The cost is that once you have allowed a campaign to slide you out of your birth-world-line map, you will never be able to return back to it. Which means that [1] you will forever be forced to conduct prayer affirmation campaigns until you die, and [2] that you must still obtain experiences and lessons as part of your soul charter. This will result in [3] some level of potential discomfort.

    What does this mean?

    Well, it might be like the character “Earl” from the show “My name is Earl”, who wins a lottery ticket for millions of dollars, but gets hit by a car and loses the ticket. Because he owes a karmic debt that exceeds the value of the lottery ticket.

    My name is Earl television show.
    My name is Earl television show.

    Well…

    … it might appear to be like that.

    [2] Changing the template world-line map

    In reality, it’s not really so much about karma as it is that your consciousness NEEDS to obtain experiences during this life.

    The at-birth-world-line template was provided to you to use as a map to make those experiences occur. Good or bad, right or wrong, you were corralled or lead to make decisions that would cause events that would manifest due to your thoughts.

    So yes, in a way, our world-line template that was allocated to us at pre-birth pretty much set up a corralled, and fated life.

    Now, you are purposely leaving that template map, and permitting yourself to slide out on to other world-line maps.

    World-lines can be grouped into clusters of similarly, and by other means.
    
    When I refer to a world-line "map", I am referring to cluster of world-lines that evolve (over "time" as viewed by the consciousness) in such a way that the HIGHEST PROBABILITY of events are presented in a three dimensional format. The most probable world-lines are shown in a two dimensional plane, and the relative "difficulty" or "discomfort" to the person is presented in the third dimensional axis.
    
    If you do not use this kind of "map", then you have no structure. Just a big furry and fuzzy ball of all probabilities all superimposed over each other. So use of this map greatly simulates how a person can make decisions, be corralled into certain actions, and learn from experiences and events.
    
    If you want to get off this "fated" or "corralled" map that you were assigned with at birth, then you need to slide off of it. You would slide onto another map.

    These other maps might be radically different, or might not. They might be violently disturbing, or quietly comforting. They might be anything. And that is the point. You elect to leave the experience-kindergarten and step into the elementary school hallway. It’s a big step.

    Normal thoughts, and a normal simple affirmation campaign works within a pre-birth template map. There is a fixed number of world-lines that you must pass through (on the x-y axis) to obtain your goal.
    
    To speed things up, or achieve other advantages, you need to slide off that map in a z-prime axis onto another map. This other map would have other issues and an entire set of highest probability pathways.

    [3] Quick(er) response to your campaign

    In this “heavyweight” affirmation campaign template, you would agree to sacrifice comfort and convenience for achieving your goals.

    So, for example, if your normal campaign would normally take six years to manifest some long-term goal, this technique would reduce it to a third of the time. Say two years.

    Also, as a side effect of this methodology, you will discover that the “pause” between campaigns will be abbreviated as well. Rather than taking a three month long pause between campaigns you might have the strong feeling that you could start a new subsequent campaign shortly afterwards, say in two months instead of three.

    [4] Fail safes

    Of course, this campaign would include fail-safes or else it would be very, very dangerous.

    The idea behind this is that the world-line map that your experiences would lie upon in this incarnation would be within a set of boundary limits. You would have a high probability of experiencing “A”, and “B”, and while you could us your free will to avoid experiencing those things, the probability of you doing so would be very small.

    People ask what is fate? 
    
    A child drops an ice cream cone on a hot pavement in the Summer and runs away crying.
    
    You watch that event.
    
    The highest probability would be that you watch, and then continue on your way as if nothing happened. This would be your fated pre-birth template, and you would be proceeding on the x-y axis. This is the most common and highest probability of behavior.
    
    But there are actually a near infinite things that you can do. Such as...
    
    [1] Buy the strange kid a new ice cream cone.
    [2] Go after the kid and taunt her / him making fun of them.
    [3] Pick up the cone and throw it in the trash.
    [4] Pick up the cone and eat it.
    [5] Pick up the cone and throw it at a passing car.
    
    The most common and highest probability reactions and events are on the world-line map.

    For instance, you would accept a job at “ACME Widgets”, not knowing that in three years they would lay you off. This would be a scenario that you would pretty much be fated to experience.

    Now, it is true that you do not have to accept the job at “ACME Widgets”, but the situation on this world-line template would be such that not taking it might mean going without food for a while, or other uncomfortable things.

    So in other words, the world-line template map is a fated life that you as soul selects for your consciousness to experience.

    But, by accepting and allowing to slide off this birth-assigned template map, you can use your thoughts to navigate to new and different world-lines off that template.

    On this new world-line template, you have a set of new opportunities and new events that were NOT present on the old pre-birth world-line template.

    So, while the option for “ACME Widgets” might still be open to you, so will an opportunity at “Headbook Software”.

    Now taking that opportunity would give you much better salary, and a host of other benefits. More so than “ACME Widgets”, but also would provide a different mapped “terrain” that you would need to navigate.

    Instead of just worrying about a pay check at “ACME Widgets”, you now have to contend with a host of other issues that was not in your pre-birth charter. You would experience far more, and do far more, and live a much more active life… but it would be at a level of compression. In other words, more experiences, and thus a greater risk of discomfort.

    To mitigate and control this additional and new discomfort, you would need to add text to your affirmations to control and mange it. Thus this technique…

    Advanced Technique

    I call this an advanced technique because you are “taking the training wheels off”.

    The idea of training wheels is to teach balance with a “safety” system to catch the child when their balance is off. 
    
    In reality, most kids simply rely on the training wheels and never practice balance at all. 
    
    Some children even find that it is easier to fall with training wheels – particularly while maneuvering around a corner.
    
    -Time to Take Off the Training Wheels? Parents Families.com

    So once you implement advanced intention campaigns…

    … you are awarded “full spectrum” control…

    … with all the benefits and the inherent dangers that come with it.

    THIS IS NOT FOR THOSE NEW TO AFFIRMATION CAMPAIGNS.

    You need to have been conducting an affirmation campaign for at least a year before you try these techniques. I don’t want to advocate people to dive into the deep end of a pool until they learned how to “doggie paddle” first.

    The affirmation campaign template

    Here I am going to give you, the reader, elements of my very own personal affirmation campaign. I have omitted my personal information so as not to confuse this template. (And besides, it’s personal, don’t you know.)

    General             

    • I am calm, cool, collected and confident.
    • I , and my family, are all happy, healthy, and relaxed.
    • I live a calm, stress-free, comfortable life.
    • I feel calm and halcyon most of the time.
    • I have no worries, concerns, or stress. [1]
    • I am the water that flows under the earth in strength and power. [2]
    • I am navigating my reality towards my goals. [3]
    • In general, my reality is one that is a controlled improvement over what I already have. [4]
    • I am happy, healthy, and successful.
    • I fill my body with good delicious and healthy food and drink.
    • I have money, savings, and investments. [5]
    • Negative people are always repelled away from me in such a way that they do not affect my reality.
    • These affirmations manifest in the near future, and maintain existence for the remainder of my life.
    • All of these events as specified manifest as quickly as possible. [6]
    Notes;
    
    This is the "general" category at the top of my affirmation list. It contains phrases and general assumptions that will occur not matter what else manifests.
    
    [1] The first five items refer to my level of stress and comfort. Now, if you do not want a relaxed and comfortable life, you can omit these items. I, myself, have lived in stressful situations. I do not want any part of them to manifest. So I make sure that no matter what, my life is calm, and good.
    
    [2] My personality is one of adaptation. Some people have fixed personalities. You can alter this to read something like "I am a rock and stable in all things", or perhaps if you are of a flighty and wispy countenance "I move like the air and master my environment". It's all up to you. This phrase defines your general placement within the mapped terrain.
    
    [3] You must vocalize what you are doing.
    
    [4] You want to improve in what you have. You want to keep the good things going on in your life and add more good things to them. You do not want to throw away everything and start from scratch, do you? If you do, you can omit this phrase.
    
    [5] If you do not include money in your affirmations, no matter how well intentioned, you could easily end up being poor and destitute; happy, but poor and destitute.
    
    [6] These last two statement phrases are critical. By specifying a time limit, you allow the navigation to take you off the pre-birth intention canvas. You drop off the map and are permitted to slide to what ever new map will provide you quicker and more immediate results.

    Now the world around us is seemingly going crazy. Pockets of discomfort, strife and alarm are all around us. We don’t want any of that to impact our life. We do not want any part of that in our life and we most certainly do not want to obtain experiences that are associated with strife.

    However, if you slide off the pre-birth template you can end up (easily) within a world-line that is full of stress and discomfort. You do not want that. Not in the least. So in order to prevent that, you will need to place some affirmations in regards to safety and security.

    Like this…

    Safety

    • My family is safe and secure and protected from all efforts to attack it. [1]
    • I am safe and protected where I live, and my life is stable and isolated from any attacks of any type.
    • No matter what the news says, none of the disturbing things actually happens to me or my family. [2]
    • I and my family are safe and secure. Any battles, wars, conflicts or social upheavals occur far away from us.
    • My family and I are safe and isolated away from conflict, strife, and danger. We are always safe.
    • The people around me love me, protects me, nurtures me, and supports me. [3]
    Notes;
    
    If the world was stable this section in your affirmation campaign might not be necessary. But the world is not stable. Right now there are three carrier battle assault groups off the coast of China 15 miles from where I live. Maybe Donald Trump thinks that it makes great news headlines. For me, well it is very stressful and ugly.
    
    [1] This might be the only phrase you might need.
    
    [2] If the "news" is promoting something dangerous, this phrase will act like a shield and cause the event (or something similar) to "bounce off" and hit some other target. You know, like the fire on the USS Bonhomme Richard, or the massive explosion known as the Beirut explosion. This phrase will deflect events away from your area.
    
    This is a complicated matter and I could devote an entire post on it alone. When huge groups of people start thinking things, they create a buildup of quanta. That buildup must be released. If it is being directed at something, and you use an affirmation to conduct a world-line switch, the build-up still needs to be released. And thus you will see other examples of where the "bullets ricocheted to".
    
    [3] You need to tie yourself to a friendly and supportive community.

    Now, let’s get into the content…

    Content

    Here is where you would put your “regular” intentions. This is where the vast bulk of your intentions would go. And it might look something like this…

    The affirmations are for example only. 
    
    They are not my personal affirmations. My very own intentions are a little shy on objects and things, and rather dense when it comes to personal relationships, adventure, and lifestyle. But here are some illustrative examples.
    • I have a lawn with “Centipede grass”.
    • My front door is painted a high gloss PANTONE Bright Red C, with a nice real shiny brass door knocker.
    • I own a John Deer Cub Cadet Ultima ZT1 50-in. 23-hp Kawasaki Zero Turn lawn mower.
    • I own a beautiful white Nissan Titan XD Pro 4X.

    You can add anything here that you want. In this example, I have placed things. But you can describe relationships, or situations, or events.

    Events like…

    • I am able to travel the world in a sailboat.
    • I am part of a local group of businessmen and attending gatherings.
    • I have box seats at the local stadium.

    Relationships like…

    • I am dating a girl that has the personality of Lauren Cohan (The Walking Dead actress).
    • I am dating a girl that has the body of Kelly Brook (English model, actress and television presenter best known for her roles in the 2010 horror comedy remake Piranha 3D).
    • My father and I have resolved our differences and spend time together on the weekends.

    Situations like…

    • I have part ownership in a golf club.
    • My house is filled with happy dogs and relaxed cats.
    • I live next to the mountains and have a fresh water spring in the back.

    In short, you can put anything here that is is desire. You can be vague or specific. Just note that the more specific you are, the longer it will take to manifest. So only add specificity when actually necessary. Otherwise, it’s wisest to keep things flexible.

    Non Physical Entities & Forces

    Our world, for the most part, is populated with the things that we see and experience around us. Therefore, since that is all that we know, that is all that we wish to alter. But the truth is that there are a host of other things, and other elements of our reality that exists around us. This includes things and entities.

    By placement of specific affirmations you can protect yourself from malevolent entities (if they exist) or enlist the help of other non-physical entities, were it your prerogative.

    • I ask for help to achieve my intention targets; and I do get help from all the non-physical beings that can assist me.
    • I also get help from any physical beings that can assist making my dreams and wishes come true and manifest.
    • Other entities, not limited to but including, XXX, YYY, ZZZ, guardian angels, friendly sprites, and other entities are permitted to assist me obtaining my goals as defined here. [1]
    • In no way can these other entities hurt, harm, or mess up my life and intentions. They may only help, and are welcome to help gladly.
    • I know how to embrace opportunities as they manifest around me, and implement those necessary changes and actions promptly. [2]
    Notes;
    
    [1] You might not believe that non-physical intelligence's and animals exist. That's fine. But it wouldn't hurt to have this line in your affirmations, now would it?
    
    [2] This affirmation can go anywhere, but the placement herein associates it with a knowledge associated with specific actions associated with non-physical, or physical entities.

    Control of emotions and thoughts

    We are constantly under  manipulation. Where it is the embedded code within the websites and the APPs that we use, to the movies we watch and the news that we subscribe to. Everything is trying to twist and control our emotions. Yet, in order for our affirmations to actually work, these influences must be zeroed out.

    Now there are two ways to zero out these influences. Firstly [1], you can get rid of those influences directly. You can stop using the media, using the computer and using the cell-phones. Or [2] you can add affirmations that control your reactions to those influences.

    This section follows route #2. You have affirmations that control the way that the external influences influence your behaviors and action.

    • I am able to control my emotions and thoughts.
    • I prevent any angry, dangerous, or terrible thoughts from occurring. [1]
    • I prevent the manifestation of any reality that might result from bad, negative or dangerous thoughts. [2]
    • I avoid getting into arguments on the internet.
    • Everything surrounding me is positive and good.
    Notes;
    
    [1] The first two affirmations are seemingly redundant. But, they are not.  One specifies that I am in control of what I think, not outside influences. The other prevents the manifestation and generation of bad or negative thoughts.
    
    [2] Prevents the generation of "bad" reality generation resulting from my thoughts.

    MWI Routing

    This section adds a strong degree of control on how you add, alter, modify or implement your intention campaign. I am a strong believer that each one of us runs our very own unique campaign, and thus what works for one person, might not work for a different person. So in order to control that aspect of variance, you need to specify how the affirmation campaign works within your MWI reality.

    These affirmations serve that purpose…

    • I understand how this universe works, and how to alter, improve and change my reality. [1]
    • I use this knowledge to generate a perfect life for myself and for my family.
    • As such, I am the Captain of my Consciousness. [2]
    • I move in and out of the world-line realities as necessary to achieve my thought-destination(s).
    • I do achieve my ultimate goals and I do so efficiently, and quickly while avoiding bad or undesirable world-lines. [3]
    • I am alert on what to say and do in order to achieve my desires.
    • I know what affirmations to make to manifest the life that I wish to participate within.
    • I know, positively, when to stop, change, alter or revise my affirmations in accordance with my needs and desires. [4]
    • I am aware of opportunities as they arise, and I know exactly what actions to take to maximize my desired intentions.
    • I am aware of the world-line routing as it occurs and do not panic or worry about how things will manifest.  [5]            
    • I recognize that world-line realities that I inhabit might be calm and relaxed, but that substantial positive and proactive events are unfolding for my benefit that might be hidden from me.
    Notes;
    
    [1] This phrase helps you rapidly learn what affirmations to use, and which ones not to use. You also better understand why and how they work. I think that this sentence along helps tie the affirmation campaign into a mechanism for soul experience growth.
    
    [2] These two commands place your verbal affirmation campaign firmly into the realm of "navigation console". By using these phrases you convert an intention campaign from a "lifestyle enhancement method", to a "world-line navigation console".
    
    [3]  These two lines explicitly state what the purpose of the affirmation campaign is, and how it works.
    
    [4]  These four affirmations enable you to have insight on how to improve your affirmations, and add or subtract from them. While this is seemingly a more or less natural consequence of performing a campaign, this little statement guarantees that whatever alterations you make will be in accordance with your direct wishes, and not what was laid out in the pre-birth reality template map.
    
    [5] These two affirmations cover cognizant awareness of the physical reality and what to do to alter, reroute or modify your intention campaign.

    Intention Canvas

    I urge everyone to have “dream board” or “intention canvas”. This contains images and pictures used to complement your affirmation campaign.

    As opposed to "sharpening" your intention focus, it make it more "fuzzy". (Which is counter intuitive. Not what you would think, eh?)
    
    In other words, instead of a small, hard, absolute point on the world-line terrain map, it becomes a bigger, fuzzier, and softer ball. What this does is provide a larger group of avenues or paths for you to reach to your goal.

    The key words or text herein is to “complement”, and not to “replace” your affirmation campaign.  

    As I have discussed previously, the canvas can be a “dream board”, a rotating image display on your computer, or a folder containing a stack of pictures. It can also include a computer folder in your PC that contains images that you can use (and one that you don’t visit often either.)

    In all cases you MUST tie this “intention canvas” to your affirmation campaign. These affirmation commands do just that. In my case, I have a folder that contains picture collages that represent my intended desires. And that is what I will suggest in these examples…

    • I utilize the images in my “XXXXX” folder (and all subfolders) to help make the manifestation of my lifestyle manifest.
    • I also utilize the photos in my PC (found in the YYYYYY directory) and used as my rotating background display to help cultivate the reality that my world line is.
    • The following commands specify exactly how the images will manifest and what they represent within my life…

    In which case, then you go into great detail what general terms that each image represents. Such as these examples…

    Males shown in photos

    • In all cases, the dominant male figure portrayed in the image(s) represent myself. [1]
    • Images that portray mafia figures, or “bad people” portray myself in similar roles of power. They do NOT, however, manifest these kinds of people against me. [2]
    • Images that portray powerful people represent my role as it manifests.
    • In images showing actors, it is the character, personality and role that they play that manifests in my life, not that of the actual actor. [3]
    Notes;
    
    [1] Do not assume that just because a male figure is in a photo residing inside your intention canvas, that it automatically represents you. If you want that to happen, then you will need to either use this affirmation, or photoshop your image into that photo.
    
    [2] So, you've got a picture of Tony Soprano enjoying some wine, with his underlings nearby and a girl on each arm. Do not assume that you would intend this role to materialize. Instead, the local mafia don in your neighborhood might end up getting the intention instead of yourself. 
    
    [3]  Likewise, you want the role that the actor plays. Not the life of the actor him or herself. If you want the actors person life, then you need to specify it. You need to specify exactly what elements the images represent or else you might have the wrong things manifest. You might (for example) want the life of Captain Jack Sparrow, and have a photo of a carefree run-infused pirate. While in reality you might end up with Johnny Depp's life and an embroiled divorce. Yikes!

    Objects shown in photos

    • In images related to gold, money, currency and wealth, the intention is broadly associated with large sums of money, wealth and success that I possess.
    • In images relating to objects, they represent the things that I own or possess as property.

    Women shown in photos

    • In images that have females, they represent the situation that I am participating in.
    • In images that only contain females, the appearance and body shapes, and the situation of the female, their body and actions are what manifests per my intention direction.
    • In images showing females, with a dominant physical attribute (as determined by myself), that attribute manifests within my reality.
    Notes;
    
    Since I am a male, I do not want to confuse any images with women and children. I want to specify that they are different and perform roles that are situational. 

    Blocking and Protections  

    We live inside a reality that has both physical and non-physical components. Thoughts alter and change our reality. Both our thoughts, and the thoughts of those around us. Good people can give us good wishes and pleasant thoughts. However, most of the world today is not good, and thus bad people can thrust bad wishes upon us.

    We don’t want to suffer through hexes, malevolent intentions or bad events sent in motion by individuals who have a grudge against us. So we must utilize protections.   Here are the protection affirmations that I use…      

    • I have awareness on how to avoid the manifestation of problems. I follow that advise immediately without question automatically.
    • I purposely avoid negative, dangerous, bad, or problematic reality world-lines to achieve my goals
    • I have broken apart any barriers to controlling my reality. These are barriers that are either self-created, or those created by others.
    • I define my reality, and undo any spells, magick or alterations imposed upon me, or the reality around me by anyone or anything.
    • I block and shut out all negative, de-constructive, and dangerous thoughts from manifesting and altering my intentions listed herein.
    Notes;
    
    Do not assume that everyone thinks like you. There are many "closet" occultists, and "home-grown" priests that will throw some unwanted thoughts and beliefs your way. You must put up protections.
    
    You would be surprised at how many there are. Seriously.

    Personal Health           

    We can  have an affirmation campaign that is all great and full of details, but if you ignore you health, it will all be for naught. If there is one thing that we should learn from this coronavirus situation, it is that if you don’t have your healthy, all the riches and “stuff” in the universe become meaningless. You absolutely need to protect your health and general well-being in your affirmation campaign.

    Do not neglect this most important aspect of a prayer / affirmation campaign.

    • I am in top physical shape. I am healthy and happy.
    • My body operates, functions and behaves like when I was in my late 20’s and into my early 30’s. [1]
    • My wardrobe is professionally matched, and my body is clean, pleasant and attractive.
    • My heart is strong and healthy. My internal organs are all in top shape. [2]
    • Nothing is permitted to cause me harm, damage or physical discomfort.
    • I know what minerals, vitamins and foods that I must eat to achieve my intention targets. [3]
    Notes:
    
    [1] Obviously this applies to folk older than this age. LOL.
    
    [2] Old men can have all kinds of problems and issues, and to prevent and control that, we tend to watch our diets and take vitamins. Exercise is important, and I don't need any affirmations to support what I already do naturally.
    
    [3] Shortly after adding this affirmation line, the number of business luncheons and dinners that I would normally have dropped considerably. My wife started to make a lot of vegetables, and fish. I began to find myself eating this kind of nut and fruit oatmeal just about every morning. Ugh! Yet, after a few months I discovered that my over all body health did actually improve dramatically.

    Household    

    The biggest influence on your life are those in your immediate family. Thus, you need to cherish, and protect them. For without them, you are just a lonely speck floating upon a most turbulent sea.

    • My family is happy, healthy, and well-taken cared for emotionally, physically, and financially. There isn’t any stress at all.
    • My family life is very calm, happy and positive. [1]
    • My family is happy and I have a very calm and happy domestic life at home.
    • I and my family are healthy, happy, relaxed and doing what we love.
    Notes;
    
    [1]  My idea of what constitutes a happy family household might not be what you would. I think a calm and happy household is best for my temperament. I however, know others that love a chaotic household with all sorts of happy noise and activity. You need to customize this affirmation to fit your own personal lifestyle.

    Lifestyle   

    Lifestyle is a “catch-all” that really describes the overall desire that you hope to accomplish from this affirmation campaign. Thus, it is critically important. It is the difference between having a “wealthy” life as opposed to a “rich” life. And if you don’t know what I am talking about, watch the movie “Bronco Billy”.     

    • I love my life, and I love everything about my life.
    • I love the colors, the air, the weather, the people, the location, everything.
    • I improve upon what I have, not change it drastically.
    • The improvements are all what is listed here or better.
    • The improvements are glorious additions to what I already possess.
    • I live in a beautiful area, with great colors, fresh air, roomy spaces, and a calm and relaxed neighborhood.
    • I am very comfortable, safe, secure, happy, relaxed and live a nice fun and carefree life.
    • Everyone sees me as how I desire to be seen. [1]
    • I know what actions to take to secure my privacy and personal life. [2]
    • I have the strength (emotional and physical) to break through any barriers to achieve my goals.
    Notes;
    
    [1] I control what people think about me. Not others.
    
    [2] Privacy is a fundamental human need. Yet governments, family members, and society pretty much has obliterated this belief. Which is why that I often go without a cell phone on me, and do things on my own personal schedule and not on the schedules that others use. Now, if you do not secure your privacy, the chances are that you will lose it.

    Opportunity     

    The thing about affirmation campaigns is that they rely on you (the person making the affirmations) on taking advantage of the opportunities that present themselves to you. Thus, it makes no difference if you have an opportunity manifest in front of your eyes, but refuse to take advantage of it. You need to act to manifest that situation.

    • I am aware of opportunities when they arise, and I am led onto which ones to take and follow up with.
    • I have physical, spiritual and non-physical entities assisting me in making the opportunities listed herein into personally profitable ventures.
    • Opportunities come my way and I always profit handsomely from them.
    • I am aware of the trends going on in my life, behind the scenes, and on tactical, and strategic levels.

    Affirmation techniques

    Here we specify and “hammer out” the way that these affirmations will operate. You do not need to do this, but by doing so you can control the implementation of the affirmations onto your world-line.

    • I know of, and use, the specialized techniques to improve the actionablity of my verbal affirmations listed herein.
    • I know what things to say in my affirmations to make my reality happen safely and quickly.
    • I am dismissive of those that are not worthy of my time, or effort.

    Speed of implementation  

    By specifying the speed of implementation, you create a slide event.   This moves your world-line adventures, and your life off the pre-determined template and direct and straight into your own hands.    

    • All these affirmations occur as quickly as is comfortably and as safely as possible. At no time is my family, health or safety at risk.
    • These changes are being implemented now, and will manifest soon. Really, really soon.
    • The normal rules of affirmation manifestation has now been advanced to this direct and immediate application without hesitation.
    • All these affirmations happen quickly, provided that dangers are avoided and I (and my family) are protected.

    Death  

    Here, it seems really morbid, but a few moments a day to make sure that your transition out of the physical reality would be calm and complete is really a good thing. Don’t you think?

    • Death will occur late in my life.
    • I will outlive my father, yet be healthy and functional up until death.
    • When the time comes for my death, it will be smooth and easy.
    • Those left behind will be well taken cared for.

    Important Navigation Notes 

    Here we get involved in the aspects that make this affirmation campaign “advanced”. It lays out the use of slide and how they will manifest and under what conditions. You will notice that they permit “minor imperfections” to occur as long as my baseline affirmations manifest.

    • This affirmation campaign is set up to engage the obtainment of objectives early on, with whatever minor imperfections that they might have.
    • I use world-line slides to accelerate the implementation of these affirmations.
    • The slides only come into use whenever they can [1] reduce the time to obtain the affirmation realization within my physical reality, and [2] they do not cause me any discomfort or trouble.
    • As time moves on, the imperfections drop away, and the true and idealized intention manifests.
    • This rule enables a quick near-immediate manifestation of my desires herein without having to wait for a long time to obtain the “perfect” intention reality.

    Conclusion

    This post describes an “advanced” affirmation campaign. It uses slides to accelerate the manifestation of the campaign objectives. As such, it is highly detailed and involves long lines of affirmation code.

    It is only for advanced users to use.

    As an example, I used elements of my very own affirmation campaign and I urge the reader to use and discard what they wish to make a similar campaign for themselves.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my affirmation campaign index here…

    Intention Campaigns

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    To go to the MAIN Index;

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    Law 21 – Play a Sucker to Catch a Sucker – Seem Dumber than your Mark (48 Laws of Power)

    OK, I know that I have been posting too many of these kinds of posts lately, but have some patience, will ya? I’ve got a long, long, LONG list of things to post. Just let me round out my posts with some more stuff from Robert Greene. I promise that I get back to some other stuff soon.

    In my queue are some more posts on [1] intention campaigns, [2] all sorts of articles on the USA disinformation techniques and [3] control of electronic media, [4] SHTF postings and the [5] death of what ever remains of liberty, some [6] great works by Heinlein, and [7] some OOPART stuff that is tied to [8] MAJestic. In particular, I have a [7a] “mysterious” aluminum pawl write up, [7b] a rectangular structure on (the surface of) a comet, and [7c] a “space station facility” near the Sun. I will get to them. I promise. My queue lists over 150 drafts pending, and a shitload in my notebook as well.

    Anyways…

    This little technique got me through the ADC (prison). It enabled me to survive in a “dog-eat-dog” environment. It disguised me as a dull uninspired oaf. Heck! There were potatoes more interesting than me. Now, survival in a harsh environment, especially at the notorious Brickeys (North Arkansas Regional Unit) involved many facets, this little gem of advice got me through some of the worst.

    Listen to me. No one wants to pick on a boring, dull witted, uninspired oaf. There are better things to do and “fish to fry”. And as such, you would just be left alone. Which was all I wanted. I wanted to do my time, sleep as much of it off, and get the Hell out of there post-haste.

    Now, please keep in mind that even when you are isolated, and alone in a very harsh place, it is your ability to forge friendships and relationships that will help you. No matter how tough the world seems or appears, if you are part of a group… YOU WILL SURVIVE. So, please everyone, remember to be good, be just and be kind to others, no matter how bad your personal situation may appear.

    You will never be considered a threat if you seem to be dull and harmless. If you are able to convince others that they are much smarter than you are, then they will apt to leave you alone. For everyone dislikes feeling more foolish than their neighbors or counterparts. Therefore, it is unlikely for anyone else to consider you faking your dull-wittiness. It’s a survival strategy as well as strategy of control.

    LAW 21

    PLAY A SUCKER TO CATCH A SUCKER—SEEM DUMBER THAN YOUR MARK

    JUDGMENT

    No one likes feeling stupider than the next person. The trick, then, is to make your victims feel smart—and not just smart, but smarter than you are. Once convinced of this, they will never suspect that you may have ulterior motives.

    In the winter of 1872, the U.S. financier Asbury Harpending was visiting London when he received a cable: A diamond mine had been discovered in the American West.

    The cable came from a reliable source—William Ralston, owner of the Bank of California—but Harpending nevertheless took it as a practical joke, probably inspired by the recent discovery of huge diamond mines in South Africa.

    True, when reports had first come in of gold being discovered in the western United States, everyone had been skeptical, and those had turned out to be true.

    But a diamond mine in the West!

    Harpending showed the cable to his fellow financier Baron Rothschild (one of the richest men in the world), saying it must be a joke. The baron, however, replied, “Don’t be too sure about that. America is a very large country. It has furnished the world with many surprises already. Perhaps it has others in store.”

    Harpending promptly took the first ship back to the States.

    Now, there is nothing of which a man is prouder than of intellectual ability, for it is this that gives him his commanding place in the animal world. It is an exceedingly rash thing to let anyone see that you are decidedly superior to him in this respect, and to let other people see it too.... hence, white rank and riches may always reckon upon deferential treatment in society, that is something which intellectual ability can never expect. 
    
    To be ignorant is the greatest favor shown to it; And if people notice it at all, it is because they regard it us a piece of impertinence, or else as something to which its possessor has no legitimate right, and upon which he dares to pride himself; And in retaliation and revenge for his conduct, people secretly try and humiliate him in some other way; when if they wait to do this, it is only for a fitting opportunity. 
    
    A man may be as humble as possible in his demeanor and yet hardly ever get people to overlook his crime in standing intellectually above them. In the Garden of Roses, Sadi makes the remark: “You should know that foolish people are a hundredfold more averse to meeting the wise than the wise are indisposed for the company of the foolish. ” 
    
    On the other hand, it is a real recommendation to be stupid. For just as warmth is agreeable to the body, so it does the mind good to feel its superiority; and a man will seek company likely to give him this feeling, as instinctively as he will approach the fireplace or walk in the sun if he wants to get warm. But this means that he will be disliked on account of his superiority; and if a man is to be liked, he must really be inferior in point of intellect. 
    
    -ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER, 1788-1860

    When Harpending reached San Francisco, there was an excitement in the air recalling the Gold Rush days of the late 1840s.

    Two crusty prospectors named Philip Arnold and John Slack had been the ones to find the diamond mine. They had not divulged its location, in Wyoming, but had led a highly respected mining expert to it several weeks back, taking a circular route so he could not guess his whereabouts.

    Once there, the expert had watched as the miners dug up diamonds.

    Back in San Francisco the expert had taken the gems to various jewelers, one of whom had estimated their worth at $1.5 million.

    Harpending and Ralston now asked Arnold and Slack to accompany them back to New York, where the jeweler Charles Tiffany would verify the original estimates.

    The prospectors responded uneasily—they smelled a trap: How could they trust these city slickers? What if Tiffany and the financiers managed to steal the whole mine out from under them?

    Ralston tried to allay their fears by giving them $100,000 and placing another $300,000 in escrow for them. If the deal went through, they would be paid an additional $300,000.

    The miners agreed.

    The little group traveled to New York, where a meeting was held at the mansion of Samuel L. Barlow.

    The cream of the city’s aristocracy was in attendance—General George Brinton McClellan, commander of the Union forces in the Civil War; General Benjamin Butler; Horace Greeley, editor of the newspaper the New York Tribune; Harpending; Ralston; and Tiffany.

    Only Slack and Arnold were missing—as tourists in the city, they had decided to go sight-seeing.

    When Tiffany announced that the gems were real and worth a fortune, the financiers could barely control their excitement.

    They wired Rothschild and other tycoons to tell them about the diamond mine and inviting them to share in the investment.

    At the same time, they also told the prospectors that they wanted one more test: They insisted that a mining expert of their choosing accompany Slack and Arnold to the site to verify its wealth.

    The prospectors reluctantly agreed.

    In the meantime, they said, they had to return to San Francisco. The jewels that Tiffany had examined they left with Harpending for safekeeping.

    Several weeks later, a man named Louis Janin, the best mining expert in the country, met the prospectors in San Francisco. Janin was a born skeptic who was determined to make sure that the mine was not a fraud.

    Accompanying Janin were Harpending, and several other interested financiers.

    As with the previous expert, the prospectors led the team through a complex series of canyons, completely confusing them as to their whereabouts.

    Arriving at the site, the financiers watched in amazement as Janin dug the area up, leveling anthills, turning over boulders, and finding emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and most of all diamonds.

    The dig lasted eight days, and by the end, Janin was convinced: He told the investors that they now possessed the richest field in mining history.

    “With a hundred men and proper machinery,” he told them, “I would guarantee to send out one million dollars in diamonds every thirty days.”

    Returning to San Francisco a few days later, Ralston, Harpending, and company acted fast to form a $10 million corporation of private investors.

    First, however, they had to get rid of Arnold and Slack.

    That meant hiding their excitement—they certainly did not want to reveal the field’s real value. So they played possum.

    Who knows if Janin is right, they told the prospectors, the mine may not be as rich as we think.

    This just made the prospectors angry.

    Trying a different tactic, the financiers told the two men that if they insisted on having shares in the mine, they would end up being fleeced by the unscrupulous tycoons and investors who would run the corporation; better, they said, to take the $700,000 already offered—an enormous sum at the time—and put their greed aside.

    This the prospectors seemed to understand, and they finally agreed to take the money, in return signing the rights to the site over to the financiers, and leaving maps to it.

    News of the mine spread like wildfire.

    Prospectors fanned out across Wyoming. Meanwhile Harpending and group began spending the millions they had collected from their investors, buying equipment, hiring the best men in the business, and furnishing luxurious offices in New York and San Francisco.

    A few weeks later, on their first trip back to the site, they learned the hard truth: Not a single diamond or ruby was to be found.

    It was all a fake.

    They were ruined. Harpending had unwittingly lured the richest men in the world into the biggest scam of the century.

    Interpretation

    Arnold and Slack pulled off their stupendous con not by using a fake engineer or bribing Tiffany: All of the experts had been real. All of them honestly believed in the existence of the mine and in the value of the gems.

    What had fooled them all was nothing else than Arnold and Slack themselves. The two men seemed to be such rubes, such hayseeds, so naive, that no one for an instant had believed them capable of an audacious scam.

    The prospectors had simply observed the law of appearing more stupid than the mark—the deceiver’s First Commandment.

    The logistics of the con were quite simple.

    Months before Arnold and Slack announced the “discovery” of the diamond mine, they traveled to Europe, where they purchased some real gems for around $12,000 (part of the money they had saved from their days as gold miners).

    They then salted the “mine” with these gems, which the first expert dug up and brought to San Francisco.

    The jewelers who had appraised these stones, including Tiffany himself, had gotten caught up in the fever and had grossly overestimated their value.

    Then Ralston gave the prospectors $100,000 as security, and immediately after their trip to New York they simply went to Amsterdam, where they bought sacks of uncut gems, before returning to San Francisco. The second time they salted the mine, there were many more jewels to be found.

    The effectiveness of the scheme, however, rested not on tricks like these but on the fact that Arnold and Slack played their parts to perfection.

    On their trip to New York, where they mingled with millionaires and tycoons, they played up their clodhopper image, wearing pants and coats a size or two too small and acting incredulous at everything they saw in the big city.

    No one believed that these country simpletons could possibly be conning the most devious, unscrupulous financiers of the time.

    And once Harpending, Ralston, and even Rothschild accepted the mine’s existence, anyone who doubted it was questioning the intelligence of the world’s most successful businessmen.

    • In the end, Harpending’s reputation was ruined and he never recovered;
    • Rothschild learned his lesson and never fell for another con;
    • Slack took his money and disappeared from view, never to be found.

    Arnold simply went home to Kentucky. After all, his sale of his mining rights had been legitimate; the buyers had taken the best advice, and if the mine had run out of diamonds, that was their problem. Arnold used the money to greatly enlarge his farm and open up a bank of his own.

    KEYS TO POWER

    The feeling that someone else is more intelligent than we are is almost intolerable.

    We usually try to justify it in different ways:

    • “He only has book knowledge, whereas I have real knowledge.”
    • “Her parents paid for her to get a good education. If my parents had had as much money, if I had been as privileged….”
    • “He’s not as smart as he thinks.”
    • Last but not least: “She may know her narrow little field better than I do, but beyond that she’s really not smart at all. Even Einstein was a boob outside physics.”

    Given how important the idea of intelligence is to most people’s vanity, it is critical never inadvertently to insult or impugn a person’s brain power.

    That is an unforgivable sin.

    But if you can make this iron rule work for you, it opens up all sorts of avenues of deception. Subliminally reassure people that they are more intelligent than you are, or even that you are a bit of a moron, and you can run rings around them.

    The feeling of intellectual superiority you give them will disarm their suspicion-muscles.


    In 1865 the Prussian Councillor Otto von Bismarck wanted Austria to sign a certain treaty. The treaty was totally in the interests of Prussia and against the interests of Austria, and Bismarck would have to strategize to get the Austrians to agree to it.

    But the Austrian negotiator, Count Blome, was an avid cardplayer. His particular game was quinze, and he often said that he could judge a man’s character by the way he played quinze.

    Bismarck knew of this saying of Blome’s.

    The night before the negotiations were to begin, Bismarck innocently engaged Blome in a game of quinze.

    The Prussian would later write, “That was the very last time I ever played quinze. I played so recklessly that everyone was astonished. I lost several thousand talers [the currency of the time], but I succeeded in fooling [Blome], for he believed me to be more venturesome than I am and I gave way.”

    Besides appearing reckless, Bismarck also played the witless fool, saying ridiculous things and bumbling about with a surplus of nervous energy.

    All this made Blome feel he had gathered valuable information.

    He knew that Bismarck was aggressive—the Prussian already had that reputation, and the way he played had confirmed it. And aggressive men, Blome knew, can be foolish and rash.

    Accordingly, when the time came to sign the treaty, Blome thought he had the advantage.

    A heedless fool like Bismarck, he thought, is incapable of cold-blooded calculation and deception, so he only glanced at the treaty before signing it—he failed to read the fine print.

    As soon as the ink was dry, a joyous Bismarck exclaimed in his face, “Well, I could never have believed that I should find an Austrian diplomat willing to sign that document!”

    The Chinese have a phrase, “Masquerading as a swine to kill the tiger.”

    This refers to an ancient hunting technique in which the hunter clothes himself in the hide and snout of a pig, and mimics its grunting. The mighty tiger thinks a pig is coming his way, and lets it get close, savoring the prospect of an easy meal. But it is the hunter who has the last laugh.

    Masquerading as a swine works wonders on those who, like tigers, are arrogant and overconfident: The easier they think it is to prey on you, the more easily you can turn the tables. This trick is also useful if you are ambitious yet find yourself low in the hierarchy: Appearing less intelligent than you are, even a bit of a fool, is the perfect disguise.

    Look like a harmless pig and no one will believe you harbor dangerous ambitions.

    They may even promote you since you seem so likable, and subservient.

    Claudius before he became emperor of Rome, and the prince of France who later became Louis XIII, used this tactic when those above them suspected they might have designs on the throne. By playing the fool as young men, they were left alone. When the time came for them to strike, and to act with vigor and decisiveness, they caught everyone off-guard.

    Perhaps, now is the time to watch the old movie "The Scarlett Pimpernel".
    His tall figure and bony beak of a face serve perfectly both as the languid Sir Percy, setting off a series of immaculately-fitting ‘unmentionables’, and as the commanding, quick-thinking Pimpernel; and the scene in which he drops from one persona to the other almost in mid-sentence upon the entry of the irate Colonel Winterbottom is a joy to watch. He is absolutely convincing as the “spineless, brainless and useless” fop, and yet he can shade intelligence and feeling back into his features at the drop of a hat in unconcealed moments that never let the audience forget the man behind the mask.

    Intelligence is the obvious quality to downplay, but why stop there? Taste and sophistication rank close to intelligence on the vanity scale; make people feel they are more sophisticated than you are and their guard will come down.

    As Arnold and Slack knew, an air of complete naivete can work wonders.

    Those fancy financiers were laughing at them behind their backs, but who laughed loudest in the end? In general, then, always make people believe they are smarter and more sophisticated than you are. They will keep you around because you make them feel better about themselves, and the longer you are around, the more opportunities you will have to deceive them.

    Image:
    The Opossum. In playing
    dead, the opossum plays stupid.
    Many a predator has therefore left it
    alone. Who could believe that such an
    ugly, unintelligent, nervous little creature
    could be capable of such deception?
    Authority: 
    
    Know how to make use of stupidity: The wisest man plays this card at times. There are occasions when the highest wisdom consists in appearing not to know—you must not be ignorant but capable of playing it. It is not much good being wise among fools and sane among lunatics. He who poses as a fool is not a fool. 
    
    The best way to be well received by all is to clothe yourself in the skin of the dumbest of brutes. 
    
    -(Baltasar Gracián, 1601-1658)

    REVERSAL

    To reveal the true nature of your intelligence rarely pays; you should get in the habit of downplaying it at all times. If people inadvertently learn the truth—that you are actually much smarter than you look—they will admire you more for being discreet than for making your brilliance show.

    At the start of your climb to the top, of course, you cannot play too stupid: You may want to let your bosses know, in a subtle way, that you are smarter than the competition around you. As you climb the ladder, however, you should to some degree try to dampen your brilliance.

    There is, however, one situation where it pays to do the opposite—when you can cover up a deception with a show of intelligence. In matters of smarts as in most things, appearances are what count. If you seem to have authority and knowledge, people will believe what you say. This can be very useful in getting you out of a scrape…

    The art dealer Joseph Duveen was once attending a soiree at the New York home of a tycoon to whom he had recently sold a Dürer painting for a high price.

    Among the guests was a young French art critic who seemed extremely knowledgeable and confident. Wanting to impress this man, the tycoon’s daughter showed him the Dürer, which had not yet been hung.

    The critic studied it for a time, then finally said, “You know, I don’t think this Dürer is right.” He followed the young woman as she hurried to tell her father what he had said, and listened as the magnate, deeply unsettled, turned to Duveen for reassurance.

    Duveen just laughed. “How very amusing,” he said. “Do you realize, young man, that at least twenty other art experts here and in Europe have been taken in too, and have said that painting isn’t genuine? And now you’ve made the same mistake.”

    His confident tone and air of authority intimidated the Frenchman, who apologized for his mistake.

    Duveen knew that the art market was flooded with fakes, and that many paintings had been falsely ascribed to old masters. He tried his best to distinguish the real from the fake, but in his zeal to sell he often overplayed a work’s authenticity.

    What mattered to him was that the buyer believed he had bought a Dürer, and that Duveen himself convinced everyone of his “expertness” through his air of irreproachable authority. Thus, it is important to be able to play the professor when necessary and never impose such an attitude for its own sake.

    Conclusion

    Sure you can use this method if you want to scam or manipulate others. But more useful, is to use this method to survive.

    When the world seems to be falling apart, and that there are hunters out looking for prey…

    …to loot, to rape, to steal from, to swindle, to seize property from…

    …it’s in your best interests to be as dull, uninteresting, and non-descript as possible. Let others be the “lightening rod” that attracts the dangerous. All you want to do is survive. And survive you will, if only by playing the part of the dull, and uninteresting.

    When people are out looting, they will attack the pharmacies, the department stores, the grocery stores and the homes of the wealthy. They will pretty much ignore the junk-yards, the electrical sub-stations, and the old empty barns.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts along this vein in my Life and Happiness Index here…

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    The atrocities of the French revolution, a reminder for those wishing for sudden change in America.

    As I watch from afar, I see numerous “interests” cheering for radical change inside the USA. I can see their sentiment, and for certain there are agitators and people promoting this level of extreme change. But people(!), history tells us that there is unpleasant change, and then there is REALLY UNPLEASANT CHANGE. Please be careful what you are wishing for.

    Let’s look at the French Revolution. For in many ways it mirrors what the USA is going through right now…

    …in many ways.

    The French Revolution changed everything. France’s kings were replaced almost overnight by the most radical government the world had ever seen. France was suddenly a beacon of freedom: “Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite” was the motto of the revolution.

    Gosh. Really, it is still used to defend liberalism today.

    But the revolution wasn’t all positive.

    Thousands of innocent people lost their lives and the country was torn between different groups who used force to crush rebellion. It led France into dictatorship and, eventually, back to the days of kings and serfs…

    Just like what might happen to modern contemporaneous America today.

    The French Revolution (The Reign of Terror) 1789-1799

    The story of the French Revolution is the story of a country collapsing in on itself.

    It’s unfair to compare these events to the colonial uprising of the American Revolution. That is because that conflict did not take place at the center of power, and King George wasn’t exactly removed from the throne and decapitated.

    … which is kinda how things went down in France in the 1790’s.

    It was a time when the hostilities between the royalty and the common folk took on a real nasty tone.

    Spoiler alert: things got ugly real fast.

    Towards the end of the Eighteenth Century, France was dissected into three distinct classes / estates: the Nobility, the Clergy, and the smelly broke peasants who really didn’t count (aka everyone else).

    At this time in France, people of the poorer classes were members of what was called the “Third Estate” in French legislature.

    This is how things had been for longer than anyone could remember, and no one really second guessed it…

    At least until a dangerous new idea came along…

    The Third Estate: Other

    The Enlightenment was a grass-roots movement that caused the underrepresented 99% to question EVERYTHING.

    It was kinda like if Morpheus was going door to door with red pills and pamphlets about how the machines are harvesting our bodies as living batteries while we’re living our lives in virtual reality.

    “No one can be told what <The Enlightenment> is, you have to see it for yourself.”

    The Enlightenment, or Age of Reason, was an extension of the Italian Renaissance (meaning ‘Rebirth’), which brought new emphasis on discovery, and a search for truth and meaning through critical thinking, rather than just listening to what ‘they’ wanted you to think. This began an unprecedented drive for equality and individual rights which would ultimately challenge the hierarchy of the monarchy based government system.

    The Catalysts of Change Chaos

    Enter: the Bourbon King, Louis XVI (yes, that’s Louis the SIXTEENTH). Prince Louis (the 16th) was a reluctant ruler, with little to no interest in politics…

    …then, suddenly he became the default king of France during the worst crisis of his country’s history in 1765.

    The Bourbon monarchy reigned from the palace of Versailles.

    This was Louis the 14th’s palatial estate. It was built 20 miles outside the districts of Paris, the nation’s capitol. Which was pretty handy. It was close enough for royal Kingly duties, yet far enough away from the stench of its open sewer system, and the complaints of the commoners.

    This truly monstrous mansion would put every single house on MTV’s Cribs to shame.

    Versailles: a 2,300 room, gold-plated, Sixty-Seven-THOUSAND-Square-Meter estate of PURE unadulterated EXCESS.

    Versailles: Extravagance personified.
    Versailles: Extravagance personified.

    Not only did Louis get to be King, and live in a gigantic theme park dedicated to him…

    …but he also married the young and beautiful, (albeit a little ditzy), Marie Antoinette, the Archduchess of Austria, in 1770. Louis XVI had won the lottery of arranged marriages and couldn’t really care either way.

    Marie Antoinette: Madame Deficit
    Marie Antoinette: Madame Deficit

    Meanwhile, back in the real world: France was simmering in a toxic mixture of hunger, and anger.

    Enormous fiscal mismanagement

    On July 11, 1789, finance minister Jacques Necker, who was already not in good standing with the King, was fired for suggesting that the royal family go on a budget to help conserve funds.

    To make matters exponentially worse, the French lost against Great Britain during the Seven Years War in North America, effectively draining the bank as it were.

    They took all the money in the Treasury and used it on wars, and the salaries of the military forces.
    
    Much like how the United States has been draining the Treasury on an endless expanse of wars and military policing activities.

    The French people were the ones who ultimately paid the price, starving in the streets while their privileged leaders partied around the clock like it was already 1999.

    Then, when America rose up against France’s long term nemesis (they were still bitter about that whole Hundred Years War affair), Louis further bankrupted the country to send money and troops to help out the revolutionary colonists, an oversight that worked out rather well in America’s interest, but not so much for the French people.

    All the while, Louis’s Queen (Marie Antoinette), ran up the credit card bills with her increasingly extravagant purchases to the point where she earned the title: Madame Deficit.

    France had grown significantly in a short period of time, putting increased pressure on the government. Bakery raids, and riots swept the country. So between the food shortage, increased taxes, economic crisis, and political discourse, France was one gamma-inducing-accident away from Hulking out.

    Maximilian Robespierre

    That’s when a man named Maximilian Robespierre, leader of the Third Estate, came forth as the voice of the poor and disenfranchised.

    You might want to consider the "Third Estate" to be the party of the "common man". It's closest equivalent would be the American Democrat Party.

    Max reasonably demanded that the wealthy paid their fair share in taxes.

    In his address, he blamed the royal court for their pile of problems, and essentially called Louis XVI a greedy jerk, which he definitely was.

    Maximilian Robespierre
    Maximilian Robespierre

    The Oligarchy refuses to listen

    “A great revolution is never the fault of the people, but of the government.” 
    
    —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

    1789: During an appeal to the courts, the nobility and clergy completely ignored their pleas.

    Since legal channels didn’t work, they decided to take a different route.

    The representatives of the Third Estate got up during the meeting, and simply walked out.

    Well, that didn’t sit well.

    After being locked out of a meeting, the members of the Third Estate regrouped outside the court house in a tennis court (randomly), and announced an Oath against the King’s authority and formed The National Assembly.

    The aptly named Tennis Court Oath was basically like a French version of the Declaration of Independence.

    Perhaps some compromises might help…

    King Louis, unsure of how to proceed, attempted to make both sides happy, which he failed to do, on both ends.

    Then as a last step, he called in troops from abroad to ‘keep the peace’. Within days 30,000 troops surrounded Paris. 

    Sort of like how President Trump had called up the DHS and Border Patrol troops to seize people off the streets in Portland, Oregon. 

    In response, The People formed a guard to fight the power! 

    Sheer revolt had taken hold at long last. Paris erupted into violence as the people of Paris demanded retribution. Revolution had come at last, and things were about to get fugly…

    The only problem? The make-shift militia had plenty of muskets…

    …but not much in the way of ammo…

    The solution: Raid the Armory!!!

    The French Revolt!

    Spurred on by these factors, on the morning of July 14, 1789, members of the Third Estate stormed the Bastille, a political prison in Paris, in search of gunpowder. 
    
    The Bastille, though only housing seven prisoners, was a symbol of government tyranny at the time. The assault on the Bastille is now considered a flashpoint of the Revolution, and is still celebrated today in France.

    “Storm the Bastille!”  they cried (in French, presumably).

    And so the 99% marched towards the Bastille, ready to dish out some old school justice on some fools. 

    The Bastille was a literal fortress. It was a tall dark fortress with an enormous dungeon that symbolized the monarchy’s absolute power, and the citizens of Paris were about to tear it apart, quite literally brick by brick!

    Storm the Bastille!
    Storm the Bastille!

    “Enough is enough!” – a French Revolutionary

    The soldiers stationed at the Bastille crapped their collective pants as the entire population of Paris came down on them shouting ‘Vive La France!’ 

    Those that were too stupid to abandon their posts met a gruesome death at the hands, knives, and pitchforks of the angry mob that swarmed the castle like a colony of killer bees!

    Afterwards the amount of blood splashed on the walls and pooling on the floor become a symbol for the “revolution!”.

    The mob reaches the palace.

    Meanwhile, ¡Vive la Revolución! had reached the gates of Versailles.

    The angry mob of mothers and bakers tore into the palace, pillaging the flour storage… and royal blood!

    Accounts of the time claim that more than one of the palace guards was literally ripped limb from limb.

    According to an urban myth of the time, when Marie Antoinette was approached by her servants about the starving, angry, people rioting outside, the Queen dismissively pointed to the leftovers from the party, and told her advisors, “Let them eat cake.”

    As funny as that is, she never actually said it.

    In reality Marie was shocked.

    She had no idea just how bad things had gotten, from her sheltered lifestyle in the palace.

    Some claim that as she was running for her life, she may have said something in panic, along the lines of “If they’re hungry, can’t we give them some Brioche?” not fully grasping the severity of the situation.

    Surrender!

    King Louis XVI looked out the window, saw the torches and pitchforks, and immediately set about dipping his quill in ink to sign their Declaration of the Rights of Man, relinquishing his power.

    The King and Queen attempted to sneak away, but were captured, and marched unceremoniously back to Paris in a parade of revolutionaries waving red, white, blue…

    … oh and the severed heads of the royal guards on pikes. 

    The National Assembly took control of the system, aristocracy was thrown out for democracy (by extreme means) and a Constitutional Monarchy was established by the people of France.

    Now…

    Now…

    If you think that’s the happy end of our triumphant story you’re dead wrong.

    Now, we get to the entire point of this.
    
    It is now 2020. America is in a state of upheaval, and the ruling Oligarchy are oblivious. The actions taken are "half-measures" and doomed to fail. Soon, one way or the other, a successful change will come about, and when it does, there will be a period of readjustment.
    
    Consider the readjustment that occurred during the French Revolution...

    The REIGN OF TERROR Begins…

    The Reign of Terror.
    The Reign of Terror.

    In 1791, the King and Queen attempted an escape to Austria, disguised as servants. Unfortunately they kinda sucked at acting. They were found out, arrested, and dragged back to Paris to await trial.

    Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette kept their identities secret from the people of France, and only guests who stayed at Versailles really knew what they looked like. This came in handy during the Revolution as the pair tried to make their escape, but there was one flaw in the plan: the king’s face was stamped on all gold coinage. They made it as far as the border before being recognized.

    All the while, Jon Paul Marat became the voice of the Revolution. As it turns out, Marat was a voice of insanity.

    Jon Paul Marat
    Jon Paul Marat

    His solution to every problem was the rolling of heads.

    In his newspaper (entitled, “The Friend of the People”), he claimed that betrayal was everywhere.

    He was sort of the Alex Jones / Bill O Reilly of Eighteenth Century France. 

    Jon Paul Marat demanded the execution of hundreds, and when that wasn’t enough, he upped it to hundreds of thousands!!

    As it turns out, people believed every angry word he put into his one-sided tabloid, and took up arms to carry out his will…

    The September Massacre

    1792: War breaks out between Prussia and Austria!

    The Revolution back home in France takes a turn for the worse: The September Massacre – 1600 prisoners are slaughtered by crazed revolutionaries.

    Many are given quick, biased show-trials before being hanged, or worse. Enemies of the revolution are made an example of. Criminals and aristocrats alike are killed without mercy.

    A noble woman, Charlotte Corday, eventually got sick of all the death and destruction brought about by Jean-Paul Marat’s poisonous words.

    So with a concealed knife she set about silencing him.

    Charlotte shanked Marat (in the bathtub, mob-style) with hopes of bringing peace to her country.

    Unfortunately, things didn’t work out that way…

    … seeing as who he was, he suddenly become praised as a martyr…

    …which only made things much, much worse.

     Jon Paul Marat's famous death
    Jon Paul Marat’s famous death.

    Eat This: Guillotine Cuisine!

    Speaking of bloodshed… There was A LOT of it going around, which was not only work, but (as you can imagine) created quite a mess.

    The French janitors were tired of mopping up crimson streets.

    Turns out, Dr. Joseph Ignace Guillotin had just the invention to streamline the whole mass execution process. His shiny new killing machine was christened, ‘The Guillotine’!

    The Guillotine was created as a ‘humane’ form of decapitation. I can only imagine Doctor Guillotine giving a demonstration like a day time TV commercial, “It’s quick, efficient, (effortless), and ‘painless’!” CHOP! (Thud.)

    The Guillotine was placed in the center of a town square in Paris, for all to see. This unsanitary death-dealing device soon became the bloody symbol of the French Revolution, with a name that evokes a cross between a pro-wrestler and a death-metal band: “The Nation’s Razor”!!

    The Nations Razor.

    Maximillian Robespierre, a former adversary of the death penalty, did a 360, flip flopping with the times, and became the Guillotine’s most outspoken supporter overnight.

    Robespierre would help fulfill Marat’s blood lust as the people demanded it.

    By the end of the century, 40,000 would lose their heads to the dreaded Guillotine!

    Peasants looted and burned homes of tax collectors and landlords in what became known as “The Great Fear.” Many nobles fled France at this time, fearful of the rebellion. This inspired the end of feudalism, which was officially abolished on August 4, 1789.

    Death of the King

    1793: The King is tried as a traitor. He is declared guilty of treason.

    The punishment: Death.

    Both King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette were beheaded during the Revolution. The king was beheaded on January 12, 1793. Marie Antoinette followed her husband to “The National Razor” on October 16, 1793. Her last words were “I'm sorry”—not to the people, but to her executioner; she had accidentally stepped on his foot.

    A few argued that the death of the former King would only excuse violence as a means to happiness. Those who spoke against it however were drowned out by the savage calls for his head.

    King Louis, the 16th, was led to the maroon-stained scaffold.

    He turned to his people in remorse and attempted to give a dignified final speech.

    The crowd toned him out, booing and throwing rotten cabbage. They had come for blood (especially those in the splash zone).

    Poor Marie Antoinette was also put on trial. When she was brought into the courtroom, she barely resembled her former self, as a list of made-up charges was rattled off. At 38 her hair had gone gray while awaiting her sentencing in a dungeon.

    She too was led to the Guillotine.

    “Whose next?”

    It wasn’t all smooth sailing: the so-called “Reign of Terror” followed the initial revolutionary events, starting from around 1793 and ending with the fall of Robespierre in 1794. During the Reign of Terror, many political dissidents or perceived enemies of the Revolution were executed. Between June 1793 and July 1794, there were 16,594 official death sentences across France.

    Britain takes advantage of the situation

    Then, without warning, Britain began invading and panic filled the streets! (More so then before.)

    An emergency government was put in place, the constitution suspended, and a police force of spies were institutionalized.

    A revolutionary tribunal – a 12 men council – the ironically titled ‘the Committee of Public Safety’ was a collective dictatorship.

    The government became extremely paranoid.

    The Catholic Church was abolished, religious icons and statues were destroyed, thousands of priests drowned.

    People were rounded up and sent to the guillotine on the most mundane of charges. Even a lack of enthusiasm could be seen as traitorous.

    The Reign of Terror was in full swing.

    France becomes a dictatorship

    Maximillian Robespierre implemented dictatorial powers, declared himself the supreme ruler, and made lists upon lists of people to kill.

    “Terror without Virtue is disastrous. But, Virtue without Terror is powerless!” 
    
    -Maximillian Robespierre spoke before his groupies. 

    In 1794, Robespierre helped sponsor a cult based on the Goddess of Reason in place of Christianity.

    In his free time he established a new holiday: The Festival of the Supreme Being.

    During the festivities, Maximillian Robespierre symbolically descended from atop a paper-machete mountain in the clouds, clad in robes.

    This was seen as a thinly veiled attempt at making himself appear divine.

    Though, in general, people were convinced that he’d lost his marbles, and began to get suspicious.

    Robespierre chose this moment to deliver a speech of threats, with an all new list of enemies against the Republic.

    The best way to tell what side a man was on was to check out his clothing. The French nobility wore knee-length silk breeches, whereas the lower class militiamen wore long trousers, short-skirted coats, clogs, and red caps that symbolized liberty.

    This (of course) backfired in his face when the people flipped out and silenced him.

    He was immediately arrested, and sentenced to death before he could finish reading off his latest hit list.

    While in captivity, Robespierre attempted suicide. His advisors succeeded, but Max only managed to shoot off his jaw. The revolutionaries carted him off to the guillotine to finish the job for him.

    As poetic justice would have it, Maximillian Robespierre was killed by his own revolution. FAIL

    Maximillian Robespierre guillotined.

    Enter… Napoleon

    By 1804, a guy by the handle of Napoleon had risen through the ranks from General to Emperor.

    On November 9, 1799 Bonaparte staged a coup d’état that abolished the Directory, the government in power at the time; he then pronounced himself as “first consul” of France. This event ended the French Revolution proper and began the Napoleonic era in France.

    France had gone full circle, trading one monarchy for another.

    After the rise and fall of Napoleon, the other European powers reestablished a constitutional monarchy in France.

    King Louis XVIII (the 18th) was followed by Charles X (not to be confused with Professor Charles Xavier), and Emperor Napoleon III. During this time France would go on to have a few more Revolutionary movements.

    The subsequent French Revolutions were minor in comparison to the first, and were by and large unsuccessful:

    • The July Revolution of 1830
    • The June Rebellion of 1832 (which was a complete disaster – as seen in the play / multiple movie adaptations of ‘Les Misérables’, by Victor Hugo)
    • The French Revolution of 1848.

    The last of which established the Second Republic of France, which lasted until Napoleon the Third’s coup in 1851, effectively establishing the Second French Empire.

    The Second French Empire eventually collapsed…

    … and the Third Republic of France was established in 1870.

    Everything was peachy until of course World War II when Hitler’s Nazi Party went around their massive defensive perimeter (the Maginot Line) to invade and temporarily conquer France (1940-1944).

    The *FOURTH* Republic of France that followed ended up imploding in 1958 due to the Algerian Crisis (long story) to finally be replaced by the current administration:

    The FIFTH (and Final?) Republic of France.

    THE (first) French Revolution may have been a bloody mess that seemingly accomplished little, but it’s arguable that it had a greater impact on the world at large than the American Revolution, by challenging the old ways, and making way for the modern era.

    In the end, the French Revolution would lead to a century full of instability, with two more Revolutions taking place. The country would be governed as a dictatorship, republic, constitutional monarchy, and two different empires before reaching equilibrium.

    The Beheading Louis XVI

    The beheading of Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette was one of the biggest events of the French Revolution, but it didn’t have to happen.

    Before he was king, Louis XVI was quiet, dedicated to his studies and painfully shy. It took him seven years to consummate his marriage to the beautiful and intimidating Hapsburg heiress.

    When he became king he was cautious and indecisive, eager to be loved. In another age he would have been a great king, but he was entirely unsuited to the political crisis of the time.

    People around him took advantage of his weakness to seize more power.

    Louis was little more than a figurehead.

    It was no surprise when the new government voted to abolish the monarchy shortly after.

    Some revolutionaries argued against executing Louis, but the revolution was in full swing and the public hated him. Louis XVI was killed by guillotine in January 1793.

    Louis XVI guillotined.

    The move shocked many across the world since Louis had always been seen as a moderate king. His death enraged nearby European countries and led to a war that might have been avoided. He faced his death fearlessly: with his final breath, he forgave those who condemned him and hoped that no more blood would be spilled.

    The Toppling Of Statues

    Executing Louis wasn’t enough: later that year, the rebels decided to remove all trace of the old kings from the country.

    They started with the tombs of St Denis, the traditional resting place of France’s royals.

    To begin with, the masons were happy just to destroy the old Carolingian statues and other symbols of royalty.

    Destruction of Statues in America in 2020.
    Destruction of Statues in America in 2020.

    But within a month they were hammering into the old vault that held the kings from the House of Bourbon.

    When they were in, they started destroying the old coffins.

    Some of the kingly remains were put on public display, while others were dumped into a large burial pit, to cries of joy from the crowd.

    Many people came to watch—so many that the laborers struggled to do their work. According to eyewitnesses, members of the crowd grabbed at the bodies when they could, taking stray hairs, teeth and other things as personal mementos.

    These acts were later condemned both within France and across the world, but by that time it was too late.

    Destruction of Statues in America in 2020.

    After the Bourbon Restoration, the kings were retrieved from the pit and moved to the crypt in the basilica, but the damage was already done: many of the kings were unrecognisable.

    The Law of Suspects

    The revolution started because the rebels wanted everyone to be free and equal.

    After they won, though, their anger didn’t come to an end: instead, they started hunting down anyone who might be a threat.

    This period is now known as the Reign of Terror, and it resulted in thousands of innocent deaths.

    Reign of Terror
    Reign of Terror

    The Reign of Terror started with the Law of Suspects, which granted the government the power to accuse pretty much anyone of being a rebel.

    They attacked the priests, who were driven underground—for a while, being Catholic was actually illegal. In the end, anyone who might have been connected to the old nobles could be imprisoned and executed.

    Over two years around 500,000 people were accused—a huge number for the time.

    So many were accused, in fact, that the prisons were too full and people had to be put under house arrest.

    Though most were eventually allowed to walk free, around 16,000 people were killed—and many thousands more died in prison.

    Under the law, anyone whose “conduct, relations or language [showed them to be] partisans of tyranny … and enemies of liberty” was arrested and put on trial.

    The Lyon Erased

    Not everyone in France supported the revolution.

    The city of Lyon backed the moderate Girondins, a group who were part of the revolution but were not as bloodthirsty as the others.

    The rebel leaders considered Lyon a centre of royalist support, so they laid siege to it in 1793.

    Over the course of the fighting over 2,000 people were killed in Lyon and the city was conquered. The revolutionaries had won, but they had further plans for the city.

    In October, the National Convention issued a decree calling for Lyon to be destroyed.

    Everyone who lived in Lyon was to have their weapons taken away.

    They would be given to revolutionaries.

    Any building “inhabited by the wealthy” was to be torn down, leaving only the homes of the poor, factories, and some monuments.

    They even planned to purge the city’s name from history.

    The city’s name would be erased: Lyon would be called Liberated City (Ville Affranchie) instead. They planned to build a column with an inscription on it saying: “Lyon made war on Liberty; Lyon is no more.”

    Fortunately, this project was never finished.

    The Girondins Executed

    France’s new government had two main groups: the Girondins and the Montagnards.

    • Girondins – Moderates
    • Montagnards – Extremists

    The Girondins were moderates: they wanted to build a free, capitalist, democratic country where everyone had a say in how they were ruled—regardless of who they were.

    They were supported across France but the people of Paris liked the Montagnards more.

    They were extremists who “wanted everything leveled”.

    Anyone seen as elite had to give up their status or be executed. The groups got along well to begin with, but fell out over Louis’s death. The Montagnards wanted to kill him, but the Girondins wanted the country to vote on it. The Montagnards said they were plotting to save the king and called them traitors.

    Things boiled over on the streets of Paris.

    A group of soldiers and citizens surrounded the government buildings and demanded the Girondins be kicked out of the government.

    The Montagnards duly did so.

    Some Girondins were able to escape, but a few months later, those who were left were rounded up and guillotined.

    Many Girondins guillotined.

    The Drownings at Nantes

    The city of Nantes was a center of revolution, but much of the countryside surrounding it was royalist. The region rose up in rebellion, leading to the Battle of Nantes. After this, the new French government decided to purge the city of anyone who still supported the monarchy.

    To do this, they sent Jean-Baptiste Carrier, one of their most committed supporters.

    Jean-Baptiste Carrier
    Jean-Baptiste Carrier.

    Jean-Baptiste took his job very seriously. In around five months, between 12,000 and 15,000 people were killed by his order.

    Nantes lies on the Loire, which Jean-Baptiste called “the national bathtub”.

    He and his men built special boats called lighters which were specifically designed for drowning prisoners.

    The captives would be shackled to each other, often naked, and herded onto the boats—which had trap doors on the bottom.

    The boats were then sunk with the prisoners on board. The elderley, pregnant women and children were all drowned without distinction.

    In the end Jean-Baptiste’s methods were too extreme even for the revolution: he was recalled to Paris by the Committee of Public Safety, put on trial and executed by guillotine.

    Jean-Baptiste guillotined.

    The Law of 22 Prairial

    Over the course of the Reign of Terror, thousands of people were imprisoned, some for absurd reasons. By June 1794, the prisons of France—particularly Paris—were overcrowded, so action had to be taken.

    Robespierre and his allies drafted a new law which would allow trials to be concluded much quicker: they pushed this law through the Convention and it was passed on 10 June 1794.

    It meant that people could be put on trial for simple things like ‘spreading fake news’ or ‘seeking to inspire discouragement’.

    Citizens were expected to confront or report their neighbors if they expressed any kind of opposition to the government.

    When these people were put on trial, they weren’t treated fairly: the judges and jury only had three days to come to a conclusion, and they had to choose whether to allow the accused to go free or be put to death.

    This new law marked the beginning of the Grand Terror.

    Executions per day increased dramatically across France, and most of those killed were undoubtedly innocent. The Grand Terror came to an end after two months, but not because people were horrified by the killings.

    No, the new law had also made it so members of the Convention could now be put on trial. Looking to preserve their own skins, the members of the Convention removed Robespierre and guillotined him, bringing an end to the killings.

    Robespierre guillotined.

    The Massacre in the Vendee

    The revolution was supposed to be a movement that freed the French lower classes and gave them liberty and security.

    But anyone who opposed the new government was harshly punished, even those who were lower class.

    In the early days, the church was singled out for its wealth and excess.

    The revolutionary government veered between atheism and a new state religion, the Cult of the Supreme Being, but they were united in their desire to destroy the old Catholic system.

    In the Vendee, however, the people rose up to protect their priests and churches from the new revolutionary government.

    When the government ordered them to form a conscript military unit, they rebelled, joining together in local militias which were collectively known as the Catholic and Royal Army. This alarmed the new government, who sent the army to tackle the problem. After a series of pitched battles, the Catholic and Royal Army was defeated.

    But the government didn’t stop there.

    Determined to prevent another such uprising, the government sent General Louis Marie Turreau with twelve columns of troops to destroy to Vendee. Farms, villages, supplies and forests were destroyed, and the soldiers killed without restriction.

    When it was over, General Francois Joseph Westermann wrote a letter back to the government saying:

    “There is no more Vendée… According to the orders that you gave me, I crushed the children under the feet of the horses, massacred the women who, at least for these, will not give birth to any more brigands. I do not have a prisoner to reproach me. I have exterminated all.”

    “Scorched Earth” on the Vendee.

    The Law of the Maximum

    Unlike many other atrocities on this list, the Law of the Maximum was implemented with good intentions—though the government was forced to do it. One of the biggest reasons people joined the rebellion in the first place was because food was too expensive, but by 1793 even the basics were going back up in price.

    The enrages, a collection of anti-elite protestors who might today be called Marxists, argued that the nobility had been replaced by greedy merchants. Action was needed to take away their wealth and help the poor.

    The government passed the Law of the Maximum in response.

    It set a maximum price for goods, from bread and wine to iron and shoes.

    Merchants had to display a list of prices outside their stores and, if any of their prices were above the maximum, they would be fined. Instead of going to the government, the fine went to whoever informed the authorities about the illegal pricing, encouraging people to rat out merchants who ignored the law.

    It had a disastrous impact on France.

    While merchants did reduce their prices, it left them with almost no money.

    The less honest shopkeepers began watering down their goods, disguising ash as ground pepper, starch as sugar and pear juice as wine.

    Farmers in rural areas began hoarding their produce because they couldn’t get a good enough price in the cities, meaning that people in the cities starved.

    The result was a black market where the rich could still buy the goods they needed, while the poor had no access to food at all.

    These famines were fixed temporarily when the government sent soldiers to take food from the farmers and bring it to the city by force, but this only caused more unrest.

    The September Massacres

    Or, in other words, the whole-scale slaughtering of all the prisoners in all the jails and prisons throughout France…

    After Louis was killed, the government fell into chaos. No-one knew who was in charge. In the meantime the Paris Commune, who were supported by the armed mob, had all the power. Chaos reigned as the new government fought over who should be in power, alongside issues like the economy, the army, and the justice system.

    What dominated, however, was a fear of counter-revolutionary backlash.

    The new movement had been denounced in Britain, Austria and Prussia, and war loomed on the horizon.

    Meanwhile, French royalists were gathering support in other parts of the country.

    The revolutionaries feared that, if a royalist army was to attack Paris, the new revolutionary government would fall.

    In particular, they came to believe that the inmates of the city’s prisons would join with the counter-revolutionaries if given a chance. These fears were exacerbated when it came time for the new army to leave the city, with the people believing it would leave the city vulnerable to a prison break.

    Between the 2nd and 6th of September 1792, the inmates were attacked by revolutionary mobs, with over 1000 being killed in the space of a single day.

    Half the city’s entire prison population was massacred, with corpses left mutilated in the streets.

    The revolutionary government sent letters to regional governments saying that conspirators in the city’s prisons had been executed. The act was repeated elsewhere: murders of prisoners took place in 75 of France’s 83 departments.

    Conclusion

    History can be interesting.

    This is especially true if you are living through a time period that would most certainly be put into the history books.

    This is 2020. A revolution has been brewing for some time, and (rightly so) many people are beginning to recognize the start of this period in America as 2008 when the banks fell, and massive financial fraud was committed. Now, the chain of events are starting to accelerate and it’s starting to look like elements of numerous historical catastrophes are starting to converge within America…

    • The Wall Street Crash.
    • The Fall of the Roman Empire.
    • The collapse of the Soviet Union.

    …and…

    • The French Revolution.

    Most certainly the elements are all there, and I cannot tell you what will happen. But I can paint some broad “brush strokes” for you all to ponder…

    • Do not expect any election to change anything substantially. It will only change form, but it will still keep moving in the same direction.
    • Things are going to get worse before they get better. We have not yet reached the peak.
    • When it appears that the old order has been toppled, and a new order is forming, that is when the REAL DANGERS will start to appear.
    • Expect some kind of foreign war or military action to distract attention. Expect a villainization of some nation, race or people. But note that it will not really work the way it is intended to.
    • The implementation of all the strife and chaos will not be uniform. It will be patchy, with some areas more dangerous than others.

    Who survived the French Revolution?

    Not the oligarchy, nor those that lead the revolution. Not those that were “moderate”. The survivors were those that lived outside the cities that also had strong connections with friends and families within their communities.

    The American culture of “lone wolf” and “every man for himself” will be problematic at this time. I do not advise it. instead I strongly advise the formation of small tightly knit communities that share and work together.

    I recommend the following…

    • Stay away from crowds.
    • Do not get involved in politics at any level.
    • Practice strong provisioning, and practice familial disciplines.
    • Be a member of your local community.
    • Offer your time, resources, and supplies to your community. Think of it as an extended family.

    Do you want some more?

    Do you want to see similar posts?

    I hope that you found this post curious. Please take care. You can view other similar posts in my SHTF Index, here…

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    Some selected favorite artworks by Jean-Léon Gérôme

    Jean-Léon Gérôme is a favorite painter of mine. in his amazing life, he painted at least 351 artworks. He is considered to be a “French , Orientalist painter, draftsman and sculptor” He is awesome.

    You can see all of his artwork at the Art Renewal Center here.

    Pollice Verso

    When I first saw this painting, I was stunned. You have to see it in it’s entirety. It is a huge canvas with a very impression spectacle.

    The Latin phrase pollice verso is used in the context of gladiatorial combat for a hand gesture used by Ancient Roman crowds to pass judgment on a defeated gladiator. In modern popular culture, it is assumed that "thumbs down" was the signal that a defeated gladiator should be condemned to death.
    
    -Thumbs signal - Wikipedia

    Consider the 2000 movie, Gladiator, in which Joaquin Phoenix is shown giving a defeated gladiator a thumbs down to signify that he wishes for him to be killed. According to director Ridley Scott, that scene was inspired by a painting from 1872 called “Pollice Verso“.

    The painting depicts a victorious gladiator standing over the lifeless body of his opponent while a baying crowd jeers and delivers a tsunami of down-turned thumbs. Scott stated of the painting, “That image spoke to me of the Roman Empire in all its glory and wickedness. I knew right then and there I was hooked.”

    That particular painting has been noted by historians as the catalyst for why the concept of pollice verso is so poorly understood today by the masses.

    What makes this fact so surprising is that the painter behind the piece, Jean-Léon Gérôme, was a hugely respected historical artist who was internationally renowned for his “archaeologically correct history paintings”. Gérôme has been described as a “learned classicist” and was famous for extensively researching his pieces before putting brush to canvas.

    For example, with “Pollice Verso” Gérôme studied actual pieces of armor from the ruins of Pompeii so that the gladiators in his paintings looked authentic. Gérôme’s legendary attention to detail is probably the reason that his interpretation of pollice verso was so widely accepted by academics.

    The fights between gladiators in ancient Rome were brutal. It was not like a football game (American or otherwise) where it would be assumed that both sides would go home with just a couple of bruises. Death was a fairly common occurrence at a gladiatorial game, but that doesn’t mean it was inevitable. One gladiator might be lying prone in the blood-absorbing sand of the arena, with the other gladiator holding a sword (or whichever weapon he was assigned) at his throat. Instead of simply plunging in the weapon and consigning his opponent to death, the winning gladiator would look for a signal to tell him what to do.

    The Editor Was in Charge of the Gladiator Fight

    The winning gladiator would get his signal—not from the crowd as illustrated in the famous 19th century painting by Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824–1904)—but rather from the referee of the game, the editor (or editor muneris), who might also be a senator, emperor or another politico.

    He was the one to make the final decisions about the fates of the gladiators in the arena. However, since the games were meant to curry public favor, the editor had to pay attention to the wishes of the audience. Much of the audience attended such brutal events for the single purpose of witnessing the bravery of a gladiator in the face of death.

    By the way, gladiators never said "Morituri te salutant" ("Those who are about to die salute you"). That was said once to Emperor Claudius (10 BC–54 CE) on the occasion of a staged naval battle, not gladiatorial combat.

    Ways to End a Fight Between Gladiators

    Gladiatorial contests were dangerous and potentially fatal, but not as often fatal as Hollywood would have us believe: Gladiators were rented from their training school (ludus) and a good gladiator was expensive to replace, so most battles did not end in death.

    There were only two ways that a gladiatorial battle could be ended—either one gladiator won or it was a draw—but it was the editor who had the final say on whether the loser died on the field or went on to fight another day. 

    The editor had three established ways to make his decision. 

    1. He might have established rules (lex) in advance of the game. If the fight’s sponsors wanted a fight to the death, they had to be willing to compensate the lanista (trainer)who had rented out the dead gladiator. 
    2. He could accept the surrender of one of the gladiators. After having lost or cast aside his weapons, the losing gladiator would fall to his knees and raise his index finger (ad digitatum).  
    3. He could listen to the audience. When a gladiator went down, cries of Habet, Hoc habet! (He’s had it!), and shouts of Mitte! (Let him go!) or Lugula! (Kill him!) could be heard.

    A game that ended in death was known as a sine remissione (without dismissal).  

    Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down, Thumbs Sideways

    But the editor didn’t necessarily listen to any of them.

    In the end it was always the editor who decided whether a gladiator would die that day. Traditionally, the editor would communicate his decision by turning his thumb up, down, or sideways (pollice verso)—although modes changed as did the rules of the gladiatorial arena over the length of the Roman empire. The problem is: the confusion over exactly what thumb direction meant what is one of a longstanding debate among modern classical and philological scholars.

    Latin PhraseMeaning
    Pollices premere or presso polliceThe “pressed thumb.” The thumb and fingers are squeezed together, meaning “mercy” for a downed gladiator.
    Pollex infestusThe “hostile thumb.”  The signaler’s head is inclined to the right shoulder, their arm stretched out from the ear, and their hand extended with the hostile thumb. Scholars suggest the thumb pointed upward, but there is some debate; it meant death to the loser. 
    Pollicem vertere or pollicem convertere“To turn the thumb.” The signaler turned his thumb towards his own throat or breast: scholars debate about whether it was pointed up or down, with most picking “up.” Death to the loser. 
    Signals from the CrowdThe audience could use the ones traditionally used by the editor, or one of these.
    Digitis mediusUp-stretched middle finger “of scorn” for the losing gladiator. 
    Mappae Handkerchief or napkin, waved to request mercy.

    When a Gladiator Died

    Honor was crucial to the gladiatorial games and the audiences expected the loser to be valiant even in death. The honorable way to die was for the losing gladiator to grasp the thigh of the victor who would then hold the loser’s head or helmet and plunge a sword into his neck.

    Gladiator matches, like much else in Roman life, were connected with Roman religion.

    The gladiator component of Roman games (ludi) appears to have started at the start of the Punic Wars as part of a funeral celebration for an ex-consul. To make sure the loser wasn’t pretending to be dead, an attendant dressed as Mercury, the Roman god who led the newly dead to their afterlife, would touch the apparently-dead gladiator with his hot iron wand. Another attendant, dressed as Charon, another Roman god associated with the Underworld, would hit him with a mallet.

    Diogenes

    Diogenes of Sinope (c. 404-323 BCE) was a Greek Cynic philosopher best known for holding a lantern (or candle) to the faces of the citizens of Athens claiming he was searching for an honest man.

    He was most likely a student of the philosopher Antisthenes (445-365 BCE) and, in the words of Plato (allegedly), was “A Socrates gone mad.”

    He was driven into exile from his native city of Sinope for defacing currency (though some sources say it was his father who committed the crime and Diogenes simply followed him into exile).

    Diogenes’ Beliefs

    Diogenes came to Athens where he met Antisthenes who at first refused him as a student but, eventually, was worn down by his persistence and accepted him. Like Antisthenes, Diogenes believed in self-control, the importance of personal excellence in one’s behavior (in Greek, arete, usually translated as `virtue’), and the rejection of all which was considered unnecessary in life such as personal possessions and social status.

    He was so ardent in his beliefs that he lived them very publicly in the market place of Athens.

    He took up residence in a large wine cask (some sources claim it was an abandoned bathtub), owned nothing, and seems to have lived off the charity of others. He owned a cup which served also has a bowl for food but threw it away when he saw a boy drinking water from his hands and realized one did not even need a cup to sustain oneself.

    Duel After a Masquerade

    The Duel After the Masquerade is a painting by the French artist Jean-Léon Gérôme, currently housed in the Musée Condé in Chantilly, France.

    Duel: a prearranged combat between two persons, fought with deadly weapons according to an accepted code of procedure, especially to settle a private quarrel.

    While dueling may seem barbaric to modern men, it was a ritual that made sense in a society in which the preservation of male honor was absolutely paramount. A man’s honor was the most central aspect of his identity, and thus its reputation had to be kept untarnished by any means necessary. Duels, which were sometimes attended by hundreds of people, were a way for men to publicly prove their courage and manliness. In such a society, the courts could offer a gentleman no real justice; the matter had to be resolved with the shedding of blood.

    In the ancient tradition of single combat, each side would send out their “champion” as the representative of their respective armies, and the two men would fight to the death. This contest would sometimes settle the matter, or would serve only as a prelude to the ensuing battle, a sign to which side the gods favored.

    “A coward, a man incapable either of defending or of revenging himself, wants one of the most essential parts of the character of a man.” 
    
    -Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations

    Dueling began in ancient Europe as “trial by combat,” a form of “justice” in which two disputants battled it out; whoever lost was assumed to be the guilty party. In the Middle Ages, these contests left the judicial sphere and became spectator sports with chivalrous knights squaring off in tournaments for bragging rights and honor.

    But dueling really became mainstream when two monarchs got into the act. When the treaty between France and Spain broke down in 1526, Frances I challenged Charles V to a duel. After a lot of back and forth arguing about the arrangements of the duel, their determination to go toe to toe dissipated. But the kings did succeed in making dueling all the rage across Europe. It was especially popular in France; 10,000 Frenchmen are thought to have died during a ten year period under Henry IV. The king issued an edict against the practice, and asked the nobles to submit their grievances to a tribunal of honor for redress instead.

    Despite putting on a courageous front, no gentleman relished having to fight a duel and risk both killing and being killed (well, perhaps with the exception of Andrew “I fought at least 14 duels” Jackson). Thus duels were often not intended to be fights to the death, but to first blood. A duel fought with swords might end after one man simply scratched the arm of the other. In pistol duels, it was often the case that a single volley was fired, and assuming both men had survived unscathed, satisfaction was deemed to be achieved through their mutual willingness to risk death. Men sometimes aimed for their opponent’s leg or even deliberately missed, desiring only to satisfy the demands of honor. Only about 20% of duels ended in a fatality.

    Duels founded on greater insults to a man’s honor, however, were often designated to go well beyond first blood. Some were carried out under the understanding that satisfaction was not gained until one man was incapacitated, while the gravest insults required a mortal blow.

    The Serpent Charmer

    I discovered that Bing censored this image from my sight. I guess that they felt that I couldn’t handle it, or that it would affect my notions about snakes and nudity. It’s a lovely example of Orientalist painting technique and thought.

    Populating their paintings with snake charmers, veiled women, and courtesans, Orientalist artists created and disseminated fantasy portrayals of the exotic 'East' for European viewers. 
    
    Although earlier examples exist, Orientalism primarily refers to Western (particularly English and French) painting, architecture and decorative arts of the 19th century that utilize scenes, settings, and motifs drawn from a range of countries including Turkey, Egypt, India, China, and Algeria. 
    
    Although some artists strove for realism, many others subsumed the individual cultures and practices of these countries into a generic vision of the Orient and as historian Edward Said notes in his influential book, Orientalism (1978), 
    
    "the Orient was almost a European invention...a place of romance, exotic beings, haunting memories and landscapes, remarkable experiments". 
    
    Falling broadly under Academic Art, the Orientalist movement covered a range of subjects and genres from grand historical and biblical paintings to nudes and domestic interiors.
    
    -The Art Story

    This painting should not be confused with his other work with the exact same name;

    Here’s some great links of his art style and how they all come together…

    • One of the keys genres of Orientalism was the harem picture. Denied access to actual seraglios, male artists relied on hearsay and imagination to depict opulent interiors and beautiful women, many of whom were Western in appearance. The genre also allowed artists to depict erotic nudes and highly sexual narratives outside of a mythological context as their exotic location distanced the Western viewer sufficiently to make them morally permissible.
    • Orientalism disseminated and reinforced a range of stereotypes associated with Eastern cultures most notably regarding a lack of ‘civilized’ behavior and perceived differences in morality, sexual practices, and character of the inhabitants. This often aligned with propaganda campaigns initiated by Britain and France as colonializing powers and images are best viewed within the context of Europe’s political and economic relationships with Eastern countries.
    • Many Orientalist images are infused with rich colors, particularly oranges, golds and reds (although blue tiles are also prevalent) as well as decorative details and these operated in conjunction with the use of light and shadow to create a sense of dusty heat that Westerners would associate with the prevailing view of the Orient.

    Le Combat de Coqs

    The Cock Fight

    Did you know from whence the English slang for penis came from? Yes, I am talking about a “cock”. Well, listen up…

    The following are excerpts from the article “The Cultural Poetics of the Greek Cockfight” by Eric Csapo, in The Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens Bulletin, Vol. 4 (2006/2007) pp. 20-37.

    The Cultural Poetics of the Greek Cockfight
    
    In antiquity, the cock, like the sphinx, was a liminal creature. Its habit of crowing at dawn made it a symbol of transition from night to day and darkness to light. As a marker of time and transitions, it is associated with birth, death and rebirth, and thus gains a close association with liminal deities such as Leto, Hermes, Demeter/Persephone and Asclepius. 
    
    Adolescence was also closely connected to death and rebirth: Artemidorus, the dream interpreter, claims that dreams about adolescence signify marriage for the bachelor and death for the aged (1.54). [...]
    
    In myth, the cock is closely connected with the war-god, Ares. Originally the cock was a human companion of Ares named Alectryon, which is simply the Greek word for ‘cock’. 
    
    At first, however, there was nothing martial about Alectryon. Before becoming a cock, Alectryon is said by Lucian to have been ‘an adolescent boy, beloved of Ares, who kept company with the god at drinking parties, caroused with him, and was his companion in lovemaking’.[1] 
    
    His only soldierly duty was to keep watch while Ares made adulterous love to Aphrodite, so as to prevent the rising sun from seeing them and from reporting the affair to Aphrodite’s husband Hephaestus. Alectryon failed to keep his post even in this lightest of all soldierly duties. 
    
    He fell asleep and as a result Hephaestus learned of the affair and set the trap, so memorably described in the Odyssey 8, that led to the public exhibition and humiliation of Ares and Aphrodite caught by invisible bonds in the love embrace. As punishment Ares turned Alectryon into a cock, adding, as penance, an ineluctable impulse to crow at the approach of the sun in eternal compensation for his failure to cry warning on that fateful night. [...]
    
    Cocks served as ready symbols for that supreme agon and most enduring theme of Greek art and poetry: WAR. In Aeschylus the expression ‘hearts of cocks’ stands metaphorically for the spirit of violent confrontation Eum. 861). 
    
    For this reason, cocks are a favourite motif on shield blazons. Programmatic decoration on Attic vase-painting frequently draws similes between fighting cocks and mythological combatants or hoplites (see, e.g., fig. 8).[2] [...]
    
    The cock, as we noted, belongs not only to the realm of Ares, but is also close to Aphrodite. The epigrammatist Meleager took the cock on a grave stele to signal the dead man’s devotion to Aphrodite.[3] 
    
    Aristotle declares that chickens are ‘most given to Aphrodite’ (HA 488b4). Oppian thinks them sex-crazed beyond all known birds.[4] 
    
    This is partly justified by observation: Aristotle notes that chickens are the only animals, besides humans, whose mating habits are not seasonal or limited. Indeed they are less limited than humans. [...]
    
    Given the cock’s association with both sex and masculinity, it is not surprising that it was the preferred love gift given by mature men to beautiful youths (fig. 13).[5] 
    
    In Margaret Visser’s words ‘the cock expressed the sheer maleness of the couple, their virile aggressivity and energy’.[6] [...]
    
    In most parts of the world cockfighting is a sport practised exclusively by adult males, but in Greece the sport was ideally represented as a pastime for adolescent boys, and particularly young aristocrats. 
    
    We have seen that in Greek art the human figures associated with fighting cocks are boys, and mostly adolescent boys. 
    
    Language also encouraged a close identification between the adolescent and the cock. Cocks were, like their owners, ‘aristocrats’; fighting cocks were termed ‘noble’, those unfit for sport ‘ignoble’ or ‘vulgar’.[7] 
    
    The harsh sounds made by an adolescent whose voice is breaking are referred to as crowing, kokkusmos (gallulare in Latin).[8] 
    
    And while words for ‘cock’ and ‘penis’ are homonymous in the vernacular of a great many languages, the Greek equivalent, koko, is only ever used as a ‘pet name’ for the puerile member.[9] The close almost exclusive identification of fighting cocks with élite adolescents is hard to square with a tale about martial valour, an express concern of all Greek males. 
    
    Rather, it reflects the particular configuration of male homosexuality in Classical Greece with its emphasis on pederasty and its predominantly aristocratic milieu.

    Pygmalion and Galatea

    Pygmalion
    Classical Mythology. a sculptor and king of Cyprus who carved an ivory statue of a maiden and fell in love with it. It was brought to life, in response to his prayer, by Aphrodite.

    The story of Pygmalion and Galatea is quite known and popular till, well… nowadays.

    Pygmalion, a famous sculptor, falls in love with his own creation and wishes to give this creation life. This simple and imaginary concept is actually the basis from a psychological understanding of male behavior and wish. This nice myth is considered as the depiction of the masculine need to rule over a certain woman and to inanimate his ideas into a female living creature.

    Galatea
    n. Greek Mythology A maiden who was originally a statue carved by Pygmalion and who was brought to life by Aphrodite in answer to the sculptor's pleas.

    The strange sculptor

    Pygmalion was a sculptor par excellence, a man who gave to every one of his ivory a life-like appearance. His deep devotion to his art spared him no time to admire the beauty of women.

    His sculptures were the only beauty he knew.

    For reasons known only to him, Pygmalion despised and shunned women, finding solace only in his craft. In fact, he was so condemning to women that he had vowed never to marry.

    Falling in love with his own creation

    One fine day, Pygmalion carved the statue of a woman of unparalleled beauty. She looked so gentle and divine that he could not take his eyes off the statue. Enchanted with his own creation, he felt waves of joy and desire sweeping over his body and in a moment of inspiration he named the figurine, Galatea, meaning “she who is white like milk”.

    He draped over her the finest of cloths and bedecked her with the most dazzling of ornaments, adorned her hair with the prettiest of flowers, gave to her the choicest of gifts and kissed her as a sign of adoration.

    Pygmalion was obsessed and madly in love with his creation.

    The spell the lifeless woman cast on him was too much to resist and he desired her for his wife. Countless were the nights and days he spent staring upon his creation.

    The realization of his dream

    In the meantime, the celebration of goddess Aphrodite was fast approaching and preparations were well under way.

    On the day of the festival, while making offerings to goddess Aphrodite, Pygmalion prayed with all his heart and soul, beseeching the goddess that she turns his ivory figurine into a real woman.

    Touched by his deep veneration, Aphrodite went to the workshop of Pygmalion to see this famous statue by herself. When he looked upon the statue of Galatea, she got amazed by its beauty and liveliness.

    Looking better at it, Aphrodite found that Galatea looked like her in beauty and perfection, so, satisfied, she granted Pygmalion his wish.

    Upon returning home the master-sculptor went straight to Galatea, full of hope. At first, he noticed a flush on the cheeks of the ivory figurine but slowly it dawned upon him that Aphrodite had heard his pleas.

    Unable to restrain himself, he held Galatea in his arms and kept her strongly. What had been cold ivory turned soft and warm and Pygmalion stood back in amazement as his beloved figurine came into life, smiling at him and speaking words of admiration for her creator.

    Their love blossomed over the days and before long, wedding vows were exchanged between the two lovers with Aphrodite blessing them with happiness and prosperity.

    The happy couple had a son.

    His name was Paphos, and he later founded the city of Paphos in Cyprus. Some say that Pygmalion and Galatea also had a daughter, Metharme.

    The bottom line is that the couple lived happily ever after.

    Black Bashi-Bazouk

    Bashi-bazouk, Turkish Başibozuk, (“corrupted head,” or “leaderless”), mercenary soldier belonging to the skirmishing or irregular troops of the Ottoman Empire, notorious for their indiscipline, plundering, and brutality. 
    
    Originally describing the homeless beggars who reached Istanbul from the provinces of the Ottoman Empire, the term bashi-bazouk was later applied to all Muslim subjects who were not members of the armed forces. 
    
    Finally it was applied to units of irregular volunteers (both infantry and cavalry) attached to the army but under independent officers and providing their own weapons and horses. 
    
    These forces became notorious for their lawlessness. 
    
    They appeared at the end of the 18th century and fought in Egypt against Napoleon. 
    
    During the Crimean War the allied generals made fruitless attempts to discipline them. Their excesses during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78 at last forced the Ottoman government to abandon their use.
    
    -Bashi-bazouk | Ottoman soldier | Britannica

    This arresting picture was made after Gérôme returned to Paris from a twelve-week journey to the Near East in early 1868.

    He was at the height of his career when he dressed a model in his studio with textiles he had acquired during the expedition.

    The artist’s Turkish title for this picture—which translates as “headless”—evokes the unpaid irregular soldiers who fought ferociously for plunder under Ottoman leadership, although it is difficult to imagine this man charging into battle wearing such an exquisite silk tunic.

    Gérôme’s virtuosic treatment of textures provides a sumptuous counterpoint to the figure’s dignified bearing.

    The Slave Market

    Orientalism is, in a nutshell, “the way that the West perceives of — and thereby defines — the East”.

    Imagine you are a 13th or 14th century European. The Silk Road has just recently established contact and trade with a distant land; a land so far away and so difficult to reach that it exists only in the imagination of the average European.

    Earlier accounts of this land have been passed down by the Greeks from centuries ago, telling of an alien world inhabited by “dog-faced creatures”, or Phasians so yellow it was as if they “suffered from jaundice” (summarized by Gary Okihiro in “When and Where I Enter”).

    Centuries after that, Egeria’s 4th century text Peregrinatio ad terram sanctam describes an exotic, fantastic Asia that “served to highlight the positive, the real, the substantial Europe”.

    These tales are not just stories; for the West, they become synonymous with “what Asia is”.

    In recounting Marco Polo’s travels, one historian wrote…

    “[Polo’s] picture of the East is the picture which we all make in our minds when we repeat to ourselves those two strange words ‘the East’ and give ourselves up to the image which that symbol evokes”.

    Thus, almost from the moment of first contact, the West established a unique and specific relationship with the East — one that still impacts and influences our conceptions of these regions today.

    In this relationship (as defined by Edward Said), the West is the “Occident”: the norm, the standard, the center, the fixed point around which the rest of the world orbits.

    The East is, by contrast, the “Orient”: the abnormal, the exotic, the foreign, the Other defined specifically by its deviancy from the Occidental, Western norm.

    Importantly, this relationship — what Said terms “Orientalism” — draws upon exaggerations of both Occidental and Oriental traits in order to create an Orientalist fantasy that is a fictional recapitulation of both East and West.

    Western men are re-imagined as universally Godly, good, moral, virile, and powerful — but ultimately innately human.

    By contrast, those traits that best serve as a counter-point to the Occidental West are emphasized in the West’s imagined construct of the East: strange religions and martial arts, bright colors and barbaric practices, unusual foods and incomprehensible languages, mysticism and magic, ninjas and kung fu.

    Asia becomes innately unusual, alien, and beastly.

    In Orientalism, Asia is not defined by what Asia is; rather, Asia becomes an “Otherized” fiction of everything the West is not, and one that primarily serves to reinforce the West’s own moral conception of itself.

    It is also important to note that Orientalism historically arose both from an attempt to “honor” Eastern cultures as well as to redefine them for the West.

    Orientalism purports to be a faithful recreation of Eastern traditions and peoples, but actually draws upon real practices and traditions to create an Eastern construct that is largely exaggeration and myth.

    Which leads us to this display of slaves in front of a store…

    Ave Caesar, Morituri te Salutant

    Hail Caesar, We Who Are About to Die Salute You!

    This is another painting that depicted the gladiatorial battles and events of ancient Rome. I have read that this saying “we who are about to die salute you” was not all that common, and perhaps only occurred once. But who really knows? Eh?

    It’s a nice painting, done in magnificent style.

    Le Barde Noir

    The Black Bard

    Usually artists that paint Caucasian peoples have a difficult time painting other races. Not so in this painting. The colors and the skin tones are all right on and correct. This is a lovely painting and would be particularly impressive over a fireplace in a Victorian home.

    Le Tigre et le Gardien

    The Tiger and the Guardian

    Another fine work. I love how hot it appears outside and how cool the inside of the building appears.

    Harem Women Feeding Pigeons in a Courtyard

    A fine example of his work. No explanation is required.

    The Negro Master of the Hounds

    This is a nicely done painting, with great “atmosphere” and a particularly excellent rendering of the dogs. Most figurative painters have spent decades working on their technique and skills with the human body. As a result, when they paint animals, the skill level is often incomplete. While horse and dogs are sometimes rendered perfectly, for the most part, cats and other creatures tend to suffer artistically.

    No so in this painting.

    Napoleon and His General Staff

    In ordering an expedition to Egypt and creating an Army of the Orient in April 1798, under the command of the young General Bonaparte, France’s post-revolutionary Directory sought to do two things.

    • The first was to block Britain’s trade route to India and re-establish commerce with the Levant.
    • The second unstated objective was to remove the ambitious young Bonaparte, whose popularity following his success in the Italian Campaign of the previous year rendered him a threat in current volatile politics.

    General Bonaparte famously addressed his troops on their arrival in Egypt with the words …

    From the heights of the Pyramids, forty centuries look down on us”.

    The reality of France’s Egyptian Campaign was less grandiose, and descriptions by surviving French Officers of Napoleon’s decision to trek his 37,000 troops across the desert rather than follow the Nile River from Alexandria, tell of appalling mismanagement, of thirst, discomfort, disease and death.

    Nevertheless it was in the Battle of the Pyramids (more accurately the Battle of Embabeh in the Gaza plain where the battle actually took place) that Napoleon famously routed the Mameluke cavalry by putting into practice his innovative use of the massive so-called ‘divisional square’, a tactic first deployed in Antiquity.

    The Mamelukes had effectively ruled Egypt since the thirteenth century and were legendary, apparently invincible, and fearless warriors. Their defeat at the hands of General Bonaparte further enhanced his reputation. 

    The Battle of the Pyramids, between French troops led by Bonaparte and 21,000 Egyptian Mameluke soldiers was a resounding victory for the French.

    In contrast, the French naval fleet, stationed in the Bay of Aboukir, was attacked by the newly arrived British fleet, under the command of Horatio Nelson, and was roundly defeated.

    Following this naval defeat, Bonaparte’s Egyptian campaign remained land-based.

    Having installed himself as master of Egypt by force, Bonaparte then set about installing in Egypt what he viewed as the benefits of western civilization. He established the Institut d’Egypte for French scholars, a library, a chemistry laboratory, a health service, a botanical garden, an observatory, an antiquities museum and a zoo.

    Diane et Acteon

    According to a Greek myth, Actaeon, the son of Aristaeus and Autonoe, surprises Diana, the Greek Artemis, while she was bathing with her nymphs. As a punishment she turned him into a stag and, no longer recognized by his pack of 50 hounds, she was torn to pieces by them.

    Greek myths were not very accepting of voyeurism, I guess.

    What I find interesting is that the myth takes place in ancient Greece, and that the women are bathing in the pool together, while suddenly a troop belonging to an English Fox Hunt comes barrelling in from the top of a Hill. This juxtaposition of different times and cultures is curious to say the least.

    In Victorian painting, and Orientalism, the use of Greek and Roman histories and myths to elaborate upon “modern” life was all the rage. And, as I might add, helps sell the works to a hungry audience.

    Harem Pool

    Orientalism had a great deal of interesting subject matter to paint. Slaves, mercenaries, hot deserts, magnificent ruins, blue skies, steamy hot sands, and harems. Here is one such painting that depicts a harem and a bath pool.

    I love so many things about this particular painting.

    • Look at the detail on the carpet!
    • Study the artwork of the blue tiles.
    • The drapery and clothing of the woman in blue.
    • The two nudes in the forefront.
    • The folds of the towel of the woman up front and how her hand lightly touches her leg.

    Slave Auction

    A slave being auctioned off in Rome.

    This painting, and the next one after it are different views of the same scene. The auctioneer and the maiden being sold are in both paintings, but the view of each are different. The only thing that is different is the building in the background. The first is a brick circular structure with a corbelled ceiling, the second is a traditional Roman pillared motif.

    Roman Slave Market

    Slave markets were a big thing with Orientalism. Most non-artists would argue that this is because all Victorian men and artists were demented sexual perverts that beheld secret fantasies. This is really nonsensical. There are really three reasons why this was a great subject for Victorian Orientalism paintings.

    • You were able to paint a female body on display in all it’s nuanced form.
    • The subject matter makes for a great story, and has significant history behind it.
    • Paintings that depicted slavery in any form were a prized commodity and sold quickly.

    Here we have a picture of slave being sold to the highest bidder in Rome…

    King Candaules

    Imagine you are the queen of Lydia.

    It is late and you are about to disrobe before your king in the privacy of his royal bedchamber. The monarch is reposing on a sumptuous bed that is perfumed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

    His eyes keep fixated on you as you move toward a chair situated near the doorway of the room. You stand motionless for a time, as is your custom, soaking in your exquisite surroundings through the flickering candlelight.

    He clutches giddily at a plush cushion with trembling hands.

    It is time.

    You pull the ivory pin fastening your hair, shake out your dark-brown curls, and proceed to slip out from your finely embroidered robe and place it on the chair.

    In captivating fashion you let drop your undergarments one after another around you. There you stand before your adoring husband with your youthful form revealed in all its beauty.

    But just then, all of a sudden, a strange sense of being watched creeps over you.

    You cast a furtive glance toward the doorway, instantly recognizing the voyeur peering back at you from the shadows. The interloper gasps. A panicky utterance from the king cannot mask the ensuing patter of feet followed by an awful clatter down the stairs.

    As a succession of muted groans reverberate into the night, you are faced with the infuriating realization that the king was behind the entire plot.

    In the awkward silence that follows you [1] confront the king, [2] cover yourself and scream for the royal guards, or [3] say it was probably just the cat and handle it in the morning.

    If your name is Queen Nyssia, the voyeur is Gyges, and Candaules is king, then you will choose option [3] and handle it in the morning.

    This at any rate is the story as it is related by Herodotus. That is apart from Gyges toppling headlong down the royal staircase, which is an elaboration on the series of events of my own invention.

    Herodotus, in any case, writes in some detail on Candaules’ efforts to persuade Gyges to view his wife:

    This Candaules, then, fell in love with his own wife, so much so that he believed her to be by far the most beautiful woman in the world; 
    
    ...and believing this, he praised her beauty beyond measure to Gyges son of Dascylus, who was his favorite among his bodyguard; 
    
    ...for it was to Gyges that he entrusted all his most important secrets. 
    
    After a little while, Candaules, doomed to misfortune, spoke to Gyges thus: 
    
    “Gyges, I do not think that you believe what I say about the beauty of my wife; men trust their ears less than their eyes: so you must see her naked.”

    Gyges made every attempt to turn down Candaules’ request, but in the end the king’s will prevailed, and he consented to the proposal.

    Nyssia, having surmised all of this, sent for Gyges at dawn the next morning and presented him with a choice:

    • Either commit suicide at once as retribution for his transgression.
    • Murder Candaules and usurp the throne with her as his wife.

    Gyges pleaded with Nyssia to reconsider, but he soon found this to be a hopeless cause, and reluctantly agreed to kill his master. They murdered Candaules in his bed on the very next night.

    After being named king, Gyges legitimised his hold on power, which was still precarious, by securing a favourable declaration from a Delphic oracle.

    The wife of Candaules discovers the hidden Gyges by Dutch painter Eglon Hendrik van der Neer around 1675–80.
    The wife of Candaules discovers the hidden Gyges by Dutch painter Eglon Hendrik van der Neer around 1675–80.

    The oracle coupled a confirmation of Gyges’ right to rule over the Lydians with a prophesy that Candaules’ family – the Heraclids – would take revenge on the usurper in the fifth generation.

    The prophecy proved true, but by that time Gyges was dead.

    In recognition of the oracular endorsement, Gyges had a hoard of gold and silver sent to the shrine at Delphi.

    The delivery included, we are told, six golden mixing-bowls that weighed nearly 800kg when taken all together.

    Gyges reigned for a total of 38 years (from 716 BC to 678 BC according to tradition) and was succeeded by his son Ardys II. No further details on the life of Nyssia are recorded.

    This is the Herodotean narrative of Gyges’ rise to power.

    Modern scholarly opinion has Herodotus drawing on dramatic rather than historical sources, and it has been speculated that his story is based on a tragedy in five acts with three actors and a chorus.

    Heads of the Rebel Beys at the Mosque of El Hasanein, Cairo

    Bey, Turkish Bey, Old Turkish Beg, Arabic Bay, or Bey, title among Turkish peoples traditionally given to rulers of small tribal groups, to members of ruling families, and to important officials. 
    
    Under the Ottoman Empire a bey was the governor of a province, distinguished by his own flag (sancak, liwa). 
    
    In Tunis after 1705 the title become hereditary for the country’s sovereign. Later “bey” became a general title of respect in Turkish and Arab countries, added after a personal name and equivalent to “esquire” (or “sir” in conversation) in English. In the 20th-century Turkish republic, bey, though surviving in polite conversation, was replaced by bay before the name (equivalent to “Mr.”).
    
    -Bey | Turkish title | Britannica

    I would imagine that this is the display of the chopped off heads of rebels in Egypt. Little else is known about this work. Certainly one can let their imagination run wild and contemplate a group of rebels that want to wrest control of the government from the egyptian leadership..

    And that is one of the beautiful things about Orientalism. You look at the beautiful images of far-away and distant lands and contemplate what the story might be behind those images…

    Slave Market

    Then as today, much of the Arab world engages in slave trading. Here we see an image that was sure to shock the Victorian sensibilities of Europe. Shocking; where a Caucasian woman is displayed as a slave for purchase.

    Recently I found myself at the Clark Art Institute in Massachusetts, standing in front of an orientalist image. Together with a colleague I was looking at The Slave Market by Jean-Léon Gérôme, painted in 1866, only one year after the official abolition of slavery in the US. The caption of the painting said the following:
    
    A young woman has been stripped by a slave trader and presented to a group of fully clothed men for examination. A prospective buyer probes her teeth. This disturbing scene is set in a courtyard market intended to suggest the Near East. The vague, distant location allowed nineteenth-century French viewers to censure the practice of slavery, which was outlawed in Europe, while enjoying a look at the female body.
    
    My colleague repeated the words in a whisper: indeed, highly disturbing. I couldn’t respond, unsure whether I was really disturbed by the painting or rather by the official institutional rendering of my emotions. I had no courage to stand there longer and dwell on the scenery of the slave market, because the atmosphere created by the museum’s visitors seemed to force me away from what was supposed to be disturbing.
    
    -e-flux

    Un Bain Maure ­ Femme Turque au Bain, No.2

    A Moorish Bath – Turkish Woman Bathing, No.2

    I love this painting. It’s got mood, and “environment”. You can imagine a steamy bath with dim shadows, and piercing rays of incredibly bright sunlight piercing through the gloom.

    Qui que tu sois, voici ton maitre

    Whoever you are, here is your master

    It looks to me that cupid has control over all animals of the world. I see lions, tigers and other cats… perhaps an panther. But nothing else. I wonder if this is a statement about love, or a statement about cats… It’s hard to tell which.

    The Terrace of the Seraglio

    I like to believe that Gerome was unaware of adding romanticism in his works. However, the classical rigorously composition, strong oriental flavor and exotic atmosphere made people feel his romantic trend.

    In 1856 Gerome went to Egypt and the Near East and developed his keen interest in the oriental culture. Therefore he painted many works depicting the local customs of Egyptian and Near Eastern societies. After the exhibition at the Paris salon, his works created a great sensation.

    In 1868, he followed the geologists through the Sinai desert and arrived in port Alexander in Cairo. Regardless of this very dangerous journey, the oriental culture gave the painter a very deep impression. The Arabia market, Turkey bathroom and bath of maids, Islamic religious ceremonies, and the chambers with the mysterious colors seemed to be mysterious, interesting, beautiful and amazing.

    The Terrace of the Seraglio made by Gerome depicted the most secret imperial life of the Arabia palace. And this painting also portrayed the lives of the princesses and the maids.

    Some were in the bath, some were chatting, and some were meditating…almost all showed a melancholy and vacant look.

    The beautiful terrace was as cold as a cell suffering the oppression. Only the outside gazebo had the clear sky and the fresh air. Both the composition and color processing were left with the classical principle of preciseness, harmonious contrast and attention to detail, characters, clothing and building which were especially important to the performance of the texture and the exotic sense.

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    The construction of a DIY dimensional portal for world-line travel (part 9) frequency visualization using Mandelbrot sets.

    Here, in this post we are going to take a look at ways to convert the “frequencies of location” into a map with coordinates.

    There is no right or wrong way to do this. In fact, there are many, many ways. Each with it’s own benefits and liabilities.

    Consider this scenario

    It’s easy enough to imagine a map with two sets of geographical coordinates. Right?

    Conventional mapping of Geo-positioning coordinates.
    Conventional mapping of Geo-positioning coordinates.

    Now, add time. Where each coordinate can go “into the past”, stay in the present, or “move into the future”.

    Adding coordinates that represent time at a given geographical location.
    Adding coordinates that represent time at a given geographical location.

    Now, add an entirely new set of criteria. It’s a big enormous set that describes variations in a world-line, for each coordinate. And the variations are nearly infinite, so it’s a very wide and open-ended coordinate. The only way that you can reasonably control all the many, many variations of a world-line variation is comparative. Using the current baseline, what is the delta changes to it?

    Adding the coordinates of world-line variations to the map.
    Adding the coordinates of world-line variations to the map.

    When you break things down simply, it really isn’t that difficult.

    The coordinate system that you use has really three major components to it. These are as described above. They are [1] geographic location, [2] time, and [3] world-line variation from egress coordinates.

    Thus…

    Coordinate = [1] location + [2] time + [3] world-line variation.

    Converting frequencies into something that you can map

    Unfortunately, the system that we have laid out describes the collection of frequencies of location with an isolation of the frequencies associated with the traveler. We need to convert that into a usable map.

    We need to, don’t you know.

    Well, it’s going to be pretty difficult to identify where you are in the enormous MWI. It’s darn near impossible to identify who you are relative to a near infinite number of world-lines that surround you. Not to mention all the variations and the changes associated with a destination coordinate.

    It will look like a long string of numbers, in a long, thick book.

    And because of this, it really isn’t very useful. You need to convert those numbers into a map that you can read, chart a course, and execute a travel algorithm.

    Here we talk about this.

    Why bother?

    When I entered the fixed dimensional portal so many years back, the destination coordinates were in the form of long strings of numbers on bound print outs. It was the height of technology at the time, and the Commander made tweaks to the destination values upon reviewing my printed out handout.

    Here is a bound stack of computer printout sheets nearly identical to what was used when I first entered the fixed dimensional portal…

    Bound stack of computer printout sheets that described the destination coordinates that I was to be sent to.
    Bound stack of computer printout sheets that described the destination coordinates that I was to be sent to.

    In those days, most computers did not have a monitor or screen. Those few that did were pretty much a visual display that showed green colored text on a black background. Instead, the worker would sit behind a “terminal” and type. It in many ways resembled an electric typewriter, and had the added advantage of leaving a defined paper trail record of your keystrokes.

    It looked something like this…

    Late 1970's to the early 1980's high technology in computers and office equipment.
    Late 1970’s to the early 1980’s high technology in computers and office equipment.

    At that time, there was little option to do anything else. Visualization of large sets of data, or other systems for better and more understandable information retention and exchange was embryonic. We just used the systems available to us, as crude as they were at the time.

    It’s not that the visualization of large data sets was unknown, it’s just that we didn’t have the tools necessary to organize the data.

    The first instances of infographics as we know them today – as data made visual – dates back to the late 1700s with a chart of wheat prices and labor wages. The creator, William Playfair, might be considered the father of modern day infographics.

    The key to infographics is that the brain processes images more readily than words: A picture really was worth a thousand words.

    For instance, here is an infographic that discusses slavery in the Southern United States prior to the American Civil War;

    Infographic example.
    Infographic example.

    In the example above, you can clearly see where Slavery was the most prevalent, and where it was scarce. You can also be able to deduce and extrapolate information from this graphic. That is the benefits of an infographic as opposed to large streams of numbers.

    The advantage of visualization of large complex number sets

    As computer technology became more and more sophisticated, a new branch of technology came into being. This was known as “information visualization”, and most reader have probably heard of it. Because “infographics” is a well understood off-shoot of this technology.

    The importance of this should not be overlooked.

    Relevant data sets would be highlighted, while other data sets could be ignored. As such, there are many different shapes and forms that they can be displayed into. The best one depends on the application.

    For instance, here is a “tree” data visualization style.

    A complex data set visualized using "tree" structure and organization.
    A complex data set visualized using “tree” structure and organization.

    And here is a “cluster” visualization style.

    Cluster visualization style.
    Cluster visualization style.

    In regards to visualization of the enormous sets of data associated with world-line portal coordinates, it is important that the visualization be such that it is easy to understand, and equally easy to plot out destinations.

    Visualizing frequencies

    This technology has actually been around for a while. Anyone who has any of a zillion audio players on their computer can observe the ever changing music (frequencies of sound) depicted in eye-catching arrays for amusement purposes.

    In the 1980's the amplitude of various frequencies were isolated and presented in a bar-code format as lighted LED bars.
    In the 1980’s the amplitude of various frequencies were isolated and presented in a bar-code format as lighted LED bars. Here, 16 frequencies are shown with the various amplitudes of the isolated signals.

    In these applications, we watch with amusement how the visual designs change with the changes in the music. Fun, huh?

    But it gets old.

    What we want is something similar, but quite different. We do not want to watch the frequencies of location change. We only want to see what the frequencies of location are. Then “freeze it” and then manipulate each one precisely to obtain our objectives (what ever they might be)…

    • Geographic
    • Time
    • World-line

    So what we need is a software program that will take all theses frequencies, broken down into a large number of very tiny separate frequencies, and display that in a pictorial format.

    What we need is a special map display

    What we want is a display of all the frequencies of location, compared to amplitude. Something along these lines…

    Graph of amplitude of various frequencies at a set point in time.
    Graph of amplitude of various frequencies at a set point in time.

    But with a display of two other characteristics. So instead of just attenuation and frequency, we can also display (in color, and along the Y-axis) timbre, and pitch (to use audio terms) at any frozen moment in time.

    A coordinate of location can be described by five characteristics: Wavelength, Amplitude, Time-Period, Frequency and Velocity.

    Mandelbrot set

    If you manage to plot out these data visualizations you might be surprised to discover that they start to appear as Mandelbrot sets.

    A mandelbrot set
    A mandelbrot set.
    The Mandelbrot set is the set of complex numbers c for which the function fc(z)=z²+c does not diverge when iterated from z=0, i.e., for which the sequence fc(0), fc(fc(0)), etc., remains bounded in absolute value. Its definition is credited to Adrien Douady who named it in tribute to the mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot. The set is connected to a Julia set, and related Julia sets produce similarly complex fractal shapes.
    
    -Wikipedia

    Without getting to involved in the mathematics involved, any set of coordinates (which are the gravitational frequencies measured at the portal) can be reduced to equations. These are equations of location, and can be simplified to involve complex numbers.

    Now, the purpose of this conversion is to help visualize the components of the various frequencies so that changes and alterations can be made. Once these groupings are identified, then they can be altered so that the actual data is used when defining coordinate changes.

    It works something like this…

    Clusters shown within the Mandelbrot set can be useful to alter and revise coordinates. For instance, a primary bulb might represent the characteristics of a given time, while "antennas" might represent attributes of a given world-line.
    Clusters shown within the Mandelbrot set can be useful to alter and revise coordinates. For instance, a primary bulb might represent the characteristics of a given time, while “antennas” might represent attributes of a given world-line.

    So, in short, we can use mathematics and convert the frequencies of location into another form using complex numbers. Then we can graph the result. It will appear as a Mandelbrot set.

    Through a series of experiments, we should be able to identify which characteristics of the Mandelbrot set has the greatest relevance for us, and then modify the destination coordinates appropriately.

    But…

    But there is more…

    Fractals

    If you study the Mandelbrot set you might be able to identify fractals with “self similarity”. These little mathematical nuances can help you determine the relative stability of a world-line.

    Stability? What are you talking about?

    I am talking about the anchoring of world-lines, and how world-lines tend to cluster together. Our consciousness tend to cycle through world-lines rather rapidly. So the moment you enter a new world-line, you are off on the way to other ones.

    It’s called “time”, don’t you know.

    Well, if we want a world-line, say where the most popular food is pineapple on pizza (why? Why Lord, why?) and when we get there, we suddenly discover after a few seconds that no one eats pineapple on pizza. And so we think, “WTF? What happened?”

    The abomination of pineapple on pizza.
    The abomination of pineapple on pizza.

    What happened was that we arrived at our destination world-line, but it was not stable.

    So we want stability, and thus we want to find forms and shapes within the Mandelbrot set that are prone for fractal behavior.

    In mathematics, a fractal is a self-similar subset of Euclidean space whose fractal dimension strictly exceeds its topological dimension. Fractals appear the same at different levels, as illustrated in successive magnifications of the Mandelbrot set. 
    
    Fractals exhibit similar patterns at increasingly small scales called self similarity, also known as expanding symmetry or unfolding symmetry; if this replication is exactly the same at every scale, as in the Menger sponge, it is called affine self-similar. Fractal geometry lies within the mathematical branch of measure theory.
    
    -Wikipedia

    To find specific values to manipulate during the visualization of the data set, you will find that other mathematical manipulations might become useful. Such is the case with fractals.

    Higuchi and Katz fractal.
    Higuchi and Katz fractal.

    Conclusion

    By converting the frequencies of location into Mandelbrot sets, we can create a map that we can use to plot our travel through the MWI. This is true whether it is geographical, involve time-travel or exploring the near-infinite variations of different world-lines.

    Happy exploring.

    Happy exploring.
    Happy exploring.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my DIY World-Line Dimensional Portal index here…

    DIY Teleportation

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE .
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
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    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

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    What is so special and great about the human race from an extraterrestrial point of view (part 1)

    I haven't been posting too many "extraterrestrial" things lately. But, I've got some followers that live for this kind of stuff. So, in the interests of balance, I'm gonna post this article. And it will most probably anger the rest of my readership in the process.

    Ahem…

    Here goes…

    If you were to have an ongoing conversation with an extraterrestrial, and ask them what they thought about the human race, and the human species, what would they say? What do you think they would say?

    Well, here I am going to tell you.

    Well, actually, I’m going to tell you (in my way) what one particular species thinks, anyways. I just can’ speak for every species. Just those with whom I’m exposed to.

    So…

    Is it our culture? Is it our society? It is out spirituality? Is it our technology? Is it our attractiveness? It is our various religions? Is it our adaptability? Is it our kindness? What is it?

    Nope.

    None of the above.

    It is our “human-ness”.

    What?

    There are many species out in our universe (though I am only referring to those in our immediate vincinity) and they all have their own societies, and their own technologies, and their own histories, and all of that. What makes the human species “special” is our unique “human-ness”.

    What is “human-ness”?

    A trait.

    It’s a trait that is very difficult to put into words because it is a comparative measure. It is not something that is recognized by us as having. It’s something you see and appreciate when you compare humans to other species. We don’t know it exists because we can’t see it.

    We are it.

    If you compare species A, to species B, to species C, and then to humans, you will not help but to be amazed at our “human-ness”.

    Well…

    Maybe “amazed” is not the right word. Perhaps a better one woould be “pleased”, or “pleasantly amused”, or “comforted”.

    Human-ness

    Now I am going to upset some people, but do not shoot the messenger. OK?

    Don’t shoot the messenger is an admonition to not blame the bearer of bad news. It is often used when someone reveals a difficult truth that the listener does not want to hear. It reminds the listener that the truth is not the fault of the person revealing the truth.
    
    - grammarist.com

    The best example that I know of that highlights and showcases our “human-ness” is the various shades of Japanese culture and society. I know this because of <redacted>.

    And it occured to me that perhaps there are others who might want to know about what makes humans so “unique”.

    Well, we are sort-of unique, because <redacted>.

    It has been “thrown into my face” on numerous occasions by <redacted> that the Japanese have some really inherent attributes that highlight the human species. And while most of the world might think that the Japanese are bonkers crazy, they are not viewed as such by non-humans.

    They are instead viewed as sublime.

    Sublime;
    
    "of such excellence, grandeur, or beauty as to inspire great admiration or awe."

    In fact, the Japanese are probably (I am not too far out of line here) the most approachable culture of humans because of their saturation of human-ness qualities. This has been impressed to me numerous times, and on different occasions.

    The Japanese culture and socity is infused with “human-ness”.

    I know that it is going to upset many people, but Americans are not high on the list of being appreciated or even understood by the extraterrestrials that I know of.

    The Japanese are.

    And while you might snort, and laugh, you all have to realize that there are many things that we humans have but do not appreciate or understand. The Japanese culture and society highlights these characteristics and enlarges them. And, well… “showcases” our “human-ness”

    A descriptive video

    The following is a video that (I personally believe) is filled with examples of what “human-ness” is and now it is used. The group is “World Order”, and the song is “have a nice day”.

    I could have picked out any number of other videos.

    I chose this one because it seems to have the widest range of “human-ness” related events that I have found. (I am sure that there are better candidates, but I don’t have all day, don’t you know.)

    And yeah. I know.

    It’s bat-shit, off the wall, bonkers nuts.

    But, it displays our “human-ness”.

    Here is a few embeds of Videos of world order have a nice day. I hope that they are able to play. I have put a few embeds as I don't know which one will work in your region.

    Try YouTube first…

    You tube

    If you cannot access the embed on YouTube, then try metatube…

    Metatube

    <iframe src='http://www.metatube.com/en/videos/229550/WORLD-ORDER-HAVE-A-NICE-DAY-OFFICIAL-MUSIC-VIDEO/embed/' width='750' height='390'></iframe>

    Cat videos

    You know how we like to watch “cat videos”?

    Well, it’s sort of like that. When we watch cat videos we are admiring the cats being feline in all it’s glory. Well, it’s sort of like that. You might go as far as to say that the <redacted> like to watch Japanese Music Videos to enjoy our human-ness…

    …except they do something different. But it’s like that. It really is.

    Instead of videos, of course, they <redacted>.

    The attributes

    In the above video is at least 35 scenes or elements of “human-ness”. Can you identify what they are? Can you see why they would be appreciated by another species?

    Or maybe you can’t.

    If you think that the Japanese are too off the wall, and not “with the program” then I am not making myself clear. The qualities that make us human; our human-ness is our relationships with others and how we interface with the universe within our reality.

    Watch the video again, if you still “don’t get it”.

    Pay attention to the interactions between the individuals, both singular and in groups. Note the interaction of the groups of people with things and items. These characteristics define our human-ness.

    Like anything… it is our relationships with others, and our actions and thoughts that define our sentience. That is what makes us attractive.

    Do you want some more?

    I have more posts about extraterrestrials in my extraterrestrial index here…

    Extraterrestrials

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE .
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

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    False Positives in an affirmation intention campaign and what to do about them.

    One thing that can be pretty common in an intention campaign is the presence of “false positives”.

    What is a “false positive”?

    False positives are events or things that appear to match your verbal affirmations in substance, but have some glaring defect that makes them unusable.

    Which is why you need to be very specific in what you affirm.

    Ah, but you'd better be very specific.
    
    Here's some wishes that an Craven Morehead wanted if he could have three wishes granted by a genie. It is found in this chat room titled "Genie grants you three wishes, what are they?"
    
       Better vision, no more glasses
       Better teeth
       Bigger dick
    
    Now, if you were a mischievous person, how would you twist those wishes into something undesirable? Think about it a second.
    
    Now, instead of that nice fairy-tale fantasy. Consider quantum physics and the nature of the universe. Thoughts create reality. So, if those are your wishes, then imagine a totally impartial world-line cross over where you head directly to the world-line that first offers you those destinations.
    
    Is the first world-line that offers you a "bigger dick" the one that you want to inhabit?
    
       Kenyan's enormous penis means he cannot have sex
       Penis Enlargement Gone Wrong: A Wealthy Diamond Trader ...
       Yes, a Penis Can Be Too Big To Fit Inside a Vagina
    
    Personally, I would prefer to have "free, unlimited sex with anyone I want at any time" over "a bigger dick". But that is just me.

    These attributes are called “false positives”, but they can just as well be called an “echo image” of your target desire. Here we are going to discuss this.

    Like ripples in a pond, a target object or situation can often create “ghost” or “echo” images. These items are not necessarily exactly what you are striving for. Though, it might (truthfully) be exactly what you are asking for.

    Thoughts within the MWI are like ripples in a pond. And when you have a strong directed goal, it is like a big ripple. Sometimes, the ripple is not exactly what we want. It is instead, exactly what we asked for. Thus it is a "ghosted echo image".
    Thoughts within the MWI are like ripples in a pond. And when you have a strong directed goal, it is like a big ripple. Sometimes, the ripple is not exactly what we want. It is instead, exactly what we asked for. Thus it is a “ghosted echo image”.

    I will use an example from my own life to illustrate this.

    An example

    This is an actual true to life example. It's my example and it is about me.

    Metallicman is not a wealthy man. He lives a comfortable life; a “rich” life. But it is not a wealthy life.

    • If you do not know the difference between a “wealthy life” and a “rich life” then watch the movie “Bronco Billy” starring Clint Eastwood. Pay attention to Miss Lilly.
    Bronco Billy.
    Pay attention how Miss Lilly went from a wealthy life to a rich life.

    To survive, and put food on the table, Metallicman often runs “projects”, works, and efforts that help himself and his family with the day to day needs of life. One of which is a small company that he owns that provides services.

    It’s not big, or noteworthy other than to say that it provides a periodic income when needed. And, aside from income, it also provides purpose and meaning. All men, especially Metallicman, must have an occupation and a purpose that provides for their family and to their community.

    So after losing a customer, Metallicman decides that he wants to obtain a new customer. But a substantial one. One that has a lot of money to work with, and who would provide a stable source of labor and income to his business.

    So Metallicman adds this line to his “affirmation campaign”…

    I am in charge of billions of dollars of worth/value.

    Now, Metallicman did not say that he was a billionaire. He did not say that he wanted to be rich and wealthy. He added a line to a affirmation campaign that referred to his business. That his business would expand to a point where he would be in charge of billions of dollars of worth / value.

    Safe, huh?

    The affirmation campaign ends. The “pause” sequence begins. Then approximately three months after the completion of the last affirmation campaign, while in the midst of the “pause”, he is introduced to a new (potential) client.

    The client’s story

    Well, Metallicman is in China. Most of his clients are not Chinese though. They are mostly Europeans, with a smattering of Australians and Africans. But this new client is a Chinese American. He’s a Chinese man who emigrated to America and holds American citizenship.

    His story…

    Now, while he was in China, over the last twenty years, he would take the United States Dollars that Americans would use to set up companies, and convert them into RMB and give the RMB back to the new Americans starting their businesses within China. He would exchange, for a price, USD to RMB.

    United States dollars were exchanged for Chinese RMB.
    United States dollars were exchanged for Chinese RMB.

    Then he would keep the United States dollars himself. For he did not trust the Chinese yuan. And in those days, having “green backs” could open up a lot of doors for you.

    It kind of became an obsession with him, and he started collecting more and more United States currency. And using it to create even more United States currency.

    He would have piles of currency in his home, and they would get larger and larger. Until he had to rent out a large building to store them in. It was a real-life scene from the movie “Blow”.

    Scene from the movie "Blow" starring Johnny Depp.
    Scene from the movie “Blow” starring Johnny Depp.

    Well, apparently, the care-taking of the money became too much for him. He ran out of space in his multiple holding locations, and went to a local bank.

    He opened up an account, all completely legal, and deposited the money into the account. “Phew!” he thought. No longer did he have to worry about rats chewing up his money, or some punks breaking into the buildings and running off with the cash.

    A year or two passed.

    Then, as part of an anti-corruption campaign, the Chinese government made some laws designed to combat fraud and corruption. They established a new branch of the government called the “Corruption Police” and passed a slew of laws designed to tightly control money flow and reduce corruption.

    Part of this was drastic measures in the use of non-Chinese money; the RMB.

    The key was that you can only use Chinese money in China. Which is (pretty much) a “duh! moment”. But for the longest time, people were conducting all sorts of “back room” deals and activities hidden from public oversight.

    Anyways, the law was that no one can move non-Chinese currency inside of outside China without oversight.

    • Max use limit is 50,000 USD/year per person. (In / out or transaction.)
    • All movement of money must have an approved reason, and documentation. Mostly paperwork, but used as part of your citizen profile.
    • You cannot use USD inside of China legally. You must use RMB.

    So in effect, he has all this money, but he cannot use any of it (aside from a very small amount).

    Metallicman opportunity

    So this man comes up to Metallicman though his financial advisor and asks if Metallicman can help him convert this money into legal RMB currency.

    Metallicman listens.

    Metallicman thinks.

    Metallicman asks “how much money is it”?

    And Metallicman is shown some banking financial records that confirm that the money is real, and it is in legal storage with an authorized Chinese bank.

    And…

    … as far as how much money is involved, Metallicman is shown this statement…

    Bank statement.
    A golden opportunity for Metallicman.

    What this means.

    People. This is a lot of money.

    It’s floor to ceiling stacks of one hundred dollar bills. It’s not just a large number in a ledger or spreadsheet. It’s stacks and stacks of one hundred dollar bills piled on top of each other.

    It’s an amazing amount of money.

    Here is what one billion dollars looks like if you used $100 bills;

    What one billion dollars looks like using $100 dollar bills.
    What one billion dollars looks like using $100 dollar bills.

    Now, that is a lot of money.

    But, you know, it’s not just one billion dollars. It’s many many times that amount.

    The thing is that he has 23.6 billion dollars. That is twenty three times the amount shown in the picture. Or roughly 276 pallets full of $100 dollar bills.

    (whistle!)

    And, he was asking Metallicman to help him convert it to Chinese RMB.

    A one-in-a-lifetime opportunity? Eh?

    The Options

    Essentially in situations such as this, you [1] come up with ways to solve the problem / situation, and [2] work out a system of payment for your time and efforts (and resources).

    So that is exactly what Metallicman did.

    • The first option was really simple. You just find enough people, and each person individually converts 50,000 USD to an equivalent amount in Chinese RMB. The only problem with this is that you need a lot of people to do so. Like 472,000 people.

    That’s really not a practicable solution.

    Finding people that want to convert this money one-on-one for free is difficult. But to find more than a handful is really difficult, and well finding 472,000 people is down right impossible.

    So the direct legal option is out.

    But there are other options, as well.

    • You can use option two. Here, you can use the money on large scale buildings, or purchase property or large projects directly. The restrictions on this is that [1] you must first find someone wanting and willing to accept USD for property or objects, and secondly [2] it must be within the geographic legal boundaries of the local government. (In China, while Beijing makes the rules, everything is governed at the local level.)

    Well, apparently he did just that. And already used up a bunch of the money in the process. So much, apparently, that the builders, and real-estate developers in his region are simply no longer willing to accept United States dollars for their projects. He saturated the market.

    • Option Three. There is an option that he can obtain Beijing approval to use the money outside of the local region for a specific project. This option allows him to conduct large-scale investments and building projects using USD as long as there is complete Beijing and corruption police monitoring.

    He was not keen on this idea.

    He did not say why, but I suspected that it might have to do with some “bad blood” in Beijing or perhaps some history regarding how he was able to come up with so much currency in the first place.

    So that leaves…

    • Option Four. I came up with option four knowing my relationships with factories and other hard industry within China. I came up with a process that would use the money to produce ingots or other raw materials bought in USD, and then sell it to Chinese factories that would pay in RMB. It was simple. It was legal. It was useful.

    The drawback was that there would be operation costs to run the operation, but that would be offset by the profits from the transactions. In my mind, this was the best option to disperse the money, follow Chinese law, and make a profit.

    But the Billionaire had other ideas…

    Well, Metallicman made the presentation with his aide over dinner with the financial advisor and her partner. After a round of talking and drinks it became obvious what the billionaire was looking for.

    • A direct conversion of USD to RMB. Cash to cash.
    • Large scale transactions with nothing smaller than increments of $10 million.
    • He would pay 1% transaction fee. (around $10,000 per 1 million dollars)

    And, with a great deal of sadness and regret, I had to say “no”.

    Why I turned it down…

    There were many reasons, but let’s stick to the basics…

    • I do not know that many people who are desirous to convert their RMB to USD directly. The need is not there.
    • The number of people who do want to do so is very small. The desire to conduct “under the table” dealings in untraceable bills is even smaller. In China, with all the electronic “checks and balances” it is a very risky operation. To do so needs a strong and compelling reason.

    Thus…

    • While not directly illegal, it skirts the law in legality. It’s risky.
    • To find these people, locate them, meet them, have dinner with them, and convince them to trust you… takes time, money and a substantial amount of “wining and dining”.
    • A mere $10,000 dollar per one million dollars will not be sufficient. There would need to be some type of expense account, and it would exceed the payment terms by a factor of five or ten.

    So what does this mean?

    A false positive.

    A "False Positive";
    
    A test result which incorrectly indicates that a particular condition or attribute is present.

    This 23.6 billion dollar opportunity was unobtainable to me. While it did meet my verbal affirmation prayer campaign literally, it did not meet its’ intent. I was unable to use the money in any way to provide a stable source of income to me and my family.

    If you recall, my affirmation stated…

    I am in charge of billions of dollars of worth/value.

    Indeed, for a very brief period of time, I was actually “in charge of billions of dollars of worth and value“. But it was not sustainable. I could not profit from it because the limitations placed upon it by the owner were not appropiate for my management.

    Yet, even as I was unable to [1] find people that were [2] willing to convert the transaction, my prayer affirmations were still valid and did actually materialize…

    But it was not what I wanted.

    Why?

    • I was willing to work for a payment scheme, but the scheme suggested by the client was not realistic for the task / opportunity.
    • What the client wanted was outside my skill base, my knowledge level, and my network of contacts.
    • (In regards to my affirmation campaign), I did not specify exactly how I would profit from this relationship, just that I would be “in charge”.

    This is a pretty dangerous condition to place within your affirmation campaign.

    • Open ended.
    • Not specifying how you would benefit from it.

    For instance, if you state something along the lines of “I work in a big company”, you could very well end up…

    …in a situation that you might not like…

    …like, perhaps, being the janitor (figuratively) “handcuffed” to a job you might not want or like.

    You do not want that.

    In this universe you need to work from the world-line that you are inhabiting, and then adjust your thoughts accordingly so as to best fit your desires.

    Let me explain…

    You are always “half way” there…

    While the objective of managing a multi-billion dollar account is still in place, it is not exactly what I desire. As it stands. But…

    But…

    … do not give up. The game is not yet over.

    Get a grip! The game is not yet over. You need to calm down, and come up with a plan.
    Get a grip! The game is not yet over. You need to calm down, and come up with a plan. You now know more than what you did before. You know what options you have and are far closer to realizing your objectives than before.

    You are still in play. The thoughts are still working for you and they are still manifesting the reality that you desire.

    You just need to adjust them.

    You need to perform a “course correction”.

    What is a course correction? 
    
    When a spacecraft gets off of its trajectory, or path through space, it must be put back on the right path. The location of the spacecraft is determined and its course vector (the speed and direction of its flight) is calculated.
    
    -What is a course correction?

    Of all the millions of world-lines that I traversed in the MWI, I did manage to reach a cluster that contained “billions of dollars in resources” that I can exploit.

    Just because that particular opportunity is not my ideal condition, it does not mean that the opportunity is gone. It’s not. Rather you are actually looking at the outside of a very enormous iceberg, and you need to conduct a course correction to exploit it to your advantage.

    Here's a mind exercise.
    
    Imagine that you want to become a figurative painter in Paris, France. 
    
    To this end, you conduct a prayer affirmation campaign.
    
    And after a few years you suddenly find yourself in Belgium. It is not France, but it is close.
    
    You are not painting figures, but you are dating a woman with a large dancing studio with enough room for you to "dabble in your hobby". You occupation in Belgium permits you to have plenty of time to drink wine, paint (a factory that makes oils for painting is down the street - offering discount prices), and continue your painting dream.
    
    It's not exactly what you want, but it is getting closer and closer to your goal.

    In this situation…

    Well in this situation, what options do I have?

    There are numerous options, let’s review them.

    • Accept the terms of the Billionaire. Try to find clients and convert USD to RMB and accept his payment terms.
    • Renegotiate with the Billionaire. Try to find clients to convert USD to RMB but with payment terms to my own satisfaction plus all expenses paid for.
    • Renegotiate with the Billionaire, have him accept my proposal to perform factory to factory commodity trading to convert the money.
    • Drop the entire opportunity completely.

    In any event, regardless as to how the physical matter is dealt with, there does need to be a readjustment and course correction to the verbal affirmations used within the prayer / affirmation campaign.

    It should have elements that maintain…

    • Sustainability and duration. Or how long will this goal last for.
    This reminds me of a Twilight Zone episode. Where she granted a man his wish to be able to fly. 
    
    So he jumps of the 50 story building window, and indeed he could fly. He laughed and flew. He felt the wind on his face and on his arms.
    
    The only thing was that the contract did not specify the duration of his ability. And so after 30 seconds he fell to his death.
    Funny thing about this contract, it did not specify the duration of how long you could fly for…

    Do not assume anything in regards to your affirmations. If you want to have a nice, long duration customer, that will use your services, and from which you can profit from; then SPECIFY IT.

    I am in charge of this money for many years.
    • And secondly, you need to specify how this relationship will benefit you personally…
    I make a very nice salary, profits, interest, and margin in transactions regarding this money.
    
    I am able to use the money to provide a stable source of income to me and my family.
    
    I attend KTVs, eat fine food, meet interesting and sexy girls as part of dealing with this money.

    A false positive

    False positives often occur within affirmation / prayer campaigns.

    Our natural reaction when a false positive occurs is to assume that exactly what we have specified within our prayer campaign has actually manifested. But this is an illusion. We need to study what has manifested, and then adust our affirmations accordingly. Remember, just because it looks like what you asked for, might not be what you actually want.

    This might be such things as “the man of your dreams”, or “the house of your dreams”. You take what is presented to you, and then you make course corrections.

    Your prayer affirmation campaigns never end. They only adjust and reorient to new information, and you should be constantly and constantly refining and redefining them.

    May your deepest dreams come true.

    May your deepest desires come true.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts on this subject in my Intention Index here…

    Intention Campaigns

    Do you want to see similar posts?

    I hope that you found this post curious. Please take care. You can view other similar posts in my SHTF Index, here…

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    Some selected Favorite artworks by Lawrence Alma-Tadema

    This post is a selection of artworks by artist Lawrence Alma-Tadema. In his life, he produced at least 362 artworks. In the art world, he is classified as a “Netherlands Victorian Neoclassical, Olympian Classical Revivalist painter and draftsman”. He was born 1/8/1836 and died 6/28/1912. His works are awesome.

    There is no other way to say this. His works, each and every single one of them, are masterpieces. These little tiny pictures just do not do them justice. You need to go and see the HD version and look at the details close up.

    He is stunning and his works are wonderful. It has been said by “art experts” that they are “cold, sterile, and obsolete” and not deserving presentation in a museum. But I disagree with that perception. I find them intriguing, worthy of contemplation, and physically beautiful. I had the opportunity to see of his his works up from and close, and the level of detail astounded me.

    Here is only a small tiny overview of some of my favorites. Since he painted in enormous canvases, the level of observed detail here is just pitiful. You all should see his works up close and in all it’s amazing and glorious detail.

    Rather than discuss the emotions garnered by the expressions on the canvasses of James Jacques Joseph Tissot, instead I will emphasize the period histories behind the works. Here, once you know the history behind the illustrations of the art, will you really start to see and understand the 5-D beautify and complexity of the work.

    You can go ahead and see all of his works at the Art Renewal Center here.

    The Roses of Heliogabalus

    We will start with this stunning work.

    Elagabalus or Heliogabalus was the emperor of Rome from 218 to 222. Though his reign was a very short one, he is remembered in history for being one of the most eccentric and vulgar emperors of all time. He was related to the imperial Severan dynasty of Rome through his mother.
    
    -Elagabalus Biography

    Lust, Gluttony, and Sloth. Three of the Seven Deadly Sins are depicted in Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema’s The Roses of Heliogabalus.

    Many other sins are depicted alongside these cardinal vices making this an extremely wicked painting.

    Ah…

    But what’s the story about all the flowers and the flower petals?

    Listen up.

    While the late Victorian world was morally prudish and clad in dark velvets, late Victorian paintings were often morally bankrupt and clad in light silks. Academic paintings were all the rage, and they frequently used juicy historical anecdotes for the basis of their subjects.

    The Roses of Heliogabalus is no exception.

    This painting depicts an infamous party scene hosted by Emperor Heliogabalus.

    The Roman emperor lays nonchalantly, drinks his wine, and observes as his guests below are smothered to death by rose petals. This is the ultimate party prank. This is the ultimate Roman death.

    What?

    Death by flower petals!

    Yes. That is exactly what happened.

    The Roman emperor, after a day / night of eating, drinking and orgies had all the attendees die through suffocation of tiny flower petals.

    No. I am not kidding.

    Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema painted The Roses of Heliogabalus in 1888 when the British Empire was at its peak of power and influence. The Victorians were the undisputed rulers of one-fourth of the world’s land, and the phrase, “The sun never sets on the British Empire,” was penned to describe such a global domain that practically had territories in every time zone.

    The British were proud of their international power, uniting vast regions under the British flag.

    Because of their vast dominion and unrivaled prosperity, the Victorians viewed themselves as the inheritors of the former Roman Empire. They believed they brought civilization to the uncivilized, manners to the unmannered, and morality to the immoral.

    Therefore, with a joyful backward glance, the Victorians reflected on Roman Imperial history with its peaks…

    And with it’s pitfalls…

    Emperor Heliogabalus was definitely a pitfall worthy of note.

    Detail from The Roses of Heliogabalus.
    Detail from The Roses of Heliogabalus.

    Heliogabalus was a Roman Emperor who ruled from 218 to 222. In his short four-year reign he scarred Roman society and the annals of world history with his extremely debauched lifestyle.

    Frequent scandals surrounded Heliogabalus due to his decadent lifestyle and his transgressions against sexual and religious norms.

    He was an extremely unpopular emperor, and he eventually alienated everyone supporting his regime. His lifestyle must have been that ridiculously unacceptable because, after only four years of ruling, Emperor Heliogabalus was assassinated by his family, including his very own grandmother!

    In The Roses of Heliogabalus, Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema depicts one of the most infamous moments in the life of Emperor Heliogabalus.

    It is recorded in the Historia Augusta that Heliogabalus invited guests to his palace one evening to partake in his drinking party and orgy.

    After several hours of drinking heaving wine and swapping sexual partners, his guests were hopelessly intoxicated and tired. They lounged listlessly around the room. While they were so delightfully glowing from the heavy drinking and amusing entertainment, the ceiling above them opened and flutterings of flower petals began to fall.

    At first, the gentle wafting of petals added to the dream-like prettiness of the party. It perfumed the atmosphere with a slight floral scent. It heightened the senses and added pleasure to the moment.

    More petals fell, and more, and more. The petals became a cascade of flowers. More flowers fell, and more descended upon the sleepy guests. A waterfall of petals erupted upon the helpless guests.

    They were showered, covered, and blanketed.

    Puddles formed into lakes that formed into oceans of petals. Hills had become petal mountains, and the guests were smothered under the endlessly growing sea of flowers.

    They breathed… in the tiny petals…

    …and they choked…

    … gasping for air.

    The tiny petals entered their lungs, and they died covered in floral glory.

    The quickening smell of death was masked by the smell of flowers. 

    Floral perfume wafted from the human-infused mountains of flowers. Emperor Heliogabalus was amused by the floral carnage and continued to drink his wine.

    Death was tonight’s real entertainment.

    Detail from the roses of Heliogabalus.
    Detail from the roses of Heliogabalus.

    According to the original source, Historia Augusta, Emperor Heliogabalus used violets and other flowers to suffocate his dinner guests.

    However, Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema uses roses as his method of death.

    During the late Victorian era, when Alma-Tadema painted The Roses of Heliogabalus, roses represented lust and desire in the Victorian language of flowers known as floriography.

    In simple terms, floriography is the language of flowers. The language is spoken by selecting specific flower types with associated meanings to communicate feelings or wishes. Artists too have used floriography to communicate deeper messages in their work. Martin Johnson Heade (1819–1904), Victorian Vase with Flowers of Devotion.
    
    -Floriography: The Secret Language of Victorian Florals

    Roses were a more appropriate flower for Alma-Tadema to paint because violets represented faithfulness and modesty in the Victorian floriography.

    Emperor Heliogabalus was many things, but he was certainly not faithful and modest. Therefore Alma-Tadema smothers the guests of Heliogabalus in roses and not violets, and adds a contemporary meaning his audience would have recognized.

    When Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema displayed The Roses of Heliogabalus in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition of 1888, it was warmly received by the public.

    The public appreciated classical-inspired scenes especially if a moral story could be interpreted.

    Remember, this is the Victorian era, and unpunished vice would not be tolerated!

    The public easily interpreted Alma-Tadema’s symbolism and message: as the guests’ lust was smothered by the lustful rose, so does lust smother the virtuous soul. A contemporary message was conveyed using an ancient anecdote.

    Detail from the roses of Heliogabalus.
    Detail from the roses of Heliogabalus.

    A contemporary message could command a contemporary price. When Sir John Aird, 1st Baronet, commissioned Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema to paint The Roses of Heliogabalus, he paid Alma-Tadema 4,000 GBP.

    The price of 4,000 GBP in 1888 would approximately be 150,000 USD in 2020.

    Alma-Tadema was an appreciated artist in his time, and the price reflects the four months it took Alma-Tadema to create this great work.  

    What is sad is that shortly after Alma-Tadema’s death in 1912, his works and the Academic Style quickly fell out of favor with the public.

    The social changes brought by WWI, the 1920s, and the Great Depression culminated in his works being quickly forgotten and ignored. It was not until the 1960s that his works and the Academic Style began to be reevaluated for their stylistic majesty and clarity.

    The Academic Style is still being reevaluated today, and while it is not as popular as other styles of the same timeframe like Pre-Raphaelites, Impressionism, and Arts & Crafts, the Academic Style has its own masterpieces like Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema’s The Roses of Heliogabalus

    The Roses of Heliogabalus
    Detail from The Roses of Heliogabalus.

    Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema fuses Victorian morality and symbolism with Roman Imperial history in The Roses of Heliogabalus.

    • It brings to life a moment from one of Rome’s most hated and reviled emperors.
    • It brings ancient history to a contemporary audience.
    • It makes it both entertaining and educational.
    • Who knew that a Roman Emperor literally smothered his dinner guests with flowers?

    We have Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema to thank for capturing that humorous anecdote to enliven our next dinner party. The Roses of Heliogabalus is a history lesson on canvas. It is the ultimate party prank. It is the ultimate Roman death.

    Antony and Cleopatra

    Well, everyone knows about Antony and Cleopatra, right? There was a movie, or two, or three, or four… about the couple.

    Well…

    Forget the movie. Let’s consider history.

    Regarded by the Romans as “fatale monstrum”- a fatal omen, Cleopatra is one of the ancient world’s most popular, though elusive figures.

    The pregnant phrase fatale monstrum comes at a crucial point in the third and longest of the three sentences of the ‘Cleopatra Ode’. Before it Cleopatra is being hissed from the stage of history with cries of disapproval; after it she is recalled to receive plaudit after plaudit for her courage and resolution.
    
    -Cleopatra as Fatale Monstrum (Horace, Carm. 1. 37. 21 ...

    The Egyptian Queen has been immortalized by numerous writers and film-makers, most popularly by Shakespeare in Antony and Cleopatra, and by Hollywood in Cleopatra (1963) starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

    The latter work features the memorable image of the enticing young Cleopatra emerging gracefully from an unfurled carpet in front of Roman general Julius Caesar.

    But is Cleopatra to be regarded merely as the lover of Julius Caesar and Mark Antony? Or did she play an important role not only in the history of Egypt, but also in that of the mighty Roman Republic?

    Cleopatra VII Philopator ('father-loving') was born in January 69 BCE in the city of Alexandria, Egypt, the daughter of Ptolemy XII Auletes (117 BCE –51 BCE) and possibly Cleopatra V Tryphaena (c. 95 BCE – c. 57 BCE). 

    Cleopatra was to become the last monarch of the Ptolemaic Empire (established in 323 BCE after the death of Alexander the Great), ruling Egypt from 51 BCE to 30 BCE.

    In 48 BCE Cleopatra had become an ally and lover of Julius Caesar and remained so until his assassination in Rome in March of 44 BCE.

    The death of Caesar threw Rome into turmoil, with various factions competing for control, the most important of these being the armies of Mark Antony (83 BCE– 30 BCE) and Octavian (63 BCE – 14 CE), the former a supporter and loyal friend Caesar, the latter his adopted son.

    In 41 BC Cleopatra was summoned to Tarsus (in modern southern Turkey) by Mark Antony. She is said to have entered the city by sailing up the Cydnus River in a decorated barge. It was a barge with purple sails, all the time while dressed in the robes of the Greek goddess Aphrodite.

    Antony, who equated himself with the god Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, was instantly won over.

    Much like the meeting between Cleopatra and Caesar, both sides saw something in the other which they needed. For Cleopatra it was another opportunity to achieve power both in Egypt and in Rome, for Anthony the support of Rome’s largest and wealthiest client states in his campaign against the might of the Parthians (Parthia was a region in modern north-eastern Iran) was highly desirable.

    At the meeting Cleopatra allegedly requested that her half-sister Arsinoë, living in protection at the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, be executed to prevent any future attempts on her throne.

    Anthony and Cleopatra soon became allies and lovers and he returned with her to Alexandria in 40 BCE.

    In Alexandria Cleopatra and Antony formed a society of “inimitable livers”, which some historians have interpreted as an excuse to lead a life of debauchery, though it was more likely to have been a group dedicated to the cult of the mystical god Dionysus.

    Detail

    In that year Cleopatra bore Antony the twins Alexander Helios (the Sun) and Cleopatra Selene (the Moon).

    The political situation in Rome compelled Antony to return to Italy where he was forced to conclude a temporary settlement with Octavian, part of which was that he married Octavian’s sister, Octavia.

    It was to be three years before he and Cleopatra were to meet again, at the city of Antioch (near the modern Turkey / Syria border) under the shadow of the Octavian’s growing military power in the West.

    Detail

    One result of this meeting was that Cleopatra became pregnant with her third child by Antony (the future Ptolemy Philadelphus); another was that parts of Rome’s eastern possessions came under Cleopatra’s control.

    Celebrations in Alexandria

    In 34 BCE, despite the fact that Antony’s Parthian campaign had been an extravagant failure, Antony and Cleopatra celebrated a mock Roman Triumph in the streets of Alexandria.

    Crowds flocked to the Gymnasium to see the couple seated on golden thrones surrounded by their children, and Antony made a proclamation known today as the ‘Donations of Alexandria’. In this declaration Antony distributed lands held by Rome and Parthia amongst Cleopatra and their children, and proclaimed Caesarion as Caesar’s legitimate son.

    Detail

    Not surprisingly, the ‘Donations of Alexandria’ caused outrage in Rome, where the rumour began to spread that Antony intended to transfer the empire’s capital from Rome to Alexandria.

    In 32 BCE, Octavian had the Senate deprive Antony of his powers and declare war against Cleopatra, calling her a whore and a drunken Oriental.

    To avoid another civil war, Antony was not mentioned in the declaration, but this was to no avail and Antony decided to join the war on Cleopatra’s side.

    The Battle of Actium & the Invasion of Egypt

    The culmination of the war came at the naval Battle of Actium, which took place near the town of Preveza in northwestern Greece, on September 2, 31 BCE.

    Here Mark Antony and Cleopatra’s combined force of 230 vessels and 50,000 sailors were defeated by Octavian’s navy commanded by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, effectively handing control of the Roman world over to Octavian.

    In 30 BCE Octavian invaded Egypt and laid siege to Alexandria. Hopelessly outnumbered, Anthony’s forces surrendered and, in the honourable Roman tradition, Antony committed suicide by falling on his sword.

    The Death of Cleopatra

    After Antony’s death Cleopatra’s was taken to Octavian who informed her that she would be brought to Rome and paraded in the streets as part of his Triumph. Perhaps unable to bear the thought of this humiliation, on August 12, 30 BCE Cleopatra dressed in her royal robes and lay upon a golden couch with a diadem on her brow.

    According to tradition (found in ancient historian Plutarch, for example) she had an asp (an Egyptian cobra), brought to her concealed in a basket of figs, and died from the bite.

    Two of her female servants also died with her.

    Detail

    The asp was a symbol of divine royalty to the Egyptians, so by allowing the asp to bite her, Cleopatra became immortal.

    Other historians (including Joyce Tyldesley) believe that Cleopatra used either a poisonous ointment or a vial of poison to commit suicide.

    Cleopatra had lived thirty nine years, for twenty-two of which she had reigned as queen, and for fourteen she had been Antony’s partner in his empire.

    After her death her son Caesarion was declared pharaoh, but he was soon executed on Octavian’s orders. Her other children were sent to Rome to be raised by Antony’s wife, Octavia.

    Cleopatra represented the last significant threat to Roman authority and her death also marks the end of the Ptolemaic Kingdom.

    The vast treasures of Egypt were plundered by Octavian, and Egypt itself became a new Roman province. Within a few years the Senate named Octavian Augustus and he became the first Roman Emperor, consolidating the western and eastern halves of the Republic into a Roman Empire.

    Octavian later published his biography in which he stripped Cleopatra of her political ability and portrayed her as an immoral foreigner, a temptress of upright Roman men.

    A number of Roman historians and writers (the poets Horace and Lucan for example) reinforced the image of Cleopatra Empire an incestuous, adulterous whore who used sex to try and emasculate the Roman Empire.

    Unfortunately, such Roman propaganda has had a profound influence on the image of Cleopatra that has been passed down into Western culture.

    The real Cleopatra was highly skilled politically (though ruthless with her enemies), popular with her subjects, spoke seven languages, and was said to be the only Ptolemy to read and speak Egyptian.

    It is also a sobering thought to remember how different the history of western civilization might have been if Cleopatra had managed to create an eastern empire to rival the increasing might of Rome, which she very nearly succeeded in doing.

    Detail

    Recent archaeological work has cast some interesting but controversial light on the possible location of Cleopatra’s tomb.

    Greco-Roman historian Plutarch wrote that that Antony and Cleopatra were buried together. Then, in 2008 CE archaeologists from the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities and from the Dominican Republic, working at the Temple of Taposiris Magna, 28 miles west of Alexandria, reported that one of the chambers in the building probably contained the bodies of Cleopatra and Mark Antony.

    The team have so far discovered 22 bronze coins inscribed with Cleopatra’s name and bearing her image, a bust of Cleopatra, and an alabaster mask believed to represent Mark Antony. Work at the site is ongoing, and only time will tell if the archaeologist are correct in their theory that the great couple were interred at such a distance from Alexandria.

    Other works

    You can see that the amount of artistic skill, creativity and history that goes into each of these paintings are not something that you can devote a one or two SEO friendly paragraph to. Art, real serious art, is about humans and our humanity. And when we see these spectacular images, we should also be advised o the history behind the images.

    Or you can check out “modern art”. It is SEO friendly and doesn’t need explanation for discussion. Like this multi-million dollar piece…

    Cy Twombly’s work at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

    If you want SEO friendly art, you can check out these links…

    Ah…

    Don’t get too hot and bothered about it. It’s a way that the ultra-rich can avoid government oversight in large money transfers. They assign a value to a “piece of art” and hand the money to the “artist”. He then gives a sizable portion back (a kick back scheme) and volia(!) money suddenly goes “off the books”.

    Most nations are unable to tax, track and regulate works of art. So the very wealthy use it as a mechanism to “launder money” legally.

    May 19, 2017 · I wake up in cold sweats because of that god damn stupid blue painting being sold for 44 million dollars. It’s garbage. It’s idiotic. It’s nothing better than a starvin Marvin could do with his toes with his last dying breath. But some asshole decided it’s “art” so it’s worth 44 million dollars. Fuck youuuuuuuuuuuu.
    
    -Nothing Triggers Me As Much As God Damn Stupid Prices …

    So, yeah.

    It’s all a fraud.

    Enough of the scams…

    Here’s some other works by this great artist. Each one can have an entire chapter devoted to it….

    The Colosseum

    Colosseum, also called Flavian Amphitheatre, giant amphitheatre built in Rome under the Flavian emperors. Construction of the Colosseum was begun sometime between 70 and 72 ce during the reign of Vespasian. It is located just east of the Palatine Hill, on the grounds of what was Nero’s Golden House.

    The artificial lake that was the centrepiece of that palace complex was drained, and the Colosseum was sited there, a decision that was as much symbolic as it was practical. Vespasian, whose path to the throne had relatively humble beginnings, chose to replace the tyrannical emperor’s private lake with a public amphitheatre that could host tens of thousands of Romans.

    The structure was officially dedicated in 80 ce by Titus in a ceremony that included 100 days of games.

    Later, in 82 ce, Domitian completed the work by adding the uppermost story.

    Unlike earlier amphitheatres, which were nearly all dug into convenient hillsides for extra support, the Colosseum is a freestanding structure of stone and concrete, using a complex system of barrel vaults and groin vaults and measuring 620 by 513 feet (189 by 156 metres) overall.

    Detail.

    Three of the arena’s stories are encircled by arcades framed on the exterior by engaged columns in the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders; the structure’s rising arrangement of columns became the basis of the Renaissance codification known as the assemblage of orders.

    The main structural framework and facade are travertine, the secondary walls are volcanic tufa, and the inner bowl and the arcade vaults are concrete.

    The amphitheatre seated some 50,000 spectators, who were shielded from the sun by a massive retractable velarium (awning).

    Supporting masts extended from corbels built into the Colosseum’s top, or attic, story, and hundreds of Roman sailors were required to manipulate the rigging that extended and retracted the velarium.

    Detail.

    The Colosseum was the scene of thousands of hand-to-hand combats between gladiators, of contests between men and animals, and of many larger combats, including mock naval engagements. However, it is uncertain whether the arena was the site of the martyrdom of early Christians.

    A Dedication to Bacchus

    Bacchus was a Roman agricultural god who was associated with the harvest — particularly that of grapevines. The son of Jupiter by a human woman, Bacchus was said to wander the world educating people about the delightful wines that could be made from grapes.

    The word bacchanalia comes from Bacchus, and the wild parties thrown in his honor.
    
    According to legend, Bacchus traveled the earth teaching people how to make wine, and is credited with spreading grapevine cuttings around the world.
    
    Secret rituals for women only were held in Bacchus' honor during the ancient Roman period.

    Much like his Greek counterpart Dionysus, Bacchus earned the title of party god. In fact, a drunken orgy is still called a bacchanalia, and for good reason. Devotees of Bacchus whipped themselves into a frenzy of intoxication, and in the spring Roman women attended secret ceremonies in his name.

    Bacchus was associated with fertility, wine and grapes, as well as sexual free-for-alls. Although Bacchus is often linked with Beltane and the greening of spring, because of his connection to wine and grapes he is also a deity of the harvest. A celebration is held in his honor each year at the beginning of October.

    Bacchus is often portrayed crowed with vines or ivy. His chariot is drawn by lions, and he is followed by a group of nubile, frenzied priestesses known as Bacchae. Sacrifices to Bacchus included the goat and the swine, because both of these animals are destructive to the annual grape harvest — without grapes, there can be no wine.

    Bacchus has a divine mission, and that is his role of liberator. During his drunken frenzies, Bacchus loosens the tongues of those who partake of wine and other beverages, and allows people the freedom to say and do what they wish.

    In mid-March, secret rituals were held on Rome’s Aventine hill to worship him. These rites were attended by women only, and were part of a mystery religion built up around Bacchus.

    In addition to being the patron of wine and drink, Bacchus is a god of the theatrical arts. In his earlier incarnation as the Greek Dionysus, he had a theater named for him in Athens. He is often portrayed as a slightly effeminate figure, prone to good humor and general bawdiness.

    The Women of Amphissa

    This painting was inspired by an historical event recorded by Plutarch, a Greek historian, biographer and essayist. This painting shows the morning after a celebration of Bacchus/Dionysus, the God of wine and ritual madness.

    This celebration caused a group of women to wander into the city of Amphissa from Phocis.

    Despite these two cities being at war, the women of Amphissa allowed the women from Phocis to fall asleep in their marketplace and stood guard throughout the night to ensure the men of the city caused them no harm.

    As seen in this painting, the women of Amphissa also provided them with food and care the next morning.

    While The Women of Amphissa is both ethereal and dream-like, it is also very realistic as the details created by Alma-Tadema make the painting come to life. From the hair and clothing of the women, to the flowers and sculptures in the wall, the details create the beauty of this painting.

    Alma-Tadema also uses a lot of white and varying shades likely representative of the peace between these groups. It is reported that Alma-Tadema used his second wife, Laura, as a model for this painting.

    Many interpret this painting as a lesson in charity and humanity for the Victorian people of Alma-Tadema’s time as this was an era with lots of poverty, child labour and morality standards. It has also come to represent the strength of femininity and the importance of protection because the women of the city would have stood up to soldiers if necessary.

    After his death in 1912, Alma-Tadema’s work was held in low esteem by the public despite his success during his life.

    In the 1960s, however, his body of work was re-examined and deemed very significant for art history and in particular English art of the nineteenth century. Today, The Women of Amphissa is part of the private collection of the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute.

    The Finding of Moses

    Moses, Hebrew Moshe, (flourished 14th–13th century bce), Hebrew prophet, teacher, and leader who, in the 13th century bce (before the Common Era, or bc), delivered his people from Egyptian slavery. In the Covenant ceremony at Mt. Sinai, where the Ten Commandments were promulgated, he founded the religious community known as Israel. As the interpreter of these Covenant stipulations, he was the organizer of the community’s religious and civil traditions. In the Judaic tradition, he is revered as the greatest prophet and teacher, and Judaism has sometimes loosely been called Mosaism, or the Mosaic faith, in Western Christendom. His influence continues to be felt in the religious life, moral concerns, and social ethics of Western civilization, and therein lies his undying significance.
    
    -Moses | Story, Summary, Significance, & Facts | Britannica

    According to the biblical account, Moses’ parents were from the tribe of Levi, one of the groups in Egypt called Hebrews. Originally the term Hebrew had nothing to do with race or ethnic origin. It derived from Habiru, a variant spelling of Ḫapiru (Apiru), a designation of a class of people who made their living by hiring themselves out for various services.

    The biblical Hebrews had been in Egypt for generations, but apparently they became a threat, so one of the pharaohs enslaved them.

    Unfortunately, the personal name of the king is not given, and scholars have disagreed as to his identity and, hence, as to the date of the events of the narrative of Moses.

    One of the measures taken by the Egyptians to restrict the growth of the Hebrews was to order the death of all newborn Hebrew males. According to tradition, Moses’ parents, Amram and Jochebed (whose other children were Aaron and Miriam), hid him for three months and then set him afloat on the Nile in a reed basket daubed with pitch.

    Detail.

    The child, found by the pharaoh’s daughter while bathing, was reared in the Egyptian court.

    While many doubt the authenticity of this tradition, the name Moses (Hebrew Moshe) is derived from Egyptian mose (“is born”) and is found in such names as Thutmose ([The God] Thoth Is Born).

    Originally, it is inferred, Moses’ name was longer, but the deity’s name was dropped. This could have happened when Moses returned to his people or possibly even earlier, because the shortened form Mose was very popular at that time.

    Detail.

    Moses’ years in the court are passed over in silence, but it is evident from his accomplishments later that he had instruction in religious, civil, and military matters.

    Since Egypt controlled Canaan (Palestine) and part of Syria and had contacts with other nations of the Fertile Crescent, Moses undoubtedly had general knowledge of life in the ancient Near East. During his education he learned somehow that he was a Hebrew, and his sense of concern and curiosity impelled him to visit his people.

    Detail.

    According to the biblical narrative, Moses lived 120 years and was 80 when he confronted Pharaoh, but there is no indication how old he was when he went to see the Hebrews. Later Jewish and Christian tradition assumed 40-year periods for his stay in the Egyptian court, his sojourn in Midian, and his wilderness wanderings.

    Most likely Moses was about 25 when he took the inspection tour among his people. There he saw the oppressive measures under which they laboured. When he found an Egyptian taskmaster beating a Hebrew, probably to death, he could control his sense of justice no longer. After checking to make sure that no one was in sight, he killed the tough Egyptian overlord.

    Detail.

    As a prince in the court, Moses was probably in excellent physical condition, and apparently he knew the latest methods of combat.

    The flush of victory pulled Moses back the next day. …

    Phidias Showing the Frieze of the Parthenon to his Friends

    The Parthenon frieze, which runs on a continuous line around the exterior wall of the cella, is 1 meter high and 160 meters long. The sculptures are executed in low relief and depict the people of Athens in two processions that begin at the southwest corner and parade in opposite directions until they converge over the door of the cella at the east end of the Parthenon. Almost certainly it represents the Panathenaic procession that was a central celebration in Athens during Classical times.
    
    -The Parthenon Frieze - Ancient Greece

    The full title of this startling painting is Phidias Showing the Frieze of the Parthenon to His Friends, and it was painted by Lawrence Alma-Tadema in 1868. You can’t get much more Classical than this for inspiration.

    In the painting, which takes place sometime in the 5th century BCE, the famous ancient Greek sculptor Phidias (ca. 480-430 BCE), the man in the dark robes at center, shows off the magnificent creation he’s made for Athens’s famous temple, the Parthenon.

    The friends, obviously well-to-do citizens of Athens, admire his handiwork.

    The frieze of the Parthenon is a long series of sculpted bas-reliefs, chiseled from marble, that adorned the top of the Parthenon beneath the eaves. The frieze, evidently depicting a ceremonial procession of the Athenians, was/is one of the great works of art of classical Greece.

    Historians are unsure whether it was carved in place, or carved previously and somehow hoisted up toward the roof. The majority of the frieze was removed from the Parthenon about 1800 and now resides in the British Museum in London, where Alma-Tadema saw it. (I saw it there too in the year 2000).

    Phidias was an Athenian sculptor, the son of Charmides, and is generally acknowledged as the greatest ancient Greek sculptor and instigator of the classical style of the 5th and 4th centuries BC. Although few facts are known about his life, it is believed he lived from around 490 until 430 BC. No originals of his work exist, but his recognition as a renowned sculptor has been guaranteed due to the praise of ancient writers, as well as the influence his sculptures had on the development of the art. He gained most of his fame for his two enormous chryselephantine (gold and ivory) sculptures: One of Athena in the Parthenon, and the other of Zeus at Olympia. These statues had such a profound impact that they determined all subsequent conceptions of Athena and Zeus.
    
    -Ancient Greece

    This wonderful painting combines the best of 19th century Classical-themed art with a sort of romantic-tinged realism. The figures do appear realistic, though stylized in a way most of us would conceive of ancient Greece, looking back on it from several thousand years.

    Note, however, the hairstyles on Phidias and the man on the far left, and Phidias’s beard curls. The tight kinky hair, a bit too perfect to look natural, is the way hair was often portrayed in ancient Greek art. The colors here are warm and rich, almost evocative of 19th century gaslight. I absolutely love paintings like this, for they bring to life the classical world in a very vivid and eye-catching way.

    The sculpted marble depicts the Olympian gods seated while the citizens on Athens carved in low relief move stoically in the procession towards the central point around a scene depicting the folding of the peplos. The peplos was a central item in the Panathenaea and was woven by the virgins dedicated to the goddess Athena exclusively for use during the procession.
    
    A large number of cavalry dominates the west end of the frieze, while a host of elders, musicians and people escorting sacrificial animals, fill the spaces towards the east end. The frieze over the door places the “peplos scene” at the center, while gods, and heroes, and women flank it on both sides. The gods are seated, making them twice as large as the rest of the figures who are standing or riding, and they appear in the typical realistic mortal form we are accustomed to seeing in Classical art.
    
    The inclusion of a continuous Ionic freeze is not exclusive to the Doric Parthenon. What is unique however is the depiction of mere mortals as the subject in the decoration of a temple in Ancient Greece. If we accept that the frieze depicts the Panathenaic procession we are confronted with the fact that the line between the divine and the human has been deliberately blurred not only through the formal aesthetic conventions as with other sculptures, but via an intentional thematic narrative that places the gods among the mortals or the humans among the divine. Perhaps in the Parthenon frieze we finally glimpse the definitive formulation of Greek thought into concrete iconography: the natural world and the human being as a divine entity worthy of exploration and immortality through the arts.
    
    In ancient times all the sculptures as well as the buildings were vividly painted and were complemented with metal attachments in the form of spears, swords, horse reins and other appropriate accessories. The result must have been a dazzling, (if not gaudy) array of three dimensional paintings, with a much different visual interpretation than the one we derive today trough the “sterilized” museum exhibits of white stone at eye level.
    
    -The Parthenon Frieze - Ancient Greece

    The painter, Lawrence Alma-Tadema, was obviously a brilliant artist, and he seems to have been an interesting person. He was born in Holland but moved to Britain in 1870 when the Franco-Prussian War broke out. A gregarious extrovert, he is said to have loved parties, wine and women. There’s a touch of melancholy about him; widowed twice, Alma-Tadema was thrown into deep depressions after the deaths of his two wives, Pauline in 1869 and Laura in 1909. Alma-Tadema died in Germany in 1912, and is buried in St. Paul’s Cathedral.

    Art like this makes life worth living. Kudos to Lawrence Alma-Tadema. As I say often, I could run Metallicman for decades on nothing but Historic Paintings posts!

    Spring

    Spring is an 1894 oil painting by Lawrence Alma-Tadema, currently in the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California . Spring depicts the festival of Cerealia in a Roman street. One of Tadema's most famous and popular works, it took him four years to complete.
    
    -Spring (painting) - Wikipedia

    This is an enormous work. The painting is like two stories high and so filled with detail that it boggles the mind. To really appreciate it, you need to look at the various sections of it in detail.

    Here is a small section…

    Detail of the procession.

    Alma Tadema finished painting “Spring” in 1894. The subject is the celebration parade marking the return of spring.

    He had worked on it for four years, making at least one major alteration. It is a tall narrow painting, 178.4 × 80.3 cm, painted in oil on canvas, and also its original, hefty, classic-style frame was designed by the artist. The painting was first put on display at the Royal Academy in 1895 and enjoyed great success. The picture’s popularity continued over the next few years with prints very much in demand.

    Detail of a pillar.

    After a memorial exhibition in 1913, the painting disappeared from the art scene, and it was not until 1970 that it made a comeback. It joined the collection of a certain Mr. Funt, an American TV personality/art collector, and it was subsequently purchased at auction by the Getty Museum in 1972. It was thought at the time to represent the realities of ancient Rome and it took pride of place in the Getty “Roman Villa” in 1974. The apparent authentic “Romanism” of the painting had even inspired certain scenes in Cecil B. De Mille’s Hollywood production of “Cleopatra” of 1934. However, further research into the painting’s subject and significance suggests it is more an idealised Victorian representation of spring, rather than a specific Roman festival.

    Detail of the audience.

    The scene, with a procession of young people, flowers and musical instruments, is a joyful springtime celebration. It has been likened to the Roman spring festivals: Floralia, Cerealia or Ambarvalia.

    The artist may have been inspired by descriptions of the spring festival in honour of Ceres or Flora as described by the Roman poet Ovid.

    It also corresponds to Victorian Mayday festivities, where young girls went out into the countryside and collected flowers, then carried them back in blithesome procession.

    Alma Tadema presents the scene as a parade in a festive jubilant setting, and it was something the people could relate to. Processions abounded in late Victorian England: receptions for visiting heads of state, royal weddings of Queen Victoria’s children/grandchildren, and particularly for the queen’s fifty, and then sixty, years of reign.

    Detail of the flower bearers.

    Here, the backdrop is ancient Rome and the procession winds through shining marble passageways.

    Young girls carry pretty flowers or branches with buds or blossoms. Pipers are making music. Others follow carrying symbolic ritual items, including the bearers of a fine chalice, a casket and an ivory altar.

    Excited onlookers line the way. These beautifully detailed groups of figures and the surrounding Roman architecture are the key to the painting. Lawrence Alma Tadema was known for his glorious details; it is said that Alma Tadema compositions are the sum of his details.

    Detail of the wealthy up above.

    Looking closely, we behold richly ornamented columns and partial columns, full statues that replicate authentic Roman statues in silver and bronze, finely detailed nature elements, and above all, a dazzling feast of delicate yet vibrant spring flowers.

    The faithfully wrought architecture of this Tadema Rome has numerous columns, arches and balconies to seem almost like a stage set. Indeed, the artist had a background in creating grandiose stage sets for Shakespeare plays in the 1880s that amply satisfied the Victorian taste for spectacle.

    Against this stage-like background of white marble, and the pale, pastel clothing of the people, the strong bright colors of the flowers and garlands really stand out. The eye goes from one spot of color to another, then, in the distance, to the red walls of the “royal box”, where the viewer pauses to absorb a myriad of refined details.

    The impact of the picture is the contrast between vibrant colorful flowers and the stark white marble. It is the flowers that provide the most important detail, a detail that reflects the artist’s well-known fondness for flowers. However, the flowers in the picture are not all Mayday blossoms; many were selected for their colors and symbolism rather than appropriateness of season.

    Detail from the heights.

    One last detail gives us an insight into the Roman period that Alma Tadema wanted to represent in his celebration of spring: the inscription and relief on the archway at centre left of the picture.

    The artist has reproduced the dedication sculpted on the Arch of Trajan in Benevento, near Rome, built to commemorate the opening of the Appian Way and completed during the reign of the Emperor Hadrian (reigned 117-138).

    This leads us to presume that the setting for Lawrence Alma Tadema’s joyous “Spring” is Emperor Hadrian’s prosperous Rome.

    Who says that art is a purely visual enjoyment?

    Detail from the sidelines.

    This gracious painting of “Spring” is full of fragrant air, you can almost smell the faint perfume of the darling buds of May, you can hear the light lilting music, you can feel the warming rays of the sun.

    “As the sun colors flowers, so art colors life”.

    This was the artist’s personal motto, and the idea is present in every Lawrence Alma Tadema composition. Originally from Holland, the young Lawrence, or Lourens as he was originally named, studied art at the Royal Academy of Antwerp. In 1870, he moved to England where he settled permanently in London. He adjusted his name to the more Britannic “Lawrence”, and his Dutch origins are often overlooked.

    He had a passion for nature and for ancient, particularly Roman, history; both of these interests are evident in many of his paintings.

    Detail.

    “Spring” is the quintessence of the Lawrence Alma Tadema artistic style. He paid great attention to natural and historic details in his paintings, striving for authenticity.

    He was an avid historical researcher and always strove to get historic details exactly right.

    Where the setting is of Roman inspiration, as here, he made sure that architecture, dress and musical instruments were accurate.

    He had a personal archive of photographs depicting Roman antiquities that enabled him to get true-to-life historical accuracy in his paintings. He possessed a tremendous curiosity about all things ancient and acquired a precious expertise which he poured into his art.

    He created over 300 paintings in this vein, bringing antiquity vividly to life on the canvas.

    The full painting.

    The Vintage Festival

    The ancient Romans loved celebrations. They especially enjoyed a holiday they celebrated around the 25th of December.

    Remind you of any date, eh?

    The Romans feasted, gave gifts, were merry, and decorated their homes with greenery. Roman Festivals were also held in ancient Rome in response to particular events, or for a particular purpose such as to assuage or to honor the gods.

    Check out Ten Roman Festivals that were pretty cool…

    Anna Parenna Festival

    The Roman Festivals for Anna Parenna, “goddess of the returning year” was held each year on the first day of the ancient year. Traditionally, Romans would cross the Tiber and “go abroad” into Etruria and have picnics in flimsy tents or huts made of branches. Both men and women would drink as much alcohol as they could, for it was thought that one would live for as many years as cups of alcohol one could drink on this day.

    Saturnalia

    This one’s a classic, and it gives us the origins of Christmas. Held in late December, it involves general feasting and present-giving. Most notably, though, it was the night when masters and slaves exchanged places. Can you imagine how awkward that would be? Sure it sounds like it’s a bit of fun, letting the slaves have a night off, but they were back as slaves the next day, so I can’t think they would let themselves have too much fun… The most important thing about this festival, though, is that the blokes do the cooking.

    Lupercalia

    Opinions are divided on whether this February festival is a ritual of purification or fertility. What they do know is that it involved barely-clad young men running through the streets, striking people with a goat thong. No, I do not know what a goat thong was. Moving on…

    Veneralia

    On April 1, this was another festival involving topsy-turviness (technical term there). It was the one day in which women (aristocrats and plebs mingling together) were allowed to enter the men’s baths, wearing myrtle wreaths in honour of Venus Verticordia. They would take a statue of Fortuna Virilis (fortune of men) in with them, removing her jewellery (yep, statues wore jewellery) to wash her.

    Parilia

    A rural festival, this one involves shepherds jumping over bonfires. And, um, sheep. The sheep jump over the bonfires. I can’t even imagine how that works.

    Fornacalia

    I’m not even kidding. Don’t get too excited, though, this one’s just about the baking of the corn. Honest. Corn-baking. Festival of ovens.

    Parentalia

    This one has shades of Halloween in that it’s a festival of the dead. Held in February in honour of the deified ancestors, this is a week of sacrifices (flower garlands, wheat, salt, wine-soaked bread, violets) to the manes or shades of the dead. At the end of the week, on the Feralia, the paterfamilias (senior male of the family) exorcises the ghosts, and the following day on the Caristia, everyone has a nice lunch and says nice things about the ancestors who are now (we hope) thoroughly gone again until next year.

    Lemuria

    No, this isn’t the holy Roman festival celebrating lemurs (though, wouldn’t that be awesome??), it’s another day of making sure the dead lie down. Possibly instituted in honour of the death of Remus (killed by his ambitious twin brother Romulus), this May festival is about appeasing the restless dead with the creative application of beans. Also, the Vestals baked cake. Salt cake, not layer cake, which is a shame because you’d think after a hard day of spirit-appeasing, everyone could do with a bit of cake.

    Floralia

    Another nearly week-long festival, this one in April-May and revolving around flowers, flowers and more flowers. Also colourful clothes, milk and honey. It was dedicated to the springy goddess Flora, and was particularly popular with prostitutes, who claimed the festival as their own. This is the origins of the May Day celebration, of course, with its ribbons and morris dancers. The Romans also held the Ludi Florales or Games of the Flowers, which actually involved lots of theatre and performing arts as well as good old circus acts. Apparently at the end of the performing animal acts in the Circus Maximus, all the animals were set free, which sounds like a very bad idea indeed.

    The October Horse

    The famous racing festival of Rome (Melbourne Cup and Ascot, eat your heart out), this one took part on the Ides (full moon) of October, and involved a two-horse chariot race. This one is famous because the right-hand (outer) horse of the winning pair would be slaughtered, beheaded, chopped into little bits and burned as sacrifice. And the Vestals would keep some of the blood, for cake-making purposes. Oh yes they would. And everyone thinks they’re so sweet…

    The Bona Dea.

    This one’s my favorite. The first rule of Bona Dea is, you don’t talk about Bona Dea. The second rule of Bona Dea is, YOU DON’T TALK ABOUT BONA DEA. This was a women’s festival, no men allowed, and the rites were famously secret. This did not prevent male writers and artists from getting lasciviously excited about what actually happened at these ceremonies. There were rumors of snakes. Of drinking wine and calling it ‘milk.’ Did I mention the snakes? The important thing, though, is that no women have recorded what went on, because speaking of it was forbidden, leaving us with just the speculations of men. I’m suspecting that Lindsey Davis had it right with mint tea and finger sandwiches, sadly.

    What we do know is that in 62 BCE it was being hosted by the wife and mother of Julius Caesar, and a tribune called Publius Clodius sneaked in, disguised as a flute girl, in the hope of seducing Caesar’s wife. Honestly, you can’t make this stuff up. He was put on trial for blasphemy, but the women all refused to testify against him, saying in essence: the goddess will get him. And indeed she did…

    Well, okay, he died in a riot, but it was near the temple.

    Fine, it was within sight of the temple.

    The moral of the story is that you don’t mess with the gods, okay? Just keep killing the animals and baking the cakes and everything’s Going to be Fine.

    Unconscious Rivals

    I like this particular painting because of the great arching ceiling and the expressions on the faces of the two women. It’s a masterpiece for certain. Just look at the details on the flower bush.

    After the Audience

    Here’s another favorite. I enjoy the deference of the people to the emperor. The photo below does not give it justice. You have to see it close up and look at the details to fully appreciate it.

    A Favorite Custom

    Baths for bathing and relaxing were a common feature of Roman cities throughout the empire. The often huge bath complexes included a wide diversity of rooms offering different temperatures and facilities such as swimming pools and places to read, relax, and socialise.

    Roman baths, with their need for large open spaces, were also important drivers in the evolution of architecture offering the first dome structures in Classical architecture. 

    Public baths were a feature of ancient Greek towns but were usually limited to a series of hip-baths.

    The Romans expanded the idea to incorporate a wide array of facilities and baths became common in even the smaller towns of the Roman world, where they were often located near the forum. In addition to public baths, wealthy citizens often had their own private baths constructed as a part of their villa and baths were even constructed for the legions of the Roman army when on campaign.

    However, it was in the large cities that these complexes (balnea or thermae) took on monumental proportions with vast colonnades and wide-spanning arches and domes. Baths were built using millions of fireproof terracotta bricks and the finished buildings were usually sumptuous affairs with fine mosaic floors, marble-covered walls, and decorative statues.

    Generally opening around lunchtime and open until dusk, baths were accessible to all.

    Generally opening around lunchtime and open until dusk, baths were accessible to all, both rich and poor. In the reign of Diocletian, for example, the entrance fee was a mere two denarii – the smallest denomination of bronze coinage. Sometimes, on occasions such as public holidays, the baths were even free to enter.    

    Typical features (listed in the probable order bathers went through) were:

    • apodyterium – changing rooms.
    • palaestrae – exercise rooms.
    • notatio – open-air swimming pool.
    • laconica and sudatoria – superheated dry and wet sweating-rooms.
    • calidarium – hot room, heated and with a hot-water pool and a separate basin on a stand (labrum)
    • tepidarium – warm room, indirectly heated and with a tepid pool.
    • frigidarium – cool room, unheated and with a cold-water basin, often monumental in size and domed, it was the heart of the baths complex.
    • rooms for massage and other health treatments.

    Additional facilities could include cold-water plunge baths, private baths, toilets, libraries, lecture halls, fountains, and outdoor gardens.

    Early baths were heated using braziers, but from the 1st century BCE more sophisticated heating systems were used such as under-floor (hypocaust) heating fuelled by wood-burning furnaces (prafurniae).

    This was not a new idea as Greek baths also employed such a system but, as was typical of the Romans, they took an idea and improved upon it for maximum efficiency.

    The huge fires from the furnaces sent warm air under the raised floor (suspensurae) which stood on narrow pillars (pilae) of solid stone, hollow cylinders, or polygonal or circular bricks. The floors were paved over with 60 cm square tiles (bipedales) which were then covered in decorative mosaics.

    The vast amount of water needed for the larger baths was supplied by purpose built aqueducts and regulated by huge reservoirs in the baths complex. The reservoir of the Baths of Diocletian in Rome, for example, could hold 20,000 m³ of water. Water was heated in large lead boilers fitted over the furnaces. The water could be added (via lead pipes) to the heated pools by using a bronze half-cylinder (testudo) connected to the boilers. Once released into the pool the hot water circulated by convection.

    The Egyptian Widow

    It wasn’t just Rome that the artist favored. He was interesting in ancient Greece, and Egypt as well. Here we see his marvelous attention to detail in his depiction of a grieving widow at the death of her husband. No one can depict the past like artist Lawrence Alma-Tadema could.

    The Frigidarium

    A frigidarium is a large cold pool at the Roman baths.When entering the bath house, one would go through the apodyterium, where they would store their clothes.After the caldarium and the tepidarium, which were used to open the pores of the skin, the frigidarium would be reached. The cold water would close the pores, however, hot water will open them.
    
    -Frigidarium - Wikipedia

    In this painting we see a woman dressing and attending to a bather of a Roman frigidarium. We can well imagine the attendants that would maintain this structure. As the cool water is pumped or flows from icy mountain springs, the area within the complex must have been cool and relaxing from the hot Italian Summer climate.

    Another Opinion.

    Not everyone sees value in fine art.

    They consider it old, out-dated and obsolete.

    It’s not “hip”, modern and “progressive”. So to add some balance and appreciation, here’s come work by one of the hottest artists in America today; Cy Twombly. His works easily reach millions of dollars each. And as a result he has become famous, and well regarded thorough out the art world.

    Here’s one of his multi-million dollar masterpieces…

    Cy Twombly 1

    And, if that doesn’t evoke any emotions within you, perhaps this “piece” might… I am told that it evokes the childlike simplicity of complex undercurrents in modern contemporaneous thought…

    Cy Twombly 2

    Or this “ground breaking” and “stunning” work…

    Cy Twombly “untitled”

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Art Index here…

    ART

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    The extreme intention prayer challenge.

    Are you up for a fun challenge?

    Let me explain, but first…

    What an interesting turn of events in Pahrump, Nevada:
    
    Diamond D's brothel began construction on an expansion of their building to increase their ever-growing business.
    
    In response, the local Baptist Church started a campaign to block the business from expanding -- with morning, afternoon, and evening prayer sessions at their church
    
    Work on Diamond D's progressed right up until the week before the grand re-opening when lightning struck the whorehouse and burned it to the ground!
    
    After the brothel burned to the ground by the lightning strike, the church folks were rather smug in their outlook, bragging about "the power of  prayer."
    
    But late last week 'Big Jugs' Jill Diamond, the owner/madam, sued the church, the preacher and the entire congregation on the grounds that the church......  "was ultimately responsible for the demise of her building and her business -- either through direct or indirect divine actions or means."
    
    In its reply to the court, the church vehemently and vociferously denied any and all responsibility or any connection to the building's demise.
    
    The crusty old judge read through the plaintiff's complaint and the defendant's reply, and at the opening hearing he commented, 
    
    "I don't know how the hell I'm going to decide this case, but it appears from
    the paperwork, that we now have a whorehouse owner who staunchly believes in the power of prayer.... and an entire church congregation that thinks it's all bullshit."

    You know, there is a tendency for us to establish prayer affirmation campaigns that are based upon what we know.

    • We want a nice car.
    • We want a bigger house.
    • We want more money.
    X-files episode titled "Je Souhaite".
    X-files episode titled “Je Souhaite”.

    Our wishes and our dreams are always based upon our experiences and what we know.

    Ah.

    What we know…

    "The X-Files" Je Souhaite (TV Episode 2000)
    
    "Two brothers have a less than helpful genie who grants their wishes with disastrous consequences. Mulder comes into possession of the same genie, and his wishes garner similar results."
    
    There is a scene in the show when Moulder asks the genie what her very first wish was, way back when she first decided to make a wish to become a genie. 
    
    She responds that back then all she wanted was a bag that was endlessly full of turnips. 
    
    She then shrugs her shoulders. Saying, well, "hey, it was the dark ages".

    Our wishes are based on what we know.

    In the X-files episode titled “Je Souhaite”, a genie is found by some “white trailerpark trash” (poor Caucasian people, often near-illiterate, living in cheap housing in the countryside). Instead of wishing for “big and great things”, they wish for things that their limited perceptions can imagine…

    • A boss with no mouth.
    • A big boat. Much bigger than their house.
    • A solid gold wheelchair.
    • Invisibility.
    • Bringing the dead back to life.

    In the MWI, as we travel the various world-lines, the direction of travel and the duration of travel are all a function of [1] how cautious we are in our travels, and [2] how many world-lines that we must pass through. Distant goals and dreams, converted into prayers might take much longer than simple and easy desires.

    Je Souhaite - the genie gets her wish.
    Je Souhaite – the genie gets her wish.

    No Limits

    There are no limits as to what you can wish for. But there is a physical constraint.

    The more unobtainable your wish is, the greater the number of world-lines that you must pass through.

    • Easy goals – Maybe only a few thousand world-lines.
    • Difficult goals – Maybe a few billion world-lines.
    • “Impossible” goals – Maybe a trillion, trillion, trillion world-lines.

    In extreme cases, the wish objective might require so many world-lines to traverse that you just physically cannot reach it in this lifetime.

    So I urge people to have a prayer campaign that contains a mixture of 80% “realistic” achievable goals, and 20% goals that are “further out” in the MWI.

    “Realistic goals” might include such things as…

    • New Job or occupation.
    • New house, car, physical possessions.
    • Different relationships.
    • Knowledge, skills, appearance.
    • How others view you.
    • Travel, adventure, love, romance, sex.

    “Further out” goals, are obtainable, but might take some time to manifest.

    • Having a large sum of money.
    • Living in a strange place that you have never been before.
    • Associating with certain groups of rich, wealthy, or famous people.
    • Curing yourself of a bad illness or health issue.
    • Influencing your community, city, or nation to do certain things.

    “Impossible” goals aren’t really impossible. It’s just that the number of world-lines that you need to traverse might exceed that of your assigned life within this physical body.

    • Reverse aging; at an extreme level.
    • Becoming the richest, most popular, most famous, largest, etc (in a global population of 9 billion people.)
    • Owning the “White House” in Washington, DC.

    So, I urge everyone to conduct prayer campaigns that concentrate on a mixture of small / simple goals with about 20% being “further out” or more outrageous.

    The challenge

    Since “impossible goals” require such a large amount of time to manifest, we are going to concentrate on the “further out” goals. The beauty about these goals is that once they manifest you KNOW that it was the intention campaign that manifested them.

    The key here is that the result must be so plainly obvious to you that there can be absolutely no chance of misunderstanding.

    Planning

    Oh, but it’s not all that easy.

    You need to plan.

    These goals and objectives are so far out that there is a greater change in getting entangled up with undesirable world-lines. You don’t want to aim for a goal and have bad things happen in the process, do you?

    In Be Careful What You Wish For, a salesman arrives in New York City who can grant your deepest desire. However, it soon becomes apparent that each of the granted wishes cause more harm than good.
    
    ...
    
    Elsewhere in the city, the salesman stood outside a store and made his sales pitch. A woman, with many shopping bags, politely turned down the salesman and admitted she had gotten everything. The salesman coyly asked if he got everything she wanted. The woman looked into the suitcase and revealed she always wanted to be young again. He gave her the body of a baby.
    
    ...
    
    The salesman was in Central Park making his pitch to a freckled man. The man admitted he wouldn't mind having the good looks of another man nearby. The salesman obliged him and soon there were two heads on one body.
    
    ...
    
    In another part of the park, the salesman met a bicyclist. The bicyclist wished he could reconnect with his family and get back to his roots. The Salesman turned him into a tree.
    
    ...
    
    At the flea market, another man fell victim to Duophanes and wished he was made of money. Duophanes literally turned him into banknotes. The people around him scrambled to grab the money.
    
    -Ghostbusters Wiki

    You will need to added specific “fail safe” affirmations so that you can avoid any pitfalls in your efforts to achieve your objectives.

    You must be careful of what you wish for.
    You must be careful of what you wish for.

    We have discussed this in other posts. Just remember to make sure that in your journey to your goals that you avoid trouble, discomfort, and a trip that is far longer than you find comfortable. You need to put on a time limit (This will occur within five years, etc.).

    Remember safety is important. Never neglect this.

    Harmony

    Now, you don’t want to seize things from others. You also don’t want to hurt anyone in the process. You want to be a neutral to the surroundings as possible with a great positive energy flow directed to your intended objectives.

    The task

    Ah…

    You know, there are the “nay sayers” that want to say that it was just coincidence, or luck, or some other excuse that caused your dreams and goals to manifest. They just cannot get it through their thick skulls that the universe that the believe exists is a fairy tale. That the true reality is the MWI and world-line travel via thought. They don’t want that. They don’t want their illusions destroyed.

    In the X-files episode titled "Je Souhaite". Skully could not believe that a man could actually become invisible. So she covers this invisible man with powder to see him.
    In the X-files episode titled “Je Souhaite”. Skully could not believe that a man could actually become invisible. So she covers this invisible man with powder to see him.

    In your next prayer affirmation campaign, I would like you to add one singular item that is “extreme”. Or, in other words, once it manifests you will absolutely know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it came true because of your affirmation campaign.

    Now, what I mean is that it must be something so unique, that you would want in you life. And it must be such that you just cannot ascribe it to random chance. It’s got to be unique.

    Here’s some ideas.

    • You’ve never dated a girl from Iceland. None of your friends have, and there isn’t a single person in your city, that you know of, that even knows a person from Iceland. So how about “meeting and dating an exceptionally beautiful person from Iceland”.
    • Everyone has cars. You see them all the time. How about getting a rare or unusual car. Something that stands out and just cannot be ascribed to random chance? Or in other words…”what are the odds?”
    1930's Art Deco Henderson Motorcycle
    1930’s Art Deco Henderson Motorcycle
    • Or you can add something specific into your intention affirmations. Some minor thing. Like a set of numbers, or a name, or a color. “My house will have a house number with an ’88’ in it.“. Or “I will meet a girl wearing a fluorescent lime green dress with red polka-dots that will fall passionately in love with me.

    It does not matter what it is.

    What does matter is the deviance from your present life-track be significant enough for you to identify what is going on.

    Using an “extreme” goal, you can identify just how successful a prayer campaign can be.

    The above illustration shows that the use of an “extreme goal” can cause a significant deviation from your current life path and track.

    Some suggestions…

    Plan accordingly. What you want is that the extreme goal fit in HARMONY with the rest of your other goals. Here’s some scripts that you might want to use.

    • All of my intention objectives manifest in harmony with each other.
    • At no time are there any discomfort, emotional or physical distress in the process of obtaining these goals and objectives.
    • These goals will be realized within a three year window, and minor discomforts and stress are acceptable as long as danger, trouble, and catastrophe are avoided.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts on intention and world-line travel in my MAJestic index here…

    Intention Campaigns
    MAJestic

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

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    Master Index

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    Some selected favorite artworks by James Jacques Joseph Tissot

    James Jacques Joseh Tissot was a painter of realistic scenes in allegorical settings. His and his style is considered to be “French Victorian Neoclassical artist”. Ah, whatever it is called, I would really love to have a reprint of one of his works in all it’s large glorious full-size spectacular substance.

    To see a full view of all of his 237 artworks, please visit his profile on the Art Renewal Center.

    These are some of my favorite works of his. Please allow the images to load. It’s worth it.

    The Thames

    He loved to paint sea and naval scenes regarding people and relationships. When you look at his work, doesn’t it take you away to another time and another place?

    The man is sporting the fashion at the time with white slacks with cuff or rolled up trousers. Those shoes are prevalent throughout Tissot’s painting career. They were really popular in the day. He also wears a thick wool jacket and the beard with bushy mustache.

    I wonder what he is thinking.

    What about the ladies? What do you suppose is on their minds, if anything?

    The Widower

    A life alone without your wife. Caring for a young daughter. It is hard now, and it was hard back then. You can see the burdens of life on his shoulders. You can tell the pleasant joys of the child totally oblivious to the burdens of her father…

    He looks at the beauty of the flower. What do you suppose is on his mind?

    Hide and Seek

    Oh, the furniture is different. The outfits are dated. And the news is via newspaper instead of social media on a smart hone. But this scene can be replicated anywhere in the world today. Be it China, or the USA. Be it Russia or Africa. It’s a story about domestic life and the carefree joys of children at play.

    In the Sunshine

    A family gathers in their backyard. You can see the rich colors and fabrics of that time period. The infant is under a colorful parasol to keep out of the sun, while the rest lie on the bearskin rug that covers the grass.

    The mother to the left is wearing black. That means that she is in morning. Her husband is dead, maybe recently. No one is crying, but all are subdued. It’s almost like they are waiting for something…

    Young Women Looking at Japanese Objects

    I suppose that this is pre-Tic Tok. Young unmarried girls out for the afternoon doing some “window shopping”. They are looking at Japanese and Oriental objects for sale in a store. Personally, I find the outfit that the girl in red is wearing alluring. It’s a red velvet dress with a nice frilly bow in the back. They really had some cool and fun fashion back then.

    Portsmouth Dockyard

    I wonder what is going on here. Is that some interest I see in the eyes of the fair lass to the left? And what do you think that the man is thinking? What about the girl to the right. As the boat slowly and peacefully passes through the bay, I wonder what emotions grow and blossom on that short trip?

    The Fireplace

    From a technical point of view, the detail in this painting is exceptional. Look at the dress, and the shimmering reflections on the highlights.

    I do love the period dresses and styles.

    There used to be a KTV in Shenzhen where the women would wear these big elaborate fancy dresses like this. Oh, my God! They were so alluring. One would get in front and lead you while one girl on the left and one on the right would lead you arm in arm to the KTV room for your private party.

    I wonder what the little pug is thinking…

    The Captain and the Mate

    Two couples on the boat. This is a farewell dinner. The ship will probably set off tomorrow morning. The emotions about what this means are on the faces of all involved. Though each one has different ideas and visions of what it is like.

    It’s the night before loved ones leave.

    Certainly you have all experienced this.

    Look at the Captains face, and the the face of the woman in white.

    The Bunch of Lilacs

    I am stunned by the technical expertise on this work. Painting shades of white are difficult in itself, but the depth of shadowing and composition is just amazing. And look at the reflections on the floor. My God!

    I think that the right kind of clothes enhances a person’s personal beauty and attractiveness. It is said that a man in a Tuxedo will increase his attractiveness to a woman by 20 points. I can say the same thing about clothing on a woman. You don’t need to show skin, or wear tight clothes to be attractive. It is what is not shown, and only hinted at that entices…

    The Gallery of H.M.S. ‘Calcutta’ (Portsmouth)

    But it is a wonderful work showing two young ladies on board a boat enjoying the view with a sailor trying to get their attention. Perhaps in the hope that he can win their affections. Oh, but we know that. The girls are laying it coy. With the one on the right hiding her face behind a hand fan.

    The other girl has some pretty complex emotions, don’t you think? I wonder what she thinks of the young sailor and whether she wants him to leave or stay?

    The Ball on Shipboard

    Another technical masterpiece.

    This picture can take you away to another time and another place. It’s a place where shipboard romances are made, relationships are forged and strengthened, and where memories; treasured memories are made.

    Again, note the gents shoes, and the straw hat. Notice that most of the women are wearing white for a nice Sunday outing in the great afternoon. While down below the people are laughing, dancing and being merry. It’s the human condition.

    The Prodigal Son in Modern Life: The Fatted Calf

    The prodigal son, or lost son, was an abuser of grace. Grace is most often defined as unmerited or unearned favor. He had a loving father, a good home, provision, a future, and an inheritance, but he traded it all in for temporal pleasures.
    
    -Who Was the Prodigal Son? The Meaning of this Parable

    Here, the Prodigal son returns. He has made a life for himself and has come back to make amends with his father. While in no way as wealthy, he is part of a crew. Notice the impressions on the faces of everyone else at the table. Their disapproval is thick and present.

    He approaches him humbly and with respect…

    The Prodigal Son in Modern Life: The Return

    Here, the Prodigal Son returns. Only his father was correct, and he asks for forgiveness and compassion. He returns wearing torn clothing, and without shoes. Life has not been good to him. It appears that he has lived a life as a beggar.

    Look at the emotions on the faces of the couple in the background. Look at what is going on to the far left of the painting.

    A Winter’s Walk

    I find this painting extremely sexy. Look at that expression of calm confidence and strength. This is a woman who is in control of her life; a strong proud woman. She’s not just beautiful. She’s handsome.

    The Hammock

    Again, for the final image in this post we look at another great painting. Notice the picture composition, the balance of colors and the precision in the details on the leaves and the hammock. If this picture were to hand over my fireplace, it would certainly be a centerpiece of discussion, as well as set the mood for the entire household.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Art Index here…

    ART

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
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    The rest of the world is living life, what is holding you back? Is it the belief that you are somehow “special”?

    Americans are constantly reinforced how dark and gloomy the rest of the world is. They are told that America must fight wars all over the globe to “free people” from the evils of Communism, and “to spread democracy” and the “American way of life”. It’s all a big nasty lie. The rest of the world is doing just fine thank you. And Americans need to straighten up, get their collective shit together and stop putting their nose in everyone else’s’ business.

    This post consists of some videos from the rest of the world. And no, it doesn’t look like a “save the children” commercial either. People are living life, having fun and just enjoying themselves. They are not probed, monitored, reported on, and over taxed. They are doing just fine. And we are going to have some glimpses into their lives right about now.

    Meanwhile in America

    Ah. The Drudge Report offers us a snapshot of how America is doing. It’s a fucking mess, I’ll tell you what.

    I will tell you how bad things are.

    I know that change is a normal art of life, but man….

    And yet, if you go on American social media it’s still the same old narrative. America is so fantastic and so wonderful and so great that it must be the “will of God”, and all the rest of the world is evil. America needs to get involved and “teach them lessons”.

    Today, Sen. Ernst says, we face a different supply chain threat: China.
    "We rely on communist China for far too much," she explains.
    
    She hasn't only been talking about the Chinese threat. Sen. Ernst recently wrote a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in which she stressed that the U.S. must be more aggressive toward China, particularly after the communist regime's mishandling and cover-up of the coronavirus. China's role in the pandemic resulted in the loss of thousands of American lives, as well as devastating economic consequences.
    
    -Joni Ernst Focuses on China in First TV Ad of the Year

    Oh Fucking Brother!

    "...the communist regime's mishandling and cover-up of the coronavirus..."

    Please give me a fucking break.

    The videos of people dying all over China during CNY were everywhere.  I myself have collected thousands.  And while this was going on, you had President Trump telling everyone that "nothing is going on", and that you don't need to wear a mask. The idea that there was some sort of coverup is just political theater.

    What “mishandling”?

    Six days after discovery, everything went public and under lock-down. If anyone is mishandling anything it is the idiots running the United States right now.

    Anyways…

    America is in bad shape. And the general “rule of thumb” (historically) is to claim some foreign threat. Then launch a war, claiming that it’s all in “self-defense”. Right now, the build up is all against China.

    But if Trump loses the election, the build up will be redirected against Russia.

    And if so, then it looks like the John Tutor narrative will really start to have some legs...

    … Nuclear War.

    But of course, the PTB, the Oligarchy aren’t thinking this. They just simply cannot envision a life where they are not inside their nice comfortable homes living life and sipping tea while fondling with their pearl necklaces. They cannot envision major change on the order of Genghis Khan level disruptions.

    Instead, they are pushing the same, tired old, narrative…

    Export “democracy” to the rest of the world so that they can be as fantastically wonderful as Americans are, with all those American “freedoms”!

    American freedoms in action. Let's export this to the rest of the world!
    American freedoms in action. Let’s export this to the rest of the world! Woo woo!

    Well…

    Let me tell you’se guys. The rest of the world doesn’t want any “American exceptionalism”. They just wish to be left alone, and the dearly wish that America would just “go away”.

    Why?

    Because the are NOT suffering. They are NOT some starving village out of a “Save the Children” commercial. And most people are very, very far removed to that 0.0003% of people who live in the elitist bubble in Washington DC where stocks, bonds and public manipulation are the norm.

    They are having fun.

    They are living life.

    Having fun like everyone used to back in the day, in America before all those progressive "improvements".
    Having fun like everyone used to back in the day, in America before all those progressive “improvements”.
    Here's some glimpses into the rest of the world. The images are from South East Asia. This includes Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand and Burma. Now, there is a lot of cultural back-and-forth going on in these areas, so there is a chance that I am mixing up a few regions with nearby societies. lease excuse the mistakes if appropriate.

    Burma Music Video

    Most Americans don’t know where Myanmar is.

    It’s a small nation West of Thailand. It’s relatively poor, but peaceful. The only time most Americans hear about it has to do with some military excursion one way or the other. Then suddenly the news is plastered with buzz-words and trigger phrases. You know the drill “democracy”, “military junta”, “regime” and “communist”.

    But aside from that, Americans are kept ignorant.

    Myanmar map.
    Myanmar map.

    Americans just do not care.

    “Out of sight is out of mind” as we all used to say.

    At most, Americans might look at the news and see what constitutes as a video portrayal of events and daydream of starting a KFC franchise, introducing those “poor starving people” to ATM machines, and American social media. Not realizing of course, that they already have all of this. Each and every bit, only under their terms. Not under the oppressive terms of the iron-fisted American empire.

    Anyways…

    Here’s what it’s really like.

    This is what the rest of the world is like.

    And while you Americans were out having a BBQ with some chicken, some hamburgers, bags of potato chips, and watermelon, this is what other people were doing. While you were flying the red, white and blue flag on your porch, and drinking some fine Budweiser beer or PBR. Only…

    Only…

    Only…

    …they didn’t need an official government holiday to do it. They just went out and lived life. Because for the rest of the world, just about every day is a holiday.

    Check out this (partial) MV video from Burma…

    Burma music video.

    Ah it’s one of my favorites.

    Now for some bad news…

    THE PENTAGON IS PREPARING A NEW WAR IN SOUTH-EAST ASIA
    Political Islam against China
    by Thierry Meyssan
    
    You are probably aware that you are incompletely informed about what is brewing in Myanmar, and you probably haven’t heard about the military coalition that is preparing to attack that country. And yet, as Thierry Meyssan reveals here, these current events have been in preparation by Riyadh and Washington since 2013. Don’t take sides before you read this article and digest the information.
    
    https://www.voltairenet.org/article198141.html

    All in the name of “freedom” and “democracy”…

    But, take a gander. Do these people seem to need “democracy”, or “The American way of life”, or “American exceptionalism” that Donald Trump so loudly proclaim?

    DO you really think that they want ANYTHING that America exports right now?

    Do they look like they eat a lot of McDonald’s hamburgers, are all worked up and stressed about the IRS reporting dates, the up coming November elections, the new laws on social distancing on beaches or fishing? Nope. They are not. Because that nightmare world that all Americans live within is far, far removed for the lifestyle, and the societies of the rest of the world.

    Thirteen years ago my life changed forever.
    
    Colin Powell, then US Secretary of State and the most credible person in George W. Bush’s cabinet, made the case for war in Iraq on February 5, 2003.
    
    As a young military intelligence officer at the time, watching from a makeshift army base in Kuwait not far from the Iraq border.
    
    Back then I was a true believer, trusting that the government was a force for good “making the world safe for democracy. . .”
    
    But that night it all changed.
    
    Powell told the world unequivocally that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, an assertion that history has proven categorically wrong.
    
    But within the intelligence community, many people knew the appalling truth immediately.
    
    That night it became clear to me that the government was lying and that the whole case for war was being fabricated.
    
    It was crushing, like finding out everything I’d been told throughout my life was total bullshit.
    
    So for the first time, I broke out of the spell and began questioning. Everything.
    
    I started learning about the extraordinary political power of the military industrial complex that President Eisenhower warned about.
    
    That led me to the fraud of many previous wars going as far as the Mexican War in 1845, one deeply criticized by Abraham Lincoln himself.
    
    That led me to the Constitution, to which all military officers swear an oath to support and defend…
    
    … and it surely didn’t seem like supporting or defending the Constitution in waging an ill-conceived, illegal war.
    
    Needless to say I couldn’t talk to my professional colleagues. Everyone was so gung-ho, I felt like an outcast.
    
    When I returned home, things didn’t improve.
    
    While I was away the country had noticeably turned into a police state.
    Yet people seemed oblivious to the change, drinking in the propaganda like a spiked punch bowl.
    
    All the loud, bombastic nonsense and pledges of allegiance were merely illusions masking modern day serfdom.
    
    -Simon Black

    And now, well America is really knee-deep in shit. And it desperately needs a major military conflict for the PTB to stay in control and they are all “chomping at the bit” to make it happen.

    It’s terrifying.

    Yes. I know. I am in a “safe place”. And I know that change is going to happen. But, you all do know that I want peaceful change. Not violent change. And these elitists sitting in Washington DC are just delusional. On both sides of the isle. They do not know what they are asking, and the result will NOT be what they expect.

    Hey!

    Did the starvation of China work? How about the mass riots in Hong Kong? What about the UN going against the Uighur “concentration camps” (nonsensical, but still) or of course the COVID-19 bioweapons attack against China on the CNY eve 2020? How did it all pan out.?

    Do you all somehow think that a war with a major power is going to be a “walk in the park”?

    The United States needs to leave the rest of the world alone.

    It needs to concentrate on it’s own problems and start fixing things.

    No one believes the United States any longer. All the masks of self-righteous truth and Godliness has been stripped away to expose the evil dark underneath.
    No one believes the United States any longer. All the masks of self-righteous truth and Godliness has been stripped away to expose the evil dark underneath.

    Instead of filling their own pockets and letting the rest of the nation suffer. And that is what is going on right now. Those trillions of dollar bailouts are not going tot he citizens. They are, instead, going to the politically connected and the cronies that support the PTB. This is not good…

    It’s like throwing kerosene on a smoldering fire.

    Yet…

    The rest of the world is living life. Having fun. Chilling.

    Let’s go to Thailand.

    Local Thailand Music

    Of course, in Thailand you can hear classic American Rock blaring from the bars and nightclubs, but if you listen carefully and go outside the tourist areas you can find real genuine local music. And it’s all pretty darn cool.

    One of the most curious things that fascinated me is that the local music, and the styles all tended to resemble the hotter sections of Southern Mexico. And I am not the first to notice it.

    A curious new trend has emerged in Bangkok, where young Thai men are identifying as “Mexican gangsters.” 

    On the outside, many of these Thais resemble the Cholos who inspire them. Their clothes, tattoos, and hairstyles emulate those sported by real homies.

    What became clear is that the Thai obsession with these groups is simply an appreciation of their aesthetic. All of the men we spoke with were captivated by “the clean and simple style” that “worked well in this (Thai) weather,” as one gang member said. 

    So while they might appear and look like Mexican gangsters, they really emulate their style and appearance. As they both have a similar build / stature, a similar family lifestyle, a similar society, and similar weather. One should not, however, think that they aren’t able to handle themselves were “push comes to shove”. Thailand is the land of “kick boxing” and they do not play.

    I dont know about the clothes but on a hand to hand combat fight my moneys on the thai boys! 
    
    They would kick their ass in about 2 seconds with that martial arts shit! 
    
    As for the idiot who wondered wtf this story got to do with anything? Get the f**k outta here! U need a change of pace sometimes! 
    
    I saw a little woman from thailand once bring a grownass man to the floor with a damn broom handle once honest! If i hadnt seen it myself i wouldnt have believed it! 
    
    I was like dayuum!
    
    Anonymous
    March 20, 2014 at 11:19 PM

    Perhaps what most separates the Thais from the Mexicans they imitate is that almost all of them hold innocuous 9-5s as teachers, policemen and bureaucrats. Many are family men, and some admitted to consulting their wives before getting certain tattoos.

    Thailand Music Video

    In a nutshell, this is a brotherhood of style-conscious men who bond over baggy white shirts and gothic-baroque tattoos.

    That’s not to say that the Thais don’t have an understanding of the fierce take-no-shit Cholo attitude. Thanks to Youtube and movies they’re very much aware of that culture’s hyper-aggressiveness and machismo. One Balcony Pain gang member – Mr. Shiro Local – bared his inner gangster to us when he rapped a few lines from an original song he had written called “Fuck the Popo” in which he compared corrupt Thai police to parasites in his scrotum. 
    
    Such outright vitriol is rarely directed towards people in authority in Thailand, where the dominant culture is one of extreme deference towards the powerful. Yet, you’d be hard pressed to find Thais who disagree with Mr. Local’s assessment of Bangkok’s cops. Perhaps a little more Mexican gangstah chutzpah is exactly what Thailand needs. 

    Just some local Thai men being themselves and living life.

    Nice. Eh?

    Local societies doing local things. People living life.

    Good. Right?

    Well…

    Not everyone thinks so…

    Trump, Pompeo and Bolton.
    Trump, Pompeo and Bolton.

    Now all this is going on while the PTB and the Oligarchy are moving military forces around the world. Both the American and English forces are moving in preparation for the World War that America so desperately needs…

    What this article in fact announces is the state of war between the Anglo-American Empire and the PRC which with characteristic euphemism is called "hybrid". 
    
    https://www.ft.com/content/20910e6d-5ae7-4026-aaee-947e22c3dd60
    
    "Britain’s armed forces pivot east to face growing China threat
    Security and defence review dominated by ways to counter Beijing’s hybrid warfare"
    
    The FT as a mouthpiece of the Establishment is announcing that the conventional warfare elements are being mobilised as cover for covert operations already in progress for at least 18 months.
    By placing visible assets near the "front" any PRC responses to covert action can be dressed as provocations justifying selective escalation.
    
    Since the AAE is aware that it is unable to challenge PLAN elements in Chinese territorial waters or EEZ, these naval elements serve to inhibit or disrupt maritime traffic toward or from China.
    
    The preoccupation with repeated instances of viral infection not only consume resources but reinforce the negative public image of the PRC and force its "self-isolation".
    
    Since at the same time the promoters of the "pandemic" are determined to drive Trump out of office at all costs, both to restore control over the W**** House and hence the state bureaucracy and to continue the rollout against China and Russia unobstructed, there is little reason to expect any change in the WHO status before December.
    
    By that time the scale of basic economic disaster will require the draconian "public health (in fact policing) measures" on a far more coordinated scale than at present is apparent.
    
    We are going through what might best be called an indoctrination phase. This is a shift from overt criminal policing or political repression to a general "health and safety" doctrine- already well anchored in Britain and the US (the white dominions).
    
    My gut feeling is that the protests in the US are in fact a managed "watertight integrity" test. The natural anger and opposition to all sorts of real and imagined injustice is being selectively detonated. This will starve the real opposition of the "oxygen" it needs to resist the next phase of suppression.
    
    It would be nice to think that it is all more chaotic and less subject to management than I describe above. However, I see little cause for optimism of this sort.
    
    Dr. T. P. Wilkinson
    魏巴克

    Yeah.

    I know that it is depressing. It’s like you have this really nice calm life. It’s fine and tranquil and then suddenly American planes zoom overhead and release a fireball that completely wipes out your small village.

    Americans spreading “democracy”.

    Like what happened in Panama…

    In Libya…

    In Afghanistan, Syria…

    And many, many other places…

    Syria before and after America spread "democracy" and let them have a fine taste of American "freedom".
    Syria before and after America spread “democracy” and let them have a fine taste of American “freedom”.

    Hey! I know it’s depressing.

    You want to know what’s even more depressing?

    It’s that any attack on China or Russia will end up with nuclear attacks on American soil. And yet somehow, somehow and in some crazy way, the American and British PTB Oligarchy leadership doesn’t think that this will happen. Thinking that a war with China will be limited to conventional weapons in the South China Sea is absolutely foolish.

    What is the matter with these people?

    • It will not be limited to conventional weapons.
    • It will not be limited to the South China Sea.

    Don’t they realize that on the grand scale of things that you just cannot move about… being a destroyer of things and NOT have some “flash back”?

    Look at these videos.

    America is a bubble of insanity.

    Has anyone seen this from Rod Campbell of Australia Institute? He claims thousands of bot accounts controlled by US government spread the Wuhan bioweapons narrative nearly 5 million times in the first half of 2020:
     
    https://www.facebook.com/HongKongGoodNews/videos/200057774713941/

    The life of the people in the rest of the world is…

    … normal.

    The life of Americans in America is…

    …abnormal.

    People… the rest of the world is not like this. The rest of the world is normal and doing well. The rest of the world is living life and having fun. They are not in the same kind of extremes that Americans are enduring.

    It is like night…

    … and day.

    Having fun at the clubs in Thailand.
    Having fun at the clubs in Thailand.

    They are not living in this bubble of extreme freak-out that exists within the USA today. They are innocents. They are just minding their own business. And when the brave American bombs start dropping, there will be a response…

    … you want to avoid the areas where the response(s) will end up.

    Come on…

    Look at the rest of the world.

    What about life in Cambodia?

    How about checking things out there…eh?

    America Needs a War

    As I am trying to make the point, I want you the reader to pay attention and listen. It’s simple really.

    • Americans are living within a “bubble”.
    • The rest of the world lies outside this “bubble”.

    They are happy, doing well, and want to be left alone. They are now protected with strong military alliances with peer-capable weapons, serious and powerful leadership, and an understanding of the stakes and the evils of the American Military Empire as it exists today.

    America needs a war. It is the only technique remaining in the arsenal of control that will allow the United States to stay coherent and not break apart through internal division.

    The severity of the internal American discord is an indicator of how serious the projected war that America wants…

    …and the rest of the world is aware of this.

    If you all think that the Chinese, and the Russians are going to sit back and allow the America to go initiate a global war to preserve their control over the rapidly crumbling American structure…

    …you are sadly mistaken.

    Right now, and keep this in mind… China is STILL at DEFCON ONE. Last week they just called up all of the national reservists. All of them. (What? You didn’t see this in the American or Western press did you?) If you think that China is going to permit the five aircraft (2 + 3 = 5) carriers heading to China right now, and the two invasion flotillas to be a threat, you are crazy.

    Chinese and Russian military advisors have been having a flurry of meetings over this last month.

    Do not think that the rest of the world is going to sit back and pretend that nothing is going on? Don’t be silly. The leadership of both China and Russia are experts that obtained their positions through merit. Not though some diversity checklist and under-the-table bribes.

    Meanwhile…

    …In Cambodia.

    Party Time in Cambodia

    It’s “party time”. There, just like it used to be in America, people would customize their vehicles and make them into mobile party-centers. Then all they would need to do is go to an empty parking lot and have a good time. Sort of like this…

    Cambodian Music Video

    Yeah.

    The rest of the world is just having fun. They are just enjoying themselves. There’s nothing wrong with that.

    But, you would never know that this was going on from reading the American news…

    To Americans within their own bubble, they are convinced that they are “special”, and “wonderful”, and all is “great”.

    How could they get this kind of idea?

    Well…

    It’s because it has been drummed into them ever since they first started attending school, and getting participation trophies for showing up.

    But…

    I’ve got news for everyone.

    Americans are NOT special. In fact, most aren’t really functional at the most basic level. The PTB realize this, and many people are starting to wake up to this frightening situation.

    Here’s one…

    The following is the full text of an article titled “RAW TRUTH: Why 97% of lives really DON’T matter at all to the future of humanity” by Mike Adams. It was found on Natural News and all credit to the Author.

    The opinions are of the author and not necessairly that of Metallicman. So please take advisements. Realize that there are changes and you need to be a participant or else you will be flushed down the drain with the rest. Be advised.
    
    Aside from that. Realize that other people are starting to "wake up" and look around...

    RAW TRUTH: Why 97% of lives really DON’T matter at all to the future of humanity

    Sunday, July 05, 2020 by: Mike Adams

    (Natural News) The mantra of “Black Lives Matter” has been pounded into our heads 24 hours a day, and we’re told it’s an enlightened, progressive statement while anyone who claims “White lives matter” is somehow a racist bigot. Even worse, those who utter “ALL lives matter” are now threatened with being killed by this Harvard graduate, and people are being fired from their jobs for claiming “all lives matter.”

    In truth, almost no lives really matter to the future of humanity, and that’s because roughly 97% of the people are oblivious, clueless consumers who are doing absolutely nothing to help secure a legacy of truth and freedom for future generations.

    If you are sitting on your ass, watching The View and devouring Weight Watchers donuts as you allow the TV to fill your brain with mush, your life actually doesn’t matter. If you were to cease to exist, nothing about the future of human history would change one iota.

    If you are still watching CNN and predominantly using Facebook, Twitter and Google because you don’t realize all the voices of truth have been banned by the authoritarian Left, your life probably doesn’t matter. You are nothing but a mind puppet of the globalist-run corporate propagandists (Big Tech and Big Media).

    If you conform to the insane demands of the progressive left-wing fascists because you cower in fear over being “cancelled,” your life doesn’t matter, either.

    If you’re not standing up against the lunatic left-wing mob to defend logic, reason and rationality, your existence really doesn’t matter. You aren’t changing history; you’re being used as a “useful idiot” to help achieve the aims of the anti-human globalists who despise human populations.

    If you’re not fighting for the right to speak, the right to disagree and the right to question the lunacy of the mob, your life doesn’t matter.

    If you’re doped up on a dozen prescription drugs to the point that you’re mentally incapacitated and can barely process events happening right in front of you, your life doesn’t matter. (But you might get nominated as the Democratic Presidential candidate, notably.)

    If you vote for candidates based on political tribalism without having any real clue what those candidates stand for, your life doesn’t matter.

    If you think you are owed everything without having to work for anything, your life doesn’t matter.

    If you think the answer to today’s existential threats to our nation, our freedom and our Bill of Rights are no big deal and everybody should just “think positive,” then your life doesn’t really matter. You will accomplish nothing that matters.

    Approximately 97% of the lives of Americans today don’t matter one bit. They are NPCs — Non-Player Characters — also known as PLFs (Programmable Life Forms), and they will do whatever they are told by the media, the corporations and the fake establishment “authorities.” They add exactly zero value to society and if they vanished tomorrow, the course of human history wouldn’t be altered one bit.

    Here’s a video showcasing some members of the 97% — the clueless masses whose lives are pointless and inconsequential. Watch as they explain how the United States of America achieved its independence “in 1964” by fighting “the Civil War” against “America.” Seriously… and two of them are teachers!

    Whose lives matter? Those who are informed and who make a difference. The 3%.

    Only about 3% of the population have any clue about our history and are actively engaged in shaping our future. That’s fewer than 10 million people nationwide.

    It is these 10 million people who will determine our shared future and whether or not we end up enslaved under left-wing tyranny or are able to reclaim our constitutional republic and defeat the anti-American forces that are rising.

    So out of a nation of 330 million people, about 320 million lives make no difference at all. They are what globalists call “useless eaters,” and they are on the list to be exterminated via global depopulation efforts that are now underway via the plandemic and the coming coronavirus “vaccine.”

    Another way to look at this is by simply being active in the effort to spread the truth and defend humanity against tyranny, you matter more than any 33 other people who are oblivious. Your life “counts” more, in other words, because you’re fighting to make a difference. And the 97% figure for the clueless masses is actually quite generous. The real number is probably more like 99%, which means one active, aware person “matters” more than 99 other people who are clueless.

    What makes your life matter isn’t the color of your skin or your political affiliation. What determines whether you matter is how committed you are to fighting for human freedom and opposing authoritarianism and tyranny. Notably, people who really matter are self-selected: They alone determine that they wish to take a stand and make a difference. No one can appoint you to this position of relevance; you must seize it for yourself and become a person whose life really does make a positive difference in the world.

    How to make your life matter

    If you are an oblivious conformist who surrenders to the lunatic mob, your life is pointless and redundant. But if you want your life to really matter, you must break away from the mob and start thinking (and acting) for yourself.

    There are many, many people who have set the example of independent thinking that you might allow to inspire yourself to do the same:

    … and many others. There are lots of examples out there. Are you among these types of independent thinkers who challenge the status quo and work to truly empower and uplift humanity with wisdom and knowledge?

    Don’t go through life on a pointless, narcissistic rampage of a cult-like obedience to the puppet masters of our time: Think for yourself. Learn history. Share knowledge. Branch out and away from the content controllers at Facebook, YouTube, Google and Twitter. Change the channel and stop allowing yourself to be brainwashed by CNN, MCNBC and NPR.

    Use alternative platforms for sharing real knowledge, like…

    • Brighteon.com
    • Spreely.com
    • Parler.com.

    Seek out uncommon knowledge and use it to empower yourself. Create your own channels and post your own videos, texts or articles.

    Freedom is so easily accessible that you can find it by typing a URL into your browser. Instead of typing “Facebook.com,” type “Brighteon.com” and discover a whole new world.

    Be someone who matters.

    Change the future for the better. Join those of us who are doing this work every single day, dedicating our lives to protecting human freedom and a sustainable future of abundance and liberty for all.

    97% of lives don’t matter, but yours can. What will you choose to do with it?

    Be the Rufus

    Make no mistake. Those that will survive and be permitted to procreate and live life through this tumultuous time period with be those that are aware, kind and knowledgeable. But most certainly have the kind of sentience deserving of mankind.

    Sitting on a couch, smunching on pork rinds, and demanding that taxes get raised so that you can still keep using your food stamps is not representative of the future of mankind.

    This is…

    The rest of the world is starting to fight back.

    The rest of the world is changing.

    The way things have been is coming to an end, and people are starting to fight back. They demand stability, families, and stable relationships. They tire of the vermin… rich and the poor that prey on the rest of society. Now, with the proper tools, and the proper motivation they have declared a new order of society.

    Have you noticed?

    • The CIA/NED instigation of the Hong Kong “pro-democracy” movement and the pay-offs of the Judges to let the criminals have a pass. Even when it came to killing people, damaging critical infrastructure, and maiming people.

    And…

    • China changing the law. Throwing out the judges. Shutting down the CIA/NED “safe spaces”. Arresting and severely punishing the wrong-doers. Organ harvesting with life-time of hard-labor in the salt mines for many many years. No wonder that even Joshua Wong has disbanded his organization.

    It’s all starting to come down. It’s all starting to fall apart.

    USA compared to China. 2020.
    USA compared to China. 2020.

    And the petty criminals and the evil folk in positions of power must change or else they will face the consequences.

    Remember this;
    
    A functional nation devotes 100% of it's time, energy and resources on bettering the lives of it's people.
    
    If it is unable to do that, or devotes a smaller percentage of time, money and effort to the domestic needs of it's people, it is disfunctional.
    
    The world, and the human race, needs functional, healthy and substantive people, organizations and governments. Anything less MUST be purged and culled from existence.

    Do you want more?

    I have more articles like this in my Happiness Index here…

    Life & Happiness

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    While the United States is busily celebrating their “freedom” on the fourth of July, this is what the rest of the world is doing.

    Not knocking “freedom”, mind you. I think it’s very important. It’s just that what passes for “freedom” in the “Land of the Free” isn’t freedom at all. Freedom is the ability to own property. And… the property is inviolate. Meaning no one can tax it, regulate it, or put retainers on it in any way. And if you look at things that way, then you see that Americans have just about ZERO freedoms.

    But you heard me freak out about this before, right?

    A true and real measure of "freedom" is the cumulative amount of worth of everything that you own THAT IS NOT taxed, regulated, associated with fees, or subject to seizure. 

    Under this definition the actual amount of “freedom” that most Americans have is ZERO. Everything in the United States is both regulated, and taxed (not to mention subject to seizure). That goes from your home (even after you pay off your mortgage, you still need to pay taxes on it), to your car (duh!), to every item you purchase with state and federal taxes associated with it.

    Face it, Americans have zero freedom.

    And no screeching at the screen is going to change that fact. Don’t yell at me. Don’t blame me. Don’t get all “hot and bothered” and shoot up an innocent school full of kids.

    I am just pointing out the obvious.

    Now, here we are going to watch videos of the rest of the world. A place where if you buy a house it is yours. You own it. You don’t pay taxes on it, or deal with regulations on it in any way. When you buy some cigarettes there are no taxes on it, or when you drive a car you don’t need to have it inspected or “approved” for road use.

    Freedom. You either have it or you don’t.

    Freedom can be measured; it is the cumulative monetary value of everything you own that is NOT subject to tax, regulation, fees, or seizure by any government.

    Go ahead. Add it all up. See how free you are.

    So watch these videos and see what the rest of the world looks like without that “great American freedom”. We are going to look at the “communist” China. You know, where if you own a house you NEVER need to pay any taxes, property, or school on it. Where you NEVER have to have it inspected or regulated by the central headquarters, and where you NEVER need to “show your papers” to the police when you are walking down the street.

    Freedom is the ability to own things… real ownership… free of regulation… free of taxation… free of fees and reporting of any kind at any level.

    Feel special yet?

    And we are going to Segway from a discussion on freedom, and why it is important, to Rufus behaviors...
    
    And then to sentience...
    
    And then back to why "freedom" matters.

    Video 1 – Having a home recording studio

    So what’s so great about having a home recording studio? These have been common in the United States since the dawn of radio. What’s the big deal?

    Well…

    You are right.

    These things have been in the United States for years. What began in the basements and garages of the 1950’s and 1960’s, migrated to churches in the 1970’s to keep out of the laws of intense regulation and scrutiny. Then after a brief period of relaxation under the Reagan administration, they all came back and most recording studios in the United States today are highly regulated, “for-profit” affairs.

    The days of home recording studios in the United States are pretty much over.

    Not so in the rest of the world.

    Here we have a video of a home recording studio in China.

    It’s not taxed. It’s not regulated. It’s not subject to workplace rules and IRS reporting procedures. It’s not subject to inspection by the various local and state and federal boards. It’s a private, personal space that is used for whatever a person wants it to be used as and the government (in this case Chinese) has absolutely ZERO say on how it is managed.

    There are no lit up “exit signs”. You are permitted to smoke inside if you want and there are no fire extinguishers or “people capacity” stickers on the walls. The height of the recording desk is not specified. Nor is the temperature of the room, the decorations or sound isolation foam. It’s all up to the owner to determine. Not the government.

    A life where you can own a home recording studio, free of taxation, regulation, fees or rules is far freer than one where everything you do is under the scrutiny of some kind of government organization.

    Freedom. You either have it, or you don’t.

    There are no grey areas in this issue.

    But, but, but you NEED regulation to have a modern functioning society…

    That’s the narrative isn’t it?

    "Well, China is a developing country. It is a third-world shit-hole. It is where people eat dogs, and cats. Get coronavirus at filthy "wet-markets" and evil mean people riding bicycles try to pick your pocket every chance they get. It's no secret that they all yearn to move to America and be free!"

    This narrative, that you NEED regulation to have freedom is an oxymoron. It is one of those never ending lies that are repeated over, and over, and over again, and the stupid ignorant people believe it. They don’t pause and think about what they are saying…

    That you NEED to have all this regulation because that is how a modern society works.

    "Regulation is a necessary evil. It is how America became great. It is because of regulation that we have trains, bridges, skyscrapers, and the post Office. Take away regulation and America would be back to the stone age."

    Wrong!

    Regulation serves one thing, and one thing only. Standardization of utility. That’s it.

    The idea is that if you make everything one way, and that way is standard then the number of accidents and mishaps will decrease because you have centralized the rules and made a unified standard that everyone by abide to.

    • Like the sizes of steps on a stairway.
    • Like the minimum width in a doorway.
    • Like the minimum number of pages of paper in a pad of paper.

    This next video is Nanshan. It’s a suburb of Shenzhen, China. This is the escalator up from the subway below. Now, Shenzhen is a “new” city. Just thirty years ago it was just a sleepy fishing village with some dirt roads and some fishing boats.

    But China decided to take a “spin” with this new concept that Ronald Reagan was promoting (at the time) called “Reaganomics”. And Mr. Deng implemented capitalism to communist China.

    China constructed a “economic bubble” and implemented every single element of Reaganomics into that bubble. From low taxes, to low to absent regulation, to every other aspect of it. China went full-speed ahead on this “experiment”.

    And while President Bush put an end to the American experiment with Reaganomics, China plowed forward…

    Shenzhen is the result…

    Shenzhen is a pretty awesome place. Not because of Reaganomics so much as the freedom from government regulation.

    Freedom. You either have it or you don’t.

    Freedom has nothing to do about the economy

    There is this unspoken myth in the United States that America is “exceptional” because of it’s “freedoms” and it’s “democracy”. And that the tremendous advantage that the American economy has globally, is proof of this.

    That is false.

    Let it be absolutely clear that the economy of a nation has absolutely nothing to do with whether you are free or not.

    There are people in the poorest sections of Africa and South America that are far freer than Americans are.

    Remember, boys and girls, a measure of how free you are is the cash value of the possessions that you have that is not taxed, regulated or has associated fees or can be seized from you.

    So…

    Here we have some poor kids in the heart of Africa. Their poor clothes had no fees, taxes or regulations when they bought them. Their homes are untaxed and unregulated. And yet, and yet, they are happy and living life.

    Of course, I do get this. I do understand.

    For many, many years Americans have been taught that being great is the accumulation of wealth, and America is thus great because it is a leading economic power.

    But, people, the accumulation of things and paper scripts is not success. It is not happiness. It is not joyous abandon. It is not freedom.

    If there is one thing that I have learned over my many, many years is that real freedom has a calming effect on your soul. You stop caring about others, worries about things, or getting all entangled and wrapped up in all sorts of drama.

    There are so many things that Americans think are true that are not…

    While I am discussing truths and reality here, let it be absolutely understood that we all (all over the world) have been fed a steady diet of lies and untruths and distortions all our lives.

    It goes back thousands of years.

    But we can point our fingers to just about every aspect of science and society.

    • When the emergence of science came about in Europe, suddenly all stories and tales of non-physical creatures became myths.
    • When money lenders (banks) can manufacture money though the invention of interest… the net trade off was a decrease in value of everything.
    • When the lie of “democracy” equals “freedom”…
    • Or that a strong national economy is a sign that God favors that nation.
    • Or that being smart, intelligent or getting good grade somehow equates to wealth.
    • Or that being popular is a desirable trait that with make a person happier.

    Lies, lies, and more lies.

    People(!) for the human society to survive this great period of change, we will need to readjust our perceptions on what is real and what isn’t,

    In truth, much of what has been force fed (over the last 50 years) through the American media are half-truths and lies. They are designed to convert individual non-established sentience’s to follow a service-for-self or a service-for-another sentience. When in reality, pure and real freedom comes with the third sentience; service-to-others.

    Be the Rufus.

    Be the Rufus

    Ah. But what does being a “Rufus” has to do with anything?

    How is it connected to wealth? To fame” To “freedom”? To “democracy”? To science, to society…?

    We have gotten so wrapped up on the trivial…

    Society is the bedrock of our personal experiences. It is from personal experiences that our sentience manifests and fills in. And thus it is who we are and why we do things. It is our roles in society. It fills out and establishes our place… our experiences and whether or not our lives are fulfilling.

    So, I urge everyone to stop listening to the bullshit narratives.

    Be the Rufus.

    Not only will you obtain better and more enjoyable experiences, but your soul growth and quanta entanglements will end up being of a far higher quality.

    It all goes to this.

    Taxes and regulations are said to be necessary for a “modern” well-functioning society. That is a lie. They are not. That is what the service-to-self people want you to believe.

    Migrate towards a service-to-others sentience. Be helpful and make your life a worthwhile one.

    Be the Rufus.

    Be the Rufus

    Conclusion

    The ONLY way that the oligarchy PTB that continue to maintain their level of absolute control is to keep individuals separate. The most tyrannical governments in the world are those that praise the individual and not the group. It is when you praise the efforts of a singular lone person, that everyone else starts to believe that the entire universe is based upon the idea of “every man for himself”.

    That is a service-for-self mentality.

    But that is not how it works.

    Service-for-others sentience is always unhappy in places where freedom is suppressed. And even though they are told over and over again 24-7 that they actually are "free" they know, in their bones, that this is not the case.

    We are consciousness. And we inhabit a physical body that migrates though a long stream of world-lines to obtain experiences. These experiences are what causes our quanta to clump together and form associations.

    We can be selfish. We can “master” our physical environment though greed, power and selfish exploits. And all of these experiences will also contribute to the creation of the soul consciousness.

    But it is a dead-end. It is a trap.

    Why?

    Because humans ARE NOT singular “lone wolf” creatures. We are social animals. And thus the best sentience for us is one that the physical elements of our being match up with the spiritual elements of our being.

    That is service-for-others sentience.

    As social animals, we occupy a social role. We contribute to society. We help others. We make the world a better place. We do so in small ways, but we do so…

    Street worker buying clothing for his young daughter. He only has so much money. So he has to count out the money carefully to buy some clothes so that she will not be laughed at during school.

    The great sorting is upon us. How long this will last is unknown. It might last for a century in total. Though it might be over in as short as ten years. Most certainty there will be all sorts of elements of change here and there in different geographical areas over time.

    You cannot control the world, but you can control your little part of it.

    Be the Rufus.

    Why does it matter?

    A service-for-self person will do their intention affirmations over and over again, and still have trouble manifesting their desires. No matter what they get, they will still want more. Bigger, better, more and more. They will never be satisfied. So that when one reality manifestation occurs it is what makes them happy.

    That is because their WANTS will always be a “want”.

    A service-for-others person will find that their prayer affirmation intention campaigns will have a strong degree of permanency with it. When it happens, and their dreams manifest, they will be free to concentrate on other elements of their intention prayers / desires.

    Like this…

    How things manifest is subject to the sentience of the person making the intention campaign.

    Be the Rufus.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my Rufus Index, here…

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    What to expect when an intention prayer campaign starts to work. No, it’s not comfortable.

    Well… things are not what you expected are they? Yeah. I get it. The moment you started to do your affirmations and prayer campaign things just started to go against you. It’s almost like you are going up hill on a windy day and everything around you is falling apart, breaking and everyone suddenly is turning into a truly foul mood. What’s going on?

    Don not freak out. It’s normal. It means that your affirmations are actually working. And thus what you want will manifest for you.

    Don’t believe me?

    Let me tell you.

    You cannot implement your desires without changing your life. And, after all, that’s why you are doing it in the first place. You want to change your life in certain, specific, ways. Well…

    The road, the route, to these changes means that some things around you will need to change. In other words, to obtain those changes, you will need to experience change.

    And, experiencing change, is not comfortable.

    Sorry.

    The Mechanism

    It’s simple really.

    If you want to make changes in your life, then changes will start to happen.

    What is confusing to most people is that most of the changes aren’t anything like they are expecting. Other things start changing, not what they intended.

    But the reason for this is very straight-forward. You see, everything is connected, and in order to get certain changes to manifest within your life, you are going to experience many changes in other areas of your life.

    For example. Suppose you have a prayer affirmation / intention that depicts you living on the beach in a nice big mansion.
    
    The thing is, you are living in a mobile home, in Kentucky.
    
    You make the intention prayers just like you are supposed to. And then shortly afterwards your entire world starts to crumble around you. You haven't even finished the prayers and entered into the mandatory stop / pause sequence. Yet, everything is going wrong.
    
    There are arguments with your relatives. Arguments with your closest friends. Arguments with your lover. Things are breaking. Everything is breaking. The mobile home catches fire. Your car breaks down,and then again right after you have it repaired. People shun you, and the IRS decides that you make too much money.
    
    The neighbor kid gets a new dirt-bike and decides to go around, and around and around your house for hours on end. Then he runs over your rake and crashes. He gets all mangled up and you end up getting sued. You complain about this, and call him a "little rascal", and the newspaper prints it up as you being racist. A small lynch mob arrives at your door demand you apologize and donate to their cause for racial reparations.
    
    Your shoe heel falls of. Your bra strap breaks. Your favorite picture falls off the wall and smashes into a thousand pieces. The mailman somehow forgets that you exist and rerouted all your mail to the "dead letter office". There is a recall on the medicine that you are taking. The washing machine breaks down.
    
    Your girlfriend accuses you of rape. Your dog shit on your pillow. The cat claws up your laptop. The cardkey to open the car door somehow resets. The computer you use at work gets the most crazy clitches. You walk past an emergency exit and the alarm starts going off for no reason. A random dog on the street runs up to you and pee'd on your leg.
    
    You run away from him, and step on a banana peel and slip and fall... into a pile of stinky dog shit. You reach into your pocket for a hankerchief to wipe off the mess, and discover that your wallet is missing. A little old lady who is is crossing the street sees you and starts hitting you on the head with her parasol. And you haven't a clue as to why.
    
    The police pull you over for a faulty taillight... on your new car. The eggs that you bought at the store has Avian Flu. Someone hacked into your email. Someone else steals the emergency fund that you had stashed in your freezer. The coupons that you bought that "were good for the next three years" expired after one week. The "full" propane tank that you bought was empty.
    
    The government mandates that you must replace your toilet with a lo-flo verson. And this change bankrupts your budget. While living off of Ramen noodles you discover that a nest of cockroaches were inside one of the packs. A snake moves into your garden hose, while some kid shoved a potato in your muffler tailpipe and it blew up your car engine.
    
    Your pet gets mange. An embaressing selfie that you took years ago while drunk somehow made it to the HR office where you work, and they decide to fire you. A racoon moves into your car engine. A bird starts dive bombing you whenever you leave the front door to your house. Your next door neighbor not only steals the packages from your front porch but has the audacity to wear your new clothes in public.  
    
    You go outside and it rains, but when you go into work the most beautiful day ever made appear. Too bad you have the meeting from Hell with your new boss from Hell. You get pulled over for bald tires, yet the tires were only six months old. Your best friend steals your girlfrend as well as your dog. While taking a shower, the hot water heater blows. An ice storm hits and the power line tower smashed down on your house and it takes two days for the rescue team to find you.
    
    You start to have chronic diherria. And the toilet gets clogged up and overflows. While you are mopping it us, a housing inspection team decides to perform a random house inspection, and the look of disapproval and disgust on their faces is classic. You try to set things right by offering them a can of coke, and then you find out later that the coke was tained at the factory and all the housing inspectors ended up going into the Hospital ICU.
    
    You are fined for not mowing your grass. The case of beer that you bought and drank last week was recalled because a disgrunted worker pissed into all the beer. The grass seed that you bought turned out to be fake. The bank closed your account because you were too poor, and not worth their time.
    
    Then things start to get bad...
    
    You put up with it and "roll with the punches".
    
    Things happen. Many things. Life goes on. You forget about your prayer campaign as there are far too many things going on in your life... 
    
    Life moves on...
    
    Ever on...
    
    Then, one sunny morning, as you wake up to the morning sun shining on your breakfast balcony overlooking the sea you start to remember what it was like five years ago. Suddenly this "normal" every-day scene ooutside you mansion isn't all that big of a deal. For, you remember that this was the exact prayer affirmation sequence that you wanted.

    You wanted change.

    Well it’s coming, and you can see it all around you.

    Solar power panels hit by a hail storm.
    Solar power panels hit by a hail storm.

    No, it’s not what you expected, but that is the way these things work. Since everything is connected, all sorts of things will start to change, break and go wrong. The larger the change, and the greater the intensity of your current life, the harsher the changes that will manifest around you…

    The Good

    The good news is that your prayer affirmation campaign is actually working. You can measure the effectiveness of the campaign by the strife in your life during the campaign, and during the “pause” afterward. In general, the greater the strife, the bigger the changes that are moving towards you.

    • The more stress means the stronger the changes.
    • The more arguments that you have means that the more relationship changes that are coming your way.
    • The more things that break down and fall apart, means the greater the physical changes in your life.

    So please try to be positive in all this. Because there are two really good things that I need to really emphasize to you all right now. They are…

    • Your wishes and intentions will actually happen.
    • These hardships will actually end.

    So don’t get all caught up in the nasty details at this very moment…

    Car chewed up by neighbors pit bull.
    Car chewed up by neighbors pit bull.

    The Bad

    The bad news is that this is a very uncomfortable period.

    "MM, how can I possibly do my prayer affirmations with all this turmoil and drama that is going on (in my life)?"

    It might make you want to give up. And if the changes and the strife are really, terribly bad, it might cause you to want to completely chuck everything away.

    Just don’t.

    I feel things are changing. I know people feel it, too. I am having a bit of trouble. I know you aren’t a genie () but, both my cars are broke down. That’s how I work. so as much as I try not to stress about things, it’s hard not to right now. 
    
    I know I need to keep my affirmations basic and simple right now. I get that. Would it hurt to add more? I know I’ve asked you this, so please don’t be frustrated with me. It’s just really taking a toll on me.

    This is hard on everyone.

    Change is never easy.

    Younger folk, who are unaccustomed to change, might take this the hardest. While older folk, might just shrug it off and just give up, and become a drunk hobo on the skids.

    The bad news is that this is a very uncomfortable period. It will not be fair. It will not be right or just. It will be absolutely unfair, and uncalled for and very, very rude. it will hurt.
    The bad news is that this is a very uncomfortable period. It will not be fair. It will not be right or just. It will be absolutely unfair, and uncalled for and very, very rude. it will hurt.
    What's going on? This is insane! My life is now upside down. The man who I am engaged with left me, and gave away all my clothes to Goodwill. What the Hell is going on?

    Summary and Conclusion

    You need to master the change to make it happen.

    And during all this the changes will be coming at you hard and fast. Things WILL break. Things WILL go wrong. There WILL be arguments, and it WILL be unfair and very uncomfortable. You will not like it, and you will want to give up.

    But…

    But…

    But…

    Your dreams and your desires are in process. They are all changing and all are manifesting right now. For every broken beltloop, for every broken shoelace, for every argument, or flat tire, or new bill that seems to overwhelm you or stress you out, know that there is a KEY element that is moving into place RIGHT NOW that will manifest your intentions to happen and come true for you.

    So do not give up.

    Do not stop.

    Keep with the program.

    Things will work out and your dreams and desires will manifest just as you desire them to. Do not worry at all.

    I tell you this TWO TIMES.

    Now smile and keep on…

    Keep on keeping on! I do believe in you. I really, really, really do.

    Remember… any life that you dream of can come true. Let the changes roll on. They will take you to interesting places…

    They can make your richer, give you a more comfortable lifestyle. A nicer home, better food, a more interesting life. Happier friends. Better clothes and a smarter lifestyle.

    There are absolutely NO LIMITS.

    They can take you overseas…

    Vietnam girls out for a night stroll.

    These changes will occur.

    You did not waste your time on a list of affirmations, and a dream board, and strong desires all with the goal of discarding them all when changes jsut started to manifest. Did you? Well, you wanted change. Now it’s coming.

    Change is not just coming…

    It’s happening.

    And you are seeing it, and you all jsut cannot figure out what the heck is going on.

    Change is always uncomfortable.

    Remember that.

    The real truth is that change is very, very uncomfortable, and you are just now feeling and experiencing those changes that you and your affirmations have set into motion.

    Never forget that YOU can change the parameters of your life. You don’t know where your intentions might take you. Allow them to manifest. And just grit your teeth and let them manifest…

    Change will take your life into interesting direcitons.

    It will make it more interesting, more adversome, more attractive, more colorful…

    You will be surprised with the changes that will manifest. You just need to continue on your prayer affirmations and grit your teeth with the changes manifest all around you. Don’t fight the changes. Roll with the changes.

    You might be surprised where they will take you…

    Traditional Dreams of China…

    Whatever your dreams are. They can really, really and I mean it, REALLY happen. You just need to focus on your thoughts. You need to keep them in mind and burn these thoughts into your reality. They will happen. They really will.

    You can ask any person that posts here on Metallicman that when they do a prayer campaign that they come true. They can tell you that it is not a theory. It works, oh my God does it ever. And these things will happen. And the dreams WILL absolutely happen to you.

    Dreams.

    Everyones got them.

    Have you ever wondered why?

    I mean, why do you want to live in a mansion, or have a house with a white picket fence? Or why everyone wanted to drive a fast convertible and dress like Tibbs and Don Johnson (back in the 1980’s) like Miami Vice? Why?

    Is it because we have been told what we should aspire towards?

    Or is it something deeper? Could our dreams and desire be associated with things that are deep? Deep things, and things that are there at the tip of our fingers but that we cannot reach. What is going on? Why can’t we be the person that we wanted to be when we were little?

    What is different now?

    Maybe we have accepted too much of what others think, and not enough of what we ourselves want.

    Like the ladies that want to get in touch with the faerie side of their life…

    Here’s an inspirational girl who just wants to merge her faerie life with her real life. This is a thing in Asia. And people do it. They actually do it though costumes and rituals. Doesn’t this girl look like she is being…

    … the “real deal”?

    Faeries are not a fantasy.

    Faerie’s life comes real.

    But…

    But, it’s not just faeries, or dreams, or desires. Sometimes the society puts limits on you, and puts chains on you, and your deepest desires yearn to break away and be free from them.

    In Asia, whether it is Korea, China, Vietnam, Japan, or any other Asian nation there are rules of behavior, strong family, and group connections and roles that one must play. Often these are all very stressful. And inside people have a difficult time trying to be who they want to be.

    So there are outlets. You can go to the KTV. You can go to the bars, and you can go ahead and get involed in sports and other activites. But you can also become who ever you want to be by joining a group. Which is why so many dance groups are popular in Aisa.

    Here we have a girl that is just “average”, but now she is part of a dance group and now she is performing in front of a Chinese military base. She is being who she wants to be with a role that she chooses and getting the appreciation and sense of belonging from it.

    Sure, when an American see this, we go… “so what?” .

    We say “she’s just a chick dancing”.

    But we are missing the entire point of what Asian and Chinese culture is. It is to find your role within your “tribe”. Everyone has dreams, wants, and desires. Use the intention/prayer affirmations and make yours happen.

    Let the rest of the world stand by and be spectators. You, do your affirmations, and make your dreams happen…

    Make your dreams happen.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my MAJestic Index here…

    MAJestic

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE .
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

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    Creating your very own DIY dimensional portal for world-line access and teleportation (part 7); traveler notes

    In this post we will cover a few basics regarding the operation of the egress portal for dimensional change. In this post our concentration will be on the magnetic flux itself as well as the way the traveler must enter the portal. For if you do not enter it properly, any thing could happen. And let’s not at all forget the horror movie “The Fly” to remind us of this issue. So let’s talk about this.

    Good thing, we are not going to be too technical here. Heck! I can hear all the moans and groans across the globe as I release this post. (“Oh! Not another high jargon, high technology, a high mathematical treatise on world line adventures!)

    Magnetic flux

    The key to this entire dimensional portal concept is to use a “bath” of magnetism within a magnetic field. The magnetic field is used to erase the attachments of the human traveler with his environment. This field consists of a very strong magnetic force that cycles along a sinusoidal path.

    A magnetic field is a vector field that describes the magnetic influence of electric charges in relative motion and magnetized materials. A charge that is moving parallel to a current of other charges experiences a force perpendicular to its own velocity. 
    
    The effects of magnetic fields are commonly seen in permanent magnets, which pull on magnetic materials (such as iron) and attract or repel other magnets.
    
    -Wikipedia

    Ugh.

    Look, people, it need not be complex. When you have a magnet (an iron ferrite rod with a coil wrapped around it) and you pulse it (with electricity through the wire), a magnetic field arises.

    Now, within the magnetic field you have the movement of charged electrons. That is, after all, what a magnetic field is. It is the movement of charged electrons.

    So if you were to stand within the air gap (of a huge magnet) and receive a “bath” within a magnetic field, you would experience a “shower” of charged electrons.

    This “shower” can be heavy or light. Depending on the design of the system.

    The determination of whether it is “heavy” or “light” is known as it’s “magnetic flux”.

    In physics, specifically electromagnetism, the magnetic flux (often denoted Φ or ΦB) through a surface is the surface integral of the normal component of the magnetic field flux density B passing through that surface. 
    
    The SI unit of magnetic flux is the weber (Wb; in derived units, volt–seconds), and the CGS unit is the maxwell. 
    
    Magnetic flux is usually measured with a fluxmeter, which contains measuring coils and electronics, that evaluates the change of voltage in the measuring coils to calculate the measurement of magnetic flux.
    
    -Wikipedia

    Now there are all sorts of ways that we can describe these attributes and how to increase the density of the magnetic field, and the design of the magnet. All of which are extremely interesting, but would probably have my readership lynch me. So, what I am going to do is talk a little bit about the effect of a magnetic field on a human being.

    The strongest magnetic field an average human would ever be exposed is in an MRI machine, which produces magnetic fields of about 1.5 to 7 tesla. Compared to this, the magnetic field strength of our Earth is just .0003 tesla. And the electromagnets at the LHC is around 8.3 tesla.

    We can safely say that it is normal for humans to be exposed to magnetic fields with an average dose being around 0.0003 tesla.

    We can also safely say that a magnetic field on the order of 7 tesla would be safe for humans to be exposed to. as this is the norm in the medical profession.

    We also know that if we expose the human body to extreme levels of magnetic field(s) that it can actually levitate the human body. This would be on the order of 10+ tesla.

    Now, I do not actually know the magnetic field density that is required to erase the egress coordinates attachments for the Alan Holt system to function, but my guess is that it would be somewhere between 5 to 10 tesla. too weak and it would not work, to great, and you might end up with physical disruptions inside the body. In general, ti would probably be best to be nearer to the large tesla number than away from it.

    Phasing

    Magnetic flux arises when you pulse electricity though a wire that is wrapped around an iron ferrite rod. That’s the basic, basic theory and function.

    R Type EMI Rod Ferrite Core .
    R Type EMI Rod Ferrite Core 

    The moment that an electrical current enters the wire and the truns of wire around the ferrite core, a magnetic field develops. Then it ends.

    The field ONLY exists when the electrons are zooming through the electric wire in the first place. Once they have established themselves, the magnetic flux ends. So in order to prevent this, you need to pulse the electricity. This pulsing will create a magnetic field that comes and goes in intensity.

    If you look at the sketch of the egress portal and study the magnetic flux generator, you can see that the electrical substation would be used to transform the electricity into a system that would be used to generate the necessary flux bath to enable dimensional travel.

    Dimensional portal showing magnetic field generator.
    Dimensional portal showing magnetic field generator.

    Now, by using diodes and the proper electronics we can control the size and shape of the pulsed magnetic field “bath”…

    System overview

    This is important because, we need to time HOW the person enters the field.

    We want the field to be such that when the person enters the field, the magnetic flux is increasing to a point that his egress coordinates (and his person coordinates) are erased. Then during a peak period of intensity, all coordinates (frequencies of location) are rendered null. Then, the field starts to change, and the new set of destination coordinates are implanted on to the field.

    It will work like this…

    The operation of the teleportation mechanism works for a three second period in which case the old coordinates are swapped out, and new ones are applied.
    The operation of the teleportation mechanism works for a three-second period in which case the old coordinates are swapped out, and new ones are applied.

    About the traveler

    Now, the traveler will need to center and calm their mind. You see, the way that the mind functions must be neutral when it enters the field. If it is not neutral, then there is a risk of brain or mental instability when the traveler is exposed to peak flux density.

    Thus, we need to implement the “feducials” to center the mind.

    Feducial Training

    And that, boys and girls, is how MAJestic does it.

    Conclusion

    When you look at this dimensional portal from “my” point of view; from my experiences, and from my knowledge, you can see how everything fits together. This “new” information about a DIY dimensional portal strangely fits up and matches with MAJestic technology in widespread use back in the early 1980’s . Fully forty years ago.

    It makes sense. It all makes sense. It all fits together.

    Sure makes much more sense than being part of a fleet of “space marines” fighting a global cabal of disguised Reptilians who want to enslave the human race. Or have invisible star people give us the gift of “magic crystals” that were developed in Atlantis many centuries ago. Or, to be part of an elite team of people who were selected at birth to “father” the new human race.

    Ugh!

    Now, people(!), I did not pull of of this shit out of my ass. I am either a [1] genius, [2] a complete lunatic, or [3] someone who is telling the truth. I’ve given enough, heck!, more than enough information herein for you the reader to choose.

    Pick your “poison”.

    This is how it’s done. This is how it works. This is what is going on, and with all that in mind… know that I really want you the reader to live a good, happy and safe life. I want you all to control your environment and do everything in your power to ply off the gook and nonsense spewed onto you by over five decades of intensive lies and manipulations.

    Time to go forth and party!

    It’s time to party!

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in this series here…

    DIY Teleportation

    I have more posts in my MAJestic Index here…

    MAJestic

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE .
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

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    Things to be aware of, and precautions to take, while conducting a prayer intention campaign.

    This post continues our discussions on using our thoughts to navigate our world-lines. As I have repeatedly stated, our universe is a series of world-lines that our consciousness navigates through. By controlling our thoughts, we can successfully navigate though the world-lines to achieve happiness, and indeed our greatest desires. This particular post discusses things that we must be alert to, and things that we need to avoid when conducting a prayer campaign.

    You see, it is not enough to be able to conduct a prayer / intention campaign. You also must control the thoughts outside that campaign.

    Thoughts and their application.

    Thoughts are not some imaginary “thing”. They are real. They are the only thing that you consciousness creates.

    Think of a thought as a (currently unrecognized) state of quanta. It is generated by our consciousness.
    
    A thought is not tied to a specific world-line, though it can be associated with one.
    
    A thought does not have a physical dimension, and dos not follow the normal dimensions of "time".
    
    A thought can influence physical matter.
    
    A thought can be stored as a memory outside of a world-line.

    There are many kinds of thoughts.

    For our purposes, let’s take a moment to define some key ideas regarding specific types of thoughts.

    • Pure Thoughts” refers to thinking one series of thoughts only and absolutely nothing else.
    • Bad Thoughts” refer to thoughts that pull you away from your desired intention. For instance, if your intention campaign is to live a happy pleasant life, then a “bad thought” would be one that would get your upset.
    • Good Thoughts” are thoughts that either work towards your intention campaign, or are neutral.
    • Direct Thought“. These are thoughts that lead fundamentally to a concept within the intention campaign. For instance, if your campaign was for owning a sports car, the thought of a racing engine in a race car would be a “direct thought”.

    Prior History

    Most people have lived a life with no prayers, no control over their thoughts and no control over intention. They have, pretty much, been “swaying in the breeze” all these many, many years aimlessly. All the time, it has been the strong thoughts of others, and the manipulations by others (such as the news media and commercials) that have caused them to redirect their thoughts.

    Suddenly they gradually come to a place where they realize that they are not where they want to be. Their life does not match their desires.

    Yet, they don’t know how to get out of that situation. And yes, many then find this website; Metallicman and see that there is a way out. That they can navigate out of their situation using manual world-line travel.

    But there is a problem.

    They are absolutely surrounded by others that do not share their vision. They are entangled in a spiders’ web of complex thought associations, thought manipulations, thought poisoning, and thought suppression.

    As time moves forward, people get entangled in a complex world of thoughts and interpersonal relationships of others. Ans since the thoughts create and influence reality, many things about this web hinders and prevents individualized prayer campaigns from operating successfully.
    As time moves forward, people get entangled in a complex world of thoughts and interpersonal relationships of others. And since the thoughts create and influence reality, many things about this web hinders and prevents individualized prayer campaigns from operating successfully.

    Negative influences from others

    In order to be able to successfully navigate your way out of your current situation, You will need to reduce the influences that already suppress your self-actuation.

    Here goes…

    • Negative people. One negative person can undo all the positive affirmations that you make. They don’t even need to say anything or do anything. Their mere presence is like this big sponge that sucks the living energy out of you. And as they suck, suck, suck away… so goes any positive efforts that you have established in a prayer campaign.

    You need to do everything in your power to avoid negative people.

    This doesn’t only mean friends, strangers, co-workers and ex-lovers. It also, and for some… especially means, family.

    Scene from the movie "Home for the Holidays". The movie, which is about the Thanksgiving family reunion from hell, is not exactly a comedy and yet not a drama, either. Like many family reunions, it has a little of both elements, and the strong sense that madness is being held just out of sight. Have we not all, on our ways to family gatherings, parked the car a block away, taken several deep breaths, rubbed our eyes and massaged our temples, and driven on, gritting our teeth? That is not because we do not love our families, but because we know them so very, very well.
    Scene from the movie “Home for the Holidays”. The movie, which is about the Thanksgiving family reunion from hell, is not exactly a comedy and yet not a drama, either. Like many family reunions, it has a little of both elements, and the strong sense that madness is being held just out of sight. Have we not all, on our ways to family gatherings, parked the car a block away, taken several deep breaths, rubbed our eyes and massaged our temples, and driven on, gritting our teeth? That is not because we do not love our families, but because we know them so very, very well.

    These negative people do NOT have the right to suppress you; your actions, your dreams or your thoughts. No mater what official role that they have in your life. If they are bad, negative… then they are dangerous. You need to cut them out of your life, and to prevent them thinking about you.

    But…

    But…

    You need to do so gradually and happily. Not shockingly and not suddenly. Or they will be filled with negative emotion and those emotions will generate a tidal wave of thoughts that will completely collapse any good that you have created.

    Be slow, and methodical. Establish a time line and stick to it.

    What ever you do, you don’t want them to go from church to church and arrange around-the-clock prayer parties. Parties in which they concentrate on the imaginary horrors that they have built up in their minds. Often fed by salacious soap-operas and horror tragedies.

    Actually happened. 
    
    Back in the late 1980's I was offered a job out of state. This was, perhaps a twelve hour drive away from our childhood homes. It was a great opportunity. More money, interesting work, great career move, and an adventure in a new place.
    
    Both I and my wife wanted us to accept that job out of state. 
    
    However, her mother did not want that. She wanted us to stay local. Even though work was scarce, and we would be stuck living in a rented mobile home on a local farmer's crop land, her mother insisted that we not leave.
    
    But we left anyways.
    
    We discovered much later that after we left, she had a regular fit. And part of that fit was a "shotgun" approach to get us to return back "home". Some of the things that she did was illegal. Like accusing me of doing things, and trying to get the police to arrest me. While other things were more conventional.
    
    But one of the things that she did was noteworthy here. After we had left, she had arranged perhaps 25 different churches to have staged prayer groups focusing on me losing my job and she coming back home. Leaving her terrible, and "abusive" husband.
    
    Hundreds of people were "praying" for us.
    
    They would picture, most vividly the horrors that her mother would say, and others would amplify it. With each story getting worse and worse. Each week things and their imagination getting more and more out of control. Their thoughts, magnified by a hundred fold, would saturate the world-lines.
    
    These groups would hold 24 - 7 prayers. Where an individual would focus on how terrible our marriage was, and how I would lose my job and how our world would collapse, and where she would be "saved" by Jesus Christ back in the loving arms of her family.
    
    So...
    
    Suzy would pray for one hour from 2:00 to 3:00, then Sam would pray from 3:00 to 4:00, then Jody would pray from 4:00 to 5:00...etc.
    
    This would continue through perhaps a couple of hundred people, and last for weeks...

    Remember people…

    …thoughts create realities and define your world-line.

    This is a very serous issue and planning is required.

    Sometimes you need to abandon negative toxic people.
    Sometimes you need to abandon negative toxic people.

    If you are going to isolate yourself from a strong-willed person, then please in for the Love of God, don’t make any fast moves. Be slow, methodical and careful. Gradually and slowly remove the claws of others from your back and then move forward in a positive way towards your intention.

    People to avoid…

    • Anyone with any kind of mental illness. (Whether officially recognized or not.)
    • Anyone with a drug addiction.
    • Members of any kind of cult.
    • People with strong “fringe” religious beliefs.
    • Members of an occult organization.
    • Any “strong willed” person.

    If you are serious and want to have the intention campaign actually work, then you will need to be careful of those around you. For they have a vested interest in you NOT CHANGING. And thus, they will oppose any changes you make. Whether they admit to it or not.

    Oh…

    And they will feel things changing. They might not know what is going on, and you might be keeping everything secret, but if they have a strong bond with you, they will feel the changes coming.

    They might say things like…

    • “You are different”,
    • “You seem far away”,
    • “Something is not right”,
    • “Something doesn’t feel right”.
    • “What is wrong with you.”,
    • “I have a bad feeling.”… etc.

    What this is like…

    I have mentioned in other posts that our universe is not what it appears. It is like a big stew or soup with all kinds of things going on in it. It is not like a big open area with a lot of space. That is the illusion.

    So to best understand the corrupting influence of a negative person, I would like to suggest this following mind game…

    Imagine yourself as a human shaped cube of ice. You are there in all aspects of your shape. You have two arms, two legs, a torso and a head. The only thing is that you are a block of ice.
    
    Now let's put that block of ice in a warm bath or pool.
    
    Let to yourself, you would slowly dissolve into the surrounding water. Since both you (as ice) and the water are both the same element, as you gradually melt, you will become the surrounding environment.
    
    All is good and all is natural.
    
    Now, imagine that another person is a frozen solid block of diarrhea shit feces. They are placed in the warm pool with you.
    
    Both you and the other person melt at the same rate.
    
    But because of the nature of that other person, the water starts to get murky. It darkens and it fills with shit.
    
    No matter what you do, you will be surrounded by shit, and it will not matter what you want, it will start to cling to you because it is right next to you.

    You absolutely need to isolate yourself from negative people.

    They have a problem with thought imposition. They will contaminate your world and suppress your prayer intention affirmations. This will happen even if they do not know what you are doing regarding the affirmations.

    Not just people, it’s things too.

    It’s not just negative, sick, ill or strong-willed people that you must avoid. There are other things that you must be cautious about.

    Thoughts are not invisible “nothings”.

    They are a specific type of quanta, that forms specific associations.

    They are also “sticky”.

    Thus good thoughts and prayers can bless artifacts and physical things. This blessing will “stick” or stay with the icon.

    Which is a fundamental belief of the Catholic Church, with devotionals, icons, blessed holy water, and blessed rings and pendants.

    Likewise, you have the opposite side of the spectrum. You can curse people and articles.

    And much more common, is the furniture and possessions associated with people with illness, corrupted by negativity or just simply bad people. If you don’t know what I am talking about, then go to a used-car dealership in the bad section of town. And go sit in some of those vehicles…

    These physical items, whether blessed or cursed, can influence your immediate and direct environment.

    You need to avoid any item that might distract from your prayer campaign. And only utilize those that has added value to it.

    Dangerous Places

    In a a like manner, you need to avoid places where ill, sick or deranged people might conjugate. I know that this is not a nice thing to say, but I’m not going to be politically correct about this matter. You need to avoid certain people, certain places and certain things.

    Places where many sad, angry, emotional or depressed people go will tend to absorb the thoughts and feelings and quanta of the people that go there.

    Places to avoid…

    • A Family Dollar store in the poor section of the city.
    • A Welfare Office.
    • A Zoo. (Some of the captive animals are far too sad and pathetic.)
    • A Parole Office.
    • A Greyhound Bus station waiting area.
    • A used car lot in the “bad section” of town.

    Places acceptable to visit…

    • A vacation destination.
    • A church.
    • A job fair.
    • A Beach in Summer.

    Drug Abuse

    Drugs alter the way the mind works. As such they alter the formation of thoughts, and the type of thoughts that are generated. In general, occasional use of drugs, whether it be alcohol or cocaine, isn’t really problematic as far as the generation of thoughts go. What becomes a problem is habitual and constant use.

    Thoughts create our reality.

    • So what happens when you are constantly taking drugs that make you happy? You think happy thoughts.
    • What happens when you take drugs that make you tired or lethargic? Your thoughts become lazy.
    • What happens when you take drugs that make you angry and emotional? Your thoughts become emotional.

    You need to control the influence on drugs and substances into your system, You can either use them constructively, or not at all.

    Ignoring the non-physical entities.

    Our world-lines are populated with both physical entities and non-physical entities. These non-physical entities, for the most part enjoy their own lives and behaviors and rarely, if ever, interact with humans.

    However, some people have an affinity for these various sprites.

    Why they do is a complicated matter, and need not concern us at this time. But it should be noted herein, that if we have a relationship with a non-physical entity or species of entity, we should NOT ignore it.

    Why?

    The interplay of our consciousness and our learning ability and lessons within this physical realm involves the sum total of all of our interactions. This is both the “good” and the “bad”. The more interactions that we have, the greater the influence in the quanta that we collect for our soul structure.

    To best understand how the non-physical species can influence our lives, let me use an example from the television show “The Sopranos”.

    Tony Soprano loved the ducks that would fly into his pool. He would watch them, and feed them bread and felt so proud when the baby ducklings started to fly.
    Tony Soprano loved the ducks that would fly into his pool. He would watch them, and feed them bread and felt so proud when the baby ducklings started to fly.

    For those of you who do not know, Tony Soprano is a pretty vile mob boss. And the show “The Sopranos” is all about his family life.

    Through out the series, we see that while Tony can be a pretty ruthless businessman, he is just a normal guy, with a typical or “average” family. We see that he has family obligations, a dark side of complex inherited familial obligations, and complex business relationships that he does his best to master.

    Then there is this thing about “ducks”.

    These ducks fly in for the season, and decide to use Tony Sopranos’ pool to hang out at. Every day he sits and watches those ducks. He goes out to feed them, and is constantly on the watch to make sure that no stray dogs or cats come over and disturb those ducks. He was so successful that the ducks hatched little baby ducks and when the time was right they learned how to fly and leave the pool.

    Now, other people have written about those “damn ducks”. Like this…

    No Sopranos analysis would be complete without a discussion of those damn ducks. In the pilot episode, Tony is deeply enamored with a family of ducks that has taken up residence near his pool. 
    
    Tony suffers a panic attack and passes out while watching the ducks fly away. The ducks and the mental health incident that they trigger are the impetus for Tony’s visit to therapy, and that’s really the inception of this whole story about the mobster in therapy.
    
    In Melfi’s office, Tony admits that he has felt depressed since the ducks left. He also tells Melfi about a dream he had where his dick falls off and a water bird carries it away. 
    
    This dream is about several things. In one sense, it’s an anxiety dream about impotence, and we also know that the ducks represent family to Tony, because he tells Melfi, “I’m afraid I’m gonna lose my family like I lost the ducks. That’s what I’m full of dread about.” Why would Tony fear the loss of his family? 
    
    In the pilot episode, his children are not yet close to college age, so this isn’t anxiety about an empty nest. 
    
    Tony is suffering from anxiety about death. Tony’s capacity in the mafia means that his life is under a constant threat, and losing his life would mean losing his family. So the ducks represent Tony’s love for his family and they are also a trigger for his anxiety.
    
    -Culture Creaturehttps://www.culturecreature.com/sopranos-analysis/

    Well, we are not going to discuss the possible interrelationships between a fiction character and a fictional situation regarding ducks. What we are going to do is discuss how one species interacts with another species.

    In this situation, we note that while Tony Soprano is a mob Boss and doing Mob Boss things, interacting with his business and his family and lives a complex and colorful life…

    … a group of ducks come in and do duck things while hanging out at his house.

    These ducks also have their own life / lives. They have their families, raise their ducklings. They have fun, interact with duck matters and carry on in various ways. In many ways, they are oblivious to Tony. It’s almost like they don’t know that he exists.

    All they know, is that they “feel safe” in his pool. They know that they get to eat “delicious and free tasty Italian bread” from time to time. No dogs or cats every comes by to disturb them. And the water is always crystal clear and pristine.

    For Tony and for the ducks, both benefit by their association.

    Now…

    Consider a non-physical entity, whether it is a sprite, a faerie, a elf, or other denzin of the non-physical worlds as Tony Soprano. And consider yourself, and your family as that of the ducks.

    The non-physical entity (Tony Soprano) does not want to hurt you. He wants to protect you, and has no other motive except to see you do well. When the opportunity comes, he will provide you with the benefits at his disposal. Whether it is food, protection, friendship or just to make your mood be better. 
    
    And you will discover that this association will calm your mind, create a 'safe space" or place and will help you live a calmer and better life than what you might have otherwise.

    Therefore…

    Assume that all entities are neutral, whether they are physical or non-physical beings.

    If you go out of your way to hurt, harm or disparage a “neutral” being, it will eventually and for good reason, subtract from your present pleasant life.

    If you go out of your way to help, or provide comfort to a “neutral” being, it will eventually be beneficial to you in ways that are hard to classify.

    So…

    Do not assume that there are no non-physical beings about. There are. They need to be appreciated and respected. And (if you are one of the small percentage that has a relationship with one) and if you have a relationship of some degree with one, then cultivate it. Do not worry about others think.

    How to cultivate it? I don’t know. Follow your gut feelings. Give and issue good will. It’s pretty fundamentally simple, don’t you know…

    Think of a favorite pet dog or cat. Aside from companionship, what do they do? Not much. You cannot say that they make you richer, prettier, more handsome, more interesting, or anything like that. But, they do ENRICH your life in some way.

    Dealing with non-physical entities is like that.

    Don’t be in a Rush…

    We live in a world where everything is rush, rush, rush. We want a pizza, we order it by app and it arrives thirty minutes later. We want the news, we open up our cell phone and check it. We want to go to the next town over, we hop in the car and get there…

    Likewise, we think that prayer and affirmation campaigns can produce immediate results.

    Wrong.

    The results are a direct function of how far away the intention world-line is from where you are at this very moment.

    The further away it is, the longer it will take to get there.

    Remember…

    The harder you push, the easier it is to get side-tracked on your prayer campaign. As you get sidetracked your objectives distance out further. So the harder you press, the longer it will take to achieve your intention goals.

    Do. Not. Press. Too. Hard.

    Follow the procedure. Keep things simple. Don’t do anything too advanced if you haven’t been doing these prayer campaigns for under a few years already. Simple. One by one.

    Baby steps.

    Keep things simple.

    And please, please, please… only use “cascading prayer campaigns” if you have been conducting regular prayers for the last decade or so. It is not the ideal arrangement and method for most people.

    A cascading prayer campaign only works well for those that have a long, long history of daily prayer events.

    If that does not describe you… then do NOT employ that method.

    Being the Rufus

    I have repeatedly stressed that we must help others, be good, be the best that we can be, and provide a positive contribution to society. This remains true for most people.

    What it does not mean is to be a “support person” for someone with a dysfunction, a mental illness, or strange addictions.

    There is a world of difference between [1] being helpful to a person in need during an emergency, and [2] being a constant enabler to a person who has some serious issues affecting their ability to function in the modern society.

    If you want to dedicate yourself to being a support person for someone who is dysfunctional in some way…

    • Mental illness.
    • Emotional problems.
    • Birth defects.
    • Addictions.
    • Handicapped.
    • Has some kind of physical illness.

    … that is fine.

    Provided that you are a certified caretaker. One that is trained on how to deal with that particular person’s troubles, issues and events.

    If you want to do so, then you need to start right now, save up the money to go to school. Start attending classes and then when you have reached the MINIMUM qualifications of a healthcare provider, then -and ONLY then – can you take on this responsibility.

    No increase in prayer intention campaigns are going to be able to overcome the huge and enormous emotional, physical, social and mental burdens that come with being a caretaker.

    So do not delude yourself in thinking that you are already an expert in this particular person’s follies, foibles and issues. You are not. That is just an illusion. You need to be trained to understand what is truly going on and why. You will need to know their actual and truthful prognosis and whether your actions as a caregiver can actually help them.

    For in most cases, you will only being a mechanism to help them cope with their broken and twisted life. You will never be able to help them or cure them.

    Doctors, nurses and staff at rehabilitation and mental illness clinics have story after story of the sad, sad state of affairs of what happens to long term caregivers. They NEVER live up to their full potential, and after years, and even decades of care, financial investment and emotional entanglement, they are often discarded on a whim for the “next great thing”.

    Don’t allow that to happen to you.

    If you insist on taking on the role for a person with problems, you must accept that fact that this will absolutely affect the result of your prayer intention affirmation campaign.

    The trade off, and decision, as always is yours.

    But do not expect the same kind of results as someone who is not so encumbered by emotional and interpersonal attachments with a dysfunctional person.

    Secrecy and confidentiality

    As always, I insist that your intention, prayer campaign be secret and guarded with a password that only you know of. It is not that you have anything to hide, but if the thoughts that you generate can build up a life, so can opposition thoughts tear apart a life.

    Imagine that you are a twelve year old girl with a diary…

    You write your innermost thoughts in that diary.
    
    Then one day, your nasty brother decides to crack open your diary and post the contents on Facebook.
    
    Your classmates start to make fun of you. They post bad things on the internet, and pretty soon you start getting bullied and harassed.
    
    Now your life is miserable, and initially you tried to defend your statements and thoughts. But, you discovered that it only made things worse...

    It is critical to keep everything secret. Do not tell anyone anything. Even if they seem understanding, or neutral, they (all people) all have thoughts, and opinions.

    It’s any… any… ANY negative thoughts concerning your prayer intention campaign that will be dangerous.

    You must consider your prayer campaign to be a very fragile thing, something that has the consistency of tissue paper, and the thoughts of others to be like a big fan or industrial grade blower. You absolutely must keep your affirmations confidential.

    Conclusion

    The navigation of the world-lines is not as easy as just simply creating a prayer / intention campaign. You also need to have the discipline to clear a path through all the muck and inertia that is forcing you on the current world-line map that you are following. This post describes some issues and techniques that you need to adhere to break forth out of the “auto-pilot” navigation program that others have established for you to follow.

    An aircraft auto-pilot device that is used to steer the aircraft to it's destination without the pilot needing to fly the plane. Most people are navigating their world-lines on auto-pilot. They are letting the decisions, the thoughts and the interpersonal relationships established by others create the "flight plan" and map out the destination.
    An aircraft auto-pilot device that is used to steer the aircraft to it’s destination without the pilot needing to fly the plane. Most people are navigating their world-lines on auto-pilot. They are letting the decisions, the thoughts and the interpersonal relationships established by others create the “flight plan” and map out the destination.

    You need to stop those around you from taking over the pilot controls of your soul.

    You need to clear a path through the muck of everyday life and make sure that nothing is permitted to alter your desired intentions.

    You need to be aware of the influences in your life, whether they are physical or non-physical influences. And by knowing what they are and their relative importance, you need to discern how to handle them in your specific case.

    Do you want more…

    I have more posts in my MAJestic Index here…

    MAJestic

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    Glimpses into the non-physical reality

    As I have repeatedly stressed, our universe is one of many other universes. This universe houses our “reality”, which in all actuality means that our universe can well be called the “reality universe”.

    It is a complex stew of all sorts of things, many, many of which we humans are unable to see and perceive with our senses.

    This includes the “physical world-lines” that we inhabit and non-physical environments associated with those world-lines. Plus all that other “stuff” that is all part of the universe as a whole. It includes such things as “time”, and “the past”, and “the future”. It includes all sorts of things from spirits, to sprites, and ghosts to smelly feet and extraterrestrials.

    Here we discuss some ways or techniques that you can use to alter the way you can see the reality that you are in. In this post we will look at some drugs that alter the way that the brain senses things and interprets them, as well as some “illnesses” or “ailments” that enable humans to observe the unseen worlds around us.

    The techniques discussed are;

    • Charles Bonnet Syndrome
    • The Capgras Syndrome
    • The bicho de tacuara
    • DMT (N,N-Dimethyltryptamine)

    There are other techniques and means as well, but for now, we will concentrate on these three elements of concern.

    Charles Bonnet Syndrome

    "People afflicted with certain eye diseases give similar reports of beings from parallel universes."

    People afflicted with Charles Bonnet Syndrome see beings from another world. Many scientists would call these beings hallucinations. Others call this syndrome a portal to a parallel reality.

    I like to think of it as an alteration of the mind that permits a wider range of “vision” into the normally unobserved elements within our reality.

    People with Charles Bonnet Syndrome (or “Bonnet-people”) are otherwise mentally sound.

    The beings appear when the Bonnet-people’s vision deteriorates as a result of eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration — or when patients have had both eyes removed. Charles Bonnet Syndrome is more common in older people with a high level of education.

    When eyesight deteriorates, the brain compensates. It gathers information from a multitude of inputs from the other senses (touch, smell, feeling, etc.) and interpets the inputs visually as if the eyes were normal.

    Bonnet-people report that they see apparitions resembling distorted faces, costumed figures, ghosts, and little people.

    Most Bonnet-people see beings wearing hats.

    For example, one very sane woman was sitting quietly at home when she suddenly saw several two-inch-high, stovepipe-hat-wearing chimney sweeps parading in front of her. (ref 2.) She tried to catch one, but could not. Her only medical problem was that she had poor sight due to macular degeneration.

    One patient described how a friend working in front of a tall privacy hedge suddenly disappeared, as if he had suddenly put on a cloak of invisibility.

    "There was an orange peaked cap bobbing around in front of the hedge and floating in space by its own devices." (ref. 1)

    Fifty percent of Bonnet-people see a disembodied or distorted face of a stranger with staring eyes and prominent teeth. Sometimes the strangers are seen only in an outline or cartoon-type form, which reminds me of the images seen by people taking the psychedelic drug DMT. The faces are often described as…

     "being grotesque, or like gargoyles". (ref. 1)

    Some of the beings have blank eye sockets.

    (This image is also reported by people using the hallucinogen Special K. One person stated that while under the influence, everything was normal except that people in the room had no eye sockets, just a black void, and he saw light being sucked into the void from around the periphery of the eyeballs.)

    Bonnet-people also see serene landscapes and vortices.

    Many Bonnet-people will see entire new worlds, such as landscapes or groups of people, which are either life size or tiny (ref 3.)
    Other-worldy landscapes are often observed by people with this affliction.
    Other-worldy landscapes are often observed by people with this affliction.

    Perhaps when vision deteriorates, the brain’s visual cortex is starved for information, and the brain is free to access parallel realities.

    Sometimes the imagery can be complex, almost comical, like two miniature policemen guiding a midget villain to a tiny prison van, ghostly (translucent figures floating in the hallway), people wearing one big flower on their heads), as well as beautiful (a shining angel, wonderful group of flowers). (ref 4.)

    A Swiss philosopher named Charles Bonnet first described this condition in the 1760 when he noticed his grandfather, who was blinded by cataracts, describing birds and buildings that Bonnet could not see. (ref. 3)

    Further Reading on Charles Bonnet Syndrome

    1. Roger Highfield, “Ghosts and witches on the brain”

    2. Dr Stephen J Doyle and Maggie Harrison, “Lost in Lilliput”

    3. Royal National Institute of the Blind on Bonnet Syndrome

    4. Robert J Teunisse, Johan R Cruysberg, Willibrord H Hoefnagels, André L Verbeek, Frans G Zitman, “Visual hallucinations in psychologically normal people: Charles Bonnet’s syndrome”

    The Capgras Syndrome

    "People with Capgras Syndrome act as if they are in a parallel universe in which the people they know are "doubles" or "impostors."
    
    - Sex, Drugs, Einstein, and Elves.

    When people with Capgras Syndrome see a friend, spouse, or themselves in a mirror, they believe they are seeing an exact double or an impostor.

    Sometimes, people with Capgras Syndrome even believe that inanimate objects — like a chair, watch, book, or lamp — have been replaced by exact replicas. If people own a pet, the pet may be seen as an impostor, a strange animal roaming through their lives and homes.

    Capgras patients are often so disturbed when they see a doppelganger in the mirror that they remove all mirrors from the home. The syndrome, named for French psychiatrist Jean Marie Joseph Capgras, afflicts thousands of people in the United States.

    Some people with Capgras Syndrome have epilepsy or strange-looking temporal lobes in the brain.

    The Capgras’ patient identifies his or her spouse as being an imposter – identical in every possible way, but an identical replica. The patient will accept living with these imposters but will secretly “know” that they are not the people they claim to be.

    This reminds me of the movie “Invasion of The Body Snatchers”.

    I view this syndrone as an interesting "pointer" to the idea that what the brain interperts the reality as can alter our perception of it. It can do so to the point where it no longer "feels" correct, even though all the other senses are telling it to believe what it sees.
    
    This syndrome is important as it points to the mechanism that the brain uses to distinguish between actual consciousness-inhabited beings and "quantum shadows" of beings within a world-line event.

    A Hallucinogen of Insect Origin


    Submitted by E.B. Britton. Deakin, Canberra ACT 2600 (Australia)

    Let’s take a moment to consider the existence of a hallucinogen, unique in that its
    source is an insect.

    Augustin de Saint-Hilaire (1779-1853) traveled extensively in eastern
    Brazil between 1816 and 1823. After his return to France, published
    valuable observations on the geography, ethnology and natural history of the
    country.

    In two of his unpublished works Saint-Hilaire (1824, republished
    Jenkins, 1946, p. 49; 1830, pp. 432-433) described the use of an insect as
    food and medicine by the Malalis. THe Malalis are natives in the Brazilian province of Minas Gerais in Brazil.

    The relevant passage (1824) (translated) is as follows:

    When I was among the Malalis, in the province of Mines, they spoke much of a grub which they regarded as a delicious food, and which is called bicho de tacuara (bamboo-worm), because it is found in the stems of bamboos, but only when these bear flowers.
    
    Some Portugese who have lived among the Indians value these worms no less than the natives themselves; they melt them on the fire, forming them into an oily mass, and so preserve them for use in the preparation of food. 
    
    The Malalis consider the head of the bicho de tacuara as a dangerous poison; but all agree in saying that this creature, dried and reduced to powder constitutes a powerful vulnerary (for the healing of wounds). 
    
    If one is to believe these Indians and the Portugese themselves it is not only for this use that the former preserve the bicho de tacuara . 
    
    When strong emotion makes them sleepless, they swallow, they say, one of these worms dried, without the head but with the intestinal tube; and then they fall into a kind of ecstatic sleep, which often lasts more than a day, and similar to that experienced by the Orientals when they take opium in excess. 
    
    They tell, on awakening, of marvellous dreams; they saw splendid forests, they ate delicious fruits, they killed without difficulty the most choice game; but these Malalis add that they take care to indulge only rarely in this debilitating kind of pleasure. 
    
    I saw them only with the bicho de tacuara dried and without heads; but during a botanical trip that I made to Saint-Francois with my Botocudo, this
    young man found a great many of these grubs in flowering bamboos, and set about eating them in my presence. 
    
    He broke open the creature and carefully removed the head and intestinal tube, and sucked out the soft whitish substance which remained in the skin.
    
    In spite of my repugnance, I followed the example of the young savage, and found, in this strange food, an extremely agreeable flavour which recalled
    that of the most delicate cream.
    
    If then, as I can hardly doubt, the account of the Malalis is true, the narcotic property of  the bicho de tacuara resides solely in the intestinal tube, since the surrounding fat produces no ill effect. 
    
    Be that as it may, I submitted to M. Latreille the description of the animal I had made, and this learned entomologist recognised it as a caterpillar probably belonging to the genus 'Cossus' or to the genus 'Hepiale'.

    These observations are repeated in Saint-Hilaire (1839, pp. 432-433) with
    the addition of the information that the “bicho de taquara” are half as long
    as the index finger.

    The intoxicating effect of the larvae from bamboo has apparently been
    forgotten in Brazil and the seven volume Handbook of South American
    Indians (Steward, 1946-1959) while referring briefly to the observation of
    Saint-Hilaire in Vol. 5 (p. 557) gives no additional references.

    This is perhaps not surprising as the Malalis were a near-coastal tribe long ago overrun by the advance of civilization. The name “bicho de taquara” is, however, still in use and according to Ihering (1932, p. 236) and Costa Lima (1936, p. 266;
    1967, p. 246) refers to the larva of the moth Myelobia (Morpheis) smerintha
    Huebner (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae : Crambinae).

    Costa Lima (1967, p. 246) states that the larvae feed in common bamboos
    including Nastes (=Nastus) barbatus Trin., “taquara lixa” (Merostachys
    Rideliana Rupr.), “taquara poca”  (Merostachys Neesii Rupr.) and “taquaras-
    su” (Guadua sp.) (Hoehne, F.C. et al.).

    The larvae feed inside the internodes of the bamboo and attain a maximum length of about 10 cm. The moth emerges in September and has frequently appeared in plague proportions.

    There are 24 species of  Myelobia in South America, one in Mexico and one
    in Guatemala.

    A species of  Myelobia.
    A species of  Myelobia.

    The statement by Saint-Hilaire that the larvae are only found when the bamboo is in flower probably means that the host bamboos flower annually (as do a number of Brazilian species) and it is at that time that the larvae reach their maximum size. As the adult moth emerges in September this is probably in July or August.
       

    It appears from the observations of Saint-Hilaire that the active substance
    is not destroyed by drying, and the need to remove the head and gut to
    avoid intoxication suggests that it is contained in the salivary glands. The
    active material could therefore be concentrated initially by removing the
    head plus salivary glands and part of the gut, discarding the rest of the body.

    In view of the interest in the pharmacology of hallucinogens and the
    medicinal use of the dried and powdered larvae it would seem to be woth-
    while to investigate what appears to be a new source, and as the insect is
    large and common it would be well suited to biochemical study. It is of
    particular interest that this would be the first hallucinogen of insect origin.

    Interesting, because…

    "They tell, on awakening, of marvellous dreams; they saw splendid forests, they ate delicious fruits, they killed without difficulty the most choice game."

    References

    • Costa Lima, A.M. da (1936) Terceir Catalogo do Insetos qui vivem nas plantas da Brasil, Directoria de Estatistica da Producao, Rio de Janeiro.
    • Costa Lima, A.M. da (1967) Quarto catalogo dos insetos qui vivem nas plantos de Brasil; seus parasitos e predatores. Rio de Janeiro, Ministerio de Agricultura, Departamento de Defesa e Inspecas Agropecuaria, Servico de Defesa Sanitaria Vegetal, Laboratorio Centralde Patolgia Vegetal.
    • Ihering, R. von (1917) Observacoes sobre a mariposa Myelobia smerintha Hubn. em S. Paulo. Physis (Buenos Aires) 3, 60-68.
    • Ihering, R. von (1968) Diccionario dos Animaes do Brasil, Sao Paulo, Editora Universidade Brasilia, pp. 147-148.
    • Jenkins, Anna (Ed.) (1946) Chronica Botanica 10, 24-61 (a reprint of Saint-Hilaire, 1824).
    • Saint-Hilaire, Augustin F.C.P. de (1824) Histoire du Plantes les plus remarquables duBresil et du Paraguay.
    • Saint-Hilaire, Augustin F.C.P. de (1830) Voyages dans l’interieur du Bresil – Premiere Partie. Voyage dans les provinces de Rio de Janiero et de Minas Gerais, Paris.
    • Steward, Julian H. (Ed.) (1946-1959) Handbook of South American Indians, 7 Vols. Vol. 5. The Comparitive Ethnology of South American Indians Prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Dept. of State as a project of the Interdepartmental Committe on Scientific and Cultural Cooperation. U.S. Govt. Printing Office, Washington.

    DMT

    There are many, many articles on the use of DMT to glimpse past the veil and observe the reality that surrounds us. For if properly ingested, you can actually observe the Mantids doing their things to assist in the development of the human species.

    "DMT in the pineal glands of Biblical prophets gave God to humanity and let ordinary humans perceive parallel universes."

    The molecule DMT (N,N-Dimethyltryptamine) is a psychoactive chemical that causes intense visions and can induce its users to quickly enter a completely different “environment” that some have likened to an alien or parallel universe.

    The transition from “our” world to “theirs” occurs with no cessation of consciousness or quality of awareness.

    What is actually going on is that the veil of what our actual reality is has been lifted and our senses and our brain can now, if only briefly, observe the universe and reality as it really is. And since it is so different from “our” day-to-day universe, many people consider it as entering a “new” universe.

    In this environment, beings often appear who interact with the person who is using DMT. The beings appear to inhabit this parallel realm.

    These beings are Mantids.

    They are an old species that evoled upon the earth millions of years ago and advanced to become a multi-dimensional species. They work with humans to improve our sentience, assist in the evolution and growth of our soul, and manage the world-line transitions.

    The DMT experience has the feel of reality in terms of detail and potential for exploration. The Mantids encountered are often identified as being alien-like or elf-like.

    Some of the creatures appear to be three-dimensional. Others appear to lack depth.

    Author Terence McKenna has used DMT and feels that…

    "Right here and now, one quanta away, there is raging a universe of active intelligence that is transhuman, hyperdimensional, and extremely alien... What is driving religious feeling today is a wish for contact with this other universe." The aliens seen while using DMT present themselves "with information that is not drawn from the personal history of the individual."

    DMT is also naturally produced in small quantities in the human brain, and it has been hypothesized that DMT is produced in the pineal gland in the brain.

    Is it possible that the reality exposed to humans by injecting DMT is in some sense a valid reality, on par with our normal reality? 
    
    -Reality Carnival 

    Our minds, which evolved to help us run from lions on the African savannas, is not engineered to see these other realities under normal circumstances.

    What is the guarantee that our minds are naturally designed to sense the “true reality”?

    Perhaps there is no guarantee.

    Consider a far-fetched example. Imagine a creature or phenomena that has been lurking among us since the dawn of evolution. If our ancient ancestors died every time they perceived the phenomena, evolution would favor creatures who did not perceive the creatures or phenomena. 
    
    One might counter this argument by saying that our modern instruments, such as X-ray machines and cameras, should be able to make the creatures apparent to us, even if our unaided sensorium is not up to the task. 
    
    Reasoning further, because our instruments have not made these realms apparent to us, the realms must not be real. 
    
    However, perhaps our traditional instruments and theories are also not up to the task. Or perhaps our interpretation of the instruments' results is incomplete. Perhaps DMT is an instrument. 
    
    - Reality Carnival

    As a metaphor, consider infrared goggles. A person leans on a tree. At night, we don’t see the person. Put the goggles on, and a new reality results — a truer reality — and we see the man.

    Similarly, is it possible that our brain is a filter, and the use of DMT is like slipping on infrared goggles, allowing us to perceive a valid reality that is inches away and all around us?

    Is it possible that that some of our human ancestors produced more DMT than we do today? For example, many of the ancient Bible stories describe prophets with DMT-like experiences.

    These sorts of ecstatic singing and repetitive exaltations remind me of subjects who took DMT and heard:

    "Now do you see? Now do you see?" along with singing voices. 
    
    -These cases are described in Rick Strassman's book DMT: The Spirit Molecule.

    Maybe this is why the ancients seemed so in touch with God and with miracles and visions. Maybe Moses and Jesus had a greater rate of pineal DMT production than most.

    One way to imagine how other realities could exist side by side with our own is to consider the forces that produced the diversity of senses and intelligences right here on Earth.

    In a real way, there are already alien worlds right here among us.

    Every Earthly creature perceives the world in an “alien” way. Dogs. Bees. Bats. Cats. They experience the world with different kinds of senses. They can smell what we cannot, they can see what we cannot, they can hear what we cannot.

    If the organisms of the Earth were somehow able to describe their world to you, it would probably not be recognizable to you.

    It would seem like the wildest world from any science-fiction story.

    Moreover, if you were able to describe the world to another species, they would “see” no resemblance to their own. Our sense of reality would be different; our way of thinking would be different, and even the practical technology we would produce would be different.

    We do not have to contemplate aliens or science fiction to imagine alien-like senses and bodies. The animal world of Earth is so diverse and full of different senses, that creatures are already walking among us possessing “alien” awareness beyond our understanding.

    By studying the creatures of the Earth, we can hypothesize on the diversity of realities here on Earth.

    Aliens would no doubt see a different world than we do.

    To best understand this, consider the Indian luna moth, which has a wingspread of about 10 cm (4 inches). To our eyes, both the male and female moths are light green and indistinguishable from each other. But the luna moths themselves perceive in the ultraviolet range of light, and to them the female looks quite different from the male.

    Other creatures have a hard time seeing the moths when they rest on green leaves, but luna moths are not camouflaged to one another since they see each other as brilliantly colored.

    Other reading…

    Please kindly keep in mind, I do not advocate or suggest that readers break any laws or try these drugs.

    Conclusion

    There is an entire subculture of people who use drugs and other means to “expand their consciousness”. In truth what they are doing is altering how their brain interprets the sensory inputs it receives.

    Some do this for recreation. Some do this for spiritual awakening, and others do it for exploration purposes.

    The truth is that our human biological bodies are not constructed to observe the universe as it actually is. It observes it as was determined by evolutionary factors.

    We can observe the actual reality, and see all sorts of strange things, strange and unusual perceptions and odd “feelings” when we alter our brain through certain drugs, a change in our physical body, or through “enhancements” or alterations to our brain.

    Rather than scoff at people who have had these “visions” outside of the normal, we should listen to them. Take notes, and move on in our own life. Well aware that perhaps, just perhaps, NOT being able to see the world as it actually is…

    …is really a good thing…

    … for now.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts in my MAJestic Index here…

    MAJestic

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE .
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
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    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

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    Summer 2020 the rest of the world chills out while the USA falls apart and melts down.

    Well, I am sure that most other sensible historians have seen the writing on the wall for some time. Yeah, verily the USA is in a state of reset. You might call it a collapse, a SHTF event (as I have) or a readjustment for much needed societal change. What is well understood that it is truly painful to watch. But, look at the good side, not that many people are dying from it. At least not yet, anyways…

    Here, in this post, I want to remind everyone that the images presented to you via social media, television and radio are all lies, distortions and manipulations. Yes, I know that you all realize this, but I want to underline the fact that UNLESS you see it happening in your neighborhood, with your friends, and at your work-place, it is all not actually part of your life. It is something you hear about, and file away for future use. But, it is not something that you need to get too hot and bothered about. It’s remote. It’s distant. It’s not your problem.

    Yeah. That stuff and protests in Seattle… Why worry about it unless you are living there in that city? And those protests in New York city with the rioting and looting? Does it look like it is happening in your town? In your neighborhood? With others that you know and your friends? No. Of course not.

    Yes.

    The USA is going through changes.

    Yes.

    These changes will take some time to implement and the resultant American society will change.

    Yes.

    There probably will be some kind of “spill over” to your local region and neighborhood.

    But…

    Thoughts control our reality. Do not let the artificial panic, disgust, anger and turmoil tear into your calm and peaceful life. Do not allow it to intrude on you, your life, your family, your friends, or your business.

    Look around you.

    The world is a beautiful place. You can make it a wonder place. Be a good friend to others. Be the best friend that you can be. Be helpful, and know your local neighbors. Be assisting. Be kind, and above all be calm. Be the island of stability in a world that every day seems to be “tearing at the seams”.

    The News “reality”

    The news pumped into my daily feed is upsetting. From December 2019 up until mid-May 2020 it was a non-stop stream of “hate China” propaganda. Then from mid-May 2020 it switched to “USA protests and riots”.

    Frankly I’m tired of it.

    You should be too…

    Houston Sees 'Precipice of Disaster'...

    Risk of new lockdowns...

    Drones to monitor social distancing, mask wearing...

    Wyoming ranch offers isolation -- for $175,000 a week!

    Blood Reserves Critically Low...

    Colleges Face Uncertainties of Reopening...

    U.S. DEATHS: 114,643...

    This is from the Drudge Report 13JUN20…

    Mayan calendar was wrong and world will end 'next week', weird conspiracy warns...
    
    CHINA MEDIA: USA Having 'Cultural Revolution'...
    
    Taiwan tests missiles as it prepares for possible invasion...
    
    WEEKEND: Churchill statue and war memorial boarded up before London protests...
    
    'CHRISTIANITY TODAY' calls for churches to pay reparations...
    
    Social Media Influencers Wear Blackface to 'Show Solidarity'...
    
    Minneapolis City Council Unanimously Votes To Get Rid Of Cops...
    
    Gospel radio host gunned down in Baltimore...
    
    Treasury chief refusing to disclose recipients of virus bailouts...
    
    Fed says 'full range of tools' in play to counter pandemic...
    
    Reserve holds power beyond what we can imagine...
    Biden ad serves blistering attack on Trump: 'Too scared,' 'too small,' 'too weak'...
    
    President says teargassed protesters 'a beautiful scene'...
    
    UPDATE: POLICE-FREE ZONE JOLTS SEATTLE...
    
    Protesters Negotiate Over Leaving 6-Block Area...
    
    African American Reparation Bill Passes California Assembly...

    OK.

    So does any of this “news” affect your life? Really? How does it?

    At best, it’s a potential influence that might someday affect your family in some minor way.

    So why worry about it?

    An American Societal Readjustment

    Societal change is coming.

    Accept it. Roll with the punches.

    That means know your neighbors. Be helpful and supportive in your community. Be stable. Be stable and calm. Be the leader that others look up to when the rest of the world seems to be completely “unhinged”.

    I’ve said this before, and I’m going to say it again, over and over.

    The human society will readjust.

    A lead contributor is the United States, and at this stage it could go in any direction…

    … from some minor, short lived, societal upset…

    In New York City, supporters of the BLM (Black Lives Matter) march in protest alongside the Antifa anarchy movement.
    In New York City, supporters of the BLM (Black Lives Matter) march in protest alongside the Antifa anarchy movement.
    In Germany in the 1930's, the SA competed against the SS for control of Germany. Here we have the SA performing a "peaceful" protest by preventing access to "culturally inappropriate" art.
    In Germany in the 1930’s, the SA competed against the SS for control of Germany. Here we have the SA performing a “peaceful” protest by preventing access to “culturally inappropriate” art.
    In Germany, the SS line up in support of the Nationalistic policies of Adolph Hitler after the destruction of their key rival, the "SD".
    In Germany, the SS line up in support of the Nationalistic policies of Adolph Hitler after the destruction of their key rival, the “SD”.

    … to full-on, full-scale World-War III.

    The first of 200 nuclear warheads hits one of the major American cities.
    The first of 200 nuclear warheads hits one of the major American cities.
    Even smaller American cities could very well be uninhabitable after a joint Soviet and Chinese "double tap" in response to the Trump neocon activities.
    Even smaller American cities could very well be uninhabitable after a joint Soviet and Chinese “double tap” in response to the Trump neocon activities.

    It’s far too early to determine what will happen. Anything can happen. Absolutely anything, and knowing who is running the White House in Washington DC right now, you must hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst. Remember…

    So, what will happen?

    I do NOT KNOW.

    I really do not. And to be honest, the PTB (in their many forms) don’t know either. In fact, it’s all kind of running way from their control. (There are rogue elements within the PTB circle, don’t you know.) And everything is gearing up for some massive (and exciting) events.

    My Advice

    So…

    Avoid the cities.

    Avoid the crowds.

    Know your neighbors.

    Be helpful and kind.

    Watch over your family and control the little ones.

    You and yours will all be just fine.

    And I do mean that. The American news, and all those “International” news organs are all owned by the PTB. They want you to be in fear, easily manipulated, and corralled into accepting the behavioral lock-downs that they desire to impose upon you.

    Do not permit them to drag you into a life of fear…

    Stay out, and you define your life.

    Unfortunately America will define the sentience selection

    Ugh! I do hate to say this. But because America is so influential in the “West” it will have a sizable influence in what will happen in the future in regards to sentience selection.

    At this stage in the game, June 2020, China while enormous, and a technological and economic competitor to the United States will also have an influence, but it will be what happens in America that will have the greatest impact.

    Have you noticed that whatever happens in America is copied in the rest of the “Western World”? Right now as there are riots in the USA, we see the same kinds of behaviors in the UK, in France, in Germany, in Australia, and in New Zealand. Why?

    It’s that this particular group of PTB leadership are making this happen.

    Meanwhile, the PTB in control of Asia are of a different mindset.

    We are in the midst of a sentience restructuring at a global level.

    And here is the breakdown…

    Breakdown of sentience by geographical region and culture / societies as of June 2020.
    Breakdown of sentience by geographical region and culture / societies as of June 2020.

    As you can see from the chart above, the Asian geographical regions have a higher percentage of “service for others” sentience in their population mix than what you see in the West. I attribute this to a long history of Buddhism, and a wide ranging selection of Asian belief.

    Of course this does not match the “hate China”, “China is the evil devil” narrative out of Pompeo’s CIA and the Trump White House. But as anyone who has spent any time inside of Asia will attest, the society, at the local level, boils down to this mix.

    In the West, of course, there is a majority that are “service for self” or the related “service for another” sentience. We can see this in the lootings, the followings for various political leaders from Trump to “The Reverend” Jessie Jackson, and such actions by Wall Street and those motivated by the Social Justice, and Climate Change special interests.

    Of course, many who are “service to self” don’t look at themselves in that way. They consider themselves “open minded” and being helpful to others. But all you need to do is look at the physical actions of these individuals on television to see their “true colors”.

    Non-human entities have their preferences.

    I have listed them on the table as well.

    I rarely discuss the Type-2 extraterrestrial class, but let it be known that they do NOT feel that the human species is really ready to leave our nursery and would prefer us to better evolve on our own and find our own path irregardless to what conflicts or upheavals might occur.

    In all cases, the over riding goal is for a sentience selection of some overwhelming majority, with a near zero percentage of complex or confused sentience genders.

    Once this happens we, as a species, will experience a major culling of the human species, and those survivors will have their RNA /DNA altered to meet and fit the needs of our benefactors / guardians. (I’ve discussed this elsewhere.)

    So the bottom line…

    The news is all an illusion. Do not get too caught up in it.

    Remember, the news does not reflect the life you live and the world that surrounds you at this moment in time. Keep that in mind.

    To Underline this fact…

    Here is what the American news says…

    BIG GAMBLE: Downplaying virus risk, Trump gets back to business as usual...
    Outbreak in Tulsa week before MAGA rally...
    Campaign's waiver 'won't block lawsuits'...
    Some states hit pause...
    Businesses Facing Stop and Go...
    FLORIDA COVERUP: Fired scientist goes rogue, reveals state's grim outlook...
    KUDLOW: NO SECOND WAVE. NO SECOND WAVE...
    IT'S STILL THE FIRST WAVE, RESEARCHERS SAY...
    CDC warns USA may reimplement strict measures...
    More Than 20% of NYC Residents Know Someone Who Died...
    The Political Polarization of Everything...

    This is my life right now. Does the American news media reflect, in any way, what I am experiencing right now?

    Notes on the following videos
    The following are some videos that I took outside where I live in China. The area is the business section of Jida, and the videos are taken during “rush hour”. If you are having trouble watching the videos, just wait, or reload the page. Then you shouldn’t have any problem.

    The point in these short micro-movies below is that my life… in no way at all… resembles ANYTHING in the United States media. It’s like comparing apples with pine cones. For me, and for the most part, for you the media is an artificial construction; a method used to control the viewing audience to think and act in certain ways.

    Remember…

    What you think about becomes your reality.

    So here is my actual reality…

    A bus stop alongside the main street.
    Next to the “under way”. This is an underground road that allows pedestrians to walk from one side to the other without getting run over by traffic.
    This is pretty typical for China. This is what my neighborhood looks like. Of course, bigger cities are different, as are smaller rural areas.

    Not at all what you might think China is. Not from the United States media, that is. man, if you would believe the comments after nearly six months of hate-China fest, it’s like there is a certain percentage of Americans foaming at the mouth to “teach those bat-eating vermin a lesson”.

    Here’s a Bing.com image search for “China Cities” …

    Bing.com image search for "China cities" taken 6:18 PM on 13JUN20.
    Bing.com image search for “China cities” taken 6:18 PM on 13JUN20.

    Does it resemble anything that I experience?

    Nope not at all.

    Why?

    Is it because I live in an “exclusive” area for members of the dastardly Chinese Communist Party?

    LOL.

    Nope. Hardly. I live in a pretty average, low-middle sized Chinese city. I live in the normal local neighborhood, and not an “expat enclave”. And this is what it is like.

    Notice on how all the pictures are shades of grey, black and dark brown?

    What about other subjects. like “dogs in China”…

    Dogs in China, American search engine Bing.com taken on 13JUN20. You would think that China is filthy, dirty and treats the dogs like some kind of rodent.
    Dogs in China, American search engine Bing.com taken on 13JUN20. You would think that China is filthy, dirty and treats the dogs like some kind of rodent.

    Again…

    Notice the colors of greys, blacks and browns. All the pictures are gloomy and negative. When in reality, it looks nothing like this.

    Now, let me remind you what it is like here in China, “for real”…

    Middle School students going to eat lunch at home.

    I will pretty much bet that this is the same where you all live.

    Oh, maybe the uniforms are different, the road and buildings are different. Perhaps the signs and the language are all different. But the fact is that people, most people that is, live calm and pretty pleasant lives.

    Most people. All over the globe.

    While the “news” is filled with pictures that pretty much resemble this…

    Image search from bing.com on America taken 13Jun20.
    Image search from bing.com on America taken 13Jun20.

    I will pretty much guess that your life actually resembles something along the lines of this…

    Milford, Massachusetts.
    Milford, Massachusetts.

    Or maybe this…

    American country home.
    American country home.

    Or maybe something on the order of this…

    Typical American suburb.
    Typical American suburb.
    Notice the COLORS.
    
    Are they shades of depressing greys, blacks and dirty browns, or are they in colorful and happy greens and blues?

    Sanity Check

    Forget about what the news people say. Forget about what the headlines report. forget the supporting elements.

    Look at the pictures.

    Compare the images, the colors, the impressions, the people, and the environment with what you see around you with your very own two eyes.

    You should just simple compare the images that you see on the "news" with what you see with your own eyes of the world around you.
    You should just simple compare the images that you see on the “news” with what you see with your own eyes of the world around you.

    If they match, then maybe the news has something of value to you. If they do not, then perhaps you are getting inundated with a bunch of fear-mongering propaganda that has no bearing on your immediate life.

    Conduct sanity checks often and daily.

    The PTB are creating and cultivating an artificial reality

    They are doing their best to herd mass groups of people into pre-determined thoughts and actions. None of which will generate a positive outcome. Indeed, the predicted outcomes will be social upheaval, economic collapse, mass starvation, illness and conflict.

    It is intentional.

    They have their reasons.

    Some PTB members have honorable intentions, but deplorable methodology. Some have a limited and fixed mind-set, and their actions reflect their ignorance. Some are very intelligent, but lack the means and knowledge to implement their desires. Some are just simply powerful people with very evil behaviors. Some are just pawns for even larger and more powerful entities.

    Does all this background information and details really help you personally?

    Nope.

    All you need to know is that things are happening and that it’s causing changes int he world. Some of which might touch and broach upon yours. Just discard the trash and do not allow it to “suck you in”.

    You will be just fine.

    Remember, during every societal upset, there are those that survive in relative safety and security. Some are preppers. Some live on the edge, and are mobile. Some are wealthy, and some are adaptable with a great network of friends in their local society.
    
    I argue in favor of adaptability within your local neighborhood.

    Conclusion

    The world is NOT falling apart at the seams. It only seems that way.

    The rest of the world is doing just fine, and it is ONLY the cities in America (and it’s Western allies) that are experiencing turmoil, and the American news media is amplifying all this to create an environment of fear, distrust and chaos. Do not allow yourself to fall into that trap. It is a lie.

    While the American news media looks like this…

    Yahoo! News 14JUN20.
    Yahoo! News 14JUN20.
    CNN Business headline and "top story" on 14JUN20.
    CNN Business headline and “top story” on 14JUN20.
    CNN  news 14JUN20.
    CNN news 14JUN20.

    My life actually looks like this…

    Good night from Metallicman.

    Only you can control and determine your life. Be good, be helpful and be the best friend that a friend can be. Be stable. Stay local, and be very, very wary of outsiders.

    Best wishes.

    Do you want more?

    I have more in some of my other post indexes. Here, I suggest both the Happiness, and the SHTF Indexes…

    SHTF Articles
    Life & Happiness

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
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    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

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    Who am I? What am I? What was my role in MAJestic? Why this disclosure? What is actually going on?

    I have been putting this post off for a while. You see, in order to explain everything, I needed to lay a pretty thick initial foundations for others to follow and track what needs to be said. In previous posts I have explained bits and pieces. I have added some connections between the various pieces, and laid the foundation for my actual role.

    And now, with that foundation firmly put in place, I can finally get to the “nitty-gritty”. Those of you who have been waiting for this moment might discover it as a kind of anti-climax, but that’s the way it is. To fully understand things, you must know why everything happens as it does. Thus this post.

    What did ya think?

    You thought that there were no secrets held by the US government? Is that what you thought? Or that only attractive people became secret agents? Or that “important” people like Barrack Obama would know everything that is going on? Or that anything related to UFO’s involve “reptillians”, or that (of course) only vaulted humanities professors at major universities were privileged in knowing the full scope of extraterrestrial visitations? Is that what you thought?

    Nope.

    We want to believe that life is action packed and exciting. Sort of like how the movie "Mission Impossible" is like. But, you know, it's not like that at all. Rather it is more like the movie "Office Space" more than anything else.

    Real disclosures discuss things that are far removed to what “normal” humans consider to be “normal”.

    And thus you have this.

    Is anything that I discussed meet your expectations? Were you expecting anything related to souls, sentience, world-line travel in the MWI, technologies that are held and guarded by engineers, or retirement by the sex offender registry?

    Na. I din’t think so.

    I once read a history about one of the first "white" explorers to the Polynesian islands.
    
    The Captain was having a merry old time talking with the local chieftain. The Chieftain asked him what it was like where he came from. So the explorer told him.
    
    He said that it got so cold that the water turned solid.
    
    The Chieftain thought that this was a hilarious joke, and repeated it over and over as if it was the funniest thing that he had ever heard.
    
    The Captain, a bit taken back, kept his mouth shut, and smiled.

    Yeah. It’s like that.

    Anything that is new, and out of your personal experience becomes fantastical and ludicrous.

    And thus, no matter if I provide dates, locations, technical specifications, photographs, legal documents and MRI scans, those stuck within their own limited bubble of reality will discount everything as fiction. Why? Because they never experienced it themselves.

    When I was in prison, I was transported from the Pennsylvania holding cell to the transport hub somewhere in Alabama. There I met numerous fellow inmates from other prisons all across the nation. I well remember us talking about the prisons where we were incarcerations, and I was shocked at how those from the North refused to believe what it was like in the ADC in Arkansas.
    
    They didn't believe that the ADC did not give out fruit, served "Global" or that we slept in 100 man barracks. They had no concept of what "Hard Labor" was, and the idea of doing prison related tasks without payment was horrific to them.
    
    You can only relate with things that you yourself has experienced.

    OK. So this is what I experienced.

    As such, I am unique and rare. You will not be able to imagine yourself in my shoes by reading this. That is, unless you have a very active imagination. But, this is what is going on. Like it or not. Hate it or disparage it. It is what it is.

    You put ten people in a room, and ask them to watch a cat fiercely attack and eat a mouse…

    You will end up with ten interpretations of that event. Some of which would be directly different from each other…

    • The cat was amazing!
    • The poor little defenseless mouse.
    • The mouse should of done…
    • The cat made this mistake, and that mistake…
    • If the mouse was bigger…

    In America, we call this “back seat driving”.

    A passenger who gives unwanted and/or unneeded directions to the driver; also, a person who interferes in affairs without having knowledge, responsibility, or authority for doing so. 
    
    For example, Aunt Mary drives us all crazy with her instructions; she's an incurable backseat driver. 
    
    This term originated in the United States in the 1920s, when it was first used for a passenger legitimately directing a chauffeur, and it was quickly transferred to figurative use. 
    
    Also see the synonym Monday-morning quarterback and the antonym take a back seat.

    In my shoes

    So try to figure out what is going on were to to be “in my shoes”.

    What would you think? How would you describe it? In what way would you try to communicate your experiences? Or, would you be smart, and keep your fucking thoughts and experiences to yourself?

    Or, alternatively would you become a drunken alcoholic sex-monger and say “fuck it” to the rest of the world?

    Actually, I’m pretty close to that particular reality right now. Don’t ya know…

    MAJestic – A trade deal.

    MAJestic made a deal; an arrangement with our extraterrestrial benefactors.

    I and a few select others, all of us tops in our class – perfect physical specimens and with high scoring in intelligence and backgrounds in science, were given to the <redacted> as their “property”. To do with as they felt fit.

    In exchange, certain technologies would be provided in exchange. I do not know which technologies were exchanged. I have no specific data on that transfer and trade.

    "We will give your six or seven of our top people, to do with as you like, in exchange for advanced propulsion technology."

    And that’s me, ya all.

    Training by MAJestic

    Of course, we were unusable in our raw state. We needed to be modified, and trained.

    • Policemen get trained.
    • Firemen get trained.
    • Doctors get trained.
    • Lawyers get trained.
    • Bakers get trained.
    • IT workers get trained.

    MAJestic implanted 7 ELF probes that were useful for monitoring and for other purposes regarding utilization of a fixed transport portal.

    I, and others in my “cell”, used that fixed transport portal to egress to a <redacted> facility. Where we were completely overhauled. A EBP was installed, and our DNA, and RNA was altered in a complicated process. That process took one week to accomplish.

    Well, for me, it took one week.

    Once the process was completed, I was in MAJestic, but I exited the US Navy. I was told that I would be in MAJestic for life, but that during my active participatory years that [1] I must be aware, that [2] I was on my own, and that [3] I was not permitted to have children.

    • I must be alert and aware of “new things”.
    • I was on my own with no support group.
    • I must not have children.

    Training by our Benefactors

    After I was discharged, I spent a number of years out of the Navy, without direction or control. I lived in extreme poverty, while all the time, I was being trained by our benefactors in <redacted> and <redacted>. I was involved in this really odd and strange training for many years. Then, one day, it all ended.

    Suddenly, I was called upon to go to California.

    ELF Calibration in the High Desert

    This continued until I was called to the China Lake NWC in the middle of the High Desert in California. Where my ELF probes were calibrated, and (I assume) EBP monitored.

    Completion of the Calibration and start of mission parameters.

    Once my calibration sequence was completed, I no longer needed to go to the ELF testing facility, and I was set free. Situations arranged themselves in such a way that I was free to conduct my “mission parameters” while I lived a boring typical middle-class lifestyle.

    Mission Operations

    I lived a normal boring middle-class life. This is what our benefactors wanted. My life was typical. I was in the middle of the bell-shaped curve. I was so typical, it was nauseating.

    That is because I was not “normal”. If I was “normal” I would have still been hauling coal, smoking dope, and quaffing beer in the hills of Western Pennsylvania. If I was normal I would still be living in a mobile home off a gravel road next to some rolling farm lands and state game lands. If I was normal, I would be married to a rather porty wife, with four bratty children that would each have their own pickup trucks and shotguns.

    But I was not “normal”.

    I was different.

    And as such, I was a “square peg” in a “round hole” that did not fit in at all.

    IQ test from the movie "Idiocracy".
    IQ test from the movie “Idiocracy”.

    Meanwhile I experienced all sorts of “slides” and other strange events where I moved in and out of different world-lines. All of these slides and other events were coordinated with a benefactor at Oxia Palus.

    For me it didn’t make any sense.

    One minute I am eating country-fried steaks and eggs, and then the next second, I am eating a bowl of rice soup with fish heads and tentacles. What way could this possibly benefit anyone? How did I benefit from this switching? How did the human race benefit?

    Country fried steak and eggs meal.
    Country fried steak and eggs meal.

    Over a period of time, I noticed a series of themes that seemed to agree with “statements” from my “pilot” at the Oxia Palus facility. It had nothing to do with me, at that time, personally. I was just the “vehicle” for our benefactors to accomplish certain tasks.

    Human sentience needed to be "corralled" or "anchored" in such a way as to help the human sentience evolve.

    So, for the longest time, I have pretty much accepted that as my role. And at that, it was good enough for me to recognize that I had a role, no matter how strange or peculiar it appeared to be.

    I mean, you adapt, right?

    Maybe your job is to flip burgers. It doesn’t pay much, and it’s hot and greasy, but you adapt. you become the best burger flipper in the world. You accept your role, and that is that.

    Retirement

    MAJestic retired me.

    Aside from physically going to prison and entering a monitoring program for the rest of my life, all ELF communication ended. It was like someone turned off one of those old vacuum tube television sets. It just went out and then disappeared as a long thin “line”.

    Turning off an old television set.
    Turning off an old television set.

    Once I finished my initial five years in “rehabilitation”, I was free to leave, and so I left and moved to China.

    I knew that that would be the safest place on the entire planet. And so far, it seems to actually be the case.

    The Benefactors had a say…

    Well, they do not recognize “retirement”. I don’t even think that they understand what the word means.

    My mission parameters for the ELF probes and the Oxia Palus facility might be over, but I don’t even think that they understand what the word “retirement” means. From their point of view, MAJestic stopped working with me, and that was that.

    • I no longer conduct “slides”.
    • My world-line is pretty well fixed and established.
    • I am permitted natural human migrations.
    • I can live life as I choose.

    It’s all pretty straight forward, Right?

    I’m “out of the game”.

    My mission parameters for the ELF probes and the Oxia Palus facility might be over, but I entered a new kind of role. You must understand, our benefactors do not recognize the idea or concept of a “retirement”. So I am still active, even though I am actually retired from MAJestic.

    • I am permitted to disclose what I know and have learned. I can speak. I can “teach”. I can explain. I can lead. I can serve as an example. I can advise.
    • There are limitations, of course, and what I cannot speak about is made obvious to me. Mostly it deals with the MAJestic organization itself. I have few limitations on what the benefactors themselves provided to me.
    • And suddenly, out of the blue, I am now permitted to have children. (At my age! WTF?)

    So…

    Ripley 8 from the movie "Alien Resurrection". She is a hybrid of Alien DNA and human DNA, with unexpected strengths and abilities.
    Ripley 8 from the movie “Alien Resurrection”. She is a hybrid of Alien DNA and human DNA, with unexpected strengths and abilities.

    So…

    Putting it all together…

    The human species is involved in a sentience sorting activity. I (and my companions) had a role in this with some “anchoring” activity. Now the earth is ready for a push to a new kind of sentience.

    I don’t know what it is.

    What I do know is that once the sentience is established, the approved sentience will have their RNA / DNA correct, improved or adjusted just like mine was. Just like Sebastian’s was. Just like the rest of our cell was.

    And those who will have their DNA / RNA “upgraded” will…

    • Be able to live a life with one foot in Heaven and the other foot in the physical universe. They can live and explore world-lines at will, while all the time being fully cognizant of their realities within the Heavenly realms.
    • Be able to communicate with others of the same sentience using a kind of mental telepathy. It’s trans-species communication, and will become prevalent.
    • Be able to communicate with other species that are extraterrestrial in nature.

    Perhaps that is why I am permitted to have children now, eh? To pass on my DNA / RNA improvements, just like what happened to other species in the past.

    Like this…

    Do you want some more?

    I have more posts on this issue in my MAJestic Index here…

    MAJestic

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE .
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

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    The Intention Experiment (full text) by Lynne McTaggart. In HTML for free access. Part 4 of 4.

    This is part 4 of 4.

    This is a complete reprint of the book titled “The Intention Experiment” by Lynne McTaggart. It is a non-fiction book, and it is groundbreaking. In this book, the author has compiled all those studies about the reality of ESP, and PSI, and compiled the results. The results are pretty damning. Something is going on, and Newtonian physics cannot explain it. It can only be explained with quantum physics.

    What is going on is that quantum physics is working and weaving it’s magic throughout our lives, and rather than discount things as “superstition” and out-dated religion, this book connects actual scientific studies with the quantum physics principles involved. It explains so many thing that have been discounted as pure superstition.

    Thus it’s placement in my blog.

    This is for those people who want nice and clean answers to what is going on, yet cannot shake off the Newtonian physics that they learned in High School. This book teaches you that there is a deeper reality behind everything and as such, it helps explain some elements of paranormal and religion that are often discounted as primitive nonsense.

    Welcome to the world of quantum physics and how all those things about prayer, intention, and spirituality actually does have a scientific foundation that they are based upon.

    Summary of this section

    This section consists of the links and other related background supporting information assocated with the book. Included herein for those that are interested.

    CHAPTER FOURTEEN

    Your Personal Intention Experiments

    NOW THAT YOU HAVE PRACTICED ‘powering up’, what can you u intention for in your own everyday life? To help you find out, with the help of my scientists I have designed a series of informal, personal experiments.

    The following ‘experiments’ are intended to be read in two ways: as a springboard into ways to incorporate intention into your life, and also as a piece of anecdotal research. Whenever you carry out an intention experiment, I would like you to report it on our website.

    To carry out these experiments, all you will need in the way of equipment is a notebook and a calendar. When you are first starting, note the date and times of your intentions. Each intention experiment should be carried out after ‘powering up’ in your intention space, using the programme outlined in chapter 13. Needless to say, if you suffer from a serious illness and are trying to think yourself better, you should augment your own healing intentions with the help of a trained professional healer, whether conventional or alternative.

    Make a daily note of any change in the object of your intention, and be specific. If you are trying to heal a condition in yourself or someone else, take a daily ‘temperature’ of change. What does the person feel like, in general? What symptoms have improved? Have any got worse? Have any new ones turned up? (If any situations seriously worsen, immediately consult a professional practitioner, and also examine any subconscious intentions.)

    If you are trying to change your relationship with someone who is ordinarily very antagonistic to something more positive, make a daily note of his or her interactions with you, to determine if anything has changed.

    To Have Something Manifest in Your Life

    Select a goal that has never happened but that you would like to have happen. Choose something that seldom occurs or is particularly unlikely, so that if it does come to pass it is more likely to be the result of your intention.

    Here are some possibilities:

    • receiving flowers from your husband (if he has never bought them for you); having your wife sit down and watch a football match with you (if she usually refuses to do so);
    • having the boorish neighbour who never gives you the time of day start a cheery conversation with you;
    • having your child help with the dishes;
    • having your child wake up on his or her own in the morning and get ready for school without prompting;
    • improving the weather (30 per cent more or less rain, say); having your child make his or her bed;
    • having your dog stop barking at night;
    • stopping your cat from scratching the sofa;having your husband or wife come home from work one hour earlier than usual;
    • having your child watch television two hours less;
    • getting someone who can’t stand you at work to say hello and start up a conversation;
    • achieving 10 per cent higher profits at work; growing your plants or crops 10 per cent faster than usual.

    As you begin to manifest, you can try more complicated thoughts. But remember, at first you want one single event to change, something where change can be easily quantified and can probably be attributed to your thoughts.

    Retro-intentions

    If you still have a medical problem of some sort, cast your mind back to the point where it started. Carry out an intention for it to resolve itself then. See if you are now better.

    If you are not getting along with someone, cast your mind back to the point where you first had a disagreement and send your intention to change there.

    Remember to be very specific.

    Ask your friends and family if you can try a retro-prayer for some of their loved ones who were ill 5 years before. Concentrate on their former illness and see if it improves their current state of health. The idea will seem so ridiculous and therefore so harmless that they probably will agree to it. If you feel bold, you may even try this with a local nursing home. First, be sure to obtain the permission of the patient, as well as those in charge.

    Report any results by writing in to The Intention Experiment website: www.theintentionexperiment.com.

    Group Intention Exercises

    Assemble a group of your friends who are interested in trying out some group intention exercises. Create an intention space where you will meet each time. Select a group target in your community. Here are a few possibilities:

    • improving the weather; reducing violent crime by 5 per cent;
    • reducing pollution by 5 per cent;
    • reducing litter on a particular street in your community; getting your mail delivered one hour earlier;
    • achieving some form of community activism (such as preventing a mobile phone mast from being built in your area);
    • decreasing the incidence of local road accidents involving children by 30 per cent;
    • improving the collective grade point average of the local school by one grade; decreasing abuse of children in your community by 30 per cent;
    • reducing possessions of knives or illegal weapons by 30 per cent; increasing (or decreasing) local rainfall by 10 per cent; decreasing the number of alcoholics in your area by 25 per cent.

    Depending on the nature of your intention, make one member of the group responsible for researching statistics involving your local accident, weather or crime statistics. For these types of statistics, it is a good idea to get hold of reports for the last 5 years in your area and surrounding communities so you have something solid to compare.

    Then, when you meet, decide on a group intention statement. When you are ‘powering up’, visualize yourselves as a single entity (say, a giant bubble or any other unified internal image). Once you are all in a collective meditative state, have one member of the group read out the statement. Meet regularly to send the same intentions. Keep a careful reading of statistics for one month before and several months after you have sent the intentions. Note any changes.

    Send the results to The Intention Experiment website: www.theintentionexperiment.com.

    CHAPTER FIFTEEN

    The Group Intention Experiments

    YOU ARE NOW INVITED TO PARTICIPATE in massive group intention experiments with many, if not most, of the other readers of this book. If you would like to take part in the largest mind-over-matter experiment in history, read on.

    In these group intentions, you will become involved in important new research to further the world’s knowledge about the power of intention. There will be blogs and interactive elements on our website, so that you can correspond with like-minded individuals around the world about our results and the results of individual experiments (chapter 14).

    Naturally, it is not compulsory. In fact, I would prefer you not to get involved unless you are passionate about participating. I need committed participants, willing to take the intention experiment seriously. Each experiment might take a few minutes to an hour of your time, although in future we might try experiments that take a little longer.

    First, log on to the website (www.theintentionexperiment.com). There you will find information about the dates and objectives of future intention experiments. We will plan those dates to coincide with times of a fair degree of geomagnetic activity. Mark those dates in your diary now; if you intend to participate, it is vital that you don’t forget. We have a number of experiments planned, but as scientific experiments are expensive to carry out and require lengthy analysis, there will be sizable intervals between experiments. If you miss an intention experiment, you will have to wait a few months for another one.

    Several days before the experiment, read through the preliminary instructions to familiarize yourself with what to do. The instructions will explain that you need to carry out many of the ‘powering up’ exercises of chapter 13 just before you send your intention. You will find information about the time of the experiment in your own time zone. The website has a running clock (set to US Eastern Standard Time an Greenwich Mean Time) and a countdown to each new experiment, and will specify the equivalent times in different time zones.  Readers around the world will be participating, so it is vital that all the readers send intentions at the right time.

    As this is a scientific experiment, we need to have committed and knowledgeable participants, who have read and understood the ideas in this book. Consequently, we will try to weed out potential spoilers or the uncommitted by asking every potential participant to supply a password, which will be taken from phrases or ideas in the book and will vary every few months. We will ask you to supply, for example, the fourth word of the third paragraph on page 57 of the US hardback edition (or page 65 of the paperback). We will make sure we specify passwords for every edition published in every country, so your password will work no matter which version of the book you have read. Just follow the instructions. The only way to be part of the experiment is to have read the book and to log on with the

    correct password, after which you will be supplied with a private password, to use for future experiments.

    Because this is a scientific experiment, we need to know some details about our participants, such as their average age, their gender, their health – or possibly their degree of psychic ability. On the day of the experiment, you will be asked to supply some information about yourself. Several of our scientists have designed short questionnaires for you to fill in. Of course, this information will be kept confidential, under international and national laws of data protection. Once you have filled in our questionnaires, you won’t have to rekey any information you have already supplied for any future experiments.

    On the day of the intention experiment, at the particular time specified on the website, you will be asked to send a carefully worded, detailed intention, depending on the target site. The website will walk you through the steps. You will be asked to ‘power up’ into your meditative state, to enter a state of compassion and to send a carefully worded, detailed intention that will be specified on the website.

    For instance, let’s say that we are trying to send an intention to have a spider plant grow faster at Fritz-Albert Popp’s lab in Neuss, Germany, on Friday 20 Marc at 8 p.m. GMT. We will have a photograph or web camera image of the spider plant on the website, so you can train your intention on the right subject. The website will instruct you to think or say the following sentence on 20 March at 8 p.m.:

    Our intention is to have our spider plant in Neuss grow 10 per cent faster than a control plant.

    Or, let’s say that we have a patient with a wound. Our intention might be: Our intention is for Lisa’s wound to heal 10 per cent faster than normal.

    Because this is a scientific experiment, we will structure our experiment to test a precise, carefully quantified result: 10 per cent faster or slower, say, or 6°C cooler than normal or than a control. Once finished, the results will be analysed by our scientific team – ideally by a neutral statistician as well – and then published on the website.

    I must reiterate that I cannot guarantee that the experiments will work – at first or ever. As scientists and objective researchers, we will be duty-bound to faithfully report the data we have. Whether or not our first experiments are successful, we will continue to refine the design with each new experiment as we learn more about group intention. If the first or second or fifth experiment doesn’t work, we will keep trying and keep learning more with every result. The nature of frontier science requires that you stumble along blindly, feeling your way along the right path.

    Do consult the website frequently for announcements of experiments, postings of the individual experiments (chapter 14) and announcements of the date of every future experiment. If you have enjoyed the written portion of this book, the website will continue the experience for you as an open-ended sequel.

    www.theintentionexperiment.com

    Notes

    Preface

    1. N. Hill, Think and Grow Rich: The Andrew Carnegie Formula for Mone Making, New York: Ballantine Books (reissue edn), 1987.
    2. J. Fonda, My Life So Far, London: Ebury Press, 2005: 571.

    Introduction

    1. For a complete description of these scientists and their findings, consult L. McTaggart, The Field: the Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe, London: HarperCollins, 2001.
    2. The full title of Newton’s major treatise is Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, a name that offers a nod to its philosophical implications, although it is always referred to reverentially as the Principia.
    3. R. P. Feynman, Six Easy Pieces: The Fundamentals of Physics  Explained

    London: Penguin, 1995: 24.

    • McTaggart, The Field, op. cit.
    • Eugene Wigner, the Hungarian-born American physicist who received a Nobel Prize for his contribution to the theory of quantum physics, is one of the early pioneers of the central role of consciousness in determining reality and argued, through a thought experiment called ‘Wigner’s friend’, that the observer, ‘the friend’, might collapse Schrödinger’s famous cat into a single state or, like the cat itself, remain in a state of superposition until another ‘friend’ comes into the lab. Other proponents of ‘the observer effect’ include John Eccles and Evan Harris Walker. John Wheeler is credited with espousing the theory that the universe is participatory: it only exists because we happen to be looking at it.
    • McTaggart, The Field, op. cit.
    • E. J. Squires, ‘Many views of one world – an interpretation of quantum theory’, European Journal of Physics, 1987; 8: 173.
    • B. F. Malle et al., Intentions and Intentionality: Foundations of Socia Cognition, Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2001.
    • M. Schlitz, ‘Intentionality in healing: mapping the integration of body, mind, and spirit’, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 1995; 1 (5): 119–20.
    • R. G. Jahn et al., ‘Correlations of random binary sequences with prestated operator intention: a review of a 12-year program’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1997; 11: 345–67.
    • R. G. Jahn et al., ‘Correlations of random binary sequences’, op. cit.; Dea Radin and Roger Nelson, ‘Evidence for consciousness-related anomalies in random physical systems’, Foundations of Physics, 1989; 19 (12): 1499–514; McTaggart, The Field, op. cit.: 116–17.
    1. These studies are itemized in great detail in D. Benor, Spiritual  Healing,

    Volume 1, Southfield, Mich.: Vision Publications, 1992.

    1. Rene Peoc’h, ‘Psychokinetic action of young chicks on the path of a “illuminated source”’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1995; 9 (2): 223; R. Peoc’h, ‘Chicken imprinting and the tychoscope: An Anpsi experiment’, Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, 1988; 55: 1; R. Peoc’h, ‘Psychokinesis experiments with human and animal subjects upon a robot moving at random’, The Journal of Parapsychology, September 1, 2002.
    2. William G. Braud and Marilyn J. Schlitz, ‘Consciousness interactions wit remote biological systems: anomalous intentionality effects’, Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine, 1991; 2 (1): 1–27; McTaggart, The Field, op. cit.: 128–9.
    3. Marilyn Schlitz and William Braud, ‘Distant intentionality and healing assessing the evidence’, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 1997; 3 (6): 62–73.
    4. William Braud and Marilyn Schlitz, ‘A methodology for the objective study of transpersonal imagery’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1989; 3 (1): 43–63.
    5. W. Braud et al., ‘Further studies of autonomic detection of remote staring: replication, new control procedures and personality correlates’, Journal of Parapsychology, 1993; 57: 391–409; M. Schlitz and S. LaBerge, ‘Autonomi detection of remote observation; two conceptual replications’, in D. Bierman (ed.), Proceedings of Presented Papers: 37 Annual Parapsychological Association Convention, Amsterdam, Fairhaven, Mass.: Parapsychological Association, 1994: 465–78.
    6. D. Benor, Spiritual Healing: Scientific Validation of a Healing Revolution, Southfield, Mich.: Vision Publications, 2001.
    7. F. Sicher, E. Targ et al., ‘A randomized double-blind study of the effect of distant healing in a population with advanced AIDS: report of a small scale study’ Western Journal of Medicine, 1998; 168 (6): 356–63. For a full description of the studies, see McTaggart, The Field, op. cit.: 181–96.
    8. Psychologist Dean Radin conducted a meta-analysis in 1989 at Princeto University of all known dice experiments (73) published between 1930 and 1989. They are recounted in his book Entangled Minds, New York: Paraview, 2006: 148– 51.
    9. J. Hasted, The Metal Benders, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1981, as cited      in      W.          Tiller,          Science and       Human    Transformation;          Subtle   Energies Intentionality and Consciousness, Walnut Creek, Calif.: Pavior Publications, 1997: 13.
    10. McTaggart, The Field, op. cit.: 199.
    11. W. W. Monafo and M. A. West, ‘Current recommendations for topical burn therapy’, Drugs, 1990; 40: 364–73.

    Chapter 1: Mutable Matter

    1. All personal information about Tom Rosenbaum and Sai Ghosh and  their

    studies have been culled from multiple interviews conducted in February and March 2005.

    • This was the solution posed by Giorgio Parisi at Rome in 1979.
    • S. Ghosh et al., ‘Coherent spin oscillations in a disordered magnet’, Science, 2002; 296: 2195–8.
    • Once again, I am indebted to Danah Zohar for her easy-to-digest descriptio of quantum non-locality, which appears in D. Zohar, The Quantum Self, London: Bloomsbury, 1991: 19–20.
    • A. Einstein, B. Podolsky and N. Rosen, ‘Can quantum-mechanical descriptio of physical reality be considered complete?’ Physical Review, 1935; 47: 777–80.
    • A. Aspect et al., ‘Experimental tests of Bell’s inequalities using time-varying analyzers’, Physical Review Letters, 1982; 49: 1804–7; A. Aspect, ‘Bell’s inequality test: more ideal than ever’, Nature, 1999; 398: 189–90.
    • Science Fact: Scientists achieve ‘Star Trek’-like feat – The Associated Press, December 10, 1997, posted on CNN, http://edition.cnn.com/TECH/9712/10/beam me. up. ap.
    • Non-locality was considered to be proven by Aspect et al.’ s experiments in Paris in 1982.
    • J. S. Bell, ‘On the Einstein-Poldolsky-Rosen paradox’,Physics, 1964; 1: 195–200.
    • S. Ghosh et al., ‘Entangled quantum state of magnetic dipoles’, Nature, 2003; 435: 48–51.
    • Details of Vedral’s views and experiments the result of multiple interviews, February, October and December 2005.
    • C. Arnesen et al., ‘Thermal and magnetic entanglement in the 1D Heisenber Model’, Physical Review Letters, 2001; 87: 017901.
    • V. Vedral, ‘Entanglement hits the big time’, Nature, 2003; 425: 28–9.
    • T. Durt, interview with author, April 26, 2005.
    • B. Reznik, ‘Entanglement from the vacuum’, Foundations of Physics, 2003; 33: 167–76; Michael Brooks, ‘Entanglement: The weirdest link’,New Scientist, 2004; 181 (2440): 32.
    • John D. Barrow, The Book of Nothing, London: Jonathan Cape, 2000: 216.
    • Erwin Laszlo, The Interconnected Universe: Conceptual Foundations o Transdiscipinary Unified Theory, Singapore: World Scientific Publishing, 1995: 28.
    • A. C. Clarke, ‘When will the real space age begin?’ Ad Astra, May–June 1996; 13–15.
    • Harold Puthoff, ‘Ground state of hydrogen as a zero-point-fluctuation- determined state’, Physical Review D, 1987; 35: 3266.
    • B. Haisch, Alfonso Rueda and H. E. Puthoff, ‘Inertia as a zero-point-fiel Lorentz force’, Physical Review A, 1994; 49 (2): 678–94; Bernhard Haisch, Alfonso Rueda and H. E. Puthoff, ‘Physics of the zero-point field: implications for inertia gravitation and mass’, Speculations in Science and Technology, 1997; 20: 99–114.
    • Various interviews with Hal Puthoff, 1999–2000.
    • Reznik, ‘Entanglement from the vacuum’, op. cit.
    • McTaggart, The Field, op. cit.: 35–6.
    • J. Resch et al., ‘Distributing entanglement and single photons through an intra-city, free-space quantum channel’, Optics Express, 2005; 13 (1): 202–9; R. Ursin et al., ‘Quantum teleportation across the Danube’, Nature, 2004; 430: 849.
    • M. Arndt et al., ‘Wave–particle duality of C60 molecules’, Nature, 1999; 401: 680–2; doi: 10.1038/44348.
    • A. Zeilinger, ‘Probing the limits of the quantum world’, Physics World, March 2005 (online journal: http://www.physicsweb.org/articles/world/18/3/5/1).

    Chapter 2: The Human Antenna

    1. All personal details about Gary Schwartz and his discoveries result from multiple interviews with him and the author, March–June 2006.
    2. H. Benson et al., ‘Decreased systolic blood pressure through operan conditioning techniques in patients with essential hypertension’, Science, 1971; 173 (3998): 740–2.
    3. E. E. Green, ‘Copper wall research psychology and psychophysics: subtle energies and energy medicine: emerging theory and practice’, Proceedings, First Annual Conference, International Society for the Study of Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine (ISSSEEM), Boulder, Colorado, 21–25 June 1991.
    4. This research was eventually published as G. Schwartz and L. Russek ‘Subtle energies – electrostatic body motion registration and the human antenna- receiver effect: a new method for investigating interpersonal dynamical energy system interactions’, Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine, 1996; 7 (2): 149–84.
    5. E. E. Green et al., ‘Anomalous electrostatic phenomena in exceptiona subjects’, Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine, 1993; 2: 69; W. A. Tiller et al., ‘Towards explaining anomalously large body voltage surges on exceptional subjects, Part I: The electrostatic approximation’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1995; 9 (3): 331.
    6. William A. Tiller, ‘Subtle energies’, Science & Medicine, 1999, 6 (3): 28–

    33.

    • A. Seto et al., ‘Detection of extraordinary large biomagnetic field  strength

    from    the     human    hand     during    external     qi           emission’, Acupuncture            and Electrotherapeutics Research International, 1992; 17: 75–94; J. Zimmerman, ‘New

    technologies detect effects in healing hands’, Brain/Mind Bulletin, 1985; 10 (2): 20–

    3.

    • B. Grad, ‘Dimensions in “Some biological effects of the laying on of hands” and their implications’, in H. A. Otto and J. W. Knight (eds.), Dimension in Wholistic Healing: New Frontiers in the Treatment of the Whole Person, Chicago: Nelson-Hall, 1979: 199–212.
    • L. N. Pyatnitsky and V. A. Fonkin, ‘Human consciousness influence on water structure’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1995; 9 (1): 89.
    • G. Rein and R. McCraty, ‘Structural changes in water and DNA associate

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    with new  physiologically measurable  states’, Journal of  Scientific Exploration, 1994; 8 (3): 438–9.

    1. W. Tiller would eventually write about the effect of shielding psychics in his book Science and Human Transformation, Walnut Creek, Calif.: Pavior Publishing, 1997: 32.
    2. M. Connor, G. Schwartz et al., ‘Oscillation of amplitude as measured by a extra low frequency magnetic field meter as a biophysical measure of intentionality’. Paper presented at the Toward a Science of Consciousness Conference, Tucson Arizona, April 2006.
    3. Sicher, Targ et al., ‘A randomized double-blind study’, op. cit.
    4. See McTaggart, The Field, op. cit.: 39, for a full description of F.-A. Popp’s earlier work.
    5. S. Cohen and F.-A. Popp, ‘Biophoton emission of the human body’,Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology, 1997; 40: 187–9.
    6. K. Creath and G. E. Schwartz, ‘What biophoton images of plants can tell u about biofields and healing’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 2005; 19 (4): 531–

    50.

    1. S. N. Bose, ‘Planck’s Gesetz und Lichtquantenhypothese’, Zeitschrift für Physik, 1924; 26: 178–81; A. Einstein, ‘Quantentheorie des einatomigen idealen Gases [Quantum theory of ideal monoatomic gases]’, Sitz. Ber. Preuss. Akad. Wiss. (Berlin), 1925; 23: 3.
    2. C. E. Wieman and E. A. Cornell, ‘Seventy years later: the creation of Bose-Einstein condensate in an ultracold gas’, Lorentz Proceedings, 1999; 52: 3–5.
    3. K. Davis et al., ‘Bose-Einstein condensation in a gas of sodium atoms’

    Physical Review Letters, 1995; 75: 3969–73.

    • M. W. Zwierlein et al., ‘Observation of Bose-Einstein condensation o molecules’, Physical Review Letters, 2003; 91: 250401.
    • H. Fröhlich, ‘Long range coherence and energy storage in biological systems’, Int. J. Quantum Chem., 1968; II: 641–9.
    • For this entire example, see Tiller, Science and Human Transformation, op. cit.: 196.
    • M. Jibu et al., ‘Quantum optical coherence in cytoskeletal microtubules: implications for brain function’, Biosystems, 1994; 32: 195–209; S. R. Hameroff ‘Cytoplasmic gel states and ordered water: possible roles in biological quantum coherence’, Proceedings of the 2nd Annual Advanced Water Sciences Symposium, Dallas, Texas, 1996.

    Chapter 3: The Two-Way Street

    1. For all history of Cleve Backster’s discoveries and experiments, interview with Backster, October 2004 and his Primary Perception: Biocommunication with Plants, Living Foods, and Human Cells, Anza, Calif.: White Rose Millennium Press, 2003.
    2. As Obi-Wan Kenobe tells Luke Skywalker, after Alderan has been blown up

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    by the Empire in Star Wars part IV: A New Hope: ‘I feel a great disturbance in the Force. As if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced.’

    • Presentation given at the Tenth Annual Parapsychology Association meeting in New York City, September 7, 1967. Also published as C. Backster, ‘Evidence of a primary perception in plant life’, International Journal of Parapsychology, 1968; 10 (4): 329–48.
    • P. Dubrov and V. N. Pushkin, Parapsychology and Contemporary Science, New York and London: Consultants Bureau, 1982.
    • P. Tompkins and C. Bird, The Secret Life of Plants, New York: Harper & Row, 1973.
    • ‘Boysenberry to Prune, Boysenberry to Prune: Do you read me? Lie detecto expert Cleve Backster reported in the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science that he had detected electrical impulses between two containers of yogurt at opposite ends of his laboratory. Backster claims the bacteria in the containers were communicating.’ Esquire, January 1976.
    • Backster, ‘Evidence of a primary perception’, op. cit.
    • Backster, Primary Perceptions, op. cit.: 112–13.
    • Backster, Primary Perceptions. See also Rupert Sheldrake, Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home and Other Unexplained Powers of Animals, London: Three Rivers Press, 2000.
    • This and other personal details of events resulted from interviews with Ingo Swann, New York, July 2005.
    • See McTaggart, The Field, op. cit.: 39 for a full description of F.-A. Popp’s earlier work.
    • All details of these experiments resulted from an interview between the author and Fritz-Albert Popp, January 2006.
    • R. M. Galle et al., ‘Biophoton emission fromDaphnia magna: A possible factor in the self-regulation of swarming’, Experientia, 1991; 47: 457–60; R. M. Galle, ‘Untersuchungen zum dichte und zeitabhängigen Verhalten der ultraschwachen Photonenemission von pathogenetischen Weibchen des Wasserflohs Daphnia magna.’ Dissertation. Universität Saarbrücken, Fachbereich Zoologie, 1993.
    • F.-A. Popp et al., ‘Nonsubstantial biocommunication in terms of Dicke’s Theory’, in M. W. Ho, F.-A. Popp and U. Warnke (eds.), Bioelectrodynamics and Biocommunication, Singapore: World Scientific Publishing, 1994: 293–317; J. J Chang et al., ‘Research on cell communication of P. elegans by means of photon emission’, Chinese Science Bulletin, 1995; 40: 76–9.
    • J. J. Chang et al., ‘Communication between Dinoflagellates by means o photon emission’, in L. V. Beloussov and F.-A. Popp (eds.), Proceedings of International Conference on Non-equilibrium and Coherent Systems in Biophysics, Biology and Biotechnology, Sep. 28–Oct. 2 1994, Moscow: Bioinform Services Co., 1995: 318–30.
    • Interview with Popp, Neuss, Germany, March 1, 2006.

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    1. F.-A. Popp et al., ‘Mechanism of interaction between electromagnetic fields and living organisms’, Science in China (Series C), 2000; 43 (5): 507–18. 18. Ibid.
    2. L. Beloussov and N. N. Louchinskaia, ‘Biophoton emission from developin eggs and embryos: Nonlinearity, wholistic properties and indications of energy transfer’, in J. J. Chang et al. (eds.),Biophotons, London: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1998: 121–40.
    3. K. Creath and G. E. Schwartz, ‘What biophoton images of plants can tell u about biofields and healing’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 2005; 19 (4): 531–

    50.

    • A.  V.  Tschulakow  et al.,  ‘A new  approach to  the  memory of  water’,

    Homeopathy, 2005; 94: 241–7.

    • E. P. A. Van Wijk and R. Van Wijk, ‘The development ofa bio-sensor for the state of consciousness in a human intentional healing ritual’, Journal of International Society of Life Information Science (ISLIS), 2002; 20 (2): 694–702.
    • M. Connor, ‘Baseline testing of energy practitioners: Biophoton imaging results.’ Paper presented at the North American Research in Integrative Medicine conference, Edmonton, Canada, May 2006.
    • Personal details about K. Korotkov the result of multiple interviews with the author, November–March 2005–2006.
    • S. D. Kirlian and V. K. Kirlian, ‘Photography and visual observation b means of high frequency currents’, J. Sci. Appl. Photogr., 1964; 6: 397–403.
    • Korotkov’s most important work on the subject was K. Korotkov, Human E n e rg y Field:              Study    with     GDV  Bioelectrography,              New      Jersey: Backbone Publishing  Co.,  2002;  K.  Korotkov, Aura  and  Consciousness  –  New  Stage  o Scientific Understanding,  St Petersburg:  St Petersburg Division of the  Russia Ministry of Culture, State Publishing Unit ‘Kultura’, 1999.
    • K. Korotkov et al., ‘Assessing biophysical energy transfer mechanisms in living systems: The basis of life processes’, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2004; 10 (1): 49–57.
    • L. W. Konikiewicz and L. C. Griff,Bioelectrography – A new method for detecting cancer and body physiology, Harrisburg, Va.: Leonard Associates Press, 1982; G. Rein, ‘Corona discharge photography of human breast tumour biopsies’ Acupuncture & Electrotherapeutics Research, 1985; 10: 305–8; K. Korotkov et al., ‘Stress diagnosis and monitoring with new computerized “Crown-TV” device’ Journal of Pathophysiology, 1998; 5: 227.
    • P. Bundzen et al., ‘New technology of the athletes’ psycho-physical readiness evaluation based on the gas-discharge visualisation method in comparison with battery of tests’, ‘SIS99’ Proceedings, International Congress St Petersburg, 1999: 19–22; P. V. Bundzen, et al., ‘Psychophysiological correlates of athletic success in athletes training for the Olympics’, Human Physiology, 2005; 31 (3): 316–23; K. Korotkov et al., ‘Assessing biophysical energy transfer mechanisms’, op cit.
    • Clair  A.  Francomano  and  Wayne  B.  Jonas,  in Ronald A.  Chez (ed.)

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    Proceedings: Measuring the Human Energy Field: State of the Science. The Gerontology Research Center, National Institute of Aging, National Institutes o Health, Baltimore, Maryland, April 17–18, 2002.

    • S. Kolmakow et al., ‘Gas discharge visualization technique and spectrophotometry in detection of field effects’, Mechanisms of Adaptive Behavior, Abstracts of International Symposium, St Petersburg, 1999: 79.
    • Interview with K. Korotkov, March 2006.

    Chapter 4: Hearts that Beat as One

    1. All details of the Love Study were gleaned from multiple interviews with Dean Radin, Marilyn Schlitz and Jerome Stone, April 2005–June 2006.
    2. F. Sicher, E. Targ et al., ‘A randomized double-blind study of the effect of distant ealing in a population with advanced AIDS: report of a small scale study’ Western ournal of Medicine, 1998; 168 (6): 356–63; also multiple interviews with

    E. Targ, 999–2001.

    • M. Schlitz and W. Braud, ‘Distant intentionality and healing: assessing the evidence’, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 1997; 3 (6): 62–73.
    • M. Schlitz and S. LaBerge, ‘Autonomic detection of remote observation: tw conceptual replications’, in D. J. Bierman (ed.), Proceedings of Presented Papers, 37t h Annual Parapsychological Association Convention, Amsterdam, Fairhaven, Mass.: Parapsychological Association, 1994: 352–60.
    • S. Schmidt et al., ‘Distant intentionality and the feeling of being stared at: Two metaanalyses’, British Journal of Psychology, 2004; 95: 235–47, as reported in D. Radin, Entangled Minds, New York: Paraview, 2006: 135.
    • L. Standish et al., ‘Electroencephalographic evidence of correlated event- related signals between the brains of spatially and sensory isolated human subjects’, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2004; 10 (2): 307–14.
    • Radin, Entangled Minds, op. cit.: 136.
    • Charles Tart, ‘Physiological correlates of psi cognition’, International Journal of Parapsychology, 1963: 5; 375–86.
    • T. D. Duane and T. Behrendt, ‘Extrasensory electroencephalographic induction between identical twins’, Science, 1965; 150: 367.
    • J. Wackerman et al., ‘Correlations between brain electrical activities of two spatially separated human subjects’, Neuroscience Letters, 2003; 336: 60–4.
    • J. Grinberg-Zylberbaum et al., ‘The Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox in th brain: The transferred potential’, Physics Essays, 1994; 7 (4): 422–28.
    • J. Grinberg-Zylberbaum and J. Ramos, ‘Patterns of interhemispher correlations during human communication’, International Journal of Neuroscience, 1987; 36: 41–53; J. Grinberg-Zylberbaum et al., ‘Human communication and the electrophysiological activity of the brain,’ Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine, 1992; 3 (3): 25–43.
    • L. J. Standish et al., ‘Electroencephalographic evidence of correlated event related signals’, op. cit. 14. L. J., Standish et al., ‘Evidence of correlated functiona

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    magnetic resonance imaging signals between distant human brains’, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 2003; 9 (1): 122–5; T. Richards et al., ‘Replicable functional magnetic resonance imaging evidence of correlated brain signals between physically and sensory isolated subjects’, Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2005; 11 (6): 955–63.

    1. M. Kittenis et al., ‘Distant psychophysiological interaction effects between related and unrelated participants’, Proceedings of the Parapsychological Association Convention, 2004: 67–76, as reported in Radin, Entangled Minds, op. cit.: 138–9.
    2. D. I. Radin, ‘Event related EEG correlations between isolated huma subjects’, Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2004; 10: 315–24.
    3. M. Cade and N. Coxhead,The Awakened Mind, 2nd edn, Shaftesbury: Element, 1986.
    4. S. Fahrion et al., ‘EEG amplitude, brain mapping and synchrony in an between a bioenergy practitioner and client during healing’, Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine, 1992; 3 (1): 19–52.
    5. M. Yamamoto, ‘An experiment on remote action against man in sensory shielding                 condition,              Part               2’, Journal            of   the              International Society                  of   Life Information Sciences,  1996;  14  (2):  228–39,  as  reported  in  Larry  Dossey, Be Careful What You Pray For You Just Might Get It: What We Can Do About th Unintentional   Effect  of    Our Thoughts,  Prayers,  and  Wishes,  San  Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1998: 182–3.
    6. M. Yamamoto et al., ‘An experiment on remote action against man in sense shielding condition’, Journal of the International Society of Life Information Sciences, 1996; 14 (1): 97–9.
    7. D. I. Radin, ‘Unconscious perception of future emotions: An experiment i presentiment’, Journal  of  Scientific  Exploration,  1997;  11  (2):  163–80.  First presented before the annual meeting of the Parapsychological Association in August 1996. For a full description of the Radin experiment, see D. Radin,The Conscious Universe, London: HarperCollins, 1997: 119–24.
    8. R. McCraty et al., ‘Electrophysiological evidence of intuition: Part 2: A system-wide process?’ The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2004; 10 (2): 325–36.
    9. J. Andrew Armour and Jeffrey L. Ardell (eds.), Basic and Clinical Neurocardiology, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.
    10. R. McCraty et al., ‘The electricity of touch: Detection and measurement o cardiac energy exchange between people’, in Karl H. Pribram (ed.), Brain and Values: Is a Biological Science of Values Possible? Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1998: 359–79.
    11. M. Gershon, The Second Brain: A Groundbreaking New Understanding o Nervous Disorders of the Stomach and Intestine, London: HarperCollins, 1999.
    12. D. I. Radin and M. J. Schlitz, ‘Gut feelings, intuition, and emotions: A exploratory study’, Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2005; 11

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    (5): 85–91.

    • D. Radin, ‘Event-related electroencephalographic correlations between isolated human subjects’, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2004; 10 (2): 315–23.
    • Dean Radin has devoted an excellent book to the subject: see D.  Radin

    Entangled Minds, op cit.

    • J. Stone, Course Handbook: Training in Compassionate-Loving Intention 2003; J. Stone et al., ‘Effects of a compassionate/loving intention as a therapeutic intervention by partners of cancer patients: A randomized controlled feasibility study’, in press.
    • M. Murphy et al., The Physiological and Psychological Effects o Meditation: A Review of Contemporary Research with a Comprehensive Bibliography, 1931–1996, Petaluma, Calif.: The Institute of Noetic Sciences, 1997.
    • E. P. Van Wijk et al., ‘Anatomic characterization of human ultra-weak photon emission in practitioners of Transcendental Meditation™ and control subjects’, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2006; 12 (1): 31–8.
    • R.  McCraty et al.,  ‘Head-heart entrainment: A preliminary survey’,  in Proceedings of  the  Brain-Mind  Applied  Neurophysiology  EEG  Neurofeedbac Meeting. Key West, Florida, 1996.
    • R. McCraty, ‘Influence of cardiac afferent input on heart-brain synchronization and cognitive performance, Institute of HeartMath, Boulder Creek California’, International Journal of Psychophysiology, 2002; 45 (1–2): 72–3.
    • G. R. Schmeidler, Parapsychology and Psychology, Jefferson: McFarland and Company, 1988 as cited in J. Stone, Course Handbook, op. cit.; L. Dossey Healing Words: The Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine, San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1993.
    • D. Radin et al., ‘Effects of motivated distant intention on electrodermal activity.’ Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Parapsychological Association, Stockholm, Sweden, August 2006.

    Chapter 5: Entering Hyperspace

    1. H. Benson et al., ‘Body temperature changes during the practice of g tum-mo (heat) yoga’, Nature, 1982; 295: 234–6; H. Benson, ‘Body temperature changes during the practice of g tum-mo yoga (matters arising)’, Nature, 1982; 298: 402.
    2. H. Benson et al., ‘Three case reports of the metabolic and electroencephalographic changes during advanced Buddhist meditation techniques’, Behavioral Medicine, 1990; 16 (2): 90–5.
    3. The most celebrated was the Investigating the Mind conference a Massachusetts Institute of Technology, September 2005, which featured the Dalai Lama.
    4. I am indebted to Stanley Krippner, who supplied me with a list of some 50 healers from a rich variety of traditions. I assembled a questionnaire, which I sent out

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    to all 50. Some 15 replied in detail.

    • Cooperstein’s study eventually was published: M. A.  Cooperstein, ‘The myths of healing: A summary of research into transpersonal healing experience’, Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 1992; 86: 99–133. I am also indebted to him for his in-depth analysis of the commonalities between healers.
    • Information about Krippner’s vast catalogue of work was also gleaned from numerous interviews between him and the author, April 2005–March 2006 and correspondence, 2005–2006.
    • S. Krippner, ‘The technologies of shamanic states of consciousness’, in M Schlitz et al. (eds.), Consciousness and Healing: Integral Approaches to Mind Body Medicine, St. Louis, Mo.: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone, 2005: 376–90.
    • Jilek W. G. Salish, Indian Mental Health and Culture Change Psychohygienic and Therapeutic Aspects of the Guardian Spirit Ceremonial, New York: Hold Rinehart & Winston, 1974.
    • All information about Bruce Frantzis the result of various interviews, April 2005–March 2006.
    • B. K. Frantzis, Relaxing Into Your Being: Breathing, Chi and Dissolving the Ego, Berkeley, Calif.: North Atlantic Books, 1998.
    • Murphy, Meditation, op. cit.
    • W. Singer, ‘Neuronal synchrony: a versatile code for the definition of relations?’ Neuron, 1999; 24: 49–65; F. Varela et al., Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2001; 2: 229–39, as reported in A. Lutz et al., ‘Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice’, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 2004; 101 (46): 16369–73.
    • O. Paulsen and T. J. Sejnowski, ‘Natural patterns of activity and long-term synaptic plasticity’, Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 2000; 10: 172–9, as reported in Lutz, ‘Long-term meditators’, op. cit.
    • Although the majority of studies carried out on meditation demonstrate that meditation leads to an increase in alpha rhythms (see Murphy, Meditation, op. cit.), the following are just a few that show that during meditation, subjects evidence spurts of high-frequency beta waves of twenty to forty cycles per second, usually during moments of intense concentration or ecstasy: J. P. Banquet, ‘Spectral analysis of the EEG in meditation’, Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 1973;  35:   143–51;  P.             Fenwick  et  al., ‘Metabolic            and             EEG                  changes                 durin Transcendental Meditation: An explanation’, Biological Psychology, 1977; 5 (2): 101–18; M. A. West, ‘Meditation and the EEG’,Psychological Medicine, 1980; 10 (2): 369–75; J. C. Corby et al., ‘Psychophysiological correlates of the practice o Tantric Yoga meditation’, Postgraduate Medical Journal, 1985; 61: 301–4.
    • N. Das and H. Gastaut, ‘Variations in the electrical activity of the brain heart and skeletal muscles during yogic meditation and trance’, Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 1955, Supplement no. 6: 211–19.
    • Murphy, Meditation, cites 10 studies showing that heart rate  accelerates

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    during these peak moments of meditation.

    1. W. W. Surwillo and D. P. Hobson, ‘Brain electrical activity during prayer’,

    Psychological Reports, 1978; 43 (1): 135–43.

    1. Murphy, Meditation, op. cit.
    2. Lutz et al., ‘Long-term meditators’, op. cit.
    3. Richard  J.  Davidson et al.,  ‘Alterations  in brain and  immune  functio produce by mindfulness meditation’, Psychosomatic Medicine, 2003; 65: 564–70.
    4. Krippner, ‘Shamanic states of consciousness’, op. cit.
    5. Murphy, Meditation, op. cit.
    6. L. Bernardi et al., ‘Effect of rosary prayer and yoga mantras on autonomic cardiovascular rhythms: comparative study’, British Medical Journal, 2001; 323: 1446–9.
    7. Fenwick et al., ‘Metabolic and EEG changes during Transcendenta Meditation’, op. cit.
    8. D. Goleman, Emotional Intelligence, London: Bloomsbury Press, 1996.
    9. D. Goleman, ‘Meditation and consciousness: An Asian approach to mental health’, American Journal of Psychotherapy, 1976; 30 (1): 41–54; G. Schwartz, ‘Biofeedback, self-regulation, and the patterning of physiological processes’, American Scientist, 1975; 63 (3): 314–24; D. Goleman, ‘Why the brain blocks daytime dreams’, Psychology Today, 1976; March: 69–71.
    10. P. Williams and M. West, ‘EEG responses to photic stimulation in persons experienced at meditation’, Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 1975; 39 (5): 519–22; B. K. Bagchi and M. A. Wenger,  ‘Electrophysiological correlates of some yogi exercises’, Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 1957; (7): 132–49.
    11. D. Brown, M. Forte and M. Dysart, ‘Visual sensitivity and mindfulnes meditation’, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1984; 58 (3): 775–84; and ‘Differences in visual sensitivity among mindfulness meditators and non-meditators’, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1984; 58 (3): 727–33.
    12. S. W. Lazar et al., ‘Functional brain mapping of the relaxation response and meditation’, NeuroReport, 2000; 11: 1581–5.
    13. C. Alexander et al., ‘EEG and SPECT data of a selected subject during ps tests: The discovery of a neurophysiological correlate’, Journal of Parapsychology, 1998; 62 (2): 102–4.
    14. L. LeShan, The Medium, the Mystic and the Physicist: Towards a Theory of the Paranormal, New York: Helios Press, 2003.
    15. Cooperstein, ‘The myths of healing’, op. cit.
    16. S. Krippner, ‘Trance and the Trickster: Hypnosis as a liminal phenomenon’,

    International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 2005; 53 (2): 97–

    118.

    • E. Hartmann, Boundaries in the Mind: A New Theory of Personality, New York: Basic Books, 1991, as quoted in Krippner, ‘Trance and the Trickster’, op. cit.
    • M. J. Schlitz and Charles Honorton, ‘Ganzfeld psi performance  within a

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    artistically    gifted   population’, Journal  of  the  American  Society  for  Psychica Research, 1992; 86 (2): 83–98.

    • S. Krippner et al., ‘Working with Ramtha: Is it a “high risk” procedure?’ Proceedings of Presented Papers: The Parapsychological Association 41st Annua Convention, 1998: 50–63.
    • The various  tests  included the Absorption Subscale of the  Differential Personality Questionnaire, the Dissociative Experiences Scale and the Boundar Questionnaire.
    • S. Krippner et al., ‘The Ramtha phenomenon: Psychological phenomenological, and geomagnetic data’, Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 1998; 92: 1–24.
    • F. Sicher, E. Targ et al., ‘A randomized double-blind study’, op. cit.
    • Various conversations and correspondence between E. Targ and the author, October 1999–June 2001.
    • Interview with E. Targ, California, October 1999; J. Barrett, ‘Going th distance’, Intuition, 1999; June/July: 30–1.
    • D. J. Benor, Healing Research: Holistic Energy Medicine and Spirituality, 4 vols., Deddington, Oxfordshire: Helix Editions Ltd, 1993.
    • http://www.wholistichealingresearch.com.
    • Benor, Healing Research, vol. 1, op. cit.: 54–5.
    • Cooperstein, ‘The myths of healing’, op. cit.
    • M. Freedman et al., ‘Effects of frontal lobe lesions on intentionality and random physical phenomena’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 2003; 17 (4): 651–

    68.

    • E. d’Aquili and A. Newberg, Why God Won’t Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief, New York: Ballantine Books, 2001.

    Chapter 6: In the Mood

    1. All details about M. Krucoff ’s trip to India and decision to study prayer from interviews, August 2006.
    2. R. C. Byrd, ‘Positive therapeutic effects of intercessory prayer in a coronar care unit population’, Southern Medical Journal, 1988; 81 (7): 826–9.
    3. W. Harris et al., ‘A randomised, controlled trial of the effects of remote, intercessory prayer on outcomes in patients admitted to the coronary care unit’, Archives of Internal Medicine, 1999; 159 (19): 2273–8.
    4. M. Krucoff, ‘Integrative noetic therapies as adjuncts to percutaneous intervention during unstable coronary syndromes: Monitoring and Actualization of Noetic Training (MANTRA) feasibility pilot’,American Heart Journal, 2001; 142 (5): 760–7.
    5. M. Krucoff announced the results at the Second Conference on the Integratio of Complementary Medicine into Cardiology, a meeting sponsored by the American College of Cardiology, October 14, 2003.
    6. M.  Krucoff  et  al.,  ‘Music,  imagery,  touch  and  prayer  as   adjuncts  to

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    interventional cardiac care: The Monitoring and Actualisation of Noetic Trainings (MANTRA) II randomised study’, The Lancet, 2005; 366: 211–17.

    • J. M. Aviles et al., ‘Intercessory prayer and cardiovascular disease progression in a coronary care unit population: a randomized controlled trial’, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2001; 76 (12): 1192–8.
    • H. Benson, The Relaxation Response, New York: William Morrow, 1975.
    • M. Krucoff et al., Editorial: ‘From efficacy to safety concerns: A STE forward or a step back for clinical research and intercessory prayer? The Study of Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer (STEP)’,American Heart Journal, 2006; 151; 4: 762.
    • H. Benson et al., ‘Study of the therapeutic effects of intercessory prayer (STEP) in cardiac bypass patients: A multi-center randomized trial of uncertainty and certainty of receiving intercessory prayer’, American Heart Journal, 2006; 151 (4): 934–42.
    • Krucoff et al., ‘A STEP forward’, op. cit.
    • Editorial: ‘MANTRA II: Measuring the unmeasurable?’The Lancet, 2005; 366 (9481): 178.
    • Letter to the editor, American Heart Journal, sent to author, 2006.
    • Krucoff et al., ‘A STEP forward’, op. cit.
    • B. Greyson, ‘Distance healing of patients with major depression’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1996; 10 (4): 447–65.
    • L.  Dossey, Meaning and Medicine: Lessons from a Doctor’s Tales of Breakthough Healing, London: Bantam, 1991; Dossey, Healing Words, op. cit.
    • L. Dossey, ‘Prayer experiments:  Science or folly? Observations on the Harvard prayer study’, Network Review (UK), 2006; 91: 22–3.
    • Ibid.
    • Harris, ‘Effects of remote intercessory prayer’, op. cit.
    • www.officeofprayerresearch.org.
    • Benor, Healing Research, op. cit.
    • J. Astin et al., ‘The efficacy of “distant healing”: A systematic review of randomized trials’, Annals of Internal Medicine, 2000; 132: 903–10.
    • B. Rubik et al., ‘In vitro effect of Reiki treatment on bacterial cultures: Rol of experimental context and practitioner well-being’, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2006; 12 (1): 7–13.
    • I. R. Bell et al., ‘Development and validation of a new global well-bein outcomes rating scale for integrative medicine research’, BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2004; 4: 1.
    • Ibid.
    • S. O’Laoire, ‘An experimental study of the effects of distant, intercessor prayer on self-esteem, anxiety and depression’, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 1997; 3 (6): 19–53.
    • Rubik et al., ‘In vitro effect’, op, cit.
    • K. Reece et al., ‘Positive well-being changes associated with giving and

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    receiving    Johrei    healing’, The    Journal   of                  Alternative                   and         Complementary Medicine, 2005; 11 (3): 455–7.

    • M. Schlitz, ‘Can science study prayer?’ Shift: At the Frontiers of Consciousness, 2006; September–November (12): 38–9.
    • Dossey, ‘Prayer experiments’, op. cit.
    • J. Achterberg et al., ‘Evidence for correlations between distant intentionality and brain function in recipients: a functional magnetic resonance imagining analysis’, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2005; 11 (6): 965–71.
    • Ibid.
    • K. A. Wientjes, ‘Mind-body techniques in wound healing’, Ostomy/Wound Management, 2002; 48 (11): 62–7.
    • J. K. Keicolt-Glaser, ‘Hostile marital interactions, proinflammator cytokine production, and wound healing’, Archives of General Psychiatry, 2005; 62 (12): 1377–84.
    • Krucoff, ‘(MANTRA) II’, op. cit.

    Chapter 7: The Right Time

    1. For all details about Michael Persinger’s experiments, interviews and correspondence with Persinger, August 2006 and a member of his neuroscientist team, Todd Murphy, May 23, 2006. Also, J. Hitt, ‘This is your brain on God’,Wired, November 1999; R. Hercz, ‘The God helmet’,SATURDAYNIGHT magazine, October 2002: 40–6; B. Raynes, ‘Interview with Todd Murphy’, Alternative Perceptions M a g a z i n e online April 2004 (No. 78), plus T. Murphy’s website: www.spiritualbrain.com and M. Persinger’s home page at the Laurentian University website: www.laurentian.ca/Neursci/_people/Persinger. htm.
    2. Neuroscientist Todd Murphy developed this theory and successfully demonstrated its validity in Persinger’s laboratory.
    3. The main background of Halberg’s early life is taken from F. Halberg, ‘Transdisciplinary unifying implications of circadian findings in the 1950s’, Journal of Circadian Rhythms, 2003; 1: 2.
    4. G. Cornélissen et al., ‘Is a birth-month-dependence of human longevity influenced by half-yearly changes in geomagnetics?’ ‘Physics of Auroral Phenomena’, Proceedings. XXV Annual Seminar, Apatity: Polar Geophysica Institute, Kola Science Center, Russian Academy of Science, February 26–March 1 2002: 161–6; A. M. Vaiserman et al., ‘Human longevity: related to date of birth?’ Abstract 9, 2nd International Symposium: Workshop on Chronoastrobiology and Chronotherapy, Tokyo Kasei University, Tokyo, Japan, November 2001.
    5. O. N. Larina et al., ‘Effects of spaceflight factors on recombinant protei expression        in E.        coli producing      strains’, in                     ‘Biomedical            Research       on                     the Science/NASA Project’, Abstracts of the Third US/Russian Symposium, Huntsvill Alabama, November 10–13, 1997: 110–11.
    6. D.   Hillman    et   al.,   ‘About-10   yearly       (circadecennian)     cosmo-helio

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    geomagnetic signatures in Acetabularia’, Scripta Medica (BRNO), 2002; 75 (6) 303–8.

    • P. A. Kashulin et al., ‘Phenolic biochemical pathway in plants can be used for the bioindication of heliogeophysical factors’, ‘Physics of Auroral Phenomena’, Proceedings. XXV Annual Seminar, Apatity: Polar Geophysical Institute, Kol Science Center, Russian Academy of Science, February 26–March 1, 2002: 153–6.
    • V. M. Petro et al., ‘An influence of changes of magnetic field of the Earth on the functional state of humans in the conditions of space mission’, Proceedings, International Symposium ‘Computer Electro-Cardiograph on Boundary of Centuries’ Moscow, Russian Federation, 27–30 April, 1999.
    • K.  F.  Novikova  and  B.  A.  Ryvkin,  ‘Solar  activity and  cardiovascular diseases’, in M. N. Gnevyshev and A. I. Ol (eds.),Effects of Solar Activity on the Earth’s Atmosphere and Biosphere, Academy of Science, USSR (translated from th Russian), Jerusalem: Israel Program for Scientific Translations, 1977: 184–200.
    • G. Cornélissen et al., ‘Chronomes, time structures, for chronobioengineering for “a full life”’, Biomedical Instrumentation and Technology, 1999; 33 (2): 152–

    87.

    1. V. N. Oraevskii et al., ‘Medico-biological effect of natural electromagnetic variations’, Biofizika, 1998; 43 (5): 844–8; V. N. Oraevskii et al., ‘An influence of geomagnetic activity on the functional status of the body’, Biofizika, 1998; 43 (5): 819–26.
    2. I. Gurfinkel et al., ‘Assessment of the effect of a geomagnetic storm on the frequency of appearance of acute cardiovascular pathology’, Biofizika, 1998; 43 (4): 654–8; J. Sitar, ‘The causality of lunar changes on cardiovascular mortality’, Casopis Lekaru Ceskych, 1990; 129: 1425–30.
    3. F. Halberg et al., ‘Cross-spectrally coherent about 10-5- and 21-year biological and physical cycles, magnetic storms and myocardial infarctions’, Neuroendrocrinology Letters, 2000; 21: 233–58.
    4. M. N. Gnevyshev, ‘Essential features of the 11-year solar cycle’, Solar Physics, 1977; 51: 175–82.
    5. G. Cornélissen et al., ‘Non-photic solar associations of heart rate variability and myocardial infarction’, Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-terrestrial Physics, 2002; 64: 707–20.
    6. A. R. Allahverdiyev et al., ‘Possible space weather influence on functional activity of the human brain’, Proceedings, Space Weather Workshop: Looking Towards a European Space Weather Programme, December 17–19, 2001.
    7. E. Babayev, ‘Some results of investigations on the space weather influence on functioning of several engineering-technical and communication systems and human health’, Astronomical and Astrophysical Transactions, 2003; 22 (6): 861–7;

    G. Y. Mizon and P. G. Mizun, Space and Health, Moscow: ‘Znanie’, 1984.

    1. E. Stoupel, ‘Relationship between suicide and myocardial infarction with regard to changing physical environmental conditions’, International Journal of Biometeorology, 1994; 38 (4): 199–203; E. Stoupel et al., ‘Clinical cosmobiology:

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    the Lithuanian study, 1990–1992’, International Journal of Biometeorology, 1995; 38: 204–8; E. Stoupel et al., ‘Suicide-homicide temporal interrelationship, links with other fatalities and environmental physical activity’, Crisis, 2005; 26: 85–9.

    1. Avi Raps et al., ‘Geophysical Variables and Behavior: LXIX. Solar activit and admission of psychiatric inpatients’, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1992; 74: 449; H. Friedman et al., ‘Geomagnetic parameters and psychiatric hospital admissions’, Nature, 1963; 200: 626–8.
    2. M. Mikulecky, ‘Lunisolar tidal waves, geomagnetic activity and epilepsy in the light of multivariate coherence’, Brazilian Journal of Medicine, 1996; 29 (8): 1069–72; E. A. McGugan, ‘Sudden unexpected deaths in epileptics – a literature review’, Scottish Medical Journal, 1999; 44 (5): 137–9.
    3. A. Michon et al., ‘Attempts to simulate the association between geomagnetic activity and spontaneous seizures in rats using experimentally generated magnetic fields’, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1996; 82 (2): 619–26; Y. Bureau and M. Persinger, ‘Geomagnetic activity and enhanced mortality in rats with acute (epileptic) limbic lability’, International Journal of Biometeorology, 1992; 36: 226–32.
    4. Y. Bureau and M. Persinger, ‘Decreased latencies for limbic seizures induced in rats by lithium-pilocarpine occur when daily average geomagnetic activity exceeds 20 nanotesla’, Neuroscience Letters, 1995; 192: 142–4; A. Michon and M.

    A. Persinger, ‘Experimental simulation of the effects of increased geomagnetic activity upon nocturnal seizures in epileptic rats’, Neuroscience Letters, 1997; 224: 53–6.

    • M. Persinger, ‘Sudden unexpected death in epileptics following sudden, intense,  increases  in  geomagnetic  activity:                                        Prevalence  of  effect  and  potential mechanisms’, International Journal of Biometeorology, 1995; 38: 180–7; R. P. O’Connor and M. A. Persinger, ‘Geophysical Variables and Behavior: LXXXII. strong association between sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and increments o global  geomagnetic  activity  –  possible  support  for  the  melatonin  hypothesis’, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1997; 84: 395–402.
    • B. McKay and M. Persinger, ‘Geophysical Variables and Behavior LXXXVII. Effects of synthetic and natural geomagnetic patterns on maze learning’ Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1999; 89 (3 pt 1): 1023–4
    • Radin, Conscious Universe, op. cit.
    • D. Radin, ‘Evidence for relationship between geomagnetic field fluctuations and skilled physical performance.’ Presentation made at the 11th Annual Meeting of the Society for Scientific Exploration, Princeton, New Jersey, June 1992.
    • S. W. Tromp, Biometeorology, London: Heyden, 1980.
    • I. Stoilova and T. Zdravev, ‘Influence of the geomagnetic activity on the human functional systems’, Journal of the Balkan Geophysical Society, 2000; 3 (4): 73–6.
    • J. S. Derr and M. A. Persinger, ‘Geophysical Variables and Behavior: LIV Zeitoun  (Egypt)   apparitions   of  the   Virgin  Mary  as   tectonic   strain-induced

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    luminosities’, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1989; 68: 123–8.

    • M. A. Persinger and S. A. Koren, ‘Experiences of spiritual visitation an impregnation: potential induction by frequency-modulated transients from an adjacent clock’, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 2001; 92 (1): 35–6.
    • M. A. Persinger et al., ‘Differential entrainment of electroencephalographic activity by weak complex electromagnetic fields’, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1997; 84 (2): 527–36.
    • M. A. Persinger, ‘Increased emergence of alpha activity over the left but not the right temporal lobe within a dark acoustic chamber: Differential response of the left but not the right hemisphere to transcerebral magnetic fields’, International Journal of Psychophysiology, 1999; 34 (2): 163–9.
    • Interview with Todd Murphy, May 23, 2006.
    • W. G. Braud and S. P. Dennis, ‘Geophysical Variables and Behavior: LVIII Autonomic activity, hemolysis and biological psychokinesis: Possible relationships with geomagnetic field activity’, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1989; 68: 1243–54.
    • Ibid.
    • McTaggart, The Field, op. cit.: 167–8.
    • M. A. Persinger and S. Krippner, ‘Dream ESP experiments and geomagneti activity’, Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 1989; 83: 101– 16; S. Krippner and M. Persinger, ‘Evidence for enhanced congruence betwee dreams and distant target material during periods of decreased geomagnetic activity’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1996; 10, (4): 487–93.
    • M. Ullman et al., Dream Telepathy: Experiments in ESP, Jefferson: McFarland, 1989.
    • Ibid.
    • M. A. Persinger, ‘ELF field meditation in spontaneous psi events. Direc information transfer or conditioned elicitation?’ Psychoenergetic Systems, 1975; 3: 155–69; M. A. Persinger, ‘Geophysical Variables and Behavior: XXX. Intens paranormal activities occur during days of quiet global geomagnetic activity’, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1985; 61: 320–2.
    • M. H. Adams, ‘Variability in remote-viewing performance: Possible relationship to the geomagnetic field’, in D. H. Weiner and D. I. Radin (eds.) Research in Parapsychology, Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1986: 25. [cf n.19 ch.8]
    • J. N. Booth et al., ‘Ranking of stimuli that evoked memories in significan others after exposure to circumcerebral magnetic fields: Correlations with ambient geomagnetic activity’, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 2002; 95(2): 555–8.
    • M. A. Persinger et al., ‘Differential entrainment of electroencephalographic activity by weak complex electromagnetic fields’, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1997; 84 (2): 527–36.
    • M. A. Persinger, ‘Enhancement of images of possible memories of others during exposure to circumcerebral magnetic fields: Correlations with ambient geomagnetic activity’, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 2002; 95 (2): 531–43.
    • S. A. Koren and M. A Persinger, ‘Possible disruption of remote viewing by complex weak magnetic fields around the stimulus site and the possibility of accessing real phase space: A pilot study’, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 2002; 95 (3 Pt 1): 989–98.
    • S. Krippner, ‘Possible geomagnetic field effects in psi phenomena.’ Paper presented at international parapsychology conference in Recife, Brazil, November 1997.
    • Braud and Dennis, ‘Geophysical Variables and Behavior: LVIII’, op. cit.
    • S. J. P. Spottiswoode, ‘Apparent association between effect size in free response anomalous cognition experiments and local sidereal time’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1997; 11 (2): 109–22.
    • S. J. P. Spottiswoode and E. May, ‘Evidence that free response anomalous cognitive    performance   depends             upon                  local        sidereal          time             and                    geomagnetic fluctuations’, Presentation Abstracts, Sixteenth Annual Meeting of the Society fo Scientific Exploration, June 1997: 8.
    • A. P. Krueger and D. S. Sobel, ‘Air ions and health’, in David S. Sobe ( e d . ) , Wa y s of Health: Holistic Approaches to Ancient and Contemporary Medicine, New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1979.

    Chapter 8: The Right Place

    1. William Tiller’s major books on crystallization include: An Introduction to Computer Simulation in Applied Science, New York: Plenum, 1992: The Science of Crystallization: Microscopic Interfacial Phenomena, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991: The Science of Crystallization: Macroscopic Phenomena and Defect Generation, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992.
    2. All personal details about William Tiller have resulted from multiple interviews, April 2005–January 2006.
    3. O. Warburg, New Methods of Cell Physiology Applied to Cancer an Mechanism of X-ray Action, New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1962, as quoted in W. Tiller et al., Conscious Acts of Creation: The Emergency of a New Physics, Walnut Creek, Calif.: Pavior Publishing, 2001: 144–6. All description of experiment derived from interview with Dr Tiller, Boulder, Colorado, April 29, 2005, plus information from Conscious Acts and W. Tiller et al., Some Science Adventures with Real Magic, Walnut Creek, Calif.: Pavior Publishing, 2005.
    4. M. J. Kohane, ‘Energy, development and fitness inDrosophila melanogaster’, Proceedings of the Royal Society (B), 1994; 257: 185–91, in Tiller et al., Conscious Acts, op. cit.: 147.
    5. William A. Tiller and Walter E. Dibble, Jr., ‘New experimental data revealing an unexpected dimension to materials science and engineering’, Material Research Innovation, 2001; 5: 21–34.
    6. Tiller and Dibble, ‘New experimental data’, op. cit.
    7. Ibid.
    8. Ibid.
    • Tiller et al., Conscious Acts, op. cit.: 180.
    • Tiller et al., Conscious Acts, op. cit.: 175.
    • Tiller et al., Conscious Acts, op. cit.: 216.
    • H. Pagels, The Cosmic Code, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1982.
    • Tiller et al., Conscious Acts, op. cit.: 216.
    • Tiller et al., Science Adventures, op. cit.: 34.
    • Interview with W. Tiller, April 2005.
    • Tiller et al., Conscious Acts, op. cit.: 182.
    • Correspondence between Tiller and Michael Kohane, 2005.
    • Tiller and Dibble, ‘New experimental data’, op. cit.
    • G. K. Watkins and A. M. Watkins, ‘Possible PK influence on the resuscitation of anesthetized mice’, Journal of Parapsychology, 1971; 35: 257–72;

    G. K. Watkins et al., ‘Further studies on the resuscitation of anesthetized mice’, in W.

    G. Roll, R. L. Morris and J. Morris (eds.),Research in Parapsychology, Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1973: 157–9.

    • R. Wells and J. Klein, ‘A replication of a “psychic healing”  paradigm’,

    Journal of Parapsychology, 1972; 36: 144–9.

    • See McTaggart, The Field, op. cit.: 205–7.
    • D. Radin, ‘Beyond belief: Exploring interaction among body and environment’, Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine, 1992; 2 (3): 1–40; D. Radin, ‘Environmental modulation and statistical equilibrium in mind-matter interaction’, Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine, 1993; 4 (1): 1–30.
    • D. Radin et al., ‘Effects of healing intention on cultured cells and truly random events’, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2004; 10: 103–12.
    • L. P. Semikhina and V. P. Kiselev, ‘Effect of weak magnetic fields on the properties of water and ice’, Zabedenii, Fizika, 1988; 5: 13–17; S. Sasaki et al., ‘Changes of water conductivity induced by non-inductive coil’, Society for Mind- Body Science, 1992; 1: 23; Tiller et al., Conscious Acts, op. cit.: 62.

    Chapter 9: Mental Blueprints

    1. All description of Ali’s fighting techniques from N. Mailer, The Fight, London and New York: Penguin, 2000.
    2. Ibid.
    3. A. Richardson, ‘Mental practice: A review and discussion, Part I’, Research Quarterly, 1967; 38: 95–107; A. Richardson, ‘Mental practice: A review and discussion. Part II’, Research Quarterly, 1967; 38: 264–73.
    4. J. Salmon et al., ‘The use of imagery by soccer players’, Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 1994; 6: 116–33.
    5. A. Paivio, Mental Representations: A Dual Coding Approach, New York and London: Oxford University Press, 1986.
    6. B. S. Rushall and L. G. Lippman, ‘The role of imagery in physica performance’, International Journal for Sport Psychology, 1997; 29: 57–72.
    • A. Paivio, ‘Cognitive and motivational functions of imagery in human performance’, Canadian Journal of Applied Sport Sciences, 1985; 10 (4): 22S–28S.
    • K. E. Hinshaw, ‘The effects of mental practice on motor skill performance: Critical evaluation and meta-analysis’, Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 1991–2; 11: 3–35.
    • J. A. Swets and R. A. Bjork, ‘Enhancing human performance: An evaluatio of “New Age” techniques considered by the U. S. Army’, Psychological Science, 1990; 1: 85–96; D. L. Feltz et al., ‘A revised meta-analysis of the mental practice literature on motor skill learning’, in D. Druckman and J. A. Swets (eds.),Enhancing Human Performance: Issues, Theories, and Techniques, Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1988: 274.
    • R. J. Rotella et al., ‘Cognitions and coping strategies of elite skiers: a exploratory study of young developing athletes’, Journal of Sport Psychology, 1980; 2: 350–4.
    • R. S. Burhans et al., ‘Mental imagery training: effects on running speed performance’, International Journal of Sport Psychology, 1988; 19: 26–37.
    • B. S. Rushall, ‘Covert modeling as a procedure for altering an elite athlete’s psychological state’, Sport Psychologist, 1988; 2: 131–40; B.  S. Rushall, ‘The restoration of performance capacity by cognitive restructuring and covert positive reinforcement in an elite athlete’, in J. R. Cautela and A. J. Kearney (eds.),Covert Conditioning Casebook. Boston, Mass.: Thomson Brooks/Cole, 1993.
    • M. Denis, ‘Visual imagery and the use of mental practice in the development of motor skills’, Canadian Journal of Applied Sport Sciences, 1985; 10: 4S–16S.
    • Paivio, ‘Cognitive and motivational functions of imagery’, op. cit.
    • J. R. Cautela and A. J. Kearney (eds.),Covert Conditioning Casebook. Boston, Mass.: Thomson Brooks/Cole, 1993: 30–1.
    • B. Mumford and C. Hall, ‘The effects of internal and external imagery o performing figures in figure skating’, Canadian Journal of Applied Sport Sciences, 1985; 10: 171–7.
    • K. Barr and C. Hall, ‘The use of imagery by rowers’,International Journal of Sport Psychology, 1992; 23: 243–61.
    • S. C. Minas, ‘Mental practice of a complex perceptual-motor skill’,Journal of Human Movement Studies, 1978; 4: 102–7.
    • R. Bleier, Fighting Back, New York: Stein and Day, 1975.
    • R. L. Wilkes and J. J. Summers, ‘Cognitions, mediating variables an strength performance’, Journal of Sport Psychology, 1984; 6: 351–9.
    • R. S. Weinberg et al., ‘Effects of visuo-motor behavior rehearsal, relaxation, and imagery on karate performance’, Journal of Sport Psychology, 1981; 3: 228–38.
    • Cautela and Kearney, Covert Conditioning, op. cit.
    • J. Pates et al., ‘The effects of hypnosis on flow states and three-poin shooting in basketball players’, The Sport Psychologist, 2002; 16: 34–47; J. Pates and  I.  Maynard,  ‘Effects  of  hypnosis  on  flow  states  and  golf  performance’

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    Perceptual and Motor Skills, 2000; 9: 1057–75.

    • R. M. Suinn, ‘Imagery rehearsal applications to performance enhancement’

    The Behavior Therapist, 1985; 8: 155–9.

    • L. Baroga, ‘Influence on the sporting result of the concentration of attention process and time taken in the case of weight lifters’, in Proceedings of the 3rd World Congress of the International  Society of  Sports Psychology, Volume 3. Madrid, Spain: Instituto Nacional de Educacion Fisica Y Deportes, 1973.
    • A. Fujita, ‘An experimental study on the theoretical basis of mental training’, in Proceedings of the 3rd World Congress of the International Society of Sports Psychology, Volume Abstracts. Madrid, Spain: Instituto Nacional de Educacion Fisica Y Deportes, 1973: 37–8.
    • Ibid.
    • Rushall and Lippman, ‘The role of imagery in physical  performance’, op

    cit.

    • G. H. Van Gyn et al., ‘Imagery as a method of enhancing transfer  from

    training to performance’, Journal of Sport and Exercise Science, 1990; 12: 366–75.

    • G. H. Yue and K. J. Cole, ‘Strength increases from the motor program Comparison of training with maximal voluntary and imagined muscle contractions’, Journal of Neurophysiology, 1992; 67: 114–23; V. K. Ranganathan et al., ‘Increasing muscle strength by training the central nervous system without physical exercise’, Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, 2001; 31: 17; V. K. Ranganathan et al., ‘Level of mental effort determines training-induced strength increases’, Society of Neuroscience Abstracts, 2002; 32: 768; P. Cohen, ‘Mental gymnastics’, New Scientist, November 24, 2001; 172 (2318): 17.
    • D. Smith et al., ‘The effect of mental practice on muscle strength and EMG activity’, Proceedings  of  the  British  Psychological  Society annual  conference, 1998; 6 (2): 116.
    • T. X. Barber, ‘Changing “unchangeable” bodily processes by (hypnotic) suggestions: A new look at hypnosis, cognitions, imagining and the mind-body problem’, in A. A. Sheikh (ed.), Imagination and Healing, Farmingdale, NY: Baywood Publishing Co., 1984. Also published in Advances, Spring 1984.
    • F. M. Luskin et al., ‘A review of mind-body therapies in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, Part 1: Implications for the elderly’, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 1998; 4 (3): 46–61.
    • F. M. Luskin et al., ‘A review of mind/body therapies in the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders with implications for the elderly’, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. 2000; 6 (2): 46–56.
    • V. A. Hadhazy et al., ‘Mind-body therapies for the treatment of fibromyalgia. A systematic review’, Journal of Rheumatology, 2000; 27 (12): 2911–18.
    • J. A. Astin et al., ‘Mind-body medicine: State of the science: Implications for practice’, Journal of the American Board of Family Practitioners, 2003; 16 (2): 131–47.
    • J. A. Astin, ‘Mind-body therapies for the management of pain’, Clinical Journal of Pain, 2004; 20 (1): 27–32.
    • L.  S.  Eller,  ‘Guided  imagery interventions  for  symptom  management’

    Annual Review of Nursing Research, 1999; 17, 57–84.

    • J. Achterberg and G. F. Lawlis, Bridges of the Bodymind: Behavioral Approaches for Health Care, Champaign, Ill.: Institute for Personality and Abilit Testing, 1980.
    • N. E. Miller and L. DiCara, ‘Instrumental learning of heart rate changes i curarized rats: Shaping and specificity to discriminative stimulus’, Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1967; 63: 12–19; N. E. Miller, ‘Learning of visceral and glandular responses’, Science, 1969; 163: 434–45.
    • J. V. Basmajian, Muscles Alive: Their Functions Revealed b Electromyography. Baltimore, Md.: Williams and Wilkins, 1967.
    • E. Green, ‘Feedback technique for deep relaxation’, Psychophysiology, 1969; 6 (3): 371–7; E. Green et al., ‘Self-regulation of internal states’, in J. Ros (ed.), Progress of Cybernetics: Proceedings of the First International Congress of Cybernetics, London, September 1969. London: Gordon and Breach Science Publishers, 1970: 1299–318; E. Green et al., ‘Voluntary control of internal states: Psychological and physiological’, Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 1970; 2: 1–26; D. Satinsky, ‘Biofeedback treatment for headache: A two-year follow-up study’, American Journal of Clinical Biofeedback, 1981; 4 (1): 62–5; B. V. Silver et al., ‘Temperature biofeedback and relaxation training in the treatment of migraine headaches: One-year follow-up’, Biofeedback and Self Regulation, 1979; 4 (4): 359–66.
    • B. M. Kappes, ‘Sequence effects of relaxation training, EMG, an temperature biofeedback on anxiety, symptom report, and self-concept’, Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1983; 39 (2): 203–8; G. Rose et al., ‘The behavioral treatmen of Raynaud’s disease: A review’, Biofeedback and Self Regulation, 1987; 12 (4): 257–72.
    • W. T. Tsushima, ‘Treatment of phantom limb pain with EMG and temperature biofeedback: A case study’, American Journal of Clinical Biofeedback, 1982; 5 (2): 150–3.
    • T. G. Dobie, ‘A comparison of two methods of training resistance to visually-induced motion sickness.’ Paper presented at VII International Man in Spac Symposium: Physiologic adaptation of man in space, Houston, Texas, 1986. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, 1987; 58 (9) Sect. 2: 34–41.
    • A. Ikemi et al., ‘Thermographical analysis of the warmth of the hands during the practice of self-regulation method’, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 1988; 50 (1): 22–8.
    • J. L. Claghorn, ‘Directional effects of skin temperature self-regulation o regional cerebral blood flow in normal subjects and migraine patients’, American Journal of Psychiatry, 1981; 138 (9): 1182–7.
    • M. Davis et al., The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook, 5th edn,

    Oakland, Calif.: New Harbinge, 2000: 83–90.

    • J. K. Lashley et al., ‘An empirical account of temperature biofeedbac applied in groups’, Psychological Reports, 1987; 60 (2): 379–88; S. Fahrion et al., ‘Biobehavioral    treatment   of  essential   hypertension:   A  group      outcome                study’, Biofeedback and Self Regulation, 1986; 11 (4): 257–77.
    • J. Panksepp, ‘The anatomy of emotions’, in R. Plutchik (ed.),Emotion: Theory, Research and Experience Vol. III. Biological Foundations of Emotions, New York: Academic Press, 1986: 91–124.
    • J. Panksepp, ‘The neurobiology of emotions: Of animal brains and huma feelings’, in T. Manstead and H. Wagner (eds.), Handbook of Psychophysiology, Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, 1989: 5–26.
    • C. D. Clemente et al., ‘Postreinforcement EEG synchronization durin alimentary behavior’, Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 1964; 16: 335–65; M. H. Chase et al., ‘Afferent vagal stimulation: Neurographi correlates of induced EEG synchronization and desynchronization’, Brain Research, 1967; 5: 236–49.
    • M. B. Sterman, ‘Neurophysiological and clinical studies of sensorimoto EEG biofeedback training: Some effects on epilepsy’, Seminars in Psychiatry, 1973;

    5 (4): 507–25; M. B. Sterman, ‘Neurophysiological and clinical studies o sensorimotor EEG biofeedback training: Some effects on epilepsy’, in L. Birk (ed.) Biofeedback: Behavioral Medicine. New York: Grune and Stratton, 1973: 147–65;

    M. B. Sterman, ‘Epilepsy and its treatment with EEG feedback therapy’,Annals of Behavioral  Medicine,  1986;  8:  21–5;  M.  B.  Sterman,  ‘The  challenge  of  EEG biofeedback in the treatment of epilepsy: A view from the trenches’, Biofeedback, 1997; 25 (1): 6–7; M. B. Sterman, ‘Basic concepts and clinical findings in the treatment    of    seizure    disorders    with    EEG    operant                 conditioning’,  Clinical Electroencephalography, 2000; 31 (1): 45–55.

    • E. Peniston and P. J. Kulkosky, ‘Alpha-theta brainwave training and beta- endorphin levels in alcoholics’, Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 1989; 13: 271–9; E. Peniston and P. J. Kulkosky, ‘Alcoholic personality and alpha- theta brainwave training’, Medical Psychotherapy, 1990; 3: 37–55.
    • J. Kamiya, ‘Operant control of the EEG alpha rhythm’, in C. Tart (ed.) Altered States of Consciousness, New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1969, J. Kamiya ‘Conscious control of brain waves’, Psychology Today, April 1968: 7.
    • N. E. Schoenberger et al., ‘Flexyx neurotherapy system in the treatment o traumatic brain injury: An initial evaluation’, Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, 2001; 16 (3): 260–74.
    • C. B. Kidd, ‘Congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma treated by hypnosis’ British Journal of Dermatology, 1966; 78: 101–5, as cited in Barber, ‘Changing “unchangeable” bodily processes’, op. cit.
    • H. Bennett, ‘Behavioral anesthesia’, Advances, 1985; 2 (4): 11–21, as reported in H. Dienstfrey, ‘Mind and mindlessness in mind-body research’, in M Schlitz  et  al., Consciousness and  Healing:  Integral  Approaches to  Mind-Bod

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    Healing, St Louis, Mo.: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone, 2005: 56.

    • H. Dienstfrey, ‘Mind and mindlessnes’, op cit.: 51–60.
    • Dr Angel Escudero was featured on the BBC’sYour Life in Their Hands series, May 1991. In the film, Escudero made incisions, sawed, drilled and hammered in order to break and reset the deformed leg of his fully conscious patient using his ‘Noesitherapy’ technique of pain control.
    • S. M. Kosslyn et al., ‘Hypnotic visual illusion alters color processing in the brain’, American Journal of Psychiatry, 2000; 157: 1279–84; Mark Henderson, ‘Hypnosis really does turn black into white’, The Times, 18 February 2002.
    • S. H. Simpson et al., ‘A meta-analysis of the association between adherence to drug therapy and mortality’, British Medical Journal, 2006; 333: 15–19.
    • Raúl de la Fuente-Fernández et al., ‘Expectation and dopamine release Mechanism of the placebo effect in Parkinson’s disease’, Science, 2001; 293 (5532): 1164–6.
    • J. B. Moseley et al., ‘A controlled trial of arthroscopic surgery for osteoarthritis of the knee’, New England Journal of Medicine, 2002; 347: 81–8.
    • S. Krippner, ‘Stigmatic phenomenon: An alleged case in Brazil’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 2002; 16 (2): 207–24.
    • L. F. Early and J. E. Kifschutz, ‘A case of stigmata’,Archives of General Psychiatry, 1974; 30: 197–200.
    • T. Harrison, Stigmatia: A Medieval Mystery in a Modern Age, New York: St Martin’s Press, 1994, as referenced in S. Krippner, ‘Stigmatic phenomenon’, op cit.
    • B. O’Regan and Caryle Hirshberg,Spontaneous Remission: An Annotated Bibliography, Petaluma, Calif.: Institute of Noetic Sciences, 1993.
    • Ibid.
    • L. L. LeShan and M. L. Gassmann, ‘Some observations on psychotherap with patients with neoplastic disease’, American Journal of Psychotherapy, 1958; 12: 723.
    • D.  C.  Ban  Baalen  et  al.,  ‘Psychosocial  correlates  of  “spontaneous regression of cancer’, Humane Medicine, April 1987.
    • R. T. D. Oliver, ‘Surveillance as a possible option for management of metastic renal cell carcinoma’, Seminars in Urology, 1989; 7: 149–52.
    • P. C. Raud, ‘Psychospiritual dimensions of extraordinary survival’, Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 1989; 29: 59–83.
    • McTaggart, The Field, op. cit.: 132.
    • W.  Braud  and  M.  Schlitz,  ‘Psychokinetic  influence  on  electrodermal activity’, Journal of Parapsychology, 1983; 47 (2): 95–119.
    • Interview with William Braud, October, 1999.
    • Benor, Healing Research, op. cit.
    • S. M. Roney-Dougal and J. Solfvin, ‘Field study of an enhancement effect o lettuce seeds – Replication study’, Journal of Parapsychology, 2003; 67 (2): 279–

    98.

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    • Dr Larry Dossey calls negative diagnoses ‘medical hexing’, and there is anecdotal evidence that patients often live up to their doctor’s gloomy prognosis, even when there is no physical evidence that they should do so. For a potent example see the story of a leukaemia patient who was thriving until he happened to find out what he  had. He  was dead within a  week once  his illness had the  label of a potentially terminal illness: L. McTaggart, What Doctors Don’t Tell You, London: HarperCollins, 2005: 343.

    Chapter 10: The Voodoo Effect

    1. R. A. Blasband and Gottfried Martin, ‘Biophoton emission in “orgon energy” treated cress seeds, seedlings and Acetabularia’, International Consciousness Research Laborary, ICRL Report No 93.6.
    2. Dossey, Be Careful What You Pray For, op. cit.: 171–2.
    3. Ibid.
    4. Benor, Healing Research, op. cit.: 261.
    5. C. O. Simonton et al., Getting Well Again, New York: Bantam, 1980; B. Siegel, Love, Medicine and Miracles: Lessons Learned about Self-Healing from a Surgeon’s Experience with Exceptional Patients, London: HarperCollins, 1990; A Meares, The Wealth Within: Self-Help Through a System of Relaxing Meditation, Melbourne, Australia: Hill of Content, 1990.
    6. For much of the research detailed in this chapter, I am especially indebted to Larry Dossey and Daniel Benor, who have detailed many of these early studies in their respective books, Dossey’s Be Careful What You Pray For … You Just Migh Get                It and         Benor’s Healing         Research,                         Spiritual    Healing and  his  outstanding, comprehensive website: www.wholistichealingresearch.com.
    7. Benor, Healing Research, op. cit.: 264.
    8. J. Barry, ‘General and comparative study of the psychokinetic effect on a fungus culture’, Journal of Parapsychology, 1968; 32 (94): 237–43.
    9. W. H. Tedder and M. L. Monty, ‘Exploration of a long-distance PK: A conceptual replication of the influence on a biological system’, in W. G. Roll et al. (eds.), Research in Parapsychology, Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1981: 90–3 Also see  Dossey, Be Careful What You Pray For, op. cit.: 169; Benor, Healing Research, op. cit.: 268–9.
    10. C. B. Nash, ‘Test of psychokinetic control of bacterial mutation’, Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 1984; 78: 145–52.
    11. Kmetz’s study was described in W. Braud et al., ‘Experiments with Matthew Manning’, Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, 1979; 50: 199–
    12. While the study was promising, in his review of it in Healing Research, Benor noted the lack of sufficient detail.
      1. Dossey, Be Careful What You Pray For, op. cit.: 175–6.
      1. Many researchers of alternative medicine maintain the same concerns about studies of Chinese medicine carried out in China. These concerns don’t disregard the strong anecdotal evidence about the effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicine,

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    only the scientific method of studies of its effectiveness.

    1. S. Sun and C. Tao, ‘Biological effect of emitted qi with tradescantic paludosa micronuclear technique’, First World Conference for Academic Exchange of Medical Qigong. Beijing, China, 1988: 61E.
      1. Ibid.
      1. Dossey, Be Careful What You Pray For, op. cit.: 176.
      1. D. J. Muehsam et al., ‘Effects of Qigong on cell-free myosi phosphorylation: Preliminary experiments’, Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine, 1994; 5 (1): 93–108, also reported in Dossey, Be Careful What You Pray For, op. cit.: 177–8.
      1. Ibid.
      1. Benor, Healing Research, op. cit.: 253.
      1. G. Rein, Quantum Biology: Healing with Subtle Energy, Palo Alto, Calif.: Quantum Biology Research Labs, 1992; as reported in Benor,Healing Research, op. cit.: 350–2.
      1. B. Grad, ‘The “laying on of hands”: Implications for psychotherapy, gentling and the placebo effect’, Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, 1967; 61 (4): 286–305.
      1. C. B. Nash and C. S. Nash, ‘The effect of paranormally conditioned solutio on yeast fermentation’, Journal of Parapsychology, 1967; 31: 314.
      1. Radin, The Conscious Universe, op. cit: 130.
      1. An entire chapter  is devoted to  Jacques Benveniste in McTaggart, The Field, op. cit.: 59.
      1. Description of these results from a telephone conversation with Jacques Benveniste, November 10, 2000.
      1. J. M. Rebman et al., ‘Remote influence of the autonomic nervous system b focused intention’, Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine, 1996; 6: 111–34.
      1. W. Braud and M. Schlitz, ‘A method for the objective study of transpersonal imagery’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1989; 3 (1): 43–63; W. Braud et al., ‘Further studies of the bio-PK effect: Feedback, blocking specificity/generality’, i

    R.   White   and   J.   Solfvin  (eds.),Research  in  Parapsychology,  Metuchen,  NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1984: 45–8.

    • C. Watt et al., ‘Exploring the limits of direct mental influence: Two studies comparing “blocking” and “co-operating” strategies’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1999; 13 (3): 515–35.
      • J. Diamond, Your Body Doesn’t Lie, New York: HarperCollins, 1979.
      • J. Diamond, Life Energy, New South Wales: Angus & Robertson, 1992: 71.

    Chapter 11: Praying for Yesterday

    1. L. Leibovici, ‘Effects of remote, retroactive intercessory prayer on outcomes in patients with blood stream infection: Randomized controlled trial’, British Medical Journal, 2001; 323 (7327): 1450–1.
    2. S. Andreassen et al., ‘Using probabilistic and decision-theoretic methods in

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    treatment and prognosis modeling’, Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, 1999; 15 (2): 121–34.

    • L. Leibovici, ‘Alternative (complementary) medicine: a cuckoo in the nest o empiricist reed warblers’, British Medical Journal, 1999; 319: 1629–32; Leibovici, ‘Effects of remote, retroactive intercessory prayer’, op. cit.
    • Letters, BMJ Online, December 22, 2003.
    • L. Dossey, ‘How healing happens: exploring the nonlocal gap’, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 2002; 8 (2): 12–16, 103–10.
    • B. Oshansky and L. Dossey, ‘Retroactive prayer: A preposterous hypothesis?’ British Medical Journal, 2003; 327: 20–7.
    • Letters, ‘Effect of retroactive prayer’, British Medical Journal, 2002; 324: 1037.
    • Correspondence from Liebovici to author, June 28, 2005.
    • Interview with Jahn and Dunne, July 2005.
    • R. G. Jahn et al., ‘Correlations of random binary sequences with pre-stated operator intention: a review of a 12-year program’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1997; 11 (3): 345–67.
    • D.  J.  Bierman  and  J.  M.  Houtkooper,  ‘Exploratory  PK  tests  with programmable         high              speed  random          number    generator’, European          Journal          of Parapsychology, 1975; 1 (1): 3–14.
    • R. Broughton, Parapsychology: The Controversial Science, New York: Ballantine Books, 1991: 175–6.
    • H. Schmidt and H. Stapp, ‘Study of PK with prerecorded random events an the effects of preobservation’, Journal of Parapsychology, 1993; 57: 351.
    • E. R. Gruber, ‘Conformance behavior involving animal and human subjects’, European Journal of Parapsychology, 1979; 3 (1): 36–50.
    • E. R. Gruber, ‘PK effects on pre-recorded group behaviour of livin systems’, European Journal of Parapsychology, 1980; 3 (2): 167–75.
    • F. W. J. J. Snel and P. C. van der Sijde, ‘The effect of retro-active distance healing on Babeia rodhani (rodent malaria) in rats’, European Journal of Parapsychology, 1990; 8: 123–30.
    • W. Braud, unpublished study, 1993, as reported in W. Braud, ‘Wellness implications of retroactive intentional influence: exploring an outrageous hypothesis’, Alternatives Therapies in Health and Medicine, 2000; 6 (1): 37–48.
    • H. Schmidt, ‘Random generators and living systems as targets in retro-PK experiments’, Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 1997; 912 (1): 1–13.
    • D. Radin et al., ‘Effects of distant healing intention through time and space: Two exploratory studies’, Proceedings of Presented Papers: The 41st Annual Convention of the Parapsychological Association, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Parapsychological Association, 1998: 143–61.
    • J. R. Stroop, ‘Studies of interference in serial verbal reactions’,Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1935; 18: 643, as cited in D.I. Radin and E. C. May

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    ‘Evidence for a retrocausal effect in the human nervous system’, Boundary Institute Technical Report 2000–1.

    • H. Klintman, ‘Is there a paranormal (precognitive) influence in certain types of perceptual sequences? Part I and II’,European Journal of Parapsychology, 1983; 5: 19–49 and 1984; 5: 125–40, as cited in Radin and May,  Boundary Institute Technical Report, op. cit.
    • Radin and May, Boundary Institute Technical Report, op. cit.
    • Braud, ‘Wellness implications’, op. cit.
    • See http://www.fourmilab.ch/rpkp/bierman-metaanalysis. html.
    • Radin and May, Boundary Institute Technical Report, op. cit.
    • G. A. Mourou and D. Umstadter, ‘Extreme light’, in ‘The Edge of Physics’ Special edition of Scientific American, 2003; 13 (1): 77–83 updated from May 2002 issue.
    • L. H. Ford and T. A. Roman, ‘Negative energy, wormholes and warp drive’ in ‘The Edge of Physics’. Special edition ofScientific American, 2003; 13 (1): 85–

    91 updated from January 2000 issue.

    • J. A. Wheeler and R. P. Reynman, ‘Interaction with the absorber as the mechanism of radiation’, Reviews of Modern Physics, 1945; 17 (2–3): 157–81; J. A. Wheeler              and    R.   P.   Reynman,   ‘Classical              electrodynamics               in  terms     of  direc interparticle action’, Reviews of Modern Physics, 1949; 21: 425–33.
    • E. H. Walker, ‘The nature of consciousness’, Mathematical  BioSciences

    1970; 7: 131–78.

    • H. P. Stapp, ‘Theoretical model of a purported empirical violation of the predictions of quantum theory’, Physical Review A, 1994; 50 (1): 18–22.
    • Braud, ‘Wellness implications’, op. cit.
    • L. Grover, ‘Quantum computing’, The Sciences, July/August 1999: 24–30.
    • M.  Brooks,  ‘The  weirdest  link’, New Scientist,  March 27,  2004; 181

    (2440): 32–5.

    • D. Bierman, ‘Do PSI-phenomena suggest radical dualism?’ in S. Hammerof et al. (ed.), Toward a Science of Consciousness II, Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press 1998: 709–14.
    • D.  I.  Radin,  ‘Experiments  testing  models  of  mind-matter  interaction’

    Journal of Scientific Exploration, 2006; 20 (3), 375–401.

    • Interview with William Braud, October 1999.
    • W. Braud, ‘Transcending the limits of time’, The Inner Edge: A Resource for Enlightened Business Practice, 1999; 2 (6): 16–18.
    • R. D. Nelson, ‘The physical basis of intentional healing systems’, Technical Report, PEAR 99001, Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research, Princeton, Ne Jersey, January 1999.
    • Braud, interview with author, October 1999.
    • D. Bierman ‘Does consciousness collapse the wave packet?’ Mind and Matter, 2003; 1 (1): 45–58.
    • H Schmidt, ‘Additional effect for PK on pre-recorded targets’,Journal of

    Parapsychology, 1985; 49: 229–44; ‘PK tests with and without preobservation by animals’, in L. S. Henkel and J. Palmer (eds.),Research in Parapsychology, Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1990: 15–19.

    Chapter 12: The Intention Experiment

    1. Interview with Fritz-Albert Popp, March 1, 2006.
    2. F.-A. Popp et al., ‘Further analysis of delayed luminescence of  plants’,

    Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology, 2005, 78: 235–44.

    • For a full description of Popp’s history, see McTaggart, The Field, op. cit.
    • International Institute of Biophysics, see www.lifescientists.de.
    • B.  J.  Dunne,  ‘Co-operator  experiments  with  an  REG  device’,  PEA Technical Note 91005, Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research, Princeton, New Jersey, December 1991.
    • R. D. Nelson et al., ‘FieldREG anomalies in group situations’,Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1996; 10 (1): 111–41; R. D. Nelson et al., ‘FieldREGII Consciousness field effects: replications and explorations’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1998; 12 (3): 425–54.
    • D. I. Radin, ‘For whom the bell tolls: A question of global consciousness’ Noetic Sciences Review, 2003; 63: 8–13 and 44–5; R. D. Nelson et al., ‘Correlatio of continuous random data with major world events’, Foundations of Physics Letters, 2002; 15 (6): 537–50.
    • D. I. Radin, ‘Exploring relationships between random physical events and mass human attention: Asking for whom the bell tolls’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 2002; 16 (4): 533–47.
    • R. D. Nelson, ‘Coherent consciousness and reduced randomness Correlations on September 11, 2001’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 2002; 16

    (4): 549–70.

    1. Ibid.
    2. Bryan J. Williams, ‘Exploratory block analysis of field consciousness effects on global RNGs on September 11, 2001’ (http://noosphere.princeton.edu/williams/GCP911.     html).
    3. J. D. Scargle, ‘Commentary: Was there evidence of global consciousness on September 11, 2001?’ Journal of Scientific Exploration, 2002; 16 (4): 571–7.
    4. Nelson et al., ‘Correlation of continuous random data’, op. cit.
    5. M. C. Dillbeck et al., ‘The Transcendental Meditation program and crim rate change in a sample of 48 cities’, Journal of Crime and Justice, 1981; 4: 25–45.
    6. J. Hagelin et al., ‘Effects of group practice of the Transcendental Meditatio program on preventing violent crime in Washington, D. C.: Results of the National Demonstration Project, June–July 1993’,Social Indicators Research, 1999; 47 (2):

    153–201.

    1. W. Orme-Johnson et al., ‘International peace project in the Middle East: the effects of the Maharishi technology of the unified field’, Journal of Conflict Resolution, 1988; 32: 776–812.
    1. K. L. Cavanaugh et al., ‘Consciousness and the quality of economic life empirical  research on the  macroeconomic  effects  of  the  collective  practice  of Maharishi’s Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program.’ Paper originally presented at the annual meeting of the Midwest Management Society, Chicago, Marc 1989,           published      in   R.   G.   Greenwood   (ed.), Proceedings                 of    the Midwest Management Society, Chicago: Midwest Management Society, 1989: 183–90; K. L Cavanaugh et al., ‘A multiple-input transfer function model of Okun’s misery index: An empirical test of the Maharishi Effect.’ Paper presented at the Annual Meeting o the American Statistical Association, Washington D. C., August 6–10, 1989, an abridged version of the paper appears in Proceedings of the American Statistical Association, Business and Economics Statistics Section, Alexandria, Va.: American Statistical   Association,             1989:            565–70; K.   L.     Cavanaugh  and    K.         D. King ‘Simultaneous transfer function analysis of Okun’s misery index: improvements in the economic  quality of life  through Maharishi’s  Vedic  Science  and  technology of consciousness.’ Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Statistical Association, New Orleans, Louisiana, August 22–25, 1988, an abridged version o the paper appears in Proceedings of the American Statistical Association, Business and  Economics    Statistics  Section,         Alexandria,   Va.:  American      Statistical Association, 1988:  491–6; K. L. Cavanaugh, ‘Time series analysis of U.S. an Canadian inflation and unemployment: A test of a field-theoretic hypothesis.’ Paper presented  at  the  Annual  Meeting  of  the  American  Statistical  Association,  San Francisco,  California,    August 17–20,     1987,   published         in Proceedings  of   the American   Statistical         Association, Business     andEconomics  Statistics  Section, Alexandria, Va.: American Statistical Association, 1987: 799–804.
    2. Strong rains fall on fire-ravaged Amazon state, March 31, 1998, Web posted at: 6:46 p.m. EST (2346 GMT), Brasilia, Brazil (CNN) http://twm. co. nz/.
    3. R. Nelson, ‘Wishing for good weather: a natural experiment in group consciousness’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1997; 11 (1): 47–58.
    4. M. Emoto, The Hidden Messages in Water, New York: Atria, 2005.
    5. Interview with Dean Radin, May 3, 2006.
    6. Not her real name. I’ve changed her name at her request. Nevertheless, our meditators were shown her real name and photo.
    7. R. Van Wijk and E. P. Van Wijk, ‘The search for a biosensor as a witness of a human laying on of hands ritual’, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 2003; 9 (2): 48–55.

    Chapter 13: The Intention Exercises

    1. See C. T. Tart, ‘Initial application of mindfulness extension exercises in a traditional Buddhist meditation retreat setting, 1995’, unpublished (www. paradigmsys. com/cttart).
    2. R. McCraty et al., ‘The electricity of touch: Detection and measurement o cardiac energy exchange between people’, in K. H. Pribram (ed.), Brain and Values: Is   a Biological  Science  of  Values  Possible? Mahwah,  NJ:  Lawrence  Erlbaum

    Associates, 1998: 359–79.

    • S.   Rinpoche, The  Tibetan  Book  of  Living  and  Dying,  San  Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1994.
    • S. Rinpoche, as quoted in J. Stone, Instructor’s Training Manual, Cours Syllabus: Training in Compassionate-Loving Intention, 2003.
    • H.  Dienstfrey, Where the Mind Meets the Body, London: HarperCollins 1991: 39.

    Bibliography

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    ‘Science Fact: Scientists achieve “Star Trek”-like feat’, The Associate Press, December 10, 1997, posted on CNN http://edition.cnn.com/TECH/9712/10/beam. me. up. ap.

    ‘Strong rains fall on fire-ravaged Amazon state, March 31, 1998’, Web posted at: 6:46 p.m. EST (23:46 GMT), Brasilia, Brazil (CNN) http://twm co. nz/.

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    Adams, M. H., ‘Variability in remote-viewing performance: possible relationship to the geomagnetic field’, in D. H. Weiner and D. I. Radin (eds.) Research in Parapsychology, Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1986.

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    Allahverdiyev, A. R. et al., ‘Possible space weather influence on functional activity of the human brain.’ Paper presented at Space Weather Workshop: Looking Toward a European Space Weather Programme, November 17–19, 2001, ESTEC, Noordwijk, the Netherlands.

    Andreassen, S. et al., ‘Using probabilistic and decision-theoretic methods in treatment and prognosis modeling’, Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, 1999; 15 (2): 121–34.

    Arndt, M. et al., ‘Probing the limits of the quantum world’, Physics World, March 2005.

    Arndt, M. et al., ‘Wave–particle duality of C60 molecules’, Nature, 1999; 401: 680–2.

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    Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 1986; 8: 21–5.

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    Sterman, M. B., ‘The challenge of EEG biofeedback in the treatment o epilepsy: a view from the trenches’, Biofeedback, 1997; 25 (1): 6–7.

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    Stone, J., ‘Effects of a compassionate/loving intention as a therapeutic intervention by partners of cancer patients: a randomized controlled feasibility study’, in press.

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    Van Wijk, R. and Van Wijk, E. P., ‘The search for a biosensor as a witness of a human laying on of hands ritual’, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 2003; 9 (2): 48–55.

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    Vedral, V., ‘Quantifying entanglement’, Physical Review Letters, 1997; 78 (12): 2275–9.

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    Wackerman, J. et al., ‘Correlations between brain electrical activities of two spatially separated human subjects’, Neuroscience Letters, 2003; 336: 60–4.

    Walker, E. H., The Physics of Consciousness, New York: Basic Books, 2000.

    Wallace, B. A., ‘The Buddhist tradition of Samatha: methods for refining and examining consciousness’, Journal of Consciousness Studies, 1999; 6 (2–3): 175–88.

    Walther, P., ‘Quantum nonlocality obtained from local states by entanglement purification’, Physical Review Letters, 2005; 94: 040504.

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    Watkins, G. K. et al., ‘Further studies on the resuscitation of anesthetized mice’, in W. G. Roll et al. (eds.), Research in Parapsychology, Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1973: 157–9.

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    Wells, R. and Klein, J., ‘A replication of a “psychic healing” paradigm’, Journal of Parapsychology, 1972; 36: 144–9. West, M. A., ‘Meditation and the EEG’, Psychological Medicine, 1980; 10 (2): 369–75.

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    Ostomy/Wound Management, 2002; 48 (11): 62–7.

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    Williams, B. J., ‘Exploratory block analysis of field consciousness effects on global RNGs on September 11, 2001’ (http://noosphere.princeton.edu/williams/GCP911.     html).

    Williams, P. and West, M., ‘EEG responses to photic stimulation in persons experienced at meditation’, Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 1975; 39 (5): 519–22.

    Winton,   J.,   ‘New   functions   for   electrical              signals        in  plants’, New

    Phytologist, 2004; 161: 607–10.

    Wolf, F. A., Mind into Matter: A New Alchemy of Science and Spirit, Needham, Mass.: Moment Point Press, 2000.

    Yue, G. H. and Cole, K. J., ‘Strength increases from the motor program comparison of training with maximal voluntary and imagined muscle contractions’, Journal of Neurophysiology, 1992; 67: 114–23.

    Zeilinger, A., ‘Probing the limits of the quantum world’, Physics World, March 2005 (online journal: http://www.physicsweb.org/articles/world/18/3/5/1).

    Zeilinger, A., ‘Quantum teleportation’, Scientific American, April 2000: 32–41.

    Zimmerman,  J.,  ‘New  technologies  detect effects  in healing hands’

    Brain/Mind Bulletin, 1985; 10 (2): 20–3.

    Zohar, D., The Quantum Self, London: Bloomsbury Press, 1991.

    Zwierlein, M. W. et al., ‘Observation of Bose-Einstein condensation o molecules’, Physical Review Letters, 2003; 91: 250401.

    Useful websites

    www.biomindsuperpowers.com: Ingo Swann’s Superpowers of the Human Bio-mind

    www.fourmilab.ch/rpkp/bierman-metaanalysis. html www.laurentian.ca/Neursci/_people/Persinger.    htm www.lifescientists.de: official website of the IIB. www.officeofprayerresearch.org www.spiritualbrain.com www.wholistichealingresearch.com

    This is part 4 of a multi-part post.

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    The Intention Experiment (full text) by Lynne McTaggart. In HTML for free access. Part 3 of 4.

    This is part 3 of 4.

    This is a complete reprint of the book titled “The Intention Experiment” by Lynne McTaggart. It is a non-fiction book, and it is groundbreaking. In this book, the author has compiled all those studies about the reality of ESP, and PSI, and compiled the results. The results are pretty damning. Something is going on, and Newtonian physics cannot explain it. It can only be explained with quantum physics.

    What is going on is that quantum physics is working and weaving it’s magic throughout our lives, and rather than discount things as “superstition” and out-dated religion, this book connects actual scientific studies with the quantum physics principles involved. It explains so many thing that have been discounted as pure superstition.

    Thus it’s placement in my blog.

    This is for those people who want nice and clean answers to what is going on, yet cannot shake off the Newtonian physics that they learned in High School. This book teaches you that there is a deeper reality behind everything and as such, it helps explain some elements of paranormal and religion that are often discounted as primitive nonsense.

    Welcome to the world of quantum physics and how all those things about prayer, intention, and spirituality actually does have a scientific foundation that they are based upon.

    CHAPTER EIGHT

    The Right Place

    IN 1997, WILLIAM TILLER had been helping a Californian company develop product to eliminate electromagnetic pollution. The product contained a quartz crystal, which was why they had consulted him. Tiller, a physicist and professor emeritus of materials science and engineering at Stanford University, had carved out an influential niche for himself in the science of crystallization; he had written three textbooks on the subject and more than 250 scientific papers.1

    The product consisted of a simple black box, about the size of a remote control. Inside its casing were three oscillators of 1–10 megahertz, barely a microwatt’s worth of power when the device was turned on. The box also contained an electrically erasable, programmable, read-only memory (EEPROM) component unconventionally connected in the circuit. It seemed to be able to screen incoming electromagnetic energy, possibly through the quartz oscillators also contained inside the box: quartz was thought to modulate quantum information by rotating the direction of waves.

    As Tiller examined the equipment, an outrageous idea struck him. Fascinated by evidence that remote influence worked, Tiller had been carrying out a number of his own experiments and had formulated an entire theory about ‘subtle energy’ in living systems. Perhaps the little box he held in his hand might help him put intention to the supreme test. If thoughts were just another form of energy, what if he attempted to ‘charge’ this simple low-tech machine with a human intention and then use it to try to affect a chemical process? His experiment would rest on the unthinkable assumption that thoughts could be imprisoned in a bit of electronic memory and later ‘released’ to affect the physical world.2

    This fanciful idea would lead to a bizarre experimental result, offering convincing evidence that there is such a thing as the right place, as well as the right time, for carrying out intentions.

    Tiller borrowed some lab space at the Terman Engineering building at Stanford from one of his tolerant colleagues in civil engineering, and some other space in the biology department, made some adjustments to the commercial device, and began designing his experiments.

    He wanted to go for broke, to see if this ‘caged’ intention could affect actual live test subjects. He realized he could not yet try his experiments on human beings, because they presented too many random, uncontrollable variables. But he could experiment on what scientists consider the next best thing to a human being: the fruit fly.

    In the laboratory among the experimental animal population, the fruit fly is prom queen. Scientists have considered Drosophila melanogaster a model organism for more than a century, largely because its life cycle is so short. Within six days a fruit fly will completely remodel itself from larval grub to six-legged, winged insect and die just two weeks later.

    Tiller had in mind an experiment that would speed up their entire developmental process even further. His Stanford colleague Michael Kohane an expert in fruit flies, had been studying the effects of supplements of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) on his fruit fly specimens. An important cofactor for enzymes, NAD helps in energy metabolism within cells by transporting hydrogen which is essential in setting the fly’s built-in timer for larval development. Energy availability also directly affects an organism’s fitness.3

    NAD   marshals   electrons   into   the   pathway needed to maximize  energy production and metabolism; low levels of NAD adversely affect the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

    Every cell uses oxygen and glucose to convert ADP (adenine diphosphate) and phosphoric acid into ATP, a molecule that slow-drips energy to  power  most cellular  processes. ADP and ATP are  the  equivalent of chemical energy storage tanks. Each molecule hoards a tiny supply of energy deep within its phosphorus–oxygen bond. Increasing the supply of NAD will increase the ratio of ATP to ADP, causing the cellular processes to work harder and faster, fast- forwarding larval development.

    As the fruit fly develops, the higher the ATP/ADP ratio, the more energy available to the cells, and the fitter the fly. The net effect of NAD is to increase a fruit fly’s overall level of health, from cradle to grave.

    Electromagnetic fields can have a profound effect on cellular energy metabolism, particularly the synthesis of ATP. 4 Human thoughts could be construed as a similar form of energy, Tiller reasoned. But could the energy of a thought interact with the transport chain of electrons to stoke up the metabolic fire?

    To carry out the protocol he had in mind, Tiller needed a second lab. He set up one near the benefactor who was going to fund the studies in a small facility in Minnesota, just north of Excelsior. There he installed Michael Kohane and Wal Dibble, one of his former graduate students.

    One morning in early January 1997, Tiller gathered his four participants, including himself, his wife Jean, and two friends, all highly experienced meditators, around a table. He unwrapped the first black box, placed it in the middle of the table and turned it on.

    At the signal, Tiller told them all to enter a deep meditative state. After mentally ‘cleansing’ the environment and the equipment itself, he stood before them, a tall, lanky figure with bright, irreverent eyes and a wispy white beard, and read aloud the intention he had scripted earlier:

    Our intention is to synergistically influence (a) the availability of oxygen, protons, and ADP (b) the activity of the available concentration of NAD plus (c the activity of the available enzymes, dehydrogenase and ATP-synthase, in the mitochondria so that the production of ATP in the fruit fly larvae is significantly increased (as much as possible without harming the life function of the larvae) and thus the larval development time significantly reduced relative to that with the control device.

    Although the intention boiled down to significantly increasing the ratio of the ATP to ADP, Tiller had purposefully made the intention highly specific, so there would be no possible misunderstanding. He suspected that the more specific the thought, the more likely it was to have an effect, and so was careful, with each experiment, to pinpoint its aims. He had added ‘without harming the life function of the larvae’ because he suspected that if they tried to push things too far, they might well kill the tiny creatures.

    The meditators held the intention for 15 minutes, before abruptly releasing it, at Tiller’s signal, then they focused for a final 5 minutes on a closing intention, to mentally ‘seal the intention’ into the device.

    Tiller had prepared an identical control box that had not been ‘imprinted’ with intention by wrapping it in aluminium foil and placing it in an electrically grounded Faraday cage, in order to screen out electromagnetic frequencies of all magnitudes.

    He wrapped the imprinted black box, or the ‘Intention-Imprinted Electronic Device’, as he now called it, in aluminium foil and placed it in another Faraday cage until ready for shipping. On separate days he shipped each box via FedEx to the Minnesota laboratory, some 1500 miles away. He had been careful to blind the experiment so that neither Dibble nor Kohane would know which device contained the intention and which the control when the two devices arrived.

    The Excelsior scientists prepared several groups consisting of eight vials of fruit fly larvae and placed three of the groups of vials inside Faraday cages. They then placed both black boxes inside two of the cages with the vials and turned them on.

    Over the next eight months, they carried out experiments on 10,000 larvae and 7000 adult flies, in each instance tracking the ATP/ADP ratio. After compiling their data and mapping it on a graph, Tiller and Kohane discovered not only that that the ratio of ATP to ADP had increased, but also that those larvae exposed to the imprinted devices developed 15 per cent faster than normal.5

    Furthermore, once the larvae had reached their adult stages they were healthier than normal, as were their descendants.6 The intention not only had a positive effect on the flies themselves; it also appeared to affect the genealogical line.

    By that time, Tiller had tried out other black boxes on a great number of other subjects, choosing his experimental targets with care. He needed tests like that of the fruit fly co-enzyme ratio that would show a genuine, measurable change. He decided on two new targets: the pH of water and the increase in the activity of a liver enzyme called alkaline phosphatase (ALP). He chose the pH test because water pH – th measure of acidity or alkalinity in a solution – remains fairly static and tiny changes of one-hundredth or even one-thousandth of a unit on the pH scale can be measured; a change of a full unit or more on the pH scale would represent an enormous shift that was unlikely to be the result of an incorrect measurement. ALP is another ideal test target because its activity proceeds at an unvarying rate.

    In both instances, his meditators imprinted intentions into the black boxes to change the pH of water both up and down by a full pH unit and to increase by a ‘significant factor’ the activity of ALP. Tiller then sent off both imprinted and control boxes to Dibble, who made use of a similar study design as the fly experiment. Both experiments were extraordinarily  successful.7

    In  the water  experiments, their intentions managed to change the pH up and down by one unit, and the ALP activity was significantly increased.8

    Tiller was in the midst of some of his black-box experiments when he noticed something strange. After three months, the results of his studies began to improve; the more he repeated the experiment, the stronger and quicker the effects.

    Tiller decided to try to isolate the aspect of the environment that had changed. He took readings of the air temperature, in and outside the Faraday cages, and discovered that the temperature appeared to be going up and down according to a regular rhythm or oscillation, dipping and climbing at regular intervals. He had first taken the temperature readings with an ordinary mercury thermometer. In case these results had something to do with the instrumentation, he switched to a computerized, low-resolution thermistor-based digital thermometer.

    Then he tried a high-resolution thermometer. All three recorded the same readings. When he plotted it, he saw that the temperature change was oscillating at a precise rhythm every 45 minutes or so, varying by some 4°C.9

    Tiller then measured the pH of water in the lab and measured its capacity to conduct electricity. He observed the same phenomenon as he had with the temperature: periodic oscillations of at least one-quarter of a unit on the pH scale, and regular dips and peaks in the water’s ability to conduct electricity. Tiller was especially intrigued by the changes in pH. The acid/alkaline balance in any substance is highly sensitive to change; if the pH of a person’s blood shifts up or down by just a half a pH unit, it means that they are dying or already dead.

    A pattern was developing: as the temperature of the air rose, the pH fell, and vice versa, in near perfect harmonic rhythm. The water’s electrical conductivity showed a similar harmonic cycle.10 Somehow his lab was beginning to manifest different material properties, almost as if it were a specially charged environment.

    The effects also continually increased. No matter which experiment he carried out, the longer the imprinted devices were in the room, the larger the rhythmic fluctuations of the temperature and pH.11

    These fluctuations remained unaffected by the opening of doors or windows, the operation of air conditioners or heaters, and even the presence or movement of humans or objects around their immediate vicinity. When he compared graphs of air and water temperature readings, they again mapped in perfect harmony.

    Every corner of the room that was measured registered the same result. Each aspect of the physical space appeared to be in some sort of rhythmic, energetic harmony.

    By this time, Tiller and his colleagues had set up four labs, each separated from the others by between 35 and 280 metres. Once enough experiments had been carried out, every other site also began to evidence these rhythmic fluctuations.

    Tiller had never observed these types of ‘organized’ oscillations in his conventional science labs at Stanford. Indeed, they had never been observed anywhere else before. Just to be sure that this phenomenon was not being caused by the boxes themselves, he and his colleagues carried out three control experiments, in which devices that had not been imprinted with intention were placed in the spaces and turned on. In those cases, all the readings of air and water behaved normally.

    Tiller still puzzled over the meaning of the effects, and whether they might be due to some physical disturbance. He wondered whether having two large fans in the room would affect the oscillations in the air and water. Ordinarily, forced air convection from a fan should cause oscillations in temperature to disappear. He placed a desk fan and a floor fan in strategic places near a line of temperature probes. Even when the fans were turned up high enough to scatter pieces of paper, the original temperature oscillations remained.

    What exactly was going on? This could be a magnetic effect, Tiller thought. Perhaps he should check out the magnetic field of the water. He placed an ordinary bar magnet under a jar of water for three days, with the north pole of the magnet pointing upwards, and measured the water’s pH.

    Then he turned the magnet over so that the south pole faced upwards under the jar for the same period. In normal circumstances, when ordinary water is exposed to this kind of weak magnet, which has a field strength of less than 500 gauss, the pH will be the same, no matter which side of the magnet is exposed to the water.

    The world as we know  it is magnetically symmetrical. Quantum physicists speak in terms of gauge theory and symmetry to explain the relationships between forces and particles, which include electric and magnetic charge. We are believed to exist in a state of electromagnetic U {1}-gauge symmetry – a rather complicated scenario in which magnetic force is proportional to the gradient of the square of the magnetic field. This boils down to a simple truism: no matter where in a given field you measure the electromagnetic property, you get the same reading. The electromagnetic laws of nature are the same wherever you look.

    If you raise the electromagnetic pull in one area, you will find you have changed the electromagnetic pull by the same degree everywhere else. In The Cosmic Code,12 Heinz Pagels likens the universe to an infinite piece of paper, painted grey. If you change the colour to a different shade of grey or ‘change the gauge’, you still don’t change the gauge symmetry, because all the rest of the paper will be changed to the exact same shade of grey, so that it is even impossible to distinguish where exactly you are on the paper. A state of symmetrical magnetism is referred to as a magnetic ‘dipole’.

    But the pH of the water in Tiller’s lab was significantly different with one polarity as compared with another, with huge differences of 1–1.5 pH units. Exposing the water to the south pole would send the pH soaring upward, while turning the magnet over to the north pole would cause the pH  to decrease.

    At two of his experimental sites, the pH of the water, when exposed to the south-pole polarity, continued to change with the passage of time, peaking after about six days. When the water was exposed to the north pole of the magnet, however, the rhythmic changes in pH that he had been recording dwindled away.13

    Orthodox science maintains that monopoles only exist in electricity (as a positive or negative charge), but not in magnetism, which creates only dipoles from spinning or orbiting electrical charge.14 Governments around the world have spent billions of dollars looking for magnetic monopoles everywhere on earth, without success.15 Somehow, Tiller had managed to access a magnetic monopole in his crude lab. This phenomenon appeared to be a system-wide effect. In any lab of his exposed to the intention-imprinted black boxes, instruments recorded magnetic monopole type of behaviour.

    It dawned on Tiller that he was witnessing the most astonishing result of all: human intention captured in his little black boxes were somehow ‘conditioning’ the spaces where the experiments were carried out.

    Tiller wondered whether this phenomenon would still be present if he altered anything about the space. When he removed one element, such as a computer, the oscillations disappeared for about 10 hours before returning. The arrival of any new materials in his lab also caused the effects to disappear for several weeks, although, once again, they eventually returned.

    It was as though the space had become an exquisitely tuned configuration, and no disturbance or change would destroy this higher state. Even when Tiller shielded the intention-imprinted devices in aluminium foil and Faraday cages, all the vibrations in water and air temperature continued. One of the sites, a converted barn, recorded oscillating air temperatures on and off for six months; in another site, an office lab, for a full year.16

    After the imprinted boxes had been turned on for a while, the effect became relatively ‘permanent’; the target, whether water pH, ALP or fruit flies, would continue to be affected even if the device was not in the lab. Tiller decided to see what would happen when he removed all the elements of the experiment.

    He dismantled the Faraday cage and the water vessels and removed them from his lab, then recorded the air temperature of the place where the cages had been.

    Even though the experimental vessel was no longer there, his thermometers continued to record periodic oscillations in temperature of 2–3°C. Although this influence decayed very slowly over time, Tiller’s laboratories appeared to have undergone some long-term thermodynamic transformation. The energy from intention appeared to ‘charge’ the environment and create a domino effect of order.17

    The only other phenomena Tiller could think of that had similar effects on the environment were those of highly complex chemical reactions. But all he was working with was ordinary air and purified water.

    According to the laws of conventional thermodynamics, air and water are supposed to exist in a state extraordinarily close to equilibrium, which is to say that they remain more or less static. These types of results had never been recorded in any lab in the world.

    He suspected that he had been witnessing a quantum effect. The constant replaying of ordered thoughts seemed to be changing the physical reality of the room, and making the quantum virtual particles of empty space more ‘ordered’. And then, like a domino effect, the ‘order’ of the space appeared to assist the outcome of the experiment. Carrying out the intentions in one particular space appeared to enhance their effects over time.

    Somehow, in these charged spaces he and his colleagues had managed to create a SU {2}-gauge space, where electric and magnetic monopoles coexisted – similar to the reality supposedly present in the supersymmetry states of exotic physics. In these conditioned spaces, the very law about the proportion of magnetic force had altered.

    A basic property of physics had completely changed. The only way to get such a polarity effect was to produce some element of SU {2}-gauge symmetry.18

    This change in the gauge symmetry of the space meant that profound changes had occurred in the ambient Zero Point Field. In a U {1}-gauge symmetry, the random fluctuations of the Field have no effect on the physical universe. However, in SU {2}-gauge symmetry states, the Field has become more ordered and produces changes in the tiniest elements of matter – which add up to a profound alteration in the very fabric of physical reality.

    Tiller felt as though he had somehow entered into a twilight zone of higher energy and that he was witness to a system with an extraordinary ability to self- organize. Indeed, the oscillations he had measured had all the hallmarks of a Bose– Einstein condensate – a higher state of coherence. Up until then, scientists had created a Bose–Einstein condensate only in highly controlled environments and at temperatures approaching absolute zero. But he had managed to create the same effects at room temperature, and from a thought process captured in a rudimentary piece of equipment.

    Other scientists have witnessed a similar ‘charging’ of intention space. In one series of meticulous studies, for instance, researcher Graham Watkins and his wife Anita recruited human participants, many known for their psychic ability, and asked them to attempt to mentally influence anaesthetized mice to revive more quickly than usual. The experimental mice were drawn from a batch that had demonstrated similar waking times when placed under anaesthesia; the chosen group were divided in two, with half acting as controls.

    In the first batch of studies, the experimental group woke up about 4 seconds earlier than the controls, a result considered only slightly significant. However, in subsequent studies the wake-up times of the experimental mice improved, and continued to do so with every study.

    The Watkinses repeated their experiment seven times. They discovered that the healing had a ‘linger effect’; if a mouse were simply placed on the spot on a table where another mouse had received a psychic’s intentions, the second one would also revive more quickly than usual. The space appeared to have developed a healing ‘charge’, affecting anything that happened to occupy that space.19

    Biologist Bernard Grad at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, observed similar phenomenon during experiments with Hungarian healer Oscar Estabany: once the Hungarian healer touched something – even simple fabric – it appeared to hold a phantom charge. The material could be used successfully for healing in place of Estabany’s healing hands.20

    The idea of ‘conditioned space’ was also explored by former PEAR scientis Dr Roger Nelson at sacred sites. Nelson was intrigued by these sacred spaces and whether their special purpose, or even some inherent quality about the site, had ‘charged’ the space with an energetic resonance that might register on a REG machine. He had run a number of experiments suggesting that a ‘field consciousness’ in a highly charged atmosphere, such as an intense gathering, affected the machines and made them more ‘ordered’.

    He carried around a portable REG, to register an changes in the randomness in the ambient field at various sites: Wounded Knee, the site of the massacre of an entire Sioux tribe; Devil’s Tower in Wyoming; the Queen’s Chamber in the Great Pyramid of Giza.

    Nelson registered highly significant evidenc of increased order on REGs at some sites, as if the location itself contained a lingering vortex of coherent energy, from all the people who had prayed or died there.21

    Dean Radin used REGs to investigate whether healing can condition the plac where it is carried out. He placed three REGs near a culture of human brain cells then asked a group of healers to send intentions for the culture to grow more quickly, and to engage in traditional space-conditioning meditations.

    Any deviation from the random activity of the REGs would indicate the probable presence of greater coherence. Radin also prepared a control batch of cells, which were not to be sent intention.

    After three days, there was no overall difference in the growth between the treated cells and the controls. Nevertheless, as the experiment progressed, the treated cells began to grow faster.

    On the third day, all three of the REGs began moving away from random activity and became more ordered. The intention of the healers also appeared to have effects on background ionizing radiation.22

    Like Nelson’s readings at sacred sites, Radin’s experiment offers tantalizing hints about the nature of the ‘linger’ effect of intention. The REGs’ registering o movement away from randomness to greater order implies that the Zero Point energy of empty space has shifted into a state of greater coherence.

    The ‘charge’ of intention may have a domino effect on its environment, causing greater quantum order in empty space, which would enhance the effectiveness of its aim.23 Russian scientists have observed a similar phenomenon in water, which retains a memory of applied electromagnetic fields for hours, even days.24

    The effect is like that of a laser; when waves of the ambient Field become more ordered, an intention may ripple through it like one powerful, highly targeted bolt of light.

    With magnetic monopoles, Tiller was out on a ledge shared by few of his colleagues, even in consciousness research. His studies needed to be replicated by other, independent laboratories. But if his body of work does stand up over time, it will demonstrate the extent to which the energy of human thought can alter its environment.

    The ordering process of intention appears to carry on, perpetuating, possibly even intensifying its charge.

    The strange, almost unbelievable events occurring during Tiller’s experiments made me wonder whether setting aside a particular room for carrying out intention might be an important consideration. Perhaps we each need our own ‘temple’ to which we return, if only in our mind’s eye, every time we send a directed thought.

    Chapter 8: The Right Place

    1. William Tiller’s major books on crystallization include: An Introduction to Computer Simulation in Applied Science, New York: Plenum, 1992: The Science of Crystallization: Microscopic Interfacial Phenomena, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991: The Science of Crystallization: Macroscopic Phenomena and Defect Generation, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992.
    2. All personal details about William Tiller have resulted from multiple interviews, April 2005–January 2006.
    3. O. Warburg, New Methods of Cell Physiology Applied to Cancer an Mechanism of  Xray Action, New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1962, as quoted in W. Tiller et al., Conscious Acts of Creation: The Emergency of a New Physics, Walnut Creek, Calif.: Pavior Publishing, 2001: 144–6. All description of experiment derived from interview with Dr Tiller, Boulder, Colorado, April 29, 2005, plus information from Conscious Acts and W. Tiller et al., Some Science Adventures with Real Magic, Walnut Creek, Calif.: Pavior Publishing, 2005.
    4. M. J.    Kohane,    ‘Energy,    development    and   fitness     inDrosophila melanogaster’, Proceedings of the Royal Society (B), 1994; 257: 185–91, in Tiller et al., Conscious Acts, op. cit.: 147.
    5. William A. Tiller and Walter E. Dibble, Jr., ‘New experimental data revealing an unexpected dimension to materials science and engineering’, Material Research Innovation, 2001; 5: 21–34.
    6. Tiller and Dibble, ‘New experimental data’, op. cit.
    7. Ibid.
    8. Ibid.
    9. Tiller et al., Conscious Acts, op. cit.: 180.
    10. Tiller et al., Conscious Acts, op. cit.: 175.
    11. Tiller et al., Conscious Acts, op. cit.: 216.
    12. H. Pagels, The Cosmic Code, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1982.
    13. Tiller et al., Conscious Acts, op. cit.: 216.
    14. Tiller et al., Science Adventures, op. cit.: 34.
    15. Interview with W. Tiller, April 2005.
    16. Tiller et al., Conscious Acts, op. cit.: 182.
    17. Correspondence between Tiller and Michael Kohane, 2005.
    18. Tiller and Dibble, ‘New experimental data’, op. cit.
    19. G.  K.  Watkins  and  A.  M.  Watkins,  ‘Possible   PK influence on the resuscitation of anesthetized mice’, Journal of Parapsychology, 1971; 35: 257–72; G. K. Watkins et al., ‘Further studies on the resuscitation of anesthetized mice’, in W. G. Roll, R. L. Morris and J. Morris (eds.) Research in Parapsychology, Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1973: 157–9.
    20. R. Wells and J. Klein, ‘A replication of a “psychic healing” paradigm’, Journal of Parapsychology, 1972; 36: 144–9.
    21. See McTaggart, The Field, op. cit.: 205–7.
    22. D.   Radin,   ‘Beyond   belief:    Exploring    interaction    among      body     and environment’, Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine, 1992; 2 (3): 1–40; D. Radin, ‘Environmental modulation and statistical equilibrium in mind-matter interaction’, Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine, 1993; 4 (1): 1–30.
    23. D. Radin et al., ‘Effects of healing intention on cultured cells and truly random events’, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2004; 10: 103–12. Notes 301
    24. L. P. Semikhina and V. P. Kiselev, ‘Effect of weak magnetic fields on the properties of water and ice’, Zabedenii, Fizika, 1988; 5: 13–17; S. Sasaki et al., ‘Changes of water conductivity induced by non-inductive coil’, Society for Mind-Body Science, 1992; 1: 23; Tiller et al., Conscious Acts, op. cit.: 62.

    PART THREE

    The Power of Your Thoughts

    Baseball is 90 per cent mental. The other half is physical.
    -Yogi Berra

    CHAPTER NINE

    Mental Blueprints

    SEVEN WEEKS BEFORE MUHAMMAD ALI met World Heavywei Champion George Foreman for their ‘rumble in the jungle’ at Kinshasa in 1974, he practised his punches as if he couldn’t care less, taking a few desultory swipes at his sparring partner as if distractedly popping a speed bag. Mostly he would lie against the ropes and allow his opponent to pound away at him from every angle.

    In the latter years of his fighting career, Ali spent much of his training time learning how to take punches. He studied how to shift his head by just a hair a microsecond before the connection was made, or where in his body he could mentally deflect the punch, so that it would no longer hurt. He was not training his body to win. He was training his mind not to lose, at the point when deep fatigue sets in around the twelfth round and most boxers cave in.1 The most important work was being done, not in the ring, but in his armchair. He was fighting the fight in his head.

    Ali was a master of intention. He developed a set of mental skills that eventually altered his performance in the ring. Before a fight, Ali used every self- motivational technique out there: affirmation; visualization; mental rehearsal; self- confirmation; and perhaps the most powerful epigram of personal worth ever uttered: ‘I am the greatest’. Ali also made public statements of his intentions. His constant barrage of rhyming couplets and quatrains, seemingly so innocuous, were highly specific intentions in disguise:

    Archie Moore
    Is sure
    To hug the floor 
    By the end of four
    Now Clay swings with a right 
    What a beautiful swing
    And the punch knocks the Bear Clear out of the ring.

    Before a fight, Ali repeated these little rhymes like a mantra – to the press, to his opponent, and even in the ring – until he himself accepted them as fact.

    When they met in Kinshasa, Foreman was seven years younger than Ali and among the most savage fighters in the ring. Just two months earlier, he had left Ken Norton for dead with five blows to the head after only two rounds.

    Nevertheless, in the weeks before the fight, when reporters pressed Ali about the two-to-one odds against him, Ali had rewritten the history of the Norton–Foreman fight, which he repeated, virtually verbatim, to every journalist who interviewed him. ‘He’s got a hard-push punch but he can’t hit,’ he would say, punching the air in front of the reporter’s nose. ‘Foreman just pushes people down. He just got slow punches, take a year to get there. You think that’s going to bother me? This is going to

    be the greatest upset in the history of boxing.’2

    Ali’s intention came to pass in the jungle. He also made masterful use of intention to beat Joe Frazier in the Philippines later that year, in perhaps the most brutal and stunning display of boxing of all time.

    This time, he created a voodoo doll. Ali turned his ferocious opponent into a tiny rubber gorilla, which he carried around with him in his top pocket, taking a swipe at it with his right from time to time for the television cameras: ‘It’s gonna be a thrilla and a chilla and a killa when I get the gorilla in Manila.’ By the time Frazier entered the ring, he had been reduced in his own mind to something less than human.

    Besides these verbalized intentions, Ali carried out mental intentions by rehearsing every moment of the fight in his head: the fatigue in his legs, the sweat pouring off his body, the pain to his kidneys and bruises on his face, the flash of the photographers, the exultant screams of the crowd, even the moment when the referee lifts his arm in victory against Frazier. He sent an intention to his body to win and his body responded by following orders.

    To take intention out of the laboratory, I began to sift through the data from people or groups who were using intention successfully in real life. I wanted to study their techniques, the particular thought processes they underwent when sending intention, and would try to extrapolate from their experiences some tools that all the rest of us could use when sending intention. I was also curious about the extent of their mental reach – just how far people had been able to push their intentions.

    The most instructive examples came from sports, not only from the greatest athlete of all time, but also from other elite sportsmen and women. Athletes of all varieties now routinely practise what is variously termed ‘mental rehearsals’, ‘implicit practice’3 or even ‘covert rehearsal’. Focused intention is now deemed essential to alter and improve performance. Swimmers, skaters, weightlifters and football players employ intention to enhance their level of performance and consistency. It is even being used in leisure sports, such as golf and rock climbing.

    Any modern coach of a competitive sport routinely offers training in some form of mental rehearsal, and often it is touted as the decisive element separating the elite sportsperson from the second-division player.

    National-level soccer players, for instance, are more likely to use imagery than those who remain at the provincial or local levels.4

    Virtually all Canadian Olympic athletes use mental imagery.

    Psychologist Allan Paivio, professor emeritus of the University of Western Ontario, first proposed that the brain uses ‘dual coding’ to process verbal and non- verbal information simultaneously.5

    Mental practice has been shown to work just as well as physical practice for patterns and timing.6

    Paivio’s model has been largely adapted to help athletes with motivation or in learning or improving a certain skill set.7

    The techniques involved in mental rehearsal have been exhaustively studied and written about in scientific literature and popular publications,8 and their credibility was given a further boost in 1990, when the National Academy of Sciences examined all the scientific studies to date on these methods and declared them effective.9

    Athletic mental rehearsal has been incorrectly considered synonymous with

    visualization. ‘Visualization’ implies that you observe yourself in the situation, as if watching a mental video featuring yourself or seeing yourself through another pair of eyes. Although this may be useful in other areas of life, visualizing oneself from an external perspective in a sports event can hamper athletic performance. Mental rehearsal also differs from positive thinking; happy thoughts on their own do not work in competitive sports.10

    The most successful internal rehearsal involves imagining the sports event from the athlete’s perspective as though he or she is actually competing. It amounts to a mental trial run – Ali imagining his right fist at the moment of impact on Frazier’s left eye.

    The athlete envisages the future in minute detail as it is unfolding. Champion athletes forecast and rehearse every aspect of the situation, and the steps they should take to overcome any possible setbacks.

    Tracy Caulkin used intention to land a third gold medal in the 1984 Olympics. Caulkin had already broken 5 world records and 63 American records, and at the age of 23 was considered the best American swimmer who had ever lived. All she needed to complete her trophy wall was a few Olympic golds.

    At the time, electronic touchpads had just replaced stopwatches. Whereas the watch could only distinguish differences of hundredths of a second, the new electronic technology could distinguish the winning lead within a thousandth of a second – 400 times faster than the blink of an eye. In the Olympics relay swimmers are given two-hundredths of a second of grace to leave their block before their previous team mate hits the touchpad. This kind of fine timing is critical; even a single coat of paint on one side of the pool can make a swimmer’s  lane one- thousandth of a second longer to swim and give another swimmer the leading edge.

    During the four-woman 400-metre relay race, Tracy took the lead by diving in one-hundredth of a second before her returning team mate hit the touchpad.

    Although all her competitors had a similar level of fitness, Caulkin had one enormous advantage. She already knew every moment of her swim, from the dive and the cool rush of water past her head to the very moment when she would lunge out in front.

    Tracy had practiced that hair’s width lead, the precise moment when she would leave the block a hundredth of a second earlier than her opponents, every night inside her head. The conclusion of the Olympic relay had entirely depended upon the specificity of her intention.

    The most successful athletes break down their performances into tiny component parts and work on improving specific aspects. For general mastery of their sport, they imagine a flawless performance.11 They concentrate on the most difficult moments and work out good coping strategies – how to stay in control in the face of adversity, such as a pulled muscle or an umpire’s adverse call.

    Different intention is employed, depending on whether they are first learning a skill or simply wishing to reinforce and improve their technique. Like Muhammad Ali, elite athletes learn how to block out images representing doubt. If an image of difficulty pops into their heads, they become extremely adept at changing the internal movie, quickly editing the scene to imagine success.12

    Winning depends on how specifically you can mentally rehearse. Seasoned athletes use vivid, highly detailed internal images and run-throughs of the entire performance.13

    The most important aspect of the intention is to rehearse the victory, which appears to help secure it. Successful competitors rehearse their own feelings, particularly their elation and emotional response to winning: the reactions of their parents, the medals, the post-match celebration and the residual rewards like sponsorships.14

    They imagine that the crowd is cheering for their performance alone.

    Experienced athletes engage all their senses in their mental rehearsal. They not only have a visual, internal image of the future event, they also hear it, feel it, smell it and taste it – the ambience, the competitors, the sweat of their bodies, the applause.

    Of all the sensations, the most vital for athletes appears to be mentally rehearsing the ‘feel’, or kinaesthetic sensations in their bodies.15

    The more experienced the athletes, the better they are at imagining the feel of their bodies when engaged in their sport.16

    Champion rowers are most successful when they can forecast the ‘feel’ of every part of the race, from the drag on the oar to the strain on their muscles.17

    Some athletes find that it helps to study the actual setting where the sporting event is to take place first and then to imagine themselves there. Those who can combine the knowledge of the sports venue with mental rehearsal tend to be more successful than those who simply use mental rehearsal on its own.18

    Rocky Bleier, former running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers, used intention to help the Steelers win the Super Bowl. His technique was to saturate his mind wit the details of specific plays. He carried out mental rehearsals in the morning, before the team meal and last thing before drifting off to sleep every day of the two weeks before a game.

    He also found it reassuring to run through the entire catalogue of moves one final time just before play. While sitting on the bench, he again rehearsed some 30 runs and 30 passes. No matter what the field threw up to him that day, he was determined to be ready.19

    Techniques differ among the various sports. Those mental rehearsals that work best for sports requiring aerobic ability and fast, coordinated movement tended to fail with strength training. Weight lifters are most successful after carrying out a mental intention that galvanizes them to lift an impossibly heavy object.20

    Conventional wisdom has it that the best state for performance is a state of relaxation, but as I found with masters of intention, a relaxed state is not necessarily optimum. In a study of karate, using relaxation techniques before carrying out the intentions did not improve performance.21

    It was only useful if the participant was nervous and needed to be calmed down in order to perform better.22

    Relaxation and hypnosis used with intention have worked to improve aim – say, for basketball shots or accuracy in chipping in golf.23

    But as with Davidson’s Buddhists, the most successful athletes manage to work themselves into peak intensity – a state of calm hyperawareness.

    But how can simply thinking about a future performance actually affect the day of the event? Some clues come from intriguing brain research with electromyography (EMG). EMG offers a real-time snapshot of the brain’s instructions to the body when and where it tells it to move – by recording every electrical impulse sent from motor neurons to specific muscles to cause a contraction. Ordinarily, EMG offers doctors a useful tool to diagnose neuromuscular disease and to test whether muscles respond appropriately to stimulation.

    But EMG has also been employed to solve an interesting scientific conundrum whether the brain differentiates between a thought and an action. Does the thought of an action create the same pattern in neurotransmission as the action itself? This very question was tested by wiring a group of skiers to EMG equipment while they were carrying out mental rehearsals.

    As the skiers mentally rehearsed the downhill runs, the electrical impulses heading to their muscles were just the same as those they used to make turns and jumps actually skiing the run.24 The brain sent the same instructions to the body, whether the skiers were simply thinking of a particular movement or actually carrying it out. Thought produced the same mental instructions as action.

    Research with EEGs has shown that the electrical activity produced by the brain is identical, whether we are thinking about doing something or actually doing it. In weightlifters, for instance, EEG patterns in the brain that would be activated to produce the actual motor skills are activated while the skill is simply being simulated mentally.25 Just the thought is enough to produce the neural instructions to carry out the physical act.

    Based on this research, scientists have posited some interesting theories of how mental rehearsal works. One school of thought proposes that mental rehearsal creates the neural patterns necessary for the real thing. As though the brain were simply another muscle, these rehearsals train the brain to facilitate the moves more easily during the actual performance.26

    When an athlete performs, the nerves that signal to the muscles along a particular pathway are stimulated and the chemicals that have been produced remain there for a short period. Any future stimulation along the same pathways is made easier by the residual effects of the earlier connections. We get better at physical tasks because our signalling from intention to action has already been forged. It is not unlike a train track laid down through wild, inhospitable country. Future performances improve because your brain already knows the route and follows the track already laid down. Because the brain does not distinguish between doing something specific and just thinking about doing it, mental rehearsal lays down the tracks just as well as physical practice does. The nerves and muscles create a pathway just as sound as one produced through repeated practice.

    Nevertheless, there are a few important differences between mental and physical practice. With physical practice, when you practise too much, you become fatigued, which causes electrical interference and blockage along the tracks. With mental intention, no road blocks ever appear, no matter how much you practise in your head.

    The other difference concerns the size of the effect; the neuromuscular pattern laid down with mental practice may be slightly smaller than that of physical practice. Although both types  of practice  create  the  same  muscle  patterns,  the  imagined performances have smaller magnitude.27

    To derive any benefit, mental rehearsal must replicate the real thing – at normal speed. Although it might seem logical that a rehearsal would work best in slow motion, with particular attention to specific moves, that is not borne out by research.

    When skiers monitored by EMGs imagined their performance in slow motion, they produced a different muscle response pattern from that produced when carrying out the skill at an ordinary pace. In fact, the brain–muscle activity of rehearsing at slow motion is identical to the brain–muscle pattern when the skiing itself is carried out in slow motion.

    This accords with what scientists understand about the neural patterns involved in slow motion, compared with those of normal speed. The same task carried out in slow motion produces completely different neuromuscular patterning than when it is done at normal speed.28

    There is no such thing as cross-training in mental rehearsal; intention facilitates just the type of athletic event that is being mentally rehearsed and is not transferable to other sports, even those involving similar muscle groups.

    This was apparent in a fascinating study involving sprinters. The researchers had divided a group of runners into four groups and asked them to do one of four types of preparation: to imagine themselves in a 40-metre sprint; to engage in power training on a stationary bicycle; to combine imagery and power training; or, as the controls, to do no training in any form.

    After six weeks of training the athletes were asked to perform two tests – to cycle their hardest while their effort was recorded on a cycle ergometer, which tests for cycling power, and to run a 40-metre sprint. Both activities require much the same motor ability and leg muscles.

    In the cycling test, those groups who had used power training alone showed improvement. However, when it came to the sprint, only the groups who had mentally practised sprinting had significantly improved. Specific imagery enhanced only the specific task that had been imagined. It did not simply build muscles generally. The motor neuron training was highly specific, and only affected the actual performance visualized in the mind.29

    Beside improving performance, mental intention can produce actual physiological changes, and not only in athletes’ bodies. Guang Yue, an exercise psychologist at Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio, carried out research comparing participants who went to the gym with those who carried out a virtual workout in their heads.

    Those who regularly visited the gym were able to increase their muscle strength by 30 per cent. But even those who remained in their armchairs and ran through a mental rehearsal of the weight training in their minds increased muscle power by almost half as much.

    Volunteers between 20 and 35 years old imagined flexing one of their biceps as hard as they could during daily training sessions carried out five times a week. After ensuring that the participants were not doing any actual exercise, including tensing their muscles, the researchers discovered an astonishing 13.5 per cent increase in muscle size and strength after just a few weeks, an advantage that remained for three months after the mental training stopped.30

    In 1997, Dr David Smith at Chester College came up with similar results participants who worked out could achieve 30 per cent increases in strength, while those who just imagined themselves doing the training achieved a 16 per cent increase.31

    Pure directed thought can give you the burn almost as well as any workout.

    Thinking of changing an aspect of the body in other ways can also work – which might prove comforting to anyone who is not happy with his or her body shape.

    One study demonstrated that, under hypnosis, women increased the dimensions of their breasts simply by visualizing themselves on the beach with the sun’s rays warming their chests.32

    The kinds of vivid visualization techniques used by athletes are also highly effective in treating illness. Patients have boosted treatment of an array of acute and chronic conditions, from coronary artery disease33 and high blood pressure to low- back pain and musculoskeletal diseases,34 including fibromyalgia,35 by using mental pictures or metaphoric representations of their bodies fighting the illness. Visualization has    also improved postsurgical outcomes,36  helped with pain management37 and minimized the side-effects of chemotherapy.38

    Indeed, the outcome of a patient’s illness has been predicted by examining the types of visualizations used to combat them. Psychologist Jeanne Achterberg, who healed herself of a rare cancer of the eye through imagery, went on to study a group of cancer patients who were using visualization to fight their own disease. She predicted with 93 per cent accuracy which patients would completely recover and which would get worse or die, simply by examining their visualizations and rating them. Those who were successful had a greater ability to visualize vividly, with powerful imagery and symbols, and could hold a clear visual intention imagining themselves overpowering the cancer and the medical treatment being effective. The successful patients also practiced their visualizations regularly.39

    If the brain cannot distinguish between a thought and an action, would the body follow mental instructions of any sort? If I send my body a mental intention to calm down or speed up, will it necessarily listen to me?

    Literature about biofeedback and mind–body medicine indicates that it will. In 1961, Neal Miller, a behavioural neuroscientist at Yale University, first proposed that people can be taught to mentally influence their autonomic nervous system and control mechanisms such as blood pressure and bowel movements, much as a child learns to ride a bicycle.

    He conducted a series of remarkable conditioning-and-reward experiments on rats. Miller discovered that, if he stimulated the pleasure centre in the brain, his rats could be trained to decrease their heart rate at will, control the rate at which urine filled their kidneys, even create different dilations in the blood vessels of each ear.40 If relatively simple animals like rats could achieve this remarkable level of internal control, Miller figured, couldn’t human beings, with their greater intelligence, regulate more bodily processes?

    After these early revelations, many scientists found that information about the autonomic nervous system could be fed back to a person as ‘biofeedback’ to pinpoint where a person should send intention to his body. In the 1960s, John Basmajian, a professor  of  medicine  at  McMaster  University  in  Ontario  and  a  specialist  i rehabilitative science, began training people with spinal-cord injuries to use EMG feedback to regain control over single cells in their spinal cords.41

    At roughly the same time, psychologist Elmer Green at the Menninger Institute pioneered a method of biofeedback to treat migraine, after discovering that a migraine patient of his could make her headaches go away whenever she practiced a structured form of relaxation. Green went on to use biofeedback to help patients cure their own migraines, and it is now  an accepted  form of therapy.42  

    Biofeedback is  particularly useful  to  treat Raynaud’s disease, a vascular condition in which blood vessels are constricted when exposed to cold, causing extremities to grow cold, pale, and even blue.43

    During a biofeedback treatment, a patient is hooked up to a computer. Transducers applied to different parts of his or her body send information to a visual display, which registers activities of the autonomic nervous system, such as brain waves, blood pressure and heart rate, or muscle contractions.

    The audio or visual information fed back to the patient depends on the condition; in the case of Raynaud’s, as soon as the arteries to the hands constrict, the machines record a drop in skin temperature, a light bulb flashes or a beeper sounds. The feedback prompts the patient to send an intention to his body to adjust the process in question – in the case of Raynaud’s, the patient sends an intention to warm up his hands.

    Since those early days, biofeedback has become well established as a therapy for virtually every chronic condition, from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)  to  menopausal  hot flushes.  Stroke  patients  and  victims  of spinal-cor injuries now use biofeedback to rehabilitate or regain the use of paralysed muscles. It has proved invaluable in eliminating the pain felt in a phantom limb.44 Astronauts have  even used  biofeedback to  cure  motion sickness  while  journeying to  outer space.45

    The more conventional view of biofeedback maintains that it has something to do with relaxation – learning to calm down the fight-or-flight responses of our autonomic nervous systems. However, the sheer breadth of control would argue that the mechanism has more to do with the power of intention. Virtually every bodily process measurable on a machine – even a single nerve cell controlling a muscle fibre – appears to be within an individual’s control. Volunteers in studies have achieved total mental mastery over the temperature in their bodies,46 or even the direction of blood flow to the brain.47

    Like biofeedback, Autogenic Training, the technique developed by a German psychiatrist named Johannes Schultz to relax the body and slow the breathing and heart rate, also demonstrates that a wide variety of the body’s functions are under our conscious control. Those who practise the technique are able to lower blood pressure, raise temperature in extremities, and slow heartbeat and breathing. Autogenic Training has also been used to treat many chronic conditions besides stress, such as asthma, gastritis and ulcers, high blood pressure and thyroid problems.48 There is even evidence that Autogenic Training can work effectively in groups.49

    For a cat, nirvana is the food bowl just around the corner.

    Dr Jaak Panksepp professor emeritus of psychology at Bowling Green University, theorizes that this anticipatory joy has to do with the ‘seeking’ mode of the brain – one of the five primitive emotions that humans share with members of the animal kingdom.50

    The seeking system helps animals investigate and work out the meaning of their environment. The seeking circuits are fully engaged when an animal is involved in high anticipation, intense interest or insatiable curiosity. As Panksepp was astonished to discover, the most emotionally arresting part for any animal is the hunt, not the catch.51

    When animals are curious, the hypothalamus lights up and the ‘feel-good’ neurotransmitter dopamine is produced. Scientists used to believe that the chemical itself caused the pleasure, until it was discovered that the chemical’s true purpose is to arouse a certain neural pathway. What actually feels good is the activation of the seeking portion of the brain.

    Forty years ago, Barry Sterman, professor emeritus of the departments o Neurobiology and Biobehavioral Psychiatry at UCLA, accidentally discovered that this anticipatory emotion sent cats into a meditative state; their brains slowed to an EEG rhythm of 8–13 hertz, corresponding to human alpha brain frequencies, moments before they got their reward.52

    Eventually, he was able to get the cats to re-create this state at will, not simply when they were awaiting food. It was tantamount to the animals being able to control their own brain waves.

    But could a human being do the same?

    To test this, Sterman needed to test someone whose brain waves were so out of the ordinary that any change would be apparent immediately. He located a woman troubled by periodic epileptic seizures, which are caused by the brain firing theta brain waves at inappropriate moments. Sterman constructed a biofeedback EEG machine that would flash a red light in the presence of a theta wave and a green light during an alpha state.

    After a while, his patient was able to change her state at will and reduce the amount and intensity of her epileptic fits. Sterman spent the next 10 years of his life studying epileptics and training them to reduce their own fits.53

    In the 1980s, two American psychologists, Eugene Peniston and Paul Kulkosky made use of Sterman’s findings to reform alcoholics. With their brain-wave biofeedback, alcoholic patients concentrated on damping down high beta brain waves, which tend to be predominant during moments of craving and dependency, and increasing the alpha and theta wave frequencies, which help one to relax and establish greater brain-wave coherence.

    Some 80 per cent of the alcoholics were able to control their cravings and stay off alcohol. The training also seemed to affect their blood chemistry, increasing their levels of beta-endorphin, another ‘feel-good’ brain chemical. Biofeedback, combined with work on their self-image, eventually eliminated much of their dysfunctional behaviour and transformed them into better people.54

    Joe Kamiya, a psychologist at the University of Chicago, demonstrated the amazing  specificity  of  brain-wave  biofeedback  through  some  remarkable  brain research. He attached EEG electrodes to the rear sides of the scalps of several volunteers,  over the portion of the  brain  where  alpha  brain  waves  are  most prominent. At the sound of a tone, his participants had to guess whether their brains waves were predominantly   alpha.   After   comparing their answers with the information recorded on the EEG machines, Kamiya let them know whether the were right or wrong. By the second day, one of his participants was able to guess correctly two-thirds of the time, and two days after that, virtually all the time. A second participant discovered a means of putting himself into a particular brain- wave state on cue.55

    EEG biofeedback has now developed into a sophisticated means of controlling the range and type of frequencies emitted by the brain. It works particularly well with trauma patients suffering from depression,56 helps students concentrate, and enhances creativity and focus. It may well be that intention can be used to control the brain, brain wave by brain wave.

    Hypnosis is also a type of intention – an instruction to the brain during an altered state. Hypnotists continually demonstrate that the brain or body is susceptible to the power of directed thought.

    One dramatic example of the power of mental suggestion concerned a small group of people with a mysterious congenital illness called ichthyosiform erythroderma, known disparagingly as fish-skin disease because unsightly fish-like scales cover most of the body. In one study, five patients were hypnotized and told to focus on a part of their body and visualize the skin becoming normal. Within just a few weeks, 80 per cent of each patient’s body had completely healed. The skin remained smooth and clear.57

    Through hypnotic intention, spinal-surgery patients about to undergo their operations have reduced blood loss by nearly half, simply by directing their blood supply away from the site of the surgery.58

    Pregnant women have been able to turn their babies from breech positions, burn victims have sped up their healing; and people suffering haemorrhages in the gastrointestinal tract have willed their bleeding to stop.59

    Clearly, during an altered state, roughly corresponding to the hyperalert state of intense meditation, conscious thought can convince the body to endure pain, cure many serious diseases and change virtually any condition.

    Surgeon Dr Angel Escudero of Valencia, Spain, has carried out more than 900 cases of complex surgery without anaesthesia. BBC cameras were invited into his operating room and captured on film a woman who was having such an operation without anaesthetic. All she had to do was keep her mouth full of saliva and keep repeating to herself, ‘My leg is anaesthetized.’ An affirmation like hers is another form of intention. A dry mouth is one of the mind’s first warning signals of danger. When the mouth is kept lubricated, the brain relaxes, assumes all is well, and turns off its pain receptors, assured that anaesthetics had been given.60

    A fascinating study by David Spiegel, a professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at Stanford University, offers a glimpse of what happens to the brain when an intention is given under hypnosis.

    His participants were shown a coloured grid painting, similar to a Mondrian, and were asked to imagine the colour draining from the picture, leaving only black and white. Through the use of positron emission tomography (PET) scans, which record physical activity in the brain, Spiegel showed that blood flow and activity were noticeably diminishing in the part of the brain dealing with the perception of colour, while the areas that process black, white and grey images were being stimulated.

    When the experiment was reversed, and the participants in the study were asked to imagine grey images turning into colour, the opposite changes in brain-perception patterns resulted.61

    This illustrated another instance in which the brain was the maidservant of thoughts. The brain’s visual cortex, the area responsible for processing images, could not distinguish between a real image and an imagined one. The mental instructions were more important than the actual visual image.

    The placebo effect has shown that beliefs are powerful, even when the belief is false. The placebo is a form of intention – an instance of intention trickery. When a doctor gives a patient a placebo, or sugar pill, he or she is counting on the patient’s belief that the drug will work.

    It is well documented that belief in a placebo will create the same physiological effects as that of an active agent – so much so that it causes the pharmaceutical industry enormous difficulty when designing drug trials. So many patients receive the same relief and even the same side effects with a placebo as with the drug itself that a placebo is not a true control.

    Our bodies do not distinguish between a chemical process and the thought of a chemical process. Indeed, a recent analysis of 46,000 heart patients, half of whom were taking a placebo, made the astonishing discovery that patients taking a placebo fared as well as those on the heart drug. The only factor determining survival seemed to be belief that the therapy will work and a willingness to follow it religiously.

    Those who stuck to doctor’s orders to take their drug three times a day fared equally well whether they were taking a drug or just a sugar pill. Patients who tended not to survive were those who had been lax with their regime, regardless of whether they had been given a placebo or an actual drug.62

    The power of the placebo was best illustrated by a group of patients treated for Parkinson’s  disease,  a  motor  system disorder  in  which  the  body’s  system for releasing  the  brain  chemical   dopamine   is   faulty.   The standard treatment  for Parkinson’s is a synthetic form of dopamine.

    In a study at the University of British Columbia, a team of doctors demonstrated with PET scanning that, when patients given placebos were told they had received dopamine, their brains substantially increased  the  release  of their own stores of the chemical.63  

    In another dramatic instance,  at  Methodist  Hospital  in Houston,  Dr  Bruce  Moseley,  a  specialist in orthopaedics,  recruited  150  patients  with severe  osteoarthritis  of the  knee  and divided them into three groups. Two-thirds were either given arthroscopic lavage (which washes out degenerative tissue and debris with the aid of a little viewing tube) or another form of debridement (which sucks it out with a tiny vacuum cleaner).

    The third group were given a sham operation: the patients were surgically prepared, placed under anaesthesia and wheeled into the operating room. Incisions were made in their knees, but no procedure carried out.

    Over the next two years, during which time none of the patients knew who had received the real operations and who had received the placebo treatment, all three groups reported moderate improvements in pain and function. In fact, the placebo group reported better results than some who had received the actual operation.64 The mental expectation of healing was enough to marshal the body’s healing mechanisms. The intention, brought about by the expectation of a successful operation, produced the physical change.

    Extreme instances of intention and expectation can also manifest physically. The phenomenon of stigmata, in which religious fervour produces blood, bruising or wounds on people’s hands, feet and sides that mirror the wounds of Christ during his crucifixion, are a form of intention.

    The Association for the Scientific Study o Anomalous Phenomena has recorded at least 350 such instances of stigmata resulting from identification with Christ. Saybrook University psychologist Stanley Krippne and his colleagues witnessed this first hand with Brazilian sensitive Amyr Amiden.

    As soon as their talk turned to Jesus Christ, red spots and drops of blood appeared on the backs of each of Amiden’s hands and on his palms and forehead.65 A similar situation occurred during the three weeks before Easter Sunday with a young African- American Baptist girl, who had been profoundly moved by a television movie about the crucifixion and was preoccupied with Christ’s suffering.

    She manifested bleeding on the palm of her left hand two to six times a day.66 Krippner knew of three Anglicans who regularly evidenced stigmata.67

    Cases of spontaneous cures are an instance of an extreme intention that reverses almost certain death. A person with what is considered a terminal illness defies the textbook description of his disease progression and the prognoses of his doctors and beats it virtually overnight, without the aid of the tools of modern medicine.

    The Institute of Noetic Sciences has gathered together all scientifically recorded cases of so-called miracle cures.68 Although the received wisdom is that these cases are rare, a scan of the medical literature is instructive. One in eight skin cancers spontaneously heal, as do nearly one in five of genitourinary cancers.

    Virtually all types of illnesses, including diabetes, Addison’s disease and atherosclerosis, where vital organs or body parts are supposedly irretrievably damaged, have spontaneously healed.69 A small body of research concerns terminal cancer patients, who with little or no medical intervention, end up beating the odds.

    Although these cases are labelled instances of ‘spontaneous remission’, as though the illness has suddenly decided to go into hiding but might suddenly spring out at any moment, in many instances they represent another example of the body’s ability to self-correct through the power of intention. Case after case of spontaneous remission describes people up against a major road block in their lives: unremitting stress, unresolved trauma, prolonged hostility, marked isolation, profound dissatisfaction or quiet despair.70  They often describe people who have lost their role as the central protagonist in their own life drama.71

    Many cases of spontaneous remission seem to occur after someone makes a massive psychological shift, and recreates a life that is engaging and purposeful. In these instances, the patient gets rid of the source of the psychological heartache72 and takes full responsibility for his illness and treatment.73

    Some people, this would suggest, get ill because they lose all hope of life ever being good – because they are thinking the wrong thoughts. These cases of spontaneous remission suggested to me that casual thoughts that run through our minds every day together become our life’s intention.

    We can use intention to gain control over virtually any bodily process and perhaps even life-threatening illnesses. But can our thoughts about others be as potent as our thoughts about ourselves?

    Psychologist William Braud is one of the few scientists who has examined this question. He gathered a group of volunteers and asked them to carry out biofeedback on themselves.

    After pairing off the group, he attached one member of each pair to the biofeedback equipment, but asked the other partner to respond to the readings and carry out the sending of mental instructions. According to Braud’s evidence, the results were equivalent to those that occurred when the patients on the equipment used biofeedback on themselves. Somebody else’s good intentions for you may be as powerful as your own.74

    Braud’s other studies also suggested that we can most influence others to become more ‘ordered’ when we ourselves are ordered. For instance, in his studies, calm people were the most successful at sending mental influence to calm down highly nervous people, and focused people the best at helping distracted people focus.75

    Braud’s work also suggests that the greatest effects occur when the person most needs help.76

    Scientific evidence also reveals that we can affect virtually any other living thing as well. The enormous body of research on healing gathered by Dr Daniel Benor shows that thoughts can have powerful effects on a variety of plants, seeds, single-celled organisms such as bacteria and yeast, and insects and other small animals.77

    Most recently, a series of double-blind experiments carried out over two years by Dr Serena Roney-Dougal in Somerset showed that lettuce seeds that wer sent intention yielded 10 per cent more crops with significantly less fungal disease than those grown conventionally.78

    The evidence convinced me that we can improve our health, enhance our performance in every area of our lives, and possibly even affect the  future  by consciously using intention. The intention should be a highly specific aim or goal, which you should visualize in your mind’s eye as having already occurred while you are in a state of concentrated focus and hyperawareness. When you imagine this future event, hold a mental picture of it as if it were occurring to you at that moment. Engage all five senses to visualize it in detail. The centrepiece of this mental picture should be the moment you achieve the goal.

    A doctor might improve the survival rate of his patients by never giving a negative diagnosis.79 A surgeon could improve his patients’ recovery by mentally rehearsing the surgery before heading into the operating theatre. Indeed, we might no longer need drugs, but simply good intentions.

    Since intention has been shown to affect the chemistry in our bodies, we should be able to speed up, slow down or improve any physiological processes. We might develop many more breakthrough medicines by mentally targeting their effectiveness and minimizing their side effects.

    We could raise the quality of our daily endeavours just by carrying out a detailed mental rehearsal. At home, we might be able to send intentions to our children to perform better at school or be more loving to their friends. Human intention might be powerful enough to affect every element of our lives.

    All of these possibilities suggest that we have an awesome level of responsibility when generating our thoughts. Each of us is a potential Frankenstein, with an extraordinary power to affect the living world around us. How many of us, after all, are sending out mostly positive thoughts?

    Notes – Chapter 9: Mental Blueprints

    1. All description of Ali’s fighting techniques from N. Mailer, The Fight, London and New York: Penguin, 2000.
    2. Ibid.
    3. A. Richardson, ‘Mental practice: A review and discussion, Part I’, Research Quarterly, 1967; 38: 95–107; A. Richardson, ‘Mental practice: A review and discussion. Part II’, Research Quarterly, 1967; 38: 264–73
    4. A. Paivio, Mental Representations: A Dual Coding Approach, New York and London: Oxford University Press, 1986.
    5. B. S. Rushall and L. G. Lippman, ‘The role of imagery in physica performance’, International Journal for Sport Psychology, 1997; 29: 57–72.
    6. A. Paivio, ‘Cognitive and motivational functions of imagery in human performance’, Canadian Journal of Applied Sport Sciences, 1985; 10 (4): 22S–28S.
    7. K. E. Hinshaw, ‘The effects of mental practice on motor skill performance: Critical evaluation and meta-analysis’, Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 1991–2; 11: 3–35.
    8. J. A. Swets and R. A. Bjork, ‘Enhancing human performance: An evaluationof “New Age” techniques considered by the U. S. Army’, Psychological Science, 1990; 1: 85–96; D. L. Feltz et al., ‘A revised meta-analysis of the mental practice literature on motor skill learning’, in D. Druckman and J. A Swets (eds.), Enhancing Human Performance: Issues, Theories, and Techniques, Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1988: 274.
    9. R. J. Rotella et al., ‘Cognitions and coping strategies of elite skiers: a exploratory study   of  young   developing   athletes’, Journal   of  Sport Psychology, 1980; 2: 350–4.
    10. R. S. Burhans et al., ‘Mental imagery training: effects on running speed performance’, International Journal of Sport Psychology, 1988; 19: 26–37.
    11. B. S. Rushall, ‘Covert modeling as a procedure for altering an elite athlete’s psychological state’, Sport Psychologist, 1988; 2: 131–40; B. S. Rushall ‘The restoration of performance capacity by cognitive restructuring and covert positive reinforcement in an elite athlete’, in J. R. Cautela and A. J Kearney (eds.), Covert Conditioning Casebook. Boston, Mass.: Thomson Brooks/Cole, 1993.
    12. M. Denis, ‘Visual imagery and the use of mental practice in the development of motor skills’, Canadian Journal of Applied Sport Sciences, 1985; 10: 4S– 16S.
    13. Paivio, ‘Cognitive and motivational functions of imagery’, op. cit.
    14. J. R. Cautela and A. J. Kearney (eds.),Covert Conditioning Casebook. Boston, Mass.: Thomson Brooks/Cole, 1993: 30–1.
    15. B. Mumford and C. Hall, ‘The effects of internal and external imagery o performing figures in figure skating’, Canadian Journal of Applied Spor Sciences, 1985; 10: 171–7.
    16. K. Barr and C. Hall, ‘The use of imagery by rowers’,International Journal of Sport Psychology, 1992; 23: 243–61.
    17. S. C. Minas, ‘Mental practice of a complex perceptual-motor skill’,Journal of Human Movement Studies, 1978; 4: 102–7.
    18. R. Bleier, Fighting Back, New York: Stein and Day, 1975.
    19. R.  L.  Wilkes and  J.  J.  Summers, ‘Cognitions, mediating variables  an strength performance’, Journal of Sport Psychology, 1984; 6: 351–9.
    20. R.   S.   Weinberg  et  al.,   ‘Effects   of  visuo-motor behavior                      rehearsal, relaxation, and imagery on karate performance’, Journal of Sport Psychology, 1981; 3: 228–38.
    21. Cautela and Kearney, Covert Conditioning, op. cit.
    22. J. Pates et al., ‘The effects of hypnosis on flow states and three-poin shooting in basketball players’, The Sport Psychologist, 2002; 16: 34–47; J. Pates and I. Maynard, ‘Effects of hypnosis on flow states and gol performance’, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 2000; 9: 1057–75.
    23. R. M. Suinn, ‘Imagery rehearsal applications to performance enhancement’ The Behavior Therapist, 1985; 8: 155–9.
    24. L. Baroga, ‘Influence on the sporting result of the concentration of attention process and time taken in the case of weight lifters’, in Proceedings of the 3rd World Congress of the International Society of Sports Psychology, Volume 3. Madrid, Spain: Instituto Nacional de Educacion Fisica Y Deportes, 1973.
    25. A. Fujita, ‘An experimental study on the theoretical basis of mental training’, in Proceedings of the 3rd World Congress of the International Society of Sports Psychology, Volume Abstracts. Madrid, Spain: Instituto Nacional de Educacion Fisica Y Deportes, 1973: 37–8.
    26. Ibid.
    27. Rushall and Lippman, ‘The role of imagery in physical performance’, op cit.
    28. G. H. Van Gyn et al., ‘Imagery as a method of enhancing transfer from training to performance’, Journal of Sport and Exercise Science, 1990; 12: 366–75.
    29. G. H. Yue and K. J. Cole, ‘Strength increases from the motor program Comparison of training with maximal voluntary and imagined muscle contractions’, Journal of Neurophysiology, 1992; 67: 114–23; V. K. Ranganathan et al., ‘Increasing muscle strength by training the central nervous system without physical exercise’, Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, 2001; 31: 17; V. K. Ranganathan et al., ‘Level of mental effort determines training-induced strength increases’, Society of Neuroscience Abstracts, 2002; 32: 768; P. Cohen, ‘Mental gymnastics’, New Scientist, November 24, 2001; 172 (2318): 17.
    30. D. Smith et al., ‘The effect of mental practice on muscle strength and EMG activity’, Proceedings  of    British  Psychological Society   annual conference, 1998; 6 (2): 116.
    31. T. X. Barber, ‘Changing “unchangeable” bodily processes by (hypnotic) suggestions: A new look at hypnosis, cognitions, imagining and the mind- body problem’, in A. A. Sheikh (ed.), Imagination and Healing, Farmingdale, NY: Baywood Publishing Co., 1984. Also published in Advances, Spring 1984.
    32. F. M. Luskin et al., ‘A review of mind-body therapies in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, Part 1: Implications for the elderly’, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 1998; 4 (3): 46–61.
    33. F. M. Luskin et al., ‘A review of mind/body therapies in the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders with implications for the elderly’, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. 2000; 6 (2): 46–56.
    34. V.   A.   Hadhazy   et   al.,   ‘Mind-body   therapies    for the  treatment   of fibromyalgia. A systematic review’, Journal of Rheumatology, 2000; 27 (12): 2911–18.
    35. J. A. Astin et al., ‘Mind-body medicine: State of the science: Implications for practice’, Journal of the American Board of Family Practitioners, 2003; 16 (2): 131–47.
    36. J. A. Astin, ‘Mind-body therapies for the management of pain’, Clinical Journal of Pain, 2004; 20 (1): 27–32.
    37. L.  S.  Eller,  ‘Guided  imagery interventions  for  symptom management’ Annual Review of Nursing Research, 1999; 17, 57–84.
    38. J. Achterberg and G. F. Lawlis, Bridges of the Bodymind: Behavioral Approaches for Health Care, Champaign, Ill.: Institute for Personality and Ability Testing, 1980.
    39. N. E. Miller and L. DiCara, ‘Instrumental learning of heart rate changes i curarized rats: Shaping and specificity to discriminative stimulus’, Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1967; 63: 12–19; N. E. Miller, ‘Learning of visceral and glandular responses’, Science, 1969; 163: 434–45.
    40. J.    V.    Basmajian, Muscles    Alive:  Their Functions  Revealed     b Electromyography. Baltimore, Md.: Williams and Wilkins, 1967.
    41. E. Green, ‘Feedback technique for deep relaxation’, Psychophysiology, 1969; 6 (3): 371–7; E. Green et al., ‘Self-regulation of internal states’, in J Rose (ed.), Progress of Cybernetics: Proceedings of the First International Congress of Cybernetics, London, September 1969. London: Gordon and Breach Science Publishers, 1970: 1299–318; E. Green et al., ‘Voluntary control of internal states: Psychological and physiological’, Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 1970; 2: 1–26; D. Satinsky, ‘Biofeedback treatment for headache: A two-year follow-up study’, American Journal of Clinical Biofeedback, 1981; 4 (1): 62–5; B. V. Silver et al., ‘Temperature biofeedback and relaxation training in the treatment of migraine headaches: One-year follow-up’, Biofeedback and Self Regulation, 1979; 4 (4): 359–66.
    42. B.   M.  Kappes,   ‘Sequence   effects   of  relaxation  training,   EMG, an temperature biofeedback on anxiety, symptom report, and self-concept’, Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1983; 39 (2): 203–8; G. Rose et al., ‘The behavioral treatment of Raynaud’s disease: A review’, Biofeedback and Self Regulation, 1987; 12 (4): 257–72.
    43. W.   T.   Tsushima,  ‘Treatment  of  phantom  limb  pain  with  EMG    and temperature biofeedback: A case study’, American Journal of Clinical Biofeedback, 1982; 5 (2): 150–3.
    44. T. G. Dobie, ‘A comparison of two methods of training resistance to visually-induced motion sickness.’ Paper presented at VII International Ma in Space Symposium: Physiologic adaptation of man in space, Houston Texas, 1986. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, 1987; 58 (9) Sect. 2: 34–41.
    45. A. Ikemi et al., ‘Thermographical analysis of the warmth of the hands during the practice of self-regulation method’, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 1988; 50 (1): 22–8.
    46. J. L. Claghorn, ‘Directional effects of skin temperature self-regulation o regional cerebral blood flow in normal subjects and migraine patients’, American Journal of Psychiatry, 1981; 138 (9): 1182–7.
    47. M. Davis et al., The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook, 5th edn, Oakland, Calif.: New Harbinge, 2000: 83–90.
    48. J. K. Lashley et al., ‘An empirical account of temperature biofeedbac applied in groups’, Psychological Reports, 1987; 60 (2): 379–88; S. Fahrion et al., ‘Biobehavioral treatment of essential hypertension: A group outcome study’, Biofeedback and Self Regulation, 1986; 11 (4): 257–77.
    49. J. Panksepp, ‘The anatomy of emotions’, in R. Plutchik (ed.),Emotion: Theory, Research and Experience Vol. III. Biological Foundations o Emotions, New York: Academic Press, 1986: 91–124.
    50. J. Panksepp, ‘The neurobiology of emotions: Of animal brains and huma feelings’, in T. Manstead and H. Wagner (eds.), Handbook of Psychophysiology, Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, 1989: 5–26.
    51. C. D. Clemente et al., ‘Postreinforcement EEG synchronization durin alimentary behavior’, Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 1964; 16: 335–65; M. H. Chase et al., ‘Afferent vaga stimulation: Neurographic correlates of induced EEG synchronization and desynchronization’, Brain Research, 1967; 5: 236–49.
    52. M. B. Sterman, ‘Neurophysiological and clinical studies of sensorimoto EEG       biofeedback   training: Some effects  on   epilepsy’,Seminars in Psychiatry, 1973; 5 (4): 507–25; M. B. Sterman, ‘Neurophysiological and clinical studies of sensorimotor EEG biofeedback training: Some effects on epilepsy’, in L. Birk (ed.), Biofeedback: Behavioral Medicine. New York: Grune and Stratton, 1973: 147–65; M. B. Sterman, ‘Epilepsy and its treatment with EEG feedback therapy’, Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 1986; 8: 21–5; M. B. Sterman, ‘The challenge of EEG biofeedback in the treatment o epilepsy: A view from the trenches’, Biofeedback, 1997; 25 (1): 6–7; M. B. Sterman, ‘Basic concepts and clinical findings in the treatment of seizure disorders with EEG operant  conditioning’, Clinical Electroencephalography, 2000; 31 (1): 45–55.
    53. E. Peniston and P. J. Kulkosky, ‘Alpha-theta brainwave training and beta- endorphin levels in alcoholics’, Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 1989; 13: 271–9; E. Peniston and P. J. Kulkosky, ‘Alcoholic personality and alpha-theta brainwave training’, Medical Psychotherapy, 1990; 3: 37–55.
    54. J. Kamiya, ‘Operant control of the EEG alpha rhythm’, in C. Tart (ed.) Altered States of Consciousness, New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1969, J. Kamiya, ‘Conscious control of brain waves’, Psychology Today, April 1968: 7.
    55. N. E. Schoenberger et al., ‘Flexyx neurotherapy system in the treatment o traumatic brain injury: An initial evaluation’, Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, 2001; 16 (3): 260–74.
    56. C. B. Kidd, ‘Congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma treated by hypnosis’ British  Journal  of  Dermatology,  1966;  78:  101–5,  as  cited  in  Barber, ‘Changing “unchangeable” bodily processes’, op. cit.
    57. H. Bennett, ‘Behavioral anesthesia’, Advances, 1985; 2 (4): 11–21, as reported in H. Dienstfrey, ‘Mind and mindlessness in mind-body research’, in M. Schlitz et al., Consciousness and Healing: Integral Approaches to Mind Body Healing, St Louis, Mo.: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone, 2005: 56.
    58. H. Dienstfrey, ‘Mind and mindlessnes’, op cit.: 51–60.
    59. Dr Angel Escudero was featured on the BBC’sYour Life in Their Hands series, May 1991. In the film, Escudero made incisions, sawed, drilled and hammered in order to break and reset the deformed leg of his fully conscious patient using his ‘Noesitherapy’ technique of pain control.
    60. S. M. Kosslyn et al., ‘Hypnotic visual illusion alters color processing in the br ai n’ , American Journal of Psychiatry, 2000; 157: 1279–84; Mark Henderson, ‘Hypnosis really does turn black into  white’, The Times, 18 February 2002.
    61. S. H. Simpson et al., ‘A meta-analysis of the association between adherence to drug therapy and mortality’, British Medical Journal, 2006; 333: 15–19.
    62. Raúl de la Fuente-Fernández et al., ‘Expectation and dopamine release Mechanism of the placebo effect in Parkinson’s disease’, Science, 2001; 293 (5532): 1164–6.
    63. J. B. Moseley et al., ‘A controlled trial of arthroscopic surgery for osteoarthritis of the knee’, New England Journal of Medicine, 2002; 347: 81–8.
    64. S. Krippner, ‘Stigmatic phenomenon: An alleged case in Brazil’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 2002; 16 (2): 207–24.
    65. L. F. Early and J. E. Kifschutz, ‘A case of stigmata’, Archives of General Psychiatry, 1974; 30: 197–200.
    66. T. Harrison, Stigmatia: A Medieval Mystery in a Modern Age, New York: St Martin’s Press, 1994, as referenced in S. Krippner, ‘Stigmatic phenomenon’, op. cit.
    67. B. O’Regan and Caryle Hirshberg,Spontaneous Remission: An Annotated Bibliography, Petaluma, Calif.: Institute of Noetic Sciences, 1993.
    68. Ibid.
    69. L. L. LeShan and M. L. Gassmann, ‘Some observations on psychotherap with patients with neoplastic disease’, American Journal of Psychotherapy, 1958; 12: 723.
    70. D.  C.  Ban  Baalen  et  al.,  ‘Psychosocial  correlates  of  “spontaneous regression of cancer’, Humane Medicine, April 1987.
    71. R. T. D. Oliver, ‘Surveillance as a possible option for management of metastic renal cell carcinoma’, Seminars in Urology, 1989; 7: 149–52.
    72. P. C. Raud, ‘Psychospiritual dimensions of extraordinary survival’, Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 1989; 29: 59–83.
    73. McTaggart, The Field, op. cit.: 132.
    74. W. Braud and M. Schlitz, ‘Psychokinetic influence on electrodermal activity’, Journal of Parapsychology, 1983; 47 (2): 95–119.
    75. Interview with William Braud, October, 1999.
    76. Benor, Healing Research, op. cit.
    77. S. M. Roney-Dougal and J. Solfvin, ‘Field study of an enhancement effect o lettuce seeds – Replication study’, Journal of Parapsychology, 2003; 67 (2): 279–98.
    78. Dr Larry Dossey calls negative diagnoses ‘medical hexing’, and there is anecdotal evidence that patients often live up to their doctor’s gloomy prognosis, even when there is no physical evidence that they should do so. For a potent example see the story of a leukaemia patient who was thriving until he happened to find out what he had. He was dead within a week once his illness had the label of a potentially terminal illness: L. McTaggart, What Doctors Don’t Tell You, London: HarperCollins, 2005: 343.

    CHAPTER TEN

    The Voodoo Effect

    DICK BLASBAND WAS DRAWN TO THE IDEA that there might be a way amplify and direct life energy, like holding up a magnifying glass to focus the rays of the sun.

    Blasband, a psychologist, was intrigued by the theories of Wilhelm Reich, the Austrian psychiatrist and one-time protégé of Sigmund Freud, who thought it possible to trap ‘orgone’ – the name he gave to what he believed to be omnipresent cosmic energy – in an orgone energy ‘accumulator’. An accumulator, a box-like enclosure of any size, could be made of alternating layers of any metal and non- metallic materials, such as cotton cloth or felt.

    Reich believed that atmospheric energy would be first attracted, then instantly repelled by the metal and eventually absorbed by the non-metallic substance. Because the enclosure was layered, orgone energy would continuously flow between the atmosphere and the box, like a current of air, and so constantly ‘accumulate’. Reich had early encouraging results with animals and plants placed in the boxes, which lay the basis for his later claims that accumulated energy had an immense capacity to heal.

    It occurred to Blasband that Reich’s ideas about energy fields were not dissimilar to those of his colleague Fritz-Albert Popp and his work on biophotons Perhaps the best means of testing an accumulator was to measure its effect on the emission of these tiny specks of light from a living thing.

    In August 1993, Blasband travelled to Popp’s International Institute, then in Kaiserslautern, Germany. He and Popp created a variety of orgone accumulators then chose a number of plants in Popp’s laboratory – cress seeds, cress seedlings and Acetabularia crenulata, a primitive form of marine algae – to be the experimental population. Popp’s photomultipliers would count the light emissions of all the plants inside and outside the orgone boxes and record any differences.

    Blasband carried out four experiments – placing the algae in the accumulator first for one hour, and then continuously for two weeks – with no result. Popp’s equipment recorded not the slightest alteration in the light emissions. Blasband wondered if this was because the plants were already so healthy that the boxes could not improve their state of health. Perhaps he would see a larger change in a subject that needed help or improvement. He and Popp decided to try making the Acetabularia ‘ill’ by depriving it of most of its vitamin supply for 24 hours before treatment. It appeared to make no difference. The plants’ biophotons didn’t change. No amount of exposure to an accumulator of any variety seemed to make one bit of difference to the health or well-being of any of the plants.

    Blasband and Popp then decided to test whether a mental intention could boost the action of the accumulators. In his new series of experiments, Blasband sent an intention for the energy within the accumulator to be beneficial to certain seedlings and harmful to others. These results were disappointing, too. There was only one significant difference in the number or quality of biophoton emissions before and after treatment of any of the plants: the only effective intention appeared to be the one he had sent to stunt their growth.1 In both experiments, negative intention was more powerful than positive intention. Thoughts to harm had the greatest effect.

    Blasband’s little study highlights perhaps the most disturbing consideration of all about intention: that bad thoughts, as well as good ones, can have an effect on the world, and indeed may be the more powerful of the two. After all, in many native cultures, prayer and intention have a shadow component in hexes, voodoo and curses, which are reported to be highly effective forms of negative intention.

    Many healers routinely use a negative means to a positive end.

    As Dr Larry Dossey, author of Be Careful What You Pray For 2 has noted, negative intention is the very foundation of most healing. Healing from an infectious agent or a rogue cell line such as cancer requires intent to harm.3 It works from a desire to kill something: to inhibit bacterial enzymes, alter cell membrane permeability, or interfere with the nutrition given to the cell or the synthesis of DNA.4 In order for the patient to get better, the offending agent has to die.

    Many pioneers of mind–body medicine in the treatment of cancer, such as Dr Bernie Siegel, Dr Carl Simonton, and Australian psychiatrist Ainslie Meares encouraged their patients to use vivid forms of mental imagery – a metaphoric representation of their illness – to enhance their healing.5 The majority of the cancer patients who first made use of visualization techniques imagined a battlefield, on which good (the patient) is pitted against evil (the cancer), with the cancer patient possessing the larger weapon.

    Some patients imagined their white blood cells as an army killing the cancer cells or a ‘tap’ containing the blood that feeds the cancer cells, which they can turn off. Some patients visualized themselves as participating in a violent video game. When Simonton first introduced this technique to his patients in the 1970s, Pac-Man was the most popular video game of the time. He encouraged his patients to imagine a little Pac-Man inside their bodies, gobbling up cancer cells in its path. But whatever the particulars of the imagery, the intention itself needed to be murderous; the patient had to want to annihilate the enemy.

    Research on negative mental influence presents a number of obstacles to scientists. One basic problem, as Cleve Backster found in his research, is finding a living thing that no one objects to having killed. Many choose to study the most basic life forms, such as paramecia or fungi, or to experiment with seeds or small plants.6

    Another problem is avoiding an unintended ‘spray’ effect: what if a healer’s aim is slightly off one day and the negative intent gets sent to the host instead?

    The Canadian healer Olga Worrell refused to carry out negative intention on infectious diseases for exactly that reason. She worried that her negative intent might move beyond the bacteria and accidentally target the person she was trying to heal.7

    One of the earliest experiments using negative intention was conducted by Jean Barry, president of the Institut Métapsychique International, who studied bacteria and fungi. As insignificant as these lowly organisms appear, Barry, a general practitioner, understood their pivotal role in maintaining health and causing illness. If it could be shown that intention has the power to eliminate these small organisms, humans might be able to exert greater control over their own health.

    Barry decided to test the effect of negative intention on a fungus called Rhizoctonia solani. Rhizoctonia, a thready filament and a distant relative of the common mushroom, is an enemy to 500 types of crops. Farmers call it pod rot or root rot, as it commonly attacks the pods and roots, stunting growth and eventually consuming the plant. No one would object to a means of controlling this garden menace.

    Barry set up a batch of experimental Petri dishes and matched them with a set of controls of the identical type of fungus growing in the same conditions. He enlisted ten volunteers and assigned five experimental Petri dishes and five controls to each person. At the appointed time, each volunteer was asked to send intentions to slow the growth of the fungi in the experimental Petri dishes. After the experiment, the lab assistant measured the growth of each sample of Rhizoctonia by outlining its boundary on tracing paper. Of the 195 dishes involved in the negative intention, 151, or 77 per cent, were smaller than the average size of the controls.8

    Barry’s study was successfully replicated by researchers from the University of Tennessee, although their study also tested the effect of remote influence; this time, the volunteers sending the intention were 15 miles away from the fungus samples.9

    Similar research was conducted by Carroll Nash, the director of the parapsychology department at St Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, but on Escherichia coli, microbes with a direct impact on human beings. Millions of these bacteria, which help to digest food and keep hostile bacteria at bay, peacefully reside in the gut. E. coli also metabolizes lactose, the enzyme present in milk. Yet, as with many microbes, E. coli can suddenly turn unfriendly by migrating out of the digestive tract or mutating into a virulent form that causes illness. Many toxic strains are also present in food. E. coli represented an interesting choice for Nash. If humans could control its growth, they might avoid serious E. coli infections and improve their general digestive health.

    Nash decided to test whether mental influence could affect the mutation rates of coli bacteria. Usually, an E. coli population starts life unable to ferment lactose (and so is ‘lactose-negative’), but after it mutates, over numerous generations, the new population can do so (at which point it become ‘lactose-positive’). This process ordinarily occurs at a predictable rate. Nash wanted to see whether his volunteers could slow it down or speed it up. To work out the growth rates of these tiny organisms, Nash employed an electrophotometer, which counts the microbes by measuring the slightest differences in the density of the media in which they are suspended.

    Each of his 60 student participants received nine test-tubes containing both lactose-negative and lactose-positive strains of E. coli culture. The students were asked to mentally encourage the transformation of the unmutated bacteria in the first three test-tubes from lactose-negative to lactose-positive. With the next three test- tubes, they were to attempt to inhibit the process of mutation. The final three, the controls, would not be exposed to influence of any kind. When he tallied the results, Nash discovered more mutation than normal in the test-tubes that had received the positive intentions to mutate, and fewer than normal in those for which the intentions were to inhibit the process, although the greatest effect occurred  with negative intention.

    Nash’s study had an interesting coda: he had not stipulated any particular location where the mental influence had to originate; the volunteers were allowed to send their thoughts from the place of their choosing, whether the lab or elsewhere. When Nash examined the differences in the results according to the place from where the intentions had been sent, an interesting pattern emerged. Those students assigned the task of sending positive intentions had the best success if they sent their thoughts while in the lab; those with negative intentions had the best result if they waited until they had left. The Tennessee researchers who replicated Barry’s study also discovered that negative intention was most effective when it was sent from a remote site. Positive intent appeared to work best in the presence of its object, whereas a negative intent worked best when the object of ill will was not anywhere in the line of sight.10

    These early studies revealed several important aspects of intention. Thoughts take aim with great accuracy; although their effects on living things can drastically differ depending on the nature of the intention – whether it is positive or negative. Where we position ourselves when sending out a thought might also have a bearing on our success. Being near the target while sending a positive intention or away from the target when sending a negative intention might magnify its effect.

    * * *

    The next best experimental subject to a live human being is its cells. If you can prove an effect on an essential component of a living thing, it is likely that the same effect will occur with the entire organism. Dr John Kmetz, a colleague of William Braud’s in San Antonio, Texas, decided to test the effect of negative intention on cancer. Although he could not test his theory on a live human being, he settled for a sample of cervical cancer cells, and enlisted Matthew Manning, a gifted British healer.

    Manning sent negative intentions either by touching the beaker of cells or from a distance, inside an electromagnetically shielded room. Kmetz then used special equipment to count how many cancer cells were in the culture medium. Ordinarily, a cancer cell, which has a positive charge, will grasp the side of a plastic beaker, attracted to its negative electrostatic charge. An injury to the cell will cause it to drop off the side and into the culture medium. Kmetz’s equipment demonstrated that Manning had fatally injured the culture.11 Manning’s extraordinary healing ability had been turned on its head; in this study he had become a killing machine.

    Practitioners of Qigong openly acknowledge that intention has the power to enhance or destroy – indeed, the Chinese term for sending positive Qi, or life energy, through intention translates into English as ‘peaceful mind’, while sending negative Qi is referred to as ‘destroying mind’.12

    A host of studies of Qigong carried out in China have been collated on the Qigong Database®, many of which claim to offer evidence that ‘destroying mind’ can kill human cancer cells or tumours in mice, decrease the growth rate of E. coli and inhibit activity of amylase, a digestive enzyme used to help digest carbohydrates.13 Nonetheless, some Western scientists maintain quiet reservations about the database; few of these studies have been replicated in the West.

    One study on plants conducted at the First World Conference of Academic Exchange of Medical Qigong, in Beijing in 1988, examined whether sending Qi could affect the growth of a confederate spiderwort plant by concentrating on its process of replication. A Qi master was asked to damage one of the plant’s self- destruct mechanisms, which would cause the plant to live longer than normal.14 The master had to target his negative intention precisely, so that it would injure only one aspect of the plant while the rest would thrive.

    To record any subtle effects on the health of the plant samples during the experiment, any increases or decreases in certain cells after replication, the researchers used a micronuclear method developed at Western Illinois State University. During the study, the Qigong master displayed a remarkable ability to send precise instructions to specific parts of the plant, some of which were damaging, some beneficial.15

    A similar study was carried out by researchers at the National Yang Ming Medical College and National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine in Taipei Taiwan. In this instance, the Qigong master alternately sent positive and negative intention to boar sperm cells and human fibroblast cells, which make up the connective tissue of the body.

    After 2 minutes of negative intention, the growth rates and protein synthesis of the cells decreased dramatically by 22–53 per cent. When the Qigong master reversed his intention and sent 10 minutes of positive intention, all the activity of the cell increased by 5–28 per cent.16 In another well-controlled study by the Mt Sinai School of Medicine, twoQigong masters were able to inhibit the process involved in the contraction of muscles by as much as 23 per cent.17

    These studies raise the obvious question: which is more powerful, a positive or a negative thought? In some studies, the will to harm appears to be the stronger of the two intentions, but that makes sense in a study like Blasband’s, where it is probably far easier to damage a healthy system than to make a healthy system even healthier, or indeed to   fix  something  that  is broken,   or   to   order  a    disordered system.18

    Nevertheless, effective intention of any variety is likely to require order and deliberately focused thought. How many negative intentions are sent by someone as ordered as a Qigong master?

    Although negative intention appears capable of disrupting the most fundamental biological processes when precisely targeted,19 one study suggests that healing does not necessarily require negative intention. Leonard Laskow, an American gynaecologist and healer, was recruited by American biologist Glen Rein to test the most effective healing strategy for inhibiting the growth of cancer cells. In his own practice, Laskow believed in establishing an emotional connectedness with his subject – even with cancer cells – before sending out healing. Rein prepared five different Petri dishes containing identical numbers of cancer cells and then asked Laskow to send out a different intention while holding each one. Laskow’s first intention was that the natural order be reinstated and the cells’ growth rate return to normal.

    With the next Petri dish he was to adopt a Taoist visualization that entails imagining that only three of the cancer cells remained in the Petri dish. For the third dish he was not to have an intention, but simply to ask God to have His will flow through Laskow’s hands. He offered unconditional love to the cancer cells of the fourth dish, which involved meditating on a state of love and compassion, much as Davidson’s Buddhists had done. For the final dish of cancer cells, Laskow carried out his only truly destructive intention, by visualizing the cells dematerializing, either going into the light or the ‘void’. Rein gave Laskow a choice of imagery largely because he was uncertain which visualization would be most effective in obliterating something. Was it more effective to release an entity by offering it an endpoint (the light), or simply to give it a full range of potential (the void)? As a yardstick of Laskow’s effectiveness, Rein would measure the amount of radioactive thymidine absorbed by the cancer cells – an indicator of the growth rate of malignant cells.

    Laskow’s various intentions had quite different effects. The most powerful were undirected intentions asking the cells to return to the natural order, which inhibited the cancer cells’ growth by 39 per cent. Acquiescing to God’s will with no specific request was about half as effective, inhibiting the cells by 21 per cent, as was the Taoist visualization. An unconditional acceptance of the way things were had no effect either way, nor did imagining the cells dematerializing. In these two instances, the problem may have been that the thought was simply not focused enough.

    In a follow-up study, Rein asked Laskow to limit himself to two possibilities, the Taoist visualization and a request for the cells to return to the natural order. This time, he achieved an identical result with both intentions; the cancer cell growth was inhibited by 20 per cent. The strongest effect of all occurred when he combined the two approaches, mixing an intention to return to the natural order while imagining only three cells left; his rate of cell inhibition doubled, to 40 per cent. Clearly the combination of asking the universe to  restore order while imagining a specific outcome exerted a powerful effect. Rein asked Laskow to repeat this combined approach, but to target the medium in which the cancer cells grew, rather than the cells themselves. Laskow achieved the same result as when he had focused directly on the cells themselves.

    Finally, Rein instructed Laskow to hold each of his five states of mind in turn while grasping one of five vials of water, which would later be used to make up the tissue-culture medium of the cancer cells. The water treated with the ‘natural-order’ intention again had the greatest effect, inhibiting the growth of the cancer cells by 28 per cent. In this case, water apparently ‘stored’ and transferred the intentions to the culture medium and on to the cancer cells.

    Laskow’s approach was instructive. The most effective healing intention had been framed as a request, combined with a highly specific visualization of the outcome, but not necessarily a destructive one.20  With healing, the most effective approach may not be to destroy the source of the illness, but, as with other forms of intention, to move aside, let go of the outcome, and allow a greater intelligence to restore order.

    * * *

    Most research about negative intention concerns a conscious desire to harm something. I wondered about those moments when negative intention is unconscious. Suppose you don’t like someone and harbor an unconscious ill will towards him? Do you unwittingly send out a negative intention? Or, what about those moments when you explode in anger? Is it possible that your momentary anger causes unintentional harm?

    An overenthusiastic cleaner of mine once accidentally stripped off all the chrome on every fixture in our bathrooms. When I discovered the damage, a few hours after she had left our house, I was so overwhelmed with anger that I had to lie down. I had only just finished a five-month long renovation project on our newly purchased family home and had lovingly overseen the entire project, which had cost a good deal of hard-earned savings. I later learned, to my horror, that at about the time I had given voice to my fury, she had fallen off the bus and broken her leg. At another time, I was irrationally overwhelmed with anger at our bank manager, after discovering that our bank, now run by computers, had not recorded a deposit and had bounced several of our cheques. Later, I was horrified to learn that at roughly the moment I had vented my spleen, she had tripped on a pavement and broken most of her front teeth.

    I had always felt guilty and curious about both these incidents. Was their misfortune my doing?  Was it possible to curse people through your thoughts? I considered the effect of the everyday negative thoughts that swim through everyone’s mind every day. A negative thought about yourself (‘I’m untalented and lazy’) or your children (‘He’s such a slob’; ‘She’s lousy at maths’) might ultimately manifest as a physical energy and become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Indeed, moments when you feel an aversion to someone or something that you cannot rationally explain may simply be an instance when you are picking up a negative intention towards you. Even times when you are depressed could have a physical effect on the people and other living things around you.

    Bernard Grad, the Canadian biologist, addressed many of these issues in a study that tested the power of a negative frame of mind on the growth of plants. He planted four groups of 18 pots, each containing 20 barley seeds. Each pot was to be watered with 1 per cent saline solution, slightly stronger than the kind used by hospitals when giving intravenous infusions to patients, which can stunt a plant’s growth. Three batches of the plants were to receive watering with the salt water, but only after the water had been held by one of three people for half an hour. The control batch would be watered with the solution that had not been exposed to anyone.

    The first vial was held by a healer with green fingers and a passion for plants. The other two vials were held by two depressed patients – a man diagnosed as a psychotic depressive and a woman who was neurotically depressed – chosen from the Canadian hospital where Grad worked. The man was so depressed that he didn’ even ask what was in the bottle, but simply assumed that Grad, who wore a white coat, was just another in the procession of doctors preparing him for periodic electric shock therapy. While holding the bottle, he repeatedly protested that he didn’t need an ECT treatment. The woman, on the other hand, visibly lifted when Grad told her that the bottle was part of an experiment. Half an hour later, when he came to retrieve the bottle from her, he discovered that she had been cradling it as if it were a baby.

    This unforeseen turn of events worried Grad, as the woman had been chosen precisely because he believed she would be in a negative state of mind. She had suddenly appeared to regain her joie de vivre, simply at the thought of her involvement in the experiment. After carefully creating a multi-blind system so that he could not know or be influenced by who had done what, Grad poured the water over the seeds.

    Several weeks later, he was pleased to see that the result more or less followed his prediction. The plants watered by the man with the psychotic depression grew the slowest, followed by the control plants, whose bottle had not been held by anyone. The fastest growing plants had been watered by the green-fingered healer, followed by those of the depressed woman, which was a surprise. It seemed that her plants had grown faster because of her own enthusiasm about the experiment.21

    Carroll Nash tried a similar experiment, asking a group of psychotics to hold individual sealed glass bottles of a solution of dextrose and sodium chloride for half an hour. Nash then removed 6 millilitres of the solutions from each bottle and poured them into fermentation tubes. Similar solutions that had not been ‘charged’ by the psychotics were poured into control test-tubes.

    All 24 test-tubes received a suspension of yeast. After two hours Nash measured the amount of carbon dioxide produced in each of the tubes and took periodic measurements for the next six weeks. When he compared the tubes containing the ‘held’ solutions with the controls, he discovered that the solution held by the psychotics had marginally prevented the yeast from growing.22

    Even deeply buried feelings might have an effect on people we purport to care about. In 1966, Dr Scott Walker of the University of New Mexico School of Medicine conducted a study of alcoholics in the midst of rehabilitation. He divided the group randomly and had members of the Albuquerque Faith Initiative pray for them each day for six months. Half of the participants (some from the treatment group and some from the controls) knew they were being prayed for by family members.

    At the end of the six months, Scott discovered that those in both groups whose relatives and friends were praying for them were drinking more heavily than the others. Prayer from those who supposedly had the patients’ best interests at heart was having the opposite effect.

    Scott came up with an interesting interpretation. The across-the-board negative effect of prayer by relatives may reflect their complicated, unconscious feelings towards  alcoholics. Although consciously they might wish for their loved one to recover, they might actually wish for them to carry on drinking, if the person praying is a fellow drinker and does not wish to lose a drinking buddy. Or, perhaps the boorish, selfish behaviour of an alcoholic has so hurt the relatives that they unconsciously wish for the alcoholic to die.

    All these studies are small, but they carry a huge implication: even your current state of mind carries an intention that has an effect on life around you. The mind continues affecting its surroundings whether or not we are consciously sending an intention. To think is to affect. When we are consciously attempting to affect someone else with our thoughts, we may want to search our hearts about our true feelings to ensure that we are not sending tainted love.

    These studies also raise the possibility that the thoughts that spill out of us at every moment also affect inanimate objects within our reach. Some people have a reputation for having a positive or negative effect on electronic equipment – they are either an ‘angel’ or a ‘gremlin’. One of the fathers of quantum theory, the brilliant theoretical physicist Wolfgang Pauli, was widely known to possess a powerfully negative force field. Whenever he arrived at his laboratory, mechanisms would freeze, collapse or even be set alight.23

    I am a gremlin of the first order. In those rare moments when I am crashing around in a bad mood, all the computers in our office begin crashing in unison. Once, during a day of extreme agitation, after I had broken my computer and printer at home, I headed off for work and tried to work on a variety of computers around my company’s office. One by one, they died in my hands. When one of our laser copier printers also froze the moment I tried to photocopy a page, my team firmly but politely escorted me off the premises.

    The late Jacques Benveniste discovered the gremlin effect first hand when he carried out experiments on electromagnetic signalling between cells. From 1991, after his noted ‘memory of water’ studies, Benveniste understood that the basic signalling between molecules was not chemical but electromagnetic. Within a living cell, molecules communicate, not by chemicals but by electromagnetic signalling at low frequencies, and each molecule has its own signature frequency.24

    Until the end of his life in 2005, Benveniste explored the possibility that these molecular signals could be transferred simply by using an amplifier and electromagnetic coils. He demonstrated that it was possible to effect a molecular reaction without the presence of the molecule in question simply by playing the molecule’s unique ‘sound’.

    One of Benveniste’s many experiments with cellular signalling concerned the interruption of the coagulation of plasma, the yellowish medium of the blood. Ordinarily caused by the presence of calcium in the liquid, the clotting capacity of plasma can be precisely controlled by first chemically removing all existing calcium in the plasma, then adding back particular amounts of the mineral. By also adding heparin, an anticoagulant drug, the plasma is prevented from clotting, even in the presence of calcium.

    In his study Benveniste would remove calcium from the plasma and add calcium to water, but instead of adding the actual heparin to the calcium water, he simply exposed the water containing calcium to the ‘sound’ of heparin transmitted through the digitized electromagnetic frequency of heparin that he had discovered. As with all his other experiments,  the signature frequency of heparin worked as though the molecules of heparin itself were there: in its presence, the blood was less able to coagulate.

    Benveniste had a robot built to carry out this experiment, largely to silence his critics by eliminating the potential bias of human interference. The robot was a box with an arm that moved in three directions, mechanically exposing the water containing calcium to the heparin in several easy steps.

    After hundreds of such experiments, Benveniste discovered that it usually worked well except on days that a certain woman – an otherwise experienced scientist – was present. Benveniste suspected that the woman must be emitting some form of waves that were blocking the signals. He developed a means of testing for this, and discovered that the woman emitted powerful, highly coherent electromagnetic fields that appeared to interfere with the communication signalling of his experiment. Somehow, the woman acted as a frequency scrambler. To test this further, he asked the woman to hold a tube of homeopathic granules in her hand for 5 minutes. When he later tested the tube with his equipment, all molecular signalling had been erased.

    Since the problem was likely to be electromagnetic, the obvious next step was to protect the machine from EMFs by building a shield. But once the shield was i place,  the  machine  stopped  producing  good  results.  Benveniste  pondered  this development for  some  days.  Perhaps  it had  to  do  with positive  effects  of the environment, and not simply the absence of negative effects. He opened the shield and asked the man who had been in charge of the lab for many years to stand in front of the robot. Immediately, the robot began again to crank out perfect results. As soon as the man left and the shield was put up, the robot no longer produced decent data. This suggested that, just as some people inhibited equipment, others enhanced it. The shield, originally erected to stop negative influences, had blocked positive ones as well.

    Benveniste reasoned that the only substance near the robot capable of picking up positive or negative activity was the tube of water, so he asked the head lab technician to hold the tube in his pocket for two hours. He then put the tube into the machine, removed the man from the room and put up the shield. After that, the robot’s experiments worked virtually 100 per cent of the time.25

    These anecdotal stories of the gremlin effect are not so farfetched when you consider the mountains of data generated by the PEAR laboratory, demonstrating tha human intention has the ability to make the random output of computers more orderly even when the intention is not conscious or deliberate. Living consciousness might have a major effect on microprocessor technology, which is now exquisitely sensitive. The tiniest disturbances in a quantum process can be highly disruptive. My own gremlin effect appears to be linked to moments of extreme stress or agitation but for some people it may be the very nature of their thought system.

    The idea that we can ‘charge’ an inanimate object with our thoughts is the basis of the dark arts of many native cultures, which infuse effigies and voodoo dolls with negative intention and then use them to target enemies. There is a rich tradition of using effigies, but not much scientific study of them. Dean Radin once designed an experiment to test the effectiveness of voodoo dolls as an instrument of positive intention. He constructed a tiny effigy of a person known to a group of volunteers, who then directed their prayers to the doll. The prayers turned out to have demonstrable effects – an instance of benevolent voodoo.26

    If we can be unwitting recipients of negative influence, should we take steps to block it or ward it off? Many psychics recommend using visualization to create a mental image of protection, such as imagining yourself in a giant bubble. Marilyn Schlitz and William Braud tested this idea in a variation on their staring studies with 300 volunteers divided into pairs in separate rooms. One member of each pair (the sender) was asked to use a mixture of imagery and self-regulation techniques like relaxation or Autogenic Training to relax or energize themselves. They were then asked to send an intention to reproduce a similar state in their partner (the receiver) which would be recorded with a polygraph pen. Comparisons of the EDA readings of both senders and receivers showed that the senders had an effect – when they were relaxed or activated, so were their receivers.

    The receivers were then asked to visualize a variety of images that would act as a psychological ‘shield’ to block the senders’ influences; any image – a shield, a huge concrete wall, a steel fence, pulsating white light – was suitable, so long as it felt protective. These strategies proved highly successful in blocking one of the unwanted influences.27

    Then, other scientists from the University of Edinburgh attempted to replicate the EDA studies under more rigorous conditions. The senders alternately attempted to calm or activate the receivers, who were to be open to being influenced for half the session and then to ‘block’ the influence attempt for the other half, by imagining themsleves wrapped up in a ‘shielding cocoon’ or adopting a stubborn and uncooperative frame of mind. Nevertheless, during the times of attempted influence, the receivers recorded the same EDA readings, regardless of whether they were ‘allowing’ or blocking it. If anything, there was a slightly larger effect during the blocking sessions. This suggests that ordinary mental strategies of isolating or protecting ourselves may not be enough to successfully resist unwanted influence.28

    Qigong practitioners undergo lengthy training to learn techniques enabling them to ‘disguise’ or make their energy fields temporarily ‘invisible’ in order to ward off unwanted influence. Creating a psychic shield around yourself to prevent a barrage of negative influences – whether from your boss, a well-meaning but interfering professional, that unfriendly neighbour, even the stranger staring at you in the supermarket queue – is likely to require more than an attitude of resistance or a bit of internal imagery.

    Larry Dossey once wrote that the most powerful antidote to negative intention was the line in the Lord’s Prayer: ‘deliver us from evil’. I came across another more

    ecumenical instance, from the work of Dr John Diamond, who discovered a simple means of grounding yourself against unwelcome influences. Diamond, a psychiatrist and holistic healer, was inspired by George Goodheart, creator of applied kinesiology, which tests the effect of various substances on the body. Goodheart developed the technique of ‘muscle testing’, now a feature of applied kinesiology. He would ask a patient to stand facing him, with her left arm out, parallel to the floor: he placed his left arm on the patient’s shoulder to steady her, and then asked her to resist with all her strength while he pushed on her arm. In most instances, the arm would spring back and resist the force of Goodheart’s push. However when Goodheart exposed that person to noxious substances, such as food additives or allergens, the person’s left arm would be unable to resist the pressure of Goodheart’s push and easily be overcome.

    Diamond applied this muscle testing to toxic thoughts. When a person was exposed to any unpleasant thought, the ‘indicator muscle’ would test weak. Diamond called it ‘behavioral kinesiology’ and has tested it on thousands of subjects over many years as a means of instantly taking stock of a person’s thoughts and most secret desires.29

    Diamond discovered one thought that could overcome any sort of negative influence, or debilitating idea or situation. He called it a ‘homing thought’, because it reminded him of his youth in Sydney, Australia, swimming in the surf. Whenever a large wave threatened, he and his friends would dive to the bottom of the water and hold on to the sand with their fingertips. ‘We had learned that as soon as we were faced with this situation of stress, we could dive down, grab on to our securing handhold and hang on to our “rock” until the stress passed,’ he writes.30

    The homing thought that each of us can hold on to, Diamond realized, was our ultimate aspiration or purpose in life. He has also referred to it as ‘cantillation’: each person’s special gift or talent that not only gives one a sense of joy but also union with the Absolute. The term ‘homing thought’ also reminded him of the direction finder that lost aeroplane pilots use to find their way home. The homing thought can act as a homing beacon for everyone, particularly during the most difficult moments. ‘It holds us steadfast,’ he once wrote, ‘on our course.’

    Diamond’s ideas have not been subjected to scientific scrutiny, but the sheer weight of his anecdotal evidence in using behavioural kinesiology on thousands of patients lends them a certain significance. Whenever we are besieged by the darkest of intentions, we might best protect ourselves when holding on to the thought of what we have been born to do.

    Note – Chapter 10: The Voodoo Effect

    1. A. Blasband and Gottfried Martin, ‘Biophoton emission in “orgon energy” treated cress seeds, seedlings and Acetabularia’, International Consciousness Research Laborary, ICRL Report No 93.6.
    2. Dossey, Be Careful What You Pray For, op. cit.: 171–2.
    3. Ibid.
    4. Benor, Healing Research, op. cit.: 261.
    5. C. O. Simonton et al., Getting Well Again, New York: Bantam, 1980; B. Siegel, Love, Medicine and Miracles: Lessons Learned about Self-Healin from a Surgeon’s Experience with Exceptional Patients, London: HarperCollins, 1990; A. Meares, The Wealth Within: Self-Help Through a System of Relaxing Meditation, Melbourne, Australia: Hill of Content 1990.
    6. For much of the research detailed in this chapter, I am especially indebted to Larry Dossey and Daniel Benor, who have detailed many of these early studies in their respective books, Dossey’s Be Careful What You Pray For … You Just Might Get It and Benor’s Healing Research, Spiritual Healing and his outstanding, comprehensive website: www.wholistichealingresearch.com.
    7. Benor, Healing Research, op. cit.: 264.
    8. J. Barry, ‘General and comparative study of the psychokinetic effect on a fungus culture’, Journal of Parapsychology, 1968; 32 (94): 237–43.
    9. W. H. Tedder and M. L. Monty, ‘Exploration of a long-distance PK: A conceptual replication of the influence on a biological system’, in W. G. Roll et al. (eds.), Research in Parapsychology, Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1981: 90–3. Also see Dossey, Be Careful What You Pray For, op. cit.: 169; Benor, Healing Research, op. cit.: 268–9.
    10. C. B. Nash, ‘Test of psychokinetic control of bacterial mutation’, Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 1984; 78: 145–52.
    11. Kmetz’s study was described in W. Braud et al., ‘Experiments with Matthew Manning’, Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, 1979; 50: 199–223. While the study was promising, in his review of it in Healing Research, Benor noted the lack of sufficient detail.
    12. Dossey, Be Careful What You Pray For, op. cit.: 175–6.
    13. Many researchers of alternative medicine maintain the same concerns about studies of Chinese medicine carried out in China. These concerns don’t disregard the strong anecdotal evidence about the effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicine, only the scientific method of studies of its effectiveness.
    14. S. Sun and C. Tao, ‘Biological  effect of  emitted qi  with tradescantic paludosa micronuclear technique’, First World Conference for Academic Exchange of Medical Qigong. Beijing, China, 1988: 61E.
    15. Ibid.
    16. Dossey, Be Careful What You Pray For, op. cit.: 176.
    17. D.   J.   Muehsam   et   al.,   ‘Effects   of    Qigong on cell-free myosin phosphorylation: Preliminary experiments’, Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine, 1994; 5 (1): 93–108, also reported in Dossey, Be Careful What You Pray For, op. cit.: 177–8.
    18. Ibid.
    19. Benor, Healing Research, op. cit.: 253.
    20. G. Rein, Quantum Biology: Healing with Subtle Energy, Palo Alto, Calif.: Quantum Biology Research Labs, 1992; as  reported in Benor, Healing Research, op. cit.: 350–2.
    21. B. Grad, ‘The “laying on of hands”: Implications for psychotherapy gentling and the placebo effect’, Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, 1967; 61 (4): 286–305.
    22. C. B. Nash and C. S. Nash, ‘The effect of paranormally conditione solution on yeast fermentation’, Journal of Parapsychology, 1967; 31: 314.
    23. Radin, The Conscious Universe, op. cit: 130.
    24. An entire chapter is devoted to Jacques Benveniste in McTaggart, The Field, op. cit.: 59.
    25. Description of these results from a telephone conversation with Jacques Benveniste, November 10, 2000.
    26. J. M. Rebman et al., ‘Remote influence of the autonomic nervous system by focused intention’, Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine, 1996; 6: 111– 34.W.   Braud   and   M.   Schlitz,   ‘A  method  for  the  objective  study of transpersonal imagery’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1989; 3 (1): 43–63; W. Braud et al., ‘Further studies of the bio-PK effect: Feedback blocking specificity/generality’, in R. White and J. Solfvin (eds.),Research in Parapsychology, Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1984: 45–8.
    27. C. Watt et al., ‘Exploring the limits of direct mental influence: Two studies comparing “blocking” and “co-operating” strategies’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1999; 13 (3): 515–35.
    28. J. Diamond, Your Body Doesn’t Lie, New York: HarperCollins, 1979.
    29. J. Diamond, Life Energy, New South Wales: Angus & Robertson, 1992: 71.

    CHAPTER ELEVEN

    Praying for Yesterday

    ON THE EVE OF THE MILLENNIUM, Leonard Leibovici, an Israeli profes of internal medicine in Israel and expert on hospital-acquired infections, conducted a study of healing prayer’s effect on nearly 4000 adults who had developed sepsis while in the hospital. He set up a strict protocol, using a random number generator to randomize the participants into two groups, only one of which would be prayed for, and throughout the study maintained impeccable blinding; neither the patients nor the hospital staff knew who was getting treated – or indeed even knew that a study was being carried out. The names of all those in the treatment group were then handed to an individual, who said a short prayer for the well-being and full recovery of the treated group as a whole.

    Leibovici was interested in comparing three outcomes between the prayed-for and not-prayed-for groups: the number of deaths in hospital; the overall length of stay in hospital; and the duration of fever. When calculating the results, he was careful to employ several statistical measurements to examine the significance of any differences. As it happened, the group that had been prayed for suffered fewer deaths than the controls (28.1 versus 30.2 per cent), although the difference was not statistically significant. What was scientifically significant, however, were major differences between the prayed-for group and the controls related to the severity of illness and the time it took to heal. Those being prayed for had a far shorter duration of fever and hospital stay and, in general, got better faster than the controls.

    The subject of Leibovici’s research – the healing effects of prayer – of course was hardly new. But his study offered one novel twist. The patients had been in the hospital between 1990 and 1996. The praying was carried out in 2000 – between 4 and 10 years later.

    The study was meant to be a spoof.

    The British Medical Journal had published it in its Christmas 2001 issue,1 which is generally reserved for light-hearted commentary, next to a reindeer-shaped cluster of rogue cells. But Leibovici was not joking. He was trying to make a serious point in the most graphic way he could. Leibovici had a particular affinity for mathematics and statistics, and used them repeatedly in his reviews and meta-analyses when evaluating particular procedures. He had even come to believe that diseases and the success of treatment could be predicted through mathematical models.2

    But the scientific method, in his view, was being defiled by its careless application to alternative medicine. Two years before, also in the Christmas issue of the BMJ, he had published an article claiming that alternative medicine masquerading as scientific medicine was like a cuckoo chick nestling in a reed warbler’s nest.3

    The begging noises of the interloper chick are indistinguishable from its warbler counterparts; indeed, as it grows, the cries of the cuckoo are so loud that they match the noise of eight little warblers. The warbler parents ignore any clues that they have an impostor in their midst and continue to nourish the cuckoo chick – to the detriment, even death, of their own offspring. Leibovici was convinced that alternative medicine could not accommodate the demands of scientific rigour – and that we had no business wasting precious time and resources on the cuckoo in the nest.

    But with that article, it seemed that Leibovici was the one wasting his time and breath. Most of his colleagues had missed the point so thoroughly that his only recourse was to show them. Two years later, almost to the day, his prayer study appeared in the BMJ.

    He had intended that the study would illustrate that you simply cannot use the scientific method to explain subjective things like prayer. The problem was that every one had taken the study at face value. Dozens of sceptics derided the study. As one correspondent wrote, if it were possible to violate the arrow of time in this way, it would allow one to go back in time and prevent the Holocaust from happening by murdering Hitler.4

    In support of Leibovici, many scientists interested in psychical research claimed that the study offered proof that prayer was effective at any point in time: Larry Dossey, who has also written extensively on ‘non-local’ consciousness and healing,5 commented that, in a stroke, Leibovici had turned ‘conventional notions of time, space, prayer, consciousness and causality’ on their heads. 6

    Many others commented that Leibovici had been undone by the very meticulousness of his study design. Leibovici’s study had used only one supplicant to carry out the prayers and had sent the same prayer at the same time for each patient in the treatment group, so many of those in the alternative medicine camp did not believe the study suffered from some of the same problems in design as the other prayer research. To all the correspondents, Leibovici retorted in the BMJ letters section:

    The purpose of the article was to ask the following question: Would you believe in a study that looks methodologically correct but tests something that is completely out of people’s frame (or model) of the physical world, for example, retroactive intervention or badly distilled water for asthma?7

    It was wrong, he was saying, because it had to be wrong. It was statistics tied up in a knot and gone berserk. So that his motive would be clear, he added:

    The article has nothing to do with religion. I believe that prayer is a real comfort and help to a believer. I do not believe it should be tested in controlled trials.

    Instead, the true purpose was:

    To deny from the beginning that empirical methods can be applied to questions that are completely outside the scientific model of the physical world. Or in a more formal way, if the pre-trial probability is infinitesimally low, the results of the trial will not really change it, and the trial should not be performed.

    Although he had intended to use science to prove the absurdity of alternative medicine, he had actually ended up proving to many people that we can pray today to affect something that occurred yesterday. Leibovici appeared to deeply regret his study and refused to discuss it further.8

    Despite all his efforts throughout his career to apply reason and logic to medicine, this was the study that he would be most remembered for – a study that demonstrated, in effect, that we can go back and change the past.

    One of the most basic assumptions about intention is that it operates according to a generally accepted sense of cause and effect: the cause must always precede the effect.

    If A causes B, then A must have happened first.

    This assumption reflects one of our deepest beliefs, that time is a one-way, forward-moving progression.

    This assumption is reinforced every moment of our ordinary lives.

    First we order our coffee, then the waitress delivers it to our table.

    First we order a book on Amazon, then it arrives in the mail.

    Indeed, the most tangible evidence of time’s arrow is the physical evidence of our own ageing; first we are born, then we grow old and die.

    Similarly, we believe that the consequence of our intentions can only occur in the future. What we do today cannot affect what happened yesterday.

    However, a sizeable body of the scientific evidence about intention violates these basic assumptions about causation. Research has demonstrated clear instances of time-reversed effects, where effect precedes cause.

    Leibovici’s study was unique among prayer research in that it was conducted ‘backward in time’ – the healing intention was meant to affect events that had already occurred.

    But to many frontier scientists, this experiment in ‘retro-prayer’ simply represented a true-to-life instance of the time-displacement effects regularly seen in the laboratory.

    Indeed, some of the largest effects occur when intention is sent out of strict time sequence.

    Studies like Leibovici’s offer up the most challenging idea of all: that thoughts can affect other things no matter when the thought is made and, in fact, may work better when they are not subject to a conventional time sequence of causation.

    Robert Jahn and Brenda Dunne at PEAR discovered this phenomenon when the investigated time displacement in their REG trials. In some 87,000 of these experiments, volunteers were asked to attempt to mentally influence the ‘heads’ and ‘tails’ random output of REGs in a specific direction anywhere from three days to two weeks after the machines had run.

    As a whole, the ‘time-displaced’ experiments achieved even greater effects than the standard experiments.9 Jahn and Dunne had deemed these differences non-significant, only because the number of trials carried out in this manner was tiny compared with the rest of their monumental body of evidence.

    Nevertheless, the very idea that intention could work equally well whether ‘backward’, ‘forward’ or in sequence, made Jahn realize that all of our conventional notions of time needed to be discarded.10

    The fact that effects were even larger during the time-displaced studies suggested that thoughts have even greater power when their transmission transcends ordinary time and space.

    Retro-causation has  been explored in great detail  by Dutch physicist Dick Bierman and his colleague Joop Houtkooper of the University of Amsterdam,11 and later by Helmut Schmidt, an eccentric physicist at Lockheed Martin who created a elegant variation on time-displaced REG remote influence to determine whether someone’s intention could change a machine’s  output after  it had been run.  

    He rewired his REG to connect it to an audio device so that it would randomly set off a click that would be audiotaped and heard through a set of headphones by either the left or right ear.

    He then turned on the machine and tape recorded their output, ensuring that no one, even himself, was listening.

    After making copies of this master tape (again, with no one listening), he locked the master tape away, to eliminate the possibility of fraud, and gave medical students the copies a day later.

    The volunteers were asked to listen to the tape and send an intention to have more clicks in their left ears.

    Schmidt also created control tapes by running the audio device but not asking anyone to attempt to influence the left–right clicks. As expected, the right and left clicks of the controls were distributed more or less evenly.

    Once the participants had finished their attempts to influence the tapes, Schmidt had his computer analyse both the student tapes and the master tape that had been hidden away to see if there was any deviation from the typical random pattern. In more than 20,000 trials carried out between 1971 and 1975, Schmidt discovered a significant result: on both the copies and the masters, 55 per cent had more left-hand than right-hand clicks. And both sets of tapes matched perfectly.

    Schmidt believed he understood the mechanism for his improbable results. It wasn’t that his participants had changed a tape after it had been created; their influence had reached ‘back in time’ and influenced the machine’s output at the moment that it was first recorded.12

    They had changed the output of the machine in the same way they might have if they had been present at the time it was being recorded. They did not change the past from what it was; they influenced the past when it was unfolding as the present so that it became what it was.

    Schmidt continually refined the design of his ‘retro-PK’ studies over 20 years, eventually involving martial arts students, who are trained in mind-control.

    In one study, he used a radioactive-decay counter to generate a visual display of random numbers. The students sat in front of this visual display, and attempted mentally to influence the numbers in a particular statistical distribution. Once again, he achieved a highly significant result, with odds against it being a chance occurrence of 1000 to somehow, the intention of the students had reached ‘back in time’ to affect what occurred in the first place.13

    Time-displaced intention has also been successfully applied to living things. German parapsychologist Elmar Gruber, of the Institut für Grenzgebiete de Psychologie und Psychohygiene in Freiburg, carried out a series of ingenious experiments examining whether the movement of animals and humans can be influenced after the fact.

    His first series of tests concerned gerbils running in activity wheels and moving about within a large cage. A special counter kept track of the number of revolutions in the activity wheel. A beam of light in the cage also had a recording device to note whenever the gerbil made contact with it. Similarly, he asked a group of human volunteers to walk around an area across which he had placed a photobeam, which was also attached to a recorder to note every instance that the volunteers ran into it.

    Gruber  then  converted  each  revolution  of  the  wheel  or  contact  with  the photobeam into a clicking sound. Tapes were made of the clicks, which were copied and stored, again to eliminate fraud.

    Between one and six days later, volunteers were asked to listen to the tapes and attempt to mentally influence the gerbils to run faster than normal, or the people to run into the beam more often than usual.

    Success would be measured by a greater number of clicks than usual.

    Gruber carried out each type of trial 20 times, and in each instance, compared the volunteers’ tapes with tapes made during sessions when the animals and humans were not subjected to the remote influence.

    Four of the six batches of trials achieved significant results, and in three of these, the effect size was larger than 0.44.

    An effect size is a statistical figure used in scientific research to demonstrate the size of change or outcome. It is arrived at by a number of factors, usually by comparing two groups, one of which has made the change.

    An effect size under 0.3 is considered small, between 0.3 and 0.6 is medium, and anything above 0.6 is considered large. Aspirin, considered one of the most successful heart attack preventives of modern times, has an effect size of just 0.032, more than 10 times smaller than Gruber’s overall effect size.

    In the case of the activity-wheel gerbil trial, the effect size was a huge 0.7.14 If his results had concerned a drug, Gruber would have discovered one of the greatest lifesavers of all time.

    Gruber carried out six more intriguing experiments. In one study he recorded the number of times that people in a Viennese supermarket crossed a photobeam, and then recorded the number of times a photobeam was crossed by cars passing through various tunnels in Vienna during the rush hour.

    These again were converted into clicks, and the tapes made of the clicks were stored for one to two months before being played to volunteers, who were asked to influence the speed of the people on foot or in the cars.

    This time, he decided to include among his group of influencers some people with psychic ability. He also created similar tapes as controls, which were not exposed to remote intention.

    Once again, when compared with sessions that were not subjected to influence, the results were highly significant; all but one of the automobile–tunnel studies had a significant effect size; in two of the studies, the effect sizes (0.52 and 0.74) were enormous.15

    Is it possible to retroactively prevent a disease, after it has infected its host and spread? The Chiron Foundation in the Netherlands designed an intriguing study to tes this seemingly impossible proposition.

    A large group of rats was randomly divided in two groups, and one group given a parasitic infection of the blood.

    The experiment was blinded so that the experimenters themselves did not know which animals were infected and which were controls until after the study was completed. A healer given photographs of the rats after they had been infected with the disease was asked to attempt to prevent the spread of the parasites.

    Measurements of the blood cells were taken at several intervals after the animals had been infected. The study was carried out three times, each involving a large number of rats. Two achieved a medium (0.47) effect size.16

    Psychologist William Braud then asked one of the most provocative questions of all: is it possible to ‘edit’ one’s own emotional response to an event? To test this, he designed a batch of studies to test time-displaced influence on nervous activity.

    He recorded several tracings of the electrodermal activity (EDA) of volunteers, using standard liedetection equipment – a reasonable gauge of whether a person is calm or agitated. Braud then asked the participants to examine one of their own tracings and to attempt to influence it, by sending an intention either to calm down or activate their own sympathetic nervous system at that earlier point in time.

    The other tracings of the participants, which were not exposed to mental influence, were to act as controls. Later, when he compared the tracings with controls, he discovered that those tracings that were exposed to  the volunteers’ own retro-influence were calmer than the controls.

    Overall, these studies achieved a small, significant effect size (0.37), offering some of the first evidence that human beings might be able to rewrite their own emotional history.17

    Helmut Schmidt successfully employed a similar study design to change his own prerecorded breathing rate, demonstrating that it is possible to retroactively change your own physical state as well.18

    Dean Radin set up an EDA test similar to Braud’s, but added remote distance to a test of retroactive influence.

    Two months after running the tests, Radin sent copies of the electrodermal readouts to healers in Brazil and asked them to attempt to quiet the readings. After 21 such studies Radin achieved a 0.47 effect size, similar to Braud’s.19

    Radin also tested the possibility that, under certain conditions, a future event can influence an earlier nervous-system response.

    He made ingenious use of a strange psychological phenomenon called the ‘Stroop effect’, named after its discoverer, psychologist John Ridley Stroop,20 originator of a landmark test in cognitive psychology.

    The Stroop test uses a list of the names of colours (e.g. ‘green’) printed in different coloured inks. Stroop found that when people are asked to read out the name of a colour as quickly as possible, they take much longer if the name of the colour does not match the colour of the ink used (e.g. if the word ‘green’ is printed in red ink) than they do if the name and the colour of the ink match (e.g. if the word ‘green’ is printed in green ink).

    Psychologists believe that this phenomenon has to do with the difference in the time it takes the brain to process an image (the colour itself), compared with the time it takes to process a word (the colour name).

    Swedish psychologist Holger Klintman devised a variation on the Stroop test Volunteers were asked first to identify the colour of a rectangle as quickly as they could, then asked whether a colour name matched the colour patch they had just been shown.

    A large variation occurred in the time it took his volunteers to identify the colour of the rectangle. Klintman discovered that the identification of the rectangle colour was faster when it matched the colour name shown subsequently.21

    The time it took for people to identify the colour of the rectangle seemed to depend on the second task of determining whether the word matched the rectangle colour. Klintman called his effect ‘time-reversed interference’. In other words, the later effect influenced the brain’s reaction to the first stimulus.

    Radin created a modern version of Klintman’s study. His participants sat in front of a computer screen and identified the colours of rectangles that flashed up on the screen as quickly as possible by typing in their first letter.

    The image on the screen would then be replaced by the name of a colour, and the volunteer would then have to type either ‘y’ (yes) to indicate that the name of the colour matched the colour of the rectangle or ‘n’ (no) to indicate a mismatch. Radin varied the second part of the design, so that, after the participant had identified the colour of the rectangle, he or she would also have to type in the first letter of the actual colour of the letters of the colour’s name.

    For instance, if the word ‘green’ flashed up but was coloured blue, he or she would have to type in ‘b’.

    In four studies of more than 5000 trials, all four showed a retrocausal effect. A significant correlation was observed in two of the studies, with a third marginally significant.22 Somehow, the time it took to carry out the second task was affecting the time it took to carry out the first one.

    Radin concluded that his studies offered evidence of a time displacement in the nervous system. The implications are enormous. Our thoughts about something can affect our past reaction times.

    One scientifically accepted way to examine the overall power of an effect is to pool the results of all the studies together into what is called a ‘meta-analysis’. Analysed in this manner, 19 of the retroinfluence studies yielded an extraordinary collective result.23

    William Braud calculated that the overall effect size was 0.32. Although that is considered a small effect on its own, it represents ten times the effect size for most prescription drugs, such as the beta-blocker propanolol, that are recognized as extremely effective.

    A different type of analysis of all the best studies of time displacement was carried out in 1996 by Dick Bierman. In statistics, the best way to judge an effect is to work out how much it deviates from the mean, or average.

    One method popular with statisticians is to work out the chi-square distribution, which entails plotting the square of each individual score. Any deviation from chance, whether positive or negative, will show up as a large positive deviation in bold relief.

    Bierman detected an enormous variance in individual studies, but collectively they produced results whose occurrence by chance alone was an extraordinary 630 billion to one.24

    One interpretation of the laboratory evidence of retro-influence suggests the unthinkable: intention is capable of reaching back down the time line to influence past events, or emotional or physical responses, at the point when they originally occurred.

    The central problem of going ‘back to the future’ and manipulating our own past are the logical knots the mind gets tied up in when considering them. As British philosopher Max Black argued in 1956, if A causes B, but occurs after B, B ofte precludes A. Therefore, A cannot cause B.

    This conundrum was overlooked in the movie The Terminator.

    If the Schwarzenegger cyborg goes back in time and kills Sarah Connor so that she canno give birth to future rebel John Connor, there would be no future revolution between man and machine.

    The Terminator no longer has any need to come back in time or, indeed, no longer any purpose for being created.

    British philosopher David Wiggins constructed a similar scenario to illustrate the logical problems inherent in the idea of a time machine. Suppose a young man is the grandson of the cruel leader of a fascist movement. He decides to travel back in time to kill his grandfather, to prevent him from taking control. But if he does so, the young man’s mother may not be born and he of course would cease to exist.

    Nevertheless, physicists no longer consider retro-causation inconsistent with the laws of the universe. More than 100 articles in the scientific literature propose ways in which laws of physics can account for time displacement.25

    Several scientists have proposed that scalar waves, secondary waves in the Zero Point Field, enable people to engineer changes in space-time. These secondary fields, caused by the motion of subatomic particles interacting with the Zero Point Field, are ripples in space-time – waves that can travel faster than the speed of light.

    Scalar Field waves possess astonishing power: a single unit of energy produced by a laser in such a state would represent a larger output than all the world’s power plants combined.26

    Certain technologies, such as quantum optics, have made use of laser pulses to squeeze the Zero Point Field to such a degree that it creates negative energy.27

    It is well accepted in physics that this negative energy, or exotic matter, is able to bend space-time. Many theoreticians believe that negative energy would allow us to travel through wormholes, travel at warp speed, build time machines and even help human beings to levitate.

    When electrons are packed densely together, the density of the spray of virtual particles that are constantly created in the Zero Point Field is increased. These spra densities are organized into electromagnetic waves that flow in two directions, and so may be going ‘back and forward’ in time.28

    Physicist  Evan  Harris    Walker  first  proposed  that  retro-influence  can  be explained by quantum physics if we just take account of the observer effect.29

    Walker and later Henry Stapp, an elementary particle physicist at the University of California at Berkeley, who acted as an independent monitor of Helmut Schmidt’s final martial arts study, believed that a small tweak in quantum theory, making use of ‘nonlinear quantum theory’, could explain all cases of retro-influence. In a linear system such as current quantum mechanics, the behaviour of a system can be easily described: 2 + 2 = 4. The system’s behaviour is the sum of its parts. In a non-linear system, 2 + 2 may equal 5 or even 8. The system’s behaviour is more than a sum of its parts – by how much more we can’t often predict.

    In Walker’s and then Stapp’s view, turning quantum theory into a non-linear system would enable them to include one other element in the equation: the human mind. In Schmidt’s martial arts study, the numbers on the visual display remained in their ‘potential’ state of all possible sets of numbers until they had been observed by the students. At that point, the mental intent of the students and the numbers on the display interacted in a quantum way.

    According to Stapp, the physical universe exists as a set of ‘tendencies’ with ‘statistical links’ between mental events.

    Even though the tape of the numbers has been generated, they divide into a number of channels of all possible outcomes. When a person looks at the numbers, his brain state will also divide into the same number of channels. His intent will select out a particular channel, and through the numbers ‘collapse’ the channels into a single state.30 Human will – our intention – creates the reality, no matter when.

    The other possibility is that all information in the universe is available to us at every moment, and time exists as one giant smeared-out present. Braud has speculated that forebodings of the future might be an act of backward time displacement – a future event somehow reaching back in time to influence a present mind. If you simply reversed presentiment and call it backward influence, so that all future mental activity influences the present, you maintain the same model and results as the retro-causation studies.

    All precognition might be evidence of backward- acting influence;31 all future decisions may always influence the past.

    There is also the possibility that at the most fundamental layer of our existence there is no such thing as sequential time.

    Pure energy as it exists at the quantum level does not have time or space, but exists as a vast continuum of fluctuating charge. We, in a sense, are time and space. When we bring energy to conscious awareness through the act of perception, we create separate objects that exist in space through a measured continuum. By creating time and space, we create our own separateness and indeed our own time.

    According to Bierman, what appears to be retro-causation is simply evidence that the present is contingent upon future potential conditions or outcomes, and that non-locality occurs through time as well as space. In a sense, our future actions, choices and possibilities all help to create our present as it unfolds. According to the view, we are constantly being influenced in our present actions and decisions by our future selves.

    This explanation was bolstered by a simple thought experiment carried out by Vlatko Vedral and one of his colleagues at the University of Vienna: Caslav Brukner, a Serb who had managed to leave Yugoslavia during the civil war and, like Vedral, spent time at Zeilinger’s Viennese lab.

    When Brukner joined Vedral in London during a year-long fellowship at Imperial College, he began thinking about quantum computation, and the fact that it is billions of times faster than classical computing. Once a quantum computer is finally perfected it will enable one to scan every last corner of the Internet in half an hour.32

    Could this enormous advantage in speed have some basis in Bell’s inequality, the famous test of non-locality? Bell demonstrated that the remote influence maintained between two quantum subatomic particles, even over vast distances, ‘violates’ our Newtonian view of separation in space.

    Could this same test be used to show when temporal constraints – the limits governing time – are also violated? Brukner enlisted Vedral to design a thought experiment with him.

    Their experiment rested on a given in science about time: in the evolution of a particle, a measurement taken at a certain point will be utterly independent of a measurement taken later or earlier. In this instance, the ‘inequality’ of Bell’s would refer to the difference between the two measurements when taken at different times.

    For their experiment, they no longer needed two particles, and so could utterly eliminate the ‘Bob’ particle and concentrate on the photon, ‘Alice’. The task now was to make theoretical calculations of Alice’s polarization at two points of time. If quantum waves behave like a wriggling skipping rope being shaken at one end, the direction in which the rope is pointed is called polarization. To work out their time sequences mathematically, Brukner and Vedral made use of what is called ‘Hilbert’, or abstract, space.

    First they calculated Alice’s polarization, then they measured it moments later. When they had finished their calculations of Alice’s current position, they went back and measured her earlier polarization again. They discovered that, between two points of time, Bell’s inequality indeed had been violated; they got a different measurement of the first  polarization the second time around. The very act  of measuring Alice at a later time influenced and indeed changed how it was polarized earlier.

    The implications of their astonishing discovery were not lost on the scientific community. New Scientist included their discoveries in a dramatic cover story: ‘Quantum entanglement: How the future can influence the past’ and concluded: quantum mechanics seems to be bending the laws of cause and effect … entanglement in time puts space and time on an equal footing in quantum theory … Brukner’s result suggests that we might be missing something important in our understanding of how the world works.33

    For me, Brukner’s thought experiment held a significance far greater than a simple theoretical one. It showed that instantaneous cause and effect not only occurs through space but also back and possibly forward through time. It offered the first mathematical proof that the actions of every moment influenced and changed those of our past. It may well be that every action we take, every thought we have in the present, alters our entire history.

    Even more significantly, his experiment demonstrated the central role of the observer in creating, and indeed changing, reality. Observing had played an integral part in changing the state of the photon’s polarization.

    The very act of measuring an entity at one point of time changed its earlier state. This may mean that every observation of ours changes some earlier state of the physical universe. A deliberate thought to change something in our present could also influence our past. The very act of intention, of making a change in the present, may also affect everything that has led to that moment.

    This sort of backward influence resembles the non-local correlations found in the quantum world, as if the connections were always there in some underlying arrangement.34 It may be that our future already exists in some nebulous state that we actualize in the present.

    This makes sense since subatomic particles exist in a state of potential until observed or thought about. If consciousness operates at the quantum frequency level, it would naturally reside outside space and time, and we would theoretically have access to information – ‘past’ and ‘future’. If humans are able to influence quantum events, they are also able to affect events or moments other than in the present.

    Radin discovered more evidence that our psychokinetic influence is operating ‘backwards’ in an ingenious study examining the possible underlying mechanism of intention on the random bits of an REG machine. Radin first ran five REG studie involving thousands of trials, then analysed the experiments through a process called a ‘Markov chain’, which allowed a mathematical analysis of how the REG machine’s output changed over time.

    For this process, he made use of three different models of intention: first, as a forward-time casual influence (the mind ‘pushes’ the REG in one direction throughout the influence); second, as a precognitive influence (the mind intuits the precise moment to hit the REG in its random fluctuations to produce the intended result by ‘looking into the future’ and passively ‘bringing back’ this information to the present); and third, as a true retrocausal influence (the mind first sets the future outcome and applies all the chain of events that will produce it ‘backward’ in time).

    Radin’s analysis of the data had one inescapable conclusion: this was not a process running forward in time, in an attempt to hit a particular target, so much as an ‘information’ flow that had travelled back in time.35

    But just how much of the past could we change in the sticks-and-stones world of real life? William Braud had pondered this issue at length. He once observed that those moments in the past most open to change might be ‘seed’ moments when nature has not made up its mind – perhaps the earliest stages of events before they blossomed and grew into something static and unchangeable.36

    These moments were analogous to a sapling that could still be bent and trained before its trunk was too stiff and branches too large; the brain of a child, which is far more open to influence and learning than an adult’s; or even a virus, which is far easier to overcome in its infancy.37

    Random events, decisions with equally likely choices, or illness – all probabilistic moments disposed to early influence where human intention could slightly shift the outcome in a certain direction – might comprise the events in our lives most open to retro-influence. Braud referred to them as ‘open’, or labile, systems – those most open to change.

    These systems include many of the workings of living things, which are random processes, much like the quantum systems of random-event generators. Any one of a number of the biological processes in living things requires a cascade of processes, which would be sensitive to the kind of subtle effects on REG machinery observed say, in the PEAR research.38

    In Braud’s earlier work, he had discovered that remote influence had its greatest effect when there was a strong need for it.39 The necessity of a particular outcome might be the one quality that moves mountains backward in time.

    A clue to the extent of our reach was revealed in Schmidt’s discovery of an observer effect in his audio REG experiments that is much like the effect in quantum experiments: it was most important that the person attempting to influence his tapes be the very first listener.

    If anyone else heard the tape first and listened with focused attention, it was less susceptible to influence later. A few studies even suggest that observation by any sentient being – human or animal – blocks future attempts at time-displaced influence.

    Bierman tested this by rigging up a radioactive source to trigger beeps that were delayed for one second and then observed by a final observer. In about half of the events, another pre-observer was given feedback of this quantum event before the final observer witnessed it. In those instances, the pre-observer’s observation resulted in a collapse of the superposition state of the quantum event while, in the other half of cases, the final observer ‘produced’ the collapse.40

    If this consciousness is the crucial ingredient for ‘collapse’ to occur, humans – and their ability to ‘reduce’ reality to limited states – are completely responsible for the idea that time is an arrow in one direction. If our future choice of a particular state is what affects its present ‘collapse’, the reality may be that our future and present are constantly meeting up with each other.

    This accords with what is understood about the observer effect in quantum theory – that the first observation of a quantum entity ‘decoheres’, or collapses, its pure state of potential into a single state.41 This rather suggests that, if no one had ever seen Hitler, we  might have been able to send an intention to prevent the Holocaust.

    Although our understanding of the mechanism is still primitive, the experimental evidence of time reversal is fairly robust. This research portrays life as one giant, smeared-out here and now, and much of it – past, present and future – open to our influence at any moment.

    But that hints at the most unsettling idea of all. Once constructed, a thought is lit forever.

    Note – Chapter 11: Praying for Yesterday

    1. L. Leibovici, ‘Effects of remote, retroactive intercessory prayer on outcomes in patients with blood stream infection: Randomized controlled trial’, British Medical Journal, 2001; 323 (7327): 1450–1.
    2. S. Andreassen et al., ‘Using probabilistic and decision-theoretic methods in treatment and prognosis modeling’, Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, 1999; 15 (2): 121–34.
    3. L. Leibovici, ‘Alternative (complementary) medicine: a cuckoo in the nest o empiricist reed warblers’, British Medical Journal, 1999; 319: 1629–32; Leibovici, ‘Effects of remote, retroactive intercessory prayer’, op. cit.
    4. Letters, BMJ Online, December 22, 2003.
    5. L. Dossey, ‘How healing happens: exploring the nonlocal gap’, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 2002; 8 (2): 12–16, 103–10.
    6. B.     Oshansky    and   L.   Dossey,    ‘Retroactive  prayer:  A  preposterous hypothesis?’ British Medical Journal, 2003; 327: 20–7.
    7. Letters, ‘Effect of retroactive prayer’, British Medical Journal, 2002; 324: 1037.
    8. Correspondence from Liebovici to author, June 28, 2005.
    9. Interview with Jahn and Dunne, July 2005.
    10. R. G. Jahn et al., ‘Correlations of random binary sequences with pre-stated operator intention: a review of a 12-year program’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1997; 11 (3): 345–67.
    11. D.  J.  Bierman  and  J.  M.  Houtkooper,  ‘Exploratory  PK  tests  with programmable high speed random number generator’, European Journal of Parapsychology, 1975; 1 (1): 3–14.
    12. R. Broughton, Parapsychology: The Controversial Science, New York: Ballantine Books, 1991: 175–6.
    13. H. Schmidt and H. Stapp, ‘Study of PK with prerecorded random events an the effects of preobservation’, Journal of Parapsychology, 1993; 57: 351.
    14. E.   R.   Gruber,   ‘Conformance   behavior    involving  animal and human subjects’, European Journal of Parapsychology, 1979; 3 (1): 36–50.
    15. E.  R.  Gruber,  ‘PK  effects  on pre-recorded  group  behaviour  of livin systems’, European Journal of Parapsychology, 1980; 3 (2): 167–75.
    16. F. W. J. J. Snel and P. C. van der Sijde, ‘The effect of retro-active distance healing on Babeia rodhani (rodent malaria) in rats’, European Journal of Parapsychology, 1990; 8: 123–30.
    17. W. Braud, unpublished study, 1993, as reported in W. Braud, ‘Wellness implications of retroactive intentional influence: exploring an outrageous hypothesis’, Alternatives Therapies in Health and Medicine, 2000; 6 (1): 37–48.
    18. H. Schmidt, ‘Random generators and living systems as targets in retro-PK experiments’, Journal of the American Society for Psychical  Research, 1997; 912 (1): 1–13.D. Radin et al., ‘Effects of distant healing intention through time and space: Two  exploratory  studies’, Proceedings  of  Presented  Papers:  The  41st Annual Convention of the Parapsychological Association, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada: Parapsychological Association, 1998: 143–61.
    19. J. R. Stroop, ‘Studies of interference in serial verbal reactions’,Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1935; 18: 643, as cited in D.I. Radin and E. C May, ‘Evidence for a retrocausal effect in the human nervous system’, Boundary Institute Technical Report 2000–1.
    20. H. Klintman, ‘Is there a paranormal (precognitive) influence in certain types of perceptual sequences? Part I and II’,European Journal of Parapsychology, 1983; 5: 19–49 and 1984; 5: 125–40, as cited in Radin and May, Boundary Institute Technical Report, op. cit.
    21. Radin and May, Boundary Institute Technical Report, op. cit.
    22. Braud, ‘Wellness implications’, op. cit.
    23. See http://www.fourmilab.ch/rpkp/bierman-metaanalysis. html.
    24. Radin and May, Boundary Institute Technical Report, op. cit.
    25. G. A. Mourou and D. Umstadter, ‘Extreme light’, in ‘The Edge of Physics’ Special edition of Scientific American, 2003; 13 (1): 77–83 updated from May 2002 issue.
    26. L. H. Ford and T. A. Roman, ‘Negative energy, wormholes and warp drive’ in ‘The Edge of Physics’. Special edition ofScientific American, 2003; 13 (1): 85–91 updated from January 2000 issue.
    27. J. A. Wheeler and R. P. Reynman, ‘Interaction with the absorber as the mechanism of radiation’, Reviews of Modern Physics, 1945; 17 (2–3): 157– 81; J. A. Wheeler and R. P. Reynman, ‘Classical electrodynamics in terms o direct interparticle action’, Reviews of Modern Physics, 1949; 21: 425–33.
    28. E. H. Walker, ‘The nature of consciousness’, Mathematical BioSciences, 1970; 7: 131–78.
    29. H. P. Stapp, ‘Theoretical model of a purported empirical violation of the predictions of quantum theory’, Physical Review A, 1994; 50 (1): 18–22.
    30. Braud, ‘Wellness implications’, op. cit.
    31. L. Grover, ‘Quantum computing’, The Sciences, July/August 1999: 24–30.
    32. M.  Brooks,  ‘The  weirdest  link’, New Scientist,  March 27,  2004;  181(2440): 32–5.
    33. D. Bierman, ‘Do PSI-phenomena suggest radical dualism?’ in S. Hammerof et al. (ed.), Toward a Science of Consciousness II, Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1998: 709–14.
    34. D.  I.  Radin,  ‘Experiments  testing  models  of  mind-matter  interaction’ Journal of Scientific Exploration, 2006; 20 (3), 375–401.
    35. Interview with William Braud, October 1999.
    36. W. Braud, ‘Transcending the limits of time’, The Inner Edge: A Resource for Enlightened Business Practice, 1999; 2 (6): 16–18.
    37. R. D. Nelson, ‘The physical basis of intentional healing systems’, Technical Report, PEAR 99001, Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research, Princeton New Jersey, January 1999.
    38. Braud, interview with author, October 1999.
    39. D. Bierman ‘Does consciousness collapse the wave packet?’ Mind and Matter, 2003; 1 (1): 45–58.
    40. H Schmidt, ‘Additional effect for PK on pre-recorded targets’,Journal of Parapsychology, 1985; 49: 229–44; ‘PK tests with and without preobservation by animals’, in L. S. Henkel and J. Palmer (eds.), Research in Parapsychology, Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1990: 15–19.

    CHAPTER TWELVE

    The Intention Experiment

    SEEING ACETABULARIA FOR THE FIRST TIME takes your breath away. T mesmerizing appearance of this common algae of the Caribbean and the Mediterranean has earned a number of poetic nicknames – ‘mermaid’s wineglass’, or ‘sombrerillo’ in Spanish – and both are fitting. Its slender stem supports a tiny cupped sombrero, like a miniature green umbrella ready to be popped into an underwater tropical cocktail.

    For more than 70 years, biology students have marvelled over this tiny plant, not simply for its appearance but for a single bizarre fact of its existence. Acetabularia is a freak of nature. From stem to sombrero, the entire plant, measuring up to 5 centimetres, consists of a single cell. Because of this, Acetabularia, unlike most living things, can be counted on to behave predictably.

    The large nucleus of the cell always sits at the rhizoid, the base of the stalk, and divides only when the plant has reached its full height. This uncomplicated structure has helped to unmask biology’s greatest mystery: which portion of the plant engineers its ability to reproduce. In the 1930s, the German scientist Joachim Hammerling elected Acetabularia as his perfect ‘tool organism’ to work out the role of a nucleus in plant genetics.

    The simplicity of this single-celled organism with its single giant nucleus not only offered up the secrets of the cell in bold relief, it divulged the whole of the building plans of plant life. Working with Acetabularia allowed one to sit in stunned witness to the complex morphology of life within the totality of a single cell, large enough to be visible to the naked eye.

    Acetabularia also represented a model organism for my first intention experiment. Fritz Popp, who was to perform the experiment with me, believed that if we were going to attempt to carry out my proposal, we needed to begin on the ground floor. For this first experiment, I planned to assemble a small group of volunteers in London, and ask them to use their intention to affect an organism in Popp’s lab in Germany.

    Using Acetabularia for our test subject would be analogous to testing a car made of a single moving part. It removes all the variables of a living thing, with its unfathomable number of chemical and energetic processes occurring at every instant.

    Humans, for instance, are like a manufacturing plant covering most of the United States. A septillion chemical reactions occur every second in every tablespoon of our cells, tiny explosions that get multiplied by the 50 million million cells of the average human body. In an experiment comparing, say, the growth rates of two sections of the body, it is almost impossible to control for every variable. Growth rates can be altered by food, water, genetics, mood, or even a sudden dip in air temperature.

    During our first intention experiment, Popp intended to examine the alteration in the tiny light being emitted from the algae, which was infinitely more subtle than cellular growth rate. Nonetheless, in multicellular living things, even the light that emanates from each cell is subject to a host of influences: the health of the host, the weather and even the activity of the sun.1 Light can also differ from cell to cell.

    With Acetabularia, as the light reassuringly derives from its single nucleus, so it is subject to far less fluctuation. With such a primitive organism, Popp explained, it would be possible to demonstrate, with a fair degree of certainty, that any effect, for better or worse, was entirely the result of our remote influence. Only by using such a simple system could we show that our effect was indisputably due to intention and not a dozen other possibilities.

    Generally speaking, an increase of photons indicates that a life form is being stressed and a decrease, that its health has improved. If I sent an intention to make the algae healthier, and the photon count went down, it would likely mean that I was having a good effect. If the photon count went up, it was probable that I was, in some way, harming it.

    Popp has a number of extremely sensitive photocount detectors at his disposal, which can register an intensity of visible light of about 10–17 watts per square centimetre, analogous to the light coming from a candle several kilometres away.2 This type of ultrasensitive equipment would enable us to record every single hair’s breath of difference – even by a single photon – and so determine the extent of our influence.

    Popp had reason to be cautious. For 30 years he had faced enormous opposition to his bold assertion that light emanates from living things,3 and had finally won respect from the physics community.

    He had set up his international community of likeminded scientists from prestigious centres all over the globe to work on biophoton emissions.4 By participating in our experiment, he might risk this hard-won reputation and good will. After all, ultimately I was asking this world-renowned physicist to test whether collective positive thinking could change the physical world.

    * * *

    The   results of a number of   experiments    had suggested that a ‘group’ consciousness might possibly exist. In their random-event generator experiments, PEAR’s Jahn and Dunne found that the influence of pairs of the opposite sex who knew each other had a powerful complementary effect on the machines – roughly three and a half times that of individuals. Two intensively involved people appeared to create six times the ‘order’ on a random machine. Some couples even produced a ‘signature’ result, which did not resemble the effects they generated individually.5

    There was also evidence that a group all intently focused on the same thought registered as a large effect on a REG machine. Roger Nelson, the chief coordinato of the PEAR lab, had come up with the idea of running REG machines continuousl during a particularly engaging event, to examine whether the focused attention of a group had any effect on the random output of the machines.

    He and Dean Radin developed what they termed ‘FieldREG’ devices and ra them during a host of events involving the highly focused attention of an audience: intense or euphoric group workshops; religious group rituals; Wagnerian festivals; theatrical presentations; even the Academy Awards. In most instances, their studies showed that multiple minds holding the same intensely felt thought created some kind of deviation from the norm on the equipment.6

    Nelson had been fascinated by the possibility of a global collective consciousness. In 1997, he decided to place REGs all over the world, have them ru continuously and compare their output with moments of global events with the greatest emotional impact. For his programme, which became known as the Global Consciousness Project, Nelson organized a centralized computer program, so tha REGs located in 50 places around the globe could pour their continuous stream of random bits of data into one vast central hub through the Internet.

    Periodically, Nelson and his colleagues, including Dean Radin, studied these outpourings and compared them with the biggest breaking news stories, attempting to root out any sort o f statistical connection. Standardized methods and analysis revealed any demonstration of order – a moment when the machine output displayed less randomness than usual – and whether the time that it had been generated corresponded with that of a major world event.

    By 2006, they had studied 205 top news events, including the death of the Princess of Wales, the millennium celebrations, the death of John F. Kennedy, Jr, and his wife, and the attempted Clinton impeachment. When Nelson analysed four years’ worth of data, a pattern emerged. When people reacted with great joy or horror to a major event, the machines seemed to react as well.  Furthermore, the degree of ‘order’ in the machine’s output seemed to match the emotional intensity of the event, particularly those that had been tragic: the greater the horror, the greater the order.7

    This trend appeared most notable during the events of 9/11. After the twin towers were destroyed, Nelson, Radin and several colleagues studied the data that had poured in from 37 REGs around the world. Individual statistical analyses were performed by Radin, Nelson, computer scientist Richard Shoup of Boundary Institut and Bryan J. Williams, a psychology undergraduate at the University of New Mexico According to the results of all four analyses, the effect on the machines during the plane crashes was unprecedented.

    Out of any moment in 2001, the greatest variance in  the  machines  away  from randomness  took  place  that  day.  The  results  also represented the largest daily average correlation in output between each machine than at any other time in the history of the project.8 According to the REGs, the world’s mind had reacted with a coherent global horror.

    Nelson and three independent analysts took apart the data using a variety of statistical methods. Nelson examined his results through the chi-square distribution method, that statistical technique which plots the square of each of the machine’s runs, so that any deviation from chance easily shows up. All of the analysts concluded that an enormous increase in ‘order’ occurred during time frames relating t o key moments in the drama (such as, shortly before the first tower was struck), which were likely to be the most intense periods of horror and disbelief.9 As REGs are designed to control for electrical disturbances, natural electromagnetic fields or increased levels of mobile phone use, the two scientists were able to discard all those possibilities as potential causes.10

    Furthermore, although activity of the REGs was normal in the days leading up to /11, the machines became increasingly correlated a few hours before the first tower was hit, as though there had been a mass premonition. This similarity in output continued for two days after the first strike. Williams thought of it as kind of psychic signature, a giant unconscious psychokinetic effect created by 6 billion minds set to react in unified horror.11

    The world had felt a collective shudder several hours before the first plane crash, and every REG machine had heard and duly recorded it.

    Although not every analyst agreed with these conclusions,12 Nelson, Radin and several of their colleagues eventually were able to publish a summary of their findings in the prestigious physics journal Foundations of Physics Letters.13

    Nelson went on to study other events in the wake of 9/11, including the start of the Iraqi war. He compared REG activity with variations in the approval polls o President George W. Bush, to see if he could discover a connection of any kind between the global ‘mind’ and current American opinions of the president, and whether the REG network reacted most when there were strong feelings of unity and purpose, as the Americans had shared in the wake of 9/11, or when the public mood was polarized, as it had been after the invasion of Iraq and the deposing of Saddam Hussein’s regime.

    After examining 556 separate polls between 1998 and 2004, Nelson’s colleague, Peter Bancel, discovered that peaks in variations followed big public changes of opinion of any variety, either for or against the president. Strong emotion, positive or negative – even to presidential decisions – seemed to produce order.

    The results of the FieldREG work and the Global Consciousness Project offe several important clues about the nature of group intention. A group mind appears to have a psychokinetic effect on any random microphysical process, even when not focused on the machinery itself.

    The energy from a collective, intensely felt thought appears to be infectious. There also appears to be a ‘dose’ effect; the effect on an REG of a load of people thinking the same thought is larger than the effect of a single person. Finally, emotional content or degree of focus is important. The thought has to engulf a group of people in a moment of peak attention, so that every member of the group is thinking the same thought at the same time. A catastrophe is certainly an effective way to snap the mind to attention.

    The data from the Global Consciousness Project had one serious limitation However accurately Nelson had taken the temperature of the world mind, his data simply referred to the effect of mass attention.

    There had been no intention to cause change. What would happen if a number of people were not simply attending to something but also trying to affect it in some way? If the focused attention of a group has a physical impact on sensitive equipment, does the signal get stronger when the group is actually trying to change something?

    The only systematic study of group intention concerns the so-called Maharishi Effect of Transcendental Meditation™ (TM), the technique first introduced by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi to the West in the 1960s. Over several decades, the TM organization has carried out more than 500 studies of group meditation, with or without intention, to examine whether meditation has a resonance effect on reducing conflict and suffering.

    Maharishi Mahesh Yogi postulated that regularly practising TM enabled you to get in touch with a quantum energy field that connects all things. When a group of meditators was large enough, he claimed, their collective meditations caused ‘Super Radiance’, a term in physics used to describe the coherence of laser light.

    During TM, the theory went, the minds of meditators all become tuned to the same frequency, and this coherent frequency begins to order the disordered frequencies around it. Resolution of individual internal conflict leads to resolution of global conflict.

    The TM studies claimed to demonstrate effects from two types of meditation The first was undirected, the simple consequence of a certain percentage of the population meditating. The second resulted from deliberate intention, and required experience and focus; advanced meditators would target a particular area and direct their meditation to help resolve conflict and lower the rate of violence.

    The Maharishi’s theory rests entirely on the premise that meditation has a threshold effect. If 1 per cent of the population of a particular area practises TM, he claims, or the square root of 1 per cent of the population practises TM-Sidhi, a more advanced type of meditation, conflict of any variety – rates of murders, crime, drug abuse, even traffic accidents – goes down.

    Some 22 studies have tested the positive impact of the Maharishi Effect on crime levels. One study of 24 US cities showed that whenever a city reached a poin where 1 per cent of the population was carrying out regular TM, the crime rate dropped to 24 per cent. In a follow-up study of 48 cities, those 24 cities with the requisite threshold percentages of meditators (1 per cent of the population) experienced a 22 per cent decrease in crime, and an 89 per cent reduction in the crime trend. In the other 24 cities without the threshold percentage of meditators, crime increased by 2 per cent and the crime trend by 53 per cent.14

    In 1993, the TM’s National Demonstration Project focused on Washington DC during a large upsurge of local violent crime in the first five months of the year. Whenever the local Super Radiance group reached the threshold number of 4000, the rate of violent crime fell and continued to fall, until the end of the experiment. The study was able to demonstrate that the effect had not been due to any other factors, such as police efforts or a special anti-crime campaign. After the group disbanded, the crime rate in the capital rose again.15

    The TM organization has also targeted global conflict. In 1983 a special TM assembly met in Israel to send intentions through meditation to resolve the Palestinian conflict. During their sessions, they made daily comparisons between the number of meditators working on the project and the state of Arab–Israeli relations. On days with a high number of meditators, fatalities in Lebanon fell by 76 per cent. Their reach apparently extended beyond armed conflict; ordinary violence – local crime, traffic accidents and fires – also all decreased. When analysing their results, the TM group claimed to have controlled for confounding influences such as weather.16

    TM adepts have also  sought to influence the ‘misery index’ –  the sum of inflation and unemployment rates – in the USA and Canada. And indeed, during one concerted effort between 1979 and 1988, the US index fell by 40 per cent and the Canadian index, by 30 per cent.

    Another group of adepts sought to influence the monetary growth and crude- materials price indices as well as the American misery index. In this instance, the misery index fell by 36 per cent, and the crude-materials price index fell by 13 per cent. Although the growth rate of the monetary base was affected, it was only by a small margin.17

    Critics of TM have argued that these effects could easily have been due to other factors – a reduction in the population of young men, say, or better educational programmes in these areas, or even the ebb and flow of the economy – although the TM organization claims to control for such changes.

    The problem with these studies, to my mind, is the controversy surrounding the TM organization itself; rumours now abound about data fixing and the infiltration by Maharishi followers into many scientific organizations.

    Nevertheless, the TM evidence is so abundant and the studies so thorough that it is difficult to dismiss them completely. Furthermore, the studies are regularly published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and so must meet some level of scientific rigour and critical scrutiny. The sheer bulk of the research argues compellingly that a force outside the understanding of orthodox science might be at work.

    But even if the results are legitimate, the TM studies, like the REG data, mostl concerns group attention. In many instances, the meditators are not people who maintain a focused intention to change something else.

    For three months in the first quarter of 1998, forest fires raged out of control in the Amazonian state of Roraima, 1500 miles northwest of Brasilia, devastating the rainforest. It had not rained for months – an effect blamed on El Niño – and the ordinarily humid rainforest was bone dry, perfect kindling for the fire that had by that time scorched 15 per cent of the state.

    The rains, usually so copious in this part of Brazil, remained elusive. The UN termed the fire a disaster without precedent on the planet. Water-carrying helicopters and some 1500 firefighters, including recruits from neighbouring Venezuela and Argentina, fought the flames to no avail.

    In late March, the weather-modification experts were called in: two Caiapo Indian shamans especially flown to the Yanomami reservation, housing the last of what are believed to be Stone Age tribes. They danced around a bit and prayed, and gathered up a few leaves. Two days later, the heavens opened and it began to pour. Up to 90 per cent of the fire was extinguished.18

    The Western equivalent of a rain dance is to hope for good weather, and when carried out as a group intention, it may be just as effective. PEAR’s Roger Nelso carried out an ingenious little study, after realizing that the sun shone on graduation day at Princeton for as long as he could remember.

    Had the desire of the community for a sunny commencement day had a powerful local effect?

    He had gathered weather reports for the past 30 years in Princeton and the surrounding areas for the times around graduation day and statistically compared them; Princeton was drier than usual for that time of year, and drier and sunnier than surrounding communities for just that day. If the figures were to be believed, the collective wish for good weather by the community of Princeton may have created some sort of mental umbrella that only stretched to their borders during that single day.19

    The only other evidence of group mind had been a provocative little double- blind exercise carried out by Dean Radin, who was interested in the claims of Japanese alternative medicine practitioner Masaru Emoto that the structure of water crystals is affected by positive  and negative emotions.20

    Emoto claims to have carried out hundreds of tests showing that even a single word of positive intent or negative intent profoundly changes the water’s internal organization.

    The water subjected to the positive intent supposedly develops a beautiful, highly complex crystalline structure when frozen, whereas the structure of water exposed to negative emotions became random, disordered, even grotesque. The most positive results supposedly occur with feelings of love or gratitude.

    Radin placed two vials of water in a shielded room in his laboratory at the Institute of Noetic Sciences in Petaluma, California. Meanwhile, a group of 200 attendees at one of Emoto’s conferences in Japan was shown a photo of the vials and asked to send them a prayer of gratitude.

    Radin then froze the water in those vials as well as samples of control water from the same source that had not been exposed to the prayers, and showed the resulting crystals to a panel of independent volunteers. He had carefully blinded the study so that neither he nor his volunteers had any idea which crystals had been grown from the water samples that had been sent intention. A statistically significant number of the volunteer judges concluded that water sent the positive intentions had formed the more aesthetically pleasing crystalline structure.21

    Nelson’s Global Consciousness Project effects had been an especially intriguing example of the power of mass thought. In a sense, they showed the same effect captured by Tiller’s equipment in his laboratory. Intention appeared to be raising order in the ground state of the Zero Point Field. But was there a magic threshold effect, as the Maharishi maintained? And how many people were required to constitute a critical mass? According to the Maharishi’s formula – that the square root of 1 per cent of any population practising advanced meditation will have a positive impact – only 1730 advanced American meditators would be required to have a positive influence on the US, and only 8084 to affect the entire world.

    Nelson’s work with FieldREGs had suggested that the size of the group was no as important as the intensity of focus; any group, however small, exerted an effect so long as the parties were involved in rapturous attention. But how many people did the group need to exert an effect? How intently focused did we need to be? What were the true limits of our influence – if any? It was time for me to find my own answers.

    The original plan for our first intention experiment, as Popp saw it, was to gather a group of experienced meditators in London, and to have them send positive intention to the Acetabularia acetabulum growing in Popp’s IIB laboratory in Neuss Germany.

    I was deflated after we had discussed the likely target. For our first experiment, I had wanted to help heal burn victims, to save the world from global warming. Single-celled organisms weren’t exactly my idea of heroics and high drama.

    Then I began to research algae, and quickly changed my mind. Vital algae were being killed off as a result of global warming. Scientists have discovered an inexorable rise in ocean temperatures over the past century.

    For the past 30 years, coral reefs, the centrepiece of the sea’s ecosystem, have been vanishing off the earth. When oceans warm, the algae hugging coral reefs get sloughed off, and without this protective layer, the coral reefs themselves die. Some 97 per cent of a certain species of coral have disappeared in the Caribbean alone, and the US governmen has recently declared Elkhorn and Staghorn coral to be endangered species.

    According to the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, body  made  up  of  the  world’s  leading  climatologists  and  other  scientists,  the predicted level of warming – up to 6°C by the end of this century – will bring on a disaster of biblical proportions: a rise of sea levels by nearly 1 metre; unendurable heat in many parts of the world; a vast increase of vector-born diseases; raging floods and storms. A change upward of six degrees may not seem like much until one takes on board that lowering it by the same amount would bring on another Ice Age.

    The key to warding off all the fires and floods appeared to be algae. Algae and other plants are the firefighters of our overheated oceans. Scientists are presently engaged in studying sediments from the ocean floor to see how the oceans cope with rising levels of gases.

    They are especially interested in the reaction of marine plants to global warming, as they are the primary shock absorbers of excess carbon dioxide. Algae provide oxygen and other benefits to plant and animal marine life. Algae offer a little wall of protection to the creatures of the sea from the worse excesses of man.

    I reconsidered my resistance to Acetabularia as a test subject. Algae might be critical to our survival. The health of most life in the seas depends on these lowly, single-celled creatures, and the seas, like the rainforests, represent the lungs of the earth. As algae goes, so, eventually, do we. Being able to show that mass intention could rescue a sample of algae might demonstrate that our thoughts could combat something as potentially devastating as global warming.

    * * *

    On 1 March 2006 I travelled to Germany to meet Popp and his colleagues at th IIB laboratory on Museum Island in Hombroich, west of Düsseldorf. The ‘island’s innovative architecture had first been built to serve the eccentric needs of a millionaire art collector turned Buddhist, Karl Heinrich Müller, who had nowhere to house his vast collection of painting and sculpture. He purchased 650 acres from the American military, and then converted a NATO missile site into an open-air museum.

    Müller’s ambitions for the island grew to embrace the possibility of an artists’ and writers’ community. He commissioned a sculptor turned architect named Erwin Heerich and gave him a free hand. Heerich created enormous futuristic brick structures – galleries, a concert hall, working spaces and even residences – and ingeniously placed them to best advantage against the bleak landscape. Nothing had been wasted; even the disused metal bunkers and rocket silos had been converted into studios and working spaces for famous German artists, writers and musicians, including Thomas Kling the lyricist and Joseph Beuys the sculptor.

    Past a ‘garden’ of buildings of different pastels, the eye alighted on a squat building of interlocking squares on a narrow base, like a giant piece of Lego about to take flight – the new official international site of the IIB. Popp politely accepted the building, when it was first offered to him, but found the open, airy loft, its floor-to- ceiling windows staring out on the vast panorama of Museum Island, completely impractical for his purposes. Before long he set up camp in one of the cramped metal bunkers, left from the raketenstation, whose small dark rooms are more compatible with the work of counting living light.

    There I met Popp’s team of eight, which included Yu Yan, a Chinese physicist, Sophie Cohen, a French chemist, and Eduard Van Wijk, a Dutch psychologist. Mos of the cramped rooms contained photomultipliers, large modern boxes attached to computers that count photon emissions. One room housed another smaller room, with a bed and a photomultiplier for human subjects.

    The pride of place was reserved for a strange homemade contraption of welded metal circles, resembling a David Smith sculpture of scrap metal, which periodically clanged. That, Popp said with pride, was his first photomultiplier, assembled in 1976 by his student, Bernhard Ruth, and still one of the most accurate pieces of equipment in the field. Indeed, he was convinced that it kept improving with age.

    When measuring subtle effects, such as the tiny discharges of light from a living thing, it is important to construct a test that will yield a large enough effect to indicate that something has changed.

    Our experimental design had to be so robust, said Popp, that a positive result could not be dismissed by advocatus diaboli, the scientific process of identifying weaknesses in a scientific hypothesis and providing a ready explanation for anomalous effects. Or, as Gary Schwartz had put it, if we heard hoof beats, we first had to eliminate horses before leaping to the conclusion that they belonged to zebras.

    In our experimental design, we also had to aim for an ‘on off, on off ’ effect, so that we could isolate any changes as being caused by remote influence. Popp suggested that we have our group send intention intermittently at regular intervals: 10 minutes on, then 10 minutes off, so that we would be ‘running’ intention a few times every hour. If our experiment worked and intention did have an effect, once we plotted our result on a graph it would create an identifiable, zigzag effect.

    Popp acquiesced to including dinoflagellates as well as Acetabularia. The light emissions of these fluorescent creatures are extraordinarily responsive to change. As he had seen when they had been placed in shaken water, a change of any sort to which a dinoflagellate is exposed readily shows up as a large shift in emissions of light. I made a further appeal for the use of several subjects.

    Each would constitute a separate experiment, and then we would have several results to compare. More than one positive finding would be less likely the result of chance. Finally, the scientists agreed. We also added a jade plant, and a human subject whom Eduard felt he could enlist.

    As Popp had concluded during his experiment with Dick Blasband, change o any sort is easier to see with something ill that you try to make well, so we needed to stress some of our subjects in some way. The most obvious way to stress a life form is to place it in a hostile medium.

    Eduard and Sophie decided to pour some vinegar into the medium of the dinoflagellates. We could stress the jade plant by sticking a needle through one of its fleshy leaves. Eduard ultimately decided to stress our human subject with three cups of coffee, but I agreed not to disclose this fact to my meditators, to see if they could pick up any psychic information about her. We decided to leave the Acetabularia alone, to test whether our intentions could also affect a healthy organism. To make it simple, our meditators would send intentions for the biophoton emissions of each organism to decrease and for its health and well- being to improve.

    The experiment would run at night, between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. Eduard and Sophie would turn on the equipment, and I would select three half-hour windows within that time frame, unbeknownst to them, to carry out our group intentions. Although it was impossible to conduct a double-blind trial (all of us in London would of course know when we sent our healing intention), we could create ‘singleblind’ conditions and control for experimenter effects, by ensuring that neither our human subject nor the scientists knew when intention was being sent. I would reveal our schedule to them only after the experiment had taken place.

    Our study design was constrained by the equipment. A photomultiplier cannot run with the shutter open continually for six hours, so we decided to turn it on from the hour to the half hour, and give it a rest between the half hour and the hour. I would instruct my meditators to send an intention to all four subjects for two 10-minute sessions during the three time windows I’d chosen.

    Eduard and Popp planned to look for any qualitative differences in the kind of light being emitted. Any change in the signal or the quantum nature of the photons during the times we were ‘running’ intention would suggest that change had occurred from an outside influence and that we were having an effect.

    I took some photos of our subjects and the scientists. Before leaving, I stole a last look at the Acetabularia, growing in small pots in a converted, darkened refrigerator, and the dinoflagellates, which resembled tiny green specks in the water tiny participants about to be stressed, and possibly sacrificed, in the name of science.

    A few weeks later, Eduard found a human volunteer in one of his Dutch colleagues, Annemarie Durr,22 a laser biologist and a meditator of long standing. Although rather sceptical of our plan, she was happy to be our first subject. Her agreement to participate was a particularly generous gesture, as it would entail sitting still on a bed in a pitch black room for six hours.

    At one of our conferences in mid-March, I asked for volunteers to participate in a first intention experiment from those among our audience who were experienced meditators. I prepared a PowerPoint presentation to brief them on the subjects of our experiment and the experimental protocol, and to reinforce my verbal presentation, and set the day for 28 March at 5:30 p.m., at a university lecture room I had hired for the evening.

    That night, there was such a fierce hailstorm when my colleague Nicolette Vuvan and I left our office for the train to central London that we had to take momentary shelter in a doorway.

    We were half soaked after battling through a torrent of rain, but I was thrilled with the atmospheric conditions – a dark, stormy night would only aid our activities. Weather this wild often results from geomagnetic or atmospheric disturbance, which I knew enhances psychokinetic effects.

    When I checked with America’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s website later that evening, I discovered that they noted ‘unsettled’ conditions for the evening, with a fair degree of geomagnetic activity and minor to major storms in space.

    Despite  the  weather,  16  volunteers  showed  up.  I  asked  them to  fill  in a collection of forms, which included personal information plus several psychological tests used by Gary Schwartz and Stanley Krippner, including the Arizona Outcome Integrative Scale and the Hartmann Boundary Questionnaire test, to test psychic ability. I wanted as much data as possible in order to gauge whether their state of mind, psychic talent, or health status would have any bearing on our results.

    I soon discovered that my volunteers were ideal candidates for an intention experiment. According to the forms they’d filled out for me, they’d meditated for an average of 14 years, and their scores on the psychological tests I’d given them showed that, as a group, they had very thin boundaries, tended toward a highly positive outlook, enjoyed excellent mental, emotional and physical health, and evidenced powerful emotions.

    I explained the experiment, offered photographs and details about our four subjects, and then went over the protocol. We would be sending our intentions from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at every hour on the hour to 10 minutes past and from 20 past until the half hour. In between those times we would rest, chat and fill in the forms.

    We began at 6 on the dot. As William Tiller had done in his black box experiments, I displayed the intentions in writing on the computer screen as I read them out loud so that all the meditators would be sending exactly the same thought during each meditation.

    I led the meditation, directed our focus to each target subject, showing its image on screen, and read aloud the sentence that sent our intention to lower the subject’s biophoton emissions and increase its state of health and well- being.

    The shared energy immediately felt tangible and increased in power as the evening carried on. Michael, one of our group members, suggested that we call our algae ‘Dino’ and ‘Tabu’, to establish some relationship with these little organisms. Although no one had any prior experience in telepathy, some participants began to pick up information about our subjects, notably Annemarie.

    Several meditators were convinced that she was an amateur singer, and had a recurrent problem with her throat. Isabel thought she might be suffering from gut problems or something gynaecological. Michael, who was German, kept thinking of a termI m schutz der dunkelheit (‘under protection of darkness’), and interpreted it to mean that she was wrapped up in a blanket. Amy said she received a mental image of Annemarie wrapped up in a luxuriously soft blanket on a hard surface and at times asleep. She was also convinced that she had eaten something disagreeable and that her stomach was upset.

    Many meditators felt a connection to the jade plant and ‘Tabu’, and Peter had a strong sense that Acetabularia was responding most to the intentions – but with few exceptions the group had the most difficulty establishing any connection with ‘Dino’, and this difficulty increased to the point where most felt no connection at all by the final session.

    All of us were infused with a strong sense of purpose and momentarily lost a sense of our individual identities.

    By the end of the evening, I had cast out my own doubts about the study and the niggling thought that what we were trying to do was faintly ludicrous. Even though we were not healers, we had all felt as if a healing of sorts had occurred. Whatever had happened in there, I thought, heading back out into the stormy night, I grew certain we’d had some kind of effect.

    Several days later, I sent Popp our meditation schedule so that his team could compile our results.

    I also spoke with Annemarie. Some of our extrasensory impressions had been correct. It was true she sang as a hobby and periodically suffered with a blocked throat. Although she ordinarily did not especially suffer problems in the gut, she had that night because the three cups of coffee Eduard had asked her to drink upset her stomach. Yet even though coffee late in the afternoon usually agitated her and caused insomnia, on the night of our experiment, she drifted off at various points throughout the six hours of the experiment and slept easily that night. She described tingling bodily sensations she had felt periodically through the evening, and the times of their occurrence corresponded with the first and third sessions that we had been ‘running’ intention. Nevertheless, we had also picked up some ‘noise’: she was not a vegetarian and never listened to or had sung Vivaldi, as a couple of meditators had felt.

    When analysing the data, Eduard studied not only the intensity of light but also its deviation from symmetry: normal emissions from a living thing, when plotted on a graph as a bell curve, are perfectly symmetrical. He also looked at any deviations in the kurtosis, or the customary ‘peakedness’, of the distribution. High kurtosis means a bell curve that is high around the middle, or mean.

    Again, when emissions are plotted on a graph, the normal peak distribution is 0 – the highs and lows cancel each other out. After examining our 12 block periods – the six times we sent intention and the six periods of rest – he found no change in light intensity. But he did find large changes in the skewness, showing a lack of the customary symmetry (from 1.124 to 0.922), and kurtosis (from 2.403 to 1.581) of the emissions. Something in the light was profoundly altered.

    Eduard was excited by the results. They exactly matched those he had observed during his study of healers, when he had tested whether the act of healing has a ‘scatter effect’ on any other living things in the environment where the healing takes place. In the study, when he had placed some algae with a photon counter in the presence of a healer and his patients and measured the photons of the algae during 36 healings, he had been surprised to discover that the photon count distributions of the algae had ‘remarkable’ alterations during the healing rituals. Large shifts in the cyclical components of the emissions had occurred.

    His tiny study had suggested that healing caused a shift in the light emissions of everything in its path.23 Now he had discovered the same effect when simple intention was sent by ordinary people from 300 miles away.

    On 12 April, Fritz Popp sent me data on the algae, the dinoflagellates and the jade plant. Although a first glance at the numbers had convinced him we had had no effect, he changed his mind once he performed his calculations.

    Ordinarily, any stressed living thing will begin to accustom itself to the stress, and its light emissions, although initially large, will naturally begin to decrease as the organism gets used to its new circumstances.

    Consequently, in order to work out a true demonstration of the effect of change, Popp had to control for this phenomenon. He worked out mathematically a means of starting from zero, so that any deviation from normal behaviour would readily show up. In this way, he would then be able to determine whether any additional change represented an increase or a decrease in the number of biophoton emissions. The number of emissions he then plotted on his graph reflected any excess increase or decrease from the norm.

    In all three instances, our subjects registered a significant decrease in biophotons during the meditation sessions, compared with the control periods. The dinoflagellates had been killed by the acid, in the end (one possible reason why they had been so difficult for our meditators to detect).

    Nevertheless, Popp said, their response (a lowering of emissions by nearly 140,000) was significantly different from the normal emissions of a dying organism. Among the survivors, the Acetabularia, the healthy subject, had evidenced a larger effect than the jade plant, perhaps because it was not overcoming a stress (544 emissions lower than normal), whereas with the jade plant (which had 65.5 emissions lower than normal), the stress (the pin) remained in the leaf during the experiment.

    He plotted the results on a graph, marking out the portions in red that represented the times of our healing intentions and emailed them to me. We had indeed produced a ‘zigzag’ effect. During meditation, Popp wrote in his report, ‘there is a clear preference of dropping down reactions rather than going up’, which tracked the times of our intentions. With the Acetabularia, we had had an overall decrease over the norm of 573 emissions, and an increase of only 29.

    Our little meditation effort had created a major healing effect, a significant decrease in living light. Not only that, but the effect from all that distance was similar to the effect by an experienced healer when healing in the same room. The intention of our group had created the same light as a healer’s.

    In many ways, it was a crude first effort. We had, after all, tested four subjects, some stressed and some not, and one had died. We had made use of control periods, but not control subjects. Both Eduard and Popp cautioned me not to take too much notice of it: ‘We have to be sure that these changes in kurtosis and skewness are real. That means that we have to repeat the experiments a couple of times,’ said Eduard. ‘Despite the right tendency of the results,’ wrote Popp, ‘I do not dare to state that it is proof.’

    But, despite these caveats, the fact was that we had recorded a significant effect. In the end, achieving a positive result didn’t really surprise me. For more than 30 years Popp, Schlitz, Schwartz and all of their fellow scientists have been amassing unimpeachable evidence in other experiments that has stretched credulity. Frontier research into the nature of human consciousness has upended everything that we have hitherto considered scientific certainty about our world.

    These discoveries offer convincing evidence that all matter in the universe exists in a web of connection and constant influence, which often overrides many of the laws of the universe that we used to believe held ultimate sovereignty.

    The significance of these findings extends far beyond a validation of extrasensory power or parapsychology. They threaten to demolish the entire edifice of present-day science. The discoveries of Tom Rosenbaum, Sai Ghosh and Anton Zeilinger that quantum effects occur in the world of the tangible could signal an end to the divide in modern physics between the laws of the large and the laws of the quantum particle, and the beginning of a single rule book defining all of life.

    Our definition of the physical universe as a collection of isolated objects, our definition of ourselves as just another of those objects, even our most basic understanding of time and space, will have to be recast. At least 40 top scientists in academic centres of research around the world have demonstrated that an information transfer constantly carries on between living things, and that thought forms are simply another aspect of transmitted energy. Hundreds of others have offered plausible theories embracing even the most counter-intuitive effects, such as time-displaced influence, as now consistent with the laws of physics.

    We can no longer view ourselves as isolated from our environment and our thoughts the private, self-contained workings of an individual brain. Dozens of scientists have produced thousands of papers in the scientific literature offering sound evidence that thoughts are capable of profoundly affecting all aspects of our lives. As observers and creators, we are constantly remaking our world at every instant. Every thought we have, every judgement we hold, however unconscious, is having an effect. With every moment that it notices, the conscious mind is sending an intention.

    These revelations not only force us to rethink what it is to be human, but also how to relate. We may have to reconsider the effect of everything that we think, whether we vocalize it or not. Our relationship with the world carries on, even in our silence.

    We must also recognize that these ideas are no longer the ruminations of a few eccentric individuals. The power of thought underpins many well-accepted disciplines in every reach of life, from orthodox and alternative medicine to competitive  sport.  Modern  medicine  must  fully  appreciate  the  central  role  of intention in healing. Medical scientists often speak of the ‘placebo effect’ as an annoying impediment to the proof of the efficacy of a chemical agent. It is time that we understood and made full use of the power of the placebo. Repeatedly, the mind has proved to be a far more powerful healer than the greatest of breakthrough drugs.

    We will have to reframe our understanding of our own biology in more miraculous terms. We are only beginning to understand the vast and untapped human potential at our disposal: the human being’s extraordinary capacity to influence the world. This potential is every person’s birthright, not simply that of the gifted master. Our thoughts may be an inexhaustible and simple resource that can be called upon to focus our lives, heal our illnesses, clean up our cities and improve the planet. We may have the power as communities to improve the quality of our air and water, our crime and accident statistics, the educational levels  of our children. One well- directed thought may be a gentle but effective way for every man and woman on the street to take matters of global interest into their own hands.

    This knowledge may give us back a sense of individual and collective power, which has been wrested from us, largely by the current world view espoused by modern science, which portrays an indifferent universe populated by things that are separate and unengaged. Indeed, an understanding of the power of conscious thought may also bring science closer to religion by offering scientific proof of the intuitive understanding, held by most of us, that to be alive is to be far more than an assemblage of chemicals and electrical signalling.

    We must open our minds to the wisdom of many native traditions, which hold an intuitive understanding of intention. Virtually all of these cultures describe a unified energy field not unlike the Zero Point Field, holding everything in the universe in its invisible web. These other cultures understand our place in a hierarchy of energy and the value of choosing time and place with care. The modern science of remote influence has finally offered proof of ancient intuitive beliefs about manifestation, healing and the power of thoughts. We would do well to appreciate, as these traditional cultures do, that every thought is sacred, with the power to take physical form.

    Both modern science and ancient practices can teach us how to use our extraordinary power of intention. If we could learn how to direct our potential for influence in a positive manner, we could improve every aspect of our world. Medicine, healing, education, even our interaction with  our technology, would benefit from a greater comprehension of the mind’s inextricable involvement in its world. If we begin to grasp the remarkable power of human consciousness, we will advance our understanding of ourselves as human beings in all our complexity.

    But there are still many more questions to ask about the nature of intention. Frontier science is the art of inquiring about the impossible. All of our major achievements in history have resulted from asking an outrageous question. What if stones fall from the sky? What if giant metal objects could overcome gravity? What if there is no end of the earth to sail off? What if time was not absolute, but depends on where you are? All of the discoveries about intention and remote influence have similarly proceeded from asking a seemingly absurd question: what if our thoughts could affect the things around us?

    True science, unafraid to explore the dark passages of our ignorance, always begins with an unpopular question, even if there is no prospect of an immediate answer – even if the answer threatens to overturn every last one of our cherished beliefs. The scientists engaged in consciousness research must constantly put forward unpopular questions about the nature of the mind and the extent of its reach.

    In our group experiments, we will be asking the most impossible question of all: what if a group thought could heal a remote target? It is a little like asking, what if a thought could heal the world?

    It is an outlandish question, but the most important part of scientific investigation is just the simple willingness to ask the question. As Bob Barth of the Office of Prayer Research commented, when asked whether praye research should continue in the wake of the Benson STEP study: ‘We can’t find the answers if we don’t keep asking the questions.’ That is how we will begin our own experiments – unafraid to ask the question, whatever the answer.

    Note – Chapter 12: The Intention Experiment

    1. Interview with Fritz-Albert Popp, March 1, 2006.
    2. F.-A. Popp et al., ‘Further analysis of delayed luminescence of plants’, Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology, 2005, 78: 235–44.
    3. For a full description of Popp’s history, see McTaggart, The Field, op. cit.
    4. International Institute of Biophysics, see www.lifescientists.de.
    5. B. J. Dunne, ‘Co-operator experiments with an REG device’, PEA Technical Note 91005, Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research Princeton, New Jersey, December 1991.
    6. R. D. Nelson et al., ‘FieldREG anomalies in group situations’,Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1996; 10 (1): 111–41; R. D. Nelson et al., ‘FieldREGII: Consciousness field effects: replications and explorations’ Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1998; 12 (3): 425–54.
    7. D. I. Radin, ‘For whom the bell tolls: A question of global consciousness’ Noetic Sciences Review, 2003; 63: 8–13 and 44–5; R. D. Nelson et al. ‘Correlation of continuous random data with major world events’, Foundations of Physics Letters, 2002; 15 (6): 537–50.
    8. D. I. Radin, ‘Exploring relationships between random physical events and mass human attention: Asking for whom the bell tolls’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 2002; 16 (4): 533–47.
    9. R. D. Nelson,   ‘Coherent consciousness and reduced randomness: Correlations on September 11, 2001’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 2002; 16 (4): 549–70.
    10. Ibid.
    11. Bryan J. Williams, ‘Exploratory block analysis of field consciousness effects on global RNGs on September 11, 2001’ (http://noosphere.princeton.edu/williams/GCP911.     html).
    12. J. D. Scargle, ‘Commentary: Was there evidence of global consciousness on September 11, 2001?’ Journal of Scientific Exploration, 2002; 16 (4): 571–7.
    13. Nelson et al., ‘Correlation of continuous random data’, op. cit.
    14. M. C. Dillbeck et al., ‘The Transcendental Meditation program and crime rate change in a sample of 48 cities’, Journal of Crime and Justice, 1981; 4: 25–45.
    15. J. Hagelin et al., ‘Effects of group practice of the Transcendental Meditation program on preventing violent crime in Washington, D. C.: Results of the National Demonstration Project, June–July 1993’,Social Indicators Research, 1999; 47 (2): 153–201.
    16. W. Orme-Johnson et al., ‘International peace project in the Middle East: the effects of the Maharishi technology of the unified field’, Journal of Conflict Resolution, 1988; 32: 776–812.
    17. K. L. Cavanaugh et al., ‘Consciousness and the quality of economic life empirical research on the macroeconomic effects of the collective practice of Maharishi’s Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program.’ Paper originally presented at the annual meeting of the Midwest Management Society, Chicago, March 1989, published in R. G. Greenwood (ed.) Proceedings of the Midwest Management Society, Chicago: Midwest Management Society, 1989: 183–90; K. L. Cavanaugh et al., ‘A multiple input transfer function model of Okun’s misery index: An empirical test of the Maharishi Effect.’ Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Statistical Association, Washington D. C., August 6–10, 1989, an abridged version of the paper appears in Proceedings of the American Statistical Association, Business and Economics Statistics Section, Alexandria, Va.: American Statistical Association, 1989: 565–70;  K. L Cavanaugh and K. D. King, ‘Simultaneous transfer function analysis of Okun’s misery index: improvements in the economic quality of life through Maharishi’s   Vedic Science  and technology of consciousness.’  Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Statistical Association New Orleans, Louisiana, August 22–25, 1988, an abridged version of the paper  appears  in Proceedings  of  the  American  Statistical  Association Business  and  Economics  Statistics  Section,  Alexandria,  Va.:  American Statistical   Association,  1988:  491–6;   K.  L.  Cavanaugh,  ‘Time  serie analysis of U.S. and Canadian inflation and unemployment: A test of a field-theoretic hypothesis.’ Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Statistical Association, San Francisco, California, August 17–20 1987,  published  in Proceedings of the American Statistical Association Business  and  Economics  Statistics  Section,  Alexandria,  Va.:  American Statistical Association, 1987: 799–804.
    18. Strong rains fall on fire-ravaged Amazon state, March 31, 1998, Web posted at: 6:46 p.m. EST (2346 GMT), Brasilia, Brazil (CNN) http://twm co. nz/.
    19. R. Nelson, ‘Wishing for good weather: a natural experiment in group consciousness’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1997; 11 (1): 47–58.
    20. M. Emoto, The Hidden Messages in Water, New York: Atria, 2005.
    21. Interview with Dean Radin, May 3, 2006.
    22. Not her real name. I’ve changed her name at her request. Nevertheless, our meditators were shown her real name and photo.
    23. R. Van Wijk and E. P. Van Wijk, ‘The search for a biosensor as a witness of a human laying on of hands ritual’, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 2003; 9 (2): 48–55.

    PART FOUR

    The Experiments

    Miracles do not happen in contradiction to nature, but only in contradiction to that which is known in nature. 
    
    -St Augustine

    CHAPTER THIRTEEN

    The Intention Exercises

    UP UNTIL THIS POINT, The Intention Experiment has been concerned with the scientific evidence of the power of intention. What has not been tested is the extent of this power in the cut and thrust of ordinary life. An inordinate number of books have been written about the power of the human being to manifest his or her reality, and, while they have served up many intuitive truths, they offer little in the way of scientific evidence.

    Exactly how much power do we possess to shape and mould our daily lives? What can we use this for, individually and collectively? How much power do we possess to heal ourselves, to live lives of greater happiness and purpose?

    This is where I would like to enlist your help. Determining the further practical applications of the power of thought is the purpose of the next portion of this book – the part that involves you as a partner in the research.

    Although the power of intention is such that any sort of focused will may have some effect, the scientific evidence suggests that you will be a more effective ‘intender’ if you become more ‘coherent’, in the scientific sense of the term. To do so to greatest effect, or so the scientific evidence suggests, you will need to choose the right time and place, quiet your mind, learn how to focus, entrain yourself with the object of your intention, visualize and mentally rehearse. Believing that the experiment will work is also essential.

    Most of us operate with very little in the way of mental coherence. We walk around immersed in a riot of fragmentary and discordant thought. You will become more coherent simply by learning to shut down that useless internal chatter, which always focuses on the past or the future, never the present. In time, you will become adept at quietening down your mind and ‘powering up’, much as joggers train their muscles, and each day find that they can perform a little better than the day before.

    The following exercises are designed to help you to become more coherent and so more effective in using intention in your life and in our group intention experiments. These have been extrapolated from what has appeared to work best in the scientific laboratory.

    Think of intentions in terms of grand and smaller schemes. Take the grand schemes in stages, so that you send out intentions in steps towards achieving the grand scheme. Also start with modest goals – something realizable within a reasonable timeframe. If you are 40 pounds overweight and your goal is to be a size 8 next week, that is not a realistic timeframe. Nevertheless, keep the grand scheme in mind and build towards it as you gain experience. It is also important to overcome your natural scepticism. The idea that your thought can affect physical reality may not fit your current world paradigm, but nor would the concept of gravity if you were living in the Middle Ages.

    Choose Your Intention Space

    A number of scientific studies suggest that conditioning your space magnifies the effectiveness of your intentions. Choose a place to carry out your intentions that feels comfortable. Clear away extraneous items and make it personal or appealing, with cushions or comfortable furniture, so that whenever you spend time there you will find it an enjoyable refuge, a place where you can sit quietly and meditate. Use candles, soft lights and incense, if you prefer.

    Some people find it helpful to create an ‘altar’ of sorts, as a focal point, with objects or photographs that you find inspirational or particularly meaningful. Even if you are not at home, you may find that you will naturally ‘enter’ your intention space by visualizing it whenever you want to send an intention.

    Unless you live in the mountains and can open your windows to clean mountain air, you also may want to install an ionizer in your space to increase the number of negative ions in your environment.

    The half-life of ions – which is related to the amount of time that ions maintain their effective radiation – depends on the amount of pollutants in the air. The cleaner the air, the longer the half-life of small ions, if there is a source of ionization (e.g. running water) present. The best levels of ions are:

    • in the uninhabited country, away from industrialized areas; near running water, whether a shower or a waterfall;
    • in natural habitats;
    • in clear sunshine – a natural ionizer; after storms;
    • in the mountains.

    The worst are:

    • in enclosed spaces with a gathering of a number of people;
    • near television sets and other such electrical appliances, which can give off electric emissions up to 11,000 volts, exposing anything immediately in range to positive charge;
    • in cities;near industrial sources; in smog, fog, dust or haze.

    As a rule of thumb, the lower the visibility, the lower the ion concentration. Low visibility is due to the presence of a great number of large particles, which air ions readily latch on to. For those among us who are city dwellers, placing plants and some source of water, like an indoor desk fountain, will help to improve ion levels in intention spaces. Keep your space free of electrical gadgets and computers.

    Power Up

    In order to ‘power up’ to peak intensity, you must first slow your brain waves down to a meditative, or ‘alpha’, state of light meditation or dreaming – when the brain emits frequencies (measured on an EEG machine) of 8–13 hertz (cycles per second).

    Sit in a comfortable position. Many people like to sit upright in a hard-backed chair, with their hands placed on their knees. You may also sit on the floor cross- legged. Begin breathing slowly and rhythmically in through the nose and out through the mouth (slowly blow all the air out), so that your in-breath is the same length as your out-breath. Allow the belly to relax so that it slightly protrudes, then pull it back slowly as if you were trying to get it to touch your back. This will ensure that you are breathing through your diaphragm.

    Repeat this every 15 seconds, but ensure  that you are  not overexerting or straining. Carry on for 3 minutes and then keep observing it. Work up to 5 or 10 minutes. Begin to focus your attention just on the breath. Practise this repeatedly, as it will form the basis of your meditative practices.

    To enter an alpha state, the most important feature, as any Buddhist understands, is to still the mind. Of course, just thinking about nothing is often virtually impossible.

    After entering the state by concentrating on the breath or focusing on a single object, most meditation schools recommend some sort of ‘anchor’, enabling you to keep your chattering mind quiet, so that you are allowed to be more receptive to intuitive information. The usual anchors include focusing on:

    • the body and its functions, or the breath;
    • your thoughts, as though they are floating by on a flying carpet, so that they are not ‘you’;
    • a mantra, such as used in Transcendental Meditation, is usually a ‘word’ such as OM (‘The Field’ in Buddhism), AH (the universal truth of life) or HUM (the physical manifestation of the truth – the universe itself). In the early 1970s, many practitioners of TM were given the mantra AHOM;
    • numbers, through silent repetitive counting, either backwards or forwards; music – usually something repetitive, such as Bach or chanting;
    • a single tone, such as that produced by an Australian didgeridoo;
    • a drum or rattle, the repetitive sounds of which have been used by many traditional cultures to still the mind;
    • prayer, as with a rosary, since the repetitive sounds still the mind.

    Practise until you can comfortably focus on your ‘anchor’ for 20 minutes or more.

    Peak Intensity

    Powering up involves developing the ability to  attend  with peak intensity, moment by moment. One of the surest ways to develop this is to practise the ancient art of mindfulness, espoused as long ago as 1000 BC by Shakyamuni Buddha, founder of modern Buddhism. It is a discipline whereby you maintain clear, moment-to- moment  awareness  of  what  is  happening  internally  and  externally,  rather  than

    in thought.

    More than just concentration, mindfulness requires that you police the focus of your concentration and maintain that concentration in the present. With practice, you will be able to silence the constant inner chatter of your mind and concentrate on your sensory experiences, no matter how mundane – whether it is eating a meal, hugging your child, noticing some pain you are experiencing or just picking some lint off your sweater. It is like being a benevolent parent to your mind – selecting what it will focus on and leading it back when it strays.

    In time, mindfulness meditation will also heighten your visual perceptions and prevent you from becoming numb to your everyday experience.

    One of the difficulties in incorporating mindfulness into ordinary activity is that it is usually taught at retreats, where participants have the luxury of meditating for hours a day or practising mindfulness by engaging in activities, as it were, in ‘slow motion’. Nevertheless, there are ways to adapt many traditional practices for use in your intention meditation.

    Once you have achieved your ‘alpha state’, quietly observe whatever manifests in your mind and body as precisely as you can. Be present and attentive to what is, rather than what your emotions tell you, what you wish were the case, or only what is most pleasant. Do not suppress or banish any negative thoughts, if they are true. One good means of harnessing your mind to the present is to ‘come into your body’ and feel your body posture.

    It is vital that you distinguish mindfulness from mere concentration. The most important distinction is a lack of judgement or reference point about the experience. You attend to every moment in the present without colouring it with preference for the pleasant or distaste for the unpleasant, or even identifying the experience as something happening to you. There is, in short, no ‘better’ or ‘worse’.

    Be aware of all the smells, textures, colours and sensual feelings you are experiencing. What does the room smell like? What taste is in your mouth? What does your seat feel like?

    Be mindful of what is happening internally and externally. Whenever you catch yourself judging what you see, think to yourself, ‘I am thinking’, and return to observing with simple attention.

    Cultivate the art of simple listening to all sounds in your room: the rumble of a pipe, the honking of a horn, the barking of a dog, a plane flying overhead. Accept all sounds – the noise, chaos or stillness – without judgement.

    Notice other sensations in the room: the ‘colour’ of the day, the light in the room, any movement carrying on in front of you, the sensations of quiet.

    Try not to try. Work on eliminating your expectations or striving for (and anxiety over) certain results.

    Accept all that happens without judgement. This means putting away all opinions and interpretations of what goes on. Catch yourself clinging to certain views, thoughts, opinions and preferences, and rejecting others. Accept your

    own feelings and experiences, even the unpleasant ones.

    Try never to rush. If you must rush, be present in the rushing. Feel what it feels like.

    Developing Mindfulness in Your Daily Life

    Even when you are not using intention, the evidence suggests that you will mould your brain to become better at it if you develop mindfulness in your daily life. Psychologist Dr Charles Tart, one of the world’s experts on altered states of consciousness, has a number of suggestions of ways to do so:1

    Take periodic breaks during the day in which you have quiet time to be mindful of what is happening internally and externally.

    Whenever you feel your concentration flitting away in your daily activities, sense your breath – it will help to ground you.

    Be mindful of the most mundane of activities, such as brushing your teeth or shaving.

    Start with a small exercise, such as fetching your coat and walking, in which you stay focused completely on what you are doing.

    Engage in mental noting, in which you label an ongoing activity, for example ‘I’m putting on my coat’, ‘opening the door’, ‘tying my shoes’.

    Use mindfulness in every ordinary situation. When you are preparing dinner or even doing your teeth, be aware of all the smells, textures, colours and sensual feelings you are experiencing.

    Learn to really look at your partner and your children, your pets, your friends and work colleagues. Observe them closely during every activity – every part of

    them without judgement.

    During some activity, such as breakfast, ask your children to be mindful (without speaking) of every aspect of it. Concentrate on the taste of your food. Look closely at the texture and the colours of it. How does the cereal crunch? How does their juice feel as it cascades down their throats? Become aware of the smells and sounds around you. While you are watching all this, how are the different parts of your body feeling?

    Listen to what your life sounds like – the myriad noises surrounding you every day. When someone speaks to you, listen to the sound of his or her voice as well as the words. Do not think of a reply until he or she has stopped speaking. Practise mindfulness in every activity: walking down the street, driving home, in the garden.If you are practising these exercises and you happen to bump into someone, do not enter into conversation. Just greet the person, shake hands and stay in the present moment.

    Use mindfulness when you are extremely busy or under a tight deadline. Observe what it is like to hurry or to be under the gun and what happens when you do. How does it affect your equilibrium? Be an observer of yourself in that situation. Can you stay in your body while you are working hard?

    Practise mindfulness while you are standing in line. Experience the feeling of waiting itself, rather than focusing on what you are waiting for. Be aware of your physical movements and your thoughts.

    Do not think about or try to work out your problems. Just deal with whatever daily problem solving is immediately in front of you.

    Merging with the ‘Other’

    Research shows that touch or even focus on the heart or compassionate feelings for the other is a powerful means of causing brain-wave entrainment between people. When two people touch while focusing loving thoughts on their hearts, the ‘coherent’ heart rhythms of one can entrain the brain of the other.2

    Before you set your intention, it may be important  to form an empathetic connection with the object of your intention.

    Establish connection beforehand by the following techniques:

    First send your intention to someone with whom you already have a strong bond

    – a partner, a child, a sibling, a dear friend.

    With someone you do not know, exchange an object or photograph.

    Get to know the person. Go for a walk with them or meet them first.Spend half an hour meditating together first.

    Ask the person to be open to receiving your intention when you are sending it. If you are sending an intention to something non-human or inanimate, you can also establish some connection. Find out all you can about the object of your intentions, whether a plant, an animal or an inanimate object. Have it near you for a period before sending your intention. It goes without saying that you should

    be nice to it – even if ‘it’ is your computer or photocopier.

    Be Compassionate

    Use the following methods to encourage a sense of universal compassion during your intention session:

    Focus your attention to your heart, as though you are sending light to it. Observe the light spreading from your heart to the rest of your body. Send a loving thought to yourself, such as ‘May I be well and free from suffering.’

    On the out breath, imagine a white light radiating outward from your heart. As you do, think: ‘I appreciate the kindnesses and love of all living creatures. May all others be well.’ As Buddhists recommend, first think of all those you love, then your good friends. Move on to acquaintances and finally to those people you actively dislike. For each stage, think: ‘May they be well and free from suffering.’

    Concentrate on the kindness and compassion of all living things and their contribution to your well-being. Finally, send your message of compassion to all people and living things on earth.

    Practise switching roles with some of your loved ones. Imagine what it is like to be your partner or spouse, your parent, your child. Get inside their shoes and imagine what itwould be like to see the world through their eyes, with their hopes and fears and dreams. Think how you would respond.

    Jerome Stone quotes Sogyal Rinpoche, author of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying,3 who suggests that we open our hearts every day to the suffering around us, with beggars who pass us by, with the poverty, tragedy and grief we see on our television sets:

    Don’t waste the love and grief it arouses; the moment you feel compassion welling up in you, don’t brush it aside, don’t shrug it off and try quickly to return to ‘normal’, don’t be afraid of the feeling or embarrassed by it, allow yourself to be distracted from it or let it run aground in apathy. Be vulnerable; use that quick, bright up rush of compassion; focus on it, go deep into your heart and meditate on it, develop it, enhance and deepen it. By doing this you will realize how blind you have been to suffering …4

    During your intention, if you are sending healing to someone, first try to put yourself in his situation. Imagine what it is like to be him and to be faced with his current crisis. Try to feel and have empathy for your receiver’s suffering. Ask yourself how you would feel if you were suffering in this manner and how you would most want to be healed.

    Now, direct your loving thoughts to the object of your intention. If he or she is present, hold his or her hand.

    Stating Your Intention

    In your meditative state, state your clear intention. Although many people use the construction ‘have always been’ – ‘I have always been healthy’ – I prefer the present tense – of sending your intention to its ‘endpoint’ as a wish that has already been achieved. For instance, if you are trying to heal back pain, you can say, ‘My lower back and sacrum are free of all pain and now move easily and fluidly.’ Remember to frame your intention as a positive statement; rather than ‘I will not have side effects’, say, ‘I will be free of side effects’.

    Be Specific

    Specific intentions seem to work best. Be sure to make your intentions highly specific and directed – and the more detailed, the better. If you are trying to heal the fourth finger of your child’s left hand, specify that finger and, if possible, the problem with it.

    State your entire intention, and include what it is you would like to change, to whom, when and where. Use the following as a checklist (as news reporters do) to ensure you have covered every specific: who, what, when, where, why and how. It may help if you draw a picture of it, or create a collage from photos or magazine

    pictures. Place this somewhere that you can look at often.

    The Mental Dry Run

    As with elite athletes, the best way to send an intention is to visualize the outcome you desire with all your five senses in real time. Visualization, or guided imagery, involves using images and/or internal messages to obtain a desired goal. It can be used for any desired outcome – to change or improve your living situation, job, relationships, physical condition or health, state of mind (from negative to positive), outlook on life or even a specific aspect of yourself,  including your personality. It can also be used to send intentions to someone else. Self-guided imagery is a little like self-hypnosis.

    Plan a mental image of the outcome of your intention well ahead of time. When carrying out visualization, many people believe that you must ‘see’ the exact image clearly in your mind’s eye. But for an intention it isn’t necessary to have a sharp internal image or, indeed, any image at all. It is  enough to just think about an intention, without a mental picture, and simply to create an impression, a feeling or a thought. Some of us think in images, others through words, still others through sounds, touch or the spatial relationship between objects. Your mental rehearsal will depend on which senses are most developed in your brain.

    For our example of healing back pain, imagine yourself free from pain and doing some sort of exercise or movement you enjoy. See yourself walking agilely, free from pain. Remember, feel the feeling of being pain-free and electrically alive. Imagine the internal and external sensations of your limber back. Feel yourself running free. Choose other sensations that support the healing of your back. If you are sending your intention to heal someone else, carry out all the same aspects of the healing, but imagine yourself inside the other person’s back. Send your intention to his back.

    Practise Visualizing

    You can practise visualization first by getting into a meditative state and imagining the following, while recalling or imagining as much as you can about the sight and smells, and your feelings about them:

    • A favourite recent meal (can you remember some of the smells and tastes you really enjoyed?).
    • Your bedroom. Walk yourself mentally through it, remembering certain details – the feel of your bedspread, the curtains or carpet. You do not have to see the entire room, just get a detail or impression.
    • A recent happy moment (with a loved one, or a child). Remember the most vivid sensations and images.
    • Yourself performing an activity such as running, riding a bike, swimming or working out at the gym. Try to feel what it is like for your body to be moving that way.
    • Your favourite music (try to ‘hear’ the music internally).
    • A recent experience with an intense physical sensation (such as plunging into a pool or the ocean, having a steam bath,feeling snow or rain, or making love).

    Try to relive all of the physical sensations.

    To visualize your intention, first work it out carefully ahead of time:

    Now, create a picture in your mind’s eye of the desired result. Imagine it as already existing, with you in that situation.

    Try to imagine as much sensory detail as you can about the situation (the look, smell and feel of it).

    Think about it in a positive, optimistic, encouraging way; use mental statements, or affirmations, that confirm that it has or is now happening (not that it will happen in the future). For instance, for someone with a heart problem, ‘My heart is healthy and well.’

    For healing, try to imagine healing energy (perhaps as a white light or as your personal deity) filling you and observe it healing the portion of your body that is ill – say, turning a diseased organ into a healthy one. If a good-versus-evil ‘contest’ is most vivid for you, imagine the ‘hero’ cells battling or eating up the ‘bad guys’. Otherwise, visualize diseased cells or tissue changing into healthy cells, healthy cells replacing diseased cells, or imagine your entire body with that specific body part in perfect health. Visualize yourself often as perfectly healthy, carrying out your daily activities. Find an image of the body part on the Internet or in a book as it looks when it is healthy. Imagine your own body part looking like that.Send out the visualization often, both during meditation and throughout the day.

    Belief

    The copious evidence of the placebo effect demonstrates the extraordinary power of belief. Belief in the power of intention is also vital. Keep firmly fixed in your mind the desired outcome and do not allow yourself to think of failure. Dismiss any it-won’t-happen-to-me type of thoughts. If you are attempting to affect someone who does not share your belief that it may be of benefit, speak to them about some of the scientific evidence in The Intention Experiment and elsewhere. It is important that both of you share the same beliefs. Herbert Benson believes that his monks were able to achieve their effects because they used words or phrases incorporating their most deeply held beliefs.5

    Move Aside

    In studies of meditation, mediumship and healing, those who are successful at intention imagine themselves and the person receiving healing as one with the universe. In your meditative state, enter into a zone where you relax your sense of ‘I’ and sense a merging with the object of your intention and The Field. Frame your intention, state it clearly and then let go of the outcome. At this point, you may sense that the intention is taken over by some greater force. Close your internal meditation with a request and then move your own ego aside. Remember: this ‘power’ does not originate with you – you are its conduit. Think of it as a request you are sending to the

    universe.

    Timing

    The evidence suggests that mind-over-matter intention (that is, psychokinesis) works best at points of increased geomagnetic activity. You can find out about the geomagnetic levels in your area by consulting several websites. The US Nationa Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) created a Space Environmen Center (SEC), America’s official source of space weather activity (www.sec.noaa.gov). The SEC, in turn, set up a special Space Weather Operations (SWO) branch to act as a warning centre for the world concerning disturbances in space. Jointly operated by the NOAA and the US Air Force, SWO provides forecast and warnings of solar and geomagnetic activity.

    SWO receives its data in real time from a large number of ground-based observatories and satellite sensors around the world. These data enable the SWO to predict solar and geomagnetic activity, and to make worldwide alerts during heavy storms. For the forecast  of the day you plan to carry out  your intentions, see http://sec.noaa.gov/today2. html.

    The SEC has created Space Weather Scales to give lay people an idea of th severity of geomagnetic storms, solar radiation storms and radio blackouts, and their effect on our technological systems (www.sec.noaa.gov/NOAAscales). The numbers attached to them (such as ‘G5’) indicate the level of severity, with 1 being mild and 5 the most severe.

    The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) was set up as a joint projec by the European Space Agency and NASA to study the effect of the sun on the earth For more information, see http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/.

    For other aspects of space weather, including charts of geomagnetic activity, see http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/spaceweather/. This website includes useful charts on geomagnetic activity, solar wind and high-energy proton and X-ray flux.

    All geomagnetic activity is measured on a K index, with 0 being the most quiet and 9 the most turbulent. The a index is similar, but uses a larger scale – from 0 to 400.

    When you are sending an intention, plan to do so on a day when the K index is 5 or more (or the a index more than 200).

    It may also be best to use intention during 1 p.m. local sidereal time (check the web to compute local sidereal time).

    Only send intentions on days when you feel happy and well in every way.

    Putting It All Together

    Your Intention Programme

    • Enter your intention space. Power up through meditation.
    • Move into peak focus through mindful awareness of the present.
    • Get onto the same wavelength by focusing on compassion and making a meaningful connection.
    • State your intention and make it specific. Mentally rehearse every moment of it with all your senses.
    • Visualize, in vivid detail, your intention as established fact.
    • Time it right – check what the sun is doing, and choose days when you feel happy and well.
    • Move aside – surrender to the power of the universe and let go of the outcome.

    Note – Chapter 13: The Intention Exercises

    1. 1.  See C. T. Tart, ‘Initial application of mindfulness extension exercises in a traditional Buddhist meditation retreat setting, 1995’, unpublished (www. paradigmsys. com/cttart).
    • 2.  R. McCraty et al., ‘The electricity of touch: Detection and measurement o cardiac energy exchange between people’, in K. H. Pribram (ed.), Brain and Values: Is a Biological Science of Values Possible? Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1998: 359–79.
    • 3.  S.     Rinpoche, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1994.
    • 4.  S. Rinpoche, as quoted in J. Stone, Instructor’s Training Manual, Cours Syllabus: Training in Compassionate-Loving Intention, 2003.
    • 5.  H. Dienstfrey, Where the Mind Meets the Body, London: HarperCollins 1991: 39.

    This is part 3 of a multi-part post.

    The access to all the posts can be found in this index below…

    Do you want more?

    I have many more posts related to this in my MAJestic Index. You can find it here…

    MAJestic

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

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    The structure of our physical universe as understood by MAJestic.

    This is going to be a kind of odd-ball post, and I have been putting it off for a long time. But it needs to be presented, no matter how confusing or perplexing. This is a post that talks about our physical universe, as opposed to what is conventionally believed to be our universe. I discuss our physical and non-physical universes and what the delineation is. I also discuss how it differs from what everyone thinks it is. This is what many people in MAJestic understand the universe to actually be like. In some ways it is simple and in some ways it is really strange as it does not agree with our physical Newtonian observation.

    Introduction

    I should have tackled this subject first, right off.

    But, it’s a real hassle.

    You know, the ignorance in America and the world is so absolutely profound that it would be an up-hill battle. It’s like that character trying to explain to the “scientists” in the White House (in the movie “Idiocracy”) that you cannot give energy drinks to plants.

    Scene from the movie "Idiocracy" where the hero tries to explain that the plants are dying because energy drinks have electrolytes and you cannot give it to the plants. But they won't listen. They just keep repeating the same old marketing slogans over and over.
    Scene from the movie “Idiocracy” where the hero tries to explain that the plants are dying because energy drinks have electrolytes and you cannot give it to the plants. But they won’t listen. They just keep repeating the same old marketing slogans over and over.

    And this ignorance is so profound and prevalent that it just isn’t worth my time and effort. For me, and many in MAJestic, we just shrug our shoulders and say “fuck it”, and then grab another beer. Arguing with fools is a zero-sum game.

    What we think the universe is

    To understand your role in this universe, you need to understand just what “this” universe actually is. For it is absolutely not what everyone else thinks or says it is. And I must say if you are trying to find understanding by using the internet, you are going to be disappointed.

    This is from NASA…

    What is the Universe?
    
    07.15.04
    
    The Universe is a big, open place. You are in the Universe. Things you can't see are in it, too. The biggest stars are in it. Even the smallest things on Earth are part of the Universe. We don't even know how big the Universe is!
    
    -NASA.gov

    This is from NASA.

    Obviously written by a “diversity hire“.

    That’s what the most learned scientists have to say about the universe. Aren’t you glad that you asked? Isn’t it great to know that it is a big, vast, empty space that tiny insignificant you exists within?

    But it’s so absolutely wrong, it boggles the mind.

    The movie "Idiocracy" does a great job showing how difficult it is trying to explain things in a clear concise manner to a dumbed-down nation of people totally indoctrinated in a fictional belief system.
    The movie “Idiocracy” does a great job showing how difficult it is trying to explain things in a clear concise manner to a dumbed-down nation of people totally indoctrinated in a fictional belief system.

    What the actual universe is

    Our “universe” is not what it appears. It is not this big enormous area of empty space with scattered stars, galaxies and planets in it. It is not empty. It is actually quite solid…

    … yeah. I get it.

    “How can it be solid, when all I see is empty space, duh?”

    How can outer space be solid, when we observe nothing but black empty space for huge vast distances all around us? Ya, dim-wit!

    We cannot see the universe as it is simply because our physical bodies cannot see things as they are. We only have a mere five senses that are all quite limited, and only permit us to see the most narrow bands of what our earthly environment is.

    We cannot see raw infrared radiation.

    We cannot see X-rays emitted from a star.

    We cannot see “dark matter”.

    We cannot see a neutron shower.

    We cannot see all the quanta, the photons, the electrons and all the atomic particles zooming about all over the place. We cannot see the things burst forth into our universe and then leave it. We cannot see the thoughts that all creatures create, and how they move about and influence the actions within our universe. We cannot see or sense the “unseen”.

    This is unfortunate, but this is the way that it is.

    If we could see quanta, everything would look like shades of grey. With floating and moving "clouds" of grey that move in and out of a overlapping grey "fog".

    To us, it appears that the universe is just ’empty space’. But, it’s not. It really isn’t.

    Instead, our universe is all quite solid.

    It is like this enormous cauldron of thick soup. And within that mixture are pockets of thicker soup, and areas of watery soup. There are areas of spicy soup, and areas of sweet soup. There are areas of hot soup, and areas of cold soup. There are all kinds of things in this soup.

    Do you see any empty space in the picture of soup below?

    Our universe is NOT a big empty space with stars and planets that form into galaxies. But rather it is a thick and solid mass, just filled with all kinds of things that we (as humans) cannot see. It more resembles a big cauldron of soup that anything else.
    Our universe is NOT a big empty space with stars and planets that form into galaxies. But rather it is a thick and solid mass, just filled with all kinds of things that we (as humans) cannot see. It more resembles a big cauldron of soup that anything else.

    And that is what our actual universe is like.

    You know, it’s not all that unlike the code in the movie “The Matrix”. Where the entire “universe” that humans experience is just computer code. And if you look at the code itself it doesn’t resemble anything at all what you see, hear, and sense when you are within the matrix.

    In the movie "The Matrix", the reality is one where it's just lines and lines of computer code. This code is converted to human sensations and the human brain interprets it as actual thoughts, actions and senses.
    In the movie “The Matrix”, the reality is one where it’s just lines and lines of computer code. This code is converted to human sensations and the human brain interprets it as actual thoughts, actions and senses.

    Now the thing about this is that our universe is not lines and reams of computer code. It’s NOT a software simulation. It’s a region that is filled to the brim with all sorts of super tiny stuff…

    It is just a soup of quanta moving about in all sorts of ways, means and actions. We as humans cannot sense this quanta. But we can sense the things that the quanta alters.

    We, as human beings, observe the world around us with our senses. And what our senses “pick up” are the effects of the mass movement and behaviors of the quanta in this universe. They do not pick up the quanta themselves.

    Imagine that you are on a boat in a sea. You can see the blue sky above and the deep dark green-blue sea below. It’s calm, but pretty soon the sea starts to get choppy and waves form, with many waves forming “white caps”. You, on the boat, cannot see why the waves are choppy, you just know that they are.

    That is how this universe works.

    We cannot see things as they truly are with our senses. But we can sense the end result of the movement of quanta.

    The “filler” in our universe

    All that quanta moving back and forth in our universe forms the basic building blocks of everything within our physical universe. They consist of tiny quanta, and they form complex relationships with other quanta. We can identify them as “particles” and we can identify them as “waves”.

    But we know what they are and that they do exist.

    Quanta makes up everything that we know and experience. And we have mapped out this relationship over the years to paint a pretty comprehensive idea of how quanta fits in the grand scheme of things.

    How all the quanta build up upon each other to form the physical universe that we see all around us.
    How all the quanta build up upon each other to form the physical universe that we see all around us.

    So, we know all about quanta.

    They go in and out of different phases of existence. Sometimes they behave as particles. Sometimes they behave as waves.

    They influence each other.

    And they are influenced by thought

    But, that is a subject for other posts.

    World-Lines

    Well, I really don’t think that anything that I just said is going to shock any student of quantum physics. It’s all pretty much well understood at the university level at least).

    But it’s the MWI that is most often misunderstood.

    Most people think that the MWI means that the singular universe that we all share has multiple versions of it. That is the MWI. You know what I am talking about.

    If we are share the same earth and the same sky, and the same moon, and the same things then that is our universe.
    
    So...
    
    If the MWI exists, then there are an unlimited selection of almost-like universes where there are versions of ourselves walking about and interacting with others.

    Oh, boy is that wrong.

    So…

    So, what might come as a surprise is the idea that world-lines exist in this entire universe as separate entities. It’s not that there are multiple universes.

    No. There are not an infinite array of multiple universes. And somehow, we are all crowded upon one of those world-lines. (Which is pretty much the default standard interpretation.)

    It’s not like that at all.

    It’s that there are separate entities within our universe that we call (name them as) our universe.

    How our actual universe actually works. It is a singular large "universe" that contains many world-lines within it. To us, as consciousness upon one of those world-lines, it appears that that is all that there is. But that is false.
    How our actual universe actually works. It is a singular large “universe” that contains many world-lines within it. To us, as consciousness upon one of those world-lines, it appears that that is all that there is. But that is false.

    It doesn’t sound like much of a difference, but in truth, it is a very substantial difference.

    Our “universe” contains a moment-to-moment individual world-line for every person, and every situation, and every animal, and everything possible. This “universe” is our reality. It is where our physical interactions derive.

    Universal Confusion

    One of the great handicaps that we as humans have is that we think that what we see is all there is. For any moment in “time” we observe around us “our universe” and think that that is all that there is. But that is a lie and a grand deception.

    We are sitting pretty within a track that constantly moves world-lines in and out around us. What we see as a “changing universe” is just the interiors of a long string of world-line universes.

    So…

    There is not one singular, ever changing, universe.

    There are instead, an infinite number of world-line universes. These are what we observe around us. These are what we call “an ever changing universe”.

    • World-Line Universe
    A "world-line universe" is the apparent universe as viewed by the soul (as an observer) within a given world-line. The changes that are observed by this observer are simply the variations from one world-line to the next as the consciousness moves through the various world-lines.

    Now, to further confound the reader, all of these world-lines sit with a big stew or soup, that I have referred to as a cauldron of soup. This is the universe that I like to refer to as the “physical universe”. This “physical universe” is a universe that contains all the world-lines that give us the physical world that is around us.

    • The Physical Universe.
    The "Physical Universe" is the actual place that houses all the (near infinite number) of world-lines. It is filled with all sorts of things, much like a thick soup or stew.

    So, so far, this is how the two different terms are used. The world-line universes reside within a much larger and all encompassing universe that I refer to as a “Physical Universe”.

    Our actual universe.
    How our “universe” works. It is a “physical universe” that contains an infinite number of world-line universes.

    Ah…

    But it is actually not quite the way things work. Because my terminology is really sloppy and imperfect. I like to refer to the over-riding universe as the “physical universe” out of convention, but it is actually a misnomer. This is because there are many non-physical elements within this universe.

    So, a reader with some background in the more esoteric new-age teachings, and middle Asian religions might recognize the “physical universe” as a place that contains, not only the world-lines, but many of the “lower” planes of existence. Such as “astral planes”, and “casual plane”.

    Yes.

    Many of these “planes of existence” all are part of the “physical universe”. They are but density stratification’s of the quanta near a given world-line. In much the same way that an egg has the white part of the egg nearby and adjacent to the yellow part of the egg.

    Filled up with world-lines

    The big thing about this cauldron of soup is that it is filled with “eggs”. These are timeless-constructions which we call world-lines. Each one is a static and fixed state that never changes. But there are so many of these “eggs” that we often consider the cauldron to be limitless with an infinite number of these eggs.

    Ah…

    But you know, these eggs are not those chicken eggs with a hard shell, but rather like an egg without the hard shell. So imagine a pot of water, and you “poach” an egg in that water. Which means that you remove the hard shell and let the egg, yoke and all fall into the water. You can see it in the clear water. The yellow yoke is surrounded by a transparent white-clear albumen.

    Each world-line resembles a raw egg placed within a pot of warm water with oils and seasonings. Our universe is a big cauldron that is filled with a nearly infinite number of these raw eggs. And time is our consciousness moving from one egg to the next adjacent egg.
    Each world-line resembles a raw egg placed within a pot of warm water with oils and seasonings. Our universe is a big cauldron that is filled with a nearly infinite number of these raw eggs. And time is our consciousness moving from one egg to the next adjacent egg.

    We can consider the yellow yoke to be the universe that we observe. That is the house you live in, the people you interact with, and everything that you do on a day to day basis.

    We can consider the clear – white portion of the egg to be the “lower dimensions” of our Physical world. In this region are where thoughts bounce about, where sprites and non-physical creatures live, and where other fundamentals of the world around us operate.

    The “stew” is but a further realm, or “higher dimension” that exists within this very same “physical universe”

    Our universe is a physical region that is solid with all sorts of tiny quanta that is all in all sorts of complex movement. We cannot see what is going on naturally. We need very complex equipment to observe the events, and at that, we can only observe small, tiny parts of the movements. We cannot see the over all “big picture”.

    Our universe is what I refer to as the “Physical Universe” even though it contains non-physical elements.

    Looking closer at the world-lines

    The over-riding focus of this universe of “ours” is the content within it.

    Or, in other words, all those “uncooked” eggs floating about within that cauldron of soup.

    Each “egg” is a world-line.

    It is a frozen moment in time of an absolutely complete “universe”. And thus, this universe is a cauldron of many duplicates of it’s self each one with a tiny variations to it’s neighbor.

    Our universe is a "soup" containing these world-line "eggs". Our consciousness moves through this universe one world-line at at time. And at any given moment in time the only thing that we can observe is the "universe" around us; the "yellow yoke" of the egg. This movement in and out of world-lines is known as "time".
    Our universe is a “soup” containing these world-line “eggs”. Our consciousness moves through this universe one world-line at at time. And at any given moment in time the only thing that we can observe is the “universe” around us; the “yellow yoke” of the egg. This movement in and out of world-lines is known as “time”.

    This is our “physical universe”.

    It is a purposefully created environment from which our souls can obtain experiences within. And, as such, with each experience we obtain, we have new alignments with quanta. And our soul self-improves and changes in the process.

    Now, these “eggs” tend to cluster together in the soup. They share similar features and relationships. The combined and shared experiences of these clusters of eggs are known as the “shared template”.

    See other posts elsewhere for…

    • Shared template(s).
    • World-line anchoring.
    • Soul growth via consciousness experiences in the physical.

    The Non-Physical Universe

    You see, while the “Physical Universe” contains all the world-lines, and all the physical environments that we work with, as well as the “lower” non-physical realms…

    … it does not contain the home of the soul.

    That place is what everyone collectively refers to as “Heaven” or “Nirvana”. This place is where our consciousness is formed (by our soul) and set forth on it’s missions within the “physical universe”.

    So there is another universe which we refer to as “Heaven”. It is the “non-physical universe”. And I refer to as such…

    • Non-Physical Universe
    The "non-physical universe" is the home for our souls, and the place where consciousness is created, established, repaired, grows and resides.

    And as such, it connects to our “physical universe” with a “light pipe” or tunnel that our consciousness uses to move back and forth between the two universes.

    Like this…

    Soul dwells in the non-physical universe. It creates a consciousness that it uses to obtain experiences within the physical universe with. It passes through a light tunnel to enter the physical universe. Then it starts to vibrate. It goes back and forth between particle and wave behavior., each cycle is a new world-line.
    Soul dwells in the non-physical universe. It creates a consciousness that it uses to obtain experiences within the physical universe with. It passes through a light tunnel to enter the physical universe. Then it starts to vibrate. It goes back and forth between particle and wave behavior, each cycle is a new world-line.

    How it works

    Soul exists in “Heaven”. This is the “Non-Physical Universe”. It is the repository of where everything that we are resides. Our quanta resides there, as does our memories.

    Soul creates a “consciousness”, which is a specially constructed packet of quanta. It is associated with a physical body (or container).

    The consciousness is emitted or ejected from the soul and placed on a mission to acquire experiences. With each experience, there are entangled quanta. The type of entanglements, and the type of quanta involved changes the personality of the consciousness. This change is reflected in a change or “growth” of the soul.

    The consciousness, once created, goes on a mission in an adjacent universe (the “Physical Universe”).

    This mission takes place in the following manner…

    • A body is selected.
    • The consciousness enters the new-born brain.
    • As it thinks, it moves into adjacent world-lines. This is observed as time.
    • It’s thoughts and the thoughts of those around it create experiences.
    • The experiences collect and vacuum up new types of quanta.
    • The new quanta alter and change the structure of the soul.
    • The body dies.
    • The consciousness then returns to the “non physical universe”.

    Once the consciousness has completed the mission, the soul then makes a determination if further “new missions” are required, or if the very nature of the body, the consciousness, or the soul itself needs to change.

    And that is our purpose in life.

    Conclusion

    Our “universe” is often quite confused and mislabeled. We use that term to define what we observe, when in reality, what we are observing is a string of static world-line universes while we experience “time” Each moment is a snap-shot of a “world-line universe”.

    Time is the movement of consciousness in and out of world-lines. What we see as time is actually the differences between each world-line as we pass through it.
    Time is the movement of consciousness in and out of world-lines. What we see as time is actually the differences between each world-line as we pass through it.

    All of these world-lines lie within a much larger physical place with is called the “physical universe”. It contains many things. Including many non-physical things.

    It connects to the place where our soul resides, which is often referred to as “Heaven”. This is the “non-physical universe. It connects the the “physical universe” with a tunnel, also known as a “tunnel of light”.

    Do you want more?

    I have many more posts on the nature of the universe and our role in it. You can check them all out in my MAJestic Index here…

    MAJestic

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

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    Master Index

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    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

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    The Intention Experiment (full text) by Lynne McTaggart. In HTML for free access. Part 2 of 4.

    This is part 2 of 4.

    This is a complete reprint of the book titled “The Intention Experiment” by Lynne McTaggart. It is a non-fiction book, and it is groundbreaking. In this book, the author has compiled all those studies about the reality of ESP, and PSI, and compiled the results. The results are pretty damning. Something is going on, and Newtonian physics cannot explain it. It can only be explained with quantum physics.

    What is going on is that quantum physics is working and weaving it’s magic throughout our lives, and rather than discount things as “superstition” and out-dated religion, this book connects actual scientific studies with the quantum physics principles involved. It explains so many thing that have been discounted as pure superstition.

    Thus it’s placement in my blog.

    This is for those people who want nice and clean answers to what is going on, yet cannot shake off the Newtonian physics that they learned in High School. This book teaches you that there is a deeper reality behind everything and as such, it helps explain some elements of paranormal and religion that are often discounted as primitive nonsense.

    Welcome to the world of quantum physics and how all those things about prayer, intention, and spirituality actually does have a scientific foundation that they are based upon.

    CHAPTER THREE

    The Two-Way Street

    CLEVE BACKSTER WAS AMONG THE FIRST to propose that plants affected  by human intention –  a  notion considered  so  preposterous  that it was ridiculed for 40 years. Backster achieved his notoriety from a series of experiments that purported to demonstrate that living organisms read and respond to a person’s thoughts.

    Plant telepathy interested me less than a tangential discovery of his that has been sidelined amid all his adverse publicity: evidence of a constant two-way flow of information between all living things. Every organism, from bacteria to human beings, appears to be in perpetual quantum communication. This relentless conversation offers a ready mechanism by which thoughts can have a physical effect.

    This discovery resulted from a silly little diversion in 1966; Backster, at the time a tall, wiry man with a buzz cut and a great deal of childlike enthusiasm, was easily distracted. He often carried on working in his suite of offices when the rest of his staff had gone home and he could finally focus without the constant interruptions of colleagues and the tumultuous daytime activity of Times Square, four storeys below.1

    Backster had made his name as the country’s leading lie-detector expert. During the Second World War, he had been fascinated by the psychology of lying, and the use of hypnosis and ‘truth serum’ interrogation in counter-intelligence, and he had brought these twin fascinations to bear in refining the polygraph test to  a high psychological art. He had launched his first programme with the CIA for counter- intelligence several years after the war, and then went on to found the Backster School of Lie Detection, still the world’s leading school teaching polygraph techniques some 50 years after it first opened its doors.

    One morning in February, after working all night, Backster was taking a coffee break at 7 a.m. He was about to water the Dracaena and rubber plant in his office. As he filled up his watering can, he wondered if it might be possible to measure the length of time it would take water to travel up the stem of a plant from the roots and reach the leaves, particularly in the Dracaena, a cane plant with an especially long trunk. It occurred to him that he could test this by connecting the Dracaena to one of his polygraph machines; once the water reached the spot between the electrodes, the moisture would contaminate the circuit and be recorded as a drop in resistance.

    A lie detector is sensitive to the slightest change in the electrical conductivity of skin, which is caused by increased activity of the sweat glands, which in turn are governed by the sympathetic nervous system. The polygraph galvanic skin response (GSR) portion of the test displays the amount of the skin’s electrical resistance, much as an electrician’s ohmmeter records the electrical resistance of a circuit. A lie detector also monitors changes in blood pressure, respiration, and the strength and rate of the pulse. Low levels of electrical conductivity indicate little stress and a

    state of calm. Higher electrodermal activity (EDA) readings indicate that the sympathetic nervous system, which is sensitive to stress or certain emotional states, is in overdrive – as would be the case when someone is lying. A polygraph reading can offer evidence of stress to the sympathetic nervous system even before the person being tested is consciously aware of it.

    In 1966, the state-of-the-art technology consisted of a set of electrode plates, which were attached to two of a subject’s fingers, and through which a tiny current of electricity was passed. The smallest increases or decreases in electrical resistance were picked up by the plates and recorded on a paper chart, on which a pen traced a continuous, serrated line. When someone lied or in any way experienced a surge of emotion (such as excitement or fear), the size of the zigzag would dramatically increase and the tracing would move to the top of the chart.

    Backster sandwiched one of the long, curved leaves of the Dracaena between the two sensor electrodes of a lie detector and encircled it with a rubber band. Once he watered the plant, what he expected to see was an upward trend in the ink tracing on the polygraph recording paper, corresponding to a drop in the leaf ’s electrical resistance as the moisture content increased. But as he poured in the water, the very opposite occurred. The first part of the tracing began heading downward and then displayed a short-term blip, similar to what happens when a person briefly experiences a fear of detection.

    At the time Backster thought he was witnessing a human-style reaction, although he would later learn that the waxy insulation between the cells in plants causes an electrical discharge that mimics a human stress reaction on polygraph instruments. He decided that if the plant were indeed displaying an emotional reaction, he would have to come up with some major emotional stimulus to heighten this response.

    When a person takes a polygraph test, the best way to determine if he is lying is to ask a direct and pointed question, so that any answer but the truth will cause an immediate, dramatic stress reaction in his sympathetic nervous system: ‘Was it you who fired the two bullets into Joe Smith?’

    In order to elicit the equivalent of alarm in a plant, Backster knew he needed somehow to threaten its well-being. He tried immersing one of the plant’s leaves in a cup of coffee, but that did not cause any interesting reaction on the tracing – only a continuation of the downward trend. If this were the tracing of a human being, Backster would have concluded that the person being monitored was tired or bored. It was obvious to him that he needed to pose an immediate and genuine threat: he would get a match and burn the electroded leaf.

    At the very moment he had that thought, the recording pen swung to the top of the polygraph chart and nearly jumped off. He had not burned the plant; he had only thought about doing so. According to his polygraph, the plant had perceived the thought as a direct threat and registered extreme alarm. He ran to his secretary’s desk in a neighbouring office for some matches. When he returned, the plant was still registering alarm on the polygraph. He lit a match and flickered it under one of the leaves. The pen continued on its wild, zigzag course. Backster then returned thematches to his secretary’s desk. The tracing calmed down and began to flat-line.

    He hadn’t known what to make of it. He had long been drawn to hypnosis and ideas about the power of thought and the nature of consciousness. He had even performed a number of experiments with hypnosis during his work with the Army Counter Intelligence Corps and the CIA, as part of a campaign designed to detect the use of hypnosis techniques in Russian espionage.

    But this was something altogether more extraordinary. This plant, it seemed, had read his thoughts. It wasn’t even as though he particularly liked plants. This only could have occurred if the plant possessed some sort of sophisticated extrasensory perception. The plant somehow must be attuned to its environment, able to receive far more than pure sensory information from water or light.

    Backster modified his polygraph equipment to amplify electrical signals so that they would be highly sensitive to the slightest electrical change in the plants. He and his partner, Bob Henson, set about replicating the initial experiment. Backster spent the next year and a half frequently monitoring the reactions of the other plants in the office to their environment. They discovered a number of characteristics. The plants grew attuned to the comings and goings of their main caretaker. They also maintained some sort of ‘territoriality’ and so did not react to events in the other offices near Backster’s lab. They even seemed to tune in to Pete, his Doberman Pinscher, who spent his days at the office.

    Most intriguing of all, there seemed to be a continuous two-way flow of information between the plants and other living things in their environment. One day, when Backster boiled his kettle to make coffee, he found he had put in too much water. But when he poured the residue down the sink, he noticed that the plants registered an intense reaction.

    The sink was not the most hygienic; indeed, his staff had not cleaned the drain for several months. He decided to take some samples from the drain and examine them under a microscope, which showed a jungle of bacteria that ordinarily lives in the waste pipes of a sink. When threatened by the boiling water, had the bacteria emitted a type of mayday signal before they died, which had been picked up by the plants?

    Backster, who knew he would be ridiculed if he presented findings like these to the scientific community, enlisted an impressive array of chemists, biologists, psychiatrists, psychologists and physicists to help him design an airtight experiment. In his early experiments, Backster had relied upon human thought and emotion as the trigger for reactions in the plants. The scientists discouraged him from using intention as the stimulus of the experiment, because it did not lend itself to rigorous scientific design. How could you set up a control for a human thought – an intention to harm, say? The orthodox scientific community could easily pick holes in his study. He had to create a laboratory barren of any other living things besides the plants to ensure that the plants would not be, as it were, distracted.

    The only way to achieve this was to automate the experiment entirely. But he also needed a potent stimulus. He tried to think of the one act that would stir up the most profound reaction, something that would evoke the equivalent in the plants of dumbfounded horror. It became clear that the only way to get unequivocal results was to commit the equivalent of mass genocide. But what could he kill en masse that would not arouse the ire of anti-vivisectionists or get him arrested? It obviously could not be a person or a large animal of any variety. He did not even want to kill members of the usual experimental population, like rats or guinea pigs. The one obvious candidate was brine shrimp. Their only purpose, as far as he could tell, was to become fodder for tropical fish. Brine shrimp were already destined for the slaughterhouse. Only the most ardent anti-vivisectionist could object.

    Backster and Henson rigged up a gadget that would randomly select one of six possible moments when a small cup containing the brine shrimp would invert and tip its contents into a pot of continuously boiling water. The randomizer was placed in the far room in his suite of six offices, with three plants attached to polygraph equipment in three separate rooms at the other end of the laboratory. His fourth polygraph machine, attached to a fixed valve resistor to ensure that there was no sudden surge of voltage from the equipment, acted as the control.

    Microcomputers had yet to be invented, as Backster set up his lab in the late sixties. To perform the task, Backster created an innovative mechanical programmer, which operated on a time-delay switch, to set off each event in the automation process. After flipping the switch, Backster and Henson would leave the lab, so they and their thoughts would not influence the results. He had to eliminate the possibility that the plants might be more attuned to him and his colleague than a minor murder of brine shrimp down the hallway.

    Backster and Henson tried their test numerous times. The results were unambiguous: the polygraphs of the electroded plants spiked a significant number of times just at the point when the brine shrimp hit the boiling water.

    Years after he had made this discovery – and after he became a great fan of Star Wars – he would think of this moment as one in which his plants picked up a major disturbance in the Force, and he had discovered a means of measuring it.2

    If plants could register the death of an organism three doors away, it must mean that all life forms were exquisitely in tune  with  each  other.  Living  things  must  be  registering  and  passing  telepathic information back and forth at every moment, particularly at moments of threat or death.

    Backster published the results of his experiment in several respected journals of psychic research and gave a modest presentation before the Parapsychology Association   during its tenth annual meeting.3

    Parapsychologists recognized Backster’s contribution and replicated it in a number of independent laboratories, notably that of Alexander Dubrov, a Russian doctor of botany and plant physiology.4 It was even glorified in a bestselling book, The Secret Life of Plants.5 But among the mainstream scientific community, his research was disparaged as ludicrous, largely because he was not a traditional scientist, and he was ridiculed for what became known as ‘The Backster Effect’. In 1975, Esquire magazine even awarded him one of its 100 Dubious Achievement Awards: ‘Scientist claims yogurt talks to itself’.6

    Nonetheless, over the next 30 years Backster ignored his critics and stubbornly carried on with his research, as well as his polygraph business, eventually amassing file drawers full of studies of what he referred to as ‘primary perception’. A variety of plants that had been hooked up to his polygraph equipment showed evidence of a reaction to human emotional highs and lows, especially threats and other forms of negative intention – as did paramecia, mould cultures, eggs and, indeed, yogurt.7

    Backster even demonstrated that bodily fluids such as blood and semen samples taken from himself and his colleagues registered reactions mirroring the emotional state of their hosts; the blood cells of a young lab assistant reacted intensely the moment he opened a Playboy centrefold and caught sight of Bo Derek in the nude.8

    Bo Derek.
    Bo Derek

    These reactions were not dependent on distance; any living system attached to a polygraph reacted similarly to his thoughts, whether he was in the room or miles away. Like pets, they had become attuned to their ‘owner’.

    These organisms were not simply registering his thoughts; they were communicating telepathically with all the living things in their environment. The live bacteria in yogurt displayed a reaction to the death of other types of bacteria and even evidenced a desire to be ‘fed’ with more of its own beneficial bacteria. Eggs registered a cry of alarm and then resignation when one of their number was dropped in boiling water. Plants appeared to react in real time to any break in continuity with the living beings in their environment. They even appeared to react at the moment when their caretakers, who were away from the office, decided to return.9

    His major difficulty was designing experiments that could demonstrate an effect scientifically. Even though his laboratory experiments were now entirely automated, when he left the office, the plants would remain attuned to him, no matter now far away he went. If Backster and his partner were at a bar a block away during an experiment, he would discover that the plants were not responding to the brine shrimp, but to the rising and falling animation of their conversations. It got so difficult to isolate reactions to specific events that eventually he had to design experiments that would be carried out by strangers in another lab.

    Repeatability remained another big problem. Any tests required spontaneity and true intent. He had discovered this when the famous remote viewer Ingo Swann had come to visit him at his lab in October 1971.

    Swann wanted to repeat Backster’s initial experiment with his Dracaena. As expected, the plant’s polygraph began to spike when Swann imagined burning the plant with a match. He tried it again, and the plant reacted wildly, then stopped.

    ‘What does that mean?’ Swann asked. Backster shrugged. ‘You tell me.’

    The thought that occurred to Swann was so bizarre that he was not sure whether to say it aloud. ‘Do you mean,’ he said, ‘that it has learned that I’m not serious about really burning its leaf? So that it now knows it need not be alarmed?’

    You said it, I didn’t,’ Backster replied. ‘Try another kind of harmful thought.’

    Swann thought of putting acid in the plant’s pot. The needle on the polygraph again began to zigzag wildly. Eventually, the plant appeared to understand that Swann was not serious. The polygraph tracing flat-lined. Swann, a plant lover who was already convinced that plants were sentient, was nevertheless shocked at the thought that plants could learn to differentiate between true and artificial human intent: a plant learning curve.10

    Although certain questions remain about Backster’s unorthodox research methods, the sheer bulk of his evidence argues strongly for some sort of primary responsiveness and attuning, if not sentience, present in all organisms, no matter how primitive. But for my purposes, Backster’s real contribution was his discovery of the telepathic communication carrying on between every living thing and its environment. Somehow, a constant stream of messages was being sent out, received and replied to.

    Backster had to wait some years to discover the mechanism of this communication, which became apparent when physicist Fritz-Albert Popp discovered biophotons.11

    At first Popp believed that a living organism used biophoton emissions solely as a means of instantaneous, non-local signalling from one part of the body to another – to send information about the global state of the body’s health, say, or the effects of any particular treatment. But then Popp grew intrigued by the most fascinating effect of all: the light seemed to be a communications   system between living things.12

    In experiments with Daphnia, a common water flea, he discovered that female water fleas were absorbing the light emitted from each other and sending back wave interference patterns, as though they had taken the light sent to themselves and updated it with more information. Popp concluded that this activity may be the mechanism enabling fleas to stay together when they swarm – a silent communication holding them together like an invisible net.13

    He decided to examine the light emissions between dinoflagellates, luminescent algae that cause phosphorescence in seawater. These single-celled organisms sit somewhere between an animal and a plant in the evolutionary scale; although they are classified as a plant, they move like a primitive animal. Popp discovered that the light of each dinoflagellate was coordinated with that of its neighbours, as if each were holding aloft a tiny lantern on cue.14

    Chinese colleagues of Popp’s who had tried positioning two samples of the algae so that they could ‘see’ each other through a shutter also found that the light emissions from each sample were synchronous. The researchers concluded that they had witnessed a highly sophisticated means of communication. There was no doubt that the two samples were signalling to each other.15

    These organisms also appeared to be registering light from other species, although the greatest synchronicities occurred between members of the same species.16

    Once the light waves of one organism were initially absorbed by another organism, the first organism’s light would begin trading information in synchrony. 17

    Living things also appeared to communicate information with their surroundings. Bacteria absorbed light from their nutritional media: the more bacteria present, Popp found, the greater the absorption of light.18

    Even the white and yolk of an egg appear to communicate with the shell.19

    This communication carries on, even if an organism is cut into pieces. Gary Schwartz cut up a batch of string beans, placed them between 1 millimetre and 10 millimetres apart, and then used the NSF CCD camera he had borrowed to take series of photographs of the sections. Using software to enhance the light between the beans, he discovered so much light between the sections that it appeared as though the bean were whole again. Even though the string beans had been severed, the individual sections carried on their communication to the rest of the vegetable.20

    This may be  the  mechanism accounting for  the  feeling described  by amputees  with phantom limb sensations. The light of the body still communicates with the energetic ‘footprint’ of the amputated limb.

    Like Backster, Popp discovered that living things are exquisitely in tune with their environment through these light emissions. One of Popp’s colleagues, Professor Wolfgang Klimek, the head of the Ministry of Research for the German government devised an ingenious experiment to examine whether creatures such as algae were aware of past disturbances in their environment. He prepared two containers of seawater, and shook one of them. After 10 minutes, when the water in the shaken container had settled down, he placed samples of dinoflagellates in the two vessels. Those algae exposed to the shaken water suddenly increased their photon emissions – a sign of stress. The algae appeared to be aware of the slightest change in their environment – even a historical change – and responded with alarm.21

    Another of Popp’s colleagues, Eduard Van Wijk, a Dutch psychologist, wondered how far this influence extended. Did a living thing register information from the entire environment, and not simply between two communicating entities? When a healer sends out healing intention, for instance, how far does his field of influence extend? Would he only affect his target, or would his aim have a shotgun effect, affecting other living organisms around the target?

    Van Wijk placed a jar of Acetabularia acetabulum, another simple algae, near a healer and his patient, then measured the photon emissions of the algae during healing sessions and periods of rest. After analysing the data, he discovered remarkable alterations in the photon count of the algae. The quality of emissions significantly changed during the healing sessions, as though the algae were being bombarded with light. There also seemed to be changes in the rhythm of the emissions, as though the algae had become attuned to a stronger source of light.

    During his initial research, Popp had discovered a strange reaction to light by a living thing. If he shone a bright light on an organism, after a certain delay, the organism would shine more brightly itself with extra photons, as if it were rejecting any excess. Popp called this phenomenon ‘delayed luminescence’, and assumed it was a corrective device to help the organism maintain its level of light at a delicate equilibrium. In Van Wijk’s experiment, the photon emissions of algae showed highly significant shifts from normal, when plotted on a graph. Van Wijk had generated some of the first evidence that healing light may affect anything in its path.22

    Gary Schwartz’s associate Melinda Connor then demonstrated that intention has a direct effect on this light. For her study she clipped leaves from geranium plants, carefully matching them in pairs for size, health, placement on the plant and access to light and close to identical photon emissions. She asked each of 20 master energy healers to send intentions to one of each pair of leaves, first to reduce emissions and then to increase them. In 29 of the 38 sessions designed to decrease emissions, the light was significantly lowered in the treatment leaves, and in 22 of the 38 trials intending to increase the light, the healers caused a significantly greater glow.23

    Sometimes a physical jolt to the system triggers a shock of realization. For physicist Konstantin Korotkov, his insight resulted from a fall off a roof. It was the winter of 1976, and Korotkov, who was 24 at the time, had been celebrating a birthday with some friends. Korotkov liked to celebrate outside, whatever the weather. He and his friends had been drinking vodka on the roof. Korotkov was given to expansive gestures, and during a moment of gaiety, threw himself off the roof onto what he thought was a deep bed of snow, which he assumed would cushion his fall. But hidden beneath the snow lay hard stone. Korotkov broke his left leg and landed in the hospital for months.24

    During his long recovery, Korotkov, a conventional professor of quantum physics at St Petersburg State Technical University in Russia, pondered on a lecture on Kirlian effects and healing that he had attended earlier that year. He had been so intrigued that he wondered if he could improve on what Kirlian claimed to be doing: capturing someone’s life energy on film.

    Semyon Davidovich Kirlian was an engineer who had discovered in 1939 tha photographing living things that had been exposed to a pulsed electromagnetic field would capture what many have termed the human ‘aura’. When any conductive object (like living tissue) is placed on a plate made of an insulating material, such as glass, and exposed to high-voltage, high-frequency electricity, a low current results that creates a corona discharge, a halo of coloured light around the object that can be captured on film. Kirlian claimed that the state of the aura reflected the person’s state of health; changes in the aura were evidence of disease or mental disturbance.

    The Soviet scientific mainstream ignored Kirlian until the 1960s, when the Russian press discovered bioelectrography, as it came to be called, and hailed him as a great inventor. Kirlian photography suddenly became respectable, particularly in space research, and was championed by many Western scientists. Publication of Kirlian’s first study in 1964 further attracted the scientific community.25

    Lying for months in his bed, Korotkov realized that if he was going to discover more about how to capture this mysterious light Kirlian claimed was so vital to health, he was going to have to give up his day job. He knew that the involvement of a well-established quantum physicist such as himself would lend the technique scientific legitimacy and his technical ability might also help advance the technology. Perhaps he could even devise a means of depicting the light in real time.

    After he got back up on his feet, Korotkov spent months developing a mechanism, which he called the Gas Discharge Visualization (GDV) technique, that made use of state-of-the-art optics, digitized television matrices and a powerful computer. Ordinarily, a living thing will dribble out the faintest pulse of photons, perceptible only to the most sensitive equipment in conditions of utter pitch black. As Korotkov realized, a better way to capture this light was to stir up photons by ‘evoking’, or stimulating them into an excited state so that they would shine millions of times more intensely than normal.

    His equipment blended several techniques: photography, measurements of light intensity and computerized pattern recognition. Korotkov’s camera would take pictures of the field around each of the 10 fingers, one finger at a time. A computer program would then extrapolate from this a real-time image of the ‘biofield’ surrounding the organism and deduce from it the state of the organism’s health.

    Korotkov went on to write five books on the human bioenergy field.26

    In time, he managed to convince the Russian Ministry of Health of the importance of his invention to medical technology, diagnosis and treatment. His equipment was initially employed to predict certain clinical situations, such as the progress of recovery of people after surgery.27

    It soon became widely used in Russia as a diagnostic tool for many illnesses, including cancer and stress,28 and was even used to assess athletic potential – to predict the psychophysical reserves in athletes training for the Olympics and the likelihood of victory or exhaustion from overtraining.29

    Eventually, some 3000 doctors, practitioners and researchers worldwide came to use the technology. The National Institutes of Health got interested and funded work on the ‘biofield’, which employed Korotkov’s equipment.30

    While officially exploring these practical applications, Korotkov privately carried on with his own studies of what had really captured his imagination: the connection between biofields and consciousness.31

    He took GDV readings of healers and a Qigong master while they were sending energy, and discovered remarkable changes in their corona discharges. Korotkov then explored the effects of a person’s thoughts on the people surrounding him. He asked a number of couples to ‘send’ a variety of thoughts to their partners, while they were standing within close range. Every strong emotion – whether love, hate or anger – produced an extraordinary effect on the light discharge of the recipient.32

    Some 40 years after Backster first employed his crude polygraph mechanism to register the effect of thoughts, Korotkov verified those early discoveries with state- of-the-art equipment. He hooked up a potted plant to his GDV machine and asked his researchers to think of different emotions – anger, sadness, joy – and then positive and negative intentions towards the plant. Whenever a participant mentally threatened the plant, its energy field diminished. The opposite occurred if people approached the plant with water or feelings of love.

    Largely because he lacked scientific credentials, Backster was never recognized for his contributions. He had stumbled across the first evidence that living things engage in a constant two-way flow of information with their environment, enabling them to register even the nuances of human thought. The more advanced scientific knowledge of physicists Fritz Popp and Konstantin Korotkov was needed to uncove the actual mechanism of that communication. Their research into the nature of quantum light emissions from living organisms suddenly made sense of Backster’s

    findings. If thoughts are another stream of photons, it is perfectly plausible that a plant could pick up the signals and be affected by them.

    The work of Backster, Popp and Korotkov suggested something profound abou the effect of intention. Every last thought appeared to augment or diminish something else’s light.

    Notes – Chapter 3: The Two-Way Street

    1. For all history of Cleve Backster’s discoveries and experiments, interview with Backster, October 2004 and his Primary Perception: Biocommunication with Plants, Living Foods, and Human Cells, Anza, Calif.: White Rose Millennium Press, 2003.
    2. As Obi-Wan Kenobe tells Luke Skywalker, after Alderan has been blown up by the Empire in Star Wars part IV: A New Hope: ‘I feel a great disturbance in the Force. As if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced.’
    3. Presentation  given  at  the  Tenth  Annual  Parapsychology Association meeting in New York City, September 7, 1967. Also published as C Backster, ‘Evidence of a primary perception in plant life’, International Journal of Parapsychology, 1968; 10 (4): 329–48.
    4. P. Dubrov and V. N. Pushkin, Parapsychology and Contemporary Science, New York and London: Consultants Bureau, 1982.
    5. P. Tompkins and C. Bird, The Secret Life of Plants, New York: Harper & Row, 1973.
    6. ‘Boysenberry to Prune, Boysenberry to Prune: Do you read me? Li detector expert Cleve Backster reported in the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science that he had detected electrical impulses between two containers of yogurt at opposite ends of his laboratory. Backster claims the bacteria in the containers were communicating.’ Esquire, January 1976.
    7. Backster, ‘Evidence of a primary perception’, op. cit.
    8. Backster, Primary Perceptions, op. cit.: 112–13.
    9. Backster, Primary Perceptions. See also Rupert Sheldrake, Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home and Other Unexplaine Powers of Animals, London: Three Rivers Press, 2000.
    10. This and other personal details of events resulted from interviews with Ingo Swann, New York, July 2005.
    11. See McTaggart, The Field, op. cit.: 39 for a full description of F.-A. Popp’s earlier work.
    12. All details of these experiments resulted from an interview between the author and Fritz-Albert Popp, January 2006.
    13. R. M. Galle et al., ‘Biophoton emission from Daphnia magna: A possible factor in the self-regulation of swarming’, Experientia, 1991; 47: 457–60; R. M. Galle, ‘Untersuchungen zum dichte und zeitabhängigen Verhalten der ultraschwachen Photonenemission von pathogenetischen Weibchen des Wasserflohs Daphnia magna.’ Dissertation. Universität Saarbrücken, Fachbereich Zoologie, 1993.
    14. F.-A. Popp et al., ‘Nonsubstantial biocommunication in terms of Dicke’s Theory’, in M. W. Ho, F.-A. Popp and U. Warnke (eds.), Bioelectrodynamics and Biocommunication, Singapore: World Scientific Publishing, 1994: 293–317; J. J. Chang et al., ‘Research on cel communication of P. elegans by means of photon emission’, Chinese Science Bulletin, 1995; 40: 76–9.
    15. J. J. Chang et al., ‘Communication between Dinoflagellates by means o photon emission’, in L. V. Beloussov and F.-A. Popp (eds.), Proceedings of International Conference on Non-equilibrium and Coherent Systems in Biophysics, Biology and Biotechnology, Sep. 28–Oct. 2 1994, Moscow: Bioinform Services Co., 1995: 318–30.
    16. Interview with Popp, Neuss, Germany, March 1, 2006.
    17. F.-A. Popp et al., ‘Mechanism of interaction between electromagnetic fields and living organisms’, Science in China (Series C), 2000; 43 (5): 507–18.
    18. Ibid.
    19. L.   Beloussov   and   N.   N.   Louchinskaia,    ‘Biophoton       emission from developing  eggs  and  embryos:  Nonlinearity,  wholistic  properties  and indications of energy transfer’, in J. J. Chang et al. (eds.), Biophotons, London: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1998: 121–40.
    20. K. Creath and G. E. Schwartz, ‘What biophoton images of plants can tel us about biofields and healing’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 2005; 19 (4): 531–50.
    21. A. V. Tschulakow et al., ‘A new approach to the  memory of water’, Homeopathy, 2005; 94: 241–7.
    22. E. P. A. Van Wijk and R. Van Wijk, ‘The development ofa bio-sensor for the state of consciousness in a human intentional healing ritual’, Journal of International Society of Life Information Science (ISLIS,) 2002; 20 (2): 694–702.
    23. M. Connor, ‘Baseline testing of energy practitioners: Biophoton imaging results.’ Paper presented at the North American Research in Integrative Medicine conference, Edmonton, Canada, May 2006.
    24. Personal details about K. Korotkov the result of multiple interviews with the author, November–March 2005–2006.
    25. S. D. Kirlian and V. K. Kirlian, ‘Photography and visual observation by means of high frequency currents’, J. Sci. Appl. Photogr., 1964; 6: 397– 403.
    26. Korotkov’s most important work on the subject was K. Korotkov, Human Energy Field: Study with GDV Bioelectrography, New Jersey: Backbone Publishing Co., 2002; K. Korotkov, Aura and Consciousness – New Stage of Scientific Understanding, St Petersburg: St Petersburg Division of the Russian Ministry of Culture, State Publishing Unit ‘Kultura’, 1999.
    27. K. Korotkov et al., ‘Assessing biophysical energy transfer mechanisms in living systems: The basis of life processes’, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2004; 10 (1): 49–57.
    28. L. W. Konikiewicz and L. C. Griff,Bioelectrography – A new method for detecting cancer and body physiology, Harrisburg, Va.: Leonard Associates Press, 1982; G. Rein, ‘Corona discharge photography of human breast tumour biopsies’, Acupuncture & Electrotherapeutics Research, 1985; 10: 305–8; K. Korotkov et al., ‘Stress diagnosis and monitoring with new computerized “Crown-TV” device’, Journal of Pathophysiology, 1998; 5: 227.
    29. P. Bundzen et al., ‘New technology of the athletes’ psycho-physical readiness evaluation based on the gas-discharge visualisation method in comparison with battery of tests’, ‘SIS-99’ Proceedings, International Congress St Petersburg, 1999: 19–22; P. V. Bundzen, et al., ‘Psychophysiological correlates of athletic success in athletes training for
    30. the Olympics’, Human Physiology, 2005; 31 (3): 316–23; K. Korotkov et al., ‘Assessing biophysical energy transfer mechanisms’, op. cit.
    31. Clair A. Francomano and Wayne B. Jonas, in Ronald A. Chez (ed.) Proceedings: Measuring the Human Energy Field: State of the Science. The Gerontology Research Center, National Institute of Aging, Nationa Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, April 17–18, 2002.
    32. S.   Kolmakow   et   al.,   ‘Gas   discharge    visualization     technique         and spectrophotometry in detection of field effects’, Mechanisms of Adaptive Behavior, Abstracts of International Symposium, St Petersburg, 1999: 79.
    33. Interview with K. Korotkov, March 2006.

    CHAPTER FOUR

    Hearts that Beat as One

    NONE OF THE SCIENTISTS INVOLVED IN ‘The Love Study’ remember who came up with its name. It might have started as Elisabeth Targ’s private joke, for the study involved couples who were installed in two different rooms and separated by a hallway, three doors, eight walls and several inches of stainless steel.1

    The name was actually meant to be a gracious nod to the study’s arcane benefactor, the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love at Case Western Reserve As it happened, the study became a posthumous valentine to Targ, who was diagnosed with a fatal brain tumour just before the grant money came through. The Love Study would be a fitting tribute to Targ, as the first major scientific demonstration of exactly how intention physically affects its recipient, and the name proved especially apt in describing this process. When you send an intention, every major physiological system in your body is mirrored in the body of the receiver. Intention is the perfect manifestation of love. Two bodies become one.

    Targ began her career as a mainstream psychiatrist, but made her name in 1999 with two remarkable studies at California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) in Sa Francisco, which tested the possibility of remote healing with end-stage AIDS patients. Targ spent months designing her trial. She and her partner, psychologist and retired hospital administrator Fred Sicher, sought out a homogeneous group of advanced AIDS patients with the same degree of illness, including the same T-cell counts and number of AIDS-defining illnesses. Because they wished to test the effec of distant healing, and not any particular healing modality, they decided to recruit highly experienced, successful healers from diverse backgrounds who might represent an array of approaches.

    Targ and Sicher gathered together an eclectic mix of healers from all across America – from orthodox Christians to Native American shamans – and asked them to  send  healing thoughts  to  a  group  of AIDS  patients  under  strict double-blind conditions. All healing was to be done remotely so that nothing, such as the presence of a healer or healing touch, could confound the results. Targ created a strict double- blind rota: each healer received sealed packets with information about the patients to be healed, including their name, photo and T-cell counts. Every other week, the healers were assigned a new patient and asked to hold an intention for the health and well-being of the patient an hour a day for six days, with alternate weeks off for rest. In this manner, eventually every patient in the healing group would be sent healing by every healer in turn.

    At the end of the first study, although 40 per cent of the control population died, all 10 of the patients in the treatment group were not only alive but far healthier in every regard.

    Targ and Sicher repeated the study, but this time, doubled the size of their study population and tightened their protocol even further. They also widened their brief of

    the outcomes they planned to measure. In the second study, those sent healing were again far healthier on every parameter tested: significantly fewer AIDS-defining illnesses, improved T-cell levels, fewer hospitalizations, fewer visits to the doctor, fewer new illnesses, less severity of disease and better psychological well-being. The differences were decisive; for instance, the treatment group had six times fewer AIDS-defining illnesses and four times fewer hospitalizations at the end of the study than the controls.2

    In Targ’s original studies, the healing had been carried out by highly experienced, successful healers who had been chosen because they possessed a special gift. After the studies were completed, Targ grew interested in whether an ordinary individual could be similarly trained to use intention effectively.

    For the Love Study, Targ found a sympathetic partner in Marilyn Schlitz, the vice president for research and education at the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) The energetic blonde had a colourful national reputation because of her meticulously designed parapsychology studies and their spectacular results, which attracted the attention of the senior powers in consciousness research as well as the New York Times. During a long partnership with psychologist William Braud, Schlitz had conducted rigorous research into what became known in the psychic community as ‘DMILS’ – direct mental interaction with living systems – the ability of human thought  to influence the living  world  around it.3

    Throughout her career in parapsychology, Schlitz had been fascinated by remote influence; she was one of the first to examine the effect of intention in healing, and went on to assemble a vast database of healing research for IONS.

    For the Love Study, Schlitz recruited Dean Radin, her IONS senior researche and one of America’s most renowned parapsychologists. Radin was to design both the study and some of its equipment; with his background in engineering and psychology he would ensure that both the study protocol and its technical detail were pristine. Targ enlisted Jerome Stone, a nurse and practising Buddhist who had worked with her on the AIDS studies, to design the intention programme and train the patients.

    In 2002, after Targ died, Schlitz and the others vowed to carry on with the study and recruited Ellen Levine, one of Targ’s colleagues from CPMC, to take her place and work with Stone as joint principal investigators.

    The Love Study was to follow the basic study design of a perennial favorite among consciousness researchers: the sense of being stared at.4

    In those studies, two people are isolated from each other in separate rooms and a video camera is trained on the receiver, who is also hooked up to skin conductance equipment, not unlike a polygraph machine – the type used in lie detection studies to detect an increase in ‘fight-or-flight’, unconscious autonomic nervous system activity. At random intervals, the ‘sender’ is instructed to stare at the subject on the monitor, while the ‘receiver’ is told to relax and try to think of anything other than the prospect of being stared at. A later comparison analysis determines whether the receiver’s autonomic system registered a reaction during those moments he or she was being stared at to determine whether the mere attention of the sender was unconsciously picked up by the most automatic systems of the receiver’s body.

    Schlitz and Braud’s body of evidence on remote staring, conducted over 10 years, showed exactly such an effect. All the studies had been combined into a review that was published in a major psychology journal. The review concluded that the effects had been small but significant.5

    The Love Study’s design was also inspired by the major DMILS studies conducted since 1963, which demonstrated that, under many types of circumstances, the electrical signalling in the brains of people gets synchronized.6

    The frequencies, amplitudes and phases of the brain waves start operating in tandem. Although the studies followed slightly different designs, all of them asked the same question: can the stimulation of one person be felt in the higher central nervous system of another? Or, as Radin liked to think of it, after a sender gets pinched, does the receiver also feel the ‘ouch’?7

    Two people wired up with a variety of physiological monitoring equipment, such as EEG machines, were isolated from each other indifferent rooms. One would be stimulated with something – a picture, a light or a mild electric shock. The researchers would then examine the two EEGs to determine if the receiver’s brain waves mirrored those of the sender when he or she was being stimulated.

    The earliest DMILS research had been designed by psychologist an consciousness researcher Charles Tart, who carried out a series of brutal studies to determine whether people could empathetically feel another person’s pain. He administered shocks to himself, while a volunteer, isolated in a different room and hooked up to an array of medical gadgetry, was being monitored to see if his sympathetic nervous system somehow picked up Tart’s reactions. Whenever Tart jolted himself, the receiver registered an unconscious empathetic response in decreased blood volume and increased heart rate – as though he were also getting the shocks.8

    Another fascinating early study had been carried out with identical twins. As soon as one twin closed his eyes and his brain electrical rhythms slowed to alpha waves, the other twin’s brain also slowed, even though his eyes were wide open.9

    Harald Walach, a German scientist at the University of Freiburg, tried an approach that was guaranteed to magnify the sender’s effects, in order to maximize the response in the receiver. The sender was shown an alternating black-and-white checkerboard, called a ‘pattern reversal’, which is known to trigger predictable, high-amplitude electrical brain waves in viewers. At the same instant, the EEG of the distant, shielded receiver recorded identical brain-wave patterns.10

    Neurophysiologist Jacobo Grinberg-Zylberbaum, of the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City, had used this same protocol a decade before Walach but with a different twist: with light flashes rather than patterns as the stimulus. In this study, the particular patterns of firing in the brain of the sender, evoked by the light, turned out to be mirrored in the brain of the receiver, who was sitting in an electrically shielded room 14.5 metres away. Grinberg-Zylberbaum also discovered  that  an  important  condition  determined success:  the  synchrony only occurred among pairs of participants who had met and established a connection by spending 20 minutes with each other in meditative silence.11

    In earlier work, Grinberg-Zylberbaum had discovered that brainwave synchrony occurred not only between two people, but between both hemispheres of the brains of both participants, with one important distinction: the participant with the most cohesive quantum wave patterns sometimes set the tempo and tended to influence the other. The most ordered brain pattern often prevailed.12

    In the most recent DMILS study, in 2005, a group of researchers from Basty University and the University of Washington gathered 30 couples with strong emotional and psychological connections and also a great deal of experience in meditation. The pairs were split up and placed in rooms 10 meters away from each other, with an EEG amplifier wired up to the occipital (visual) lobe of the brain of each participant. The moment each sender was exposed to a flickering light, he attempted to transmit an image or thought about the light to the partner. Of the 60 receivers tested, 5 of them, or 8 per cent, were shown to have significantly higher brain activation during times their partner ‘sent’ their visual images.13

    The Washington researchers then selected five pairs of the participants who had scored a significant result, wired them up to a functional MRI, which measures minuscule changes in the brain during critical functions, and asked them to repeat the experiment. During the times the thought was ‘transmitted’, the recipients experienced an increase in blood oxygenation in a portion of the visual cortex of the brain. This increase did not occur when the sending partner was not being visually stimulated.14

    The Bastyr researchers replicated their study, this time with volunteers highly experienced in meditation, and got some of the strongest correlations between senders and receivers of all the studies thus far.

    The Bastyr study represented a major breakthrough in research on direct mental influence. It demonstrated that the brain-wave response of the sender to the stimulus is mirrored in the receiver, and that the stimulus in the receiver occurs in an identical place in the brain as that of the sender. The receiver’s brain reacts as though he or she is seeing the same image at the same time.

    A final extraordinary study examined the effect of powerful emotional involvement on remote influence. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh studied and compared the EEGs of bonded couples, matched pairs of strangers, and several individuals with no partner but who nevertheless thought they were being paired off and having their brain waves compared. Everyone who had been paired off, whether he knew his partner or not, displayed increased numbers of brain waves in synchrony. The only participants who did not demonstrate this effect were those who had no partner.15

    Radin carried out a variation of this experiment, attaching pairs who had close bonds – couples, friends, parents and their children.  In a significant number of instances, the EEGs of the senders and receivers appeared to synchronize.16

    In designing the Love Study, Schlitz and Radin also had been influenced by other research showing that, during acts of remote influence, the recipient’s EEG waves mirror those of the sender. In a number of studies of healing, the EEG waves of the patient synchronize with those of the healer during moments when healing energy is being ‘sent’.17

    Brain mapping during certain types of healing, such as bioenergy, also shows evidence of brain-wave synchrony. 18

    In many instances, when one person is sending focused intention to another, their brains appear to become entrained.

    Entrainment is a term in physics which means that two oscillating systems fall into synchrony. It was coined in 1665 by the Dutch mathematician Christiaan Huygens, after discovering that two of his clocks with pendulums standing in close approximation to each other had begun to swing in unison. He had been toying with the two pendulums and found that even if he started one pendulum swinging at one end, and the other at the opposite end, eventually the two would swing in unison.

    Two waves peaking and troughing at the same time, are considered ‘in phase’, or operating in synch. Those peaking at opposite times are ‘out of phase’. Physicists believe that entrainment results from tiny exchanges of energy between two systems that are out of phase, causing one to slow down and the other to accelerate until the two are in phase. It is also related to resonance, or the ability of any system to absorb more energy than normal at a particular frequency (the number of peaks and troughs in one second). Any vibrating thing, including an electromagnetic wave, has its own preferential frequencies, called ‘resonant frequencies’, where it finds vibrating the easiest. When it ‘listens’ or receives a vibration from somewhere else, it tunes out all pretenders and only tunes into its own resonant frequency. It is a bit like a mother instantly recognizing her child from among a mass of school children. Planets have orbital resonances. Our sense of hearing operates through a form of entrainment: different parts of a membrane of the inner ear resonate to different frequencies of sound. Resonance even occurs in the seas, such as in the tidal resonance of the Bay of Fundy in the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine, near Nova Scotia.

    Once they march to the same rhythm, things that are entrained send out a stronger signal than they do individually. This most commonly occurs with musical instruments, which sound amplified when all playing in phase. At the Bay of Fundy, the time required for a single wave to travel from the bay’s mouth to its opposite end and back is exactly matched by the time of each tide. Each wave is amplified by the rhythm of each tide, resulting in some of the highest tides in the world.

    Entrainment also occurs when someone sends a strong intention to cause harm, which became evident in the tohate experiments of Mikio Yamamoto of the National Institute of Radiological Sciences in Chiba and the Nippon Medical School in Tokyo. Tohate is a kind of mental stand-off between two Qigong practitioners, one of whom receives a sensory shock and is eventually made to submit and move back several yards without any physical contact from the other. The central question posed by the technique, in Yamamoto’s mind, was whether the effect of tohate is psychological or physical: does the opponent move back because of psychological intimidation, or is he knocked over by the qi of his opponent?

    In  the  first  of  Yamamoto’s  studies,  a Qigong  master  was  isolated  in  an electromagnetically shielded room on the fourth floor of a building, while his student was similarly isolated on the first floor.

    Yamamoto signalled for the master  to perform ‘qi emission’ over 80 seconds at random intervals. Each time, he tracked their separate movements – the sending of the qi and the start of the pupil’s recoil. In nearly a third of the 49 such trials – a highly significant result – whenever the master engaged in tohate movements, his opponent in the other room was physically knocked back. In a second set of 57 trials, Yamamoto wired both teacher and pupil to EEG machines. Whenever the master emitted qi, his pupil showed an increase in the number of alpha brain waves in his right frontal lobe, suggesting that this was where the body initially receives the intention ‘message’.

    Yamamoto’s final set of trials examined the EEG-recorded brain waves of both master and student.

    Whenever the master performed tohate, the beta brain waves of both men demonstrated a greater sense of coherence.19

    In an earlier study carried out by the Tokyo group, the brain waves of the receiver and sender became synchronized within one second during tohate.20

    Besides resonance, the DMILS studies offered evidence of another phenomenon during intention: the receiver anticipated the information by registering the ‘ouch’ a few moments before the pinch occurred in the sender.

    In 1997, in his former laboratory at the University of Nevada, Radin discovered that humans may receive a physical foreboding of an event.

    He set up a computer that would randomly select photos designed to calm, to arouse, or to upset a participant. His volunteers were wired to physiological monitors that recorded changes in skin conduction, heart rate and blood pressure, and they sat in front of a computer that would randomly display colour photos of tranquil scenes (landscapes), or scenes designed to shock (autopsies) or to arouse (erotic materials).

    Radin discovered that his subjects were registering physiological responses before they saw the photo. As if trying to brace themselves, their responses were highest before they saw an image that was erotic or disturbing.

    This offered the first laboratory proof that our bodies unconsciously anticipate and act out our own future emotional states and that the nervous system does not merely cushion itself against a future blow, but also works out the emotional meaning of it.21

    Dr Rollin McCraty, executive vice-president and director of research for the Institute of HeartMath, in Boulder Creek, California was fascinated by the idea of shared physical foreboding of an event, but wondered where exactly in the body this intuitive information might first be felt. He used the original design of Radin’s study with a computerized system of randomly generated arousing photos, but hooked up his participants to a greater complement of medical equipment.

    McCraty discovered that these forebodings of good and bad news were felt in both the heart and brain, whose electromagnetic waves would speed up or slow down just before a disturbing or tranquil picture was shown. Furthermore, all four lobes of the cerebral cortex appeared to take part in this intuitive awareness. Most astonishing of all, the heart appeared to receive this information moments before the brain did. This suggested that the body has certain perceptual apparatus that enables it continually to scan and intuit the future, but that the heart may hold the largest antenna. After the heart receives the information, it communicates this information to the brain.

    McCraty’s study had shown certain fascinating differences between the sexes. Both the heart and brain became entrained with each other earlier and more frequently in women than they did in men. McCraty concluded that this offered scientific evidence of  the universal assumption that women are naturally more intuitive than men and more in touch with their heart centre.22

    McCraty’s conclusion – that the heart is the largest ‘brain’ of the body – has now gained credibility after research findings by Dr John Andrew Armour at the University of Montreal and the Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur in Montreal.

    Armou discovered neurotransmitters in the heart that signal and influence aspects of higher thought in the brain.23 McCraty discovered that touch and even mentally focusing on the heart cause brain-wave entrainment between people.

    When two people touched while focusing loving thoughts on their hearts, the more ‘coherent’ heart rhythms of the two began to entrain the brain of the other.24

    When two people touched while focusing loving thoughts on their hearts, the more ‘coherent’ heart rhythms of the two began to entrain the brain of the other.
    When two people touched while focusing loving thoughts on their hearts, the more ‘coherent’ heart rhythms of the two began to entrain the brain of the other.

    Armed with this new evidence about the heart, Dean Radin and Marilyn Schlit decided to explore whether remote mental influence extended to anywhere else in the body. An obvious place to explore was the gut. People speak about intuition as a ‘gut instinct’ or ‘gut feeling’. Certain researchers have even referred to the gut as a ‘second brain’.25

    Radin wondered if a gut instinct was accompanied by an actual physical effect.

    Radin and Schlitz gathered 26 student volunteers, paired them, and this time wired them up to an electrogastrogram (EGG), which measures the electrical behaviour of the gut; monitors on the skin usually closely match the frequencies and contractions of the stomach. Although the Freiburg study had shown otherwise, Radin and Schlitz believed that familiarity could only help to magnify the effects of remote influence. In case some sort of physical connection was indeed important, Radin asked all the participants to exchange some meaningful object first.

    Radin put one participant from a pair in one room. The other sat in another, darkened room, attached to an electrogastrogram, viewing live video images of the first person. Images periodically flashed on another monitor, accompanied by music designed to arouse particular emotions: positive, negative, angry, calming or just neutral.

    The results revealed another example of entrainment – this time in the gut.

    The EGG readings of the receiver were significantly higher and correlated with those of the sender when the sender experienced strong emotions, positive or negative. Here was yet more evidence that the emotional state of others is registered in the body of the receiver – in this case, deep in the intestines – and that the home of the gut instinct is indeed the gut itself.26

    This latest evidence was further proof that our emotional responses are constantly being picked up and echoed in those closest to us.27 In every one of these studies, the bodies of the pairs had become entrained or ‘entangled’ as Radin called it;28 the recipients were ‘seeing’ or feeling what their partners actually saw or felt, in real time.

    As this research intimates, intention might be an attunement of energy. The DMILS research established that, under certain conditions, the heart rate, the arousa of the autonomic nervous system, the brain  waves and the blood flow to the extremities of different people all become entrained, even when they are situated at a distance. Nevertheless, in most of the DMILS studies, the correlated respons resulted from a simple stimulation of the sender, which the recipient unconsciously picked up. Except for one instance, no one attempted to influence another person.

    Schlitz and Radin now wanted to find out whether they would achieve similar correlations if the sender were actually sending an intention to heal. For the Love Study, Schlitz and her colleagues decided to recruit ordinary individuals and train them in healing techniques. They wondered whether certain conditions were more favourable than others for achieving entrainment.

    Many healing studies intimated that motivation, interpersonal connection and a shared belief system were vital to success.

    Grinberg-Zylberbaum believed that a ‘transferred potential’, as he termed this form of entrainment, occurred only among those who had undergone some meditative regime and then only after some sort of psychic connection between sender and receiver had been established. Nevertheless, in the Freiberg study, many of the pairs had never met each other and had not had a chance to establish a bond.

    The German researchers had concluded that ‘connectedness’ and mental preparation may play a role, but were not crucial. In Schlitz’s view, motivation was a key component of success. The more urgent the situation, such as would occur with a partner suffering from cancer, the more motivated his or her partner would be in attempting to get him or her well.

    Schlitz and her fellow researchers decided to seek out couples with a wife suffering from breast cancer, and began advertising around the San Francisco Bay Area for volunteers.

    It soon became apparent that they would have to widen their original brief. The breast-cancer population of the Bay Area, which is higher than average in the USA, has been extremely well studied.

    From the lack-luster response to their advertising, it appeared that sufferers were unwilling to take part in yet more research. The scientists decided to open the study to any couple if either partner were suffering from cancer of any variety.

    Eventually 31 couples volunteered, including healthy couples who were to act as controls.

    Jerome Stone wrote a training manual for the couples, after analysing a number of healers and distilling their common practices.29

    The first component of his programme involved teaching the sender how to focus and concentrate, as occurs in meditation, to create a high degree of sustained attention. The scientific evidence demonstrates that meditation establishes more coherent brain waves; at least 25 studies show that EEG synchronization occurs between the four regions of the brain during meditation.30

    Other studies of meditation have shown that it creates more coherent biophoton emissions31 and in general aids healing.

    Stone also believed that his senders needed to learn how  to generate compassion or empathy for their partners, with a technique based largely on the Tonglen Buddhist idea of ‘giving and receiving’. This  practice would train the partner to develop a true understanding of the suffering of another, to take on the suffering without being burdened by it, and to transform it through the process of sending healing.

    Developing true empathy would also help to dissolve the boundaries and sense of self between the sender and receiver. Positive, loving thoughts also had positive physiological effects. Rollin McCraty’s research at HeartMath showed tha a steady (or, as they called it, ‘coherent’) variation in heartbeat was more likely with ‘positive’ – loving or altruistic – thoughts and that this ‘coherence’ was quickly picked up by the brain, which soon pulsed in synchrony32 and evidenced improved cognitive performance.33

    After Stone instructed the partners in simple techniques of meditation, he also taught them to be compassionate when carrying out intention. The final aspect of Stone’s training involved instilling belief and confidence in both senders and receivers.

    Stone had discovered evidence in both the healing and parapsychological literature that belief in the process assists in the success of psychic processes such as ESP, which, like intention, involves ‘transferring’ information across distance.34

    Although the training programme was originally intended to run for eight weeks, limited funding meant that Stone had to compress his workshop into a single day, to be followed up with homework and practice.

    Radin divided the couples into three groups.

    The first group (the ‘trained group’) was to undergo Stone’s training, practise compassionate intention daily for three months and then carry out the test.

    The second group (called the ‘wait group’) was to carry out the test first and then have the training.

    The 18 healthy couples comprising the third group (the control group) was to have no training at all, but simply undergo the test.

    With all three groups, the member of the couple with the cancer (or one of the designated partners in the control group) was asked to sit in a black reclining chair placed in a one-ton, solid steel, double-walled, electromagnetically shielded enclosure.

    The tiny Lindgren/ETS chamber was separated from the outside world b two layers of steel and one of solid wood, which blocked out all sound and all electromagnetic energy. Any electrical signals were carried out of the chamber by a fibre-optic cable, to ensure that the room remained, electromagnetically speaking, a solitary confinement.

    Each inhabitant was fitted to an array of medical gadgetry to measure brain waves, heartbeat, breathing rate, skin conductance and peripheral blood flow. A video camera stood discretely in the corner.

    The room was curtained in earth tones and furnished with soft table lighting and an artificial, floor-to-ceiling weeping fig tree. When the room was occupied, ambient music flooded the space. The furnishings and music, and even a large colour poster of a cascading mountain stream, were all intended to distract from the fact that once the 400-pound steel door with an articulated closing mechanism snapped shut, the inhabitant was essentially trapped inside the warmer equivalent of a meatpacking-plant refrigerator.

    Some 20 metres away, the other partner was seated in the dark, attached to the same medical equipment as his or her partner, staring at a small blank TV screen. Bunched towels blocked out the last vestiges of light. Whenever the image of the partner in the refrigerator room abruptly flashed on the television screen, the other member of the couple was to send a compassionate intention to his or her partner for 10 seconds.

    Stone, Radin and their colleagues planned to examine two different outcomes: whether the training improved the marriage, and also whether there was any correspondence between the physical sensations of sender and receiver. Although they hoped to examine whether the intentions sent also affected the medical prognosis, limited funding made that aspect of the study impossible.

    Stone and Levine were given the task of analysing the social aspects of the study. Initially they discovered that the training made no difference to the quality of the couples’ marriages.

    The finding was not altogether surprising, considering that anyone prepared to be part of a study involving three months of training was already likely to be extremely committed to the partnership. And Schlitz had aimed to recruit motivated partners when she designed the study. A later, more detailed analysis of the figures showed that the intention training and practice had indeed improved the couples’ marriages, but Radin concluded that these effects were due to their expectation of improved relations.

    Then Radin compiled all the physiological data from the three groups and studied the results between partners and group composite averages. Each physiological response offered fascinating information about the effect of intention on the receiver. For instance, in the case of measurements of blood to the extremities, in every group, the sender’s skin conductance increased 2 seconds after seeing the partner’s image, and the receiver recorded a similar arousal a half second after the image had flashed.

    However, unlike the earlier DMILS studies, where the skin conduction response in the receiver resembled that of a ‘startle reflex’ and quickly tailed off, in this instance the response persisted 7 seconds after the stimulus.

    The receiver clearly appeared to be responding to intention – indeed, almost instantaneously.

    In fact, the receiver’s response occurred at least 1 second faster than it would have been possible for the sender to have consciously formulated an intention. Radin was not sure whether this meant that the receiver had had a premonition of the intention.

    It might simply have reflected the turgid nature of the skin conductance response; the receiver was likely responding in his or her extremities to information sent by the sender’s central nervous system, which would have reacted to the initial stimulation of the image on the monitor far more quickly than the electrical impulses sent to his or her fingertips. Nevertheless, in Radin’s view, the two skin conductance responses were tracking each other, even if they were slightly out of phase.

    A similar situation occurred with the heart rate. The sender’s heart rate increased 5 seconds after the stimulus prompt to send the intention – which was consistent with the physical response that occurs in the body during the process of making some sort of mental effort. But an identical increase took place in the receiver, which would not happen ordinarily if he or she were simply resting in a recliner.

    Blood flow followed a similar pattern. Whenever we experience something that stimulates us, the vascular network in our extremities constricts slightly, to maximize blood flow to the core of the body. In the Love Study, this phenomenon occurred in the sender, and was soon imitated in the body of the receiver.

    As for respiration, on average, whenever the stimulus image appeared, the sender immediately inhaled sharply and blew out the air 15 seconds later. This respiratory response resembles that of someone about to steady himself for the task at hand. In this case, Radin witnessed a different response in the receiver. During the first 5 seconds, the receiver’s respiration faltered, almost as though he or she had stopped breathing, and then resumed with a large exhale in the final 5 seconds of the intention. It was as though the receiver had been listening with care, holding her breath and straining to hear something, before sighing with relief as soon as the stimulation had passed.

    But it was the brain-wave results that proved to be the most interesting. Whenever the receiver’s image flashed on the screen, the senders recorded a little upturn in brain waves, like a ‘flinch response’, and then a huge spike for about a third of a second before they dropped sharply and took about one second to come back to baseline. In the sender, this tiny initial upturn represents something called a P300 wave – a well-established phenomenon that records the time that the brain takes to process the switching on of a light. The drop represents the time it takes for internal attention to modulate the stimulus into a response.

    In this instance, the receivers had no P300 wave, but their brain waves nevertheless mimicked the virtually vertical plunge of the brain wave that shortly followed in the sender, even though, unlike the sender, the receiver had had no stimulus. The brain of the receiver was reacting just as it does when asleep and dreaming. The receivers had registered an emotional reaction, even though there was no tangible stimulus.

    Radin’s results were all the more remarkable because the receivers had not been told how long the stimulus period would be, and neither senders nor receivers knew in advance how long the sender would have to wait before the partner’s image flashed on screen. A computer program randomly selected the time frame, which ranged from 5 to 40 seconds. This meant that any expectation on the part of either member of the couples could not explain the results.

    Radin then compared the responses of the groups. All three groups had shown an effect. In every instance, each physiological response of the receivers had tracked those of the senders. However, the most prolonged pattern occurred among the cancer patients whose partners had been trained in compassionate intention.

    The receivers in the training group not only responded to the stimulus, but also kept responding over 8 of the 10 seconds of the intention. In quantum terms, the couples had become as one.35

    The Love Study indicates a number of profound suggestions about the nature of intention.

    Sending a directed thought seems to generate a palpable energy; whenever one of Radin’s senders sent a healing intention, many subtle aspects of the receiver’s body became activated, as though he had received a minuscule electric shock. It seemed to be a kind of activating awareness, as though his body had felt or heard the healing signal.

    There had even been an element of anticipation in the receiver; some of the physiological reactions recorded suggested that the receiver had felt the partner’s healing intention before he had even sent it.

    People appear to receive healing deep in their bodies by being retuned to the more coherent energy of the healer’s intention. During healing, it could be that the ‘orderly’ energy of the well person entrains and ‘re-orders’ the sick.

    In order to have the most powerful effect, a healer or sender needs to become ‘ordered’ on some subatomic level, mentally and emotionally. The Love Study demonstrates that certain conditions and mental states make our intention especially powerful and ourselves more ordered, and that these states can be achieved with training. The success of the basic training programme that Schlitz, Radin and Stone assembled suggests that attention, belief, motivation and compassion are important for intention to work, but there are probably other conditions that intensify its effects.

    I needed, for instance, to find out how we can loosen our psychological boundaries. It was becoming clear to me: when we send intention, in a manner of speaking, we have to ‘become’ the other.

    Notes – Chapter 4: Hearts that Beat as One

    1. All details of the Love Study were gleaned from multiple interviews with Dean Radin, Marilyn Schlitz and Jerome Stone, April 2005–June 2006.
    2. F. Sicher, E. Targ et al., ‘A randomized double-blind study of the effect of distant healing in a population with advanced AIDS: report of a small scale  study’, Western Journal of Medicine, 1998; 168 (6): 356–63; also multiple interviews with E. Targ, 1999–2001.
    3. M. Schlitz and W. Braud, ‘Distant intentionality and healing: assessing the evidence’, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 1997; 3 (6): 62–73.
    4. M. Schlitz and S. LaBerge, ‘Autonomic detection of remote observation two conceptual replications’, in D. J. Bierman (ed.), Proceedings of Presented Papers, 37th Annual Parapsychological Association Convention Amsterdam, Fairhaven, Mass.: Parapsychological Association, 1994: 352– 60.
    5. S. Schmidt et al., ‘Distant intentionality and the feeling of being stared at: Two metaanalyses’, British Journal of Psychology, 2004; 95: 235–47, as reported in D. Radin, Entangled Minds, New York: Paraview, 2006: 135.
    6. L. Standish et al., ‘Electroencephalographic evidence of correlated event- related signals between the brains of spatially and sensory isolated human subjects’, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2004; 10 (2): 307–14.
    7. Radin, Entangled Minds, op. cit.: 136.
    8. Charles Tart, ‘Physiological correlates of psi cognition’, International Journal of Parapsychology, 1963: 5; 375–86.
    9. T. D. Duane and T. Behrendt, ‘Extrasensory electroencephalographic induction between identical twins’, Science, 1965; 150: 367.
    10. J. Wackerman et al., ‘Correlations between brain electrical activities of two spatially separated human subjects’, Neuroscience Letters, 2003; 336: 60–4.
    11. J. Grinberg-Zylberbaum et al., ‘The Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox i the brain: The transferred potential’, Physics Essays, 1994; 7 (4): 422–28.
    12. J. Grinberg-Zylberbaum and J. Ramos, ‘Patterns of interhemisphere correlations during human communication’, International Journal of Neuroscience, 1987; 36: 41–53; J. Grinberg-Zylberbaum et al., ‘Human communication and the electrophysiological activity of the brain,’ Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine, 1992; 3 (3): 25–43.
    13. L. J. Standish et al., ‘Electroencephalographic evidence of correlated event-related signals’, op. cit.
    14. L. J., Standish et al., ‘Evidence of correlated functional magnetic resonance imaging signals between distant human brains’, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 2003; 9 (1): 122–5; T. Richards et al., ‘Replicable functional magnetic resonance imaging evidence of correlated brain signals between physically and Notes 291 sensory isolated subjects’, Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2005; 11 (6): 955–63.
    15. M.   Kittenis   et   al.,  ‘Distant    psychophysiological                   interaction effects between related and unrelated participants’, Proceedings of the Parapsychological Association Convention, 2004: 67–76, as reported inRadin, Entangled Minds, op. cit.: 138–9.16.    D. I. Radin, ‘Event related EEG correlations between isolated huma subjects’, Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2004; 10: 315–24.
    16. M. Cade and N. Coxhead,The Awakened Mind, 2nd edn, Shaftesbury: Element, 1986.
    17. S. Fahrion et al., ‘EEG amplitude, brain mapping and synchrony in and between a bioenergy practitioner and client during healing’, Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine, 1992; 3 (1): 19–52.
    18. M. Yamamoto, ‘An experiment on remote action against man in sensory shielding condition, Part 2’, Journal of the International Society of Life Information Sciences, 1996; 14 (2): 228–39, as reported in Larry Dossey, Be Careful What You Pray For … You Just Might Get It: What We Can D About the Unintentional Effect of Our Thoughts, Prayers, and Wishes, San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1998: 182–3.
    19. M. Yamamoto et al., ‘An experiment on remote action against man in sense shielding condition’, Journal of the International Society of Life Information Sciences, 1996; 14 (1): 97–9.
    20. D. I. Radin, ‘Unconscious perception of future emotions: An experiment in presentiment’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1997; 11 (2): 163–80. First presented before the annual meeting of the Parapsychological Association in August 1996. For a full description of the Radin experiment see D. Radin, The Conscious Universe, London: HarperCollins, 1997: 119– 24.
    21. R. McCraty et al., ‘Electrophysiological evidence of intuition: Part 2: A systemwide process?’ T he Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2004; 10 (2): 325–36.
    22. J. Andrew Armour and Jeffrey L. Ardell (eds.), Basic and Clinical Neurocardiology, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.
    23. R. McCraty et al., ‘The electricity of touch: Detection and measuremen of cardiac energy exchange between people’, in Karl H. Pribram (ed.), Brain and Values: Is a Biological Science of Values Possible?
    24. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1998: 359–79.M. Gershon, The Second Brain: A Groundbreaking New Understanding ofNervous Disorders of the Stomach and Intestine, London: HarperCollins 1999.
    25. D. I. Radin and M. J. Schlitz, ‘Gut feelings, intuition, and emotions: A exploratory study’, Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2005; 11 (5): 85–91.
    26. D. Radin, ‘Event-related electroencephalographic correlations between isolated human subjects’, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2004; 10 (2): 315–23.
    27. Dean Radin has devoted an excellent book to the subject: see D. Radin Entangled Minds, op cit.
    28. J. Stone, Course Handbook: Training in Compassionate-Loving Intention 2003; J. Stone et al., ‘Effects of a compassionate/loving intention as a therapeutic intervention by partners of cancer patients: A randomized controlled feasibility study’, in press. 292 The Intention Experiment
    29. M.   Murphy   et   al., The  Physiological  and  Psychological  Effects  o Meditation: A Review of Contemporary Research with a Comprehensive Bibliography,   1931–1996,   Petaluma,   Calif.:    The Institute of    Noeti Sciences, 1997.
    30. E. P. Van Wijk et al., ‘Anatomic characterization of human ultra-weak photon emission in practitioners of Transcendental Meditation™ and control subjects’, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2006; 12 (1): 31–8.
    31. R. McCraty et al., ‘Head-heart entrainment: A preliminary survey’, in Proceedings of the Brain-Mind Applied Neurophysiology EEG Neurofeedback Meeting. Key West, Florida, 1996.
    32. R.   McCraty,   ‘Influence  of   cardiac afferent input  on  heart-brain synchronization and cognitive performance, Institute of HeartMath, Boulder Creek, California’,International Journal of Psychophysiology, 2002; 45 (1–2): 72–3.
    33. G. R. Schmeidler, Parapsychology and Psychology, Jefferson: McFarlan and Company, 1988 as cited in J. Stone, Course Handbook, op. cit.; L Dossey, Healing Words: The Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine, San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1993.
    34. D. Radin et al., ‘Effects of motivated distant intention on electrodermal activity.’    Paper presented at  the  Annual Conference of  the Parapsychological Association, Stockholm, Sweden, August 2006.

    PART TWO

    Powering Up

    For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.
    -‘Song of Myself’, Walt Whitman

    CHAPTER FIVE

    Entering Hyperspace

    IN A DRAUGHTY MONASTERY high in the Himalayas in northern India during the winter of 1985, a group of Tibetan Buddhist monks were seated quietly, deep in meditation. Although scantily clad, they appeared oblivious to the chilly indoor air temperature, which approached freezing. A fellow monk passed between them, draping each, in turn, with sheets drenched with cold water. Such extreme conditions would ordinarily shock the body and send the core temperature plummeting. If body temperature falls by only 7°C, within minutes a person will lose consciousness and all vital signs.

    Instead of shivering, the monks began to sweat. Steam rose from the wet sheets; within an hour, they were thoroughly dry. The attendant replaced the dry sheets with new ones, also drenched in ice-cold water. By this time, the monks’ bodies had become the equivalent of a furnace. Those sheets were efficiently dried, as was a third batch.

    A team of scientists led by Herbert Benson, a cardiologist at Harvard Medica School, stood nearby, examining an array of medical equipment to which they had attached the monks for any clues as to what particular physiological mechanism might have enabled the body to generate this extraordinary level of heat.

    For a number of years, Benson had explored the effects of meditation on the brain and the rest of the body. He’d embarked on an ambitious research programme, studying Buddhists in various remote outposts around the world who had spent many years in disciplined practice. During one trip to the Himalayas, he also videotaped monks, dressed only in light shawls, as they spent a freezing February night outdoors on a mountain ledge 4600 meters above sea level. Benson’s film showed that they had slept soundly through the night, without clothing or shelter.

    In his travels, Benson had witnessed many extraordinary feats of intention – mastery over temperature or metabolic rate that could even produce a state resembling hibernation. The monks monitored  by Benson’s team had raised  the temperature of their extremities by up to 9.4°C and lowered their metabolism by more than 60 per cent.1

    Benson realized that this represented the largest variation in resting metabolism ever reported. During sleep, by contrast, metabolism only drops by 10 to 15 per cent; even experienced meditators can only decrease it by 17 per cent, at best. But that day in the Himalayas, he had observed the impossible in terms of mental influence. The monks had used their bodies to boil freezing water simply through the power of their thoughts.2

    Benson’s enduring enthusiasm for meditation ignited interest at major academic institutions across America. By the end of the twentieth century, monks had become the favourite guinea pigs of the neuroscience laboratory. Scientists from Princeton, Harvard, the University of Wisconsin and the University of California–Davi followed Benson’s lead by wiring up monks to state-of-the-art monitoring equipment and studying the effects of intensive, advanced meditation. Entire conferences were held on meditation and the brain.3

    It was not the practice itself that fascinated these scientists, but its effect on the human body, particularly the brain, and the possibilities this suggested. By studying the biological effects in such detail, scientists hoped to understand the neurological processes that occur during feats of highly directed thought, as the monks had displayed in the Himalayas.

    Monks also offered scientists an opportunity to study whether years of focused attention stretch the brain beyond its usual limits. Did the brain of a monk become the equivalent of an Olympic athlete’s body – more highly developed and ultimately transformed after gruelling discipline and practice?

    Do training and experience change the physiology of the brain over time? Would practice enable you to become a bigger and better transmitter of intention? The answers would in turn address a long- standing debate in neuroscience: is neural structure basically hard-wired from youth or plastic – changeable – depending on the nature of a person’s thoughts through life?

    For me, the most intriguing question about this research on focused attention was the means by which a Buddhist monk could turn himself into a human boiler, and how these means compared with techniques and practices of other ancient traditions. Like Benson, I was intrigued by ‘masters’ of intention: practitioners of ancient disciplines Buddhism, Qigong, shamanism, traditional native healing – who had been trained to perform extraordinary acts through their thoughts. I wanted to work out  the common denominators they shared.

    Do the steps taken by a Qigong master to send Qi resemble those of a Buddhist monk during meditation?

    Which mental disciplines ensure that a healer will enter a state enabling him to repair another person’s body?

    Are ‘masters’ of intention graced with special neurological gifts that enable them to use their minds more powerfully than the rest of us, or did they acquire a skill that ordinary people could learn as well? And, perhaps most important, what did the neurological study of monks tell me about the effect of focused intention on the brain? Would practice enable you to become a bigger and better transmitter of intention?

    I began studying scientific research about healing methods from a variety of traditions and then conducted my own questionnaire and interviews with healers and ‘master’ intenders of all persuasions.4

    I was aided in my research by the work of psychologist  Stanley  Krippner  and  his  student  Allan  Cooperstein  at  Saybroo Graduate School. A clinical and forensic psychologist, Cooperstein had conducted a thorough study of the various techniques used by distant healers for his doctoral thesis, including an analysis of scholarly books on healing and exhaustive written and verbal interviews with well-known practitioners who had scientific evidence of success in healing.5

    In every instance, I discovered, the most important first step involved achieving a state of concentrated focus, or peak attention.

    According to Krippner, an expert on shamanic and other native traditions, virtually all native cultures carry out remote healing during an altered state of consciousness and achieve a state of concentrated focus through a variety of means.6

    Although the use of hallucinogenic drugs such as ayahuasca is common, many cultures use a strong repetitive rhythm or beat to create that state; the Native American Ojibway wanbeno, for instance, use drumming, rattling, chanting, naked dancing and handling of live coals.7

    Drumming is particularly effective in producing a highly concentrated focus; a number of studies have shown that listening to the beat of a drum causes the brain to slow down into a trancelike state.8

    As Native Americans discovered, even intense heat, as in a sweat lodge, can transport individuals to an altered state.

    In my own study of intention ‘masters’, I spoke with Bruce Frantzis, arguably the greatest Qigong master in the West. A martial arts champion, with black belts in five Japanese martial arts, he also learned healing Qigong through years of study with Chinese masters.

    Frantzis’s powers of intention were legendary; he had been videoed sending people flying across the room simply by directing Qi. In his fighting days, he had put several people into wheelchairs. Now, knowing its extraordinary power, he reserved Qi for healing. During my own meeting with him, Frantzis gave a short demonstration of the power of directed Qi. After a moment of intense concentration, the plates of his skull began to undulate over the top of his head like a rolling surf.9

    Frantzis taught his students how to develop peak attention gradually, through intense concentration on their breathing. Although they began with very short bursts of ‘longevity’ breathing, they would work on extending these periods until eventually they could hold this focus continuously. They would also be taught methods of becoming acutely aware of all physical sensation.10

    The healers I interviewed entered this focused state through a variety of means: meditation; prayer; intense attention on the person to be healed; symbolic or mythic ideas; strong mental images of a situation producing the desired change; verbal affirmations; mental imagery; even internal autosuggestions as a warm-up exercise. One healer established focused attention by saturating his awareness with the goal that he was trying to achieve.

    Dr Janet Piedilato, a shamanic healer, will often ‘gently hum or chant’ or use a ‘rattle or other instrument’. Dr Constance Johnson, a Reiki practitioner, can return to an altered state at will. Others need to work hard to achieve this transformation: The Reverend Francis Geddes, a spiritual healer, will meditate on a small object like a pebble, leaf, or twig in a ‘very concentrated manner for ten minutes’.

    Still others use the patient as the object of meditation. As Dr Judith Swack, a mind–body healer who has developed her own holistic psychotherapy system, says: ‘I look directly at the client and focus all of my senses forward toward the client and enter a receptive state where I pay internal attention to any subtle information and impression coming in like a kind of radar.’ Many other healers likewise enter an altered state, simply by ‘listening to the patient’ – ‘audibly or otherwise’. ‘Just thinking of the need to help someone,’ wrote Dr Piedilato, ‘slows the blood in my veins.’

    Initially, many healers experience a heightening of their cognitive processes, but most soon reach a point when inner chatter ceases, and they experience a falling away of all sensation but pure image. The focusing seems to dissolve their own boundaries. They suddenly become aware of the inner workings of the patient’s body and ultimately have a sense of being engulfed by the healee.

    I was especially interested in the effect of this intense concentration on the activity of the brain. Does the brain slow down or speed up? The received wisdom is that during meditation the brain slows down. The bulk of the research examining the electrical activity of the brain during meditation indicates that meditation leads to a predominance of either alpha rhythms (slow, high-amplitude brain waves with frequencies of 8–13 hertz, or cycles per second), which also occurs during light dreaming, or even the slower theta waves (4–7 hertz), which typify the state of consciousness during deep sleep.11 During ordinary waking consciousness, the brain operates much faster, using beta waves (around 13–40 hertz).  For  decades, the prevailing view has been that the optimum state for manifesting intention is an ‘alpha’ state.

    Richard Davidson, a neuroscientist and psychologist at the University o Wisconsin’s Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience, recently put this view to the test. Davidson was an expert in ‘affective processing’ – the place where the brain processes emotion and the resulting communication between the brain and body. His work had come to the attention of the Dalai Lama, who invited him to visit Dharamsala, India, in 1992; a science buff, his Holiness wished to understand more about the biological effects of intensive meditation.

    Afterwards, eight of the Dalai Lama’s most seasoned practitioners of Nyingmapa and Kagyupa meditation were flown to Davidson’s lab in Wisconsin.

    There, Davidson attached 256 EEG sensors to each monk’s scalp in order to record electrical activity from a large number of different areas in the brain.

    The monks were then asked to carry out compassionate meditation. As with Jerome Stone’s intention regime, the meditation entailed focusing on an utter readiness to help others and a desire for all living things to be free of suffering.

    For the control group, Davidson enlisted a group of undergraduates who had never practiced meditation and arranged for them to undergo a week’s training, then attached them to the same number of EEG sensors to monitor their brains during meditation.

    After 15 seconds, according to the EEG readings, the monks’ brains did not slow down; they began speeding up.

    In fact, they were activated on a scale neither Davidson nor any other scientist had ever seen. The monitors showed sustained bursts of high gamma-band activity – rapid cycles of 25–70 hertz. The monks had rapidly shifted from a high concentration of beta waves to a preponderance of alpha, back up to beta and finally up to gamma.

    Gamma band, the highest rate of brain-wave frequencies, is employed by the brain when it is working its hardest: at a state of rapt attention, when sifting through working memory, during deep levels of learning, in the midst of great flashes of insight.

    As Davidson discovered, when the brain operates at these extremely fast frequencies, the phases of brain waves (their times of peaking and troughing) all over the brain begin to operate in synchrony. This type of synchronization is considered crucial for achieving heightened awareness.12

    The gamma state is even believed to cause changes in the brain’s synapses – the junctions over which electrical impulses leap to send a message to a neuron, muscle or gland.13

    That the monks could achieve this state so rapidly suggested that their neural processing had been permanently altered by years of intensive meditation.

    Although the monks were middle-aged, their brain waves were far more coherent and organized than those of the robust young controls. Even during their resting state, the Buddhists showed evidence of a high ratio of gamma-band activity, compared with that of the neophyte meditators.

    Davidson’s study bolstered other pieces of preliminary research suggesting that certain advanced and highly focused forms of meditation produce a brain operating at peak intensity.14

    Studies of yogis have shown that, during deep meditation, their brains produce bursts of high-frequency beta or gamma waves, which often are associated with moments of ecstasy or intense concentration.15

    Those who can withdraw from external stimuli and completely focus their attention inward appear more likely to reach gamma-wave hyperspace. During peak attention of this nature, the heart rate also accelerates.16

    Similar types of effects have been recorded during prayer. A study monitoring the brain waves of six Protestants during prayer found an increase in brain-wave speed during moments of the most intense concentration.17

    Different forms of meditation may produce strikingly different brain waves. For instance, yogis strive for anuraga, or a sense of constant fresh perception; Zen Buddhists aim to eliminate their response to the outer world. Studies comparing the two find that the former produces heightened perceptual awareness – magnified outer focus – while the latter produces heightened inner absorption – magnified inner awareness.18

    Most research on meditation has concerned the type that focuses on one particular stimulus, such as the breath or a sound, like a mantra. In Davidson’s study, the monks concentrated on having a sense of compassion for all living things. It may be that compassionate intention – and other similar, ‘expansive’ concepts – produces thoughts that send the brain soaring into a supercharged state of heightened perception.

    When Davidson and his colleague Antoine Lutz wrote up their study, they realized that they were reporting the highest measures of gamma activity ever recorded among people who were not insane.19

    In their  results they noticed an association between level of experience and ability to sustain this extraordinarily high brain activity; those monks who had been performing meditation the longest recorded the highest levels of gamma activity. The heightened state also produced permanent emotional improvement, by activating the left anterior portion of the brain the portion most associated with joy.

    The monks had conditioned their brains to tune into happiness most of the time.

    In later research, Davidson demonstrated that meditation alters brain-wave patterns, even among new practitioners. Neophytes who had practised mindfulness meditation for only eight weeks showed increased activation of the ‘happy-thoughts’ part of the brain and enhanced immune function.20

    In the past, neuroscientists imagined the brain as something akin to a complex computer, which got fully constructed in adolescence. Davidson’s results supported more recent evidence that the ‘hardwired’ brain theory was outdated.

    The brain appeared to revise itself throughout life, depending on the nature of its thoughts. Certain sustained thoughts produced measurable physical differences and changed its structure. Form followed function; consciousness helped to form the brain.

    Besides speeding up, brain waves also synchronize during meditation and healing. In fieldwork with indigenous and spiritual healers in five continents, Krippner suspected that, prior to healing, the healers all underwent brain ‘discharge patterns’ that produce a coherence and synchronization of the two hemispheres of the brain, and integrate the limbic (the lower emotional centre) with the cortical systems (the seat of higher reasoning).21

    At least 25 studies of meditation have shown that, during meditation, EEG activity between the four regions of the brain synchronizes.22

    Meditation makes the brain permanently more coherent – as might prayer. A study at the University of Pavia in Italy and the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford showe that saying the rosary had the same effect on the body as reciting a mantra. Both were able to create a ‘striking, powerful, and synchronous increase’ in cardiovascular rhythms when recited six times a minute.23

    Another important effect of concentrated focus is the integration of both left and right hemispheres. Until recently, scientists believed that the two sides of the brain work more or less independently. The left side was depicted as the ‘accountant’, responsible for logical, analytical, linear thinking, and speech, and the right side, as the ‘artist’, providing spatial orientation, musical and artistic ability, and intuition.

    But Peter Fenwick, consultant neuropsychiatrist at the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford St Thomas’ Hospital, Bethlehem Hospital and the Institute of Psychiatry at th Maudsley Hospital, gathered evidence to show that speech and many other functions are produced in both sides of the brain and that the brain works best when it can operate as a totality. During meditation, both sides communicate in a particularly harmonious manner.24

    Concentrated attention appears to enlarge certain mechanisms of perception, while tuning out ‘noise’. Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence,25 carried out research showing that the cortices of meditators ‘speed up’, but get cut off from the limbic emotional center.

    With practice, he concluded, anyone can carry out this ‘switching-off ’ process, enabling the single mode of the brain to experience heightened perception without an overlay of emotion or meaning.26

    During this process, all of the power of the brain is free to focus on a single thought: an awareness of what is happening at the present moment.

    Meditation also appears to permanently enhance the brain’s reception. In several studies, meditators have been exposed to repetitive stimuli like light flashes or clicks. Ordinarily, a person will get used to the clicks, and the brain, in a sense, will switch off and stop reacting. But the brains of the meditators continued to react to the stimuli – an indication of heightened perception of every moment.27

    In one study, practitioners of mindfulness meditation – the practice of bringing heightened, non-judgemental awareness of the senses’ perceptions to the present moment – were tested for visual sensitivity before and immediately after a three- month retreat, during which time they had practiced mindfulness meditation for 16 hours a day.

    The staff members who did not practice the meditation acted as a control group. The researchers were testing whether the participants could detect the duration of simple light flashes and the correct interval between successive ones.

    To those without mental training in focusing, these flashes would appear as one unbroken light.

    After the retreat, the practitioners were able to detect the single-light flashes and to differentiate between successive flashes.

    Mindfulness meditation enables its practitioners to become aware of unconscious processes and to remain exquisitely sensitive to external stimuli.28

    As these studies indicate, certain types of concentrated focus, like meditation, enlarge the mechanism by which we receive information and clarify the reception. We turn into a larger, more sensitive radio.

    In 2000, Sara Lazar, a neuroscientist at Massachusetts General Hospital and a expert in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), confirmed that this process produces  actual  physical  changes.  

    Conventional     MRI  employs  radio-frequency waves and a powerful magnetic field to view the soft tissues of the body, including the brain. ‘Functional’ magnetic resonance imaging, on the other hand, measures the minuscule changes in the brain during critical functions. It confirms where and when stimuli and language are being processed by measuring the increase in blood flow in the fine network of arteries and veins of the brain when certain neural networks are engaged.  For  scientists  like  Lazar,  the  fMRI  is  the  closest  science  can get  to observing a brain at work in real time.

    Herbert Benson had enlisted Lazar to map the brain regions that are active during simple forms of meditation. Rather than scrutinizing more monks or other meditation ‘athletes’ who had devoted themselves to the contemplative life, Lazar preferred to study the effect of meditation on the millions of ordinary Americans who performed meditation for just 20–60 minutes a day. She and Benson recruited five volunteers, who had practised Kundalini meditation for at least four years.

    This kind of meditation employs two different sounds to focus and still the mind while observing inhalation and exhalation of the breath. Lazar asked volunteers to alternate between intervals of meditation and control states, during which they silently ticked off a mental list of animals.

    Throughout the experiment, Lazar also monitored the biological activity of her subjects – heart rate, breathing, oxygen saturation levels, levels of exhaled CO2, and EEG levels.

    Lazar discovered that, during meditation, the volunteers had a significant increase of signalling in the neural structures of the brain involved in attention: the frontal and parietal cortex, or the ‘new’ part of the brain where higher cognition takes place, and the amygdala and hypothalamus, portions of the ‘old’ brain that govern arousal and autonomic control.

    This finding was another contradiction of the received wisdom that meditation is always a state of quiescence. Her results offered yet more evidence that, during certain types of meditation, the brain is engaged in a state of rapt attention.

    Lazar also discovered that the signalling in certain areas of the brain and the neural activity during meditation evolved over time and increased with meditative experience. Her subjects themselves had the impression that their states of mind continued to change during each individual meditation and as they grew more experienced.29

    These results suggested to Lazar that highly concentrated focus over time might enlarge certain parts of the brain. To test this, she gathered 20 long-term practitioners of Buddhist mindfulness meditation (five of whom were meditation teachers) with an average of nine years of meditation experience. Fifteen non-meditators acted as controls. Participants meditated in turn inside an ordinary MRI scanner while Laza took detailed images of their neural structures.

    Lazar discovered that those portions of the brain associated with attention, awareness of sensation, sensory stimuli and sensory processing were thicker in the meditators than in the controls. The effects of meditation definitely were ‘dose- dependent’: increases in cortical thickness were proportional to the overall amount of time the participant had spent meditating.

    Lazar’s research offered some of the first evidence that meditation causes permanent alterations in brain structure. Up until the time of her experiment, this type of increase in cortical volume had only been linked to certain repetitive mechanical practices requiring a high degree of attention, such as playing an instrument or juggling. Here was some of the first evidence that thinking certain thoughts exercises the ‘attention’ portion of the brain and makes it grow larger. Indeed, the cortical thickness of these regions was even more pronounced in the older participants. Ordinarily, cortical thickness deteriorates as a result of ageing. Regular meditation appears to reduce or reverse the process.

    Besides increasing cognitive processing, meditation also appears to integrate emotional and cognitive processes. In the fMRI study, Lazar found evidence o activation of the limbic brain – the primitive, so-called ‘instinctive’ part of the brain involved with primitive emotion. Meditation appears to affect not only the brain’s reasonable, analytical ‘upstairs’ but also the unconscious and intuitive ‘downstairs’. She had discovered greater activation in the part of the brain responsible for what is usually called ‘the gut instinct’. Here was physical evidence that meditation not only increases our ability to receive intuitive information, but also our conscious awareness of it. Davidson had shown increases in the ‘approach’ portion of the brain the part that wants to help – in his monks, who were attempting to help humanity by meditating on compassion. They had increased the ‘can I help you’ portion of their brains. Lazar’s meditators, however, were working on mindfulness, a state of peak attention, and that part of the brain responsible for attention had grown larger. The brain’s powers of observation had increased, allowing in more information, even the kind that is received intuitively.

    Some people are born with a larger-than-normal antenna and better reception than usual. This appears to be the case with the psychic Ingo Swann. Swann’s psychic gifts extended to remote viewing, the ability to perceive objects or events beyond normal human vision.

    He had helped to develop a remote viewing programme used by the American government and was widely regarded as one of the best remote viewers in the world. Swann once had allowed the peculiar workings of his brain to be monitored and analysed by Michael Persinger, professor of psychology at Laurentian University in Canada.

    Wired to an EEG machine, Swan was asked to use his skills to identify items in a distant room. At the very moment that he was able to ‘see’ the items remotely, his brain showed bursts of fast activity in the high beta and gamma range, similar to that of Benson’s Tibetan monks.

    Those bursts of activity occurred primarily over the right occipital region, the portion of the brain relating to sight. According to the results of brain-wave monitoring, Swann had entered a super-conscious state, enabling him to receive information impossible to access during normal waking consciousness.

    When examined by MRI, Swann also showed that he had an unusually larg parieto-occipital right-hemisphere lobe, the portion  of the brain involved with sensory and visual input.

    Persinger had found a similar neural aberration in another gifted psychic called Sean Harribance.30

    When monitored with EEG and single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) equipment during his psychi activities, Harribance evidenced an increase in firing of the right parietal lobe. Both he and Swann had been graced with a greater capacity than normal to ‘see’ beyond the limits of time, distance, and the five major senses.

    Science has demonstrated that by thinking certain thoughts it is possible for us to alter and enlarge portions of our brains to become a larger, more powerful receiver. But is it also possible to develop a larger transmitter?

    To discover some of the qualities that enhance transmission, I would have to study ‘masters’ of intention who were particularly gifted at transmitting. The best place to look seemed to be among talented healers.

    Cancer specialist and psychologist Lawrence LeShan, who has studied how gifted healers work, discovered that they share two important practices, besides entering an altered state of consciousness: they visualize themselves as uniting with the person to be healed and imagine themselves and that person as being united with what they often describe as the absolute.31

    Cooperstein’s healers had also described turning off the ego and eliminating their sense of self and separateness. They had the sense of assuming the body and vantage point of the person to be healed. One healer actually felt his body changing, with shifts of patterns and distributions of energy. Although the healers did not take on the disease or pain, they sensed it once they had visualized themselves as being at one with the person being healed. At this point of union, the healers’ perception markedly altered and their motor skills diminished.

    They were suffused by an expanded sense of pure present, and grew unaware of the passage of time. They lost awareness of the boundaries of their own bodies, and even experienced an altered sense of bodily image. They felt taller, lighter – almost as though they were out of their physical being – engulfed by a sense of unconditional love. They began to observe themselves, according to one healer, only as ‘a kind of a core that remains’:

    Im aware of the process just being beyond me … My intent is obviously with the person – my conscious control is completely side-stepped, like I’m standing, watching. Then something else takes over … I don’t think that I ever lose complete awareness that I’m sitting there.32

    Other healers experienced a more profound loss of identity; to carry out their work, they had to be at one with the person they were healing: to become that person, complete with his or her physical and emotional history. Their own personal identity and memory receded and they entered into some space of joint consciousness, where an impersonal self carried out the actual healing.

    Some of the healers took on a mystical identification with guardian spirits or guides, and the spiritual alter ego took over.

    In Krippner’s experience, certain personalities are more susceptible to merging identities than others: those who, according to a psychological test, possess ‘thin boundaries’.

    According to the Hartmann Boundary Questionnaire test, a tes developed by Tufts University psychiatrist Ernest Hartmann to test a person’s psychological armament, people with thick boundaries are well organized, dependable, defensive and, as Hartmann himself liked to put it, ‘well armored’, with a sturdy sense of self that remains locked around them like a chain-link fence. People with ‘thin’ boundaries tend to be  open, unguarded and undefended.33

    Sensitive, vulnerable and creative, they tend to get involved quickly in relationships, experience altered states, and easily flit between fantasy and reality. Sometimes, they are not sure which state they are in.34

    They do not repress uncomfortable thoughts or separate feelings from thoughts. They tend to be more comfortable than thick- boundaried people with the use of intention to control or change things around them. In a study by Marilyn Schlitz of musicians and artists, for instance, creative individuals with thin boundaries also scored best in remote influence.35

    Krippner demonstrated the relationship between thin boundaries and intention with students at Ramtha’s School of Enlightenment in Yelm, Washington. Many of the techniques taught at the school – for example, focusing on a desired outcome and excluding all external stimuli, blindfolding students and having them find their way around a labyrinth – were designed to help students release their usual boundaries. The school encouraged students to engage in imaginative fantasy, claiming that it opened untapped areas in the brain.36

    Krippner and several colleagues performed psychological tests on six of the long-time students who claimed to have developed keen skills in manifesting intention.

    Ian Wickramasekera, a psychologist who participated in some of the Yelm research, had developed a battery of psychological tests based on his High-Risk Model of Threat Perception.37

    Wickramasekera claimed the tests identify people most likely to have psychic experiences or to be susceptible to hypnosis. Although the test was originally developed to pinpoint people at high risk of psychological problems during times of major life changes, Krippner believed Wickramasekera’s model  could  also  be  used  to  evaluate  mediums  and  healers.  Krippner  and  his associates found they could readily use the test to identify people whose inflexible sense of reality blocked them from perceiving or acknowledging intuitive information. Wickramasekera’s model predicted that individuals would best perform healing if they were able to block the sense of a threat when they let go of their separatist notions of self.

    According to their scores, the Ramtha students had extraordinarily thin boundaries. Hartmann’s own mean score, derived from tests on 866 individuals, was The Ramtha students scored 343. The only other groups Hartmann had identified with boundaries this thin were music students and people suffering from frequent nightmares.

    The Ramtha students also showed a high degree of what psychologists call a type of ‘dissociation’ (the ability to undergo profound disruptions in their attention) and a high degree of absorption (a tendency to lose themselves in ongoing activity such as hypnosis and a readiness to accept other aspects of reality).38

    In my own examination of healers, I had come across two types. Some regarded themselves as the water (the source of healing); others saw themselves as the hose (the channel for healing energy to travel through). The first group believed the power resulted from their own gift. By far the  largest group, however, comprised the channellers – those who acted as vehicles for a greater force beyond themselves.

    Elisabeth Targ’s AIDS project had recruited 40 healers of every persuasion.39 Approximately 15 per cent were traditional Christian religious healers, who used the rosary or prayer.

    Others were members of non-traditional healing schools, such as the Barbara Brennan School of Healing Light, or those taught by Joyce Goodrich o Lawrence LeShan. Some worked on modifying complex energy fields through changing colours or vibrations or the patient’s energy field.

    More than half the healers concentrated on healing a patient’s chakras, or energy centres of the body; others worked with tones, reattuning their patients with audible vibrations.

    A Qigong master from China  sent harmonizing Qi to the patients.

    One man working in the Native American tradition went into a trance during a traditional drumming and chanting pipe ceremony on the deserted ridges of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, and claimed to have contacted spirits on behalf of the patients.

    Much of the imagery the healers used to describe what they did was framed in terms of relaxing, releasing or allowing spirit, light or love in. For some healers, the spirit was Jesus; for others, Starwoman, a healing Native American grandmother image.

    Targ had interviewed the healers about their work, and I spoke with her before she died about the common threads she had discovered among their diverse approaches.40

    She found that a quality  of loving  compassion  or kindness was essential in sending out a positive intention to heal.

    But no matter what their approach, most of them agreed on a single point: the need to get out of the way. They surrendered to a healing force.

    They had framed their intention essentially as a request – please may this person be healed – and then stepped back.

    When Targ examined those patients whose illness had most improved, and analysed which healers they had been exposed to, those healers who were the most successful were the ‘channellers’ – the ones who had moved aside to allow the greater force in. None of the healers who had been successful believed he possessed the power himself.41 Psychiatrist Daniel Benor, who has accumulated and catalogued virtually every study of healing in four volumes42 as well as on a website,43 has examined the statements and writings of the most famous healers describing how they work.

    One of the most remarkable and best-studied healers, Harry Edwards, wrote that a healer worked by handing over his will and his request for healing to a greater power:

    This change may be described (inadequately) as the healer feeling a sense or condition enshrouding him, as if a blind had been drawn over his normal alert mind. In its place he experiences the presence of a new personality – one with an entirely new character – which imbues him with a super-feeling of confidence and power.

    [While engaged in his healing] the healer may be only dimly aware of normal movement, speech, etc., taking place around him. If a question is addressed to him about the patients’ condition, he will find himself able to respond with extraordinary ease and without mental effort – in other words, the more knowledgeable personality of the Guide provides the answer.

    Thus does the healer ‘tune-in’ – it is the subjection of his physical sense to the spirit part of himself, the latter becoming for the time being the superior self under the control of the director.44

    To Edwards, the most important act was moving aside, shedding the personal ego, making a conscious attempt to get out of the way.

    Cooperstein’s healers described their experience as a sense of total surrender to a higher being or even to the process. All believed that they were a part of a larger whole.

    To gain access to the cosmic, non-local entity of true consciousness, they had to set aside the limiting boundaries of the self and personal identity, and merge with the higher entity.

    With this change of consciousness and expanded awareness, the healers felt they got onto an open line to this larger information field, which offered them flashes of information, symbols and images.

    Words would appear, seemingly from nowhere, giving them a diagnosis. Something beyond their conscious thought would carry out the healing for them.

    Although the lead-up to healing was accomplished through consciously directed thought, the actual healing often was not. In giving a 2-minute treatment, for instance, they might have a minute and a half of rational thought and then ‘a five-second thing that would be an irrational thing, a space that may be the apex, the key to the whole experience’.45

    The most important aspect of the healers’ process was undoubtedly their surrender – their willingness to give up their sense of cognitive control of the process and allow themselves to become pure energy.

    But was this capacity to move aside important in all types of intention? I found an interesting answer in a study of people with brain damage. Investigators at the Behavioural Neurology Program and Rotman Research Institute at the University of Toronto attempted to replicate the work of the Princeton PEAR lab using random event generators, but with one important twist: they had enlisted several patients with frontal-lobe damage. The patients who had suffered right frontal-lobe damage, which probably affected their ability to focus and maintain attention, had no effect on the machines.

    The only person to have a greater than normal effect was a volunteer with a damaged left frontal lobe but whose right frontal lobe was intact. The investigators speculated that the volunteer’s particular handicap could have given him a reduced sense of self, but a normal state of attention. Achieving a state of a reduced self- awareness – a difficult state for an ordinary person to achieve – might allow for greater effects of intention on the machines.46

    Krippner suspects that during some altered states of consciousness, the body naturally ‘switches off ’ certain neural connections, including an area near the back of the brain that constantly calculates a person’s spatial orientation, the sense of where one’s body ends and the external world begins. During a transpersonal or transcendent experience, when this region becomes inactive, the boundary in the relationship between the self and the other blurs; you no longer know where you end and someone else begins.

    Eugene d’Aquili, of the University of Pennsylvania, and Andrew Newberg, medical doctor at the university hospital’s nuclear medicine  programme, demonstrated this in a study of Tibetan monks. Moments of meditative experience showed up as more activity in the brain’s frontal lobes with less activity in the parietal lobes.47  

    Meditation and other altered states can also affect the temporal lobes, which house the amygdala, a cluster of cells responsible for the sense of ‘I’ and our  emotional  response to the world:  whether  we like or dislike what we perceive.  

    Stimulation  of  the  temporal   lobes  or  disorder  in  them  may  create familiarity or strangeness – common features of a transcendent experience. Intense focus with intention on some other being appears to ‘switch off ’ the amygdala and so remove the neural sense of self.

    Davidson, Krippner and Lazar demonstrated that we can remodel particular portions of our own brains, depending on our different types of focus and indeed different thoughts. It became clear to me that the intense focus of certain types of meditation can be a portal to  hyperspace and  peak awareness,  transporting the meditator to a different layer of reality.

    It can also be an energizing practice more than a calming one, that can help us rewire our brains to improve our reception and transmission of intention.

    I had assumed that intention was like a strong ‘oomph’, or mental push, through which you project your thoughts to another person to ensure that your wishes are carried out. But the healers described a very different process: intention requires initial focus, but then a type of surrender, a letting go of the self as well as of the outcome.

    Notes Chapter 5: Entering Hyperspace

    1. H. Benson et al., ‘Body temperature changes during the practice of g tum-mo (heat) yoga’, Nature, 1982;  295: 234–6; H. Benson, ‘Body temperature changes during the practice of g tum-mo yoga (matters arising)’, Nature, 1982; 298: 402.
    2. H.      Benson    et    al.,    ‘Three    case    reports   of    the           metabolic and electroencephalographic changes during advanced Buddhist meditation techniques’, Behavioral Medicine, 1990; 16 (2): 90–5.
    3. The  most  celebrated  was the   Investigating  the Mind  conference   a Massachusetts Institute of Technology, September 2005, which featured the Dalai Lama.
    4. I am indebted to Stanley Krippner, who supplied me with a list of some 50 healers from a rich variety of traditions. I assembled a questionnaire, which I sent out to all 50. Some 15 replied in detail.
    5. Cooperstein’s study eventually was published: M. A. Cooperstein, ‘The myths of healing: A summary of research into transpersonal healing experience’, Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 1992; 86: 99–133. I am also indebted to him for his in-depth analysis of the commonalities between healers.
    6. Information about Krippner’s vast catalogue of work was also gleaned from numerous interviews between him and the author, April 2005–March 2006 and correspondence, 2005–2006.
    7. S. Krippner, ‘The technologies of shamanic states of consciousness’, in M Schlitz et al. (eds.), Consciousness and Healing: Integral Approaches to Mind-Body Medicine, St. Louis, Mo.: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone, 2005 376–90.
    8. Jilek      W.    G.   Salish, Indian    Mental   Health   and     Culture   Change Psychohygienic and Therapeutic Aspects of the Guardian Spiri Ceremonial, New York: Hold Rinehart & Winston, 1974.
    9. All information about Bruce Frantzis the result of various interviews, April 2005–March 2006. Notes 293
    10. B. K. Frantzis, Relaxing Into Your Being: Breathing, Chi and Dissolving the Ego, Berkeley, Calif.: North Atlantic Books, 1998.
    11. Murphy, Meditation, op. cit.
    12. W. Singer, ‘Neuronal synchrony: a versatile code for the definition of relations?’ Neuron, 1999; 24: 49–65; F. Varela et al., Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2001; 2: 229–39, as reported in A. Lutz et al., ‘Long-term meditators self-induce highamplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice’, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 2004; 101 (46):16369–73.
    13. O. Paulsen and T. J. Sejnowski, ‘Natural patterns of activity and long-term synaptic plasticity’, Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 2000; 10: 172–9, as reported in Lutz, ‘Long-term meditators’, op. cit.
    14. Although the majority of studies carried out on meditation demonstrate that meditation leads to an increase in alpha rhythms (see Murphy, Meditation, op. cit.), the following are just a few that show that during meditation, subjects evidence spurts of high-frequency beta waves of twenty to forty cycles per second, usually during moments of intense concentration or ecstasy: J. P. Banquet, ‘Spectral analysis of the EEG in meditation’ Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 1973; 35: 143–51;
    15. P. Fenwick et al., ‘Metabolic and EEG changes during Transcendenta Meditation: An explanation’, Biological Psychology, 1977; 5 (2): 101–18;
    16. M. A. West, ‘Meditation and the EEG’,Psychological Medicine, 1980; 10 (2): 369–75; J. C. Corby et al., ‘Psychophysiological correlates of the practice of Tantric Yoga meditation’, Postgraduate Medical Journal, 1985; 61: 301–4.
    17. N. Das and H. Gastaut, ‘Variations in the electrical activity of the brain heart and skeletal muscles during yogic meditation and trance’, Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 1955, Supplement no. 6: 211–19.
    18. Murphy, Meditation, cites 10 studies showing that heart rate accelerates during these peak moments of meditation.
    19. W. W. Surwillo and D. P. Hobson, ‘Brain electrical activity during prayer’,Psychological Reports, 1978; 43 (1): 135–43.
    20. Murphy, Meditation, op. cit.
    21. Lutz et al., ‘Long-term meditators’, op. cit.
    22. Richard J. Davidson et al., ‘Alterations in brain and immune functio produce by mindfulness meditation’, Psychosomatic Medicine, 2003; 65: 564–70.
    23. Krippner, ‘Shamanic states of consciousness’, op. cit.
    24. Murphy, Meditation, op. cit.
    25. L. Bernardi et al., ‘Effect of rosary prayer and yoga mantras on autonomic cardiovascular rhythms: comparative study’, British Medical Journal, 2001; 323: 1446–9.
    26. Fenwick et al., ‘Metabolic and EEG changes during Transcendenta Meditation’, op. cit.
    27. D. Goleman, Emotional Intelligence, London: Bloomsbury Press, 1996.
    28. D. Goleman, ‘Meditation and consciousness: An Asian approach to mental health’, American Journal of Psychotherapy, 1976; 30 (1): 41–54; G. Schwartz, ‘Biofeedback, self-regulation, and the patterning of physiological processes’, American Scientist, 1975; 63 (3): 314–24; D. Goleman, ‘Why the brain blocks daytime dreams’, Psychology Today, 1976; March: 69–71.
    29. P. Williams and M. West, ‘EEG responses to photic stimulation in persons experienced at meditation’, Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 294 The Intention Experiment 1975; 39 (5): 519–22; B. K Bagchi and M. A. Wenger, ‘Electrophysiological correlates of some yogi exercises’, Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 1957; (7): 132–49.
    30. D. Brown, M. Forte and M. Dysart, ‘Visual sensitivity and mindfulnes meditation’, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1984; 58 (3): 775–84; and ‘Differences in visual sensitivity among mindfulness meditators and non- meditators’, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1984; 58 (3): 727–33.
    31. S. W. Lazar et al., ‘Functional brain mapping of the relaxation response and meditation’, NeuroReport, 2000; 11: 1581–5.
    32. C. Alexander et al., ‘EEG and SPECT data of a selected subject during ps tests: The discovery of a neurophysiological correlate’, Journal of Parapsychology, 1998; 62 (2): 102–4.
    33. L. LeShan, The Medium, the Mystic and the Physicist: Towards a Theory of the Paranormal, New York: Helios Press, 2003.
    34. Cooperstein, ‘The myths of healing’, op. cit.
    35. S. Krippner, ‘Trance and the Trickster: Hypnosis as a liminal phenomenon’, International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 2005; 53 (2): 97–118.
    36. E. Hartmann, Boundaries in the Mind: A New Theory of Personality, New York: Basic Books, 1991, as quoted in Krippner, ‘Trance and the Trickster’,op. cit.
    37. M. J. Schlitz and Charles Honorton, ‘Ganzfeld psi performance within a artistically gifted population’, Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 1992; 86 (2): 83–98.
    38. S. Krippner et al., ‘Working with Ramtha: Is it a “high risk” procedure?’ Proceedings of Presented Papers: The Parapsychological Association 41s Annual Convention, 1998: 50–63.
    39. The various tests included the Absorption Subscale of the Differential Personality Questionnaire, the Dissociative Experiences Scale and th Boundary Questionnaire.
    40. S.    Krippner  et  al.,  ‘The  Ramtha  phenomenon:  Psychological phenomenological, and geomagnetic data’, Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 1998; 92: 1–24.
    41. F. Sicher, E. Targ et al., ‘A randomized double-blind study’, op. cit.
    42. Various conversations and correspondence between E. Targ and the author, October 1999–June 2001.
    43. Interview with E. Targ, California, October 1999; J. Barrett, ‘Going th distance’, Intuition, 1999; June/July: 30–1.
    44. D. J. Benor, Healing Research: Holistic Energy Medicine and Spirituality, 4 vols., Deddington, Oxfordshire: Helix Editions Ltd, 1993. http://www.wholistichealingresearch.com.
    45. Benor, Healing Research, vol. 1, op. cit.: 54–5.
    46. Cooperstein, ‘The myths of healing’, op. cit.
    47. M. Freedman et al., ‘Effects of frontal lobe lesions on intentionality and random physical phenomena’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 2003; 17 (4): 651–68.
    48. E. d’Aquili and A. Newberg, Why God Won’t Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief, New York: Ballantine Books, 2001.

    CHAPTER SIX

    In the Mood

    MITCH KRUCOFF WAS RETURNING HOME from India in 1994 with alm every idea he had held about the practice of medicine turned on its head. Krucoff, a cardiologist at Duke University Medical Center, and his nurse practitioner, Suzanne Crater, had been invited to inspect the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medicine, hospital in Puttaparthi, at the end of its first year of operation.

    The hospital was the pet project of the Indian guru Sri Sathya Sai Baba, who wanted to make available the services of a modern Western hospital to the poor and needy, entirely free of charge. Krucoff had been recruited as its cardiac specialist, to advise on the technology needed to build a state-of-the-art facility for high-tech cardiac catheterizations.

    Krucoff and Crater were astonished by what they had seen. The overwhelmingly spiritual dimension of the facility – even the special quality of the sound and light – had dwarfed its considerable technological achievements.

    Spirituality was present in the very design of the building – in the Hindu images lovingly chosen to grace the walls. Situated 9 kilometres from Sai Baba’s ashram, the building resembled an elongated Taj Mahal.

    The wings had been structured as a curvature, like a welcome embrace for all those approaching its doors, and the rotunda inside the entrance was meant to represent a heart whose apex was pointing to heaven.

    During their rounds, Krucoff and Crater had been struck by the effect this had on the patients – many of them Indians from extremely remote areas who had never seen running water before.

    Despite the fact that they had been diagnosed with a life- threatening illness and were set to face an imposing twenty-first-century digital cath lab, not one of them seemed the slightest bit afraid.  This utter  absence of fear contrasted starkly with the terror and despair to which Krucoff had grown accustomed among the cardiac patients he regularly saw back home.

    Krucoff longed to introduce some of these practices to hospitals in America, but if he were going to convince any of his colleagues in cardiology, he would have to prove the benefit of spirituality to the practice of heart surgery through hard data showing a measurable physiological effect. He would have to demonstrate that intangible aspects like intention, or spiritual beliefs, or even a spiritual, uplifting environment, could really make a difference to a patient’s outcome.

    During the 18-hour flight home, Krucoff and Crater began teasing out ideas for a study. The only way to do it, they eventually realized, was to put prayer to the test – the biggest test of its kind.1

    When Krucoff got home, he began researching the scientific literature for any evidence that prayer had improved medical outcomes. Fourteen well-conducted trials of prayer had shown a positive effect. In the most famous, published by Randolph Byrd in 1988, a group of born-again Christians outside a hospital had prayed for patients in a coronary care unit. Those who had been prayed for had significantly fewer symptoms, and needed fewer drugs and less medical intervention.2

    A Mid-America Heart Institute study, published around the time Targ published her AIDS study and considered at the time to have bolstered Targ’s findings, showed that Christians of all denominations enlisted to pray for hospitalized cardiac patients reduced symptoms by 10 per cent, with fewer medical setbacks.3

    Prayer is viewed as a kind of super-intention, a joint endeavour: you do the intending, and God carries it out. In some quarters, intention is considered synonymous with prayer, and prayer synonymous with healing; when you send out an intention, God puts the intention into action.

    Indeed, many consciousness investigators consider these early prayer studies intention experiments. The small studies that had made use of groups of Christians to send intercessory prayers to heart patients are often construed as a group intention – an attempt by a collection of people to influence the same thing at the same time.

    However promising the results of these early studies, Krucoff realized that a large-scale trial with tightened protocols was needed, and he mounted his own small pilot study. He enlisted 150 cardiac patients, recruited from nearby Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, who had been scheduled for angioplasty and stents.

    Besides prayer, Krucoff wanted to see whether ‘noetic’ therapies, involving some form of remote or mind-body influence, could affect patient outcomes. He divided the patient population into five groups. In addition to standard medical treatment, four of the five were to receive one of the noetic treatments – stress relaxation, healing touch, guided imagery or intercessory prayer.

    The fifth group would be given no additional intervention besides orthodox medical care. Every patient would undergo continuous monitoring of brain waves, heart rate and blood pressure, to gauge the moment-by- moment effect of these intangible healing influences.

    Krucoff decided to turn up the volume on prayer to full blast. To recruit prayer groups, his nurse-practitioner assistant Suzanne Crater launched a worldwide campaign of solicitation. She wrote to Buddhist monasteries in Nepal and France and to VirtualJerusalem.com, which arranged for prayers to be placed in the city’s Wailing Wall.

    She phoned Carmelite nuns in Baltimore to ask for prayers during evening vespers. By the time she finished her campaign, she had enlisted prayer groups from seven denominations, including Fundamentalists, Moravians, Jews Buddhists, Catholics, Baptists and members of the Unity Church.

    Each prayer group was assigned a group of patients, who were identified only by name, age and type of illness. Although Crater and Krucoff left the design of individual prayers to the groups themselves, they stipulated that the patients had to be prayed for by name and that the prayers on behalf of these patients had to concern their healing and recovery.

    The prayer portion of the study would be blinded, so that neither patients nor staff knew who was going to be prayed for. The other noetic therapies would be administered an hour after the patients had undergone the angioplasty.

    The results were impressive. Patients in all the noetic treatment groups enjoyed 30–50 per cent improvements in health during their hospital stay, with fewer complications and a lower incidence of narrowing of the arteries compared with the controls.

    They also had a 25–30 per cent reduction in adverse outcomes: death, heart attack, or heart failure, a worsening of the state of their arteries or a need for a repeat angioplasty. But of all the alternative therapies employed, prayer had the most profound effect.

    The study was too small to yield any definitive conclusions; after all, only 30 patients had been in the prayer group. Nevertheless, Krucoff ’s results seemed highly promising. Krucoff and Crater, who had christened their study MANTRA (Monito and Actualization of Noetic TRAinings), published it and presented their findings before the American Heart Association.4

    Even the most conservative of cardiologists were beginning to take home the message that remote healing might actually work after all, and that prayer in particular was good for the heart.5

    Krucoff understood that, for his results to be meaningful, the study needed to be replicated on a far larger scale. He rolled out his study and created MANTRA II b launching into an ambitious recruitment programme, eventually enlisting 750 patients from Duke’s Medical Center and nine other hospitals across America, and soliciting 12 prayer groups made up of an even larger, more ecumenical collection of the world’s major religions. Christians were recruited from Great Britain, Buddhists from Nepal, Muslims from America, Jews from Israel.

    Emboldened by his early success, Krucoff and Duke loudly trumpeted the project as the largest multicentre study of remote influence, the supreme test of prayer.

    With MANTRA II, he divided the patients into four groups. One group woul receive prayer; another, a specially designed programme that included music, imagery and touch (or MIT therapy); the third group, MIT plus prayer; and the fina control group, standard medical care. Immediately prior to undergoing angioplasty, those assigned to receive MIT would be instructed in a method of relaxed breathing while visualizing a favourite place and listening to calming music of their choice. They would then receive healing touch for 15 minutes from a trained practitioner. These patients could also wear headphones during surgery.

    The point of the new study was to examine whether prayer or the noetic interventions would prevent further cardiovascular events in the hospital, such as death, new heart attacks, a need for additional surgery, readmission to the hospital, and signs of a sharp rise in the enzyme creatine phosphokinase, an indication that the heart has suffered damage. This time, Krucoff also wished to investigate longer-term effects as ‘secondary endpoints’: whether the interventions could alleviate emotional distress, or prevent death or rehospitalization at any point six months after the patients had been discharged.

    Krucoff ’s study fell right in the midst of the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and their aftermath. For three months, patient enrolment in the study fell so sharply that he had to amend its design. He developed a ‘two-tier’ prayer strategy by recruiting 12 ‘second-tier’ prayer groups. As soon as new patients were added to the study, the second-tier groups were to pray for the prayers of the ‘first-tier’ prayer groups, who had been praying for the patients all along. Through this strategy Krucoff hoped that newly enrolled patients would receive a higher ‘dosage’ of prayer to approximate the amount received by his patients enlisted earlier in the study.

    After the enormous advance publicity, Krucoff ’s findings were an enormous letdown. When the results were finally in and tallied, there was no denying it: there were no differences in outcomes between any of the various groups during their hospital stay. The only apparent benefit was a slight reduction in distress among the MIT patients prior to the surgery. Otherwise, the large-scale MANTRA was an utte failure. Prayer did not seem to make anybody better.6

    Among the long-term effects, there had been some therapeutic effects in alleviating emotional distress, need for further hospitalization, and even death rates after six months, but these were not considered statistically significant and they hadn’t been the main focus of the study.

    Wresting a small victory from this enormous defeat, Krucoff managed to get his findings published in the prestigious British medical journal, The Lancet. To the public, he maintained that he was ‘thrilled’ with the findings and that they had been misinterpreted. Krucoff ’s study appeared to vindicate the sceptics of prayer as a subject for scientific inquiry. The simple message appeared to be that getting someone to pray for you just does not work.

    Meanwhile, in 1997, the Mayo Clinic had begun a two-year study of patients with cardiovascular disease who had been recently discharged from its coronary care unit. Nearly 800 patients were subdivided into two groups: high-risk (those who had one or more risk factors, such as diabetes, a prior heart attack or pre-existing vascular disease) and low-risk (those who had no risk factors other than their present symptoms). The two groups were again divided into two.

    In addition to ordinary medical treatment, one group in each of the two categories was to receive the prayers of five people once a week for 26 weeks. The two other groups would simply continue with standard medical treatment.

    At the end of the study, the investigators concluded that prayer made no difference in mortality, future heart attacks, need for further intervention or hospitalization. Although there were small differences between the treated and untreated groups, particularly among the low-risk patients, these results were not deemed to be significant.7

    To settle the matter once and for all, Herbert Benson came forward with an ambitious plan. Benson had managed to straddle both mainstream and complementary camps in medicine and was well respected for it – a diplomat with the status of elder statesman between two suspicious factions. Besides his Harvard Medical Schoo credentials, he had set up the Mind/Body Medical Institute, which was devoted to the study and practice of mind–body healing techniques. He had even coined the term ‘the relaxation response’ to describe their effects.8 Lending his name to a study of prayer would legitimatize it among the conservative camps.

    For this study, Benson recruited five other powerhouses of medicine in the USA, including the Mayo Clinic. His plan was that this study of prayer, which he had dubbed STEP (Study of Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer), would be the largest, most scientifically rigorous of all time.

    The study recruited 1800 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery and divided them into three groups: the first two groups were uncertain whether they were going to receive prayer or not; the first group received prayer and the second did not. The third group, which would definitely receive prayer, was also told of the fact. Benson settled on this particular design so that he could isolate two potential effects: whether being prayed for in itself worked, and whether knowing you were going to be prayed for had any additional benefit. In this way he could control for the effect of belief.9

    For his prayer groups, Benson enlisted a group of Roman Catholic monks and members of three other Christian denominations: St Paul’s Monastery in St Paul Missouri; the community of Teresian Carmelites in Worcester, Massachusetts, and Silent Unity, a Missouri Unity prayer ministry outside Kansas City. He maintained that his prayer groups included no members of Islam or Judaism because he could not find non-Christian groups happy to work within the demands of the study schedule. The prayer groups were given the patients’ first names and the initials of their surnames. Although the design of their prayers could be individual, they had to include the phrase: ‘for a successful surgery with a quick, healthy recovery and no complications’. The groups were then followed for 30 days and any post-operative complications, major events or deaths tracked among all groups.

    The results shocked the world and bewildered the researchers, most of all Benson, who had spent much of his career promoting the beneficial effects of the mind on the body. The researchers had predicted the greatest benefit in the prayed- for-and-knew-it group, the second greatest effect in the prayed-for-but-didn’t-know-it group and the least effect among the didn’t-get-prayed-for-and-didn’t-know-it group.

    But their results indicated that no amount of prayer under any condition, whether the patients knew it or not, made any difference to the outcome of their operations. Indeed, the results were the very opposite of the researchers’ expectations. Those patients who were prayed for and knew they were being prayed for were worse off, by a statistically significant degree: 59 per cent of the prayed-for-and-knew-it group suffered post-operative complications, compared with 52 per cent among the non- prayed-fors.

    Even the prayed-for-but-didn’t-know-it group suffered slightly more heart attacks and strokes than those who had not been given prayer. Among the uninformed patients who had received prayers, 10 per cent suffered major complications of the surgery, compared with 13 per cent of those who did not receive prayer.10

    Benson and his co-authors didn’t know what to make of these results. They even wondered if the patients had suffered from a type of ‘performance anxiety’ as a result of the undue pressure and expectations created by the prayers.

    Many commentators concluded that this study proved that prayer not only does not work, it is bad for you – or at least it cannot be scientifically tested. Krucoff, who was asked to write a commentary about the study, emphasized that prayer indeed had an effect – a negative one. People needed to discard the universally held view that being prayed for is ‘a priori’ good for you as these results impelled one to consider that not simply ‘voodoo and spells’ but also ‘well-intentioned, loving, heartfelt healing prayer might inadvertently harm or kill vulnerable patients in certain circumstances’.11

    T he American Heart Journal released the study online, and its authors held press conferences. Benson cautioned the media that STEP was not the last word o prayer, although it did raise questions about whether patients should be told about prayers being offered for them.

    A patient’s awareness of being prayed for was considered the most important subject about prayer for future study. But others were not sure whether prayer should or could be studied any more. The John Templeton Foundation had spent $2.4 million on the study, and with negative results like these it was likely that theirs would be the last funds available.

    The STEP findings seemed to undercut my own plans for a large intention experiment. Then as I mulled over the negative findings, I came to think that the very designs of the studies might have been responsible. Although the studies attempted to be rigorous, in many instances they violated the most basic rules of scientific research.

    For instance, all of the failed studies did not clearly formulate the content of the healing intention, and left the content of the prayers up to the individual supplicant. Although Benson asked that the single phrase ‘for a successful surgery with a quick, healthy recovery and no complications’ be included, he had not asked them to be specific.

    The most successful intention experiments incorporate a highly specific target into the intention. In Targ’s study, the healers were given the immune system T- cell counts of the AIDS patients and they sent healing specifically to improve the counts.

    The prayer groups should have been instructed to ask for a specific outcome in cardiac symptoms, or fewer cardiac stents placed during the study time, or any other highly specific request, rather than a nebulous, highly generalized statement about the patient improving.

    None of the studies tightly controlled for the number of people involved in the prayer groups or for either the frequency or length of time they were to pray, which again might have confused the mass intention. Perhaps, since they were using highly diverse prayer groups, their prayers were not equivalent. In Benson’s study, the prayer groups were allowed to pray anywhere from 30 seconds to several hours four times a week.

    His researchers never recorded how long the individuals prayed. In Targ’s study, although diverse healers were used, they rotated patients, so that each received only a single healing message at any one time.

    As Bob Barth, director of the Office of Prayer Research, put it: ‘How do yo determine a dose of something as intrinsic as prayer? For example, is one 5-minute prayer by a Buddhist different from 10 Catholic nuns in prayer for an hour or more? Is prayer more effective once or 20 times a day?’

    In commenting on Krucoff ’s findings, The Lancet also aired its reservations about his study design. ‘Could a more restricted denominational approach have influenced the outcome?’12

    Benson’s attempt to standardize the prayer methods used in his study inadvertently interfered with the methods by which the prayer groups usually carry out intercessory prayer.

    In ordinary circumstances, when prayer groups are asked to pray for someone, they request specific details about the patient, including full name, age, medical condition and periodic reports of the patient’s progress. Often they meet with the patient and his or her family. By gathering this personal information, they are able to personalize the prayers.

    Benson’s study design allowed for the prayer groups only to be given the name and a last initial of the person to be prayed for. The limited information made it impossible for the prayer groups to establish a meaningful connection with or indeed even to zero in on the people they were praying for – one of the conditions that Schlitz and Radin consider important for effective remote influence.

    Several groups in Benson’s study objected to the design of the study. As one commentator wrote, ‘This would be similar to the concept of attempting to make a cell phone call to a friend and expecting her to answer when you have only dialled the first three digits of the phone number.’13

    Like STEP, Krucoff ’s studies did not reveal anything about the patients in order to create a connection. In Targ’s research, the healers had been given a photo and a name as well as information about the patient’s condition. None of the groups tested the difference between praying for a patient whose full details were disclosed and simply praying for someone with a first name and last initial.

    The selection of the prayer groups was equally unscientific. None of the major prayer studies used any criteria to select participants in the prayer groups or kept track of their size or experience in prayer. Targ had selected only those healers who were highly experienced and committed with a long track record of successfully healing. Although Schlitz’s Love Study employed amateurs sending healing intention, training was provided to ensure a homogeneous approach.

    Another problem was the lack of a genuine control group in any of the studies. To be truly scientific, a study must be ‘randomized’ and randomly select participants in one group that is given the treatment and compare its outcome with a group not exposed to the treatment.

    However, in any health crisis, family members routinely turn to prayer. The odds were overwhelming in all the major prayer studies that the not-prayed-for people were being prayed for by their own loved ones. In MANTRA II, 89 per cent of the patients from both treatment and control groups admitted that someone in their family was praying for them. These patients lived in the religiously active American Bible Belt.

    The lack of a pure control group ultimately muddies the results of a study. This problem occurred with the early studies investigating the potential of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to cause cancer.

    Many such studies were tainted because it is virtually impossible to enlist women for study who have not taken some form of exogenous hormones – the birth-control pill, the morning after pill or HRT – at some point in their lives. Consequently, none of the studies has a clean control group of true ‘non-takers’, with which to compare results. Women who take hormones now are compared with women who have taken hormones in the past. Both situations carry a cancer risk. The same ‘tainting’ would apply to these prayer studies. People in the ‘treatment’ groups getting prayed for are being compared with patients whose relatives are praying for them.

    The large prayer studies had other basic flaws. In both the Benson and Krucof studies, the people praying did not know the patients and so would not have had a strong motivation to heal, as the ‘senders’ had in the Love Study. In Benson’s study, as Krucoff pointed out in his commentary about STEP, there should have been a true placebo group, which would have no expectation of the possibility of prayer and also there should have been a comparison between such a group and a super-group, whose members included all those exposed to prayer.

    No analysis compared the effect of being prayed for with the particular belief a patient held about which groups he or she had been assigned, which would have shed light on the possible role of a placebo effect. The researchers also had not taken into account any possible stress on the patient from having to hide his or her assignment in the study from the hospital staff.14

    Like STEP, Krucoff ’s study violated the basic rules of scientific design, largely because of events beyond his control. When he reconstituted his study in the wake of 9/11, some of the patients received straightforward prayer  from diverse prayer groups, and the others, who had been enrolled after the World Trade Center tragedy, received  the  ‘two-tier’ type  of prayer,  in which those  doing the  praying were themselves prayed for. Unlike the most basic of scientific trials, his study did not offer the participants the identical treatment.

    Even Targ had complained about problems in study design of the very first major prayer study by Randolph Byrd, in which ordinary Christians had been asked to pray for cardiac patients. There was no information about who was taking blood pressure medication, so it was unclear whether prayer or medicine had done the healing.

    There were no controls for mental attitude during the study. A high number of patients with a positive outlook may have landed in the treatment group.

    Sometimes a placebo effect, an expectation of healing, can be a large factor in positive results. In one healing study of patients suffering from clinical depression, all the patients improved, even the control group, which did not receive healing, largely from the psychological boost created by the possibility of healing.15

    In Benson’s study the prospect of prayer might have had the opposite effect. According to Larry Dossey, the elegant Southern internist and author of many books on prayer,16 the STEP study offered prayer as a ‘tease’, dangled in front of seriously ill patients as something they might or might not be lucky enough to get.

    ‘Nowhere on earth is prayer delivered in this fashion,’ says Dossey. ‘When prayer occurs in real life, we don’t taunt our loved ones with it. They are extended compassionate prayer unconditionally and without equivocation. Who can say what emotions – resentment? hostility? – were generated in these three groups of patients as a result of how prayer was offered?’17

    The fact that the people who knew they were being prayed for not only had no placebo response but also evidenced more post-surgical complications than any other group, he says, ‘suggests that very strange internal dynamics were operating within the Harvard prayer study.’18

    The Mid-America Heart Institute study – the study in which prayer by Christian of diverse denominations had reduced symptoms in heart patients by 10 per cent – was also criticized for offering so many endpoints that it was bound to show a positive result.19

    The negative results of these large prayer studies could be because praying for others does not work, because prayer simply cannot be subjected to scientific study, or simply because these new studies themselves were asking the wrong questions.

    After all, according to Bob Barth of the Office of Prayer Research, these studies onl represent a small proportion of prayer research.20 Of the more than 227 studies investigated by the office, 75 per cent show a positive impact.

    Nevertheless, to study the effect of remote intention, it may be best to move away from prayer, which contains a good deal of emotional baggage. Targ tried to isolate the effect of simple healing intention, which is different from prayer. With intention, the agent of change is human; with prayer it is God.

    Simple healing intention can be more easily controlled for in a scientific study by ensuring that every member of the group sending the intention was sending the exact same message. For the purposes of my intention experiments, a simple intention to heal or improve something might avoid all the problems associated with studying prayer.

    Unlike prayer, healing has been persuasively proven; a large body of evidence exists about the positive effects of distant healing – perhaps 150 studies in all.21 These scientific studies have been subjected to overall reviews that rate both the significance of the effects and the outcome. In the most cautious of such analysis, Professor Edzard Ernst, the exacting and skeptical chair of complementary medicine at Exeter University in Britain, concluded that of 23 studies, 57 per cent had shown a positive effect.22

    Among the most rigorously scientific (those with double-blind trials), the average effect size, or size of change among those treated, was 0.40 – about 10 times better than the effect size of aspirin or propanolol, two drugs considered highly successful in preventing heart attacks.

    Hidden in the failure of the large prayer studies lies vital instruction not only about the design of such mass experiments, but also about those elements that maximize the power of intention.

    To be successful, an intention may require other parameters besides trained attention, getting out of the way, and formulating a simple request to the universe. As Gary Schwartz learned during his own research on healing, the attitude of the healers as well as the patients may matter a good deal.

    Schwartz’s research began as a simple study of healing intention by Reiki practitioners. Schwartz had enlisted his colleague, Beverly Rubik, founding director of the Center for Frontier Sciences at Temple University, Philadelphia, a biophysicist interested in subtle energies.

    As Rubik was well versed in studies using bacteria, they decided to use as their subject E. coli bacteria, which had been severely stressed. One way to stress bacteria is to shock them with a sudden blast of heat. Schwartz, Rubik and their colleague Audrey Brooks carefully managed the amount of heat so that it was enough to stress the bacteria without killing off the entire sample.

    They then asked 14 practitioners of Reiki to heal the bacteria that survived by transmitting a standard Reiki treatment for 15 minutes. Each practitioner was to heal three different samples over three days. Equipment with an automated colony counter kept track of the number of bacteria that survived.

    Initially, Schwartz, Rubik and Brooks were surprised to find that the Reik practitioners made no difference to the overall survival of the viable bacteria. On closer look, however, they discovered that the Reiki practitioners seemed to be successful on certain days, but not on others. This spotty batting average puzzled them.

    Perhaps, Schwartz thought, a healer’s success depended on some sort of connection with the subject. It was difficult, after all, to feel any warm and fuzzy connection with E. coli bacteria, which ordinarily resides peacefully in the gut but can wreak havoc when it migrates out of the digestive tract. But what if he managed to get his practitioners in healing mode?

    In the next batch of studies, Schwartz and his colleagues asked the Reiki practitioners to work for 30 minutes on a human patient suffering with pain, and then set them back to work on their bacteria samples.

    This time, the healing was successful; the scientists discovered significantly more bacteria in the healed samples than in the controls. The healers appeared to enjoy a higher success rate once their healing ‘pumps’ had been primed.23

    Nevertheless,  Schwartz  and the other researchers continued to discover instances in which the healers had a deleterious effect on the bacteria. It occurred to them that a healer’s own well-being might affect results. They needed a simple test to assess true well-being, to gauge more than physical condition.

    They decided to use the Arizona Integrative Outcomes Scale (AIOS), an ingeniously simple visual mean of assessing spiritual, social, mental, emotional and physical well-being during the past  24  hours.24   

    Developed  by  physician  and  psychologist  Iris Bell,  one  of Schwartz’s colleagues at the University of Arizona, AIOS allows patients to assess more than physical symptoms.

    The subjects are told to reflect on their general sense of wellbeing, ‘taking into account your  physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual condition over the past 24 hours’, then to mark a point on a horizontal line between ‘worst you have ever been’ on the left and ‘best you have ever been’ on the right that, in their view, represents their overall sense of well-being in the same time period. A number of studies demonstrated that AIOS is a useful, accurate tool for pinpointing emotional wellness and a healthy state of mind.25

    In their next series of studies, Schwartz, Rubik and Brooks asked the Reik healers to assess themselves on the AIOS scale before and after they had carried ou the Reiki. With this data, the scientists discovered an important trend. On days when the healers felt really well in themselves, they had a beneficial effect on the bacteria; the counts in the bacteria given the therapy were higher than in the heat-shocked controls. On days when they did not feel so well and they scored lower on the test, they actually had a deleterious effect. Those practitioners who began the healing with diminished well-being actually killed off more bacteria than naturally died in the controls. Evidently, a practitioner’s own overall health was an essential factor in his ability to heal.

    Schwartz and his colleagues then tried a study using AIOS with a different type of healing, called Johrei. They recruited 236 practitioners and volunteers, and asked them to fill in the AIOS scale plus a questionnaire he had created assessing emotional state of mind before and after they administered healing.

    When Schwartz and Brooks compared the AIOS tests of both the healers and the patients before and after the healing, they discovered another interesting effect. Although the patients felt better after they had received the healing, so did the healers after they had performed the healing.

    Giving was as good as getting for these senders. Other research showed a similar result.26 The act of healing and perhaps the healing context was itself healing. Healing someone else also healed the healer. 27

    Schwartz and his fellow researchers then carried out another study of distant Johrei healing on cardiac patients – a double-blind study so that no one but the statistician knew who was receiving healing.28 The primary outcomes measured were clinical reports of pain, anxiety, depression and overall well-being.

    After three days, the patients were asked if they had had a sense, feeling or belief that they had received Johrei healing. In both the treatment and control groups, certain patients strongly believed that they had received the treatment and others had a strong feeling they had been excluded.

    When Schwartz and Brooks tabulated the results, a fascinating picture emerged The best outcomes were among those who had received Johrei and believed they had received it.

    The worse outcomes were those who had not received Johrei and were convinced they had not had it. The other two groups – those who had received it but did not believe it and those who had not received it but believed they had – fell somewhere in the middle.

    This result tended to contradict the idea that a positive outcome is entirely down to a placebo response; those who wrongly believed they received the healing did not do as well as those who rightly believed they had received it.

    Schwartz’s studies uncovered something fundamental about healing: both the energy and intention of the healing itself and the patient’s belief that he or she had received healing promoted the actual healing. Belief in the efficacy of the particular healing treatment was undoubtedly another factor.

    In the Love Study, Schlitz and Stone had stressed the importance of a shared belief system in the success of remote influence, and Schwartz’s results bear this out.

    In the large prayer studies, the senders and receivers of prayer did not share the same belief system about God. Most of the patients had been prayed for by a number of groups from different religions and disparate belief systems. Even Benson’s Christian study employed different Christian sects, which do not share identical beliefs. It may be uncomfortable for some groups to be prayed for by people who do not share their views about the divine.

    As Marilyn Schlitz pointed out, none of the clinical trials made use of what scientists call ‘ecological validity’. This means that the trials were not designed to model what happens in real life.

    In the Harvard study, for example, the prayer groups were instructed to pray differently from how they would normally. None of the big prayer studies tested the effect of the kind of prayers that prayer groups believe is most likely to work.29

    In these studies, says Dossey, ‘what is being tested is not genuine prayer but a watered-down faux version of it’.30 The contents and context of prayer were treated casually, as if it were no different than some new medication.

    The Benson study also framed its intention as a ‘negative’ – asking that the patients heal with ‘no complications’ – countering the most basic folklore about prayer and affirmations, which stipulates that they should always be framed as a positive statement.

    Ordinarily, says Schiltz, people have a meaningful relationship with the person they are praying for. Psychologist and mind-body researcher Jeanne Achterberg, of the Institute for Transpersonal Psychology in California, carried out a study at a Hawaiian hospital, using highly experienced distant healers, who selected as their ‘patient’ a  person with whom they had  a  special  connection.  

    Each healer  was isolated from his patient, who was then placed in an MRI scanner. At random, two- minute intervals, the healers sent healing intentions to their patients, using their own traditional healing practices. Achterberg discovered significant brain activation in the same portions of the brains – mainly in the frontal lobes – of all the patients during times healing energy was being ‘sent’.

    When the same regime was tried out on people the healers did not know, they had no effect on the patients’ brain activity. Some sort of emotional bond or empathetic connection may be crucial to the success of both prayer and healing intention.31

    The large prayer studies may have failed because the researchers were looking in the wrong places for demonstration of an effect. A study of AIDS about to be published at the time of writing has also failed to find an effect.

    Nevertheless, a highly significant number of people in the treatment group correctly guessed which group they were in, while the control group did not. As Schlitz concluded, ‘The treatment group seemed to feel something; it just did not correlate with the clinical outcomes that were measured.’32 The study may just have been asking the wrong questions.

    Another important variable may be the kinds of thoughts experienced by the recipient during healing. Researchers have discovered that negative thoughts and visualization can have a powerfully negative effect on the body, as if the negativity is somehow infectious and these thoughts take physical form.

    For instance, Pennsylvania researchers from the Center for Advanced Wound Care in Reading, Pennsylvania, have discovered that patients with slow-healing wounds often have negative thought patterns and behavioural or emotional wounds, such as guilt, anger and lack of self-worth.33

    The same effect can occur with negative relationships. A recent study of couples showed that the stress of reliving an argument delays wound healing by at least a day. In an ingenious study by Ohio State University College of Medicine, the researcher

    gathered together 42 married couples and inflicted small wounds with a tiny puncture device on one partner of each pair. During the first sessions, the partners held a conflict-free, constructive discussion and the wound healing was carefully timed.

    Several months later, the researchers repeated the injury, but this time allowed the partners to raise an ongoing contentious issue, such as money or in-laws. This time, the wounds took a day longer to heal. What is more, among the more hostile couples, the wounds healed at only 60 per cent the rate of the more compatible pairs.

    Examination of the fluids in the wounds found different levels of a chemical called interleukin-6 (IL6), a cytokine and key chemical in the immune system.

    Among the hostile couples, the levels of interleukin-6 were too low initially and then too high immediately after an argument, suggesting that their immune systems had been overwhelmed.34

    The person sending out an intention might also need to be sent good intentions. Krucoff ’s results as universally interpreted had overlooked one vital finding: the patients with the double-tier prayer groups who had been prayed for had fared far better in the secondary endpoints; their death and re-hospitalization rates over the six months after discharge were 30 per cent lower than the others.

    Mortality over six months was lower among patients given MIT, and lowest of all among patients given MIT with prayer. These results had only been characterized as a ‘suggestive trend’, but may have been the entire point of the story. Praying worked if the person doing the praying – or his prayers – also had been prayed for. 35

    Healing and positive intention are simply an aspect of the constant two-way flow of communication between living things. In the person being sent intention, a shared belief in the power of the healing modality and a positive state of mind may enhance results.

    Fritz Popp’s research demonstrates that the degree of coherence of an organism’s light emissions is linked to its overall state of health. When healers are healthy, in a positive state of mind and have engaged in a healing ‘warm up’, their light is more likely to shine brighter. The most effective healer of all may be the one who has been healed himself.

    Notes – Chapter 6: In the Mood

    1. All details about M. Krucoff ’s trip to India and decision to study prayer from interviews, August 2006.
    2. R. C. Byrd, ‘Positive therapeutic effects of intercessory prayer in a coronary care unit population’, Southern Medical Journal, 1988; 81 (7): 826–9.
    3. W. Harris et al., ‘A randomised, controlled trial of the effects of remote, intercessory prayer on outcomes in patients admitted to the coronary care unit’, Archives of Internal Medicine, 1999; 159 (19): 2273–8.
    4. M. Krucoff, ‘Integrative noetic therapies as adjuncts to percutaneous intervention during unstable coronary syndromes: Monitoring and Actualization of Noetic Training  (MANTRA) feasibility pilot’,American Heart Journal, 2001; 142 (5): 760–7.
    5. M. Krucoff announced the results at the Second Conference on the Integration of Complementary Medicine into Cardiology, a meeting sponsored by the American College of Cardiology, October 14, 2003.
    6. M. Krucoff et al., ‘Music, imagery, touch and prayer as adjuncts to interventional cardiac care: The Monitoring and Actualisation of Noetic Trainings (MANTRA) II randomised study’,The Lancet, 2005; 366: 211–17.
    7. J.  M.  Aviles  et  al.,  ‘Intercessory  prayer  and  cardiovascular  disease progression in a coronary care unit population: a randomized controlled trial’, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2001; 76 (12): 1192–8.
    8. H. Benson, The Relaxation Response, New York: William Morrow, 1975.
    9. M. Krucoff et al., Editorial: ‘From efficacy to safety concerns: A STE forward or a step back for clinical research and intercessory prayer? The Study of Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer (STEP)’,American Heart Journal, 2006; 151; 4: 762.
    10. H. Benson et al., ‘Study of the therapeutic effects of intercessory prayer (STEP) in cardiac bypass patients: A multi-center randomized trial of uncertainty and certainty of receiving intercessory prayer’, American Heart Journal, 2006; 151 (4): 934–42.
    11. Krucoff et al., ‘A STEP forward’, op. cit.
    12. Editorial: ‘MANTRA II: Measuring the unmeasurable?’The Lancet, 2005; 366 (9481): 178.
    13. Letter to the editor, American Heart Journal, sent to author, 2006.
    14. Krucoff et al., ‘A STEP forward’, op. cit.
    15. B. Greyson, ‘Distance healing of patients with major depression’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1996; 10 (4): 447–65.
    16. L. Dossey, Meaning and Medicine: Lessons from a Doctor’s Tales of Breakthough Healing, London: Bantam, 1991; Dossey, Healing Words, op.cit.
    17. L. Dossey, ‘Prayer experiments: Science or folly? Observations on the Harvard prayer study’, Network Review (UK), 2006; 91: 22–3.
    18. Ibid.
    19. Harris, ‘Effects of remote intercessory prayer’, op. cit. www.officeofprayerresearch.org.
    20. Benor, Healing Research, op. cit.
    21. J. Astin et al., ‘The efficacy of “distant healing”: A systematic review of randomized trials’, Annals of Internal Medicine, 2000; 132: 903–10.
    22. B. Rubik et al., ‘In vitro effect of Reiki treatment on bacterial cultures: Role of experimental context and practitioner well-being’, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2006; 12 (1): 7–13. 296 The Intention Experiment
    23. I. R. Bell et al., ‘Development and validation of a new global well-being outcomes rating scale for integrative medicine research’, BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2004; 4: 1.
    24. Ibid.
    25. S. O’Laoire, ‘An experimental study of the effects of distant, intercessory prayer on self-esteem, anxiety and depression’, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 1997; 3 (6): 19–53.
    26. Rubik et al., ‘In vitro effect’, op, cit.
    27. K. Reece et al., ‘Positive well-being changes associated with giving and receiving Johrei healing’, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2005; 11 (3): 455–7.
    28. M.   Schlitz, ‘Can science study prayer?’ Shift: At the Frontiers of Consciousness, 2006; September–November (12): 38–9.
    29. Dossey, ‘Prayer experiments’, op. cit.
    30. J.   Achterberg   et   al.,   ‘Evidence for correlations  between  distant intentionality and brain function in recipients: a functional magnetic resonance  imagining  analysis’, The  Journal  of  Alternative  andComplementary Medicine, 2005; 11 (6): 965–71.
    31. Ibid.
    32. K. A. Wientjes, ‘Mind-body techniques in wound healing’, Ostomy/Wound Management, 2002; 48 (11): 62–7.
    33. J. K. Keicolt-Glaser, ‘Hostile marital interactions, proinflammatory cytokine production, and wound healing’, Archives of General Psychiatry, 2005; 62 (12): 1377–84.
    34. Krucoff, ‘(MANTRA) II’, op. cit.

    CHAPTER SEVEN

    The Right Time

    Persinger’s basement vault was known as the Chamber of Heaven and Hell. Room COO2B, a disused sound booth, was a relic of the 1970s, its original fittings intact enormous nylon loudspeakers, deep orange flecked shag carpeting and a single item of furniture – a stained brown polyester armchair.

    More than 2000 people had occupied the chair in pure darkness, a modified yellow motorcycle helmet on their heads, surrendering all control of their next half hour to the scientists behind the glass booth. Persinger, a neuroscientist, was god of room COO2B.

    He had become expert in manipulating brain waves to yield up a divine experience, or, as he referred to it, ‘a sensed presence’. With a few simple commands typed into a computer, he would instruct the helmet to send low-level magnetic fields coursing through the temporal lobes of his volunteers,  abruptly  switching  sides  of  the  brain  to  heighten  the transcendent and occasionally terrifying nature of the experience.1

    Jesus had been sighted in the brown polyester reclining chair, as had the Virgin Mary, Muhammad, monks in hooded robes, knights in shining armour and a Native American deity, the Sky Spirit. Out-of-body experiences had been produced; near- death experiences relived. One journalist had been transported back to his life’s most transcendent moment – the time he first laid eyes on his high-school girlfriend’s perfect breasts.

    Not all visitors found God. There had been imaginings of alien sightings and abductions, and even satanic ritual. One volunteer, overwhelmed by the sight of an enormous set of eyes and the smell of burning sulphur, attempted to pull himself loose from the helmet and wrench off the blindfold and earplugs. As soon as the 500-pound door was pried open for him he fled, terrorized, from the room.

    The nature of the experience all depended, Persinger and his assistants explained, on a physiological roll of the dice: the sensitivity of the left amygdala of the brain compared with its counterpart on the right. If the left is more sensitive, and you send magnetic waves coursing through it, you get heaven. If you are unlucky enough to be born with a more sensitive right amygdala, you get hell.2

    Persinger had a singular passion: the subtle influences of geology and meteorology on human biology, particularly the electrical circuitry of the brain. A transplant from the American South, he had headed north in the 1960s to avoid the draft and a likely stint in Vietnam – a possibility he objected to on moral grounds – and he remained in Canada after receiving a professorship at Laurentian in 1971.

    Forty years later, he seemed an unlikely draft dodger, with his three-piece pinstripe suits, gold-chain swag and watch fob, and clipped, offhand manner. This conservative posturing masked a bold curiosity that led him into exotic areas of inquiry – the rhythms of biological systems, the volatile energy of outer space, the nature of epilepsy, the source of mystical visions – disparate areas that eventually converged in his mind after an extraordinary epiphany. Persinger realized that living things are attuned not only to each other, but also to the earth and its constantly shifting magnetic energies. This remarkable revelation, built upon the discoveries of Franz Halberg, would convince me that careful timing to coincide with these energies might be vital for an effective intention.

    In 1948, as a young medic at Harvard Medical School on a temporary visa from war-torn Austria, Franz Halberg was assigned an impossible task: to help find the cure for all disease.3  

    At the time, the cure was assumed to involve the cortical hormones secreted by the adrenal glands, which enable the body to adapt to the ordinary stresses of life. The search was on to find reasonable substitutes for the body’s own scarce supply of steroids.

    Halberg had been singled out to study mice whose adrenal glands had been removed and who were then injected with adrenaline in order to observe the effect on their circulating white blood cells called eosinophils. In ordinary circumstances, adrenaline will set off a predictable seesaw, causing more of the body’s natural steroids to be secreted, which, in turn, lower the eosinophil count.

    However, in animals or humans without adrenal glands, the count should remain static. But the cell count in Halberg’s mice still seemed to fluctuate, even after he had removed all trace of adrenal tissue. Later, after moving to the University of Minnesota, he carried on his studies with a near limitless supply of experimental mice, and came up with the same conclusions.

    Even when he handled them less frequently, which should have caused less stress to the tiny creatures, he noticed more variation in cell count.

    Halberg was mystified by this fluctuation, until he suddenly recognized a recurring pattern: the cell counts were always higher in the morning and lower at night.

    The variation was rising and falling according to a predictable, 24-hour cycle. Halberg studied other biological processes, and discovered that many appear to run according to an in-built clock. All living things respond to the same 24-hour rhythm, in tandem with the earth’s rotation. Halberg coined the terms ‘chronobiology’ – the influence of time and certain periodic cycles on biological function – and ‘circadian’ (circa = about; dia = day) for daily biological rhythms.

    He created the Chronobiology Laboratories at the University of Minnesota and became known as the father o chronobiology. Chronobiology, as his lab began to discover, is a ready-made feature of organisms, not simply something learned or acquired – an inherent property of life.

    Besides circadian rhythms, Halberg also discovered that living things keep in time to many other periodic rhythms; half-weekly, weekly, monthly and yearly cycles govern virtually every biological function.

    The human pulse and blood pressure, body temperature and blood clotting, circulation of lymphocytes, hormonal cycles and other functions of the human body all appear to ebb and flow according to some basic, recurring timetable. These rhythms are not unique to humans, but are present throughout nature, and evident even in fossils of single-cell organisms that had existed millions of years ago.

    Initially Halberg believed that the master switch for these biological rhythms was located in certain cells of the brain or adrenal glands. However, certain cycles carried on even when Halberg removed the brain cells in question – the adrenal glands – and even the brain itself. In his eighties, Halberg made his final breakthrough discovery: the synchronizer within every living thing is not internal but resides in the planets and in the sun.4

    The sun is a furious star.

    This huge ball of gases, with a surface temperature of around 6000°C, is encased by strong magnetic fields in the outer solar atmosphere – a recipe for periodic explosions, as the gases build up and magnetic fields intersect on the sun’s surface. Although the patch of space between sun and earth used to be considered an uneventful vacuum, ‘space weather’ is now understood to be weather so extreme, of such unimaginable turbulence, that if transferred to earth it would blow up the entire planet in an instant. Solar wind, a constant blast of electrified gas, dominates this interplanetary medium, soaring past the earth at speeds up to 2 million miles per hour. Although the earth’s magnetic field usually deflects it, this gale can penetrate our magnetic field during moments of intense solar activity.

    Sunspots – vortices of concentrated magnetic fields, visible to us as dark blobs on the sun’s surface – begin to accumulate and then to disappear in fairly regular cycles, so that scientists can make some predictions about when the sun is likely to erupt.

    A solar cycle of waxing and waning activity occurs, on average, every eleven years. As  sunspots  build up, so does the sun’s aggressive behaviour. At unpredictable moments, it hurls solar flares, gaseous explosions with the energy of 40 billion atomic bombs, likely caused by the ripping apart and reconnection of strong magnetic fields.

    Electrified bullets of high–energy protons from the nuclei of gases are picked up by the solar wind and flung towards earth at speeds of more than 5 million miles per hour, showering our atmosphere with radiation and ionization.

    Periodically, the sun also releases a corona mass ejection, a ball of gas and magnetic fields of up to a billion tons, which also speed towards earth at several million miles per hour, causing extreme geomagnetic storms in space.

    Scientists have long understood that earth is, in effect, a giant magnet with two poles – North and South – surrounded by a magnetic field that is constantly in flux.

    This field encircles the earth like a donut in a region of space called the ‘magnetosphere’, and is kept in place by the solar wind, with a force of about 0.5 gauss or 50,000 nanotesla – about 1000 times weaker than that of a typical horseshoe magnet.

    The geomagnetic fields (GMFs) differ in different regions and at varying times Any changes in our solar system – the activity of the sun, the movement of the planets, the daily oscillation of the earth on its rotation – or geological changes on earth – the presence of ground water or the movement of the earth’s molten inner core – can alter the strength of the earth’s GMF on a daily basis.

    Storms in space transfer some of the energy of the solar wind to the earth’s magnetosphere, causing wild fluctuations of direction and speed in the particles in the earth’s magnetic field. The  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which tracks these volatile space weather patterns, reckons that over any given solar cycle, geomagnetic storms in space will occur about a third of the time, almost half of which are severe enough to interfere with modern technology.

    Storms of this magnitude (G5, or maximum severity on the NOAA scale) can disrupt portions of the earth’s electrical power, pipeline flow and high-tech communications systems, and disorient spacecraft and satellite navigation systems. In March 1989, one such storm left 6 million people in Montreal without electric power for nine hours.

    At the time Halberg made his discoveries, geomagnetic storms were known to have a profound effect on the movement and orientation of animals such as pigeons and dolphins, which make use of the earth’s geomagnetic field to navigate.

    Biologists assumed that the earth’s weak magnetic field had little effect on basic biological processes, particularly as living things have daily exposure to the more powerful electromagnetic and magnetic fields generated by modern technology. But in the course of investigating the health implications of space flight, the Soviet researchers uncovered evidence that natural geomagnetic fields, particularly those of extremely low frequencies (less than 100 hertz), have a pronounced effect on virtually all cellular and chemical processes in living things.

    When Russian scientists at the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academ of Sciences explored the effects of space weather on cosmonauts being sent into space, they discovered that protein synthesis in bacteria cells is highly susceptible to changes in geomagnetic fields, and that this disturbance in protein synthesis also affects human micro-organisms.5

    Geomagnetic disturbances influence the synthesis of micronutrients in plants; even single-celled algae respond to solar-cycle flux.6 So attuned are plants and microorganisms to these changes that the Russian researchers made use of them as a sensitive barometer for geomagnetic disturbances.7

    The Soviet scientists also discovered that if the cosmonauts suffered cardiac arrest, it was usually during a magnetic storm.8 Illness on earth also appeared to parallel geomagnetic activity in space; both sickness and death increased on stormy geomagnetic days.9

    But of all the systems in the body affected, changes in solar geomagnetic conditions most disturbed the rhythms of the heart.

    The  Space  Research  Institute  scientists  tracked  the  heart  rate  of  healthy volunteers  over  an entire  solar  cycle  and  compared  it  with sunspot  and  other geomagnetic activity during that period. The healthiest heart rate is one with the greatest variation. In the Russian research, the most varied heart rate occurred during times of the least amount of solar activity,10  while heart rate variability (HRV) decreased during magnetic storms.

    A disturbance in HRV most affects the autonomic nervous  system,  the  system in the  body that  keeps  it  ticking over  without  any conscious intervention.

    A low HRV increases the risk of all coronary artery disease and heart attack. During increased geomagnetic activity, the viscosity, or thickness, of the blood also increases sharply, sometimes doubling, and the bloodstream slows down.11

    Sudden cardiovascular death also appears to be linked with solar geomagnetic activity.12

    Heart-attack rates rise and fall according to solar-cycle activity:13 the largest number of sudden deaths from heart disease occurred within a day of a geomagnetic storm.14  Halberg himself discovered a 5 per cent increase in heart attacks in Minnesota during times of peak maximum solar activity.15

    It is not surprising that biological systems like human beings are sensitive to external signals, such as geomagnetic disturbances. Magnetic fields are caused by the flow of electrons and atoms with charge, known as ions, and whenever magnetic forces change, they alter the direction of the flow of these atoms and particles.

    Ultimately, since living organisms are also composed of particles like electrons, any profound change of magnetic direction may markedly alter their biological processes.

    Once Halberg understood the effect of the earth’s geomagnetic field on living things, he renamed his life’s work ‘chronoastrobiology’ – the rhythms of biology as affected by astral bodies. The sun was the giant metronome setting the pace for all of life.

    Persinger’s interests had mostly to do with geomagnetic effects on the brain. Researchers in the Soviet bloc had also discovered that space weather can affect neurological processes.

    Scientists at the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences at Baku used a special device enabling them to continuously monitor the electrical activity of the heart and brain in a small number of healthy volunteers, and to compare those rhythms with those of the earth’s geomagnetic field.

    They discovered that geomagnetic activity has a strong influence on brain functioning. During magnetically stormy days, EEG readings get destabilized.16

    Geomagnetic turbulence also disturbs the balance between certain parts of the brain and profoundly disrupts communication within the nervous system, over-activating certain aspects of the autonomic nervous system and lowering others.17

    The sun’s activity also affects mental equilibrium. As Persinger discovered, the more unsettled the weather in space, the greater the number of patients hospitalized for nervous disorders and the greater number of attempted suicides.18

    Geomagnetic disturbance also seemed to correlate with increases in general psychiatric disorders.19

    Even those already suffering from mental illness get more agitated during magnetically stormy days.

    Persinger grew intrigued by a possible relationship between geomagnetic fluctuations in the earth and the timing of epileptic seizures after his neuroscientist colleague Todd Murphy, who had temporal-lobe epilepsy as a young child, disclosed that he often had out-of-body experiences while having a seizure.

    Some data had already linked an increase in geomagnetic activity with the timing of epileptic seizures.20 Could an epileptic fit result from geomagnetic disturbance? Persinger decided to study this possibility in an animal.

    He injected a batch of laboratory rats with lithium pilocarpine, which causes epileptic-like seizures in the rodents, and compared the timing of the onset of seizures about  an hour after the onset  of laboratory-simulated increased geomagnetic activity.21

    From this, Persinger inferred that, above a certain threshold of geomagnetic activity, epilepsy is more likely to be triggered. Whenever geomagnetic activity exceeded 20 nanotesla, seizures would occur more frequently.22

    Persinger then discovered a relationship between sudden death – from epilepsy or cot death  –  and  high  levels  of  geomagnetic  activity.23   Sudden,  seemingly inexplicable deaths might have a rational explanation after all: people with weaker constitutions are at the mercy of the sun’s restless activity.

    Strong geomagnetic fields also appear to affect learning profoundly – often for the better. Increased geomagnetic activity enhances memory: rats exposed to geomagnetic fields learn mazes more quickly.24

    Large fluctuations in solar activity cause other subtle effects in human behaviour and performance – for instance, the ability to perform a skilled task.25

    Psychologist Dean Radin once examined the effec of GMFs on bowling. He tracked the performance of experienced bowlers over a number of periods, and then compared their scores with the geomagnetic activity of the same period.

    Large geomagnetic fluctuations the day before a match appeared to cause more uneven results than normal – a 41 per cent variance in the men’s scores compared with the more consistent scores obtained during days of geomagnetic stability.26

    Other research has demonstrated that the greater the change in the earth’s geomagnetic field, the greater the number of traffic violations and industrial accidents.27   

    The   most  important  determinant  appeared  to be large change in geomagnetic activity, either from turbulent to calm or the reverse.

    Although periodically destabilizing, exposure to the daily ebb and flow of earth’s geomagnetic activity may be essential to life here. The Solar Terrestrial Influences Laboratory at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in Sofia carried ou biological experiments on board the Soviet Mir space station to examine what happens to cosmonauts who are deprived of contact with the earth’s geomagnetic field while in space. The scientists constructed a ‘geomagnetic vacuum’, a six-metre stainless steel decompression press-chamber, which partially blocked out the earth’s natural geomagnetic field. Seven healthy young men were sealed off in the chamber and their bodily processes analysed. After being placed in the decompression chamber, the men evidenced a number of upsets in brain-wave activity. Sleep was more restless, with fewer periods of deep sleep.28

    Contact with geomagnetic fields may play a primary role in maintaining the equilibrium of the nervous system. Indeed, the earth’s tiny geomagnetic fluctuations have the most profound effect on the two major engines of the body: the heart and the brain.

    Persinger went on to discover other extraordinary geophysical effects on human beings.

    Electromagnetic and geomagnetic phenomena resulting from the earth’s shifting plates, earthquakes, or from unusually high rainfall levels  – even electromagnetic ‘luminosities’, or lights in the sky – can all stimulate certain portions of the brain that produce hallucinations.

    Between 1968 and 1971, more than 100,000 people reported observing visions of an apparition of the Virgin Mary above a church in Zeitoun, Egypt. When Persinger examined the seismic activity in the area over the same time period, he discovered an unprecedented peak in earthquake activity.29

    Sometimes the electromagnetic effects were man-made. At one point he studied a Roman Catholic woman with early brain trauma who reported nightly visitations by the Holy Spirit.

    Ultimately, he discovered the source of the miracle: her disability caused her to be unduly affected by the electric alarm clock situated near her head as she slept.30

    Persinger wondered whether he could reproduce these types of geomagnetic disturbances in the laboratory. His colleague Stan Koren modified and wired up a motorcycle helmet (thereafter named the ‘Koren’ helmet) so that it could send out very-low-frequency complex magnetic fields – about the amount that radiates from a telephone handset – in precise directions.

    Participants would be fitted in the helmet, then placed in the acoustic chamber of room COO2B, which had been especially adapted to block out electromagnetic noise. Turning on the helmet would produce what Persinger referred to as ‘temporal lobe transients’, something possibly like a micro-seizure – tiny episodes causing alterations in neuronal firing patterns. This produced virtually the same effect on the brain as exposure to increased ambient geomagnetic activity.

    Over time, Persinger began to recognize patterns. The brain waves of his participants would fall into resonance with the complex magnetic fields and remain in synchrony for up to 10 seconds after he had turned off the helmet.31

    Through trial and error, he discovered that the portion of the brain most susceptible to electromagnetic and geomagnetic effects are the temporal lobes. Sending low level (1 microtesla), pulsed magnetic fields over the right cerebral hemisphere slowed brain waves to an alpha rhythm (8–13 hertz), but only on the right side.32

    Our ‘sense of self ’ and our sense of the ‘other’ are housed in both temporal lobes but primarily in the left hemisphere, where the language centres are located.

    To function normally, both left and right temporal lobes must work in harmony. If something upsets this balance, the brain will sense another ‘self ’ and create a hallucination.

    As Persinger discovered in his experiments, stimulating the right temporal lobe portion of the brain generates the sense, presence or feeling of spiritual visions, both good and bad.

    Aiming magnetic fields at the amygdala of the brain at the same time colours the experience with intense emotion, just as occurs during a spiritual experience. By first stimulating one side of the amygdala and then the other,

    Persinger found that he could heighten the emotional complexion of the experience.

    Volunteers wearing the Koren helmet experienced divine epiphanies, apparitions, out-of-body sensations and even a hallucination of Satan purely through temporal-lobe stimulation.

    The nature of the experience largely depended on the participant’s individual history: negative early life experiences tend to increase the sensitivity of the right temporal lobe, and those with a high proportion of such experiences tend to have a negative experience while wearing the helmet. A happier person, with a more sensitive left temporal lobe, is more likely to experience a sense of the divine.33

    It would have been tempting for Persinger to conclude that all spiritual experience is simply geomagnetically induced hallucination, except for one unsettling fact: extrasensory perception and other psychic abilities appear to be more acute during particular types of geomagnetic activity.

    When the earth is ‘calm’ and geomagnetic flux at an ebb, telepathic and extrasensory perceptions increase.34

    Even minor environmental changes – from slight variations in the weather to solar patterns appear to have a profound effect on extrasensory perception or the ability to view things remotely.

    The reverse occurs with psychokinesis – mental attempts to change physical matter. The power of intention increases when the earth’s energy is agitated.35

    In the 1970s, Persinger was able to test the effects of geomagnetic activity on telepathy during sleep by teaming up with noted parapsychologist Stanley Krippner, then the director of a dream laboratory at Maimonides Medical Center in New York City.

    Krippner had perfected an experimental protocol to test telepathy, clairvoyance and precognition in dreams during deep sleep. Volunteers would be paired off.

    While one partner slept, the other would be in a separate room and would be asked to concentrate on an image and attempt to ‘transmit’ the image to the dreamer, so that it would be incorporated into his dream.

    Upon waking, the participants who had been sleeping would describe their dreams in great detail, to determine whether they contained anything resembling the target pictures they had been sent during their slumbers.36

    Persinger and Krippner found that participants did better on certain days than on others.

    When they tracked geomagnetic activity during the period of the study, they discovered that the dreamers had significantly higher accuracy in picking up the target pictures on nights when the earth’s GMF activity was relatively quiet.37

    Geomagnetic activity also affects precognitive dreams – those that forecast events. Dr Alan Vaughan, a well-known clairvoyant whose dreams accurately foretold the future in great detail, kept a detailed dream diary in order to compare their contents with future events.

    One of Vaughan’s dreams predicted the murder of then-presidential candidate Robert Kennedy two days before he was assassinated.38

    An examination of the geomagnetic activity on the nights that Vaughan had dreamed 61 such premonitions showed that it was significantly quieter on the days when he had his most accurate dreams.39

    During days of geomagnetic calm, spontaneous instances of telepathy or clairvoyance are more likely to occur40 and remote viewing accuracy appears to improve.41

    Persinger carried out his own intriguing test of ESP using a group o couples.

    One member of each pair was shown an image while it was being bathed in magnetic fields, then asked to describe the memory of an experience he or she had shared with the partner that was prompted by the image. Simultaneously, in another room, the partner was shown the same images and also asked to describe a memory.

    When Persinger compared the results, he discovered that the two narratives were most alike when the ambient geomagnetic activity was at its quietest. The greater the geomagnetic activity, the less the two sets of memories mirrored each other.42

    Nevertheless, the two sexes appear to respond very differently to geomagnetic activity, which Persinger discovered after comparing a database of paranormal experiences with geomagnetic activity and breaking down the data by sex.

    Men tended to have more premonitions on days when geomagnetic activity was high (above 20 nanotesla),  whereas women reported  more   premonitions if  the geomagnetic activity was low (below 20 nanotesla).

    Men also tended to have more accurate memories with higher geomagnetic activity; women, with lower geomagnetic activity. Just as Krippner had found, the people most susceptible to extrasensory experiences were those with ‘thin boundaries’, particularly those who had already had paranormal encounters.43

    With time, Persinger found that he could enhance powers of extrasensory perception with the artificial geomagnetic fields of the Koren helmet. The remote- viewing ability of one of his students considerably improved after he was exposed to weak horizontal magnetic fields.44

    In 1998, Persinger decided to put the Koren helmet to the ultimate test. Could i interrupt the ability of one of the greatest remote viewers in the world?

    He invited Ingo Swann to his basement lab. Swann, then 68, soon proved he had lost none of his extrasensory prowess; he correctly described and drew in great detail images of randomly selected photographs sealed in envelopes in another room.

    Nevertheless, after Persinger bathed the photos in complex magnetic field patterns, Swann’s accuracy suddenly plummeted. The most disruptive fields had different signal wave forms of varying phases.

    This suggested that Swann was picking up the information in wave form and that those signals were easily interrupted by magnetic fields that could disturb their coherence.45

    As Gary Schwartz had also discovered, information transmitted or received by human beings must have a strong magnetic component.

    Persinger’s evidence persuaded me that geomagnetic activity influences the clarity of our reception in picking up quantum information.

    But do geomagnetic fields also affect the strength of our transmissions and their effect on the physical world? Research by Stanley Krippner  offers  a  few  clues.  

    Krippner  wished  to  test the hypothesis that psychokinesis is likely to occur on days when the earth is ‘noisy’. He and his team worked with the Brazilian sensitive Amyr Amiden, known for his extraordinary psychokinetic ability, and set about comparing the time of Amiden’s psychokinetic activities with geomagnetic fluctuations in the Brasilia area, where the sessions were taking place.

    Krippner’s team also took readings of Amiden’s pulse and blood pressure.

    The team found a significant correlation between Amiden’s psychic feats and the daily geomagnetic index for the entire southern hemisphere. For instance, Amiden performed the highest number of psychokinetic feats on 10 March and 15 March, which were the days that month with the greatest geomagnetic activity. He produced nothing out of the ordinary on 20 March, the geomagnetically quietest day of the month.46

    Amiden’s psychic abilities were preceded by both a rise in his diastolic blood pressure (the pressure of the blood as it returns to the heart) and a rise in geomagnetic ‘noise’. It may be that geomagnetic activity must first cause changes in the ‘heart brain’ before a person can transmit information that can affect physical matter.

    Interestingly, as with couples in the Love Study, Amiden’s most powerful psychokinetic effects anticipated strong input: in his case, geomagnetic flux.

    In one instance, two religious medallions suddenly materialized in the room where Amiden and the researchers were present, appearing to drop from the ceiling – an event that was followed by a sudden rise in the area’s geomagnetic field. Can humans anticipate this geomagnetic noise, and, if so, do such anticipatory windows offer them more psychokinetic power than usual?

    Psychologist William Braud carried out some intriguing studies of the effect of geomagnetic fields on intention by examining whether high levels of geomagnetic activity were correlated with powers of remote influence. Braud examined the effect of sending intention to human blood cells and to another person.

    Like Krippner, he discovered that the success of intention was linked to a ‘noisy’ sun producing high geomagnetic activity.47

    Besides solar activity, other environmental factors should be considered when working out the best times to send intention.

    A number of scientists, including Persinger, found that certain days and certain times of day influence the success of ESP and psychokinesis.48 The best results occur around 1 p.m. local sidereal time, which is time measured by our relation to the stars, not the sun.

    Local sidereal time is worked out as the hour’s angle of the vernal equinox, where the plane of the earth’s equator would intersect with that of its orbit, if measured out in the heavens.

    Psychokinetic effects also seem to be greater about every 13 days, at times when solar wind is modulated.49

    It might also be worth avoiding times of low  visibility and high winds, a condition which produces a high percentage of ions with electrical charges in the air. An ion forms when a molecule encounters enough energy to unleash an electron.

    They are also created by rainfall, air pressure, forces emitted during a waterfall and the friction from large volumes of air moving rapidly over a land mass, as during so- called ill winds, such as El Niño or Santa Anas of southern California.

    Both positive and negative ions are equivalent to a tiny pulse of static electricity, and the air that we breathe is made up of billions of these tiny charges.

    Good ‘clean’ air contains 1500–4000 ions per cubic centimetre, and the preferred ratio should be slightly more negative than positive ions: 1.2 to 1. However, ions are highly unstable; in our industrialized, largely indoor lives, filled with electromagnetic charge from pollution and artificial sources, this ideal number is drastically diminished and the ratio disturbed, leaving all but the most robustly outdoorsy among us inhaling too low a level of ions, with a predominance of positive ions.

    Living with low levels of ions is not particularly good for us – or for our ability as receivers or transmitters.

    Research in California and Israel has shown that lower concentrations of either positive or negative ions will produce fewer alpha frequencies in the human brain and that sudden higher levels of either charge can produce rapid, distinctive brain-wave changes.50

    Persinger’s research offers a vast amount of evidence that magnetic frequency affects our ability to ‘tune’ in and transmit, and also affects those portions of the brain that receive the information.

    Subtle shifts in the earth’s geomagnetic fields most noticeably affect the heart and brain, the very systems of the body shown by the

    DMILS research and Schlitz’s Love Study to be the primary source of transmission After examining Persinger’s work, I began to view intention as a vast energetic relationship involving the sun, the atmosphere, and earthly and circadian rhythms.

    To send intention effectively, we would have to take account of these energies.

    Persinger had usefully located not only the best ‘channel’ for intention, but also the best time to turn it on.

    Notes – Chapter 7:The Right Time

    1. For all details about Michael Persinger’s experiments, interviews and correspondence with Persinger, August  2006 and  a member of   his neuroscientist team, Todd Murphy, May 23, 2006. Also, J. Hitt, ‘This is your brain on God’, Wired, November 1999; R. Hercz, ‘The God helmet’ SATURDAYNIGHTmagazine, October 2002: 40–6; B. Raynes, ‘Interview with Todd Murphy’, Alternative Perceptions Magazine online April 2004 (No.  78),  plus T.  Murphy’s  website:  www.spiritualbrain.com  and  M. Persinger’s home  page  at   the  Laurentian University  website: www.laurentian.ca/Neursci/_people/Persinger.htm.
    2. Neuroscientist  Todd Murphy developed this theory and successfully demonstrated its validity in Persinger’s laboratory.
    3. The main background of Halberg’s early life is taken from F. Halberg, ‘Transdisciplinary unifying implications of circadian findings in the 1950s’, Journal of Circadian Rhythms, 2003; 1: 2.
    4. G. Cornélissen et al., ‘Is a birth-month-dependence of human longevity influenced by half-yearly changes in geomagnetics?’ ‘Physics of Auroral Phenomena’,     Proceedings.  XXV          Annual   Seminar,  Apatity: Pola Geophysical Institute, Kola Science Center, Russian Academy of Science February 26–March 1, 2002:  161–6;  A.  M.  Vaiserman et  al., ‘Human longevity:   related    to   date of birth?’  Abstract     9,   2nd    International Symposium: Workshop on Chronoastrobiology and Chronotherapy, Tokyo Kasei University, Tokyo, Japan, November 2001.
    5. O. N. Larina et al., ‘Effects of spaceflight factors on recombinant protein expression in E.coli producing strains’, in ‘Biomedical Research on the Science/NASA Notes 297 Project’, Abstracts of the Third US/Russia Symposium, Huntsville, Alabama, November 10–13, 1997: 110–11.
    6. D.  Hillman   et   al.,   ‘About-10   yearly  (circadecennian)  cosmo-helio geomagnetic signatures in Acetabularia’, Scripta Medica (BRNO), 2002 75 (6): 303–8.
    7. P. A. Kashulin et al., ‘Phenolic biochemical pathway in plants can be used for the bioindication of heliogeophysical factors’, ‘Physics of Auroral Phenomena’, Proceedings. XXV Annual Seminar, Apatity: Pola Geophysical Institute, Kola Science Center, Russian Academy of Science February 26–March 1, 2002: 153–6.
    8. V. M. Petro et al., ‘An influence of changes of magnetic field of the Earth on the functional state of humans in the conditions of space mission’, Proceedings, International Symposium ‘Computer Electro-Cardiograph on Boundary of Centuries’, Moscow, Russian Federation, 27–30 April, 1999.
    9. K. F. Novikova and B. A. Ryvkin, ‘Solar activity and cardiovascular diseases’, in M. N. Gnevyshev and A. I. Ol (eds.),Effects of Solar Activity on the Earth’s Atmosphere and Biosphere , Academy of Science, USSR (translated from the Russian), Jerusalem: Israel Program for Scientific Translations, 1977: 184–200.
    10. G.     Cornélissen     et     al.,     ‘Chronomes,      time  structures,       for chronobioengineering for “a full life”’, Biomedical Instrumentation and Technology, 1999; 33 (2): 152–87.
    11. V.    N.    Oraevskii    et    al.,    ‘Medico-biological   effect  of  natural electromagnetic variations’, Biofizika, 1998; 43 (5): 844–8; V. N. Oraevskii et al., ‘An influence of geomagnetic activity on the functional status of the body’, Biofizika, 1998; 43 (5): 819–26.
    12. I. Gurfinkel et al., ‘Assessment of the effect of a geomagnetic storm on the frequency of appearance of acute cardiovascular pathology’, Biofizika, 1998;  43  (4):  654–8;  J.  Sitar,  ‘The  causality  of  lunar  changes  on cardiovascular mortality’, Casopis Lekaru Ceskych, 1990; 129: 1425–30.
    13. F. Halberg et al., ‘Cross-spectrally coherent about 10-5- and 21-year biological and physical cycles, magnetic storms and myocardial infarctions’, Neuroendrocrinology Letters, 2000; 21: 233–58.
    14. M. N. Gnevyshev, ‘Essential features of the 11-year solar cycle’, Solar Physics, 1977; 51: 175–82.
    15. G. Cornélissen et al., ‘Non-photic solar associations of heart rate variability and myocardial infarction’, Journal of Atmospheric and Solar- terrestrial Physics, 2002; 64: 707–20.
    16. A. R. Allahverdiyev et al., ‘Possible space weather influence on functional activity of the human brain’, Proceedings, Space Weather Workshop: Looking Towards a European Space Weather Programme, December 17– 19, 2001.
    17. E.  Babayev,‘Some  results  of investigations  on  the  space  weather influence      on functioning of several engineering-technical and communication systems  and human   health’, Astronomical and Astrophysical Transactions, 2003; 22 (6): 861–7; G. Y. Mizon and P. G. Mizun, Space and Health, Moscow: ‘Znanie’, 1984.
    18. E. Stoupel, ‘Relationship between suicide and myocardial infarction with regard to changing physical environmental conditions’, International Journal of Biometeorology, 1994; 38 (4): 199–203; E. Stoupel et al., ‘Clinical cosmobiology: the Lithuanian study, 1990–1992’, International Journal of Biometeorology, 1995; 38: 204–8; E. Stoupel et al., ‘Suicide- homicide temporal interrelationship, links with other fatalities and environmental physical activity’, Crisis, 2005; 26: 85–9. 298 The Intention Experiment
    19. Avi Raps et al., ‘Geophysical Variables and Behavior: LXIX. Sola activity and admission of psychiatric inpatients’, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1992; 74: 449; H. Friedman et al., ‘Geomagnetic parameters and psychiatric hospital admissions’, Nature, 1963; 200: 626–8.
    20. M. Mikulecky, ‘Lunisolar tidal waves, geomagnetic activity and epilepsy in the  light  of  multivariate  coherence’, Brazilian Journal of  Medicine, 1996; 29 (8): 1069–72; E. A. McGugan, ‘Sudden unexpected deaths i epileptics – a literature review’, Scottish Medical Journal, 1999; 44 (5): 137–9.
    21. A.   Michon   et   al.,   ‘Attempts   to   simulate    the association   between geomagnetic activity and spontaneous seizures in rats using experimentally generated magnetic fields’, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1996; 82 (2): 619–26; Y. Bureau and M. Persinger, ‘Geomagnetic activity and enhanced mortality in rats with acute (epileptic) limbic lability’, International Journal of Biometeorology, 1992; 36: 226–32.
    22. Y. Bureau and M. Persinger, ‘Decreased latencies for limbic seizures induced in rats by lithium-pilocarpine occur when daily average geomagnetic activity exceeds 20 nanotesla’, Neuroscience Letters, 1995; 192: 142–4; A. Michon and M. A. Persinger, ‘Experimental simulation o the effects of increased geomagnetic activity upon nocturnal seizures in epileptic rats’, Neuroscience Letters, 1997; 224: 53–6.
    23. M. Persinger, ‘Sudden unexpected death in epileptics following sudden, intense,  increases in  geomagnetic  activity:  Prevalence  of effect and potential mechanisms’, International Journal of Biometeorology, 1995; 38: 180–7; R. P. O’Connor and M. A. Persinger, ‘Geophysical Variables and Behavior:  LXXXII.  A strong  association  between  sudden  infant  deat syndrome (SIDS) and increments of global geomagnetic activity – possible support for the melatonin hypothesis’, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1997; 84: 395–402.
    24. B. McKay and M. Persinger, ‘Geophysical Variables and Behavior LXXXVII. Effects of synthetic and natural geomagnetic patterns on maz learning’, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1999; 89 (3 pt 1): 1023–4
    25. Radin, Conscious Universe, op. cit.
    26. D.   Radin,   ‘Evidence for relationship between  geomagnetic field fluctuations and skilled physical performance.’ Presentation made at the 11th Annual Meeting of the Society for Scientific Exploration, Princeton New Jersey, June 1992.
    27. S. W. Tromp, Biometeorology, London: Heyden, 1980.
    28. I. Stoilova and T. Zdravev, ‘Influence of the geomagnetic activity on the human functional systems’, Journal of the Balkan Geophysical Society, 2000; 3 (4): 73–6
    29. M. A. Persinger and S. A. Koren, ‘Experiences of spiritual visitation an impregnation: potential induction by frequency-modulated transients from an adjacent clock’, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 2001; 92 (1): 35–6.
    30. M. A. Persinger  et  al.,  ‘Differential entrainment of electroencephalographic activity by weak complex electromagnetic fields’, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1997; 84 (2): 527–36.
    31. M. A. Persinger, ‘Increased emergence of alpha activity over the left but not the right temporal lobe within a dark acoustic chamber: Differential response of the left Notes 299 but not the right hemisphere to transcerebral magnetic fields’, International Journal of Psychophysiology, 1999; 34 (2):163–9.
    32. Interview with Todd Murphy, May 23, 2006.
    33. W. G. Braud and S. P. Dennis, ‘Geophysical Variables and Behavior: LVIII. Autonomic activity, hemolysis and biological  psychokinesis Possible relationships with geomagnetic field activity’, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1989; 68: 1243–54.
    34. Ibid.
    35. McTaggart, The Field, op. cit.: 167–8.
    36. M.   A.   Persinger   and   S.   Krippner,   ‘Dream    ESP experiments      an geomagnetic activity’, Journal of the American Society for Psychica Research, 1989; 83: 101–16; S. Krippner and M. Persinger, ‘Evidence for enhanced congruence between dreams and distant target material during periods of decreased geomagnetic activity’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1996; 10, (4): 487–93.
    37. M. Ullman et al., Dream Telepathy: Experiments in ESP, Jefferson: McFarland, 1989.
    38. Ibid.
    39. M. A. Persinger, ‘ELF field meditation in spontaneous psi events. Direc information transfer or conditioned elicitation?’ Psychoenergetic Systems, 1975; 3: 155–69; M. A. Persinger, ‘Geophysical Variables and Behavior: XXX.  Intense  paranormal  activities  occur  during  days  of  quiet  global geomagnetic activity’, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1985; 61: 320–2.
    40. M. H. Adams, ‘Variability in remote-viewing performance: Possible relationship to the geomagnetic field’, in D. H. Weiner and D. I. Radin (eds.), Research in Parapsychology, Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1986: 25. [cf n.19, ch.8]
    41. J. N. Booth et al., ‘Ranking of stimuli that evoked memories in significan others after exposure to circumcerebral magnetic fields: Correlations with ambient geomagnetic activity’, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 2002; 95(2): 555–8.
    42. M. A. Persinger  et al., ‘Differential  entrainment of electroencephalographic activity by weak complex electromagnetic fields’, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1997; 84 (2): 527–36.
    43. M. A. Persinger, ‘Enhancement of images of possible memories of othersduring exposure to circumcerebral magnetic fields: Correlations with ambient geomagnetic activity’, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 2002; 95 (2): 531–43.
    44. S. A. Koren and M. A Persinger, ‘Possible disruption of remote viewing by complex weak magnetic fields around the stimulus site and the possibility of accessing real phase space: A pilot study’, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 2002; 95 (3 Pt 1): 989–98.
    45. S. Krippner, ‘Possible geomagnetic field effects in psi phenomena.’ Paper presented at international parapsychology conference in Recife, Brazil, November 1997.
    46. Braud and Dennis, ‘Geophysical Variables and Behavior: LVIII’, op. cit.
    47. S. J. P. Spottiswoode, ‘Apparent association between effect size in free response anomalous cognition experiments and local sidereal time’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1997; 11 (2): 109–22.
    48. S. J. P. Spottiswoode and E. May, ‘Evidence that free response anomalous cognitive performance depends upon local sidereal time and geomagnetic fluctuations’, Presentation Abstracts, Sixteenth Annual Meeting of the Society for Scientific Exploration, June 1997: 8.
    49. A. P. Krueger and D. S. Sobel, ‘Air ions and health’, in David S. Sobe (ed.), Ways of Health: Holistic Approaches to Ancient and Contemporary Medicine, New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1979.

    This is part 2 of a multi-part post.

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    The Intention Experiment (full text) by Lynne McTaggart. In HTML for free access. Part 1 of 4.

    This is a complete reprint of the book titled “The Intention Experiment” by Lynne McTaggart. It is a non-fiction book, and it is groundbreaking. In this book, the author has compiled all those studies about the reality of ESP, and PSI, and compiled the results. The results are pretty damning. Something is going on, and Newtonian physics cannot explain it. It can only be explained with quantum physics.

    What is going on is that quantum physics is working and weaving it’s magic throughout our lives, and rather than discount things as “superstition” and out-dated religion, this book connects actual scientific studies with the quantum physics principles involved. It explains so many thing that have been discounted as pure superstition.

    Thus it’s placement in my blog.

    This is for those people who want nice and clean answers to what is going on, yet cannot shake off the Newtonian physics that they learned in High School. This book teaches you that there is a deeper reality behind everything and as such, it helps explain some elements of paranormal and religion that are often discounted as primitive nonsense.

    Welcome to the world of quantum physics and how all those things about prayer, intention, and spirituality actually does have a scientific foundation that they are based upon.

    Some Comments

    One of the best books I have ever read. You will learn so much about intention. I call it "desire". How important this is!
    
    -Carol S. Burney
    I really enjoyed this book. I was impressed with the author's ability to make complex science clear and also the use of credible sources. 
    
    She really doesn't talk so much about using your thoughts to change your life. It is more of a book about how science, real science, is showing more and more how the human mind is seen by quantum physics and other legitimate scientific disciplines. 
    
    It was really interesting to me to see that the mind really is much more powerful than we think it is. 
    
    As I said, I was very impressed with the research she used in the book as the references were to legitimate experiments that had been peer reviewed. Good insights into the amazing power of intention.
    
    -Zipporia
    I rate this a solid 5 due to the importance of the message; it combines everything I have learned in pieces into a nice little package. 
    
    Although not too much attention was paid to the way the writing flows, and as some of you have pointed out the sloppiness of the writing, I have to say that I also write sloppy when I discover a very cool thing. 
    
    The excitement overwhelms my style and attention to detail. But otherwise, it is a very solid read and I did not read it to be blown away with the "literature" quality of the writing, but for the clear and to the point message that it communicates so clearly. 
    
    This is a life altering book if it's the first book you are reading about the power of your intentions, thoughts and quantum physics. Awesome job!
    
    -Netaron
    In Quantum theory , "the world" is comprised of two "systems",the system containing the observer and the system containing what is observed. 
    
    Until the observer focuses his attention on the observed system it exists only as a host of infinite possibilities. The observer observation or measurement "fixes" its reality. That is the scientific theory. 
    
    Hard enough for us mere mortals to grasp or integrate it with what we have been taught. 
    
    From quantum theory it is almost irresistible to move to a consideration of how intention, rather than mere observation or objective measurement might work in our world and that is what this thought provoking book does. 
    
    The experiments are about whether intention can change outcome or even in one experiment, can change a previously measured reality. 
    
    It explores the power of consciousness and invites readers, through excercises in the book and through the web site to become part of an ongoing living experiment in consciousness. 
    
    I found the experiments fascinating, engaging and worthy of reflection..and I found reflection on them energizing. I recommend it enthusiastically for anyone who is at work on increasing their own awareness and trying to live fully present in the moment.
    
    -Lindsay N. Bowker
    For those interested in Quantum Science, in the Zero Point Field, and in what they call the "soup of creation" - this is a "must read". 
    
    I was pleased with this book right up to the chapter called Praying for Yesterday, which introduced experiments that couldn't hold water logically. I was so frustrated by that chapter that I almost ditched the book entirely - BUT - the third paragraph from the end of that chapter is a prize so wondrous - a double concept so unbelievable and empowering that all else is forgiven. 
    
    In fact, based solely on that, I ordered her first book - The Field.
    
    If you're one of the lucky one's who can wrap your brain around concepts like these - ordering this book is a favor you need to do for yourself. It's an exciting rush of potential at your command - if you allow it to be so. I, personally, noting the flaws of the above chapter, would still recommend this book without hesitation as a "must read"!
    
    -SciFiCahill
    Our thoughts create our reality.
    
    This is a well written book about quantum physics and its extraordinary implications. That we live in a "Field" (Zero Point Field) which is a constant dance of quantum energy exchange. Clearly we are connected to the entire universe through our pulsating energy which is constantly interacting with the vast energy "out there". 
    
    This is a great book filled with information about how the universe operates and our connection to it. This vast flow of energy, Consciousness, if you will, is all around us and is our connection to the "Source" or "Creator" of the Universe. A very powerful book, which I highly recommend.
    
    -Richard Grant

    The Intention Experiment

    Comment
    The preface is in italicized purple font. It’s pretty boring, but it tells you how the book came about, and at that it can give you some insight in how some things can manifest in our universe. Don’t ever think that everything is a coincidence.

    Preface

    THIS BOOK REPRESENTS A PIECE of unfinished business that began 2001 when I published a book called The Field. In the course of trying to find a scientific explanation for homeopathy and spiritual healing, I had inadvertently uncovered the makings of a new science.

    During my research, I stumbled across a band of frontier scientists who had spent many years re-examining quantum physics and its extraordinary implications. Some had resurrected certain equations regarded as superfluous in standard quantum physics. These equations, which stood for the Zero Point Field, concerned the extraordinary quantum field generated by the endless passing back and forth of energy between all subatomic particles. The existence of the Field implies that all matter in the universe is connected on the subatomic level through a constant dance of quantum energy exchange.

    Other evidence demonstrated that, on the most basic level, each one of us is also a packet of pulsating energy constantly interacting with this vast energy sea.

    But the most heretical evidence of all concerned the role of consciousness. The well-designed experiments conducted by these scientists suggested that consciousness is a substance outside the confines of our bodies – a highly ordered energy with the capacity to change physical matter. Directing thoughts at a target seemed capable of altering machines, cells and, indeed, entire multicelled organisms like human beings. This mind-over-matter power even seemed to traverse time and space.

    In The Field I aimed to make sense of all the ideas resulting from these disparate experiments and to synthesize them into one generalized theory. The Field created a picture of an interconnected universe and a scientific explanation for many of the most profound human mysteries, from alternative medicine and spiritual healing to extrasensory perception and the collective unconscious.

    The Field apparently hit a nerve. I received hundreds of letters from readers who told me that the book had changed their lives. A writer wanted to depict me as a character in her novel. Two composers wrote musical compositions inspired by it, one of which was played on the international stage.

    I was featured in a movie, What the Bleep!? Down the Rabbit Hole, and on the What The Bleep Do We Know!? Calendar, released by the film’s producers. Quotes from T h e Field became the centrepiece of a printed Christmas card.

    However gratifying this reaction, I felt that my own journey of discovery had hardly left the station platform. The scientific evidence I had amassed for The Field suggested something extraordinary and even disturbing: directed thought had some sort of central participatory role in creating reality.

    Targeting your thoughts – or what scientists ponderously refer to as ‘intention’ and  ‘intentionality’  –  appeared  to  produce  an energy  potent  enough  to  change physical reality. A simple thought seemed to have the power to change our world.

    After writing The Field, I puzzled over the extent of this power and the numerous questions it raised. How, for instance, could I translate what had been confirmed in the laboratory for use in the world that I lived in? Could I stand in the middle of a railway track and, Superman-style, stop the 9:45 to Paddington with my thoughts? Could I fly myself up to fix my roof with a bit of directed thought? Would it now be possible to cross doctors and healers off my list of essential contacts, seeing as I might now be able to think myself well? Could I help my children pass their maths tests just by thinking about it? If linear time and three-dimensional space didn’t really exist, could I go back and erase all those moments in my life that had left me with lasting regret? And could my one puny bit of mental input do anything to change the vast catalogue of suffering on the planet?

    The implications of this evidence were unsettling. Should we be minding every last thought at every moment? Was a pessimist’s view of the world likely to be a self-fulfilling prophecy? Were all those negative thoughts – that ongoing inner dialogue of judgement and criticism – having any effect outside our heads?

    Were there conditions that improved your chances of having a better effect with your thoughts? Would a thought work any old time or would you, your intended target and indeed the universe itself have to be in the mood? If everything is affecting everything else at every moment, doesn’t that counteract and thereby nullify any real effect?

    What happens when a number of people think the same thought at the same time? Would that have an even larger effect than thoughts generated singly? Was there a threshold size that a group of like-minded intenders had to reach in order to exert the most powerful effect? Was an intention ‘dose dependent’ – the larger the group, the larger the effect?

    An  enormous  body  of  literature,  starting with Think and Grow Rich [1] by Napoleon Hill, arguably the first self-actualization guru, has been generated about the power of thought. ‘Intention’ has become the latest New Age buzzword. Practitioners of alternative medicine speak of helping patients heal ‘with intention’. Even Jane Fonda writes about raising children ‘with intention’.[2]

    What on earth, I wondered, was meant by ‘intention’? And how exactly can one become an efficient ‘intender’? The bulk of the popular material had been written off the cuff – a smattering of Eastern philosophy here, a soupçon of Dale Carnegie there, with very little scientific evidence that it worked.

    To find answers to all of these questions, I turned, once again, to science, scouring the scientific literature for studies on distant healing or other forms of psychokinesis, or mind over matter. I sought out international scientists who experimented with how thoughts can affect matter. The science described in The Field had been carried out mainly in the 1970s; I examined more recent discoveries in quantum physics for further clues.

    I also turned to those people who had managed to master intention and who could perform the extraordinary – spiritual healers, Buddhist monks, Qigong masters, shamans – in order to understand the transformational processes they underwent to be able to use their thoughts to powerful effect. I uncovered myriad ways that intention is used in real life – in sports, for instance, and during healing modalities such as biofeedback. I studied how native populations incorporated directed thought into their daily ritual.

    I then began to dig up evidence that multiple minds trained on the same target magnified the effect produced by an individual. The evidence was tantalizing, mostly gathered by the Transcendental Meditation organization, suggesting that a group of likeminded thoughts created some sort of order in the otherwise random Zero Point Field.

    At that point in my journey, I ran out of pavement. All that stretched before me, as far as I could tell, was uninhabited open terrain.

    Then one evening, my husband Bryan, a natural entrepreneur in most situations, put forward what seemed to be a preposterous suggestion: ‘Why don’t you do some group experiments yourself?’

    I am not a physicist. I am not any kind of scientist. The last experiment I had conducted had been in a 10th grade science lab.

    What I did have, though, was a resource available to few scientists: a potentially huge experimental body. Group intention experiments are extraordinarily difficult to perform in an ordinary laboratory. A researcher would need to recruit thousands of participants. How would he find them? Where would he put them? How would he get them all to think the same thing at the same time?

    A book’s readers offer an ideal self-selected group of likeminded souls who might be willing to participate in testing out an idea. Indeed, I already had my own large population of regular readers with whom I communicated through e-news and my other spin-off activities from The Field.

    I first broached the idea of carrying out my own experiment with dean emeritus of the Princeton University School of Engineering Robert Jahn and his colleague psychologist Brenda Dunne, who run the Princeton Engineering Anomalous Researc (PEAR) laboratory, both of whom I had got to know through my research forThe Field. Jahn and Dunne have spent some 30 years painstakingly amassing some of the most convincing evidence about the power of directed intention to affect machinery. They are absolute sticklers for scientific method, no-nonsense and to the point. Robert Jahn is one of the few people I have ever met who speaks in perfect, complete sentences. Brenda Dunne is equally perfectionist about detail in both experiment and language. I would be assured of no sloppy protocol in my experiments if Jahn and Dunne agreed to be involved.

    The two of them also have a vast array of scientists at their disposal. They head the International Consciousness Research Laboratory, many of whose members are among the  most prestigious  scientists  performing consciousness  research in the world.  Dunne  also  runs  PEARTree,  a  group  of  young  scientists  interested  in consciousness research.

    Everyone met on occasions and kicked around some possibilities. Eventually, they put forward Fritz- Albert Popp, assistant director of the International Institute of Biophysics (IIB) i Neuss, Germany, to conduct the first intention experiments. I knew Fritz Popp throug my research for The Field. He was the first to discover that all living things emit a tiny current of light. As a noted German physicist recognized internationally for his discoveries, Popp would also be a stickler for pristine scientific method.

    Other scientists, such as psychologist Gary Schwartz of the Biofield Center a the University of Arizona, Marilyn Schlitz, vice president for research and education at  the  Institute  of  Noetic  Sciences,  Dean  Radin,  IONS’  senior  scientist,  an psychologist Roger Nelson of the Global Consciousness Project, have also offered to participate.

    I do not have any hidden sponsors of this project. The website and all our experiments will be funded by the proceeds of this book or grants, now and in the future.

    Scientists involved in experimental research often cannot venture beyond their findings to consider the implications of what they have uncovered. Consequently, when assembling the evidence that already exists about intention, I have tried to consider the larger implications of this work and to synthesize these individual discoveries into a coherent theory. In order to describe in words concepts that are generally depicted through mathematical equations, I have had to reach for metaphoric approximations of the truth. At times, with the help of many of the scientists involved, I have also had to engage in speculation. It is important to recognize that the conclusions arrived at in this book represent the fruits of frontier science. These ideas are a work in progress. Undoubtedly new evidence will emerge to amplify and refine these initial conclusions.

    Researching the work of people at the very forefront of scientific discovery again has been a humbling experience for me. Within the unremarkable confines of a laboratory, these largely unsung men and women engage in activities that are nothing short of heroic. They risk losing grants, academic posts and, indeed, entire careers groping alone in the dark. Most scratch around for grant money to enable them to carry on.

    All advancements in science are somewhat heretical, each important new discovery partly, if not completely, negating the prevailing views of the day. To be a true explorer in science – to follow the unprejudiced lead of pure scientific inquiry – is to be unafraid to propose the unthinkable, and to prove friends, colleagues and scientific paradigms wrong. Hidden within the cautious, neutral language of experimental data and mathematical equation is nothing less than the makings of a new world, which slowly takes shape for all the rest of us, one painstaking experiment at a time.

    Lynne McTaggart, June 2006

    Notes – Preface

    1.  N. Hill, Think and Grow Rich: The Andrew Carnegie Formula for Mone Making, New York: Ballantine Books (reissue edn), 1987.
    2.  J. Fonda, My Life So Far, London: Ebury Press, 2005: 571.

    Introduction

    THE INTENTION EXPERIMENT is no ordinary book, and you are no ordinary reader. This is a book without an ending, for I intend for you to help me finish it. You are not only the audience of this book, but also one of its protagonists – the primary participants in cutting-edge scientific research. You, quite simply, are about to embark on the largest mind-over-matter experiment in history.

    The Intention Experiment is the first ‘living’ book in three-dimensions. The book, in a sense, is a prelude, and the ‘contents’ carry on well beyond the time you finish the final page. In the book itself, you will discover scientific evidence about the power of your own thoughts, and you will then be able to extend beyond this information and test further possibilities through a massive, ongoing international group experiment, under the direction of some of the most well-respected international scientists in consciousness research. Through The Intention Experiment’s website (www.theintention experiment.com), you and the rest of the readers of this book will be able to participate in remote experiments, the results of which will be posted on the site. Each of you will become a scientist at the hub of some of the most daring consciousness experiments ever conducted.

    The Intention Experiment rests on an outlandish premise: thought affects physical reality.

    Comment
    It’s not at all outlandish. Thought actually does create reality.

    A sizeable body of research exploring the nature of consciousness, carried on for more than 30 years in prestigious scientific institutions around the world, shows that thoughts are capable of affecting everything from the simplest machines to the most complex living beings.[1]

    This evidence suggests that human thoughts and intentions are an actual physical ‘something’ with the astonishing power to change our world. Every thought we have is a tangible energy with the power to transform.

    A thought is not only a thing; a thought is a thing that influences other things.

    Comment
    If quanta were like fine particles of dust, or finely ground flour… then thoughts are like a breeze that attracts or scatters the dust particles everywhere.

    This central idea, that consciousness affects matter, lies at the very heart of an irreconcilable difference between the world view offered by classical physics – the science of the big, visible world – and that of quantum physics – the science of the world’s most diminutive components. That difference concerns the very nature of matter and the ways it can be influenced to change.

    Comment
    The idea behind quantum physics is that consciousness and thoughts affect physical matter.

    All of classical physics, and indeed the rest of science, is derived from the laws of motion and gravity developed by Isaac Newton in his Principia.

    Newton’s laws described a universe in which all objects moved within the three-dimensional space of geometry and time according to certain fixed laws of motion. Matter was considered inviolate and self-contained, with its own fixed boundaries. Influence of any sort required something physical to be done to something else – a force or collision. Making something change basically entailed heating it, burning it, freezing it, dropping it or giving it a good swift kick.

    Newtonian laws, science’s grand ‘rules of the game’, as the celebrated physicist

    Richard Feynman once referred to them,[3] and their central premise, that things exist independently of each other, underpin our own philosophical view of the world. We believe that all of life and its tumultuous activity carries on around us, regardless of what we do or think. We sleep easy in our beds at night, in the certainty that when we close our eyes, the universe doesn’t disappear.

    Nevertheless, that tidy view of the universe as a collection of isolated, well- behaved objects got dashed in the early part of the twentieth century, once the pioneers of quantum physics began peering closer into the heart of matter. The tiniest bits of the universe, those very things that make up the big, objective world, did not in any way behave themselves according to any rules that these scientists had ever known.

    This outlaw behavior was encapsulated in a collection of ideas that became known as the Copenhagen Interpretation, after the place where the forceful Danish physicist Niels Bohr and his brilliant protégé, the German physicist Werner Heisenberg, formulated the likely meaning of their extraordinary mathematical discoveries. Bohr and Heisenberg realized that atoms are not little solar systems of billiard balls but something far more messy: a tiny cloud of probability.

    Every subatomic particle is not a solid and stable thing, but exists simply as a potential of any one of its future selves – or what is known by physicists as a ‘superposition’, or sum, of all probabilities, like a person staring at himself in a hall of mirrors.

    One of their conclusions concerned the notion of ‘indeterminacy’; that you can never know all there is to know about a subatomic particle all at the same time. If you discover information about where it is, for instance, you cannot work out at the same time exactly where it is going or at what speed. They spoke about a quantum particle as both a particle – a congealed, set thing – and a ‘wave function’ – a big smeared- out region of space and time, any corner of which the particle may occupy. It was akin to describing a person as comprising the entire street where he lives.

    Their conclusions suggested that, at its most elemental, physical matter isn’t solid and stable – indeed, isn’t an anything yet.

    Subatomic reality did not resemble the solid and reliable state of being described to us by classical science, but an ephemeral prospect of seemingly infinite options. So capricious seemed the smallest bits of nature that the first quantum physicists had to make do with a crude symbolic approximation of the truth – a mathematical range of all possibility.

    At the quantum level, reality resembled unset jelly.

    Comment
    Newtonian physics treated things as nice set fixed and solid objects; like billiard balls. That they would follow set rules of behavior. Quantum physics says otherwise. The smallest things are actually like unset jello. When you think about them, they turn hard and freeze in place.

    The quantum theories developed by Bohr, Heisenberg and a host of others rocked the very foundation of the Newtonian view of matter as something discrete and self-contained. They suggested that matter, at its most fundamental, could not be divided into independently existing units and indeed could not even be fully described. Things had no meaning in isolation, but only in a web of dynamic interrelationship.

    The quantum pioneers also discovered the astonishing ability of quantum particles to influence each other, despite the absence of all those usual things that physicists understand are responsible for influence, such as an exchange of force occurring at a finite velocity. Once in contact, particles retained an eerie remote hold over each other.

    The actions – for instance, the magnetic orientation – of one subatomic particle instantaneously influenced the other, no matter how far they were separated.

    Comment
    In quantum physics, things influence other things regardless of physical distance.

    At the subatomic level, change also resulted through dynamic shifts of energy; these little packets of vibrating energy constantly traded energy back and forth to each other like ongoing passes in a game of basketball, a ceaseless to-ing and from-ing that gave rise to an unfathomably large basic layer of energy in the universe.[4]

    Subatomic matter appeared to be involved in a continual exchange of information, causing constant refinement and subtle alteration. The universe was not a storehouse of static, separate objects, but a single organism of interconnected energy fields in a constant state of becoming. At its infinitesimal level, our world resembled a vast network of quantum information, with all its component parts constantly on the phone.

    The only thing dissolving this little cloud of probability into something solid and measurable was the involvement of an observer.

    Once these scientists decided to have a closer look at a subatomic particle by taking a measurement, the subatomic entity that existed as pure potential would ‘collapse’ into one particular state.

    The implications of these early experimental findings were profound: living consciousness somehow was the influence that turned the possibility of something into something real. The moment we looked at an electron or took a measurement, it appeared that we helped to determine its final state. This suggested that the most essential ingredient in creating our universe is the consciousness that observes it. Several of  the central figures in quantum physics argued that the universe was democratic and participatory – a joint effort between observer and observed. [5]

    The observer effect in quantum experimentation gives rise to another heretical notion: that living consciousness is somehow central to this process of transforming the unconstructed quantum world into something resembling everyday reality. It suggests not only that the observer brings the observed into being, but also that nothing in the universe exists as an actual ‘thing’ independently of our perception of it.

    Comment
    Nothing in this universe exists without an observer to think about it.

    It implies that observation – the very involvement of consciousness – gets the jelly to set.

    It implies that reality is not fixed, but fluid, or mutable, and hence possibly open to influence.

    The idea that consciousness creates and possibly even affects the physical universe also challenges our current scientific view of consciousness, which developed from the theories of the seventeenth-century philosopher René Descartes – mind is separate and somehow different from matter – and eventually embraced the notion that consciousness is entirely generated by the brain and remains locked up in the skull.

    Most modern workaday physicists shrug their shoulders over this central conundrum: that big things are separate, but the tiny building blocks they are made up of are in instant and ceaseless communication with each other. For half a century, physicists have accepted, as though it makes perfect sense, that an electron behaving one way subatomically somehow transmutes into ‘classical’ (that is, Newtonian) behavior once it realizes it is part of a larger whole.

    In the main, scientists have stopped caring about the troublesome questions posed by quantum physics, and left unanswered by its earliest pioneers.

    Quantum theory works mathematically. It offers a highly successful recipe for dealing with the subatomic world. It helped to build atomic bombs and lasers, and to deconstruct the nature of the sun’s radiation. Today’s physicists have forgotten about the observer effect.

    They content themselves with their elegant equations and await the formulation of unified Theory of Everything or the discovery of a few more dimensions beyond the ones that ordinary humans perceive, which they hope will somehow pull together all these contradictory findings into one centralized theory.

    Thirty years ago, while the rest of the scientific community carried on by rote, a small band of frontier scientists at prestigious universities around the globe paused to consider the metaphysical implications of the Copenhagen Interpretation and the observer effect.[6]

    If matter was mutable, and consciousness made matter a set something, it seemed likely that consciousness might also be able to nudge things in a particular direction.

    Comment
    If you can control your thoughts, then you can control matter and the events in your life.

    Their investigations boiled down to a simple question: if the act of attention affected physical matter, what was the effect of intention – of deliberately attempting to make a change? In our act of participation as an observer in the quantum world, we might be not only creators, but also influencers.7

    They began designing and carrying out experiments, testing what they gave the unwieldy label of ‘directed remote mental influence’ or ‘psychokinesis’, or, in shorthand, ‘intention’ or even ‘intentionality’.

    A textbook definition of intention characterizes it as ‘a purposeful plan to perform an action, which will lead to a desired outcome’,[8] unlike a desire, which means simply focusing on an outcome, without a purposeful plan of how to achieve it.

    Comment
    Intention is quite different from desire.

    An intention was directed at the intender’s own actions; it required some sort of reasoning; it required a commitment to do the intended deed. Intention implied purposefulness: an understanding of a plan of action and a planned satisfactory result.

    Marilyn Schlitz, vice-president for research and education at the Institute of Noetic Sciences and one of the scientists engaged in the earliest investigations of remote influence, defined intention as ‘the projection of awareness, with purpose and efficacy, toward some object or outcome’.[9] To influence physical matter, they believed, thought had to be highly motivated and targeted.

    In a series of remarkable experiments, these scientists provided evidence that thinking certain directed thoughts could affect one’s own body, inanimate objects and virtually all manner of living things, from single-celled organisms to human beings.

    Two of the major figures in this tiny subgroup were former dean of engineering Robert Jahn at the Princeton Anomalies Engineering Research (PEAR) laboratory a Princeton  University and  his  colleague  Brenda  Dunne,  who  together  created  a sophisticated, scholarly research programme grounded in hard science.

    Over 25 years, Jahn and Dunne led what became a massive international effort to quantify what is referred to as ‘micro-psychokinesis’, the effect of mind on random-event generators (REGs), which perform the electronic, twenty-first century equivalent of a toss of a coin.

    The output of these machines (the computerized equivalent of heads or tails) was controlled by a randomly alternating frequency of positive and negative pulses. Because their activity was utterly random, they produced ‘heads’ and ‘tails’ each roughly 50 per cent of the time, according to the laws of probability.

    The most common configuration of the REG experiments was a computer screen randomly alternating two attractive images – say, of cowboys and Indians. Participants in the studies would be placed in front of the computers and asked to try to influence the machine to produce more of one image – more cowboys, say – then to focus on producing more images of Indians, and then to try not to influence the machine in either direction.

    Over the course of more than two and a half million trials Jahn and Dunne decisively demonstrated that human intention can influence these electronic devices in the specified direction,[10] and their results were replicated independently by 68 investigators.[11]

    Comment
    Experiments have conclusively shown that intention; directed thought, can absolute influence the physical world.

    While PEAR concentrated on the effect of mind on inanimate objects an processes, many other scientists experimented with the effect of intention on living things.

    A diverse number of researchers demonstrated that human intention can affect an enormous variety of living systems: bacteria, yeast, algae, lice, chicks, mice, gerbils, rats, cats and dogs.[12]

    A number of these experiments have also been carried out with human targets; intention has been shown to affect many biological processes within the receiver, including gross motor movements and those in the heart, the eye, the brain and the respiratory system.

    Animals themselves proved capable of acts of effective intention.

    In one ingenious study by René Peoc’h of the Fondation ODIER in Nantes, France, a roboti ‘mother hen’, constructed from a moveable random-event generator, was ‘imprinted’ on a group of baby chicks soon after birth.

    The robot was placed outside the chicks’ cage, where it moved around freely, as its path was tracked and recorded.

    Eventually, it was clear that the robot was moving towards the chicks two and a half times more often than it would ordinarily; the ‘inferred intention’ of the chicks – their desire to be close to their mother – appeared to affect the robot, drawing it closer to the cage.

    In over 80 similar studies, in which a lighted candle was placed on a movable REG, baby chicks kept in the dark, finding the light comforting, managed to influence the robot to spend more time than normal in the vicinity of their cage.[13]

    The largest and most persuasive body of research has been amassed by William Braud, a psychologist and the research director of the Mind Science Foundation i San Antonio, Texas, and, later, the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. Braud and his colleagues demonstrated that human thoughts can affect the direction in which fish swim, the movement of other animals such as gerbils, and the breakdown of cells in the laboratory.[14]

    Braud also designed some of the earliest well-controlled studies of mental influence on human beings. In one group of studies, Braud demonstrated that one person could affect the autonomic nervous system (or fight-or-flight mechanisms) of another.[15]

    Comment
    Which is one of the many reasons why I tell people that they must isolate themselves from chronically negative people, sociopaths, psychopaths, and people with social, mental or emotional disorders. these individuals will absolutely affect your life, and often it is for their benefit, whatever they perceive it to be, and not yours.

    Electrodermal activity (EDA) is a measure of skin resistance and shows an individual’s state of stress; a change of EDA usually occurs if someone is stressed or made uncomfortable in some way.[16]

    Braud’s signature study tested the effect on EDA of being stared at, one of the simplest means of isolating the effect of remote influence on a human being. He repeatedly demonstrated that people were subconsciously aroused while they were being stared at.[17]

    Perhaps the most frequently studied area of remote influence concerns remote healing.

    Some 150 studies, of variable scientific rigor, have been carried out,[18] and one of the best designed was conducted by the late Dr Elisabeth Targ. During the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, she devised an ingenious, highly controlled pair of studies, in which some 40 remote healers across America were shown to improve the health of terminal AIDS patients, even though the healers had never met or been in contact with their patients.[19]

    Comment
    The use of thought and intention as a means to heal others over distances has been scientifically confirmed to be valid.

    Even some of the most rudimentary mind-over-matter experiments have had tantalizing results.

    One of the first such studies involved attempts to influence a throw of the dice. To date, some 73 studies have examined the efforts of 2500 people to influence more than two and a half million throws of the dice, with extraordinary success. When all the studies were analyzed together, and allowances made for quality or selective reporting, the odds of the results occurring by chance alone were 1076 (1 followed by 76 zeros) to one.[20]

    There was also some provocative material about spoon bending, that perennial party trick made popular by psychic Uri Geller. John Hasted, a professor at Birkbec College at the University of London, had tested this with an ingenious experiment involving children.

    Hasted suspended latch keys from the ceiling and placed the children 3 to 10 feet away from their target key, so that they could have no physical contact. Attached to each key was a strain gauge, which would detect and register on a strip chart recorder any change in the key.

    Hasted then asked the children to try to bend the suspended metal. During the sessions, he observed not only the keys swaying and sometimes fracturing, but also abrupt and enormous spikes of voltage pulses up to 10 volts – the very limits of the chart recorder. Even more compelling, when children had been asked to send their intention to several keys hung separately, the individual strain recorders noted simultaneous signals, as though the keys were being affected in concert.[21]

    Comment
    My first wife has a first cousin that could bend spoons, and she did it right there within inches of my nose. It was real, and pretty darn amazing.

    Most intriguing, in much of the research on psychokinesis, mental influence of any variety had produced measurable effects, no matter how far the distance between the sender or what point in time he generated his intention. According to the experimental evidence, the power of thought transcended time and space.

    By the time these revisionists were finished, they had torn up the rule book and scattered  it to  the  four  winds.  Mind  in some  way appeared  to  be  inextricably connected to matter and, indeed, was capable of altering it. Physical matter could be influenced, even irrevocably altered, not simply by force, but through the simple act of formulating a thought.

    Nevertheless, the evidence from these frontier scientists left three fundamental questions unanswered.

    • Through what physical mechanisms do thoughts affect reality?

    At the time of this writing, some highly publicized studies of mass prayer showed no effect.

    • Were certain conditions and preparatory states of mind more conducive to success than others?
    • How much power did a thought have, for good or ill?
    • How much of our lives could a thought actually change?

    Most of the initial discoveries about consciousness occurred more than 30 years ago. More recent discoveries in frontier quantum physics and in laboratories around the globe offer answers to some of those questions. They provide evidence that our world is highly malleable, open to constant subtle influence. Recent research demonstrates that living things are constant transmitters and receivers of measurable energy. New models of consciousness portray it as an entity capable of trespassing physical boundaries of every description.

    Intention appears to be something akin to a tuning fork, causing the tuning forks of other things in the universe to resonate at the same frequency.

    The latest studies of the effect of mind on matter suggest that intention has variable effects that depend on the state of the host, and the time and the place where it originates. Intention has already been employed in many quarters to cure illness, alter physical processes and influence events.

    It is not a special gift but a learned skill, readily taught. Indeed, we already use intention in many aspects of our daily lives.

    Comment
    Intention is a learned skill, and with practice, anyone can become proficient with it.

    A body of research also suggests that the power of an intention multiplies, depending upon how many people are thinking the same thought at the same time.[22]

    The Intention Experiment consists of three aspects.

    The main body of the book (chapters 1–12) attempts to synthesize all the experimental evidence that exists on intention into a coherent scientific theory of how intention works, how it can be used in your life and which conditions optimize its effect.

    The second portion of the book (chapter 13) offers a blueprint for using intention effectively in your own life through a series of exercises and recommendations for how best to ‘power up’. This portion is also an exercise in frontier science. I am not an expert in human potential, so this is not a self-help manual, but a journey of discovery for me as well as you. I have extrapolated this programme from scientific evidence describing those circumstances that created the most positive results in psychokinetic laboratory experiences. We know for certain that these techniques have generated success under controlled experimental laboratory conditions, but I cannot guarantee they will work in your life. By making use of them, you will, in effect, engage in an ongoing personal experiment.

    The final section of the book (chapters 14 and 15) consists of a series of personal and group experiments. Chapter 14 outlines a series of informal experiments on the use of intention in your own life for you to carry out individually. These mini ‘experiments’  are  also  intended  to  be  pieces  of  research.  You  will  have  the opportunity to post your results on our website and share them with other readers.

    Besides these individual experiments, I have also designed a series of large group experiments to be carried out by the readers of this book (chapter 15). With the aid of our highly experienced scientific team, The Intention Experiment will conduct periodic large-scale experiments to determine whether the focused intention of its readers has an effect on scientifically quantifiable targets.

    All it requires is that you read the book, digest its contents, log on to the website (www.theintentionexperiment.com) and, after following the instructions and exercises at the back of this book, send out some highly specific thoughts, as and when described on the site. The first such studies will be carried out by the German physicist Fritz-Albert Popp, vice-president of the International Institute of Biophysics in Neuss, Germany (www.lifescientists.de), and his team of seven, psychologist Gary Schwartz and his colleagues at the University of Arizona at Tucson, and Marilyn Schlitz and Dean Radin of the Institute of Noetic Sciences.

    Website experts have collaborated with our scientific team to design log-on protocols to enable us to identify which characteristics of a group or aspects of their thoughts produce the most effective results. For each intention experiment, a target will be selected – a specific living thing or a population where change caused by group intention can be measured. We have started with algae, the lowliest of subjects (see chapter 12), and, with every experiment, we will move on to an increasingly complex living target.

    Our plans are ambitious: to tackle a number of societal ills. One eventual human target might  be patients with a wound. It  is known and accepted that wounds generally heal at a particular, quantifiable rate with a precise pattern.[23] Any departure from the norm can be precisely measured and shown to be an experimental effect. In that instance, our aim would be to determine whether focused group intention will enable wounds to heal more quickly than usual.

    Naturally, you don’t have to participate in our experiments. If you don’t wish to get involved, you can read about the intention experiments of others, and use some of that information to inform how you use intention in your life.

    Please do not casually participate in the experiments. In order for the experiment to work properly, you must read the book and digest its contents fully beforehand. The experimental evidence suggests that those who are the most effective have trained their minds, much as athletes train their muscles, to maximize their chances of success.

    In order to discourage uncommitted participation, The Intention Experiment website contains a complicated password comprising some words or ideas from the book (which will change slightly every few months). In order to be part of the experiment, you will have to log on with the password and you will have to have read the book and understood it.

    The website (www.theintentionexperiment.com) has a running clock (set to US Eastern Standard Time and Greenwich Mean Time). At a particular moment on a date specified on the website, you will be asked to send a carefully worded, detailed intention, depending on the target site.

    Once finished, the results of the experiments will be analysed and data-crunched by our scientific team, examined by a neutral statistician, and then published on the website and in subsequent printings of this book. The website will thus become the living sequel to the book you are holding in your hands. You simply need to consult the website periodically for announcements of the date of every experiment.

    Hundreds of well-designed studies of group intention and remote mental influence have demonstrated significant results. Nevertheless, it might be the case that our experiments will not produce demonstrable, measurable effects, at first or indeed ever. As reputable scientists and objective researchers, we are duty-bound to report the data we have. As with all science, failure is instructive, helping us to refine the design of the experiments and the premises that they are based upon.

    As you read this book, keep in mind that this is a work of frontier science. Science is a relentless process of self-correction. Assumptions originally considered as fact must often ultimately be discarded. Many – indeed, most – of the conclusions drawn in this book are bound to be amended or refined at a later date.

    By reading this book and participating in its experiments you may well contribute to the world’s knowledge, and possibly further a paradigm shift in our understanding of how the world works. Indeed, the power of mass intention may ultimately be the force that shifts the tide towards repair and renewal of the planet. When combined with hundreds of thousands of others, your solitary voice, now one barely audible note, could transmute into a thunderous symphony.

    My own motive for writing The Intention Experiment was to make a statement about the extraordinary nature and power of consciousness. It may prove true that a single collective, directed thought is all it takes to change the world.

    Notes – Introduction

    1. For a complete description of these scientists and their findings, consult L. McTaggart, The Field: the Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe, London: HarperCollins, 2001.
    2. The    full   title   of   Newton’s   major   treatise   is Philosophiae  Naturalis Principia Mathematica,  a  name  that  offers  a  nod  to  its  philosophical implications,   although   it   is   always  referred    to  reverentially   as the Principia.
    3. R. P. Feynman, Six Easy Pieces: The Fundamentals of Physics Explained, London: Penguin, 1995: 24.
    4. McTaggart, The Field, op. cit.
    5. Eugene Wigner, the Hungarian-born American physicist who received a Nobel Prize for his contribution to the theory of quantum physics, is one of the early pioneers of the central role of consciousness in determining reality and argued, through a thought experiment called ‘Wigner’s friend’, that the observer, ‘the friend’, might collapse Schrödinger’s famous cat into a single state or, like the cat itself, remain in a state of superposition until another ‘friend’ comes into the lab. Other proponents of ‘the observer effect’ include  John  Eccles and  Evan  Harris  Walker.  John  Wheeler is credited with espousing the theory that the universe is participatory: it only exists because we happen to be looking at it.
    6. McTaggart, The Field, op. cit.
    7. E. J. Squires, ‘Many views of one world – an interpretation of quantum theory’, European Journal of Physics, 1987; 8: 173.
    8. B. F. Malle et al., Intentions and Intentionality: Foundations of Socia Cognition, Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2001.
    9. M. Schlitz, ‘Intentionality in healing: mapping the integration of body, mind, and spirit’, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 1995; 1 (5): 119–20.
    10. R. G. Jahn et al., ‘Correlations of random binary sequences with prestated operator intention: a review of a 12-year program’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1997; 11: 345–67.
    11. R. G. Jahn et al., ‘Correlations of random binary sequences’, op. cit.; Dean Radin and Roger Nelson, ‘Evidence for consciousness-related anomalies in random physical systems’, Foundations of Physics, 1989; 19 (12): 1499–514; McTaggart, The Field, op. cit.: 116–17.
    12. These studies are itemized in great detail in D. Benor, Spiritual Healing, Volume 1, Southfield, Mich.: Vision Publications, 1992.
    13. Rene Peoc’h, ‘Psychokinetic action of young chicks on the path of a “illuminated source”’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1995; 9 (2): 223;
    14. R. Peoc’h, ‘Chicken imprinting and the tychoscope: An Anpsi experiment’ Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, 1988; 55: 1; R. Peoc’h, ‘Psychokinesis experiments with human and animal subjects upon a robot moving at random’, The Journal of Parapsychology, September 1, 2002.
    15. William G. Braud and Marilyn J. Schlitz, ‘Consciousness interaction with remote biological systems: anomalous intentionality effects’, Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine, 1991; 2 (1): 1–27; McTaggart, The Field, op. cit.: 128–9.
    16. Marilyn Schlitz and William Braud, ‘Distant intentionality and healing assessing the evidence’, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 1997; 3 (6): 62–73.
    17. William Braud and Marilyn Schlitz, ‘A methodology for the objective study of transpersonal imagery’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1989; 3 (1): 43–63.
    18. W. Braud et al., ‘Further studies of autonomic detection of remote staring: replication, new control procedures and personality correlates’, Journal of Parapsychology, 1993; 57: 391–409; M. Schlitz and S. LaBerge ‘Autonomic detection of remote observation; two conceptual replications’, in D. Bierman (ed.), Proceedings of Presented Papers: 37 Annual Parapsychological Association Convention, Amsterdam, Fairhaven, Mass.: Parapsychological Association, 1994: 465–78.
    19. D.    Benor, Spiritual   Healing:   Scientific Validation of  a Healing Revolution, Southfield, Mich.: Vision Publications, 2001.
    20. F. Sicher, E. Targ et al., ‘A randomized double-blind study of the effect of distant healing in a population with advanced AIDS: report of a small scale study’, Western Journal of Medicine, 1998; 168 (6): 356–63. For a full description of the studies, see McTaggart, The Field, op. cit.: 181–96.
    21. Psychologist Dean Radin conducted a meta-analysis in 1989 at Princeton University of all known dice experiments (73) published between 1930 and 1989. They are recounted in his book Entangled Minds, New York: Paraview, 2006: 148–51.
    22. J. Hasted, The Metal Benders, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1981, as cited in W. Tiller, Science and Human Transformation; Subtle Energies Intentionality  and  Consciousness, Walnut  Creek, Calif.:  Pavior Publications, 1997: 13.
    23. McTaggart, The Field, op. cit.: 199.
    24. W. W. Monafo and M. A. West, ‘Current recommendations for topical burn therapy’, Drugs, 1990; 40: 364–73.

    The Science of Intention

    A human being is part of the whole, called by us ‘universe’, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest – a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. 
    
    -Albert Einstein

    Chapter 1

    Mutable Matter

    FEW PLACES IN THE GALAXY are as cold as the helium-diluti refrigerator in Tom Rosenbaum’s lab. Temperatures in the refrigerator – a boiler- sized circular apparatus with a number of cylinders – can descend to a few thousandths of a degree above absolute zero, almost 273°C below freezing – three thousand times colder than the farthest reaches of outer space. For two days, liquid nitrogen and helium circulate around the refrigerator, and then three pumps constantly blasting out gaseous helium take the temperature down to the final rung. Without heat of any description, the atoms in matter slow to a crawl. At this scale of coldness, the universe would grind to a halt. It is the scientific equivalent of hell freezing over.

    Absolute zero is the preferred temperature of a physicist like Tom Rosenbaum. At 47, as a distinguished professor of physics at the University of Chicago and former head of the James Franck Institute, Rosenbaum was in the vanguard o experimental physicists who liked exploring the limits of disorder in condensed- matter physics, the study of the inner workings of liquids and solids when their underlying order was disturbed.[1]

    In physics, if you want to find out how something behaves, the best way is simply to make it uncomfortable and then see what happens. Creating disorder usually involves adding heat or applying a magnetic field  to determine how it will react when disturbed and also to determine which spin position – or magnetic orientation – the atoms will choose.

    Most of his colleagues in condensed-matter physics remained interested in symmetrical systems such as crystalline solids, whose atoms are arranged in orderly array, like eggs in a carton, but Rosenbaum was drawn to strange systems that were inherently disordered – to which more conventional quantum physicists referred disparagingly as ‘dirt’.

    In dirt, he believed, lay exposed the unprobed secrets of the quantum universe, uncharted territory that he was happy to navigate.

    He loved the challenge posed by spin glasses, strange hybrids of crystals, with magnetic properties, technically considered slow-moving liquids. Unlike a crystal, whose atoms point in the same direction in perfect alignment, the tiny magnets associated with the atoms of a spin glass are wayward and frozen in disarray.

    The use of extreme coldness allowed Rosenbaum to slow down the atoms of these strange compounds enough to observe them minutely, and to tease out their quantum mechanical essence. At temperatures near to absolute zero, when their atoms are nearly stationary, they begin taking on new collective properties.

    Rosenbaum was fascinated by the recent discovery that systems disorderly at room temperature display a conformist streak once they are cooled down. For once, these delinquent atoms begin to act in concert.

    Examining how molecules behave as a group in various circumstances is highly instructive about the essential nature of matter.

    In my own journey of discovery, Rosenbaum’s laboratory seemed the most appropriate place to begin. There, at those lowest temperatures where everything occurs in slow motion, the true nature of the most basic constituents of the universe might be revealed. I was looking for evidence of ways in which the components of our physical universe, which we think of as fully realized, are capable of being fundamentally altered.

    I also wondered whether it could be shown that quantum behaviour like the observer effect occurs outside the subatomic world, in the world of the everyday. What Rosenbaum had discovered in his refrigerator might offer some vital clues as to how every object or organism in the physical world, which classical physics depicts as an irreversible fact, a finalized assemblage only changeable by the brute force of Newtonian physics, could be affected and ultimately altered by the energy of a thought.

    According to the second law of thermodynamics, all physical processes in the universe can only flow from a state of greater to lesser energy. We throw a stone into a river and the ripple it makes eventually stops. A cup of hot coffee left standing can only grow cold.

    Things inevitably fall apart; everything travels in a single direction, from order to disorder.

    But this might not always be inevitable, Rosenbaum believed. Recent discoveries about disordered systems suggested that certain materials, under certain circumstances, might counteract the laws of entropy and come together rather than fall apart.

    Was it possible that matter could go in the opposite direction, from disorder to greater order?

    For ten years Rosenbaum and his students at the James Franck Institute had bee asking that question of a small chunk of lithium holmium fluoride salt. Inside Rosenbaum’s refrigerator lay a perfect chip of rose-coloured crystal, no bigger than the head of a pencil, wrapped in two sets of copper coils.

    Over the years, after many experiments with spin glasses, Rosenbaum had grown very fond of these dazzling little specimens, one of the most naturally  magnetic substances on  earth. This characteristic presented the perfect situation in which to study disorder, but only after he had altered the crystal beyond recognition into a disordered substance.

    He had first instructed the laboratory that grew the crystals to combine the holmium with fluorine and lithium, the first metal on the periodic table. The resulting lithium holmium fluoride salt was compliant and predictable – a highly ordered substance whose atoms behaved like a sea of microscopic compasses all pointing north.

    Rosenbaum then had wreaked havoc on the original salt compound, instructing the lab to rip out a number of the atoms of holmium, bit by bit, and replace them with yttrium, a silvery metal without such natural magnetic attraction, until he was left with a strange hybrid of a compound: a salt called lithium holmium yttrium tetrafluoride.

    By virtually eliminating the magnetic properties of the compound, Rosenbaum eventually had created spin-glass anarchy – the atoms of this Frankenstein monstrosity pointing any way they liked. Being able to manipulate the essential property of elements like holmium by creating weird new compounds so cavalierly was a little like having ultimate control over matter itself. With these new spin-glass compounds, Rosenbaum could virtually change the properties of the compound at will; he could make the atoms orientate in a particular direction, or freeze them in some random pattern.

    Nevertheless, his omnipotence had a limit. Rosenbaum’s holmium compounds behaved themselves in some regards, but not in others. One thing he could not do was to get them to obey the laws of temperature. No matter how cold Rosenbaum made his refrigerator, the atoms inside them resisted any sort of ordered orientation, like an army refusing to march in step.

    If Rosenbaum was playing God with his spin glasses the crystal was Adam, stubbornly refusing to obey His most fundamental law.

    Sharing  Rosenbaum’s  curiosity  about  the  strange  property  of  the  crystal compound  was  a  young  student  called  Sayantani  Ghosh,  one  of  his  star  PhD candidates. Sai, as her friends called her, a native of India, had graduated with a first-class honours degree from Cambridge, after which she had chosen Tom’s lab for her doctoral programme in 1999. Almost immediately, she had distinguished herself by winning the Gregor Wentzel Prize, given each year by the University of Chicago’s physics department to the best first-year graduate student teaching assistant. The slight 23-year-old, who at first glance appeared abashed, hiding behind her copious dark hair, had soon impressed her peers and teachers alike with her bold authority, a rarity among science students, and her ability to translate complex ideas to the level an undergraduate  could  comprehend.  Sai  shared  the  distinction  of  winning  the coveted prize with only one other woman since its inception 25 years before.

    According to the laws of classical physics, applying a magnetic field will disrupt the magnetic alignment of a substance’s atoms. The degree to which this happens is the salt’s ‘magnetic susceptibility’.

    The usual pattern with a disordered substance is that it will respond to the magnetic field for a time and then plateau and tail off, as the temperature drops or the magnetic field reaches a point of magnetic saturation. The atoms will no longer be able to flip in the same direction as that of the magnetic field and so will begin to slow down.

    In Sai’s first experiments, the atoms in the lithium holmium yttrium salt, as predicted, grew wildly excited with the application of the magnetic field. But then, as Sai increased the field, something strange began to happen. The more she turned up the frequency, the faster the atoms continued to flip over.

    What is more, all the atoms, which had been in a state of disarray, began pointing in the same direction and operating as a collective whole. Then, small clusters of about 260 atoms aligned, forming ‘oscillators’, spinning collectively in one direction or another.

    No matter how strong the magnetic field that Sai applied, the atoms remained stubbornly aligned with each other, acting in concert. This self-organization persisted for 10 seconds.

    At first, Sai and Rosenbaum thought these effects might have something to do with the strange effects of the remaining atoms of holmium, known to be one of the very few substances in the world with such long-range internal forces that in some quarters it was described and worked out mathematically as something existing in another dimension.[2] Although they didn’t understand the phenomenon they had observed, they wrote up their results, which were published in the journal Science in 2002.[3]

    Rosenbaum decided to carry out another experiment to attempt to isolate the property in the crystal’s essential nature that had enabled it to override such strong outside influences. He left the study’s design to his bright young graduate student, suggesting only that she create a computerized three-dimensional mathematical simulation of the experiment she had intended to carry out. In experiments of this nature on such tiny matter, physicists must rely on a computerized simulation to confirm mathematically the reactions they are witnessing experimentally.

    Sai spent months developing the computer code and building her simulation. The plan was to find out a bit more about the salt’s magnetic capability, by applying two systems of disorder to the crystal chip: higher temperatures and a stronger magnetic field.

    She prepared the sample by placing it in a little 2.4 x 4.8 cm copper holder, then wrapped two coils around the tiny crystal: one a gradiometer, to measure its magnetic susceptibility and the direction of spin of the individual atoms, and the other to cancel out any random flux affecting the atoms inside.

    A connection attached to her PC would enable her to change the voltage, the magnetic field or the temperature, and would record any changes whenever she altered one of the variables by the tiniest degree.

    She began lowering the temperature, a fraction of a kelvin (K) at a time, and then began applying a stronger magnetic field. To her amazement, the atoms kept aligning progressively. Then she tried applying heat, and discovered they again aligned. No matter what she did, in every instance the atoms ignored the outside interference. Although she and Tom had flushed out most of the compound’s magnetic component, of its own volition, as it were, it was turning into a larger and larger magnet.

    That’s weird, she thought. Perhaps she should take more data, just to ensure they had encountered nothing strange in the system.

    She repeated her experiment over six months until the early spring of 2002, when her computer simulation was finally complete. One evening, she mapped the results of the simulation on a graph, and then she superimposed the results from her actual experiment.

    It was  as though she had drawn a single line.

    There on the computer screen was a perfect duplicate: the diagonal line formed from the computer simulation lay exactly over the diagonal line created from the results of the experiment itself.

    What she had witnessed in the little crystal was not an artefact, but something real that she had now reproduced in her computer simulation. She had even mapped out where the atoms should have been on the graph, had they been obeying the usual laws of physics.

    But there they were in a line: a law completely unto themselves.

    She wrote Rosenbaum a guarded email late that evening:

    ‘I’ve got something interesting to show you in the morning.’ 

    The following day, they examined her graph. There was no other possibility, they both realized; the atoms had been ignoring her and instead were controlled by the activity of their neighbors. No matter whether she blasted the crystal with a strong magnetic field or an increase in temperature, the atoms overrode this outside disturbance.

    The only explanation was that the atoms in the sample crystal were internally organizing and behaving like one single giant atom. All the atoms, they realized with some alarm, must be entangled.

    One of the strangest aspects of quantum physics is a feature called ‘non- locality’, also poetically referred to as ‘quantum entanglement’. The Danish physicist Niels Bohr discovered that once subatomic particles such as electrons or photons are in contact, they remain cognizant of and influenced by each other instantaneously over any distance forever, despite the absence of the usual things that physicists understand are responsible for influence, such as an exchange of force or energy.

    When entangled, the actions – for instance, the magnetic orientation – of one will always influence the other in the same or the opposite direction, no matter how far they are separated. Erwin Schrödinger, another one of the original architects of quantum theory, believed that the discovery of non-locality represented no less than quantum theory’s defining moment – its central property and premise.

    The activity of entangled particles is analogous to a set of twins being separated at birth, but retaining identical interests and a telepathic connection forever. One lives in Colorado, and the other in London. Although they never meet again, both like the color blue. Both take a job in engineering. Both like to ski; in fact when one falls down and breaks his right leg at Vale, his twin breaks his right leg at precisely that moment, even though he is 4000 miles away, sipping a latte at Starbucks.[4]

    Albert Einstein refused to accept non-locality, referring to it disparagingly as ‘spukhafte Fernwirkungen’ or ‘spooky action at a distance’.

    This type of instantaneous connection would require information traveling faster than the speed of light, he argued through a famous thought experiment, which would violate his own special relativity theory.[5]

    Since the formulation of Einstein’s theory, the speed of light (299,792,458 meters per second) has been used as the absolute limiting factor on how quickly one thing can affect something else. Things are not supposed to be able to affect other things faster than the time it would take the first thing to travel to the second thing at the speed of light.

    Nevertheless, modern physicists, such as Alain Aspect and his colleagues in Paris, have demonstrated decisively that the speed of light is not an absolute outer boundary in the subatomic world.

    Aspect’s experiment, which concerned two photons fired off from a single atom, showed that the measurement of one photon instantaneously affected the position of the second photon[6] so that it has the same or opposite spin or position (as IBM physicist Charles H. Bennett once put it, ‘opposit luck’).[7]

    The two photons continued to talk to each other and whatever happened to one was identical to, or the very opposite of, what happened to the other. Today, even the most conservative physicists accept non-locality as a strange feature of subatomic reality.[8]

    Most quantum experiments incorporate some test of Bell’s Inequality. This famous experiment in quantum physics was carried out by John Bell, an Irish physicist who developed a practical means to test how quantum particles really behaved.[9]

    This simple test required that you get two quantum particles that had once been in contact, separate them and then take measurements of the two. It is analogous to a couple named Daphne and Ted who have once been together but are now separated. Daphne can choose one of two possible directions to go in and so can Ted. According to our commonsense view of reality, Daphne’s choice should be utterly independent of Ted’s.

    When Bell  carried out his experiment, the expectation was that one of the measurements would be larger than the other – a demonstration of ‘inequality’. However, a comparison of the measurements showed that both were the same and so his inequality was ‘violated’.

    Some invisible wire appeared to be connecting these quantum particles across space, to make them follow each other. Ever since, physicists have understood that when a violation of Bell’s Inequality occurs, it means that two things are entangled.

    Bell’s Inequality has enormous implications for our understanding of the universe.

    By accepting non-locality as a natural facet of nature we are acknowledging that two of the bedrocks on which our world view rests are wrong: that influence only occurs over time and distance, and that particles like Daphne and Ted, and indeed the things that are made up of particles, only exist independently of each other.

    Although modern physicists now accept non-locality as a given feature of the quantum world, they console themselves by maintaining that this strange, counter- intuitive property of the subatomic universe does not apply to anything bigger than a photon or electron.

    Once things got to the level of atoms and molecules, which in the world of physics is considered ‘macroscopic’, or large, the universe started behaving itself again, according to predictable, measurable, Newtonian laws.

    With one tiny thumbnail’s worth of crystal, Rosenbaum and his graduate student demolished that delineation.

    They had demonstrated that big things like atoms were non-locally connected, even in matter so large you could hold it in your hand. Never before had quantum non-locality been demonstrated on such a scale. Although the specimen had been only a tiny chip of salt, to the subatomic particle, it was a palatial country mansion, housing a billion billion (1,000,000,000,000,000,000 or 1018) atoms.

    Rosenbaum, ordinarily loathe to speculate about what he could not yet explain, realized that they had uncovered something extraordinary about the nature of the universe.

    And I realized they had discovered a mechanism for intention: they had demonstrated that atoms, the essential constituents of matter, could be affected by non-local influence. Large things like crystals were not playing by the grand rules of the game, but by the anarchic rules of the quantum world, maintaining invisible connections without obvious cause.

    In 2002, after Sai wrote up their findings, Rosenbaum polished up the wording and sent off their paper to Nature, a journal notorious for conservatism and exacting peer review. After four months of responding to the suggestions of reviewers, Ghosh finally got her paper published in the world’s premier scientific journal, a laudatory feat for a 26-year-old graduate student.[10]

    One of the reviewers, Vlatko Vedral, noted the experiment with a mix of interest and frustration.[11] A Yugoslav who had studied at Imperial College, London, during his country’s civil war and subsequent collapse, Vedral had distinguished himself in his adopted country and been chosen to head up quantum information science at the University of Leeds. Vedral, who was tall and leonine, was part of a small group in Vienna working on frontier quantum physics, including entanglement.

    Vedral first theoretically predicted the effect that Ghosh and Rosenbaum eventually found three years later. He had submitted the paper to Nature in 2001, but the journal, which preferred experiment to theory, had rejected it. Eventually, Vedral managed to publish  his paper in Physical Review Letters, the premier physics journal.[12] After Nature decided to publish Ghosh’s study, its editors threw him a conciliatory bone. They allowed him to be a reviewer on the paper, and then offered him a place in the same issue to write an opinion piece on the findings.

    In the article, Vedral allowed himself some speculation. Quantum physics is accepted as the most accurate means of describing how atoms combine to form molecules, he wrote, and since molecular relationship is the basis of all chemistry, and chemistry is the basis of biology, the magic of entanglement could well be the key to life itself.[13]

    Vedral and a number of others in his circle did not believe that this effect was unique to holmium. The central problem in uncovering entanglement is the primitive state of our technology; isolating and observing this effect is only possible at the moment by slowing atoms down so much in such cold conditions that they are hardly moving. Nevertheless, a number of physicists had observed entanglement in matter at 200 K, or –73°C – a temperature that can be found on Earth in some of its very coldest places.

    Other researchers have proved mathematically that everywhere, even inside of our own bodies, atoms and molecules are engaged in an instantaneous and ceaseless passing back and forth of information.

    Thomas Durt of Vrije University in Brussels demonstrated through elegant mathematical formulations that almost all quantum interactions produce entanglement, no matter what the internal or surrounding conditions. Even photons, the tiniest particles of light emanating from stars, are entangled with every atom they meet on their way to earth.[14]

    Entanglement at normal temperatures appears to be a natural condition of the universe, even in our bodies. Every interaction between every electron inside of us creates entanglement. According to Benni Reznik, a theoretical physicist at Tel Aviv University in Israel, even the empty space around us is heaving with entangled particles.[15]

    The English mathematician Paul Dirac, an architect of quantum field theory, firs postulated that there is no such thing as nothingness, or empty space. Even if you tipped all matter and energy out of the universe and examined all the ‘empty’ space between the stars you would discover a netherworld world teeming with subatomic activity.

    In the world of classical physics, a field is a region of influence, in which two or more points are connected by a force, like gravity or electromagnetism. However, in the world of the quantum particle, fields are created by exchanges of energy.

    According to Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, one reason that quantum particles are ultimately unknowable is because their energy is always being redistributed in a dynamic pattern. Although often rendered as tiny billiard balls, subatomic particles more closely resemble little packets of vibrating waves, passing energy back and forth as if in an endless game of basketball. All elementary particles interact with each other by exchanging energy through what are considered temporary or ‘virtual’ quantum particles. These are believed to appear out of nowhere, combining and annihilating each other in less than an instant, causing random fluctuations of energy without any apparent cause. Virtual particles, or negative energy states, do not take physical form, so we cannot actually observe them. Even ‘real’ particles are nothing more than a little knot of energy, which briefly emerge and disappear back into the underlying energy field.

    These back-and-forth passes, which rise to an extraordinarily large ground state of energy, are known collectively as the Zero Point Field.

    Comment
    Zero point field is the basis of many types of substantive extraterrestrial technology.

    The field is called ‘zero point’ because even at temperatures of absolute zero, when all matter theoretically should stop moving, these tiny fluctuations are still detectable. Even at the coldest place in the universe, subatomic matter never comes to rest, but carries on this little energy tango.[16]

    The energy generated by every one of these exchanges between particles is unimaginably tiny – about half a photon’s worth. However, if all exchanges between all subatomic particles in the universe were to be added up, it would produce an inexhaustible supply of energy of unfathomable proportions, exceeding all energy in matter by a factor of 1040, or 1 followed by 40 zeros.[17] Richard Feynman himself once remarked that the energy in a cubic meter of space was enough to boil all the oceans of the world.[18]

    After the discoveries of Heisenberg about Zero Point energy, most conventional physicists  have subtracted the figures  symbolizing Zero  Point energy from their equations. They assumed that, because the Zero Point Field was ever present in matter, it did not change anything and so could be safely ‘renormalized’ away.

    However, in 1973, when trying to work out an alternative to fossil fuel during the petrol  crisis,  American  physicist  Hal  Puthoff,  inspired  by  the  Russian Andrei Sakharov, began trying to figure out how to harness the teeming energy of empty space for transport on earth and to distant galaxies.

    Puthoff spent more than 30 years examining the  Zero Point Field. 

    With some colleagues, he had proved that this constant energy exchange of all subatomic matter with the Zero Point Field accounts for the stability of the hydrogen atom, and, by implication, the stability of all matter.[19]

    Remove the Zero Point Field and all matter would collapse in on itself.

    He also demonstrated that Zero Point energy is responsible for two basic properties of mass: inertia and gravity.[20]

    Puthoff also worked on a multimillion-dollar project funded by Lockheed Martin and a variety of American universities, to develop Zero Point energy for space travel – a programme that finally went public in 2006.

    Many strange properties of the quantum world, like uncertainty or entanglement, could be explained if you factored in the constant interaction of all quantum particles with the Zero Point Field. To Puthoff, science’s  understanding of the nature of entanglement was analogous to two sticks stuck in the sand at the edge of the ocean, about to be hit by a huge wave. If they both were knocked over, and you did not know about the wave, you would think that one stick was affecting the other and call it a non-local effect. The constant interaction of quantum particles with the Zero Point Field might be the underlying mechanism for non-local effects between particles, allowing one particle to be in touch with every other particle at any moment.[21]

    Benni Reznik’s work in Israel with the Zero Point Field and entanglement bega mathematically with a central question: what would happen to a hypothetical pair of probes interacting with the Zero Point Field? According to his calculations, once they began interacting with the Zero Point Field, the probes would begin talking to each other and ultimately become entangled.[22]

    If all matter in the universe were interacting with the Zero Point Field, it meant quite simply, that all matter was interconnected and potentially entangled throughout the cosmos through quantum waves.[23]

    And if we and all of empty space are a mass of entanglement, we must be establishing invisible connections with things at a distance to ourselves.

    Acknowledging the existence of the Zero Point Field and entanglement offers a ready mechanism for why signals being generated by the power of thought can be picked up by someone else many miles away.

    * * *

    Sai Ghosh had proved that non-locality existed in the large building blocks of matter and the other scientists proved that all matter in the universe was, in a sense, a satellite of a large central energy field. But how could matter be affected by this connection? The central assumption of all of classical physics is that large material things in the universe are set pieces, a fait accompli of manufacture.

    How can they possibly be changed?

    Vedral had an opportunity to examine this question when he was invited to work with the renowned quantum physicist Anton Zeilinger. Zeilinger’s Institute for Experimental Physics lab at the University of Vienna was at the very frontier of some of the most exotic research into the nature of quantum properties. Zeilinger himself was profoundly dissatisfied with the current scientific explanation of nature, and he had passed on that dissatisfaction and the quest to resolve it to his students.

    In a flamboyant gesture, Zeilinger and his team had entangled a pair of photons from beneath the River Danube. They had set up a quantum channel via a glass fibre and run it across the river bed of the Danube. In his lab, Zeilinger liked to refer to individual photons as Alice and Bob, and sometimes, if he needed a third photon, Carol or Charlie. Alice and Bob, separated by 600 metres of river and nowhere in sight of each other, maintained a non-local connection.[24]

    Zeilinger was particularly interested in superposition, and the implications of the Copenhagen Interpretation – that subatomic particles exist only in a state of potential.

    Could objects, and not simply the subatomic particles that compose them, he wondered, exist in this hall-of-mirrors state?

    To test this question, Zeilinger employed a piece of equipment called a Talbot Lau interferometer, developed by some colleagues at MIT, using a variation on the famous double-slit experiment of Thomas Young, a British physicist of the nineteenth century. In Young’s experiment, a beam of pure light is sent through a single hole, or slit, in a piece of cardboard, then passes through a second screen with two holes before finally arriving at a third, blank screen.

    Young’s experiment.
    Young’s experiment.

    When two waves are in phase (that is, peaking and troughing at the same time), and bump into each other – technically called ‘interference’ – the combined intensity of the waves is greater than each individual amplitude. The signal gets stronger. This amounts to an imprinting or exchange of information, called ‘constructive interference’. If one is peaking when the other troughs, they tend to cancel each other out – called ‘destructive interference’. With constructive interference, when all the waves are wiggling in synch, the light will get brighter; destructive interference will cancel out the light and result in complete darkness.

    In the experiment, the light passing through the two holes forms a zebra pattern of alternating dark and light bands on the final blank screen. If light were simply a series of particles, two of the brightest patches would appear directly behind the two holes of the second screen. However, the brightest portion of the pattern is halfway between the two holes, caused by the combined amplitude of those waves that most interfere with each other. From this pattern, Young was the first to realize that light beaming through the two holes spreads out in overlapping waves.

    A modern variation of the experiment fires off single photons through the double slit. These single photons also produce zebra patterns on the screen, demonstrating that even single units of light travel as a smeared-out wave with a large sphere of influence.

    Young’s experiment.
    Young’s experiment.

    Twentieth-century physicists went on to use Young’s experiment with other individual quantum particles, and held it up as  proof that quantum physics had Through-the-Looking-Glass properties: quant um entities acted wavelike and travelled though both slits at once. Fire a stream of electrons at the triple screens, and you end up with the interference patterns of alternating light and dark patches, just as you do with a beam of light. Since you need at least two waves to create such interference patterns, the implication of the experiment is that the photon is somehow mysteriously able to travel through both slits at the same time and interfere with itself when it reunites.

    The double-slit experiment encapsulates the central mystery of quantum physics

    • the idea that a subatomic particle is not a single seat but the entire stadium. It also demonstrates the principle that electrons, which exist in a hermetic quantum state, are ultimately unknowable. You could not identify something about a quantum entity without stopping the particle in its tracks, at which point it would collapse to a single point.

    In Zeilinger’s adaptation of the slit experiment, using molecules instead of subatomic particles, the interferometer contained an array of slits in the first screen, and a grating of identical parallel slits in the second one, whose purpose was to diffract (or deflect) the molecules passing by. The third grating, turned perpendicular to the beam of molecules, acted as a scanning ‘mask’, with the ability to calculate the size of the waves of any of the molecules passing through, by means of a highly sensitive laser detector to locate the positions of the molecules and their interference patterns.

    For the initial experiment, Zeilinger and his team carefully chose a batch of fullerene molecules, or ‘buckyballs’ made of 60 carbon atoms. At one nanometre apiece, these are the behemoths of the molecular world. They selected fullerene not only for its size but also for its neat arrangement, with a shape like a tiny symmetrical football.

    It was a delicate operation. Zeilinger’s group had to work with just the right temperature; heating the molecules just a hair too much would cause them to disintegrate. Zeilinger heated the fullerenes to 900 K so they would create an intense molecular beam, then fired them through the first screen; they then passed through the second screen before making a pattern on the final screen. The results were unequivocal. Each molecule displayed the ability to create interference patterns with itself. Some of the largest units of physical matter had not ‘localized’ into their final state. Like a subatomic particle, these giant molecules had not yet gelled into anything real.

    The Vienna team scouted out some other molecules that were double the size and oddly shaped to see if geometrically asymmetric molecules also demonstrated the same magical properties. They settled on gigantic fluorinated American football- shaped molecules of 70 carbon atoms and pancake-shaped tetraphenylporphyrin, a derivative of the biodye present in chlorophyll. At more than 100 atoms apiece, both of these entities are among the largest molecules on the planet. Again, each one created an interference pattern with itself.

    Zeilinger’s group repeatedly demonstrated that the molecules could be two places at once, which meant that they remained in a state of superposition even at this large scale.[25]

    They had proved the unthinkable: the largest components of physical matter and living things exist in a malleable state.[26]

    Sai Ghosh didn’t often think about the implications of her discovery.

    She was content with the knowledge that her experiment had made a very nice paper, and might help along her career as an assistant professor involved in research into miniaturization, the direction she believed quantum mechanics was heading. Occasionally, she allowed herself to speculate that her crystal might have proved something important about the nature of the universe. But she was only a postgraduate student. What did she, after all, really know about how the world worked?

    But to me, Ghosh’s research and Zeilinger’s work on the double-slit experiment represent two defining moments in modern physics. Ghosh’s experiments show that an invisible connection exists between the fundamental elements of matter, which is often so strong that it can override classical methods of influence, such as heat or a push. Zeilinger’s work demonstrated something even more astonishing. Large matter was neither something solid and stable nor something that necessarily behaved according to Newtonian rules. Molecules needed some other influence to settle them into a completed state of being.

    Theirs were the first evidence that the peculiar properties of quantum physics do not simply occur at the quantum level with subatomic particles, but also in the world of visible matter. Molecules also exist in a state of pure potential, not a  final actuality. Under certain circumstances, they escape Newtonian rules of force and display quantum non-local effects. The fact that something as large as a molecule can become entangled suggests that there are not two rule books – the physics of the large and the physics of the small – but only a single rule book for all of life.

    These two experiments also hold the key to a science of intention – how thoughts are able to affect finished, solid matter.

    Comment
    Thoughts create reality. They can change the physical world around us in the most profound manners. Thus we absolutely need to have direct and substantive control over our thoughts.

    They suggest that the observer effect occurs not simply in the world of the quantum particle but also in the world of the everyday. Things no longer should be seen to exist in and of themselves but, like a quantum particle, only in relationship. Co-creation and influence may be a basic, inherent property of life.

    Our observation of every component in our world may help to determine its final state, which suggests that we are likely to be influencing every large thing we see around us.

    When we enter a crowded room, when we engage with our partners and our children, when we gaze up at the sky, we may be creating and even influencing at every moment. We can’t yet demonstrate this at normal temperatures; our equipment is still too crude. But we already have some preliminary proof: the physical world – matter itself – appears to be malleable, susceptible to influence from the outside.

    Notes – Chapter 1: Mutable Matter

    1. All personal information about Tom Rosenbaum and Sai Ghosh and their studies have been culled from multiple interviews conducted in February and March 2005.
    2. This was the solution posed by Giorgio Parisi at Rome in 1979.
    3. S. Ghosh et al.,  ‘Coherent spin oscillations in a  disordered magnet’, Science, 2002; 296: 2195–8.
    4. Once  again,  I    am indebted to Danah Zohar for her easy-to-digest description of quantum non-locality, which appears in D. Zohar, The Quantum Self, London: Bloomsbury, 1991: 19–20.
    5. A.     Einstein,   B.   Podolsky   and   N.   Rosen,  ‘Can quantum-mechanica description of physical reality be considered complete?’ Physical Review, 1935; 47: 777–80.
    6. A. Aspect et  al., ‘Experimental tests of Bell’s inequalities using time- varying analyzers’, Physical Review Letters, 1982; 49: 1804–7; A. Aspect, ‘Bell’s inequality test: more ideal than ever’, Nature, 1999; 398: 189–90.
    7. Science Fact: Scientists achieve ‘Star Trek’-like feat – The Associate Press, December 10, 1997, posted on CNN http://edition.cnn.com/TECH/9712/10/beam. me. up. ap.
    8. Non-locality was considered to be proven by Aspect et al.’ s experiments in Paris in 1982.
    9. J. S. Bell, ‘On the Einstein-Poldolsky-Rosen paradox’,Physics, 1964; 1: 195–200.
    10. S. Ghosh et al., ‘Entangled quantum state of magnetic dipoles’, Nature, 2003; 435: 48–51.
    11. Details   of   Vedral’s   views   and   experiments the  result of  multiple interviews, February, October and December 2005.
    12. C. Arnesen et al., ‘Thermal and magnetic entanglement in the 1D Heisenberg Model’, Physical Review Letters, 2001; 87: 017901.
    13. V. Vedral, ‘Entanglement hits the big time’, Nature, 2003; 425: 28–9.
    14. T. Durt, interview with author, April 26, 2005.
    15. B. Reznik, ‘Entanglement from the vacuum’, Foundations of Physics, 2003; 33: 167–76; Michael Brooks, ‘Entanglement: The weirdest link’, New Scientist, 2004; 181 (2440): 32.
    16. John D. Barrow, The Book of Nothing, London: Jonathan Cape, 2000: 216.
    17. Erwin Laszlo, The Interconnected Universe: Conceptual Foundations o Transdiscipinary Unified Theory, Singapore: World Scientific Publishing, 1995: 28.
    18. A. C. Clarke, ‘When will the real space age begin?’ Ad Astra, May–June 1996; 13–15.
    19. Harold Puthoff, ‘Ground state of hydrogen as a zero-point-fluctuation- determined state’, Physical Review D, 1987; 35: 3266.
    20. B. Haisch, Alfonso Rueda and H. E. Puthoff, ‘Inertia as a zero-point-fiel Lorentz force’, Physical Review A, 1994; 49 (2): 678–94; Bernhard Haisch, Alfonso Rueda and H. E. Puthoff, ‘Physics of the zero-point field implications for inertia, gravitation and mass’, Speculations in Science and Technology, 1997; 20: 99–114.
    21. Reznik, ‘Entanglement from the vacuum’, op. cit.
    22. McTaggart, The Field, op. cit.: 35–6.
    23. J. Resch et al., ‘Distributing entanglement and single photons through an intra-city, free-space quantum channel’, Optics Express, 2005; 13 (1): 202–9; R. Ursin et al., ‘Quantum teleportation across the Danube’, Nature, 2004; 430: 849.
    24. M. Arndt et al., ‘Wave–particle duality of C60 molecules’, Nature, 1999; 401: 680–2; doi: 10.1038/44348.
    25. A. Zeilinger, ‘Probing the limits of the quantum world’, Physics World, March 2005 (online journal: http://www.physicsweb.org/articles/world/18/3/5/1).

    The Human Antenna

    IN 1951, AT THE AGE OF SEVEN, Gary Schwartz made a remarkabe discovery. He had been trying to get a good picture on the family’s television set. The recently acquired black and white Magnavox set encased behind the doors of its boxed walnut console fascinated him, not because of the people in the moving pictures so much as the means by which they arrived in his living room in the first place.

    The mechanisms of the relatively new invention remained a mystery, even to most adults. Television, like any other electrical gadget, was something the precocious child longed to take apart and understand. This passion had already found expression with the worn-out radios given to him by his grandfather.

    Ignatz Schwartz sold replacement tubes for televisions and radios in his drug store in Great Neck, Long Island, and those that were beyond repair were handed over to his grandson to disassemble. In a corner of Gary’s bedroom lay a mass of experimental debris – tubes, resistors and the carcasses of radios heaped on the cosmetic display racks he had borrowed from his grandfather – the first signs of what would become a lifelong fascination with electronics.

    Gary knew that the way you twisted the rabbit-ear antenna on top of the television would determine the clarity of the picture. His father had explained that television sets were powered by something invisible, similar to radio waves, that flew through the air and were somehow translated into an image.

    Gary had even carried out some rudimentary experiments. When you stood somewhere between the antenna and the television, you could make the picture go away. When you touched the antenna in certain ways, you made the picture clearer.

    One day, on a whim, Gary unscrewed the antenna and placed his finger on the screw where the cable had been. What had been a mass of squiggles and static noise on the screen suddenly coalesced into a perfect image.

    Even at that young age, he had understood that he had witnessed something extraordinary about human beings: his body was acting like a television antenna, a receiver of this invisible information.

    He tried the same experiment with a radio – substituting his finger for the antenna, and the same thing happened.

    Something in the makeup of a person was not unlike the rabbit ears that helped produce his television image. He too was a receiver of invisible information, with the ability to pick up signals transmitted across time and space.

    Until he was 15, however, he could not visualize what these signals were made of. He had learned to play the electric guitar and had often wondered what unseen influences allowed the instrument to create different sounds. He could play the same note, middle C, and yet produce more of a treble or bass sound, depending on which way he turned the knob. How was it possible that a single note could sound so different? For a science project, he created multiple-track recordings of his music and then located a company in upstate New York that had equipment designed to analyse the frequency of sound. When he fed his recordings into the equipment, it quickly deconstructed the notes down to their essence.

    Each note registered as a batch of squiggles across the screen of the cathode-ray tube in front of him – a complex mix of hundreds of frequencies representing a blend of overtones that would subtly change when he turned the knob to treble or bass. He knew that these frequencies were waves, represented on the monitor as a sideways S, or sine curve, like a skipping rope held at both ends and wriggled, and that they had periodic oscillations, or fluctuations, similar to the waves on Long Island Sound.

    Every time he spoke, he knew he generated similar frequencies through his voice. He remembered his early television experiments and wondered whether a field of energy pulsated inside him and shared a kinship with sound waves.1

    Gary’s childhood experiments may have been rudimentary, but he had already stumbled across the central mechanism of intention. Something in the quality of our thoughts was a constant transmission, not unlike a television station.

    As an adult, Schwartz, still a bustling dynamo of enthusiasms, found an outlet in psychophysiology, then a fledgling study of the effect of the mind on the body. By the time he had accepted a post at the University of Arizona, which was known for encouraging freedom of research among its faculty, he had grown fascinated by biofeedback and the ways in which the mind could control blood pressure and a variety of illnesses – and the powerful physical effect of different types of thoughts.2

    One weekend in 1994, at a conference on the relationship between love and energy, he sat in on a lecture by physicist Elmer Green, one of the pioneers of biofeedback. Green, like Schwartz, had grown interested in the energy being transmitted by the mind. To examine this more closely, he had decided to study remote healers and to determine whether they sent out more electrical energy than usual while in the process of healing.

    Green reported in his lecture that he had built a room whose four walls and ceiling were entirely made of copper, and were attached to microvolt electroencephalogram (EEG) amplifiers – the kind used to measure the electrical activity in the brain. Ordinarily, an EEG amplifier is attached to a cap with imbedded electrodes, each of which records separate electrical discharges from different places in the brain. The cap is placed on a person’s head, and the electrical activity picked up is displayed on the amplifier. EEG amplifiers are extraordinarily sensitive, capable of picking up the most minute of effects – even one-millionth of a volt of electricity.

    In remote healing, Green suspected that the signal produced was electrical and emanated from the healer’s  hands. The copper wall acted like a giant antenna, magnifying the ability to detect the electricity from the healers and enabling Green to capture it from five directions.

    He discovered that, whenever a healer sent healing, the EEG amplifier often recorded it as a huge surge of electrostatic charge, the same kind of the build up and discharge of electrons that occurs after you shuffle your feet along a new carpet and then touch a metal doorknob.3

    In the early days of the copper wall experiment, Green had been faced with an enormous problem. Whenever a healer so much as wriggled a finger, patterns got recorded on an EEG amplifier. Green had had to work out a means of separating out the true effects of healing from this electrostatic noise. The only way to do so, as he saw it, was to have his healers remain perfectly still while they were sending out healing energy.

    Schwartz listened to the talk with growing fascination. Green was discarding what might be the most interesting part of the data, he thought. One man’s noise was another man’s signal.

    Does movement, even the physiology of your breathing, create an electromagnetic signal big enough to be picked up on a copper wall? Could it be that human beings were not only receivers of signals but also transmitters?

    It made perfect sense that we transmitted energy. A great deal of evidence had already proved that all living tissue has an electric charge. Placing this charge in three-dimensional space caused an electromagnetic field that traveled at the speed of light. The mechanisms for the transmission of energy were clear, but what was unclear was the degree to which we sent out electromagnetic fields just by simple movements and whether our energy was being picked up by other living things.

    Schwartz was itching to test this out for himself. After the conference, he contacted Green for advice about how to build his own copper wall. He rushed to Home Depot, which did not stock copper shielding but did have aluminum shielding, which could also act as a rudimentary antenna.

    He purchased some two by fours, placed them on glass bricks so that they would be isolated from the ground, and used them to assemble a ‘wall’. After he had attached the wall to an EEG amplifier, he began playing around with the effects of his hand, waving it back and forth above the box. As he suspected, the amplifier tracked the movement. His hand movements were generating signals.4

    Schwartz began demonstrating these effects in front of his students in his faculty office, making use of a bust of Einstein for dramatic effect. With these experiments, he made use of an EEG cap, with its dozens of electrodes. When not picking up brain signals, the cap will register only noise on the amplifier.

    During his experiments, Schwartz placed the EEG cap on his Einstein bust, an turned on just a single electrode channel on the top of the cap. Then he moved his hand over Einstein’s head. As though the great man had suddenly experienced a moment of enlightenment, the amplifier suddenly came alive and produced evidence of an electromagnetic wave.

    But the signal, Schwartz explained to his students, was not a sudden brain wave emitted from the lifeless statue – only the tracking of the electromagnetic field produced by his arm’s movement. It seemed indisputable: his body must be sending out a signal with every single flutter of his hand.

    Schwartz got more creative with his experiments. When he tried the same gesture from three feet away, the signal diminished. When he placed the bust in a Faraday cage, an enclosure of tightly knit copper mesh that screens out electromagnetic fields, all effect disappeared. This strange energy resulting from movement had all the hallmarks of electricity: it decreased with distance, and was blocked by an electromagnetic shield.

    At one point, Schwartz asked one of the students to stand with his left hand over Einstein’s head, with his right arm extended towards Schwartz, who was sitting in a chair three feet away. Schwartz moved his arm up and down. To the amazement of the other students, Schwartz’s movement was picked up by the amplifier. The signal had passed through Schwartz’s body and travelled through the student. Schwartz was still generating the signal, but this time, the student had become the antenna, receiving the signal and transmitting it to the amplifier, which acted as another antenna.

    Schwartz realized he had hit upon the most important point of all his research.

    Simple movement generated electrical charge, but, more  important, it created a relationship. Every movement we make appears to be felt by the people around us.

    The implications were staggering.

    What if he were admonishing a student? What might be the physical effect on the student of wagging his finger while shouting ‘Don’t do that’? The student might feel as if he were getting shot with a wave of energy. Some people might even have more powerful positive or negative charges than others. In Elmer Green’s copper wall experiment, all sorts of equipment malfunctioned in the presence of Roslyn Bruyere, a famous healer.

    Schwartz was onto something fundamental about the actual energy that human beings emit. Could the energy of thought have the same effect as the energy of movement outside the thinker’s own body? Did thoughts also create a relationship with the people around us? Every intention towards someone else might have its own physical counterpart, which would be registered by its recipient as a physical effect.

    Like Schwartz, I suspected the energy generated by thoughts did not behave in the same way as the energy generated by movement. After all, the signal from movement decreased over distance, much like ordinary electricity. With healing, distance appeared to be irrelevant. The energy of intention, if indeed there were any, would have to be more fundamental than that of ordinary electromagnetism – and lie somewhere, perhaps, in the realm of quantum physics. How could I test the energetic effects of intention? Healers, who appeared to be sending more energy than normal through their healing, offered an obvious place to start.

    Elmer Green demonstrated in his research that an enormous surge of electrostatic energy occurred during healing. When a person is simply standing still, his or her breathing and beating heart will produce electrostatic energy of 10–15 millivolts on the EEG amplifiers; during activities requiring focused attention, such as meditation, the energy will surge up to 3 volts. During healing, however, Green’s healers produced voltage surges up to 190 volts; one produced 15 such pulses, which were 100,000 times higher than normal, with smaller pulses of 1–5 volts appearing on each of the four copper walls. On investigating the source of this energy, Green discovered that the pulses were coming from the healer’s abdomen, called dan tien and considered the central engine of internal energy in the body in Chinese martial arts.5

    Stanford University physicist William Tiller constructed an ingenious device to measure the energy produced by healers. The equipment discharged a steady stream of gas and recorded the exact number of electrons pulsing out with the discharge. Any increase in voltage would be captured by the pulse counter.

    In his experiment, Tiller asked ordinary volunteers to place their hands about six inches from his device and hold a mental intention to increase the count rate. In the majority of more than 1000 such experiments, Tiller discovered that, during the intention, the number of recorded pulses would increase by 50,000 and remain there for 5 minutes.

    These increases would occur even if a participant was not close to the machine, so long as he or she held an intention.

    Tiller concluded that directed thoughts produce demonstrable physical energy, even over remote distance.6

    Comment
    Tiller concluded that directed thoughts produce demonstrable physical energy, even over remote distance..

    I found two other studies measuring the actual electrical frequencies emitted by people using intention.

    One study measured healing energy and the other examined energy generated by a Chinese Qigong master during times that he was emitting external Qi, the Chinese term for energy or the life force.7

    In both instances, the measurements were identical: frequency levels of 2–30 hertz were being emitted by the healers.

    This energy also seemed to change the molecular nature of matter.

    Comment
    Qi seemed to change the molecular nature of matter.

    I discovered a body of scientific evidence examining chemical changes caused by intention.

    Bernard Grad, an associate professor of biology at McGill University in Montreal had examined the effect of healing energy on water that was to be used to irrigate plants. After a group of healers had sent healing to samples of water, Grad chemically analysed the water by infrared spectroscopy.

    He discovered that the water treated by the healers had undergone a fundamental change in the bonding of oxygen and hydrogen in its molecular makeup.

    The hydrogen bonding between the molecules had lessened in a similar manner to that which occurs in water exposed to magnets.8

    A number of other scientists confirmed Grad’s findings; Russian research discovered that the hydrogen–oxygen bonds in water molecules undergo distortions in the crystalline microstructure during healing.9

    These kinds of changes can occur simply through the act of intention.

    In one study, experienced meditators sent an intention to affect the molecular structure of water samples they were holding throughout the meditation. When the water was later examined by infrared spectrophotometry, many of its essential qualities, particularly its absorbance – the amount of light absorbed by the water at a particular wavelength had been significantly altered.10

    When someone holds a focused thought, he may be altering the very molecular structure of the object of his intention.

    Comment
    When someone holds a focused thought, he may be altering the very molecular structure of the object of his intention.

    In his research, Gary Schwartz wondered whether intention only manifested as electrostatic energy. Perhaps magnetic energy also played a role.

    Magnetic fields naturally had more power, more ‘push–pull’ energy. Magnetism seemed the more powerful and universal energy; the earth itself is profoundly influenced by its own faint pulse of geomagnetic energy.

    Schwartz remembered a study carried out by William Tiller, in which psychics had been placed inside a variety of devices that block different forms of energy. They had performed better than usual in a Faraday cage, which filters out only electrical energy, but they performed worse when placed in a magnetically shielded room.11

    From these early studies, Schwartz gleaned two important implications: healing may generate an initial surge of electricity, but the real transfer mechanism may be magnetic.

    Indeed, psychic phenomena and psychokinesis could be differentially influenced, simply through different  types of shielding. Electrical signals might interfere, while magnetic signals enhance the process.

    To test this latest idea, Schwartz was approached by a colleague of his, Melinda Connor, a post-doctoral fellow in her mid-forties with an interest in healing.

    The first hurdle was finding an accurate means of picking up magnetic signals. Measuring tiny low-frequency magnetic fields is tricky, requiring the use of expensive and highly sensitive  equipment  called  a  SQUID,  or  superconducting  quantum  interferenc device. A SQUID, which can cost up to four million dollars, ordinarily occupies a specially constructed room that has been magnetically shielded in order to eliminate ambient radiating noise.

    The best Schwartz and Connor could come up with on their limited budget was a poor man’s SQUID – a small handheld, battery-operated three-axis digita gaussmeter originally designed to measure electromagnetic pollution by picking up extra-low-frequency (ELF) magnetic fields.

    The gaussmeter was sensitive enough to pick up one-thousandth of a gauss, a very faint pulse of a magnetic field. In Schwartz’s mind, this level of sensitivity was more than adequate to do the job.

    It occurred to Connor that the way to measure change in low-frequency magnetic fields was to count the number of changes in the meter reading over time. When simply recording ambient stable magnetic fields, the device will only deviate slightly by less than one-tenth of a gauss.

    However, in the presence of an oscillating magnetic field – with periodic changes in frequency – the numbers will keep moving, from, say, 0.6 to 0.7 to 0.8, and back down to 0.6.

    The greater and more frequent the change, which would be recorded by the number of changes in the dials, the more likely it is that the magnetic field has been affected by a source of directed energy.

    Connor and Schwartz gathered together a group of practitioners of Reiki, the healing art developed a century ago in Japan.

    They took measurements near each hand of all the healers during alternating periods while they were ‘running energy’ and then during times they were at rest, with their eyes closed. Next, the  pair assembled a group of ‘master healers’ with a substantial track record of successful, dramatic healings. Again, Connor and Schwartz took magnetic field measurements near each hand, while the master healers were running energy and at rest. Then, they compared the Reiki measurements with measurements they had taken of people who had not been trained in healing.

    Once Schwartz and Conner had analyzed the data, they discovered that both groups of healers demonstrated significant fluctuations in very low pulsations of a magnetic field, emanating from both hands.

    A huge increase in oscillations in the magnetic field occurred whenever a healer began to run energy. However, the most profound energy increase surged from their dominant hands. The control group of people who were not trained healers did not demonstrate the same effect.

    Then Schwartz compared effects from the Reiki group with those of the master healers and discovered another enormous difference. The master healers averaged close to a third more magnetic-field changes per minute than the Reiki healers.12

    The study results seemed clear. Schwartz and Connor had their proof that directed intention manifests as both electrostatic and magnetic energy.

    Comment
    Directed intention manifests as both electrostatic and magnetic energy.

    But they also discovered that intention was like playing the piano; you need to learn how to do it, and some people do it better than others.

    Comment
    The ability to manipulate energy comes with training and practice.

    In considering what this all meant, Gary Schwartz thought of the phrase often used by medical doctors, usually in emergency situations: when you hear hoof beats, don’t think zebras .

    In other words, when you are trying to diagnose someone with physical symptoms, first rule out all the most likely causes, and only then consider more exotic possibilities.

    He liked to approach science in the same way and so he questioned his own findings: Could the healers’ increase in magnetic field oscillations during healing simply be the result of certain peripheral biophysical changes? Muscle contractions generate a magnetic field, as do changes in blood flow, the increasing or decreasing dilation of blood vessels, the body’s current volume of liquid or even the flow of electrolytes. Skin, sweat glands, change of temperature, neural induction – all generate magnetic fields.

    His guess was that healing resulted from a summation of multiple biological processes that are mediated magnetically.

    But the possibility that healing might be a magnetic effect did not explain long- distance remote healing.

    In some instances, healers sent healing from thousands of miles away and the effect did not decay with distance. In one successful study of AIDS patients who improved through remote healing, the 40 healers involved in the study sent the healing to the San Francisco patients from locations all across America.13

    Similar to electrical fields, magnetic fields decrease with distance. The magnetic and electrical effects were likely to be some aspect of the process, but not its central one. It was likely to be closer to a quantum field, possibly more akin to light.

    Schwartz began to consider the possibility that the mechanism creating intention originated with the tiny elements of light emitted from human beings. In the mid- 1970s, a German physicist named Fritz-Albert Popp had stumbled upon the fact that all living things, from the most basic of single-celled plants to the most sophisticated of organisms like human beings, emitted a constant tiny current of photons – tiny particles of light.14

    He labelled them ‘biophoton emissions’ and believed that he had uncovered the primary communication channel of a living organism – that it used light as a means of signalling to itself and to the outside world.

    For more than 30 years, Popp has maintained that this faint radiation, rather than biochemistry, is the true driving force in orchestrating and coordinating all cellular processes in the body. Light waves offered a perfect communication system able to transfer information almost instantaneously across an organism. Having waves, rather than chemicals, as the communication mechanism of a living being also solved the central problem of genetics – how we grow and take final shape from a single cell. It also explains how our bodies manage to carry out tasks with different body parts simultaneously. Popp theorized that this light must be like a master tuning fork setting off certain frequencies that would be followed by other molecules of the body.15

    A number of biologists, such as the German biophysicist Herbert Fröhlich, had proposed that a type of collective vibration causes proteins and cells to coordinate their activities.

    Nevertheless, all such theories were ignored until Popp’s discoveries, largely because no equipment was sensitive enough to prove they were right.

    With the help of one of his students, Popp constructed the first such machine – a photomultiplier that captured light and counted it, photon by photon. He carried out years of impeccable experimentation that demonstrated that these tiny frequencies were mainly stored and emitted from the DNA of cells.

    The intensity of the light in organisms was stable, ranging from a few to several hundred photons per second per square centimetre surface of the living thing – until the organism was somehow disturbed or ill, at which point the current went sharply up or down.

    The signals contained valuable information about the state of the body’s health and the effects of any particular therapy. Cancer victims had fewer photons, for instance. It was almost as though their light were going out.

    Initially vilified for his theory, Popp was eventually recognized by the German government and then internationally.

    Eventually he formed the International Institute of Biophysics (IIB), composed of 15 groups of scientists from international centres all around the world, including prestigious institutions like CERN in Switzerland Northeastern University in the USA, the Institute of Biophysics Academy of Scienc in Beijing, China, and Moscow State University in Russia. By the early twenty-firs century, the IIB numbered at least 40 distinguished scientists from around the globe.

    Could it be that these were the frequencies that mediated healing? Schwartz realized that if he was going to carry out studies of biophoton emissions, first he had to figure out how to view these tiny emissions of light.

    In his laboratory, Popp developed a computerized mechanism attached to a box in which a living thing, such as a plant, could be placed. The machine could count the photons and chart the amount of light emitted on a graph. But those machines only recorded photons in utter pitch blackness. Up until then, it had been impossible for scientists to witness living things actually glowing in the dark.

    As Schwartz mulled over the kind of equipment that would allow him to see very faint light, he thought of state-of-the-art supercooled charge-coupled device (CCD) cameras on telescopes. This exquisitely sensitive equipment, now used to photograph galaxies deep in space, picks up about 70 per cent of any light, no matter how faint.

    CCD devices were also used for night-vision equipment.

    If a CCD camera could pick up the light from the most distant of stars, it might also be able to pick up the faint light coming off living things. However, this kind of equipment can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and usually had to be cooled to temperatures only 100 degrees above absolute zero, to eliminate any ambient radiation emitted at room temperature. Cooling the camera down also helped to improve its sensitivity to faint light. Where on earth was he going to get hold of this kind of high-tech equipment?

    Kathy Creath, a professor of optical sciences at Schwartz’s university, who shared his fascination with living light and its possible role in healing, had an idea. As it happened, she knew that the department of radiology at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in Tucson owned a low-light CCD camera, which they used t measure the light emitted from laboratory rats after being injected with phosphorescent dyes.

    The Roper Scientific VersArray 1300 B low-noise, high performance CCD camera was housed in a dark room inside a black box and above a Cryotiger cooling system, which cooled temperatures to –100°C. A computer screen displayed its images. It was just what they were looking for. After Creath approached the director of the NSF project, he generously agreed to allow the two of them access to the camera during its down time.

    In their first test, Schwartz and Creath placed a geranium leaf on a black platform. They took fluorescent photographs after exposures of up to five hours. When the computer displayed the final photograph, it was dazzling: a perfect image of the leaf in light, like a shadow in reverse, but in incredible detail, each of its tiniest veins delineated.

    Surrounding the leaf were little white spots, like a sprinkling of fairy dust – evidence of high-energy cosmic rays. With his next exposure, Schwartz used a software filter to screen out the ambient radiation. The image of the leaf was now perfect.

    As they studied this latest photograph on the screen of the computer in front of them, Schwartz and Creath understood that they were making history. It was the first time a scientist had been able to witness images of the light actually emanating from a living thing.16

    Now that he had equipment that captured and recorded light, Schwartz was finally able to test whether healing intention also generated light.

    Creath got hold of a number of healers, and asked them to place their hands on the platform underneath the camera for 10 minutes. Schwartz’s first crude images showed a rough glow of large pixilations, but they were too out of focus for him to analyse them.

    Next he tried placing the healers’ hands on a white background (which reflected light) rather than on a black background (which absorbed light). The images were breathtakingly clear: a stream of light flowed out of the healers’ dominant hands, almost as though it were flowing from their fingers. Schwartz now had his answer about the nature of conscious thought: healing intention creates waves of light – and, indeed, among the most organized light waves found in nature.

    The theory of relativity was not Einstein’s only great insight.

    He had had another astonishing realization in 1924, after correspondence with an obscure Indian physicist, Satyendra Nath Bose, who had been pondering the then-new idea that light was composed of little vibrating packets called photons. Bose had worked out that, at certain points, photons should be treated as identical particles. At the time nobody believed him – nobody but Einstein, after Bose sent him his calculations.

    Einstein liked Bose’s proofs and used his influence to get Bose’s theory published. Einstein also was inspired to explore whether, under certain conditions or certain temperatures, atoms in a gas, which ordinarily vibrated anarchically, might also begin to behave in synchrony, like Bose’s photons. Einstein set to work on his own formula to determine which conditions might create such a phenomenon.

    When he reviewed his figures, he thought he had made a mistake in his calculations.

    According to his results, at certain extraordinarily low temperatures, just a few kelvin above absolute zero, something really strange would begin to happen: the atoms, which ordinarily can operate at a number of different speeds, would slow down to identical energy levels. In this state, the atoms would lose their individuality and both look and behave like one giant atom. Nothing in his mathematical armamentarium could tell them apart. If this were true, he realized, he had stumbled upon an entirely new state of matter, with utterly different properties from anything known in the universe.

    Einstein published his findings,17 and lent his name to the phenomenon, called a Bose–Einstein condensate, but he was never convinced that he had been right.

    Nor were other physicists, until more than 70 years later when, on 5 June 1995, Eric Cornell and Carl Wieman of JILA, a programme sponsored by the National Institut of Standards and Technology and the University of Colorado at Boulder, managed to cool a tiny batch of rubidium atoms down to 170 billionths of a degree above absolute zero.18

    It had been quite a feat, requiring trapping the atoms in a web of laser light and then magnetic fields. At a certain point, a batch of some 2000 atoms – measuring about 20 microns, about one-fifth the thickness of a single piece of paper – began behaving differently from the cloud of atoms surrounding them, like one smeared-out single entity. Although the atoms were still part of a gas, they were behaving more like the atoms of a solid.

    Four months later, Wolfgang Ketterle from  Massachusetts Institute of Technology replicated their experiment, but with a form of sodium, for which he, as well as Cornell and Wieman, won the 2001 Nobel prize.19

    Then a few years after that, Ketterle and others like him were able to reproduce the effect with molecules.20

    Scientists believed that a form of Einstein and Bose’s theory could account for some of the strange properties they had begun to observe in the subatomic world: superfluidity, when certain fluids can flow without losing energy, or even spontaneously work themselves out of their containers; or superconduction, a similar property of electrons in a circuit. In superfluid or superconductor states, liquid or electricity could theoretically flow at the same pace forever.

    Ketterle had discovered another amazing property of atoms or molecules in this state. All the atoms were oscillating in perfect harmony, similar to photons in a laser, which behave like one giant photon, vibrating in perfect rhythm. This organization makes for an extraordinary efficiency of energy. Instead of sending a light about 3 meters, the laser emits a wave 300 million times that far.

    Scientists were convinced that a Bose–Einstein condensate was a peculiar property of atoms and molecules slowing down so much that they are almost at rest, when exposed to temperatures only a fraction above the coldest temperatures in the universe.

    But then Fritz-Albert Popp and the scientists working with him made the astonishing discovery that a similar property existed in the weak light emanating from organisms. This was not supposed to happen in the boiling inner world of the living thing. What is more, the biophotons he measured from plants, animals and humans were highly coherent. They acted like a single super-powerful frequency, a phenomenon also referred to as ‘superradiance’.

    The German biophysicist Herbert Fröhlich had first described a model in which this type of order could be present and play a central role in biological systems. His model showed that, with complex dynamic systems like human beings, the energy within created all sorts of subtle relationships, so that it is no longer discordant.21

    Living energy is able to organize to one giant coherent state, with the highest form of quantum order known to nature.

    When subatomic particles are said to be ‘coherent’, or ‘ordered’, they become highly interlinked by bands of common electromagnetic fields, and resonate like a multitude of tuning forks all attuned to the same frequency. They stop behaving like anarchic individuals and begin operating like one well- rehearsed marching band.

    As one scientist put it, coherence is like comparing the photons of a single 60- watt light bulb to the sun.

    Ordinarily, light is extraordinarily inefficient. The intensity of light from a bulb is only about 1 watt per square centimetre of light – because many of the waves made by the photons destructively interfere with and cancel out each other. The light per square centimetre generated by the sun is about 6000 times stronger. But if you could get all the photons of this one small light bulb to become coherent and resonate in harmony with each other, the energy density of the single light bulb would be thousands to millions of times higher than that of the surface of the sun.22

    After Popp made his discoveries about coherent light in living organisms, other scientists postulated that mental processes also create Bose–Einstein condensates. British physicist Roger Penrose and his partner, American anaesthetist Stuar Hameroff from the University of Arizona, were in the vanguard of frontier scientists who proposed that the microtubules in cells, which create the basic structure of the cells, were ‘light pipes’ through which disordered wave signals were transformed into highly coherent photons and pulsed through the rest of the body.23

    Gary Schwartz had witnessed just this coherent photon stream emanating from the hands of healers. After studying the work of scientists like Popp and Hameroff, he finally had his answer about the source of healing: if thoughts are generated as frequencies, healing intention is well-ordered light.

    Gary Schwartz’s creative experiments revealed to me something fundamental about the quantum nature of thoughts and intentions. He and his colleagues had uncovered evidence that human beings are both receivers and transmitters of quantum signals. Directed intention appears to manifest as both electrical and magnetic energy and to produce an ordered stream of photons, visible and measurable by sensitive equipment. Perhaps our intentions also operate as highly  coherent frequencies, changing the very molecular makeup and bonding of matter. Like any other form of coherence in the subatomic world, one well-directed thought might be like a laser light, illuminating without ever losing its power.

    I was reminded of an extraordinary  experience Schwartz once had in Vancouver. He had been staying in the penthouse apartment suite of a downtown hotel. He had awakened at 2 a.m., as he often did, and had walked out to the balcony to have a look at the spectacular view of the city to the west, framed by the mountains. He was surprised to see how many hundreds of homes along the peninsula below him still had their lights on.

    He wished he had a telescope handy to see what some of the people were doing up at this late hour. But of course, if any of them had their own telescope, they would be able to see him standing there in the nude. An odd thought suddenly came to him of his own naked image flying into each window. But maybe the idea was not so fanciful.

    After all, he was emitting a constant stream of biophotons, all travelling at the speed of light; each photon would have travelled 186,000 miles one second later, and 372,000 miles one second after that.

    His light was not unlike the photons of visible light emanating from stars in the sky. Much of the light from distant stars has been traveling for millions of years. Starlight contains a star’s individual history. Even if a star had died long before its light reached earth, its information remains, an indelible footprint in the sky.

    He then had a sudden image of himself as a ball of energy fields, a little star, glowing with a steady stream of every photon his body had ever produced for more than 50 years.

    All the information he had been sending from the time he was a young boy in Long Island, every last thought he had ever had, was still out there, glowing like starlight. Perhaps, I thought, intention was also like a star. Once constructed, a thought radiated out like starlight, affecting everything in its path.

    Notes – Chapter 2: The Human Antenna

    1. All personal details about Gary Schwartz and his discoveries result from multiple interviews with him and the author, March–June 2006.
    2. H. Benson et al., ‘Decreased systolic blood pressure through operant conditioning techniques in patients with essential hypertension’, Science, 1971; 173 (3998): 740–2.
    3. E. E. Green, ‘Copper wall research psychology and psychophysics: subtle energies and energy  medicine: emerging theory and practice’, Proceedings, First Annual Conference, International Society for the Stud of Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine (ISSSEEM,) Boulder, Colorado, 21–25 June 1991.
    4. This research was eventually published as G. Schwartz and L. Russek ‘Subtle energies – electrostatic body motion registration and the human antenna-receiver effect: a new method for investigating interpersonal dynamical energy system interactions’, Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine, 1996; 7 (2): 149–84.
    5. E. E. Green et al., ‘Anomalous electrostatic phenomena in exceptional subjects’, Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine, 1993; 2: 69; W. A. Tiller et al., ‘Towards explaining anomalously large body voltage surges on exceptional subjects, Part I: The electrostatic approximation’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1995; 9 (3): 331.
    6. William A. Tiller, ‘Subtle energies’, Science & Medicine, 1999, 6 (3): 28–33.
    7. A. Seto et al., ‘Detection of extraordinary large biomagnetic field strength from the human hand during external qi emission’, Acupuncture and Electrotherapeutics Research International, 1992; 17: 75–94; J. Zimmerman, ‘New technologies detect effects in healing hands’, Brain/Mind Bulletin, 1985; 10 (2): 20–3.
    8. B. Grad, ‘Dimensions in “Some biological effects of the laying on o hands” and their implications’, in H. A. Otto and J. W. Knight (eds.) Dimension in Wholistic Healing: New Frontiers in the Treatment of the Whole Person, Chicago: Nelson-Hall, 1979: 199–212.
    9. L. N. Pyatnitsky and V. A. Fonkin, ‘Human consciousness influence on water structure’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1995; 9 (1): 89.
    10. G.  Rein  and  R.  McCraty,  ‘Structural   changes in water and DN associated with new physiologically measurable states’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1994; 8 (3): 438–9.
    11. W. Tiller would eventually write about the effect of shielding psychics in his book Science and Human Transformation, Walnut Creek, Calif.: Pavior Publishing, 1997: 32.
    12. M. Connor, G. Schwartz et al., ‘Oscillation of amplitude as measured by an extra low frequency magnetic field meter as a biophysical measure of intentionality’. Paper presented at the Toward a Science of Consciousness Conference, Tucson, Arizona, April 2006.
    13. Sicher, Targ et al., ‘A randomized double-blind study’, op. cit.
    14. See McTaggart, The Field, op. cit.: 39, for a full description of F.-A. Popp’s earlier work.
    15. S. Cohen and F.-A. Popp, ‘Biophoton emission of the human body’ Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology, 1997; 40: 187–9.
    16. K. Creath and G. E. Schwartz, ‘What biophoton images of plants can tel us about biofields and healing’, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 2005; 19 (4): 531–50.
    17. S. N. Bose, ‘Planck’s Gesetz und Lichtquantenhypothese’, Zeitschrift für Physik, 1924; 26: 178–81; A. Einstein, ‘Quantentheorie des einatomigen idealen Gases [Quantum theory of ideal monoatomic gases]’, Sitz. Ber. Preuss. Akad. Wiss. (Berlin), 1925; 23: 3.
    18. C. E. Wieman and E. A. Cornell, ‘Seventy years later: the creation of Bose-Einstein condensate in an ultracold gas’, Lorentz Proceedings, 1999; 52: 3–5.
    19. K. Davis et al., ‘Bose-Einstein condensation in a gas of sodium atoms’ Physical Review Letters, 1995; 75: 3969–73.
    20. M. W. Zwierlein et al., ‘Observation of Bose-Einstein condensation o molecules’, Physical Review Letters, 2003; 91: 250401.
    21. H. Fröhlich, ‘Long range coherence and energy storage in biological systems’, Int. J. Quantum Chem., 1968; II: 641–9.
    22. For this entire example, see Tiller, Science and Human Transformation, op. cit.: 196.
    23. M. Jibu et al., ‘Quantum optical coherence in cytoskeletal microtubules: implications for brain function’, Biosystems, 1994; 32: 195–209; S. R. Hameroff, ‘Cytoplasmic gel states and ordered water: possible roles in biological quantum coherence’, Proceedings of the 2nd Annual Advanced Water Sciences Symposium, Dallas, Texas, 1996.

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    The Geography of Heaven; Journey of Souls (full text) by Michael Newton (part 1e) with world-line (MWI) annotations.

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    Comment e0
    This post continues our study of the Journey of Souls. This is part 1e.

    Choosing a New Body

    IN the place of life selection, our souls preview the life span of more than one human being within the same time cycle. When we leave this area, most souls are inclined toward one leading candidate presented to us for soul occupation.

    Comment e1
    Which pretty much explains my earliest memories as a child.

    However, our spiritual advisors give us ample opportunity to reflect upon all we have seen in the future before making a final decision. This chapter is devoted to the many elements which go into that decision.

    Our deliberations over body alternatives actually begin before we go to the place of life selection. Souls do this in order to adequately prepare themselves for viewing certain people in different cultural settings on Earth. I sense those souls who set up the screening room know in advance what to show us, because of these thoughts in our minds.

    Great care must be taken in choosing just the right body to serve us in the life to come. As I have said, guides and peer group members are part of this evaluation process prior to, and after, we visit the place of life selection.

    When listening to my subjects describe all the preparations which go into picking a new physical body, I am constantly reminded of the fluidity of spiritual time. Our teachers use relative future time in the place of  life selection to allow souls to measure human usefulness for working on unfinished lesson plans.

    Blueprints for the next life vary in the degree of difficulty the soul-mind sets for itself. If we have just come off an easy life, making little interpersonal progress, our soul might want to choose a person in the next time cycle who will face heartache and perhaps tragedy. It is not out of the ordinary for me to see someone who has skated through an unchallenging life overloading themselves with turmoil in the next one to catch up with their learning goals.

    The soul-mind is far from infallible as it works in conjunction with a biological brain. Regardless of our soul level, being human means we will all make mistakes and have the necessity of engaging in midcourse corrections during our lives. This will be true with any body we select.

    Before taking up the more complex mental factors in a soul’s decision to join with the brain of a human baby, I will begin with the physical aspects of body choice. Despite the fact that our souls know in advance what they are going to look like, a national survey in the United States indicated 90 percent of both males and females were dissatisfied with the physical characteristics of their bodies. This is the power of conscious amnesia. Much unhappiness is created by society stereotyping an ideal appearance. Yet, this too is part of a soul’s lesson plan.

    How many times have we all looked in a mirror and said; “Is this the real me? Why do I appear this  way? Am I  in a  body where  I  belong?”  These  questions are especially poignant when the type of body we have prevents us from doing those things we think we ought to be able to do in life. I have had a number of clients who came to me convinced their bodies prevented them from achieving satisfying lives. Many handicapped people think if it were not for a genetic mistake, or being the victim of an accidental injury which damaged their body, their lives would be more fulfilled. As heartless as this may sound, my cases show few real accidents involving body damage which don’t fall under the free will of souls. As souls, we choose our bodies for a reason. Living in a damaged body does not necessarily have to involve a karmic debt we are paying off because of past life responsibility for an injury to someone else. As my next case will demonstrate, when a soul is inside a damaged body, this choice can involve a learning path to another type of lesson.

    It is difficult to tell a newly-injured person trying to cope with physical disablement

    that he or she has an opportunity to advance at a faster rate than those of us with healthy bodies and minds. This knowledge must come through self-discovery. The case histories of my clients convince me that the effort necessary to overcome a body impediment does accelerate advancement. Those of us whom society deems less- than-perfect suffer discrimination which makes the burden even heavier. Overcoming the obstacles of physical ailments and hurt makes us stronger for the ordeal.

    Our bodies are an important part of the trial we set  for ourselves in life. The freedom of choice we have with these bodies is based far more on psychological elements than from the estimated 100,000 genes inherited by each human being. However, I want to show in the opening case of this chapter why souls want certain bodies based largely on physical reasons without heavy psychological implications.

    The case exhibits the planning involved in the decision of a soul to be in contrasting physical bodies in different lives. After this case, we will examine why souls choose their bodies for other reasons.

    Case 26 was a tall, well-proportioned woman who enjoyed participating in sports despite being bothered all her life with recurring leg pains. During her preliminary interview, I learned the pain was a dull ache in both legs, about midway down the thighbones. Over a period of years she had been to a number of doctors who could find no medical evidence of anything wrong with her legs. Clearly, she was worn down and willing to try anything for relief.

    When   I   heard   the   doctors   had   concluded   her   discomfort   was   probably psychosomatic, I suspected the origin of this woman’s pain might lie in a past life. Before going to the source of her problem, I decided to take my client through a couple of past lives to ascertain her motivations for body choices. When I asked her to tell me about a life in which she was the happiest with a human body she told of being in the body of a Viking called Leth around 800 AD. She said Leth was “a child of nature” who traveled by the Baltic Sea route into western Russia.

    Leth was described as wearing a long, fur-lined cloak and soft, form-fitting animal skin pants with roped-up boots and a cap wrapped with metal. He carried an ax and a heavy, broad-bladed sword which he wielded easily in battle. My subject was intrigued by the picture in her mind of again being inside this magnificently proportioned warrior with “dirty strands of reddish-blond hair spilling over my shoulders.” Standing well over six feet tall, he must have been a giant of his time, with enormous strength, a huge chest, and powerful limbs. A man of great endurance, Leth navigated with other Norsemen over long distances, sailing up rivers and hiking through thick, virgin forests, pillaging settlements along the way. Leth was killed during a raid while looting a village.

    Case 26 – Leth

    Dr. N: What was most important to you about this life you have just recalled as Leth the Viking?

    S: To experience that magnificent body and the feeling of raw physical power. I have never had another body like that one in all my existences on Earth. I was fearless because my body did not react to pain even when wounded. In every respect it was flawless. I never got sick.

    Dr. N: Was Leth ever mentally troubled by anything? Was there any emotional sensitivity for you in this life?

    S: (bursts out laughing) Are you kidding? Never! I lived only for each day. My concerns were not getting enough fighting, plunder, food, drink, and sex. All my feelings were channeled into physical pursuits. What a body!

    Dr. N: All right, let’s analyze your decision to choose this great body in advance of Leth’s life. At the time you made your choice in the spirit world did you request this body of good genetic stock or did your guide simply make the selection for you?

    S: Counselors don’t do that.

    Dr. N: Then explain to me how this body came to be chosen by you.

    S: I wanted one of the best physical specimens on Earth at the time and Leth was offered to me as a possibility.

    Dr. N: You had only one choice?

    S: No, I had two choices of people living in this time.

    Dr. N: What if you didn’t like any of the body choices presented to you for occupation in that time segment?

    S: (thoughtfully) The alternatives of my choices always seem to match what I want to experience in my lives.

    Dr. N: Do you have the sense the counselors know in advance which body selections are exactly right for you, or are they so harried it’s just an indiscriminate grab bag of body choices?

    S: Nothing here is careless. The counselors arrange everything.

    Dr. N: I have wondered if the counselors might get mixed up once in a while. With all the new babies born could they ever assign two souls to one baby, or leave a baby without a soul for a while?

    S: (laughing) We aren’t in an assembly line. I told you they know what they are doing. They don’t make mistakes like that.

    Dr. N: I believe you. Now, as to your choices, I am curious if two bodies were sufficient for your examination in the place of life selection.

    S: We don’t need a lot of choices for lives once the counselors get their heads together about our desires. I already had some idea of the right body size and shape and the sex I wanted before being exposed to my two choices.

    Dr. N: What was the body choice you rejected in favor of Leth?

    S: (pause) That of a soldier from Rome… also with the strong body I wanted in that lifetime.

    Dr. N: What was wrong with being an Italian soldier?

    S: I didn’t want … control over me by the state (subject shakes head from side to side) … too restrictive …

    Dr. N: As I remember, by the ninth century much of Europe had fallen under the authority of Charlemagne’s Holy Roman Empire.

    S: That was the trouble with the soldier’s life. As a Viking I answered to nobody. I was free. I could move around with my band of invaders in the wilderness without any governmental control.

    Dr. N: Then freedom was also an issue in your choice?

    S: Absolutely. The freedom of movement… the fury of battle the use of my strength and uninhibited action. Life at sea and in the forests was robust and constant. I know the life was cruel, too, but it was a brutal time. I was no better or worse than the rest.

    Dr. N: But what about other considerations, such as personality?

    S: Nothing bothered me as long as I was able to physically express myself to the fullest.

    Dr. N: Did you have a mate-children?

    S: (shrugs)  Too restrictive. I was on the move. I possessed many women-some willing-others not-and this pleasure added to my expression of physical power. I didn’t want to be tied down in any way.

    Dr. N: So, the body of Leth was your preference as a pure physical extension of sensual feeling?

    S: Yes, I wanted to experience all body senses to the fullest, nothing more.

    I felt my subject was now ready to go to work on her current problem. After bringing her out of superconscious into a subconscious state, I asked her to go directly to a life which may have involved leg pain.

    Almost at once the woman dropped into her most recent past life and became a six- year-old girl named Ashley living in New England in the year 1871. Ashley was riding in a fully loaded, horse-drawn carriage when suddenly she opened the door and tumbled out under the vehicle. When she hit the cobblestone street, one of the heavy rear carriage wheels rolled over her legs at the same point above both knees, crushing the bones. My subject reexperienced a sharp pain in her legs while describing the fall.

    Despite efforts from local physicians and the prolonged use of wood splints, Ashley’s leg bones did not heal properly. She was never able to stand or walk again and poor circulation caused repeated swelling in her legs for the rest of a rather short life. Ashley died in 1912 after a productive period of years as a writer and tutor of disadvantaged children. When the narration of Ashley’s life ended, I returned my subject to the spirit world.

    Dr. N: In your history of body choices why did you wait a thousand years between being a physically strong man and a crippled woman?

    S: Well, of course, I developed a better sense of who I was during

    the lives in between. I chose to be crippled to gain intellectual concentration. Dr. N: You chose a broken body for this?

    S: Yes, you see, being unable to walk made me read and study more. I developed my mind … and listened to my mind. I learned to communicate well and to write with skill because I wasn’t distracted. I was always in bed.

    Dr. N: Was any characteristic about your soul particularly evident in both Ashley and Leth the Viking?

    S: That part of me which craves fiery expression was in both bodies.

    Dr. N: I want you to go to the moment you were in the process of choosing the life of Ashley. Tell me how you decided on this particular damaged body.

    S: I picked a family in a well-established, settled part of America. I wanted a place with libraries and to be taken care of by loving parents so I could devote myself to scholarship. I constantly wrote to many unhappy people and became a good teacher.

    Dr. N: As Ashley, what did you do for this loving family who took care of you?

    S: It always works two ways-the benefits and liabilities. I chose this family because they needed the intensity of love with someone totally dependent upon them all their lives. We were very close as a family because they were lonely before I was born. I came late, as their only child. They wanted a daughter who would not marry and leave them to be lonely again.

    Dr. N: So it was a trade-off? S: Most definitely.

    Dr. N: Then let’s track this decision further back to the place of life selection, when your soul first saw Ashley’s life. Did you see the details of your carriage accident then?

    S: Of course, but it wasn’t an accident-it was supposed to happen.

    Dr. N: Once you came to Earth, who was responsible for the fall? Was it your soul- mind or Ashley’s biological mind?

    S: We worked in unison. She was going to be fooling with the carriage door handle and … I capitalized on that

    Dr. N: Tell me what was going through your soul-mind in the life selection room when you saw the scene of Ashley falling and being injured?

    S: I thought about how this crippled body could be put to good use. I had some other choices for body injuries, but I preferred this one because I didn’t want to have the capability for much movement.

    Dr. N: I want to pursue the issue of causality here. Would Ashley have fallen anyway if she had a soul other than your own?

    S: (defensively) We were right for each other…

    Dr. N: That doesn’t answer my question.

    S: (long pause) There are forces beyond my knowledge as a spirit. When I saw Ashley for the first time … I was able to see her without me … healthy … older … another life possibility…

    Dr. N: Now we are getting somewhere. Are you saying if Ashley had begun her life with another soul entity that she might not have fallen at all?

    S: Yes … that’s a possibility … one of many … she could also have been less severely injured, with the ability to walk on crutches.

    Dr. N: Well, did you see a physically healthy Ashley living happily without your soul?

    S: I saw … a grown woman … normal legs … unhappiness with a man … frustration at being trapped in an unrewarding life … sorrowful parents … but easier. (voice becomes more firm) No! That course would not have worked well for either of us-I was the best soul for her.

    Dr. N: Were you the prime mover of the fall, once you elected to be-come Ashley’s soul?

    S: It … was both of us … we were one at that moment … she was being naughty, bouncing around in the carriage, playing with the door handle when her mother said she must stop. Then … I was ready and she was ready…

    Dr. N: Just how rigid was your destiny? Once you were Ashley’s soul was there any way you could have backed out of this entire incident in the carriage?

    S: (pause) I can tell you I had a flash just before I fell. I could have pulled back and not fallen out. A voice inside my mind said…”It’s an opportunity, don’t wait any longer, take the fall, this is what you wanted-it’s the best course of action.”

    Dr. N: Was that particular moment important?

    S: I didn’t want Ashley to get too much older.

    Dr. N: But, the pain and suffering this child went through . . .?

    S: It was horrible. The agony of those first five weeks was beyond belief. I almost died, but I learned from enduring it all and I now see the memories of Leth’s capacity for managing pain helped me.

    Dr. N: Did your inner mind have any regrets during those moments when the pain was most severe?

    S: As I slipped in and out of consciousness during the worst of the ordeal, my mind began gaining in power. Overriding my damaged body, I started to better control the pain … lying in bed… the doctors helpless. The skills I developed in managing pain were later used to concentrate on my studies and my counselor was helping me, too, in subtle ways.

    Dr. N: So you gained a lot in this life by being unable to walk?

    S: Yes, I became a listener and thinker. I corresponded with many people and learned to write with inspiration. I gained teaching ability with the young, and felt guided by an internal power.

    Dr. N: Was your counselor proud of your accomplishments after you returned to the spirit world?

    S: Very, although I was told I had become a little too indulged and pampered (laughs), but that’s an okay trade-off.

    Dr. N: How does your experience with the strong body of Leth and the weak one of Ashley help you today, or is this of no consequence?

    S: I benefit every day by my appreciation of the necessity of a union between mind and body to learn lessons.

    During my client’s reliving of the street scene which broke her legs, I initiated desensitization measures. At the close of our session together, I then deprogrammed her generational memory of leg pain entirely. This woman later notified me she has had no further pain and regularly enjoys playing tennis.

    The two past lives I have represented in this case were largely devoted to physical choices for soul actualization in two quite different environments.

    Souls search for self-expression by developing different aspects of their character. Regardless of what physical or mental tools are used through the use of many bodies, the laws of karma will prevail. If the soul chooses one extreme, somewhere down the line this will be counterbalanced by an opposite choice to even-out development. The physical lives of Leth and Ashley are examples of karmic compensation. The Hindus believe a rich man sooner or later must become a beggar for his soul to develop adequately.

    By  surviving  different  challenges  our  soul  identity  is  strengthened.  The  word strength should not be misunderstood. My subjects say the real lessons of life are learned by recognizing and coming to terms with being human. Even as victims, we are beneficiaries because it is how we stand up to failure and duress which really marks our progress in life. Sometimes one of the most important lessons is to learn to just let go of the past.

    While souls carefully consider the physical attributes of an Earth body in a variety of cultural settings, they give much more attention to the psychological aspects of human life. This decision is the most vital part of the entire selection process for the soul.

    Before entering the place of life selection, it is to a soul’s advantage to ponder the factors of heredity and environment which affect how a biological life form will function.

    I have heard that a soul’s spiritual energy has a fluctuating influence on whether the temperament of its human host will be extroverted or introverted, rationalistic or idealistic, emotionally or analytically dominated. Because of such variables, souls need to reflect in advance on the types of bodies which will serve them best in the life to come.

    From  what  I  can  gather,  a  soul’s  thoughts  about  certain  human  behavior preferences for themselves in the next life are known by guides and those masters charged with operating the life selection stations. It appears to me some souls take this responsibility more seriously than others.

    Yet, a soul in the prelife selection phase can reflect only so much on how they would fit into a specific body. When souls are called to the place of life selection the guesswork is over. Now they must match their spiritual identity against a mortal being.  Why one soul joined, for psychological reasons, with two human beings thousands of years apart is the basis of my next case.

    Case 27 is a Texas businessman who owns a large, successful clothing firm. During a vacation in California, Steve came to see me on the advice of a friend.

    As I took his history, I noticed he was tense and hypervigilant. While his fingers toyed with a key chain, Steve’s eyes darted anxiously around my office. I asked if he was nervous or afraid of hypnosis as a procedure and he replied, “No, I’m more afraid of what you will uncover.”

    This client told me his employees were demanding and disloyal and the multitude of personnel complaints had become intolerable. His solution had been to increase discipline and fire people. I learned that he had two failed marriages and was a binge alcoholic. He said he had recently tried a recovery program but quit because “they were getting too critical of me.”

    As we talked further, Steve explained that his mother disappeared after leaving him on the steps of a church in Texas within a week of his birth. After a few lonely and unhappy years in an orphanage, an older couple adopted him. He added that these people were stern disciplinarians who seemed to disapprove of him all the time. Leaving home in his teens, Steve had many scrapes with the law and once attempted suicide.

    I found this client’s personality to be overly assertive and untrusting of authority.

    His anger was rooted in feelings of isolation and abandonment issues. Steve said he felt like he was losing control over his life and was willing to try anything “to find the real me.” I agreed to short-term exploration of his unconscious mind if he would consider seeing a therapist later in his own town for sustained counseling.

    As this case unfolds, we will see how Steve’s soul maintains its identity while responding to physical life in a human body. The intensity of this association is increased in hypnosis when my subjects discuss their motives for body selection. One reason why I have used this case is to expose a difficult barrier to discovering our identity-that of childhood trauma.

    Souls who unite with people that develop early personality disorders deliberately set themselves up for a difficult life.

    Before taking my client into the spirit world to learn why his soul chose this life, it was necessary to relive his early childhood memories. In the short excerpt which begins this case, this subject will see his real mother again. It is one of the most poignant scenes I have ever facilitated.

    Case 27 – Steve

    Dr. N: You are now a baby in the first week of life and your mother is seeing you for the last time. It doesn’t matter that you are a baby because your inner adult mind knows everything that is going on. Describe to me exactly what transpires.

    S: (subject starts to shake) I … I’m in a basket … there is a faded blue blanket around me … I’m being set down on some steps… it’s cold …

    Dr. N: Where are these steps?

    S: … In front of a church… in Texas.

    Dr. N: Who is setting you down on the church steps?

    S: (the shaking increases) My mother … is bending down over me … saying goodbye … (begins to cry)

    Scene from "Meet the Robensons" where the mother abandons the baby on the front steps.
    Scene from “Meet the Robensons” where the mother abandons the baby on the front steps.

    Dr. N: What can you tell me about your mother’s reason for leaving you?

    S: She … is young … not married to my father … he is already married. She is … crying … I can feel her tears falling on my face.

    Dr. N: Look up at her. What else do you see?

    S: (chokes) Flowing black hair … beautiful… I reach up and touch her mouth … she kisses me … soft, gentle … she is having a terribly hard time leaving me here.

    Dr. N: Does she say anything to you before leaving?

    S: (subject can now hardly talk) “I must leave you for your own good. I have no money to take care of you. My parents won’t help us. I love you. I will always love you and hold you in my heart forever.”

    Dr. N: What happens then?

    S: She … takes hold of a heavy door knocker… it has an animal on it… and bangs on the door… we hear footsteps coming… now she is gone.

    Dr. N: What do your inner thoughts tell you about all you have seen?

    S: (almost overcome by emotion) Oh … she wanted me after all … didn’t want to leave me … she loved me!

    Dr. N: (I place my hand on the subject’s forehead and begin a  series of post- hypnotic suggestions which end with the following instructions) Steve, you will be able to recall this subconscious memory in your conscious mind. You will retain this picture of your mother for the rest of your life. You now know how she truly felt about you and that her energy is still with you. Is this clear?

    S: Yes … it is.

    Dr. N: Now, move forward in time and tell me how you feel about your foster parents.

    S: Never satisfied with me … made me feel guilty about everything … controlling and judging me … (subject’s face is dripping wet with tears and perspiration) don’t know who I am supposed to be. I’m not real.

    Dr. N: (I raise my voice) Tell me what is unreal about you.

    S: Pretending … (stops)

    Dr. N: Keep going!

    S: I’m not really in control … constant anger … mistreating people to … get even … hopelessness …

    Note: After additional conditioning, I will now take my subject back and forth between his subconscious and superconscious mind.

    Dr. N: All right Steve, now let’s go back to the time before your birth into this life. Tell me if you have ever lived in another life with the soul of your birth mother.

    S: (long pause) Yes … I have.

    Dr. N: Was there ever a particular life you lived with this soul on Earth which involved any sort of physical or emotional pain between the two of you?

    S: (after a moment subject’s hands grip the arms of his chair) Oh, damn-that’s it-of course-it’s her!

    Dr. N: Try to relax and not go too fast for me. I want you to enter the life you see in your mind at the most crucial point in your relationship with this soul on the count of three. One, two, three!

    S: (a deep sigh) Oh my … it’s the same person … a different body but she was my mother then, too

    Dr. N: Stay focused on the Earth scene. Is it day or night?

    S: (pause) Broad daylight. Hot sun and sand …

    Dr. N: Describe what is happening under the hot sun in the sand.

    S: (haltingly) I am standing in front of my temple … before a large crowd of people … my guards are in back of me.

    Dr. N: What is your name?

    S: Haroum.

    Dr. N: What are you wearing, Haroum?

    S: A long, white robe and sandals. I have a staff in my hand with gold snakes on it as a symbol of my authority.

    Dr. N: What is your authority, Haroum?

    S: (proudly) I am a high priest.

    Note: Further inquiries revealed this man was a tribal leader who was located on the Arabian peninsula close to the Red Sea around 2000 BC. In preclassical times, this area was known as the Kingdom of Sheba (or Saba). I also learned the temple was a large oval structure of mud bricks and stone dedicated to a moon god.

    Dr. N: What are you doing in front of your temple?

    S: I am on the steps judging a woman. She is my mother. She is kneeling down in front of me. There is a look of pity and fear in her eyes as she looks up at me.

    Dr. N: How can her eyes show both pity and fear at once?

    S: There is pity in her eyes because of the power which has consumed me … in taking so much control over the daily lives of my people. And there is fear, too, for what I am about to do. This disturbs me, but I must not show it.

    Dr. N: Why is your mother kneeling on the temple steps before you?

    S: She has broken into the storage house and stolen food to give to the people. Many are hungry at this time of year, but I alone can order distribution. The food must be measured out carefully.

    Dr. N: Did she act against some rule of food rationing? Was this a question of survival?

    S: (abruptly) There is more to this-by disobeying me she is undermining my authority. I use the distribution of food as a means of… control over my people. I want them all to be loyal to me.

    Dr. N: What are you going to do with your mother?

    S: (with conviction) My mother has violated the law. I can save her, but she must be punished as an example. I decide she will die.

    Dr. N: How do you feel about killing your own mother, Haroum?

    S: It must be done. She has been a constant thorn in my side-causing unrest among my people because of her position. I cannot govern freely with her here any longer. Even now, she is defiant. I order her death by banging my staff on the stone steps.

    Dr. N: Later on are you sad about ordering your mother’s execution?

    S: (voice becomes strained) I… must not think about such things if I am to maintain power.

    At this point Steve’s mind had relived two emotionally wrenching events involving voluntary actions of separation between mother and son. Although he had made the karmic connection, it was important that his abandonment as a baby not be isolated as pure historic retribution. For healing to begin we had to go further.

    The next stage in our session together was designed to recover Steve’s soul identity. To do this, I took him into the spirit world. In each of my cases, I try to bring the subject back to the most appropriate spiritual area to get the best results.

    In Case 13, I used the place of orientation.

    With Case 27, we will go back to relive the spiritual time just after his return from the place of life selection. In this setting, I want Steve to see the reasons for his current body choice and the role of other soul participants in his life.

    Dr. N: By what name are you known in the spirit world?

    S: Sumus.

    Dr. N: All right, Sumus, since we are now in the spirit world again, I want us to go to the period just following your initial viewing of the man who is Steve. What are your thoughts?

    S: Such a resentful man… he is so angry about his mother dumping him on a doorstep … and those hard-nosed people who will take over as his parents … I don’t know if I even want to take this body!

    Dr. N: I understand, but why don’t we put that decision aside for a few minutes while other things develop. Tell me what you actually do once you leave the place of life selection.

    S: Sometimes I might want to be by myself for a while. Usually, I am anxious to have the opinions of my friends about the lives I look at, especially one this rough.

    Dr. N: Surely, you had more than one body option?

    S: (shakes head) This is one I should take … it’s a rough decision.

    Dr. N: Tell me, Sumus, when you are back with your group of friends, do you discuss the possibility of yourself associating with some of them in the next life?

    S: Yes, more often than not, these close friends are going to be in my life to come, just as I will be in theirs. Some of my clutch will not be in certain lives. It doesn’t matter. We all discuss our next life with each other. I want to get their ideas on details. You see, we all know each other so well-our strengths and weaknesses- former successes and failures-what to watch out for … that kind of thing.

    Dr. N: Did you discuss with them any details about the kind of person you should be in your next life before actually going to the place of life selection?

    S: Oh yeah, in a roundabout way. Nothing concrete. Now that I have seen Steve, and who the others might be in relation to him in this life, there are reservations. So I talk to Jor.

    Dr. N: Is Jor your guide?

    S: Yes, he listened a lot to what I had to say about who I thought I should be before I was sent to the place where we look at lives.

    Dr. N: Okay, Sumus, you have just returned to your primary cluster group from the place of life selection. What do you do first?

    S: I talk about this guy Steve who is so unhappy … no real mother … all that stuff … what kinds of people will be around him … their plans, too … it must fit all together for us.

    Dr. N: You mean which souls are going to take certain bodies?

    S: Right, we need to firm that up.

    Dr. N: Are soul assignments still negotiable at this point, or is everyone told which body they will be in after leaving the place of life selection?

    S: No one is forced to do anything. We know what should be done. Jor… and the others help us make adjustments … they are sent in to round out the picture … (subject’s face becomes grave)

    Dr. N: Is something bothering you at this moment, Sumus?

    S: (in a cheerless manner) Uh … my friends are moving away … there are others coming … oh…

    Dr. N: I gather some deliberations are about to occur with other souls. Try to relax as best you can. On my command you will clearly relate to me everything that is happening. Do you understand?

    S: (nervously) Yes.

    Dr. N: Begin! How many entities do you see?

    S: There are… four of them… coming over to me… Jo. is one of them.

    Dr. N: Who is first?

    S: (subject grabs my hand) It’s … ……. she wants to be … my mother again.

    Dr. N: Is this the soul of the woman who is Haroum’s and Steve’s mother?

    S: Yes, she is… oh… I don’t want to…

    Dr. N: What’s going on?

    S: Eone is telling me it’s time for us to … settle things … to be in a disordered life as mother and son again.

    Dr. N: But Sumus, didn’t you know this at the place of life selection when you viewed Steve’s mother taking her baby to the church?

    S: I saw the people … the possibility… it was still an … abstract consideration … it wasn’t actually me yet. I guess I need more convincing because Eone is here for a reason.

    Dr. N: I take it none of these newly arrived entities is from your own clutch?

    S: (sighs) No, they are not.

    Dr. N: Why did you and Eone wait 4000 earth years before discussing a balancing out of your treatment of her in Arabia?

    S: Earth years mean nothing; it could have been yesterday. I just wasn’t ready to offset the harm I did her as Haroum. She says the circumstances are right for this exercise now.

    Dr. N: If your soul joins with the body of Steve in Texas, will Eone consider this karmic payment for your debt?

    S: (pause) My life as Steve is not supposed to be punishment. 

    Dr. N: I’m glad you see that. So what is the lesson to be learned?

    S: To … feel what desertion is like in a family relationship … deliberate severing …

    Dr. N: The severing of the mother and son bond by deliberate action?

    S: Yes … to appreciate what it is like to be cast off.

    Dr. N: Allow Eone to move away and have the other entities join us, Sumus.

    S: (distressed) Eone is floating back to … Jor…. coming forward are … Oh shit-it’s Talu and Kalish! (subject squirms in his chair and tries to ward off the two spirits in his mind by pushing the palms of his hands outward)

    Dr. N: Who are they?

    S: (in a rush of words) Talu and Kalish have volunteered to be Steve’s-my foster parents. They work together a lot.

    Dr. N: What’s the problem, then?

    S: I just don’t want them again so soon!

    Dr. N: Slow down for me, Sumus. You have worked with these souls before?

    S: (still muttering to himself) Yes, yes-but they are so hard for me to be with especially Kalish. It’s too soon. They were my in-laws in the German life.

    Note: We digress for a few minutes while Sum us briefly explains a past life in Europe as a high-ranking army, officer who neglected his family and was the object of scorn from his wife’s influential parents.

    Dr. N: Are you saying that Talu and Kalish lack the capability for the assignment of being your foster parents in Texas?

    S: (shakes head with resignation) No, they know what they are doing. lt’s just that with Kalish, it’s always a rough ride. She chooses to be people who are critical, demanding, cold…

    Dr. N: Does she always present that sort of behavior in human bodies?

    S: Well, that’s her style with me. Kalish is not a soul who engages easily with others. She is independent and very determined.

    Dr. N: How about Talu as your adoptive father?

    S: Stern .. allows Kalish to lead … can be too detached… emotionally private… I’m going to really rebel against them this time.

    Dr. N: Okay, but will they teach you something?

    S: Yes, I know they will, but I am still arguing about it. Jor and Eone come over.

    Dr. N: What do you say next at this conference?

    S: I want Eone to be my foster mother. They all laugh at me. Jor won’t buy my explanations. He knows I am close to Eon e.

    Dr. N: Do they make fun of you, Sumus?

    S: Oh no, it’s not that way at all Talu and Kalish question my reluctance to tackle my faults with them.

    Dr. N: Well, I was getting the impression you thought these souls were ganging up on you to force a decision to join with the Texas baby.

    S: That’s not how it goes here. We are discussing my misgivings about the life itself.

    Dr. N: But I thought you didn’t like Talu and Kalish?

    S: They know about me … I need strict people or I ride over them. Everyone here sees I have a tendency to indulge myself. They convince me an easy life without them will be like treading water. Both of them are very disciplined.

    Dr. N: Well, it sounds like you have about made up your mind to go with them into the Texas life.

    S: (musing) Yes… they are going to make a lot of demands on me as a child… Kalish sarcastic … Talu a perfectionist… losing Eone… it’s going to be a rough ride.

    Dr. N: What will playing the roles of your parents do for Talu and Kalish?

    S: Kalish and Talu are in different … configurations than me. I’m not supposed to get all muddled up in their business. It has something to do with their being rigid people and overcoming pride.

    Dr. N: When you are on Earth, does your soul-mind always know the reason why certain people who influence you positively or negatively are significant in your life?

    S: Yes, but that doesn’t mean the person I am in that life understands what my spirit knows. (smiles) That’s what we should be able to figure out on Earth.

    Dr. N: Which is what we are doing now?

    S: Yeah … and I am cheating a little with you helping, but it’s okay, I can use it.

    It does seem an enigma that the knowledge of who we really are as souls is so difficult for many of us to reach through our conscious minds. By now I’m sure the reader has discerned that even in a superconscious state, we do retain the ability to observe ourselves with a portion of the critical center of our conscious mentality. Assisting clients in reaching their inner selves by linking all facets of the mind is the most important part of my work in hypnotherapy.

    I want Steve to gain insight into the motives for his behavior by understanding his soul. The dialogue which follows provides us with further disclosures as to why Sumus integrated into Steve’s body. The spiritual conference with Jor, Eone, Talu, and Kalish is over and I have taken Sumus to a quiet setting in the spirit world for this discussion.

    Dr. N: Tell me, Sumus, how much of who you really are as a soul identity is reflected in the human beings you have occupied?

    S: Quite a lot-but no two bodies are alike. (laughs) Good body and soul mergers don’t always happen, you know. I remember some of my former bodies more fondly than others.

    Dr. N: Would you say your soul dominates or is subordinated by the human brain? S: That’s difficult to answer because there are subtle differences with the brain of each body which affects how we… exhibit ourselves from that body. A human would be pretty vacant without us… we treat earth bodies with respect, though.

    Dr. N: What do you think human beings would be like without souls?

    S: Oh, dominated by senses and emotions

    Dr. N: And you believe each human brain causes you to react differently?

    S: Well, that which I am … is able to utilize some bodies better than others. I don’t always feel fully attached to a human being. Some physical emotions are overpowering and I… am not so effective.

    Dr. N: Such as the high level of rage displayed by Steve’s temperament, perhaps affected by the central nervous system of this body?

    S: Yes, we inherit these things ….

    Dr. N: But you knew what Steve would be like before you chose his body?

    S: (in disgust) That’s right, and it’s typical of how I can make a bad situation worse. I am able to interpret only when the storms of the human mind are quiet, and yet I want to be stormy people.

    Dr. N: What do you mean by interpret?

    S: Interpret ideas … make sense out of Steve’s reactions to turmoil.

    Dr. N: To be frank, Sumus, you sound like a stranger inside Steve’s body.

    S: I’m sorry to give you that impression. We don’t control the human mind … we try by our presence to … elevate it to see … meaning in the world and to be receptive to morality … to give understanding.

    Dr. N: That’s all very well, but you use human bodies for your own development too, don’t you?

    S: Sure, it’s a … blending … we give and take with our energy.

    Dr. N: Oh, you tailor your energy to fit a host body?

    S: It would be better to say I use different facets of expression, depending on the emotional drives of each body.

    Dr. N: Let’s get specific, Sumus. What is going on between you and Steve’s brain at this time on Earth?

    S: I … have felt … submerged … sometimes my energy is tired and unresponsive to so much negativity.

    Dr. N: Looking back to your choices of Haroum, Steve, and those other human bodies in between, do they all have traits in common which attracted you?

    S: (long pause) I am a contact entity. I seek humans who involve themselves … aggressively with others.

    Dr. N: When I hear the word aggression, this means hostility to me as opposed to being assertive. Is this what you intended to say?

    S: (pause) Well, I’m attracted to those who influence other people … ah, vigorously- at full tilt.

    Dr. N: Are you a soul who enjoys controlling other people?

    S: I wouldn’t say control, exactly. I avoid choosing to be people who have no intense involvement with those around them.

    Dr. N: Sumus, aren’t you being controlling when you try to direct other souls in their lives?

    S: (no response)

    Dr. N: What would Jor say about your human relationships?

    S: Hmm … that I like power as a means of influencing the acts of humans who are decision makers. That I crave social and political groups where I lead.

    Dr.  N:  So,  you would not  enjoy being in a  human  body which was quiet  and unassuming?

    S: Definitely not.

    Dr. N: (I push harder) Sumus, isn’t it true you took pleasure in the way you were a part of Haroum’s misuse of power in Arabia, and that you gain satisfaction as Steve from mistreating your employees in Texas?

    S: (loudly) No, that isn’t true! Things get out of hand easily when you try to lead humans. It’s the conditions on Earth which screw everything up. It isn’t all my fault.

    Dr. N: Is it possible that both Haroum and Steve became more extreme in their conduct because your soul was with them?

    S: (heavily) I haven’t done well, I know that …

    Dr. N: Look Sumus, I hope you know I don’t think you are a bad soul. But maybe you are easily seduced by the trappings of human authority and you have now become someone who feels in conflict with society.

    S: (disturbed) You are beginning to sound like Jor!

    Dr. N: I don’t presume to be doing that, Sumus. Perhaps Jor is helping us both to understand what is going on inside you.

    S: Probably.

    Steve and I have reached a productive stage of contact with his soul. I address this subject as if he were two people, while tightening the bowstring between his conscious and unconscious self. After applying additional conditioning to pull these two forces closer together, I close our session with a final series of questions. It is important his mind not be allowed to drift or his memories to become dissociated. To foster responsiveness, my questions are confrontive and spoken rapidly to increase the tempo of my subject’s answers.

    Dr. N: Sumus, begin by telling me why you originally accepted Steve’s body.

    S: To … rise above my attraction for leading others … always wanting to be in charge …

    Dr. N: Is your soul identity in conflict with the direction Steve’s life has taken?

    S: I don’t like that part of him which is fighting to be on top and, at the same time, having thoughts of escape by self-destruction.

    Dr. N: If this is a contradiction for you, why does it exist? S:… childhood … sadness … (stops)

    Dr. N: Who am I listening to now? Sumus, why aren’t you more active in helping yourself, as Steve, overcome the shame of abandonment by Eone and your anger from an unloving childhood with Talu and Kalish?

    S:… I am grown now … and managing others … won’t let people hurt me anymore.

    Dr. N: Sumus, if you and Steve are now speaking to me as one intelligence, I want to know why your lifestyle is so self-destructive.

    S: (long pause) Because my weakness is … using power for self-preservation on Earth.

    Dr. N: Do you feel if you were less controlling of people as an adult, life would revert to the way you were treated as a child?

    S: (angrily) Yes!

    Dr. N: And when you don’t get self-gratification from the body of your choice, what do you do as a soul?

    S: I…tune out…

    Dr. N: I see, and how is this accomplished, Sumus? S: By not … being too active.

    Dr. N: Because you are intimidated by a body in an emotional tailspin? S: Well… I go into a shell.

    Dr. N: So, you use avoidance in not actively dealing with the major lesson you came to Earth to learn?

    S: Uh huh.

    Dr. N: Steve, your adoptive parents were rough on you, weren’t they? S: Yes.

    Dr. N: Do you now see why?

    S: (pause) To know what being constantly judged is like.

    Dr. N: What else?

    S: To … overcome … and be whole. (bitterly) I don’t know…

    Dr. N: I think you do know, Steve. Tell me about the damaged self you present to people around you.

    S: (after some procrastination) Pretending to be happy covering up my feelings by drinking and mistreating people.

    Dr. N: Do you want to stop this cover up and go to work?

    S: Yes, I do.

    Dr. N: Define who you really want to be.

    S:(tearfully)I… we don’t want to be hostile to people … but don’t want to risk being a … non-person … without respect or recognition, either. Dr. N: So you are on a fence?

    S: (quietly) Yes, life is so painful.

    Dr. N: Do you think this is an accident?

    S: No, I see it isn’t.

    Dr. N: Steve and Sumus, repeat after me: “I’m going to give back the pain of Eone, Talu, and Kalish, which they gave to me for my own good, and get on with my life by becoming the identity I really want to be.” (subject repeats these words three times for me)

    Dr. N: Steve, what are you going to do about revealing yourself in the future, and taking responsibility for improvement?

    S: (after a couple of false starts) Learn to be more honest.

    Dr. N: And to trust that you are not a victim of society?

    S: Yes.

    This case ended with my reinforcing Steve’s understanding of who he really is and his mission in life. I wanted to help liberate him as a person of value, with a contribution to make in society. We talked about his love and fear choices, as well as the necessity to get in touch with himself frequently. I felt we had laid the groundwork for his dealing with resentment and a lack of intimacy. I reminded Steve of the need for follow-up counseling.

    About a year later, he wrote to tell me his recovery was going well, and that he had found the lost child within himself. Steve realized his past mistakes were not failures, but the means to improvement.

    Case 27 demonstrates how the hard tasks we set for ourselves often begin in childhood. This is why considerable weight is given to family selection by the soul. The idea that each of us voluntarily agreed to be the children of a given set of parents before we came into this life is a difficult concept for some people to accept.

    Although the average person has experienced love from his or her parents, many of us have unresolved, hurtful memories of those near to us who should have offered protection and did not. We grow up thinking of ourselves as victims of biological parents and family members whom we inherited without any choice in the matter.

    This assumption is wrong.

    When clients tell me how much they suffered from the actions of family members, my first question to their conscious mind is, “If you had not been exposed to this person as a child, what would you now lack in understanding?”

    It may take a while, but the answer is in our minds. There are spiritual reasons for our being raised as children around certain kinds of people, just as other people are designated to be near us as adults.

    To know ourselves spiritually means understanding why we joined in life with the souls of parents, siblings, spouses, and close friends. There is usually some karmic purpose for receiving pain or pleasure from someone close to us. Remember, along with learning our own lessons, we come to Earth to play a part in the drama of others’ lessons as well.

    There are people who, because they live in a terrible environment, suspect the spirit world of not being a center of divine compassion. However, it is the ultimate in compassion when beings who are spiritually linked to each other come forward by prior agreement into human lives involving love-hate relationships. Overcoming adversity in these relationships may mean we won’t have to repeat certain abrasive alliances in future lives. Surviving such trials on Earth places us into a heightened state of perception with each new life and enhances our identity as souls.

    People in trance may have trouble making a clear distinction between their soul identity and human ego. If the human personality has little structure beyond the five senses and basic drives for survival without ensoulment, then the soul is our total personality. This means, for example, that one could not have a human ego which is jealous and also possess a soul which is not jealous.

    Yet my cases indicate there are subtle variations between their soul identity and all that is manifested by the human personalities of many host bodies. Case 27 showed similarities and differences in the personalities of Haroum and Steve. Our constant soul-self seems to be a governing agent of human temperament, but we may express ourselves differently with each body.

    The souls of my subjects apparently select bodies which try to match their character flaws with human temperament for specific growth patterns. In one life an overly cautious, low-energy soul might be disposed to blending with a quiet, rather subdued human host. This same soul, encouraged to take greater risks in another life, could choose to work more in opposition to it’s natural character by melding with a temperamentally high-strung, aggressive body-type on Earth.

    Souls both give and receive mental gifts in life through a symbiosis of human brain cells and intelligent energy. Deep feelings generated by an eternal consciousness are conjoined with human emotion in the expression of one personality, which is as it should be. We don’t need to change who we are in relation to life’s experiences, only our negative reactions to these events. Asian Buddhists say enlightenment is seeing the absolute soul ego reflected in the relative human ego and acting through it during life.

    In the chapters on beginning, intermediate, and advanced soul levels, I gave case samples of soul maturity. I think souls do demonstrate their own patterns of ego in the bodies they inhabit, and they exert a powerful influence over body performance. However, making hasty judgements on a soul’s maturity based solely on behavioral traits has its pitfalls. The design plan of souls could include holding parts of their energy in reserve in some lives. Sometimes a negative trait is selected by an otherwise developed soul for special attention in a certain body.

    We have seen how a soul selects the person with whom it wishes to associate in a given life. This does not mean that it has absolute control over that body. In extreme cases, a fractured personality struggling with internalized conflicts may result in a dissociative reaction to reality. I feel that this is a sign the soul is not always able to regulate and unify the human mind. I have mentioned how souls may become so buried by human emotion in bodies which are unstable, that by the time of death they are contaminated spirits. If we become obsessed by our physical bodies, or carried along on an emotional roller coaster in life, the soul can be subverted by its outer self.

    Many great thinkers in history believed the soul can never be fully homogeneous with the human body and that humans have two intellects. I consider human ideas and imagination as emanating from the soul,  which provides a catalyst for the human brain. How much reasoning power we would have without souls is impossible to know, but I feel that the attachment of souls to humans supplies us with insight and abstract thought. I view the soul as offering humans a qualitative reality, subject to conditions of heredity and environment.

    If it is true that every human brain has a host of biological characteristics, including raw intelligence and the facility for invention, which are separate from the soul, then choosing our body raises an important question. Do souls choose bodies whose intellectual capabilities match their own development? For instance, are advanced souls drawn to human brains with high intelligence? In looking at the scholastic and academic achievements of my clients, I find there is no more correlation here than with an immature soul being inclined to bodies with lower intellectual aptitudes.  The  philosopher  Kant  wrote  that  the  human  brain  is  only  a   function  of consciousness, not the source of real knowledge. Regardless of body choice, I find souls do demonstrate their individualism through the human mind. A person may be highly intelligent and yet have a closed attitude about adjusting to new situations, with little curiosity about the world. This indicates a beginner soul to me. If I see someone with an evenness of mood, whose interests and abilities are solidly in focus and directed toward helping human progress, I suspect an advanced soul at work. These are souls who seek personal truths beyond the demands of ego.

    It does seem a heavy burden that in every new life a soul must search all over again to find its true self in a different body. However, some light is allowed through the blackout of amnesia by spiritual masters who are not indifferent to our plight.

    When it comes to finding soulmates on Earth and remembering aspects of the lives we saw in the place of life selection, there is an ingenious form of coaching which is given to souls just before the next life.

    We will see how this is done in the following chapter.

    Preparation for Embarkation

    AFTER souls have completed their consultations with guides and peers about the many physical and psychological ramifications of a new life and body choice, the decision to incarnate is made. It would be logical to assume that they would then go immediately to Earth. This doesn’t happen before a significant element of preparation occurs.

    By now I’m sure it is understood that souls returning from the place of life selection must not only sort out the best choice of who they are going to be in their next life, but coordinate this decision with other players in the coming drama. Using the analogy of life as being one big stage play, we will have the lead role as an actor or actress. Everything we do in the play affects other minor characters (minor because they are not us) in the script. Their parts can be altered by us and ours by them because script changes (the result of free will) can be made while the play is in progress. Those souls who are going to have a close association with us on the stage of life represent our supporting cast, each with prominent roles. But how will we know them?

    The issue of how to find soulmates and other important people in their lives is of paramount concern with many clients who come to me seeking hypnotic regression. Eventually, most of my subjects answer their own questions in superconsciousness because finding these souls was an integral part of their preparations for leaving the spirit world. The space souls go to for this in the spirit world is commonly called the place of recognition, or recognition class. I am told the activity here is like cramming for a final exam. As a result, my subjects also use the term prep-class to describe this aspect of spiritual reinforcement that occurs just before their souls embark on the passage back to Earth. The next case represents this experience.

    In order to clearly understand what is behind the spiritual activity of a recognition class, perhaps the word soulmate ought to be defined. For many of us, our nearest and dearest soulmate is our spouse. Yet, as we have seen in previous cases, souls of consequence in our lives may also be other family members or a close friend. The amount of time they are with us on Earth can be long or short. What matters is the impact they have on us while here.

    At the risk of oversimplifying a complex issue, our relationships can be divided into a few general categories. First, there is the kind of relationship involving love which is so deep that both partners genuinely don’t see how each could live without the other. This is a mental and physical attraction which is so strong neither partner doubts that they were meant for each other.

    Second, there are relationships based upon companionship, friendship, and mutual respect. Finally, we have associations based largely upon more casual acquaintances which offer some purposeful ingredient to our life. Thus, a soulmate can take many forms, and meeting people who fall into one of these categories is no game of Russian roulette.

    Soulmates are designated companions to help you and themselves accomplish mutual goals which can best be achieved by supporting each other in various situations. In terms of friends and lovers, identity recognition of kindred spirits comes from our highest consciousness. It is a wonderful and mysterious experience, both physically and mentally.

    Connecting with beings we know from the spirit world, in all sorts of physical disguises, can be harmonious or frustrating. The lesson we must learn from human relationships is accepting people for who they are without expecting our happiness to be totally dependent upon anyone. I have had clients come to me with the assumption that they are probably not with a soulmate because of so much turmoil and heartbreak in their marriages and relationships. They fail to realize that karmic lessons set difficult standards for each of us and painful experiences involving the heart are deliberate tests in life. They are often of the hardest kind.

    Whatever the circumstances, relationships between people are the most vital part of our lives. Is it coincidence, ESP, deja vu, or synchronicity when the right time and place come together and you meet someone for the first time who will bring meaning into your life? Was there a fleeting forgotten memory-something familiar tugging at the back of your mind? I would ask the reader to sort through those memories involving a distinctive first encounter with someone important in the past. Was it at school? Did this individual live in your neighborhood? How about meeting him or her at work or during some recreation? Did someone introduce you, or was it a chance meeting? What did you feel at that moment?

    I hate to tamper with your fond recollections of a supposedly spontaneous past meeting, but such descriptions as chance, happenstance, or impulse aren’t applicable to crucial contacts. This makes them no less romantic. In cases involving soulmates, I have heard many heartfelt accounts of close spiritual beings who journeyed across time and space to find each other as physical beings at a particular geographic spot on Earth at a certain moment. It is also true our conscious amnesia can make meeting significant people difficult and we may take a wrong turn and miss the connection at some juncture. However, there can be a prearrangement here for back-up contingencies.

    In the case which follows, I will begin the dialogue at a point in the session where I am asking my subject about his spirit world activity just before rebirth into his present life.

    Case 28 – Before rebirth

    Dr. N: Is it close to the time when you will be leaving the spirit world for another life?

    S: Yes … I’m about ready.

    Dr. N: After you left the place of life selection, was your soulmind made up as to who you would be and the people you were to meet on Earth?

    S: Yes, everything is beginning to come together for me.

    Dr. N: What if you had second thoughts about your choice of a time frame or a particular human body? Could you back out?

    S: (sighs) Yes, and I have done that before-we all have-at least the people I know. Most of the time it’s intriguing to think about being alive on Earth again.

    Dr. N: But what if you resisted coming back to Earth shortly before you were due to incarnate?

    S: It’s not that … rigid. I would always discuss the possibilities … my concerns for a new life with my tutor and companions before making a firm commitment. The tutors know when we are stalling, but I have made up my mind.

    Dr. N: Well, I’m glad. Now tell me, once you are firmly committed to return to Earth, does anything else of importance transpire for you in the spirit world?

    S: I must go to the recognition class.

    Dr. N: What is this place like for you?

    S: It’s an observation meeting … with my companions … so I can recognize them later.

    Dr. N: When I snap my fingers you will go immediately to this class. Are you ready?

    S: Yes, I am.

    Dr. N: (snapping my fingers) Explain to me what you are doing.

    S: I… am floating in … with the others… to hear the speaker.

    Dr. N: I would like to accompany you, but you will have to be my eyes-is that all right?

    S: Sure, but we must hurry a little.

    Dr. N: How does this place appear to you?

    S: Mm. … a circular auditorium with a raised dais in the middle-that’s where the speakers are.

    Dr. N: Are we going to float in and sit down on seats?

    S: (shakes head) Why would we need seats?

    Dr. N: Just wondering. How many souls are around us?

    S: Oh … about ten or fifteen … people who are going to be close to me in the life to come.

    Dr. N: That’s all the souls you see?

    S: No, you asked how many were around me. There are others … further away in groups … to hear their speakers.

    Dr. N: Are the ten or fifteen souls around you all from your cluster group? S: Some of them.

    Dr. N: Is this gathering similar to the one near the gateway where you met a few people right after your last life?

    S: Oh no, that was more quiet … with just my family.

    Dr. N: Why was that homecoming meeting more quiet than where we are now?

    S: I was still in a daze from losing my body. Here, there is lots of conversation and milling around … anticipation … our energy is really up. Listen, we have to move along faster, I have got to hear what the speakers are saying.

    Dr. N: Are these speakers your tutor-guides?

    S: No, they are the prompters.

    Dr. N: Are they souls who specialize in this sort of thing?

    S: Yes, they give us the signs by coming up with ingenious ideas.

    Dr. N: Okay, let’s move in close to the prompter while you continue to tell me what is happening.

    S: We form a circle around the dais. The prompter is floating back and forth in the center-pointing a finger at each of us and saying we must pay close attention. I have to do it!

    Dr. N: (lowering my voice) I understand and I wouldn’t want you to miss a thing, but please explain what you mean by signs.

    S: This prompter is assigned to us so we will know what to look for in our next life. The signs are placed in our mind now in order to jog our memories later as humans.

    Dr. N: What kind of signs?

    S: Flags-markers in the road of life.

    Dr. N: Could you be more specific?

    S: The road signs kick us into a new direction in life at certain times when something important is supposed to happen … and then we must know the signs to recognize one another, too.

    Road Signs on the road of life.
    Road Signs on the road of life.

    Dr. N: And this class takes place for souls before each new life?

    S: Naturally. We need to remember the little things …

    Dr. N: But haven’t you already previewed the details of your next life in the place of life selection?

    S: That’s true, but not the small details. Besides, I didn’t know all the people who would be operating with me then. This class is a final review … bringing all of us together.

    Dr. N: For those of you who will have an impact on each other’s lives?

    S: That’s right, it’s mainly a prep-class because we won’t recognize each other at first on Earth.

    Dr. N: Do you see your primary soulmate here?

    S: (flushing) … she is here … and there are other people that I am supposed to contact… or they will contact me in some way … the others need their signs, too.

    Dr. N: Oh, so that’s why these souls are a mixed gathering of entities from different groups. They are all going to play some significant role in each other’s new life.

    S: (impatiently) Yes, but I can’t listen to what is going on with you talking … Shhh! Dr. N: (lowering my voice again) All right, on the count of three I am going to hold this class in suspension for a few minutes so you won’t miss anything. (softly) One, two, three. The speaker is now quiet while you are going to explain a little more about the flags and the signs. Okay?

    S: I… guess so.

    Dr. N: I am going to call these signs memory triggers. Are you telling me there will be special triggers for each of these people with you?

    S: That’s why we have been brought together. There will be times in my life when these people will appear. I must try to … remember some … action by them … the way they look … move … talk.

    Dr. N: And each will trigger a memory for you?

    S: Yeah, and I’m going to miss some. The signs are supposed to click in our memory right away and tell us, “Oh, good, you are here now.” Inside us … we can say to ourselves, “It is time to work on the next phase.” They may seem like insignificant little things, but the flags are turning points in our lives.

    Dr. N: What if people miss these road flags or signs of recognition because, like you said, you forget what the prompter told you? Or, what if you choose to ignore your inclinations and take another path?

    S: (pause) We have other choices-they may not be as good-you can be stubborn, but… (stops)

    Dr. N: But, what?

    S: (with conviction) After this class we usually don’t forget the important signs.

    Dr. N: Why don’t our guides just give us the answers we need on Earth? Why all this fooling around with signs to remember things?

    S: For the same reason we go to Earth without knowing everything in advance. Our soul power grows with what we discover. Sometimes our lessons get resolved pretty fast … usually not. The most interesting part of the road are the turns and it’s best not to ignore the flags in our mind.

    Dr. N: All right, I am going to count from ten down to one, and when I reach one, your class will start again and you will listen while the prompter gives out signs. I will not speak until you raise the index finger of your right hand. This will be my sign that the class is over and you can relate to me the signs you are to remember. Are you ready?

    S: Yes.

    Note: I finish my count and wait a couple of minutes before my subject raises his finger. This is a simple example of why time comparisons between Earth and spirit worlds are meaningless.

    Dr. N: That didn’t take long.

    S: Yes, it did. The speaker had a lot to go through with all of us.

    Dr. N: I assume you have the details of recognition signs now firmly in your mind?

    S: I hope so.

    Dr. N: Good, then tell me about the last sign you were given as the class ended.

    S: (pause) A silver pendant… I will see it when I am seven years old around the neck of a woman on my street… she always wore it.

    Dr. N: How will this silver object be a trigger for you?

    S: (abstractly) It shines in the sun … to catch my attention … I must remember …

    Dr. N: (in a commanding tone) You have the capacity to bring your spiritual and earthly knowledge together. (placing my hand on the subject’s forehead) Why is the soul of this woman important for you to know?

    S: I meet her riding my bike on our street. She smiles … the silver pendant is bright … I ask about it … we become friends.

    Dr. N: Then what?

    S: (wistfully) I will know her only a short time before we move, but it is enough. She will read to me and talk to me about life and teach me to … respect people …

    Dr. N: As you grow older, can people themselves be signs or provide flags to help you make a connection?

    S: Sure, they might arrange introductions at the right time.

    Dr. N: Do you already know most of the souls who will be meaningful people to you on Earth?

    S: Yes, and if I don’t, I’ll meet them in class.

    Dr. N: I guess they can set up love relationship meetings, too?

    S:  (laughs)  Oh,  the  matchmakers-yes  they  do  that,  but  meetings  can  be  for friendship … getting people together to help your career … that kind of stuff.

    Dr. N: Then the souls who are in this auditorium and elsewhere can be involved with different kinds of associations in your life?

    S: (enthusiastically) Yeah, I’m going to connect with the guy who is on my baseball team. Another one will be a farming partner-then there will be my life-long pal from grade school.

    Dr. N: What if you connect with the wrong person in business, love, or whatever? Does that mean you missed a relationship sign or a red flag for an important event?

    S: Hmm….. it probably won’t be wrong, exactly … it could be a jump start to get you going in a new direction.

    Dr. N: Okay, now tell me what is the most important recognition sign you must remember from this prep-class.

    S: Melinda’s laugh.

    Dr. N: Who is Melinda?

    S: My wife-to-be.

    Dr. N: What is there to remember about Melinda’s laugh?

    S: When we meet, her laugh is going to … sound like tiny bells … chimes … I really can’t describe it to you. Then, the scent of her perfume when we first dance … a familiar fragrance … her eyes.

    Dr. N: So, you are actually given more than one trigger sign for your soulmate?

    S: Yes, I’m so dense I guess the prompters thought I needed more clues. I didn’t want to make a mistake when I met the right person.

    Dr. N: What is supposed to trigger her recognition of you?

    S: (grins) My big ears … stepping on her toes dancing … what we feel when we first hold each other.

    It is an old saying that the eyes are the windows to our soul. No physical attribute has more impact when soulmates meet on Earth. As to our other physical senses, I mentioned in an earlier chapter that souls retain such memories as sounds and smell. All five senses may be used by spiritual prompters as recognition signals in future lives.

    Case 28 began to express some discomfort with my keeping him from participating in his spiritual recognition class. I reinforced his visual association of floating around a central dais in an auditorium (other people use different names). I gave my subject time to finish taking instruction and communicating with his friends and them moved him out of the place of recognition.

    It is my practice never to rush clients in and out of their spiritual settings during a session because I find this hinders the intensity of concentration and recall. When we had established ourselves away from the other souls, I talked to this man about his soulmate, Melinda. I learned these two souls were most comfortable in husband and wife roles although occasionally they chose to relate differently in their lives together. Both these souls wanted to make sure they would connect on Earth in their current lives. I thought I would follow up on what actually had transpired.

    Dr. N: When you and Melinda came to Earth and were young, did you live close to each other?

    S: No, I lived in Iowa and she was in California … (musing) it was Clair that I knew in Iowa.

    Dr. N: Were you interested in Clair romantically?

    S: Yes, I almost married her. It was close-and that would have been a mistake. Clair and I weren’t right for each other, but going together in high school had become a habit.

    Dr. N: And yet you left your home town for California?

    S: Yes … Clair didn’t want me to go, but my parents wanted to leave our farm and move west. I liked Iowa and was uneasy about moving and torn over leaving Clair, who was still in high school.

    Dr.  N:  Was  there  a  road  sign-a  flag  of  some  sort-which  helped  you  make  the decision to move with your parents?

    S: (sighs) It was my sister who waved a red flag at me. She convinced me I would have more opportunities in the city where my parents were planning to go.

    Dr. N: Do you see your sister in the spirit world?

    S: Oh yeah, she is in my circle (cluster group).

    Dr. N: Is Clair one of your soulmates?

    S. (pause) More a friend … just friends

    Dr. N: Was leaving Clair hard for you?

    S: Oh, yes … even more for her. We were sexually attracted to each other in high school. The infatuation had no real mental connection……. it’s so hard on Earth to figure out what you are supposed to do with other people … sex is a big trap … we would have grown bored with one another.

    Dr. N: Was the physical attraction different with Melinda than you had with Clair?

    The women in red from the movie "The Matrix". Key symbols or "flags" are provided to us to keep our progress and learning in mind.
    The women in red from the movie “The Matrix”. Key symbols or “flags” are provided to us to keep our progress and learning in mind.

    S: (pause) When Melinda and I met at the dance there was the strong physical attraction of her body… and I guess she liked the way I looked, too … but we both felt something much more …

    Dr. N: I want to get this straight. Did you and Melinda choose your male and female bodies in the spirit world deliberately to attract each other once you reached Earth?

    S: (nodding) To … some extent … but we were attracted to each other on Earth because inside our minds was the memory of what we were supposed to look like.

    Dr. N: When the time of the dance rolled around, what happened in your mind?

    S: I can see it all now. Our tutor was helping Melinda and me that night. My idea to go to the dance was sudden. I hate to dance because I’m clumsy. I didn’t know anybody in the town yet and felt stupid, but I was guided there.

    Dr. N: Had you and Melinda scripted the dance scene together during the spiritual prep-class?

    S: Yes, we knew about it then and when I saw her at the dance, alarms went off. I did something very uncharacteristic of me … I cut in on the man she was dancing with. When I first held her my legs were like rubber.

    Dr. N: And what else did you and Melinda feel at that moment?

    S: As if we were in another world … there was this familiarity… it was so weird during that dance … a knowing without doubt that something important was unfolding … the guidance … the intent of our meeting… our hearts were racing… it was enchantment.

    Dr. N: Then why was Clair in your life earlier as a complication?

    S: To tempt me to stay on the farm … one of the false trails I needed to get past … another kind of life. After I left, Clair found the right person.

    Dr. N: If you and Clair had taken the lesser trail together and missed your sister’s flag, would that life have been a total disaster?

    S: No, but it would not have been as good. There is one main course of life we choose in advance, but alternatives always exist and we learn from them, too.

    Dr. N: In your lives do you ever make mistakes and take false trails and miss the flags in the road for a job change, moving to another town, or meeting someone important because the details you saw at the place of life selection or in the recognition class were not implanted firmly enough?

    S: (long pause) The signs are there. But, sometimes I overrule my … inclinations. There are times in my lives when I change directions because of too much thinking and analysis. Or, I do nothing for the same reasons.

    Dr. N: Ah, so you might do something other than what was planned in the spirit world?

    S: Yeah, and it may not work out as well … but we have the right to miss the red flags.

    Dr. N: Well, I have enjoyed our talk about the place of recognition and I wondered if there is anything else this spiritual class does for you later in physical life.

    S: (in a far away voice) Yes, sometimes when I am confused abut my life and don’t know where to turn next, I just … imagine where I might be going compared to where I’ve been and … it comes to me what to do.

    Helping clients recognize people who were destined to have an impact on their lives is a fascinating aspect of my practice. I believe those who come to see me about relationships are not in my office at a certain point in their lives by chance. Am I spoiling the purpose of their spiritual recognition class by assisting these subjects in recalling clues? I don’t think so, for two basic reasons. What they are not supposed to know yet probably won’t be revealed in hypnosis, while on the other hand, quite a few of my clients only want confirmation of what they already suspect is true.

    I can speak about recognition signs from personal experience, since I was blessed by three specific clues to help me find my wife. Thumbing through Look magazine as a teenager, I once saw a Christmas advertisement for Hamilton watches modeled by a beautiful dark-haired woman dressed in white. The caption in the ad said, “To Peggy,” because she was holding a wristwatch as a gift from an imaginary husband. An odd sensation came over me, and I never forgot the name or face. On my twenty- first birthday I received a watch of the same make from a favorite aunt.

    A few years later, while attending a graduate school in Phoenix, I was washing a load of white laundry one Saturday. Suddenly, the first trigger was activated in my mind with the message, “It’s time to meet the woman in white.” I tried to shake it off, but the face in the ad pushed all other thoughts away. I stopped, looked at my Hamilton watch and heard the command, “Go now.” I thought about who wears white. Acting as if I was obsessed, I went to the largest hospital in the city and asked at the desk for a nurse matching the name and description.

    I was told there was such a person who was coming off her shift. When I saw her, I was stunned by the resemblance to the picture in my mind. Our meeting was awkward and embarrassing, but later we sat in the lobby and talked non-stop for four hours as old friends who hadn’t seen each other for a while-which, of course,

    In the movie "The Matrix", the hero was told to "follow the rabbit". Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Some people appeared
    In the movie “The Matrix”, the hero was told to “follow the rabbit”. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Some people appeared and one of the girls had a tattoo of a rabbit on her shoulder.

    was true. I waited until after we were married to tell my wife about the reason I came to her hospital and the clues given to me to find her. I didn’t want her to think I was crazy. It was then I learned that on the day of our first meeting she had told her astonished friends, “I just met the man I’m going to marry.

    My advice to people about meaningful encounters is not to intellectualize coming events too much. Some of our best decisions come from what we call instinct. Go with your gut feelings at the time. When a special moment is meant to happen in life, it usually does.

    One of the last requirements before embarkation for many souls is to go before the Council of Elders for the second time. While some of my subjects see the Council only once between lives, most see them right after death and just before rebirth. The spirit world is an environment personified by order and the Elders want to reinforce the significance of a soul’s goals for the next life. Sometimes my clients tell me they return to their spirit group after this meeting to say goodbye while others say they leave immediately for reincarnation. The latter procedure was used by a subject who described this exit meeting in the following manner.

    “My guide, Marge, escorts me to a soft, white space which is like being in a cloud- filled enclosure. I see my committee of three waiting for me as usual. The middle Elder seems to have the most commanding energy. They all have oval faces, high cheekbones, no hair and smallish features. They seem to me to be sexless-or rather they appear to blend from male to female and back. I feel calm. The atmosphere is formal but not unfriendly. Each in turn asks me questions in a gentle way. The Elders are all-knowing about my entire span of lives but they are not as directive as one might think. They want my input to assess my motivations and the strength of my resolve towards working in new body. I am sure they have had a hand in the body choices I was given for the life to come because I feel they are skilled strategists in life selection. The committee wants me to honor my contract. They stress the benefits of persistence and holding to my values under adversity. I often give in too easily to anger and they remind me of this while reviewing my past actions and reactions towards events and people. The Elders and Magra give me inspiration, hope and encouragement to trust my-self more in bad situations and not let things get out of hand. And then, as a final act to bolster my confidence when I am about to leave, they raise their arms and send a power bolt of positive energy into my mind to take with me.”

    One aspect of the two council meetings which I initially found rather odd is that members of the same soul group do not necessarily go before the same panel. For a while I assumed there would always be a correlation here because ail members of a single soul group have the same guide. I was wrong. In the minds of my subjects, even senior guides are thought to be a couple of steps below the developmental level of the omnipotent beings who make up their councils. They are similar to the Old Ones that Thece told us about in Chapter 11, but with more specific responsibilities toward life evaluation of souls. While a guide might, in some respects, be considered a personal confidant to a soul this same familiarity does not extend to an Elder. In time, I came to appreciate that an Elder’s authority, unlike that of guides, involves a cross-section of souls from many groups.

    Apparently, everyone in a soul group respects the intensely private nature of these proceedings. They all see their individual Council of Elders as godly. The Elders are bathed in bright light and the whole setting has an aura of divinity. A subject put it this way, “when we are taken into the presence of these superior beings who exist in such a high spiritual realm, it validates our feelings about the source of creation.”  

    Rebirth

    WE have seen how a soul’s decision to come forward into the next life at a specific time and place on Earth involves an ordered progression of spiritual planning. As I bring the soul consciousness of my subjects nearer to the moment of their exit from the spirit world, most become quietly introspective, while others engage in light bantering with their friends. These reactions toward what lies ahead depend more upon the individual soul than on the length of time since a last incarnation.

    Rebirth is a profound experience. Those souls getting ready for embarkation to Earth are like battle-hardened veterans girding themselves for combat. This is the last chance for souls to enjoy the omniscience of knowing just who they are before they must adapt to a new body. My last case involves the soul of a woman who offers us a well-defined description of her most recent passage to Earth.

    Case 29 – Good description

    Dr. N: Has the time arrived for you to be reborn into your next life?

    S: Yes, it has.

    Dr. N: What is uppermost in your mind about returning to Earth?

    S: The opportunity to live in the twentieth century. It’s an exciting time of many changes.

    Dr. N: And have you seen this life, or at least parts of it, in advance?

    S: Yes … I’ve been through that … (subject seems distracted)

    Dr. N: Is there something else you want to talk to me about concerning your next incarnation?

    S: I am having a last talk with Pomar (subject’s guide) on all the alternatives to my project (life).

    Dr. N: Might this be considered a final exit interview with Pomar?

    S: Yes, I suppose it would.

    Dr. N: Would it help you to talk to me about the contingency plans you have for the next life?

    S: (voice is dry and rather thin) I … think I have them straight …

    Dr. N: How did your recognition class go? I assume that phase of your preparation is complete?

    S: (still distracted) Uh-huh … I’ve met with the rest (of the participants) for my project.

    Dr. N: Are the recognition signs clear in your mind for meeting the right souls at the right time?

    S: (nervous laugh) Ah … the signals … my compacts with people … yes, that’s all done.

    Dr. N: Without analyzing or censoring your impressions in any way, tell me what you are feeling at this moment.

    S: I’m … just… gathering myself for… the big jump into a new life … there is apprehension … but I am excited, too

    Dr. N: Are you a little scared and perhaps wondering if you should go to Earth at all?

    S: (pause and then more cheerfully) A little … concern … for what lies ahead of me … leaving my home here … but happy, too, at the opportunity.

    Dr. N: So you have mixed emotions about leaving the spirit world?

    S: Most of us do, as our time draws near. I have second thoughts before some lives … but Pomar knows when I am lagging behind my schedule-you can’t hide anything here, you know.

    Dr. N: Okay, let’s assume it’s a go situation for your next life. On the count of three, your decision to return at an appointed time is firm and you are in the final stage to leave the spirit world. One, two, three! Describe to me what happens to you now.

    S: I say goodbye to everyone. This can be… difficult. (tosses her head back with resolution) Anyway, they all wish me well and I move away from them … drifting alone. There is no great rush Pomar allows me to collect my thoughts. When I am quite ready he comes to escort me … to offer encouragement … reassurance … and he knows when I am prepared to go.

    Dr. N: I sense that you are now more upbeat about the prospect of rebirth.

    S: Yes, it’s a period of inspiration and expectations… a new body … the course ahead

    I now prepare this subject to leave the spirit world for the last time before her current life. I am as careful here as when I brought her into the spirit world for the first time following normal age-regression. Starting with a reinforcement of the protective energy shield already placed around this  subject, I  apply additional conditioning techniques to keep her soul in proper balance with the mind of the child she is joining on Earth.

    Dr. N: All right, you and Pomar are together for your exit from the spirit world. I want you to go deep inside yourself and explain to me what you do next as if it were happening in slow motion. Go!

    S: (pause) We … begin to move… at a greater speed. Then I am aware of Pomar… detaching from me … and I am alone.

    Dr. N: What do you see and feel?

    S: Oh, I…

    Dr. N: Stay with it! You are alone and moving faster. Then what?

    S: (in a faint voice) … Away … slanting away … through pillows of whiteness … moving away …

    Dr. N: Stay with it! Keep going and report back to me.

    S: Oh, I’m … passing through… folds of silky cloth… smooth I’m on a band … a pathway … faster and faster

    Dr. N: Keep going! Don’t stop talking to me.

    S: Everything is blurred… I’m sliding down… down into a long, dark tube … a hollow feeling … darkness … then … warmth!

    Dr. N: Where are you now?

    S: (pause) I’m aware of being inside my mother.

    Dr. N: Who are you?

    S: (chuckles) I’m in a baby-I’m a baby.

    The hollow tube effect described by my cases is apparently not the mother’s birth canal. It is similar to the tunnel souls pass through at physical death and may be the same route.

    The reader might wonder why I would take more care with the act of birthing when I have already brought my subjects in and out of a number of past lives during a session. There are two reasons. First, reliving a past life does not need to involve the birthing process. I help my clients go straight from the spirit world into the next life, usually as adults. Second, if I return subjects to their current body and decide to command them to relive the birthing experience, I want to remove any minor discomforts felt by some people after they wake up.

    Before continuing with this case, I should offer a little more general information about souls and babies. All my subjects tell me the transition of their souls from the spirit world to the mind of a baby is relatively more rapid than the passage back.

    What is the reason for this difference?

    After physical death our souls travel through the time tunnel and move past a gateway into the spirit world in a progressive way. We have seen how the outward passage is intended to be more gradual than our return to Earth in order to allow for acclimatization of a newly freed soul.

    However, as souls who enter babies, we come from a state of all-knowing and thus are mentally able to adjust more quickly to our surroundings than at the end of a physical life. Then too, we are given additional time for adaptation while in our mother’s womb.

    Nevertheless,  having this time inside our mother does not mean we are fully prepared for the jarring paroxysm of birth, with blinding hospital lights, having to suddenly breathe air, and being physically handled for the first time. My subjects say if they were to compare the moment of birth with that of death, the physical shock of being born is much greater.

    At some point prior to birth, the soul will carefully touch and join more fully with the impressionable, developing brain of a baby. When a soul decides to enter a baby, apparently that child has no free choice in accepting or rejecting the soul.

    At the moment of first entry, chronological time begins for the soul.

    Depending upon the inclinations of the particular soul involved, the connection may be early or late in the mother’s pregnancy. I have had cases where souls timed their arrival at the last minute during delivery, but this is unusual. My findings indicate even those souls who join the baby early seem to do a lot of traveling outside the mother’s womb during her term.

    Once birth has taken place, the union of spirit and flesh has been fully solidified into a partnership. The immortal soul then becomes the seat of perception for the developing human ego. The soul brings a spiritual force which is the heritage of infinite consciousness. Although I have said souls can be confined by a human in trauma, they are never trapped. Besides leaving at the moment of death, souls may also come and go when the body is sleeping, in deep meditation, or under an anesthetic in surgery. The soul’s absences are much longer in cases of severe brain damage and coma.

    Case 29 continues by explaining the creative beauty of a soul joining with a new human being. This coupling of an intelligent life force before birth brings us full circle from the death scene described in Case 1.

    Dr. N: Well, I’m glad you arrive safe and sound in your new body. Tell me, how old is the baby?

    S: Five months have passed (since conception).

    Dr. N: Is this your usual arrival time as far as the maturation of a child?

    S: In my lives … I have arrived at different times … depending on the baby, the mother, and my life-to-be.

    Dr. N: As a soul, are you in distress if the baby is aborted from the mother’s womb for any reason before full term?

    S: We know if a baby is going to full term or not. Not being born comes as no surprise to us. We may be around to just comfort the child.

    Dr. N: Well, if the child does not go to term, is your life assignment as a soul aborted as well?

    S: No, there never was a full life assignment as far as that child was concerned.

    Dr. N: Might some babies who are aborted never have souls?

    S: That depends on how far along they are. The ones who die very early often don’t need us.

    Note: This issue was as hotly debated in the past as it is today. During the thirteenth century, the Christian church found it necessary to establish guidelines for the existence of souls with regard to an aborted fetus. St. Thomas Aquinas and other medieval theologians arbitrarily decided ensoulment took place forty days after conception.

    Dr. N: Assuming a baby is going to full term, do you know about the convergence habits of other souls with these children?

    S: (offhandedly) Oh, some float around more than others, going in and out of the baby until birth because they get bored.

    Dr. N: What do you usually do?

    S: I’m average, I guess. Actually, I don’t spend a long time at any one stretch with babies because it can get pretty dull.

    Dr. N: All right, let’s take this current situation inside your mother and allow some time to pass. What do you do when you are not with the unborn baby?

    S: (laughs with delight) You want the truth? I’ll tell you. Me-I play! It’s a fine time to leave and purely goof off … when the baby is less active. I have fun with my friends who are doing the same thing. We bounce around Earth to visit with each other … and go to interesting places … where we have once lived together in former lives.

    Dr. N: Don’t you and these other souls feel leaving the unborn baby for long periods is shirking the responsibilities of your assignment on Earth?

    S: (defensively) Oh, lighten up! Who said anything about long periods? I don’t do that! Anyway, our tough exercises haven’t begun yet.

    Dr. N: When you leave the baby for a while, what astral plane are you on in relation to Earth?

    S: We are still on the Earth plane … and we try not to get too distracted, either. A lot of our fooling around is in the neighborhood of the baby. I don’t want you to get the idea there is nothing for us to do with unborn babies.

    Dr.N: Oh…?

    S: (continues) I’m busy with this new mind, even though it’s not fully ready.

    Dr. N: Why don’t we talk more about that? When your soul enters a baby to remain with this new body for a lifetime, give me the scope of this undertaking.

    S: (takes a deep sigh) Once I attach to a child it is necessary to bring my mind into synchronization with the brain. We have to get used to each other as partners.

    Dr. N: This is what other people tell me, but do you and the baby have an affinity for each other right away?

    S: Well… I am in the mind of the child but separate, too. I go slowly at first. Dr. N: Okay, why don’t you explain what you do with the mind of the baby.

    S: It’s delicate and can’t be hurried. I start with a gentle probe … defining connections … gaps … every mind is different.

    Dr. N: Is there any conflict within the child against you?

    S: (softly) Ah … there is a slight resistance in the beginning … not full acceptance while I trace the passages … that’s usual … until there is familiarization (stops for a moment and laughs quietly). I keep bumping into myself!

    Dr. N: As you integrate with the baby, when does it become receptive to the force of your identity as a soul?

    S: I’m disturbed by your word “force.” We never force ourselves when entering an unborn baby. My tracing is done carefully.

    Dr. N: Did it take you many lives to learn to trace a human brain?

    S: Uh … a while … new souls are assisted with their tracing.

    Dr. N: Since you represent pure energy, are you tracing electrical brain connections such as neurotransmitters, nerve cells, and the like?

    S: (pause) Well, something like that … I disrupt nothing, though while I learn the brain wave patterns of the baby.

    Dr. N: Are you referring to the thought-regulation circuitry of the mind?

    S: How this person translates signals. Its capacity. No two children are the same.

    Dr. N: Be completely frank with me. Isn’t your soul taking over this mind and subjugating it to your will?

    S: You don’t understand. It’s a melding. There is an … emptiness before my arrival which I fill to make the baby whole.

    Dr. N: Do you bring intellect?

    S: We expand what is there.

    Dr. N: Could you be more specific about what your soul actually provides the human body?

    S: We bring a… comprehension of things… a recognition of the truth of what the brain sees.

    Dr. N: Are you sure this child doesn’t think of you at first as an alien entity in her mind?

    S: No, that’s why we unify with undeveloped minds. She recognizes me as a friend … a twin … who is going to be part of her. It’s as if the baby was waiting for me to come.

    Dr. N: Do you think a higher power prepares the baby for you?

    S: I don’t know, it would seem so.

    Dr. N: Is your work at unification completed before birth?

    S: Not really, but at birth we have started to complement each other.

    Dr. N: So, the unification process does take some time?

    S: Sure, while we adjust to each other. And, like I told you, I leave the unborn baby at intervals.

    Dr. N: But what about those souls who join babies at the last minute before birth? 

    S: Humph! That’s their style, not mine. They have to start their work in the crib. 

    Dr. N: How far along in age is the body by the time your soul stops leaving the child altogether?

    S: At about five or six years of age. Usually we get fully operational when the child starts school. Children under this age can be left to their own devices a lot.

    Dr. N: Don’t you have a duty to always be with your body?

    S: If things get bad in a physical way-then I’m back inside like a shot.

    Dr. N: How would you know this if you were off fooling around with other souls?

    S: Every brain has a wave pattern-it’s like a fingerprint. We know immediately if the baby assigned to us is in trouble.

    Dr. N: So, you are watching the baby assigned to you all the time-both inside and out-during the early stages of growth?

    S: (with pride) Oh yes, and I watch the parents. They might be having squabbles around the baby which sets up disturbing vibrations.

    Dr. N: If this happens to the child, what do you do as its soul?

    S: Quiet the child as best I can. Reach out to the parents through the baby to calm them.

    Dr. N: Give me an example of how you can reach out to your parents?

    S: Oh, make the baby laugh in front of them by poking my parents’ faces with both hands. This sort of thing further endears babies to parents.

    Dr. N: As a soul, you can control motor movements of the baby?

    S: I’m … me. I can push a little on that part of the brain which controls movements. I can tickle the kid’s funny bone sometimes, too … I’ll do whatever it takes to bring harmony to my assigned family.

    Dr. N: Tell me what it is like being inside a mother’s womb.

    S: I like the warm comfortable feeling of love. Most of the time there is love … sometimes there is stress. Anyway, I use this time to think and plan what I am going to do after birth. I think about my past lives and missed opportunities with other bodies and this gives me incentive.

    Dr. N: And you haven’t yet had the memories of all your past lives and your life in the spirit world blocked out by amnesia?

    S: That starts after birth.

    Dr. N: When the baby is born, does it have any conscious thoughts of who its soul is and the reasons for the attachment?

    S: (pause) The child mind is so undeveloped it does not reason out this information. It does have parts of this knowledge as a means of comfort, which then fades. By the time I speak, this information is locked deep inside me and that’s the way it’s supposed to be.

    Dr. N: So, will you have fleeting thoughts of other lives as a child?

    S: Yes . . we daydream … the way we play as children … creating stories … having imaginary friends who are real .. but it fades. In the first few years of life babies know more than they are given credit for.

    Dr. N: All right, now it is the time right before your birth in this life. Tell me what you are doing.

    S: I’m listening to music.

    Dr. N: What music?

    S: I’m listening to my father play records-very relaxing for him-it helps him to think-I’m a bit anxious for him

    Dr. N: Why?

    S: (giggles) He thinks he wants a boy, but I’ll change his mind in a hurry! Dr. N: So, this is a productive time for you?

    S: (with determination) Yes, I’m busy planning for the approaching time when I will enter the world as a human and take that first breath. This is my last chance for quiet contemplation of the next life. When I come out-I’ll be running.

    Conclusion

    THE information contained in this book about the existence of souls after physical death represents the most meaningful explanation I have found in my life as to why we are here. All my years of searching to discover the purpose of life hardly prepared me for that moment when a subject in hypnosis finally opened the door to an eternal world.

    My oldest friend is a Catholic priest today. As boys walking together in the hills and along the beaches of Los Angeles we had many philosophical discussions, but were miles apart in our spiritual beliefs. He once told me, “I think it must take courage for you to be an atheist and believe in nothing beyond this life.” I didn’t see it that way at the time, nor for many years afterward. Starting at age five, I had been sent by my parents to military-type boarding schools for long periods. The feelings of abandonment and loneliness were so great I believed in no higher power than myself. I now realize strength was given to me in subtle ways I was unable to see. My friend and I still have different approaches to spirituality, but we both have convictions today that order and purpose in the universe emanate from a higher consciousness.

    Looking back,  I suppose it was no accident in my  own  life that people would eventually come to me for hypnosis-a medium of truth I could believe in-to tell me about guides, heavenly gateways, spiritual study groups, and creation itself in a world of souls. Even now, I sometimes feel like an intruder in the minds of those who describe the spirit world and their place in it, but their knowledge has given me direction.  Still,  I  wonder why  I  am the  messenger  for the  spiritual  knowledge contained in this book, when someone with less original cynicism and doubt would surely have been much better suited. Actually, it is the people represented in these cases who are the real messengers of hope for the future, not the reporter. Everything I have learned about who we are and where we come from, I owe to those who were drawn to me for help. They have taught me that a major aspect of our mission on Earth as souls is to mentally survive being cut off from our real home. While in a human body, the soul is essentially alone. A soul’s relative isolation on Earth during a temporary physical life is made more difficult on a conscious level by thoughts that nothing exists beyond this life. Our doubts tempt us into finding attachments solely in a physical world we can see. The scientific knowledge that Earth is only a grain of sand at the edge of a galactic shoreline within a vast sea in the universe adds to our feelings of insignificance.

    Why is no other living thing on Earth concerned with life after death? Is this simply

    because our inflated egos hate to think of life as only temporary, or is it because our being is associated with a higher power? People argue that any thoughts of a hereafter are wishful thinking. I used to do so myself. However, there is logic to the concept we were not created by accident for mere survival, and that we do operate within a universal system which directs the physical transformation of Self for a reason. I believe it is the voice of our souls, which tell us we do have personhood that is not intended to die.

    All the accounts of life after death in my case files have no scientific foundation to prove the statements of these subjects. To those readers who find the material offered in this book too unprecedented to accept, I would hope for one thing. If you carry away nothing except the idea you may have a permanent identity worth finding, I will have accomplished a great deal.

    One of the most troublesome concerns of all people who want to believe in something higher than themselves is the causality of so much negativity in the world. Evil is given as the primary example. When I ask my subjects how a loving God could permit suffering, surprisingly there are few variations in their responses. My cases report our souls are born of a creator which places a totally peaceful state deliberately out of reach so we will strive harder.

    We learn from wrongdoing. The absence of good traits exposes the ultimate flaws in our nature. That which is not good is testing us, otherwise we would have no motivation to better the world through ourselves, and no way to measure advancement. When I ask my subjects about the alternating merciful and wrathful qualities we perceive to be the self-expression of a teacher-oversoul, some of them say the creator only shows certain attributes to us for specific ends. For instance, if we equate evil with justice and mercy with goodness and if God allowed us only to know mercy, there would be no state of justice.

    This book presents a theme of order and wisdom rising from many spiritual energy levels. In a remarkable underlying message, particularly from advanced subjects, the possibility is held out that the God-oversoul of our universe is on a less-than- perfect level. Thus, complete infallibility is deferred to an even higher divine source. From my work I have come to believe that we live in an imperfect world by design. Earth is one of countless worlds with intelligent beings, each with its own set of imperfections to bring into harmony. Extending this thought further, we might exist as one single dimensional universe out of many, each having its own creator governing at a different level of proficiency in levels similar to the progression of souls seen in this book. Under this pantheon, the divine being of our particular house would be allowed to govern in His, Her, or Its own way.

    If the souls who go to planets in our universe are the offspring of a parent oversoul who is made wiser by our struggle, then could we have a more divine grandparent who is the absolute God? The concept that our immediate God is still evolving as we are takes nothing away from an ultimate source of perfection who spawned our God. To my mind, a supreme, perfect God would not lose omnipotence or total control over all creation by allowing for the maturation of less-than-perfect superior offspring. These lesser gods could be allowed to create their own imperfect worlds as a final means of edification so they might join with the ultimate God.

    The reflected aspects of divine intervention in this universe must remain as our ultimate reality. If our God is not the best there is because of the use of pain as a teaching tool, then we must accept this as the best we have and still take the reasons for our existence as a divine gift. Certainly this idea is not easy to convey to someone who is physically suffering, for example, from a terminal illness. Pain in life is especially insidious because it can block the healing power of our souls, especially if we have not accepted what is happening to us as a preordained trial. Yet, throughout life, our karma is designed so that each trial will not be too great for us to endure.

    At a wat temple in the mountains of Northern Thailand, a Buddhist teacher once reminded me of a simple truth. “Life,” he said, “is offered as a means of self- expression, only giving us what we seek when we listen to the heart.” The highest forms of this expression are acts of kindness. Our soul may be traveling away from a permanent home, but we are not just tourists. We bear responsibility in the evolution of a higher consciousness for ourselves  and others in life. Thus, our journey is a collective one.

    We are divine but imperfect beings who exist in two worlds, material and spiritual.

    It is our destiny to shuttle back and forth between their universes through space and time while we learn to master ourselves and acquire knowledge. We must trust in this process with patience and determination. Our essence is not fully knowable in most physical hosts, but Self is never lost because we always remain connected to both worlds.

    A number of my more advanced subjects have stated there is a growing movement in the spirit world to “change the game rules on Earth.” These people say their souls had less amnesia about Self and the interlife when they lived in earlier cultures. It seems in the last few thousand years there has been tighter blocking, on a conscious level, of our immortal memories. This has been a contributing factor in the loss of faith in our capacity for self-transcendence.

    Earth is filled with people who feel an empty hopelessness toward the meaning of life. The lack of connection with our immortality combined with the availability of mind-altering chemicals and overpopulation has created rumbles upstairs.

    I am told large numbers of souls who have had more frequent incarnations in recent centuries on Earth are opting, when they get the chance, for less stressful worlds.

    There are enlightened places where amnesia is greatly reduced without causing homesickness for the spirit world. As we approach the next millennium, the masters who direct Earth’s destiny appear to be making changes to permit more information and understanding of who we are and why we are here to come into our lives.

    Conclusion
    The complete redefinition of the human sentience will make the earth a far less stressful place. However, if the earth is stratified, then only one human species would become better, the other would have it far, far worse..

    Perhaps the most gratifying feature of my work in uncovering the existence of a spirit world in the minds of my subjects is the effect this conscious knowledge has on them.

    The most significant benefit which comes from knowing we have a home of everlasting love waiting for us, is being receptive to the higher spiritual power within our minds.

    The awareness that we do belong somewhere is reassuring and offers us peace, not merely as a haven from conflict, but to unify ourselves with a universal mind. One day we are going to finish this long journey-all of us-and reach an ultimate state of enlightenment, where everything is possible.

    This is the final part of a multiple part series. To go to the start, please click HERE.

    Do you want to see the main index?

    You can access the main index of these kinds of articles here…

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    Going to school after the EBP insertion and calibration.

    This post discusses a hidden aspect of the EBP. It was used to teach and / train me (aside from it’s other purposes).

    Once I had the EBP installed, and my genetic makeup modified, I underwent a long period of time being trained. This was during the time that I described in my post; lost as an autonomous vagabond. This period in my life was absolutely confusing. As I lived on the outskirts of society, living hand-to-mouth at a below-poverty level. While all the time, my consciousness was partitioned and participating within a training regimen.

    Here we will discuss what it was like for me during my training and the kind of things that I was taught. It’s way, way, WAY “out there” and rather incredulous. But this is my record, and this is my autobiography. Read it or not. Believe it or not. I don’t fucking care. It’s your life.

    Sponsors

    I was trained by our extraterrestrial benefactors. MAJestic had nothing to do with the training. It was all associated with the EBP.

    MAJestic

    MAJestic controlled the ELF probes only.

    They were used to monitor what was going on between the benefactors and my mind. I do believe that it must have been rather boring to the operators, as it relied on the optical sensors and the auditory sensors of my brain. While just about all the activity took place with consciousness with operates outside of the brain.

    There was activity that took place between the ELF and the benefactors in regards to mission parameters at Oxia Palus. But this began AFTER this period of training.

    MAJestic knew about the EBP. They knew that it was installed, and that I had a role that involved our benefactors. They also knew that they had to be “hands off” in regards to this role.

    They did not know the scope of what the EBP entailed, or what my actual role with the benefactors would be.

    Technology

    Our benefactors consider the physical world to be a small part of the totality of reality. They operate within the non-physical world, and what we see in the physical is but a small part of their operations.

    Thus it makes complete sense that I would be trained in using their technology, and their systems within their environment. And ya!, it’s really, really different than anything we (as humans) know.

    The Mantids are a multi-dimensional species, and the EBP interfaced with that species using their technologies and their sciences.

    Sequence of events.

    This is the sequence of events…

    • Enter MAJestic.
    • ELF probes installed.
    • EBP installed and genetically re-engineered.
    • Left on my own as a vagabond.
    • Training via the EBP while a vagabond. – You are HERE.
    • Recovery by MAJestic at China Lake Naval Weapons Center.
    • Calibration of the ELF probes at China Lake.
    • Operations with the ELF probes via Oxia Palus.
    • Mission operations…

    The Schools

    To understand what is going on, you need to recognize that over a period of at least three years I “attended” schooling. It occurred in my mind via my consciousness. My brain observed two things happening all at once.

    • I lived a normal physical life, and my consciousness participated in that life.
    • My brain also observed that my consciousness attended school in the non-physical realms. This occurred simultaneously with my normal day to day life.

    This education took place with my partitioned consciousness and our benefactors. There was zero participation with MAJestic. To an outside observer, there was zero physical evidence that anything was going on. There was nothing that would tell an outside observer what I was going through or enduring.

    I went through “training” of a unknown nature at facilities and training centers.

    While there were occasional “schools” that I attended that lasted for under a day. Most attendance was sequential at various “facilities” or “places”.

    Appearance

    While my consciousness migrated in the non-physical worlds, it would attend schools. These schools in all instances resembled human structures with campuses, buildings, vegetation, parks, quads, and entities. Most of the entities were human people, for the most part, but not always.

    The appearance of the structures varied from a simple outdoor amphitheater to huge buildings of amazing construction and complexity.

    I would attend classes with other students. Some of the classes had a few as three students while other classes had perhaps thirty. Most of the classes were of small size. Only a a few very rare occasions did I participate in larger classes.

    There would be a teacher / instructor.

    Often, that instructor would take a special notice of me and devote the class to my particular studies while the rest of the class watched on. I have no idea why this was the case.

    Class length and duration

    This education at different facilities had a degree of uniformity to it. I would attend “training” at one place for a period of time, and then attend another school or a different period of time. After that, another school, and then again, yet another school.

    Duration was typically three days per school. This would occur during my waking life, as well as intrude into my dreams. I was 24-7 “on” in regards to this.

    The longest time that I spent at any school was (perhaps) around two and a half weeks. The shortest time was just a few hours. I estimate that I attended perhaps 300 to 350 different “schools”.

    That is quite a lot, in case you aren’t paying attention.

    Breaks / vacations

    There were breaks between sessions. I do not know why the breaks occurred or what was behind the breaks. Breaks typically lasted between four to six days. Then the education procedure would continue. I would typically have a break every three or four months or so.

    When I was on a break, I would have a more or less “normal” life. No strange thoughts, experiences, dreams or feelings.

    Subjects

    The subjects were beyond the conception of anything that I can explain. Sorry.

    If we used a scale to compare educational complexity, we might be able to compare difficulty and advancement levels. So here’s my attempt.

    • Toddler learning how to walk – 1
    • Kindergarten – 4
    • Elementary School – 12
    • High school – 22
    • College – 38
    • Post-graduate studies – 45

    Using that as a scale, I would say that the content, the subjects, the content and the degree of saturation and density of the information portrayed as…

    • EBP 3 year training – 3450

    Graduation(s)

    I attended numerous “programs” that consisted of “blocks” of education and specific “classes”.

    After a certain period of time had elapsed I would then attend another school.

    Infrequently, and for reasons I do not understand, I would attend a sort of “graduation ceremony”. This procedure would acknowledge that I had obtained the necessary education, skills and abilities that I was supposed to learn.

    I perhaps graduated, maybe, five separate times, plus my “final” graduation ceremony. Thus, I can only assume that I attended approximately six Major “educational programs” (and at least 12 minor programs) from which I obtained some type of ‘certificate”.

    Ability

    So, the question is what abilities do I now have?

    I think that most of the training was associated with the world-line switching and slides that I experienced once I completed my training at China Lake NWC. I also believe that most of the training was elementary (from our benefactors point of view) as it taught me how to use their systems and understand their technologies.

    After all, if you are going to teach a dog to drive a car, you would need to show him how to get into the car, where to sit, and other basics that we humans take for granted…

    …and not to sniff and pee on the tire.

    Important points

    All this took pace before the ELF probes were calibrated at China Lake NWC.

    Which means that the EBP and the genetic changes were such that they were able to partition my consciousness into a secondary “container”.

    Imagine this much the same way that we partition a hard drive into different “drives”.

    If you install a 500 MB hard-drive into a computer, it is preset as drive C:. Thus it would appear in your Windows Explorer as “Drive C:”.

    Partitioning a hard drive into separate drives.
    Partitioning a hard drive into separate drives.

    You can use partitioning software to break that drive down into other drives. Such as Drive D:, Drive E: and Drive F:.

    In a way, and this is very simplistic, I believe that this is what occurred with my consciousness.

    Partitioning and education

    Most of what I was taught had zero utility in my physical life.

    Therefore, it wasn’t even transmitted to my physical brain in in any kind of meaningful way. I just cannot vocalize my teachings, or be able to explain them to anyone within this world-line.

    The consciousness partitioning was absolute and what could be utilized by my physical body was conveyed by the shared consciousness. What could not be, was not transmitted. and this leads to some interesting conclusions…

    • There is a segmentation and stratification of understanding, experience and knowledge between the physical and non-physical worlds.
    • A given world-line within the physical world might have information restricted or access denied to the consciousness that is within that reality.
    • The idea that the physical reality is all that there is, is laughingly pathetic. It is but a very tiny part of a much larger, much more expansive non-physical reality.
    • To obtain my role in the physical reality, and acquire my experiences for the non-physical reality, certain non-physical universe training was necessary. What it is, and how to communicate it to the reader trapped within this physical reality is impossible.

    Conclusion

    My role in MAJestic required me to perform tasks for our benefactors.

    I had two set of physical modifications. They were a set of ELF probes that were MAJestic implanted, and operated. And a EBP that was installed with other substantial genetic modifications and training by our benefactors.

    The training of the EBP is what this post covers.

    The EBP modified my physical body and created multiple consciousnesses. Both consciousnesses can communicate back and forth between each other. The two consciousnesses have different roles and different functions, and much of what the EBP educated me with was involved in the newly segmented consciousness. Not with my original consciousness.

    And finally…

    • MAJestic traded myself to our benefactors for technology.
    • They used me as a kind of “ambassador”.
    • This role was monitored by MAJestic via the ELF technology.

    This ambassador role was unlike anything that we can conceive of.

    • I was altered and changed.
    • Not only physically, but spiritually as well.
    • I had my consciousness segmented.

    As such, I was able to utilize advanced non-physical technologies provided by our benefactors.

    • This training enabled me to conduct world-line travel with a great degree of facility over and above what most humans are capable of.
    • It enabled me to anchor world-lines.
    • It enabled me to be the “representative” of humans to “adjust” our world-line trends towards a preferred sentience.

    Are you confused?

    You should be. Our world, our universe, and our lives are not like anything that we have been taught or understand. It is different, really, really different on so many, many levels.

    If you want to kick the computer screen and yell, go ahead. Then go read about the “enlightened ones”, the (shape changing) “reptilians”, chrononauts, the “Zeta’s” that are going to take over America, Eh? It’s your reality. Read about the “coming age of enlightenment” and other fictions.

    This is my history. Not a relatable fiction that makes you feel good about yourself.

    Like I said before. The “real world” doesn’t resemble anything that you think it does.

    Do you want more?

    I have more posts along these lines in my MAJestic Index, here…

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    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

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    The Geography of Heaven; Journey of Souls (full text) by Michael Newton (part 1c) with world-line (MWI) annotations.

    Multiple Part Post

    This post is a multiple part post. I have labeled them…

    Comment c1
    This post continues our study of the Journey of Souls. This is part 1c.

    Case 16

    Dr. N: Once you leave the staging area and have arrived in the spiritual space where you belong, what do you do then?

    S: I go to school with my friends.

    Dr. N: You mean you are in some kind of spiritual classroom?

    S: Yes, where we study.

    Dr. N: I want you to take me through this school from the time of your arrival so I can appreciate what is happening to you. Start by telling me what you see from the outside.

    S: (with no hesitation) I see a perfectly square Greek temple with large sculptured columns-very beautiful. I recognize it because this is where I return after each cycle (life).

    Cut-away drawing of a Greek temple showing the interior.
    Cut-away drawing of a Greek temple showing the interior.

    Dr. N: What is a classical Greek temple doing in the spirit world?

    S: (shrugs) I don’t know why it appears to me that way, except it seems natural … since my lives in Greece.

    Dr. N: All right, let’s continue. Does anyone come to meet you?

    S: (subject smiles broadly) My teacher Karla.

    Dr. N: And how does she appear to you?

    S: (confidently) I see her coming out of the entrance of the temple towards me… as a goddess … tall … wearing long flowing robes … one shoulder is bare … her hair is piled up and fastened with a gold clasp … she reaches out to me.

    Dr. N: Look down at yourself. Are you dressed in the same garments?

    S: We… all seem to be dressed the same … we shimmer with light… and we can change … Karla knows I like the way she looks.

    Dr. N: Where are the others?

    S: Karla has taken me inside my temple school. I see a large library. Small gatherings of people are speaking in quiet tones… at tables. It is … sedate … warm … a secure feeling which is so familiar to me.

    Dr. N: Do all these people appear as adult men and women?

    S: Yes, but there are more women in my group.

    Dr. N: Why?

    S: Because that’s the valence they are most comfortable with right now.

    Note: The word valence used by this subject to indicate gender preference is an odd choice, yet it does fit. Valences in chemistry are positive or negative properties which, when combined with other elements, give proportion. Souls in groups may be inclined toward male and female personages or mixed.

    Dr. N: Okay, what do you do next?

    S: Karla leads me to the nearest table and my friends immediately greet me. Oh, it’s so good to be back.

    Dr. N: Why are these particular people here with you in this temple?

    S: Because we are all in the same study group. I can’t tell you how happy I am to be with them once more. (subject becomes distracted with this scene and it takes me a minute to get her started again)

    Dr. N: Tell me how many people are in this library with you?

    S: (pauses while mentally counting) About twenty.

    Dr. N: Are all twenty very close friends of yours?

    S: We are all close-I’ve known them for ages. But five are my dearest friends.

    Dr. N: Are every one of the twenty people at about the same level of learning?

    S: Uh… almost. Some are a little further along than the rest.

    Dr. N: Where would you place yourself in the group as far as knowledge?

    S: Around the middle.

    Dr. N: As to learning lessons, where are you in relation to your five closest friends?

    S: Oh, we are about the same-we work together a lot.

    Dr. N: What do you call them?

    S: (chuckles) We have pet names for each other.

    Dr. N: Why do you have nicknames?

    S: Hmm … to define our essence. We see each other as representing earth things.

    Dr. N: What is your pet name?

    S: Thistle.

    Dr. N: And this represents some personal attribute?

    S:(pause)I… am known for sharp … reactions to new situations in my rotations (life cycles).

    Dr. N: What is the entity you feel closest to called, and why?

    S: (soft laughter) Spray. He goes flat out in his rotations … dispensing his energy so rapidly it splashes in all directions, just like the water he loves so much on Earth.

    Dr. N: Your family group sounds very distinctive. Now would you explain to me what you and your friends actually do in this library setting?

    S: I go to my table and we all look at the books.

    Dr. N: Books? What sort of books?

    S: The life books.

    Dr. N: Describe them as best you can for me.

    S: They are picture books-thick white edges-two or three inches thick-quite large …

    The life book appears something like this.
    The life book appears something like this.

    Dr. N: Open one of the life books for me and explain what you and your friends at the table see.

    S: (pause, while the subject’s hands come together and move apart as though she were opening a book) There is no writing. Everything we see is in live pictures.

    Dr. N: Action pictures-different than photographs?

    S: Yes, they are multi-dimensional. They move… shift… from a center of … crystal … which changes with reflected light.

    Dr. N: So, the pictures are not flat, the moving light waves have depth?

    S: That’s right, they are alive.

    Dr. N: Tell me how you and your friends use the books?

    S: Well, at first it’s always out of focus when the book is opened. Then we think of what we want, the crystal turns from dark to light and … gets into alignment. Then we can see … in miniature… our past lives and the alternatives.

    Dr. N: How is time treated in these books?

    S: By frames … pages … time is condensed by the life books.

    Dr. N: I don’t want to dwell on your past right now, but take a look at the book and just tell me the first thing you see.

    S: A lack of self-discipline in my last life because this is what is on my mind. I see myself dying young, in a lover’s quarrel-my ending was useless.

    Dr. N: Do you see future lives in the life book?

    S: We can look at future possibilities … in small bites only … in the form of lessons … mostly these options come later with the help of others. These books are intended to emphasize our past acts.

    Comment c2
    There is no time, but rather something else going on. The “book” accesses the world-line path that the consciousness has taken and completed. It can also access the world-line path probability that the consciousness can take. Rather than think in terms of past and future, the reader should consider this “book” to be a archival map.

    Dr. N: Would you give me your impression of the intent behind this library atmosphere with your cluster group?

    S: Oh, we all help one another go over our mistakes during this cycle. Our teacher is in and out and so we do a lot of studying together and discuss the value of our choices.

    Dr. N: Are there other rooms where people study in this building?

    S: No, this is for our group. There are different buildings where various groups study near us.

    Note: The reader may refer to Figure 1 (page 89), circle B, as an example of what is meant here. In the graph, clusters 3-7 represent infrequent group interaction, although they are in close proximity to each other in the spirit world.

    Comment c3
    Buildings are used to segregate groups.

    Dr. N: Are the groups of people who study in these buildings more or less advanced than those in your group?

    S: Both.

    Dr. N: Are you allowed to visit these other buildings where souls study?

    S: (long pause) There is one which we go to regularly.

    Dr. N: Which one?

    S: A place for the newer ones. We help them when their teacher is gone. It’s nice to be needed.

    Dr. N: Help them how?

    S: (laughs) With their homework.

    Dr. N: But don’t the teacher-guides have that responsibility?

    S: Well, you see the teachers are … so much further along (in development) … this group appreciates our assistance because we can relate to them easily.

    Dr. N: Ah, so you do a little student teaching with this group?

    S: Yes, but we don’t do it anywhere else.

    Dr. N: Why not? Why couldn’t more advanced groups come to your library to assist you once in a while?

    S: They don’t because we are further along than the newer ones. And, we don’t infringe on them either. If I want to connect with someone, I do it outside the study center.

    Dr. N: Can you wander about anywhere as long as you don’t bother other souls in their study areas?

    S: (responds with some evasiveness) I like to stay around the vicinity of my temple, but I can reach out to anyone.

    Dr. N: I get the impression that your soul energy is restricted to this spiritual space even though you can mentally reach out further.

    S: I don’t feel restricted … we have plenty of room to go about … but I’m not attracted to everyone.

    The statement  about non-restriction, cited by Case 16, seems contrary to those boundaries of spiritual space seen by the last case. When I initially bring subjects into the spirit world, their visions are spontaneous, particularly as to spiritual order and their place in a community of soul life. While the average subject may talk about having private spaces, as far as living and working, none sees the spirit world as confining. Once their superconscious recall gets rolling, most people are able to tell me about having freedom of movement and going to open spaces where souls of many learning levels gather in a recreational atmosphere.

    In these communal areas, floating souls socially engage in many activities.

    Some are quite playful, as when I hear of older souls “teasing” the younger ones about what lies ahead for them. One subject put it this way, “We play tricks on each other like a bunch of kids. During hide-and-seek, some of the younger ones get lost and then we help them find themselves.” I am also told “guests” can appear in soul groups at times to entertain and tell stories, similar to the troubadours of the Middle Ages. Another subject mentioned that her group loved to see an odd-looking character known as “Humor” show up and make them all laugh with his antics.

    Frequently, people in hypnosis find it hard to clearly explain the strange meanings behind their intermingling as souls.

    One diversion I hear rather often is of souls forming a circle to more fully unify and project their thought energy. Always, a connection with a higher power is reported here.

    Some people have told me, “Thought rhythms are so harmonized they bring forth a form of singing.” Gracefully subtle dancing can also take place when souls whirl around each other in a mixture of energy, blending and separating in exotic patterns of light and color.

    Physical things such as shrines, boats,  animals,  trees, or ocean beaches can be conjured up at the center of these dances as well.

    These images have special meaning to soul groups as planetary symbols which reinforce positive memories from former lives together. This sort of material replication apparently does not resent sadness by spirits who long to be in a physical state again, but are a joyful communion with historical events that helped shape their individual identities.

    For me, these mythic expressions by souls are ceremonial in nature and yet they go far beyond basic ritual.

    Although  certain  places  in  the  spirit  world  are  described  as  having  the  same function by subjects in superconscious, their images in each of these regions can vary.

    Thus, a study area described as a Greek temple in this case is represented as a modern school building by another person.

    Comment c4
    Descriptions of what you see in the non-physical reality / universe is not fixed. It is subject to the impressions of the individual. What appears as a Greek temple to one, might resemble a government building to another.

    As an example, to a football player a long hard rain would be a terrible thing because they couldn’t play a game. But to a farmer, a long hard rain would be a welcome event that would make his crops grow lush and tall. It’s all perception.

    Other statements may seem more contradictory.

    For instance, many subjects mentally traveling from one location to another in the spirit world will tell me the space around them is like a sphere, as we saw in the last chapter, but then they will add that the spirit world is not enclosed because it is “limitless.”

    I think what we have to keep in mind is that people tend to structure their frame of reference during a trance state with what their conscious mind sees and has experienced on Earth.

    Quite a few people who come out of trance tell me there is so much about the spirit world they were unable to describe in earthly terms.

    Comment c5
    This is very true, which is why I am so very hesitant to describe my training with the EBP prior to the ELF calibration at China Lake NWC.

    Each person translates abstract spiritual conditions of their experience into symbols of interpretation which make sense to them.

    Sometimes a subject will even express disbelief at their own visions when I first take them into a spiritual place. This is because the critical area of their conscious mind has not stopped dropping message units. People in trance soon adapt to what their unconscious mind is recording.

    When I began to gather information about souls in groups, I based my assessments of where  these  souls belonged on the  level of their knowledge.  

    • Very young
    • Youthful
    • Middle range
    • Experienced
    • Old
    • Ancient

    Using only this criterion of identification, it was difficult for me to swiftly place a client.

    Case 16 came to me early in my studies of life in the spirit world. It was a significant one, because during the session I was to learn about the recognition of souls by color.

    Before this case, I listened to my subjects describing the colors they were seeing in the spirit world without appreciating the importance of this information in relation to souls themselves. My clients reported about shades of soul energy mass, but I didn’t piece these observations together.

    I was not asking the right questions.

    I was familiar with Kirlian photography and the studies in parapsychology at U.C.L.A., where research has indicated each living person projects their own colored aura.

    Kirlian photography of a finger tip. This technique permits the optical visualization of emulations from a body in color. There are those that believe that you can tell the health and spiritual status of a person through the study of this type of photography.
    Kirlian photography of a finger tip. This technique permits the optical visualization of emulations from a body in color. There are those that believe that you can tell the health and spiritual status of a person through the study of this type of photography.

    In human form, apparently we have an ionized energy field flowing out and around our physical bodies connected by a network of vital power points called chakras.

    Chakras are the energy centers that are a part of a human energy shell or body (also known as the human aura). They are responsible for absorbing vital energy-informational particles of different spectrum from the surrounding environment and for releasing energy-informational particles from a human body. Chakras are like energy-informational routers that receive and transmit energy as well as information which makes it possible for us to interact with the surrounding environment (energy-informational field) and people.
    Chakras are the energy centers that are a part of a human energy shell or body (also known as the human aura). They are responsible for absorbing vital energy-informational particles of different spectrum from the surrounding environment and for releasing energy-informational particles from a human body. Chakras are like energy-informational routers that receive and transmit energy as well as information which makes it possible for us to interact with the surrounding environment (energy-informational field) and people.

    Since spiritual energy has been described to me as a moving, living force, the amount of electromagnetic energy required to hold a soul on our physical plane could be another factor in producing different earthly colors.

    It has also been said that a human aura reflects thoughts and emotions combined with the physical health of an individual. I wondered if these personal meridians projected by humans had a direct connection to what I was being told about the light emitted by souls in the spirit world.

    With Case 16, I realized that radiated soul light visualized by spirits is not all white.

    In the minds of my subjects, every soul generates a specific color aura. I credit this case with helping me decipher the meaning of these manifestations of energy.

    Dr. N: All right, let’s float outside your temple of study. What do you see around you, or off in the distance?

    S: People-large gatherings of people.

    Dr. N: How many would you say?

    S: Hmm…. in the distance … I can’t count… hundreds and hundreds … there are so many.

    Dr. N: And do you identify with all these souls-are you associated with them?

    S: Not really-I can’t even see all of them-it’s sort of… fuzzy out there … but my gang is near me.

    Dr. N: If I could call your gang of about twenty souls your primary cluster group, are you associated with the larger secondary body of souls around you now?

    S: We … are all … associated-but not directly. I don’t know those others …

    Dr. N: Do you see the physical features of all these other souls in the same way as you did your own group in the temple?

    S: No, that isn’t necessary. It is more … natural out here in the open. I see them all as spirits.

    Dr. N: Look out in the distance from where you are now. How do you see all these spirits? What are they like?

    S: Different lights-buzzing around as fireflies.

    Dr. N: Can you tell if the souls who work with each other, such as teachers and students, stick together all the time?

    S: People in my gang do, but the teachers kind of stick to themselves when they are not assisting in our lessons.

    Dr. N: Do you see any teacher-guides from where we are now?

    S: (pause) Some … yes … there are much fewer of them than us, of course. I can see Karla with two of her friends.

    Dr. N: And you know they are guides, even without seeing any physical features? You can look out there at all the bright white lights and just mentally tell they are guides?

    S: Sure, we can do that. But they are not all white.

    Dr. N: You mean souls are not all absolutely white?

    S: That’s partially true-the intensity aspect of our energy can make us less brilliant.

    Dr. N: So Karla and her two friends display different shades of white?

    S: No, they aren’t white at all.

    Dr. N: I don’t follow you.

    S: She and her two friends are teachers.

    Dr. N: What is the difference? Are you saying these guides radiate energy which is not white?

    S: That’s right.

    Dr. N: Well, what color are they?

    S: Yellow, of course.

    Dr. N: Oh … so all guides radiate yellow energy?

    S: No, they don’t.

    Dr. N: What?

    S: Karla’s teacher is Valairs.

    He is blue. We see him sometimes here. Nice guy. Very smart.

    Dr. N: Blue? How did we get to blue?

    S: Valairs shows a light blue.

    Dr. N: I’m confused. You didn’t say anything about another teacher called Valairs being part of your group.

    S: You didn’t ask me. Anyway, he is not in my group. Neither is Karla. They have their own groups.

    Dr. N: And these guides have auras which are yellow and blue?

    S: Yes.

    Dr. N: How many other energy colors do you see floating around here?

    S: None.

    Dr. N: Why not red and green energy lights? S: Some are reddish, but no green lights.

    Dr. N: Why not?

    S: I don’t know, but sometimes when I look around, this place is lit up like a Christmas tree.

    Comment c6
    This is all very interesting. However I can tell the reader that when I was involved in my EBP training that I didn’t really notice the color differentiation’s at all. Everything seemed “normal”.

    What I can say is that the non-human entities, when they interacted with me in this environment took on a human form. For me to concentrate on them rather than the lesson at hand was unthinkable.

    Dr. N: I’m curious about Valairs. Does every spiritual group have two teachers assigned to their cluster?

    S: Hmm … it varies. Karla trains under Valairs, so we have two. We see little of him. He works with other groups besides us.

    Dr. N: So, Karla herself is student teaching as a less advanced guide?

    S: (somewhat indignantly) She is advanced enough for me!

    Dr. N: Okay, but will you help me straighten out these color schemes? Why is Karla’s energy radiating yellow and Valairs blue?

    S: That’s easy. Valairs … precedes all of us in knowledge and he gives off a darker intensity of light.

    Dr. N: Does the shade of blue, compared to yellow or plain white, make a difference between souls?

    S: I’m trying to tell you. Blue is deeper than yellow and yellow is more intense than white, depending on how far along you are.

    Comment c7
    Honestly, to me, all this concentration on color and appearance seems so damn trivial. But that is just me.

    Dr. N: Oh, then the luminosity of Valairs radiates less brightly than Karla and she is less brilliant than your energy because you are further down in development?

    S: (laughs) Much further down. They both have a heavier, more steady light than me.

    Dr. N: And how does Karla’s yellow color vary from your whiteness in terms of where you are going with your own advancement?

    S: (with pride) I’m turning into a reddish-white. Eventually, I’ll have light gold. Recently I’ve noticed Karla turning a little darker yellow. I expected it. She is so knowledgeable and good.

    Dr. N: Really, and then will she eventually take her energy level to dark blue in intensity?

    S: No, to a light blue at first. It’s always gradual, as our energy becomes more dense.

    Comment c8
    The more experiences you have as a human, the more quanta you vacuum up. This quanta increases the size of your soul, and the type of the quanta that you vacuum up changes the configuration of your soul.

    What is going on is that the travels of one consciousness is observing the appearances of other consciousnesses with the non-physical reality. And a consciousness is but a part of a given soul.

    As I have mentioned previously, a consciousness and a soul is partitioned. These partitions are such that a consciousness can occupy numerous world-lines and numerous universes at any singular point in time. Thus, what the consciousness is reporting on is the assumed appearance of a portion of a given consciousness that is reflective of the quanta associated with a given soul. Phew!

    Dr. N:  So, these three basic lights of white,  yellow,  and  blue  represent  the development stages of souls and are visibly obvious to all spirits?

    S: That’s right, and the changes are very slow.

    Dr. N: Look around again. Do you see all the energy colors equally represented by souls in this area?

    S: Oh no! Mostly white, some yellows, and few blues.

    Dr. N: Thank you for clarifying this for me.

    I routinely question everyone about their color hues while they are in trance. Aside from the general whiteness of the spirit world itself, my subjects report seeing a majority of other souls displaying shades of white. Apparently, a neutral white or gray is the starting point of development. Spirit auras then mix the primary colors of red, yellow, and blue from a base of white.

    A few people see greenish hues mixed with yellow or blue.

    To equate what I have heard about soul energy with the physical laws which govern the color spectrum we see in the heavens is just supposition. However, I have found some similarities.

    The energy of radiated light from cooler stars in the sky is a red- orange, while the hotter stars increase from yellow to blue-white. Temperature acts on  light  waves  that  are  also  visible  vibrations  of  the  spectrum  with  different frequencies.

    The human eye registers these waves as a band of light to dark colors.

    The electron-magnetic spectrum.
    The electro-magnetic spectrum.

    The energy colors of souls probably have little to do with such elements as hydrogen and  helium,  but  perhaps  there  is  an  association  with  a  high  energy  field  of electromagnetism.

    I suspect all soul light is influenced by vibrational motion in tune with a harmonious spiritual oneness of wisdom.

    Some aspects of quantum physics suggest the universe is made up of vibrational waves which influence masses of physical objects by an interaction of different frequencies. Light, motion, sound, and time are all interrelated in physical space.

    I was hearing these same relationships applied to spiritual matter from my cases.

    Eventually, I concluded both our spiritual and physical consciousness project and receive light energy. I believe individual vibrational wave patterns represent each soul’s aura.

    As souls, the density, color, and form of light we radiate is proportional to the power of our knowledge and perception as represented by increasing concentrations of light matter as we develop. Individual patterns of energy not only display who we are, but indicate the degree of ability to heal others and regenerate ourselves.

    Comment c8
    Actually, it is a measure of the types of quanta that forms a soul, and the composition and orientation of the garbions (and swales) within that soul. Then one observes the consciousness that reflects that soul.

    Obviously there are other criteria that come into play.

    Depending on the construction and garbionic layout of a given species soul, the consciousness may or may not reflect the true and actual composition of the parent soul. For instance the Type-1 greys have a hive / matrix soul and the “individual” consciousnesses reflect something different than the core soul hive center. To an outside observer, there might be very little color in the overall appearance of the entities of this species. Thus the colors as viewed by another soul might not be accurate.

    Which lends me to believe that this observation of color associated for other souls / consciousness int he non-physical realm is but a mechanism that young to medium age consciousnesses use to compare themselves with others. Older spirits and entities, or those that are routinely involved in the non-physical world, do not use this primitive method of determination. And find no benefit in comparisons with others.

    People in hypnosis speak of colors to describe how souls appear, especially from a distance, when they are shapeless. From my cases, I have learned the more advanced souls project masses of faster moving energy particles which are reported to be blue in color, with the highest concentrations being purple. In the visible spectrum on Earth, blue-violet has the shortest wavelength, with energy peaking in the invisible ultraviolet. If color density is a reflection of wisdom, then the lower wavelengths of white through yellow emanating from souls must represent lower concentrations of vibrational energy.

    Comment c10
    Again, I consider the concentration on consciousness color to be a trivial matter.

    Where does that put hybrid souls, and those that fit outside of the “normal” progression? Indeed, there are far too many variances to make these kinds of broad assumptions.

    Figure 3 (page 103) is a chart I have designed for the classification of souls by color coding, as reported by my subjects. The first column lists the soul’s spiritual state, or grade-level of learning. The last column shows our guide status and denotes our ability and readiness to serve in that capacity for others, which will be explained further in the next chapter. Learning begins with our creation as a soul and then accelerates with the first physical life assignment. With each incarnation, we grow in understanding, although we may slip back in certain lives before regaining our footing and advancing again. Nevertheless, from what I can determine, once a spiritual level is attained by the soul, it stays there.

    In Figure 3, I show six levels of incarnating souls. Although I generally place my subjects into the broad categories of beginner, intermediate, and advanced souls, there are subtle differences in between, at Levels II and IV. For example, to determine whether a soul is starting to move out of the beginner stage at Level I into Level II, I must not only know how much white energy remains, but analyze the subject’s responses to questions which demonstrate learning. A genealogy of past life successes, future expectations, group associations, and conversations between my subjects and their guides, all form a profile of growth.

    Comment c9
    I am sorry but I have been unable to locate “Figure 3” from the Journey of Souls.

    Some of my subjects object to my characterizing the spirit world as a place governed by societal structure and organizational management symbolized by Figure 3. On the other hand, I continually listen to these same subjects describe a planned and ordered process of self-development influenced by peers and teachers.

    If the spirit world does resemble one great schoolhouse with a multitude of classrooms under the direction of teacher souls who monitor our progress-then it has structure.

    Figure 3 represents a basic working placement model for my own use.

    I know it has imperfections. I hope follow-up research by regression therapists in future years may build upon my conceptualizations with their own replications to measure soul maturity.

    This chapter may give the reader the impression that souls are as segregated by light level in the spirit world as people are by class in communities on Earth. Societal conditions on Earth cannot be compared with the spirit world.

    Comment c10
    The conventions used herein are not used in the non-physical realms in the same way.

    The differences in light frequency measuring knowledge in souls all comes from the same energy source.

    Souls are fully integrated by thought. If all levels of performance in the spirit world were on one grade level, souls would have a poor system of training. The old one-room schoolhouse concept of education on Earth limited students of different ages. In spiritual peer groups, souls work at their own developmental level with others like them. Mature teacher-guides prepare succeeding generations of souls to take their places.

    And so there are practical reasons why conditions exist in the spirit world for a system designed to measure learning and development.

    The system fosters enlightenment and ultimately the perfection of souls.

    It is important to understand that while we may suffer the consequences of bad choices in our educational tasks, we are always protected, supported, and directed within the system by master souls.

    I see this as the spiritual management of souls.

    The whole idea of a hierarchy of souls has been part of both Eastern and Western cultures for many centuries. Plato spoke of the transformation of souls from childhood to adulthood passing through many stages of moral reason.

    The Greeks felt humankind moves from amoral, immature, and violent beings over many lives to people who are finally socialized with pity, patience, forgiveness, honesty, and love. In the second century AD, the new Christian theology was greatly influence by Polotinus, whose Neoplatonist cosmology involved souls having a hierarchy of degrees of being.

    The highest being was a transcendent One, or God-creator, out of which the soul-self was born which would occupy humans. Eventually, these lower- souls would return to complete reunion with the universal over-soul.

    Comment c11
    During my EBP training period I was not part of any kind of “soul group” or cluster. I was on my own. I do not know the relative importance of this fact and situation.

    My classification of soul development is intended to be neither socially nor intellectually elitist. Souls in a high state of advancement are often found in humble circumstances on Earth.

    By the same token, people in the strata of influence in human society are by no means in a blissful state of soul maturity. Often, just the reverse is true.

    Summary of Soul Groups

    In terms of placement by soul development, I cannot overemphasize the importance of our spiritual groups. Chapter Nine, on beginner souls (Levels I and II), will more closely examine how a soul group functions. Before going further, however, I want to summarize what I have learned about the principles of soul group assignments.

    • Regardless of the relative time of creation after their novice status is completed, all beginner souls are assigned to a new group of souls at their level of understanding.
    • Once a new soul support group is formed, no new members are added in the future.
    • There appears to be a systematic selection procedure for homogeneous groupings of souls.  Similarities of ego,  cognitive awareness,  expression, and desire are all considerations.
    • Irrespective of size, cluster groups do not directly intermix with each other’s energy, but souls can communicate with one another across primary and secondary group boundaries.
    • Primary clusters in Levels I and II may split into smaller subgroups for study, but are not separated from the integrated whole within a single cluster of souls.
    • Rates of learning vary among peer group members. Certain souls will advance faster than others in a cluster group, although these students may not be equally competent and effective in all areas of their curricula. Around the intermediate level of learning, souls demonstrating special talents (healing, teaching, creating, etc.) are permitted to participate in specialty groups for more advanced work while still remaining with their cluster group.
    • At the point where a soul’s needs, motives and performance abilities are judged to be fully at Level III in all areas of self-development, they are then loosely formed into an “independent studies” work group. Usually, their old guides continue to monitor them through one master teacher. Thus, a new pod of entities graduating into full Level III could be brought together from many clusters within one or more secondary groups.
    • When they approach Level IV, souls are given more independence outside group activities. Although group size diminishes as souls advance, the intimate contact between original peer group members is never lost.
    • Spirit guides have a wide variety of teaching methods and instructional personifications depending upon group composition.

    Our Guides

    I HAVE never worked with a subject in trance who did not have a personal guide. Some guides are more in evidence than others during hypnosis sessions.

    It is my custom to ask subjects if they see feel a discarnate presence in the room.

    If they do, this third party is usually a protective guide.

    Often, a client will sense the presence of a discarnate figure before visualizing a face or hearing a voice. People who meditate a great deal are naturally more familiar with these visions than someone who never called upon his or her guide.

    The recognition of these spiritual teachers brings people into the company of a warm, loving creative power. Through our guides, we become more acutely aware of the continuity of life and our identity as a soul. Guides are figures of grace in our existence because they are part of the fulfillment of our destiny.

    Guides are complex entities, especially when they are master guides. The awareness level of the soul determines to some extent the degree of advancement of the guide assigned to them. In fact, the maturity of a particular guide also has a bearing on whether these teachers have only one student or many under their direction.

    Guides at the senior level of ability and above usually work with an entire group of souls in the spirit world and on earth.

    These guides have other entities who assist them.

    From what I can see, every soul group usually has one or more rather new teachers in training. As a result, some people may have more than one guide helping them.

    Comment c12
    During my EBP training period I had numerous “Guides”. They pretty much led me to the school, and then left me with the instructor or teacher. I never, at any time, got to know them, their role or their background.

    The  personal  names  my  clients  attach  to  their  guides  range  from  ordinary, whimsical, or quaint-sounding words, to the bizarre.

    Frequently, these names can be traced back to a specific past life a teacher spent with a student. Some clients are unable to verbalize their guide’s name because the sound cannot be duplicated, even when they see them clearly while under hypnosis. I tell these people it is much more important that they under stand the purpose of why certain guides are assigned to them,  rather than possessing their names.  

    A  subject may simply use a general designation  for  their  guide  such  as:  director,  advisor,  instructor,  or  just  “my friend.”

    One has to be careful how the word friend is interpreted.

    Usually, when a person in trance talks about a spiritual friend, they are referring to a soul-mate or peer group associate rather than a guide. Entities who are our friends exist on levels not much higher or lower than ourselves. These friends are able to offer mental encouragement from the spirit world while we are on Earth, and they can be with us as incarnated human companions while we walk the roads of life.

    Comment c13
    This is the same in Chinese. A “friend” can mean many things, from a casual acquaintance to something much more, and many shades in-between.

    One of the most important aspects of my therapeutic work with clients is assisting them, on a conscious level, with appreciating the role their guides play in life. These teacher entities edify all of us with their skillful instruction techniques. Ideas we claim as our own may be generated by a concerned guide.

    Guides also comfort us during the trying periods in our lives, especially when we are children in need of solace.

    I remember a charming remark made by a subject after I asked when she began seeing her guide in this life. “Oh, when I was daydreaming,” she said. “I remember my guide was with me on my first day of school when I was really scared. She sat on top of my desk to keep me company and then showed me the way to the bathroom when I was too afraid to ask the teacher.”

    The concept of  personalized spiritual beings goes far back in antiquity to our earliest origins as thinking human beings.

    Anthropological studies at the sites of prehistoric people suggest their totemic symbols evoked individual protection. Later, some 5,000 years ago as city-states arose, official deities became identified with state religions. These gods were more remote and even generated fear.

    Thus, personal and family deities assumed great importance in the day-to-day life of people for protection.

    A personal soul deity served as a guardian angel to each person or family, and could be called upon for divine help during a crisis. This tradition has been carried down into our cultures of today.

    We have two examples at opposite ends of the United States.

    Aumakua is a personal god to Hawaiians. The Polynesians believe one’s ancestors can assume a personal god relationship (as humans, animals, or fish) to living family members. In visions and dreams, Aumakua can either assist or reprimand an individual.

    In northeastern America, the Iroquois believe a human’s own inner spiritual power is called Orenda, which is connected to a higher personal Orenda spirit. This guardian is able to resist the powers of harm and evil directed at an individual.

    The concept of soul watchers who function as guides is part of the belief system of many Native American cultures.

    The Zuni tribes of the Southwest have oral traditions in their mythology of god-like beings with personal existences. They are called “the makers and holders of life paths” and are considered the caretakers of souls.

    There are other cultures around the world which also believe someone other than God is watching over them to personally intercede on their behalf.

    I think human beings have always needed anthropomorphic figures below a supreme God to portray the spiritual forces around them.

    When people pray or meditate, they want to reach out to an entity with whom they are acquainted for inspiration. It is easier to ask for aid from a figure which can be clearly identified in the human mind. There is a lack of imagery with a supreme God which hinders a direct connection for many people.

    Regardless of our diverse religious preferences and degrees of faith, people also feel if there is a supreme God, this divinity is too busy to bother about their individual problems.

    People often express an unworthiness for a direct association with God. As a result, the world’s major religions have used prophets who once lived on Earth to serve as our intermediaries with God.

    Possibly because some of these prophets have been elevated to divine status themselves, they are not personal enough anymore.

    I say this without diminishing the vital spiritual influence all the great prophets have had on their followers. Millions of people derive benefit from the teachings of these powerful souls who incarnated on Earth as prophets in our historical past. And yet, people know in their hearts-as they have always known-that someone, some personal entity individual to them-is there, waiting to be reached.

    I have the theory that guides appear to people who are very religious as figures of their faith. There was a case on a national television show where the child of a devout Christian family suffered a near-death experience and said she saw Jesus. When asked to draw with crayons what she saw, the little girl drew a featureless blue man standing within a halo of light.

    My subjects have shown me how much they depend upon and make use of their spiritual guides during life.

    I have come to believe we are their direct responsibility- not God’s. These learned teachers remain with us over thousands of earth years to assist in our trials before, during, and after countless lives. I notice that, unlike people walking around in a conscious state, subjects in trance do not blame God for their misfortunes in life.

    More often than not, when we are in the soul state, it is our personal guide who takes the brunt of any dissatisfaction.

    I am often asked if teacher-guides are matched to us or just picked at random. This is a difficult question to answer. Guides do appear to be assigned to us in the spirit world in an orderly fashion. I have come to believe their individual teaching styles and management techniques support and beautifully integrate with our permanent soul identity.

    For instance, I have heard about younger guides, whose past lives included overcoming particularly difficult negative traits, being assigned to souls with the same behavior patterns. It seems these empathetic guides are graded on how well they do in their assignments to affect positive change.

    All guides have compassion for their students, but teaching approaches vary. I find some guides constantly helping their students on Earth, while others demand their charges work out lessons with little overt encouragement. The maturity of the soul is, of course, a factor. Certainly graduate students get less help than freshmen. Aside from the developmental level, I look at the intensity of individual desire as another consideration in the frequency of appearance and form of assistance one receives from his or her guide during a life.

    As  to  gender  assignments,  I  find  no  consistent  correlation  of  male  and  female subjects to masculine or feminine appearing guides. On the whole, people accept the gender portrayed by their guide as quite natural. It could be argued that this is because they have become used to them over eons of relative time as males or females rather than the assumption that one sex IS more effective than another between specific students  and teachers. Some guides appear as mixed genders, which lends support to souls being truly androgynous. One client told me, “My guide is sometimes Alexis or Alex, dropping in and out of both sexes, depending on my need for male or female advice.”

    Comment c14
    Trying to make sense of this is silly. Once you are in the non-physical worlds you do not have the same biological needs, wants, desires as a physical person would have.

    From what I can determine, the procedure for teacher selection is carefully managed in the spirit world. Every human being has at least one senior, or a higher master guide, assigned to their soul since the soul was first created. Many of us inherit a newer, secondary guide later in our existence, such as Karla, in the previous chapter. For want of a better term, I have called these student teachers junior guides.

    Aspiring junior guides can anticipate the beginning of their training near the end of Level III, as they progress  into the upper intermediate stages  of development. Actually, we begin our training as subordinate guides long before attaining Level IV. In the lower stages of development we help others in life as friends and between lives assist our peer group associates with counseling.

    Junior and senior teaching assignments appear to reflect the will of master guides, who form a kind of governing body, similar to a trusteeship, over the younger guides of the spirit world.

    We will see examples of how the process of guide development works in Chapters Ten and Eleven, which cover cases of more advanced souls.

    Do all guides have the same teaching abilities, and does this affect the size of the group to which we are assigned in the spirit world? The following passage is from the case file of an experienced soul who discussed this question with me.

    Case 17

    Dr. N: I’m curious about teacher assignments in the spirit world in relation to their abilities to help undeveloped souls. When souls progress as guides, are they given quite a few souls to work with?

    S: Only the more practiced ones.

    Dr. N; I would imagine large groups of souls needing guides could become quite a responsibility for one advanced guide-even with an assistant.

    S: They can handle it. Size doesn’t matter. Dr. N: Why not?

    S: Once you attain competency and success as a teacher, the number of souls you are given doesn’t matter. Some sections (clusters) have lots of souls and others don’t.

    Dr. N: So, if you are a senior in the blue light aura, class size has no relation to assignments, because you have the ability to handle large numbers of souls?

    S: I didn’t exactly say that. Much depends upon the types of souls in a section and the experience of the leaders. In the larger sections they have help too, you know.

    Dr. N: Who does?

    S: The guides you are calling seniors. Dr. N: Well, who helps them?

    S: The overseers. Now, they are the real pros.

    Dr. N: I have heard them also called master teachers. S: That’s not a bad description for them.

    Dr. N: What energy color do they project to you?

    S: It’s … purplish.

    Note: As signified in Figure 3 in the last chapter, the lower ranges of a Level V radiate a sky-blue energy. With advancing maturity this aura grows more dense, first to a muted midnight blue and finally to deep purple, representing the total integration of a Level VI ascended master.

    Dr. N: Since guides seem to have different approaches to teaching, what do they all have in common?

    S: They wouldn’t be teachers if they didn’t have a love of training and a desire to help us join them.

    Dr. N: Then define for me why souls are selected as guides. Take a typical guide and tell me what qualities that advanced soul possesses.

    S: They must be compassionate without being too easy on you. They aren’t judgmental. You don’t have to do things their way. They don’t restrain by imposing their values on you.

    Dr. N: Okay, those are things guides don’t do. If they don’t over-direct souls, what are the important things they do, as you see it?

    S: Uh … they build morale in their sections and instill confidence-we all know they have been through a lot themselves. We are accepted for who we are as individuals with the right to make our own mistakes.

    Dr. N: I must say, I have found souls very loyal to their guides. S: That’s why-because they never give up on you.

    Dr. N: What would you say is the most important attribute of any guide? S: (without hesitation) The ability to motivate you and instill courage.

    My next case provides an example of the actions of a still-incarnating guide. This guide is called Owa, and he represents the qualities of a devoted teacher reported by the last case. Evidently, his early assignments as a guide involved looking after the subject in Case 18 in a direct fashion, and his methods apparently have not changed. My client was stunned once she recognized her guide’s latest incarnation.

    Owa made his first appearance as a guide in my client’s past about 50 BC. He was described as an old man living in a Judean village which had been overrun by Roman soldiers. Case 18 was then a young girl, orphaned by a Roman raid against local dissidents. In the opening scene Of this past life, she spoke about working in a tavern as a virtual slave. As a serving girl, she was constantly beaten by the owner and  occasionally  raped  by  Roman  customers.  She  died  at  age  twenty-six  of overwork, mistreatment, and despair. This subject made the following statement from her subconscious mind about an old man in her village: “I worked day and night and felt numb with pain and humiliation. He was the only person who was kind to me-who taught me to trust in myself-to have faith in something higher and finer than the cruel people around me.”

    Later in the superconscious state, this client detailed parts of other difficult lives where Owa appeared as a trusted friend, and once as a brother. In this state she saw these people were all the same entity and was able to name this soul as Owa, her guide. There were many lives when Owa did not appear, and sometimes his physical contact was only fleeting when he came to help her. Abruptly, I asked if Owa might possibly be in her life now? After a moment of hesitation, my subject began to shake uncontrollably. Tears came to her eyes and she cried out from the vision in her mind.

    Case 18 – Owa

    S: Oh, Lord-I knew it! I knew there was something different about him.

    Dr. N: About who?

    S: My son! Owa is my son Brandon.

    Dr. N: Your son is actually Owa?

    S: Yes, yes! (laughing and crying at the same time) I knew it! I felt it right from the day I delivered him-something wonderfully familiar and special to me-more than just a helpless baby… oh

    Dr. N: What did you know the day he was born?

    S: I didn’t really know-I felt it inside-something more than the excitement a mother feels at the time of her firstborn. I felt he came here-to help me-don’t you see? Oh, it’s so fantastic-it’s true-it’s him!

    Dr. N: (I work on calming my client before continuing, because her excited wiggling around is about to carry her over the side of the office recliner) Why do you think Owa is here as your baby son Brandon?

    S: (quieter now, but still crying softly) To get me through this bad time … with hard people who won’t accept me. He must have known I was in for a long period of trouble and decided to come to me as my son. We didn’t talk about doing this before I was born… what a wonderful surprise…

    Note: At the time of this session, my client was struggling to gain recognition in a highly competitive business. She was also having marital difficulties at home, partly due to being the major wage earner. I have since learned she is divorced.

    Dr. N: Did you sense something unusual about your baby after you took him home?

    S: Yes, it started at the hospital and this feeling never left me. When I look into his eyes he… soothes me. Sometimes I come home so worn out-so tired and beat down-I am short-tempered with him when the baby-sitter leaves. But he is so patient with me. I don’t even need to hold him. The way he looks at me is … so wise. I didn’t fully understand what this meant until now. Now, I know! Oh, what a blessing. I wasn’t sure if I should even have the baby-now I see it all.

    Dr. N: What do you see?

    S: (in a firm voice) As I try to advance in my profession, people are getting … harder … not accepting what I know and can do. My husband and I are having trouble. He puts me down for pushing too hard … wanting to achieve. Owa-Brandon-is here to keep me strong so I can overcome.

    Dr. N: And do you think it is all right we discovered your guide is with you as Brandon in this life?

    S: Yes, if Owa didn’t want me to know that he decided to come into life, I wouldn’t have come to see you-it wouldn’t have been on my mind.

    This exceptional case represents the emotional intoxication a subject feels when an in-life contact is made with their guide. Notice the role Owa chose did not infringe upon the most typical role usually taken by a soulmate. He did not come through as her spouse, and never has, in any of her past lives. Certainly, soulmates take other roles besides spouses, but an incarnating guide does not normally take a role which might transgress between two soulmates working on their lives together. This client’s soulmate happens to be an old flame from high school.

    Based upon all the information I was able to gather, Owa seems to have moved into the level of a junior guide in the last two-thousand years. He may possibly graduate into the blue level of a senior guide before this client is qualified herself to rise from white to a yellow energy aura. Regardless of the number of centuries this takes, Owa will remain as her guide, even though he may never incarnate again with her in a life.

    Do we ever catch up to our guides in development? Eventually, perhaps, but I can say I have not seen any evidence of this in my cases. Souls who develop relatively fast are gifted, but so are the guides who assist them.

    It is not uncommon to find guides working in pairs with people on Earth, each with their own approaches to teaching. In these cases one is dominant, although the more experienced senior guide may actually be less evident in day-to-day activities of their charges. The reason for this spiritual arrangement in tandem is because one of the pair is either in training (such as a junior guide under a senior), or the association is so  long-standing between the two guides (as  with  a senior to a  master)  that  a permanent relationship has evolved. The senior guide may have acquired his or her own cluster of souls, which is still monitored by a master overseeing a number of soul groups.

    Teams of guides do not interfere with each other in or out of the spirit world. I have a close friend whose  guides illustrate how  two teachers working  together complement each other. Using this individual’s case is appropriate, because I have observed the way this person’s two guides interact in various life circumstances.

    My friend’s junior guide appears in the form of a kindly, nurturing Native American medicine woman called Quan. Dressed simply in a deerskin sheath, her long hair pulled back, Quan’s soft face is bathed in vivid light during her appearances. When she is called, Quan provides a vehicle for insight and understanding events and the individuals associated with those events, which are troubling to my friend.

    Comment c15
    Appearance is relative to the observer. And thus it is meaningless to us. Appearance in the non-physical worlds are meaningless to anyone other than the observer.

    Quan’s desire to lighten the load of the rather difficult life my friend has chosen is tempered by a challenging male figure called Giles. Giles is clearly a senior guide who may be close to being a master in the spirit world. In this capacity, he does not appear nearly as often as Quan. When Giles does come into my friend’s higher consciousness, he does so abruptly.

    Here is a sample of how a senior guide operates differently from one of junior status.

    Case 19 – Senior Guide

    Dr. N: When you are in deep reflection over a serious problem, how does Giles come to you?

    S: (laughs) Not the same as Quan-I can tell you. Usually, he likes to … hide a little… at first… behind a shadow of … blue vapor. I hear him chuckling before I see him.

    Dr. N: You mean he appears first as a blue energy form?

    S: Yes … to hide himself a bit-he likes to be secretive, but it doesn’t last long. Dr. N: Why?

    S: I don’t know-to make sure I really want him, I guess.

    Dr. N: Well, when he shows himself, what does Giles look like to you?

    S: An Irish Leprechaun.

    Dr. N: Oh, then he is a small man?

    S: (laughs again) An elf figure-tangled hair all over his wrinkled face-he looks a mess and moves constantly in all directions.

    Dr. N: Why does he do that?

    S: Giles is a slippery character-impatient, too-he frowns a lot while he paces back and forth in front of me with his arms clasped in back of him.

    Dr. N: And how would you interpret this behavior?

    S: Giles is not dignified like some (guides) … but he is very clever … crafty.

    Dr. N: Could you be more specific as to how this conduct relates to you?

    S: (strained) Giles has made me look upon my lives as a chess game with the Earth as the board. Certain moves bring certain results and there are no easy solutions. I plan, and then things go wrong during the game in my life. I sometimes think he lays traps for me to work through on the board.

    Dr. N: Do you prosper with this technique of your advanced guide? Has Giles been a help to your problem-solving during the game of life?

    S: (pause) … More afterward … here (in the spirit world) … but, he makes me work so damn hard on Earth.

    Dr. N: Could you get rid of him and just work with Quan?

    S: (smiles ruefully) It doesn’t work that way here. Besides, he is brilliant. Dr. N: So, we don’t get to choose our guides?

    S: No way. They choose you.

    Dr. N: Do you have any idea why you have two guides who approach your problems so differently in the way they help you?

    S: No, I don’t, but I consider myself very fortunate. Quan… is gentle… and steady with her support.

    Note: The embodiments of Native Americans who once lived in North America make powerful spiritual guides for those of us who have followed them to live in this land. The large number of Americans who report having such guides lends support to my belief that  souls are attracted to geographical settings they have known during earlier incarnations.

    Dr. N: What do you like most about Giles’ teaching methods?

    S: (pensively) Oh, the way he-well, trifles with me-almost mocking me to do better during the game and stop feeling sorry for myself. When things get especially rough he prods me and keeps me going … insisting I use all my abilities. There is nothing soft about Giles.

    Dr. N: And you feel this coaching on Earth, even when you and I are not working together?

    S: Yes, when I meditate and go inside myself… or during my dreams.

    Dr. N: And Giles comes when you want him?

    S: (after some hesitation) No … although it seems as though I have been with him forever. Quan does come to me more. I can’t just grab hold of Giles in any situation I want, unless what I have going on is really serious. He is elusive.

    Dr. N: Sum up your feelings about Quan and Giles for me.

    S: I love Quan as a mother, but I wouldn’t be where I am without Giles’ discipline. They are both skillful because they allow me to benefit from my mistakes.

    These two guides are a cooperating team of instructors, which is standard procedure for those people who have two guides. In this case, Giles enjoys teaching karmic lessons by the Socratic method. Providing no clues in advance, he makes sure problem-solving on major issues is never easy for my friend. Quan, on the other hand, provides comfort and gentle encouragement.

    When my friend comes to me for a hypnosis session, I am aware that Quan remains in the background when Giles is on-board and active. Giles is a caring guide, as all guides are, but without a trace of indulgence. Adversity is allowed to build to the absolute limits of my friend’s ability to cope before solutions suddenly begin to unfold.

    To be honest, I see Giles as a wicked taskmaster.

    This view is not really shared by my friend, who is grateful for the challenges offered by this complex teacher.

    What is the average spiritual guide like? In my experience, no two guides are the same.

    These dedicated higher entities give me the impression of having attitudinal swings toward me from one session to the next, and even within the same session with a client.

    They can be cooperative or obstructive, tolerant or disobliging, evasive or revealing, or just flat out unconcerned with anything I do with a subject.

    I have great respect for guides because these powerful figures play such an important part in our destiny, but I must admit  they can frustrate my inquiries. I find them enigmatic because they are unpredictable in their relations with me as a facilitator.

    Early in this century, it was common for mediums working with people in hypnosis to call any discarnate entity in the room a ”control,” because they acted as the director of communications on the spiritual side for the subject.

    It was recognized that a spiritual control (whether a guide or not) had energy patterns which were in emotional, intellectual, and spiritual attunement with the subject. The importance of a harmonious energy pattern between facilitator and these entities was also known.

    If a control is blocking my investigations with a client, I search for the reason why this  is  happening.  With  some  blocking  guides  I  must  fight  for  every  scrap  of information, while others give me a great deal of latitude in a session.

    I never forget that guides have every right to block my approach to problems with souls under their care.

    After all, I have their people as my subjects for only a short while. Frankly, I would much rather have no contact with a client’s guide than work with one who might assist me at one point and then block the rhythm of memory in the next portion of a session.

    I believe a guide’s motivation for blocking information goes far beyond resisting the immediate psychological direction a therapy session is taking. I am constantly searching for new data on the spirit world.

    A guide who lends support to a free flow of past life memories from one of my subjects may balk at my far-reaching questions about life on other planets, the structure of the spirit world, or creation itself.

    This is why I am only able to collect these spiritual secrets in fragments from a large body of client information reflecting the discretion of many guides. I also feel that I am receiving assistance from my own spiritual guide during communications with subjects and their guides.

    Occasionally, a subject will express dissatisfaction with his or her particular guide. This is usually temporary.

    At any time, people are capable of believing their guides are too difficult and not working in their best interests, or just not paying enough attention to them. A subject once told me that he had tried for a long time to be assigned another guide. He said, “My guide is stonewalling me, she doesn’t give enough of herself.”

    The man told me his desire for a change in guides was not honored.

    I observed that he spent considerable time alone, without much group interaction after his last two lives, because he refused to deal with his issues. He projected anger toward his guide for not rescuing him from bad situations.

    Our teachers really don’t get perturbed with us to the point of alienation, but I notice they have a way of making themselves scarce when disgruntled students avoid real problem-solving. Guides only want the best for us and sometimes this means they must watch us endure much pain to reach certain objectives. Guides cannot assist in our progress until we are ready to make the necessary changes in order to take full advantage of life’s Opportunities.

    Do we have reason to be fearful of our guides? In Chapter Five, with Case 13, we saw an obviously younger soul who expressed some trepidation right after death about meeting the guide Clodees for debriefing. Typically, this concern does not last.

    We may feel chagrined over having to explain to our guides why goals were not attained, but they understand. They want us to interpret our past lives so we will have the benefit of assisting in the analysis of mistakes.

    My clients express all sorts of sentiments about their guides, but fear is not among them.

    On the contrary, people are more worried about being abandoned by spiritual advisors during difficult periods in their lives. Our relationship with guides is one of students and teachers rather than defendants and judges. Our personal guides help us cope with the separateness and isolation which every soul inherits at physical birth, regardless of the degree of love extended by our family. Guides give us an affirmation of Self in a crowded world.

    People want to know if their guides always come whenever they call for help. Guides are not consistent in the manner in which they choose to assist us, because they carefully evaluate how badly they are needed.

    I am also asked if hypnosis is the best way to get in contact with one’s guide. Naturally, I lean toward hypnosis, because I know how potent and effective this medium  can be to obtain detailed spiritual information. However, hypnosis by a trained facilitator is not convenient on a daily basis, where meditation, prayer, and perhaps channeling with another person would be.

    Self-hypnosis, as a form of deep meditation, is an excellent alternative and may be preferred by those who have a fear of being hypnotized by others, or don’t want the interference of a second party in their spiritual life.

    Comment c16
    This is also an effective way to conduct intention / prayer world-line manipulation.

    Regardless of the method used, we all have the capacity to send out far-reaching thought waves from our higher consciousness. Every person’s thoughts represent a mental fingerprint to guides marking who and where we are. During our lives, especially in periods of great stress, most people feel the presence of someone watching out for them. We may not be able to describe this power, but it is there nonetheless.

    Reaching our soul is the first step on the ladder of finding our higher power. All lines of mental communication we use to reach a God-head are monitored by our guides on this step. They, too, have their guides further up the ladder. The entire ladder serves as one unbroken conduit to the source of all intelligent energy, with each rung being part of the whole. It is essential for people to have faith that a prayer for help will be answered by their own higher power.

    This is why guides are vitally important to our spiritual and temporal lives.

    If we are relaxed and in a state of concentrated focus, an inner voice speaks to us. And, even if we didn’t initiate the message, we should trust what we hear.

    National surveys by psychologists indicate one person in ten admits to hearing voices which are frequently positive and instructional in nature. It is a relief for many people to learn their inner voices are not the hallucinations associated with the mentally ill. Rather than something to be worried about, an inner voice is like having your own resident counselor on call.

    More often than not, these voices are those of our guides.

    Guides assigned to different souls do work together relaying urgent mental messages for each other. People unable to help themselves in critical situations may find counselors, friends, and even strangers coming to their aid at just the right moment.

    The inner strength which comes to us in our daily lives does not arrive as much by a visual picture of actually seeing our guides, as from the feelings and emotions which convince us we are not alone. People who listen and encourage their inner voice through quiet contemplation say they feel a personal connection with an energy beyond themselves which offers support and reassurance.

    If you prefer to call this internal guidance system inspiration or intuition, that is fine, because the system which aids us is an aspect of ourselves as well as higher powers.

    During troublesome times in our lives, we have the tendency to ask for guidance to immediately set things right. When they are in trance, my clients see that their guides don’t help them solve all their problems at once,  rather they illuminate pathways by the use of clues.

    This is one reason why I am cautious about client- blocking during hypnosis. Insight is best revealed with a controlled pace relative to each person. A concerned teacher may not want all aspects of a problem uncovered at a given point in time for his or her student. We vary in our ability to handle revelations.

    When asking for help from your higher spiritual power, I think it is best not to demand immediate change.

    Comment c17
    As I have stated in my discussions on prayer / intention techniques, you want to avoid problematic world-lines. You want reasonably rapid change to achieve your objective, but not at the risk or danger or discomfort.

    Our success in life is predicated on planning, but we do have alternative paths to choose from to reach certain goals.

    When seeking guidance, I suggest requesting help with just the next step in your life. When you do this, be prepared for unexpected possibilities. Have the faith and humility to open yourself up to a variety of paths toward solutions.

    After death we do not experience sadness as souls with the same emotional definition as grief felt in physical form. Yet, as we have already seen, souls are not detached beings without feelings. I have learned those powers who watch over us also feel what I call a spiritual sorrow when they see us making poor choices in life and going through pain. Certainly, our soul-mates and peers suffer distress when we are tormented, but so do our guides. Guides may not show sorrow in orientation conferences and during soul group discussions between lives, but they keenly feel their responsibilities toward us as teachers.

    In Chapter Eleven, we will get the perspective of a guide at Level V.

    I have never found a person who is a living grade VI, or master guide, as a subject.

    I suspect we don’t have a whole lot of these advanced souls on Earth at any one time. Most Level VI’s are much too involved with planning and directing from the spirit world to incarnate any longer.

    From the reports of the Level V’s I have had, it would seem the Level VI has no new lessons to learn, but I have a hunch a still-incarnating soul at Level V may not know all the esoteric tasks involved with master level entities.

    Comment c18
    Let me clarify. The doctor cannot report on any entity over level V simply because he never encountered any. The justification for this lack of encounter is speculative.

    Once in a while during a session with a more advanced soul, I hear references to an even higher level of soul than Level VI. These entities, to whom even the masters report, are in the darkest purple range of energy. These superior beings must be getting close to the creator. I am told these shadowy figures are elusive, but highly venerated beings in the spirit world.

    The average client doesn’t know if spiritual guides should be placed in a less than divine category, or considered lesser gods because of their advancement.

    There is nothing wrong with any spiritual concept, as long as it provides comfort, is uplifting, and makes sense to each individual. Although some of my clients have the tendency to consider guides god-like-they are not God. In my opinion, guides are no more or less divine than we are, which is why they are seen as personal beings.

    In all my cases God is never seen.

    People in hypnosis say they feel the presence of a supreme power directing the spirit world, but they are uncomfortable using the word “God” to describe a creator. Perhaps the philosopher Spinoza said it best with these words: “God is not He who is, but That which is.”

    Every soul has a spiritual higher power linked to its existence. All souls are part of the same divine essence generated from one oversoul. This intelligent energy is universal in scope and so we all share in divine status. If our soul reflects a small portion of the oversoul we call God, then our guides provide the mirror by which we are able to see ourselves connected to this creator. 9

    The Beginner Soul

    THERE are two types of beginner souls: souls who are truly young in terms of exposure to an existence out of the spirit world, and souls who have been reincarnating on Earth for a long period of relative time, but still remain immature.

    I find beginner souls of both types in Levels I and II.

    I believe almost three-quarters of all souls who inhabit human bodies on Earth today are still in the early stages of development. I know this is a grossly discouraging statement because it means most of our human population is operating at the lower end of their training. On the other hand, when I consider a world population beset by so much negative cross-cultural misunderstanding and violence, I am not inclined to change my opinion about the high percentage of lower level souls on Earth. However, I do think each century brings improvement of awareness in all humans.

    Over a number of years, I have maintained a statistical count of client soul levels in my case files. Undoubtedly, the figures are weighted to some extent at the lower levels because these subjects were not selected at random. My cases could be over- represented by souls at the lower levels of development because they are the very people who require assistance in life and might come to me seeking information.

    For those who are curious, the percentages by soul level of all my cases are as follows:

    • Level I, 42%;
    • Level II, 31%;
    • Level III, 17%;
    • Level IV, 9%;
    • Level V, 1%.

    Projecting these figures into a world population of five billion souls would be unreliable, using my small sample. Nevertheless, I see the Possibility we may have only a few hundred thousand people on Earth at Level V.

    My subjects state that souls end their incarnations on Earth when they reach full maturity. What is significant about the high percentage of souls in the early stages of development is our rapidly multiplying population and the urgency babies have for available souls. We are increasing by 260,000 children per day. This human necessity for souls means they must normally be drawn from a spiritual pool of less advanced entities who require more incarnations to progress and are, therefore, more available to return to another life.

    I am sensitive to the feelings of clients whom I know to be in the early stages of development.

    I cannot count the number of times a new client has come into my office and said, “I know I am an old soul, but I seem to have problems coping with life.”

    We all want to be advanced souls because most people hate to be considered a beginner in anything.

    Every case is unique.

    There are many variables within each soul’s character, individual development rate, and the qualities of the guides assigned to them. I see my task as offering interpretations of what subjects report to me about the progression of their souls.

    I have had many cases where a client has been incarnating for up to 30,000 years on Earth and is still in the lower levels of I and II. The reverse is also true with a few people, although rapid acceleration in spiritual development is uncommon. As with any educational model, students find certain lessons more difficult than others. One of my clients has not been able to conquer envy for 850 years in numerous lives, but she did not have too much trouble overcoming bigotry by the end of this same period.

    Comment c19
    It is not important. But the reader might find it curious that long before Metallicman was born, the entity was involved in many incarnations on earth in a selection of different species. All of this took place over a 250,000 year period. Is this impressive? I do not know. It is important? I do not know. Does it mean that Metallicman is enlightened? I do not know. Does it make Metallicman special? I do not know.

    We all have our own individual lives. And what spiritual color we have, our duration in any form, or the number of reincarnations one has is as meaningless as the grade that you had in spelling in fourth grade. It’s not a race. It is not a competition. All of this non-physical stuff is all a very personal matter and is part and parcel of your development as soul. Nothing else other than that..

    Another  has  spent  nearly  1700  years  off-and-on  seeking  some  sort  of authoritative power over others. However, he has gained compassion.

    The next case represents an absolute beginner soul. This novice shows no evidence of having a spiritual group assignment as yet, because she has lived too few past lives. In her first life she was killed in 1260 AD in Northern Syria by a Mongol invasion. Her name was Shabez,  and her settlement was sacked,  resulting in a terrible massacre of the inhabitants when she was five years old.

    Case 20 – Shabez

    Dr. N: Shabez, now that you have died and returned to the spirit world, tell me what you feel?

    S: (shouts) Cheated! That life was so cruel! I couldn’t stay. I was only a little girl unable to help anybody. What a mistake!

    Dr. N: Who made this mistake?

    S: (in a conspiratorial tone) My leader. I trusted his judgment, but he was wrong to send me into that cruel life to be killed before my life got started.

    Dr. N: But you did agree to come into the body of Shabez?

    S: (upset) I didn’t know Earth would be such an awful place full of terror-I wasn’t given all the facts-the whole stupid life was a mistake and my leader is responsible.

    Dr. N: Didn’t you learn anything from this life?

    S: (pause) I started to learn to love … yes, that was wonderful … my brother … parents … but it was so short …

    Dr. N: Did anything good come out of this life?

    S: My brother Ahmed… to be with him …

    Dr. N: Is Ahmed in your present life?

    S: (suddenly my subject rises out of her chair) I can’t believe it! Ahmed is my husband Bill-the same person-how can …?

    Dr. N: (after calming subject, I explain the process of soul transference to a new body and then continue) Do you see Ahmed on your return to the spirit world after dying as Shabez?

    S: Yes, our leader brings us together here … where we stay.

    Dr. N: Does Ahmed emit the same energy color as yourself or are there differences?

    S: (pause) We … are all white.

    Comment c20
    Color and appearance are all meaningless.

    Dr. N: Describe what you do here.

    S: While our leader comes and goes, Ahmed and I… just work together.

    Dr. N: Doing what?

    S: We search out what we think about ourselves-our experience on Earth. I’m still sore about us being killed so soon … but there was happiness … walking in the sun … breathing the air of Earth … love.

    Dr. N: Go back further to the time before you and Ahmed had your life together, perhaps when you were alone. What was it like being created?

    S: (disturbed) I don’t know… I was just here .. with thought.

    Dr. N: Do you remember during your own creation when you first began to think as an intelligent being?

    S: I realized … I existed … but I didn’t know myself as myself until I was moved into this quiet place alone with Ahmed.

    Dr. N: Are you saying your individual identity came more into focus when you began interacting with another soul entity besides your guide?

    S: Yes, with Ahmed.

    Dr. N: Keep to the time before Ahmed. What was it like for you then?

    S: Warm … nurturing … my mind opening .. she was with me then.

    Dr. N: She? I thought your leader displayed a male gender to you?

    S: I don’t mean him… someone was around me with the presence of a … mother and father … mostly mother

    Dr. N: What presence?

    S: I don’t know … a soft light … changing features… I can’t grasp it … loving messages … encouragement

    Dr. N: This was at the time of your creation as a soul?

    S: Yes … it’s all hazy … there were others … helpers … when I was born.

    Dr. N: What else can you tell me about the place of your creation?

    S: (long pause) Others … love me … in a nursery… then we left and I was with Ahmed and our leader.

    Dr. N: Who actually created you and Ahmed?

    S: The One.

    I have learned there seems to be a kind of spirit world maternity ward for newborn souls. One client  told me, “This place is where infantile light  is arranged in a honeycomb fashion as unhatched eggs, ready to be used.”

    In Chapter Four, on displaced souls, we saw how damaged souls can be “remodeled .” My conjecture is these creation centers described by Shabez have the same function. In the next chapter, Case 22 will explain more about spiritual areas of ego creation where raw, undefined energy can be manipulated into a genesis of Self.

    Case 20 has some obvious traits of the immature soul.

    The subject is a sixty-seven- year-old woman who has had a lifetime of getting into disastrous ruts. She does not demonstrate a generosity of spirit toward others, nor does she take much personal responsibility for her actions.

    This client came to me searching for answers as to why life had “cheated me out of happiness.”

    In our session we learned Ahmed was her first husband, Bill. She  left him long ago for another man, whom she also divorced, because of her inability to bond with people.

    She does not feel close to any of her children.

    The beginner soul may live a number of lives in a state of confusion and ineffectiveness, influenced by an Earth curriculum which is different from the coherence and supportive harmony of the spirit world.

    Less developed souls are inclined to surrender their will to the controlling aspects of human society, with a socio-economic structure which causes a large proportion of people  to be subordinate to others.

    The inexperienced soul tends to be stifled by a lack of independent thinking. They also lean towards being self-centered and don’t easily accept others for who they are.

    It is not my intention to paint a totally bleak portrait of souls who comprise so much of our world population-if my estimates of the high numbers of this category of soul are accurate. Lower level souls are also able to lead lives which have many positive elements. Otherwise, no one would advance. No stigma should be attached to these souls, since every soul was once a beginner.

    If we become angry, resentful, and confused by our life situations, this does not necessarily mean we possess an underdeveloped spirit. Soul development is a complex matter where we all progress by degrees in a variety of areas in an uneven manner. The important thing is to recognize our faults, avoid self-denial, and have the courage and self-sufficiency to make constant adjustments in our lives.

    One of the clear indications that souls are coming out of novice status is when they leave their spiritual existence of relative isolation. They are removed from small family cocoons with other novices and placed in a larger group of beginner souls. At this stage they are less dependent upon close supervision and special nurturing from their guides.

    For the younger souls, the first realization that they are part of a substantial group of spirits like themselves is a source of delight. Generally, I find this important spiritual event has occurred by the end of a fifth life on Earth, regardless of the relative length of time the novice soul was in semi-isolation. Some of the entities of these new spiritual groups are the souls of relatives and friends with whom the young soul was associated in their few past lives on Earth. What is especially significant about the formation of a new cluster group is that other peer group members are also newer souls who find themselves together for the first time.

    In Chapter Seven on placement, we saw how a soul group appeared when Case 16 rejoined them,  and the manner in which life experiences were studied through pictorial scenes, as reported by this subject.

    Case 21 will offer a more detailed account of spiritual group dynamics and how members impact on each other. The capacity of souls to learn certain lessons may be stronger or weaker between one another depending upon inclination, motivation, and prior incarnation experience. Cluster groups are carefully designed to give peer support through a sensitivity of identity traits between all members. This cohesiveness is far beyond what we know on Earth.

    Although the next case is presented from the perspective of one group member, his superconscious mind provides an objectivity into the process of what goes on in groups.

    My subject will describe a grandiose, male-oriented spiritual group.

    The raucous entities of this group are linked by exhibitionism which could be labeled narcissistic. The common approaches these souls use in finding personal value is one indication why they are working together.

    The extravagant behavior modes of these souls is offset, to some extent, by their spiritual prescience. Since the complete truth is known by all group members about each other in a telepathic world, humor is indispensible. Some readers may find it hard to accept that souls do joke with each other about their failings, but humor is the basis upon which self-deception and hypocrisy are exposed.

    Ego defenses are so well understood by everyone in spiritual groups that evidence of a mastery of oneself among peers is a strong incentive for change. Spiritual “therapy” occurs because of honest peer feedback, mutual trust, and the desire to advance with others over eons of time. Souls can hurt, and they need caring entities around them. The curative power of spiritual group interaction is quite remarkable.

    Soul members network by the use of criticism and acclaim as each strives toward common goals. Some of the best help I am able to give my clients comes from information I receive about their soul group. Spiritual groups are a primary means of soul instruction. Learning appears to come as much from one’s peers as from the skill of guides who monitor these groups.

    In the case which follows, my client has finished reliving his last past life as a Dutch artist living in Amsterdam. He died of pneumonia at a young age in 1841, about the time he was gaining recognition for his painting.

    We have just rejoined his spiritual group when my subject bursts out laughing.

    Case 21 – Dutch Artist

    Dr. N: Why are you laughing?

    S: I’m back with my friends and they are giving me a hard time.

    Dr. N: Why?

    S: Because I’m wearing my fancy buckled shoes and the bright green velvet jacket-with yellow piping down the sides-I’m flashing them my big floppy painter’s hat.

    Dr. N: They are kidding you about projecting yourself wearing these clothes?

    S: You know it! I was so vain about clothes and I cut a really fine figure as an artist in Amsterdam cafe society. I enjoyed this role and played it well. I don’t want it to end.

    Dr. N: What happens next?

    S: My old friends are around me and we are talking about the foolishness of life. We rib each other about how dramatic it all is down there on Earth and how seriously we all take our lives.

    Dr.  N:  You and your friends don’t think it  is important to take life on Earth seriously?

    S: Look, Earth is one big stage play-we all know that.

    Dr. N: And your group is united in this feeling?

    S: Sure, we see ourselves as actors in a gigantic stage production.

    Dr. N: How many entities are in your particular cluster group in the spirit world?  

    S: (pause) Well, we work with … some others … but there are five of us who are close.

    Dr. N: By what name do they call you?

    S: L … Lemm-no that’s not right-it’s Allum … that’s me.

    Dr. N: All right, Allum, tell me about your close friends.

    S: (laughs) Norcross … he is the funniest … at least he is the most boisterous.

    Dr. N: Is Norcross the leader of your group?

    S: No, he is just the loudest. We are all equal here, but we have our differences. Norcross is blunt and opinionated.

    Dr. N: Really, then how would you characterize his Earth behavior?

    S: Oh, as being rather unscrupulous-but not dangerous.

    Dr. N: Who is the quietest and most unassuming member of your group?

    S: (quizzical) How did you guess-it’s Vilo.

    Dr. N: Does this attribute make Vilo the least effective contributing member of your group?

    S: Where did you get that idea? Vilo comes up with some interesting thoughts about the rest of us.

    Dr. N: Give me an example.

    S: In my life in Holland-the old Dutch couple who adopted me after my parents died-they had a beautiful garden. Vilo reminds me of my debt to them-that the garden triggered my painting-to see life as an artist … and what I didn’t do with my talent.

    Dr. N: Does Vilo convey any other thoughts to you about this?

    S: (sadly) That I should have done less drinking and strutting around and painted more. That my art was … reaching the point of touching people … (subject pulls his shoulders back) but I wasn’t going to stay cooped up painting all the time!

    Dr. N: Do you have respect for Vilo’s opinions?

    S: (with a deep sigh) Yes, we know he is our conscience.

    Dr. N: So, what do you say to him?

    S: I say, “Innkeeper, mind your own business-you were having fun, too.”

    Dr. N: Vilo was an innkeeper?

    S: Yes, in Holland. Engaged in a business for profit, I might add.

    Dr. N: Do you feel this was wrong of Vilo?

    S: (contrite) No … not really … we all know he took losses to help those poor people on the road who needed food and shelter. His life was beneficial to others.

    Dr.  N:  I  would  guess  telepathic  communication  makes  it  hard  to  sustain  your arguments when the complete truth is known by everyone?

    S: Yes, we all know Vilo is progressing-damn!

    Dr. N: Does it bother you that Vilo may be advancing faster than the rest of you?

    S: Yes … we have had such fun … (subject then recalls an earlier life with Vilo where they traveled together as brothers in India)

    Dr. N: What will happen to Vilo?

    S: He is going to leave us soon-we all know that-to have associations with the others who have also gone.

    Dr. N: How many souls have left your original group, Allum?

    S: (A long pause, and then ruefully) Oh … a couple have moved on … we will eventually catch up to them … but not for a while. They haven’t disappeared-we just don’t see their energy as much.

    Dr. N: Name the others of your immediate group for me besides Vilo and Norcross.

    S: (brightening) Dubri and Trinian-now those two know how to have a good time!

    Dr. N: What is the most obvious identifying characteristic of your group?

    S: (with relish) Adventure! Excitement! We have some real pioneer types around here. (subject rushes on happily) Dubri just came off a wild life as a sea captain. Norcross was a free-wheeling trading merchant. We live life to its fullest because we are talented at taking what life has to offer.

    Dr. N: I’m hearing a lot of self-gratification here, Allum.

    S:  (defensively)  And  what’s  wrong  with  that?  Our  group  is  not  made  up  of shrinking violets, you know!

    Dr. N: What’s the story on Trinian’s last life?

    S: (reacts boisterously) He was a Bishop! Can you believe it? What hypocrisy.

    Dr. N: In what way?

    S: What self-deception! Norcross, Dubri, and I tell Trinian his choice to be a churchman had nothing to do with goodness, charity, or spirituality.

    Dr. N: And what does Trinian’s soul mentally project to you in self-defense? S: He tells us he gave solace to many people.

    Dr. N: What do you, Norcross and Dubri, tell him in response?

    S: That he is going soft. Norcross tells him he wanted money or otherwise he would have been a simple priest. Ha-that’s telling him-and I’m saying the same thing. You can guess what Dubri thinks about all this!

    Dr. N: No, tell me.

    S: Humph-that Trinian picked a large city with a rich cathedral-spilling a ton of money into Trinian’s fat pockets.

    Dr. N: And what do you tell Trinian yourself?

    S: Oh, I’m attracted to the fancy robes he wore-bright red-the finest of cloth-his Bishop’s ring which he loved-and all the gold and silver around. I also mention his desire to bask in adulation from his flock. Trinian can hide nothing from us-he wanted an easy, cushy life where he was well-fed.

    Dr. N: Does he try to explain his motivations for choosing this life?

    S: Yes, but Norcross reproaches him. He confronts Trinian on seducing a young girl in the vestry. (jovially) Yes, it actually happened! … So much for providing solace to parishioners. We know Trinian for who he really is-an outright rogue!

    Dr. N: Does Trinian offer any excuses to the group for his conduct?

    S: (subject becomes quieter) Oh, the usual. He got carried away with the girl’s need for him-she had no family-he was lonely in his choice of a celibate church life. He says he was trying to get away from the customary lives we all choose by going into the church-that he fell in love with the girl.

    Dr. N: And how do you, Norcross and Dubri, feel about Trinian now?

    S: (severely) We think he is trying to follow Vilo (as an advancing soul), but he failed. His pious intentions just didn’t work for him.

    Dr. N: Allum, you sound rather cynical about Trinian’s attempts to improve himself and make changes. Tell me honestly, how do you feel about Trinian?

    S: Oh, we are just teasing him … after all…

    Dr. N: Your amusement sounds as if you are scornful over what may have been Trinian’s good intentions.

    S: (sadly) You’re right … and we all know that … but, you see … Norcross, Dubri, and I… well, we don’t want to lose him from the group, too…

    Dr. N: What does Vilo say about Trinian?

    S: He defends Trinian’s original good intentions and tells him that he fell into a trap of self-gratification during this life in the church. Trinian wants too much admiration and attention.

    Dr. N: Forgive me for passing judgment on your group, Allum, but it seems to me this is something you all want, except perhaps Vilo?

    S: Hey, Vilo can be pretty smug. Let me tell you, his problem is conceit and Dubri tells him that in no uncertain terms.

    Dr. N: And does Vilo deny it?

    S: No, he doesn’t … he says at least he is working on it.

    Dr. N: Who among you is the most sensitive to criticism?

    S: (pause) Oh, I guess it would be Norcross, but it’s hard for all of us to accept our faults.

    Dr. N: Level with me, Allum. Does it bother the members of your soul group when things can’t be hidden from the others-when all your shortcomings in a past life are revealed?

    S: (pause) We are sensitive about it-but not morbid. There is great understanding here among us. I wanted to give artistic pleasure to people and grow through the meaning of art. So, what did I do? I ran around the Amsterdam canals a lot at night and got caught up in the fun and games. My original purpose was pushed aside.

    Dr. N: If you admit all this to the group, what kind of feedback do you get? For example, how do you and Norcross regard each other?

    S: Norcross often points out I hate to take responsibility for myself and others. With Norcross it’s wealth … he loves power … but we are both selfish … except that I am more vain. Neither of us gets many gold stars.

    Dr. N: How does Dubri fit into your group with his faults?

    S: He enjoys controlling others by leadership. He is a natural leader, more than the rest of us. He was a sea captain-a pirate-one tough individual. You wouldn’t want to cross him.

    Dr. N: Was he cruel?

    S: No, just hard. He was respected as a captain. Dubri was merciless against his opponents in sea battles, but he took care of his own men.

    Dr. N: You have told me that Vilo assisted people who were in need on the road, but you haven’t said much about the positive side of your lives. Is anyone in your group given any gold stars for unselfish acts?

    S: (intently) There is something else about Dubri …

    Dr. N: What is that?

    S: He did one outstanding thing. Once, during heavy seas, a sailor fell off the mast into the ocean and was drowning. Dubri tied a line around his waist and dove off the deck. He risked his life and saved a shipmate.

    Dr. N: When this incident is discussed in your group, how do you all respond to Dubri?

    S: We praise him for what he did with admiration in our minds. We came to the same conclusion that none of us could match this single act of courage in our last lives.

    Dr. N: I see. Yet, Vilo’s life at the inn, feeding and housing people who could not pay him, may represent acts of unselfishness for a longer term and therefore is more praiseworthy?

    S: Granted, and we give him that. (laughs) He gets more gold stars than Dubri.

    Dr. N: Do you get any strokes from the group for your last life?

    S: (pause) I had to scramble for patrons to survive as a painter, but I was good to people … it wasn’t much … I enjoyed giving pleasure. My group recognizes I had a good heart.

    Every one of my clients has special attachments to their soul group, regardless of character makeup. People tend to think of souls in the free state as being without human deficiencies. Actually, I think there are many similarities between groups of souls close to each other and human family systems.

    For instance, I see Norcross as the rebellious scapegoat for this group of souls, while he and Allum are the inventory takers for everyone’s shortcomings. Allum said Norcross is usually the first to openly scrutinize any rationalizations or self-serving justifications of past life failures offered by the other members. He appears to have the least self-doubt and emotional investment over standards of conduct. This may define his own insecurity, because Norcross is probably fighting the hardest to keep up with the advancing group.

    I suspect Allum himself could be the group’s mascot (often the youngest child in human families), with all his clowning around, preening, and making light of serious issues. Some souls in spiritual groups do seem to me to be more fragile and protected than other group members. Vilo’s conduct demonstrates he is the current hero (or eldest family member), with his drive for excellence. I have the impression from Allum that Vilo is the least defiant of the group, partly because he has the best record of achievement in recent past lives. Just as in human family systems, the roles of spiritual group members can be switched around, but I was told Vilo’s kinetic energy is turning pink, signaling his growth into Level II.

    I attach human labels on ethereal spirits because, after all, souls who come to Earth do show themselves through human characteristics.

    However, I don’t see hatred, suspicion, and disrespect in soul groups.

    In a climate of compassion, there are no power struggles for control among these peer groups whose members are unable to manipulate each other or keep secrets. Souls distrust themselves, not each other. I do see fortitude, desire, and the will to keep trying in their new physical lives. In an effort to confirm some of my observations about the social dynamics among spiritual group members in this case, I ask Allum a few more questions.

    Dr. N: Allum, do you believe your criticism of each other is always constructive?

    S: Sure, there is no real hostility. We have fun at each other’s expense-I admit that- but it’s just a form of … acknowledgement of who we really are, and where we should be going.

    Dr. N: Is any member of your soul group ever made to feel shame or guilt about a past life?

    S: Those are … human weapons… and too narrow for what we feel.

    Dr. N: Well, let me approach your feelings as a soul in another way. Do you feel safer getting feedback from one of your group members more than another?

    S: No, I don’t. We all respect each other immensely. The greatest criticism comes from within ourselves.

    Dr. N: Do you have any regrets for your conduct in any past life?

    S: (long pause) Yes … I feel sorry if I have hurt someone … and then have everyone here know all about my mistakes. But we learn.

    Dr. N: And what do you do about this knowledge?

    S: Talk among ourselves… and try to make amends the next time.

    Dr. N: From what you told me earlier, I had the idea that you, Nor-cross, and Dubri might be releasing some pent-up feelings over your own shortcomings by dumping on each other.

    S: (thoughtfully) We make cynical remarks, but it’s not like being human anymore. Without our bodies we take criticism a little differently. We see each other for who we are without resentment or jealousy.

    Dr. N: I don’t want to put words in your mouth, but I just wondered if all this flamboyance exhibited by your group might indicate underlying feelings of unworthiness?

    S: Oh, that’s something else again. Yes, we do get discouraged as souls, and feel unworthy about our abilities … to meet the confidence placed in us to improve.

    Dr. N: So, while you have self-doubts about yourselves, it’s okay to make cynical remarks about each other’s motivations?

    S: Of course, but we want to be recognized by one another for being sincere in working on our individual programs. Sometimes self-pride gets in the way and we use each other to move past this.

    In the next passage of dialogue, I introduce another spiritual phenomenon relating to group healing. I have heard a number of variations about this activity which are supported by the interpretations of Case 21.

    Dr. N: Now Allum, as long as we are discussing how your group members relate to each other, I want you to describe the spiritual energy by which you all are assisted in this process.

    S: (hesitant) I’m not sure I can tell you …

    Dr. N: Think carefully. Isn’t there another means by which your group is brought into harmony with each other with intelligent energy?

    S: (long pause) Ah … you mean from the cones?

    Dr. N: (the word “cone” is new to me, but I know I’m on the right track) Yes, the cones. Explain what you know about them relative to your group.

    S: (slowly) Well, the cones do assist us.

    Dr. N: Please continue, and tell me what the cone does. I think I have heard about this before, but I want your version.

    S: It’s shaped to go around us, you know.

    Dr. N: Shaped in what way? Try to be more explicit.

    S: It is cylindrical-very bright-it is above and all around us. The cone is small at the top and wide at the bottom, so it fits over all of us-like getting under a great white cap-we can float under the cone in order to use it.

    Dr. N: Are you sure this isn’t the shower of healing you experienced right after your return to the spirit world?

    S: Oh no, that was more individual purification-to repair Earth damage. I thought you knew …

    Dr. N: I do. I want you to explain how the cone is different from the shower of healing.

    S: The top funnels energy down as a waterfall in a spreading circle around all of us and allows us to really concentrate on our mental sameness as a group.

    Dr. N: And what do you feel when you are under the cone?

    S: We can feel all our thoughts being expanded … then drawn up … and returned back … with more knowledge added.

    Dr. N: Does this intelligent energy help your unity as a group in terms of more focused thinking?

    S: Yes, it does.

    Dr. N: (deliberately confrontational) To be frank with you, Allum, I wonder if this cone is brainwashing your original thoughts? After all, the arguments and disagreements between you and the others of your group are what make you individuals.

    S: (laughs) We aren’t brainwashed! Don’t you know anything about the afterlife? It gives us more collective insight to work together.

    Dr. N: Is the cone always available?

    S: It is there when we need it.

    Dr. N: Who operates the cone?

    S: Those who watch over us.

    Dr. N: Your guide?

    S:(bursts out laughing) Shato? I think he is too busy traveling around on his circuit.

    Dr. N: What do you mean?

    S: We think of him as a circus master-a stage manager-of our group.

    Dr. N: Does Shato take an active part in your group deliberations?

    S: (shakes head) Not really-guides are above a lot of this stuff. We are left on our own quite a bit, and that’s fine.

    Dr. N: Do you think there is one specific reason for the absences of Shato?

    S: (pause) Oh, he probably gets bored with our lack of progress. He loves to show off as the master of ceremonies though.

    Dr. N: In what way?

    S: (chuckling) Oh, to suddenly appear in front of us during one of our heated debates-throwing off blue sparks-looking like a wizard who is an all-powerful moderator!

    Dr. N: A wizard?

    S: (still laughing) Shato appears in long, sapphire-blue robes with a tall, pointed hat. With his flowing white beard he looks simply great, and we do admire him.

    Dr. N: I get the picture of a spiritual Merlin.

    S: An Oriental Merlin, if you will. Very inscrutable sometimes. He loves making a grand entrance in full costume, especially when we are about to choose another life. He knows how much we appreciate his act.

    Dr. N: With all this stage management, I am curious if Shato has much emotional connection to your group as a serious guide.

    S: (scoffing at me) Listen, he knows we are a wild bunch, and he plays to that as a non-conformist himself-but he is also very wise.

    Dr.  N:  Is  Shato  indulgent  with  your  group?  He  doesn’t  seem  to  limit  your extravagance very much.

    S: Shato gets results from us because he is not heavy-handed or preachy. That wouldn’t sit well with our people. We respect him.

    Dr. N: Do you see Shato as a consultant who comes only once in a while to observe, or as an active supervisor?

    S: He will pop in unannounced to set up a problem for our discussions. Then he leaves, coming back later to listen to how we might solve certain things …

    Dr. N: Give me an example of a major problem with your group.

    S: (pause) Shato knows we identify too much as actors playing parts on Earth. He hits … on superficiality. He is trying to get us to cast ourselves from the inside out, rather than the reverse.

    Dr. N: So Shato’s instruction is serious, but he knows you all like to have fun along the way?

    S: Yeah, that’s why Shato is with us, I think. He knows we waste opportunities. He assists us in interpreting the predicaments we get into in order to get the best out of us.

    Dr. N: From what you have told me, I have the impression that your spiritual group is run as a kind of workshop directed by your guide.

    S: Yes, he builds up our morale and keeps us going.

    Unlike educational classrooms or therapy groups on Earth, I have learned teacher- counselors in the spirit world are not confined as group activity leaders on a continuous basis. Although Shato and his students are a colorful family of souls, there is much here that is typical of all cluster groups. A guide’s leadership is more parental than dictatorial. In this case, Shato is a directive counselor while not being possessive, nor does he pose a threat to the group. There is warm acceptance of these young souls by this empathic guide, who seems to cater to their masculine inclinations. I will close this case with a few final questions about the group as a spiritual unit.

    Dr. N: Why is your group so male-oriented on Earth?

    S: Earth is an action planet which rewards physical exertion. We are inclined to male roles so we can grab hold and mold events … to dominate our surroundings … to be recognized.

    Dr. N: Women are also influential in society. How can your group hope to progress without more experience in female roles?

    S: We know this, but we have such a fierce desire to be independent. In fact, we often expend too much energy for too little return, but the female aspects don’t interest us as much right now.

    Dr. N: If you have no female counterparts in your immediate group, where do you go for those entities to complement your lives on Earth?

    S: Nearby there are some who relate better to female roles. I get along with Josey- she has been with me in some of my lives-Trinian is attached to Nyala-and there are others

    Dr. N: Allum, I would like to end our conversation about your spiritual associations by asking you what you know about the origin of your group.

    S: (long pause) I … can’t tell you … we just came together at one time.

    Dr. N: Well, someone had to bring those of you with the same attributes together. Do you think it was God?

    S: (puzzled) No, below the source … the higher ones …

    Dr. N: Shato, or other guides like him?

    S: No, higher, I think… the planners… I don’t know any more.

    Dr. N: A while back you told me some of your old friends were reducing their active participation in your group due to their development. Do you ever get new members?

    S: Never.

    Dr. N: Is this because a new member might have trouble assimilating with the rest of you?

    S: (laughs) We aren’t that bad! It’s just we are too closely connected by thought for an outsider, and they would not have shared our past experiences.

    Dr. N: During your discussions about these past lives together, does your group believe it contributes to the betterment of human society?

    S:  (pause)  We  want  our  presence  in  a  community  to  challenge  conventions-to question basic assumptions. I think we bring nerve into our physical lives-and laughter, too …

    Dr. N: And when your spiritual group has finished discussing what is necessary to further your aims, do you look forward to a new life?

    S: (zestfully) Oh yeah! Every time I leave for a new role on Earth, I say goodbye with, “See you all back here A.D. (after death):’

    This case is an example of like-minded souls with ego-inflating needs who support and validate each other’s feelings and attitudes. Herein lies the key to understanding the formation of soul groups. I have learned that many spiritual clusters have sub- groups made up of entities whose identities are linked by similar issues blocking their advancement. Even so, these souls do have differences in strengths and weaknesses. Each group member contributes their best attributes toward advancing the goals of others in the family.

    I do not want to leave the impression from Case 21 that the few remaining souls in this inner circle of close friends represent the behavior traits of everyone in the original cluster. When a primary group of, say fifteen or twenty souls is formed, there are marked similarities in talent and interests.

    But a support group is also designed to have differences in disposition, feelings, and reactions.

    Typically, my subjects report a male-female oriented mixture of one or more of the following character types in their groups:

    1) Courageous, resilient, a tenacious survivor.

    2) Gentle, quiet, devoted, and rather innocent.

    3) Fun-loving, humorous, a jokester and risk-taker.

    4) Serious, dependable, cautious.

    5) Flamboyant, enthusiastic, frank.

    6) Patient, steady, perceptive.

    7) Thoughtful, calculating, determined.

    8) Innovative, resourceful, adaptable.

    These differences give a group balance. However, if an entire group displays a strong tendency toward flamboyance or daring, the most cautious member would appear less so to another group of souls.

    There is no question that the souls in Case 21 are in for a long development period.

    Yet they do contribute to the vitality of earth. Subsequent questioning of this subject revealed the paths of these souls continue to cross in the twentieth century. For instance, Allum is a graphic designer and part-time professional guitar player involved with Josey, who is a singer. The fact that the closely-knit souls in this case were so male-oriented in their physical lives does hot take away from their ability to associate with young souls with predominantly female preferences. Cluster groups are gender-mixed. As I have mentioned, truly advanced souls have balanced gender preferences in their physical life choices.

    The desire for expression of self-identity is an important motivating factor for souls choosing to come to Earth to learn practical lessons. Sometimes a reason for discomfort with the lower level soul is the discrepancy in perception of Self in their free soul state, compared to how they act in human bodies. Souls can get confused with who they are in life. Case 21 did not seem to exhibit any conflict in this area, but I question the rate of growth achieved by Allum in recent past lives. However, the basic experience of living a life may compensate, to some extent, for the lack of insight gained from that life.

    Our shortcomings and moral conflicts are recognized as faults far more in the spirit world than on Earth. We have seen how the nuances of decision-making are dissected and analyzed in spiritual groups. Cluster members have worked together for such a long time in earth years that entities become accountable to each other and the group as a whole. This fosters a great sense of belonging in all spiritual groups, and can give the appearance of thought barriers between clusters, especially with souls in the lower levels. Nevertheless, while rejection and loneliness is part of every soul’s life in human form, in the spirit world our individual ego-identity is constantly enhanced by warm peer group socialization.

    The social structure of soul groups is not the same as groups of people on Earth.

    Although there is some evidence of paired friendships, I don’t hear about cliques, stars of attraction, or isolated souls within clusters. I am told souls do spend time alone in the silence of personal reflection when attached to a group. Souls are intimate entities in their family relationships on Earth and engagement in group community life in the spirit world. And yet, souls do learn much from solitude.

    I understand from my white-light subjects that souls at the beginning levels are frequently separated from their groups to individually work on simple energy projects. One rather young soul recalled being alone in an enclosure trying to put together “a moving puzzle” of dissembled geometric shapes of cylinders, spheres, cubes, and squares with self-produced energy. It was described as being “multi- dimensional, colorful, and holographic” in nature. He said, “We have to learn to intensify our energy to bring the diffused and jumbled into focus to give it some kind of basic shape.” Another subject added, “These tests give the Watchers information about our imagination, creativity, and ingenuity, and they offer us encouragement rather than being judgmental.”

    Souls on all levels engage in another all important activity when they are alone.They are expected to spend time mentally concentrating on helping those on Earth (or other physical worlds) whom they have known and cared about.

    From what I can gather, they go to a space some call the place of projection.

    Here they enter an “interdimensional field of floating, silvery-blue energy,” and project outward to a geographical area of their choosing. I am told this is a mental exercise in “holding and releasing positive vibrational energy to create a territory.”

    This means souls ride on their thought waves to specific people, buildings, or a given area of land in an attempt to comfort or effect change.

    This is the third part of a multiple part series. To go to the next part, please click HERE.

    Do you want to see the main index?

    You can access the main index of these kinds of articles here…

    MAJestic

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

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    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE .
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
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    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

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    The Geography of Heaven; Journey of Souls (full text) by Michael Newton (part 1a) with world-line (MWI) annotations.

    I had previously posted the complete text of the Journey of Souls by Michael Newton. This post, unfortunately, was fraught with problems. It was poorly formatted, had errors galore, and most strikingly created confusion. The book, as great as it is, was written by an imperfect person who did not understand the MWI and world-lines. Neither did his patients. They were stuck in the quaint notion of a Heaven and a Hell, and a shared physical universe. And their answers, and comments, reflected those beliefs. And, as a result, ended up generating confusion.

    And I ended up having to deal with it.

    Jeeze! Guys!

    "Why did you, of all people, put such new age mumbo jumbo in your blog? Just when I was starting to understand things, you throw a wrench into everything and show that you are just another con artist. "

    Sigh…

    I can understand the anguish.

    Doctor Newton, and his patients, would make statements along the lines of “shared experiences” which implied that two consciousnesses would occupy the same world-line simultaneously. Which is wrong, or at best, partially true. Or discuss instances of a consciousness communicating with a living person in the physical. Sure, all these things are observations from the point of view of a given consciousness; one that does not fully understand what is going on.

    Thus this post.

    Here, we are going to take the great writings of the good Doctor Newton and expand upon them. We will elaborate on what is actually going on from a (dispassionate) fourth person perspective, instead of the second-person narrative.

    Which is unfortunate. I kind of hoped that people would be able to have some degree of discernment. A work by someone else ALWAYS includes their own personal biases, and misunderstandings.

    So this post is going to take the good writings of the good doctor and try to edit out the misconceptions and place some insight into what is actually going on.

    This thus is useful for a person to understand the following things about the non-physical world;

    • Firstly, the point of view of a given consciousness. (The book.)
    • Secondly, what is going on pertaining to the mechanics of the non-physical reality. (My comments.)

    For us, as a person using our consciousness, we are often confused as things might or might not make sense to us.

    It is like we are trapped in a car that we just woke up in. We look out the window and see a storm of water, wind and movement. 
    
    We look at the toddler in the front seat to tell us what is going on, but they are not much help. 
    
    It's only when the car-wash attendant comes to the window do we realize that we were actually inside a car wash.

    This post discusses the operation of the car wash, in reference to a book that describes the feelings and perceptions of the inhabitants inside the car.

    Thus, this is a very useful post. It provides both the stories and the experiences of consciousness, along with the “nuts and bolts’ mechanics of the operation and what is actually going on.

    Multiple Part Post

    This post is a multiple part post. I have labeled them…

    This is an annotation to the Journey of Souls book

    I politely suggest that the reader, go ahead and read the initial post (the raw book) first HERE, and then start going thought this post. As this is a “study guide” that uses the book as a medium from which to discuss the nature of the non-physical world.

    About the MAJestic disclosure and this…

    OK. Well it took a long time to come about, but now we are finally getting to the part of “the disclosure” that I am entrusted with disclosing. Nope. It’s not about who our extraterrestrial benefactors are, or about the nature of our physical universe. It is about our role inside the physical universe as it pertains to the non-physical universe.

    What? You think that MAJestic was “only” about the reverse engineering of extraterrestrial artifacts? Did you, eh?

    Maybe the bulk of it was, but my role and the role of Sebastian was far deeper and involved interaction / interfacing with a society of individuals who’s very nature was inherently much larger than what we humans perceive. And for us to improve our lot, as humans on Earth, we need to understand why our non-physical reality is so darn important.

    You are here.
    This is about our role inside the physical universe as it pertains to the non-physical universe.

    For mankind, human-kind, or our species to advance in a unified sentience, we will need to understand our role in the “big picture”, and that boys and girls means the non-physical reality; the so called “Heaven”.

    And those of you that are worried about what the “Big Boys” think about all this, rest easy. The PTB are concerned with the overall well-being of a world that is increasingly overpopulated, greedy and “out of control”. They want a smaller, more compact, and far more “reasonable” world for us to live in. And unfortunately, that means that there will need to be a sorting process…

    We all must need to know our place and role in the big scale of things. This is the first step to our personal enlightenment.

    Journey of Souls by Michael Newton

    Table of Contents

    • Death and Departure
    • Gateway to the Spirit World
    • Homecoming
    • The Displaced Soul
    • Orientation
    • Transition
    • Placement
    • Our Guides The Beginner Soul
    • The Intermediate Soul
    • The Advanced Soul
    • Life Selection
    • Choosing a New Body
    • Preparation for Embarkation
    • Rebirth

    Introduction by Dr. Newton

    You would know the hidden realm where all souls dwell. The journey’s way lies through death’s misty fell. Within this timeless passage a guiding light does dance, Lost from conscious memory, but visible in trance. 
    
    -M.N.

    ARE you afraid of death? Do you wonder what is going to happen to you after you die? Is it possible you have a spirit which came from somewhere else and will return there after your body dies, or is this just wishful thinking because you are afraid?

    It is a paradox that humans, alone of all creatures of the Earth, must repress the fear of death in order to lead normal lives. Yet our biological instinct never lets us forget this ultimate danger to our being. As we grow older, the specter of death rises in our consciousness. Even religious people fear death is the end of personhood. Our greatest dread of death brings thoughts about the nothingness of death which will end all associations with family and friends. Dying makes all our earthly goals seem futile.

    If death were the end of everything about us, then life indeed would be meaningless.

    However, some power within us enables humans to conceive of a hereafter and to sense a connection to a higher power and even an eternal soul. If we do actually have a soul, then where does it go after death? Is there really some sort of heaven full of intelligent spirits outside our physical universe? What does it look like? What do we do when we get there? Is there a supreme being in charge of this paradise? These questions are as old as humankind itself and still remain a mystery to most of us.

    The true answers to the mystery of life after death remain locked behind a spiritual door for most people. This is because we have built-in amnesia about our soul identity which, on a conscious level, aids in the merging of the soul and human brain.

    Comment 1
    The ability to remember non-physical events is innate with all creatures. Including humans. We do not simply because of two reasons. [1] Our soul structure is such that the garbions are not configured for “easy” (physical) mental access, and [2] we have purposefully atrophied our physical ability to access these memories while in particle form.

    In the last few years the general public has heard about people who temporarily died and then came back to life to tell about seeing a long tunnel, bright lights, and even brief encounters with friendly spirits. But none of these accounts written in the many books on reincarnation has ever given us anything more than a glimpse of all there is to know about life after death.

    This book is an intimate journal about the spirit world. It provides a series of actual case histories which reveal in explicit detail what happens to us when life on Earth is over. You will be taken beyond the spiritual tunnel and enter the spirit world itself to learn what transpires for souls before they finally return to Earth in another life. 

    I am a skeptic by nature, although it will not seem so from the contents of this book. As a counselor and hypnotherapist, I specialize in behavior modification for the treatment of psychological disorders. A large part of my work involves short-term cognitive restructuring with clients by helping them connect thoughts and emotions to  promote  healthy  behavior.  Together  we  elicit  the  meaning,  function,  and consequences of their beliefs because I take the premise that no mental problem is imaginary.

    In the early days of my practice, I resisted past life requests from people because of my orientation toward traditional therapy. While I used hypnosis and age- regression techniques to determine the origins of disturbing memories and childhood trauma, I felt any attempt to reach a former life was unorthodox and non-clinical. My interest in reincarnation and metaphysics was only intellectual curiosity until I worked with a young man on pain management.

    This client complained of a lifetime of chronic pain on his right side. One of the tools of hypnotherapy to manage pain is directing the subject to make the pain worse so he or she can also learn to lessen the aching and thus acquire control. In one of our sessions involving pain intensification, this man used the imagery of being stabbed to recreate his torment. Searching for the origins of this image, I eventually uncovered his former life as a World War I soldier who was killed by a bayonet in France, and we were able to eliminate the pain altogether.

    With encouragement from my clients, I began to experiment with moving some of them further back in time before their last birth on Earth. Initially I was concerned that a subject’s integration of current needs, beliefs, and fears would create fantasies of recollection.

    However, it didn’t take long before I realized our deep-seated memories offer a set of past experiences which are too real and connected to be ignored. I came to appreciate just how therapeutically important the link is between the bodies and events of our former lives and who we are today.

    Comment 2
    When the subconscious is “opened up”, everyone will recall their past physical events, as well as past reincarnated lives. This is with a 100% certainty. You might argue that this is a natural ability of the mind to lie and tell falsehoods, if you prefer. However, you MUST accept the fact that the ability to recall memories is a normal event under regressive hypnosis..

    Then I stumbled on to a discovery of enormous proportions. I found it was possible to see into the spirit world through the mind’s eye of a hypnotized subject who could report back to me of life between lives on Earth.

    The case that opened the door to the spirit world for me was a middle-aged woman who was an especially receptive hypnosis subject. She had been talking to me about her feelings of loneliness and isolation in that delicate stage when a subject has finished recalling their most recent past life. This unusual individual slipped into the highest state of altered consciousness almost by herself Without realizing I had initiated an overly short command for this action, I suggested she go to the source of her loss of companionship. At the same moment I inadvertently used one of the trigger words to spiritual recall. I also asked if she had a specific group of friends whom she missed.

    Suddenly, my client started to cry. When I directed her to tell me what was wrong, she blurted out,

    “I miss some friends in my group and that’s why I get so lonely on Earth.” 

    I was confused and questioned her further about where this group of friends was actually located.

    “Here, in my permanent home,” 

    She answered simply,

    “...and I’m looking at all of them right now!”

    After finishing with this client and reviewing her tape recordings, I recognized that finding the spirit world involved an extension of past life regression. There are many books about past lives, but none I could find which told about our life as souls, or how to properly access the spiritual recollections of people.

    I decided to do the research myself and with practice I acquired greater skill in entering the spirit world through my subjects. I also learned that finding their place in the spirit world was far more meaningful to people than recounting their former lives on Earth. 

    How is it possible to reach the soul through hypnosis?

    Visualize the mind as having three concentric circles, each smaller than the last and within the other, separated only by layers of connected mind-consciousness. The first outer layer is represented by the conscious mind which is our critical, analytic reasoning source. The second layer is the subconscious, where we initially go in hypnosis to tap into the storage area for all the memories that ever happened to us in this life and former lives. The third, the innermost core, is what we are now calling the superconscious mind. This level exposes the highest center of Self where we are an expression of a higher power.

    The Human Mind as described by Dr. Newton. All of these elements are PHYSICAL elements that reside within the physical brain. However they can tap into the non-physical reality.
    The Human Mind as described by Dr. Newton. All of these elements are PHYSICAL elements that reside within the physical brain. However they can tap into the non-physical reality.

    The superconscious houses our real identity, augmented by the subconscious which contains the memories of the many alter-egos assumed by us in our former human bodies. The superconscious may not be a level at all, but the soul itself. The superconscious mind represents our highest center of wisdom and perspective, and all my information about  life after death comes from this source of intelligent energy.

    Comment 3
    What doctor Newton is saying that that the physical components of the physical brain have an ability to tap into the non-physical universe. He breaks down the functions into catagories. But that need not concern us here. All that matters is the understanding that the physical brain has the ability to connect with the non-physical reality.

    How valid is the use of hypnosis for uncovering truth?

    People in hypnosis are neither dreaming nor hallucinating. We don’t dream in chronological sequences nor hallucinate in a directed trance state.

    When subjects are placed in trance, their brain waves slow from the Beta wake state and continue to change vibration down past the meditative Alpha stage into various levels within the Theta range. Theta is hypnosis-not sleep. When we sleep we go to the final Delta state where messages from the brain are dropped into the subconscious and vented through our dreams. In Theta, however, the conscious mind is not unconscious, so we are able to receive as well as send messages with all memory channels open.

    When under a "trance" the brain waves slow from the woke state (Beta) into the (Theta) range. This is hypnosis, it is not sleeps. In this state our physical brain is completely functional and able to access both the physical reality as well as the non-physical reality simultaneously.
    When under a “trance” the brain waves slow from the woke state (Beta) into the (Theta) range. This is hypnosis, it is not sleeps. In this state our physical brain is completely functional and able to access both the physical reality as well as the non-physical reality simultaneously.

    Once in hypnosis, people report the pictures they see and dialogue they hear in their unconscious minds as literal observations.

    In response to questions, subjects cannot lie, but they may misinterpret something seen in their unconscious mind, just as we do in the conscious state. In hypnosis, people have trouble relating to anything they don’t believe is the truth.

    Some critics of hypnosis believe a subject in trance will fabricate memories and bias their  responses  in  order  to  adopt  any  theoretical  framework  suggested  by  the hypnotist. I find this generalization to be a false premise.

    In my work, I treat each case  as  if I  were  hearing  the  information  for the  first  time.  If  a  subject  were somehow able to overcome hypnosis procedure and construct a deliberate fantasy about the spirit world, or free-associate from pre-set ideas about their afterlife, these  responses  would  soon  become  inconsistent  with  my  other  case  reports.  

    I learned the value of careful cross-examination early in my work and I found no evidence of anyone faking their spiritual experiences to please me.

    In fact, subjects in hypnosis are not hesitant in correcting my misinterpretations of their statements. As my case files grew, I discovered by trial and error to phrase questions about the spirit  world in a  proper sequence.  Subjects in a superconscious state are not particularly motivated to volunteer information about the whole plan of soul life in the spirit world.

    One must have the right set of “keys” for specific “doors”.

    In the hypnosis session you need the proper combination of words or phrases to obtain access to specific memories. That can be considered to be like finding the right key to open the right door.
    In the hypnosis session you need the proper combination of words or phrases to obtain access to specific memories. That can be considered to be like finding the right key to open the right door.

    Eventually, I was able to perfect a reliable method of memory access to different parts of the spirit world by knowing which door to open at the right time during a session.

    As I gained confidence with each session, more people sensed I was comfortable with the hereafter and felt it was all right to speak to me about it. The clients in my cases represent some men and women who were very religious, while others had no particular spiritual beliefs at all. Most fall somewhere in between, with a mixed bag of personal philosophies about life.

    The astounding thing I found as I progressed with my research was that once subjects were regressed back into their soul state they all displayed a remarkable consistency in responding to questions about the spirit world. People even use the same words and graphic descriptions in colloquial language when discussing their lives as souls.

    Comment 4
    Regardless of religion, or education, people described the same things about the non-physical world while under hypnosis. Obviously those under hypnosis were able to tap into a shared understand or reality that all humans experience as part of the non-physical world.

    However, this homogeneity of experience by so many clients did not stop me from continually trying to verify statements between my subjects and corroborate specific functional activities of souls.

    There were some differences in narrative reporting between cases, but this was due more to the level of soul development than to variances in how each subject basically saw the spirit world.

    The research was painfully slow, but as the body of my cases grew I finally had a working model of the eternal world where our souls live. I found thoughts about the spirit world involve universal truths among the souls of people living on Earth.

    It was these perceptions by so many different types of people which convinced me their statements were believable. I am not a religious person, but I found the place where we go after death to be one of order and direction, and I have come to appreciate that there is a grand design to life and afterlife.

    Comment 5
    There is a reason; a design, a functional purpose that connects the physical world with the non-physical world.

    When I considered how to best present my findings, I determined the case study method would provide the most descriptive way in which the reader could evaluate client recall about the afterlife.  Each case I have selected represents a direct dialogue between myself and a subject. The case testimonies are taken from tape recordings from my sessions.

    This book is not intended to be about my subjects’ past lives, but rather a documentation of their experiences in the spirit world relating to those lives.

    For readers who may have trouble conceptualizing our souls as non-material objects, the case histories listed in the early chapters explain how souls appear and the way in which they function. Each case history is abbreviated to some extent because of space constraints and to give the reader an orderly arrangement of soul activity.

    The chapters are designed to show the normal progression of souls into and out of the spirit world, incorporated with other spiritual information.

    The travels of souls from the time of death to their next incarnation has come to me from a ten-year collection of clients.

    Comment 6
    This is the first book that was written after a ten year period. After the success of this book was completed, a second (far more detailed book) was published. It is called / titled “Destiny of Souls”, and is here in Metallicaman as well..

    It surprised me at first, that I had people who remembered parts of their soul life more clearly after distant lifetimes than recent ones. Yet, for some reason, no one subject was able to recall the entire chronology of soul activities I have presented in this book. My clients remember certain aspects of their spiritual life quite vividly, while other experiences are hazy to them. As a result, even with these twenty-nine cases, I found I could not give the reader the full range of information I have gathered about the spirit world. Thus, my chapters contain details from more cases than just the twenty-nine listed.

    The reader may consider my questioning in certain cases to be rather demanding. In hypnosis, it is necessary to keep the subject on track. When working in the spiritual realm, the demands on a facilitator are higher than with past life recall.

    In trance, the average subject tends to let his or her soul-mind wander while watching interesting scenes unfold. My clients often want me to stop talking so they can detach from reporting what they see and just enjoy their past experiences as souls. I try to be gentle and not overly structured, but my sessions are usually single ones which run three hours in length and there is a lot to cover. People may come long distances to see me and not be able to return.

    Comment 7
    Individuals usually had to travel a long distance to obtain the session. At that, each session was very difficult and lasted no more than three hours. It was not an easy restful event.

    I find it very rewarding to watch the look of wonder on a client’s face when his or her session ends.

    For those of us who have had the opportunity to actually see our immortality, a new depth of self-understanding and empowerment emerges.

    Before awakening my subjects, I often implant appropriate post-suggestion memories. Having a conscious knowledge of their soul life in the spirit world and a history of physical existences on planets gives these people a stronger sense of direction and energy for life.

    Finally, I should say that what you are about to read may come as a shock to your preconceptions about death. The material presented here may go against your philosophical and religious beliefs. There will be those readers who will find support for their existing opinions.

    For others, the information offered in these cases will all appear to be subjective tales resembling a science fiction story. Whatever your persuasion, I hope you will reflect’ upon the implications for humanity if what my subjects have to say about life after death is accurate.

    Comment 8
    Thus ends the introduction by Dr. Newton in his first book “Journey of Souls”.

    Death and Departure Case 1

    S. (Subject): Oh, my god! I’m not really dead-am I? I mean, my body is dead-I can see it below me-but I’m floating… I can look down and see my body lying flat in the hospital bed. Everyone around me thinks I’m dead, but I’m not. I want to shout, hey, I’m not really dead! This is so incredible … the nurses are pulling a sheet over my head… people I know are crying. I’m supposed to be dead, but I’m still alive! It’s strange, because my body is absolutely dead while I’m moving around it from above. I’m alive!

    THESE  are  the  words  spoken  by  a  man  in  deep  hypnosis,  reliving  a  death experience. His words come in short, excited bursts and are full of awe, as he sees and feels what it is like to be a spirit newly separated from a physical body.

    This man is my client and I have just assisted him in recreating a past life death scene while he lies back in a comfortable recliner chair. A little earlier, following my instructions during his trance induction, this subject was age-regressed in a return to childhood memories.  His subconscious perceptions gradually coalesced as we worked together to reach his mother’s womb.

    I then prepared him for a jump back into the mists of time by the visual use of protective shielding.

    Comment 9
    This technique of “protective shielding” is a method where you isolate the subject from experiencing pain or suffering. You essentially disconnect the troublesome aspects of reliving an event. If you do not do so, a subject might end up reliving the pain of giving birth, or dying under torture, or experiencing a great loss. There are numerous ways and techniques to do this all utilized by the hypnotist.

    When we completed this important step of mental conditioning, I moved my subject through an imaginary time tunnel to his last life on Earth.

    It was a short life because he had died suddenly from the influenza epidemic of 1918.

    As the initial shock of seeing himself die and feeling his soul floating out of his body begins to wear off a little, my client adjusts more readily to the visual images in his mind.  Since a small part of the conscious,  critical  portion of his mind is still functioning, he realizes he is recreating a former experience. It takes a bit longer than usual since this subject is a “younger soul” and not so used to the cycles of birth, death, and rebirth as are many of my other clients.

    Comment 10
    It is widely common to expect a person under hypnosis to remember past lives. However the number of past lives differ from individual to individual. Those with only a few previous past lives and past reincarnation events are considered to be “young” or “young souls”. While those with many, many, many previous past lives are considered to be “old” or “ancient souls”.

    Yet,  within  a  few  moments  he  settles  in  and  begins  to  respond  with  greater confidence to my questions. I quickly raise this subject’s subconscious hypnotic level into the superconscious state. Now he is ready to talk to me about the spirit world, and I ask what is happening to him.

    S: Well … I’m rising up higher … still floating … looking back at my body. It’s like watching a movie, only I’m in it! 
    
    The doctor is comforting my wife and daughter. My wife is sobbing (subject wiggles with discomfort in his chair). 
    
    I’m trying to reach into her mind … to tell her everything is all right with me. She is so overcome by grief I’m not getting through. 
    
    I want her to know my suffering is gone … I’m free of my body … I don’t need it any more … that I will wait for her. 
    
    I want her to know that … but she is … not listening to me. 
    
    Oh, I’m moving away now …

    And so, guided by a series of commands, my client starts the process of moving further into the spirit world.

    It is a road many others have traveled in the security of my office.

    Typically, as memories in the superconscious state expand, subjects in hypnosis become more connected to the spiritual passageway. As the session moves forward, the subject’s mental pictures are more easily translated into words.

    Short descriptive phrases lead to detailed explanations of what it is like to enter the spirit world.

    We have a great deal of documentation, including observations from medical personnel, which describes the out-of-body near-death experiences of people severely injured in accidents.

    These people were considered clinically dead before medical efforts brought them back from the other side.

    Souls are quite capable of leaving and returning to their host bodies, particularly in life-threatening situations when the body is dying’. People tell of hovering over their bodies, especially in hospitals, watching doctors perform life-saving procedures on them. In time these memories fade after they return to life.

    Comment 11
    So much to explain here. Firstly, our consciousness (who we are) goes in and out of the world-lines quickly. Roughly about 144 times a second. Each time it does so, it is momentarily outside of the physical body. It is there outside for roughly 1/144 of a second. so being outside the body, between world-lines, within a fraction of “time” is a normal occurrence. What isn’t is staying there in particle form and leaving the train of world-lines by staying in wave from.

    In the early stages of hypnosis regression into past lives, the descriptions of subjects mentally going through their past deaths do not contradict the reported statements of people who have actually died in this life for a few minutes.

    The difference between these two groups of people is that subjects in hypnosis are not remembering their experiences of temporary death. People in a deep trance state are capable of describing what life is like after permanent physical death.

    Comment 12
    What is different during “death” is that this time the consciousness has stayed in wave form, and not particle form. And thus the body is dead. What most people do not realize is that, they as consciousness, can actually “jump” to another world-line in this state (if it is adjacent”) and not go through the death sequence. (But that is an involved process, and might take about ten posts just to start explaining the basics of it.) The thoughts of the consciousness over the life-time has created this world-line ending and departure.

    What are the similarities of afterlife recollection between people reporting on their out-of-body experiences as a result of a temporary physical trauma and a subject in hypnosis recalling death in a past life?

    Both find themselves floating around their bodies in a strange way, trying to touch solid objects which dematerialize in front of them.

    Both kinds of reporters say they are frustrated in their attempts to talk to living people who don’t respond.

    Both state they feel a pulling sensation away from the place where they died and experience relaxation and curiosity rather than fear.

    All these people report a euphoric sense of freedom and brightness around them. Some of my subjects see brilliant whiteness totally surrounding them at the moment of death, while others observe the brightness is farther away from an area of darker space through which they are being pulled. This is often referred to as the tunnel effect, and has become well known with the public.

    Most people who have died and then returned back to life describe a tunnel of light that they see and experience.
    Most people who have died and then returned back to life describe a tunnel of light that they see and experience.
    Comment 13
    This “tunnel of light” is quite different from normal “everyday” travel in and out of the world-lines. What is going on here is that the consciousness is leaving the area of the physical constructions. It is leaving a “plane of existence” that includes the near-infinite numbers of world-lines and moving “upwards” to a different universe. One in which we call “Heaven”..
    This is what is going on. There are two (possibly many other) universes involved. Our consciousness experiences "time" in one universe. This time is a sequence of trips in and out through multiple world-lines. All the time in a frequency of vibration around 4Hz. It switches back and forth between wave and particle. Up until he moment of death. Then, it is in the universe of physical realities, but not within a given world-line. To leave this universe it needs to "cross over" and exit it and go to a different universe. This is often described as going through a tunnel of light.
    This is what is going on. There are two (possibly many other) universes involved. Our consciousness experiences “time” in one universe. This time is a sequence of trips in and out through multiple world-lines. All the time in a frequency of vibration around 4Hz. It switches back and forth between wave and particle. Up until he moment of death. Then, it is in the universe of physical realities, but not within a given world-line. To leave this universe it needs to “cross over” and exit it and go to a different universe. This is often described as going through a tunnel of light.

    My second case will take us further into the death experience than Case 1.

    The subject here is a man in his sixties describing to me the events of his death as a young woman called Sally, who was killed by Kiowa Indians in an attack on a wagon train in 1866.

    Map showing the location of the Kiowa Indians in the Oklahoma / Texas region. This regression describes the death of "White" settlers encroaching on Indian Territories and Nations.
    Map showing the location of the Kiowa Indians in the Oklahoma / Texas region. This regression describes the death of “White” settlers encroaching on Indian Territories and Nations.

    Although this case and the last one relate death experiences after their most immediate past lives, a particular death date in history has no special relevance because it is recent. I find no significant differences between ancient and modern times in terms of graphic spirit world recall, or the quality of lessons learned.

    I should also say the average subject in trance has an uncanny ability to zero in on the dates and geographic locations of many past lives. This is true even in earlier periods of human civilization, when national borders and place names were different than exist today. Former names, dates, and locations may not always be easily recalled in every past life, but descriptions about returning to the spirit world and life in that world are consistently vivid.

    Wagon train in the Americas. During this period of time, European settlers formed these convoys of wagons and people moved West to find lands to settle upon. It is unfortunate that they lands were already occupied and the Indians that occupied them did not want these strangers taking their lands.
    Wagon train in the Americas. During this period of time, European settlers formed these convoys of wagons and people moved West to find lands to settle upon. It is unfortunate that they lands were already occupied and the Indians that occupied them did not want these strangers taking their lands.

    The scene in Case 2 opens on the American southern plains right after an arrow has struck Sally in the neck at close range. I am always careful with death scenes involving violent trauma in past lives because the subconscious mind often still retains these experiences. The subject in this case came to me because of a lifetime of throat discomfort. Release therapy and deprogramming is usually required in these cases. In all past life recall, I use the time around death for quiet review and place the subject in observer status to soften pain and emotion.

    Case 2 – Sally dies by an arrow

    Dr. N: Are you in great pain from the arrow?

    S: Yes … the point has torn my throat … I’m dying (subject begins to whisper while holding his hands at the throat). I’m choking… blood pouring down … Will (husband) is holding me … the pain … terrible … I’m getting out now … it’s over, anyway.

    Note: Souls often leave their human hosts moments before actual death when their bodies are in great pain. Who can blame them? Nevertheless, they do stay close by the dying body. After calming techniques, I raise this subject from the subconscious to the superconscious level for the transition to spiritual memories.

    Dr. N: All right, Sally, you have accepted being killed by these Indians. Will you please describe to me the exact sensation you feel at the time of death?

    S: Like … a force … of some kind … pushing me up out of my body.

    Dr. N: Pushing you? Out where?

    S: I’m ejected out the top of my head.

    Dr. N: And what was pushed out?

    S: Well-me!

    Dr. N: Describe what “me” means. What does the thing that is you look like going out of the head of your body?

    S: (pause) Like a … pinpoint of light … radiating…

    Dr. N: How do you radiate light?

    S: From… my energy. I look sort of transparent white my soul…

    Dr. N: And does this energy light stay the same after leaving your body?

    S: (pause) I seem to grow a little … as I move around.

    Dr. N: If your light expands, then what do you look like now?

    S: A… wispy … string… hanging …

    Dr. N: And what does the process of moving out of your body actually feel like to you?

    S: Well, it’s as if I shed my skin … peeling a banana. I just lose my body in one swoosh!

    Dr. N: Is the feeling unpleasant?

    S: Oh no! It’s wonderful to feel so free with no more pain, but … I am… disoriented … I didn’t expect to die …

    (sadness is creeping into my client’s voice and I want him to stay focused on his soul for a minute more, rather than what is taking place on the ground with his body)

    Dr. N: I understand, Sally. You are feeling a little displacement at the moment as a soul. This is normal in your situation for what you have just gone through. Listen and respond to my questions. You said you were floating. Are you able to move around freely right after death?

    S: It’s strange … it’s as if I’m suspended in air that isn’t air … there are no limits… no gravity… I’m weightless.

    Dr. N: You mean it’s sort of like being in a vacuum for you?

    S: Yes… nothing around me is a solid mass. There are no obstacles to bump into… I’m drifting…

    Dr. N: Can you control your movements-where you are going?

    S: Yes … I can do some of that … but there is … a pulling … into a bright whiteness … it’s so bright!

    Dr. N: Is the intensity of whiteness the same everywhere?

    S: Brighter … away from me … it’s a little darker white … gray … in the direction of my body … (starts to cry) oh, my poor body … I’m not ready to leave yet. (subject pulls back in his chair as if he is resisting something)

    The subject is reliving the moment of death when an Indian arrow kills her by slicing open her neck.
    The subject is reliving the moment of death when an Indian arrow kills her by slicing open her neck.

    Dr. N: It’s all right, Sally, I’m with you. I want you to relax and tell me if the force that took you out of your head at the moment of death is still pulling you away, and if you can stop it.

    S: (pause) When I was free of my body the pulling lessened. Now, I feel a nudge … drawing me away from my body … I don’t want to go yet … but, something wants me to go soon …

    Dr. N: I understand, Sally, but I suspect you are learning you have some element of control. How would you describe this thing that is pulling you?

    S: A … kind of magnetic … force … but … I want to stay a little longer …

    Dr. N: Can your soul resist this pulling sensation for as long as you want?

    S: (there is a long pause while the subject appears to be carrying on an internal debate with himself in his former life as Sally) Yes, I can, if I really want to stay. (subject starts to cry) Oh, it’s awful what those savages did to my body. There is blood all over my pretty blue dress … my husband Will is trying to hold me and still fight with our friends against the Kiowa.

    Note: I reinforce the imagery of a protective shield around this subject, which is so important as a foundation to calming procedures. Sally’s soul is still hovering over her body after I move the scene forward in time to when the Indians are driven off by the wagon train rifles.

    Dr. N: Sally, what is your husband doing right after the attack?

    S: Oh, good … he isn’t hurt … but … (with sadness) he is holding my body … crying over me … there is nothing he can do for me, but he doesn’t seem to realize that yet. I’m cold, but his hands are around my face … kissing me.

    Dr. N: And what are you doing at this moment?

    S: I’m over Will’s head. I’m trying to console him. I want him to feel my love is not really gone … I want him to know he has not lost me forever and that I will see him again.

    Dr. N: Are your messages getting through?

    S: There is so much grief, but he … feels my essence … I know it. Our friends are around him … and they separate us finally … they want to reform the wagons and get started again.

    Dr. N: And what is going on now with your soul?

    S: I’m still resisting the pulling sensation … I want to stay.

    Dr. N: Why is that?

    S: Well, I know I’m dead … but I’m not ready to leave Will yet and I want to watch them bury me.

    Dr. N: Do you see or feel any other spiritual entity around you at this moment?

    S: (pause) They are near … soon I will see them … I feel their love as I want Will to feel mine … they are waiting until I’m ready.

    Dr. N: As time passes, are you able to comfort Will? S: I’m trying to reach inside his mind.

    Dr. N: And are you successful?

    S: (pause) I … think a little … he feels me … he realizes … love…

    Dr. N: All right, Sally, now we are going to move forward in relative time again. Do you see your wagon train friends placing your body in some kind of grave?

    S: (voice is more confident) Yes, they have buried me. It’s time for me to go … they are coming for me now… I’m moving… into a brighter light…

    Contrary to what some people believe, souls often have little interest in what happens to their bodies once they are physically dead. This is not callousness over personal situations and the people they leave behind on Earth, but an acknowledgement of these souls to the finality of mortal death. They have a desire to hurry on their way to the beauty of the spirit world.

    Comment 14
    The consciousness usually leaves quite readily once the world-line is over. Any attachment is residual, but as time progresses they realize that the person that they love is still there. They are not tied to a given specific world-line. But that they can visit that part of soul or consciousness that is merrily hopping in and out of world-lines all the time.

    What the person’s consciousness sees at this moment in time is the shock of an abrupt ending of a time track at death.

    However, many other souls want to hover around the place where they died for a few Earth days, usually until after their funerals. Time is apparently accelerated for souls and days on Earth may be only minutes to them. There are a variety of motivations for the lingering soul. For instance, someone who has been murdered or killed unexpectedly in an accident often does not want to leave right away. I find these souls are frequently bewildered or angry. The hovering soul syndrome is particularly true of deaths with young people.

    Comment 15
    Again, there is not one singular world-line. There are multitudes all with different outcomes.

    When a given consciousness wants to “stay” and visit loved ones, its mostly due to the fact that the traumatic events of the death is preventing them from seeing the reality around them.

    They are not looking around and seeing their loved ones (or a percentage part off their loved ones) are outside of the physical reality as well. You are never alone.

    To abruptly detach from a human form, even after a long illness, is still a jolt to the average soul and this too may make the soul reluctant to depart at the moment of death. There is also something symbolic about the normal three- to five-day funeral arrangement periods for souls. Souls really have no morbid curiosity to see themselves buried because emotions in the spirit world are not the same as we experience here on Earth. Yet, I find soul entities appreciate the respect given to the memory of their physical life by surviving relatives and friends.

    As we saw in the last case, there is one basic reason for many spirits not wanting to immediately leave the place of their physical death.

    This comes from a desire to mentally reach out to comfort loved ones before progressing further into the spirit world. Those who have just died are not devastated about their death, because they know those left on Earth will see them again in the spirit world and probably later in other lives as well.

    Comment 16
    For every world line is one consciousness. These “others” that surround the person are what I refer to as “quantum shadows”. They are a partial percentage of another consciousness.

    Consciousnesses might spend the bulk of their time in one world-line as they experience time, but that is not where all the consciousness or soul is.

    It is all over the place in many different world-lines simultaneously. Thus, in this case Sally died. Her consciousness left the last world-line. Those others that she cared about (Will) did not die on that world line. However, Will’s consciousness is not limited to that world-line. He is in other world-lines as well. Most as “quantum shadows”, but also in a non-physical state as well.

    And as such, all Sally need do is look for Will OUTSIDE of the given world-line to see him, or at least part of him.

    On the other hand, mourners at a funeral generally feel they have lost a loved one forever.

    During hypnosis, my subjects do recall frustration at being unable to effectively use their energy to mentally touch a human being who is unreceptive due to shock and grief. Emotional trauma of the living may overwhelm their inner minds to such an extent that their mental capabilities to communicate with souls are inhibited. When a newly departed soul does find a way to give solace to the living-however briefly- they usually are satisfied and want to then move on quickly away from Earth’s astral plane.

    I had a typical example of spiritual consolation in my own life.

    My mother died suddenly from a heart attack. During her burial service, my sister and I were so filled with sadness our minds were numb at the ceremony. A few hours later we returned to my mother’s empty house with our spouses and decided to take a needed rest.

    My sister and I must have reached the receptive Alpha state at about the same time.

    Appearing in two separate rooms, my mother came through our subconscious minds as a dream-like brush of whiteness above our heads. Reaching out, she smiled, indicating her acceptance of death and current well-being. Then she floated away. Lasting only seconds, this act was a meaningful form of closure, causing both of us to release into a sound sleep of the Delta state.

    Comment 16
    When I was attending University, one of our close friends died. He was playing football and had an aneurysm and died suddenly. His name was Marty. And he went by the name of “Rhino” because of his cute habit of head bumping everyone who he met.

    About four days later, me and my two friends were sleeping the dorm after a night of drinking beer. At around 3am we all suddenly woke up and all of us were sitting up. We all had a dream that Marty was telling us that he was fine and well and not to worry about him. It was so loving and kind that we have never forgot that experience..

    We are capable of feeling the comforting presence of the souls of lost loved ones, especially during or right after funerals. For spiritual communication to come through the shock of mourning it is necessary to try to relax and clear your mind, at least for short periods. At these moments our receptivity to a paranormal experience is more open to receive positive communications of love, forgiveness, hope, encouragement, and the reassurance your loved one is in a good place.

    When a widow with young children says to me, “A part of my husband comes to me during the difficult times,” I believe her.

    My clients tell me as souls they are able to help those on Earth connect their inner minds to the spirit world itself As it has been wisely said, people are not really gone as long as they are remembered by those left on Earth.

    In the chapters ahead, we will see how specific memory is a reflection of our own soul, while collective memories are the atoms of pure energy for all souls.

    Comment 17
    There are different types of memories. There is not one singular generic thing called a “memory”. There are memories that are attached to a specific consciousness. There are memories attached to a specific soul that controls that consciousness, and then there are group memories that are shared with other consciousnesses.

    Death does not break our continuity with the immortal soul of those we love simply because they have lost the physical personhood of a mortal body. Despite their many activities, these departed souls are still able to reach us if called upon.

    Occasionally, a disturbed spirit does not want to leave the Earth after physical death. This is due to some unresolved problem which has had a severe impact on its consciousness. In these abnormal cases, help is available from higher, caring entities who can assist in the adjustment process from the other side. We also have the means to aid disturbed spirits in letting go on Earth, as well. I will have more to say about troubled souls in Chapter Four, but the enigma of ghosts portrayed in books and movies has been greatly overblown.

    Comment 18
    Ghosts, spirits and sprites do exist, as do all sorts of other non-physical entities. However most humans need not fear them. They are typically harmless. What does happen is that other create situations to generate fear. And they use that to control us. Don’t permit others to manipulate you..

    How should we best prepare for our own death?

    Our lives may be short or long, healthy or sick, but there comes that time when we all must meet death in a way suited  for us.  If  we  have  had  a  long  illness  leading  to  death,  there  is  time  to adequately prepare the mind once initial shock, denial, and depression have passed.

    The mind takes a short cut through this sort of progression when we face death suddenly.

    As the end of our physical life draws near, each of us has the capacity to fuse with our higher consciousness.  Dying is the easiest  period in our lives  for spiritual awareness, when we can sense our soul is connected to the eternity of time.

    Although there are dying people who find acceptance to be more difficult than resignation, caregivers working around the dying say most everyone acquires a peaceful detachment near the end. I believe dying people are given access to a supreme knowledge of eternal consciousness and this frequently shows in their faces. Many of these people realize something universal is out there waiting and it will be good.

    Comment 19
    At or approaching the moment of death, the consciousness changes the frequency of world-line changes.

    This can be slower or faster.

    In any event, the brain and the person interprets this as a general calming effect as there is a greater percentage of conscious “duration” within a wave state..

    Dying people are undergoing a metamorphosis of separation by their souls from an adopted body. People associate death as losing our life force, when actually the opposite is true. We forfeit our body in death, but our eternal life energy unites with the force of a divine oversoul.

    Death is not darkness, but light.

    My clients  say after recalling former death experiences  they are so filled with rediscovered freedom from their earthbound bodies that they are anxious to get started on their spiritual journey to a place of peace and familiarity. In the cases which follow, we will learn what life is like for them in afterlife.

    Gateway to the Spirit World

    For thousands of years the people of Mesopotamia believed the gates into and out of heaven lay at opposite ends of the great curve of the Milky Way, called the River of Souls. After death, souls had to wait for the rising doorway of Sagittarius and the autumn equinox, when day and night are equal. Reincarnation back to Earth could only take place during the spring equinox through the Gemini exit in their night sky.

    The Milkyway in the night sky.
    The Milkyway in the night sky.

    My subjects tell me that soul migration is actually much easier.

    The tunnel effect they experience when leaving Earth is the portal into the spirit world. Although souls leave their bodies swiftly, it  seems to me entry into the spirit  world is a carefully measured process. Later, when we return to Earth in another life, the route back is described as being more rapid.

    The location of the tunnel in relation to the Earth has some variations between the accounts of my subjects.

    Some newly dead people see it opening up next to them right over their bodies, while others say they move high above the Earth before they enter the tunnel. In all cases, however, the time lapse in reaching this passageway is negligible once the soul leaves Earth.

    There are variations on where the "tunnel of light" appears when a person dies. Some report that it opens up right next to them, while others report it to be far away and they must travel to it.
    There are variations on where the “tunnel of light” appears when a person dies. Some report that it opens up right next to them, while others report it to be far away and they must travel to it.

    Here are the observations of another individual in this spiritual location.

    Case 3 – The Tunnel of Light

    Dr. N: You are now leaving your body. See yourself moving further and further away from the place where you died, away from the plane of Earth. Report back to me what you are experiencing.

    S: At first … it was very bright … close to the Earth … now it’s a little darker because I have gone into a tunnel.

    Dr. N: Describe this tunnel for me.

    S: It’s a … hollow, dim vent … and there is a small circle of light at the other end. Dr. N: Okay, what happens to you next?

    S: I feel a tugging … a gentle pulling… I think I’m supposed to drift through this tunnel … and I do. It is more gray than dark now, because the bright circle is expanding in front of me. It’s as if… (client stops)

    Dr. N: Go on.

    S: I’m being summoned forward …

    Dr. N: Let the circle of light expand in front of you at the end of the tunnel and continue to explain what is happening to you.

    S: The circle of light grows very wide and … I’m out of the tunnel. There is a … cloudy brightness … a light fog. I’m filtering through it.

    Dr. N: As you leave the tunnel, what else stands out in your mind besides the lack of absolute visual clarity?

    S: (subject lowers voice) It’s so … still … it is such a quiet place to be in … I am in the place of spirits

    Comment 20
    The space directly outside of our immediate reality is the “universe” of the many, many world-lines. Within that space we can “hear” or “perceive” things. And as such it tends to be rather noisy…

    Not just the sounds of the physical world-lines that lie as part of the “time track” that the consciousness was part of, but the thoughts of all the “quantum shadows” nearby.

    Dr. N: Do you have any other impressions at this moment as a soul?

    S: Thought! I feel the … power of thought all around …….

    Dr. N: Just relax completely and let your impressions come through easily as you continue to report back to me exactly what is happening to you. Please go on.

    S: Well, it’s hard to put into words. I feel… thoughts of love companionship … empathy … and it’s all combined with … anticipation … as if others are … waiting for me.

    Dr. N: Do you have a sense of security, or are you a little scared?

    S: I’m not scared. When I was in the tunnel, I was more … disoriented. Yes, I feel secure … I’m aware of thoughts reaching out to me of caring … nurturing. It is strange, but there is also the understanding around me of just who I am and why I am here now.

    Dr. N: Do you see any evidence of this around you?

    S: (in a hushed tone) No, I sense it-a harmony of thought everywhere.

    Dr. N: You mentioned cloud-like substances around you right after leaving the tunnel. Are you in a sky over Earth?

    S: (pause) No-not that-but I seem to be floating through cloud stuff which is different from Earth.

    Dr. N: Can you see the Earth at all? Is it below you?

    S: Maybe it is, but I haven’t seen it since I went in the tunnel.

    Dr. N: Do you sense you are still connected to Earth through another dimension, perhaps?

    S: That’s a possibility-yes. In my mind Earth seems close … and I still feel connected to Earth … but I know I’m in another space.

    Dr. N: What else can you tell me about your present location?

    S: It’s still a little … murky … but I’m moving out of this.

    This particular subject, having been taken through the death experience and the tunnel, continues to make tranquil mental adjustments to her bodiless state while pulling further into the spirit world. After some initial uncertainty, her first reported impressions reflect an inviting sense of  well-being.

    This is a common feeling among my subjects.

    Once through the tunnel, our souls have passed the initial gateway of their journey into the spirit world. Most now fully realize they are not really dead, but have simply left the encumbrance of an Earth body which has died.

    With this awareness comes acceptance in varying degrees depending upon the soul. Some subjects look at these surroundings with continued amazement while others are more matter-of-fact in reporting to me what they see.

    Much depends upon their respective maturity and recent life experiences.

    The most common type of reaction I hear is a relieved sigh followed by something on the order of, ” wonderful, I’m home in this beautiful place again.”

    There are those highly developed souls who move so fast out of their bodies that much of what I am describing here is a blur as they home into their spiritual destinations.  These are the pros and,  in my opinion,  they are a distinct minority on Earth.

    The average soul does not move that rapidly and some are very hesitant.

    If we exclude the rare cases of highly disturbed spirits who fight to stay connected with their dead bodies, I find it is the younger souls with fewer past lives who remain attached to Earth’s environment right after death.

    Most of my subjects report that as they emerge from the mouth of the tunnel, things are still unclear for awhile. I think this is due to the density of the nearest astral plane surrounding Earth, called the kamaloka by Theosophists.

    The Astral Plane is just another term for the universe that houses our many, many world-lines.
    The Astral Plane is just another term for the universe that houses our many, many world-lines.

    The next case describes this area from the perspective of a more analytical client. The soul of this individual demonstrates considerable observational insight into form, colors, and vibrational levels. Normally, such graphic physical descriptions by my subjects occur deeper into the spirit world after they get used to their surroundings.

    Case 4 – Exiting the “Tunnel of Light” and entering the “Heaven” Universe.

    Dr. N: As you move further away from the tunnel, describe what you see around you in as much detail as possible.

    S: Things are … layered.

    Dr. N: Layered in what way?

    S: Umm, sort of like … a cake.

    Dr. N: Using a cake as a model, explain what you mean?

    S: I mean some cakes have small tops and are wide at the bottom. It’s not like that when I get through the tunnel. I see layers … levels of light … they appear to me to be .. translucent… indented…

    Dr. N: Do you see the spirit world here as made up of a solid structure?

    S: That’s what I’m trying to explain. It’s not solid, although you might think so at first. It’s layered-the levels of light are all woven together in … stratified threads. I don’t want to make it sound like things are not symmetrical-they are. But I see variations in thickness and color refraction in the layers. They also shift back and forth. I always notice this as I travel away from Earth.

    Comment 21
    What we consider to be physical is actually the movement of quanta. It’s quantum physics. And all quanta are stratified and form patterns and relationships.

    Our consciousness can interpret the visualization of this effect as light. For after all, that is the way our eyes see things, through colors and light.

    What is actually going on is that the subject is perceiving the different levels of quanta that make up the physical universe. He / she “sees” it as light.

    The quanta has the ability to move from one universe to another, so it should not be misunderstood. The consciousness can see quanta in different universes.

    Dr. N: Why do you think this is so?

    S: I don’t know. I didn’t design it.

    Dr. N: From your description, I picture the spirit world as a huge tier with layers of shaded sections from top to bottom.

    S: Yes, and the sections are rounded-they curve away from me as I float through them.

    Dr. N: From your position of observation, can you tell me about the different colors of the layers?

    S: I didn’t say the layers had any major color tones. They are all variations of white. It is lighter … brighter where I’m going, than where I have been. Around me now is a hazy whiteness which was much brighter than the tunnel.

    Comment 22
    A color is the absorption of light by a material. What you see is the colors not absorbed by the material. Thus it makes sense that the sensing of the “light” would be full-spectrum by the senses of our consciousness.

    Dr. N: As you float through these spiritual layers, is your soul moving up or down?

    S: Neither. I am moving across.

    Dr. N: Well, then, do you see the spirit world at this moment in linear dimensions of lines and angles as you move across?

    S: (pause) For me it is … mostly sweeping, non-material energy which is broken into layers by light and dark color variations. I think something is … pulling me into my proper level of travel and trying to relax me, too …

    Dr. N: In what way?

    S: I’m hearing sounds.

    Dr. N: What sounds?

    S: An … echo … of music … musical tingling … wind chimes … vibrating with my movements … so relaxing.

    Dr. N: Other people have defined these sounds as vibrational in nature, similar to riding on the resonance from the twang of a tuning fork. Do you agree or disagree with this description?

    Comment 23
    All of these perceptions by the consciousness as it moves in the Heaven(s), whether in the physical universe (Astral plane) or the heavenly universe are interpretations of the quanta.

    Each interpretation is based on a human sense. As that this the soul construction that the consciousness is familiar with.

    This includes all the sense, from sight to taste, to sound, to vibration, to touch. And since the consciousness can apply human sensations to these quanta, the ability to manipulate the quanta can create human-like constructions.

    S: (nods in assent) Yes, that’s what this is … and I have a memory of scent and taste, too.

    Dr. N: Does this mean our physical senses stay with us after death?

    S: Yes, the memory of them … the waves of musical notes here are so beautiful … bells … strings. such tranquility.

    Many spirit world travelers report back to me about the relaxing sensations of musical vibrations. Noise sensations start quite early after death. Some subjects tell me they hear humming or buzzing sounds right after leaving their physical bodies. This is similar to the noise one hears standing near telephone wires and may vary in volume before souls pull away from what I believe to be the Earth’s astral plane.

    People have said they hear these same sounds when under general anesthesia. These flat, ringing sounds become more musical when we leave the tunnel. This music has been appropriately called energy of the universe because it revitalizes the soul.

    The Buddhism 31 planes of existence is one such believe that maps out and categorizes the various planes in the "Heavenly" realms.
    The Buddhism 31 planes of existence is one such believe that maps out and categorizes the various planes in the “Heavenly” realms.

    With subjects who speak about spiritual layering, I mention the possibility that they could be seeing astral planes. In metaphysical writing, we read a lot about planes above the Earth.

    Comment 24
    The use of the term “planes” is a way for our human mind to understand the complexities of the different “textures” and attributes of how quanta behave outside of the physical world-lines.

    The reason for this has to do with the construction of our own individual souls. Most specifically the garbions and the swales that connect them.

    Other species, with different soul constructions, and different types of garbions and swale arrangements would interpret these variations quite differently and might even have a difficult time understanding what we are talking about.

    Beginning with ancient Indian scriptures called the Vedas, followed by later Eastern texts, astral planes have historically represented a series of rising dimensions above the physical or tangible world, which blend into the spiritual. These invisible regions have been experienced by people over thousands of years through meditative, out-of-body observations of the mind. Astral planes also have been described as being less dense as one moves farther away from the heavy influences of Earth.

    Theravada Buddhist cosmology describes the 31 planes of existence in which rebirth takes place. The order of the planes are found in various discourses of the Gautama Buddha in the Sutta Pitaka. For example, in the Saleyyaka Sutta of the Majjhima Nikaya the Buddha mentioned the planes above the human plane in ascending order. In several sūtras in the Anguttara Nikaya, the Buddha described the causes of rebirth in these planes in the same order. In Buddhism, the devas are not immortal gods that play a creative role in the cosmic process. They are simply elevated beings who had been reborn in the celestial planes as a result of their words, thoughts, and actions. Usually, they are just as much in bondage to delusion and desire as human beings, and as in need of guidance from the Enlightened One. The Buddha is the "teacher of devas and humans (satthadevamanussanam). The devas come to visit the Buddha in the night. The Devatasamyutta and the Devaputtasamyutta of the Samyutta Nikaya gives a record of their conversations. The devaputtas are young devas newly arisen in heavenly planes, and devatas are mature deities.
    
    There are more than 10,000 crore (100 billion) solar systems in our Galaxy, and more than 10,000 crore (100 billion) galaxies in our Universe. There are many Universes in space. Past and future lives may occur on other planets. The data for the 31 planes of existence in samsara are compiled from the Majjhima Nikaya, Anguttara Nikaya, Samyutta Nikaya, Digha Nikaya, Khuddaka Nikaya, and others. The 31 planes of existence can be perceived by a Buddha's Divine eye (dibbacakkhu) and some of his awakened disciples through the development of jhana meditation. According to the suttas, a Buddha can access all these planes and know all his past lives as well as those of other beings.
    
    -Buddhist cosmology of the Theravada school - Wikipedia

    The next case  represents a soul who is still troubled after passing through the spiritual tunnel. This is a man who, at age thirty-six, died of a heart attack on a Chicago street in 1902. He left behind a large family of young children and a wife who was deeply loved.

    They were very poor.

    Case 5 – Death in 1902 Chicago.

    Dr. N: Can you see clearly yet as you travel beyond the tunnel?

    S: I’m still passing through these… foamy clouds around me.

    Dr. N: I want you to move all the way through this and tell me what you see now.

    S: (pause) Oh … I’m out of it … my God, this place is big! It’s so bright and clean-it even smells good. I am looking at a beautiful ice palace.

    A big beautiful ice palace.
    A big beautiful ice palace.

    Dr. N: Tell me more.

    S:  (with  amazement)  It’s  enormous  …  it  looks  like  bright,  sparkling  crystal … colored stones shining all around me.

    Dr. N: When you say crystalline, I think of a clear color.

    S: Well, there are mostly grays and white … but as I float along I do see other colors … mosaics … all glittery.

    Dr. N: Look into the distance from within this ice palace-do you see any boundaries anywhere?

    S: No, this space is infinite … so majestic … and peaceful.

    Dr. N: What are you feeling right now?

    S: I… can’t fully enjoy it … I don’t want to go further … Maggie (subject’s widow)

    When a person dies, they care about those that are left behind. Yet, they are actually not really left behind. They are "quantum shadows" of the person. Their consciousness exists in both the physical and the nearby non-physical word. As they too are cycling in and out for form; wave / particle... wave / particle. A well-trained (spiritually or quantum-trained) individual can easily communicate to them at this period of death.
    When a person dies, they care about those that are left behind. Yet, they are actually not really left behind. They are “quantum shadows” of the person. Their consciousness exists in both the physical and the nearby non-physical word. As they too are cycling in and out for form; wave / particle… wave / particle. A well-trained (spiritually or quantum-trained) individual can easily communicate to them at this period of death.

    Dr. N: I can see you are still disturbed about the Chicago life, but does this inhibit your progress into the spirit world?

    S: (subject jerks upright in my office chair) Good! I see my guide coming towards me-she knows what I need.

    Dr. N: Tell me what transpires between you and your guide.

    S: I say to her I can’t go on… that I need to know Maggie and the children are going to be okay.

    Dr. N: And how does your guide respond?

    S: She is comforting me-but I’m too loaded down.

    Dr. N: What do you say to her?

    S: (shouting) I tell her, “Why did you allow this to happen? How could you do this to me? You made me go through such pain and hardship with Maggie and now you cut off our life together.”

    Dr. N: What does your guide do?

    S: She is trying to soothe me. Telling me I did a good job and that I will see my life ran its intended course.

    Dr. N: Do you accept what she says?

    S: (pause) In my mind… information comes to me … of the future on Earth … that the family is getting on without me … accepting that I am gone … they are going to make it … and we will all see each other again.

    Dr. N: And how does this make you feel?

    S: I feel … peace … (with a sigh) .. I am ready to go on now.

    Comment 24
    After spending years in a given body, our consciousness becomes attached to the physical world. Even if we see our guides, angels or friends, we often have to be reminded that the entire time in the various physical world is but a learning event.

    Before touching on the significance of Case 5 meeting his guide here, I want to mention this man’s interpretation of the spirit world appearing as an ice palace.

    Further into the spirit world, my subjects will talk about seeing buildings and being in furnished rooms.

    The state of hypnosis by itself does not create these images.

    Logically, people should not be recalling such physical structures in a non-material world unless we consider these scenes of Earth’s natural environment are intended to aid in the soul’s transition and adjustment from a physical death. These sights have individual meaning for every soul communicating with me, all of whom are affected by their Earth experiences.

    Comment 25
    Perhaps. However, the consciousness can manipulate quanta and shape it. More on this later on. Thus all consciousness can create things through the manipulation of quanta, and it is much, much, MUCH easier to do outside of the physical universe.

    When the soul sees images in the spirit world which relate to places they have lived or visited on Earth, there is a reason.

    An unforgotten home, school, garden, mountain, or seashore are seen by souls because a benevolent spiritual force allows for terrestrial mirages to comfort us by their familiarity. Our planetary memories never die-they whisper forever into the soul-mind on the winds of mythical dreams just as images of the spirit world do so within the human mind.

    I enjoy hearing from subjects about their first images of the spirit world. People may see fields of wildflowers, castle towers rising in the distance, or rainbows under an open sky when returning to this place of adoration after an absence.

    Many people report amazing views that they "see" when in the spirit form. They report beautiful skies, flat surfaces with flowers, grasses, pleasant scents and fresh breezes.
    Many people report amazing views that they “see” when in the spirit form. They report beautiful skies, flat surfaces with flowers, grasses, pleasant scents and fresh breezes.

    These first ethereal Earth scenes of the spirit world don’t seem to change a great deal over a span of lives for the returning soul, although there is variety between client descriptions. I find that once a subject in trance continues further into the spirit world to describe the functional aspects of spiritual life, their comments become more uniform.

    The case I have just reviewed could be described as a fairly unsettled spirit bonded closely to his soulmate, Maggie, who was left behind.

    There is no question that some souls do carry the negative baggage of a difficult past life longer than others, despite the calming influences of the spirit world.

    People tend to think all souls become omniscient at death.

    This is not completely true because adjustment periods vary. The time of soul adjustment depends upon the circumstances of death, attachments of each soul to the memories of the life just ended, and level of advancement.

    Comment 26
    The adjustment period varies. It depends on the “age” of the soul and how many previous incarnations he has had. It also depends on the duration and the harshness of his previous life.

    I frequently hear anger during age-regression when a young life ends suddenly.

    Souls reentering the spirit world under these conditions are often bewildered and confused over leaving people they love without much warning. They are unprepared for death and some feel sad and deprived right after leaving their bodies.

    If a soul has been traumatized by unfinished business, usually the first entity it sees right after death is its guide. These highly developed spiritual teachers are prepared to take the initial brunt of a soul’s frustration following an untimely death.

    After a particularly difficult and grueling lifetime of hurt and trauma, the spiritual guides, also known as angels, will come and meet the distressed soul / consciousness and help them return home. This painting is titled "Hind's feet" by Daniel Gerhartz and can be found on the Art Renewal Center website.
    After a particularly difficult and grueling lifetime of hurt and trauma, the spiritual guides, also known as angels, will come and meet the distressed soul / consciousness and help them return home. This painting is titled “Hind’s feet” by Daniel Gerhartz and can be found on the Art Renewal Center website.

    Case 5 will eventually make a healthy adjustment to the spirit world by allowing his guide to assist him during the balance of his incoming trip.

    However, I have found our guides do not encourage the complete working out of thought disorders at the spiritual gateway. There are more appropriate times and places for detailed reviews about karmic learning lessons involving life and death, which I will describe later.

    The guide in Case 5 offered a brief visualization of accelerated Earth time as a means of soothing this man about the future of his wife and children so he could continue on his journey with more acceptance.

    Regardless of their state of mind right after death, my subjects are full of exclamations about rediscovered marvels of the spirit world.

    Usually, this feeling is combined with euphoria that all their worldly cares have been left behind, especially physical pain. Above all else, the spirit world represents a place of supreme quiescence to the traveling soul. Although it may at first  appear we are alone immediately following death, we are not isolated or unaided. Unseen intelligent energy forces guide each of us through the gate.

    Comment 27
    The non-physical world is not void empty blackness, but rather a warm and sunny place filled with those that care about you. You might well be surprised at how lushly populated it is and the great number of people and souls that care about your well-being.

    New arrivals in the spirit world have little time to float around wondering where they are or what is going to happen to them next. Our guides and a number of soulmates and friends  wait for us close to the gateway to provide recognition, affection, and the assurance we are all right. Actually, we feel their presence from the moment of death because much of our initial readjustment depends upon the influence of these kindly entities toward our returning soul.

    Homecoming

    SINCE encountering friendly spirits who meet us after death is so important, how do we recognize them?

    I find a general consensus of opinion among subjects in hypnosis about how souls look to each other in the spirit world. A soul may appear as a mass of energy, but apparently it is also possible for non-organic soul energy to display human characteristics.

    Souls often use their capacity to project former life forms when communicating with each other.

    Comment 28
    A soul / consciousness can project any image that it wishes to project. Mostly the “default” images projected to others is the image associated with the last (or current) earthly incarnation.

    Now this can get confusing. What happens when you are moving about world-line sliding and in one world-line you are a poor beggar, and the next a heavily tattooed weight-lifter, and the third, a frail sickly man? What is the default image that is projected?

    The default image projected is always the image that the consciousness associates with itself.

    Further, the projected image is usually the upper torso. This will be apparent once one migrates about in the non-physical reality.

    Projecting a human life form is only one of an incalculable number of appearances which can be assumed by souls from their basic energy substance. Later on, in Chapter Six, I will discuss another feature of soul identity-the possession of a particular color aura.

    Most of my subjects report the first person they see in the spirit world is their personal guide.

    However, after any life we can be met by a soulmate.

    A soulmate is a person with whom one has a feeling of deep or natural affinity. This may involve similarity, love, romance, platonic relationships, comfort, intimacy, sexuality, sexual activity, spirituality, compatibility and trust.
    
    -Wikipedia

    Guides and soulmates are not the same.

    If a former relative or close friend appears to the incoming soul, their regular guide might  be absent from the scene. I find that usually guides are somewhere in close proximity, monitoring the incomer’s arrival in their own way.

    The soul in my next case has just come through the spiritual gateway and is met by an advanced entity who obviously has had close connections with the subject over a prolonged series of past lives. Although this soulmate entity is not my client’s primary guide, he is there to welcome and provide loving encouragement for her.

    Case 6 – Meetup with long-time friends

    Dr. N: What do you see around you?

    S: It’s as if … I’m drifting along on … pure white sand … which is shifting around me … and I’m under a giant beach umbrella-with brightly colored panels-all vaporized, but banded together, too …

    Dr. N: Is anyone here to meet you?

    S: (pause) I … thought I was alone … but … (a long hesitation) in the distance … uh … light … moving fast towards me … oh, my gosh!

    Dr. N: What is it?

    S: (excitedly) Uncle Charlie! (loudly) Uncle Charlie, I’m over here!

    Dr. N: Why does this particular person come to meet you first?

    S: (in a preoccupied far-off voice) Uncle Charlie, I’ve missed you so much.

    Dr. N: (I repeat my question)

    S: Because, of all my relatives, I loved him more than anybody. He died when I was a child and I never got over it. (on a Nebraska farm in this subject’s most immediate past life)

    Nebraska farm house.
    Nebraska farm house.

    Dr. N: How do you know it’s Uncle Charlie? Does he have features you recognize?

    S: (subject is squirming with excitement in her chair) Sure, sure-just as I remember him-jolly, kind, lovable-he is next to me. (chuckles)

    Dr. N: What is so funny?

    S: Uncle Charlie is just as fat as he used to be.

    Dr. N: And what does he do next?

    S: He is smiling and holding out his hand to me

    Dr. N: Does this mean he has a body of some sort with hands?

    S: (laughs) Well, yes and no. I’m floating around and so is he. It’s … in my mind … he is showing all of himself to me … and what I am most aware of … is his hand stretched out to me.

    Comment 29
    The appearance by a given consciousness is actually a compromise.

    One one hand, it is the residual memories that you might have of an individual, and on the other hand it is greatly influenced by the default image associated with the other consciousness.

    Dr. N: Why is he holding out his hand to you in a materialized way? S: (pause) To … comfort me … to lead me … further into the light.

    Dr. N: And what do you do?

    S: I’m going with him and we are thinking about the good times we spent together playing in the hay on the farm.

    Dr. N: And he is letting you see all this in your mind so you will know who he is?

    S: Yes … as I knew him in my last life … so I won’t be afraid. He knows I am still a little shocked over my death. (subject had died suddenly in an automobile accident)

    Automobile accident.
    Automobile accident.

    Dr. N: Then, right after death, no matter how many deaths we may have experienced in other lives, it is possible to be a little fearful until we get used to the spirit world again?

    S: It’s not really fear-that’s wrong-more like I’m apprehensive, maybe. It varies for me each time. The car crash caught me unprepared. I’m still a little mixed up.

    Dr. N: All right, let’s go forward a bit more. What is Uncle Charlie doing now? S: He is taking me to the … place I should go …

    Dr.  N:  On  the  count  of  three,  let’s  go  there.  One-two-three!  Tell  me  what  is happening.

    S: (long pause) There… are … other people around … and they look… friendly… as I approach … they seem to want me to join them…

    Dr. N: Continue to move towards them. Do you get the impression they might be waiting for you?

    S: (recognition) Yes! In fact, I realize I have been with them before (pause) No, don’t go!

    Dr. N: What’s happening now?

    S: (very upset) Uncle Charlie is leaving me. Why is he going away?

    Dr. N: (I stop the  dialogue  to use standard calming techniques in these circumstances, and then we continue.) Look deeply with your inner mind. You must realize why Uncle Charlie is leaving you at this point?

    S: (more relaxed but with regret) Yes … he stays in a … different place than I do … he just came to meet me .. to bring me here.

    Comment 30
    Sometimes that is the only role that a friend might have. To help take you to where you need to be and where you are wanted and missed..

    Dr. N: I think I understand. Uncle Charlie’s job was to be the first person to meet you after your death and see you were okay. I’d like to know if you feel better now, and more at home.

    S: Yes, I do. That’s why Uncle Charlie has left me with the others.

    A curious phenomenon about the spirit world is that important people in our lives are always able to greet us, even though they may already be living another life in a new body. This will be explained in Chapter Six. In Chapter Ten, I will examine the ability of souls to divide their essence so they can be in more than one body at a time on Earth.

    Comment 31
    Consciousness can split and spend percentages in multiple world-lines, and in various places in the “Heavenly realms”. One should not get too “hot and bothered” about it. We are consciousness and that is facilitated by quanta.

    Usually at this juncture in a soul’s passage, the carry-on luggage of Earth’s physical and mental burdens are diminishing for two reasons. First, the evidence of a carefully directed order and harmony in the spirit world has brought back the remembrance of what we left behind before we chose life in physical form. Secondly, there is the overwhelming impact of seeing people we thought we would never meet again after they died on Earth.

    Here is another example.

    Case 7 – Reunions with loved ones.

    Dr. N: Now that you have had the chance to adjust to your surroundings in the spirit world, tell me what effect this place has on you.

    S: It’s so … warm and comforting. I’m relieved to be away from Earth. I just want to stay here always. There is no tension, or worries, only a sense of well-being. I’m just floating … how beautiful…

    Dr. N: As you continue to float along, what is your next major impression as you pass the spiritual gateway?

    S: (pause) Familiarity.

    Dr. N: What is familiar?

    S: (after some hesitation) Uh mm… people … friends … are here, I think.

    Dr. N: Do you see these people as familiar people on Earth?

    S: I … have a sensation of their presence … people I knew

    Dr. N: All right, keep moving along. What do you see next?

    S: Lights… soft… kind of cloudy-like.

    Dr. N: As you are moving, does this light continue to look the same?

    S: No, they are growing … blobs of energy … and I know they are people!

    Dr. N: Are you moving toward them, or are they coming toward you?

    S: We are drifting toward each other, but I am going slower than they are because … I’m uncertain what to do

    Dr. N: Just relax and continue floating while reporting back to me everything you see.

    S: (pause) Now I’m seeing half-formed human shapes-from the waist up only. Their outlines are transparent, too … I can see through them.

    Dr. N: Do you see any sort of features to these shapes?

    S: (anxiously) Eyes!

    Dr. N: You see just eyes?

    S: … There is only a trace of a mouth-it’s nothing. (alarmed) The eyes are all around me now… coming closer …

    Dr. N: Does each entity have two eyes?

    S: That’s right.

    Dr. N: Do these eyes have the appearance of human eyes with an iris and pupil?

    S: No … different … they are … larger … black orbs … radiating light… towards me … thought … (then with a relieved sigh) oh!

    Dr. N: Go on.

    S: I’m starting to recognize them-they are sending images into my mind-thoughts about themselves and … the shapes are changing into people!

    Dr. N: People with physical human features?

    S: Yes. Oh … look! It’s him!

    Dr. N: What do you see?

    S: (begins to laugh and cry at the same time) I think it’s … yes it’s Larry-he is in front of everybody else-he is the first one I really see … Larry, Larry!

    Dr. N: (after giving my subject a chance to recover a little) The soul entity of Larry is in front of an assortment of people you know?

    S: Yes, now I know the ones I want most to see are in front… some of my other friends are in the back.

    Dr. N: Can you see them all clearly?

    S: No, the ones in back are … hazy … far off… but, I have the sensation of their presence. Larry is in front … coming up to me Larry!

    Comment 32
    Soul and consciousness works together with other souls. It’s sort of like how and internet connection makes a “handshake” with a host. The images you see are a mix of what you know and what the other entity wants you to see, with automatic defaults at all levels..

    Dr. N: Larry is the husband from your last life you told me about earlier?

    S: (subject rushes on) Yes-we had such a wonderful life together–Gunther was so strong-everyone was against our marriage in his family-Jean deserted from the navy to save me from the bad life I was living in Marseilles – always wanting me

    This subject is so excited her past lives are tumbling one on top of the other. Larry, Gunther, and Jean were all former husbands, but the same soulmate. I was glad we had a chance to review earlier who these people were in sessions before this interval of recall in the spirit world. Besides Larry, her recent American husband, Jean was a French sailor in the nineteenth century and Gunther was the son of German aristocrats living in the eighteenth century.

    Dr. N: What are the two of you doing right now?

    S: Embracing.

    Dr. N: If a third party were to look at the two of you embracing at this moment, what would they see?

    S: (no answer)

    Dr. N: (the subject is so engrossed in the scene with her soulmate there are tears streaming down her face. I wait a moment and then try again.) What would you and Larry look like to someone watching you in the spirit world right now?

    S: They would see… two masses of bright light whirling around each other, I guess … (subject begins to settle down and I help wipe the tears off her face with a tissue)

    Dr. N: And what does this signify?

    S: We are hugging … expressing love … connecting … it makes us happy …

    Dr. N: After you meet your soulmate, what happens next?

    S: (subject tightly grips the recliner arms) Oh-they are all here-I only sensed them before. Now more are coming closer to me.

    Dr. N: And this happens after your husband comes near you?

    S: Yes … Mother! She is coming over to me … I’ve missed her so much… oh, Mom… (subject begins to cry again)

    Dr. N: All right …

    S: Oh, please don’t ask me any questions now-I want to enjoy this (subject appears to be in silent conversation with her mother of the last life)

    Dr. N: (I wait for a minute) Now, I know you are enjoying this meeting, but I need you to help me know what is going on.

    S: (in a faraway voice) We … we are just holding each other … it’s so good to be with her again

    Dr. N: How do you manage to hold each other with no bodies?

    S: (with a sigh of exasperation at me) We envelop each other in light, of course.

    Dr. N: Tell me what that is like for spirits?

    S: Like being wrapped in a bright-light blanket of love.

    Dr. N: I see, then ….

    S: (subject  interrupts with a high pitched laugh of  recognition) Tim!…  it’s my brother-he died so young (a drowning accident at age fourteen in her last life). It’s so wonderful to see him here. (subject waves her arm) And there is my best girl friend Wilma-from next door-we are laughing together over boys like we did while sitting up in her attic.

    Dr. N: (after subject mentions her aunt and a couple of other friends) What do you think determines the sequence of how all these people come here to greet you?

    S: (pause) Why, how much we all mean to each other-what else?

    Dr. N: And with some, you have lived many lives, while with others perhaps only one or two?

    S: Yes … I have been with my husband the most.

    Dr. N: Do you see your guide around anywhere?

    S: He is here. I see him floating off to the side. He knows some of my friends, too … Dr. N: Why do you call your guide a “him?”

    We can contact our guardian angels, and our soul support group through prayer and intention. While I have addressed using intention to navigate our world lines, we can also use it to ask our friends, relatives and angels to help us. If we do the prayers properly they will actually help us. It's nothing to laugh or scoff about. We live in a universe of thought, and clear directed thoughts are messages that will go to their intended recipient.
    We can contact our guardian angels, and our soul support group through prayer and intention. While I have addressed using intention to navigate our world lines, we can also use it to ask our friends, relatives and angels to help us. If we do the prayers properly they will actually help us. It’s nothing to laugh or scoff about. We live in a universe of thought, and clear directed thoughts are messages that will go to their intended recipient.

    S: We all show what we want of ourselves. He always relates to me with a masculine nature. It’s right and very natural.

    Dr. N: And does he watch over you in all your lives?

    Important advice
    As I have stated previously in my SHTF posts, it is our relationships that make our life worthwhile. Use this time in your day to day lives to be the best friend that you can be.

    S: Sure, and after death too … here, and he is always my protector.

    Our reception committee is planned in advance for us as we enter the spirit world. This case demonstrates how uplifting familiar faces can be to the incoming younger soul.

    I find there are a different number of entities waiting in greeting parties after each life.

    Although the meeting format varies, depending on a soul’s special needs, I have learned there is nothing haphazard about our spiritual associates knowing exactly when we are due and where to meet us upon our arrival in the spirit world.

    Frequently, an entity who is significant to us will be waiting a little in front of the others who want  to be  on hand as we  come  through the gateway.  

    The size of welcoming parties not only changes for everyone after each life, but is drastically reduced  to  almost  nothing  for  more  advanced  souls  where  spiritual  comfort becomes less necessary. Case 9, at the end of this chapter, is an example of this type of spiritual passage.

    Cases 6 and 7 both represent one of the three ways newly arrived souls are received back into the spirit world. These two souls were met  shortly after death by a principal entity, followed by others of decreasing influence. Case 7  recognized people more quickly than Case 6. When we meet such spirits in a gathering right after our death, we find they have been spouses parents, grandparents, siblings, uncles, aunts, cousins, and dear friends in our past lives. I have witnessed some gut- wrenching emotional scenes with my clients at this stage of their passage.

    The emotional meetings which take place between souls at this interval in a spiritual passage are only a prelude to our eventual placement within a specific group of entities at our own maturity level.

    These meetings provide another emotional high for a subject in superconscious recall. Spiritual organizational arrangements, involving how groups form and are cross-matched with other entities, will be described in subsequent chapters.

    For the present, it is important we understand welcoming entities may not be part of our own particular learning group in the spirit world. This is because all the people who are close to us in our lives are not on the same developmental level.

    Simply because they choose to meet us right after death out of love and kindness does not mean they will all be part of our spiritual learning group when we arrive at the final destination of this journey.

    For instance, in Case 6, Uncle Charlie was clearly a more advanced soul than my subject and may even have been serving in the capacity of a spiritual guide. It was evident to me that one of the primary tasks of Uncle Charlie’s soul was to help Case 6 as a child in the life just ended, and his responsibility continued right after my subject’s death.

    With Case 7, the important first contact was Larry, a true soulmate on the same level as this subject. Notice also in Case 7, that my subject’s spiritual guide was not conspicuous among her former relatives and friends. However, as the scene unfolded, there were indications of a spiritual guide orchestrating the whole meeting process while remaining in the background.

    I see this in many cases.

    The second manner in which we are met right after death involves a quiet, meaningful encounter with one’s spiritual guide where no one else is revealed in the immediate vicinity, as in Case 5.

    Case 8 further illustrates this sort of meeting.

    What type of after-death meeting we do experience appears to involve the particular style of our spiritual guide along with requisites of our individual character. I find the duration of this first meeting with our guides does vary after each life depending upon the circumstances of that life.

    Case 8 shows the very close relationships people have with their spiritual guides.

    Many guides have strange sounding names, while others are rather conventional. I find it interesting that the old-fashioned religious term of having a “guardian angel” is now used metaphysically to denote an empathetic spirit.

    A Catholic version of a Guardian Angel.
    A Catholic version of a Guardian Angel.

    To be honest, this is a term I once denigrated as being foolishly loaded with wishful thinking and representing an out-dated mythology at odds with the modern world. I don’t have that belief anymore about guardian angels.

    Comment 33
    There are all sorts of non-physical beings. Many of which we know, deep down inside us. They can appear to us in many forms, but the form will always be the one that is most comforting to us.

    I am repeatedly told that the soul itself is androgynous, and yet, in the same breath, clients declare sex is not an unimportant factor.

    In the movie "Contact", an extraterrestrial took the comforting shape of the astronauts' father to put her at ease and comfort her. In the non-physical reality, our friends and angles will take on the forms that we find most appealing and meaningful to us.
    In the movie “Contact”, an extraterrestrial took the comforting shape of the astronauts’ father to put her at ease and comfort her. In the non-physical reality, our friends and angles will take on the forms that we find most appealing and meaningful to us.

    I have learned all souls can and do assume male and female mental impressions toward other entities as a form of identity preference. Cases 6 and 7 show the importance of the newly arrived soul in seeing familiar “faces”  identified by gender.

    This is also true of the next case. Another reason why I selected Case 8 is to indicate how and why souls choose to visually appear in human form to others in the spirit world.

    Case 8 – Spirits in human form

    Dr. N: You have just started to actually leave the Earth’s astral plane now, and are moving further and further into the spirit world. I want you to tell me what you feel.

    S: The silence … so peaceful …

    Dr. N: Is anyone coming to meet you?

    S: Yes, it’s my friend Rachel. She is always here for me when I die.

    Dr. N: Is Rachel a soulmate who has been with you in other lives, or is she someone who always remains here?

    S: (with some indignation) She doesn’t always stay here. No, she is with me a lot-in my mind-when I need her. She is my own guardian (said with possessive pride).

    Note: The attributes of guides as differentiated from soulmates and other supportive entities will be examined in Chapter Eight.

    Spirits can take the form of humans or angels as they deem necessary.
    Spirits can take the form of humans or angels as they deem necessary.

    Dr. N: Why do you call this entity a “she”? Aren’t spirits supposed to be sexless?

    S: That’s right-in a literal way, because we are capable of both attributes. Rachel wants to show herself to me as a woman for the visual knowing and it is a mental thing as well with her.

    Dr.  N:  Are  you  locked  into  male  or  female  attributes  during  your  spiritual existence?

    S: No. As souls there are periods in our existence when we are more inclined toward one gender than another. Eventually, this natural preference evens out.

    Dr. N: Would you describe how Rachel’s soul actually looks to you at this moment? S: (quietly) A youngish woman … as I remember her best … small, with delicate features … a determined expression on her face … so much knowledge and love.

    Dr. N: Then you have known Rachel on Earth?

    S: (responding with nostalgia) Once, long ago, she was close to me in life … now she is my guardian.

    Dr. N: And what do you feel when you look at her?

    S: A calmness … tranquility … love …

    Dr. N: Do you and Rachel actually look at each other with eyes in a human way?

    S: (hesitates) Sort of … but different. You see the mind behind what we take to be eyes, because that is what we relate to on Earth. Of course, we can do the same thing as humans on Earth, too …

    Comment 34
    Those creatures in spirit perceive the quanta around them by the same senses that they had when they were living on earth. For a human, the dominant sense is visual, for a dog it would be through scents..

    Dr. N: What can you do on Earth with your eyes that can also be done in the spirit world?

    S: When you look into a certain person’s eyes on the ground-even people you have just met-and see a light you have known before well, that tells you something about them. As a human you don’t know why-but your soul remembers.

    Note: I have heard about the light of spiritual identity being reflected in the human eyes of a soulmate expressed in a variety of ways from many clients. As for myself, I have knowingly experienced this instant recognition only once in my life at the moment I first saw my own wife. The effect is startling, and a bit eerie as well.

    Dr. N: Are you saying that sometimes on Earth when two people look at each other, they may feel they have known one another before?

    S: Yes, it’s deja vu.

    Dr. N: Let’s go back to Rachel in the spirit world. If your guardian did not project an image of herself in human form to you, would you have known her anyway?

    S: Well, naturally we can always identify each other by the mind. But, it’s nicer this way. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s a … social thing … seeing a familiar face puts you at ease.

    Dr. N: Seeing human features of people you knew in past lives is a good thing then, particularly in the readjustment period right after leaving Earth?

    S: Yeah, otherwise you feel a little lost at first … lonesome … and maybe confused, too … seeing people as they were helps me get used to things here faster when I first come back, and seeing Rachel is always a big boost.

    Dr. N: Does Rachel present herself to you in human form right after each death on Earth as a way of getting you readjusted to the spirit world?

    S: (eagerly) Oh, yes-she does! And she gives me security. I feel better when I see others I have known before too …

    Dr. N: And do you speak to these people?

    S: No one speaks, we communicate by the mind.

    Dr. N: Telepathically?

    S: Yes.

    Comment 35
    Most of the extraterrestrials that I have been exposed to utilize quantum technologies, and also have a far better understanding of the non-physical worlds than we do. Thus, many of them communicate telepathically.

    Dr. N: Is it possible for souls to have private conversations which cannot be telepathically picked up by others?

    S: (pause) … for intimacy-yes.

    Dr. N: How is this done?

    S: By touch-it’s called touching communication.

    Note: When two spirits come so close to each other they are conjoined, my subjects say they can send private thoughts by touch which passes between them as “electrical sound impulses.” In most instances, subjects in hypnosis do not wish to talk to me about these personal confidences.

    Dr. N: Could you clarify for me how human features can be projected by you as a soul?

    S: From … my mass of energy… I just think of the features I want … but I can’t tell you what gives me the ability to do this.

    Dr. N: Well, then, can you tell me why you and the other souls project certain features at different times?

    S: (long pause) It depends on where you are in your movements around here … when you see another… and your state of mind then.

    Dr. N: That’s what I want to get at. Tell me more about recognition.

    S: You see, recognition depends on a person’s … feelings when you meet them here. They will show you what they want you to see of themselves and what they think you want to see. It also depends on the circumstances of your meeting with them.

    Dr. N: Can you be more specific? What different circumstances can cause energy forms to materialize in a certain way toward other spirits?

    S: It is the difference between your being on their turf or your turf. They may choose to show you one set of features in one place, while in another you might see something else.

    Note: Spiritual “territory” will be explained as we proceed further into the spirit world.

    Dr. N: Are you telling me that a soul may show you one face at the gateway to the spirit world and another image later in a different situation?

    S: That’s right. Dr. N: Why?

    S: Like I was telling you, a lot of how we present ourselves to each other depends on what we are feeling right then … what relationship we have with a certain person and where we are.

    Dr. N: Please tell me if I understand all this correctly. The identity souls project to each other depends on timing and location in the Spirit world as well as mood, and maybe psychological states of mind when they meet?

    S: Sure, and it works both ways … it’s interconnecting.

    Dr. N: Then, how can we know the true character of a soul’s consciousness with all these changes in each other’s image?

    S: (laughs) The image you project never hides who you really are from the rest of us. Anyway, it’s not the same kind of emotion we know on Earth. Here it is more … abstract. Why we project certain features and thoughts … is based on a … confirmation of ideas.

    Dr. N: Ideas? Do you mean your sentiments at the time?

    S: Yes … sort of… because these human features were part of our physical lives in other places when we discovered things … and developed ideas … it is all a … continuum for us to use here.

    Dr. N: Well, if in each of our past lives we have a different face, which one do we assume between lives?

    S: We mix it up. You assume those features which the person you see will most recognize as you, depending on what you want to communicate.

    Comment 36
    This action and behavior is automatic and natural. It is much the way that we humans use facial expressions and body language when talking to others. There just isn’t any conscious control over our actions, we just behave that way.

    Dr. N: What about communication without projecting features?

    S: Sure, we do that-it’s normal-but I mentally associate with people more quickly with features.

    Dr. N: Do you favor projecting a certain set of facial features?

    S: Hmm … I like the face with the mustache … having a rock-hard jaw…

    Dr. N: You mean when you were Jeff Tanner, the cowpuncher from Texas in the life we discussed earlier?

    S: (laughs) That’s it-and I have had faces like Jeff’s in other lives, too.

    Dr. N: But, why Jeff? Was it just because he was you in your last life?

    S: No, I felt good as Jeff. It was a happy, uncomplicated life. Damn, I looked great! My face resembled those billboard smoking ads you used to see along the highway. (chuckling) I enjoy showing off my handle-bar mustache as Jeff.

    A Marlboro man billboard.
    A Marlboro man billboard.

    Dr. N: But that was only one life. People not associated with you in that life may not recognize you here.

    S: Oh, they would get it was me soon enough. I could change to something else, but I like myself as Jeff the best right now.

    Dr. N: So, this goes back to what you were saying about all of us really only having one identity, regardless of the number of facial features we might project as souls?

    S: Yeah, you see everyone as they truly are. Some only want their best side to show because of what you might think of them-they don’t fully appreciate that it is what you are striving for which is important, not how you appear. We get a lot of laughs about how spirits think they should look, even taking faces they never had on Earth, and that’s okay.

    Comment 37
    Vanity persists in the non-physical worlds.

    Dr. N: Are we talking about the more immature souls, then?

    S: Yes, usually. They can get stuck … we don’t judge … in the end they are going to be all right.

    Dr. N: I think of the spirit world as a place of supreme all-knowing intelligent consciousness and you make it appear that souls have moods and vanity as though they were back on Earth?

    S: (burst of laughter) People are people no matter how they look on their physical worlds.

    Dr. N: Oh, do you see souls who have gone to planets other than Earth?

    S: (pause) Once in a while …

    Dr. N: What features do souls from other planets besides Earth show you?

    S: (evasively) I … kind of stick with my own people, but we can assume any features we want for communication …

    Note: Gaining information from the subjects I have had who are able to recall leading physical past lives in non-human form on other worlds is always challenging. Recollection of these experiences are usually limited to older, more advanced souls, as we will see later.
    Comment 38
    This can be confusing. Each species has it’s own “region” within a universe. This region is also treated as a “universe”. Thus, it can be very confusing.

    For now, and apologies to any loose statements that I have made in the past, we can consider the “universe” outside or next to the physical universe to be segregated into sub-universe or regions that each favor a certain species. It’s a spawning process and the lack of proper terminology can hamper our study of this.

    This is how the different universes connect together. That being said, a human or a dog, or a cat, or a Mantid can visit all of them if they desire. But the universe of preference is our "home" universe. We go to our "home" universe (human universe for humans) via a space known as the non-physical universe. And of course, we enter the non-physical universe through a "bridge" known as the "tunnel of light".
    This is how the different universes connect together. That being said, a human or a dog, or a cat, or a Mantid can visit all of them if they desire. But the universe of preference is our “home” universe. We go to our “home” universe (human universe for humans) via a space known as the non-physical universe. And of course, we enter the non-physical universe through a “bridge” known as the “tunnel of light”.

    Dr. N: Is this ability to transmit features to each other as souls a gift the creator provided for us based upon spiritual need?

    S: How should I know-I’m not God!

    The concept of souls having fallibility comes as a surprise to some people. The statements of Case 8 and all my other clients indicate most of us are still far from perfect beings in the spirit world. The essential purpose of reincarnation is self- improvement. The psychological ramifications of our development, both in and out of the spirit world, is the foundation of my work.

    We have seen the importance of meeting other entities while entering the spirit world. Besides uniting with our guides and other familiar beings, I have mentioned a third form of reentry after death. This is the rather disconcerting manner in which a soul is met by no one.

    Comment 39
    For whatever it is worth, it is not all that bad. You arrive in Heaven, in the same way that you put on your favorite piece of clothing. It just fits naturally, and you don’t need, nor want anyone to see you. You just go about your business, and that’s it..

    Although it is an uncommon occurrence for most of my clients, I still feel a little sorry for those subjects who describe how they are pulled by unseen forces all alone to their final destinations, where contact is finally made with others. This would be akin to landing in a foreign country where you have been before, but without any baggage handlers or a tourist information desk to assist you with directions. I suppose what bothers me the most about this type of entry is the apparent lack of any soul acclimation.

    My own conceptions of what it must be like to be alone at the spiritual gateway and beyond is not shared by those souls who utilize the option of going solo. Actually, people in this category are experienced travelers. As older, mature souls, they seem to require no initial support system. They know right where they are going after death. I suspect the process is accelerated for them as well, because they manage to more rapidly wind up where they belong than those who stop to meet others.

    Case 9 is a client who has had a great number of lives, spanning thousands of years. About eight lives before his current one, people finally stopped meeting him at the spiritual gate.

    Case 9 – Arriving alone in Heaven.

    Dr. N: What happens to you at the moment of death?

    S: I feel a great sense of release and I move out fast.

    Dr.  N: How would you characterize your departure from Earth into the spirit world?

    S: I shoot up like a column of light and I’m on my way.

    Dr. N: Has it always been this fast for you?

    S: No, only after my last series of lives.

    Dr. N: Why?

    S: I know the way, I don’t need to see anybody-I’m in a hurry.

    Dr. N: And it doesn’t bother you that you are not met by anyone?

    S: (laughs) There was a time when it was good, but I don’t require that sort of thing anymore.

    Dr.  N:  Whose  decision  was  it  to  allow  you  to  enter  the  spirit  world  without assistance?

    S: (pause and then with a shrug) It was … a mutual decision … between my teacher and me … when I knew I could handle things by myself.

    Dr. N: And you don’t feel rather lost or lonely right now?

    S: Are you kidding? I don’t need my hand held anymore. I know where I’m going and I’m anxious to get there. I’m being pulled along by a magnet and I just enjoy the ride.

    Dr. N: Explain to me how this pulling process works which will take you to your destination?

    S: I am riding on a wave … a beam of light.

    Dr. N: Is this beam electromagnetic, or what?

    S: Well … it’s similar to the bands of a radio with someone turning the dial and finding the right frequency for me.

    Comment 40
    Quanta behaves similarly to that of electronic wave patterns, with frequency, harmonics and amplitude.

    Dr. N: Are you saying you are being guided by an invisible force without much voluntary control and that you can’t speed things up as you did right after death?

    S: Yes. I must go with the wave bands of light … the waves have direction and I’m flowing with it. It’s easy. They do it all for you.

    Dr. N: Who does it for you?

    S: The ones in control … I don’t really know.

    Dr. N: Then you are not in control. You don’t have the responsibility of finding your own destination.

    S: (pause) My mind is in tune with the movement … I flow with the resonance …

    Dr. N: Resonance? You hear sounds?

    S: Yes, the wave beam … vibrates … I’m locked into this, too.

    Dr. N: Let’s go back to your statement about the radio. Is your spiritual travel influenced by vibrational frequencies such as high, medium, and low resonance quality?

    S: (laughing) That’s not bad-yes, and I’m on a line, like a homing beacon of sound and light… and it’s part of my own tonal pattern-my frequency.

    Dr.  N:  I’m  not  sure  I  understand  how  light  and  vibration  combine  to  set  up directional bands.

    S: Think of a monster tuning fork inside a flashing strobe light.

    Dr. N: Oh, then there is energy here?

    S: We have energy-within an energy field. So, it isn’t just the lines we travel on … we generate energy ourselves … we can use these forces depending on our experience.

    Comment 41
    Quanta can be treated as an energy, or a light, or a carrier wave, or a homing beacon. There is an enormous science behind the manipulation of quanta.

    Dr. N: Then your maturity level does give you some element of control in the rate and direction of travel.

    S: Yes, but not right here. Later, when I am settled I can move around much more on my own. Now, I’m being pulled and I’m supposed to go with it.

    Dr. N: Okay, stay with this and describe to me what happens next.

    S: (short pause) I’m moving alone … being homed into my proper space… going where I belong.

    In hypnosis, the analytical conscious mind works in conjunction with the unconscious mind to receive and answer messages directed to our deep-seated memories. The subject in Case 9 is an electrical engineer and thus he utilized some technical descriptions to express his spiritual sensations. This client’s predisposition to explain his thoughts on soul travel in technical terms was encouraged, but not dictated, by my suggestions. All subjects bring their own segments of knowledge to bear on answering my questions about the spirit world. This case used physical laws familiar to him to describe motion, whereas another person might have said souls move in this tract within a vacuum.

    Comment 42
    In all instances, the person describing their experiences utilize the terminology of their human experiences to describes their adventures in the non-physical worlds..

    Before continuing with the passage of souls into the spirit world, I want to discuss those entities who either have not made it this far after physical death, or will be diverted from the normal travel route.

    The Displaced Soul

    THERE are souls who have been so severely damaged they are detached from the mainstream of souls going back to a spiritual home base. Compared to all returning entities, the number of these abnormal souls is not large. However, what has happened to them on Earth is significant because of the serious effect they have on other incarnated souls.

    There are two types of displaced souls:

    • Those who do not accept the fact their physical body is dead and fight returning to the spirit world for reasons of personal anguish, (ghosts) and…
    • Those souls who have been subverted by, or had  complicity with, criminal abnormalities in a human body.

    In the first instance, displacement is of the soul’s own choosing.

    While in the second case, spiritual guides deliberately remove these souls from further association with other entities for an indeterminate period.

    In both situations, the guides of these souls are intimately concerned with rehabilitation.

    But because the circumstances are quite different between each type of displaced soul, I will treat them separately.

    Ghosts

    The first type we call ghosts. These spirits refuse to go home after physical death and often have unpleasant influences on those of us who would like to finish out our own human lives in peace.

    These displaced souls are sometimes falsely called “demonic spirits” because they are accused of invading the minds of people with harmful intent.

    The subject of negative Spirits has produced serious investigations in the field of parapsychology. Unfortunately, this area of spirituality has also attracted a fringe element of the unscrupulous associated with the occult, who prey on the emotions of susceptible people.

    Ghosts can sometimes be photographed if the conditions are right.
    Ghosts can sometimes be photographed if the conditions are right.

    The troubled spirit is an immature entity with unfinished business in a past life on Earth.

    They may have no relation to the living person who is disrupted by them.

    It is true that some people are convenient and receptive conduits for negative spirits who wish to express their querulous nature. This means that someone who is in a deep meditative state of consciousness might occasionally pick up annoying signal patterns from a discarnated being whose communications can range from the frivolous to provocative. These unsettled entities are not spiritual guides.  

    Real guides are healers and don’t intrude with acrimonious messages.

    More  often  than  not,  these  uncommon  haunted  spirits  are  tied  to a  particular geographic location.

    On November 19, 1995, Wem Town Hall in Shropshire, England burned to the ground. Many spectators gathered to watch the old building, built in 1905, as it was being consumed by the flames. Tony O'Rahilly, a local resident, was one of those onlookers and took photos of the spectacle with a 200mm telephoto lens from across the street. One of those photos shows what looks like a small, partially transparent girl standing in the doorway. Nether O'Rahilly nor any of the other onlookers or firefighters recalled seeing the girl there.
    On November 19, 1995, Wem Town Hall in Shropshire, England burned to the ground. Many spectators gathered to watch the old building, built in 1905, as it was being consumed by the flames. Tony O’Rahilly, a local resident, was one of those onlookers and took photos of the spectacle with a 200mm telephoto lens from across the street. One of those photos shows what looks like a small, partially transparent girl standing in the doorway. Nether O’Rahilly nor any of the other onlookers or firefighters recalled seeing the girl there.

    Researchers who have specialized in the phenomena of ghosts indicate those disturbed entities are caught in a “no-man’s land” between the lower astral planes of Earth and the spirit world.

    From my own research, I don’t believe these souls are lost in space, nor are they demonic. They choose to remain within the Earth plane after physical death for a time by their own volition due to a high level of  discontent.  In my opinion, they are damaged souls because they evidence confusion, despair, and even hostility to such an extent they want their guides to stay away from them.

    We do know a negative, displaced entity can be reached and handled by various means, such as exorcism, to get them to stop interfering with human beings. Possessing spirits can be persuaded to leave and eventually make a proper transition into the spirit world.

    Comment 43
    All over the world, throughout history, are tales of demons, ghosts and sprites. Also along with these stories are tales of how people “exorcised” these beings away from them. It is only recently, in the “new”, “progressive”, “modern” and “scientific” age of Newtonian science of the 1930’s that people started to treat the unseen as mere ignorance and superstition. They are not, and they should not be treated that way..

    If we have a spirit world governed by order, with guides who care about us, how can maladaptive souls (who exert negative energy upon incarnated beings) be allowed to exist?

    One explanation is that we still have free will, even in death.

    Another is that since  we  endure so many  upheavals in our  physical universe, then spiritual irregularities and deviations from the normal exodus of souls ought to be anticipated as well.

    Discarnate, unhappy spirits who trap themselves are possibly part of a grand design.

    When they are ready, these souls will be taken by the hand away from Earth’s astral plane and guided to their proper place in the spirit world. 

    The Evil Soul.

    I turn now to the far more prevalent second type of disturbed soul. These are souls who have been involved with evil acts.

    We should first speculate if a soul can be considered culpable or guilt-free when it occupied the offending criminal brain? Is the soul mind or human ego responsible, or are they the same?

    Occasionally, a client will say to me, “I feel possessed by an inner force which tells me to do bad things.”

    There are mentally ill people who feel driven by opposing forces of good and evil over which they believe they have no control.

    After working for years with the superconscious minds of people under hypnosis, I have come to the conclusion that the five-sensory human can negatively act upon a soul’s psyche.

    We express our eternal self through dominant biological needs and the pressures of environmental stimuli which are temporary to the incarnated soul. Although there is no hidden, sinister self within our human form, some souls are not fully assimilated. People not in harmony with their bodies feel detached from themselves in life.

    This  condition  does  not  excuse  souls  from  doing  their  utmost  to prevent evil involvement on Earth. We see this in human conscience. It is important we distinguish between what is exerting a negative force on our mind and what is not.

    Hearing an inner voice which may suggest self-destruction to ourselves or someone else is not a demonic spiritual entity, an alien presence, nor a malevolent renegade guide. Negative forces emanate from ourself.

    The destructive impulses of emotional  disorders,  if  left  untreated, inhibit soul development. Those of us who have experienced unresolved personal trauma in our lives carry the seeds of our own destruction. This anguish affects our soul in such a way that it seems we are not whole. For instance, excessive craving and addictive behavior, which is the outgrowth of personal pain, inhibits the expression of a healthy soul and may even hold a soul in bondage to its host body.

    Does the extent of contemporary violence mean that we have more souls “going wrong” today than in the past?

    If nothing else, our over-population and mind- altering drug culture should support this conclusion. On the positive side, Earth’s international level of consciousness toward human suffering appears to be rising. I’ve been told that in every era of Earth’s bloody history there has always been a significant number of souls unable to resist and successfully counter human cruelty. Certain souls, whose hosts have a genetic disposition to abnormal brain chemistry, are particularly at risk in a violent environment.

    We see how children can be so damaged by physical and emotional family abuse that, as adults, they commit premeditated acts of atrocity without feelings of remorse. Since souls are not created perfect, their nature can be contaminated during the development of such a life form.

    If our transgressions are especially serious we call them evil.

    My subjects say to me no soul is inherently evil, although it may acquire this label in human life. Pathological evil in humans is characterized by feelings of personal impotence and weakness which is stimulated by helpless victims.

    Although souls who are involved with truly evil acts should generally be considered at a  low  level  of  development, soul immaturity does not automatically  invite malevolent behavior from a damaged human personality.

    The evolution of souls involves a transition from imperfection to perfection based upon overcoming many difficult body assignments during their task-oriented lives.

    Souls may also have a predisposition for selecting environments where they consistently don’t work well, or are subverted.

    Thus, souls may have their identity damaged by poor life choices.

    However, all souls are held accountable for their conduct in the bodies they occupy. We will see in the next chapter how souls receive an initial review of their past life with guides before moving on to join their friends.

    But what happens to souls who have, through their bodies, caused extreme suffering to another?

    If a soul is not capable of ameliorating the most violent human urges in its host body, how is it held accountable in afterlife? This brings up the issue of being sent to heaven or hell for good and bad deeds because accountability has long been a part of our religious traditions.

    On the wall of my office hangs an Egyptian painting, “The Judgment Scene,” as represented in the Book of the Dead, which is a mythological ritual of death over 7,000 years old.

    Egyptian painting, “The Judgment Scene,” as represented in the Book of the Dead.
    Egyptian painting, “The Judgment Scene,” as represented in the Book of the Dead.

    The ancient Egyptians had an obsession with death and the world beyond the grave because, in their cosmic pantheon, death explained life.  The picture shows a newly deceased man arriving in a place located between the land of the living and the kingdom of the dead.

    He stands by a set of scales about to be judged for his past deeds on Earth.

    The master of ceremonies is the god Anubis, who carefully weighs the man’s heart on one pan of the scale against the ostrich feather of truth on the opposite side.

    The heart, not the head, represented the embodiment of a person’s soul-conscience to the Egyptians.

    It is a tense moment.

    A crocodile-headed monster is crouched nearby with his mouth open, ready to devour the heart if the man’s wrongs outweigh the good he did in life. Failure at the scales would end the existence of this soul.

    I get quite a few comments from my clients about this picture.

    A metaphysically oriented person would insist no one is denied entrance into the kingdom of afterlife, regardless of how unfavorably balanced the scales might be toward past conduct.

    Is this belief true? Are all souls given the opportunity to transmute back into the spirit world the same way, irrespective of their association with the bodies they occupied?

    To answer this question, I should begin by mentioning that a large segment of society believes all souls do not go to the same place. More moderate theology no longer  stresses  the  idea  of  hellfire  and  brimstone  for  sinners.  However,  many religious sects indicate a spiritual coexistence of two mental states of good and evil.

    For the “bad” soul there are ancient philosophical pronouncements denoting a separation from the God-Essence as a means of punishment after death.

    The Tibetan Book of the Dead, a source of religious belief thousands of years older than the Bible, describes the state of consciousness between lives (the Bardo) as a time when “the evil we have perpetrated projects us into spiritual separation.”

    If the peoples of the East believed in a special spiritual location for evil doers, was this idea similar to the concept of purgatory in the Western world?

    From its earliest beginnings, Christian doctrine defined purgatory as a transitory state of temporary banishment for sins of a minor nature against humanity. The Christian purgatory is supposed to be a place of atonement, isolation, and suffering.

    Christian purgatory.
    Christian purgatory.

    When all negative karma is removed, these souls are eventually allowed into heaven. On the other hand, souls committing major (deadly) sins are condemned to hell forever.

    Comment 44
    I have very little experience in these “sorting” matters as described. I do believe that they exist. I do believe that Doctor Newton has correctly identified and discussed these matters, but my role in MAJestic did not deal with these issues and thus I have nothing to add to this dialog…

    Does hell exist to permanently separate good souls from bad ones? All my case work with the spirits of my subjects has convinced me there is no residence of terrible suffering for souls, except on Earth. I am told all souls go to one spirit world after death where everyone is treated with patience and love.

    However,  I have learned that certain souls  do undergo separation in the spirit world.

    This happens at the time of their orientation with guides.

    They are not activated along the same travel routes as other souls. Those of my subjects who have been impeded by evil report that souls whose influence was too weak to turn aside a human impulse to harm others will go into seclusion upon reentering the spirit world. These souls don’t appear to mix with other entities in the conventional manner for quite a while.

    I have also noticed that those beginner souls who are habitually associated with intensely negative human conduct in their first series of lives must endure individual spiritual isolation.

    Ultimately, they are placed together in their own group to intensify learning under close supervision.

    This is not punishment, but rather a kind of purgatory for the restructuring of self-awareness with these souls.

    Because wrongdoing takes so many forms on Earth, spiritual instruction and the type of isolation used is varied for each soul. The nature of these variations apparently is evaluated during orientation at the end of each life.

    Relative time of seclusion and reindoctrination is not consistent either.

    For instance, I have had reports about maladjusted spirits who have returned back to Earth directly after a period of seclusion in order to expunge themselves as soon as possible by a good incarnated performance.

    Here is an example, as told to me by a soul who was acquainted with one of these spirits.

    Case 10 – The “second chance ” at redemption.

    Dr. N: Do souls bear responsibility for their involvement with flawed human beings who injure others in life?

    S: Yes, those who have wronged others savagely in a life-I knew one of those souls.

    Dr. N: What do you know about this entity? What happened after this soul returned to the spirit world following that life?

    S: He … had hurt a girl … terribly … and did not rejoin our group. There was extensive private study for him because he did so poorly while in that body.

    Dr. N: What was the extent of his punishment?

    S: Punishment is … a wrong interpretation … it’s regeneration. You have to recognize this is a matter for your teacher. The teachers are more strict with those who have been involved with cruelty.

    Dr. N: What does “more strict” mean to you in the spirit world?

    S: Well, my friend didn’t go back with us … his friends … after this sad life where he hurt this girl.

    Dr. N: Did he come through the same spiritual gateway as yourself when he died?

    S: Yes, but he did not meet with anybody … he went directly to a place where he was alone with the teacher.

    Dr. N: And then what happened to him?

    S: After awhile … not long … he returned to Earth again as a woman … where people were cruel … physically abusive … it was a deliberate choice … my friend needed to experience that …

    Comment 45
    Always a fit punishment for those that have used and abused us. I live to believe that this is true, and I actually do believe it to be the case. Firstly because it is so easy to do. In the MWI you get to pick the world-line to experience that kind of terror and pain. And the selection would be such that you would really learn humility and the consequences of your actions. I also like to believe that all those people who commit unkind actions, in the name of “business”, or for “profit”, or for other non-overt actions will experience the results of their lust and greed…

    Dr. N: Do you think this soul blamed the human brain of his former host body for hurting the girl?

    S: No, he took what he had done … back into himself … he blamed his own lack of skill to overcome the human failings. He asked to become an abused woman himself in the next life to gain understanding… to appreciate the damage he had done to the girl.

    Dr. N: If this friend of yours did not gain understanding and continued involving himself with humans who committed wrongful acts, could he be destroyed as a soul by someone in the spirit world?

    S: (long pause) You can’t destroy energy exactly … but it can be reworked… negativity which is unmanageable … in many lives … can be readjusted.

    Dr. N: How?

    S: (vaguely) … Not by destruction … remodeling …

    Case 10 did not respond further to this line of questioning, and other subjects who know  something   about   these   damaged   souls   are  rather sparse with their information. Later, we will learn a bit more about the formation and restoration of intelligent energy.

    Most errant souls are able to solve their own problems of contamination. The price we pay for our misdeeds and the rewards received for good conduct revolve around the laws of karma. Perpetrators of harm to others will do penance by setting themselves up as future victims in a karmic cycle of justice. The Bhagavad Gita, another early Eastern scripture which has stood the test of thousands of years, has a passage which says, “souls of evil influence must redeem their virtue.”

    No study of life after death would have any meaning without addressing how karma relates to causality and justice for all souls. Karma by itself does not denote good or bad deeds. Rather it is the result of one’s positive and negative actions in life. The statement, “there are no accidents in our lives,” does not mean karma by itself impels. What it does is propel us forward by teaching lessons. Our future destiny is influenced by a past from which we cannot escape, especially when we injure others.

    The key to growth is understanding we are given the ability to make mid-course corrections in our life and having the courage to make necessary changes when what we are doing is not working for us. By conquering fear and taking risks, our karmic pattern adjusts to the effects of new choices. At the end of every life, rather than having a monster waiting to devour our souls, we serve as our most severe critic in front of teacher-guides.

    This is why karma is both just and merciful. With the help of our spiritual counselors and peers we decide on the proper mode of justice for our conduct.

    Some people who believe in reincarnation also think if negative souls do not learn their lessons within a reasonable span of lives, they will be eliminated and replaced by more willing souls.

    My subjects deny this premise.

    There is no set path of self-discovery designed for all souls. As one subject told me, “souls are assigned to Earth for the duration of the war.”

    This means souls are given the time and opportunity to make changes for growth. Souls who continue to display negative attitudes through their human hosts must overcome these difficulties by continually making an effort to change. From what I have seen, no negative karma remains attached to a soul who is willing to work during their many lives on this planet.

    It is an open question whether a soul should be held entirely at fault for humanity’s irrational, unsocialized, and destructive acts.

    Souls must learn to cope in different ways with each new human being assigned to them. The permanent identity of a soul stamps the human mind with a distinctive character which is individual to that soul.

    However, I find there is a strange dual nature between the soul mind and human brain.

    I will discuss this concept further in later chapters, after the reader learns more about the existence of souls in the spirit world…

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    Hyper-stealth cloaking technology. Just in time for SHTF Geo-political realignments.

    A cloaking device is a hypothetical or fictional stealth technology that can cause objects, such as spaceships or individuals, to be partially or wholly invisible to parts of the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum. Jul 2 2019
    
    -Cloaking device - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    Um. Sure, Wikipedia. What ever you say…

    Invisibility on Demand.  

    “Everything is theoretically impossible, until it is done.“
    
    -Robert A. Heinlein

    Our extraterrestrial benefactors and most other (technologically advanced) non-human species possess the power of invisibility “cloaking” on demand.  This invisibility was inclusive of widely varying methodology and could be all inclusive or selective for various radiative sources. 

    Indeed, depending on the method used, their activities were shielded most effectively from human observation.

    The techniques that they used to do this, generally, tended to work by bending light.  

    There are all kinds of studies based on this technology foothold. 
    
    For instance, scientists at the University of California, Irvine hope to fix that with what they call invisibility patches, based on a structural protein that common squid (the ones that end up as calamari) use to change the color and reflectivity of their skin. 
    
    This protein, called reflectin, functions in the same wavelengths as night vision systems, and therein lies its promise.

    In general, all extraterrestrial vehicles were capable of this ability, as it was (apparently) a very simple thing to do.  Any time a person sees a extraterrestrial vehicle or “UFO” it is either because the field was intentionally turned off, or that it was simply malfunctioning. 

    The way these vehicles work is how the light is received by the cones inside our eyes.  The device(s) that they used altered or “bent” the light so that our (human) eye cones could not perceive them. 

    A diagram of the human eye, showing the location of the "eye cones".
    A diagram of the human eye, showing the location of the “eye cones”.

    However, some animals, with different kinds of eye cones could still see the objects. Like dogs, and cats, and horses, and pigs.

    The ability to “cloak” ones actions is actually structurally simple. It is characteristic of advanced species and technologically advanced civilizations to alter the physical world surrounding them.

    By copying and duplicating their technologies, we too are able to accomplish this feat.

    Invisibility on Demand.
    Invisibility on Demand.

    In regards to MAJestic, no matter how diligently we tried, our solutions were never as elegant or inclusive as those with whom we emulated. That is because we tried to copy them directly. We did not try to fully understand them.

    I like to hope that today, those studying these objects and technologies would like to spend some time studying how they worked and the basic underlying principles of their operation. As opposed to just simply mimicking their performance.

    Human attempts…

    Retro-reflective Projection Technology (RPT)

    Optical Camouflage using Retro-reflective Projection Technology (RPT) was developed in 1998 at the University of Tokyo. 

    Retro-reflective Projection Technology (RPT) developed in Japan in the middle to late 1990's.
    Retro-reflective Projection Technology (RPT) developed in Japan in the middle to late 1990’s.

    It is essentially a kind of projection technology that projects the background image in front of the object in question. Like most new product and R&D efforts, it is often fraught with “dead ends” and “black holes”. Eventually resulting on the “shelving” of the technology.

    As far as I know, this technology pretty much died in Asia.

    Or did it?

    Human attempts at invisibility cloaking

    Where would you develop such technologies? Where would you go? Where you you find the necessary funding, and the necessary people that would desire to play around” with such “science fiction”, “tin foil hat” technologies?

    Follow the money?

    Well, if money were the core driver, then you might want to discuss this technology with financiers, bankers, wall street traders, and attorneys. If so, then where would you find them? Where is the financial capitals in the world? Oh, that’s easy. London, Hong Kong, Dubai, New York, Shanghai.

    You know, they might help fund such “tin foil hat” technologies, but they wouldn’t get too close to them. They are not the kind of people that like to “get their hands dirty”. You need to go where the inventors, the innovators, the engineers, and the designers live…

    So, where are the technology centers in the world?

    Where are they? Where would you find contemporaneous inventors? Inventors not hampered by government regulation and oversight? Where are places where innovation thrives, and “money seems to grow on trees” for the inventor class? Is it Silicon valley? Is it in Japan? Is it in Korea?

    Nope. Shenzhen, China and the entire Guangzhou corridor. That’s where.

    Never heard of this place, eh?

    Well of course you haven’t. What goes for American “news” today is just fear-mongering half-truths designed to manipulate Americans to become the most productive serfs possible. And if the news does not promote this narrative it is censored from the American public.

    Contemporaneous high tech development happens in unique clusters all over the world. However, the largest, in geographic region, the largest in number of people, the largest in infrastructure, and the largest with pro-science government support is located in one place, and only one place…

    China.

    All those drones that you see in the sky. Do you know where they were developed, and manufactured?

    China.

    Hum, what about those fine cameras in your cell phones, oh, heck the electronics and screens in the phones? The Wifi systems, and the fiber-optics and memory. Do you know where they are being developed and manufactured?

    China.

    Sure there is some software development in the United States, in Japan, in Korea. Just like there are development hubs in Germany, France and Mexico. And Finland. Software development is all over the world. And there are factories all over the world, but where are the greatest concentrations of development?

    Indeed, where is the largest, the greatest and the most enormous clusters of inventors, innovators and designers?

    China.

    Technology is advancing. We all know about 5G and the latest in video games. But what of other technologies? You know, just because FOX and CNN is not reporting on other things doesn’t mean that they are not happening. They are. As such, it is both comforting and alarming at the same time.

    Here we look at invisibility cloaking. And how it is being developed.

    Duke University Stealth System

    A device that can bestow invisibility to an object by “cloaking” it from visual light was developed almost fifteen years ago in Duke University by Chinese researchers.

    After being the first to demonstrate the feasibility of such a device by constructing a prototype in 2006, a team of Duke University engineers produced a unique type of cloaking device, which is significantly more sophisticated at cloaking in a broad range of frequencies.

    The invisibility cloak developed by Chinese scientists and researchers in 2006 at Duke University.
    The invisibility cloak developed by Chinese scientists and researchers in 2006 at Duke University.

    The latest advance was made possible by the development of a new series of complex mathematical commands, known as algorithms, to guide the design and fabrication of exotic composite materials known as metamaterials.

    A metamaterial (from the Greek word μετά meta, meaning "beyond" and the Latin word materia, meaning "matter" or "material") is any material engineered to have a property that is not found in naturally occurring materials. They are made from assemblies of multiple elements fashioned from composite materials such as metals and plastics. The materials are usually arranged in repeating patterns, at scales that are smaller than the wavelengths of the phenomena they influence. Metamaterials derive their properties not from the properties of the base materials, but from their newly designed structures. Their precise shape, geometry, size, orientation and arrangement gives them their smart properties capable of manipulating electromagnetic waves: by blocking, absorbing, enhancing, or bending waves, to achieve benefits that go beyond what is possible with conventional materials.
    
    -Wikipedia

    These materials can be engineered to have properties not easily found in natural materials, and can be used to form a variety of “cloaking” structures. These structures can guide electromagnetic waves around an object, only to have them emerge on the other side as if they had passed through an empty volume of space.

    The first authors of the paper were Duke’s Ruopeng Liu, who developed the algorithm, and Chunlin Li. Both Chinese nationals. After publishing their results, they left the program and returned to China.

    China.

    They were replaced with other leaders. This was David R. Smith, William Bevan Professor of electrical and computer engineering at Duke, as the senior member of the research team.

    Once the algorithm was developed, the cloaking device was completed from conception to fabrication in nine days, compared to the four months required to create the original, and more rudimentary, device.

    This powerful algorithm will make it possible to custom-design unique metamaterials with specific cloaking characteristics, the researchers said.

    ”The difference between the original device and the latest model is like night and day. The new device can cloak a much wider spectrum of waves — nearly limitless — and will scale far more easily to infrared and visible light. The approach we used should help us expand and improve our abilities to cloak different types of waves.”

    Cloaking devices bend electromagnetic waves, such as light, in such a way that it appears as if the cloaked object is not there. In the latest laboratory experiments, a beam of microwaves aimed through the cloaking device at a “bump” on a flat mirror surface bounced off the surface at the same angle as if the bump were not present. Additionally, the device prevented the formation of scattered beams that would normally be expected from such a perturbation.

    The results of the Duke experiments were published Jan. 16, 2009 in the journal Science.

    “Broadband” Invisibility Cloak

    Eventually, the work that we uncovered two to three decades ago crawls its way to mainstream science.  I am quite confident that it goes through various distillation procedures until a physical law or principle that parallels one that is acceptable to mainstream science is embraced. 

    That is certainly the case with the “Broadband” Invisibility cloak.

    This “broadband” invisibility cloak which hides objects over a wide range of frequencies has been devised.  The first working model – which concealed a small copper cylinder by bending microwaves around it – was first demonstrated in 2006. 

    It was built with a thin shell of metamaterials. 

    It was not perfect, but further experiments were being conducted to improve upon the design. ( While the media interest in this technology has been silent, I can assure the reader that the NSA and Darpa have taken an interest in this technology.  Thus one should expect that fully available, mass produced versions are now available to qualified alphabet organizations.)

    In lab tests, scientists at the University of Texas, Austin, wrapped an 18-centimeter long cylindrical rod under their cloak and successfully made it disappear when they beamed microwaves at the object.  The researchers made the garment from a meta-screen, a super-thin material created from strips of copper attached to a flexible polycarbonate film. The copper strips are only 66-micrometers thick, while the polycarbonate film is 100-micrometers thick.

    The trouble is that when you add material around an object to cloak it, you can’t avoid the fact that you are adding matter.  Thus, when you add matter, it still responds to electromagnetic waves. 

    Thus… we have the current investigative direction is toward more active cloaking technology, designs which rely on electrical power to make objects “vanish”. Like what they are doing in China.

    Chinese Applications

    Well, it seems that if you kick the Chinese researchers off the development programs, and then pull their visas, they have no choice but to go home and find work there.

    And that is exactly what they did.

    China is mass producing metamaterials in state-run labs, since the mid 2015’s. These materials reportedly functions as ‘invisibility cloaks’ and are believed that they make fighter jets impossible to detect.

    • Thermally
    • Via Radar
    • Visually and optically.

    A broadcast by China Central Television Station (CCTV), revealed that a laboratory in Shenzhen, in in the high-tech Guangzhou corridor, is manufacturing various types of highly technological materials—including invisibility, anti-burning and anti-icing cloaks.

    The functions of these materials have not been disclosed to the public. Chinese news platform Sina reported that the assembly line is directly related to the military and the materials are likely to be used to camouflage J-20 fighter jets.

    The Chinese J-20 fighter Jet. It is a fifth generation air superiority fighter with Chinese metamaterial "cloaking" technology.
    The Chinese J-20 fighter Jet. It is a fifth generation air superiority fighter with Chinese metamaterial “cloaking” technology. It made it’s first public flight in 2016 in Zhuhai, China.

    Scientists are reportedly producing the materials at the State Key Laboratory of Metamaterial Electromagnet Modulation Technology, which was established in 2011 and is based in the Guangqi Advanced Institute of Technology. According to its website, the lab has an annual production capacity of more than 107,600 square feet of metamaterial plates.

    "State key" indicates the organization is state-funded or run by the Chinese government. The United States does not make this distinction. Most American universities are funded through the US government in the form of programs, grants or loans.

    The Sina report also confirmed that the materials will likely be used by the military, specifically for camouflaging the J-20 fighter jets as its chief engineer Yang Wei is also on the laboratory’s academic board.

    In December 2015, a video of a man demonstrating the abilities of a quantum invisibility cloak went viral worldwide after it was shared to Weibo, a Chinese social media platform. The footage was posted by Chen Shiqu, the deputy director of Criminal Investigations Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security.

    The Chinese adaptive camfouflage/cloaking technology is apparently also multispectral, as a team has developed a device that can cloak an object in the thermal/IR (InfraRed) light spectrum (thus the anti-heat-seeking-missile protective aspect) and prevent it from being picked up by metal detectors. 
    
    DR assumes it's thermal/IR camo aspect would also prevent the cloaked object from being seen in the near-IR (night vision) light spectrum, but this hasn't been confirmed/verified, yet. 
    
    Professor Ma Yungui, an optical engineering specialist at Zhejiang University recently spoke about this device, which is roughly the size of matchbox, but can be enlarged as necessary to allow weapons to be secreted passed security checkpoints.
    
    The fly in the ointment is that a ...
    
    "useable and practical invisibility cloak might still be decades away as it needed super-materials that could not be produced with current technology",
    
    ...but the Chinese government and military are pressing ahead with it anyway to gleen theoretical knowledge that can potentially produce many tech spin-offs. 
    
    "I went to an international forum on invisibility studies in Paris last year and found that at least a third of the researchers came from mainland China. It is challenging to get a research grant no matter what the subject is, but the Chinese government’s support on fundamental frontier research such as invisibility study is strong and increasing." 
    
    -Defense Review

    Of course, those in the United States, believe that this is impossible. There is no way, none what so ever, that the Chinese would be able to surpass the United States in any kind of technology. It’s frankly inconceivable!

    It's frankly inconceivable!
    It’s frankly inconceivable!
    "Softwares such as Adobe's After Effects, Nuke or Blackmagic Fusion can edit the background and blend the object into it. The effect has previously seen in a lot of action movies,"
    
    -Newsweek

    Well, since it’s inconceivable that a Chinese company would develop “cloaking” technology, how about a Canadian company? I mean, if it is “preposterous” and “inconceivable” for the Chinese to develop such technology, perhaps the Canadians can do so…

    HyperStealth

    A Canadian company called Hyperstealth® is reporting that it has developed Quantum Stealth®, a material that renders the target…

     “completely invisible by bending light waves around the target.” 

    If the photos are to be believed, Quantum Stealth® basically works like Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak.

    Since 2002, Hyperstealth® has been in the business of designing camouflage patterns for military uniforms, vehicles, and installations.

    In 2010, at the International Camouflage Symposium, Hyperstealth®’s CEO Guy Cramer demonstrated SmartCamo® — a material that could adjust its camouflage markings to match its surroundings.

    The first recent public presentation of this technology was released by DefenseReview in May 2011. There, they had an interview with Guy Cramer about Hyperstealth Biotechnology Corp.’s Quantum Stealth light-bending multi-spectral “invisibility cloaking” technology.

    This release resulted in numerous major mainstream science and technology publications picking up the story.

    Hyperstealth Quantum Stealth technology.
    Hyperstealth Quantum Stealth technology.

    Patent Pending

    The reason Cramer/Hyperstealth Biotechnology Corp. finally released videos and (initial) technical information on the Hyperstealth Quantum Stealth multi-spectral adaptive camo/visual cloaking tech is because they’ve now filed for patent (multiple patents, actually), so they’re now protected from intellectual property theft.

    The operation

    The primary patentable aspect of Quantum Stealth is configuring of positioning lenticular lenses back to back. In the process they end up creating an entirely new type of lens.

    Current density. Hyperstealth can fit about 100 lenses per square inch. It is, from a functional and development point of view, much easier to work with this amount. However, that is not the target. Right now, they are currently working on getting up to about 200 lenses per square inch.

    Current weight is approximately one (1) pound per square foot, but the goal is to get the weight down to a small fraction of that.

    Current thickness is roughly that of two pieces of cardboard stacked back to back. So, now, hiding aircraft (on the ground), tanks, ground vehicles, tents, buildings and entire military bases becomes possible, and will negate the need for building hardened protective structures in many cases.

    The primary patentable aspect of Quantum Stealth is configuring/positioning lenticular lenses back to back.
    The primary patentable aspect of Quantum Stealth is configuring/positioning lenticular lenses back to back.

    Functional limitations

    Quantum Stealth’s current weight and standoff requirement (and we’re guessing, durability) means it can’t be applied to standard/winged military aircraft skin. This includes fighter jet aircraft. However, it CAN be applied to rotary aircraft like helicopters and UAS/UAVs (Unmanned Aircraft Systems/Unmanned Aerial Vehicles).

    Multi-Spectral Camouflage

    Quantum Stealth is true multi-spectral (adaptive) camouflage, in that it It bends near-infrared (night vision) and shortwave infrared, ultraviolet light, and visible light, and even blocks thermal/IR (Infrared).

    Quantum Stealth is true multi-spectral (adaptive) camouflage, in that it It bends near-infrared (night vision) and shortwave infrared, ultraviolet light, and visible light, and even blocks thermal/IR (Infrared).
    Quantum Stealth is true multi-spectral (adaptive) camouflage, in that it It bends near-infrared (night vision) and shortwave infrared, ultraviolet light, and visible light, and even blocks thermal/IR (Infrared).

    Uniforms

    The goal for U.S. Military BDU’s (Battle Dress Uniforms) is to be able to cover them with a lightweight Quantum Stealth parachute-type material. This would be like a flight suit or jumpsuit.

    The technology can hide the thermal image of those protected.
    The technology can hide the thermal image of those protected.

    Of course, the face/head and helmet will also have to be covered with the material, and the primary challenge will be allowing the soldier / warfighter to be able to breathe, see and hear, without the enemy seeing him/her.

    Projection of images

    You can also project video and still images onto the Quantum Stealth material. This opens up all sorts of advanced types of camouflage. It means you can create decoys and diversions. So instead of using the technology to hide existing troops and weapons, it can be used to create the impression of military forces in other areas, or civilians, or vehicles that do not exist.

    You can also project video and still images onto the Quantum Stealth material, which means you can create decoys and diversions.
    You can also project video and still images onto the Quantum Stealth material, which means you can create decoys and diversions.

    And, here’s the kicker, Quantum Stealth lenticular lens arrays can be utilized to quantumly improve LIDAR (Laser Radar) systems, which Cramer says can essentially render low-observable “stealth” aircraft technology obsolete.

    Advanced "cloaking" technology for military uniforms.
    Advanced “cloaking” technology for military uniforms.

    Videos

    The following videos were recommended from the Defense Review website.

    Company Contact Info:

    Guy Cramer, President/Owner
    HyperStealth Biotechnology Corp.
    P.O. Box 21134
    Maple Ridge Sq.
    Maple Ridge, B.C., V2X 1P7
    Office Phone: 604-961-7046
    Email: info@hyperstealth.com
    Website: http://www.hyperstealth.com

    Related Links:

    The following links were recommended from the Defense Review website.

    Conclusion

    Pretty interesting, eh?

    It’s always a matter of time before the “tin foil hat” crowd is vindicated. It too 70 years for the news to get out about how the “deep state” killed President Kennedy and turned the United States into a military empire, and now it looks like it took fifty years to make invisibility cloaks.

    Yeah, all that “tin foil hat” nonsense about “cloaking” and “invisibility” is actually real. And MAJestic has been involved in the reverse engineering of it for decades. It’s nice to see that some of the technology is coming out of the black and being used.

    Even if it’s only for warfare.

    It’s being developed all over the world and being mass produced in technology centers in China, and under development in Canada (for the United States) today. Who knows what will come of all this technology?

    We don’t know, but it sure is exciting.

    Do you want more?

    MAJestic

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    Other (lesser known) techniques that one can use to manifest intention.

    Let’s tackle something really weird. (And coming from me at Metallicman, that’s saying a lot.)

    Here we are going back into the world of quantum physics. Which is, by nature, really really weird. It’s “Twilight Zone” stuff, ya all.

    Now, as I have repeatedly mentioned before (over and over again), thoughts create our reality. Thus, the control of our thoughts enable us to create the life of our dreams.

    Thoughts create our reality.

    Woo! Woo!

    In other posts I have covered ways and techniques in how to best “pray” or utilize intention to improve our life. That is… if you pray, and you do it properly, your dreams will come true. (Ah. More or less. The “Devil is in the details”. Don’t ya know.)

    I have (in the past) concentrated on the “Prayer plus intention board” method as it is simple, robust and works. But you all should know that there are many other methods that one can use. You do not need to follow my suggestions. You can go your own way.

    Here we talk about some of these other methods.

    These other methods have varying degree of success. The key in all cases is one’s thoughts and belief in the effectivity of the mechanism and system that it represents.

    Introduction

    Our reality is a constant stream of world-lines that we visit momentarily, one after the other. We call this “the passage of time”.

    What we think of, and what we concentrate on, establishes which world-lines we move toward. If we think bad thoughts, bad world lines start to appear. If we think good thoughts, good world-lines appear.

    Imagine your self sitting behind the wheel of a car. The road lies before you and you see houses and trees alongside the road. 
    
    But you get in a bad mood...
    
    Suddenly the sky darkens and hail starts to pelt the car. You get angrier, and cracks start forming in the road.
    
    However, if you are in a good mood...
    
    The sun shines brightly. Flowers start to appear at the side of the road, and people start waving to you as you drive by.

    If we control how and what we think of, we can manifest the world-lines that actually appear to us. By doing so we have the ability to generate the life that we live and the reality that surrounds us. For good, or bad.

    In a way, our life on this earth is much like the Twilight Zone episode "It's a good life". While in the show, a single young boy had the ability to alter his reality and the reality of others, the truth is you innately have this ability. You just need to cultivate it.
    In a way, our life on this earth is much like the Twilight Zone episode “It’s a good life”. While in the show, a single young boy had the ability to alter his reality and the reality of others, the truth is you innately have this ability. You just need to cultivate it.

    The control of thought is not easy. It requires discipline and perhaps some training.

    Which is pretty much why our life is all “messed up” right now. In nations (like the United States) with the “freedom” of the press, and a culture of “do yer own thang” everything seems to have gone to “ape shit”. The craziest thoughts, amplified by the internet, television and radio has resulted in a chaotic world of unimaginable complexity and strife.

    And while your consciousness has made this reality your very own, it is the thoughts of the “shadow quanta consciousnesses” that are assaulting your and your life every single day.

    You need to [1] control this barrage, and [2] you need to control your own thoughts regarding it.

    In almost all my other writings I have placed an emphasis in using the”prayer plus intention board” method. Its a good general method that works quite well, and is easily adaptable to most people regardless of age, or culture.

    Many Techniques

    Now it should be very obvious that there are all manner of techniques to manipulate the world-lines. So many, many other techniques. In the past I discussed numerous ways involving technology…

    • Dimensional portal.
    • EBP w/ ELF implants.
    • Aluminum foil wrapped travelers.
    • Use of a car to move in and out of world-lines.
    • John Titor’s saga.
    • Popping in and out of reality (on bicycle or just walking)

    Here we continue on ways (techniques) that an average person can use to control their reality. I offer up five additional methods. The methods that I will cover here are…

    • Self-hypnosis
    • A actual “wish machine”
    • Use of a talisman or mark
    • Ritual
    • Hemi-sync as a gateway

    [1] Self-hypnosis

    Since the key to the control of the manifestation of our reality involves thought, then it should become clear that if we program our brain on how to think, that we can begin to manifest changes to our reality.

    Self-hypnosis doesn't rely on specific thoughts, so much as how your brain tends to generate the thoughts.
    Self-hypnosis doesn’t rely on specific thoughts, so much as how your brain tends to generate the thoughts.

    The technique doesn’t rely on specific thoughts, so much as how your brain tends to generate the thoughts.

    There is an entire world of self-hypnosis techniques and practitioners. It runs the gambit from sessions with a trusted hypnotherapist to self-hypnosis using audio-tapes or similar devices. As you can read elsewhere these techniques are conventionally used to stop bad habits (smoking), or to improve your personality (fear of flying, etc). Here we will concentrate on a method that you can use much the same way your use your prayer affirmations. Only in this case we will use it to TRAIN YOUR BRAIN to think thoughts in a certain way.

    This is a pretty simple method.

    The first step [1] is to create a recording that you will listen to when you are undergoing self-hypnosis.

    This recording will have [1.a] an entry section. This section is one that is designed to put you into a self-induced trance. In it you will tell your self to start walking down stairs. Each star that you tread upon, you will get into a more restful and deeper state of mind. You will start at stair 100, and go down steps, 99, 98, etc. At step 0 you will come to a door. You will only be able to open the door when you are relaxed enough to begin the session.

    The first part of this programming is to tell yourself to go into a receptive state. One of the easiest ways is to tell yourself to start walking down a flight of one hundred stairs.
    The first part of this programming is to tell yourself to go into a receptive state. One of the easiest ways is to tell yourself to start walking down a flight of one hundred stairs.

    At [1.b] you will continue the entry section, only that you are more mentally suggestive. You will now be on a level platform. You will tell yourself to be receptive to the following commands. That you will convene your mind to work with your consciousness. That the next group of phrases will describe the situations, and realities that you will create for yourself. That your mind and your consciousness will work together to manifest those thoughts, and ideas into a combined reality that you will live within.

    Then, you can [2] start placing your verbal affirmations, your prayers, your desires and all associated warnings, and specification here. Just follow the same guidelines that I have specified in making your intention / prayer list.

    What ever you do, don't follow the "weak wristed" affirmations found on the internet. Such as...
    
    I trust that I am on the right path.
    I give myself the care and attention that I deserve.
    I accept my emotions and let them serve their purpose.
    I give myself permission to do what is right for me.
    
    Instead, your affirmations should describe what your life; your reality is like. It should program your mind to be tuned to that new reality. Like this...
    
    I am calm, cool and collected.
    People respect me.
    People like me, and help me when needed.
    Money comes to me with ease, I never worry about money.
    You can place all the verbal affirmations in the "prayer and intention board" method here within the tape. You need to read them out clearly and plainly and tell yourself to obey them.
    You can place all the verbal affirmations in the “prayer and intention board” method here within the tape. You need to read them out clearly and plainly and tell yourself to obey them.

    Then [3] add the “decompression” routine. This part walks you out of the self-hypnosis session. It tells you that you will not consciously remember what transpired clearly, but that your mind and your consciousness is now effectively programmed to do everything within their ability to manifest the reality as specified earlier. You will tell yourself to slowly enter into a normal day to day consciousness only that your reality will begin to change per your instructions. That you will awake rested and fine after the session.

    Once you have made the self-hypnosis tape, you need to set up a system to use the tape. Often this means a part of your day where you can go into isolation and privacy. You will need to be able to close the door and tell people to leave you alone and not disturb you. You will also need to set aside an amount of time longer than the length of the recorded tape.

    It need not be fancy, just a quiet bedroom where you can lay down and relax free of noise or disturbances. Since most people (with kids) will be unable to do this, it is not the ideal method as you absolutely need a period of undisturbed peace for it to work properly.
    It need not be fancy, just a quiet bedroom where you can lay down and relax free of noise or disturbances. Since most people (with kids) will be unable to do this, it is not the ideal method as you absolutely need a period of undisturbed peace for it to work properly.

    You can use a computer and a *.mp3 file that you generated, or an old fashioned cassette player or anything in between. Just make sure that whatever happens there won’t be any interruptions like some kind of advertisement pop-up in the computer display or the batteries int he cassette player running out.

    Wear headphones, head sets or ear buds.

    Lie down and put a light blanket on your lower torso. Your body temperature will start to decrease during the session. Dim the lights or lower the curtains. Do not allow anything to disturb you. that includes cats jumping on your belly or dogs barking for your attention.

    Like the “prayer and intention board” you will do these daily sessions until you feel that you have had enough. Then you would put them aside and forget about them. Eventually things will manifest, or you will start a new campaign.

    [2] A “wish machine”

    Since the key to the control of the manifestation of our reality involves thought, then it should become clear that if we program a machine to repeatedly process the thought quanta for us, we won’t need to.

    You can construct a “wish machine”, and it will actually work.

    This is not to be confused with other kinds of "wish machines", mechanisms or other things related to "Orgone" generation. 
    
    This functions totally and completely different. The only thing that connects the two is the similarity in name.

    The general idea behind this is to create a vortex, or “waterfall” like device that would siphon up some of the (thought related) quanta that surrounds you, your life, your abode and press them through a “filtering mesh” that would create a new emerging reality for you.

    Collect Quanta > Filter it to what you intend > Broadcast

    In this particular instance, the term "quanta" refers to those quanta that are associated with [1] thoughts and [2] the mechanics of the consciousness - physical brain interface. 
    
    It does NOT refer to all quanta. 

    A “machine” in this case replaces your action with your mind and physical activity to achieve your goals. It’s nothing more than an automaton.

    Without getting into too much detail, understand that the components that make up the atoms, the electrons and everything in our physical world is a timeless, dimensionless entity somewhat understood or known as quanta. They flutter about and enter all world-lines and cluster around your primary consciousness location. They are not tied to physical locations, thus their proximity to your thoughts are what is of interest here.

    This quanta, that which is associated with the moment to moment operation of your consciousness within a reality, is what you want to utilize.

    You want to push that particular brand or type of quanta… without your active participation… through a mesh or a filter.

    To do this, you utilize a machine.

    In this instance we will look at the general construction of two types of “wish machines”…

    • [2a] Electronic
    • [2b] Hydraulic.

    [2a] Electronic type “wish machine”

    Firstly we look at an electronic “wish machine”.

    The electronic device can be considered to be similar to this machine. (NOT identical.) And essentially, you place a “wish” or “image” or “concept” upon a surface, run some electrical current through it and broadcast it to the surrounding area. The device listed (in the link above) will not work very well, because of some structural defects. But the concept is similar to this discussion herein.

    The system process is as follows;

    • Collect the thought-related quanta.
    • Pulse the quanta.
    • Amplify it.
    • Push it through a “filter”.
    • Broadcast it back.

    Of the components we can create a very simple “machine” that would do our work for us. The major problem with this is the physical limitations of the collection system.

    Collection plate. This is a series of two plates. Both preferably copper that you sandwich together with an image arrangement. The arrangement consists of a transparent overlay of what you want to add to your life, over a picture of yourself. Make sure that that picture of you does not have any faults, as you will broadcast and amplify those faults in the device.

    As such, you will present two charges to the system. One wire would connect to the top plate, the other wire would connect to the bottom plate. Combined the image & overlay would be sandwiched between and the entire apparatus would combine to form a simple capacitor.

    Intention collection plate capacitor arrangement.
    Intention collection plate capacitor arrangement.

    The capacitor is a two terminal electrical conductor and that is separated by an insulator. These terminals store electric energy when they connected to a power source. One terminal stores positive energy and the other terminal stores negative charge. Charging and discharging of the capacitor can be defined as, when electrical energy is added to a capacitor is called charging whereas releasing the energy from a capacitor is called as discharging.

    Capacitors include dielectrics made from all kinds of materials. In this case the dielectric is the image or the paper upon which the affirmations are written upon.

    The simplest form of a capacitor is “ parallel plate capacitor” and its construction can be done by two metal plates that are placed parallel to each other at some distance. This is what the collection plate actually is, electrically speaking.

    Pulsing the Quanta. Since the capacitor can reach stability in a very short period of time; meaning that one side gets charged positively while the other side is charged negatively, you need to constantly turn the power on and off to have any kind of electrical movement through the system. If you don’t, the charge will just sit there. Seemingly doing nothing (not really the case, but let’s not get too technical here.)

    Electrical movement will “carry quanta” along with it. So you want the key quanta to move with the electrical system in operation.

    This kind of movement is important. As it “refreshes” the system. It charges and discharges your desires, over and over again. It has the same net affect of reading all your affirmations over and over again within a split second (um. Well, depending on the construction of the capacitor you created.).

    A simple circuit using the 555 integrated circuit to generate a pulse. The frequency and speed of the pulse is adjusted by the 1 M ohm rheostat at top.
    A simple circuit using the 555 integrated circuit to generate a pulse. The frequency and speed of the pulse is adjusted by the 1 M ohm rheostat at top.

    Pulsing the system is easy to do. You just add a pulse circuit in the machine. The simplest is a simple timer (like a 555 or 556 DIP) with an output going direct to a transistor. (I’m just trying to keep it simple here.) It acts as a gate and you can charge and discharge the plate until “the cows come home”. (Charge, discharge. Charge, discharge. Charge, discharge.)

    Amplify. Now you can amplify the signal. You can change the current, the voltage, the power and the other aspects of the mechanism. But I am not all that convinced that there will be a corresponding amplification in the intensity of the “wishes”.

    Certainly there is a relationship of sorts. The more electrons in movement, means the more quanta in movement. But how about those quanta associated with thought? The “thought quanta”. As far as I understand it, the mere presence of the device is enough to secure “thought quanta” movement.

    Simple amplifier that amplifies the signal going to the “intention plate capacitor.”

    Personally, I believe that it is the speed at which the electrons switch back and forth to the plates that have the biggest impact. This is the “frequency” of the device.

    Never the less, the system can be amplified with an “amplification circuit”. It’s just an electrical device that changes the scope of the signal to or from the plates. In other words, “why not?”

    Filter. In this mechanism, the collection plate is the same as the filter. The collection plate is actually both plates in the capacitor while the filter is the dielectric image or (if you prefer) word-laden paper sandwiched in between.

    The machine is most effective for single thoughts, or single-use concepts. It might not work as well for (say) a list of affirmations. So to properly use this device, you will need to create a specific dielectric.

    What you do is create a base image. Usually a picture of yourself.

    Then create an overlay of what you want to surround you with. The most effective method is to make a collage of things or ideas / concepts that you want. Then print it in a printer on clear acetate. Which makes a transparent image overlay.

    Then your dielectric is simply the photo of you with the image overlay on top of it. Both sandwiched in between the two contact plates within the capacitor.

    Now, that being said, the more astute readers will simply tear apart an old laptop and place the screen between the two plates. Then rotate desktop images in sequence. But that is a far more complex and involved DIY project to list herein. 
    
    I'll cover it elsewhere at another time. OK?

    Broadcast. Finally, you do want to broadcast this system. But that’s the beauty of it. You see, the plates that you use as a capacitor are also the broadcast antenna. While it is on, and the “thought quanta” are moving back and forth through that composite image that you created, that… is in itself… all that is required.

    And that is it.

    I provided some electrical schematics for the more electrically inclined hobbyists out there to construct. If you want, I can throw together a complete DIY post on how to construct this mechanism yourself. It's not hard, but if you've never taken on this kind of project before it might be too daunting. Besides, novices shouldn't play with electricity. Don't try it unless you know what you are doing.

    But why waste the time. There are other solutions…

    The rules of the physical world work the same throughout the different sciences. The only difference is their form. So let’s look at a hydraulic version…

    [2b] Hydraulic type “wish machine”

    As long as things are in movement around and through your “intention image”, the associated “thought-related quanta” will also move through that image.

    Well, you can achieve a similar effect by placing your (previously mentioned) “intention capacitor plates” under a stream of running water.

    Obviously, you must not make any rookie mistakes…

    • No electricity of any kind or type.
    • The plates are not necessary. You just need to hold the images together somehow.
    • Place the image-sandwich under the water and let it run and run and run.

    And that, boys and girls is all that there is to it.

    Oh,…

    One very important point. Your physical presence must be near the device. Or else the effect of the machine will entangle with the quanta of others aside from yourself.

    Obviously you will run into a problem with privacy. Because sooner or later someone is going to run into your little image collage and their thoughts will impact on the intentions that you are trying to manifest.

    [3] Use of a talisman or mark (iconology)

    Since the key to the control of the manifestation of our reality involves thought, then it should become clear that if you associate yourself with a particular symbol or mark that the thoughts and the history associated with the mark (or symbol) will now be associated with you.

    • The historical thoughts associated with that symbol.
    • What you (yourself) associate with that symbol.
    • What others around you associate with that symbol.

    This is both good and bad.

    Which is why, boys and girls, I advise NOT getting tattoos or body adornments until you fully appreciate the consequences of your actions. Words… actions… images… and symbols all come with attraction or repellent qualities. You need to be absolutely positive that your attachment to iconology is absolutely what you want.

    Tattoo with occult symbology. You must be absolutely certain, and positive that you can live with the consequences of attachments to various iconology.
    Tattoo with occult symbology. You must be absolutely certain, and positive that you can live with the consequences of attachments to various iconology.

    Here we look at various ways to utilize iconology to manifest intention.

    [3a] The Intention Experiment

    This is a book that pretty much compiled the scientific experiments related to intention and ESP. It is in agreement with some of the investigations that were performed elsewhere and in alignment with my understandings. All of which are explained within the book “The Intention Experiment” by Lynne Mctaggart.

    In short, you can “bless” an object through providing “good will” or “prayer”. The object would retain that quantum alignment, and then when you carry that object around, you will obtain the blessings and positive quanta associated with it.

    In practical application, this means that you can create your own talisman.

    Anything can become a talisman.
    
    You need to pray and perform some kind of meaningful "ritual" or event to distinguish the thoughts associated with the talisman.
    It is the thoughts that you associate with it that are critical.
    
    When you discharge thoughts or emotion to the talisman you must center yourself in peace and serenity. You might mediate or perform other actions to accomplish this.

    It operates differently from prayer affirmations. Instead you create a talisman that will give you “luck” or “advantage” in your day to day life.

    [3b] Feng Shui

    This is how BaZi Chinese traditional “horoscope” (Feng Shui Bracelets) systems work. Indeed, if you go to China, you might be surprised how many people wear these bracelets of beads. Wood beads, stone beads, complex intertwined red rope bracelets.

    Top 7A Tiger's Eye Natural Stone Chinese Zodiac Charm Bracelet for Good Luck and Fortune for a man.
    Top 7A Tiger’s Eye Natural Stone Chinese Zodiac Charm Bracelet for Good Luck and Fortune for a man. There are many types of charms and they are tied to the complexities of yearly movements of non-physical forces. These charms are intended to restore balance to ones’ life.

    Again, this is a method to improve your “luck” or create advantage during “non-auspicious situations”. It is similar to the methodology as described in “The Intention Experiment” except that it is based on a theory (or belief) in cycles of non-visible groupings of quanta.

    In Chinese horoscopes / astrology they have mapped out movements of non-physical associations. These objects go by many names and there are no English equivalents. As these non-physical objects move about your reality, they can off-set your balance. The goal is always to maintain perfect physical balance in all things. The use of these bracelets or iconology is to assist in balancing off the effects of the non-physical reality.

    [3c] Catholic iconology

    This is how Catholic iconology works. Here, a icon becomes the target for your directed thoughts and intentions.

    Most Catholics utilize a combination of prayer types.

    They might wear a talisman, charm or image of a favored Saint or Jesus. These are always blessed within a church.

    Catholic four way metal with the four iconology symbols. This particular medallion can be found HERE.
    Catholic four way metal with the four iconology symbols. This particular medallion can be found HERE.

    They also follow a distinct ritual of scripted prayers. In general they run through a litany of prayers directed to a specific person, idol or concept. The Virgin Mother Mary, Saint Peter, and others are often petitioned alongside the prayers and blessed talismans.

    It should be of interest that non-Catholics can utilize the power of intention associated with all the Catholic iconology.

    Many Catholics keep a statue in their yard to bless their home and family with.

    [3d] Golden Dawn / Aleister Crowley

    It is also what Satanic rituals, Golden Dawn, and the writings of Alex Crowley rely upon. There is a great deal of work revolved in ritual and symbology here. In fact, even the Ozzy Osbourne song “Mr Crowley” refers to Alex Crowley as it’s all “symbolic”.

    Aleister Crowley was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the prophet entrusted with guiding humanity into the Æon of Horus in the early 20th century. A prolific writer, he published widely over the course of his life.

    Once a major player in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Crowley’s falling-out with the secret society within only a few years of his 1898 induction set a pretty good precedent. We really don’t want to get into the history of all this muck. What we do want to get into is the belief how ones thoughts can control one’s reality…

    Goetia First Edition - Aleister Crowley - Bauman Rare Books
    Goetia First Edition – Aleister Crowley – Bauman Rare Books

    For us, at this stage, we are concerned with “Thelema“.

    The concept had been around for a long time, but it was Aleister Crowley who created the blend of Western ideals and Eastern mysticism that became Thelema. Even though there’s a lot written on it, it’s sort of an odd philosophy, in that it can be applied in many different ways and interpreted differently by different individuals.

    There are some basics, though, that Crowley outlined: The most famous of these tenets is his infamous “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law” line. Even that’s up for interpretation.

    Some say that it clearly means that you can do whatever the heck you want to, and you’re still within the accepted guidelines of the philosophy.

    A somewhat alternative interpretation, though, brings ethics and morality back and says that it simply means that everyone has a divine purpose and nature inherent within them.

    I interpret it as a freedom to control your own reality as you feel fit. As such, by doing so, you are utilizing thoughts and ritual to alter and control your reality.

    [3e] The Goetia: The Lesser Key of Solomon the King

    Here is a subset of the Alex Crowley / Golden Dawn belief structure. You would conjure up a demon (a non-physical entity in possession of a certain type of specialized power) through symbol and ritual. Then once conjured, you would ask them to perform a task for you for a price.

    Each demon is associated with a symbol.

    You do not need to perform a conjuring ritual. You can just display the symbol of the demon on objects, clothing, or tattoos and expect to have the attributes of that particular demon manifest in your life. For after all, each symbol is now associated with thoughts…thus giving it power.

    The Goetia; inside the book.
    The Goetia; inside the book.

    The Goetia (pronounced Go-EY-sha) is Book 1 of the Lemegeton (Lesser Key of Solomon), a grimoire that circulated in the 17th century and is penned in the name of King Solomon. This translation/compilation comes from SL MacGregor Mathers in 1904.

    According to kabbalah scholar, Gershom Scholem, the text was not originally Jewish and was only translated into Hebrew in th 17th century. He describes the book as “a melange of Jewish, Christian, and Arab elements in which the kabbalistic component was practically nil.” (Scholem, Kabbalah)

    Link to Amazon.

    Many of the demons found in the Goetia were initially published in the 16th century by Johann Wier. Curiously, a handful were left out. The Goetia also uses some of Collin de Plancy’s Dictionnaire Infernal illustrations.

    This system does work, but it is fraught with danger and concern. You must absolutely careful when using the iconology established by others. For i might come with other associations and “baggage” that you might not want in your life.

    [4] Ritual

    Since the key to the control of the manifestation of our reality involves thought, then it should become clear that if you utilize ritual, you will be magnifying your thoughts as every action involving the ritual comes complete with it’s own set of thoughts. This is true whether it is a Catholic ritual, or an occult ritual.

    An occult ritual set up designed to conjure up a demon for certain specific actions.
    An occult ritual set up designed to conjure up a demon for certain specific actions.

    The system should not be a surprise.

    If words are culled with the ability to manifest reality, shouldn’t actions as well? Well, they absolutely do. In fact, how you say your prayer affirmations are just as important as just reading them out loud. By putting passion into your vocalizations, you add an extra dimension to the effort that you are trying to undertake.

    Ritual frees up thought and replaces it with action. Our thoughts associated with the ritual begin to act automatically. That auto-action amplifies the combined thoughts that go along with the ritual. It’s a feed-back loop and very powerful.

    The Mass, the formal, official worship service of Catholicism, is the most important and sacred act of worship in the Catholic Church. Going to Mass is the only way a Catholic can fulfill the Third Commandment to keep holy the Sabbath day and the only regular opportunity to receive the Holy Eucharist.
    The Mass, the formal, official worship service of Catholicism, is the most important and sacred act of worship in the Catholic Church. Going to Mass is the only way a Catholic can fulfill the Third Commandment to keep holy the Sabbath day and the only regular opportunity to receive the Holy Eucharist.

    Ritual adds depth and “color” to an affirmation. It can be used alone or in conjunction with other methods of controlling and directing one’s thoughts.

    [5] Hemi-sync as a gateway

    Since the key to the control of the manifestation of our reality involves thought, then it should become clear that if we clear our minds of all thought, that we can focus on the thoughts that we want to, to the exclusion of all else.

    The deeply relaxing sound patterns of Hemi-Sync® Meditation will gently lead you into powerful, free-flow explorations and leave you centered, focused and totalls refreshed.
    
    -Monroe Institute

    Hemi-sync has many applications from thought control, to out-of-the-body-experiences, to remote viewing. In fact, it was utilized by the CIA for a spell, and not all of the results are unclassified.

    If you have never experienced using the hemi-sync method, it might be interesting and instructive to obtain some tapes and listen to them.

    Warnings

    Items, physical items, can “absorb” thought components. This can be good, as in the case of “blessed” objects, and can be problematic as in “cursed” objects.

    Do not be under the assumption that physical objects cannot absorb thoughts and obtain “properties”. They can. That is why every language in the world has a word describing “cursed objects”.

    Quantum Physics and Intention

    Here’s some links to the relationship between quantum physics and thought.

    Conclusion

    Thoughts create our reality.

    There are different techniques that one can use to focus, alter, control or magnify thoughts. Some of which are in common use, such as the Catholic iconology, and other shunned or frowned upon like the Golden Dawn. Some are considered to be “fringe” and “tin foil hat” subjects like the “Wish Machine”, and some are in use by various elements of the United States government like the Hemi-sync Gateway.

    You can use what ever method you feel most comfortable with.

    Remember, unless you have direct control of your thoughts and actions, you will never be able to have control over your life. Control requires discipline of thought.

    Do you want more?

    I hope that you found this post curious and interesting. I have other posts of a similar nature in my MAJestic Index here…

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    The USA and China are now entangled in the Thucydides Trap; this is the entire story.

    Trump’s anti-China rhetoric and actions, including crossing out the prefix “Corona” and replacing it with “China,” are part of a continuation of US empire building that began long before Trump seized power in the Electoral College coup of 2016.
    
    -Counterpunch

    My feeds are all clogged up with the hate-China narrative out of Washington DC. Ugh! It’s pretty sick and disgusting. Hate, hate, hate! What a messed up way to start the day!

    Additionally, the narrative that the Chinese accidentally released it from a weapons lab in Wuhan is an insult to my intelligence. I guess people don’t know the difference between a automobile factory and a local garage that does tune-ups.

    Hint; 
    
    Factories and R&D centers have loading bays, electrical substations, and internal water treatment centers. You can see these structures outside the buildings. They have fences, and security guards. They are huge!
    
    Vaccine centers, diagnostic centers, and testing centers are much smaller. They typically consist of a number of offices, and perhaps a small wing devoted to the lab work. They also usually have a parking lot. They tend not to have a fence or security guards.
    
    Now, boys and girls, repeat after me:
    
    Bio-Weapons Research Labs have fences and security guards. 
    Bio-Weapons Research Labs have fences and security guards.
    Bio-Weapons Research Labs have fences and security guards.
    
    They are not open to the public.They are not on a main public thoroughfare. They are military installations, protected by soldiers, fences, and set far back away from public scrutiny. 
    
    So please, stop parroting the Mike Pompeo / Alex Jones "talking points" that the COVID-19 was an "escaped" bio-weapons from a Chinese weapons lab. Jeeze!
    The Chinese narrative that the COVID-19 virus came from American military soldiers. The American narrative is that it was released from a vaccine clinic. Which is more likely to have infected the Wuhan "wet" market? Especially since there are videos of American servicemen in that exact market.
    The Chinese narrative that the COVID-19 virus came from American military soldiers. The American narrative is that it was released from a vaccine clinic. Which is more likely to have infected the Wuhan “wet” market? Especially since there are videos of American servicemen in that exact market at that exact time. Not to mention the strange things they were doing there. I mean, they ate in restaurants. They did not need to buy groceries to cook in their hotel room, and what’s this putting their hands and touching things so profusely?

    .

    But that’s how propaganda works, don’t you know. You keep hammering down the same lies over and over again until you start reacting to it instinctively.

    You hear it over and over. People talk about it, and make opinions about it. you start believing what you hear without thinking.

    Ugh!

    Just like billions of dollars had to flow to the software companies to “prevent” Y2K. Remember that? There was a nine month intense narrative that the world was going to collapse unless we immediately “fixed” the Y2K issue!

    The Year 2000 problem, also known as the Y2K problem, the Millennium bug, Y2K bug, the Y2K glitch, or Y2K, refers to events related to the formatting and storage of calendar data for dates beginning in the year 2000. Problems were anticipated, and arose, because many programs represented four-digit years with only the final two digits – making the year 2000 indistinguishable from 1900. The assumption of a twentieth-century date in such programs could cause various errors, such as the incorrect display of dates and the inaccurate ordering of automated dated records or real-time events.
    
    -Wikipedia

    Same thing.

    Say the lies over and over and over, until people instinctively react to them as truths. When in reality, it’s all just lies, manipulations and “smoke screens”. But all that doesn’t matter. Because right here we are going to tell you all what is going on. That is, what’s REALLY going on, and how all these things all fit together.

    And it isn’t pretty.

    “I love war,” Trump declared during a campaign speech in Iowa in 2015. He added: "I’m good at war. I’ve had a lot of wars of my own. I’m really good at war. I love war in a certain way, but only when we win.”

    The Thucydides Trap

    "There is no such thing as a Thucydides Trap. It is just an excuse by the democrat-controlled media to attack Trump and make him look bad."
    
    -Anonymous 

    To understand what is going on today between the United States and China, we should take a look at history. For history clearly describes the dynamics between an established nation, and a growing emerging nation. This dynamic is well documented, well understood, and quite predictable.

    • America is the “established” nation.
    • China is the growing nation.

    More than 2,400 years ago, the Athenian historian Thucydides offered a powerful insight into the causes of the awful  Peloponnesian War; a war that pitted military Sparta against democratic Athens…

    “It was the rise of Athens, and the fear that this inspired in Sparta, that made war inevitable.”

    The Peloponnesian War; a war that pitted military Sparta against democratic Athens.
    The Peloponnesian War; a war that pitted military Sparta against democratic Athens.

    Other writers identified an array of contributing causes of the Peloponnesian War. But it was Thucydides that nailed down the true causes and the heart of the matter.

    Thucydides, instead of looking at the minute details, focused instead on the inexorable, structural stress caused by a rapid shift in the balance of power between the two rivals.

    • Sparta was, for over a hundred years, the dominant city-nation.
    • Athens was growing, expanding, and eclipsing Sparta on every front.

    Thucydides identified two key drivers of this dynamic:

    • The rising power’s growing entitlement, sense of its importance, and demand for greater say and sway.
    • And the entrenched, well established nation that possessed the fear, insecurity, and determination to defend the status quo this engenders in the established power base.

    In the case about which he wrote in the fifth century B.C., Athens had emerged over a half century as a steeple of civilization. There, there were advances in philosophy, understanding of history, pleasures of drama, new types of architecture, political governance based upon democracy, and naval prowess.

    This shocked Sparta. For more than a century had been the leading land power on the Peloponnese peninsula.

    As Thucydides saw it, Athens’s position was understandable.

    As its clout grew, so too did its self-confidence, its consciousness of past injustices, its sensitivity to instances of disrespect, and its insistence that previous arrangements be revised to reflect new realities of power.

    It was also natural, Thucydides explained, that Sparta interpreted the Athenian posture as unreasonable, ungrateful, and threatening to the system it had established—and within which Athens had flourished.

    Thucydides chronicled the objective changes in relative power between the two. However, he also focused on the perceptions of change among the leaders of both nations. These perceptions, in both Athens and Sparta, led each to strengthen alliances with other nation-states in the hopes of counterbalancing the other.

    But entanglement runs both ways. When conflict broke out between the second-tier city-states of Corinth and Corcyra (now Corfu), Sparta felt it necessary to come to Corinth’s defense, which left Athens little choice but to back its ally. The Peloponnesian War followed. When it ended 30 years later, Sparta was the nominal victor. But both states lay in ruin, leaving Greece vulnerable to the Persians.

    And the eventual destruction of the Greeks at the hands of the Persians.

    Germany and Britain

    Let’s consider more modern times. Where people drive cars, have electricity, fly in the air in planes and have “manners”. Let’s look at the world right before World War I. Let’s consider a rising Germany to a content and powerful England.

    As Germany’s economy surpassed Britain’s, Germany would not only develop the strongest army on the continent. It would soon also “build as powerful a navy as she can afford.” In other words, Kissinger writes…

    “once Germany achieved naval supremacy … this in itself—regardless of German intentions—would be an objective threat to Britain, and incompatible with the existence of the British Empire.”

    Three years after reading that memo, Edward VII died.

    Attendees at his funeral included two “chief mourners”—Edward’s successor, George V, and Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm—along with Theodore Roosevelt representing the United States.

    At one point, Roosevelt (an avid student of naval power and leading champion of the buildup of the U.S. Navy) asked Wilhelm whether he would consider a moratorium in the German-British naval arms race. The kaiser replied that Germany was unalterably committed to having a powerful navy.

    But as he went on to explain, war between Germany and Britain was simply unthinkable, because…

    “I was brought up in England, very largely; I feel myself partly an Englishman. Next to Germany I care more for England than for any other country.” 

    And then with emphasis: “I ADORE ENGLAND!”

    However unimaginable conflict seems, however catastrophic the potential consequences for all actors, however deep the cultural empathy among leaders, even blood relatives, and however economically interdependent states may be—none of these factors is sufficient to prevent war, in 1914 or today.

    It doesn’t matter.

    China and America

    The warning lights and the alarm bells have been going off for some time now. It is well established that there would be some conflict or a deterioration of relationships between the two powers. Around 2009 it was unmistakable and this prompted some firm policy adjustments in America; in Washington DC.

    President Obama believed that this kind of global realignment was a natural historical progression. He argued that while America might “sunset” in various areas, China could be “managed” in such a way as to derive a kind of “partnership” where both the United States and China would win and profit in a kind of “give and take” international relationship.

    For a while, it appeared that the Thucydides Trap was avoided.

    But then…

    Donald Trump ran for President. His policy platform was MAGA, which means “Make America Great Again”.

    Donald Trump campaigned on a long list of extravagant promises: 
    
    End all foreign wars and reveal “who really did 9/11,” bring the troops home, pull out of the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA), ban all Muslims from entering the US, wall off the entire southern border at Mexico’s expense, end NAFTA, CAFTA, TPP and all trade treaties, bring manufacturing back to America, end NATO and all alliances (unless the vassals vastly increase their tribute payments, which they won’t), rebuild America’s infrastructure, demand and get vastly better trade terms from China, resurrect 1950s-style family values, and restore Americans’ pride in their history. 
    
    These are, in essence, the specifics behind Trump’s promise to “make America great again.”
    
    -Does the Presidential Election Matter?

    Trump’s chief rival target was China and he pledged to [1] bring back American jobs (from China), [2] stop the dependence on imported products (from China), to [3] rebuild and increase the size of the military, and [4] re-work and realign relationships with other nations for American self-interest.

    Sound familiar?
    
    Once Hitler came to power he wanted to make Germany great again. His chief villains were the Jews. And his actions were all about eradicating the Jewish treat to Germany.
    
    It's not that I am equating Trump with Hitler. That meme is so 2015. It's just that all nationalistic movements require an enemy to galvanize the people against. In the 1930's it was the "Jews against Germany".
    
    Today it is China against America.

    So Trump is in office, and he’s realigning all sorts of issues into his vision for the “perfect” world order.

    Neocon Administration

    Americans, tired of the social and economic onslaught and minimizing behavior of their leadership for the last three decades flocked to Donald Trump. They attended rallies where he would proclaim that he would [1] make America great again, [2] put Hillary Clinton behind bars, [3] build a wall around the United States, and [4] bring jobs back to America.

    He won the election.

    Once taking over the reins of power, he staffed his administration with “neocons”, individuals with a particularly warlike views and ideas.

    Neocon
    
    A small, but constant clique in the US administration that is responsible for most of the recent US military invasions around the globe. To quote neocon Pompeo: 'I was the CIA director. We lied, we cheated, we stole'
    
    -Urban Dictionary

    Not only are Neocons very “hawkish” regarding war….

    … But they also believe in History, and the role that empires have in shaping history. In fact, they believe in Thucydides and his writings.

    If you were to ask any neocon about what is written herein, they would 100% agree with everything this article is saying …

    Among their intellectual ancestors neoconservatives count the ancient Greek historian Thucydides for his unblinking realism in military matters and his skepticism toward democracy, as well as Alexis de Tocqueville, the French author of Democracy in America (1835–40), who described and analyzed both the bright and the bad sides of democracy in the United States. 
    
    More recent influences include the German-born American political philosopher Leo Strauss and several of his students, such as Allan Bloom; Bloom’s student Francis Fukuyama; and a small band of intellectuals who in their youth were anti-Stalinist communists (specifically Trotskyites) before becoming liberals disillusioned with liberalism. The latter include Irving Kristol, Nathan Glazer, and Norman Podhoretz, among others.
    
    -Britannica

    And surrounded by his small army of War-Hawk Neocons, he set forth establishing policy.

    Trump is the embodiment of this looking-for-a-fight attitude. Not good. He has surrounded himself with over-age Cold Warriors, with generals, with the pathologically aggressive hangers-on from think-tank Washington: John Bolton, Mike Pompeo, Nikki Haley, Steve Bannon, and minor squibs of like outlook. He has pulled the US out of the arms-control treaties, START, INF, Open Skies. He has pushed NATO against Russian borders. In the Legion halls of Idaho, this may seem virile, the sort of thing that John Wayne would do. Back the commies down. Show them who is boss. No. It is just pointless and dangerous.
    
    -UNZ

    In sort order, once Donald Trump won the 2016 election, he immediately, from day one, started his program of MAGA. He did not waste time. He did not pause. He did not relax.

    America was (from the top down) full-on MAGA.

    Despite campaigning against endless foreign wars and a humanitarian-based foreign policy that promotes democracy, President Donald Trump appointed several internationalists and neoconservatives to his administration, including John Bolton and Mike Pompeo.
    
    Alex Jones has claimed that neo-conservatives, as part of a deep state, have been fighting a civil war inside the United States Government in order to gain control of the government and influence President Donald Trump – himself, Paul Joseph Watson, and David Knight also claimed this throughout Infowars segments, and that the recent missiles launched against Assad were a result of the neo-conservatives attempting to control Donald Trump.
    
    Stefan Halper, a neoconservative of the Bush Sr. era, colluded with Obama CIA Director John Brennan and FBI agent Peter Strzok to set-up Trump advisors Carter Page and George Papadopoulos as supposed agents of the Russia government, to initiate an FBI counterintelligence investigation and procure a FISA warrant to surveil the 2016 Trump campaign, Trump transition team, and well into the first year of the Trump Administration.
    
    -Neoconservatism and Donald Trump

    Key to that program was the suppression of China. Much of which involved actions and activities that were NOT reported in the American press.

    What does a neoconservative dream world look like?
    
    Neocons envision a world in which the United States is the unchallenged superpower, immune to threats. They believe that the US has a responsibility to act as a “benevolent global hegemon.” 
    
    In this capacity, the US would maintain an empire of sorts by helping to create democratic, economically liberal governments in place of “failed states” or oppressive regimes they deem threatening to the US or its interests. 
    
    In the neocon dream world the entire Middle East would be democratized in the belief that this would eliminate a prime breeding ground for terrorists. This approach, they claim, is not only best for the US; it is best for the world. 
    
    In their view, the world can only achieve peace through strong US leadership backed with credible force, not weak treaties to be disrespected by tyrants.
    
    Any regime that is outwardly hostile to the US and could pose a threat would be confronted aggressively, not “appeased” or merely contained. 
    
    The US military would be reconfigured around the world to allow for greater flexibility and quicker deployment to hot spots in the Middle East, as well as Central and Southeast Asia. 
    
    The US would spend more on defense, particularly for high-tech, precision weaponry that would be used in preemptive strikes. 
    
    It would work through multilateral institutions such as the United Nations when possible, but otherwise must never be constrained from acting in its best interests whenever necessary.
    
    -Neocon 101

    January 2017

    Donald Trump “hit the ground running”. He wasted no time in building up his team, staffing it with aggressive neocons and working on a strategy to suppress China. It’s an implementation of his campaign promises; Make America Great Again.

    Unlike President Obama, Donald Trump embraced (or fell into) the Thucydides Trap.

    The goals were simple;

    1. Reclaim American “greatness” in all fields, in all areas.
    2. Establish dominance in the Geo-political arena.
    3. Suppress China in such a way that they would always be “under the control or authority” of the United States.
    4. Do whatever is necessary to accomplish the above.
    Look familiar?
    
    1. Reclaim Spartian "greatness" in all fields, in all areas.
    2. Establish dominance in the Peloponnesian arena.
    3. Suppress Athens in such a way that they would always be under the control or authority of Sparta.
    4. Do whatever is necessary to accomplish the above.

    In so doing there were some issues that needed to be addressed and some resources that he had access to.

    Outstanding Issues

    There were things that China was involved in that were threatening the level of control that America had over China. Trump needed to collapse or mitigate those issues quickly. If he did not, China’s rise would pass the point of no-return. In the collective minds of the neocons, it was now or never.

    The primary issues at stake were…

    • Relationships in Africa. China was building relationships based on jobs, trade, and social improvements. The time-honored American technique of providing wads of cash to third-world dictators was no longer effective. This was giving China unique mineral and resource access, that America was denied.
    • Belt and Road Initiative. As long as the only way that China could maintain trade was via the sea-lanes, the United States could threaten the sea-lanes and completely collapse the ability of China to conduct trade. This threat has been real and substantive. The Belt and Road Initiative would be a land trade route. Completely bypassing the sea-lane trade routes, and rendering the American Naval threat moot.
    • Taiwan. Taiwan is a client state of China. Yet the American media presents it as an independent nation in the hopes that once China is weak, an American invasion of Taiwan can occur. The reason why this is so critical is that the United States needs a “safe haven” from whence to launch ground forces. Taiwan is the perfect staging location. Make no mistake, an invasion of China is a long-term dream of the neocon cabal. The first key step is to PUSH China into engaging Taiwan militarily.
    • Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a financial and technical hub, not to mention a gateway to the rest of Asia. As long as Hong Kong is stable, Europe will continue to conduct business with China. Therefore creating a unstable Hong Kong would effective disentangle Europe from China.
    • Trade. You would think that (with all the news discussing the trade imbalance) that this would be a significant issue. In the grand scheme of things, however, it really isn’t much of an issue at all. The majority of trade between China and the USA is between American companies, manufacturing products in their factories inside of China and shipping them to America. Not Chinese companies. Of that, less than 11% of exports from China goes to America. Looking at the entire issue, it’s really well blown out of proportion.

    The Plan

    Work on a plan to suppress China, for certain, was formulated prior to President Trump’s inauguration. 

    No one knows the true extent of the planning, or any details of the discussions involved. However, we can pretty much recognize that the people who helped formulate this war-suppression-strategy were…

    • Donald Trump
    • Mike Pompeo
    • John Bolton
    • Robert Lighthizer
    • Rudy Giuliani
    • Nikki Haley
    • James Woolsey
    • Frank Gaffney
    • Eliot Cohen

    All of these people advocate for military intervention to accomplish United States objectives.

    The only snag in their desires is military.

    You see, the thing is that every single simulation where the American military tries to take on China, the United States LOSES. Often, depending on the scenario, quite badly. Thus, if America takes on China militarily, in the South China Sea, the results would probably be disastrous.

    They cannot ignore this fact.

    So a direct military campaign was not the first choice of the “task team”.

    Instead they had to come up with a scenario or a plan that would be suppress China and meet all the criteria as discussed. While at the same time avoiding armed military conflict with a HEALTHY VIBRANT China. The Trump administration was faced with a “first”. Just how to suppress China, without using any overt military resources that might result in a nuclear response?

    They sat down and came up with an idea.

    “I love war,” Trump declared during a campaign speech in Iowa in 2015. He added: "I’m good at war. I’ve had a lot of wars of my own. I’m really good at war. I love war in a certain way, but only when we win.”

    Neocon Echo Chamber

    Their plan is based on what they believe China is.

    • Hard-line Communist.
    • Multitudes / hordes of impoverished people.
    • A deceptive media that hides the “true and real China”.
    • A population yearning for “freedom” and “democracy”.
    • A hated leadership that rules by sheer power.

    Well, since this belief system has been so ingrained in the consciousness of the neocon administration, the came up with a plan that would be able to attack this pre-concieved image of what China is…

    Since the people are large in number, and miserable, if you add additional strife and problems, they will revolt uncontrollably. They will topple the government. Then, in the confusion, the USA can establish and control the new leadership. As the USA has become experts in this kind of activity over the last number of decades. It’s an American strength that no one has figured out how to deal with effectively.

    The entire plan is based on illusions and falsehoods.

    I have been to China several times. I am also in contact with people in China. I can say this. Pompeo's belief that:
    
    ... the Chinese people hate the Communist Party of China that runs the country...
    
    - is simply not true.
    
    Among Chinese citizens there has recently been a huge upsurge in positive opinions about the Chinese system. This is due, in part, to its success in containing the Coronavirus.
    
    At the same time there has been a tremendous disillusionment with the United States due to its failure to manage the Coronavirus. There is almost a sense of disbelief that America has failed so badly in dealing with the virus.
    
    There used to be a saying in China that "Even the moon shines more brightly on America." That saying was demonstrated a genuine admiration for the United States and its accomplishments. But due to many things - including the institutional failure to deal with the Coronavirus - very few Chinese people say that anymore.
    
    A second thing that is spurring a positive belief in the Chinese system by its' citizens is China's ever increasing standard of living. People who have never been there might very well find themselves astonished by what is happening there. I have been there four times in the past ten years. Each time, the improvement in the material standard of living is not just noticeable but dramatic. The Chinese people can see this with their own eyes. Before the virus hit, many Chinese citizens had become wealthy enough to the West and they discovered that, increasingly, China was comparing favorably with the West in terms of their standard of living. This has increased the belief among Chinese citizens that their country is on the right path.
    
    There is a third thing that is important to note. There has been a recent rise in Chinese nationalism which is due - not only to the factors mentioned above - but due to Trump and Pompeo themselves. Contrary to common belief, the Chinese have a lot of access to Western media. Many Chinese study English and can read the Western media in English. They know the things being said by Trump and Pompeo which intended to malign China. Many Chinese are, not so much angry but, rather understand this is a sign of increasing weakness on the part of the United States.
    
    In short, the actions of Pompeo are not "inciting the Chinese to act against their government" but rather convincing the Chinese that American greatness is passing into history and China's time is arriving.
    
    Posted by: Mike from Jersey | Nov 18 2020 21:22 utc | 25

    The basic plan

    If China could be “broken” with all sorts of internal strife, starvation, misery, distress, and trouble, China would weaken.

    It’s people would revolt.

    And people would turn to “The shining city on the hill.” for help, “freedom” and “democracy”. These people would wave American flags, they would sing the American National Anthem, and they would display “Pepe the frog” in graffiti as they burned the cities down.

    As a result, the United States could capitalize on that situation.

    This would, if properly handled, result in forward staging bases on Taiwan, with a naval harbor there.

    • Create uprisings and strife at the two gateways for the Belt and Road Initiative. (HK and XinJiang)
    • Create Chinese starvation by decimation of all pork, chicken, wheat, and grain industries.
    • Offer CIA “incentives” in African nations.
    • An anti-China propaganda campaign would galvanize Americans against China and it’s products.
    • “Incentivize” American companies to bring factories back to America.
    • An anti-China technology campaign would destroy existing business relationships in Europe and across the globe.
    • A pandemic that would suppress China, but would ignore America.
    • Then prep for a hot war with the establishment of staging bases on Taiwan.

    This is an eight-year plan, and assumes two complete terms as President for Donald Trump. The time table would look something like this…

    First term in office 2016 through 2020.

    • Move the puzzle pieces and assets in place.
    • Start famines, trade disputes, regional classes, and strife.
    • Keep up an enormous program of anti-China propaganda.
    • Create “minor” military skirmishes in the South China Sea.

    Then… if China is NOT suppressed and under the control of pro-American forces by the end of the Trump first term (Fall of 2020). A different direction must be taken.

    In a strongly worded speech delivered as the relationship between Beijing and Washington plummeted to new lows this week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared that “the old paradigm of blind engagement” with China had failed. Mike Pompeo: "If the free world doesn’t change communist China, communist China will change us."
    
    -We must change China or China will change us, Pompeo …

    Announce this publicly, and create a military army to attack China. Enlist local nations to do “the heavy lifting” and provide staging locations.

    Mr Pompeo accused China's governing Communist Party of "exploitation, corruption and coercion". He was meeting counterparts from Australia, India and Japan - a group known as "The Quad" - to discuss an increasingly assertive China. Under the Trump administration, relations between the US and China have plummeted to their worst in decades.
    
    -Mike Pompeo lashes out at China at 'Quad' meeting in Japan
    • Build up a military coalition to engage Chinese military locally. (The QUAD).
    • Create a “need” for the American military to enter China to “save the people”.
    • Then create an “emergency”, blame it on China.
    • Go to war. But make sure that the QUAD does most of the fighting.

    Since America has “never lost a war”, the victory of America is a foregone conclusion. China hasn’t a chance (in the minds of the neocons).

    Additionally there is the possibility of a successful presidential successor that could implement successive states in a complete global realignment to fit the long-term neocon plan. Eventually turning China into a client state of America, like Japan, Australia, or Canada.

    Implementation

    This plan of course is secret / confidential. It’s not advertised. Though, it was moving forward with great rapidity throughout the first term of Donald Trump in office.

    I’ve covered all the elements in other posts in far greater detail. There you can see the details. Links are as provided herein.

    This is just an overview.

    • Create strife in HK. The “pro-democracy” protests were implemented by NED / NID insurgents under the guise of being “journalists”. <HERE><HERE><HERE><HERE><HERE><HERE><HERE>
    • Create strife in Xinjiang. Radicalized and CIA trained Muslim insurgents creating “fifth column“ activities. <HERE><HERE><HERE><HERE><HERE>
    • Forced Starvation. Destruction of the pork industry via drones and aerosol viruses, destruction of the chicken industry, the wheat and rice industries, and multiple waves of germ attacks. <HERE><HERE><HERE><HERE><HERE><HERE>
    • African Incentives. This is ongoing. Though lately a number of nations are demanding that China pay billions of dollars to them for COVID-19 damage. I cannot help but see a CIA hand in all this. <HERE><HERE><HERE>
    • Incentivize American Businesses. Enormous amounts of money has been handed to American companies throughout trumps first term of office, the greatest amounts came during the 2020 “COVID bailout”. However, no companies have shown any interest in returning operations to America. <HERE><HERE><HERE>
    • Anti-China propaganda campaign. This is hot and heavy. Apparently it’s working a full 30% of Americans hate China and blame it for all the American ills. <HERE><HERE><HERE><HERE>
    • Anti-China technology campaign. Well the arrest of the Huawei President and the suppression of 5G technology is only the tip of the iceberg. <HERE><HERE><HERE><HERE><HERE>
    • A Pandemic that would suppress China but ignore America. This is the highlight of the plan and really interesting. Three strains. A, B, and C. All unleashed on the world. Lethal strain B is for China. It is dangerous and lethal. However, Americans get the A virus. This virus is mild and safe. It self inoculates (or was intended to). It is designed for Americans to have “Herd Immunity”. <HERE><HERE><HERE><HERE>
    • An Alliance of other nations. By building a coalition of nations, the entire group could gang up against China in bulk. This includes strong showings by Australia, Canada, and the UK. <HERE>
    • Establish American Bases on Taiwan. Ongoing and NOT public.

    In fact, the US is already engaged in “multi-domain” “hybrid warfare” with China.  This is warfare just below the threshold of direct military engagement.  On the ground this involves:

    • Economic Warfare: trade sanctions and tariff war, as well as technological warfare: attempted seizure of Chinese companies (TikTok); attacks on China’s international 5G contracts;  sanctions on the primary and secondary supply chains of key sectors of Chinese industry (e.g. Huawei’s semiconductor supply chain); attacks on Ant Finance’s IPO.
    • Legal Warfare, or “lawfare,” including over 380 anti-China bills in Congress, and 14 individual and state lawsuits  against China for over $30 Trillion in “Covid damages”; the long arm “legal” kidnapping of Huawei’s executive.
    • Diplomatic Warfare, including consulate shutdowns, harassment of diplomats, breaching of diplomatic pouches and compounds, and calls for regime change .
    • Military Brinksmanship and posturing in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, the Taiwan straits; complete encirclement of China with strategic weapons, surveillance, and 400 offensive bases (“The Pacific Pivot”), the use of airbases in Taiwan for military actions, and plans  to station intermediate range nuclear missiles all along China’s periphery[2].
    • Civil Subversioncolor revolution , urban terror, destabilization and delegitimation operations in Hong Kong  (and other places where China has interests), including millions of dollars of funneled for organization and training, and encrypted communications infrastructure built to coordinate anti-government activities.
    • Academic Warfare: through the FBI’s China Initiative, every 10 hours a case is opened against a Chinese student or researcher in the US (currently 2700 cases) and all Chinese students are considered potential “non-traditional” “collectors, spies” involved in a “thousand grains of sand” collection strategy.
    • Integrated Circuit Manufacture. The idea was to stop China from obtaining technology that America leads in. What has happened is that everyone, and their uncle is in a race to make the best, most advanced integrated circuits on the planet. And the Chinese central government is facilitating this with top down direction and resources to make this happen.
    • Information Warfare: last but not least, we are seeing total Information warfare.

    The stories about so-called “massive human rights abuses,” “Chinese concentration camps,” “Chinese-made-and-released Covid,” “China has harmed us economically,” “China has stolen its way to the top,” “China is oppressing independent Hong Kong,” are part of this information warfare.

    This is mass propaganda to incite people to hate China irrationally and unconditionally, to manufacture consent for war. The US military calls this information warfare, “the firehose of falsehoods ” and we are all being drenched with these lies.  

    This is necessary (in a “democracy”) to justify war against an enemy and to curtail any rational discussion or questioning.

    If things went as planned…

    If things went as planned, China would be a poisonous stew of conflict with all sorts of internal troubles, starvation, insurrections and conflicts. The workers would be sick and dying and the anti-China propaganda campaign would scare companies from trading (or continuing to trade) with China. No hot war would ever be necessary.

    The COVID-19 germ bio-warfare released at the most vulnerable time for social communicability on CNY eve, would completely turn China into a basket case.

    Meaning of Idiom ‘Basket Case’. 
    
    A basket case is a situation that is so nervous or anxious that they are completely incapacitated and thus are considered non-functioning.
    
    Something unable to cope with a situation; someone or something unable to function.
    The American military were housed at the Wuhan Oriental Hotel along with the Koreans, and the Iranian military participants in the Wuhan military games. This hotel was located one lock away from the Huanan Seafood Market, the "wet market" where the COVID-19 outbreak originated from.
    The American military were housed at the Wuhan Oriental Hotel along with the Koreans, and the Iranian military participants in the Wuhan military games. This hotel was located one lock away from the Huanan Seafood Market, the “wet market” where the COVID-19 outbreak originated from.

    Hospitals, civil services, and all government would be overwhelmed. People would be clamoring for peace and stability, and that would open up an opportunity for the United States to begin harassment in the area around Taiwan. HK would be in turmoil. Military actions would fracture Xinjiang, and alliances would crumble.

    If you recall, in February and March 2020, two carrier battle groups were being sent to that area…

    … up until they had to make emergency stops at Guam for COVID-19A lethal outbreaks.

    By the time the end of the Summer rolled around, American intervention in Taiwan would be in action. Success would flood the airwaves, whether true or not, and trump being a “War President” would take complete control of the government with landslide victories in both Congress and the Senate.

    Then with a solid control of the Washington apparatus, the subsequent phases of action could proceed. Which would of course mean military troops, on the ground, to “liberate” the Chinese yearning for “American freedom” and “American democracy”.

    Ah. But it’s gonna be a tough sell, don’t you know…

    But, the real China is nothing like what the neocons think it is.

    China is quite different than what the Neocon echo chamber says it is…

    • 95% of the Chinese population are proud of China and it’s leadership.
    • Almost 100% of the population has seen dramatic increases in their standard of living compared to their parents.
    • The population is hysterically patriotic.
    • China is a nation of nerds with over four times the number of STEM graduates than Americans.
    • China is ruled by merit.
    • China is self-sufficient in food, and most raw materials.
    • China is proud of it’s culture, it’s society and it’s history.

    Things didn’t go as planned

    No, things did not go as planned.

    They never go as planned.

    Someone should tell these neocons that you have to have a few “projects” “under your belt” first before you try implementing them. Things never go according to plan and if you go ahead and kick a dog, expect him to snap at you and bite your arm. China will not watch while all this happens and not train, prepare, plan and take action.

    While all this was going on, China knew what the neocons were planning. China and Russia shared intel data, and combined saw that America was an active and real threat. If China collapses, Russia would be next. If Russia collapses, China would be next. So what did they do?

    Then at the same time, they started to warn the United States to stop; just stop… please just stop…

    Among the myriad, earth-shattering geopolitical effects of coronavirus, one is already graphically evident. China has re-positioned itself. For the first time since the start of Deng Xiaoping’s reforms in 1978, Beijing openly regards the US as a threat, as stated a month ago by Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Munich Security Conference during the peak of the fight against coronavirus. 
    
    Beijing is carefully, incrementally shaping the narrative that, from the beginning of the coronovirus attack, the leadership knew it was under a hybrid war attack. Xi’s terminology is a major clue. He said, on the record, that this was war. And, as a counter-attack, a “people’s war” had to be launched.
    
    Moreover, he described the virus as a demon or devil. Xi is a Confucianist. Unlike some other ancient Chinese thinkers, Confucius was loath to discuss supernatural forces and judgment in the afterlife. However, in a Chinese cultural context, devil means “white devils” or “foreign devils”: guailo in Mandarin, gweilo in Cantonese. This was Xi delivering a powerful statement in code.
    
    When Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, voiced in an incandescent tweet the possibility that “it might be US Army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan” – the first blast to this effect to come from a top official – Beijing was sending up a trial balloon signaliing that the gloves were finally off. Zhao Lijian made a direct connection with the Military Games in Wuhan in October 2019, which included a delegation of 300 US military... 
    
    -https://asiatimes.com/2020/03/china-locked-in-hybrid-war-with-us/

    They also watched with some degree of hope that the intel information was incorrect, and that the United States would stop. That the United States would end it’s anti-Chinese propaganda campaign, it’s anti-China technology assault, and it’s anti-China biological warfare programs…

    But America wasn’t listening…

    Trade. The “Trump Trade Negotiations” were all a “smokescreen”. No one in the Trump administration wanted any kind of agreement. None. Not at all. <HERE><HERE><HERE><HERE><HERE>

    Factories Returning. Well, no factories are returning to America. America is over regulated, the wages are too high, the quality of worker is too low, and the corruption at the state and local levels are absurd. <HERE><HERE><HERE>

    Famine. The attempt to destroy the Chinese food supply proceeded as planned. It’s just that the image of what China actually is was completely out of alignment  with what the Trump advisors expected. So even though the assaults went as planned, the were unable to induce a famine. <HERE><HERE><HERE>

    Africa. Africa is still in play.

    Propaganda. The Anti-China propaganda campaign seems to be working, though it’s giving everyone fatigue. On more than one occasion I have seen people complaining. They say “Get this shit off my feed. Heck you need waders to plow through all the muck.”

    Has anyone seen this from Rod Campbell of Australia Institute? He claims thousands of bot accounts controlled by US government spread the Wuhan bioweapons narrative nearly 5 million times in the first half of 2020: 
    
    https://www.facebook.com/HongKongGoodNews/videos/200057774713941/

    Technology. The Anti-China technology campaign is hit and miss. Certainly the drums are beating and there are skirmishes. Huawei, however is still in business, and many non-American companies, and nations are moving with the Chinese 5G model. But in July, he went all out, and went against all things china…

    Road and Belt. This requires Pakistan agreements and ports in the Mediterranean. Everything has been going well. That is up until a massive explosion that some have referred to as a “mini-nuke” totally and completely gutted the Lebanon port in Beirut. An interesting assessment;

    The Port of Beirut poses the biggest geostrategic threat to American power projection because China’s Silk Road is fast creeping towards the docks at Beirut Port. The US, having recently forced Israel to cancel its Haifa rail contract with China, has dampened the Chinese advance in the eastern Mediterranean, and what remains now in the path of the US is the Beirut Port. The US must either invade it to block the Chinese geostrategic mission creep, or else destroy it.
    
    https://thesaker.is/china-newsbrief-sitrep-3/

    And then it appears that a great accident destroyed it. Imagine that! What the coincidence!

    Moreover, the Port of Beirut also poses the biggest geostrategic threat for the US’s eastward-bound power projection where China and its new Silk Road operation is fast creeping westwards and is attempting to land at the eastern coastal strip of the Mediterranean, right where the Beirut Port docks. The US having recently forced Israel to cancel its Haifa contact with China has somewhat dampened the Chinese advance in the eastern Mediterranean, and what remains now in the path of the US is the Beirut Port. The US must either invade it to block the Chinese geostrategic mission creep, or else destroy it.
    
    Evidently, the US has chosen the latter option – with Israel assigned the task of accomplishing the destruction of Beirut Port. After all, for different reasons, both benefit greatly from Beirutshima.
    
    And so very timely is this destruction of the Beirut Port as the Lebanese government has very recently been in official talks with the Chinese over their offer to vastly invest in and develop the Beirut Port: a much needed gateway port and bridge into Europe for China, which represents an absolutely intolerable equation for the US’s hegemony in Europe. The Beirut Port’s rebuilding to its previous standard of activity will be contingent on strict conditions imposed by the US and Israel on the Lebanese government, if the port is allowed to be rebuilt at all, that is. Most certainly, the US is determined not to allow the Chinese any executive, investment or managerial access to it.
    
    ...
    
    And this larger US project has everything to do with the current US war on China, albeit presently a non-military war, but a war nevertheless, a war that the Pentagon is militarily preparing for – hence the ever increasing and breathtakingly high defense budget that Congress has been allocating to the US military throughout the terms of the last three Presidents.
    
    The US having lost Pakistan to the China sphere of influence, thus losing an attack dog bordering China, and having recently assigned Turkey as its new enforcer in the middle east, it now behooves the US to use its Mideast allies of both Turkey and Israel, two infamous terrorist states who regularly break international law with impunity: use them as spoilers and saboteurs against an advancing China and against any of Beijing’s Mideast regional allies. 
    
    Beirutshima is clearly an apparent US endeavor to push-back the Chinese advance in the highly strategic eastern Mediterranean, as the US attempts to simultaneously pivot eastwards itself through secured territories wherever China is successfully backtracked by the US and its regional henchmen.
    But, can this grand geostrategic plan really work for the benefit of the US? Can the US really succeed at remaining the only superpower in the world by the incessant knee-capping of China’s new Silk Road project?
    
    This is yet to be determined. But judging by the deep budgetary and societal crisis engulfing the US homeland, with no sign whatsoever of its deepening troubles abating, analysts doubt that the US has lungs large enough to last the whole race through with China. Here I will add that the US-China fight over the Beirut Port is not yet over. One wonders what went through the mind of the wily Chinese ambassador in Lebanon to witness the Beirut Port exploding as it shockingly did: to witness his pet project and assignment be destroyed right before his eyes and right before a signed agreement was made between him and the Lebanese government of Diab.
    
    -UR

    COVID-19. It is the pandemic where China decided to stop playing “defense” and go on the “offense”. This is the way that Donald Trump had decided to wage war upon China. This is how he planned to destroy it, create turmoil, and suppress it.

    But…

    But the Trump administration did not expect China to be so aggressive, and proactive. They expected them to be passive, and at best muster up some sort of United Nations complaint.

    Let’s talk about this…

    The COVID-19 bio-weapon attack

    "But... but war with China, or even Iran, is crazy! No rational country could even consider it!"
    
    Sure, no "rational" country would even contemplate it.
    I've got bad news for you.
    
    Posted by: William Gruff | Nov 18 2020 21:32 utc | 28

    America continues in it’s bio-weapon assault.

    The six prior viruses against food stuck and livestock were quite successful, but they did not create starvation. Which, I am sure, was a complete surprise to the neocons in the administration. I’m sure that they pretty much “chalked it up” to heavy totalitarian control by the Chinese government instead of the actual reason…

    … that China is pretty much self-sufficient in food, and has systems in place to mitigate shortages no matter how extreme.

    So Trump decided to release one against the Chinese people directly. I am also sure that the Trump administration felt that “this time” their suppression techniques would work.

    They took their time, selected the proper viral agent, and planned the timing directly. Nothing was left for chance. They released it at the exact geographical center of the population, and at the absolutely worst time of the year. They “felt” and believed that China would be unable to handle it, and that the worst elements would be contained within China, and that the rest of the world (those aligned with the USA) would get herd immunity with the very “soft” minor strain.

    [1] Location

    Indeed, they released it in the exact center of the population of China…

    The American COVID-19B bio-weapon was released in the geographic center of the population density of China.
    The American COVID-19B bio-weapon was released in the geographic center of the population density of China.

    .

    [2] Timing

    The timing was also significant. As it was during the peak social time, where the mass migration occurred within China. It is a time when everyone travels, where huge crowds are common and normal, and everyone is in very close proximity to each other.

    The very, extremely suspicious timing of the release of the bio-weapon.

    .

    [3] Anti-China propaganda campaign

    it's so interesting when people pretend to be ignorant when it is useful to them. I thought that was a specific American trait. So let's give the answer to the author asking the question:
    
    Once the Americans are indoctrinated into hating China, they will be willing to go to war with China and will be willing to accept wha the government will do in the name of "fighting China". Same how the Americans were indoctrinated into hating Soviet Union and Communism during the 50s and 60s and 70s. The government then can throw as much money into the military in the name of "fighting China" and the Americans will be fine with it.
    
    Posted by: Hoyeru | Nov 18 2020 19:52 utc | 2

    Further, the timing was such that it was coordinated with an anti-China propaganda campaign that was stunning in it’s size, magnitude and breadth of extent. When the incubated viruses started to manifest in Wuhan, the anti-China narrative exploded all across the world.

    So…

    So…

    So America launches a very dangerous bio-weapon attack on Chinese New Year eve.

    The timing was such that it would have spread like a fire inside a bone dry barn filled with hay. This was the time when everyone was traveling together in tight quarters. When everyone was drunk and hugging each other. This was the time when the virus could explode upon an unsuspecting China and devastate it completely.

    If China did not take immediate action, the entire nation would have turned into a complete “basket case”.

    But that is not what happened.

    China’s early conventional efforts seemed unsuccessful in halting the spread of the disease.
    
    Then on Jan. 23rd and after only 17 deaths, the Chinese government took the astonishing step of locking down and quarantining the entire 11 million inhabitants of the city of Wuhan, a story that drew worldwide attention. They soon extended this policy to the 60 million Chinese of Hubei province, and not longer afterward shut down their entire national economy and confined 700 million Chinese to their homes, a public health measure probably a thousand times larger than anything previously undertaken in human history. So either China’s leadership had suddenly gone insane, or they regarded this new virus as an absolutely deadly national threat, one that needed to be controlled at any possible cost.
    
    Given these dramatic Chinese actions and the international headlines that they generated, the current accusations by Trump Administration officials that China had attempted to minimize or conceal the serious nature of the disease outbreak is so ludicrous as to defy rationality. 
    
    In any event, the record shows that on December 31st, the Chinese had already alerted the World Health Organization to the strange new illness, and Chinese scientists published the entire genome of the virus on Jan. 12th, allowing diagnostic tests to be produced worldwide.
    
    Unlike other nations, China had received no advance warning of the nature or existence of the deadly new disease, and therefore faced unique obstacles. But their government implemented public health control measures unprecedented in the history of the world and managed to almost completely eradicate the disease with merely the loss of a few thousand lives.
    
    -American Pravda: Our Coronavirus Catastrophe as Biowarfare Blowback?

    (For some reason…) China went on full military alert.

    It went DEFCON ONE on CNY eve. This is something that no one in any of the mainstream American media, the Alt-Left or the Alt-Right media is talking about. China went DEFCON ONE. China’s military were all called up, and everyone was manning their posts, and that included ALL OF THE millions of reservists and militia.

    The last time that this happened in America was in October 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

    The DEFCON system was developed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and unified and specified combatant commands. It prescribes five graduated levels of readiness (or statuses of alert) for the U.S. military, and increase in severity from DEFCON 5 (least severe) to DEFCON 1 (most severe) to match varying military situations.
    
    -Defcon 1

    Everything went under lock-down, and then China took aggressive action on an entire slew of areas. Obviously the Chinese intel knew something was up, and had more information about what was going on than what we have been led to believe. China killed the pandemic and stopped it right in it’s tracks.

    Imagine that!

    But that is only part of the story.

    Strange American behavior…

    While all this was going on, the American leadership started to act really strange.

    The claim that the US Covid-19 response demonstrates that the US can "tolerate casualties" is one of the most asinine statements I have ever read. All that it proves is that the US is shockingly incompetent. Incompetence is not generally viewed as a strength.
    
    Posted by: David | Nov 18 2020 21:55 utc | 33
    [1] Don’t you all think that it was weird that Donald Trump and the CDC would insist on no one wearing masks?

    [2] Don’t you think that it was really strange that he wanted groups of people to conjugate together? It’s almost like he wanted everyone to get sick.

    Wasn’t that strange?

    [3] Don’t you think this was strange when there were just terrible videos out of China? With people having seizures, dropping dead on the elevator, and collapsing when they took their children to school? With guys going into convulsions, and women passing out on buses, and little children being rushed to hospitals.

    [4] Yet, Donald Trump and the CDC told everyone to stop watching videos out of China (Tictok), and meet together and do not wear a mask.

    Don’t you think it was strange?

    Yes. Trump unleashed the COVID-19A all over America. And yes he also gave it to his allies in Europe precisely so that everyone would get the “safe” virus. He wanted everyone to be exposed to the “safe” virus. Notice how the Military Allies of the United States, all of them followed the Trump “ok to wear a mask” narrative.

    How nice of him…

    He wanted American-friendly nations to be immune. He wanted everyone to get the “safe” light virus COVID-19A. He wanted his allies to get immune by getting the “safe” virus, while his enemies got the bad and dangerous virus.

    He wanted Chinese-friendly nations to get the bad version of the virus COVID-19B.

    • America & Allies = Herd Immunity with “safe” COVID-19A
    • China & Enemies = Saturated with the dangerous COVID-19B
    Map of the strains of the COVID-19 and the likely transmission paths. This map describes eight viral variations. But you can easily see that COVID-19B, the very lethal and deadly version hit China hard. The "light" version, the COVID-19A hit America, and Donald Trump wanted everyone to get it to obtain herd immunity.
    Map of the strains of the COVID-19 and the likely transmission paths. This map describes eight viral variations. But you can easily see that COVID-19B, the very lethal and deadly version hit China hard. The “light” version, the COVID-19A hit America, and Donald Trump wanted everyone to get it to obtain herd immunity.

    SO what is going on today?

    Of course, you all can disagree. 
    
    [1] You can believe that China was "lucky", and America was "unlucky". 
    [2] And that all the coincidences surrounding this speculation is just coincidences and nothing more.
    [3] Bad location for the outbreak.
    [4] Bad timing of the outbreak.
    [5] Bad coincidence that the key attributes of COVID are all patented in the Untied States.
    
    Just coincidences...

    The entire time while China was under lock-down, people were dying, and the anti-China propaganda campaign was reaching a fever pitch, what was going on?

    Coronavirus StrainNations affectedR0
    Covid-19A (safe)USA and Allies0.1%
    Covid-19B (lethal)China, Iran, North Korea10-15 %

    But America is NOT that “Shining house of the hill”. It is not run by strong leadership, and skilled and talented workers. It is something else, and the idea that America can allow everyone to obtain “herd immunity” is a foolish play.

    0.1% of the population of the USA = 32.8 million people dead.

    And sure, this is nothing compared to what Trump expected to hit China…

    15% of the Chinese population = 195 million people dead.

    But China is not what the neocons thought, and neither is the United States. And what is raging around the world is nothing like what was initially intended. It has become something else…

    USA deaths (2DEC20) = 1,464,725 Deaths.
    China deaths (2DEC20) = 4,749 deaths.
    
    And, of course, no one in the USA wants to believe these numbers. As thy make Americans look like a bunch of stupid jerks. So they lie. They say that China lies, while all the time, the American news doesn't report the WHO real numbers.  
    
    The Drudge report is saying that only ...
    U.S. DEATHS: 270,003...
    
    Links;
    US Daily Deaths | The COVID Tracking Project
    USA Covid-19 Cases and Deaths Statistics (Update Live ...
    CDC COVID Data Tracker
    United States Coronavirus: 13,610,357 Cases and 272,254 ...

    And now, in America it is chaos. Everyone is scrambling and confused. Some believe that Trump is right. Get the COVID-19A “Safe” it will be just a minor cold. The flu is far worse. While others are watching people die, and collapse. They think that Trump is an idiot Protests are going on. Shootings, and disruptions in food supply. People are unemployed and people are disobeying the need to self-isolate.

    But it’s not just that…

    The Chinese are avoiding fighting.

    That is America's strength. The United States is used to creating the "playing field" where they define the players, the place, the rules of engagement, and the terms of success. America is used to selecting the place. America is used to selecting the time. America is used to selecting the weapons. America is used to selecting the battles.

    China does not play that game.

    So China is redefining the narrative, and performing a “run around” all of the neocon’s efforts.

    Like this for the “pro-democracy” riots by the CIA/NED…

    (this) just came in on Whatsapp from a chauvinistic Chinese friend. 
    
    Does this also mark the end of Deng's 8 Coastal SEZs? 
    
    https://youtu.be/zcY3er58aRA
    
    This video conveys the news: *SEPARATE FOREVER* : HONG KONG 
    
    China has just announced that Hainan Island which is 35x larger than Hong Kong will be established as the new largest Free Trade/Free Tax centre to replace Hong Kong.
    
    The Chinese leadership used the Hong Kong riots which lasted for months, made Hong Kong no longer prosperous. They intend to let it be collapse, and replaced with: Shenzhen from the North and Hainan in the South.
    
    The special area of ​​Hong Kong was removed. It is now only a city from the Guangdong Province.
    
    Eventually, all foreign intelligence services will disband automatically, America and Britain will be confused, all their efforts have been in vain and wasted.
    
    ...
    
    Strategic! Hong Kong status will be diminished from special to just a city of China and replaced by Hainan 🇨🇳🇭🇰
    
    China is still keen to emulate Singapore which is cited in this video 

    Today, the NED / NID agents have been rounded up and interrogated. Here’s a particularity interesting take-down of a CIA agent…

    https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/5lcA5Huc8PiGYPb0pWE47w

    All the protests, the violence, the riots and everything all stopped. How?

    • Anyone who cashes out the money dished out by the NED/NID for any reason has their Social Security balance zeroed out….forever!
    • Anyone arrested, caught on video or associated with the protest in any way have their social standing reduced to “black level”. They cannot buy plane tickets, use public transportation, or use banks. Schooling might be forbidden for their children, and all legal activity relating to normal day-to-day transactions will have to be done in-person in the office, not using APPs.
    • All HK protestors in HK are now being moved to Chinese mainland prisons for “punishment labors” and “organ harvesting”.

    Yes. We are in World War III

    Today the world is wracked with three strains of a bio-weapon designed, concocted in America and unleashed by the neocons in the Trump administration.

    • COVID-19A – Safe. Designed to grant immunity to Americans.
    • COVID-19B – Lethal designed to kill Chinese.
    • COVID-19C – A variation of B, designed to target Iran and North Korea.

    And now…

    • COVID-19A Lethal

    Oh, and by the way. none of the viruses in the COVID-19 family grants immunity. Once you get a mild strain, you are more prone to get a more dangerous strain.

    The world is FUCKED.

    It is FUBAR

    And so, it’s all a complete FUBAR. Yup. That’s just exactly how and why you know that it is an American military operation. Name one American military operation that was not FUBAR. Name one!

    Military slang from WWII, fubar is an acronym for "fucked up beyond all recognition ". " the house was completely fubar."
    
    -Urban Dictionary: fubar

    It’s a military operation. That is for certain.

    No it is not yet “hot”, but it sure is “warm”. People are dying and more people have died so far in America that during the Vietnam war. Just because nuclear weapons are not yet in play does not mean that it is not going to happen.

    China realizes this.

    Here's China's unofficial response via this Global Times editorial. I wish I could reproduce the art at the editorial's header as it's very spot-on:
    
    "There is no new wording in the report, which can be seen as a collection of malicious remarks from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other anti-China US politicians and senators. Right now, only a little more than 60 days are left for the current US administration. An official from the State Department explained that the report is not meant to constrain the next US administration.
    
    But the fact is the Department of State fears that the Biden administration will adjust US-China relations, and the release of the report is part of their efforts to consolidate the current extreme anti-China path.
    
    "But most Chinese scholars who have read the report believe it is an insult to Kennan by labeling the report as Kennan-style. Kennan, then US charge d'affaires in Moscow, sent an 8,000-word telegram to the Department of State detailing his views on the Soviet Union. At least, there was no special political motive in Kennan's report. But the latest report is trying to leave a legacy for the extreme anti-China policy adopted by the Trump administration and fawning on Pompeo, which is evil in essence.
    
    "The impulsive and capricious governing style of Donald Trump leaves sufficient room for politicians like Pompeo to give free play to their ambitions. The Department of State has become the governmental organ that has the most serious clashes with China, outperforming the CIA and the Department of Defense.
    
    "Diplomats are supposed to be communicators, but Pompeo and his team have chilled the communication atmosphere with China. In the China direction, today's US Department of State can close its door.
    
    "Surrounded by such deep hostility and prejudice toward China and the wild ambition of the secretary of state, how could the Department of State's Office of Policy Planning make out anything objective about China? Their observation ability, cautious attitude toward research, and sense of responsibility for history have been severely squeezed. They are just currying favor from their seniors and manipulating extreme paths, pretending to be 'thoughtful....'
    
    "Chinese diplomatic and academic circles look down upon the Pompeo team, which lacks professionalism, and acts like a group of gangsters suddenly taking official positions. They not only have messed things up, but also hope to build their nonsense as legacy. Pompeo's choice of opportunists like Miles Yu as advisor in particular has increased Chinese people's doubts over the 'amateurism' and 'immorality' of the Pompeo team's China policy....
    
    "The US' China policy is very much like 'drunk driving' internally while on the international stage it's like sailing against the current." [My Emphasis]
    
    There's not much more to add aside for asking barflies to read the entire editorial.
    
    Posted by: karlof1 | Nov 18 2020 20:12 utc | 13

    Neocons view war as necessary

    These neocons do not give up. They have a near religious vision of the world where America controls everything and everyone. Where American law is obeyed everywhere and where “American greatness” defines the human race.

    Many of Trump's followers view his role as near religious. They believe that God and Jesus are blessing all of his actions and that he can do no wrong.
    Many of Trump’s followers view his role as near religious. They believe that God and Jesus are blessing all of his actions and that he can do no wrong.

    Heck!

    They even made a coin to commemorate this event, or at least to keep the Wuhan bat-eating Chinese narrative alive.

    • What? You don’t think that this is all part of a long-term, well-thought-out plan? Something that has been on-going for years. (At least one year to design and produce a new coin, with 2.5 years being the norm.)
    • What? You don’t think that a narcissist like Trump wouldn’t create some type of monument or edifice to record his glories? Like a “special coin”?

    What can I say?

    The coincidences in America during this period of COVID-19 coronavirus are astounding!
As I have mentioned before, the various world-lines are all interconnected with rapid trans-reality communication. This leads to some odd and strange phenomena.  Nothing is more poignant than when it is associated with a global situation or catastrophe. As is the case with the COVID-19, coronavirus.

    .

    Do you think that this entire bio-weapons attack was not planned and unleashed upon China as part of a long-term plan?

    Donald Trump has a coin collection of all of his battles. Check it out, and guess which coin has been recently added to this collection?

    Can you possibly be serious?

    The signs are everywhere. Just little drips and drabs by the spooks involved in this activity. Check out this vehicle that was abandoned in the parking lot of an Airport in Australia BEFORE the CNY eve outbreak.

    This vehicle was abandoned (who abandons a BMW?) in an Australian parking lot BEFORE the Coronavirus is officially named as “COVID-19”.

    Just another coincidence

    Vehicle abandoned in an Australian parking lot BEFORE the COVID-19 outbreak in China on Chinese CNY. Remember, that it takes a minimum of six months to make a custom license plate in Australia.
    Vehicle abandoned in an Australian parking lot BEFORE the COVID-19 outbreak in China on Chinese CNY. Remember, that it takes a minimum of six months to make a custom license plate in Australia. COVID-19 wasn’t even officially named that until after March 2020.

    .

    The time-table is still in play.

    The Time Table is still active.

    Even though things are not going well in America now, the time-table for the grand plan is still alive and active. Some of the things, taken alone are meaningless. But taken as a whole in it’s entirety, show a very dangerous picture of events.

    • Trump, right on schedule, declared himself a “war President”.
    • Right on schedule sent two complete invasion carrier groups to the South China Sea.
    • Right on schedule, military leadership teams went into underground secure facilities.
    • Right on schedule, “low yield field nuclear weapons” were placed on military forces in the South Pacific.
    • Right on schedule, Australia military is working with American military “advisers”.
    • Right on schedule, Trump put Americans on notice to leave China and return to the USA.
    • Right on Schedule, all air travel between China and the USA came to an end.
    • Right on Schedule, demands for seizing Chinese assets and defaulting on Chinese loans.
    • Trump made “arrangements” for a transition of power if he were to lose the election. I have no idea what that means, but if the players like Pompeo are still in office, then that means that the situation will only get worse. They will continue their plans.
    • Right on schedule, FIVE complete carrier battle groups were repositioned in the North Pacific for “exercises”.
    • Right on schedule, TWO additional complete carrier battle groups are in transit to the South China Sea.
    • Right on schedule, the UK is going to add their carrier battle group to the American carrier groups in the South China Sea.

    All of this is worrisome.

    Eight (8x) carrier battle groups are hanging out all around China.

    Each carrier group with two carrier. A large and a "small" carrier.  Three in the south China Sea (one British) and five near Guam. Each group has it's own attachment of Marine assault forces and landing craft.

    Nothing good can come of this.

    Expect some “heat”

    I expect things to go “hot” sometime between 2020 and 2023. And when I mean “hot”, I mean a shooting war with America making the first action. It would be some structured military action against either China or Russia, and it involving “safe” low-yield nuclear weapons.

    And…

    And, China responding… to an exceptionally vulnerable America, upon America soil.

    Don't ever mistakenly believe that this event will be limited to the South China Sea. It won't. Any military action against China will result in military action against Americans inside of America.
    
    To think otherwise is wishful thinking and a rookie mistake.

    America is really fragile. If you think it’s a mess now, imagine what global thermonuclear war would be like…

    • A nuclear strike on Mono Lake will render all of California into a radioactive dry desert wasteland for centuries.
    • A nuclear strike on New York City would destroy all of American industry as all of the “big” American companies are “public” and listed on the stock exchange. Wipe out the stock exchange, and you create a situation where no one can get paid. Companies all over America will collapse.
    • A nation where it’s every man for himself, and where over half the population has guns cannot be considered to unify under a national emergency. COVID-19 taught us that.

    This is for certain if Trump gets a second term of office.

    A slightly better situation is that he is out of office and a new President takes over. Still, the situation is still in play and many things are set in motions that cannot be stopped…

    In any event…

    I also predict that it will not go as any one expects, and that America will be devastated, the globe would we completely turned on it’s head, and both America and China would suffer.

    • America, a nation that never experienced a “real” war on it’s soil, would be reduced to a balkanized nightmare similar to modern day Yemen, only without potable water, and reliable sources of electricity.
    • China, long used to war, strife, and conflict for the last 5000 years, would simply dust themselves off and rebuild all over again.

    Those nations that picked the wrong nation to align itself with would face similar hardships. Which is why I strongly advocate 100% neutrality in Geo-political efforts. If a nation is adjacent to one of the two powers, their smartest move would be to align with their closest neighbor.

    Let’s hope that this prediction does not transpire.

    Other opinions

    Or, I could just have an over active imagination. Right?

    To paraphrase some of the responses I have read…

    Everyone knows that America would never even contemplate such a thing. NEVER. After all, it’s currently fighting eight wars, has 800 military bases and 14 carrier battle groups. America is way too busy to devote time and effort to fighting China. Why fight China when it’s much easier to fight in Somalia, Yemen and Syria?

    And Trump and his advisors are fine God-fearing folk.  Trump holds “prayer meetings” in the Oval Office. With a God-fearing leader, Pompeo and Bolton would never advocate a war against China. The idea that a neocon wants war is well…silly.

    There is no such thing as The Thucydides Trap. It’s historical gibberish.

    Trump wants a fair trade arrangement where everyone wins, and the Chinese are just evil, bad and eat bat soup. They are filthy foul liars. They steal and are the scourge of the planet.

    Right?

    And there was an article from the BBC talking about stripping China of it’s Sovereign immunity because of the COVID-19, and we have this response.

    With my personal duty out of the way of attacking the trolls and hopefully driving them back under the bridges from whence they came, I would like to ask if there is any way to "strip a country of its sovereign immunity" without a war? 
    
    I mean, isn't that the whole point of wars? To eliminate or protect a nation's sovereignty? Isn't trying to eliminate another country's sovereignty by just passing a law kinda like trying to simplify math by passing a law to make π=3 ? If you want your sovereignty-stripping law to have any meaning, then you have to enforce it, and that enforcement will look a whole lot like a war, regardless of what you want to call it.
    
    Unlike Americans the Chinese are not stupid. They have long known of the approach of the obligatory scene of the Thucydides Trap and have been preparing for it as best they can (which happens to be some quite good preparations).
    
    ... 
    
    I'll let the empire's trolls in on a little secret: The Chinese can lose every single ship they send to the "Battle of the Xisha Islands" and still win the war. That's because industrial capacity is important in a major war.
    
    -Posted by: William Gruff | May 1 2020 15:48 utc | 33

    It’s like a baseball game…

    Yes, the USA can take their itemized list, and pencil off the playing field. And China will sway in the wind for a while. But you know what?

    China owns the ball the bat, the gloves, the players, the field, the dugouts, and the fencing. While the USA is so proud to have control over the score, it will be China that will control the game. And no wishful thinking is going to change the reality that you need people, factories and skills to make things.

    • Wall street does not make anything.
    • Diversity Officers do not create, build, repair, or structure things.
    • Lawyers and bankers do not put food on tables.
    • Bureaucrats do not provide public transportation, or hospital care.

    Thinking that you are accomplishing something by writing about it, comparing it in a spreadsheet, or endlessly debating it on social media is meaningless in the overall scheme of things. Real productive nations make physical things.

    And China…

    Hate it or love it, is a nation that makes and creates, and builds things. The United States, is a nation that destroys things, then indexes and categorizes the destruction.

    The future of the entire world belongs to the builders. Not the destroyers.


    Update – 12MAY20

    Apparently, since America launched the bio-weapon attack on the Chinese New Year Holiday, and China was forced to go into DEFCON ONE, it has stayed at that state or military readiness.

    There is no evidence that the Chinese military has “stood down” or relaxed their defensive posture.

    As such, Chinese high-yield nuclear weapons (SLBM with MIRV warheads) have been positioned all around the United States and ready to strike back were any additional neocon military “events” were to take place. This is reasonable. What is unreasonable is to think that China would not take any subsequent action.

    Which brings me to this report…

    "Reports coming in from some of my former colleagues during my years with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force indicate the US Military is concerned there may be a submerged Chinese missile submarine directly off the coast of San Diego, CA as of abut 4:00 PM eastern US time, Monday, May 11."
    
    -Hall Turner

    Ya don’t think?

    Gosh, how stupid can these people be?

    If you launch a WMD (Weapon of Mass Destruction) against a major power (COVID-19B Lethal), you can most certainly expect them to react. Or do you believe that they are political idiots with the brain of a snail? Do you think that they will continue to just “take the hits”? Do you think that they will go “protest” at the UN?

    Update – 13MAY20

    Messages are being sent to Trump.

    China fires its latest underwater nuclear missile into spotlight with science prize. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force is developing its third-generation SLBM JL-3, with a range of over 12,000km (7,450 miles), which would allow it to hit the United States if the missile were launched from the Chinese coast. https://lnkd.in/gE4MG7F

    Update – 23MAY20

    Trump is not listening to the messages though.

    The Trump administration has discussed whether to conduct the first U.S. nuclear test explosion since 1992 in a move that would have far-reaching consequences for relations with other nuclear powers and reverse a decades-long moratorium on such actions, said a senior administration official and two former officials familiar with the deliberations.

    Ai! It's like a bratty snot-nosed kid playing around with a loaded gun.

    Update 25MAY20

    And Trump is being obstinate about all this.

    Navy Sends Subs to Sea as Message to China

    The US Navy has mobilized it’s attack subs against China. I guess the four lone “boomer” subs are too much of a threat.

    The Pacific Fleet Submarine Force took the unusual step this month of announcing that all of its forward-deployed subs were simultaneously conducting "contingency response operations " at sea in the Western Pacific--downplaying the notion that Navy forces have been hampered by COVID-19.
    
    The sub force said the missions were mounted in support of the Pentagon's "free and open Indo-Pacific " policy aimed at countering China's expansionism in the South China Sea.
    
    At least seven submarines, and likely more--including all four Guam-based attack submarines, the San Diego-based USS Alexandria and multiple Hawaii-based vessels--are part of the effort.
    
    The action also highlights the Pentagon's desire to be flexible and unpredictable in "great power " competition with China and Russia.
    "Our operations are a demonstration of our willingness to defend our interests and freedoms under international law, " Rear Adm. Blake Converse, Pacific sub force commander, who is based at Pearl Harbor, said in a May 8 release.
    
    Attack submarines maintain an outsize stealth capability to sink ships with torpedoes, fire Tomahawk cruise missiles and conduct covert surveillance while keeping adversaries guessing their location.
    
    The Navy recently has maintained a flotilla of warships in the Western Pacific as a show of force and proof that COVID-19 hasn't significantly degraded its capabilities, with the United States and China long trading barbs over military activities in the South China Sea and increasingly so over each other's pandemic response.
    
    China has been accused of intensifying its occupation of man-made islands and bullying other nations in the region while much of the world has been focused on the pandemic.
    
    Geopolitical intelligence platform Stratfor said that the U.S. and China have maintained a "robust operational pace in the South China Sea " amid heightening tensions and COVID-19--signs that point to continued escalation after the virus wanes.
    
    When the Navy advertises the presence of its usually unseen submarines, it's often to make a point with an adversary. The Navy released a photo of the Los Angeles-class sub Alexandria transiting Apra Harbor in Guam on May 5.
    
    As the U.S. military addresses COVID-19 at home, "we remain focused on our national security missions around the world, " Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the same day.
    
    "Many countries have turned inward to recover from the pandemic, and in the meantime our strategic competitors are attempting to exploit this crisis to their benefit at the expense of others, " Esper said.
    He accused the Chinese Communist Party of ramping up a "disinformation campaign " to shift blame for the virus and burnish its image. All the while, "we continue to see aggressive behavior by the PLA (People's Liberation Army ) in the South China Sea, from threatening a Philippine navy ship to sinking a Vietnamese fishing boat and intimidating other nations from engaging in offshore oil and gas development."
    
    Esper said two Navy ships conducted freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea the week before "to send a clear message to Beijing that we continue to protect freedom of navigation and commerce for all nations large and small."
    
    The guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill conducted a "FONOP " in the Spratly Islands, and the destroyer USS Barry sailed twice through the Taiwan Strait and through the Paracel Islands in disputed territory that China claims as its own.
    
    "These provocative acts by the U.S. side ... have seriously violated China's sovereignty and security interests, deliberately increased regional security risks and could easily trigger an unexpected incident, " the South China Morning Post quoted a Chinese military command saying after the Barry's Paracel passage.
    
    The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt has been sidelined in Guam since late March after experiencing an outbreak of the new coronavirus among its 4, 800-member crew.
    
    U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor has been quick to note the ongoing deployment of other assets in the region, including transits of the South China Sea by the littoral combat ship USS Gabrielle Giffords, the destroyer USS Rafael Peralta sailing in the East China Sea and the destroyer USS McCampbell passing through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday.

    These are not to be viewed as a threat to the Chinese navy. Instead they are a threat to any one that ships products from China. This threat is that the United States will start sinking all cargo and container traffic out of China. As (until the BRI is completed) the entire world relies on Chinese sea container shipments.

    Update June 2020

    China has sped up it’s production of nuclear launcher subs, and has greatly increased it’s production of hyper-velocity missiles.

    China Just Added Two New Nuclear Missile Submarines to Its …

    2020-6-8 · They are also armed with Anti-Ship Cruise Missiles, wire-guided and wake-homing torpedoes and mines. Perhaps of greater concern, the Chinese have already test-fired an emerging JL-3 nuclear armed intercontinental ballistic missile with a reported range of more that 5,600 miles, according to a 2018 CSIS report. The missile is solid fueled.

    Update 18JUL20

    Now the Trump White-house is pushing the “America is invincible narrative”.

    American media are telling the world that Aircraft carriers are unsinkable, and that America with British support is going to “kick some ass” and “teach China a lesson”…

    That America has every right to perform “exercises” off the coast of China…

    And that China is no match for the superiority of American military…

    The sad thing is that Trump and Pompeo has purposely ignored internal voices warning that China has achieved peer-level capabilities and that the American military (while enormous) has greatly eroded in capability since the cold war. They warn that China is not someone that you casually attack and not expect some painful retribution.

    China is a serious, serious nation that does not play.
    China is a serious, serious nation that does not play.

    Update 25JUL20

    Trump STEPS UP the “game”.

    Pompeo makes a speech that pretty much says that everything that America did to suppress China did not work. That the old techniques must end, and a series of “new” techniques must begin.

    Overall, most of the world, doesn’t feel very comforted by the Pompeo speech.

    RTop/ed analysis of Pompeo's China containment policy plan, "The Elements of the China Challenge”:
    
    "Although it is hardly atypical of the President Trump administration, the document is significant because it represents yet another attempt by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to immortalize his Cold War confrontation between the US and China, bind the succeeding administration to it and most strikingly, institutionalize anti-Beijing ideas into American bureaucracy.
    
    "The push against China by the Trump White House is not designed to be a passing phase, but a permanent and defining change of direction, for which this entire term in office has sought to prepare. 
    
    This document aims to be a blueprint for long-term ideological struggle and a series of aspirations for maintaining hegemony, an affirmation of priority and a statement that things cannot “go back to normal”. But it makes no guarantee that the US can ever adequately understand China, or that it will succeed in its aims.
    
    "The reference to George F. Kennan in pitching this document is appealing given the historical parallels, but it is not an exact fit and this, in turn, helps shine a light on Pompeo’s own ignorance of China. It might be described in one simple sentence: China is not the Soviet Union and the ideological stakes are not quite the same." [Emphasis Original]
    
    While I'd agree that differences in ideology exist between China and the Outlaw US Empire, it is the Empire that's constructed upon and is living the Big Lie inherent within Neoliberalism, while China continues to perfect its already very efficient system of Collective Libertarianism through its revamped Democratic Centralism. The really big fundamental difference is that China has absolutely no need to lie to its people, whereas the exact opposite's true within the Neoliberal West. 
    
    After a lengthy period of public input, the government meets and eventually publishes its 5-year plan of development, which is contained within an even larger plan that's also been devised with public input and once put together is also published for public consumption. And since 2010, all plans have existed within China's UN 2030 Development plan, which is also available to the public. 
    
    In a great many respects. China is a more open society than the Outlaw US Empire. Why? Because it doesn't need to lie to its citizens because it fights against the corruption that provides the reason for such lies--China has no Financial Parasitism it must mask from its citizens whereas the Outlaw US Empire is drowning in a massive sea of corruption that is killing it. Clearly, Pompeo wants that to continue.
    
    Posted by: karlof1 | Nov 18 2020 19:59 utc | 7

    Further, delusional State Department policy planning paper sees the light.

    The Elements of the China Challenge (pdf)

    Axios calls it a “Kennan-style paper”. In 1946 George Kennan, then Deputy Chief of Mission of the United States to the USSR, wrote his ‘Long Telegram’ that defined U.S. Cold War policy towards the Soviet Union for the next decades. And we all know how that worked out.

    But the China paper which the State Department published is not comparable to the ‘Long Telegram’. It is a propaganda piece that reflects the naive views of the outgoing Secretary of State Mike Pompous.

    Pompous’ premise is that the Chinese people hate the Communist Party of China that runs the country and that China is not a democracy. But that is not what the people of China believe:

    Charted below are the survey results from 20 countries, and they illustrate some startling beliefs — not least that 73% of Chinese consider China to be democratic, whereas only 49% of Americans believe the same about the U.S.

    Read this thread to find out why that is the case:

    ShanghaiPanda @thinking_panda – 9:24 UTC · Sep 15, 2020

    On twitter, as a Chinese, the most frequently asked question for me is, why don't you oppose the CPC? Why don't Chinese support western style democracy? Why do Chinese people support President Xi, who has no votes? Now, I'm going to tell them why.(1/N)

    Also this one.

    The recommendations of the State Department paper listed by Axios are not practical steps but pure ideology:

    The blueprint: The paper lays out “ten tasks” for the U.S. to accomplish.

    1. Promoting constitutional government and civil society at home.
    2. Maintaining the world’s strongest military.
    3. Fortifying the rules-based international order.
    4. Reevaluating its alliance system.
    5. Strengthening its alliance system and creating new international organizations to promote democracy and human rights.
    6. Cooperating with China when possible and constraining Beijing when appropriate.
    7. Educating Americans about the China challenge.
    8. Train a new generation of public servants who understand great-power competition with China.
    9. Reforming the U.S. education system to help students understand the responsibility of citizenship in a complex information age.
    10. Championing the principles of freedom in word and in deed.

    Note especially the points 7 to 10.

    They have nothing to do with China. They call for domestic propaganda, more domestic propaganda and even more domestic propaganda. How brainwashing and stupidifying one’s own people is supposed to challenge China is beyond me.

    Update 17AUG20

    Military action on the South-West Tier of the BRI.

    The Port of Beirut poses the biggest geostrategic threat to American power projection because China’s Silk Road is fast creeping towards the docks at Beirut Port. The US, having recently forced Israel to cancel its Haifa rail contract with China, has dampened the Chinese advance in the eastern Mediterranean, and what remains now in the path of the US is the Beirut Port. The US must either invade it to block the Chinese geostrategic mission creep, or else destroy it.[MORE]

    Seems that Trump authorized the use of 6kt mini-nuke to destroy the port of Beirut. This was conducted by aircraft of the Israel Air Force, and they apparently used two missiles.

    • Gabriel anti ship missile.
    • Israeli Delilah missile carrying a 6kt mini-nuke.

    Radiation readings in Europe has confirmed that a nuclear warhead was used.

    Radiation detected from a nuclear explosion.
    Radiation detected from a nuclear explosion.

    Trump has admitted to participation and direction of this attack. But he did not confess to using nuclear weapons.

    This effort puts a immediate pause on the Chinese Belt and Road initiative with a port on the Mediterranean sea.

    Update 25AUG20

    Trump and Pompeo are pushing, pushing, pushing…

    China has gone from “Most Favored Trading Partner” status in 2016 under President Obama…

    … to an “Enemy of America” under trump in 2020. It’s a 180 degree turn in a global relationship.

    US lawmakers have introduced a bill to change the way the federal government refers to the leader of China. 
    
    The ‘Name the Enemy Act’ would require that official US government documents instead refer to the head of state according to his or her role as head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). This implies the new bill stands to prohibit the use of the term “president”.
    
    -President No More? US Moves to Ban Chinese Leader Xi Jinping’s Title

    And China, being what it is, is not blind to what is going on…

    Here are some of the key points.
    
    1. On the trade war front, Beijing won’t shut down US businesses already operating in China. But companies which want to enter the market in finance, information technology, healthcare and education services will not be approved.
    
    2. Beijing won’t dump all its overwhelming mass of US Treasuries in one go, but – as it already happens – divestment will accelerate. Last year, that amounted to $100 billion. Up to the end of 2020, that could reach $300 billion.
    
    3. The internationalization of the yuan, also predictably, will be accelerated. That will include configuring the final parameters for clearing US dollars through the CHIPS Chinese system – foreseeing the incandescent possibility Beijing might be cut off from SWIFT by the Trump administration or whoever will be in power at the White House after January 2021.
    
    4. On what is largely interpreted across China as the “full spectrum war” front, mostly Hybrid War, the PLA has been put into Stage 3 alert – and all leaves are canceled for the rest of 2020. There will be a concerted drive to increase all-round defense spending to 4% of GDP and accelerate the development of nuclear weapons. Details are bound to emerge during the Central Committee meeting in October.
    
    5. The overall emphasis is on a very Chinese spirit of self-reliance, and building what can be defined as a national economic “dual circulation” system: the consolidation of the Eurasian integration project running in parallel to a global yuan settlement mechanism.
    
    Inbuilt in this drive is what has been described as “to firmly abandon all illusions about the United States and conduct war mobilization with our people. We shall vigorously promote the war to resist US aggression (…) We will use a war mindset to steer the national economy (…) Prepare for the complete interruption of relations with the US.”
    
    It’s unclear as it stands if these are only trial balloons disseminated across Chinese public opinion or decisions reached at the “invisible” Beidaihe. So all eyes will be on what kind of language this alarming configuration will be packaged when the Central Committee presents its strategic planning in October. Significantly, that will happen only a few weeks before the US election.
    
    It’s all about continuity
    
    All of the above somewhat mirrors a recent debate in Amsterdam on what constitutes the Chinese “threat” to the West. Here are the key points.
    
    1. China constantly reinforces its hybrid economic model – which is an absolute rarity, globally: neither totally publicly owned nor a market economy.
    
    2. The level of patriotism is staggering: once the Chinese face a foreign enemy, 1.4 billion people act as one.
    
    3. National mechanisms have tremendous force: absolutely nothing blocks the full use of China’s financial, material and manpower resources once a policy is set.
    
    4. China has set up the most comprehensive, back to back industrial system on the planet, without foreign interference if need be (well, there’s always the matter of semiconductors to Huawei to be solved).
    
    China plans not only in years, but in decades. Five year plans are complemented by ten year plans and as the meeting chaired by Xi showed, 15 year plans. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is in fact a nearly 40-year plan, designed in 2013 to be completed in 2049.
    
    And continuity is the name of the game – when one thinks that the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, first developed in 1949 and then expanded by Zhou Enlai at the Bandung conference in 1955 are set in stone as China’s foreign policy guidelines.
    
    -China: everything proceeding according to plan

    You all can buy all the guns and ammo you want. You can read all the social media that you are able to. You can stock up on food and toilet paper…

    … but you are wasting your time unless you invest in iodine pills, and Geiger counters. Any attack on either Russia or China will result in almost all American cities destroyed in large, enormous nuclear explosions.

    Update 26AUG20

    China launches four of it’s “Aircraft Carrier Killer Missiles” into the South China Sea. DoD can confirm that the Chinese military launched four medium-range missiles Wednesday from mainland China,” a defense official said.”The missiles impacted in the South China Sea between Hainan Island and the Paracel Islands,” the official added. “The launch appears to have been part of a previously announced exercise.”

    Update 3SEP20

    A Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on Wednesday 2SEP20 at 12:03 a.m. The test launch used an unarmed missile that traveled over 4,000 miles, at a speed of more than 15,000 mph.

    9SEP20 Update

    Apparently, the China Government agrees with my appraisal. From a message group that I belong to…

    Chinese propaganda getting good. Unlike West propaganda, Chinese includes evidence. exactly consistent with Uriah Heep's version. 
    
    Thanks Jeff, but Kevin it may be a conspiracy that Heep told it in real time and official docu youtubed 8 months later.
    
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEo3qk-4yx8

    Head’s up. I’m Uriah Heep and that is my interview that they are talking about.

    10SEP20

    On September 19, 2020, China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) published the Provisions on the Unreliable Entity List. That was one day after the U.S. Commerce Department announced its ban on American users downloading the Chinese app WeChat and video-sharing app TikTok.

    This article takes corresponding measures against the following actions of FOREIGN ENTITIES:

    1) Endanger China’s national sovereignty security, or development interests
    2) Violating the principles of normal market transactions, interrupting normal transactions with Chinese entities, or adopting discriminatory measures against Chinese entities, seriously damaging the legal rights of the entity.

    3OCT20 Update.

    After an entire year in blaming China for the coronavirus. Donald Trump (after a very bad public debate with his election opponent) announced that he has the COVID-19. And was flown to a hospital within a thirty minute drive of Fort Detrick (the presumptive point of origin of the COVID-19 and all American bio-weapons programs).

    Minutes before the announcement, American “doomsday planes” were launched. As they control communication with the SLBM MIRV’ s that are housed in the “boomer” submarines around the world.

    A look at the bigger picture is in order. Forget about all the “details”. Just name another President (any President) that [1] not only sent three assault carrier groups to the Chinese coast (with a total of five aircraft carriers), [2] launched a series of viral attacks simultaneously with [3] a hysterically-active anti-China propaganda campaign, and [4] went after Chinese industry to the extent that he did, [5] only to have nuclear ships, subs, planes, and ICBMs on active on-call status.

    Name one.

    If this is not a preparation for a full-scale nuclear war, I do not know what is.

    12 OCT 20 Update.

    It appears that President Trump might not win reelection. And as a result (I assume) there has been a flood of articles that basically state that no matter who wins the 2020 election, the American foreign policy will not change. It’s a dominant narrative leading up to the election date.

    “Biden will continue the Anti-China policies of Trump.”

    Imagine that!

    A typical screen capture.
    NIKKEI is a 100% American State Department media outlet designed to manipulation discourse in the Asian-Pacific Rim. It is down line from Mike Pompeo.

    .

    Seriously! This is absurd!

    Yet, why all the articles? Really?

    The latest article from the Moon Over Alabama is a piece titled “U.S. Elections Do Not Change Its Foreign Policies”. It’s part of a nine week long period of articles that pretty much posits that the hybrid-war with China will continue whether Trump is in Office or Biden. The articles argue the same points made by others. Over and over. It’s all a rehash.

    Screen Shot.
    Screen Shot.

    The MoA is perhaps the most logical. But all in all they are just nonsense. And they actually are NONSENSE. These articles assume a third grade reading comprehension, with a knowledge of recent history that evaporates within months.

    Listen up boys and girls…

    Elections DO change American Foreign Policy.

    Under Bush, and Obama China has “Most Favored Nation Status”. Today, the status with China is “Enemy” (especially considering the names of the bills being pushed through congress. Namely the “Name the Enemy act”.)

    That’s a pretty big change. I would say. Wouldn’t you? 

    But according to all the articles… “American foreign policy does not change when the presidency changes”. Yet, when Trump was elected the Foreign Polices all changed drastically. In fact, NOT ONE SINGLE POLICY stayed the same.

    So…

    … what is the true and real purpose of this nonsense?

    To convince people that nothing is going to change if Biden is elected? When the fact and truth is the exact opposite. As we used to say in the States “Don’t piss on my leg and tell me it’s raining.” 

    My points. 

    • [1] This entire premise is a big bunch of nonsense.
    • [2] This premise is being promoted in all of the media; mainstream, alt-right, alt-left.
    • [3] Our most treasured sources for alternative journalism have been tainted and corrupted to a point where they too, now regurgitate the ‘approved” government narratives. 

    Think!

    Think people!

    So for a fun exercise, can anyone tell me which foreign polices that Trump DID NOT CHANGE. As to provide some validity to this onslaught narrative? Because if all of these articles are correct, then there must be evidence to base it all on. So, what policies did President Trump leave intact?

    The answer is; NONE. He tore up of every single policy that Biden and Obama worked together on. Those that the did not tear up, he openly flaunted and violated. But now, amazingly, Biden is going to embrace the Trump neocon methodology?

    Give me a break!

    https://www.moonofalabama.org/2020/10/why-us-elections-do-not-change-its-foreign-policies.html#comments

    • Remember boys and girls, what’s the purpose of having a “democracy” if you cannot change the leadership when you are unhappy with their policies?
    • What’s the point if both political parties have the same point of view and the same policies?
    • What kind of government do you have then?

    Here’s a infographic showing the differences in the two political parties.

    The differences in the two political parties.

    Tracking this narrative on my LinkedIN account pretty much indicates that the (American government) ‘Bot’s are promoting this narrative. The exact same venues that had the ‘bot attacks on China all throughout 2020.

    • That Biden would embraced Donald Trump anti-China stance and policies.
    • That Biden did not care that Trump tore up every one of the polices and treaties that he developed in the previous 8 years of the Obama administration.
    • That there are no changes in policy during an election. That democracies do not change polices and elections have no no effect in policy changes.

    I cannot fully understand why the Trump Administration is promoting this narrative right now before the election, unless [1] it expects to lose, and [2] is trying to create a “fall-back position” where the neocons can argue that…

    "Biden MUST continue the Trump anti-China policies as it was what the American people expect."

    Never the less, the 2020 election will see drastic changes away from the Trump Administration neocon “war Hawk” ultimatums, to a much more balanced and cooperative foreign policy. The Republican party are “war hawks”, with a very small and dangerous group known as neocons that LIVE FOR WAR, and that is who is running the Trump White House. The Democrat party are “doves” that seek consensus and agreements. To believe that somehow Trump’s neocon administration has fundamentally changed the nature of American political discourse is delusional.

    After Trump withdrew from the World Health Organization — in protest of what he claim was a bias toward China — Biden this summer pledged to rejoin the U.N.'s health agency on his first day in office. Biden is a “globalist at heart,” wrote Natasha Kassam, a research fellow at Sydney’s Lowy Institute political think tank, in the Guardian.
    
    -MSN

    In truth, we can see that many (if not all) of the Trump Administration policies will end, be reversed or modified beyond recognition. All these stories out of the American media are partial and half-truths. Biden will need to deal with the Chinese situation. Primarily because Trump has made such a mess of things, and China is on the rise as a ascending power. Biden will need to sort out Americas role in this rise, for good or bad. But hopefully one that isn’t as contentious as Trumps has been.

    Such as indicated herein…

    Presidential candidate Joe Biden, were he to win the November election, would change U.S.-China policy, Eurasia Group founder Ian Bremmer said in a press briefing.
    
    -How a Biden Presidency Would Slowly Change U.S. Policy on ...

    And…

    Biden pledges to restore U.S. global leadership and reverse many of Trump’s foreign policy actions.
    
    -Where Biden and Trump stand on key issues

    And…

    Although transitions of power can always include abrupt changes, the shift from Trump to Biden - from one president who sought to undermine established norms and institutions to another who has vowed to restore the established order - will be among the most startling in American history.
    
    Biden's top advisers have spent months quietly working on how best to implement his agenda, with hundreds of transition officials preparing to get to work inside various federal agencies. They have assembled a book filled with his campaign commitments to help guide their early decisions.
    
    Biden is planning to set up a coronavirus task force on Monday, in recognition that the global pandemic will be the primary issue that he must confront. The task force, which could begin meeting within days, will be co-chaired by former surgeon general Vivek Murthy and David Kessler, a former Food and Drug Administration commissioner.
    
    But there has also been a recognition of those around him that he may have to lean more on executive actions that he had once hoped. He can reorient various federal agencies and regulations, and he can adopt a different posture on the world stage.
    
    -CHRON

    Why?

    Because Trumps policies have been an unmitigated disaster.

    13OCT20 Update

    Fake anti-China ‘bots and accounts are being discovered, rooted out, and removed from industrial and career websites. This is from LinkedIN…

    Series of fake identities posting anti-China narratives throughout all of 2020.

    15OCT20 Update

    American “big data” are busy manipulating and massaging all data to make America look strong, powerful and healthy. This is being caught in bits and pieces, here and there. USA media will not cover it. I assume compliance.

    Well…

    This is obviously a fabrication. If this were true all the global stock markets would show signs of serious collapse. But they didn’t. So why is the data being revised backwards? The only thing that I can think of is to make America appear healthier than it actually is, economically.

    As far as I am concerned, all data from the United States and England are subject to the need for careful review. I cannot help but question it’s validity. And you shouldn’t either.

    Here’s another example, from the same source,…

    According to this, the United States is the best prepared. And China is just so-so prepared. This was written in 2020, but used 2019 data, while the United States was absolutely floundering from the COVID-19, and China was successfully returning to normal after it dealt with the pandemic.

    16OCT20 Update

    A second new virus (perhaps another) COVID has hit China, middle of October.

    It will probably be named COVID-20 in a few months. It is NOT a variation of COVID-19, as a “second wave”. It is a completely new, and completely different virus. By all reports it is much worse than COVID-19. More lethal. More contagious. More dangerous.

    It is being handled differently in different regions and provinces.

    Latest news in China is sudden lock downs of all restaurants and public venues starting last night at 10PM. This is for the tier one cities. This will be for a minimum of two weeks. Military is still on DEFCON ONE, of course, but the militia are notified to stand ready. 
    
    A different type of COVID is apparently breaking out in China. It is unlike the COVID-19, as it was a alpha genome, and this is a beta genome. What ever the fuck that means. I think it means pineapples and toasters. 
    
    It's not a modified staring of COVID-19 but instead a BRAND NEW virus.

    This NEW and UNUSUAL virus is apparently attacking both humans and pigs. It causes violent diarrhea and vomiting, and then your lungs fill up with fluid, it turns to cement and you die.

    • Middle of October 2020.
    • A totally new virus attacks China.

    Stand by. It’s too early to do anything about all this. All residences are in scanning mode. Masks are back on. Public establishments (in certain tier one cities) are shut down for two weeks. Military is still on alert. Militia are called on reserve status.

    • American media is clueless.

    17OCT20 Update

    From MoA. It discusses the fall-back positions (since the suppression of China) failed. Here, the concentration is on the QUAD alliance building. Which is nothing more than an Asian NATO like structure under the control of the US Military.

    U.S. Fails To Find Allies For Waging War On China
    
    The U.S. wants to counter China's growing economic and political standing in the world.
    
    The Obama administration had attempted a 'pivot to Asia' by building a low tariff economic zone via the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). It would have excluded China. The Trump administration rejected the TPP and withdrew from it. It launched an economic war against China by increasing tariffs on Chinese products, prohibiting high tech supplies to Chinese manufacturers, and by denying Chinese companies access to its market. 
    
    It has also tried to build a military coalition that would help it to threaten China. It revived the 2007-2008 Quadrilateral Security Dialogue and rebranded it as the U.S.-Australia-India-Japan Consultations Quad. The aim was to turn it into an Asian NATO under U.S. command:
    
    The U.S. State Department’s No. 2 diplomat said Monday that Washington was aiming to “formalize” growing strategic ties with India, Japan and Australia in a forum known as “the Quad” — a move experts say is implicitly designed to counter China in the Indo-Pacific region. 
    
    “It is a reality that the Indo-Pacific region is actually lacking in strong multilateral structures. They don’t have anything of the fortitude of NATO, or the European Union,” 
    
    -U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun said in an online seminar on the sidelines of the annual U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum.
    
    “There is certainly an invitation there at some point to formalize a structure like this,” he added.
    
    But it turns out that neither Australia nor Japan nor India have any interest in a hard stand towards China. All look to China as an important trade partner. They know that any conflict with it would cost them dearly.
    
    On October 6 Secretary of State Mike Pompeo flew to Tokyo for a meeting with the other foreign ministers of the Quad. He soon found that no one would join him in his militant talk:
    
    In a meeting with foreign ministers from Japan, India and Australia in Tokyo, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged on Tuesday that they strengthen their quartet of democracies to resist an increasingly assertive China.
    
    ...
    
    If, as it appeared, Pompeo was pushing other members of the Quad to take the U.S. side in a confrontation with China, he did not score any ringing public endorsements, and his remarks clashed with those of his host. Pompeo aimed straight at the Chinese Communist Party in remarks before the four nations' top diplomats sat down to talk.
    
    "As partners in this Quad, it is more critical now than ever that we collaborate to protect our people and partners from the CCP's exploitation, corruption and coercion," he said.
    
    But Japan's chief government spokesman, Katsunobu Kato, insisted at a press briefing Tuesday: 
    
    "This Quad meeting is not being held with any particular country in mind."
    
    Australia and India were similarly reluctant to say anything that would potentially offend China.
    
    Pompeo's initiative has failed. 
    
    The former Indian ambassador M. K. Bhadrakumar explains why the Quad won't fly:
    
    China cannot be beaten since, unlike the USSR, it is part of the same global society as the US. Look at the sheer spread of the US-China battlefields — global governance, geoeconomics, trade, investment, finance, currency usage, supply chain management, technology standards and systems, scientific collaboration and so on. It speaks of China’s vast global reach. 
    
    This wasn’t the case with USSR. 
    
    Above all, China has no messianic ideology to export and prefers to set a model by virtue of its performance. It is not in the business of instigating regime change in other countries, and actually gets along rather well with democracies.
    
    ...
    
    The US created the ASEAN but today no Asian security partner wants to choose between America and China. The ASEAN cannot be repurposed to form a coalition to counter China. Thus, no claimant against China in the South China Sea is prepared to join the US in its naval fracas with China.
    
    China has resources, including money, to offer its partners, whereas, the US budget is in chronic deficit and even routine government operations must now be funded with debt. It needs to find resources needed to keep its human and physical infrastructure at levels competitive with those of China and other great economic powers.
    
    Why on earth should India get entangled in this messy affair whose climax is a foregone conclusion?
    
    ...
    
    China has no need to fight wars when it is already winning.
    
    The U.S. also tried to incite its European NATO allies to take a stand against China:
    
    NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned Saturday that China's increasing influence had created a "fundamental shift in the global balance of power" that should not be overlooked. In an interview with Germany's Welt am Sonntag newspaper, that was released in advance, the Norwegian official said that Beijing had the second-largest defense budget in the world after the United States, and was investing heavily in nuclear weapons and long-range missiles that could reach Europe.
    
    "One thing is clear: China is coming ever closer to Europe's doorstep," he said. "NATO allies must face this challenge together."
    
    That initiative will sink in Europe just as fast as the Quad initiative has sunk in Asia and for the very same reasons. China is not an ideological or military danger to Europe. It is an economic behemoth and relation with it need to be carefully handled. They require respect and talks and not saber rattling.
    
    China has overtaken the U.S. as the EU's biggest trading partner:
    
    In the first seven months of 2020, China surpassed the United States to become the biggest trading partner of the European Union (EU), said Eurostat, the EU's statistics organization.
    
    ...
    
    The EU's imports from China increased by 4.9 per cent year-on-year in the January-July period, noted Eurostat. According to the Federal Statistical Office of Germany, the largest economy in the EU, China, Germany's biggest trading partner since 2016, surpassed the United States for the first time in the second quarter of this year to become Germany's largest export market, and Germany's exports to China in July have rebounded almost to last year's level.
    
    It is time for the U.S. to look into a mirror and to awake to reality. It is highly indebted country with a way too expensive but ineffective military. Over the last decades its economic role in the world has continuously declined. The constant militant positions and 'do as we say' attitude has alienated its allies. Without allies the U.S. has no chance to defeat China in any potential conflict.
    
    What the U.S. still could do is to honestly compete with China. But that would require humility, a strong industrial policy and a well paid and competitive work force.
    
    Neither of that is in sight.
    

    So…

    The fall-back position, for the fall-back position is to incite riots in Thailand via CIA sponsored NGO’s. Then seize control of the government, and allow American military to use their bases for staging locations in South East Asia.

    CIA is really pushing this NGO effort to destabilize Southern Asia as part of Pompeo “new way to deal with China” strategy. Nikkei is a “neocon publication” out of America. It is fully funded by the US State department and run by Mike Pompeo.

    China is Thailand’s largest and most important trading partner, its largest foreign direct investor, and its largest source of tourism with more Chinese tourists coming to Thailand each year than all Western nations combined.
    
    Thailand is also hosting one of the key routes of China’s One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative with construction already ongoing for high-speed rail that will connect China, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, and eventually Singapore.
    Finally and perhaps most upsetting for the US is that Thailand has begun replacing its aging US military hardware through a series of major Thai-Chinese arms deals including the purchasing of main battle tanks, other armored vehicles, naval vessels including up to 3 submarines, and jointly-developed arms programs like the DTI-1 multiple rocket launcher system.
    
    Thailand has also recently replaced some of its US-built Blackhawk helicopters with Russian Mi-17V-5’s.
    To counter this, the US has mobilized opposition groups and NGOs it has funded in Thailand for years to now demand the current government step down and the nation’s constitution be rewritten, paving the way for US-backed billionaire-led opposition parties of Thaksin Shinawatra and Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit into power. These are opposition parties that have long served US interests in the past and have explicitly promised to roll back Thai-Chinese relations should they take power again.
    
    US NED Was Behind Hong Kong’s Unrest, and Are Now Behind Thailand’s Unrest
    The US was indisputably behind the protests in Hong Kong with the political opposition and protest leaders confirmed to be recipients of US government cash via notorious regime change arm, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).
    
    Many of the protest leaders literally flew to Washington DC or visited the US consulate in Hong Kong to receive aid, directives, and other forms of support.
    
    In Thailand too, virtually every aspect of the protests are funded by the US government.
    
    Worse still is that the US is attempting to stitch these various movements together to form a regional front against Beijing with Thai protest leaders regularly traveling to meet their US-funded counterparts in Hong Kong and Taiwan and vice versa while creating an online army with the help of US-based social media giants to stack public narratives in their favor.

    Neocons believe that war is justified as long as it guarantees that America can control the world. Thus, a neocon can see an “enemy” behind every bush, every action, and inside every cell phone APP.

    Historically, the original neocons were a small group of mostly Jewish liberal intellectuals who, in the 1960s and 70s, grew disenchanted with what they saw as the American reluctance to spend aggressively on the military. Many of these neocons worked in the 1970s for Democratic Senator Henry “Scoop” Jackson, a staunch anti-communist.

    Neocon is short for neoconservative, which adds the neo-, or “new,” prefix to conservative. Today, they stand within both American political parties. Arguing in favor of war, conflict and CIA intervention everywhere.

    One of the primary characteristics of neocons is the belief that America must rule the world, and maintain that rule by aggressive and free unencumbered use of military might.

    Mid-October Update

    Apparently, while the United States Navy was conducting “maneuvers” in the South China Sea, with the five carrier assault groups and Marine Landing / Attack forces, as well as with the entire British carrier fleet…

    …something else was happening simultaneously.

    Well reported in the mainstream press, but no one was putting “two plus two” together. These strange “tictac” shaped UFO’s started to appear and “move freely” all over American military bases inside of America. At THE SAME TIME as the American Navy was “probing the Chinese coastal defenses“.

    Whether they are “aliens” or not is a good question.

    One thing is for certain, and that is the technology involved in these craft are far up and above (perhaps centuries) more advanced than anything the United States has fielded. They can “pop” into existence out of no-where. They are immune to radar, and thermal signatures. They can accelerate to enormous speeds in a short period of time, and they are equally capable of underwater, air and space travel.

    The American Navy, who has tracked and monitored these UFO’s, has strongly suggested that these “tictoc” vehicles are of Chinese manufacture and use.

    Docs Show Navy Got 'UFO' Patent Granted By Warning Of Similar Chinese Tech Advances Patent documents indicate that the U.S. and China are actively developing radical new craft that seem eerily...
    
    -Docs Show Navy Got 'UFO' Patent Granted By Warning Of Chinese Technology...
    “Chinese Tictac” UFO that was buzzing and moving in and out of American military installations and airbases while the American Naval flotilla was busy probing the Chinese Coasts during the Summer of 2020.

    21OCT20 Update

    A second; MORE Lethal biological attack hits China in October 2020.

    Here in China is a semi-alert status since mid month. Everyone is on alert. Military are on full alert, but work and homes are as normal. The primary difference is that there are hyper-diligent monitoring of temperatures and GPS travel histories.

    Not well publicized (inside of America or in any of the main-steam or Alternative media of any type) except for a few paragraphs. There is a brand new, never before seen, absolutely novel in biology, virus.

    It’s supposed to be much worse than COVID-19. It attacks both humans and swine.

    It’s new, and not a second or third wave of the coronavirus.

    Though it is in the same family of viruses as the betacoronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes the respiratory illness COVID-19 in humans, the scientists said SADS-CoV is an alphacoronavirus that causes gastrointestinal illness in swine.

    It’s called SADS-CoV, which is short for “Swine Acute Diarrhea Syndrome Coronavirus” and, yeah, it’s as bad as it sounds. The virus causes severe diarrhea and vomiting and has been especially deadly to young piglets.

    Reading between the lines…

    China has been on complete all-hands-on-deck military alert for all forms of warfare since January 2020. (You’d never know this if all you read is the American “news”.) They discovered a brand new and “novel coronavirus” this month. This discovery set a number of things in motion. First was the WHO which sent out an alert, and second was a rearming and re-posturing of all military and militia in China. If it wasn’t for their aggressive alert status, this virus would not have been detected, or preventative steps taken.

    Again…

    [1] Brand new, never seen before, virus. (Imagine that!)
    [2] More contagious than COVID-19.
    [3] More lethal than COVID-19.
    [4] More disgustingly painful than COVID-19.
    [5] Detected in China by the Chinese military self-defense monitoring teams.
    [6] The discovery triggered a global announcement by the WHO.
    [7] American scientists familiar with similar viruses provided supporting information.

    22OCT20 Update

    The Donald Trump three day excursion to a military Base for hospitalization for COVID-19, happened exactly at the same time that China discovered the second bio-weapon attack. The COVID-20.

    The United States is now flooding African Nations with anti-China propaganda.

    23OCT20 Update

    Big Surprise.

    CNN told the truth about the so-called respected “Chinese virologist” from Hong Kong. You know the one, that claimed that she was employed by the Chinese government to develop the COVID-19 as a Bio-Weapon. And did so at the Wuhan Virus Lab.

    Well, she lied. Not only that, but she is direct-linked to both Mike Pompeo, and Steve Bannon (both hard-core neocons):

    https://asiatimes.com/2020/10/pompeos-record-a-litany-of-failure/
    
    
    Excerpt: 
    To make his case for demonizing China, Pompeo will use any source of questionable legitimacy. One example was a paper written by Li-Meng Yan, a virologist and at the time of publication a postdoctoral student at Hong Kong University. Her paper claimed that the Covid-19 virus was created in a Wuhan lab. 
    
    Her finding was sensational as it seemed to authenticate Trump’s and Pompeo’s accusation that China should be held accountable for the pandemic. The popular media went wild with the story, even though those in scientific circles criticized the non-peer-reviewed paper as weak on science.
    
    Rapid Reviews: COVID-19, a collaboration between the University of California at Berkeley and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, quickly solicited reviews of the Yan paper by four renowned scientists in the field and their conclusion was: 
    
    “This manuscript does not demonstrate sufficient scientific evidence to support its claims. Claims are at times baseless and are not supported by the data and methods used. Decision-makers should consider the author’s claims in this study misleading.”
    
    Those reviews followed the publication of the Yan paper by about two weeks. It’s a safe bet that the refutation is unlikely to attract the attention of the mainstream media. 
    
    An added side note in the comment section was the observation that the co-authors listed in Yan’s paper did not exist but were fictitious – in other words, a blatant lie.
    
    So what could have motivated Yan? By now, it has become quite clear that providing material for China-bashing can be very lucrative business. Gordon Chang showed that he could publish a book on China that totally missed the mark – instead of economic collapse, China is about to become the largest economy in the world – and instead of striking out, he became an anti-China media star for the last 20 years.
    
    Peter Navarro did even better. He wrote a book and a documentary titled Death by China, a complete work of fiction, with imaginary “expert” “Ron Varra,” who turned out to be the anagrammatic alter ego of Navarro himself. This China-bashing turned him from being a failed politician and outcast academic into the holder of a seat in the inner circle at the Trump White House. 

    25OCT20

    American military forces have been training to take and seize Chinese occupied islands in the South China Sea.

    Army paratroopers have practiced flying long distance then jumping onto China’s island outposts in the disputed waters of the China Seas. Seizing outposts—and the strategic airstrips they host—could give U.S. forces new bases from which to strike back against the Chinese.
    
    But the Chinese military scoffed at the idea. “The assumption that U.S. troops could capture China's islands and reefs in the South China Sea is no more than media speculation,” Xu Hailin wrote in Global Times, an official mouthpiece of the People’s Liberation Army.
    
    That’s untrue. The Pentagon actively is preparing for just such a contingency. Back in July, 350 paratroopers from the Army’s 25th Infantry Division flew in Air Force C-17 transports from Alaska to Guam and practiced dropping onto, and capturing, a simulated enemy airfield.
    
    American troops landing on a Chinese island would represent a serious act of aggression and a major escalation of any conflict, Xu posited. “If the U.S. military really reaches out to capture China's islands and reefs, it will declare the start of a total war with China.”

    How serious?

    Does the declaration of “a total war with China” means that China will “file a complaint” with the UN, or something else? Maybe they might shoot back! (Gasp.) Maybe they might do something that the neocons running the administration is not prepared for…

    ...In any event, Xu vowed that an American assault on a Chinese outpost would invite a devastating response. 
    
    “The U.S. troops will have to face an all-out counterattack from the People's Liberation Army and will certainly pay a heavy price for their reckless decisions,” Xu wrote.

    28OCT20

    Those state-of-the-art Taiwanese chip factories, are actually mainland Chinese operations. One of those things that no one in the mainstream, and alternative media mentions…

    I got this thread from a WeChat group, between two Westerners. Interesting history about TSMC,
     
    [Regaining The Edge In U.S. Chip Manufacturing: https://semiengineering.com/can-the-u-s-regain-its-edge-in-chip-manufacturing/?fbclid=IwAR3nVp4oNWMJNi-OCZQwAcSBN7goF0QnZy3mU5n6tAVhks6DzU1oVfIdEeA]
    
    Yeah can confirm x86 are stagnating due to the cisc designs of the architecture while the likes of arm and mips etc which uses risc design it can be made smaller and more efficient
    
    Morris Chang, the founder of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world's first and largest silicon foundry, was not "Taiwanese". Chang was Zhejiangese, born in Ningbo.
    
    Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is not a "Taiwanese" company. It is a Chinese company located in the Chinese province of Taiwan.
    
    Sun Yun-suan, minister of economic affairs and Premier of the Republic of China under Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo, was one of the chief architects of the ROC's "economic miracle" that enabled it to become one of the East Asian Tigers.
    
    Sun was not Taiwanese. He was Shangdongese, born in Penglai. Neither, of course, were Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo, who were also Zhejiangese.
    Sun recruited Chang to become chairman and president of the Industrial Technology Research Institute that spawned major semiconductor companies such as TSMC and the Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park which would serve as a major electronics and semiconductor manufacturing hub.
    
    The plain truth is that TSMC is a Chinese achievement.
    
    All the figures involved were so-called "mainlanders" -- a pejorative term used by Taiwan independence Quislings to sow hatred between Chinese from the mainland region of China and Chinese from the Taiwan region of China.
    
    All the figures involved were patriotic Chinese nationalists and unwavering advocates of Chinese reunification.
    
    Indeed. Technology presents us with new opportunities.. Sad though our lot seem to be technophobes more keen in lining their pockets and keeping the starts quo of cleptocracy and "service industry Jobs" rather than innovating
    What happens when you more your capital abroad and focus on financial sector
    However with China developing the productive forces it opens up new opportunities for the proletariat to build themselves up
    
    -Jeff J. Brown

    29OCT20

    Reports on what occurred during the American lead naval sortie in the South China Sea in late Summer 2020, are coming in, in drips and drabs.

    Recall, that the US mobilized three aircraft carriers – USS Theodore RooseveltUSS Nimitz and the USS Ronald Reagan – to patrol the Indo-Pacific waters, an act seen as a “warning” to China. Each carrier was teamed up with a “minor” carrier, making a total of 6 American aircraft carriers, plus the British HMS Queen Elizabeth (a “super” aircraft carrier). That is seven aircraft carriers along with their support ships. This is the largest naval flotilla of aircraft carriers in history.

    The ships eventually left the area, and we have been trying to figure out what happened.

    American & British Media – Very quiet.

    Very little information. Suspiciously little.

    Except that there is going to be a change in strategy. This new strategy would involve the use of AI controlled underwater weapons and drones. The use of a “traditional” assault force using a large force of carriers is not considered to be practical.

    Additionally large boost to the black budget has been approved and moving forward. It is supposedly considered to be “urgent“.

    Chinese Media – Subdued, but informative.

    (Note; If it is reported, it's NOT secret) FOUR paramilitary CIA officers drowned while on a secret mission to plant an underwater pod intended to track the Chinese military in the South China Sea, it has emerged. The men were reportedly caught in a tropical storm while attempting to place the device, which had been disguised to resemble a rock, off the Philippine island of Luzon.
    • The Chinese have intercepted clandestine troops in operations upon Chinese territory. It is unknown what has happened to them…
    Meet the HN-1, China's New AI-Powered Underwater Drone. The battle for future undersea AI dominance is heating up and China’s ambitions are not small in this domain.
    Meet the HN-1, China’s New AI-Powered Underwater Drone. The battle for future undersea AI dominance is heating up and China’s ambitions are not small in this domain.

    Curiously, from American Media…

    Just keep in mind that there were many, many events and actions that were NOT reported to the public during this entire period of time.

    Here is a nice interactive map of the (inferred) Chinese power projection in the South China Sea.

    Since 2014, China has substantially expanded its ability to monitor and project power throughout the South China Sea via the construction of dual civilian-military bases at its outposts in the disputed Spratly and Paracel Islands. These include new radar and communications arrays, airstrips and hangars to accommodate combat aircraft, and deployments of mobile surface-to-air and anti-ship cruise missile systems.

    30OCT20 Update

    You all might want to consider what the rest of the world thinks about the Trump Polices with China, and the Asian Pacific Rim. Here’s a great article out of Australia…

    The polls indicate, and most commentators believe, that Biden will win, but Trump is campaigning furiously, and the prospect of a legal imbroglio also looms. 
    
    Neither Biden nor Trump has made much of foreign policy in their campaigns. 
    
    Biden has said he would not be bluffed by China, and would not hesitate to “call it out” or retaliate against egregious acts, but the end of the Trump Presidency would certainly break the flow of “China is the enemy” that has characterized it. 
    
    Trump has surrounded himself with “China hawks”, and has personified the US anti-China campaign, but given his record it’s not impossible that a re-elected Trump would reverse policy towards China, if he came to believe that that was in the United States’, or his own, interests.
    
    Whoever wins, in the election aftermath it will be important for Australian policymakers to keep in mind that our position (Australian) and the US’s position are not the same. 
    
    We want a peaceful, prosperous and stable Asia-Pacific, or Indo-Pacific. 
    
    The US wants that, too, but also wants to be top dog in it. As a US academic visiting Australia said last year, “the US can not tolerate a peer competitor”. But China is one, and many in the US “feel the hot breath”.
    
    There are one or two things that can be said in response to the “peer competitor” line.` 
    
    One is “grow up”. 
    
    Another is “compete, don’t complain”, and there are certainly voices in the US saying just that. 
    
    The important thing for us to remember is that while we value our alliance relationship with the US, that is not the policy end-point for us. That end-point is a state of affairs in the Asia or Indo-Pacific under which we and other countries can live peacefully and prosper, in a stable environment.
    
    How can that be achieved? 
    
    Certainly not by following the tack taken by Pompeo, who can’t even bring himself to speak of the “Chinese Government”; rather he refers to the “Chinese Communist Party”. 
    
    It’s a great pity that at this possibly pivotal time we don’t have anyone at the highest levels of our Government with a strong personal relationship with a Chinese counterpart, as Prime Minister Hawke had with Premier Zhao Ziyang — someone who could effectively make the point that China’s actions in the South China Sea or in regard to the Uighurs aren’t really in China’s best interests, without making a public campaign of it.
    
    Perhaps our very able Ambassador in Beijing is saying these things anyway. And perhaps our goal of a peaceful, prosperous and stable Asia-Pacific can only come about if both the US and China can more fully accept that they have to live with each other, make room for each other, and not regard any step forward by one as a step back for the other, as Trump is said to be prone to do.
    
    We also have to look at our own bilateral relationship with China. Why is it now described as in its “most frozen” state ever, despite China still being our largest trading partner, and still buying huge amounts of iron ore at record prices, thus preventing our budget deficit from being even larger? Both sides have contributed to the present situation, and we need to recognize that if we are going to improve it....
    
    (more)
    
    ...But I firmly believe that what we must try to do is to include China in joint efforts and mechanisms and gradually re-build trust, rather than build alliances to defend against or contain it. 
    
    One reason is that efforts to contain or limit China simply won’t work; see what it’s already doing economically in Europe, Latin America and southern Africa, as well as in East and Central Asia, and with Russia. 
    
    Another reason is that it’s such a negative thing in which to invest our efforts and future. Of course it will be up to the Chinese how they respond. But we should have a go.

    2NOV20

    Just a few days before the election between Trump and Biden, the climate in the Asian Pacific Rim is…

    America's choice and Asia's future
    Whoever claims victory in the US presidential contest this week, Washington’s grasp over Asia’s future is on the wane.
    
    It’s not that the United States is no longer a great power unmatched as yet in its technological and military superiority. Despite all its self-inflicted wounds, through mismanagement of the COVID-19 crisis and President Trump’s economically debilitating ‘America First’ strategy, it remains so. 
    
    The short-term costs of the Trump administration’s mismanagement have been huge, in terms of US deaths, the fragmentation of national cohesion and lost trade and income. But it’s the costs over the next ten years or more that cast a long dark shadow over US societal and economic strength and the role of the United States as a reliable anchor in an open multilateral global order. 
    
    The costs of COVID-19 continue to mount and the strategy that will see an end to it is still to be articulated. Nor is there a strategy in place to deal with the collapse in the US and the global economies that the pandemic has brought with it. In international cooperation on both strategic fronts, the United States is out of play.
    
    The world’s confidence in US power, the moral authority it once commanded and the capacity to deploy it are much diminished. Even the most energetic and driven administration won’t restore it easily, soon or perhaps ever.
    
    If Joe Biden had a 20-point lead across the board in the polls as the United States heads towards election eve — and the polls are narrowing not widening at the finishing line — most pundits would still be shy about calling the outcome until it’s all done and dusted. So burnt are they by Trump’s unexpected win in 2016 and scared by Trump’s refusal to be straightforward about conceding power.
    
    Yet US political trends and geopolitical realities are clear and key strategic calculations in Asia will be framed by them whatever the electoral outcome.
    
    There are few illusions in Asian capitals about what they would inherit if Trump should once more claim the US presidency. East Asian leaders have no inclination to sign up to an ill-disciplined brawl between the United States and China as they are being pushed to do by Trump and his deputies. 
    
    The priority in Asia is to deal with COVID-19 and navigate recovery around the probability that China, having dealt with the pandemic first, will also lead global economic recovery. As former Indonesian deputy foreign minister and ambassador to the United States Dino Patti Djalal observes, they have no appetite for a New Cold War and ‘framing China as an ideological threat (constantly referring to “Communist China”, not just China)… [adopting] a blanket (rather than a la carte) attack against China: on the coronavirus, trade, investment, technology, TikTok, the World Health Organization, the South China Sea, Chinese companies and students, democracy, human rights, climate change — the list goes on. 
    
    If there is anything that is clear’, says Dino, ‘it is that China has de-ideologised its foreign policy since the 1980s. No one seriously believes that China’s political intention is to turn Southeast Asian nations to communism. 
    
    Indeed, China’s strategic intention is no longer about spreading communism (as was the case up to the late 1970s), but rather about strategic acceptance, economic engagement and political influence’.
    
    Nor is the happy assumption that a Biden win will lead to a simple American course-correction accepted anywhere that matters in East Asia. Biden has no power to reclaim the past dignity and authority of the US presidency. As former Australian prime minister Paul Keating said of the United States under Trump, ‘if you pawn the crown it is incapable of being redeemed at the same value’.
    
    Trump was no political aberration, chaotic though his administration may have been. He captured America’s contemporary populist spirit and unleashed its powerful political angst. Biden’s ambitious climate change agenda or the hope that he might return to negotiating entry to the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement may stir still optimistic, liberal hearts. 
    
    But, apart from convincing allies and partners, including China, that he’s got the ticker for it, it’ll take time, require superhuman effort and it’s another matter altogether to pass the Pennsylvania test and sell a new global foreign policy strategy to the average American voter, let alone his own political operatives. American morale is already at a low level and has further to sink yet.
    
    As TJ Pempel says in our first lead article this week, ‘Trump’s policies were less a one-man aberration than an outgrowth of, and strongly supported by, the Republican Party. The past four years have exposed and exacerbated gaping US socio-economic divisions, the limitations of its political institutions, the contentiousness of its information channels, and the fragility of its democratic norms. Americans now inhabit separate tribes, value alternative priorities, are convinced of competing “facts” and are firmly convinced that eviscerating the other tribe is the path to a better America’.
    
    There’s gathering understanding in East Asian capitals that whatever happens in Washington this week, the solutions to the region’s problems will not be readily found there. The foundations on which confidence in regional stability and prosperity might be restored must be found in international cooperation effort in Asia itself that reaches out to, but cannot rely upon, the United States. This is a challenge for which there is little preparation or precedent.
    
    In a geopolitically fractured world, strategic competition between the United States and China ultimately limits both countries’ capacity to contribute constructively both to global recovery and renovation of the global order. 
    
    The United States, the world’s biggest power, has lost its appetite for multilateral cooperation and is at odds strategically with China, the world’s second largest power. Strategic competition between the United States and China ultimately limits both countries’ prosperity and capacity to contribute constructively to global recovery.
    
    As Elizabeth Ingleson points out in our second lead article this week, the ‘next US administration has a chance to abandon the framework of strategic competition and adopt a more nuanced policy of engagement … This would allow the two nations to work towards a multilateral approach to the climate crisis. By linking geopolitics and climate, the United States and China have an opportunity to improve the prospects of both’.
    
    But as Sheila Smith concludes in upcoming pre-US election preview the ‘intensity of rancour that has permeated US politics will not be solved in one election, and lingering resentments may impede the president’s ability to be attentive to the accelerating shifts in the regional balance of power. A distracted America may be Asia’s lot’.  
    
    The reality is that small and middle powers in Asia now have to play an unfamiliar leadership role. This ominous responsibility will remain long after the 46th President of the United States settles into the White House.
    
    Other recent articles in which you may be interested from the East Asia Forum are listed below. You can click the title of each one or visit www.eastasiaforum.org for daily content.
    
    Editors
    East Asia Forum
    2 November 2020
    
    The latest at the Forum:
    
    Reclaiming US credibility after the Trump tsunami
    TJ Pempel, UC Berkeley 

    8NOV20

    Joe Biden is elected, and Donald Trump and his neocon army will need to decamp from the White House. They will be forced to play their “war games” elsewhere, and the keys and codes to the enormous nuclear and bio/chemical arsenal will be handed over to others. Hopefully, people of a more sensible bent.

    We will see what will happen. I, for one, look forward to a return of sanity to the world.

    10NOV20

    China has been, along with Russia, suspiciously quiet about the election and the Biden Presidency. With various unofficial responses coming out of China that pretty much all say the same thing…

    China should not harbor any illusions that Biden's election will ease or bring a reversal to China-US relations, nor should it weaken its belief in improving bilateral ties. 
    
    US competition with China and its guard against China will only intensify. 
    
    But it's in the common interests of people from both countries and of international community that China-US relations become eased and controllable. 
    
    The two countries must work together and take joint actions to explore and work on realizing some kind of stability and predictability for their bad relations and managing bilateral ties from worsening to a destructive extent.
    
    -https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1206128.shtml

    11NOV11

    A pretty good write-up about what probably would happen to the China-USA relationship with Trump and his neocons out of the White House, and a Biden presidency in place…

    U.S.-China Business Under Biden
    Published on November 10, 2020
    Status is reachable
    Brandon Hughes, LLM, PMP
    Veterans Integration Program Apprenticeship at Goldman Sachs
    24 articles 
    Following
    
    What an amazing week it has been. Both United States (U.S.) and international citizens watched the 2020 President election with anxiousness and excitement. In the end, Democratic Party candidate Joe Biden became the projected winner of both the popular & electoral vote. While current U.S. President Donald Trump has yet to concede, preparations are already underway for a transition to a Biden administration. Below are a few thoughts from a career in U.S.-China geopolitical & business relations.
    
    An Easing of Overall Tensions
    This does not mean a Biden administration will be soft but likely use a more traditional foreign policy approach to China. This means focusing on human rights, promoting mutually beneficial policies, and taking a more piecemeal approach. What this means for business is that a return to more stable policies will support 3-5 year strategic planning. However, don't expect a return to the status quo overnight. In fact, some policies may never go back. Biden has signaled he will be tough on China in certain respects but business leaders can expect these policies to be much more transparent and telegraphed before implementation.
    
    Use of multilateral organizations
    U.S. foreign policy has long supported the use of multilateral organizations to put political pressure on areas of interest. Regarding China, this means a more coordinated approach to addressing Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and other political issues. This may or may not be effective depending on the level of commitment to policies but it will ensure that changes to policy are communicated well in advance.
    
    A Gradual Reduction in Trade Tariffs
    Similar to the easing of tensions, we may see a gradual reduction or repeal of trade tensions. A large portions of U.S. imports (by U.S. companies) were impacted in addition to export of raw material, agriculture, and high value added goods. These industries have been hit hard (if not decimated) due to the tariffs (and the overall approach to trade with China) and it's likely the Biden administration will take a "mending fences" approach. This applies to not only China but others as well.
    
    A Reprioritization of Human Rights
    This has been on the back-burner of current U.S. policy but it's likely that a Biden administration will put Human Rights on the docket in upcoming negotiations. This is long-standing U.S. policy and moderately effective in some cases. However, this may come in year 2 or 3 of Biden's term as addressing domestic issues and reestablishing relations will likely take priority in terms of policy issues.
    
    Reciprocal Easing from China
    China is unlikely to alter their next 5-year plan but you may see more "easing" of enforcement or legal barriers that have been impacting U.S. business. This may come as an easing of enforcement measures against U.S. shipments to China at the ports. It may result in a more open environment to business or an easing of doing business. However, like the U.S., don't expect an overnight change in priorities or stance. There is a lot to discuss before either side agrees to step back.
    
    Takeaways for Business
    U.S.-China relations will not change overnight nor will the policies. There are significant hurdles facing the U.S.-China relationships that are echoed on both sides of the political aisle. However, businesses can expect a more tempered approach to foreign & trade policy with China and a re-engagement in more multilateral institutions. This is positive news for multinational ventures as stability creates an environment for growth. Businesses who have held off the last 3 years should develop a China & APAC strategy to capture unique policy or growth opportunities that are presented. At the same time, businesses & investors should understand there are still considerable structural issues between the U.S. and China that may not be fixed and still impact bilateral policy. Overall, a Biden administration is positive news for those doing business with the world's 2nd largest economy. This means growth for revenues & growth for company value which ultimately reflected in growth for retirement accounts and investment funds.
    
    -https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/us-china-business-under-biden-brandon-hughes-llm-pmp/?trackingId=8uOp0h9f%2BrOjXuDsjMXc3w%3D%3D
    Biden and Xi Peng.
    Biden and Xi Peng after the conclusion of the US and China trade agreement. This agreement was unilaterally torn up by President Trump in early 2017. The conservative media in 2020 are promoting the narrative that Biden will accept and embrace the revised American stance with China that Trump and Pompeo have created. I strongly disagree. The Democrat Party is one of negotiation and give-and-take. It is not a hard-line unilateralist evangelical entity such has been the case by the neocon-led White House..

    24NOV20 Update

    Yes, Trump make it impossible for anyone (in America) to pay for Chinese goods.

    Remittances for Amazon.com, ebay.com, and paypal.com refuse to allow for payments to Chinese individuals, or banks. I have heard stores about how some of my Chinese friends have had their stores and markets closed on them without notice.

    It really didn’t become crystal clear until I started to ask my fellow American expats if they ever received the COVID-19 coronavirus stimulus check that they applied for. And the answer was no. No one received it, including yours truly. So I inquired. Yup. Any one inside of China or using Chinese institutions have their checks zeroed.

    And people wonder WHY so many mail-in ballots were for Biden. Heck, he just about threw away one million expats in that brilliant decision of his. Fucker!

    Why not plaster a sign that says things in clear English;

    No Money to anyone inside of China. Period, by order of Donald Trump.

    After all, it was by EO.

    29NOV20

    Seems that the “firehose of disinformation” that the Biden Administration is going to be harsher then the Pompeo/Trump administration is all just CIA bullshit.

    In the speech, Paulson lays out his recommendations for President-elect Biden’s China policy, arguing that competition without unnecessary confrontation should be our goal—because confrontation without effective competition has produced some poor results for the American people. He further recommends that the U.S. pursue a self-interested policy that he terms “targeted reciprocity.” By that, the U.S. should move from being reflexive, responding to anything and everything China does, to focusing on sectors where the U.S. is the strongest and most competitive. In turn, targeted reciprocity can be a negotiating tool and lever to help achieve real results in critical areas of the U.S.-China relationship, including trade and climate change. Below are Secretary Paulson’s prepared remarks.
    
    Download “Targeted Reciprocity” Full Text

    1DEC20

    Yeah. The world is slowwwwwlyyyyy catching on what a mess Donald Trump and his cabal of evil neocons hath wrought…

    COVID-19 is a bioweapon deployed against China by the United States to take advantage of the mass migration during the Chinese New Year. 
    
    To prevent/minimize the blowback from the virus possibly getting out of containment in China, a mild strain (CoV-A; antibody producing strain) was released among the population of the Western countries months before the deployment of the bioweapon strain (CoV-B) in Wuhan (and possibly Qom afterwards). It's akin to innoculating your population with cowpox before hitting the opposition population with smallpox. CoV-A has a much lower lethality rate (around 0.1%) than CoV-B (10-15%) which is why the data on how lethal COVID-19 is all over the place.
    
    Let's look at the evidence:
    
    1. Herd immunity: Only a few weeks after reporting how Chinese are welding their patients in their homes (February 6, 2020), at the same time as reporting mass graves near Qom (March 12, 2020). The Western (as well as Brazil and India) governments and media are all talking about herd immunity. With Boris Johnson saying that the UK would "take it on the chin" (March 5, 2020), Merkel stating that 60-70% of Germans would get the virus (March 11, 2020) to Bolsonaro saying that Brazilians are immune (March 27, 2020), with the media touting that the plan is not to stop the disease but to "flatten the curve" so that the medical system doesn't get overwhelmed. Despite COVID-19 being a 'never before seen' virus with unknown properties and lethality, it's almost as if they knew that the disease isn't that dangerous.
    
    2. Theodore Roosevelt, Captain Brett Crozier and the Vietnam outbreak: The USS Theodore Roosevelt is a carrier in the Pacific fleet stationed in the South China Sea. The captain of the ship Brett Crozier, after discovering some of his sailors displaying symptoms tried to get the carrier docked in Guam so that his sailors can be evacuated and quarantined. His email to multiple captains and admiral Baker was leaked to the press, and he was relieved of duty shortly afterwards by Naval Secretary Modly.
    
    The blame was on the shore-leave in Vietnam on March 5, but during that time, Vietnam cases plateaued at 16 for weeks, and cases did not increase until after the carrier left. The first wave of the Vietnam outbreak only had less than 300 infected vs. 1156 on the carrier. Furthermore there were no COVID related deaths in Vietnam during the first wave vs only 1 on the Theodore Roosevelt. 
    
    The scales of these outbreaks highly implies that the first COVID-19 wave in Vietname is actually transmission from the carrier to the Vietnamese population rather than the other way around. Furthermore, the low lethality rate in both cases means that it is the CoV-A variant. 
    
    The reason is obvious in hindsight:If China were unable to contain the outbreak the U.S. military would take advantage of the chaos and start a hot war while the Chinese are incapable of retaliating, it would thus be necessary to inoculate their own troops so they don't succumb to the bioweapon. Crozier was castigated because in raising the alarm with the media instead of the usual channels so the the story can be buried, China, by looking at the Theodore Roosevelt outbreak and Vietnam, not only confirmed their suspicions that Wuhan was a bioweapon deployment, but also how the U.S. and its co-conspirators plan to limit the possible blowback. So when Germany was raising noise about seizing Chinese assets in the EU for 'compensation' for the outbreak, the Chinese response is basically: "If the virus is from China, where is your patient zero?" Which brings us to the next point:
    
    3. Difficulty in locating "patient zero" in Europe: From months, the EU has been trying to find a patient zero to link back to the Wuhan outbreak without much success. The current theory is a 43 year old Frenchman who got it from Algeria in December, the link to Wuhan is tenuous at best. However, if we work from the two-strain theory, this difficulty is pretty easy to explain: not all patients who contract CoV-A are asymptomatic, those who have it and get tested would be a positive case for COVID-19. Finding patient zero involves working backwards from all known positive cases. Since CoV-A has been in circulation for months before CoV-B was deployed in China, finding a CoV-B patient zero linking back to China is practically impossible with CoV-A positives being around for much longer.
    
    4. False positives: Something mentioned over and over again is the high rate of "false positives" of the PCR test: how the outbreak is not as bad as reported because of the rate of false positives. This would fit perfectly with the two-strain theory: CoV-A and CoV-B should be almost genetically identical since CoV-A is suppose to prime the immune system to fight against CoV-B, if the intricate human immune system cannot tell the difference between CoV-A and CoV-B, there is no way the cheap dime-a-dozen mass produced tests used for mass testing would be able to do so. This would explain the high rate of "false positives" outside of China. Since the Western governments were (and probably still are) going for the "herd immunity" route, they would of course want CoV-A to be spread as much as possible while limiting the CoV-B. The more lethal CoV-B would of course have much more severe symptoms than CoV-A, hence people who test positive for COVID-19 with mild to no symptoms were informed that they are "false positive" so they can continue spreading CoV-A among the general population. The fault is not in the test kits but the people in charge of interpreting the results.
    
    5. Mask policy: Continuing on the previous point. While China started masking up pretty much from the start. The CDC and WHO were both against masks before they were for them. For example the U.S. Surgeon General tweeted on February 29: "Seriously people- STOP BUYING MASKS! They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!" Dr. Mike Ryan in the Geneva media briefing on March 30: "There is no specific evidence to suggest that the wearing of masks by the mass population has any potential benefit. In fact, there's some evidence to suggest the opposite in the misuse of wearing a mask properly or fitting it properly." Remember Merkel's (March 11) and Bolsonaro's (March 27) mentioned above, at the end of March the prevailing strain detected outside of China, Iran and Italy would be the CoV-A strain, hence the deliberate and systematic campaign to mislead the public against mask use, they WANT the CoV-A strain to reach saturation in the population before CoV-B hits.
    
    However, if we look at the Swedish 'miracle' and the Vietnam outbreak, it seems the CoV-A strain spreads much slower than CoV-B. Sweden got lucky and closed their border before CoV-B got into the country, their positive COVID-19 are CoV-A cases (that they got from the U.S.) which spread very slowly even without a lockdown. Vietnam closed their border with China very early and the outbreak most likely came from the Theodore Roosevelt, which makes it CoV-A; with a lockdown the cases were brought down to zero pretty quickly. Given that there is no way tests that don't sequence the entire genome can differentiate between CoV-A and CoV-B, and the reluctance of the U.S. and its co-conspirators to implement a financially crippling lockdown for the mostly harmless CoV-A, once CoV-B gets a foothold in a country, due to exponential increase CoV-B would quickly overtake CoV-A. A lockdown would be counterproductive to the 'herd immunity' approach since slower spreading CoV-A would be much more vulnerable to quarantine. That is even assuming that CoV-A provides immunity:
    
    6. Chinese claims on reinfection: multiple studies from China has claimed that followup checkups on former COVID-19 patients showed that only a minority of them still carried antibodies against the disease thus longterm immunity does not exist in most people, while the UK studies claim that T-cells still remember the disease and thus longterm immunity exists. On the surface, it seems that these are merely academic, however if Wuhan outbreak was a bioweapon attack, it would explain the motives behind publishing these studies.
    Considering the number of countries going for 'herd immunity' back in March, the number of conspirators is immense; China calling the outbreak a bioweapon attack would be like Julius Caesar confronting the Roman senate on March 14th. However, by raising the specter of reinfection, it definitely shakes the faith of the conspirators in the plan: If CoV-B does not provide longterm immunity against CoV-B, what are the chances CoV-A would provide this immunity?. Absence a working vaccine, if CoV-A does not provide longterm immunity, a hard lockdown getting rid of both strains and abandoning the 'herd immunity' plan is the only way to get the pandemic under control.
    
    The big question is whether China is telling the truth about reinfection. China may be bluffing to create a schism between the garden variety blanket-distributor type conspirators and the 'from hell's heart I stab at thee' hardliners; the former would favor implementing a lockdown and taking the loss, the latter would call it a bluff and try to restart the economy assuming that 'herd immunity' will be achieved. 
    
    That's not to say that the UK studies can be trusted, after all, with their future tightly bound to the U.S., they are pretty much America's mouthpiece in trying to keep all the conspirators on the original plan: as long as the lethality rate doesn't get too high, most of the cases should still be the CoV-A strain. (The closer the death rate gets to the 10%, the higher the CoV-B/CoV-A ratio is.)
    
    Posted by: Sid Victor Cattoni | Dec 1 2020 21:41 utc | 26

    2DEC20

    What? You mean that Biden isn’t going to continue Trump’s Anti-China crusade? How can this be???? After all, since August 2020 through December 2020 the “news” has been all awash at how “tougher” Biden will be on China than Trump.

    (CNN)
    
    President-elect Joe Biden and his transition team are preparing for an early, all-out push to pass an ambitious new stimulus bill, while also drawing up plans for a flurry of executive actions aimed at delivering on campaign promises and undoing the Trump administration's efforts...

    7DEC20

    Two decades of endless war and a bloated Pentagon budget that has proven useless in preventing Covid–19 deaths, now 270,000 and counting, are a jarring reminder that America’s foreign policy is thoroughly broken: It actually makes America and Americans less safe. 
    
    Successive administrations have deployed the military in a costly, counterproductive, and indiscriminate manner, normalizing war and treating armed dominance as an end in itself. In consequence, the foreign policies of the United States are detached from any defensible conception of U.S. interests and from a decent respect for the rights and dignity of humankind. 
    
    Marginal adjustments to the current approach will prove insufficient. A deeper rethinking of American foreign policy is warranted. This must be an undertaking that puts the well-being of the American people ahead of ambitions to dominate the globe.
    
    President-elect Joe Biden appears to recognize the need for a serious reorientation. His just-named national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, recently said that Biden has tasked his foreign policy team with “reimagining our national security for the unprecedented combination of crises we face at home and abroad,” including pandemics and the climate crisis. Moreover, Sullivan said that American foreign policy has to be judged by a basic question: Does it “make life better, easier, and safer” for Americans at home? Our foreign policy, in Sullivan’s words, has to deliver for American families. 
    
    -A New Direction: A Foreign Policy Playbook on Military Restraint for the Biden Team

    23DEC20

    • Meanwhile, Russian and Chinese military continue to work together.
    It follows Russian  President Vladimir Putin’s statement in October that the idea of a  future Russia-China military alliance can’t be ruled out — a signal of  deepening military cooperation between Moscow and Beijing amid growing  tensions in their relations with the United States.
    
    Until  that moment, Russia and China had hailed their “strategic partnership,”  but rejected any talk about the possibility of their forming a military  alliance.
    
    Putin  also noted in October that Russia has been sharing highly sensitive  military technologies with China that helped significantly bolster its  defense capability.
    
    Russia  has sought to develop stronger ties with China as its relations with  the West sank to post-Cold War lows over Moscow’s annexation of  Ukraine’s Crimea, accusations of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S.  presidential election and other issues.

    And Trump awards the highest military honors to the President of Australia for his anti-Chinese actions.

    • And Russia and China test fire their nuclear ICBM missiles.
    Russian Submarine Fires Four Nuclear Missiles | The Daily ...
    2020-12-14 · The Borei-class nuclear-powered ballistic-missile submarine Vladimir Monomakh launched four Bulava missiles at targets on a firing range in the Arkhangelsk region in northwest Russia,  the Associated Press reported.. Borei-class submarines are capable of  carrying 16 Bulava missiles. They displace 24,000 tons of water when  submerged, can go up to 29 nautical miles per hour (just over 33 …
    
    https://dailycaller.com/2020/12/14/russia-submarine-nuclear-bulava-missiles-borei...
    

    2021 New year

    I have received some interesting information concerning the directed energy beam weapons employed by China.

    • They operate underwater, just like they do in the air.
    • They can completely destroy the electronic systems of all types.
    • All three aircraft carriers sent to the South China Sea during the Summer of 2020 were nuclear powered.
    • The American stealth submarines are also nuclear powered.

    The Chinese directed energy weapons systems can cause the American Navy nuclear power systems to go haywire, go into a SCRAM mode, and melt down.

    Obviously, no one wants mini Chernobyl meltdowns off their beaches, but were the USA to initiate a hot war in the South China Sea, you can well expect that to be the reality for the United States Navy.

    15JAN21

    Declassified White House docs reveal America’s self-doubt over a potential military conflict with China

    With Donald Trump set to leave office, newly released documents  show his strategy towards Beijing has largely failed, and that the US  isn’t confident over its ability to contain China in certain areas  should a conflict arise.     
    
    Following the departure of  White House Deputy National Security Advisor Matthew Pottinger and with  the Trump administration coming to an end, a number of documents have been declassified  setting out its ‘Indo-Pacific’ strategy or, more specifically, its  gameplan to attempt to contain China over its four years in office.
    
    The  documents are hardly comprehensive, yet reveal ambitions to contain  Beijing in the political, diplomatic, economic and military spheres,  including a blueprint of what the US would do in a potential war  scenario. 
    
    According to the papers, the US has aimed to sustain its “primacy” in the region, “support activists and reformers” opposed to Beijing (such as the Hong Kong protesters), create a counter to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and economically integrate the region towards the US, enlist allies against China in the form of the Quad and assist “the rise of India”. 
    
    But what about in the event of a conflict? 
    
    The documents spoke of aiming to prevent China “dominating the first island chain”  – the scope of islands extending from Japan to Taiwan and around the  South China Sea – via air and sea, and to maintain uncontested supremacy  over the “area beyond”. Military analysts have described the former objective as being modest in expectation.
    
    If  anything, the file reveals the comprehensive failure of the Trump  administration’s strategy towards the region during his tenure in  office. Not only have attempts to bolster America’s economic presence  failed completely, largely owing to the contradictory priorities of the  White House, but in addition the document illustrates subtle doubt  rather than confidence that the US is capable of defeating China in this  “first island chain” region. 
    
    The US, above all, is  seeking naval containment of China, and in line Beijing has utilized the  Belt and Road Initiative to counter it by diversifying its energy  supply routes.
    
    Throughout its tenure in office, the Trump  administration has been unable to accept China’s status as a rising  power, and these documents reveal how this resulted in a set of policies  aimed at attempting to quell the country’s rise through various means. 
    
    These  methods, however, have not yielded much success, largely because of the  US’s understating of the dynamics which underscore Beijing’s centrality  and importance to the region as an economic power, and the erroneous  belief that it can easily divide the world into cold war blocs and force  countries to undercut their relations with China on the premise of  values alone. 
    
    The idea that the US can somehow displace Beijing  again as the region’s economic centre of gravity is not realistic, and  events such as the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic  Partnership underscore that.
    
    While it is obvious that the economic balance of power is shifting  against America, what about in the military sphere? The documents show  the US is looking at the region in two distinct areas; that “first island chain” and “the second one”, which constitutes the wider Pacific. 
    
    It  believes that it should be able to dominate the latter in the event of a  war, but can only at best try to prevent China from dominating the  former completely, acknowledging that Beijing likely already has the  upper hand in the South and East China Seas, and around Taiwan. 
    
    Based  on this, it seems apparent the US would logically aim to defeat China  
    in such a conflict via an attempt at a naval embargo, given a physical  invasion could never be possible. 
    
    This would involve choking off China’s  access to the wider ocean and key maritime points such as the Strait of Malacca. 
    
    This  strategic planning by the US subsequently sheds light on the BRI. 
    
    By  strengthening infrastructure across the Eurasian landmass, China is  diversifying its supply chain routes and reducing reliance on areas that  can be dominated by the US Navy. 
    
    For example, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and Gwadar Port  gives Beijing a passage to the western Indian ocean which would bypass  US attempts at containment. 
    
    This has coincided with China’s first  overseas military base in the East African country of Djibouti and a  port it is working on  there, which would be used to protect its interests in this area and  thus thwart any US military planning. As the Indo-Pacific strategy has  sought to militarize China’s periphery and enlist partners, Beijing has  responded.
    
    In this case, the declassified documents reveal the  wish-list of a dying administration that has thrown many things at China,  with few sticking. It shows the scale of the challenge America faces.  Despite the erratic nature of Trump, one should logically expect many of  these ideas to be retained and form a template for incoming president,  Joe Biden. 
    
    Objectives such as sustaining US military primacy in Asia and  sharpening initiatives such as the Quad will not go away anytime soon,  even if there is a substantial lack of realism in them. 
    
    Yet the  element of doubt in how a conflict with China could be managed only  alludes to the shift that is taking place. If America is not confident  it could defeat Beijing in the first island chain, then what does that  mean for the future? And for Taiwan? 
    
    China’s bet in fortifying  its presence in the South China Sea, while diversifying its strategic  options with the BRI, seems well placed. And that’s why it isn’t Beijing  that is fighting an uphill battle to establish a localized dominance on  this side of the world.

    24JAN21

    As Trump leaves the Oval Office, people are comparing his office to President Biden’s office. One of the big stand outs is the huge amount of military articles in the office.

    Do you want more?

    Yah, I do hope that you enjoyed this post. I’m gonna place it in my China Index, My Trump Trade Wars Index, and my SHTF Index. You can access these indexes directly here…

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    The coincidences in America during this period of COVID-19 coronavirus are astounding!

    As I have mentioned before, we only see the tip of the iceberg in our day to day lives. This leads to some odd and strange phenomena. Nothing is more poignant than when it is associated with a global situation or catastrophe. As is the case with the COVID-19, coronavirus. And thus we have this curiosity…

    Here we have a new American coin.

    It was designed and developed years back and just hit the “streets” in February 2020. Just about the same time when the COVID-19 is starting to assault the American population. Check out the design.

    Notice anything interesting?

    The new American quarter features a  rare bat found in American Samoa.
    The new American quarter features a rare bat found in American Samoa.

    On February 13, 2020, the U.S. Mint released a quarter honoring the National Park of American Samoa in Utulei, American Samoa. The quarter is the first release of 2020 and the 51st release of the America the Beautiful Quarters® Program.

    Keep in mind that the mainstream American media narrative is that the COVID-19 virus came into being by Chinese slurping bat soup. Bat soup made from “rare” (in China) South Pacific bats…

    Imagine that!

    Conspiracy Considerations

    What better way to keep Americans thinking about “bat slurping” Chinese than to have them confront that idea every time they pay in cash?

    It’s like the Will Smith movie “Focus”…

    Nicky and Jess go to the football game. They make small bets with each other such as if one fan will catch a hot dog, and if another is too drunk to get up for the wave. They see a woman in short shorts and bet how many men will look at her ass as she walks by. Jess bets 8 while Nicky bets 3. 
    
    A curious man named Mr. Liuyan (B.D. Wong) joins the game and bets 5. Seven men check out the woman as she walks by, making Jess the closest. Liuyan makes more bets with Nicky over the game, practically begging him to play when Nicky tries to back out. 
    
    Nicky plays and loses $1,000. The bets escalate as the two men double the bets, even as Jess tells Nicky they should just leave. After losing $100,000, it looks like Nicky has finally had enough and is about to walk away. 
    
    Mr. Liuyan goads him back in, and Nicky bets all the remaining cash ($1.1 million) on a simple high card draw. 
    
    Liuyan pulls the card with a higher number, winning all their money. 
    
    Nicky and Jess are heartbroken. Nicky chooses not to walk away and decides to double the bet again. 
    
    He tells Liuyan to pick any player on the field, and he will guess which one, seemingly impossible odds. Mr. Liuyan thinks he is crazy and doesn't bet on crazy, so he refuses. 
    
    Nicky sweetens it when he says Jess will pick the player that Liuyan spotted, much to Jess's terror. Liuyan can't turn down free money, so he picks a player. As Jess nervously looks through the binoculars, Liuyan gives them a chance to back out. 
    
    Jess looks to Nicky, seemingly begging him to take this chance to back out, but Nicky tells her to pick. Jess again nervously scans the players. All of a sudden, she spots Farhad wearing a jersey with 55 on it. She grins and picks him, and to everyone's surprise, that's the correct answer.
    
    On the taxi ride home, Nicky, now with a LOT of money on him, explains to Jess that this was set up from the beginning of the day. 
    
    He knew that Liyuan is a notorious gambler, so he had it set up so that Liuyan would see the number 55 throughout the day, thereby subconsciously getting him to pick that number when the moment was right. 
    
    -Focus
    Will Smith in the movie "Focus".
    Will Smith in the movie “Focus”.

    Another Coincidence

    Australian mystery.
    Australian mystery.

    Airport worker said the vehicle has been left in the staff car park since before Australia’s coronavirus lockdowns began.

    The disease caused by coronavirus was first officially labelled “COVID–19” on February 11, and was declared a pandemic one month later.

    Mr Spry said as far as colleagues could recall, the car had been there since “February or even earlier”, and was definitely there from mid-March when most airport staff went on four weeks of forced leave.

    Remember the time to have a custom license plate made in Australia is typically six months.

    Did you know that Donald Trump collects a coin of every “battle campaign” that he has ever fought?

    It’s true. And if you look carefully, you will certainly see that new US Nickel in his display. Check out the picture…

    What a coincidence!

    Commentary

    What can I say?

    Just a coincidence, eh?

    People! Listen up. NOTHING in this universe is a coincidence.


    As an aside, I have visited this park. It is beautiful. I used to live in Tafuna. And my work project was in Pago Pago, which was not too far from the park.

    Map of Tutuila Island in American Samoa.
    Map of Tutuila Island in American Samoa.

    The only thing about it is the holes in the road going up and down the mountain. The locals have placed large stones near each pot-hole so that people can avoid hitting the bumps. Though, aside from that, it’s a truly beautiful place. It’s towards the North side of the island, and very picturesque. It’s worth a visit next time you are in the South pacific.

    The amazingly beautiful American Samoa island. It is well worth a visit, provided you have the time and the resources.
    The amazingly beautiful American Samoa island. It is well worth a visit, provided you have the time and the resources.

    Oh, and those fruit bats are noisy. When they fight it sounds like a cross between a cat fight and a car wreck.

    Anyways, not bad mouthing American Samoa, but all things considered it’s pretty strange. Yes, all in all, it’s pretty strange. With a bat coin developed that would enter America just when the COVID-19 was hitting the United States.

    It’s a curiosity. Don’t you think?

    Especially when the “go ahead” to make this coin corresponds with the restructuring of the American bio-weapons office under John Bolton in 2017. Curious.

    Have a nice day.


    I hope that you enjoyed this little post. I really don’t know where to put it, so I am just putting it everywhere. LOL. Check out my main index here…

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    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

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    A discussion on how to pray or structure your intention narratives and verbal affirmations in order to manifest your desires and world-line materialization.

    Here we enter into a discussion on how to pray or structure your verbal affirmations. If you are doing it properly, it will look like an operation manual for a VCR or refrigerator. Here we discuss how to write your own operation manual for world-line travel and your personal adventures. For some it might be a little too cut and dry, and not all that “traditional” and “religious”.

    But it works, and that, after all, is all that matters.

    Instruction manual for a camera.
    Instruction manual for a camera.

    As I have discussed in my other posts, the idea behind all this is that you are in control of your reality. Your reality is constantly changing and shifting. And in order for it to be exactly what you want, you need to have the discipline to control your thoughts.

    I have specified an exacting method to do so.

    This is the use of prayers / verbal affirmations along with an “image board” or similar device.

    In this post we will specifically discuss how to pray or vocalize your affirmations. With an emphasis on how to structure your prayers for maximum effect.

    The Basics

    Firstly you must have two elements that you must use simultaneously. This is [1] “prayer” and [2] a “vision / dream board”. A purist might argue that you do not need both simultaneously, but I am not a purist and if you want to use my technique, then you will use both simultaneously.

    I have another post on how to construct a dream board. That is here…

    Using intention to navigate the MWI.

    But, in any event, this post will concentrate in how your words and phrases used within your verbal prayers can best direct your consciousness to manifest the reality that you desire.

    Why Prayer?

    If you do not ask for things, the answer will always be “no”.

    We have been taught that life is random and that we are just floating on the seas of chance that nothing is within our control. Instead, we are told to obey others, do not “step out of line”, and do as we are told. That is fine for infants, and young children, but quite dangerous for adults.

    We cannot be sheets blowing in the wind. We have responsibilities, and obligations, and we absolutely need to control our lives. And since our reality, our universe is ruled by thoughts. We must control our thoughts.

    Prayer (or Verbal affirmations) is a specific technique that helps us to control our thoughts.

    A Common mistake

    Perhaps the most common mistake in using prayer is to “talk to a deity”.

    We “pray” to ask for promises, help and guidance from Jesus, God, Mohammad, or other historical figures that we hope and wish listens to us, and agrees to granting our petitions.

    Nope.

    It does not work that way. The mechanism is quite different.

    Prayer is actually YOU directing YOUR thoughts. YOU are reprogramming YOUR brain how to direct YOUR consciousness in movement in and out of world-lines. No other entities are involved.

    So, yes, you are actually talking to yourself. I strongly advise that you speak clearly and aloud in doing so, however you can whisper it if you are among others.

    Now, that being said… DO NOT MISUNDERSTAND. Non-physical entities can be asked to assist you. You can pray to them. You can ask them to help you. You can petition to them. Yes you can.

    However, prayer / intention affirmations are not ONLY a petition to a non-physical being. It is much more expansive and inclusive. Please heed this advice.

    Private and personal

    The world is filled with busybodies that somehow believe that they have a say in what you do, what you think, and how you act. This is false. No one has that right. No one, and that includes your family and your spouse.

    Your affirmations are personal. You should keep them under “lock and key”, and do not share them with anyone.

    Unless of course, you want to.

    The reason for this is simple. While we inhabit a world line (apparently) alone, we actually share it with the “quantum shadows” of others. Their thoughts, good and bad, will have an influence on your thoughts. Therefore, it is very important to keep your thoughts, your desires, and your intentions secret and private.

    You see, when we enter a world-line, it’s not only the physical environment that we enter, but all the the thoughts and non-physical influences that are floating about the world-line.

    No realistic limits

    There are no limits to what you can wish for and create within this mechanism. Now, the most outrageous and far-out changes to your life will take some time to manifest. While those that are simple can manifest quite quickly.

    This all have to do with the number of world-lines that you must pass through. The more outrageous the goal, the more world-lines that you must travel through.

    Now, that being said, there are SOME limits.

    • You cannot turn into another person.
    • Things that are physically impossible within this universe will stay that way.
    • You cannot resurrect the dead.
    • You cannot force another consciousness to do anything.

    But aside from that, you are free to desire and plan on anything your heart desires.

    Use and duration

    A prayer “list” or a list of verbal affirmations will take time to read. Sometimes my affirmation list is actually quite lengthy. It ends up taking 15 to 20 minutes reading it all out loud. And, as such, I am also updating, revising and improving my affirmations.

    In general, you need to be reading and praying your affirmations every day, if you can. Eventually there will come a time when you will feel it’s time to quit. As nothing is going on, and you have other things in your life to worry about. That is fine, and it is normal.

    When that happens it means that your prayers have effectively programmed your mind and now it is time to give everything a break and allow things to happen and manifest. Let it go. This is normal.

    In general, everyone is different, however personally, I find that my prayers redirection effort is on a three-month cycle. Three-months of reading my affirmations, and then three-months off and resting. Then I begin the entire event all over with new or revised affirmations.

    Mechanism

    I use an excel spreadsheet.

    I call it “verbal affirmations”, and have a date with it. That way I know that I am using the most recent version.

    I also have it password locked.

    You must put a password on your affirmations, and keep it to yourself and tell no one else, nor write it down. This is most important. Make no exceptions.

    You must protect your prayers from prying eyes.
    You must protect your prayers from prying eyes.

    To lock a MS spreadsheet is very easy.

    Just go to FILE, and then assign a password to the book by clicking on the PERMISSIONS button. Like this…

    How to assign a password.
    How to assign a password.

    Now inside the spread sheet are just line after line of prayer / intentions…

    Content

    I separate the intentions into groups.

    You do not need to do this, but I have discovered that if I do not, I have a pesky problem with repeating myself and making the entire prayer event much longer to read than it should be. Ugh!

    Here are my classifications. Yours can be quite different.

    • General
    • New Stuff
    • Self Control (my emotions and thoughts)
    • My appearance
    • My enjoyments
    • My relationships
    • My property
    • MWI Routing and corrections
    • Safety
    • Intention Canvas (Desktop splash screen)
    • Blocking and protections
    • Asking for assistance
    • Money & Career
    • Jealousy
    • Opportunity
    • Respect / Power
    • Personal Health
    • Household
    • Fun
    • Lifestyle
    • Other / Misc
    • Death

    Now, I am going to go into some detail about my various categories and why they are important and how I structure them. These categories are those in BOLD above.

    “New Stuff” category

    A significant portion of my affirmations are “carry over”, “cut and paste”, “boiler-plate” affirmations that I have used in other affirmation campaigns. This category is my way to keep track on a new campaign and what I wish to manifest.

    Campaigns are prayer / intention projects that I implement as I notice that my life is changing.

    For instance, once I realized that after I manifested a tropical South Pacific island life, I suddenly discovered that I wanted to eat fresh loaves of French Bread. So I started a new campaign to manifest this.

    Fresh loaf of French Bread. You know, sometimes what you want might not be something that is easy to obtain.
    Fresh loaf of French Bread. You know, sometimes what you want might not be something that is easy to obtain.

    BTW. What happened was that there was a family on the island that baked French bread that I was unaware of, and once my intentions manifested, I ended up “discovering” this family and getting nice fresh delicious hot-piping crusty French Bread. What do you know!

    MWI Routing and corrections

    This is where I define the “rules” on how my affirmations work; how to think of things to say, how to move about the world-lines, as well as what happens. This is not like a game of “Monopoly”. You can make the rules and establish how they will manifest.

    This is from my own list…

    • I understand how this universe works, and how to alter, improve and change my reality.
    • I use this knowledge to generate a perfect life for myself and for my family.
    • As such, I am the Captain of my Consciousness.
    • I move in and out of the world-line realities as necessary to achieve my thought-destination(s).
    • I do achieve my ultimate goals and I do so efficiently, and quickly while avoiding bad or undesirable world-lines.
    • I am alert on what to say and do in order to achieve my desires.
    • I know what affirmations to make to manifest the life that I wish to participate within.
    • I know, positively, when to stop, change, alter or revise my affirmations in accordance with my needs and desires.
    • I am aware of opportunities as they arise, and I know exactly what actions to take to maximize my desired intentions.
    • I am aware of the world-line routing as it occurs and do not panic or worry about how things will manifest.
    • I recognize that world-line realities that I inhabit might be calm and relaxed, but that substantial positive and proactive events are unfolding for my benefit that might be hidden from me.

    “Safety” category

    I have had experience, first hand, that clearly show and illustrate the dangers of world-line manifestation. You need to put in place specific affirmations that will purposely isolate you from dangers and strife.

    • I and my family are safe and secure.
    • Any battles, wars, conflicts or social upheavals occur far away from us.
    • My family and I are safe and isolated away from conflict, strife, and danger.
    • We are always safe.

    This category includes so many subcategories as well.

    Intention Canvas (Desktop splash screen)

    You need to link your verbal affirmations to your “intention dream board” or Desktop splash screen. For starters you need a statement much like this…

    • I utilize the desktop image display on my XXXXXX PC to help cultivate and imagine the reality that my world-line is.

    But you also need to define what the images represent, and how they work. It’s sort of like this…

    • In all cases, the dominant male figure portrayed in the image(s) represent myself.
    • In images related to gold, money, currency and wealth, the intention is broadly associated with large sums of money, wealth and success given and provided to me.
    • Images portray the situation that I am participating in, and if the image is of a static item it is representative of my personal ownership of that material item.

    You get the general idea.

    The idea is that you want the good aspects of the image to manifest, and not the bad aspects. If, for instance, you have the picture of Tony Soprano from the television show in your dream canvas, you need to say…

    • In images showing actors, it is the character, personality and role that they play that manifests in my life, not that of the actual actor.
    • Images that portray mafia figures, or “bad people” portray myself in similar roles of power. They do NOT, however, manifest these kinds of people against me.
    Tony Soprano and associates from the televisions series "The Sopranos".
    Tony Soprano and associates from the televisions series “The Sopranos”.

    Blocking and protections

    Over our lifetime, there are others (quantum shadows) that can disrupt our sentience, our world-line and our environment with all kinds of physical and non-physical events. In olden days they called this the “evil eye”, a “hex” or a “spell”. While we have learned to laugh at these old-fashioned and quaint notions, the raw truth is that they actually do exist and they actually do work.

    In quantum physics, you can clearly see how the thoughts and the "spells" of other intentions and directed thought can adversely influence your own. You must not ignore these action and must take specific action to protect yourself.
    In quantum physics, you can clearly see how the thoughts and the “spells” of other intentions and directed thought can adversely influence your own. You must not ignore these action and must take specific action to protect yourself.

    So, you need to free yourself of all the chains and limitations that others have placed upon you.

    • I have broken apart any barriers to controlling my reality. These are barriers that are either self-created, or those created by others.
    • I define my reality, and undo any spells, magick or alterations imposed upon me, or the reality around me by anyone or anything.
    • I have awareness on how to avoid the manifestation of problems. I follow that advise immediately without question automatically.
    • I block and shut out all negative, de-constructive, and dangerous thoughts from manifesting and altering my intentions listed herein.
    • I purposely avoid negative, dangerous, bad, or problematic reality world-lines to achieve my goals.

    Asking for assistance

    While our consciousness moves in and through the world-line via thought, we can always ask for help. And why not? This can be physical help and non-physical help.

    Do not be shy in asking for help. The only thing is to specify the limits of that help and assistance and how you want it to manifest and what to avoid.
    Do not be shy in asking for help. The only thing is to specify the limits of that help and assistance and how you want it to manifest and what to avoid.

    Some of the non-physical entities can perform just amazing feats, if you just ask them.

    • I ask for help to achieve my intention targets; and I do get help from all the non-physical beings that can assist me.
    • I also get help from any physical beings that can assist making my dreams and wishes come true and manifest.
    • Other entities, not limited to but including, Mantids, greys, guardian angels, friendly sprites, and other entities are permitted to assist me obtaining my goals as defined here.
    • In no way can these other entities hurt, harm, or mess up my life and intentions. They may only help, and are welcome to help gladly.
    • I know how to embrace opportunities as they manifest around me, and implement those necessary changes and actions promptly.

    Personal Health Category

    If you do not add this category, then you are being foolish.

    Otherwise your wishes can come true, but there won’t be any safeguards or brakes to the damage your physical body might endure in the process.

    As I have stated before, world-line travel is not for the meek. Do not assume that you will always be healthy and fine. Life happens, and the further your goals are, the greater the risk to your health.

    Plan accordingly.

    • I am in top physical shape. I am healthy and happy.
    • I am well-read, have impeccable manners, and am a very elegant dresser.
    • My wardrobe is professionally matched, and my body is clean, pleasant and attractive.
    • Nothing is permitted to cause me harm, damage or physical discomfort.

    Misc Category

    This is an area where you can put things that do not fall within the other categories that you have listed elsewhere.

    • I know of, and use, the specialized techniques to improve the actionablity of my verbal affirmations listed herein.
    • My family is happy and I have a very calm and happy domestic life at home.
    • I am healthy, happy, relaxed and doing what I love.
    • I am careful in putting affirmations in place so that I will NOT have any bad or negative consequences.
    • All these affirmations occur as quickly as is comfortably and as safely as possible. At no time is my family, health or safety at risk.

    Death

    Ah, we are all going to die. We might as well accept that reality and put in place some affirmations regarding it.

    Our consciousness travels in a herd with other consciousnesses associated with soul clusters. When they enter a world-line they do so (for the most part) individually, one per world-line, but the quanta is jointly associated through all the world-lines.

    Therefore, do not worry about anything. You are never completely alone.

    The transition will be smooth. What will happen is that the world-line migration “carrier wave” (in and out of the various world-lines) will stop and your consciousness will stay at “wave propagation” behavior.

    Some nice affirmations…

    • When the time comes for my death, it will be smooth and easy.
    • Those left behind will be well taken cared for.

    Free Use

    You are all free to use any of the ideas or affirmations / prayers listed herein. Just go ahead and update them for your very own goals and situations.

    I sincerely wish for you to have a most excellent and wonderful and happy life!

    Conclusion

    If you are going to utilize prayer and affirmations to control the navigation of your personal world-line adventures, then you will need to be very careful about how to do it. If you fail to take the necessary precautions you could easily fall into traps, troubles or events that are uncomfortable.

    The way to prevent these missteps is to be careful in writing out your prayers.

    Take the time to navigate your life in and out of world-lines. This requires careful thought and consistency.
    Take the time to navigate your life in and out of world-lines. This requires careful thought and consistency.

    You can use the suggestions listed herein to help you in that task. Do not be afraid to dream big and set lofty goals. Just realize that the farther away the goal is, the longer that it will take to manifest. So start now, today and dream big. Sooner is better than later.


    I hope that you enjoyed this post. I have others in my MAJestic index, here…

    MAJestic

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE .
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

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    Accept no wooden nickels.

    I have been informed by various people that there are others “out there” in internet land who sound like me, that say that they live in China / Asia and post (seemingly) “disclosure” type information. And thus I am asked, is that me?

    No.

    I only post in one place.

    That is right here and right now.

    Accept no wooden nickels.

    A wooden nickel is a worthless or counterfeit coin. A wooden nickel is a person or thing that only vaguely appears to have any real value, but is ultimately worthless. A nickel is worth five cents, thus already being worth very little.
    
    -Don't take any wooden nickels

    Details

    Please take special note. I do not comment or post on any other forum.

    However, there are two exceptions.

    • The first exception to that rule is LinkedIN. I have posted some topical links to metallicman in the comment sections of my feed from time to time. People who know me personally, and have connected to me professionally are the only ones that can see that feed.
    • The second exception is the posting of entire metallicman posts on Free Republic in 2016. I did that until I was banned. The situation behind the banning was my accurate contention of suggesting the NID was behind the “pro democracy” movement in HK. I am now perma-banned and will never return.

    That is it.

    So, if you read, hear, or someone that seems to be me on any American forum, please realize that they are not me. No matter how much of what they say seemingly appears to fit within this dialog.

    Rules

    I do not trust American-based social media. So I do not use it.

    Do you want to know why?

    Perhaps it is my experience with the American police state, when armed black-clad assault troops poured into my home as I was leaving for work. The event left scars. And, I will never forget how I was treated, and the absolutely ease at which they went though my personal papers and household belongings.

    I talk a little bit about it here…

    Link

    And while I am at it, you might want to check this out. They do go hand-in-hand, don’t you know.

    Link

    Additionally, please take special note that I live in China.

    I live in China

    Most access to American social media and software is banned in China. That means that you cannot use it because your computer cannot even find it. There was a time when you could bore through the firewall with a VPN, but that ended in 2016.

    The Chinese internet presence is much larger than what is available in America. There is a greater selection of websites, software, applications, and larger audiences by a factor of ten compared to anything in the United States.

    Once you get adjusted to the differences, you pretty much appreciate getting all that nonsense out of Politically Correct California off your home computer.

    Trust no one who says that they are in China, yet posts on American media platforms. They are lying.

    The following social media sites are IMPOSSIBLE to access from within China;

    • Reddit
    • Facebook
    • Google
    • Gmail
    • Snapchat
    • Pinterest
    • Tumblr

    And there are many others.

    Do not believe anyone who says that a VPN can bore or tunnel through the “Great Fire Wall of China”. An occasional lapse in the wall might happen from time to time, but it is not consistent, nor stable. Certainly the best that I have been able to accomplish was a seven minute “window of opportunity” for my ProtonMail account back in the Summer of 2019.

    It’s a situation that allows brief and temporary access to banned Western websites and APPs, but prevents practical and substantive long-term utility.

    Do not be confused

    There are well meaning people out there who earnestly want to spread the “gospel” about our benefactors and other things that I discuss. They mean well, but they are not me.

    Since they are not me, their experiences are not mine and not shared. Thus they will say things that I not only disagree with, but that I know is absolutely false. Keep in mind…

    • Solar systems with large stars, hot stars, variable stars, and young stars are pretty much devoid of civilization.
    • MAJestic is an American organization.
    • “Reptilians” do not exist. It’s a fiction.
    • There is no prohibition on drinking alcohol, doing drugs, having sex, or eating certain kinds of foods by any of the species that I encountered. Those are human fabrications.

    This does not mean that I am the sole guardian for “the truth”. I am not. I only know what I know. No more, no less.

    So read what you see from others and absorb it in, but know that it is not me, and I cannot validate any information that they might have provided to you.

    Accept no wooden nickels.

    At that, please have a great day! Be safe, and make the day special in some way.

    Master Index

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE .
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

    [wp_paypal_payment]

    Advanced studies on the MWI and how world-lines and consciousness work together.

    This article goes into a much more involved study of how consciousness interacts with world-lines in the MWI.

    In so doing, we have to deconstruct some of the simpler conventions that we have used in the past, and layout a better foundation of how the MWI actually interacts with the consciousness.

    In earlier posts, I have gone into details on how the MWI actually manifests in our reality. In those presentations, I intentionally simplified things for easy understanding.

    It's sort of like how you teach a person to swim by holding them and letting them kick their legs in the water. You use "supports". These supports aren't really the "real thing", but they help you along the road to eventually master the real thing.

    In this post, we will assume that you the reader have mastered a basic understanding of those previous points.

    • Consciousness moves in and out of world-lines.
    • This movement appears as “time”.
    • Our thoughts direct which world-lines that we enter.

    Introduction

    In this article, we will now elaborate upon the world-line construction. We will look at what it actually is and how it actually works. Not everyone needs to know or understand this. But for those that do, this will help obtain a better understanding of it.

    What time actually is and how we naturally move through the various world-lines.
    This is an illustration of what time actually is. Time does not exist. It is a perception that our consciousness has as it moves and weaves in and out of different world-lines. Here we use an old-fashioned movie reel projector to help illustrate this understanding.

    It will appear really strange, but I do hope that I can help add some insight into everything.

    Now, this article is for advanced students and are advanced studies.

    Most of the people who have already mastered World-Line-Travel 101, you won’t need to read this. For the handful of people that understand world-line-travel-101, you don’t really need to understand much more than that.

    But for those of you that need more, then here it is.

    Of course, it’s long due. But all this COVID-19 nonsense has pretty much hijacked my postings and articles.

    Quick Review

    The universe is nothing like people think it is.

    Instead of all of us sharing the same physical universe, we exist as consciousness within our very own personal reality. It only appears that we share it with others.

    There is a near infinite number of these realities. They are known as individual world-lines.

    We travel through these different world-lines at a rate of around 4 Hz. The selection of the world-line we exist within momentarily is manifested by our thoughts. This is a rather speedy switching in and out of world-lines.

    Roughly, our consciousness pops in and out of four different world-lines every second.

    Each world-line is nearly identical to the one before it.

    The differences are determined by your thoughts, conscious and unconscious.

    If you want to review what all this is about, I would suggest you check out these following posts first:

    MWI
    The Landscape of the MWI

    So please keep in mind that while everything posted previously is quite accurate, it is actually simplified for understanding.

    Now, we get into a deeper perception of how things actually work. And in the process better understand all that PSI and “twilight zone” stuff that appears from time-to-time.

    Once you understand these new elements of consciousness fundamentals and world-line interaction, you can understand how people are able to do many "tricks" with PSI, and other strange things...

    Clarification #1 – Consciousness cycles in and out of world-lines in a sinusoidal manner.

    This should be obvious to the astute reader, but it needs to be stated.

    The consciousness moves in and out of world-lines naturally. It moves in a sinusoidal manner. It moves in and out. In and out. Over and over.

    The rate of travel varies from person to person, but typically averages around 4 Hz.

    Standard sinusoidal waveform.
    Standard sinusoidal waveform.

    During this time it changes “shape properties”. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth.

    At “the top” of the cycle it takes on wave behavior.

    At the “bottom” of the cycle, it takes on particle behavior.

    Consciousness movement in and out of different world-lines.
    Consciousness movement in and out of different world-lines.

    When it takes on wave behavior it moves from one world-line to another directed by thought. It exists “in the spirit world”.

    Movement of consciousness.
    Movement of consciousness.

    When it takes on particle behavior, it occupies a world-line and inhabits a physical body.

    Our consciousness cycles in and out of different world-lines. Between each trip it exists within "heaven".
    Our consciousness cycles in and out of different world-lines. Between each trip it exists within “heaven”.

    With this understood, we can define the amount of time that the transition from world-line to world-line takes, as well as the duration a consciousness spends inside each world-line.

    If there are 4 cycles per second, then, each trip back and forth from the "Heavenly realms" to a world-line is 1/4 a second. 
    
    And thus, (roughly) each moment at a given world-line is half of that. Or, 1/8 of a second.

    Some “take aways”;

    • Humans, via our consciousness, is continuously in touch with the “Heavenly realms”. Every moment we touch heaven, and enter our latest world-line.
    • When in the wave form, we can perform all sorts of activities and have all sorts of “abilities” not tied to any world-line. There are no physical limitations. Humans spend approximately 50% of their time “connected” to the “Heavenly realms”.
    • For us to maintain (retain) our memories from world-line to world-line, the memories are deposited outside the brain. It exists within the “Heavenly realms” not within the physical brain.

    Key Correction #1 – Consciousness moves about the MWI when attached to a human body.

    In my previous simplifications, I have referred to, and drawn the consciousness as a red blob; a point of light. I have stated that “Soul” can generate multiple Consciousnesses that it places on “journeys”. These “Journeys for experience” is a life-experience for a soul.

    Simplified diagram of how consciousness moves in and out of the MWI and gives us the illusion of time.
    Simplified diagram of how consciousness moves in and out of the MWI and gives us the illusion of time. This is what one second of life looks like for the average person. He / she enters and leaves four different world lines each second. This “movement” appears as time.

    The Consciousness normally travels in and out of world-lines all a person’s life.

    Once a consciousness uses up a body as it travels in and out of world-lines, it dies. The consciousness stays in the wave-form and “rests” within the “Heavenly realms”.

    A decision is thus made by the soul, the consciousness, and their associations with other spirits, angels, and heavenly denizens on what to do next.

    Often, it involves being injected on another “journey” in another life. This is often referred to as reincarnation.

    This graphic shows how the the "passage of time" is viewed in the big-scale of things. MWI movement occurs during a human "lifespan". You can only experience world-line travel within a given life. (There's exceptions to this, but let's stay focused.)
    This graphic shows how the the “passage of time” is viewed in the big-scale of things. MWI movement occurs during a human “lifespan”. You can only experience world-line travel within a given life. (There’s exceptions to this, but let’s stay focused.)

    Key Correction #2 – Consciousness is not a point-source.

    Consciousness is actually quite complex and complicated.

    It is not a blob, a dot, a “something”.

    It’s a collection of “stuff” that operates in such a way that the soul, the consciousness, the MWI and the thoughts generate memories and navigate the life-path to create experiences that the soul can learn from.

    Soul creates a “consciousness” that it uses to travel the MWI.

    It inserts it into a given world-line, and allows it to move unencumbered and subject to it’s own thoughts. Each world-line is a “physical reality” that the consciousness occupies.

    The consciousness is connected to the soul by a device. This device is known as consciousness.
    The soul, which resides in the “Heavenly realms” creates a consciousness from which to experience things and events. Thus learns and grows. Consciousness is the passageway or “tunnel” that connects the physical reality to the soul.

    Now, in all of this, I drew consciousness (literately, and artistically) as a point. I drew it as a red circular blob. Like in the two earlier drawings.

    As in the above drawing showing the consciousness as a red blob in front of a long tunnel to the soul.

    Movement of consciousness into a world-line as depicted as a point source.
    Movement of consciousness into a world-line as depicted as a point source.

    However, the true reality is a bit different.

    Get ready to have your mind blown.

    The consciousness actually occupies multiple World-line-realities at any given moment simultaneously. It is actually not a “red blob”. It’s a lot of “red blobs”. Each one occupying a different world-line… simultaneously.

    It is a “shared potential”. Some of the consciousness occupies one world-line at any given moment, while other aspects of it’s consciousness occupies other world-lines.

    Sort of like this…

    Consciousness occupies multiple world-lines at any given moment. The sum total of what our consciousness experiences is what we view as "our" present world-line.
    Consciousness occupies multiple world-lines at any given moment. The sum total of what our consciousness experiences is what we view as “our” present world-line. It appears to be but one singular world-line, but it is actually a aggregate composite of all the world-lines that our consciousness occupies at any given moment. 1 / (30/4+40/4+20/4+10/4) = Momentary reality.

    Then, they move on to the next group of world lines. Then again. Then again. Then again. Over and over.

    It’s not a red blob moving in and out.

    Consciousness occupies multiple world-lines at any given moment. The sum total of what our consciousness experiences is what we view as "our" present world-line.
    Consciousness occupies multiple world-lines at any given moment. The sum total of what our consciousness experiences is what we view as “our” present world-line. They all change in the same cycle as governed by the consciousness.

    Instead, consciousness occupies numerous world-lines at any given moment. Each world-line is different, but similar. The Consciousness interprets the differences as a singular world-line.

    Key Correction #2 – World-Lines are not point-sources either.

    We have a tendency to think of a “world” as a fixed and solid place. And the way that I have described the movement of time, has been the consciousness moving in and out from these fixed world-line realities.

    A "world-line" is the resultant combined perception of a moment "frozen in time" that combines multiple world-lines into a singular apparent place. 

    What we think a world-line is is not a fixed singular place.

    It is the sum total average of all the experiences that a conscientiousness is exposed to at any singular moment in time.

    By fracturing a consciousness and occupying many similar world-lines simultaneously, the resultant consciousness would end up with a richer "experience". It can also help to direct the travel and migrate to "better" world-lines per it's directives.
    By fracturing a consciousness and occupying many similar world-lines simultaneously, the resultant consciousness would end up with a richer “experience”. It can also help to direct the travel and migrate to “better” world-lines per it’s directives.

    It is the exact opposite of “living within an echo chamber“. It enables the consciousness to experience different experiences instead of simply reinforcing existing ones that the consciousness has been accustomed to over the years.

    Key Correction #3 – World-Lines are not entirely empty of other consciousnesses.

    To best understand how you can move in and out of multiple world-lines, it makes sense to think of things simply. Your consciousness is a point or sphere. The world-lines are empty and only occupied by “shadow consciousnesses”. But that’s really a simplistic picture.

    It’s a simple narrative.

    Imagine that you are only consciousness. And that you can move in and out of different world-lines freely. They seem to be occupied by all kinds of other people, but that is just an illusion. Most world-lines are just empty. And all those other people are just “quantum shadows” of others.

    Now, this simplistic narrative needs to be revised to reflect the reality.

    Instead of 100% of a consciousness entering a world-line where all the “quantum shadows” only have 0% occupancy within that reality…

    …we now look at the reality…

    Your consciousness might devote (say) 23% occupation within a given world-line, and all those “quantum-shadows” are actually occupied by other consciousnesses. Only they are a much smaller percentage. Often varying from 0.0002% to 0.1%.

    Thus, in truth, all world-lines are not truly empty. They are occupied to some extent. And all of the other consciousnesses react to the way your consciousness behaves within any given particular world line.

    Conclusion

    And this, boys and girls, is the more advanced understanding of how the universe actually works. It’s simple, but complex.

    It’s “rich” and “colorful”.

    It also helps to understand how PSI and other psychic behaviors manifest within our reality.

    And no, you are not going to find this anywhere else on the internet or in the halls of the universities. But this is what I have been tasked to understand (or at least part of it, anyways) as part of my MAJestic role.

    I have much more, but it starts to really get complicated.

    In it, I explain how the physical materials can be manipulated by thought and how one can travel through “apparent time”, and all sorts of curious other things. But, I am not ready to release all these other things out to the public at this time. It’s not the time.

    I do not want to anger the PTB (Powers That Be) at this time.
    I do not want to anger the PTB (Powers That Be) at this time.

    I hope that you enjoyed this post. If you want to see more along these lines, please go to my MAJestic Index, here…

    MAJestic

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    To go to the MAIN Index;

    Master Index

    .

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE .
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.

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    What psychotic Hell is like; tales from smoking “spice”.

    Here we discuss you can experience what Hell is like. For those of you that are desirous of this, there is a drug that does precisely that.

    There’s this movie, “Brainstorm” (1983), where scientists can literally jump into someone else’s head and play back recordings of what he or she was thinking, feeling, seeing, etc., at the time of the recording, the applications for the project quickly spiral out of control. The American military starts using the technology for “other purposes”. One of which was to create a psychotic Hellish prison in the mind from which they could torture people with.

    Directed by Douglas Trumbull. With Christopher Walken, Natalie Wood, Louise Fletcher, Cliff Robertson. Researchers develop a system where they can jump into people's minds. But when people involved bring their personal problems into the equation, it becomes dangerous - perhaps deadly.
    Brainstorm, directed by Douglas Trumbull. With Christopher Walken, Natalie Wood, Louise Fletcher, Cliff Robertson. Researchers develop a system where they can jump into people’s minds. But when people involved bring their personal problems into the equation, it becomes dangerousperhaps deadly.

    Well, there is this drug, known as “spice”, that does the exact same thing.

    It’s an instant trip to Hell, and you do NOT want to go there.

    Spice – K2

    A new drug has taken hold on streets across Europe and North America. Tribes of strangers are staggering around, looking lost and mumbling to passersby before passing out whenever their legs and minds can take no more. The drug is most widely known as “spice,” and newspapers — particularly right-wing tabloid newspapers — are having a field day.

    “Zombie spice users are pushing Britain’s emergency services to the brink,” warns The Sun. A “spice nightmare” is turning city centers into “real-life horror movies,” says The Mirror.

    Spice “turns users into the ‘living dead’ in minutes and is ruining lives across Britain,” says The Daily Mail.

    Spice is like living the darkest scenes from the movie “Brainstorm”.

    I  think this movie was ahead of its time.  I never saw Brainstorm when it  was originally released, but decided that I just had to view it since I  never saw it on any streaming services such as Netflix or Hulu.  Amazon  had it, so instead of renting I added to my Amazon library.  
    
    Since  Natalie Wood's circumstances of death has become something of a current  affair, it was more provocative watching the scenes with her and  Christopher Walken.  
    
    Louise Fletcher gave an amazing performance tying  the whole movie together.  
    
    This movie was about scientific research that  actually allows the users to experience each other's feelings, memories  and sensations.  When you watch this you could imagine the many types  of technologies that exist today, with those same goals, through virtual  reality, video games, etc.  
    
    You also see the holistic side when Louise  Fletcher's character is having a brain scan recording while she actually  experiences a heart attack and then dies, raising the questions of what  happens to the human consciousness after death.  
    
    There is also the  further complication that the research is owned by a DoD contractor that  wants to weaponize this device for their subjects to experiences their  worst fears and traumas. 
    
    - Ahead of its time and really should be a classic. 

    Spice (AKA K2) is not just a single drug, but a wide range of laboratory-made chemicals designed to mimic the effects of the well-known psychoactive compound in marijuana called THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol. The keyword here, though, is mimic. 

    Scene from the movie "Brainstorm".
    Scene from the movie “Brainstorm”.

    THC in marijuana works by latching onto cannabinoid receptors in the brain. The chemicals in spice do the same thing, but can be over 100 times more potent and produce wildly different effects compared to actual weed. The only real similarities between spice and weed is the way it works and the fact that you smoke it.

    To make things more complicated, the combinations of chemicals in spice are changing all the time, leading to slightly different effects and levels of potency between each separate batch. There are potentially hundreds or even thousands of variations being pushed out of dodgy labs in Russia and China.

    No matter what the combination is, though, the powdery substance formed is carted off to Europe and North America and sprayed onto plant matter like sage, damiana or even tea leaves. After that, the “spice” is placed into eye-catching packaging and sold by small-time dealers and certain “herbal” shops. Spice has been illegal in the U.S. since 2013, and in the U.K. since May, 2016.

    The effects of “Spice”…

    “It’s like a scene out of a zombie movie, a horrible scene,” said Brian Arthur, 38, who began live-streaming on his way to work in Brooklyn, New York after seeing three people collapse. “This drug truly paralyzes people.”

    Scene from the movie "Brainstorm".
    Scene from the movie “Brainstorm”.

    Wherever you find spice, you’ll find witnesses saying the same thing. Users appear to be on another planet, and that’s pretty much how they themselves describe it, too. Matthew Nuttall, an ex-spice addict from Manchester, told Britain’s Metro newspaper: “You just feel braindead half the time. They say people look like zombies, and that’s how it feels.

    Zombie.
    Zombie.

    “The first time, I can’t even explain what it was like. It just blew my head off. I thought ‘never again.’ It’s just such a heavy high. It’s so intense,” he continued. “’The first high lasted about one hour, but it really felt a lot longer. It’s like you’re there but you can’t communicate. You’re alive in there, but you can’t see it on the outside. You just feel braindead.”

    The government tries to kick Michael and Lillian off the project once  the vast military potential of the technology is discovered. 
    
    It soon  becomes obvious that the government is interested in more than just  missile guidance systems. The lab starts producing mind torture  recordings and other psychosis inducing material. 
    
    When one of the  researchers dies and tapes the experience of death, Michael is convinced  that he must playback this tape to honor the memory of the researcher  and to become enlightened. When another researcher dies during playback  the tape is locked away and Michael has to fight against his former  colleagues and the government lackeys that now run his lab in order to  play back and confront the "scariest thing any of us will ever face" -  death itself.
                                                          
    Eric van bezooijen <eric@webmethods.com>                          

    Warnings

    When you are young and full of “piss and vinegar”, you believe that the “world is your oyster”; that you can do anything and live forever. Then, when you get older, you have kids, you have friends that have died, been in car accidents and have friends paralyzed, you realize how precious and special life is.

    Most of the people taking this drug are either young or destitute. They cannot see a future that is worth protecting.

    So they make mistakes…

    Experimenter One

    I took 3 strong, albeit very smooth, hits from my water bong in my dark room alone, and then it was only a matter of a few minutes before I could feel the effects kicking in. I tried to surf the internet, as per my usual activity while high, but suddenly, I felt a dramatic and precipitous shift coming on. I could tell immediately that the stuff was strong and I may have bitten off more than my head was ready to handle.

    I struggled to make sense of my surroundings. Objects ceased to have meaning or recognition. It was complete and utter boundary dissolution. What happened next is incredibly hard to describe, for there really are no words that can adequately define the parameters, if there were any, of the domain I entered.

    Scene from the movie "Brainstorm".
    Scene from the movie “Brainstorm”.

    Imagine if you will, perpetual drowning in a multidimensional lake of fire, kaleidoscopically cascading through a roller-coaster ride of pure, unabashed nauseating torment. Never in my entire life have I ever wanted to die. It felt like I was experiencing every pain that has happened, or will ever happen, to any and all lifeforms throughout the multiverse. It seems possible to imagine, right? I swear to you, I am in no way trying to embellish a bad trip.

    The feeling of nausea was unbearable. It literally, and I do mean literally, felt like eternity. It’s as if my ego was completely stripped away; I looked down at my hands, which were barely recognizable, and felt that my body was struggling to keep my soul inside and intact. Movement felt like slow motion, and the room around me flickered and spun around chaotically. Whatever was left of my ego was trying desperately to grasp onto something familiar, anything that I could focus on and stay grounded in the room. It was like gasping for air while a demon tries to drown you in a lake of fire. I kid you not.

    I felt lost, and abandoned. It was the experience of sheer hopelessness. Never have I ever known the meaning of that word, ‘hopelessness’. I’m there in my bed, writhing in contorted position after contorted position, trying to find a safe place in my head to rest and root itself, but to no avail.

    I’m there in my bed, writhing in contorted position after contorted position, trying to find a safe place in my head to rest and root itself, but to no avail.

    I rode wave after wave of unbearable torment, and I all I could think was that if hell exists, this state of consciousness is it. Words and language ceased to have meaning or make sense. My thoughts become so scrambled that it became impossible to even try to rationally calm myself down and relax.

    When I could feel my body again and jump back into reality, deep breathing helped slow the spinning and recalibrate my surroundings.

    But then my soul got dragged right back down to the pits of hell and I was whipped, prodded, poked, skewered, hooked, burned, and beaten, all simultaneously.

    There were no actual demons to speak of, or a devil-figure, or fire, or anything like that. It was more or less a blended hyperdimensional reality of my entire life’s history.

    Every terrible thought I ever had, and even the ones I didn’t know I had, rush up to greet me. All the while, I continually felt like I was going to throw up, and it felt like I was constantly jolted, as if I was frightened in a nightmare.

    I would wake up from the nightmare, but only to realize that I was still stuck in the nightmare again, and there was no hope of truly waking up to escape.

    After 2 hours of real time, I began to calm down and things in the room became more solid and less fuzzy.

    I began to take sanctuary in the ability to recognize objects, and I began to relax a bit as I was assured a safe return to normalcy or baseline. I then began stringing together cohesive thoughts and expressions, and I began examining all of the private and unsettling things the trip exposed to me about my ego, sexuality, and cultural operating system.

    I’ll never take for granted the simple majesty, and wonderment of normal, everyday reality. It is a beautiful, loving, and peaceful state, simply because it is understandable. The ability to comprehend something, anything, is a luxury that was not afforded to me while tripping.

    Exactly what hell would feel like, whether it really is a place that exists after death for some or not. Worst. trip. ever.

    Experimenter Two

    My ex-husband was a high-level IT Engineer/Exec. After doing synthetic weed with a new girlfriend, he went into permanent psychosis due to actual brain damage from Spice/K2/etc. (She did too, but I don’t know whatever happened to her).

    Over the course of a year he’d attacked the police, stolen his children and told them bad people were trying to hurt them, ruined the computer hardware and networks of an employer (he thought FBI was after him), tried to kidnap his oldest daughter from her mom, and woke up with a head wound 4 states away with no idea how he got there but tried to blame it on me and the government.

    He destroyed our kids’ lives financially and emotionally – between therapy costs to deal with the trauma, complete lack of child support from him, lack of health benefits, and one day he just left the country and is now overseas in a mental hospital… I work but live in a high-cost area. I make too much to qualify for any benefits of any kind. The state can’t help because he’s overseas. Disability can’t help because he’s too paranoid to apply for benefits.

    All because he was stressed out and wanted to get high without it showing up on a drug test. Please don’t do it. If one person reading this is helped, then I’m grateful.

    Experimenter Three

    Me and a friend were outside catching up over winter break and we packed up a bowl between us. After about 10 minutes and only about 3 hits of the ‘Smiley Dog’ herbal incense we are so high we cannot stand or walk.

    The idea of returning to the house and watching a movie is laughable in our state after about 15 minutes. I lose motor control and can no longer stand after 20 minutes. MY heart feels as if it is going to explode, I become convinced I could die at any moment. A tingling feeling starts at the tips of my fingers and slowly works its way up to my hands, then up my arm. It feels as if my bod is dyeing piece by piece before me.

    At this point I lose it, and have my friend call an ambulance. Sounds like over reaching, but my body will not obey my commands, I’m vomiting and the tingling feeling has moved terrifyingly close to my heart.

    When the ambulance arrives they cannot bring me under control and i cannot stop my body from convulsing, shaking, and screaming like the demon infested girl from ‘The Exorcist’.

    They had to strap me to a gurney and put me in an ambulance. It took six people to hold me down so they could put the straps on and get an IV in me. They administered 10 milligrams of Ativan to try to calm me down but nothing really works until I’m at the emergency room and they put me down with Geodon.

    I’m convinced JWH-018 triggered a full psychotic break in me. DO NOT FUCK WITH THIS STUFF! STICK WITH REAL WEED!

    Experimenter Four

    Smoked spice (was told it was just weed)… After two big hits, there was a high-pitched pinging sound going on in my head as my vision and thoughts began to fade away and I blacked out for around a minute.

    I then wake up and feel as if I am detached from my body and floating on air. I had no thoughts, no vision, no memories, no sense of time, … But there was something.

    My mind became trapped in this meaningless, timeless, and endless pattern of torture that just kept repeating over and over and over with no end in sight.

    I had watched ‘Home Alone’ that day and the opening theme music which I always found a little scary was playing over and over while tripping.

    That theme music and my friend saying, “is he alright man”?, was a continuous loop for the duration of the trip.

    Heart felt like it was gonna jump out of my chest and I couldn’t move in the slightest or communicate with my friends. There was no way out. This pattern was my entire existence. The only feeling that existed in this world was extreme horror, pain, and mental torture.

    When I finally got a glimpse of the real world again, I was really glad, but after a little moment it started again! And I was like “no, F*CK NO, not AGAIN!”.

    It was unimaginably horrible. I don’t know how long this part actually lasted but it was somewhere between 5 and 20 minutes I believe.

    Experimenter Five

    The first and only time I smoked spice I was on the come down of a 3 tab acid trip, I couldn’t sleep and wanted some company. One of my friends texted me saying he had some fresh hash and a surprise for me. So I was like what the hell come over, I don’t know when I’ll sleep.

    Fast forward to my friend coming through and he’s like I have this super nice Spliff rolled up for you with 3 types of hash. You’re going to get fucked up I promise. But you’re going to want to hold that in for 30seconds before exhaling to really get the effects.

    So trusting this “friend”, I took 3 hits, as soon as I look at my friend and say this isn’t just hash, he smiles and is like nah it’s K2. Now at this point I start tripping again, everything was like 4D crystal clear HD, I was seeing around walls and corners while seeing what was infront of me.

    So I was just perplexed…

    Until I went inside my place and sat down. That’s when I noticed I was breathing shallow, inhaling and exhaling felt thin and overall just not right. I kept pacing and trying to get a proper breathing rhythm. The whole time my “friend” just kept smiling at me and was like you’ll be good bro, this high is amazing!

    That was the closest I’ve ever had to a panic attack, the closest I’ve ever felt like I was dying and it scared me.

    So fuck spice and fuck my so called friend for doing that to me. I’ve since cut all ties with him and when I sobered up from the 15 minutes of hell I almost beat the shit out of the kid, I was so pissed.

    So FUCK spice!

    Experimenter Six

    And if you say “lol fuck you OP I’ll do what I want” then heed this warning: Do NOT take huge hits and/or hold that shit in, especially if you’re new to it and don’t know what to expect.

    It’s like no other “drug” that shit doesn’t creep up on you. It busts down your fucking door like a lightning bolt and the only words that will go through your head is “Shit, what have I done?”

    It’s terrifying if you take too much and you have no tolerance. Imminent death is probably an accurate description of when you’re peaking from a hit too many.

    You will feel like you’re about to die. You will think of your family that’ll miss you. You will pray to God if you believe in one. You will bargain with him that if you make it out alive, that’ll you’ll NEVER do it again.

    If you want to smoke spice, at least heed these warnings. It’s no little kid drug, it’s intense as it is detrimental to your psyche. If you want a taste of it, please. PLEASE PLEASE. Hit that shit about 1/8th of the way you would hit a joint, and immediately exhale. Wait 60 seconds, then determine if you’re in hell’s halls or not. If you’re not, congratulations, you’ve successfully and responsibly smoked spice.

    If you find yourself making a final prayer, you did It very wrong and you will regret the decision. I hope this will save at least 1 person. Be safe

    Conclusion

    Buy a pizza, and a bottle or two of wine. You and a special friend, go to a nice glade, a shady spot, or fresh beach. Lay down a blanket and make it a day.

    It’s much nicer than a trip to Hell, don’t ya think.

    Pizza and wine with the one you love - pure Heaven.
    Pizza and wine with the one you love – pure Heaven.

    If you enjoyed this post, check out similar ones in my happiness index. Here…

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    America is going to lose World War III. Accept that fact, and plan accordingly. Here’s why.

    American elites remain out of touch with everyone, our institutions are broken, and some people on the Left and the Right are still in denial about how bad things have gotten. Yet, they continue to play their games, oblivious that they are treading on dangerous territory. As the rest of the world has gotten stronger, better, healthier, the United States has grown corrupt, slothful, and evil. Eventually there will be a point where these two dichotomies will cross.

    It will probably be the result of some American “push” which would involve military action (of some sort) designed to exert pressure on a major Asian nation. This is already ongoing, but at some point in time, it will get “hot” and “loud”. As such, America is unprepared to the consequences that will result.

    Here we talk about this.

    Not the first to say that America is going to collapse…

    I am not the first to point this out.

    I do believe that it is the most obvious thing on the face of the planet. What I argue, in other postings, is that this collapse is inevitable. And as such, it should be “managed” so that a “new and improved” America may result.

    (It’s) Sort of like Isaac Asimov’s foundation series of stories..

    It is 12,020 G.E. (Galactic Era). For more than 12,000 years, the human  race—thanks to hyper-space traveling technology—has colonized the Milky  Way Galaxy in the form of a far-reaching Galactic Empire. 
    
    The Galactic  Empire, whose failures have started to outnumber its successes, is still  able to hide its faltering behind the Gordion Knot of a social,  economical and political mess comprised of millions of habitable worlds  and over 500 quadrillion people. 
    
    The oppressive and authoritarian rule  of Emperor Cleon I is at its peak. 
    
    Young mathematician Hari Seldon,  hailing from a backwater planet called Helicon, arrives at the Galactic  Capital, Trantor, to present his latest research at a mathematical  convention. 
    
    Having become associate professor at a considerably young  age, Seldon proposes a new field of science that could be used to  predict the future actions of the galactic society and humanity. 
    
    He  cites the law of mass action, explaining that advance mathematical  calculations can analyze the aggregate behavioral data of an enormous  number of people to deduce the patterns of behavior of the masses.
    
    -  Asimov 101: Your Ultimate Guide to the 'Foundation' Series 

    Of course, the wealthy elite, and the “deep state” won’t have any of this.

    They still want to maintain the pre-2016 uni-party oligarchy. But forces, far larger than their desires have set things in motion.

    It’s like a large locomotive that is on the path to smash right into a solid granite mountain. It cannot be stopped easily.

    Other opinions on this, from both the Left and the Right side of the political spectrum have written about this. You can read some of these articles here…

    Not the first to say that America cannot win World War III…

    Like my statement that America is in decline, others have also voiced agreement that America is not equipped to fight a major war against a major superpower.

    Well, here is yet another article, and I think it is pretty well-written and I would like to include it here.

    Check it out…

    The following is an article titled “Why America Is Set to Lose the Next War” and it was penned by Angelo Codevilla. It’s quite good. All credit to the author, and I would recommend a visit to the American Mind website from whence it was first published.

    Our elite forces are not so elite.

    News that the wargames which the RAND corporation runs for the U.S. government show U.S. forces getting “its ass handed to it” by Russia and China have elicited disbelief: “how could this possibly be?”

    The short answer is that the U.S. armed forces are utterly corrupt: the very definition of parade ground forces, superbly equipped, fabulously paid (to look good)—but utterly incapable of winning the wars that our even more corrupt national security establishment defines for them.

    Corrupt, and un-serious.

    Specifically: U.S. forces fail in the wargames, and would fare worse in real life, because they would be sent to fight the Chinese for control of the Western Pacific, and Russia for control of areas west of the Niemen river, as well as north of Crimea.

    The Chinese and Russians, respectively, would enjoy advantages in these areas.

    U.S. forces, configured as they are because of inter- and intra-Service corporate priorities, because of military-industrial collusion, and above all because of the national security establishment’s self-regarding prejudices and proclivities, are not based, sized, or equipped seriously to contest those advantages.

    Above all, they lack realistic plans for doing so.

    In sum, U.S. forces would lose these wars because of classic mismatches between ends and means. All entirely foreseeable. I repeat: Corruption.

    The wargames dealt only with operational/tactical factors on the conventional level in the theaters of operation. But China and Russia are nuclear powers whose missiles can deliver nuclear warheads to the U.S.

    Neither has been shy about pointing out that they might force the U.S. to choose between its objective in their back yard and the loss of one or more American cities.

    Moreover, longstanding U.S. policy, most recently reaffirmed in 2019, is not to have any equipment that can defend against Russian or Chinese missiles.

    If, perchance, Chinese or Russian forces should have difficulty disposing of U.S. challenges, raising the nuclear specter would surely force the U.S. side to reconsider why we engaged in war in others’ back yards without the capacity to protect ourselves at home.

    Since nuclear weapons are fully integrated into Russia’s ground forces, this rude awakening would likely come in the course of ordinary operations.

    On the Chinese side, we might well see the annihilation of Guam. But, one might respond, “U.S. nuclear missile forces are so superior to China’s!” Sure. Superior for what? What good would killing a couple of million Chinese do?

    What forces against what, where, to do what, is the nub of the military matter. The Chinese and Russians, respectively, have good strategic, operational, and tactical answers. The U.S. side does not.

    The Chinese want to control the Western Pacific militarily largely from the land. They began by building hundreds, perhaps thousands, of medium-range missiles able to cover the sea out to the eastern edge of Taiwan, making them largely invulnerable by emplacing them in caves or on mobile platforms.

    To this they added excellent aircraft with cruise missiles, and diesel-electric submarines that would be placed—still and quiet—to wait for the U.S. carriers.

    Then, they developed the DF-21, a ballistic missile that can adjust course on re-entry and kill a carrier with a nuclear warhead.

    And then, they pushed that defensive envelope outward by building a network of artificial islands in the South China Sea, the military value of each exceeding that of several carriers.

    China’s control exists.

    To try undoing it with current bases and equipment, the U.S. would have to send at least four irreplaceable carrier battle groups across the Pacific to battle their way through Chinese defenses.

    The full health of America’s satellite network is a prerequisite for such an attempt.

    But the Chinese are certain to attack that network. Since the U.S. has precisely zero means of protecting against kinetic ASATs, we must assume something less than precise functioning of numerically vastly inferior forces whose perfect functioning is essential to their operation in an enemy environment.

    Guam, and Yokosuka, over a thousand miles away from the action, would be the only nearby bases.

    The U.S. has studiously avoided fortifying Taiwan.

    But even assuming perfect functioning, the U.S. offensive in the Western Pacific would consist of a contest of attrition, in which China has the overwhelming advantage. There is no substitute for strategic vision.

    China has it, the U.S. does not.

    On the Russian side, the strategic objective is equally clear: maintain superiority in an area well known to, and easily reached by, the home team against what the Americans can bring from far away.

    The area east of Poland, between Lithuania and northern Ukraine, was the scene of the great Soviet summer 1944 offensive that crushed the Wehrmacht.

    One or perhaps two combat brigades would be the maximum that the U.S. could deploy to that area, probably by air through Warsaw.

    Russian operations would consist of encirclement by land and denial of resupply by air through its formidable S-400 air defense system. Russian operations envisage a minimum of combat and maximal exploitation of the theater’s distance from U.S. power.

    The operational objective would be to turn U.S. troops into hostages.

    The same would apply to the southern theater—except that U.S. operations there would be aided by a U.S. carrier battle group in the Black Sea—another reservoir of hostages.

    For a half century, the U.S. military-industrial-national-security establishment has been getting America’s collective ass kicked around the world. As patriotic Americans have bled, their superiors have gone to Valhallas in their retirement villas and as experts on Fox News.

    It’s past time for Americans to realize how overpraised and overpaid this bunch really are.


    Angelo Codevilla is a Senior Fellow of the Claremont Institute and professor emeritus of International Relations at Boston University.


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    The actual trade imports that China obtains from the United States.

    One of the often cited misconceptions that many Americans have is that China would collapse if the United States were to stop trading with her. The idea is that “China needs us more than we need them”. It’s not true, and it’s not even remotely true. Here, is the actual import data that China imports from the United States. Take a good long hard look at it.

    China could very well have an embargo of the United States, and would do just fine.

    The items that China imports from the United States.

    Here’s a graphical summary.

    While most Americans, and certainly most Alt-Right conservative Americans are under the impression that China imports an enormous amount of good from the United States, this is not the case.

    Import data on what China imports broken down by type and classification.
    Import data on what China imports broken down by type and classification.

    Key Points

    By looking at the graph above, the only manufactured items that are of significance to China (from the United States) are aircraft. Other manufactured products actually represent a very tiny percentage of imports by type. For instance, American-made machines represent only 5% of the total machines imported by China.

    Conclusion

    In the global sphere of things, the United States is not a dominant supplier of things that China wants or needs. Therefore, America has very little leverage to influence China to do its’ bidding.

    In order to cajole or manipulate the Chinese government to take on positions that America wants, there has to be other systems in play. These manipulations and adjustments of global power projection such as [1] the threat of war, [2] famine, [3] sickness, or [4] regional revolt are the tools that the United States is, and has been, using to force China to bend to it’s will.

    It is not at all outlandish to believe that the CIA, NED, the NID and other arms of the enormous United States bureaucracy has a “dark hand” at play at this time. It’s the only “cards” that America can play.


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    If America implements conflict against Russia or China, it will lose bigly. An interview with Andrei Martyanov.

    This is an interesting interview with Andrei Martyanov. He is a Russian military expert who emigrated to the United States. In it he argues that the stranglehold of American propaganda by the mainstream media has created a dangerous situation – one in which the “fake news” is believed by the American leadership.

    ANDREI MARTYANOV is an expert on Russian military and naval issues. He was born in Baku, USSR in 1963. He graduated from the Kirov Naval Red Banner Academy and served as an officer on the ships and staff position of Soviet Coast Guard through 1990. He took part in the events in the Caucasus which led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. 
    
    - Losing Military Supremacy: The Myopia of American Strategic Planning 

    He explains that the American leadership, knowing full well that the media is a propaganda tool, actually believes much of the propaganda that they create. This is true on all levels.

    The American leadership actually believes this “news”. Not only the “fake news” from CNN, MSNBC an WaPo but also from the conservative and alternative “Right wing” media.

    He argues that this is extraordinarily dangerous.

    Andrei Martyanov.
    Andrei Martyanov.

    This belief in American propaganda is dangerous because it creates a situation where foolish men in leadership positions can make some very serious mistakes.

    The majority of travelers I have met see foreign lands entirely through  the filter glasses of their home front. Their worldview is shaped by  government schools, Hollywood actors, television programming, mainstream  pressing, and the resulting illusion of “us being the good guys.” When  they travel, they carry a lifetime supply of brainwash shampoo with  them. A backpack full of sheep’s wool over their eyes. And a dumbed-down  uniform of sweatshop t-shirts, shorts and sandals that sores the eye of  the beholder.
    
    -Doug Casey, International Man 

    Mistakes, Leadership mistakes, that could absolutely devastate the United States. The leadership of a healthy and functioning nation needs good and accurate intelligence. It cannot rely own it’s own propaganda to base decisions upon.

    History is full of stories of the destruction of cities, nations and empires that fell due to the bad Intel, and decisions by the top leadership. Read about the destruction of Hungary by Genghis Khan, if you don't believe me.
    
    Or, consider the Marketing strategy of Gillette with their "Men are inherently foul pigs" campaign (to sell razors).
    
    Or, consider Hollywood and their bevy of all-female re-writes of famous movies. Movies that no one will watch. Like "Oceans 8".
    
    Or, consider what happened to NFL football, when the team owners permitted the players to protest against America.
    
    Now, consider what might happen to America if it believes the narrative that both Russia and China are backwards, third-world shit holes and are no match for the United States military...

    Ah. Andrei . You do not need to believe him. You just need to consider that he has some good ideas and makes some valid points.

    Now, I find that he has some good points, especially his appraisal on the ignorance of the Washington “insider” class. His ideas are able to explain much of the strange decision processes that originate out of Washington DC today.

    Andrei wrote…

    Time after time the American military has failed to match lofty  declarations about its superiority, producing instead a mediocre record  of military accomplishments. 
    
    Starting from the Korean War the United States hasn’t won a single war against a technologically inferior, but  mentally tough enemy.  
    • Vietnam
    • Syria
    • Lybia
    • Somalia
    • Yemen
    • Lebanon
    • Iraq
    The technological dimension of American “strategy” has completely overshadowed any concern with the social, cultural,  operational and even tactical requirements of military (and political)  conflict. 
    
    With a new Cold War with Russia emerging, the United States  enters a new period of geopolitical turbulence completely unprepared in  any meaningful way—intellectually...
    
    ... economically, 
    
    ... militarily...
    
    ...or culturally
    
    ... to face a reality which was hidden for the last 70+ years  behind the curtain of never-ending Chalabi moments...
    
    ... and a strategic delusion concerning Russia, whose history the US viewed through a Solzhenitsified caricature kept alive by a powerful neocon lobby, which  even today dominates US policy makers’ minds.  
    The book  Losing Military Supremacy: The Myopia of American Strategic Planning  explores the  dramatic difference between the Russian and US approach to warfare,  which manifests itself across the whole spectrum of activities from art  and the economy, to the respective national cultures; 
    
    Losing Military Supremacy: The Myopia of American Strategic Planning   illustrates the  fact that Russian economic, military and cultural realities and power are no longer what American “elites” think they are by addressing  Russia’s new and elevated capacities in the areas of traditional warfare as well as cyberwarfare and space; 
    
    Losing Military Supremacy: The Myopia of American Strategic Planning  studies in depth several ways in which the US can simply stumble into conflict with Russia and what must be done to avoid it. 
    
    Martyanov’s former Soviet military background  enables deep insight into the fundamental issues of warfare and military  power as a function of national power—assessed correctly, not through  the lens of Wall Street “economic” indices and a FIRE economy, but  through the numbers of enclosed technological cycles and culture, much  of which has been shaped in Russia by continental warfare and which is  practically absent in the US. 
    
    -Amazon

    Indeed, a point that I have “hammered” over and over again, is the idea that the most dangerous propaganda is the news reports that we WANT to believe.

    Propaganda works best when we WANT to believe the lies told to us.

    Such as 11 million Uighur Muslims are in reeducation concentration camps in Xinjiang China. That America must "do something" to free the poor Muslim innocents! All, yes ALL of conservative news is full of these stories and the figure of 11 million is bantered about without question.
    
    Except...
    
    No one can point out where these concentration camps are. 
    
    You cannot find them on Google Earth. And you should. After all, the population of New York City is 6 million people. So a concentration camp housing 11 million people would be over twice the size of New York city. It would be pretty fucking big. Bigger than the largest city in America, and then some.
    
    You would be able to see it from the Moon.
    
    If there were 11 concentration camps in Xinjiang, China, (each one million people in size) then you would be able to easily locate all eleven Atlanta, Georgia sized complexes on Google Earth. Where are all these concentration camps?
    
    Simple math.
    
    Simple thought process.
    
    ... Propaganda. Don't fall for it.

    Anyways, he makes a great point.

    Our American leadership has taken to actually believing what is being repeated day in and day out by the lying American mainstream press. And this is very dangerous.

    Some minor Russian Naval ships.
    Some minor Russian Naval ships.

    You might not like his opinions, but please just view his point of view as something that you will not hear from the mainstream, or alt-conservative news. As such it is a valuable alternative view point.

    One that should be taken seriously.

    The interview.

    Yvonne Lorenzo interviews Andrei Martyanov …

    Yvonne Lorenzo: I’d like to discuss the central thesis of your first book, Losing Military Supremacy. Aside from a civil war in the late 1800s, the United States has never experienced the effects of a devastating war fought on its own soil by foreign nation and believes it is invulnerable and won’t be attacked. To the contrary, Russians to this day know the price of war. If you would be so kind to summarize, if possible, the key points you wished to make known about Russia.

    "America believes that it is invulnerable and won’t ever be attacked." 
    The Severodvinsk, the first of Russia's multirole Yasen K-560 submarines, by the pier of the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk, Arkhangelsk Region.
    The Severodvinsk, the first of Russia’s multirole Yasen K-560 submarines, by the pier of the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk, Arkhangelsk Region.

    Andrei Martyanov: In a sense, my new book, The Real Revolution in Military Affairs, is a continuation of my first one—Losing Military Supremacy.

    The difference is that I get more in depth into the tactical, operational and technological issues—to a degree that is possible in what amounts to a geopolitical study—to demonstrate and drive my point home…

    … that the current American political elites are utterly delusional on the nature of modern warfare…

    Crew of the Alexander Nevsky nuclear submarine topside at a welcome ceremony for the Navy's new Borei-class project 955 vessel at Kamchatka's Vilyuchinsk base.
    Crew of the Alexander Nevsky nuclear submarine topside at a welcome ceremony for the Navy’s new Borei-class project 955 vessel at Kamchatka’s Vilyuchinsk base.

    … especially in a peer-to-peer scenario of which the United States hasn’t faced since WW II.

    My point is very simple…

    …the ignorance of the American ruling class of modern warfare is such that it has become a clear and present danger for the world…

    John Bolton neocon in the Trump administration.
    John Bolton neocon in the Trump administration.

    … since, while improbable at this stage, it is totally plausible to see at some point of time someone in the US political top losing it…

    …and unleashing a confrontation with Russia, or China…

    …being fully convinced, mostly by Hollywood or [Tom] Clancy-esque pseudo military fiction…

    The Hunt for Red October is a 1990 American submarine spy-thriller film directed by John McTiernan, produced by Mace Neufeld, and starring Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, James Earl Jones, and Sam Neill. The film is an adaptation of Tom Clancy's 1984 bestselling novel of the same name. It is the first installment of the Jack Ryan film series.
    The Hunt for Red October is a 1990 American submarine spy-thriller film directed by John McTiernan, produced by Mace Neufeld, and starring Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, James Earl Jones, and Sam Neill. The film is an adaptation of Tom Clancy’s 1984 bestselling novel of the same name. It is the first installment of the Jack Ryan film series.

    …that the United States and NATO can attack Russia and survive.

    That, America could attack Russia or China and it would remain unscathed and devastate the rest of the world and America would not suffer at all.

    That’s the danger…

    …especially in a country whose elites completely lost their mind and are delusional…

    Rulership class in America are bat-shit crazy.
    Rulership class in America are bat-shit crazy.

    …or reside in what I define as a Perpetual Chalabi Moment.

    American leadership, on both sides of the political spectrum, plus the oligarchy that controls them are completely delusional and out of touch with the American citizens, the rest of the world, and the comparative technological strengths of America.

    The arms race.

    The US did lose the arms race.

    The arms race was not lost in 2018 or even 2015, however; it was lost much earlier and it was mostly due to the US media-propaganda machine…

    … which kept it secret from the US public.

    It still continues to do so but it is increasingly difficult to keep it under wraps when information, including imagery of what Russia does in this field becomes increasingly available.

    Ships from Russia's Caspian Flotilla launching Kalibr-NK cruise missiles against Daesh targets in Syria.
    Ships from Russia’s Caspian Flotilla launching Kalibr-NK cruise missiles against Daesh targets in Syria.

    But that is just part of the issue: I write about predictors—the real economy, scientific development, education, etc.—for war’s outcomes [are] non-stop.

    Other people have written about these predictors. Not once do they agree with the narrative coming out of the American mainstream media.

    In the end, when I state that the US elites have no clue about the size and complexity of Russia’s economy, it is one thing…

    …but when I state that they basically have no clue about their own economy, not Wall Street’s cooking of books, I can rely on some serious American professionals in the field.

    President Trump, right, talks with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, on July 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
    President Trump, right, talks with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, on July 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

    After all, it was Trump’s White House which initiated Assessing and Strengthening the Manufacturing and Defense Industrial Base and Supply Chain Resiliency of the United States.

    The report was prepared by an Inter-agency Task Force in September 2018 and reads as an epitaph to the US machine-building complex…

    … and the issue is not just massive de-industrialization…

    America has still not recovered from the de-industrialization of the last forty years.
    America has still not recovered from the de-industrialization of the last forty years. It is not going to recover in only one or two years.

    … or the lack of a labor force which can fill in for departing old-timers…

    …with many in the new generation of Americans being mostly interested in pot and drugs or in avoiding any productive labor…

    …nor money alone can solve the problem of America’s declining military strength, which was always overstated to start with.

    It is the culture, an institutional one, which is responsible for this decline.

    Russia presents new MiG-35 fighter jet to the public.
    Russia presents new MiG-35 fighter jet to the public.

    The decline of American culture

    The United States is very good at building extremely expensive and dubiously effective (against a competent enemy) power projection forces, which by definition are offensive and aggressive.

    Once one gets into the issues of actual defense, the picture changes dramatically for the United States.

    Read this assessment of the true and actual American defense picture from townhall.com.  "We Are Going To Lose The Coming War With China" by Kurt Schlichter. It opens up in a separate tab.

    It is enough to mention the whole non-stop hysteria about Turkey buying and activating the S-400 complex, with India already having a 5 billion dollar contract signed with Russia, and many Arab states lining up for Russian-made air and anti-missile systems, not to mention combat aircraft, such as a contact for SU-35s between Egypt and Russia signed, following next.

    S-400 complex launching system.
    S-400 complex launching system.

    All of it creates an extremely emotional reaction in the United States, but the fact that Russian military technology is in some key defense fields better than anything out there was never in doubt.

    S-400 complex launching system with potential targets that it is designed to strike.
    S-400 complex launching system with potential targets that it is designed to strike.

    It is enough to recall Vietnam, but in the time of radio and printed media it was easier to control narratives.

    The American media blitz on this subject is constant and unyielding.

    Today it is extremely difficult.

    Russia always built weapons to effectively kill the enemy—such is Russia’s experience with warfare, much of which being invasions of foreign powers.

    The United States has zero historic experience with defending the US proper against powerful and brutal enemies.

    While the Revolutionary war had some moments of brutality, as did the American civil war, neither wars EVER approached the level of absolute depraved scorched earth devastation that Russia, Europe, and China have experienced.
    
    It is something that America has NEVER experienced.
    
    Mexico never invaded. Canada never invaded. Russia never invaded. Cuba never invaded. Bermuda never invaded.

    It is a cultural difference, a profound one and it manifests itself across the whole spectrum of activities, not just the respective military-industrial complexes.

    In other words, Russians MUST build top of the line weaponry, because the safety of Russia depends on it.

    Tom Clancy Delusion

    Yvonne Lorenzo: You’ve written about what I’d call the “Tom Clancy Delusion” on your blog. This recent article, “The CIA’s Jack Ryan Series Is ‘Regime-Change’ Propaganda Aimed At Venezuela” noted:

     Dr. Matthew Alford of the University of Bath, author of National  Security Cinema: The Shocking New Evidence of Government Control in  Hollywood, told MintPress that the new Amazon product is a “disgrace of a  series,” unfairly demonizing a nation at a time when the United States  has its boot on the throat of Venezuelan society.
    Russian SU-30SM.
    Russian SU-30SM.
    “The  new Jack Ryan series comes in the context of four movies stretching  back decades that have all had Department of Defense and/or CIA support  at the scriptwriting phrase,” he noted, labeling Jack Ryan as a classic  “national security entertainment product”.
    The  character of Jack Ryan first appeared in Cold War era Clancy stories  such as The Hunt for Red October and The Cardinal of the Kremlin, where  the heroic Ryan battles the dark forces of the Soviet Union. 
    
    The series  was put on hiatus but has recently returned, bringing with it much of  the same Cold War mentality and rhetoric. 
    
    Ryan has been previously  played on screen by Hollywood stars such as Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford  and Ben Affleck.
    Alford’s  book, which he co-wrote with Tom Secker, describes the enormous  influence that the national security state has on popular culture. 
    
    Based  on Freedom of Information requested documents, the two calculated that  between 2004 and 2016, the Department of Defense was directly involved  in the production of 977 Hollywood movies or television shows, many of  which were carefully scripted, edited and curated by government agents  in order to present a certain viewpoint of the world to the public. 
    
    For  example, the writers of Homeland were revealed to have private meetings  with ex-CIA officials before each season.
    Russia's Radical Sukhoi S-37 Fighter Plane
    Russia’s Radical Sukhoi S-37 Fighter Plane.
    From  big budget movies like Ironman and Transformers to surprisingly banal  television productions like The Biggest Loser, Mythbusters or American  Idol, virtually every movie or television show featuring the military or  intelligence figures has been edited, scripted or funded by the  Department of Defense in order to cast the government in the best  possible light. 
    
    Those that do not comply with the Department of  Defense’s requests are not given privileged access to, or use of,  military resources and may be attacked by the state as being unpatriotic  or deceptive.
    The  constant flow of pro-security state messages has an effect on the  public. 
    
    Researchers found that respondents who were shown torture scenes  from the television series 24 were more likely to subsequently support  the government’s policies of torture in sites like Guantanamo Bay and  Abu Ghraib. 
    
    This held even for liberal college students. 

    Andrei Martyanov: The first person of repute who challenged Tom Clancy’s fantasies was professor Roger Thompson in his seminal 2006 book Lessons Not Learned, in which he correctly asked a question how an insurance agent who never served a day in uniform and had undergraduate degree in English can write competently on any issue related to modern combat and technology.

    In Clancy’s case it was clear that he was promoted, he openly writes about it in his book, by former Secretary of the Navy John Lehman, for purely propaganda reasons.

    Secretary of the Navy John Lehman swearing in Grace Harper.
    Secretary of the Navy John Lehman swearing in Grace Harper.

    Most of what Clancy wrote was cringe-worthy pop-literature, which could be described as incompetent military-intelligence porn.

    Ouch!

    Clancy never made it a secret that his Jack Ryan character was written from…Tom Clancy himself. A good testimony about late Clancy himself.

    Why Jack Ryan was written as a spy as opposed to as insurance agent remains a complete mystery to me, but, I guess, whatever sells books for the late Tom Clancy.

    These digs… oh, boy!

    In Soviet/Russian military environment Clancy’s “literature” overwhelmingly was treated with ironic smile at best, and with Homeric laughter at worst.

    Yup. How the rest of the world feels about this kind of literature, and movies.

    But that pretty much describes the “level” of American “knowledge” and awareness of Russia in general and her military in particular—a caricature.

    It is, however, one thing to promote caricatures in pop-art, totally another when a caricature becomes a working model for decision making at the top political level.

    That is dangerous.

    And his point is very, very valid…

    As General Latiff of DARPA correctly noted—most of what the US public and political class know about war is from entertainment, from Hollywood to the literature of such “professionals” like the late Clancy.

    The Generals won’t save us.

    Yvonne Lorenzo: I quoted (retired) Major Danny Sjursen earlier. He wrote a piece title, “The Generals Won’t Save Us From The Next War” for the American Conservative. I want to reproduce an excerpt and then ask you to comment. Your disdain for the political class is well known but what about the generals in power? How capable and knowledgeable are they? How competent?

    Why should any sentient citizen believe that these commanders’ former  subordinates—a new crop of ambitious generals—will step forward now and  oppose a disastrous future war with the Islamic Republic? 
    
    Don’t believe  it! 
    
    Senior military leaders will salute, about-face, and execute  unethical and unnecessary combat with Iran or whomever else (think  Venezuela) Trump’s war hawks, such as John Bolton, decide needs a little  regime changing.
    John Bolton. Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor John Bolton said that it would be great if the United States could get their hands on that Venezuelan oil, and that statement alone tells you everything that you need to know about why the US is trying so hard to interfere in Venezuelan affairs.
    John Bolton. Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor John Bolton said that it would be great if the United States could get their hands on that Venezuelan oil, and that statement alone tells you everything that you need to know about why the US is trying so hard to interfere in Venezuelan affairs.
    Need  proof that even the most highly lauded generals will sheepishly obey  the next absurd march to war? Join me in a brief trip down an ever so  depressing memory lane. 
    
    Let us begin with my distinguished West Point  graduation speaker, Air Force General and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs  Richard Myers. 
    
    He goes down in history as as a Donald Rumsfeld lackey  because it turns out he knew full well that there were “holes” in the  Bush team’s inaccurate intelligence used to justify the disastrous Iraq  war. 
    
    Yet we heard not a peep from Myers, who kept his mouth shut and  retired with full four-star honors.
    Air Force General and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs  Richard Myers
    Air Force General and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Richard Myers .
    Then,  when Army Chief of Staff General Eric Shinseki accurately (and somewhat  courageously) predicted in 2003 that an occupation of Iraq would  require up to half a million U.S. troops, he was quietly retired. 
    
    Rummy  passed over a whole generation of active officers to pull a known  sycophant, General Peter Schoomaker, out of retirement to do Bush the  Younger’s bidding. 
    
    It worked too. 
    
    Schoomaker, despite his highly touted  special forces experience, never threw his stars on the table and called  BS on a losing strategy even as it killed his soldiers by the hundreds  and then the thousands. 
    
    Having heard him (unimpressively) speak at West  Point in 2005, I still can’t decide whether he lacked the intellect to  do so or the conscience. 
    
    Maybe both.
    General Peter Schoomaker.
    General Peter Schoomaker.
    After  Bush landed a fighter plane on a carrier and triumphantly announced  “mission accomplished” in Iraq, poor Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez,  the newest three-star in the Army, took over the hard part of conquest:  bringing the “natives” to heel. 
    
    He utterly failed, being too reliant on  what he knew—Cold War armored combat—and too ambitious to yell “stop!”  
    
    Soon after, it came to light that Sanchez had bungled the  investigation—or cover-up (take your pick)—of the massive abuse scandal  at Abu Ghraib prison.
    Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez.
    Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez.
    General John Abizaid was one of the most disappointing in a long line of subservient generals. 
    
    It seems Abizaid knew better: he knew the Iraq war  couldn’t be won, that it was best to hand over control to the Iraqis  posthaste, that General David Petraeus’s magical “surge” snake oil  wouldn’t work. 
    
    Still, Abizaid didn’t quit and retired quietly. 
    
    He’s now  Trump’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, which is far from comforting.
    General John Abizaid .
    General John Abizaid .
    Lieutenant  General H.R. McMaster was heralded as an outside-the-box thinker. 
    
    And  indeed, he was a Gulf War I hero, earned a Ph.D., taught history at West  Point, and wrote a (mostly) well-received book on Vietnam. 
    
    Yet when  Trump appointed him national security advisor, he brought only  in-the-box military beliefs with him into the White House. 
    
    He then  helped author a fanciful National Defense Strategy that argued the U.S.  military must be ready at a moment’s notice to fight Russia, China,  Iran, North Korea, and “terror.” 
    
    Perhaps at the same time! 
    
    No nuance, no  diplomatic alternatives, no cost-benefit analysis, just standard  militarism. 
    
    These days, McMaster is running around decrying what he  calls a “defeatist narrative” and arguing for indefinite war in the  Middle East.
    Lieutenant  General H.R. McMaster .
    Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster .
    Then  there was the other Washington insider and “liberal” favorite, one of a  trio of “adults in the room,” General Jim Mattis. 
    
    Though sold to the  public as a “warrior monk,” Mattis offered no alternative to America’s  failing forever wars. 
    
    In fact, when he decided his conscience no longer  allowed him to stay in the Trump administration, his reason for leaving  was that the president had called for a reduction of troops in  Afghanistan after 18 senseless years. 
    
    U.S.-supported Saudi terror  bombings that killed tens of thousands of Yemeni civilians? A  U.S.-backed Saudi blockade that starved at least 85,000 Yemeni children  to death? Yeah, he was fine with that. 
    
    But a modest troop withdrawal  from a losing 18-year-old war in landlocked Central Asia, that he  couldn’t countenance.
    General Jim Mattis
    General Jim Mattis.
    Then  there’s the propensity for politics and pageantry among senior military  officers. 
    
    This was embarrassingly and unconscionably on display in the  tragic cases of Private First Class Jessica Lynch and Corporal Pat  Tillman. 
    
    When, during the initial invasion of Iraq, the young Lynch’s  maintenance convoy got lost, she was captured and briefly detained by  Saddam’s army. 
    
    Knowing a good public relations opportunity when they saw  it, Bush’s staff and the generals concocted a slew of comforting lies:  Lynch was a hero who had fought to her last bullet (she’d never fired  her rifle), she’d been tortured (she hadn’t), her combat-camera equipped  commando rescue had come just in the nick of time (she was hardly  guarded and in a hospital). 
    
    Who cares if it was all lies, if this young  woman’s terrifying experience was co-opted and embellished? The Lynch  story was media fodder.
    Private First Class Jessica Lynch.
    Private First Class Jessica Lynch.
    More  tragic was the Pat Tillman escapade. 
    
    Tillman was an admirable outlier,  the only professional athlete to give up a million dollar contract to  enlist in the military soon after 9/11. 
    
    Tillman and his brother went all  in, too, choosing the elite Army Rangers. It was quite the story.  
    
    Rumsfeld even wrote the new private a congratulatory letter. Then  reality got in the way. Tillman was killed in Afghanistan during a  friendly fire incident that can only be described as gross incompetence.  
    
    Almost immediately, President Bush’s staff and much of the Army’s top  brass went to work crafting the big lie: a heroic narrative of Tillman’s  demise, replete with dozens of marauding Taliban fighters and a one-man  charge befitting the hard-hitting former NFL defensive back. 
    
    Promoted  to corporal posthumously, he was awarded the Silver Star. Some of his  fellow Rangers were instructed to lie to the Tillman family at the  memorial service regarding the manner of Pat’s death.
    Corporal Pat Tillman.
    Corporal Pat Tillman.
    Only  Bush’s neophytes and the Army’s complicit generals didn’t count on the  tenacity of Tillman’s parents. 
    
    They waged something nearing war with the  U.S. military for several years until they found out the truth,  unearthing a cover-up that implicated Bush’s civilians and many of the  military’s four-star generals (including Stanley McChrystal, John  Abizaid, and Richard Myers). 
    
    The Tillman family got their congressional  hearing, but the sycophantic representatives on the Hill refused to  seriously criticize the top brass and no one was seriously punished. 

    Andrei Martyanov: I don’t know the exact answer to this question. I am positive that there are many highly educated and competent people in US Armed Forces but there is no denial of the fact that some segments of the US top brass are more politicians than military leaders. It is not unique to the United States Armed Forces, but the record of failures is in the open and everyone can make their own conclusions.

    Fighting Russia is the goal of the political class

    Yvonne Lorenzo: Your latest book, The (Real) Revolution in Military Affairs provides further detail on Russia’s technological advancements. A layman, I see America as principally using bombing as artillery and proxy fighters (see Syria) on the ground—not too competent. I’ve read enough to be dangerous—having no military background—but wars can’t be won by bombing campaigns alone, even against a mediocre target (I think you called Iraq’s army third-rate).

    Fighting Russia, which appears to be the goal of the political class, is not what they will expect, even if the confrontation doesn’t rise to a nuclear exchange.

    I’d appreciate your summarizing some of the key points of this book but I have to ask, having read some of The Saker’s writings…

    … can Russia be overwhelmed by thousands upon thousands of slow missiles, like the TLAMs…

    The Tomahawk Land Attack Missile ( TLAM ) is a long-range, all-weather, jet-powered, subsonic cruise missile that is primarily used by the United States Navy and Royal Navy in ship- and submarine-based land-attack operations. It was designed and initially produced in the 1970s by General Dynamics as a medium- to long-range, low-altitude missile that could be launched from a surface platform. The missile's modular design accommodates a wide variety of warhead , guidance, and range capabilities. 
    
    - Tomahawk (missile) - Wikipedia 
    Tomahawk Land Attack Missile ( TLAM )
    Tomahawk Land Attack Missile ( TLAM ) .

    … or will Russia use their “800 Pound Gorilla” in your parlance, that is…

    A leaked memo confirms that Russia is developing Kanyon, the world's most powerful nuclear weapon, with twice the power of any ever tested. 
    
    This is 2x, or double the destructive power of the most dangerous and largest nuclear weapon ever designed;  The Soviet RDS-202 hydrogen bomb (code name Ivan  or Vanya), known by Western nations as Tsar Bomba. 
    
    Russia's New 'Satan' Nuclear Weapons System Could Wipe Out Texas or France.  Russia has for months been testing a giant nuclear weapons delivery system that can carry 10 heavyweight warheadsenough power to wipe out Texas or France. This is the RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile known in Russia as "Satan 2" 
    
    Mar 06, 2018 · Russia announced it is about to test its Satan 2 missile, a nuclear weapon so powerful it could destroy a country size the of Texas or France in seconds. While its official name is RS-28 Sarmat, NATO officials have given the weapon the nickname Satan 2, the Mirror reports. 
    RS-28 Sarmat.
    RS-28 Sarmat ICBM.

    … does Russia have enough weapons, from cruise missiles, to defensive, to hypersonic, not to be overwhelmed…

    … and are American generals aware of the risk if it does should they engage in hostilities?

    Rumors of Kanyon (or Ocean Multipurpose System Status-6, as it’s known in Russia) first started swirling in 2015 following a leak on Russian television. Soon after, the nation confirmed the weapon’s existence, while claiming the leak was a mistake.
    
    However, as defense analyst and military historian H. I. Sutton told Futurism, this leak of the latest nuclear posture review is the first official recognition of Kanyon by U.S. officials.
    
    “The  unclassified posture review document doesn’t really tell defense  analysts anything new, but it does establish Kanyon as a military fact,”  said Sutton. “Until now, many observers had regarded the system as  ‘fake news.’ I think that this was partly because the stated  specifications are so incredible and partly because it is hard to  understand how it will be used.”
    
    Incredible Devastation
    
    “Incredible” is perhaps putting it mildly.
    
    Based on leaked Russian documents,  Kanyon is a nuclear-armed autonomous torpedo capable of traveling  10,000 kilometers (6,213 miles) with a 100-megaton thermonuclear weapon  as its payload. That’s at least twice as powerful as any nuclear weapon  ever tested. According to nuclear bomb simulator Nukemap, it would instantly kill 8 million people and injure an additional 6.6 million if dropped on New York City.
    
    Kanyon’s  weapon wouldn’t be dropped, though. It would arrive via the ocean and  bring with it a massive artificial tsunami that would blanket the  coastal area in radioactive water. If the warhead is “salted” with the  radioactive isotope Cobalt-60, as some have reported, a detonation could render contaminated areas uninhabitable by humans for an entire century.
    
    “Kanyon is unique in every respect,” said Sutton. “There really is nothing like it in any navy’s inventory.” 
    
    - US Report Confirms Russia Is Developing the World’s Most Powerful Nuclear Weapon. The 100-megaton thermonuclear weapon isn't "fake news." 
    The latest nuclear weapons that China and Russia field are smarter, more technically advance, faster, and superior to their American counterparts in every way.
    The latest nuclear weapons that China and Russia field are smarter, more technically advanced, faster, and superior to their American counterparts in every way.

    I noted your comments on Professor Cohen’s latest on Ukraine posted to Unz.com on November 14th but his most recent video in PushBack from The Grayzone he said that in all the years he studied Russia and America he’d never thought the two nations would go to war.

    Yet now he fears this possibility. I’d appreciate your thoughts.

    America WILL NOT survive World War III, and it is foolish to believe that it will.
    America WILL NOT survive World War III, and it is foolish to believe that it will.

    Willy Wimmer discussed on RT ‘We are on a path of war again’: 30 years after the Berlin Wall fell, Europe betrays its own hopes (By Willy Wimmer). He said:

    It is a kind of Anglo-Saxon policy not to have cooperation on the  European continent – mainly between the Russians, the French, the Poles  and the Germans. They want to have a line of confrontation in this area  and therefore are against all promises. [As a result] NATO was extended  to the East.
    I  was responsible for the organization of the German Armed Forces on the  German territory following reunification. 
    
    We did not want foreign troops in former East Germany. 
    
    We did not want to have British or French troops there; we wanted to have only German ones. 
    
    We wanted to explain  to the world that there was no desire to enlarge NATO up to the new  borders with Russia that were created in 1992.
    It was against all the ideas we had after reunification. 
    
    What is happening now is some kind of Anglo-Saxon policy that was created even before WWI.  
    
    We are on the path of war again. 
    
    That is so much against the will of  our people.
    What is happening now is some kind of Anglo-Saxon policy that was created even before WWI.  

We are on the path of war again.
    What is happening now is some kind of Anglo-Saxon policy that was created even before WWI. We are on the path of war again.
    This is also against the will of the Dutch, the French, the Spanish and the  Italians. 
    
    We see it as a disaster that a US president that is willing to  cooperate with the Russian President Vladimir Putin – President  [Donald] Trump – has to face such a disastrous policy organized by the  US deep state, which is against our national interests and the national  interests of all other western Europeans…
     What is happening now is some kind of Anglo-Saxon policy that was created even before WWI.  We are on the path of war again.
    What is happening now is some kind of Anglo-Saxon policy that was created even before WWI. We are on the path of war again.

    ***

    But,  when you now come to Rostock, Dresden or Leipzig they are learning  Russian again, they go to theaters to watch Russian performances and  listen to Russian music. 
    
    They have re-established their links with  Russia, and if they could do what they want to do, they would be the big  economic partners of Russia these days.
    Things  have really changed for the Russian Federation and with regard to  Russia. 
    
    People in Dresden, Saxony’s capital, are absolutely proud that  Russian President Vladimir Putin once served there. 
    
    That is the reality  these days, despite what the American mainstream media say.
    
    Would Russia engage in tank battles and soldier-to-soldier combat if NATO attacked, or would they use stand-off weapons that you discuss just to obliterate command  and control centers, the sources of munitions, etc.? 
    
    Mr. Wimmer clearly  sees that some Germans, as opposed to the “vassal” government, want better relations with Russia as opposed to war, including cold war. 

    Andrei Martyanov: The issue of TLAMs: in a conventional configuration, I don’t think that they can do much damage to Russia, especially considering Russia’s unique anti-air and anti-missile defense.

    A few possible leakers in conventional configuration will not do much damage; a few leakers in a nuclear configuration, however, is a completely different game. Hence Russia’s worry about Aegis Ashore installations in Romania and Poland. That’s the main worry.

    "Leakers" missile weapons systems that are able to bore through national defenses.

    In a conventional scenario, Russia will not be overwhelmed and even conventional response-head on (otvetno-vstrechnyi) strike will be extremely damaging to NATO and the US.

    That first strike (in Russian parlance, a retaliatory strike, or otvetno-vstrechnyi udar) follows Russia’s military doctrine, which mandates such strikes to compensate for Russia’s conventional inferiority vis-à-vis NATO and the United States. 
    
    - Eastern European Missile Defense: Russia's Threat ... 

    Valeri Gerasimov was explicit couple of years ago in his interview about Russia having enough stand-off weapons at every strategic direction to provide a reliable deterrence.

    Even in conventional exchange Russia can launch weapons at the US proper with Russian bombers not leaving Russia’s aerospace.

    The X-101 cruise missile has a range in excess of 5,500 kilometers. Russia continues to increase her deterrence with 3M22 Zircon getting ready to be tested from Admiral Gorshkov frigate very soon, with Kazan SSGN of project 885 planned to launch the hyper-sonic Zircon from underwater early next year.

    All this changes deterrence dynamics completely because the United States cannot defend her coasts and in depth against such systems.

    In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, officers and soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy hold a welcome ceremony as a Russian naval ship arrives in port in Zhanjiang in southern China's Guangdong Province, Monday, Sept. 12, 2016
    In this photo released by China’s Xinhua News Agency, officers and soldiers of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy hold a welcome ceremony as a Russian naval ship arrives in port in Zhanjiang in southern China’s Guangdong Province, Monday, Sept. 12, 2016

    Russia can intercept the bulk of US and NATO cruise missiles; the US cannot do so against Russia.

    Yvonne Lorenzo: As I write this on December 3rd, 2019, Vesti News posted this video on the Zircon: Putin Unveils Zircon Hypersonic Missiles! Stresses Importance of Beefing Up Russia’s Navy!

    Yvonne Lorenzo: Let me ask you about Colonel Douglas Macgregor. A recent piece for Strategic-Culture, Douglas Macgregor: America’s De Gaulle, Unheeded Prophet of Houthi Victory and Saudi Fall described him thus:

    The brilliant Houthi military victory over the Saudis fulfilled the  predictions in military doctrine made by America’s own De Gaulle, a  retired US Army Colonel, Douglas Macgregor with an outstanding combat  and command record who has been treated over the past 20 years by most  of his own country’s four star generals and civilian theorists with  contempt: Just as the French Army ignored DeGaulle’s armored warfare  doctrines 90 years, when they were being read and applied passionately  by the generals of Germany.
    Macgregor  observed after the Houthi victory in September that that there was no  reason for surprise. Sure enough, two and a half years earlier, in  testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) on March 7,  2017, he stated:

    “The skies over the battlefield will be crowded with loitering munitions, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or drones). These agile cruise missiles are designed to engage beyond line-of-sight ground targets. With proximity-fused, high-explosive warheads, these systems will remain airborne for hours, day or night. Equipped with high resolution electro-optical and infrared cameras, enemy operators will locate, surveil, and guide the drones to targets on the ground… When these loitering missiles are integrated into the enemy’s Strike Formations armed with precision guided rocket artillery that fires high explosive, incendiary, thermobaric, warheads including sub-munitions with self-targeting anti-tank and anti-personnel munitions warfare as we know it changes.”

    Macgregor  was even more prescient in predicting the previous Houthi precision  missile strikes that wiped out half the production capacity of Saudi  Arabia’s oil refineries earlier in September. 
    
    Those attacks  humiliatingly exposed the ultra-expensive, endlessly praised US missile  defense systems sold to Riyadh as worthless dinosaurs.
    Yet,  writing in his book “Transformation Under Fire” published back in 2003,  Macgregor had said: “The idea is to link maneuver and strike assets  through a flatter operational architecture empowered by new terrestrial  and space-based communications throughout the formation… Long-range,  joint precision fires and C4ISR [Command, Control, Communications,  Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance] offer the  possibility to reach over enemy armies to directly strike at what they  hope to defend or preserve. 
    
    Precision strategic strikes closely  coordinated and timed with converging Army combat forces would present a  defending enemy with an insoluble dilemma.”
    
    As you see, he’s retired and  never became a general. 
    
    At least he appears to oppose war with Russia and Iran and China, from his appearances on Tucker Carlson that I’ve seen. Can you comment on the above piece and how Russia might respond if America used such techniques? It seems to me Russia would also be able  to implement such techniques. 

    Andrei Martyanov: Douglas Macgregor is a brilliant man but his testimony is about…

    … fighting an enemy which does not posses C4ISR [Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance] capabilities comparable to that of the United States.

    Russia does and we have to be very clear on that distinction.

    Fighting a modern combined arms war against such opponents as North Korea or even Iran the United States will have massive leverage, at least initially, before boots get on the ground, in terms of stand-off operations.

    Once boots hit the ground, well, then it will change. But fighting peers, such as China, let alone Russia—…

    …I simply cannot see how the United States will stay away from escalation to a nuclear threshold, because the scale of losses will be catastrophic both in men and materiel.

     It’s EXTREMELY unlikely that the US can stop modern nuclear weapons from  Russia.  There is ZERO evidence that any of the US anti-missile  technologies would be sufficient to stop a MIRV warhead – let alone  multiple MIRV warheads – traveling at the speeds a modern missile can  achieve. In a war with Russia, literally hundreds if not thousands of  warheads would be heading towards the US. No missile defense system  known can handle that. 
    
    - Richard Steven Hack on 09/19/2017 at 3:40 PM 

    In the end, Macgregor is on the record:

    In 110 days of fighting the German army in France during 1918, the U.S.  Army Expeditionary Force sustained 318,000 casualties, including 110,000  killed in action. 
    
    That’s the kind of lethality waiting for U.S. forces in a future war with real armies, air forces, air defenses and naval power.

    Only… on American soil.

    Ignoring  this reality is the road to future defeats and American decline. It’s  time to look beyond the stirring images of infantrymen storming  machine-gun nests created by Hollywood and to see war for what it is and  will be in the future: 
    
    the ruthless extermination of the enemy with accurate, devastating firepower from the sea, from the air, from space  and from mobile, armored firepower on land. 
    The United Sates is not in a position to take this scale of losses, not to mention having its rear, from staffs to munition depots and airfields being under relentless and devastating fire impact from operational to a strategic depth—a condition the US Army simple has no experience with. 
    
    As even RAND people admitted:
    “We lose a lot of people. We lose a lot of equipment. We usually fail to achieve our objective of preventing aggression by the adversary,” RAND analyst David Ochmanek told a security conference on Thursday. “In our games, when we fight Russia and China, blue gets its ass handed to it.”

    In war games with either Russia, China or both, almost always, the United States loses.

    I’ve been writing about this for years.
     
    It’s good that some people are beginning to get it. I hope—although I don’t hold my breath—their opinions will be heard at the political top.

    Yvonne Lorenzo: Recent articles have posted on cooperation between Russia and China, not just the well know business deals but cultural and Chinese students coming to Russia. See these articles, “Top Russian nuclear university eyes future cooperation with China” and “Film about WWII sniper ‘Lady Death’ kicks off ‘2019 Russian Film Exhibition’ in Beijing” posted on China’s Global Times.

    I’d appreciate your thoughts about the Russian-Chinese relationship/partnership.

    Andrei Martyanov: The answer is extremely simple—Russian-Chinese cooperation is not only natural, but it was inevitable, considering the state of the combined West and, especially so, of the United States.

    Yvonne Lorenzo: Andrei, you posted this on your blog on November 26th, 2019, “New S-400 Contract For Turkey?” which I want to discuss not only because of your observations, but because in the past (and I’m not picking on him) Paul Craig Roberts wrote in effect that Russia must be more aggressive with America to avoid a shooting war, quoting him, “The Russian government’s failure to stand up to Washington’s bullying guarantees more bullying. Sooner or later the bullying will cross a line, and Russia will have to fight.”

    However, in this post of yours I cited above you commented:

    So, [the] Turks are already running, it seems, detection routines with  F-16 and F-4 as targets. 
    
    Turks will, already do, want more. 
    
    The Turks  know what comes next, and it is S-500—they want it. 
    
    The reason is  simple: look at [a] map of Turkey and see how much [of the] Eastern  Mediterranean she will be able to cover—pretty much all of it. Just in  case. 
    
    And it is not just for reasons of Greece and gas fields, but for  reasons of Israel. The Turkish path towards a leadership in [the]  Islamic world lies through the fate of Palestine.
    So,  a lot of thing are riding on those systems for Turkey and, just a  hunch, SU-35s will follow.
    
    I’m surprised the Turks haven’t start testing against any F-35s, unless Turkey had to return them to America; 
    
    I’d love  to see the reaction if they did, which so far has included this:  
    
    “‘Erdogan thumbs his nose at Trump’: US senator says Turkey crossed  ‘another red line’ with S-400 test, calls for new sanctions.” 

    As you also wrote recently: “How about State Department creating a new Office of S-400 Weekly Complaints and Threats Towards Turkey (OSWCTTT). Should be a pretty nice sinecure for some bureaucrat. Should pay well too—rent and real estate prices inside the Beltway are atrocious. Foggy Bottom especially.”

    Russia's Radical Sukhoi S-37 Fighter Plane.
    Russia’s Radical Sukhoi S-37 Fighter Plane .

    And I see in the way they’ve turned Turkey away from American dominance, or Western dominance, that Russia’s diplomatic team, of course under the leadership of President Putin, have performed a Jujitsu move against the West more effective than using force.

    Of course, the Turks are no angels as this article, “ISIS Captives Offer a Convenient Pawn in Turkey’s Syria Chess Game” by the respected Vanessa Beeley notes although I suspect they won’t turn on Russia.

    What are your thoughts?

    Andrei Martyanov: As a Russian proverb says: “Diplomacy is the art to say to your counterpart that he is an idiot in the politest manner.”

    In reality, the Russian version is very profane, so I softened it a bit. Russians do not operate on the so called “values-based,” ideological that is, principle in foreign policy. Russians actually DO consider the other side’s interests and concerns and that is what makes Russian diplomacy so effective.

    This, plus, of course, military power. As another Russian saying goes: “If you do not want to talk to Lavrov, you will talk to Shoigu.”

    With Turkey, Russia does accommodate many Turkish interests; the Turks feel that.

    This is as much as I can respond to, because I am not in the position to pass deep and knowledgeable judgment on Turkey’s policies since I do not know the region that well.

    I am sure, however, that Turks have a very good idea about what Russia offers technologically and economically.

    The Turkish officer crews for S-400 underwent an extensive training in Russia so they do not need any additional argumentation in favor of the system they were trained on.

    The F-35 is irrelevant here, apart from the fact that Turks cannot use, I believe, from the top of my head, those two aircraft which they had and which will be returned to the US.

    Yvonne Lorenzo: In this interview with John Pilger, “American Exceptionalism Driving World to War – John Pilger,” he discusses the risk of “hot war” instigated by America against Russia. Here’s an excerpt:

    Question: You have worked for over five decades as a war reporter and  documentary film-maker in Vietnam, elsewhere in Asia, Africa and Latin  America. 
    
    How do you see current international tensions between the US,  China and Russia? 
    
    Do you think the danger of war is greater now than in  previous times?
    John  Pilger: In 1962, we all may have been saved by the refusal of a Soviet  naval officer, Vasili Arkhipov, to fire a nuclear torpedo at US ships during the Cuban Missile Crisis. 
    
    Are we in greater danger today? 
    
    During  the Cold War, there were lines that the other side dared not cross.  
    
    There are few if any lines now;
    
    The US surrounds China with 400 military  bases and ...
    ...sails its low-draught ships into Chinese waters and...
    ...flies its drones in Chinese airspace. 
    
    American-led NATO forces mass on the same Russian frontier the Nazis crossed...
    ...the Russian president is insulted as a matter of routine. 
    
    There is no restraint and none of the diplomacy that kept the old Cold War cold. 
    
    In the West, we have acquiesced as bystanders in our own countries, preferring to look away (or at our smart phones) rather than break free of the post-modernism entrapping us with its specious “identity” distractions.
    Question:  You traveled extensively in the US during the Cold War years. You witnessed the assassination of presidential candidate Robert Kennedy in  1968. 
    
    It seems the American Cold War obsession with “communism as an  evil” has been replaced by an equally intense Russophobia towards  modern-day Russia. 
    
    Do you see a continuation in the phobia from the Cold  War years to today? What accounts for that mindset?
    John  Pilger: The Russians refuse to bow down to America...
    ...and that is intolerable. 
    
    They play an independent, mostly positive role in the  Middle East, the antithesis of America’s violent subversions...
    ...and that  is unbearable. 
    
    Like the Chinese, they have forged peaceful and fruitful alliances with people all over the world...
    ...and that is unacceptable to the US Godfather. 
    
    The constant defamation of all things Russian is a symptom of decline and panic...
    ...as if the United States has departed the  21st century for the 19th century...
    ...obsessed with a proprietorial view of the world. 
    
    In the circumstances, the phobia you describe is hardly  surprising. 

    Andrei Martyanov: As in any event, war between Russia and the US is possible, but how probable it is, is a completely different matter. Some probability of Russia and the United States actually fighting each other certainly exists.

    It is not very high, I think, but it does exist.

    We all have to do our utmost to prevent this scenario becoming a reality.

    Paradoxically, Russia’s very real military strength today is a guarantor or, at least, a robust deterrent against such a nightmarish scenario.

    As I said, the US military does understand the implications, even when American politicians don’t.

    I always repeat that I feel much better when Gerasimov and Milley talk to each other than when Lavrov is forced to explain basic things to Pompeo.

    Mike Pompeo.
    Mike Pompeo.

    Yvonne Lorenzo: Hypersonic weapons, impressive as they are, rely on Newtonian physics. There was—to me—a term that you would call “Runglish”, Russian-English, discussing “New physical principles” which I finally understood to mean “new principles of physics” relating to the new Peresvet laser, which I think you’ve speculated on its purpose but is highly secret.

    Peresvet laser complex.
    Peresvet laser complex.

    However, all this technology is used for military purposes; what I find it sad about deteriorating relations with Russia because the best of the West and Russia could accomplish a great deal sharing and developing non-military technology.

    I’m reminded of this wonderful video of a Russia cosmonaut’s interactions with an American astronaut and seeing the world below they have disdain for politicians.

    I Need More Space: Russian Cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin’s long road to the stars

    What are your thoughts and how can Russians and American in this environment of “Russophobia” which is a polite, diplomatic word for hatred of Russians, cooperate as we two are doing now for peaceful and good purposes?

    I worry both your doors and mine, for simply communicating with one another, will be kicked in one day by someone from the government, as happened with Max Blumenthal.

    Can we both pessimistic and hopeful?

    Max Blumenthal.
    Max Blumenthal.

    Andrei Martyanov: As I stated repeatedly, the combined West committed cultural suicide in Russia.

    Yes, Russians are open to mutually beneficial cooperation, with space being one of those exhibit A cases where international cooperation manifests itself in the most profound and positive way.

    Primary military targets that would be obliterated by first nuclear strikes.
    Primary military targets that would be obliterated by first nuclear strikes.

    Sadly, with the current US political “elites” who are Russophobic in the extreme, any prospects of serious Russian-American cooperation look very grim.

    The world is in the process of unprecedented geopolitical realignment which increasingly degrades the position of the United States and Russia is at the center of this process.

    The Obama Administration destroyed Russian-American relations totally and I don’t see any improvement, bar some symbolic gestures, such as, I hope, President Trump visiting Moscow on May 9th next year, because the American political class’s Russophobia is systemic and was nurtured for generations.

    Plus, the United States is not an agreement-capable entity because it is ungovernable, as the last three years so dramatically demonstrated.

    The first thirty cities to be attacked with nuclear weapons during a Russia or China first-strike event. Say, if America puts troops in the Ukraine, or conducts Naval operations near the Chinese coast.
    The first thirty cities to be attacked with nuclear weapons during a Russia or China first-strike event. Say, if America puts troops in the Ukraine, or conducts Naval operations near the Chinese coast.

    Russia is aware of that—no agreement signed with the United States is worth the paper it is written on.

    "... no agreement signed with the United States is  worth the paper it is written on." I think that China would agree.

    We can only hope that things will change for the better in the future but this change may come only through the United States reassessing its role in history and the world…

    …a process which may take decades, serious tribulations and, hopefully, emergence of new American elites that would be able to formulate real American national interests.

    Nuclear Targets Map in the United States.
    Nuclear Targets Map in the United States.

    ***

    After I asked Andrei my last question, this Russian video posted on YouTube: so much for future cooperation between America and Russia in space, because of sanctions Americans cannot be carried to the space station by Russians any longer:

    US Will Be Stranded On Earth! Baikonur Cosmodrome Sends Very Last American Into Space!

    I’d like to thank Andrei for his kind answers to my questions and highly recommend his books and his writings on his blog and on Unz.com for those who wish to escape the Matrix and find a knowledgeable Russian perspective on events and military matters; Martyanov is the antidote to Tom Clancy disease.

    Radioactive fallout map of America. Assuming  a minor nuclear exchange using small, but accurate nuclear warheads.
    Radioactive fallout map of America. Assuming a minor nuclear exchange using small, but accurate nuclear warheads.

    I want to close by noting Andrei Martynov’s recent blog post “Ishenko Delivers” that referenced an article by Rostislav Ishenko entitled “In Bulgaria, a Russian Soldier” the title itself a reference to the song “Alyosha,” which I am familiar with from the album Wait for Me by the late exceptional baritone Dimitri Hvorsostovky. The below passage Ishenko wrote is moving, as is the song.

    It was 1970. I was five years old. 
    
    I came to visit my grandmother. To  the White Church. Near Kiev. 
    
    My grandmother is from the Urals. 
    
    My  grandfather (on my father’s side) started the war near Stalingrad, and  ended on the Dnieper (six wounds, four of them heavy, two shell shocks,  medals “For Military Merit” and “For Courage,” the Order of the “Red  Star” and “World War II” degrees). 
    
    The commander of a machine gun  company. He fought for an incomplete year. From October 1943 he was no  longer sent to the front (and his division arrived near Stalingrad in  November 1942). 
    
    He died (in 1956) at 36 years old, from the consequences  of a concussion (as a young major, in a colonel’s position).
    In  1970, I was five years old (to be exact, then four and a half).  
    
    Grandmother was a teacher of French. At the same time and a class  teacher. I came to visit her. Contrary to usual, I didn’t go straight  home, but (for some reason unknown to me) I went to the school where she  taught. 
    
    I think that she needed to complete the work with the class,  and the school was five to seven minutes’ walk from home. 
    
    Here I am, as a  future student, and they brought me to see how the children learn.
    For  about fifteen minutes I studied desks in an empty classroom (which at  that time did not differ from the gymnasium at the beginning of the  century) and read what was written on the board. 
    
    And then she went with  her grandmother to the porch of the school, where her class (and other  classes) performed. 
    
    Now I don’t remember what the holiday was, but I  suspect it is May 9th. Because I went out onto the porch (they rather  took me out, I was too small to go out myself), just as the girls from  my grandmother’s class (8–10, already without pioneer ties and, as for  me, adult aunts) sang “Alyosha.” 
    
    I haven’t heard the song so often since  then, but I remember it well, because, in the words, “He doesn’t give  flowers to girls, they give him flowers,” the entire female team of the  school, which was standing next to me, wept.
    It  was the 70th year. 
    
    My grandmother was 48 years old. 
    
    Exactly at that age  (in 2014) I left Kiev. 
    
    The city where four generations of my ancestors  lived, in which my mother survived the occupation (and met the Red Army  at the age of three), became not just a stranger, but a hostile one. 
    
    I  can be forced to return there, but I cannot be persuaded or persuaded to  do so voluntarily. 
    
    It’s like in a war. 
    
    All who survived and won are  proud of the Victory, and while their fellow soldiers were alive, they  met and remembered the days of old. 
    
    But they themselves did not dream of  returning to the dugout under shelling, nor did they want to experience  the “pleasure” of the attack (to their full height on the prepared  defense) for their children. 

    Russians have in their collective memory the trauma of a war that killed millions, a subject Martyanov has discussed in depth especially in his first book;

    …in that respect, they are different from Americans and I question the sanity of the rulers…

    …especially the feckless political class…

    …of the West who make the Russians foes.

    Launch of American ICBM's from the underground silos.
    Launch of American ICBM’s from the underground silos.

    Perhaps only the people of the two nations—if they are enough in number in America—can prevent war from coming, because I am uncertain if the American military can reign in the powers that control them.

    Or perhaps it is the fate for Russia to humble America, the way she did Nazi Germany, not necessarily by military might—at least I pray.

    I suspect the process has started already.

    Sadly, we know which side is most at fault for this deterioration of relations between our nations.

    Reminders… China.

    China and Russia will mutually work together militarily to counter American aggression.

    As a history buff I must point out that ALL Major Wars started from  misconceptions (they enemy is weak, cannot hit the broad side of the  barn etc) AND starred new disruptive weapons (the Machine Gun in WW1 vs  Calvary/Infantry charges, Aircraft carrier in WW2 vs the MIGHTY  Battleship).  
    
    Will WW3 find the USA under EMP?  Will Russian and Chinese high tech  ECM systems shut off our High Tech Weapons? Ask the commanders of the  two recent US Navy collisions if they think ECM jammed their Command and  Control Systems.  Both of the Ships were very high tech Aegis Warships,  yet were rammed by slow moving clumsy Cargo Ships. 
    
    Will we get our  heads handed to us like the Germans?  
    
    You know that in both world wars the Germans did not expect to lose you know.
    
    Prepare for bad times my friends the petrodollar is almost done. The cost of everything is about to rise quickly.
      
     -NH Michael 

    Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged Russia to strengthen bilateral comprehensive cooperation and mutual political support during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit in Hangzhou. This action has prompted political analyst Rostislav Ishchenko to assert that both countries are moving towards a political and military alliance.

    "De  facto a political and military alliance between Russia and China has  existed for a long time and it is not a secret to anyone. Rumors have repeatedly surfaced that it could be  formalized. But at the recent G20 summit the Chinese leader has for the  first time mentioned the need to 'formalize relations' as openly  as Chinese political and diplomatic traditions permit."
    
    - Ishchenko,  head of the Center for Systems Analysis and Forecasting, wrote  for RIA Novosti. 

    Xi Jinping said that both countries should support each other in their efforts to protect national sovereignty and security. The Chinese president added that both nations should step up cooperation in such areas as infrastructure development, energy, aviation, aerospace and cutting-edge technology.

    In addition, Russia and China should foster bilateral military exchanges and security cooperation.

    Reminders… American Mainstream media

    The US is likely to provoke a major war, partly in an attempt to unite a  culturally divided country. But not just a sport war such as we’ve had  in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. Probably with China, possibly Russia or  Iran. Perhaps with all three. The US won’t do well, since it will find  that its aircraft carriers, F-35s, and the like are equivalent to  cavalry before WW1 and battleships before WW2. 
    
    - Doug Casey’s Top 7 Predictions for the 2020s 

    Americans, all jazzed up with the mainstream media news, and the mainstream pro-military movies, and a neocon government, is all but “chomping at the bit” to fight and (of course) win a war with either, Russia or China or both…

    Lord help us all.


    I hope that you all enjoyed this post. I have other posts along this nature in the SHTF index. You can access it here…

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    Ozymandias (poem) by Percy Bysshe Shelley

    This is a most excellent poem.  In “Ozymandias,” Shelley describes a crumbling statue of Ozymandias as a way to portray the transience of political power and to praise art’s power of preserving the past.  I offer the readers to send a copy of it to their Congressman, as a reminder of their role in the larger picture of life and the universe.

    I met a traveler from an antique land,
    Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
    Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,

    Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
    And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
    Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

    Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
    The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;

    And on the pedestal, these words appear:

    My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
    Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!

    Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
    Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
    The lone and level sands stretch far away.”


    If you liked this post, you can find other similar posts on this link here. It will take you to an index of similar posts of the same general venue.

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    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

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    Be the Rufus; more stories of personal heroism in China. Part 6.

    More stories of personal heroism in China. This is part six.

    Here are some more videos of personal heroism. These videos all take place in China, and show examples of how average, normal, everyday people (or dogs and cats) can make a difference. When the calling strikes and an emergency occurs, will you be the one who turns their back, or will you run and offer help? Will you be the one who stays playing on the cell-phone, or will you lend a helping hand? Will you be the person who will make a difference in the lives of those around you, or are you just going to fade into the background.

    Make a difference. Be like Rufus!

    Please kindly note that this post has multiple embedded videos. It is important to view them. If they fail to load, all you need to do is to reload your browser.

    These are all micro-videos of very short duration. From ten seconds to three minutes. I would suggest that you, the reader, allow them to load to get the full experience.

    Video 1 – Children makes some emergency road work.

    Well, some kids are walking along and spot a hole in the middle of the road. Would they walk on by? Would they hurry on home from school and say nothing? Or, perhaps, they would try to be the Rufus. Maybe they would place some warnings so that others won’t fall into the hole.

    They would be the Rufus.

    Video 2 – Dog rescues a lost kitten.

    True story. This little kitten is alone, and cannot find it’s mother. However, it sees a big dog, and so it follows it. The dog knows that it is following him. So he leads the kitten on. He helps it up the stairs, and into the house. He’s a real Rufus dog.

    Video 3 – Emergency care in the hospital lobby.

    Yes, we know that the hospitals are there to help us get well. But what if… what if… you just make it barely in time? What if you are so sick that you cannot make the ER or ICU? What then?

    Well, surgery and emergency procedures will need to take place in the most inconvenient places.

    Video 4 – HK citizens capture and hold a “pro-democracy” protestor for the police.

    Most people in America have no idea just how unpopular the terrorists are in HK. They are called “pro democracy” liberators by the American press, but that’s just propaganda because the entire movement is funded by the CIA managed NED. It’s part of a much larger global politics gambit.

    Hong Kong and the NED CIA operations.

    Anyways, the regular day to day HK citizens absolutely do not like these kids setting fire to buildings, destroying malls, subways, and setting people on fire and hitting people on the head and killing them…

    … here’s some people on the way to work that snagged one of those “protestors” who was bounding a Mainland Chinese person to a pole. The bystanders, stopped him. They unmasked him, and called the police to take him away.

    You would never see this kind of thing in the United States. Americans have been accustomed to take the “shit” from the BLM and Antifa terrorists. The police just stand by watching, and if anyone reacts to the terrorists, the police arrest THEM instead.

    In China, a traditional conservative nation, they just do not tolerate young thugs.

    Video 5 – HK Citizens chase away a gang of “pro-democracy” protestors from blocking a major road.

    Here’s another video. Some of these “protestors” are trying to block traffic, causing the delay of people going to work during rush hour. The HK citizens aren’t having any of that. They stop their actions and chase them away…

    This is who is funding the Hong Kong protests, and no, they are not organic.  Here we look at the protests in Hong Kong and who is funding and training them. For they are using sophisticated urban combat techniques, as well as creating very sophisticated bombs, and handmade weapons. Obviously, some agent wants this group to cause damage and trouble in Hong Kong.

    Rufus prevents events from spiraling out of control.

    Video 6 – HK police give fair warning to some “pro democracy” protestors that are starting to organize before a riot.

    During riots, the NED set up stockpiles of gas masks, weapons, and set up communication points. But, don’t you know, all communication is monitored by the police, and so they know who is behind all this and who is sponsoring the event. So the police come out and offer fair warning to the organizers and participants.

    Fair warning.

    The US involvement in the HK "Democracy Now" movement.

    Again, you would never see this in the United States. The police would shoot first and ask questions later. And, people (!) you know this is true.

    The Rufus gives fair warning and avoids violence.

    Fair warning results in less casualties.
    Fair warning results in less casualties. Meme from the Hong Kong concerning American support for “pro democracy” terrorists.

    Video 7 – Local citizens stop a mugger.

    If you are driving along, and you see someone rob or steal, what would you do? Pretend nothing happened? Ignore the event? Or, would you take matters in your own hands, stop the car… get out and stop the crime?

    Be the Rufus.

    Video 8 – Stranger gives CPR to delivery man in distress.

    When someone is in trouble, would you drop everything and come to their aide, or would you pretend that it’s none of your business? Be the Rufus. Make a difference.

    Video 9 – Bus driver secures the safety of his passengers before he collapses.

    Here’s a bus driver. He is having a problem. Maybe a stroke. Maybe a heart attack. Something. What ever, he pulls off to the side of the road. He tells everyone to get out, and then exits and collapses right there on the pavement.

    He put the lives of others before himself. He was the Rufus.

    Video 10 – Subway doors trap a girl like a vise.

    In general, Chinese subways are new, modern and state of the art. As such, they are very safe. Yet, like everything else, things and accidents happen and often it is an unfortunate person who wasn’t expecting anything that gets caught up and trapped in a bad situation.

    Like this…

    Conclusion

    We do not know when the calling will come. However, when it calls, you must take action.

    It will not make you wealthy, rich, famous, or attractive.

    However, it will make a difference when you are judged upon death. Be the Rufus. Make a difference. Help others. It’s our highest calling.

    Posts Regarding Life and Contentment

    Here are some other similar posts on this venue. If you enjoyed this post, you might like these posts as well. These posts tend to discuss growing up in America. Often, I like to compare my life in America with the society within communist China. As there are some really stark differences between the two.

    Some of my favorite links and browser bookmarks.
Here are just some pretty decent websites, bookmarks, URL's and sites that I would like to share. I think that there is something here for everyone. These, in my mind, are the "cream of the crop" of underappreciated websites, and some places that you all might want to visit.
    Mongolian Women under Genghis Khan
    The history of how Australia obtained Sheilas; the story of The Lady Juliana, The 18th-Century Prison Ship Filled With Women.   This is the story of the Lady Juliana. This was a special ship designed to convey female convicts from England to Australia. The idea was that a boat load of female convicts would happily link up with a colony of convicts in Australia. Thus making everyone very, very happy, and reform the colony in New South Wales.
    What is going on in Hollywood?
    Why no High-Speed rail in the USA?
    Link
    Gaslighting
    Link
    Link
    End of the Day Potato
    Dog Shit
    Tomatos
    Link
    Mad scientist
    The Navy is scrapping the F/A-18 Hornet.
    Gorilla Cage in the basement
    The two family types and how they work.
    How to manage a family household.
    Link
    The most popular American foods.
    Soups, Sandwiches and ice cold beer.
    Pleasures
    Work in the 1960's
    School in the 1970s
    Cat Heaven
    Corporate life
    Corporate life - part 2
    Build up your life
    Grow and play - 1
    Grow and play - 2
    Baby's got back
    Link
    A womanly vanity
    Army and Navy Store
    Playground Comparisons
    Excuses that we use that keep us enslaved.

    More Posts about Life

    I have broken apart some other posts. They can best be classified about ones actions as they contribute to happiness and life. They are a little different, in subtle ways.

    Being older
    Things I wish I knew.
    Asian Nazi Chic
    Link
    Travel
    PT-141
    Bronco Billy
    How they get away with it
    Paper Airplanes
    Snopes
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    1960's and 1970's link
    The Confederados
    Democracy Lessons
    The Rule of Eight
    What High School taught me about Diversity.  Here we look at idea of "diversity" from the point of view of what it was like in my High School years. For my High School was fully and intentionally diverse. And at that time, there were two techniques of grouping people.  These techniques were by [1] merit, and [2] by random association. Or in other words; "diversity". Thus we can compare diversity against merit as the criteria used in a selection process.

    Funny Pictures

    Picture Dump 1

    Be the Rufus – Tales of Everyday Heroism.

    Be the Rufus - 1
    Be the Rufus, part II. More tales of heroism.
    Be the Rufus; more stories of personal heroism in China. Part 3.
Here are some more videos of personal heroism. These videos all take place in China, and show examples of how average, normal, everyday people (or dogs and cats) can make a difference. When the calling strikes and an emergency occurs, will you be the one who turns their back, or will you run and offer help? Will you be the one who stays playing on the cell-phone, or will you lend a helping hand? Will you be the person who will make a difference in the lives of those around you, or are you just going to fade into the background.
    Be the Rufus; more stories of personal heroism in China. Part 4.
Here are some more fine, fine videos of personal heroism. These videos all take place in China, and show examples of how average, normal, everyday people (or dogs and cats) can make a difference. When the calling strikes and an emergency occurs, will you be the one who turns their back, or will you run and offer help? Will you be the one who stays playing on the cell-phone, or will you lend a helping hand? Will you be the person who will make a difference in the lives of those around you, or are you just going to fade into the background.
    Be the Rufus; more stories of personal heroism in China. Part 5.
Here are even more fine, fine videos of personal heroism. These videos all take place in China, and show examples of how average, normal, everyday people (or dogs and cats) can make a difference. When the calling strikes and an emergency occurs, will you be the one who turns their back, or will you run and offer help? Will you be the one who stays playing on the cell-phone, or will you lend a helping hand? Will you be the person who will make a difference in the lives of those around you, or are you just going to fade into the background.
    This is a selection of videos that portray everyday heroes doing good, kind works. We all like int he same (apparent) world and we all share the same environment. It is thus important for us to make it the best environment to coexist within. These videos are part of a much larger collection of videos. This is part 6.
    Be the Rufus; more stories of personal heroism in China. Part 7.
This is a selection of videos that portray everyday heroes doing good, kind works. We all like in the same (apparent) world and we all share the same environment. It is thus important for us to make it the best environment to coexist within. These videos are part of a much larger collection of videos. This is part 7.
    Be the Rufus; more stories of personal heroism in China. Part 8.
This is a selection of videos that portray everyday heroes doing good, kind works. We all like in the same (apparent) world and we all share the same environment. It is thus important for us to make it the best environment to coexist within. These videos are part of a much larger collection of videos. This is part 8.
    Be the Rufus; more stories of personal heroism in China. Part 9.
We all have a need to participate within our communities, to have a role, and to give meaning to our lives. This role is important, and it is such that it often can call upon us to be heroic in acts and deeds. This is a selection of videos that portray everyday heroes doing good, kind works. We all like in the same (apparent) world and we all share the same environment. It is thus important for us to make it the best environment to coexist within. These videos are part of a much larger collection of videos. This is part 9.
    Be the Rufus; more stories of personal heroism in China. Part 10.
We all have a need to participate within our communities, to have a role, and to give meaning to our lives. This role is important, and it is such that it often can call upon us to be heroic in acts and deeds. This is a selection of videos that portray everyday heroes doing good, kind works. We all like in the same (apparent) world and we all share the same environment. It is thus important for us to make it the best environment to coexist within. These videos are part of a much larger collection of videos. This is part 10.
    Be the Rufus; more stories of personal heroism in China. Part 11.
Here are some more stories, videos and micro-movies of personal examples of heroism, and being a Rufus. They all take place in China, because, that is, well, where I live. Here you can see that personal heroes come in different sizes and shapes and that being a hero is our highest calling in our world. Be the hero. Be the Rufus.
    Here are some more videos of personal heroism. These videos all take place in China, and show examples of how average, normal, everyday people (or dogs and cats) can make a difference. When the calling strikes and an emergency occurs, will you be the one who turns their back, or will you run and offer help? Will you be the one who stays playing on the cell-phone, or will you lend a helping hand? Will you be the person who will make a difference in the lives of those around you, or are you just going to fade into the background.
    It is our highest calling to help others in need. Here are some more videos of personal heroism. These videos all take place in China, and show examples of how average, normal, everyday people (or dogs and cats) can make a difference. When the calling strikes and an emergency occurs, will you be the one who turns their back, or will you run and offer help? Be the Rufus and make the world a better place.
    Be the Rufus; more stories of personal heroism in China. Part 14.
It is our highest calling to help others in need. Here are some more videos of personal heroism. These videos all take place in China, and show examples of how average, normal, everyday people (or dogs and cats) can make a difference. When the calling strikes and an emergency occurs, will you be the one who turns their back, or will you run and offer help? Be the Rufus and make the world a better place.

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Introduction to the art of Kai Carpenter.

    Kai Carpenter is a freelance illustrator and painter based in New York, United States who has created magnificent artworks with traditional gouache painting… His list of clients includes Wizards of the Coast, LEGO Systems, Anderson Design Group, and Harper Collins publishing. Let’s take a look at some of his amazing artworks styled in an Art Deco flair, these adventurous scenes are sure to inspire and bring a smile.

    Kai Carpenter 0
    Kai Carpenter is a freelance illustrator and painter based in New York, United States who has created magnificent artworks with traditional gouache painting.

    Kai Carpenter’s elegiac scenes mine the myth and history coursing beneath the whole of human consciousness. Occupying the nebulous space between waking and dreams, his subjects hover just at the edge of our collective understanding.

    Like figures emerging from mist, they are both seen and unseen, their presence more intuited than perceived. Carpenter’s portrayal of nature and the human form harkens back to the very roots of Western culture.

    He embraces the ideals of the Romantic, offering art as a conduit through which we are meant to both contemplate and celebrate the mysteries of life.

    Kai Carpenter 00
    Kai Carpenter’s Paintings are driven by a love of drama and beauty —and their convergence in a great visual story. The Seattle-based Carpenter’s work is jam-packed with color and storytelling, so much so that you might assume these works are digitally created.

    W hen it came to painting of Redwood National Park for an ambitious centennial art book, Kai Carpenter decided to “turn the saturation way up”—use bright exaggerated colors—with his palette of oil paints.

    The Brooklyn-based illustrator hadn’t set foot in the park, but had been commissioned to paint a stylized rendition of it, along with 11 other parks.

    After speaking with people who had been there and studied photos of the park, Carpenter thought a bold color scheme would convey the sheer size of the place. He conjured a giant redwood, drenched in red and burgundy, towering above two small travelers, with more giant trunks receding into the background.

    Kai Carpenter 000
    Early advertising posters from the 20th Century were pasted onto walls to grab public attention as busy people passed by. By necessity, good poster composition included bold color, contrast, iconic imagery and easy-to-read type.

    “I was going for the look of old lithographs with those great color palettes,” he says. He referred to the early 20th century art deco travel posters, which featured happy couples exploring Technicolor versions of far-off locales: Visit Fascinating Fiji! Fly with Trans World Airlines! “And I was taking a lot of cues from the parks themselves, they’re already so vibrant.”

    Kai Carpenter 0000
    “I was going for the look of old lithographs with those great color palettes,” he says. He referred to the early 20th century art deco travel posters, which featured happy couples exploring Technicolor versions of far-off locales.

    Five years ago, Joel decided he wanted to pay homage to the iconic Works Progress Administration posters, created between 1938 and 1941 for 14 national parks to encourage Americans to explore the great outdoors.

    He started recruiting artists he’d worked with through his Nashville firm, Anderson Design Group, who generally specialize in that retro travel poster style. To achieve that look, most ADG art is hand-lettered and drawn or painted before it’s given a final polish on the computer. 

    Kai Carpenter 5
    Inspired by the stylized art of the early 20th century, artist Kai Carpenter has created original paintings that turn drama and beauty into great visual stories. Vibrant colors and well-crafted lettering add to the calendar’s retro style.

    “We studied the WPA posters to make sure we were plowing new ground,” Joel says. “Luckily, the parks are so vast that it wasn’t hard to find new landscapes and color palettes.”

    All 71 works in the book draw from styles that characterize the Golden Age of Poster Art: rich colors, hand-lettered text, timeless scenes like a cowboy in Saguaro National Park or a couple canoeing through the Everglades.

    Kai Carpenter 6
    “We studied the WPA posters to make sure we were plowing new ground,” Joel says. “Luckily, the parks are so vast that it wasn’t hard to find new landscapes and color palettes.”

    Three weeks after completing all of the paintings in September, Carpenter and his older brother road-tripped from Brooklyn to Seattle, stopping over two weeks at three of the parks he’d painted: Zion, Yosemite, and Redwood.

    “I was worried I was going to be devastated that I butchered all of these places,” he says. “But I was surprisingly happy with how they turned out.” Especially the Redwood poster: “I’m really glad that I went bananas with the colors,” Carpenter says. “It feels that way when you’re there. Like you’re maybe seeing something you’re a little too small to be seeing.”

    Kai Carpenter 7
    The Seattle-based Carpenter’s work is jam-packed with color and storytelling, so much so that you might assume these works are digitally created. However each one is effortlessly painted in oil on canvas.

    The Seattle-based Carpenter’s work is jam-packed with color and storytelling, so much so that you might assume these works are digitally created. However each one is effortlessly painted in oil on canvas. 

    Kai Carpenter 8
    Five years ago, Joel decided he wanted to pay homage to the iconic Works Progress Administration posters, created between 1938 and 1941 for 14 national parks to encourage Americans to explore the great outdoors.

    Inspired by the stylized art of the early 20th century, artist Kai Carpenter has created original paintings that turn drama and beauty into great visual stories. Vibrant colors and well-crafted lettering add to the calendar’s retro style.

    Kai Carpenter 9
    Kai Carpenter’s Paintings are driven by a love of drama and beauty —and their convergence in a great visual story.

    KAI CARPENTER’S oil paintings use archetypal imagery to explore psychological themes. Drawing on a variety of influences both ancient and contemporary, his work invokes the storytelling ethos of myths, legends and fairy tales to express emotional realities native to dreams and memory.

    Kai Carpenter 10
    “I was worried I was going to be devastated that I butchered all of these places,” he says. “But I was surprisingly happy with how they turned out.”

    Inspired by a collection of vintage citrus labels…

    … reflect the art styles seen throughout 1900-1950 with an influence of the Works Progress Administration.

    This period included persuading Americans to travel to the great outdoors as advertised by the automobile and railroad industries, and later influenced by the art boom of the depression.

    Kai Carpenter 11
    Kai Carpenter’s Paintings are driven by a love of drama and beauty —and their convergence in a great visual story.

    Kai Carpenter’s Paintings are driven by a love of drama and beautyand their convergence in a great visual story. The Seattle-based Carpenter’s work is jam-packed with color and storytelling, so much so that you might assume these works are digitally created.

    Kai Carpenter 12
    This period included persuading Americans to travel to the great outdoors as advertised by the automobile and railroad industries, and later influenced by the art boom of the depression.

    Early advertising posters from the 20th Century were pasted onto walls to grab public attention as busy people passed by. By necessity, good poster composition included bold color, contrast, iconic imagery and easy-to-read type.

    Kai Carpenter 13
    His amazing artworks are styled in an Art Deco flair, these adventurous scenes are sure to inspire and bring a smile.

    Links

    Art Related Index

    This is an index of art that I have found profound, interesting, beautiful or enlightening. In any event, I find that art soothes my soul. I enjoy painting figurative and portraits in oils using the more traditional Flemish technique, but it never really brought me the kind of money I need to live off of. Such is the life of a painter today. Please enjoy.

    An experiment of a bird in a vacuum jar.
    Robert Williams
    Todd Schorr
    Mitch O'Connell
    Greg (Craola) Simkins.
    Mark Ryden
    Alan MacDonald
    Tokuhiro Kawai.
    Jesus Helguera.
    Michael Tole
    Martin Wittfooth
    Ania Tomicka
    Bob Dob
    Chris Peters
    David Lebow.
    Jason Limon.
    Iva Troj.
    Kisung Koh.
    Kayla Mahaffrey.
    Peter Ferguson.

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Introduction to the art of Peter Ferguson.

    “Meticulously painted, Ferguson’s darkly humorous narratives evoke an achronological magical realism, featuring composite cities and landscapes comprised of everything from from 16th Century European towns to early 20th century Americana (or Canadiana as the case may be),” the gallery says.

    1
    “Meticulously painted, Ferguson’s darkly humorous narratives evoke an achronological magical realism, featuring composite cities and landscapes comprised of everything from from 16th Century European towns to early 20th century Americana (or Canadiana as the case may be),”

    “Combining grandiose narratives of the great ages of exploration with a distinctly paranormal bent, Ferguson’s work subtly hovers the line between fantasy, surrealism, and realism without ever falling into either of them fully. Norman Rockwell meets H.P. Lovecraft.”

    2
    “Combining grandiose narratives of the great ages of exploration with a distinctly paranormal bent, Ferguson’s work subtly hovers the line between fantasy, surrealism, and realism without ever falling into either of them fully. Norman Rockwell meets H.P. Lovecraft.”

    Peter Ferguson was born in Montreal, Canada in 1968. He set his sights on an illustration career after seeing the movie Star Wars, deciding that he would like to draw spaceships.

    After graduating from the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto in 1992, he began his career as a professional illustrator, using oil as his medium of choice.

    3
    After graduating from the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto in 1992, he began his career as a professional illustrator, using oil as his medium of choice.

    Peter’s brilliant ability to conceptualize clients’ ideas as well as his distinctive characters gave him a running start in the editorial and book publishing markets. Since signing with Three in a Box Inc, Peter’s career has grown steadily.

    His clients include Marvel Comics, The Royal Shakespeare Company, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Times, Mojo, Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times. Peter has also illustrated the covers of the popular Sisters Grimm collection.

    4
    Peter’s brilliant ability to conceptualize clients’ ideas as well as his distinctive characters gave him a running start in the editorial and book publishing markets. Since signing with Three in a Box Inc, Peter’s career has grown steadily.

    Peter is also a highly sought after fine artist, who’s vividly imaginative works read like a lucid dream of an alternate history, recalling the aesthetic of Dutch Renaissance painting, old National Geographic photography, and 18th century British Naval history.

    5
    Peter is also a highly sought after fine artist, who’s vividly imaginative works read like a lucid dream of an alternate history, recalling the aesthetic of Dutch Renaissance painting, old National Geographic photography, and 18th century British Naval history.

    Meticulously painted, Ferguson’s darkly humorous narratives evoke composite cities and landscapes from 16th Century Europe and early 20th century small town Americana (or Canadiana as the case may be).

    7
    Meticulously painted, Ferguson’s darkly humorous narratives evoke composite cities and landscapes from 16th Century Europe and early 20th century small town Americana (or Canadiana as the case may be).

    Combining grandiose narratives of the great ages of exploration with a distinctly paranormal bent, Ferguson’s work subtly hovers the line between fantasy, surrealism, and realism without ever falling into either of them fully.

    8
    Combining grandiose narratives of the great ages of exploration with a distinctly paranormal bent, Ferguson’s work subtly hovers the line between fantasy, surrealism, and realism without ever falling into either of them fully.

    Luminously painted and complex in their composition, his paintings retain an air of both melancholy and wonder at days gone past.

    9
    Luminously painted and complex in their composition, his paintings retain an air of both melancholy and wonder at days gone past.

    He has an enormous gallery on line with all sorts of interesting and amazing art. You can find it HERE (it opens up in a separate link).

    Ferguson’s work subtly hovers the line between fantasy, surrealism, and realism without ever falling into either of them fully.

    11
    Ferguson’s work subtly hovers the line between fantasy, surrealism, and realism without ever falling into either of them fully.

    Canadian painter Peter Ferguson has been working had a career as a professional illustrator since graduating from the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto in 1992. He has been very successful over the years and has had many clients such as Marvel Comics, The Wall Street Journal, and has illustrated the covers of the Sisters Grimm collection.

    10
    Canadian painter Peter Ferguson has been working had a career as a professional illustrator since graduating from the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto in 1992. He has been very successful over the years and has had many clients such as Marvel Comics, The Wall Street Journal, and has illustrated the covers of the Sisters Grimm collection.

    His personal work is an imaginative mixture of the fantastical and bizarre. The fusion of technical skills and imaginative depictions of characters within the work seems to indicate that strong cultivations of narratives are the premise behind his extraordinary oil paintings.

    Links

    Art Related Index

    This is an index of art that I have found profound, interesting, beautiful or enlightening. In any event, I find that art soothes my soul. I enjoy painting figurative and portraits in oils using the more traditional Flemish technique, but it never really brought me the kind of money I need to live off of. Such is the life of a painter today. Please enjoy.

    An experiment of a bird in a vacuum jar.
    Robert Williams
    Todd Schorr
    Mitch O'Connell
    Greg (Craola) Simkins.
    Mark Ryden
    Alan MacDonald
    Tokuhiro Kawai.
    Jesus Helguera.
    Michael Tole
    Martin Wittfooth
    Ania Tomicka
    Bob Dob
    Chris Peters
    David Lebow.
    Jason Limon.
    Iva Troj.
    Kisung Koh.
    Kayla Mahaffrey.

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Introduction to the art of Kayla Mahaffrey.

    Kayla Mahaffey “KaylaMay” is a Chicago based artist specializing in illustration and fine art. In 2012, she attended the American Academy of Art where she gained knowledge and strengthened her skills.

    Her work speaks about how living in our world can be tough and how making the best of it can simply be done by holding on to each other.

    Kayla Mahaffey "KaylaMay" 1
    Her work speaks about how living in our world can be tough and how making the best of it can simply be done by holding on to each other.

    Her inspiration is the world around her and her colorful paintings contain hints of whimsy and realism that tell a story of inner thoughts and society issues that sometimes go unheard. Being born and raised on the South side of Chicago, only ignited her love for all things art.

    Kayla Mahaffey "KaylaMay" 3
    Her inspiration is the world around her and her colorful paintings contain hints of whimsy and realism that tell a story of inner thoughts and society issues that sometimes go unheard.

    Seeing the struggle and the support from the community made her work evolve to a concept that is personal to her. She continues to further her technique and creativity in her field in order to paint a beautiful picture of a new world for those who live in it.

    Kayla Mahaffey "KaylaMay" 2
    Seeing the struggle and the support from the community made her work evolve to a concept that is personal to her.

    ‘Off to the Races’ narrates the ever-changing road of life. As we travel through life we experience the daily trials and tribulations that help shape us into the people we are today. During this journey we may end up hitting some bumps or may experience some rough terrain, but it’s how we deal with those situations that make the difference.

    Kayla Mahaffey "KaylaMay" 5
    As we travel through life we experience the daily trials and tribulations that help shape us into the people we are today. During this journey we may end up hitting some bumps or may experience some rough terrain, but it’s how we deal with those situations that make the difference.

    We are all on the journey to greatness, each individual racing to the finish line in hope of reaching goals and prosperity. With the race may come with it mistakes and regret, but not taking part in the race leads you nowhere.

    Kayla Mahaffey "KaylaMay" 4
    We are all on the journey to greatness, each individual racing to the finish line in hope of reaching goals and prosperity. With the race may come with it mistakes and regret, but not taking part in the race leads you nowhere.

    Playful portraits by Chicago-based artist and illustrator Kayla Mahaffey. Using a combination of whimsy and realism, Mahaffey explores the inner thoughts and personal issues that so often go unheard, creating work that reflects both the struggle and support she sees within her own community:

    Kayla Mahaffey "KaylaMay" 7
    Playful portraits by Chicago-based artist and illustrator Kayla Mahaffey. Using a combination of whimsy and realism, Mahaffey explores the inner thoughts and personal issues that so often go unheard, creating work that reflects both the struggle and support she sees within her own community.

    “Living in our society can be tough and most of the time we have to make the best of it. A wild imagination can take you so far, but at the end of the day we need to realize and observe the world around us. And the world around us is where I find my inspiration to paint.”

    Kayla Mahaffey "KaylaMay" 8
    “Living in our society can be tough and most of the time we have to make the best of it. A wild imagination can take you so far, but at the end of the day we need to realize and observe the world around us. And the world around us is where I find my inspiration to paint.”

    Her work speaks about how living in our world can be tough and how making the best of it can simply be done by holding on to each other.

    Kayla Mahaffey "KaylaMay" 6
    Her work speaks about how living in our world can be tough and how making the best of it can simply be done by holding on to each other.

    Links

    Art Related Index

    This is an index of art that I have found profound, interesting, beautiful or enlightening. In any event, I find that art soothes my soul. I enjoy painting figurative and portraits in oils using the more traditional Flemish technique, but it never really brought me the kind of money I need to live off of. Such is the life of a painter today. Please enjoy.

    An experiment of a bird in a vacuum jar.
    Robert Williams
    Todd Schorr
    Mitch O'Connell
    Greg (Craola) Simkins.
    Mark Ryden
    Alan MacDonald
    Tokuhiro Kawai.
    Jesus Helguera.
    Michael Tole
    Martin Wittfooth
    Ania Tomicka
    Bob Dob
    Chris Peters
    David Lebow.
    Jason Limon.
    Iva Troj.
    Kisung Koh.

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Introduction to the art of Kisung Koh.

    Kisung Koh uses his art as a means to opening gateways into nature’s spiritual dimensions, exploring the intimate connections he has formulated with wildlife during his lifetime. Over the course of years, this South Korean has had the honor of coming in close contact with many wild animals within their natural habitats and has become aware of these incredibly strong energies.

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    Kisung Koh uses his art as a means to opening gateways into nature’s spiritual dimensions, exploring the intimate connections he has formulated with wildlife during his lifetime.

    “I love animals and natures like anyone else and they are all my inspirations. My parents had wanted me to live in somewhere full of trees and the beauties of nature because they knew I was extremely fascinated of being in nature. In my childhood I lived in a small town of South Korea surrounded by mountains and rivers and spent most of the time in nature and farms. “

    “My parents had wanted me to live in somewhere full of trees and the beauties of nature because they knew I was extremely fascinated of being in nature. In my childhood I lived in a small town of South Korea surrounded by mountains and rivers and spent most of the time in nature and farms. “

    “One day, I was walking in a forest myself in early morning. It was very silent and calm. While having a nice walk, I had a chance to see a deer family very close. I can’t explain how I felt at the time because it’s unspeakable. It was just truly amazing. “

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    “One day, I was walking in a forest myself in early morning. It was very silent and calm. While having a nice walk, I had a chance to see a deer family very close. I can’t explain how I felt at the time because it’s unspeakable. It was just truly amazing. “

    ” It’s probably easier to say that I saw not only deer but also beautiful spirits around them. In my opinion, there is nothing more beautiful than when you actually see a wild animal in nature. However, we rarely see them where they are supposed to be and just don’t know how amazing they are to be alive.  “

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    ” It’s probably easier to say that I saw not only deer but also beautiful spirits around them. In my opinion, there is nothing more beautiful than when you actually see a wild animal in nature. “

    Kisung Koh (Canada) uses his art to open gateways into nature’s spiritual dimensions and explores the intimate connections he has built with wildlife during his lifetime. Drawing heavily on the memories and dreams provided to him by the sheer awe inspiring spectacles he has witnessed in the great outdoors, Koh pays tribute by creating imagery that is suggestive of the metaphysical energies and bonds which can exist between two living creatures, even when interacting from a distance.

    Kisung Koh 4
    Kisung Koh (Canada) uses his art to open gateways into nature’s spiritual dimensions and explores the intimate connections he has built with wildlife during his lifetime.

    Over the years, Koh has had the honour of coming in close contact with many wild animals in their natural habitats, and has become aware of these energies, which have manifested themselves to him with an ethereal majesty. Through his art, Koh captures the essence and beauty of the natural world, and reminds us that our relationships with it are…

    Kisung Koh 5
    Over the years, Koh has had the honour of coming in close contact with many wild animals in their natural habitats, and has become aware of these energies, which have manifested themselves to him with an ethereal majesty.

    Kisung Koh was born during the year of 1985, in South Korea. He lived in his home country until 2006 when his entire family moved to Toronto, Canada. Based in a new nation with an entirely new culture, Kisung Koh needed some time to adjust. He eventually received a BAA in Illustration from Sheridan College, ON, Canada, receiving these honors in the year of 2012.

    Kisung Koh 6
    Kisung Koh was born during the year of 1985, in South Korea. He lived in his home country until 2006 when his entire family moved to Toronto, Canada. Based in a new nation with an entirely new culture, Kisung Koh needed some time to adjust.

    Since then, he has been developing his technical skill and establishing a reputation within the art community of Canada. From the moment he became a professional artist, Koh has exhibited his art around the world and has become a much sought after name within the international scene. From day one, he has been finding inspiration in animals and natures, fascinated by their grace and harmony.

    Kisung Koh 7
    From the moment he became a professional artist, Koh has exhibited his art around the world and has become a much sought after name within the international scene. From day one, he has been finding inspiration in animals and natures, fascinated by their grace and harmony.

    Kisung Koh became noticed by art pundits thanks to his dreamy and imaginative places that featured animals, packed with mysterious spirits that make the depicted creatures seem safe. Such a practice culminated over time and is a result of a deep fascination with nature that followed this illustrator his whole life:

    There  is nothing more beautiful than when you actually see a wild animal in  nature. However, we rarely see them from where they are supposed to be  and just don’t know how amazing they are to be alive. 

    Exploring the spiritual potential of the wild and its stoic inhabitants, Koh draws comparable connections between the animal and human plights.

    Links

    Art Related Index

    This is an index of art that I have found profound, interesting, beautiful or enlightening. In any event, I find that art soothes my soul. I enjoy painting figurative and portraits in oils using the more traditional Flemish technique, but it never really brought me the kind of money I need to live off of. Such is the life of a painter today. Please enjoy.

    An experiment of a bird in a vacuum jar.
    Robert Williams
    Todd Schorr
    Mitch O'Connell
    Greg (Craola) Simkins.
    Mark Ryden
    Alan MacDonald
    Tokuhiro Kawai.
    Jesus Helguera.
    Michael Tole
    Martin Wittfooth
    Ania Tomicka
    Bob Dob
    Chris Peters
    David Lebow.
    Jason Limon.
    Iva Troj.

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Introduction to the art of Iva Troj.

    Award-winning contemporary artist Iva Troj creates fine art pieces which seamlessly merge Renaissance aesthetics and techniques with postmodern praxis. Her intensely detailed images achieve astonishing tricks of light and shade, as practiced by the great masters while incorporating dreamlike scenes which challenge cultural norms.

    Exhausted by a society in which women often feel vulnerable, threatened, or powerless, Troj recasts the fairer sex as powerful creatures, freed from the “oppressive male gaze” and placed within Edenic settings where they can revel in their own beauty and potential. Blending abstraction with figuration, the natural world with the urban landscape, dream with reality, Troj’s breathtakingly beautiful artworks achieve something truly unique, both in terms of aesthetics and concept.

    Iva  Troj 0
    Blending abstraction with figuration, the natural world with the urban landscape, dream with reality, Troj’s breathtakingly beautiful artworks achieve something truly unique, both in terms of aesthetics and concept.

    “In many ways, I am what you get when you throw ancient Sakar Mountain wisdom failing to adapt to totalitarian ideas right into the pits of post-industrial capitalism. My grandmother’s village used to be in the no man’s land surrounding the Turkish and Greek/Bulgarian border during the communist regime.

    Iva Troj 3
    “In many ways, I am what you get when you throw ancient Sakar Mountain wisdom failing to adapt to totalitarian ideas right into the pits of post-industrial capitalism.

    It used to be totally isolated from the industrial world and there was no school or a library (or pollution). And somehow my grandma knew what Wabi-sabi was. I asked her about it and she told me a story about a lion tamer. Beauty is ”imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete,” she said. I am not sure how I came to find the clues to Japanese culture.

    Iva Troj 1
    It used to be totally isolated from the industrial world and there was no school or a library (or pollution). And somehow my grandma knew what Wabi-sabi was. I asked her about it and she told me a story about a lion tamer. Beauty is ”imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete,” she said.

    She never talked about China or Japan, “intimacy”, or appreciation of the ”ingenuous integrity of natural objects”. That was not how she spoke. Instead of using fancy words she showed me things and explained their beauty to me. Her house and her garden were full of evidence of beautiful imperfection.”

    Iva Troj 6
    She never talked about China or Japan, “intimacy”, or appreciation of the ”ingenuous integrity of natural objects”. That was not how she spoke.

    In 2016, Troj was named Contemporary Art Excellence Artist of the Year and, in 2013, was the winner of the Towry Best of East England Award. She has exhibited both nationally and internationally and is permanently represented in Shoreditch, London.

    ARTIST STATEMENT

    As a child, I was taught to question one-dimensional narratives, which grew from a survival technique to a development technology of the artistic self. The foe I so often portray almost always represents the normalization of one or more dysfunctional discourses, such as the victimization of the female gender, religious dogma and racial inequality.

    Iva Troj 2
    As a child, I was taught to question one-dimensional narratives, which grew from a survival technique to a development technology of the artistic self.

    Like many artists, I discuss personal experiences. At the same time, I strive to escape the self, an urge that partially stems from crossing borders in the last years of the cold war.

    Iva Troj 5
    Like many artists, I discuss personal experiences. At the same time, I strive to escape the self, an urge that partially stems from crossing borders in the last years of the cold war.

    Living through cultural starvation in my childhood has made me restless and hungry for honest creativity with an almost childlike curiosity. In that sense, nothing I discuss is strictly personal. Sexual abuse, violence, trauma… I may present an unusual perspective on these topics stemming from the self, but only as an outset. The work needs to keep changing, relive itself, challenge its own conformity.

    Iva Troj 4
    Living through cultural starvation in my childhood has made me restless and hungry for honest creativity with an almost childlike curiosity.

    There is a point in every artist’s career when one is tempted to choose a tested and proven path. I’m constantly trying to resist this temptation by containing the “paths” in series where I can explore a motif or a theme without succumbing to the comforts of one visual style. The artists that I look up to for inspiration have one thing in common – constant renewal.

    Traditional elements are very central to my body of work. It’s not so much a need to keep the style ”traditional”, but rather the way I speak.

    Iva Troj 7
    The artists that I look up to for inspiration have one thing in common – constant renewal.

    I grew up in a communist country. We sang songs about machines being superior to man and praised modernity while destroying nature and killing creativity and the human spirit with it. At the same time, my summers were spent in the mountains with my grandmother who had hanging gardens, thousand stories and no TV. These two realities are inseparable in my mind.

    The painting technique I mostly use resembles the Flemish method of layering thin veneers of paint between layers of varnish. I start with pencils, pastels and varnish. After that I paint a lighter layer with acrylics and finish with a couple of thicker layers using a combination of mediums, often acrylics and oils, but sometimes gold leaf and inks.

    Links

    Art Related Index

    This is an index of art that I have found profound, interesting, beautiful or enlightening. In any event, I find that art soothes my soul. I enjoy painting figurative and portraits in oils using the more traditional Flemish technique, but it never really brought me the kind of money I need to live off of. Such is the life of a painter today. Please enjoy.

    An experiment of a bird in a vacuum jar.
    Robert Williams
    Todd Schorr
    Mitch O'Connell
    Greg (Craola) Simkins.
    Mark Ryden
    Alan MacDonald
    Tokuhiro Kawai.
    Jesus Helguera.
    Michael Tole
    Martin Wittfooth
    Ania Tomicka
    Bob Dob
    Chris Peters
    David Lebow.
    Jason Limon.

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Introduction to the art of Jason Limons.

    Jason Limon is a painter who has exhibited his artwork in galleries across the U.S. and in parts of Europe. He has had recent solo exhibitions in New York City, Chicago and Albuquerque. His current art follows stories based on mythological creatures and paranormal cryptids portrayed with a hint of humor with a dose of strangeness. You can often see his characters brought to life in dimensional form through his complex sculptures. Jason lives and works in San Antonio, Texas with his wife and two daughters.

    Jason Limon 0
    His current art follows stories based on mythological creatures and paranormal cryptids portrayed with a hint of humor with a dose of strangeness.

    “The main thing that drove me to finding my place in the fine art world was watching and admiring what other artists were doing.”

    ” I used to spend my days sitting behind a computer working in the graphic design biz and almost every single day I’d scour through illustration annuals and art books we had lying about in shelves and piled on our desks. I was always amazed at the great new things many of these artists were creating.”

    Jason Limon 1
    “The main thing that drove me to finding my place in the fine art world was watching and admiring what other artists were doing.”

    ” For the longest time it was a place where I always felt I belonged, but was frightened to jump into seeing as I have a family to support and all. Over time these feelings just became stronger and I grew really tired and felt restricted by the computer. “

    Jason Limon 2
    For the longest time it was a place where I always felt I belonged, but was frightened to jump into seeing as I have a family to support and all.

    “I decided to dive in head first in 2007 and began painting full time and all good things just snowballed from there. It’s been a tremendous honor and pleasure to be able to be in the exhibits I’ve been in. I do look forward to seeing what more this avenue has in store for me.” – Jason Limon (Murphy Design)

    Jason Limon 3
    I decided to dive in head first in 2007 and began painting full time and all good things just snowballed from there.

    Over the last few years when I would lay down to sleep at the end of the day the first thoughts that would run through my head were about death. I’m not a morbid person, nor am I afraid of death. The thoughts were typically quick, then I’d do my best to understand what they meant, but would usually fall asleep before even coming close to an answer.”

    Jason Limon 4
    Over the last few years when I would lay down to sleep at the end of the day the first thoughts that would run through my head were about death.

    “They went on for a little over two years and I noticed just a few months back that they went away. With hindsight and looking at it altogether I took it as a signal to rethink how I express my feelings through art. “

    Jason Limon 5
    With hindsight and looking at it altogether I took it as a signal to rethink how I express my feelings through art.

    “Most of what I am saying in these paintings is personal and revolve around fear, confusion and the fragility of life – about not having answers and trying to move beyond these ominous feelings. As dark as it all may sound, it has shed a positive light on how I create. “

    Jason Limon 6
    Most of what I am saying in these paintings is personal and revolve around fear, confusion and the fragility of life – about not having answers and trying to move beyond these ominous feelings.

    “In most of this work I have also reintroduced the application of typography as well as the usage of multiple panels in a painting; elements that I enjoyed early on, yet had faded with time.

    Jason Limon 7
    In most of this work I have also reintroduced the application of typography as well as the usage of multiple panels in a painting; elements that I enjoyed early on, yet had faded with time.

    My images almost always seem to portray doom and gloom! I’ve been shoveling through my brain, tossing out some darkness and trying my hardest to stick to absorbing positive thoughts.

    Jason Limon 8
    My images almost always seem to portray doom and gloom! I’ve been shoveling through my brain, tossing out some darkness and trying my hardest to stick to absorbing positive thoughts.

    In the process I was thinking about my fifteen year old daughter poking fun of my typical dad concerns, complaints and worries. Sometimes my only response to her is “You Will See“. It’s sometimes tough to keep fighting off problems and remain strong inside.

    Of course, we’ve all been through trouble. We deal with it and keep moving ahead. She’s had a different life than I have and I do my best to see her happy, but just a suggestion to keep in mind: It is not that easy to keep going. Hold on to hope through it all as you go forth

    Jason Limon 9
    In the process I was thinking about my fifteen year old daughter poking fun of my typical dad concerns, complaints and worries. Sometimes my only response to her is “You Will See”.

    Links

    Art Related Index

    This is an index of art that I have found profound, interesting, beautiful or enlightening. In any event, I find that art soothes my soul. I enjoy painting figurative and portraits in oils using the more traditional Flemish technique, but it never really brought me the kind of money I need to live off of. Such is the life of a painter today. Please enjoy.

    An experiment of a bird in a vacuum jar.
    Robert Williams
    Todd Schorr
    Mitch O'Connell
    Greg (Craola) Simkins.
    Mark Ryden
    Alan MacDonald
    Tokuhiro Kawai.
    Jesus Helguera.
    Michael Tole
    Martin Wittfooth
    Ania Tomicka
    Bob Dob
    Chris Peters
    David Lebow.

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Introduction to the art of David Lebow.

    Dave Lebow is a representational painter, illustrator and teacher. Born in 1955 in Oklahoma, he has a BFA in Painting from Boston University and an MFA in Experimental Animation from Cal Arts. He studied in Los Angeles with Harry Carmean and Glenn Vilpuu and privately in New York with Burton Silverman and at the Art Students League with Robert Beverly Hale, David Leffel, Daniel Green, Robert Philipp, and Robert Brackman.

    In 2000, Dave left painting to work in animation. He went back to painting full time in 2009 and devoted himself to more imaginative, surreal and expressive subject matter. His work was included in the Southwest 90 exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico and in the HEY! Modern art & pop culture Act III, Collective exhibition in the Halle Saint Pierre Museum Paris, France.

    Dave Lebow 0
    He went back to painting full time in 2009 and devoted himself to more imaginative, surreal and expressive subject matter.

    Southern California based artist Dave Lebow walks a line between classical painting and fantasy art. Perhaps best known as the real-life painter behind Showtime series Dexter character “Travis”, Lebow admits that he has always liked strange subject matter.

    Dave Lebow 1
    Perhaps best known as the real-life painter behind Showtime series Dexter character “Travis”, Lebow admits that he has always liked strange subject matter.

    His oil paintings have the sensitivity and attention to detail of realism, yet they are also mystical, racy and even titillating. They depict a realm inhabited by beautiful, sexy women, both warriors and damsels in distress, and absurd creatures of the night.

    Dave Lebow 2
    His oil paintings have the sensitivity and attention to detail of realism, yet they are also mystical, racy and even titillating.

    ” I’m attracted to subject matter from the world of pulp illustration, other worldly realms of fantasy, drama and horror as well as classical illustration and realism,” Lebow says.

    Dave Lebow 5
    ” I’m attracted to subject matter from the world of pulp illustration, other worldly realms of fantasy, drama and horror as well as classical illustration and realism,” Lebow says.

    Despite the darkness in his work, there’s something bright and wonderful about Lebow’s brand of insanity where figures appear in both ordinary and out-of-this world places. Whether at the dining room table or in outer space, something unexpected always happens: a little girl discovers a genie in the kitchen cupboard, a woman in a bar is attacked by a flying eyeball, and Ezekial’s Angels receive alien visitors.

    Dave Lebow 6
    Despite the darkness in his work, there’s something bright and wonderful about Lebow’s brand of insanity where figures appear in both ordinary and out-of-this world places.

    ” I love for people to create their own meaning,” Lebow says, pointing to the multitude of characters and visual elements that he applies to his scenes inorder to create a prolonged visual interest. “I want my images to grab you and drag you if not willingly, then kicking and screaming into my picture.” Dave Lebow will debut new paintings in his solo “Prime Time” opening on May 6th at La Luz de Jesus Gallery in Los Angeles.

    Dave Lebow 4
    ” I love for people to create their own meaning,” Lebow says, pointing to the multitude of characters and visual elements that he applies to his scenes inorder to create a prolonged visual interest. “I want my images to grab you and drag you if not willingly, then kicking and screaming into my picture.”

    Dave Lebow paints nostalgic, pulpy noir narratives using traditional painting techniques. Like an auteur from Hollywood’s Golden Age, Lebow directs themes of adolescent rebellion, oppressive male voyeurism, and hardboiled female revenge by photographing live models in costume.

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    Dave Lebow paints nostalgic, pulpy noir narratives using traditional painting techniques.

    His protagonists are photoshopped into fictitious, often absurd, chiaroscuro lit backdrops and then printed on glossy paper resembling the inside of a private eye’s briefcase. After this meticulous photo process is complete, Lebow begins to paint his inspired compositions in the vein of Robert McGinnis, Margaret Brundage, and other masters of the genre.

    Dave Lebow 8
    His protagonists are photoshopped into fictitious, often absurd, chiaroscuro lit backdrops and then printed on glossy paper resembling the inside of a private eye’s briefcase.

    Each its own tale, the paintings vibrate on social constructs that have become increasingly controversial and/or obsolete in the 21st century. Lebow invites the viewer to read into the imagery. Monster Attacking Woman, for example, depicts a human skeleton with a dinosaur skull invading the space of a submissive, scantily posed woman on a bed wearing only thigh-high panty hose and heels.

    Dave Lebow 3
    Each its own tale, the paintings vibrate on social constructs that have become increasingly controversial and/or obsolete in the 21st century.

    The symbolism of the dinosaur skull suggests notions of the machismo and womanizing psyche are extinct. Not to mention the obvious- skeletons are dead. The monster is meant to highlight the significance of this historical context, but also emphasize that this social construct is no longer socially acceptable.

    Dave Lebow was born in Oklahoma in 1955. He received his BFA in Painting at Boston University and his MFA in Experimental Animation from Cal Arts where he currently teaches portrait painting. He lives and works in Venice, California.

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    The symbolism of the dinosaur skull suggests notions of the machismo and womanizing psyche are extinct. Not to mention the obvious- skeletons are dead.

    Links

    Finalist in the Imaginary Realism Category of the Art Renewal Center’s 2013-2014 ARC Salon. Art Renewal Center with the painting “The Enchanted Sword”.

    Art Related Index

    This is an index of art that I have found profound, interesting, beautiful or enlightening. In any event, I find that art soothes my soul. I enjoy painting figurative and portraits in oils using the more traditional Flemish technique, but it never really brought me the kind of money I need to live off of. Such is the life of a painter today. Please enjoy.

    An experiment of a bird in a vacuum jar.
    Robert Williams
    Todd Schorr
    Mitch O'Connell
    Greg (Craola) Simkins.
    Mark Ryden
    Alan MacDonald
    Tokuhiro Kawai.
    Jesus Helguera.
    Michael Tole
    Martin Wittfooth
    Ania Tomicka
    Bob Dob
    Chris Peters

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    A serious reassessment on the American oligarchy; the contempt, arrogance, and audaciousness is mind boggling.

    I believe that it is time for all Americans to take a serious re-look at what America stands for; our “democracy”, and our way of life as it exists today. Is it really all that great?

    Is America living up to the grand ideals set forth in the “Great Experiment of 1776”?

    Or, it is just going to be yet another big mistake heading towards the “great collapse” of society?

    I think that a serious reappraisal of [1] what America is, [2] what notions it is founded upon, and [3] how it is structured needs to be re-thought out. It is time to take a good long hard look at [4] what America has become, and [5] how we got here. And [6] what needs to change once [7] corrective measures have been put in place.

    I ask this.

    Really, is democracy; “rule by popularity” ideal for Americans?

    A typical American, inappropriately dressed (obviously), shopping at Wal-Mart. Really, is democracy; “rule by popularity” ideal for Americans? Or should America be run by talented people who earned their role through merit rather than popularity? Think about it.

    Can the Constitution be protected from “well meaning”, or “the greedy”, or “evil” such as President Wilson, or FDR, or Obama from rewriting and re-interpreting it to fit their various nefarious ends?

    Well, can it?

    Because if we cannot, using the current governmental structure, then we must change it into something different.

    Indeed, simply hoping that our progeny will be “ever vigilant” is just wishful thinking, and history has proven, for certain, that it does not work. And at that, we must well understand that it will NEVER WORK in the future.

    Can the Constitution be protected from "well meaning", or "the greedy", or "evil" such as President Wilson, or FDR, or Obama from rewriting and re-interpreting it to fit their various nefarious ends?
    Can the Constitution be protected from “well meaning”, or “the greedy”, or “evil” such as President Wilson, or FDR, or Obama from rewriting and re-interpreting it to fit their various nefarious ends?

    What’s going to stop another Wilson, another FDR, another Obama, another Bush from rewriting the Constitution, or reinterpreting it to fit their nefarious ends? What’s it going to take?

    What is it going to take?

    But my thoughts are this matter are perhaps a little too harsh to the general American public. No one wants to hear that a democracy is flawed, or rather so flawed that America will collapse upon itself within a decade. No one wants to hear this.

    Americans have a Pavlovian response to the phrase “freedom and  democracy,” and it’s no surprise that so many of them are rooting for  the protesters in Hong Kong. 
    
    -World Affairs Blog

    Well, others, better word-smiths than myself have some things to say about this subject. One of the best comes from Mr. Noonan in his article titled “A Clean Break“. He wrote this article on 29 September 2019, and I personally think that it is brilliant. He isn’t so prone to offending people as I am.

    For I earnestly believe that America has neither "democracy" nor "freedom". We just parrot the words without talking a good look around us at what America has devolved into.

    Here I present it for your viewing pleasure.

    This article is copied as written without much editing aside from some paragraph formatting and the fonts used in this template.  
    
    I added some "pull away" text for highlighting and maybe interjected on or two personal comments along the way (though you will be able to easily see that they are from your's truly.)  
    
    I have added my own pictures to help illustrate some of his fine points.
    
    After reading the article, I would suggest the reader go to his original article and read some of his other works. This fellow is brilliant and a word-smith.  
    
    All credit to the author Mr. Noonan writing in Blogs for Victory.

    A Clean Break

    September 29, 2019M.

    As the last few weeks have played out in politics, it has forced me to do a complete re-assessment of how I’ve looked at the world for my entire adult life.

    To be sure, this reconsideration has been ongoing for about a decade, or maybe a little more, but it has really crystalized out recently. It is time for a complete, clean break with what went before and to chart a new path forward.

    Although rated worse than any other institution in the country, federal  lawmakers are not alone in facing mass disdain by a US electorate who  increasingly thinks that the system has stopped working.  
    
    - Poll: 80% of Americans Think Government, Banks, Corporate Media are Corrupt 
    As the last few weeks have played out in politics, it has forced  me to do a complete re-assessment of how I’ve looked at the world for my  entire adult life. To be sure, this reconsideration has been ongoing  for about a decade, or maybe a little more, but it has really  crystalized out recently. It is time for a complete, clean break with  what went before and to chart a new path forward.
    As the last few weeks have played out in politics, it has forced me to do a complete re-assessment of how I’ve looked at the world for my entire adult life. It is time for a complete, clean break with what went before and to chart a new path forward. Maybe the American Constitution is flawed in some very serious ways, and it is up to use to seek out those flaws and eliminate them completely.

    What Hunter Biden did is nothing new; it isn’t in the least remarkable.

    He was merely the recipient of what people in his position routinely receive: a special deal which allows him to be very rich for little or no effort.

    Hunter Biden was merely the recipient of what people in his position  routinely receive: a special deal which allows him to be very rich for  little or no effort.
    Hunter Biden was merely the recipient of what people in his position routinely receive: a special deal which allows him to be very rich for little or no effort.

    This way his life can be devoted to what really matters: hanging around with other rich people, attending conferences and galas and generally having a swell time.

    And if he decided to follow in Daddy’s political footsteps, the way would be cleared for him in some safe (Congressional) seat.

    If you start looking into it – as Matt and I did in our  2007 book, Caucus of Corruption  – you just see that it is everywhere. In that book, for political  reasons, we concentrated on the Democrat side of the aisle (given that  our goal was to show the absurdity of the Democrats 2006 campaign  against a so-called “GOP culture of corruption”), but we could easily  have written it about politics, in general.
    If you start looking into it – as Matt and I did in our 2007 book, Caucus of Corruption – you just see that it is everywhere. In that book, for political reasons, we concentrated on the Democrat side of the aisle (given that our goal was to show the absurdity of the Democrats 2006 campaign against a so-called “GOP culture of corruption”), but we could easily have written it about politics, in general.

    If you start looking into it – as Matt and I did in our 2007 book, Caucus of Corruption – you just see that it is everywhere. In that book, for political reasons, we concentrated on the Democrat side of the aisle (given that our goal was to show the absurdity of the Democrats 2006 campaign against a so-called “GOP culture of corruption”), but we could easily have written it about politics, in general.

    Corruption is everywhere in the United States.

    What it really shows is that people who go into politics – with a few very rare exceptions – are in it for themselves.

    The advent of legalized corruption launched by the  Supreme Court empowers the superrich to fund their own presidential and  congressional campaigns as pet projects, to foster pet policies, and to  represent pet political enclaves. You have a billion, or even several  hundred million, then purchase a candidate from the endless reserve  bench of minor politicians and make him or her a star, a mouthpiece for  any cause or purpose however questionable, and that candidate will mouth  your script in endless political debates and through as many television  spots as you are willing to pay for. All legal now.
    
    To compound the political felony, much, if not most, campaign  financing is now carried out in secret, so that everyday citizens have a  decreasing ability to determine to whom their elected officials are  beholden and to whom they must now give special access. As recently as  the 2014 election, the facts documented this government of influence by  secrecy: “More than half of the general election advertising aired by  outside groups in the battle for control of Congress,” according to the  New York Times, “has come from organizations that disclose little or  nothing about their donors, a flood of secret money that is now at the  center of a debate over the line between free speech and corruption.”
    
    Of this handful, the largest by far is WPP (originally  called Wire and Plastic Products; is there a metaphor here?), which has  its headquarters in London and more than 150,000 employees in 2,500  offices spread around 107 countries. It, together with one or two  conglomerating competitors, represents a fourth branch of government,  vacuuming up former senators and House members and their spouses and  families, key committee staff, former senior administration officials of  both parties and several administrations, and ambassadors, diplomats,  and retired senior military officers.
    
    WPP has swallowed giant public relations, advertising, and  lobbying outfits such as Hill & Knowlton and BursonMarsteller, along  with dozens of smaller members of the highly lucrative special interest  and influence-manipulation world. Close behind WPP is the  Orwellian-named Omnicom Group and another converger vaguely called the  Interpublic Group of Companies. According to Mr. Edsall, WPP had billings last year of $72.3 billion, larger than the budgets of quite a number of countries. 
    
     – From the Gary Hart article, Gary Hart: America’s Founding Principles Are in Danger of Corruption 

    Corruption is part of democracy.

    They want power and money and attention and fame and praise and so they go into politics – and almost invariably, if they are even modestly successful at winning office, wind up richer than they did when they started.

    And it has been going on for a long time, folks; throughout all the Western democracies.

    They want power and  money and attention and fame and praise and so they go into politics –  and almost invariably, if they are even modestly successful at winning  office, wind up richer than they did when they started. And it has been  going on for a long time, folks; throughout all the Western democracies.
    When you study the motivations of those in politics, you discover what drives them. They want power and money and attention and fame and praise and so they go into politics – and almost invariably, if they are even modestly successful at winning office, wind up richer than they did when they started. And it has been going on for a long time, folks; throughout all the Western democracies.

    Just a small quote from Chesterton about 1910 will suffice to show it:

    There are, I believe, some who still deny that England is  governed by an oligarchy. 
    
    It is quite enough for me to know that a man  might have gone to sleep some thirty years ago over the day’s newspaper  and woke up last week over the later newspaper, and fancied he was  reading about the same people. 
    
    In one paper he would have found a Lord  Robert Cecil, a Mr. Gladstone, a Mr. Lyttleton, a Churchill, a  Chamberlain, a Trevelyan, an Acland. 
    
    In the other paper he would find a  Lord Robert Cecil, a Mr. Gladstone, a Mr. Lyttleton, a Churchill, a  Chamberlain, a Trevelyan, an Acland. 
    
    If this is not being governed by  families I cannot imagine what it is. I suppose it is being governed by  extraordinary democratic coincidences.

    extraordinary democratic coincidences.

    Funny, huh? How people from the same family can keep winding up on top. Either they are families of geniuses, or someone is making things happen.

    You know that is all bullsh**.

    I know it is, too.

    They know it as well.

    But, it just keeps happening and happening because, well, that’s just the way it is. And it wouldn’t be so bad if they were at least any good at being an oligarchy!

    But they aren’t.

    But, it just keeps happening and happening because, well,  that’s just the way it is. And it wouldn’t be so bad if they were at  least any good at being an oligarchy!
    After you study this issue, you discover that it just keeps happening and happening. And the reason why, is because, well, that’s just the way it is. And it wouldn’t be so bad if they were at least any good at being an oligarchy!

    Back in Chesterton’s day, there was the cold, hard reality that Winston Churchill was at least as talented as his father, Randolph. There was something there – there was, that is, a justification for Winston getting a leg up (and he did) to enter politics based on his father’s previous efforts.

    These days, you get to benefit even if the previous person in line was a complete, rotten failure. And rotten failure is all we’ve gotten – and I’m getting very ecumenical in that, by the way. I’m not excusing anyone on partisan grounds any longer.

    To be sure, the Republicans I voted for in the past were at least  better than the Democrats I voted against (with the exception of McCain:  knowing that I’m the co-author of Worst President,  please understand that I believe McCain would have been even worse than  Obama proved to be). 

    But they were only better in degree, not in kind.

    Republicans are corrupt.

    I mean, let’s face some cold, hard facts here: President Bush the Younger was re-elected with 51% of the vote in 2004 and came into his second term with high approval ratings and a Republican Congress.

    With all this, he couldn’t even manage to de-fund Planned Parenthood or NPR!

    I  mean, let’s face some cold, hard facts here: President Bush the Younger  was re-elected with 51% of the vote in 2004 and came into his second  term with high approval ratings and a Republican Congress. With all  this, he couldn’t even manage to de-fund Planned Parenthood or NPR!
    I mean, let’s face some cold, hard facts here: President Bush the Younger was re-elected with 51% of the vote in 2004 and came into his second term with high approval ratings and a Republican Congress. With all this, he couldn’t even manage to de-fund Planned Parenthood or NPR! He did not care for the conservative cause(s), he only campaigned on them to hood-wink all of us for voting for him. He knew which levers to push, and which buttons to push.

    It could have been done, easily, in a budget reconciliation between House and Senate and there would have been nothing the Democrats could have done about it.

    On a more personal level, how can public service be promoted  as an ideal to young people when this sewer corrupts our Republic? At  this point in early twenty-first-century America, the greatest service  our nation’s young people could provide is to lead an army of outraged  young Americans armed with brooms on a crusade to sweep out the rascals  and rid our capital of the money changers, rent seekers, revolving door  dancers, and special interest deal makers and power brokers and send  them back home to make an honest living, that is, if they still remember  how to do so.
    
    Our ancestors did not depart Europe and elsewhere to seek  freedom and self-government alone. They came to these shores to escape  social and political systems that were corrosive and corrupt. Two and a  quarter centuries later, we are returning to those European practices.  We are in danger of becoming a different kind of nation, one our  founders would not recognize and would deplore.
     In addition to the rise of the national security state,  and the concentration of wealth and power in America, no development in  modern times sets us apart more from the nation originally bequeathed to  us than the rise of the special interest state.
    
    There is a Gresham’s  law related to the republican ideal. Bad politics drives out good  politics. Legalized corruption drives men and women of stature, honor,  and dignity out of the halls of government. Self-respecting individuals  cannot long tolerate a system of election and reelection so dependent on  cultivating the favor of those known to expect access in return. Such a  system is corrosive to the soul.
     
     – From the Gary Hart article, Gary Hart: America’s Founding Principles Are in Danger of Corruption 

    This was “better” than a President Kerry who probably would have increased PP funding, but not really better in that the taxes of pro-life Americans were still going to fund something they consider abhorrent…and which Bush and the entire GOP campaigned on getting rid of.

    I know some will say that this is just our GOP screwing it’s base and that the Democrats don’t do that. But, they do.

    Both the republicans and the democrats are corrupt to the core. They only care about themselves and their little tribe of corrupt underlings. No one else.
    Both the republicans and the democrats are corrupt to the core. They only care about themselves and their little tribe of corrupt underlings. No one else.

    Democrats are corrupt.

    Obama was elected in 2008 with 53% of the vote and came into office with a Democrat Congress and a filibuster-proof Senate majority…and he couldn’t even get the single payer health system Democrats say they want.

    It would have been easy.

    The GOP could have done nothing to stop it. Enact a 10% payroll tax to fund it and just start passing out the cash to people who need health care.

     A former senator from Colorado, Gary Hart, has written an extremely  powerful and accurate critique of the unfathomably corrupt and crony  state of the U.S. government in 2015. It covers several very important  angles, including how appalled and disgusted our founders would be at  the current state of affairs. How a once great republic has devolved  into a thieving oligarchy in which the pursuit of money at power at the  expense of the public good has been elevated into something that’s not  just tolerated, but actually celebrated and encouraged amongst an ethics  deprived status quo. 
    
    -Liberty Blitzkreig

    That you and I know it would have been a disaster is neither here nor there – our side had lost the election and the Democrats won all the power they could possibly need to make all Democrat dreams come true…and they couldn’t do something like that.

    Once you are in politics, it's all on for party on good times. You swindle and funnel money left and right and no one gives a damn about the American people. This includes both sides of the Congress, and all their cronies from the war-mongering generals to the intellectuals pushing climate change, and radical social change down our throats.
    Once you are in politics, it’s all on for party-on good times. You swindle and funnel money left and right and no one gives a damn about the American people. This includes both sides of the Congress, and all their cronies from the war-mongering generals to the intellectuals pushing climate change, and radical social change down our collective throats.

    They instead wound up with the abomination known as Obamacare which even if it had worked as planned would still have left millions out in the cold and cost like the devil – but they couldn’t even write something that worked!

    Meanwhile, not only did Obama not end the wars they campaigned against in 2008, he started new one’s…

    • droning the living sh** out of every poor, brown skinned person they could target (well, those they weren’t letting in as unvetted refugees, that is).
    • A public works bonanza that didn’t create any public works.
    • A slew of new spending which improved nothing.
    This is what the Democrat voters get for  investing their time and  effort? Yep – in other words, nothing: but lots  and lots for whomever  is the crony. Democrat cronies made out like  bandits. But your average  purple-haired Democrat wanting more safe  spaces? Not much.
    This is what the Democrat voters get for investing their time and effort? Yep – in other words, nothing: but lots and lots for whomever is the crony. Democrat cronies made out like bandits. But your average purple-haired Democrat wanting more safe spaces? Not much.

    This is what the Democrat voters get for investing their time and effort? Yep – in other words, nothing: but lots and lots for whomever is the crony. Democrat cronies made out like bandits. But your average purple-haired Democrat wanting more safe spaces? Not much.

     By that standard, can anyone seriously doubt that our  republic, our government, is corrupt? There have been Teapot Domes and  financial scandals of one kind or another throughout our nation’s  history. There has never been a time, however, when the  government of the United States was so perversely and systematically  dedicated to special interests, earmarks, side deals, log-rolling,  vote-trading, and sweetheart deals of one kind or another.
     
     What brought us to this? A sinister system combining staggering  campaign costs, political contributions, political action committees,  special interest payments for access, and, most of all, the rise of the  lobbying class.
    
     Worst of all, the army of lobbyists that started relatively small  in the mid-twentieth century has now grown to big battalions of law  firms and lobbying firms of the right, left, and an amalgam of both. And  that gargantuan, if not reptilian, industry now takes on board former  members of the House and the Senate and their personal and committee  staffs. And they are all getting fabulously rich.
    
     Frustrated, irate discussions of this legalized corruption are  met in the Washington media with a shrug. So what? Didn’t we just have  dinner with that lobbyist for the banking industry, or the teachers’  union, or the airline industry at that well-known journalist’s house  only two nights ago? Fine lady, and she used to be the chairman of one  of those powerful committees. I gather she is using her Rolodex rather  skillfully on behalf of her new clients. Illegal? Not at all. Just smart  . . . and so charming.
    
     There is little wonder that Americans of the right and many in  the middle are apoplectic at their government and absolutely, and  rightly, convinced that the game of government is rigged in favor of the  elite and the powerful. Occupiers see even more wealth rising to the  top at the expense of the poor and the middle class. And Tea Partiers  believe their tax dollars are going to well-organized welfare parasites  and government bureaucrats. 
    
     – From the Gary Hart article, Gary Hart: America’s Founding Principles Are in Danger of Corruption 

    And as far as the social disintegration we’ve seen over the past 60 years – we’ve been blinded by the Democrats pushing the disintegration that we haven’t noticed the Republicans letting them do it.

    And when they have power to roll it back, doing nothing of the sort.

    And as far as the social disintegration we’ve seen over the past 60  years – we’ve been blinded by the Democrats pushing the disintegration  that we haven’t noticed the Republicans letting them do it. And  when they have power to roll it back, doing nothing of the sort.
    And as far as the social disintegration we’ve seen over the past 60 years – we’ve been blinded by the Democrats pushing the disintegration that we haven’t noticed the Republicans letting them do it. And when they have power to roll it back, doing nothing of the sort. They just smile for the cameras, enjoy their high-priced meals in fancy restaurants, free hookers, and retire for their closed “boys clubs”.
     The Administrative state and its  regulators, a creation of previous congress’s, have grown into a  bureaucracy so entrenched that worker’s can’t even be fired. They lurk  in the darkness of their own regulations and use their powers to punish  those who fail to comply. Regulators are great for making and executing  rules and regulations, and taxing, but not so good at designing those  regulations to advance unproven political theories, that most often come  undone.
    
     The unrealized dangers of delegating  rules and regulations making, is that Congress removes itself from accountability. Legislators govern by theory, proposing ideas that are  then delegated to an agency charged to “make” it work. To ensure their  schemes work, Congress politicized the Federal judicial benches,  including the Supreme Court, to support their legislative agenda  regardless of the unconstitutionality, through judicial activism. Judges  don’t make laws! 
    
    - Why Should We Accept Corrupt Government? 

    Their actions are disgusting.

    And now we see in the Epstein case the reason why it might have all been allowed to happen: Lord only knows how many of the high and mighty are caught in that web…

    …but what better way to get out from under that rock than by making the rock legal?

    Hey, Paul Ryan, you’re the guy in charge of the House. You’re the Speaker of the House.  You had half a decade to figure out what to REPLACE Obamacare with and you came up with … bupkis?
    Hey, Paul Ryan, you’re the guy in charge of the House. You’re the Speaker of the House. [1] You had half a decade to figure out what to REPLACE Obamacare with and you came up with … bupkis? [2]. Hey, Paul Ryan, you had more than a hundred days to fashion a piece of legislation after you knew President Trump won — even with all the “budget resolution”, three tranche, inside baseball baloney and it came as a surprise that the Freedom Caucus wasn’t on board? [Pro tip: Check with your own caucus first. OK, that’s better.] Hello, America, Paul, babe — that was your job. We gave you one stinking job — to fashion a clean repeal and replacement of Obamacare — and you were surprised the Freedom Caucus wasn’t genuflecting and kissing your ring? A week out, you tell the President you “have the votes” and the day of the vote you come to the White House and say, “Uhhh, maybe not. Maybe not, Mr. President. Poorly played, Paulie. Very poorly played. [3]. Hey, Paul Ryan, this shit is on you not the President. You suck at your job.

    By making you, a normal person, the bad guy if you point out some of the disgusting actions?

    • Illegal immigration to provide votes for Democrats and cheap labor for Republicans.
    • Wars which don’t end in victory or defeat.
    • Enforcing immorality against popular wishes.
    • Providing government sinecures to anyone who will toe the line – and who won’t be got rid of no matter how corrupt or stupid they prove.
    • Accepting money from foreign entities who want the United States destroyed.
    Will you fucking Republicans stop criticizing President Trump for following through on his campaign promises?  He ran on them. He told you what they were. He won on them. He is delivering on them and you snowflakes act like you just discovered them.
    Will you fucking Republicans stop criticizing President Trump for following through on his campaign promises? He ran on them. He told you what they were. He won on them. He is delivering on them and you snowflakes act like you just discovered them.

    Both sides, all the time – and on top of being this stupidly destructive, raking it in for themselves, their families and their friends. It is time to bring an end to all that. By peaceful means if possible but, ultimately, by any means necessary.

    Our peaceful means are “President Trump”.

    President Trump is the hero of the common man.

    Trump isn’t part of the system, you see.

    Dimwits look at his billions and go, “he must be one of them”. But, the bottom line is that he’s not.

    He’ll hang out with them. Be friends with them. But he never was of them. He made his own way and got his pile of money…and then looked around and saw, from the 1980’s, what was happening to his country and started to wonder why, and if there were anything he could do about it?

    He essentially first let Bill Clinton have his chance.

    Then Bush the Younger.

    Then even Obama.

    But he found out something – it didn’t matter who was in charge, they were all in on it, together. That is, regardless of stated political philosophy, the primary goal of nearly everyone in politics was personal enrichment and making sure no outsider pushed his or her way in.

    Trump found out something – it didn’t matter  who was in charge, they were all in on it, together. That is, regardless  of stated political philosophy, the primary goal of nearly everyone in  politics was personal enrichment and making sure no outsider pushed his  or her way in.
    Trump found out something – it didn’t matter who was in charge, they were all in on it, together. That is, regardless of stated political philosophy, the primary goal of nearly everyone in politics was personal enrichment and making sure no outsider pushed his or her way in.

    Trump decided to push his way in.

    And now he’s there – and outside of a precious few (Cruz, Paul…and, oddly, McConnell), he’s nearly alone fighting for one thing: us.

    The United States of America.

    We, the people.

    And everyone inside is furious and terrified and so are lashing back as much as they can hoping that something, anything will turn up to get rid of Trump.

    And, make no mistake about it, they are already planning on punishing us for electing Trump. They don’t propose to allow this sort of thing to happen again.

    And, make no mistake about it, they are already planning on punishing us for electing Trump. They don’t propose to allow this sort of thing to happen again.

    And everyone inside is furious  and terrified and so are lashing back as much as they can hoping that  something, anything will turn up to get rid of Trump. And, make  no mistake about it, they are already planning on punishing us for  electing Trump. They don’t propose to allow this sort of thing to happen  again.
    And everyone inside is furious and terrified and so are lashing back as much as they can hoping that something, anything will turn up to get rid of Trump. And, make no mistake about it, they are already planning on punishing us for electing Trump. They don’t propose to allow this sort of thing to happen again.

    The “big con game” is up.

    I’ve mostly stopped arguing with liberals these days – first off, it is pointless but, secondly, I’m starting to pity them; nearly as much as I pity that shrinking number on the right who still stand aloof from Trump: they simply can’t shake free from the line they’ve been fed.

    And none of us can get high and mighty about that: to one degree or another, all of us were suckered at one time or another.

    No other government is as corrupt as the United States government.
    No other government is as corrupt as the United States government.

    All of us believed in some aspect of the con being used to keep us confused, frightened and divided while the Ruling Class stays fat and happy.

    All of us. Including myself.

    But for those of us who have awakened from the con, it is time for a clean break – a refusal to accept that anything over the past 60 years was any good…a desire, that is, to move forward in an entirely new way, unshackled to whatever we might have said or done in the past.

    We have learned all about the great con game, and we are fed up. We know know what is going on and we are pissed, and desire real, substantive change. But for those of us  who have awakened from the con, it is time for a clean break – a refusal  to accept that anything over the past 60 years was any good…a desire,  that is, to move forward in an entirely new way, unshackled to whatever  we might have said or done in the past.
    We have learned all about the great con game, and we are fed up. We know know what is going on and we are pissed, and desire real, substantive change. Now, for those of us who have awakened from the con, it is time for a clean break – a refusal to accept that anything over the past 60 years was any good…a desire, that is, to move forward in an entirely new way, unshackled to whatever we might have said or done in the past.

    We can see what happened; we can see what needs to be done – we can’t trip ourselves up (nor allow our opponents to slow us down) by fussing over what views we might have expressed previously.

    Our desire is a Constitutional Republic of free people – our means of getting there must be “whatever works”, not adherence to a dogma which might, upon review, only have been a means whereby the con artists kept us in line in the past.

    I, for one, will only defend what I find defensible and will attack whatever I see as wrong.

    Republicans Are Terrified Because Their Candidates Are So Fucking Lazy. As a number of Democrats win high-profile special election victories in deep red districts, fewer and fewer safe Republican strongholds seem to be off limits.
    Republicans Are Terrified Because Their Candidates Are So Fucking Lazy. As a number of Democrats win high-profile special election victories in deep red districts, fewer and fewer safe Republican strongholds seem to be off limits.

    We still have a magnificent window to win this thing and fix our nation – naturally, the first requirement is protecting President Trump.

    We need a complete review of EVERYTHING and ask “is it good”

    But the next step is just as important: a complete review of everything and asking the question, “Is this good?”.

    We’ve already learned that so-called “Free Trade” wasn’t what many of us thought it was – take that as your template and ask yourself, “is this thing I’ve adhered to really in the interests of a free people? Or is it something which only serves the well-connected?”.

    As Lincoln once said, it is time to think anew and act anew: not to create something different (nothing can be more magnificent than the United States, as far as human effort allows), but to recreate what we had, but even better than before.

    It is time to think  anew and act anew: not to create something different,  but to recreate what we had, but even better than before.
    It is time to think anew and act anew: not to create something different, but to recreate what we had, but even better than before.

    And if that mission requires us to knock a few off their pedestals, then that’s just what will have to happen.

     The problems of government are systemic.  The reason for government should be a primary concern of anyone wanting a  better government but this cannot be accomplished with people of  socialist persuasion who scream, yell and interrupt other speakers in an  effort to kill free speech. 
    
     Trump has thrown a wrench into the gears  of socialisms advancement. Socialists are reeling in confusion but don’t  count on them staying there. A revolution is coming. The question is,  who’s going to lead it, them or us? 
    
    - Why Should We Accept Corrupt Government? 

    SHTF Related Index

    This is a collection of my posts related to prepping, SHTF (Shit Hit The Fan), CWII (American Civil War 2), Fourth Turning (Strauss–Howe generational theory) and other posts related to the very sad and sorry tatters that America is today. Actually, I am a little stunned that I have written so much about these matters. But America today is very ill and there are things that really should be said.

    Here are the posts.

    SHTF and Related Index

    The Tale of the Killdozer.
    The use of technicals for genocide.
    The Climax of the Fourth Turning in 2025.
    2025 - the Fourth Turning Crisis - A nuclear response
    Why are Americans so angry?
    Evolution of the USA and China.
    The grim future.
    Is it clear enough for you?
    SJW
    r/K selection theory
    Pictures of a gun-free utopia.
    Link
    Historically, how preppers failed during periods of turmoil.
    Universal Background Checks
    What is planned for American Conservatives - Part 2
    What is going to happen to conservatives - Part 3.
    What is planned for conservatives - part 4
    What is in store for Conservatives - part 5
    What is in store for conservatives - part 6
    Civil War
    The Warning Signs
    Line in the sand
    A second passport
    Link
    Make America Great Again.
    What would the founders think?
    The Ninth Amendment
    How they get away with it
    Snopes
    Taxiation without representation.
    Link
    Parable about America
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Democracy Lessons
    We can no longer build. As we enter the Fourth Turning.
    A polarized world.
    America's sunset.
    Asshole
    Types of American conservatives.
    America is no longer a nation. When you cannot enforce a border, enforce laws, and prosecute criminals, you no longer have a nation. America is no longer a nation. It might still be the remains of a once great empire, sort of like Rome was after the Vandals sacked it, but as a functioning nation, it is no longer. When you cannot enforce a border, enforce laws, and prosecute criminals, you no longer have a nation. I argue that the United States is no longer a nation. Forget about being a nation that follows the Constitution. Rather, I argue that it is not longer a nation in the crudest, simplest, and most primitive terms. What it is is up for debate. But, a nation... no it is not.

    Some prepper humor…

    Nuke from orbit.

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Experts Now Recommend Nuking Everything From Orbit

    This is sarcasm. It comes from The Babylon Bee, and when I first came across the article I almost "shit my pants" it was so funny. If you are unaware of where the humor is in this, I would suggest you watch the movie "Aliens". It will put this meme in better context than I ever can explain.
    
    All credit to the original posters. 

    Yeah. The United States is really, really messed up now. The government cannot function. Corporate big-wigs are pushing radical Marxism and a progressive socialist ideal that makes Pol-Pot look like a teeny-bopper, and hard core criminals are immune from justice. It’s all a massive cluster-fuck. Experts Now Recommend Nuking Everything From Orbit.

    Experts Now Recommend Nuking Everything From Orbit – July 23rd, 2019

    WORLD—In the wake of a string of increasingly bizarre antics from a rapidly declining western civilization, experts recommended nuking everything from orbit. 

    Should world leaders approve the plan, the nukes will be launched sometime in the next week, weather permitting. 

    “Our new strategy for eradicating the potential for more of the absolute insanity as we have seen over the past weeks and months is to just wipe the whole thing out,” Defense Secretary Mark Esper declared in a press conference at the Pentagon.

    “We explored plans ranging from releasing biological weapons into public areas around the world to just sinking everyone into the sea. But based on computer simulations, a barrage of orbital nukes from our defense satellites is the most effective plan for just wiping everything out in order to let someone else have a shot.”

    Esper went on to state the first barrage of nukes would include some 325 different ICBMs targeted at the world’s most densely populated areas, while a second salvo would target more rural areas to wipe out any survivors.

    “It’s the only way to be sure.”

    The Babylon Bee

    SHTF Related Index

    This is a collection of my posts related to prepping, SHTF (Shit Hit The Fan), CWII (American Civil War 2), Fourth Turning (Strauss–Howe generational theory) and other posts related to the very sad and sorry tatters that America is today. Actually, I am a little stunned that I have written so much about these matters. But America today is very ill and there are things that really should be said.

    Here are the posts.

    SHTF and Related Index

    The Tale of the Killdozer.
    The use of technicals for genocide.
    The Climax of the Fourth Turning in 2025.
    2025 - the Fourth Turning Crisis - A nuclear response
    Why are Americans so angry?
    Evolution of the USA and China.
    The grim future.
    Is it clear enough for you?
    SJW
    r/K selection theory
    Pictures of a gun-free utopia.
    Link
    Historically, how preppers failed during periods of turmoil.
    Universal Background Checks
    What is planned for American Conservatives - Part 2
    What is going to happen to conservatives - Part 3.
    What is planned for conservatives - part 4
    What is in store for Conservatives - part 5
    What is in store for conservatives - part 6
    Civil War
    The Warning Signs
    Line in the sand
    A second passport
    Link
    Make America Great Again.
    What would the founders think?
    The Ninth Amendment
    How they get away with it
    Snopes
    Taxiation without representation.
    Link
    Parable about America
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Democracy Lessons
    A polarized world.
    Asshole
    Types of American conservatives.

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    Fourth Turning Crisis Scenarios for the 2025 event; a scary look into the future.

    According to the “Fourth Turning”, the year of 2025 will be the point in time where a major “turning point” or crisis will occur. Historically that means a serious war on American soil.

    As 100% of the previous fourth turnings were [1] deadly serious wars that [2] occurred on American soil. They also [3] used the most lethal technology, and military forces of the time.

    This article embraces this historical fact and extrapolates possible scenarios out from it.

    These are ugly, ugly scenarios and I personally hope that none of them come true.

    • A crisis event on American soil.
    • Deadly serious event that costs the lives of Americans and wrecks the economy.
    • Uses the most lethal technology of the time.
    The ruling class has gone too far in accumulating the wealth of the nation through the capture of regulatory, political, financial, and communication structures. They know what is coming. They are not pretending that all is fine. They have their very own safe houses all set up far, far away from the strife that is barrelling down towards them.
    The ruling class has gone too far in accumulating the wealth of the nation through the capture of regulatory, political, financial, and communication structures. They know what is coming. They are not pretending that all is fine. They have their very own safe houses all set up far, far away from the strife that is barrelling down towards them.

    As a review, for those of you who are oblivious what this is all about, the “Fourth Turning” is a theory that predicts social turmoil upon an 80 year cycle.

    • Social turmoil.
    • The possibility of social upheaval.
    • The possibility of a major HOT war during the crisis period.

    The work was written around 1995, and EVERYTHING that was predicted has come to pass. This prediction also predicts for a major crisis event to take place in the 2025 time period +/- 2 years.

    The article is about the “peak” of the Fourth Turning – A crisis period.

    This article discusses a very specific event that takes place in the midst of the Fourth Turning. It is the “peak” or most dangerous time. It is known as the “crisis”.

    If you want to read about the social upheavals and changes leading up to this crisis, you can read about it in another post. It opens up into a separate tab for your reading pleasure.

    The Climax of the Fourth Turning in 2025.

    A nuclear nightmare.

    Here, we talk about the “crisis” that will be the “big event” of this “Fourth Turning”. As such, and I am sorry to say, that there is a very strong likelihood that it will result in large-scale nuclear weapon detonations on American soil.

    Yes.

    You read that correctly.

    There is a strong likelihood that large-scale nuclear weapon(s) will be detonated on American soil around the Fourth Turning crisis event.

    There are numerous reasons why I hold this belief. But the biggest, I suppose, is the pro-war faction in the United States government.

    You see, the United States now believes that we should improve our nuclear warfare fighting capability so that we can use it.

    After all, with all those proxy wars the United States is fighting now, (eight in total as of 2019) that we should be able to field and use nuclear weapons freely without worry of retaliation. (After all, what’s all this nonsense about going to battle against Turkey and “our allies” the Kurds?)

     John  Bolton, openly advocates a first-strike policy against nuclear-armed  enemies, and the Pentagon, after decades of careful disarmament, wants  to spend $1.2 trillion to upgrade its nuclear arsenal. 
    
    If you’ve felt a  new shiver of nuclear fear over the past year, you’re not alone: The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has moved its “Doomsday Clock” to within two minutes of midnight — closer than it has been since the height of the Cold War.  
    
     - This Is What a Nuclear Bomb Looks Like  

    You see, according to the military and political planned deep within the bowels of Washington, America can use “low yield” tactical nuclear weapons on a sovereign foreign nation, and aside from some “political squawk”, nothing bad will come of it.

    No one ever fights back. Right?

    In December 2016, the US Defense Science Board – a semi-independent  group that advises the Secretary of Defense – warned that “the nuclear  threshold may be decreasing owing to the stated doctrines and weapons  developments of some states.” 
    
    Therefore, the DSB recommended DOD should  “provide many more options in stemming proliferation or escalation; and a  more flexible nuclear enterprise that could produce, if needed, a rapid, tailored nuclear option for limited use should existing non-nuclear or nuclear options prove insufficient.” This would involve “lower yield, primary only options” for strategic warheads on long-range ballistic missiles. 
    
    - The Terrifying Nuclear War Game the US Shouldn't Play  

    Now along with this attitude, is the strong belief that if America fields “low yield” nuclear devices that it will NOT result in devastating nuclear retaliatory strikes. That is considered inconceivable, as “everyone knows” that the United States is the strongest and most powerful nation in the world.

    There wouldn’t ever be any repercussions.

    It’s inconceivable.

    In the United States today is the strong belief that if America fields “low yield” nuclear devices that it will NOT result in devastating nuclear retaliatory strikes. That is considered inconceivable, as “everyone knows” that the United States is the strongest and most powerful nation in the world. No one would dare strike back.

    America still thinks that it is the only dog in the barn-yard. But, you know, the rest of the farm animals are getting mightily tired of the dog bullying everyone around. Especially as the dog is getting old, has arthritis, and other problems. One day, another animal might just say that enough is enough.

    America spent millions of dollars on NED, which actively went into China, into Hong Kong, on Chinese soil. They taught and trained the anti-government forces there. They taught them how to perform "soft violence" to provoke the mainland Chinese. They paid protestors, and gave them the skills to build bombs, and target maps and a strategy. 
    The US involvement in the HK "Democracy Now" movement.
    All of which was caught on video. With Trumps advisors caught on film (with a clear audio track) in the HK Marriot hotel explaining how to conduct the riots and how to destroy the subway stations. The Chinese have videos of the teaching and training classes for the insurgents, and the NED even has the gall to have their members on LinkedIN boasting about their involvement in HK.
    
    China did nothing. 
    
    Though, if the roles were reversed, it would be a different story. If China sent advisors to train the BLM and Antifa on how to bomb bus stations, trains, airports and destroy all public transportation. And they were caught on film and broadcast on all the Conservative networks, with Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity talking about it 24-7. It would be a catastrophic error in judgement. Don't you agree?
    
    But China did nothing.

    So America believes that it can go about launching all sorts of military, quasi and semi-para military operations all over the globe and no one will ever raise a finger to stop the empire expansionism.

    Snow ball strike from the movie "A Christmas Story".
    (Limited Yield) Snow ball strike from the movie “A Christmas Story”.

    It can be Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Afghanistan, the Ukraine. It can be anywhere from Venezuela to Turkey. No one will or can stop us. Right?

    China will do nothing. Right?

    Russia will do nothing. Right?

    No one will fight back. Russia and China won’t ever work together against the USA. Right?

    Right?

    Ralph fights back against the schoolyard bully. The scene is from the 1980's movie A Christmas Story.
    Ralph fights back against the schoolyard bully. The scene is from the 1980’s movie “A Christmas Story”.

    The belief is that the US can launch a few “low yield” nuclear weapons and no nation would dare strike back. The USA can deploy Marines in Hong Kong or Taiwan, and China won’t do anything.

    It’s inconceivable. Don’t you know.

    I am not the only person that believes this. Read John Paul Roberts excellent article on the pre-nuclear  holocaust  preparations that America is currently engaged in. 
    
    Are You Ready To Die? 

    And since it would be inconceivable, the military and the United States government officials are today, far more likely and prone to using “safe”, “tactical” nuclear weapons to further their agendas.

    And these are dangerous agendas.

    These are agendas that are BLIND to the idea that the rest of the world might put it’s collective foot down and say “ENOUGH!”. And launch a retaliatory strike in full force, not only against the military forces on their territory, but rather at the American homeland, the American cities, and the American people who allowed these morons to get anywhere near nuclear launch codes.

    This map should scare the living Dejesus out of you. It shows how Washington DC and the political establishment views the use of low-yield nuclear weapons against Asia in the assumption that no one would strike back.
    This map should scare the living Dejesus out of you. It shows how Washington DC and the political establishment views the use of low-yield nuclear weapons against Asia in the assumption that no one would strike back.

    I argue that if the United States, for what ever reason, launches and detonates any kind of nuclear weapon (low-yield, small backpack, tactical strike, or strategic nuclear), that there will be a FULL SCALE retaliatory response aimed at the Untied States.

    Any use of nuclear weapons in Asia will result in the complete destruction of the United States.

    This, I argue is the 2025 crisis what we should prepare for.

    ...
                                                                
    The  second reality we have failed to understand is what a nuclear  detonation and its aftermath would actually look like. In our  imaginations, fueled by apocalyptic fictions like The Road and The Day After, the  scale and speed of nuclear annihilation seem too vast and horrific to  contemplate. 
    
    If nuclear war is considered “unthinkable,” that is in no  small part because of our refusal to think about it with any clarity or  specificity. 
    
    In the long run, the best deterrent to nuclear war may be  to understand what a single nuclear bomb is capable of doing to, say, a  city like New York — and to accept that the reality would be even worse  than our fears. 
    
    - This Is What a Nuclear Bomb Looks Like 

    Most articles on the internet today, when discussing nuclear conflict on American soil, do so under the assumption that it would be a small “terrorist nuke”. A small nuclear weapon, roughly the size of the atomic bomb used against Japan in World War II.

    I disagree, and this post does not cover that scenario.

    And when American military planners contemplate the use of nuclear weapons it is along the lines of tailored tactical responses for set specific objectives. It’s always with “surgical” precision and “contained” destruction. Never taking into account the strong possibility of “unleashing the dogs of war” against us.

    They never take into account that the rest of the world thinks of America as a big loud-mouth bully that one day will get it's comeuppance.

    Here we consider a “slap back” response up to an all-out MAD-level (Mutually Assured Destruction) response to the United States. It assumes that we initiate the actions though our military use of “low yield” nuclear weapons in Asia. As such, we look at a large super-power unleashing modern large-capacity nuclear munitions, using hyper-glide technology against an unsuspecting America.

    Though, at that, many basement computer nerds think that a nuclear war is winnable and not all that bad...
    
    "A nuke is a big bomb, but not that big. Most of DC would survive, a lot of radiation poisoning though, and as you can see from the occasional floor shot, most of our congress is out of the building at least and most of the time... "

    We consider them releasing this onslaught within minutes after the USA detonates a”low yield” device in Asia. Which means, that nuclear detonations over coastal cities by SLBM MIRVs will detonate within minutes of launch.

    Minutes.

    Two minutes after the SLBM launches off the USA coast, the red lights will light up at NORAD and they will scramble to contact the American leadership. Five minutes later Washington will be erased from the surface of the globe.

    Thus obliterating the leadership of America in one fell swoop.

    These scenarios assume that the leadership in both Russia and China are not idiots. That they have anticipated the use by America of a tactical "low yield" nuclear weapon, and have positioned submarines and other systems for an immediate kill-level response that would detonate on American soil within minutes.
    
    Perhaps, you the reader disagree. Maybe you think that the rest of the world are idiots, and only Americans are smart. Good for you. Then.

    A quick reminder.

    While the United States has been very busy funding conventional military operations around the globe, strategic nuclear missile forces have taken a back seat to the realities of global proxy wars without nuclear strike-back.

    Once a missile launch is detected, I am comfortable knowing that it will be detected via satellite and the knowledge relayed to SAC HQ. That is…

    …unless the Chinese and the Russian hunter-killer satellites don’t take them out.

    REACT console
    Missile Combat Crew Commander, Capt. Kenny Gibaldo, (left) and 2nd Lt. John Butler, Deputy Crew Commander of the 320th Missile Squadron, simulate the launch of a Minuteman III using the REACT console in a Launch Control Capsule at Missile Alert Facility Hotel-1.

    People!

    People!

    Five minutes is not enough time to react to nuclear destruction. Whether or not the United States strategic forces are aware of a launch means nothing when hyper-speed technology and delivery weapons are used.

    Fundamentals

    According to the “Fourth Turning”, we can expect a major critical event to take place around 2025. As shown in the following illustration…

    Here are the next few years before the Fourth Turning is expected to reach a crisis point. The astitute reader should realize that the event is scheduled immediately after the 2024 election. Historically, this will mean that a progressive democrat will take over the Presidency. In that event, we can expect a full -on gun conscification effort that would be the result of a mass-shooting event. Democrat presidents always have mass-shooting events int he first six months of their presidency. Then they unlease the anti-gun narrative to a fever pitch. The event that was supposted to really work this last time was the 2016 Los Vegas shooter, but of course it wasn't HIllary Clinton at the Helm it was Donald Trump..
    Here are the next few years before the Fourth Turning is expected to reach a crisis point. The astute reader should realize that the event is scheduled immediately after the 2024 election. Historically, this will mean that a progressive democrat will take over the Presidency. In that event, we can expect a full -on gun confiscation effort that would be the result of a mass-shooting event. Democrat presidents always have mass-shooting events in the first six months of their presidency. Then they unleash the anti-gun narrative to a fever pitch. The event that was supposed to really work this last time was the 2016 Los Vegas shooter, but of course it wasn’t Hillary Clinton at the Helm it was Donald Trump..

    We should note that it immediately follows an election. An election that historically will follow the following features…

    • Typically a democrat is elected after an eight-year Republican presidency.
    • Democrats historically tend to get America into proxy wars or full scale wars as need be.
    It is well known that Democrats love to drag America into wars.
    
    On October 12, 2016 longtime Putin ally Vladimir Zhirinovsky openly threatened nuclear war if Hillary Clinton is elected, saying:
    
    Americans  voting for a president on Nov. 8 must realize that they are voting for  peace on Planet Earth if they vote for Trump. But if they vote for  Hillary it’s war. It will be a short movie. There will be Hiroshimas and  Nagasakis everywhere. 

    …and…

    I’m forced to remind myself that these are the same people who think  that “inclusion” means shutting down free speech, who believe that the  US should not have borders, who promote transsexual reading hours in the  grammar schools, and who fiercely desire to start a war with Russia. 
    
    -Kunstler

    …and…

    Turkey’s invasion of northern Syria is about as relevant to the life  of the average American as Late Bronze Age incursions into Syria by the  Hittite king Suppiuliuma I. But for days now, President Trump has been  called a coward and a traitor—not only to his own country, but to the  valiant Kurds, who as far as the left is concerned, might as well have  fought with Washington at Yorktown.
    
    Putin Bad: The Democrats Embrace Neoconservatism
    
    Only the depleted discourse of an utterly bankrupt ruling class could  construe support for endless war, expressed in the puddle-deep  sentimentality of “muh Kurds,” as courageous, while opposition to the military-industrial complex and its misadventures is craven and worthy of the worst names that posterity can find.
     
    The meltdown over the Syria crisis and the simultaneous Tulsi-Clinton  dispute, have driven home the strange truth that the Democrats have  become neocons. 
    
    While the Republican party remains split between a  dissident, non-interventionist base and an increasingly illegitimate,  out-of-touch neoconservative Old Guard, which after three years is still  scrambling to defend its prestige in a “revolt” against Trump, the  Democratic party is almost totally in the interventionist camp. 
    
    -American Greatness
    • Modern warfare is quite advanced, and involves all sorts of high-technology.
    • The world is evolving, and former isolated smaller nations are now aligning with strong super-power nations.
    • Every crisis, of the previous three “Fourth Turning” crisis’s has involved full-scale warfare on American soil.

    With that in mind, I have taken the liberty to make some assumptions regarding the next crisis which is due to occur in 2025. These are my opinions, and please let it be well understood, that I do not wish any of this to occur.

    There is no escape from the Fourth Turning.
    There is no escape from the Fourth Turning.

    The assumptions

    The following assumptions have been made, even though there are a significant number of variables in play.

    • The 2024 election will result with a Democrat president. (A historical norm.)
    • The new president will implement all sorts of progressive initiatives. Many of which will result in higher taxes, more rules and regulations and gun confiscation. (Well. Duh!)
    • Unlike President Trump who wants to disengage the USA from foreign wars, proxy wars, and empire policing efforts, the democrat President will do the exact opposite and will resemble Presidents Obama and Bush Jr in that regard.
    • The Neocon donors to the democrats will demand further involvement in additional proxy wars. The democrats in power will oblige. (It’s the price you pay for all that cold-hard cash.)
    • American forays towards the next proxy war will not be an isolated event limited to a singular nations, but will involve an alliance with a major global super-power. (Surprise! and this fact alone will spell doom for many of the cherished beliefs that Americans hold so dearly.)
    • The super-powers involved might include either Russia, China, both and a consortium of numerous other interests.
    • The normal NED / CIA operations against a sovereign nation will be considered an act of war. (Or at the minimum a serious contributor.)
    • Nuclear weapons will be unleashed upon the United States.
    Putin and Xi are essentially dictators who have no fear of elections every two years. They are serious men in possession of nuclear missiles, capable of destroying the world. They are both serious, serious people. They are in their positions of power through merit. Not though mob rule. They will tolerate the CIA / NED interference with Hong Kong, and the Muslims only so far. If the United States decides to push too hard, they WILL strike back... at American cities. IN FULL FUCKING FORCE.
    Putin and Xi are essentially dictators who have no fear of elections. They are serious men in possession of nuclear missiles, capable of destroying the world. They are both serious, serious people. They are in their positions of power through merit. Not though mob rule. They will tolerate the CIA / NED interference with Hong Kong, and the Muslims only so far. There are however, absolutes that they will not tolerate. One of which is the use of “small” nuclear tactical weapons detonated on Asian soil. If the United States decides to push too hard, they WILL strike back… at American cities. IN FULL FUCKING FORCE.

    There are various reasons why nuclear weapons would be used against America. But we will limit the reasons to the following;

    • To destroy the civilian population centers of America rendering it neutered to the effect so that internal civil strife can “eat it alive” unfettered by federal and state governments.
    • To provide a “double tap” to smash all and any technological, research and industry might that might oppose efforts elsewhere in the world.
    • To send the United States “back to the middle ages” to a point that it would not be able to recover as a viable nation for at least fifty years.

    Welcome to 2025. It’s a truly scary scenario.

    Nuclear War is no picnic

    For those of you younger than 50 years old, here is a quick review about the dangers of a nuclear bomb. It is a nasty device, and if the blast and the light/heat doesn’t kill you, the poisonous radiation will.

     In front of me is a strange amalgamation  of '60s-era flip switches and modern digital display screens. It's the  control console for launching an intercontinental ballistic missile or  ICBM.
    
    On  an archaic display screen in the center of the console, three large  letters blink in rapid succession. "EAM inbound," says my deputy  commander and the second member of the launch crew. An emergency-action  message is on its way, maybe from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, maybe from  the Commander of U.S. Strategic Command, maybe even from the president.  We both mechanically pull down our code books, thick binders swollen  with pages of alpha-numeric sequences, and swiftly decipher the message.
    
    After  nearly four years of pulling ICBM-alert duty, this process is  instinctive. I deliberately recite the encrypted characters to ensure my  deputy is on the same page, literally and figuratively, as six short  characters can effectively communicate a wealth of information through  the use of special decoding binders. "Charlie, Echo, Seven, Quebec,  Golf, Bravo, six characters ending in Bravo." My partner concurs,  scribbling in his code book. 
    
    -Death Wears a Snuggie

    Here’s an article talking about a very tiny-tiny suitcase nuke that a terrorist might create and detonate in the center of New York City. (It is difficult to find MAD scenarios on the internet.)

    Near  the center of the blast, the suffering and devastation most closely  conform to the fictional apocalypse of our imaginations. This is what it  would look like within a half-mile of Times Square: Few buildings would  remain standing. Mountains of rubble would soar as high as 30 feet. As  fires raged, smoke and ash would loft into the air. The New York Public  Library’s stone guardians would be reduced to pebble and dust.  Rockefeller Center would be an unrecognizable snarl of steel and  concrete, its titanic statue of Prometheus — eight tons of bronze and  plaster clad in gold  — completely incinerated.
                                                                
    Within  a half-mile radius of the blast, there would be few survivors. Those  closest to the atomic bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki have described  the horrors they witnessed: People with ripped sheets of skin hanging  from their bodies; people whose brains were visible through their  shattered skulls; people with holes for eyes. Sakue Shimohira watched  her mother’s charred body crumble into ash as she tried to wake her.  Shigeko Sasamori’s father cut off the blackened husk of skin all over  her face, revealing pools of pus beneath.
                                            
    As  the fireball travels outward from the blast, people, buildings, and  trees within a one-mile radius would be severely burned or charred.  Metal, fabric, plastic, and clay would ignite, melt, or blister. The  intense heat would set gas lines, fuel tanks, and power lines on fire,  and an electromagnetic pulse created by the explosion would knock out  most computers, cell phones, and communication towers within several  miles.
                        
    Traveling  much farther than the fireball, a colossal pressure wave would hurtle  forth faster than the speed of sound, generating winds up to 500 miles  per hour. The shock wave would demolish the flimsiest buildings and  strip the walls and roofs off stronger structures, leaving only their  naked and warped scaffolding. It would snap utility poles like  toothpicks and rip through trees, fling people through the air, and turn  brick, glass, wood, and metal into deadly projectiles. A blast in Times  Square, combined with the fireball, would carve a crater 50 feet deep  at the center of the explosion. The shock wave would reach a diameter of  nearly 3.2 miles, shattering windows as far as Gramercy Park and the  American Museum of Natural History.
                                            
    All this would happen within a few seconds. 
    
     - This Is What a Nuclear Bomb Looks Like  

    Modern Nuclear Weapons

    But we are not talking about small ultra-tiny portable nuclear weapons. We are also not talking about the same kinds of bombs that were dropped on Japan in 1945.

    We are talking about something quite different.

    We are talking about massive city-reduction weapons using high-technology and specifically designed ultra-lethal nuclear weapons. But not just “city reduction” weapons. These are massive weapons that will turn an entire State into a glassed-over desert.

    Oct 26, 2016 · Russia unveils massive Satan 2 ICBM capable of destroying France or Texas in a single hit.  Russia has moved to update its nuclear arsenal with an extreme-range, massive payload ICBM designed specifically to defeat anti-missile systems. Capable of traversing the planet's poles and blowing up Texas in one hit, meet the RS-28 Sarmat, or Satan 2. 
    
    - Cold war redux? Russia unveils massive Satan 2 ICBM 

    Yes, you read that right.

    The Soviets have fielded full MIRV equipped ICBM’s armed with high-capability nuclear weapons capable of wiping out Texas in a single strike.

    The damage of a single MIRV hype-glide RS-28 ‘Satan 2’ Russian nuclear weapon aimed at the center of Texas.
    The damage of a single MIRV hype-glide RS-28 ‘Satan 2’ Russian nuclear weapon aimed at the center of Texas. The image is to scale. This is but one warhead in a missile that contains fifteen (x15) warheads.

    People, this is serious business.

    This is not MOAB, or “suitcase nuke”. This is a lance forged in Hell and would totally redefine the geography (not to mention the social, cultural, and physical) makeup of the United States.

    Russia unveiled its new  super-heavy, MIRV-equipped ICBM this week. The ‘Satan-2’ (that’s its  NATO codename), has a reported throw-weight of 10,000kg, and can carry  up to 15 separate warheads. 
    
    MIRV is an acronym that stands for Multiple  Independently targeted Reentry Vehicles. MIRV-equipped missiles can  deliver multiple nuclear weapons  to a single target area, or blanket a large area with separate  detonations. 
    
    Historically, MIRVs have been seen as potentially  destabilizing because they give a decisive advantage to the country that  can strike first and eliminate its opponent’s land-based missile silos.
    
    The  stats on the RS-28 demonstrate this is a missile that means business, and media outlets controlled by the Russian government have stated that a  single missile is large enough to destroy Texas or France. 
    
    We could  quibble with the definition of “destroy,” but we won’t — any time a  government drops 50MT of nuclear weapons on you, you’re going to have a  really bad day. 
    
    - Russia unveils its new class of RS-28 ‘Satan 2’ nuclear missiles 
    Russia would launch it's ICBM that has the technology to avoid ABM tchnology. Then it would launch individual warheads, each aimed at a specific city. To the people on the ground it would look like this with lines of fire streaking from the sky towards the cities nearby.
    Russia would launch it’s ICBM that has the technology to avoid ABM technology. Then it would launch individual warheads, each aimed at a specific city. To the people on the ground it would look like this with lines of fire streaking from the sky towards the cities nearby.

    Lead ups

    Now, back to the Fourth Turning.

    Keep in mind that the United States will be in the midst of a great “unraveling”. It will seem like it is teetering and tottering out of control. And well, it will be.

    For ten years leading up to the 2025 event, the United States will be in the middle of social and political upheaval.

    2015 through to 2025

    As crazy as everything seems under a Donald Trump presidency in 2019, now imagine that same level of craziness, except that a radical progressive Marxist democrat is in office, with full support of the mainstream press, the judicial branch, the agencies, and the military. The domestic scene in the United States will be unbearable for most of the nation.

    Again, this scenario predicts a democrat president in 2024. Thus, prior to any international activity, the United States would be quite busy involved in converting America into a progressive democrat Marxist “utopia”.

    Something along the lines of maybe…

    • Cambodia under Pol Pot.
    • China under Mr. Mao.
    • The Soviet Union under Stalin.
    • Cuba under Fidel Castro.

    You know, socialist utopias following the traditional model. Though, not everyone will be on board with this vision, and thus civil strife will start to manifest. America, already a police state, would become a very contentious place to live.

    Hard line gun disarmament will be under-weigh as well as other progressive initiatives (which were well planned, just “waiting in the wings” since 2014.)

    After every high-profile shooting in America, Leftists immediately, and predictably, begin their calls for gun control. With the measured constraint and careful consideration of Bill Clinton in the Champagne Room at Fuzzy Holes Gentlemen’s Club in Little Rock, they self-righteously and repeatedly demand that we “do something!” You can probably list some of the meaningless blather they shout at us reflexively, such as “If not now, when?,” “The NRA has blood on its hands!,” “Nobody needs an assault rifle to shoot a deer!,” and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Despite all their hysterical nonsense, they usually have enough presence of mind to also say, because they have been trained to so do, that “nobody wants to confiscate your guns,” or “no one is talking about banning guns.” If you’re really lucky you’ll hear one of these would-be authoritarians say the following (and this is my personal favorite): “I support the Second Amendment, BUT…”
    After every high-profile shooting in America, Leftists immediately, and predictably, begin their calls for gun control. With the measured constraint and careful consideration of Bill Clinton in the Champagne Room at Fuzzy Holes Gentlemen’s Club in Little Rock, they self-righteously and repeatedly demand that we “do something!”

    You can probably list some of the meaningless blather they shout at us reflexively, such as “If not now, when?,” “The NRA has blood on its hands!,” “Nobody needs an assault rifle to shoot a deer!,” and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Despite all their hysterical nonsense, they usually have enough presence of mind to also say, because they have been trained to so do, that “nobody wants to confiscate your guns,” or “no one is talking about banning guns.” If you’re really lucky you’ll hear one of these would-be authoritarians say the following (and this is my personal favorite): “I support the Second Amendment, BUT…”

    The disruptions would tend to get ugly, and when domestic squabbles get too clamorous, a democrat presidential solution is always to bring America into another war.

    He’s making a point here. Ten years ago we were told that these 50  troops would be there for 30 days, and we’re still there. And you know  what is amazing is that you have the American left, which ostensibly  opposes all use of the military. They actually don’t. 
    
    Democrat leaders  don’t. They’re in on this game like everybody else. Just like they are  the original segregationists but have gotten away with not being seen  that way. 
    
    They are huge warmongers.
    
    They profit incredibly from it. 
    
    Their public position is anti-war.  Their public position is anti-military. But look at all the political  donations they get from — they supposedly hate Wall Street. They  supposedly hate the big banks because the big banks screw the average  little guy, American consumer. 
    
    Yet look where all their donations come  from. The big banks, Wall Street, military industrial contractors and so  forth. A gigantic scam. 
    
    -Rush Limbaugh

    At some point in time, I predict early on in the first year of the 2024 democrat president, the following events will transpire…

    • A mass-shooting event (within the first six months) followed by massive gun disarming efforts. There will be zero efforts to maintain any legal constitutionality in this matter.
    This is as predictable as the Epstein death in prison. Everyone knew that he was going to be killed, and that any "investigation" would go nowhere.
    • A rapid mainstream press war stance against a super-power or an ally of a superpower. This will be in the first year.
    • One or two “international incidents” which will serve as an excuse to deploy troops.

    The rush into yet another proxy war is hard to predict. However it is likely that no time will be wasted in this effort.

    "Hours after the bombs go off in cities, these fires continue to build up and they create firestorms that feed on themselves. They get so hot that everything in the city becomes fuel for its own destruction. The energy released becomes much greater than the weapon itself," Dr. Mills explained, drawing parallels to the way fire consumed the city of Dresden during the World War II. From each of these 100 detonations, massive firestorms would engulf whole cities and churn five million tons of black carbon into the stratosphere.
    “Hours after the bombs go off in cities, these fires continue to build up and they create firestorms that feed on themselves. They get so hot that everything in the city becomes fuel for its own destruction. The energy released becomes much greater than the weapon itself,” Dr. Mills explained, drawing parallels to the way fire consumed the city of Dresden during the World War II. From each of these 100 detonations, massive firestorms would engulf whole cities and churn five million tons of black carbon into the stratosphere.

    Oh and make no mistake, the democrats greatly want another proxy war, and they are not getting it under Trump. But once he’s out of the picture, it will be business as usual.

    …They think.

    "In leading Australia China Business Council for a decade, I saw first hand China's primary and dominant focus is internal - on the welfare of its people, on the betterment of their lives, not on global conquest - as cold war apologists would have us believe. And it has delivered in spades, bringing 850 million of its people out of poverty at the same time as fueling global growth.  
    
    It is the United States that has 800 overseas military posts when China has just 1. It is the United States that is threatening to "totally destroy and obliterate" Turkey. It is the United States that is funding disruption in HK. It is the United States that created the fiction of weapons of mass destruction. 
    
    Australians need to see beyond the US strategies to extend its global hegemony at any cost and focus on the reality of Chinese history and engagement."
    
    -Duncan Calder

    This post describes the scenarios when the aligned super-powers decide to snap-back at the United States.

    For, the rest of the world is "de-coupling" from the United States and forging strong relationships with Asian nations instead. 
    
    The mainstream American media is not reporting on this trend, and Americans are now oblivious at how badly they are perceived, and how out of touch with the rest of the world they are becoming. 

    There are four scenarios.

    • Limited Strike. A “warning shot”. A do not mess with us, warning in bright flash technicolor. This situation is one in which America might still be able to retain a kind of national sovereignty.
    • A controlled, and yet limited nuclear strike. A “friendly” slap in the face warning to stop all war-like action or face obliteration. All major cities will be crippled beyond repair. Local authorities would take over and the Federal government would be hardly functional at all. Most of America will revert to a time before the Internet, and would consider themselves lucky to have clean water, and electricity that works once or twice a week.
    • A nuclear response. This is a “slap back” nuclear response on American soil, if America decides to unleash nuclear weapons in any proxy nation. This is the best-scenario version or the most probable outcome. If America is lucky, it might resemble a radioactive North Korea with a Democrat President declaring himself Marxist utopia ruler for life.
    • The Fuck-you Response. This is the “double tap” nuclear response that is intended to send America back to the dark ages. It is designed to allow for the indigenous peoples outside of the cities to balkanize America into smaller, easier to manage third-world “shit holes”. An America after this strike would look like Somalia on a bad day. If America is lucky and fortunate, America would fracture into tiny “third world” nations with would require 75 years to even begin to negotiate on the global table.

    Knowing what I know, I would say that the probability of response to be around 80% the “Fuck You” response, and about a 10% chance for the “Nuclear response” and the “Limited Strike” responses respectively.

    I argue this based on what i know about democrat presidents. They make decisions based on emotion, not reason. The other nations realize this.

    On October 12, 2016 longtime Putin ally Vladimir Zhirinovsky openly threatened nuclear war if Hillary Clinton is elected, saying:
    
    Americans  voting for a president on Nov. 8 must realize that they are voting for  peace on Planet Earth if they vote for Trump. But if they vote for  Hillary it’s war. It will be a short movie. There will be Hiroshimas and  Nagasakis everywhere.  

    Why Russia?

    While China or other nations might be the target of American proxy wars towards distraction. There are two elements here that are coming to the forefront. It’s all very simple really.

    • The election of 2024 will be a Democrat President. (This is a historical norm.)
    • Since 2016, the Democrat narrative has been “Russia! Russia! Russia!
    • Democrats tend to start large wars, historically speaking.

    While it is obvious to everyone that it’s all a concocted narrative aimed at defeating Donald trump and the conservatives, there is no evidence that this narrative is dissipating. Thus, we can expect that the narrative will “take on legs of it’s own” and start to “walk”. This would be dangerous with the rabid ultra-progressive wing demanding that the USA “do something” about Russia.

    And what is the government going to do?

    Sanctions?

    More likely than not a movement of military forces, and subversive NED / NID activity internally. This alone will be enough to trigger a nuclear conflagration.

    I argue, and it seems more likely to me, that the Russians are already seeing this scenario in their future, and the moment a military event (troop movement, weapons detonation, or nuclear launch) on their territory, you can expect a Russian response. And, I dare say, Russia will not wait and then react. They will have a plan in place and actions to take.

    Automatic full-scale nuclear detonations the very second that the USA tries anything. There will not be a gradual phase-in and tit-for-tat activities. I’m telling you, the Russian reaction will be the pincer event for the rest of the world – a world absolutely fatigued of American arrogance and bellicosity.

    Russia will strike first, and will do so in a way that the entire American leadership will be taken out within minutes.

    Some notes on the nuclear detonations

    This study does not assume one nuclear warhead per city.

    Here, the assumption is city devastation by clusters of 1 MT to 5 MT nuclear payloads. These payloads are delivered in clusters of targeted strikes. The clusters are to spread the glassed-over devastation over a wider area, and render nearby areas uninhabitable for centuries.

    It assumes groups of three or more nuclear warheads (1 MT) targeted to obliterate specific urban areas completely. The idea is to eviscerate entire swaths of infrastructure and render the population poisoned and unable to recover. Which is the expected norm with both Russia and China.

    Los Angles under the effects of a trio of three high-density, high-magnitude nuclear hydrogen bombs detonated in such a way as to render the entire realestate worthless for centures to come.
    Los Angles under the effects of a trio of three high-density, high-magnitude one megaton nuclear hydrogen bombs detonated in such a way as to render the entire real-estate worthless for centuries to come. Black represents completely flattened area with glassed surfaces. The grey area represents complete radioactive and reduced rubble and debris that resembles the moons surface. All other areas will be poisoned by radiation, knocked flat by the impact of the wind, burned to a crisp by the raging fires, and completely uninhabitable.

    Now, you can easily see on the map above that the use of one megaton nuclear weapon, in a cluster of three such warheads, would devastate a large city like Los Angles. The thing is, that most of the weapons used by superpowers are not that small. They are, instead, much larger.

    • The ICBM RS-28 ‘Satan 2’ carries fifteen (x15) 50 megaton nuclear weapons.
    • The SLBM R-29RM carries six smaller 500 kilaton nuclear warheads (1/2 a megaton).

    In the following scenarios, we will assume small SLBM launched by submarines. Each target shown would be a cluster of three 500KT to 1MT nuclear detonation.

    These scenarios are based on Typhoon "boomer" submarines (Project 941 Akula) launching SLBM R-29RM SLBM armed with six 500 kiloton nuclear munitions aimed at two cities per missile (three warheads per city).
    
    For example, one Typhoon "boomer" would launch  20 R-39 (NATO: SS-N-20) ballistic missiles. Each missile could target two cities, with three nuclear warheads each. Thus one sub could totally and completely destroy 40 cities; launching 120 nuclear 500KT nuclear weapons.

    Let’s look into these responses in detail.

    [1] Limited Strike.

    Here we have a limited strike.

    Note, for purposes of simplicity, I refer to a “single warhead” as a single target of three smaller low-yield nuclear weapon detonations. The maps can be used to assume a single warhead in the 10 megaton range, if you would prefer.

    Comparative weapons sizes and footprints. The images in read are the tiny nuclear weapons the the United States used to end the war with Japan. The large weapon on the right is the size that is fielded by the Russians in their RS-28 Satan 2 MIRV ICBMs.
    Comparative weapons sizes and footprints. The images in read are the tiny nuclear weapons the the United States used to end the war with Japan. The large weapon on the right is the size that is fielded by the Russians in their RS-28 Satan 2 MIRV ICBMs.

    This is the scenario that most Americans assume would be the worst possible scenario that America might need to confront.

    Of course, most neocons believe that this will never happen, but if you ask them in private, they would grudgingly admit that a nuclear “strike back” option is possible. But that the damage and causalities could be contained, and at most less than a few million Americans dead.

    “Just” a few hundred million dead. It’s a “win – win”.

    It’s a win – win!

    I personally consider this scenario to be the least likely scenario. Though it is considered to be the most realistic worst-case nuclear scenario by the military “experts” in the Washington “think tanks”.

    Limited Strike. A "warning shot". A do not mess with us, warning in bright flash technicolor.  This situation is one in which America might still be able to retain a kind of national sovereignty.
    Limited Strike. A “warning shot”. A do not mess with us, warning in bright flash technicolor. This situation is one in which America might still be able to retain a kind of national sovereignty. This is the result from one Russian “boomer” only firing half of it’s payload. You know, to control the situation and prevent escalation.

    This scenario would devastate the American industry, the stock exchange, the value of the USA dollar, and rock the government to it’s core. It will also result in a full mobilization of the United State military for a global war footing. No one wants this.

    Well, almost no one.

    • This scenario allows the United States to be able to launch a counter strike. Thus, it is very unlikely that any nation would want the Untied States to be able to retaliate from a nuclear strike.

    The thing about this scenario is that it is recoverable. Within five to ten years the United States could recover and continue with “business as usual”.

    Personally I found the creepiest parts to be the ones in the aftermath  where the struggling survivors have to contend with a government that  pathetically and menacingly still sees itself as ruling something —  particularly the bit where soldiers gun down a farmer who resists their  “taxing” his meager crops. 
    
    - Umbriel from  The Day After traumatized a generation with the horrors of nuclear war  

    The problems that I have with this scenario is that…

    • America is able to recover from it and continue “business as usual”.
    • America would still be able to launch a nuclear counter-strike.

    [2] A controlled, and yet limited nuclear strike.

    This scenario is a larger response to the previous scenario.

    It describes a nuclear exchange that has the intention of reducing the United States to a third world nation.

    This is the the kind of scenario that has been portrayed in fictional Hollywood movies like "In dawns early light". It's a fictional scenario. Do not ever think that Hollywood represents reality. It doesn't.
    While we’re probably not facing a situation like By Dawn’s Early Light in our immediate future, we still live in a world where there are thousands of nukes here in the US and thousands more overseas. And all it takes is one of those falling into the wrong hands to ruin everyone’s day.
    We still live in a world where there are thousands of nukes here in the US and thousands more overseas. And all it takes is one of those falling into the wrong hands to ruin everyone’s day. We should never assume that a small tactical nuke would not initiate full-scale MAD-level destruction of the United States.

    This nuclear exchange renders all government and social programs neutral.

    It zeros all government outlays, and thus risks severe public out-lash from the urban folk that live off the government handouts. It also renders the stock market, financial markets, and industrial base into squashed pablum.

    A controlled, and yet limited nuclear strike. A "friendly" slap in the face warning to stop all war-like action or face obliteration. Most of America will revert to a time before the Internet, and would consider themselves lucky to have clean water, and electricity that works once or twice a week.
    A controlled, and yet limited nuclear strike. A “friendly” slap in the face warning to stop all war-like action or face obliteration. Most of America will revert to a time before the Internet, and would consider themselves lucky to have clean water, and electricity that works once or twice a week.

    An America that survives this attack would still have a very difficult time fighting any kind of global war. Many troops would need to be recalled as their support network of supplies would be rendered inert.

    Any overseas military operations would be terribly exposed and subject to capture and destruction.

    This scenario would cause America to retract it's global empire building efforts and concentrate on repairing the American infrastructure. This scenario will result in a 25 year long retardation in the global world stage.
    This scenario would cause America to retract it’s global empire building efforts and concentrate on repairing the American infrastructure. This scenario will result in a 25 year long retardation in the global world stage.

    This scenario would cause America to retract it’s global empire building efforts and concentrate on repairing the American infrastructure. This scenario will result in a 25 year long retardation in the global world stage.

    For this reason alone, this scenario is attractive to the rest of the world.

    [3] A nuclear response.

    This scenario is what might possibly happen when American armed military forces are employed in attacking a nation strongly in line with one of the global super-powers. This is a very ugly and nasty scenario.

    This scenario is what would happen if the United States were to employ or dispatch American troops onto the soil of either Russia or China. It would be the result if American troops were to set foot on Taiwan. It would be what would happen if a "low yield" nuclear weapon were detonated anywhere in Asia.
    This scenario is what would happen if the United States were to employ or dispatch American troops onto the soil of either Russia or China. It would be the result if American troops were to set foot on Taiwan. It would be what would happen if a “low yield” nuclear weapon were detonated anywhere in Asia.
    This scenario is what would happen if the United States were to employ or dispatch American troops onto the soil of either Russia or China. It would be the result if American troops were to set foot on Taiwan. It would be what would happen if a "low yield" nuclear weapon were detonated anywhere in Asia.
    
    It is what would happen if the United States launches a "low yield" nuclear weapon in Iran.

    This response is a truly nasty response.

    After the strike, or more likely, the numerous strikes the United States will no longer be functional. Any government that exists will hardly be functional. Only the state governments will exist, and they will enact strong levels of independence from the Federal government.
    After the strike, or more likely, the numerous strikes the United States will no longer be functional. Any government that exists will hardly be functional. Only the state governments will exist, and they will enact strong levels of independence from the Federal government.

    The entire East and West coast turns to desolate glass covered wasteland. The uneducated migrant folk from the South American nations then march up into the United States and start claiming territory as their own.

    The American government is rendered inert.

    A nuclear response. This is a "slap back" nuclear response on American soil, if America decides to unleash nuclear weapons in any proxy nation. If America is lucky, it might resemble North Korea with a Democrat President declaring himself Marxist utopia ruler for life.
    A nuclear response. This is a “slap back” nuclear response on American soil, if America decides to unleash nuclear weapons in any proxy nation. If America is lucky, it might resemble North Korea with a Democrat President declaring himself Marxist utopia ruler for life.

    After the strike, or more likely, the numerous strikes the United States will no longer be functional. Any government that exists will hardly be functional. Only the state governments will exist, and they will enact strong levels of independence from the Federal government.

    After the strike, or more likely, the numerous strikes the United States will no longer be functional. Any government that exists will hardly be functional. Only the state governments will exist, and they will enact strong levels of independence from the Federal government.
    After the strike, or more likely, the numerous strikes the United States will no longer be functional. Any government that exists will hardly be functional. Only the state governments will exist, and they will enact strong levels of independence from the Federal government.

    If a federal government were still to exist, it would probably operate out of the Courthouses of West Virginia. And have little to no authority.

    [4a] The Fuck-you Response.

    This is a “lite” version of the “Fuck You” response. For, I personally believe that if we piss off the wrong nation, that they will come for America and flush it right down into the sewer. They don’t FUCKING CARE.

    This is a "lite" version of the "Fuck You" response. For, I personally believe that if we piss off the wrong nation, that they will come for America and flush it right down into the sewer.  They don't FUCKING CARE.
    This is a “lite” version of the “Fuck You” response. For, I personally believe that if we piss off the wrong nation, that they will come for America and flush it right down into the sewer. They don’t FUCKING CARE.

    Wake the Fuck up!

    Now for the last fifty years America has been pushing “democracy” as the reason for the imperial expansion. But it’s all a lie, and while many Americans might believe in it, the rest of the world does not.

    They do not like it.

    They just bide their time, and when the opportunity comes, they will bitch slap American in a most violent method.

    But let me warn the reader about this.  Of all the scenarios, including this one, there is a strong possibility that the nuclear exchange could be much, much worse. It could be global and turn all of the earth into a real cesspool. It could look a lot like this.
    But let me warn the reader about this. Of all the scenarios, including this one, there is a strong possibility that the nuclear exchange could be much, much worse. It could be global and turn all of the earth into a real cesspool. It could look a lot like this.

    America can only keep fighting all those proxy wars so long before there is some serious kick-back.

    Yes. And when it comes to a nuclear equipped nation, they will not have the same kind of political restraints that Americans might not accept. DO NOT ASSUME THAT THE REST OF THE WORLD THINKS LIKE AMERICANS.

    They do not.

    The Fuck-you Response. This is the "double tap" nuclear response that is intended to send America back to the dark ages. It is designed to allow for the indigenous peoples outside of the cities to balkanize America into smaller, easier to manage third-world "shit holes". An America after this strike would look like Somalia on a bad day.
    The Fuck-you Response. This is the “double tap” nuclear response that is intended to send America back to the dark ages. It is designed to allow for the indigenous peoples outside of the cities to balkanize America into smaller, easier to manage third-world “shit holes”. An America after this strike would look like Somalia on a bad day.

    This is a very bad scenario.

    And would in fact, be what I would assume would happen within minutes of the United States entry into Asia of either physical troops, or a nuclear weapon of any size.

    This scenario, as awful as it is, is only the first part of a full devastating strike. This scenario consists of three parts.

    • Knock out of all military satellites.
    • SLBM launch, five minutes to target and complete devastation of American coastal cities, and much of America’s nuclear deterrent capability. Followed by…
    • ICBM launch. (No more than) Thirty minutes to target and complete obliteration of all America.

    So, that image; that map shown above is only the first “punch” of a two-part KO punch. Now, we discuss the second part…

    [4b] The second part of the Fuck-You response.

    Now, if this scenario were to manifest, I dare say that the RS-28 Satan 2 ICBM’s and MIRVs would be called into service. As a result, it is quite possible that the United States might look something like this “love tap” scenario.

     a “super-nuke” nuclear ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) called the RS-28 Sarmat Satan 2 AND a nuclear-capable hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) called “object 4202“. Satan 2 can reportedly destroy and area the size of France or Texas in one strike. Wow. The Russian HGV is designed specifically to be able to evade European and U.S. strategic missile defense systems, and up to three HGV’s can be carries inside the same Russian RS-28 Sarmat ICBM that does double duty as Satan 2.
    Russia has fielded a “super-nuke” nuclear ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) called the RS-28 Sarmat Satan 2 AND a nuclear-capable hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) called “object 4202“. Satan 2 can reportedly destroy and area the size of France or Texas in one strike. Wow. The Russian HGV is designed specifically to be able to evade European and U.S. strategic missile defense systems, and up to three HGV’s can be carries inside the same Russian RS-28 Sarmat ICBM that does double duty as Satan 2.

    Here, we have the [4] Fuck You scenario broken down into two parts. The first is SLBM launches within five minutes of USA detonation of low yield nuclear weapons in Asia. Followed up with this punishing scenario.

    But let me warn the reader about this. Of all the scenarios, including this one, there is a strong possibility that the nuclear exchange could be much, much worse. It could be global and turn all of the earth into a real cesspool. It could look a lot like this.

    The Day After becomes a genuine horror film as its characters  begin to succumb to radiation poisoning, their hair and teeth falling  out as they shamble through scorched fields strewn with bloated animal  corpses and dead family dogs, swarming with flies. 
    
    Befitting the deathly  pallor, Meyer imbues these scenes with classically gothic imagery: a  bell struck by an unseen hand wielding a brick summons survivors from  the crypts of their shelters; a lighthearted conversation between  Robards and Williams is interrupted by a bandaged woman sitting up into  frame and shrieking; a preacher gives a sermon inside the crater of a  church, a burned crucifix dangling behind him; a young woman sitting in  the pews begins suddenly bleeding from between her legs into her white  dress. 
    
    A bit heavy-handed, maybe—but then, there’s nothing subtle about  apocalypse. And as the end title card reminds us, even this grisly  depiction is still “in all likelihood, less severe than the destruction  that would actually occur,”. 
    
    - The Day After traumatized a generation with the horrors of nuclear war  

    In this most horrible scenario, you would be lucky to die in the first few strikes. No one would want to live in the United States after this exchange.

    And it would truly be horrible.

    “I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.”  
    
    -Einstein (Paraphrased.)

    Just look at this map, and this map (I must add) is not nearly as bad as what a pissed-off Russian would do.

    The is the Hell Scenario using a combination of Satan ICBM and MIRV's targetting American cities, social, infrastructure, and society, after a crippling blow sequence via SLBM nuclear weapons.
    The is the Hell Scenario using a combination of Satan ICBM and MIRV’s targeting American cities, social, infrastructure, and society, after a crippling blow sequence via SLBM nuclear weapons.

    Yes. This is our possible future, post 2025.

    Like the scene where Cullum’s farmer is given the laughable,  FEMA-sourced advice to just “scrape off” his irradiated topsoil, it’s in  moments like these that The Day After’s actual—and again,  sadly relevant—message makes itself known: Should we be  hit with  nuclear missiles, no one will really know what to do about it. Hell, if  it happens sooner rather than later, we won’t even have the cold comfort  of a president who can offer up some eloquently empty words. 
    
    That’s why, watching it today, the most chilling aspect of The Day After  isn’t the bombs, or their grisly aftermath. It’s all the scenes leading  up to it, as people go about their lives with snatches of news  broadcasts overheard—and ignored—in the background reporting on some  tense, but relatively minute skirmish in Berlin. Even Lithgow’s  politically informed, astutely cynical intellectual laughs off the idea  of escalation, saying he has symphony tickets. The soldiers stationed  around Lawrence’s missile silo joke about nuclear war infringing on  their weekend fishing plans. Robards’ wife sees an alarmist special  bulletin, moans, and says she just wants to go to bed. Even as the world  teeters on the edge, Robards pauses to ask, to no one in particular,  “Do you understand any of this?” Throughout, the threat of cataclysmic  war remains a distant, inscrutable, headache-inducing hum, something to  be switched off as soon as it becomes too complicated to follow. If it  were made today, you could easily cut in shots of people paging  listlessly through Twitter.
    
     - The Day After traumatized a generation with the horrors of nuclear war   

    I know that the reader cannot control the ideas, and the passions of the oligarchy that is aligned with the Marxist democrats in power, However, the reader should be aware that after 2025 +/- 2 years, the entire globe could completely change. With America reverting to a radioactive bronze-age existence.

    It is with this sad, sad warning that I leave the reader.

     The  moment a nuclear bomb detonates, several forms of nuclear radiation  instantly permeate the environment. As this pulse of radiation surges  through the bodies of everyone who is outside, or in weakly insulated  buildings, it wreaks biological havoc at the molecular level. By  altering the structure of key cellular machinery and injuring DNA, the  radiation impairs the ability of cells to replicate and repair  themselves. A ground detonation of a ten-kiloton bomb in Times Square  would subject everyone between Murray Hill and Hell’s Kitchen, and from  32nd Street to the bottom of Central Park, to a potentially lethal dose  of radiation.
                        
    Within  minutes to hours, most people exposed in these areas would begin to  show signs of acute radiation syndrome: nausea, headache, dizziness, and  vomiting. After several days to two weeks, new symptoms would emerge:  diarrhea, hair loss, fever, seizures, and bleeding in the mouth and  under the skin, which sometimes creates purple blotches on the body. In  the most severe cases, people would become emaciated, delirious, and  incapacitated. Most people with radiation sickness will die for one of  two reasons: because they no longer have enough immune cells to fight  off microbial infections, or because their digestive system is too  damaged to function properly.
                                            
    The  radiation released instantaneously by an explosion is only a prelude to  a much more insidious and long-lived threat. Immediately after the  blast, a huge fireball would rise swiftly through the air and begin to  condense into a mushroom cloud, tinted red at first, then white. A  strong updraft and inflowing winds would suck soil and debris, already  bonded with radioactive particles released by the explosion, into the  cloud. Within 15 minutes, a portion of this radioactive dust — mostly  grains the size of salt or sand — would begin to fall directly on the  city. Within a day, some survivors exposed to the dust would begin to  experience itching and burning sensations; within two to three weeks,  lesions would begin to appear. Fallout that is inhaled or swallowed, or  that enters the body through a wound, would be even more dangerous: It  exposes internal organs to a continuous source of nuclear radiation,  damaging tissue in the same way as the initial pulse of radiation from  the explosion itself. 
    
     - This Is What a Nuclear Bomb Looks Like   

    Nuclear notes & Conclusion

    Nuclear war will devastate America for centuries.

    If America is lucky, yes if it is lucky, America might revert to horse and buggy carriages as the primary means of conveyance. Medical treatments can revert as well. Leaving other nations first world status while America is marked on the map as “Keep Out – Dangerous”.

    We do not know what the future holds, but here I try to look at what might manifest, given the historical norms with American politics. Given the historical norms, nuclear war is highly likely no matter what the politicians might pontificate.

    I pray that this does not happen, but as time moves forward, it is becoming more and more likely each and every day. Most of the oligarchy that exists today has no idea of just how dark and black things can get.

    They have raised the stakes of human existence sky-high, and when things tumble, they will crash with a thunderous roar.

    “We need to fight for democracy around the world, and use force as necessary to spread the joys of freedom!”

    They are oblivious and do not care. And at that, we can guarantee that nuclear Armageddon will most certainly destroy America.

    They are oblivious and do not care. And at that, we can guarantee that nuclear Armageddon will most certainly destroy America.
    They are oblivious and do not care. And at that, we can guarantee that nuclear Armageddon will most certainly destroy America.

    Not Convinced?

    For decades, the United States has taken China’s ballistic missile capability for granted, assessing it as a low-capability force with limited regional impact and virtually no strategic value. But on October 1, 2019 during a massive military parade celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Beijing put the U.S., and the world, on notice that this assessment was no longer valid.

    One of the nations keenly observing the impact of the American RMA in  the Persian Gulf was China. Chinese military theorists studied how  Marshall adapted Ogarkov’s theories into an American version of RMA, and  responded with a Chinese adaptation, developing weapons specifically  intended to overcome American superiority in critical areas.
    One of the nations keenly observing the impact of the American RMA in the Persian Gulf was China. Chinese military theorists studied how Marshall adapted Ogarkov’s theories into an American version of RMA, and responded with a Chinese adaptation, developing weapons specifically intended to overcome American superiority in critical areas.

    In one fell swoop, China may have nullified America’s strategic nuclear deterrent, the U.S. Pacific Fleet, and U.S. missile defense capability. Through its impressive display of new weapons systems, China has underscored the reality that while the United States has spent the last two decades squandering trillions of dollars fighting insurgents in the Middle East, Beijing was singularly focused on overcoming American military superiority in the Pacific. If the capabilities of these new weapons are taken at face value, China will have succeeded on this front…

    One of the nations keenly observing the impact of the American RMA in  the Persian Gulf was China. Chinese military theorists studied how  Marshall adapted Ogarkov’s theories into an American version of RMA, and  responded with a Chinese adaptation, developing weapons specifically  intended to overcome American superiority in critical areas.
    
     These weapons became known as “shashoujian,” or “the Assassin’s Mac,” derived from the traditional Chinese way of describing a weapon of surprising power. “A shashoujian,” a contemporary Chinese military journal notes,  “is a weapon that has an enormous terrifying effect on the enemy and  that can produce an enormous destructive assault.” More importantly, the  modern Chinese concept of shashoujian envisions not a single weapon, but rather a system of weapons that combine to produce the desired effect. 

    There’s more…

     Enter the DF-41, China’s ultimate shashoujian weapon.  A three-stage, road-mobile ICBM equipped with between six and 10  multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) warheads, the  DF-41 provides China with a nuclear deterrent capable of surviving an  American nuclear first strike and delivering a nation-killing blow to  the United States in retaliation. The DF-41 is a strategic game changer,  allowing China to embrace the mutual assured destruction (MAD) nuclear  deterrence posture previously the sole purview of the United States and  Russia.
    
     In doing so, China has gained the strategic advantage over the U.S.  when it comes to competing power projection in the Pacific. Possessing a  virtually unstoppable A2/AD capability, Beijing is well positioned to  push back aggressively against U.S. maritime power projection in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Straits. 
    For decades, the United States has taken China’s ballistic missile capability for granted, assessing it as a low-capability force with limited regional impact and virtually no strategic value. But on October 1, during a massive military parade celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Beijing put the U.S., and the world, on notice that this assessment was no longer valid.  In one fell swoop, China may have nullified America’s strategic nuclear deterrent, the U.S. Pacific Fleet, and U.S. missile defense capability. Through its impressive display of new weapons systems, China has underscored the reality that while the United States has spent the last two decades squandering trillions of dollars fighting insurgents in the Middle East, Beijing was singularly focused on overcoming American military superiority in the Pacific. If the capabilities of these new weapons are taken at face value, China will have succeeded on this front.
    For decades, the United States has taken China’s ballistic missile capability for granted, assessing it as a low-capability force with limited regional impact and virtually no strategic value. But on October 1, during a massive military parade celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Beijing put the U.S., and the world, on notice that this assessment was no longer valid.

    Words from a time traveler

    There’s a fellow by the name of John Titor that claimed to be from a future where scenario 4a & 4b took place. What he had to say was very interesting. Believe it or not. But it’s an interesting read.

    They are;

    Some Related Links

    Russian Yu-71 Hypersonic Attack Aircraft (HAA)/’Nuke Glider’ and Yu-74 Ultra-Maneuverable Hypersonic Glide Vehicle (HGV) Nuclear Attack Threats: Can We Defend Against Them?

    Russian Low-Observable/Stealth Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (and Possibly Anti-Ship Cruise Missiles?) Under Development: What it Means for Future Warfare and Geopolitics

    Russian Low-Observable/Stealth Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (and Possibly Anti-Ship Cruise Missiles?) Under Development: What it Means for Future Warfare and Geopolitics

    Hypersonic Missiles Being Developed by China and the United States for World War III (WWIII): Meet the WU-14 Hypersonic Glide Vehicle (HGV) and DARPA-Raytheon Tactical Boost Glide (TBG) Hypersonic Cruise Missile

    Chinese Develop New ‘Ultra-Thin’, Lightweight ‘Tunable’ UHF Microwave Radar-Absorbing Stealth Material Cloaking Technology for Manned and Unmanned Combat Aircraft and Warships

    Chinese YJ-18 (YingJi-18) Low-Flying Subsonic-to-Supersonic Anti-Ship Cruise Missile (ASCM): Aircraft Carrier Killer Going Operational

    Chinese DF-21D ASBM (Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile): Will it Obsolete U.S. Aircraft Carriers?

    Chinese Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile (ASBM) ‘Kill Weapon’ Flummoxes U.S. Navy

    SHTF Related Index

    This is a collection of my posts related to prepping, SHTF (Shit Hit The Fan), CWII (American Civil War 2), Fourth Turning (Strauss–Howe generational theory) and other posts related to the very sad and sorry tatters that America is today. Actually, I am a little stunned that I have written so much about these matters. But America today is very ill and there are things that really should be said.

    Here are the posts.

    SHTF and Related Index

    The Tale of the Killdozer.
    The use of technicals for genocide.
    The Climax of the Fourth Turning in 2025.
    Why are Americans so angry?
    Evolution of the USA and China.
    The grim future.
    Is it clear enough for you?
    SJW
    r/K selection theory
    Pictures of a gun-free utopia.
    Link
    Historically, how preppers failed during periods of turmoil.
    Universal Background Checks
    What is planned for American Conservatives - Part 2
    What is going to happen to conservatives - Part 3.
    What is planned for conservatives - part 4
    What is in store for Conservatives - part 5
    What is in store for conservatives - part 6
    Civil War
    The Warning Signs
    Line in the sand
    A second passport
    Link
    Make America Great Again.
    What would the founders think?
    The Ninth Amendment
    How they get away with it
    Snopes
    Taxiation without representation.
    Link
    Parable about America
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Democracy Lessons
    A polarized world.
    Asshole
    Types of American conservatives.

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
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    The Landscape of the MWI; an introduction to the geography of multiple worldlines.

    This article travels into details on how the multi-world “theory” operates upon the canvas of a universal reality. We look at the moment-by-moment method of how we exist within the multi-world universe. (In other words.) We look at the mechanism in detail.

    Of course, it is going to be an awfully strange “trip”. As our actual reality does not resemble anything like everyone assumes it is.

    Of course, this is from the point of view of an "operator". (If you want to eject the MAJestic mantle and look in the fascinating world of the mathematics behind all this, please by my guest.) 

    Here, we discuss the mechanism from which a soul would choose to live a particular life as a human. Yeah. I get it, it’s a very deep subject. It enters the realm of the religious and the spiritual. But, you know what, it need not be.

    When you look at things objectively, you see that things HAVE to be this way, as described.

    --PHOTO--Phillip R. Dick quote.

    The topographic model.

    We discuss this MWI as a topographic mapped surface from which we can extrapolate probability potential.

    Now, there are many, many ways to illustrate the MWI. This is only one such method. It is the method that I was introduced to, and the one that I have come to accept as “normal”.

    One of the most radical and important ideas in the history of physics  came from an unknown graduate student who wrote only one paper, got into  arguments with physicists across the Atlantic as well as his own  advisor, and left academia after graduating without even applying for a  job as a professor. 
    
    Hugh Everett’s insight was as simple as it was  brilliant: accept the Schrödinger equation. 
    
    Both of those parts of the  final superposition are actually there. But they can’t interact with  each other; what happens in one branch has no effect on what happens in  the other. They should be thought of as separate, equally real worlds.  This is the secret to Everettian quantum mechanics. 
    
    -Aeon

    This method or display is something that is often “behind the scenes” when the pilot arranges a slide, and the calibration of destination coordinates are locked in.

    I suppose most people can live without it.

    However, in my case, I discovered that it was useful to determine just how “far out” a slide can manifest, and whether or not a “deep dive” will manifest. (I said “useful”, not necessary.)

    As far as any kind of practical application, I would hazard a guess that there wouldn’t be any need to anyone to know about this. It’s just a useful way of better understanding how the MWI works.

    Warning

    The idea of multiple-world lines, the MWI and the physics of this entire matter is NOT accepted by the general pubic, or (even) agreed to by many physicists. To them it is unproven theory that doesn’t make sense in the Judaeo-Christrian world-view.

    But, seriously folks. You do not have to believe anything. It’s your reality. That’s fine.

    We are always free to believe what ever we want. We adjust to our surroundings and key up our behaviors based upon our observation and our interations with others, and the objects adjacient to us.
    We are always free to believe what ever we want. We adjust to our surroundings and key up our behaviors based upon our observation and our interactions with others, and the objects adjacent to us. However strange the MWI appears, it adequately and efficiently describes hour our consciousness interacts with our physical reality.

    Now, for the “fresh slap of reality”.

    The organization that I was part of from May 1981 through to May 2006 utilized technologies based upon this “theory”. Our government built machinery based on this “theory”. As well as using the machines (so constructed) for their own purposes.

    I can positively affirm that the technologies and the machinery worked.

    By the time I started to use the more primitive versions of the machinery (May 1981), it was well understood that the technology was very, very mature.

    I refer to the "primitive" version to be a fixed transport portal. In this narrative, and post, I discuss my role as a "dimensional anchor" using a much more advanced version of technology.
    
    In many ways, it's sort of explaining how a microwave works to a snail. Most of what I have to say will be gibberish to most readers who have absolutely no reference points to anchor upon.

    I was an “operator” of numerous such technologies.

    This is my overview of how the MWI actually manifests from the point of view of an “operator” or a “participant” utilizing the MWI-based technologies. It is based on [1] my extrapolation of experiences, [2] knowledge and [3] my exposure to various types of advanced technology.

    If you do not want to hear what I have to say, you can leave.

    The traditional view of the universe.
    The traditional view of the universe. many people are handicapped by this traditional view, and thus have a very difficult time understanding a totally and wholly different viewpoint and understanding of the universe and how to navigate it. It is sort of like trying to learn to sail, but not believing that there is a thing called “wind”.

    Quick Overview

    Before we begin, here’s a quick review for all of you guys who just fell onto this post from out of the “blue”.

    Most people have a really crap-tastic idea of what the MWI or multiple world-line theory is. They just cannot visualize it for the life of themselves. They have no idea what to think, or how it would manifest.

    They come up with visualizations such as this…

    Contemporaneous visualization of the MWI.
    Contemporaneous visualization of the MWI.

    One major hurtle…

    The problem with all these contemporaneous visualizations is that the artist, philosopher, or scientist does not isolate the concept of consciousness from that of a physical person. It is assumed, and defaulted to one and the same identical thing. When in fact, they are entirely two separate things.

    Everyone assumes that all those people around us also possess a consciousness. We assume they are also like us; that they have an active consciousness and an associated soul as well.
    
    We make this assumption based on our interactions with them. 
    
    They appear, to us to be fully actuated and in possession of a soul and consciousness. We argue here that the appearance of something does not equate to the de facto possession of something.

    There are differences between [1] a “consciousness”, [2] a “physical body”, and [3] a “person”. For our purposes, a person is someone with an active consciousness. Most people think that all three things are just different names for the same thing. They are not.

    The differences between a person, a consciousness and a physical body when discussing the MWI, or multiple world-line theory.
    The differences between a person, a consciousness and a physical body when discussing the MWI, or multiple world-line theory.

    Most laymen, and many scientists do not understand this simple fact. They assume that everyone is a “person”. That we share our universe with other people who all have internal “consciousnesses”.

    We do not.

    We are a consciousness. Not a physical body.

    Instead we are consciousness, that inhabits a physical body, forming a person. (As in the picture above.) We then occupy a reality.

    In this reality, we are surrounded with physical bodies, but none of them possess a consciousness. Instead they appear to have a consciousness simply because of how they interact with us. This interaction of these others is how the soul obtains experiences and thus grows and advances in the quantum sphere.

    Within our reality, we are the only one that is in possession of a consciousness. Everyone else is just a shadow version of themselves. In reality they (too) inhabit their own reality elsewhere, where they too are along and surrounded by the quantum shadows of others.
    Within our reality, we are the only one that is in possession of a consciousness. Everyone else is just a shadow version of themselves. In reality they (too) inhabit their own reality elsewhere, where they too are alone and surrounded by the quantum shadows of others.

    Thus, our universe is comprised with a near infinite number of world-line realities. Many are empty, and some contain a consciousness which is inhabiting a body to obtain experiences with. Our universe, thus looks something a little like this…

    THis is how the universe actually is, and exists within the MWI. It is a place where consciousness travels the infinate world-lines alone, and interacts with shadow equivalents of other people, persons and things.
    This is how the universe actually is, and exists within the MWI. It is a place where consciousness travels the infinite world-lines alone, and interacts with shadow equivalents of other people, persons and things.

    Why this is important.

    If you want to know the “secrets of the universe” then you will need to forget everything you learned in school and college. For all of it is based on assumptions that are rock-hard, firm, fixed and imputable.

    Most of it is really, really incorrect. For our “reality” is not what everyone thinks.

    • We do not “share” our universe with others.
    • We live alone in our universe.
    • Everyone else are “shadow copies” of their true forms.
    • These “shadow copies” are other people acting and living as if they were to share our universe. They are what could possibly exist and manifest. Not that they actually do manifest.

    What it looks like is NOT the way it is.

    We all think that there is just one universe, and one Earth, and it is populated by all of us together. That we share the earth with each other and that we are all equal and are in the same time-line.

    All these assumptions are wrong.

    We believe that we share our universe with others.
    We believe that we share our universe with others. No. Instead we share this universe with “versions” of other people. These versions are constructs that interacts with our consciousness while we exist within our reality world-line.

    We do not share our universe with others.

    Nope.

    Not. Even. Close.

    Instead, we occupy a universe alone. We do not share it with anyone. Oh, yes, it does appear that we share it, but we really do not.

    All those other people that we interact with are not really what they appear. They are a version of that other person. This is the version of that person were they to actually share the reality with us.

    We seem to be surrounded by others.
    All those other people that we interact with are not really what they appear. They are a version of that other person. This is the version of that person were they to actually share the reality with

    They are but quantum shadows of the possibility of interaction.

    In Plato’s classic Allegory of the Cave,  a group of people living in a cave have a very false view of the world  because the only thing they can see is the shadows on a wall. Plato was  trying to teach his students that the philosopher must see beyond the  shadows to the reality that is projecting them, but what exactly is that  reality.
    
    The reality that Plato wanted his students to see is not  the physical form of the object casting the shadow, those physical  objects are just another level of shadows! The world of matter is the  shadow world, the world of illusion, the world of deception. It is not  at all what it appears to be because our physical eyes, and other  physical senses, can sense only the shadows called matter so we are  deceived into believing that it is real. That is not to say that matter  is not real. Matter is real just as the shadow of a tree is real, but  the shadow is not the tree and matter is not true reality. 
    
    -Cosolargy International

    To understand this please note.

    We are not a physical body. We are soul.

    Now, do not be offended.

    This does not at all mean that there is no love, that there isn’t a thing called togetherness. That there isn’t all the physical, emotional and spiritual relationships that we have with others. Do not be silly. Of course they exist.

    What changes is the understanding of what a physical body is.

    Conventiona thought of what a person is.

    Instead of one (and only one) physical body that your consciousness inhabits, there is an infinite number of physical bodies. Each one within a unique and separate world-line.

    You, as consciousness, moves in and out of all these other bodies of yours through thought.

    This is what a person really is. We are multi-dimensional beings with a singular consciousness. We (as consciousness) move in and out of the MWI world-lines entering similiar physical bodies associated with our consciousness.
    This is what a person really is. We are multi-dimensional beings with a singular consciousness. We (as consciousness) move in and out of the MWI world-lines entering similar physical bodies associated with our consciousness.

    This is also true for the entire rest of the universe. Everyone else also possesses bodies such as this. Your dog has this kind of body. Your cat has this kind of body. In fact, the felines are actually quite cognizant of this ability.

    We are NOT a physical body. We are soul that manifests a consciousness within our reality.

    Knowing and realizing this, makes some of the passages in the religious books far more reasonable, and easier to understand. It doesn’t matter if it is the Koran, or the Bible. Understanding the way the universe works, and truly works, adds a far greater understanding to the wisdom that resides inside of these great works.

    The soul creates a “consciousness” that it places in a “container”. This container is a “world-line”. Our “universe” is a near infinite number of world-lines.

    We are soul.

    We are placed here for our consciousness to obtain experiences.

    We navigate in and out of the world-lines though our thoughts. Our rate of travel (in general) is (for most humans) about 4 Hz. Or, four cycles per second. (Four world-lines each second.)

    There are different rates of travel, and different species travel the MWI at different speeds. In general, the rate of travel is proportional to the operational speed of the brain. This of course varies.
    
    If you dull your brain to such a degree that your brain is slower, then you will not travel the MWI as fast as others would. And you might find your life slowly "falling behind" that of others.

    Thus…

    • We are consciousness. We “rent” a physical body for a fleeting moment of time.
    • Our reality is NOT shared. Instead our consciousness occupies a singular world-line. It is a momentary event.
    • We (our consciousness) migrate between momentary world-lines through our thoughts.
    • This movement is known as “the arrow of time”.

    The best way that I can introduce the reader to this “radical” understanding of how our universe actually works, is to use the “movie projector theory”.

    Movie Projector theory for the MWI.

    What time actually is and how we naturally move through the various world-lines.
    This is an illustration of what time actually is. Time does not exist. It is a perception that our consciousness has as it moves and weaves in and out of different world-lines. Here we use an old-fashioned movie reel projector to help illustrate this understanding.

    Thus, the idea of the actual way things work is really, really, REALLY different than what everyone assumes or believes. The difference is so stark, that many researchers are handicapped in their understanding of reality. Ah, but it need not be that way.

    Come on! You can well understand the movie projector analogy, can’t you?

    If you can, well good for you! Award yourself a gold star.

    The Movie Projector Theory in more detail…

    The problem with that analogy (and it is a really good analogy), that that it does not take into account the individual frame selection in the film role. For in actual contemporaneous movies, it is the movie producer that selects the individual frames, and the person just sits back and watches the movie.

    In reality, it is more like an entire bank of projectors, and we (as soul) selects the movie that interests us.

    In this model, we have numerous movie projectors, all running simultaneously (at the same entropy)… Ah! At the same time.

    We can “jump into” any scene portrayed by any of the movie projectors at will. We just look at the projected images.

    Projector line up.
    Instead of a producer selecting the frames in a film and arranging the movie, and content, the soul consciousness does this instead. Using the movie projector analogy, it is similar to being in a room with multiple movie projectors all running similar films simultaneously. You, as consciousness, can decide which movie to watch. The further away the movie projector is from the movie that you are currently watching, the more effort is required.

    The further away the movie projector is from us, the harder it is to watch that movie. So we must watch closer movies (momentarily) and then “edge our way” closer to the movie projector that we are interested in.

    Most people, sadly, do not do this. They allow the movie projectors to operate randomly and they find themselves watching movies that they may not really care for.

    How it manifests

    So, using this film / movie projector analogy further it is exactly how our consciousness selects the “life experience” that we obtain. Each frame in a given movie reel is a world line. They are all playing about simultaneously, and our consciousness selects the world-lines to occupy by hopping from frame to frame. (World-line to world-line.)

    Movie reel frames as consciousness selected world-line selection criteria.
    By selecting each frame in a given movie, we can navigate within the movie, or even “jump” to another completely different movie all together. It is all dependent upon our thoughts, or the navigation of our consciousness. Our soul decides the very first frame, and the very first movie reel that we will enter. However, it is our consciousness that decides how to make the best of our life, and how to navigate within the framework that is provided to us by the divine.

    Nearby movie projectors are nearly identical to the one that we are viewing at the moment. Their divergence from our “present reality” is often very small.

    As we move further and further away to more distant movie projectors the divergence gets larger and larger and larger.

    This is why it doesn’t seem like we are moving from one world-line to the next. It seems smooth, seamless and transparent. That is because the deviance in nearby world-line (projectors) is very, very small.

    Our thoughts select the world-line…

    In reality, the “film spool” (a collection of “frames”) is known as the “life experience” of a given consciousness as it takes on a life.

    It is a record of our travels in and out of different world-lines. Where a “world-line” is represented as a frame within the movie reel.

    The individual “frames” that are selected, are chosen by the thoughts of the consciousness that inhabits the body. We migrate to things that we think about. We migrate to what we think about.

    Not necessarily what we might desire. It is what occupies our thoughts most of the time. (So shut off that stupid manipulative television, why don’t ya!)

    For all its popularity, Facebook isn’t without its share of scandals.  In the latest one, details came out of an experiment conducted on  700,000 Facebook users over the period of a single week in 2012. News  feeds were manipulated to contain positive or negative news and content,  then users were monitored to see if the change made them use more  positive or negative words in their status updates. 
    
    And it  worked—people’s status updates showed a change in emotion  that went along with the kind of news that they were exposed to. 
    
    The  term used was “emotional contagion,” and it confirms something pretty  frightening.
    
    According to the study, people don’t even have to be physically  around another person in a bad mood to absorb the negativity into  themselves—negativity can be “caught” just from looking at a computer  screen. 
    
    There doesn’t need to be  a personal, emotional connection for emotional contagion to happen. 
    
    Not  surprisingly, the study has brought up a number of disturbing  questions, and it’s now being investigated by organizations like the  Information Commissioner’s Office in Dublin. Those questioning the  ethics of the study state that it’s nothing less than psychological  manipulation. As if that’s not shady enough, Facebook users were unaware  that they were having their emotions and moods manipulated through  another party controlling just what was popping up in their news feeds. 
    
    -List verse
    How consciousness selects thoughts.
    I am hungry, but what do I want to eat? It is our thoughts, coupled with our memories and yearnings that help us decide what actions to take. So what to do? Eat a bowl of dog food, or have a nice tasty delicious pizza? Decisions. Decisions. It is our thoughts that determine which world-lines to occupy, and for most people, they just go with the flow and end up with whatever is provided to them.

    No two thoughts are the same…

    One of the problems that people need to come to grips with is that thoughts are not equal. Thoughts are “weighed”. Each thought is different. And thus each thought has a different degree in influence in world-line selection.

    Thoughts and emotions together form a complex stew of "influence" that can absolutely affect your world-line travel adventures.
    Thoughts and emotions together form a complex stew of “influence” that can absolutely affect your world-line travel adventures. For instance, consider the scenario of you being hungry and desirous of eating a fine New York style pizza. Now your enjoyment at eating that pizza will depend on your emotions at the time. Obviously you won’t be able to enjoy it if you were angry, now would you? Our emotions, our memories our physical health and other factors all work together to influence our world-line navigation ability.

    Thoughts and emotions together form a complex stew of “influence” that can absolutely affect your world-line travel adventures.

    These thoughts are comprised of “levels of influence”.

    • Duration of thinking about something.
    • Emotional attachments with the thoughts.
    • Prior memories of similar events.
    • Prior physical experiences.
    • The thoughts of the people (shadow consciousnesses) around you.
    • Cultural variances, needs and desires.
    • Mass thought manipulation (Have you been paying attention to the news lately?)
    • One’s inherent belief system.

    Ah, no two thoughts are equal. They have a “weighed” value or influence factor. Further, they are also modified by other thoughts by other “shadow consciousnesses” (Individual proxy consciousnesses that share a given reality.)

    Think about it. It has to be this way, or else an obsessed person should be able to have their dreams manifest quite easily. But, the truth is that they don't. That is because of a slew of factors. One of which is the "level of influence" that a thought is given within a given world-line.

    One of the most important and significant factors in thought-directed world-line selection is one’s inherent belief system.

    Consider the cow.

    One mighty big cow.
    One mighty big cow.
    Let's use the cow analogy. 
    
    For instance, you might be starving, and ready to die of starvation.
    
    A typical American would not have any qualms with butchering a cow and eating steak. A Hindu would not, and would rather die than kill a cow. A vegetarian might be against eating it, but would not have any qualms drinking it's milk.
    
    Our actions are determined, in large part, by our belief systems.

    It is our deepest belief systems that have the greatest influences in our thoughts.

    The influence of our deepest thoughts.
    It is our deepest thoughts and core belief systems that have the greatest influence in thought direction and world-line selection. For no two people are the same.

    This is a very important subject, and I will cover it later on. For now, let’s look at things simply. Consider that all thoughts are simple, unique and they can easily select the “frames” or world-lines that the consciousness will migrate to.

    The actual “landscape” of the MWI as viewed by the individual consciousness.

    Imagine a “road map” of nearby world-lines.

    Now, what would it look like? What would it resemble? How would we be able to take into account all the different variables that are constantly shifting and changing all around us?

    Obviously, it would have a form of sorts.

    It would have (as an illustration) globes representing a given “world-line” (or “frame” in the movie using the analogy above). It would also have lines. The lines would represent a path of migration. Which is the most probable paths for a consciousness to take when moving from one world-line to another.

    Movement in and out of the world-lines in the MWI by using the movie projector analogy to describe the way that consciousness moves in and out of different world-lines though thought.
    Movement in and out of the world-lines in the MWI by using the movie projector analogy to describe the way that consciousness moves in and out of different world-lines though thought.

    Now, this is a pretty good analogy as far as it describes the path that a consciousness would take. However, this analogy ignores the world-lines that are not taken. And in general, there a millions or much larger numbers of world-lines that are constantly ignored.

    So a better way of mapping this procedure is to do so in a three dimensional framework.

    Moving away from the movie projector analogy and mapping it upon a three-dimensional grip, it might look something a little like this. With the positions of the world-lines geographically positioned relatively to the pathways as a function of the intrinsic value of the particular world-line.

    The path that consciousness takes might be just as well placed on a map of sorts. THis map might show nodes and paths where the consciousness might migrate depending on thought manifestation, generation and progression.
    The path that consciousness takes might be just as well placed on a map of sorts. This map might show nodes and paths where the consciousness might migrate depending on thought manifestation, generation and progression.

    However, it would not look so much like a cluster of grapes, or bubbles on a foamy sea of bath water. No.

    It turns out that the highest probability pathway forms a kind of sheet or flat surface when plotted in the three dimensions.
    
    If you end up plotting everything, you can't make out heads or tails of the map. It's just this one big mess. But, if you plot the pathways that have the greatest probability of travel, it simplifies immensely.

    Instead of a cluster of grapes, it would look a little like a mesh or a grid. With the points being world-lines, and the lines connecting the points as the shortest distance to that world-line.

    Now, if you take a step away from this “map” of “world-lines” and their lines of “high-probability” consciousness transfer it might start looking a little like this. Where you would see a “surface” of “highest probability” pathways, with the relative ease of travel and the strength of character needed to traverse affecting the heights and valleys of the apparent surface.

    How the world-lines with consciousness migration paths migh look when a person takes a larger overview. You will see that the map is not a flat surface, but rather undulates. It forms hills, valleys and "mountains". This surface is the "geography" of the world-line transition map. Each posible destination world-line would have a different value of "potential". Which is a potential for the consciousness to move towards it and occupy it.
    How the world-lines with consciousness migration paths might look when a person takes a larger overview. You will see that the map is not a flat surface, but rather undulates. It forms hills, valleys and “mountains”. This surface is the “geography” of the world-line transition map. Each possible destination world-line would have a different value of “potential”. Which is a potential for the consciousness to move towards it and occupy it.

    The “surface” that this map forms is the HIGHEST PROBABILITY of consciousness movement from one world-line node to another.

    • Going above the surface indicates a strength of will over the combined strength of inertia of a given world-line.
    • Going below the surface indicates a weak strength of will and a consciousness being overwhelmed by the inherent inertia of a given world-line.

    Additionally…

    • Moving to the left upon the mapped surface indicates more freedom of movement upon a given world-line reality.
    • Moving to the right upon the mapped surface indicates less freedom of movement upon a given world-line reality.

    Thus…

    The topographic map display is a useful tool in understanding the hurtles and trials that one needs to endure to travel forth on the MWI.

    The movement on the topographical map of the highest probability paths is accomplished via thought.
    The movement on the topographical map of the highest probability paths is accomplished via thought.

    However, the rate of travel is fast…

    The thing is, however, that the rate of travel through each world-line in the MWI is quite fast. It is around four world-lines per second. (For some people it is much, much higher.) Thus, for any topographic map to be of any use, it will have to have to exist on a much larger scale than what is presented here.

    As such, the individual world-lines would appear as tiny pixels, and for the map to be of any use, it should describe a travel duration in terms of weeks rather than seconds. This means that the map would look like a smooth gradient rather than an array of “floating”globes.

    MWI geometic map showing an arraw of highest probability world-lines in a seven second cluster of time.
    MWI geometric map showing an array of highest probability world-lines in a seven second cluster of time. As the resolution increases the similarity to geologic topographic maps increases. Often these maps resemble landscapes and other recognizable surfaces.

    Mapping the surface.

    Here, we are going to take a look at the way the landscape actually looks from the point of view of an individual consciousness. It is NOT simple and flat. It is undulating with all sorts of “nearby” world-lines that the thoughts can select and migrate towards.

    In general, it might look something along these lines…

    The general topography of the MWI.
    The general topography of the MWI.

    In reality, this topographical map is much more complex and complicated. However, I was able to (functionally) navigate it using a sort of simple 3d understanding, and that understanding is one that I will provide here. Yes, these are my conventions distilled and illustrated as a teaching aide.

    Here we look at it is the substantially simplified version that I am accustomed to using.

    The purposes of the axes on a MWI graphic.
    The meanings and purposes in the three-dimensional topographical portrayal.

    Now because this is a very simplified diagrammatic representation, numerous variables are incorporated in the “X’ and “Z” axes. (Not to mention the entropy axis “Y”.) In general, as I understand it, the characteristics of the “X’ and “Y” axes are an algebraic sum of the inverses of the individual contributions to the axes elements.

    OK. I know that I lost you. Just think of it as a sum average of all your thoughts.

    Internal Influences

    Internal influences should be understood as the ultimate result of comparative thought-driven MWI transitions by the given consciousness.

    Suppose the mind has a wide selection of thoughts. Everything from anger at a spouse, to frustration at work, and influences in the news, to a loving thoughts related to romance. All these thoughts will work together to generate a (singular) "value" on this axis.
    
    But, it is more than that. It is also the weighed value and the intensity of the thoughts, coupled with the apparent carry-over duration longevity of the thoughts as a person migrates in and through the other world-lines.
    
    Let's keep it simple.
    
    Look, if you drop a slice of pizza in the middle of a muddy road, would you [1] pick it up, wipe the mud off the pizza, and eat it. or [2] say "heck with that", and leave the pizza in the mud as a lost cause.
    
    For most people, they would give up and abandon the slice of pizza. 
    
    The amount of mud is far too distracting to enjoy the slice of pizza. That is that way this system works. For if you abandon the slice, like most people would, your would occupy a world-line on the surface of the undulating map. 
    
    If however, against all probability and convention, you decided to eat the slice, you might be above or below the surface, depending on other factors.

    Here’s an example.

    Let’s suppose that you are a simple fellow and you have five things going on in your life.

    • A spouse that wants a divorce.
    • A boss who is hinting on firing you.
    • A yearning for a club sandwich and an ice cold beer.
    • A pet that loves you and is very loyal.
    • Memories of fishing with your father.

    In this example, some of the items would have more emotion attached to it that others. While other issues might be better at controlling your emotions and directing your thoughts. While still others might be able to erase the thoughts completely (if for a short period of time).

    You might be an emotional wreck and your thoughts would manifest a life that would reflect your thoughts.

    As an aside, drugs and other stimuli can also influence thoughts and behaviors. All of these complexities can alter the navigational ability on the MWI.

    There is no way to judge which thoughts or issues affecting the thoughts would have the greatest influence on the person because it is their deepest internal core belief systems that would result in how the world-lines would manifest.

    Charlie Sheen's Public Meltdown in 2011
    Charlie Sheen’s Public Meltdown in 2011

    All that one can assume is that all the factors would be weighted together and balanced though the core belief systems of the soul / consciousness. This would influence the momentary section of the next world-line.

    Is it no wonder that when things start going wrong, that they often end up spiraling out of control?

    External Influences

    External influences should be considered the inherent inertia that comes with a given world-line.

    Inertia.
    
    Inertia is the resistance of any physical object to any change in its state. Once you have a bowling ball sitting on the floor, it is a little difficult to get it to move. However, once you get it moving, it's hard to slow down. 
    
    That difficulty... getting it started to move, and stopping it from moving... is what is known as inertia.

    For our purposes it is the accumulated influences of the “shadow thoughts” of those (non-consciousness) apparent beings that share a given destination world-line. These are all the physical and non-physical influences that would affect the thoughts of a consciousness while it is in a given world-line.

    You see, there can only be one consciousness per world-line. All those other "people" that we share the world-line with are actually "shadows". They are the bodies and representation of other consciousness were they to share the reality with us. As such, not only are their physical being present with us, but also their thoughts, dreams, desires and urges as well.
    
    A "shadow" is a person that we share the specific world-line with. 
    
    However no consciousness inhabits their body. Their actual consciousness is off in another reality. We are observing their 'shadow" or a portrayal of how they would behave, act and think were they to share our reality with us.

    The arrow of time.

    With this being understood, a consciousness… a person might experience world-line travel at a rate of around 4 Hz, and visit numerous world-lines in any given instance. Thus the “arrow of time” might look something like this…

    How time manifests in the MWI.
    The topography of the MWI showing the apparent “arrow of time”.

    Thus in this simplified diagram showing the geography of the MWI you (the reader) can see [1] how the passage of time manifests, [2] how your thoughts can alter and change the “X” vector component, and [3] how a given world-line can influence the path direction via a “Z” axis vector. You will also notice that the “arrow of time” [4] moves along the direction of decreasing entropy.

    Entropy
    
    A measure of the amount of disorder in a system. Entropy increases as the system's temperature increases. For example, when an  ice cube melts and becomes liquid, the energy of the molecular bonds  which formed the ice crystals is lost, and the arrangement of the water  molecules is more random, or disordered, than it was in the ice cube. We can assume that in a  macrocosmic  universe, that it can be best represented as time.

    The migration process.

    Movement of a soul consciousness to a world-line reality.

    Our consciousness moves from one physical body in one world-line to another in a different world-line. For most humans, most of the time, the rate of travel is around four world-lines per second.

    Expert hint;
    
    If you are using "the power of intention" to manifest your reality, what you are doing is focusing on a destination world line. If you track your success or failure in this effort, you will discover the amount of time it will take for your intentions to manifest.
    
    If it took 6 months, then that means that you had to pass through 62,208,000 (more or less) world lines to arrive at your destination world-line.
    
    Figure around 10 million world-line transitions per month.

    The way that consciousness is able to move in and out of the various world lines is though wave propagation behavior.

    • While it is a given world-line, the consciousness occupies the body in the particle form.
    • While the consciousness moves from one world-line to another, it is no longer occupying a body. It is thus in a wave form.
    Quanta can change states, but this is really a state change by the observer, not an actual change in the object itself.
    It is not that a quanta changes, it is how the observer views the quanta that makes the change. Our soul controls consciousness. Consciousness can be in different states depending upon the point of view of the person (the observer). Here we can see that the two apparently different states are one and the same thing, depending on the point of view of the observer.

    This all happens rather quickly. In most people, mostly the rate of travel from one world-line to another is around 4Hz. For most humans our brains have a difficult time observing the changes in these movements. So we think that we are living in one singular world-line that we share with others.

    Here is a gif that kind of illustrates the point, and the system at work here.

    Wave and particle duality and illustration.
    Wave and particle duality and illustration.

    The entry process

    This is how the consciousness changes from wave to particle for entry within a body within a reality. Our consciousness naturally exists in the wave form.

    However, the moment it “crashes through” into a fabricated world-line reality, it changes form. It becomes a particle. It’s a natural process.

    This is how the consciousness changes from wave to particle for entry within a body within a reality.
    This is how the consciousness changes from wave to particle for entry within a body within a reality. The consciousness takes on the particle form in order to operate the physical body and exist within a reality or world-line reality. Otherwise, it operates in wave form outside of the body.

    MAJestic operations (slides and dives)

    The thing is, if you are in MAjestic, and are engaged in the role like I was in, your visualization of the MWI mapping would be quite different. I was often not allowed, or permitted, to live a “normal” life per my capabilities. ‘

    Instead I was often pulled off my life track and immersed within a completely different reality.

    One of the reasons why it sucked to be me.

    And this is what it was like.

    An illustration, by using map topography of the mWI to describe what a slide was like. It took me to a completely different series of world-lines that were way, way off the probability curves of a "normal" consciousness migration vector.
    An illustration, by using map topography of the MWI to describe what a slide was like. It took me to a completely different series of world-lines that were way, way off the probability curves of a “normal” consciousness migration vector. In the instance shown, you can see that I was living a normal life on the MWI for a few seconds (figure four world-lines per second) and then boom! a slide would occur and I would be located way, way off my accustomed world-line.

    For, by nature of my role, I would not follow the surface as described within the topography. I would be involved in slides and dives… including a few “deep dives”.

    Thus, my dives and slides would deviate way off from the mapped surface geometry. It would render the understanding of this visualization quite differently.

    A "slide" or a "dive" will transform your reality substantially. Often it will be wholly unrecognizable. Your body would be wholly immersed in the new reality, but your mind will not, nor will your memories.
    A “slide” or a “dive” will transform your reality substantially. Often it will be wholly unrecognizable. Your body would be wholly immersed in the new reality, but your mind will not, nor will your memories.

    Coordinates and vector tracking

    Most certainly there were the manual coordinates that I would navigate (somewhat) with, but that really didn’t tell me much except upon what I felt. And that <redacted>.

    Does the speedometer in the car have meaning if you do not know how long a mile is, or can tell the difference from air traveling at 10 miles/hour compared to 100 miles/hour?
    
    Unless you have a comparative understanding of a value, the numerical values will hold no meaning.
    
    For example...
    
    Do you know (you the reader), know how big 25 mm is? If I were to tell you to get me a stack of sliced Lorraine Swiss cheese 25 mm high, would you know how big the stack would be?
    
    (It's about an inch tall.)
    
    The point is that unless you can associate some meaning with a alpha numerical value, it in itself will hold no meaning to you.
    speedometer
    speedometer

    The good thing was that<redacted>, and as such I was able to track my movement. Though the understanding of it was quite different from what any other person would understand.

    The automatic slides brought forth by the pilot, and the artifice were visually observed in the form of glyphs. Not numbers. These objects would pop into my visual sight clear enough and I could easily ignore, or discard the information as I felt. Which, for the most part, I did.

    When you get a "blue plate special" in a restaurant with a small twig of parsley on the side, what do you do with the parsley? Do you eat it? Hold it up and study it? Or, are you like me, and ignore it and discard it?
    When you get a "blue plate special" in a restaurant with a small twig of parsley on the side, what do you do with the parsley? Do you eat it? Hold it up and study it? Or, are you like me, and ignore it and discard it?
    When you get a “blue plate special” in a restaurant with a small twig of parsley on the side, what do you do with the parsley? Do you eat it? Hold it up and study it? Or, are you like me, and ignore it and discard it?

    These however, made little sense to me, being cycles, circles and symbols. What did make sense was the multi-layered navigation “console” or (more aptly) vision on what was transpiring. This <redacted>. At least in manual mode, I could understand the alpha numerical numbers, if not exactly the purposes.

    Anyways, I will cover all this in another post / article.

    For now, let’s just simply say that for me (and the others in my role) we had a map that included multiple surface topography. (Let’s not get too involved in how we were able to “see” and access this map. It’s stuff for another long sequence of posts.)

    The pilot would navigate my slides way off the “normal” topographic map, and I would enter into other realities that were quite removed from the map. I would be able to observe this in the form of different surface topography lying on top of each other.

    Recording of our “migration path”.

    All of this was recorded on yet another kind of visual map. However, let it be completely understood that it was absolutely confusing to me and looked more like patterned wallpaper of extreme complexity than anything else. I could not, in any way, understand it.

    Conclusion

    This post describes how I was able to track and understand what I was going through as I experienced the MWI for MAJestic. The organization, via the <redacted> took me to different versions of our earth for the purposes of the prevention of world-line clustering in a manner that would be problematic.

    This post describes what it was like for me going through this, and how I was able to understand what was going on.

    MAJestic Related Posts – Training

    These are posts and articles that revolve around how I was recruited for MAJestic and my training. Also discussed is the nature of secret programs. I really do not know why the organization was kept so secret. It really wasn’t because of any kind of military concern, and the technologies were way too involved for any kind of information transfer. The only conclusion that I can come to is that we were obligated to maintain secrecy at the behalf of our extraterrestrial benefactors.

    How to tell...
    How to tell -2
    Top Secrets
    Sales Pitch
    Feducial Training
    Implantation
    Probe Calibration - 1
    Probe Calibration - 2
    Leaving the USA

    MAJestic Related Posts – Our Universe

    These particular posts are concerned about the universe that we are all part of. Being entangled as I was, and involved in the crazy things that I was, I was given some insight. This insight wasn’t anything super special. Rather it offered me perception along with advantage. Here, I try to impart some of that knowledge through discussion.

    Enjoy.

    Secrets of the universe
    Alpha Centauri
    Our Galaxy the Milky Way
    Sirius solar system
    Alpha Centauri
    The fuselage embedded within the rocks of Victoria Falls.
    The Hammer inside the rock.
    The Hollow Moon
    The Mystery of the Lapulapu Ridge.
    The Mystery of the Baltic UFO.
    Mystery of the bronze bell.
    Mystery of the oil lamp found inside a block of coal.
    Did extraterrestrials set up a colony in Pennsylvania?
    The Oxia Palus Facility
    Brown Dwarfs
    Apollo Space Exploration
    CARET
    The Nature of the Universe
    Type-1 Grey Extraterrestrial
    The mysterious flying contraptions.

    Utilizing Intention

    Using Intention to make your life sparkle.
    Using intention to navigate the MWI.

    Influencer Questions

    Here are posts that have gathered a series of questions from various influencers. They are interesting in many ways and could help all of us unravel the mysteries of the lives that we live.

    Interview with an Influencer.
    More discussions with an influencer.
    FAQ - 1
    FAQ - 2
    FAQ - 3
    FAQ - 4
    FAQ - 5
    FAQ - 6
    FAQ - 7
    FAQ - 8
    FAQ - 9

    MAJestic Related Posts – World-Line Travel

    These posts are related to “reality slides”. Other more common terms are “world-line travel”, or the MWI. What people fail to grasp is that when a person has the ability to slide into a different reality (pass into a different world-line), they are able to “touch” Heaven to some extent. Here are posts that  cover this topic.

    Cat Heaven
    MWI
    Things I miss
    How MWI allows world-line travel.
    An Observed World-Line switch.
    Vehicular world-line travel
    Soul is not consciousness.

    John Titor Related Posts

    Another person, collectively known by the identity of “John Titor” claimed to utilize world-line (MWI egress) travel to collect artifacts from the past. He is an interesting subject to discuss. Here we have multiple posts in this regard.

    They are;

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    "We discovered that if you want to monetize a blog you need to be getting about 100,000 hits a day! "
    
    -6F12
    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
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    Free Intention Dream Boards

    Here are some free Intention / Dream boards for your use. I would suggest that you copy the (presented image) photos to your computer and alter and customize it to fit your own personalized intentions. As such, please feel free to download and use to your heart’s content.

    A dream board is a collage of images, pictures and written affirmations of the intentions and desires you wish to achieve. It helps you through visualization, thus activating the Universal Law of Attraction, or “likes attract like.” 
    
    - 6 Tips for Making a Dream Board - Fit Bottomed Girls 

    The so called “Law of Attraction” is an element of the quantum physics law known as the “observer effect“. It has been repeatedly proven that a person’s thoughts alter the reality that they experience.

    Though many people outside of MAJestic haven’t a clue as to the mechanism for this behavior.

    Here are some attempts to explain this curious effect, and how a person can utilize it for their own personal use. If you are the kind of person that wants to know what all this is all about, and why it is important, these following links might be of help.

    Now of course, us in MAJestic (well, at least those in my particular program) actually know how the universe works. We know how to manipulate it, and we do know the dangers of thought imposition.

    How it works

    Ah, I covered this subject in great detail in other posts.

    However, for now, let’s just keep it simple. The universe is nothing like we think it is. Seriously. It does not resemble anything that is being taught in universities, or being promoted in any of the world’s religions.

    Time is the movement of consciousness in and out of adjacent world-line variations.

    The thoughts generated by the consciousness navigate the movement through these realities.

    By controlling your thoughts, you can set destination realities for you to inhabit.

    Which, by the way, means that you must be the pilot for your consciousness. You must keep your destination in mind, and your objectives clear. You have to avoid the “rocky shores” or disruptive thoughts. Thus you need to stay away from discordant news, and toxic people.

    Dream Boards

    I often go on the Internet and see examples of Intention / Dream boards. Their heart is in the right place but they are going about it wrong.

    • Firstly, a “Dream Board” is one element of “Intention Projection”.
    • Secondly, a “Dream Board” is useless without an associated prayer.

    Also the theory behind how it works, as promoted on the internet, is really not accurate. To fully understand how an Intention / Dream board works, you need to understand just how our universe works. And, you know what, everyone has it wrong.

    Prayer

    Unless you are backing up your vision board with prayer, you will not derive full benefit from your dream board. It is your thoughts that define your reality. To navigate in and out of the realities that are constantly evolving and shifting around us, you must pilot your consciousness. You need to be the Captain of your consciousness.

    To navigate, you need to control and master your thoughts. You need to do the following…

    • Pray. These are thoughts that show your intentions, and desires.
    • Create a vision board, or vision “splash screen” on your electronic media.
    • Isolate yourself from negative media; news, music or movies.
    • Isolate yourself from negative or disruptive people.

    Use of the Vision Board / Splash Screen

    You use the sample image as a desktop background. When ever you see the desktop image in the background you say your prayer associated with it. Thus is you want to use multiple backgrounds on a rotating basis, it becomes helpful to have a nice list of intention prayers that you read once a day.

    Setting in Microsoft Windows 10.
    In the Windows control panel, this is the setting that will enable you to control your desktop splash screen.

    Remember, that in order the intention board to work, you must recite your prayers out loud. (This is can be in a whisper, don’t you know.)

    The longer you do this, the more “stable” your destination reality will become. However, there will come a point in time when you will “tire” of the prayers and dream boards. When this occurs, let it go and forget about it all. (It’s an important evolution that is established by your consciousness.)

    You can do a different prayer and dream board, if you want. Just know that your intention will most certainly manifest.

    The Things people wish for

    I went on the handy dandy internet, and researched the things that most people wish for. Then I compiled them into a list and I am presenting intentions splash screens for each item on the list. Please consider these splash screens as an idea from which you can base your very own intention splash photos off of. Or use them raw as shown. It’s all up to you.

    The Samples

    The samples provided are just that. Samples. If you want to use them, feel free, but you MUST include an associated daily prayer with them.

    Also note, that providing the samples here does not mean that I agree with the thought projections. Some of the samples offer vices, and other elements that do not fit my personal preferences. They are offered as suggestions for you the reader to base your own dream boards on.

    Please take note that all these images and dream board splashes are made using the Microsoft Visio application. It is amazingly easy to use and simple. You just create a picture and add other pictures and text to your desired image.

    Further, please take note that there is a trade off between a singular image with prayer, and a collage of images. A group of images will offer the person a greater degree of latitude and versatility in how the intention manifests. This latitude enables the manifestation to occur quicker. A singular image properly prayed for with strong intentions take much longer to manifest, but the results are more exacting.

    Here we provide (mostly) singular images for your study and enjoyment.

    Power

    This intention desktop “splash” is related to POWER.

    If you are desirous of increasing your apparent power within the reality that you inherit, then this image is for you. You are free to use it as is, or make your own along these lines. Alternatively, you can fill the entire image screen with smaller images that illustrate the kinds of power that you might wish to evoke.

    Power intention
    This is the image that you can use if you want to use the power of intention to manifest power for yourself. Feel free to “left click” and save the image to your “Pictures” folder. Then set the desktop background on your computer to this image.

    Please note that you must use the following dialog in your prayers associated with this image…

    I utilize the desktop image display on my computer to help cultivate the reality that my world-line is.
    
    In all cases, the dominant male figure portrayed in the image(s) represent myself.
    
    Images that portray mafia figures, or "bad people" portray myself in similar roles of power. They do NOT, however, manifest these kinds of people arrayed against me.

    If you do not take care in your prayers, and in the application of the desktop display intention splash, it could easily “backfire” against you. Therefore, it is critically important for you to have a very clear and well defined image intention with an associated prayer.

    After all, unless you are careful on how your thoughts manifest, you might end up having this crew come a knockin’ at your door…

    Chinese triad gangsters.
    Chinese triad gangsters. If you are not careful and try to use the power of intention to alter your reality towards one of power, you could just as easily invoke the more negative manifestations that come with that territory. This could include Chinese Triad gangsters.

    Success in business

    Again, here is a a different intention desktop splash. This is for people who are desirous of having a very successful business, and the rewards that come with it.

    Success in Business
    Success in Business. This is a fine intention (PC) desktop dream splash canvas if you are desirous of being very successful in business… financially. As before, please right click on the image and save to your Pictures folder. Then set your background image display to this image.

    Again, it’s not enough just to use this image as a desktop background display. You need to associate it with a prayer. I would suggest that what ever prayer that you utilize, that you incorporate the following prayers / affirmations…

    I utilize the desktop image display on my computer to help cultivate the reality that my world-line is.
    
    In all cases, the dominant male figure portrayed in the image(s) represent myself.
    
    Images that portray "bad people" portray myself in similar roles of power. They do NOT, however, manifest these kinds of people arrayed against me. 

    Suave

    This is for you men who desire to be considered charming, confident, and elegant by others. Whether that is members of the other sex (women) or men, it does not matter.

    charming · sophisticated · debonair · urbane · worldly · worldly-wise · polished · refined · poised · self-possessed · dignified · civilized · gentlemanly · gallant · smooth · smooth-talking · smooth-tongued · silver-tongued · glib · polite · well mannered · civil · courteous · affable · tactful · diplomatic · slick · cool · mannerly 
    Suave
    Here is the intention dream splash image for a person who would like to be suave within their reality. Always remember that we cannot change others, all that we can do is alter the reality that surrounds our souls. In so doing the perceptions that others have for us can change in alignment with our desires.

    And again, you must associate this image display with your prayers…

    I utilize the desktop image display on my computer to help cultivate the reality that my world-line is.
    
    In all cases, the dominant male figure portrayed in the image(s) represent myself. 
    
    The manifestation of this reality is gradual and safe and is in alignment with my deepest desires.

    Good Health

    Good health is something that we take for granted, and it isn’t until we get older when we start to panic at how our bodies age. There are things that we can do, of course. We can eat better, stay away from bad people and negative thoughts, and do some moderate exercise.

    Also we must not neglect the role that good, directed thoughts play in shaping our life.

    While you cannot simply wish or pray to be healthy, it can help assist in the movement of world-line selection towards the manifestation of your desires. The formula works a little like this…

    Modest physical efforts + strong directed thoughts = Attainment

    Here is a nice splash image for your desktop. In all cases laid out here, from the Power to the Fame, you MUST provides some kind of minimum physical action from which the desired world-lines can manifest.

    • Wishing for something to happen = nothing will happen.
    • Physically working for things = maybe might happen.
    • Directed thoughts for things = a possibility can happen.

    But… you should take careful note…

    • Physically working towards things + Directed thoughts = cause your desires to manifest.

    Please kindly keep that in mind when you utilize these desktop displays and splash screens. These intention boards are only part of a much more inclusive system that requires your participation to work.

    You can manifest the world-lines that will be favorable to your intentions, and thus they will appear to manifest for you.

    To put it in another way, laying on a couch / sofa eating potato chips and just leaving a intention dream canvas splash display rotate passively on the computer will result in NOTHING.

    You must pump your thoughts full of directed thoughts, you must use the desktop display and view it from time to time to refresh your imagery, and you must do a moderate amount of physical action to generate a baseline from which your thoughts can manifest upon.

    I have generated two splash intention dream canvas. One is for a man and the other is for a woman. Those of you who are of confused gender, you can follow the guidelines to create your very own specialized splash screen.

    Men

    Desktop splash screen for a man for good health.
    Desktop splash screen for a man for good health.

    Woman

    Desktop splash machine for a woman to be in good physical health.
    Desktop splash screen for a woman to be in good physical health.

    And do not forget to add this prayer…

    I utilize the desktop image display on my computer to help cultivate the reality that my world-line is.
    
    In all cases, the dominant figure portrayed in the image(s) represent myself. 

    Fame

    The desire for fame is one of the most popular desires that people have. Yet, it’s perplexing why this is. Personally, I think that it is rather silly. Why do you want fame? To have followers, groupies or get offered free sex on demand?

    People, if that is what you want, then you just go ahead and ask for it directly. If you want to have loads of sex with strangers who are enraptured with you, then ask for that in your intention prayers. You don’t need to ask for “fame”.

    The problem with fame is “thought imposition”. The associated thoughts and quantum environment associated with others will severely influence your life. Trust me, you DO NOT want large groups of people thinking negatively about you. Or, even if it is positive, these thoughts can severely impact your ability to direct your own thoughts.

    Never the less, I am placing the free desktop splash photo for those desirous of “Fame” here. In every case, you absolutely MUST associate it with the following affirmation / prayer.

    I utilize the desktop image display on my computer to help cultivate the reality that my world-line is.
    
    In all cases, the dominant male figure portrayed in the image(s) represent myself. 
    
    The manifestation of this reality is gradual and safe and is in alignment with my deepest desires. However, at any event, the manifestation of fame as pictured will be positive in every way, and will not have any negative connotations or spawn negative associated events.

    Here’s my suggested image desktop splash intention photo;

    Desktop splash for Fame intention.
    Desktop splash for Fame intention.

    Sex

    Sex. It’s a biological driven human attribute. If you do not have the desire to reproduce, or at least go through the motions of reproducing, then you are not living life. All humans desire sex.

    It might not be politically correct, but that is the way it is.

    Which is one of the reasons why tyrannical governments ban vices, such as sex out of marriage in order to control people. It is a very common and human element that is very easy to use to control others with.

    As are other things, like mind altering substances (alcohol) and things that are fun. It's a way of controlling people.

    “Everything I love is illegal, banned or dangerous.”

    When constructing you very own dream splash canvas, you can be very generous with the images used. However, take most special attention to their selection.

    Improperly selected images, and splash screens without a detailed prayer / intention affirmation can easily result in conditions, situations and environments that you might find undesirable. Be very careful, precise and exact when selecting the images that you wish to use.

    Desktop splash image for generating an intention prayer of Sex to manifest.
    Desktop splash image for generating an intention prayer of Sex to manifest. Be very careful in your selection of images to use. If you are not careful, the more undesirable elements of thought generation can manifest with negative consequences. Be careful.

    Happiness

    The reader will notice that all of the images depict people and are representative of situations that people are in. That’s the way a dream / intention canvas works.

    Picture and image the situations.

    Do not image things.

    You cannot display pictures of money and expect that it is to be associated with you having lots of money in your wallet. Instead, it is just a picture of an item. And you, constantly seeing that item, turns it into a kind of world-line scenery; Something that might lie around you, but not anything that you are associated with.

    Not exactly what you want.

    You see this all the time. People set up dream intention boards with nice expensive cars, pictures of houses, and images of a lot of nice things. They will include words that describe what they want to accomplish in their life.
    
    While it will contribute to the world-line direction that the creator intended, it will be done so inefficiently. You need to explicitly map out your desires and intentions and navigate properly in a very careful manner.

    After all, you don’t want to make the same kinds of mistakes that our hero Elliot made in the movie “Bedazzled“, do you?

    Elliot Richards (Brendan) would give  anything to have Allison Gardner (Frances O'Connor) in his life, or so  he says. Who should overhear? The devil (Elizabeth Hurley) of course.  She offers him "seven absolutely fabulous wishes for one piddling little  soul". Only Elliot finds out that you don't always get what you wish  for.  
    Elliot as a basketball star. He’s a great star, bigger in life in so many ways… well every way except for one teeny, tiny thing. Just a small thing, really.

    The image you use, or the images you select MUST have a special meaning and association with you personally. Which is why many intention / dream splash screen canvases must be made intentionally for your own wishes and desires, as well as to have a prayer dialog that you must recite daily that will reset your thought direction, for world-line navigation, properly.

    Here is a sample splash screen for a Happiness directed intention.

    Happiness directed intention / dream splash screen photo.
    Happiness directed intention / dream splash screen photo.

    Wine and Cats

    The most effective intention splash screens are those that represent people, and actions. However, you the reader should note that there are other techniques that can be used in a dream splash canvas. Here we explore one such concept.

    Here is a splash screen for a person who wants a life filled with wine and plenty of kitty-cat friends…

    Wine & cats intention splash image for the desktop.
    Wine & cats intention splash image for the desktop.

    There are no limits

    There are really no limits to the direction that you want your life to evolve into. You simply think about your goals and dreams, all the time, while also removing all the nonsense from others, the news, and other’s manufactured problems. Stay pure, and you will walk the path to your deepest desires.

    You can use many clusters of pictures

    Many people create an Intention / Dream board that they place on their wall. This is often filled with photographs and images that were cut out of magazines. Every time they see this board, they are instantly reminded of their goals and dreams, and thus it serves it’s most exacting purpose.

    In today’s computerized age, I suggest using the computer to do the same thing, and while my examples have one singular photo on it, in my own personal case, I use multiple images myself, creating a collage.

    Here is an example of a “fairly decent” dream board. They use imagery that is important to them, and use words to specify the purpose and utility for the images.

    A example dream board found on the internet.
    A example dream board found on the internet. It describes possessions, lifestyle, and other aspects of the desired world-line goals that are intended to manifest.

    You see, everyone is different.

    We all have different desires, goals, needs, wants and interests. So each dream splash screen will be different for different people. And, while I argue that you need to let the intention splash screen be a part of a tool kit for manifesting your reality, how you use the tools will depend on your own experiences, lifestyle and needs.

    Here’s another example.

    Another example of an inspiration / dream / intention board.
    Another example of an inspiration / dream / intention board. This one is better than most as the use of images tie together to describe an overall theme or lifestyle.

    Warnings

    When you get on the internet, you will see all kinds of examples of people describing their intention / dream boards. You will also find many that monetize this effort.

    Do not fall for that trap. The United States has become one great big vending machine and the people are the commodity.

    Keep this most important fact in mind. You do not need to pay anyone for anything regarding how you think.

    Also… Your thoughts are private.

    We have come to accept the idea that you can police discourse on the internet, that the government agencies can extract history, reasoning, and behaviors from you at will, and that your thoughts are subject to scrutiny.

    That is false.

    Not only is it all against the 1st, 4th and 9th amendments to the United States Constitution, but it is a fundamental nature of yourself as a human. Privacy is a human need.

    No. The "elected" officials in the United States are NOT doing their job, nor have they been since the last 150 years or so. But that is a subject for another time.

    You need NEVER justify why you desire something to manifest in your life. It is secret and only between you and your God.

    Everyone’s mind works differently

    When I use the term “mind” I am referring to HOW the consciousness implants thoughts into the brain. It also includes how the brain reacts to the physical stimulus that surrounds it in this reality (that it inhabits).

    Everyone’s mind works differently.

    Oh we are often under the impression that while there might be deviance in thoughts from the baseline “normal”. That is all false. Really, really false. We all think differently. Do not assume that others will understand you or accept your thought processes. They won’t. It’s a foregone conclusion and do not even bother trying to explain anything.

    His vrs Her thoughts.
    It’s funny because it is so very true. Girls and guns. So very funny.

    Do not assume anything. Live your own life to the best of your ability. Do not care, or give any consideration to what others think of you, your actions or your thoughts.

    Conclusion

    Creating an inspiration or dream board is a fundamental technique for a person to pilot their life to manifest their desires.

    It works on the quantum physics principle of the observer effect.

    Secrets of the universe

    Why it works is not well understood outside of MAJestic. That is because the vast bulk of the world has absolutely zero concept of how the universe works. However, we in MAJestic (well at least those in my sub-project) know quite well the mechanism involved.

    It’s simple really.

    There is no singular fixed reality. Instead there are a near infinite number of realities.

    Our consciousness moves through each one, forming a path.

    This path is called time.

    We travel at a rate, more or less, around 4Hz.

    The selection of the next reality for us to inhabit is determined by our thoughts. Typically, we migrate to realities that are defined by our thoughts that are influenced by the world around us. This can be dangerous and evil people use media to manipulate, and thus cause our travel path to bend and twist towards realities that we might not want to participate in.

    Therefore, to manifest the life that we desire to live, we need to do three things…

    • Turn off all negative, distracting, and disruptive thoughts that surround us.
    • Stay away from people with strong thoughts and personalities that are contrary to our desires.
    • Focus our thoughts on our ultimate goals.

    A vision dream (intention) splash desktop will help accomplish this. Provided that it is linked to a daily prayer that includes the subject matter listed.

    Related Links

    Here’s some other related links for the interested fellow or chick.

    Using Intention to make your life sparkle.
    The Nature of the Universe

    A little bit more background for the more scientifically inclined…

    Ah, and why I ended up learning the utility of all this as part of MAJestic. Here is the end ball game…

    Final Note

    This is how it works people. And, at that, perhaps this is my MAJestic gift to the world.

    The things we did with our extraterrestrial benefactors was intended to help sort out the sentience selection for the human species. It seems to me that it is still in flux, but that need not concern you all. What you should be concerned with is how you can truly embrace the life that we live and customize it to fit your ultimate desires.

    Being able to control our thoughts is the FIRST step in mastery of our life. You can do this through [1] prayer, and [2] visualization.

    There is a reason why ritual is important. For ritual permits proper direct visualization so that prayer can be conducted without distraction.

    Posts Regarding Life and Contentment

    Here are some other similar posts on this venue. If you enjoyed this post, you might like these posts as well. These posts tend to discuss growing up in America. Often, I like to compare my life in America with the society within communist China. As there are some really stark differences between the two.

    What is going on in Hollywood?
    Why no High-Speed rail in the USA?
    Link
    Link
    Link
    End of the Day Potato
    Dog Shit
    Tomatos
    Link
    Mad scientist
    Gorilla Cage in the basement
    The two family types and how they work.
    How to manage a family household.
    Link
    Soups, Sandwiches and ice cold beer.
    Pleasures
    Work in the 1960's
    School in the 1970s
    Cat Heaven
    Corporate life
    Corporate life - part 2
    Build up your life
    Grow and play - 1
    Grow and play - 2
    Baby's got back
    Link
    A womanly vanity
    Army and Navy Store
    Playground Comparisons
    Excuses that we use that keep us enslaved.

    More Posts about Life

    I have broken apart some other posts. They can best be classified about ones actions as they contribute to happiness and life. They are a little different, in subtle ways.

    Being older
    Things I wish I knew.
    Link
    Travel
    PT-141
    Bronco Billy
    How they get away with it
    Paper Airplanes
    Snopes
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    1960's and 1970's link
    Democracy Lessons
    The Rule of Eight

    Funny Pictures

    Picture Dump 1

    Be the Rufus – Tales of Everyday Heroism.

    Be the Rufus - 1

    Articles & Links

    You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
    • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
    • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

    News as Everyday Dog Shit

    "The  Philippines press enjoys all the freedoms of the US system but fails  the people: a wildly partisan press helped Philippines politicians flood  the marketplace of ideas with junk and confuse and befuddle the people  so that they could not see what their vital interests were in a  developing country. And, because vital issues like economic growth and  equitable distribution were seldom discussed, they were never tackled  and the democratic system malfunctioned. Look at Taiwan and South Korea:  their free press runs rampant and corruption runs riot. The critic  itself is corrupt yet the theory is, if you have a free press,  corruption disappears. Now I'm telling you, that's not true. Freedom of  the press, freedom of news critics, must be subordinated to the  overriding needs of the integrity of Singapore and to the primacy of  purpose of an elected government.
    
    
    “Singapore’s  domestic debate is a matter for Singaporeans. We allow American  journalists in Singapore in order to report Singapore to their fellow  countrymen. We allow their papers to sell in Singapore so that we can  know what foreigners are reading about us. But we cannot allow them to  assume a role in Singapore that the American media play in America, that  of invigilator, adversary and inquisitor of the administration. If  allowed to do so, they will radically change the nature of Singapore  society, and I doubt if our social glue is strong enough to withstand  such treatment."  
    
    -A Third World Perspective on the Press. RH Lee Kwan  Yew, Prime Minister of Singapore. C-SPAN, APRIL 14, 1988

    Every day I take my dog out for a walk. I actually do it twice a day. It is first thing in the morning and at the end of the day after the evening meal. We live on the beach, and there is a nice long park right in front of the house (it is a boardwalk) with an absolutely magnificent view of the ocean and the skyscrapers of Macao in the distance. While we are out there enjoying the morning air and watching the joggers on the beach, our dog is nose-to-the-ground and smelling everything like a canine vacuum cleaner. He really enjoys it. He cannot wait to smell the latest news on the road, and contribute a post or two of his own.

    Every morning, I too much check out the latest news. However, as of late it is so boring and predictable that I just simply scan the headlines. It’s always the same old news, just repackaged. Buy more stuff! Support a war! Be afraid! Hate Trump! Pay higher taxes! Oh, and don’t forget Global Warming! Russia! Russia! Russia!

    Are we any different? Humans are just as bad as canines. This has gotten me thinking…

    About Dogs

    I personally like dogs.  While I am, I suppose, a “cat person”, dogs are very special to me personally. There is nothing better than coming home from work, and my loyal buddy (Shao PiPi) is lying down at the door waiting for me. (I know, my wife takes photos to show me.  He gets in position about a half an hour before I arrive home.  Cat’s too.  But my little buddy is special.) Then he gets so excited, grabs his little toy (an old sewed up sock ball), and wants to play with me with it. Then he is all over me in happiness. It’s the best!

    Dogs are loyal and fun to be with.
    Here is a scene from a great movie about a dog in Japan. The dog’s name is Hachiko, and it is a true story. If you haven’t seen it yet, you need to.

    Animal haters won’t understand.

    Dogs are wonderful creatures.  From when they are puppies to their old and grizzly old age, they are wonderful, loyal and quite compassionate.  However, you and I both know, they are not human.  No matter how much we may want to dress them up in clothing, teach them to “speak”, take them out and tell them not to eat out of the trashcan, the fact remains, dogs are dogs. For them, poop is wonderful, trash (the smellier, the better) is an adventure, and there is nothing better than smelling another dog’s ass.

    (BTW, someone had best describe this to the folks in China. They don’t treat dogs as dogs. They treat them as little children. They just love to dress up their dogs in clothing including underwear, hats, socks, and shoes. Well yeah, even my dog has socks and shoes. But, really, it does tend to be a little strange, especially with all those ever-changing doggie hairstyles that seem to come and go with the local doggie fashions of the day. Indeed, China can sure be weird at times. The Chinese, for the most part treat their pets as family members. Oh, one more thing… Dog lovers far outnumber the dog eaters in China. Don’t fall for all the anti-China propaganda.)

    Anyways, dogs are dogs. That is neither good nor bad.  It is a statement of reality.  Dogs, regardless of the breed, are members of the canine family.  They have certain individual differences depending on which breed, but overall they will all act like dogs. You can dye their hair fashionable colors, and dress them up in outfits. You can put socks and shoes on them, and give them eyeglasses and a LV handbag, but you can’t change who they are. Dogs are dogs.

    Dogs can do things that humans cannot. We might not want to recognize this fact, but it is (after all) a fact.

    Dogs can Smell

    Duh!

    What I know about dogs come from personal experience. I never studied anything about our canine friends. What I have learned about dogs comes from the Internet. (In addition, perhaps an odd television program or two as well.) So the reader can take my opinions however, they want. I am decidedly not an expert. I am at best a generalist who has the ability to put various “puzzle pieces” together in very interesting ways.

    I’m just an average dog lover. Maybe like you? Eh?

    You (the reader) should realize this, but many people do not. Dogs can smell much better than humans can. Whoa… let’s replace “much better”, with “unbelievably, superbly, and stunningly better”.  It is really true, and I am not at all exaggerating in the least. In fact, a dog’s brain is specialized for identifying scents.

    While we need room in our brains to think, and work, dogs use a huge portion to analyze scents.  We use our brain to help us think and reason. They use their brain to smell. We use our brain to better understand the universe. They use their brain to smell better. We use our brain to try to fix and repair things. They use their brain to best understand the ways of smelling.

    Dogs have an amazing ability to smell.
    Dogs can pretty much smell anything. They can be trained to find scents that represent danger and serious medical conditions. Photo is from a National Geographic article published in 2014 (Go here to read a report on the article.)

    There are all kinds of reports and studies on just about how much better a dog’s sense of smell is than ours. The problem is that there are so many variables that it’s nearly impossible to quantify or perform comparisons. In a true sense, it is like comparing a black and white photo of an apple, with a freshly baked pizza hot out of the oven. There just isn’t really any good and real way to compare the two.

    Real Estate

    A dog’s sense of smell may be much better than over 1000 times better than ours, making it the most sensitive (and vulnerable) part of its body. (Other reports place this figure much higher.) Comparatively, if you look at the mechanism of smell between humans and dogs, you can see a striking difference. The human nose has only three-square centimeters of olfactory membrane. While, compared to dogs such as Bloodhounds, can have as much as 150 square centimeters of scent-sensing material in their noses. So that means, we have three (3x), and (some) dogs has one hundred and fifty (150x) cm squared of area to smell with. More is better, right?

    A small parabolic dish might be able to pick up a satellite signal with come careful positioning, but a larger one will have a much better change in getting the signal and locking on to it. The same is true with dogs. Their snozes give them ability.

    Brain Power to Process the Scents

    Dogs also have forty times more scent processing cells in their brains than humans. They need this computation power to be able to handle the enormous sensory input from their huge snoozes. It’s never just an issue with size, it’s an issue about what you can do with the larger members and capacities. (No sexual references, here please.)

    “Dogs can smell 100,000 times better than humans.  In tests, dogs have been able to detect a chemical in a solution diluted to 1 to 2 parts per trillion. The human brain has a large area devoted to vision, while dogs have a large portion dedicated to olfaction, in fact, 40% more of a dog’s brain than a human’s is committed to smell.  The average person has 5 million smell receptors, while the average dog, depending on breed, has 125 to 250 million smell receptors.  The Bloodhound has an incredible 300 million smell receptors!  Dogs can smell things up to 40 feet underground.  Dogs can even smell human fingerprints that are a week old!”
    
    - The Incredible Sense of Smell in the Dog

    We who hang around dogs, know that they can “feel” or sense our emotions.  If you are around dogs (or cats) and haven’t noticed this, I would be truly surprised. It’s a very common thing. Not only is it common, but research seemingly proves this as well. Indeed, it’s quite likely that dogs can actually smell emotions.  (I would say that it is a given, but you know there are always exceptions to the rule.) Dogs can smell fear, anxiety, even sadness. The flight-or-fight hormone, adrenaline, is undetectable by our noses, but dogs can apparently smell it. In addition, fear or anxiety is often accompanied by increased heart rate and blood flow, which sends telltale body chemicals more quickly to the skin surface.  Oh yeah, your dog will most certainly know your feelings. Not only that, but there are indications that dogs can even smell if you have cancer.

     “Dogs read about the world through their noses, and they write their messages, at least to other dogs, in their urine.” 
    
    - Stanley Coren

    Doggie Facebook

    I know, I know, the dog is spending way too much time smelling a fence post, or a pile of shit. You are getting impatient, and want him to get a move on. But, he is just there, oblivious to the world around him, just totally absorbed in what he has just “discovered”. I know that it’s tempting to drag your dog away from that pile of shit. I have actually done so myself (when we used to walk him out on a leash).

    But… even though he’s sniffing everything with an annoying slowness, maybe we should give him a break and let him spend some time at that post (get the pun?). Let him have some time to smell the local neighborhood gossip.  And, if he is satisfied with it, let him give a “like” to it. Let him do a posting on his own.

    Dog urine is the “ink” of the dog social-network. Think of it as an exciting blog post on Facebook or your favorite social networking platform. Instead of “Face-book”, it’s “Doggie-ass” and just as important.

    Information is Hidden within Scents

    When dogs start sniffing each other’s asses, the chances are that they’re really learning a lot. It’s far, far more than what we can comprehend. Indeed, it is obviously much more than just simple idle chitchat. The ability to smell given the geometry of the nose, and the ability to interpret that information in the brain can lead us to some interesting conclusions.

    Exactly what the dogs are learning, and what they do with that information, is unknown. As of this writing, no one has figured it out yet. (No one is even studying this, as far as I know.) Many people claim that it is “simply” just “marking their territory”.  However, it’s probably much more than that. In fact, it’s very likely far beyond “this is my territory, keep out!”

    I really don’t know.  But, I would guess that it’s probably more along the lines of, “Oh, you’re a nice male dog, 3.26 years old. You are a collie and beagle mix. And… I notice that you’ve been hanging around the park on Dixon Avenue again, you had some baked chicken wings recently (that you found on 8th street), and you like to sleep on your left side.”

    Links

    Here’s some great links on dog’s ability to smell;

    Humans communicate through the Written word

    While dogs communicate through the sense of smell, humans communicate through the written word. (Yes, I know that there are other mediums. Let’s not get off track here.) We communicate through writing our thoughts down in printed media. This can be electronics or on paper.

    It wasn’t always that way. It used to be carved in stone, but that is rarely done these days.

    In the “old days” people would chisel their writings into stone for everyone to know and remember. These records would spell out major events, and accomplishments. They would tell stories and help us understand our relationships with the Gods of Heaven. It was written and carved to be everlasting.

    History used to be set in stone; recorded in stone.
    Kings and rulers used to carve their deeds, rulings, laws, and pronouncements into stone so that no one could misinterpret them, or rewrite them. The only way that the history could be forgotten was if the stone or writing was physically destroyed. (Image Source.)

    Ah, but you know, Humans are a mercurial lot.

    When individuals come to power, they want something that is easily erased and written over. In the old days, they would have to chisel off the names of their predecessors on all the temples and government buildings. It took a while, and left garish scars on otherwise beautiful structures.

    For what ever it is worth, let it be well understood that the Egyptians were pretty bad at this.

    Ozymandias
    
    Percy Bysshe Shelley, 1792 - 1822
    
    I met a traveller from an antique land
    
    Who said: “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
    
    Stand in the desert . . . Near them, on the sand,
    
    Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
    
    And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
    
    Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
    
    Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
    
    The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed:
    
    And on the pedestal these words appear:
    
    ‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
    
    Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'
    
    Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
    
    Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
    
    The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

    Now, let it be known; the printing press really rocked our world. Not only could things be printed on paper and mass produced, but governments and individuals in power can host periodic burning of books and records. They could rewrite history to fit their new narrative. (Maybe sort of, like how a dog will try to over pee another dog’s urine.)

    Ah. Yah don’t say…

    Book burnings are very common. They go by many names. Progressive liberals and their established socialist governments always have book burnings. It’s their thing. It’s kind of like how they like to wear white sheets, hate Catholics, and use masks to cover their faces.

    The progressive socialist nationalists of Germany (Nazi for you under-educated folk) held massive book burnings. They really took the time to make them impressive. They would have uniforms, orchestrated dance and march movements, flags and special effects. It must have been impressive. Huge barn fires rising up into the Heavens. People dancing around in uniforms with crazed people throwing books into the fires.

    The Nazi’s really loved to use school kids to do it. They would organize these rallies and allow the school children to leave the school. The kids were, of course, happy to do so. There, the kids would gleefully destroy their own history.

    book burnings are popular and associated with power struggles.
    Progressive Socialist Democrats in Germany (Known as NAZI.) having one of their many book burnings. These were often festive affairs with music, speeches, and youth that gleefully toss their collective histories into the fire. Book burnings are ALWAYS associated with power struggles. (That and other things such as statue desecration, and politically correct types of speech.) When one movement ascends to power they start to rewrite history. (Image Source.)

    The Chinese which is also a progressive liberal government structure (officially socialist with Chinese characteristics ) held massive book burnings during the Cultural Revolution.  They also used children to promote their agendas. This included the full range from gun control to destruction of history, to (of course) book burnings. Unlike the Germans, who able to recover about two decades later after a global war, the Chinese took around four decades to recover, and in many ways the cuts and destruction were too deep. Various aspects of the Chinese culture never really recovered.

    Darn those progressive democrat socialists. Always trying to mess up everyone else’s lives!

    In many ways, the Antifa movement is a cross between the Chinese Cultural Revolution, and the German Socialists of the 1930’s. (I do cover this in another writing elsewhere.) You know, you don’t really need to be a student to history to know any of this.

    You just need to be awake and listening.

    Which, I am sad to say is a real rarity today. For the record, book burnings occurred in the Soviet Union, North Korea, Cuba, and Argentina as well as just about any other nation in the world.

    Animal farm is like the black board that is being erased and rewritten over.
    One of the best books to describe how history, rules and laws are rewritten is the book by George Orwell titled “Animal Farm“. As history is always being rewritten in order to manipulate people into doing things that go against their well being.

    Now that everything is migrating to the internet, the ability to erase and rewrite history has never been easier. Indeed, the internet is like one large “white board”. You erase what you don’t like, and rewrite it to fit your new revised narrative. There are all kinds of examples. I have covered one myself on the subject of Calexit and the American Civil War by President Obama.

    It is the way that it is done. There isn’t too much that we can do about it. Except change our behaviors and be skeptical of all the news. Especially to take notice to avoid any kind of pre-approved or “fact checked” news deemed worthy by others. Indeed, that is the most dangerous.

    The United States has rewritten the meaning of just about everything.
    News in America in 2018 has completely gone full-on Orwell. George Orwell well predicted the American media in his book “Animal Farm”. Good is bad. Happy is sad. White is black. American media in 2018 is absolutely off the charts in insanity.

    War with Russia

    News from the media today is all about dragging the United States into yet another war. Jeeze! Can’t we ever get a break. The USA has been at war almost every year since it was founded.

    Hey, have you been watching the news lately?

    Have you noticed any trends? Man, I’ll tell you it seems like everyone is writing on and on just how bad Russia is, and that there will eventually be a world war between the great powers. How can that be? Bill Clinton was paying Russia to keep it’s military intact through most of the 1990’s. Now why would they want to nuke us now? Didn’t Hillary Clinton just give them 25% of our nuclear stockpiles? It just doesn’t make too much sense.

    We’d make a far better trading partner than an enemy. But, anyways… Now what do you all think is gonna happen once, the USA and Russia nukes each other? It’s a great question. It’s one that deserves some thought. What do you think is going to happen once the USA gets involved in a nuclear war?

    Nuclear war is terrible and it manifests when the media goes full Orwell.
    Nuclear war is terrible and it is nothing to take lightly. If a nuclear war were to break out, there would be many things that would be nearly impossible in a post nuclear-exchange United States. Things such as easy cell phone access, nope the War Powers act will limit that. Things such as your Starbucks coffee are also going to be changed as the headquarters would be reduced to radioactive glass. Nope, a nuclear exchange will impact YOUR life in ways that you are unaware of.

    Do you believe that the world will be over? Is that what you really think will happen? Do you believe that since the USA is number one, that the rest of the world will just scurry under rocks or something?  Is that what you think? Ha!

    Not. Going. To. Happen.

    What do you think China will do while both Russia, Europe (of course the EU, as they are driving this war narrative), with the USA are in ruins with radioactive rubble for cities?

    Do you think that the rest of the world will continue to live like a scene from a “Save the Children” commercial? Do you think that it will make a big difference in the lives of other people in Sydney, Australia? How about Osaka, Japan? What about Sao Paulo Brazil?

    Hong Kong is very beautiful.
    Hong Kong is a very western Chinese city. It is very modern and very crowded. I like it, but I can only take it in small doses as they use Western pricing and it tends to be too expensive for my tastes.

    Do you think that they will care…?

    The rest of the world has a vibrant middle class. There are factories, farms, subways, tollbooths, ATM machines, and McDonalds all over the world. They have toothpaste, football, cars, cable television, and the internet. If American shuts itself off from the rest of the world… the rest of the world will go on as if nothing happened. America will just be a footnote in the latest Wikipedia entries as maintained from Beijing servers…

    So…

    Do you think that the USA will still be able to project “it’s interests” globally? Do you think that the domestic issues, internally, will be just the same-old same-old script? Nope, boys and girls, it is going to be awfully hard for most Americans. Especially those from the cities.

    Most especially for those urban or suburban folk.

    What are they going to do when Starbucks runs out of coffee? When Wi-Fi has zero hot spots, or when girls will need to “put out” for a half-bowl of pea soup? Know your history people. How do you think that the young lasses of Germany survived when the Russians moved in through the devastated countryside? How do you think the people of Cambodia, and Burma survived? I cannot predict the future, but I can report on what happened in the past when this situation raised it’s ugly head.

    The Media is out of control.
    Nuclear tipped ICBM’s are nothing to take lightly. Yet, here we are with the media promoting war as if it was just “another” issue like “racist peanut butter and jelly sandwiches”. Ugh!

    Oh sure, the surviving Americans will try to leave the glassed rubble of their cities. Though, I doubt that they will make it very far into “deplorable land”. You know with all those squads of “good ol’ boys” hunting down all the urban folk escaping from all that glassed wreckage.

    Oh, their Prius or Tesla might make it a few hundred miles into “flyover country”. They might even get some militia assistance. Oh, some will make it to FEMA camps. There, of course they will be pre-screened and set to work.

    Ain’t nothing for free in this world. We all will have to pay the tolls. The tolls will, or course, be guarded by men with guns.

    While the USA is all busy straightening out it’s house, the rest of the world will continue as if nothing happened. Since the exports to the United States account for around 11% of what China makes, there will certainly be an impact.

    However, it won’t be life-threatening. China will survive. The nuclear exchange between the USA and Russia will be noted. Maps will be redrawn with huge “Forbidden to Enter” areas marked in red. But that will be about it.

    If a nuclear exchange were to hit the United States, the rest of the world would go on as if nothing had happened.
    If the United States were to get involved in a hot nuclear war, those nations that do not participate in the war would benefit. Many of these nations, such as China, South Africa, Europe, Dubai, Tokyo and many others are just as advanced as the United States is and would thrive if competition from Los Angles, San Francisco and New York were to end.

    China will take over. Not a bad thing. I’ll tell you what.

    War with the President

    Oh but not all the news is about trying to get people to go to war. Jeeze! This is not 1960 people! While America might be populated with half-asleep sheep, they do know when they are being manipulated. At least the older ones do. The news is really pretty obvious. The only way that you wouldn’t notice the obvious propaganda is if you were on some kind of drug like a painkiller, or an anti-depressant…

    Anyways, the other news concerns president Trump.

    It’s a non-stop hate fest. I have never seen such vitriol and hate from the American propaganda mills. These idiots actually believed that Hillary the Horrible could actually be elected. They thought that the game was rigged in her favor, and even if she did manage to become President that no one would bat an eye and it would be accepted. Hah! I’ll tell you, these people are absolutely delusional.

    So, when I see the “Russia, Russia, Russia!” anti-Trump narrative, it just bores me. It’s not news. There just isn’t any news there.

    It’s just a bunch of attractive actors reading scripted lines, and being paid large bucks to make up news.

    I’m beyond bored with it. I will honestly say that I haven’t seen ABC, NBC or a CBS newscast in over a decade. It’s all just junk. CNN? Give me a break. I was turned off from them way back in the 1990’s when they were caught staging a protest.

    CNN stages fake news all the time. Donald Trump rightfully called them out on this.
    CNN staging a fake protest. In this case they reported that a huge groundswell of Muslims were protesting Islamic terror. Those individuals weren’t even’t actual Muslims. They were paid actors. Jeeze!

    It’s all propaganda with a set agenda that benefits the richest people in the world.

    War with Non-Official News

    That is why it is important to read grass-root reporting. Read from small-time bloggers, and get your news from other sources. Of course, the powers-that-be don’t want you to do that. No sir ree! You can bet that those in the oligarchy want their control over all thought, ideas and media. You will follow their directions or not at all. The Bill of Rights, and the first Amendment can just go to hell as far as they are concerned.

    Here is Democrat Senator Diane Feinstein on her attack on people who have a “five dollar blog”…

    Democrats have always been trying to take away people's rights. Here is a noted senator trying to take away the freedom of speech.
    Democrat Senator Dianne Feinstein making a formal statement that the Bill of Rights does not apply to American Citizens. She makes the case that it ONLY applies to elected officials. Therfore, it is important to prevent citizens from writing or blogging on the Internet using their “five dollar blog”.

    Diane Feinstein talking about the need to only allow properly vetted, government “approved”, people to have “Free Speech”. Doesn’t she look like the teacher from Hell? (Image Source.)

    You can watch the video here where she argues against average people having opinions. You can also read on Reddit on what people think of her redefining a Right as a Privilege that the government provided.

    You can read about the Democrat efforts to eliminate or “water down” the first Amendment hereYou-tube also has a recording on this attack on the First Amendment. Here is another response to the attacks on the first amendment.

    I wonder why there are no progressive liberal attacks. I guess that it is just ok to take away freedoms… how about we start with Facebook, then Tumblr, Pinterest, Google, Snapchat, for starters.

    Unless you have lived under a rock for the last ten years, what constitutes news out of the United States today is anything but news. It has become a complete political propaganda machine that is populated by highly paid actors and actresses reading scripted lines. There is a science to this, and there is a feedback loop that dictates what propaganda that should be dished out to the American population at which specific times.

    American media is nothing but lies.
    American media is just propaganda. Nothing that you see is real and truthful. It is all distorted lies and partial-truths.

    Real news would tell us details about the hidden cavity in the Great Pyramid, or a review of NASA funding for the next fiscal year. It would cover topical news; a protest here, a murder there, and a car crash there in brief one or two sentence bites. When a President speaks, they would play his entire speech, not show him speaking with the audio off and then translate for us what he is saying.

    They would not have “panels of experts” who are just actors with nice titles (not nice titties, or… um I take that back), farmed out by rich organizations for propagandized purposes. They would provide balance of different viewpoints (if they wanted a broad viewership base). Or not have any dissent on the editorial sections if they wanted to become the foremost expert in their political narrative.

    It’s ALL fake.

    Creeping propaganda doggie style

    This reminds me of an incident in my own house with my own dog…

    Our floor is mostly hardwood and tiled marble. It’s the Chinese way. That is unlike the States, where the floor is carpeted (wall to wall) over a plywood floor if the house was built after the 1980’s. In China, most houses have a stone floor. The stone is typically cut at a ¼ inch thick sliced tile, polished, and provided into two feet square sections. Most floors use a light colored granite or marble. In upper-scale homes, wood floors are provided in the bedrooms. Cheaper flooring methods such as linoleum or carpeting are never used.

    As such, we have a few throw rugs to lie down and make the house a home.

    Now our dog knows, absolutely knows, that peeing in the house if forbidden. We have a rule that he must pee and crap in the bathroom (if not outside). We have trained him to use a blue mat (Indoor/outdoor carpeting that is blue instead of green.) just for this purpose.

    In fact, the reader should know, that the way we trained him was that we got a really large mat, and put it in the shower. (In China, the showers do not have a tub. Therefore, the shower goes straight down to the floor.) Once the dog knew that he could do all the peeing and crapping he needed to do, on the shower, that is where he went. Over time, we cut the mat down smaller and smaller. It was one yard by one yard, then it became two feet by two feet. Then one foot by two feet, then one foot by one foot. We kept cutting it down. Finally it was one square inch, and you should have seen him trying to aim and hit that tiny little mat.

    Anyways, long story short, he knew that he could only pee in the shower.

    Well, we also have a few throw rugs. We decided to not use them when he took up the (terrible) habit on peeing on them.

    Now, I really don’t know why he would pee on them. Maybe it was because he was trained to pee on mats due to his bathroom training. Or, perhaps, maybe he wanted to make the house feel more lived in and “doggie friendly”.

    Whatever.

    One day, we decided to lay down this black and white shag rug that we have. (Yeah, I know that it is shag, but it fits with our modern Asian décor.) We wanted to make the living room area more comfortable, and that would include a rug nested in between the sofas and the various chairs. However, we were very concerned because our dog had a propensity to pee on the rugs.

    So we laid the rug down. We told him, in no uncertain ways, that it was “off limits” to pee upon. We then watched him like a hawk.

    I can tell the reader that he knew not to do anything. He would walk near the rug with a hunched back look, and with tail down. He was afraid to do anything with that rug. Indeed, he would walk around it rather than walk on it.

    All was well. Then one day, the wife saw him do a “dryless pee” on the rug. That I mean to say is that he pretended to pee for a split second, but no pee came out. She chalked it up to him getting old, and let it fly. Of course, the reader might say, “Hey, why don’t you simply lift up the rug, you moron?”. Well, we couldn’t. The rug was under this massive marble coffee table. It is an enormously heavy sheet of brown veined marble (Also known as Adobe Granite, Golden Brown Marble, Canadian Mahogany, or Deer Brown granite.) that is at least one inch thick, with beveled sides. It weighs a ton. It is far too heavy for me to move alone, or even to have two people move it. You actually need four strong men to move this friggin’ coffee table.

    Well, the design (with the cold gold metal sides, and the glass bottom) looks a lot like a KTV table. Which wasn’t our intention, but hey the wife picked it out and now we have it. Anyways, the other ends of the rug are buried under large sofas and leather chairs. So for us to move everything about, would take a lot of effort. It wouldn’t be something that we would ever do casually. So, we just let it slide.

    A few days later, I thought that I smelled pee, but the rug was dry. It must have been my imagination, I reasoned.

    A few weeks later, my wife too smelled something. It was driving us crazy. The rug was dry, but the smell of urine was unbearably strong. We had been watching him carefully but he wasn’t doing anything. When it looked like he would pee, nothing came out, and so we took no action. So, to us, it was very perplexing.

    Finally, around six o’clock on a Saturday, we couldn’t stand it any longer. We moved the sofas out, and the (enormously heavy) coffee table away. Then we lifted up the rug.

    My God! The entire underside was wet and saturated with dog urine! Somehow, the shag carpet stayed dry on top, no matter how wet it got. But the underside acted like a massive sponge. It absorbed the urine and just collected it there. It was absolutely horrid and disgusting. Weeks of moldy pee saturated the matting making it look and smell like an outdoor shithouse in the middle of August.

    Apparently what had happened was that our dog knew that it was wrong to pee on the rug. However, when it wasn’t punished for tiny efforts to pee, it thought that it could pee at will as long as it wasn’t caught. We were delusional in thinking that the dog would not do this. The end result was that our intention (of a pee-less rug) never materialized. Our dog thought it could pee away… as long as it could not be caught.

    I guess that is what happens when we let people get away with things that are wrong. Unless we stop them in the early stages, their behavior will get worse and worse over time.

    I have seen that this is true, and I am sure that the reader knows examples of this. Perhaps with children. Maybe with criminals. With classmates, and with other things as well. It just seems that if you do not have limits, it is within our nature to treat things as without limits. As such, we tend to keep pushing and pushing until we start to hit some roadblocks.

    News and Politics

    Which of course, brings us back to the Democratic Senator from California, Diane Feinstein and her attempt(s) to ban the first amendment. (Now, she like any other “good” Democrat is off trying to ban everything from ice cream to baby pacifiers. It’s in their nature. However, for now, let’s just focus on this one particular instance, and not get sidetracked.)

    You know, she (and others of her ilk) believes that they can get away with their actions simply because no one is stepping up and stopping them. Like our dog, who needed a good hard paddle after his first attempted pee, this woman needed to spend five years at hard labor when she first started to suggest banning a Right. It would have stopped her dead in her tracks, and served as a notice to others who might try to follow in her footsteps.

    Newsflash to everyone; Senators are just like everyone else. The only thing that they have that you (the reader) do not have is a title, and a good PR firm. They must follow the rules. It doesn’t work that way of course. But it should.

    Ah…

    The young millennial asks “what rules, and what laws are you referring to?”

    To this, I must teach the reader something that is a very well-kept secret. Yes, it is. Why it is the “Preamble to the Bill of Rights” of course. This is one of the most secretive documents in the entire United States. Everyone tries to hide it, because it clearly and plainly says what a Right is, and what the purpose of a Right is. Hey! Surprise! Here it is so you can read it for yourself.

    THE Conventions of a number of the States, having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best ensure the beneficent ends of its institution.
    
    RESOLVED by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, two thirds of both Houses concurring, that the following Articles be proposed to the Legislatures of the several States, as amendments to the Constitution of the United States, all, or any of which Articles, when ratified by three fourths of the said Legislatures, to be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of the said Constitution; viz.
    
    ARTICLES in addition to, and Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, proposed by Congress, and ratified by the Legislatures of the several States, pursuant to the fifth Article of the original Constitution.

    And, for those of you who only have a public education, let me translate for you.

    The Bill of Rights is a special set of rules inside, yet set apart from the Constitution. It is designed to prevent the Constitution to be used to harm the citizens of the United States. It offered protections in that it clearly stated that no elected official, nor anyone appointed by them, could influence, takeaway or disparage any of the RIGHTS listed in the Bill of Rights.

    That’s correct.

    No one, let alone a Senator can even consider taking or limiting a right. That means ANY right, for those of you who are confused out there. Now there are ten Rights. The first group of Rights is in a collection known as the first amendment. One of these rights is, of course, the Right of freedom of speech. Which means that you can say anything, or write anything, or even think anything NO MATTER WHAT. You offend someone… tough cookies. You swear or use profanity…meh. You  call a person a bad name, or say something that someone doesn’t like… no problem.

    The RIGHT to speak your mind; America used to stand for this freedom. Not anymore apparently.

    Ah… but I digress yet again.

    Bad Behaviors

    Wouldn’t you think that being a Senator, and not following the Constitution is wrong? Wouldn’t you think that it is a “bad behavior”? I would.

    But, you know, defining what “bad behavior” is and what isn’t is really meaningless unless there is an enforcement arm.

    When we were all children, we knew that there were things that we were not permitted to do. If we crossed the line, and did those “naughty” things, our parents would get angry and punish us. Now, we all had friends who could seemingly get away with anything. Their parents apparently didn’t care in the least. They were always on our case, acting like bullies or worse. Their parents were either oblivious, or defensive of their actions. It was truly frustrating. However, now that I am much older I see where the lack of discipline and parental guidance led the kids. It wasn’t pretty.

    I would guess that perhaps one of the reasons why the United States is in such a mess today is partially because there just hasn’t been any enforcement to follow the Constitution. People could seemingly get away with anything. As such, they never would get in trouble. Look at Louis Learner, and the rest of her ilk, and how they were never punished.

    This all reminds me of my dog, and when he’s acting poorly.

    Being in the Dog House

    Here in China, it is very crowded. As such, there is a necessity in making sure that everyone follows certain basic rules. Because, one or two odd balls behaving badly can cause all kinds of trouble in a crowded environment. Now, that is not to say that China has their act together, as there are many things about China that could use some improvement. However, there are things that they do right.

    One of the things that they have in China that just isn’t so popular in the United States is security guards in every building for the purposes of keeping order. That differs from the United States, where security is used to enforce laws. In China, while laws might be enforced or not, the primary purpose of a baoan (security guard) is to keep order.

    In a crowded place, especially a residential building, excessive noise is not tolerated. If you think that you can jam with your stereo up all night long and not have the rest of the building lynch you, you are sorely mistaken. You will have a baoan knock on your door, and if you are not corporative, they will pick up your stereo and toss it of the 65th floor below. If you complain, they will arrest you and in China, this is decidedly NOT a good thing.

    Anyways, back to my dog.

    For a while we had two dogs. Our current dog (Pipi) and a younger dog named “Super”. Super was a beautiful dog. The problem with him is that he hated my guts. He just could not stand me. When I would come home, he would bark at me all night long. It would continue hour after hour. He would be bleary-eyed from lack of sleep, and his voice would be hoarse, but he would keep it up like it was his duty. He would bark like there was no tomorrow. You could hear his voice getting hoarser and hoarser. It would crackle and dry up, yet still he barked. Then when I would leave the house, he would collapse in his bed from exhaustion. I know, as my wife would show me pictures of him collapsed from exhaustive barking. He would lay there on his back, his mouth open and his tongue out exhausted.

    For my wife, she loved the loyalty of the dog. However, she saw that it was a problem. On more than just a few instances, we would have the guards knock on our doors to get the dog quiet. One time they were going to toss him off the 63rd floor, if we didn’t get him quiet. Indeed, for a long time it was a real problem. That is… until we consulted a vet about what to do.

    When confronted with this problem, many Chinese simply cut the vocal cords of the dog. That way, they can live their life normally, but they will no longer be able to bark. Now, before any reader has a heart attack, please relax. We didn’t do any such thing. Instead we turned to technology for an answer.

    We put on a barking shock collar on him.

    Whenever there was a loud sound the dog would get a three second beep. If the barking continued, there would be a shock. The collar would then wait for five minutes. If there were additional loud sounds in those five minutes, there would be four louder beeps and a louder shock. This continued up the scale to ten. If the dog were still barking after fifty minutes (10 x 5 minutes = fifty minutes) of barking, a very loud shock would be released.

    Super was a smart dog, and quickly discovered how the system worked.

    Trainging collar to train dogs to stop barking.
    Anti-barking training device used to train dogs to stop barking. This particular model is available in the United States. Chinese models are (ahem) more efficient.

    Anti-barking shock training collar for dogs. (Image Source.)

    Problem solved. Right?

    Now Super whispered his barks. Instead of BARK! BARK! BARK!, it was bark… um, bark,  … bark. (Timidly.) It was cute, and it did work. Our dog had figured out how it worked and realized that he could no longer bark in the house. There weren’t any more visits from the building guards. Great right? Of course it wouldn’t work if the dog were not bright or slow. But Super was smart, so it worked.

    But then, again our other dog (Pipi) was smart as well.

    And he too discovered how it worked. He discovered that he could shock Super by barking at him. Super could be sleeping, and our dog would walk up to him and bark right into his collar. What a shocking way to wake up! Oh, my goodness! What hath we wrought?

    One day we came home to barking and howls of pain from Super. Our other dog Pipi was pacing around Super barking crazily, and watching him get shocked. Then he gleefully would start up again, to watch it all over again.

    We had to put an end to this mess.

    We initially didn’t know what to do. We were afraid that if we removed the collar that Super would start barking again. There was a real and serious risk that he would find out the hard way how to fly. We needed to do something. We discussed it back and forth, over wine (as was our preference) and decided a solution. We put shock collars on both of them.

    That’s right. Now it wasn’t fair. But it was the best thing to do.

    We had a small cage for both of them, and put them both in it with shock collars. We then put on a camera and watched them from our cellphones, and left the house for dinner.

    Sure enough, our one dog would start barking and Super would start to cower in fear. The only difference now was that both collars started to beep. Now, both dogs got a shock. Our dog didn’t know what was going on, so he started to bark and attack Super. Then off goes the stage-two beeps…then shock. It continued, and then Super started to fight back. He started to bark back. There was a mess of fighting, howling, beeping and electric shocks. It took maybe two hours before they all collapsed from exhaustion.

    Neither dog would bark after that.

    After that one massive battle, everything went quiet and peaceful. Neither dog barked. Though, they didn’t look at each other either. They would take turns eating and they would stay in separate rooms in the house. The good news is that Super wasn’t thrown out the window, no dog had a operation to stop barking, and the Baoan never visited us again. Mission accomplished.

    That makes me think…

    It's time to put shock collars on members of Congress.
    I must admit that I am pretty sick and tired of Congress. Not one of them are acting the interests of their constituents. Not one of them. They are self-serving and evil.

    It makes me think that maybe we should have shock-collars for everyone in Congress. The moment they start to put restrictions on people and any of their Rights, that they get graduated electric shocks. Maybe that would teach them that they couldn’t violate the Constitution no matter what their excuses are. Try to ban free speech, get a shock. Try to ban guns, get a shock. Try to ban religion… get a shock. Try to ban large sodas… get a shock. Try to ban straws… get a shock. Try to ban bikini’s… get a shock. Try to ban chewing gum… get a shock. Try to ban bacon…get a shock. Try to ban knives and forks… get a shock.

    It’s a win-win situation!

    When does information stop and propaganda begin

    Well, isn’t that the way life works. You start talking about dog shit and end up talking about putting shock collars on American Senators. Ah, my goodness,  life as an American.

    People say that we live in an “information age”. I disagree. We live in an “age of manipulation”. I say this because never before have we ever been so assaulted upon by propagandized media, and surveilled so severely. Face the facts.

    All, the totality of, American media is owned by only six people.

    American media is owned by six mega-corporations.
    Everything that you see on the “mainstream” media is directed and spoon fed to you by the desires of six people.

    Why use propaganda unless you want to manipulate, and why utilize surveillance if you have no intention about using the information you obtain. The answers to both questions point squarely towards manipulation.

    This being stated…

    How does the news benefit you?

    Really, how does the “news” benefit you? If you were to go without watching, reading, or listening to the news for a week, would your life collapse? Would your quality of life decrease? Would your income drop?

    Do you like being afraid of the latest pandemic being shoved right before your morning coffee?

    I am willing to bet that your quality of life would increase. Your stress level would definitely decrease, and your levels of happiness would increase. I think that maybe we have become so addicted to the news that we have forgotten it’s relative importance in our lives. Since most of the news is used to manipulate and alter your way of thinking, it is refreshing to ignore it.

    People who ignore the news, and the warnings about all the wars and troubles in other nations, go out and are happy outside of the USA. They are not afraid.

    Those who ignore the news, don’t know that they cannot do certain things, so they do them anyways. They survive and succeed. News in many cases, is like a big weight around your neck that weighs you down and holds you back. It holds you back.

    So, like a dog, I would suggest that you ignore that big pile of shit on the sidewalk. Let other dogs smell it. There are other trees to pee on. Other places to run and play. Don’t let anyone tell you that you must smell that pile of shit and no others. You can choose your very own pile of shit and do with it as you may.

    You, yes YOU, can choose your own pile of shit to smell. Don’t let anyone tell you what shit to smell.

    What you can do

    To steal a quote from the movie “Forrest Gump”, life is like a box of chocolates, you don’t know what you are going to get. But, my dear friends, you can most certainly choose the box. Don’t listen to the propaganda.

    "Ben Rhodes from Obama’s national security apparatus made the comment that your average journalist today is 27. They don’t know anything; they believe everything we tell ’em. It was a snap. 
    
    It was right out of the page of Jonathan Gruber, who was the architect of Obamacare, who after it was signed into law, ran around the country bragging about how easy it was to lie to the American people about it because the American people are essentially ignoramuses."
    
    -Rush Limbaugh

    Likewise, don’t do what all the other dogs do. Don’t go towards the biggest and most popular pile of shit. Be different, be selective in which shit that you smell. Only pee where you want to be.

    Don’t go from tree to tree peeing indiscriminately. Use some thought and planning. I am sure that your life would benefit from some judicial peeing responsibility.

    We cannot change the world, and maybe we shouldn’t even try. All that we can change is ourselves.

    If there are something’s that I urge the reader to do, I would suggest the following;

    • Stop watching, reading, and viewing all the “major” media outlets. (CNN,MSNBC, ABC, CBS, etc.)
    • Replace the time with something involving food, fresh air, friendships, or animals. (Oh, sex and pizza with wine would be a good thing also.)

    Now, that should take care of most of your need to take medication (if you are an American). Now, in addition I would also suggest a phased approach of the following suggestions;

    • When you go on the internet, do not visit any of the “minor” news sites. (Drudge, Huffington Post, Forbes, WaPo etc.) Give yourself a break.
    • Replace the sites with websites that have interesting and in depth stories. (History, Discover, Messie Nessie, Dark Roasted Blend, The Art of Manliness, etc.)
    • Avoid sites that promise to tell you “the truth”. Or “fact check”, they will just inform you of what the truth is relative to the person who paid them. They are always lying for financial gain. While Snopes is perhaps one of the most famous, all of them utilize a financial model that promotes one version of the truth over others for financial gain. There is nothing free out there. You have to pay a price for everything. Being “educated” so you are manipulated is the price that you must often pay as an American.
    • Avoid “Social media”, like Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, or any of the others. If you need to go on it, pledge to stop using “likes”, and responding to posts.

    Go there, do your task, and leave. A kitchen timer helps too.

    The goal to all of this is to simplify your life by removing the anxiety and excitement of the internet from your life. You don’t need it. It hasn’t helped you at all, and it has only made your life miserable. Forgetaboutit.

    I’ve noticed that in my rush to check out Tumblr, that I ended up acting like my dog anticipating a great pile of stinky poop. I just couldn’t wait to what was on my feed. But you know what? It’s just another addiction. It doesn’t really matter. Don’t be like my dog that just cannot wait to smell the freshest pile of shit in the park. Then he just has to pee on top of it. You don’t need it. It’s addictive, and other people know that you are addicted to it, and use that to control you.

    Other people control you this way.

    Some Final Comments

    This being my opinions, and with the world populated with others, there will be some disagreements. Maybe some readers won’t like my comparisons between American news and dog shit. But, you know, that is exactly how most of America views the media, reporters, and those who are on the news shows. We think that they all stink.

    Idea: 689,003 Facebook users participated in a social experiment during which researchers wanted to see what would happen if people started reading bad news every day. For an entire week, some users had to view news posts which had negative information, some of which were incredibly stressful emotionally. The opposite was also tested out by using positive news instead of negative posts.
    
    Result: Like a lot of us instinctively predicted, reading lots of negative news over 7 days changed Facebook users' behavior online. Not only were they more prone to posting similar information as in the negative news more often, they were also more likely to emphasize negative emotions. Meanwhile, positive news stories made people feel happier, act more compassionately and kindly towards others. In other words, the news that we consume on social media shapes how we react because, on some level, we feel that what we see and read happens to us in reality.

    Maybe some readers will take offense on what I have to say about Nazi’s, Liberal Progressives, and similar organizations like the Antifa and the KKK. Well, heck, that is what the First Amendment is for; the ability to speak your mind. Or to paraphrase the good Democrat Senator, “to express non-approved ideas on my five dollar blog”. Well, there is a solution that will prevent you from getting upset. Don’t read any of my opinions. Leave. Thank you.

    This entire article is based on one thing; the musing that I had while I was walking my dog along the beach in front of my house. I noticed how excited he was smelling crap and his urgency to pee everywhere. In turn, I too wanted to see what the latest feed was on the news. And then, for a brief second of clarity, it became totally clear to me. Dogs and humans are the same.

    We are the same, and you cannot convince me otherwise.

    In my desire to keep my dog focused, and to keep him from getting hit by a car, I would often need to direct him. He cannot crap in the middle of a road, and not run blindly across a road to smell a fire hydrant. It is dangerous in many ways. As such, I need to help him and to protect him.

    Isn’t that the same with us humans?

    If we blindly react to the canned news that is fed to us, and the manipulative narratives that tug at our hearts and souls, we can get ourselves into a great deal of danger and hurt. I suggested the Russian narrative that is really being pushed by CNN, MSNBC, and Drudge. But other narratives are just as dangerous. America has been at war for over two hundred years. Don’t you think we all ought to give it up and chill out some? Really!

    Take Aways

    Well, there are some take aways from this dialog;

    • Dog poop is stinky.
    • Dogs like to smell things, and what they smell is more than we humans can understand.
    • News can be compared to dog crap.
    • There is no reason for us to be so interested in the news, as MOST news does not affect us personally.
    • News or Social Media is addictive to humans. It is like stinky shit to a dog.
    • Addiction to news can be dangerous, and it MIGHT be a contributor to the opioid problem in America today.
    • Manipulation of the news is equally dangerous, and could result in a most terrible turn of events.
    • I think that it might be a good idea to have Senators wear shock collars

    FAQ

    Q: Do you think that all news is bad?
    A: No. I am just concerned that all news is used to manipulate. Our addition to news and Social Media might be harmful to us.

    Q: Do you hate dogs?
    A: No. I actually love them. I also think that they should be permitted to smell all the stinky stuff they want. They just need to be careful so that they don’t get hurt in the process.

    Q: Do you hate Senator Feinstein?
    A: No. I think that she is more than a little confused.

    Old age does that, you know. You forget things and your sense of judgment tends to be distorted. She came to Congress when telephones had dials and hung on walls. There was no such thing as computers, and people wrote letters with “Bic banana” pens. Everyone was saying “Groovy”, and the movie Jaws just came out.
    I think she should have retired three or four decades ago. Like when Microsoft DOS first came out.

    Q: Do you read the news and listen to it?
    A: Yes I do. However, I have been actively trying to reduce the impact of it in my life. I think that I have been far too involved in it in the past. Looking back, I can see how silly it has been.

    Posted On Free Republic

    This article was posted on Free Republic in the chat section on 31JUL18. It was edited as the language was deemed improper. It used the word “shit”. The comments can be read HERE.

    Posts Regarding Life and Contentment

    Here are some other similar posts on this venue. If you enjoyed this post, you might like these posts as well. These posts tend to discuss growing up in America. Often, I like to compare my life in America with the society within communist China. As there are some really stark differences between the two.

    Link
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    Playground Comparisons
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    More Posts about Life

    I have broken apart some other posts. They can best be classified about ones actions as they contribute to happiness and life. They are a little different, in subtle ways.

    Being older
    Link
    Civil War
    Travel
    PT-141
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    r/K selection theory
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    A second passport
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    Snopes
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    Link
    Link
    Link
    Make America Great Again.
    Link
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    Link
    Link
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    1960's and 1970's link
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    Stories that Inspired Me

    Here are reprints in full text of stories that inspired me, but that are nearly impossible to find in China. I place them here as sort of a personal library that I can use for inspiration. The reader is welcome to come and enjoy a read or two as well.

    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link
    Link

    Articles & Links

    • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
    • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
    • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
    • You can find out more about the author HERE.
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    Notes

    1. Drafted 25MAR18.
    2. Updated 11APR18.
    3. Internet ready 28APR18.
    4. SEO check 8MAY18.
    5. FR posting update 1AUG18.